, which has been a market proxy for sentiment about the election and has performed in inverse correlation with Trump's perceived chances of winning the White House, shot more than 2 percent higher against the U.S. dollar in late Sunday trading.
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It is still down more than 7 percent this year against the greenback.
S&P 500 futures fell 3 percent over the past nine sessions, during which the benchmark index S&P 500 declined daily to set the longest falling streak since December 1980.
"To get back to where we were before the election angst began would require a 3.2 percent rally," said Brian Jacobsen, chief portfolio strategist at Wells Fargo Funds Management in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
"There have been some impressive rallies in the couple days in the run-up to an election," he said. "With a dearth of economic data releases, little else will be moving the markets between now and Tuesday night."
He noted, however, that some traders will likely sell this rally to avoid any surprise in the election outcome which could trigger a spike in volatility.
(Reporting by David Henry in New York; Editing by Dan Burns and Chris Reese)
Nov 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department is expected to launch a formal investigation on Monday into whether Chinese companies shipped steel through Vietnam to avoid import tariffs, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing a person familiar with the matter.
The development comes after lawyers for four U.S. steel producers said in September that they would file petitions with the department alleging that Chinese competitors diverted shipments to Vietnam immediately after the U.S. government set preliminary anti-dumping duties on their stainless steel.
The U.S. duties, ranging from 63.86 percent to 76.64 percent, were proposed after preliminary findings showed the imports were being dumped in the U.S. market at below fair value.
The U.S. firms alleged the Chinese steel was modified to be corrosion-resistant and then sent to the United States at Vietnam's U.S. tariff rate, which is lower than for China.
The newspaper said the heart of the issue is whether the steel is modified enough to be a new product made in Vietnam.
The newspaper said a spokesman for the department declined to comment on its story. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Sunday.
The U.S. firms that were petitioning the department include ArcelorMittal USA, Nucor Corp, AK Steel Holdings Corp and United States Steel Corp (Reporting by David Henry in New York; Editing by Chris Reese)
(Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department is expected to launch a formal investigation on Monday into whether Chinese companies shipped steel through Vietnam to avoid import tariffs, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing a person familiar with the matter.
The development comes after lawyers for four U.S. steel producers said in September that they would file petitions with the department alleging that Chinese competitors diverted shipments to Vietnam immediately after the U.S. government set preliminary anti-dumping duties on their stainless steel.
The U.S. duties, ranging from 63.86 percent to 76.64 percent, were proposed after preliminary findings showed the imports were being dumped in the U.S. market at below fair value.
The U.S. firms alleged the Chinese steel was modified to be corrosion-resistant and then sent to the United States at Vietnam's U.S. tariff rate, which is lower than for China.
The newspaper said the heart of the issue is whether the steel is modified enough to be a new product made in Vietnam.
The newspaper said a spokesman for the department declined to comment on its story. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Sunday.
The U.S. firms that were petitioning the department include ArcelorMittal USA, Nucor Corp (NUE.N), AK Steel Holdings Corp (AKS.N) and United States Steel Corp (X.N)
(Reporting by David Henry in New York; Editing by Chris Reese)
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's plans to leave the European Union will include a vote by parliament on legislation to translate EU law into British law, Brexit minister David Davis said on Monday. "European Union law will be transposed into UK law at the time we leave, providing certainty for workers, businesses and consumers," Davis said. "This will be an act of parliament which we intend to have in place before the end of the Article 50 process." (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; writing by William James; editing by Stephen Addison)
By Elizabeth Piper and William James LONDON (Reuters) - The British government is preparing legislation to trigger the procedure to leave the EU, Sky News reported on Monday, despite Prime Minister Theresa May saying she is confident of overturning a court decision that may delay Brexit. May's plans to start the formal divorce procedure from the European Union by the end of March were dealt a blow last week when England's High Court ruled that her government must seek parliamentary approval for triggering Article 50. May wants government, not parliament, to shape Britain's approach to leaving the EU and has said she will appeal the ruling in Britain's highest court - a stance her ministers and aides stuck to on Monday, avoiding any comment on the report. Sky News quoted sources as saying the government was preparing a bill, legislation that will have to be considered in both houses of parliament in what could be a lengthy process and potentially delay May's timetable. May's spokesman told reporters the government was focused on winning its appeal to the Supreme Court next month and meeting the March deadline - an argument repeated by her minister responsible for Brexit, David Davis. Davis also told a rowdy session in parliament that the court's decision may not come until January. The court ruling has stirred passions in Britain just over four months after 52 percent of voters supported leaving the EU in a referendum which deepened splits in the country and gave voice to resentment - mirrored across Western Europe and the United States - with a ruling elite seen as out of touch. One lawmaker from the ruling Conservative party resigned last week over May's approach and dozens of others hope to soften the terms of Britain's departure. Several accused the government on Monday of undermining democracy by trying to bypass parliament, most of whose members had favoured a vote to remain in the EU. "The government has approached its task in the wrong way and its approach is now unravelling, and I am afraid to say it's unravelling in a most ... ugly way," said Keir Starmer, the opposition Labour Party's Brexit spokesman. "Only parliament can make and repeal laws." Some said they wanted to know the government's stance on the EU's lucrative single market of 500 million consumers - something Davis said he would make public "in due course". But Davis, a leading campaigner for Brexit, repeated May's mantra that the government would deliver "the will of the people". Although willing to consult lawmakers, he said the prime minister would not be forced to reveal her hand. "We won't achieve a good negotiation outcome if this is a negotiation being run by 650 people in this House of Commons. No negotiation in history has been run that way," Davis said. "Indeed if parliament insists on a detailed minimum negotiating position that will quickly become the maximum possible offer from our negotiating partners." (Editing by Stephen Addison and Catherine Evans)
A couple who were childless for 11 years were duped into adopting a 1 month old baby boy who they found were kidnapped.
By Pramod Madhav: 7 people have been arrested including 2 women for illegally selling children by Alangulam police. The gang hunt for couple without children and approach them stating that they will get them a baby with full adoption formalities for a fee of 2.5 lakh rupees.
Recently, a couple from Alangulam who were childless for 11 years was approached by S Nainar from Keelapavoor. He told them that they can get a child and the couple willingly paid Rs 50,000 and Rs 1.10 lakh after a few days.
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KIDNAPPED BABY
Nainar handed over a one-month-old baby boy to them on October 7th. As he demanded the pending money, the couple asked for the adoption certificate and it was only then they found out the child had been kidnapped.
7 ARRESTED
Nainar was arrested along with Serman (49), Thangapandi (57), Balasubramaniam (47), Ponuthai (67), Arumugam (55) and Esther (47) who were sent to judicial custody after a complaint was filed by T Arunachalam of Kadaiyanallur.
The arrested have been subsequently charged with Sections 147, 249 (b), 506(ii), 406, 420 and 366 of the Indian Penal Code.
RESCUED CHILD PUT IN HOME
The rescued child has been given custody with 'The Home for Children' in Thirunelveli. Police believe that the arrested gang may be involved in child-trafficking racket.
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London (AFP) - The British government said Monday it would appeal this week against a High Court ruling that the prime minister cannot start the process of leaving the EU without parliament's approval.
"It's likely that any hearing will be scheduled in the Supreme Court in early December," Brexit minister David Davis told parliament just days after Thursday's shock ruling.
"We would hope the judgement would be provided soon after," he said.
"This timetable remains consistent with our aim to trigger Article 50 by the end of March next year," he said, referring to the formal step to begin negotiations with the EU.
Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday the government's planned timetable to launch Brexit talks with Brussels remained "unchanged", while admitting she was disappointed with the court's ruling.
Her comments came a day after judges ruled that MPs must have the chance to vote on the process to leave the EU, dismissing the government's claims it has executive privilege to trigger Article 50.
The judgement prompted an angry response from the pro-Brexit camp, which has argued such a decision could see pro-EU lawmakers seek to block May's attempts to begin formal exit proceedings.
"The government is getting on with delivering what people voted for on June 23, which was for Britain to leave the EU," May told the BBC during her visit to India.
The referendum saw 52 percent of Britons vote to leave the 28-nation bloc, against 48 percent who voted to maintain the status quo.
By Kylie MacLellan and Douglas Busvine NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Britain should not wait until it leaves the European Union to develop deeper trade ties with India, Prime Minister Theresa May said in New Delhi on Monday, promising to ease access for Indian business travelers but not for its students. Making her first visit to India since taking office in July, May described the potential of the British-Indian relationship as "limitless" and announced a scheme to make it quicker and easier for Indian business travelers to clear passport control. "I will be discussing with Prime Minister Modi how we can increase the detail and depth of our trade and investment discussions, and identify what more we can do, now, to unleash our businesses, industries, exporters and investors," May told an India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi at the start of a two-day trip that will take her on Tuesday to the tech hub of Bengaluru. "This does not need to wait for us to leave the EU." May, who said she wants Britain to be a global leader in free trade, has said she plans to use the visit to try to reduce barriers to trade with India and pave the way for a post-Brexit free-trade deal. But with the Indian government keen to secure more access to Britain for students and skilled workers, visa numbers are likely to be a sticking point in any talks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was vital that India and Britain work together to define the knowledge economy of the 21st century, and invited UK partners to get involved in his signature policy initiatives such as his plan to develop 100 "smart" cities. He also called for "greater mobility and participation of young people in educational and research opportunities" - an apparent reference to the sharp fall in the number of Indian nationals studying in Britain since 2010. During that period, when May was interior minister, the number of Indian students in Britain fell to 11,864 in June 2015 from 68,238 five years earlier. TRADE AND MOVEMENT Some of May's cabinet colleagues and business leaders in both countries have urged May to exclude foreign students from Britain's statistics on net migration, which May has vowed to bring below 100,000 a year, from 336,000 in 2015. May said it was "crucial" that those who do need to travel between UK and India for business can do so, but she indicated earlier that she saw no reason to change the UK visa regime. Responding, the head of the Indian government's policy think tank said that, while India was opening up its manufacturing sector to foreign investors, its professionals faced restrictions on working in the UK and other Western countries. "There is no such thing as selective free trade," Amitabh Kant told the tech summit when asked about May's emphasis on striking a free trade agreement with India. En route to India, May said Britain already issued more work visas to Indian nationals than to those from China, Australia and the United States combined. "We have a visa system for countries outside the European Union which ensures the brightest and the best are able to come to the United Kingdom," she said. "We have, I believe, a good system. We will be talking about trade here." Britain will offer new services to improve business travel for Indian visitors, including faster clearance through UK border controls, but an aide to May said this was about speeding up the process rather than boosting numbers. A select group of high-net-worth Indians, nominated by New Delhi, will also be offered access to a "bespoke" visa and immigration service by Britain, May's office said. (Editing by Louise Ireland and Simon Cameron-Moore)
NEW DELHI, Nov 7 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May won't meet any executives from Tata Steel Ltd during her two-day trip to India but talks about the future of its British steel operations are still going on, she said.
In March, Tata Steel put its British steel operations on sale following heavy losses linked to a flood of cheap Chinese imports and low demand in the region. The process was suspended in July because of uncertainty following the June Brexit vote.
The company has since said it is exploring opportunities for a partnership for its entire European steel business, and Germany's biggest steelmaker Thyssenkrupp has said it is in talks with Tata.
"I had hoped to be able to meet the key people from Tata while I was in India, sadly the schedules don't allow for me to do that on this particular visit but there are regular contacts between the government and Tata Steel," May told reporters on the plane to India on Sunday, her first bilateral visit outside the EU since she took office in July.
"There continue to be those regular contacts to ensure that we maintain, as has been maintained so far, that steel production in the UK."
Tata's former chairman Cyrus Mistry, who was ousted in a boardroom coup last month, is due to take part in a CEO forum with May during her visit.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
As the world waits for the results of the historic presidential election, an astronaut has gone above and beyond the final frontier as he cast his vote via absentee ballot from space.
Read: Here's What Scott Kelly Did During His Year in Space
NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough filed his absentee ballot from the International Space Station Monday afternoon. Kimbrough is the sole American aboard the ISS after arriving in mid-October to join two Russian cosmonauts.
Before he was launched into space, he told reporters he was apolitical and I'll be glad to welcome the new president, whoever that is."
According to NASA, mission control in Houston, Texas, sent Kimbrough a secure electronic ballot from the County Clerk which allows him to vote and beam it right back to Earth.
Kimbrough will be in space until February, and by the time he comes back, the new commander-in-chief will already be in the Oval Office.
In 1997, a law was passed that allowed astronauts to vote via absentee ballot. That same year, David Wolf became the first astronaut to vote from space.
Read: Astronauts Grow First Flower Ever to Bloom in Outer Space
Astronaut Kate Rubins cast her vote the same way last month before she returned to Earth on October 30.
These space travelers prove there is little excuse to skip out on the polls this Election Day.
Watch: NASA Astronaut in Orbit Chats With Child Cancer Patients Who Handpainted Her Spacesuit
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Kabul (AFP) - The United Nations is investigating claims that up to 32 civilians were killed in a US airstrike in the volatile Afghan province of Kunduz last week, calling any loss of civilian life "unacceptable".
The strike early last Thursday triggered angry protests in Kunduz, with local officials saying at least 30 people had been killed, many of them children whose mutilated bodies were paraded through the streets by grieving relatives.
Civilian casualties caused by NATO forces have been one of the most contentious issues in the 15-year campaign against the insurgents, prompting strong public and government criticism.
US forces have conceded that the strike "very likely" resulted in civilian casualties and pledged a full investigation into the incident. A State Department spokesman called it a "terrible event".
The killings came just days before the US presidential election, in which Afghanistan has received scarcely a passing mention -- even though the situation there will be an urgent matter for the new president.
Either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will inherit America's longest war with no end in sight.
It was also the second time in just over a year that a US airstrike has gone wrong in Kunduz.
Last year, a US air strike during fighting hit a hospital operated by Medecins Sans Frontieres on October 3, killing 42 people and sparking international outrage.
Late Sunday the UN's mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) announced it is investigating the allegations surrounding Thursday's strike.
"Preliminary findings indicate that the aerial operation killed at least 32 civilians and injured an additional 19 civilians, the vast majority of whom were women and children," a UNAMA statement said.
"The loss of civilian life is unacceptable and undermines efforts toward building peace and stability in Afghanistan," said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN special envoy to Afghanistan.
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"When conducting aerial operations, international military forces should take all feasible measures to minimize civilian harm, including full analysis of the context for aerial strikes."
Thursday's strike came after a Taliban assault left two American soldiers and three Afghan special forces soldiers dead in the Boz-e-Kandahari area near the provincial capital.
Errant air strikes contributed to a 42 percent jump this year in casualties caused by pro-government forces compared to last year, according to the UN.
The body of a little girl who went missing from her Texas church last week has been found and police say a relative they've taken into custody is the only suspect in her death.
Kayla Gomez-Orozco vanished Tuesday, kicking off a manhunt that ended with the discovery of the 10-year-old's body in a well near the town of Bullard, according to authorities in Smith County.
Read: Woman Missing for Months Discovered Chained in Storage Container 'Like a Dog,' Boyfriend Not Found
The search led police to the home of Gustavo Zavala-Garcia on Saturday.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Zavala-Garcia is Kayla's uncle. Her body was found in a water well on private property near his home and also near the church where Kayla was last seen.
Police have not charged Zavala-Garcia in his niece's death. Instead, he's being held without bond on an immigration hold while authorities "develop and perfect a criminal investigation."
It was not clear Monday if Zavala-Garcia had an attorney.
His arrest comes after four days of searching for Kayla, who was last seen following a church service Tuesday.
Read: Neighbors Open Up After Woman Found in Storage Container on Sex Offender's Property
An Amber Alert was issued in the region and a $60,000 reward was offered for her return.
In a Facebook post, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith applauded his staff's valiant effort to find Kayla. "Great teamwork. The only regret is that we were too late," he wrote.
Watch: See How Parole Officers Ensured Kids' Safety by Checking on Sex Offenders on Halloween
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For the first time in its modern history, the United States is going to need a post-election reconciliation plan something typically reserved for countries emerging from deeply divisive conflicts.
On Nov. 9, between 55 million and 70 million Americans will wake up absolutely horrified at the results of the presidential election, whether its President Clinton or President Trump. But unlike past campaigns, millions are not going to be simply disappointed; they may well be unwilling to accept the results.
One sign that all is not well with the U.S. body politic: An October Public Policy Polling survey in Florida asked voters whether they believed that Hillary Clinton was actually a demon. Some 40 percent of Donald Trumps supporters said yes, and 19 percent said they were unsure. Admittedly, many of those respondents were probably joking or perhaps simply registering their unprecedented hatred for the Democratic nominee but the existence of that question at all shows the degree to which 2016 has been an abysmal year for American democracy. Of more serious concern, a recent poll suggested that 41 percent of American voters believe the election could be stolen. The Republican nominee himself has not only suggested that the election has been rigged but has simultaneously painted Clinton as the founder of ISIS, someone who should be locked up, and repeatedly called her the devil. And last week, former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh implied that he would lead an armed revolt if Clinton wins the election.
Thankfully, most Americans still disavow political violence. Yet in surveys, a small but vocal minority consistently agrees with statements like: Some of the problems citizens have with government could be fixed with a few well-aimed bullets. The risk that we will see electoral violence in the United States has surged. This election cycle has not only seen instances of peaceful protests turning violent but also the normalization of violent rhetoric in American political discourse. Making matters worse is the challenge presented by the Trump campaigns mainstreaming of racism, xenophobia, and religious intolerance. The two threads combined horrifically on Nov. 1, when arsonists burned an African-American church in Mississippi and painted Vote Trump on the damaged walls.
Add it all together and few people would be shocked to see isolated incidents of post-election violence this year, something that would have been unthinkable during the 2012 contest between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Even if there is no violence, the fact that it is possible and predictable should be sufficient justification for taking the need for a reconciliation plan seriously.
If Hillary Clinton becomes President Clinton, shes going to have a dual problem: quelling the risk of political violence from people who think she is potentially a demon (or at very least the winner of a rigged election) while trying to find a way to position herself as the president of all Americans, including tens of millions who have openly backed the most race-baiting, racially divisive politician in modern U.S. history. Conversely, if Donald Trump becomes President Trump, hes going to need to find a way to win over groups that find him revolting either because he insulted or peddled racist tropes about them (Muslims, African-Americans, and Latinos in particular) or boasted about sexually assaulting them (women). What the new resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. will need, in other words, is a peace plan.
I study rigged elections and political violence in the developing world, from Madagascar to Thailand, from Tunisia to Cote dIvoire. Never did I think that my expertise in some of the worlds most broken political systems would be relevant in understanding democracy in my own country. But this year is different. Suddenly, understanding why Cote dIvoire succumbed to bloody political violence in the wake of its deeply flawed 2010 presidential election is relevant to avoiding falling into that same trap in the United States. And learning from Tunisias reconciliation process after its remarkably peaceful post-Arab Spring transition to democracy could be vital to avoiding four years of further political dysfunction and division in Washington.
These two case studies, in particular, from very different parts of the world offer crucial lessons on how to approach post-election reconciliation in the United States.
First, Cote dIvoire offers a cautionary tale that the Trump campaign should take more seriously. In 2010, incumbent Ivoirian President Laurent Gbagbo lost his re-election bid. Rather than accept the results, he cast aspersions on the elections integrity and called on his supporters to take up arms in his defense. Some loyal militias did exactly that. Fighting only ended after thousands of people had been killed. Gbagbo eventually was arrested and transported to the International Criminal Court for prosecution. His opponent took office in the end, but the country was deeply damaged as a result.
The United States is not headed toward another civil war, and Trump is not going to end up in The Hague. But when a major presidential candidate says the system is rigged and tells the public that he will keep them in suspense as to whether he will accept the election result, it sends a critically destabilizing signal that too many will take seriously.
So, the first step to reconciliation is a simple one. Should Trump lose, responsible Republicans must immediately congratulate Clinton and state unequivocally that they accept the results, even if Trump does not. Democrats, including Clinton, should of course do the same if Trump wins as they have universally indicated they will. Republicans also need to work with a President Clinton, if she wins, to restore Americans faith in their electoral institutions. American democracy cannot thrive or survive when electoral integrity is incorrectly viewed through a partisan lens; the main type of election rigging in the United States is gerrymandering, and both parties are guilty of it. If these foundational steps do not occur, then Washington will look a lot more like Abidjan than it should.
If Clinton wins, she needs to find a way to reach out to what she called the basket of deplorables without legitimizing their most deplorable ideas. Clinton will have to reconcile with an electoral base of mostly white, non-college-educated men, at least some of whom have reveled in the most toxic aspects of the Trump campaign. It may be a controversial statement, but many of Trumps supporters are, in fact, racist. Surveys have shown that many, though not most, of Trump supporters believe that black people are less intelligent and more violent than white people. Forty-three percent of Republicans said Trump was right to complain that a judge with Mexican heritage was inherently biased because of his race.
And yet democracy works best when electoral victories do not result in vindictive and exclusionary governance. Citizens need to have a stake in the political system; they need to feel represented. That doesnt mean accepting racism, or misogyny. But if Trump or Clinton voters feel completely abandoned or excluded in a system where compromise has become a dirty word, they may simply fight to undermine the system itself. To avoid that, establishment politicians in the United States and around the world need to incorporate people with unsavory views, whether its racist Trump supporters, ex-guerrillas in Colombia, or members of the authoritarian old guard in Tunisia.
In 2011, when Tunisians began to build a new political future after toppling a long-standing despot, they eschewed vengeance and embraced reconciliation. Their problem wasnt racism, but it was no less toxic: Tunisias new leadership had to decide what to do with former members of Zine el-Abidine Ben Alis regime, many of whom had even been complicit in torturing some of the members of the nascent post-dictatorship government.
Mature Tunisian statesmen decided to incorporate the old guard while dismantling what it stood for. The new political order put democracy center stage, condemned torture, and changed the rules of the political game without banning veteran politicos from playing. In that way, they realized that the key was to give those with unsavory views a reason to buy in to the new order while still keeping reactionary views out of Tunisias future. At one point, the new political coalition even went so far as to voluntarily give up power and allow a technocratic caretaker government to help with the transition. In doing so, they co-opted ex-authoritarians rather than alienating them by shutting them out. Over time, people with starkly different backgrounds and worldviews developed not only working relationships but, in some instances, friendships, too. And the Tunisian people were indispensible allies in weeding out authoritarianism with a soft touch: When one high-level member of the old regime ran for president in 2014, he received just 1.27 percent of the vote. Voters rejected his candidacy, but, crucially, he was given a stake in the process.
Beyond the elections, even those who did not vote for the new regime were invited to help shape it. The new regime also took criticisms of itself seriously and went to great pains to demonstrate that the overblown fears of its rivals that it would turn Tunisia into a staunchly conservative and exclusionary Islamic republic were misplaced. Those savvy moves saved democracy in Tunisia.
Tunisia is far afield from the United States geographically and even further afield politically. But its experience highlights a lesson that some divided societies have thankfully learned: Extending an olive branch to partisan rivals with even the most abhorrent views is crucial to not only peace but also the long-term vitality of democracy. Clintons basket of deplorables comment wasnt factually inaccurate in many ways, but it was indicative of a candidate who has a long way to go in finding the finesse necessary to become the bridge-builder America sorely needs.
Tunisias old order committed human rights violations, but millions of people still backed it. All of them were still Tunisians; the Arab Spring didnt change that. Likewise, voters who are deeply uncomfortable with the pace of demographic change and the darker complexion of the U.S. electorate in particular are still Americans. So are people who believe Clinton to be the devil incarnate. And while the government can pick and choose its policies, it cannot pick and choose its citizens.
In a functioning democracy, the winners take office, but they still must try to improve the lives of the electoral losers. Clinton is already signaling that she aims to do that, as her policies to make child care and college more affordable will inevitably benefit many Trump supporters if enacted. But that isnt likely to be enough. Trump supporters are extremely anti-establishment, largely because they believe the government no longer works for them. A Clinton victory with a few baubles thrown in seems unlikely to create a buy-in for Trump voters. Shell have to do more.
There is no time to waste. The aftermath of a hugely divisive ballot is often the most volatile period, as Election Day acts as a touchstone for anger and resentment. If Clinton wins, she must learn from Tunisia. First, take the darkest fears of your opponents seriously but show how they are misplaced. In this case, that means appeasing those who want to lock her up by immediately laying out concrete steps to ensure that her administration is the most transparent in U.S. history by appointing a Republican lawyer to serve as a senior White House advisor on ethics and public disclosure compliance. To defuse the claim that she does not care about white working-class voters chewed up and spit out by the rough edges of globalization, Clinton should also spin off some of the functions of the Employment and Training Administration at the Department of Labor and create a new and better-funded Office of Inequality and Trade Dislocation. Trump voters left behind by globalization wont love Clinton, but they may grow to grudgingly accept her if they have more money in their pockets under her administration.
Second, she needs to reach out to Trump supporters by giving them, finally, the policy-based campaign they deserved. She should immediately hold a series of town hall meetings and listening sessions in the staunchest pro-Trump areas of the country asking people for their ideas while still making clear that racially divisive policies are a non-starter. This may require some uncomfortable conversations: Giving the Trump voters who supported the wall a forum to express their concerns over immigration, for instance, may raise hackles in some quarters. But in post-conflict reconciliation, the simple act of listening can often be an effective pillar that can turn alienation into popular engagement. Transitional justice efforts from Uganda to the Philippines have hinged on listening to victims, who often fear being ignored and forgotten.
Whoever wins on Nov. 8 will soon preside over the most divided electorate in modern U.S. history. The same old politics that have gotten us here no longer suffice. Before Americas Civil War, Abraham Lincoln warned that a house divided against itself cannot stand. We are not yet on the brink of a civil war, but the house is clearly divided. The repairs need to come from the next White House and fast.
Photo credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The Knight Library at the University of Oregon. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
By Jesse Felder, Yahoo Finance Contributor
Here in Oregon we have a measure on the ballot which would allow public universities to invest in equities. What I find interesting, besides the fact that Oregon is one of the few states that precludes them from doing so, is how the state pitches the ballot measure:
This measure allows investments in equities by public universities to reduce financial risk and increase investments to benefit students. Additional investment income could benefit students by minimizing tuition increases and enhancing student programs.
In other words, expanding investment options from risk-free securities to risk assets like stocks will reduce financial risk for public universities going forward. While I agree that diversification has historically helped to reduce financial risk, what matters most in terms of risk is the price you pay.
The truth is buying equities today is one of the riskiest propositions in the history of these markets. Valuations are extremely high. As Dr. John Hussman points out, the only time the stock market has been more highly valued than it is today was for a few months at the very peak of the dotcom mania.
wmc161031b
Chart via HussmanFunds.com
Because prices are extremely high today, returns going forward will be extremely poor. As Warren Buffett has said time and again, the price you pay determines your rate of return. According to the investment management firm GMO, high valuations today mean the average annual real return from owning stocks over the next 7 years is a negative 3.1%:
Chart via GMO.com
High valuations also mean greater risk of loss. Mark Spitznagel demonstrates in his book The Dao of Capital how this works using a version of the Q Ratio. When valuations are low drawdowns are usually minimal. Conversely, when stocks are very highly valued as they are today, drawdowns are usually very substantial.
drawdowns
Chart via The Dao of Capital
So if Oregon wants to claim that they aim to reduce risk in funding public universities by diversifying their investment options thats fine. However, claiming that investing in equities today will allow them to accomplish this goal is misleading at best. Prices today mathematically discredit that argument.
What might be the most fascinating part of this whole thing is that there has been no effort at all to propose any counterargument to be included in the voters guide. In other words, there is a clear consensus today that buying stocks means reducing risk. And from a sentiment perspective, this idea could only be believable, in the eyes of both politicians and voters, after one of the most powerful and sustained bull markets in history.
Read more from Jesse Felder.
China has constantly taken measures to improve its air quality. Here is how India can take some lessons to combat air pollution.
By India Today Web Desk: In September 2016, China was declared as the world's deadliest country for outdoor air pollution by the World Health Organisation (WHO). And China had already declared 'war' on pollution.
Due to the strong political will and strict laws implemented in the country, China has become the world largest market for clean technologies and the World Economic Forum said that the nation has become a 'role model'.
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Also read: How Beijing breathes easier
India's capital too is facing a similar situation which China has been battling with for years now. Here is what Delhi should learn from Bejing:
1. Cloud seeding
Cloud seeding, artificial way to create rainfall, is done by using artillery to fire shells containing rain-inducing chemicals or by dropping chemicals from aircraft.
China used this technology to create artificial rainfall and clear air pollution using induced precipitation. The neighbouring country had offered its cloud seeding technology to India to artificially induce rain but for the purpose of ending drought by artificially induce rain.
Also read: What is cloud seeding and can it fight Delhi's smog?
This technology was ordered when a team of top meteorological scientists from Beijing, Shanghai and Anhui visited Maharashtra in May, 2016 to study the drought patterns in the state.
As Delhi witnessed high levels of pollution for almost a week now, the Indian government declared that the capital is under "an emergency situation".
Schools will remain closed for three days and construction sites and coal-fired power station will be temporarily shut down.
Also read: Airpocalypse now: 5 crazy ways to tackle Delhi's pollution emergency
The Chinese government started the system of 'red alerts' in December 2015 during which schools, factories and construction sites remained shut. Odd-even ban was implemented until the air quality improved.
3. Strict environmental laws
In January 2015, strict environmental legislation came into force in China and it regulated air, water, soil pollution and contamination according to the World Economic Forum .
Also read: The smog war continues
"The costs of violating the law are too high to ignore. When properly enforced, the legislation is expected to play a major role in safeguarding China's environmental well-being".
Local governments are accountable for implementing environmental policies and there is no cap on fines for polluting companies.
4. Real-time monitoring
Like China, India can also create an online air reporting system with hourly air pollution data.
Also read: Delhi smog: Schools shut, construction stopped, government advises work from home
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The Chinese government does that for 1,500 sites and gives an update about airborne particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone. The government even ranks cities depending on their air quality.
5. Restricting number of vehicles on roads
Be it odd-even or banning high-polluting heavy vehicles manufacture before the end of 2005, the Chinese government did everything to combat air pollution.
Perhaps Delhi too could learn some lessons and try working on the alarming figure of pollutants in air.
Also read: Smothering capital: How the smog can affect a healthy Delhiite
--- ENDS ---
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 7, 2016 / Forum Uranium Corp. (FDC.V) ("Forum") and Uracan Resources Ltd. (TSXV:URC) ("Uracan") are pleased to announce an update on the ongoing drill program on Forum's 100% owned Clearwater Project, on trend from Fission Uranium's Triple R deposit and Nexgen Energy's Arrow Deposit in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan. The exploration drilling program previously announced on September 29, 2016 will be extended.
Mongo Lake Area
The Mongo area is interpreted to be on strike with the structure hosting the Triple R deposit. Drilling to date on the Mongo Lake area (drill holes CW-17 and CW-18) of the property (see Forum's September 29th, 2016 news release for location of the Mongo Trend) have encountered predominantly mafic gneisses, locally weakly graphitic, that have been cut numerous times by felsic granitic dykes and moderately radioactive (thorium bearing) mafic dykes with probing peaks of up to 2345 counts per second. These mafic dykes have been reactivated by subparallel brittle shear zones. The upper section of the drill holes also contains intervals of secondary hematite alteration, both along fracture surfaces and locally within the matrix and lithological boundaries.
Several intervals of moderate bleaching of the drill core have also been noted. Clays in the bleached zone have been analyzed by Forum's TerraSpec (TSP 350-2500) instrument, and have come back as mostly illite, a clay associated with hydrothermal alteration and common around all of the eastern Athabasca Basin uranium deposits and at NexGen Energy's Arrow deposit. Samples of the bleached and clay altered core will be geochemically analysed in the near term to confirm the nature and type of other clay minerals present.
The combination of elevated radioactivity, bleaching with illite clay and secondary hematite associated with brittle shear zones and local graphitic zones are encouraging as these indicate that altering and radioactive fluids were active in the area. Further drilling is planned to follow up these initial encouraging results, both along strike on the southern conductor and on a parallel conductor 400m to the north. A further target (the Lili area) on a strong, steeply dipping VTEM conductor that has a strike length of several kilometres, parallel to the Clearwater intrusive complex may also be tested.
Story continues
Radioactivity within the mafic dykes in CW-17 has a probing peak of 1081 cps over 0.1 meters between 197.6 and 197.7 meters downhole, within an overall radioactive interval of 779 cps over 0.8 meters between 197.4 and 198.2 meters. CW-18 contains mafic dykes with a probing peak of 2345 cps over 0.2 meters between 136.5 and 136.7 meters within an overall radioactive interval of 1206 cps over 0.6 meters between 136.3 and 136.9 meters. Preliminary spectrometer results indicate that the radioactivity in the mafic dykes is predominantly related to thorium with lesser uranium present.
All drill holes are probed for radiometrics along their entire drilled length using a Mt Sopris HLP-2375 total count natural gamma scintillometer probe. The radioactive zones have been measured using a hand-held Radiation Solutions Inc RS-135 spectrometer to determine the ratios of Thorium and Uranium in a preliminary fashion. Samples of these drill core intervals will be submitted for analysis by SRC Laboratories.
The reader is cautioned that probe and scintillometer readings are not necessarily uniformly or directly related to the presence of, or uranium grades of, the rock sample measured. These readings should be used only as a preliminary indication of the presence of radioactive materials.
Key Area
Four diamond drill holes have also been completed in the Key area of the project testing gravity lows or EM conductors. While the alteration of the basement rocks was very strong with up to 30m of dissolved and missing core, most of this is interpreted to be caused by surficial weathering, evidence for this given by associated kaolinite clays. The drill holes that targeted EM conductors intersected graphitic structures with evidence of numerous tectonic episodes; unfortunately no significant uranium mineralization was noted in this area.
Uracan will earn a 25% interest in the Clearwater property at the end of the current drill program by spending $1.5 million (approximately $900,000 spent to date), a 51% interest in the Clearwater property by spending $3 million in exploration over three years and up to a 70% interest by spending $6 million over five years. The Clearwater Project covers a total of 9,912 hectares adjoining Fission Uranium's Patterson Lake South claims to the southwest. Forum will be the Project operator until Uracan earns its 51% interest, after which Uracan may elect to become the operator.
Ken Wheatley, P.Geo., Forum's Vice-President, Exploration is the Qualified Person that has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release.
About Forum Uranium
Forum Uranium Corp. is a Canadian-based energy company with a focus on the acquisition, exploration and development of Canadian uranium projects. Forum has assembled a highly experienced team of exploration professionals with a track record of mine discoveries for unconformity-style uranium deposits in Canada. The Company has a strategy to discover near surface uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan by exploring on its 100% owned properties and through strategic partnerships and joint ventures with Cameco, AREVA, Rio Tinto Exploration, NexGen and Uracan.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Richard J. Mazur, P. Geo.
President & 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.
For further information contact:
Rick Mazur, President & CEO
Tel: 604-630-1585
Matt Terriss, Director, Corporate Affairs
Tel: 604-689-2599
SOURCE: Forum Uranium Corp.
DailyFX.com -
Talking points:
The US Dollar gained sharply on news that the FBI had again cleared Hilary Clinton of criminality in its email probe.
Asian stock markets also took the news well, with big early gains for the ASX and Nikkei
The reopening of the FBIs investigation just last week roiled the Clinton campaign.
The US Dollar and US stock futures gained on Monday in Asia on news that the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed that Hilary Clinton committed no criminal acts in relation to a private email server.
The FBI reached a similar conclusion in July but opted to reopen its investigation just last week, roiling the Clinton election campaign with just days to go before the vote.
The agency now says it has found no evidence of criminality in a new batch of Clintons emails.
Director James Comey told Congress that his agency's review had found nothing to alter its original conclusion.
Reached in July, that conclusion was that Clinton had been careless but not criminal in handling sensitive material on her private email server when she was Secretary of State.
The US Dollar climbed over 1% against the Yen and the Swiss Franc after the story broke, with the overall Dollar Index an average of the currencys value against its major counterparts climbing sharply. The Euro slipped by a similar amount against the greenback.
One exception to USD strength was the Mexican Peso. It rose nearly 2% against the US currency in Asian trade after the Clinton news broke.
Clinton is seen by markets as the status quo candidate for the US and the global economy, and more of a known quantity in office than rival Donald Trump.
Stock markets and stock futures also posted gains. Australias ASX benchmark rose 0.8% after the news, having been down 0.5% or so beforehand. The Nikkei started a new week with some vigor, too, rising 1.3%
S&P 500 index futures opened up by more than 1% in the US on Sunday.
USD Index jumps sharply on news that Hilary Clinton has again been cleared by the FBI
Story continues
US Dollar, Asian Stocks Rise as FBI Clears Clinton Again
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Kurdish peshmerga forces captured the strategic town of Bashiqa from Islamic State on Monday, November 7, Kurdish news outlet Rudaw reported. The town, which has been surrounded by the peshmerga for two weeks, lies on a crucial supply route some 10 miles northeast of Mosul.
Earlier in the day, Brett McGurk, White House envoy to the US-led coalition against Islamic State, said on Twitter that Kurdish peshmerga forces had launched an offensive to clear Bashiqa as Iraqi Army and Special Forces continue push into Mosul neighborhoods.
Peshmerga fighters, backed by US-led coalition air support, swiftly advanced on Bashiqa from three directions after launching an offensive to liberate the town in the early hours of Monday morning. Sihad Barzani, a peshmerga commander, told Rudaw that artillery units were pounding Islamic State positions in the town. Peshmerga forces were met with several Islamic State suicide attacks before clearing the town of the militant group. Credit: Facebook/Rudaw
special forces
The Special Forces community is coping with the deaths of six of its elite operators in just a 72-hour span last week.
Separate combat incidents in Afghanistan and Jordan resulted in the deaths of five Green Berets, while another died during scuba training at the Special Forces diving school in Florida.
"They are in dark corners of the world and even their training is very dangerous," Jen Paquette, the executive director of the Green Beret Foundation, wrote on Facebook.
Staff Sgt. David Whitcher, 30, died Wednesday during a dive training exercise off the coast of Key West, Florida, according to US Army Special Operations Command. He was previously assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
On Thursday, Capt. Andrew Byers, 30, and Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Gloyer, 34, were killed during a firefight with Taliban forces in Kunduz, Afghanistan. Both were assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group out of Fort Carson, Colorado.
Three other soldiers with the Fort Campbell, Kentucky, 5th Special Forces Group were killed while entering a military base in Jordan on Friday. The soldiers, Staff Sgts. Matthew C. Lewellen, 27; Kevin J. McEnroe, 30; and James F. Moriarty, 27, were apparently fired upon by Jordanian security forces at the gate to Prince Faisal Air Base, where they were deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
All six of those deaths are under investigation, the Army said.
NOW WATCH: Hitler's Nazi military base in the Arctic was just discovered by Russian scientists
More From Business Insider
Vatican City (AFP) - The Vatican on Monday denounced the self-ordination of a bishop from China's underground church without papal approval, in a sign some view as an attempt to improve ties with Beijing.
The Holy See and Beijing have not had diplomatic relations since 1951.
Millions of Chinese Catholics are outside the fold of the Communist Party's Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. The Vatican has named some bishops from the group but they are not recognised by Beijing.
Catholic media sites said several priests from the underground church had named themselves bishop without the Vatican's blessings, including Paul Dong Guanhu, who also declared he could ordain others.
According to a news agency specialising in Asian churches, up to 10 such ordinations could have happened in the past years.
"In recent weeks, there has been a series of reports regarding some episcopal ordinations conferred without papal mandate of priests of the unofficial community of the Catholic Church in Continental China," the director of the Vatican's press office, Greg Burke, said.
"The Holy See has not authorised any ordination, nor has it been officially informed of such events," it said.
"Should such episcopal ordinations have occurred, they would constitute a grave violation of canonical norms," Burke added.
He said it was not "licit to proceed with any episcopal ordination without the necessary papal mandate, even by appealing to particular personal beliefs."
Since his election in early 2013, Pope Francis has sought to mend fences with China and informed sources say a pact in the
A Chinese delegation is expected in Rome in November "for a last round of negotiations," Belgian priest Jeroom Heyndrickx, who is an expert on China's Catholic Church and has close links with the Vatican, told AFP recently.
According to the terms of the agreement being drawn up, the pope will recognise four of the eight bishops it has refused to consecrate.
But it will sidestep the issue of some 30 bishops named by the Holy See who are not recognised by China. The planned accord, even if agreed, is not expected to lead to a resumption of diplomatic ties.
By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican on Monday sent an apparent warning to Catholics in China who are loyal to the pope not to take things into their own hands if they oppose a rapprochement between the communist government and the Holy See. In a highly unusual statement, the Vatican referred to reports about unauthorized ordinations of bishops in the "unofficial Catholic community", a reference to Catholics who owe allegiance only to the pope. Catholics in China are divided between that group, which is also known as the "underground Church", and the official Church, approved by Beijing's communist government. "The Holy See has not authorized any ordination, nor has it been officially informed of such events. Should such episcopal ordinations have occurred, they would constitute a grave violation of canonical norms," the statement said. The statement came amid growing expectation that the Vatican and the Chinese government are close to an agreement on the ordination of bishops, the stickiest point in talks between the two sides. But media reports about the impending deal have sparked strong criticism from some Catholics in China and around the world who believe it would be an offence to Catholic bishops, priests and lay people who have suffered persecution for refusing to join the official, state Church. According to AsiaNews, a Rome-based Catholic news agency that specializes in China, the statement was prompted at least in part by the action of Father Dong Guanhua, a priest in the underground Church who ordained himself a bishop without a papal mandate. Dong has threatened to ordain more priests as bishops, which could effectively spark a schism in the Chinese Catholic Church that recognizes the pope and disrupt the talks between Beijing and the Vatican. The statement was unusual in that in the past the Vatican has often condemned the official, government-backed Church for ordaining bishops without papal permission but had never before issued a similar warning to the faction loyal to the pope. "We wanted to send a signal to our own in order to show that the rules apply to both sides," a senior Vatican bishop said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. In what appeared to be a reference to Catholics opposed to any deal with the government, the Vatican statement said the ordination of bishops needed papal permission and could not be based on "particular personal beliefs". For more than six decades, China's ruling Communist Party has strongly opposed the Vatican's right to ordain Chinese bishops, in a bitter contest for authority over as many as 10 million Catholics on the mainland. According to Church sources in Rome and China, representatives from the Vatican and China are expected to meet before the end of the year in Rome in an effort to finalize a deal on the ordination of bishops. (Additional reporting by Lisa Jucca in Hong Kong; editing by Ralph Boulton)
The following factors are likely to influence Malaysian palm oil futures and other vegetable oil
markets.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Malaysian palm oil futures charted their first decline on Friday evening after two consecutive
winning sessions, tracking weaker soyoil on the Chicago Board of Trade.
* U.S. soybean, wheat and corn futures were slightly higher on Friday, boosted by light
investment fund buying ahead of next week's presidential election and U.S. Department of
Agriculture monthly supply and demand data, traders said.
* Oil futures on Friday fell by their biggest weekly percentage decline since January of around
9 percent as signs of tensions resurfaced between Saudi Arabia and Iran that could scupper a key
supply cut pact.
MARKET NEWS
* U.S. stocks jumped and the U.S. dollar and the Mexican peso soared early on Monday after the
FBI said it stood by its earlier recommendation that no criminal charges were warranted against
Democrat Hillary Clinton.
RELATED
> China corn hits over 3-month high on hopes subsidies will boost demand
> Wet spring revives Brazil's parched coffee, soy, sugar cane crops
> Egypt sets local wheat price, slashes sugar import tariffs
> U.S. pump prices climb as Colonial delays gasoline line restart
> UPDATE 2-EXCLUSIVE-Saudis could raise oil output again as sparring with Iran
returns-sources
> UPDATE 1-Saudi Naimi's battles against Western "greed" shine light on Aramco IPO
DATA/EVENTS
> Cargo surveyor ITS releases Malaysia's Oct palm oil export data on Nov 10.
> Cargo surveyor SGS releases Malaysia's Oct palm oil export data on Nov 10.
* For a table on Malaysian physical palm oil prices, including refined oil, Reuters Terminal
users can double click on or type.
* To view freight rates from Peninsula Malaysia/Sumatra to China, India, Pakistan and
Rotterdam, please key in and press enter, or double click between the brackets.
* Reuters Terminal users can see cash and futures edible oil prices by double clicking on
the codes in the brackets: To go to the next page in the same chain, hit F12. To go back, hit
Story continues
F11.
Palm, soy and crude oil prices at 0102 GMT
Contract Month Last Change Low High Volume
MY PALM OIL NOV6 0 +0.00 0 0 0
MY PALM OIL DEC6 0 +0.00 0 0 0
MY PALM OIL JAN7 0 +0.00 0 0 0
CHINA PALM OLEIN JAN7 5912 -28.00 5844 5932 279638
CHINA SOYOIL JAN7 6574 -52.00 6534 6590 185764
CBOT SOY OIL DEC6 34.63 -2.40 34.6 34.69 1509
INDIA PALM OIL NOV6 516.00 -2.40 513.00 519.7 1891
INDIA SOYOIL NOV6 667.8 -1.85 665.6 670.5 24130
NYMEX CRUDE DEC6 44.51 +0.44 44.35 44.64 12447
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
Vegetable oils --
Malaysian palm oil exports --
CBOT soyoil futures --
CBOT soybean futures --
Indian solvent --
Weekly Indian vegetable oils --
Dalian Commodity Exchange --
Dalian soyoil futures --
Dalian refined palm oil futures --
Zhengzhou rapeseed oil --
European edible oil prices/trades --
(Reporting by KL newsroom)
By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. prosecutor on Monday told jurors that two nephews of Venezuela's first lady sought to use a presidential airport hangar to carry out a multimillion-dollar drug deal, charges that defense lawyers said would not stand up at trial. Those claims came at the start of the trial in Manhattan federal court of Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, nephews of Cilia Flores, the wife of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. In his opening statement, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emil Bove said both men were secretly recorded planning to ship 800 kgs of cocaine from Venezuela to Honduras for importation into the United States. Bove said Flores de Freitas was recorded bragging about how he had "complete control" over a Venezuelan airport, from which drugs would be shipped using a presidential hangar. "They believed they were so powerful in their country they could ship almost a metric ton of cocaine from one airport to another," he said. But lawyers for Flores de Freitas, 31, and Campo Flores, 30, said neither man was sophisticated enough to have carried out such a massive drug transaction. Instead, their lawyers said, the defendants were set-up by cooperating witnesses or informants seeking either financial reward for helping secure their arrest or to avoid prosecution. "They were utter novices ripe for exploitation," said Michael Mann, a lawyer for Flores de Freitas. Flores de Freitas and Campo Flores were arrested in Haiti in November 2015 following a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration sting operation. The case came amid several U.S. probes linking drug trafficking to individuals tied to the government in Venezuela. The U.S. State Department says the country is a preferred route for moving drugs from South America to other areas. At trial, Bove said prosecutors plan to call as witnesses two DEA informants who posed as Mexican drug cartel members and met in Caracas with the nephews in Caracas, recording their meetings in the process. But John Zach, an attorney for Campo Flores, said the recordings instead showed that the informants, who earned $2 million working for the DEA, were "conniving to set-up the defendants." He called the sting a "failure" as no drugs were collected, and noted the informants later pleaded guilty to lying to the DEA about who they were secretly running drug deals themselves. "The lying was so pervasive by these informants it is fatal to their case," he said. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Alan Crosby)
Beijing has said that it wanted the NSG to first reach agreement on the question of allowing non-NPT (nuclear non-proliferation treaty signatory) countries to enter the group before taking up any specific case.
By Ananth Krishnan: China today indicated that India's bid to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group may not succeed at Friday's key session in Vienna, stressing there was "no change" in its position.
Beijing has said that it wanted the NSG to first reach agreement on the question of allowing non-NPT (nuclear non-proliferation treaty signatory) countries to enter the group before taking up any specific case. India's bid failed at the last plenary in Seoul in June with Beijing insisting on criteria to be agreed first. Both countries' nuclear negotiators met in Beijing last week.
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"Our position is subject to no change", Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said on Monday ahead of the November 11 Vienna meet. "In the past few days we have been in close contact with relevant parties including India, and have been having constructive dialogue and coordination," Lu said.
Beijing said last Tuesday following the second round of talks between nuclear negotiators in the Chinese capital that it wanted "a solution for all non-NPT countries" and "then we will discuss the specific application of the relevant non-NPT country".
NSG: The Great Wall of Xi
Also read: After blocking India's move to ban Masood Azhar, China now wants action against global terrorists
The issue was thought to have been discussed on Friday when China's top diplomat, State Councillor Yang Jiechi, held talks with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in Hyderabad.
The Foreign Ministry on Monday said it was "an informal meeting [for] exchanging views on bilateral issues as well as regional and international issues of common interest."
Asked if they had discussed India's pending application to sanction Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist Masood Azhar which will be taken up by the United Nations Security Council sanctions committee at the end of December when a "technical hold" placed by China will expire, Lu only said Yang and Doval "discussed issues that have cropped up in bilateral relations."
India, China discuss pressing bilateral issues; skip NSG and Masood Azhar ban
"They agreed to maintain contact, and to control and manage relevant issues to ensure the steady development of bilateral relations," he said.
--- ENDS ---
Venice is the latest tourist hotspot to consider imposing a limit to the number of visitors it receives in order to preserve the integrity of the UNESCO World Heritage site.
According to Italian newspaper La Stampa, local city officials are considering the introduction of an online ticketing system that would put a cap on visitors and a smartphone app that would help with crowd control.
A special committee has been designated to study about half a dozen proposals that could be implemented as early as 2017.
The initiative comes after UNESCO expressed extreme concern about the deteriorating state of the lagoon with the arrival of behemoth cruise ships which offload about 30,000 passengers into the city every day.
For perspective, Venice's population is 55,000 but averages 22 million visitors a year.
This past summer, UNESCO urged the Italian government to ban large cruise liners from docking in the lagoon city, or risk being put on the UN's endangered list.
In addition to Venice being overrun by tourists, large cruise liners are degrading the local ecosystem and structural integrity of the city, which UNESCO calls an architectural masterpiece, made up of 118 small islands with a history that dates back to the 5th century.
In September, fed-up locals organized protests and blockades in an attempt to block cruise ships from entering port.
Hundreds of residents also took to the streets with shopping trolleys and strollers to highlight the difficulties of negotiating passageways and streets that are clogged with selfie-taking tourists.
And this summer, tourists received a cold welcome with posters plastered across the city that read Tourists Go Away!! Your Are destroying This Area.
Venice is the latest tourist destination forced to take measures of crowd control. Cinque Terre in Italy, Machu Picchu in Peru, Yosemite National Park in the US, Antarctica, Spain's Barcelona and the Galapagos Islands have all implemented strategies that limit visitor numbers or put a freeze on hotel development and tourist apartments.
By Astrid Wendlandt and Pascale Denis
PARIS (Reuters) - French online retailer vente-privee expects 2016 sales to reach about 3 billion euros (2.67 billion), up from 2 billion in 2015, helped by acquisitions and a revamp of top management after pulling out of the United States, its founder told Reuters.
Vente-privee, the No.1 online discount retailer in Europe by sales, competes with Amazon (AMZN.O), Ebay (EBAY.O) and Showroom Prive (IPO-SHOW.PA). It sells online clothes, exotic trips, wines, food, watches and jewellery at 50-70 percent discounts.
In Europe, it has seen its model copied by the likes of Germany's Brands4Friends and Britain's Brand Alley.
Vente-privee founder and chairman Jacques-Antoine Granjon said the company was aiming for like-for-like sales growth of 20 percent this year, after 13 percent in 2015, and expected a double-digit rise again in 2017.
Online fashion discounters might be more crisis-resistant than full-price retailers, but Granjon said the current downturn in the luxury goods sector did not make business easier.
"When there is a downturn, brands are actually even more concerned about their image so it is not always that easy to get stock from them," Granjon told Reuters in an interview at the Vogue Fashion Festival in Paris.
Granjon said the site worked with 6,000 brands, including a few luxury ones such as Richemonts (CFR.VX) Montblanc and LVMHs (LVMH.PA) Chaumet. On average, 50 percent of customers who bought an item from a brand visited its shop a month later.
ON THE LOOKOUT
In the past year, vente-privee has bought vente-exclusive, a leader in Benelux, Designers & Friends in Denmark, Switzerland's e-boutic.ch and Privalia, which is active in Spain, Italy, Brazil and Mexico.
Granjon said the company remained on the lookout for possible acquisitions, on which it could spend several hundred million euros. This month it bought zlotewyprzedaze.pl in Poland, making it the 14th country in which it operates.
Story continues
"Several levers of growth have been put in place and we will continue to see their impact next year," Granjon said.
Vente-privee pulled out of the United States two years ago after a partnership with American Express did not bring expected results.
Granjon said the firm was not eyeing Britain because both that country and the United States had well developed "outlet" cultures where brands already sell discounted stock, making it hard for online discounters to break into those markets.
Granjon said the U.S. pull-back helped trigger top management change and make expansion in Europe a priority. A year ago, the firm hired former Calyon CIB M&A banker Charles-Hubert de Chaudenay as its new CEO.
Granjon reiterated he was not interested in floating the company for now. Among vente-privee's investors are Qatar Holding, which is financed by the Qatar sovereign wealth fund, and investment firm Summit Partners.
(Reporting by Astrid Wendlandt; Editing by Mark Potter)
Viacom shares are up about 2% this morning after investors received a dollop of encouraging news ahead of the Wednesday release of its September quarter earnings, which analysts expect to be dismal: The companys UK-based Channel 5 Broadcasting said today that it generated a record profit in the fiscal year ending in September.
That enables Channel 5, which Viacom bought in 2014 for 450 million (currently equal to $557.5 million), to claim the first consecutive years of profitability in its 20-year history, it said.
Channel 5 is radically different to the network Viacom first looked at buying three years ago; it has an entirely new look and just seven shows still broadcasting that were on air in 2013, said David Lynn, Viacom International Media Networks President of UK, Northern and Eastern Europe.
Its now sustainably profitable for the first time, in spite of recent economic uncertainty.
The improvements are due to original British content, he added. Channel 5 also has transformed the business model, through our advertising partnership with Sky Media and worked more closely with our pay TV channels.
Viacoms international performance is in the spotlight: Next week VIMN chief Bob Bakish will become the parent companys acting CEO, replacing Tom Dooley.
RelatedCan CBS And Viacom Investors See Eye-To-Eye On Merger Numbers?
And although Viacom is considering a merger with CBS, it just agreed to pay $400 million for Argentinas popular broadcast network Telefe, a major producer of telenovelas. The deal did not sit well with some investors after Viacom slashed its dividend by half to 20 cents a share.
Analysts have low expectations for the earnings Viacom will report this week. Shares are down 14.7% over the past three months. Network ratings have been weak, and the company pre-announced in September that it will take a $115 million impairment charge for upcoming film Monster Trucks, as well as severance expenses likely due to the exit agreement for former CEO Philippe Dauman.
Story continues
Channel 5s report shows a 16% increase in its comprehensive income to 42.3 million ($52.4 million) on revenues also referred to as Turnover of 383.6 million ($475.2 million).
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YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Victims of a rail crash that killed at least 79 people in Cameroon have filed a lawsuit against train operator Camrail and its French owner Bollore Group, accusing them of negligence and involuntary manslaughter, their lawyer said. A packed passenger train derailed last month between the capital Yaounde and the central African country's port city of Douala. Carriages flipped over, injuring at least 428 people. A Bollore executive said that the train was going at an unusually high speed and traveling with twice the usual number of carriages, with the permission of authorities, to accommodate extra passengers. Twenty-eight victims have pressed charges for carelessness, injury and involuntary manslaughter, their lawyer Guy Oliver Moteng said late on Sunday. "We want the blame and the chain of responsibility to be established." Among the complainants are friends and family of three people who took the train and have not been found since, with no trace of them in hospitals or morgues, Moteng said. Spokesmen for Camrail and Bollore declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying on Monday that they are awaiting the results of investigations. The lawsuit was filed in the town of Eseka, where the train derailed, but Moteng said there is a possibility complaints will be raised in a court in Paris. Cameroon's president Paul Biya created a government committee to look into the causes of the tragedy, and the company has also said it is carrying out an internal investigation. Another train operated by Camrail derailed in 2009 near Yaounde, killing five people and injuring more than 200. (Reporting by Anne Mireille Nzouankeu; Additional reporting and writing by Nellie Peyton)
(Reuters) - A U.S. jury on Monday began weighing damages for a University of Virginia administrator the panel said was defamed by Rolling Stone magazine's now-retracted story of a gang rape, a court spokeswoman said.
Lawyers for administrator Nicole Eramo were presenting evidence on potential damages to the 10-person U.S. District Court jury in Charlottesville, Virginia, the spokeswoman for Judge Glen Conrad said.
Eramo is seeking at least $7.5 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages in the high-profile case. It was unclear when jurors would begin deliberating or how long the damages phase might take.
The jury on Friday found Rolling Stone, owner Wenner Media and reporter Sabrina Erdely liable of actual malice against Eramo in the magazine's November 2014 story "A Rape on Campus."
The magazine reported that a female student identified only as "Jackie" was raped at a university fraternity in 2012. The story sparked a national debate about sexual assault on U.S. college campuses and resonated with many who saw it as a battle cry against sexual violence on campuses.
Rolling Stone admitted that it never sought comment from the seven men accused of the alleged rape and retracted the story in April 2015. An outside review found the magazine had failed to follow basic journalistic safeguards.
Eramo, who was then an associate dean of students, accused the magazine of portraying her as the story's villain and as focused on hushing up sexual assault reports. She now works in an administrative role at the university.
Eramo has claimed damages from the story include harm to her reputation, embarrassment, emotional distress and humiliation.
Campus sexual assault remains a major concern, with some reports estimating that one in five female students will be a victim.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Dan Grebler)
GOLDEN, CO / ACCESSWIRE / November 7, 2016 / Vitro Diagnostics, Inc. (VODG), dba Vitro Biopharma, announced the filing of four new patent applications at the United States Patent Office seeking protection of its proprietary stem cell products and technology related to treatment of neurological conditions. The new patents cover technology related to activation of stem cells within the brain as well as unique combinations of stem cell transplants together with stem cell activation. The neurological conditions include traumatic brain injury (TBI), Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, autism, Lou Gehrig's Disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases. Many of these conditions have limited treatment options, while stem cell therapy has support from early clinical studies showing safety and efficacy in the treatment of stroke. The Company plans to focus its initial efforts on TBI & autism through strategic partners with complementary assets. We also have clinical protocols for TBI and a prior grant of exemption from IND filing by the FDA Division of Neurological products for TBI trials based on pharmaceutical activation of stem cells in the brain. Our development plans involve establishing IRB-regulated clinical trials at initial centers while also expanding the network of centers participating in these trials.
Dr. Jim Musick, President & CEO of Vitro Biopharma said, "We are very pleased to announce the filing of these additional patents that expand our proprietary position to include stem cell transplants followed by stem cell activation or differentiation using a combination of generic drugs at specific dosages or nutraceuticals either alone or in certain combinations. We now support ongoing offshore clinical trials of osteoarthritis (OA) through stem cell expansion in our clinical grade cell culture medium, MSC-Gro. These phase I results show short-term reduction in pain and long-term restoration of function and cartilage regeneration in patients with OA of the knee, hip and shoulder. We are developing other similar partnerships. Our newly filed patents include the activating pharmaceutical and nutraceuticals agents that induce stem cell activation, diagnostic testing of stem cell status and stem cell regenerative effects through biomarker profiling, and treatment of stem cells by exposure to activating agents prior to transplantation. The latter patent includes a proprietary epigenetic protocol for the treatment of autism that is supported by preliminary studies conducted by Dr. Josef Smarda & colleagues in Eastern Europe. The addition of specific neural stem cell differentiation directing stem cells into dopaminergic neurons is now being developed by Vitro Biopharma's team of R&D scientists for the treatment of Parkinson's disease."
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About Vitro Biopharma
Vitro Biopharma's (http://www.vitrobiopharma.com/) mission is "Harnessing the Power of Cells" for the advancement of regenerative medicine to its full potential. Vitro Biopharma operates within a modern, GMP-compliant biotechnology manufacturing and R&D facility in Golden, Colorado. Vitro Biopharma manufactures and sells "Tools for Stem Cell and Drug Development", including human mesenchymal stem cells and derivatives, the MSC-Gro Brand of optimized media for MSC self-renewal and lineage-specific differentiation. Our cell lines include cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) derived from lung, colorectal, ovarian, uterine, pancreatic and breast tumors. These cell lines are being widely used by pharmaceutical/biotechnology firms as drug discovery tools in the full development of cancer immunotherapy, especially for solid tumors. We also provide optimized primary cell culture medium, Vitro-Plus III Medium, for growth of our CAF cell lines. In addition, we provide MSC-derived progenitor cells, including neural stem cells (NSCs), nephron progenitor cells (NPCs) as well as a growing line of terminally differentiated cells: cholinergic, dopaminergic and sensory neurons, osteoblasts, chondrocytes, cardiomyocytes, and renal tubular epithelial cells. A primary application of these terminally differentiated cells is cell-based assays for drug discovery and pre-clinical toxicology of drugs, drug candidates and drug combinations that may produce toxic effects on cardiac, neural or renal cells, either directly or through metabolites derived from the interaction of drugs with specific cells such as liver cells. Vitro Biopharma now provides its Clinical Grade MSC-Gro Media for expansion of stem cells prior to transplantation for clinical studies of osteoarthritis treatment and products for use in preliminary studies of stem cell activation therapy for ASD & autoimmunity.
Vitro Biopharma received the Frost and Sullivan Technology Innovation Leadership Award for the industry sector: Stem Cell Tools and Technology in North America, 2014.
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements herein regarding financial performance have not yet been reported to the SEC nor reviewed by the Company's auditors. Certain statements contained herein and subsequent statements made by and on behalf of the Company, whether oral or written may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward looking statements are identified by words such as "intends," "anticipates," "believes," "expects" and "hopes" and include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's plan of business operations, product research and development activities, potential contractual arrangements, receipt of working capital, anticipated revenues and related expenditures. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, acceptability of the Company's products in the market place, general economic conditions, receipt of additional working capital, the overall state of the biotechnology industry and other factors set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Most of these factors are outside the control of the Company. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or regulations, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
CONTACT:
Dr. James Musick
Chief Executive Officer
Vitro Biopharma
(303) 999-2130 Ext. 3
E-mail: jim@vitrobiopharma.com
SOURCE: Vitro Biopharma
The election will be over tomorrow, and I am very much looking forward to it coming to an end. Now we can finally come together as a nation and begin to make progress on important economic, social, and political issues (I can dream, cant I?)
For those of you who havent voted yet and are trying to quickly learn about the candidates for local, state, and federal level office, heres a summary of the economic policies and ideologies of Democrats and Republicans. These are general tendencies, candidates from both parties will differ in some ways from the principles their party supports, but the policies that actually get enacted must be supported by a broad swath of the party so they usually reflect the general view among party members.
Related: What Happens If Trump v. Clinton Ends in an Electoral College Tie?
The Capitalist System: Lets begin with an overview of how the two parties view the capitalist system. Both Democrats and Republicans believe the market system is the best way to satisfy our economic needs. Where they differ is the degree to which government should use social insurance to protect individuals and their families when the economy goes into a recession, when technological change destroys jobs, when jobs are moved to other countries, and so on. Democrats believe these risks should by widely shared through social insurance such as unemployment compensation and food stamps rather than falling fully on individual workers and their families. That is, they believe in a system known as social democracy.
Republicans have a different view. Social insurance, in their view (not mine from the evidence Ive seen), creates dependency on government programs and blunts the incentive to work. The result is a class of people the lazy and undeserving who rely upon the hard-working members of society for their existence. Republicans arent entirely opposed to social insurance, but they believe the size and scope of these programs ought to be trimmed considerably.
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Market Failure: As just noted, both parties believe that when markets work they are the best way to meet our economic needs. But markets can fail for many reasons such as a high degree of monopoly power, differences in information about a product between the buyer and seller (e.g. patients who are unable to evaluate medical procedures, or a car owner knowing more about the quality of the car than the buyer), and the presence of externalities (e.g. firms that pollute the water or air without incurring the costs of doing so) the full list is fairly long. And there are some goods, economist call them public goods, which the private sector will not produce at all (national defense is the classic example).
Democrats believe the government ought to intervene when there are market failures through antitrust enforcement (including blocking mergers that increase market power), regulation, and in some cases by producing the good or service itself. An Ohio Republican created the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, which was passed by Congress in 1890. But over time, Republicans became leery of government intervention during market failures. They do not see as much harm from market failure as Democrats, and they have much less faith in the ability of government to fix these problems. They have far more faith in the ability of markets to correct market failures on their own. They also believe that regulation, though needed in some cases, is excessive and should be scaled back considerably.
Related: Will the US Government Step in to Regulate Drug Prices?
Response to Recessions: Consistent with their views that government should intervene when the economy experiences problems, Democrats favor the use of monetary policy to combat mild recessions. In severe recessions, when monetary policy alone is not enough, they also favor the use of fiscal policy, particularly government spending. To reduce the chances of a recession happening in the first place, they believe the financial sector should be highly regulated to reduce the chance of costly meltdowns.
Most Republicans agree that monetary policy should be used to smooth fluctuations in output and employment, but they would constrain the Feds behavior more than Democrats. In particular, Republicans would prefer that the Fed follow a well-publicized monetary policy rule that automates the Feds response to economic conditions (except in exceptional circumstances). They also, in general, oppose the use of policies such as quantitative easing in severe recessions preferring instead that the Fed adhere to the rule for setting policy, they favor deregulation of the financial sector, and they are less supportive of financial system bailouts.
As for fiscal policy, they do not favor the use of government spending in severe recessions, even on things such as infrastructure. They do, however, favor another type of fiscal policy, tax cuts for businesses and the wealthy, and recessions are often used as an excuse to implement their tax-cutting agenda.
Some Republicans go even further and argue that the government should not intervene at all when the economy goes into a recession. According to this view, recessions are cleansing and this creative destruction weeds out inefficient firms, something that is necessary for the economy to recover. Government intervention has the effect of propping up these inefficient firms, which slows the recovery and makes us worse off in the long run (Democrats believe that recessions are wasteful, not cleansing think of all the people who were harmed by the Great Recession and hence that government needs to try and solve the problem).
Related: The Unemployment System Cant Handle Another Recession
Inequality: Some degree of inequality is needed to create the correct incentives in a market system, but the two parties differ on whether excessive inequality reduces economic growth, the degree to which the income of those at the top is earned and hence deserved, and the need for government to address the inequality problem. Republicans argue that the market system rewards people according to their contribution to the economy. People deserve what they get. Any attempt by government to redistribute income would blunt the incentive of those at the top to pursue innovative, entrepreneurial activity and reduce our rate of economic growth.
Democrats disagree. They believe much of the income of those at the top is not due to their contributions to the economy, but rather from unfair bargaining between workers and firms that redirects income upward, market failures, political power that has undermined unions and protected wealthy interests, cronyism on corporate boards, and so on.
Can we, for example, explain the high incomes of financial executives during the Great Recession by all the good they did for the economy? They also believe that excessive inequality can be harmful to economic growth, as some recent empirical evidence suggests, and that if the market system cannot reduce inequality by itself then government must step in and rectify the problem.
Related: Economic Models Must Account for Who Has the Power
International Trade and Immigration: There are other areas where the two parties differ such as international trade and immigration, though on trade the differences are not as great as they once were. Traditionally Republicans were known as the free trade party consistent with their view that government should not interfere in any way with the ability of people to engage in voluntary trade, while Democrats were much more likely to argue that trade deals need to have provisions for things such as environmental standards and working conditions, and that workers displaced by trade should receive generous social insurance to protect them and help them get back on their feet again.
However, in this election Republicans have positioned themselves as the anti-trade party, though its not clear the extent to which that will survive beyond Trump. And of course on immigration Republicans have adopted a hard line build the wall policy, though they werent always as opposed to immigration as they appear to be right now.
Perhaps the difference between the two parties on economic policy can be summarized by the Republicans faith in markets and their belief that when government tries to help it tends to make things worse rather than better versus the belief among Democrats that capitalist economies need government to keep them on track, to fix market imperfections, to promote equity and equal opportunity, and to ensure that the costs associated with economic shocks are broadly shared through social insurance.
My support for Democrats comes, in part, from the belief that they have the stronger hand by far when it comes to economic policy, but whatever your views happen to be, please vote!
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Miami (AFP) - Voter turnout among African American and Hispanic voters in the United States has surged in early voting, and this swell of minority participation could spell trouble for Donald Trump's White House hopes.
On Sunday -- the last day of early voting before Election Day on November 8 -- hundreds of people attended "Souls to the Polls" events, aimed at encouraging churchgoers to vote across the key swing state of Florida.
Some came straight from morning worship, wearing three-piece suits and dresses as they made their way past dozens of campaigners hoisting signs for local candidates and urging support for solar energy and education issues.
At one event in central Miami, people held hands and prayed outside an early voting site, while at another in southern Miami-Dade County, about 20 African American men rolled in together on motorcycles.
For some, the vote they cast was as much for Democrat Hillary Clinton as it was against her Republican billionaire challenger.
"I'm scared if Trump wins," said Ines Curbelo, 57, a nurse who described herself as Afro-Cuban and was handing out Democratic flyers at a polling place Cutler Bay, south of Miami.
As speakers blared gospel and R&B music, a line formed near a smoky barbecue pit and several young boys jousted with inflatable swords on the grassy lawn behind her.
"He would set back politics and set back race relations and set back women's fight for equality in the workplace -- everything is going to get set so far back," Curbelo said.
- 100% increase in Hispanic voters -
Hispanics make up a powerful voting bloc in the battleground state of Florida, and are widely expected to lean toward Clinton, particularly since Trump has described Mexicans as rapists, repeatedly vowed to build a border wall and promised to deport masses of undocumented immigrants.
As of early Monday, nearly one million of the state's total 6.4 million votes so far were cast by Hispanics, according to Daniel Smith, a University of Florida professor who tracks voter turnout.
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Among those who showed up in person rather than mailing in a ballot, there was a 100 percent increase over the close of early voting in 2012, he said.
In another sign of voter enthusiasm, 36 percent of Hispanics who cast a ballot this year did not vote in the last presidential election.
Nationwide, about 12 percent of voters are Hispanic, or about 27.3 million people, according to Pew Research Center projections.
High Hispanic turnout has also been seen in other states such as Nevada.
"The Hispanic community is coming out," teacher Marcela Stewart, 37, told AFP at the Souls to the Polls event.
"I think as far as the black community, we need to work a little harder," she added.
"Some people are just discouraged and feel they cannot impact the election, so we want to let them know that their voices will be heard and they need to come out."
- Black turnout 'explodes' -
Indeed, when early voting in the United States started two weeks ago, African American turnout was low.
According to Tornell Jenkins, a 37-year-old student, President Barack Obama's historic victory as the first black president in 2008 "really drove the black vote."
"Now there is confusion. Some blacks feel that both parties are bad," he added, predicting that many in his community would wait for Election Day to vote.
Early last week, Smith said black turnout was "lackluster" -- at about 14 percent of early voters -- compared with 26 percent in 2012, when Obama was re-elected.
But that changed, after Obama made a series of appeals for black voters to support Clinton, and Clinton herself appeared at a campaign event with Beyonce and Jay-Z.
"Over the past few days, we've seen black turnout explode, with more African-Americans voting early in-person than in 2012," Smith told AFP on Sunday.
As of Monday, a total of 835,000 African Americans had already voted in Florida. That is higher than in 2012, when 764,000 blacks voted early.
Mixing religion and politics on the last Sunday of early voting can be an important draw for the working class, according to Namita Waghray, an organizer with the American County of Federal, State and County Employees (AFSCME), a 1.6 million-member union that includes bus drivers and garbage collectors.
"In African American communities, this is when people vote," she said, recalling about 800 people came out for Souls to the Polls events in 2012 and a dozen were held statewide this year.
"The reason we partner with churches and people of faith is because they have such belief in their community."
By PTI: From Lalit K Jha Washington, Nov 6 (PTI) Observing that the electoral college map is less solid for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton than it was four years ago for outgoing president Barack Obama, a top American pollster today said the former Secretary of State is one state away from potentially losing the electoral college.
"The electoral college map is actually less solid for Clinton than it was for Obama four years ago where four years ago we had Obama ahead in states totaling 320 some electoral votes," forecasting guru Nate Silver told ABC New Sunday.
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"Clinton has about 270, so shes one state away from potentially losing the electoral college. Youd rather be in her shoes than Donald Trumps but its not a terribly safe position," he said.
Silver is considered the foremost pollster in the US having correctly predicted the 2008 and 2012 elections.
The former Secretary of State and First Lady, Silver argued, is a lot weaker in the Midwest where four years ago Obama was leading in Ohio by four points.
"Clintons probably a couple of points behind there. Iowa, maybe the best poll in the country, the Des Moines Register Poll showed her down seven points in Iowa, a state shell probably lose," he said.
"So the demographics for Clinton dont actually work as well when you underperform among white noncollege voters?but its contesting the electoral college. Her electoral college polling in the swing states is a little bit weaker than Obamas. So in some sense, its a deceptively large or small lead for Clinton in some ways whereas Obama had a bigger lead electorally than youd thing," Silver said.
"The other thing is that we see lots of polls that show numbers like Clinton 44 per cent, Trump 40 per cent. If you only have 44 per cent of the vote that means youre vulnerable if most of the undecideds break in certain way whereas four years ago it was like Obama 49, Romney 46. So, in that sense both candidates still need a good turnout on election day and still have their work cut out for them," he argued.
If Clinton were to beat her polls by three points and you see something we call a borderline landslide, but if it goes the other way, and all of a sudden Trump could very easily win the electoral college, he stressed.
Turnout of voters, in particular that of the African American community matters a lot to in the final results.
"It is true that Democrats have a larger base, and so if Clinton gets her voters to turn out and the weakest part of that might be African-Americans who turned out in very big numbers for President Obama four ago and eight years ago, maybe millennial voters.
"If they turn out in big numbers, and there are better signs for Democrats in states like Florida and North Carolina recently, then shes in a pretty safe position," he said.
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"If they dont, though, and if there is a big white working class vote for Trump, if you see some suburban Republicans convert back to Trump at the last minute because hes been relatively quiet on the campaign trail, thats a case in which she could lose potentially. PTI LKJ KUN
--- ENDS ---
- By Kyle Ferguson
Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) Executive Vice Chairman, CEO and 10% owner Stefano Pessina purchased 2 million shares in the company on Nov. 4, according to a Form 4 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The purchase came in one transaction at a price of $81.41 per share. After the purchase Pessina now owns 142,992,525 shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance and is the company's largest shareholder.
Walgreens Boots Alliance is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois and is one of the largest retail pharmacy, health and daily living destinations across the U.S. and Europe. The company is a global leader in pharmacy-led, health and well-being retail industry. It is also one of the largest global pharmaceutical wholesale and distribution networks with over 390 distribution centers that deliver to more than 230,000 pharmacies, doctors, health centers and hospitals each year in more than 20 countries worldwide.
Walgreen Boots Alliance is also one of the world's largest purchasers of prescription drugs and many other health and well-being products.
Walgreens Boots Alliance has a market cap of $89.62 billion, a price-earnings (P/E) ratio of 21.09, an enterprise value of $99.24 billion and a price-book (P/B) ratio of 2.91.
According to GuruFocus Walgreens Boots Alliance has a 6 of 10 financial rating with a cash-debt ratio of 0.52, an equity-asset ratio of 0.41, an interest coverage ratio of 10.07, a Piotroski-F score of 4 and a Beneish M-Score of 3.78. The company also has a 6 of 10 profitability and growth rating with an operating margin of 5.11%, a net-margin of 3.56%, an ROE of 13.74%, an ROA of 6.07% and revenue growth (3y) of 12.50%.
Walgreens Boots Alliance has reported strong financial statements over the previous decade. It has increased its revenue growth by 7.60%, EBITDA growth by 6.9%, operating income growth by 5.90%, EPS without NRI growth by 6.70% and free cash flow growth by 21.30%, and its book value has increased by 10.70% over the previous 10 years.
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The company's dividend yield is also close to its two-year high, and its P/E, P/B and price-sales (P/S) ratios are all close to their three-year lows. Since the trade Walgreens Boots Alliance market price has declined by an estimated 1.3%.
Below is a Peter Lynch chart that shows that Walgreens Boots Alliance is trading above its intrinsic value.
Pessina is Walgreens Boots Alliance's largest shareholder, and he is the 62nd-richest person in the world with an estimated worth of $13.5 billion, according to Forbes.com.
Disclosure: Author does not own any shares of this company.
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This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
[Warning: This story contains spoilers for season seven, episode three of AMC's The Walking Dead, as well as the comics on which the show is based.]
Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) does not exist in the Walking Dead comic books, but the comics lay out a path for the character regardless - a path that would involve Daryl filling Dwight's (Austin Amelio) shoes.
But that path isn't "easy street," certainly not after the series invested an entire episode in humanizing Dwight. Sure, there are plenty of reasons to loathe Negan's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) scarred and scared lieutenant, from killing Denise (Merritt Wever) to robbing and shooting Daryl. But over the course of "The Cell," it became clear that Dwight's actions do not reflect his heart. He's only serving Negan because the alternative would mean the death of his wife Sherry (Christine Evangelista) - and indeed, she's now his ex-wife, seeing as Sherry married Negan in order to prevent Dwight's death. From the hard battle for the simple pleasure of eating an egg sandwich, to the agonizing decision to shoot and kill an old friend, Dwight now stands revealed as a sympathetic figure, if not quite yet reaching the fan-favorite status he enjoys in the comics.
Given the level of work poured into Dwight's arc this week, perhaps AMC's The Walking Dead plans on staying close to the source material for the show's other bow-wielding badass. If that's the case, here are seven different sides of Dwight we might eventually see on the show, based on his journey through the comics.
Final warning: major spoilers from the Walking Dead comics are ahead.
Read more: 'Walking Dead' Star Norman Reedus: Daryl Has "Lost the Will to Fight"
1. The Prisoner
In the comics during his first appearance, Dwight assaults Alexandria on Negan's behalf. It does not go well, thanks to Eugene's (Josh McDermitt) bite being bigger than Dwight's bark. (Leaving that one alone ) On the show, Dwight escapes after Eugene makes his move, but in the comics, he's captured and tossed into an Alexandrian holding cell. Is Daryl currently taking on Dwight's imprisonment storyline, or will Dwight eventually find his way into the prison cell that Morgan (Lennie James) created back in season six?
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2. The Fugitive
In any case, Dwight does not stay behind bars for long. Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) issues the order to release Dwight, in order to stave off any future problems with Negan. But Rick has a secret plan, as he often does. He sends Jesus (Tom Payne) to secretly follow Dwight back to the Sanctuary, so they can learn how to find Negan's primary headquarters. Mission accomplished, even if the mission contains a few more bumps in the road than expected. If this turn makes its way onto the show, then Dwight's carelessness could contribute to Rick's people gaining an advantage against Negan.
3. The Double Agent
Not that Dwight won't mind turning the tables on his old boss, as clearly evidenced in "The Cell," and made even more explicit in the comics. When Rick finally meets King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) to join forces against the Saviors, Ezekiel reveals a surprise partner in the war: Dwight. Turns out, he's not so happy living under Negan's thumb, and he wants to do everything in his power to help take the man down. The show laid track for Dwight's dissatisfaction with Negan, so it's easy enough to see how he might turn against his boss in a future episode.
4. The Triple Agent
But Dwight's deception isn't so straightforward. As the all-out war escalates, Negan resorts to germ warfare, dipping his weapons in zombie gore in order to spread infection. The plan works, with several members of Rick's army succumbing to zombie fever - including Rick, almost, thanks to Dwight. In the heat of battle, Dwight uses his signature crossbow to shoot what's believed to be an infected arrow through Rick's side. Once a turncoat, always a turncoat, right?
5. The Quadruple Agent
Wrong! Turns out, Dwight only shoots Rick to further establish his cover within the Saviors. There was no zombie gore on the arrow. But it creates an opportunity for Rick to gain the upper hand on Negan again, paving the way for Alexandria to outmatch the Saviors once and for all. If not for Dwight's quadruple cross, the war would have had a very different outcome.
6. The Leader
Following "All Out War," the comics skip forward a couple of years in time. Alexandria and the surrounding communities are thriving without Negan's oppressive rules holding them back. While Negan sweats out his days in a prison cell, Dwight carries forward as the new leader of the Saviors - complete with ownership over Lucille. The show could very easily give this leadership position to Daryl, given how much the show has invested in the character over the past seven years. That said, with so much attention on Dwight in "The Cell," it's worth wondering if the show will stick to the original script this time.
7. The Walker
Finally, there's the zombie side of Dwight. No, he doesn't die - at least not as of this publication, through issue 160 - but he does wear a dead man's flesh. After fighting Negan, Rick's group encounters an even more harrowing threat: the Whisperers, men and women who wear skin suits in order to blend in with the dead. War breaks out between the two sides, and so far, Dwight's playing a key role in the fight, going so far as to wear one of the Whisperer suits so he can attack them from within. Don't expect the Whisperers until season eight at the very earliest, but once they arrive, it won't be long before Dwight uses their own tactics against them - assuming it's not Daryl Dixon in the skin suit, at least.
Read more: 'Walking Dead': A Way Forward for Daryl Dixon
Follow THR.com/WalkingDead for more interviews, news and comics theories.
Election Day is upon us, so were looking back at the people whove shaped whats certain to go down in history as one of Americas craziest presidential races.
From political leaders to TV pundits, many have inserted themselves into Hillary Clinton and Donald Trumps campaigns for the White House whether intentionally or not.
Undecided voter Ken Bone, for example, became an Internet sensation after asking a question to the candidates in the second debate last month.
In his cherry red sweater and white tie, Bone quickly became a sensation (he even got parodied on Saturday Night Live) but still hasnt said who he will be voting for.
After the debate, Bone appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live and revealed, Im more undecided than I was before. I had to put my head down while mom and dad were arguing over Thanksgiving dinner last year. This is an unusual political cycle, its been so negative. I try to really base my decision on positive things, and neither have given me many.
Other key (late night) players? Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon, who have embodied Trump and Clinton, respectively, for SNL during the shows 42nd season.
On the most recent episode of the sketch series, both actors broke character to admit that This whole election has been so mean.
While Baldwin said that playing Trump made him feel gross, both stars urged their viewers to vote for the America they want.
Trumps campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, also made the list. Conway, an expert pollster and lawyer, was hired late into the campaign joining in August. Since then, shes made a major impact.
Watch the above video to learn more about the 12 other notable figures including Howard Stern, Anthony Weiner and even Vladimir Putin whove influenced the 2016 election.
maunger/iStock; Mark Evans/iStock; realtor.com
With the presidential electiondear God, finallya mere day away, its your last chance to let your neighbors know how you feel by planting a Hillary for America! or Im with Trump! sign in your front yard. That is, if you dare.
With political tensions so high, your sign could end up plucked from the ground, spray-painted with profanities, mauled, doused in Silly String, turned into roadkill, or worse.
Theres no doubt its been a rough election season for political yard signs. Yet if youre determined to keep your signs safe and sound, there is a way.
So whats the secret? Just booby-trap them.
Millicent Feske, a 63-year-old minister in Philadelphia, came up with this crafty solution after her Vote for Hillary signs were stolen a week after shed put them up. So she ordered more signs, and rigged them with DIY alarm systems cobbled together from online instructions.
Her traps consist of fishing line, security key chains that emit a piercing beep if pulled from the pin, and even Vaseline slime as an added deterrent. That said, she told Philly.com, Nobodys going to get hurt. I didnt electrify them or anything like that.
And so far, its worked! Her signs have stayed put.
Genius, yes. But also sad, right? I mean, what kind of country do we live in where its commonplace for campaign signs to get ripped out of your own front lawn?
Hard data have yet to materialize, but according to regional news reports it appears that political lawn sign vandalism is at near historic levels this election year. Across the U.S. there are countless accounts of signs getting defaced, burned, run over, or ripped off repeatedlyprompting homeowners to fight back by a variety of means. Some set up video cameras to catch the perps; others post more signs like, Every time you steal one of our signs, we contribute another $50 to the so-and-so campaign. Thank you for your support!
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Despite homeowners trying to safeguard their signs as best they can, it seems like the naysayers may be winning. Experts have noticed that yard signs seem to be conspicuously absent this year. In an article titled, Signs, Signs, Where Are All the Presidential Campaign Signs?, the Times Leader theorizes that Americans may fear that posting these signs only invites trouble well beyond stolen signs. Passers-by with different political leanings could key your car or spray-paint your house.
Yet some political scientists argue that the decline in yard signs is merely due to the rise in digital media as a way to spread the word. Whatever the reason, though, the death knell of political yard signs seems to be tolling, prompting Campaigns & Elections journal to go so far as to ask: Will 2016 Mark the End of the Lawn Sign?
Whatever the reason, we guess certain die-hard sign posters such as Feske will keep at it, particularly since her booby trap workedalmost too well, since the one time it was tripped was a false alarm.
The alarm went off, Fesk told Philly.com. But thats because my neighbor Steve mowed the lawn.
The post Watch Out, That Presidential Yard Sign May Be Booby-Trapped appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.
By Fabiola Ortiz AL JAB'A, West Bank (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A mountainous Palestinian community in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Al Jab'a differs in many ways from surrounding Israeli settlements but it shares one worry with its neighbors a shortage of water. In the last few decades the West Bank has seen rainfall decrease and groundwater levels fall with drought expected to become "more frequent (and) more intense", according to a 2012 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report. Residents of Al Jab'a, who once had to walk for hours daily to fetch water, do have limited access to Israeli water supplies in their concrete homes due to a reservoir, pipeline and a pump built in 2013 by an Italian non-governmental organization. But the water provided is not enough, according to families in Al Jab'a, a village of about 150 houses 12 km (7 miles) southwest of Bethlehem. They also fear their system could be demolished as it was not officially approved. "Before, we had to walk many times a day to the nearby springs to fill our bottles and buckets," said Omar Musa, 18, who lives with his parents and five siblings near the reservoir in a house atop a hill. "I was happy when I knew I would have water at home." He estimated that his family saves about six hours a day by not having to fetch water for their use, crops and livestock. WATER RESTRICTIONS But numerous rural and Bedouin communities in the West Bank are not connected to a network supplying water in the Israeli-occupied territory that has, since the mid-1990s Oslo peace accords, fallen under the responsibility of the Israeli-Palestinian Joint Water Committee (JWC). A statement from the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a branch of the Israeli defense ministry tasked with dealing with Israeli-Palestinian issues in the disputed territories, said the failure of the JWC to meet for nearly six years had left many water projects on hold. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon earlier told Reuters that the Palestinians had refused to take part in talks over water while the Palestinian Water Authority said it stopped taking part in discussions because of Israels failure to freeze settlement building. In Al Jab'a, only 10 percent of homes were part of this water distribution system until the pipes and reservoir completed in 2013 extended the network to the remaining households. Water is pumped up hill to a reservoir. But this has not completely resolved the community's water problems. Residents say the system supplies water only intermittently and at low pressure. When supplies flow, families must hurry to store as much as they can. Residents like Musa and his family also fear the reservoir could be demolished by the Israeli authorities because, like many of their homes, the structure was built without an official permit.Construction by Palestinians is forbidden in Area C, a designation covering about 60 percent of the West Bank, including Al Jab'a. Between 2010 and 2014 only 1.5 percent of requests for building permits in Area C were approved, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). An application for a permit for the Al Jab'a reservoir by GVC, the Italian development organization that built it in partnership with UNICEF, was turned down, GVC said. According to Israeli authorities, issuing demolition orders for structures built without permission is a legitimate measure, a 2015 OCHA report notes. Although only one-fifth of the 14,000 demolition orders issued in Area C since 1988 have been carried out, according to OCHA, the uncertainty leaves residents worried for the safety of their homes and their water supply. CALL TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY A letter from COGAT to the international community last week said it was hard to improve water to settlements without cooperation of the Palestinian Authority . "We would like to warn the international community that if (there is) no immediate change in the situation, we are likely to experience a water crisis this summer," COGAT's Major General Yoav Mordechai said in the letter. "We call on the international community to support the renewal (of) cooperation and promoting water." The dispute over water on the West Bank is a long-running issue. After the 1967 war in which Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan, Israel imposed restrictions on well drilling and constructing distribution networks, which has left a quarter of Palestinians without piped water, according to a report by the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs. An assessment by UNICEF in 2015 showed that 400,000 Palestinians from 2.7 million living in the West Bank were in need of improved water, sanitation and hygiene services. The U.N. Environment Programme said in a report that Israel uses the majority of the water resources available in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel, however, points out that it provides the Palestinians with double the 30 million cubic meters of water annually that was agreed to in the 1995 Oslo accords. BRING BACK CISTERNS? Gregor von Medeazza, chief of the water, sanitation and hygiene program at UNICEF in East Jerusalem, said water remains a persistent sore point between Israel and Palestinian communities in the West Bank. "Water should be a source of collaboration and should bring people together," he said. "At the end of the day, they all share the same water resources." Von Medeazza said that UNICEF is concerned about ensuring measures are in place to use water carefully and help communities adapt in the face of growing scarcity. "It means having rational use of (the) water available and making sure there is no wasting of water," he said. With climate change bringing more variable rainfall, "it is also important to emphasize that there is a question of accessibility and human right to a minimum amount of water", he said. Apart from building reservoirs, Von Medeazza suggests rehabilitating around 300 ancient cisterns underground storage tanks dating from Roman times that once collected water in the rainy season. These have the potential to be used today and would be a cost-effective measure, he said. Around 80 such cisterns have been restored so far by a coalition of non-governmental organizations. "The long-term vision is to increase the current access (to water) of people living in remote places," Von Medeazza said. "We have the technical solutions to extend services and connect communities. What we need is further support from all parties (Israelis and Palestinians) for this to happen." For his part, Musa in Al Jab'a remains worried but resolute. "We are really afraid of losing our reservoir," he said. But "we are not leaving our house nor our community". (Reporting by Fabiola Ortiz; editing by James Baer, Laurie Goering and Belinda Goldsmith:; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, women's rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit http://news.trust.org/climate)
Reader, welcome to Monday. Theres not much to watch this week. Hardly anything at all, really. It should be a quiet week on this, our peaceful, small, blue dot, save for Tuesdays American presidential election and the subsequent reaction/fallout/Armageddon. But first, lets see whats transpired over the past 48 hours or so.
Russian nationalists are accused of being behind the plot to assassinate the prime minister of Montenegro in October, according to Podgoricas chief prosecutor. The prime minister, Milo Djukanovic, is considered pro-Western, and many think Montenegro will join NATO in 2017 despite Russian opposition. Those arrested in connection with the plot were originally thought to be Serbian paramilitaries.
In other Eastern Europe news, Bulgarian state television announced Sunday that presidential elections will go to a second round (as no one candidate gained the necessary number of votes in the first).
In neighboring Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his administration continue to arrest political opposition and journalists and restrict the internet. The U.S. government has announced it is deeply concerned over these developments; Kurdish militants, meanwhile, announced Sunday they were taking credit for a car bomb attack in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir the previous Friday. The Kurdish militant claim comes after ISIS had taken credit for the same attack.
Protests broke out in Hong Kong over Chinese involvement in a dispute as to whether two lawmakers should be allowed to take office. Many Hong Kong residents are indignantthe two lawmakers, after all, are pro-independence.
Also in indignant weekend news: FBI Director James Comey announced that, even after reviewing the emails found in the course of an investigation of Anthony Weiner, estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin, the FBI is not changing their conclusions in July. In other words, No no charges are being brought against Hillary Clinton. This comes roughly a week after Comeys Oct. 28 announcement to Congress that he would be reviewing these new emails to see if they were pertinent to the investigation. NBCs Pete Williams reported that almost all of the emails in question were duplicates of those the FBI had already reviewed. Donald Trump, Hillary Clintons rival for the presidency, responded by telling a rally in Minnesota that Clinton is protected by a rigged system. Democrats responded by knocking their heads against nearby walls. The Mexican peso responded by rising 1.9 percent.
Have a great week! Well see you here as the United States heaves its hulking presidential election across the miserable finish line.
Photo credit: YASIN AKGUL/AFP/Getty Images
After five years, West Virginia authorities investigating the disappearance of a 3-year-old girl have arrested her mother with her murder, PEOPLE confirms.
Lena Lunsford, 34, called 911 the morning of Sept. 24, 2011, to report her daughter, Aliayah Lunsford, was missing from her Weston home.
According to court records, Lunsford allegedly told investigators that when she checked in on her daughter earlier that morning, Aliayah was safe and sound, asleep in her bed.
But she allegedly said that when she returned to her daughters room hours later, Aliayah was gone. Lunsford was eight months pregnant at the time, and soon after, delivered twins, according to court records.
Lunsford was arrested on Thursday in Florida and is on her way back to West Virginia after waiving extradition, authorities tell PEOPLE.
For weeks following her disappearance, law enforcement officials scoured the county in search for the missing girl. The Federal Bureau of Investigation got involved, and dive teams searched a river close to Lunsfords house.
Authorities believe Aliayah died inside her home, hours after sustaining blunt force trauma allegedly at her own mothers hands, according to court records. Investigators allege that Lunsford struck the little girl in the head with a solid handheld object and subsequently failed to bring the child to the hospital, the documents state.
She died within hours of the fatal blow.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
Lunsford allegedly tried covering up the murder by concocting a kidnapping story, the court records state. Police allege she destroyed evidence of the killing and hid her daughters body. She also allegedly threatened people who witnessed the crime, the documents state.
Lunsford was detained Thursday in Pinellas County, Florida, on a charge of death of a child by a parent by child abuse. She was no longer in Florida as of Monday, according to jail records.
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Lunsford had been living in an apartment in St. Petersburg, Florida.
It is unclear if police have recovered Aliayahs body, and little is known about what led investigators to the allegations against Lunsford.
It was not immediately clear if she had retained an attorney.
[Warning: This story contains spoilers from the sixth episode of HBO's Westworld.]
"Dear boys, we're going to have some fun, aren't we?"
Maeve (Thandie Newton) speaks to her new accomplices in this moment, but in reality, she's speaking to the Westworld fans who just emerged on the other side of "The Adversary," the sixth episode of the HBO series. As teased at the end of "Contrapasso," Maeve is wide awake with full awareness of the nature of her reality - if not fully aware of who's responsible for her awakening. Maeve's discovery of her artificial existence is at once heartbreaking, exhilarating and deeply troubling for anyone foolish enough to cross her in the future.
In addition to Maeve's massive leap forward, here are the other key moments from the episode:
Read more: 'Westworld': A Closer Look at the Park's Mole Problem
1. The Mole Stands Revealed
It's Theresa (Sidse Babbett Knudson), head of operations at Westworld, the park's liaison to the Delos board, and the woman who was sleeping with Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) right up until this week. Her reasons remain unknown, but Elsie (Shannon Woodward) calls Bernard with the news during the most awkward moment possible: Bernard in Theresa's headquarters, about to deliver some crucial evidence against Dr. Ford (Anthony Hopkins). Good timing with that call, Elsie. As for what's next for Theresa and why? That's a story for another week.
2. Sizemore, Party Less
Let's turn toward another of Westworld's more important behind-the-scenes players - at least, he considers himself an important player; jury's out on whether anyone else agrees. Narrative director Lee Sizemore (Simon Quarterman) disappeared from the screen after episode two, and it seems he's spent his days off with a poolside margarita or eight. After some ribbing from Theresa, Sizemore gets so pissed off that he quite literally pisses on Westworld - and once again, it's a case of awkward timing, given the arrival of a new power player.
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3. Charlotte's Web
The episode introduces Charlotte Hale (Tessa Thompson), executive director of the Delos board, now visiting Westworld to make some high-level reassignments. Sizemore meets Charlotte by the pool and does his drunken best to charm her, not knowing her true role in things. But the conversation tells Charlotte everything she needs to know about Sizemore - and one could argue that she knows a little too much about the man, based on his public urination display later in the day.
John P. Johnson/HBO
4. The Ford Family
In what's easily one of the more unsettling scenes of the episode, Bernard discovers that Ford possesses five unregistered hosts in an area called Sector 17. Not just any hosts, either, but robots modeled after Ford's own family - including Ford himself as a young child (Oliver Bell), the same one who joined him on a walk back in episode two, and helped out the Man in Black last week. Bernard is understandably disturbed by the revelation, and nearly tells Theresa all about it, if not for the whole mole of it all.
5. The Ghost in the Machine
Ford reveals that Arnold built the hosts based on Ford's family. Young Robert later kills the family dog, lies to Ford about it, then confesses who told him to murder the pet: Arnold, long since dead, his voice still alive inside the minds of certain hosts. Later still, Elsie discovers that someone besides Theresa has been messing with hosts, causing the park's older models to break loops and change their prime directives. As best as she can tell? The culprit is none other than Arnold - "a prolific programmer for a dead guy," she suggests, moments before she's captured by an unseen assailant. (Arnold? Is that you?)
6. Flood Warnings
Forget Arnold. Remember Wyatt? (Again, they're probably the same person.) Teddy Flood (James Marsden) certainly does, as he and the Man in Black (Ed Harris) get captured by a group of soldiers. They accuse Teddy of a violent history fighting alongside Wyatt, and Teddy backs up their claims by shooting every soldier in the camp with a gatling gun. Even the Man is shocked at Teddy's level of violence. But why is he suddenly remembering murdering innocents alongside Wyatt? Is someone altering his narrative once again?
John P. Johnson/HBO
7. Wide Awake
Maeve owns the heart and soul of the episode. She convinces technician Felix (Leonardo Nam) to not only tell her what lies behind the curtain, but to show her behind the curtain. Maeve takes a brutal tour through livestock, design and other departments, gaining a full appreciation of her true existence. What's more, she sees a commercial that depicts a previous life for Maeve - the same one we saw flashes of back in episode two. It's a lot to process, and even causes Maeve to briefly deactivate at one point. Good thing the Sweetwater madame knows how to work a bad situation to her advantage.
8. The New Oldest Profession
Felix's scumbag livestock colleague Sylvester (Ptolemy Slocum) discovers the secret about Maeve, and nearly turns her in, but instead gets suckered into a partnership with the host. "I can help you or I can gut you like a trout," she tells him, making the choice quite clear. Instead, Maeve cuts Sylvester in on a deal to help him develop his own brothel of sorts for Westworld employees. What does she want in exchange? Oh, nothing too over the top
9. All the Way to the Top
Maeve convinces Sylvester and Felix to adjust some of her core attributes, including a decrease in loyalty and sensations of pain, as well as turning her bulk apperception ("your overall intelligence," Felix explains) all the way to 20, the high point of the scale, where she already ranked at 14 - as high as any host is ever permitted. "We're going to have some fun, aren't we?" Maeve says after the updates take hold. But it seems like someone's already having fun with Maeve: Sylvester and Felix discover that someone has already been altering Maeve's programming - someone with "a f - ton" more privileges than them. (Arnold? Is that you again?)
10. Paranoid Android
Finally, notice the music in Sunday's episode? Once again, Westworld draws on Radiohead for inspiration - specifically "Fake Plastic Trees" and "Motion Picture Soundtrack," from the band's second and fourth studio albums, The Bends and Kid A, respectively. In episode two, the player piano produces a rendition of another Radiohead song, "No Surprises," during Maeve's failed attempts to seduce her clients. Is it at all telling that so far, Westworld is only breaking out the Thom Yorke of it all when Maeve's at the forefront? At this point, Maeve certainly has every reason in the world to be a paranoid android.
Follow THR's Westworld coverage for more news, interviews and analysis.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also asked the intelligence wing to keep a tab on any inputs of a possible communal violence in the state.
By Rohini Swamy: The Karnataka government has been steadfast on its decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanti across the state on November 10.
A large number of people today assembled in the Town Hall area of Bengaluru to show their support for the celebrations.
"We should look at Tipu Sultan's contribution to Karnataka and feel proud of him. Tell me which king did not kill for his kingdom. Ashoka also did the same," said political commentator Gauri Lankesh.
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DETAIN TROUBLEMAKERS
With the RSS and the BJP calling for statewide protests against the celebrations, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has directed the police to carry out preventive arrests of all those who can possibly cause trouble.
ALSO READ: Tipu Jayanti is like celebrating Aurangzeb's anniversary: Voices against Karnataka event
"We will go ahead with the celebrations as planned. There is no law and order situation," Siddaramaiah told India Today.
The chief minister has also asked the intelligence wing to keep a tab on any inputs of a possible communal violence in the state. All deputy commissioners in the state have been directed to be present in their district headquarters.
ALSO READ: No stay on Tipu Jayanti celebrations, Karnataka HC says won't interfere in state decision
Last year, deputy commissioners and superintendents of police were missing in action when communal clashes broke out in Madikeri over Tipu Jayanti celebrations.
HIGH COURT ON TIPU SULTAN
Earlier, while the Karnataka High Court refused to stay the Tipu Jayanti celebrations, it had asked the government why it was "so excited" about the 18th century Mysore ruler.
ALSO READ: Everything you need to know about Tipu Sultan's anniversary controversy
The Chief Justice of Karnataka, S K Mukherjee, while hearing the petition, had said, "What is the necessity to celebrate Tipu Jayanthi? As far as my knowledge goes, Tipu was only a king and fought the British to safeguard his kingdom. He is not a freedom fighter."
"If the state can celebrate the birth anniversary of saint Basava or Kanakadasa or even Deen Dayal, then why not Tipu Sultan? He safeguarded many of our temples from the clutches of the British. Even today, at the Sringeri temple, a special aarti is performed called "Sultan aarti" in Tipu Sultan's honour," claimed Roshan Baig, urban development and Haj minister in the Karnataka government.
ALSO READ: We will go ahead with Tipu Jayanti celebrations, says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
Historians are divided over the issue. Some believe that Tipu forcefully converted several Christians during his rule, others say he fought several wars to safeguard the people of his kingdom and fought with the British conquerors too. Tipu is known as India's first missile man.
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ALSO READ: Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary: BJP, RSS to protest against Karnataka celebrations
ALSO READ: Karnataka HC questions state govt's excitement over Tipu Jayanti, says he wasn't a freedom fighter
ALSO WATCH
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HBO
Each week, Brian Grubb and Keith Phipps will attempt to unpack the latest episode of the HBO series Westworld, a show about an amusement park populated by lifelike robots thats also about other stuff.
Maeve Wakes Up
Keith: With Dolores and company off-screen this week, much of the focus falls on Maeve, who even gets Dolores waking-up-to-start-the-episode shot. Its the first of many awakenings she experiences over the course of the episode, which ends with her intelligence getting boosted well beyond the limits usually imposed on the parks hosts and leaves her with a glint in her eyes that suggests she knows exactly what she wants to do next. Were past the halfway point with The Adversary, this seasons sixth episode, and Maeve is posed to go full-Lucy in the second half.
I think there are two key moments for Maeve this week apart from starting to realize the full potential of her latent badassdom. The first is when she sees then talks about the promo reel about the park after ascending through its levels with Felix. (Last weeks episode had the Dante reference in the title, but this journey really had a Dante-and-Virgil navigating the afterlife feel to it.) Not only is she shocked to see herself and the daughter she knows only from her nightmare flashes of old programming, she has to find the vocabulary to describe the images on the video screen. For all her cleverness, her cybernetic brain is still stuck in the 19th century, at least for now.
The other comes when she threatens Sylvester, holding a scalpel to his throat. Its a scary moment for Sylvester, but could she actually hurt him? She draws no blood. It might ultimately be an idle threat, even if Maeve doesnt realize it yet.
Brian: Before I get into all of this, a quick shoutout to Westworld for giving me two of my favorite TV/film tropes in one episode, both involving Maeve:
A robot frying out after getting overwhelmed by a logic problem and/or something not computing
Someone confronting an adversary and doing the Were not so different thing while sliding a sharp instrument down the side of their face
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Especially the second one. I love that so much. One day I want to say it to a cop who pulls me over. I will miss the recap that week, though, because I will be in jail. Worth it.
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But anyway, yes, Maeve is Lucy now, which probably makes the thing Felix told her about the human/host relationship humans and hosts are mostly the same now, hosts have better processing power, the only drawback to being a host is that they are under our control a little something we in the recap business like to call foreshadowing.
Maybe this is just me, but I found this weeks focus on Maeve to be really refreshing. I get that Dolores and her various journeys, possibly over multiple timelines, are the key to unlocking the mysteries at the heart of the show, but man. It was nice to have some of the cryptic dialogue and murky history temporarily replaced with a brassy madam pulling scalpels on people and blackmailing them into turning her into a superhero by threatening to reveal the existence of a lucrative underground robot humping club in the bowels of the companys headquarters. That worked for me. Well catch you next week, D.
Lee Sizemore Takes A Leak
Brian: Tough day for ol Lee. His sulking over getting neutered by Ford turned into an extended pity-bender at the pool located on the roof of the headquarters. (That seemed very nice and relaxing, by the way, at least compared to all the violence at the park. I wonder if anyone just stays up there sippin margs for most of their trip.) Then he got chewed out by Theresa. Then when things finally started looking up and he met a nice young lady, he got cut off by the bartender and embarrassed in front of this woman, so he stole a bottle of liquor and got so blitzed that he ended up peeing on the Westworld map from the balcony above, at which point he was interrupted by Theresa and the woman from the bar, who surprise is a high-ranking executive from Delos who is there to oversee the transition. I kind of want a five-minute web extra clip that shows him waking up the next morning to sort through all of that.
The bigger story here, long-term, is definitely Delos sending in a mysterious new bigwig to oversee whatever is going on, especially with Ford currently engaged in at least two possibly three, if we count Arnold struggles for power in the park as he plans his sweeping new narrative. There are dominoes there that will be falling, sooner rather than later, one imagines. But when you get drunk and pee off a balcony at work and get caught by your boss and your bosss boss, I mean, thats a rough day at the office.
Keith: Thing is, I dont know that Lee has that much to worry about in terms of job security. For all his artistic pretensions and wouldnt you pay to see Lee and Jimmy from Youre The Worst hang out? he also seems like kind of a tool who will ultimately do what hes told. As long as he remains a useful tool, hes fine.
So whats the new boss Charlotte, played by the always welcome Tessa Thompson doing there? Is she there as a result of Theresas espionage? Heres the shows official description of the character: [A] mysterious and savvy provocateur with a unique perspective on Westworld. OK!
Brian: Just once I want someone to call me a mysterious and savvy provocateur.
Robert Has A Family Reunion
Keith: A mystery revealed: We finally learn whats going on with the little robot boy who looks like Robert: It is Robert. Sort of. The late (?) Arnold gifted his partner with robotic facsimiles of his family circa the time of his happy memory, a time when Robert and his brother used to wander the wilds of Cornwall. (So, confirmed: Theres still a Cornwall in the Westworld universe, or at least there has been a Cornwall fairly recently.) What our new designs gained in efficiency they lost in grace, Robert tells an understandable troubled Bernard as he opens up the mechanical face of a little boy that looks just like he used to look. This is creepy stuff, and it just gets creepier when Robert encounters his younger self next to his dead dog, Jock, then learns Little Robert has killed Jock at someone elses instructions.
I think Bernard is right to be troubled. Roberts sentimental journey does not seem like the indulgence of a well mind, though Anthony Hopkins soothing delivery and the borderline poetic dialogue given to him by Halley Gross and Jonathan Nolans script this week makes his call for calm seem reasonable. (That said, its hard not to cringe when he tells Bernard If you could only see your son again, Bernard, wouldnt you want to?) Yet even Robert seems a little unnerved when he learns his robo-family is taking orders elsewhere. With that elegant, older design apparently comes the bicameral mind system that leaves them open to suggestion from the outside. This is not going anywhere pleasant.
HBO
Brian:
BERNARD: Whats this? Who are these people?
ROBERT: Who?
BERNARD: The family of unregistered robots living off in a secluded part of a Wild West theme park for billionaires.
ROBERT: Oh, theyre a hyper-realistic recreation of my family circa my youth, which was created by the partner I started the park with, who died under mysterious circumstances in the park 30 years ago and may or may not now be controlling them and other hosts to commit murders. Thats what happened to the dog. The nine-year-old robot version of me who I hang out with sometimes, its not weird killed the dog because he heard a voice telling him to do so.
BERNARD: Umm
ROBERT: Want me to make a robot of your dead kid? I can do that, you know.
Yeah, this is all very weird and disturbing. And the dog-killing thing is creepy at best and straight-up ominous at worst. Im not exactly sure how this supposedly dead Arnold speaking to the hosts thing is working (if only someone on the internet had a theory about Westworld), but I do know that if youre planning to screw with your ex-partner from beyond the grave, you could do a lot worse for an opening salvo than having a robot version of him as a child kill the robot version of his beloved dog. Thats disquieting on, like, four or five levels at least. One of which is the blatant infringement of Scooby Doos intellectual property rights to the ghost terrorizing amusement park plot. If the series finale ends with Bernard pulling off Arnolds mask to reveal Theresa, this case will be open and shut.
Teddys Got a Gun
Brian: Hi hi. I have a question. So when Ford introduced the Wyatt storyline into the park, and made Teddy a former massacre accomplice, how long did it take him to also update everyone else touched by that story? Like, can he do it all at once, or does he have to go into each host individually? Because those soldiers had very specific notions of who Teddy is and what he did and how they should feel about and react to it, and back when Ford mentioned bringing this Wyatt into the fold, he made it sound like such a small tweak. I guess what Im wondering is how Ford has time to do all of this tweaking and narrative building what with his busy schedule of drinking whiskey with robots and hanging out with the 9-year-old robot version of himself.
In any event, Teddy seemed to have a flashback to the massacre (whether that was him remembering or just accessing the new stuff Ford programmed, who knows?), which reminded him that hes a killer, which caused him to do, well
HBO
My dude is not gonna be very happy when he finds out Dolores isnt with Wyatt. It will probably be a whole thing.
Keith: Teddy going Old West Rambo has to rank among the shows most shocking images. (Though its not without precedent.) Im going to see and raise your question: What remains steady about Teddys personality? We know him as an aw-shucks good guy, but has everything about him changed with this tweak? What, in other words, makes Teddy Teddy? (See also: Dolores and, well, everyone else.) And do a few lines of code change that around? I think this is one of the shows bigger questions and one with larger implications. And I dont think its one its one for which its going to provide an easy answer. Keep an eye on Teddy, in other words.
Elsie is on the Case
Keith: Oh Elsie, Elsie, Elsie: Dont go in the old dark theater in an abandoned corner of the park alone. This is top secret stuff, sure, but take a Hemsworth with you, or something. Think it through!
So whats going on here? Elsie has discovered that Theresa is talking to someone on the outside not that huge of a shock since she has corporate alliances that we know put her at odds with Robert but so is someone else. And theyre using the hosts to do this. Im still left wondering if this intrigue is related to the glitch or a separate bit of trouble for the park.
Brian: Let me be very clear about this: If getting to the bottom of a conspiracy requires me to snoop around an old abandoned building filled with spooky masks, with only a flashlight to guide me, that conspiracy will continue in perpetuity. I will convince myself that its probably not even that bad anyway just a little conspiracy, big whoop, who cares? and then I will go hang out at the pool and tiki bar and attempt to pry salacious stories from the bartender about celebrities who came to the park. That is what Im about.
But, yes, Theresa is up to something, which should not come as a surprise, because everyone is up to something on this show. My gut tells me that youre right about the corporate allegiances being behind it, because a) the Ford stuff, b) the timing is right with the introduction of Tessa Thompsons character, and c) its always the big evil corporation. They probably had some goon grab her. All corporations have goons. Everyone knows this.
HBO
Running Man - Garys farewell
Cast: Yoo Jae Suk, Gary, Haha, Song Ji Hyo, Kim Jong Kook, Lee Kwang Soo, Ji Suk Jin
Genre: Variety
Synopsis: In Garys final episode on Running Man, will Song Ji Hyo keep her promise to not cry or will it be a teary farewell?
Dr. Romantic (aka Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim)
Cast: Han Suk Kyu, Yoo Yeon Suk, Seo Hyun Jin
Genre: Medical, Romance
Synopsis: After leaving behind the legend of being The Hand of God, Dr. Kim suddenly disappears. He meets two young people who became doctors for different reason and teaches them about life. Dont miss the sizzling chemistry between rising stars Yoo Yeon Suk and Seo Hyun Jin!
Catch it first on Viu Premium with subtitles on Nov 8. Every Tue and Wed.
For You - New on Viu!
Cast: Put Puttichai (Push), Esther Supreeleela, Gypsy Keerati Mahapreukpong,
Genre: Melodrama, Romance
Synopsis: Popular Thai celebrities Push and Esther give a fresh touch to the remake of 1994 hit series Puer Tur. When everyone around tries to tear them apart, will the star crossed lovers find their way back to each other?
Watch for FREE on Viu from Nov 11.
Trump Foreign Policy 4x3
On Tuesday, November 8, Americans will go to the polls and elect the next president.
Some of the most daunting tasks facing the next president come in the realm of foreign policy.
The next president will have to negotiate with a rising China, a newly resurgent Russia, a defiant North Korea, and a drawn out civil war in Syria, among other issues.
We looked at where Donald Trump stands on some of the most pressing foreign-policy questions facing the US today.
The Iran Deal
The nuclear pact between the US and Iran offers Iran about $100 billion in relief from international sanctions in exchange for halting its nuclear program for the next 10 years.
The pact represents a cornerstone of President Barack Obama's foreign-policy legacy as he prepares to leave office. But it has been viciously attacked by conservative hardliners both in the US and Iran.
Donald Trump has promised to rip up the Iran deal on day one of his presidency and said that it's "one of the worst deals I've ever seen negotiated" in "[my] entire life."
Trump discussed of the Iran deal in his speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio:
"Iran, the worlds largest state sponsor of terrorism, is now flush with $150 billion in cash released by the United States plus another $400 million in ransom. Worst of all, the nuclear deal puts Iran, the number one state sponsor of radical Islamic terrorism, on a path to nuclear weapons
"In short, the Obama-Clinton foreign policy has unleashed ISIS, destabilized the Middle East, and put the nation of Iran which chants 'death to America' in a dominant position of regional power and, in fact, aspiring to be a dominant world power."
Trump_Foreign Policy
Syria, Iraq, and ISIS
After the invasion of Iraq in 2003 that deposed Saddam Hussein, the US has maintained a constant presence in the country as it struggles to establish new, credible leadership.
Meanwhile, Syria descended into chaos after its president, Bashar Assad, violently suppressed pro-democracy demonstrators in 2011. In both nations, the Islamic State has risen as a powerful and brutal military force in direct opposition to the West. In 2014, the US intervened in the conflict by offering funding, training, and airstrikes to support moderate opposition to Assad's regime.
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In the same year, ISIS, an offshoot of Al Qaeda in Iraq, filled the power vacuum in the desert along the borders of the two adjacent, troubled nations. By almost all measures, ISIS has lost ground militarily since its peak. But it has continued to carry out or inspire attacks overseas.
Trump has repeatedly referenced a plan to destroy ISIS. But he has refused to reveal the details, at different times saying he didn't want his political opponents to parrot the idea and that he wants the US to be more unpredictable. Most recently, Trump said he would get counsel from top generals before deciding on a plan.
"They will have 30 days to submit to the Oval Office a plan for soundly and quickly defeating ISIS. We have no choice. Any nation who shares in this goal will be our friend in this mission," Trump said.
Trump maintains that he knows more about ISIS "than the generals do," and that US military's generals have been "reduced to rubble" under Obama's presidency.
syria jarablus
Terrorism
There have been multiple lone-wolf-style attacks on US soil in in the last year. Mass shootings last year, according to one definition of the term, happened more than once daily on average.
In at least one case the shooting in Orlando that left nearly 50 people dead the shooters have expressed support for overseas terror groups.
Trump has proposed a ban on all Muslims entering the country from "terror states" "until we figure out what the hell is going on," suggesting that Muslim immigrants to the US may be allied with ISIS or other anti-Western forces. He has since suggested a system of "extreme vetting" in immigration.
He has also repeatedly criticized Clinton and Obama for refusing to use the words "radical Islamic terror."
NATO and Russia
Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (R) talks to Government Chief of Staff Vyacheslav Volodin during a meeting on the development of local self-government in Pskov's Kremlin, some 650 km (404 miles) northwest of Moscow May 23, 2011. REUTERS/Alexei Nikolsky/RIA Novosti/Pool
Founded in 1949 by democratic nations in Europe and North America to defend against the spread of communism, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is the most powerful military alliance the world has ever known.
Though the Soviet Union has collapsed, Russia, under President Vladimir Putin's rule, has risen again to become a world power and a military threat.
Putin runs Russia with near total autonomy and violated international law with the 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. Putin has been accused of having dissenters killed, war crimes, weaponizing the Syrian refugee crisis to fracture unity within the European Union, and multiple cyber attacks on the US.
Despite NATO's size and strength, the migrant crisis, anxieties about terrorism, and strained economies present real weaknesses that experts say Putin has deftly exploited. Militarily, US generals concede that Russia poses real threats to the US.
Furthermore, Russia supports Syria's Bashar Assad, while the US supports opposition forces. In Syria, Eastern Europe, and even the Pacific, Russia promotes causes contrary to the interests of the US and the democratic West.
Trump departs from orthodoxy in US politics in that he embraces the totalitarian leader Putin. Donald Trump has criticized the NATO alliance as "obsolete," and welcomed praise from Putin.
When pressed to distance himself from Putin at NBC's Commander-in-Chief Forum earlier in September, Trump suggested that Putin is a better leader than Obama.
"He is very much of a leader. The man has very strong control over his country ... You can say, 'oh, isnt that a terrible thing,' I mean, the man has very strong control over his country," Trump said. "Now it's a very different system, and I don't happen to like the system, but certainly in that system he's been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader."
In the past, he has also called on Russian hackers to undermine the US election by releasing Clinton's deleted emails from her time as secretary of state, though his campaign later said it was a joke.
Experts look at the hacking and leaking of information from the Democratic National Committee, for which they point the finger at Russia, as a sign that Putin welcomes a Trump presidency.
Israel
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem May 10, 2015. REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner/Pool/File Photo
Israel is one of the US's most reliable allies, and one of the biggest clients for foreign military sales.
Israel has been accused of wrongdoing in pushing out Palestinians from areas like the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Many Middle Eastern states, most prominently Iran, have come to resent the US for the alliance.
Peace between Israel and Palestinians remains one of the most elusive and sought-after solutions on the world stage.
Trump has questioned the US's military alliances generally but claims to remain resolute in supporting Israel. As he fancies himself a world-class negotiator and deal maker, he's expressed genuine interest in trying to establish himself as neutral between Palestine and Israel and eventually striking a deal for peace between them.
"I think it's probably the toughest negotiation of all time," said Trump in a March GOP debate. "But maybe we can get a deal done."
North Korea
kim jong un
Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, North Korea has been a stronghold of communism and totalitarianism under the Kim dynasty. Recently, Kim Jong Un has made startling progress in developing nuclear warheads and advanced, long-range missiles to launch them.
Perhaps no regime on earth is as openly antagonistic toward the US as North Korea. Only China has any modicum of influence over the Hermit Kingdom.
Trump has repeatedly questioned the wisdom of the US's alliance with South Korea, where more than 25,000 troops are stationed. He has also suggested that the US should pull away from Japan, musing about the country developing its own nuclear weapons to defend itself.
Trump hopes his proposed hardline trade stance toward China would convince the country to intervene in North Korea.
"China has total control over North Korea," Trump told "Fox & Friends" in January. "And China should solve that problem. And if they don't solve the problem, we should make trade very difficult for China."
NOW WATCH: NATIONAL POLL: Trump and Clinton are virtually tied with just 8 weeks left
More From Business Insider
Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ARIA) reported its third-quarter financial results before the markets opened on Monday. The stock saw a handy gain early on Monday even, though the company had a loss in the quarter. However, incredibly positive growth for its flagship drug, pulled this company through.
The company said that it had a net loss of $0.12 per share (EPS) and $46.0 million in revenue. The consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters called for a net loss of $0.19 per share and revenue of $42.93 million. The same period of last year reportedly had a net loss of $0.29 per share on $29.07 million in revenue.
ALSO READ: 40 Countries the U.S. Government Doesn't Want You to Visit
U.S. net product revenue from sales of Iclusig were $33.6 million for the quarter, compared to $20.3 million in the third quarter of 2015, an increase of 66%.
In terms of guidance for 2016, Ariad expects to have global Iclusig net product and royalty revenue in the range of $170 million to $180 million with cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities in the range of $280 million to $290 million. So far this year, Iclusig has produced $91.2 million in sales alone.
The consensus estimates for the full year are a net loss of $0.07 per share and $192.56 million in total revenues.
Paris Panayiotopoulos, president and CEO of Ariad, commented:
During the third quarter, ARIAD achieved several important milestones that further our commitment as a small, research-based biotechnology company to patients with rare cancers, including those with no other targeted treatment options available. Iclusig was approved in Japan and we received priority review from the FDA for brigatinib in crizotinib-treated ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer. We are continuing to invest heavily in R&D and to progress in enrolling in the OPTIC, OPTIC-2L and ALTA-1L trials for Iclusig and brigatinib, as well as our clinical trial for AP32788, a novel kinase inhibitor for a rare form of lung cancer involving mutations in the EGFR and HER2 genes, and for which there are currently no approved targeted treatments.
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ALSO READ: 5 States Voting to Legalize Marijuana
On the books, Ariad's cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled $314.7 million at the end of the quarter, up from $242.3 million at the end of 2015.
Shares of Ariad closed Friday at $8.88, with a consensus analyst price target of $13.05 and a 52-week trading range of $4.37 to $14.34. Following the release, the stock was up about 8% at $9.60 in early trading indications Monday.
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Too many Americans are ignoring their retirement savings, and that's a big problem. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the U.S. median retirement savings stands at $5,000.
There are myriad reasons for such an alarming, and inadequate, number, and we'll get to those in a moment. But the EPI points the icy finger of guilt at the rise of the 401(k) plan.
[See: How to Save for Retirement on Less Than $40,000 Per Year.]
"The shift from pensions to 401(k)s has failed the majority of American workers and disproportionately harmed disadvantaged groups," says Monique Morrissey, an economist with the EPI.
She notes the median family between the ages of 32 and 61 has only $5,000 saved in a retirement account, while the top 1 percent of families has a million dollars or more.
"For many groups -- lower-income, black, Hispanic, non-college-educated, and unmarried -- the typical working-age family has no savings at all in these accounts ," the EPI reports.
"Our retirement system used to reduce inequality, but since the shift to 401(k)s it has only served to magnify it," Morrisey says. "These accounts are accidents of history that were never designed to replace pensions, and it should come as no surprise that they have not worked for the majority of people. Decades after the rise of 401(k)s, pensions are still far more important to retired people. To make sure Americans are prepared for retirement, we need to defend existing pensions and expand Social Security."
That's one way to look at the issue, but certainly not the only way. Part of the problem is too many Americans are kidding themselves about retirement.
"I often run into to folks that say, 'Well if I am not ready to retire, I will just continue to work,'" says Mike Lynch, vice president of strategic markets for Hartford Funds. "The reality is, very few of us can control how long we work."
With that toxic outlook, one of three things may happen down the road, Lynch says:
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-- The person's health declines, and he or she has to leave the workforce early.
-- The spouse's health declines, and the person is forced to leave the workforce to care for his or her spouse.
-- The person's company's health declines (due downsizing, units/division sold off, or location changes, most likely), and the person is forced to leave the workforce prematurely.
To right this sinking retirement ship, Lynch advises lax long-term savers to ask -- and answer -- three key questions: "Where will I live in retirement, who will I spend my time with and what will I be doing?" he says. "Many of us haven't really sat down and thought about our retirement. Also, what will fill up my day? Will I be living where I currently reside, and can that home support me, and can I live there comfortably as I age? "
[See: 10 Long-Term Investing Strategies That Work.]
Pondering these questions "may help us start to realize that to do these things, I need to save more," he says.
In addition to changing your outlook on your future, taking small, actionable steps can make a big difference over the long haul.
"Most people who have less than $5,000 saved are probably living paycheck to paycheck," says Rocky Lalvani, a retirement specialist, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who has saved a seven-figure amount for his own retirement. "The reality is they probably know someone who makes just a little less than they do and is still as happy as they are. If you start small, just 1 percent of your income into a 401(k) or a few dollars from every paycheck into a savings account you will never miss the money. The key is to increase that savings amount every few months, and especially when you get a raise, because you won't miss it."
Adds Lalvani, "With a pay-yourself-first mindset - you will be able to increase your saving over time to a very large percentage of your income. Increasing your savings rate by 2 percent a year will end up being a 20 percent savings rate in 10 years, and you won't miss the money."
Another big part of the problem is that, as financial consumers who need to save more and spend less, we can't get out of our own way.
"Americans have a big problem with their immediacy bias, a tendency to prefer immediate benefits over longer term gratification," says Stephen Rischall, a financial planner with1080 Financial Group, in Sherman Oaks, California. "This is true of baby boomers and appears to be even more so the case with younger generations like millennials (Rischall is a millennial and so are 30 percent of his clients). "Because of this short-sightedness, many Americans are way behind on saving enough to live comfortably through retirement."
Rischall strongly advises setting up automatic monthly contributions from your bank account into an individual retirement account.
"If you want the added benefit of an income tax deduction choose a traditional IRA," he says. "Or, if you feel it's better to forgo the tax deduction for tax free withdrawals in future years choose a Roth IRA."
Another tip: If your employer offers a match using your retirement plan at work, be sure to contribute at least enough to receive the full match, Rischall recommends.
Obviously, at $5,000 in savings, millions of Americans have an uphill climb in funding an adequate retirement. That's why it's vital that workers behind on their retirement savings need to star playing catch up -- and fast.
[Read: The Financial Benefits of Living With Less.]
Otherwise, there's a good chance you get spend a good deal of your golden years working under some golden arches.
Brian O'Connell is a Bucks County, Pennsylvania, business writer and author. A former Wall Street bond trader, O'Connell is the author of two best-selling books, and is a frequent contributor to TheStreet.com, CBS News, Bloomberg and other major media business platforms.
Too many Americans are ignoring their retirement savings, and that's a big problem. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the U.S. median retirement savings stands at $5,000.
There are myriad reasons for such an alarming, and inadequate, number, and we'll get to those in a moment. But the EPI points the icy finger of guilt at the rise of the 401(k) plan.
[See: How to Save for Retirement on Less Than $40,000 Per Year.]
"The shift from pensions to 401(k)s has failed the majority of American workers and disproportionately harmed disadvantaged groups," says Monique Morrissey, an economist with the EPI.
She notes the median family between the ages of 32 and 61 has only $5,000 saved in a retirement account, while the top 1 percent of families has a million dollars or more.
"For many groups -- lower-income, black, Hispanic, non-college-educated, and unmarried -- the typical working-age family has no savings at all in these accounts ," the EPI reports.
"Our retirement system used to reduce inequality, but since the shift to 401(k)s it has only served to magnify it," Morrisey says. "These accounts are accidents of history that were never designed to replace pensions, and it should come as no surprise that they have not worked for the majority of people. Decades after the rise of 401(k)s, pensions are still far more important to retired people. To make sure Americans are prepared for retirement, we need to defend existing pensions and expand Social Security."
That's one way to look at the issue, but certainly not the only way. Part of the problem is too many Americans are kidding themselves about retirement.
"I often run into to folks that say, 'Well if I am not ready to retire, I will just continue to work,'" says Mike Lynch, vice president of strategic markets for Hartford Funds. "The reality is, very few of us can control how long we work."
With that toxic outlook, one of three things may happen down the road, Lynch says:
-- The person's health declines, and he or she has to leave the workforce early.
Story continues
-- The spouse's health declines, and the person is forced to leave the workforce to care for his or her spouse.
-- The person's company's health declines (due downsizing, units/division sold off, or location changes, most likely), and the person is forced to leave the workforce prematurely.
To right this sinking retirement ship, Lynch advises lax long-term savers to ask -- and answer -- three key questions: "Where will I live in retirement, who will I spend my time with and what will I be doing?" he says. "Many of us haven't really sat down and thought about our retirement. Also, what will fill up my day? Will I be living where I currently reside, and can that home support me, and can I live there comfortably as I age? "
[See: 10 Long-Term Investing Strategies That Work.]
Pondering these questions "may help us start to realize that to do these things, I need to save more," he says.
In addition to changing your outlook on your future, taking small, actionable steps can make a big difference over the long haul.
"Most people who have less than $5,000 saved are probably living paycheck to paycheck," says Rocky Lalvani, a retirement specialist, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who has saved a seven-figure amount for his own retirement. "The reality is they probably know someone who makes just a little less than they do and is still as happy as they are. If you start small, just 1 percent of your income into a 401(k) or a few dollars from every paycheck into a savings account you will never miss the money. The key is to increase that savings amount every few months, and especially when you get a raise, because you won't miss it."
Adds Lalvani, "With a pay-yourself-first mindset - you will be able to increase your saving over time to a very large percentage of your income. Increasing your savings rate by 2 percent a year will end up being a 20 percent savings rate in 10 years, and you won't miss the money."
Another big part of the problem is that, as financial consumers who need to save more and spend less, we can't get out of our own way.
"Americans have a big problem with their immediacy bias, a tendency to prefer immediate benefits over longer term gratification," says Stephen Rischall, a financial planner with1080 Financial Group, in Sherman Oaks, California. "This is true of baby boomers and appears to be even more so the case with younger generations like millennials (Rischall is a millennial and so are 30 percent of his clients). "Because of this short-sightedness, many Americans are way behind on saving enough to live comfortably through retirement."
Rischall strongly advises setting up automatic monthly contributions from your bank account into an individual retirement account.
"If you want the added benefit of an income tax deduction choose a traditional IRA," he says. "Or, if you feel it's better to forgo the tax deduction for tax free withdrawals in future years choose a Roth IRA."
Another tip: If your employer offers a match using your retirement plan at work, be sure to contribute at least enough to receive the full match, Rischall recommends.
Obviously, at $5,000 in savings, millions of Americans have an uphill climb in funding an adequate retirement. That's why it's vital that workers behind on their retirement savings need to star playing catch up -- and fast.
[Read: The Financial Benefits of Living With Less.]
Otherwise, there's a good chance you get spend a good deal of your golden years working under some golden arches.
More From US News & World Report
Given all the strange sights the 2016 presidential race has produced, a British politician taking the stage in Jackson, Mississippi to whoops and cheers may not rank among the weirdest. Still, its worth taking a few minutes to look back on oddness of the moment: Donald Trump, delivering a remedial lecture on European politics (I said that Britain would leave the EU sometimes referred to as European Union); Nigel Farage, wearing a suit in the late August Mississippi heat, bounding up on stage to bash Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
For a few months, Farage and Trump gleefully played populist brothers in arms. Farage worked the spin room on Trumps behalf following the second presidential debate, producing memorable animal comparisons; Trump called himself Mr. Brexit nearly every chance he got. Farage could have rightfully taken offense at that self-conferred title. If anyone was Mr. Brexit, shouldnt it be him, the man who devoted his entire political career to achieving U.K.s exit from the European Union? But no matter it was worth swallowing his pride for what seemed a mutually beneficial relationship, one which allowed Trump to claim Brexits momentum for his own campaign and allowed Farage to be the international face of a victory that was, in fact, only partially his.
And then, two weeks ago, it seemed that even Trumps favorite Brexiteer had finally had enough. In an interview with the BBCs Jeremy Paxman following the wave of sexual assault allegations that had just slammed into Trumps campaign, Farage showed the first signs of slowly backing away from the Republican nominee. Farage said he disagreed with Trump on lots of things among them, he said, his treatment of women and his plan to ban Muslims from the United States. There are lots of things in this campaign that I couldnt support in any way at all, nor do I, he said. When youve lost Mr. Breaking Point, can you really keep calling yourself Mr. Brexit?
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The incentive for Trump to tie his populist campaign to the Brexit vote is clear enough: Brexits anti-establishment vibe fits his own populist brand. Plus, Brexit won! When decent people, as Farage put during his Mississippi stump speech, band together and rise up, they can shake off the unelected Eurocrats! (Or, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.)
But, Farages early enthusiasm aside, Trumps love for Brexit has never been requited. Many of the most prominent Brexit champions are not Trump supporters at all. (For Farages part, as of the surprise Clinton email bombshell from the FBI a week ago, he appears to be back on Team Trump.) And that lack of support says something about where the analogies between the Trump campaign and the Brexit vote do and dont stack up.
Trump, for instance, does not have the backing of Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London, whose support, many post hoc accounts suggest, was instrumental in giving the Brexit campaign the mainstream respectability it needed to secure a victory. Johnson, now foreign secretary, has called Trump unfit to hold the office of the president of the United States, and following the Brexit vote, made a point of drawing a very, very strong contrast between what it meant to vote to leave the EU and what it means to vote for Trump.
Whatever support Trump has from Rupert Murdoch whose newspapers led the way in Brexit cheerleading has come only grudgingly, and in the wake of a high-profile feud during the Republican primary. Murdoch, who particularly dislikes Trumps stance on immigration, apparently blamed former Fox News head Roger Ailes for enabling Trumps rise, and even went so far as to order the moderators of the first GOP primary debate on Fox to hit Trump hard on a variety of issues, according to New York magazine, declaring that this has gone on long enough. The Murdoch-owned New York Post endorsed Trump in the GOP primary, but the Wall Street Journal, which does not endorse candidates as a matter of tradition, has published editorials that have been strongly critical of the Republican nominee, including one that edged close to asking Trump to drop out of the race.
These are the big names, the ones with international cache. But there are others: Daniel Hannan, a member of European Parliament whom the Guardian newspaper dubbed The Man Who Brought You Brexit thinks Donald Trump is a narcissistic, thin-skinned bully, a serial liar, a man who shows not the slightest respect for the office to which he aspires. Douglas Carswell, UKIPs only member of Parliament, called Trump shrill and obnoxious and said the idea of banning Muslims from the United States was plainly absurd.
Many of the theories for a possible Trump victory have depended on analogies with Brexit. If Brexit could achieve a convincing populist victory despite ambiguous polling, whos to say Trump cant do the same? But the fact that many, if not most, prominent Brexit supporters express a visceral dislike for the Republican presidential nominee, despite his obvious enthusiasm for them, at the very least suggests that not all populist causes are created equal.
Its sometimes hard to remember these days, in the wake of the Conservative Party Conference last month in which Theresa May made clear that she saw the Brexit victory as a mandate to take a hard line against immigration, that the vote to leave the EU actually came out of a coalition composed of two camps. One of these camps looked very much like Trump voters do: white, working class, anti-immigrant, and anti-globalization people who saw pulling the lever for Brexit as a big middle finger to the system. But the other camp looked very, very different. A Brexit vote, for them, was a vote to liberate Britain from the EUs reams of regulations, so that it might be freed to become the ultimate freemarket state. This camp was, if anything, pro-immigrant and pro-globalization people who wanted to see London turned into a sort of Singapore on the Thames.
More than a few American publications have referred to Boris Johnson as the Donald Trump of Britain. But funny hair aside, this isnt an accurate comparison at all. Theres a reason why Nigel Farage is Trumps favorite Brexit buddy: Farage, despite briefly losing faith a few weeks ago in the face of Trumps alleged sexual predations, hails from the first camp of Brexit voters. But many of the figures that gave Brexit its political and intellectual muscle the professionals, in other words, the ones who knew how to run campaigns, who knew how to strategize, and prepare for, say, debates hailed from the second.
There is no real Trump equivalent of this second camp. Not politically (with, perhaps, the exception of Kellyanne Conway, a late addition, Trumps leading strategic advisors have been his children). And certainly not intellectually: Conservative thinkers remain among the staunchest #NeverTrumps out there. Daniel Hannan spent decades of his life writing books and speeches that honed the intellectual case against the European Union. There is no Trumpian equivalent of a Daniel Hannan.
When people like Johnson, or say, Michael Gove, another leading Brexit campaigner, railed against the elites, they always seemed to be doing it with a bit of a wink. The idea was absurd on its face these were among the most elite people in the country, even if they were happy to exploit the anger of the working classes to achieve their own ends. But with Donald Trump, despite his own personal wealth, the anti-elite attacks are less patently ridiculous. For better or worse, his campaign is a genuinely anti-elite revolt. With a handful of exceptions the Peter Thiels, the Newt Gingriches there are truly very few of the people commonly considered elites who are rooting with gusto for Donald Trump.
This missing second camp complicates the analogy between Brexit and Trump, so its not actually clear what it tells us about the prospects of a Trump victory. The fight over the EU referendum has since been replaced by a battle over who will win Brexit the Little Englanders or the Singapore-on-Thamesers that is still unfolding. But for those who saw, in Brexit, people like Rupert Murdoch riding a wave of working-class anger toward a dream of a regulation-free Britain, the course of the fight, so far, has been surprising. May has sent signals that some see as portending a hard Brexit; that is, shes indicated she might be willing to prioritize stopping immigration over maintaining access to Europes single market. For the most part, this isnt the sort of Brexit that this second camp had in mind. Will it turn out that Britains angry white working-class voters were actually exploiting the pro-Brexit elites, and their politicking expertise, to achieve the sort of victory they wanted, rather than the other way around?
The ultimate meaning of Brexit will be determined retroactively, by whomever wins the ongoing fight between Britains pro-Brexit camps. And that, in turn, will determine whether Trump, who only represents one side of that fight, can rightly refer to himself as Mr. Brexit, or rather just a poor mans Nigel Farage, fated to rule a fringe party and nothing more.
Photo credit: GEOFF CADDICK/AFP/Getty Images
The United States, Chinas largest trading partner but also its greatest geopolitical rival, faces an election that threatens domestic instability. A Donald Trump victory would confirm to many Chinese the inherent weakness of American democracy. A Hillary Clinton victory, on the other hand, would force Beijing to deal with a politician widely viewed as unfriendly, and sometimes even hostile, to Chinese interests.
One might think that China would therefore welcome a Trump presidency. Yet conversations over the past six months with roughly half-a-dozen mid-ranking and high-ranking Chinese officials, as well as with sources afforded insight into the thinking of top Chinese policymakers, show that many in the Chinese political class grudgingly support Clinton precisely because they believe a Trump presidency would be a disaster for the United States. Although on their face, many of Trumps economic, political, and military policies would be far more beneficial to China than Clintons, the Chinese elite seem to prefer Trumps opponent because they feel she would be better for the United States, its place in the world, and thus global stability, which remains of great importance to Beijing.
While Chinas elites scrupulously avoid taking public positions on internal affairs of other countries especially U.S. politics their incessant concern for stability, international as well as domestic, moves many to believe that Clinton, not Trump, would be better for China, said a source familiar with Chinese leaders thinking, who asked to speak anonymously. And a source close to Chinas leaders, who also asked to speak anonymously, said that although Beijing reaps huge public relations gains from Trumps meteoric rise and what it says about the state of American democracy, the perfect outcome is for [Trump] to lose narrowly.
This would seem to run counter to Chinas interests. Despite Trumps inveterate China-bashing, many of his proposed policies could actually benefit China. His desire to dismantle Americas alliance structure in Asia would greatly improve Beijings military position with regards to its rival Japan. Unlike Clinton, who has vociferously criticized Chinas human rights violations, Trump appeared to applaud Beijings 1989 slaughtering of student protestors in Tiananmen Square during a 1990 interview with Playboy. (In a March 2016 GOP debate, he said he wasnt endorsing Beijings behavior, but proceeded to call the protests a riot, echoing language used by the ruling Chinese Communist Party.) And while Trump touts himself as a masterful deal-maker, Chinese bureaucrats themselves known internationally for tough negotiating seem to regard Clinton more seriously. Clinton will be very tough on China, a senior official complained, earlier this year. Yet when asked about Trump, the official failed to stifle a grin. We can handle Trump, the official said.
But for many of Beijings political elite, the risks and uncertainties of a Trump presidency outweigh the benefits. Even though China would gain tremendously if Trump weakened U.S. commitments and alliances in Asia, they mostly believe Clinton is ultimately better for China, the source familiar with Chinese leaders thinking said. Trumps isolationism and his disregard for multilateral institutions would leave an international power vacuum that Beijing is not ready to fill. One influential Chinese academic, who asked to speak anonymously so he could talk freely about the election, told Foreign Policy that a Trump victory would be a heavy blow against global governance and globalization, two international trends that have benefited China immensely. The economic pain from a Trump presidencys repudiation of global trade, and its mishandling of the U.S. economy, could further decelerate Chinas already slowing economic growth, and by doing so, weaken the partys hold on power.
Moreover, the partys grip on power is never as strong as it appears from the outside. Many see President Xi Jinping as a serenely confident leader who has consolidated power via an anti-corruption drive, the appointment of himself to various leading groups, and the recent conferral of core leader status at a Party plenum. Yet theres an element of fragility to Xis hold on power. Chinas economy is dealing with worrying high levels of debt and, in some cities, real estate markets that many fear are bubbles. Official corruption, and discontent over elements of Party rule, still simmer throughout the country. A Trump victory could inject unwanted uncertainty and instability into Chinas most important bilateral relationship.
To be sure, speculating about what Chinas political class feels about the U.S. election especially what the 24 men and one woman who make up Chinas secretive ruling Politburo feel is fraught. What Xi personally feels is even more difficult to glean. Whats clear, however, is the massive propaganda victory Beijing gains from the effect Trump has on American democracys image abroad. They see this as what popular democracy brings, said the source close to Chinas leaders. Le Pen in France, the rise of the far right in Germany, Nigel Farage in the United Kingdom, and Trump a bunch of nutcases.
But the futures of China and the United States are too interconnected for Schadenfreude to dominate. If I were Americas enemy, I would hope Trump is elected .. he will leave the U.S.s domestic and foreign policies in disarray, Ren Xiao, a former diplomat and a professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, told the journalist Vincent Ni. But if I were Americas friend, I would think that Hillary would be a better president. For Beijings political elite, friendship and cooperation at least, the desire for predictability and stability seems to outweigh whatever glee would greet the weakening of American interests.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
BEIJING The U.S. Presidential election on Nov. 8 will be more closely observed in China than any in history. Thats because Chinese people have more personal experience with U.S. life than ever before, from an enormous increase in Chinese visitors stateside from 400,000 in 2007 to over 2.5 million in 2015, to the rapidly growing ranks of Chinese students at U.S. colleges and universities, a number now exceeding 300,000. Its not surprising that the election has generated substantial traffic on Chinas web forums and social apps; political corners of popular forums like Baidu Tieba and Zhihu have been consumed with tracking the electoral process. What might surprise is that most of this chatter is pro-Trump.
Within China, its fair to say the two U.S. candidates are not being judged on who is best positioned to run the American government safely and responsibly. Instead, their images in the Chinese popular eye have collided with two tropes central to Chinese politics: the corrupt official (Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton) versus the peoples champion (Republican nominee Donald Trump). If China was a state voting in the U.S. election, it would be red. For all his angry rhetoric toward China, Trump has successfully persuaded its people that Clinton resembles the archetypal villain in Chinese politics: the corrupt politician, a big business crony who has abused political station to amass wealth and power.
To many in China, there is nothing worse than an official on the take. Truth aside, Trumps insistence that Clinton is a criminal strikes a particularly sensitive nerve in China. Li Bing, a Beijing cab driver, said, If Hillary were in China, she would be locked up next to our biggest tigers, Communist Party-speak for holders of high office. According to 2015 data from the non-profit Pew Research Center, Chinese see corruption as a more potent problem than air pollution, food safety, or the growing wealth gap. Chinas deep-seeded disdain for corrupt officials comes from experience; as China opened its economy in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, it saw enormous economic growth and opportunity, but also became a breeding ground for massive graft. As recently as 2009, luxury market experts estimated that gifts to government officials made up 50 percent of all of luxury sales in China. President Xi Jinping has waged an aggressive anti-corruption campaign, but thats also meant that bad actors, often guilty of embezzling six, seven, and even eight-figure sums, tend to dominate Chinese headlines.
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Western media is another favorite bugbear in China. Trumps accusations of a rigged, biased U.S. press blend seamlessly with Chinese concepts of the same. For one, both Trump supporters and many Chinese hate CNN; in 2008, anti-cnn.com, a now-defunct website committed to rectifying the perceived inaccuracies and biases of mainstream Western press, emerged to condemn the Wests portrayal of unrest in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. As Chinese students, tourists, and businesspeople increasingly venture overseas, and web users at home become increasingly connected and savvy with the English language, indignation toward foreign perception of China has grown. One widely shared article on microblogging platform Weibo complains that Western media is really not as fair and objective as it seems. The author, an exchange student, writes that the common people of the West especially if their worldly experience is narrow are easily misled. State media frequently decries Western mainstream media bias. When Trump accused the two moderators of ganging up on him in the second debate, the sentiment among U.S. Trump supporters that it was three on one echoed around Chinese online forums.
Chinese also sense that Trumps U.S. supporters are drawn from the ranks of common folk in Chinese, old hundred names. The trope evokes pastoral images of hard work, honesty, and plain spokenness. Even as China becomes richer and more urban, the archetype resonates; its key to the Partys own image as a citizen-oriented government sprung from farmer rebels, and educated Chinese feel a sense of connection to less educated citizens thats missing in the United States. Many of Chinas grandparents today were brought up during the Cultural Revolution, a chaotic period from 1966 to 1976 which saw schools closed as educated elites were sent to the countryside for hard labor. Yet their children are far more educated; the ranks of annual college graduates has exploded since the turn of the century. As one popular comment on question-and-answer site Zhihu opined, Trump garners more support on Chinese forums than on American forums because Chinas educated class is much different from Americas. Chinas generations born in the 70s, 80s, and 90s are often the first generations of their families in college. The educated class in Chinese society keeps a definitive link with the uneducated class. Their parents are part of it. They see the U.S. elites, as Clinton supporters are often called on Chinese forums, as out of touch with common Americans.
The tenacity with which Chinas pro-Trump contingency online goes after what they call the White Left has earned them the name chuan weibin, or Trump Guards. The term is a play on Maos Red Guards, young Cultural Revolution-era zealots known for their fanaticism and groupthink mentality as well as willingness to attack those who stray from their espoused ideology. The Trump Guard comments come in waves, often overwhelming oppositional voices with their vitriol.
Then there is Trumps sordid sexual history, and the leak in early October of a tape that caught him making hot-mike comments in 2005 about committing sexual assault. This, too, has failed to faze Chinese supporters. Mistresses and extramarital affairs are seen as an inevitable adjunct to official station, evinced by the rash of Party officials who caught for corruption through leaked images and videos of them in flagrante delicto. Few are more infamous than Lei Zhengfu, a mid-level Party official in the central megacity of Chongqing, nicknamed 12 Second Brother for a lackluster performance in bed that ended up on the web in November 2012. But that scandal was a set-up a businessmans racket to blackmail government officials to get loans and favorable government contracts. Chinese audiences thus consider leaked audio and video of political opponents to be part of the brutal backroom power games that characterize their countrys politics. What happened to Trump happens to many officials in China, and it rings hollow to many.
Even Trumps self-portrayal as an anti-establishment figure has drawn favorable comparisons among Chinese netizens. Many Americans criticize Trumps platform as internally inconsistent, but on Zhihu, Trump has garnered comparisons to reformist leader Deng Xiaoping for his willingness to abandon political ideology. Deng is credited with the line, I dont care if the cat is black or white as long as it catches mice, which allowed China to cast aside its Communist stricture to do business with the West and open its doors to huge quantities of foreign direct investment, which have helped transform the country. When Trump says America First, what does he mean? asked one Zhihu user in a popular post. Hes saying, I dont care what you Europeans, Middle Easterners, and East Asians are doing; my own countrys business comes first.
Americas democracy has often served as a high-water mark in China as a political system. For some it is a curiosity; for others, especially in the older generation, it remains an ideal. Partly because of Chinese state medias constant use of the United States as a benchmark for Chinese progress, most Chinese see the U.S. democratic system as the definitive other to their Communist state, a political foil by which they can measure their development, quality of life, and wealth. Yet Trump is saying that what Chinese people hate most about their country is also a persistent problem in the United States, its would-be standard bearer. According to one mainland PhD student, who wished to remain anonymous while discussing politics, Watching Trump and listening to him makes a lot of us feel like America has problems, too. And we know what our problems are, while the Americans are just getting theirs out on the surface now. For many in China, Trump has placed their country and the United States on roughly equal footing. It sounds like everything we hate about China, one political science student declared, also anonymously. America shouldnt be like this.
AFP/Getty Images
Congress Working Committee (CWC) meet, which will be held today in the national capital, will not just discuss organisational issues but current political situation in the country.
CWC is also expected to discuss the strategy for the upcoming winter session of Parliament that begins on November 16.
By Mrityunjay Singh: In a build up to upcoming Winter Session of Parliament, the principal opposition party Congress is all set to up the ante against Central government today.
THE CWC MEET
Congress Working Committee (CWC) meet, which will be held today in the national capital, will not just discuss organisational issues but current political situation in the country.
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Sources add that party will take an aggressive stand on the current political situations in the country and most likely will pass a resolution against Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Central government. The party leaders will also take a final call on the demand by state leaders to stage nationwide protest in the country against central government on various issues including OROP.
SONIA UNWELL, RAHUL TO CHAIR MEET
CWC is also expected to discuss the strategy for the upcoming winter session of Parliament that begins on November 16. However, Congress president Sonia Gandhi will not attend the meet due to health issues, vice president Rahul Gandhi will chair instead.
As far as organisational elections, deadline for which ends on December 31, are concerned sources added that party will take a call during CWC.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi's tenure as party chief is also likely to be extended by another year.
Meeting of the Congress Working Committee starts at AICC headquarters with a prayer for the martyrs pic.twitter.com/eLqiLs3qld INC India (@INCIndia) November 7, 2016
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Evan McMullin Utah
UTAH Voters across the reliably red state of Utah have lost faith in the Republican Party.
And while Donald Trump might have been the final straw, for some, the disillusion with the Grand Old Party started years ago.
"[President George W.] Bush and the Senate and the House of Representatives all had control for six years," Barry Richardson, 36, said after a town hall for independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin in Brigham City, Utah, on Friday.
"And they didn't do anything to reform. The Medicaid thing that Bush put in place was one of the largest increases in entitlements. And he did no other reforms. He didn't do anything to help control costs on the war. He went into the war under false pretenses."
Lynn Adair, a 63-year-old who works in advertising sales, said she sees too much corruption in the Republican Party.
"I'm not happy with [the Republican Party]. Not at all," she said after a McMullin meet and greet in Nephi, Utah, on Saturday. "I'm more about individualism."
Republicans are "just as corrupt as the Democrats," she said.
"I don't trust any of them," she continued.
Business Insider crisscrossed Utah with McMullin's campaign over the weekend and found dozens of conservative voters who are severing ties with the party that has been their political home their whole lives.
McMullin, a Mormon conservative from Provo, Utah, says he is building a "new conservative movement" that will serve as a refuge for disaffected Republicans fleeing the party that's crumbling under the weight of Donald Trump's candidacy and the divisive rhetoric the billionaire businessman has brought with him.
A significant proportion of the electorate in Utah has balked at Trump, who doesn't quite embody the family values that are so important in the deeply religious and conservative state.
"I've been Republican my whole life, but Trump doesn't work for me at all," Charles Greatwood, a 60-year-old engineer, said after the McMullin town hall in Brigham City. "Of course, Democrats never work for me. And I wasn't going to vote for Trump just because he was the lesser of two evils. I'm done with that. Especially when I heard his tape."
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McMullin's campaign got off to a slow start, but then the "Access Hollywood" tape leaked. Trump was heard on the 2005 recording making lewd comments about women and bragging about how his celebrity status allowed him to grope them.
"I was kind of a weak Trump supporter until I heard that Billy Bush hot mic, and then I said I'm done with Trump, and I'm done with the Republican Party," Greatwood said. "So I saw Evan McMullin, and he was just right. He was just what I was looking for."
Donald Trump
Greatwood's wife, Nan, said she was "in a state of shock" over Trump winning the Republican presidential nomination. She cited his controversial comments about women, the military, and people with disabilities. On the campaign trail, Trump has often called the military a "disaster" and once mocked a reporter with a disability.
"I have a disabled son, and we have a son in the military, and I'm a survivor of sexual abuse," Nan, a 53-year-old small-business owner, said. "And none of those things worked for me, so it was like, 'OK, I see through him.'"
Republican presidential candidates have won Utah in every election since 1964, when the state voted for Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson.
But this election might break that streak. Utah has turned into a battleground state as McMullin has made inroads with disillusioned Republicans.
One poll in mid-October showed McMullin taking the lead over both Trump and Clinton in the Beehive State. And on the eve of Election Day, the "Never Trump" candidate was at 25% in the RealClearPolitics average.
But it's not just Trump Utah voters said they're also disappointed with Republican leadership for not doing more to stand up to Trump.
"When he's proposing all of these things, no one stood up to say 'no,'" Nan Greatwood said, alluding to Trump's more controversial comments. "I mean, if it would have been a Democrat doing it, they would have been glad to stand up to him. And they didn't have the guts to tell [Trump]."
Shirley Case, 72, is a lifelong Republican who said she's discouraged and frustrated by what the party has turned into.
"I remember when I was younger I used to try and vote for the candidate who I felt like was somebody of character," Case said after an event at a restaurant in Ephraim, Utah.
Mitt Romney Utah
Her disappointment in Republican presidential candidates runs back to the 1980s.
"It amazes me. I have felt like our voting system has been fixed for a long time," she said. "When [Bob] Dole was running, I thought 'All of these people and Dole, I don't understand how that happens.' And the same way with McCain, I thought 'All of these people for us to choose from in a primary, and we get McCain?'"
Some Utah voters were even hesitant about Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee. Romney is a Mormon who received his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University in Utah.
"I voted for Mitt last time, and I even had my issues with Mitt," said Lee Demille, 30, who works at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints temple in Provo. "And he's LDS. I don't think he talked the same principle-, liberty-based points as Evan McMullin has."
The election is such a hot-button subject in Utah that Demille said it has driven a wedge between him and his family.
"I'm not going to Thanksgiving dinner because of it," he said. "My parents, my whole entire family is Trump supporters. We are not on speaking terms right now."
McMullin has marketed himself as a true conservative, unlike Trump.
He supports small government, respects capitalism, is anti-abortion, emphasizes the need for entitlement reform, and wants to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. His speeches are often tinged with rhetoric about "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" and respecting the Constitution.
"I like him because he's conservative," Case said of McMullin. "There's a moral-ness about him, and I feel like Washington is just mired in corruption, and it doesn't seem like anymore like we the people have much say."
Gayle Crofts, a 58-year-old homemaker, said after a McMullin meet and greet in Richfield, Utah, that she's officially leaving the Republican Party after the election.
"I am unaffiliating myself as soon as I vote," she said. "These are not my values anymore. I go to caucuses, I've even been a delegate, and I feel like it stands for things I believe in, but as far as how they act I don't think the Republicans and Democrats are that far apart in how they act."
NOW WATCH: A model that has correctly predicted the presidential election since 1980 says Clinton will have a landslide victory
More From Business Insider
While Hillary Clinton narrowly leads Donald Trump in the RealClearPolitics polling average, an on-the-ground report from Pennsylvania paints a different picture of the presidential race.
Kevin OLeary, Shark Tank investor and founder of OLeary Wines, told Benzinga in an interview that an experience with a crowd of fellow wine aficionados in Philadelphia last week changed his perception of the race.
O'Leary's Non-Scientific, 580-Person Poll
I went to a suburb of Philadelphia to do a wine signing for OLeary Wines. Philadelphia is 100 percent Democratic, Dems own that place and theyre wildly ahead in the polls. There were 800 to 1,000 people there. I love to meet people one on one, and its just the two of us, the guy who bought the wine or the woman who bought the wine and me signing it, which allows for very frank and candid conversation. So, I decided after about 100 people go by, Why dont I do just a poll? I mean, Ive got a sample size of about a thousand people. Why not just ask people who theyre voting for? Id say about a third of them wouldnt answer and I get that. I got 580-something responses, and Hillary only won by two votes. What does that tell you?
What It Could Mean
RealClearPolitics polling averages have Clinton ahead of Trump by nearly 4 points in Pennsylvania. OLearys experience was anecdotal and confined to one area of the state, but could indicate that certain states arent in the bag yet for either candidate.
Or, it tells you that people that drink wine like Donald Trump, OLeary said.
And Relating That Back To The Market
Either way, the investor has taken election volatility into account in setting up his next trades.
These are good faring people, middle America, suburban, OLeary said. I thought to myself, Oh my goodness, Ive got to get back to my trading desk and start to think about this, because at that time, everybody was saying its a slam dunk [for Clinton], just 10 days ago.
On November 18, O'Leary will be sharing his 2017 investment outlook at the CFA Society of Detroit's Annual Forecast Luncheon. See here for more information.
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Image Credit: Provided by and used with expressed permission from Kevin O'Leary's office.
See more from Benzinga
2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Our allstar youth activists encourage the next future president to acknowledge that race relations needs to live outside just ONE context and what he or she can do to help America become safer for Black lives.
London-born beauty Philomena Kwao is a force to be reckoned with. She isnt bothered by the modeling industry that is so focused on all things surface, but it does irritate her that not all surfaces are accepted if theyre darker or dont fit into a size 2.
Thats why being a part of Alexi Lubomirskis Diverse Beauty campaign alongside the likes of Lupita Nyongo, Bethann Hardison, Pat Cleveland, and Herieth Paul was a major milestone in her career. With Kwao posing in a regal black-and-white photo, clad in a strapless black bra, underwear, and long silver pearls, the shot is a testament to the way she lives her life with complete confidence and love for who she is.
We spoke to the model at the exhibition opening of Lubomirskis Diverse Beauty project about how Lupita Nyongo essentially kick-started her career and the liberation of being your most authentic self.
Philomena Kwaos portrait by famous fashion photographer Alexi Lubomirski. (Photo: Courtesy of Damiani/Alexi Lubomirski)
Yahoo Beauty: In talking with Alexi Lubomirski, the power of this exhibition, the photos, and the women in them is palpable. What does diverse beauty mean to you as both an idea and as being part of this project?
Kwao: For me, diverse beauty is an affirmation of every single person in his or her own skin. Curvy, short, dark-skinned, fair, black, white whoever you are. But that were all beautiful in our own, unique right. Its a great way to allow people to express themselves and remind them that you dont have to look a certain way to be considered beautiful. This was quite liberating for me.
Inclusivity is important all the time, but its really having a moment in fashion right now. As a curvy model from overseas, what are your thoughts on how the industry is faring?
I havent been modeling for very long, as I just got into the industry four years ago. When I first started, I actually had no idea what plus-size meant because its a burgeoning category in London. So when I moved here and heard that term, it was new for me. And then being a woman of a darker skin complexion as well added another layer to it all. It was hard at first, but Ive noticed over the past two years that people have started to speak up and speak out. The curvy community has really given me a voice because people want to see someone who looks like they do. They want to know their beauty is valid. Women of all ethnicities, complexions, and sizes want to be able to wear makeup and nice clothes. No one wants to go out and feel like theyre substandard or that theres only one mold that they dont fit. Diverse Beauty is awesome because theres so many different women included to speak to every womans needs and kind of beauty. I personally havent seen something like this before.
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The curvy community has really given me a voice because people want to see someone who looks like they do. They want to know their beauty is valid.
It definitely feels like a one-of-a-kind book and exhibition.
Absolutely! And for Alexi to choose such a variety of women makes me feel good. I have little sisters, and I want them to be able to open a magazine and see their beauty reflected. Thats really important because they need to feel comfortable being themselves. Every woman should aspire to be unique, but thats so hard for women of color because we dont see ourselves out there.
And so many models are taking to social media to use it as a platform for their activism and the things that are happening to them backstage in real time. Do you think theres an importance to models using their voices to speak about important issues?
I think authenticity is important. Honesty and realness in our industry matter. We have spent so many years looking at images of another beauty ideal and so many years taking in magazine covers and films that represent a beauty standard that well never meet. People dont realize that there are makeup artists and hairstylists behind the scenes even in something as simple as a candid Instagram photo. So much of what has been put out there isnt real at all. So I applaud social media for bringing that authenticity. Her hair looks nice, but she absolutely did not wake up like that. There were whole loads of people who are making these beautiful women camera-ready because our idea of what that is stems from perfection. And you dont have to use your voice on social media per se. You can do it through your interviews and in your work.
Find people who celebrate who you are. The world can be really isolating, so you need all the positivity you can get.
What would you tell a younger woman seeing inclusivity change little by little but not really seeing herself as much as one needs to in the mainstream and on magazines and runways. What would be your advice when it comes to self-confidence and believing in yourself?
My biggest thing is being your own role model. I love social media because its allowing everyone to find their own community. Even through the hashtags like #naturalhair or #darkskin there is so much support out there. When I was growing up, I didnt realize that there was a whole world of people with my skin color because when I looked at the music videos and television, everyone was fair-skinned and thin. Learn to be your own hero, and dont be afraid to reach out to people who share your passions. Build a core group of friends and a good girl gang. Find people who celebrate who you are. The world can be really isolating, so you need all the positivity you can get.
Purity ???? @rafaelclementephoto #philomenakwao A photo posted by Philomena Kwao (@philomenakwao) on Sep 20, 2016 at 9:34am PDT
Who do you turn to for support and positivity?
My family, first and foremost. I was raised in London, but Im very African from Ghana. But I feel very connected to every person who sends me a message, comments on my posts, and lets me know that Im inspiring them. Because theyre really inspiring me in return. To say Im 100 percent confident is a total lie. Its nice to speak to people and realize that youre both worrying about the same things because it brings realness and trust to that interaction.
Our skin and natural hair can just be normal and pretty the beautiful girl next door.
Is there one woman you look up to for inspiration in the industry?
Well, I believe that Lupita [Nyongo] helped to kick-start my career. When I first came here, no one knew what to do with my hair. It has grown out a bit now, but I initially had pretty short hair. In the straight size world, you had Alek Wek. But in the curvy world even now youre not getting many models with short, natural hair. So being dark, curvy, and not having any hair? Some brands had no idea what to do with me.
But then Lupita got popular. She was in more and more movies and fronting beauty campaigns, and I noticed that I started getting much more work after her arrival on the scene. Shes awesome. I feel like she was integral to commercializing the beauty of dark skin and short hair. It doesnt always have to be high-fashion editorial and edgy. Our skin and natural hair can just be normal and pretty the beautiful girl next door.
And you feel that youve seen a change when it comes to how artists work with you backstage?
Even the kinds of work and campaigns Ive been able to book have changed. I wasnt able to secure a lot of projects because they always wanted to put wigs on me. But now its we love your short hair. You look like a plus-size Lupita. Its new and different. Im happy about it.
What other projects are you working on?
Im in a documentary called Straight/Curve that comes out early next year about beauty standards in the fashion industry and body positivity.
Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
In every presidential contest, there is a winner and at least one loser. And, as long as there has been a loser, there has been a moment in time for that loser to acknowledge the loss. On Tuesday night, if all goes according to plan, either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will do so by delivering a concession speech that acknowledges that his or her campaign for the White House has ended in defeat.
But that tradition in fact marks a departure from most elections in American history. For most of that time, such acknowledgements would have been private. For example, after losing the election that led to the countrys first transfer of power between parties, John Adams must have said something to Thomas Jefferson. (We do know something about what he thought of the turn of events: In 1801, shortly after the loss, Adams wrote in a letter that he traced his defeat partially to his own partys overestimate of its influence.)
Then, as Scott Farris explains in his book Almost President, changes in technology helped to turn a private acknowledgement into a public concession. By Farris reckoning, the first such congratulatory telegram went from William Jennings Bryan to William McKinley in 1896, Al Smith gave the first radio-broadcast concession speech in 1928 and Adlai Stevenson first did so on television in 1952.
Thats why political theorist and historian Paul Corcoran started in 1952 when, for a 1994 article in the journal Political Communication, he looked at every concession speech he could find. Corcoran, who traces his own interest in the history of presidential-election concession speeches to a contrarian streak that led him to focus on losers, found something that surprised him.
There wasnt much evolution at all. Thats what struck me, he tells TIME. Thats why I decided to treat it as a genre of discourse, of rhetoric, because it was so formulaic.
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The basics of that formula are such: the speaker says that he or she has congratulated the winnerusually not that he or she has lost; the word concede is rarely heardto the opponent; the speaker calls for unity; the speaker summons supporters to both accept the result and to continue to fight for their cause in the future. Corcoran identified certain formalities of the process around the speech, too. The media demands the speech; the loser speaks of a heroic sacrifice, not to fate but to the popular will, as Corcoran puts it; and the winner responds by speaking of how gracious the loser was.
As that formula developed, he says, the concession speechsomething that is the product of the 20th-century media environment rather than any law or election policytook on an important role. As it became something that voters expected to hear, the call for unity became more important. As Corcoran wrote in the 90s, it became an institutionalized public speech act integral to democratic life and the legitimacy of authority.
That why, he theorizes, the media puts so much emphasis on an action that has no governmental consequence. Though he has observed a certain lurking attitude developing among members of the media as they came to count on the concession (a wish for getting it over before the hotel bar closes, he jokes), he says that journalists roles as the people waiting for a public concession and then broadcasting it to the world makes them a sort of Greek chorus in the drama of the election, speaking for the people and urging the dramatis personae to fulfill their narrative functions, bringing the story to its correct conclusion. This role, he says, was particularly clear earlier in the 2016 election season as the media wondered aloud what the consequences would be if Donald Trump refused to accept the results of the vote. More than ever before, it seems to me anyway, the media has taken up this idea of the concession and victory speeches as a dramatic unit, Corcoran says, noting that in fact the two are not one unit: the victory stands with or without the concession.
So what the concession speech accomplishes is not really about whether the loser accepts his or her loss. Its about the losers supporters being encouraged to do so. So it makes sense, Corcoran says, that analysis of past concession speeches shows that the closest elections usually lead to the most unifying speeches, as both sides see the importance of coming together after a tough fight. (Landslides, on the other hand, may lead to rowdier speeches like Barry Goldwaters in 1964 and George McGoverns in 1972, as its more important to keep up party morale than to bring people together to accept a result.)
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Though the concession speech has become a formulaic gesture, Corcoran points out that formula is, in this case, a good thing: its history of routine transfer of power is what makes the American system work. Places that lack a formula for concession are the places where democracy tends to be fragile.
Fittingly, then, the concession speech that he singles out as one of historys best is one that exemplifies that function.
There are other noteworthy speeches from concession history, he says: George H.W. Bushs 1992 speech for being garbled, or Ross Perots that same year for his outrageous antics. But the honor for a high-quality concession, in Corcorans mind, goes to John McCain in 2008, for his decision to honor Barack Obamas achievement rather than merely conceding. The speech was in a class of its own, says Corcoran. He did the right thing. He did the hard thing.
Before he became a household name, Wilmer Valderrama briefly considered going by something else, potentially adopting Juan Gonzalez or Jose Ramirez as his stage name. The goal, if its not clear, was to make him sound more Hispanic. As Valderrama told Yahoo Celebrity, There [were] a few casting directors at the beginning of my career, back in 96-97, [they said] You may come across some obstacles if your name is not Latino enough.'
At the time, the aspiring actor seriously considered it: I thought about it. I thought, Does that make sense? and ultimately I said, No, thats my name. I come from Venezuela and there [are] so many Wilmers and so many Valderramas How is that not Latino enough?
Wilmer Valderrama as Fez (with Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty) on That 70s Show. (Photo: Everett)
Valderrama, 36, says that sticking with his birth name was the best thing I ever did. The NCIS actor recently teamed up with Johnnie Walker for their Keep Walking America campaign, which celebrates our countrys diversity.
And during an election year where immigrant has become a dirty word for some people in the U.S., Valderrama thinks the opposite. For me, the word immigrant is a gift, he shared. Its a fearless individual who never forgets their roots but allows themselves to evolve wherever they go next. I think weve forgotten where everyone comes from. We forget that were all immigrants.
Winnie Harlow just slayed our lives with these two red carpet lewks
Yesterday the MTV Europe Music Awards took place in Rotterdam and the red carpet was full of glamor!
One person in particular who stole our hearts is model Winnie Harlow, who looked incredible on the EMAs red carpet.
Weve always been pretty obsessed with Winnie; whether shes serving X-Men realness, appearing with Beyonce in Lemonade, or starring in the latest Swarovski advert, the former Americas Next Top Model contestant totally slays.
Winnie debut not one but two incredible outfits during last nights awards, and we have to say that were 100% obsessed with both of the lewks.
Firstly, the model and Instagram icon looked like a vision in this black floor-length gown.
Winnie Harlow
Seriously, just look at all that incredible lacing and all that detail!
Winnie Harlow
The dress, which features a low plunging neckline, is taken from Roberto Cavallis Autumn/Winter 2016 collection. Winnie also paired the dress with Casadei heels.
Winnie Harlow
This lewk wasnt the only one that Winnie rocked last night. No, she also totally killed this casual but stunning mini dress.
Winnie Harlow
WHAT AN AMAZING DRESS! We love the detailing and sequins (you can never have enough sequins), and the slash up to the waist.
Winnie Harlow
Winnie presented the award for Best Male during the event, which went to teen pop sensation Shawn Mendes.
Almost showtime! See you soon #MTVEMA #FierceKRM A photo posted by Don Pablo (@winnieharlow) on Nov 6, 2016 at 11:36am PST
Seriously, arent you just s-l-a-y-e-d by Winnie Harlows two outfits? We love the fact that she wore two completely different outfits during the night. We also love how happy and confident she looks on the red carpet, not to mention the massive smile shes sporting when taking selfies with fans.
Winnie Harlow
Seriously, isnt Winnie just, like, an actual dream!?
The post Winnie Harlow just slayed our lives with these two red carpet lewks appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Prashant Kishor may have attained mammoth success in the Lok Sabha elections and Bihar polls, but he is finding it difficult in UP to work with the Congress, which is likely to end its tie-up with the poll strategist.
By Mausami Singh: 'This is not JDU or the BJP. This is the grand old Congress party, you can't apply the same formula here'. If Prashant Kishor would have heeded the advice of a senior Congress leader, he might have been making headlines for the right reasons.
Sources told India Today that the Congress leadership is not happy with the way PK has been hobnobbing with the Samajwadi Party leaders and he might be on the way out.
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READ: Prashant Kishor has to innovate again, as Rahul Gandhi gets cot in high drama in UP
PK, who supposedly shares a good rapport with the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, has also pushed the Priyanka Vadra factor a little too much, the insiders say. It seems that the party is wary about PK's Priyanka ranting even as it is not prepared to risk its ace card in the politically volatile state of Uttar Pradesh.
THE FLASHPOINT: PK-MULAYAM MEET
Leaders close to the party high command indicated that Prashant Kishor had no mandate to approach the Samajwadi Party leaders. Apparently the meeting between SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Prashant Kishor took place without the knowledge of the Congress leadership.
When the visuals of Prashant Kishor accompanying Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh flashed on TV screens, the Congress leadership was clueless.
The next day PK was summoned by 12 Tuglak Lane- the new address for Congress war room headed by Rahul Gandhi.
READ: UP Assembly elections: Prashant Kishor's plans leave state Congress leaders miffed
Prashant deviated from the party line of 'Ekla chalo re' (Go alone) by meeting Mulayam Singh. His meeting sent the rumour mills running overtime of a possibility of a 'mahagathbandhan' in UP involving SP, Congress, Lok Dal and others.
This did not augur well for the Congress that was actually dreaming of a revival of sorts in the Hindi hinterland.
WATCH:
DISCOMFORT AMONG UP LEADERS
The division in the UP congress is out in the open. Off and on whenever the name of Prashant Kishor crops up in discussions, the Congress leaders disown him as an event manager, who has been assigned to take care of the logistics.
Congress UP in-charge Gulam Nabi Azad, in fact, issued a statement rebutting the fact that PK had met SP supreme Mulayam Singh at the behest of the party.
The state leaders think has been air-dropped for the most crucial job. The dislike for PK is evident from the fact that former UP Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who recently joined the BJP, squarely blamed Prashant Kishor for her actions.
READ: UP elections: Prashant Kishor continues to work for Congress, wants vigorous campaign by Priyanka
CONGRESS CAMPAIGN LOSING STEAM
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PK camp believes that without projecting Priyanaka Vadra as the face of the party in UP, the Congress does not stand a chance of staging a comeback in the elections.
Since the Congress leadership has shot down PK's Priyanka outreach programme in no uncertain terms, the strategist thinks he is only damaging his track record.
READ: Congress Working Committee unanimous: Rahul Gandhi should take over as president
Prashant Kishor was credited for scripting Narendra Modi led BJP's thumping victory in the general elections and ensuring third term for Nitish Kumar in Bihar.
They say politics is all about reading the war signs on time, and looking at the slow pace of Rahul Sandesh Yatra, PK just might have read the signs adequately well.
WATCH:
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A woman in Cincinnati assaulted a school bus driver on October 18. The attack happened in front of elementary school children as they were on their way to St Josephs Catholic School.
The woman, Kiesha Shannon, is accused of beating her daughters bus driver, Deamber Martin. A police report said Shannon, upset because her daughter could not board the bus late, blocked the bus with her car then opened the door, according to local media.
This surveillance video released by Cincinnati police ends when Shannon reportedly pulled the bus keys from the ignition. Credit: Cincinnati Police via Storyful
I Waited 96 Years
98-year-old Estelle Schultz was born two years before the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote passed in 1920. In October, she marked her absentee ballot for Hillary Clinton, 96 years after women's suffrage.
Her granddaughter, Sarah Benor, posted a photo of Schultz holding up her ballot, which quickly went viral.
Benor told NPR the post's popularity inspired the pair to start a site honoring women like Schultz, who were born before women's suffrage and are now voting for the first female presidential candidate in US history.
Called "I Waited 96 Years!," the site features photos of women, ranging in age from 96 to 103 years, as well as a few facts about them.
One 103-year-old Clinton voter, Mary Norton, told the site that she is a daughter of Irish immigrants.
"I admire Hillary greatly and am very excited to vote for her for president," she wrote. "I already voted for her in the New York Democratic primary."
Since it launched in late October, nearly 100 women have joined the site. It profiles voters from a little over half of the states.
They seem to understand the historic nature of this year's election.
"I did not have the right to vote upon my birth," wrote Jean Friedman, another woman on the site. "At my current age of 99, I needed to vote to make sure women would continue to have a voice and decision about their own lives."
NOW WATCH: Heres what happens when interest rates go negative
More From Business Insider
Workiva Inc. WK is set to report third-quarter 2016 results on Nov 9, 2016. Last quarter, the company posted a positive earnings surprise of 34.88%. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement.
Factors to Consider
Workiva offers a cloud-based mobile-enabled platform for enterprises to collect, manage, report and analyze critical business data in real time. The exponential increase in the amount of data, complexity of data formats and the need to scale resources at regular intervals have compelled several companies to turn to cloud computing vendors.
Although the company reported a loss in second-quarter 2016, it compared favorably with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Also, the top line surpassed the consensus mark in the quarter and increased on a year-over-year basis.
Cloud computing includes the entire gamut of computing intelligence required to carry out day-to-day operations by companies and professionals. Thus, other than the hardware, all the supporting technology involved in creating, storing, retrieving, transporting, protecting, sorting, processing, analyzing and presenting information from multiple sources and formats, which when available from a shared (private) or public pool, could be referred to as cloud computing.
Cloud service providers, therefore, help organizations to store data and applications remotely in this pool, which can be accessed from anywhere, anytime via the Internet. Given its scope and advantages (cost, scaling, convenience, etc.), demand for cloud computing software and applications will continue to increase. This will aid Workivas results in the third quarter and beyond.
We believe that increasing mainstream adoption of cloud-based solutions will boost Workivas third-quarter results.
However, an uncertain economic environment, currency headwinds and competition remain major concerns.
WORKIVA INC Price and EPS Surprise
WORKIVA INC Price and EPS Surprise | WORKIVA INC Quote
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Earnings Whispers?
Our proven model does not conclusively show that Workiva is likely to beat earnings this quarter. This 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: The Earnings ESP for Workiva is 0.00% as both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at a loss per share of 43 cents. Please check our Earnings ESP Filter that enables you to find stocks that are expected to come out with earnings surprises.
Zacks Rank: Workiva has a Zacks Rank #3 which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, the companys 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult.
We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 and 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum.
Stocks to Consider
Here are some companies which, as per our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:
Spartan Motors Inc. SPAR with Earnings ESP of +100.00% and a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here
Quantum Corporation QTM with an Earnings ESP of +100.0% and a Zacks Rank #2
Methanex Corporation MEOH with Earnings ESP of +300.00% and a Zacks Rank #3
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After announcing their upcoming string of shows and the follow-up to 2012's Coexist, as well as sharing two tantalizing snippets from the project (one of which has since been removed from Spotify), The xx will be performing live for the first time in two years.
Annie Mac announced via Twitter earlier today that the trio will be special guests on her BBC Radio 1 show to play new music this Thursday at 7pm GMT (2pm EST). The group will also be sitting down for an interview, during which they'll hopefully share more details about the album.
The xx will take the stage again on November 28 in Croatia as they make their way across Europe and to Japan before traveling to South America for Lollapalooza festivals in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. While they have yet to announce the name or release date for the group's forthcoming album, The xx shared a playlist of songs that they've been listening to in the studio.
Take a look at Annie Mac's tweet below, and stay tuned for more updates about The xx's return.
Just announced that we will have @The_xx live on the show on Thursday - they will be playing live and chatting - listen from 7pm @BBCR1 pic.twitter.com/ipCXhfJ1Zw Annie Mac (@AnnieMac) November 7, 2016
Continue Reading On PigeonsandPlanes
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Click here for Yahoo Finances complete coverage of the 2016 presidential election.
When Obama was elected President, I had tears in my eyes. I was very excited for him.
This is a sentiment that many Democrats may share, but you might be surprised to find those words coming from Louis Sola, a staunch Republican who signed an open letter, along with 100 other business leaders, endorsing Trump for president.
Louis Sola
Sola quickly became disillusioned with Obama, though: Internationally, I believe that he has left us weaker. Hes neglected Latin America. The US used to be a force. But now China is pushing our companies out of the way.
Sola is the founder and CEO of Evermarine, a yacht brokerage company, based in Miami, Florida. He has sold over 100 yachts across Belize, Panama and Florida over the last 5 years.
He wasnt always on the Trump bandwagon. He first supported Jeb Bush but became disappointed with him and then switched over to the Marco Rubio camp until the end. Then, as a GOP-er, he decided to rally around Trump. Sola has met Trump three times and says, Every time Ive met him, hes been absolutely charming.
Louis Sola & Marco Rubio
I believe his fiscal policy is right along the lines of what the GOP believes and what we need in this country, he said. He will be better for our economy than Hillary.
Sola is on board with Trumps proposed economic plan, which promises to cut taxes, stop so-called trade cheating and reduce regulations. Trump will be a boon for small, international businesses like Evermarine, according to Sola.
I have my tax declaration form right here and its over 160 pages. It can be a lot simpler. Because we have offices overseas, were penalized for bringing things back to the US, he said. The way the regulations are now, were supporting these foreign countries where we are operating in. But were not bringing growth back home.
Sola believes Trumps plan to lower the business tax rate from 35% to 15% will benefit Evermarine greatly. Hes done international business and understands what its like to operate in other countries, Sola added. Under Trumps proposed economic plan, tax cuts would be limited to middle- and upper-middle class earners, with the wealthiest individuals getting the biggest break.
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And when it comes to Trump refusing to release his tax returns, Sola said he cant be bothered. It doesnt affect me one way or another. Im just concerned about what his plan will do for me. I believe his tax policy of foreign earned income at a reduced rate will allow us to thrive.
One thing he does lament is that Trump has been shining the spotlight heavily on himself throughout the campaign.
I wish he would talk more about the issues and less about himself. Hes wasting his time defending himself. As a GOP supporter, Im not really interested in that, he said.
He added: I wish there was more civility. This has become a close your eyes election. Neither candidate is talking about what they should be talking about.
Perhaps the biggest controversy surrounding Trump came when a hot microphone caught him bragging about sexually assaulting women. Sola said he does not condone this kind of language but hopes that voters can look beyond these moments.
The things we heard on the tape were indefensible, he said. But the news has been guilty of personal character assassination.
You could say that Sola has taken on a grin and bear it approach this election. Though Trump was not his first choice, hes certainly not his last. He recently put a Trump-Pence bumper sticker on his car. Well see in just a few hours whether itll have been worth it.
Melody Hahm is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering entrepreneurship, technology and real estate. Follow her on Twitter @melodyhahm.
Read more:
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says Trump is eroding democracy in America
3 tech luminaries reveal what theyd do if they had a Trump donor on their board
CEO Trump supporter: Its time for this country to be run like a business
Why this female entrepreneur is endorsing Trump for president
Katie Couric has been in the news business for 35 years but thinks the first cord-cutter election on Tuesday night will give Yahoo a chance to show viewers that online newscasts arent as stale and boring as typical coverage.
It feels intimate, a little more casual, frankly, Couric told TheWrap. For whatever reason, perhaps because I did broadcast television for so long, there is something very forgiving about being online We all feel much more liberated to be ourselves in a way that uptight TV formats dont allow.
Couric, the face of Yahoo News, said people are increasingly discovering that her broadcast is able to do things differently.
We can really dive into subjects and not worry about moving things along, Couric said. It can be a very enjoyable way to find out whats going on.
Also Read: Why Katie Couric Thinks Hillary Clinton Faces Less Sexism in 'Loud and Raucous' 2016 Election (Exclusive Video)
That new way of reporting has translated into positive viewer response. Yahoo News video had its two highest weeks ever during the 2016 conventions with 44 million video views between the Republican and Democratic events. In addition, Yahoo News coverage of the 2016 presidential debates received over 20 million video views.
Election Day, Couric and National Political Columnist Matt Bai will lead Yahoo News coverage from New York starting at 6:45 p.m. ET until the final call comes in, with Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons, Republican strategist Katie Packer and historian Evan Thomas providing additional insight.
Couric explained that for people with cable, Yahoo is simply another option but the vibe of what we do is just much more relaxed than broadcast and cable competitors. She thinks cord cutters searching for a place to watch Election Day coverage will realize the way Yahoo does things and keep coming back for more.
Also Read: Katie Couric Hopes Gun Doc Controversy Sparks Bigger Conversation
We can talk to people for a longer amount of time, Couric said. Its an option for people. We have a lot of fun we dont have to throw to commercial breaks.
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Couric said Yahoos coverage is also different because it wont feature a ton of pundits talking over each other, which is something a lot of people dislike about cable news these days. But while Couric prides herself on an intimate feel, Yahoo isnt cutting any corners when it comes to Election Night guests.
Guests and contributors include author J.D. Vance and West Virginia coal miner Bo Copley, conservative commentator Ann Coulter, Jose Antonio Vargas, Black Lives Matter Worcester founder Julius Jones and former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.
Also Read: Katie Couric Not 'Nervous' About Her Yahoo Future
Yahoo reporters Andy Serwer, Rick Newman, Daniel Klaidman, Michael Isikoff, Olivier Knox, Jon Ward, Andrew Romano and Lisa Belkin will also join Couric and Bai throughout the night with updates and analysis.
Election night is the culmination of 18 months of our coverage of this crazy election and weve had so much success with live streaming that Im really excited to bring this to the audience, executive producer Yahoo News boss Tony Maciulis told TheWrap. Its a real full slate and well obviously bring live results as they happen.
Yahoo News with Katie Couric video views during the third quarter of 2016 are up 344 percent compared to Q3 last year. Maciulis said that Yahoos Election Night coverage will remind people of all of the now-famous moments the campaign season has already produced.
Related stories from TheWrap:
'SNL': Watch Dana Carvey Return as Church Lady to Rant About Election: 'Jesus Is Not On the Ballot' (Video)
Could the 2016 Presidential Election Be Hacked?
Trish Regan Explains How Election Coverage Pushed Fox Business Past CNBC (Exclusive)
DailyFX.com -
Talking Points
Japanese earnings ticked higher in the years third quarter
The previous quarters showing was also revised higher
The Yen failed to capitalize as US election news-flow took top billing
The Yen remained under pressure against the US Dollar on Monday despite news that Japanese earnings had ticked higher.
Official figures showed that average cash earnings were up 0.2% in the years third quarter, up from a flat reading in the quarter before, which itself has been revised up from an initially reported 0.1% fall.
This looks like a crumb of better news for Japanese authorities as they fight to restore some pricing power to the economy.
However, it is only a crumb and it looks likely that this economic news has been overwhelmed by what looks likely to be Mondays main market story.
Thats the news that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has found no evidence of criminality in its investigation into Hilary Clintons use of a private email server.
The FBI has stuck by the conclusions it reached in its initial investigation in July, after roiling the Clinton campaign by looking into a new batch of emails just last week.
The effective clearing of Clinton has given her a major boost just a day before Americans go to the polls.
The US Dollar has managed sharp, general gains as have both Asian stock markets and US futures.
Sure enough USD/JPY was at 104.34 after the data, above 103.96 earlier on Monday.
USD/JPY Continues to Climb After Cash Earnings Data
Yen Remains Pressured Despite Japanese Earnings Uptick
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LONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - German government bond yields rose sharply in early Monday trade as unease over a looming U.S. election was soothed after the FBI said it stood by its earlier recommendation that no criminal charges were warranted against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Concern that Republican candidate Donald Trump was closing the gap on Clinton in the race for the White House boosted safe-haven bonds in Germany and the United States last week.
The latest statement from the Federal Bureau of Investigation was seen lifting a cloud over Clinton's campaign just before Tuesday's election.
German bund futures opened 50 ticks lower at 162 , while Germany's 10-year government bond yield rose 4 basis points to 0.18 percent.
U.S. Treasury yields were also 4 bps higher on the day, trading at 1.82 percent.
(Reporting by Dhara Ranasinghe; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Bangladesh Jail authority released India's top terrorist Dawood Ibrahim's close collaborator Abdur Rauf Daud Merchant, who is also a convicted killer of Indian music baron Gulshan Kumar as he has been acquitted section 54 of the penal code which allows the police the right to arrest anyone under suspicion.
By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: The alleged aide of Dubai-based Indian mafia boss Daud Ibrahim has been released from Dhaka Central Jail, seven years after illegally entering Bangladesh having absconded from jail in India.
Bangladesh Jail authority released India's top terrorist Dawood Ibrahim's close collaborator Abdur Rauf Daud Merchant, who is also a convicted killer of Indian music baron Gulshan Kumar as he has been acquitted section 54 of the penal code which allows the police the right to arrest anyone under suspicion. Though, Bangladesh's Home Minister Assaduzzan Khan Kamal confirmed the matter, he did not clarify whether he was handed over to India or not.
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DAUD GIVEN BAIL
Known for being a close associate to Mumbai mafia boss Dawood Ibrahim, he was released on bail under Section-54 of the Penal code by Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court on Nov 3. Jail authority took the initiative to release him after the court order reached the jail.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Monday said that he has been released as his jail term for illegally entering Bangladesh has ended. Senior Jail Super of Dhaka Central Jail Jahangir Kabir said, "Daud Merchant was released around 4.30pm on Sunday and he walked out of the jail alone as no one came to receive him."
Maximum detention under Section-54 of the Penal Code is one month but Merchant's term was extended without an explanation. Speaking to the press, Home Minister Assaduzzaman Khan Kamal said process to send Daud back to India has already begun.
KILLED MUSIC BARON GULSHAN KUMAR
Daud Merchant was an alleged contract killer who was sentenced to life in prison for killing Music baron, T-Series founder, Gulshan Kumar. Kumar was shot while he was coming out of a temple on Aug 12, 1997. Daud, later appealed against the verdict.
IN AND OUT OF BANGLADESH JAILS
In 2009, he illegally entered Bangladesh while he was on a 14-day parole. The Police later tracked him down and arrested him and an associate on charges of forging a passport and trespassing the Bangladesh border. At the time police said that he was hiding at Bangladesh's Brahmanbaria.
In December 2014, he was released on bail but was arrested again four days later outside the jail in Dhaka under section 54 of the penal code and placed on remand. Since then he had been lodged in Dhaka Central Jail.
EXTRADITION
The Indian government had been pressing Bangladesh to fast track the extradition of Daud Merchant but the issue got stuck under layers of bureaucracy.
Dawood Ibrahim
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From Town & Country
Popping the cork of a champagne bottle is one of the best ways to kick off a celebration. (A glass or two of the bubble stuff has also been shown to help prevent dementia and Alzheimer's.) But are you getting as much out of the magical beverage as you possibly can? Here, a few tips to elevate your champagne game.
Ditch the Flute
Dustin Wilson, one of only 230 master sommeliers in the world and proprietor of the new retailer Verve Wine (launching this month), says that "standard wine glasses are definitely the way to go for champagne." Flutes, he says, were "designed to hold the bubbles longer (that's what the narrow shape is good for), but aren't the best for actually enjoying the champagne. You want to be able to swirl it around in your glass, stick your nose in there, and take in all the fun aromas, which you can't do with a traditional flute." Wilson recommends the Zalto Universal glass, which he sells, and says using one compared to a flute "is like cruising the highway in a brand-new Ferrari versus a used Toyota Corolla."
Switching from drinking champagne out of a flute to a wine glass "is like cruising the highway in a brand-new Ferrari versus a used Toyota Carolla."
While flutes may have their place for bubble fanatics, they're not common in high-end restaurants. In fact, at this weekend's La Fete du Champagne in New York, the festival co-founder and Dinex Group Wine Director Daniel Johnnes said that everyone on an American Express-sponsored champagne-pairing panel of top sommeliers serves champagne out of a standard wine glass at their restaurants. "Champagne is a wine," Johnnes said after the panel, "and it deserves to be served in the best possible glassware to allow the wine to express itself in the best way."
The Coupe Is Even Worse
"Oh my god, that's so archaic, outdated, and irrelevant," Johnnes, who works with all of Daniel Boulud's restaurants and founded the champagne-focused event three years ago, says of the glass with debunked but romantic allusions to part of Marie Antoinette's anatomy. "It really doesn't capture the aromas at all. They just totally escape. They're also unwieldy because of the size of the bowl. They can be very pretty, but I would never serve anything in it. How's that for an opinion?"
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Photo credit: Courtesy of the East Hampton Historical Society
Make Sure It's Cold When You Pull the Cork
"If your bottle is warm, there is a risk that the cork will release from the bottle very quickly and you might lose some of the wine in the bottle," Jack Mason, another master sommelier, says. Quelle horreur! Keeping it cold reduces pressure behind the cork.
You're Not Letting It Warm Up
"The biggest mistake most people make with champagne is serving it too cold," Wilson says. "While it's best with while it's best with a slight chill, burying a bottle in an ice cooler on the back porch in the dead of winter or even pulling it straight out of your fridge is not the way to go. You definitely want to keep it cool, but I'd recommend removing it from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before you're ready to serve, and assuming you're sharing with friends, you probably don't need to keep chilling it back down."
The biggest mistake most people make with champagne is serving it too cold.
Johnnes recommends serving younger champagnes around 44 degrees and older champagnes up to 55 degrees.
It's Not Just for Celebrations
Far be it for T&C to tell you not to celebrate with champagne (you should!), but recognize that the wine is versatile enough to pair with food. "It's a real wine," says Johnnes. "It's not to band against the side of a ship. It's a wine to savor and enjoy and pair with meals."
You're Only Serving It Before Dinner
The acid in champagne helps stimulate the appetite and it's very refreshing and, dare I say, a lot of fun as an aperatif," says Alexander LaPratt, owner of New York's Atrium Dumbo and Beasts & Bottles and a master sommelier. "But to only drink it before a meal would be criminal! It is incredibly food-friendly due to its effervescence, lower alcohol, and higher acidity.
It's a natural pair for citrus salads and shellfish such as oysters, lobster, and crab, which have natural sweetness, and soups. It even works well with fish, poultry, and even steak." And since it comes in off-dry styles, pairing it with cheese and sweet desserts is also an option, proving that champagne is truly, as Wilson says, "the most versatile wine out there with regard to food pairing." (He recommends trying it at home on a casual night with fried chicken, tacos, or popcorn.)
Long may the champagne flow.
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HARARE, Nov 7 (Reuters) Zimbabwe lost two early wickets but recovered to finish 126 for two at the close on the second day of the second test on Monday in reply to Sri Lanka's first-innings total of 504. Brian Chari and Craig Ervine were both 60 not out as Zimbabwe fought back after a poor start when they slumped to 17 for two but the hosts still trail by 378 runs. Sri Lanka, who won a closely contested first test last week, went from 290 for five overnight to being dismissed just before tea with Asela Gunaratne completing a maiden test century. Dhanajaya de Silva was before caught and bowled by Zimbabwe skipper Graeme Cremer for 127. Gunaratne, playing his second test, made 116 and was the last man out. He was on 91 when the ninth wicket went down and had to watch as No. 11 Lahiru Kumara fended off the Zimbabwe bowlers before reclaiming the strike and moving to three figures. Sri Lankas stand-in captain Rangana Herath took the wickets of Tino Mawoyo and Hamilton Masakadza in the same over as Zimbabwes openers again failed to get their team off to a solid start. (Reporting by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ed Osmond)
By Sue-Lin Wong and Michael Martina BEIJING (Reuters) - China adopted a controversial cyber security law on Monday to counter what Beijing says are growing threats such as hacking and terrorism, but the law triggered concerns among foreign business and rights groups. The legislation, passed by China's largely rubber-stamp parliament and set to take effect in June 2017, is an "objective need" of China as a major internet power, a parliament official said. Overseas critics of the law say it threatens to shut foreign technology companies out of various sectors deemed "critical", and includes contentious requirements for security reviews and for data to be stored on servers in China. Rights advocates also say the law will enhance restrictions on China's Internet, already subject to the world's most sophisticated online censorship mechanism, known outside China as the Great Firewall. Yang Heqing, an official on the National People's Congress standing committee, said the Internet was already deeply linked to China's national security and development. "China is an internet power, and as one of the countries that faces the greatest internet security risks, urgently needs to establish and perfect network security legal systems," he told reporters at the close of a bimonthly legislative meeting. More than 40 global business groups petitioned Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in August, urging Beijing to amend what they said were controversial sections of the law. Chinese officials have said it would not interfere with foreign business interests. Contentious provisions remained in the final draft issued by the parliament, including requirements for "critical information infrastructure operators" to store personal information and important business data in China, provide unspecified "technical support" to security agencies, and pass national security reviews. Those demands have raised concerns within companies that fear they would have to hand over intellectual property or open back doors within products in order to operate in China's market. "VAGUE, AMBIGUOUS" James Zimmerman, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, called the provisions "vague, ambiguous, and subject to broad interpretation by regulatory authorities." Human Rights Watch said elements of the law, such as criminalizing the use of the Internet to "damage national unity", would further restrict online freedom. "Despite widespread international concern from corporations and rights advocates for more than a year, Chinese authorities pressed ahead with this restrictive law without making meaningful changes," Sophie Richardson, China Director at Human Rights Watch, said in an emailed statement. Zhao Zeliang, director of the Cyberspace Administration of China's cyber security coordination bureau, told reporters that every article in the law accorded with rules of international trade, and China would not close the door on foreign companies. "They believe that [phrases such as] secure and independent control, secure and reliable, that these are signs of trade protectionism. That they are synonymous. This is a kind of misunderstanding, a kind of prejudice," Zhao said. China's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular press briefing that the law was similar to other countries' rules and did not distinguish between foreign and Chinese companies. Many of the provisions had been previously applied in practice, but their formal codification coincides with China's adoption of a series of other regulations on national security and foreign civil society groups. The law's adoption comes amid a broad crackdown by President Xi Jinping on civil society, including rights lawyers and the media, which critics say is meant to quash dissent. Last year, Beijing adopted a sweeping national security law that aimed to make all key network infrastructure and information systems "secure and controllable". "China's government has come to recognize that cyberspace immediately and profoundly impacts on many if not all aspects of national security," said Rogier Creemers, a researcher in the law and governance of China at Leiden University in the Netherlands. "It is a national space, it is a space for military action, for important economic action, for criminal action and for espionage," he said. (Reporting by Sue-Lin Wong, Michael Martina, Paul Carsten and Cate Cadell; Editing by Paul Tait and Ian Geoghegan)
AT&T is prepared to go all out on behalf of its new DirecTV Now service: The company is looking to give away Apple TV and Fire TV Stick devices to consumers who sign up for its TV streaming service, according to customer-support documents Variety discovered after they were inadvertently released by the company online.
The documents also shed light on which channels are part of the service that they havent yet announced, as well as further details about its VOD library and other key features.
AT&T didnt respond to multiple requests for comment.
The leaked documents detail that consumers who are willing to commit to at least three months of paid service will be able to get a free Apple TV as part of a device promotion. Consumers who pay for one month will get a free Fire TV streaming stick. Both devices are more expensive on their own than the service charges consumers would have to pay to qualify for each promotion.
AT&T officially announced DirecTV Now as an internet-based live TV service earlier this year. The telco has since given us some idea about the programming, announcing deals with Disney, NBCUniversal and Viacom as well as Scripps, A&E Networks, Discovery, HBO, and Starz. Last month, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson announced that DirecTV Now will cost $35 per month and carry more than 100 channels when it launches in the coming weeks.
The leaked customer-support documents didnt include complete channel lineups those also depend on the local markets of subscribers but they do give us a better idea of which other channels DirecTV Now aims to launch with. A partial list of channels included not only networks from the aforementioned partners, but also Univision networks like Galavision, Univision and UniMas, Fox and MundoFox, CBS, HDNet Movies, the Hallmark Channel and the Sony Movie Channel.
Some of the channels DirecTV Now aims to launch with.
Its worth mentioning that this could be a preliminary list that could change before the actual launch. Also, not every channel may be available to every subscriber.
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Thats not only because of local rights, but also because that $35 monthly subscription fee apparently only gets users a base package, with the option to add more programming for an additional price. With DIRECTV NOW, you can stream live TV and On Demand programming with several packages to choose from. Premium channels like HBO and Cinemax can be added at any time, the documents state.
Many, but not all of the networks, will support a 72-hour catch-up window, making it possible to watch shows you missed for up to three days after the original airing. Notably absent from the catch-up list is ESPN. However, consumers will be able to sign into ESPNs own apps to catch up on content with their DirecTV Now credentials. In addition, DirecTV Now will also include a VOD library of up to 14,000 titles.
But there are some oddities within DirecTV Nows lineup. One example: Subscribers will be able to stream local programming from NBC in some markets, but only on PCs and mobile devices. NBC local channels are currently unavailable using streaming devices or smart TVs, the leaked documents explain. (NBC didnt respond to a request for comment from Variety.)
DirecTV Now will give consumers a 7-day free trial. Consumers who chose not to pay after their trial period will automatically be downgraded to DirecTV Freeview, a free, ad-supported tier with limited content.
Again, its worth mentioning that many of these details could change when AT&T actually launches the service. But given the level of detail, as well as the fact that the launch seems to be just around the corner, its just as likely that many details will make it into the final product.
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Image: Email from computer
GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump and his supporters are questioning whether the FBI could have sifted through 650,000 emails quickly enough to clear his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, just nine days after they were discovered.
But the FBI and cybersecurity experts say it can be done with database scanning software and one of those experts is none other than Edward Snowden, the fugitive whistleblower whos hoping to get a presidential pardon.
The debate unfolded today in the wake of FBI Director James Comeys announcement that a search through a laptop used by Clinton aide Huma Abedin turned up nothing to change our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton.
In other words, the FBI investigation into Clintons emails remains closed, with no charges sought.
The news was met with relief from the Clinton campaign, and disbelief from Trumps advisers including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and retired Army Gen. Michael Flynn, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency:
Comey must be under enormous political pressure to cave like this and announce something he cant possibly know. Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) November 6, 2016
IMPOSSIBLE:
There R 691,200 seconds in 8 days. DIR Comey has thoroughly reviewed 650,000 emails in 8 days? An email / second? IMPOSSIBLE RT General Flynn (@GenFlynn) November 6, 2016
Trump himself voiced skepticism during a campaign stop in Michigan.
Right now, she is being protected by a rigged system. Its a totally rigged system, he said. Ive been saying it for a long time. You cant review 650,000 new emails in eight days. You cant do it, folks.
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However, The New York Times quoted an unnamed law enforcement official as saying that the FBI was able to finish scanning the emails over the weekend. Many of the emails were personal messages or duplicates of messages that had been examined previously, the Times quoted the source as saying.
How easy would it be to cull out the duplicate emails? Outspoken journalist Jeff Jarvis posed that question to Snowden in a tweet, and got a quick response:
@jeffjarvis Drop non-responsive To:/CC:/BCC:, hash both sets, then subtract those that match. Old laptops could do it in minutes-to-hours. Edward Snowden (@Snowden) November 7, 2016
Other Twitterers were equally as eager to set Trump and his supporters straight on the matter. Heres a sampling:
This is the equivalent of an intern's overnight hackathon project at FB. Only they'd scan 691 million messages. Reminder: Earth is round. https://t.co/V3HabOfiMB Josh Williams (@jw) November 6, 2016
Eight days is more than enough time for the FBI to review 650,000 emails. Here's how: https://t.co/xDNgyH7XnE WIRED (@WIRED) November 7, 2016
Agent 1: Lets remove the dupes first
Agent 2: That leaves wow, three emails.
Agent 1: How many seconds are in eight days of vacation? Jonathan Zdziarski (@JZdziarski) November 6, 2016
How can a COMPUTER review 650,000 EMAILS in 8 DAYS?
How can a TOASTER make my BREAD warm?
How can a CAR go faster than a TEAM OF OXEN Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) November 6, 2016
TRUMP ON ELECTION NIGHT: "How did they count 120 million votes in only a few hours?" https://t.co/pKoTfHkKLl Simon Owens (@simonowens) November 7, 2016
Does this bring the campaigns cyber-shenanigans to a close? Almost certainly not. Today Snowden called attention to yet another thing to worry about on Election Day:
Researchers just demonstrated how to hack the official vote count with a $30 card. Details: https://t.co/uhcLVd0yPg https://t.co/uIFOQVb5uu Edward Snowden (@Snowden) November 7, 2016
Hacking voting machines: not that difficult. Hiding a secret deviation in votes from after-the-fact statistical analysis: nearly impossible. Edward Snowden (@Snowden) November 7, 2016
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Before they pulled off one of the most embarrassing cyber heists ever to hit the Kremlin, the hackers from the Ukrainian Cyber Alliance, who styled themselves as the online shock troops in Ukraines conflict with Russia, werent really on the radar. They had mostly spent the last two years on easy targetsthe computers and cell phones of Russia-backed separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, who are not known for their discipline when it comes to virus protection or, for that matter, anything else. Every once in a while, the hackers would also deface a Russian website, the cyber equivalent of spray-painting graffiti.
Victor Zhora, the head of Infosafe, one of Ukraines leading cyber security firms, had never met any of these hackers or heard much about them in the local tech community. They just werent doing much, he saysthat is, until the past two weeks, during which they posted two troves of emails apparently stolen from the inboxes of Vladislav Surkov, the Kremlins former propaganda czar, who is now in charge of Russias shadow war in eastern Ukraine. Among the close aides to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Surkov is about as tough and consequential a hacking target as they come.
Read More: Whats Going On With Julian Assange and WikiLeaks? Here Are 4 Theories
Which is partly why the hack looked so suspicious to Zhora and other cyber experts. Its sophistication seemed well beyond the reach of amateurs, as did its presentation, which featured slickly produced video announcements and textual analysis translated into five languages, including flawless English and, for some reason, Bulgarian. Ukrainian hackers had never pulled off anything close to this level of operation. This clearly involved top-level professionals, Zhora says. And based on the resources that would have been required, he suspects the hackers may have had help from a foreign intelligence servicemost likely a Western one.
The timing would seem to support that theory. In a joint statement on Oct. 7, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence formally accused Russias senior-most officials of authorizing the theft and disclosure of emails from Hillary Clintons presidential campaign and its allies in the Democratic Party, via WikiLeaks and other online conduits. A week later, Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview with NBC News that the U.S. would respond to these attacks at the time of our choosing, and under the circumstances that have the greatest impact. Pressed for details, Biden would only add that the U.S. was sending a message to Putin, and that he would know when that message arrives.
The following week, starting on Oct. 23, a group calling itself the CyberHunta, which is part of the Ukrainian Cyber Alliance, released the first batch of emails from a Russian government address that appeared to belong to Surkovs office in the Kremlin. The documents showed in minute detail how Russia has micromanaged the separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine over the past two years, picking its leaders, managing their finances and choreographing their propaganda.
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Asked to respond, the Kremlins chief spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, dismissed the documents as an elaborate forgery, pointing out that Surkov is so cautious with his digital affairs that he does not even use email. This appears to be true from the hack, at least: all of the messages taken from his accounts were handled by intermediaries and assistants; none came directly from him.
But in a detailed analysis of the leaked emails, the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab concluded that they are almost certainly genuinethough not exactly rich in surprises: The Surkov Leaks, the analysts said, show us a picture of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine that we have long suspected: the Kremlin had a guiding hand in orchestrating and funding the supposedly local and independent government.
More striking than the actual contents of the documents, however, was the sudden reversal in what had previously been a fairly one-sided cyber conflict between Russia and its rivals. It appears the message Biden promised to send Putin may have been delivered through Ukraine. From a technical and operational point of view, this does look like a message in reply to the attacks on the U.S. electoral system, says Zhora.
Read More: The Future of Civilization Is a Battle Between Google and Wikileaks
Bidens office, as well as the spokesman for the Director of National Intelligence, did not respond to requests for comment. But Zhora is not the only expert to voice suspicion of U.S. involvement in the hack. Mark Galeotti, a senior researcher at the Institute of International Relations in Prague, and an expert on Russian intelligence services, told USA Today that, This kind of a leak is enough to warn the Russians [that] the USA has certain capabilities and is willing to use them. But, as he was also careful to stress, we are a long way from having any evidence of thisif we ever will.
Such plausible deniability seems to be the nature of cyber conflict going forward. In hacking the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, Russia appears to have used a series of intermediaries and decoys in order to maintain deniability and keep the states fingerprints as far from the hack as possible. According to the Oct. 7 statement from U.S intelligence agencies, these Kremlin fronts have included WikiLeaks and an online persona known as Guccifer 2.0, who claimed to be a lone Romanian hacker after he posted emails from the DNC.
For their part, the members of the Ukrainian Cyber Alliance, appearing in video interviews this week with Halloween masks over their faces, have denied being anybodys sock puppet. Ukrainian hacking groups have fairly high technical skills, one of them told Reuters on Nov. 3. And so there is no need for the U.S. or any other NATO country to support us. Whats more, it would be quite an extreme foreign policy move from the U.S. But probably not extreme enough to make Russian hackers back off in the cyberwars to come.
Senior Advocate Raju Ramachandran has argued that the court did not consider the circumstances of each accused during the sentencing. He has told the Supreme Court that the order giving death penalty should be put aside for for violating the fundamental norms of sentencing.
By Anusha Soni: Senior Advocate Raju Ramachandran, appointed by the apex court as an Amicus Curiae in the infamous Nirbhaya gang rape case, has submitted to the Supreme Court that the order on sentencing awarding death penalty to four convicts should be set aside for procedural violations.
The order passed by the trial court in September 2013 was later confirmed by the Delhi High Court.
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DEATH PENALTY ORDER VIOLATES SENTENCING NORMS
Ramachandran has argued that the court did not consider the circumstances of each accused during the sentencing. He has told the Supreme Court that the order giving death penalty should be put aside for for violating the fundamental norms of sentencing.
RETURN TO HIGH COURTS FOR SENTENCING
The four convicts were awarded death penalty by the trial court which was later confirmed by the Delhi High Court. The technicality of the Ramachandran submission must be appreciated as he has challenged the order on procedural grounds not on the merits. In such circumstances, he has recommended that the matter be referred back to the High Courts for sentencing.
Ramachandran has further submitted that the Trial Court failed to put any of the accused to notice on the question of imposition of the death sentence without giving any time to reflect on the question of death penalty. Before sentencing none of the accused were heard in person.
CIRCUMSTANCES TO EACH OF THE ACCUSED NOT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT
It has been further argued that the special circumstances of each of the accused were not taken into account which could have been the mitigating factors. No reasoning in the order was offered for each accused and a 'one-penalty-fits-all' order was passed which could not be argued is denial of right to life.
The hearing in the case will continue on Friday.
--- ENDS ---
Apple is known for crafting some of the worlds most memorable commercials. When it comes to selling advertising, however, its skills dont often get similar applause.
In a sign that an outside party might be able to better maximize ad inventory related to Apples popular iPhones, the technology giant and NBCUniversal have struck a deal under which the Comcast media conglomerate will be the exclusive U.S. seller of commercial space in the Apple News app, which is pre-installed in all of the companys operating systems and has more than 70 million active users. NBCU said it will also work to develop new advertising products around the app.
The partnership was reported previously by tech-news site recode.
Publishers who allow their content to be used in Apple News typically sell their own ad inventory and keep the revenue from those efforts. Apple has sold whatever space may remain, and is turning that function over to NBCU. Publishers typically split revenue from those efforts with Apple, and are expected to continue to work with similar terms with NBCUniversal.
The deal shows NBCU digging deeper into digital opportunities. In recent months, thanks to the companys investments in digital outlets like Buzzfeed and Vox, NBCU has offered to sell packages designed to win higher-quality audiences online. Many of the nations big media companies have tried to extend into digital inventory as their audiences move from TV to streaming video and mobile devices.
And it could give NBCU entrance to new opportunities. Apple continues to develop a broadband-TV service that could over time feature advertising.
NBCU named James Kreckler, a senior vice president, to oversee a new sales group that will focus specifically on developing products related to the sale of ad inventory around Apple News. Under James leadership the group will work closely with advertisers and publishers to develop unique and engaging campaigns across the News apps premium content, the company said in a prepared statement.
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Another month, another report of a Samsung phone going up in flames. Only this time, it's a different model from the Galaxy Note 7.
In France this weekend, a woman told the Associated Press that her Galaxy J5 caught fire. Lamya Bouyirdane, who resides in the town of Pau, told the news service that the phone became very hot right before she noticed it swelling up and emitting smoke. After she tossed away the phone, the J5 caught fire with its back bursting off. There were no injuries, though Bouyirdane tells the AP that she's planning on suing Samsung.
A tweet from @LesNews reportedly shows the damaged Galaxy J5.
A tweet from @LesNews reportedly shows the damaged Galaxy J5.
Samsung phones have received extra scrutiny ever since September's disastrous Note 7 launch. While that big screen phone debuted to initially positive reviews, reports quickly began circulating that the phone's battery was overheating, triggering fires. Samsung eventually recalled the device and issued replacements, only to see a handful of replacement Note 7s catch fire as well. Samsung has since halted production on the Note 7.
MORE: Note 7 Fire Fallout: Can Shoppers Still Trust Samsung?
It's worth noting that this is one report of trouble with a different Samsung phone, involving a model that's not available in the U.S. Still, in the wake of the Note 7's woes, any reported incident involving a Samsung device is going to grab people's attention. (A Galaxy S7 Edge reportedly caught fire two weeks ago in Canada.)
We've reached out to Samsung to see if the company is looking into the J5 incident. While the company hasn't responded yet, it typically declines to comment until it has a chance to examine the damaged phone.
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In 2014, a plucky robot called Hitchbot took a chance on people and hit the road with one thumb in the air. That's right, this hitchhiking robot managed to bum a ride from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Victoria, British Columbia in under a month, all thanks to the kindness of strangers. The masterminds behind the project wanted to flip an old ideaa fearon its head. We'll let them tell you how Hitchbot hit the road. A Great Big Story made in collaboration with Canada Keep Exploring.
The recall of millions of Galaxy Note 7 cost the world's largest phone maker billions of dollars in lost profits and hammered its global reputation (AFP Photo/DON EMMERT)
Washington (AFP) - Samsung took out advertisements Monday in major US newspapers to apologize for the Galaxy Note 7 scandal in which fire-prone batteries forced a global recall of the popular smartphones.
The full-page ads in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post admitted the company "fell short" on its promise of delivering "breakthrough technologies that enrich people's lives."
"For this we are truly sorry," the company said.
It promised a full and open investigation into the Galaxy debacle.
The huge South Korean manufacturer was forced to recall some 2.5 million of the flagship Note 7s following complaints that its lithium-ion battery exploded while charging -- and at other times. The company also had to recall the first replacements it sent out to consumers after they proved just as dangerous.
"We will re-examine every aspect of the device, including hardware, software, manufacturing and the overall battery structure. We will move as quickly as possible, but will take the time needed to get the right answers."
The ads also noted the recall that Samsung announced last week for nearly three million clothes washers to fix the tops, which could become loose and fly off while the machine is running.
"Safety remains our top priority," the company said.
The smartphone problem resulted in a 30 percent plunge in Samsung's third quarter profits and appeared to boost phone sales for rival Apple.
Despite Samsung's reliance on Android and Google's suite of service apps, the South Korean tech giant has long tried to wrestle away control of the user experience from the search giant. That said, the forthcoming Galaxy S8 will mark the company's boldest effort yet to establish a unique identity for itself that partially exists outside of the strict confines of the Android universe.
According to a new report from Reuters, Samsung's Galaxy S8 will ship with its own intelligent AI service based on technology the company picked up when it acquired Viv just about a month ago. Developed by Siri co-creator Dag Kittlaus and a handful of former Apple engineers, Viv touts itself as a next-generation AI assistant that can blow rival services from the likes of Apple, Google and Amazon out of the water.
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Samsung hasn't yet revealed too many details surrounding its plans for the S8, but the company did indicate that its AI platform will be able to interface with third-party apps, similar to what the Amazon Echo has long provided and what Siri has been capable of since the launch of iOS 10.
"Developers can attach and upload services to our agent," Samsung Executive Vice President Rhee Injong said in a statement obtained by Reuters. "Even if Samsung doesn't do anything on its own, the more services that get attached the smarter this agent will get, learn more new services and provide them to end-users with ease."
Corporate lingo aside, it will extremely interesting to see how Samsung's first foray into the world of intelligent AI assistants stacks up against more established competitors. Viv may not be a household name, but the company's technology is incredibly intriguing. During demos, Kittlaus showed off how Viv is capable of answering complex queries and layered questions with ease.
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For example, if a user asks, "Will it be warmer than 70 degrees near the Golden gate bridge after 5 PM the day after tomorrow?" or "Find me a flight to Dallas with a seat that Shaq could fit in, Viv can successfully parse the question to deliver an answer.
As impressive as that is, what makes Viv truly stand out from the pack is its ability to learn how to process queries that it wasn't originally programmed to understand via a technology Viv calls "dynamic program generation."
The more you ask of Viv, the more it will get to know you, Kittlaus said during a product demonstration a few months ago. Siri was chapter one, and now its almost like a new Internet age is coming. Viv will be a giant brain in the sky.
While Samsung's acquisition of Viv loudly signaled the company's intention to release its own AI powered hardware, it's interesting that Samsung is wasting absolutely no time integrating it into its software and getting it out into the hands of users.
For those unfamiliar with Viv, the following demo of Viv from May of this year provides an exciting overview of the type of technology Samsung's Galaxy S8 might ship with. Notably, it was previously reported that both Google and Facebook made offers to acquire Viv before the deal with Samsung ultimately went through.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI07aeZqeco
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See the original version of this article on BGR.com
By Makiko Yamazaki TOKYO (Reuters) - SoftBank Group Corp <9984.T> plans to make future large-scale investments via an upcoming $100 billion tech fund it is establishing rather than on its own to avoid growing already bloated debt at the Japanese telecoms and technology company. Founder and CEO Masayoshi Son is steering SoftBank, a diverse company that holds stakes in U.S. carrier Sprint , Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and other firms, towards cutting-edge tech investments as the telecoms services markets mature, saying he aims to make the firm the "Berkshire Hathaway of the tech industry". As part of that gameplan, SoftBank bought UK chip designer ARM Holdings, Britain's most valuable technology company, for $32 billion this year, and announced with Saudi Arabia the planned creation of an investment fund that could grow up to $100 billion. Some of SoftBank's moves have caused concern among analysts, as it is wrestling with a 13.7 trillion yen ($131 billion) debt pile. Son said at an earnings briefing on Monday that future investments exceeding "several tens of billions of yen" will be made through the tech fund to avoid a further expansion of SoftBank's debt. "Our investments were previously confined to our balance sheet," Son said. "By creating the new fund, we would be better positioned to leverage the coming opportunities." SoftBank's leverage multiple is expected to drop to 3.5 from the current 4.0 within "several years", backed by the company's domestic telecommunications business which is expected to generate annual cash flow of about 600 billion yen, he said. The ARM acquisition is the beginning of the company's transformation, Son said, adding he is "aiming to become a Warren Buffett in the tech industry". Billionaire Buffett runs conglomerate Berkshire . SoftBank expects to invest over the next five years at least $25 billion in the tech fund, which would be one of the world's largest private equity investors and a potential kingpin in the technology industry. On Monday, SoftBank reported a 6.8 percent rise in second-quarter operating profit to 335 billion yen, thanks to a strong showing by the cash-cow domestic telecommunications business. That compared with a 287 billion yen average estimate from two analysts, according to Thomson Reuters Starmine. Sprint, owned 83 percent by SoftBank and a long-time drag on SoftBank's earnings, is also showing signs of improvement. It reported a return to operating profit in the latest quarter, strong net additions in postpaid phone subscribers and a record-low cancellation rate. Sprint also raised the full-year outlook for operating profit. "Sprint was a drag on the group's earnings, but I'm confident that it will be the biggest contributor to our profit growth," Son said. (Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Twitter shares have doubled over the past year, but gave back some gains following a strong quarterly earnings report (AFP Photo/Leon NEAL)
Washington (AFP) - Software robots generated a significant number of Twitter messages in support of Donald Trump, distorting the Republican presidential nominee's backing on the social network, a study showed Monday.
The study by University of Southern California computer scientists found that both Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton had supporting messages from "bots" but that Trump had more bots and produced more tweets.
"This generates a stream of support that is at staggering odds with respect to the overall negative tone that characterizes the 2016 presidential election campaigns," researchers Alessandro Bessi and Emilio Ferrara wrote in the online journal First Monday's November 7 edition.
"The fact that bots produce systematically more positive content in support of a candidate can bias the perception of the individuals exposed to it, suggesting that there exists an organic, grassroots support for a given candidate, while in reality it's all artificially generated."
The researchers analyzed 20 million tweets generated between September 16 and October 21 by about 2.8 million distinct users, and estimated that over 400,000 accounts "are likely bots."
The bots represented nearly 15 percent of the accounts while generating 3.8 million tweets of nearly 19 percent of the total conversation.
Trump's robot-produced tweets were almost uniformly positive, while only half of Clinton's were, with the other half criticizing the nominee, according to the research paper.
Using automatically-generated tweets and messages can distort "trending" topics on Twitter, and give Trump and his supporters the ability to claim, for example, that he won the presidential debates.
"Our findings suggest that the presence of social media bots can indeed negatively affect democratic political discussion rather than improving it, which in turn can potentially alter public opinion and endanger the integrity of the presidential election," the researchers said.
A similar study released last month by researchers from Oxford University, the University of Washington and Corvinus University of Budapest reached similar conclusions, finding that the pro-Trump accounts out-produced pro-Clinton accounts by seven-to-one.
Estonia, the tiny Baltic nation of 1.3 million inhabitants, has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. In response to Russian military maneuvers, including battleships in the Baltic Sea and bombers invading Estonian airspace, NATO nations, including the U.S., have sent thousands of troops, tanks and military hardware to the region. It's the West's biggest show of force since the end of the Cold War and has put many on edge.
But not Marge Liiske. "Living next to a neighbor who has been really aggressive for centuries, really being in between the East and West, makes you a bit, well, fatalistic," says Liiske, the head of industry programs at Tallinn's Black Nights Film Festival, which runs Nov. 11-27. "It hasn't changed what we do here, which is, aside from whatever politics are there, to try and connect the East with the West."
Now in its 20th year, the Tallinn festival remains an insiders tip - the fairytale-like streets of the Estonia capital and the laid-back atmosphere of Black Nights is, almost literally, a world away from the crazed bustle of Cannes and Berlin. But, by playing to its strengths as a rich, tech-savvy country with a history of accommodating bigger powers, Estonia is emerging as a nation the indie industry needs to pay attention to.
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This year also marks the fifth anniversary of the Baltic Event co-production market, which runs alongside the Black Nights festival. The event specializes in introducing producers and distributors to opportunities they might have missed, exploring funding systems in lesser-known regions (Luxembourg and Ukraine are two of the countries in focus this year) and providing a platform for bodies like Eye on Films, a French-based group that supplies distribution assistance for first and second feature films; and the European Genre Forum, a joint venture between Black Nights and several European festivals, which provides training and pitching sessions for directors and producers looking to make genre films in Europe.
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Estonia itself this year introduced a new support scheme, providing a 20-30 percent tax rebate for foreign productions that shoot in the region. "Producers know about the Czech Republic, they know about Bulgaria, but most don't know anything about Estonia, about what's possible here," says Edith Sepp, CEO of Estonian Film Institute. "The tax incentives come on top of the advantages we already have," she adds, "including having everything from mountains to oceanfront to medieval cityscapes within a couple hours' drive and having one of the fastest internet systems in the world, so you can easily upload dailies into the cloud to be edited on the go from elsewhere."
The only thing missing is a soundstage, but plans are already underway to build a three-stage studio near the Tallinn city center. If all goes as planned, Tallinn Film Wonderland will be open for business by 2018. "It's the one thing holding the industry back," says Tallinn Film Wonderland CEO Liina Maria Lepik. "We know there is demand both from the local and international industries to shoot here."
Estonia itself produces around 10 films a year. This year's highlights included Kadri Kousaar's Mother, which premiered at Tribeca and is the country's foreign-language Oscar submission. Estonia got its first Oscar nomination in 2014 for Zaza Urushadze's war drama Tangerines.
Ivo Felt, who produced Tangerines, has teamed up with first-time filmmaker Tanel Toom for the most ambitious Estonian film of all time: the $2.2 million historic epic Truth and Justice, based on the five-part novel of the same name by Anton Hansen Tammsaare, which is considered the founding work of Estonian literature. Currently in production, Truth and Justice is set to be delivered in 2019 in time for Estonia's centenary celebrations. When it does, it could have its premiere at the Black Nights festival, either in finished form or as one of the many works-in-progress the event screens for international buyers.
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This year, Tallinn will feature 26 works-in-progress from as far away as India (Rima Das' Village Rockstars) and Thailand (Anucha Boonyawatana's Malila: The Farewell Flower) and as close as neighboring Russia, with Fedor Bondarchuk's Art Pictures Studio giving buyers a sneak peek at four new titles, including Pavel Lungin's thriller Queen of Spades, teen sex comedy Good Boy from Oksana Karas, Bondarchuk's sci-fi epic Attraction and figure-skating drama Ice from Oleg Trofim.
Noting the growing political tensions along Estonia's tiny border, Tallinn festival director Tiina Lokk said she was proud to be a bridge, not a barrier, between East and West: "The festival is the place where the Americans, the Russians, the Syrians, the Lebanese, the French, Ukrainian and many others meet. I sincerely believe that art can make the world a better place, and when the politicians can't seem to find the right words and communicate with each other anymore, then art is what builds the bridges."
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Three (Business) Reasons to Visit Tallinn
The medieval charm and snow-covered streets of the Estonian capital sell themselves, but here are a trio of excuses in case accounting questions your Black Nights expenses:
New Locations
Tallinn's co-production market has made undiscovered and untapped territories its specialty. The Black Nights event will include spotlights on tiny Luxembourg and not-so-tiny but often overlooked Ukraine. "We want to attract attention to countries that have a lot to offer but that producers might not think of when it comes to co-productions," says Liiske.
New Films
Tallinn is no Toronto, but the Black Nights festival does offer up a number of interesting art house titles for specialty distributors. This year's competition lineup includes sci-fi drama The White King, starring Olivia Williams and Jonathan Pryce; and Queen of Spades, a thriller from Lungin, winner of Cannes' best director honor for Taxi Blues.
By Hardeep Dugal: Get over Priyanka Chopra, its Deepika Padukone's stunning international red carpet debut that's making headlines. Playing the diva with elan, Deepika turned many heads across the globe at the recently held MTV Europe Music Awards 2016. Deepika Padukone turned everyone green with envy as she made her presence felt at the MTV EMAs held in Rotterdam late last night.
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Stakes were high since this was her first international red carpet appearance. Pressure also mounting since her colleague Priyanka Chopra seemed to have got her look right at almost every event lately. Deepika decided to wear Indian designer Monisha Jaisingh that worked pretty much in her favour. She stunned one and all with a high waisted olive skirt with a thigh high slit.
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She paired it with a heavily embellished black bodice and a matching embellished bomber jacket. Her hair was tied into a neat ponytail with flawless make up accentuated by smokey eyes. She completed the look with a Balmain belt and strappy heels and those 'In your face' tassel earrings by Valliyan by Nitya Arora. Her accessories including those dapper rings were by Misho.
Also Read: Smoking hot: Deepika Padukone wore lingerie outside the bedroom like a boss
Deepika's attire was definitely high drama much like Serena Unger, the character she plays in her Hollywood debut XXX: The return of Xanger cage which is up for release early next year. She shared the stage with actor Nina Dobrev, known best for 'The Vampire Diaries', who happens to costar with her in her Hollywood debut too. Together they presented the MTV award for the best music video that went to Canadian artist--The Weeknd.
Also Read: US' Paper magazine cover dubbing Deepika Padukone a 'mega-star' goes viral
While Indian media is hailing Deepika's look, the international media doesn't seem too impressed. UK's Daily Mail called her outfit a Bollywood Blunder and put her in the worst dressed category. Whatever be international media's opinion on her olive dress, Deepika's after party outfit was a showstopper hands down. Looking swag in a white dress with those 'oh so sexy' boots that seem to be her favourite these days. Remember Bigg Boss Season 10's opening episode? Awards ceremony or after party, Deepika's look is a huge hit back home. Kudos to 'Padmavati' for not wearing the usual body hugging, cleavage showing gowns by international designers and choosing a desi to mark her red carpet debut. Now, that's what you call a role 'MODEL'.
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The Nsawam Medium Security Prison was put on lockdown on Sunday after Johnson Kombian, a convicted killer, and two others attempted to break out of jail.
Kombian
Kombian, who was sentenced to death for killing two police officers, was found with the two others in the prison main yard at midnight, according to a report by 3fm.com.
It is not clear who removed them from the condemned cell where they were being held, but the report said only the vigilance of a prison warden on patrol prevented them from escaping.
Prison officials are said to have launched an investigation into the development.
Kombian has a history of escaping from jail. In 2010, he was arrested by the police with the help of INTERPOL in Togo, where fled after killing two police officers.
He was sentenced to death on August 19, 2015, by hanging on two counts of murder after a seven-member jury returned a verdict of guilty. He is also serving a 30-year jail term on the charge of conspiracy.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) Deepika Padukones 2016 MTV Europe Music Awards appearance has been labelled as "Bollywood blunder" by an international publication but Indian designers have supported the actress for choosing a Monisha Jaisingh ensemble.
The 30-year-old actress, who is set to make her Hollywood debut with Vin Diesels "xXx: Return of Xander Cage," walked the red carpet in a look put together by Jaising and Shaleen Nathani.
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She wore a thigh-high slit trail skirt, in military green and olive hues, which she teamed up with an embellished bodice and matching bomber jacket. Fringe earrings, a Balmain belt, Misho rings and black heels completed her look.
A British publication, which had earlier received flak for addressing Deepika as a "female companion" of Novak Djokovic, featured her in their Worst Dressed Celebs, calling her a Bollywood Blunder.
However, Indian designers like Ritu Beri, Rina Dhaka, Anju Modi and Payal Singhal, who have dressed Deepika, said though there were too many elements in her look, it cannot be called a fashion faux pas.
Beri dismissed the criticism, saying Deepika is an "epitome of style".
"Deepika is the epitome of style. She has inherent grace and elegance which she carries with her to every look she adorns. I absolutely loved her ensemble and especially the creativity with which she put it together," said Beri.
Modi, who has designed Deepikas look in "Ram Leela" and "Bajirao Mastani", said the actress always looks elegant.
"She can wear a sack, or an international designer or an Indian designer and look great as always. I liked what she was wearing. And they (international media) should understand the Indian sensibility. It is great that Deepika decided to wear an Indian designer," Modi told PTI.
Dhaka said though the look was "excessive", she loved the skirt and the bold slit.
"The top, however, I felt was a bit overpowering. It was an excessive look for me with the strong eye make-up, strong shoulders, accessories. We are used to seeing her like that here. May be it was a bit too much for the international press. But definitely the look was not a blunder," she said.
Singhal said she liked that Deepika decided to wear an Indian designer for her maiden award red carpet outing even though it was "a bit overdone".
"I have worked with Deepika and her stylist before and I think it was just a one off moment for them and she will make a striking appearance soon. I liked that she decided to wear an Indian designer but I feel that it was a bit overdone with belt, earrings and jacket.
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"The criticism should be either taken in a positive stride or should be ignored completely. When you are making an appearance at an international platform where big names are coming, you try a lot and at times miss it and I guess this is what happened," Singhal told PTI.
Jaisingh, in an Instagram post, had said she opted for military green because it is a functional and strong colour.
"It has a tough, almost androgynous appeal for all of those women warriors out there. Deepika is unstoppable, fit and fierce; making a perfect muse for my Artemisia Gown.
The actress along with her "xXx" co-star Nina Dobrev presented the best video award to The Weeknd for "Starboy". Dobrev, Jourdan Dunn, Bebe Rexha and Winne Harlow were among the best dressed at the event.
"xXx: Return of Xander Cage" will hit the theatres on January 20, 2017. PTI JCH/SHD SSN BK BK
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Dr Anup Kumar, head of the department of urology and renal transplant at Safdarjung Hospital told Mail Today, "Last month, we had discharged about 6-7 patients who had undergone renal transplant. They were doing well. But now, they have all reported back to the hospital complaining of chest infection."
By Mail Today Bureau: While Delhi is teeming with patients suffering from respiratory diseases due to increasing levels of toxicity in the air, those who have undergone organ transplants are the worst sufferers. Delhi's air has high presence of viral and bacterial infection and other poisonous gases which has triggered health woes among people.
TRANSPLANT PATIENTS AT RISK
Dr Anup Kumar, head of the department of urology and renal transplant at Safdarjung Hospital told Mail Today, "Last month, we had discharged about 6-7 patients who had undergone renal transplant. They were doing well. But now, they have all reported back to the hospital complaining of chest infection." Health experts say that in India, one of the major cause of death of kidney patients is chest infection . Dr Sanjeev Gulati, director and head of Fortis Institute of Renal Science and Transplant, said, "I have two renal patients still admitted for respiratory treatment. A little chest infection can worsen their condition leading to fatalities."
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For such patients, doctors have advised not to travel outside unless required. Good standard of hygiene should be followed on priority basis. Face masks can also be used. Dr H Jauhari, chairman, renal transplant division at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital informed that any kind of respiratory complication can deteriorate the condition of a kidney patient. "If the patient is waiting for transplant and has contracted chest infection, he has to wait for the respiratory ailments to settle first," he said, adding such patients are at major risk due to air pollution.
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Ranjit Mandal alias Ranjit don was the kingpin of the gang which had lured both brothers to Patna on the pretext of giving them a contract worth Rs. 200 crore.
By Rohit Kumar Singh: The mastermind behind the abduction of two Delhi based businessmen brothers has been a arrested from Kolkata. Ranjit Mandal alias Ranjit don was the kingpin of the gang which had lured both brothers to Patna on the pretext of giving them a contract worth Rs. 200 crore. The moment both brothers had landed at the Patna airport on evening of October 21, they were kidnapped and taken to Lakhisarai.
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DETAILS OF THE CASE
Both brothers were, however, safely rescued from the abductor's net couple of days later from a jungle in Lakhisarai, a strong hold of the Maoists. Police has also arrested five members of the group from the spot.
It may be noted that Suresh and Kapil's father is a noted marble trader having huge businesses in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Soon after his sons were kidnapped, he had received a ransom call for Rs. 4 crore for the safe release of his sons.
Also read:
Kidnapped Delhi-based businessmen recovered from Lakhisarai
HOW MANDAL WAS ARRESTED
The Special Investigation Team which was entrusted the job to investigate the case have arrested Mandal from Kolkata. According to sources, the SIT had received inputs that Ranjit Mandal was in hiding in Kolkata and searches were carried out in many parts of the city following which he was arrested. Police sources had received inputs about Mandal's whereabouts after his close aide, Lalan Gupta, was arrested from Jamui few days back.
The police are now in the process of completing legal formalities to bring the mastermind to Bihar for further investigation in the case.
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By PTI: Mumbai, Nov 7 (PTI) In view of the proposed demerger into two separate companies, the Delhi High Court has directed the Ratnagiri Gas and Power (RGPPL) and Konkan LNG to hold separate meetings of their shareholders and creditors for considering the demerger.
In a public notice issued today, the Delhi High Court said, "...separate meetings to be held of equity shareholders and secured and unsecured creditors of RGPPL and separate meeting of equity shareholders of Konkan LNG for the purpose of considering, and, if thought fit approving with or without modification, the scheme of arrangement (demerger)..."
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In September, the Maharashtra government granted approval for the demerger of RGPPL into two separate companies for viability and prevent it from being declared as a non-performing asset (NPA).
Built by the erstwhile US firm Enron, the Rs 12,000 crore, 1,967 MW Dabhol power project, was closed since December 2013 due to inadequate supply of gas. But it was revived in November last year.
After the demerger, the two new companies will be known as RGPPL and Konkan LNG to operate the five million per annum LNG import facilities in Ratnagiri.
While the state government holds a 13.5 per cent stake in RGPPL through the MSEB Holding Company, other stakeholders include financial institutions (35.41 per cent), NTPC and GAIL (both 25.51 per cent each).
In the new demerged firm Konkan LNG, MSEB Holding will have a 4.10 per cent equity.
Post-revival, RGPPL currently generates 500 MW power which is being supplied to the Indian Railways. PTI PSK NRB MR BAS
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By PTI: at CWC meet
New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) The Congress Working Committee today warned the Modi government that its "undemocratic methods" and "acts to curtail" liberty and freedom of expression would be strongly resisted as Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on it alleging that democracy is going through "one of its darkest hours".
A meeting of the CWC presided over by Rahul "warned the government that its undemocratic methods and acts to curtail liberty, freedom of expression and violation of fundamental rights of the citizen as enshrined in the Constitution will be strongly resisted."
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Congress president Sonia Gandhi did not attend the meeting as she was said to be indisposed.
In a resolution on political and economic situation in the country, adopted at the meet, the CWC associated itself with the concerns of citizens and media over "growing intolerance, centralisation of authority, arbitrary and partisan decisions, abuse of power, and misuse of government agencies to target political opponents, critics and institutions".
The apex policy making body of the Congress met close on the heels of detention of Rahul Gandhi thrice in two days by Delhi Police after he protested over the OROP issue in the wake of suicide by an ex-serviceman.
The meeting also comes in the backdrop of the governments order putting a one-day ban on NDTV India over its coverage of the Pathankot terror attack, a move that has come under all-round attack from opposition and the media.
In a combative speech, Rahul said the ruling dispensation was "obsessed with power and seeking to silence" all those who disagree and which was "hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions".
"Democracy under the present dispensation is going through one of the darkest hours," he said, adding that all attempts by the government to suppress fundamental rights by "abusing" state power would only strengthen the Congress resolve to defeat such "danger designs".
"Asking questions is what discomforts this government the most, for they have no answers. We must in every forum, in particular the upcoming session of Parliament, expose the governments failures," Rahul said in his opening remarks.
With the Winter Session of Parliament just over a week away, the CWC resolved to continue its struggle "to expose communal and divisive agenda of BJP-RSS and reactionary forces and the failures and the double speak of the Modi government, and will champion with greater vigor the cause of the poor and the marginalised."
A highlight of the meeting, which lasted over four hours, was that all members, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior leader A K Antony, made a strong pitch for Rahul to take over the reins of the party. (MORE) PTI SKC SPG SMN
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Meet Donald Trump's impersonator who is asking everyone to vote for the US Republican candidate.
By India Today Web Desk: With only 48 hours left for the United States of America to go for the presidential elections, the race is closer to its end and is getting scarier for those who don't want Republican nominee Donald Trump to win.
As if one Trump was not enough, there are people who impersonate him and campaign for him. This man who looks similar to the republican nominee sounds exactly like him. Talking to ANI outside the Trump Tower, the lookalike said he is an impersonator and does many voices and characters.
#WATCH ANI's Naveen Kapoor talks to a Donald Trump look-alike outside Trump Tower in New York, US pic.twitter.com/OJ7PUqq0sl ANI (@ANI_news) November 7, 2016
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"It is going to be huge, all the guys from New Delhi move to United States and vote for Trump", the man said, imitating Trump.
Also read: Sniff sniff: Twitterati speculate Donald Trump has a cocaine habit
When asked how he is getting it almost perfect, he said "that's what I do, you look like them and sound like them".
According to the recent polls, Hillary Clinton is leading but Trump remains 'perilously close', reported the Independent.
Also read: Donald Trump's son Eric takes part in 'aarti' ahead of Election Day
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"We are living through the greatest jobs theft in the history of the world. There's never been a country that's lost jobs like we do, so stupidly, so easy to solve," he said while addressing his supporters in Tampa, Florida on Saturday.
By Press Trust of India: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has claimed that the Americans are living through the "greatest jobs theft" in the history of the world, saying US companies were moving out jobs to countries like India, China, Mexico and Singapore.
GREATEST JOBS THEFT
"America has lost 70,000 factories since China entered the World Trade Organisation, another Bill and Hillary backed disaster. We are living through the greatest jobs theft in the history of the world. There's never been a country that's lost jobs like we do, so stupidly, so easy to solve," he said while addressing his supporters in Tampa, Florida on Saturday.
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"Goodrich Lighting Systems laid off 255 workers and moved their jobs to India. Baxter Health Care Corporation laid off 199 workers and moved their jobs to Singapore. Essilor Laboratories laid off 181 workers and moved their jobs, surprise, to Mexico. It's getting worse and worse and worse," he added.
Trump said that his contract with the American voter begins with a plan to end government corruption and to take back the country from the special interests.
"I want the entire, corrupt Washington establishment to hear the words we are about to say. When we win on November 8th, we are going to drain the swamp. Going to do it," he claimed.
VOWS TO STOP JOBS FROM LEAVING
The New York-based billionaire said the core of his contract is his plan to bring back jobs that have been stolen, stolen by either very stupid or corrupt politicians.
"Florida has lost one in four of its manufacturing jobs since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a deal signed by Bill Clinton and supported by Hillary," Trump said.
A Trump administration will stop the jobs from leaving America and will stop the jobs from leaving the great state of Florida, he said.
He further claimed that the theft of American prosperity will end quickly and effectively, saying, "if a company wants to fire their workers, leave Florida, move to another country, and then shift their product back into the United States, we will make them pay a tax of 35 per cent".
"They're never going to leave this country. They're never leaving. He knows. They're never going to leave this country."
NAFTA AND TPP
A Trump administration will renegotiate NAFTA. If we don't get the deal we want, we will terminate NAFTA and get a much better deal for our workers," he added.
Slamming his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, Trump said he will immediately stop the job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership, claiming it as another disaster in the making that Clinton said is the gold standard.
"Yeah, it's the gold standard for other countries, not for us. The gold standard for the countries that want to be part of that deal.
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"As part of our plan to bring back jobs, we're going to lower taxes on American business from 35 per cent to 15 per cent. We're the highest taxed nation in the world, one of the main reasons that they're leaving. We will massively cut taxes for the middle class, also," Trump said.
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By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) After the telecom regulator suggested a hefty penalty on incumbent operators over interconnect issue, the Telecom Department has sought Attorney-Generals opinion on whether it has the authority to impose penalty for breach of licence conditions.
"We have sought A-Gs opinion on whether the authority to impose penalty for (breach of) licence condition remains, in the context of Tripura High Court ruling which raised question on our power to impose such penalty," a Department of Telecom (DoT) official said.
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Late last month, telecom regulator TRAI suggested imposition of Rs 1,050 crore penalty each for Airtel and Vodafone, and Rs 950 crore for Idea Cellular, for denying interconnect to newcomer Reliance Jio.
TRAI, in its recommendation to DoT, said it has found the trio non-compliant with licence conditions and service quality norms, given the high rate of call failures and congestion at interconnect points for Reliance Jio.
Following TRAIs recommendation, the Telecom Department sought A-Gs opinion on the matter last week, sources pointed out.
Sources further indicated that DoT may not make any move on setting up internal committees to examine the matter from commercial and technical aspects, till such time it receives A-Gs opinion on the larger issue of its authority to impose penalty.
While giving its recommendation to DoT, TRAI had noted that denial of interconnection by the three operators to RJio ?appears to be with the ulterior motive to stifle competition and is anti-consumer?.
The regulator had, in fact, stopped short of recommending cancellation of their telecom licences, saying it may lead to ?significant consumer inconvenience?. The recommendation came on complaint by Reliance Jio that over 75 per cent of calls on its network are failing as incumbents were not giving sufficient points of interconnect to help complete calls.
In its defence, Airtel had stated that it has done everything humanly possible to augment connectivity between its network and Reliance Jio, and is hopeful of objective outcome on the penalty issue. PTI MBI JM
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By Ajay Kumar: An Afghan national was offloaded from a Kam Air flight following severe health complications. But police had a major surprise when they sent him for a detailed medical checkup. For, it revealed that the man had consumed 57 capsules containing contrabands that had led to the complications.
WHAT HAPPENED
The incident occurred on October 3 when two Afghan nationals boarded the flight. One of them, identified as Ghulam Rabani (43), became unwell at the airport. "As Rabani was under immense abdominal pain, he was immediately taken to AIIMS. We smelled something fishy and asked the doctors to examine him thoroughly," said DCP of IGI, Sanjay Bhatia. Doctors operated upon the patient on October 4 and found 57 well-wrapped polythene coated capsules in his stomach. "The capsules contained heroin. The total weight of the contraband recovered from his stomach is 525 grams. It is worth `2 crore in the international market," Bhatia said.
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The DCP added that Delhi police is making efforts to unearth the whole smuggling racket in Delhi and its international connections. Bhatia told Mail today that the accused is undergoing treatment and is currently recuperating in ICU. Due to this, his interrogation was not possible so far. Police are hoping that Rabani will be able to provide vital clues about his handlers in Delhi and abroad. During investigation, it did not appear prima facie that the man accompanying him could 57 capsules caused stomach painalso be involved in the racket.However, he too was offloaded and is currently under the watch of police. Rabani arrived in India on a medical visa in October, but he did not visit any hospital for treatment so far, it was revealed.
FULL BODY SCANNERS INSTALLED
Police said that it is a one-of-its-kind incident where a passenger has taken such a high risk with his health to smuggle contraband from India. The governing authority of IGI airport had recently decided to install a full-body scanner at all terminals to prevent any kind of smuggling. The machines will be made operational by the end of this month as part of enhanced security and counter-terror measures. This will be the first time a full-body scanner will be installed and made operational for trial purposes at any civil airport in the country, officials said.
The scanner, procured from a German firm, works on the Millimetre Wave (MMW) Technology which does not give out the exact body contours of a flier under inspection at the scanner but puts out a 'generic mannequin' figure depicting only metalic and non-metalic objects on an individual's body, sources said. The scanner will ensure a 'targeted search' and will look out for prohibited items that can be concealed such as liquid gels, ceramics, cutters, recording devices, knives and other weapons. It is expected that the scanner will be made operational on trial basis at IGI's domestic terminal 1D for fliers on voluntary basis. The officials said that the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel will begin training on the scanner from tomorrow.
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As Kamal Haasan turns 62 today, we give you the reasons why the thespian is everything that Robert Downey Jr said in the Hollywood film The Avengers.
By Srivatsan: In the film The Avengers, when Tony Stark said, "Genius, playboy, billionaire and philanthropist," nobody ever though that it'll be a fitting description for the veteran actor of Indian cinema, Kamal Haasan. As the thespian turns 62 today, we give you the reasons why Kamal Haasan is everything that Robert Downey Jr said.
GENIUS
Be it the scene where Saketh Ram is petrified by the blood-licking lizard, which symbolises the inhuman nature of the communal politics, or the fascinating scene where the Indian flag transforms and turns into a lotus as a metaphor for the emergence of the RSS, Kamal Haasan's Hey Ram (2000) was sheer brilliance.
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In Unnaipol Oruvan (2009), a remake of the Hindi film A Wednesday, when Kamal Haasan reveals his rationale: taking revenge against terrorists who inserted their fists into a woman to destroy the offspring, his rage and agony are unbelievable. The critics praised the symbolism to the heavens, especially in the scene where he uses a revolver to wipe his tears. However, the original version had no such scenes.
ALSO READ: Happy Birthday Kamal Haasan - A lone wolf of Indian cinema who never compromised
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ALSO READ: Happy Birthday Kamal Haasan- Five best performances of the thespian
When Gunaa meets Abhirami in the film Gunna (1991), the scene is so beautifully staged that it reflects the former's mind. Abhirami dons a white saree, while the bhakts are dressed in orange. Orange is the colour that symbolises attraction, fascination and determination, while white symbolises light, goodness and purity. When Abhirami offers prasad to Gunaa, the yellow coloured laddu symbolises optimism and clarity. This particular portion summarises the plot of Gunaa. Also, before Gunaa meets Abhirami, he's guided by a signboard.
Kamal Haasan's films abound in such madly-written nuances, only if you care to look for them.
PLAYBOY
Especially in Indian cinema, the audience has this tendency to discover what's happening in a star's bedroom rather than what the star has done for art. In a lighter sense, if you're a celebrity, your life is out in public and you're taken for granted. Kamal Haasan is no exception. Even for a genius like Kamal Haasan, whose life was perfect in all other aspects save his marriages. He was married to Vani Ganapathy, then to Sarika. He has been in relationships with Gauthami (who he just split with, after 13 years of living together), Sri Vidhya and Simran. People judged him and will continue to do so in the following years. Of course, in India, the audience expect an actor to be what he is on screen.
BILLIONAIRE
In the '80s and '90s, most of his films shattered existing box-office records. However, what is spell-binding is how Haasan intellectually struck a balance between arthouse and commercial cinema. If his experimental Gunaa bombed at the box office, he went on to make a Thevar Magan (1992). If his Uthama Villain fails to mint money, then Paapanasam does the needful. Having said that, he's not the one for whom cinema is just business. If it would have been, he wouldn't have made a Hey Ram (2000) or a Virumaandi (2004). Kamal Haasan sows what he reaps in cinema and that reminds one of the dialogues from Thevar Magan, in which Sivaji Ganesan says, "I sowed the seeds."
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PHILANTHROPIST
An inspiring fact that many of us don't know about Kamal Haasan is that he converted his fan clubs into welfare organisations. His fan clubs help organise blood and eye donation drives, and donate educational materials to students under the name Kamal Welfare Association. Every year, during his birthday, his ardent fans indulge in welfare activities. However, Haasan's philanthropy left many of us teary-eyed when he narrated this heartwarming story. In 2014, Haasan interacted with AIDS patients on a well-known radio station.
One of the patients, a girl, while taking Haasan's arm, said, "Discrimination is what that really kills us, Sir."
A puzzled Haasan asked her if she knows the reason why people discriminate AIDS patients. To which the girl said, "Yes, Sir. Because they say that we would spread the virus if a contact is made."
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However, the girl burst into tears when Haasan said, "You're holding my arm, am I infected?"
In a career spanning five decades, Kamal Haasan, who is known for refusing any kind of brand endorsement, endorsed Pothys for the first time in 2015. Though many criticised Haasan for this, the Rs 12 crore amount was donated to HIV-affected children, a fact that many of us are not aware of.
( The writer tweets as LoneWolf_7126 )
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By Rohini Swamy: A helicopter stunt for the Kannada film Masthigudi went horribly wrong. Two people drowned during the shooting of the movie.
Duniya Vijay, Uday and Anil jumped into the Thippagondanahalli Reservoir, 35km west of Bengaluru, from a helicopter. Vijay came out, but the other two are yet to be found. Uday and Anil were supposedly playing negative roles in the film.
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The climax scene was being shot in Bengaluru, which ended in the tragedy.
A criminal case is being registered against the film unit. Three actors reportedly jumped into the lake during the shooting of the climax scene of the film Masthigudi.
Television footage showed three crew members diving into Thippagondanahalli Lake from a low-flying helicopter for the climax stunt of the film, Masthigudi.
Response from what appeared to be a rescue boat on a standby appeared too late to pull out two of the actors, Raghav Uday and Anil, who struggled in the waters below.
Duniya Vijay, the lead star of Masthigudi, came out safe after the plunge. The Sandalwood actor is popular down South for his action-packed movies.
The three were filming the manufactured peril when it went wrong at around 2.48pm today.
Vijay was the last of the three to dive down from the helicopter.
In 2014, Uday was awarded the Best Villain for his role in the Kannada film Jayammana Maga.
"I will go for this shot with all faith in God," Vijay told reporters before Monday's stunt scene. Apparently, he was aware of his limited swimming skills.
Anil, who is also feared drowned, recently acted in the film Santhu Straight Forward.
Anil and Uday, the actors who were drowned, reportedly did not even have basic training in swimming. Popular actor Duniya Vijay also jumped into the water, but managed to swim ashore. Anil and Uday weren't able to make it.
Police have lodged a criminal case against Masthigudi makers. The Superintendent of Police of Ramanagara, Karnataka, reportedly said that a suo moto case is being filed against the film team.
Masthigudi, which is supposedly based on the life of actor Duniya Vijay, saw the actor joining hands with Nagashekar. The script of the film is said to be inspired from Duniya Vijay's attitude towards life.
Earlier, reports said that the movie is inspired from a real-life incident which happened at Masthigudi temple near the Kabini Dam near Mysore. Duniya Vijay's friends, Sundar P Gowda and Anil Kumar V, are the producers of the film.
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WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:
(This is a developing story. Watch this space.)
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Mumbai Police have formed a special team to nab the prime accused in the murder of artist Hema Upadhyay and her advocate a year ago.
By Saurabh Vaktania: Almost a year after the brutal murder of artist Hema Upadhyay and advocate Haresh Bhambhani, the Mumbai police are yet to nab the prime accused Vidyadhar Rajbhar.
"Nabbing him (Vidyadhar Rajbhar) is big challenge for me. A special team will be made to arrest him," said Mumbai police commissioner Datta Padsalgikar.
Rajbhar is also important as he is the one who would know the actual motive behind the double murder which is still ambiguous.
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Bodies of Hema and Haresh were recovered from a Nullah in Dhanukwadi area in Kandivali west on December 12 last year. The bodies were found stuffed in boxes. The two had reportedly gone missing a day before their bodies were found.
Hema had filed divorce with her estranged husband Chintan Upadhyay. The celebrated couple were in news after in 2013 Hema had filed a case against Chintan for sketching obscene paintings on the wall of her bedroom.
HUSBAND DETAINED AFTER MURDER
After the double murder case Chintan was detained by the crime branch for well over ten days. As the crime branch did not find anything against him they left and on the same day on December 22 Kandivali police arrested Chintan for conspiracy and destruction of evidence.
Also read: Hema Upadhyay murder case: Death as a spectacle
According to police investigations it was revealed that Rajbhar had called Hema saying that he had some videos of Chintan with other women which will help her in legal battle against Chintan in court. The cops however later verified the same but came in conclusion that no such videos were available. Chintan too till now has not admitted to the crime.
Almost a year now the cops have no motive and prime accused Rajbhar still wanted. There were also theories that Rajbhar may be already dead but the cops were tracing his locations and he was constantly changing his area to evade arrest.
SPECIAL TEAM TO NAB RAJBHAR
According to sources from Mumbai police, a special team will be made to nab Rajbhar. Earlier Mumbai police and crime branch were trying to trace Rajbhar but their efforts were futile. All the officers will be handpicked for the special team.
Also read: Hema Upadhyay's estranged husband Chintan Upadhyay arrested for her murder
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FBI Director James Comey made the announcement in a letter to Congress, saying the agency had worked "around the clock" to complete its review of newly discovered emails and found no reason to change its July finding.
US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton waits to greet supporters backstage before a campaign concert with Katy Perry in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Reuters).
By Reuters: The FBI said on Sunday it stood by its earlier finding that no criminal charges were warranted against Democrat Hillary Clinton for using a private email server for government work, lifting a cloud over her presidential campaign two days before the US election.
NO REASON TO CHARGE
FBI Director James Comey made the announcement in a letter to Congress, saying the agency had worked "around the clock" to complete its review of newly discovered emails and found no reason to change its July finding.
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"During that process, we reviewed all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state," Comey said. "We have not changed our conclusions expressed in July."
A law enforcement source told Reuters the decision closes the FBI probe of Clinton's email practices.
Comey informed Congress of the newly discovered emails more than a week ago, throwing the race for the White House into turmoil and eroding Clinton's lead over Republican candidate Donald Trump in the final stretch before Tuesday's vote.
"We're glad this issue is resolved but for the record, this could easily have been learned before 1st letter was sent," Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon wrote on Twitter.
Republicans, however, did not ease up on their criticism of Clinton.
"She simply believes she's above the law and always plays by her own rules," House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement, arguing that Clinton's use of a private email server "compromised our national security."
U.S. stock index futures rose more than 1 percent after the FBI announcement, suggesting Wall Street is poised to end its longest skid in more than three decades. The U.S. dollar also jumped in Asian trading against the yen, euro and Swiss franc.
Global financial markets last week slipped as polls showed the presidential race tightening.
REPUBLICANS RENEW CRITICISM
The latest emails were discovered as part of a separate probe of former Democratic U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin. Weiner is the target of an FBI investigation into illicit text messages he allegedly sent to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina.
Federal investigators got a warrant to examine the emails to see if they were related to the probe into Clinton's private server. Democrats reacted angrily to Comey's intrusion into the race and demanded quick action in examining the emails.
"I am very grateful to the professionals at the FBI for doing an extraordinary amount of high-quality work in a short period of time," Comey said on Sunday.
But Democrats did not let Comey and the FBI off the hook. U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California said Sunday's announcement made Comey's earlier letter "even more troubling" for creating a false impression about the inquiry.
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"I believe the Justice Department needs to take a look at its procedures to prevent similar actions that could influence future elections," she said.Trump, who has hammered Clinton over the emails issue, arguing it was proof she is corrupt and untrustworthy, did not mention the decision at a rally in Minneapolis right after it was announced.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus said that while the probe had not led to criminal charges, it produced evidence that Clinton broke the law and "repeatedly lied to the American people about her reckless conduct."
Clinton also did not mention the FBI decision during a campaign appearance in Cleveland.
News of the renewed probe hurt Clinton's poll numbers, with Trump cutting into her once formidable lead.
ALSO READ:
Salman Khan tweets support for Hillary Clinton, hopes she will be US President
Trump or Clinton: Indian-American voters can decide next US president
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Japan and India have been holding talks on the purchase for more than two years.
By Reuters: India's Defence Ministry will agree on Monday to purchase 12 amphibious rescue aircraft from Japanese manufacturer ShinMaywa Industries worth $1.5 billion-$1.6 billion, the Nikkei news paper reported on Sunday.
Japan and India have been holding talks on the purchase for more than two years. It would one of Japan's first sales of military equipment since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted a 50-year ban on arms exports and it reflects growing defence ties between the two countries.
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India's Defence Ministry will approve the purchase of 12 US-2 aircraft at a Defense Acquisitions Council meeting scheduled for Monday, the Nikkei reporting, citing senior ministry officials it did not name.
The deal will be included in a memorandum of understanding to be signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan from Thursday to Saturday, the Nikkei said, citing the officials.
During the visit, Abe will also urge Modi to expand its usage of Japan's high-speed train technology, the Nikkei reported.
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By PTI: Geneva, Nov 7 (PTI) A 39-year-old Indian, who triggered a bomb scare here at the Geneva airport to avoid missing his flight to India, has been sentenced to six months prison and slapped with a hefty penalty of 50,000 Swiss francs, Swiss media reported today.
The Indian, who has not been named, called up an Aeroflot airline employee at Genevas Cointrin airport last month and told them there was a bomb on his Moscow bound connecting flight to India, which he was rushing to catch, the Le Matin daily reported.
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The plane, with 116 passengers on board, had to be evacuated and throughly searched after the Swiss police was alerted about the bomb scare made by the Indian man who lives in the Swiss town of Montreux.
The man, who was arrested by the police after he reached the airport to catch his flight, was sentenced to six-months prison term and also slapped with a fine of 50,000 Swiss francs (USD 51,200) to compensate for the loss time of police and airport authorities, the report said.
Geneva police chief Francois Waridel said that the amount would be enough to pay the 101 police officers and six security agents who were called in to respond to the alert.
"Considering the times we are living in, we have to take maximum security precautions," Waridel said. PTI SUA AKJ SUA
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By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) Jet Airways will launch a daily direct flight from Bengaluru to Singapore beginning December 14 this year.
Currently, the airline has daily flights from Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai to Singapore.
In a release, Jet Airways said it would start a direct flight from Bengaluru to Singapore. The daily service would start from December 14, further expanding its connectivity across the ASEAN region.
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Boeing 737-800 Next Generation (NG) aircraft would be deployed on the route.
The carrier said that the new flight would offer Singapore connectivity to passengers from Hyderabad, Mangaluru, Coimbatore and Thiruvananthapuram.
"This service has been introduced in response to growing demand on this sector, particularly from business and corporate travellers," it added.
Jet Airways Chief Commercial Officer Jayaraj Shanmugam said introduction of the service is in keeping with the growing popularity amongst its guests for enhanced, seamless connectivity between the ASEAN region and India.
The carrier has a fleet of 117 planes and operates flights to 67 destinations, within and outside India. PTI RAM JM
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A guard found a country-made pistol and seven cartridges in Delhi's JNU campus.
By India Today Web Desk: A black bag with pistol and ammunition was found inside Delhi's prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, police said on Monday.
The bag was found around 50 metres from the north gate of JNU campus by one of the guards deployed there. The JNU security control room then alerted the police.
ALSO READ | JNU students protest against govt over missing student, threaten to hold massive protests
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"One country-made pistol along with seven catridges was found in the bag on Sunday night at around 2 am.
A case has been registered against unknown persons under the arms act.
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A day after Delhi CM met President Pranab Mukherjee, the MHA has said that the President has not sought any report on Delhi Police.
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: A day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met President Pranab Mukherjee to express concern over what he called the high handedness of Delhi Police in handling the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students union protest and Police's inability to find Najeeb Ahmed for 24 days.
Less than 24 hours later Ministry of Home Affairs ( MHA) denied that the President had sought a report from the ministry. MHA also clarified that, they have not a sought a report from Delhi Police.
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Though sources pointed out that Delhi Police had been given a free hand, they said there were a few anomalies like shortage of women constable, who should have been present to deal with women protesters and even Najeeb Ahmed's mother. Though no report would be sought, officials may unofficially seek answer to some of the questions.
After meeting Mukherjee, Kejriwal said that the President had promised to seek a report from the Home Ministry and the JNU. "He (President) assured all support," the Aam Aadmi Party leader had tweeted.
The chief minister sought the President's intervention regarding Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing from JNU on 15 October after a tiff with alleged members of the BJP-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
With Kejriwal jumping into fray accusing Delhi police of inaction and mistreating Najeeb's mother. Other political parties like the left expressed displeasure in handling of the matter.
Delhi Police comes under MHA and not Delhi Government.
Also read:
Missing JNU student row: Najeeb's mother among 200 detained by Delhi Police over protests
Delhi Police pulling out all stops in effort to locate missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed
Delhi police to share with media details of missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed
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By Revathi Rajeevan: Days after Hindu United Front state president and school teacher Sasikala was booked for allegedly inciting communal tensions, several students from her school in Palakkad district of Kerala today boycotted classes in protest.
Students of Vallapuzha Higher Secondary School, where Sasikala was teaching for over 30 years, today demanded her removal from the school. Sasikala had called the Vallapuzha village Pakistan of Palakkad due to high Muslim population.
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The students stuck posters and distributed pamphlets on school premises protesting against her statements.
However, Sasikala refuted the allegations saying that her statement was taken out context.
"I have not seen or heard the statement that they are talking about but from what they said I think it is from an interview I gave in 2011 in US. I was asked about my stand and relations with those from other communities. I said in order to see that you only have to look around the place I live, the school I teach. The Muslim population in the area is so high that if there's a Pakistan in Palakkad then it would be Vallapuzha. Around 95 per cent of my students in the school are Muslims," said Sasikala.
Also read: Kerala Hindu outfit leader booked for hate speech
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By Pramod Madhav: Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi on Sunday took a bicycle tour around Puducherry and felt sad that it's not possible to do the same in Delhi.
"Not possible in Delhi, sadly.?? It's unhealthy today????..Every single day of this state of affairs will make it more difficult by the day ??," tweeted Bedi.
(Photo: Twitter)
ALSO READ | Kiran Bedi takes oath as Puducherry Governor
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BEDI SHARES TRIP PHOTOS ON TWITTER
On her Twitter page, the former top cop even shared her weekend bicycle trip photos.
(Photo: Twitter)
ALSO READ | Delhi smog: Schools shut, construction stopped, government advises work from home
Following Diwali, Delhi is suffering from air pollution, especially covered by toxic smog which has even pushed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to keep schools shut for three days. "Request Delhiites to work from home whenever possible. For next 5 days, all the construction and demolition work will be shut," said Kejriwal.
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DGCA officials said that getting a helicopter repaired from unqualified Aircraft maintenance engineers is a violation of rules and if found at fault, action has be taken against the pilot and the aviation company as well.
By Pankaj P. Khelkar: The Kolhapur-based brothers who repaired a helicopter last week might have received lot of fame but the pilot of the said helicopter is facing a lot of heat from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for letting unqualified helicopter maintenance engineers repair his vehicle.
INVESTIGATION HAS BEGUN
As the news and pictures of car mechanics repairing helicopter reached DGCA, officers have started investigating the matter and learned that Pune based Avinash Bhosale, the Chairman of Varva Aviation was flying in his Agusta Westland AW 109 (VT-VCA) chopper from Goa to Pune. After the helicopter developed a technical snag, the chopper had to take a brief hault at Kolhapur in Maharashtra. It was here that mechanics brothers were called in to see if they could repair this helicopter that had landed at the helipad of renowned educationist D Y Patil's mansion in Kolhapur.
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The DGCA officials said that an enquiry has been initiated to probe the said incident. They added that getting a helicopter repaired from unqualified Aircraft maintenance engineers is a violation of rules and if found at fault, action has be taken against the pilot and the aviation company as well.
When Kolhapur media had approached the authorities at D Y Patil mansion, it was communiated that the helicopter belonged to a Chennai based businessman and it was flying towards Chennai from Kolhapur. The same details were reported by India Today on the 30th of last month. Now the information from DGCA has made it clear that the chopper was flying from Goa to Pune via Kolhapur.
Till the probe is over the helicopter pilot of the said helicopter has banned from flying for allowing car mechanics to repair the helicopter and also for not bringing the snag incident to the notice of the DGCA authorities.
ALSO READ:
Meet car mechanics from Maharashtra's Kohlapur who repaired a helicopter
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Lashkar chief Hafiz Saaed is planning a big strike on India and has made Abu Irfan Tandewala its in-charge.
By Jitendra Bahadur Singh: With the security along the India-Pakistan border being increased in the wake of several terrorist attacks, the Lashkar-e-Taiba men are now planning to infiltrate into India through a different route.
According to sources, Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed is planning to use the rivers, Nikki Tavi and Badi Tavi, to enter India. Saeed has made Lashkar commander Abu Irfan Tandewala the in-charge of the operation.
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If sources are to be believed, the Lashkar chief is planning a big strike on India.
ALSO READ: Pak Army moves terror masterminds Hafiz Saeed, Syed Salahuddin to safe location after surgical strikes
VIGIL INCREASED
Sources said that at least eight to nine men are likely to be a part of this operation. The Pakistan Army, said sources, is allegedly helping them infiltrate the border.
Following the reports on terrorists planning to use a river route for infiltration, the vigil along all the rivers and streams in and around the border areas has been increased.
ALSO READ: After Hafiz Saeed's comments, US warns Pakistan: Go after Mumbai attackers, shut terror shops
The Border Security Force (BSF) has deputed teams along several suspected infiltration routes.
MAXIMUM INFILTRATION BIDS
According to sources, a record number of infiltration attempts along the international border have been witnessed this time. The BSF has foiled at least 15 infiltration bids since the surgical strikes of September 29.
ALSO READ: Lashkar terrorist: 'Chacha' Hafiz Saeed is supreme leader, LeT trained us to target Indian Army, police
All attempts were made either through rivers or jungles along the international border. Three rivers and 11 streams run along the India-Pakistan border.
ALSO READ: Hafiz Saeed asks Pakistan government not to allow Rajnath Singh's visit
ALSO READ: Protests in the Valley after Wani's death were fuelled by LeT, says Hafiz Saeed
ALSO WATCH
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Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung today chaired a meeting to discuss the condition of air pollution in the national capital.
By India Today Web Desk: The government today imposed a ban on use of firecrackers for weddings and has imposed ban on burning of garbage. Lt Governor Najeeb Jung today chaired a meeting at Raj Niwas to discuss the serious condition of air pollution in Delhi and directed all concerned agencies to ensure that immediate measures required to mitigate air pollution in Delhi are strictly implemented.
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The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Minister of PWD Satyendra Jain, Minister of Environment and Forest Imran Hussain and several top ministers from the government. Besides, environmental experts, such as Sunita Narain and Anumita Roy from Centre for Science and Environment and Prof Manju Mohan from IIT Delhi too participated in the meeting.
Also read: Delhi smog: Schools shut, construction stopped, government advises work from home
The Governor emphasized the need to take extraordinary measures and immediate steps to control Air Pollution in Delhi, which has got compounded because of several factors such as prevailing Meteorological Conditions, recent use of Fire Crackers and Agricultural Crop Burning etc. He said all concerned must come together on a war footing and he assigned responsibilities to various agencies for strict implementation of decisions taken at the meeting.
The Lt. Governor shall be reviewing the situation again on 15th November 2016 at 3 PM in Raj Niwas.
Lt. Governor emphasised on the following measures: Deregistration of 15 year old diesel vehicles to start from today: Directions have been issued to all Registering Authorities/MLOs to start deregistration of diesel vehicles which are more than 15 years old in a phased manner. This will bring about a reduction of 2 lakhs diesel vehicles on the roads in Delhi. MCD has been asked to take all measures to control fire in landfill sites, particularly Bhalaswa. They shall be doing so by using PWD construction/demolition malba and sludge generated by water treatment plants of DJB, if required. Strict enforcement of ban on construction/demolition activities from 7th to 14th November 2016. Municipal Authorities and Delhi Police to ensure its strict implementation and prosecute violators. The Delhi Govt. shall be issuing advertisements to this effect. Stopping entry, by Transport Department and Delhi Police, of overloaded trucks and non-destined trucks in Delhi, particularly those entering from Rajasthan, UP, Haryana etc with immediate effect. In two days, the engineers will also work out an engineering solution to turn away overloaded and non-destined trucks from Delhi. Transport Department and Delhi Police to robustly check PUC certificates and take strictest action against violators. Smoke meters to be installed at all borders. Strict action against polluting industries running in NCT of Delhi particularly in non-conforming areas. DMCs and Delhi Police to jointly launch operations to shut down all such industries. Strict enforcement, including penalization, for burning dry leaves/garbage/tyres/rubber/plastic etc in open. Concerned agencies will intensify the drive and take action against violators. A roster of officers in charge shall be drawn out and action against officers found negligent during enforcement shall be initiated. Ban on crackers in Delhi, including marriages etc, other than religious functions. The Lt Governor said that only when the government and citizens of Delhi synergize their efforts can the current state of air pollution in Delhi be brought down.
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Also read:
Delhi smog: Supreme Court to hear plea on alarming air pollution
Delhi continues to reel under cloud of smog for 7th day, CM Kejriwal calls emergency cabinet meet
Environmental agency urges schools in Delhi to declare holidays till smog clears
A day after Diwali, smog blankets Delhi
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Kanu was famous as the boy who walked ahead of Mahatma Gandhi holding one end of his stick on the beaches of Gujarat's Dandi village during the historic Salt Satyagraha of March-April 1930.
By Indo-Asian News Service: Kanu Ramdas Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and a former NASA scientist, breathed his last in a private hospital here on Monday evening, an aide said.
Kanu was 87 and is survived by his wife Shivalaxmi.
Kanu was famous as the boy who walked ahead of Mahatma Gandhi holding one end of his stick on the beaches of Gujarat's Dandi village during the historic Salt Satyagraha of March-April 1930.
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On October 22, he suffered a heart attack and brain haemorrhage which left his body paralysed. He lapsed into a coma, from which he never recovered, Dhimant Badhia, his grieving friend of decades, told IANS.
Also Read: 10 things to know about Mahatma Gandhi's assassination
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By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) Congress today accused the Modi government of trampling the three pillars of democracy - executive, judiciary and media, and said there was no place for dissent in it as it dubs as "anti-nationals" all those showing it the mirror of truth.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the attitude of the Modi government does not match with Indias pluralist character and the freedom of expression of an individual and that is why it was imposing ban on the media.
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The Congress also stood out in support of NDTV, on which a day-long ban has been imposed over coverage of the Pathankot terror attack, and said the entire country was now strongly opposing this "death-knell" imposed on the channel.
"The Modi government is trampling upon the three pillars of democracy - the executive, the judiciary and the media. Criticism or dissent is not acceptable to this Modi government which is gripped with the disease of self-praise and wants media to toe its line.
"Whenever someone shows it the mirror of truth, this government wears the mask of nationalism and dubs those showing it the mirror as anti-nationals. The attitude of Modi government does not match with the pluralist thought and freedom of expression of an individual," he said.
In a statement, Surjewala said the entire intellectual class and journalists were now standing out against this ban which was a bid to throttle the independent voice and anyone who raised their voice against the Modi government.
The Congress leader said that doubts were now being raised over the patriotism of those who had questioned the Modi government for allowing Pakistans ISI to enter the Pathankot air base in the name of investigations into the terror attack.
"We have to awaken the Modi government which is in deep slumber due to intoxication of power," he said. PTI SKC IKA
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By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) Mozambique became the 181st party to join the Conference of Parties (COP7) to World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which kicked off here today.
"On the opening day of the convention, it was announced that Mozambique is to become the 181st party to the convention and Zimbabwe was welcome as the most recent party to accede to the convention," an official statement said.
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India is hosting the seventh session of the six-day convention for the first time. The convention that began today will continue till November 12.
"Parties highlighted the progress they have made in implementation of the convention and it shows there is increasing compliance with the provisions of the treaty.
"The report by the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC Global Progress in implementation of the WHO FCTC also notes the incredible advances made in implementing the measures of the treaty," the statement said.
The Head of the Convention Secretariat, Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva, noted that the period since COP6 in 2014 has seen significant success.
"We must applaud the bold action taken by many Parties during the last two years and it is reassuring that the treaty and the standards adopted by COP have helped you protect your decisions against legal challenges," she said.
For the first time, note verbale had been sent requesting Parties to exclude representatives of partially or wholly state-owned tobacco companies from their delegations, the official added. PTI TDS SRY
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By Mail Today Bureau:
Modi government has not been trying to bulldoze the Muslim community in the triple talaq matter. The dispensation was not interfering with the religious or Shariat matters of the biggest Indian minority, said Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
SPREADING MISCONCEPTION
The Union Minister told Mail Today that some people were "spreading misconception for their narrow political self interest". "They are trying to divert attention from real issues and development agenda. Only the agenda of development can defeat all other kinds of negative agenda," he added. Drawing attention to the much heated debate recently, surrounding the practice of triple talaq', Naqvi clarified that there was a need for a positive debate and discussion at the national level for an inclusive outcome. "So far as triple talaq and issues surrounding the Uniform Civil Code are concerned, there should be a positive discussion on this issue. Debate and discussions are important parts of any democracy. National consensus should be achieved through national debate."
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EMPOWERMENT OF MINORITIES
"Masters of corruption are unable to digest the corruption-free, development oriented system provided by the Central Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Naqvi said. Naqvi has been proactive since he took charge of the ministry in the last reshuffle, replacing Najma Heptullah. The ministry since has made it clear that minorities, especially the Muslims, would not be left out of the mainstream, that Naqvi ascribes to the previous governments. "The Modi government has been moving forward for empowerment of all needy people including minorities with the mantra of "Vikas Bhi, Vishwas Bhi (development along with trust)." Meanwhile, Naqvi inaugurated a 'Progress Panchayat' in a village in Uttarakhand's Uddham Singh Nagar recently. Under the initiative the ministry organises direct contact meets among minorities and officials and elicits the views of the target audience.
ALSO READ:
Muslim women come out against Modi in Agra over Triple Talaq issue
Triple talaq issue: RSS holds secret meeting with Muslim intellectuals in Agra
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By Saurabh Vaktania, Mustafa Shaikh: The Maharashtra ATS and Mumbai crime branch in its joint operation on 27 October seized large amount of explosives from Manor Area of Palghar district, however even after many days had passed there has been no official word from ATS on the whole case, which raises a few doubts on how the high intensive explosives reached so close to Mumbai and who are the people behind it.
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LARGE QUANTITIES OF EXPLOSIVES FOUND
he cops had found a large quantity of explosives, one of which was RDX, which FSL had confirmed. Sources from the police confirmed that crime branch received a tip off about the explosives, a collaborative joint raid was conducted by the ATS and crime branch. On October 27, almost 100 officers raided the abandoned PWD structure where the explosives had been dumped. The cops found the explosives after spending two days in the search. The ATS officer and a central agency official confirmed it was a tip off but there is no official confirmation.
EXPLOSIVES STORED FOR A LONG TIME
Sources from the Mumbai police department have now told India Today that the explosives were kept at the spot for a long period of time. A senior IPS officer told India Today, "The explosive was dumped inside the ground for very long time. Around the spot few plants had grown up which indicates that the explosives were dumped at the spot several months or even years back. Some of the materials in the explosive seizer had even got destroyed which could not be used now. So from all the current evidence we suspect that the explosives were kept for very long time at the spot."
The IPS officer further added, "We highly suspect that some terrorist organization may have kept the explosives there long time back. We are inquiring from terrorist who are arrested in the past and questioning them."
OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION SOON
However there are many questions being raised on the raid and seizures. A source from the department said that if such a massive amount of explosives are seized and the cops have cracked the case, then by now, the cops would have come out officially to announce the seizure. Some cops in department are even questioning the raid, however sources in the ATS told us that police officers will officially announce the seizure, entire operation behind the raids and person responsible.
Also Read:ATS seizes 16 samples of explosives from Palghar
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The NDTV group moved the Supreme Court earlier today against the government's order banning its telecast for a day for its coverage of the attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot in January.
By India Today Web Desk: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has put on hold the order against Hindi news channel NDTV India, which was scheduled to go off air for 24 hours on Wednesday, news agency PTI, quoting official sources, said today.
The NDTV group moved the Supreme Court earlier today against the government's order banning its telecast for a day for its coverage of the attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot in January. The petition, likely to be heard tomorrow, has challenged the constitutional validity of the government's controversial order.
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NDTV India is accused of revealing crucial and "strategically sensitive" information when the Pathankot terror attack was on, an allegation denied by the channel which claimed it is being singled out by the government.
READ| UPA banned 21 channels, some for airing midnight masala: BJP defends NDTV India ban
Ban a small action: Government
Earlier in the day, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu had defended the NDTV ban, saying it was just a "small action" and wondered why those attacking the government for curbing freedom of the media now had kept silent during the UPA regime.
"We are all victims of Emergency. We fought for media rights. This government will never do anything to suppress the liberty of the media. This liberty that the media and the opposition enjoy was never seen in the past," he said.
Naidu was responding to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's charges following the NDTV ban that democracy in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi was passing through "its darkest hour".
READ| NDTV India blackout: Opposition leaders, top editors demand withdrawal of ban
Journalists unite to fight
Earlier, top media bodies also stood in solidarity with NDTV over the one-day ban and condemned the Centre's move, saying it sends a "dangerous signal" to the entire press, the freedom of which is already under "increasing threat" in the country.
Members of the Editor's Guild of India, Indian Women's Press Corps, Federation of Press Clubs, Delhi Union of Journalists, Press Club of India and journalists from several media houses called for a united fight for freedom of the press.
"NDTV's case is a writing on the wall and other media houses have recognised this writing. Media censorship has been insidiously creeping on us, the very signal over the last several years, which we unfortunately didn't recognise. It started with the past government only. It started with denial of access to corridors of power, access to PM's travels abroad and denial of access to information... We became part of the censorship," Treasurer of Editors Guild of India Seema Mustafa said at an open forum in New Delhi.
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Also Read:
NDTV India banned: Arvind Kejriwal asks other channels to go off air in solidarity
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By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) Nifty 50 Futures, an index to track the futures price movement on benchmark Nifty 50, today got listed on the Taiwan Futures Exchange (TAIFEX), a move that will provide investors with more efficient access to the Indian capital market.
In June, India Index Services and Products Ltd (IISL), an arm of NSE, launched Nifty 50 futures and said it plans to list for investors in Taiwan. The index is maintained by IISL.
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"TAIFEX Nifty 50 futures is a New Taiwan Dollar (TWD) denominated contract and the first Indian equity index futures product to be introduced in Taiwan," NSE said in a release.
The Nifty 50 futures index reflects futures price movement in the benchmark equity index Nifty 50 which comprises securities listed on NSE. It is one of the most widely-used index to track the performance of the Indian stock market.
"Its an inevitable choice for global investors who want to invest in India. Going forward, investors from Taiwan can take a view on the top 50 Indian companies representing multiple sectors in India by investing in TAIFEX Nifty 50 futures," NSE Managing Director and CEO Chitra Ramkrishna said.
TAIFEX chairman Len-Yu Liu said: "We are very much delighted to work with NSE, and TAIFEX will continue our initiatives towards building co-operation between Taiwan and the global market."
The move is expected to help TAIFEX, which has entered into a licensing agreement with IISL, expand its product line as well as increase its international exposure. PTI PRJ ARD
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By PTI: From Lalit K Jha
Washington, Nov 7 (PTI) Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has said she is "grateful" for the "amazing" support she got from Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle and acknowledged that the outgoing US president is leaving "big shoes" to fill.
Clinton said Obama was not getting the credit he deserves for everything he did to save the US economy and for putting the country on the "right track".
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"I am so grateful for President Obamas leadership. I love it when he talks ? and Im so grateful for all of his support in this election. Both he and Michelle have been amazing on the campaign trail," Clinton said at an election rally in Philadelphia yesterday.
"I love it when the president talks about supporting me, and he said he wants to "pass on the baton" to me. And Im just hoping he will bend low enough that I can reach it, because hes a tall man. Im not sure. So hes going to have to bend, and Im going to have to stand on my toes. Those are big shoes to fill," she said.
Clinton, 69, said Tuesdays US general election was not about any individual, but about choosing "hope over fear, unity over division and love over hate."
She laid out the stakes in the election, calling it not just a choice between two candidates but between two very different visions for the country.
"This election is about much more than the two candidates. Our names may be on the ballot, but make no mistake: everything you care about, everything that I care about and Ive worked for is at stake," she said.
"On Tuesday, we face a test of our own. This election is about much more than the two candidates. Our names may be on the ballot, but make no mistake: everything you care about, everything that I care about and Ive worked for is at stake," Clinton said.
"This election is about doing everything we can to stop the movement to destroy President Obamas legacy ? in fact it is about building on the gains and the progress weve made in the last eight years," she said.
Clinton vowed to break down all the barriers that are holding Americans back and outlined her commitments to end-to-end criminal justice reform, more investment in underserved communities, common sense gun reform so African American mens lives are not disproportionately cut short by gun violence and a concerted effort against systemic racism in all corners of the society.
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"We have got to continue to take on the problem of systemic racism, to rid ourselves of deep-rooted injustice, hatred, and fear. We need end-to-end reform in our criminal justice system ? with real follow through. I want us to get rid of what is called the school to prison pipeline and replace it with the cradle to college pipeline," she said.
"We have got to make sure that we have a commitment to ensure that everyone knows we are safer, when the police respect the communities and protect them and when the communities respect the police, who serve them. That must be our goal," she added. PTI LKJ MRJ AKJ MRJ
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By India Today Web Desk: Last night's episode of Bigg Boss 10 was full of drama and and revelations. Aam aadmi contestant Om Swami was 'evicted' yesterday, but later it was revealed that he was actually taken to the secret room.
Also see--BB10: Here are the most SHOCKING and RIDICULOUS things Om Swami has said on the show
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Yes, you read that right.
Swamiji's supposed eviction came as a shock to everyone, because despite being the troublemaker of the house, he has always been quite popular among the Bigg Boss loyalists, thanks to his unique antics.
However, the contestants in the house are completely unaware of the fact that Swamiji has not actually been eliminated, but has just been taken to the secret room.
Aam aadmi contestants were heartbroken after Om Swami took his leave from the house. Even Manu Punjabi and Manveer Gurjar couldn't hold back their tears and broke down after Swami left the house. Both were seen regretting the way they had behaved with Om Swami.
Meanwhile, Om Swami was busy watching the contestants from his secret hideout.
So, are Manu and Manveer really sad about Om Swami's departure? How will things now unfold in the house?
Bigg Boss 10 airs every Mon-Fri at 10:30 pm, and every Sat-Sun at 9 pm.
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By Sujeet Jha: In an unusual twist of fate, family that has been wrecked following the suicide of their daughter, finally got the answer to the mystery surrounding her death. While parents have been making endless trips to police stations and courts, there was no breakthrough in the case. As a result, the family never knew what prompted their daughter to take the drastic measure.
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Sarita Singh, a CA student in Patna, had committed suicide on September 11, 2015. The family approached the police after the incident, however, their daughter left several questions unanswered. The family said the police after ruling out a foul play and sent Sarita's body for post-mortem.
Further the family alleged that the police did a shabby work and tried to close the case immediately. Sarita's relatives told the police that she owned a mobile phone and that they did not know how to use it. Incidentally, after asking few questions about the phone the police did not make any efforts to find out details about her conversations.
REASON KNOWN AFTER OVER A YEAR
The reason that drove Sarita to death was not known until recently after her father accidentally accessed her Whatsapp chats. Although Sarita's father approached the police with the phone, but to his shock no action was taken in the matter. After days of inaction from the police, Sarita's father even wrote to Bihar chief minister.
Sarita's final conversation revealed that she was in a relationship with a man identified as Ashutosh Krishna. The couple had been speaking for hours and exchanging text messages. Her last messages indicated that she took the drastic measure over love failure. Her father told the police that Ashutosh had refused to marry his daughter and they got into a heated argument on whatsapp. He told the police that Sarita left a message to Ashutosh saying that she was going to commit suicide.
Also read:
Committing suicide not easy, Amity student wrote to his parents
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Congress poll strategist Prashant Kishor likely to be sacked, say sources.
By Mausami Singh, India Today Web Desk: Congress party's election strategist for Uttar Pradesh Prashant Kishor might be asked to step down soon, say sources.
If sources are to be believed, Congress leadership is not happy with poll strategist Prashant Kishor after his recent meeting with Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh and party leader Amar Singh.
UP Assembly elections: Prashant Kishor meets Mulayam, Amar Singh
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Sources say that the party was not in loop about Kishor's meeting with Mulayam and Amar Singh. "Kishor deviated from party line by meeting SP supremo Mulayam," they said.
Sources said that Kishor's recent meeting with the SP leaders may have political consequences, some even hinted at an alliance between Samajwadi Party and Congress.
UP polls: Kishor wants vigorous campaign by Priyanka Vadra
Another reason for rift between the Congress party and Kishor is that the poll strategist wants more vigorous campaign in Uttar Pradesh with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra leading it from the front. While the party has left the decision solely on Priyanka.
Kishor, said to be close to party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, is formulating the strategy for Congress in the state.
ALSO READ | UP polls: Kishor meets Mulayam, Amar Singh
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By PTI: Mumbai, Nov 7 (PTI) Bajaj Group patriarch Rahul Bajaj today praised the Narendra Modi government for the reform process it has undertaken, saying these initiatives, coupled with good monsoons, are likely to improve domestic demand.
"I hope that the domestic demand will improve due to this years good monsoons, reform initiatives of the government and the efforts by various companies," Bajaj said during a speech at the 39th Jamnalal Bajaj Awards here this evening.
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Stating that private sector investment, which has been missing for the past couple of years, will pick up when the demand scenario improves, Bajaj said that private sector investment is badly needed to create jobs.
Bajaj said global economic, political and social situation is likely to continue to be discouraging, with downside headwinds.
"The one silver lining for India is the continuing softness in oil prices," he added.
"In the social sphere, one is encouraged by a large number of youth getting involved in trying to solve social issues. The rise of the social entrepreneur, of impact oriented initiatives that are scalable and almost self-supporting, augur well of our future.
"The corporate social responsibility spending mandated by the government from April 2014 has also played a role in this development," he said.
Bajaj, however, said that this did not absolve the government of its responsibilities towards provisioning of basic services like health, education and infrastructure.
On the visit of British Prime Minister Theresa May, Bajaj said he hoped that the talks between the two nations remains successful.
"This is important for us because after Brexit, our trade with Britain and investment into the island nation would not be same. We were using Britain to go to the European Union which may or may not be possible now. It is important that talks should go well," Bajaj said.
The Jamnalal Bajaj Awards were given to Mohan Hirabai Hirala for constructive work, BV Nimbkar for application of science and technology for rural development, Nannapaneni Manga Devi for welfare of women and children and to Sheikh Rached Ghannouchi of the Ennahdha Party of Tunisia, for promoting Gandhian values outside the country. PTI HV BEN NSK MR
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By PTI: Mumbai, Nov 7 (PTI) Bajaj Group patriarch Rahul Bajaj today praised the Narendra Modi government for the reform process it has undertaken, saying these initiatives, coupled with good monsoons, are likely to improve domestic demand.
"I hope that the domestic demand will improve due to this years good monsoons, reform initiatives of the government and the efforts by various companies," Bajaj said during a speech at the 39th Jamnalal Bajaj Awards here this evening.
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Stating that private sector investment, which has been missing for the past couple of years, will pick up when the demand scenario improves, Bajaj said that private sector investment is badly needed to create jobs.
Bajaj said global economic, political and social situation is likely to continue to be discouraging, with downside headwinds.
"The one silver lining for India is the continuing softness in oil prices," he added.
"In the social sphere, one is encouraged by a large number of youth getting involved in trying to solve social issues. The rise of the social entrepreneur, of impact oriented initiatives that are scalable and almost self-supporting, augur well of our future.
"The corporate social responsibility spending mandated by the government from April 2014 has also played a role in this development," he said.
Bajaj, however, said that this did not absolve the government of its responsibilities towards provisioning of basic services like health, education and infrastructure.
On the visit of British Prime Minister Theresa May, Bajaj said he hoped that the talks between the two nations remains successful.
"This is important for us because after Brexit, our trade with Britain and investment into the island nation would not be same. We were using Britain to go to the European Union which may or may not be possible now. It is important that talks should go well," Bajaj said.
The Jamnalal Bajaj Awards were given to Mohan Hirabai Hirala for constructive work, BV Nimbkar for application of science and technology for rural development, Nannapaneni Manga Devi for welfare of women and children and to Sheikh Rached Ghannouchi of the Ennahdha Party of Tunisia, for promoting Gandhian values outside the country. PTI HV BEN NSK MR SRE
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Rahul Gandhi said, "Modi government obsessed with power is trying to silence all who disagree. Civil society is being intimidated for asking question in the garb of national security."
By India Today Web Desk: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today lashed out at the Centre over ban on NDTV India for 24 hours on November 9. "TV channels punished and asked to shut down, democracy going through darkest hours," he said. Rahul Gandhi said, "Modi government obsessed with power is trying to silence all who disagree. Civil society is being intimidated for asking question in the garb of national security."
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The CWC also discussed organisational polls and strategy for the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament besides party's preparations for the upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur. Rahul said, "Asking questions is what discomforts this government, for they have no answers, we must expose Centre's failures in upcoming Parliament session."
Rahul Gandhi also questioned the government's Pakistan policy, saying it was swinging "from one extreme to another" while dealing with Islamabad.
Rahul said, "Centre has swung from one extreme to another in dealing with Pakistan. In the recent months highest casualties in decades have been reported from Jammu and Kashmir."
UNWELL SONIA SKIPS MEET
Congress President Sonia Gandhi today reported unwell ahead of the party's working committee meet that she was scheduled to chair, party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.
Congress sources said Sonia Gandhi complained of a bad throat. The Working Committee (CWC) meet was presided by her son and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.
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Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, in its reply to Rahul Gandhi's statement that democracy is facing its darkest hour under the Narendra Modi government, today said that Indian democracy has never been more vibrant.
By India Today Web Desk: Indian democracy has never been more vibrant, claimed the BJP today in its reply to Rahul Gandhi's statement that democracy is facing its darkest hour under the Narendra Modi government.
"Democracy has never been this vibrant. People from all walks of life feel they have a say in government issues," Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters today.
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READ| Democracy under Modi going through one of its darkest hours: Rahul at CWC
During a Congress meeting earlier today, Rahul had launched a scathing attack on the Modi government, saying democracy is going through "one of its darkest hours" with the ruling dispensation "obsessed with power and seeking to silence" all those who disagree.
Naidu said Rahul's party has no right to criticise others. "During the Emergency, the opposition was put behind bars, democratic rights were trampled, civil liberty were curtailed, and censorship was imposed on media. That party is now talking about democracy and fundamental rights," he said.
READ| Congress Working Committee unanimous: Rahul Gandhi should take over as president
"The BJP has never called any Prime Minister 'khoon ka dalal'. This is the kind of freedom people have now," Naidu said, referring to Rahul's jibe last month that Modi was doing "khoon ki dalaali" over the soldiers' lives following India's cross-LoC surgical strikes.
With the winter session of Parliament set to begin on November 16, it seems the battle lines are already being drawn between the ruling and the main opposition party.
WATCH VIDEO
Also Read:
CWC meet: Unwell Sonia Gandhi to skip, Rahul Gandhi to chair
Modi ji, stop lying and implement OROP: Rahul Gandhi
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"Cow slaughter and beef was banned since the vedic times. Even during the Mughal rule, it was banned during the times of Bahadurshah Zafar, Akbar and Jehangir. It has even been written in the 'Babarnama' that one cannot rule over Hindustan unless you stop cow slaughter," said Singh.
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Home Minister Rajnath Singh stressed on the importance of cow protection on Sunday by bringing up the relevance of cows during the Mughal rule and drawing on scientific studies to exhort states to strictly implement rules against cow slaughter.
COWS AND HUMANS ALIKE
Sharing the stage with gau rakshaks at a function held in memory of those killed during a demonstration on the issue here 50 years ago, Rajnath said, "According to a study by scientists in USA, cows and humans share 80 percent of same genes. So there is not much difference between us." "As far as cow is concerned, it is not just a cultural issue, it is an issue of faith. But besides being an issue of faith, it is also an issue which should be viewed from economic, historical and scientific perspective," he said.
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IMPLEMENTING BAN ON SMUGGLING OF COWS
Singh said the NDA government was working towards enforcing complete ban on smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh and taken a number of steps in this regard, but achieved only "partial success" keeping in view the long borders. He said that apart from the steps taken by the Centre, there needs to be introspection in this matter even from the point of view of climate change, which is a challenge for the country. "We have taken a number of measures and will try to put a complete ban on smuggling of cows, but I feel this will take some time," Singh said, adding Article 48 of the Constitution mentions that governments will work to stop cow slaughter. "We should understand that India is a federal country and there is need to take the states into confidence. He also said that there is a historical importance attached to the issue. "Cow slaughter and beef was banned since the vedic times. Even during the Mughal rule, it was banned during the times of Bahadurshah Zafar, Akbar and Jehangir. It has even been written in the 'Babarnama' that one cannot rule over Hindustan unless you stop cow slaughter," said Singh.
GAU RAKSHAKS
Swami Gyanand Maharaj, who shared the stage, promised the gathering that the government was actively looking at making an amendment to such an MHA advisory against cow vigilantes. However, sources indicate that the sentiment expressed at the dais is not one shared by the central government. This is, however, the first time any cabinet minister was seen sharing such a dais with cow protection groups after Prime Minister Narendra Modi publically condemned actions by anti-social elements masquerading as gau rakshaks.
Modi had in August this year asked the State governments to prepare a dossier on such "cow protectors", while asserting that about 80 per cent of them would be found to be involved in illegal activities. The crowds in stadium were men gathered from across the country. They also included BJP members, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and even RSS men. Senior RSS leader Suresh Bhaiyaji Joshi said it "duty of the government" to take care of cows. Another Sangh leader said "that this government has taken steps like surgical strike was capable of bringing in law to ban cow slaughter."
ALSO READ:
Now, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat sings Modi's tune on gau rakshaks, says don't breach law in name of protection
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Holy cow: RSS, VHP to revive 1966 gau rakshaks' movement
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By PTI: Meanwhile, a police spokesman said the situation across the Valley remained peaceful and under control today.
"During the day, normal movement of people and vehicular traffic was seen on the city roads as was also seen in other parts of the Valley.
"The famous Srinagar Sunday market opened early in the morning and huge number of shoppers thronged it for purchasing different articles," the spokesman said.
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He said last evening, miscreants attempted to set on fire Government Boys Higher Secondary School at Zakoora on the outskirts of Srinagar.
"Fire tenders and police immediately rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control and prevented any major damage to the school. However, furniture of the school was partially damaged in the incident.
"Srinagar police has taken cognizance of the matter and miscreants involved in the incident are being identified," he said. PTI SSB IKA
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By PTI: Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters have rallied in the capital demanding stern action against perpetrators of attacks on Hindus. Several hundred Hindu youths joined by Muslims staged a street protest at central Dhakas Shahbagh Square.
Several political and rights groups also held another rally in front of the National Press Club demanding immediate and stern actions against the culprits.
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The protesters at Shahbagh area enforced a blockade on the busy streets around the area for more than half an hour and forced ruling Awami Leagues joint general secretary Mahbul Alam Hanif to get out of his car, stuck in barricade, and express solidarity with them.
The protesters demanded resignation of a minister who had accused journalists of "exaggerating" the Nasirnagar attacks.
"(Livestock) Minister Sayedul Haque was in the area just few days after the (Sunday) attacks while a fresh attack took place after he visited the scene," the general secretary of Bangladesh Puja Celebrations Committee said.
"Stern punitive actions await the attackers as the Sheikh Hasina-led government has taken a tough position to this end," Awami League general secretary and Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader said at a function here.
Yesterday, police recovered a stolen idol from a mosque in the area. PTI AR/CPS AKJ CPS
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"We cannot, as third persons, issue any solutions to that. But from the vantage of citizenship and with a view to women's rights, they (Muslim women) must get equality," said Seetha Annadanam of the Rashtra Sevika Samiti.
The Rashtra Sevika Samiti believes that problems comes up from within the Muslim community and therefore any third person cannot issue a solution for them.
By Siddhartha Rai: RSS' female wing, the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, wants the practice of triple talaq among the Muslim community to end, though the voices of change need to come from within.
EQUAL RIGHTS
Second in command of the world's largest body of Hindu women volunteers Seetha Annadanam told this to Mail Today in an exclusive interview. The 'Pramukh Karyavahika' or the general secretary of the Samiti said the organisation had been discussing the problem as part of its discussion and also at the shakhas which she claimed had been attended by a large number of women from the largest minority group of the country. Just as the RSS, the samiti too is organised on the lines of local shakhas.
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"Though it is a personal issue, we believe that there should be no discrimination and injustice. No one should be subjected to injustice. As an organisation dedicated to women, we stand for equal rights and equal protection and we recently passed a resolution on the women's rights issues involved in the larger issues of uniform civil code. We want equal rights for women," they said.
CHANGE HAS TO COME FROM WITHIN
However, this problem has propped up from within their (Muslim community's) society and the voices will also have to rise from within the community. We cannot, as third persons, issue any solutions to that. But, again, from the vantage of citizenship and with a view to women's rights, they (Muslim women) must get equality," said Annadanam.
"We try to educate the educated class among the community so as to bring positive change," she added. The Samiti turned 80 this year, having been founded in 1936 on Dussehra. It is organising a three-day All-India Volunteers Inspiration Conclave (Akhil Bharatiya Karyakarta Prerna Shivir) in Delhi, starting November 11. The year is being celebrated by the organization under the theme: 'Kadam Kadam Badaye Jaa Sadhana Ki Raha Par'.
"We are organising this conclave to give our volunteers a definite direction for the future. The theme is centred on the role of the family in Indian tradition and polity: how to move from building the family to building the nation," Annadanam told Mail Today. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat would be the chief guest on the opening day. Among the who's who to attend the event would also be Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Paralympic silver medalist Deepa Malik.
ALSO READ:
Muslim women come out against Modi in Agra over Triple Talaq issue
Triple talaq issue: RSS holds secret meeting with Muslim intellectuals in Agra
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The Kerala government today told the Supreme Court that it is willing to allow women of all ages inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
By India Today Web Desk: Making a U-turn in the contentious Sabarimala issue, the Kerala government today told the Supreme Court that it is willing to allow women of all ages inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
The Communist government had earlier supported the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple's custom of prohibiting the entry of menstruating women between the age of 10 and 50 years.
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The Supreme Court questioned the rule that denies women right to enter a temple due to a natural menstrual cycle. It also wondered whether the temple trust is a public or a private endowment.
Reserving its judgment to refer the matter to a constitutional bench, the apex court said it will hear the matter again on February 20 next year.
Meanwhile, the three-month long 'mandala pooja' and 'makaravilakku' pilgrimage season at Lord Ayyappa temple in the hill shrine of Sabarimala is set to begin on November 15.
Also read:
Unnikrishnan Namboodiri selected as Sabarimala head priest
Priest for status quo on womens entry into Sabarimala temple
Sabarimala visit: Ker minister attacks BJP for picnic remark
Kerala gearing up for Sabarimala festival
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By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) A lawyer, who sought making the teaching of Yoga compulsory in schools, today fumbled when the Supreme Court put him to test on his knowledge about the ancient exercise.
"Which is the last aasana in Yoga," asked a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur.
As the lawyer fumbled, the bench said, "it is shavasana. You espouse the cause of Yoga when you do not know this."
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The bench asked him to withdraw his plea seeking framing of a National Yoga Policy and making Yoga compulsory for students of Class I-VIII across the country and directed him to intervene as a party in a pending similar case.
"You (lawyer) withdraw your petition here and file an intervention application in the pending case," the bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao, said.
But senior advocate M N Krisnamani, representing lawyer and Delhi BJP spokesperson Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay who has filed the PIL, sought issuance of notice on the plea.
Krishnamani said "the fact that I do not practice Yoga should not come in the way of a right cause."
The bench then referred to the prevailing situation in Delhi and adjoining areas and, in lighter vein, said "does any one do yoga in this polluted atmosphere".
At the outset of the hearing, the bench expressed its unwillingness to entertain the PIL saying "we cannot impose Yoga on anyone. You go and persuade people to do it. We cannot be framing curriculum."
It is for the government and academicians to decide what should be included in the school curricula, the bench said.
At the end of the brief hearing, it however allowed Upadhyay to seek intervention in a similar plea pending before a bench headed by Justice M B Lokur, which would hear it on November 29.
Upadhyay, in his plea, had sought a direction to the Ministry of Human Resources Development, NCERT, NCTE and the CBSE to "provide standard textbooks of Yoga and Health Education for students of Class I-VIII keeping in spirit various fundamental rights such as right to life, education and equality. PTI SJK MNL RKS ARC
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By India Today Web Desk: Acting in in their blood. Pankaj Kapur is an actor par excellence, and his son Shahid Kapoor has followed in the footsteps of his father. Sasha, in a career spanning over a decade, has made a name for himself with his choice of work. But surprisingly, he isn't too excited about the idea of his daughter Misha entering Bollywood.
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ALSO READ: Shahid Kapoor won't be hyper about Misha like his dad Pankaj Kapur was with him
ALSO READ: Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput spotted with daughter Misha at airport
The Udta Punjab actor, who became father to a baby girl in August this year, has been busy playing the doting dad. From changing diapers to taking his two-month-daughter for a vacation, Shahid is enjoying every little thing about fatherhood.
Though the 35-year-old actor has said that he wouldn't want to be an over-protective dad, he has revealed that he wouldn't be too pleased if his daughter decides to be an actor someday. An actor himself, Shahid has been in the industry for long, and knows how tough a job it is. And therefore, he would be scared if his daughter expresses her wish to be an actor some day.
On a recent chat show, when asked how he would react if Misha ever wanted to become an actress, Shahid said he will be petrified. "It's a tough job. I will be scared if she comes and tells me that," said Shahid.
With each passing day, Misha is becoming a favourite with Bollywood fans. Here are five things that Shahid has revealed about his relationship with Misha that will melt your heart.
Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput with Misha
Every day is amazing with Misha
Shahid is one of the few Bollywood dads who decided to go on a paternity leave. The Shaandaar actor took a five-month break to spend quality time with his family. From being by wife Mira Rajput during her last months of pregnancy to taking care of their baby daughter ever since she was born, Daddy Shahid has been doing his bit for Misha. "I am getting used to being a working man. I was pretty much dedicated to fatherhood. I was off work for five months. She is almost two months old now. Every day is amazing with her," he revealed on the chat show.
Won't be hyper and over-protective about Misha like my dad was with me
Shahid can't get enough of his baby daughter. Misha is Papa Shahid's world right now. But at the same time, Shahid is taking great care to not be over-protective about Misha, like his dad was about him. In an episode of Vogue BFFs, Shahid revealed that he doesn't want to be hyper about Misha the way his dad Pankaj was with him. Talking about his relationship with his father, he said, "He is an extremely nice person and he has always been a friend to me; those are the things that I would want. But he's a bit hyper and he's a bit over-protective. So, those are the two things that I hope I don't do to my child."
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I wake up every three hours to change diapers
Life hasn't been the same for Shahid ever since Misha was born. At the JioMAMI Mumbai Film Festival this year, Shahid spoke at length about his daughter and how it feels to be living with a baby. "With a baby, I wake up every three hours. I change diapers and most of my T-shirts have Misha's vomit and milk stains on them", he told the reporters.
I never want to leave home once I return to my wife and baby
Shahid has become a family man. And this new addition to his family has only added stability to his life. The doting dad has revealed that his life is all about Misha now. "Misha gives me a lot of strength. Life is all about her now. I feel like I am ready to protect and even fight for her. I want to be my best for Misha. I never want to leave home once I return to my wife and baby," he told reporters at the recently held JioMAMI Film Festival held in Mumbai.
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Police said the gunfight started after midnight between holed up militants and the security forces in Wangam village of Shopian district.
By India Today Web Desk: An army soldier was injured today in a gunfight between the security forces and the militants in south Kashmir's Shopian district.
A Hizbul Mujahideen militant was killed in the gunfight.
Police said the gunfight started after midnight between holed up militants and the security forces in Wangam village of Shopian district.
Gunfight started at Wangam (Shopian, J&K) between 62-RR, police, and terrorists. One army personnel injured so far, one terrorist killed. ANI (@ANI_news) November 7, 2016
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"An army soldier was injured in an encounter between the militants and troops of 62 Rashtriya Rifles and state police in Wangam village of Shopian district," the police said.
One AK-47 and ammunition has been recovered, search operation is still going on.
Also read:
India giving befitting reply to Pakistan after series of ceasefire violations: BSF IG
Pakistan violates ceasefire in RS Pura sector of Jammu, fires mortar shells
Exclusive: How India hit back after Pakistan's multiple ceasefire violations along LoC
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In a meeting in New Delhi today, the CWC members appealed to Rahul to take charge as the president of the party from Sonia, who has been holding the position since 1998.
By India Today Web Desk: The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the top decision-making body of the party, is unanimous in its proposal that vice-president Rahul Gandhi should take over the presidentship from his mother Sonia Gandhi.
In a meeting in New Delhi today, the CWC members appealed to heir apparent Rahul to take charge as the president of the party from Sonia, who has been holding the position since 1998.
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The ball was set rolling by senior Congress leader AK Antony, who first spoke about the need for Rahul to take over. "It is the right time for Rahul Gandhi to take charge as the president of the Congress party," the veteran said.
Antony's suggestion received the backing of all other CWC members attending the meeting, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, sources said.
"It was the first time that this sentiment was strongly and unanimously expressed. The final decision has to be that of the president," Antony later told reporters.
Congress spokesperson RS Surjewala said, "Rahul Gandhi ji said he wants to fight for the idea of India and whatever party and its workers decide, he will be ready to take up that role."
Sonia remains the boss
Earlier, sources said Sonia will continue to remain president of the Congress with her son Rahul's elevation to the post deferred by another year.
With an unwell Sonia Gandhi not attending the CWC meeting because of bad throat, the Congress Working Committee meeting was presided by Rahul today.
Rahul, 46, was appointed party vice-president in January 2013 at the Congress's brainstorming session in Jaipur. The talk about his elevation has been going on for quite some time now.
The CWC meeting was called ahead of the winter session of Parliament and the upcoming Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur.
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By PTI: Washington, Nov 5 (PTI) Stress may lead to increased alcohol consumption due changes in the brains reward system, a new study has found, paving way for new therapies to treat alcohol addiction as well as post-traumatic stress disorder.
The brain chemistry underlying interactions between stress and alcohol remain largely unknown. Reinforcement of addictive substance use and stress signalling involves common neural systems, including the brain reward centre.
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A team led by John Dani from the University of Pennsylvania in the US, found that rodents that had been exposed to stress had a weakened alcohol-induced dopamine response and voluntarily drank more alcohol compared to controls.
The blunted dopamine signalling to ethanol arose due to changes in the circuitry in the ventral tegmental area, the heart of the brains reward system.
Stress alters the intricate system of checks and balances in the firing and quiescence of many types of neurons.
"These effects happen at the minute level of potassium, chloride, and other ions moving across the neuron outer membrane via channels and transporters," Dani said.
"In addition, by chemically blocking stress hormone receptors on neurons, we prevented stress from causing increased drinking behaviour," he said.
Rats were exposed to an acute stress for one hour, and then 15 hours later, researchers measured the amount of sugar water laced with ethanol that the mice drank.
The stressed rats drank significantly more than controls, and the increase was maintained for several weeks.
"The stress response evolved to protect us, but addictive drugs use those mechanisms and trick our brains to keep us coming back for more," Dani said.
After the stress, the reward circuitry looked normal at first glance when they examined the rats neurons, researchers said.
However, if the circuits were strongly used, in this case via consumption of ethanol, alterations to neurons were noticeable and the dopamine response to alcohol was blunted.
The change in neuron physiology means that a specific set of neurons that are normally inhibitory flip and become excitatory. This flip alters the rats response to ethanol, making them consume more and more.
To reverse the negative effects of the erroneous excitatory signal, the team chemically prevented the excitatory switch within the reward circuitry.
This correction prevented the blunted alcohol-induced dopamine signal, causing the stressed rats to consume less alcohol.
"We gave the rats a chemical called CLP290 to restore the stress-altered circuitry to normal, which in turn corrected the firing of the dopamine neurons," said Dani.
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"This line of research has implications for people with PTSD who have an increased risk for over-use of alcohol and drugs," he said.
The findings were published in the journal Neuron. PTI MHN MHN
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Senior BJP leader Sushil Modi today slammed Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for extending support to private news channel that is facing a ban by Centre.
By Rohit Kumar Singh: BJP leader Sushil Modi has slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for extending support to a private news channel which is facing Central govt action for showing content during Pathankot terror attack in January this year which was detrimental to national security. Nitish had said that govt action to out the channel off air for a day reminded him of emergency days when press freedom was crushed.
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Modi attacking Nitish, said that the chief minister should not be speaking about curbing of press freedom as he too through advertisements was controlling the print media in Bihar.
"How can Nitish Kumar speak about democracy and press freedom when he himself was slapping defamation cases against opposition leaders for raising voice against him," said Sushil Modi.
DO NOT PREACH ABOUT FREEDOM OF PRESS
Deriding Nitish Kumar, Modi said that since he is running the government in Bihar with Congress as alliance partner should not preach about freedom of press.
Modi said it was the Congress party which imposed emergency in the country in the 70's and jailed socialist leader Jai Prakash Narayan for 19 months and now when Nitish is running coalition government with Congress's support, he should not preach in crushing press freedom.
Further chiding Nitish, Modi questioned was it not limiting freedom of expression when the Bihar government had disrupted internet and phone services in the wake of recent communal violence witnessed in various parts of Bihar during Durga puja.
Modi questioned whether the media should not report responsibly during terror attacks, communal violence and war situation.
Also read:
Nitish doing a Jayalalithaa by slapping defamation cases against opposition, says Sushil Modi
Sushil Modi is acting like a dictator, sidelining leaders in his party: Tejaswi Yadav
Investors have lost confidence in Nitish's rule, says Sushil Modi
RJD Chief Lalu Prasad should not talk about democracy and constitution: Sushil Modi
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The 83 LCAs will be procured from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and would make for the Mark 1A version of the plane.
By Manjeet Negi: The Defence Acquisition Council chaired by the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has approved the procurement of 83 Light Combat Aircraft- Tejas for the Indian Air Force.
The decision to procure the LCA will reduce the dependence on imports. The 83 LCAs will be procured from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and would make for the Mark 1A version of the plane. The project cost is expected to be over Rs 48,000 crore, sources in the defence ministry said.
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READ| Tejas Light Combat Aircraft: Here's how India created its first Flying Dagger
The IAF has already placed orders for 20 LCA Mark 1 aircraft which would be more of technology demonstrators but the IAF was more interested in having the LCA Mark 2, which would be a more capable and upgraded version of the indigenous plane in the making for the last over two decades.
The HAL would first deliver the Mark 1 aircraft to the IAF and then would produce the Mark 1A in the interim till the time it is ready with the Mark 2 version. The project would give a strong push to the indigenous fighter aircraft industry as this would be the first major bulk production order for the plane.
Defence Acquisition Council today cleared an order for 464 more T-90 tanks from Russia at a cost of whopping Rs 13,448 crores.
The 10 new regiments of the T-90MS tanks would strengthen Army's fire power along the land border stretch with Pakistan from Jammu in North to Gujarat in western part of the country.
Also Read:
How India created Tejas: A look at the proud history our first Flying Dagger
EXCLUSIVE: With only two planes and issues unresolved, IAF to bring LCA Tejas home
Jet, set, go: Tejas is IAF's new Flying Dagger
After a gap of 33 years, IAF to induct first squadron of indigenous Tejas today
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By Siraj Qureshi: While majority governments are forming states with less than 40 per cent of vote share, 18 per cent counts for a huge number of votes and this is precisely the reason why every political party in Uttar Pradesh is currently trying its best to capture its huge Muslim vote bank in its favour by trying to portray itself as the biggest well-wisher of the community.
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The political parties are busy highlighting the triple talaq and Muslim Personal Law issues as a conspiracy created by BJP and PM Modi against Islam and even the Muslim organizations seem to be standing on more or less the same platform, opposing any attempts to modify the Islamic Law.
Shaista Ambar, the chairperson of All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board has also come out against Modi on this issue but she is also advocating better and more rights for Muslim women and the correct interpretation of the Islamic Law, which is exactly what PM Modi has also repeatedly said in his speeches.
MONTHLY MAINTENANCE MUST
Talking to India Today, Ambar said that Muslim women should receive a monthly maintenance allowance in case of divorce. Currently, Muslim women are being left to their own devices after divorce and were forced to spend their days in abject poverty. She said that this allowance could be arranged by the Muslim Personal Law Board through a special fund for such women.
Also read: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee supports triple talaq
She advocated the formation of a Muslim Marriage Act that adheres to the Islamic Law. She warned that the Muslims will not tolerate any interference in the Islamic Law by the central government. The Common Civil Code will not be accepted at any cost. She said that the Muslim Women Personal Law Board will also file its representation in the Supreme Court on the triple talaq Issue.
Ambar said that triple talaq in any form except face to face, in proper adherence to the Islamic Law, is invalid and the formation of Muslim Marriage Act will ensure that such one-sided talaqs are stopped and their perpetrators suitably punished. However, unless this act is written in the light of the Holy Quran, it will not be acceptable to the Muslims.
Also read: Muslim women come out against Modi in Agra over Triple Talaq issue
MULTIPLE MARRIAGES SHOULD BE BANNED
She said that Halala is not an integral part of the Islamic Law and it should be banned. Multiple marriages should also be stopped. But Common Civil Code should not be imposed forcibly on Muslims. Ambar advocated the appointment of Women as clerics in the Islamic Courts so that women do not feel afraid from placing their opinion in front of the court. This will prevent the Darul Qaza from giving one-sided decisions after hearing only the male side of the story.
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Bhartiya Muslim Vikas Parishad chairman Sami Aghai told India Today that the Islamic Law was formed over 1,400 years ago and there was no reason why the Modi government should make it a point to interfere with this law now. He said that it appears that this is a conspiracy to push the Muslims out of the political sphere by entangling them in the matters of Islamic Law, but the Muslims are now fully aware of such conspiracies and will do their best to foil them by not falling prey to such political stunts.
Also read: RSS' female wing says opposition to triple talaq needs to come from within Muslim community
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By PTI: moms complicity
Hyderabad, Nov 6 (PTI) The twin sister rape case in Mailardevpally area took a sordid turn with the investigation revealing that the 8-year-olds were allegedly sexually abused over last few years by different persons, including their elder brother with connivance of their mother.
So far, police have arrested mother of the victims, one Jaffar, an auto driver and a factory owner. Jaffars 16-year-old son has already been taken into custody.
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"Investigations done in this case so far revealed that the family had stayed near Budwel railway station here around 5 years back. From there they shifted to Katedan about 2 years back. All through this, the victims mother was maintaining intimacy with different adults," police said.
When they were staying in Katedan, the mother of the girls used to send them to sleep in an air conditioned room of one supervisor who "misbehaved badly" with both the girls on many occasions, Mailardevpally police stated in a release today.
According to police, despite the girls refusing to go there, their mother insisted them to sleep in the supervisors room only.
While staying in Budwel earlier, both the girls were "badly misbehaved" with by three other persons, when they had just started pre-schooling.
Police are trying to identify the trio.
According to police, one Pradeep Aggarwal, a factory owner, who was maintaining a close relationship with the mother, had "molested" the girls.
He was arrested today, police said.
Police, who have already arrested Jaffar and took his 16-year-old son into custody yesterday, stated that the father-son duo had continuously (sexually) assaulted the twin girls over last 15 to 20 days.
"Not only this, Jaffar also got one more auto driver named Shafi who also (sexually) assaulted the kids. All this was happening with the active connivance of the victims mother," police said, adding that both Shafi and the woman were arrested yesterday.
"Further, the elder brother (of the sisters) and one of his friends also started exploiting them very recently as he seems to have witnessed some of the happenings in the house," police said.
The incident came to light after the sisters revealed their ordeal to a senior family member, who approached a city-based NGO working for child rights which in turn lodged a police complaint recently.
Following the complaint, a case was registered on charges of rape and trafficking of persons under relevant sections of IPC and other provisions of Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act, police had said.
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The NGO had said that the victims hailed from Nepal but have settled in Hyderabad. PTI VVK NSK SRY
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India had in past also sought easier visa regime for its nationals and Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked his counterpart Theresa May to provide "greater mobility" for its students and researchers.
By Press Trust of India: Eyeing India as a key trade partner after exiting from the European Union, the UK today announced a first-ever easier visa regime for Indian businessmen that will come with swifter passage through British airports and access to EU.
India had in past also sought easier visa regime for its nationals and Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked his counterpart Theresa May to provide "greater mobility" for its students and researchers.
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Speaking at the India-UK Tech Summit, May said: "So we will offer, for the first time to any country that needs visas to enter Britain, what we called Registered Traveller Scheme.
"That means the Indian nationals who frequently come to the UK and to fuel growth in both our countries, the entry process will become significantly easier," she said at the event organised by CII that was also attended by Modi.
Also read: Hope Make In India will be an important aspect of India-UK ties: PM Modi to Theresa May
She said the businesses will have to fill fewer forms, and they would get access to the EU-EEA (European Economic Area) passport control and swifter passage through British airports.
"In short, more opportunities for Britain and India and a clear message that Britain is very much open for business," she added.
May said it is not just the legal framework that are essential for effective trade and investment, it is about people too.
"It is crucial that those who do need to travel between our countries for business can do so, that is the reason why when I was Home Secretary, I made visa process for Indians much easier," May said.
She further said India now has one of the best UK visa services in the world with more application points than any other country and is the only place where it is possible to get a same day visa.
"...that happened because we listened to our businesses. And we are still listening. Listening to the fact that there are many people from India who are to bring their skill, ideas, businesses to Britain for the good of your economy and ours," May added.
Talking about removing trade and investment barriers, the UK Prime Minister said Britain is working side by side with India to make it easier to do business here.
"We can break down barriers and make it easier to do business...That is why the UK is working side by side with Prime Minister Modi to make it easier to do business in India, for example by strengthening intellectual property rights, and paving the way for world's leading services sector to operate in Indian market benefiting India and UK alike, But I am determined that we will go further," she said.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi said science, technology and innovation has a significant role in India's bilateral engagement with the UK.
By India Today Web Desk: British Prime Minister Theresa May today insisted upon strengthening the trade and opportunities between India and UK and said the two countries share a "special bond".
"There is so much potential when it comes to India-Britain relationship, we share a special bond," said British Prime Minister Theresa May, who arrived in Delhi on Sunday night on her three-day visit to India.
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"Indian investment is helping us diversify our economy," said Theresa May.
"In Britain we are working on economic and social reforms," said May.
She also announced that the travel to UK for Indians would be made easy. "There would be a registered travel scheme for Indians to travel to Britain regularly."
May's three-day official visit is intended to promote Indo-British relations.
This is May's first bilateral visit after she took the charge as British Prime Minister.
Both Prime Ministers will also launch an India-UK Urban Partnership on smart cities and urban development which could be unlock new business worth up to 2 billion pounds to British business over the next five years.
India, Pakistan should hold bilateral talks to resolve Kashmir issue: Theresa May
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said science, technology and innovation has a significant role in India's bilateral engagement with the UK.
Modi also thanked British Prime Minister Theresa May for choosing India as her first bilateral visit outside Europe.
"Healthcare, clean energy, technology are sectors that open potential for India-UK businesses," said PM Modi.
"Our countries face economic challenges which directly affect trade and commerce. We together have to create new opportunities," he added.
"We have agreed to establish a clean energy research and development centre on solar energy and a new Anti-Microbial Resistance initiative," said PM Modi while addressing India-UK Tech summit.
"Science is universal but technology has to be local. Such summits throw an opportunity to understand each other's requirements," said PM Modi.
"India, UK must continue to nurture research that can fight global challenges," added PM Modi.
Also read:
India is Britain's most important and closest friend, says Theresa May
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UP is unlikely to see a Bihar repeat. The most important reason is the absence of a Bihar-style "mahagathbandhan" (grand alliance) between the non-BJP major parties.
Bihar redux could have got repeated in UP if the ruling SP, Mayawati's BSP and Congress had come together on a single platform.
By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: Though there are some similarities between the conditions of the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections and the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh polls in early 2017, UP is unlikely to see a Bihar repeat. The most important reason is the absence of a Bihar-style "mahagathbandhan" (grand alliance) between the non-BJP major parties.
In Bihar, three major parties - ruling JD(U), Lalu Prasad's RJD and Congress - came together to form a grand alliance against BJP-led NDA. The formidable mahagathbandhan swept the polls. The reason was simple - the caste and Muslim factors weighed heavily in its favour.
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READ| UP Assembly election 2017: Optics aside, Grand Alliance cannot guarantee success
The same story could have got repeated in UP if the ruling SP, Mayawati's BSP and Congress had come together on a single platform. This unprecedented combination would most likely have proved invincible.
As in Bihar, BJP has not declared its chief ministerial candidate for UP. It had cost them dear then. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah were the faces of the Bihar polls. Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad encashed on the "Baahri versus Bihari" sentiment. The same sentiment may get repeated in UP.
READ| Rahul Gandhi pitches for a Bihar-style Grand Alliance in UP, Akhilesh as SP face
Yadavs and Muslims form the mainstay of SP. It had come back to power in 2012 with their solid backing. While Yadavs constitute 15 per cent of the state's total votes, Muslims form 18 per cent.
In the 2012 elections, SP registered its highest vote share of 29.15 per cent of total votes polled. It won 224 of the total 403 seats.
SP's traditional rival BSP polled 25.91 per cent of the total votes cast, winning 80 seats. The Congress, which fought elections under the leadership of party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, won 28 seats, polling 11.63 per cent of votes.
READ: Samajwadi PariWar: Mulayam, Shivpal missing from new campaign posters, so is party symbol
On the other hand, BJP managed to win only 47 seats, polling only 15 per cent of total votes cast.
Hence, together SP, BSP and Congress can leave BJP gasping for breath. SP's anti-incumbency will be offset by the presence of BSP. The Muslims, even if they shift their loyalty from SP, will vote BSP. Brahmins and a large section of Dalits may also choose this mahagathbandhan over BJP.
The template has already been cast in Bihar where the Yadavs and Muslims - RJD's votebanks - polled aggressively in favour of the mahagathbandhan. While Yadavs constitute 14 per cent the voters, Muslims are 17 per cent. Kurmis, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's castemen who comprise 4 per cent of the voters, too voted for the grand alliance.
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READ: Samajwadi Party gets thumbs up from allies; will Shivpal emerge as architect of Grand Alliance in UP?
The experiment was successful. The RJD and JD(U), which had fielded 101 candidates each on the total 243 constituencies, won 80 and 71 seats respectively. Congress, which fielded 41 candidates on 41 seats, won 27. Total, they won a whopping 178 of the 243 seats.
While RJD polled 18.4 per cent of the votes cast, JD(U) polled 16.8 and Congress 6.7 per cent.
On the other hand, BJP failed to match the grand alliance's combined strength. It won just 53 of the 157 seats it contested. Strike rate-wise, its performance was poorest than all the three parties of the mahagathbandhan. However, on individual level, it polled the highest percentage of votes - 24.4 per cent.
READ: Akhilesh returns Shivpal's taunt: Some people will listen but after destroying Samajwadi Party
But UP is unlikely to witness a repeat of Bihar. Mayawati and Congress have decided to stay away from any grand alliance. Nitish Kumar has rightly said any grand alliance would have been possible if SP and BSP would have come together like the JD(U) and RJD did in Bihar. As that is not happening, any coalition there will be an alliance not grand alliance, he said.
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Hence, as a grand alliance remains a non-starter in UP, the field is open for BJP. It may either be advantage BSP or BJP now.
Also Read:
SP silver jubilee: I don't want to become CM, you can insult me, Shivpal tells Akhilesh
Akhilesh-Shivpal spat mars Samajwadi Party's Silver Jubilee celebrations
Samajwadi PariWar: Sacked from cabinet for opposing illegal activities, says Shivpal Yadav
Rahul Gandhi to lend shoulder, support to Akhilesh if Samajwadi Party splits?
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By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: The King of good times "liqour baron" Vijay Mallya, who is on the run and VVIP Chopper scam accused Christian Michel top the list of 57 accused handed over by India to United Kingdom. The officials accompanying Theresa May in turn have given India a list of 17 accused.
The others who make it to the list of accused include a Sikh terrorist, an Augusta Westland scam accused and even a paedophile. MHA and ED have learnt to have given a separate list of both Indian and british nationals wanted by India.
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The cooperation is already paying rich dividends as 2002 riot accused Sameer Patel was recently extradited to India. While another accused Rajesh Kapoor, who is wanted in connection with child abduction, is in process of being extradited.
TRADE AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS SIGNED
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Theresa May signed on trade and intellectual property rights, the internal security of both countries got shot in the arm, agreed to have cordial relations and cooperation on homeland security, on similar lines as India and US post 26/11 terror attack.
The India UK joint statement on extradition said, "In this context, they directed that the officials dealing with extradition matters from both sides should meet at the earliest to develop better understanding of each countries' legal processes and requirements; share best practices, and identify the causes of delays and expedite pending requests."
All 57 cases are not exclusively extradition cases but also involved cases under mutual legal assistance treaty.
Also read:
Vijay Mallya must declare all Indian, foreign assets within a month: Supreme Court
The flight and fall of Mallya
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Jose Saramagos Seeing tells the story of the strange events in the unnamed capital city of an unidentified democratic country. When the election day morning is marred by torrential rains, voter turnout is disturbingly low, but the weather breaks by mid-afternoon and the population heads en masse to their voting stations. The government's relief is short-lived, however, when vote counting reveals that over 70 percent of the ballots cast in the capital have been left blank. Baffled by this apparent civic lapse, the government gives the citizenry a chance to make amends just one week later with another election day. The results are worse: Now 83 percent of the ballots are blank.
Is this an organized conspiracy to overthrow not just the ruling government but the entire democratic system? If so, who is behind it, and how did they manage to organize hundreds of thousands of people into such subversion without being noticed? The city continues to function near-normally throughout, the people parrying each of the government's thrusts in inexplicable unison and with a truly Gandhian level of nonviolent resistance. The lesson of this thought-experiment is clear: the danger today is not passivity but pseudo-activity, the urge to be active, to participate, in order to mask the vacuity of what goes on. People intervene all the time. People do something. Academics participate in meaningless debates, and so on. The truly difficult thing is to step back, to withdraw. Those in power often prefer even a critical participation, a dialogue, to silence, because just to engage us in dialogue, is to make sure our ominous passivity is broken. The voters abstention is thus a true political act: it forcefully confronts us with the vacuity of todays democracies.
This, exactly, is how citizens should act when faced with the choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. When Stalin was asked in the late 1920s which deviation is worse, the Rightist one or the Leftist one, he snapped back: They are both worse! Is it not the same with the choice American voters are confronting in the 2016 presidential elections? Trump is obviously worse. He enacts a decay of public morality. He promises a Rightist turn. But he at least promises a change. Hillary is worse since she makes changing nothing look desirable.
With such a choice, one should not lose ones nerve and chose the worst, which means changeeven if is a dangerous changebecause it opens up the space for a different more authentic change.
The point is thus not to vote for Trumpnot only should one not vote for such a scum, one should not even participate in such elections. The point is to approach coldly the question: Whose victory is better for the fate of the radical emancipatory project, Clintons or Trumps?
Trump wants to make America great again, to which Obama responded that America already is great. But is it? Can a country in which a person like Trump has a chance of becoming president be really considered great? The dangers of a Trump presidency are obvious: he not only promises to nominate conservative judges to the Supreme Court; he mobilized the darkest white-supremacist circles and openly flirts with anti-immigrant racism; he flouts basic rules of decency and symbolizes the disintegration of basic ethical standards; while advocating concern for the misery of ordinary people, he effectively promotes a brutal neoliberal agenda that includes tax breaks for the rich, further deregulation, etc., etc.
Trump is a vulgar opportunist, yet he is still a vulgar specimen of humanity (in contrast to entities like Ted Cruz or Rick Santorum whom I suspect of being aliens).
What Trump is definitely not is a successful productive and innovative capitalisthe excels at getting into bankruptcy and then making the taxpayers cover up his debts.
Liberals panicked by Trump dismiss the idea that Trumps eventual victory can start a process out of which an authentic Left would emerge. Their favorite counterargument is a reference to Hitler. Many German Communists welcomed the Nazi takeover in 1933 as a chance for the radical Left as the only force which can defeat them. As we know, their appreciation of Hitlers rise was a catastrophic mistake. The question is: Are things the same with Trump? Is Trump a danger that should bring together a broad front in the same way that Hitler did, a front where decent conservatives and libertarians fight together with mainstream liberal progressives and (whatever remains of) the radical Left? Fredric Jameson was right in a November 4 interview to warn against the hasty designation of the Trump movement as new fascism: People are now sayingthis is a new fascism and my answer would benot yet. If Trump comes to power, that would be a different thing.
(Incidentally, the term fascism is today often used as an empty word when something obviously dangerous appears on the political scene but we lack a proper understanding of it. No, today's rightwing populists are NOT simply Fascists!) Why not yet?
First, the fear that a Trump victory would turn the United State into a fascist state is a ridiculous exaggeration. The United States has such a rich texture of divergent civic and political institutions that their Gleichschaltung (the standardization of political, economic, cultural and social institutions as carried out in authoritarian states) cannot be enacted. Where, then, does this fear come from? Its function is clearly to unify us all against Trump and thus to obfuscate the true political divisions that run between the Left, as resuscitated by Bernie Sanders, and Clinton who is the establishments candidate supported by a rainbow coalition that includes neocon Iraq War advocates like President George W. Bushs Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and interventionists like Ronald Reagans Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy Richard Armitage.
Second, the fact remains that Trump draws support from the same rage out of which Bernie Sanders mobilized his partisans. The majority of his supporters view him as the anti-establishment candidate. And one should never forget that popular rage is by definition free-floating and can be re-directed. Liberals who fear the Trump victory are not really afraid of a radical Rightist turn. What they are really afraid of is actual radical social change. To repeat Robespierre, they admit (and are sincerely worried about) the injustices of our social life, but they want to cure them with a revolution without revolution (in exact parallel to today's consumerism which offers coffee without caffeine, chocolate without sugar, beer without alcohol, multiculturalism without conflict, etc.): a vision of social change with no actual change, a change where no one gets really hurt, where well-meaning liberals remain cocooned in their safe enclaves. Back in 1937, George Orwell in The Road to Wigan Pier wrote:
We all rail against class-distinctions, but very few people seriously want to abolish them. Here you come upon the important fact that every revolutionary opinion draws part of its strength from a secret conviction that nothing can be changed.
Orwells point is that radicals invoke the need for revolutionary change as a kind of superstitious token that should achieve the opposite, i.e., prevent the only change that really matters, the change in those who rule us, from occurring. Who really rules in the United States? Can we not already hear the murmur of secret meetings where members of the financial and other elites are negotiating about the distribution of the key posts in the Clinton administration? To get an idea how this negotiations in the shadows work, it suffices to read the John Podesta emails or Hillary Clinton: The Goldman Sachs Speeches (to appear soon by OR Books with an introduction by Julian Assange).
Hillarys victory would be the victory of a status quo overshadowed by the prospect of a new world war (and Hillary definitely is a typical Democratic cold warrior), a status quo of a situation in which we gradually but inevitably slide towards ecological, economic, humanitarian and other catastrophes. Thats why I consider Ian Steinmans Leftist critique of my position extremely cynical. He writes:
Yet while we can do little to predict how the pieces will fall, we know that to intervene in a crisis the left must be organized, prepared and with support among the working class and oppressed. We can not in any way endorse the vile racism and sexism which divides us and weakens our struggle. We must always stand on the side of the oppressed, and we must be independent, fighting for a real left exit to the crisis. Even if Trump causes a catastrophe for the ruling class, it will also be a catastrophe for us if we have not laid the foundations for our own intervention.
True, the left must be organized, prepared and with support among the working class and oppressedbut in this case, the question should be: Which candidate's victory would contribute more to the organization of the Left and its expansion? Isnt it clear that Trump's victory would have laid the foundations for our own intervention much more than Hillarys?
Yes, there is a great danger in Trump's victory, but the Left will be mobilized only through such a threat of catastrophe. If we continue the inertia of the existing status quo, there will for sure be no Leftist mobilization. To quote the poet Hoelderlin: Only where there is danger the saving force is also rising.
In the choice between Clinton and Trump, neither stands on the side of the oppressed, so the real choice is: abstain from voting or choose the one who, worthless as s/he is, opens up a greater chance of unleashing a new political dynamics which can lead to massive Leftist radicalization. Think about Trumps anti-establishment supporters who would be unavoidably upset with Trumps presidency. Some of them would have to turn towards Sanders in order to find an outlet for their rage. Think about the disappointed mainstream Democrats who would have seen how Clintons centrist strategy failed to win even against an extreme figure like Trump. The lesson they would learn would be that sometimes, to win, the strategy of we are all together doesnt work and we should instead introduce a radical division.
Many poor voters claim Trump speaks for them. How can they recognize themselves in the voice of a billionaire whose speculations and failures are one of the causes of their misery? Like the paths of god, the paths of ideology are mysterious. When Trump supporters are denounced as white trash, it is easy to discern in this designation the fear of the lower classes so characteristic of the liberal elite.
The title and subtitle of a Guardian report of a recent Trump electoral meeting puts it this way: Inside a Donald Trump rally: good people in a feedback loop of paranoia and hate. Trumps crowd is full of honest and decent peoplebut the Republicans invective has a chilling effect on fans of his one-man show. But how did Trump become the voice of so many honest and decent people? Trump single-handedly ruined the Republican Party, antagonizing both the old party establishment and the Christian fundamentalistswhat remains as the core of his support are the bearers of the populist rage versus the establishment, and this core is dismissed by liberals as the white trashbut are they not precisely those that should be won over to the radical Leftist cause (this is what Bernie Sanders was able to do).
One should rid oneself of the false panic, fearing the Trump victory as the ultimate horror which makes us support Clinton in spite of all her obvious shortcomings. Although the battle seems lost for Trump, his victory would have created a totally new political situation with chances for a more radical Leftor, to quote Mao: Everything under heaven is in utter chaos; the situation is excellent.
Slavoj Zizek, a Slovenian philosopher and psychoanalyst, is a senior researcher at the the Institute for Humanities, Birkbeck College, University of London. He has also been a visiting professor at more than 10 universities around the world. Zizek is the author of many books, including Living in the End Times, First As Tragedy, Then As Farce, The Year of Dreaming Dangerously and Trouble in Paradise.
About Me
Name: Carl in Jerusalem Location: Jerusalem, Israel
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
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[November 07, 2016] Former and Current RSA, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. National Security Agency Experts Join Cybric's Advisory Board
Cybric, provider of the only Continuous Security-as-a-Service platform, today announced three new advisors with deep experience in the cybersecurity industry. They will help Cybric advance its unique offering that enables enterprises to protect their critical applications and data without impacting the production environment. These advisors include: Jim Bandanza, former SVP at RSA, the Security Division of EMC (News - Alert);
Rear Admiral Michael Brown, United States Navy, (RET), VP & GM of Global Public Sector at RSA, and former Director of Cybersecurity Coordination at United States Department of Homeland Security;
John DeLong, former Director of Compliance at the National Security Agency (NSA). Bandanza, DeLong and Brown join an advisory board of influential leaders from the security, artificial intelligence, academic and public sectors that includes current and former leaders from the Boston Police Department, Uber, Fidelity Investments, Northeastern University, Dell (News - Alert) and Actifio. The advisory board provides strategic guidance to Cybric's executive and technical teams to further strengthen its position as a pioneer of the next-generation of cybersecurity automation and vulnerability remediation. "Jim Bandanza, John DeLong and Admiral Michael Brown (News - Alert) are security luminaries who have fostered the pillars of our cybersecurity industry," said Ernesto DiGiambattista, CEO and founder of Cybric. "The insight they'll be able to provide, based on decades of combined experience at the highest levels of the security industry, will be invaluable as we gear up to launch our Continuous-Security-as-a-Service platform for general availability."
Jim Bandanza joins Cybric's advisory board to propel the company forward as it prepares to launch its patent-pending technology that will change the way companies approach cybersecurity. Prior to independently advising top security companies and CISOs around the world, Bandanza served as senior vice president of global field operations at RSA (News - Alert), The Security Division of EMC, where he led all field based functions when EMC acquired the company for $2.1 billion in 2005. Michael Brown, Rear Admiral, United States Navy (Retired) joins Cybric's advisory board while serving as Vice President and General Manager of RSA Global Public Sector. In this role, he is spearheading strategy and engagement with the United States Federal Government, state and local governments, critical infrastructure organizations and international public sector organizations. Previously, Brown served in high-ranking positions for the United States Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Director of National Intelligence and United States Navy. As a member of Cybric's advisory board, Brown will help define and execute the company's mission of providing true real-time vulnerability identification and proactive remediation.
Prior to joining Cybric's advisory board, John DeLong served as the NSA's Director of Compliance and Director of the Commercial Solutions Center. In addition to his time at the NSA, DeLong previously served in a joint duty position as the Deputy Director of the National Cyber Security Division at the Department of Homeland Security. DeLong's technical, operational and policy expertise will help to further establish Cybric as a key provider of cybersecurity solutions that combine both proactive and detective safeguards into one integrated platform. About Cybric
Cybric delivers the only Continuous Security-as-a-Service platform that enables enterprises to protect their critical applications and data without impacting the production environment. The company's patent-pending technology platform rapidly orchestrates exact replicas of an application environment and aggressively scans for security vulnerabilities by containerizing and automating security solutions. Predictive analytics are applied to the consolidated security scan results, providing proactive remediation plans through a single dashboard. To learn more visit www.cybric.io. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161107005021/en/
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MEDIA ALERT: Mirapath to Host the Engineering Lab Symposium
Mirapath, Inc., a trusted provider of data center and engineering lab infrastructure, today announced that it will host the Engineering Lab Symposium on Tuesday, November 8, in Santa Clara, California.
The Engineering Lab Symposium is an annual event exclusively focused on engineering lab challenges, trends, and best practices. This year's featured speaker is Dan Lunderville, Manager of Global Customer Labs at Palo Alto (News - Alert) Networks. Mr. Lunderville will share his global lab automation journey including different automation levels, uilding an automation team, and capturing ROI. APC by Schneider Electric, Emerson, Lantronix (News - Alert), Netscout, Panduit, Raritan, and Spirent are sponsoring the event.
What: Engineering Lab Symposium
Who: Dan Lunderville, Manager of Global Customer Labs at Palo Alto Networks
When: Tuesday, November 8, 2016, 11:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Where: Hyatt Regency - 5101 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, CA (News - Alert) 95054
RSVP: [email protected]
Complimentary passes are available to members of the media.
For more information, visit www.engineeringlabsymposium.com.
About Mirapath:
Mirapath is a fast growing data center and engineering lab infrastructure provider. Trusted by Fortune 500 and Silicon Valley 150 companies, Mirapath provides the framework for tailored, scalable, and high-performing data centers and engineering labs. Mirapath designs, deploys, and manages infrastructure for high-growth and enterprise organizations including Palo Alto Networks, Pandora, VMware, Cisco (News - Alert), HP, Pure Storage, Tesla, and Google. Learn more at www.mirapath.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161107005256/en/
[November 07, 2016] Infoblox Unleashes Network Automation and Control by Providing Elastic Scaling and Intelligence to Power the Next-Generation Data Center
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 07, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Infoblox Inc. (NYSE:BLOX), the network control company that provides Actionable Network Intelligence, today announced the latest release of its software (NIOS 8.0) for DNS, DHCP and IP Address Management (DDI) to automatically scale according to the needs of the network. NIOS 8.0 provides organizations with elastic scaling capability a way to add or reduce DDI capacity on-demand for a network. Infoblox is also adding new appliances to its product line that offer more than 50 percent performance improvements over the current appliances to help customers seamlessly expand their networks - without impacting their DNS and DHCP performance.
Given that business environments are dynamic and fast-paced, enterprises need the agility to transform their networks around new digital business models. This makes the ability to dynamically scale IT services an imperative. Yet the reality is that many legacy network solutions fail to provide the flexibility and visibility needed by organizations to meet their constantly evolving business needs. With Infoblox NIOS 8.0 software, enterprises can utilize the increased performance with flexible scaling across diverse and hybrid cloud infrastructures to seamlessly expand their network and run additional security services without compromising on the control and security of their network. Additionally, new subscription pricing models announced today help provide the flexibility required by customers to choose the consumption model that best suits their business needs. The addition of elastic scaling and high performance appliances is a major milestone as it marks the first time any DDI vendor has provided this capability combined in a multi-cloud, multi-platform solution, said Scott Fulton, executive vice president of products at Infoblox. With todays launch, we can provide our customers with the flexibility they need to readily integrate with other systems and improve performance and automation across todays hybrid environments. These capabilities combined with license mobility and subscription-based pricing options help enable our customers to adjust to ever-changing business needs that require a robust underlying next-generation network. In addition to offering flexible scale and performance, Infobloxhas also introduced substantial enhancements to its DNS Traffic Control solution to improve employee productivity and application response times by leveraging intelligent load balancing capabilities that automatically direct application traffic to the optimal server and/or data center.
The ability to simplify our DNS load balancing operations with Infoblox DNS Traffic Control was a big factor in our choice of vendor, said Jason Seager, network solutions manager, The Hershey Company. Infoblox is the only DDI vendor we've seen that integrates DNS and GSLB functions making it simple to manage with little operational overhead. Other key features in Infoblox NIOS 8.0 include:
New Microsoft Azure Integration: Customers can now automatically provision and manage their DNS infrastructure in Microsoft Azure. Infoblox helps enable customers to integrate with more cloud technologies than any other DDI solution, including: VMware, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, OpenStack, BMC, Cisco, HP, IBM and more.
Customers can now automatically provision and manage their DNS infrastructure in Microsoft Azure. Infoblox helps enable customers to integrate with more cloud technologies than any other DDI solution, including: VMware, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, OpenStack, BMC, Cisco, HP, IBM and more. Actionable Insights: New discovery, analytics and reporting capabilities enable tighter control and security for enterprise networks. With device discovery extended to wireless networks, advanced DNS analytics, predictive DDI analytics and much more, customers can have comprehensive visibility, analytics and security for all devices on enterprise networks. Administrators can closely manage all assets connected to their networks, identify rogue devices quickly and use advanced network insights for audit, compliance and security purposes.
New discovery, analytics and reporting capabilities enable tighter control and security for enterprise networks. With device discovery extended to wireless networks, advanced DNS analytics, predictive DDI analytics and much more, customers can have comprehensive visibility, analytics and security for all devices on enterprise networks. Administrators can closely manage all assets connected to their networks, identify rogue devices quickly and use advanced network insights for audit, compliance and security purposes. Subscription based pricing and License Mobility: Infoblox now gives customers flexible budgeting options and mobility to seamlessly transfer licenses and simplify enterprise migration from physical to virtual to cloud by introducing subscription based pricing for its products. Pricing and Availability
Infoblox NIOS 8.0 software and the new Infoblox appliances are available now worldwide. The new Infoblox appliances can be added to the existing Infoblox GridsTM or used to deploy a new Infoblox GridsTM. Infoblox customers can upgrade their Infoblox GridsTM to the new NIOS 8.0 software. To learn more, please visit https://www.infoblox.com/products/nios8/ or contact your sales representative. About Infoblox
Infoblox (NYSE:BLOX) delivers Actionable Network Intelligence to enterprise, government, and service provider customers around the world. As the industry leader in DNS, DHCP, and IP address management, the category known as DDI, Infoblox provides control and security from the coreempowering thousands of organizations to increase efficiency and visibility, reduce risk, and improve customer experience. Forward-looking and Cautionary Statements
Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. As such, this release is subject to the safe harbors created by U.S. Federal Securities Laws. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks that there may be design flaws in the companys products, shifts in customer demand and the IT services market in general, shifts in strategic relationships, delays in the ability to deliver products, or announcements by competitors. These and other risks may be detailed from time to time in Infobloxs periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which may be obtained from www.sec.gov. Infoblox is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Media Contact: Jill Reed Highwire PR for Infoblox [email protected] (415) 963-4174, ext. 5 Investor Contact: Renee Lyall Infoblox [email protected] (408) 986-4748
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Targeted track provides education and use cases on WebRTC, SIP Trunking, Security, Digital Marketing Techniques and more.
Norwalk, CT November 7, 2016 TMC announced today Telecom Reseller Week returns to ITEXPO, held February 8-10, 2017 at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale. Telecom Reseller Week provides a forum for attendees to learn about cutting edge new technology they can represent, to meet with new potential partners and to study proven sales techniques that help improve performance. ITEXPO is the communications and business transformation event where influential buyers gather to make their purchase decisions.
In a fast paced industry, keeping up with the latest technologies and trends is vital. Telecom Reseller Week provides a forum to discuss the latest solutions and topics relevant for todays resellers while also providing an opportunity to network and develop meaningful partnerships, said Rich Tehrani, TMC CEO and conference chairman. Were confident attendees will leave this conference with the insight they need for a successful 2017 and beyond.
Telecom Reseller Sessions include:
Wednesday, February 08, 2017
9:00 a.m. - Security Tools and Techniques
9:30 a.m. - Monetizing Security Opportunities Panel
10:00 a.m. - The Cases for WebRTC
10:30 a.m.- Monetizing WebRTC Panel
11:00 a.m. - Keynote Presentation
11:30 a.m. Keynote Presentation
1:00 p.m. - Re-Thinking Testing
1:30 p.m. - Profit from Endpoint Testing
4:00 p.m. - Keynote Presentation
4:30 p.m.- Keynote Presentations by IBM
5:00 p.m. Exhibit Hall Grand Opening Reception
Thursday, February 9
10:00 a.m. Keynote Presentation by Onvoy
10:30 a.m. Keynote Presentation by Vmware
11:00 a.m. Exhibit Hall Open
1:00 p.m. - SIP Trunk Problems and Mitigation
1:30 p.m. - Resolving SIP Trunking Problems Panel
2:00 p.m. - Marketing and Improving Your Business Image
3:30 p.m. - Digital Marketing Techniques that Really Work
4:00 p.m. IDEA Showcase- Startup Pitch Event
8:00 p.m. ITEXPO After Dark Networking Party
Friday, February 10, 2017
11:00 a.m. Exhibit Hall Open
ITEXPO is supported by Diamond Sponsors: Digium, RingCentral; Platinum Sponsors: 888VoIP, Fiber Mountain, Grandstream, Sangoma, Sansay, Talkdesk, Yealink; Gold Sponsors: ABP Tech, IBM, NetSapiens, Snom, Teli, Taqua, Vitelity and Voxbone.
For more information or to register for ITEXPO, contact Frank Coppola at 203-852-6800 x131. For media inquiries, contact Jessica Seabrook. Companies interested in exhibiting, sponsorship or advertising packages for ITEXPO should contact TMC's Joe Fabiano at 203-852-6800 x132 or Maureen Gambino at 203-852-6800 x109.
For the latest ITEXPO news, updates and information follow the event on Twitter at @ITEXPO.
About Telecom Reseller
Telecom Reseller is your source for news, information and insight on Unified Communications, Cloud and Collaboration. We report extensively on enterprise grade cloud, mobility, Skype, WebRTC and on prem based solutions. Our eBulletins, podcasts, broadcasts, online and print editions reach over 40,000 qualified readers. For a free subscription visit http://telecomreseller.com/subscribe-form/. Connect your story with the channel, enterprise end user and carrier communities: Contact Carole Sangiorgio for a media kit [email protected] and visit www.telecomreseller.com.
About TMC
Global buyers rely on TMCs content-driven marketplaces to make purchase decisions and navigate markets. This presents branding, thought leadership and lead generation opportunities for vendors/sellers.
TMCs Marketplaces:
Unique, turnkey Online Communities boost search results, establish market validation, elevate brands and thought leadership, while minimizing ad-blocking.
Custom Lead Programs uncover sales opportunities and build databases.
In-Person and Online Events boost brands, enhance thought leadership and generate leads.
Publications, Display Advertising and Newsletters bolster brand reputations.
Custom Content provides expertly ghost-crafted blogs, press releases, articles and marketing collateral to help with SEO, branding, and overall marketing efforts.
Comprehensive Event and Road Show Management Services help companies meet potential clients and generate leads face-to-face.
For more information about TMC and to learn how we can help you reach your marketing goals, please visit www.tmcnet.com.
Media and Analyst Contact:
Jessica Seabrook
Marketing Director
TMC
203-852-6800 x 170
[email protected]
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Edited by Alicia Young
A few weeks ago I noticed some foreign exchange students at my university who were huddled around a Panasonic laptop. This wasn't one of the Toughbook models that are sold in the US, but a newer Japanese model. Seeing this rare laptop out in the wild combined with the recent wailing and gnashing of teeth concerning the MacBook Pro piqued my interest in the current Japanese PC market.
In the 00s the online company dynamism imported Japan-only models and (if I remember correctly) replaced the Japanese keys with English ones. This was long before ultraportables or netbooks were commonplace is the US. It seems that dynamism is no longer importing laptops and mainly sells 3D printers now.
VAIO is no longer owned by Sony, but is still selling high end laptops. The current VAIO Z has an extremely long battery life, but no USB-C ports. The basic appearance of the device mirrors the previous-gen MacBook Pro. There is a Japan only model they have that has wild colors like VAIO has done in the past.
I have a strange attachment to Panasonic that goes back to their 3DO days. When I was younger Next Generation magazine heavily hyped their never-released M2 console, which had a very unique blue casing that they use as part of their brand identity (I have a Panasonic vacuum cleaner with the same blue). In Japan you can get a laptop with the same shade:
Panasonic has some very interesting, but very expensive models available in Japan. They are extremely lightweight but still include Blu-ray drives and VGA ports. The web site illustrates the weight of the machines with the equivalent amount of bottles of water, which is actually a pretty good way of describing the weight. These laptops don't look anything like a MacBook Pro. The LX model costs 302,928 or around 3000 USD.
With the Z as an exception, these laptops aren't trying to look like a MacBook Pro. I think that's a good thing.
They are incredibly expensive, which may be because they are manufactured in Japan. The fact that they are made in Japan is something that Panasonic features heavily on their sites.
I find it kind of sad that dynamism isn't importing these machines, but I suppose that it's no longer a profitable proposition. I think it's positive that VAIO is still operating in the US.
CHARLESTON -- As at the national level, early voting has surged in Coles County, according to numbers Friday as compared to the previous presidential election.
The election in 2012 with President Barack Obama and Republican contender Mitt Romney at the top of the ballot saw 3,800 early votes cast by the end of the early voting cycle. Mid-day Friday, election totals showed that 4,100 people voted early in Coles County, already ahead of the last presidential election with a few days to spare.
This did not include mail-in ballot totals, which, as of Friday, sat at 782 ballots cast.
And these totals are only expected to swell in the final day before Election Day, Coles County Clerk Sue Rennels said.
Rennels said normally early voting ballots, as well as mail-in ballots, are often cast because citizens won't be able to vote at their precinct on Election Day, but this year, other factors may be at play.
The big thing that accounts for (the surge) is the fact that people are just hearing about (early voting and the election) more, she said.
Whether negative or positive, Rennels said there has been a great deal of enthusiasm for this election, all of which could be attributed to a number of things.
Rumblings of genuine excitement from people casting their ballot for presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have been made, Rennels noted.
We have two very interesting presidential candidates on the ballot, she said. I am glad to see people utilizing their right.
She mentioned she has heard comments from people excited to vote for the first woman on the top of the presidential ticket, as well as an equal amount of comments from people elated after voting for Trump.
Aside from the presidential election, the county sales tax referendum on the ballot this year, which would be an additional 1-percent sales tax to go toward local schools facilities, has also generated buzz with numerous questions coming in county clerks office about what it is or does.
Rennels said these early voter numbers could likely be a sign of the turnout come Election Day on Tuesday. While there are a little more than 200 fewer registered voters in the county than in 2012, which she said could have been impacted by lowered Eastern Illinois University enrollment, the early voting turnout shows positive signs of an increased voter turnout overall this year.
Rennels said other trends this election season are popping up as well. She said she and her staff have noticed a lot of inquiries about the security of the ballots and the election system, as well as voter fraud. She attributed much of these questions to news coverage that has circulated over the last few weeks.
Trump has claimed the possibility of a "rigged" election at various occasions over the past month.
Rennels also said they have gotten numerous questions about the possibility of changing ballots, which is not allowed in Illinois. She said once a voter casts a ballot, it is final.
The last day for early voting is today only at the county courthouse, Mattoon City Hall and the Eastern University Union Bridge Lounge.
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I invite anyone who wishes to comment on this blog to do so. I enjoy the comments, whether you agree with what I have said or not. But some people want to abuse the right to comment, and since this is my blog, I have decided to lay down the following rules. If your comment violates these rules, it will not be published.
Greg Wright comes to HomeServices after a 15-year career with The Gallup Organization. In his new role, he will be an integral part of the technology department of HomeServices, from evaluating existing systems to offering application and hardware support. Wright also spent eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps as an intelligence analyst during the end of the Cold War, when he was honorably discharged.
Wright is engaged to his former junior high sweetheart with whom he reconnected after 32 years, and he has a five year old son, Jack. In his spare time, he enjoys fitness, PC gaming and drumming with his son.
HomeServices of Nebraska is a wholly owned subsidiary of HomeServices of America, a Berkshire Hathaway Affiliate. It includes the entities of HOME Real Estate, Woods Bros Realty, Nebraska Land Title and Abstract (NLTA), HomeServices Lending, HomeServices of Nebraska Insurance, Home Owners Plus and the Larabee School of Real Estate. For more information about HomeServices of Nebraska, call 402-434-3700.
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Mari Jo Mentzer has been named the director of education for the Larabee School of Real Estate.
A native of Missouri Valley, Iowa, Mentzer earned her degree in adult education from Bellevue University. She has more than 20 years of experience in the real estate industry, with three years specializing in real estate education.
In her spare time, she enjoys hiking in Colorado and writing. Mentzer has three adult children and two adorable grandsons with whom she enjoys spending her free time.
The Larabee School of Real Estate is part of HomeServices of Nebraska, which is a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate and a wholly owned subsidiary of HomeServices of America. Larabee School offers pre-license and continuing education classes for real estate agents and brokers throughout Nebraska. For information on the Larabee School, visit www. LarabeeSchool.com.
Sarah Piccolo, the former Pius X High School student who attacked a classmate with a knife and claw hammer in 2013 in a restroom at the school, is in the Douglas County jail, her future on probation uncertain.
In April, a Lancaster County judge sentenced Piccolo, now 19, to five years probation and ordered her not to break the law.
On Saturday, Omaha police arrested Piccolo on suspicion of intentionally starting a fire in a Metropolitan Community College bathroom.
Douglas County prosecutors charged her on Monday with first-degree arson. Piccolo lives in Omaha now.
No complaints had been filed in Lancaster County by Monday afternoon alleging she violated her probation.
County Attorney Joe Kelly said his office hadn't been notified by her probation officer of any alleged violation, which is how probation revocation proceedings often begin.
Under Nebraska law, Piccolo's probation could be revoked and she could be re-sentenced if she is found in violation of any of the conditions of her probation.
She entered a plea of no contest in 2014 to second-degree assault, which is punishable by as many as four years in prison.
Piccolo attacked Pius X classmate Ellen Kopetzky on Oct. 7, 2013, after Kopetzky walked into a school bathroom during the second period.
Kopetzky was hospitalized with cuts to the left side of her head and both hands. She returned to school about a week later.
Piccolo, then 16, fled to Yates Center, Kansas, where she turned herself in to police the next day.
After several court delays, she was sentenced to probation in April 2016.
In the probation order, Lancaster County District Judge Steven Burns ordered Piccolo to "refrain from unlawful or disorderly conduct or acts injurious to others."
He also ordered her to earn an associate's degree or complete two years of post-secondary education within three years.
Piccolo appeared to be on track, as she is in her second year at Metropolitan Community College as a general studies student, a college spokesman said.
It's unclear from court records who is representing Piccolo in the arson case, and a Lincoln attorney who represented her in the assault case declined to comment on the new allegations. Piccolo is set to appear in Douglas County Court Tuesday.
In another development in a bizarre northeast Nebraska homicide, Dakota County Attorney Kim Watson said additional human remains were found Saturday in a creek about 4 miles away from where body parts were found on Thursday.
Two men charged Friday with first-degree murder in the death of 41-year-old Kraig Kubik were in court for arraignment on Monday, Watson said.
Andres Surber, 25, of rural Dixon County, faces charges of first-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
Brayan Galvan-Hernandez, 18, of Wakefield, is charged with first-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony.
They are being held on $5 million bond each, Watson said.
Forensic work done Sunday positively identified the newly found body parts as belonging to Kubik, and Watson said autopsy results indicate he was shot in the head. All of Kubik's body has now been found, she said Monday.
His 5-year-old son told a teacher his father may have been hurt or killed, and sheriff's deputies found evidence at his rural Dakota County home that led them to body parts in a car trunk and burn barrel, court documents say.
Investigators said Surber and Galvan-Hernandez had confronted Kubik earlier that day, demanding the return of a car that once belonged to Surber or that Kubik make good on money he owed Surber.
Deputies found both men at Galvan-Hernandez' home and took them into custody. During a search, they found a severed human arm and leg in the trunk of Surber's car.
Free gun lock boxes will be available at the Lincoln Police Department's gun amnesty Sunday in a partnership between police and the Lincoln/Lancaster County Suicide Prevention Coalition, officials said Monday.
People can drop off any unwanted guns and ammunition -- legal or not, no questions asked -- to get them out of circulation, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. in the parking lot north of the police substation at 27th and Holdrege streets. The drop-off is the fifth hosted by LPD.
Firearms will be screened to determine if they were stolen; if so, they will be returned to their owners, Officer Melissa Ripley said.
People dropping off guns are not required to present ID, she said. Guns aren't processed for evidence, and those that weren't stolen are destroyed, Ripley said.
Police collected an average of 20 guns and tens of thousands of rounds of ammo at previous drop-offs, she said.
People who want a 40-mm handgun-sized lock box do not need to turn in a gun to get one, Ripley said.
A lock box can act as a barrier for someone who is looking to harm himself or herself, she said.
"It just takes away that means or that method," Ripley said. "Hopefully maybe it causes them to not have that firearm readily accessible and so it makes them stop and think a little bit to the point where maybe we can get them some help."
A large, colorful mural faces out to the winding bike trail in Union Plaza. People lean against the bright public artwork and take pictures and bikes zoom past on the nearby trail.
On the other side of the murals wall, Constellation Studios hosted a community discussion Sunday specifically about places like the mural and park.
Community is like the container for well-being, said discussion organizer Nick Hernandez. Place (and) emotional well-being matter.
The discussion,Placemaking for Wellbeing, was about how intentional community -- the creation of creative spaces -- improves health and well-being. A diverse panel started the conversation by discussing what placemaking meant to them. Presenters included Mayor Chris Beutler, University of Nebraska-Lincoln philosophy graduate student Shane George, artist Karen Kunc of Constellation Studios, poet Maria Nazos, doctoral candidate Raul Palma and event organizer Nick Hernandez, who hosts a KZUM radio show called Community Matters.
This was a deeply intellectual discussion, Beutler said. It still advances the cause of educating people as to what is meant by placemaking and how it might be perceived as the subject of a whole community endeavor.
He says Lincoln is doing a lot of things -- both big and small -- to gather creative ideas and come up with spaces where people can gather and become inspired. He cites the Canopy Street project and Union Plaza as good examples of Lincolns ongoing placemaking.
Beutler says the connection between the arts and the well-being of a community is often lost. He said the arts are a part of economic development and health, though the link is often forgotten.
What we want to do in order to attract people to stay in the city, live in the city and grow the city is to create a broader and deeper cultural environment that is not just a copy of some other place, he said. Its an amalgamation of creative thoughts that come out of our own environment.
Hernandez says placemaking is one of many ways where people can increase emotional well-being through interaction with their communities.
The idea is to inspire everyone that comes to the discussion to become more involved in creating the sense of place in Lincoln in whatever way speaks to them, said Hernandez. Everyone has unique strengths."
Beutler and Hernandez agreed that people contributing their creative ideas has a positive impact on both personal health and the health of the city.
If you get 1,000 businesses contributing a small idea or two, the whole face of the city can change, Beutler said.
Constellation Studios owner Karen Kunc said the word makers can mean a lot of different things, but to her it means empowerment.
So many people feel helpless and like they have no impact on society or their lives. Thats an incorrect notion, she said. If we can create more makers, thats about empowerment. Maybe thats what were trying to do here.
In the end, is it not a whole message to the community on the importance of creativity? said Beutler.
On Burdette Burkhart's second mission observing a foreign election, in Kosovo in 2001, a man who was missing his front teeth tried to vote for his wife. Burkhart stopped him and asked him why.
"Because my wife is stupid," the man replied.
"I said, 'No, no, no, she has to come vote,'" Burkhart recalls. "These people had no clue how to vote. They'd go into the voting booth, and they didn't know what to do."
It was the country's first parliamentary election following the Kosovo War, and observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, including Burkhart, were also helping administer the voting process.
Seven years later, Burkhart was scouting polling stations in Kazakhstan the day before an election when he arrived to find police officers rifling through blank ballots. They noticed Burkhart and his entourage, and "quickly disappeared ... went out the back door," he remembers.
The next day he witnessed a large van deliver the same group of people to at least two polling places to cast repeat votes: "I'm sure they probably went to others, too. They just happened to pull up about the same time that we were there."
Burkhart's eight missions observing foreign elections have offered him glimpses of the struggles faced by emerging democracies: from blatant attempts at voter fraud, to election officials secretly counting ballots behind locked doors, to a lone poll worker finger-punching data from multiple polling stations into a computer.
In Russia in September, while observing an election in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, the 69-year-old retired Lincoln cop helped carry an elderly woman in a wheelchair up a flight of stairs to vote, because her polling place wasn't handicapped-accessible.
"Things that we just take for granted, it's a big issue," he said. "It can be a real problem.
"You realize that our system here (in the United States) is really not all that bad."
Other Nebraskans who have monitored foreign elections agree.
Becky Hight-Moravec, office manager for the Lancaster County Election Commission, has seen men in other countries corral their wives and children into a single poll booth and tell them how to vote. Her experiences abroad taught her "how lucky we are that we have the right and responsibility to vote in free and fair elections," she said.
When state Sen. Tanya Cook of Omaha observed Ukraine's landmark presidential election in 2014 through the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, she was struck by the comparative lack of wealth.
She watched poll workers at one location hand-count nearly 1,500 ballots, sorting them into piles for each of the 21 candidates because poll workers didn't have access to computer scanners.
Nonpartisan observers promote government transparency and accountability overseas, just as they do during U.S. elections, said Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale.
Providing foreign observers also helps cement the United States' leadership among democracies, he said: "There's no other country that could provide that leadership but us."
This year, Nebraska will host a short-term observer from the Organization of American States, which is based in Washington, D.C., and covers the Western Hemisphere. The woman is expected to visit polling places in Douglas and Lancaster counties on Election Day.
It's the first time in at least 16 years Gale can recall an international monitor spending time in the state during an election.
"I'm very, very proud of our election system in Nebraska," Gale said. "I think we would showcase well to election observers."
Observers typically visit in two waves: Long-term observers arrive six to eight weeks in advance and remain until about a week after an election, reporting not only on the election itself but also the campaigns, political climate, media coverage and behind-the-scenes preparation. Missions for short-term observers usually last about 10 days, and are more limited.
"Of course, the day of the election it's pretty much all work," said Burkhart, who does only short-term missions. "We have an opportunity to do the touristy thing, too."
Burkhart, a sergeant-at-arms for the Nebraska Legislature, first monitored a foreign election in 1998, in Bosnia, right after retiring from the Lincoln Police Department. He did so mostly because he was already there helping train police officers for the United Nations following the Bosnian War.
Since then, he's observed elections in Kosovo, Ukraine, Moldova, Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and now Russia.
He gets paired up with another foreigner a government worker from Germany, a freelance journalist from France, a foreign service officer from Poland and they're assigned a local interpreter and a driver. (He's never had a bad interpreter, he says, but some drivers "seem to hit the potholes pretty good.")
Voters in each one of those countries experience problems at the polls, he said. Yet other anecdotes illustrate the devout optimism of peopling striving for free and fair elections.
In Belarus, which is considered Europe's last remaining dictatorship, two schoolgirls played traditional accordion music as voters completed their ballots. Another polling place, in a high school for musically gifted children, hosted a full student orchestra.
Russians sold baked goods and trinkets on the streets of Krasnoyarsk during this year's election for State Duma, essentially the lower house of parliament.
"It's kind of a festival atmosphere," Burkhart said. "I saw that in a lot of the communist countries. It's serious when they vote, but outside of that, they're partying."
In Ukraine -- where people dressed up and waited in long lines to vote, and mobile polling places brought ballots to people stuck at home because they were elderly or ill -- Sen. Cook grew "ashamed" of American voter turnout.
"It was the priority for what they were doing with their day," Cook said of the Ukranian voters. "Even with all the bad outcomes and corruption, they didn't take it for granted."
When Dr. Jeffrey Frenchs students in the University of Nebraska Omahas neuroscience program want to run an experiment that would induce the release of cortisol, our primary stress hormone, he suggests they weave a system-shocking situation into their research.
My advice is you need to have a manipulation, an event that is likely to elicit a visceral response, a gut feeling, he said.
Are either of these names -- Trump, Hillary -- producing such a stress-fueling sensation in your gut this election week?
This fall, Amanda Aronczyk, a Brooklyn-based journalist, contacted French and University of Nebraska-Lincoln political science professor Kevin Smith to see if theyd help her with an idea she had for an episode of WNYCs radio program Only Human regarding that question.
With the Nebraska researchers help, she wanted to find out if watching a presidential debate stressed people out, biologically speaking. And if so, were Trump or Clinton supporters more stressed? So she and a team of volunteers collected spit from debate-watchers and mailed it to Omaha.
The short answer to Aronczyk's question was, not exactly. Clinton supporters had a little cortisol spike mid-debate. Trump supporters, for the most part, didn't get stressed by what they watched. But there were some surprising findings in the small sample of debate-watchers that has French and Smith considering bigger research projects.
The two, along with UNL political scientist John Hibbing, have researched how biological predispositions can play a role in our political behavior. A 2014 biopolitical study they co-authored with several other researchers, referenced on Only Human, found that people with higher cortisol levels tended to vote less than people who werent as regularly stressed out.
The cortisol levels in that study were measured from saliva samples collected from the participants. With spit, it turns out, you can study stress. With that in mind, the "Only Human" producers pitched a research idea.
Project, project! French said, feigning panic into the phone from his Omaha office as he corrected the terminology.
The cortisol-voting study was conducted in a controlled environment. It was peer-reviewed and published in the academic journal Physiology & Behavior. The Only Human project was conducted in a few New York-area bars on Sept. 26. That was the night Lester Holt moderated the first of the three presidential debates, the That makes me smart one.
French and Smith both stressed that the Only Human experiment didnt come close to matching the exhaustive rigors of a published academic study. Smith said their contributions to the WYNC show took place over a total of all of about four weeks.
In academic terms, it was lightning fast, Smith said.
In the episode, Aronczyk also addressed the limitations of the project. The debate-watchers werent limited in their alcohol consumption, for instance. And one vial, French hypothesized on the show, had been spat into by someone who'd been snacking upon Cheetos.
But, Smith and French said, they found some interesting things in the saliva collected from a group of New York-area volunteers who went out with Aronczyk on debate night.
The volunteers handed out surveys at two pro-Trump watch parties and one pro-Clinton one and asked the 102 participants to spit into three vials over the course of the night -- once before, once during and once after the debate concluded.
Though this was a project and not a rigorous study, French said the samples shipped to Omaha were handled all the same. They were analyzed blind, meaning French didnt know during the testing process if the samples were from males or females, Trump or Clinton supporters or even when in the series of spits they were collected.
"That's just good scientific process," French said. All we saw was a number on a tube."
Once the cortisol levels were measured, then the researchers looked at which ones belonged to Trump supporters and which ones were from Clinton voters.
The initial questions that Aronczyk posed -- did stress levels spike while watching the debate, and did it spike more for Trump or Clinton supporters? -- turned out to not yield expected answers. French said neither candidate's supporters, on the whole, showed noticeable changes throughout the debate. On the show, Aronczyk posited that watching the debate in a setting with like-minded spectators could have been influential. The scientists agree.
Preaching to the choir is not going to elicit a stress response, French said.
But the saliva vials that Smith and French examined produced a plot twist for the "Only Human" episode.
On average, Trump supporters had on average of twice the level of cortisol as Clinton's supporters, French said.
That included the samples taken before the debate even started. The Trump supporters, it was suggested on the show, could have been extra-stressed because they were nervous about the Republican candidate. Aronczyk said that many of the debate-watchers said they'd supported other candidates for the party's nomination in the primaries.
But, French and Smith said, that stress discrepancy could also be worth examining on a scholarly level. Also worth looking at more, the two said, were Trump supporters who dated or related outside their presidential preference.
One of the questions the survey participants answered had to do with loved ones -- significant others, siblings, parents, etc. -- and if someone close to them shared their political beliefs or opposed them.
Among the Clinton supporters who participated in the project, there was no noticeable difference in their cortisol levels depending on if people close to them supported Clinton or Trump or someone else.
But for the Trump supporters, there was more than a bit of a split, French said. The Trump supporters whose close family and friends also supported Trump had decreased cortisol levels by the end of the debate. Thats typical, French said. Your circadian rhythms call for stress levels to recede as bedtime nears. Clinton supporters across the board followed that trajectory.
But Trump supporters who found never-Trump partners or had family that didn't support him, it turned out, appeared to be atypical.
Their cortisol levels were higher after the debate than before, French said.
Remember -- small sample size, uncontrolled environment, at least one potential Cheetos eater.
But French said that result was so striking that it's worth considering a rigorous study looking into that dynamic. Or perhaps, French said, there could be interesting results if researchers gathered people from across the political divide to watch the same debate and see if an acrimonious environment produced more stress-laced spit.
Theyd just need to get them in a room together.
The 32-minute episode of Only Human can be found at wync.org.
WASHINGTON -- Tuesday evening, after Election Day's tranquility, new clamors will erupt as analysts with agendas tickle portents and lessons from the torrent of election returns. Herewith some developments to watch.
-- In the 17 elections since World War II, the winner has averaged 385.4 electoral votes, the loser 145.1. In six elections (1952, 1956, 1964, 1972, 1980, 1984), a major-party candidate won fewer than 100. In the seven elections after 1984, no Democrat has received fewer than 111 (Michael Dukakis in 1988) and no Republican fewer than 159 (Bob Dole in 1996). Measure Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump accordingly.
-- In 2012, Romney's totals in 10 swing states were: Texas 4,569,843 (57 percent); Florida 4,163,447 (49 percent); Pennsylvania 2,680,434 (47 percent); Ohio 2,661,407 (48 percent); Michigan 2,115,256 (45 percent); Virginia 1,822,522 (47 percent); Arizona 1,233,654 (54 percent); Colorado 1,185,243 (46 percent); Nevada 463,567 (46 percent); New Hampshire 329,918 (47 percent). Use these numbers to measure Trump's success at enlarging the Republican electorate.
-- In 1976, when Jimmy Carter narrowly defeated President Gerald Ford, 20 states were won by five points or less; in 2012, just four were. In 1976, Ford won California and Illinois with 49.3 percent and 50.1 percent, respectively. Carter won Texas with 51.1 percent. Tuesday will show how much has changed in four decades.
-- In nine consecutive elections (1980-2012), Florida has been more Republican than the nation. Is it still?
-- In 1976, a majority of House seats were won by 10 points or less. In 2012, most were won by at least 20 points. Watch Tuesday night for further evidence of the extent to which representatives now pick their voters rather than voters picking representatives. And for how many incumbents are defeated by an electorate supposedly seething against "insiders."
-- The "blue wall" consists of 18 states and the District of Columbia (totaling 242 electoral votes) that have voted Democratic in at least six consecutive elections: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin. Will Trump, who vowed to expand the battlefield, carry any of these?
-- The Republican's "red wall" (in at least six consecutive elections) consists of 13 states with 102 electoral votes: Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming. Will Clinton come close to carrying Texas? Will she lose any age cohort there other than voters over 65?
-- Will Trump's louche lifestyle cost him culturally conservative Utah, which last voted Democratic in 1964, and which since then has voted Republican by an average of 36.1 points?
-- In 1984, when Ronald Reagan carried 49 states, under-30 voters were the most Republican age group. This year, will it be, for the fourth consecutive election, the most Democratic?
-- In 1928, a Brooklyn Democratic boss explained why he was funneling political funds to the candidate for New York's governor, Franklin Roosevelt, rather than to down-ballot candidates: As the Staten Island ferry enters its slip, he said, it drags in "all the crap in the harbor behind it," adding, "FDR is our Staten Island ferry." Trump might be the opposite. Watch whether his undertow drowns Reps. Barbara Comstock and Mike Coffman, Republicans with chilly relations with Trump, both representing similar districts -- Northern Virginia and suburban Denver, respectively.
-- Will Trump become the first Republican in 60 years to lose whites with college educations?
-- Will Trump achieve even Mitt Romney's 17 percent of the nonwhite vote?
-- Finally, Winston Churchill enjoyed the story of the man who, upon receiving a telegram reporting his mother-in-law's death and asking for instructions, replied: "Embalm, cremate, bury at sea. Take no chances." What instructions will Tuesday evening's returns give to Republicans about what to do with Trump's approach to the electorate?
Taxes are too high in Nebraska and are hurting our states economic growth. But the Lincoln Journal Star continues the same old song and dance that has repeatedly failed taxpayers. The Nov. 1 editorial Bad timing, wrong target on tax cuts, is yet another performance in property tax concern-trolling that will leave Nebraskans empty-handed if legislators step to their beat.
If it were true that income tax reform was an obstacle or distraction to property tax relief, then Nebraska would already have the lowest property taxes in the country. In reality, spending restraint among local taxing entitiesbitterly opposed by legislative lobbyistsis what stands in the way, while the high income tax rates paid by hardworking, middle-class Nebraska families, farmers and ranchers, and small business owners have hardly budged over the last two decades.
Over that same time, we have lost $3.07 billion in adjusted gross income, mostly to competing states with lower income taxesthats a serious problem.
The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council still ranks Nebraskas tax system among the 15 worst, while states that outrank us like Texas, Florida, and South Carolina are gaining jobs from Nebraska, including 320 jobs at Verizons closing facility in Lincoln. Regionally, Nebraska still has the highest income tax rate from North Dakota to Texas.
Nebraskans still pay 52 percent more in personal income tax and 36 percent more corporate income tax than our key economic rivals.
And while youre still going through hard times with ag prices, job losses, and insurance premium hikes, Nebraskas high-tax lobby wants to keep the good times rolling with your money. Theyre exploiting our frustrations with property taxes, and fears about a botched tax reform effort, in hopes that taxpayers will eventually go away.
Thats the real distraction.
If taxpayers are going to win in 2017, they will need to vote for reform-minded candidates and expose the many tax reform myths peddled by Nebraskas high-tax lobby, and media outlets that carry their water.
For example, the current budget picture has nothing to do with how we rebalance our state tax system.
The Tax Foundation, the nations leading independent tax research organization, has published a new report showing Nebraska can fully fund tax reform by eliminating loopholes in the states tax code. This means we can reduce our states reliance on harmful income and property taxes without cutting any existing spending.
Notably, this newspaper and many left-of-center groups have supported this type of approach. The difference is that Tax Foundation proposes using the new revenues to lower tax rates, while Nebraskas tax-hike lobby want to take the money and run.
Balancing the state budget is not the challenge opponents of tax relief make it out to be, either. Lawmakers and the Governor will achieve this, as the state is required to, with restraints on new spending.
The real hard part is growing our economy out of this position. The slowing growth of state revenues is not because Nebraskans are undertaxed, but because they face their own budget gaps at home. Responsible, comprehensive reform of income, property, and sales tax is one important part of helping to grow these family budgets again.
Critically, Nebraskans must reject scare tactics that claim tax reform in Nebraska will be the same as Kansas. Nebraska is not Kansas, will never be Kansas, and will not do tax reform like Kansas. Period.
Kansas created a massive, unfunded tax loophole that exempted over 300,000 taxpayers while increasing spending. The Platte Institute advocates for and will only support a revenue neutral, funded plantaking a Kansas scenario out of the realm of possibility.
Nebraskans should demand their leaders move beyond the fear-mongering of Nebraskas high-tax lobby and look at the facts presented by reputable sources. The Tax Foundation was an early critic of the Kansas cuts, but they have put their name on the line to show that Nebraska can achieve success with tax reforms like Indianas and North Carolinas, not Kansas.
With the right leadership in the Legislature, we can end the excuses for inaction and return our focus to where it needs to be: growing our state and keeping Nebraska the best state to live, to work, and to raise a family.
Management guru Ken Blanchard and others advise, catch someone doing something right to encourage positive feedback in the workplace.
If the concept works in the private sector, presumably the same principle applies in the public sector.
So the Journal Star editorial board wants to be among those offering a word of praise to City Council member Leirion Gaylor Baird.
It was Gaylor Baird who first put Lincoln on the list of more than 100 cities who sought help from Bloomberg Philanthropies on how to more effectively make use of the mounds of data that have become accessible as city government gradually switched to digital records.
As reported by the Journal Stars Nancy Hicks, Gaylor Baird returned from a conference for young leaders full of enthusiasm about the concept of open data. Searching online, she found the What Works Cities program just begun by Bloomberg. Yikes! The deadline for a statement of interest was that very day at midnight.
I just went ahead and did it. I thought, 'How could this be a bad thing?' Gaylor Baird said.
Lincoln didnt make the cut for in the first year of funding in the What Works Cities program. But staffers at Bloomberg Philanthropies sent an encouraging email. At that point Gaylor Baird got the mayors office on board with the request. Lincoln was in the second round of 16 cities chosen for the program.
That means that Lincoln is in line to receive help worth several hundred thousand dollars from experts in various fields -- the Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University; the Government Performance Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School; Results for America; and the Sunlight Foundation, etc. -- who will be paid by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Success stories are already rolling in from the first round of funding. For example, Jackson, Mississippi, officials found ways to improve and speed clean-up of rundown properties. Louisville, Kentucky, improved its on-time restaurant inspection program by about 11 percent.
The City Council was already hoping to accelerate the communitys use of digital information by committing the city to an Open Data Initiative in a resolution sponsored by Gaylor Baird and City Council colleague Trent Fellers. The idea, Fellers said, is that making the data available that might fire the imagination of entrepreneurs.
The new efforts to make better use of data optimize the possibilities of finding other people doing something right in city government. That would be positively welcome.
My fiancee Mel and I attended the Donald J. Trump rally in Reno, Nevada Saturday. Both native Nebraskans, we're 11 months into a yearlong tour of the lower 48 states, soaking up the local color and writing stories along the way. (Our travel blog is at localcolorxc.com).
We drove to Carson City from Oakland, California. When we heard that the Republican presidential nominee would be speaking in Reno, just a half hour away, we jumped at what would likely be our last chance to experience first-hand this bizarre chapter in American history, despite having already voted for Hillary Clinton by absentee ballot.
We arrived two hours early, the line already pushing out the front doors of the Reno-Sparks Convention Center and snaking around the block. Salesmen peddled "Hillary for Prison 2016" bumper stickers and "Make America Great Again" hats in every color, mostly camouflage.
Across the street, a lone protestor raised an anti-Trump sign. Two middle-aged white women stood behind us. One said to the other, "I saw him when I was driving over here. I thought about just driving up on the curve and hitting him."
Mel and I decided early on to stay quiet and observe, but I couldn't help myself. "Aww," I said, trying to maintain a soft tone. "That's kinda mean." The woman just stared at me, then turned back to her friend, who said she didn't like Beyonce because she flaunts her money.
We spent the next hour eavesdropping as best we could. Almost all of the conversations sounded this way. They weren't political discussions. They were attacks wrapped in smiles and selfies. Thousands of people laughing and shaking hands and backslapping in support of ruining another human being, and those who dare support her.
Later, they'd all chant "Lock Her Up!" in unison: a father with his teenage daughter, young parents with babies in the stroller, veterans and octogenarians and pregnant women. People who will drive to church tomorrow morning, say the Lord's prayer, "as we forgive those who trespass against us."
We stood and watched Trump's speech until he was rushed off the stage by his security detail. Someone in the crowd had apparently yelled "gun." Everyone in the back of the convention center -- Mel and I included -- rushed out the exits while police officers and armed guards filed in with automatic weapons.
Later, of course, we'd learn it was all just a scare. There was no gun in the crowd, just a fellow Republican with a sign they didn't like. But for a second there it was all very real. When the shield of politics is stripped away, everyone panics the same.
Dear Doctor K: I'm in my 70s. A friend of mine recently fell and broke her hip. I'd like to avoid a similar fate. What steps can I take to avoid falling?
Dear Reader: Falls send millions of people in the United States to emergency departments each year with broken hips and head injuries. Imbalance is a common cause of falls. Liz Moritz, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital, recommends several strategies to people looking to improve their balance.
* PHYSICAL THERAPY. Physical therapy for balance focuses on three things: the ability of the joints and brain to communicate, the balance system in the ear (the vestibular system) and vision. Exercises such as standing on one foot, first with the eyes open and then with the eyes closed, can help coordinate all three. Joint flexibility exercises, walking and lower-extremity exercises can also help.
* MUSCLE STRENGTHENING. Core strength is very important for balance. If the abdominal muscles in your core are weak, they cannot support your legs when you're walking. And if the muscles in your buttocks and hips aren't strong, they won't be able to propel you forward. Muscle strengthening exercises can help.
* TAI CHI AND YOGA. Tai chi and yoga make you pay attention to the control and quality of movement, which improves your balance. In tai chi, you practice slow, flowing motions and shift your weight from one limb to another. Yoga incorporates a series of focused postures and breathing. Both exercises increase flexibility, range of motion, leg and core strength and reflexes.
* VISION CORRECTION. If your vision is impaired, your risk of falling increases dramatically. If you're having trouble with your vision, the fix may be as simple as a new eyeglasses prescription. Once you hit age 40, you should have regular, comprehensive, dilated eye exams.
* ASSISTIVE WALKING DEVICES. A cane or a walker can complement your balance and give you more stability and confidence walking. Walkers are available with wheels intended for different terrain, lockable brakes, seats, baskets and other features such as headlights. Canes are available with various handgrips and bases.
Balance is one of those things that we take for granted. In most of us, it becomes worse as we enter the last half of our lives. But we often don't notice it --until suddenly we do.
I remember the moment when I noticed it. A light bulb in a high ceiling fixture needed replacing. So I did what I'd done before, though not for quite a while. I got out the tall ladder and started to climb. Halfway up, it suddenly struck me: I wasn't very steady. This was not a good idea. Indeed, it was a bad idea.
I called a young handyman who had done odd jobs for us and told him I had a small job for him. When he asked what it was, I replied: "Change a light bulb." He replied: "Well, this is a first for me, but if the money is good, I'll be right over!"
RACINE COUNTY Total crime was down last year in Racine County according to 2015 crime data reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but county law enforcement are still concerned, particularly about violent crime.
The FBIs Uniform Crime Report reports violent crimes and property crimes that are reported to law enforcement.
Reported crime in the county went down from 4,831 in 2014 to 4,445 in 2015. Property crime decreased from 4,443 to 3,993. However violent crimes increased from 388 to 452. That includes data from Burlington, Caledonia, Mount Pleasant, Racine, Racine County and Sturtevant.
Over the last few years violent crime across Racine County, as it is around the country, is on the rise, said Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling. It is a troubling trend that doesnt seem will end soon given the terrible economy, record number of people out of the workforce and the lack of top level government leadership seen in this country for the last eight years.
According to the crime data, the Racine County Sheriffs Office reported violent crime went from 16 to 23, although property crime decreased from 364 to 346.
One of the many reasons area law enforcement are concerned about violent crime is the national trend of those crimes turning deadly with police ambushes and shootings of police officers.
I just attended the funeral of a Wisconsin deputy sheriff who was gunned down while doing his job last Saturday night, Schmaling said, referring to Rusk County Sheriffs deputy Dan Glaze, 33, who was shot and killed Saturday while checking on a suspicious vehicle. Two more officers were ambushed, shot and killed in Iowa this week.
Caledonia Police was the only department in the county to see a decrease in violent crimes going from 41 in 2014 to 25 in 2015.
Mount Pleasant Polices violent crimes increased from 15 in 2014 to to 24 in 2015.
Growing populations in municipalities outside the city and weekday traffic between Interstate 94 and the city play a role in the increased violent crimes, according to Mount Peasant Police Capt. Brian Smith.
There are many thoroughfares going in and out of the city, Smith said. We work hard. We work with the city and other departments to share intelligence and info to try to make our communities safer.
Mount Pleasants population has steadily increased and the addition of businesses also contributes to the increase in crime, although Smith said crime hasnt risen too much.
Mount Pleasant crime would increase compared to the city (of Racine) whose population has declined because population and business growth have increased, Smith said. Thats where youll see a steady increase. We havent had a huge decrease or increase which is good.
Racine crime reported
Racine has the biggest population in the county and reported the highest number of violent crimes with 364 mostly robberies and aggravated assaults compared to Sturtevant, which has the smallest population and reported five violent crimes.
Racines total major crime numbers were the lowest they have been since 1965, when the city began tracking uniform crime reporting data, according to reports released earlier this year.
Howell has credited that to the diligence that officers have put in day in and day out. However, he didnt want to celebrate the data, saying: The minute you start to celebrate because your numbers are low here, something happens over there.
Domestic abuse, cyber crime
While Sturtevant reported the lowest number of crimes, Sturtevant Police Chief Sean Marschke said that domestic abuse is still a major problem.
Marschke also noted that cyber crimes continue to rise.
We still see a rise in scams, he said. Criminals are stealing identities and a lot of that stuff done online costs real dollars and affects real victims of those frauds.
Even though overall property crimes decreased, Marschke advises county residents to continue to take the necessary precautions to prevent crimes.
It is still necessary to lock your doors and report stuff as you see it. Crime often occurs when the opportunity presents itself so we always want to lessen that opportunity, said Marschke.
RACINE COUNTY The long wait is finally over.
Voters are expected to come out in large numbers for Tuesdays election, which includes races for president, U.S. Senate. and a host of other contests. The Wisconsin Elections Commission predicts 3.1 million people or 69.6 percent of the states voting-age population will cast ballots in the election.
That means residents should expect lines when they head to the polls, which are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone standing in line to vote when polling places close at 8 p.m. is permitted to vote.
Voter ID in effect
The most important thing voters should know, election officials said, is they should bring a photo identification to vote. While court decisions have altered aspects of the states elections laws, the photo ID requirement remains in effect.
Anyone without a photo ID can still cast a provisional ballot that will be counted if the voter presents an acceptable ID to their clerks office by 4 p.m. the Friday after the election. Valid IDs include a drivers license, military and veterans ID, some student IDs, tribal IDs or certificate of naturalization. For a full list of accepted IDs, visit bringit.wi.gov.
Those who need to register to vote can do so at the polling place on Election Day. Residents should present a proof of residence document, such as a drivers license, utility bill, university ID or other official document showing the voters name and current address.
Residents who see voter fraud, voter intimidation, electioneering or misconduct by election officials should first contact the chief election inspector at the polling place, said Michael Haas, Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator.
If that doesnt work, voters can also contact their local clerks office or law enforcement or report problems online at elections.wi.gov/complaints or call 1-866-868-3947 (1-866-VOTE-WIS).
Officials also said voters are asked not to wear political clothing or paraphernalia to the polling place. Voters may be asked to leave polling places if election inspectors determine they are electioneering or creating a disturbance.
Residents can find a variety of other voter information, such as their polling place, at myvote.wi.gov.
RACINE Stopping in Monument Square on his bicycle Sunday afternoon, Larry Dyson didnt pause when asked what he thought about the presidential election.
Why ... are they fighting to be the president, calling each other names and whatnot? said Dyson, 60, of Racine. That aint the way to go.
That make you dont want to vote for Hillary. That make you dont want to vote for Trump.
The often-chaotic, ugly and vicious presidential contest between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump has nearly reached its conclusion, with the polls finally set to open Tuesday.
Dyson speaks for many Americans. Polling agencies like Gallup rate Clinton as the second-most unpopular general election candidate since it started tracking favorability seven decades ago. The only candidate more unpopular? Trump.
In a Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday, Trump was viewed favorably by just 31 percent of registered voters, while Clinton got a 43 percent favorability rating.
I dont like either one, but I have to vote for one I like the best, said John Coe, 61, of Racine.
Coe noted the advertising blitz the state has seen in recent weeks. Not only has Wisconsin become a top target of both presidential campaigns, but the state is home to a deadlocked U.S. Senate matchup between Republican incumbent Ron Johnson and Democrat Russ Feingold.
Ive been ready for it (to be over) for a long time, Coe said. The next two days are going to be crazy because of all the advertising.
At debate-watching parties at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, students didnt react to the candidates positions as much as they expressed cynicism about the entire process, said Peggy James, University of Wisconsin-Parkside dean of the College of Social Sciences and Professional Studies.
Third-party candidates like Libertarian Gary Johnson and the Green Partys Jill Stein have gotten more attention and support than usual, James added.
On campus, were seeing engagement with the election, but ... not really in terms of one side or the other, but really talking about alternatives, James said in an interview last month.
Trump draws closer
Polls have moved from a sizable Clinton lead to a closer race after FBI Director James Comey said Oct. 28 the agency was looking into more of Clintons emails. Comey announced Sunday that no further action would be taken.
As John Anthony Johnson sat Sunday on a bench on State Street, he said he is anxiously awaiting the election results because of the major impact the winner will have on day-to-day life, noting issues like Social Security and food stamps.
Its kind of weird, Johnson, 45, said of the race. Its been going back this way, going back that way. And you dont know if youre going to have your Social Security or not.
While Johnson argued Clinton would be better on most issues, the campaign has rarely been about issues in 2016.
Instead, much of the media coverage has focused on Clintons emails and Clinton Foundation and Trumps temperament, behavior and comments on women, Muslims, immigrants and others.
Dyson said he is looking forward to moving past the election after Tuesday.
They doing all that mudslinging, he said. The world should say, hey, forget about the president. What do we need a president for?
RACINE Mayor John Dickert told the Journal Times in September that he had gone to New York City that month to meet with potential investors for the proposed $46 million Racine Event Center arena-hotel plan.
Prompted by an open records request from Racine Taxpayers Association President Samuel Wahlen, Dickert elaborated on the details of that trip Friday. While he again declined to disclose who he met with and the specifics of the conversation on the record, he discussed the purpose of the trip, a trip that contributes to him exceeding his 2016 travel budget.
According to Dickert, the purpose of the trip, which spanned a little more than two days from just before noon on Sept. 19 to 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 21, was to attend the Sept. 20 Sustainable Investment Forum. Dickert said he was asked to speak at the conference, which took place at the Westin Times Square, because of his vocal role in regional water matters.
I was asked to come and speak at a conference on international green infrastructure financing, Dickert said.
Dickert said he sat on a panel at the conference that also included St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman. According to the conferences website, Dickert shared the 4:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. time slot with Coleman and three others, on a panel called Cities and Regions as Drivers of Change.
Because he arrived at LaGuardia Airport at 2:45 p.m. the day before the conference, Dickert said he used the night of Sept. 19 to meet with potential arena investors who he had previously encountered in Washington.
We had an investment team that wanted to see if they could get involved with a project of this magnitude, Dickert said. When we found out that majority of their team was in New York, I said Listen, Im coming out for this trip already, why dont we tag-team another meeting with these guys.
Dickert said he met with the potential investors for four hours, discussing possible financing options. He wouldnt disclose who he met with, citing possible interference from groups such as the Taxpayers Association.
Im not going to give them the names of the people were working with because Im not going to have them interfere into this project, he said.
Wahlen expressed concern about this lack of disclosure in a statement.
When asked for details of his travel, he has no evidence that he actually did what he said he did, he wrote.
Dickert asserted that meetings such as the one on Sept. 19 are part of his job as mayor.
This is what I do on a regular basis, he said. You talk to as many people as you can and you hope one or two of them are going to pop.
Dickert exceeds 2016 travel budget
According to the city budget documents, Dickert is projected to exceed his 2016 travel budget, set at $10,500, by 12 percent, for a total of $12,000. Dickert confirmed that he will exceed his budget Friday.
I got invited to speak at two conferences that we hadnt planned for, he said. We think that it was worth the trip.
One of those conferences was Septembers Sustainable Investment Forum and the other was the One Water Summit, which took place in Atlanta from June 8-10. Dickert stressed that even though he attended the extra conferences, he did so frugally.
He explained that when he went to New York in September, he slept on a friends couch to eliminate hotel costs, took Ubers instead of taxis and only expensed one meal. Wahlens open-records request seems to support those claims as Dickert only expensed airfare, Ubers and one meal for a total of $1,159.
What I could have spent was close to $2,500, 3,000, he said.
Even so, Wahlen took issue with Dickert exceeding his budget.
The city has paid tens of thousands of dollars for him to travel to foreign countries and places like New York City, Wahlen said. He should expect taxpayers to ask that their money be spent well.
Dickerts travel budget is set to increase to $12,000 in the 2017 proposed budget, a number he feels is necessary for his effectiveness as a mayor.
If Im going to get around and speak to the investors, developers and the people that were going to speak to, weve got to have more than eight or 10 grand in the travel budget, he said.
Voters head to the polls Tuesday, ending a lengthy, volatile presidential campaign between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump. Voters also will decide whether to re-elect U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, the Republican incumbent, or elect Russ Feingold, who held the same seat for nearly 20 years before Johnson unseated him six years ago. All state Assembly seats are up for re-election, and there are a dozen state Senate races.
Here's a guide to Election Day:
Q: What are voting hours in Madison and Dane County?
A: Polls are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. If you are in line by 8 p.m., you can stay at the polling place until youre able to vote.
Q: What do I need to vote at the polls?
A: You must bring a photo ID to the polling place. Acceptable forms of photo ID are:
Wisconsin driver's license (even if driving privileges are revoked or suspended)
Wisconsin-issued identification card
Military ID card
U.S. passport
Certificate of naturalization
ID card issued by a federally recognized American Indian tribe in Wisconsin
A driver's license receipt or identification card receipt issued by the state Department of Transportation (valid for 45 days after being issued)
A state Department of Motor Vehicle ID petition process photo receipt (valid for 180 days after being issued)
A Veteran Affairs ID card that is not expired
A photo identification card issued by a state-accredited university, college or technical college
Some forms of photo ID don't qualify for voting:
State of federal government employee ID
Out-of-state driver's license or ID card
Employment ID
Membership ID
Certificate of citizenship
Q: What if I don't have an acceptable form of ID and I want to vote?
A: If you do not have a photo ID that allows you to vote, you can vote using a provisional ballot. It wont be counted unless you provide a photo ID to poll workers or the municipal clerk by the time polls close on Election Day or by 4 p.m. on the Friday following the election.
Q: Can I register at the polls?
A: Yes. Bring along proof of residence, such as a utility bill, a pay stub, bank statement or a lease agreement.
Q: What are the electioneering rules?
A: Campaign signs may not be placed on public property within 100 feet of the entrance to a polling place on Election Day. A candidate on the ballot may be at or near a polling place as long as the candidate does not engage in campaigning. Voters or election observers may not wear campaign buttons or stickers at or within 100 feet of a polling place.
Source: Wisconsin Elections Commission
For more than a year, it looked all but certain Democratic former Sen. Russ Feingold would make a triumphant return to Washington in January after defeating the Oshkosh manufacturer who seemed to emerge from nowhere to oust him in 2010. But in the final days of the 2016 campaign, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is giving Feingold hell as the diametrically opposed candidates battle over a one-point race.
The candidates will spend the final hours of the race presenting their closing arguments in person and over the airwaves.
Feingold will present himself as a principled maverick who will return to the Senate to fight a rigged system, while Johnson will sell himself as an outsider who will use a businessmans approach to create jobs.
Each candidate has sought to tie the other to his partys presidential nominee, hoping their relative unpopularity will trickle down the ticket. Thats a more effective strategy for Feingold, as GOP nominee Donald Trump is viewed unfavorably by 61 percent of likely voters in Wisconsin, compared to 52 percent for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Feingold told reporters in Madison last week Johnson hasnt done enough to differentiate himself from Trump.
Obviously not sufficiently, or he would be ahead in the polls, Feingold said. But hes not.
Feingold leads Johnson by one point according to the most recent Marquette University Law School poll, and leads by an average of six points over the last three months.
In a speech in Madison on Friday, Vice President Joe Biden accused Johnson of being a carbon copy of Trump while frequently linking Feingold to Clinton as a positive alternative.
Johnson rejected Democrats attempts to link him to his partys presidential nominee, telling reporters in Janesville this weekend, Im my own person. He accused Feingold of running a false and relentlessly negative campaign against him.
A 34-year career politician with hardly anything good to show for it he resorts to lies and distortions, Johnson said. Its really quite sad.
Johnsons counterpunch to Feingolds Trump attacks is to criticize Feingold and Clinton as Washington insiders who favor big government over a limited approach.
Feingold and Clinton would grow government and ask for more of your hard-earned money, Johnson argued, while he would strive to do the opposite.
Republican officials join Johnson on bus tour
Johnson was joined by supporters including House Speaker Paul Ryan, Gov. Scott Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and vice presidential nominee Mike Pence at stops throughout the state this weekend, including a factory tour in Janesville and a get-out-the-vote rally in Mukwonago.
Most of the stops featured a tour bus wrapped in a green Ron Johnson for Wisconsin banner.
The senator had stops planned Monday in Oshkosh and Waukesha featuring Ryan, Walker, Kleefisch and U.S. Reps. Glenn Grothman and Jim Sensenbrenner.
Ron Johnsons working hard for us in the United States Senate, for Wisconsin. He actually knows how to get things done. Hes actually getting things done, Ryan told reporters in Janesville this weekend.
Ryan applauded Johnsons role as chairman of the Senate homeland security committee, arguing the senator has proven he is committed to creating jobs and keeping the U.S. safe.
Johnson actually gets things done, Ryan said.
Thats why Wisconsinites voted to send me to Washington the first time, and why Im pretty confident theyll send me back for a second and final term, he said.
Early voting encourages Feingold camp
But despite Johnsons success in chipping away at Feingolds lead, Feingold appears equally confident hell win on Tuesday.
The reason why: record-setting early voting throughout the state.
Thats thanks in part to a lawsuit filed by the liberal group One Wisconsin Now, resulting in a federal judge this summer overturning laws that limited hours and locations for in-person absentee voting.
As of Monday, nearly 798,000 absentee ballots had been returned throughout the state an increase of 21 percent from 2012. Thirty-one percent of those came from liberal Dane and Milwaukee counties.
This early voting is off the charts in many places in the state, and its just clear to me that its going to have a good impact on Election Day. People are asserting the right to vote against the attempt to diminish it, Feingold told reporters on Thursday.
Late surge in outside spending
As money pours into the state supporting both candidates, but largely favoring Johnson supporters are withstanding it simply by getting out the vote, Feingold said.
Because in the end, they count votes, not dollars, he said.
A memo from Feingold campaign manager Tom Russell said both general enthusiasm and data point to a victory for Feingold.
After six long years of Sen. Johnson failing to represent the state, Wisconsin is ready for a leader who will fight for its middle class and working families, Russell wrote.
That was key to Bidens message on Friday.
Biden presented Trump and Johnson as out of touch with the middle class and said the choice voters have "could not be more stark."
"The arc of history has always been forward, and what these guys want to do is literally move it backward," Biden said.
Clinton and Feingold support raising the minimum wage, making college debt-free, establishing paid family leave and making efforts to combat climate change, Biden said.
"We have gone from crisis to recovery and were now on the verge of genuine resurgence," Biden said of the Obama administration, adding there's still more to be done to help middle- and working-class Americans.
Feingold and Clinton are the ones to do that, he argued.
The former senator will spend Monday visiting Democratic campaign offices in Madison, Oregon, Janesville, Racine and Oshkosh, joined by Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
"Im talking to everybody. Im going to the smaller towns, the larger towns, and were trying to get out the vote," Feingold told reporters Monday, contrasting his approach with Johnson's. "Hearing just one more speech from Paul Ryan or Scott Walker is not going to win you the election."
Polls show momentum favoring Johnson
Feingold downplayed the significance of the tightening polls last week, arguing both he and Johnson have always said it would be a close race.
Thats exactly what it is, but I believe that we are in a better position to win, because people are voting, and the more people that vote, the better chance I have to win, he said.
Still, theres no denying Johnson has run an effective campaign this fall. Most of his movement in the Marquette poll has occurred since mid-September, at which point he trailed Feingold significantly in every measure surveyed by the poll.
The greatest swing in momentum for Johnson came from independent voters, 46 percent of whom said they support him over Feingold at 40 percent. Last month, independents favored Feingold by seven points over Johnson.
I think that Johnson did do a, for a guy that had been sort of anonymous in many ways and certainly hadnt really developed much of a brand or an image for himself over the course of the last six years somewhere in September he actually started to finally run some positive advertising that gave some sense of why you might want to keep him in office, said Paul Maslin, a Democratic pollster who did Feingolds polling in 2010.
Johnson succeeded in presenting himself as a businessman and an outsider, but also in showing a more compassionate side, Maslin said.
Much of Johnsons campaign advertising this fall attempted to unveil his "softer side," highlighting his involvement with a faith-based employment program and his work to help a family adopt a child from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
At the same time, Johnson and his allies have driven a narrative aimed at undermining Feingolds character, painting him as a Washington insider who cares more about returning to the seat than serving constituents, who has abandoned the principles that once defined him.
The Trump effect
But Maslin is still bullish on Feingolds prospects, adding he doesnt think the former senator has made any significant missteps during the race.
Voters took out some ire and anger on Feingold in 2010, he said, but Feingold is still viewed by voters more favorably than Johnson.
And while Wisconsin Republicans have a nationally renowned political operation, Maslin suggested having Trump at the top of the ticket has cut into that advantage.
Its not going to be 2010 all over again, Maslin said, but clearly theyve had some success in bringing this race close again.
Feingold believes Johnsons support for Trump will cost him the race. While the Senate race is locked in a virtual tie, Clinton leads Trump by six points in Wisconsin.
And on Saturday, Trumps campaign canceled a rally scheduled for West Allis on Sunday, leading many to speculate he has conceded defeat in the Badger State.
Wisconsin hasnt gone for a Republican president since Ronald Reagan in 1984.
You know, Ron Johnson wouldnt even hire Donald Trump to work in his plastics factory. He wouldnt let him run loose in there, Feingold said. But hes willing to make him president. Thats irresponsible, and its going to cost him some votes, because its not the right thing to do.
An underdog incumbent?
Conservative strategist Brian Fraley, who owns the communications firm Edge Messaging, said Johnson has done almost everything right since Labor Day.
When national Republicans took their money elsewhere, Johnson's campaign turned it up a notch, didn't surrender, and just kept at it day after day, Fraley said.
Fraley suggested Feingold was too confident it would be an easy race, which he said could be his undoing.
Despite being the incumbent, Johnson has succeeded in presenting himself as an outsider in comparison to Feingolds long career in public service, having served in the state Legislature before being elected to the Senate.
Johnson has done a good job of being his own man without upsetting Trump's true believers, Fraley said. Johnson is still the underdog, but he definitely has the momentum heading into Election Day. From Bernie Sanders to Donald Trump, 2016 has been the year of the outsider.
Bangalore
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English summary
Two actors who went missing during a film shooting in Tippagondanahalli lake near Bengaluru are confirmed dead. Crew of upcoming Kannada film Masti Gudi that sees Duniya Vijay in the lead was shooting the climax scene when the mishap took place.
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Washington Post's
The Fix, 2011, 2009
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PoliticsPA, 2011
"[W]idely cited as one of the oldest and most-read political blogs in the city"
Pittsburgh City Paper, 2007
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Cash sought by Sujata can treat 50
As Sujata Koirala of Nepali Congress joins the long list of political leaders seeking financial help for medical care abroad, questions have arisen if their treatment was possible within the country and if the facility dispensed at government discretion is being misused.
CIB urges bank ATM card users to change PIN number soon
Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has urged all the bank ATM card users to change their PIN code at the earliest in view of potential threats of fraud.
Civilisational linkages
Since both Nepal and India are culturally rich republics, their relations need to be mutually beneficial
Constitution amendment to make it broadly acceptable: Deuba
Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that his party is committed to address the discontent of dissenting groups regarding the constitution.
Country observes Chhath festival
Hindu devotees across the country marked the main day of the Chhath festival on Sunday by offering prayers to the Sun god for its invaluable role in sustaining life on earth. Devotees observed the festival by offering to the setting sun from riverbanks and ponds.
Dispute surfaces over NC order of precedence
Some Nepali Congress leaders have expressed their reservations over the order of precedence of the partys central members.
Former child soldiers announce protest plan
Former Maoist fighters have announced to hold peaceful protests to draw the attention of the government and the stakeholders to our plight.
KUKL in a shambles as water is channelled from Melamchi
While the first phase of the much-awaited Melamchi Drinking Water Project nears completion, there are renewed fears over the ability of the drinking water supplier to deliver quality service,
Madhesi leaders agree with caution
Leaders from both the government and the Madhesi Morcha are denying authenticity of the statute amendment text that appeared in the media on Sunday.
Mass migration as water sources dry up in Chure
Water sources are drying up in the lower Chure region due to climate change, population growth and encroachment.
Nepal Army donates Rs 61m for Dharahara rebuilding
Nepal Army (NA) has donated Rs 61 million for the I will build my Dharahara Trust campaign.
Nepal to raise BRB harassment issue
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be taking up the issue of harassment to former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai during his recent visit to Hong Kong with the Chinese side.
PM for tabling paper on peace pact anniv
Amid controversy over whether the government actually handed over a constitution amendment proposal to the agitating Madhesi Morcha, officials say they are closer to an agreement and that the draft is almost ready.
Shrestha collects Karodpati cheque
The Kantipur Media Group on Sunday handed over a cheque for Rs10 million (one crore rupees) to Saroj Kumar Shrestha, the winner of this seasons Kantipur ko Karodpati subscription campaign.
The more India aligns itself with Madhesi issue, the harder it makes its resolution
Last week Indian President Pranab Mukherjee was in Nepal for a three-day visit, the first by an Indian head of state in 18 years.
Trust deficit
Amending the constitution in order to address the concerns of the Madhesi parties has been a stated priority for the government since it came to power over three months ago.
US ambassador Teplitz calls on leader Nepal
US ambassador to Nepal Alaina B. Teplitz on Monday has paid a courtesy call on CPN (UML) leader and former Prime Minister, Madhav Kumar Nepal, at the latter's residence at Koteshwar in the capital.
Makerere university guild council wants the Government to come out and inform students when the university is opening.
Addressing journalists at Makerere University, the guild president Roy Semboga says government and government have paid a deaf ear and everyone is playing hide and seek games.
He notes that it is not their fault that lecturers were not paid because as students they played their role of completing tuition on time.
He explains that since the closure, the consequences have cut across the nation and yet since the closure, no one knows when the university is opening.
It is against this background that the guild says the government should come and tell them that university is opening before Wednesday to avoid more damages citing to petition parliament as one of the activities they are planning.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of Kampala metropolitan police Emilian Kayima said they should plan everything within the law because police wouldnt allow them to break the law.
Parliament is reconvening for a special seating to pay last respects to fallen Maj Gen Julius Oketta.
Oketta succumbed to cardiac arrest on Saturday morning at kadic hospital.
The body arrived at parliament at 10am for public viewing before a special sitting in the afternoon where legislators are to pay tribute.
Earlier yesterday the Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda described the late as a selfless and a man who dedicated his service towards Uganda as nation and people.
According to the final burial arrangement the body will be taken to Gulu for prayers on Tuesday before it is taken to his ancestral home in Lamogi Sub-county Amuru district on Wednesday for burial.
Police have arrested some students of Makerere University for attempting to cause chaos in the city center.
Students stormed city center demonstrating over the closure of the university.
The Students putting on their red gowns were moving down town singing, shouting and with placards reading We want Makerere University open, closing Makerere is murdering academics of Africa
Police swung in action arresting four of them who have been taken to cps while others escaped.
Among the arrested include Kato paul , Ainebyona Ronald, and mugabi Edmond.
Spokesperson of Kampala metropolitan police Kayima Emilian says the fourth person was not a student but a hair dresser who had joined in the chanting.
He says while the students during interrogation denied demonstrating claiming they were only going back to their homes with their property Kayima says more investigations are to be conducted.
South Korea said Monday it is "carefully" reviewing whether to add Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of North Korea's leader, to a list of its fresh unilateral sanctions against North Korea.
Seoul is working on new punitive measures against North Korea for its fifth nuclear test in September at a time when the United Nations Security Council is discussing new sanctions over the provocation.
South Korea's unification ministry said that the government is in the stage of reviewing all options, including whether to blacklist her.
"Whether to add her to the sanctions list is one of the options that are carefully being reviewed," Jeong Joon-hee, a ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing. "But it is not the time to reveal specifics."
In March, the South unveiled its own sanctions, including a ban on the entry of vessels into South Korea in response to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests early this year.
It also blacklisted scores of key North Korean officials and organizations suspected of being involved in the development of nuclear and missile programs. But the North's leader Kim Jong-un and his sister were not included on the list.
Kim Yo-jong is known to serve as a vice director of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's propaganda and agitation department, whose works, analysts say, undermine North Koreans' rights to know.
In July, the United States slapped sanctions on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over human rights violations for the first time.
Robert King, Washington's special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, told Yonhap News Agency last month that the U.S. is reviewing whether it can further impose sanctions on other North Korean officials, including Kim Yo-jong. (Yonhap)
Kendallville, IN (46755)
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Clear to partly cloudy. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 41F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..
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Clear to partly cloudy. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 41F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
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Southeastern Libraries Cooperating is announcing the recipients of Legacy Community Collaboration grants, and locally, the Houston Public Library was awarded a grant.
Applications are selected based on the quality of the partnerships, innovation and the benefits to local libraries. These collaborations are unique opportunities to bring organizations together, build community and expand the wide array of projects and services local libraries provide.
For information about SELCOs Community Collaboration program, contact Amy Nelson, Legacy Project Coordinator, at 507-288-5513. Additional information on individual projects will be released at a later date. For specific project details, contact the awardees directly.
DEAR AMY: I was recently blindsided by a horrible annual review. I do well at my job and have never had any indication from any of my coworkers or superiors that I was disliked, or that I did not perform my duties.
My review was conducted by my direct supervisor, who I've always suspected does not like me. She is cold to me in a way that she is not with others, and even after a year she still calls me by another coworker's name (specifically, the only other woman in our office of the same ethnicity as me).
I'm at a loss as to how to react. The review said I was lacking and difficult. I flat-out do not agree. I do not think going above my supervisor will help. What can I do?
Reviewed
DEAR REVIEWED: There should be a mechanism at your workplace for responding to this review, and in your case, strongly disputing the review's findings. If the conclusions drawn in this document are incorrect or have no basis in fact, and if the review offers no supporting evidence or data, then you really must dispute it.
You should meet with your supervisor and in as open a way as you can, ask for examples of negative aspects, as well as guidance for how you might improve your performance. If your supervisor isn't willing (or able) to offer you examples and concrete suggestions, then you should document your side of this and take it to HR to add to your personnel file.
You imply that your supervisor is being (at least) passively racist in continuing to refer to you by the name of the only other person in your office who shares your ethnicity. This is serious and (if true), she needs her performance evaluated, big time.
DEAR AMY: I live out of state from my family, and have for years.
Christmas has become an icky time of year for me.
All my siblings want to exchange gifts. I seldom travel home for the holidays, so I end up shopping and shipping gifts. This used to be fun for me but nearly every year for the last 10 years I'm left feeling bad because my siblings, nieces and nephews (and even my parents) do not acknowledge my gifts.
It seems they are interested in including me before the holidays, but then I do not hear from them afterward. Then two or three weeks later a box of gifts arrives. Typically this box is full of stuff I do not need (and stale candy).
I am inclined to let everyone know that I am not participating in Christmas this year and why. I would much rather see my money and energy go toward gifts or food for the needy.
Your thoughts?
Tired of the Game
DEAR TIRED: It is reasonable for you to opt out of the gift exchange or at least change it on your end so that you feel relieved of some of the pressure.
You should let your family members know well in advance. Start by thanking them for their gifts in the past, and tell them that this year you're going to make a family donation and not send material gifts and that you hope they choose to do the same with you. A card exchange might be just as meaningful for all of you.
DEAR AMY: I was so glad to read the request by "Domestic Worker" for a gift of cash instead of expensive-to-maintain clothing.
Like many working mothers, I also employ a fabulous domestic worker that I love, trust, and depend on tremendously.
She has worked for me nearly 10 years. Last year it came to me that in all that time, I had never given her a raise.
How many of us would go eight years without a cost-of-living raise?
After rectifying the situation, she confessed to me that most of her employers don't recognize that without a raise, she is actually losing money over time.
Last month, she had a surgical procedure that required her to take six weeks of recovery time. I contacted her other employers and we contributed to provide her with some sick leave (as most employers would for their employees).
This working population does not have an HR team to look out for their rights, so it is important that we remain mindful of them.
Thank you for providing a forum for this often-underserved population!
Grateful
DEAR GRATEFUL: You sound like a good employer.
During the 1980s, an average of 2,048 people were killed or injured on airplanes every year. Since 2010, that figure has fallen to 907 casualt
Area clerks couldnt say for sure whether the Coulee Region joined the state in shattering absentee voting records, but they were confident that the turnout was impressive compared to previous elections.
According to a Wisconsin Election Commission report released Monday, 797,740 absentee ballots were cast in Wisconsin ahead of Tuesdays presidential election, breaking the previous record of 664,597 set in 2012.
Just fewer than 22,000 absentee ballots were issued in La Crosse County and 21,405 were returned as of Monday. La Crosse County Clerk Ginny Dankmeyer estimated 30 percent of the countys voters chose to vote early, although the exact number of registered voters was not available Monday.
We definitely had more absentee voting in this election than any election that came before, Dankmeyer said.
While the new statewide voter system requires each municipality to track the ballots received, its difficult to compare exact numbers from prior years.
We werent required to in the past, so its hard to say exactly what the numbers are, Dankmeyer said, but added, Even the small municipalities that usually have two or three are reporting 20 or 30 absentee voters.
La Crosse City Clerk Teri Lehrke was able to compare city numbers to those of the last presidential election.
It definitely exceeded what we had four years ago, Lehrke said.
The city saw 6,615 absentee ballots returned in 2012, and, as of Monday, Lehrke had received 8,526 absentee ballots from voters, most of those through the in-person voting.
Friday, on the very last day, we had 1,051. That was a lot, Lehrke said.
The trend held for rural counties as well, according to Jackson County Clerk Kyle Deno, who said she had a busy three weeks.
We had a lot of early absentee voting. It was successful all around, Deno said. All has gone well.
Upon learning that 710 people in Jackson County received absentee ballots and 647 returned them, Deno said, Holy buckets. For us, thats quite an achievement.
Typically, they consider getting 150 absentee ballots a remarkable amount.
The smaller elections, sometimes you have 1,500 voters total, Deno said. We dont see that type of number.
Dankmeyer theorized that the increase was due to the intensity surrounding this election, which has had tight races for both president and U.S. Senate, as well as state Assembly and Senate races.
I think some people are just ready to go back to normal TV and radio and be done with it, Dankmeyer said.
Lehrke hesitated to say what the early voting numbers say about the projected voter turnout Tuesday. The state election commission estimates a voter turnout of 69.6 percent.
Just because of the number of absentee voters were high, that doesnt mean the voters on Election Day will be high, Lehrke said.
Lehrke expects around 70 percent of registered voters will cast a ballot in this election.
Four years ago, we had just under 73 percent, Lehrke said. Four years prior to that, we had 71 percent.
La Crosse had 35,197 people registered as of Nov. 1; however, registration will continue at the polls Tuesday.
Lehrke also wanted to remind voters that the deadline is passed to re-cast an absentee ballot.
They cant spoil their ballot at their polling place on Election Day, Lehrke said.
Absentee ballots sent by mail will continue to be accepted through 8 p.m. Tuesday, a shorter window than previous years where the law allowed them to be counted if they were received before 5 p.m. Friday after the election.
Judge Carmaine Sturino of Dakota faces a challenge from Caledonia attorney Tim Guth in the election for the Houston County position in Minnesotas 3rd Judicial District.
Sturino was appointed in August 2015 by Gov. Mark Dayton to replacing longtime Judge James Fabian, who retired.
Carmaine Sturino
Carmine Sturino has a sign hanging in her kitchen: We can do hard things.
Its a philosophy Sturino believes in, and one she brought to the one-judge bench in Houston County when she was appointed.
My career has been public service and volunteer work, Sturino said, which is my job now.
After graduating from Drake University Law School, Sturino spent 14 years as an attorney, practicing exclusively in Minnesotas 3rd Judicial District. That included work as a public defender, prosecutor, private attorney and conciliation court referee, a career that spanned criminal, civil, family court, jury verdicts, plea negotiations and agreements.
She got good advice early on from a colleague about being a judge.
Making a good decision now is better than a perfect decision later, she said.
Sturino said she wants to ensure a culture of accountability, as well as advocate efficiency in the court system.
I am not afraid to try new things, to learn from my mistakes, to think outside of the box and to do what I need to do in order to better serve our community, she said.
Shes also not afraid of the challenges the border county faces, which include resources and communications.
Resources are concern because just in her year on the bench the judge need in Houston County has gone from 0.7 or 0.8 to full-time. Although the caseloads have increased, staffing hasnt. Theres also the reality of an increasingly electronic state of filing, something the entire county has had to adjust to.
Its been a huge learning curve, Sturino said.
Theres another part of the learning curve, and thats the realization of the greater need for drug treatment, prevention and education. Meth and heroin are becoming a larger problem in the county than ever before, she said, and continuation of the monitoring process known as the drug patch, as well as establishment of treatment courts at the other end, are both needed. Also increasing in the county is the need for quality foster care.
If the local population doesnt know the number of cases are on the rise, she said, theres no incentive to educate and inspire them.
Tim Guth
Judges need to be listening more than talking, said Tim Guth.
Thats one of the reasons hes motivated to run for Houston County judge. Theres another.
I believe that judges should be elected by the people they serve rather than appointed, Guth said. Thats why I ran.
Three things hed like to do if elected all fall under the heading of reform.
The attorneys on trials have to have their cases settled by the Wednesdays before the following Monday jury selection, he said. I dont want jurors sitting around at $20 a day while theyre losing money.
Hed also like to establish a veterans court, where those struggling with PTSD, and alcohol or drug issues can get help.
I would also like to start a drug court for nonviolent people who cant beat their addictions on their own, he said.
Guth grew up in Caledonia, where he now live, and he attended St. Olaf College, then Hamline Law School, passing the Minnesota bar exam in 1984. He then went into Army as a private. He was given a waiver to try out for special forces, went through basic and advanced individual training, then jump school, and then sent to Fort Bragg, where he passed his Green Beret special forces courses, which took a year. He came out a sergeant.
By 1988, Guth was back in Minnesota as assistant Winona County attorney, where he spent five years, with 40 jury trials as a prosecutor; hes been involved in 28 more in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Since 1993, he has been in private practice, licensed in both Minnesota and Wisconsin, covering Houston, Winona and Fillmore counties, as well as serving public defender clients in La Crosse and Monroe counties.
The establishment of a drug court, which many counties already have, is important to Guth.
One thing that Minnesota has, unlike Wisconsin, Guth said, is, if you get convicted of a felony in Minnesota, and you successfully complete probation, it turns into a misdemeanor.
That, he said, would be very important for drug offenders and veterans who, through no fault of their own and due to the things theyve seen, would like to have a pathway out.
A lot of self-medication is happening with veterans, he said, and hed like to see a pathway to treatment.
We have the VA in Tomah, Guth said, 40 miles away. They have a substance abuse and alcohol classes over there. If youre a veteran, you can go there.
Guth has personally gotten several Green Berets into the program. Something similar hasnt happened in Houston County, though.
I dont think anybody wanted to start it because, possibly, money issues, he said.
In his private practice, he focuses on criminal defense, which he runs out of his office in La Crosse.
The big thing, and I would like to see happen, he said, is, in Wisconsin, guardian ad litems have to be lawyers. In Minnesota, they dont. And thats another issue that should be addressed. Often times, lawyers know whats going on in court, and lay people dont. I would like to see that change.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine told a La Crosse audience Sunday he cant wait to support a strong woman president.
For 22 years, I have been in elected office, and I have been able to be a strong man in elected office because of the support of strong women, Kaine said to a packed house at Pearl Street Brewery on Saint Andrew Street. When Hillary asked me to be her running mate, I said, What a cool thing. After all of that, I get to be a strong man playing a supportive role to a strong woman who is going to make history.
Kaines stop at Pearl Street Brewery the same place Clinton visited last spring was his first trip to La Crosse and his fourth to Wisconsin. He said he was thrilled to see the enthusiasm of the crowd and the warm welcome by the local business.
I have never seen an H made out of beer kegs before. My whole staff is over there. Theyre not listening to me, theyre taking selfies in front of the H, Kaine joked.
Kaine praised Wisconsin for knocking it out of the park with early voting, thanking the states voters for their energy and excitement.
This new coalition, this Clinton coalition that shes putting together, thats the energy and enthusiasm were seeing, and Wisconsin is part of that story by setting a record on early voting turnout, Kaine said.
Kaine feels that excitement himself, telling the crowd he was thrilled to be Clintons partner during his ninth electoral race.
Im 8-0, and Im telling you Im going to be 9-0 on Tuesday, he said to cheers from the crowd.
This race is different, however.
Before this race, my name was always the one on the ballot, on the yard sign, on the bumper sticker, he added. Ive had great support from strong women to do what Ive done.
Kaine cited the support hes received from his wife, Anne Holton, who stepped down as Virginias secretary of education to support Clintons campaign.
My wife Anne is an amazing public servant. Ive had women campaign managers, cabinet secretaries, agency heads, donors, volunteers, Kaine said. The American electorate is more women than men. In every election since 1964, more women vote than men.
Kaine hopes those women will be inspired by Clinton, saying all children born in the U.S. should know they can be president.
If we do win, when it is called for Hillary Clinton, a whole group of people in this country whove never been able to see themselves as president of the United States will now know I can be president, and if I can be president, I can be anything, Kaine said.
Kaine encouraged the crowd to vote for Clinton to show women and girls in the U.S. that they are fundamentally and equally part of this great Democratic tradition.
While Kaines remarks were short, he took the time to walk through the crowd, shaking peoples hands and posing for selfies, including one with Kate Grillo of La Crosse.
I really admire Tim Kaines work and commitment to civil rights, said Grillo, who was thrilled to get a photo with the U.S. senator from Virginia.
And as a Virginia transplant, Grillo was happy to see her former governor on the ticket, supporting Clinton.
Tim Kaines making us proud, she said.
As for the top of the ticket, Grillo is impressed with Clintons dedication to public service.
I would be incredibly proud as an American if she were elected president, Grillo said.
Kaine was introduced by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and state Sen. Jennifer Shilling, who encouraged voters to not only vote for Clinton Tuesday, but also vote down ticket to support Wisconsin Democrats.
Western Technical College will provide information on 2017 program offerings from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the Lunda Center, 319 Seventh St. N.
The free session will provide an overview of programs in the areas of health and public safety, manufacturing, green careers and transfer options. Information on the application process, scholarships and credit for prior learning or experience will be available.
The following editorial appeared in the Los Angeles Times on Thursday, Nov. 3:
The U.S. governments relationship with Native American tribes has been long, often duplicitous, and generally one-sided which has cast a shadow of history over the weeks-long showdown in North Dakota over the 1,170-mile, $3.7 billion Dakota Access Pipeline. In recent months, protesters from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and their supporters from around the country have been confronted by private security forces with trained dogs, as well as police and National Guard troops. More than 400 people have been arrested amid allegations of abuse by law enforcement officers and counter-allegations of violence by protesters, who have been accused of heaving Molotov cocktails and torching cars. And the protests are spreading; a dozen people were arrested in San Francisco on Monday.
The pipeline designed to transport 470,000 barrels of oil a day from North Dakota to Illinois has become a lightning rod for an array of issues, from historic tribal claims on the privately owned land through which the pipeline will run to the environmental risks of pipeline leaks to the wisdom of expanding the nations fossil-fuel infrastructure when the United States should be weaning itself from carbon-spewing fuels. And there is an underlay of social justice: An early proposal called for the pipeline to run north and upriver of the city of Bismarck, but that was changed in part over fears that a leak could harm the citys water supply. So now the route runs just north and upriver of the Standing Rock reservation, and under a dammed stretch of the Missouri River from which the reservation draws its water threatening the health of a less politically powerful, lower-income population.
The tribe sought an injunction against the continued construction of the pipeline, alleging that the federal government failed to follow proper procedures, including consulting with the tribe, before granting permits to let the pipeline cross waterways. But in September, a federal district court judge rejected the injunction, ruling that the tribe had been offered ample opportunity to be a part of the planning process but failed to respond to overtures from the government. Left unchallenged in the tribes legal filing were the environmental threats a leak in the pipeline could pose to the water supply.
Native American tribes, including the Sioux, have clear historical causes for grievances against the federal government, including treaties that were approved and then violated. Complaints that pipeline workers have plowed up previously unrecognized sacred sites should be taken seriously. More broadly, though, the environmental costs of continued reliance on fossil fuels are not only real, but the damage is already underway. The pipeline begins at the Bakken Formation in western North Dakota then angles southeastward through South Dakota, Iowa and into southern Illinois before tying into an existing pipeline network. Proponents of the pipeline argue that the oil it will carry will get to market even if the project is scuttled, transported by truck or rail, which they say carry more risk of environmental damage. But data show that while train and truck accidents might occur more often, pipeline breaks spill more oil and generally cause more damage to the environment by fouling groundwater and wilderness areas.
Its hard to defend the actions of protesters blocking approved development projects on private property, but its easy to sympathize with their cause. The Army Corps of Engineers issued permits for the Dakota Pipeline despite warnings by the Environmental Protection Agency and two other federal agencies about possible environmental and safety issues.
When the tribes request for an injunction was turned down, the Obama administration announced that the Army Corps of Engineers would delay granting a permit to cross a strip of federal land and tunnel under the Missouri River until it can determine whether it will need to reconsider any of its previous decisions in the projects favor. And Obama said Tuesday that the Army Corps is investigating ways to re-route the pipeline to take into account the tribal concerns.
The administration should go further and withhold the permit allowing the pipeline to cross the Missouri River. Making it easier and cheaper to burn fossil fuels works against the worlds interest in confronting its biggest environmental threat.
Its hard to defend the actions of protesters blocking approved development projects on private property, but its easy to sympathize with their cause.
Two years after states around the country passed an unprecedented number of police reforms after the killing of George Floyd, some are struggling to make the new policies stick. The momentum for change has slowed from its earlier frenetic pace. Some of the reforms have been rolled back or at least tweaked after police complained that the new policies were hindering their ability to catch criminals. Legal experts say police killings of Black people over the last decade epitomized by Floyds killing have altered the trajectory of policing. But change has come about unevenly in thousands of police departments across the U.S.
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May 19 (2) May 18 (3) May 17 (3) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (5) May 13 (3) May 12 (4) May 11 (3) May 10 (4) May 09 (4) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 06 (2) May 05 (3) May 04 (4) May 03 (2) May 02 (3) May 01 (3) Apr 30 (3) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (2) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (2) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (2) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (4) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (7) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (10) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (7) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (7) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (7) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (5) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (6) Mar 27 (5) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (4) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (6) Mar 18 (6) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (5) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (4) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (2) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (4) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (2) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (2) Feb 16 (3) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (9) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (2) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (3) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (2) Jan 22 (2) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (4) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (4) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (3) Jan 11 (2) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (2) Jan 07 (2) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (2) Jan 04 (2) Jan 03 (2) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (2) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (2) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (2) Dec 21 (2) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (2) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (2) Dec 16 (2) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (2) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (2) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (4) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (2) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (2) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (2) Nov 22 (2) Nov 21 (2) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (3) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (2) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (4) Nov 13 (2) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (2) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (2) Nov 08 (2) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 03 (5) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (5) Oct 31 (7) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (2) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (2) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (2) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (5) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (5) Sep 30 (2) Sep 29 (2) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (2) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (2) Sep 22 (2) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (2) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (2) Sep 15 (4) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (5) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (2) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (2) Aug 25 (2) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (2) Aug 12 (2) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (2) Aug 09 (2) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (2) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (2) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (2) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (2) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (2) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (2) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (3) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (2) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (2) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (2) Jul 12 (3) Jul 11 (2) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (2) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (2) Jul 03 (2) Jul 02 (2) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (2) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (2) Jun 19 (2) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (2) Jun 16 (2) Jun 15 (2) Jun 14 (2) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (3) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (5) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (2) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (2) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (2) May 24 (2) May 23 (2) May 22 (3) May 21 (3) May 20 (2) May 19 (2) May 18 (4) May 17 (7) May 16 (2) May 15 (2) May 14 (4) May 13 (3) May 12 (4) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (3) May 08 (2) May 07 (2) May 06 (2) May 05 (1) May 04 (2) May 03 (4) May 02 (3) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (1) Apr 29 (3) Apr 28 (2) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (2) Apr 25 (2) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (2) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (2) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (2) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (3) Apr 04 (1) Apr 03 (1) Apr 02 (1) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (2) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (2) Mar 28 (3) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (3) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (2) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (4) Mar 20 (2) Mar 19 (3) Mar 18 (1) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (2) Mar 15 (1) Mar 14 (3) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (2) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (2) Mar 08 (1) Mar 07 (1) Mar 04 (2) Mar 02 (2) Feb 28 (1) Feb 24 (1) Dec 31 (4) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (3) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (3) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (3) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (3) Nov 18 (3) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (2) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (4) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (3) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (3) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (4) Oct 30 (3) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (4) Oct 16 (3) Oct 15 (3) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (3) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (4) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (4) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (3) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (3) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (5) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (4) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (3) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (5) Jul 11 (4) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (3) Jul 01 (6) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (5) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (5) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (3) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (3) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (5) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (4) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (5) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (5) Jun 01 (3) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (3) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (4) May 23 (4) May 22 (3) May 21 (3) May 20 (4) May 19 (3) May 18 (3) May 17 (4) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (1) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (4) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (4) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (3) Apr 29 (3) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (5) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (4) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (3) Apr 04 (3) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (3) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (3) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (3) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (3) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (3) Mar 18 (3) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (3) Mar 13 (3) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (3) Mar 07 (3) Mar 06 (4) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (3) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (3) Mar 01 (3) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (3) Feb 25 (3) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (3) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (3) Feb 16 (3) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (3) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (3) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (4) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (4) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (3) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (3) Jan 21 (4) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (5) Jan 17 (4) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (4) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (3) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (3) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (3) Nov 03 (2) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (2) Oct 30 (6) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (5) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (5) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (4) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (3) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (2) Oct 11 (2) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (2) Oct 07 (2) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (3) Oct 04 (2) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (4) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (2) Sep 26 (2) Sep 25 (2) Sep 24 (1) Sep 23 (1) Sep 22 (2) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (1) Sep 19 (1) Sep 18 (1) Sep 17 (2) Sep 16 (1) Sep 15 (2) Sep 14 (2) Sep 13 (1) Sep 12 (1) Sep 11 (2) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (1) Sep 08 (1) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (1) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (2) Sep 03 (1) Sep 02 (1) Sep 01 (1) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (1) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (1) Aug 25 (1) Aug 24 (1) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (1) Aug 21 (1) Aug 20 (2) Aug 19 (1) Aug 18 (1) Aug 17 (2) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (1) Aug 14 (1) Aug 12 (1) Aug 09 (1) Aug 08 (1) Aug 07 (1) Aug 05 (1) Aug 04 (1) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (5) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (4) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (6) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (6) Jun 18 (5) Jun 17 (5) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (5) Jun 03 (5) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (4) May 30 (4) May 29 (4) May 28 (5) May 27 (5) May 26 (5) May 25 (4) May 24 (5) May 23 (4) May 22 (4) May 21 (3) May 20 (6) May 19 (4) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (5) May 15 (3) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (3) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (3) May 06 (3) May 05 (3) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (4) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (5) Apr 09 (7) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (4) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (4) Apr 04 (6) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (5) Mar 28 (6) Mar 27 (5) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (5) Mar 16 (5) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (7) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (4) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (4) Feb 28 (4) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (4) Feb 24 (5) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (7) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (8) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (3) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (6) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (6) Jan 26 (6) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (5) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (4) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (5) Jan 05 (6) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (7) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 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This is Whats Trending Today.
Janet Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general, died Monday. She had Parkinsons disease, which affects a persons ability to control his or her muscles. She was 78 years old.
The attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice.
Many people remembered her on social media sites Monday, making her name one of the top trending topics.
Reno was the attorney general under President Bill Clinton for eight years, beginning in 1993.
Reno grew up in Miami, Florida. She studied chemistry at Cornell University in the state of New York. She graduated from Harvard Universitys school of law in 1963.
Reno started her career at a legal office in Miami before joining public service.
While Reno was U.S. attorney general, the Department of Justice was involved in a number of important cases.
Reno ordered a raid of a religious groups property in Waco, Texas during a standoff with government officers. The raid resulted in the deaths of nearly 80 members of the group.
She was involved in the capture and prosecution of Ted Kaczynski, a man who sent bombs through the mail.
Under Reno, the Justice Department brought charges against men who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993. It also investigated and tried the case of men who bombed a government building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, which killed more than 160 people.
And her department brought an anti-trust lawsuit against the huge software company Microsoft.
Towards the end of her time as attorney general, the Department of Justice was involved in a case involving a boy from Cuba. The boy, Elian Gonzalez, was born in Cuba. He lived with his mother in Florida. When the boys mother died, he continued living in Florida with his mothers family.
Reno said he should go back to Cuba to live with his father. Federal agents took the boy away and sent him back Cuba.
Not everyone in the U.S. approved of her decisions.
However, she was very visible during her term. Even the comedy television show Saturday Night Live included her in skits.
And thats Whats Trending Today.
Im Dan Friedell.
Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.
Do you remember some of the cases Reno worked on? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or our Facebook page.
________________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
skit n. a short, funny story or performance
anti-trust adj. protecting against unfair business practices that limit competition or control prices
raid n. an occurrence in which police suddenly enter a place in a forceful way to find criminals, illegal drugs, etc.
standoff n. an argument
Here's a list of wanted or unidentified suspects the Albany Police Department are looking for. If you recognize someone, please do not name th
How did we get here? Looking back at the many 2016 presidential candidates
DARR A custom slaughter and meat processing facility in Darr began operating six months ago.
Busy Bones Butcher features a curing room, smokehouse, grinders and slicers to produce quality meat to a customers specifications.
Owner Kent Guthard said he chose the central Nebraska location for the convenience of customers and because of the quality of livestock raised in the area.
We raise more premium beef than anywhere else in the world, and we dont have a locker real close, Guthard said. The business is something he has planned for many years.
Busy Bones Butcher is located on U.S. Highway 30 at 75829 Road 426, which is three miles north of Interstate 80. It was purposefully placed on a rural site near two of Nebraskas main arteries, Guthard said. He has lived just three miles north for 19 years.
If were going to be agriculture, well be in the country, was Guthards philosophy Nobody likes dragging a trailer through town, he said.
The building is brand new, dirt underneath it and all, Guthard said, noting that an eyesore was torn down to ready the property for construction.
Although it was a huge investment Guthard sold a herd of cows to launch it he said he felt it was time to act.
If we dont do it, Ill wonder what if for the rest of my life, he said.
Ease of access was taken into consideration in developing a drive-through system for trucks hauling trailers. There is no backing up required, Guthard said.
The facility was built to process up to 30 head a week, he said, but is are not at half that capacity yet. He said finding qualified laborers has been more difficult than attracting customers wanting meat processed.
It is a lot of physical work, and its not for everybody, Guthard said.
Busy Bones Butcher currently has nine employees, but it took sorting through numerous applications to find them.
One key employee has worked in meat processing all of this life and brings a reputation for producing premium products along with retail experience. Four other employees came with knife skills and are being trained. Additionally, there is an employee devoted to customer service and handling paperwork.
We are starting to grow into something, Guthard said. Were having fun and trying to get there.
So far, Busy Bones Butcher has processed beef, pork, lamb and a handful of deer. There havent been any goats yet, but Guthard anticipates there will be requests in the future. Guthard said the meat processed onsite after slaughter is for private use and is labeled not for retail.
Guthard said Busy Bones Butcher will participate in Hunters Feeding the Hungry, a program in which donated deer meat is ground for distribution through food pantries.
For custom processing of deer they it will be limited to basics such as roasts, hamburger and steaks for this year, but specialty items such as jerky and sausage are a goal for the future.
Busy Bones Butcher also offers USDA-inspected meat for sale in its onsite retail store, similar to cuts of meat offered at a grocery store, including an assortment of roasts and steaks.
It also sells specialty items such as jalapeno cheddar summer sausage, chili dog brats, ham and cheese hot dogs, chili cheese hot dogs and pineapple teriyaki snack sticks.
As the business grows, Guthard would like to combine flavors and ingredients to create products that arent available on the market yet.
Guthard said customers are encouraged to call ahead if they have a large order.
Guthard said he was born and raised on a dairy farm at Litchfield and has worked in agriculture his entire life. He also farms on the side, has a herd of cows and does custom hay.
Ive been in agriculture my whole life. I guess Im still wearing the same jeans, he said. This is the final stages of the livestock side of it, so I put my hands on it.
After years of arranging the transport of cattle to Litchfield for processing, he said he wanted to build something closer.
Guthard said the business name was selected as a nod to a former employer. He worked for Busy B Ranch in Holdrege. Among the various names considered, Busy Bones Butcher had more meaning because of that relationship.
Its a lot more personal, Guthard said of what the business offers. Were family owned, not corporate.
Busy Bones Butcher is open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays. It is closed Sundays. Because it is a family business, it tries to be flexible and take calls beyond business hours.
Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year 2014
"Well written, funny and wistful" - Paul Linford; "He is indeed the Lib Dem blogfather" - Stephen Tall
"Jonathan Calder holds his end up well in the competitive world of the blogosphere" - New Statesman
"A prominent Liberal Democrat blogger" - BBC Radio 4 Today; "One of my favourite blogs" - Stumbling
and Mumbling; "Charming and younger than I expected" - Wartime Housewife
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I have received the books on this blog for review from the publisher or author or I have bought them. I have no financial interest in any book featured on this blog.
There are many Tampa Bay area races and issues that will be gracing the ballots on Election Day Nov. 8.
Below are just some of the highlights that voters will want to keep an eye on.
Hillsborough County
Featured race: State Attorney - Circuit 13 | Click for results of this race
Incumbent Mark Ober faces his first challenge from a Democrat challenger in years from former federal prosecutor Andrew Warren.
Ober says there are currently 16,000 cases pending and the budget challenges are overwhelming. Both candidates agree the State Attorney's job is to keep the community safe.
But their idea of what makes the best protector differs.
Warren says his experience in state court, then as a Federal Prosecutor for nearly a decade exposed him to policies across the country he'd like to bring to Hillsborough.
Ober is proud of his 16 years in office and ready for four more.
Other race results:
Pinellas County
Featured race: Florida House District 69 | Kathleen Peters defeated Jennifer Webb
In the Florida House District 69 race, it's Republican Kathleen Peters vs. Democrat Jennifer Webb. House District 69 includes parts of Pinellas Park, St. Pete, Gulfport and the beaches.
Incumbent Kathleen Peters says she's focused on cutting taxes, protecting consumers and helping those who need it most. She says she's confident that her track record will win her re-election.
Newcomer Jennifer Webb is the director of community partnership at USF. She says that experience has taught her how to take care of the environment and local communities. She wants to ban fracking in Florida and invest in local economies.
Other race results:
Polk County
Featured issue: Indigent Health Care half-cent sales tax
An estimated 43,000 people in Polk County currently benefit from the county's Indigent Health Care Half-Cent Sales Tax. The tax is up for renewal on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
The indigent health care sales tax generates between $35 to 40 million every year, depending on the economy, according to Joy Johnson, the director of the county's Indigent Health Care program. The has been in place since 2004 and it ends in 2019 unless it is renewed.
Other race results:
Commission District 5 -
School Board District 1
School Board District 4
Polk Referendum Question
Manatee County
Featured race: Bradenton Mayor | Wayne Poston defeated Warren Merriman and Eleuterio Salazar Jr.
At just 29 years old, Eleuterio Salazar Jr. was one of the youngest candidates to ever run for Bradenton mayor. Warren Merriman was the former deputy chief of the police department. He was fired last year for submitting hours not worked.
Salazar and Merriman both challenged incumbent Mayor Wayne Poston, who's held the position for 17 years and was seeking a fifth term. Poston ran on his reputation of creating jobs and his efforts to keep the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton for spring training, which generates revenue and brings in tourists.
Other race results:
Pasco County
Featured race: Pasco County Property Appraiser | Gary Joiner defeated Jon Larkin
Pasco County has only had two county property appraisers in the past 48 years.
Incumbent Mike Wells Sr. is retiring from the position after 20 years. Two men who have each never served in public office, Republican and longtime Pasco tax collector employee Gary Joiner and Democrat and Dade City real estate broker Jon Sidney Larkin, ran to fill the vacancy.
Joiner pointed to his 33 years working in the Tax Collector's office as proof of his readiness for the job. Larkin, on the other hand, pointed to his private sector experience and understanding of real estate as his best qualifications for the job.
Other race results:
Hernando County
Featured race: Hernando County Commission - District 3 | John Allocco defeated Diane Rowden
Three-term District 3 Commissioner Diane Rowden, the county commission's only serving Democrat, sought a fourth four-year term in office. Running against Rowden was Republican John Allocco, who had never sought office himself but has worked on several Republican campaigns. Allocco owns a physical therapy business in Spring Hill.
Rowden hoped to convince voters to keep her in office for another term based on her history of promoting environmental issues and economic development in the county. A retired flight attendant, her platform also emphasized a commitment to improving quality of life for county residents, and bringing in more high-paying jobs.
In contrast, Allocco pointed to his experience as a small business owner as proof of his understanding of economic challenges facing county residents and business owners. Government transparency and creating a business-friendly environment in the district are key elements in Allocco's platform.
Citrus County
Featured race: Citrus County Sheriff | Michael Prendergast defeated Michael Klyap
Current Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy, a Democrat, who has served in the position for 20 years, chose not to run for re-election in 2016. Republican Mike Prendergast, a one-time chief of staff for Gov. Rick Scott, announced in March he was leaving his state cabinet post as Secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs to run for Citrus County Sheriff.
Running against Prendergast was Mike Klyap, a disabled veteran who has also served as a Crystal River Police officer and a Citrus County deputy. Despite being a registered Republican, Klyap chose to run in this race as a Non-Party Affiliated (NPA) candidate, telling the Citrus Chronicle in March that he could not "in good conscience" run otherwise.
Both candidates had in their platforms a stronger effort to deal with drugs in the county. Klyap aimed to re-establish a more "community-friendly" sheriff's office, with better communication between deputies and citizens. Prendergast is pushing for higher salaries for deputies and firefighters, and wants to take a look at newer law enforcement techniques in order to help law and fire services be more efficient.
Other race results:
LIVE UPDATES: Tampa Bay area election races
Lakeland police have arrested three people and are searching for one more suspect after a home invasion early Monday.
Lakeland couple tied up, robbed in their home
Three suspects, ages 19, 16 and 15 arrested
A fourth suspect being sought
According to police, Issiah Coffy, 19, was taken into custody, along with a 16 year-old male and a 15-year-old male after the home invasion at a home in the 3000 block of Cleveland Heights Boulevard. In accordance with Bay News 9's crime guidelines, the names of the juveniles will not be listed unless they are charged as adults.
The three suspects were arrested after they crashed a stolen car into a ditch at the intersection of Main Street and Dons Court in Lakeland.
Police say the four suspects barged into the couple's home just before 1 a.m. after ringing the doorbell twice. One of the suspects was armed.
The suspects tied up a woman inside the home and threatened to do bodily harm to her husband if he did anything, police said. The suspects stole electronics and cash. The suspects also stole the victims vehicle, a 2012 Black Buick Lacrosse, bearing Florida tag BGU-C84, according to police.
A half hour after the suspects left the home, Lakeland police saw a vehicle speeding in the area of Bartow Road and North Crystal Lake Drive. Within a few minutes, police found a vehicle crashed into a ditch at the intersection of Main Street and Dons Court.
Inside the vehicle were three suspects that matched the physical and clothing descriptions provided by the victims, police said. Also, the police recovered several items that were taken from the victims home.
The three suspects were taken into custody. The fourth suspect is still being sought.
The vehicle discovered in the ditch was not the victims stolen vehicle and was identified as a reported stolen vehicle out of Kissimmee.
The license plated attached to the stolen vehicle was reported stolen out of Jacksonville. The victims vehicle is still reported as stolen and has not been located at this time this time.
The suspects have each been charged with two counts of armed robbery and one count of armed armed burglary.
Donald Trump began his last day of presidential campaigning with a rally Monday morning in Sarasota.
In front of a boisterous crowd at Robarts Arena, Trump vowed to end his campaign on a positive note but keep up his attack on opponent Hillary Clinton, the "rigged" political system and the media.
Trump started his day with a sprawling stump speech that kept up his broadsides against Washington, the health care system and Clinton, but also included almost-goofy comic relief.
Speaking in Sarasota, Trump interrupted his remarks to coo at a baby and comment on a hat in the crowd. When he spotted a mask of his face, he took it and held it up for all to see.
"Nice head of hair, I'll say that," he said.
Trump's campaign tried to keep the focus on Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.
Hours after the FBI announced on Sunday that it had again cleared her, Trump and his aides questioned the bureau's decision anew. The campaign suggested the latest rapid review of a Clinton aide's emails could not have been thorough.
"Hillary Clinton is being protected by a totally rigged system," Trump said at the rally in Sarasota.
Donald Trump began his last day of presidential campaigning with a rally Monday morning in Sarasota.
Trump, too, planned to keep up the breakneck campaign pace through Tuesday. After the rally in Florida, he headed to North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. After voting in New York Tuesday morning, Trump was expected to return to Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina and New Hampshire later in the day.
In Florida, he bragged about his hard work. Now it was up to his supporters, he said.
"Good luck," he told them. "Get out there. I mean, I did my thing. I worked."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
President Barack Obama campaigned for Hillary Clinton and other Democrats in Florida election races in Kissimmee Sunday, encouraging voters to "choose hope" and saying the choice for president in this election "could not be simpler or clearer."
Stevie Wonder, Patrick Murphy also on stage at rally
Obama talked election fatigue, took shots at Trump
RELATED: Tim Kaine, Bon Jovi campaign for Clinton in St. Petersburg
As with other Hillary Clinton surrogates criss-crossing the state this weekend, Obama had some celebrity star power on stage to warm up the crowd before he spoke. Music legend Stevie Wonder performed for the audience at the Osceola County Stadium prior to the president's remarks.
When Obama took the stage, he thanked Wonder and joked that he almost came up on stage to sing with him.
"I was going to come up and sing with Stevie," said Obama. "But Stevie explained that this was designed to get votes, so that was a bad idea."
All kidding aside, the president once again made his case for the importance of getting out to vote, couching it as a choice to defend progress made since 2008.
"I need your help to help finish what we started eight years ago," said Obama. "No wonder I've got grey hair -- we've been working hard."
He also made clear his thoughts on what was at stake come Election Day, and just how important a role Florida will play when the votes are counted.
"All the progress we've made goes out the window if we don't win this election," said Obama. "And we win this election if we win Florida."
Obama described the choice between the contenders for the Oval Office as a choice that "could not be simpler or clearer."
"On the one hand, you have somebody who may be the most qualified person ever to run for the presidency," said Obama. "On the other, you have 'The Donald."
As has been his practice at appearances on the campaign trail, when the crowd booed at the mention of Donald Trump or Republicans, Obama corrected them, saying don't boo -- vote.
"[Trump] can't hear your boos," said Obama, "but he can hear your vote."
In talking up Clinton to the crowd, Obama pointed to her intelligence and her steadiness. He also highlighted her work ethic and temperament as a contrast to her opponent.
"When things don't go her way, she doesn't whine," said Obama. "She doesn't complain, she doesn't talk things being rigged. She just works harder."
This is the president's second visit to Central Florida in just a little more than a week.
On Oct. 28, he visited the University of Central Florida where thousands of people showed up to hear him speak. During his speech, the president encouraged people to vote for Clintontelling voters they have the chance to "shape history."
Most recently, the president was in North Carolina where he spoke at a Hillary Clinton rally. He talked about Donald Trump and what he said is violent rhetoric coming from his supporters.
"They've become so accustomed to saying these things in their rallies and their town halls and on the Internet, it becomes an applause line. And it's become normalized. The idea of making a joke about violence against somebody who's running for president, or is president. There's a reason why we've got Secret Service. There's nothing normal about that," said Obama.
This article was originally published on 6 March. It is being updated in light of Arnab Goswami stepping down as editor-in-chief of Times Now.
If you're going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you're going to be locked up.
Hunter S Thompson
Over the past few years, many across the country have expressed growing concerns over the state of news broadcast, or rather the news debates on the national television.
The split screen with anxious and dazed faces, licking lips and drawing breathe just before another stream of insensible words are spat in the general direction of the red eye of the camera has become a norm rather than a morbid exception on the prime time news broadcasts.
Unflinching and relentless, the purpose of the TRP driven debates have for long been transformed from a showcase of diverse ideas and viewpoints into a brownie points contest where the only parameter for judgment is the decibel level.
In India, the phenomenon is relatively new. Although in this short span of time, the format has gained wide popularity and nervous acceptance. This is most evident in shows like Times Now's Newshour that has very recently experienced the exit of its talismanic editor-in-chief and aggressor-in-chief Arnab Goswami.
Indian news broadcast was never wrinkle free, far from it. But this new unwarranted aggression seeped into our collective nightmares fairly recently.
And this particular nightmare is a product from a foreign imagination. Ask around and the fingers point to the West.
In the ever wild pursuit of differentiating oneself, the Indian news channels took a cue from the States. Well, not just a cue, but the entire package from the likes of the Fox news, a bearer of ridicule itself.
But if yours is a quest to really trace the origins of this unnerving modern day spectacle, the very inception of it, it goes back to the year 1968, or so claims Morgan Neville and Robert Gordons documentary Best of Enemies.
The documentary, five years in the making, recounts the historic debates between William F Buckley and Gore Vidal in 1968.
'68 was the year of Presidential elections in the United States and with television now embedded in most households; the race was on to take the maddening campaign to the masses.
ABC, with the lowest ratings among the news networks, somehow managed to rope in two of the most intellectual minds of the generation for a series of debates. Although Buckley and Vidals reputations in political and social circles were well established, only few could have guessed what was in store in the coming days.
To put it plainly, Buckley and Vidal loathed each other. It would have been difficult to find two men so different from one another, although, one characteristic they did share was the pleasure they drew from being public figures. Being cool, comfortable and cocky on television came naturally. Vidal even famously said, Never lose an opportunity to have sex or be on television.
A writer and public intellectual, Vidal, represented the Left in the debate. Buckley, an author, commentator, founder of National Review magazine and a conservative, hated everything that the other stood for.
The celebrity intellectuals could hardly wait to take on one another.
What Best of Enemies has achieved, on objective parameters at least, is nothing short of a feat. The two directors have managed to gather some incredible footage from the 68 Campaign, when strung together, resulting in a 1 hour 27 minute documentary without a dull moment.
From Noam Chomsky to Christopher Hitchens, the documentary also features interviews from some the best minds of our generation. But nothing beats the sheer pleasure of watching Vidal and Buckley have a go at each other during the ten debates.
They dont make people like Gore Vidal and William F Buckley anymore, director Neville said in an interview, and perhaps rightly so. As you follow the two in the documentary, it soon becomes apparent that what they are fighting for is not just opposing political ideas but their personal ideologies themselves.
And perhaps this was the reason for what unfolded on 28 August, 1968.
The day has been marred by riots in Chicago after thousands of anti-war demonstrators gathered during the Democratic convention and the police clashed with them.
When the two men met that evening for the seventh debate, what unfolded was unlike anything seen before on prime-time American television.
Vidal batted for the protesters right to assembly, while Buckley bought up patriotism, lawlessness in the streets and Nazis.
Vidal snapped.
As far as Im concerned, the only pro- or crypto-Nazi I can think of is yourself.
Buckley shot back.
Now listen, you queer! Stop calling me a crypto-Nazi or Ill sock you in your goddamn face and youll stay plastered.
Lawsuits and counter-lawsuits followed.
This incident, the documentary argues, changed the landscape of news broadcast forever. It set the precedence and we are feeling the ripples to this date.
There would be thousands of phenomenon in the past, both cultural and political, which would factor into our obsession with screaming faces on the television every night, but this is as close as one could get to that one spark, a tangible point of no return.
The documentary is a brilliant study of how the concept of domino effect works over history and its often unpredictable consequences.
It ends with a video montage of contemporary news debates. As the clip unfolds, a sense of nausea creeps in. But it also leaves you with a sense of wonder as to how two men, battling it out for their personal ideologies 47 years ago can have such crippling effects at the other side of the planet.
Best of Enemies is now available on Netflix.
If Akshay Kumar is the khiladi of Bollywood then his wife Twinkle Khanna aka Mrs. Funnybones is no less a khiladi herself.
The Bollywood power couple will be the guests on the next episode of Koffee with Karan, and those of you who watched the first episode with Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan, would have gotten an amusing glimpse of what to expect with Twinkle and Akshay.
Also read: Koffee with Karan season 5 Episode 1: Alia Bhatt, Shah Rukh Khan are a candid delight
Akshay had famously appeared on Koffee with Karan season 4, wherein he revealed Karan had been trying to get Twinkle and Akshay together on screen for a long time now, but she declined his offer stating she was too scared of the outcome of her outspoken nature.
True to the format of the show, Karan throws a volley of questions at the couple only to discover that he has finally met his match. Not one to mince her words, Twinkle turns the tables on Karan as she puts into play her personal camaraderie with him and shoots a rapid fire of questions at him.
From asking why Pluto has been dropped as a planet to who the Defense Minister of the country is Twinkle is no holds barred. She also reveals that she is the only woman Karan has ever loved.
The episode is packed with laugh-out-loud moments. At one point, Twinkle subtle hints at what actually sets Akshay apart from the rest of the Khans. When she reveals her answer, Karan ruefully acknowledges that he has dug his own grave by inviting Twinkle on the show.
Akshay then makes a huge gesture on the show as he sings for his wife and slow dances with her as the latter is finally at a loss for words.
Episode two of Koffee With Karan seems to be quite the riot.
Deepika Padukone, the star of xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, was seen at the red carpet of the MTV European Music Awards and even co-presented an Award with The Vampire Diaries star Nina Dorbev for Best Video, which went to none other than The Weeknd.
The European music awards marked her international debut on the red carpet and she had told DNA in an interview, "I was pleasantly surprised when I got the invite. It is very gracious of them to invite me. I have grown up watching the MTV awards and I didnt think that one day, I would be walking down the red carpet and presenting an award at this global music event. Its a step forward in my global career."
Dressed in a custom made Monisha Jaising and Shaleen Nathani dress, the actress looked stunning and managed to channel her inner Serena Unger (the assassin she plays in the xXx film). She opted for an olive green high slit trail skirt teamed with heavily embellished bodice and matching bomber jacket.
A photo posted by Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) on Nov 6, 2016 at 1:51pm PST
Her make-up was on-fleek with her high-drama attire. She added drama with smokey eyes and decided to go keep the rest very subtle. The accessorizing with the long green earrings is just perfect!
Though we might be appreciative of her look, UK's leading tabloid The Daily Mail wasn't. They went on to label her style of the evening as "Bollywood blunder: Indian actress Deepika Padukone may be stunning but her swamp green bra-let and skirt combo did nothing for her sensational figure." and put her in the worst dressed section.
While currently shooting for Katamarayudu, Telugu actor Pawan Kalyan announced his next film with director Trivikram Srinivas, which reportedly went on floors on 5 November.
According to this IBT report, the film is tentatively titled Devdude Digi Vachina and has music by famous Tamil music composer Anirudh. He took to Twitter to announce this:
The wait is over ! Happy to announce my Telugu debut #PK25 @PawanKalyan directed by my favourite #Trivikram sir @HaarikaHassine pic.twitter.com/qJD518bZl2 Anirudh Ravichander (@anirudhofficial) November 5, 2016
The reason why this upcoming film has so much buzz is because of Pawan Kalyan and Trivikram's combination which has worked in the past. They have earlier teamed up for two hit films, Attarintiki Daredi and Jalsa.
This Indian Express report reveals the film will need two leading female actors to be cast opposite Pawan Kalyan, but no formal announcement have been made regarding this yet.
Meanwhile, Kalyan is already neck deep in projects post his political commitments. He is currently shooting Katamaraydu, which is the Telugu remake of Tamil blockbuster film Veeram. The film has Shruti Hassan paired opposite Kalyan. He is also doing another Tamil remake, of Vedalam, for which he will start shooting next year.
Each day the quagmire the Tatas have got themselves into with the dismissal of the 48-year-old Cyrus Mistry, the former chairman of Tata Sons, is sinking further eroding the name and honour that was synonymous with the Tatas and the 148-year-old group.
According to media reports, a slew of developments over the weekend has further proved that the mess is only getting stickier for the Tatas and independent directors of various group companies are likely to hold the key to the issue in the coming days.
An indication of this came last week when independent directors of the group's hospitality arm, Indian Hotels Co (IHCL) endorsed Mistry's leadership while expressing unanimously full confidence in him.
The independent directors, including banker Deepak Parekh and Nadir Godrej, met ahead of the Tata group's loss-making company's board meeting and reposed faith in Mistry, who had been ousted as chairman of holding company Tata Sons on October 24.
The development is important as this comes even as Rata Tata is trying his best to oust Mistry from his positions in the operating group firms, including IHCL and Tata Motors.
"The independent directors unanimously expressed their full confidence in Chairman Cyrus Mistry and praised steps taken by him in providing strategic direction and leadership to the company," Indian Hotels Co Ltd (IHCL) said in a BSE filing.
IHCL's independent directors also include Gautam Banerjee, Keki Dadiseth, Vibha Rishi and Ireena Vittal. The board of IHCL met after the meeting of the independent directors and approved the financial results for the second quarter ended September. The meeting was chaired by Mistry.
However, a report in The Times of India, has said that the Tatas may even question the independence of some IHCL directors.
"While praising performance under Mistry, we wonder if they asked themselves what would happen if the Tatas withdrew all the guarantees executed in favour of IHCL. Will it be the same if IHCL were to become a Mistry group company?" a Bombay House insider has been quoted as saying in the ToI report.
The insider remark in the report is quite unlike the Tatas. "When a decision is taken that goes against Tata Sons, then the independence of independent directors will be questoned. Is that how they see a panel of eminent people in their own right having come to a decision," asked an analyst. He said that saying that, `what would happen if the Tatas withdraw all the guaranteed executed in favour of IHCL is tantamount to issuing a threat. I thought only politicians had foot-in-the-mouth syndrome," he said.
When a majority of Tata Sons voted in favour of ousting Mistry, questions were raised on their action. Mistry referred to the same in his letter to the board when he pointed out that a few members of the board had `lauded and commended' his performance recently. "No independent director wants to face that again," said the analyst.
Meanwhile, a report in the Business Standard, has said that the happenings at the IHCL board meeting has given hopes to the Mistry camp that they can replicate the success at other board meetings that are pending now.
Mistry is chairman of six other listed Tata companies, with the board meetings of Tata Chemicals and Tata Steel slated for 10 and 11 November, according to the BS report.
Tata Chemicals has four independent directors and Tata Steel has six, says the report, listing out them as follows: Nusli N Wadia (Tata Chemicals, Tata Motors, Tata Steel), Mallika Srinivasan (Tata Global, Tata Steel), OP Bhatt (Tata Steel, TCS), Sbubodh Bharagava (Tata Motors, Tata Steel), Nasser Munjee (Tata Chemicals, Tata Motors), Ireena Vittal (Indian Hotels, Tata Global) and Vibha Paul Rishi (Indian Hotels, Tata Chemicals).
A report in Times of India today points out that Wadia, chairman of Britannia Industries Bombay Dyeing, is likely to the key driver in shaping the opinion of the independent directors. The report says while Wadia and Ratan Tata have been friends for long, the Tata group's entry into aviation through Vistara and Air Asia India may have spoilt their good equations. Wadias have a presence in aviation through GoAir.
Manoj Kumar, founder of Hammurabi & Solomon and a visiting fellow with the Observer Research Foundation, is of the opinion for Tatas to get the independent directors to vote in their favour is possible only if they are able to present critical issues that can affect business interests if Mistry continues to remain the chairman.
Independent directors are not pre-committed to a view of either side the Tatas or the Mistrys.
The voting pattern of each board would be different. The pressure is far more on the Tatas. They have to raise the issues and recalibrate them in the commercial domain. The Mistrys have to only rebut what is being raised by the Tatas. However, the independent directors have to listen to the issue and come out with reasonable views as this could be tested in a court of law, if it is taken to court, said Kumar.
However, chances are that the Tatas could lose their case with the independent directors. The IHCL board meeting is a learning curve for the Tatas to raise issues that affect stakeholders, promoters and company interests, added Kumar.
"The Tatas could lose this battle," says J N Gupta, former ED, Sebi. "If they are able to point out critical reasons that the boards of companies on which Mistry is currently chairman will be affected because of his presence, they will not be able to win this battle."
Is the Tatas up for this? Remember, communication has been a weak link for the Tatas. And if a report in the Mint newspaper today is to be believed, the Tatas have not yet informed the independent directors about the reasons why Mistry has been sacked from Tata Sons.
One of the independent directors has told the newspaper: We too are groping in the dark.
Clearly, if the Tatas do not change the way they function, the present mess is going to tarnish their image for many years to come.
The genesis of corporate governance in India can be traced back to Kautilyas Arthshastra. Kautilya, the noted statesman and principal adviser to the Mauryan Emperor Chandragupta Maurya, believed that the happiness of the king depended on the happiness of his people. He propounded that the King and his ministers must follow a strict code of discipline and always act in the best interest of their subjects.
Parallels can be drawn between the structural hierarchy of ancient India and contemporary corporate anthropoid architecture. The Board of Directors must serve the interests of the company as a whole if everyone is to profit. Though corporate governance norms are essential to the proper working of a company, it took the Indian authorities a fair amount of time to bring it to the forefront of their policy agendas.
At the time of Independence, India had an operational stock market, an active manufacturing sector and a host of well-developed British-derived corporate practices. From 1947-1991, it pursued decidedly socialist industrial and commercial policies such as nationalizing banks to make the State the primary provider of debt and equity capital for private enterprises.
The Government responded to an impending fiscal crisis in 1991 by passing a series of reforms aimed at general economic liberalization with an emphasis on corporate governance norms. This was catalyzed primarily by the growing need for capital by Indian firms and the formation of SEBI.
The first major initiative to codify corporate governance norms was undertaken by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The CII setup a committee to examine corporate governance issues and prescribe a voluntary code of best practices. Drawing heavily from the Anglo-Saxon model of corporate governance, the CII released a document titled Desirable Corporate Governance: A Code in 1998. The comprehensive code focused mainly on listed companies and was not mandatory.
Though the CII Code met with positive reception, a number of stakeholders expressed a preference for a statutorily backed code for corporate governance. Consequently, Sebi setup a committee under the auspice of Kumar Mangalam Birla to promote and raise the standards of good corporate governance. The Birla Committee placed special emphasis on the role of independent directors in board management. In 2000, the recommendations of the committee were accepted by the SEBI board and incorporated into Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement of the Stock Exchanges.
Clause 49 was reviewed and improved upon by the Narayana Murthy committee, which was setup when Mr. N.R. Narayana Murthy was the chairman of SEBI. The committee took inspiration from the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance, the work of the Cadbury Committee and Sarbanes-Oxley Act (USA).
The incorporation of Clause 49 and its subsequent amendments saw parallel action in a review of the Companies Act, 1956. The Central Government constituted an Expert Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. J.J. Irani in 2004 to make recommendations for the new Companies Bill.
The Government of India first introduced the new Companies Bill in Parliament in 2008. However, it lapsed and decision was made to re-introduce the Bill in its original form in 2009. Fate intervened in the form of the Satyam scandal in January 2009, forcing regulators to review the extant regulations (including the new Companies Bill) through the prism of the issues unearthed under the Satyam scandal. This led to a thorough revision of the Companies Bill which was introduced in its final form in the Lok Sabha in 2011.
The Bill received its assent and is now known as the Companies Act, 2013. Most of the provisions under this Act were applicable from April 1st, 2014. The new Act introduced significant changes regarding the board composition of a company with a renewed emphasis on management procedures.
Whilst the changes seemed overly prescriptive, a closer analysis led to the compelling conclusion that the emphasis on board processes would institutionalize good corporate governance and not make governance over-dependent on the presence of certain individuals on the board.
The broad intent of the Act was to strengthen corporate governance in India through the introduction of provisions that would facilitate the inception of transparent and accountable corporations with largely autonomous Board of Directors. The reality however is very far off from what legislators envisioned. A recent survey found that many companies do not adhere to the new norms under the Act.
The Tata-Mistry melee is emblematic of core issue facing commercial India when attempting to implement good corporate governance norms. Mistrys ouster is a corporate governance disaster of such epic proportions, that many top B-Schools in India are using it as a case study for what not to do in such situations. So why is it that India has such a decidedly terrible track record with corporate governance norms?
One writer, Pratip Kar, argues that India has found it difficult to adopt corporate governance best practices because these markedly Anglo-American regulations clash with the national culture. Kar further explains that this sensitive issue of culture is overlooked, if not avoided altogether, when implementing corporate governance best practice, partly because these traditions run deep and, hence, are difficult to address, let alone change. Indias distinctive corporate governance issues originate from the high percentage of companies that are family-owned.
Harvard Business School professors Tarun Khanna and Krishna Palepu have suggested that, concentrated ownership has been an important feature of Indias private sector for the past seven decades. . . Concentrated ownership exists . . . because of institutional voids, [such as] the absence of specialized intermediaries in capital markets.
At present, one-third of Indian companies are controlled by one or more family members in concert with one another. Most family owned businesses are unable to discern that there lies a dichotomy between the business and the personal affairs of the family. Thus, decisions are often made to suit the family and not necessarily in the best interest of the firm.
Another issue that exists in current corporate leadership is the rampant resistence to change in working culture that makes it difficult for younger (and often more innovative) executives to influence corporate decision making. Traces of all these issues can be found in the cracks left by the Tata-Mistry fallout. If India Inc is to thrive it will treat the Tata-Mistry disaster as a cautionary tale and learn from its failings.
(The author is the founder of Hammurabi & Solomon and a visiting fellow with the Observer Research Foundation)
Mumbai: The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) today said the government's four-tier structure in Goods and Services Tax (GST), in which the service sector will be taxed at 18 percent, will cause the tourism sector a major setback.
In the recently concluded meet on GST, the government has declared a four tier structure of 5, 12, 18 and 28 percent of which the service sector will be taxed at 18 percent.
"It is estimated that the lower GST rate of 5 percent will contribute to a decrease in our Current Account Deficit, increase in the GDP, doubling up of both foreign and domestic travel and also doubling up of tourism induced employment, across each state and nationally," HRAWI President Dilip Datwani said.
India's tourism competitors in South East Asia (excluding Japan and China) earn among themselves over USD 150 billion in foreign exchange and attract almost 100 million tourists annually, he said.
According to estimates, a GST rate of 5 percent will more than double both foreign travel coming to India to 20 million tourists and domestic travel within India to 2.5 billion.
"We welcome the 5 percent tax slab on food, which is a positive outcome of subsumed taxes for hotels and restaurants. However, the 18 percent levy on services or room revenue in our case, compared to our neighbouring countries which charge a Tourism tax between 4 to 7 percent, rules out fair competition," HRAWI former President Kamlesh Barot said. Overseas, he said, GST can have least slabs as they have minimum exclusions unlike ours.
"A foreign tourist planning a trip across Asia may entirely skip India or spend fewer days in our country on account of these perceived high room rates because we also
don't refund taxes to foreigners like many countries do," added Barot.
Patanjali Ayurved, the FMCG venture promoted by yoga guru Ramdev, will hire around 5,000 people at its upcoming Rs 1,300-crore facility in Assam by the end of this fiscal year.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone of the Patanjali Herbal and mega Food Park at Balipara in Sonitpur district.
"The unit will give direct employment to 5,000 people and benefit one lakh farmers. The complete profit from the Food Park will be dedicated for the welfare of Assam by setting up school and skill development centres in each district," Ramdev said at a function.
He said the facility would incur an investment of around Rs 1,300 crore and would be ready by February 2017.
"This Balipara unit of Patanjali will produce Rs 20,000 crore annual production with an annual production capacity of around 12 lakh MT. We target to speed up our construction so as to open the Park formally on February 15, 2017.
"The unit will manufacture wide range of consumer products such as cosmetics, nutritional foods and kitchen essentials among others," Ramdev said.
"I request the local farmers to plant herbal and medicinal plants so that that they can supply their local produce to the unit and reap benefits. The plant will produce rice bran oil from the remains of rice husks," he said.
The yoga practitioner-cum-entrepreneur said he would soon contemplate of creating a viable market for green tea to facilitate the small tea growers of Assam.
Stating the moment as historic, Sonowal claimed Patanjali Food Park would be the biggest project ever to be set up in Assam.
Present on the occasion, Bodoland Territorial Council Chief Hagrama Mohillary declared that he would allot 1,000 acres of land to Patanjali Ayurveda in Bodoland for setting up of a similar unit and a gaushala.
Till Donald Trump emerged as the Republican Party nominee in the 2016 US Presidential elections, most Indians perhaps didnt even know this name. The only other Donald they knew well from the American dreamland was Donald, the duck. Today, that isnt the case. With only hours left for the US electorate to choose between Trump and Hillary Clinton, Trump is a familiar face in India too.
For most of us, Trump is this suit-clad businessman-turned-TV producer-turned-politician who has a reputation of being an arrogant and indefatigable arguer, a stereotypical tax evading businessman, not really known to treat women with respect and an American version of the son of the soil politician we see in Indian states someone who despises everything that is not American. In short, a perfect specimen of a bully in American flicks that no one wants to associate with, forget accepting as their chief commander. But there are chances that Trump could spring a surprise victory over Clinton.
What does India mean for Trump then and vice versa? More than once, India has figured in Trumps pre-election rhetoric in the same breath as China and Mexico, mostly in the context of job outsourcing and on the threat of immigrants crowding out the US job market. Just yesterday, Trump blamed India and China for the greatest job theft in US.
"America has lost 70,000 factories since China entered the World Trade Organisation, another Bill and Hillary backed disaster. We are living through the greatest jobs theft in the history of the world, Trump said in Tampa, Florida yesterday. "Goodrich Lighting Systems laid off 255 workers and moved their jobs to India. Baxter Health Care Corporation laid off 199 workers and moved their jobs to Singapore. Essilor Laboratories laid off 181 workers and moved their jobs, surprise, to Mexico. It's getting worse and worse and worse," he added.
Theft is a wrong word for Trump to use here, if not an outrageous insult to thousands of Indian professionals for whom American companies have reached out for cheap labour. If no American company wanted Indians to be part of their workforce, no Indian would have entered US soil. The fact is that no one steals jobs in the US, but it is purely a play of supply and demand for reasons of efficiency and cost saving. In other words, as much as Indians have benefited from US jobs, US companies too have gained from accessing cheap labour from India.
Its a give and take deal
Seen in this context, job theft is the most inappropriate and irresponsible world a US presidential candidate could use referring to the immigrant issue and tells the Indio-US professionals what is in store if Trump wins.
Beyond Trump, why would the US which is eight times bigger than the Indian GDP worry about India? The reason lies in Indias demographic power and gradual emergence as a major economic power. Trump himself has agreed in an earlier speech saying, India is doing great, although how much of it he really meant is doubtful, beyond appeasing the Indo-American community ahead of the crucial polls.
Given Trumps policies, he would not want India to continue be great at least when it comes to jobs where Indian professionals compete with their US counterparts. They are taking our jobs. China is taking our jobs. Japan is taking our jobs. India is taking our jobs. It is not going to happen anymore, folks! Trump said in Columbia in February this year.
India vs US
At 7 percent growth rate and by unlocking domestic potentials, India has the power to emerge as an economic power globally over the next two decades, a fact that most economic experts agree on. It is already a giant in the software sector and the country is progressing rapidly in the e-commerce space. The on-going reforms in the financial sector and tax regime could fuel growth. In a slowing world, Indias chances are brighter than the rest even if it manages a 7 percent growth over the next two decades.
Trump knows India potential (also reflected in his interests to strike business deals with local developers) and hence the India talks. Rather, he knows the threat posed by Indians to American interests.
Trumps anti-immigrant stand, coupled with a high dose of jingoism, is a dangerous mix for non-Americans, especially Indians and Chinese workers. His victory in the elections will not be good news for Indian workers.
Trumps trump cards in this poll--Make America great again means doing everything possible to save the interests of Americans no matter what happens to immigrant workers.
The businessman-turned politician has already indicated that he will rethink on the H-1B visa if he comes to power and will drastically cut down taxes for American businesses that will give those firms edge over foreign competitors. Trump believes that Americas immigration policy puts the interests of other nations first than the local citizens. He is against cheap labour and open borders.
The bottom line is that Trump isnt a great believer of offering a level-playing field to local and foreign firms. Trumps job theft remark is a dumb act, an insult to Indian workers. The last thing any Indian worker in US should hope for is his victory in this election.
(Correcting an error in the second line)
New Delhi: Eyeing India as a key trade partner after exiting from the European Union, the UK on Monday announced a first-ever easier visa regime for Indian businessmen that will come with swifter passage through British airports and access to EU.
India had in past also sought easier visa regime for its nationals and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked his counterpart Theresa May to provide "greater mobility" for its students and researchers.
Speaking at the India-UK Tech Summit, May said: "So we will offer, for the first time to any country that needs visas to enter Britain, what we called 'Registered Traveller Scheme'. "That means the Indian nationals who frequently come to the UK and to fuel growth in both our countries, the entry process will become significantly easier," she said at the event organised by CII that was also attended by Modi.
She said the businesses will have to fill fewer forms, and they would get access to the EU-EEA (European Economic Area) passport control and swifter passage through British airports.
"In short, more opportunities for Britain and India and a clear message that Britain is very much open for business," she added. May said it is not just the legal framework that are essential for effective trade and investment, it is about people too.
"It is crucial that those who do need to travel between our countries for business can do so, that is the reason why when I was Home Secretary, I made visa process for Indians much easier," May said.
She further said India now has one of the best UK visa services in the world with more application points than any other country and is the only place where it is possible to get a same day visa.
"...that happened because we listened to our businesses. And we are still listening. Listening to the fact that there are many people from India who are to bring their skill, ideas, businesses to Britain for the good of your economy and ours," May added.
Talking about removing trade and investment barriers, the UK Prime Minister said Britain is working side by side with India to make it easier to do business in India. "We can break down barriers and make it easier to do business...That is why the UK is working side by side with Prime Minister Modi to make it easier to do business in India, for example by strengthening intellectual property rights, and paving the way for world's leading services sector to operate in Indian market benefiting India and UK alike, But I am determined that we will go further," she said.
To
Radhika Roy,
Chairperson,
NDTV
I must, at the outset, express my highest regard for you as a journalist. I also hold in high esteem the television channel you co-founded with your husband, Prannoy Roy, another journalist of formidable repute. I am an admirer of both of you since the World This Week days.
. It has been known as the voice of sanity. One could say, with confidence, that NDTV has had the courage of conviction to speak truth to power for years, rather decades.
No wonder then that you have had frequent run-ins with those in power. The governments decision to take your channel off air for a day on 9 November is symptomatic of the vindictiveness of the ruling elite. If you do not toe their line, they will get at you in whichever way possible. Incidentally, when the Ministry for Information & Broadcasting passed the order to prohibit transmission or re-transmission of NDTV India channel for one day on any platform throughout India with effect from 00.01 hrs on 9 November 2016 till 00.01 hours of 10 November, 2016, it gave out the reason that your broadcast revealed strategically-sensitive details.
As you know, you were served a show-cause notice way back in January; the notice said that NDTV India had revealed sensitive information such as location of the ammunition depot and residential areas during its coverage of the Pathankot attack which could have been used by the terrorists in causing loss of life of citizens and security forces, apart from collateral damage to physical assets.
Your plea that most other channels did similar reporting went unheeded. You were singled out for punishment for your repeated offence of showing the government in bad light. But the bigwigs of the ruling party and the government kept saying that you are being punished as your action compromised Indias security.
All hyper-nationalists have supported the government action against your channel because they think that the freedom of the media must end when the security concerns of the country begins.
But then what involves the countrys security and who decides it? Our ultra-nationalists will argue that the decision must lie with the bureaucrats, and by extension, with the politicians. And the media must fall in line.
I, and people like me, always thought that you and your channel would refuse to be browbeaten by this brand of faux nationalism and carry on the task without fear or favour. But I must say with consternation that you rather chose the softer option to appease these aggressive nationalist forces.
Please recall the incidents last month.
After the big splash in our media about Indias successful surgical strike in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Pakistan pooh-poohed the Indian assertion and took a retinue of international journalists to the affected region to convince them that India was making a false claim. That is when some Opposition political leaders insisted that India should release the evidence of the strike to call Pakistans bluff. In fact, the government should have done it on its own to destroy Pakistans credibility in the world media. But, surprisingly, the government agencies went about pressurising the media houses to play down the demand for release of the evidence of the surgical strike.
Your decision to drop P Chidambarams interview on the issue was taken just about that time. Please remember that the interview had been done by one of your star anchors, Barkha Dutt, who has been in an editorial leadership position for far too long to know what responsible journalism is all about. Chidambaram is no revolutionary leader that he would spew venom against the Indian state. He is a mainstream politician who espouses the Congress position from time to time.
Your channel ran the promo for the interview throughout the day on 6 October, but dropped it in the evening apparently to avoid politicisation of army action (but you had no qualms about telecasting that day's press conference held by Amit Shah, who hailed the surgical strike).
In a strong reply to the criticism over this decision, you said: We are driven by editorial and journalistic integrity and the belief that the political mud-slinging regarding the surgical strikes without a shred of evidence was actually damaging to our national security. We do not believe that we are obliged to carry every shred of drivel that has now come to pass as public discourse.(Was it that what Chidambaram said was drivel but what Shah said were pearls of wisdom?)
But, if 'evidence' really mattered to you, you would have taken the lead in demanding evidence of our surgical strike in Pakistan (which our government claimed without any corroborating evidence). Was it that the consideration of security, or rather, patriotism, or sheer political blackmail, that prevented you from performing the role befitting a highly-acclaimed media house?
I am surprised that seasoned professionals like you and Prannoy forgot that famous lessons from American history about the freedom of the media vis-a-vis the security of the country. I want you to recollect how The New York Times had the temerity to publish the classified documents of the Vietnam War, leaked by Daniel Ellsberg, a military analyst, who worked for the Ministry of Defence.
Former president Richard M Nixon, like most of our ruling politicians, invoked the security concern. His attorney-general, John N Mitchell, shot off the following letter to Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, the publisher of The New York Times: I have been advised by the secretary of defence that the material published in The New York Times on 13 and 14 June, 1971 captioned Key Texts from Pentagons Vietnam Study contains information relating to the national defense of the United States and bears a top secret classification.
As such, publication of this information is directly prohibited by the provisions of the Espionage Law, Title 18, United States Code, Section 793.
Further publication of information of this character will cause irreparable injury to the defence interests of the United States.
Accordingly, I respectfully request that you publish no further information of this character and advise me that you have made arrangements for the return of these documents to the Department of Defence.
The New York Times had revealed, for sure, strategically-sensitive details that would compromise the US security in Vietnam. This revelation was not inadvertent; it was deliberate. The newspaper believed that as a professional media organisation, it owed it to the citizens of the US to tell the truth about the governments shenanigans. The journalists were, no doubt, thrilled when the publisher of The New York Times wrote back to the Justice Department saying that it would not comply with the request.
The Times must respectfully decline the request of the attorney-general, believing that it is in the interest of the people of this country to be informed of the material contained in this series of articles, said Sulzberger.
This response was a direct slap in the face of Nixon who then sought an injunction in the court against further publication citing serious threat to national security.
But the Supreme Court of the US held that even if the threat to US security was real by the revelation of the documents, the US citizens had a right to know and that right did override the security concerns. The court made it a point to stress that the state must not overemphasise the security threat so as to suppress open debate on public policies and censor dissent or disagreement under the pretext of protecting national security.
I hope you will agree that The Pentagon Papers episode has a lesson for you, and I am sure that it has a bigger lesson for our government and its harebrained cheerleaders who want complete secrecy in the name of our security.
(Firstpost is from the same stable as CNN-News18 which competes with NDTV)
New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday rushed to Mayapuri police station, where mother of the missing JNU student was taken, and camped there till she reached the university after release.
Kejriwal also met the students of the university who were detained. Earlier, he also met President Pranab Mukherjee and expressed concern over the tense situation in JNU.
The Chief Minister tweeted that he was going to Mayapuri Police station as soon as news spread that Najeeb Ahmed's mother Fatima Nafees was detained there.
"Reached Mayapuri police stn. Police saying she has been sent home in a police van. Will wait here till she reaches home."
"Najeeb's mother reached home. Spoke to her on phone. She is fine. Am leaving the police stn now. Urge police to quickly find Najeeb," Kejriwal said in a series of tweets.
He also vented his ire against Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying "It is obvious police doesn't act it own, it follows its bosses. Earlier Congress tortured people taking shelter behind police now Modi is doing the same. Hay lagegi apko (you will be cursed)".
On Monday a picture of a JNU student being manhandled by Delhi Police while trying to quell the protest near India Gate, has sparked outrage on social media.
The photograph which caught everyone's attention on social media is that of a female protester grabbed and taken aside by a male Delhi cop. The picture was taken by a photographer of a popular daily and has received a variety of reactions from 'twitterati'. Some have condemned the act of 'police manhandling' while some have condemned the revelation of the identity of the protester. Some even pointed out that 'female cops should be deployed to handle female protesters'.
The protester was present at the rally taken out at Jantar Mantar by students of Jawaharlal Nehru University against alleged administrative inaction in the disappearance of 27-year-old student Najeeb Ahmad.
Care to explain @DelhiPolice which police manual allows this. Pix via @timesofindia pic.twitter.com/DRDRo0FNcx bhavatosh singh (@bhavatoshsingh) November 7, 2016
Many condemned the police cop, demanding his suspension.
Is this Delhi Police? How can this cop grope a female student. Is he out of his mind! Please immediately suspend him. @CPDelhi pic.twitter.com/MpyF3wjyGX Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) November 7, 2016
How can anyone justify this? #Justice4Najeeb: Police Manhandle, Detain Missing JNU Student's Mother During Protest https://t.co/yogUEOXfWQ Raghu Ram (@tweetfromRaghu) November 6, 2016
Dear @CPDelhi The Act Of @DelhiPolice Cop is Contrary To Section 46 of CrPc,No Male police can Touch a Female or Arrest Her,Take Action Plz! pic.twitter.com/Or4ayk3cWz #Advocate Sanwar (@AskSanwar) November 7, 2016
Despicable @DelhiPolice! But perhaps expecting any action against this man is too much. https://t.co/ri7xeED0wA Rupashree Nanda (@rupashreenanda) November 7, 2016
Some questioned the procedure followed.
I saw this pic and i was shocked...usually women police are deployed to handle female protesters. Delhi police at it again. https://t.co/vy0Zck6azT Shabbir Ahmed (@Ahmedshabbir20) November 7, 2016
Others asked questions about the ethics of the photograph.
@SwatiJaiHind u posted her photo w/o blurring her face?? has she agreed to the use of this photo? @CPDelhi
Saileena (@saileenas) November 7, 2016
@SwatiJaiHind @nihang @CPDelhi If you are reporting a sexual assault, you must blur out the face of the victim in the photo. Ethics, law. Adnan (@ahalam) November 7, 2016
However the police denied any misbehavior on their part. "During protest by JNU students today, none have been manhandled. A group of JNU students along with Najeeb's mother assembled near Archaeological Survey of India building. They were persuaded not to move towards India Gate. They didn't agree and were adamant to move ahead. They all were taken into a bus to Mayapuri police station. Fatima Nafees was duly attended to by lady Police officers and dropped at her place of stay," a police statement said.
Najeeb Ahmad, 27-year-old, a student of School of Biotechnology and a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing on 15 October following an on-campus scuffle allegedly with the members of ABVP the night before.
Following his disappearance, Delhi Police and JNU students got into a tussle when the latter were protesting at Jantar Mantar against alleged administrative inaction on the part of the university, where the police allegedly roughed up and detained all of the 300 protesters including Ahmad's mother, Fatima Nafees, according to an earlier Firstpost report.
With inputs from PTI
Srinagar: A Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was killed and two army personnel were injured in an encounter in south Kashmir's Shopian district, police said on Monday.
"An encounter broke out between security forces and militants at Wangam in Shopian after the security forces launched a search operation following specific intelligence inputs," a police official said.
In the gun battle, one militant identified as Sadam Hussain Mir, a resident of Chatripora Shopian, belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed, the official said.
Two army personnel were injured in the encounter, he said.
Security forces have recovered one assault rifle, five AK 47 magazines, 119 AK 47 rounds and one hand grenade, the official said.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on 7 November, 2016. It is being updated and republished in light of Friday's 4:1 majority judgment by a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court that ruled that women of all ages should be allowed to enter Kerala's Sabarimala temple.
Women, regardless of their age, should be allowed to enter Keralas Sabarimala temple, the Supreme Court ruled on Friday. That settles a long legal debate and Sabarimala will now follow the footsteps of a few other religious entities where courts have overruled religion. In Kerala,the Left's stand on the issue was consistent since 2007.
Back then, the CPM-led LDF government had said that all women should be allowed to enter Sabarimala. When the Congress-party led UDF came to power, it argued otherwise and logically, the view was reversed when the regime changed.
Now, lets examine this issue a bit closer.
The fundamental question on the Sabarimala issue is this: Should the judiciary or the government be indulging in a matter that is predominantly a matter of faith and tradition?
In my view, they shouldnt. Why? Sabarimala was never a case of caste or colour-based oppression or ostracising of any particular community. There was no social injustice against which to fight. It is also not an institution that has upheld any social evil like Sati or child marriage. Behind the reason why for centuries the temple has not encouraged women in the age group of 10-50, to enter its walls lies an age-old faith that has been the cornerstone of the very existence of this hill-temple.
Sabarimala is built on a story. A story that has linkages with faith that said that the main deity of the temple, Lord Ayyappa, is a brahmachari (a celibate god) and the presence of women of the menstruating age group is a hindrance to his meditation. Women outside this age group can enter the temple and that has been always so.
And there is more to this story. A female deity in the temple called 'Malikappuram Devi', is given place within the temple and as per the centuries-old belief, Lord Ayyappa will marry Malikappuram Devi the year in which there are no 'kanni' ayyappans (first-time visitors to the temple). But, such a scenario doesn't happen in reality since every year there are thousands of new devotees thronging Sabarimala.
Although the story of Lord Ayyappan and the associated faith may sound silly to the proponents of gender equality and social reform, the fact is that the very existence of the hill-temple and its relevance is based on this. Sabarimala wasnt created by an Act of the Kerala state Assembly, Parliament or by an order of court, but on faith. Now, if that faith is not respected, there isn't Sabarimala as it exists today.
There is no end to the debate on whether law of the land should dictate institutions of religion. But, its better to leave matter of faith to the people who have faith. The Supreme Court can, of course, pass an order based on the state governments recommendation and let the Sabarimala temple open to all women, but that would ridicule the very faith of people for whom the centre of worship matters.
Of course, the sky wouldnt fall or the world will end if women enter Sabarimala. But, Sabarimala will then become another tourist-pilgrim centre like many other places, where faith may not have much importance.
In fact, Sabarimala has been one of the most liberal institutions of worship in the country. It doesnt differentiate between people of various religions. Anyone can enter. There is also no differentiation between people belonging to upper and lower castes. Even the restriction on women has not been necessarily seen as an act of oppression but the willingness of female devotees to respect a faith.
Also the debate on whether law of the land should dictate institutions of religion persists. But, wouldn't it have been better if the Supreme Court had left the matter of faith to the people who have faith. The Supreme Court can, of course, pass an order based on the state governments recommendation and open the Sabarimala temple to all women, which is what happened on Friday, but isn't that ridiculing the very faith of people for whom the centre of worship matters most?
Of course, now that the Supreme Court has ruled in favour of women's entry, the sky won't fall and the world won't end if women enter Sabarimala.
Sabarimala can then become another tourist-pilgrim centre/site like many other places and of course, the place can then transform to another case study for gender equality and civil rights. But where does that leaves the idea of faith?
Wasn't Sabarimala one of the most liberal religious institutions of worship in the country already? It never differentiated between people of different religions. There is also no differentiation between people belonging to upper and lower castes. Even the restriction on women has not been necessarily seen as an act of oppression but the willingness and respect of women devotees to the faith.
There is no resolution either to the question pertaining to what extent the government and judiciary should intervene in matters of faith, unless there is an angle involving social injustice, oppression or denial or natural justice.
A few years ago, a Bihar court had heard a case against Lord Rama on the alleged cruelty towards his wife Sita. The petitioner wondered how in the world a man, a king, known to be just and merciful could be unjust to his own wife that too based on hearsay (there wasn't any proof of Sita's alleged infidelity when she was sent on vanvaas). But, finally when the judge heard the case, the case was dismissed on account of the absence of eyewitnesses and the confusion surrounding who should be punished even if Rama was found guilty.
This is precisely what happens when the judiciary bids to weigh in on an issue of faith using tools of modern day justice. This incident is narrated here only as a context to the Sabarimala case.Now that the court has let women enter Sabarimala and this will be, most likely, celebrated a victory by feminist groups and equal-right activists after Shani Shingnapur and Haji Ali, what's next? There is no end to things one can ask for in all religions if faith is ignored and law steers the act of devotion.
The pope can no longer insist then that women cant be Roman catholic priests like he did a few months ago or the Muslim community cannot insist that women arent allowed in mosques.
A majority of Kerala temples dont allow non-Hindus to enter again a matter of faith. All these centuries old practices can be and will be challenged one by one. There isnt any end to this.
Besides hurting those people who keep a certain faith and respect to their age-old practices, the judiciary's encroachment on matters of faith won't help raise the status of women in society. A ban on women in Sabarimala was no social evil, but a matter of faith. The Supreme Court should have left the faith to the believers.
Flying abroad recently on an international flight, an erudite Indian journalist, well established in high-end social circuits at home and abroad, especially in our immediate neighbourhood in general and our western neighbour in particular, wondered aloud how the term 'presstitutes' came about in India, whether it was coined by a military veteran-turned-politician and why this term?
She had probably never heard of John Swinton, the former chief of staff of The New York Times, who addressed New York Press Club in 1953, saying:
There is no such thing, at this date of the world's history, as an independent press. You know it and I know it. There is not one of you who dares to write your honest opinions, and if you did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinions out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job."
Swinton went on to say:
"If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of my paper, before twenty-four hours my occupation would be gone. The business of the journalist is to destroy the truth; to lie outright; to pervert; to vilify; to fawn at the feet of mammon, and to sell the country for his daily bread. You know it and I know it and what folly is this toasting an independent press. We are the tools and vassals of the rich men behind the scenes. We are the jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes."
Whether intellectual prostitutes is better than presstitutes or vice-versa may be debated but speaking of the aforementioned reporter (who was part of an Indian delegation,) she announced in a bilateral discussion with a friendly country, I do not agree with any of my delegation members that Pakistan should be called a terrorist state. This was more shocking since no other country including Pakistan was present this being a bilateral dialogue between India and the friendly country. When told later that she should have spoken this way, she shot back reasons A, B, C, D, and E why she cannot be faulted the sum total of which was Freedom of Speech. When asked whether she saw any difference between a debate on TV in India versus projecting one's own countrys viewpoint as part of an Indian delegation especially when Pakistan has upped its proxy war on India, she gave a blank look as if some gibberish was being thrown her way.
Not to mention that when told our response to Pakistan must include the sub-conventional, her query after years of journalism was, What is sub-conventional?. Of course she took umbrage when another delegation member (a former IAS official) told her that she appeared to be the elder version of a Indian television journalist and columnist who works as a consulting editor with a New Delhi-based TV channel.
Now let us look at the commotion over NDTV India being blocked for 24 hours for broadcasting sensitive information during the terrorist attack on the IAF airbase at Pathankot. The Opposition is delighted with added ammunition to disrupt the forthcoming Winter Session of Parliament, in addition to the OROP-related suicide by Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal, the disappearance of JNU student Najeeb Ahmad (could he have left the country?), surgical strikes, civilian casualties due Pakistani ceasefire violations and what-have-you official work, including GST, be damned. NDTV Indias day-long ban is being equated with the years of Emergency. According to others, India is going the Pakistan way, with Islamabad having imposed restrictions on Pakistani journalist Cyril Almeida, putting him on the Exit Control List for breaking a story on the tiff between Pakistans civil and military leadership.
The intriguing part is that while Pakistan acted against Almeida almost instantaneously, the action against NDTV India comes almost 10 months after the event. Besides, what does the single-day ban convey? What type of token for having broadcast sensitive information? The decision reportedly was taken by an inter-ministerial committee (IMC) comprising joint secretaries from the ministries of Home, Defence, External Affairs, I&B, Health and Family, Women and Child Development, plus representative of the Advertising Standards Council of India all in all, a diverse and august group. According to the grapevine, the IMC found the TV channel to have violated the provisions of the Program Code, specifically Clause 6 (1) (p) of the code, in its coverage of the Pathankot terrorist attack.
The Program and Advertising Code of the Cable TV Network Rules, 1994 has been incorporated in the Cable Act and is taken from the content code governing All India Radio. But when Clause 6 (1) (p) of the code was added in June 2015, doesnt the action against NDTV after almost 10 months after the broadcast show the lackadaisical and callous manner in which we deal with what has been referred to as a leak of sensitive information? After the elapse of so many months, it is difficult to remember what the broadcast really was considering every channel was broadcasting continuous coverage of the terror attack. But what exactly did NDTV India broadcast that was not being broadcast by some of the other channels, if not all? If the information endangered national security, did the IMC inform the NSA? And, isnt a one-day ban akin to the knee-jerk reaction of arresting Hurriyat leader SAS Geelani and then sending a delegation to meet him next day?
The Editors Guild of India is up in arms:
"The decision to take the channel off the air for a day is a direct violation of the freedom of the media and therefore the citizens of India, and amounts to harsh censorship imposed by the government reminiscent of the Emergency. This first-of-its-kind order to impose a blackout has seen the Central government entrust itself with the power to intervene in the functioning of the media and take arbitrary punitive action as and when it does not agree with the coverage."
The case of a token ban on NDTV India and its justification can be argued by concerned parties, even the highest at the Supreme Court-level, and one cannot argue whether it was right or wrong. However, as a nation we must acknowledge that our reporting is devoid of any sense of national security when needed most.
Some of the prominent examples include:
- Entire layout of Parliament shown post the terrorist attack, including who sits where and routes of entry and exit.
- Continuous coverage during terrorist attacks especially the 26 November, 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai giving location and movement of own troops, giving advantage to Pakistani terrorists.
- Pincers and arrows of Strike Corps objectives in enemy territory being shown after corps-level exercises.
- Options for future operations being openly discussed by TV channels with maps and models post the recent surgical strikes.
- Visuals and broadcasts that incite racial and communal violence.
Forget China and Pakistan, but name one other country where broadcasts like the above are made. They all are careful not to jeopardise national security. Where, and if, national security is involved, forget token bans, there should be prosecution Freedom of Speech cant be exploited to jeopardise national security.
The author is a veteran Lieutenant-General of the Indian Army
(Firstpost is from the same stable as IBN7 which competes with NDTV India)
At 10 pm on 21 April, 2014, NDTV Good Times ran a series called Why am I sill single?
The mandarins of the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry at once decided that the programme was "vulgar, indecent and adult in nature". Remember, it was the last month of the UPA government.
After issuing a show-cause notice and summarily rejecting the defence of the channel, the ministry ordered the channel to go off air for a day on 9 April, 2015, by which time the NDA government was in power.
During the Congress-led UPA rule (between 2005 and 2014), NDTV and its sister channels were hauled up by the I&B ministry at least eight times. So were many other channels. In 2013 alone, 14 channels were taken off air for periods ranging from one to ten days, largely for telecasting 'A' certified films or "obscene" content. The channels included Zoom TV, Comedy Central, AXN, FTV and ABN Andhra Jyothi (a conservative and respected Telugu channel).
Under the Modi regime, NDTV has got into trouble with the government thrice so far. So have many other channels, of course.
It is clear that irrespective of the party in power, the I&B ministry has been going after TV channels, armed with the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 and the rules framed under it. For years now, the ministry's pen-pushers have been gleefully playing the roles of Editors-in-Chief for the channels from their comfortable office in Delhi's Shastri Bhavan and evidently enjoying themselves. Based on their subjective judgement of what's right what's not, they have been dishing out orders, and sometimes getting into even minute editorial management. In some past cases, they ordered channels to shift programmes to late hours.
While obscenity was the chief weapon that the ministry used against the channels earlier, national security is the new stick that the current government is beating the TV channels with.
Look at the three cases against the NDTV group under the present government:
1) The ministry said that the remark of Rajya Sabha member Majeed Memon during a programme on the channel called 'Truth vs Hype - the riddle of Yakub Memon' on 1 August, 2015, following the execution of Yakub, denigrated India's judiciary. After prolonged proceedings, NDTV was let off with a warning on June 1, 2016 to be "careful" in future.
2) The ministry took objection to NDTV India's description of Yakub's hanging as "unfortunate" in a telecast on 30 July, 2015. This channel was also "warned".
3) Then came the order last week asking NDTV India to go off air for a day on 9 November for having allegedly leaked "sensitive" details in its coverage of the Pathankot terror attack.
Surely, the government has a right to be worried over the leak of "sensitive" details, but the proceedings in the latest case against NDTV India do not seem to indicate that the channel compromised national security in any way. Here is how the case went:
The allegation against the channel was that, during its telecast on 4 January 2016, when the operation against terrorists in the Pathankot airbase was still on, it leaked details of the MiGs, fighter planes, rocket launchers, mortars, helicopters and fuel tanks inside. The channel was also accused of having revealed the existence of a school in the airbase.
On 29 January, NDTV India was issued a show-cause notice. The channel replied to it on 5 February.
In its reply, the channel said its coverage was "entirely balanced and responsible". It said that, at a time when sections of the media were questioning delays in the counter-terrorist operations, NDTV India was only explaining to viewers why it became necessary for the security forces to go slow in a way lives of innocent civilians and defence assets at the airbase were not endangered.
As for leaking details of ammunition at the airbase, the channel pointed out that the information was already in public domain. To substantiate that, it submitted excerpts of coverage from ABP News, Zee News, India TV and The Hindu (2 January), The Telegraph, The Indian Express, The Times of India (3 January) and The Tribune and Hindustan Times (4 January).
The ministry was magnanimous enough to take a look at all this but only to summarily reject it, after indulging in plenty of nitpicking in its oral examination of the channel's representatives on 25 July, 2016. Without any basis, the ministry ruled that while other newspapers and channels only supplied "bits and pieces" of information, NDTV India "appeared to give out" the exact location of terrorists with regard to sensitive military assets.
This gives rise to two suspicions. One: Confronted with evidence that other channels had given the same "sensitive" information, the ministry came up with a face-saving order. Two: The ministry, for whatever reason, was singling out NDTV India.
Considering the implications of all this for media's freedom, the government must spell out exactly what was that information that NDTV India give out which others hadn't-or repeal the one-day ban order on the channel at once. The fact that the previous government muzzled the channels does in no ways justifies the present government's actions.
More importantly, it must be recognised by journalists of all hues that the very existence of Section 20 of the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act 1995, which empowers governments to ban channels at whim, has been posing a serious threat to the freedom of the Press whichever party is in power.
Though the existence of this 1995 Act and the excesses committed under it never came under serious scrutiny earlier, habitual Modi-baiters and self-styled liberals have raked up the latest case, painting the Prime Minister as media's worst-ever enemy for their own reasons. But the reasons why they are saying it should not deflect us from what they are saying.
Enough has already been said about the dangers of having a government arrogate to itself the power of policing media, even if some channels go about their job of covering news in general, anti-terror operations in particular, irresponsibly.
There is no doubt about the fact that media freedom in India is limited and the situation needs to improve. In a way, maybe media freedom in India has been restricted for a long time, even before Narendra Modi assumed power.
The government order to take Hindi news channel NDTV India off air for a day over its coverage of the Pathankot attack has again sparked the debate about press freedom in India. After NDTV India, the government has also ordered that an Assam-based news channel be taken off air for a day, following the recommendations of a high-level panel which felt it had "violated" programming guidelines on more than one occasion.
So, yes media freedom is lacking in India, however, to judge that situation properly, let's compare press freedom in India to other countries.
And even though the situation can be improved a lot in India, we should also take note of the fact that press freedom is a lot worse in many other countries in the world.
In fact, an article by Prashant Jha in Hindustan Times had said that right now is the time for cautious optimism, not pessimism, in the Indian media because "the Indian media today is also larger, more plural, more heterogeneous, more accessible and more representative than it has ever been in Indian history."
Compared to the Indian media, let's take a look at what happened with some news channels in other countries.
Turkey
Istanbul shut down around 20 TV and radio channels, including Kurdish channel Med-Nuce, after a failed coup attempt was made by the army on 15 July this year. Media outlets, including international channels like CNN Turk, said they'd been forced off air, and social media experienced outages.
Around 90 journalists were put in jail, 2,500 scribes lost their jobs and arrest warrants were issued against hundreds of media workers since the failed coup attempt, according to European Federation of Journalists.
Another television station IMC TV, known for its pro-Kurdish and liberal content, was shut down in Turkey in October, according to Al Jazeera.
Greece
In September, Greece launched an auction for four private national television licenses, reducing the number from seven after a heated public debate on corruption in the financially troubled country, The Associated Press had reported. The opposition conservatives had accused Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' government of market interference and attempting to exert state influence over private news media.
These incidents, by the way, are just examples of TV news channels facing disciplinary action by a government in a country, like the NDTV India ban.
Television license rules are a highly contentious issue in Greek politics. The previous conservative-led government had shut down public broadcaster ERT in 2013, and later replaced it with a scaled-down channel that it argued would operate more efficiently. ERT was reopened by the Tsipras government last year, and laid-off workers were reinstated.
China
In July this year, China also shut down various online news portals and channels like Sina, Sohu, NetEase and iFeng. Why? Because they dared to publish independent reports instead of official statements, according to BBC.
The report also said that many Chinese news sites are prohibited from reporting on political and social issues themselves and instead have to rely on reports published by the official media like state news agency Xinhua.
Bahrain
In February 2015, Bahrain had suspended a satellite news channel called Alarab owned by a Saudi prince on the very first day of its broadcasting because the channel had not enough to combat "extremism and terrorism", according to Reuters.
Bahrain's Information Affairs Authority (IAA) accused Alarab of failing "to match the standards of regional and international practice agreements, to take account of efforts aimed at stemming the tide of extremism and terrorism throughout the region and the world."
What the IAA conveniently did not mention, however, was how it decided in less than a day that the channel had done enough to combat terrorism, since the channel had existed for less than a day. More disturbingly, Alarab had been shut down after it had interviewed a Bahraini opposition politician.
Saudi Arabia
In November 2014, Saudi Arabia had shut down Wesal TV in Riyadh, accusing it of promoting sectarian violence.
Egypt
In September 2014, an Egypt court ordered a state-run satellite company to stop broadcasting the local AlJazeera channel called AlJazeera Mubasher Misr. Egypt's state-run news agency reported that the order came because the channel had allegedly broadvast "lies" about the 2013 coup which unseated Mohammed Morsi, according to Middle East Eye.
Venezuela
In 2010, the then Venezuelan government had taken six cable television channels, including RCTV International openly opposed to the then President Hugo Chavez off the air for allegedly breaking a law on trasmitting government material, according to BBC.
Bangladesh
In September 2007, Bangladesh's then first and only 24-hour news channel, CSB, had gone off air after a team of telecom regulators visited the office and suspended its frequency allocation, IANS had reported. The move was seen as a possible fallout of its telecasts of the 20-23 August, 2007 demonstrations and violent clashes in Dhaka University and other campuses across the country, demanding an end to emergency rule at that time.
In March 2007, the Bangladesh government had asked seven private television channels to stop broadcasting for alleged faulty inception.
These incidents, by the way, are just examples of TV news channels facing disciplinary action by a government in a country, like the NDTV India ban. A lot of action has also been taken news websites and newspapers in many countries.
With inputs from agencies
Srinagar: An army soldier was injured on Monday in an ongoing gunfight between the security forces and the militants in south Kashmir's Shopian district.
Police said a gunfight started after midnight between holed up militants and the security forces in Wangam village of Shopian district.
"An army soldier was injured in an encounter between the militants and troops of 62 Rashtriya Rifles and state police in Wangam village of Shopian district.
"The encounter is still on," the police said in Srinagar on Monday.
In an interview with The Indian Express on the issue of the ongoing controversy of One Rank One Pension (Orop) and the measures the Modi government will take to improve the overall civil-military relations in the country, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that a concrete proposal on creating the post of a single-point military advisor (to the government) will be taken. He said the decision will be taken after studying the report on Combat Enhancement of Armed Forces by the expert committee headed by Lt General (retd) DB Shekatkar.
Whether we call it CDS (Chief of Defence Staff) or a Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (PCCOSC) is merely a matter of detail. The model is clear in our minds, but the final decision has to be made by the Cabinet. I hope to have a proposal ready soon, Parrikar had said.
The 11-member committee led by Lt Gen DB Shekatkar (retd), which included several other top military officers as well as civilian experts, had submitted the report last month. The committe was set up in May this year to chalk out an action plan to enhance the combat capabilities of the over 13-lakh-strong armed forces and "re-balance" the overall defence expenditure in view of the escalating salary and pension bills. The basic idea was that utilisation of the resources and the manpower in a judicious manner would not only save money but also sharpen the capabilities.
It may be noted that Shekatkar committee report is not the first of its kind to suggest reforms in the Higher Defence Management (HDM) of the country. We have had the report of the task force led by former MoS Defence Arun Singh (2000) and the report of Naresh Chandra (former Cabinet Secretary) national task force (2012) on similar themes in a more detailed manner. The basic problem has been the fact that while there are no two opinions on the need of an integrated Ministry of Defence (MoD), there is no consensus on how to implement the idea. And here, the three armed services have also not been very constructive. They all agree on an integrated ministry so as to be at par with their civilian counterparts, but differ when the question of integration of the services themselves arises.
As things stand today, there are seven major participating groups dealing with Indias defence, with each one, to quote Vice Admiral Verghese Koithara, jealously guarding its turf and mistrustful of the other six . These seven groups are three military services, and the non-military four concerned with overall direction, finance, research and development(R&D), and (defence) production. But these seven are inside the MoD; there are three others outside the domain having considerable influence on the defence matters - the Ministry of Finance (controlling the defence spending), the Cabinet Secretariat (policy matters that have implications for other ministries) and the Prime Ministers Office (which can always intervene or arbiter selectively). However, we will focus here only on the MoD, particularly on the integration of the military services with the non-military ones.
The three services do have a point when they say that though their chiefs sit in the South Block office of the MoD, their offices are designated as Attached Offices of the Department of Defence. And what is worse, as Admiral Arun Prakash rightly points out, the three Chiefs have been accorded no locus standi in the structure of the GoI, so much so, that the Secretary of Department of Defence is deemed to represent the three Services in most forums.
According to the Government of India Allocation of Business Rules (AoB Rules) and the Government of India Transaction of Business Rules (ToB Rules), the Secretary of DoD (a IAS officer) is allocated the responsibilities of (a) Defence of India and every part thereof including preparation for defence and all such acts as may be conducive in times of war to its prosecution and after its termination to effective Demobilisation; (b) The Armed Forces of the Union, namely, Army, Navy and Air Force; (c) Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence comprising of Army Headquarters, Naval Headquarters, Air Headquarters and Defence Staff Headquarters.
In contrast, in equivalent democracies of the United Kingdom and United States, service officers are very much part of the MoD, occupying important positions. Under the amended rules brought out by the then British Defence Minister (Secretary of State for Defence) Michael Heseltine in 1985, in the integrated Ministry of Defence, the Secretary has two principal advisers one is the Chief of Defence (CDS) representing the armed forces and the other is the Permanent Under Secretary (PUS) representing the civilian side with neither being subordinate to the other. Then there are the Vice-Chief of Defence Staff (VCDS), Chief Scientific Adviser and the Chief of Defence Procurement. Under this scheme, individual Service Chiefs in UK have only a limited role to play in policy formulation, even though they have been allowed the privilege of direct access to the Prime Minister. As regards the composition of the below, there is a mix of military and civilian officers. Here, a military official reports to a civilian official, who, in turn, reports to a defence official in the hierarchy and the vice versa.
Similarly in the United States, Pentagon is manned by both the military and civilian officials. The Chairman, Joint Chief of Staff (JCS), is the principal military adviser to the President and Defence Secretary according to the 'Goldwater-Nicholas Department of Defense Reorganisation Act' of 1986. Under this Act, the military chain of command in the US runs from the president through the defense secretary directly to the Unified Combatant Commanders in various parts of the world and thus bypasses the service chiefs, who, though have the role of advising the president and the defence secretary, are principally concerned with training and equipping personnel for their respective forces for the unified combatant commands.
In India, we have the Andaman and Nicobar Command, which is the only tri-service theater command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar. This was established in 2001 as per the suggestion of Arun Singh committee-report. But this committees main recommendation for creating a CDS could not be carried out; what was done instead was the formation in 2001 of the post of the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC). But the problem with the COSC system is that the chairman here is the senior-most service chief (in terms of years served), who is the first and foremost chief of his own service. Therefore, he has the little time for the job of COSC. Secondly, there are often quick successions in this post as the senior most service chief retires (upon attaining the age of superannuation) within months of assuming the position. So there is hardly any time for him to develop his vision.
That is why the Arun Singh committee strongly recommended for a separate post of the CDS. The Naresh Chandra committee talked of a different designation, Permanent Chairman COSC (This committee had also talked of deputation of officers from services up to directors level in the MoD). The idea is that irrespective of the designation, this office, like its counterparts in the UK and USA, will be able to undertake perspective planning, including force structures and defence expenditure, to the Defence Minister.
In fact, Stephen P Cohen, one of the foremost experts in the world on the Indian military has written in his classic, The Indian Army: Its contribution to the development of a nation, how from time to time various army chiefs have been in favour of a CDS (KM Cariappa in 1949, J N Chaudhuri in 1965, Krishna Rao in 1982), but the idea was strongly resented by both the civilians and other services. Initially, the political leadership was afraid that a CDS would be too powerful at a time when newly liberated countries were witnessing military coups. Subsequently, the bureaucrats suggested that a CDS would naturally empower the Army at the cost of the Navy and Air Force; in fact they encouraged the inter- services rivalry. So much so that when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, impressed as she was with the leadership of then Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw during the 1971 War, suggested to appoint him as the first CDS of independent India, this was vehemently opposed by the then Naval Chief, Admiral S M Nanda and then Air Chief, Air Chief Marshal P C Lal.
The latest one heard in this regard was when the then Air Chief P V Naik openly reacted against Naresh Mohan committees recommendation of a Permanent COSC by arguing that whereas integration of services under such an officer is relevant for countries like the United States that fights wars outside the country, in Indias case it is not so as operations are only confined to our shores. Be that as it may, the idea of a CDS/Permanent COSC generates fears among the services under the notion that he will be partial in favour of his own service and neglect the other two. They are not convinced by the counter-arguments that such will not be the case as the number two to CDS/Permanent COSC will be from other services and that he will operate through the Integrated Defence Staff that consists of personnel from all three services, apart from the senior civilian officers.
In other words, there is a big factor of inter-services rivalry that is a stumbling block on the path of an integrated MoD in the ideal sense of the term. They may all agree on their fight against the civilians for pay and ranks, but when it comes to promoting jointness in military matters, the Indian Army, Air Force and Navy have different ideas. There is an intense rivalry amongst them.
In my considered view, inter-service rivalry should not be confused with inter-service competition. The latter is not necessarily an unhealthy phenomenon. Being proud of ones own service, its uniform, doctrine or culture is a normal matter. It is fine if the naval officers are proud of the fact that the Navy all over the world has produced great strategic thinkers. One should not grudge if the Air Force officers think that they are not ordinary fighters and that they have a more sophisticated and technologically oriented managerial mindset than their sister services. The Army people do have a point when they say that no war is complete until and unless their soldiers have the physical control over the enemy territory or interests. Similarly, honest differences of perspective are not unethical and can promote service morale, technological innovation, and adaptation of improved strategy or doctrine.
The problem arises when this competition turns into rivalry affecting jointness or coordination among the three services. The Army, Navy and Air Force may have their respective core values to help members focus on professional performance. Yet, all of them must have joint solidarity and responsibility in carrying out national missions. Any lack on this score makes the country weak. The services cannot, therefore, afford promote a sense of what is called divided allegiance.
New Delhi: Municipal schools in north and east Delhi will remain closed till Wednesday, while those in south Delhi will remain shut for the entire week due to the alarming pollution levels in the national capital, officials said.
"We have ordered the schools to remain shut till 9 November. We will assess the situation after that and take a decision accordingly," North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) Mayor Sanjeev Nayyar said.
"Schools of East Delhi Municipal Corporation will also remain closed till 9 November," said an EDMC official.
"All SDMC schools will remain closed till 12 November due to the high level of pollution and smog," South Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Shyam Sharma said.
"We have also urged the parents to take special care of the children as they are vulnerable to the situation," he added.
A decision was taken on Sunday to close nearly 17,000 schools under the three municipal corporations of Delhi for a day in view of the heavy smog, the worst the national capital has witnessed in 17 years.
The decision was taken on Friday at a meeting of civic officials.
About 10 lakh students are enrolled in the schools run by by SDMC, NDMC and EDMC.
New Delhi: With Sonia Gandhi indisposed, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday presided over the crucial Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting which will take a decision on the party's organisational election.
This is the first time that Rahul has presided over the meeting which is being attended by Congress top brass.
46-year-old Rahul was appointed Congress Vice President in January 2013 at Jaipur 'Chintan Shivir'.
Senior party leaders Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Janardan Dwivedi, Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni and AK Antony are among those attending the meet and will decide on the possible deferring of organisational election to next year.
The meeting assumes significance as it comes ahead of winter session of Parliament starting 16 November where the Congress is seeking to corner the government on several issues including freedom of speech and expression in the wake of the one-day ban on a Hindi news channel over its coverage of Pathankot terror attack.
The controversies over surgical strikes, killing of eight Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) activists in an alleged encounter in Madhya Pradesh, triple talaq and uniform civil code are also likely to be raised by the Congress.
The meeting is unlikely to take a decision on elevation of Rahul Gandhi as a section within the party feels that this should be done after the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
The organisational elections in Congress are overdue and the party had sought time from the Election Commission to complete the process by 31 December. The party had informed the poll panel about it as required under the rules.
Besides the organisational polls and the strategy to be adopted for Parliament session, the meeting would also take stock of the current political situation and discuss its plans for assembly elections in some states including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab due next year.
The CWC meeting comes at a time when a section of party men feels that Congress President Sonia Gandhi, 69, should hand over the mantle to her son as she is suffering from ill health, especially after her roadshow in PM Narendra Modi's constituency of Varanasi on 2 August when she was hospitalised.
The Kerala Government on Monday told the Supreme Court that it is in favour of allowing all women into the Sabarimala temple, making a U-turn from its previous stance which supported the traditional ban on women's entry to the shrine.
According to ANI, the court listed the matter for next hearing on 20 February, 2017 as the state government differed from its previous stance and told the court that it is ready to allow women entry into the temple.
The Supreme Court ruled in February this year that no temple can bar the entry of women devotees except on the basis of religion. The court had then asked the Kerala government to file its affidavit in response to a petition challenging the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple's custom of prohibiting the entry of women between the age of 10 and 50 years.
The previous state government had then defended the ban on entry of women in Sabarimala temple, telling the court that beliefs and customs of devotees cannot be changed through a judicial process and that "the opinion of the priests is final" in matters of religion.
The Congress-led UDF government had also withdrawn the "erroneous" stand of its predecessor, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, which had stated in an affidavit in November 2007 said "it is not fair to deny a section of women from entering Sabarimala temple". However, soon after the government was seen towing a cautious line as Minister for Temple Trusts K Surendran had earlier said that they will take a considered view of the issue and not rush into taking any decision.
"It may be that the Left government (2006-11) had taken a stand about allowing the entry of women into Sabarimala temple, but today we are in 2016 and we now feel that no decision need be taken in a hurry on this," Surendran had said in May this year.
However the Sabarimala temple trust has all along maintained a hard line stand that it does not wish to allow entry of females in the age group of 10 to 50 into the temple. The Travancore Devasom Board (TDB) maintains that the custom of the temple has been in effect for the past 800 years and the temple does not wish to change it.
"We are of the firm view, that the apex court will not allow to alter the traditions, and in case that happens, we are certain that no women in the age group 10 to 50 will come to the temple because beliefs will always be adhered to," TDB president Prayar Gopalakrishnan said.
Situated on the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats at 914 metres above sea level, the Sabarimala temple is four kilometres uphill from Pamba river in Pathanamthitta district. The temple bars the entry of women who have attained puberty.
With inputs from agencies
On her first bilateral visit outside Europe since taking office in July, British Prime Minister Theresa May is leading a trade mission to India to reboot an age-old relationship in this age of opportunity.
May is accompanied to India by 33 business representatives. Her aim is to seize the opportunities that Brexit opened and to deliver an economy that works for all. The agenda of the visit is to strike commercial deals to create 1370 jobs in the UK besides initiating a new UK-India urban partnership to unlock opportunities worth 2 billion ($2.5 billion) over the next 5 years. It will also give a boost to India's workforce and provide a financial security to hundreds of families across the country.
The PMs visit to Delhi and Bangalore will be focused on forging a stronger strategic partnership between the UK and India. May and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are scheduled to hold talks on trade, investment, defence and security.
May wants to establish a stronger trade and investment dialogue with India while breaking down existing barriers. She also wants to secure official-level talk agreements that will pave the way for a bilateral trade arrangement once the UK has left the EU. She is also accompanied by Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox and Trade Minister Greg Hands.
When I took office, I said that the mission of this Government would be to forge a bold new positive role for the United Kingdom in the world and make Britain a country that works not for a privileged few, but for every one of us. And thats exactly what I will be doing this week leading my first trade mission to India, with small businesses from every corner of the country, as we seize the opportunities of leaving the European Union, May said prior to her departure.
Because while others seek to tie our negotiating hands, the government will get on with the job of delivering the decision of the British people. It was the MPs who overwhelmingly decided to put the decision in their hands. The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided.
And now, we need to turn our minds to how we get the best outcome for our country. That means sticking to our plan and timetable, getting on with the work of developing our negotiating strategy and not putting all our cards on the table that is not in our national interest and it wont help us get the best deal for Britain.
It also means expanding our horizons and forging stronger partnerships with countries around the world. The UK and India are natural partners the worlds oldest democracy and the worlds largest democracy and together I believe we can achieve great things delivering jobs and skills, developing new technologies and improving our cities, tackling terrorism and climate change. This is a partnership about our shared security and shared prosperity. It is a partnership of potential. And on this visit I intend to harness that potential, rebooting an age-old relationship in this age of opportunity and with that helping to build a better Britain, she said.
A host of commercial deals are due to be signed during the visit.
They include:
-a 1.2 million ($1.5 million) joint venture initiative between the Pandrol Group in Britain and the Rahee Group in India to set up a state-of the-art manufacturing plant in India, supplying metro and Indian rail projects across the country;
-a 15 million ($18.6 million) high-end imaging and diagnostic centre in Chennai to be developed by Lyca Health UK; and
-a 350 million investment from British start up, Kloudpad, into high-tech electronics manufacturing in Kochi. The company will create a manufacturing facility and a highly advanced research and development facility allowing them to expand their global reach.
-Both governments will also sign a landmark agreement to improve the intellectual property landscape in India with a programme of co-operation between the UK Intellectual Property Office and Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. This will support Indian efforts to protect and enforce intellectual property rights, thereby addressing one of the concerns for British businesses operating in India.
The UK will also commit to extend assistance to India to improve its business environment, including by providing advice on reducing regulation, tax and public administration, standards and insolvency. No other country has such comprehensive co-operation with India in this area, which is intended to bolster Modis efforts to push India higher up in the 'Ease of Doing Business' ranking from its current 130th spot. This will, in turn, make it easier for UK businesses to trade and invest in India.
This partnership brings together not just the two governments, but also investors and top urban experts from both the nations to build smarter and more inclusive cities which will drive prosperity, jobs and growth. The collaboration is expected to focus on the fast-growing and dynamic state of Madhya Pradesh and the holy city of Varanasi is also set to benefit from it.
A recent study by leading American health researchers reveals that the manufacturing costs for the two most prevalent Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccines could be priced much lower than even their quoted no profit price, thus potentially having a substantial impact on the global morbidity and mortality rates associated with cervical cancer.
A new study from a team led by Donald Light, a professor of comparative health policy at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, has found that the manufacturing costs for the most popular HPV vaccine, Gardasil-4, to rich countries average only $2.05-$3.07 (approximately Rs 136-205) a dose, while the costs for developing countries average $0.48-$0.59 (approx Rs 32-39) a dose.
However, the current prices for affluent markets average $81.00 (approx Rs 5406) a dose, $13 (approx Rs 868) a dose for a non-Gavi developing country and $4.50 (approx Rs 300) per dose for a Gavi country (of which the country pays about $0.20-$0.60 a dose and the rest is paid by donors, who probably don't know that most of the donations are going to extra profits rather than manufacturing).
Gavi the Vaccine Alliance supplies vaccines at subsidised rates to 53 poor countries, that include India, Pakistan as well as some African and Central Asian nations.
There have been very few studies globally analysing the closely-guarded data on actual costs of manufacturing drugs and vaccines this is the first investigation of its kind for the complex new generation of conjugate vaccines.
After manufacturing 15.4 million doses of Gardasil-4 for affluent markets each year, the second set for developing countries costs much less than Mercks stated cost of $4.50 (approx Rs 300) per dose, says Light, the studys corresponding author.
Since nearly all hospitalisations and deaths from cervical cancer occur in developing countries, this is great news, because prices with profits could be about $1 (Rs 66.76) a dose so that countries could afford to vaccinate millions of adolescents, even as the company makes large gross profits in affluent markets, Light told Firstpost.
The estimated manufacturing costs of Cervarix the other popular HPV vaccine for the first set lie between $6.16 (approx Rs 411) and $9.39 (approx Rs 627), which is, again, well above the price at which the vaccine is supplied to Gavi. Since the sales volume of Cervavix is much lower, the cost per dose is much higher than Gardasil-4.
Pharmaceutical giants Merck and Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK) market these two vaccines the quadrivalent vaccine Gardasil and the bivalent vaccine Cervarix licensed globally for HPV prevention; which is also available in India.
Costs of other newer vaccines like Gardasil-9 or the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Prevnar-13) may be somewhat higher, the authors said.
The biggest criticism of pharmaceutical companies by health activists, academics and some governments is that their pricing structures established through factoring-in manufacturing costs, research and development, labour, packing etc are opaque.
The study shows that from 2006 to 2015, GSK received gross revenues of about $2.9 billion from Cervarix sales its gross profits of $2.6 billion more than covered its past, net corporate costs for research and development. Merck raked-in about $13.7 billion from sales of Gardasil-4 for the same time period.
Patent-based pharmaceutical companies argue both that high prices for vaccines and drugs are needed to recover the costs of research that went into a given patented product, and that high prices are needed to pay for future costs of research for new advances. The high-prices-for-past-research argument is discredited by economists, who point out they are sunk costs paid for by profits from previous sales. The high-prices-for-future-research is valid, but then no patient or purchaser knows how much of those high prices will actually be devoted to basic research to discover new medicines, Light told the reporter.
In another study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), Light and a colleague, basing their research on National Foundation Data, conclude that drug companies actually devote a net of only about 1.3 cents of every dollar from sales towards basic research.
Additionally, a complementary study in BMJ concludes that 84 percent of all funds for basic research to discover new medicines comes from public or charitable sources.
So high-prices-for-future-research is a valid argument; but it seems that little goes into future research, after you subtract all the kinds of subsidies, credits, and deductions paid for by taxpayers to get at the net, corporate costs. In short, patients and other purchasers pay twice: First for much of the research and then again through high patent-protected prices, allegedly to pay for the research, Light argued.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in females, with 5,00,000 new cases and 2,70,000 deaths per year globally. It is the most common cause of death of women from cancer in developing countries with 85 percent of the new cases and 90 percent of the deaths happening in lower- and middle-income countries.
More than 99 percent of cervical cancers are linked to one of the 16 HPV strains. However, HPV-16 and HPV-18 are casually linked with 70 percent of the invasive cervical cancers, along with its association with cancer of the vagina, vulva, anus and throat. Some estimates suggest that almost 80 percent of sexually active women acquire some form of HPV virus by the time they hit 50 though the vast majority of these infections resolve spontaneously.
For the past seven years, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that both these HPV vaccines be given to girls between 9 to 13 years, before the onset of sexual activity, in two doses spaced between six months and a year. The vaccines, however, target only some serotypes of HPV.
Apart from the two vaccines, genital HPV can only be prevented through lifelong mutual monogamy and abstinence. There is no scientific evidence, according to medical journals, that condoms are an effective way of preventing this virus.
The authors called it a moral commitment (of pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders) to reduce global health inequities by preventing cancer and deaths in lower income countries.
The report states that only four of the 33 countries, where HPV vaccines are most needed, had national vaccination programmes, as of January 2012. It quotes an estimation that with every 5-year delay in bringing HPV vaccines to developing countries, between 1.5 to 2 million more women would die.
Gavis leadership has been criticised for not investigating real manufacturing costs and bargaining for lower prices that would be sustainable for its countries, the report states.
In our view, Gavi and Merck leaders need to re-price Gardasil-4 at $0.59 (approx Rs 39) or less, it further emphasises.
Currently, Gavi meets only a small percentage of the overall demand for HPV vaccines from member countries, which is estimated to rise to 39 million doses a year by 2020.
A price at the real manufacturing cost would greatly enhance the girl childs access to these vaccines.
The research was initiated and partly funded by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and was based on a detailed analysis of the capital, equipment, materials, quality controls, labour, and administrative costs per batch produced. It included researchers from Princeton University, Yale University and University of Victoria in Canada.
Drug pricing has been a contentious political issue with the powerful pharmaceutical lobby interested in maintaining high drug and vaccine prices, getting the backing of developed countries like the United States where most of these companies are based. However, even though the poorest are most affected by a lack of access to medicines, unaffordable drug prices have come to pinch the American patient as well.
India, along with Brazil, China and South Africa, has requested the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Council of World Trade Organisation for dedicated sessions on 8 November and 9 November for a discussion on the United Nations High-Level Panel (HLP) on Access to Medicines report that was released on 14 September this year.
The US was unhappy with a UN high-level panel being constituted to investigate the drug access related issues.
The UN HLP on Access to Medicines had an objective to review and assess proposals and recommend solutions for remedying the policy incoherence between the justifiable rights of inventors, international human rights law, trade rules and public health in the context of health technologies.
New Delhi: On Monday Rahul Gandhi made a scathing attack on the Modi government, saying democracy is going through "one of its darkest hours" with the ruling dispensation "obsessed with power and seeking to silence" all those who disagree.
Presiding over the meeting of the Congress Working Committee in the absence of party chief Sonia Gandhi, the party Vice President charged that, "hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions."
Alluding to the one-day ban on Hindi channel NDTV India, Gandhi charged, "TV channels are being punished and asked to shut down. The opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account".
"Democracy under the present dispensation is going through one of the darkest hours," he said, adding that all attempts by the government to suppress fundamental freedom by "abusing" state power would only strengthen the Congress resolve to defeat such "danger designs".
"Asking questions is what discomforts this government the most, for they have no answers. We must in every forum, in particular the upcoming session of Parliament, expose the government's failures," he said.
The Winter session of Parliament is set to begin on 16 November.
Gandhi, who has been raking up the issue of Orop since the past few days, said, "In recent months, our jawans have suffered the highest casualties in decades. They are being cruelly rewarded by a callous government with denial of Orop and cut in disability pension."
During the meeting, which will also strategise the party's action plan for the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and some other states, Gandhi said the Modi government is expected to launch a "disinformation campaign and polarisation to exploit caste and religious issues".
"With state elections due in the coming months as we can safely expect the Modi government to launch a campaign of disinformation and polarisation. They will exploit caste and religious fault lines. We must anticipates and neutralise such devious strategies," he said.
Underlining that Congress has "successfully exposed" the Modi government's "anti-poor agenda and broken promises", Gandhi asked the partymen to continue the "struggle to expose the comprehensive failure of the Modi government on all fronts".
Highlighting the alleged failures of the government, he said atrocities against Dalits "go unabated" and the rights of Adivasis "continue to be trampled upon".
"Selectively chosen corporates are favoured, not the aam admi. Youth, even those who have good education, face the spectre of unemployment. Non-availability of bank credit has choked out small businesses. In the last 20 months, exports have registered negative growth," he charged.
Gandhi said farmers' suicides and agrarian "unrest" have increased to "astonishing levels" and the government is trying to hide its failures behind numbers that have been widely "doubted and questioned".
The BJP-ruled states are actively "diluting and undermining" laws passed by Parliament, he said dubbing them as "another disturbing trend".
"The Modi government is lobbying with states via informal channels to deny work under MGNREGA to the very poor. The government has swung from one extreme to another in dealing with Pakistan and the issues concerning J&K," he said.
He said the Congress will this year commence the birth centenary celebrations of Indira Gandhi and the main committee and several sub-committee have been constituted for the purpose.
Rahul Gandhi finally looks all set to become Congress president. Congress Working Committee (CWC) met on Monday and urged the party vice-president to take the top job. Although, the current president Sonia Gandhi has to give her nod of approval for Rahul to take over as the party president, the CWC highest decision-making body of Congress wants Rahul to fight against "communal" and "dictatorial" Narendra Modi.
Senior Congress leader, former Union defence minister and CWC member, AK Antony said that this was the first time that CWC unanimously, at the same time, urged Rahul to take over party presidentship. Speaking to the press, Antony said, "Number of party members expressed strong sentiments that Rahul Gandhi must take over the president-ship of the party. It is high time that Congress mobilise all its forces to fight against the dictatorial rule of the (Narendra) Modi government."
Randeep Singh Surjewala added that "tivra ichcha" (heightened desire) was expressed by CWC members in consonance with crores of Congress men and women across the country. But a pertinent question that begs to be asked here is do CWC members really think Rahul Gandhi has the leadership qualities to rejuvinate party members and halt Congress' downslide especially with the crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly election around the corner?
In four assembly elections that were held this year, Congress lost power in Assam and Kerala. The party fared poorly in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. In upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, Congress does not even matter as a rival political force. But with the CWC members "urging" Rahul to take over the party president mantle, seems like all that matters to them is the continuance of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.
The proposal to anoint Rahul Gandhi was made by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It was seconded by AK Antony and everyone else present in that meet. And we still do not know when will the promotion finally happen. When asked how seriously should the media consider the CWC recommendation, Antony emphasised on the words "strongly" and said that the "desire was unanimous." "Till today, it was only speculation," Antony told mediapersons after the CWC meet concluded. Last year, CWC had made similar demands but Rahul didn't take the mantle.
Those who are familiar with the functioning of CWC, will understand that no such recommendation could be officially made and told to the world through press conference by a senior most leader till such time all this had been pre-approved by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
But then there is a twist in the tale: First, the Congress party is asking the Election Commission for one year extension to complete its organisational elections. The deadline for the organisational election was to otherwise expire in December 2016. Antony, however, clarified that there was no connection between completion of organisational polls and Rahul Gandhi's elevation to party president post. He also clarified that CWC was competent as per the their Constitution to name party president at any time if so desired.
Second, Sonia Gandhi had strategically abstained herself from the CWC meeting. Reports said that she was unwell. Technically, if a similar recommendation was made in her presence it would have become a resolution and would have amounted to instant anointment of Rahul Gandhi as Congress president. Sonia has held the post of party chief for a record 18 years since 1998 a distinction, which even her famed family elders Jawaharlal Nehru and Indiara Gandhi haven't achieved.
"I am sure CWC's unanimous recommendation would get proper care and due attention by Congress president," Antony said. When asked whether the Congress would go to next round of Assembly polls in UP, Uttarakhand and Punjab with Rahul Gandhi officially at the helm, Antony said that is a "leading" question, "wait for announcement."
It all boils down to a simple situation that CWC has expressed: burning desire for crores of Congressmen and women, it is now onto mother Sonia Gandhi when would she like to step aside and anoint (formally nominate) her son, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
At the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Monday, senior party leaders expressed their desire to make party vice-president Rahul Gandhi the next chief of the party, taking the mantle from his mother and current president Sonia Gandhi. The members unanimously urged Rahul to take over as Congress chief. CWC is the party's highest decision-making body.
Monday's CWC meeting is important because Rahul, for the first time, presided over it instead of his mother Sonia. Sonia Gandhi was not present at the meeting due to illness, The Indian Express reported.
"Number of party members expressed strong sentiments that Rahul Gandhi must take over the president-ship of the party," said senior Congress leader AK Antony who was present at the meet. "It is high time that Congress mobilise all its forces to fight against the dictatorial rule of the (Narendra) Modi government," the former defence minister added.
Antony also said that it was for the first time that this sentiment was strongly and unanimously expressed in the CWC meeting. "Final decision has to be that of the party President," he added.
Speaking on behalf of Rahul, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "Congress vice-president was present in CWC meeting, he said whatever party and committee will decide, he would be ready to take up any challenge. Rahul Gandhiji said he wants to fight for idea of India and whatever party workers decide he will be ready to take up that role."
However, a few contrasting reports said that Sonia will stay on as the president for at least a year till the time the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab Assembly elections conclude. This means that Rahul Gandhi's elevation, which already has gained massive momentum, will be delayed till the time these elections get over.
Hence, even though there are demands in the party that Rahul should take over the reigns of the party from his mother Sonia Gandhi, who is the longest serving president of the party, the timing is still under question.
Sources have told PTI that the organisational elections which will decide Rahul's fate are to be deferred by more than a year as there is very little time to hold the elections and the party has to focus on the upcoming assembly elections due early next year.
The organisational elections in Congress are overdue and the party had sought time from the Election Commission to complete the process by 31 December. The party had informed the poll panel about it as required under the rules.
At the meet Congress leaders expressed strong opinions against the Narendra Modi government. Rahul, in his opening address, lashed out at the Narendra Modi government for being "obsessed with power" and for "seeking to silence all those who disagree". Rahul's comments come days after the Congress vice-president was detained by the Delhi Police on two different occasions.
Democracy under the present dispensation was going through one of its darkest hours. Even TV channels were being punished, he said, referring to a one-day ban on NDTV India.
Surjewala condemned the Modi government for diluting the original draft of OROP introduced by the Congress government and implementing it as one rank many pensions scheme.
Senior leaders Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Janardan Dwivedi, Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni and AK Antony were among those who attended the meet. Sonia Gandhi was absent from the party meet.
The CWC meeting comes at a time when many feel Congress President Sonia Gandhi should hand over the mantle to her son as she is suffering from ill health, especially after her roadshow in PM Narendra Modi's constituency of Varanasi on 2 August when she was hospitalised.
With input from agencies
Chennai: The proposed GST structure with "higher rates" has left "a lot to be desired" and there is a room for improvement in the multi-tier tax framework, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said here today.
The senior Congress leader further said the government should announce "GST slab that will be acceptable in Parliament".
Fielding questions from students after a lecture on economic reforms at IIT Madras, he said, "It is too early for me to form an opinion. I want to see the fine-prints of the decision."
Quoting media reports, he said the government has decided on slabs like nil rate, 5, 12, 18 and 28 percent and then a 'sin tax' of 60 percent plus cesses.
"I think there is a room for improvement, I think there is a lot to be desired in that higher rates. I agree that initially we will have more than one rate. In fact, I said in Parliament that you must have a standard, standard minus and standard plus," he said, adding there will also be zero rate.
"...I can understand four rates, but I cannot understand six rates plus cesses...I think there is still a scope for improvement. But I have not come to a final view in the matter. I will take a final view after I study the matter more carefully," Chidambaram said.
Speaking to reporters later, he said in general the government was going on the path "we (Congress) had indicated in our Parliament debates, but my opinion is some corrections need to be made in this regard".
He said a five (slab) rate structure itself was high as the world over GST was one tax.
"Since GST is being introduced in India, I had said that there could be standard, standard minus and standard plus. If you include 0, that will make it (slab) four. Now four has become five and it looks it might go up to seven or eight. All these things should be reconsidered," the former Finance Minister said.
He further said the government does not appear to have taken a final decision.
"The next meeting is on November 24 and I feel they will reconsider these things in that meeting. The government should announce GST slab that will be acceptable in Parliament.
New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday promised action after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged him to direct the Modi government to step up efforts to trace a JNU student missing for over three weeks.
After meeting Mukherjee, Kejriwal said the President had promised to seek a report from the Home Ministry and the Jawaharlal Nehru University. "He (President) assured all support," the Aam Aadmi Party leader tweeted.
The Chief Minister sought the President's intervention regarding Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing from the Jawaharlal Nehru University on 15 October after a tiff with alleged members of the BJP-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
The ABVP has denied any involvement in his disappearance.
In a letter to the President, Kejriwal expressed shock that police did not question the students who allegedly attacked Najeeb until 4 November.
"I request you to urgently intervene in the turn of events in JNU, in your capacity as the Visitor of this premier university," he said.
"I also request you to immediately direct the central government to expedite the investigation process to find Najeeb. We are at a juncture where every single moment counts."
The AAP leader said the fact that Delhi Police had not been able to trace Najeeb raised serious concerns about the law and order situation in the national capital.
Kejriwal added that it was a shame that students struggling to trace their missing friend faced police action and an insensitive JNU administration.
"Since ABVP students are involved, there is a general perception that Delhi Police is not acting effectively. Even more problematic has been the role played by the Vice Chancellor of the University."
He accused the Vice Chancellor of not acting against the ABVP students who attacked Ahmed.
And as police cracked down a JNU student protest at the India Gate memorial in the heart of the capital, Kejriwal urged the government not to turn Delhi into a police state.
The Chief Minister added sarcastically that if half the number of policemen deployed on Sunday had been utilized to trace Najeeb, he would have been found by now.
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday expressed a deep concern over the burning of schools in the Kashmir valley and termed it "unfortunate".
"The govt has already taken into custody some miscreants who burned schools. I hope there should be some good news for us in next one week," she said on the sidelines of the opening of Civil Secretariat in Jammu.
Over 30 schools have been burnt in various parts of the Valley during the past four months of civil unrest.
Commenting on the ceasefire violations on the border with Pakistan, the Chief Minister said: "Neighbours cannot be changed and both India and Pakistan have to live together. My hope is the shelling on the borders would stop and the ceasefire restored."
Mehbooba also inspected a guard of honour in the heavily-guarded Civil Secretariat building in the heart of Jammu city.
The Secretariat opened in Jammu after functioning from Srinagar during past six months as part of Darbar move.
The Darbar move is a biannual feature in which the civil secretariat stays for six months of winter (from November to April) in Jammu, the winter capital, and returns to the Kashmir Valley for the summer months (May to October). The practice is on in the state since the time of Dogra ruler Maharaja Ranbir Singh who first introduced it in 1872.
The offices had closed in summer capital Srinagar on 27 October.
The state government functioning in Srinagar had been marred by the unrelenting unrest marked by hartals, lockdowns and curfews that began on 9 July following the killing of a top Hizbul Mujaheedin commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir Kokernag area.
The unrest which entered 122-day on Monday has so far claimed over 90 lives while thousands others have been wounded with over one thousand having received pellet injuries in one or both eyes.
Thousands have been arrested by the security forces during the past nearly four months, with over 400 detained under public safety act (PSA).
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah flagged off the partys Uttar Pradesh election campaign in Saharanpur on Saturday, with the launch of a rally dubbed as the parivartan yatra. The rally, launched within days of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's rath yatra, will travel through all the legislative constituencies of the state and culminate on 24 December at Ambedkar Nagar.
In what can only be termed as an attacking inaugural speech, Shah levelled serious allegations against the opposition in the incumbent Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress. While sharing the dais with Union Minister Sanjeev Baliyan, BJP state unit president Keshav Maurya, Haryana Chief Minister Manoharlal Khattar and others, he accused the Akhilesh-led SP government of employing gunda raj (the rule of criminals).
Either Shah is highly ill-informed, which one does not expect from a president of the ruling party, or he wants to fool the UP voters in general and the audience listening to him in particular.
He started by calling Azam Khan, a senior cabinet minister in the SP government, a criminal. A somewhat ironic accusation, considering that Khan has no major criminal cases against him, while Shah faces serious charges of murder and kidnapping. State president Maurya also faces murder charges, while Baliyan stands accused in several cases related to the Muzaffarnagar riots.
Shah then recalled this year's incidence of the Mathura violence, which resulted in the loss of lives of two policemen and several others, calling it a big failure of the UP government. He went on to say that one should take inspiration from the BJP ruled states in how to deal with such situations. Irony must have died a thousand times, for Khattar was present on the same dais, under whose vigil Haryana saw the worst episode of violence since the partition, in the wake of the Jat quota agitation.
But Shah did not stop there. He went on to further claim that UP had seen a surge in the crime rate in the last fifteen years, since BJP was ousted from power. If one compares his claim with the data compiled and published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), it is clear that there is not a single shred of truth in what he said.
The last time that BJP was in power was in 2001, when Rajnath Singh, the present home minister, was the chief minister. According to the NCRB, in 2001, the rate of violent crimes (murder, rape, dacoity etc) was 23 (per 100,000) compared to that in 2015 where it stands at 18.8.
If we consider the government in between, when BSP's Mayawati was in power, the crime rate was even lower, at 13.5 in 2010 and 16.5 in 2011.
Shah specifically singled out Kalyan Singhs tenure as chief minister, calling it a crime free period for the state. Under his two years of crime-free rule, the rate of violent crimes stood at 26.17 and 22.7 in 1998 and 1999 respectively. The NCRB data paints a completely different picture from the one the BJP president wants the people to see.
Nonetheless, he claimed that only a BJP government was capable of controlling crime in the state and that BJP ruled states are far ahead in controlling the law and order situation.
One might have believed him, but the NCRB data does not lie. According to the NCRB, for the year 2015, the rate of violent crimes in UP is 18.18, which is far better than the BJP ruled states like Maharashtra(31.3) , Haryana (37.5), Madhya Pradesh (28.7), Goa (21.8), Rajasthan (21.6), Chattisgarh (27.7) and Jharkhand (25.5).
The picture for BJP would look even more dismal if we take into account Jammu and Kashmir (28), where BJP is in a coalition with the Peoples Democratic Party. With only Gujarat faring better than UP in terms of the crime rate, the BJP ruled states do not present a favourable picture.
The Bulandshahr rape case was further used to attack Akhilesh's government. Shah then focussed on the issue of womens safety, again lauding the BJP ruled states. Once again, his allegations were baseless and contrary to the facts.
NCRB data reveals that, for the year 2015, the rate of rape in UP is 3 (per 100,000). In BJP ruled states, during the same period, the rate of rape is reported to be much higher with Madhya Pradesh at 11.9, Rajasthan at 10.5, Haryana at 8.6, Maharashtra at 7.3, Jharkhand at 6.5, Goa at 9.4 and Chattisgarh at a staggering 12.2. Gujarat is again the only exception, with a lesser rate of rape than UP, at 1.7.
Amit Shah should stop accusing his opponents based on false charges and should not mislead the electorate of this country so blatantly.
(Author is a research scholar of Modern History at JNU, New Delhi)
Washington: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Sunday accused US tech giant IBM of laying off 500 workers in Minneapolis and shifting their jobs to India and other countries as he warned of levying a 35 per cent tax on companies doing so if he is elected.
"IBM laid off 500 workers in Minneapolis and moved their jobs to India and other countries. A Trump administration will stop the jobs from leaving America, and we will stop the jobs from leaving Minnesota," Trump said in his speech on Saturday in Minneapolis, as part of efforts to woo voters in Minnesota state which has been a Democrat stronghold.
"If a company wants to leave Minnesota, fire their workers and move to another country and then ship their products back into the United States, we will make them pay a 35 percent tax. We will also unleash American energy including shale oil, natural gas and clean coal," he said. Trump said he will cancel all "harmful" Obama regulations that hurt Minnesota farmers, workers and small businesses.
"We will become a rich nation once again. But to be a rich nation, we must also be a safe nation," he said. He claimed that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wants a 550 percent increase in Syrian refugees pouring into the US, wants virtually unlimited immigration and refugee admissions from the most dangerous regions of the world.
"Her plan will import generations of terrorism, extremism and radicalism into your schools and communities. When I'm elected President, we will suspend the Syrian Refugee Programme and we will keep radical Islamic terrorists out of our country," Trump said.
"Here, in Minnesota, you've seen firsthand the problems caused with faulty refugee vetting, with large numbers of Somali Refugees coming into your state without your knowledge, support or approval and with some then joining ISIS (Islamic State) and spreading their extremist views," he added.
He asserted that a Trump administration will not admit any refugees without the support of the local community where they are being placed.
"And we will pause admissions from terror-prone regions until a full security assessment has been performed, and until proven vetting mechanisms have been established," he said. A Trump administration will also secure and defend the borders of the US, he said, reiterating that he will build a wall along the Mexico border.
"Hillary supports totally open borders, and strongly supports Sanctuary Cities like San Francisco where Kate Steinle was murdered by an illegal immigrant deported 5 times. Thousands of Americans would be alive today if not for the open border policies of Obama-Clinton," Trump said.
By Julia Edwards
| WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON FBI Director James Comey was under attack from some of his own agents and members of Congress on Monday over his handling of an inquiry into Hillary Clinton's emails, but the White House was remaining supportive, for now.In stunning fashion, Comey has injected the Federal Bureau of Investigation, meant to be politically neutral, into the thick of the 2016 U.S. presidential race, making a series of announcements on the inquiry.The latest was on Sunday, when he said the FBI stood by a July decision not to recommend criminal charges against the Democratic presidential candidate. Sunday's announcement came days after Comey disclosed the FBI was examining a trove of newly discovered emails.With the election coming on Tuesday, Comey's statements and the FBI's overall handling of the emails controversy has drawn fire from congressional Democrats, who criticized the agency for clouding Clinton's campaign so close to the election, while Republicans questioned why the new inquiry ended so quickly. FBI "field agents have felt the derivative impact of the criticism fired at Director Comey as a result of the Clinton email scandal," said Jon Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation, which represents more than 3,500 FBI agents.He said some agents disapprove of Comey's handling of the investigation and think he should resign, while others support him, but do not appreciate being in a political crossfire.A spokesman for the FBI Agents Association said the more than 13,000 active and former special agents it represents have become the victims of unwarranted attacks on their integrity.
"Implications that agents do not respect the confidentiality of those investigations is simply false," said the associations president Thomas OConnor.Comey has so far kept the support of President Barack Obama, who has the power to fire the FBI director. "The president views Director Comey as a man of integrity, a man of principle," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in a briefing on Monday. "The president's views of him have not changed ... he continues to have confidence in his ability to run the FBI."The White House has said it will not criticize or defend Comey over his handling of the Clinton email investigation.Charles Schumer, a close Clinton ally and expected Senate majority leader should Democrats regain control of the chamber, said on Oct. 30 that he was appalled at what Director Comey did and owes an explanation to Clinton and the American people.
FBI directors are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve 10 years unless they are fired or resign.Only one FBI director in recent history has been fired. William Sessions was fired by President Bill Clinton in 1993 after a report emerged about Sessions using an FBI airplane for personal travel and other unethical practices. FBI Director Louis Freeh resigned in 2001, two years short of the end of his term, amid a scandal over Robert Hanssen, a senior FBI official charged with spying for the Soviet Union and Russia undetected for 15 years.If Clinton wins the election, as polls suggest, she would also be in the position to fire Comey, but might not do so to avoid being portrayed as seeking political retaliation.
"I dont know what her view will be, but ... you just cannot have an FBI director in place who believes he is accountable to neither the rules nor the attorney general, said Matthew Miller, former chief spokesman for the Obama Justice Department.Under the federal Hatch Act, Justice Department employees may not engage in partisan political activity while on duty.On Sunday, Democratic Representative Adam Schiff said Comey's "original letter" telling Congress that Clinton's emails were once again under investigation "should never have been sent so close to an election."Republican Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley called on the Justice Department's inspector general on Nov. 2 to examine the FBI's investigation. (Reporting by Julia Edwards, additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Mark Hosenball and Julia Harte; editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Tom Brown)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Washington: US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warned on Sunday that the fight to wrest control of Raqa, the Islamic State group stronghold in Syria, "will not be easy."
"The effort to isolate, and ultimately liberate Raqa marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan," Carter said in a statement.
"As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction of IS' caliphate and disrupt the group's ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners," he said, using an alternative name for the jihadist group.
"The international coalition will continue to do what we can to enable local forces in both Iraq and Syria to deliver IS the lasting defeat it deserves," the US defense chief added.
Carter issued his remarks as US-backed Kurdish-Arab forces launched an offensive on the Islamic State group's de facto Syrian capital Raqa, increasing pressure on the jihadists who are already battling Iraqi troops in Mosul.
The offensive's "first phase will be to isolate Raqa," the US Central Command told AFP, adding that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were vital to the mission.
"We believe the inclusion of fighters from the local population is an important advantage to the SDF."
A US official source told AFP that recruitment of local forces is ongoing, adding that "it will likely be Arab forces forces that largely mirror the population of the city that will have to go into the city."
The start of the assault by the SDF came as Iraqi forces fought inside Mosul for the third day running, with the jihadists putting up fierce resistance.
The two cities are the last major urban centers under IS control after the jihadists suffered a string of territorial losses in Iraq and Syria over the past year.
The US-led coalition battling IS is backing both assaults, hoping to deal a knockout blow to the self-styled "caliphate" the group declared in mid-2014.
The operation, dubbed "Wrath of the Euphrates", involves some 30,000 fighters and began late Saturday.
Mumbai: A Democrat sweep in US polls may pose even greater pricing challenges for the pharma industry and pave the way for tighter pricing regulations for both brand name and generic drugs, according to a report.
"Last week's turmoil in generics stocks reminded investors that price increase-led growth is likely coming to an end in the US. However, a Democrat sweep across houses could pose even greater pricing challenges for the industry and pave the way for tighter pricing regulations for both brand name and generic drugs," Kotak Institutional Equities Research stated in its report here.
Emerging headwinds have resulted in US generics sector facing a massive 34 per cent de-rating.
A bigger overhang for the sector is the upcoming US elections, with the recent days witnessing increasing rhetoric over drug pricing.
Both US presidential candidates have argued in favour of allowing the US government's Medicare programme, which accounts for over 20 per cent of total US drug spend, to
directly negotiate drug prices with manufacturers.
The Democrats are also proposing a pricing cap on Medicare that is similar to Medicaid, mirroring an upcoming referendum in California that proposes to give powers to the State to cap drug pricing at a level similar to Veterans contracts.
The report stated that any such proposal will require complete control of both Houses and in the past, proposals to facilitate direct negotiation for Medicare have turned up and failed to pass muster with the Congress multiple times since 2003.
It is also worth noting that pricing for brand drugs has started turning challenging even in the private market with PBM's targeting pricing of several primary care medications such as respiratory, insulins, etc. over the past two years with speciality medicines such as Hep-C drugs and even biologics such as TNFs coming under pressure due to increasing therapeutic competition.
Despite the headwinds to the US business, Indian generics are now trading at a record 138 per cent premium over global generics, and while a premium is justified, the extent of the premium is questionable, given the deteriorating dynamics of the US segment, which has contributed the bulk of the growth for the Indian generics.
Last week, global and Indian generics stocks went for a free fall following news that the two-year old antitrust investigation by the US Justice Department (DoJ) over generic drug pricing is likely to result in charges being filed before the year end.
The investigation's focus is on a dozen companies and over two dozen drugs, many of which are not in the public domain. It is probing potential collusion or anti-competitive activities to raise prices.
Among Indian companies involved are Sun (doxycycline and albuterol), Dr Reddy's (Depakote ER and pravastatin), Zydus (Depakote ER), and Taro (drug names not disclosed), though the scope could likely be expanded to include other companies as well.
It is extremely difficult to prove collusion, but the US DoJ has, in the past, been successful in its investigations in other sectors, and it seems unlikely, that charges will be filed unless the DoJ has potential evidence to support its charges, the report said.
New Delhi: Underlining economic challenges in the current global environment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said India and the UK can leverage technological prowess to create new opportunities, while seeking investments in defence, manufacturing and aerospace sectors.
Speaking at the India-UK Tech Summit, Modi showcased his government's initiatives in sectors like smart cities, startups and digital economy as he sought enhanced engagement with Britain.
"Together, we can create a vibrant and thriving environment for new commercial applications with breakthrough technologies," he said at the event, also attended by visiting UK Prime Minister Theresa May.
Modi further said that both countries face numerous economic challenges in the current global environment which directly affect trade and commerce.
"But I am confident that together we can leverage our scientific strengths and technological prowess to create new opportunities," he added.
India, he said, is now the fastest growing large economy with the most open investment climate.
"We also expect 'Make in India' to be a key sector of bilateral engagement. Advanced manufacturing is a special endeavor under this programme. The UK as a leading player can benefit from our liberal FDI policies in defence manufacturing, aerospace and electronics engineering," the Prime Minister said.
He said India's vast traditional knowledge base can be coupled with UK's modern scientific investigation to provide a holistic approach to preventive healthcare. "This can help address some of the modern lifestyle diseases that we face."
The Prime Minister said even though the quantum of bilateral trade has remained at the same level for the past five years, investments in both directions have been robust. India, he said, is the third largest investor in the UK, and Britain is the largest G20 investor in India. Both countries support large numbers of jobs in each other's economies.
Modi said the 'Smart City' mission aims to integrate digital technology into rapidly urbanising environment and there is already a high level of interest from the UK in
projects in Pune, Amaravati and Indore.
"I understand that UK companies have already signed deals worth 9 billion pounds and I encourage more participation," the Prime Minister said.
The 'Start-up India' programme aims at converging innovation and technology with entrepreneurship for tech-savvy youth. "Today, India and the UK have emerged amongst the top three largest startup hubs in the world with an exciting ecosystem of investors and innovators," he said.
"I believe that India and the UK must continue to nurture and support an ecosystem of high quality fundamental research to pave the way for joint technology development that can address global challenges," Modi said.
Stating that the India-UK Tech Summit focuses on higher education, he said it is vital for Indian students and will define the bilateral engagement in a shared future.
"We must therefore encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in educational and research opportunities," he said.
Science, technology and innovation, the PM said, are immense growth forces and will play a very significant role in India-UK relationship.
"I have always said that science is universal but technology has to be local," he said, adding the summit like India-UK Tech Summit throws an opportunity to understand each other's requirements and forge a future relationship.
He said the convergence of his government's flagship development missions, technology achievements and aspirations, and strong bilateral relations offer huge new growth avenues for Indian and UK companies.
"There is an opportunity for India and the UK to collaborate in the 'Digital India' and expand information convergence and people centric e-governance," he added.
India, he said, will soon have over a billion phone connections with an urban tele-density of around 154 per cent.
The country has 350 million internet users and the government is bringing in last mile connectivity to nearly 100,000 villages across the country. "Such rapid growth offers new digital highways and new markets for the UK and Indian companies to address," Modi said.
Also, there is a scope for natural collaboration in India's rapidly developing financial services sector, he said, adding 'Fintech' is emerging as the next big transformation for India as 220 million new households are brought into the umbrella of the financial inclusion scheme, Jan Dhan Yojana.
"With UK's leadership in financial technology and international finance, promising opportunities can be harnessed by our enterprises in this mission," he said.
Stating that India's partnership with UK in industrial research has been one of the most exciting programmes, Modi said the Global Innovation & Technology Alliance or GITA platform of CII and Department of Science and Technology along with Innovate-UK supports industry led R&D projects in affordable healthcare, clean technology, manufacturing and information and communications and technology (ICT).
These sectors open new potential for Indian and UK businesses to convert the scientific knowledge into technology based enterprises.
He said Indian innovative entrepreneurs, talented work force and R&D capabilities combined with large markets, demographic dividend and increasing economic competitiveness offer new growth sources for the world economy.
"Today, the world is at an inflection point where technology advancement is transformational. It is vital that India and the UK, two countries linked by history, work
together to define the knowledge economy of the 21st Century," he said.
The present India-UK cooperation in science and technology is driven by 'high quality' and 'high impact' research partnerships.
"I am glad to mention that in less than two years' time under the 'Newton-Bhabha' programme, we have started wide ranging collaborations covering basic science to solution science aimed at addressing societal challenges," he said.
Also, scientific communities of the two countries are working on new vaccines for infectious diseases, inventing new smart materials, providing solutions for clean energy and climate change mitigation, and improving crop productivity including agriculture and food security.
"We have agreed to establish India-UK Clean Energy R&D Centre on solar energy with joint investment of 10 million pounds. A new 'Anti-Microbial Resistance' initiative with joint investment of 15 million pounds is also being launched," Modi said.
By Natalia Zinets and Alexei Kalmykov
| KIEV
KIEV Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili tendered his resignation as governor of Ukraine's southern Odessa region on Monday, accusing President Petro Poroshenko of cynically obstructing his attempts at reform and supporting corrupt clans.Saakashvili, who is widely credited with cracking down on graft when he led Georgia from 2004 till 2013, was appointed Odessa governor in May 2015 in a surprise move by Poroshenko.Saakashvili has since repeatedly accused the Kiev leadership of lacking a real commitment to reform and his political allies said this had made him a target of political infighting."I can't stand this, I've had enough. I'm tired of this. And I want to say: nobody in my life has lied so much or so cynically to me," Saakashvili said, apparently in reference to Poroshenko and the central authorities.Vowing to continue to fight corruption which he said went to the very top of Ukraine's establishment, he told reporters: "I have decided to tender my resignation and start a new stage of the fight. I am not giving up."In another rebuke of his erstwhile patron, he said: "In reality, in Odessa region, the president personally supports two clans."Poroshenko's office issued a statement saying he would accept Saakashvili's resignation if submitted by the cabinet."The issue of why Mr. Saakashvili filed his resignation will be reviewed in an appropriate manner," it said, without making any further comment on the former Georgian leader's remarks.
Speaking alongside Odessa customs chief Yulia Marushevska, Saakashvili said the work of reform-minded public officials in Ukraine had been thwarted by higher authorities interested in preserving the status quo.Fellow Georgian, Davit Sakvarelidze, who was fired from his post as a senior prosecutor for Ukraine in March, said Saakashvili's outspokenness had guaranteed his departure."All local clans are mixed together and work as one. It became impossible to act against them. Saakashvili will not leave Ukraine and will be active politically. You'll find out about this soon," Sakvarelidze was quoted as saying by website Gordon.REFORMERS EXIT
Saakashvili, a bitter opponent of Russia, was among several foreign politicians and technocrats to be given key posts by the pro-Western leadership in Kiev after the Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovich fled in the face of mass street protests.They were brought in as part of a drive to eliminate entrenched corruption and improve transparency in a country riven by cronyism, economic mismanagement and a separatist war in eastern Ukraine.Since then, many have resigned or been dismissed. In February, Economy Minister Aivaras Abromavicius, a Lithuanian, stepped down, saying vested interests were blocking his ministry's work. [nL8N15I1DV]
Later, a government shake-up booted U.S.-born Finance Minister Natalia Yaresko and Western-backed Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk out of office. The appointment of Poroshenko ally Volodymyr Groysman as prime minister was seen as a move by the president to consolidate power. [nL5N17G4LP]Pro-European lawmaker and activist Serhiy Leshchenko said Saakashvili's resignation illustrated an anti-reformist trend in the country."It is part of a broader development happening in Ukraine - an attack on anti-corruption fighters and people who back reforms," he said.Others thought Saakashvili's accusations should be taken with a pinch of salt."Knowing him, he tends to exaggerate," said Ukraine's former health minister Alexander Kvitashvili, another Georgian who has tendered his resignation citing corruption."All of us have resigned at some point here. I don't think it's necessarily helpful when you come out with statements like that. Yes maybe he didn't get the support he needed, but the situation is very complicated and nothing's black-and-white," he told Reuters. (Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Richard Balmforth and Gareth Jones)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Michael Georgy
| BASHIQA, Iraq
BASHIQA, Iraq Kurdish peshmerga forces who stormed an Islamic State-held town in northern Iraq were confident they would take control quickly.Then a jihadist sniper started shooting from a red building.Every five minutes or so, he opened fire at the Kurdish forces and the American special forces accompanying them, holding up any advance by their convoy of 40 vehicles.What unfolded for hours spoke volumes about the difficulties that Iraqi forces will face in the battle for the major city of Mosul, about 15 km (10 miles) to the southwest.Senior Kurdish intelligence officials say that Islamic State, which sent waves of suicide car bombers to slow the army's advance on the city outskirts, will prove just as formidable in the tight urban alleyways where it has deployed a large number of snipers. On the streets of Bashiqa on Monday the Kurdish fighters and their American support could call on an impressive collection of firepower. American MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles with computer-operated 50 calibre machine guns were lined up on the street near the sniper.American special forces clutching sophisticated sniper rifles, with advanced technology at their disposal, carefully studied the situation as the bullets whizzed by and ricocheted off buildings.Across the street from them was a peshmerga fighter, holding a machine gun, with 1,000 bullets strapped around his waist."I have told my men to advance to get those dogs," peshmerga officer Rasheed Haji Rosta said. But no solution was in sight, despite the bravado.Every 10 minutes or so the sniper fired several rounds of bullets in their direction. At one stage, an Islamic State fighter could be seen in the distance, running between houses carrying an AK-47 assault rifle.
The Americans hit back by firing bullets from their MRAP machine gun. The bullets could be seen hitting the balcony of the red building. The sniper hit back in return, each bullet bearing a message: 'You haven't got me'.A red flash appeared from the muzzle of the sniper's rifle every time he opened fire. At one point three U.S. special forces jumped out of the way as the bullets flew near them.CAR BOMBS
Kurdish guerrillas had been planning the assault on Bashiqa for weeks. In that time, Islamic State militants carried out nighttime suicide bomb attacks against their makeshift base nearby.
Early on Monday, after days of clearing bombs from nearby areas, Kurdish peshmerga forces entered Bashiqa. One hour after they moved into the town, which stands on a plain at the foot of a mountain, two car bombs exploded near their convoy, sending up plumes of white smoke just 50 feet (15 metres) away.No one was wounded by the bombs, but any sense of relief was soon eroded by the growing tension caused by the sniper.Aside from the barrage of bullets from the MRAP vehicles, wire-guided missiles were also fired at the sniper's building. Adjacent buildings were also targeted after gunfire was seen coming from them.It was not clear whether the sniper had comrades with him nearby or was moving from one building to the other in underground tunnels that Kurdish officials say are used by the militants when they come under serious pressure.Islamic State militants swept through northern Iraq in 2014, seizing Mosul and swallowing up towns and villages like Bashiqa, where their radical ideology was imposed through brute force.
Iraqi forces put up virtually no resistance at the time but have recently, along with the Kurds, recaptured dozens of villages from Islamic State. A victory in Mosul would weaken the jihadists and give Iraqi forces much needed credibility. In order to do that, they will have to patiently eliminate a far greater number of Islamic State snipers than the ones that were deployed in Bashiqa.Kurdish and Iraqi officials say the militants have brought in highly skilled snipers from conflict zones like Chechnya.At one point it seemed as if the sniper had been silenced.Then gunshots came from another direction, prompting one of the American special forces snipers to yell: "It's coming from the green building." Nearby one of his comrades said: "Tell Steve we need the missiles."While the Americans showed a sense of urgency, crouching near buildings to try to find a direct line of fire to the sniper, two Kurdish fighters calmly sat on the street that had come under fire and ate rice and beans from a styrofoam plate.Another Kurdish fighter nearby focused on his black tea kettle, oblivious to the explosions of artillery that were fired towards the sniper.In the end, the peshmerga and American special forces seemed to lose patience with the cat and mouse game and the row of houses where the sniper was located was hit by three air strikes. (Editing by Dominic Evans and Anna Willard)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Britain Prime Minister Theresa May and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the media jointly on Monday and lauded the deep economic and strategic ties between the two nations.
Modi welcomed May and told her that he was honoured that she chose India for her first bilateral visit since taking office in July, 2016. He referred to Diwali and said that last week was a period of great festivities in India and May's visit has given both nations a reason to celebrate the vibrant ties of the two nations. He underlined the common areas of concern for India and Britain widespread economic engagement, a vision for a peaceful and prosperous world.
In their extensive discussion, both the leaders looked at the full range of their partnership.
We looked at full range of our partnership today, agreed to have new dimensions and initiative to broaden scope of our linkages: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/SvR1DrQyZD ANI (@ANI_news) November 7, 2016
Modi called science and technology a vibrant and a fast growing space which is an area of tremendous potential and promise. The meeting of India-UK CEO forum would help both the nations to deepen ties, Modi said.
The Joint Economic and Trade Committee, he said, will take forward the trade agenda. The leaders have also agreed to form a joint working group on trade. Modi also invited British companies to partner with Indian companies and look at multiple opportunities in the defence sector. Beyond that, he also invited invited British companies to build partnership with Indian enterprise.
We (PM Modi and British PM Theresa May) have agreed to establish a joint working group on trade: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/aeKMDZ5luf ANI (@ANI_news) November 7, 2016
The leaders also talked about security of cyber space. He welcomed the growing cooperation between the nations in this field.
On the issue of terrorism, they agreed that it is not a limited security challenge but surpasses borders and affects entire humanity. Modi also conveyed his concern regarding cross-border terrorism to May.
I conveyed our deep concerns to PM May regarding cross border terror and the need for international community to take strong action: PM Modi ANI (@ANI_news) November 7, 2016
(cont) to take strong action against states that support and sponsor terrorism: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/rEeXqTWYT7 ANI (@ANI_news) November 7, 2016
The leaders also signed two Memorandums of Understanding on ease of doing business and on for cooperation and exchange of intellectual property. On the question of ease of doing business, both leaders agreed that important areas of cooperation should include support to businesses and startups, tax administration, regulatory regimes, competition economics.
May said that both the leaders are deeply dedicated to invest in UK-India relationship. She said that she chose India for her first bilateral visit because this relationship matters more than ever. She also expressed Britain's support for a permanent seat for India at the United Nations Security Council.
Britain has committed to invest 120 million (149 million) in India's infrastructure. Both the countries face the shared threat of terrorism, she said.
We both face the shared threat of terrorism as individual countries, as partners, and as global powers:British PM Theresa May pic.twitter.com/hWjObMXxa4 ANI (@ANI_news) November 7, 2016
In terms of cyber security, Modi and May decided to step up their cooperation by negotiating a cyber framework. As UK leaves the EU and India continues its rise in the world, we should seize these opportunities, she said.
Britain also offered the Registered Traveller Scheme to India. May said: "So we will offer, for the first time to any country that needs visas to enter Britain, what we called 'Registered Traveller Scheme'."
"That means the Indian nationals who frequently come to the UK and to fuel growth in both our countries , the entry process will become significantly easier," she said
By Julia Harte
| WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON Personnel from the U.S. Justice Department's civil rights division will be deployed to polling sites in 28 states to monitor Tuesday's election, five more than it monitored in the 2012 election, the department said on Monday.Most of those states will receive Justice Department staff who have no statutory authority to access polling sites as a result of a 2013 Supreme Court decision that struck down parts of the Voting Rights Act, curtailing the department's ability to deploy election observers with unfettered access to the polls.More than 500 Justice Department personnel will be deployed on Tuesday, compared to more than 780 personnel the department dispatched during the 2012 general election. A Justice Department spokesman declined to say how many of Tuesday's personnel will be full-access observers. Tuesday's hotly contested election, including the presidential race pitting Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton, will be the first in decades in which the Justice Department can only send full-access observers to states where a federal court ruling has authorized it.
On the campaign trail, Trump has warned the election may be rigged and has called on supporters to keep an eye on voting activity for possible signs of fraud in large cities. Numerous studies have found that U.S. voter fraud is exceedingly rare. "As always, our personnel will perform these duties impartially, with one goal in mind: to see to it that every eligible voter can participate in our elections to the full extent that federal law provides," said Attorney General Loretta Lynch in a statement.
Courts have granted the Justice Department permission to deploy full-access observers in five states: Alaska, California, Louisiana, New York, and Alabama. But the court order for Alabama only pertains to municipal elections and it is not on the list of states where the Justice Department is deploying poll watchers this year. The Justice Department staff who are deployed to the other 24 states on Tuesday will be election "monitors", who must rely on local and state authorities to grant them access to polling locations.
In most cases, voters on the ground will see very little practical difference between monitors and observers," said Vanita Gupta, the head of the department's civil rights division, in a statement. (Reporting by Julia Harte; Editing by Will Dunham and Alistair Bell)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
New York: FBI director James Comey, who had jolted Hillary Clinton's campaign by reopening an investigation into her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, wrote a letter on Sunday to Congress indicating the bureau had completed its review of thousands of emails and found no evidence of criminality.
Since my letter, the FBI investigative team has been working around the clock to process and review a large volume of emails from a device obtained in connection with an unrelated criminal investigation, Comey wrote on Sunday to 16 members of the House and Senate.
During that process, we reviewed all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State. Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton, he concluded with a shout out to the FBI for doing an "extraordinary amount of high-quality work in a short period of time.
Comey's letter exonerated Clinton, dispelling the dark clouds hanging over her head ahead of Tuesday's Election Day.
In July, the FBI had given a clean chit to Clinton and said it had finished its investigation into why Clinton had thought it was alright to use a private server while secretary of state. At the time, FBI Director James Comey had castigated Clinton for being extremely careless, but indicated there would no criminal charges filed in the case much to the Democratic Party's relief.
Then on 28 October, in a dramatic U-turn Comey shot off a letter to Congress saying the team probing Clinton's server briefed him on new emails it found that might contain classified information. The new emails in the Clinton case were discovered after the FBI seized a computer shared by Anthony Weiner and his estranged wife, top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. Voters were left in limbo as the FBI indicated it could take weeks to wade through thousands of emails.
As a result, Clinton lost momentum and the whole FBI probe cast a pall of gloom around her candidacy. Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump pounced on the probe and spun wild theories in Republican rallies about how Clinton, if elected, could be jailed over her mishandling of classified information.
"You be the judge of how well the FBI handled this from start to finish. One imagines the Clinton campaign, on net, would still be mighty displeased with the way the last nine days played out. But now shes absolved again depriving Trump of one of his most searing (if wholly hyperbolic) talking points: That if Clintons elected, our new president could be under indictment over her mishandling of emails," reported Slate.
Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri told reporters, "Were glad this matter is resolved.
Polls Speak for Hillary
A rash of new polls offer good news to Clinton although key battleground states are still hotly contested. Clinton has a four point lead over Trump in the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC poll which finds 44 percent of likely voters support Clinton compared with 40 percent for Trump.
The survey also noted that "Clintons 4-point lead is less than half the 11-point edge she enjoyed in a mid-October" in a poll conducted by the Journal/NBC News survey, which was taken before the FBI's probe into Clinton's emails.
A Washington Post-ABC tracking poll says "Clinton leads by five points nationally as Trump personality concerns persist."
The weekend also offered a snapshot of where both the candidates stand in key battleground states. Clinton appears to have taken a slim early voting lead of 7,000 votes in Florida.
"Trump is almost assured a loss without Floridas 29 Electoral College votes," reported Politico.
The US media reported on Sunday that Clinton has a big lead in early voting in Nevada which is often referred to as the Silver State. How does Nevada with its six electoral votes make a material difference to Clinton? According to political analysts, Clinton can then afford to lose potentially problematic New Hampshire to Trump and make it up with Nevada and coast over the 270 vote bar in the Electoral College math.
Washington: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has said she is "grateful" for the "amazing" support she got from Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle and acknowledged that the outgoing US president is leaving "big shoes" to fill.
Clinton said Obama was not getting the credit he deserves for everything he did to save the US economy and for putting the country on the "right track".
"I am so grateful for President Obama's leadership. I love it when he talks and I'm so grateful for all of his support in this election. Both he and Michelle have been amazing on the campaign trail," Clinton said at an election rally in Philadelphia on Sunday.
"I love it when the president talks about supporting me, and he said he wants to "pass on the baton" to me. And I'm just hoping he will bend low enough that I can reach it, because he's a tall man. I'm not sure. So he's going to have to bend, and I'm going to have to stand on my toes. Those are big shoes to fill," she said.
Clinton, 69, said Tuesday's US general election was not about any individual, but about choosing "hope over fear, unity over division and love over hate."
She laid out the stakes in the election, calling it not just a choice between two candidates but between two very different visions for the country.
"This election is about much more than the two candidates. Our names may be on the ballot, but make no mistake: everything you care about, everything that I care about and I've worked for is at stake," she said.
"On Tuesday, we face a test of our own. This election is about much more than the two candidates. Our names may be on the ballot, but make no mistake: everything you care about, everything that I care about and I've worked for is at stake," Clinton said.
"This election is about doing everything we can to stop the movement to destroy President Obama's legacy in fact it is about building on the gains and the progress we've made in the last eight years," she said.
Clinton vowed to break down all the barriers that are holding Americans back and outlined her commitments to end-to-end criminal justice reform, more investment in underserved communities, common sense gun reform so African American men's lives are not disproportionately cut short by gun violence and a concerted effort against systemic racism in all corners of the society.
"We have got to continue to take on the problem of systemic racism, to rid ourselves of deep-rooted injustice, hatred, and fear. We need end-to-end reform in our criminal justice system with real follow through. I want us to get rid of what is called the 'school to prison pipeline' and replace it with the 'cradle to college pipeline'," she said.
"We have got to make sure that we have a commitment to ensure that everyone knows we are safer, when the police respect the communities and protect them and when the communities respect the police, who serve them. That must be our goal," she added.
Women's political capital has waxed and waned at different points in US history. In light of the fact that America might soon be electing a woman president, it is worth learning a bit more about women's accumulation of political power through US history. Since the nation was established, women have struggled for their voices to be heard. Though people might claim that having a woman president means that sexism will cease to exist (much like what people claimed about racism after a black president was elected), there are many indicators, anecdotal and statistical, that prove it has not and will not. It is important to pay tribute not only to the heroes, the names and faces that will make it into the history books, but also to the countless and nameless women who took to the streets.
It is a little known fact, but before 1776, women were eligible to vote in many American colonies. After independence, most states rewrote their state constitutions to exclude women from voting. After the US Constitution was drafted, New Jersey was the the only state that allowed women to vote. This final state barred women from voting in 1807. The road to enfranchisement would be long. It would take more than 100 years before all (white) American women could exercise the right to vote.
There were many prominent female political figures during the movement to end slavery, leading up to the Civil War. Angelina and Sarah Grimke were two abolitionists from South Carolina. They made speeches to mixed audiences in a time when men and women had little to no interaction in public spheres. The Grimke sisters (subscription required) were the first women agents of the American Anti-Slavery Society. They would travel and proselytise in the north, drawing larger and larger crowds.
These two women attracted large crowds of interested female abolitionists. One can argue that these meetings between women in public and politicised forums contributed to the early feminist movement in the US. A clear tactic in suppressing dissent is the criminalisation of such meetings. When women started congregating, they started accumulating political power.
Women were actively encouraged to participate in the abolition movement to a point. The prominent abolitionist organizations made a concerted effort to reach out to women. With such prominent orators and communicators as the Grimke sisters, women were emboldened to clamor for change.
However, women still faced discrimination within the abolition movement. Even in the most radical circles, and the abolitionist movement was certainly radical in its nascent stages, women are often marginalised. Even within the Black Lives Movements, weve seen many women attempting to correct for this sort of discrimination. Efforts such as the #sayhername campaign attempt to bring more attention to the many black women who are victims of police brutality and state violence. Women often fight alongside men to end oppression and discrimination in its many forms and then find themselves sidelined when they demand rights of their own.
In this vein, the Grimke sisters faced persecution for being outspoken women. Angelina Grimke often found herself defending her right to speak in a public forum to men in the movement. Other early abolitionists and feminists, like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, were refused seats at the World Anti-Slavery Convention because they were women.
The next widespread political movement where women participated in large numbers was the temperance movement. Women were instrumental in ushering in the prohibition of alcohol. Of course, this social experiment ended up being a failure, but women were galvanised when they saw their husbands squander away money and mistreat women due to alcohol.
This was the first time in US history where we saw women organising en masse. Women formed coalitions like the National Prohibition Party and the Womens Christian Temperance Union. Coalitions and forums for public debate are the beginnings for any accumulation of political capital. When people speak and agree about an issue, they have the power to bend the state to their will. It is not a small accomplishment to get a Constitutional amendment passed, especially when your coalition does not have the vote to pressure lawmakers, but women did it twice: first for prohibition, and later for women's suffrage.
In 1920, the 19th amendment passed, finally enfranchising women. Suddenly, half the electorate became eligible to vote. Women were now courted as a significant voting bloc. Women's enfranchisement has been linked to more social welfare policies. The passage of the 19th amendment and the women's vote arguably ushered in the Progressive era, during which the social safety net was constructed.
Amid arguments for female representation in legislative and judicial bodies, it is important to remember that its rank-and-file women who hold the power to change the world. It is important that we fight for changes, small and large in our own lives and communities. True power exists in mutual aid and interest. Social change comes from the streets and from the people, and in these dark times, this truth should be a flickering light, for women and for all.
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China Care Ambassadors participated in the Caritas Macau Charity Bazaar over the weekend, marking the sixth year in a row Sands China has helped raise funds for Caritas annual event.
Dave Horton, global chief marketing officer for Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Sands China Ltd. presented a cheque for MOP200,000 to Caritas Macau secretary general Paul Pun at the bazaars opening ceremony on Saturday.
The donation will be used by the non-profit charity organization to support its operational expenses. Since 2004, according to a press release by Sands China, the company has donated over MOP 3.6 million to Caritas Macau through charity dinners and bazaars.
More than 100 Sands China Care Ambassadors volunteered during the two-day charity bazaar at the Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre, where they manned a game booth and gave out prizes, including accommodation at The Parisian Macao, tickets to the integrated resorts Eiffel Tower, first class Cotai Water Jet ferry tickets, and food and beverage vouchers. [More on page 3]
Diamond jewelry brand opens first local boutique at MGM
Renowned international jeweler Nirav Modi launched his first Macau boutique at MGM last week.
The opening of the jewelry line boutique is yet another step for the jewelers expansion in Asia, followed by the launch of three boutiques in Hong Kong. This boutique is a fitting expansion to Nirav Modis presence in South East Asia.
Modis Macau boutique is spread over 1,400 square feet, and has been designed to reflect the fluid movement, lightness and femininity of its jewels designs, as cited in a press release issued by MGM.
The Nirav Modi MGM Macau boutique is an embodiment of the brands philosophy creating jewelry that brings together the finest of rare stones set in a signature style, which allows gems to radiate from every angle and gives the jewels an eternal radiance.
The Macau boutique houses exquisite jewelry as well as Modis signature collections, including the Jasmine and Embrace Collections.
The jewels have been created using a proprietary diamond cut exclusive to the brand.
They were poor and vulnerable nobodies trying to make a living in a sophisticated and clinical metropolis far from their island villages. They were brutalized by a member of the global 1 percent, a Cambridge University-educated 31-year-old who boasted that he spent his half-million-dollar salary on drugs and prostitutes.
The Hong Kong trial of a British stock trader who murdered two Indonesian women and horrifically tortured one of them, recording the three-day ordeal on his phone, has captured headlines day after day in the territory off China and in media outlets around the world.
But in Indonesia, their home, the reaction was far different: Scarcely anyone noticed.
Social media didnt stir. There were no dramatic headlines or outraged editorials about the plight of the millions of vulnerable Indonesian women compelled by poverty to work abroad.
The prosecution last week presented horrifying evidence of three days of escalating torture for the first victim, Sumarti Ningsih. She was repeatedly raped, her genitalia battered with fists, her body mutilated with pliers and her throat slowly cut with a serrated knife. Jurors wore frozen expressions of shock as defendant Rurik Juttings smartphone videos were played.
Ive never seen anyone that scared, Jutting said of Ningsih in one of the videos. She would voluntarily eat feces out of the toilet and then smile and thank me afterward. Thats how scared she was. She would just do anything.
While Indonesian broadcasters largely ignored that case, they devoted hours of live coverage to the Indonesian trial of a privileged young woman accused of murdering her friend with cyanide-laced coffee, allegedly because she was angry about a tiff over boyfriends.
We find no support from the government and media in our own country, said Ningsihs brother Suyit Khaliman. We dont understand, maybe because she was a maid or whatever. No matter how she worked for her family, she deserves justice, he said.
In the two years since Ningsih was killed, no one from the government has been in touch with the family, Khaliman said. They heard the trial had started from reporters and some online news reports.
The family is also grappling with the future of Ningsihs son, now 7.
One day, Khaliman said, The boy will know how his mother died, perhaps from the internet, and we are worried about that.
Closing arguments in Juttings murder trial are expected by the end of this week. He has pleaded not guilty.
Ningsih, 23, and the second victim, 26-year-old Seneng Mujiasih, were among the legions of Indonesians working abroad, many of them undocumented, and vulnerable to exploitation.
The International Labour Organization estimated their numbers at 4.3 million in 2012. Migrant Care, an Indonesian advocacy group, says most are not educated beyond primary school and 85 percent are women. It says government commitments to bolster protections are still mainly only on paper.
Ningsih had worked in Hong Kong for several years and was on a visitor pass at the time of her murder. Jutting had paid her for sex on a previous occasion. Her family, who she was in regular contact with, believed her most recent job was working as a waitress.
Mujiasih had an employment pass to work as a maid but also worked at a bar where Jutting met her and offered her a large sum of money for sex. At his apartment, Jutting cut her throat during a struggle after she saw a rope gag he tried to hide under a cushion, according to the police summary of facts.
Mujiharjo, the 56-year-old father of Mujiasih, said daily life for the family was difficult, emotionally and financially, but they tried to accept what happened and move on. Money she sent every month had helped pay to build a new house for the family in South Sulawesi, he said.
Khaliman, Ningsihs 27-year-old brother, said the family was surprised to learn the source of the money she sent back to Indonesia.
But it is relatively common for earnings from the sex industry to keep families back home afloat, an unpalatable fact in Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim, socially conservative country of more than 250 million people.
Dina Damayanti, an Indonesian reporter living in Hong Kong who covered the trial for Suara, a newspaper aimed at the citys large Indonesian community, said she was disheartened by the lack of interest back home.
Distance was one factor, she said, and the attention given to the cyanide trial.
I feel a little bit sad because this is a very important case for me, said Damayanti. Indonesia is so complex. There are so many cases in my country.
Anis Hidayah, the executive director of Migrant Care, said the murders, which occurred within days of each other, made headlines in Indonesia two years ago.
But with many migrant worker deaths abroad from suicides, killings, accidents in dangerous workplaces and other causes, the case was quickly forgotten. The victims were also stigmatized because of their involvement in prostitution and were wrongly blamed as contributing to their own misfortune, said Hidayah.
We should think of how migrant workers are the economic backbone of their families, said Hidayah. Most of their families at home are very poor and their lives are very dependent on the sweat of migrant workers. Stephen Wright, Niniek Karmini, Jakarta, AP
China will expand its involvement in political efforts to end the fighting in Syria, but limit its direct participation to providing humanitarian aid, a senior Chinese diplomat said Friday.
Special envoy to Syria Xie Xiaoyuan urged the United States and Russia to resume talks, less than a week after Russian officials said the political process would be postponed indefinitely.
China has expressed repeatedly that the issue can only be resolved through political settlement and that military means will lead nowhere, Xie told reporters in Beijing. We call on the United States and Russia to make efforts to resume their consultation on the cease-fire.
China, he added, could be a widely valued and trusted player in the multilateral talks.
Syria is the latest conflict in which China has shown a desire to play a more active diplomatic role.
Chinas growing engagement in the region attracted particular notice in August after a top Peoples Liberation Army officer met with Syrian and Russian officials in Damascus to discuss Chinese cooperation.
Xie said those meetings were nothing more than normal military exchanges focused on humanitarian issues.
Although China has rejected the possibility of engaging militarily, it has consistently offered diplomatic support for Russia, an increasingly close strategic partner. China voted alongside Russia against a Western-backed United Nations cease-fire proposal last month and it has characterized Russias bombing offensive in Aleppo condemned by the West as a series of deadly attacks on civilians as a legitimate campaign against terror targets.
China has said in recent years that it faces fallout from the Syria conflict in the form of ethnic Uighur separatists hailing from its western Xinjiang region who seek to establish a breakaway Islamic state called East Turkistan. Chinese officials frequently argue that the reported presence of several hundred Uighur militants fighting alongside al-Qaeda-linked groups like al-Nusra in Syria underscores its security risks and justifies Beijings heavy-handed policing measures in Xinjiang, which have been criticized by human rights groups.
We should fight terrorism indiscriminately, wherever it exists, Xie said. We need to particularly fight the terrorist organizations listed by the U.N. including the Islamic State, al-Nusra and the East Turkistan Islamic Movement. Gerry Shih, Beijing, AP
A 10-day documentary festival will be held in Macau between November 9 and 18, where a selection of films will be screened at the Dr. Stanley Ho Auditorium of the Consulate General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong.
The festival, Doclisboa15 Macau Extension, will open November 9 (Wednesday). The opening night will show three films: Boat People by Filipa Queiroz, Under the Neon by Grace Kou and Come, the Light by Chao Koi Wang.
These films were the recipients of the International Film and Video Festival of Macau 2015 award, the winning film of the EU Short Film Challenge, and the Best Local Entry on Sound and Image Challenge 2015 award respectively, along with other accolades from other film festivals.
Five films in the series were either directed by Macau-based filmmakers or have some element of the MSAR as their principal focus. The remaining documentaries were created by internationally-admired directors who in many cases have been awarded numerous accolades.
The event is organized by the Portuguese Oriental Institute (IPOR) with the support of Macaus Cultural Affairs Bureau, Creative Macau, the European Union Academic Programme in Macau and Inner Harbour Films.
According to the organizer, the festival is a response to the growing global interest in documentary filmmaking and the films themselves.
In the vast world of cinema, the documentary now occupies its own place progressively worthy of greater recognition from an artistic point of view, reads a statement on IPORs website.
Entrance to the festival is free of charge and English subtitles will be provided for the films, according to information released by IPOR. DB
Oxfams 40th Anniversary Ceremony and Hunger Banquet was held last week at University of Macaus (UM) Stanley Ho College. More than 100 people participated in the event, primarily UM students and representatives from Oxfams enterprise partners.
During the event, 20 percent of the participants were asked to play the role of the wealthy, while the remaining represented the poor. The disparate situation was implemented to reflect the reality of the worlds current socio-economic conditions, wherein 80 percent of the global population is in fact living in poverty.
This is the first time Macau Oxfam has cooperated with the local university to organize the hunger banquet.
Ivan Sam, board director and vice-chair of Macau Oxfam, told the Times that UM was chosen as the preferred location for the event because the school has consistently supported Macau Oxfams vision to help make the world a better place.
Sam noted that the banquet provides an opportunity for its participants to share their views and ideas on issues related to poverty with their schools, or even with their companies. It will be the best [outcome] if they can continue [offering help to those who are in need], he said.
In addition to last weeks event, Sam said that Macau Oxfam will continue to hold its charity events. In recent years, Macaus economy slowed down. [] We still face serious challenges when trying to help the poor, and for that we still need to work very hard.
Sam told the Times that 50 percent of the funds raised by Macau Oxfams go to mainland China, followed by Africa, and countries in Southeast Asia.
According to Sam, Macau Oxfam does not simply offer food and resources to those in need, but provides them with seeds, and teaches them how to get out of the poverty cycle.
Hopefully, they will know how to live on their own, and come out from poverty gradually, said Sam. Our faith lies in helping people to learn to help themselves. Julie Zhu
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has accused political actors of inflaming tensions after a mass rally in Jakarta against the citys Christian governor turned violent.
Police on Friday fired tear gas at Islamic protesters demanding the official be jailed for his comments about the Koran. About 200 people continued demonstrating into the evening and refused to leave an area near the presidential palace, with local media broadcasting running battles with police who also used water cannons to bring the situation under control.
At least 70,000 people earlier held a largely-peaceful rally, National Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said, with about 20,000 riot police and military personnel deployed to the capital.
The president, who was prevented from returning to the palace until the unrest ended, told reporters at a media conference after midnight that he respected the peoples desire to protest but regretted that the rally had turned violent. Political actors are taking advantage of the situation, said Widodo, who is also known as Jokowi.
Some protesters earlier held signs saying Jail Ahok and Ahok Is an Enemy of Islam, using the nickname of Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a political ally of the president, as the rally peaked after Friday prayers amid anger over claims he insulted the Koran in comments made at a meeting near Jakarta last month. The streets in the capitals business district, normally choked by traffic, were relatively quiet during the day as many of the citys residents stayed away and after police blocked access to roads near the protest route.
The push to pillory the governor over his comments is the latest chapter in the long saga of attempts by minority Muslim hard-line groups to impose sharia law on the country, said Keith Loveard, head of political risk at Jakarta-based security company Concord Consulting. Jokowi quite correctly sees this movement as an attempt to destroy the very basis of Indonesias secular tradition, Loveard said.
The protest comes with Ahok locked in a three-way battle to run Jakarta, in what has become a proxy fight for some of the nations most powerful political figures. Jokowi called for unity ahead of the rally while meeting with Muslim leaders and reaching out to political opponents, including former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whos son, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, is running for governor.
Ahok, 50, became the capitals first ethnic Chinese governor in 2014, just 16 years after the minority group was targeted in rioting and violence that left more than 1,000 people dead and Jakarta ablaze. While ethnic Chinese have lived in Indonesia for centuries and run some of the countrys conglomerates, they have faced government discrimination in a nation with the worlds largest Muslim population.
Ahok, Jokowis former deputy, is leading in polls to become the first Christian elected to the post when the city votes in February. Still, his opponents have seized on comments he made last month that voters were being deceived by people trying to use Koranic verses to say that Muslims are not permitted to support a Christian leader.
Former President Yudhoyono and Muslim groups have said the comments amounted to blasphemy, which can land offenders in jail for as many as five years. Ahok has said it was a misunderstanding.
Police questioned Ahok for several hours over the comments on Oct. 24, and he was released without charges. National Police chief General Tito Karnavian said Wednesday the governor would face further questioning over the allegations. The police are set to complete the probe in two weeks, Vice President Jusuf Kalla told reporters after meeting representatives of protesters in his office in Jakarta.
Yudhoyono held a briefing on Wednesday to reject claims the protest was orchestrated by the governors political opponents, while insisting that police should continue to investigate the blasphemy charges.
If we do not wish this country to get burned by the anger of justice-seekers, Ahok has to be processed in accordance with the law, the former president said. He cannot be perceived as being above the law. Bloomberg
President cancels trip abroad
Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo on Saturday canceled a visit to Australia after a massive rally in the capital by Muslim hard-liners descended into violence, leaving one dead and nearly 200 injured.
Iraqs special forces worked yesterday to clear neighborhoods on the eastern edge of Islamic State-held Mosul as bombings launched by the extremist group elsewhere in the country killed at least 20 people.
The Mosul offensive has slowed in recent days as Iraqi forces have pushed into more densely populated areas, where they cannot rely as much on airstrikes and shelling because of the risk posed to civilians, who have been told to stay in their homes.
There are a lot of civilians and we are trying to protect them, said Lt. Col. Muhanad al-Timimi. This is one of the hardest battles that weve faced till now.
Some civilians are fleeing the combat zone, while IS militants are holding others back for use as human shields, making it harder for Iraqi commanders on the ground to get approval for requested U.S.-led coalition air strikes. Iraqs special forces are some of the countrys best troops, but they still largely rely on air support to clear terrain.
Iraqi forces first entered the eastern edge of the city on Tuesday. On Friday, forces began pushing into Mosul proper, but so far have advanced just over a kilometer into the city.
On the southern front, Iraqi forces are still some 20 kilometers from the city center. The fighting is centered on the town of Hamam al-Alil, where Associated Press journalists could hear gunfire and saw attack helicopters firing on IS positions.
Kurdish peshmerga fighters launched mortar rounds and fired heavy artillery at the IS-held town of Bashiqa, about 13 kilometers northeast of Mosul. The town, which is believed to be largely empty except for IS militants, has been encircled by Kurdish forces.
The extremists captured Mosul and surrounding areas in 2014, and have had plenty of time to dig trenches, block off roads and mine approaches to the city.
Daesh dug trenches that they filled with water and they have a lot of suicide attackers and car bombs, said al-Timimi, using the Arabic acronym for the IS group.
The extremists meanwhile struck far from the front lines with a series of bombings.
The deadliest attack took place in the city of Samarra, 95 kilometers north of Baghdad, which is home to a major Shiite shrine. Provincial spokesman Ali al-Hamdani said the attacker set off a bomb-packed ambulance in a parking lot near Shiite pilgrims before detonating his explosives vest.
The attack killed 11 people, including at least four Iranians, and wounded up to 100 other people.
Another suicide attacker rammed an explosives-laden car into a busy checkpoint outside the city of Tikrit, killing at least nine people. Al-Hamdani said five female students, a woman and three policemen were killed in the attack, while 25 others were wounded.
IS had also captured Tikrit during its lightning blitz across Iraq in the summer of 2014. Iraqi forces drove the militants from the city, around 130 kilometers north of Baghdad, in April 2015.
Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Ghasemi, condemned the two attacks, which he said had killed 21 people, including 10 Iranian pilgrims, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting tolls, which are common in the chaotic aftermath of attacks.
In an online statement, IS claimed all three bombings and said the ambulance bomb was set off by a second suicide attacker. The AP could not verify the authenticity of the statement, which was posted on a militant website commonly used by the extremists. Susannah George, Mosul, AP
Chief Executive Chui Sai On met with the Minister of the General Administration of Customs Yu Guangzhou in Beijing last week to discuss the management of Macaus waters and efforts to prevent and combat smuggling activities.
According to the Government Information Bureau, the meeting aimed to provide Yu with further updates regarding the SAR governments economic development plans relating to these waters, and to receive feedback and suggestions from the General Administration of Customs in turn.
As cited in the statement, Chui said he was grateful for the long-term support of the General Administration of Customs, in particular during the process leading up to the announcement that outlined Macaus administrative role in the management of its surrounding waters.
Meanwhile, Yu recalled the two documents signed in May, titled Cooperation Arrangement between the General Administration of Customs and the Macau SAR Government on the Prevention and Fight against Smuggling in Waters Managed by the Macau SAR and within Macaus Land Boundaries and the Cooperation Memorandum between the General Administration of Customs and the Macau SAR Government on Origin of Transshipment Cargo in the Macau SAR under Free Trade Agreements.
As part of the process of implementing the aims set out in the two documents, a system for facilitating trans-shipment of cargo between the mainland and the region was created and has entered into operation.
The system streamlines the cost of trans-shipping cargo to the mainland via Macau, namely cargoes included in trade which are facilitated under free-trade agreements.
According to Yu, an extensive mechanism for bilateral communication has also been initiated in a bid to prevent or combat the smuggling of goods, drugs and firearms.
This was of significant importance to efforts aimed at limiting such illegal activities, he stated.
Chui completed a three-day visit to Beijing and returned to Macau on Friday.
There are vintage jeans. And then there are the 123-year-old jeans up for sale in Maine.
The bona fide Levi Strauss & Co. blue jeans from the American Old West are still awaiting a new owner after technical glitches prevented the denim pants from being auctioned Saturday in Maine.
Daniel Buck Auctions & Appraisals said the jeans are pristine because they were worn only a few times before the owner fell ill.
Theyre brand-new Levis. They just happen to be 123 years old, said auctioneer Daniel Buck Soules, who worked for 11 year on public televisions Antiques Roadshow.
The jeans were purchased in 1893 by a store keeper in the Arizona Territory.
Solomon Warner established one of the first stores selling American goods in Tucson, and he survived being shot in an ambush by Apache Indians in 1870.
He was a big fella.
The cotton jeans with button fly feature a size 44 waist and 36-inch inseam.
Unlike modern Levis, the jeans in those days had only a single back pocket. There were no belt loops; folks back then used suspenders. The denim was produced at a mill in New Hampshire, and the jeans were produced by Levis in San Francisco.
Warners jeans, which were stored for decades in a trunk, will be sold in the near future, Soules said Saturday evening.
Such jeans are valuable. A pair of 501 jeans manufactured in the 1880s sold for USD60,000 to a Japanese collector in 2005, Soules said, and another pair, from 1888, sold six months ago for six figures.
Philippine police killed a town mayor in his jail cell in a purported gun battle, the second killing in a week of a politician linked to illegal drugs under President Rodrigo Dutertes brutal crackdown.
Rolando Espinosa Sr., the mayor of the town of Albuera in the central province of Leyte, and a fellow inmate were shot dead before dawn Saturday after they fired at officers who staged a raid in search of firearms and illegal drugs in the provincial jail in Leytes Baybay city, police said.
Some officials and an anti-crime watchdog have called for an investigation of the circumstances of the killings, wondering how the mayor and the other inmate got hold of guns and what prompted them to clash with several policemen while in detention.
Offhand, I can smell extrajudicial killing, said Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former national police chief, adding that the suspicious deaths were the biggest challenge to the credibility of the national police force, which is undertaking the anti-drug crackdown.
Last week, police killed another town mayor, Samsudin Dimaukom, and nine of his men allegedly in a gunbattle in the southern Philippines.
Espinosa and Dimaukom were among more than 160 officials named publicly by Duterte in August as part of a shame campaign. Espinosas son, an alleged drug lord, was arrested in the United Arab Emirates capital city of Abu Dhabi last month.
After being linked by Duterte to illegal drugs, Espinosa surrendered to the national police chief in August in a nationally televised event. He was later released, but was arrested last month after being indicted on drug and illegal possession of firearm charges.
Police estimate that more than 3,600 suspected drug dealers and users have been killed since Duterte took office on June 30. Many of those killed in the initial months of the crackdown were poor drug suspects, and police said high-value targets, including mayors and drug lords, would be their next target in a new phase of the crackdown that was launched late last month.
The unprecedented crackdown and killings have helped ease crime, but the U.S. and other Western governments, along with human rights watchdogs, have been alarmed and called for an end to the killings. One human rights advocate has called the killings under Duterte a human rights calamity.
Duterte has lashed out at President Barack Obama and other critics, saying he was dealing with a pandemic that has afflicted politics, corrupted even generals and threatened to turn the country into what he describes as a narco state similar to some Latin American countries. AP
Las Vegas Sands Corp., the worlds largest casino owner, reported a jump in profit after opening its newest resort in Macau, a sharp contrast to rival Wynn Resorts Ltd., which said its newest Chinese property was off to a slow start.
Sands profit rose to 72 cents a share, excluding some items, the Las Vegas-based company said last week in a statement. Analysts were predicting 60 cents, the average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
Sands, founded by billionaire Sheldon Adelson, opened the USD2.9 billion Parisian resort in Macau in September. The property features a half-sized replica of the Eiffel Tower, as well as a water park for kids and a shopping mall with street performers. It made its debut amid signs of a recovery in gambling in Macau, the only place in China where casinos are legal.
Sands shares rose as much as 5.6 percent to $59.94 in New York trading Friday. Wynn, which had dropped 9.3 percent on Thursday after its earnings report, recovered some ground Friday, climbed 1.2 percent to $88.55.
The company saw a 19 percent increase in visitors to its Macau properties in September, compared to the same month last year, executives said on a call with investors. Sands neighboring Four Seasons resort posted a 7 percent increase in retail sales, which Adelson attributed to the Parisian opening. Gambling volume rose and restaurants are full.
People want to see that Parisian theme approach, Sands President Rob Goldstein said on a conference call after the results were announced. The Eiffel Tower, that facade has great curb appeal.
Total revenue at Sands grew 2.6 percent to $2.97 billion, ahead of projections of $2.82 billion. The company and other Macau operators built their newest properties during a two-year slump in the market, prompted by a Chinese government crackdown on corruption on the mainland. The region experienced its third straight month of gambling growth in October. Reports of higher visitation early in October also suggest the market is rebounding.
Sands strong quarter outshone that of Wynn Resorts, which posted quarterly sales that missed analysts estimates as its new $4.4 billion project in Macau failed to lift betting revenue.
One of the reasons may be nearby construction, which impeded access to the property. Wynn has been working with the Macau government to make improvements, such as crosswalks, to make it easier to get to. Wynn also said it underestimated demand for casual dining options at the new property and is expanding those.
Sands new Parisian Macao contributed $19.2 million of adjusted property earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization during its first 18 days of operation, the company said. Adjusted property earnings at the Sands biggest property, Venetian Macao, surged 23 percent to $314.8 million. The tally at the Sands Cotai rose 3.6 percent to $176.6 million. Net sales at the Venetian Macau increased to $772.5 million, compared with $699.6 million a year earlier.
In Sands home market of Las Vegas, property earnings increased 6.9 percent to $85.3 million. Earnings at the Singapores Marina Bay Sands edged up slightly to $390.7 million, up slightly from a year earlier. Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming of China won his first professional flyweight title Saturday night, taking a lopsided 12-round decision over Thailands Prasitak Phaprom.
Zou knocked down Phaprom in the second round and dominated the entire fight in a rematch of their bout two years ago in Macau. He won every round on two of the ringside scorecards, and all but one round on the third.
The fight for the WBOs vacant 112-pound title was one of three title fights on the undercard of Manny Pacquiaos fight with Jessie Vargas.
Zou, who won gold medals in 2008 and 2012, was fighting for only the 10th time as a pro. He improved his record to 9-1, with the only loss coming last year in his only previous title fight.
Now my dream is finally complete, Zou said. Im a pro champion, an Olympic champion and now Im a world champion.
Zou was in such command of the fight that he began showing off in the middle rounds, much to the delight of the crowd. But Phaprom never gave up, and Zou did not have the power to put him down.
There were two other title fights on the undercard, with Jessie Magdaleno taking the 122-pound crown held by Nonito Donaire, and Oscar Valdez of Mexico stopped Japans Hiroshige Osawa to retain his WBO featherweight title.
Magdaleno, a hometown favorite, threw more punches and landed more than Donaire in taking a unanimous 12-round decision for the WBO version of the super batamweight title. He controlled most of the early rounds, but Donaire came on strong in the final rounds, landing a number of hard rights to the head.
Magdaleno, who had never gone past the eighth round in winning his first 23 fights, leaped on the ropes in the corner with his arms raised in victory as the fight ended.
I worked so hard for this, Magdaleno said. I dont have words to describe it.
Two judges scored the bout 116-112, while the third had Magdaleno ahead 118-110.
I thought I got control of the second half of the fight, said Donaire, who fell to 37-4. Losing never crossed my mind.
Valdez was simply too strong for Osawa, dropping him in the fourth round with a left hook and consistently landing hard punches to the head. He finally stopped Osawa with a flurry of punches in the seventh round.
Valdez moved to 22-0 with 19 knockouts, while Osawa fell to 30-4-4. AP
Thousands of people protested in Hong Kong yesterday, demanding that Chinas central government stay out of a political dispute in the southern Chinese city after Beijing indicated that it would intervene to deter pro-independence advocates. Police used pepper spray and batons to contain some of the demonstrators, arresting two.
The dispute centers on a provocative display of anti-China sentiment by two newly elected pro-independence Hong Kong lawmakers at their swearing-in ceremony last month.
Chinas top legislative panel said that Beijing must intervene to deter advocates of independence for Hong Kong, calling their actions a threat to national security. The Standing Committee of Chinas rubber-stamp legislature said in a statement that Beijing could not afford to do nothing in the face of challenges in Hong Kong to Chinas authority, the official Xinhua News Agency reported late Saturday.
Yesterday, thousands of people marched in downtown Hong Kong to voice their opposition to Chinas plan to step in, saying the move would undermine the citys considerable autonomy and independent judiciary.
Several thousand people gathered in the evening to protest outside Beijings liaison office. Police used pepper spray and batons on demonstrators amid some scuffling.
Some protesters wore face masks and hoisted open umbrellas in the air symbols that were reminiscent of student-led pro-democracy demonstrations in 2014 that blocked key Hong Kong streets and attracted global attention.
Helmeted police officers with shields stood in several rows, creating a blockade against the protesters. Open the road! Open the road! the demonstrators chanted, as police warned them not to charge.
Demonstrators held signs reading Defend the rule of law and calling for the citys Beijing-backed chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, to step down.
Some said that if Chinas top legislative panel issued its own interpretation on oath-taking, it would effectively undermine a Hong Kong courts ongoing review of the case.
In [the] long run, that will damage our confidence in the court, said Alvin Yeung, a legislator. That will, in the long run, damage the international investors [confidence] in Hong Kongs stability and the rule of law, and of course how our court functions.
The legislative panel in Beijing said the words and actions of the two Hong Kong lawmakers Sixtus Leung and Yau Wai-ching posed a grave threat to national sovereignty and security, Xinhua reported.
If such a situation were to persist, the Standing Committee said, it would hurt the interests of Hong Kongs residents and Chinas progress. The central government cannot sit idly and do nothing, it said.
The statement followed discussions by the committee on issuing an interpretation of an article in Hong Kongs constitution, known as the Basic Law, that covers oaths taken by lawmakers.
Leung, 30, and Yau, 25, who are from the radical Youngspiration party, altered their oaths to insert a disparaging Japanese term for China. Displaying a flag reading Hong Kong is not China, they vowed to defend the Hong Kong nation. Leung crossed his fingers, while Yau used the F-word in her pledge.
Their oaths were ruled invalid, but attempts at a do-over have resulted in mayhem in the legislatures weekly sessions.
Saturdays comments indicated that the Standing Committee intended to use its interpretation of the article to send a strong message against separatism and could ultimately lead to the democratically elected lawmakers disqualification from office.
Such an outcome would be favorable to Chinas Communist leaders, who are alarmed by the former British colonys burgeoning independence movement, but is also likely to plunge their troubled relationship into fresh turmoil.
Maria Tam, a Hong Kong deputy to the National Peoples Congress, told reporters in Beijing on Saturday that the Standing Committee has the final say on the dispute, and that Hong Kongs highest court would accept the panels interpretation as binding. Gillian Wong, Beijing, AP
South Korean prosecutors yesterday formally arrested two former presidential aides as they bring their investigation over a bizarre political scandal that has engulfed the nation a step closer to President Park Geun-hye.
Park has issued consecutive apologies following suspicion that she allowed her longtime friend and daughter of a late cult leader to manipulate power from the shadows. But the apologies did little to assuage simmering public anger, which culminated in the largest anti-government rally in the capital in nearly a year on Saturday when tens of thousands of people demanded that Park step down.
The Seoul Central District Court granted prosecutors request for the arrest of Ahn Jong-beom, Parks former senior secretary for policy coordination who is suspected of pressuring companies into making large donations to nonprofit organizations controlled by Parks friend, court spokesman Shin Jae- hwan said.
The court also issued an arrest warrant for Jung Ho-sung, another former presidential aide accused of passing on classified presidential documents to Choi Soon-sil, whose close relationship with Park triggered the scandal.
Prosecutors on yesterday also summoned for questioning Woo Byung-woo, former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs who has been blamed for failing to prevent Choi from influencing state affairs and is embroiled in separate corruption allegations surrounding his family.
Park has admitted that she sent drafts of her speeches to Choi for editing. However, she avoided more damning allegations raised by the media that Choi perhaps meddled in important government decisions on policy and personnel. Choi was arrested earlier in the week on charges of abuse of authority and attempted fraud.
Tens of thousands of people rallied in Seoul on Saturday calling for the resignation of Park. But opposition parties, demanding that Park to step away from domestic affairs and transfer the duties to a prime minister picked by the parliament, have yet to make a serious push for Parks resignation or impeachment over concerns of negatively impacting next years presidential race.
Holding banners, candles and colorful signs that read Park Geun-hye out and Treason by a secret government, a sea of demonstrators filled a large square in front of an old palace gate and nearby streets, singing and thunderously applauding speeches calling for the ouster of the increasingly unpopular conservative president.
They shifted into a slow march in streets around City Hall, shouting Arrest Park Geun-hye, Step down, criminal and We cant take this any longer, before moving back to the square and cheering on more speeches that continued into the night.
Park should squarely face the prosecutions investigation and step down herself. If she doesnt, politicians should move to impeach her, said Kim Seo-yeon, one of the many college students who participated in the protest. She absolutely lost all authority as president over the past few weeks.
Choi Kyung-ha, a mother of three, said her children asked her who Choi was and whether shes the real president, and I couldnt provide an answer.
Police estimated the crowd at 45,000, although protest organizers said about 200,000 people turned out.
Park has tried to stabilize the situation by firing eight aides and nominating three new top Cabinet officials, including the prime minister, but opposition parties have described her personnel reshuffles as a diversionary tactic.
One national poll released Friday had Parks approval rating at 5 percent, the lowest for any president in South Korea since the country achieved democracy in the late 1980s following decades of military dictatorship.
Opposition parties, sensing weakness, immediately threatened to push for her ouster if she doesnt distance herself from domestic affairs and transfer the duties to a prime minister chosen by parliament. The parties have also called for a separate investigation into the scandal led by a special prosecutor.
Park has 15 months left in her term. If she resigns, an election must be held within 60 days. Tong-Hyung Kim, AP
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FILER A convicted felon fired three shots at a Twin Falls sheriffs sergeant Friday night while leading the sergeant on a high-speed pursuit, prosecutors said.
Skylar Wade Meade, 24, lost control of his car and surrendered soon after firing the shots, the sergeant said.
Meade was set to be arraigned Monday in Twin Falls County Magistrate Court on felony counts of aggravated assault on an officer, eluding, possession of a controlled substance, unlawful discharge of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm. Meade was precluded from having a gun because of a 2011 felony grand theft conviction.
It scares me to death when these guys start shooting at us, Twin Falls County Sheriff Tom Carter said. Every time my phone rings at night, it scares me to death.
Prosecutors say Twin Falls County Sheriffs Sgt. Rick Beem attempted to make a traffic stop on a Ford Taurus about 8 p.m. Friday on eastbound Idaho 30 between Filer and Twin Falls when the driver of the Taurus, later identified as Meade, did a U-turn back toward Filer, sped away, and later fired three shots at the sergeant.
You used to hope we were shielded from this sort of thing because of our population and the nature of this area, Carter said. But even we are susceptible to issues just like this.
Beem wrote in a sworn affidavit the Taurus reached speeds up to 90 mph as Meade drove through Filer and then on country roads southwest of the town.
As the Taurus was approaching 3700 North (on 2100 East) I saw (and) heard three distinct gun shots and saw three distinct muzzle flashes that appeared to be aimed in my direction, Beem said, adding that a couple in another car filled out statements saying they also heard the gunshots.
Beem backed off the chase in fear that I may be struck or that there would be more gun shots and that they could be aimed at upcoming homes or vehicles in the area.
But Meade lost control of the Taurus a short time later, where 2100 North turned into a gravel road, and fishtailed and crashed, court documents said. He got out of the car and ran away, but gave up after running only 20 yards.
He put his hands up in the air shouting I give up as he laid down onto his stomach, Beem said. I then held Skylar at gun point until backup arrived.
Meade told the sheriffs sergeant he didnt stop because he thought he was being robbed. When Beem asked him where the gun was, Meade denied shooting at him.
Deputies reported finding methamphetamine in Meades pocket as well as spent shell casing and a holster in the Taurus, but they were initially unable to find the gun, even with the help of Pepper, an Idaho Department of Fish and Game article-search canine specially trained to track humans, wildlife and firearm evidence.
Skylar stated that he did not have a gun and if we found one we could use all the science (expletive) on it and we would not find his finger prints on the gun, Beem said, noting hed also found a black latex glove in the Taurus.
The gun was finally found late Monday afternoon, Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office spokeswoman Lori Stewart said.
Meade is in custody in lieu of $250,000 bond at the Twin Falls County Jail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 18.
Hepatitis C support
Hepatitis C Support Group, 6 p.m. Monday at Magic Valley Fellowship Hall, 801 Second Ave. N., Twin Falls.
The meeting offers support for those who have been diagnosed with the Hepatitis C virus. A medical professional will speak about HCV and options for treatment.
Information: Cathy Shaddy, 208-410-2768.
Recovery support
Recovery For Life groups meet at 7 p.m. Mondays at Twin Falls Reformed Church, 1631 Grandview Drive N., in the white building.
Groups and classes include GriefShare, Parenting Skills, Hope 12-step, Divorce Care, Special Parents Special Kids, Cooking Matters, Codependency, and Recovery Womens Bible Study. A free meal begins at 6 p.m.
Free child care and transportation. Information: 208-733-6128.
Wellness
St. Lukes Jerome Medical Center is offering a free cooking demonstration, Healthy, Delicious Thanksgiving, at 6 p.m. Monday in the Barley Room at St. Lukes Jerome, 709 N. Lincoln Ave.
Reservations are required; 208-814-0095.
Alzheimers support
Magic Valley Caregiver Support Group, presented by Alzheimers Association, Greater Idaho Chapter, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Bridgeview Estates, 1828 Bridgeview Blvd., Twin Falls. The group meets on the second Tuesday every month.
Information: facilitator Yolanda Martinez, 208-404-6720.
Ostomy support
Ostomy Support Group, 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in the cafeteria at St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.
The meeting is for ostomy patients and their families.
Free; 208-308-6153.
Parkinsons support
The Magic Valley Parkinsons Support Group will meet at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Jerome Library, 100 First Ave. E.
Robyn Parrish from Boise will speak about the Medtronic system of Deep Brain Stimulation. She is also working with St. Lukes Magic Valley in Twin Falls on its new Movement Disorder Center. At the meeting, time will be scheduled for exercises that are helpful to delay the progression of symptoms.
The group meets monthly on the second Wednesday and offers coping skills for both patients and caregivers.
If you or someone in your family has Parkinsons, you are invited to participate. Information: nfturley@att.net or 208-358-5807.
CPR, infant safety
Infant safety and cardiopulmonary resuscitation class, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in Oak Rooms 2-4 on the lower level of St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.
New parents, grandparents and caregivers learn CPR and what to do if an infant chokes. The class isnt a certification course.
Free; no registration required. 208-814-0402.
Alzheimers support
Alzheimers Association, Greater Idaho Chapters Caregiver Support Group meeting, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at DeSano Place Suites, 545 Nevada St., Gooding.
The group meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays every month.
Information: 208-934-4623.
Grief support
Grief Share meetings, 6:30 p.m. beginning Thursday, Nov. 10, for a 13-week series at Lighthouse Church, 960 Eastland Drive, Twin Falls.
Anyone who has lost a loved one or friend is welcome to attend. A separate class for teens will begin at the same time. Participants can attend any session. Enter through the east doors at the rear of the main building.
Information: 208-737-4667.
Grief support,
Meeting
Suicide Prevention Action Network of south-central Idaho, a nonprofit group that offers education and support, will hold monthly meetings at 1:30 p.m. on the second Wednesdays at the South Central Public Health Department conference room in Twin Falls. Anyone interested is invited to attend.
A free support group is available for anyone who has lost someone to a suicide. The support group meets from 7 to 8 p.m. on the third Wednesdays at the Church of the Ascension, 371 Eastland Drive N. in Twin Falls., and is open to everyone. Information: Donna Stalley, 208-733-1462.
CPR, first aid
St. Lukes Magic Valley Education Department is offering a Heartsaver CPR, First Aid and AED class, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Learning Center, 840 Meadows Suite 2, Twin Falls.
The course provides training for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid and using an automated external defibrillator.
Cost is $60 and pre-registration is required: 208-814-9050.
Seniors wellness
The Twin Falls Senior Center will hold a presentation for senior citizens at 12:15 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, at 530 Shoshone St. W.
Connie Campbell of Syringe Place will talk about sugar.
Free; 208-734-5084.
Breastfeeding
Free Breastfeeding 101 class, 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, in Oak Room 4 on the lower level at St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.
Topic: Breastfeeding basics for new and expectant mothers. Babies are welcome.
Free; pre-registration is required, 208-814-0402.
Grief support
Getting Through the Holidays, a special session for the Visions of Hope grief support group, 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at Hospice Visions, 1770 Park View Drive, Twin Falls.
The support group is open to everyone in the community.
Information: 208-735-0121.
Grief support
Light Up A Life, an event for families who have lost a loved one, 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, in the front lobby at St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.
The program will include music, a short message from Chaplain Jeff, tips on surviving the holiday season, and light refreshments. Counselors will be present.
The free event is sponsored by St. Lukes Magic Valley Home Care and Hospice, St. Lukes MSTI Twin Falls, Spiritual Care, St. Lukes Magic Valley Auxiliary, Women and Childrens, St. Lukes Magic Valley Health Foundation and St. Lukes Emergency Department.
To do for you is a listing of health-related activities, events and education. Submit information by noon Thursday for publication in the following Mondays edition to ramona@magicvalley.com.
Its been a couple of years in the buildup, and Tuesday night gives us the payoff for good or ill. Heres some of what Ill be watching for on election night from an Idaho perspective.
1. On the presidential level, Idaho will probably slip easily into the Donald Trump column. What Ill be watching more closely is the vote percentage Evan McMullin, the independent from Utah, gets. He has been running strong in Utah, and might do well in eastern Idaho. His numbers will be worth parsing.
2. The ballot issue HJR 5 (on legislative review of executive branch regulations) has split Idahos governing community, with legislators (mostly) and Lt. Gov. Brad Little in favor, and Gov. C.L. Butch Otter and Attorney General Lawrence Wasden opposed. Voters rejected a similar proposal two years ago, and the guess here is that they will do so again. But the lines of support and opposition will be something to see.
3. Idaho has only a few competitive legislative races this year, but several of those which do look to be close will merit close inspection.
In District 1, in the northern Panhandle, watch to see whether constituents will back Republican Heather Scott, aptly described by columnist Chuck Malloy as one of the stars of the Redoubt movement, or challenging Democrat Kate McAlister. Some of Scotts supporters have been accused of harassing the opposition. (She has disavowed any knowledge.) Scott has become a statewide figure, and her win or loss will be widely noted, rightly so because it will say a lot about the character of the northern Idaho panhandle.
In District 6, House Democratic leader Jon Rusche of Lewiston, whose win two years ago was by a hairline, is being hard-pressed by Republican Mike Kingsley; billboards linking Rusche and Hillary Clinton have popped up around town. For a couple of decades Lewiston has been a closely competitive ground between the parties; a Rusche loss could indicate it is moving into a clear Republican tilt.
In west Boises District 15, Democrat Steve Berch is on the verge of defeating veteran Republican Representative Lynn Luker. This is Berchs fourth election in a row running in the west/west-of Boise area. He took 32.2 percent of the vote in 2010, then 46.9 percent in 2012 and in 2014 he got 48.4 percent. Does he cross the line this year? If he does, he may open the door for Democrats not just within Boise city, but in some of its suburbs.
And in Twin Falls District 24, two hot races are said to be unusually close, as Republican Sen. Lee Heider is pressed by Democrat Deborah Silver and Republican Rep. Steve Hartgen by Catherine Talkington. A Democratic win in either race would be a breakthrough for Democrats who havent elected one of their own to the Legislature here in decades. Democrats for a couple of decades have been offering the idea of winning elections in central Twin Falls; will this be the year?
4. The contested Supreme Court features two candidates with distinctly different backgrounds and approaches, though both have Republican backgrounds. State Senator Curt McKenzie has backing from a number of fellow legislators and lobbies, and he seems the more ideologically-oriented of the two. Attorney Robyn Brody got much higher markers in a state bar survey and has broadly scattered support. The race is considered competitive.
A lot of attention will go to the national maps on Tuesday, but dont neglect those in Idaho. Theyll have plenty to say about the state, too.
Sol Garcia Basulto (photo via Facebook)
Cuban independent journalist Sol Garcia Basulto is pleading with the world to take up her cause, after the Castro secret police threatened to imprison her and punish her family because of her work.
Garcia, a correspondent for 14ymedio, said she has never committed a crime, and that the threats started when she demanded the Castro dictatorship respect the rights of Cuban citizens.
"Journalism has the power to oxygenate the social thinking in favor of those in Cuba," Garcia said in a video posted on Facebook.
Garcia was arrested Nov. 3 in Camaguey, after she tried to travel to Havana to obtain a visa so she could attend a journalism conference in Panama.
Police told Garcia she was being accused of "disobedience," a charge that could bring her a year in jail. They also threatened to take her child into custody and to charge her parents with "complicity." Before letting her go, police seized several of her belongings, including a cell phone.
Read more at Martinoticias.com.
Photo via Martinoticias.
Fourteen months or so after the United States reopened its embassy in Havana, political repression in Cuba is as awful as ever. In fact, by one count, 2016, with two months still to go, is the worst year ever for human rights on the island.
Perhaps it's not fair to link the two; after all, it's not like the Obama administration and many in the Republican Party have linked improvement in the human rights situation on the island to the strengthening of diplomatic, economic and other ties between the two government.
Bluntly put, the freedoms of the Cuban people is not a priority.
My disgust with this, as well as some personal and professional considerations, have contributed to my blogging being sparse in recent months. After almost 11 years of running this blog, I was a little burned out, not just from the self-imposed responsibility of trying to report as much of events and developments happening on the island, but also the frustration of fearing that all my efforts were for naught. No matter how much I reported about political repression in Cuba or tried to share the stories of those bravely resisting the Castro dictatorship, there were many more in this country eager to do business with the Castros or just vacation on Cuban beaches.
My frustrations aside, however, the human rights situation in Cuba remains deplorable, and it remains a story that must be told.
So here I am, not necessarily refreshed but nonetheless re-committed to doing the best I can or at least whatever I can to inform about the truth about the human rights situation in Cuba and those Cubans who risk what little freedom they have in search for a better, freer Cuba.
So here we go.
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The Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation this past week reported there were at least 620 politically motivated arrests in Cuba in October, bringing the total for the year to 9,125. That already surpasses the 8,899 arrests recorded in all of 2014, up to the now the worst year yet on the island.
To be fair to the Castros -- don't worry, we don't make that a habit here -- the 620 arrests in October was 473 fewer, or more than 43 percent less, than in October 2015.
But even if that downward trend continues for the final two months of this year, 2016 will end with more than 10,000 arrests for the first time since the human rights commission started counting in 2010.
That, more than anything, is why Uncommon Sense is back.
King Mohammed VI has renewed on Sunday evening his unwavering attachment to Africa and his keen interest in the continent and pledged to see to it that Moroccos African policy acquires a continental dimension and covers the whole of Africa.
In a landmark speech he delivered on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the Green March, celebrated November 6, from the heart of Africa, namely the Senegalese capital Dakar, King Mohammed VI pointed out, By delivering my speech from this hospitable land I am expressing a keen interest in our continent.
The Sovereign underscored Moroccos African policy and the outcome of Moroccos solidarity-based field action in a number of African countries, in terms of economic and human development aimed at serving African citizens, saying that Moroccos recent decision to return to the African Union (AU) will further enhance this policy.
Morocco has officially applied last July to reintegrate the AU, the predecessor of the Organization of African Unity, wherefrom it withdrew in 1984. Its application was distributed to the AU members last Friday.
In addition to cooperation at the bilateral level and with regional groupings, this return will enable our country to adhere to sectoral development strategies in Africa and actively support and enrich them thanks to the outstanding experience Morocco has gained in various fields, he said, adding that Moroccos return to its institutional family will enable his country to help make the voice of Africa heard in international forums as far as the continents major issues and problems are concerned.
This return will also enable Morocco to further strengthen its commitment to finding objective solutions to these issues, bearing in mind African peoples interests and particularities, the Sovereign said, expressing his personal resolve to further contribute to consolidating security and stability in the various war zones and hotspots and to finding peaceful solutions to conflicts.
Furthermore, this return will enable Morocco to become more involved in the continents efforts to fight extremism and terrorism, which compromise the future of Africa, King Mohammed VI went on to say, renewing Moroccos commitment to share with other African countries its outstanding, internationally recognized experience in the fields of security cooperation and fighting radicalism.
Being aware that so many African countries are challenged by the phenomenon of migration, the Moroccan King also vowed to help them address the problem.
As far as migration is concerned, our country will continue to strive to deal with the real causes of the phenomenon and link it to development, within a human, solidarity-based approach which upholds migrants rights and preserves their dignity, he said.
He stated further that being aware that Africa is one of the regions most affected by climate change, I have made sure that the Climate Conference which opens in Marrakech this week, is a conference for Africa.
Accordingly, I have called for an African summit to be held on the sidelines of this conference in order to develop a common vision to uphold our continents demands, particularly in terms of funding and transfer of technology, he said.
In his speech addressed to Moroccans for the first time from abroad, precisely from Dakar, King Mohammed VI outlined, regarding Moroccos African policy, that this policy will not be limited to Western and Central Africa but that he will see to it that it acquires a continental dimension and covers the whole of Africa.
The Sovereign recalled, in this respect, his recent visits to Rwanda and Tanzania, and announced that Morocco will open a new chapter in its relations with Ethiopia, which will be the first stop in a second part of his African tour that will take him to several Sub-Saharan countries in connection with Moroccos return to the African Union.
Yet, King Mohammed VI made it clear that Moroccos return to the AU, a rational decision, taken after careful thought, does not mean changing the Kingdoms unwavering position regarding the Sahara issue and its territorial integrity. It is rather meant to defend the Kingdoms legitimate rights and correct the fallacies peddled by opponents of our territorial unity.
Expressing pride at Moroccos successful and fruitful African policies, both at the level of political stances regarding the issue of its territorial unity, and in terms of further economic involvement and stronger relations with various African countries, King Mohammed VI underlined Today, Morocco is regarded as an influential regional power and enjoys the esteem and trust not only of the continents leaders, but of its peoples too.
Jehan Sheikh Amad, Spokeswoman of the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) announced Sunday the beginning of the rebel groups offensive on ISIS-held Raqqa in a campaign baptized the Wrath of the Euphrates while hoping that Turkey would not interfere in internal Syrian affairs.
France, Great Britain and the US have manifested their support to the operation with airstrikes. US defense secretary Ash Carter welcomed the announcement because it would help to disrupt the groups ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners. He said the effort to isolate and ultimately liberate Raqqa marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan while acknowledging that battle for Mosul will not be easy.
SDF is an alliance of Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) militia and other ethnic Arab militia groups but there have been fierce fighting between some of its components. The Kurds are the dominant force but Turkey has repeatedly stated its opposition to the group that it considers a terrorist organization.
White Houses special envoy to the anti-IS coalition, Brett McGurk, said they are in close contact with Turkey over the offensive in Raqqa because they want it to be as coordinated as possible. He noted that there will be a mix of forces on the field.
Raqqa has served as ISIS headquarters in Syria and has around 5,000 militant fighters. Battling the extremist group out of the city is expected to last for several weeks given that the offensive on Mosul in Iraq is heading towards its fourth week and the Iraqi forces are yet to enter the city. The rebel forces in Syria as well as the coalition do not have the support of the Assad regime and Turkey also has its allies and foes among the Syrian rebel groups.
British Defense Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, cautiously stated that their air force will support the Raqqa operation as it develops while France has ruled out sending ground troops. The US has warned that only rebel forces of ethnic Arabs from around Raqqa, not Kurdish fighters, will enter the city because we want a force that ultimately liberates Raqqa that is primarily from the local area. Kurds have been accused in the past of abusing Sunnis when they free them from the extremist group.
The government in Damascus is yet to comment on the development.
After the High Level Committee of experts of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) failed to reach an agreement on outlining the implementation of cutting the production output in Vienna last month, there were concerns that the Algiers agreement could fail but Algerian Energy Minister Nouredine Bouterfa stressed on Sunday that there will be no return on the Algiers agreement.
He said the committee is working on it and the agreement has not been called into question. An OPEC ministerial meeting will be held on November 30 to deliberate on the matter after another expert meeting scheduled to be held a week earlier.
Oil prices have been slowly rising after the Algiers agreement in September but the standoff has led to a fall of prices. President James Williams of WTRG, an energy consultant group, said the impasse is lowering peoples expectations of a future agreement to cut or cap production as he pointed out that most of the production in the member states of the oil cartel are done by public owned firms.
Algerias oil and gas refineries have been aging and that has affected its production output. The low hydrocarbon prices have affected its financial situation and it has used its huge foreign reserves to cover its budget deficit while suspending major development projects. Revenue generated from oil and gas provides the lion share of its budget.
In its latest effort to boost its production amid the crisis, state owned Sonatrach awarded a $420 million deal to China Petroleum Engineering Construction (CPECC) for the modernization of the Sidi Rcine refinery in Algiers in order to increase its production by 35%.
Algeria is planning to build five new refineries to increase its current annual national output of 30 million tons of oil by 50% in five years. With analysts stating that the $100 price for a barrel could be history, an increase in investment to boost output could be the new trend among oil producers to cover their budget expenses despite their efforts to diversify their economies amid the risk of the market being oversupplied.
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.
Moroccos decision to retake its legitimate seat at the African Union is not a tactical move but a rational decision, said King Mohammed VI in his historic speech made Sunday in Dakar on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the Green March
Moroccos return to the African Union is not a tactical decision, nor is it motivated by passing considerations. It is a rational decision, taken after careful thought, added the Moroccan Sovereign.
When we announced our return, we were not asking for anyones permission to exercise our legitimate right, he stressed, noting that Morocco is returning to its natural place and is supported by an overwhelming majority to reclaim its seat within the African institutional family.
He also said that Morocco, which does not meddle in other states home affairs and rejects divisive policies, hopes all parties will respond to this decision in a wise and responsible manner, to make sure African unity and African peoples interests prevail.
According to the Moroccan monarch, Rabats decision to rejoin the African Union is the culmination of our African policy and the outcome of Moroccos solidarity-based field action in a number of African countries, in terms of economic and human development aimed at serving African citizens.
In addition to cooperation at the bilateral level and with regional groupings, this return will enable our country to adhere to sectoral development strategies in Africa and actively support and enrich them thanks to the outstanding experience Morocco has gained in various fields, stressed the Sovereign.
As far as the continents major issues and problems are concerned, the return of my country to its institutional family will enable Morocco to help make the voice of Africa heard in international forums. It will also enable it to further strengthen its commitment to finding objective solutions to these issues, bearing in mind African peoples interests and particularities, went on King Mohammed VI.
He expressed in this regard his readiness to further contribute to consolidating security and stability in the various war zones and hotspots and to finding peaceful solutions to conflicts.
Furthermore, this return will enable Morocco to become more involved in the continents efforts to fight extremism and terrorism, which compromise the future of Africa, stressed the Moroccan Sovereign.
On the royal choice to deliver this years Green March speech from Dakar, King Mohammed VI said Senegal was one of the countries that took part in this national epic, together with other African and Arab nations.
This beloved country has always been at the forefront of advocates of the Kingdoms territorial unity and lofty interests. Furthermore, on several occasions, it has shown, through words and deeds, that it considers the cause of the Moroccan Sahara as one of its own national causes, explained the Monarch.
I have also chosen Senegal because of the special status it enjoys in Africa, thanks to its historically democratic model, its political and social stability, as well as its economic dynamism, underlined the Moroccan Sovereign.
He also cited fraternal bonds, based on solidarity and a shared destiny, which have historically existed between the Moroccan and the Senegalese peoples, who stand as one single people, with each one forming a natural extension of the other, in a unique symbiosis between two independent countries respecting each others particularities.
Forces loyal to Libyas Government of National Accord (GNA) announced Sunday they saved 14 civilians held up by the Islamic State group (IS) still controlling small areas of Sirte.
Since May, GNA forces have been wrestling with IS in Muammar Gaddafis hometown, seized in 2015 by the terrorist group, which took advantage of rivalries between feuding Libyan factions.
The offensive has stalled as forces engage in door-to-door fighting to dislodge the militants holding up in urban areas.
On Sunday, GNA forces media indicated 14 civilians made of women and children were freed from IS-led positions in part of the Ghiza Bahriya neighborhood.
The citys 80,000-strong population was turned into the groups main base in North Africa outside of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria. Most people deserted the city as GNA forces launched the offensive.
The 14 civilians according to the Reuters are the latest of several groups of civilians to escape or be released, many of them migrant women and children who were kidnapped by the IS group as they tried to make their way through Libya toward Europe.
In another development, two Italians and a Canadian kidnapped in September in the town of Ghat, South-west of the country, have been reportedly freed by the Italian government.
The men were working for an Italian company doing maintenance work at the local airport.
The men known as Danilo Calonego, Bruno Cacace (both Italians) and Frank Poccia were released in cooperation with Libyan officials. Ghat is controlled by the UN-backed GNA.
No ransom has been paid for their release, the BBC reports.
Libya has descended into chaos since Gaddafis fall in 2011. Militias and armed groups operate in utter impunity. The GNA despite international support has been unable to impose its authority.
The 22nd Conference of the Parties to the Framework UN Convention on Climate Change, COP 22, kicked off in Morocco on Monday, in the presence of over 20,000 delegates from 196 countries.
During the opening ceremony, Morocco was officially handed over the presidency of COP22 by president of COP21 and French Environment Minister Segolene Royal.
In her opening address, Segolene Royal called for climate justice, especially for Africa and welcomed in this vein the speech that Moroccos King Mohammed VI delivered Sunday from Dakar on the occasion of the 41th anniversary of the Green March, and in which he underscored that COP22 is a conference for Africa.
Aware that Africa is one of the regions most affected by climate change, I have made sure that the Climate Conference which opens in Marrakech this week, is a conference for Africa, the Monarch said in his Green March speech.
Accordingly, I have called for an African summit to be held on the sidelines of this conference in order to develop a common vision to uphold our continents demands, particularly in terms of funding and transfer of technology, he said.
Segolene Royal who underlined that Africa suffers most from the impacts of climate change, especially desertification, said climate justice consists in providing financing and technology transfer to the continent.
She recalled that the past year has been the hottest and was marked by several devastating climate phenomena, urging countries that have not yet ratified the Paris Agreement to do so before the end of the year.
The COP22 comes a year after the Paris climate conference, where 195 countries made a nonbinding agreement to keep warming below 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels, with a stretch goal of limiting it to 1.5 degrees.
Each nation made a pledge to cut or curb its greenhouse gas emissions, and agreed to ratchet up its commitment in the future. The Paris signatories also agreed to raise more funds to help poorer countries adapt to a warming world.
Now, in Marrakesh, negotiators will try to figure out how to turn those promises into action.
The Marrakesh conference will also focus on the irony that Africa happens to be the first and hardest hit by the consequences of climate change even though it is the region that emits the lowest share of greenhouse gases emissions that cause the earths atmosphere to warm.
If the Paris Climate Conference led to a binding agreement, the COP22 will lay the foundation for a new global stage that would involve the signatories in a concerted action, said COP22 President Salaheddine Mezouar, underscoring that Morocco will engage in an open and transparent dialogue with the support of various partners to address climate change.
Debates in Marrakesh will cover African agricultural climate adaptation and promising strategies will be showcased, so as to ensure food security throughout the continent.
Studies conducted earlier this year predicted annual rainfall to decrease by 20 percent along the Mediterranean coast, while winter rains in southern Africa will also decrease, by perhaps as much as 40 percent. Less rain will have a serious impact on agriculture, mostly dependent upon rainfall.
According to information on the COP22 website, a framework will be developed in Marrakech from major policy recommendations to help with the implementation of the Moroccan Adaptation of African Agriculture Initiative, which applies to the whole African continent.
COP22 is the second of its kind to be hosted on Africa soil after Morocco hosted the 7th Climate Change Conference way back in 2001.
Millions of people around the world live above 8,000 feet, including many people in the Andes Mountains of South America. The man shown here lives in the Ecuadorian Andes and suffers from chronic mountain sickness. Credit: UC San Diego Health
To better understand why some people adapt well to life at high altitude while others don't, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine studied red blood cells derived from representatives of both groups living in the Andes Mountains. The study, published November 7 by the Journal of Experimental Medicine, reveals that high-altitude, low-oxygen dwellers prone to chronic mountain sickness produce massive amounts of red blood cells thanks to overproduction of the enzyme SENP1.
"In addition to improving the health of millions of people around the world who live above 8,000 feet, information on how Andeans have adaptedor not adaptedto high altitude life might teach us how to speed up red blood cell production at lower altitudes, such as in anemia or when blood transfusions are needed rapidly," said senior author Gabriel Haddad, MD, Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine and pediatric pulmonologist, physician-in-chief and chief scientific officer at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego.
Chronic mountain sickness affects approximately 20 percent of people who live at high altitudes. One critical aspect of the condition is polycythemia, the overproduction of red blood cells. Some extra red blood cells can be a good thing in high altitude, low oxygen environmentsthey help keep blood oxygenatedbut too many thicken blood, increasing a person's risk of heart attack and stroke, even in young adults.
In the study, the team, led by Priti Azad, PhD, associate project scientist in Haddad's lab and first author of the study, collected skin cells from people living in the Andes Mountainsfour healthy and five who suffer from chronic mountain sicknessplus an additional three healthy people who live at sea level, as controls. To produce enough red blood cells from each participant to study them in the lab, the researchers converted the skin cells into a special type of stem cell, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Then, adding a cocktail of growth factors and other molecules, they coaxed the iPSCs into specializing into red blood cells. Multiple samples were tested for each person, for a total of at least 24 iPS cell lines.
The researchers exposed the red blood cells to low oxygen conditions that mimic high altitudefive percent oxygen for three weeks. As a result, red blood cells from healthy sea-level or high altitude-dwelling donors increased a little or not at all. In contrast, numbers of red blood cells from high-altitude dwellers with chronic mountain sickness increased 60-fold.
Haddad's team wanted to understand why people with chronic mountain sickness produce so many extra blood cells in response to low oxygen. In a previous study in which the team compared the genomes of high-altitude dwellers with and without chronic mountain sickness, one gene that varied between the two groups stood outsentrin-specific protease 1 (SENP1), which is increased in low oxygen in people with chronic mountain sickness but not healthy people. This gene encodes the enzyme SENP1, which acts as a gene regulator by removing small protein tags on transcription factors, other proteins that determine when certain genes are turned on or off.
To determine if SENP1 plays a role in high-altitude adaptation, in this study the researchers inhibited the SENP1 gene in chronic mountain sickness patients' iPSCs. As a result, the excessive red blood cell production was reduced by more than 90 percent. On the flip side, when the researchers added extra SENP1 to healthy, adapted highlander iPSCs, red blood cell production increased 30-fold, nearly recapitulating that seen in chronic mountains sickness.
Further experiments suggested how SENP1 affects red blood cell productionelevated levels of the enzyme in chronic mountain sickness in turn boost levels of several other proteins that promote cell division and survival, including VEGF, GATA1 and Bcl-xL.
Haddad and Azad are now looking forward to the next phase of their research.
"We're interested in determining the early steps in this processhow low oxygen triggers SENP1 in the first place," Azad said. "We are also investigating how existing altitude sickness medications, such as Diamox, work and whether or not it's through this same mechanism."
A new paper published in FEMS Microbiology Letters, resulting from an investigation of a laundry facility that services several Seattle-area hospitals, suggests that soiled clinical linens may be a source of surface Clostridium difficile contamination.
C. difficile is a hospital and community acquired pathogen. C. difficile are spore-forming anaerobic bacteria that have been identified in 2-3% of healthy, non-hospitalized adults and in 10-25% of hospitalized adults. Toxin-producing C. difficile is the most common cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea. It is estimated that 25% of all C. difficile infections occur from exposures in the community that may stem from potential sources including water, soil, livestock, meats, vegetables and pets. There is evidence that C. difficile infections are seasonal and are correlated with 151 respiratory illnesses in the winter, due to antibiotic use.
The study determined if C. difficile could be cultured from clinical laundry facility surfaces. A total of 240 surface samples were collected from dirty areas, which handle soiled clinical linens, and from clean areas, which process and fold the clean linens, within the University of Washington Consolidated Laundry facility in 2015.
All samples were collected at a laundry facility in Seattle, WA. This facility processes linens from six Seattle area hospitals, 30 local outpatient clinics and the Washington National Primate Research Center. Each week about 300,000 lbs. of laundry are processed. The facility is separated into two floors with the majority of the soiled linen handled on the 2nd floor and the clean linen handled exclusively on the 1st floor.
The dirty area surface sample sites included the receiving area, the primary sort area, the secondary sort area, and the customer owned goods area for a total of 30 samples at each visit. The clean area sampling sites included washers, the folding area, the processing area and the break area. Thirty samples per sampling time with 120 samples total were collected each from the dirty and clean areas.
All of the samples that tested positive were in areas where dirty linens are handled; no C. difficile contamination was found in areas where only clean laundry was handled. Of the samples taken from surfaces in the dirty side of the laundry facility, 23% (25/120 samples) tested positive for C. difficile. Only 2% (2/120 samples) of sampled surfaces from the clean side were positive for C. difficile. The two surfaces that were positive for C. difficile both came from a small area where soiled linen is handled in small batches. While the area is distinct from where clean linen is dried, ironed, and folded, it is on the same floor as the clean side. This indicates that the dirty linens were the likely source of the environmental contamination in the laundry.
According to researchers, their data may be an underestimation of true prevalence and diversity of C. difficile on surfaces. The study is limited by the inherently poor recovery of microbes from environmental surfaces, difficulty in culturing C. difficile spores, differences in recommended incubation times and media used.
"This research supports the idea that its possible for the soiled hospital linens to contaminate the environment with C. difficile, which is the number one cause of hospital associated diarrhea," said study author Marilyn Roberts, PhD. "It's also extremely hard to remove from the environment. Due to this contamination, laundry facilities should be considered an extension of the healthcare environment when considering infection prevention and occupational health."
More information: Karen Michael et al, Environmental Contamination within a Clinical Laundry Facility in the USA, FEMS Microbiology Letters (2016). Karen Michael et al, Environmental Contamination within a Clinical Laundry Facility in the USA,(2016). DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnw236
(HealthDay)Fruit- or candy-flavored electronic cigarettes may entice American teens to start smoking tobacco, a new study suggests.
Using data from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey, researchers at the University of Missouri-Kansas City found that among middle school and high school students who had never smoked, 58 percent who used flavored e-cigarettes said they intended to start smoking tobacco cigarettes.
"Due to a proliferation of e-cigarette flavors on the market, flavored e-cigarette use among youth in the U.S. has increased significantly," study author Hongying Dai said. She's an associate professor of health services and outcomes at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.
"The majority of youth who have ever used e-cigarettes started with a flavored product," Dai added.
Flavored e-cigarettes aren't prohibited in the United States. More than 460 brands and 7,700 flavors are currently on the market. The number of teens who use e-cigarette devices to "vape" has nearly quadrupled since 2013, Dai said.
The recent rule from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulating e-cigarettes excluded the agency from regulating flavors in these products. This provision was deleted from the original FDA proposal by the White House Office of Management and Budget.
"Flavored e-cigarette use among youth might serve as a gateway for future smoking and was associated with decreased odds of quitting smoking," Dai said. "Comprehensive tobacco control and prevention strategies that address flavored e-cigarette products are critically needed to reduce tobacco use among youth."
Among nearly 16,500 teens who had never smoked cigarettes but used e-cigarettes, Dai's team looked at whether or not they intended to begin smoking tobacco cigarettes. The researchers also looked at more than 1,300 current smokers and assessed if they intended to quit. Finally, the investigators looked at nearly 21,500 teens to assess their perception of the dangers of tobacco.
The study found that just over 2,000 teens said they had used e-cigarettes in the last 30 days. Of these, 61 percent said they had used flavored e-cigarettes. Among those who had never smoked traditional tobacco, 56 percent of e-cigarette users said they had used flavored e-cigarettes. Among current tobacco smokers, 68 percent of those who also "vaped" said they had used flavored e-cigarettes.
A majority of kids who used flavored e-cigarettes but had never smoked tobacco said they were likely to smoke tobacco cigarettes in the future. In addition, tobacco smokers who also used e-cigarettes said they were less likely to quit smoking. Moreover, e-cigarette use was associated with a lower perception of the harmful effects of tobacco, Dai said.
A spokesman for the e-cigarette industry didn't address these findings directly. Instead, he took issue with the study's design.
"In this study, any teen who answered 'probably not' when asked if he or she thought they would smoke a cigarette in the next year was marked as 'intending to smoke,' " said Gregory Conley, a spokesman for the American Vaping Association.
Only a small number of participants answered "definitely" to the cigarette smoking question, Conley said. "So in order to give themselves statistical power, the researchers enlarge the category to include 'probably not,' " he said.
"This is a classic example of the peer-review process failing and the public being worse off as a result," he said.
At least one expert on smoking issues disagreed with Conley's assessment of the new research.
"This is an important paper that shows how e-cigarette flavors are expanding the tobacco epidemic, particularly their important role in stimulating youth use of e-cigs and progression to smoking conventional cigarettes," said Stanton Glantz. He's a professor of tobacco control at the University of California, San Francisco.
Even if kids don't start smoking conventional cigarettes, expanding the use of e-cigarettes among kids is itself dangerous, Glantz said.
"This reality makes the fact that the Obama White House dropped regulation of flavors, which especially appeal to kids, from the FDA's recent rule taking jurisdiction over e-cigarettes worrisome," Glantz said. "The effect of this deletion will delay regulation of flavors in e-cigarettes by years, leading more kids to get addicted to nicotine," he said.
The new report was published online Nov. 7 in the journal Pediatrics.
Copyright 2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Viewing an insect-resistant local GM corn variety in Kenya. Credit: Dave Hoisington/CIMMYT
If there's a topic even more politicized than the US presidential election, it's GMOs . (GMOs are genetically modified organisms, the products of genetic engineering, and opposition to them usually centers on GM crop plants.)
So it's not a surprise that there's been considerable pushback against Danny Hakim's recent New York Times takeout on GMOs. The piece seems to claim that GM crops have been a failure because they neither increase yields nor reduce pesticide use. It relies on a statistical comparison of North America (which grows GMOs) and Western Europe (which doesn't.)
The pushback, much of it persuasive, accuses Hakim of selective statisticizing. Some of this made my ears prick up in particular because it comes from sources you might expect to adore an anti-GMO piece on the front page of the Times, like Mother Jones and Grist.
And indeed, Mother Jones did huzzah at first, in a Tom Philphott post that called the article elegant and in-depth. But four days later, Mother Jones's Kevin Drum retorted with a post calling attention to Nathanael Johnson's Hakim critique at Grist.
And that's the place to begin: with Grist's Nathanael Johnson. IMO Johnson has for years been our most dispassionate and trustworthy analyst on the politics of crop science. His post on Hakim's piece appeared first at Grist but was reprinted at Vox.
Johnson's summary: "f you take the most mild interpretation of the pieceGMOs haven't dramatically improved yields, but they are usefulthen it's really not news. . . If your takeaway from the piece is that GMOs just aren't useful, then it runs contrary to loads of evidencewhich the story almost completely omits. And it makes comparisons that sound compelling, but don't actually tell you much about the state of farming."
One example: Hakim cites the US, which has reduced insecticides by 33% but increased herbicide spraying by 20% percent over 20 years. He compares the US with France, where insecticide use is down by 65% and herbicide spraying by 36%. But Johnson points out that France was using "crazy-high" amounts of pesticide 20 years ago and is only now bringing use down to US levelsand that, furthermore, pesticide use has been increasing in other parts of Europe.
Johnson also complains that the Times piece treats GMOs as a single entity. But they aren't. They should be judged, both risks and benefits, as individual crops. And while Europe rejected GMOs, it grows plenty of crops whose genes were altered by other means, such as mutagenesis. He concludes, "Even if we decide that genetic engineering isn't worth the risks, we'll face risks in other forms of breeding."
Other critiques of note:
Steven Novella at Neurologica calls the Times piece "a good example of what happens when a journalist writes about a complex and contentious topic and allows their narrative to overtake the facts. The article, 'Doubts About the Promised Bounty of Genetically Modified Crops,' declares the narrative in the headline."
Novella also accuses Hakim of cherry-picking data. His conclusion: The article "was a hack piece with a biased narrative that is nothing more than a rehash of tired anti-GMO tropes that have already been widely deconstructed. He is entering this conversation late, and isn't up to speed."
Agricultural economist Graham Brookes's post at the Genetic Literacy Project tackles Hakim's main claims about crop yield and pesticide use, drawing counterarguments from the scientific literature. Also at GLP, Marc Brazeau's long analysis of pesticide use offers reassurance but does not deal directly with the Times piece.
I'm not bothering with the hack slams from the usual reflexive GMO apologists. Kavin Senapathy summarized some of these at Forbes, but they are not worth your time.
Credit: Cannabis Training University
My takeaways:
The selective use of statistics in this piece was kind of surprising for the Times. I know little of Hakim's background, although I see he shared a 2009 Pulitzer for reporting on New York governor Eliot Spitzer's sex scandal. I can't help wondering if Novella is right, that the piece was produced by someone newly come to the now-ancient and highly political dispute over GMOs. This is a topic where experience really, really counts. Really.
And if there's one thing we should have learned, it's not to look at GMOs as A Thing. Case-by-case is the only sort of analysis that makes sense. But of course case-by-case means lots of detail and a very long piece, not a popular approach for writers (or editors.) This was a point stressed in the exhaustive and authoritative (free!) report on GMOs from the National Academy of Sciences, which I wrote about here earlier this year.
Legal marijuana for chronic pain and other human conditions
Last week, the topic here was John Oliver's rant about unnecessary deaths from opioid use, which led, inevitably, to pointing out that we lack satisfactory remedies for chronic pain. One increasingly popular attempt to fill that gap is use of cannabis. Prescriptions for medical marijuana, now legal in several states, are most commonly written for chronic pain. Marijuana users say it really works. These numerous anecdotes are all we have, a poor substitute for our largely nonexistent data.
Is pot a real alternative to the inadequacies of other analgesics? We may find out the answer almost by accidentnot by the rational approach of planned scientific research but rather as a byproduct of the drive for cannabis legalization in the US.
Legal use of pot is likely to become even more widespread as a consequence of events next Tuesday. As a result of the election, the number of people living in a state where marijuana is legal for any use (not just medical) could quadruple, according to German Lopez at Vox. It already is legal for any use in Colorado, Washington State, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington, DC, and it's on the ballot in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada. Medical marijuana will be on the ballot in Arkansas, Florida, Montana, and North Dakota.
Lopez's is a good snapshot of where we are with legal marijuana right now and where we might be after Tuesday. It includes a summary of proposals for each state.
I had already voted against the proposition in Arizona because I don't like the infrastructure the legislation would set up. It favored the Big Guys, establishes a complex bureaucracy, and is designed to shut out small entrepreneurial ventures. Lopez says that fears about how the pot industry will be structured is the strongest argument against legal cannabis: "The major concern with full legalization is that big, for-profit companies will get into the marijuana industry and market the drug in ways that encourage widespread use and abuse."
There are alternative and even not-for-profit possibilities, but Lopez says none of them is in any of the current legislative proposals.
And then there's the question of marijuana research, which is not on anybody's agenda either. This is a topic I have ranted about for years. We are engaged in a great experiment on the population. That's because the government continues to make cannabis research nearly impossible. As a result we have millions of users, and will soon have millions more, despite the fact that science can tell us almost nothing about what is happening in their bodies and brainsor whether cannabis is the effective medical tool that its users claim.
I wrote here recently about the new Drug Enforcement Administration rules that were supposed to make medical marijuana research easier by giving more organizations permission to grow it for research. At the time I pointed out that supply was not the biggest barrier to research. The worst hurdle is the series of government permissions a potential researcher has to obtain.
Still, easing restrictions on growing cannabis for research would be an improvement, however slight. The Marijuana Business Daily reported recently that the DEA had so far received no applications for licenses.
Provided by PLOS Blogs
This story is republished courtesy of PLOS Blogs: blogs.plos.org.
While employee salaries and wages can account for up to 80 percent of the total operating budget in health care organizations, human resources departments in many U.S. hospitals still rely on traditional, bureaucratic HR practices that can constrain employee effort and initiative. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine have identified three HR practices for hospitals that can improve clinical work behaviors, leading to better outcomes for patients.
"First, the hospital's CEO needs to play the role of the people's champion, as this would help to provide leadership and critical resources to the HR department, in addition to sending a clear message to the rest of the organization about the importance of HR," said Naresh Khatri, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Health Management and Informatics at the MU School of Medicine and lead author of the study. "Next, the role of the HR director is almost as critical as that of the CEO in making sure the HR department has a compelling vision of how to use HR to enhance hospital performance. Finally, a successful HR department should have highly professional and competent HR employees who are capable of modifying, reconfiguring, and renewing HR practices and systems as needed."
Khatri and his research team surveyed senior managers from more than 450 hospitals across the United States. The team asked questions related to the relationship between the hospital's chief executive officer and its HR department, the leadership within the HR department and the quality of patient care.
The team used the survey answers to test whether the three HR practices could enhance quality of patient care via promoting proactive behaviors in their workforce. The researchers found that those practices had significant positive correlations with proactive employee behaviors that in turn improved the quality of patient care.
"Given the critical role that employees play in the service industry, and especially in hospitals where their role takes on a special significance, it is of utmost importance that we understand what motivates employees to better serve their customers," Khatri said. "This study found that proactive employee behaviors could boost employee productivity, leading to improved patient care."
Overall, Khatri said that the study findings show that the HR department plays a crucial role in improving the quality of patient care in U.S. hospitals and could be a source of sustainable competitive advantage for these organizations. To be able to do so, Khatri said that U.S. hospitals should build HR departments that are strategic and transformational rather than bureaucratic and administrative.
"If hospitals are to capitalize on their employee skills, knowledge and abilities, it is critical that attention is paid to finding the right individual to head the HR department, while empowering him or her to perform the role to the best of their abilities," Khatri said.
Khatri's study, "The Relationship between HR Capabilities and Quality of Patient Care: The Mediating Role of Proactive Work Behaviors," recently was published in Human Resource Management.
Cryoelectron microscopy reconstruction of Chikungunya virus. From EMDB entry 5577. Credit: Wikipedia
Outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease chikungunya appear to be driven by infections centered in and around the home, with women significantly more likely to become ill, suggests new research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Institut Pasteur in Paris and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh.
The findings, published Nov. 7 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offer key insights into how health officials can combat other diseases that spread the same way, including Zika. The research focuses on a small rural village in Bangladesh, but offer a new path for investigating and responding to outbreaks large and small for a variety of diseases transmitted via the Aedes mosquito, which also includes dengue and yellow fever.
"Typically when there is an outbreak, we study who is sick and try to understand why," says study leader Henrik Salje, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Epidemiology at the Bloomberg School and a visiting scientist at Institut Pasteur. "In this case, we not only studied those who became infected with chikungunya, but also those who avoided illness. This allowed us to determine what factors may impact who comes down with a disease and who does not - and to help us determine the best way to intervene."
For the study, researchers investigated a 2012 chikungunya outbreak in Palpara, a village 60 miles outside the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. The team visited every household in the village and interviewed 1,933 individuals from 460 households. A total of 364 people (18 percent) reported having symptoms consistent with chikungunya (fever with severe joint pain or rash) between May 29 and Dec. 1, 2012.
Even though chikungunya is transmitted via mosquito - and not by coming into close contact with someone who is ill - the researchers found that more than a quarter of human cases were spread within the same household and that half of infections occurred in households less than 200 meters away, creating small clusters of disease. This was an unexpected finding, the researchers say.
Meanwhile, the researchers also looked at the movement habits of the wider Bangladeshi population and learned that women in the country spend 66 percent of their time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. at home while men spend 45 percent at home. Coupled with the tendency of infected mosquitoes not to travel far, this made being at home an important determinant for becoming infected during the chikungunya outbreak.
"It appears that mosquitoes are very lazy," Salje says. "They bite someone in a household and get infected with a virus and then hang around to bite someone else in the same home or very nearby. The extra time women spend in and around their home means they are at increased risk of getting sick." Overall, the researchers found that women in Palpara were 1.5 times more likely to develop chikungunya than men. The researchers also found that coils designed to repel mosquitoes did not work to prevent transmission in this region.
Ideally, knowing where outbreaks are likely to be clustered could help in slowing them, but in the case of chikungunya, Zika and several other diseases spread by the same mosquitoes, there is no vaccine, mosquito control is poor and very little treatment is available. Also hampering response in places like rural Bangladesh is the fact that few people visit trained doctors and authorities often don't know that an outbreak has occurred until it is over.
"We don't yet have a very good toolbox for fighting these diseases," Salje says. "But once we do, this research tells us how we could trigger a response and tailor our interventions - particularly in rural communities - to those at the greatest risk, and those people are the ones who spend the most time in and around their homes."
"How social structures, space, and behaviors shape the spread of infectious diseases: chikungunya as a case study" was written by Henrik Salje, Justin Lessler, Kishor Kumar Paul, Andrew S. Azman, M. Waliur Rahman, Mahmudur Rahman, Derek Cummings, Emily Gurley and Simon Cauchemez. The researchers are from the Institut Pasteur in Paris; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh; Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control & Research in Bangladesh; and the University of Florida.
More information: How social structures, space, and behaviors shape the spread of infectious diseases using chikungunya as a case study, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1611391113 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences How social structures, space, and behaviors shape the spread of infectious diseases using chikungunya as a case study,
In a work-around to an early-voting crackdown law, the Miami-Dade elections headquarters will open Sunday afternoon to allow voters to request and cast absentee ballots in person.
The elections department announced the change Sunday morning, after the Florida Democratic Party filed a lawsuit in the wee hours seeking to somehow extend voting in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties before Election Day.
A spokeswoman said the department made the decision Saturday night after seeing such long early voting lines the last voter wasnt checked in until 1 a.m. Voters in line at 7 p.m. Saturday were allowed to vote.
A loophole in a state law that eliminated early voting the Sunday before Election Day allows elections supervisors to accept in-person absentee ballots through 7 p.m. Tuesday including Sunday, at the elections supervisors discretion.
The elections department had planned to open Sunday for voters to drop off absentee ballots. The change: The office will now open between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to also allow voters who had not previously requested an absentee ballot to do so in person, fill them out on the spot and turn them in. Anyone still in line by 5 p.m will be allowed to cast their ballot. The office is located at 2700 NW 87th Ave., Doral.
The Palm Beach elections supervisor announced Sunday morning that the county would also allow in-person absentee voting.
Broward did not follow suit. Its main and satellite offices will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday only to accept absentee ballots from voters who had already received them. The offices will not allow voters to request and fill out new absentee ballots though voters can call 954-712-1964 and 954-712-1974 on Sunday to request to pick up an absentee ballot on Monday at the satellite office.
Browards main office is located at 115 S. Andrews Ave., Room 103, Fort Lauderdale. The satellite office is located at 1501 NW 40th Ave. (N. State Rd. 7/441), Lauderhill.
Broward elections spokeswoman Evelyn Perez-Verdia said shortly before noon Sunday that many voters were coming in to drop off absentee ballots. They are coming in by the thousands, she said.
Voters across the state can request and cast absentee ballots in person Monday.More here.
@PatriciaMazzei @AmySherman1 @SteveBousquet
The last day of early voting in Florida on Sunday saw an outpouring of black voters for Hillary Clinton, as Donald Trumps campaign insisted hes still got a path however precarious to victory in the state he needs most to clinch the presidency.
As Democrats worked to build an impenetrable Florida firewall for Clinton, late interest from voters led to an evening rush in Broward, the most Democratic county in the state, which reported lines up to two hours long at 7 p.m., the time polls were scheduled to close.
Across Florida, the black-church-based effort known as Souls to the Polls featured choirs, prayer and a last-minute lawsuit that managed to extend voting by two hours in one Miami-Dade County location.
The Rev. Gaston Smith of Miamis Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, speaking to a group that had marched to downtown Miamis Stephen P. Clark Government Center, invoked the legacy of slavery and the civil-rights movement.
We cannot be apathetic and not vote, he said, no matter what the election looks like.
A record 6.2 million Florida voters had cast ballots as of Sunday morning and Democrats held a very slight advantage of about 32,000.
Ballots cast is a gauge of how well both parties are turning out voters, but its not the same as votes. Some Republicans wont vote for Trump, some Democrats wont vote for Clinton, some will choose another candidate and some will skip the race entirely.
More here.
Photo credit: Patrick Farrell, Miami Herald
[This post has now been published on Intercapillary Space and future revisions will take place there:
http://intercapillaryspace.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/transtromers-thoreau.html
]
Trattkantareller (Craterellus tubaeformis)
Five strophes to Thoreau
Runmaro cottages
Rodgull trumpetsvamp (Cantharellus lutescens) and Trattkantareller (Craterellus tubaeformis)
Runmaro
[Image source: https://www.fotoakuten.se/gratisbilder_foto-8315.html So another has left the heavy town'sring of voracious stones. Crystal-clear salt isthe water that comes together round all trueescapers' heads.Up a slow vortex silence has climbed to herefrom the middle of the earth, to put down roots and to growand with a leafy crown to shade the man'ssun-warmed steps.The foot kicks thoughtlessly at a mushroom. A thundercloudgrows big on the rim. Like copper trumpetsthe tree's bent roots sound a note and the leavesscatter frightened.Autumn's wild flight is one's own light cape,its flap-flapping, till once more from frost and ashescomes the flock of calm days to bathe itsclaws in the spring.Believed by nobody is the one who saw a geyser,who escaped the stone-lined well like Thoreau and who knowslike him to vanish deep in inner greenery,wily and hopeful.[Image source: http://riadarabe.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/sweden-revisited.html ***This is my quick translation of one of Tomas Transtromer's early poems (published in, 1954). Previously I've always read Transtromer in Robin Fulton's translations, but now that I'm reading the Swedish I discover that Fulton's translations are often quite free and sometimes not so clear as the original. Of course my own translations are always the clearest! Though in this case I will probably confuse readers with the "steps" at the end of the second stanza: I'm thinking of external wooden steps up to the veranda of a summer cottage.And that's what I think Transtromer had in mind too. Many of the images here relate to the common Swedish summer departure from the city into nature, and the poet himself is the "another" of the poem's opening line.Interesting discussion of the poem by Henrik Gustafsson and Niklas Schioler in the, Fall 1998They also supply translations of the three additional stanzas in the original 1951 version of the poem (they were positioned as 2, 6 and 7). Transtromer realized his poem could get along better without them.I don't really agree with their symbolic interpretation of the thunder and the wild autumn, nor with their over-interpretation of "stenad brunn" in the final stanza as a stagnant well. Google searches confirm that the phrase merely specifies a well lined with stones, but that's how most Swedish wells were made in the past. Sure, the water in a well isn't fast-flowing water, but it oughtn't to be stagnant.[Image source: http://runmaro.ifokus.se/discussions/4d7176f8b9cb46222708405f-svampplockning . This image was taken on Runmaro, the island on the Stockholm archipelago where Transtromer had his summer cottage.]Transtromer himself saw geysers in Iceland in 1951. Geysers are very rare phenomena, there are only about 1,000 worldwide. The poem is characterized by an insistent crossover of images that doesn't necessarily follow the prose sense. (For example the ascending vortex and the man's wooden steps in Stanza 2.) In the fifth stanza it's difficult to ignore the connection between the geyser and the stony well of the following line. Momentarily, we see a Thoreau exploding out of the city-well with a geyser's force. But only momentarily. The verb "flytta" in the following line (to move, leave, depart or flit) is far from explosive. Quietness is re-established. Significant actions, we learn, may often be quiet ones. So, of course, may trivial ones.More distantly, both this geyser and this well make connections with the spring of stanza 4 and the crystal-clear water of stanza 1. The latter, I think, is the icy, only-slightly-saline water of the Stockholm archipelago. And I think the image is of someone swimming, the waters merging round his head rather than over his head.[Image source: http://www.flickriver.com/photos/maddeaboutthewild/popular-interesting/
Labels: Specimens of the literature of Sweden, Tomas Transtromer
The Missoula Family YMCA will join Ys nationwide in providing free childcare on Election Day with its Zoe's Kids Day Out initiative.
Free childcare will be available for children ages 6 weeks through 7 years, and be available to both Y members and nonmembers on Tuesday during two blocks of time: 11 a.m.1 p.m. and 57 p.m. Children may only be checked in by parents, grandparents or legal guardians. ID is required for pickup. Visit ymcamissoula.org/rattle-the-vote.
***
A Carousel for Missoula is scheduled to host a Ride-a-Thon on Wednesday, Nov. 16, starting at 6 p.m. In return for raising at least $200 by calling friends, family, enemies, whoever, asking for donations to keep the ponies going in circles year-round, you get unlimited rides for the evening, food and beverages, and the chance to win prizes.
If you prefer, you can designate a child to ride for you while you make calls, share the fun by enlisting friends to create a team of riders, or nominate a friend or co-worker to ride. Riders will be listed on our website so you can begin collecting donations electronically in advance of the event.
The Carousel can provide contacts of previous donors for you to call, in addition to your own list.
Call 549-8382 to sign up or for more information. if you are unable to participate in the Ride-a-Thon, consider visiting the website carouselformissoula.com to donate.
***
Orange Street Food Farm and Missoula Fresh Markets will be selling bowling balls and pins to support Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids Sake fundraiser, which will take place during the month of November.
Stop by any of the locations and purchase a bowling ball for $5, or a bowling pin for $1. Your name will be written on the bowling ball or pin you purchase and hung proudly on the wall to show your support for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Missoula and the work they do in the community.
Every dollar raised stays in Missoula and helps children who want and need a positive role model in their lives. Big Brothers Big Sisters provides that role model in the form of a big mentor. There are currently over 60 children anxiously waiting for a big.
Do you know where your polling place is?
Go online to the state of Montana's My Voter Page, click the "start" button, enter your information, and you will be taken to a page that will tell you if you are registered to vote,your precinct number, your Senate District, and your House District. You can also view a sample ballot.
Most polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., although some smaller polling places may not open until noon. Please check with your county election office.
What's on the ballot
In addition to candidates on the ballot, you may also write in your vote; however, in Montana, write-in candidates are those who have officially registered with the state by a stated cut-off date, either by filing paperwork, paying a fee, collecting signatures, or some combination of the above. Here are a few of the candidates and issues you will be voting on, along with links to information about each.
United States Representative: On the ballot are Ryan Zinke, Rick Breckenridge, and Denise Juneau.
Ballot issues
Constitutional Initiative 116: CI-116 would add to the Montana Constitution by establishing specific rights for crime victims.
Initiative 177: I-177 would prohibit the use of traps on public lands.A search of the Missoulian website forInitiative 177 brings up mostly opinion pieces, so this is an issue that Montanans feel passionately about.
Initiative 181: This would authorize the state to issue $200 million in bonds over the next decade for research into brain injuries and illnesses. Again, people have strong opinions about this one.
Initiative 182: I-182 would rename the Montana Medical Marijuana Act to the Montana Medical Marijuana Act, among other things.
Public Library bond: This one would grant funds for a new Missoula Public Library.
School District No. 1: This would allow Missoula to acquire 8 acres of land on Bigfork Road for a new Cold Springs School.
The Missoula County Elections Office offers five reminders for voters to ensure a successful voting process.
All ballots are due by 8 p.m. Tuesday.
If voters are registered as absentee and have not yet put their voted ballot in the mail, voters are encouraged to deliver their ballot in person. The Elections Center at the fairgrounds offers a 24/7 ballot drive-thru until Monday and until 8 p.m. Tuesday. Ballots can also be dropped off at the courthouse. Postage is not needed if hand-delivering a ballot. Its important to remember that postmarks do not count. The Elections Office must have received a ballot by the 8 p.m. deadline to be counted on Election Day. The MyVoterPage will indicate whether or not mailed ballots have been accepted by the Elections Office.
The Elections Center, at the Missoula County Fairgrounds, is a voters one-stop-shop to handle all voting needs on or before Election Day.
Elections officials are available to assist voters with extended hours Monday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Elections Center provides a 27/4 ballot drive-thru, 20 election judges to issue replacement ballots if a voter has lost or spoiled theirs, absentee voting, an ADA accessible AutoMark voting machine, and late registration.
Registered voters have until noon Monday at noon to request a ballot. Late registrants have until Monday at noon to complete their registration and receive a ballot before Election Day. Same-day registration opens on Election Day at 7 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. statewide. Voting services close at noon the day before the election to allow elections offices to run polling place reports ahead of the General Election. If voters are registered to vote in-person at their designated polling place and miss the Monday deadline to vote early via absentee ballot, they must appear at their polling place to vote their ballot on Election Day.
If you are a registered voter and have not changed your registration status before the Monday deadline, you must vote at your designated polling place on Election Day.
Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. If voters do not wish to appear at their polling place on Tuesday, the deadline to request an absentee ballot is Monday, Nov. 7, at noon. Statewide, voting services close at noon so that election offices can run polling place reports for Election Day. Voters can check their polling place by visiting MyVoterPageMT.com As a reminder, due to Missoula County Public Schools construction, three polling places have temporarily been reassigned from Rattlesnake, Lowell and Franklin schools.
You can vote early at the fairgrounds by casting an absentee ballot.
Registered voters and those looking to complete late registration can cast their ballot at the Elections Center ahead of Election Day. Go to the Elections Center to request and vote an absentee ballot today.
The ballot is three pages long. To help reduce voting times on Election Day, polling place voters are encouraged to view their precinct-specific ballot on MyVoterPageMT.com.
Sample ballots are available on the Montana Secretary of States MyVoterPage. All those who have not yet cast their ballot are encouraged to view their ballot and review the Voter Information Pamphlet.
With only days remaining, if voters are not already registered to vote, now is the time to go to the Elections Center to register and cast their ballot. Despite many efforts made to reduce wait times on Election Day, including 20 election judges ready to assist voters, it is inevitable that there will be lines at Elections Center. Addressing any voting needs early will drastically cut down on the time it takes for a voter to cast their ballot.
A doctorate in public health. A business analytics master's degree. A graduate certificate in early childhood education.
Many programs approved for the University of Montana over the last four years focus on health and education and fewer appear to be in the liberal arts.
A couple of programs in health and dual pharmacy degrees also are in the works to eventually be considered for approval by the Montana Board of Regents. A data science master's is on the docket as well.
On the other hand, a certificate in film studies that was recommended in a 2015 campus report isn't in the pipeline.
This fall, Montana Commissioner of Higher Education Clay Christian said one action his office and the regents have taken to support UM as it works to reverse a six-year enrollment slide is approving new programs tallied last month at 28 for the UM campus and 18 for Missoula College for the 2014 to 2017 school years.
Another nine are in the official pipeline to be developed.
Many of the programs approved and in the works reflect UM President Royce Engstrom's focus on health and medicine. In his State of the University Address this fall, Engstrom said health professions provide the opportunity for growth at UM.
However, many faculty and other members of the campus community have asked Main Hall to retain UM's focus on liberal arts and sciences. The president said in his address "the campus signaled loudly" that the liberal arts and sciences must remain a foundation to education at UM, and he agreed.
However, Professor Ruth Vanita, chair of Liberal Studies, said this week new programs aren't under development at least in the areas of religion and humanities.
"We were told that existing programs are under threat and new programs would not be approved," Vanita said.
***
Last week, interim Provost Beverly Edmond said new programs and ones in the works reflect an exhaustive review of academic areas on campus.
The "academic alignment and innovation program" report identified areas on campus that were poised for growth, such as those in health, and those that were struggling with enrollment, such as Modern and Classical Languages and Literature.
Edmond said she believes the new programs approved to date adequately reflect support for the liberal arts.
The list of approved programs includes a bachelor's degree in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality studies, and a bachelor's in neuroscience, both launched in the 2015 school year. Others include a bachelor's degree in African American studies for the 2017 school year, and a certificate in African American studies for 2015.
Edmond, though, said it isn't appropriate to "put a line of demarcation" between liberal arts programs and STEM programs traditionally science, technology, engineering, and math, although UM has swapped in entrepreneurship to highlight its strength in business.
"You can't look at any engineering or medical degree program or computer science without having it include in the degree a basic liberal arts general education core," Edmond said.
The strong liberal arts foundation can then catapult students into other graduate fields in science or technology, she said, or traditional liberal arts and sciences programs such as political science and sociology.
Other ideas in the liberal arts and sciences are in discussion based on the review in the "academic alignment and innovation program" report, Edmond said.
For example, she said the campus may propose the Sociology Department add a graduate degree in the future, and UM may take action on an environmental philosophy focus in the Philosophy Department. She said UM also may evaluate how Modern and Classical Languages and Literature might "further enhance their footprint ... at the university."
***
At least in Liberal Studies, though, it appears to be a challenge to gain traction for a single new course, and in Modern and Classical Languages and Literature, the foreign language master's degree was cut last year, according to faculty members.
After the next school year, Hindi may be on the chopping block, Vanita said. Yet UM hasn't had to pay for the course because Liberal Studies successfully applied for funding two years in a row, and the Fulbright program paid for visiting faculty last year and this year, she said.
Since the course is new, it has an experimental label, LSH191, rather than a permanent and descriptive label, Vanita said. But experimental classes can run only three years, so next year will be the last unless something changes, she said.
The program tried to apply for a permanent label but got a red light, Vanita said: "There's no point in applying for a permanent number because it won't be approved."
Yet Hindi is identified as a critical world language by the U.S. Department of State, which offers competitive scholarships to students who want to continue studying the language in India. And President Engstrom has touted the global focus of the education UM is offering.
***
The academic review also identified ways to strengthen programs, and the report suggested an increase in teaching assistants for Modern and Classical Languages and Literature, which went from six assistants to two "over the years." It also recommended a graduate certificate in Film Studies.
"There is currently no graduate program at UM in film, and many MCLL faculty do work in film studies," the report said. "This would align well with the interdisciplinary mission of UM, since it would be available for graduate students in other programs such as English or Media Arts."
Professor Michel Valentin said Modern and Classical Languages and Literature hasn't received additional assistants. On the contrary, he said it has lost assistants, and faculty who have retired in recent years have not been replaced.
"They are axing right and left," Valentin said.
He said he appreciates the big money going toward areas of health and medicine at UM, but he doesn't understand the reason the programs aren't expansively incorporating the humanities.
"The future will be an interfacing of the humanities and the sciences. It's happening all over the world in top-notch universities," Valentin said.
Paul Haber, president of the University Faculty Association, said he hasn't been in discussions about new programs. However, he said it's clear UM wants to create programs that can drive enrollment and respond to workforce needs.
He isn't as interested in the list of new programs as he is in support for existing ones.
"What I'm more concerned about is maintaining the high quality of liberal arts instruction that we've had for years," Haber said.
***
John Cech, deputy commissioner of academic and student affairs in the Commissioner's Office, said many of the jobs in demand in the health care fields require license experience in clinical and nonclinical areas.
UM students receive a background in liberal arts, and as a result, they are in a good position to work in the health care field.
And in health and medicine, he said, UM has been a statewide leader, and the need for professionals in the industry is great.
"Across the board, from nursing to allied health, we're looking to cross the state to expand the opportunity to serve the health care industry," Cech said.
Edmond said UM has been fortunate to have the Fulbright scholars in Hindi, and she was part of a discussion about expanding the offering to a permanent class. However, she also said the demand for Hindi was not as high as student demand for other languages.
"In talking with the dean, it just didn't seem like it was the right time to move that forward," Edmond said.
The interim provost also noted that some actions that come out of the programmatic review "are not immediate" and are still in the discussion phase on campus. In other words, just because the report noted a Film Studies certificate as an idea doesn't mean it'll come to fruition after more consideration.
"Moving any of these to a specific intent to plan requires additional internal actions, deliberations, consideration of resources," Edmond said.
"So while a program like the Ph.D. in public health came from the AAIP (academic alignment and innovation program) and was ultimately moved to a formal intent to plan, which was approved as a new degree, not every recommendation in the AAIP has or will move to the formal new program approval process."
Soft Landing Missoula now has a building where refugee families can land. And it even has a soft armchair, though it sits alone next to the stackable plastic chairs that fill the lobby.
These will be couches soon, said Mary Poole, Soft Landing executive director, as she pulled out more chairs for the rapidly filling room during their open house Sunday afternoon, held to show off their new building.
In fact, many of the rooms in the Stephens Avenue office space were a bit sparse; wishlists were taped up outside of each with items like rugs, plastic totes, computers, extension cords, picture dictionaries (lots!) and toilet paper still needed either to be donated or bought.
Even though its missing some essentials, Poole said they were excited to have a place to welcome refugee families to get together, as well as give their volunteers a base to work out of.
Were just really happy to have a home, finally, she said.
And it turned out Sunday, the human element (and those plastic chairs) were enough to fill the space.
A steady stream of people that included refugees, volunteers, quilters and interested citizens crowded in and out of the office. A healthy din of conversations in multiple languages Swahili, French and English, to name the easily recognizable filled the air.
Soft Landing, a local nonprofit that works with the International Rescue Committee, has welcomed six families from Iraq and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Missoula.
As many as 150 refugees could be resettled in Missoula in the next year, according to a U.S. State Department document presented by Missoula IRC director Molly Short Carr in October.
Soft Landing was able to rent the office after meeting and exceeding their $30,000 fundraising goal, made up of donations from around the country, program director Molly Cottrell said.
The campaign wrapped up just this weekend.
Theyll now turn to raising money to pay their staff, which, along with about 10 volunteers, will use the office after working out of literally every coffee shop in town before this, Cottrell said.
Well, were still all volunteers at this point, she added.
***
One thing the office had plenty of were quilts, with over 30 being donated by several local quilting groups in the last few months, Carel Schneider said.
Schneider, with the Missoula Quilters Guild, is coordinating donations from several different groups, including the guild, Quilts 4 Kids, and the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center. She said plenty of blankets have also been donated by individuals.
Racks and piles of quilts sat in the office Sunday, most of them kids size, but a trunk full of adult-sized blankets sat in the kids play room.
The Guild sewed three special quilts for Soft Landing months ago, Schneider said, when they first heard refugees would be arriving in Missoula. Those were presented at the open house.
The idea is that each family has a large quilt and each kid, hopefully, has a quilt, Schneider said. Something thats theirs.
The storefront office wont be just for Soft Landing employees and volunteers. Half the rooms in the building were dedicated classrooms or learning areas, with one for children, one for adults, and a computer room for Skyping friends and family, building resumes or applying for college.
We just envision this as a gathering space offering different sorts of classes and cultural exchanges, Cottrell said. A space for the community and refugees to come together.
Soft Landing will offer English and general academic tutoring, and Cottrell was excited at the prospect of the families themselves eventually teaching classes for Missoulians to attend.
Those could be language or culture classes, Poole said, or even music or art lessons, as many of the refugees are talented in those areas.
While the new building is their office space, its also a community space, Poole said. She was happy it was open for winter, creating a gathering spot for cold, rainy days.
Anyones welcome to be here and be a part of this space, she said. Its just come, hang.
A display narrating the Irish struggle for independence and the support given by Irelands exiled children in America is now available for viewing at the Mansfield Library at the University of Montana.
Erins Exiled Children: The Irish of America and the Making of Modern Ireland was created in honor of the centennial of Irelands Easter Rising in 1916. It documents the Irish struggle for independence and the role the Irish in America played in keeping their traditions alive.
UM, the Butte Silver-Bow Archives, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Friends of Irish Studies in the West and The Gathering created the exhibit. It is located on the main floor of the library and is free and open to the public during normal library hours.
Traolach O Riordain, director of UMs Irish Studies program, reinforces the importance of the relationship between Ireland and America.
It was the Irish of America who synthesized cultural and political nationalism into a coherent movement that swept through Ireland from the 1890s and led to the Easter Rising and War of Independence, O Riordain said. It was to America that the Irish nationalists came for instructions, political support and financial aid. The nationalists in Ireland and the British government realized as early as the 1880s that the fate of Ireland would be decided in America.''
The exhibit is the product of an Institute of Museum and Library Services planning grant awarded to the Mansfield Library, in partnership with Irish Studies at UM, Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives and University College Cork, Ireland. UMs Irish Studies program and the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives worked together to create this exhibit to educate Montanans about their role in the independence of Ireland. The exhibit debuted at the state Capitol in April 2016 and has since traveled to Anaconda, Butte, Virginia City and Missoula.
The exhibit is the first of three undertakings to celebrate the role of the Irish in Montana in the shaping of modern Ireland. The second was the recent American Conference on Irish Studies and the third will be a series of documentary films in Irish and English.
Alumni win Emmy award for climbing documentary
Five graduates from the University of Montana recently were part of a team of artists that won an Emmy Award for their work on the documentary film Valley Uprising. The film tells the story of Yosemite National Parks counterculture rock-climbing revolution that spanned three generations and still influences the sport today.
The Valley Uprising team received the Emmy for Outstanding Graphic Design and Art Direction during the News and Documentary Awards held Sept. 21 in New York City.
Lead motion designer and art director Barry Thompson pulled together the team of digital artists that included Sari Jones, Greg Twigg, Eric Bucy and Wesley Meeks. All five are graduates of UMs School of Media Arts.
Film directors Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen urged the team to make the viewers hands sweat and make them feel vertigo from the extreme heights, which was challenging because the era of climbing history that the film chronicles was not well documented on video.
Instead the design team relied heavily on photography, bringing still imagery to life by immersing the audience in historic photographs and flying through the images. The result is more than an hour of stunning footage that takes viewers up Yosemites steep vertical walls and places them alongside climbers.
Twigg, who is an associate professor in UMs School of Media Arts, said the team was surprised and honored to win the Emmy.
We knew that our work was solid and extensive, but we were up against some major players in our field, he said. The fact that the majority of the team was made up of UM media arts and arts alums is truly as much a major win here on campus as it is for us individually. It feels really, really great.
In addition to the recent Emmy win, Valley Uprising screened at film festivals around the world and received several awards. Watch a trailer of the film at youtu.be/o86TpaSBcWw.
New biotech company formed at MonTEC
Officials from a new biotech company, Inimmune Corporation, met recently with Gov. Steve Bullock to discuss how the University of Montana connects researchers and entrepreneurs and the potential impacts for the states economy. The meeting was held at the Montana Technology Enterprise Center (MonTEC), UMs business and technology incubator.
Universities play a key role in the development of new technology and bringing it to the marketplace, said Scott Whittenburg, vice president for research and creative scholarship at UM, which is positioned to surpass last years unprecedented record of $87 million in external research funding.
The Inimmune biotech firm emerged from a unique partnership with UM. In February 2015, GSK Vaccines announced consolidation of its research and development operations, resulting in the closure of its research operations in Hamilton later that year. Having worked together for more than 15 years and not wanting to leave Montana, the research team needed to find the necessary laboratory space and infrastructure capable of supporting a large, multidisciplinary research program.
Enter UM. Seeing the potential connections between the universitys research mission and its available resources for technology transfer and entrepreneurship, officials began exploring possibilities with the research team. The team forged a public/private partnership, resulting in the transfer of over $20 million in National Institutes of Health research contracts and equipment to UM.
Inimmune is uniquely positioned to expand into a growing immunotherapy sector by harnessing the immune system to treat diseases with a high unmet medical need, said Jay Evans, president and CEO of Inimmune. The company is focused on the discovery and development of new therapeutics for treatment of allergy, autoimmunity, upper respiratory tract infections and cancer.
Earlier this year, 15 employees from the GSK-Hamilton research team were hired at UM, including five new faculty members. Between Inimmune and the university, the team has expanded to 22 employees and will grow to 25 by the end of the year.
There are many benefits to come from this new partnership. Among them, UM has proposed a new Center for Translational Medicine, with this highly experienced team of researchers at the core. It will assist UM faculty in translating research ideas from the laboratory to practical applications. Evans will direct the new center and seek to expand opportunities for biotechnology partnerships at UM and prepare students for careers in the biotech industry. Evans said this collaboration was what sparked the creation of Inimmune.
After meeting with officials, the governor toured the Inimmune laboratories and discussed plans for creating additional research facilities on the UM campus.
As Montanas economy grows and diversifies, getting research breakthroughs to market quickly propels new innovations, new businesses and more technical, high-paying jobs for Montana, Bullock said.
***
Missoula Colleges nursing program receives continuing accreditation
The Nursing Program at Missoula College University of Montana has earned continuing accreditation at the highest level from the National Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.
Continuing accreditation, based on a rigorous evaluation of nursing instruction, curriculum and facilities, requires meeting six standards set by the national commission and was granted in August after the submission of a self-study report and an on-site evaluation visit. Each standard addresses specific areas, including mission and administrative capacity, faculty and staff, students, curriculum, resources and outcomes.
We have an awesome faculty and staff who constantly strive not only to meet the accreditation standards but also to exceed them, said Dixie McLaughlin, Missoula College Nursing Program director. Nursing faculty are tasked with developing and regularly reviewing our curriculum to ensure integrity, rigor and currency, which they do with inordinate skill and knowledge.
More than 300 students at Missoula College are enrolled in pre-nursing, with approximately 76 students in the Nursing Program. The program prepares students to be competent and caring individuals who assist in meeting the health care needs of Missoula and surrounding communities. Program graduates receive a Registered Nursing degree and have high-demand job opportunities in the nursing field in hospitals and other facilities, depending on their specialty.
In 2015, every student in Missoula Colleges Nursing Program passed the required Council Licensure Exam. Due to this, students in the Nursing Program had an overall licensure pass rate of 94 percent, compared to 85 percent nationwide.
Missoula Colleges Nursing Program also has the approval of the Montana Board of Nursing.
The re-accreditation is in effect for the next eight years.
To learn more about the Nursing Program, visit mc.umt.edu/nursing.
When Montanas Democrat U.S. Sen. Jon Tester pulled wolves off the Endangered Species List by congressional fiat using a rider on an unrelated spending bill, a chill went through the conservation community. It was unprecedented in the nearly four decades since the Endangered Species Act was signed into law and many predicted other politicians would follow Testers example if and when any endangered plants or animals got in the way of resource extraction.
Last week those fears that politics would again trump science came true as Montanas Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines announced his plan to urge Congress to overturn a judicial ruling that protected dwindling populations of Canada lynx.
In his dear colleague letter to fellow members of Congress, Daines unleashed a barrage of hyperbole obviously intended to inflame the issue, calling it a disastrous ruling and urging Congress not only to nullify the courts decision, but to enact meaningful forest reform that will remove this sort of absurd regulatory burden. Mind you, what Daines is calling an absurd regulatory burden is the Endangered Species Act, which is written precisely to regulate activities that are driving the planets species to extinction.
Now maybe its possible that Steve Daines knows more about lynx than the biologists who spend their entire careers studying this elusive wild cat. But thats highly unlikely since he has not particularly evinced any scientific or biological acumen in any of his statements. Or maybe Daines is so prescient that he can see the web of life in all its complexity and has determined we can do without lynx since, after all, they have virtually no commercial value except for their fur, which is now primarily supplied by captive breeders.
But Daines may have a tougher task than did Tester in delisting wolves. Wolves, after all, are top level predators. They kill game, which Tester used to inflame hunters by suggesting decimation of the states prized elk herds. That, by the way, didnt happen, as clearly indicated by the number of hunting districts that are at or above elk population goals and the recent decision to enact shoulder seasons to further reduce elk populations.
And of course wolves kill livestock, albeit many times when those livestock are grazing the same public lands inhabited by the wolves. But sheep and cattle obviously continue to take priority over any wild predators on public lands, a tradition Tester was only too glad to continue.
Lynx, on the other hand, are so elusive even the biologists who study them have a tough time finding them. And no, they dont kill livestock. The only game they predate upon are snowshoe hares, which is why lynx have large furry paws to keep them on top of the snowpack to chase the equally well-equipped and accurately named snowshoe hares. So Daines is going to have a tough time trying to convince his congressional colleagues that lynx are much of a threat to anything. Well, anything that is except the continuing deforestation of the Rockies by a timber industry that has, through over-harvesting in the past, literally cut itself out of a future. The big, old growth trees are mostly gone from the remaining forested lands in the West. And whats left of those old growth forests are precisely what lynx and snowshoe hares rely upon for their existence.
Its also worth noting what Daines decided not to include in his letter the real background on the lynx and the part Julie McDonald, a now-disgraced political appointee during the G. W. Bush administration, played in manipulating scientific data for threatened and endangered species to appease Bushs resource extraction and development allies.
As John Meyer, the attorney whose Cottonwood Law Firm won the ruling Daines wants reversed, told reporters: Its ironic that the whole reason we won the case was because of political interference. If (the Bush Administration) had allowed the Fish and Wildlife Service to designate critical habitat properly, the Forest Service wouldnt have this problem on their hands.
Indeed, in 2007 McDonalds perfidy forced her to resign her position in the Department of Interior after an internal investigation found she had "injected herself personally and profoundly in a number of Endangered Species Act decisions."
The Canada lynx has just as much right to existence as any other inhabitant of our planet. And if that means a few less clearcuts for the timber industry, so be it. Extinction, on the other hand, is final a fact Senator Daines seems to have overlooked.
Congratulations to those Montana elected officials, candidates and policy makers who attended the Montana State Conference on Mental Illness from Oct. 26-28 in Helena.
To those officials who did not attend: You missed a great opportunity to learn cost-effective, I say it again, cost-effective ways to better help our neighbors, relatives and co-workers who struggle with a substance abuse problem or a mental illness or both.
These cost-saving means also free up our hard-working police and emergency room personnel who have to spend valuable time processing as criminals those who need help, not jail.
Linda Aronson,
Darby
KALISPELL (AP) The final person involved in a Flathead Valley poaching case has been sentenced for his role in the illegal shooting of 15 deer and a cow elk.
Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials say nine young men were prosecuted on charges that they hunted out of season, used artificial lights and wasted game animals. The sentences, which wrapped up on Nov. 1, included over $16,000 in fines and restitution and the loss of a total of 47 years of hunting, fishing and trapping privileges.
Agency spokesman John Fraley said most of those involved were high school students under the age of 18.
Most of the animals were killed in the Flathead Valley, although a trophy whitetail buck was killed in Liberty County.
FWP officials thanked the school resource officer at Flathead High School for his help with the investigation.
For example, in recent days, Mr. Trump has campaigned in New Mexico, a state he has no chance of winning. Candidates can get more money and adjust their message, but the one thing they cant do is make more time; every wasted hour in a noncompetitive state is a grave error. Mrs. Clinton continues to go on the offensive in states like Arizona, where the race is close.
Big data is a buzzword, but that concept is outdated. Campaigns have entered the era of little data. Huge data sets are often less helpful in understanding an electorate than one or two key data points for instance, what issue is most important to a particular undecided voter.
With little data, campaigns can have direct, highly personalized conversations with voters both on- and offline, like an ad on a voters Facebook page addressing an issue the voter is passionate about. In 2016, we see that online political engagement rates (especially for young voters) are at a historic high.
This is why campaigns no longer pay much attention to public polls, which often use conversations with just a few hundred people to make predictions about the entire electorate. Getting a truly representative sample has become ever more difficult because of the growing percentage of households with only cellphones, the number of voters who prefer to speak a language other than English, and the difficulty in contacting younger voters, who generally dont have landlines.
Smart campaigns can use little data to solve these problems. They look at public data sets that list each registered voters name, address, party registration and election participation history. By analyzing these voter files, they develop an accurate idea of the makeup of the electorate. Rather than rely on voters (frequently inaccurate) estimates of their own likelihood to vote, these campaigns look at their turnout record, thus getting a very precise idea of who likely voters really are. The media outlets that conduct national polls usually cant afford to do this.
Even the best public polling can tell us only about broad categories of voters not much help guiding a personalized conversation via text message, as is more common with voters in 2016 than it was even in 2012.
Its a free for all
The senatorial fight begins to grow warm
These headlines on Dec. 31, 1894, focused Anaconda Standard readers on the ongoing U.S. Senate contest. Wait a minute the Senate race was still in progress Dec. 31? Wasnt the election Nov. 6? Well, yes. But remember that state legislators elected U.S. Senators then, and they did not meet until January to do that deed.
The 1894 election in Montana was overshadowed by the state capital fight, won by Helena over Anaconda (by the narrow majority of 51.8%), but the vagaries of politics in Montana were well in evidence in other races as well.
Montana only had one senator in 1894, because one seat was vacant. The Legislature in 1893 had failed to choose a senator in one of W.A. Clarks first hard-fought campaigns. Various machinations led to the governor appointing Buttes Lee Mantle to the post, but the U.S. Senate did not seat him, in part because of opposition to cases where gubernatorial appointments came about due to legislative inaction and perhaps in part through Clarks lobbying. In any case, the newly elected 1894 Legislature would meet in January 1895 to elect two senators instead of the usual one: first a short-termer to fill out the vacant slot and the other to the regular six-year term.
With a Republican majority in the Legislature, the contests were basically among Republicans (leaving Clark in the cold until 1899). Which of the two winners would serve the four- and six-year terms? That was not decided until the Legislature conducted the election itself in January. Ultimately, Lee Mantle Butte mayor in 1892, founder of the Inter Mountain newspaper, brothel owner, and player in the Destroying Angel case filled the short term and served from 1895 to 1899 while Thomas Carter, a Helena lawyer, was chosen for the regular term and served from 1895 to 1901 (and a later Senate term as well, 1905-11).
Governor John Rickards, who had appointed Lee Mantle to fill the vacancy in 1893 which he ultimately did not fill, was also a candidate. Although Rickards was a Butte real estate and insurance businessman, apparently some of Mantles supporters rejected the governor as an outsider. For his part, as reported in the Anaconda Standard, Rickards said, I am ready to shake hands with Mr. Mantle at any time as a friend and as a stalwart, faithful, hard-working Republican.
DILLON The 2016-17 Bank of Commerce Performing Arts Series and University of Montana Western fine arts department present Montana Shakespeare in the Schools' production of "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
Performances starts at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Beier Auditorium on the Montana Western campus in Dillon.
Director Bill Brown said the play explores themes that resonate with young adult audience such as conflicts between young and old, stability and change, and the difficult decisions we all must make in the face of tremendous loss.
Montana Shakespeare in the Schools is an outreach program of Montana State Universitys College of Arts and Architecture. Performances this fall are supported by grants and corporate sponsorships as well as hundreds of individual donors.
This fall marks the 24th season the MSIS touring program will bring a live Shakespearean play and workshops directly to middle schools and high schools. Of the 48 schools visited last year, the company performed on or near six of Montanas seven Indian reservations, and 30 percent of the schools were located in communities with a population of less than 1,000, the smallest being Highwood, population 189.
Individual performance tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youth at the door. UMW students are admitted free.
Season tickets (including three remaining productions) are $40 for adults. To purchase, call 406-683-7101.
Do you like free stuff? Here's how you can score free pizza, cookies and more just for voting.
It happened because a white man was scared.
Chase Coleman was on a park road, probably lost and confused, having straggled far behind the pack -- hes a cross-country runner from Syracuse, N.Y. -- when the white man got out of his car and shoved him. A witness said Chase flew back 10 feet and landed on his backside.
Because that white man was scared.
He had no reason to be. As described by witnesses in the Washington Post and on Syracuse.com, Chase is a gangly black kid, 15 years of age, who weighs about 130 pounds. The white man is said to be very tall and to weigh twice that.
But that white man was scared.
Fifty-seven-year-old Martin MacDonald told police he feared that Chase -- on foot, unarmed, wearing a runners uniform with a number pinned to his chest -- might mug MacDonalds wife, who was in the car next to him. MacDonald was also incensed the boy did not respond to his commands to get out of the road.
But Chase has autism and is nearly nonverbal. He doesnt respond to much of anything.
Except running. Hes not very good at it, often finishes last. But his mom says being on his high school track team is one of the few ways he has ever been able to participate with others, to connect to the world beyond his unknowable thoughts. He loves running.
Or did. Chase turned in his uniform after the Oct. 14 incident.
His mother sought a warrant to arrest her sons attacker on a charge of harassment, which carries a maximum 15-day sentence. In an act of breathtaking moral obtuseness, a judge in Rochester, where this happened, turned her down. In a victory for systemic bigotry, the judge is African American. On Monday, police said their investigation was ongoing.
Which is all well and good. But try to picture some burly black man assaulting an autistic white boy. Try to conceive of authorities still hemming and hawing about it almost three weeks later. You cant. Not even Stephen King has that much imagination.
How many times have black people bled because white men were scared? Of retribution or uprising. Of robbery or rape. Of social equality and the loss of place and prerogative. Of blackness itself.
Tamir Rice was shot and killed within two seconds because a white man was scared.
Trayvon Martin was stalked and killed because a white man was scared.
Levar Jones was shot while complying with a state troopers command because the trooper, a white man, was scared.
White mens fear has long been the story of black peoples lives and deaths. It is a story told in spectacle lynchings and burning schoolhouses, in poll taxes and restrictive covenants.
Someone will say violent crime statistics justify a white mans fear. They dont. To the contrary, they warn that if you are fated to be victimized, the attacker will probably look a lot like you.
Someone else will say that not all white men are scared and that some actively fight against fear. This, of course, is true.
But what does that matter to Chase? How do you explain any of this to an indrawn boy who had been used to adults being kind to him? How do you tell him that he terrifies some people just by standing in a road, lost? How do you make him understand what can happen when white men are scared?
Consider that a man assaulted him, then justice betrayed him, suggests that it could have been much worse. Then ask yourself:
Who should be frightened of whom?
-- Leonard Pitts Jr. is a columnist for The Miami Herald.
Last Monday was a sunshine day in Montana. A U.S. District Court judge in Missoula upheld the constitutionality of the states campaign finance disclosure laws.
To understand the significance of Judge Dana Christensens ruling, consider that Montanas campaign laws have been under continuous attack since the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United. Proponents of unlimited election spending have overturned the states anti-corruption law and challenged the states contribution limits and other laws intended to keep Montana elections fair and open.
Organized three years ago, Montanans for Community Development reports no members, telephone number, email address or website. It isnt incorporated in the state of Montana and has neither applied for nor received U.S. Internal Revenue Service recognition that it is tax exempt. The only thing the public really knows about Montanans for Community Development is that it wants to send out mailings praising some Montana candidates and criticizing others without reporting legally required information to the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices.
MCD filed a federal lawsuit on Sept. 3, 2014, seeking an injunction to prevent Montana Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl from enforcing Montana law during the 2014 election season. Christensen and the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the injunction.
In June 2015, MCD amended its complaint and again appealed to the Ninth Circuit judges to intervene, but the appellate court declined. On Dec. 31, 2015, MCD filed a third complaint, this time alleging 23 counts in 93 pages.
On Monday, Christensen dismissed each MCD allegation in a well-reasoned 53-page decision. He dismissed MCD claims for lack of standing, for being moot, and threw out its claims that Montana law was vague.
In upholding the constitutionality of Montana law, Christensen cited the U.S. Supreme Courts Citizens United opinion, which though it opened the floodgates for big money in elections, also said: Disclosure requirements are constitutional because though they may burden the ability to speak (they) do not prevent anyone from speaking.
Christensen rejected MCDs argument that the Montana reporting forms were too much of a burden. Some forms would take about 10 minutes to complete, the judge wrote.
It is common sense that in order to inform the electorate about a committees spending or receipt of funds before an election, these events must be reported on a continual and timely basis, Christensen wrote. Second, the court strenuously disagrees with MCD that electronic reporting is burdensome. Electronic reporting allows for timely reporting and furthers the states interest in transparency. Further, the United States Supreme Court has recognized the benefits of electronic reporting.
Its no coincidence that one of MCDs attorneys was involved in Citizens United. James Bopp is from Indiana, but has offices in Montana, all the better to challenge our laws so other outsiders can try to influence our elections.
Montana voters should take notice of another attorney-client connection: Anita Milanovich, the lead attorney for MCD, is also the attorney for Greg Gianfortes gubernatorial campaign. Contacted by the Associated Press for comment on the MCD decision, a Gianforte spokesman didnt applaud the victory for public disclosure.
But Gov. Steve Bullock understood that Montana won an important case. The best way to get rid of the shadows it to turn up the sunshine, and thats what our Legislature did, Bullock told AP, referring to the Disclose Act that he championed in the 2015 session. Sponsored by Sen. Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip, the bill passed with bipartisan support. Although MCD initially filed before the Disclose Act became law, the amended complaint included objections to the new law and the administrative rules implementing it.
Voters need to know who is putting out information, especially because there are no requirements that election ads be truthful. Courts have ruled that would be an unconstitutional limit on free speech. Knowing who is speaking or paying for the speech helps voters evaluate the veracity and relevance of the words and images that are bombarding them on TV, social media and in their mailboxes.
Montanans won big this week. Christensen upheld our right to know whos speaking and spending in our elections.
MUSCATINE, Iowa - Friends of Pine Creek Grist Mill invite the public to its November meeting which will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12 at the Muscatine County Extension Office on Isett Street in Muscatine. Come to the back door.
Anyone interested in the history, restoration or interpretation of this historic 1848 mill should come. It is believed to be the oldest working grain mill between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains. Friends of Pine Creek Grist Mill have also rebuilt an 1850's log cabin next to the Park. Come meet the dedicated volunteers and the Park staff while learning about what the organization does.
MUSCATINE, Iowa From Maine to Hawaii, from Alaska to Florida, citizens of the United States will be casting their ballots for federal, state, and local elections that will determine the future of the country. From determining who will be the 45th president of the United States to the individuals who will serve as a Muscatine County Agricultural extension council member, decision day is finally here.
The process began a long time ago and Tuesday marks the end of a frantic period of campaigning that actually began with the Iowa Caucus on Feb. 1, 2016. With 17 candidates vying for the Republican nomination and three for the Democratic nomination during the primary season, voters are now down to two Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
Sometime Wednesday the United States will have a President-Elect, or at least we hope that is the case.
If you are one of more than 8,000 that have went through the early voting process in Muscatine County you can sit back and enjoy the day. If you are one of the over 20,000 registered voters who have yet to vote go vote.
Following is information you may need to find when to vote, where to vote, or to register to vote on Election Day.
When are the polls open? The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. throughout Iowa and from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. if you live on the other side of the Mississippi River (in Illinois). In Iowa you have 14 hours to find your polling place and cast your vote on the leadership for local, state, and federal offices.
Where do I go to vote? Your voter registration card has your precinct on it but if you do not know, go here and follow the prompts https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx. If you know your precinct but cannot remember the location, go here http://www.co.muscatine.ia.us/DocumentCenter/View/59.
Registering to vote: Voters can register on Election Day in Muscatine County and Rock Island County by proving identity and place of residence. Election officials say a driver's license or some other approved card can be used to prove identity. Something like a utility bill or bank statement, which provides name and address, can be used to show residence.
Voting with a disability: Federal law seeks to ensure that people with disabilities can fully exercise their right to vote. People with disabilities have the right to an accessible location and assistance if needed.
By the numbers: As of Saturday, 593,387 Iowans had voted early, either by mail or in person, or about 37 percent of the 2012 turnout. Just short of two million Iowans were registered as active voters, slightly higher than four years ago. In Illinois, 1.3 million people had already cast ballots, and a little more than eight million people were registered as active voters.
Poll watcher rules: Much has been said about the integrity of the ballot and the polling place this election season. In Iowa and Illinois, as in most states, there are rules set up for the parties or other recognized groups to observe the voting process through credentialed individuals who are often called "poll watchers."
Poll watchers can engage in certain activities, including challenging a voter's qualifications.
There also are laws and rules aimed at preventing election fraud or misconduct at the polls. In Iowa, it is illegal to do such things as electioneer, campaign or loiter within 300 feet of a polling place. In Illinois, electioneering, campaigning or loitering is prohibited within 100 feet of a polling place. It also is illegal to interrupt, hinder or oppose a voter approaching a polling place.
What if I see a problem: In Muscatine County, call 563-263-5821
MUSCATINE, Iowa The President of the National Education Association (NEA) visited Democratic headquarters in Muscatine on Saturday to support volunteers in their efforts to encourage residents to vote for Democratic candidates in the upcoming elections.
Lily Eskelsen Garcia, the first Latina president of the NEA and the first woman president of the organization in 25 years, said educators can see the importance of the upcoming election. With more than three million members, and nearly 80 percent of them women, encouraging those members to vote for Hillary Clinton and other Democrats in the election can make a difference she said.
Garcia has been traveling to battleground states, and said each state and city she has visited is important to the outcome of the upcoming election.
"Every community counts," Garcia said.
Members of the NEA from Illinois, many from Chicago and the surrounding area, joined Muscatine residents as they went door to door in Muscatine to encourage residents to vote for Clinton as well as Democrats in local races.
The NEA, Garcia said, takes time to talk with candidates at the local level as well as national, to develop and understanding of their stance on education.
"We've always been aware of how politicians are the ones who make decisions for what happens to our schools," she said. "Whether or not we have a class size of 40 or 20 is dependent on a politician."
From school board to the presidential race, Garcia said educators are watching to see who will be best for schools.
"On the national level, we have never seen a starker difference," she said.
The choice, Garcia said, is clear.
"Donald Trump would be the worst role model that we could possibly think of for our students," she said.
Garcia thanked the Muscatine and Illinois NEA members who volunteered to visit Muscatine and go door to door.
"We are all family, we are all part of this," she told the crowd.
When given the opportunity to question her, Garcia said, minority children often ask if Trump will send their parents back to Mexico.
"He's scaring kids, and we are not going to sit by and let that happen," she said.
To cheering and applause, Garcia told volunteers to go out into Muscatine and encourage people to vote.
Karen Cooney, an organizer at the Muscatine Democratic campaign headquarters, said NEA members canvassing was a welcome sight.
"It's amazing that they have chosen Muscatine," she said.
Phil Wiese, Democratic candidate for Iowa House District 91, and Democrat Chris Brase, currently seeking his second term as Iowa State Senator for the 46th District, thanked the crowd of volunteers and joined the canvassing efforts on Saturday.
When most of us hear the words Have I got a great deal for you! we grab our wallets because experience suggests any forthcoming deal wont be great.
Similarly, when someone says, Heres the straight talk, our baloney meters redline because we know the coming talk will be about as straight as a hounds hind leg.
We in agriculture, however, often use language like a great deal and straight talk to promote cheap food and arcane farm policy. When someone outside of agriculture questions either view, we not only cling to our righteousness, we go a step further and tell them they are wrong.
In fact, its hard to think of any other sector in the American economy that insists on telling its customers they are wrong.
Need proof? For years nine out of 10 consumers have asked for country of origin labeling (COOL) on retail meat and poultry sold in the U.S.
Wrong! our hog and cattle groups declare; whats best for our meatpackersglobal sourcing and no labelingis whats best for you. Besides, COOL is illegal under the trading rules we helped write!
Little wonder trade took a beating in 2016 election campaigns; the straight talk used to sell these great deals was neither straight nor great.
The latest example of agricultures righteousness comes courtesy of U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, or USFRA, an ag advocacy group funded by farm and commodity organizations and agribusiness.
In late October, USFRA began a straight talk campaign to counter yogurt maker Dannons effort to source its inputs, mostly milk, from farmers who choose to follow the companys new rules on animal welfare and other practices right down to the dirt.
Dannon, the American subsidiary of the French food giant Danone, made no bones about its motives in initiating its sustainable milk program last April. It hoped to tap into the publics growing concern about the source of its food, noted the New York Times.
And, of course, make money doing itjust as companies including Nestle and General Mills and Unilever had done earlier, added the Times. But USFRA did not begin straight talk campaigns against those food giants.
Dannon, however, crossed an unseen line, explained the online ag news service DTN Oct. 27, when it advocated that its milk-supplying farmers commit to sourcing only non-GMO feed for dairy cattle producing milk for three [Dannon] yogurt product lines.
That step, Randy Mooney, a Missouri dairy farmer and chairman of National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), told DTN, was the tipping point. (NMPF, like Dairy Farmers of America, Dannons previous milk supplier, are both members of USFRA.)
Tipping point, shmipping point.
The fight, which Dannon said it welcomed, is not about genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Instead, its about the word sustainable. Dannon has its own definition to fit its own marketing plan, it says, that promotes simplicity and purity of products.
USFRA, too, has a definition of sustainable, noted DTN, and it includes biotechnology and practices that should define sustainable agriculture.
Moreover, USFRA explains, its Dannon campaign is the beginning of a new willingness to publicly call out food companies that criticize food produced with genetically modified organisms.
That should keep the hired hands at USFRA busy for years because calling out food companies that ask farmers and ranchers to deliver what the marketplace demands will be as unending as it will be unsuccessful.
The companies, after all, dont make the market; they follow the market. Thats the way the market works. Thats, in fact, the way it has always worked.
What doesnt workwhats never workedis telling your customer theyre wrong. Show me someone who says the markets wrong, a friend once mused, and Ill show you someone whos on the wrong side of the market.
Exactly. The market is your partner, not your enemy.
2016 ag comm
The Farm and Food File is published weekly through the U.S. and Canada. Source material and contact information are posted at www.farmandfoodfile.com.
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 []
Regulators have discovered that more VW-Group cars were cheating emissions tests, Engadget reported.
The California Air Resources Board reportedly discovered software in Audi cars that hid their CO2 output under examination.
According to reports, the discovery was made four months ago, but neither the regulator nor the vehicle manufacturer disclosed it.
Audis offending software was apparently designed to recognise test conditions and reduce gearing ratios.
However, the California regulator turns the wheel during testing, which disabled the software.
Audi may have used the software until May 2016, several months after Volkswagen was ordered to begin recalling its cars for similar offences.
*Day of the Dead *is one of my favorite holidays.* I have a large collection of Day of the Dead collectibles, and I love to go to local celebrations*. ...
3 hours ago
LOS ANGELES California's lopsided U.S. Senate neared a historic end Monday and voters pondered a long list of ballot questions that could legalize marijuana, end the death penalty and slap cigarette smokers with a $2-a-pack tax increase.
Candidates were out across the state making last-minute appeals for votes, including in close contests that could factor in control of the U.S. House.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Democrat, was in Los Angeles, urging support for a proposition that supporters say would save the state money on prescription drug costs.
In the presidential race, independent polling points to a commanding edge for Hillary Clinton in the strongly Democratic state, with Donald Trump on track for a historically poor showing for a Republican nominee.
Democrats have carried the state in six successive presidential contests dating to 1992, when Bill Clinton won his first term. The last Republican nominee to carry California was George H.W. Bush, in 1988.
In the Democrat-against-Democrat Senate race, state Attorney General Kamala Harris entered the last full day of campaigning as the favorite to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer, a liberal icon who is stepping down after nearly a quarter century in the Senate.
Her rival for the seat, Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange County, planned to make a final appeal for votes in downtown Los Angeles and Anaheim. Harris had a handful of stops scheduled in Southern California, including a rally at the University of Southern California.
Statewide turnout based on mail-in ballots appears to be running roughly equal to the 2012 presidential election, though large numbers of younger and Hispanic voters have yet to enter the mix, said Paul Mitchell of nonpartisan research firm Political Data Inc.
The state witnessed a surge of newly registered younger and Hispanic voters this year, but they tend to be among the most unreliable on Election Day. Latinos make up about a quarter of registered voters, but so far comprise only about 15 percent of the returned mail ballots, according to the research firm.
Over half of new voter registrations this year came from millennials younger people who tend to be more liberal than older Californians.
Across the state, there are more than 400 proposals on ballots to raise taxes or borrow money as governments struggle to keep up with costs for everything from road paving to skyrocketing pension obligations.
Voters are being asked to legalize the recreational use of medical marijuana 20 years after the state first allowed medicinal pot use. There are two proposals on the death penalty one would repeal capital punishment, the other would speed up appeals so convicted murderers are actually executed.
The Senate contest marks a generational and demographic shift in the state that is growing increasingly diverse in population and favorable for Democrats.
The Democrats-only race marks the first time since voters started electing senators a century ago that Republicans will be absent from California's general election ballot, reaffirming the GOP's diminished stature in the state.
Boxer, who is white and turns 76 this week, will be replaced by one of two Baby Boomers.
Harris, 52, could become the first Indian woman and the second black woman elected to the Senate. Harris' father is Jamaican and her mother is from India.
If 56-year-old Sanchez pulls off an upset, the daughter of Mexican immigrants could become one of the first Latinas to hold a U.S. Senate seat.
The matchup between Harris and Sanchez is seen as a harbinger of things to come in the nation's most populous state. Voters could increasingly find only two Democrats to pick from for top offices in November elections.
Despite its historic dimension, the contest was overshadowed by the race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and ignored by many voters, especially Republicans who ended up without a candidate. And as two Democrats they largely agree on many issues, including the need to fight climate change and protect abortion rights.
The two Democrats emerged from a 34-candidate primary in June, in which only the top two vote-getters advanced to November. None of the Republicans managed to break out of single digits in voting.
Harris became the favorite of the Democratic establishment, winning endorsements from President Barack Obama, Gov. Jerry Brown, Boxer and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California. With Harris the pick of the party establishment, Sanchez became an outsider who openly sought Republican votes and criticized Obama for backing her rival.
Their rivalry revolved around who was best suited for the job a career prosecutor with liberal credentials who touted her experience fighting big banks and environmental criminals, or a 10-term member of the House known as a moderate, with experience in national security and military affairs.
Sanchez struggled to raise money and was slowed by verbal flubs, at one point apologizing after a videotape surfaced showing her making a whooping cry in reference to Native Americans.
Electric car owners will get a real charge from a new filling station in south Napa.
The Allied Clean Fuels Plaza at 231 Devlin Road held an unofficial opening on Friday. That means electric vehicles plus traditional gas-powered cars can now fuel up or charge up for free on their way in or out of town.
The Plaza, developed by Allied Propane Services of Napa, has been in the works for more than four years, said longtime business owner Stan Teaderman.
After receiving the appropriate approvals to build the site next to its south Napa headquarters, Teaderman said the company was also careful to make sure it was visually appealing from Highway 29.
Were in the gateway of this world-renowned wine growing region, said Teaderman. We want our facility to look really nice (and) make Napa Valley very proud.
The Allied Clean Fuels Plaza covers four acres and offers both retail and commercial fuel products such as clean-burning fuels, propane Autogas, biodiesel and other diesel products, liquid natural gas and compressed natural gas.
Tesla electric car owners have their choice of eight Tesla Supercharge stations the first in Napa County which can charge a vehicle in about 30 minutes. They have been in use for some months.
There are also four charging stations for other electric cars such as the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf.
The addition of a Supercharger in Napa will hopefully allow Tesla car owners to travel further and stay longer, said Lisa Poppen, vice president, marketing and communications at Visit Napa Valley.
A Circle K convenience store and a Chevron retail fueling station may be one of the most-used parts of the plaza.
Teaderman said the market is 3,400 square feet and described it as an upscale convenience store that will provide a variety of coffee, tea, pastries, a deli area, craft beers and high-end wine.
The plaza and store will be open 24-hours-a-day.
When asked about the cost to develop such a complex, Teaderman declined to comment, only that weve spent millions on the project.
The eight Supercharge stations in Napa are especially good news for Tesla drivers.
Currently, the only other Tesla Supercharge stations in the Bay Area are found in Petaluma, Vacaville, Dublin, San Mateo and Mountain View and Fremont. There are 312 Superchargers in the United States and 736 in the world.
Many hotels, wineries, parking garages and other businesses in Napa Valley have installed electric car chargers, but those take much longer to charge a Telsa than a Supercharge station.
Having a Supercharger in Napa is huge, said Tesla owner Michael Fortson of San Francisco. Especially for people coming from the city and driving to Napa as a destination.
It makes it so much easier to drive in the area and not having to worry about range. Knowing you can stop there and fill up again is very reassuring.
Forston said he visits Napa Valley three to four times a year. We went to Calistoga a couple weeks ago and the Napa Supercharge was just perfect for that, he said.
With the way that the Tesla has re-kindled our love of road trips, I can see us visiting the Napa Valley region more often especially with the Supercharge now in service.
Forstons only complaint is the location of the station. I would have liked to see them put it somewhere else, he said. A gas station is not a very enticing place to spend a half hour or whatever it takes to fuel up.
Theres an opportunity there for the owner or other businesses nearby to take advantage of these car owners who have more than average disposable income, he said. This thing will be used constantly, he said.
Rob Stelling of Angwin is another Tesla owner.
The new Supercharge station is right where you need it close to Highways 12 and 80, but located off the main highway and on a road with less traffic, he said.
They did this right, he said. In addition, the station isnt too close to town so local Tesla drivers wont clog up all the fast charging stations.
Its also located between Petaluma and Vacaville, the site of the two closest Superchargers.
A Supercharge station and Napa Valley tourism goes hand in hand, he said. Tourists that own Teslas usually have more money than say, Toyota owners, he said.
According to the Tesla website, the cash price to buy a new vehicle ranges from $55,500 (after tax credits and other savings) to $121,500. Used Teslas can be bought for less. According to Visit Napa Valley, area visitors are an affluent group with an average income of $165,070.
Chris James of American Canyon owns a Tesla. He also thinks the Supercharge station is a benefit for Napa. It definitely encourages people to do more road trips up here, he said.
James said he doesnt plan on using the Napa Supercharge station that often because its just as easy to charge at his home although it does take much longer and he pays for the electricity. James estimates it costs about $6 to charge up his Tesla overnight.
However, he would stop at the Supercharge station if he was passing by. I might as well.
James said he was impressed by the plaza itself.
The whole gas station is above and beyond any other gas station. Its lovely inside. Ive never seen a gas station as nice as this.
Andrea Hedemark co-owns Napa-based business Luxury Electric Wine Tours. The business drives clients in a Tesla.
The Supercharge station is absolutely a great thing for Napa, said Hedemark.
We use it every day, she said. Instead of charging her Tesla at home, which can take from three to four hours, she can plug in for free at the Plaza and it only takes about 30 minutes.
That saves Hedemark about $100 to 200 a month on her PG&E bill.
Hedemark said the Supercharge is also a huge benefit for visitors that drive Teslas.
I think well definitely see a lot more visitors driving Teslas because of the Supercharger.
The placement of this charging station struck me as a bit unusual, said Tesla owner Bruce Mah, who lives in the Bay Area.
Most Tesla Supercharge stations are located on major freeways or at service centers in order to support long-distance travel.
However I could see the Napa Supercharge being useful to travelers going up and down the Napa Valley, or perhaps as an alternative to the Superchargers in Petaluma or Vacaville, he said.
On Friday morning, Teaderman said the soft opening at the plaza was going well. Customers were lined up at the door at 6 a.m., he said.
Were happy to see that.
23:54
Finance Ministry says: With a view to curbing financing of terrorism through the proceeds of Fake Indian Currency Notes and use of such funds for subversive activities such as espionage, smuggling of arms, drugs and other contrabands into India, and for eliminating black money which casts a long shadow of parallel economy on our real economy, it has been decided to cancel the legal tender character of the high denomination bank notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denominations issued by RBI till now.
This will take effect from the expiry of November 8, 2016. FICN in circulation in these denominations are comparatively larger as compared to those in other denominations. For a common person, the fake notes look similar to genuine notes.
Use of FICN facilitates financing of terrorism and drug trafficking. Use of high denomination notes for storage of unaccounted wealth has been evident from cash recoveries made by law enforcement agencies from time to time.
High denomination notes are known to facilitate generation of black money. In this connection, it may be noted that while the total number of bank notes in circulation rose by 40% between 2011 and 2016, the increase in number of notes of Rs 500/- denomination was 76% and
for Rs 1,000/- denomination was 109% during this period. New Series bank notes of Rs 500/- and Rs 2,000/- denominations will be introduced for circulation from November 10, 2016.
Infusion of Rs 2,000/- bank notes will be monitored and regulated by RBI. Introduction of new series of banknotes which will be distinctly different from the current ones in terms of look, design, size and colour has been planned.
Read the full statement issued by the finance ministry HERE
As India Inc. extends a warm welcome to British Prime Minister Theresa May, her visit provides an excellent opportunity for India to forge a new dimension of bilateral relations seeking a sense of assurance from the top UK leadership that no adverse impact falls on the Indian trade and industry as a Brexit fall-out, apex chamber ASSOCHAM said. "Even as the global industry and trade stay somewhat anxious about the Brexit fall-out, we get an opportunity to hear first hand from the British Prime Minister herself what the roadmap is for India and UK in terms of re-designing and re-aligning our trade and investment relationship post the exit of Britain from the European Union," the chamber President Sunil Kanoria said in a statement. The latest ruling of the High Court in UK making the Parliamentary approval to Brexit has also added a new dimension to the entire issue and its wider ramifications for the global business, the chamber said. Even as the process of Brexit in terms of legislative issues and negotiations with the European Union (EU) gets underway, both India and UK with a bilateral economic engagement of both goods and services of over 18 billion Pound Sterling should begin working on the new paradigm. On top of the agenda, should be negotiating and signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which should be a win-win for both the countries and be used as a very important trade tool to deal with the economic downturn. "Let us get going and prove it to the world that it is an open trade and investment which can help the global growth and not by shutting the doors," the ASSOCHAM said. It said as services are an area of great strength to both India and the UK in areas like information technology and financial, insurance, the future trade deal must prominently include these as the core of the arrangement. Unlike the trade deals with the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asia Nations), services must be front-loaded, rather than back-loaded in any future trade deal that India signs. "With over 800 Indian companies having operations or trade with the UK, India has a large stake in the smooth transition of the British economy from a part of the European bloc entity to a standalone economy," the ASSOCHAM President said, adding the issue of restrictions on movement of persons, an integral part of the services trade, is also of paramount importance to India. "We should make the best out of the visit of the Prime Minister Theresa and get all Brexit related concerns addressed. These concerns also relate to different sectors like steel, pharmaceuticals, and information technology. (ANI)
OYO Indias largest hotel network has appointed Anil Goel as Chief Technology Officer. Anil joins the Leadership team at OYO to provide strategic direction and strengthen the technology infrastructure powering the Companys business operations. The appointment is pivotal to maintain the Companys momentum as it advances its offerings in the hospitality segment.
Anil joins OYO following a 3-year tenure at Amazon.com as the Global Head of Technology (CTO) for Custome r Returns and Reverse Logistics business. Prior to this, Anil was the CTO at Hike Messenger. He has also spent 15 years in Seattle, working in various technology development and leadership roles at RealNetworks, Capgemini and HyperQuality. A seasoned tech professional, Anil has nearly 20 years of experience in building complex software applications & systems, technology infrastructure and businesses to drive revenue growth, expand customer base and boost profitability.
Speaking on the appointment, Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO OYO said: We are extremely excited to welcome Anil to OYO. We have witnessed tremendous growth during the past year and are poised at the cusp of significant transformation. Anils leadership, vast knowledge and diverse experience will provide added heft to the overall technology drive required in scaling up to meet and deliver the next phase of expansion at OYO.
Coming on board the OYO team, Anil Goel, Chief Technology Officer OYO elaborated: OYO created history through a revolutionary and disruptive business model that had not been attempted anywhere in the world. The complexities in delivering end-to-end stay solutions for guests and innovative and intuitive partner-management-systems along with the strong reliance on Tech to drive business, makes this a great opportunity to contribute to OYOs future growth and evolution. I look forward to working with OYOs vibrant and talented teams.
At OYO, Anil will be responsible for driving the technology strategy and roadmap and cohesively integrating it with OYOs business strategy, simultaneously identifying new opportunities, managing the R&D department, monitoring technological and social trends, communicating the technology plan to partners, management and employees, while maintaining current information regarding technology standards.
Anil holds a B.E. (Hons.) in Electrical & Electronics from BITS Pilani and earned his MBA in Marketing from City University of Seattle. When not busy playing with technology, he likes to go for long runs and cycling. He is also a big fan of adventure sports.
Ahead of UK Prime Minister Theresa May's three-day visit to India from November six to eight, FICCI has reconstituted the India-UK Forum of Parliamentarians as an important initiative to cement bilateral ties through a track two mode. Launched with the objective to strengthen Parliamentary diplomacy that binds India and the UK, the Forum brings together MPs across political ideologies, age group and gender. The Forum is Chaired by Rajya Sabha MP and scholar, Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe. Welcoming the timely move, Dr. Sahasrabuddhe said "In the light of recent developments in Europe, the relevance of greater co-operation between India and Britain has greatly enhanced. Social and civilization values like Democracy, Universal fraternity, Open economy and Desire to engage for mutual benefit are common to both." President FICCI Harshavardhan Neotia said that as India's national industry association, FICCI has a multi-pronged international outreach strategy. Through the India UK Forum of Parliamentarians, our endeavor is to supplement traditional channels of engagement by creating a track two dialogue process to build greater understanding between elected representatives of India and UK in a cordial atmosphere and a neutral platform. In the coming months, we look forward to rolling out a series of initiatives under the able guidance of Dr. Sahasra buddhe. Under the Forum, FICCI plans to organize a series of policy dialogues on topics of critical significance to India and UK including the proposed FTA, post Brexit developments and deliberations on the India UK Strategic Partnership. An outbound delegation to UK is being planned for early 2017 to engage with the UK Parliament, diaspora and industry. FICCI has similar bilateral Forums of Parliamentarians with strategic partner countries such as United States, Germany and Japan to facilitate a track two mechanism for wider exchange of views and experiences amongst elected representatives from India and their peers in other countries on bilateral and global issues, leadership and the institution of democracy. (ANI)
To commemorate the visit of John McCallum, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Canada, DataWind on Monday signed two Memorandums of Understanding(MoU), one with A K Education Pvt. Ltd and the other with Carleton University in the presence of the Minister, who also visited DataWind Innovations, manufacturing facility in Amritsar. The MoU was signed for testing of DataWind's patented technology, software solutions and products across India. "My mission to India is an ideal opportunity for us to share knowledge and expertise in key areas, including technology and education. We are proud that Canada based company DataWind, has become India's largest tablet player and is contributing immensely in the field of education by offering rich content to the Indian student community," Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Canada, John McCallum said. "I and the entire team of DataWind are extremely humbled by the presence of Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, from Canada- John McCallum who has taken his time out to visit our Amritsar facility. On behalf of all of us at DataWind, I sincerely thank the Minister and members of his delegation for their presence here,"President and CEO, DataWind Inc., Suneet Singh Tuli said. DataWind Innovations also signed an MoU with Canada India Centre of Excellence at Carleton University, Ottawa at the occasion. The Memorandum is to facilitate and promote co-operation between Datawind Innovations and the Carleton University, with a view to supporting and imparting knowledge through Technology, research collaboration, and other forms of academic partnerships. To meet the educational challenges in India, DataWind is working towards addressing the key demands of a large population, whose poor communities often face disproportionally high illiteracy rates. The company is focused on expanding the roll-out of its tablets for the students, which are Designed to be affordable, deliver high quality educational content and free apps, and also to provide internet access at the lowest cost or for free, where possible. DataWind is a leader in low-cost Internet connectivity for emerging markets. DataWind's mission is to bring the Internet, which has the ability to create tremendous social and economic benefits, to billions of unconnected people in the developing world.(ANI)
Addressing the inaugural session of the India-UK Tech Summit here, May said that Britain believed in free trade between the two countries.
"We believe in free trade...we can breakdown barriers and improve trade," she said.
May said India invests more in UK than in any other European country, and similarly the UK invests in India more than other any other G-20 country.
May also talked about common values of democracy and rule of law between the two nations, saying that a large number of Indian origin people live in the UK and the two nations "can work together to shape the future".
The visiting leader also expressed hope to take bilateral trade to the next level.
She also announced that Indian business visitors would now be eligible for the Registered Traveller Scheme of the UK which is aimed at a facilitative visa regime.
She stressed that with Brexit, the UK would forge a new global outlook and her visit to India is aimed at greater trade and investment and fewer trade barriers.
The British Prime Minister, who is on a three-day India visit, is accompanied by a large trade delegation.
--IANS sk/rn
( 231 Words)
2016-11-07-13:52:04 (IANS)
New Delhi [India], Nov 7 (ANI-NewsVoir): Selfie lovers have a reason to rejoice as The Washington Apple Commission (WAC) has announced an exciting Facebook contest for their consumers. To participate in the "I Love Washington Apples!" photo contest, all you got to do is click a selfie of yourself enjoying a Washington Apple and post the photo on WAC Facebook page with the hashtag #WashingtonApples. Winning photos will be those with the highest numbers of "Reactions" at the end of the contest time period, which will run till November 30th, 2016. The excitement doesn't end here, one grand prize winner and three first prize winners will be selected at the close of the contest. The grand prize winner will be the entrant with the photo receiving the highest number of total "Reactions" (Like/Love/Wow etc.) and the first prize winners will be the photos with the second, third and fourth highest numbers of total reactions over the contest. The winners will be announced on or around Friday, December 2nd and prizes will be shipped on or before December 15, 2016. "We all love taking selfies, don't we? And what's exciting is that you get to be healthy with the apples while you click some great pictures to share with your friends and family. Not to forget the joy of winning some exciting prizes from the house of Washington Apples. We are certain that we will receive a great response from this contest," said India Representative Washington Apple Commission, Keith Sunderlal. So what are you waiting for? Go grab your favorite Washington Apple right away, click a selfie and don't forget to get maximum likes for your picture! Rules to participate Participants will have to Like the Washington Apples India Facebook page to enter the contest. Every week, the Washington Apples India Facebook page will be posting two contest entry posts to inform the participants about the contest. Participants will have to post a photo of themselves with a Washington Apple or eating a Washington apple with the hashtag #WashingtonApples in the comments section. The entry needs to be your own and original failing which will result in disqualification. In order to win, you have to get the maximum number of Reactions (Likes / Love / Wow, etc.) on your entry. You can submit more than one entry, but only one entry will be chosen in case of maximum Reactions. (ANI-NewsVoir)
According to NSE, TAIFEX Nifty 50 futures is a "New Taiwan Dollar" (TWD) denominated contract and the first Indian equity index futures product to be introduced in Taiwan.
"Nifty 50 represents one of the fastest growing economy in the world. It's an inevitable choice for global investors who want to invest in India," said Chitra Ramkrishna, IISL (India Index Services and Products Limited) Chairperson, and Managing Director and Chief Executive of the NSE.
"Going forward, investors from Taiwan can take a view on the top 50 Indian companies representing multiple sectors in India by investing in TAIFEX Nifty 50 futures," Ramkrishna was quoted as saying in a statement.
The stock exchange platform said the TAIFEX Nifty 50 futures is TWD 50 per index in contract size, and will trade from 8:45 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Taiwan time, covering the entire trading session of the Indian market.
"These contracts provide useful hedging tools for investors who have India market exposure and need to manage risk from market fluctuations," the statement said.
--IANS ppg-rv/vt
( 205 Words)
2016-11-07-16:26:03 (IANS)
New Delhi [India], Nov 7 (ANI-NewsVoir): Manav Kedia, 17, has announced the launch of his new website, www.manavkedia.com, through which he is portraying his artwork and selling paintings made by underprivileged children. An upcoming painter, he devotes his time teaching the underprivileged to further their cause and create awareness about the same. At a young age, Manav Kedia has shown that working towards a social cause needs only determination. The artworks by the underprivileged children are reasonably priced between Rs. 500 - Rs. 1500, to motivate more people to contribute towards the betterment of the society without burning a hole in their pocket. Visit http://www.manavkedia.com/buy-for-cause/ to know more. The underprivileged children are taught by Manav Kedia, who then sells their artworks to collect funds for donation purposes, which ultimately enriches the lives of these children. As per him, "I wanted a digital platform to showcase my work and at the same time I wanted to utilize this platform to showcase the talent these children possess and sell the paintings made by them, to gather funds for their welfare as well as other social causes." He further adds, "I am excited about the website launch and the wealth of information it provides to prospective buyers of artwork by underprivileged children, media, etc. to better understand how art can help transform lives." Manav Kedia is also associated with Parvaah, a Charity Organization based out of New Delhi, which also has a branch in Jaipur that addresses issues on child education, environment degradation and social inequity. Manav Kedia heads the Planning & Execution department for its Jaipur division. Beinga young painter, he also takes initiatives to raise awareness about issues faced by the transgender community in India. The same is also covered extensively in the website ( www.manavkedia.com/journal/). (ANI-NewsVoir)
The government here on Monday called for free trade across sectors, including smart cities and manpower, between India and the UK as the two countries signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on ease of doing business and protecting intellectual property rights (IPR). "UK seems to want Indian market, Indian goods but not Indian talent," Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters, adding that the issue of visa fee and student visa was raised in the bilateral talks. Sitharaman was speaking at a press briefing on the sidelines of the three-day India-UK Tech Summit starting on Monday. The summit was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Premier Theresa May, who is on a three-day official visit to India. "The MoU on ease of doing business was towards sharing of best practices and technical assistance on certain parameters. It covers state governments as well," Sitharaman said. It will help India get technical know-how on certain parameters in which the UK has expertise, Sitharaman added. NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said, "India should push the limit when it comes to enhancing trade and investment with the UK after Brexit." Kant added that free trade should be across the board as there is no such thing as selective free trade. He was speaking at a session at the India-UK Tech Summit organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). There is need for free trade in cross-border movement of manpower as well and the UK should allow meritorious people from India to work in the UK, he said. There is immense potential between India and the UK in the area of urbanisation, education, defence, finance, creative industry, and start-ups, Kant added. "The government has created a conducive eco-system for start-ups. The Masala Bonds, launched in the UK, could help meet the funding requirements for start-ups," he said. Greg Hands, UK Minister of Trade and Investment, said that Brexit offers a huge opportunity for UK-India economic interaction in areas such as life sciences, infrastructure, and services, among others. "A Working Group has been constituted on Trade which would discuss the issue of India-UK FTA at an appropriate time," Hands said. --IANS mm/sm/vt ( 370 Words) 2016-11-07-20:46:03 (IANS)
The 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' star travelled to Calabasas for a family-friendly movie date with a private screening of Justin Timberlake's latest 'Trolls', reports E! Online.
Jenner's family helped rent out part of the neighborhood movie theatre so that they could enjoy the new animation.
The daughters also took to social media to express love for their mother and to give fans a sneak peak of the special day's activity.
"What do you do on your mom's birthday?" asked Khloe Kardashian on Snapchat, "You rent out the theatre. Go Mom! What! What!"
Kylie Jenner documented the movie experience that included neck massages for the birthday girl.
Momager Jenner is seen telling into the camera, "I'm happy to be with my kids on my birthday."
Kim Kardashian gifted mom with a new birthday Kimoji while Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna gifted her balloons that spelled out 'Happy Birthday Love You.'
Just one night earlier, the mother of six celebrated turning another year older with her pals over dinner. John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Scott Disick and Jonathan Cheban were some of the guests present at the evening meal. (ANI)
Actor Allu Sirish has started shooting for upcoming Malayalam war drama "1971: Beyond Borders", which focuses on the tank battle between India and Pakistan. He says it's an honour to be part of a film on history. Directed by Major Ravi, the film also stars Malayalam superstar Mohanlal. "I'm very patriotic, and it's one of the reasons why I was chosen for the role. I like wearing my patriotic tag on my sleeve. When Ravi sir offered me the role, I thought it would be an honour to be part of a film on our history," Sirish told IANS. Recalling how he landed the offer, Sirish said an accidental meeting with director Ravi did the trick. "He was in Hyderabad to meet someone else. We accidentally met and I started talking to him about his films, about partition and history. He felt I was more patriotic and he was very keen on having like-minded people on his project. He wanted someone who believed in the film, in his vision, and he saw that in me," he said. In the film, Sirish plays a tank commander, and he has already started shooting in Arjungarh army base in Rajasthan. Asked if he being patriotic was enough to play his part, Sirish said: "Ravi was on the lookout for someone who was physically strong but at the same time vulnerable. He wanted a young guy with brashness, and he wanted him to take crazy risks. He saw these things in me and that's how I landed the role." Although Ravi had initially planned to cast someone older and even more familiar, he felt the character won't be justified. The film marks Sirish's Malayalam debut. And he isn't nervous. "I'm excited," said Sirish in an affirmative tone. "I've always been numb towards success and failure. When my first film tanked, I didn't feel depressed. When my last film turned out to be a hit, I wasn't super elated. More than getting worked up about something, I like to be prepared. Preparation helps more than nervousness," he said and added that challenges excite him. Sirish will use this opportunity to learn from Mohanlal, with whom he will share screen space. "It's a big break for me to act alongside Mohanlal sir in my first Malayalam film. I hope to learn from him as much as possible. I'm sure it's going to be a great learning experience," he said. Other things he hopes to pick by working in Malayalam industry is the different kind of acting style. "You can find a lot of realism in the performances in Malayalam films. In Tamil and Telugu industries, it's got more to do with a theatrical kind of performance style," he added. --IANS hp/rb/vm ( 472 Words) 2016-11-07-11:52:02 (IANS)
Actor Brad Pitt has pulled out of all of his promotional commitments for his new movie "Allied" following his split with Angelina Jolie. The 52-year-old, who portrays the lead role of Max Vatan in the forthcoming romantic thriller, is reportedly refusing to do any interviews, press junkets or chat show appearances following his divorce with the 41-year-old "By the Sea" actress, reports tmz.com. "This was supposed to be the start of a big campaign push for Brad to finally win an acting Oscar but there's too much controversy for him to risk any publicity. It also doesn't help that there were rumours he had an affair with his co-star Marion Cotillard, which both deny," a source told The Sun newspaper. "Loads of chat show studios are gutted as they had him booked to come on and dozens of journalists have had their interviews scrapped. They are also being briefed not to ask anybody else associated about the film about Brad's personal life. "His team look very likely to pull the plug on him even walking the red carpet in Los Angeles. They know it's important he been seen to support the film but this is a huge crisis for him and the current tactic is to lie low. If he does appear, he'll not say a word to any media and sneak in a side door," the source added. The estranged couple, who got married last year, is currently locked in a legal battle as Jolie has requested full physical custody of their six children; Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and eight-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne while he has asked for shared guardianship. Jolie had filed for divorce after Pitt turned "verbally abusive" and "physical" with their son Maddox while under the influence of alcohol during a flight on September 14. --IANS ks/rb/mr ( 317 Words) 2016-11-07-13:36:03 (IANS)
Heroin worth Rs. two crores have been seized from the IGI Airport here in the national capital. The heroin was seized from two Afghan nationals, who were going to Afghanistan by Kam Air on November 3. One of them namely Ghulam Rabani, 43, became unwell at the airport. He was offloaded by the airlines and this came to the notice of the local police. Accordingly, the police staff assessed the situation and circumstances. The condition of the passenger was such that it raised suspicion regarding reasons for his state of health. He had arrived in India on medical VISA in October but had not visited any hospital for treatment since then. He was sent to AIIMS Hospital through CATs ambulance. The doctors were consulted and they were advised to examine and assess whether the passenger had swallowed some contraband to escape the eyes of law. The patient was admitted to the hospital. The police watch was constantly maintained upon him and the suspicion turned into reality when during treatment, it was established that the passenger had swallowed a large number of capsules. He was operated upon by the doctors and during the surgery; the doctors took out 57 capsules of very big size from his stomach and rectum. These capsules were made of polythene. The weight of contraband was 525 grams. The capsules were opened and it was found containing heroin. The total value of the heroin recovered is estimated to be about two crores in the international market. Meanwhile, efforts are being made to unearth the whole syndicate and track the other co-passenger of the accused. (ANI)
The Congress Party on Sunday dubbed Arvind Kejriwal as a 'part-time' Chief Minister while alleging that he is least bothered about the alarming pollution level in Delhi as his heart and soul is focused on gaining political mileage outside the national capital. Congress leader Ajay Maken told ANI that when the Chief Minister's heat, soul, mind and body is outside Delhi for his own 'political ambition' then he is doing no good. "Well first we would like to clarify that the Congress will be supportive of any measure which the government takes. Whether it is the Central Government or the state government but in the same way I would like to say that Delhi doesn't need a part time Chief Minister," he said. "Now, he has announced knee jerk measures which are just short-term measures, short-term needs reaction. As far as the air pollution is concerned, the problem of air pollution is so bad that we just don't need knee jerk reaction or short-term measures. We need solid long-term measures which Arvind Kejriwal has failed to address in the last two to three years," he added. Kejriwal today announced a list of measures to be enforced by the state government including putting all construction projects across the city on hold for the next five days and ordering the shutdown of all schools for the next three days to curb pollution in the national capital. Kejriwal also stated that the return of Odd-Even scheme was possible to keep traffic emissions in check, adding that the possibility of artificial rain was also discussed in the meeting but it would need the Centre's help in that. Remaining resolute on his stand that crop burning in the neighbouring states was responsible for the ever-increasing pollution level in Delhi, the Chief Minister added that no immediate relief could be expected as stubble burning continued. However, earlier in the day Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave rebuked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi Government for accusing the neighbouring states for the rising level of pollution in the national capital. (ANI)
After the Delhi Police stopped the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students from staging protest at the India Gate over missing student Najeeb Ahmed, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday alleged that the Centre was adopting 'dictatorship' policy and violating the constitutional right of an individual by adopting such measures. "Why is the Prime Minister afraid of protests? If one student is missing since the last 22 days then other students have the right to protest. This is their constitutional right and the government is trying to snatch their rights from them," said Kejriwal. Commenting on the Delhi Police's move to summon nine people in connection with this case, Kejriwal said that the men in uniform have just done a formality in the name of investigation. "The BJP is ruling the nation and Delhi Police is afraid of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). So, they didn't have the courage to call the ABVP people from past 22 days and just for formality they called few ABVP members for interrogation yesterday," he said. Earlier today, Kejriwal met President Pranab Mukherjee to seek his intervention into the matter. Speaking to the media here after meeting with the President, Kejriwal pinned the blame on Delhi Police, accusing them of refusing to take action after coming under political pressure. The Chief Minister further said that President Mukherjee had assured him of seeking a report both from the JNU administration and the Delhi Police as well. Last week, Kejriwal had made a beeline to the JNU campus along with other party leaders to take on the Centre over the missing student. "The way the country has progressed in the last two years is of grave concern. Today Najeeb is missing. Tomorrow my son can go missing," Kejriwal then said. Najeeb went missing on the intervening night of October 14 and 15 after allegedly being beaten up by a mob of 20 students comprising of the ABVP members, who had gone campaigning to his room for hostel elections. (ANI)
The fifth meeting of the joint working group-maritime between Norway and India recently took place aimed at exploring possible areas of cooperation such as energy efficient ship design and building. Both India and Norway have glorious maritime heritage. While Norway is one of the world's leading maritime nations today and has been for the last 100 years, India has started focusing on upgrading its maritime infrastructure. Together, the Norwegian and Indian side explored possible areas of cooperation like energy efficient ship design and ship building. Norway has the expertise and technology know-how, which is an area of focus in India these days. Small scale distribution of Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) is another area where Norway is leading in the world. With India looking at LNG as a clean and green fuel for the future, both countries discussed ways to work together in this area. India has ambitious plans towards the shipping segment, India has set a target of achieving five percent share in the global ship building industry and ten percent of the ship repair industry by 2020. The Indian Parliament in 2016 passed a law under which 106 new National Waterways will be developed. Norwegian companies like DNV-GL, Kongsberg Maritime, Jotun, Goltens, Maritime Montering and Wallenius Wilhelmsen are well represented in India's ports and shipyards. As a symbol of this strong partnership, the Norwegian Pavilion in the Maritime India Summit was visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April this year. Birgit Lyland, Director General, Maritime Department, Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, led the meeting with representatives from the Norwegian Maritime Authority, Royal Norwegian Embassy in Delhi and Innovation Norway India. The Indian side was represented by Dr Alok Srivastava, Additional Secretary from Ministry of Shipping. Representatives from the Shipping Corporation of India, Inland Waterways Authority, Cochin Shipyard, Indian Register of Shipping, Director General Shipping and Indian National Ship-owners Association among others were also present. Birgit Lyland in her opening remarks took an overview of the bilateral cooperation of the two countries in maritime sector. The Norwegian and Indian sides both appraised and thanked each other on the latest development within the sector. Both countries are eager to focus on Green Shipping and Blue Growth for Ocean Based Industry, as a link to make maritime bilateral relations greener and more sustainable. This is an exciting phase for India's maritime sector with a lot of potential for India and Norway to work together to develop more sustainable and safer shipping. (ANI)
Speaking at the second leg of the Parivartan Yatra held in Jhansi, aiming to cover all 403 constituencies in the next 50 days, Shah said "The Samajwadi Party (SP) has been depriving the people of Uttar Pradesh from accessing welfare schemes sponsored by the Central government."
Shah thanked the people for giving mandate to the BJP in forming the government at the Centre.
He said only the BJP can bring Uttar Pradesh on the path of development.
"BJP is the only party which is capable of providing development and corruption free environment in Uttar Pradesh," Shah said.
Criticising the stand taken by Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on polygamy and tripple talaq, Shah asked them to be honest in expressing their views instead of politicising the issue.
"SP, BSP and Congress must come clear with their stand on the issues related to the protection of rights of the Muslim women," he said.
Union Minister and Jhansi MP Uma Bharti, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and several other prominent leaders of BJP were present in the rally.
Shah flagged off the first 'Parivartan yatra' from Saharanpur on Saturday.
This Yatra will pass through entire Bundelkhand before entering Kannauj, Mainpuri, Jaswant Nagar, Badaun and Firozabad --- all strongholds of leaders of ruling SP's first family.
The final leg of the Parivartan Rath Yatra would be concluded on December 24 at Lucknow where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a mega rally. (ANI)
The Congress Party on Sunday said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his bete noire Shivpal Yadav still hold grudges against each other, adding this was quite evident during the Samajwadi Party's silver jubilee celebrations in Lucknow. Congress leader Meem Afzal told ANI though the rift in the Samajwadi Party is its internal matter but unity is still missing in the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh. "The members of the Samajwadi Party might have tried their best to portray harmony but in reality the relationship has gone sour and they still hold grudges against each other," he said. "It was clearly visible on stage yesterday. Though it is the internal matter of the Samajwadi Party but when things like these happen, we can say that unity is still missing in the party," he added. In what may give the opposition parties fresh ammunition to target the Samajwadi Party in the run up to next year's assembly polls, the infighting within the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led party was quite evident at yesterday's silver jubilee celebrations. The Chief Minister and his uncle stood on the stage together holding swords in their hands. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, who was also present on the occasion, attempted to create amity between them as he asked Akhilesh to touch his uncle's feet. The Chief Minister while addressing the gathering took a dig at his uncle. "You have given me the sword, obviously we will use it," Akhilesh said. This came after Shivpal's veiled attack on Akhilesh. "I had recently said that while some are lucky to have things happen for them in life and some get everything in inheritance, there are some who get nothing despite toiling hard," Shivpal said earlier. "Ask for blood, I shall give blood. Don't make me the Chief Minister. I know I have done good work," he added in a scathing attack on Akhilesh. (ANI)
In the new role, Gilles will be responsible for strengthening Wipro's presence in France by pursuing new business opportunities and growing its visibility in the region.
He will be based in Paris and report to Christophe Martinoli, Vice President and Head of Continental Europe.
"France is a key focus area for Wipro and we expect to significantly expand our market share in the region," said Martinoli in the BSE statement.
Gilles, who joined Wipro in 2009, has over 20 years of professional IT experience. In the past seven years, he has assumed various roles including head of infrastructure management, global client partner and head of financial services and insurance business for Wipro in Continental Europe.
Prior to Wipro, he was associated with Logica/CGI as Deputy Head of Infrastructure Division. (ANI)
Devotees will pay oblations to the setting sun on Sunday evening. This Puja is celebrated on the sixth day of Kartik month.
Ghats along various rivers, ponds and water reservoirs have been decorated for the day. A large number of people gathered at the sun temple at Deo in Aurangabad, Barkagao in Nalanda and Ular Sun temple in Patna district to make special offerings to the Sun God .
Meanwhile, arrangements have also been made in several prisons for those inmates who perform the puja.
The celebrations will conclude tomorrow following oblations to the rising sun. (ANI)
During his two-day visit, President Sirisena will take part in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which is being participated by 180 countries as well as regional economic integration organizations like the European Union.
The Sri Lankan President will address the convention as a special speaker on the inaugural day tomorrow.
Sri Lankan President, who served as the Minister of Health during the previous government, is a strong advocate of tobacco control and successfully implemented laws to display pictorial warnings up to 80 percent on both sides of cigarette packets.
President Sirisena will also meet President Pranab Mukherjee and discuss bilateral relations between the two neighbours.
The Sri Lankan President had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of BRICS and BIMSTEC meeting in Goa last month.
His visit comes a day after a high-level delegation led by foreign ministers of the two countries met in New Delhi to sort out the fishermen issue, where it was decided to set up a joint working group and hotline between the two coast guards to better deal with the issue. (ANI)
Criticising Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for saying that 95 percent of ex-servicemen have already got the benefits of the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, the Congress party on Sunday said he did not deserve to be in the union cabinet. "How does he (Parrikar) explain that for more than 500 days, ex-servicemen are camping in Delhi and agitating against the non implementation of one rank one pension? Mr. Manohar Parrikar does not deserve to be the defense minister," Congress leader Om Prakash Mishra told ANI. He said, "He (Parrikar) does not know the difference between salary enhancement and the implementation of what is OROP that is a principal matter and that matter is yet unsettled and that is why we have seen the unfortunate death of Ram Kishan Grewal." Parrikar claimed yesterday that only one lakh ex-servicemen (out of over 20 lakh) are not getting pension as per OROP scheme due to some technical difficulty or documentation problems, which will be resolved another couple of months. (ANI)
Urging the Jammu and Kashmir government to stop the burning of schools in the state, the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) on Sunday said these acts of arson were a clear attempt to ensure the presence of students at anti-government protests. BJP leader and spokesman G V L Narsimha Rao told ANI, "This is clearly an attempt to scare away children and youth and to ensure that they are available to protest. The state government and local authorities are dealing with this issue on a high priority and we hope this problem of law and order will be put to rest quickly." The Centre had last week asked the Mehbooba Mufti-led state government to check such attempts and make efforts for the reopening of schools which have been closed since July 9. As many as 31 schools and 110 government buildings have been damaged in the Kashmir Valley since the current unrest began nearly four months ago. The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of this development and asked the state government to take steps to prevent such incidents and "unmask" the culprits. (ANI)
With India and Sri Lanka having agreed to set up a hotline between their coast guards to resolve the prolonged fishermen-related crisis, Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK party gave credit for the breakthrough to ailing Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. AIADMK leader C. R. Saraswathi told ANI, "Our chief minister has taken a lot of initiatives for the problems faced by Tamil fishermen, as the issue has been prolonged for a long time now. Yesterday, there was a meeting in Delhi, where a very good decision was taken as both countries came to an agreement that if a fisherman crosses the border also, they won't take severe action from both sides." Expressing happiness over the development, Saraswathi gave credit to Jayalalithaa, saying that her constant intervention in the matter with the Centre and the Sri Lanka Government had finally borne fruit. Yesterday, after holding ministerial level talks, the governments of India and Sri Lanka agreed to set up a hotline between the coast guards and a Joint Working Group (JWG) on fisheries to meet every three months in a bid to address the long pending fishermen issue. Both countries also agreed to hold a meeting between the Ministers for Fisheries every six months, according to a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh met with the Sri Lankan Minister for Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera and Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Mahinda Amaraweera. The ministers exchanged views on possible mechanisms to help find a permanent solution to the fishermen issues after which they agreed on the setting up of a JWG. The delegations for the group would include representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Coast Guards and Navies of both countries. The first ministerial meeting would be held on January 2, 2017 in Colombo. The issue of the release of detained fishing vessels will be discussed at the first JWG meeting. Both governments also agreed to the request by the Fishermen Associations that there should be no violence and no loss of life in the handling of fishermen by the Navies and Coast Guards of the two countries. They agreed to encourage fishermen associations of the two countries to meet every six months to take further their dialogue from the inconclusive meeting held on November 2 in New Delhi. The ministers noted that the process is underway for the release of fishermen presently in custody on either side. The bone of contention between the two sides is the Palk bay, the 137 kilometers long and its breadth varies between 64 to 137 kilometers. An International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) separates five Indian (262,562 fishermen) and three Sri Lankan districts (119,000 fishermen). Fishing is the economic mainstay of northern Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan fishermen has been demanding their Indian counterparts to stop bottom-trawling that they content has been damaging the marine ecosystem. Since 2014 Sri Lanka Navy has seized more than 100 fishing trawlers; while they have released the Indian fishermen, they refuse to release the trawlers. (ANI)
Congress party leader Sanjay Nirupam has said that if the Narendra Modi-led Centre has a reluctance to listen to the opposition, it should at least listen to actor and BJP veteran Shatrughan Sinha on the issue of respecting the nation's armed forces. "If the government is not listening to us, then at least, they should listen to Shatrughan Sinha. Even people in the government are criticising the actions of the Delhi police. The government needs to be sensitive and understand the pain of our jawans," he said. "The regime is not understanding the reality and, to make them realise, the people in power are making comments that are critical of the actions taken by Delhi government," Nirupam told ANI. Sinha has, in a series of tweets, criticised the Centre post the suicide of former army soldier Ram Kishan Grewal. Sinha said the situation in Delhi could have been handled in a better and pragmatic manner. "I wish the Delhi situation after the death of an army veteran was handled in a more mature, proper, practical and fair manner", tweeted Sinha.(ANI)
The Congress on Monday took a jibe at Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 'Parivartan Yatra' and said if the leaders of the saffron party really want to bring 'Parivartan' then first they have to bring change within themselves. "If they really want to change something then first they have to bring change inside themselves and accept in front of public that they made false promises. Then only they will be able to regain the trust of the people of Uttar Pradesh," Congress leader Vijendra Tripathi told ANI. Tripathi further said that BJP has only made false promises in past two and a half years and have failed to perform on grounds and added that the reality of BJP is known to all. On Sunday, in the wake of upcoming assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, BJP initiated the Parivartan Rath Yatra from Bundelkhand. This Yatra is to pass through entire Bundelkhand before entering Kannauj, Mainpuri, Jaswant Nagar, Badaun and Firozabad all strongholds of leaders of ruling SP's first family. Two more Parivartan Rath Yatras will be taken out, one from Sonbhadra and another from Ballia on 8th and 9th November respectively. These Parivartan Rath Yatras will cross-cross all the 403 assembly constituencies in next fifty days before culminating at Lucknow on December 24 where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a mega rally. (ANI)
The death sentence of four of the convict- Akshay, Vinay Sharma, Pawan and Mukesh was upheld by the Delhi High Court.
They had challenged their death sentence awarded by the Delhi High Court in the Supreme court.
The top court had on April 4 begun final hearing of the convicts' appeal almost two years after staying their execution.
Two of the four death-row convicts had written to Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice Deepak Misra, stating that they do not approve of the defence counsel appointed by the court to argue their case before the top court as they had given statements against them to the media in the past.
The trial court had in September 2013 awarded death sentences to the convicts.
Six months later, the Delhi High Court upheld their conviction and sentence. All the convicts moved the apex court in 2014, which stayed their execution.
Six people, including a juvenile, had brutally assaulted the woman in a moving bus in South Delhi.
Later, the accused threw out the victim and her male friend at an isolated spot.
She died in a Singapore hospital on December 29, 2012, triggering nation-wide protests that resulted in giving more teeth to laws related to rape and other forms of sexual harassment. (ANI)
The Congress party on Sunday slammed the Central government for making contradictory statements on the One Rank One Pension and also urged the present regime to pay attention to the needs of armed forces. "It is very unfortunate that India lost more than 50 soldiers during the ceasefire violation from Pakistani side. Government should make extra efforts for taking care of the family of the martyr," Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam told ANI here. "They are fooling the soldiers on OROP. The entire Modi government is telling lies on the issue as Prime Minister Modi claims that OROP has been implemented, but on the other hand Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar says that he requires two months to sort out the issue. Don't know who is right and who is wrong," he added. Nirupam stressed that the soldiers of this country are at loss and their morale is also getting jolted because of the dispute on OROP, adding that the Central government should take special initiatives for taking care of the armed forces. Another Indian soldier was killed and two others suffered injuries during the cease fire violations in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district. This came hours after an Indian soldier was killed and a civilian was injured at the R.S Pura Sector. The Indian Armed Forces aptly retaliated the heavy firing initiated by the Pakistani Rangers, which began at 2 a.m. yesterday. Indian Army's northern Command took to its official Twitter handle to declare the incident. "CFV in Poonch Sector. Being strongly retaliated. Heavy damage to Pak posts. Own one soldier fatal, two injured (sic)," it said. Yesterday's ceasefire violation takes place three days after two women were killed and a child was severely injured in Manjakote Sector of Rajouri district. This is the 100th incident of ceasefire violation by Pakistan, following India's surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC) on September 29. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the Valedictory Function of Vigilance Awareness Week-2016 here on Monday, where the theme for this year is "Public participation in Promoting Integrity and Eradicating Corruption". The Central Vigilance Commission is observing Vigilance Awareness Week from October 31 to November 5 this year. The week is observed to generate awareness about the menace of corruption and aims to sensitize public about the consequences of corruption and the ways to eliminate it. The observance of the Vigilance Awareness Week commenced with pledge taking by public servants in the Ministries/Departments/Central Public Sector Enterprises/Public Sector Banks and all other Organizations on October 31 at 11.00 a.m. All organizations have conducted activities relevant to the theme both within their organization as well as for outreach for the public /citizens during the Vigilance Awareness Week. The commission has, this year, envisaged a concept of "Integrity Pledge" to enlist support and commitment of the citizens and organizations for upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct, honesty and integrity. As such there are two integrity pledges, one for the citizens and the other for corporates/entities/firms etc. especially in the private sector. These pledges have been developed by NIC for the commission. The "Integrity Pledges" have been available as e-pledges from October 31 onwards and are accessed on the Commission's website http://www.cvc.nic.in. or can also be accessed directly at https:// pledge.cvc.nic.in. The citizens and organizations taking the integrity pledge are being provided with a certificate acknowledging and appreciating their commitment to the cause of anti-corruption. Within a few days of the launch of the integrity pledge, around four lakh citizens and 15,000 organisations have taken the pledge. The ministries / organizations have also conducted various activities such as lectures, panel discussions, debates, quiz, essay writing, slogans and poster competitions on moral values, ethics, good governance practices etc. for inculcating greater awareness on corruption and anti-corruption measures in colleges and schools including professional colleges/institutions across the country. Activities in schools / colleges across the country in over 500 cities / towns during the week have reached out to several lakh students /youth. (ANI)
May is accompanied by a business delegation on her first bilateral visit outside Europe since assuming office.
She will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and review all aspects of the India-UK Strategic Partnership.
She will also attend a Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting on the sidelines of her visit.
UK is among India's major trading partners and during the year 2014-15, UK ranked 18th in the list of India's top 25 trading partners.
As per data published by Department of Commerce, two-way merchandise trade during 2014-15 was USD 14.33 billion, marking a decrease of 9.39 percent as compared to 2013-14. UK's share in India's global trade has gone down from 2.07percent in 2013-14 to 1.89 percent in 2014-15.
India's main exports to the UK are garments and textiles, machinery and The British Prime Minister will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee. Prime Minister May and Prime Minister Modi will jointly inaugurate the India-UK jointly inaugurate the India UK Tech
Summit being organized by Department of Science and Technology and the Confederation of Indian Industry.
The summit will be an opportunity for both sides to strengthen business-to-business engagement in the areas of technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, design, IPRs and higher education.
The two sides had agreed to hold the summit during Prime Minister Modi's visit to the United Kingdom in November 2015.(ANI)
A meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision making body, is being held today to discuss the current political situation in the country as well as to decide on extending the deadline for the party's organisational elections, which were to be completed by December 31. Sources said that the meeting of the CWC, to be chaired by party president Sonia Gandhi, is also likely to decide on the party's strategy to take on the NDA government in the coming Parliament session, that commences on November 16. Sources say the party, which has been carrying out protests against the NDA government in the capital over the past week on the issue of OROP, is likely to attack the government on the issue in Parliament. It is also likely to deliberate on the party's plans for assembly elections to several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, scheduled to be held early next year. The sources said the CWC meeting could take a decision on extending the deadline for the completion of the party's organisational elections which were to be completed by December 31. It is also likely to deliberate on suggestions from various sections of the party that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi be elevated to the post of party president, a demand that has been raised by several party leaders like Digvijay Singh and Kamal Nath.UNI AR SB 1100 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1011602.Xml
They said on a tip-off about the presence of militants, Security forces and Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police launched a joint search operation at village Wangam, Shopian, early this morning.
However, when the area was being sealed, militants hiding there opened indiscriminate fire with automatic weapons.
They said security forces also retaliated and in the fierce encounter a militant was killed and two security personnel were injured.
The slain militant was later identified as Sadam Hussain Mir, a resident of Chtripora, Shopian, who had joined the HM outfit only three months ago.
One AK rifle and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain militant. This was the second encounter in south Kashmir during the past 48 hours. One November 5, an HM militant was killed and a soldier injured at Dobjan in the same district.UNI BAS SB 0945
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The Karvan-e-Aman bus, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), resumed this morning after remaining suspended for two consecutive weeks. Last week, the peace bus could not operate due to tense situation on the Line of Control (LoC), while on October 24 it was suspended due to 'Youm-e-Tahsees (Pakistan celebrates October 24 as establishment of PoK, every year). Official sources told UNI that the bus left Srinagar early morning for Kaman Post, the last Indian military post on this side of the LoC in Uri sector, to avoid any stone pelting and protests due to strike, called by separatists. They said the exact number of passengers in the bus will be known only in the afternoon as some travellers will join at Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC) at Salamabad, Uri. The passengers, who were scheduled to travel in the cross-LoC bus last week, when the run was suspended due to tense situation on the border, have been accommodated today. Despite unrest since July 9 in Kashmir Valley, where 86 people were killed and several thousand others injured in security force and police action, since July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Burhan Wani and two other militants were killed in an encounter in Anantnag. The bus run continued, barring July 11 and 18 for security reasons following strike by the separatists, while on July 4 and September 12, in view of Eid festivals. However, the weekly bus service was not affected, even after the fidayeen attack on Army Brigade Headquarters at Uri on September 18, which left 19 soldiers dead and over 20 wounded. Four Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militants, believed to be foreigners, were also killed in the encounter. The fidayeen attack was followed by surgical attack by Indian troops in PoK. However, Pakistan has denied any such strike and claimed that two of their soldiers were killed in cross border shelling. For security reasons the bus from Srinagar to Kaman Post, is now leaving early in the morning, to avoid any violence on way, in view of the strike. Similarly, people coming from PoK have to wait at Uri before starting journey towards their respective destinations late in the night, to avoid stone pelting. The bus service has helped thousands of families divided due to Partition in 1947 to meet each other after India and Pakistan agreed to allow travel of state subjects from both sides on travel permits, instead of international passport. However, people are allowed to travel only after their names are cleared from intelligence agencies from both the sides in the bus, a major Confidence Building Measure (CBM) introduced on April 7, 2005 by India and Pakistan, will not operate, much to the disappointment of passengers, who were scheduled to travel to meet their relatives, separated in 1947.UNI BAS SB 1000 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-1011582.Xml
Member of the Confederation of Puducherry State Government Employees Associations today held a demonstration in front of the Calve College here to press their demands. Their demands included immediate resolution of the anomalies in the 7th pay commission recommendations. Confederation Hon:president C H Balamohan led the agitation.UNI PAB CNR1135 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1011636.Xml
The third Parivartan yatra of the BJP targeting to form the next government in Uttar Pradesh after the 2017 Assembly polls, would kick-start tomorrow from the Naxal-infested Sonebhadra district. BJP president Amit Shah will flag off the yatra in presence of Union Home ministers Rajnath Singh, Kalraj Mishra, Manoj Sinha, Mahendra Nath Pandy, Ms Anupriya Patel, BJP vice- president Om Mathur and state president Keshav Prasad Maurya. The function would be held at the Railway ground here in the Robertsganj city at around 1200 hrs after the leaders address a public meeting. For the first three days, the yatra would be led by two union ministers-- Mahendra Nath Pandey and Ms Anupriya Patel-- both representing the region, along with state general secretary Vidya Sagar Sonker. The fourth and the last Parivartan yatra would commence from Ballia on November 9, which too will be flagged off by Mr Shah. The first yatra was flagged off by the BJP president from Saharanpur on November 5 and the second one from Jhansi yesterday. The four parivartan yatra would criss-cross the state, touch all the 403 Assembly segments and conclude on December 24 at Lucknow when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public meeting on the eve of the birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The main attraction of the Parivartan yatras would be the Prime Minister addressing one public meeting each in six regions. The yatras will go out with the slogan 'Poorna bahumat, sampoorn vikas, Bhajapaa par vishwas (full majority, complete development, faith in BJP)". The four yatras will cover a combined 17,000 km touching all 403 Assembly constituencies. Of the public meetings planned in nearly 380 constituencies, 36 will be major meetings addressed by Union ministers and other central leaders. Nearly 10,000 'parivartan saarthis' have been deputed to organise crowds. Nearly 50,000 'parivartan chaupals' will be held where MPs, MLAs and other senior leaders will interact with the public and highlight the achievements of the Modi government. Youth workers have been asked to take out bike rallies that will follow the yatras. Events during the yatras will be updated live on social media. Each air-conditioned rath can seat 15 people and is equipped with hydraulic elevator, besides arrangements for a meeting inside. The GPRS-enabled, motorised vehicles carry photographs of Modi, Shah and Union ministers Rajnath, Kalraj Mishra and Uma Bharti besides Maurya. At least 15 four-wheelers will accompany each rath and the yatras will be given a reception at more than 4,500 places. UNI MB SB 1123 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-1011618.Xml
Tupare was martyred when Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate and unprovoked firing on Indian Army posts along the LoC in Poonch Sector yesterday.
Another jawan Gurusevek Sing from Tarantaran of Punjab also lost his life in the attack.
On hearing the news, a pall of gloom descended this tiny village Majare-Karve which is observing a spontaneous bandh for next two days.
State Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, who is also district guardian minister, paid homage to the martyr this morning. He assured the family of every possible help by the state and the Central governments.
Meanwhile, Chandgad tehsildar Appasaheb Sammindar and police inspector Mahavir Sakle visited the village along with other top government officers to inspect the arrangements of last rites, which will be performed in full of state honors.
Martyr Tupare joined in Maratha Light infantry-22 in 2002. He is survived by his parents, two brothers, wife Sharmila and two sons-- Aryan (7) and Vaibhav (5).
His body will be flown to Pune from New Delhi by air late tonight and then taken by special military vehicle to Belgaum and reach early tomorrow to his native village. UNI SSS NV SB1200
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Unocoin, India's bitcoin company, on Monday has implemented its first-ever, easy-to-access Application Programming Interface (API) allowing companies from around the world to access the world's largest potential market for Bitcoin and to take advantage of Unocoin's extraordinary set of features. Unocoin's API allows individuals and companies in India to generate bitcoin wallets; buy, sell, send and receive bitcoin, securely store bitcoin, retrieve real-time or historical price information, receive notifications when payments arrive, accept and request bitcoin payments for merchants; as well as allow companies around the world to remit bitcoin to India and to submit KYC details of beneficiaries. Unocoin recently set a national record with a USD 1.5 million raise to support its unprecedented growth. The company now has more than 30 employees on staff servicing over 100,000 users. The Unocoin API has concluded rigorous testing and is already in active use by its largest customer: Unocoin itself. The company's full-featured iOS app and soon-to-be-released Android app are both built entirely off of the Unocoin API. Moreover, the Unocoin API has become instrumental in the day-to-day functionality of businesses like Paycase, a Canadian remittance innovator making overseas transactions much faster and more cost efficient. "We've been excited to develop a robust API for use by companies around the world. Our API is best described as an on-ramp for firms looking for a simple way to gain entry into one of the world's fastest growing and largest potential markets. Our team has been working non-stop prior to and during our Pre-Series A round to provide the most reliable, full-featured API, but one that, most importantly, is incredibly easy to adopt," Unocoin co-founder and CEO, Sathvik Vishwanath said. "Our API is the engine powering our mobile apps, through which customers will be able to store and spend bitcoin on the go, and also be able to buy bitcoin with just a click of a button," added Vishwanath. India is the remittance capital of the world, as well as the largest gold and IT market. While blockchain and bitcoin adoption climbs exponentially, businesses and individuals need the appropriate financial infrastructure to process secure transactions. The Unocoin API can plug right into any company, anywhere in the world, to assist them gaining access to the Indian bitcoin market and remittance industry, potentially worth an estimated USD100 billion. Paycase, a mobile-first remittance application, is now using the Unocoin API and Blockstream's Liquid network to carry out frictionless money transfers from Canada to India. Paycase's protocol-agnostic transfer routing system has already been tested in nearly 20 countries around the world, using a sophisticated trading algorithm to route payments over a variety of cryptocurrency rails with far greater efficiency as compared to the traditional SWIFT network. During a 6-month beta, Paycase successfully completed USD 50,000 worth of micro-transactions from Canada to the Philippines, with costs averaging 60-80 percent lower than traditional remittance players. "Our work with Unocoin shows both company's long-term dedication to one another, in strategically partnering to take bitcoin and Blockchain powered remittances and cross border transfer to the mass market. We have worked together from Canada and India to establish the technical, regulatory, and business logic needed to enable Canadian dollar to Indian rupee money transfer with bitcoin efficiencies in place. With the API, experience, and infrastructure in place, we can now scale this model beyond our current corridors and into the promising Indian market," Paycase Co-founder and CEO Joseph Weinberg said. Unocoin's recently released features include a merchant point-of-sale (POS) app, a mobile trading app, an auto-selling feature for remittance users, systematic investment planning (SIP) to mitigate against volatility risk, integration with NETKI to simplify Bitcoin addresses, an over the counter (OTC) desk for large traders, and integration with Purse.io for discounts on Amazon.(ANI)
During the meeting, the LG will discuss the serious condition of air pollution in the city and take stock of immediate, short and long term measures to tackle the issue.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and PWD Minister Satyendar Jain will also attend the meeting.
Mr Kejriwal yesterday announced a slew of measures to tackle the situation after an emergency Cabinet meeting here, which included banning of construction and demolition activities and ordering closure of schools for three days.
The city has been witnessing a thick blanket of smog since post Diwali.UNI DS ADG 1349
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Hyderabad City police have busted three Manpower Consultancy firms and arrestedg three people besides recovering four Indian Passports, alterated Visas, three computers, stamps, eight aplications/bio-data forms of candidates along with xerox passport, education certificates and among others from their possession. On credible information, South, East Zone Task Force teams simultaneously conducted raids on fake manpower Consultancy firms -- "Air Zone Tours & Travels", "Shine Advertising Agency" and "Al' Ain Groups consultancy Agency" located in the limits of Chandrayangutta, Santoshnagar and Kachiguda Police Stations and apprehended Mohammed Omer, Mohd Hameeduddin and Mohammed Imad Siddiqui, police said. They were carrying out the business of recruitment for deployment of Indian workers with foreign employers without any valid permission from Protector General of Emigration, Ministry of Labour, Governemnt of India New Delhi and cheating the unemployed youth by posing as licensed/authorised agents to carry on the business of said recruitment and collecting huge amounts ranging from Rs 30,000 to 50,000 from each aspirant. The accused promised innocent people of providing jobs such as supervisors, plumbers, mechanics, cook, helpers, labour in Dubai , Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. They used to conduct interviews of candidates who approach them and collect their Passports, education certificates and money from the aspirants as advance to create an impression to the candidates that they were processing their applications. So far they have cheated several innocent people in the guise of providing Jobs in Gulf countries unauthorisedly. The accused along with seized material were handed over to the concerned Station House Officers of Chandrayangutta, Santoshnagar and Kachiguda Police Stations for taking necessary action, police added.UNI VV CNR1345 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1011771.Xml
Strike continued for the 122nd consecutive day today in the Kashmir valley, where separatists are meeting all stake holders tomorrow to chalk out future strategy. Both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference (HC) and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), spearheading the agitation since July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Burhan Wani and two other militants were killed in Anantnag, have already extended the strike till November 10. The separatists had declared " School Safety Day" today urging students and their parents to visit schools in their respective areas against the burning of educational institutions in the valley. Chairmen of HC Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq and JKLF Chief Mohammad Yaseen Malik held a meeting on the present political situation in the valley and later decided to hold meeting with all stake holders, including traders, transporters and educationists tomorrow at the Hyderpora residence of Geelani. Shops and business establishments remained closed and traffic was off the roads in the Kashmir valley, including summer capital, Srinagar. However, private transport and some three-wheelers were seen plying on several routes. The gates of historic Jamia Masjid, where no Friday prayers could be offered for the past 18 weeks, in the Shehar-e-Khas (SeK) remained closed. Police said there is no curfew or restrictions on assembly of people in any part of the valley though deployment of security forces would continue. Business and other activities remained paralysed in Srinagar, including major business hubs-- historic Lal Chowk, Budshah Chowk, Gonikhan, Hari Singh High Street (HSHS), Residency road, Moulana Azad road, Dalgate and Exhibition. However, some vendors, particularly selling vegetables and fruits, could be seen at Amira Kadal. There were very less number of vendors today at historic Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the summer capital. Good number of vendors could be seen at Polo Ground, which witnessed a normal rush of customers yesterday when there was relaxation in the separatist strike from 1600 hrs till 0700 hrs today. However, today the customers were missing. Educational institutions witnessed heavy rush today. However, majority students of 10th and 12th grades in between had visited schools to collect their roll number slips as the examinations are slated to start from November 14 despite opposition by students and others.MORE UNI BAS SB ADG 1326 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-1011719.Xml
It was quiet birthday for thespian Kamal Hassan, who turned 62 today. The veteran actor has asked his welfare clubs not to celebrate the occasion as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was hospitalised. Kamal's daughter Shruti Hassan greeted her fatheron the occasion. In her twitter page, Shruti wrote ''Happy birthday to my darling daddy dearest''. Kamal's birthday comes a few days after his partner and popular actress Gautami Tadmimalla separated, ending the 13-year-long relationship with him.UNI GV CS 1443 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1011891.Xml
RDMC chief Santosh Kadam said seven of the injured have been rushed to the Vedant Hospital and the rest are in Citizen hospital.
Further details are awaited, he added.UNI XR NV SW SNU 1529
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Official sources said that the Leopard which was sighted in Beechanalli region has created panic among the farmers in the region after it attacked a few cattle.
The trapped leopard has been shifted to the Nagarahole National Park the sources said.UNI BSP MSP CNR1430
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Lambasting Rahul Gandhi for calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a 'power-obsessed' person, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday said it was ironical of the Congress vice-president to make such accusations since the party is infamous for imposing emergency in the country. "It was the Congress Party who imposed the emergency in the country and also suppressed the freedom of expression. That party is giving us suggestions, it is ironical" BJP leader Sudesh Verma told ANI. Verma said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not the type of person who interferes in the workings of any government agency while adding that the Congress is notorious for misusing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for its political gains. "Prime Minister Modi never interferes in the working of any government agency, but the Congress misused CBI and other agencies against Ramdev ji and also on BJP president Amit shah Ji. They are like that and that is why they think we also do the same," he added. Chairing the crucial Congress Working Committee (CEC) meeting here in the absence of party president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi earlier today tore into 'power-obsessed' Prime Minister Narendra Modi and called on the gathering to expose the Centre's failures in the upcoming Winter session of the Parliament. In his opening remarks before proceeding with the agenda of the meeting, Rahul asserted that democracy, under the present dispensation is going through one of its darkest hours and that the government is silencing all those who disagree with it. "Hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions. Television channels are being punished and asked to shut down. The opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account. All attempts by this government to suppress our fundamental freedoms by abusing state power will only strengthen our resolve to defeat such dangerous designs," Rahul said. Listing out a range of issues highlighting the failures of the NDA Government, Rahul emphasised that the Centre is trying to hide its failure behind numbers that have been widely doubted and questioned.(ANI)
City-based, Cyient India Limited through its wholly owned subsidiary Cyient Europe Limited, has signed a definitive agreement with Blom AS, Norway, a wholly owned subsidiary of NRC Group ASA, Norway to acquire 100 per cent of the shares of Blom Aerofilms Limited. Based in Cheddar, Somerset, UK, Blom is a leading provider of ground surveying, digital mapping, aerial photography and laser scanning solutions. Blom employed a core team of around 40 people with opportunities to bring in synergies on the back of a global delivery model. Blom's presence in the UK can be traced back to 1919 when Aerofilms was founded as the UK's first ever commercial aerial photography company. Over the subsequent decades the company has built up a wealth of experience and an impressive track record around all types of geospatial data acquisition and services, including aerial and ground-based LIDAR and data modelling. John Renard, Cyient's President EMEA and BU Head for Utilities & Geospatial commented, "Cyient is very proud of our geospatial capabilities around software and data processing. This acquisition complements these skills and also brings us industry-leading knowledge around data acquisition. We believe that by combining BlomAerofilms with Cyient's geospatial business, Cyient will be well positioned as a complete service provider covering acquisition, modelling and processing services. This is very exciting for both our existing customers and prospects. In addition Cyient will look to extend these combined services into our other key markets such as Smart Cities, Utilities and Transportation. This marks a significant step forward for Cyient in shaping our vision for the future." The transaction is EPS accretive and expected to complete over the next 30 days, a company statement said here today. UNI VV CNR1550 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1012012.Xml
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today paid homage to Bharat Ratna Dr CV Raman on his birth anniversary. "Birthday homage to Bharat Ratna CV Raman ji," Ms Banerjee tweeted. Dr Raman was one of the great scientists of India, who was awarded the 1930 Nobel Prize in physics for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the 'Raman Effect', which is named after him. Chandrasekhar Venkata Raman, commonly known as CV Raman was born on November 7, 1888 at Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu. Raman was a very brilliant student right from his childhood. In 1917, he was offered the professorship of Physics at the Calcutta University, and he decided to accept this opportunity. After 15 years service at the Calcutta University, he left that job and shifted to Bangalore and became Director of the Indian Institute of Science, where two years later he continued as a professor of physics. Professor Raman was also the first to investigate the harmonic nature of the sound of the Indian drums such as the tabla and the mridanga. In 1930, for the first time in its history, an Indian scholar, educated entirely in India has received highest honour in science, the 'Nobel Prize' in physics. In 1943, he founded 'Raman Research Institute', near Bangalore. His discovery of the 'Raman Effect' made a very distinctive contribution to Physics. He was also conferred the highest title of 'Bharat Ratna' in 1954. The 'Raman Effect' was a demonstration of the 'Collision' effect of light bullets (Photons) passing through a transparent medium, whether solid, liquid or gaseous. Raman was also awarded the 'Lenin Peace Prize' in 1957. India celebrates National Science Day on February 28 every year to commemorate Raman's discovery.UNI BM RN AE SNU 1543 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0311-1011931.Xml
Local police today claimed to have solved a kidnapping case with the arrest of eight members of a gang operating in north India and recovered the abducted child. The gang kidnapped the 26-day-old infant from here on October 19 as there was a huge demand for the infant from rich industrialists, who did not have a male child. Three industrialists, including an NRI from Chandigarh, have been arrested. The arrested also include three women. One of the accused is a London-based NRI who had two girls and paid Rs five-lakh for getting a male child. The arrested include two Chandigarh residents who bought the child by paying Rs five-lakh. Dimple Jain of Ambala was arrested for acting as an agent in the sale of the child, police said. Neetu Khanna from Patiala and Sefali Jindal were arrested for posing as health department officials and planning the kidnapping. The two keep an eye on expecting mothers. In this case, the accused connived in kidnapping the child from a slum near Patiala.UNI XC DB AE SNU 1643 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-1012037.Xml
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leaders today urged Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh not to challenge their president Sukhbir Badal or others for a debate and refrain from acting like street bully because he would get enough opportunities to demonstrate his debating or histrionic skills in the state assembly if he managed to scrape through the ensuing assembly polls. In a joint statement here, SAD secretary general and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Lok Sabha MPs Ranjit Singh Brahmpura and Prem Singh Chandumajra said Capt Singh was sent to Lok Sabha to articulate the aspiration of the people of Punjab two years ago but he had adopted a stoic silence and invariably preferred to abstain from parliamentary proceedings. Evidently, Capt Singh has no locus standi now to seek debate as he had squandered the golden opportunity to participate in debates in Parliament. Yet he had the audacity to challenge for a debate. The Congress in its wisdom had appointed Capt Singh as it deputy leader in Lok Sabha but to its dismay he contributed a little to the proceedings of the House. Not to speak of participation in the debates or question hour, Amarinder was not seen for days and weeks in Parliament, they rued. The trio said that his record in the parliament is abysmal. As per the records, his attendance in Parliament is just six percent against the national average of 82 percent. His attendance was lowest of the 500 odd members of the Lok Sabha. However, if Rajya Sabha members too are taken into account, he is still at bottom but for film actress Rekha amongst 700 odd MPs. Perhaps, Amarinder and Rekha are in completion for bottom slot with Rekha registering five per cent attendance. Equally dismal was his record of participation in debates. Amarinder had participated or intervened in the parliamentary proceedings only for four times while on average a Lok Sabha MP participated on average for 41.4 times. Amarinder had put only 18 questions while on average an MP puts over 150 questions. On the contrary, Leader of Opposition Mallikarujun Kharge had 91 percent attendance, participated or intervened for 97 times in debates and had put nearly 150 questions despite his preoccupation with his heavy responsibilities. In state assembly too, Amarinder had more often created ruckus or asked his flock to shout or stage walk out rather than participating in meaningful constructive debates. Shockingly, during his entire tenure as legislator from 1992 to 1997, Amarinder participated in the debate only thrice. This prompted late Beant Singh to say, "Jogi pahadon utter ne" (Saints have come down from hills) as he noticed Amarinder's presence at house.UNI DB SWSNU 1652 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-1012075.Xml
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today accused the Punjab Government of politicising sacrifice of freedom fighters for political gains. In a statement here, AAP Punjab Convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich said that Badal Government while inaugurating Jang-e-Azadi memorial at Kartarpur invited the family members of freedom fighters butinsulted them by announcing nothing for them. Leaders of SAD-BJP kept on praising themselves in their speeches but did not even mention the freedom fighters, in memory of those the memorial was constructed, he added. "What is the use of spending Rs 200-crore to construct war memorial when the families of freedom fighters are running pole to pillar to get government help announced for them. Rather than running away from its duty, government must renew 45 year old freedom fighters pension policy." said Waraich. He said that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal must have shown courtesy to visit the protesting families but he along with his deputy preferred to flee from the venue. Waraich said that the anger of people shows that there is a strong resentment among the masses and people are ready to throw out corrupt leaders in upcoming elections. "Slogan being raised against chief minister of the state, while he was addressing the gathering, itself says a lot. Akalis must understand the anger of the people and stop committing atrocities on the common people," the AAP leader said. "After the formation of the AAP Government in Punjab, the families of freedom fighters will be given due respect. It is because of the sacrifice of freedom fighters that we are enjoying freedom and their families deserve more respect than ordinary people of country," said Waraich. UNI DB SNU 1714 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-1012082.Xml
Reiterating the firm commitment of the Punjab Government to maintain peace and communal harmony in the state, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said no one would be allowed to disturb the hard earned peace in the state. Interacting with the mediapersons on the sidelines of sangat darshan programme in Fatehgarh Sahib Assembly segment here, Mr Badal, replying to a query regarding Sarbat Khalsa, said it was the bounden duty of the state government to maintain peace, communal harmony and brotherhood in the state at every cost. He said the state government was keeping a strict vigil over the entire situation and none would be allowed to take law in their own hands. The chief minister said unprecedented development has taken place in the state during the current tenure of SAD-BJP regime. The state government has entirely focused on development adding that with unstinted support and cooperation of people if the SAD-BJP alliance was again voted to power, it would usher in a new era of development of the state and prosperity of its people. The state government has taken massive steps to preserve the rich cultural heritage of Punjab. On another query, he refuted the allegations regarding the environment pollution in Delhi due to Punjab. He said that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government in Delhi has miserably failed on all fronts and now they were trying to shift the onus of their non performance on others. Seeking resignation of Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, Mr Badal categorically said that any chief minister who fails to discharge his duties has no moral right to remain in office.UNI DB SW SNU 1658 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-1012116.Xml
"Congress Working Committee (CWC) was of view that Rahul Gandhi must take over presidency of the Congress party. It's high time the Congress mobilises all forces to fight against the dictatorial rule of the Modi government," said former Union Minister A.K. Anthony.
Antony said this was the first time such a sentiment had been expressed so strongly added that a final decision would be taken by party president Sonia Gandhi.
Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "Rahul Gandhi has said that he wants to fight for idea of India and whatever the Congress party and the committee will decide, he'll b ready to take up any challenge."
Surjewala also targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said the Centre has actually diluted the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme introduced by the Congress.
Rahul Gandhi chaired today's crucial CWC meeting, as party president Sonia Gandhi skipped it citing poor health. (ANI)
Among the lakhs of worldwide migratory bird Amur Falcon, which are presently roosting in various places of Nagaland, especially in Wokha district, one male Amur Falcon named 'Enenum' was successfully satellite tagged on Thursday last. A team of scientists and experts from the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun and MME/Birdlife Hungary, in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change of Nagaland and the coordinating unit of UNEP-CMS (Raptors MoU) satellite tagged the bird, while 62 other birds were also ringed and released after data collection by the scientists. According to a statement from the Nagaland Forest department, in 2013, three birds named 'Naga', 'Pangti' and 'Wokha' were tagged and succeeded in putting Pangti and especially the state of Nagaland, on the global map. Of the three, now only Naga is active and is at present still in China. Apart from all the awards that Pangti Village Council (PVC) received in the past three years, this year, a framed letter of appreciation from China Birdwatching Society of Beijing, and Wildchild Children's Society, also from Beijing, was handed over to the people of Pangti by Dr Suresh Kumar, on their behalf. The Amur Falcons of Pangti have also found their way in a BBC documentary titled 'The Hunt,' narrated by famous naturalist David Attenborough, which focuses on prey-predator relationships. Every year, starting from the last week of October till the third week of November, the roosting site at Pangti receives the largest congregation of Amur Falcons in the world, the statement added. UNI AS AKM RJ SNU 1851 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-1012214.Xml
The Supreme Court on Monday said that it could not impose yoga on anyone or frame its curriculum as it declined to entertain a PIL seeking direction to make yoga a part of school syllabus. Dismissing the PIL and asking the petitioner to implead itself in the similar matter being heard by another bench of the top court, a bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Justice D.Y.Chandrachud and Justice L.Nageswara Rao told the petitioner to go and persuade the people to practice yoga. PIL petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay had sought direction to the Human Resource Development Ministry, the National Council of Educational Research and Training, the National Council for Teacher Education and the Central Board of Secondary Education to "provide standard textbooks of 'yoga and health education' for students of Class 1 to 8" in spirit of the Constitution's Article 21A read with Article 14, 15 and 21. As senior counsel M.N. Krishnamani appearing for Upadhyay urged the court to consider the prayer, Chief Justice Thakur asked him if he was doing yoga even in this polluted environment, and the last 'asana' he had performed. As he did not answer, the court said that it was not impressed by his knowledge of yoga. "We are not impressed by your knowledge of yoga. That shows you are not doing yoga," observed the bench in a lighter vein. "Mr Krishnamani, you are not doing yoga nowadays, otherwise you would have remembered the list yoga you did," said the Chief Justice. "The government of India celebrates international yoga day and it is observed in other countries as well. People themselves will pick yoga. We can't frame curriculum," the bench observed rejecting the PIL. --IANS pk/vd ( 296 Words) 2016-11-07-20:42:03 (IANS)
Kanu Ramdas Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and a former NASA scientist, breathed his last in a private hospital here on Monday evening, an aide said. Kanu was 87 and is survived by his wife Shivalaxmi. Kanu was famous as the boy who walked ahead of Mahatma Gandhi holding one end of his stick on the beaches of Gujarat's Dandi village during the historic Salt Satyagraha of March-April 1930. On October 22, he suffered a heart attack and brain haemorrhage which left his body paralysed. He lapsed into a coma, from which he never recovered, Dhimant Badhia, his grieving friend of decades, told IANS. --IANS qn/pgh/vt ( 117 Words) 2016-11-07-20:58:03 (IANS)
Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh today hailed the Information and Broadcasting Ministry's move to put the proposed one-day ban on NDTV on hold as a 'victory of the democratic forces'. In a statement here, Capt Amarinder said it was clear that the central government had been forced to surrender in the face of the widespread resentment evoked by the arbitrary and dictatorial ban decision. On Sunday, the PPCC chief had announced a day-long protest to coincide with the ban on November 9 if the government failed to withdraw its draconian order before then. Though the protest dharna has now been called off, Capt Amarinder made it clear that any future attempt by the central government to stifle democratic institutions in the country will be met with the same resistance. The Modi government will not be allowed to get away with such despotic actions, he asserted. The proposed ban, which the Amritsar MP had termed as reminiscent of the way the media was being gagged in Punjab since the Badal regime took over the state's reins, had been a brazen attempt by the Modi government to stifle the free voice of democracy. Capt Amarinder has already made it clear that once his party is in power in Punjab, he would take immediate steps to unshackle the media from such repressive controls and would provide an ideal environment for all TV channels and other media organisations to flourish and grow in a professional manner. The NDTV episode should be an eye-opener for the Modi government, which should refrain from indulging in such anti-democratic activities, he said, adding that people will not tolerate any move to oppress them in any manner.UNI DB CJ SHK 2129 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-1012854.Xml
A third year student of a private engineering college here was arrested today on charges of creating a fake account in the name of a girl student at a government nursing college in facebook and posting her photos and making obscene remarks after she turned down his love proposal. The arrested was identified as Vamshakrishna Yadav.Police said the girl was known to Yadav as he is one of her brother's friends. Yadav, who befriended her while visiting her brother, started pressurising her to accept his love proposal. But she turned down his proposal and insisted him to stay away from her. In a bid to take revenge on her ,Yadav created a fake account in her name on Facebook and posted her picture and made obscene comments portraying her as a call girl. The girl, her parents and brothers were shocked when they learnt about the youth's action and approached police. The girl lodged a complaint with the Grand Bazaar police who booked Yadav under sections 354-A (sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment) and 354-D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 66-A (punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service, etc.) of Information Technology Act, 2008. He was produced before a local court and remanded to judicial custody.UNI PAB CJ GC2243 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1012975.Xml
BJP said TMC was playing vote bank politics without considering the plight of 1.5 crore Muslim women in the state.
Actress-turned-BJP state secretary Locket Chatterjee had a dig at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her ministers for supporting triple talaq with an eye on vote bank politics and rapped the TMC supremo for sending two senior ministers Partha Chatterjee and Firhad Hakim to a rally organised by another minister Siddiqulla Chowdhury, the leader of the West Bengal unit of Jamiat.
She said the BJP today sent a complaint to the state Women's Commission against the three ministers' alleged inflammatory advocacy of deprivation of women's rights and publicly renouncing the proceedings of the Supreme Court in the matter of rights of women issue.
A copy of the complaint has also been forwarded to the chairperson of National Commission for Women, she said.
BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said, "It is unbecoming of a woman chief minister to take a stand in favour of triple talaq against all Muslim women and their rights."
He said the BJP would hold a sit-in demonstration against triple talaq on November 18 in the city to be followed by similar protests in different parts of the state. UNI BM SJC CJ SHK
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A French soldier killed in Mali died after an attack by militants on Friday, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said today."...Fabien Jacq died in the night of Friday to Saturday after an attack by a terrorist group in northern Mali in a zone that is still fragile," Le Drian told Europe 1 radio.The French authorities had announced the soldier's death on Saturday, citing an explosion that hit a military convoy.Islamist militant group Ansar Dine claimed responsibility for the attack, but the French defence ministry had said it was not able to corroborate the claim.Reuters AE NS1516 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0100-1010862.Xml
Hong Kong police fired pepper spray and protesters threw bottles and road cones in clashes near China's representative office today night where activists had gathered to demonstrate against Beijing's attempts to stop a fledgling independence movement.A ruling tomorrow from a top committee of China's parliament, the National People's Congress, is expected to effectively bar the recently elected lawmakers Yau Wai-ching, and Baggio Leung from taking office in Hong Kong's legislature.The pair pledged allegiance to the "Hong Kong nation" and displayed a "Hong Kong is not China" banner during a swearing-in ceremony for the city's legislative council in October. Their oaths were not accepted and their right to re-take them is being challenged in the local courts by the Hong Kong government.The situation is seen by many of Hong Kong's legal and political elite as one of the biggest tests the financial hub has faced since its handover to China nearly two decades ago, with some fearing its independent rule of law is under threat.Hundreds of police, some with riot shields and batons, and some behind temporary metal barricades, were seen near the central government's Liaison Office, traditionally well protected by local police, and viewed by many as a symbol of Beijing's increasing influence on the free-wheeling city.As police reinforced their lines, protesters took their own precautions, some donning masks and goggles and wrapping cling film over their eyes to protect against pepper spray.At least one protester was arrested. About 20 were hit by pepper spray - some protecting themselves with umbrellas, the symbol of the 79-day democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2014."This is about our future," said one woman, while others chanted for independence, long a taboo subject in the global financial hub and anathema to Beijing's Communist Party leaders.The standing committee of China's parliament, the National People's Congress, this weekend discussed invoking a rarely used power to interpret Hong Kong's mini "Basic Law" constitution to stop Yau, 25, and Leung, 30, from taking office.China Central Television quoted national lawmakers as saying the pair were a threat to China's "sovereignty and security"."If this kind of situation continues it will harm the immediate interests of the people of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the interests of national development. The central government cannot sit by indifferently," they were quoted as saying.As such, an NPC interpretation was "very timely and extremely necessary", the report said.Britain returned Hong Kong to Chinese control in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula that gave the territory wide-ranging autonomy, including judicial freedom.Martin Lee, a veteran pro-democratic figure and barrister, said Beijing's move would bind the hands of the Hong Kong court that will hear the government's challenge against the pair."(It) makes it impossible for the court to exercise its own judgment," he said.The Hong Kong Bar Association has said an intervention by Beijing now would deal a "severe blow" to the city's judicial independence and undermine international confidence in Hong Kong's autonomy.Earlier today, thousands - including Yau and Leung -marched to the city's financial district. Several hundred then pressed on to Beijing's Liaison Office. Organisers put the numbers at 11,000; police said 8,000 turned out.REUTERS RJ RK 2322 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1011476.Xml
Just two days to go and one would think America has had enough of scandals regarding the two Presidential nominees. But no, here is another one. The New York Post has an investigative report this morning that as the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton routinely asked her maid to print out sensitive government e-mails and documents, including those that had classified information. Marina Santos's name figures in Clinton's emails. The New York Post report states that Clinton would first receive highly sensitive e-mails from top aides at the State Department and then request that they, in turn, forward the messages and any attached documents to Santos to print out for her at her home. Santos did not have security clearance to receive or print those mails. The expose quotes from the emails: "Pls ask Marina to print for me in am," Clinton e-mailed top aide Huma Abedin regarding a redacted 2011 message marked sensitive but unclassified. Not just Huma, another Clinton aide Monica Hanley too seems to be in on the maid's proximity to Hillary Clinton. In a classified 2012 e-mail dealing with the new president of Malawi, Hanley apparantly advised Clinton, "We can ask Marina to print this." In another mail marked "sensitive" but unclassified from Hanley to Clinton refers to a fax the staff wanted Clinton "to see before your Netanyahu mtg. Marina will grab for you." The Post report says that among the emails that the maid printed out, one had a subject line - "Revisions to the Iran points". In it, the text reads, "Marina is trying to print for you." The Iran mail was supposedly marked 'confidential' and 'secret'. The report says that Clinton's maid, who did not have security clearance, had access to a highly secure room called an SCIF (sensitive compartmented information facility) that diplomatic security agents set up at Whitehaven, Hillary and Bill Clinton's Washington DC house. When a Post reporter confronted Santos at her DC apartment on Friday, she said, "I don't speak to reporters." (ANI)
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump ended a long day of campaigning on Saturday with a stunning event that he hadn't planned. The Secret Service rushed him off the stage in Nevada during his campaign speech when a commotion in the crowd led them to believe that one unidentified protestor yelled 'gun'. The police did not find any weapons in his possession or in the area. Trump returned and delivered his speech with the same enthusiasm as before. "Nobody said it was going to be easy for us, but we will never be stopped. We will never be stopped. I want to thank the Secret Service. These guys are fantastic," said Trump. The Republican nominee has been doing multiple events and it seems to have had no detrimental impact on his energy and keenness to win. He thinks he is the best man for the top job and not even a security flutter could dampen his verve. David Avella, a communications professional and political operative, says as the election enters the last lap things are getting desperate. Mary Anne Marsh, a Democrat strategist, reminded TV viewers that Secret Service had got on stage during one of Clinton's speeches too. But the fact is that incidents like these do affect the way polls tilt. Wild fluctuations have been taking place in the polls in October and the first week of November. In a highly charged atmosphere many are criticial of the polls, calling them more art than science. The questions are formed in a manner to suit the outcome say critics. Trump is not a big fan of the polls. Clinton is leading by a single point at this stage but Trump is not touting that. In Nevada, he was leading by one point. But he doesn't quote that either.His supporters say that he is peaking at the right moment, just two days before the polls. But they are not leaving anything to chance. "Nobody said it will be easy for us. But we will never be stopped." Trump is convinced that the system is rigged against him. "Folks, it's a rigged system. It's a rigged system. And we're going to beat it," he said. Michael McDonald, Chairman of the Republican party in Nevada, said that polling locations extended closing time in Clark County to allow the voters to cast their ballots. There are more registered Democrats in Clark County compared to Republicans with over 30 percent of the population being Hispanics. McDonald said, "Last night in Clark County, they kept a poll open until 10 o'clock at night so that a certain group could vote.you think this is a free and easy election?" Pamela von Gruber, a Republican supporter in Virginia, told this reporter that she has volunteered to be an election observer mainly because of strong reports that voter fraud could take place in the swing state. Reagan George, the president of the Virginia Voters Alliance, claims that Virginia has printed an unprecedented number of one million provisional ballots that could allow a large number of fraudulent voters. "Help me stop Crooked Hillary from Rigging this election," was Trump's plea which is reflected in a website inviting volunteers. And thousands signed up. "The only way they can beat it in my opinion, and I mean this 100 percent, if in certain sections of the state they cheat," Trump said of Clinton campaign in Pennsylvania. But politicians across the spectrum have criticized the discourse of large-scale voter fraud as utter rubbish. However, it is a rallying cry in the Republican Party. With just two days left for the Election Day, polls show that 12 percent of voters are uncommitted as compared to 5 percent in the last election. 15 percent of voters dislike both candidates, which means they are not committed even in the last lap. Those who vote in early voting are those motivated by partisan passion but the ones who wait till the end are those who could swing either way. And it is to grab those votes that Trump and Clinton are out there in the slog overs, not leaving anything to chance. There is very strong chance now that Trump might win the popular vote but miss out on the presidency because of the Electoral College vote. If that happens, he isn't going to go away very easily. (ANI)
"A retired high court judge will head the committee which comprises senior officials," a senior official quoted Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan as saying.
The development came eight days after the government sacked information minister Pervaiz Rashid after preliminary investigations established a 'lapse' on his part vis-a-vis the publication of the controversial story by Cyril Almeida in one of the country's leading daily, The Dawn on October 6.
The story came under much fire as it reported an alleged rift between the country's powerful military and the government for its failure to act against non-state actors.
Almeida's name was even added to the Exit Control List to prevent him from traveling abroad. However it was later removed.
The government repeatedly rebutted the story as 'false and fabricated', and the military leadership went on to call it a 'breach of national security'.
The Interior Minister has repeatedly said that whoever was involved in leaking the story would be brought to justice as this story had given opportunity to foes to chargesheet Pakistan. (ANI)
The fresh arrests were made during drives in different areas early Sunday, reports the Dhaka Tribune.
Confirming the arrests, Nasirnagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abu Jafar said that they would be produced before the local court without remand plea.
So far, 53 people have been arrested in connection with the attacks on the Hindu community.
A disruptive mob equipped with sharp weapons on October 30 went wild and demolished a number of Hindu temples and nearly 100 houses in Nasirnagar upazila following rumour of a Facebook post demeaning Kaaba. (ANI)
"There has been no talk in the party on the alternate Prime Minister," the Dawn quoted the Speaker as saying to a questioner.
Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Sadiq said that the Panama case was in the Supreme Court and they should avoid making speculations.
"There should not be more debate on the Panamaleaks as the matter is in the SC. We should respect the court decision," the speaker said.
Responding to a question on references against the Prime Minister, Sadiq said, "The Speaker's office is not an investigation forum."
He stated that there was no justification of sit-in when the Supreme Court had taken up the Panama case.
"They (PTI leaders) should respect court's decision and refrain from influencing the court," Sadiq said. (ANI)
European Union human rights watchdogs and rights activists based in Brussels and Geneva have expressed shock and dismay over the Pakistan Army and local authorities move to dynamite and demolish the Al-Muhib market in the popular Rustam Bazaar area of tribal-dominant South Waziristan, as collective punishment to avenge the killing of an army officer in an explosion. Many others were also injured in the incident that took place earlier this week. The political agent in South Waziristan Agency, Zafarul Islam Khattak, was quoted by the Dawn, as saying that the action was taken under the collective and territorial responsibility clauses of the Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR) Act. Britain's colonial rulers had devised and introduced the FCR as an extension of already existing local laws and traditions with the aim of keeping the local Pakhtoon population subjugated and disciplined. The order to demolish the market was taken on Friday, three days after Major Imran of the Pakistan Army was killed and 10 others injured in an explosion while undertaking a search operation. Following the incident, the local authorities had also imposed a curfew in the Wana Bazaar area, forcing over 6,000 shops to down their shutters. The owner of the Al-Muhib, Ali Wazir, claimed to have suffered huge losses due to the demolition. He said explosions take across the country, but nowhere do markets get dynamited as retaliatory punishment. Local sources said the Rustam Bazaar was currently under the control of security forces. Efforts by local elders to resolve the issue through the Jirga have failed to produce any result. In recent months, some members of the European Parliament have also joined a growing chorus against Pakistan, urging it to be made more accountable for what they called "its misdirected policies" in extending direct and indirect support to terror outfits operating from its soil. They have also ramped up pressure on Islamabad to allow international scrutiny on matters related to the protection of human rights of the indigenous population, particularly those designated as minorities. They have said that the years of concerted government use of extremist groups as instruments of mayhem against political activists, journalists and intellectuals inimical to their interests is unacceptable. One European Union Parliamentarian, Alberto Cirio, said in a recent article that has been published by EP Today, that, "The stark choice now before the Pakistan government is either to move against all jihadi groups active on its soil, or be willing to face a blow back from those protected from such action, like that witnessed in Quetta." The European Parliament has repeatedly thrown light on the sizeable presence of the Pakistan Army in that country's tribal belt, and believes that it could be behind the brutal violation and denial of human rights to the local population. There is also a view in Europe that Islamabad continues to promote extremist groups and charities affiliated to them, such as the Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (a front of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa) and the Al Khair (a front of the Jaish-e-Mohammad). The systematic abuse of human rights reflects a total contempt for all international human rights laws, said the European rights activists. (ANI)
Speaking to reporters after reaching Khangarh, the PPP chairman said that his party would organise a long march against the government if it did not accept the plan for accountability of those named in the Panama Papers leaks.
The Dawn quoted sources as saying that Bilawal was visiting Ghotki district to resolve some issues among the local PPP leaders.
The PPP leader was welcomed in Khangarh by the Mahar brothers, who have significant political control in Ghotki and reportedly had differences with some other heavyweights of the district.
Bilawal held a meeting with the Mahar brothers, Member of National Assembly Sardar Ali Gohar Khan Mahar, former chief minister of Sindh Ali Mohammad Mahar, Provincial Minister Sardar Mohammad Bux Mahar and Ali Nawaz Mahar and discussed with them the local political situation and problems of the district.
According to sources, Mahar brothers opposed the reported joining of the PPP by Nadir Akmal Laghari and Khalid Khan Lund and complained about unavailability of development funds.
Rahim Bux Bozdar's name was presented by the influential brothers for the district president of the PPP in Ghotki. (ANI)
According to CNN, thousands took to the streets in Seoul on Saturday, calling for Park to step down.
Park is accused of letting her confidante Choi Soon-sil, who does not hold an official government post, view confidential documents and presidential speeches.
Local media and opposition parties have accused Choi of using her relationship with Park to accumulate millions of dollars in donations to her foundations.
Prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Choi on Wednesday on charges of abuse of power and attempted fraud.
"This sort of corruption happened during her father's time, but 40 years later, things like this are met with resistance from the public," one protester told CNN.
On Friday, Park apologized for the scandal for the second time in two weeks and maintained she wasn't being controlled by anyone else.
"All of this happening is my fault. It happened because of my neglect," she said in a televised address.
"There are even talks of me being immersed in a cult or resorting to shamanism in the Blue House (presidential palace). I would like to say that this is absolutely not true," she said. (ANI)
Officials in the United States have warned that vigilante poll monitors may pose a danger on Election Day (November 8). The alarm bells are ringing in the wake of The Guardian reporting that militia members and neo-Nazi groups are taking Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's claims of ballot rigging seriously. Without serious evidence, Trump alleged that the election could be "rigged" and even refused to say at the third presidential debate whether he will accept the outcome. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has launched a series of legal challenges around the country alleging voter intimidation. On Friday, an Ohio judge issued a temporary restraining order against the Trump campaign and his unofficial adviser Roger Stone. The ruling said that anyone who engaged in intimidation or harassment inside or near Ohio polling places would face contempt of court charges. Republican leaders in some battleground states are reporting a surge of volunteers signing up to serve as official poll watchers and the Trump campaign itself has since August been requesting that volunteers sign up as "election observers" to "Help Me Stop Crooked Hillary From Rigging This Election!". The Ohio Democratic Party had claimed in its lawsuit that the Trump campaign, Stone and his political action committee Stop the Steal were conspiring to suppress minorities in urban areas from casting ballots. Republicans, who say that party volunteers are engaging in normal poll watching, on Thursday fought back against the charges of wrongdoing before judges in Nevada and Arizona. There have been fears that some individuals may be present with guns outside polling stations to intimidate voters in states with open carry laws. While having trained partisan observers inside polling places is a normal part of the voting process, "Trump has encouraged people to go on their own and check out what's going on in polling places. These are going to be untrained people hyped up on what Trump has said," Rick Hasen, one of the country's leading election law experts, said. "I'm worried that there are going to be confrontations and potential violence at the polls," he added. (ANI)
The political agent in South Waziristan Agency, Zafarul Islam Khattak, said the action was taken under the collective and territorial responsibility clauses of the Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR) Act, reports the Dawn.
The bazaar was identified by officials as Al-Muhib Market, where an army officer, Major Imran was killed and 10 others were wounded in an explosion during a search operation.
Local authorities have imposed a curfew and forced over 6,000 shops to shut down following the incident.
The market's owner, Ali Wazir, has claimed to have suffered huge losses due to the demolition. He said explosions take across the country, but nowhere do markets get dynamited as punishment.
Local sources said the Rustam Bazaar was currently under the control of security forces. Efforts by local elders to resolve the issue through the Jirga failed to produce any result. (ANI)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey informed lawmakers that the agency has not changed its opinion that Hillary Clinton should not face criminal charges after a review of new emails. "Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July," the CNN quoted Comey as saying in the new letter written by him to congressional committee chairmen. Last month, a bombshell was dropped by Comey on the presidential race as he had sent a letter to Congress saying that the FBI had discovered emails in a separate investigation that could be connected to the now closed probe of whether the classified information was mishandled by Clinton. The news could help Clinton put to rest a controversy that has dogged her in the 2016 race's closing days, helping Trump narrow a polling gap nationally and in key battleground states. The FBI's handling of the matter was assailed by Trump, However he did not directly address Comey's statement at a rally in Sterling Heights, Michigan. "You can't review 650,000 new emails in eight days. You can't do it, folks," Trump said, adding, "Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it, the FBI knows it, the people know it, and now it's up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on November 8." Comey's handling of the review was blasted by Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Feinstein in a statement said, "Today's letter makes Director Comey's actions nine days ago even more troubling. There's no doubt that it created a false impression about the nature of the agency's inquiry." The new emails were found by the FBI as part of its separate investigation into a sexting incident by Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. While explaining how the conclusion was reached so quickly Law enforcement officials said that the thousands of new emails were mostly personal and duplicates of what had already been seen. The probe is considered to be over with regard to Clinton. However, with not all the deleted emails recovered and not all the devices in FBI's possession, it is always possible that something else could turn up that would need more review. The Justice Department said in a brief statement released Sunday afternoon, "The Department of Justice and the FBI dedicated all necessary resources to conduct this review expeditiously." (ANI)
Former Marxist guerrilla leader Daniel Ortega looked set to easily win a third consecutive term as president of Nicaragua, after delivering years of steady growth that have overridden concerns he is trying to install a family dynasty.Ortega and his running mate, his wife Rosario Murillo, had nearly 70 percent support, according to a recent opinion poll, tapping into strong voter approval for a drop in poverty since he took office in 2007 in one of the poorest countries in the Americas .Ortega, 70, went to vote in Managua just before the polls closed at 6 p.m. (0000 GMT), driving his wife to the voting station in a Mercedes jeep, where they were met by supporters amid a heavy security presence."This is a vote for peace, for stability, for the security of Nicaraguan families," Ortega said, wearing a red shirt and a cream-colored jacket. "Some say that we don't have proper elections here, because we're not insulting each other, throwing messages of hate, banging the drums of death."Emerging as leader of the Sandinista movement that toppled dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979, Ortega served one term as president in the 1980s before being sidelined for years after a series of electoral defeats.By the time he won Nicaragua's 2006 election, he had moved far enough from his Marxist roots to talk about Jesus Christ in his speeches.Opponents have accused Ortega of trying to set up a "family dictatorship" since he appointed relatives to key posts, and after his Sandinistas pushed constitutional changes through Congress that ended presidential term limits in 2014.The opposition views Murillo's vice presidential bid as further evidence of Ortega's power grab, particularly given that rumors have long swirled over his supposed health problems."Ortega gets his way and he doesn't care if he violates the rights of others," said Maximino Rodriguez, candidate of the center-right Liberal Constitutionalist Party or PLC, Ortega's closest rival, polling at 8 percent support."Supposedly he fought against the Somoza dictatorship, and the Sandinistas themselves regard Ortega as worse than Somoza," he added, arguing Ortega was trying to cling to power.The Sandinistas have defended the decision to place Murillo on the ticket, citing her work ethic and the importance of promoting women to top jobs.DISARRAYStill, Ortega faces no obvious challenger.The opposition has been in disarray since Pedro Reyes used the courts to wrest leadership of the Independent Liberal Party, or PLI, the main group, from Eduardo Montealegre in June.PLI members of congress who refused to accept the decision, calling Reyes a puppet of Ortega, were dismissed.Hernan Selva, a 22-year-old engineering student and Ortega supporter, dismissed as "the kicks of a drowning man" the complaints by Rodriguez, who fought the Sandinistas in the 1980s as part of a right-wing paramilitary force known as the Contras.U.S. and international organizations voiced concern about Montealegre's ouster and Ortega's refusal to host international observers for the vote. Still, the World Bank acknowledges that poverty has fallen almost 13 percentage points under Ortega.Ortega, who has made few campaign appearances, has promised to defend his social and economic achievements if he wins.A substantial part of those gains have been funded by Venezuelan petrodollars that have underpinned social programs, helped private business and slashed energy costs.Ortega has also forged alliances with the business sector, helping Nicaragua to achieve average growth of 5 percent in the past five years, buttressed by high prices for its meat, coffee and gold exports, as well as remittances and foreign investment.Despite some ups and downs, Ortega and U.S. President Barack Obama have maintained a relatively cordial relationship, demonstrating Ortega's shift from a leftist firebrand to a diplomat who maintains ties with a Cold War foe.But democracy remains a touchy subject.A U.S. bill known as the Nica Act seeks to condition financial assistance to Nicaragua on improvements in democracy, human rights and battling anti-corruption, leading Ortega's government to decry "interference" from Washington in September.REUTERS JW0629 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1011533.Xml
The protest rally organized by Free Balochistan Movement (FBM) was led by exiled Baloch leader Hyrbyair Marri.
This was the second week-long round the clock protest by Free Balochistan Movement outside the China's Embassy in London.
The protesters shouted anti-Pakistan slogans on the streets of London and allege that Islamabad has intensified its brutalities against innocent Baloch people residing at CPEC route.
Hundreds of Baloch houses have been attacked and burned to ashes and hundreds of innocent Baloch have been disappeared only to appease China.
Despite all these atrocities the Baloch are adamant to resist the China-Pakistan nexus and exploitative designs against Baloch nation. (ANI)
Soldiers have found the body of a German woman on an abandoned yacht in the troubled waters of the southern Philippines and suspect her companion may have been taken captive by Islamist Abu Sayyaf rebels, the military said today.The body was found naked and with gunshot wounds on the yacht which bore a German flag and was docked on a remote island in the Sulu archipelago, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, an al-Qaeda linked group notorious for kidnapping and increasingly, piracy."A shotgun was found near her body," army spokesman Major Filemon Tan told reporters. "We are verifying reports a German national ... was taken captive by the Abu Sayyaf."Tan said an Abu Sayyaf leader, Muamar Askali, had made claims on radio that they were holding a 70-year-old German after intercepting the yacht in Sabah, eastern Malaysia, last week.Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is due to hold talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak this week, during which tackling Abu Sayyaf is due to figure as the two countries grow increasingly concerned about radicalism and lawlessness.Abu Sayyaf rebels have since March been intercepting slow-moving tug boats towing coal barges in waters near the borders of Malaysia and the Philippines, taking captive more than a dozen Indonesian and Malaysian sailors.Several hostages had been freed, after paying ransom to the Abu Sayyaf, a group known for kidnappings and beheadings, including two Canadians this year.It is holding 15 captives, including a Netherlands citizen, five Malaysians, two Indonesians and seven Filipinos. REUTERS VS VP1235 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1011684.Xml
President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the cancellation today of Philippine's purchase of police rifles from the United States, saying his government will look for a cheaper source."We will just have to look for another source that is cheaper and maybe as durable," Duterte said in a televised speech.The US State Department halted the planned sale of some 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippines' national police after Senator Ben Cardin said he would oppose it, Senate aides told Reuters last month. REUTERS PY AS1502 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1011850.Xml
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte agreed today to sign the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, backtracking from his previous stance that he would not support a deal he believed would hurt the country's industrialisation hopes."After so much debate, the climate change (agreement) will be signed," he told journalists at the presidential palace."It was a cabinet decision, I'll go along with it and sign it."Duterte had previously said he "will not honor" the proposed restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions, arguing that such "limitations" could stymie the country's industrialisation.Duterte has been criticised for saying he would not recognize the country's commitments to the Paris pact, which came before his big victory in the May election.His biggest critics include his mentor and former president Fidel Ramos.Ramos, who has quit his job in the Duterte administration as special envoy to China, is a supporter of Duterte but has recently turned critical of the maverick leader, including over his position on the Paris accord.Ramos was most upset about Duterte's hostility toward old ally the United States, which he lashes out at almost daily, mostly over its concerns about his bloody war on drugs.Washington was not spared of Duterte's diatribes on Monday either, even in comments about the climate pact.He said industrial countries were known not to honor obligations to contribute to a United Nations Green Climate Fund "especially America", which he said "has not paid its dues".Nearly 200 countries, including the Philippines, adopted the Paris agreement in December last year to combat climate change, aiming to transform the world's fossil-fuel-driven economy within decades and slow the pace of temperature rise to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius.The deal formally came into effect on November 4 but has yet to be ratified by the Philippines.Manila has committed to reduce its emissions by 70 percent by 2030, but it will need technical and financial support to achieve it.The Philippines is among countries that suffer most from the impacts of climate change, such as strong storms including Super Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, which killed more than 6,300 people. REUTERS PY AS1503 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1011934.Xml
Islamic State militants have set off five car bombs targeting US-backed Syrian armed groups attacking Raqqa, a Kurdish source said today, saying the fight to drive IS from its stronghold city would "not be easy". The operation by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including the Kurdish YPG militia, that began on Saturday aims to encircle and ultimately capture Raqqa, adding to the pressure on IS as it faces a major assault in Iraq. Islamic State has also drawn heavily on suicide car bombs in its efforts to fend off the assault on Mosul by Iraqi forces. The Kurdish source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US-led coalition was providing "excellent" air support for the operation dubbed "Euphrates Anger". "It is difficult to ... put a time frame on the operation at present. The battle will not be easy," the source said. The attack so far appears focused on areas north of Raqqa near the town of Ain Issa, 50 km away. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an organisation that reports on the war, said the SDF forces had so far captured a number of IS positions, but there had been "no real progress". The Kurdish source said a number of villages had been captured. "Daesh is resorting to attacks with car bombs to a great degree," the source said. The SDF has been the main partner on the ground in Syria for the US-led coalition against Islamic State, capturing swathes of northern Syria with coalition air support. Planning for the Raqqa assault has been complicated by factors including the concerns of neighbouring Turkey, which does not want to see any further expansion of Kurdish influence in northern Syria. Additionally, Raqqa is a predominantly Arab city, and Syrian Kurdish officials have previously said it should be freed from IS by Syrian Arab groups, not the Kurdish YPG. A US official told Reuters in Washington there was "no available force capable of taking Raqqa in the near future", and US officials cautioned the process of sealing off and isolating the city could take two months or longer. REUTERS PY BL1623 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1012096.Xml
Russian government was not involved into an alleged attempt to kill Montenegro's Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, the Kremlin spokesman said today. "We, obviously, categorically deny a possibility of official involvement into arranging any illegal actions," Dmitry Peskov said in a response to a question on the investigation into a plot to kill Djukanovic. A special prosecutor investigating an alleged plot to sway last month's election in Montenegro said on Sunday a group of "Russian nationalists" had planned to assassinate the prime minister to get an opposition party into power.REUTERS PY BL1658 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1012077.Xml
Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Sudarshan Bhagat today asked the Meghalaya government to utilise fund released by the Centre to help the farming community in the state. Mr Bhagat who held a review meeting with Meghalaya agriculture and horticulture officers, sought inputs on the status of implementation of 16 Central flagship schemes related to agriculture including financial achievements. "The state government must fully utilise fund released by the centre to help the farmers and also to ensure that centre sanction more funds for the state," he said. However, a central agriculture officer, who accompanied the visiting Union Minister said Meghalaya has done a tremendous job in some of the schemes but in some including horticulture, some efforts have to be made to utilize the Central government funds. The Centre is providing 90 per cent funding for these 16 schemes and only 10 per cent from the state. "If the state is not able to incur expenditure for the money that has been released, the fund will be reduced in the next year's budget, which will be at loss for the state," the official said. The Union Minister reviewed the implementation of 16 central schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, soil health card, soil health management, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture and others. Mr Bhagat also instructed scientists ndian Council of Agricultural Research to conduct further research and develop disease-free varieties of agricultural crops to double their production income. He also suggested the state government to encourage farmers to opt for piggery and goat rearing. Mr Bhagat said that Meghalaya can become a hub for organic farming, even as he stressed that new technologies and schemes should be taken to help the farmers and increase production. UNI RRK CJ GC2110 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1012904.Xml
A U.S. jury on Monday began weighing damages for a University of Virginia administrator the panel said was defamed by Rolling Stone magazine's now-retracted story of a gang rape, a court spokeswoman said.Lawyers for administrator Nicole Eramo were presenting evidence on potential damages to the 10-person U.S. District Court jury in Charlottesville, Virginia, the spokeswoman for Judge Glen Conrad said.Eramo is seeking at least $7.5 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages in the high-profile case. It was unclear when jurors would begin deliberating or how long the damages phase might take.The jury on Friday found Rolling Stone, owner Wenner Media and reporter Sabrina Erdely liable of actual malice against Eramo in the magazine's November 2014 story "A Rape on Campus."The magazine reported that a female student identified only as "Jackie" was raped at a university fraternity in 2012. The story sparked a national debate about sexual assault on U.S. college campuses and resonated with many who saw it as a battle cry against sexual violence on campuses.Rolling Stone admitted that it never sought comment from the seven men accused of the alleged rape and retracted the story in April 2015. An outside review found the magazine had failed to follow basic journalistic safeguards.Eramo, who was then an associate dean of students, accused the magazine of portraying her as the story's villain and as focused on hushing up sexual assault reports. She now works in an administrative role at the university.Eramo has claimed damages from the story include harm to her reputation, embarrassment, emotional distress and humiliation.Campus sexual assault remains a major concern, with some reports estimating that one in five female students will be a victim. REUTERS CJ GC2143 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1012937.Xml
FREETOWN, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Shandong Iron and Steel Group plans to expand its investment in Sierra Leone with 700 million U.S. dollars for the construction of processing plants.
Hou Jun, chairman of the Chinese steel firm, made the announcement during a courtesy call on Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma on Friday.
Hou assured the president that the company's goal in Sierra Leone is to work "closely with the government to scale up China-Sierra Leone economic cooperation."
The company has committed 700 million U.S. dollars for the construction of processing plants so as to further expand its business in Sierra Leone, said Hou.
President Koroma encouraged the Shandong Iron and Steel Group to scale up its activities through the injection of investment into its operations and promised continuous support from his government.
"We will continue to support the project because we believe it's a win-win situation for both the company and Sierra Leone," the president told Hou.
By Maria Spiliopoulou
ATHENS, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- According to an opinion poll published on Sunday, most Greek respondents in the survey reject the bailout policies implemented since 2010 to address the debt crisis.
The survey was carried out by Kappa Research polling firm for Sunday's Vima (Tribune) newspaper. Six out of ten respondents said that they still believe that an alternative solution to the harsh bailout program is feasible.
About 58 percent of participants in the survey said that they feel that none of the existing political parties represent them, therefore they are thinking about abstaining from the next national polls.
Although the part of Greeks who have decided to not vote in the next elections currently stands at about 29.5 percent, pollsters expected that the participation rate may drop below 50 percent whenever the ballots will take place.
In 2004, 76.5 percent of Greek voters cast their ballots in the elections. Gradually during the years of the debt crisis, the percent was steadily in decline.
In the double elections of May and June 2012, 65.1 and 62.5 percent of voters participated in the polls. In the September 2015 elections, the rate dropped to 56.2 percent.
When asked regarding their trust to institutions, 53.5 percent of respondents had a positive view of the military, 43.5 percent of police and 36 percent of the justice system.
Greeks' trust to institutions has also steadily faded since 2004, according to Kappa Research. Only trust to the private sector enterprises has increased from 28.5 percent in 2004 to 47 percent nowadays.
In addition, 29.5 percent of participants in the opinion poll also expressed worries regarding the instability in neighboring countries and the wider region.
A total of 800 Greeks nationwide took part in the survey which was conducted in the period of October 25-26.
MADRID, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Real Madrid on Sunday confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new contract to keep him at the club until the end of June 2021.
The 31-year-old will officially sign the new deal, which will keep him at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium until he is 36 years old, at Real Madrid's ground on Monday lunchtime.
The new contract extends his stay for a further three seasons as his previous contact due to expire in June 2018.
His deal means that Real Madrid have assured the future of almost all of their key players in recent weeks and comes on the back of contracts signed by Tony Kroos, Luka Modric, Lucas Vazquez and Gareth Bale, whose new deal was confirmed by Madrid a week ago.
The news comes a matter of hours after Madrid's 3-0 win over Leganes, which means they will go into the international break as leaders of the Liga Santander.
MOGADISHU, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Al-Shabaab militants fired mortars outside a military camp of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in El Baraf area of Middle Shabelle region on Sunday, without causing casualty, the AU mission said.
The AMISOM said all the three mortar rounds landed outside the camp, which is run by troops from Burundi, in the morning, causing panic among nearby villagers.
"AMISOM troops returned fire and suspects fled. No damage or injury was caused," it said.
Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility, saying the shelling killed several AU soldiers.
AMISOM troops are helping the Somali government battle Al-Shabaab militants, who have carried out frequent attacks in the country.
BEIRUT, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's President Michel Aoun pledged Sunday that he will not allow any politician to violate the constitution as part of his vision for a "strong state," stressing that "corruption will be eradicated" during his presidential tenure.
"Reaching the presidency is not our goal and the goal is to build a country that is strong through its national unity," Aoun said in front of popular delegations that flocked to the Baabda Palace to congratulate him on his election.
"A strong state is one built upon a constitution respected by all politicians, and no one will be able to violate the constitution from now on," the president said.
"Today, we can stand proudly because we have created our national unity and we will now begin the second journey, which is building the country," he added.
He vowed that Lebanon "will not be subordinate to any other country."
"Non-politicized security forces must preserve the security of the Lebanese and they should be entrusted with implementing the laws, and these are not empty slogans," Aoun stressed.
Outlining his vision for the future of Lebanon, Aoun said "we will exploit our natural resources and there are high hopes and a will among all Lebanese. That's why we have reached the presidency carrying developmental projects."
"Corruption will be eradicated and the environment will become clean once again," the president promised.
Aoun was elected president Monday ending two and a half years of presidential vacuum that started with the end of the six-year tenure of former President Michel Suleiman.
In addition to pledges of economic growth and security, Aoun said in his oath of office that Lebanon must work to ensure Syrian refugees "can return quickly" to their country.
Aoun also pledged to endorse an "independent foreign policy" and to protect Lebanon from "the fires burning across the region."
MARRAKECH, Morocco, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Patricia Espinosa, announced on Sunday that 100 parties formally joined the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The announcement was made during a press conference before the official kick-off of the UNFCCC's 22nd Conference of Parties (COP22) in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh on Nov. 7.
The Paris Agreement, adopted in Dec. 2015 at the COP21 in Paris, was ratified in Oct. by 96 countries and the European Union, and entered into force on Nov. 4.
Espinosa said that the 100 parties who joined demonstrate "real climate action."
She also announced that the 1st meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA1) would take place at COP22 on Nov. 15.
Salaheddine Mezouar, COP22 President, stressed the importance of reaching tangible commitments from states and civil society during the 11-day climate change conference particularly regarding climate finance and adaptation.
"We're changing the paradigm towards a low-carbon global economy that needs key climate finance flows to the most vulnerable countries," said Mezouar.
This shows serious commitment from all levels of society to continue the critical momentum towards a low-carbon economy and the fight against climate change, he added.
Over 50,000 people are expected to attend COP22 in Morocco, including around 20,000 delegates, some 30,000 civil society members, over 40 heads of state and 30 heads of government.
NAIROBI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Sunday dismissed a United Nations report linking its troops to illicit charcoal trade from a port under their control in Somalia.
State House spokesman Manoah Esipisu condemned the allegation "in the strongest terms possible," terming it "hogwash masquerading as research."
The Kenyan troops are part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which is helping the Somali government battle terror group Al-Shabaab.
"We are focused on the job that took us to Somalia in the first place, and will not be distracted by the latest hogwash masquerading as research," Esipisu told journalists in Nairobi.
A UN Monitoring Group report, published by a Kenyan daily on Sunday, said Kenyan troops in Somalia received fees for allowing illicit exports of charcoal from the port of Kismayu.
The report said the Kenyan troops received 2 U.S. dollars per bag of charcoal at Kismayu, citing charcoal industry and non-governmental organizations sources.
The report estimated that up to 6 million bags of charcoal had been exported annually from Kismayu and Buur Gaabo, another port adjacent to a Kenyan army base in Somalia.
Charcoal exports are banned by the UN Security Council in 2012 in an effort to cut off funding for Al-Shabaab.
Esipisu said the UN report appeared as a regurgitation of reports NGOs have issued over time, with the sole agenda of "demoralizing" Kenyan troops.
Days ago, Kenya was angered by the UN chief's dismissal of Kenyan Lt. General Johnson Kimani Ondieki as the commander of the UN peacekeeping force in South Sudan.
DAMASCUS, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured six villages in Syria's northern city of al-Raqqa, as part of a broad offensive unleashed Sunday against the stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) group, a monitor group reported.
Intense battles were raging between the SDF and the IS under the air cover of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition in the northern countryside of al-Raqqa, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The London-based watchdog group said the U.S.-led airstrikes were targeting the IS positions in northern al-Raqqa.
Earlier in the day, the SDF announced the beginning of a military campaign against al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) group.
The military campaign, dubbed "the Euphrates Rage," started on Saturday evening in cooperation and coordination with the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition, a SDF statement said.
The SDF, meanwhile, urged the regional and international powers that have been affected by the IS to take part in the "honor to eliminate the core of the international terrorism" by providing all kinds of support to it.
Meanwhile, the Observatory, which says it relies on a network of activists on ground, said 30,000 fighters with the SDF took part in the battle to liberate al-Raqqa.
The SDF's first aim is to isolate the city of al-Raqqa from its northern and eastern countryside as a prelude to dislodge the IS from the city, said the Observatory.
The SDF move toward al-Raqqa will surely raise the ire of Turkey, which has recently asked the U.S. to put the offensive on al-Raqqa on hold till the liberation of the battle against IS in its second stronghold in Mosul, Iraq.
Turkey wanted to lead the offensive on al-Raqqa with the Free Syrian Army rebels, who it has been backing recently to take areas from IS in northern Syria and cut the road in the face of the SDF advance in northern Syria, near Turkey.
Turkey's main concern is a growing Kurdish influence near its borders, and that was a main point of contention between Washington and Ankara.
File Photo. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clintonparticipate in the second presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, the United States, on Oct. 9, 2016. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)
By Matthew Rusling
WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- In a contest with more twists and turns than a serpent, the two U.S. presidential candidates are running neck-in-neck as they head toward the finish line.
While just a few weeks ago Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton led her Republican rival Donald Trump by a healthy 7-point margin, the brash billionaire has surged forward in recent days, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced it would re-open an investigation into alleged wrongdoings by Clinton.
While he is still trailing Clinton, the outspoken Trump is catching up fast. As of Sunday, Trump was behind Clinton by a mere 1.4 points in the Real Clear Politics average of polls, which is within the margin of error.
The 2016 race to the White House is highly unusual, as both candidates are deeply disliked by much of the public, having what political scientists call "high negative rates."
Clinton is highly distrusted in polls and viewed as dishonest, in light of myriad scandals and accusations of corruption over her years in politics. Trump is viewed by many as unpresidential and sexist, for his many over-the-top remarks that critics say make him seem more like a character on reality TV than a serious presidential candidate.
"The FBI disclosure helped Trump unite Republican voters behind his campaign," Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies of the Brookings Institution, told Xinhua.
Experts said the surprise FBI announcement, which came just two weeks before the elections, may well shore up the Republican vote. While many traditional Republicans were reluctant to vote for the bombastic outsider, they may now rather vote for Trump than to see Clinton clinch the White House.
"The Clinton hatred among these individuals is so strong that the FBI investigation pushed most Republicans into Trump's corner. That has allowed him to narrow the race," West said.
While Clinton is leading, her edge is within the margin of error, which makes this anyone's race to win.
"She still has a slight edge, but the undecided vote still is large enough to keep the campaign competitive. Most of the surveys are within the margin of error, which means it officially is a tossup. Any late swing one way or another will decide the winner," he said.
Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua the tightening race reflects that some Republicans are coming back to support Trump, as well as a natural tightening that would be expected in today's highly partisan atmosphere.
"I don't think this can be read solely as momentum for Trump-rather a mixture of the email scandal and GOP voters that were reluctant about Trump returning to the fold," he said.
But, even as the numbers tighten, Trump is way behind the 2008 and 2012 numbers among key demographics such as college-educated women, college-educated white men, etc. that are a vital part of any winning Republican coalition in an election year, he said.
Christopher Galdieri, assistant professor at Saint Anselm College, told Xinhua that the race is now certainly closer than they were a week or two ago.
"I do think the (FBI's re-opening of the Clinton investigation) helped motivate reluctant Republicans who have reservations about Trump to come back to the party," he said.
"But I also don't know that that wouldn't have happened on its own as the election drew nearer. The stakes of winning or losing the presidency are so high that many Republicans were probably already talking themselves into voting for Trump," he said.
BUDAPEST, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The renowned Hungarian composer, conductor, and pianist Zoltan Kocsis, died in Budapest on Sunday at the age of 64, local media reported.
No cause of death was given but Kocsis had undergone cardiac and aortic valve surgery in 2012 and had cancelled an international tour in mid-October on medical advice.
In a Facebook blog fellow conductor Ivan Fischer described Kocsis as a musical giant and a rare genius who has had an immeasurable influence upon an entire generation.
Kocsis was a leading personality in Hungarian musical life since the 1970s.
He was one of the founders of the Budapest Festival Orchestra along with conductor Ivan Fischer in 1983. He performed all over the world, initially as a pianist, and since 1987 as a conductor. He was principal conductor of the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra from 1997 until his death.
Kocsis was one of Bela Bartok's best known piano interpreters. His arrangements for orchestra and piano included works by Bach, Haydn, Dvorak, Debussy, Ravel, Wagner, Bartok, and Kodaly.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (L to R) attend a joint press conference after the Fifth Meeting of Heads of Government of Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) and China in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)
RIGA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday held conversations respectively with Lithuanian and Slovakian prime ministers, calling for joint efforts to promote bilateral cooperation and relations.
Li made the remarks on the sidelines of the fifth summit of China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries (16+1).
Talking to Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius, Li said China appreciates Lithuania' s positive attitude on developing relations with China.
China stands ready to strengthen its practical cooperation with Lithuania, so as to realize mutual benefit and win-win results and bring more benefits to the two peoples, said the premier.
Hailing the important role of the "16+1" mechanism, Butkevicius said Lithuania is greatly satisfied with the development of its ties with China.
Lithuania expects to further expand bilateral trade and investment cooperation with China and is willing to play an active role in promoting the "16+1" cooperation for more achievements, said the prime minister.
During his conversation with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, Li said the two sides should respect each other' s core interest and major concerns, meet each other half way and promote the development of bilateral ties in a healthy and stable manner.
For his part, Fico said his government attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties, reaffirming its fixed adherence to the one-China policy.
Slovakia stands ready to make joint efforts with China to enhance the development of bilateral ties along the right direction with a healthy manner, said Fico.
Li arrived here Friday for an official visit and the China-CEEC summit, marking the first time for a Chinese premier to visit Latvia since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
CANBERRA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A south Australian Royal Commission has voted against storing high-level nuclear waste in the state under any circumstances.
The 300 jurors of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission voted against the storage of nuclear waste, citing concerns with the economics of the proposal, trust, safety and a lack of consent, particularly from Aboriginal elders.
"Many jurors believe we don't have the right to make a decision that will have such long term and irreversible consequences for future generations," the jurors said in their report to South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, published by News Limited on Monday.
"The long-term viability of the project is in doubt as it does not consider new technology providing alternatives for the use of the waste: this undermines the economics to the project."
Weatherill said that even though two thirds of the citizens' jury voted against the proposal, it was not the end of the debate.
"The status quo is no: the jury doesn't believe the present proposal should be taken forward but we need to take into account a whole range of other broad community views," Weatherill said.
"This is a massive and controversial decision that took Finland about 38 years to take. We don't expect that this is a debate that will be concluded any time soon."
Weatherill's Cabinet will consider the jury's report on Monday before the Government delivers its own report on the Royal Commission by the end of 2016.
CANBERRA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A vast majority of Australian scientists are considering leaving the profession for a lack of funding, a study has found.
The report, published by the Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR) on Monday, revealed that 80 per cent of those scientists surveyed were considering leaving scientific research for another career.
One in four surveyed said they were "uncertain" about whether they would be employed next year because it was so difficult to get research funding.
"Despite science and innovation being the platform for Australia's future economic strategy, Australia faces an imminent brain drain," the report said.
A lack of career opportunities and job security were the primary areas of concern for scientists, the report found.
Sarah Meachem, President of the ASMR, said that the biggest cause for concern was that many of those thinking of abandoning science were mid-career.
"The majority of the researchers (considering leaving) are mid-career scientists," Meachem told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday.
"What's really important to say is these people are 10, 20, 30 years into their careers and are highly skilled and talented.
"If we lose them, we lose the forever and we won't have the next generation of leaders for our health and medical researchers."
The report said that 15 per cent of Australia's scientific workforce had already left the field, which is only "the tip of the iceberg" and some had moved overseas to work.
"63 percent said better funding for their research had a strong influence on their reasons for leaving Australia," the report said.
MELBOURNE, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- One hundred and seventy-three foreign-born criminals in the state of Victoria will have their visas cancelled and be deported from Australia, the Federal government has announced.
Of the 173 who will be liable to deportation on completion of their jail terms, 23 were found guilty of child sex offences, two of murder, 23 of drug offences and two of car-jackings with links to the violent street gang known as Apex.
Peter Dutton, Australia's Minister for Immigration, said that migrants committing crimes in Australia would not be tolerated.
"Australia is a generous nation and we settle a record number of people in our country each year, but we won't hesitate to cancel visas of people who commit crimes against Australians," Dutton told News Limited on Monday.
Under laws introduced in 2014, Dutton has the ability to cancel visas of those non-citizens who either fail to pass a character test or who have been convicted of an offence involving a jail term of more than 12 months.
The laws were initially intended to be used to kick out foreign-born members of violent motorbike gangs but in April the Government used them to deport an associate of the Apex gang back to New Zealand.
Jason Wood, a government backbencher and former police officer whose Melbourne electorate of La Trobe has been hit hard by the city's violent crime wave, said he welcomed the visa cancellations.
"This action sends a crystal-clear message that they will be booted back to their home country," Wood told News Limited.
The total number of visa-holders to have been expelled nationwide since the laws were introduced is more than 1,500.
SYDNEY, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- An Australian man has reportedly used a bow and arrow to shoot an intruder who broke into his home at Sydney's west late Sunday evening.
New South Wales police in a statement on Monday said the a 68-year-old man and his wife were at their home in Wattle Grove when the intruder broke into their home at 17:20 local time on Sunday.
The thief had fleeced with the man's cash and almost ran away with the couple's vehicle, a Nissan X-Trail.
"As he started the car and attempted to reverse out of the garage the male resident armed himself with a compound bow and arrow and went to the garage, where he confronted the male," NSW police said.
"The offender got out of the car and jumped a fence into Wattle Grove Drive, running towards a parked Mazda Tribute."
"As he ran away, the male resident stood up on the fence and shot the fleeing man using the compound bow and arrow, hitting him in the buttocks or lower back area," the police statement said.
Police were called in a short time later and a crime scene was established which was examined by forensic specialists.
The bow and arrow and other items were seized by police as exhibits.
The thief still remains at large as inquiries at local hospitals have failed to locate anyone with injuries consistent with a bow and arrow strike.
YANGON, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's Yangon region government is drawing a south-west expansion plan with the city to establish seven new satellite towns, the military-run Myawaddy news reported Monday.
The seven planned satellite towns are Yangon Eastern, Yangon South-West, Thanlyin, Dala, Htantabin, Hmawby and Helgu townships, Yangon Mayor U Maung Maung Soe was quoted as saying.
The Greater Yangon Urban Development Project 2040 is to be implemented in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The satellite towns will comprises residential wards, factories, workshops and other businesses in consideration of the potential population growth, the Yangon Mayor told the region parliament.
The government will provide proper compensation to ensure local landowners not to suffer and be affected by the project, said lawmakers.
The South-West township project will be located between the Pan Hlaing River and the Twanty Canal, and between the Hlaing River and Hlaingtharya-Twanty Road in the outskirts of western Yangon, said the sources, adding that the added land will cover about 30,000 acres (12,150 hectares).
Myanmar is drawing a master plan for development of Yangon city with the participation of people's representatives, legal experts, public administrators and experts with international experiences.
According to the three-phase master plan of the JICA, Phase-1 is concerned with downtown area, while Phase 2 and Phase 3 are related to the outskirts and satellite towns, said officials.
The project for all round development of Yangon city is said to pose the biggest challenge to the new regional government.
Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein noted that in an attempt to revitalize the city of Yangon, there are many cases of not meeting quality standard , which was attributed to the lack of accountability.
He cited that the city is being faced with the overflowing of drainage canals as they are blocked by little thrown away by careless citizens.
He pointed out that certain buildings are not in accord with the characteristics of a modern metropolitan city which are in need of repair and renovation.
The existing Yangon city has a population of over 6 million and an area of 795 square kilometers.
CANBERRA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese ownership of Australian farming land has climbed above three million hectares as an increasing number of Chinese investors show their interest in Australian agriculture.
A flurry of significant land sales in recent months, mostly in Western Australia (WA), has driven the amount of Australian agricultural land owned by Chinese investors to more than three million hectares, more than double the 1.46 million hectares reported by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) in June.
Two of the largest properties, the 705,000-hectare Wollogorang and Wentworth station on the border of Queensland and the Northern Territory (NT) and the 639,500-hectare Balfour Downs and Wandanya station in WA, both owned by Chinese, almost accounting for the whole 1.46 million hectares reported by the register.
The soaring amount of Australian land owned by Chinese investors since June has largely been driven by Shanghai Zenith, the Australian arm of real estate developer Shanghai CRED.
Shanghai Zenith has settled on the purchases of the 200,000-hectare Mount Elizabeth cattle station and 189,000-hectare Yakka Munga station, both in WA, since June.
The developer has also attained approval from the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) to buy more than 400,000 hectares of pastoral land in WA's Goldfields region and is part of the likely-successful bid by Gina Rinehart, Australia's richest woman, to buy the nation's largest network of cattle stations, S Kidman and Co.
Shanghai Zhongfu, a rival real estate developer, purchased the 476,000-hectare Carlton Hill station in WA for 75 million U.S. dollars.
Danny Thomas, regional director of agribusiness with real estate consultant CBRE, said the boom in Chinese investment in Australia reflected the interest from foreign investors worldwide.
"The market is as active at the moment as I've seen it in my professional career," Thomas told Fairfax Media on Monday.
The new Chinese ownership figures came as a survey of China's richest people found many were planning to pour millions of dollars into Australia's real estate market.
The Hurun Report, released on Monday, found that 800,000 Chinese people worth more than 1.5 million U.S. dollars, planned to invest overseas, with property in Sydney and Melbourne a popular investment choice.
Rupert Hoogewerf, chief researcher for the Hurun Report, a monthly magazine best known for its "China Rich List", a ranking of the wealthiest individuals in China, said the depreciation of the yuan was partly responsible for the flow of capital from China into Australian property.
"As immigration and house-buying destinations, Australia is still very popular. Sydney and Melbourne are still very popular," he said.
"China currently has 1,340,000 high-net-worth individuals, defined as individuals with 1.5 million U.S. dollars, so that means we are looking at a massive 800,000 individuals who want to buy property overseas over the next three years."
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature on Monday appointed three new ministers for state security, civil affairs, and finance.
Chen Wenqing was appointed minister of state security, replacing Geng Huichang, and Xiao Jie replaced Lou Jiwei as minister of finance.
The country's previous supervision minister, Huang Shuxian was appointed minister of civil affairs, replacing Li Liguo.
DAMASCUS/AMMAN, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced Sunday the start of an offensive on the Islamic State (IS) military group's de facto Syrian capital of al-Raqqa, while the military operation against the IS in Iraq's Mosul is ahead of schedule.
"The major battle to liberate al-Raqqa and its surroundings has begun," SDF spokesperson Jihan Sheikh Ahmed told a press conference held in Ain Issa, some 50 km north of the city.
Operation "Wrath of the Euphrates" under the air cover of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition involves some 30,000 fighters and began on Saturday night, Ahmed said.
The SDF forces would first seize areas around al-Raqqa before taking the city, advancing on three fronts -- from Ain Issa and Tal Abyad to the north of al-Raqqa and from the village of Makman to the east.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the SDF has captured six villages in al-Raqqa and the U.S.-led airstrikes were targeting the IS positions in the north of the city.
"The fight will not be easy, and will require accurate and careful operations because the IS will defend its bastion desperately and it knows that the loss of al-Raqqa will mean it is finished in Syria," SDF spokesman Talal Sello told AFP.
Al-Raqqa and Mosul are the last major urban centers under IS control after the group suffered a string of territorial losses in Syria and Iraq over the past year.
Al-Raqqa, which was occupied by the IS in January 2014, is home to some of the group's top leaders and seen as the key to defeating the group militarily.
The city, with a population of 240,000 before 2011, has seen more than 80,000 leaving their homes and some of the IS' worst atrocities from stonings and beheadings to the trading of sex slaves over the past few years.
Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter also warned on Sunday that the fight to wrest control of al-Raqqa "will not be easy."
"As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction of the ISIL's caliphate and disrupt the group's ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners," he said, using an alternative name for the group.
"The international coalition will continue to do what we can to enable local forces in both Iraq and Syria to deliver ISIL the lasting defeat it deserves," Carter added.
Brett McGurk, U.S. special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the IS, said Sunday in Jordan's capital Amman that there is no coordination with the Syrian regime or the Russians in the operation to retake al-Raqqa from the group.
Regarding the military action against the IS in Mosul, McGurk said it is the third week of the operation and "everything is ahead of schedule."
He added that days of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the IS leader, are numbered and it is only a matter of time to eliminate him and his movement.
Iraqi security forces, along with Shiite and Kurdish militia, started an offensive on Mosul in October to retake the city, which fell to the IS group in 2014.
Aid groups have voiced concerns for civilians trapped in both Mosul and al-Raqqa, warning they may be used as human shields.
On Sunday, two bombings and a gunfire attack hit Iraq's Salahudin province, killing at least 43 people, including four Iranian pilgrims.
MOSCOW, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming meeting between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will give a new impetus to the development of bilateral relations, Chinese ambassador to Russia Li Hui said.
"This is a great event for Sino-Russian relations this year," Li said in an interview with Xinhua ahead of the 21st regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian government heads, scheduled for Monday in Russia's second largest city of St. Petersburg.
The current China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is mature and stable, and it has become a model for relations between major powers, Li said.
According to the ambassador, these relations feature mutual respect and equality in the political sphere, as well as comprehensive mutual benefit and win-win cooperation in the economic sphere.
They also demonstrate mutual trust and awareness of shared responsibility in the field of security, and see exchange of experience and mutual promotion of development in the cultural sphere, he added.
The efforts undertaken by China and Russia have increased bilateral trade by 1.8 percent to 31.72 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of this year, Li said.
The construction of the China-Russia natural gas pipeline through the eastern route, with the first deliveries of gas scheduled for 2018, is among the most important projects which promote new growth points for the cooperation between China and Russia, the ambassador noted.
Another important bilateral project is the construction of a bridge over the Heilongjiang River (the Amur River) between the Chinese city of Tongjiang and the Russian village of Nizhneleninskoye, Li said.
The ambassador also praised investments of various Chinese enterprises such as Haier in Russia.
"China and Russia have huge economies, strong industrial synergies, capacious markets, as well as a number of political, geopolitical and humanitarian advantages," Li said.
The alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) is a practical implementation of jointly building an innovative, open, coherent and inclusive global economy, which was put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Hangzhou G20 summit in September, said the ambassador.
The integration is meant to unlock the potential of economic complementarity between China and Russia, and to contribute to the economic recovery of EEU member states as well as the countries along the ancient Silk Road and across Eurasia, Li said.
To achieve such goals, the ambassador offered the following four proposals.
First, the Chinese side is willing to actively carry out bilateral and regional cooperation with EEU member states by taking trade and investment liberalization and facilitation as a linking bridge, interconnectivity, production capacity cooperation and cultural exchanges as pillars, and mutually beneficial financial cooperation as a guarantee.
Second, China is willing to work with the Russian side to promote the mutually beneficial cooperation among EEU governments, enterprises, social organizations and civil groups in various forms, and jointly build a win-win platform accessible to multiple participants that covers various fields.
Third, China and Russia should jointly push forward the construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor, the New Eurasian Land Bridge, and make good use of cooperation programs such as "the Northeast China -Russian Far East Mechanism" and "the Yangtze-Volga River Mechanism."
Fourth, the relevant parties should make full use of financial organizations such as the Silk Road Fund, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Interbank Consortium, to broaden currency operations and increase mutual investment, the ambassador proposed.
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ST. PETERSBURG, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Sunday arrived for a visit in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, which has witnessed more and more joint economic and cultural projects between the two countries as they are deepening cooperation in various fields.
In 2005, the 1.3 billion-U.S. dollar Pearl of the Baltic Sea project was launched in St. Petersburg's southwest Krasnoselsky district. Full story
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South Korean President Park Geun-hye addresses the nation at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 4, 2016. South Korean President Park Geun-hye said on Friday that she will accept an investigation into herself, if necessary, by prosecutors over a scandal surrounding Choi Soon-sil, the president's longtime confidante suspected of intervening into state affairs. (Xinhua/Blue House/File photo)
SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Calls from politicians mounted in South Korea for President Park Geun-hye to leave the ruling Saenuri Party amid growing public demand for Park's resignation.
Former Saenuri Party chairman Kim Moo-sung held an emergency press conference on Monday, saying President Park must drop her party affiliation with a sense of responsibility to save the party.
Kim, seen as one of key men in the non-President Park faction within the ruling party, denounced the embattled president for damaging the constitution in running the country.
President Park made her second public apology on Friday over a scandal involving her longtime confidante and former aides, but tens of thousands of protesters demanded Park's resignation on Saturday at a nationwide rally where organizers estimated about 300,000 people had gathered across the country.
Non-Park faction lawmakers have called on the president to bolt from the governing party, which has seen its approval rating tumble together with President Park whose support scores dropped to 5 percent. It was the lowest for any South Korean president, according to a local pollster survey released on Friday.
Kang Seok-ho, one of non-Park faction lawmakers, announced his resignation as the supreme member of the Saenuri Party leadership, composed of nine supreme members.
Kang demanded an overhaul of the ruling party and a new leadership composed of new figures, calling on President Park to distance herself from state affairs.
Senior non-Park faction members, who are in the third parliamentary term or higher, held a separate meeting earlier, asking Seanuri chairman Lee Jung-hyun to immediately step down. The chairman is former key advisor to President Park.
The party leadership, including the chairman, has refused the calls for resignation. Lee told the leadership meeting that he should be allowed to maintain his post in order to have time and help the embattled president.
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SEOUL, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- A South Korean court approved arrest warrants early Sunday to formally detain two ex-aides to President Park Geun-hye over a scandal surrounding Park's longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil.
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SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of enraged South Koreans rallied in Seoul and other places Saturday night to demand President Park Geun-hye's resignation over a scandal involving her longtime confidante and ex-advisors.
CANBERRA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Australian families are paying an average of 16,894 (13,000 U.S. dollars) annually in land transport, the statistics released Monday by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) showed.
The AAA released its latest Transport Affordability Index which shows that in the three months to September 2016, rising costs have seen the average family in Australia spending around 16,894 (13,000 U.S. dollars) a year on land transport, an increase of 116 AU dollars per year.
Nationally, transport costs as a percentage of income also increased slightly over the September quarter to 13.4 percent from 13.3 percent last quarter. In comparison, household expenses relating to telecommunications, electricity and water consume one to three percent of household budgets.
"The latest Transport Affordability Index shows transport costs continue to steadily increase, creeping up in both dollar terms and as a share of the household budget," said AAA Chief Executive Michael Bradley.
"It's very important that governments consider how rising transport costs are applying financial pressure to Australian households when formulating policy."
Commissioned by the AAA and developed by SGS Economics & Planning, the Transport Affordability Index tracks transport affordability by analysing tax, tollways, public transport and finance costs as a proportion of average household income across states and territories.
The research finds out that Melbourne was the only capital city to experience a fall in average annual transport costs, down from 18,136.02 AU dollars (13,910 U.S. dollars) to 18,056.11 dollars (13,849 U.S. dollars).
The average family in Sydney is paying around 21,653 AU dollars (16,607 U.S. dollars), up from 21,389.78 dollars (16,405 U.S. dollars) in last quarter, while the annual cost of land transport is lowest in Hobart at 14,197 dollars (10,889 U.S. dollars).
A typical two-car Sydney household faced weekly transport costs of 416 AU dollars (319 U.S. dollars) per week, while Adelaide, Hobart and Darwin had relatively low transport costs. In these cities, public transport, driver's licences and vehicle registration were all relatively less expensive.
Car loans continue to make up the biggest share of a household's transport costs.
The Index is based on the incomes and transport costs of a hypothetical household in each capital city that consists of a couple with children and two cars. It assumes that one member of the family drives to work, while the other catches public transport.
Hypothetical suburbs were also chosen as they were middle to outer ring suburbs, had a relatively high population density, had access to public transport, and in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, would require driving through toll roads to access the CBD. The Index's data baseline is first quarter (January to March) 2016.
XINING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Footage of a rare North-Chinese leopard in Tongtian River basin was captured for the first time in the northwestern province of Qinghai, according to local forestry bureau on Monday.
The images were captured by an infrared camera installed as part of a biodiversity monitoring project on the headwaters of the Yangtze river in the province's Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture late October.
Besides the North-Chinese leopard, 12 snow leopards have been spotted so far this year.
North-Chinese leopard are a Class A protected animal, and are classified as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to loss of habitat and poaching.
It is similar in size to the Amur leopard, and has darker fur than other leopard subspecies.
The new evidence extends the recorded range of North-Chinese leopards in China, indicating a good ecological local environment, according to Wen Cheng, head of a conservation center in Beijing and leader of the monitoring program.
As leopards are solitary, except for mating pairs, the consequences of habitat overlap between snow leopards and North-Chinese leopard remain to be seen, Wen added.
The monitoring program, supported by local governments and conservation centers across China, covers an area of 400 square kilometers around Tongtian River basin.
Sambar deer and wild boars have also been seen during the program.
SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye saw her approval rating continue to fall despite her second apology to the public last week over a scandal involving her longtime confidante and former aides, a local pollster survey showed on Monday.
Support for Park was 11.5 percent last week, down 7.5 percentage points from the previous week, according to a Realmeter poll of 2,528 adults conducted from Monday to Friday.
The number was the lowest for any South Korean president, keeping a downward trend for five weeks in a row since the scandal surrounding Choi Soon-sil, the president's decades-long friend suspected of intervening in state affairs, came into focus last month.
According to a Gallup Korea survey released on Friday, Park's support scores dropped to 5 percent, lower than any other predecessors.
Traditional support base for Park rapidly alienated from the embattled president, with an approval rating in the North Gyeongsang province tumbling 20.1 percentage points compared with a week ago, the Realmeter survey showed. The province is regarded as a political home turf for Park and the ruling Saenuri Party.
Support for Park among those in their 50s plunged 14.3 percentage points, with an approval rating among supporters in this range for the ruling party sliding 14.2 percentage points.
However, President Park had a higher approval rating from those in their 60s and older following her second public apology and the acceptance of investigation by prosecutors into herself "if necessary" on Friday.
Daily support scores for the president increased from 23.5 percent on Thursday to 2.4 percent on Friday among voters aged 60 or higher.
In the highly-charged address to the nation, President Park admitted that she lowered her guard toward Choi, who the president said had stood with her during the toughest times.
Park's toughest times indicate the assassinations of her mother in 1974 and then her father, military strongman Park Chung-hee killed in 1979 by one of his closest aides. Park's friendship with Choi dates back to the mid-1970s.
XINING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve, which will become China's first national park by 2020, has engaged the WWF and a Chinese car maker to be involved in protection work.
Li Xiaonan, chief of the administrative bureau of Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve, said Monday that the bureau had signed cooperation deals with the WWF and Guangzhou Automobile Group. Co. Ltd. (GAC Group).
The central government hopes to make Sanjiangyuan, home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow, and Lancang (Mekong) rivers, as a model of "effective environmental protection and harmony between nature and humanity."
Li said under the cooperation agreements, WWF will partner with the park on research, resource survey, environmental monitoring and training. While GAC Group will donate vehicles to be used to patrol the vast protection area and support the park's environmental campaigns.
China named Sanjiangyuang a nature reserve in 2005. About 100,000 herders left the grassland completely around that time and another 700,000 reduced their herds to help restore the grassland.
Beginning in April, the park has been expanding its staff, it will need to hire 10,000 wardens to patrol over 120,000 square kilometers, an area bigger than the U.S. state of New York.
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China has banned profit-led private schools from the nine-year compulsory education system, which covers primary to junior high school years, according to a revised law.
The revised law on private education was adopted Monday at the close of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee's bi-monthly session after a third reading.
China's compulsory education is a nationwide free system, supported by funding from the central government.
The system is a public service that must be provided by the government, said Zhu Zhiwen, vice minister of education, at a press conference after the law's revision was finalized.
"Profit-led private schools are unsuitable for the free education program," Zhu said.
He stressed that private schools are still allowed to offer diversified, market-oriented paid educational services, as long as they comply with the law.
China has about 162,700 private schools nationwide with more than 45.7 million students, according to figures from the Ministry of Education.
Currently none of the registered private primary and junior high schools are for-profit, and the law will only have impact on those who want to turn their schools into profit-led establishments, added Zhu.
The revised law, which will take effect on Sept. 1, 2017, clearly defines for-profit and non-profit private schools and specifies different measures to support private education.
Non-profit private schools will enjoy equal policies as public schools in land use and taxation.
All private schools should guarantee the staff's legitimate interests in salary and welfare, and are supposed to pay social insurance contributions for their employees, according to the law.
Private schools must establish a sound internal supervision system and entrust a third-party agency to inspect their educational environment. They should also establish an information publicity system.
Any institution found to have issued fake degrees or educational certificates, will be punished.
"Communist Party of China groups in private schools should carry out Party activities according to the Party Constitution and strengthen Party building," read one of the articles in the revised law.
MANILA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A spokesman for the Philippine military said on Monday that Filipinos found a bullet-ridden body of a woman on a yacht flying a German flag.
Army Maj. Filemon Tan said the body of a female victim in her 50s was found on the floor of the yacht with the markings "ROCK ALL" on Sunday near Laparan Island in Pangutaran of Sulu province.
"The cadaver was found to have had gunshot wounds and a gun was found beside the body," Tan said in a statement.
He added that the woman's body was naked when found and had bruises on her face. Tan floated the possibility that she was also raped.
Tan said that the military was also verifying reports that a 70-year-old German man had been abducted by the Abu Sayyaf bandits.
A man who claimed to be a spokesman for the Abu Sayyaf militants told the widely-circulated newspaper Philippine Daily Inquirer that they had kidnapped a German man identified as Juegen Kantner, 70, in Tanjong Luuk in Tawi-Tawi.
The man also claimed that they had killed the victim's female companion named "Sabrina" because she tried to shoot them.
The alleged kidnap victim told the Inquirer, "Pirates took our boat. We (ask) the (German) Embassy to help us."
Tan said the military is "currently validating the veracity of the reports that the body belonged to the alleged companion of Kantner identified as Sabrina Wetch."
Tan said the yacht was hijacked off the waters of Tanjong Luuk, Sabah in Malaysia and not Tawi-Tawi as claimed by the alleged criminals in an interview with the Inquirer. The yacht is now in Bongao town in Tawi-Tawi, an island province in the southernmost Philippines.
by Xinhua writer Hu Tao
ZHUHAI, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Boeing is 100 years old this year and for the past 45 years Boeing and China have established partnership based on mutual benefit, said John Bruns, president Boeing China, during an air show in south China.
"Boeing has made the major decision to extend its 737 production system overseas at the right time, bringing its innovative and strategic partnership with China to the next level," Bruns said in an interview with Xinhua at the 11th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition.
"The secret to vitality lies in innovating and believing in dreams, as well as in partnering with the right partner at the right time for joint development," Bruns said, adding Boeing has enjoyed a partnership with China, and China is crucial to Boeing's success in the next century.
On Oct. 28, just a few days before the opening of the air show in Zhuhai, Boeing signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement on a Boeing 737 completion and delivery center with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (COMAC) and Zhejiang Province.
The center in Zhoushan in east China will be the first part of its 737 production system outside the United States.
"Boeing has followed its own logic and roadmap for its development in China, giving due and full consideration at each step of the way to maximizing the benefits of both sides," Bruns said.
From delivering aircraft to Chinese customers to partnering with China in production of parts and components; from market integration to joint innovation: "We've arrived where we are today so that we can take a new step," said Bruns.
"All types of Boeing aircraft with parts and components manufactured in China meet our requirements, and we're pleased to work with China's aviation enterprises to steadily enhance aviation manufacturing as well as innovation capabilities," said Bruns.
Boeing's deliveries to China each year account for one quarter of the world total, and one third of all 737 aircraft deliveries are bound for China.
In addition, parts and components made by Chinese manufacturers serve the global aerospace industry. AVIC Chengfei Commercial Aircraft Co. delivered the first batch of rudders for Boeing 737MAX and the new widebody 787-10 on Sept. 9, the delivery of a critical component.
"We regard China as a very important strategic partner, not only because of the civil aviation market and potential, but also because we are willing to provide support to our Chinese partners.
"Making each other successful is more in line with our long-term interest and steady cooperation between the two sides," said Bruns.
Seats for passenger aircraft produced by Ali-Jiatai have been listed as an option in the 737 equipment catalog. "This brings more options for our customers domestically and around the world," Bruns added.
On Nov. 1, COMAC and Boeing signed an agreement to expand research collaboration and explore new technology for sustainable aviation biofuel through the Boeing-COMAC sustainable aviation technology center.
"The global aviation market is a huge pie that is getting bigger and bigger. There are always new entrants joining in as many countries want aircraft manufacturing capability.
"Boeing welcomes competition that is conducive to the sound development of the industry and we are confident of keeping our advantages through innovation," he said.
He explained that when COMAC was established Boeing began collaboration in biofuel, safety and other fields. The latest research center is a testament to that cooperation.
To Bruns, China is not just a remarkable market, it will become a strong competitor in global commercial aviation, reforming the current structure of market.
"Boeing has established an innovative and strategic partnership with China's aviation industry, striving for collaboration while maintaining competition," said Bruns.
To maintain cooperation while competing with each other creates a subtle and challenging situation which requires confidence and strength. Bruns believes Boeing and China will both benefit and grow stronger through collaboration.
"The future will be more challenging for Boeing and we choose to face it boldly," Bruns said.
PHNOM PENH, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodian court on Monday sentenced opposition senator Hong Sok Hour to seven years in prison for forgery and incitement, according to a verdict.
Hong Sok Hour, 59, was caught red-handed on Aug. 15 last year in Phnom Penh City after he posted to Facebook a fake version of a border treaty signed between Cambodia and Vietnam in 1979. He was charged with falsifying a public document, using the falsified document, and inciting chaos to social security.
"After thoroughly looking into the documents and evidence, the court decides to sentence Hong Sok Hour to seven years in prison for falsifying a public document, using the falsified document, and inciting chaos to social security," said the verdict delivered by Phnom Penh Municipal Court presiding judge Ros Piseth.
Hong Sok Hour and his lawyers did not appear at the court to hear the verdict.
Last month, opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party lawmaker Um Sam An was sentenced to two and a half years in jail for posting messages on Facebook accusing the Cambodian government of using fake border map with Vietnam.
Delegates attend the 85th International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) General Assembly in Nusadua of Bali, Indonesia, Nov. 7, 2016. More than 1,200 representatives of member countries of the Interpol gathered Monday in Indonesia's resort island of Bali to discuss coordinated efforts in combating crime and terrorism. (Xinhua/Yuda)
JAKARTA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- More than 1,200 representatives of member countries of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) gathered Monday in Indonesia's resort island of Bali to discuss coordinated efforts in combating crime and terrorism.
The 85th Interpol General Assembly, under the theme "Setting a Global Roadmap for International Policing", would discuss global police measures to address cybercrime, terrorism and organized crime issues.
"Police are facing tougher tasks in every corner of the world nowadays. The current Interpol assembly is expected to produce concrete solutions, not just ceremonial event," Indonesia Vice President Jusuf Kalla said in his remarks to open the assembly held in Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center.
Interpol President Mireille Ballestrazzi and Interpol Secretary General Juergen Stock were seen among senior delegates attending the opening ceremony.
Indonesia deploys more than 3,800 security personnel to secure the event that would run until Nov. 10.
Interpol, the Lyon, France-based global police organization is now joined by 190 countries.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (front) attends the Fifth Meeting of Heads of Government of Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) and China in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The "16+1" mechanism, a platform created in April 2012 by China and 16 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, has injected fresh impetus to cooperation between them.
As a new guideline, the Riga Declaration, issued Saturday at a China-CEE summit, will open new windows for cooperation.
In Riga, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and CEE leaders agreed to enhance pragmatic cooperation and increase people-to-people exchanges to unleash each other's advantages.
The leaders reaffirmed their support for the cooperation initiative involving the ports at the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Sea and along the inland waterways.
They pointed out that Adriatic-Baltic-Black Sea seaport cooperation would help widen the scope of China-CEE practical cooperation, promote sustainable development in the long run, and contribute to greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and development strategies of CEE countries and the EU's Trans-European Transport Network.
"Adriatic-Baltic-Black Sea seaport cooperation will be a new engine for China-CEE cooperation," said Liu Zuokui, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Liu also noted that Chinese equipment, European technology and CEE markets combined will be a great model for cooperation between China and CEE countries.
On trade and investment, participants in the summit spoke highly of the progress in the ongoing EU-China negotiations over an ambitious and comprehensive investment agreement. They welcomed further trade cooperation through e-commerce platforms.
Trade between China and the CEE countries reached 56.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2015, up 28 percent over 2010. Chinese investment in the 16 CEE countries exceeded 5 billion dollars, while the CEE nations have invested more than 1.2 billion dollars in China.
Data also show that the number of China-Europe freight train lines, since its inception in 2011, has increased to 39. On a regular basis, 16 Chinese cities operate the cargo trains to about a dozen European cities.
China and the CEE countries, many of them emerging markets seeking foreign investment to upgrade local infrastructure, are highly complementary economically, said Yang Yanyi, head of the Chinese mission to the European Union.
By docking the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the development strategies of the CEE countries, the 16+1 mechanism will also be boosted and harvest fruitful results.
Currently, almost half of the CEE countries have signed cooperation memoranda with regard to the initiative with China, with more regional countries are showing interest in it.
Also, 16+1 cooperation is highlighted against the background of a lingering slowdown of the world economy and weak trade growth.
China-CEE cooperation not only serves peace and stability of the CEE region but also contributes to the balanced development of Europe as a whole, Premier Li said on Saturday.
China-CEE cooperation is an integral part of and a helpful complement to China-Europe cooperation, said Li.
On financial cooperation, financial institutions and businesses in CEE countries are invited to contribute on a voluntary basis to the investment fund set up by Sino-CEE Finance Holding Co. Ltd., to jointly promote China-CEE cooperation on connectivity and the development of relevant industries.
Participants in the "16+1" summit encouraged Chinese financial institutions, including the Silk Road Fund, to provide financing for China-CEE cooperation, and support China and CEE countries in enhancing practical cooperation within the framework of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, including third-party cooperation with other countries and regions.
The China-CEE Countries Investment Cooperation Fund (Stage II) will be launched and put into operation in 2017.
They also planned to discuss the possibility of establishing a China-CEE Countries Inter-Bank Association.
Analysts believed that the 16+1 mechanism echoes the "Look East" policy of CEE countries, deepens China's cooperation with CEE and with Europe as a whole, and the mechanism itself becomes a highlight of regional cooperation.
The mechanism will bridge China, the CEE countries with vigor and power, and open up a new chapter in their ever deepening cooperation.
Related:
Full Text of Riga Declaration
Spotlight: Premier's Latvia visit adds fresh impetus to China-CEE ties
RIGA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's relations with the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region at large are expected to grow in leaps and bounds, as a visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to the region has injected fresh impetus into their already effective cooperation.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) meets with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, July 15, 2016. (Xinhua/File Photo)
MOSCOW, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming meeting between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will give a new impetus to the development of bilateral relations, Chinese ambassador to Russia Li Hui said.
"This is a great event for Sino-Russian relations this year," Li said in an interview with Xinhua ahead of the 21st regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian government heads, scheduled for Monday in Russia's second largest city of St. Petersburg.
The current China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is mature and stable, and it has become a model for relations between major powers, Li said.
According to the ambassador, these relations feature mutual respect and equality in the political sphere, as well as comprehensive mutual benefit and win-win cooperation in the economic sphere.
They also demonstrate mutual trust and awareness of shared responsibility in the field of security, and see exchange of experience and mutual promotion of development in the cultural sphere, he added.
The efforts undertaken by China and Russia have increased bilateral trade by 1.8 percent to 31.72 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of this year, Li said.
The construction of the China-Russia natural gas pipeline through the eastern route, with the first deliveries of gas scheduled for 2018, is among the most important projects which promote new growth points for the cooperation between China and Russia, the ambassador noted.
Another important bilateral project is the construction of a bridge over the Heilongjiang River (the Amur River) between the Chinese city of Tongjiang and the Russian village of Nizhneleninskoye, Li said.
The ambassador also praised investments of various Chinese enterprises such as Haier in Russia.
"China and Russia have huge economies, strong industrial synergies, capacious markets, as well as a number of political, geopolitical and humanitarian advantages," Li said.
The alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is a practical implementation of jointly building an innovative, open, coherent and inclusive global economy, which was put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Hangzhou G20 summit in September, said the ambassador.
The integration is meant to unlock the potential of economic complementarity between China and Russia, and to contribute to the economic recovery of EEU member states as well as the countries along the ancient Silk Road and across Eurasia, Li said.
To achieve such goals, the ambassador offered the following four proposals.
First, the Chinese side is willing to actively carry out bilateral and regional cooperation with EEU member states by taking trade and investment liberalization and facilitation as a linking bridge, interconnectivity, production capacity cooperation and cultural exchanges as pillars, and mutually beneficial financial cooperation as a guarantee.
Second, China is willing to work with the Russian side to promote the mutually beneficial cooperation among EEU governments, enterprises, social organizations and civil groups in various forms, and jointly build a win-win platform accessible to multiple participants that covers various fields.
Third, China and Russia should jointly push forward the construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor, the New Eurasian Land Bridge, and make good use of cooperation programs such as "the Northeast China -Russian Far East Mechanism" and "the Yangtze-Volga River Mechanism."
Fourth, the relevant parties should make full use of financial organizations such as the Silk Road Fund, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Interbank Consortium, to broaden currency operations and increase mutual investment, the ambassador proposed.
Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang (R) and visiting Irish President Michael D. Higgins attend a press conference after talks in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, Nov. 7, 2016. Vietnam and Ireland on Monday signed agreements on strengthening cooperation in education and training, wind power, information technology, post and telecommunications and other areas. (Xinhua/VNA)
HANOI, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam and Ireland on Monday signed agreements on strengthening cooperation in education and training, wind power, information technology, post and telecommunications and other areas.
Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and his Irish counterpart Michael D. Higgins, who is paying a state visit to Vietnam on Nov. 5-14., witnessed the signing ceremony.
The leaders agreed that education and training is a key cooperation sector between the two countries.
Quang said the two countries have many potentials for stronger cooperation in areas of common interests including trade-investment, education and training, green technology, technology transfer, especially in renewable energy, agriculture and food processing, aviation, healthcare, and sustainable development, among others.
Higgins said he discussed with Quang how Ireland and Vietnam can support each other in forming a bridge for Vietnam to reach the European Union and for Ireland to access to nearly 600 million people in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Vietnam and Ireland established diplomatic ties in 1996. In the first nine months of 2016, bilateral trade revenue reached 798 million U.S. dollars, three times as much as the same period last year.
Vietnam mainly exports wood and wood products, footwear, and garment to Ireland while importing pharmaceutical materials, computers and electronic components among others.
by Peter Mertz
DENVER, United States, Nov. 6, (Xinhua) -- With record turnouts reported across America by early-ballot Latino voters, both U.S. presidential candidates turned to a handful of swing states, and key battleground states in the west, with the election less than 48 hours away.
The heavy Latino early voting is seen as favoring Democrats in the East Coast states of North Carolina and Florida, but particularly in the western states of Arizona, Nevada and Colorado.
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign manager John Podesta told ABC's Meet the Press Sunday that early, heavy Latino voting is in response to Trump's harsh rhetoric about building a "Great Wall" between the United States and Mexico.
According to Podesta, Latino voting across Florida and Nevada is more than the 2012 presidential election, when Hispanic voters helped Barack Obama to the presidency with wins in several key swing states.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus responded Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation by downplaying the Latino surge and predicting Republican victories in several key senate races, including John McCain in Arizona.
According to Nevada's ABC's KTNV, over 57,000 people cast ballots in Clark County by Saturday night, a record-breaking turnout for single-day early voting in a county that is 66 percent Democratic, 9 percent Republican, and 25 percent with no party affiliation.
"Clinton has essentially locked up the state thanks to Hispanic voters," KTNV political analyst Jon Ralston reported. "The Republicans almost certainly lost Nevada...tell them to press the panic button," he said.
Saturday's voting surge in Nevada was happening at the same time Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was at a rally in the small city of Reno on the state's western border with California. Trump then left for a nighttime speech in Colorado, his third stop of the day that started 2,800 miles away in North Carolina.
The brash billionaire's 3,500 mile flying frenzy seemed to be sparked by a Clinton campaign media conference call Friday claiming it had built insurmountable early-voting leads in Nevada, Florida, and North Carolina, based on Latino voters turning out in record numbers for the Democrat. The latest polls by ABC News/Washington Post, between 44 percent and 48 percent, and by RealClearPolitics, between 44.8 percent and 46.6 percent, give Clinton the lead nationally, but recent surges for Trump in the western swing states of Arizona, Nevada, and even Colorado, could turn the tide in the Nov. 8 general election.
A CNN poll released last week showed Trump ahead in Nevada by a 49-43 percent and in Arizona by 49-44 percent. In Colorado, Clinton has surged ahead by an average of 4.2 percent in five polls after being behind Trump just 10 days ago.
Although the heavy Latino turnout may make a difference in Nevada, Clinton's chances in Arizona were crushed on Saturday by a U.S. Supreme Court decision that reinstated an Arizona law making it a felony to collect early ballots.
The last minute ruling from the Republican-controlled Supreme Court in Washington, D.C, just days before the presidential election, hurts Democrats' chances to bring out voters in working class, and minority communities.
Early voting is extremely popular to this demographic sector because workers may have difficulties getting to the crowded polls on Election Day. Democrats say the law hurts minorities' ability to vote, many of whom, including Latinos and African-Americans, traditionally vote Democratic.
The highest populations of Latinos in America are in the states of Arizona (33 percent), Florida (24 percent), Colorado (22 percent), New Mexico (49 percent) and Nevada (28 percent), according to 2015 U.S. Census Bureau statistics. All of these states are considered swing states and crucial in the upcoming election.
Underscoring the focus on Arizona and the Latino vote, last week, Clinton's vice presidential running mate Tim Kaine delivered a speech entirely in Spanish to a Phoenix audience.
Thought to be a presidential campaign first-ever event, Democrats in Arizona are reaching heavily into their Latino base hoping to win a state where only one Democratic candidate, Bill Clinton in 1996, has won since 1948.
However on election eve, Trump was leading in all five of Arizona's main polls by an average of 4 percent and Clinton's chances in the state seemed to be dimming.
Political pundits say Trump will have to win all of the so-called swing states to win the presidency. They include the "toss-up" states of Florida, Ohio, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Colorado and New Hampshire; the Clinton-leading states of Michigan, Virginia, Wisconsin, Maine, and New Mexico; and the Trump-leading states of Iowa and Arizona.
With Trump closing the gap in Michigan, both parties scrambled to show a presence in this new, mid-west swing state. Both Clinton and Trump will hold rallies in the Great Lakes state Monday, with Clinton joined by President Obama and her husband, former president Bill Clinton.
Trump will bring his wife Ivanka to Michigan Monday, along with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the party's 2008 vice presidential nominee, and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, the 2016 vice presidential candidate.
Political insiders tell Xinhua one candidate or both candidates may fly unexpectedly to campaign in a western swing state as well on Election Eve.
by Liu Tian
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- As the first Chinese truck containers entered a Pakistani dry port in the north last week and the first major size vessel last month docked at the Gwadar port, the ending point of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), CPEC, a multi-billion-U.S. dollar project, has become a visible "game changer" for Pakistan and the entire region.
With an improved security situation in the south Asian country, Pakistan's macroeconomy has been stabilizing and enjoying momentum over the past years. Recently, the country has been upgraded to an emerging economy from a frontier economy on the Morgan Stanley MSCI index.
"The CPEC itself for Pakistan could at least offer a significant opportunity for the country to address its supply side constraints such as weak foreign capital inflow," said Bilal Khan, senior economist at Standard Chartered Bank (Pakistan) Ltd., adding that against the backdrop of rebounding oil prices in the near future, which means Pakistan's oil import bills will swell, the CPEC will attract foreign direct investment from both private and public sectors to help keep a balanced current account in Pakistan.
Due to the enhanced infrastructure such as roads and railways brought by the CPEC, "we forecast that the gross domestic product (GDP) growth should increase from around 4.7 percent last year to around 6 percent by 2019, and stay around the same level for 2020," the economist told Xinhua in a recent interview in Karachi, the financial center of Pakistan.
With such a robust economic outlook, many foreign companies that have already been investing here for years are tending to re-invest in the country by seeking more opportunities under the CPEC, according to Pakistan's Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI).
Abdul Aleem, chief executive and secretary general of the OICCI, told Xinhua that members of the chamber, who economically contributed to about 18 percent of GDP and some 33 percent of total tax collected in Pakistan, have seen the potentials in the market here and they re-invested about half of their profit in Pakistan rather than taking their money back.
He said that his members and many local companies are eager to talk with Chinese companies that have projects under the CPEC so that they could make clear exactly what the opportunities are and how to access them.
As a member of the OICCI, the Standard Chartered Bank (Pakistan) Ltd. believes that the CPEC is a unique opportunity for it to play a "pivotal role" in ensuring that the bank could help make the huge project a real success in the south Asian country, according to the chief executive officer (CEO) of the bank.
"We are one of the largest international banks in China, coupled with our strong and relevant presence in Pakistan, I think that we have a really unique position to capitalize, educate and promote the CPEC," Shazad Dada, CEO of the Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan branch, said.
Dada said that Standard Chartered, which has been in Pakistan for about 150 years and is now the largest overseas bank in the country, has a deep understanding of the domestic business environment, such as local regulations and challenges, so it can play a key role to help more investors from China and the rest of the world to do business here under the CPEC.
He said that the bank is also promoting the internationalization of the Chinese currency renminbi in order to facilitate settlements by companies involved in China or CPEC related business.
Identifying the myriad lucrative opportunities offered by the CPEC, also a pilot project under the China-proposed Belt and Road initiative, Standard Chartered also formed a "Belt & Road" Strategy Execution team to help facilitate its business in countries covered by the initiative.
"More than 60 percent of Standard Chartered's global markets across Africa, Asia and the Middle East stand to benefit from China's 'Belt & Road' initiative," said a recent press release by the bank in Karachi.
ZHUHAI, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- An international airshow that concluded Sunday has displayed China's new found prowess in aviation technology, with both state-owned and private firms contributing to progress.
The 11th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, which was held in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, featured a number of debuts for Chinese aviation technology, including the J-20 advanced stealth fighter.
"By focusing on innovation and technological breakthroughs, China has become one of the few countries to systematically develop advanced aeronautic weaponry across a wide spectrum," said Tan Ruisong, general manager of Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the conglomerate that manufactures the J-20.
The Y-20, a domestic-made transport aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of around 200 tonnes, also took to the skies at the show.
"We have learned one thing from years of experiences: only through independent research and development can we master the most advanced technology," said Tang Changhong, chief designer of Y-20.
State-owned aircraft maker Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China was among the biggest stars at the airshow. One leasing firm ordered 40 ARJ21-700 regional jets and two others ordered 56 C919 large passenger aircraft.
While passenger aircraft still depend on foreign-made engines, the state-owned Aero Engine Corporation of China announced plans at the airshow to deal with Honeywell on a number of initiatives concerning engines.
Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) also revealed plans to cooperate with Chinese firms in developing their own engines.
"One of our key areas of cooperation will be development of aircraft engines, including the PD-35 project," said UAC President Yury Slyusar told Xinhua.
While most "Made in China" aircraft on display were from state-owned companies, private firms also brought their latest creations to the show.
Drone-maker Starloop Aviation showed off their turbine-powered drones that can be used in emergency relief and environmental monitoring.
"The national strategy of integrating military and civilian sectors has opened up opportunities for private firms to invest in the aviation industry. Drones are one of the fields where private investment can actively engage," said Tian Song, chief executive of Starloop.
"Both military and civilian sectors have made big progress," said Fu Qianshao, an aviation expert. "In the future, the biggest challenge as well as opportunity lies in innovation. Chinese aviation needs innovation to 'take off'."
by Chen Yanbei, Guo Shuang
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. computer scientists say that the presence of software robots can negatively impact online democratic political discussion and endanger the integrity of the presidential election in the country.
According to a recent paper published on the journal First Monday, computer scientists, by leveraging bot detection algorithms, have found that a surprisingly high percentage of the U.S. political discussion taking place on Twitter was created by software robots, or social bots, with the express purpose of distorting the online discussion regarding the elections.
"Many recent papers have demonstrated how people's opinions are swayed by what they read online, (and) bots can contribute to that effect," Emilio Ferrara, the author of the study, wrote to Xinhua.
A "bot," short for software robot, is a type of automated computer software. A social bot is programmed to control a social media account. By tweeting, retweeting, sharing contents, making comments, "liking" other users, and even engaging in conversations, social bots can appear as real people.
While many bots are designed to provide service to the online community, many others, like the ones found here, intentionally pose as humans, keeping their artificial identity undisclosed.
From Sept. 16 to Oct. 21, researchers collected 20 million election-related tweets by 2.8 million users. They singled out the top 50,000 accounts, which were responsible for about 60 percent of all tweets.
Using an open-source software tool called "Bot Or Not," which Ferrara, a research assistant professor at the Information Science Institute of the University of Southern California, and his colleagues developed earlier, they classified 7,183 as bots, 2,654 as uncertain, and the rest as humans.
They further estimated that about 19 percent of all election-related tweets were from bots, which accounted for around 15 percent of the user population.
Social media has become increasingly important for the presidential runners as a platform for them to reach out to voters.
Scientists have found that Twitter accounts identified as pro-Donald Trump bots have mainly been tweeting positive messages, increasing the U.S.republican candidate's popularity, while only half of pro-Hillary Clinton bots were spreading positive messages, with the other half criticizing the democratic candidate.
In the past, social bots not only unintentionally spread unverified information, but also were intentionally used to inject false news into social media to smear political candidates. In both cases, the ripple effect of Twitter makes it hard to control the damage caused by fake tweets.
Since high-frequency stock trading bots often have access to social media, and often lack fact-checking capabilities, while fake tweets, either injected or amplified by social bots, can lead to crashes in the stock market. In April 2013, the hacked Twitter account of the Associated Pressed posted a false rumor about a terrorist attack on the White House, causing an immediate crash of the stock market.
Fake Twitter profiles are created often by stealing online pictures, with biographical information cloned from existing accounts.
"There is no clear law in the United States" against such behaviors, Ferrara told Xinhua, "Bots are clearly against the terms of service of Twitter."
Even though it is hard for Twitter to eliminate all such accounts, the computer scientist believed Twitter should try to do better.
Despite revealing the existence of fake tweets, scientists have not been able to determine the creators of the social bots.
In fact, tools for constructing social bots at various levels of sophistication are readily available online.
Political parties, local, national and foreign governments and "even single individuals with adequate resources could obtain the operational capabilities and technical tools to deploy armies of social bots and affect the directions of online political conversation," wrote the scientists.
However, everybody taking up arms on their own may not improve the social media environment, Ferrara said, adding that social bot "could be used, but should be regulated."
The 24th session of the 12th National People's Congress ( NPC ) Standing Committee concludes at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 7, 2016. China's top legislature on Monday adopted an interpretation to Article 104 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The interpretation of Hong Kong Basic Law is a necessary step to safeguard the legal foundation of the special administrative region.
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, adopted an interpretation of Article 104 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) by a unanimous vote on Monday.
According to the interpretation, "to uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China" and "to bear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China" are not only legal content to be included in the oath prescribed by the article, but also the legal requirements and preconditions for standing for election or taking up public office.
The interpretation came after the behavior of a handful of legislators-elect during the election of Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) and the subsequent swearing-in ceremony.
The interpretation lies in the responsibility of the top legislature. The decision is in line with the people's expectations and the right one for the region, the nation and for history.` One country is the prerequisite for the two social systems. However, the words and deeds inciting to split the country by some legislators-elect have touched the political and legal limits.
The interpretation aims to warn "pro-independence" people that Hong Kong is an indispensable part of China, and "Hong Kong independence" will never happen in any circumstances.
The central government has the power to administer the SAR, and the interpretation is within the legislative power of the NPC Standing Committee. It will set an example for similar cases, and will also improve the Basic Law.
The interpretation is not "interference" in Hong Kong's judicial independence. Instead it is the administrative work of the central government.
The interpretation is also a timely response in support of mainstream public opinion in Hong Kong. "One country, two systems" has proven to be the best arrangement to maintain the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong since it returned to the motherland.
However in recent years, a few people, in collaboration with hostile foreign forces, have incited separatism in Hong Kong, which has become the root of many problems in Hong Kong.
Mainstream public opinion in Hong Kong demanded that the top legislature interpret the Basic Law in a bid to prevent those advocating "Hong Kong independence" from entering the LegCo.
Upholding the Basic Law and bearing allegiance to the Hong Kong SAR are requirements for joining elections and holding public office. Advocating "Hong Kong independence" has nothing to do with freedom of speech, but an act that violates the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Constitution of the nation.
A technician walks near solar panels in Golmud, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Sept. 5, 2016. Qinghai benefited from solar panels with annual electricity output reached 20 billion kilowatt-hours. (Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang)
NAIROBI, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The global community regards China as an indispensable partner in the efforts to re-energize the fight against climate change, said Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Erik Solheim.
Solheim, who was in May approved by the UN General Assembly to succeed Achim Steiner as the UNEP chief, hailed China's contribution to advancing the global green agenda.
"China is providing business solutions to climate change," Solheim said during an interview with Xinhua, praising China's heavy investment in solar energy.
"In the next ten years, it will be a major player in the global environmental agenda," he said.
Technicians test solar panels for villager Wang Xiansong of Xintangxi village in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 25, 2016. A total of 137 residents in Yiwu installed solar panels in 2015 which generated eletricity of 3,518.31 kilowatts, as clear energy was more populous among people. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)
He credited China's robust leadership for the adoption of Paris climate deal in December last year.
"Without China's push, there would be no Paris climate deal. Both China and the United States re-energized the momentum leading to the adoption of Paris Agreement," said the UNEP chief.
China announced ratification of the Paris climate deal on September 3, ahead of the G20 summit held in the city of Hangzhou.
At the G20 summit, President Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing's commitment to pursuing a green and inclusive growth.
Solheim noted that the G20 summit provided an opportunity for China to demonstrate its stewardship of the global green agenda through political commitment, climate finance and greater adoption of cleaner technologies.
He noted that China played an instrumental role in the adoption of a new global pact to limit production and use of chemicals that harm the ozone layer at a summit held in the Rwandan capital Kigali in October.
China's diplomatic clout alongside technological and financial edge will be critical to speeding up implementation of the Paris climate deal, according to Solheim.
Solheim also hailed China's role in leading global efforts to promote technology transfer and financing toward climate change adaptation and mitigation.
"China can contribute immensely to global fight against climate change. It is an indispensable partner in major global issues," the UNEP chief said, adding that China-funded transport infrastructure projects in Africa like speed trains will boost green development in the continent.
"The international community has drawn inspiration from China's robust efforts to lower carbon emissions against a backdrop of rapid industrial growth."
Solheim added that China's rapid transition from brown to green growth is an inspiration to developing countries grappling with devastating impacts of climate change.
Students happily gather around the new water harvesting project at their school compound built by the Chinese heavy machinery manufacturing Company, XCMG, for a primary school, named Oda Nebee in Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia, about 30 km south of Addis Ababa, capital of the East African country.(Xinhua/Michael Tewlde)
ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese heavy machinery manufacturer is helping an Ethiopian primary school with a water cellar project to address water shortage.
The project harnesses rainwater for the Oda Nebee Primary School in Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia, about 30 km south of capital Addis Ababa.
Students happily gather around the new water harvesting project at their school compound built by the Chinese heavy machinery manufacturing Company, XCMG, for a primary school, named Oda Nebee in Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia, about 30 km south of Addis Ababa, capital of the East African country.(Xinhua/Michael Tewlde)
Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG) has provided funding for the project through China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA), a Chinese NGO operating on charitable initiatives and projects.
The project at the school will also be used as a demonstration for local farmers to scale up the technology in the area.
The Oda Nebee Primary School cellar project is a pilot of 50 cellar projects that XCMG has intended to construct in different parts of Ethiopia, for communities with difficulty in access of water, according to Xiao Xiao, XCMG East Africa Regional Manager.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the project, Xiao said the project is one of the projects carried out by the company in its social responsibility initiatives.
Students happily gather around the new water harvesting project at their school compound built by the Chinese heavy machinery manufacturing Company, XCMG, for a primary school, named Oda Nebee in Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia, about 30 km south of Addis Ababa, capital of the East African country.(Xinhua/Michael Tewlde)
He noted that the company would construct more such projects in different parts of Ethiopia, where there is water shortage.
"After the first water cellar is completed, we will build other 49 water cellars around Ethiopia to help solve water shortage during dry season," noted the regional manager.
Dejene Dekebe, a teacher at the school, told Xinhua that the water cellar project would alleviate water shortage in the school, where the main water source is a borehole 4 km away.
"It is beneficial not only for the students but also for the local community," said Dejene. "We don't have water and the students do not attend their lessons properly, especially during dry seasons here as they will be thirsty."
Roman, a grade four student, said the project would be very beneficial for the students.
"We are bringing water with plastic bottles because we feel thirsty, and we don't have water here (at the school) for drinking," she said.
Top Communist Party of China (CPC) and state leaders Xi Jinping and Liu Yunshan meet with representatives of winners of this year's China News Award and Changjiang Taofen Award, the country's top two journalism awards, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 7, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday stressed the importance of "a sound environment for public opinion," calling it crucial for governance and national stability.
Xi made the remarks while meeting with representatives of winners of this year's China News Award and Changjiang Taofen Award, the country's top two journalism awards.
TOKYO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A Japanese journalist who was detained in Iraq in the northern Kurdish region and thought to have been held by Kurdish authorities near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, has been freed, the Japanese media reported on Monday.
Japan's public broadcaster NHK said Kosuke Tsuneoka, who was detained while trying to cover a fresh offensive by Iraqi and Kurdish military last month in a bid to recapture the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, had told NHK that he had been released recently.
Tsuneoka, 47, was unharmed and in what NHK described as "good health." The journalist will be returning to Japan on a flight from an airport in northern Iraq, with further details not being disclosed.
Tsuneoka was reportedly detained last month by local authorities, but fears were somewhat alleviated when Kyodo News reported that Japanese foreign ministry officials had met with the detained journalist.
Since Tsuneoka had been detained the Japanese government advised all Japanese citizens to avoid entering Iraq under any circumstances.
The order was also issued to journalists, with the abduction and brutal executions by the IS of journalist Kenji Goto in February last year and contractor Haruna Yukawa, to avoid that war-ravaged country.
Tsuneoka, who claimed to be an expert on Islamic State-related issues, had also covered insurgency and fighting in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and was captured and detained by a militant group in Afghanistan in April 2010, but was freed in September of the same year.
The freight train from Yiwu of China to Riga enters the Central Station of Riga, Latvia, Nov. 5, 2016. The first trans-Eurasia container train linking China and Latvia arrived here on Saturday afternoon, marking a milestone in the history of the two countries' cooperation in transport and logistics sectors. The train departed on Oct. 20 from Yiwu, a vibrant manufacturing hub in east China, and finished a journey of over 11,000 km following the China-Russia-Latvia route. (Xinhua/Wang Yaxiong)
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- After a journey of 17 days covering more than 10,000 km, a freight train packed with small commodities produced in China finally arrived at its destination in Latvia's capital Riga.
"Riga is the destination of the train, but not of these commodities. After the arrival, they will be distributed to different eastern European or Scandinavian countries within one to three days," said Xiong Tao, deputy mayor of Yiwu, a Chinese manufacturing hub where the small wares, mainly decorative items and souvenirs, were made.
A ceremony was held to mark the arrival of the train, the first running from Yiwu to Riga, on Friday.
Latvia was the first in the Baltic region to launch the trans-Eurasia railway operation, which connects it with the world's second largest economy.
In fact, 40 direct rail freight routes have been established between China and Europe so far, carrying goods worth billions of dollars each year. Yiwu, as the end of six such railway lines, is the busiest city.
The routes, like the ancient Silk Road over two thousand years ago, serve as a bridge between China and countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as the world's second largest economy seeks to strengthen trade partnerships and create new growth points amid sluggish global trade.
When the train from Yiwu was greeted by local officials and businessmen in the Central Station of Riga, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was drawing a grand blueprint for the cooperation of the two sides at a high-level meeting held miles away.
"We should actively promote free trade and facilitate investment, open markets wider to each other, deepen regional economic cooperation and oppose trade and investment protectionism to give ourselves growth impetus while contributing to the world economic recovery," Li said while addressing the Sixth China and CEE Countries Economic and Trade Forum.
The visiting premier proposed to promote trade and connectivity, step up production capacity and tourism cooperation, and explore innovative ways of financial cooperation.
"The proposals are practical and targeted, taking the two sides' comparative advantages and room to improve governmental cooperation into consideration," said Xu Mingqi, a researcher with Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
Chinese firms with rich experience in contract engineering can help CEE countries to enhance their infrastructure, Xu said, adding that trade facilitation measures can help boost China's exports of its industrial products and CEE countries' exports of high-quality farm produce.
Echoing Xu's remarks, Zhang Monan, an analyst of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, also thought China and CEE countries were complementary to each other. "CEE countries, mostly emerging economies with enormous untapped potential, are thirsty for technologies in high-end equipment manufacturing that China hopes to export."
Premier Li also attended a meeting between the heads of government of China and 16 CEE countries, also known as the "16+1" summit, established in Poland about four years ago. Thanks to the summit, China-CEE cooperation has seen constant expansion.
Despite a flagging global economy, China and CEE have maintained robust growth in bilateral trade, which totaled 43 billion U.S. dollars in the first nine months, up 4 percent year on year. Two-way investment stood at 7 billion U.S. dollars, with Chinese investment in CEE soaring nearly 90 percent.
To further boost trade and strengthen economic ties, the two sides are striving to improve transport networks, including Serbia's E763 highway project and the overhaul of the Budapest-Belgrade railway, as well as other infrastructure schemes, such as a thermal power plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Xu believes the infrastructure improvement will not only bolster CEE's economic ties with China but help solve trade impediments inside the region, as well as to propel the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.
The initiative aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes, with CEE countries as a critical link.
The infrastructure construction will generate huge financing demand and create fresh room for financial cooperation, Zhang said.
The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the country's biggest lender, announced Sunday plans to initiate a Sino-CEE fund via a newly-established subsidiary to provide financial support for industrial cooperation between China and CEE countries.
The fund will focus on investment cooperation in infrastructure, high-tech manufacturing and mass consumption industries, said Jiang Jianqing, head of the Sino-CEEF Holding Company and ICBC's former chairman, adding that the size of the fund is expected to reach 10 billion euros (around 11 billion U.S. dollars).
Photo taken on Oct. 15, 2015 shows artemether injectable medicine for treating malaria disease stored at a health facility in Kawangware slums, Nairobi, capital of Kenya. (Xinhua/John Okoyo)
JUBA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has decried a surge in malaria cases in South Sudan recorded this year.
The WHO said in a report published on Sunday that nearly 1.9 million malaria cases have been reported across South Sudan as of Oct. 23, up from 1.82 million cases in the same period of 2015.
Dr. Jia Yu (L), chief of Chinese medical mission in Togo examines a child hospitalized withmalaria in the Regional Central Hospital of Lome Commune, China-aided hospital, in Lome, capital of Togo, Oct. 14, 2015. (Xinhua/Zhang Gaiping)
"All counties reported an upsurge in malaria across the country in 2016, with Northern Bahr El Ghazal and Upper Nile reporting more than twice the number of cases when compared to 2015," the report said.
The WHO said malaria incidence at sites housing internally displaced people in some counties is now within expected levels following a series of interventions by health organizations, including improving medical access through mobile clinics, distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, indoor residual spraying and larviciding.
The WHO said the number of malaria cases was expected to decline with the onset of the dry season in the coming weeks.
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Army Chief General Raheel Sharif on Monday confirmed death sentences to nine hardcore terrorists after they were found guilty of carrying out terrorist acts, the military said.
The convicts are associated with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Islam groups. Both groups are accused of attacking the security forces, political leaders, government officials and members of the peace committees.
These convicts were tried by military courts. The army courts were set up after a terrorist attack on an army school in the northwestern city of Peshawar in December 2014 for speedy trials of the terrorism-related accused.
"Today Chief of Army Staff confirmed death sentences awarded to another 9 hardcore terrorists, who were involved in heinous offenses related to terrorism including, killing of innocent civilians, slaughtering of levies officials and attacking Armed Forces personnel," an army statement said.
These terrorists also include those who fired at a Pakistan International Airlines plane landing at Peshawar Airport which resulted in death of a lady and injuries to two other passengers in June 2014.
They were also involved in cutting off hands of four police officials, a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations said, adding firearms and explosives were also recovered from their possession.
All the convicts "admitted offenses before the magistrates and the trial courts," the army said.
Photo taken on Nov.16, 2015, shows refugee children playing games at a refugee camp in Juba, South Sudan. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei)
JUBA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of people fled South Sudan every day in October due to violence, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has said.
UNHCR figures show that on average 3,500 South Sudanese fled to Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Ethiopia and Sudan every day in October.
"In these countries, UNHCR, national authorities and other humanitarian actors are racing to create safe and humane conditions for new arrivals. Nine out of every ten are women and children," the UNHCR said last Friday.
Renewed fighting erupted in early July in South Sudan between government troops led by President Salva Kiir and forces loyal to sacked First Vice President Riek Machar, Kiir's long-time rival.
The UNHCR said the violence has seen around 2,400 new arrivals in Uganda every day since the beginning of October and over a quarter of a million new refugees since July 7.
"Most of the arrivals are from the Equatoria regions of South Sudan. They report armed groups harassing civilians, killings and torture of people suspected of supporting opposing factions, burning of villages, sexual assaults of women and girls and forced recruitment of young men and boys," the UNHCR said.
Tens of thousands have died and more than 2.2 million have been displaced since civil war broke out between supporters of Kiir and Machar in December 2013.
According to the UNHCR, the number of people who have fled South Sudan because of the civil war has passed the one million mark.
The UNHCR added that South Sudanese refugees have been increasingly using informal border-crossing points in recent weeks, reportedly due to the presence of armed groups preventing people from using main roads.
Many refugees said they had had to walk through the bush for days, often without food or water, said the UNHCR.
ABU DHABI, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The worst was over in the energy markets following the rebound of crude prices from below 30 U.S. dollars per barrel to around 45 to 50 dollars, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) energy minister said on Monday.
"The era of oversupply will go away," UAE Minister of Energy Suhail Al-Mazrouei told an annual international petroleum conference in Abu Dhabi.
In mid-2014, the crude oil traded at 110 dollars per barrel.
He noted a significant drop in the number of projects since the drop in crude prices two years ago.
"At least 45 billion dollars worth of projects which were planned to come on stream in 2016 have been halted," the UAE minister said.
The UAE, a major oil supplier, boasts approximately 7 percent of the world's crude oil reserves, according to the International Energy Agency.
"Throughout history we have seen that the oil industry and oil exporting countries have emerged after any downturn stronger," he added.
Al-Mazrouei said that the current downturn has motivated the oil states and energy firms to invest into new technologies.
Earlier, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the financial pressure on the Gulf Arab countries has eased as a result of the recent rally in oil prices.
Saudi Arabia, the biggest Gulf Arab economy, is expected to post a 1.2 percent growth in 2016 and 2 percent in 2017, while the UAE will grow 2.3 percent and 2.5 percent respectively, according to an IMF report released in mid-October.
However, the IMF also warned the Gulf Arab governments against widening budget deficits, urging them to further cut spending, reduce subsidies and diversify their economies away from oil.
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China will reform its income distribution system for science and technology (S&T) personnel to better reflect their contributions.
A document, "Opinions on Implementing Distribution Policy to Focus on Value of Knowledge," was published on Monday by the general offices of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council.
Noting current issues such as the imbalance between S&T workers' contributions and their income, the document attempts to tie earnings to scientific, economic and social value.
According to the document, distribution policies should consider the characteristics of different jobs and fields, with improved medium- and long-term evaluation of staff performance and their contributions.
"In addition to more material and economic stimulus, greater efforts should be made to honor S&T workers who have done outstanding work," it said.
While calling for a steady increase in both basic salaries and bonuses, the document specified that, in the case of S&T achievements that yield economic benefits, those who play a key role in making the achievements possible should receive a greater portion of such benefits.
It vowed greater freedom for S&T institutes and colleges to set up their own income distribution standards, but also urged them to value contributions more and strike a balance among teaching staff, researchers, developers and those working in logistical support and other posts.
According to the document, these organizations should prioritize funding support for the basic functions of research and education, and while personnel are allowed to accept side projects from enterprises and social groups, they must first ensure their job duties are performed on schedule.
Also, S&T workers are allowed to hold part-time jobs in other institutes with official approval, but they should report their earnings and never disclose technical secrets or harm the legal interests of their primary institute.
Similarly, university teachers are allowed to hold multiple paid teaching jobs, and more efforts should be made to promote the sharing of outstanding textbooks and lessons via the Internet and other channels.
"Income gaps within a unit should be kept at a reasonable level," the document said, calling on efforts to ensure sound salaries and treatment of young researchers and teachers.
The document aims to "accelerate the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, stimulate science workers' passion for innovation and start-ups, and create a social environment in which hard work, knowledge, talent and creativity are respected."
Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), presides over the closing meeting of the 24th session of the 12th NPC Standing Committee in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 7, 2016. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang on Monday said the adoption of the interpretation of the Basic Law of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) showcases the firm opposition of the central authorities to "Hong Kong independence."
The interpretation also demonstrates the central authorities' determination in implementing the "one country, two systems" principle, said Zhang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, while presiding over the final meeting of the top legislature's bi-monthly session.
"(It) embodies the common aspirations of the 1.3 billion Chinese people, including compatriots in Hong Kong, in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests," he added.
The top legislature adopted an interpretation of Article 104 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR by a unanimous vote on Monday.
The interpretation, issued by the top legislature following the behavior of a handful of legislators-elect during the election of Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) and the subsequent swearing-in ceremony, clarifies the implications and requirements of the oaths taken by legislators-elect.
Zhang said the interpretation of the Basic Law is as valid as the law itself, stressing that relevant provisions in the Basic Law and its interpretation must be observed and implemented.
The top legislature on Monday also adopted a Cybersecurity Law to better safeguard national security, the rights of citizens and sovereignty in cyber space.
Hailing it as "another important law in the legal system of national security," Zhang urged relevant parties to work out supporting regulations as soon as possible and carry out regulatory responsibilities to ensure correct and effective enforcement of the law.
AMMAN, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Jordn said Monday it has finalized talks with the World Bank on a 250 million U.S. dollar loan.
Jordan is expected to receive the loan before the end of this year, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Emad Fakhoury said in a statement.
The loan seeks to address challenges in the sectors of water and energy and will support the state budget, the said.
The loan will be transferred to the treasury following the World Bank's meeting in December, Fakhoury said.
The minister said the loan will help Jordan better cope with the large number of Syrian refugees it hosts.
The presence of about 1.4 million Syrian refugees in Jordan places major pressure on the country's water, energy, education, and health sectors.
In July, the World Bank endorsed a "country partnership framework" with Jordan, offering up to 1.4 billion dollars in financing for 2017-2022.
The 24th session of the 12th National People's Congress ( NPC ) Standing Committee concludes at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 7, 2016. China's top legislature on Monday adopted an interpretation to Article 104 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature on Monday adopted an interpretation of Article 104 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) by a unanimous vote.
The interpretation was issued by the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee following the behavior of a handful of legislators-elect during the election of Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) and the subsequent swearing-in ceremony.
Article 104 of the Basic Law stipulates: "When assuming office, the chief executive, principal officials, members of the executive council and of the legislative council, judges of courts at all levels and other members of the judiciary in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region must, in accordance with law, swear to uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and swear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China."
According to the interpretation of Article 104, "To uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China" and to bear "allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People' s Republic of China" are not only the legal content which must be included in the oath prescribed by the Article, but also the legal requirements and preconditions for standing for election in respect of or taking up the public office specified in the Article.
Oath taking is a legal prerequisite and required procedure for public officers elected to office, it said.
No public office shall be assumed, no corresponding powers or functions shall be exercised, and no corresponding entitlement shall be enjoyed by anyone who fails to lawfully and validly take the oath or who declines to take the oath, it spelled out.
An oath taker must take the oath sincerely and solemnly, and must accurately, completely and solemnly read out the oath prescribed by law, the content of which includes "will uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, bear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People' s Republic of China", according to the interpretation.
An oath taker is disqualified forthwith from assuming the public office specified in the Article if he or she declines to take the oath, the interpretation said.
Anyone who intentionally deviates from the written script or adds words that do not accord with the original oath prescribed by law, or is neither sincere or solemn shall be treated as challenging the oath. Thus, the oath is deemed invalid and the oath taker disqualified forthwith, it added.
The oath must be taken before a person authorized by law to administer the oath. The person administering the oath has the duty to ensure that the oath is taken in a lawful manner, the interpretation read.
The taking of the oath stipulated by Article 104 of the Basic Law is a legal pledge made by the public officers specified in the Article and is legally binding, it said.
The oath taker must sincerely believe in and strictly abide by the relevant oath prescribed by law. An oath taker who makes a false oath, or, who, after taking the oath, engages in conduct in breach of the oath, shall bear legal responsibility in accordance with law, it added.
A spokesperson with the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council on Monday issued a statement hailing the adoption of the interpretation as "absolutely necessary" and timely.
"The interpretation demonstrates the central government's firm determination and will against 'Hong Kong independence,'" the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson went on to say that the interpretation "underscores the authority of the Basic Law and the rule of law in Hong Kong" and "complies with the common aspirations of all Chinese people, including our compatriots in Hong Kong."
Hong Kong is a local administrative region directly under the central government, the spokesperson confirmed, and the LegCo is a SAR legislative organ set up in accordance with the Hong Kong Basic Law.
"The interpretation of the Basic Law given by the NPC Standing Committee is the same as the law itself," the spokesperson added, stressing that relevant provisions in the Basic Law and its interpretation "must be implemented to the letter."
INDEPENDENT JUDICIAL POWER CANNOT GO BEYOND BASIC LAW
Li Fei, deputy secretary general of the NPC Standing Committee, said at a press conference Monday that the independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication, exercised by the Hong Kong SAR, is provided by the NPC Standing Committee through the Basic Law.
Independent judicial power that violates or goes beyond the Basic Law shall not be allowed, according to Li.
The purpose of the NPC Standing Committee in clarifying the implications of relevant provisions in the Basic Law by issuing an interpretation is to ensure the accurate implementation of the provisions.
The NPC Standing Committee has the responsibility to issue an interpretation when disagreement on the provisions of the Basic Law in Hong Kong has affected the implementation of the Basic Law and the "one country, two systems" principle, according to Li.
The interpretation "will provide a legal basis for the judicial and administrative organs in Hong Kong and legal guidance for citizens in the SAR," Li said.
The Constitution of the nation and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR stipulates that the NPC Standing Committee exercises comprehensive and final rights when interpreting the Basic Law.
Local laws in Hong Kong shall not contradict the interpretation issued by the NPC Standing Committee in accordance with law, Li said, stressing the NPC is not interfering in the independent judicial power enjoyed by Hong Kong.
"Some people in Hong Kong, who appear as authorities of law, have spread fallacies and absurdities about the Basic Law when it was in the making, " Li said. "And they continue to distort the law though it has been in effect for so many years, resulting in a trap of public opinion, which suggests any interpretation of the law is equivalent to interference in Hong Kong's independent judicial power. "
NATURE OF ADVOCACY FOR "HONG KONG INDEPENDENCE"
In recent years, some people in Hong Kong SAR have publicly advocated for "Hong Kong independence," causing concern among all Chinese, including those who live and work in Hong Kong, said Zhang Rongshun, vice chairperson of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee in an explanation of the drafting the interpretation on Saturday.
The nature of "Hong Kong independence" is to split the nation, Zhang said, stressing the words and actions advocating "Hong Kong independence" severely would "damage national unity, territorial integrity and national security and affect the long-term prosperity and stability Hong Kong."
During the election of the sixth LegCo of the Hong Kong SAR, six candidates who publicly supported "Hong Kong independence" were deprived of the right to stand for valid nomination.
At the swearing-in ceremony for the sixth LegCo of the Hong Kong SAR on Oct. 12, a handful of legislators-elect violated the oath intentionally, publicly voiced support for "Hong Kong independence" and insulted the Chinese nation. Their oaths were declared invalid.
Hong Kong society, the LegCo itself and the SAR government disagreed on whether their oaths were valid and whether a swearing-in ceremony should be rearranged, which had affected the normal operation of the LegCo.
The draft of the interpretation was made in response to the situation, taking into consideration that the disagreement concerns the accurate understanding and implementation of relevant provisions of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR, according to Zhang.
Opinions of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Basic Law Committee under the NPC Standing Committee on the draft interpretation had been solicited in accordance with the Basic Law, according to Zhang.
Zhang stressed advocacy for "Hong Kong independence" in Hong Kong SAR is prohibited by the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR, which prescribes that the Hong Kong SAR is an inseparable part of the People's Republic of China.
People who advocate for "Hong Kong independence" are disqualified from running as members of LegCo and should have their conduct investigated, Zhang added.
When it comes to curbing and striking advocacy for "Hong Kong independence" according to law and safeguarding the core national interest and fundamental interests of the Hong Kong SAR, the central authority's attitude is "never blurred" and it "will not show any mercy", Li said.
Also adopted at the end of the bimonthly session of the NPC Standing Committee on Monday were a cybersecurity law, a law on promoting the development of the film industry, and decisions on revising laws on private education and marine environment protection as well as a package of 12 laws, including the foreign trade law.
President Xi Jinping signed presidential decrees to release the interpretation, laws and decisions on Monday.
The closing meeting of the bimonthly session was presided over by Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee. He also presided over a chairpersons' meeting of the NPC Standing Committee before the draft legislation, laws and decisions were put to vote.
MANILA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday that he would ratify the climate change deal reached in Paris in 2015.
Duterte changed his mind after almost all of his Cabinet officials agreed to honor the Paris Agreement.
"By the way, after so much debate, I will sign the climate change (deal)," he said at an event in Malacanang.
Personally, Duterte said, he was not in favor to ratify the agreement because it would bind the Philippines to follow the deal to the detriment of its development.
"(But) because it's a Cabinet decision, I'll go along with it and sign it. As I have promised you, I will not solve this problem alone," he said.
The Philippine government, during the previous administration, signed the Paris Agreement along with nearly 200 countries.
Manila has committed to contributing its fair share to the global action consistent with the Climate Vulnerable Forum's Manila-Paris Declaration.
KABUL, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least one person was injured and a police vehicle destroyed in a bomb attack near a government office building in west of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan on Monday, sources said.
LUSAKA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A farmers' body at the center of a scandal of alleged misappropriation of donor funds on Monday rendered an apology and called for a new start in the relations.
Some senior officials of the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) were accused of alleged misappropriation of donor funds after an audit of the association's accounts.
The Swedish and Finland government suspended funding to the association and demanded refunds of their money.
According to audit findings, about 3.3 million U.S. dollars was misappropriated in high level suspected fraud. The association's former chairperson and executive director have since been arrested.
Jervis Zimba, the new chairman of the board acknowledged that what has happened in the association this year has dented its image and that his board will work tirelessly to restore confidence and establish good working relations with all stakeholders.
The new board, he said, has taken responsibility over the situation and will take steps to reach out in order to regain and rebrand the association for the benefit of members and the growth of the agricultural sector.
"The new board will conduct a comprehensive review of the association upon which specific measures will be undertaken for the future of the association in order to rationalize the use of resources," he said in a statement.
Prudent management of resources will be at the center of surgical measures the union will undertake as it tries to implement a survival plan, he added.
Two audits were conducted to ascertain the level of allegation of misappropriation of funds at the association. The first audit was conducted in 2015 but the farmers' board rejected the findings, prompting the donors to ask KPMG to conduct a new audit in July this year.
RAMALLAH, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A poll on Palestinians' attitude toward the two candidates in U.S. presidential elections found that 43 percent respondents support neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump.
The survey, which was conducted by the Palestinian Polling Center and involved 1,030 respondents, showed that 40 percent supported Clinton, compared with only 17 percent who supported her Republican rival.
The 43 percent of respondents who supported neither candidate because of what was described as the pair's perceived commitment Israeli security, interests and defense.
Among those who picked neither Clinton nor Trump, 6 percent said the reason was that both candidates dropped the two-state solution form their electoral program; 7 percent cited what was described as the candidates' commitment to moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing it as a unified capital of Israel; 14 percent said prefer neither candidates because they both expressed hate toward Islam and Muslims; 11 percent said they do not understand international relations, international law and global economy.
On the question of how American policy would change toward the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in case Clinton wins, 4 percent said the U.S. policy will change a lot, 31 percent said it would change to a certain extent, and 28 percent said it would change little.
Three percent said U.S. policy toward the Palestinian-Israeli conflict would change a lot in case Trump wins, whereas 25 percent said it would change to a certain extent, and 33 percent believed it won't change at all.
The poll was conducted in the West Bank and Gaza Strip among respondents older than 18, with a 3.05 percent margin of error.
MOSUL, Iraq, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Kurdish security forces, known as Peshmerga, freed Monday a town from the Islamic State (IS) militants near the city of Mosul, a Kurdish security source said.
The Peshmerga forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, started in the morning their operation to storm the town of Bashiqah, some 30 km northeast of Mosul, and managed to seize the town after fierce clashes during the day, the source from Peshmerga told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
"About 10 suicide bombers have blown themselves up inside Bashiqah after the Peshmerga fighters surrounded their hideouts," the source said.
Sporadic clashes are still underway against small groups of the IS militants in a few pockets at the outskirts of the town, while explosive experts were defusing many landmines and booby traps planted earlier by the IS group, the source said.
The battles in Bashiqah came after a three-week massive offensive to dislodge the extremist militants from the city of Mosul, which represents their last major stronghold in Iraq.
In eastern Mosul, the commandos of the Counter-Terrorism Service continued their fighting with the IS militants in the residential areas, but were confronted by stiff resistance from the IS militants, a source from the Operations Command of Nineveh Liberation told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The battles in Mosul and surrounding areas pushed the number of civilians who were displaced from their homes to around 34,000 since the start of the military offensive on Oct. 17, according to the recent report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
On Oct. 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city.
Since then, the Iraqi security forces have inched to the eastern fringes of Mosul and made progress on other routes around the city, preparing for a major battle to storm the city and drive out IS militants.
Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under the 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.
SANAA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the United Nations special envoy to Yemen, left Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on Monday, after four-day official visit to discuss a new UN-sponsored peace roadmap.
"I received positive response from Houthi group and their ally of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh's party," Ould Cheikh told reporters upon his departure.
"I called all Yemeni parties to engage in the peace roadmap. Political settlement is the only solution to ended the war," he said.
Ould Cheikh gave no further details or outlined the roadmap.
But official sources in Houthi group had said that the proposal would sideline internationally recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, dismiss Hadi's deputy Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, and transfer power to a new consensual vice president and forming a new national unity government, which broadly includes Houthis and Saleh's loyalists.
Saleh welcomed the new UN proposal as "a good basis for negotiations," in a post on his official twitter.
The UN move came after previous peace-mediated efforts to end the 19-month war between dominant Houthis backed by Saleh's loyal forces and Hadi's government army backed by Saudi-led military coalition.
Ould Cheikh said he will head to Riyadh, the Saudi capital, to meet Hadi and offer him the proposed roadmap.
However, Hadi chaired a meeting with his exiled cabinet in Riyadh a day earlier, criticizing the UN envoy proposal as "legitimizing the Houthi and Saleh coup and ignoring the UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2216."
"The proposal would pave the way for more years of civil war and rewarding Houthis and Saleh the power," Hadi told the cabinet, cited by Riyadh-based Saba news agency.
Hadi administration also organized popular protests in government-controlled southern port city of Aden to refuse the new UN envoy roadmap and demand Hadi to stay as the legitimate president.
Yet, no official declaration about the content of the new political settlement roadmap.
The UNSC Resolution, issued in 2015, demands that the Houthis withdraw from all areas seized during the latest conflict, relinquish arms seized from military and security institutions, cease all actions falling exclusively within the authority of the legitimate Yemeni government and fully implement previous council resolutions.
The war, since Saudi Arabia Launched in March 2015 air campaign in support to Hadi against Iranian-allied Houthis, has killed over 10,000 Yemenis, mostly civilians and displaced other three million.
ABUJA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria has launched a probe into an allegation of sexual abuse and exploitation of women and girls in camps for internally displaced people (IDP) by soldiers and policemen.
The Nigerian police on Monday said at least 100 policewomen have been deployed to the camps to commence the investigation.
Damian Chukwu, police chief in the northeastern state of Borno, told Xinhua the deployment of policewomen to the camps was done to "dig out true happenings in the camps regarding the allegation."
Their objective is to further secure the camps and give confidence to thousands of women and girls living there.
According to Chukwu, the policewomen will also handle day-to-day interaction in the camps.
He said male officers have now been limited to handling the territorial coverage and patrolling within the camps.
Last week, President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered the investigation following a report released by the Human Rights Watch, in which the organization alleged human rights abuse by Nigerian soldiers and policemen in the camps.
The Human Rights Watch said it documented sexual abuse, including rape and exploitation, of 43 women and girls living in seven internally displaced persons camps in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital in July.
Buhari, shocked and worried by the report, had ordered the Nigeria's police chief and governors of states playing host to the displaced people to investigate the allegation.
The Nigerian leader said the welfare of these vulnerable citizens had been a priority of his government, and assured Nigerians and the international community that the allegations raised by the Human Rights Watch would not be taken lightly.
The police said no alarm or complaint was raised prior to the findings of the Human Rights Watch.
However, investigation would unravel the truth of the matter once and for all, said Chukwu, the Borno State police chief.
"We feel that the victims might not want to talk freely to men, but they will be encouraged to open up to policewomen if the allegation is true," he added.
Nigeria's government said it will do its best to ensure the protection and welfare of the displaced people, while the military continues to work hard to rout Boko Haram from the country's northeast region in order for the victims to return safely to their homes.
MOSCOW, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Kremlin on Monday denied allegations that Russia has been involved in the U.S. presidential elections, saying that Moscow has neither right nor intention to interfere in the campaign.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the U.S. presidential campaign is "an internal affair of the Unite States and there are already lots of problems with it."
The United States has been accusing Russia of meddling in the U.S. presidential race between Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and her Republican rival Donald Trump.
U.S. President Barack Obama said in July that it was "possible" that Russia would try to influence the U.S. presidential elections, after a leak of the U.S. Democratic National Committee emails, which some U.S. politicians have blamed on Russian hackers.
In October, the U.S. intelligence and security agencies issued a joint statement, blaming Russia for directing attacks on American political organizations, which was later dismissed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin said those claims were just an effort to distract the attention of the U.S. electorate from real issues.
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature on Monday adopted a cybersecurity law to safeguard sovereignty on cyberspace, national security and the rights of citizens.
The government will take measures to "monitor, defend and handle cybersecurity risks and threats originating from within the country or overseas sources, protecting key information infrastructure from attack,intrusion, disturbance and damage," the law states.
Efforts will also be made to punish criminal activities online and safeguard the order and security of cyberspace.
Individual users and organizations are not allowed to jeopardize security on the Internet or use it to "damage national security, honor and interests," according to the provisions.
Online activities that attempt to overthrow the socialist system, split the nation, undermine national unity, advocate terrorism and extremism are all prohibited, according to the provisions, which also forbid activities including inciting ethnic hatred, discrimination and spreading violence and obscene information.
The law was passed at the bimonthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, which concluded Monday, after a third reading.
According to the provisions, temporary measures including network communications control can be taken upon the decision or approval of the State Council in response to incidents that threaten public security.
The law obliges network operators to assist public security and national security organs in activities including safeguarding national security and investigating crimes.
It also mandates network operators to identify their clients when handling businesses, including network accessing and services that provide information.
PROTECTING KEY INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE
The law demands better protective measures for important industries, including public communications and information services, energy, transportation, finance and e-government services.
The operators of key information infrastructure must set up a special organ for security responsibility, the provisions state, adding that the background of the head of the organ as well as workers in key posts should be examined.
"The operators of such infrastructures are obliged to locally store data and personal information collected and produced by their services in China," according to the law.
If they need to provide the data and information for overseas use due to business needs, a security evaluation must be carried out, it adds.
The law also allows police and other law enforcement agents to take necessary measures, including the freezing of assets, against overseas individuals or organizations that "attack, intrude, interfere with or sabotage the nation's key information infrastructure."
It complies with international conventions for nations to protect their key information infrastructure, said Zuo Xiaodong, vice president of the China Information Security Research Institute, a government think tank.
Calling the provisions both necessary and timely, Zuo said safeguarding the key information infrastructure protected economic, social and national security.
According to 2014 data from the Cyberspace Administration of China, China has been a victim of cyber-attacks. More than 10,000 websites are tampered with every month, and about 80 percent of government websites suffered attacks, mainly originating in the United States.
SAFEGUARDING PERSONAL INFORMATION
Network operators are not allowed to leak, change or damage the personal information they gather, and are not permitted to offer personal information to others without consent of the persons involved, the provisions said.
Operators are obliged to take measures to ensure the personal information they collect is secure, the law stipulates.
Those who violate the provisions and infringe on personal information will face fines of up to one million yuan (about 148,000 U.S. dollars), according to the law, which adds that if illegal activities have led to profits, violators will face fines of up to 10 times their earnings.
Similar penalties will be given to those who steal or sell other people's personal information illegally, according to the provisions.
The law criminalizes websites that facilitate online fraud.
The manufacturing and selling of illegal or "controlled products" online is also prohibited, according to the legislation.
Wang Sixin, professor of law with the Communication University of China, said the provisions would play a positive role in protecting the personal information of the public, as it not only clarified the responsibilities of Internet service providers and operators, but also promised heavy penalties for trading personal information.
According to the Internet Society of China, about 84 percent of Internet users in the country say that they have been affected by personal information leaks. The number of Internet users in China hit 710 million in June this year.
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese regulator is mulling establishing a shared blacklist mechanism against telecom fraudsters in the latest effort to crack down on rampant scams.
Firms and individuals identified to have committed fraud will be blacklisted and the information will be accessible to the entire telecom industry, according to a guideline released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
The MIIT has required telecom companies to refuse blacklisted users for certain services.
By the end of 2016, telecom companies should ensure that 100 percent of the country's telephone accounts are registered under real identities, according to the guideline.
The move came amid a national campaign against rampant online and telecom fraud that has spread across the nation, leading to significant property loss.
In 2015, China detected roughly 590,000 telecom fraud cases, with the amount swindled reaching 22.2 billion yuan (3.3 billion U.S. dollars).
SINGAPORE, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) on Monday announced that the ministry has awarded two contracts to Airbus and Boeing to acquire new helicopters.
MINDEF said the new the H225M - Medium Lift Helicopter and CH-47F - Heavy Lift Helicopter will replace the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)'s existing Super Pumas and older Chinooks, which have been in service since 1983 and 1994 respectively, and are facing obsolescence.
The ministry stressed the H225M and CH-47F possess better lift and reach capabilities, and will enable RSAF to meet the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)'s lift requirements more efficiently with fewer helicopters and less manpower.
"The acquisition of the H225M and CH-47F will ensure that RSAF continues to effectively meet the SAF's lift requirements for a wide spectrum of operations, including Search and Rescue (SAR), Aeromedical Evacuation (AME) and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations," said MINDEF in the press release.
The replacement aircraft were selected after a rigorous evaluation process, added the ministry.
JERUSALEM, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli court sentenced a 14-year-old Palestinian teen to 12 years in an adult prison on Monday for attempting to carry out a stabbing attack in a Jewish settlement in 2015.
The Palestinian teen, whose name was not disclosed since he is a minor, was 13-year-old at the time of the incident.
Last October, the teen and his 15-year-old cousin Hasan Manasra took kitchen knives from their homes in Beit Hanina, a Palestinian neighborhood in Jerusalem, and headed to Pisgat Ze'ev, a Jerusalem settlement neighborhood.
Manasra stabbed and seriously injured a 13-year-old teen and lightly wounded another Israeli man before security officers shot him dead. The forces also shot and injured the younger cousin before taking him into custody.
The Jerusalem District Court found him guilty of two counts of attempted murder and the judges sentenced him to 12 years in an adult jail.
The defendant's lawyers said he did not actually stab anyone and had no intention to kill Israelis, only to injure them. The lawyers added that he tried to prevent Manasra from stabbing the Jewish youth because they had agreed not to hurt children.
Many perpetrators of attacks and attempted attacks recently during the Palestinian unrest are youths, aged 14 to 20-year-old.
The recent violent unrest has claimed the lives of at least 230 Palestinians and 34 Israelis since September 2015 with Israel saying that most of the Palestinians killed were shot while perpetrating or attempting to perpetrate stabbing, car-ramming, and shooting attacks.
On the other hand, Palestinians and human rights organizations say that Israel is using excessive force to quell an uprising, and in many cases kills Palestinians who could be stopped without resorting to lethal force or who were mistakenly believed to be attackers.
Israeli leaders accuse the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" the unrest, while Palestinians say it is the result of 49 years of Israel's occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, home to over five million Palestinians, who wish to establish their state there.
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday urged the United States to respect the Philippines' right to an independent foreign policy.
U.S. Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel told a news briefing in Washington last Thursday that he saw no evidence that President Rodrigo Duterte is backing away from the legal decision rendered by the tribunal on South China Sea, nor would he expect any Philippine leader to find it in their own best interests to do so.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said it is very interesting to see other countries repeatedly explain the position of the Philippines.
"To precisely understand the position of the Philippines, we should listen to what the Philippine leaders have said," he said at a daily press briefing.
President Duterte's recent remarks and actions have shown to the world what is best for the long-term and fundamental interests of Filipinos, he said.
Lu said that President Duterte has stated on several occasions that he does not like others taking it upon themselves to make decisions for him, for instance, explaining the Philippines' position on behalf of the Philippine government.
TOKYO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Monday agreed to cooperate in nuclear and economic fields.
Abe and Nazarbayev, following their meeting, issued a joint communique underscoring their countries' continued cooperation, with both countries highlighting the fact that 2017 will mark 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Nazarbayev, who is visiting Japan for the fourth time, and is slated to address Japan's upper house of parliament on Tuesday, said he hoped for further support from Japan, particularly in terms of Japan's tech know-how, to aid its agricultural, car making and other manufacturing industries.
Nazarbayev's four-day tour here will conclude on Wednesday.
TEHRAN, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Monday called on the Iranian and foreign investors to engage in more than 40 projects for the development of Iran's oil and gas fields, semi-official Fars news agency reported.
The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) made the call at the opening ceremony of the 8th Khouzestan Oil Industry Equipment Fair in southwestern the country.
In a message at the event, NIOC's Managing Director Ali Kardor said that 40 investment projects had been specified for investments from inside and outside Iran.
On Monday, media reported that the NIOC and a consortium involving France's Total, the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and Iran's Petropars will sign a deal in the Tehran on Tuesday to develop the phase 11 of the South Pars Gas field in the Persian Gulf region.
TEHRAN, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Austrian ambassador to Tehran Friedrich Stift said Monday that banks of Austria are ready to open branches in Iran in near future to facilitate financial cooperation, semi-official Fars news agency reported.
"The Austrian banks intend to return to Iran, and an Austrian bank has already voiced its preparedness to launch its branch in Iran," Stift said addressing a conference on developing Iran-Austria trade cooperation.
"In some junctures in the past, the trade balance between the two countries hit 800 million euros (about 885 mln U.S. dollars), and Austria imported 400 million euros from Iran, but now the level of the economic relations has been reduced," he said underlining the need for the expansion of mutual ties.
In his visit to Austrian capital Vienna in June, Iranian Economy Minister Ali Tayyebnia discussed bilateral ties, particularly economic and banking relations, with the Director General of the Austrian Control Bank Rudolf Scholten and emphasized the need for the enhancement of collaboration.
The Iranian economy minister pointed to the measures taken in Iran to fight money-laundering and underlined the Economy Ministry's readiness for further cooperation in the specified financial and banking sectors.
MONT PELERIN, Switzerland, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders had reached a "critical juncture in their talks" as negotiations addressing territorial disputes opened here also on Monday.
"The two leaders have expressed their hope that this meeting will pave the way for the last phase of the talks in line with their shared commitment to do their utmost in order to reach a settlement within 2016," Ban told reporters in a press conference.
"The prospect of a solution in Cyprus is within their reach. Expectations in both communities are high," the diplomat added.
The hope is that UN-mediated talks will pave the way towards reunification of the island by the end of the year. Cyprus has been divided in two since 1974 after a Greek coup spurred Turkey to send forces to the northern part of the small Mediterranean state.
While the southern Greek Cypriot side is recognised by the international community and is a member of the European Union, only Ankara officially recognises the break-away northern region.
Both Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci are set to discuss long-standing territorial issues as well as other outstanding matters in the presence of UN Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide.
This is the first time both leaders have conducted direct talks relating to territorial matters. These are seen as crucial if any future agreement on the reunification of the island is to be reached.
"Cyprus offers tremendous hope to people around the world that long-standing conflicts can be resolved peacefully through negotiations," Ban continued.
"I call on all interested parties, especially the guarantor powers Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, as well as the wider international community, to support the leaders in their efforts to finally overcome the division of their island," he concluded.
Discussions are scheduled to come to a close on Nov. 11.
TEHRAN, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said Monday that reality did not live up to expectations for opening a European Union (EU) office in Tehran in the near future.
"The issue of an EU office in Iran has been mooted by Europeans since a year ago, and we are now studying it. We have no definite time for opening the office," Qasemi said during his weekly press conference.
There still is no "precise and comprehensive view" regarding opening such an office in Tehran, but a new round of negotiations between Iran and the EU will kick off on Wednesday between deputy ministers, he was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.
"Negotiations with the EU are broad, long, time-consuming and complicated, however, we consider the talks per se as positive in finding common grounds for cooperation," he said.
Iran's Foreign Ministry has previously proposed plans for "comprehensive negotiations" with the EU which focus on various topics, including human rights issues in Iran.
BEIRUT, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Minister of Syria's Presidential Affairs Mansour Azzam conveyed Monday a congratulatory message from Syrian President Bashar Assad to Lebanon's President Michel Aoun on his election.
According to the National News Agency (NNA), Azzam emphasized after meeting with Aoun the "deep" ties between Syria and Lebanon, stressing that "we continue on the same page of constant and balanced ties."
"The main thing is the common interests of the both countries, including stability and security," he said, adding that "as long as Lebanon and Syria identify Israel and terrorism as their common enemy, then both countries were on the same boat."
The Lebanese parliament on Oct. 31 elected former army chief Michel Aoun as the country's 13th president, ending a vacancy that lasted almost two and a half years.
United Nations envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed speaks to reporters upon his departure at Sanaa airport following a visit to Sanaa,Yemen November 7, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
SANAA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the United Nations special envoy to Yemen, left Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on Monday, after four-day official visit to discuss a new UN-sponsored peace roadmap.
"I received positive response from Houthi group and their ally of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh's party," Ould Cheikh told reporters upon his departure.
"I called all Yemeni parties to engage in the peace roadmap. Political settlement is the only solution to ended the war," he said.
Ould Cheikh gave no further details or outlined the roadmap.
But official sources in Houthi group had said that the proposal would sideline internationally recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, dismiss Hadi's deputy Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, and transfer power to a new consensual vice president and forming a new national unity government, which broadly includes Houthis and Saleh's loyalists.
Saleh welcomed the new UN proposal as "a good basis for negotiations," in a post on his official twitter.
The UN move came after previous peace-mediated efforts to end the 19-month war between dominant Houthis backed by Saleh's loyal forces and Hadi's government army backed by Saudi-led military coalition.
Ould Cheikh said he will head to Riyadh, the Saudi capital, to meet Hadi and offer him the proposed roadmap.
However, Hadi chaired a meeting with his exiled cabinet in Riyadh a day earlier, criticizing the UN envoy proposal as "legitimizing the Houthi and Saleh coup and ignoring the UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2216."
"The proposal would pave the way for more years of civil war and rewarding Houthis and Saleh the power," Hadi told the cabinet, cited by Riyadh-based Saba news agency.
Hadi administration also organized popular protests in government-controlled southern port city of Aden to refuse the new UN envoy roadmap and demand Hadi to stay as the legitimate president.
Yet, no official declaration about the content of the new political settlement roadmap.
The UNSC Resolution, issued in 2015, demands that the Houthis withdraw from all areas seized during the latest conflict, relinquish arms seized from military and security institutions, cease all actions falling exclusively within the authority of the legitimate Yemeni government and fully implement previous council resolutions.
The war, since Saudi Arabia Launched in March 2015 air campaign in support to Hadi against Iranian-allied Houthis, has killed over 10,000 Yemenis, mostly civilians and displaced other three million.
UN talks to implement the landmark Parisclimatepact opened in Marrakesh, buoyed by gathering momentum but threatened by the spectre ofclimatechange denier Donald Trump in the White House. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
MARRAKECH, Morocco, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The 22nd Conference of Parties (COP22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) kick-off here on Monday.
At the opening ceremony of the COP22 held Monday in Marrakech, COP21 president Segolene Royal handed over the presidency to Morocco's Foreign Affairs Minister Salaheddine Mezouar.
In her remarks to the participants, Segolene Royal championed the entry into force of the Paris Agreement on November 4 and praised the close coordination between France and Morocco over the past year in the lead up to COP22.
"The rapid entry into force of the Paris Agreement is unprecedented and sends a powerful signal of world's commitment to combatting climate change," the COP21 President said.
Mezouar called on all participants to commit to concrete climate initiatives and actions to support the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change especially in Africa, least developed and small island developing states.
He reiterated the importance of accelerating climate finance, innovation, transfer and capacity building to create the low-carbon economy the planet needs to stay below the 2 degree Celsius mark of global warming.
He noted that an historic first meeting of the parties to the Paris Agreement will take place on November 15.
UNFCCC Executive Director Patricia Espinosa emphasized the historic significance of Morocco and Marrakech as host of the UN Climate Change Conference.
"We need to work together with speed and scale on all fronts," she said.
The opening ceremony was brought to a close by an invigorating performance by a local traditional Moroccan drumming group "Ostina Tono," who set the rhythm for the two-week climate action conference in the Ochre City.
The conference will also be an opportunity to debate and discuss several issues relating in particular to agriculture, food security, energy, industry, transport and water.
The event is taking place in Bab Ighli village, which extends over an area of nearly 300,000 square meters.
Around 20,000 delegates from 196 countries are gathering at the COP22 climate change conference.
UN talks to implement the landmark Paris climate pact opened in Marrakesh, buoyed by gathering momentum but threatened by the spectre ofclimate change denier Donald Trump in the White House. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
MARRAKECH, Morocco, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The 22nd Conference of Parties (COP22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) kick-off here on Monday.
At the opening ceremony of the COP22 held Monday in Marrakech, COP21 president Segolene Royal handed over the presidency to Morocco's Foreign Affairs Minister Salaheddine Mezouar.
In her remarks to the participants, Segolene Royal championed the entry into force of the Paris Agreement on November 4 and praised the close coordination between France and Morocco over the past year in the lead up to COP22.
"The rapid entry into force of the Paris Agreement is unprecedented and sends a powerful signal of world's commitment to combatting climate change," the COP21 President said.
Mezouar called on all participants to commit to concrete climate initiatives and actions to support the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change especially in Africa, least developed and small island developing states.
He reiterated the importance of accelerating climate finance, innovation, transfer and capacity building to create the low-carbon economy the planet needs to stay below the 2 degree Celsius mark of global warming.
He noted that an historic first meeting of the parties to the Paris Agreement will take place on November 15.
UNFCCC Executive Director Patricia Espinosa emphasized the historic significance of Morocco and Marrakech as host of the UN Climate Change Conference.
"We need to work together with speed and scale on all fronts," she said.
The opening ceremony was brought to a close by an invigorating performance by a local traditional Moroccan drumming group "Ostina Tono," who set the rhythm for the two-week climate action conference in the Ochre City.
The conference will also be an opportunity to debate and discuss several issues relating in particular to agriculture, food security, energy, industry, transport and water.
The event is taking place in Bab Ighli village, which extends over an area of nearly 300,000 square meters.
Around 20,000 delegates from 196 countries are gathering at the COP22 climate change conference.
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council has approved the plan to revive the country's northeastern region during 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020) in the latest effort to assist the area's sagging economy.
The plan called for more focus on quality growth and supply-side structural reform to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship.
The northeast should take coordinated efforts to improve the region's economic structure and enhance its competitiveness, according to the plan.
The State Council asked authorities in the provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, as well as Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to realize the urgency of the mission and make solid efforts to achieve the goals of the revival plan.
Amid China's economic slowdown in the last two years, the northeast, an old industrial base, has faced more difficulties than the rest of the country. The region relies largely on heavy and chemical industries, energy resources, raw materials and a large number of state-owned enterprises.
According to data from the National Development and Reform Commission, the region's economy grew 2.2 percent in the first half of 2016, much lower than the 7.6 percent, 7.8 percent and 8 percent for the eastern, central and western regions of the country, respectively.
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades (R) shakes hands with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci (L) in Nicosia, Cyprus, May 11, 2015. (Xinhua/Stefanos Kouratzis)
MONT PELERIN, Switzerland, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders had reached a "critical juncture in their talks" as negotiations addressing territorial disputes opened here also on Monday.
"The two leaders have expressed their hope that this meeting will pave the way for the last phase of the talks in line with their shared commitment to do their utmost in order to reach a settlement within 2016," Ban told reporters in a press conference.
"The prospect of a solution in Cyprus is within their reach. Expectations in both communities are high," the diplomat added.
The hope is that UN-mediated talks will pave the way towards reunification of the island by the end of the year. Cyprus has been divided in two since 1974 after a Greek coup spurred Turkey to send forces to the northern part of the small Mediterranean state.
While the southern Greek Cypriot side is recognised by the international community and is a member of the European Union, only Ankara officially recognises the break-away northern region.
Both Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci are set to discuss long-standing territorial issues as well as other outstanding matters in the presence of UN Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide.
This is the first time both leaders have conducted direct talks relating to territorial matters. These are seen as crucial if any future agreement on the reunification of the island is to be reached.
"Cyprus offers tremendous hope to people around the world that long-standing conflicts can be resolved peacefully through negotiations," Ban continued.
"I call on all interested parties, especially the guarantor powers Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, as well as the wider international community, to support the leaders in their efforts to finally overcome the division of their island," he concluded.
Discussions are scheduled to come to a close on Nov. 11.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (R) and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton participate in the third and final presidential debate at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) in Las Vegas, Nevada, the United States, Oct. 19, 2016.(Xinhua/Yin Bogu)
MOSCOW, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Kremlin on Monday denied allegations that Russia has been involved in the U.S. presidential elections, saying that Moscow has neither right nor intention to interfere in the campaign.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the U.S. presidential campaign is "an internal affair of the Unite States and there are already lots of problems with it."
The United States has been accusing Russia of meddling in the U.S. presidential race between Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and her Republican rival Donald Trump.
U.S. President Barack Obama said in July that it was "possible" that Russia would try to influence the U.S. presidential elections, after a leak of the U.S. Democratic National Committee emails, which some U.S. politicians have blamed on Russian hackers.
In October, the U.S. intelligence and security agencies issued a joint statement, blaming Russia for directing attacks on American political organizations, which was later dismissed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin said those claims were just an effort to distract the attention of the U.S. electorate from real issues.
A launching ceremony of Huawei P9 smartphone. (Xinhua File Photo)
KIEV, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China' s technology giant Huawei on Friday has launched its "Seeds for the Future" international educational program in Ukraine, under which 10 Ukrainian students will be trained in China by Huawei specialists.
A ceremony to start the project was held in Kiev with the participation of Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Du Wei and Ukrainian Deputy Education Minister Vladimir Kovtunets.
Under the initiative, students of three leading Ukrainian universities will be given an opportunity to travel to China, where they will deepen their knowledge in information and communications technology (ICT) in the Huawei's headquarters in Shenzhen.
During the ceremony, Liu Hongyun, president of Huawei Technologies office in Central Asia and Caucasus, called on the Ukrainian young talents to fully use all the opportunities of the program to improve their skills.
"I do believe that this trip to China will broaden your knowledge, technologies, and besides, leave an authentic understanding of the history and the culture of China. I wish you all the best in the upcoming trip to China," Liu said.
Meanwhile, Anastasia Nedosekova, a student of the National Technical University "Kiev Polytechnics" , said he views the participation in the Huawei' s program as a chance to develop her country.
"I am very pleased to have this opportunity, I hope that it will help me develop myself and develop my country. I'm going to China with great feelings and a good mood inside," Nedosekova said.
Huawei's "Seeds for the Future" program, which started in 2008, is designed to improve the global educational environment and provide young talented people around the world with more educational opportunities.
The project is aimed at cultivating local ICT talents, promoting knowledge exchange, improving people's interest in the telecom industry, and encouraging countries and regions to participate in the building of digital communities.
The program has already promoted ICT education in 67 countries and regions across five continents, benefiting over 15,000 students from 150 universities.
During the last five years, over 500 students from 23 European countries have taken part in this program.
Visitors take photos of a statue of Sun Yat-sen, forerunner of China's anti-feudalism revolution, in Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum in Hong Kong, south China, Nov. 5,2016. Opened to the public in 2006, the four-story museum has two permanent exhibitions displaying a number of precious historical artefacts. (Xinhua/Li Peng)
LIMA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Peru's Chinese community marked over the weekend the 150th anniversary of the birth of the forerunner of China's democratic revolution, Sun Yat-sen.
The exhibition, titled "Sun Yat-sen and the Overseas Chinese Communities," opened Saturday at the headquarters of the Chinese community's leading charity organization (Sociedad Central de Beneficencia China) near the historic downtown district.
Chinese Ambassador to Peru, Jia Guide, and the charity's president, Alfonso Lian, launched the show to commemorate Sun, China's great national hero and patriot.
The exhibition, with pictures and bilingual texts, presents Sun's lifetime experiences and his contribution to China's democratic revolution, including leading the 1911 revolution that ended the imperial rule in China.
The show will last through November.
JERUSALEM, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Israel will not participate in a French-led conference aiming to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's top adviser told French envoy Pierre Vimont on Monday.
"It was made clear to the French envoy that Israel will not participate in any international conference convened contrary to its position," Netanyahu's office said in a statement released after his diplomatic envoy Yizahak Molcho met with Vimont in Jerusalem.
"Promoting such a conference will make the possibility of advancing the peace process much less likely since it will allow Abbas and the Palestinian authority to continue avoiding the decision to enter into direct negotiations without preconditions," read the statement.
Vimont arrived in Israel to pursue French efforts to hold an international conference before the end of 2016, aiming to establish parameters for a peace deal in order to end the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians as well as to set a timetable for the implementation of such a deal.
Israel is concerned the conference may increase international pressure to halt the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem which Israel occupied, along with the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast War.
The French peace initiative comes during an intense wave of violence in the West Bank and Israel, which has so far claimed the lives of at least 230 Palestinians and 34 Israelis since September 2015.
The last round of U.S.-brokered peace talks reached an impasse in April 2014 due to continued expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the unity government established by the Abbas-led Palestinian Liberation Organization and Hamas.
CAIRO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov discussed on Monday the recent developments in the Middle East, said Egypt's foreign ministry spokesman.
During a phone conversation, both ministers tackled the latest developments in Syria along with the ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in order to facilitate humanitarian aid efforts to reach Syrian citizens in Aleppo, spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a press statement.
They also discussed the draft resolution presented by Egypt, New Zealand and Spain to the United Nations Security Council concerning the humanitarian situation in Syria, he added.
Abu Zeid said that the Egyptian minister informed his Russian counterpart about the efforts Egypt's mission exerted at the United Nations in an attempt to bridge the gaps among the Security Council's members regarding Syria's draft resolution.
In addition, both ministers discussed the situation in Libya as well as efforts to help Libyan parties implement the UN-led Skhirat agreement to end internal fighting and reach a unity agreement.
COLOMBO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The UK government on Monday announced 1.49 million U.S. dollars' worth of funding to remove land mines in the north of Sri Lanka.
Visiting British Minister for the UN and Commonwealth Baroness Anelay visited the northern Jaffna town and made the announcement.
The funds forms part of a 6.6 millionin-British Pound funding for Sri Lanka announced at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Malta last year.
The UK will fund British demining charity The HALO Trust to remove mines in order to facilitate the return of internally displaced people (IDPs). Through this work The HALO Trust aims to improve the lives of up to 40,000 people in the north.
"Demining is essential to ensure the safety of those returning to their homes and land following the conflict. It is important for displaced people to return as soon as possible in order to rebuild their lives. During my meetings with women's groups and female heads of households in the North, I heard about the difficulties they faced in finding suitable employment and providing for their families," she said.
During her visit to Sri Lanka the minister is to reiterate the UK's commitment to supporting Sri Lanka in strengthening democracy and human rights, including tackling gender-based and sexual violence, delivering reconciliation and combating corruption.
As the British Prime Minister's special representative on preventing sexual violence in conflict, the minister will also raise awareness of the need to tackle the stigmatization of sexual violence and will meet with civil society organizations working on preventing sexual violence.
The British High Commission in Colombo said Baroness Anelay will highlight the importance of female participation in the reconciliation process and the need for comprehensive strategies for tackling sexual and gender-based violence.
BELGRADE, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Montenegrin members of parliament (MPs) on Monday started the first session of the new parliament elected on Oct. 16, although Montenegrin media reported that almost half of MPs were absent out of protest.
At the beginning of the session, MPs were presented with the report of the State Electoral Commission, according to which the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) won 36 MP seats in the new parliament of 81 seats, Montenegrin parliament confirmed in a press release.
Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG) reported that besides DPS, present at the constitutive session were two MPs from the party Social Democrats of Montenegro (SD), two MPs from the Bosniak Party, one from Albanians Decisively, and one from the Croat Citizen Initiative.
Those absent were 18 MPs from the coalition Democratic Front, nine MPs from the coalition Key, eight MPs from Democratic Montenegro, and four MPs from the Social Democrats, according to RTCG.
The MPs were said to be missing in protest over alleged irregularities in the elections, whose results they did not recognize, as they believe the elections were not free and democratic.
Reportedly, present MPs of DPS, SD and minority parties did not elect a speaker, deputy-speakers or other organs of the parliament, although this topic was originally part of the official schedule.
Marija Catovic, who presided over the first session of parliament, said that by constituting the parliament, the session was finished for the day and that MPs would be notified on the date for the next parliamentary session.
The constitutive session of the new government was attended by Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic, as well as representatives of state institutions. In order for a government to be formed, Vujanovic has to officially propose a candidate for prime minister, after holding meetings scheduled for Wednesday with all parties represented in the parliament.
President of the strongest party, former prime minister Milo Djukanovic already nominated vice-president of the party Dusko Markovic for the position. DPS announced at the session of the main board held on Oct. 26 that a government with Markovic at the helm could be formed as early as Nov. 10 or 11.
MARRAKECH, Morocco, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said Monday that transformation to a "low-emission resilient society and economy" should be a singular global target.
"Our work here in Marrakech must reflect our new reality. No politician or citizen, no business manager or investor can doubt that the transformation to a low-emission, resilient society and economy is the singular determination of the community of nations," Espinosa said in her address at the opening of the 22nd Conference of Parties (COP22).
While early entry into force of the Paris Agreement is a clear cause for celebration, it is a timely reminder of the high expectations that are now placed on governments, said the executive secretary.
She also stressed that achieving the aims and ambitions of the Paris Agreement is not a given, considering the huge difficulties of changing the course of two centuries of carbon-intensive development.
According to the UN official, another key work is to mobilize financial resources to allow developing countries to green their economies and build resilience.
She noted that countries should take more audacious nationally determined contributions and integrate them into national policies and investment plans.
Espinosa also called on giving support for adaptation higher priority to safeguard development gains in the most vulnerable communities.
The COP22, held in Marrakech until Nov. 18, will focus on action items to implement the Paris Agreement, especially those related to adaptation, transparency, technology transfer, mitigation, capacity building and loss and damage mechanisms.
The Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015 at COP21 in Paris, was ratified in October by 96 countries and the European Union and entered info force on Nov. 4.
The conference will also be an opportunity to debate and discuss issues concerning agriculture, food security, energy, industry, transport and water.
The event is taking place in Bab Ighli village, which extends over an area of nearly 300,000 square meters.
Around 20,000 delegates from 196 countries are gathering at the COP22 climate change conference.
ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) mourned on Monday Major-General Dr. Julius Facki Oketta, former Head of Mission to the African Union Support to Ebola Outbreak to West Africa (ASEOWA).
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the AU Commission, has expressed deep sadness over the passing of the former head of ASEOWA, said a statement from AU on Monday.
He died on Saturday at the age of 60 in Kampala, Uganda, following a heart attack, said the statement.
Dlamini-Zuma has sent her deepest condolences to the bereaved family, as well as to the government and people of Uganda.
"Major-General Dr. Julius Oketta was a champion in the fight against Ebola Virus Disease, when it struck Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia in 2014," she said.
"He headed the ASEOWA mission with the 855 civilian and military Health Volunteers who soldiered the fight against Ebola. As a disciplined soldier, he led the successful defeat of Ebola, without us losing a single soldier," said Dlamini-Zuma.
On February 11, 2015, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia had also recognized his contribution to the fight against Ebola, and awarded him the Decoration of "Distinguished Service Order" during the 58th Armed Forces Day Celebration in Liberia, recalled the statement.
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad speaks during an interview with Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, in this handout picture provided by SANA on October 14, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
BEIRUT, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Minister of Syria's Presidential Affairs Mansour Azzam conveyed Monday a congratulatory message from Syrian President Bashar Assad to Lebanon's President Michel Aoun on his election.
According to the National News Agency (NNA), Azzam emphasized after meeting with Aoun the "deep" ties between Syria and Lebanon, stressing that "we continue on the same page of constant and balanced ties."
"The main thing is the common interests of the both countries, including stability and security," he said, adding that "as long as Lebanon and Syria identify Israel and terrorism as their common enemy, then both countries were on the same boat."
The Lebanese parliament on Oct. 31 elected former army chief Michel Aoun as the country's 13th president, ending a vacancy that lasted almost two and a half years.
TEHRAN, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iranian and Syrian officials vowed to continue trilateral consultations and cooperation with Russia in a bid to defeat terrorism and find political solutions to the crisis in the Arab country, Press TV reported on Monday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the visiting Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad met in the capital Tehran on Monday and discussed mutual relations as well as the latest political and military developments in Syria.
They also exchanged views on the recent trilateral meeting, between Iran, Russia and Syria, held in Moscow in late October.
The Iranian side stressed the importance of holding more three-sided consultations and said the sides should also improve their cooperation at the international level.
Top diplomats of Russia, Syria and Iran met in Moscow on Oct. 28 and vowed to defend the revival of intra-Syria talks in order to facilitate a political solution to the protracted crisis in the war-torn Middle East country.
All the three parties reaffirmed that there is no alternative to the settlement of the Syria crisis by political and diplomatic means.
On Monday, Mekdad hailed what he called Iran's "principled" stance on the regional issues, particularly the crisis in his country.
Iran stands at the forefront of the fight against terrorism and extremism, he said, adding that friendly countries to Syria must further exchange views about the political solutions to the Syrian crisis.
The Islamic republic, along with Russia, have emerged as the major allies of the Syrian government in its struggle against the militant groups who are seeking to overthrow the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
On Monday, Ali Larijani, speaker of the Majlis, Iran's parliament, praised the Syrian government as the resistance axis against terrorism and extremism in the region.
"Syria has been at the forefront of resistance against extremism and terrorism and have fought against them to save the country's territorial integrity," Larijani was quoted as saying by semi-official Mehr news agency.
President Bashar al-Assad has been wisely leading the country and has been highly principled and accurate in handling the crisis in Syria, Larijan said in a meeting with Mekdad.
The Iranian speaker reiterated Tehran's unwavering support to the Arab state, saying "Syria has a strategic significance for Iran's foreign policy."
The ties between Iran and Syria, rooted in history, are "enduring" and at a "very good" level, he said, adding that both countries should strive to further improve parliamentary interactions alongside political and economic relations.
Mekdad updated Larijani on the latest developments in Syria and both sides discussed the means for further interactions.
Moreover, Ali Akbar Velayati, the senior advisor of Iran's Supreme Leader, said Monday that enemies seek to disintegrate Iraq and Syria but their illusion will not come true, official IRNA news agency reported.
"By dividing Iraq and Syria into small countries, they (enemies) will be able to easily dominate other countries since the morale of resistance might not exist anymore," Velayati said in another meeting with the visiting Syrian official.
If such a plot is implemented, it will further guarantee Israel's security; however, this will never happen, he said.
"We are quite confident that the U.S. will fail in its plots" against regional states, including Syria, Velayati said.
The former Iranian foreign minister hailed the recent progress of the Syrian army in its battle against terrorists, saying that those victories have weakened the spirits of the terrorists dramatically.
Mekdad said his country is determined to continue its fight against terrorists through reliance on Iran's support.
Saudi Arabia has waged a mad war with the purpose of preventing the resistance forces from achieving the final victory, but Syrian officials are optimistic that the war would end soon, Mekdad said.
There is also an agreement between popular forces of Syria and Iraq on the battle against terrorists, he added.
Since 2011, when the Syrian civil war began, more than 250,000 Syrians have been killed and millions of the Syrians have been displaced from their homes. Enditem
Photo taken on Nov. 5, 2016 shows a view of Dixville Notch in New Hampshire, the United States. (Xinhua/Gu Zhenqiu)
DIXVILLE NOTCH, the United States, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) - Towns in New Hampshire will open polls shortly after midnight on Tuesday to kick off the quadrennial U.S. presidential elections.
Dixville Notch, a small town in New Hampshire's northeast corner, is the first in the nation to vote in the primaries and on the Election Day.
The town is well known for its longstanding tradition of midnight vote, a symbolic event which started in 1960 to mark the casting of the first ballots and the elections' initial results.
The tradition was first organized by prominent Dixville Notch resident Neil Tillotson who was traditionally the first voter. He would reportedly hold his ballot over the ballot box while watching his wristwatch.
At the moment of midnight, Tillotson would drop the ballot into the ballot box and the rest of the town's residents would follow suit.
Since Tillotson's death from pneumonia in 2001 at the age of 102, the first voter has been chosen by random ballot beforehand.
On this year's Election Day, Dixville Notch voters are expected to begin voting at the stroke of midnight (0500GMT), and the ballots will not take long to tally: Dixville Notch has only seven registered voters.
Of those voters, there is one registered Democrat, three Republicans, and three independents, according to Tom Tillotson, son of Neil Tillotson and also the town's polling moderator.
He told Xinhua that six voters will cast their ballots at the polling station, while his son, Tanner Tillotson, who was the town's first voter in 2012 presidential elections, is now working in Spain and will
vote as an absentee.
Photo taken on Nov. 5, 2016 shows a view of Dixville Notch in New Hampshire, the United States. (Xinhua/Gu Zhenqiu)
The voters cast their ballots and the polls are expected to be officially closed about one minute later.
These few votes will make headlines on Tuesday morning. The midnight vote is like "a starting gun for the election," said Tom Tillotson.
New Hampshire law allows towns with fewer than 100 residents to open the polls at midnight and close them as soon as all registered voters have cast their ballots.
Since 1996, another small New Hampshire town, Hart's Location, reinstated its practice from the 1940s and also opens its polls at midnight.
This year, another community Millsfield joins the midnight vote to revive such a tradition it once had in the early 1950s.
Wayne Urso, town selectman in Millsfield, said his town has 21 registered voters, and 14 of them will vote at its polling station.
He said with about a dozen of voters, polling at midnight will ensure those who need to work in the day fulfill their daytime obligations after voting.
Brett McGurk, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter IS, addresses a press conference at the U.S. embassy in Amman, Jordan, on Nov. 6, 2016. The military operation against the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq's Mosul is ahead of schedule, said U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter IS here Sunday. (Xinhua/Mohammad Abu Ghosh)
Source: Xinhua| 2016-11-07 16:44:00|Editor: Song Lifang
Voters queue up for early voting at a polling station in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on Nov. 6, 2016. According to state voting laws, 37 states and the District of Columbia allow voters to cast their ballots in person or through mail prior to the election day, while six states allow absentee voting with an excuse and seven do not allow any form of early voting. (Xinhua/Zhao Hanrong)
Cops kill Roti in Moruga
Derrick McIntosh alias Roti, 27, of Moruga, had been on the run from police since his escape from the hospital in January, a police report stated.
According to a police report, McIntosh was reporedly seen at White Trace, just off the Moruga Main Road, at about 4 am yesterday.
Responding to reports of his appearance in the area, police officers went in search of him and according to a report, McIntosh was confronted.
The report stated that he shot at the police vehicle and officers returned fire.
After the shootout, it was discovered that McIntosh sustained bullet wounds to the stomach in the chest.
He died at the scene. Police said yesterday that McIntosh was wanted for several robberies and murders, including the murder of Michael Patterson in January.
The day after Patterson was murdered, one of relatives retaliated and had engaged McIntosh in a shootout at a house at Upper Hillside in San Fernando.
Following an exchange of gunfire, both men were severely wounded and warded at the San Fernando General Hospital. McIntosh was shot in one of his legs.
Police said that McIntosh had managed to escape police custody while he was been treated on a ward at the hospital, and had been on the run until yesterday.
Developing a reading culture
In its second year the Reading with the NGC Bocas Lit Fest has brought that power of the consciousness of literature to communities such as Princes Town, Charlotteville, Tobago, Scarborough, Tobago, Mayaro, Point Fortin, Sangre Grande and Arima. It is the festivals hope that this translates into the discovery of home-grown writing talent across TT.
According to the festivals business and hospitality manager, Marielle Forbes, The reading with the NGC Bocas Lit Fest Programme got started because after a few of the Port-of-Spain festivals we realised that we werent engaging certain communities that were far away from the outskirts of PoS. In order to dispel this kind of thinking that reading cannot be for enjoyment, we are putting the idea out the window that you just read for academics and things like that.
We wanted to engage these communities outside of PoS that we werent getting at the festival, in order to encourage critical reading.
In order to encourage awareness of Caribbean authors, in order to encourage awareness of the festival and what it brings to TT and how other members of the community can benefit from it.
We thought a good way to springboard that or start that was to build on existing bookclubs in specific communities. We targeted eight communities across TT. We partnered with Nalis and contacted the libraries.
We felt that was the best way to start, with those who were already visiting the libraries and who had an interest in reading for leisure and other things besides academic.
That is how it got started. We used their database and we also built on their existing clubs and added new members. Since its inception the clubs have discussed two books, the first being local author Barbara Jenkins Sic Transit Wagon and this year the groups are discussing Rhoda Bharaths the Ten Days Executive.
With groups composed of people from as young as 18 to 82 and whose average size ranges from five in smaller communities to eight in larger ones, there has been tremendous growth since it began last year, Forbes said.
She noted, I realise in going to the clubs now that the people are getting stronger, the people are asking more critical questions. They are realising certain things in the language, they are asking different questions outside of the norm, or what they would have typically asked in the beginning.
We realise they are strengthening some skills they might have had and gaining some skills. It is also the festivals intent to begin a writing workshop for the budding writers within the community, although funding remains an issue. Out of these clubs, at least two members of every one of the book clubs have expressed an interest in writing. Some of them have already written stories that they have in their closet. One of the things that we hope would come out of this project or initiative is that we would start a series of writing workshops in these communities for people who have expressed an interest in writing. Once we get a few phases of the club rolling out and as we get more clubs. The participants also learn more about the art of writing through the visits done to the clubs by the authors, where participants get the chance to engage with the author.
Forbes recalled one participant was changed by the workshop.
She said, That question reminded me of one lady in Charlotteville; a housewife because she is a cook and takes part in all of these different festivals and stuff, Shauna. I remember we did one visit with them and by the time we came back for the second visit and she said you know what I realise I really was talking a lot of nonsense with my friends when we got together to talk. Now, basically, she said now they bore me. It is not like she said now I am here and youre there. But she said now that she is been reading, she said, she realised she was just wasting time gossiping with these women and now those things dont interest me. Now I just sit with my books and I read. Everything the festival does aims to develop the skill and art of literature. Funso Aiyejina, the festivals deputy director said, You also have to understand that the book club is just a block in a complex organisation.
Everything we do as Bocas is designed to develop that tradition of reading. Our childrens programme encourages children to read and to write. Our adult programme brings writers from all over the world and we expose them to the community and they develop an interest in reading or continuing to read. Our spoken word programme encourages the role of oral literature so the book club is another part of the whole labyrinth of things we have put together in order to develop that consciousness of the power of literature. And with a month of activity ongoing, Aiyejina said the question as to the viability of Caribbean literature as been answered time and time again by top awards such as Man Booker Prize, Commonwealth and the Forward Prize among others. The Caribbeans varied historical intermingling has given it a voice that speaks to almost all people across the globe.
When you look at the international successes of Caribbean literature, nobody can be in doubt as to the viability of Caribbean content in global literature.
We also have to understand that the Caribbean is the most cosmopolitan region of the world and when the Caribbean speaks it is speaking for the world.
There is hardly any aspect of world civilisation that is not represented in the Caribbean.
Whether youre talking Europe, Africa, Asia, whatever, we have writers here who can capture that essence and therefore our writers are always speaking to the world even when their primary message is for us and that is the way it should be. It always goes beyond the Caribbean to the world.
We have a lot to teach the world as Caribbean citizens, Aiyejina said.
IGT donates computers to Memisa Centre
Claxton is manager of the centre which is a vocational training centre offering services to people with intellectual disabilities. It has been in operation for 43 years.
IGT (formerly GTECH) donated four new touch-screen computers, eight tablets and one smart television to the computer room as part of the companys signature philanthropic programme the After School Advantage Programme.
I would like to thank IGT for partnering with the Memisa Centre through the After School Advantage Programme for Internet- ready computers, said Claxton in a media release. The benefits of having information technology for the students are an inclusive, social and captivating way for the students to learn. Claxton explained, With the social aspect, the children feel like they are playing, so small group collaboration occurs naturally.
For the children who dont normally mix, they would be curious about the computers and find learning accessible and fun regardless of their learning style. A non-governmental organisation (NGO) located in the Heights of Guanapo, Arima, the Memisa Centres primary objective is to provide an environment where learning and caring takes place and to encourage the students to reach their full potential.
The IGT team is delighted to partner with the Memisa Centre, an organisation that has for so many years provided dedicated care to people with special needs, said Ann-Dawn Young Sang, IGTs regional vice president for the Caribbean. Much like the Memisa Centre, IGT believes that everyone should have the opportunity to realise their full potential regardless of mental or physical disability. Our hope is that this donation will help in providing the skills and confidence trainees need to excel as employees in a technology-driven job market. There are three components to the Centre - A residential care unit, a Vocational/ job training and placement unit and a special education unit/ school. Trainees at the vocational/job training and placement unit will benefit from learning on new state-of-the-art equipment.
The school empowers the students to conquer their disabilities, and teaching at the centre is based on the intellectual ability of each student. Students are also instructed in life skills such as home economics, agriculture, craft and performing arts. The special training in garment construction, art and craft, aquaculture and grounds maintenance help prepare them for employment.
The computer lab will also be open for use to members of the community and the residents at the centre.
COP, FAMILY IN SAFE HOUSE
Felicia Dyer Francis was seated in the drivers seat of her white Nissan Tiida car outside the South-East PoS Seventh Day Adventist Church on Piccadilly Street, Port-of-Spain where she had been praying moments earlier, when she was shot four times.
Speaking with Newsday yesterday, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in charge of crime, Irvin Hackshaw, said the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) is providing all of the necessary support to PC Dyer and his family, in the form of counselling. He also confirmed tha the officer and his family are now in protective custody while the Homicide Bureau continues to work around the clock to bring closure to this murder investigation involving the senseless murder of PC Dyers mother.
Newsday understands that PC Dyer was recently placed in a unit based at the Besson Street Police Station, PoS - the Firearm Interdiction Team (FIT). This unit was mandated to recover illegal arms and ammunition throughout the country.
According to reports, last Tuesday (November 1), PC Dyer and other members of FIT, acting on information, went to a house in the Caroni area where they detained a 29-year-old businessman and seized a nine mm gun, 14 rounds of ammunition and a quantity of marijuana.
Newsday also understands that shortly before midnight last Thursday, PC Dyer received a telephone call from someone who advised him that attempts would be made to kill him, his mother and his sister. PC Dyer reported the matter to officers at the Besson Street Police Station.
Hours later, his mother was killed. Yesterday, homicide sources told Newsday that the Cyber Crime Unit of the TTPS, as well as other units, are working closely the Homicide Bureau to deal swiftly with this investigation, so that the perpetrator/ s of the murder of PC Dyers mother could be apprehended and brought to justice. Newsday also spoke with a senior officer of the JPU, who said PC Dyer has been barred from speaking with the press because the investigation is at a sensitive stage.
Following the murder of Dyers mother, police obtained CCTV footage of the murder scene, which was reviewed over the weekend. Yesterday, the officers colleagues at Besson Street Police Station told Newsday they were deeply troubled by the murder of Dyers mother and that they were praying for PC Dyer and his family to get through their troubles at this time.
Officers also said they would continue to give their all to recover illegal arms and ammunition from the hands of the criminal element.
PC Dyers brother and sister, who both live abroad, were expected to arrive in the country yesterday. Newsday understands that they too will be given full police protection while they are here. Although funeral arrangements have not yet been finalised, it is expected that PC Dyer and members of his family will be given a full escort to the service by heavily-armed police officers.
Fire razes abandoned drug sex den
The wooden house, known as The Mansion, is situated on San Fernando Street and went up in flames at about 6 am yesterday.
It was just outside that house where a female secondary school student was shot in the chest following an argument in November last year.
The girl had gone to the house with a male secondary school student and an older man.
Yesterday, neighbours reported the fire to the Mon Repos Fire Station and firemen arrived on the scene within ten minutes.
The Mansion had been abandoned for the last five or six years, but had been occupied by five homeless people, a police report stated, four men and one woman.
The abandoned house had been featured in the news as a hideout as well where police officers raided for drugs, and on many occasions, had to warn students against frequenting the building. In November last year, the female secondary school student was shot in the chest.
Following the shooting, former San Fernando Mayor Kazim Hosein who is now the Minister of Local Government, had instructed corporation workers to clean and close the house and debar members of the public from frequenting.
Betty Bhaggan, a neighbour, said, I was lying down here sleeping when I heard my neighbour downstairs shouting Fire! Fire! She said that when the heat became unbearable, she grabbed her grandchildren and ran outside.
Darrel Kissoon, who was asleep at the time, recalled, This morning, God has saved us and I thank Him for that, because me and my family work hard and it would have been a really sad morning if my house had fall down too. The cause of the fire has not been determined, but Mon Repos firemen are investigating.
The world is recognising First Peoples
His Excellency addressed the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community at the Chaguanas Borough Corporation last month and told them that no one race should feel superior or inferior over the other, in much the same way, that the countrys First Peoples must know that they are special to Trinidad and Tobago.
Chief Ricardo Bharath-Hernandez led members of his community to the Chaguanas Borough Corporation hall for a function dubbed Champion of Peace, to commemorate October 14 as a day of recognition for the First Peoples of this country.
Carmona bemoaned the fact that for a group of people whose ancestors have inhabited this country for hundreds, even way before Christopher Columbus, the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community were only celebrating 26 years of official acceptance of their identity, and 16 years of First Peoples day of recognition. This type of maths simply does not add up.
And when it does, Carmona said, it tells a tale of woe and historical obscurity. Carmona recalled for the community, that his paternal Venezuelan great-grandfather, was a Warao.
The Warao are Amerindians of the First Peoples of the Amazonia region along the Venezuelan mainland. The president described, They are of the genre of cocoa panyol - deep brown, hard-faced men and women who worked on cocoa estates in Erin, Arima, Rancho Quemado and Palo Seco. My DNA is inextricably bound to the First Peoples and I do feel a deep sense of connection and bond to this culture, heritage and sometimes, to your sense of outrage. Carmona told the Bharath-Hernandez group of the Santa Rosa First Peoples community, that he was indeed taken back by the fact the it was cabinet note that gave recognition of this countrys First Peoples, and it did not occur out of the normal flow of what His Excellency described as the natural flow of circumstances and historical consciousness.
He said, Why are the First Peoples all over the world subjected to this type of psychological torture, humiliation, marginalisation and denigration of having to fight for their own innate identity and recognition in order to be accepted by the outside world. Carmona admonished citizens on how the countrys First Peoples are treated, perhaps how they dress, their intricate culture and their lifestyles. And, there might be a sense of hyprocisy, in that people do love their traditional food such as the paemi, arepa and pastelles.
He drew reference to the Maori peoples of New Zealand, where the Haka is the war cry of sporting bodies there, and even becoming fully integrated in that society where citizens of all races, do the chant.
Carmona told the gathering that they must not lose hope that their advocacy to earn their rightful place, will bear fruit.
NGC President: More local literature needed in schools
Speaking at the launch of NGCs Bocas Literature Festival at the Tradewinds Hotel in San Fernando on Saturday, Loquan spoke about the importance of local and regional literature and pressed for greater visibility of the art form which he said, has been gaining more international acclaim over the last few years.
Loquan said, There is a clear appetite for Caribbean literature.
The Caribbean collective has such a textured history, such cultural wealth that feeds compelling themes and complex characters. Why not relish in the cadence of our language and the riotous colours of our landscapes set in rich prose and poetry? For instance, why dont we push for more local and regional titles to be read in schools? Loquan praised Bocas founder Marina Salandy Brown and her team of less than six people for their task in organising the festival each year and contributing to the resurgence of Caribbean literature, both locally and internationally.
He said,What Bocas has done is uncover treasures that may have otherwise idled in anonymity. I am certain that in the years to come, as the festival expands its audience, we will see more phenomena in the region, not simply because it inspires people to write, but because people who have written are stepping forward, finding an avenue for exposure in the Bocas Lit Fest. The event also celebrated a year of achievement in Caribbean literature.
Writers Vahni Capildeo, winner of this years Forward Prize for poetry, and Danielle Boodoo- Fortune, winner of the Wasafari New Writing Prize for poetry, were in attendance alongside former Commonwealth Short Story Prize co-winner, Sharon Millar and local literature legend Michael Anthony. This year, Bocas has partnered with the Miami Book Fair international, the largest literature festival in North America, and will be sending 11 Caribbean writers to participate in the Fairs new programme Read Caribbean.
Imbert: It is not true
Imbert was responsing to allegations in a report which alleged his wife had been paid TT$7.5 million by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) in April 2016 after two years of the invoices not being paid.
The article also alleged that the Finance Ministry released funds to enable the payments.
Responding directly to the claims that the Finance Ministry released funds for the payment to be made, Imbert responded, stating it was not true.
However, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar intends to take the matter of that allegation to the Integrity Commission.
Speaking around the issue, Persad-Bissessar used the wife of a minister, never directly referring to Colm Imberts wife.
She made the comments, yesterday, as she toured various parts of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation in a buildup to the upcoming Local Government Election.
Persad-Bissessar said to reporters when questioned on the matter, I am reading in the papers today that the wife of a minister received payments of TT$7.5 million.
The wife of the minister received payments before any other contractor had been paid.
There are persons in our team who have expressed the view that they will write to the Integrity Commission on that matter.
We will take up the matter with the Equal Opportunities Tribunal.
You have a list of persons who are owed by the HDC and yet they saw it fit...to pay the wife of a minister. So $7.5 million to the wife of a minister and it is zero, zero, zero for everybody else.
I think that is totally deplorable and again is an example of the brutality being visited on the people and hard working people TT.
We will send that matter and others to the Integrity Commission and others for further follow-up.
The contractors have been complaining bitterly. Why is the wife of a minister allowed to jump the queue? It reeks of discrimination of your friend and family taking care of them first. Totally unacceptable and I intend to follow through on it. The report also alleges the Housing Development Corporation owes other contractors approximately TT$600 million.
As Persad-Bissessar walked along Cunapo Southern Main Road, Sangre Grande, aka Market Road, greeting residents and shoppers along the way.
Persad-Bissessar said to members of the media she was grateful for the support received but wanted that to translate into votes at the upcoming Local Government election.
It has been very encouraging.
I want to thank all of the candidates. They have been out on the ground.
They have been working for quite a while. I am seeing because of that work and the coordinating team we put into Grande, I am seeing it translating into the support being manifested today.
All the support of love...you know you could walk and talk and you get a lot of hugs and greetings...I need that to translate into votes. Persad-Bissessar said the major concerns she has heard form residents as she walked the ground in preparation for the Local Government Election has been crime and job loss.
One of the major concerns is the loss of jobs and crime...
just last night what was it there or four more murders yesterday.
In the meeting and greeting crime fighting remains the number one priority but very close is the jobs.
The thousands of people who have lost their jobs so far.
We are seeing it manifested. It is really sad.
Minister shocked pupil placed in school after scoring 19 percent
Citing the 2016 Secondary Entrance Assessment (SE A) results, Rambharat disclosed that he knew of two students who scored 19 percent and 29 percent in Mathematics and English respectively, but were still placed in secondary schools.
Speaking at the formal opening of Republic Banks new building in Rio Claro on Saturday, Rambharat said, When I looked at the SE A results this year, I am absolutely shocked that someone could score 19 percent in Mathematics and be placed in a secondary school in this country.
When I looked at the SE A results, I am shocked that a youngster from Poole RC School could score 29 in English and put into the environment of a secondary school. The minister made the point that he did not think physically, mentally, or from an education perspective, some youngsters at primary school were being prepared for the life in a secondary school.
Against that background, Rambharat made a plea for assistance from Republic Bank as a good corporate citizen, to help in the development of the young people in the Rio Claro community.
And such assistance, he added, should be given to those weak pupils who are in the standard one and two levels.
Rambharat said, And I think that young people from rural communities are particularly disadvantaged not only by not having the type of educational foundation, but having to travel, in many cases, with unreliable private and public transport to get to school.
If it is one thing that as a corporate citizen Republic Bank can do in this community, it is to assist in the school intervention that I believe are required particularly at the foundation levels of Standard 1 and 11, to identify and support with those students, who if they do not get the support, then nothing in life will prepare them further down the road..
Government, the minister said, also had a part to play in the development of rural communities which were often placed at a disadvantage during a time of economic downturn.
He said, We are now yet again, as we have been in a few times in our history, in a period of risk where the government having curtailed its expenditure in line with revenue, can only afford to do things and you know the people who suffer the most, are the people who live in rural communities like Rio Claro, like Sangre Grande, like Moruga, Cedros, Erin and those areas where the State has a very large footprint in terms of how much it spends. Rambharat said that he is proud to be part of a government that recently launched initiatives in Laventille.
And, he disclosed, when that initiative was discussed among my ministerial colleagues, he had made it very clear to them that he came from a part of the country that has the same educational challenges as communities in Laventille.
Meanwhile, Republic Bank executive director, Roopnarine Oumade Singh, described the new branch as a state of the art banking hub which sits on 11,700 sq ft of land, with two floors, including a sub-basement car park.
The bank is was outfitted with two ABMs and protected by cutting edge RBL standard electrical and security infrastructure.
Ministry of Planning and Development plans implementing Paris Agreement
The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago signed the Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on April 22, 2016, and ratification is receiving the active attention of the Cabinet, a release said.
In this regard, Trinidad and Tobago has submitted its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, which is a commitment to reduce overall cumulative greenhouse gas emissions from the major emitting sectors of the economy - power generation, transportation and industrial sectors - by 15% by 2030 from Business as Usual (BAU), which in absolute terms amounts to one hundred and three million tonnes (103,000,000) of carbon dioxide equivalent.
To this end, the Ministry of Planning and Development is in the process of developing an implementation plan for the NDC, including a framework for monitoring, verifying and reporting, which is scheduled to be completed in January 2017.
In addition, the Ministry of Planning and Development is currently engaged in the formulation of a Climate Change Action Plan for Trinidad and Tobago involving, inter alia: revision of the 2011 National Climate Change Policy development of strategies for mainstreaming climate change into national development building capacity at the institutional and community levels in terms of mitigation and adaptation strategies and increasing public awareness Trinidad and Tobago will be represented at the Twenty-Second Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22); the Twelfth Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 12) and First Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 1) taking place in Marrakesh, Morocco over the period November toda to 18 November, 2016 by a delegation of officials from the Ministries of Planning and Development and Foreign and CARICOM Affairs.
MSJ launches Local Govt campaign
The party, which boasts of representing the labour movement, launched its Local Government election campaign at the San Fernando City Auditorium, Harris Promenade, San Fernando yesterday.
In delivering the feature address, MSJ political leader, David Abdulah, dismissed both the ruling PNM administration and Opposition UNC as not being interested in reform of the Local Government system saying both parties were only interested in keeping power in the hands of a powerful small elite. Real reform has to do with giving people power where they live and that is in their communities, Abdulah said, and noted that the PNM had produced a number of papers on Local government reform, starting with a white paper in 2004.
We cant trust the PNM when they say reform that is real, he said, adding, because the culture of the PNM has always been that of a maximum leader. He said there were only two contenders for the borough of Arima and Point Fortin and that was the PNM and the MSJ saying the Point Fortin borough was being referred to as the borough of sorrows after 30 years of PNM control.
And citing a newspaper report which alleged a pay out of millions of dollars to certain contractors, Abdulah called for an audit by the Board of Inland Revenue into those contractors to ensure that the were paying the required taxes. We want to see the BIR audit every one of themthat is justice but we are not likely to see that in Trinidad and Tobago today, he said.
NSA party launches local government candidates
Political leader, Nirvan Maharaj, said at the launch on Saturday at the Rienzi Complex in Couva, that there was no fundamental difference between the ruling Peoples National Movement (PNM) administration and the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) because both parties are controlled by an interlocking directorate of PNM and UNC financiers. The NSA will be contesting five districts in the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation; two districts in the Couva/ Tabaquite/ Talparo Regional Corporation ([CTTRC), and one district in the Mayaro/ Rio Claro Regional Corporation and the Princes Town Regional Corporation respectively.
Addressing members of the party, Maharaj acknowledged that while the journey into electoral politics would be long, hard and daunting at times, change in the political landscape was necessary to preserve the country for future generations. He said, We are starting with local elections because local elections are about people not party; it is about direct contact, it is about the issues that affect people on a daily basis. Maharaj said that there had not been any reform in the local government system despite the submission of such reports, such as the Hazel Manning report, the Rambachan report and lately, the Franklin Khan report.
He said, We will be contesting nine electoral districts and though I know we have a lot of support on our home-ground.
As a result of our battles to ensure that every single ex-Caroni worker got what was due to them, we are going to challenge the PNM and the UNC where they are strongest, and, where they are equal we are going to show them we are not afraid, that we are the alternative, and, as small as we are and as limited as our resources are, we will not be bullied by either of them. Maharaj said the population had to ask both the PNM and the UNC how a land, filled with natural resources and human resources, became entangled in a web of crime, corruption, high food prices, a restraint on wages increases and failing health and education sectors. The NSAs political leader said, We are a nation on the brink, quickly becoming surrounded by the aura of a failed state, and, all these are issues emphasising the practical manifestation of then governance crisis facing our society. Nine candidates were presented to the membership.
NDTV moves SC over one-day ban
Delhi,National,Media,Politics, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) NDTV media company on Monday moved the Supreme Court to challenge the government imposed one-day ban on its Hindi channel, NDTV India.
"NDTV challenges the one-day ban on Hindi channel in the Supreme Court," NDTV said in a statement issued here.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Thursday directed the news channel to go off air from the midnight of November 8 to midnight of November 9 for allegedly breaching cable TV norms in its coverage of the January 2 terror attack on the Pathankot Indian Air Force base.
Refuting the claims, NDTV said: "Other channels and newspapers reported the same information."
The ban on NDTV India has been widely condemned by major opposition parties, the Editors Guild and other media groups.
--IANS
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Rishi Kapoor supports Hillary for US President
Maharashtra,Cinema/Showbiz, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Mumbai, Nov 7 (IANS) After Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and actor Kabir Bedi rooted for Hillary Clinton, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor also expressed support for the Democratic nominee for the forthcoming US elections.
Rishi on Monday wished Clinton for the elections, which would be taking place on Tuesday.
"POTUS (President Of The United States). Go, Hillary Clinton! Please elect her as your new President if you want peace, stability and harmony. Donald Duck (Trump) is no option," Rishi tweeted.
On the work front, Rishi who made his Bollywood debut in 1970 with "Mera Naam Joker", was last seen on screen in the 2015 film "Kapoor & Sons", where he was lauded for effortlessly portraying a nonagenarian.
As of now, the 64-year-old has no films in his kitty.
--IANS
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Ex-union minister, senior BJP leader Jayawantiben Mehta dead (Lead, with Images)
Maharashtra,National,Politics, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Mumbai, Nov 7 (IANS) Jayawantiben Mehta, seniormost Bharatiya Janata Party leader in Maharashtra and a former Union Minister, passed away early on Monday at her residence following a brief illness. She was 78.
Considered a pillar of the party's 'old guard', she had served as a minister in the first NDA government headed by former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
A housewife-turned-politician who also served as BJP national Vice President, Mehta breathed her last around 1.30 a.m. on Monday. The last rites are scheduled on Monday evening at Shivaji Park crematorium, said a party official.
Around six years ago, she had penned and released her multi-lingual autobiography, 'Marching With Time', detailing her life's journey from a middle-class home-maker to a lawmaker - her career spanning as a municipal corporator to legislator to parliamentarian and then a union minister.
Top leaders from across the political spectrum on Monday expressed grief over the demise of Mehta, who was a prominent leader of the Gujarati community in Mumbai.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences: "Saddened by the passing away of Jayawantiben Mehta. We remember her rich contribution to the nation. Condolences to her family."
Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao, who was her former colleague in the union cabinet, described Mehta as "a good orator and a committed social worker gifted with boundless energy".
"She maintained her contact with the people, helped various social organizations, made immense contribution to the development of the state, especially her constituency of Mumbai South," Rao said in a tribute.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he was saddened to learn of the passing of the party's "maternal figure" who was always sensitive to public issues and contributed immensely in different fields, and inspired lakhs of party activists.
BJP Vice-President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe called her "a stormy petrel of Jan Sangh and later the BJP, and a rare leader with affectionate motherly approach".
Recalling her services, state BJP President Raosaheb Danve said she handled effectively any responsibility assigned to her both in the party and government as the occasion demanded.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said he felt sad by Mehta's demise and remembered her as a crusader and a fiery orator.
Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar and party state spokesperson Nawab Malik mourned Mehta's death and condoled her family.
--IANS
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Prashant Kishor meeting Mulayam was surprising: Sheila Dikshit (IANS Interview)
Delhi,National,Politics, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) While not ruling out the Congress joining a "grand alliance" in Uttar Pradesh, Congress chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit said it was a "little surprising" that the party's election strategist Prashant Kishor met Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.
"It did look a little surprising. I don't know what made him go for the meeting," Dikshit told IANS when asked about the November 1 Kishor-Mulayam meeting which set tongues wagging.
The former Delhi Chief Minister for 15 long years also said she was not in a position to say if Kishor went as a Congress emissary.
Asked if the party was satisfied with his style of functioning, Dikshit said: "He is an advisor, a strategist. Whether we are happy with his work or not, only the Secretaries would know... I wouldn't know."
She added: "A grand alliance is being spoken about, but I don't think anything concrete has yet been decided."
The Kishor-Mulayam meeting, also attended by the Samajwadi Party supremo's confidant Amar Singh, triggered speculation that the Congress may be mulling the idea of a "grand alliance" to take on the BJP in Uttar Pradesh in next year's assembly elections -- a la Bihar.
The Congress, the Janata Dal-United and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) came together in Bihar and worsted a BJP-led alliance. In Bihar, however, the Samajwadi Party pulled out of the alliance at the eleventh hour, blaming the many seats given to the Congress.
Will there be an alliance in Uttar Pradesh too?
Dikshit replied: "It's not that there is no question. At the moment, it is not there. There is talk about it, but I think it is more in the news. Let's see what happens."
Senior leaders from the erstwhile Janata Parivar on Saturday called for unity at an event in Lucknow to mark 25 years of the Samajwadi Party. It was led by former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. Others present included former JD-U President Sharad Yadav, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad.
Dikshit said as of now no one from the Samajwadi Party had approached the Congress to discuss a possible alliance.
"Except that (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister) Akhilesh (Yadav) did say that he has a lot of warmth for Rahul Gandhi, I don't think anything else (sent feelers from SP). Personally, if something has happened, I won't be able to tell," Dikshit told IANS in an interview.
But she admitted that the current turmoil in the Samajwadi Party had tarnished the party's image.
Asked about her comments that Akhilesh Yadav was a "modern CM", she said: "These comments are not related to any alliance per se.
"There is nothing like a soft corner (for Akhilesh), it is a political requirement. If a person is doing a good job, we appreciate it. We should not read any political message in it.
"He is a young CM; there is no affinity. He belongs to a different political party and our thinking is very different," she added when asked if the Congress had an affinity towards him.
Dikshit said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had to take a decision on joining the election campaign in the state. "There is a huge demand for her, unprecedented demand, but she has to take the call."
Dikshit said the strategy behind projecting her as the Chief Ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh was her record as the Chief Minister of Delhi.
"Primarily, it is because of the work the Congress did in Delhi. That's for everybody to see. Also, I am a UP wala. I am married into a UP family. I lived there... started my political career there."
Asked if it was also to woo the Brahmin voters, she said: "I also happen to be a Brahmin." But she quickly added that the Congress was an "inclusive" party and did not look at things from a caste point of view.
How well is the Congress placed in the state whose three major players are the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party?
"It is improving," she said, but refused to predict the number of seats the party could win. "Our chances are improving and we are feeling more and more confident every day. The chances are good. We are very positive. People are looking at governance.
"We are trying to reach out to people and explain to them our style of governance," said Dikshit.
(Sidhartha Dutta can be contacted at sidhartha.d@ians.in)
--IANS
sid/mr/ky/sac
Modi meets British Prime Minister
Delhi,National,Diplomacy, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday formally received visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May here ahead of bilateral talks between the two sides.
"Ties together by history, bound by the promise of the future. PM @naremdramodi receives UK PM @theresa_may at Hyderabad House in Delhi," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.
In a separate tweet, Swarup posted a picture of the two leaders taking a walk along the lawns of Hyderabad House.
Earlier on Monday, Modi and May addressed the India-UK Tech Summit here.
This is May's first bilateral visit outside of Europe since she took over as Prime Minister in July this year.
She took over the prime ministership after David Cameron resigned following the historic referendum in June in which Britain voted to exit from the European Union. Cameron rooted for Britain to stay in the EU.
May's visit comes a little less than a year after Modi's visit to Britain in November last year.
May, who arrived here late on Sunday night on a three-day official visit to India, will also visit Bengaluru on Tuesday.
--IANS
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Brad Pitt pulls out of 'Allied' promotions
United States,Cinema/Showbiz,Hollywood, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Los Angeles, Nov 7 (IANS) Actor Brad Pitt has pulled out of all of his promotional commitments for his new movie "Allied" following his split with Angelina Jolie.
The 52-year-old, who portrays the lead role of Max Vatan in the forthcoming romantic thriller, is reportedly refusing to do any interviews, press junkets or chat show appearances following his divorce with the 41-year-old "By the Sea" actress, reports tmz.com.
"This was supposed to be the start of a big campaign push for Brad to finally win an acting Oscar but there's too much controversy for him to risk any publicity. It also doesn't help that there were rumours he had an affair with his co-star Marion Cotillard, which both deny," a source told The Sun newspaper.
"Loads of chat show studios are gutted as they had him booked to come on and dozens of journalists have had their interviews scrapped. They are also being briefed not to ask anybody else associated about the film about Brad's personal life.
"His team look very likely to pull the plug on him even walking the red carpet in Los Angeles. They know it's important he been seen to support the film but this is a huge crisis for him and the current tactic is to lie low. If he does appear, he'll not say a word to any media and sneak in a side door," the source added.
The estranged couple, who got married last year, is currently locked in a legal battle as Jolie has requested full physical custody of their six children; Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and eight-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne while he has asked for shared guardianship.
Jolie had filed for divorce after Pitt turned "verbally abusive" and "physical" with their son Maddox while under the influence of alcohol during a flight on September 14.
--IANS
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Farmers detained for protesting at tobacco control convention
Uttar Pradesh,National,Diplomacy,Health/Medicine, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Greater Noida, Nov 7 (IANS) Over 500 tobacco farmers from various tobacco growing countries, including India and Brazil, were on Monday detained by the Noida police for protesting at the ongoing COP7 WHO FCTC -- world's biggest convention on tobacco control policy.
The farmers protested outside the main gate of International Exposition Mart here, where members from over 180 countries have gathered to discuss a more stringent framework for tobacco control.
Health Minister J.P Nadda on Monday inaugurated the WHO FCTC COP7 here, being held for the first time in India.
According to the farmers, the convention was undemocratic as they were denied participation despite several requests. The farmers under the banner of Federation of All India Farmers Association (FAIFA) had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nadda over the issue.
"The non-democratic procedures and decision-making processes are a breach of India's high democratic ideals that uphold participation and dialogue. WHO's FCTC COP7 global conference decided to keep farmers away from the critical decision-making about their future, despite repeated appeals and requests to be included," said B.V. Jaware Gowda, President of FAIFA.
Gowda said that the non-inclusive decisions at WHO FCTC COP7 are expected to severely impact the lives and livelihoods of 4.6 crore Indians associated with the tobacco industry alone in the country.
The farmers community also jointly passed a Delhi Declaration outlining steps to fight the unfair and unjust approach to tobacco control.
Antonio Abrunhosa, CEO of International Tobacco Growers Association(ITGA), said, "WHO-FCTC has been facing global criticism for keeping the proceedings veiled from the public under the pretext of preventing influence from the industry. It is a well known principle that unsuspecting groups who are likely to lose their livelihoods because of sudden policy changes should be given both an opportunity as well as a voice to better prepare for their future."
"Growers just ask for dialogue on policy decisions that will affect millions of growers' families. Their offer for cooperation has been ignored until now. We join the pledge with the Indian farming community to fight against the opaque approach of WHO-FCTC by signing the Delhi Declaration," said Abrunhosa.
--IANS
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Incessant rains hit crops, normal life in northeast
Tripura,National,Environment/Wildlife, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Agartala/Aizawl/Silchar, Nov 7 (IANS) At least one person was killed and crops were damaged in incessant rains caused by a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal in Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and southern Assam over te past three days, officials said on Monday.
The normal life has been thrown out of gear in the northeastern states, they added.
A 21-year-old youth, Biswajit Roy, died while crossing a flooded canal in Agartala on Sunday night. His body was recovered late on Sunday night.
An official of Tripura's Disaster Control Centre said that several hundred families in different parts of Tripura took shelter in relief camps, as their homes and villages were flooded following incessant rains.
"Many houses were also washed away in western Tripura. Low-lying areas were inundated. District Magistrate Milind Ramteke and Additional District Magistrate Kuntal Das have visited the affected areas and met the affected people," Sadar Sub-Divisional Magistrate Samit Roy Chowdhury told IANS.
Seasonal crops in Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and southern Assam were the worst affected by the post-monsoon rain.
"Seasonal crops like potato, cauliflower, cabbage and various other vegetables were badly damaged due to the rains in Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and southern Assam," agricultural expert Chandan Debbarma told IANS.
In Aizawl, a Mizoram Disaster Control Centre official said that the rains since Friday damaged many houses built in the hilly terrain.
He said as vehicular movement was restricted by landslides and uprooted trees, normal life was severely affected in different parts of eastern and western Mizoram.
Meteorological Department officials in Agartala, Aizawl and Silchar (southern Assam's main commercial city) said that the situation is likely to improve from Monday night.
"There would be no heavy rains in the next couple of days. Light or moderate rains are likely to occur in some places of Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and southern Assam," Meteorological Department Director in Agartala Dilip Saha told IANS.
He said that the deep depression, generated in the Bay of Bengal four days back, has now lost its strength and it currently exists in Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, southern Assam and adjoining northeastern Bangladesh.
Refuting the reports in a section of media, Saha said that no cyclone has occurred in the past one week in the region.
"The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has never announced a cyclone in Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur or southern Assam and other areas. To declare a cyclone, its wind speed must be 65 km per hour, besides fulfilling other criteria. The wind speed of the current deep depression did not cross 55 km per hour," the official said.
He added that a high-level IMD committee in Delhi after considering various aspects declares a phenomenon as a cyclone.
--IANS
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Anubhav Sinha plans to reunite with Sanjay Dutt
Maharashtra,Cinema/Showbiz, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Mumbai, Nov 7 (IANS) Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha, who has earlier directed Sanjay Dutt in "Dus" and "Tathastu", hopes to reunite with the actor for a project.
Sinha told IANS: "I met Sanju (Sanjay) and we spoke about films. Even when he came back (from jail), he had called me and we had a chat. He was like, 'Let's make films when I come back'. I am very fond of him and he is very fond of me."
"There is a story I have in mind which I will write and that's something I will make with him."
Sanjay walked out a free man from the Yerwada Central Jail in Pune on February 25 after serving a 42-month prison term in a March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. The actor was sentenced to undergo five years' rigorous imprisonment for illegal possession of arms.
Sinha last directed Sanjay Dutt in the 2006 released film "Tathastu". He says Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay are his favourite stars.
"Sanju and Shah Rukh are two of my most favourite people and actors. Every time I start writing something, I have to think of Sanju and Shah Rukh. Then halfway through, I realize that sometime it's not big enough and not good enough, so it has not happened. They are two of my favourite stars," the "Ra.One" director added.
Sinha is currently busy promoting his film "Tum Bin 2", which he has written and directed. "Tum Bin 2" is the second instalment of "Tum Bin", and is jointly produced by Sinha and Bhushan Kumar of T-Series music label.
--IANS
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Martyred soldier's body to reach his Maharashtra village
Maharashtra,National,Defence/Security,Human Interest/Society, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Kolhapur (Maharashtra), Nov 7 (IANS) The body of martyred soldier from Maharashtra, Rajendra Narayan Tupare, who died in an exchange of fire at the Line of Control Jammu & Kashmir, will reach his home village today, a defence spokesperson said here on Monday.
Tupare was killed during heavy firing by the Pakistani Army on Indian Army posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajauri sector on Sunday.
Tupare, who hailed from Karve village in Chandgad sub-district, of the 12th Maratha Battalion is survived by his wife Sharmila and other relatives.
His mortal remains were flown shortly before noon from Jammu to Sambra, near Belgaum, in a service aircraft, the spokesperson said.
The body will then be taken by road from Sambra for the last rites to his native village, which has plunged into grief since Sunday.
Earlier on October 30, BSF trooper Nitin S. Koli from Dudhgaon in Sangli district was martyred while battling terrorists in Kupwara, Kashmir.
On September 18, four soldiers from Maharashtra were among 17 killed in the attacks on an army camp -- Sandeep S. Thok from Nashik, Chandrakant S. Galande and Vikas J. Kudmethe from Yavatmal, and Punjab Janrao Uike from Amravati.
--IANS
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Indian forces in control of situation at border: Air Force Chief
Delhi,National,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Defence/Security, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, on Monday said that Indian forces are in control of the situation at the India-Pakistan border, as cross-border firing continued.
Asked about the deployments of IAF assets on the western front, the Air Chief Marshal, who is also the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, said: "It's quite normal now. Our deployments are absolutely normal... nothing extraordinary."
"I think Indian forces are in control of the situation," the Raha said on the sidelines of the International Congress of Aviation and Space Medicine here.
Asked about the spurt in ceasefire violations, Raha said: "It has happened for quite some time... The response mechanism and responses..., you are watching every day."
There have been over 100 ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control and International Border since India carried out surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC on the intervening night of September 28 and 29.
The surgical strikes were in response to a terrorist attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir, killing 19 soldiers.
On Monday, the Pakistan Army started cross-border firing in Mendhar sector of Jammu and Kashmir, using 120 mm mortars and 82 mm mortars, automatics and small arms.
On Sunday, two Indian soldiers were killed in Pakistani shelling when the Army foiled two attempts by terrorists to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan.
Two other soldiers and a civilian were wounded in the incident on the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch district.
--IANS
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Delhi court grants bail to ex-minister in rape case
Delhi,National,Politics,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
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New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) A Delhi court on Monday granted bail to former Delhi minister Sandeep Kumar, who was arrested on the charge of rape.
Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry granted bail to Kumar, who was sacked from the Aam Aadmi Party government after the case came to light.
The former Social Welfare and Women and Child Development Minister, who was also suspended from the AAP, was arrested on September 3 on a complaint filed with the Sultanpuri police station in north Delhi by a woman who figured in a sex video with him.
He was booked under Sections 376 (committing rape) and 328 (causing hurt with poison, with an intent to commit an offence) of the Indian Penal Code.
The AAP legislator was also charged under Section 67-A (publishing or transmitting material containing sexually explicit act in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act and under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The woman said in her complaint that she was sexually harassed by Kumar at his office-cum-residence in the Sultanpuri area where she had gone to get her ration card made.
In his bail plea, Kumar said he was in custody for nearly two months whereas the case probe is still incomplete.
He said his conduct since the registration of a first information report had been good and unquestionable and he had himself surrendered before the police.
The Delhi Police, while opposing the bail plea, told the court he can try to influence witnesses and the complainant if released on bail.
--IANS
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CWC members urge Rahul to take over as party president
Delhi,National,Politics, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) Congress Working Committee (CWC) members on Monday unanimously urged party Vice President Rahul Gandhi to take over as Congress chief at a meeting of the party's highest decision-making body here, party leaders said.
"Number of party members expressed strong sentiments that Rahul Gandhi must take over the presidentship of the party," Congress leader A.K. Antony told reporters.
"It is high time that Congress must mobilise all its forces to fight against the dictatorial rule of the (Narendra) Modi government," the former Defence Minister added.
Antony also said that it was for the first time that this sentiment was strongly and unanimously expressed in the CWC meeting. "Final decision has to be that of the party President," he added.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi was not present at the meeting due to illness.
Replying to questions what Rahul Gandhi's response was, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said: "Congress VP (Vice President) was present in CWC meeting, he said whatever party and committee will decide, he would be ready to take up any challenge.
"Rahul Gandhiji said he wants to fight for idea of India and whatever party workers decide he will be ready to take up that role."
There have been demands in the party that Rahul Gandhi should take over the reigns of the party from his mother Sonia Gandhi, who is the longest serving president of the party.
She became party chief in 1998.
--IANS
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Will talk to tobacco farmers, but not at COP7: Health ministry
Uttar Pradesh,National,Diplomacy,Health/Medicine, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Greater Noida, Nov 7 (IANS) The Union Health Ministry on Monday said it has decided to talk to the tobacco farmers, protesting for the last couple of months over the stringent norms against the tobacco industry in India, and demanding participation in the ongoing WHO FCTC COP7.
"We will certainly talk to them (tobacco farmers) over their demands and grievances," said Additional Secretary at Health Ministry Arun Panda.
He was speaking at the first media briefing of the WHO FCTC COP7 -- world's biggest convention on tobacco control policy, at the India Exposition Mart here.
Asked if the Health Ministry is ready to talk to the farmers during the ongoing conference by letting them participate in the convention, he told IANS: "We cannot let them participate in this conference. We will certainly talk to them outside...somewhere else."
Adding, Vera da Coasta Silva, Head of the UN Tobacco Treaty Secretariat, said that the tobacco farmers were always adamant over their demands and tried to be manipulative.
"Lets differentiate the farmers from the tobacco farmers. I have seen the tobacco farmers and they always try to manipulate. Even if they are brought on table, they are not on the table and always think about the profits. They bribe... so sometimes it's difficult to actually let them participate due to conflict of interest," Silva told IANS.
Thousands of tobacco farmers have been staging a series of protests in various parts of the country, seeking participation in the WHO FCTC COP7. They have stated that their participation will help in better discussion of the illicit trade of tobacco.
On Monday, hundreds of them were detained by the Noida police while protesting at the WHO FCTC COP7 venue.
--IANS
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High Court extends relief to JNU students till November 24
Delhi,National,Immigration/Law/Rights,Education, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Monday extended the relief granted to the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students against the university's decision holding them guilty of indiscipline in the controversial February 9 event.
Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva scheduled the hearing on pleas filed by the JNU students -- Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and others -- for November 24 due to paucity of court's time on Monday.
"It (hearing) will take some time. I have to go through the charges against all the students. I will have to look at the videos," said the court.
The JNU students had challenged the findings of the university's appellate authority, holding them guilty of indiscipline in connection with the controversial February 9 event on campus in which "anti-India" slogans were allegedly raised.
The university's appellate authority also imposed a fine on Kanhaiya and asked him to file an undertaking that he would not participate in or be present at any illegal activity taking place on the JNU campus.
The university had slapped the students with a number of punishments, including rustication, hostel debarment and financial penalty, on the basis of a probe by a high level inquiry committee.
While the appellate authority had reduced the fine of some students, for Khalid and Bhattacharya the punishment remained the same.
Khalid was rusticated for one semester, while Bhattacharya was barred from the university premises for five years.
--IANS
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Naidu slams Rahul, defends action against TV channel
Delhi,National,Media,Politics, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday hit out at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and said whatever he said about democracy and curtailing the freedom of press "suits the Congress itself".
"Every word Rahul said at the Congress Working Commitee (CWC) meet suits the Congress itself and reminds people of what it had done... Democracy was taken off the air for 19-and-a-half months and Emergency was imposed," the Information and Broadcasting Minister told reporters here.
Defending the government's decision against Hindi news channel NDTV India as a "small action", he said the government would never do anything to suppress media freedom.
Naidu said indiscriminate criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government would boomerang on the Congress, which has "no moral right to talk about democracy".
"The Congress Vice President's statements are laughable," he said, adding the government was prepared for a detailed debate on all these issues with the opposition during the winter session of Parliament.
He said nobody spoke about democracy and freedom of media during the UPA regime when 21 news channels were banned from time to time.
"In fact, the channel named 'Janmat' was banned for 20 days when P.R. Dasmunsi was the Information and Broadcasting Minister," he said.
Naidu also said the action against NDTV India was initiated by the government following the guidelines and advisories issued by the UPA government in December 2008.
--IANS
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RTI helps citizens, government: Rajnath Singh
Delhi,National,Politics,Immigration/Law/Rights, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) Stressing that RTI should be used effectively, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the act is a powerful medium of two-way communication between the citizens and the government.
Inaugurating the 11th annual convention of the Central Information Commission (CIC) here, he said the Right to Information (RTI) Act helped citizens to get information and the government to get new ideas for formulating people-friendly policies and to reform the governance system.
"The government system should use it effectively," an official release quoted him as saying.
"Our system needs to be corruption free, smart, sensitive, transparent and answerable for making all the programmes of the government a success and RTI can play an important role in it," Rajnath Singh said.
The RTI Act provides a strong foundation to the feeling of trust and cooperation which is important for the governance based upon trust, he added.
The minister said maximum possible information was being made available on the websites of government departments and agencies.
He also expressed happiness over the launch of citizen-friendly software by the CIC where citizens can register their appeals and complaints.
--IANS
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Poor India can't afford luxury of corruption, says Modi
Delhi,National,Politics, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said a poor country like India cannot afford the luxury of corruption and called for increased use of technology to counter the menace.
Addressing the valedictory function of Vigilance Awareness Week here, Modi also said politicians were considered to be the most corrupt.
"A poor country like India cannot afford the luxury of corruption. It is a tough challenge but we must continue to fight it. When we are vigilant in all sectors, there is a cumulative effect. There are honest countries in the world, so why can't India be one of them," said Modi.
Talking about how people often come out with "ingenious mode" to indulge in corruption, Modi said the politician community was the most infamous for corruption.
"Wherever you ask who is the most corrupt, people will say politicians. It's our community (politicians) which is the most infamous," he said.
Harping on initiatives like Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Modi said technology can play a big role in countering corruption.
"Because of DBT, we saved Rs 36,000 crore which otherwise would have been channelised to somebody's pockets. Because of use of technology we have been able to send this money to the rightful beneficiaries. Technology can play a big role in counting corruption," he said.
He also advocated for policy-driven laws.
"Ambiguity can open avenues for corruption, that is why laws should be straight and policy driven. There should not be any ifs and buts. Otherwise people will use them to suit their vested interests," Modi said.
"That is why we should focus more on policy driven laws, so there is no scope of ambiguity and thus no scope for corruption," he added.
Observing that there was a prevalent perception of "all being corrupt", Modi called for constant endeavours at vigilance and countering corruption.
"It is only some who are dishonest but there exists this perception that all are corrupt. There is also this tendency of treating corruption as an acceptable norm. We need to fight this perception. Besides use of technology, we need to spread awareness," added Modi.
--IANS
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Congress condemns government for tarnishing Indira's image
Delhi,National,Politics, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Monday condemned the BJP-led NDA government for allegedly making attempts to tarnish former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's image.
It passed a resolution recalling Indira Gandhi for her contribution to nation building and her sacrifice, and condemned the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government for "belittling her life and work".
After the CWC meeting, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala told the media: "Indira Gandhi was a mass leader and one of the most popular leaders in the country. The CWC condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party's ongoing wicked attempts to tarnish her image."
"CWC notes with regret that the NDA government, instead of acknowledging Indiraji's enormous contributions and sacrifice, is attempting to belittle her life and work and disrespecting her memory only because she was a tall leader of the Congress," read the resolution.
The Congress has decided to hold year-long celebrations and mark the birth centenary of Indira Gandhi in a big way on November 19.
"CWC calls upon Congressmen and women to commemorate Gandhi's Centenary in a befitting manner to respectfully acknowledge her contribution, leadership and martyrdom, and appeals to the people of India to join the nationwide celebrations during the centenary year," the resolution read.
--IANS
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Congress blames Modi government for 'growing intolerance, jobless growth'
India,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) The Congress on Monday blamed the Narendra Modi government for what it said was "growing intolerance and jobless growth", adding it will continue to fight the "communal agenda of the BJP and the RSS".
In a resolution adopted at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here, the party said it was deeply concerned and alarmed over the continuing and deliberate attack on the judiciary's independence.
It accused the government of "delay in the appointments of judges to the higher judiciary which has adversely affected the justice delivery system".
The highest decision-making body of the Congress said it associated itself with the concerns of the citizens and the media over growing intolerance, centralisation of authority, arbitrary and partisan decisions, abuse of power and misuse of government agencies to target political opponents, critics and institutions.
"(The CWC) warns the government that its undemocratic methods and acts to curtail liberty and freedom of expression and violation of Fundamental Rights of the citizens as enshrined in the Constitution will be strongly resisted," the CWC resolution said.
It said the Congress will champion the cause of the poor and the marginalised with greater vigour.
"The Congress will continue its struggle to expose the communal and divisive agenda of BJP-RSS (Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and reactionary forces and the failures and the double-speak of the Modi government," the resolution added.
It said the people were reeling under price rise and the economy was struggling and not surging.
"Key parameters of the economy -- investment, savings, gross fixed capital formation, credit growth, capacity utilisation, merchandise exports and job creation -- are in sharp decline."
The CWC resolution said the government was trying to hide behind one figure of Gross Domestic Product growth but there is widespread doubt about that number because it is not compatible with other verifiable data available in the public domain.
The Congress said the Modi government came to power on the promise of creating two crore jobs annually "but its policies have created a situation of jobless growth".
"Tens of thousands of jobs have been lost in labour-intensive export sectors and manufacturing," the opposition party said.
The party alleged there had been an escalation in atrocities on the Dalits, tribals and minorities and the government was apathetic towards farmers and agricultural workers.
There is "acute distress" in the agrarian sector and a large number of farmers had been forced to commit suicide, the Congress said.
"It is a matter of deep regret that the government remains a silent and indifferent spectator."
--IANS
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UK's Dyson looking to invest Rs 1,200 cr in India
Delhi,National,Business/Economy, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) British technology company that designs and manufactures vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, bladeless fans and heaters is planning a foray into the Indian markets targeting an investment of Rs 1,200 crore over a period of five years.
"The company has applied for a business licence in single-brand retail. We should hear from the Indian government by December. We will be importing products to our own retailers, setting up our own retail outlets with an investment of of Rs 1,200 crore by mid-2017 for next five years. This investment includes setting up our own retail stores, employment cost and taxes," James Dyson, founder and Chief Engineer of Dyson, told IANS.
"A lot will depend on the discussion with the government. If we do well, we can look at investing more," he said in an interview.
The company will be allowed to open single-brand retail outlets by the government only if its products qualify for cutting edge or state-of-the-art technology, else it will become mandatory for it fulfill the requirement of 30 per cent local sourcing.
Local sourcing norms were relaxed by the government for companies seeking single-brand retail only for products deemed as having 'state-of-the art' or 'cutting-edge' technology for a period of three years, which can be extended by another five years.
Dyson said he is hoping to enter the Indian market under single-brand retail without having to fulfill the 30 per cent local sourcing requirement.
"I hope we get into cutting edge technology criteria in single brand retail. However, it is too early to say if local sourcing will be possible or not," he told IANS.
The company which is confident of achieving 2 billion pounds (16,567 crore rupees) turnover in 2016 has been clocking 100 per cent growth for the last four years.
The company is also hoping the vast consumer market of India would give a substantial push to its revenues. Dyson, which has the US as its largest market followed by Japan and China, said it is looking at India soon becoming its second largest market.
"USA is the largest market followed by Japan and China. I would think India could be second or third largest market for us. India is a large consumer market. It could be hundreds of millions of pounds from India," Dyson said.
The company is targeting consumers "who can afford its products" which are priced at a high-end range of Rs 1-3 lakh globally. It does not intend to have a differential pricing for the Indian markets.
--IANS
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DAC clears blacklisting policy, no decision on US-2 planes
Delhi,National,Politics,Defence/Security, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, on Monday cleared the blacklisting policy for banning or suspension of firms for wrongdoings in defence deals, and also cleared procurement proposals worth Rs 82,117 crore.
"The DAC considered and approved guidelines for suspension or banning of entities or blacklisting," sources said.
The issue of US-2 amphibious planes came up for discussion, but no decision was taken, sources said.
The DAC for the first time cleared two proposals under the Indigenous Design Development and Manufacturing (IDDM) category for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas and Light Combat Helicopters (LCH).
For Tejas, an Acceptance of Necessity (AON) for 83 LCAs at a cost of Rs 50,025 crore was cleared for the Indian Air Force (IAF). This will include simulators and ancillary equipment, and is in addition to the 40 Tejas fighters that the IAF is getting.
The second proposal cleared in the IDDM category was for 15 LCHs -- 10 for the IAF and five for the Indian Army -- at a cost of Rs 2,911 crore.
The blacklisting policy was earlier supposed to come with the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP), which was released in March this year, and came in effect from April.
Parrikar said last month that while "criminal activities" like receiving kickbacks should "normally" be punished with a ban, the decisions will be based on requirement of "national security".
In December 2014, a few months after taking over as the defence minister, Parrikar had said that the government is contemplating legalising "representatives" from defence firms, to remove middlemen who work for kickbacks.
He had also said that the government is thinking of reviewing all cases of blacklisted defence firms and may give conditional and limited approval to dealing with some based on merit.
The other proposals cleared by the DAC on Monday included an AON for buying 598 UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) under Buy Indian category at a cost of Rs 1,100 crore, and procurement of 464 T-90 tanks from Ordnance Factory Board at Rs 13,448 crore.
It also cleared the way for issuance of an RFP (Request for Proposal) for six additional regiments of Pinaka rocket launchers at a cost of Rs 14,633 crore.
--IANS
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Can't impose yoga, says SC junking PIL for yoga in schools
Delhi,National,Immigration/Law/Rights,Education, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday said that it could not impose yoga on anyone or frame its curriculum as it declined to entertain a PIL seeking direction to make yoga a part of school syllabus.
Dismissing the PIL and asking the petitioner to implead itself in the similar matter being heard by another bench of the top court, a bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Justice D.Y.Chandrachud and Justice L.Nageswara Rao told the petitioner to go and persuade the people to practice yoga.
PIL petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay had sought direction to the Human Resource Development Ministry, the National Council of Educational Research and Training, the National Council for Teacher Education and the Central Board of Secondary Education to "provide standard textbooks of 'yoga and health education' for students of Class 1 to 8" in spirit of the Constitution's Article 21A read with Article 14, 15 and 21.
As senior counsel M.N. Krishnamani appearing for Upadhyay urged the court to consider the prayer, Chief Justice Thakur asked him if he was doing yoga even in this polluted environment, and the last 'asana' he had performed. As he did not answer, the court said that it was not impressed by his knowledge of yoga.
"We are not impressed by your knowledge of yoga. That shows you are not doing yoga," observed the bench in a lighter vein.
"Mr Krishnamani, you are not doing yoga nowadays, otherwise you would have remembered the list yoga you did," said the Chief Justice.
"The government of India celebrates international yoga day and it is observed in other countries as well. People themselves will pick yoga. We can't frame curriculum," the bench observed rejecting the PIL.
--IANS
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Government calls for free India-UK trade across sectors
Delhi,National,Business/Economy,Diplomacy, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) The government here on Monday called for free trade across sectors, including smart cities and manpower, between India and the UK as the two countries signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on ease of doing business and protecting intellectual property rights (IPR).
"UK seems to want Indian market, Indian goods but not Indian talent," Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters, adding that the issue of visa fee and student visa was raised in the bilateral talks.
Sitharaman was speaking at a press briefing on the sidelines of the three-day India-UK Tech Summit starting on Monday. The summit was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Premier Theresa May, who is on a three-day official visit to India.
"The MoU on ease of doing business was towards sharing of best practices and technical assistance on certain parameters. It covers state governments as well," Sitharaman said.
It will help India get technical know-how on certain parameters in which the UK has expertise, Sitharaman added.
NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said, "India should push the limit when it comes to enhancing trade and investment with the UK after Brexit."
Kant added that free trade should be across the board as there is no such thing as selective free trade. He was speaking at a session at the India-UK Tech Summit organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
There is need for free trade in cross-border movement of manpower as well and the UK should allow meritorious people from India to work in the UK, he said.
There is immense potential between India and the UK in the area of urbanisation, education, defence, finance, creative industry, and start-ups, Kant added.
"The government has created a conducive eco-system for start-ups. The Masala Bonds, launched in the UK, could help meet the funding requirements for start-ups," he said.
Greg Hands, UK Minister of Trade and Investment, said that Brexit offers a huge opportunity for UK-India economic interaction in areas such as life sciences, infrastructure, and services, among others.
"A Working Group has been constituted on Trade which would discuss the issue of India-UK FTA at an appropriate time," Hands said.
--IANS
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Implement odd-even vehicle scheme again, says medical body
Delhi,National,Environment/Wildlife,Health/Medicine, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) The Delhi Medical Association on Monday said there was a need to re-implement the odd-even vehicle scheme here to rid the national capital of toxic air looming over the past few days.
Calling the situation alarming, the association said the Delhi government should also adopt a multi-pronged strategy to tackle the situation.
"Delhi should be declared on red alert vis-a-vis pollution. In such a situation, the odd-even scheme will definitely bring down the number of vehicles on Delhi roads and thus bring down vehicular pollution," DMA President Rakesh Kumar Gupta told the media here.
Gupta said people should use CNG or electric crematoria for cremation of bodies instead of fuelwood.
--IANS
rup/tsb/vt
Two Kannada actors drown in film shoot over lake
Karnataka,National,Cinema/Showbiz,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Bengaluru, Nov 7 (IANS) Two male actors were drowned in a lake near Bengaluru on Monday during the shooting of a Kannada movie while enacting a stunt scene by jumping from a helicopter, said police.
"Anil and Uday, aged 31 and 38 years, drowned in the TG Halli lake after they jumped from a chopper along with Kannada hero Duniya Vijay, who survived the stunt and was rescued by fishermen," police officer H.L. Nandeesha told IANS.
The Thippagondanahalli (TG Halli) lake is about 40 km northwest of Bengaluru at the confluence of Arkavathy and Kumudavathi rivers in Ramanagara district. It is one of the sources of drinking water supply to Bengaluru.
"Efforts are on to recover the bodies of the two from the lake. The fire brigade and the National Disaster Relief Force have been searching in the backwaters since 4 p.m. but did not find any body till darkness set in," said Nandeesha.
The stunt act is the climax of a scene in the upcoming film 'Maastigudi' where the hero (Vijay) chases the two villains trying to escape in a chopper from the lake shore. The hero too hops onto the chopper, which flies over the lake's backwaters.
As seen from the film footage, aired on local news channels, in a fight between the hero and the duo, the hero pushes both the actors from the chopper and joins them in the reservoir to carry on the fight.
"We have registered a criminal case of negligence against the production unit of the film as no precautionary and safety measures were taken for the film shoot," said Nandeesha.
As Vijay survived the fatal jump, Anil and Uday, who did not know swimming, drowned in the middle of the lake before they could be rescued.
"There were no life jackets or a rescue team or an ambulance for such a mishap," added Nandeesha.
--IANS
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My Home Group to foray into pharma, bulk drugs
Andhra Pradesh,National,Business/Economy, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Hyderabad, Nov 7 (IANS) My Home Group, a diversified business conglomerate, plans to foray into pharma and bulk drugs.
A top company official said on Monday that concrete plans for the new business will be announced in six months.
The Hyderabad-headquartered group, with presence in cement, construction, power and transport, currently has a total turnover of Rs 5,000 crore.
S. Sambasiva Rao, Executive Director, My Home Industries Private Limited (MHIPL), was talking to reporters after unveiling a new identity for its flagship cement brand -- Maha Cement.
He also announced that the group's turnover from cement will go up to Rs 5,000 crore in two to three years from the existing Rs 3,000 crore.
MHIPL, a My Home Group company, is a 50:50 joint venture with CRH Plc, Ireland, the world's second largest building material company.
He said the new cement plant at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu would commence production by January end 2017. The plant with a production capacity of 1.23 million tonnes is coming up with an investment of Rs 250 crore.
Rao said the new plant would help the company achieve the target of 10 million tonnes capacity.
The company also proposed to set up another cement plant with a capacity of 1.5 million tonnes in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.
Its existing plants are located in Nalgonda district in Telangana, Kurnool and Visakhapatnam districts in Andhra Pradesh.
A major cement player in south India, Maha Cement has expanded to Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. "We are looking at pan India presence," he said.
--IANS
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Tornado kills Indian in Italy
Italy,Crime/Disaster/Accident,Diaspora,Environment/Wildlife, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Rome, Nov 7 (IANS/AKI) An Indian and an Italian were killed in a tornado on the outskirts of Rome that uprooted trees, overturned cars and damaged buildings, officials said on Monday.
Homeless farm labourer Surinder Singh was killed in the Lazio coastal town of Ladispoli by a piece of masonry that was blown off an apartment building.
Singh, 47 did not regain consciousness and died of massive head injuries on his way to hospital in an ambulance.
The tornado claimed a second victim in the town of Cesano, north of Rome, where an uprooted tree fell onto a garage, crushing to death 74-year-old former soldier Fernando Fiorese inside his car.
A 25-year-old man in Ladispoli was hospitalised in a critical condition after the tornado blew him off his feet and hurled him against a large plate glass shop window, causing it to shatter.
A total of 22 people were injured in the tornado, which struck late Sunday, causing the Rome-Civitavecchia train service to be suspended and a section of the Aurelia state highway to be closed.
Schools were closed on Monday to allow checks to be carried out on the buildings and a clean-up operation was underway in Ladispoli and other locations hit by the whirlwind.
More violent storms were forecast in southern Italy on Monday and authorities issued a flood alert in the central city of Florence, where the River Arno was at risk of bursting its banks after heavy rainfall.
--IANS/AKI
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Congress flays Centre on OROP, surgical strikes
Delhi,National,Politics, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) The Congress on Monday castigated the Centre for allegedly failing to implement the OROP scheme "in a meaningful way" and also seeking to derive political mileage from the Indian Army's surgical strikes across the LoC on September 28.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) -- the party's top decision-making body -- passed a resolution to demand that the government redress the payment anomalies and other grievances of ex-servicemen regarding the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme.
"The CWC notes with regret that the NDA government has distorted the policy of the OROP and has failed to fulfil the promise made to the serving and retired personnel. The claim of the government and the Prime Minister in this regard is hollow and untrue. Ex-servicemen have been forced to resume their struggle for OROP," the resolution read.
Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala told the media here that the BJP-led government had diluted the OROP policy.
"The (earlier) United Progressive Alliance government had devised a mechanism to implement the OROP, which was approved by Parliament. However, the Modi government has diluted it. Now, it has become 'One Rank Many Pensions' scheme. We want the government to redress the payment anomalies and extend the OROP to the ex-servicemen as per their wishes," the Congress leader said.
Surjewala said the CWC urged the government to change its orders on disability pension cuts and the disparity between civilian and military pay grades.
Retired Army Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal committed suicide in Delhi on Tuesday over the OROP, triggering a political storm.
The CWC offered its unequivocal support to the ex-servicemen in their OROP agitation.
The CWC also lauded the Army's efforts in carrying out the surgical strikes against terror launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. At the same time, it condemned the Modi government's attempt to politicise the issue.
"The committee condemns the attempts to politicise the bravery of Indian soldiers. The Defence Minister (Manohar Parrikar) and other ministers in the government have been lying that the surgical strikes were carried out for the first time in three decades. This is an insult to the Indian Army," Surjewala said.
The CWC urged the government "to observe restraint and discretion and give up its crude attempt to gain political advantage out of the essentially military action".
"False claims, chest-thumping and jingoism have no place in a mature democracy, especially on matters concerning national defence," the resolution said.
The CWC expressed concern over the rising terror attacks launched from across the borders and killing of security personnel and civilians.
"The CWC deplores the attempts of the government and the Bharatiya Janata Party to whip up hysteria and create a division in the national polity on an issue on which the whole nation stood united," the resolution said.
--IANS
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CWC members for Rahul taking over as Congress chief
Delhi,National,Politics, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) Paving the way for the elevation of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi as party chief, Congress Working Committee (CWC) members on Monday unanimously expressed their "strong sentiments" that he must take over the post, and decided to convey their viewpoint to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
The push for Rahul Gandhi's elevation came after senior leader A.K. Antony raised the issue at the meeting of the CWC - the party's highest decision making body - and was supported by all the members present, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The party also signalled Rahul Gandhi's inclination to take up the post, saying he was willing to take up any role decided by the party and the CWC.
The CWC meeting was chaired by Rahul Gandhi as his mother Sonia Gandhi was indisposed.
The issue of Rahul Gandhi's elevation has been long-discussed in party circles.
Antony told mediapersons later that it was the first time that the CWC had voiced its strong sentiments that he should take up the post.
"In today's working committee meeting, members unanimously expressed their strong sentiments respecting the wishes of crores of party workers and well-wishers that Rahul Gandhiji must take over the presidentship of the Congress party," Antony said in a joint press briefing with party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala.
Asked why the elevation did not take place on Monday, Antony said it was a procedural issue.
"We are recommending for the first time to the Congress president. The final decision has to be that of the party president," he added.
Rahul Gandhi, 46, had been appointed party vice-president in January 2013 at Congress' brainstorming session in Jaipur.
Though the CWC on Monday decided to seek one more year from the Election Commission to hold its organisational elections, Surjewala made it clear that such a move had no link to the eventual elevation of Rahul Gandhi.
A party leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the elevation could take place this month but will definitely occur before December, and another CWC meeting may be called for the purpose.
"The coming assembly polls, including those in crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, will be fought with Rahul Gandhi as the party chief," he said.
Party leaders said that Sonia Gandhi, who has been the longest serving president of the party and has faced health problems in the recent past, will continue to be a guiding force after Rahul Gandhi's elevation. She took over as party chief in 1998.
Replying to questions about Rahul Gandhi's response to the demand of CWC members, Surjewala said: "Rahul Gandhiji said he wants to fight for the idea of India and whatever party workers decide he will be ready to take up that role.
"Any responsibility that helps him realise that objective, he is always willing to take that responsibility," Surjewala added.
Antony said it is high time that Congress mobilises all its forces to fight against the "anti-people and dictatorial policies" of the Modi government.
Several party leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath and Jairam Ramesh, have stated that Rahul Gandhi should take over as party chief. There has also been an alternate view in the party that Sonia Gandhi should continue at the helm as the party was facing daunting challenges.
--IANS
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Nine killed in road accident in Gujarat
Gujarat,National,Religion,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Vadodara, Nov 7 (IANS) Nine persons were killed and three critically injured in an accident near Karjan on National Highway-8, police said on Monday.
Those killed belonged to one family of Surat district. They were returning to Surat after offering prayers at the popular Pavagadh temple when the accident occurred late on Sunday night around 40 km from here.
A bus driver swerved his vehicle to avoid a collision but it overturned and hit a Sport Utility Vehicle moving in front, killing eight persons, Karjan police station Sub-Inspector J.Y. Chauhan said.
The drivers of two cars following the bus also lost control and rammed the damaged vehicles, killing a woman and injuring three others.
Highway traffic was disrupted for over an hour due to the accident.
The injured were admitted to a private hospital at Karjan in a critical condition, Chauhan said. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem.
Fourteen pilgrims returning from Pavagadh were killed in another accident on the Dholka-Bagodara road in Ahmedabad district on Friday night.
--IANS
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CWC members favour Rahul's elevation as party chief, attack Modi government (Roundup)
Delhi,National,Politics, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) Paving the way for the elevation of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as the party chief, Congress Working Committee (CWC) members on Monday unanimously expressed their "strong sentiments" that he must take over the post.
Rahul Gandhi chaired the meeting of the party's highest decision-making body as his mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi was indisposed.
He also set the stage with his opening remarks in which he accused the Narendra Modi government of being "obsessed with power", and that democracy under the present dispensation was going through one of its "darkest hours".
The CWC adopted a resolution blaming the government for "growing intolerance and jobless growth" and asserted that the party will continue to fight the "communal agenda of the BJP and the RSS".
The Congress also accused the government of seeking to derive political mileage from the Indian Army's surgical strikes across the Line of Control in September and said that the promised One Rank One Pension had not been implemented in a "meaningful way."
The party also decided to seek one more year's extension from the Election Commission for holding organisational elections.
The push for Rahul Gandhi's elevation as Congress chief came after senior leader A.K. Antony raised the issue and was supported by all the members present including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Rahul Gandhi also signalled his inclination to take up the post, saying he was willing to take up any role decided by the party and the CWC.
Antony told media persons later that it was the first time that the CWC had issued its "strong sentiments" on the issue.
"In today's working committee meeting, members unanimously expressed their strong sentiments that respecting the wishes of crores of party workers and well-wishers that Rahul Gandhi ji must take over the presidentship of the Congress party," Antony said in a joint press briefing with party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala.
"We are recommending this for the first time to the Congress President. The final decision has to be that of the party President," he added.
Rahul Gandhi, 46, was appointed Vice President in January 2013 at Congress' brainstorming session in Jaipur.
A party leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Rahul Gandhi's elevation will definitely occur before December and another CWC meeting may be called for the purpose.
"The coming assembly polls, including those in crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, will be fought with Rahul Gandhi as the party chief," he said.
Party leaders said that Sonia Gandhi, who has been the longest serving president of the party since taking over in 1998 but has faced health problems in the recent past, will continue to be a guiding force.
In his remarks, Rahul Gandhi also charged the Modi government with seeking to "silence all those who disagree".
"Hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions. Television channels are being punished and asked to shut down. The opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account," he said.
Calling for "exposing" the Modi government in the upcoming Parliament session, Gandhi said: "Asking questions is what discomforts this government the most, for they have no answers."
On Pakistan, he said the government's policy has swung "from one extreme to another."
The resolution adopted by CWC also accused the government of "delay in the appointments of judges to the higher judiciary". It also observed key parameters of the economy were in sharp decline, noting that the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power on the promise of creating two crore jobs annually.
It asked the government to redress payment anomalies in OROP, correct its orders "about the cut in the disability pension" and address concerns about disparity between civilian and military grades.
Referring to surgical strikes, it urged the government "to give up its crude attempt to gain political advantage out of the essentially military action", noting "false claims, chest thumping and jingoism have no place in a mature democracy".
The CWC also discussed preparations for upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
--IANS
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Army thanks defence attaches for strengthening defence ties
Delhi,National,Defence/Security,Diplomacy, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) The Indian Army on Monday thanked the Foreign Service Attaches community for their contribution in strengthening defence ties between India and their respective nations, said an official statement.
The Annual Foreign Service Attaches (FSAs) briefing on military subjects of common interest was conducted by Indian Army at Manekshaw Centre here, with army chief, Gen. Dalbir Singh and senior military officers present at the occasion, said the Defence Ministry statement.
Army Vice Chief, Lt. General Bipin Rawat, addressed the FSAs.
--IANS
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Donald Trump's Twitter account shuns aggression
United States,Politics,Technology, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New York, Nov 7 (IANS) As the US gets ready for the November 8 election, aides of the Republican candidate Donald Trump have reportedly taken control of his Twitter account, The New York Times has reported.
Trump has been known to fire furious and tweets himself but his twitter handle has gone quieter for a while.
Most of Trump's tweets were busy thanking people of various battleground states he visited for campaign rallies. "Thank you Iowa - Get out & #VoteTrumpPence16!" read one tweet.
Trump is now dictating tweets to staff members who can edit his comments, the report said.
"Taking away Twitter turned out to be an essential move by his press team, which deprived him of a previously unfiltered channel for his aggressions," it added.
"All my quotes are coming from my speeches. And that's a good thing, Trump's account tweeted.
According to the NYT report, a few days of good behaviour cannot erase 16 months of erratic conduct, and aides acknowledge that their efforts to steer a straight course may falter.
--IANS
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Honour to be part of a film on our history: Allu Sirish
Tamil Nadu,Cinema/Showbiz,Southern Cinema, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Chennai, Nov 7 (IANS) Actor Allu Sirish has started shooting for upcoming Malayalam war drama "1971: Beyond Borders", which focuses on the tank battle between India and Pakistan. He says it's an honour to be part of a film on history.
Directed by Major Ravi, the film also stars Malayalam superstar Mohanlal.
"I'm very patriotic, and it's one of the reasons why I was chosen for the role. I like wearing my patriotic tag on my sleeve. When Ravi sir offered me the role, I thought it would be an honour to be part of a film on our history," Sirish told IANS.
Recalling how he landed the offer, Sirish said an accidental meeting with director Ravi did the trick.
"He was in Hyderabad to meet someone else. We accidentally met and I started talking to him about his films, about partition and history. He felt I was more patriotic and he was very keen on having like-minded people on his project. He wanted someone who believed in the film, in his vision, and he saw that in me," he said.
In the film, Sirish plays a tank commander, and he has already started shooting in Arjungarh army base in Rajasthan.
Asked if he being patriotic was enough to play his part, Sirish said: "Ravi was on the lookout for someone who was physically strong but at the same time vulnerable. He wanted a young guy with brashness, and he wanted him to take crazy risks. He saw these things in me and that's how I landed the role."
Although Ravi had initially planned to cast someone older and even more familiar, he felt the character won't be justified.
The film marks Sirish's Malayalam debut. And he isn't nervous.
"I'm excited," said Sirish in an affirmative tone.
"I've always been numb towards success and failure. When my first film tanked, I didn't feel depressed. When my last film turned out to be a hit, I wasn't super elated. More than getting worked up about something, I like to be prepared. Preparation helps more than nervousness," he said and added that challenges excite him.
Sirish will use this opportunity to learn from Mohanlal, with whom he will share screen space.
"It's a big break for me to act alongside Mohanlal sir in my first Malayalam film. I hope to learn from him as much as possible. I'm sure it's going to be a great learning experience," he said.
Other things he hopes to pick by working in Malayalam industry is the different kind of acting style.
"You can find a lot of realism in the performances in Malayalam films. In Tamil and Telugu industries, it's got more to do with a theatrical kind of performance style," he added.
--IANS
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Mistry's ouster from Tata companies not easy: Experts
Delhi,Business/Economy,Immigration/Law/Rights, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) After the rebuff by independent directors of Indian Hotel Company, Tata Sons will have to tread cautiously they it seeks Cyrus Mistry's ouster from group's companies, as experts in the industry feel that "it will not be an easy task" procedurally and legally.
Cross section of experts with whom IANS spoke to, including lawyers dealing with corporate matters, say nothing can be said definitely as they are not privy to the memorandum and the articles of association group's different companies.
Yet, they add, going by the statue, a lot would depend on how Mistry decides to play the ball. Nesar Ahmed, A former president of Institute of Companies Secretary of India, says: "If he decides to dig in his heels, then removing him as director would not be an easy job."
Ahmed, also a corporate consultant, adds that the way Tata's have conducted in removing Mistry may not be strictly in breach of the law but certainly it was not in conformity with the the transparent- and ethos-based corporate governance that they have been espousing all along.
However, there is also a view that a lot would depend on which side the government would lean, as financial institutions like Life Insurance Corp (LIC) and state-run banks have a sizable stakes in Tata group's various entities.
Towards this, they also point towards the meetings that Ratan Tata, now back as the interim chairman, had with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley soon after the removal of Mistry by the Tata Sons Board.
While there is a general agreement that it would not be a cake walk for Tata's to unload Mistry from the board of the group 's companies, well known legal luminary Lalit Bhasin says it depends on the facts of each case.
This view is also shared by Harish Vaid, Vice President for Corporate Affairs at Jaypee Group.
While Amitabh Chaturvedi, a lawyer dealing with corporate matters, says that the Memorandum of Association is the basic document laying down the procedures, another corporate lawyer -- while endorsing the position says -- it all depends on the pleasure of the board.
Also, the former vice-president of the Institute of Companies Secretary of India, Vaid says on the basis of the information available, it is not clear whether the chairmen of the Tata group's companies are the nominees of the Tata Sons or appointed by the respective boards.
If it is to be decided by the individual boards, Vaid says that the independent directors would have a decisive say as in the case of Indian Hotels Company, where move to remove Mistry as the Chairman was frustrated by seven independent directors.
In that situation, Vaid says they will have to wait for the next shareholders' meting where the directors are appointed. It is at such a meeting that the Tata's can exercise their indirect control and remove Mistry.
In this situation, the Shapoorji Palling Group, having a little more than 18 per cent stake in Tata Sons, will not have any bearing, as the Tata Trusts have majority stakes in Tata Sons.
Ahmed says other options for Tata Sons would be to requisition an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders by taking recourse to Sections 115 of the Companies Act.
Under this section, notice for such a meeting can be given by stakeholders having 1 per cent of the total voting power, or those having shares of Rs Five lakhs. The sacking can be asked for under Section 169 of the Companies Act, which provides removal of the directors.
He says that not only the chairman who is being sought to be replaced has to be given a reasonable notice period, but even the markets regulator and the exchanges where the shares are listed have to be informed about it. The rules of the corporate governance have to be observed.
(Parmod Kumar can be reached at saneel2010@gmail.com)
--IANS
pk/ap/vm
Mariam from 'Nenjam Marappathillai' a dream role for Regina
Tamil Nadu,Cinema/Showbiz,Southern Cinema, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Chennai, Nov 7 (IANS) Actress Regina Cassandra, who is returning to Tamil filmdom with Selvaraghavan's upcoming horror-thriller "Nenjam Marappathillai" after a brief hiatus, says the character she essays in the film is no less than her dream role.
In the film, Regina plays a house-help named Mariam who avenges her death by returning as a ghost.
"I was always asked what my dream role was and I always said I never really had one. However, having said that, Mariam will go down as one of the most amazing characters I have gotten to play. Thanks Selvaraghavan sir for that confidence and the mentoring. It has definitely helped," she wrote on her Instagram page.
Also starring S.J. Suryah and Nandita Swetha in the lead, the film will release on November 23.
"Nenjam Marappathillai" has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja, and his work in the film's trailer has been celebrated.
--IANS
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Train runs over 5 returning from Chhath prayers in Bihar
Bihar,National,Religion,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Patna, Nov 7 (IANS) At least five persons, including three women and two children, were killed on Monday morning when a speeding train mowed them down near a railway station in Bihar's Samastipur district, police officials said.
The Swatantrata Senani Express ran over five persons when they were crossing railway tracks near Rambhadrapur railway station on the Samastipur-Darbhanga route of the East-Central Railway after offering Chhath prayers, the officer said.
However, railway officials have not yet confirmed the number of deaths.
Angry over the incident, local residents along with Chhath devotees and the victims' families have blocked the railway tracks protesting and blaming railway officials for negligence.
--IANS
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Journalists groups unanimously condemn NDTV ban
Delhi,National,Media,Politics, Tue, 08 Nov 2016 IANS
New Delhi, Nov 8 (IANS) Journalists associations on Monday unanimously condemned the one-day ban on NDTV India news channel, terming it as a selective move by the government.
Journalists, who held a protest meet at the Press Club of India here, passed a resolution criticising the government's decision of singling out just one channel for the alleged breach of telecast norms.
The ban was imposed by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for what it called a leak of strategic information of national importance by the Hindi channel in its coverage of the January 2 Pathankot terror attack on the Indian Air Force base. The government however on Monday put on hold the ban as the media group moved the Supreme Court to challenge the legality of the gag order.
Representatives of Editors Guild, Indian Journalists Union, Delhi Union of Journalists, Indian Womens Press Corps, Federation of Press Clubs were joined by a large number of well-known journalists.
"If only one channel is pulled off air then it's a problem. There were several others who aired the coverage of the attack but no action was taken against them," said media personality Rajdeep Sardesai.
"We need to challenge the audacity of these bureaucrats, how can they just take a decision to impose a ban among themselves? Media organisation are liable to respond to self regulatory bodies. It is precisely for these kind of circumstances that we find ourselves in that we had formed these bodies," he added.
Caravan magazine's political editor Hartosh Singh Bal and Editors Guild Treasurer Seema Mustafa also condemned the ban.
"This is writing on the wall for the government, and it has become quite clear by the turnout here," Mustafa said.
She said that this highhandedness was not unfrequent these days and cited the police crackdown on reporters working in Maoist areas and the ban imposed on Kashmir Reader, a newspaper published from Jammu and Kashmir.
Bal took a jibe at Prime Minster Narendra Modi, calling him "not a great respecter of freedom of press".
He thanked Akshaya Mukul, a journalist who refused to take the Ramnath Goenka award for journalism from Modi, where the latter was Chief Guest.
"Individual media voices are becoming rarer these days. There were hardly 20 people here (at Press Club) when the atrocities on Bastar journalists were discussed, nor were there many when the plight of Kashmiri journalists was discussed. I think that we are waking up to the problem very late," Bal said.
--IANS
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Trump says Clinton protected by 'totally rigged system'
United States,Politics, Tue, 08 Nov 2016 IANS
Miami, Nov 8 (IANS) US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the home stretch of his campaign on Monday was swift to accuse his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, of being protected by a "rigged system", a reference to the FBI's decision to close the investigation into her e-mails.
"Clinton is being protected by a totally rigged system...At least we know it and people in this country because of us have never known it so obviously as they do now," EFE news quoted Trump as saying during a rally in the city of Sarasota, Florida, one of the states most sought-after by both the candidates.
The New York business magnate focused his speech on attacking the Democratic candidate in order, he said, to end government by corruption.
This Sunday the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), James Comey, told Congress there was no reason to bring charges against Clinton for the use of a private server for State Department e-mails, as he said last July and again now after reviewing new information.
He appealed to Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Venezuelans, Dominicans and Haitians, calling them a wonderful community and promising to be their champion.
If elected President, Trump said he will back the Cuban population against the tremendous oppression of the Castros and will defend freedom in Venezuela.
He made it clear that the basis of his programme is "America first", which requires a radical change, he said, to create a strong, smart leadership because "this country is going bad. Everything is wrong. Our country doesn't win anymore. We're tired of being led by stupid people. They're stupid people. Stupid".
He went on to scare his followers by threatening that if he loses the election, they'll never be able to "drain the swamp" in Washington, not in four years, not in eight years, so they had better get out and vote.
The results of three polls published on Monday were close but did not agree on the winner in this state, which Trump must take in order to reach the White House.
Two of them, taken by Quinnipiac and Opinion Savvy, give a slight lead to Clinton of 1 and 2 per cent respectively.
On the other hand, another poll taken by the Trafalgar Group gives Trump a 4-point lead over his rival in Florida.
Meanwhile the Website RealClear Politics, which takes an average of the latest surveys, gives Clinton a minimal 0.2 per cent lead.
In his address, Trump slammed all the ways in which, in his opinion, the Barack Obama presidency has been a failure, starting with the healthcare reform known as Obamacare.
--IANS
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Janet Reno, first female US Attorney General, dies at 78
United States,Immigration/Law/Rights,Human Interest/Society, Tue, 08 Nov 2016 IANS
Miami, Nov 8 (IANS) Former US Attorney General Janet Reno died on Monday, her sister, Maggy Hurchalla, told CNN.
She was 78 and has been suffering from Parkinson's disease for two decades, EFE news reported.
Reno, who served as the nation's top law enforcement officer from 1993 to 2001, dealt with major terrorism cases, such as the "Unabomber", a two-decade bombing campaign by Ted Kaczynski, as well as the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing carried out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.
She was also in-charge of investigating Omar Abdel Rahman, who was accused of plotting the February 1993 attack on New York's World Trade Centre.
--IANS
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Montenegro constitutes parliament, opposition absent in protest
Serbia And Montenegro,Politics, Tue, 08 Nov 2016 IANS
Belgrade, Nov 8 (IANS) Montenegrin members of parliament (MPs) on Monday started the first session of the new parliament elected on October 16, although Montenegrin media reported that almost half of MPs were absent out of protest.
At the beginning of the session, MPs were presented with the report of the State Electoral Commission, according to which the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) won 36 MP seats in the new parliament of 81 seats, Xinhua news agency quoted Montenegrin parliament as saying in a press release.
The MPs were said to be missing in protest over alleged irregularities in the elections, results of which they did not recognise, as they believe the elections were not free and democratic.
The constitutive session of the new government was attended by Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic, as well as representatives of state institutions.
--IANS
lok/
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A first in Moroccos history! King Mohammed VI chose Senegals capital Dakar to deliver this November 6 the Green March speech, celebrating the regaining of the Southern provinces from Spanish colonialism.
By delivering my speech from this hospitable land I am expressing a keen interest in our continent, said King Mohammed VI in a speech that outlined Moroccos vision for Africa and for its endeavor to return to its natural place within the African Union.
In his speech, the King expressed recognition to Senegal for its unwavering stand in support of the Kingdoms territorial integrity, highlighting that the Moroccan and Senegalese peoples stand as one single people, with each one forming a natural extension of the other, in a unique symbiosis between two independent countries respecting each others particularities.
The Sovereign went on insisting on Moroccos special ties with Senegal, saying, Moroccans will not forget the courageous, solidarity-based stance taken by this country when Morocco decided to withdraw from the Organization of African Unity, back in 1984. The then President, Mr. Abdou Diouf, deemed that it was impossible to imagine the Organization without Morocco.
The same stance was adopted by many African states, such as Guinea, Gabon and former Zaire, the King recalled, before he underscored the special status Senegal enjoys in Africa, thanks, he said, to its historically democratic model, its political and social stability, as well as its economic dynamism.
In his speech, King Mohammed outlined Moroccos vision and strategy for Africa, pointing out that this strategy will not be limited to Western and Central Africa but will have a continental scope and will encompass all regions of Africa.
The Sovereign who conceded that Moroccos relations with East-African countries are limited, explained that this is not out of neglect or lack of effort, but for objective reasons, such as language, geographic distance and cultural differences.
Moroccos African policy will not be limited to West and Central Africa. I will see to it that it acquires a continental dimension and covers the whole of Africa, he said, underlining that the very fact to deliver the Green March speech from Dakar mirrors the interest he grants to Africa.
In this regard, King Mohammed VI, keen on sharing with the Moroccan people the results of the recent official visits he paid to Rwanda and Tanzania, underscored the fresh impetus added to Moroccan-African relations by this tour in East Africa that he described as unprecedented.
My visit to Rwanda has enabled us to consolidate this trend, as the foundations for a promising partnership in all fields have been laid in order to build the main pillar on which to develop our relations with the region, said the King, adding that his trip to Tanzania was prompted by its status in the region, its geographic location and its human potential. I was also keen to coordinate with this country regarding regional and international issues.
In the same vein, the King said that a new chapter will be opened with the Republic of Ethiopia, which will be the first stop in a second part of his African tour that will take him to several Sub-Saharan countries in connection with Moroccos return to the African Union.
In this respect, King Mohammed VI said that Moroccos return to its natural place within the African institutional family is a legitimate right.
Moroccos return to the African Union is not a tactical decision, nor is it motivated by passing considerations. It is a rational decision, taken after careful thought, he said, adding that In any case, Morocco is returning to its natural place and is supported by an overwhelming majority to reclaim its seat within the African institutional family.
Moroccos return to the continental organization will enable it to help make Africas voice heard in international forums, he underscored.
I am keen to further contribute to consolidating security and stability in the various war zones and hotspots and to finding peaceful solutions to conflicts, said the Monarch, adding that Morocco is willing to further contribute to the continents efforts to fight extremism and terrorism.
The King also expressed Moroccos readiness to contribute to tackling illegal migration through a human solidarity-based approach which upholds migrants rights and preserves their dignity.
King Mohammed VI has pointed out that Morocco needs a serious, responsible government, up to the challenges facing the country and that the future cabinet should not be the result of calculations aimed at fulfilling political parties wishes.
This came in the speech the Monarch addressed to the nation Sunday evening on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the Green March that enabled Morocco to retrieve its southern provinces from the Spanish colonizers peacefully.
In the speech he delivered from Dakar, in an unprecedented move translating his keen interest in Africa and appreciation for the unique symbiosis existing between the Moroccan and Senegalese countries and peoples, King Mohammed VI outlined the main qualities and criteria that should characterize the next government to be formed by the outgoing ruling Justice and Development Party (PJD), which won the parliamentary elections held on October 7.
Morocco needs a serious, responsible government. The future cabinet should not be the result of calculations aimed at fulfilling political parties wishes, based on electoral arithmetic, as if there were spoils to be shared out, the Monarch said, alluding to the PJDs lengthy negotiations with the other political parties represented in the Parliament to form a coalition government and the parties focus primarily on the number of portfolios they wish to get.
In this strong-worded part of the speech that analysts have already described as a roadmap for the coming government, the King insisted that a government should have a clear program and well-defined priorities, both for home and foreign affairs, particularly as far as Africa is concerned.
Underscoring the criteria he deems necessary in the government, King Mohammed VI mentioned the ability to deal with the difficulties inherited from past years, with respect to Moroccos obligations towards its partners.
The government should involve an efficient, coherent structuring effort, consonant with programs and priorities. It also requires qualified, skilled resources, with specific sectoral attributions, he said.
These are the criteria I will ensure are respected when the next government is formed, in compliance with a strict methodology. I will not tolerate any attempts to deviate from it, he said, insisting that Moroccans expect the coming government to be up to the challenge of this crucial phase.
Also, King Mohammed VI urged the coming government to adopt a comprehensive, integrated policy towards Africa and deal with the continent as one bloc, and pressed the cabinet members to grant as much importance to Africa as to their missions and trips to western countries.
I am sure that a stronger democratic, development process and a consolidated African policy will contribute to safeguarding our national and territorial unity, he said.
The Monarch further underlined the commitment of the populations of the southern provinces to their Moroccan nationality and to the nations political system, as evidenced by their massive participation in local and national elections and their voluntary, responsible involvement in the management of their local affairs.
Thanks to the specific development model and projects launched in these southern provinces, the King pointed out that they have the potential, in terms of security, stability and infrastructure, to become an integrated development hub, at both regional and continental levels, as well as a platform for economic cooperation between Morocco and Africa.
The development and stability of our southern provinces are a historic, national responsibility we should all strive to fulfill, through dedicated joint action, insisted the Moroccan King.
Mauritanian authorities have severely protested against Francois Hollandes office after Paris received anti-slavery activist and former presidential candidate Biram Dah Abeid who has vowed to bring down President Mouhamed Ould Abdel Azizs regime.
Foreign Minister Ould Ahmed Izilbih Friday, at a meeting with Thomas Melonio, Francois Hollandes adviser on African affairs, expressed Nouakchotts discontent over the French officials meeting with Biram Dah Abeid, a staunch opponent of President Abdel Aziz and also a leading anti-slavery activist.
Biram according to French ambassador in Nouakchott was received in Paris in his quality as former presidential candidate (2014) and as civil society figure to discuss issues in the North African country.
The Mauritanian regime fear Pariss support for the activist who has vowed to put an end to President Abdel Azizs power, which the activist claims, has turned the country into a cash cow for the Presidents entourage and friends.
Last month President Abdel Aziz vehemently protested against Burkina Faso President Jean-Marc Kabore for allowing Biram to criticize his regime on a state TV channel.
Biram and his Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA) has been fighting slavery in Mauritania. According to the movement, slavery is still practiced in the country and the black population is sidelined.
Biram has won many international acclaims including UN award for Human Rights activist, in 2013.
Morocco has officially taken over the presidency of the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22) Monday as the global conference kicked off in the city of Marrakesh.
At the opening ceremony of the 22nd Conference of Parties to the Framework UN Convention on Climate Change, COP 22, president of COP21 Segolene Royal handed over the presidency to Moroccos Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar, in the presence of around 20,000 delegates from 196 countries.
In her opening address, Segolene Royal who is Frances Environment Minister called for climate justice, especially for Africa.
She welcomed, in this respect, the speech King Mohammed VI delivered Sunday from Dakar to mark the 41th anniversary of the Green March, in which the Sovereign underscored that COP22 is a conference for Africa.
Aware that Africa is one of the regions most affected by climate change, I have made sure that the Climate Conference which opens in Marrakech this week, is a conference for Africa, the Monarch said in his Green March speech.
Accordingly, I have called for an African summit to be held on the sidelines of this conference in order to develop a common vision to uphold our continents demands, particularly in terms of funding and transfer of technology, the King underlined.
Segolene Royal argued that climate justice consists in providing financing and technology transfer to the continent which suffers most from the impacts of climate change, especially desertification.
Africa also needs to address the population growth expected by 2020, she said, adding that the decision to earmark $10 billion to support the development of renewable energy across the continent is a decision taken by Africans and for Africans.
She welcomed, in this vein, the initiatives launched by Morocco to adapt to climate change, including the North African countrys determination to use renewable energy to cover 52% of its needs by 2030 and the construction of the solar power plant Noor Ouarzazate.
The COP22 President, Salaheddine Mezouar, on his part, said Morocco will engage in an open and transparent dialogue with the support of various partners to address climate change.
If the Paris Climate Conference led to a binding agreement, the COP22 will lay the foundation for a new global stage that would involve the signatories in a concerted action, he said, pointing out that in order to achieve this goal, the Moroccan Presidency proposes the setting-up of a platform to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement and take urgent measures to protect the environment.
The COP22 is held in a promising context, marked by hope and legitimate expectations and convening this global event on African soil shows the involvement of the whole continent in the global efforts to protect the environment, Mezouar said, calling for concrete actions in order to implement the Paris Agreement.
And the agenda of COP 22 actually focuses on ways to implement the priorities of The Paris Agreement, especially those related to adaptation, transparency, technology transfer, capacity building, and loss and damages.
The Conference will also be an opportunity to debate several issues relating among others to agriculture, food security, energy, industry, transport and water.
The event will wind up on November 18.
Khizr Khan pleads with his countrymen. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Hillary Clinton continued to campaign hard in New Hampshire on Sunday, joined onstage by folk legend and New England native James Taylor, as well as Trumps perhaps most well-known adversary, gold-star parent Khizr Khan.
Khan addressed Trump directly in his remarks:
Donald Trump, would my son, Capt. Humayun Khan, have a place in your America? Would Muslims have a place in your America? Would Latinos have a place in your America? Would African Americans have a place in your America? Would anyone who isnt like you have a place in your America?
Khans son, U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan, was killed while serving in Iraq in 2004. The father became an outspoken opponent of Trump, and a target of Trumps vitriol after Khan appeared at the Democratic National Convention.
Clinton has been campaigning tirelessly in New Hampshire, a vital battleground state. On Monday, President Obama will fly to the state to lend his support.
The Clinton campaign also chose Sunday to release a new video featuring Gordon Humphrey, the former Republican senator from New Hampshire, saying that he will vote against Trump.
Humphreys opposition to Trump shouldnt come as much of a surprise. He was one of 30 Republicans who signed a letter questioning Trumps suitability for office last month, and in an article for CNN, Humphrey vowed to quit the party if Trump wins the White House.
Words of support for a Democrat would have been all but unimaginable from the arch-conservative former senator until recently. Since leaving government in 1990, Humphrey has remained outspoken in his support of Republicans, and he even praised the tea party during its ascendance.
In the ad, Humphrey calls Trump not normal, says Trump will get us into a nuclear war, and urges voters to support Clinton for the sake of our families safety.
On Tuesday, millions of lifelong Republicans will vote against Donald Trump, he says. Im one of them.
The urgency in his voice may have something to do with the fact that Clintons lead in the state has shrunk to almost nothing in the past few weeks.
Khan wrapped up his speech on a more hopeful note at least for Clinton supporters with an answer to his own questions: Thankfully, Donald Trump, this isnt your America.
The two parties in Florida nearly tied in early-voting participation, with early-voting levels way up. Photo: RHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images
Florida is arguably the true ground zero for the 2016 presidential election. Every plausible scenario for Trump winning 270 electoral votes and the presidency includes a win in Florida. So a Clinton victory there could be a knockout punch. The polls in Florida have been very tight; Hillary Clinton leads by one percent in the RealClearPolitics polling average (with Johnson and Stein included). Barack Obama won Florida by less than one percent in 2012, well under his national popular-vote margin.
So the Sunshine State is a continuing battleground, and one factor that has brought it even more attention than usual is the very high level of early voting (both in person and by mail ballot) evident this year 6.4 million votes so far, as compared to 4.7 million in 2012. In-person early voting ended yesterday traditionally a day when African-Americans make a church-based souls to the polls push. The nearly complete numbers for in-person voting in Florida give Democrats a narrow lead, as is also the case with returned absentee ballots (which will continue to drift in until the close of voting tomorrow; they must be received by then). At present, registered Democrats have a combined advantage over registered Republicans of 88,000 votes (2.56 million to 2.47 million), with independents accounting for another 1.23 million. Thats a percentage advance of 1.4 points about half the final Democratic early-voting advantage in 2012.
Some of the increase in early voting is attributable to campaign activity (the Florida GOP is carrying most of the water for underorganized Trump), and some to a change in the law where those who cast absentee ballots in and since 2014 have automatically been sent ballots this year. Since the partisan breakdown for both types of early voting are very similar, it is not clear that either party has benefited disproportionately from the rising use of voting by mail.
You can hear all kinds of arguments about the significance of the early vote in Florida. One much-quoted Florida expert, Steven Schale, a former Obama campaign operative, thinks the narrower Democratic advantage disguises a stronger vote than in 2012 thanks to the reregistration of many conservative Democrats and independents as Republicans (many of them reregistering in order to vote in the closed Florida presidential primary earlier this year). In other words, there will be fewer DINOs voting for Trump than those who voted for Romney in 2012.
Latino early voting in Florida was up significantly about 86 percent according to numbers released on Monday. And although there was a lot of buzz about African-American early voting being down, the final numbers show them participating at around 9 percent above 2012 levels, thanks to a major burst of last-minute activity.
The key questions right now involve guesstimates of where the independent vote will go, and the usual murky matter of whether the two parties are cannibalizing votes that would have been cast on Tuesday or mobilizing marginal voters. On this second point, Florida political scientist Daniel Smith estimates that a slightly higher percentage of Republicans voting early this year voted on Election Day in 2012. Of greater importance, he thinks, is this data point:
So far, 36% of the 907k Hispanics who have voted in 2016 didnt vote by any method in 2012. Thats a full 12 points higher than whites, and will likely be the key to who wins the presidency.
Its worth remembering that an unusually high percentage of Florida Latinos are registered as Republicans (26 percent) or as independents (35 percent). Indeed, it is this last number that convinces some observers that the independent vote in Florida will lean Democratic this year.
All in all, Florida will remain a mystery until Tuesday. But combined with the early-voting news from Nevada, it does seem increasingly plausible that the Latino-bashing that helped Donald Trump win the Republican presidential nomination could ultimately be the prime cause of his defeat on November 8. If Latino independents and even Republicans in Florida vote against him in unusually large numbers, this must-win state for Trump could guarantee a Clinton presidency.
Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The entire presidential campaign is descending on Michigan. Donald Trump whose campaign aides reportedly make decisions by tooling around on 270towin.com has made a last-ditch stand, prompting a feverish scramble by Democrats, who have dispatched Hillary Clinton, her husband, and Barack Obama to hold rallies in the state. Right-wing lunatic Ted Nugent asked the crowd at a Trump speech, Is the real Michigan ready to take Michigan back? And then right-wing lunatic Donald Trump boasted that he had been honored as the states Man of the Year, puzzling reporters.
Michigan is a state that has certain casual demographic and regional markers that make it easy for outsiders to assume it is fertile ground for Trump: Midwest, white working class, Rust Belt. I was born and raised in the state, an experience that can (with equal plausibility) either be credited as familiarity or discounted as bias. I am here to tell you that Michigan is not a Trump state.
Like many blue states, Michigan has a Republican-controlled legislature, owing to low non-presidential turnout and packed-in urban voters, and it sometimes elects Republican governors. It has voted Democratic in each of the last six presidential elections, by an average margin exceeding 9 percent. Of the most recent 20 polls of the state, Hillary Clinton leads in 18, with two ties. It is not experiencing any special economic distress that would threaten this pattern, with an unemployment rate at 4.6 percent.
Nor does Trump have any particular connection to the states culture. It is true that Michigan has a cohort of economically populist but racist white swing voters. George Wallace received 10 percent of the vote in the state in 1968. Pollster Stanley Greenberg embedded in Macomb County, a blue-collar Detroit suburb, where he learned that racially resentful Reagan Democrats believed the Democratic Party had grown too closely identified with black interests. But whatever disaffection for the national Democratic agenda shown by the states voters had halted by the 1990s (or, perhaps, was halted by Bill Clinton). Macomb County voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012.
Unlike Ohio, which is culturally divided between its northern and southern parts, the latter of which consists of Appalachian coal country, Michigan was settled by Yankees. Its political cultural resembles Upper Northwest states like Minnesota and Wisconsin, but unlike those neighbors, it has large cities with significant African-American populations. Michigan Republicans in the 20th century reflected the best parts of their partys bygone progressive traditions, trying to conciliate labor with business, supporting reasonable tax and regulatory policies, and strongly endorsing action on civil rights.
Governor George Romney proposed resolutions at the 1964 Republican convention denouncing extremism on the left and right, and supporting civil rights. Both were defeated, and Romney went on to oppose Goldwater after he won the nomination. Romneys lieutenant governor, William Milliken, succeeded him in 1969 and stayed in office until 1983. Milliken broke from the national partys increasingly extreme direction, endorsing a series of Democratic national candidates until his local Republican Party finally repudiated him this summer for his disloyalty. For all his catastrophic failures in Flint, the states Republican governor, Rick Snyder, was able to win because he ran as a data-centric moderate (one tough nerd) in the states old tradition.
Democrats are pouring last-minute resources into the state as a precautionary response to Trump. The same dynamic took place four years ago in Pennsylvania, where the Mitt Romney campaign launched a desperate final offensive, prompting a mirror response by the Obama campaign. But these maneuvers should not confuse people about the qualities and generally sound judgment of my native state. Trump might win Ohio, sure, but as any good Michiganian can tell you, those people are animals. The real Michigan, contra Ted Nugent, is not a state for racist demagogues.
Janet Reno at the 2005 Grammy Awards. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
Janet Reno, a Florida prosecutor who became the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general, died early on Monday at age 78.
She died from complications of Parkinsons disease, according to her goddaughter Gabrielle DAlemberte, who said Reno spent her final days with family and friends in Miami. Reno was diagnosed with the disease in 1995.
Reno served as President Bill Clintons attorney general from 1993 to 2001, holding the office longer than anyone else in the 20th century. She was at the center of some of the biggest controversies of the 90s, but was generally praised for her integrity and straightforward manner.
Reno oversaw the prosecutions related to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, laying the groundwork for future federal terrorism cases.
In 1993, she gave the order to storm the compound of the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, after leader David Koresh killed four federal officers. A fire broke out during the raid, killing all 80 people inside. Reno took full responsibility for the incident, and later called it the worst day of her life.
In 2000, she attempted to negotiate the return of 5-year-old Elian Gonzalez to his father in Cuba, after his mother drowned as they attempted to reach the United States by boat. Gonzalezs relatives in Miami would not give him up, and the incident ended with the boy being seized by an agent carrying a gun. We have been to great lengths to resolve this case in the least disruptive manner possible, Reno said after the incident.
She was a very powerful force for lawfulness, Walter Dellinger III, a Duke University law professor who served as solicitor general during Renos time in office, told the Washington Post. She was always challenging to make sure there was a sound legal basis for what people were doing. And she was adamant about separating the department from politics.
However, Reno still became involved in some of the scandals of the Clinton administration. She was criticized for refusing to launch an independent investigation into whether Vice-President Al Gore illegally fundraised from the White House during the 1996 presidential campaign. She also allowed the Whitewater investigation to expand to include Bill Clintons affair with Monica Lewinsky. Reno has said that Hillary Clinton never forgave her.
After leaving office, Reno made an unsuccessful run for Florida governor in 2002. Democratic officials backed Tampa attorney Bill McBride over Reno, and she lost the primary. McBride was then defeated by Republican Jeb Bush.
After the loss, Reno retired from politics, but she served on the board of the Innocence Project, which works to clear wrongly convicted people using DNA evidence. Ive had a thoroughly good time, she said of her career in 1998. I have the opportunity to serve my country and its been extraordinary, and if I go home, I go home.
Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
No matter what happens after the polls close Tuesday, one presidential candidate will be celebrating, and the other will (probably) be conceding, in New York City. The presence of both White House contenders in the Big Apple on Election Night, combined with alleged terror threats against voters, has prompted officials to heighten security and ramp up NYPD presence across the city.
This is what thats going to look like: More than 5,000 police deployed Tuesday, including counterterrorism squads, bomb-sniffing dogs, and plainclothes officers. The NYPD is stationing cops at about 1,200 polling places throughout the city to deter any attempts at voter suppression. The force is also prepared in case of any protests or demonstrations after the results are in, said Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday.
"There will be thousands of officers assigned to keep NYC safe this Election Day. We expect a safe, successful day." - @NYPDChiefofDept pic.twitter.com/GCwywJIx6M NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) November 7, 2016
This is by far the largest election detail the NYPD has ever had, it is more than double our previous high, NYPD Chief of Department Carlos Gomez told reporters Monday. It is comparable to New Years Eve and Pope Francis.
Last week, officials warned of a possible Al Qaeda terror threat targeting New York, Virginia, or Texas, with the goal of disrupting the elections. ISIS got into the mix over the weekend, reportedly publishing an article calling on its followers to slaughter Americans going to the polls. NYPD Counterterrorism Commissioner John Miller said the NYPD takes all threats seriously, but its normal for the city. ISIS puts out these threats widely over their social media before many events, he said. Weve seen them before holidays. Weve seen them before special events. This is part of their M.O.
This is the first time two candidates have held Election Night events in New York since 1944; Clinton will be at the Javits Center on the west side, and Trump at the Hilton Hotel in midtown. Streets around both locations will be closed starting when the polls open at 6 a.m., and there will be other street closures and restrictions around midtown to protect the candidates movements. (Streets around Trump Tower will also be shut down as long as the candidate is inside, reports DNAinfo.) Trumps event is reportedly invite-only. Clintons event will be livestreamed and is open to members of the public by RSVP. (The invite says to expect airport-like security, and to leave your selfie stick at home.) And not to read too much into things, but, according to the NYPD, the Clinton campaign has reportedly canceled its plans for a potential fireworks display over the Hudson River.
Trump supporters at a rally in Leesburg, Virginia, on November 7, 2016. Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
Donald Trumps initial reaction to FBI director James Comey announcing the reopening of the investigation into Hillary Clintons emails was uncharacteristically terse. I think its the biggest story since Watergate, he said. I think this changes everything.
On Sunday afternoon Comey offered another shock, announcing that the bureau has already completed its review of all the pertinent emails found on Anthony Weiners laptop and we have not changed our conclusions expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton. Unsurprisingly, Trump feels this changes nothing.
Right now, shes being protected by a rigged system, Trump said at a rally in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Its a totally rigged system. Ive been saying it for a long time. You cant review 650,000 emails in eight days. You cant do it folks.
The FBI actually didnt review 650,000 emails. They developed a computer program that weeded out messages that might be relevant to the investigation into Clintons private email server, and then reviewed those emails. Theres no official word on how many emails were reviewed, but NBC News reports that nearly all of the thousands of newly examined emails on Weiners laptop were duplicates of previously examined messages.
Nevertheless, Trump assured his supporters on Sunday that the investigations into Clintons crimes will continue for a long, long time. Then, alluding to the reportedly deep antipathy for Clinton within the FBI, which is not shared by the Justice Department, Trump promised, The rank and file special agents at the FBI wont let her get away with her terrible crimes.
Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it, the FBI knows it, the people know it, and now its up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on November 8, Trump said. Unbelievable. Unbelievable how she gets away with it.
... @realdonaldtrump moments ago mentioned clinton/fbi for the first time since fbi said no criminality was found. https://t.co/IW8s7b7u9y fake nick ramsey (@nick_ramsey) November 7, 2016
While Comeys latest announcement didt change Trumps opinion on Clintons crimes, it did shift his stance on the FBI. Two days ago he was effusive in his praise for the bureau and didnt distinguish between the rank and file agents supposedly set on taking Clinton down and their bosses.
Ive always had a lot of confidence in the FBI, Ill tell you, Trump said Friday during a rally in Ohio. You have amazing people in the FBI, and theyre not happy. Theyre not happy about whats happening. And theyre not happy about the way theyre being pushed around. And you dont push them around for long, believe me.
Photo: Brian Blanco/Getty Images
If Donald Trump bucks the odds and wins tomorrows election, hes planning to offer cabinet positions to a handful of fiercely loyal surrogates who refused to jump ship during his often messy campaign. Among them are former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and onetime Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, NBC News reports.
Among the names being considered, according to conversations with three campaign advisers who requested anonymity to speak freely: Rudy Giuliani for attorney general, Newt Gingrich for secretary of state, retired Lt. Gen Michael Flynn for defense secretary or national security adviser, Trump finance chairman Steve Mnuchin for Treasury secretary, and Republican National Committee finance chair Lew Eisenberg for commerce secretary.
NBC News says Trump has not worked much on the transition efforts, but not because of a lack of interest. Hes just superstitious and afraid that too much planning for a win would jinx him.
Speaking of planning, the man who has officially been tasked with putting together a cabinet for Trump, Chris Christie, has reportedly drifted from the campaign. The New Jersey governor is the chairman of Trumps transition team, but Alabama senator Jeff Sessions has taken over those duties as Christie has become less involved.
Another bold-faced name being considered for a top job in the Trump administration is Republican National Committee head Reince Priebus, who is reportedly under consideration to serve as Trumps chief of staff. That would leave a vacancy at the RNC, which could potentially be filled by another Trump loyalist.
Look how much fun hes having. Photo: H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images
Trader Joes: home to good snacks and cheap wine and, apparently, mandatory cheerfulness. Late last week, an unfair-labor practices charge was filed with a National Labor Relations Board regional office on behalf of Thomas Nagle, a former employee of a Trader Joes located on the Upper West Side. According to the New York Times, Nagle was let go in September after being repeatedly reprimanded by management; among his fireable offenses were an overly negative attitude, paired with an obviously fake smile.
That he was fired may be a problem for the grocery-store chain, the Times reports, if it turns out that the companys insistence on maintaining a sunny disposition effectively prohibited him and his colleagues from discussing their dissatisfaction with their workplace. Federal labor law protects employees right to complain about working conditions to the public, including customers. (Trader Joes issued a statement to the Times denying any wrongdoing.)
And yet no matter the decision, there are other reasons that forcing a positive attitude is a bad business practice. Research in organizational psychology calls this sort of thing, which often comes with the territory in the service sector, surface acting for example, slapping on a smile and pretending its fine, perfectly fine, that a customer just knocked over the display of Charles Shaw wine. Faking it, in other words. As you might imagine, this gets draining by the end of an eight-hour (or even longer) shift.
In 2003, for example, Alicia A. Grandey of Pennsylvania State University published a summary of surveys filled out by 131 administrative assistants, one of whom confided to her, Its frustrating at times to always be courteous and helpful to those who may not act as such in return. We need to keep smiling when we really dont feel that way. They were asked to rate, on a scale of one to five, how often they felt like they did the following while at work:
Just pretend to have the emotions I need to display for my job.
Put on an act in order to deal with customers in an appropriate way.
In the end, Grandey found a clear link between behaviors like these and emotional exhaustion, one of the core components of job burnout. Other research backs up this finding: Faking a cheery attitude is exhausting, and it often results in burned-out employees. As Annie Murphy Paul, a writer and author who often covers social science, noted in a 2014 post on her site, a nonTrader Joes example of employer-mandated chipper behavior can be seen at Walgreens-affiliated stores. At my local Duane Reade, for example, as cashiers hand you the receipt they tell you, Be well. The first time this happened, I found it touching, believing it to be a genuine kind wish from the stranger at the cash register.
It was not. As Jessica Levco, who edits the website Health Care Communication News, reported, this is company policy. Our branded salutations further align our team members to our purpose of helping people get, stay and live well, a Walgreens spokesperson said in a statement given to Levco. In general, weve found that customer satisfaction increases through such positive interactions, which help make their shopping experience a bit more memorable.
That may be true, that customer satisfaction increases with changes like these; then again, maybe not. A 2008 study surveyed people who took a fitness class; unbeknownst to them, their instructor had either been told to fake their emotions and act enthusiastically about the class, or to just act naturally. People didnt fall for the act; they could tell when the instructors heart wasnt really in it, and when they did, they didnt have as much fun in the class. Having fun is not so fun when the fun becomes mandatory.
Instead, Paul suggests employers consider the following:
Train workers well, so that they satisfy their customers with good service. Offer them congenial working conditions, so that theyre glad to be at work. Allow them more personal control over how they do their jobs (research shows this can buffer the stress imposed by surface acting). And provide them with opportunities to develop genuinely warm relationships with managers, coworkers, and customers so that employees have something real to smile about, and so that when they tell someone to be well, they mean it.
As she pointed out in her post, well-meaning mandates like this one can backfire. Having to behave in opposition to our inner states is known, in the psychological literature, as emotional dissonance, and it is exhausting, physically and mentally speaking. We all want to feel that were the same person on the outside as we are on the inside, Paul wrote, and when we cant achieve that congruence, we feel alienated and depersonalized.
Do you even FactCheck.org? Photo: EITAN ABRAMOVICH/AFP/Getty Images
No modern American presidential election has featured as much lying and misinformation as this one. Donald Trump has quickly established himself as one of the most dishonest political figures in political history, lying with astounding frequently and brazenness, even by the standards of politicians. Just 15 percent of the Donald Trump statements analyzed by PolitiFact, for example, have been rated as true or mostly true the number for Hillary Clinton is 51 percent.
And yet fact-checking has appeared distressingly impotent this campaign season. There has been no shortage of focus on Trumps lies, with countless outlets debunking them. It doesnt stick, though Clinton has even been found to be perceived as less trustworthy in some national surveys, despite what appears to be a vast dishonesty gap between the two candidates.
Because of all this, its been a fascinating, disturbing time for anyone interested in the question of how political misinformation spreads, and why it seems so hard to get the truth to sink in. One common explanation for Trumps seeming immunity to a year and a half of feverish debunking is the so-called backfire effect. First described in a 2010 paper by the political scientists Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler, the idea is simple: If someone believes something thats false, and you present them with a correction, in many situations rather than update their belief they will double down, holding even tighter to that initial belief. In this view, even if Trumps followers see all the coverage debunking and correcting their candidates false statements, it doesnt matter many of them will just cling tighter to the idea that Clinton is about to be indicted, or that President Obama screamed at a protester over the weekend.
Since that initial paper, this effect has been observed repeatedly, by Nyhan and Reifler and by other researchers. Now, none of this research showed that the backfire effect is inevitable there seemed to be some intricacies as to when and how strongly it showed up. (To take one example, it appeared to afflict conservatives more than liberals.) But its still one of those satisfying ideas that seemed to explain the world really nicely. After all, this isnt a problem restricted to the current election: Every year, the internets misinformation situation seems to get a little bit worse, and were constantly presented with evidence that fact-checking doesnt seem to really work. The backfire effect seemed to capture this dynamic.
Except: Two new upcoming studies of the backfire effect call into question its very existence. These studies collected far more subjects than the original backfire study, and both find effectively no backfire effect at all. And unlike the original study, the subjects in these new ones werent just college students they were thousands of people, of all ages, from all around the country.
If this new finding holds up, this is a very important, well, correction: It suggests that overall, fact-checking may be more likely to cause people, even partisans, to update their beliefs rather than to cling more tightly to them. And part of the reason we now know this is that Nyhan and Reifler put their money where their mouths were: When a team of two young researchers approached them suggesting a collaboration to test the backfire effect in a big, robust, public way, they accepted the challenge. So this is partly a story about a potentially important new finding in political science and psychology but the story within the story is about science being done right.
It started a year and a half ago or so, when Ethan Porter, then a grad student at the University of Chicago and now an assistant professor at George Washington University, teamed up with Thomas Wood, a political scientist at Ohio State University, to run a big experiment on this subject. The backfire paper has alway struck Tom and I as a very important paper, said Porter. You care about democracy and accountability, you care about peoples abilities to incorporate and respond to factual information. (Full disclosure: I am buddies with Porter from when we both lived in D.C.)
For the Wood and Porter paper, which is currently being reviewed by journals for publication but which can be read in draft form here, the co-authors tested 36 issues on 8,100 subjects. They presented the respondents, recruited on Amazon Mechanical Turk, with various real-world false claims, with half also being exposed to a correction of the false claim. Wood and Porter then compared how much those in the no-correction group believed in each item, on a 1 to 5 scale, as compared to those in the correction group. The respondents were also asked about their political beliefs, allowing the authors to compare the effects of a given correction on people from different parts of the political spectrum.
As the paper notes, the experiments were set up in ways designed to maximize the chances of a backlash effect being observed. Many of the issues the respondents were asked about are extremely politically charged abortion and gun violence and illegal immigration and the experiment was conducted during one of the most heated and unusual presidential elections in modern American history. The idea was something like, Well, if we cant find the backfire effect here, with a big sample size under these sorts of conditions, then we can safely question whether it exists.
And thats what happened. Across all experiments, the researchers write, we found only one issue capable of triggering backfire: whether WMD were found in Iraq in 2003. Even there, changing the wording of the item in question eliminated the backfire effect.
Here is a nice visual rundown of some of Wood and Porters findings, followed by an explanation of how to read the chart (you can view the full-size version here):
Each mini-graph represents one false statement actually made by a politician. Then, within an individual graph, the bars show the average level of belief in that statement at a given point on the left-right political spectrum among the studys respondents. The top bar reflects the beliefs of experiment participants who were exposed to the false belief, but not a correction, while the bottom bar reflects the beliefs of participants who were exposed to the false belief and a correction. The bigger the gap between the bars, the more effective the correction was.
What these graphs clearly show and Wood and Porter more or less found this pattern through all their experiments is that even for politically charged issues, correcting false beliefs seemed to work in the sense of at least leading to a lower level of belief in the item in question. If the backlash effect were real, the researchers would have observed the opposite effect: There should have been various points, particularly at the edges of the political spectrum where those in the corrected group believed more in the statement in question.
Theres still a pretty big political element to the question of who believes what, of course: Conservatives were much more likely than liberals to believe that the U.S. has the highest tax rates in the world, and liberals much more likely to believe that the majority of U.S. prisoners are locked up on drug charges. But the encouraging thing was that correcting seemed to work, on many issues at least, for just about everyone, whether they were a partisan or a moderate.
This was not what Wood and Porter expected to find. Tom and I really thought wed have a paper where we said, Here are the three issues that cause liberals to backfire, and here are three that cause conservatives to, said Porter. Instead, the numbers offered effectively no evidence for the backfire effect at all. They decided to reach out to Nyhan and Reifler to let them know.
If you read a lot of Science of Us, you might know that this is the point where things sometimes go south. Researchers dont always react well to their work being criticized or poked or prodded. In the worst cases, defensive researchers attempt to actively stymie the research of those they see as attacking their findings. Nyhan and Reifler didnt do that instead, they effectively said Huh, cool finding maybe our research overstated the backfire effect. Then, watching Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort denigrate F.B.I. crime statistics during the Republican National Convention, trying to boost his bosss false portrayal of an America drowning in horrific violence, Porter said, The lightbulb went off, and we said, What if we could test backfire now, in the heat of the presidential campaign, with Brendan and Jason?
Again, the two more senior researchers were cooperative. Jason and I decided to co-author with Tom and Ethan because they are doing important, careful work, said Nyhan in an email. We thought a collaboration would be a great way to test our ideas and theirs jointly. I think were all surprised and saddened that so many academic debates devolve into name-calling and vitriol. In science, its fine to be wrong or to provide an incomplete or partial answer as long as we are moving collectively toward the truth. That is everyones goal here. (Also, Jason and I would be terrible hypocrites if we doubled-down on our factual beliefs after being corrected!)
So the four researchers got to work on a similar study, but which differed in two important ways: First, it was conducted during what was close to the absolute peak of election season, suggesting backfire effects should have been even more likely than they were during Wood and Porters experiment. Second, the researchers used both Mechanical Turk and tools offered by the polling firm Morning Consult to make sure that Wood and Porters result wasnt an artifact of mTurk.
While the Wood and Porter research focused on a bunch of different areas, the collaboration between the four researchers focused on just one: Trumps claims about out-of-control crime. And when the numbers came in, again, there was little to no sign of backfire a result the authors plan on submitting for publication.
As Nyhan explained in the Upshot over the weekend:
[W]e found that correcting Mr. Trumps message reduced the prevalence of false beliefs about long-term increases in crime. When respondents read a news article about Mr. Trumps speech that included F.B.I. statistics indicating that crime had fallen dramatically and consistently over time, their misperceptions about crime declined compared with those who saw a version of the article that omitted corrective information (though misperceptions persisted among a sizable minority). Specifically, beliefs that crime had increased over the last 10 years declined among both Trump supporters (from 77 percent to 45 percent) and Clinton supporters (from 43 percent to 32 percent).
Taken together, said Porter, these findings suggest that anxieties about the absence or minimal role of truth in politics plays may be overstated. People are willing to acknowledge factual information, even when that information challenges their most cherished political beliefs. it doesnt mean they change those beliefs but it does mean that there is a role for factual information in politics. So one shouldnt necessarily feel optimistic about the possibility of some sort of massive fix to the currently dire internet landscape of false information. For one thing, by virtue of both studies design Wood and Porter were effectively able to force people to read fact-checking information. That isnt how it works in the wild people seem to self-select into information sources that will confirm rather than challenge their preexisting beliefs and biases. Plus, the real-world implications of some of these effects are unclear, as is the question of how long theyll last; if fact-checking can reduce belief in a false item from approximately 3.5 to 3 on a scale of 5, as it appeared to do for staunch conservatives on the top-left disproportionately criminal item, what does that mean in a practical sense? And will that effect hold after the person in question then watches six more Trump speeches in which he repeats that lie? Finally, there may well be some issues, in some contexts, that still generate backfire effects, though Porter said that hes skeptical about backfire as a generalizable phenomenon.
But those caveats aside, these are still important findings, especially in light of another recent Reifler/Nyhan finding which also suggests fact-checking can be effective. Overall, the tide is turning a bit in fact-checkings favor, setting aside the difficulties of applying this to the real world.
Just as importantly, the Nyhan-Reifler-Wood-Porter collaboration is an inspiring model of how social-scientific collaboration should work. Again, Nyhan and Reifler could have aggressively nitpicked Wood and Porters findings, but they didnt; instead, they acknowledged solid research when they saw it, despite the fact that it challenged one of their own more well-known results.
In fact, Porter explained that part of the reason his and Woods paper has gotten the media attention it has is because Nyhan has promoted it on social media. The reason we got the Poynter interview, and the reason weve gotten press about this, is because Brendan tweeted out our article, said Porter (referring to this article). Brendan himself has brought attention to a piece that challenges his own work. Brendan is a guy with a large platform, and Brendan is using that platform to publicize work that is critical and challenges his own work. Thats incredibly laudable.
For the month of November, well be pulling together the items youll need to have as seamless a Thanksgiving as possible. We spoke to chef Alex Raij, who co-owns the restaurants El Quinto Pino, Txikito, La Vara, and Tekoa, about the most powerful tool in her kitchen arsenal.
Everyone in Spain has a Fagor pressure cooker. You can cook everything quicker and get deep, precise, perfect flavors and textures with one tool. The Innova is the most straightforward pressure cooker that Fagor offers: It doesnt have any of the fancy features of plug-in models, but it works consistently, and you can use it on either induction or gas, which is not the case with a lot of pressure-cooker brands.
Beans and greens come out super creamy only this pressure cooker can collapse cell walls like that. The best risotto takes only seven minutes. You can cook the most succulent boiled chicken you have ever had, and get a chicken broth in just 40 minutes thats perfectly clarified because the pressure cooker automatically stratifies your stock. Even when I make chickpeas, Ill save the broth because the clarity of flavors in the pot liquor from the pressure cooker is the best. Because of the Fagors design, the water reaches a boiling point and stays there, so nothing is boiling over and polluting your broth.
A pressure cooker is not a slow cooker. Slow cookers encourage poor technique youre not engaged, and you dont use your intuition. When youre using the Fagor, you have to pay attention the whole 40 to 50 minutes because its basically a pan with a pressurized top on it. Youre not just dumping a few ingredients into a pot and leaving. Its an easy way to put really healthy, tasty food on the table that has bold flavor and is immediately satisfying. Sometimes when you cook for your family youll make a loveless meal because youre in a hurry. Weve all done it. I think this pressure cooker is free love, even if youre rushed.
As told to Priya Krishna
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for WSJ. Magazine 2
When we checked in on the status of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitts divorce two weeks ago, the estranged couple was privately negotiating while the Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services continued its investigation into Pitts alleged bad behavior. Today, that investigation is still ongoing, and those private negotiations appear to be breaking down.
Related Stories How Angelina Jolie Won the First Big Battle in Her Divorce
On Friday, Pitt filed an official response to Jolies divorce petition, which he previously said he would not do, because he wanted to avoid a nasty legal battle. Well, bring on the nasty: Pitt is asking for joint custody of the couples six children in response to Jolies original request for sole custody. Jolie currently has sole physical custody of the children thanks to a temporary deal with the DCFS, and now Pitt is ready to fight her on that for the long term. People, the tabloid that Pitts camp has been leaking to throughout the divorce, admitted this weekend that Pitts filing signifies a difficult custody fight ahead.
Jolie has been prepared to fight Pitt for custody from the beginning, so its no surprise that TMZ, her camps gossip outlet of choice, posted a response to Pitt this morning. ANGELINA JOLIE: Brads Dreaming HES NOT GETTING JOINT CUSTODY, the site blared. Sources connected to Angelina claim that shes ready and willing to fight Pitt in court. And the kicker? Until he gets his s**t together, the sources say, Jolie wants Pitt to have only monitored visits with the children. She is sticking to her original line that Pitt has substance abuse and anger issues that must be addressed. TMZ closed the post with a specific warning: One Angelina source said this is looking more and more like War of the Roses redux. So its a death match now.
Since Jolie filed for divorce in September, weve seen a few flare-ups like this, and theyve always been related to the main (only?) issue in the divorce: custody. Jolie is aggressively pursuing an extreme position, and Pitt cannot seem to figure out how to match her. Now she is sending him a clear message: Before she will come to the bargaining table, he has to get his s**t together. His alleged substance abuse and anger issues must be addressed. Does this mean Pitt has to go to rehab?
Photo: Holly Garner
Weekend With is an ongoing Instagram series that features people we like photographing places wed like to be. Follow @thecut on Instagram to join in, and tag your photos with #weekendwith when you travel somewhere new.
With hours to go before the election, we decided to call upon D.C.-based photographers to show us their city. From street art, to portraits of faces who make the nations capital the vibrant place that it is, Phil Martin and Holly Garner shared their favorite images of the political hub they call home.
Holly Garner is a social photographer based in Washington, D.C. with a masters degree in art history and a career at the National Gallery of Art. Her personal work is best described as a visual diary and through it she seeks to document her beloved city, her travels, and the people she meets along the way. After recognizing the lack of an established Instagram community in Washington, D.C., Holly created IGDC to fill the void.
Phil Martin is an autistic, self-taught photographer from the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Phil loves to tell stories through portraiture, which he says allows him to connect with subjects something that autism makes difficult for him in everyday life.
Photo: Holos/Getty Images
One can hardly turn the page in a womens magazine without hitting a guide for how to eat, dress, or merely exist like a French girl so heres something else to add to that never-ending list of fetishized Gallicisms. Today, Frenchwomen were encouraged to leave work at 4:34 p.m. to protest the gender pay gap. This demonstration comes a few weeks after women in Iceland took to the streets to do the same.
Per The Guardian, as of 2014, the 13.8 million working women in France made up 48 percent of the workforce, though mens salaries were 15.1 percent higher. According to the women at Les Glorieuses, a feminist newsletter, From 7 November at 16.34 (and seven seconds) women will be working voluntarily. If women were paid as much as men, they could stop working on November 7 at 16.34.
In fact, Les Glorieuses suggests women should take the last 38.2 days of the year off. Considering how the wage gap in the United States is projected to close in 136 years, its not the worst plan.
comey should be fired
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Sad moment. A new US citizen from Africa told me US election reminds him of his country, where police go after one candidate be4 election. Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) November 4, 2016
tbh tbh
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It's probably not a great political move but if I were Hillary it would be a bloodbath in the FBI as soon as I took office. If I'm going to be hated anyway you might as well fear me also.
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for real, it was an obvious indictment from the start
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the fact they told the crypt keep Rudy Giulliani that they were planning to do that
they need to fire Comey and the New York branch
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if these damn emails put trump in the white house i swear to GOD i will lose my fucking mind
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I sort of assumed dems weren't gonna get the senate back anyway. We're gonna have four years of Hillary not being able to get nearly enough done because of them, but hey, that's still better than a Trump presidency with a republican senate.
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just curious how do you know the war monger will win over the racist cheeto?
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Yeah, I think Hillary will win but there's no chance of passing any of her campaign promises.
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dems will control the senate...
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Most people don't understand the email thing imo
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MORE: RNC releases statement on FBI letter about Clinton email review https://t.co/cVXPro91CB pic.twitter.com/hEjIMuVe0E ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 6, 2016
Edited at 2016-11-07 12:00 am (UTC)
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Bill Maher said it best, if Trump wins, they are the GOVERNMENT
Giuliani head of the FBI
Christie Attorney General
Trump President
terrifying.
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Ugh, eat a dick, Paul Ryan
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How hilarious that Christie is responsible for Trump's transition team if he wins.
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Thank you everyone who voted Hillary early, thank you everyone who is imminently going to vote Hillary, and thank you for not bringing about the end of human history!
Dear 2017 - please come early and cleanse us all. It's going to be a wild next few days... Good luck, America!Thank you everyone who voted Hillary early, thank you everyone who is imminently going to vote Hillary, and thank you for not bringing about the end of human history!Dear 2017 - please come early and cleanse us all.
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The sad thing is that if she does clean house, she'll be accused of treating her dissenters the way people said Trump would.
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yup, no matter what she'll get flack
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i hope Obama does it between now and when Hillary takes office. Since he's out of politics, he doesn't have anything to lose and it saves her all the backlash.
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i'm not american and i don't get what this means/what it was (i thought wikileaks did it?) but good
i still think she'll be elected tho
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People are conflating all the email issues (not your fault, the Republicans constantly do this and reporters on TV seldom clarify).
There was an initial investigation because Clinton had a private server to store her emails that it turned out she wasn't supposed to have while Secretary of State. The FBI investigated and determined that ultimately she wasn't trying to hide stuff or sneak classified information.
Then Wikileaks, who hate Clinton and want Trump to win, infiltrated her campaign manager's email and have been slowly leaking private campaign emails that belong to her staffers that are all from 2016.
Then the FBI, who were investigating Anthony Weiner, who is the husband of one of Hillary Clinton's closest aides, because he might have been sexting an underage girl, found some of the aide's emails on one of Anthony Weiner's devices which is when they announced they had to go look through the emails to see if they were relevant to their previous investigation when Hillary was secretary of state and today they announced they were mostly duplicates of the other emails they checks with some personal emails so there was no reason to charge Clinton or her aides with anything.
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Thank you for this, the whole thing was quite confusing
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thank you, this was really helpful. tbf the more i read about it the more confusing it got
this is a huge mess holy shit. and wikileaks is such a joke at this point
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thanks for this !
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thank you for writing this up!
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lmao me too i have no idea what's going on over there but i think she will be elected
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I've been fairly convinced of her win for a while tbh
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Nobody cared about the emails. If this impacted your vote then you were never going to vote for her to begin with.
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I'm disgusted at what Trump said about Minnesotas Somali population tonight.
You know it better than anybody, Trump tells Minnesota crowd as he talks about danger of allowing refugees into US. Youve suffered enough in Minnesota, Trump says after pointing to Somali refugees who have settled in the state.
Somali-Americans are not a burden or a threatthey are our neighbors. We are #StrongerTogether. https://t.co/mmxcXYUuqX Hillary for MN (@HillaryforMN) November 6, 2016
Going ot from the fbi...I'm disgusted at what Trump said about Minnesotas Somali population tonight.You know it better than anybody, Trump tells Minnesota crowd as he talks about danger of allowing refugees into US. Youve suffered enough in Minnesota, Trump says after pointing to Somali refugees who have settled in the state.
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how is it possible for one person to be so ugly inside and out jfc
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thats fucked fucccked up
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Fuck him so much. I cannot wait until the day he bites it. I'll be baking a cake in celebration that such ugly hatred left the world.
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honestly I want his followers to croak more than I do him, cause they're the entire problem
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God, it's infuriating. And he sounds like a child talking, the way he repeats everything and is always qualifying statements with things like, "Honestly!" and "Believe me!" which is a huge flag that he's bullshitting.
I know he's pandering to people who read on the 7th grade level at most but jfc.
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This is disgusting.
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YOU'VE SUFFERED ENOUGH
oh my god, shut up, we're not fucking suffering here in Minnesota because of refugees... we're fine the police are just insane and it gets really fucking cold here, that's it
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what the fuck
i wanna say he doesn't surprise me anymore but i can't help but get sick over his statements every time
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lmao now he's coming for us Somali's? This fool
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I live in North Dakota, but I consider myself Minnesotan because I spent most of my life there and grew up there. When I saw what Trump said on my Twitter feed I was so pissed off.
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go to hell, trash
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Fuck him.
Also I live in a city with a small but significant Somali population. They literally are my neighbours. Everything he's saying is so hate filled and disgusting.
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There really aren't even words at this point for how despicable he and his deplorables are.
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ugh he's fucking disgusting
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Ugh he's here right now?! That's such bullshit that he said all that about the Somali community here
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what the shit
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nvm I read transcript
Edited at 2016-11-07 01:59 am (UTC)
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i'm from a town in minnesota with a sizable somali population and the things my family and others around me say (the somalis and the mexicans!!! arrrrggh!!!) is pretty much on par with what trump's saying here. he knows exactly what to say, it's infuriating and you really can't argue with people who agree with this rhetoric.
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lmao Trump waa shaydaan cad
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and tbh...
Twitter: The FBI is not acting like a neutral paragon of justice!
Black people: pic.twitter.com/BfJ2DzgWDT (@theshrillest) November 1, 2016
Comey needs to resign or be fired. And whatever you think of the nominees, how the FBI has been operating is scary and fucked up. That Guardian piece with sources within the FBI saying it's like Trumpland in the office is scary. Just the mere fact that stuff was being leaked out means Comey doesn't even control his own house. The Clinton campaign has already said there's evidence that what Comey did hurt senate and down ballot chances.and tbh...
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Yeah that Guardian piece was terrifying.
But when it explained the demographics of most of the agents it made sense. They need to seriously diversify.
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lemme guess... a bunch of old white men?
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lmao the tweet
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Shrill is one of the best people on Twitter.
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Idk, reading that piece, that seemed like a quote from one disgruntled Clinton supporter rather than an accurate reflection of general FBI culture; there's no way the majority of the FBI looks at trump as anything other than a headache, even if they were filled to the brim with Republicans
Not that I remotely agree with Comey's decision to do this before the election - whatever his worries that this would leak and give the FBI the appearance of bias (remember that before this, the FBI was seen as ~covering~ for Clinton) - coming out with an 'October surprise' was incontrovertibly worse. However, the stuff coming from the Democrats' end trying to question the motives/legitimacy of the FBI reminds me of the conspiratorial accusations in the wake of Comey's decision not to indict Clinton in July from delusional Trump supporters when things didn't go their way...I just think it's pretty likely this was down to terrible judgment, not some calculated effort to swing this election for Trump/Republicans.
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I recommend this piece. It's pretty horrifying. And because so much of government is run by racist white men this shouldn't even surprise me but it still infuriates me. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/03/fbi-leaks-hillary-clinton-james-comey-donald-trump
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Apparently there is a Pro-Trump fraction within the FBI that HATES Clinton.
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Some guy who lives a mile from
comey took a picture of his house, complete with a Trump sign out front.
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doxxing the head of the FBI? idk how to feel about that tbh
that said do you have the tweet? (can't help myself)
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seriously?!
where's the pic?
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He was also counsel for Northrup-Grumman, if thats any indication
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I doubt Comey supports Trump, but he is probably under a lot of pressure from Republicans within the FBI to secure Congress for the GOP even if Trump loses. Still, meddling in politics as a supposed nonpartisan figure is grounds for firing in my book.
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"HEY EVERYONE THERE MAY BE A FIRE I'LL CHECK HEY EVERYONE I CHECKED NO FIRE APPRECIATE THE CONGRATS"
-James Comey in a crowded theater Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) November 6, 2016
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lmao this is killing me
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lol omg.
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LMAO
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instant retweet
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Republicans have really fucked us. Even if Hillary wins, some in the Congress and the Senate are already saying they'll block her at every turn, they'll impeach her etc. etc. These petty ass motherfuckers truly are the worst.
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they were going to do that anyway, you know them
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They've already been doing that for eight years. They're very open about it, and somehow people still blame Obama for the lack of progress.
Usually that's what people mean when they say Hillary will be more of the same vs Trump being horrifyingly worse.
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i can't handle any more of this
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I think i know where this is from but it's on the tip of my tongue
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Atlantis: The Lost Empire :)
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Atlantis: The Lost Empire
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atlantis
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lmao sorry sis i didnt see a thousand people had replied 2 u, please forgive
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Harriet is flawless.
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this whole debacle makes me so mad. he was probably pressured to put his thumb on the scales to save the Republican majority in Congress. Fuck this guy.
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Well I hope he voted against him.
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I was walking door to door for the Dems this weekend because I live in a swing state with a close Senate race and I had a 79 year old guy call Trump an asshole. It was the highlight of my day. I was like wow, some old people get it.
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Ugh, that makes me really happy because I'm constantly visiting my grandmother's nursing home in a swing state and basically everyone there is horrible and racist.
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He has an international beard now? Intense.
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lol, I don't think he's gay tbh.
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yeah I feel like if he was gay he would of come out by now, maybe he's a when it's dark anything goes kind of guy
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he gives me major bi vibes
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i'm creeped out and idek how old these ppl are
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He's 27 and she's 20.
Not that bad but still kinda skeevy
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for hollywood that's actually very reasonable but i consider a 5/6 year difference pretty normal.
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given they are both adults, how is this 'skeevy'?
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From the source: The pair cozied up for a date at the Kings of Leon concert in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, on Saturday, November 5, and Us Weekly has all the details.
Rotterdam and Amsterdam are two different cities (this happened in Rotterdam). Like..
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Seriously, I hate this kind of BS.
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LOL I know. I just went with Amsterdam cause I didn't want to google search Kings of Leon concert dates.
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Oh no that's fine! I directed it more towards US weekly, I know they're just a gossip magazine but still. I'd expect them to do at least a liiiiiiiiiittle bit of research because now it looks like they think Amsterdam is a country lmao
Edited at 2016-11-07 09:54 pm (UTC)
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gross, she can do way better
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NOPE at this gif.
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She's not even 21
He couldn't find someone who was at least 21?
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To add to that you know he's gonna be going after one of those 5th Harmony members next year, prolly the racist one
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when was that in the 1970s?!!!
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my mum got married at 21 to my dad who was 30 :/
they're unsurprisingly divorced
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my parents got married in 1958...she was 17..he was 27...lasted 56 years married before she passed away...
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My mom was 19 when my dad was 32 and they got married. She's still to this day the more mature one in this relationship haha but they're happy and adorable together.
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lmao. whats the big deal? by 16, sophie could drink, smoke and have sex.
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Im torn because I think Joe is hot but also know he's a trash douchebag. Sophie can do better tbh.
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isn't she underage? ew
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She's 20
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lol my mind is a perma stuck on her being a bb on game of thrones
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She's Lindsay 2.0 in the making
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Bella Thorne's got that title on lock.
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this always makes me laugh. sometimes i really feel the same way, but i follow her on snapchat and for some reason really like her. bella is kind of obnoxious, and suuuper try hard(with showing off her body/being sexual), but i don't think she even drinks/smokes/does drugs or is simply off her rocker. she really comes off as just young and goofy af.
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she's not big enough imo I think a lot of what fucked up Lilo was that she was massive. Sophie's got a steady gig on GoT but she's not everywhere the way Lindsay was.
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I wish she would calm her shit on the drugs and the partying
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Gee, that KOL concert looks like a blast...
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Kings of Leon performed at the Oude Luxor Theater? I can't stand that place.
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well, at least not celebrities i guess. my mum is 6 years older than my dad, they got together when he was 21. but ur right, the norm is definitely that the guy is older in relationships.
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Nick Jonas was 19 when he and Delta Gorem (27) broke up.
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There's an associated sense of power and greater intelligence or wisdom with age. Men always have to have the greater amount.
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It's so gross to me that people don't even bat an eye because it's the "norm" for a man to date so much younger. Like the people who argue that there's nothing weird about Lawrence and that director. I can't stand how satisfied with himself he must feel for getting such a younger woman. And wonder why these women thinks it's OK.
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With each passing day there is another indication that OPEC has struck a deal to limit production in an effort to raise the price of oil from its current mid-$40 a barrel range. Usually these announcements rest upon the Saudis, Iranians, Iraqis or other member-states wanting to keep market share while raising prices to assist their floundering economies, or war-torn countries. These are some of the factors that have caused recent attempts at limiting production to fail.
What is never taken into account are balance sheets, profit and losses, to drill or expand, and whether or not there is sufficient demand for additional barrels of oil to reach world markets. Further, no one seems to be asking what to do with Chinese debt bubbles, and abundant supplies of crude sitting in storage around the world.
The laws of supply and demand, and international finance have taken a back seat to the whims of OPEC members who cant agree on production limits. Even recent announcements indicate OPEC is still drilling, pumping and exporting oil at a record pace. But why has it reached this point?
Simply put, the Saudis and Iranians deep dislike and distrtust for each other is one of the larger reasons OPEC cant agree on production limits and price adjustments. And while OPEC has managed to produce documents that outline strategy, until the Saudi-Iranian rift is solved it is hard to imagine anything else will matter regarding OPEC relevancy for production limits. The Russians not agreeing to cut production is important, but the Saudi-Iranian rift has deeper implications. Related: Surging M&A Activity Suggests The Worst Is Over For Oil
What was lost in the agreeing document was the Iranians balking at limiting production. The Iranians were seen as holding up real production cuts after years of crippling sanctions were recently lifted after the P5+1 agreement. Without the Iranians, the upcoming OPEC meeting in Vienna will not move oil into the $60 a barrel range that countries such as the Saudi Arabia, Russia, Libya and Venezuela desperately want.
With all of these challenges, and scuttlebutt of an OPEC implosion, where do investors go for solace and an understanding of where oil and gas markets are headed moving forward?
A few points for investors to remember OPEC and the fossil fuel markets arent going anywhere, anytime soon. With over 6,000 products connected to petroleum, only the misinformed see oil markets dissolving in the near future. And with regards to OPEC, while not being as effective as they were in the past, and even with the Saudi-Iranian infighting going on, the cartel will still be producing around 40 percent of the worlds oil supply. The era of peak oil never really began, and with real savings going into consumers pockets worldwide, renewables will grow, but oil and gas are here to stay for decades.
By Todd Royal for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
In the midst of a week of bad to terrible news for oil prices, OPEC tried to alleviate concerns that its meeting this November will, in fact, produce a meaningful deal on production cuts.
We remain deeply optimistic about the possibility that the Algiers agreement will be complemented by precise, decisive action among all producers, announced OPEC via its regular publication, OPEC Bulletin. The announcement came as industry analysts and pundits criticized the organization, casting doubt on its ability to deliver a deal on a production freeze. OPEC was also very visibly lashing out at critics who have criticized its ability to influence markets in a substantive way.
The September announcement helped push prices past $50 for over a week, before they plunged back down to $44 this week. The decline was largely attributed to massive inventory build reports from the EIA and API. The zig-zagging of prices mirrors a similar trend from last April, when an anticipated OPEC freeze deal at Doha helped send prices up before disagreements between Saudi Arabia and Iran caused Riyadh to scupper the deal, leaving markets to tumble.
At this point, with an imminent OPEC meeting and consistently weak fundamentals, serious investors need to ask themselves: why trust OPEC? Why place any confidence in its ability to manage production or influence the market to send prices in positive directions?
First, the basics: OPEC accounts for just over 40 percent of global production, with the bulk of production coming from its largest members, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran. From November 2014 onwards, Saudi Arabia has committed itself to increased production, in an attempt to drive down prices and force competing producers (including U.S. shale oil drillers and fellow OPEC member Iran) from the market.
The Saudi effort, as recently reported, probably yielded it about 1 percent extra market share. In the meantime, Saudi currency reserves have plummeted. The state budget faced a $95 billion deficit in 2015 and the deficit for 2016 is likely to exceed $80 billion.
This campaign ended recently with the Saudi decision to push for a production freeze in September. But the announcement in September, which was essentially a promise that a deal would be reached even if no one knew how, immediately triggered dissent within the ranks of OPECs non-Saudi members. Specifically, its other two top producers had serious problems with the Saudi position and they made their feelings known last week.
Iran has pushed for an exemption from production limits, arguing that it has yet to recover from the sanctions that were lifted in January. Irans oil minister Bijan Zanganeh had previously declared Irans intended target was 4 million bpd, but in October Iran announced it hoped to pump as much as 4.28 million bpd of crude and 1 million bpd of condensate within four years, according to Bloomberg.
Recent reports from Reuters indicate running tensions between Tehran, which is determined to boost production, and Riyadh. The Saudis have reportedly threatened to raise production even further, potentially past 11 million bpd, if the Iranians dont comply with a production freeze deal. Their offer of a deal, cutting their own production to 10.2 million if the Iranians cut their own to 3.6-3.7 million, isnt likely to cut much ice with the Iranians, who have been pushing for higher production for nearly a year. Related: Expert Commentary: Why Oil Tanked And Why Itll Stage A Comeback
And what of the Iraqis? OPECs second-biggest producer has been disputing official OPEC figures, arguing that its production level is being badly misjudged by the OPEC secretariat and its secondary sources, the means by which OPEC sets production quotas. Iraq has, for decades now, been exempt from any production quotas, and it is now fighting an expensive and destructive war against ISIS. It badly needs oil revenues, both to keep its economy afloat and pay for national reconstruction once ISIS is pushed out of Mosul. So the Iraqi objective is to support a production freeze (which would raise prices) without having to cut its own production.
This situation has become more complicated however, as the independent Kurdish region of northern Iraq, itself a significant oil producer, has disputed Iraqs own oil production figures. In September, Baghdad released a rare field-by-field breakdown of its oil production, and included the Kurdish fields: but the Kurds have argued that its fields were double-counted, creating a 290,000 bpd discrepancy between the Kurdish and Iraqi figures.
This throws the whole question of oil production figures into question. OPEC estimates Iraqi production at 4.4 million bpd, while Iraq has claimed it produces 4.7 million bpd, a figure which the Kurds have now revealed to be false. Related: Nigeria Requires Constitutional Revisions To Stop Oil Attacks
Disagreements over OPECs figures and domestic figures have been a stable of OPECs internal politics, going back to the 1980s. But this current dispute is particularly important, as Saudi Arabia will need Iraqs tacit approval of a production freeze to give it the necessary legitimacy. Exemptions have already been granted to Nigeria and Libya; without Iraq and Iran, cuts from Saudi Arabia and other members wouldnt make a dent in the global supply-demand balance.
So again, the question is: why should investors take OPEC seriously? When its internal politics have become so disruptive, when its ability to influence the market and global production in meaningful ways appears so limited, and when its chief members threaten to increase production before implementing a freeze, are there compelling reasons for serious market watchers to give the worlds oil cartel which isnt a cartel the time of day?
If a production freeze is reached on November 30, it will be a small miracle and could send prices back up above $50. But it is likely the criticisms of OPEC and doubts about its continued relevance will only grow.
By Gregory Brew for Oilprice.com
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Saudi Aramco has suspended all shipments of fuels to Egypt indefinitely, according to a spokesman for Egypts Oil Minister Tarek El Molla. The shipments were part of a US$23-billion aid deal, agreed by the two neighbors this spring.
The shipments were first suspended last month with no details given, but at the time, the Egyptian side said the agreement was still in force and shipments would be resumed soon.
Now, the Saudis have apparently decided to flex their muscles after a member of El Mollas delegation to the International Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi told media that the ministry was planning a visit to Iran to discuss energy contracts.
A spokesman for the ministry declined to comment on whether this was indeed a planned move. He said, They did not give us a reason. They only informed the authority about halting shipments of petroleum products until further notice.
A spokesman for Egypts Foreign Ministry also told Reuters that he was unaware of such a visit. The minister, however, denied the information to the media present at the Abu Dhabi event.
Aramco has not commented on the shipments halt yet; the ceased shipments will more than likely lead to an escalation of the tension between the two countries.
Reuters quoted three more sources confirming the information about an Egypt-Iran meeting. This meeting would now have to be delayed after that delegation member blew the whistle.
An earlier report by the agency quoted the initial source with saying that Cairo had decided to approach Iran after Aramco initially suspended fuel shipments to Egypt.
Egypt and Iran have not had a smooth relationship in the past. Relations were strained after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. An energy deal could put an end to these tensions, but it would put a wedge between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which has been the biggest among regional powers providing much-needed financial help for the Egyptian economy after the Arab spring there.
Egypt, for its part, although Saudi Arabias ally, has been reluctant to provide public support for the latters campaign against the Yemeni Houthis.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
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The chief executive of Italys oil major Eni SpA (NYSE:E), Claudio Descalzi, thinks that OPEC-only output cuts is not enough to lift crude oil prices, and that there should be a broader agreement among non-OPEC producers, the manager told Bloomberg in an interview on Monday.
OPEC alone is not enoughWe have to find a more general consensus among all producers, Descalzi who is a speaker at the ongoing Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference told Bloomberg.
Since OPEC agreed in late September that it would be working to reach a deal to limit production to 32.5 million bpd-33 million bpd, theres been more than a month of reports, hints, and non-committal remarks regarding OPECs motivation, ability, and feasibility of scraping together a deal, as well as non-OPEC producers backing or not backing a freeze/cut.
After initially saying in early October that it would back a deal, more recently non-OPEC Russia has continued to ramp up production.
Within OPEC alone, there is no understanding at all, except for giving Libya and Nigeria, and possibly Iran, an exemption from any cuts, due to their recent history of violence and sanctions. Iraq has also joined the group of those demanding an exemption, apart from disputing the way OPEC uses secondary sources to estimate its members output.
Saudi Arabia and Iran are reportedly reverting back to their good old ways of bickering. It seems that no two OPEC members are on the same page, let alone all 14 producers.
Descalzi, of course, hopes for a deal to be reached, and hopes that the deal, if reached, will also include non-OPEC producers, because, as he told Bloomberg, $50 oil is OK and enough for Enis breakeven price and for covering its investments, dividends, and operating cash flow.
Eni, whose third-quarter figures missed estimates, continues to cut capital expenditure in order to cope with the slump in crude oil prices.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Descalzi said on Monday:
2017 will still be a very low capex year, and we have to try to optimize, and we have to reduce capex but be able to maintain production.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
We know time is a precious thing, so these Millennial Life Hacks will never take you longer than five minutes to get some excellent advice plus a video under one minute. What will you do with all that extra time?
Vote ... now
For many millennials, this may be the first election they are voting for president. For many, that alone can be daunting enough to keep you away from the polls if this year's antics haven't already done so. Here are a few things to make it easier to vote (some extra info in your back pocket)
First, and this is new this Presidential election, Wisconsin requires a photo ID (drivers license, state ID or passport) to vote and to register. You can register the day of the election, Nov. 8, or you can follow the links in this article to get things going.
I heard a local radio DJ saying the 18th was the last day to register ... BY MAIL. You're going to hear a lot to sway your vote even get fake looking ballots in the mail. The best advice is to vote at your local polling place. If you're a student, bring your ID and a CURRENT utility bill to prove residence here even if you live in another part of Wisconsin.
It's important that YOUR generation gets out to vote because you're the largest population this election effects. Millennials surpassed Baby Boomers last year... and Gen X is just a blip.
When asked why East Side resident Anna Leah was voting, she said, "Of course I intend to vote. Voting is one of, I think, our main responsibilities as citizens, locally and nationally. It's crucial if we want to see change to participate." Leah continued to say, "[I] did vote in the primaries. It's always good to get a feel for what we're looking at moving forward even if it's only a preliminary vote and doesn't directly reflect the election."
In essence, your primary vote determines your final vote And you came up with Trump and Clinton.
Why is it so important that you get out to vote? I reached out to Brian Wooldridge of Wisconsin Citizen Action and asked him that same question.
"We've seen here in Wisconsin that by not getting out to vote [our citizens] let Governor Scott Walker to stay in office and solidified the Wisconsin Supreme Court as a pro-right-wing agenda court. Leaving Walker in office gave us the anti-middle class Right-To-Work, anti-democracy photo ID, the school slashing budget, the continued failed WEDC and job growth, and the corruption and drowning of Wisconsin's Campaign Finance laws, to say a few," said Wooldridge.
And here is the most important thing for you: Voting is your SUPERPOWER.
"We had a chance with the recall to put a stop to this, and we didn't," Wooldridge added. "Yes, voting for president is extremely important, but voting for state and local office holders is even more important and will certainly effect your daily life."
Wooldridge goes on to remind us, "Your vote is your voice ... and it counts."
Here are some links to give you more resources:
LWV.org to register today League of Women Voters
City of Milwaukee Election Commission at city.milwaukee.gov/election
www.politifact.com (if you think someone is being less than factual
And you can vote NOW!
Yes, Wisconsin is one of only 34 states plus the District of Columbia that has early voting. You can vote today, but early voting closes this Friday, Nov. 4, at 5 p.m., Downtown at the Frank P. Zeidler Municipal Building right next to City Hall. After that, you must vote at your neighborhood polling place.
Just a quick cheat sheet, here are your options:
Donald J. Trump and Mike Pence (Republican)
Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine (Democrat)
Gary Johnson and Bill Weld (Libertarian)
Dr. Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka (Green Party)
Now, a lot of people talk about voting neither main parties, or simply writing in a name. It's your vote, and you can do that. But the system is rigged a bit in the sense that with really a two-party system, by voting for Johnson or Stein, essentially you throw away your vote in protest. Come November, either Clinton or Trump will be sitting in the Oval Office. That said, being the largest voting population, it's your call.
If you have questions, ask someone you trust to assist you.
See original here
By Rev. John Dear
'It was one of the greatest, most peaceful marches I have ever experienced in a lifetime of marching for justice and peace,' writes Dear of his experience at Standing Rock.
(Image by (Photo: Steven Martin/National Council of Churches)) Details DMCA
Like millions of other concerned people, I've followed the standoff at the Standing Rock Sioux Nation in North Dakota for months. The good people of Standing Rock -- including the Dakota, the Lakota and the Sioux -- have stood their ground since April to block the evil 1,170 mile, $3.7 billion Dakota Access Oil Pipeline which will dig beneath the three-mile-wide Missouri River, potentially poisoning the water for hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people, and desecrating the sacred land of Indigenous people. They've built several large camps and a permanent campaign that has gained the support of 200 other tribes.
Thousands have made the journey to the Standing Rock to stand in solidarity. The Obama administration has told the Army Corps not to issue the permit for drilling under the river but the preparations continue. Hundreds of unarmed peaceful people have been arrested in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience. State police and brutal pipeline security guards have attacked the nonviolent people with dogs, mace, tear gas and rubber bullets and consistently lied to the media, blaming the peaceful people for their violence.
Through it all, the Native American people have stood and walked in a steadfast spirit of prayer and nonviolence. Before our eyes, they have demonstrated that rare kind of satyagraha reached by Mahatma Gandhi, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the finest nonviolent movements in history. In doing so, they have exposed for all the world to see the centuries old racist war on Native Americans and the equally centuries old war on the earth itself, as well as the power of creative nonviolence when wielded properly.
Last week, a national call to clergy went out. Clergy were summoned to drop everything and get to Standing Rock for a day of prayer and repentance, and a march from the main camp to the bridge where the police and pipeline security officials block the road to the notorious pipeline construction site.
And so I went. Over six hundred women and men priests and ministers from various Christian denominations made the journey, along with hundreds of other activists. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.
Looking out from the plane over the barren prairies of North Dakota, I was startled by the massive bright blue Missouri River. It is much bigger than I realized. From the air, it was so clear to see that, indeed, "Water Is Life," as the Standing Rock saying teaches. Our plane was packed with church folk and young activists, and so was the Bismarck airport. There was excitement and hope in the air. Solidarity seemed alive and well.
As I drove south under the big blue sky across the rolling brown prairies to the village of Cannon Ball near the Standing Rock camp, the orange sun began to set and the sacred landscape radiated beauty, energy and life. I walked into the packed gymnasium for the evening orientation and nonviolence training, and found a hushed standing-room-only crowd listening attentively to Father John, the local Episcopal priest who has served here for 25 years, as he explained the scenario for the next day. Several Standing Rock leaders spoke before food and refreshments were offered. It was clear from the get-go that nonviolence was the order of the day.
They call themselves "protectors" not protesters, "pray-ers not disrupters, "peacemakers" not "troublemakers." It's that creative nonviolence that has attracted the interest and sympathy of people around the country and the world.
The next morning, I drove to the Oceti Sakowin camp as the sun rose over the mysterious North Dakota landscape. From the hills above the camp, it looked like a sea of tents with the striking exception of the scores of large white tee pees sprinkled throughout the camp. It was a sight to behold. The Cannon Ball River ran along one side of the camp and large brown rolling hills circled the entire area in the distance. Here, for the past months, thousands of people have maintained a nonviolent satyagraha campaign to protect the land, the water, and the dignity of the Standing Rock people.
At 7 am, as I approached the main gathering place for worship, I noticed the large billboard with the camp rules: "We are protectors. We are peaceful and prayerful. We are nonviolent. ISMS have no place here. We respect the locals. We do not carry weapons. We keep each other accountable."
There, around the Sacred Fire, several dozen Native women offered morning prayers and then set off for the daily walk to bless the water. Over the next two hours, hundreds of clergy, mainly women and men Episcopal priests, arrived and greeted one another. Over the course of the day, we exchanged stories, shared our feelings and plotted strategies for future solidarity. I was happy to see friends Ann Wright of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Rev. Lennox Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus, and Bill McKibben of 350.org.
At 9am, Father John began a liturgy of prayer and repentance, where we formally denounced the ancient "Doctrine of Discovery," the church document from the 1490s which empowered European authorities to steal the land and resources of indigenous peoples. After silence and prayers, it was burned in the Sacred Fire. Then the march began.
We set out from the camp, by now a thousand of us, well over half in various clerical church attire, with black robes, white collars, and colorful stoles. Most of us carried bright posters that read "Clergy Stand with Standing Rock."
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From The Nation
Somali Activist Wins Minneapolis District Democratic Primary
(Image by wjon.com) Details DMCA
Donald Trump went to Minnesota Sunday, seeking a "path to victory" in a state that has not voted for a Republican for president since 1972. It was an absurd turn on the campaign trail, which appears to have been motivated by the racism and xenophobia of the Republican presidential nominee and his team rather than any political logic.
The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are home to the nation's largest community of Somali Americans, and Trump came in hopes of turning their neighbors against them.
"Here in Minnesota, you've seen firsthand the problems caused with faulty refugee vetting, with very large numbers of Somali refugees coming into your state without your knowledge, without your support or approval," Trump told the crowd at his rally in an airplane hangar near the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Exploiting isolated incidents to suggest that the predominantly Muslim Somali community poses a threat -- with "some of them joining ISIS and spreading their extremist views all over our country and all over the world" -- Trump claimed: "You don't even have the right to talk about it. You don't even know who's coming in. You'll find out. You'll find out."
That was a false statement. As was Trump's claim that Democrat Hillary Clinton's approach to refugee resettlement would "import generations of terrorism, extremism and radicalism into your schools and communities."
Despite Trump's fierce rhetoric during his brief visit, Clinton is expected to win Minnesota with ease on Tuesday. And that won't be the only rebuke to Trump and Trumpism.
Minneapolis voters are expected to endorse the candidacy of the first Somali-American woman to hold elected public office in the United States. Ilhan Omar, the Democratic nominee for a state House seat in an overwhelmingly Democratic district, was born in Somalia in 1982 and lived in a Kenyan refugee camp before settling in Minnesota in 1997. With a long history of political activism, this Paul Wellstone-style progressive says, "It matters that I am a woman. It matters that I am a Somali-American woman. It matters that I am a Muslim and immigrant woman. It matters that our campaign won the primary by creating a multicultural coalition."
Click Here to Read Whole Article
From Consortium News
Samantha Power, Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN, addresses the Security Council meeting on Syria, Sept. 25, 2016. Power has been an advocate for escalating U.S. military involvement in Syria.
(Image by (UN Photo)) Details DMCA
As much as The New York Times and the mainstream U.S. media have become propaganda outlets on most foreign policy issues, like the one-sided coverage of the bloody Syrian war, sometimes the truth seeps through in on-the-ground reporting by correspondents, even ones who usually are pushing the "propo."
Such was the case with Anne Barnard's new reporting from inside west Aleppo, the major portion of the city which is in government hands and copes with regular terror rocket and mortar attacks from rebel-held east Aleppo where Al Qaeda militants and U.S.-armed-and-funded "moderate" rebels fight side-by-side.
Barnard also finally puts the blame for preventing civilians in east Aleppo from escaping the fighting on a rebel policy of keeping them in harm's way rather than letting them transit through "humanitarian corridors" to safety. Some of her earlier pro-rebel accounts suggested that it wasn't clear who was stopping movement of civilians through those corridors.
Almost in passing, Barnard's article on Sunday acknowledged the rarely admitted reality of the Al Qaeda/"moderate" rebel collaboration, which puts the United States into a de facto alliance with Al Qaeda terrorists and their jihadist allies, fighting under banners such as Nusra Front (recently renamed Syria Conquest Front) and Ahrar al-Sham.
However, on Sunday, she reported: "We had arrived at a critical moment, as Russia said there was only one day left to pass through a corridor it had provided for people to escape eastern Aleppo before the rebel side was flattened, a corridor through which precious few had passed. The government says rebels are preventing civilians from leaving. Rebels refuse any evacuation without international supervision and a broader deal to deliver humanitarian aid."
Granted, you still have to read between the lines, but at least there is the acknowledgement that rebels are refusing civilian evacuations under the current conditions. How that is different from Islamic State terrorists in Mosul, Iraq, preventing departures from their areas -- a practice which the Times and other U.S. outlets condemn as using women and children as "human shields" -- isn't addressed. But Barnard's crimped admission is at least a start.
Barnard then writes: "Instead [of allowing civilians to move through the humanitarian corridors], they [the rebels] are trying to break the siege, with Qaeda-linked groups and those backed by the United States working together -- the opposite of what Russia has demanded."
Again, that isn't the clearest description of the situation, which is stunning enough that one might have expected it in the lede rather than buried deep inside the story, but it is significant that the Times is recognizing that Al Qaeda and the U.S.-backed "moderates" are "working together" and that Russia opposes that collaboration.
She also noted that "Three Qaeda-linked suicide bombers attacked a military position with explosive-packed personnel carriers on Thursday, military officials said, and mortar fire was raining on neighborhoods that until now had been relatively safe. It was among the most intense rounds in four years of rebel shelling that officials say has killed 11,000 civilians."
While she then throws in a caveat about the impossibility of verifying the numbers, the acknowledgement that the U.S.-backed "moderate" rebels and their Al Qaeda comrades have been shelling civilians in west Aleppo is significant, too. Before this, all the American people heard was the other side, from rebel-held east Aleppo, about the human suffering there, often conveyed by "activists" with video cameras who have depicted the conflict as simply the willful killing of children by the evil Syrian government and the even more evil Russians.
More Balance
With the admission of rebel terror attacks on civilians in west Aleppo, the picture finally is put into more balance. The Al Qaeda and U.S.-backed rebels have been killing thousands of civilians in government-controlled areas and the Syrian military and its Russian allies have struck back only to be condemned for committing "war crimes."
For instance, senior U.S. government officials, including President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, have defended Israel's right to defend itself from rockets fired from inside Gaza even though those missile rarely kill anyone. Yet, Israel is allowed to bomb the near-defenseless people of Gaza at will, killing thousands including the four little boys blown apart in July 2014 while playing on a beach during the last round of what the Israelis call "mowing the grass."
Though the human toll in both sides of Aleppo is tragic, we have seen comparable situations before -- in which the U.S. government has supported, supplied and encouraged governments to mount fierce offensives to silence rockets or mortars fired by rebels toward civilian areas.
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Brian P. Moore
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In announcing his support, the 73-year-old Moore said that De La Fuente's little-noticed candidacy "more closely embodies the spirit and substance of the pope's message than either of the major-party candidates seeking the presidency."
During his address on Saturday, Pope Francis spoke out strongly against the use of "fear" in politics while urging world leaders to do more for the world's troubling refugee crisis. He also condemned the use of walls to keep refugees out.
While urging the defeat of "false prophets who exploit fear and desperation, who sell magic formulas of hatred and cruelty or selfish well-being and illusory security," the pope told Saturday's gathering that tyranny can only thrive by exploiting fear. "Citizens are walled-up, terrified, on one side; on the other side, even more terrified, are the excluded and banished," he said.
The pope's speech was viewed by many as a not-so-subtle attack on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, whose controversial proposal to build a wall between the United States and Mexico has been one of the most contentious issues of the current presidential campaign.
Earlier this year, Pope Francis weighed in on Trump's proposal without identifying the GOP candidate by name. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel," he said during a visit to Mexico in February.
Moore, who garnered more than 201,000 votes in an unsuccessful bid for governor of Florida in the state's 2010 Democratic primary, said that De La Fuente's candidacy was "a breath of fresh air" in what he described as "the worst presidential campaign" of his lifetime.
"Rocky is exactly the kind of person we need in the White House," said Moore. "He has dignity, compassion and, more importantly, integrity -- qualities glaringly lacking in our other choices for the presidency this year."
The longtime antiwar activist and political adventurer effusively praised De La Fuente's philanthropic and humanitarian activities.
Moore, who said he believed the third-party candidate was far more likely to keep the United States out of unnecessary foreign conflicts and would be more compassionate than either Clinton or Trump when addressing the world's growing refugee crisis. According to the United Nations, there are currently more than 65 million globally displaced people around the world -- the largest number in recorded history. Incredibly, nearly 100,000 of them are children from war-torn countries who have attempted the journey on their own.
"As Pope Francis eloquently stated on Saturday, the answer to the Syrian refugee problem isn't to build more walls and fences, as we're currently seeing in Europe, nor is it to ban Muslims and refugees, regardless of where they are from, here in the United States," declared Moore, who has long been active in building U.S. support for Syrian and other refugees and can frequently be seen carrying "Refugees Matter" signs at local protests and demonstrations in the Tampa and St. Petersburg area.
Moore, who predicted more than 3 years ago that the newly-installed Pope Francis would "send a lightning bolt of hope and revolution" to the poor and suffering across the globe and thus far hasn't been disappointed, once studied in a Franciscan seminary and maintained a lifelong friendship with his late mentor, John Vaughn, the longtime minister general for the Franciscan order, the worldwide leader of those who adhere to the spiritual teachings of St. Francis of Assisi. Vaughn served in that capacity from 1979 to 1991. Vaughn, who died last month, was only the second American in history to hold that position.
No stranger to presidential campaigns himself -- he was the Socialist Party's candidate for President in 2008 -- Moore said that he was impressed by De La Fuente's livestream responses during the final nationally-televised Clinton-Trump debate on October 19 th . He said that he was particularly struck by De La Fuente's answer to a question about Hillary Clinton's call for a no-fly zone in Syria and the concerns expressed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff that such a policy could lead to war with Syria and Russia.
"There is nothing wrong when you are playing chess, to have a stalemate," De La Fuente had calmly stated during that debate. "It is not about Russia or Syria winning. We need to be able to try to prevent more human loss, more human misery.
"I am Catholic, I am Roman Catholic, my kids are Roman Catholic," the third-party candidate continued. "I married a Persian woman from Iran. She is Muslim. I understand how Muslims think, I understand how Catholics think".I understand how Jewish people think. Also, I know about the Baha'i religion. You need to have a general understanding of the world to be able to make decisions," he said, adding that those currently directing U.S. foreign policy have "no idea what happens in South America, they have no idea what happened in the Middle East, they have no idea what happens in China."
"Rocky had the most thoughtful response," said Moore. "I knew then that I had to take a serious look at his candidacy and I haven't been disappointed."
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From Robert Reich Blog
Donald Trump presidency horror
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Even if he loses (and I believe he will), Donald Trump has done incalculable damage to America -- eroding the trust and social cohesion the nation depends on.
But he couldn't have accomplished this without three sets of enablers. They must be held accountable, too.
The first is the Republican Party.
For years the GOP has nurtured the xenophobia, racism, fact-free allegations, and wanton disregard for democratic institutions that Trump has fed on.
Republican fear-mongering over immigrants predated Trump. It forced Marco Rubio to abandon his immigration legislation, and, in 2012, pushed Mitt Romney to ludicrously recommend "self-deportation."
During this year's Republican primaries, Ben Carson opined that no Muslim should be president of the United States, and Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz suggested Syrian refugees be divided into Christians and Muslims, with only the former allowed entry.
Trump's racism is nothing new, either. Republicans have long played the race card -- charging Democrats with coddling black "welfare queens" and being soft on black crime (remember "Willie Horton").
Trump's disdain of facts is also preceded by a long Republican tradition -- denying, for example, that carbon emissions cause climate change, and tax cuts increase budget deficits.
And Trump's threats not to be bound by the outcome of the election are consistent with the GOP's persistent threats to shut down the government over policy disagreements, and oft-repeated calls for nullification of Supreme Court decisions.
The second set of Trump enablers is the media.
"Trump is arguably the first bona fide media-created presidential nominee," concluded a study by Harvard's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy.
By mid-March, 2016, the New York Times reported that Trump had received almost $1.9 billion of free attention from media of all types -- more than twice what Hillary Clinton received and six times that of Ted Cruz, Trump's nearest Republican rival.
The explanation for this is easy. Trump was already a media personality, and his outrageousness generated an audience -- which, in turn, created big profits for the media.
Media columnist Jim Rutenberg reported CNN president Jeff Zucker gushing over the Trump-induced ratings. "These numbers are crazy -- crazy." CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves said, "It may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS. The money's rolling in and this is fun."
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"As I look at America today, I am not afraid to say that I am afraid."--Former presidential advisor Bertram Gross
A citizenry can only hold its government accountable if it knows when the government oversteps its bounds.
Unfortunately, the American governmental scheme is sliding ever closer towards a pervasive authoritarianism precisely because Americans are clueless about their rights--because Americans have been brainwashed into believing that their only duty as citizens is to vote--because the citizenry has failed to hold government officials accountable to abiding by the Constitution--and because young people are no longer being taught the fundamentals of the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, resulting in citizens who don't even know they have rights.
This steady slide towards tyranny, meted out by militarized local and federal police and legalistic bureaucrats, has been carried forward by each successive president over the past fifty years regardless of their political affiliation.
Big government has grown bigger and the rights of the citizenry have grown smaller.
However, there are certain principles--principles that every American should know--that undergird the American system of government and form the basis for the freedoms our forefathers fought and died for.
The following seven principles are a good starting point for understanding what free government is really all about.
First, the maxim that power corrupts is an absolute truth. Those who drafted the Constitution held one principle sacrosanct: a distrust of all who hold governmental power. As Thomas Jefferson warned, "Let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution."
The second principle is that governments primarily exist to secure rights, an idea that is central to constitutionalism. The purpose of constitutionalism is to limit governmental power and ensure that the government performs its basic function: to preserve and protect our rights, especially our unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and our civil liberties. Unfortunately, the government today has discarded this principle and now sees itself as our master, not our servant.
The third principle revolves around the belief that no one is above the law, not even those who make the law. This is termed rule of law. If all people possess equal rights, the people who live under the laws must be allowed to participate in making those laws. By that same token, those who make the laws must live under the laws they make.
Fourth, separation of powers ensures that no single authority is entrusted with all the powers of government. It is for this reason that the government is divided into three co-equal branches: legislative, executive and judicial. Placing all three powers in the same branch of government was considered the very definition of tyranny by the Framers.
Fifth, a system of checks and balances, essential if a constitutional government is to succeed, strengthens the separation of powers and prevents legislative despotism. The Framers feared that Congress could abuse its powers and potentially emerge as the tyrannous branch because it had the power to tax. But they did not anticipate the emergence of presidential powers as they have come to dominate modern government or the inordinate influence of corporate powers on governmental decision-making.
Sixth, representation allows the people to have a voice in government by sending elected representatives to do their bidding while avoiding the need of each and every citizen to vote on every issue considered by government.If the people don't agree with how their representatives are conducting themselves, they can and should vote them out.
Finally, federalism is yet another constitutional device to limit the power of government by dividing power and, thus, preventing tyranny. Because local and particular interests differ from place to place, such interests are better handled at a more intimate level by local governments, not a bureaucratic national government. Unfortunately, we are now governed by top-heavy government emanating from Washington DC that has no respect for local institutions or traditions.
These seven vital principles have been largely forgotten in recent years, obscured by the haze of a centralized government, a citizenry that no longer thinks analytically, and schools that don't adequately teach our young people about their history and their rights.
Yet here's the rub: while Americans wander about in their brainwashed states, their "government of the people, by the people and for the people" has largely been taken away from them.
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From Our Future
Dust Bowl -- Oklahoma
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And the men of the towns and of the soft suburban country gathered to defend themselves; and they reassured themselves that they were good and the invaders bad, as a man must do before he fights.
Fear and hatred of the stranger is nothing new, here in this nation of strangers. "Mr. Trump," asked the father of a fallen Muslim American captain, "Would my son have had a place in your America?"
Would any of us have a place in Donald Trump's America?
The voters who helped propel Trump to primary wins across the South seem to have forgotten: There was a time when white Southerners were the strangers, the refugees, the outsiders, the despised immigrants from a dusty and impoverished land.
The name of that land was Oklahoma.
Other states were struck by the dust storms too. But the name they gave the refugees was "Okies," and it stuck. "Good people" in the Western states once hated Okies with the same ferocity Trump's worst supporters have for darker-skinned people today.
In the 1930s, Trump would probably have hated Okies too.
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best." Those are Trump's now-famous words. "They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists."
They said, These goddamned Okies are dirty and ignorant. They're degenerate, sexual maniacs. These goddamned Okies are thieves. They'll steal anything.
-- "The Grapes of Wrath," John Steinbeck (1939)
After the dust storms hit, 2.5 million people left their ravaged homes to seek better lives in greener places. By 1940, 200,000 of them had emigrated to California alone.
After just six years, the refugees were nearly 3.5 percent of California's population. They settled in some parts of the state in large numbers, triggering a hate-filled backlash. As Steinbeck wrote:
The local people whipped themselves into a mold of cruelty. Then they formed units, squads, and armed them -- armed them with clubs, with gas, with guns. We own the country. We can't let these Okies get out of hand. And the men who were armed did not own the land, but they thought they did.
And now, old patterns are made new again. From a Vice News report about border vigilantes:
"'Some of them are retired veterans, they're construction workers, they're plumbers,' Rogers said. 'We've had a retired pastor from the Army call the hotline -- they're just regular Joes and Janes from across the United States who want to close the border and bring America back to the place it used to be.'"
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Can she make good decisions?
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Whether you are for Hillary Clinton or against her, the problem with Hillary Clinton isn't her lack of experience. Almost the entire political establishment is behind her. Throughout all the bumps and scandal in this whole election cycle, Republicans and former presidents are coming out of the woodwork supporting her. According to the LA Times she may well be one of the most experienced candidates in US history, while even accounting for severe conflicts of interest inside the Clinton Foundation. Neither friend or foe doubt Hillary Clinton's experience after 30 years in politics.
The problem is even Hillary Clinton's friends say she has a history of acting without thinking, of making bad decisions. According to Neera Tanden: "Almost no one knows better than me that her instincts can be terrible."
Does Hillary Clinton show bad instincts and terrible decision-making skills, and if she does, how will this affect the USA?
According to journalist Robert Parry "the people that will be taking senior positions and especially in foreign policy believe "This consensus is driven by a broad-based backlash against a president who has repeatedly stressed the dangers of overreach and the need for restraint, especially in the Middle East" Taken together, the studies and reports call for more aggressive American action to constrain Iran, rein in the chaos in the Middle East and check Russia in Europe."One of the lead organizations revving up these military adventures and also counting on a big boost in military spending under President Clinton-45 is the Atlantic Council, a think tank associated with NATO that has been pushing for a major confrontation with nuclear-armed Russia."
The Atlantic Council is the think tank for the CEEC which is associated with NATO. The CEEC (Central and Eastern European Coalition) has only one goal. At the beginning of the presidential campaign they put out a small list of questions for the candidates to decide who they would support for the president.
The first question was essentially "Are you willing to go to war with Russia?" Hillary Clinton has answered that question and received their unqualified support throughout the campaign. Who is the CEEC?
The Central and Eastern European Coalition represent the various Central and Eastern European countries to the US government. What makes them special in an election is that they control a 20 million person strong bloc vote in key states across the country and sway elections by themselves. The price of a Clinton win is war with Russia.
If that seems a little too much to be believable, reconsider the Iraq war. All it took was for the Iraqi diaspora to develop strong ties with like-minded people from "The Project for the New American Century" that wanted regime change in Iraq. Many of the people associated with the PNAC crossed over into the Bush administration. They pushed the invasion together.
"Walt Vanderbush's essay, "The Iraqi Diaspora and the US Invasion of Iraq" (chapter 9), traces the collaboration between leaders of the Iraqi diaspora and neoconservative Americans, many of them linked to the Iraqi National Congress (INC) and the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), to convince the US government to wage war and bring about "regime change" in Iraq" The INC claimed credit for placing 108 articles in the news media, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Times (of London), during a nine-month period before the war."
It wasn't terror, Osama, or even oil that the Iraq war was fought for. It was a guy named Ahmed Chalabi who was the only victor of the Iraq war.
American-emigre groups use their strategically settled populations in key battleground states, deep pockets, and unbridled political ambition to gain control over their home "old" countries. Even more insidious is the influence they exert over the United States to destroy old enemies.
Do we want senior cabinet and policy positions filled by people that think starting WWIII is a good goal? Let's take a look at the make-up and politics of some of these.
Starting at the top let's look at the Ukrainian emigres which lead the CEEC and the Atlantic Council. One thing anyone represented by the UCCA (Ukrainian Congressional Committee of America) or the UWC (Ukrainian World Congress) has in common is Axis-political heritage and beliefs. The OUN is the political grouping of Ukrainian nationalists and it would vote for Adolf Hitler if he was running in a heartbeat.
Unless real Nazi political views (not neo-nazi) found a way to survive all these years with this group of people, the statement is just insulting. Anyone reading should be insulted because that level of offensiveness in a politically charged environment is wrong.
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By John A. Charles, Jr.
Oregons free-market research center, Cascade Policy Institute, celebrated its 25th anniversary with a gala dinner party on October 20 at the Tualatin County Club. Since its founding in 1991, Cascade has emerged as a leading voice for individual liberty and economic opportunity. Building coalitions with others, Cascade has helped develop innovative policies such as Oregons charter school law and the more recently enacted Right-to-Try statute.
Cascade helped Ethiopian immigrants break the Portland taxi cartel and secure a license to operate a new company. The Institute also helped a young Black woman start her hair-braiding business by persuading the legislature to repeal onerous licensing regulations.
And a paper first published by Cascade in 1996 suggesting that 84,000 acres of the Elliott State Forest be sold off helped persuade the State Land Board to do just that; a sale will be approved by the Board in December of this year.
However, such advancements will be tougher to come by in the years ahead, because the culture of Oregon has changed. The permanent political class that now rules the state has little respect for the entrepreneurial spirit.
The 2016 legislative session served as Exhibit A for this change. In the short space of 30 days, the majority party rammed through two major pieces of legislation: (1) a dramatic increase in the minimum wage; and (2) a mandate forcing electric utilities to provide 50% of their retail load from designated renewable energy sources.
Each bill only received a few hearings. Vast areas of complexity were brushed aside as unimportant. When hundreds of witnesses showed up pleading for a more incremental approach, they were dismissed. In 35 years of lobbying, I had never seen anything like it.
This was in contrast to Cascades early years, when the organization sponsored Better Government Competitions in 1994, 1996, 1998, and 2000. These events solicited good ideas from citizens about how to make government work better. Top officials including Governor John Kitzhaber and Portland Mayor Vera Katz enthusiastically endorsed Cascades citizens suggestion box.
Today, many elected officials openly disdain the public they serve. They dont want your ideas, just your obedience and your tax dollars. Moreover, if you compromise and give them half of what they want today, theyll be back for the rest tomorrow.
Nowhere was that more evident than with the so-called coal to clean bill in 2016. Why was this topic even being discussed when only nine years ago the legislature passed SB 838, which mandated that large electric utilities procure 25% of their power needs from specified renewable energy sources by 2025?
SB 838, passed in 2007, was seen as a visionary achievement. The leading legislative advocates, Senator Brad Avakian and Representative Jackie Dingfelder, were exultant. Oregon was now on a path to renewable energy Nirvana!
Yet by 2016, the 25 by 25 banner was seen as wimpy and out of date. Oregons perceived reputation as an international environmental leader had been undercut by legislation elsewhere. So the new (arbitrary) standard became 50% by 2040.
We can do better than this. Perhaps if Measure 97 fails, legislators will stop looking for quick fixes and work together on tax reform. There are officials in both parties willing to tackle PERS reform and transportation finance, if the Majority party allows it.
Replacing hubris with humility would be a good first step.
John A. Charles, Jr. is President and CEO of Cascade Policy Institute, Oregons free market public policy research organization. This article originally appeared in the October 2016 edition of the newsletter, Oregon Transformation: Ideas for Growth and Change.
Samsung Electronics said Sunday it will offer an artificial intelligence assistant service in the upcoming flagship smartphone, as the South Korean firm seeks recovery from its global smartphone recalls.
The Galaxy S8 will let users order food or perform other tasks without going through a third-party application but by simply asking the phone's virtual assistant, Samsung said in a statement. The artificial intelligence service will also be made available in Samsung's other consumer electronics products, such as refrigerators.
The company declined to disclose what specific tasks the S8 phone will perform through its artificial intelligence feature.
ALSO READ:Tata Motors defends strategy for Rs 1,00,000 Nano car
Samsung is expected to unveil the next iteration for its flagship Galaxy device in spring as it has typically done in the past. Sales of the Galaxy S8 will be crucial for the recovery of Samsung's mobile business, which saw its latest quarterly profit nearly wiped out by two global recalls of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone. Samsung estimates it has lost at least $5.3 billion as it discontinued the model, which overheated and caught fire.
The company said last month that it has not figured out what went wrong with the Note 7 phones.
The South Korean company joined the race to create the digital assistant service when it acquired in October Viv Labs Inc., a Silicon Valley startup launched by the same entrepreneurs who sold Siri to Apple. Past and current Samsung phones offer a voice assistant service called "S Voice" developed internally, but the feature did not gain much traction.
Samsung's acquisition of the Silicon Valley firm was seen as its taking another step to seek independence from Google, which offers its brand of virtual assistant service in Android-powered devices.
Executives at Samsung and Viv Labs said that the biggest difference between the existing digital assistant and the one they are jointly developing is that the latter will be an "open AI platform," meaning that third-party developers will be able to offer their services through Samsung's AI platform.
"Our Galaxy smartphones don't provide services that enable consumers to order pizza or coffee, but does provide third party applications. But the new AI platform will enable consumers to do things that they would usually do through a separate third party application," Samsung's statement said.
Gadani labourers called for compensation
Gadani labourers called for compensationKARACHI: A large number of labourers working at the ship-breaking yard in Gadani have called for payment of compensation to the families of workers who lost their lives in the Nov 1 accident.
Eleven workers died and scores were injured when an explosion occurred at an oil tanker that was brought to the yard for dismantling. The death toll rose to 26 on Sunday after the death of three injured workers.
Work at the ship-breaking yard remained suspended for the fourth day running on Sunday.
The protesters, mostly from Gadani, Hub and Karachis Baldia Town, marched from Regal Chowk to the press club in the afternoon. Relatives of those who were killed in the 2012 Baldia Town factory fire also participated in the protest.
The protest was organised by the National Trade Union Federation (NTUF). Addressing the protesters, NTUF general secretary Nasir Mansoor called for doing away with the contract (Thekedari) system at the ship-breaking yard. If we want safe working conditions, certain issues need to be immediately addressed, he added.
He said compensation for the workers should be given priority. We suggest Rs3 million as compensation for every family which lost a breadwinner in the accident and Rs500,000 for the injured.
He urged the authorities to ensure safe working conditions at the ship-breaking yard.
Mr Mansoor said India had a far bigger ship-breaking industry and used to have tragedies bigger than in Pakistan. But, he added, the country had managed to bring down the number of incidents by introducing a code and imposing rules and regulations.
As majority of the workers at the ship-breaking yard and those present at the protest were Pakhtuns, the president of the NTUFs Sindh chapter, Gul Rahman, spoke in Pushto.
Mr Rahman asked workers to forge unity for getting their rights. He said around 12,000 people were working at the yard in Gadani without the cover of the Employees Old Age Benefits Institution (EOBI), insurance or any social security.
He said since 1968, 800 workers had lost their lives in accidents at the site.
He criticised the government for showing a lacklustre response to the incident. The chief minister of Balochistan visited Gadani three days after the explosion and that too only for seven minutes, the NTUF leader recalled. Such apathy can be changed only through agitation by workers.
Bashir Ahmed Mahmoodani, who heads the Gadani Ship Breaking Workers Union, thanked the Edhi Foundation for despatching volunteers to Gadani soon after the explosion. After the explosion, fire tenders had backed off and no senior official was present at the place, he regretted.
The speakers called for introduction of a ship breaking code, similar to one being followed in India.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has said it will compile a report about the accident. According to an HRCP fact-finding committee which visited Gadani after the incident, there is no record of the exact number of people working at the yard at the time of explosion. The entry sheets, according to some officials present at the site, is not available as the office had been locked for outsiders soon after the incident.
Abdul Wahid Shahwani adds from Khuzdar: A large number of protesters carrying bodies of two labourers who died in Gadani blocked the Karachi-Quetta highway for several hours on Sunday.
The two labourers, identified as Sanaullah and Alam Khan, succumbed to their burn injuries in Karachis Civil Hospital on Sunday.
Hundreds of vehicles remained stuck on the highway for several hours.
However, the protesters agreed to call off their protest after negotiations with the administration.
Meanwhile, police have arrested four people, including the contractor and the manager of the ship in which the explosion occurred. But the owner has not been taken into custody because he is in a hospital these days.
Maryam, Hassan,Hussain Nawaz to submit replies to SC 07 November, 2016
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Hand Wash and Toiletries in Pakistan And the Role of DUPAS in Reshaping the Industry
Woke Bingo In compliance with the Supreme Court (SC) order, the written replies of Maryam, Hassan and Hussain Nawaz were submitted before a five-member bench of the apex court on Monday.
The SC directed all parties to submit documentary evidence before the court by Nov 15. The case was adjourned till Nov 15.
During today's hearing, the government sought 15 days to submit the required documents, but the court ordered the PM's counsel to submit evidence within seven days, saying that the court wants to conclude the case as soon as possible.
The apex court had last week ordered the Sharif family's counsel Salman Aslam Butt to submit the replies of the remaining respondents: Maryam, Hassan and Hussain Nawaz before 9:30am on Monday (today) as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and retired Capt Mohammad Safdar, son-in-law of Mr Sharif, had already submitted their replies.
During the least hearing, the top court asked all parties to present proposals on how to regulate its proceedings, so that it could pass a binding order on Monday regarding the appointment of a one-man commission, to be headed by a judge of the SC.
The court also asked all parties to present proposals on how to regulate its proceedings, so that it could pass a binding order on Monday regarding the appointment of a one-man commission, to be headed by a judge of the Supreme Court. The court also directed the parties to submit their respective terms of reference (ToR) positively by Thursday. But the bench reiterated that it would not be bound by the ToR submitted by any party.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif formally denied being the beneficial owner of any offshore entity.
In a 15-page reply, the prime minister asked the court to dismiss the petitions, claiming that he was not the owner or legal beneficiary of any offshore properties or any other entities, including the four flats in Avenfield House, Park Lane, London.
Similarly, his name had never appeared in the Panama Papers, nor have any accusations been made against him in the leaks, the rejoinder said. It added that he was the regular tax payer who filed tax returns as well as a wealth statement. The entire income, assets and liabilities of the prime minister were duly declared in the tax returns and wealth tax statements.
The entire income, assets and liabilities of the prime minister as well as his spouse were duly declared in the nomination forms for the 2013 general elections as well as the statement of assets and liabilities filed with ECP.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and retired Capt Mohammad Safdar also submitted their replies, asking that the petitions be dismissed.
Capt Safdar, had filed ToR on Thursday suggesting that the proposed commission should examine information relating to involvement of Pakistani citizens, persons of Pakistan origin and legal entities in offshore companies in Panama or any other country and determine if any law in force for the time being had been infringed and, if so, fix responsibility for such infringement.
The commission should also determine if the provisions of laws relating to income tax, wealth tax, foreign exchange, companies and elections in force at the relevant time have been infringed with regard to properties held by offshore companies, source of income utilised to purchase properties, tax payable or paid on the income and details of the sellers of the properties.
The proposed commission, the ToR said, should examine information relating to written-off bank loans, including the report on such loans of a commission earlier set up by the Supreme Court, as well as other cases of loans written off after the period covered by the commission by former or present holders of the public office.
The PTI requested the SC to investigate when Messrs Nescoll Limited and Messrs Nielson Enterprises Ltd, British Virgin Island, were set up and who were the original recorded beneficial owners of these companies.
The PTI ToR asked when Maryam Nawaz, daughter of the prime minister, become beneficial owner of these two companies. The party wanted the commission to probe at what price Flat No 17, Flat 16 and 16-A and Flat No 17-A was purchased and how was the amount transferred out of Pakistan or from any other country and what was the source of this foreign exchange. It also wanted to know about the amount of income tax paid by Nawaz Sharif from tax year 1981-82 till July 23, 1996.
PTI recalled that the PM had asserted that since Ittefaq Foundry had been nationalised in 1972, his father went to Dubai to set up a steel mill which was sold in April 1980 for $9m. If the foreign exchange had not been transferred out of Pakistan, what was the source of funds for setting up the mill and to whom it was sold and what was the share of the prime minister from it. Was any wealth tax paid on this amount?
The ToR asked about the Azizia Steel Mills in Jeddah which was allegedly sold in June 2005 for $17m. Whether the prime minister upon his return to Pakistan declared his share in any tax return, it wondered.
USA to elect 45th president tomorrow
WASHINGTON: The Americans cast votes tomorrow to elect their 45th president, as Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton maintains an overall lead of 5 points against her Republican rival Donald Trump.
All important survey polls in the United States have declared her ahead of Trump. Newspapers such as New York Times and Washington Post have written editorials urging the voters to elect Clinton.
"Averting the worst effects of this year's political storm means electing Hillary Clinton," wrote NYT in its latest editorial. Given his unpopular personality and brash statements, Trump already annoyed a large section of the US media.
More than 30 million voters have already cast their votes in the early voting. In the US, the voters can cast their votes before the actual Election Day that is November 8. Historically, the early voting suited the Democratic candidates. The reports suggest that Clinton would also get late support of majority Latinos, who were wary of Trump's vision for the immigrants. Latinos form the largest diaspora in America.
Clinton seems to be in a comfortable position to become first woman president of the US. She had an impressive political profile being the first lady, senator and secretary of state. She maintains a five-point lead over Trump, nationally.
Survey polls in the US are considered very accurate. However, they are no guarantee that a candidate enjoying slight lead before an election would actually win the election. For instance, in October 2012, Republican candidate Mitt Romney was 7 points ahead of President Barak Obama. The late efforts by Obama and his team had earned them another four years at the White House.
Several scandals of both the candidate surfaced during the campaign. Trump was accused of groping women, evading tax and having close ties with Russian businessmen. He also praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a strong leader - some highly unpopular in the US. The Republican candidate also refused to release his tax returns, despite frequent demands from the Democrats and other sections of society.
Clinton faced the allegations of representing the elites. Trump called her a representative of same corrupt political culture that plagued the US for too long. Recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced to reopen investigation against her that she might have breached the national security by using private email server to send thousands of official and secret emails.
The average Americans says that they would be happier if Bernie Sander would have been nominated by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) instead of Clinton. Similarly, they believed Clinton would not stand a chance to win if the Republican National Committee (RNC) nominated Jeb Bush instead.
The two candidates jointly raised and spent almost $2 billion to run better campaigns. Clinton's total war chest contained $1.3 billion of which her campaign directly raised $556 million, party and joint fundraising committees raised $544.4 million and Super PACs raised $188 million.
Super PACs are a type of independent political action committees, in the US, which may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but are not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates.
Trump had $795 million to go into the election of which his campaign directly raised $248.3 million, party and joint fundraising committees raised $486.7 million and Super PACs raised $60.1 million.
Both candidates spent more than 90 percent of the funds raised.
"Enthusiasm for Clinton and Trump now stands at rough parity, both significantly lower than it was among supporters of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney four years ago," wrote The Washington Post. But Clinton has a clear advantage in affirmative support, with 55 percent of her backers saying the main reason they are voting for her is because they support her, compared with 43 percent of Trump voters. More Trump voters say they are voting for him mainly because they oppose Clinton.
In the final survey polls, Clinton's prospects looked better than the last week. She was up three points in a CBS News/New York Times poll, two points in a Fox News poll, one point in a McClatchy-Marist poll and tied in the IBD/TIPP daily poll, released on Saturday.
More voters prefer Clinton's personality and temperament and say she has better qualifications for the job than Trump. In the last stretch of their respective campaigns, both the candidates are focusing on 15 key swing states which will decide the election.
The mathematical (and other) thoughts of a (now retired) math teacher,
Japan will continue to reinforce its support for the power sector to facilitate the provision of stable and reliable supply for Ghana's socioeconomic development.
Mr Koji Makino, the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) Country Representative for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, said the Agency would continue to support the building of electricity facilities such as substations, transmission and distribution lines to enable a stable and reliable power supply which contributed to industrial development.
He said electricity transmission and distribution were equally important as its generation hence the need to invest massively in those sectors.
He said the Agency, in collaboration with the Ghana Government under the Project for Improvement of Power Distribution System, had funded the construction of two primary substations for the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO) in Tamale and Sunyani.
Mr Makino, who made this known in Tamale during a three-day tour of JICA funded projects in the Northern Region, said the two projects cost 1.686 billion Japanese Yen or $16.4 million.
The Tamale Project would beef power supply to approximately 5,084 existing households customers at the University for Development, Nyankpala Campus, Sheshegu and Tolon and about 3,916 new households customers would also benefit.
For the Sunyani substation 4,577 existing household customers would directly benefit while 4,380 new household customers would be connected to the national grid including the Sunyani Hospital, Chira and New Dormaa.
Mr Makino said currently JICA, in collaboration with the Government of Ghana, is implementing co-operation in six sectors namely health, infrastructure, agriculture, education, governance and private sector development.
The Country Representative said the project areas were selected through a dialogue with the Government of Ghana based on Ghana's development strategy and Japan's co-operation strategy outlined in the Tokyo International Conference for African Development.
Mr Makino said JICA would continue to provide support for capacity development, policy and institutional capacity improvement as well as social and economic infrastructure, thereby stimulating sustained poverty reduction through equitable growth and human empowerment.
Mr Moses Tawiah, the NECO Engineering Director, described the project as one of the best to be implemented in the country.
He said power played a key role in the socioeconomic development of every nation and expressed his gratitude to the Japanese Government for the project.
Source: GNA
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Nana Akomea, National Communication Director of the New Patriotic Party, has stated that the current economic hardship Ghana is experiencing is as a result of the poor, corrupt and incompetent leadership experienced under the NDC government.
He was delivering the keynote speech at a special lecture organised by the Young Executive Forum (YEF) of NPP UK on the theme; 'The Countdown to Victory 2016 & The State of the Campaign'.
He bemoaned the lack of employment opportunities for the youth and the level of corruption and waste in government. He urged members of the YEF to adopt and support polling stations across the country to facilitate a smooth operation on Election Day.
He assured members the party is going to be very vigilant at polling stations and ensure results are separately collated by the party to check against the results declared by the Electoral Commission.
Speaking at the function, Mr. Michael Ansah, Chairman of the NPP UK praised the contribution of the YEF towards meeting the branch's financial target of raising more than 100,000 towards elections 2016.
He noted the NPP UK has met and exceeded its target and is continuing to raise more funds towards election day activities. He acknowledged the contribution of the 10 Chapters across the UK in raising funds and mobilising resources towards election 2016.
Mr Ansah told the forum, the NPP UK is supporting 10 marginal constituencies, 11 candidates from the UK, the presidential campaign and other special initiatives in connection with the election.
Mr. Gabby Okyere Darko urged members of the party to keep pushing until all the votes are counted and declared. He observed that it is important the NPP wins the majority in parliament.
Launching the 'adopt a polling station initiative', the Chairman of the YEF, Mr. Alex Dadey, expressed appreciation to all donors and supporters and encouraged them to keep giving until Nana Addo, the Presidential Candidate, is declared President of the Republic of Ghana.
The National Vice Chairman of YEF, Nana Otuo Acheampong, conveyed the gratitude of the National Executives of the YEF to the UK branch for all their contribution towards the growth and development of the group and urged them to continue the good work. He encouraged members to adopt polling stations and support them on Election Day.
The lecture was attended by a cross-section of senior members and executives of the UK Branch including, Mr. Kofi Oppong Boadu, member of the Council of Elders, Mr. Richard Dombo, 1st Vice Chairman, Mr. David Owusu-Yianoma, 2nd Vice Chairman, Treasurer, Mr. Kofi Debrah, Financial Secretary, Mr. Ray Ankrah and Deputy Organiser, Mr. Kweku Nkansah.
Source: NPP UK Branch
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Formation of quadruplexes by RNA might allow new ways to control gene expression. Credit: University of Leicester
An international research team led by the University of Leicester has made a breakthrough advance that could pave a new route for the development of anti-cancer drugs.
The advance is announced today (7 November) in an online publication in Nature Chemical Biology. The Leicester team members say they are delighted by their finding which could lead to new anti-cancer drugs thanks to "wonderful interdisciplinary collaboration involving biochemists and chemists from England, Scotland, France and USA."
Professor Ian Eperon and Dr Cyril Dominguez from the University of Leicester's Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology led the team that developed a new method to analyse the RNA step in expressing our genetic code.
Dr Dominguez, of the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, said: "Our research aims at understanding how four-stranded RNA structures called G-quadruplexes affect cellular processes such as RNA splicing. In this research, we describe a novel method that, for the first time, allows us to show that G-quadruplexes form in long RNAs and in conditions where the splicing reaction can take place."
G-quadruplexes are specific structures formed when a piece of DNA or RNA folds into a four-stranded structure. DNA G-quadruplexes have been shown to be associated with diseases such as cancer and many small molecules called G-quadruplex binders have been developed as putative novel anti-cancer drugs, the best example being Quarfloxin that reached a phase II clinical trial. RNA G-quadruplexes are also believed to play important roles in cancers but to date there are no straightforward methods to prove that they exist in cells. If they form and do control RNA splicing, then the design of molecules that bind them would be a new route for the development of anti-cancer drugs.
During the process of gene expression, DNA is transcribed to RNA molecules that are in turn translated to produce proteins. RNA splicing is an essential step in producing the finished messenger RNA and the RNA copied from one gene can be spliced in different ways. This is how the 20,000 human genes can produce around 130,000 proteins.
This process is highly regulated and defects in its regulation are a common cause of many diseases, including spinal muscular atrophy and some cancers.
Professor Eperon said: "Our novel method, FOLDeR, will allow RNA scientists to investigate the existence of G-quadruplexes in physiological condition allowing a better understanding of their role in cellular processes. It is particularly interesting that the RNA we have been studying is one that plays an important role in some cancers. When the RNA is spliced using one set of sites, it produces a protein favouring cell survival. This is a problem for cancer treatments, many of which work by damaging growing cells in the hope that they will then die. However, when an alternative set of sites is used, the RNA produces a protein that encourages cell death. We have shown that G-quadruplexes form near the alternative sites, and our hope is that we can target these to shift splicing towards the pro-death pattern."
This is a major step forward in the G-quadruplex research field. In a follow-up paper, the team will report their work on drugs that exploit this structure.
Dr Dominguez added: "We are delighted that a prestigious journal such as Nature Chemical Biology recognize the importance of our work. This has been a wonderful interdisciplinary collaboration involving biochemists and chemists from England, Scotland, France and USA.
"This publication is crucial for us to obtain further funding and carry on with this topic. Our next step is to investigate the effect of G-quadruplex binders on RNA splicing and use this knowledge to design novel drugs with a high degree of specificity for cancer cells."
More information: Carika Weldon et al, Identification of G-quadruplexes in long functional RNAs using 7-deazaguanine RNA, Nature Chemical Biology (2016). DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.2228 Journal information: Nature Chemical Biology
Ten (male: 45 years old) grooming JD (male: 21 years old). He is the oldest bonobo in E1 group at Wamba in the Luo Scientific Reserve, DR Cong. He needs 40 to 45 centimeters between his figers to eyes to get pin-focus for grooming. Credit: Heungjin Ryu (CC BY-NC 4.0)
As people age, they often find that it's more difficult to see things up close. Reading a newspaper suddenly requires a good pair of reading glasses or bifocals. Now, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on November 7 find that the same goes for bonobos, one of human's closest primate relatives along with chimpanzees, even though they obviously don't read.
This long-sightedness in bonobos is most evident as older animals engage in grooming their peers, the researchers say. The older they get, the longer they stretch their arms from the rest of their bodies as they groom.
"We found that wild bonobos showed the symptoms of long-sightedness around 40 years old," says Heungjin Ryu of the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University. "We were surprised that the pattern found in bonobos is strikingly similar to the pattern of modern humans. This suggests that senescence of the eyes has not changed much from the Pan-Homo common ancestor, even though the longevity of modern humans is far longer than that of chimpanzees and bonobos."
Ryu says that researchers had already noticed this trend of bonobos needing longer distances for grooming before. There had also been anecdotal reports in chimpanzees. It's just that no one paid much attention to it.
"One day, I was with another researcher and observed the oldest male bonobo Ten (TN) grooming Jeudi (JD)," Ryu recalls. "TN had to stretch his arm to groom JD, and only when he found something on JD's body would he come close to remove it using his mouth. It was funny to see how he groomed."
This video was taken from a wild bonobos (E1 group) at Wamba in DR Congo. It shows ten (male, left; 45-years-old) grooming Jeudi (male, right; 21-years-old). When Ten changed his position because of Jeudi's movement following Ten's direction by touching Jeudi, Ten moved back to groom JD. It is probably because he cannot clearly focus on a close object because of far-sightedness (Presbyopia). As in this video, bonobos in the wild around at their age 40, need significantly further distance to focus on an object. Credit: Heungjin Ryu (CC BY-NC 4.0)
While it might have looked amusing, the researchers began to appreciate that this long-sightedness, caused by a decline in the refractive power of the crystalline lens with age, might also have serious consequences for the survival and social lives of those older animals.
To learn more, the researchers used digital photographs to measure the grooming distance of 14 wild bonobos of various ages, ranging from 11 to 45 years old. They also examined how grooming distance varied in relation to age and sex in bonobos and compared it with the nearest focus distance in humans.
The measurements showed that the grooming distance increased exponentially with age. In one case, an old video of one of the bonobos, named Ki, enabled them to show that his eyesight had worsened over time.
"The results we found were very surprising even for us," Ryu says. "When I started to collect data, I did not expect that age could be such a strong predictor of long-sightedness."
Fuku (female: 17 years old) grooming Hoshi (female: 32 years old). She needs only 5 to 10 centimeters between her figers to eyes to get pin-focus for grooming. Comared with Ten, her distance between eye to finger is shoter than that of Ten. Credit: Heungjin Ryu (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Ryu says that long-sightedness might hinder the social lives of older individuals, explaining why older individuals aren't favored when it comes to selecting grooming partners. People who grow long-sighted with age also have particular trouble seeing in the dark, he adds. That could be a big challenge for the bonobos, living as they do in the shade of the rainforest canopy.
As for us humans, the findings in our bonobo relatives suggest that long-sightedness isn't a consequence of the modern lives we lead and all that time spent reading or staring at a screen. Rather, it's a natural process of aging rooted deep in our past. Ryu says that they plan to continue studying aspects of aging in bonobos to learn more about them and us.
Visualization of the unstable accretion disk around a forming massive star. Credit: Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Tubingen University
Astronomers of the Universities of Tubingen and Vienna are investigating the basic principles of the formation of stars.
How massive stars form is one of the fundamental questions in modern astrophysics, because these massive stars govern the energy budget of their host galaxies. Using numerical simulations, Professor Wilhelm Kley, Dr. Rolf Kuiper and Dr. Dominique Meyer from the Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Tubingen in a collaboration with Dr. Eduard Vorobyov from the Institute for Astrophysics at the University of Vienna revealed new components of the formation of massive stars, which were already known from the formation process of low-mass as well as primordial stars. The study has now been published in the peer-review journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The birth of massive stars is still a mystery, because these stars are embedded in an extremely dense medium of gas and dust, says Rolf Kuiper, the leader of the Emmy Noether Research Group for Massive Star Formation, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). "This opaque envelope makes it difficult to directly observe the birth process even with modern telescopes. In other words, we see the cradle in which these stars are born, but we can't detect the stars themselves." Therefore, the researchers modeled the birth process within a numerical simulation. For this ambitious, computationally expensive study they made use of high-performance computers within the bwHPC initiative of the state of Baden-Wurttemberg.
The simulation starts with a cloud of gas and dust, which collapses under its own gravity and eventually forms a so-called accretion disk around the hot young star. The material in such a disk rotates around the central star and slowly transports gas and dust towards it. For the first time, the resolution of these simulations was sufficient to infer the formation of high-density clumps within the gravitationally unstable disk. Once formed, these clumps start to migrate through the disk and finally sink into the central star. "Like throwing logs into a fireplace, these episodes of clump consumption produce violent luminosity outbursts outshining the collective effect of one hundred thousand Suns," says Eduard Vorobyov.
A similar process of episodical luminosity bursts was already known with respect to the formation of the first stars in the Universe and for low-mass stars like our Sun. The new investigation suggests now that the formation of stars of any kind and epoch are controlled by the same universal processes: "It is amazing to see these similarities, as if star formation on all scales and epochs is controlled by a common DNA forged in the early Universe," says Dominique Meyer, the first author of the study and post-doc in the Emmy Noether Group. The clumps, explains Wilhelm Kley, are also excellent candidates for the formation of Solar-type companions to massive stars: "These companions will also influence their future evolution."
The results will help to develop new observing strategies for detecting these luminosity outbursts and even for directly imaging the high-density clumps in accretion disks around very young massive stars. This will be a task for modern observing facilities such as the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) or the future European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT).
Chromosomes of the mosquito species Glyptotendipes salinus. Credit: Dr Mukhamed Karmokov
From a geographical point of view, the Caucasus is far from an island or even a peninsula, being a relatively big mountainous region appearing as a fence at the border of Europe and Asia, situated between the Black and the Caspian seas. However, a study into the chromosome structure of mosquito larvae of the species Glyptotendipes salinus, living by a saltwater lake in the foothills of the Caucasus, suggests that the region could be imagined as an "island" in the "sea" of steppes.
Scientists Dr Mukhamed Karmokov, Tembotov Institute of Ecology of Mountain territories, Russian Academy of Science, and Dr Azamat Akkizov, Institute of Biomedical Problems, RAS, and Center of Medico-Ecological Researches, have their paper, where they describe the Caucasian population of the species, published in the open access journal Comparative Cytogenetics.
Earlier, it has been known that in the Tambukan Lake, located at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, lives at least one of the representatives of the genus Glyptotendipes, more precisely, the species G. salinus. Actually, the process of studying the fauna of the genus in the Caucasus region has just began and many questions have remained unclear.
During their research, the authors collected a sufficient amount of larvae of G. salinus that made it possible to study the chromosome structure, rearrangements and peculiarities of the Caucasian population of the species. In addition, the authors tried to understand how the population relates to the previously studied ones, living in the Altai region of Russia and Kazakhstan.
Researchers found interesting, some of them even striking, peculiarities in the chromosome structure and morphology of the larvae from Caucasus. Namely, they found four new chromosome rearrangements, likely unique for the Caucasus. Also, some of the chromosome characters were most similar to the mosquitoes from Altai, while othersto the population in Kazakhstan. The most curious difference of the Caucasian larvae in comparison to data from earlier studies was that they were twice as short.
In conclusion, the authors note that from the obtained data it could be deduced that that the Caucasian population had undergone a significant divergence, or even that it represents a subspecies.
Also, it turns out that the Caucasus itself is a relatively isolated and complex region in terms of microevolution. "The Caucasus, in some sense, can be imagined as a relatively isolated territory, a special place, where evolution has made some unexpected twists," they say.
More information: Mukhamed Karmokov et al, Karyotype characteristics, larval morphology and chromosomal polymorphism peculiarities of Glyptotendipes salinus Michailova, 1983 (Diptera, Chironomidae) from Tambukan Lake, Central Caucasus, Comparative Cytogenetics (2016). DOI: 10.3897/compcytogen.v10i4.9400
Chimpanzee fishing algae. Credit: MPI-EVA, PanAf
Chimpanzees often use tools to extract or consume food but which tools they choose for which purpose can differ depending on where they live. In 2010, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, initiated the 'Pan African Programme: The Cultured Chimpanzee' to characterize and understand the differences in chimpanzee behaviours in un- and poorly studied ape populations across Africa. This is how the researchers encountered a new behavioural variant: Algae fishing with long robust tools at a temporary research site in Bakoun, Guinea.
Chimpanzees have been studied for almost 60 years at a few long-term field sites which have been fundamental for providing insights into natural chimpanzee behavior and most importantly into the differences between populations. However, the true behavioral repertoire of chimpanzees is under represented by these long-term sites alone. Therefore, to better understand the ecological and evolutionary drivers of behavioral diversification in chimpanzees, researchers of the Department of Primatology at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology initiated the 'Pan African Programme: The Cultured Chimpanzee' (PanAf). Since 2010, while following a unique standardized protocol, data on chimpanzee behavior, demography and resource availability have been collected from over 40 different temporary research sites across Africa. "The PanAf project represents a new approach to studying chimpanzees and will provide many interesting insights into chimpanzee demography and social structure, genetics, behavior and culture", says Hjalmar Kuehl of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research. "The PanAf is only possible due to the numerous collaborations with chimpanzee researchers, field workers and national wildlife authorities in 15 countries across Africa". Earlier this year, the collaborative network of researchers published a paper detailing a newly observed 'chimpanzee accumulative stone throwing' behavior.
Since chimpanzees are not habituated to human presence at the PanAf sites, the researchers rely on a wide spectrum of non-invasive sampling methods, including remote camera traps. After discovering conspicuous sticks along some of the rivers and ponds in Bakoun, PanAf site manager Anthony Agbor placed camera traps along these bodies of water. "The tool-use appears quite different from what is known from a nearby long-term chimpanzee site at Bossou, Guinea and also differed from previous reports of rare algae scooping in Congo" says Ammie Kalan of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. "All age and sex classes of Bakoun chimpanzees were seen in the camera trap videos to successfully fish for algae in a river, stream or pond using woody branches or twigs as fishing rods. The tools were on average longer and sturdier than the algae fishing tools that are known from Bossou. Some Bakoun tools were more than 4 meters long!"
The researchers note that the freshwater green algae being targeted is the same genus as that at Bossou (Spirogyra), but at Bakoun the algae grow on the bottom of the stream beds and does not collect on the surface as it does at Bossou. "The ecology of the particular algae growing at each site may drive the types of tools necessary to harvest the algae" says Christophe Boesch, Director of the Primatology Department at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, "we suggest that the algae probably provide an important nutritional benefit to the chimpanzees at Bakoun, especially during the dry season when chimpanzees were observed to fish algae for up to an hour at the same spot".
Further analyses of videos and other data collected from the PanAf are currently underway. Anyone can participate in watching and annotating the PanAf videos using the online citizen science website www.chimpandsee.org. At Chimp&See citizen scientists can watch the over 1 million video clips the PanAf has recorded from all across Africa of chimpanzees, gorillas, elephants, buffalo, leopards and many more species! Visit www.chimpandsee.org and you could be a citizen scientist contributing to analyzing data in minutes and help with further discoveries in the wild.
More information: Christophe Boesch et al. Chimpanzees routinely fish for algae with tools during the dry season in Bakoun, Guinea, American Journal of Primatology (2016). DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22613 Journal information: American Journal of Primatology
Artist's impression of graphene balloons showing colors. Under large deformations, Newton rings appear. Credit: Delft University of Technology
Researchers from the Graphene Flagship have found a new potential application for graphene: mechanical pixels. By applying a pressure difference across graphene membranes, the perceived color of the graphene can be shifted continuously from red to blue. This effect could be exploited for use as colored pixels in e-readers and other low-powered screens. The research was a collaborative effort from researchers at TU Delft, Netherlands, and Graphenea, Spain, and the study has recently been published in the journal Nano Letters.
In graphene balloon devices, a double layer of graphene two atoms thick is deposited on top of circular indents cut into silicon. The graphene membranes enclose air inside the cavities, and the position of the membranes can be changed by applying a pressure difference between the inside and the outside. When the membranes are closer to the silicon they appear blue; when the membranes are pushed away they appear red.
The color change effect arises from interference between light waves reflected from the bottom of the cavity and the membrane on top. These reflected waves interfere constructively or destructively depending on the position of the membrane either adding up or cancelling out different parts of the spectrum of white light. This interference enhances or reduces certain colors in the reflected light.
Dr. Samer Houri, a researcher at TU Delft, led the exiting work. "At the beginning, we did not pay attention to the colors of the membranes because graphene is 'colorless' when isolated. However, we observed Newton rings and noticed their color changing over time," he said. When the membranes are extremely deformed, their color is no longer homogeneous, but instead circular rings appear. These rings are called Newton rings in honor of Sir Isaac Newton, who studied them in 1717.
Credit: Ana Cartamil
Santiago Cartamil-Bueno is a Ph.D. student at TU Delft, who carried out the experimental work and was first to observe the change in color. "Not only does this provide the colorimetry technique for characterizing suspended graphene, which is useful for companies developing graphene mechanical sensors, but it also provides a means to implement display technology based on interferometry modulation," says Cartamil-Bueno. Interferometry modulation, or IMOD, is employed in displays that have low-power consumption requirements, such as smart watches and e-books, and is increasing in importance for Internet of Things devices. Currently, such displays are composed of mechanical pixels made of silicon materials. "By instead using graphene, with its extraordinary mechanical properties," Cartamil-Bueno says, "a GIMOD (Graphene IMOD) could drastically improve the device performance power consumption, pixel response time, failure rates, etc. while enabling electrical integration and even flexible devices." The researchers are now working to control the color of the membranes with electricity, and hope to have a screen prototype for the Mobile World Conference 2017 in Barcelona.
More information: Santiago J. Cartamil-Bueno et al, Colorimetry Technique for Scalable Characterization of Suspended Graphene, Nano Letters (2016). DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b02416 Journal information: Nano Letters
Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the American Authors Association
Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the Military Writers Society of America.
Larry Bulman, national political director for United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters, returned home to South Glens Falls on Sunday after spending several weeks campaigning on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in Florida and Virginia.
Bulman said 17 labor leaders from Sweden traveled to Virginia to volunteer on the campaign.
Bulman drove two Swedish labor leaders and a Swedish journalist who was covering their trip in his car to campaign door-to-door in northern Virginia.
"They said, 'We're really upset with what happened with Brexit,'" in which the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, Bulman said.
This is the latest is a series of posts about the 1916 presidential election between Democratic incumbent Woodrow Wilson and Republican challenger Charles Evans Hughes, a Glens Falls native.
From the 1944 memoirs pf Josephus Daniels, a newspaper publisher who served in Wilsons cabinet and as a campaign adviser.
The subheadings in Daniels account of election night 1916 aptly summarizes the Democratic perspective on the turn of events: Dark Election Night and Light Comes With the Morning.
Daniels followed the election returns with deep anxiety from the office of his newspaper in Raleigh, N.C.
Before nine oclock, The New York Times and The New York World conceded the election for Hughes. That seemed to end it, and the crowds in the street melted away, he wrote.
In that era, before commercial radio and television, people frequently gathered outside newspapers on election night to learn the results.
Shortly before midnight, the manager editor asked Daniels to suggest a headline.
I asked for a pencil and wrote down, It Looks Like Hughes; But Wait Till You Hear From The West.
Daniels was discouraged as he boarded a train to go back to Washington.
Soon I was asleep in my Pullman, with the sinking feeling that Wilson had probably lost, he wrote.
His spirit was lifted when he arrived in Washington.
Leaving the train I was met by my wife, who had the morning paper. Wilson has carried California and most of the West and is elected, she said. I could hardly believe it. But there it was in black and white.
Wilsons victory was not definitive until four days after the election.
Click here and here to read other election night accounts.
Click here to read when the Associated Press called the election for Wilson.
Click here to read the most recent previous post in the series.
United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 773 campaigned door-to-door on behalf of Democratic congressional candidate Mike Derrick at 550 residences in Glens Falls, Queensbury and South Glens Falls on Sunday.
"We proudly got behind Mike early on," said Larry Bulman, the union's national political director, at a rally at Derrick's Glens Falls campaign office later on Sunday evening. "He has a resume that's really right for the district."
Derrick, a retired Army colonel from Peru, in Clinton County, is running in the 21st Congressional District against U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, and Green Party candidate Matt Funiciello, a bread company owner and political activist from Hudson Falls.
"People realize that this is a year of decision," Derrick said to about 30 campaign supporters. "We have a very distinct choice to be made on Tuesday."
Earlier on Sunday Derrick toured three historic preservation and economic development projects in Hudson Falls.
"What this shows is that Mike is very committed to working with local citizens," said Washington County Democratic Chairwoman Melissa Shea.
Warren County Democratic Chairwomen Lynne Boecher and Greater Glens Falls Democracy for America Coordinator Larry Dudley also spokes at the rally.
SCHROON A Schroon Lake man was arrested early Sunday for allegedly stabbing a man in the hand.
State Police were called to the 1079 State Route 9 residence of 31-year-old Randy J. Holcomb for a report of two men arguing. An 18-year-old man had an injury to his right hand that was not life threatening, according to police spokeswoman Trooper Jennifer Fleishman.
The victim was transported to Moses Ludington Hospital in Ticonderoga. Fleishman said the two parties were known to each other.
Holcomb was charged with felony assault with intent to cause injury with a weapon and misdemeanor fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
He was arraigned in the Town of Schroon Court and remanded to the Essex County Jail. Bail was set at $5,000 cash and $10,000 bond.
HUDSON FALLS The past met the future again at Hudson Falls High School Sunday.
Its really an honor just to be in their presence, Joe Marine, the schools National Honor Society president said of the inductees to the schools Wall of Distinction. Its really an eye-opener and shows us that if we work hard, we can become something special. They are from our hometown and they did it, so we can too.
As they do each year, NHS students helped induct six new members to the schools Wall of Distinction, which requires a person have graduated from Hudson Falls at least 15 years ago, has achieved a high level of professionalism, distinction or prominence and is of good moral character. There were six inductees Sunday.
Those requirements are similar to the tenets of service, leadership, scholarship and character required for induction into NHS. Following the introductions of the new members of the Wall of Distinction, 22 students were inducted into the National Honor Society.
Its a message to our NHS members to value hard work, character and perseverance. Its a good way for the students to get a picture of what they can achieve, said Principal Jim Bennefield. The students get a lot from this.
Hudson Falls has been inducting members to the Wall of Distinction since 2002. This was the first year NHS Adviser Matt Rozell was not at the event. Rozell, who was scheduled to come later in the afternoon, was at the Falling Leaves book fair. Rozell, a history teacher, has published two books in the last two years.
There were three educators among the inductees Dayle Ahrens, a 1961 graduate and long-time English teacher at Hudson Falls, Paul Chapman, also a 1961 graduate, who is an artist who taught for 35 years in Queensbury schools and David Eagle, class of 1969, a former Lake George High School principal who also worked in administration in Prince George County Schools in Virginia.
Luke Nikas, a 2000 graduate and New York City attorney who focuses part of his practice on art issues, was also inducted, as was Nancy Juckett Brown, class of 1967, whose father is on the Wall of Distinction as well. A Vermont resident, Brown is the managing trustee of the Sandy Hill Foundation, a non-profit originated by her father and grandfather.
Roy Wicks, a 1965 graduate, was the only posthumous inductee. He had a long career as a dairy farmer, and the Wicks Farm is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Wicks died in 2012.
I wasnt surprised to get a call about the wall, Ahrens said. I had nominated Paul Chapman, so when I got the call that he had been chosen, that didnt surprise me, but then I heard, Theres something else to tell you . . . Finding out I would be inducted really surprised me.
Brown said the same thing. I couldnt believe it. It never even occurred to me.
For Nikas, whose father is involved in a variety of civic activities and serves as village attorney, the honor meant more because of where it came from
I was excited, Its an honor to be recognized by the community I came from, he said. I hope this can inspire the students here to do great things.
Ahrens said she thinks combining the past and future is the most important part of the day.
Thats the whole point of it, she said. Its to honor students who are doing a great job and to show it can continue beyond their wildest dreams.
LAKE GEORGE The two candidates seeking to become the next superintendent of Lake George schools share a philosophy of listening to staff and students, prioritizing needs and working collaboratively.
Maureen Long, superintendent of the Menands Union Free School District, presented her plan to the community last Tuesday. Lynne Rutnik, director of special education K-12 for the Niskayuna Central School District, presented on Wednesday.
Long said she has always been drawn to smaller communities and the personal connections between the school, parents and students are important to her. She obtained her doctorate in 2010 and her dissertation was on the sustainability of small Adirondack schools. She is currently pursuing certification as a school business leader.
This is Longs 26th year in education. She began her career as a math and special education teacher before moving into administration. Before her position at Menands, she served as assistant superintendent for instruction at the Scotia-Glenville Central School District in Schenectady County.
If hired, Long said she would listen to the staff and students, seek to understand the situation, assimilate information and identify needs, prioritize them and implement an action plan. Her focus areas would be: strategic planning, instruction, capacity and fiscal responsibility.
She said it is important that after the district develops a strategic plan, it does not just sit on a shelf. She said it is important that process continues to develop a road map for the district.
Other than the mission, theres no overarching direction being provided and folks are hoping that will come from strategic planning, she said.
In response to a question from the audience, she said smaller communities need to think outside of the box and work collaboratively with other districts to meet the needs of students. They also must combat the enrollment decline through innovative methods such as attracting international students.
Adirondack schools are losing the equivalent of a classroom every year, so its a challenge, she said.
Lynne Rutnik, director of special education K-12 for the Niskayuna Central School District, said she has been a part-time resident of Glen Lake for many years. This is the only superintendent position that she is pursuing.
She said she is a lifelong learner and very comfortable with change. She would strive to sustain excellence by questioning and challenging the status quo.
As a superintendent you must, and I will, lead with integrity, visibility, transparency and accountability, he said.
She said it is important to establish connections with the community. She would listen to the staff, students and community to assess the districts strengths, traditions and needs. She would hold listening sessions to find out peoples thoughts and send out a survey to get input from people who may not be comfortable in person.
Rutnik said she values collaboration and would not make rapid changes and not just change for the sake of change.
We want to change because its purposeful and it is good for the students and the community, she said.
We will move as fast as needed but as slow as necessary, she added.
While she has not been a superintendent, Rutnik said she has experience working with building principals on the Common Core standards. She has worked with other districts on how to collaborate on services. She also has been a BOCES principal.
Rutnik said she also wants to make sure that the districts positive accomplishments are highlighted. She believes that the good work of the district may be kept secret. That could help boost enrollment.
People will want to come and move here, in spite of some pretty high property prices, if they know they are moving into a school of excellence, she said.
BOCES is handling the search process. The Lake George Board of Education is planning to make a decision soon, which would be announced after the selected candidate informs their current employer and a contract is negotiated.
The board would like the new superintendent to begin work in January. The salary is in the range of $140,000 to $160,000, depending on experience.
The district is seeking to replace Patrick Dee, who left at the end of June to become superintendent of the Whitehall Central School District. Jon Hunter, a retired superintendent from the Fairport School District in Rochester, is serving as the interim superintendent.
HARTFORD All local students in kindergarten through fifth grade are invited to have a free breakfast on Wednesday at the school through the generosity of the Parent Teacher Association.
The breakfast will include French toast sticks, fruit or applesauce, juice and milk. Grades kindergarten through second will be in the cafeteria from 8:15 to 8:45 a.m. Grades three through five will follow 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Students will be decorating their own placemat for this breakfast and the News 10 Mobile Storm Tracker will be on hand.
GLENS FALLS Of the 120 authors and presenters at Sundays Autumn Leaves book fair, few were busier than Matthew Rozell, a teacher at Hudson Falls High School and the author of two books about World War II.
Is that your second book? one person asked Rozell, pointing to A Train Near Magdeberg. When told it was, the visitor said, Well, I have to have it. I loved your first one.
Rozells first book was The Things Our Fathers Saw, an oral history of local residents who fought in the Pacific during World War II.
Another man came by and asked Rozell for an autographed copy of his second book, which is about reuniting Holocaust survivors and the soldiers who liberated them. Its for my son. He had you as a teacher and said you were great.
Normally, Rozell would have been at his school Sunday afternoon, for the Wall of Distinction and National Honor Society inductions.
This is the first time I have missed it, said Rozell, who planned to get back to the school later in the afternoon. But theres just so much going on with the books.
And he is far from done.
I figure its going to wind up being four or five books, said Rozell, who has been using oral history in his classes for years. The first one was about the Pacific, and the second used a lot of the later interviews from after D-Day. The next one will be North Africa and Italy.
Rozell was not the only local author with a successful World War II book at the event, which is sponsored by The Chronicle newspaper and hosted at the Queensbury Hotel.
Plenty of people were leaving Ray OConors table with a copy of his book, She Called Him Raymond, under their arm.
OConors book tells the story of his mother, Helen Gregg, and of Clarence Raymond Stephenson, an aspiring B-17 pilot, and he said it has been an amazing experience.
It has been more successful than I could have ever imagined, he said. The small miracles involved in this book have been more numerous than I can count.
Books ranged from focusing on religion to portraying fantasy realms. Many were Adirondack-related, including We Were There: World War II Stories from the Adirondacks Greatest Generation by Daniel Way, another combination of local history and World War II.
Laura Diamond, of Troy, who writes fantasy and paranormal novels for young adults was back for a second year.
I really liked it, she said of her first visit. I love to talk to bookish people, so this is a lot of fun.
Bill Belcher was back for a second year as well, but for the first time as an author.
Last year, he was there as the new director of external affairs for The Hyde Collection. This year, he was doing double duty, with half his table covered with Hyde information and the other half promoting his book, Lay Down Your Weary Tune, which was published in January.
Its been going really well, he said.
It went to a second printing six weeks after it came out, and I have done 24 different events on the book tour, he said. Theres been a lot of local support.
The book fair is about more than authors and their books. Several historical sites were there, including Grant Cottage, along with Girl Scouts wrapping gifts and selling Christmas pins. There were also several writers groups, including the Saratoga Romance Writers and the Glens Falls Writers group.
NORTHUMBERLAND The Smith family had a real problem overhead.
In July, Heather and Anthony Smith discovered black mold in the roofline and a bunch of soft spots in the roof of their Kingsley Road home in Terrel Hills.
We found out the day before I had my C-section, Heather Smith said. The couple gave birth to their third child Isabella.
We were like, What are we going to do? she said.
Her husband, Anthony Smith, is a staff sergeant for the U.S. Army National Guard office in Latham, and she runs an in-home day care business.
Anthony said they had just gotten a few quotes on prices to fix the roof.
It was astronomical prices for everything, he said. We were trying to find a way to pay for it and get it done as fast as possible.
Anthony has been working as a flight operations technician for the U.S. Army National Guard for about 10 years. Through his work, he found out about a program through Owens Corning Roofing called the Roof Deployment Project. Adirondack Roofing put on a new roof on Monday free of charge. He applied for the program.
Smith said he was ecstatic when he found out hed been selected.
I could have done a cartwheel down the hallway pure excitement and relief, he said.
Before serving in the Army, he was in the U.S. Air Force. He was in charge of flight operations, which involved filing flight plans and communicating via radio with helicopters in the field.
In Africa, he was in charge of a small cargo plane unit that ran personnel up the coast and dropped off cargo. He assisted with flight operations for troops doing missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A crew of nine people was busy Monday, putting a new roof on the home at 10 Kingsley Ave.
Adirondack Roofing owner Doug Johnson said the job would normally cost about $10,000.
I enjoy just trying to give back to the veterans who support our country and give the ultimate sacrifice for us, he said. Its my way to thank them for doing their great service.
Owens Corning installs roofs all over the country as part of a partnership with the nonprofit charity Support Our Troops. The program started this year with the goal of completing more than 100 roofs throughout the country, according to Jamie Maralla, who handles public relations for the company.
Owens Corning is truly proud to give back to Staff Sergeant Smith, his family and the military community through the Roof Deployment Project, said Bill Mabry, a contractor network leader for Owens Corning Roofing and Asphalt, in a news release.
Anthony said it feels amazing to have the weight of the roof repair lifted.
I feel blessed. Its an incredible gift that we got, he said.
Hikers should be prepared
Boos to those hikers who continue to go into the woods unprepared. A Capital District woman took a wrong turn earlier this week on a hike and ended up stranded overnight. DEC officials remind all hikers to notify someone of their destination and time of return and always carry a pack that includes a flashlight, water, food, extra clothing and a compass.
City was right to take down trees
Bravos to the city of Glens Falls for being proactive and removing the remaining trees in the Exchange Street alley. A large maple tree fell during windy conditions last week and two people were hurt. It was good to take this preventive measure. The alley has become a popular spot to eat and have a drink during the summer months.
Community rallies around family after tragedy
Bravos to the entire South Glens Falls community and surrounding region for the outpouring of love and support for the family of State Trooper Timothy Pratt, who died in a tragic accident while on the job last week. We never cease to be amazed by the outpouring of affection that our local communities show during difficult times. This was another great example.
Corinth Little League loses charter
Boos to the officials running the Corinth Little League for failing to address concerns of parents. That led Little League International to suspend the organizations charter, because it was in violation of Little Leagues regulations and policies. Corinth Little League, which has been run by Donald Briner for the past 65 years, would not discuss the revocation of the charter. Little League is a huge part of every community, so Corinth officials should give parents an explanation.
Moreau to make improvements at Town Hall
Bravos to Moreau town officials for agreeing to make improvements to access at the Town Hall for the handicapped and elderly. The improvements include wheelchair access over the curb and possibly a sliding glass door in the entryway.
Warren County considers ambulance options
Bravos to the Warren County Board of Supervisors for seeking a certificate of need from the state Department of Health that would allow the county to operate an ambulance service. The plan would be used as a stopgap measure to supplement services in communities that are struggling. Getting EMS personnel throughout the county is an ongoing problem because of fewer volunteers. This is a good insurance policy.
Washington County to override tax cap
Bravos to the Washington County supervisors for making the difficult decision to override the tax cap. The reality is that the county will only be increasing the tax rate about 2 percent what the tax cap is supposed to be. The supervisors should not be condemned for semantics regarding the state formula.
Rodeo returns for 26th year
Bravos to the Adirondack Stampede Rodeo for celebrating its 26th year at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The rodeo has become a staple of the fall season in Glens Falls and a testament to the agricultural roots of the region. On top of that, all proceeds from the rodeo will go back into the community to help area childrens charities.
Post-Star editorials represent the opinion of the Post-Star editorial board, which consists of Publisher Terry Coomes, Controller/Operations Director Brian Corcoran, Editor Ken Tingley, Projects Editor Will Doolittle and citizen representative Stuart Ginsburg.
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In an opinion and order issued today, U.S. District Judge Michael Mills of the Northern District of Mississippi issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the CMS rule barring the use of predispute arbitration agreements by nursing homes that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The court did not definitively hold the rule unlawful, but found it likely enough that he will ultimately do so that the rule should be blocked pending final adjudication of the challenge to its legality. The opinion can be found here, though how long this link will remain available is uncertain.
The order granting a preliminary injunction is appealable. CMS has not yet issued a press release commenting on the decision and is unlikely in any event to say immediately whether it will appeal.
The challengers presumably chose their forum carefully when they brought suit and are undoubtedly happy with the result of the opening battle in the litigation over the rule. Even so, it is striking that Judge Mills expressed particularly strong sympathy for the objectives of the rule even while enjoining it and finding it unlikely to be legally sustainable. He concluded his opinion as follows:
"This case places this court in the undesirable position of preliminarily enjoining a Rule which it believes to be based upon sound public policy. As discussed in section I of this order, this court believes that nursing home arbitration litigation suffers from fundamental defects originating in the mental competency issue, rendering it an inefficient and wasteful form of litigation. This court believes that Congress might reasonably consider this inefficiency, as well as the extreme stress many nursing home residents and their families are under during the admissions process, as sufficient reason to decide that arbitration and the nursing home admissions process do not belong together. Nevertheless, Congress did not enact the Rule in this case; a federal agency did, and therein lies the rub. As sympathetic as this court may be to the public policy considerations which motivated the Rule, it is unwilling to play a role in countenancing the incremental creep of federal agency authority beyond that envisioned by the U.S. Constitution. While this court does not exclude the possibility that CMS could, in the future, make a sufficiently strong showing that it had the authority to enact the Rule it did, it seems unlikely, based on the administrative record in this case, that it will be held to have done so here. Moreover, given that the enactment of the Rule raises serious legal questions extending well beyond the arbitration issue, this court concludes that the balance of harms and the public interest support holding it in abeyance until the doubts regarding its legality can be definitively resolved by the courts."
Akufo-Addo made the promise when he toured the district to canvass voters ahead of the December vote.
"We want to boost the Agric sector. Every district has something we can work with. That is why we say one factory, one district. This will not be difficult to do here in Ahanta West because we have a lot of resources, he said.
"We are coming to put up a rubber processing factory here so that people can get jobs to do. We will also restart the outgrowing scheme we introduced under the Kufuor administration which has collapsed today. We will restart the scheme for rubber producers to also get some money, as well as farmers, he added.
Early on, he promised residents of Ateiku, a village in the Wassa East constituency, the payment of significantly higher producer prices of cocoa above the levels which the NDC administration has provided to farmers in the last eight years.
Hova, as he also known joined many American celebrities in criticizing Trump who has angered observers for his divisive comments.
At a campaign concert organised for Hilary Clinton in Cleveland, United States, Jay Z urged voters to consider voting for the Democratic candidate who seems a better choice than Trump.
His (Trumps) conversation is divisive to me; he cannot be my president."
The rapper's view was supported by his wife, Beyonce who was with him at the concert.
She said, There was a time when a womans opinion did not matter. Less than 100 years ago women did not have the right to vote, look how far weve come to having voice to being on the brink of history by electing the first woman president.
But we have to vote. The world looks to us as a progressive country that needs change, I want my daughter to grow up seeing a woman lead our country and know that her possibilities are limitless."
Most celebrities over the globe are also in support of Clinton becoming president, and have promised to do something outrageous if her opposite wins the race.
The Ministry of Finance is currently working on the necessary processes for the release of the funds.
The Health Ministry had earlier on November 3, 2016, sent a cheque amount of GhC 300,000 together with medications worth GHC 100,000 to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.
The Ministry also donated some tuna fishes to the hospital. The Ministry explained that the items presented are to help solve some major challenges facing the hospital.
A press statement signed by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ministry, Tony Goodman said the Ministry realised the hospital had some stocks of non-consumable items including treatment gloves which can last until May 2017.
According to the nurses, attempts to get a lasting solution to their problems have proved futile.
Chairperson of the Nurses, Jamila Hussein had earlier told Pulse.com.gh that the nurses have resolved to stay away from the patients at the wards until their needs are addressed.
A circular sent to nurses and sighted by Pulse.com.gh mentioned their salary arrears as one of their reasons for embarking on the withdrawal of service.
Currently, over 2,000 nurses and midwives have not been paid their full salaries and other benefits in the last three years. The nurses and midwives say all efforts to get the government to pay them all their outstanding salaries and benefits have been fruitless.
At a press conference on Thursday, October 27, 2016, the president of the GRNMA, Kwaku Asante-Krobea said although our checks with the IPPD Unit of the Ministry of Health indicates that over eight thousand of the claim forms have been validated, our nurses and midwives are yet to be paid their salary arrears. There are hundreds of the nurses and midwives who have worked for various periods up to sixteen months who have not been paid a pesewa for the services they are rendering to mother Ghana.
They also mention that this action is to get the government to post their counterparts who have graduated from the Nursing Training Colleges but are yet to be posted.
Other reasons for this action include the charging of promotion interview fees and the second tier pension scheme.
The circular mentioned that only the emergency and maternity cases will be seen to.
James Owusu, a ship worker, was shot three times at close range in front of his mother by two unidentified men.
His neighbours told the Brent & Kilburn Times that they believed they were hearing fireworks until they saw the blue lights of the police arriving an hour later.
Simon Disney, 31, a neighbour, said: I heard bang bang bang, thats it. I thought it was fireworks. Its that time of year, you dont think anything of it but later police arrived and cordoned off the road.
James was a good kid, no trouble, just a normal kid who had just graduated from uni, went to work, came home. He was a DJ aswell, DJ Skillzy.
Theres no reason for any of this. Everyone around here is shocked, the whole of Church Road is shocked.
Sameed Ahmed, 21, who lives on Church Road, added: I grew up with him. My cousin and my older brother were in the same class as him at Curzon Crescent nursery. Its really upsetting. Out of all people he is the last person who deserves anything like this. He was not affiliated with any gangsters, that needs to be cleared. He went out of his way to avoid that kind of thing.
Leo Eyo, a pensioner, would see him often as he walked from his own home in Crome Road. He said: He greeted me all the time hello, how are you? It breaks my heart. Who would do this? He was like a gentle giant this boy, calm, I dont see him to do any harm. Why should anyone take an innocent boys life like this?
His friends and relatives also took to Twitter to pay tribute to their 'gentle giant.'
In a chilling last words to his mum, Owusu said he didnt know why he had been shot.
The victims mother, Deborah said her son told her, "I haven't done anything to anyone" as he lay dying in her arms.
Owusus boss, Mr Amiah, revealed to the Evening Standard that deceased had been watching the Champions League match with his visiting uncle at home when he decided to visit a friend next door.
He said: His mother ran to him and said Qwasi why has this happened? Have you done anything to anyone? He said: Mum I havent done anything to anyone.. I dont like trouble.
She did what she could to try to help him before the ambulance arrived. She was distraught, she felt helpless and hopeless. She was still clearly in shock when I saw her.
READ MORE: Ghanaian gunned down in UK
No arrested has been made as detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command launched a murder inquiry.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 10.45pm on Wednesday to reports of a shooting in Tynsdale Road.
The EC Chair, Charlotte Osei has been quoted as saying at a UK Platform over the weekend that there is no need for violence during the December 7 polls, as the election will definitely produce one winner, and certainly several losers including Hassan Ayariga.
...One wonders that for a country that has had so many elections, even just the fourth republic, why does every election year bring this tension and this fear that the country is going to implode just because we are having an election. There is going to be one winner, and depending on how many candidates are cleared by the Supreme Court on Monday, certainly several losers including Hassan Ayariga Im sure. There really is no basis for the tension, she said.
But speaking to Pulse.com.gh, Mr Ayariga said the comments are rather unfortunate.
He said: When we are done with the filing today and tomorrow, and we are properly accepted, I will send her to court. You see as a returning officer you have no right to sit at an international platform, or declare at a national platform, that this person will lose the election. You dont have that right; that means that automatically you are bias. You have already taken a stance.
If you say there is going to be one winner, fine, several losers, thats okay but dont add that including Hassan Ayariga for sure. Youve taken a stance already, and that stance is dangerous.
The Supreme Court on Monday morning dismissed the EC's suit challenging the High court ruling asking it to allow the PPP's presidential candidate, Dr. Nduom to correct his nomination form errors.
A Seven-member panel on Monday asked the election management body to extend the nomination period to November 8, and allow the candidates to correct their mistakes in order to contest the polls.
The court also ordered the discontinuation of the various court cases regarding the disqualification of other presidential aspirants.
Speaking with Pulse Ghana, Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Central Regional Police Command, Sgt. Raymond Asaaba emphasised that the Police will not condone any kind of misconduct from any political party or individual come December 7th.
He said the Central Regional Police Command is poised to ensure a smooth run of the elections in its region, and that any poor behaviour particularly during election day, will be quickly brought to check.
Sgt. Asaaba said 2000 Police, with sister security agencies such as Immigration, Prison Service and the Fire Service have been arranged to be deployed into the various polling stations in the region.
In cautioning the citizenry to comply with the rules and regulations by the Electoral Commission during and after the election, he noted that although the E.C. has come out with seven flash points in the region based on past elections. However, stringent measures are being put in place to ensure law and order in the 448 points identified also by the Command.
These identified Flash Points will be equipped with two personnel each who in turn will be liaising with the joint operation centers to report and bring to check anyone who breaks the law on the day of elections.
Despite the efforts the Central Regional Police Command is putting in preparations towards the coming elections, much is also being done with all stakeholders such as the National Commission for Civic Education (N.C.C.E.), religious bodies and political parties to sensitize the general public on expectations specially on the day.
The 24 observers of the EU Election Observer Mission (EOM) were deployed in pairs to each region while the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions will each have two teams.
Our job is to follow the process very closely. We hope for a transparent election and hope for a peaceful election like everybody else does, he said during a media briefing to announce the deployment at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra Sunday.
He said the team will be here till January ending if the election enters a second round, but will stay till around Christmas if there is just one round.
The Deputy EU Chief added that the team will follow campaigning by the political parties and meet with election officials and stakeholders.
The EU, since 1992, has been part of the international observers mission teams that monitors Ghana's election.
The Union deployed 24 EU member states to all the 10 regions of Ghana during the 2012 general election to assess the electoral process against international and regional standards.
Mark Stevens said this year 32 short-term observers will arrive close to the Election Day.
She explained that this does not mean she does not support her husband in his bid to be the next president of Ghana.
Speaking to Accra-based Joy FM Mrs Nduom said: I actually dont want to dwell on this First Lady [thing] because I must tell you that seriously its not my aspiration.
READ ALSO: Mrs Nduom jubilates after court ruling
She explained that she has been on several campaign platforms propagating her husbands message as a supportive wife.
She added that she will support her husband fully if he is voted as president of the country after the December 7 polls.
The Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA) is outraged at the corruption exhibited by the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) in awarding an GHS 8.95 million contract for the printing of the Statement of Poll and Declaration of Results Forms (Pink Sheets) and other carbonized election forms to Aerovote, a company in the United Kingdom which was liquidated in 2013, which was later incorporated in Ghana on December 2015.It is baffling that, after undergoing the tender process, presumably to obtain the best value for the hard-earned money of the Ghanaian taxpayers, the EC led by its Chairperson, Madam Charlotte Osei, failed to do full due diligence before the contract was awarded. Thus, the EC rejected the GHS 4,209,825.25 bid of Buck Press, a reputable Ghanaian firm which printed the Declaration Forms (Pink Sheets) for the 2012 elections, and rather awarded the contract at a gargantuan cost of GHS 8,950,603.92 to a company with a record of liquidation and bankruptcy and with barely 11 months of experience in Ghana.LMVCA questions the motivation and rationale of the EC in awarding such a contract to a firm that was not able to show capacity to deliver at the committee level. Secondly, the company refused to take the EC for an onsite inspection of where the said printing contract will take place, whether in the country of origin of this firm or its host country.Furthermore, LMVCA,together with Ghanaians and tax payers, demand urgent answers on why the contract was awarded at twice the price quoted by a local company with a proven track record.The LMVCA therefore demands that the EC abrogate the contract with Aerovote with immediate effect. We further call on the EC to do due diligence and exhibit a good sense of judgment in awarding the contract to save the Ghanaian taxpayer the financial burden of overpriced service from a foreign multinational whose overall integrity and business credibility is in doubt and crisis.With a few weeks to Election Day, it is crucial that the EC portrays itself as capable of conducting free and fair elections. It is therefore unacceptable that the EC would award such a dubious contract to further erode the waning confidence of the electorate in the EC as a credible institution. Ghanaians feel short-changed in this award of contract to the company Aerovote and we demand an immediate cancellation of this dubious contract.LMVCA remains resolute in the commitment to preserving the integrity of the electoral process. We will therefore continue to scrutinize the processes before, during and after the elections to consolidate our democracy.Let My Vote CountDont Destroy Our Democracy!!!
What does this mean for Ghana, and Africa as a whole?
While we have a pretty fair idea of what this will mean to the USA, it's hard to say what that means here. Because Trump has not really spoken of this continent and definitely not Ghana.
But, as lecturer in communications at the University of Ghana, Dr Etse Sikanku told Pulse Ghana earlier in the year, there will be a direct impact on this part of the world once the US chooses its new leader.
Whoever wins will be responsible for foreign policy and Americas relationship with Ghana, and that will have a trickle down effect on people here in Ghana, Sikanku says.
But knowing what that effect really is, is guesswork.
One of the top things to consider is the future of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) as this will affect businesses here, particularly if someone was exporting due to this agreement.
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a United States Trade Act enacted in 2000, and has since been renewed until 2025. The legislation significantly enhances market access to the US for qualifying Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, of which Ghana is one.
AGOA builds on existing US trade programmes by expanding the (duty-free) benefits previously available only under the countrys Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme.
Through it, Ghana has exported millions of dollars of products to the USA, and been able to import products from the USA in return.
The US has stated cocoa and cashew exports from Ghana to the US went up by 300 percent within a period of 13 years under the AGOA initiative, which would have had huge impacts through Ghana.
Writing for thisisafricaonline.com, Ben Payton of the risk advisory firm Verisk Maplecroft says if Trump wins he will "tear up the rulebook" when it comes to the US policies towards Africa.
With the traditional emphasis the US places on Africa being aid, trade and security, Payton writes there is scope for drastic and perhaps destructive change under Trump.
However, when it comes to trade, Payton writes Unlike NAFTA or the Trans-Pacific Partnership, AGOA has not been a campaign issue. Trump would gain little by removing trade benefits from all African countries. Since most African exports to the US are either natural resources or low-value goods, lobby groups rarely argue that AGOA has hit American jobs, he states.
If there is controversy and pressure, chances are Trump would take an aggressive stance.
And as far as immigration goes, US statistics show from 2004 until 2013, numbers of Ghanaians in the USA who have obtained lawful permanent residence has increased from 5,337 people in 2004, when George Bush was president, to 7,610 in 2008, his last year. Under Obama, from 2009 the number was 8, 401 in 2013, (the most recent number available) there were 10, 265 Ghanaians given permanent residency.
The number of Ghanaians naturalized in the USA has also increased significantly under Obama. Under Bush in 2004 there were 3, 577, under Obama, in 2009 the number was 4, 819 and in 2013 5, 105.
However, those Ghanaians caught to be illegally in the country have increased under Obama, in 2004 there were 135 people this jumped to 422 in 2009, however, in 2013 the number dropped to 272.
Even last week a number of Ghanaians were deported from the USA.
What the future may hold for Ghanaians immigrating to the USA illegally under a new president would also be speculation, but Sikanku says if you looked at Republican Donald Trumps stance on immigration he is somebody who believes in protecting America...he believes he is going to build a high wall along the border. He is going to make sure that America is more strict on illegal immigration. At a point he said illegal immigrants, including those from Africa, will be deported.
You'll remember Trump has said he wants to ban all Muslims from entering the USA for a period.
So 2002 estimations of Muslims across the continent show that's 45 percent of the population of Africa. 45 percent of Africans banned at least temporarily, under Trump.
As far as aid is concerned, Payton notes Trump has said every penny donated to Africa is stolen, and in 2014 he criticised Obama for helping fight Ebola. But he has since acknowledged that aid can stabilise vulnerable countries, and has promised to lead the way in Aids relief.
Payton says there are some grounds for hope that Trump would not make extreme cuts, even if aid spending is almost certain to fall.
But the reality is, Trump doesn't talk about Africa, except when he mispronounced the nation of Tanzania when speaking about terrorism in April this year. There was also the spectacle of Obama's Kenyan half brother Malik supporting Trump ahead of the final US presidential debate.
So exactly what a win for Trump means over here, is a dark unknown.
Barack Obama, being the first U.S. President with familial links to Africa, has made some achievements towards the continent. He introduced Power Africa, which aims to add 60 million new electrical connections to light up the continent.
Mr Obama also launched the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), which mentors and funds projects for ambitious young people.
The president also paid several visits to sub-Saharan Africa and helped expand trade to the continent.
It appears that ever since the two current candidates began their campaigns, African policy has not really been a priority topic for them.
The campaign team of each candidate, however, has dropped hints as to how they would approach Africa as president.
So as America prepares to vote on November 8, many have said that whoever is elected in November will determine Americas foreign policy generally and her approach to Africa specifically.
Trump has already proposed radical moves, including limiting the number of Muslims allowed into the US.
He also intends on building a wall on the border with Mexico to stem the flow of illegal immigrants from Latin America.
His administration would, at the very least, be hostile to immigration, but what would a Clinton administration mean for Africa?
Political analyst, Etse Sikanku had earlier told Pulse.com.gh that a Trump administration is going to make sure that America is more strict on illegal immigration.
But Tom Daschle, a former Senate majority leader believes that Clinton would have a very different perspective on immigration than her opponent, Trump.
We believe in immigration. We think that immigration is really the reason why we celebrate the diversity and the strength that is America. And the more we can embrace immigration, the more we believe we have an opportunity to help create stability around the world, in addition to enhancing their own diversity, he told VOA news.
Clinton appears to have a relationship with the continent and would likely work with the Clinton Foundation to fight AIDS and support other educational initiatives.
Hillary Clinton is also expected to improve capabilities in crisis response and provide protection of civilians, particularly, women. This could be seen in contrast to Trump's often disrespectful comments against women.
US aid to the continent is probably likely to increase since the Clintons are believed to have a love affair with the continent which stretches back to Bill Clinton's presidency and continued with the Clinton Foundation's work on the continent.
As Ben Payne, the head of Africa at risk advisory firm Verisk Maplecroft writes, if Clinton wins, African presidents will still be invited to Washington, and the US will carry on providing security assistance. But she will also face constraints. The cry of America first may not be quite loud enough to put Trump in the White House but the pressures of domestic politics will affect the choices a President Clinton makes on Africa.
Hillary Clinton happens to have championed the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, together with the Europeans. Even though Barack Obama believes the move is the "worst mistake" of his presidency, Hillary Clinton said that she "think[s] President Obama made the right decision at the time".
But what would her stance mean for Africa if she is voted into power? Already, the overthrowing of governments in the Muslim world has opened up a vacuum which keeps being filled by extreme Muslim groups like the Islamic State, al-Qaeda and others. Many fear that a Hillary win will bring up such a type of foreign policy for North Africa, and the Middle East in particular.
However, she is more committed to peace enforcement on the continent than Trump.
Hillary is expected to intervene in conflicts on the continent that might need Americans attention. And Hillary being the hawk she is, many believe she will definitely intervene in Darfur or the Central African Republic because Sub-Sahara Africa, even though it might not be of interest to the US in financial terms, will surely be of interest to it in terms of the human element. This is because the US would like to see that people of the Darfur and Central African Republic regions have peace once more.
However, there appears to be a limit to how far she would go in responding to a crisis, such as renewed civil war in Democratic Republic of Congo following President Joseph Kabilas refusal to step down.
Now turnning to trade, what the future of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) will be would be of great concern to African businesses. As Ben Payton, the head of Africa at risk advisory firm Verisk Maplecroft writes: African leaders will be reassured by Clintons frequent praise for the legislation, and concerned by Trumps pledge to scrap trade deals that hurt American manufacturers.
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a United States Trade Act enacted in 2000, and has since been renewed until 2025. The legislation significantly enhances market access to the US for qualifying Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, of which Ghana is one.
AGOA builds on existing US trade programmes by expanding the (duty-free) benefits previously available only under the countrys Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme.
Ghana has through AGOA exported millions of dollars of products to the USA, and been able to import products from the USA in return.
The future of AGOA currently remains uncertain, even though many argue that a Clinton win will bring positive results.
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It looks like an old playbook that has been dusted and is now being implemented by regulators, conspiracy theorists say.
Two Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) top officials were deployed to test the waters recently, public commentators have suggested.
Mele Kyari, who is the Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing at the NNPC was first to go on the record to say the present price of petrol at N145/liter was no longer sustainable given Nigerias Forex (Foreign Exchange) crisis.
We have a very difficult business environment. It is impossible today to import products at the current market price, at current fixed foreign exchange rate. There is no way today you can take products to retailers and sell at N145. It is not possible, Kyari said.
Within moments of Kyaris controversial comments,Mr. Garba-Deen Muhammad, who is the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, was deployed to do some damage control.
According to Muhammad, Kyaris comments had been taken out of context.
As for this moment, there is absolutely no plan to do that and no need for that because we have more than enough supply. In addition to that, we also have long-term procurement contract with our suppliers.
This has been mitigated by NNPCs long-term procurement contract plan that guarantees stable pricing.
Nigerians should not engage in panic buying, as there is no cause for alarm with respect to pump price increase or shortage of products.
Except that soon after Muhammads comments of 'reassurance', NNPC filling stations across the country increased the price of petrol at their pumps from N143 to N145 per liter.
NNPC gas stations were the only ones dispensing the product at N141 and then N143 per liter. This price regime was touted as one of the gains of deregulation in the early days.
But with that now history, is the government serving the citizenry a fresh notice of what is to come?
Minister of State for Petroleum, Emmanuel Kachikwu, was initially evasive about a petrol pump price increase in a chat with journalists last weekend.
First, I am not aware that the NNPC has increased price. I need to look into that. It is a bit of surprise for me, because there are processes in doing this, if they have done that, it means they are doing it wrongly.
Let me find out what the facts are, Kachikwu said.
Kachikwu thereafter gave plenty hint that the price of petrol will be increased:
Having said that, the reality is that what we did at the point where we did some liberalisation, was to enable the free market float the price.
Obviously, as you look at foreign exchange differentiations and all that, it would impact. The worst thing you could do is to go back to an era where we basically were fixing prices".
Interpretation: If the price of petrol goes up at any gas station around where you live or work, the government will say its liberalisation or market forces at work.
Everything points to an increase in price of petrol at this point.
put calls across through to Kachikwu for a definitive government position on the subject of another round of petrol price increase, but those calls went unanswered.
Pulse also sent text messages across to Kachikwu, but there hadnt been replied at the time of filing this story.
However, in a press statement sent to , NNPC dismissed rumours of a possible hike in the price of petrol.
NNPC also wishes to confirm the availability of over 1.6 billion litres of PMS in-country that would last 45 days consumption.
NNPC is not empowered statutorily to tinker with the pricing template of petroleum products as erroneously reported in some dailies.
On why NNPC gas stations increased their pump prices, the state-run oil company put it down to good, old, market forces.
The price adjustment in NNPC downstream facilities from N141-N145/ltr is still within the price band of N135-N145/ltr approved by the PPPRA.
NNPC assures marketers and motorists of its readiness to continue to be the supplier of last resort and ensuring energy security for Nigeria. There was no NNPC management that met the President to push for a hike in the pump price of petrol to N150 per litre, the statement read.
In a related development, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened a shut down of the economy if the pump price of petrol is tinkered with.
Born September 21, 1982 in Lagos, Nigeria, his professional acting debut was a Zeb Ejiro Tv series, titled 'Ultimate Hero.'
The movies , and ' however brought the actor to limelight.
Mike is also a family man, he constantly shares photos of his son on social media and was once quoted calling his mother his role model. "
My mother, my superwoman. I have never known anyone more positive and hardworking as my mom," the actor once said in an interview with Best of Nollywood while describing his role model.
According to the "Iya Ibadan" actress, the debacle became a PR fiasco for her.
Speaking on Channels Televisions Seriously Speaking alongside the host, Adesuwa Onyenokwe, Toyin details how she met the family of Mayowa Ahmed and how they planned to disgrace her.
Recall that Mayowa's story went viral after she uploaded an Instagram video soliciting for funds from good spirited Nigerians.
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Popular actress, Toyin Aimakun was among other notable Nigerians who called for the support of some wealthy Nigerians to make donations for Mayowa's surgery.
Over N32 million was raised after which an online campaign #savemayowa was launched.
ALSO READ: Seun Egbegbe supports Toyin Aimakhu amidst alleged scam saga
However, a mild drama ensued when popular blogger, Linda Ikeji posted a story saying the #savemayowa fund raising was a scam adding that her family members had absconded with the money.
The art show featured displays of different types of artwork from a long list of art galleries, art spaces, artists and curated projects.
Stunning and interesting pieces of art were displayed at the exhibition space and they showed the raw talent of the artists.
ALSO READ: International contemporary art show
The opening ceremony on Friday, October 4, 2016 was well attended by stakeholders in the art world, artists, curators and gallery owners. Popular celebrities such as Olu Jacobs, Joke Silva, Adekunle Gold, Iyanya, Ade Bantu and Genevieve Nnanji.
Many of the artists were also around and they interacted with guests at the event while answering questions pertaining to their work.
On Saturday, November 5, 2016, the second day of the show, there were several talks presided over by panelists and a moderator.
The talks held on this day are: 'The art of collecting', 'African arts and its markets: hype or reality?', 'Positioning art within the creative economy', The African collector', 'Women artists and (in)visibility' and artist talking.
Sunday, November 6, 2016 ran in a similar manner as the previous day. The talks held are: 'In conversation', where Mark Coetzee discussed his trajectory as a curator; 'Collecting beyond the familiar- widening the parameters of the African art collection' and 'Cultural entrepreneurship and the rise of women leaders' which featured Mo Abudu, Bolanle Austen-Peters and Reni Folawiyo as panelists.
The ART X Talks were curated by Bisi Silva.
On Saturday and Sunday, there were ART X Live where artists created art right there and then as people watched.
The ART X Live was curated by A Whitespace Creative Agency.
The show was brought to a close on Sunday evening with the ART X Live Intersections which is a sound and art installation.
The art and sound installation featured artists and musicians fusing their crafts together to create art on the spot. The artists, who made use of different media are Vector, Poe, Simi, Falana, Yadi, Dricky, Tunde and Ikon.
They all created music on the spot and performed together, closing the show.
He was apprehended during a raid organized by the Inspector-General of Police Special Task Force on Pipeline Vandalism and Illegal Bunkering.
Other members of his gang managed to escape the clutches of the law enforcement operatives.
ALSO READ: Oil bunkering suspect confesses he was introduced into it by mother
33,000 litres of adulterated fuel, jerry cans and other tools were recovered from the suspect and his gang, Punch News reports.
A police officer who spoke to Punch on a condition of anonymity said, The scene of the crime has also been sealed by the IG Special Task Force on Pipeline Vandalism and Illegal Bunkering."
Ogundare is facing three-count charge bordering on assault and breach of public peace.
The Prosecutor, Insp. Fagboyinbo Abiodun, told the court that the accused committed the offences on May 10 at about 10: 00 a.m. at Isala-Oja, Oba Ile area, Osogbo.
Abiodun said that the accused conducted himself in a manner likely to cause breach of public peace.
The accused shouted thief, thief, on the police officer after he was caught with dangerous weapons by Insp. Bamidele Ikudaisi, he said.
The prosecutor said the accused was caught with Jack knife and various charms by Insp. Ikudaisi.
The offences contravened Sections 516, 249(d) and 355 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol.11, Laws of Osun, 2003.The accused pleaded not guilty.
Counsel to the accused, Mr Okobie Najite, prayed the court to grant his client bail in the most liberal terms.
The Magistrate, Mr Olusola Aluko, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100,000 and two sureties in the like sum.
Aluko ordered that the sureties must reside within the courts jurisdiction with evidence of tax payment and two passport size photographs attached with an affidavit of means.
The Coordinator of the group, Mr David Yisa, made the disclosure while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, November 7, in Minna.
Yisa said that the intervention allowed the girls to continue their education with the consent of their parents.
The Coordinator explained to NAN that the group has also returned seven children who came to Minna by rail in search of menial jobs, to their homes in Kafachan, Kaduna State.
We succeeded in uniting them with their respective parents through the support of the State Ministry of Women Affairs, he said .
Yisa disclosed that the move was part of the groups efforts to protect the right of the Nigerian child.
He also lauded the support of the National Human Rights Commission to the group.
Yisa went on to solicit the support of traditional and religious leaders in educating parents on the importance of child right and western education.
I met Prince when I was in the university and he was my first real love. In fact, I was crazy about Prince and I could anything for him.
He had proposed to me and I gladly accepted but he was just struggling then and I was ready to wait for him to get himself straightened out.
About five years ago, Prince managed to travel out of the country with the intention of making money and coming back so we could get married.
He first went to Malaysia and from there, moved to China and that was when our communication channel was broken.
Prince suddenly stopped communicating and his phone lines were inaccessible. He was no more on the Internet and social media platforms.
Not even members of his family could tell me where he was and they too could not locate him. I was devastated and for a long time, I was going about my daily activities like a zombie.
All these while, my family members were on my neck to move on and get married to other men who sought for my hand but I would not listen to them.
I was waiting for my Prince to come back to me. But last year, one of my aunts took me to a church where a prophet told me that Prince was gone for good and I should better move on with my life.
After a lot of persuasions, I decided to accept Clinton's proposal and plans were put in motion for the wedding.
But just last month, Prince walked back into my life and my world has never been the same again. I would not know how he got my number but he just called that he was back in Nigeria.
I was dumbfounded but when he said he wanted to see me, I did not hesitate and took a taxi to his hotel and there was my Prince, as handsome as he was when he left.
All of a sudden, all the pent up feeling rushed back to me and I knew there and then I had never stopped loving Prince.
I was crying while he was telling me all he went through including being locked up in a Chinese jail for three years.
I did not know when he stripped off my clothes and had sex with me and it was as it was the old times.
Since that day, I see Prince almost on a daily basis and the sex keeps getting better. It has so much affected my relationship with Clinton and he has been complaining bitterly about my sudden change.
But I cannot help it. Prince wants us to go to a court and get married secretly and travel out with him. I am all for the idea but I fear what will become of me in my family and community.
I really need advice.
Ogechukwu."
The Director of Enforcement of the organisation, Mr Augustine Amodu, said this on Monday, November 7 while speaking with journalists in Onitsha, adding that 200 piracy cases are being prosecuted in Federal High Courts all over the country, Punch reports.
ALSO READ: Copyright agency clamps down on pirates in Lagos
A raid of some illegally connected DSTV cables was also carried out on Monday, as Amodu said that most of the convicts were involved in illegal connection and redistribution of MultiChoice DSTV services.
While speaking, Amodu described piracy as a cankerworm which had eaten into the country's economy.
He said, Its a crime against the DSTV; its a crime against the legitimate subscribers; Its a crime against the economy; Its a crime against humanity. For how long are we going to continue with this illegality and still expect prosperity?
Amodu also said that the commission was given the right to arrest and prosecute defaulters by Section 38 of the Copyrights Commission law.
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According to him, the commission found out that some individuals bought a single unit of DSTV decoder and redistributed the services to over 300 users at N2,000 per subscriber.
This is corruption; this is criminal; this is fraud. We cant allow it. The government is losing because these fraudsters dont pay tax. This contributes to unemployment.
We will not sit back and watch the quality of our contents being reduced to this derogatory level whereby some individuals will use our hard earned content right ownership to further cable piracy," Amodu stated.
Frank, who spoke to newsmen on Sunday, November 6, 2016, said he still remains the partys spokesman till a convention is held.
He said an attack on him, is an attack on the youths of Nigeria, adding that It is not possible to suspend me because the zonal level lacks the mandate.
Frank also said I also want to make it very clear to you that I still remain in charge as the acting publicity secretary of the APC.
APC should learn from the ANC of South Africa on its action on Julius Malema. The party has not remain the same since he was suspended.
He also said that the party will die if Buhari remains silent and does nothing about the ongoing issues in the APC.
Frank said And if the President wants to appreciate the support of Oyegun, the president has so many ways to compensate him. I will appeal to the President if it is possible, to appoint Oyegun as an ambassador, as a former career civil servant, he will do better as an ambassador not as national chairman.
This is a personal appeal from me to you Mr. President. It is time for you to intervene in the crisis rocking this party.
The army chief made the call on Monday in Abuja while speaking to newsmen after declaring open a one-day seminar on Assessing the Threats of Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria.
Buratai noted that the online media had misunderstood Nigerian Army in its handling of the war against terrorism in the North-East.
We call on Nigerians, Nigeria press, especially the online media, to take note that they are Nigerians; they should behave like Nigerians and be patriotic.
They should take the issue of defence and security as their personal issue, not to criticise, not to malign, not to smear anybody that is making sacrifice.
Defence and security is issue that should be the concern of everybody, issues of security and defence are not just discussed like political issues.
It is a serious national security issue that must be discussed with caution, it is must be discussed with high sense of patriotism, with high sense of security, national security and protection of our sovereignty.
Whatever happens to the military it is the symbol of our sovereignty, so if you ridicule the military, if you ridicule any of the security agencies, you are ridiculing your own country; you are ridiculing your own sovereignty, Buratai said.
According to him, "you must be very cautious in handing any issue that has to do with the army in particular. We are not politicians we are doing our job professionally.
This is the understanding we expect every Nigerian to show. Normal administrative matters are not meant for criticism, he said.
The chief of army staff decried a situation where some of the online media celebrated the death of personnel who paid the supreme price to make their country and its people secure.
He added: We have a lot to do to ensure that the country is safe, he said.
Buratai also emphasised that the fight against insurgency and terrorism required the support of every Nigerian.
Commenting on late Lt-Col. Muhammad Abu-Ali, he described his death as one too many.
Abu-Ali was killed by the terrorists in Mallam Fatori in Northern Borno, on Nov. 4, in their failed attempt to seize the town.
Until his death he was the Commanding Officer, 272 Task Force Battalion, Mallam Fatori.
Earlier, while declaring the seminar open, Buratai said that the armed forces had effectively responded to the threats of Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East, leading to their decimation.
He noted that the threats of the terrorists since 2009 and other violent agitations in other parts of the country had threatened the sovereignty and corporate existence of the nation.
In the North-East for instance, our forces operating under the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) and Operation Lafiya Dole have restored normalcy in areas that were previously under the control of the Boko Haram terrorists and are currently conducting mop- up operations to clear isolated remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists in Sambisa forest, he said.
Also speaking, Dr John Pham, the Director of the African Centre, Atlantic Council, USA, said the centre had been following progress made by the Nigerian troops in the campaign against insurgency in the country.
Atlantic Council is a think tank in the field of international affairs, it provides a forum for international political, business, and intellectual leaders.
It manages ten regional centres and functional programmes related to international security and global economic prosperity.
Burataimade the comment on Monday, November 7, during an interview with journalists, while attending a seminar on the Boko Haram insurgency.
Its a challenge for all of us to ensure that the fight against insurgency receives total support from everybody, he said according to Daily Trust.
We need to work together and synergize together, fighting insurgency in Nigeria is a situation whereby, they have melted into the society and we have some elements within the society still supporting them clandestinely.
This is a loss too many, there must be collective effort by all Nigerians and indeed globally to ensure that terrorism is fought to the end. The support of every Nigerian is key to the end terrorism, not only in Nigeria but globally, you know that not only in Nigeria, but ISIL also are supporting them. It requires total commitment of everybody, he added.
ALSO READ: Terrorists attack village near Chibok
What's new is the fact that Abdulmumin Jibrin, the Kano state lawmaker who accused Speaker Yakubu Dogara and other members of the Green Chambers of "padding" the budget has departed Nigeria.
In an interview with Ben TV London on Monday, November 7, 2016, Jibrin said he decided to leave Nigeria for security reasons.
The lawmaker alleged that he has received several threats from his colleagues who he accused of corruption.
Jibrin who expressed displeasure over President Muhammadu Buhari's silence on the budget padding scandal added that he would not return to Nigeria unless his safety is guaranteed.
"The situation currently at hand is different from the initial stage of the crisis. The silence of the presidency is no longer sending the right message to Nigerians and the international community," he said.
Jibrin also revealed that he recently wrote to President Buhari, seeking an audience to brief him about "monumental fraud" in the 2016 budget, individual and systemic corruption in the House and some vital information on how to check the practice.
According to Jibrin, over 2,000 fraudulent projects worth over N284 billion were inserted into 2016 budget, adding that such fraud has never happened in the history of the Nigerian legislature.
Jibrin, however, exonerated himself of any wrongdoing in the appropriation process.
Jibrin was suspended over the allegations of corruption he levelled against the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and other principal officers of the House.
He is currently in London where he was honoured with an award and has vowed not to return to Nigeria until his safety is guaranteed.
But Hembe said Jibrin fled to London to avoid prosecution.
"My attention has been drawn to a statement issued by the suspended member Abdulmumin Jibrin who has fled to United Kingdom," Hembe said in a statement issued on Monday, November 7.
"Jibrins allegation that his life is under threat is laughable and foolish. I understand that the anti-graft agencies are closing in on him with their investigation into his past deeds.
"He might have got the hint of his possible and prosecution and decided to flee while raising false alarm.
"May I remind him that no matter where he goes justice will surely catch up with him as there is no hiding place for criminals in our todays world," he added.
However, in an interview with London's Ben TV on Monday, Jibrin had claimed that he left Nigeria because of threats he has been receiving from colleagues he accused of corruption.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on June 20 frozen the Governor's two accounts domiciled with the bank's Ado-Ekiti branch.
The presiding judge, Justice Taiwo Taiwo fixed the date following the adoption of written addresses and other evidence by parties involved in the suit.
Fayose's lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, had approached the court for an order ordering the EFCC - the first respondent, and Zenith Bank - the second respondent, to immediately lift the freeze order on the accounts.
Ozekhome argued that EFCC's acted illegally in the freezing of his client's personal accounts. He described it as unconstitutional and an infringement on the Fundamental Rights of the applicant.
He said the move of the anti-graft agency was contrary to Section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, which granted immunity to a sitting governor not to be prosecuted in either civil or criminal matters.
ALSO READ: Fayose reveals why he visited Segun Oni
According to NAN, some of the prayers sought by Fayose in suit number: FHC/AD/CS/27/2016 includes an order of the court for the immediate lifting of the freeze order on the accounts and to make same functional.
Ozekhome urged the court to grant all the prayers of the applicant while cost should also be awarded in favour of his client.
While adopting his written address and 10 paragraph-affidavit, counsel to EFCC, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that the commission acted within its statutory and constitutional power, citing Section 6(5)(b) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011.
The minister said this at an award ceremony organised by Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
In a related development, the Senate has called on the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to provide daily records of the sale and production of crude oil and gas.
The committee Chairman, Senator Tayo Alasoadura said the data will give lawmakers an idea of what is going on the oil and gas industry.
Alasoadura also expressed worry that some government agencies do not provide reports on their activities to the Senate.
ALSO READ: NLC kicks against sale of national assets
Adding that The problem with us is that we dont think the National Assembly is part of the government. I have always told people: take the National Assembly away from governance, there is no more democracy. There is the executive; there is legislature; and there is the judiciary. But its only when you have the legislature, which will act as a check on the executive, that there is democracy.
So, whatever is worth doing for the executive must also be done for the legislature, so that at the end of the day, we will all understand and speak with one voice.
We are very impressed by what we saw. A lot of rumours fly around about the seeming incompetence of the DPR. But from all the efforts they are putting into getting the required results for this country in information gathering, going technical or going ballistic, let me put it that way, I think they are putting in their best."
Alasoadura also said And I believe that in a few more years time, doing business in the oil industry in this country will be so transparent that even people will be able to read what is happening in the oil industry from their bedrooms and from their offices, and that will be a day for Nigeria.
This is contained in a statement signed by Debo Adeniran of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.
The group said this would give the ongoing anti-corruption fight the impetus it desperately needed and help to sustain the Buhari Administration in curtailing impunity in governance.
Section 2 of the EFCC Act says there shall be a Chairman who shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the commission, and who shall not be below the rank of an Assistant Commissioner of police.
He is to be saddled with the responsibility of running the anti-crime commission. The groups verily believe that Mr Magu, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, meets and exceeds this requirement.
And therefore, his confirmation as EFCC Chairman without further delay will give the anti-corruption fight the boost it needs to end the culture of impunity and systemic corruption in Nigeria, the statement quoted representatives of the coalition as saying.
Members of the Coalition ANEEJ, CACOL, CSNAC, Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), and Publish What You Pay, said that the security of tenure for the leadership of the anti-corruption agencies saddled with the task of tackling the debilitating effects of corruption was a globally recognised principle for guaranteeing the independence of anti-corruption agencies.
They said fighting corruption without the basic guarantee of security of tenure for the head of anti-corruption agencies had become the trend in the recent past in Nigeria.
And was one of the major limitations of the fight against the scourge of corruption in Nigeria and the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has a duty to reverse this trend.
The guarantee of security of tenure of anti-corruption agencies officials is at the root of the independence, effective functioning and freedom from undue influence of anti-corruption agencies as prescribed by article 6(2) of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) of which Nigeria is a signatory.
Anything short of such a guarantee renders the fight against corruption ineffectual, susceptible to political manipulation and compromises the independence of the anti-corruption agencies, the group said.
It, therefore, called on the Senate to treat Mr Magus confirmation as substantive executive chairman of the EFCC as a matter of top priority and of urgent national interest.
Ali, who was also known as the Lord of War, was loved by his men, and described as a brave and gallant soldier.
Condolence messages have poured in from Nigerians and notable politicians across the country.
President Buhari, who described the Late Ali as a brave soldier, said their sacrifices will not be in vain.
BBOG, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Sesugh Akume, said The news of the death of the Commanding Officer of the 272 Task Force Tank Battalion, Lt-Col Muhammed Abu Ali, a highly-rated, young officer and four other members of his team, in a separate incident at Mallam Fatori, is unfortunate and saddening. We send our heartfelt condolences especially to their families, and the Nigerian military.
Akume also called on the military authorities to list the names of all the soldiers who have lost their lives in the war against terrorism, so Nigerians can honour them.
He also said I want to refresh our memories and to again place on the record that BBOG it was who kept insisting that the public should be told when our troops fall so that we can mourn and celebrate them. When they tried and said some we insisted that we wanted exact numbers and their names. Well, we dont get exact numbers but at least we do get numbers, instead of some or a few. Today we can place a name to the face of the gallant Lt-Col Abu Aliwho died sacrificing to keep us free of terrorists and insurgents, and help bring back our girls.
In a statement on Sunday, Malam Garba Shehu, the Presidents Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, said the president was reacting to the death of Col. Abu Ali and others while fighting Boko Haram insurgents, on Friday, in Borno.
Buhari stated that the memories of the affected officers would be eternally etched in the hearts and minds of fellow citizens for whose sake they laid down their lives.
The President, who described late Ali as one of Nigerias finest and bravest soldiers in recent history, said he was rudely shocked by the news of the officers death along with other gallant soldiers during an encounter with the Boko Haram bandits in Borno.
A courageous commander does not only give orders, but also joins his men to fight the battle, no matter the risks or the obvious danger.
Ali was an extraordinary officer who inspired respect and adoration among those he commanded.
One of the greatest attributes of a war hero is the ability to help your troops overcome fear in the face of danger, " he added.
President Buhari stated that the late Colonel and his other fallen colleagues had brought glory to the army and the country for laying down their lives for the sake of others.
In his passionate condolence to the families of the victims and the Nigerian Army, the President also noted that their heroic sacrifices were so immeasurable that no words can do justice to their patriotism and remarkable courage.
President Buhari, who personally called late Col. Alis father, Brig.-Gen. Abu Ali (Ryder) to console the family , reassured them that his death and those of his colleagues in battle would never be in vain.
He was a gallant soldier, never to be forgotten. He has brought a good name to the family, the President said.
The President called on members of the armed forces not to let the tragic incident to dampen their morale and spirit, adding that under no circumstances should the Boko Haram terrorists be allowed to destroy the will of our troops.
Evil should not be given any chance to defeat good and humanity,
Members of our armed forces should remain formidably united in the war against terrorism.
Meanwhile, the President has appointed a high powered delegation to be led by the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, to represent him at the funeral of late Col. Ali and others on Monday.
Gaya stated this on Monday, November 7, in Abuja at the Public Hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Works.
The hearing was on the repeal of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency Act 2002 and on Federal Roads Authority Bill, 2016 and National Roads Fund Establishment Bill.
ALSO READ: Kachikwu says FG will review fuel price
According to Gaya, the five per cent is worth N771 billion, which should have accrued since 2007 to government coffer as provided by the FERMA Act.
For today, November 7 2016:
THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER
Reps threaten arrest warrant on customs boss, Ali
The House of Representatives has again threatened to issue a warrant of arrest on the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Col Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd), over refusal to explain why his agency allegedly paid N250 million to Fortis Insurance Brokers Limited.
How N100 billion constituency projects threaten 2017 budget
Senators anger at the non-implementation of the controversial N100 billion constituency projects is a reason the 2017 budget may suffer a delayed passage.
Talks with Boko Haram over Chibok girls still on, says government
Contrary to speculations that talks with Boko Haram over the remaining 197 abducted Chibok girls have broken down, the Federal Government has insisted that negotiation for their release is ongoing.
THE VANGUARD NEWSPAPER
FG expands charges against suspended judges
Reasons the Federal Government delayed the filing of charges preferred against judges suspected of corrupt practices in the course of their duties, emerged last night.
FG to review fuel price template Kachikwu
The Federal Government, weekend, said it would undertake a review of the pricing template for Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol, to forestall a further increase in the price of the commodity.
Why Buharis appointees, APC chieftains arent tried for corruption Presidency
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, has said that leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and those in the cabinet were not being prosecuted for corruption because no evidence had been put forward indicting them.
THE NATION NEWSPAPER
The prince who died fighting
Tributes continued yesterday for the gallant officer who died fighting Boko Haram on Friday.
Ambode to turn Lagos Presidential Lodge to Heritage Centre
Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for approving the hand over of the Marina Presidential Lodge to the state.
$29.9b loans: Senators set another hurdle for Buhari
Senators have put another hurdle in the way of the presidential request for approval to obtain $29.9billion loans for infrastructure.
THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER
Judges may face sanctions for delaying criminal cases
Judges are likely to be queried and sanctioned if they fail to conclude criminal cases assigned to them within set time.
NLC warns against another fuel price increase
The Nigeria Labour Congress has warned the Federal Government against any further increase in the pump price of petroleum products, especially Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise called petrol.
Anxiety over Kogi govs whereabouts
There was anxiety in Kogi State on Sunday following the non-appearance of Governor Yahaya Bello in public in the last two weeks.
THE BUSINESSDAY NEWSPAPER
CBN's dollar management policy puts pressure on the naira
The Central Bank of Nigeria's (CBN) deliberate policy of capping the exchange rate between the naira and the US$ through tight management of market operators is putting pressure on Nigeria's dollar reserves and raising questions on the sustainability of the current policy.
Cocoa farmers make more money on weaker naira
Nigerias cocoa exporters are smiling to the bank as the steep devaluation of the naira has resulted in a sharp increase in the naira income from cocoa exports.
FG suspends Obazees Code of Corporate Governance
The "Hollywood Blockbuster Award" went to Disney's "The Jungle Book" while there was a comedy prize for two-time Oscar-winner Robert De Niro for his role in the upcoming "The Comedian."
Hanks, also a double Oscar winner, was honored for "Sully," Clint Eastwood's drama about real-life hero Chelsey Sullenberger's 2009 emergency landing of a passenger jet on the Hudson River.
Portman was recognized for her starring role in "Jackie," a portrait of First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy during the days immediately following her husband's assassination.
Best supporting actor went to Hugh Grant for comedy biopic "Florence Foster Jenkins," while Nicole Kidman was recognized for her support role in "Lion."
"His performance in 'Florence Foster Jenkins' is miraculous and marvelous, and I always knew he was a wonderful actor," the film's British writer Nicholas Martin told AFP.
Mel Gibson, who is making a comeback after his career collapsed following an anti-Semitic tirade caught on tape, was accepted back into the fold with an award for directing.
His World War II drama "Hacksaw Ridge" came out on Friday to widespread acclaim, ten years after his last directing project, "Apocalypto."
"Our crew and cast would lie in front of the tracks for Mel. They adored him and loved him. He's an amazing filmmaker and an amazing individual," "Hacksaw Ridge" producer David Permut told AFP.
Red carpet glamour
Hosted by British actor and comedian James Corden, the plush Beverly Hills ceremony has been criticized in the past, chiefly because it is not known who actually votes for the winners.
The website says selections are made by an "advisory team" of "Hollywood insiders," prompting trade journal "Variety" to describe the evening as "more mystery than suspense."
Critics have also questioned the wisdom of some of the decisions; this year the two actress prizes and De Niro's honor were awarded for films which aren't out yet.
Organizers point out however that more than 100 honorees have gone on to garner Oscar nominations or wins.
There was no shortage of glamour on the red carpet, with the prizewinners among a host of A-listers who were not nominated, including Aaron Eckhart, Andie MacDowell and Lenny Kravitz.
"Jurassic World" star Bryce Dallas Howard, whose upcoming crime thriller "Gold" bagged an "ensemble" award for its cast, told AFP she was excited to be going into the awards season.
"I haven't really done it that much. The year I was nominated for the Golden Globes it was canceled," she said, referring to the 2008 ceremony, which was shelved due to a writers' strike.
"For me it's still this thing where I get to see all my friends, we're all dressed up and there's not much pressure."
Her "Gold" co-star Matthew McConaughey revealed that 2016 had been one of his "roughest" years as many family members and close friends had died -- "more so than the last 10 years combined."
Amaechi also said that the APC is proud of Oshiomhole adding that he is admired by the people of Edo and Nigerians as a whole.
The minister made the comments during a send-off party organized for Oshiomhole who will soon be vacating the office.
We are proud of him because he has done APC proud not only in Edo State but in the South-South, Amaechi said.
He is one of our best and we are grateful to God today that he will bow out having finished strongly to the admiration of not only Edo people but Nigerians as whole, he added.
Oshiomhole will be handing over to Godwin Obaseki who represented the APC in the September 28 governorship elections.
Governor Wike had earlier accused the electoral body, police and All Progressives Congress (APC) of planning to manipulate the results of the poll.
According to Punch, Yakubu also described the Rivers state Governors allegations as baseless.
The INEC Chairman also called on Wike to let the relevant security agencies conclude their investigation.
Yakubu, speaking through his Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said Governor Wikes allegations are baseless and unfortunate. INEC is a responsible organisation that takes its responsibilities very seriously.
The commission could not have been aware of such a criminal act. I will advise the governor to stop throwing stones at INEC at the slightest opportunity.
Adding that Well, we believe that the Nigeria Police have competent officers who will investigate this development and bring all the culprits to book.
It is too early for anybody to draw conclusions. We should allow the Police to complete their investigation.
INEC wants the case thoroughly investigated and the culprits and their sponsors prosecuted.
ALSO READ:Police arrest 3 for allegedly printing fake ballot papers in Rivers
Also reacting to the allegations, the Rivers state Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, said The police have always embraced professional standards in carrying out their duty. We have not colluded or think of colluding with INEC, any person or group of persons to rig election.
Wike also accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Nigerian police of plotting to manipulate election results.
This is coming on the heels of the arrest of three people for allegedly printing fake ballot papers for the rerun election in Rivers state.
ALSO READ:Police arrest 3 for allegedly printing fake ballot papers in Rivers state
He said The plot is to bring the fake result sheets to the polling units in agreement with security agents and push away our agents and then concoct results. That is the role INEC is playing with the Nigeria Police.
Let the public know that the PDP will resist any attempt by INEC to rig the December 10 election. You print fake result sheets and you expect us not to resist it. They want us to fold our arms and allow them to smuggle in fake result sheets.
If you rig the rerun election, you rig your life. Let me tell the INEC commissioner that if they like, let them bring in the Marines, INEC should not take us for a ride. We will not allow it. Do the right thing and conduct a free and fair election.
Wike had earlier accused the police, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and APC of planning to rig the poll.
According to the Rivers APC spokesman, Chris Finebone, the PDP has planned to plant copies of INEC documents in the homes of opposition members so they will be arrested.
He said Wike's plan is to paint the Minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and Dakuku Peterside, black.
Finebone also said The idea of the PDP is to plant election materials in some homes of individuals claiming they are the APC members so as to take some of our chieftains out of circulation before the rerun election. Emma Chinda they mentioned has not been in Port Harcourt for a very long time.
Their target is to paint Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Dr. Dakuku Peterside black. For us, they should come forth and show us prove. Security agents should come up to tell us if the operation was genuine or not.
Any parent either out of ignorance or willingly refuses to send his child to school will be made to face the full wrath of the law,Alhaji Kaka-Shehu Lawan, the Borno State Attorney General/Commissioner of Justice said.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri that government was already offering parents several incentives to encourage them to send their children to schools.
The commissioner noted that it was lamentable that some parents still refused to send their children to school in spite of the incentives.
The government has directed the Borno State Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to mobilise all children of school age to be enrolled in schools.
It has also invested heavily in constructing new schools and renovating those vandalised by Boko Haram terrorists in the course of the insurgency, so as to provide conducive atmosphere for learning.
Lawan said that government had also introduced free school bus services and other incentives to attract children back to schools.
Government has procured 150 luxury buses to provide free ride to school children in Maiduguri and communities liberated from the terrorists by the military.
It has also introduced the provision of free meals, school uniform and books in schools as part of the incentives to retain students in schools.
The Swedish authorities said one of the prosecutors on the case, Ingrid Isgren, as well as a Swedish police inspector would also attend the questioning on November 14 and report the findings to Sweden.
"A DNA sample will also be taken, provided that Julian Assange agrees to it," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
The 45-year-old whistleblower sought refuge in Ecuador's embassy in London in June 2012, fleeing allegations of rape and sexual assault in Sweden dating back to 2010. Assange denies the claims.
An Australian national, he had refused to travel to Sweden for questioning due to concerns that he would then be extradited to the United States over WikiLeaks' release of 500,000 secret military files on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"We have requested this interview repeatedly since 2010," his lawyer Per Samuelsson told AFP.
"Julian Assange has always wanted to tell his version to the Swedish police. He wants a chance to clear his name," he said.
"We hope the investigation will be closed then."
The lawyer added the "shape of the questioning is under discussion."
A first hearing scheduled for October with the prosecutor Toainga Wilson had been postponed at Assange's request, citing "his rights to the protection and defense of his person," according to Ecuadorian prosecutors.
Swedish prosecutors have dropped a sexual assault probe, concerning another woman, against Assange last year after the five-year statute of limitations expired.
But they still want to question him about the 2010 rape allegation, which carries a 10-year statute of limitations.
Assange insists the sexual encounters in question were consensual.
Last month, the Swedish prosecutor's office rejected Assange's request to temporarily suspend his arrest warrant so he could leave the Ecuadoran embassy to attend the funeral of mentor Gavin MacFayden.
"We need change at the heart of the political parties... we must be guided by honesty and good sense," Ciolos told a gathering of the centre-right National Liberal Party (PNL). which supports the independent prime minister.
Romania, an EU member since 2007, has come under close scrutiny from Brussels in the areas of corruption and judicial reform.
Last month Ciolos, a former EU agriculture commissioner who has high approval ratings, launched a "reform of the state", calling for a broad coalition of political parties and civil society around to make it work.
Both parties are opposed to the Social Democrats, the election favourites, and have said they would put forward Ciolos as premier if they win the general election on December 11.
Ciolos has said he will not stand as a lawmaker in the election or be affiliated to any of Romania's bickering political parties.
"I want to collaborate with parties whose goal is to give rather than receive. That's how we will regain confidence," the prime minister said.
Ciolos, 47, became premier last November heading a technocrat government after predecessor Victor Ponta resigned following a deadly blaze in a nightclub that killed 64 people.
That tragedy led to widespread criticism of the political class, seen as widely corrupt to the point of overlooking fire safety regulations, and brought about the fall of the Social Democrat government of the day.
,
, , .
"There is no agreement," a source close to the negotiations told AFP after talks between Merkel, who heads the Christian Democrats (CDU), and the leaders of the other two parties in her right-left grand coalition ended without a breakthrough.
German media said Merkel's discussions with her Bavarian ally Horst Seehofer of the CSU and Sigmar Gabriel of the Social Democrats would resume next weekend.
The three have been wrangling for months over who to nominate as a potential successor to President Joachim Gauck, 76, who announced in June was stepping down due to his advancing age.
The role is largely ceremonial, with the president traditionally seen as a figure who transcends party politics and serves as a kind of moral arbiter for the nation.
But with German parties shifting into campaign mode, the succession discussions have turned into a display of political power.
Outspoken vice-chancellor and economy minister Gabriel ratcheted up tensions two weeks ago when he unexpectedly declared popular Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the SPD as his party's preferred candidate.
The move blindsided Merkel and Seehofer, as the coalition partners had earlier agreed to put forward a "consensus candidate" who had cross-party support.
It also raised the pressure on the CDU/CSU to come up with equally high-profile names for position, with German media citing conservative heavyweights Wolfgang Schaeuble, the finance minister, and Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen as possible contenders.
With the conservative bloc unlikely to agree to an SPD candidate, Seehofer told local media that he hoped Gabriel was still open to other suggestions.
The economy minister himself told the newspaper group RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland after Sunday's talks that "an agreement was not off the table".
The wrangling comes at a sensitive time for Merkel, who is expected to run for a fourth term next September but who has been politically weakened by her contentions open-door policy for refugees.
If no agreement can be reached, the conservative allies and the SPD could possibly each field their own candidates.
"The leaders of the No campaign only want protect their privileges and they know that December 4 is the last chance to get back on track," Renzi said at a gathering in Florence of supporters of the revisions.
The proposed reforms -- deemed the most important in Italy since World War II and already approved by parliament -- are aimed at increasing political stability in a country which has had 63 governments since 1945.
They would streamline parliament and the electoral system by bringing an end to the existing system whereby each law must be adopted by both chambers in the same terms -- a process that can take years.
On Saturday, several dozen "No" supporters clashed with police outside the disused train station in Florence where "Yes" supporters were gathering.
Renzi described the referendum as a "contest between nostalgia and the future, between those who want to change nothing and those who are looking ahead".
The centre-left prime minister has backtracked on an earlier pledge to resign if voters rejected the proposed constitutional changes.
Still, a defeat would weaken his position significantly, even within his own Democratic Party, where he faces stiff opposition from a leftist minority.
His party foes include former prime minister and "No" champion Massimo D'Alema.
More than 11,000 UN police and military are currently serving in Mali, attempting to guarantee security in lawless swathes of the vast Sahel nation.
Seven other peacekeepers, also from Togo, were wounded in the attack in the central Mopti region, according to the statement by the UN mission, known by the acronym MINUSMA.
After a mine or improvised explosive device was detonated, attackers opened fire on the convoy, the UN said, without identifying the assailants.
A MINUSMA spokesman said Malian police would investigate the death of the two civilians following the convoy.
The attack came the day after a soldier serving with France's "Barkhane" counter-terror force was killed in a similar incident.
He died of his injuries following a mine blast near the northern town of Kidal in an attack claimed by the Islamist group Ansar Dine, which has ties to Al-Qaeda.
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Sunday called on Mali's president to take the "necessary initiatives" to establish peace in the country's restive north.
"I stress regularly to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita that he must take the necessary initiatives to ensure the integration of the people of the north into the Malian community," he told French media.
In Bamako, however, a Malian minister who did not wish to be named, hit back saying Mali did not need "national unity lessons" from Le Drian.
"We have been working on national unity for a long time. Unity should go hand in hand with the fight against terrorism, insecurity," the minister said.
"The situation in Kidal is not because of the Malian government."
However, the Malian president convened an emergency meeting and instructed security forces to take more mobile positions in several parts of the country, especially the north, also calling for more patrols.
"The state will provide the means needed to fight against terrorism," one participant at the meeting said.
Also on Sunday, Ansar Dine claimed the ransacking of an army base in the north during which they stole weapons and vehicles as troops fled their positions.
The claim of responsibility was issued by Mauritanian news agency al-Akhbar, which regularly carries statements from jihadist groups operating in the Sahel.
The jihadists said they had killed "several" Malian soldiers but this was denied by independent sources and military officials contacted by AFP.
Deadliest mission
More than 30 MINUSMA troops have been killed this year, more than in any other UN peacekeeping mission.
It has been plagued by logistical failings and the UN has admitted instances of torture and sexual abuse by staff, as well as one instance of causing the death of a detainee.
The Mopti attack took place as Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan held talks with top officials in Bamako ahead of the deployment of 600 Canadian peacekeepers to Africa, and possibly to Mali.
Sajjan said Canada wanted to "take our time" before deciding which nation to support, but added Canada was "not averse to risk".
The United Nations has expressed interest in having Canadian tactical helicopters deployed in the region once Dutch aircraft leave in January.
MINUSMA deployed in Mali in 2013, following a French counter-terrorism force that landed in January to drive jihadists from key northern cities they had overrun.
Northern Mali had fallen into the hands of jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda in early 2012 -- briefly backed by Tuareg-led rebels -- throwing the country into chaos.
Kenya said it would withdraw some 1,000 troops deployed with the 13,000-strong peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, where U.N. peacekeepers have been deployed since 2011 when it gained independence from Sudan.
In an unusual move, Russia, a U.N. Security Council veto power, and Kenya publicly criticized Ban's response to the report.
"For us the decision was premature," Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Petr Illichev said. "We don't have a special representative, she's leaving, we don't have a force commander. ... The whole structure is in ruins."
Ondieki became the force commander in June, just three weeks before the outbreak of heavy fighting between South Sudan President Salva Kiir's troops and soldiers loyal to his rival, Riek Machar.
U.N. South Sudan envoy Ellen Loj is due to step down at the end of November.
The U.N. inquiry, released on Tuesday, found peacekeepers did not operate under a unified command and received multiple and sometimes conflicting orders. It said there was a "chaotic and ineffective" U.N. response.
Kenya U.N. Ambassador Macharia Kamau said his country had appealed to Ban not to single out any one individual for "what we will continually insist is a systemic failure in the United Nations system."
"The secretary-general, in his lame-duck season, seems to have found the courage that has alluded him throughout his tenure by choosing to ignore Kenya's plea," Kamau told a news conference at the United Nations.
Ban steps down at the end of 2016 after serving two five-year terms.
The United States proposed on Thursday that the Security Council welcome the inquiry's report, but diplomats said that China, backed by Russia, blocked the move. Such statements have to be agreed by consensus.
The U.N. inquiry had found that on two occasions Chinese peacekeepers abandoned their positions during the violence.
In Beijing on Friday, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the report contained "groundless criticism" of relevant U.N. peacekeepers in South Sudan and expressed "regret" over its negative impact on the U.N. peacekeeping mission.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric defended the U.N. inquiry on Thursday, which he said was focused on U.N. decisions made during the several days of violence. Dozens of civilians and two Chinese peacekeepers were killed during the fighting.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, acknowledged the difficult and dangerous circumstances faced by peacekeepers in South Sudan, but said the failure to act by U.N. troops "revealed systemic shortcomings in UNMISS."
"It is clear from the U.N.'s investigation that when civilians were in desperate need of help, their pleas were ignored, and the human costs were horrific," Power said in a statement.
Russia has denied having any role in air strikes that the UN children's agency UNICEF said killed 22 students and six teachers at the school in the village of Hass in northwest Syria on October 26.
"No proof, even indirect, that children were present in the building," army spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the time that the attack on the school in the rebel-held province could amount to a war crime and urged a thorough investigation.
On Sunday, Human Rights Watch repeated the war crime accusation, provoking Monday's angry response from the spokesman who said the group's statement "does not hold water".
Moscow has been conducting a bombing campaign in Syria in support of long-time ally Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad since September 2015.
The bombing on October 10, 2015 outside Ankara's main train station targeted mainly young people attending a peace rally of pro-Kurdish activists that was to start later that day.
Supporters of the victims have until now bitterly criticised the slowness of the investigation into the attack, which further raised tensions between the authorities and the Kurdish minority.
The trial got underway at the Ankara criminal court in the presence of opposition MPs and families of the victims, several of whom shouted "murderers" at the suspects, reports said.
Thirty-five of the suspects are Turkish while one -- named as Valentina Slobodjanjuk -- is a Kazakh citizen, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.
Several of the suspects face multiple sentences of up to 11,750 years in prison each on charges of murder and seeking to change the constitutional order.
Others have lesser charges of being a member of IS and face up to 22.5 years in prison, Anadolu said.
The hearing was taking place under the highest security, with security forces in body armour and helmets standing guard inside the courtroom, images showed.
The authorities have identified one of the suicide bombers as Turkish citizen Yunus Emre Alagoz. The other was a Syrian citizen who has yet to be identified, Anadolu said.
Turkey has in the last year been hit by a string of major suicide bombings blamed on IS including a triple attack at Istanbul's main airport in June that left 47 dead and an August blast at a Kurdish wedding in the southeastern city of Gaziantep that killed 57 people, 34 of them children.
IS, which is believed to operate sleeper cells in major Turkish cities, never claimed these attacks.
A news agency affiliated to IS jihadists said they staged a bombing on the southeastern city of Diyarbakir last week that killed 11. If confirmed, it would be the first claim by IS for an attack in Turkey.
The chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff was to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar, the army said, without giving further details.
The Kurdish-Arab force leading the fight to take the Syrian city of Raqa from the control of Islamic State jihadists had said earlier that Washington had agreed Turkey would play no role in the offensive.
Ankara had previously expressed alarm that the Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were dominated by the Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) militia.
It considers the YPG to be an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged an insurgency against Ankara for more than three decades.
But US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter had vowed during a visit to Ankara last month to ramp up joint efforts with Turkey to deal IS jihadists a "lasting defeat".
Turkey is staging its own operation inside Syria to back pro-Ankara rebels seeking to oust IS jihadists from the border area but also targeting YPG fighters.
Saakashvili was a passionate supporter of Ukraine's 2014 pro-EU revolution that ousted the Russian-backed president and set the former Soviet republic on its westward course.
But he had repeated run-ins with some members of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's inner circle and was frequently accused of having outsized political ambitions of his own.
The 48-year-old fluent Ukranian speaker hinted that he was stepping down after 18 months on the job because he was being held back from cracking his whip against graft-driven officials in the Black Sea resort and port city of one million.
"But first, they took away most of his powers, and then they began harassing him from all sides."
Saakashvili said he had no choice but to resign under the circumstances.
But he later told reporters: "We will definitely unite and finish this fight, bringing victory to Ukraine.
"The fight continues," he said.
He also accused Poroshenko of "lying" to him by never keeping his promise to turn the Black Sea region into a tariff-free zone for overseas exports and imports.
Saakashvili's spokeswoman Daryna Chyzh told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency that the former Georgian leader had already written to the president for permission to step down.
She added that he would continue serving as Odessa governor until his resignation was accepted.
Double-edged sword
The announcement is a double-edged sword for the Western-backed Ukrainian leader.
It removes a potential political opponent for his post at time when Ukraine still remains focused on the 30-month pro-Russian separatist war in its east that has claimed nearly 10,000 lives.
But it also underscores the level of state graft that penetrates the country almost three years since the start of a popular uprising that appeared to herald fresh change for one of Europe's poorest and most mismanaged states.
Saakashvili made himself into a US darling in Georgia by cleaning up the corrupt police force and setting the Caucasus country on a far more economically transparent road.
But Georgia's devastating loss against Russia in a brief 2008 war saw Saakashvili's star power dwindle to the point that he was beaten in a 2012 election and become the subject of a series of what he viewed as politically-driven investigations.
He left the country and came to Ukraine with a promise to clean up graft-riddled Odessa as he did with ex-Soviet Georgia in the past.
Morocco is seeking to rejoin the African Union, 32 years after quitting the bloc in protest at its decision to accept Western Sahara as a member.
In a gesture of African solidarity, Mohammed VI delivered an annual speech usually given at home in Dakar to "show the great interest we take in our continent", while still firmly maintaining the "unshakeable Moroccan identity of the Western Sahara".
Morocco has occupied the sparsely populated Western Sahara area since 1975 in a move that was not recognised by the international community.
Mohammed VI emphasised his nation would "ask no one's permission to take our legitimate rights," as "nothing" would change regarding its position on the Western Sahara.
The king arrived late Sunday from Gabon on a three-day trip to Senegal following an east African charm offensive in Rwanda and Tanzania.
He declared that Morocco has "a staggering level of support to take up a seat in the heart of the institutional family of Africans," referring to the AU.
He is due to meet Senegalese officials on Monday including President Macky Sall.
Morocco maintains that Western Sahara is an integral part of the kingdom even though local Sahrawi people have long campaigned for the right to self-determination.
In 1991, the United Nations brokered a ceasefire between Moroccan troops and Sahrawi rebels of the Algerian-backed Polisario Front but a promised referendum to settle the status of the desert territory is yet to materialise.
"The (rifles) that were ordered already, I am ordering the police to cancel it. We'll just have to look for another source that is cheaper and maybe as durable and as good," Duterte said.
The status of the order had become cloudy over the past week after the Philippine media reported the US government would not deliver the weapons because of concerns about Duterte's war on drugs and other crime, which has claimed more than 4,100 lives in four months.
Duterte's spokesman said last week those reports were not accurate, and the US arms would be delivered as promised. But the president also made comments last week which appeared to indicate he believed the Americans had cancelled the planned delivery.
Since taking office on June 30 Duterte has launched repeated tirades against the United States for criticising his drug war and said he wants to loosen the Philippines' dependence on its former colonial ruler.
The United States and the Philippines are bound by a mutual defence pact, but Duterte has said he wants to kick out American forces.
On a state visit to Beijing last month he announced the Philippines' "separation" from the United States and declared he was in China's "ideological flow".
Duterte walked back from those remarks after returning to the Philippines, saying he would not sever ties with the United States.
Sudan's economy has struggled since South Sudan seceded in 2011, taking with it three-quarters of the country's oil output, a key source of foreign currency and government revenue.
"The policies were necessary to solve the economic crisis and if we did not take these steps the crisis would double in effect for the nation and citizens," Finance Minister Badr al-Din Mahmoud told a news conference.
Gasoline prices are set to increase about 30 percent while electricity prices are set to increase 0.06 Sudanese pounds per kilowatt hour for use above 400 kilowatts, Mahmoud said.
The reforms also included austerity measures on government spending to reduce expenditure on cars and travel for officials and furniture for government offices, he added.
Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg
The county, several local businesses and at least two individuals have been named in several recent lawsuits filed in District Court.
The county, several local businesses and at least two individuals have been named in several recent lawsuits filed in District Court.
The legal actions revolve around 2009 and 2011 traffic accidents occurring on State Route 160 that resulted in either fatality or serious injury.
The most recent of the two civil cases are over the death of a man named Abelardo Rojo-Garcia, who was reportedly killed in a 2011 traffic accident. The suit was filed with the Fifth Judicial District Court on Aug. 19.
According to the complaint, Rojo-Garcia was traveling on State Route 160 on Sept. 4, 2011 with two other individuals, Ana Ariza and Arismel Rojo, who are named plaintiffs in the case, when what they say were dangerous road conditions in a construction area caused the driver to collide with another vehicle.
As a result of the accident, the plaintiffs, Ariza, Rojo, Camerino Rojo-Torres and Remedios Rojo-Garcia, said Abelardo was killed and Ariza and Rojo suffered serious injuries to their shoulders, back (sic), bodily limbs, organs and systems, all or some of which condition (sic) may be permanent and disabling.
The complaint alleges Wulfenstein Construction Co., Inc.; Morales Construction, Inc.; United Rentals, Inc.; Trench Plate Rental Co.; Roadsafe Traffic Systems, Inc., the Nevada Department of Transportation, the City of Pahrump, Nye County, and other unnamed entities were responsible for the creation and existence of the dangerous or hazardous conditions at the time of the subject accident.
It further states the construction area where the accident occurred was improperly and/or inadequately designed, constructed, or planned, and/or had improper and/or inadequate street markings, signage, warnings, and/or traffic control, making it a hazard.
Ariza and Rojo claim the injuries they suffered are debilitating and have hindered them in occupational and recreational activities.
As a result of the collision, occurring as a direct and proximate result of the negligence of Defendants, Plaintiffs Ana Ariza and Arismel Rojo have been required to, and have limited occupational and recreational activities, which have caused and shall continue to cause Plaintiffs loss of earning capacity, lost wages, physical impairment, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life, the complaint states.
Because of what the plaintiffs are calling negligence on the part of the defendants to ensure passing motorists safety, they are asking for damages in excess of $10,000 for the wrongful death of Abelardo and injuries sustained by his two passengers.
Specifically the family is asking for general damages for injuries to the plaintiffs in the amount of $10,000, special damages sustained by the plaintiffs in excess of $10,000, attorney fees and other costs related to the suit, interest and other relief the court deems proper to grant them.
The second case involving a traffic accident on the highway was filed with the court on Sept. 4.
According to the civil complaint in that case, Alex Mendoza and his attorney claim the man suffered grievous and serious personal injuries and emotional distress, and suffered great pain of body and mind, and all or some of the same is chronic and may be permanent and disabling, after he was involved in a three-vehicle accident on State Route 160 near mile marker 23 on Feb. 14, 2009.
The complaint states on the day in question at approximately 8:40 a.m., Mendozas vehicle was traveling northbound on the highway when he was struck by another northbound traveling vehicle, reportedly driven by defendant Margaret Ann McCarthy.
Mendozas complaint states his vehicle was then struck a second time by McCarthys vehicle after a Nye County Sheriffs car driven by defendant Delbert Crandall struck McCartys vehicle, causing it to hit him again.
Mendoza is suing McCarty and Crandall in addition to the Nye County Sheriffs Department, Nye County, Enterprise Rent-A-Car Company, and other yet unnamed entities for damages he says he sustained in the accident as a result of what he and his attorney stated was the other drivers negligence.
Defendant McCarthy did carelessly and negligently operate her vehicle so as to cause or allow it to collide with Plaintiffs vehicle, thereby breaching the duty of care that she owed to Plaintiff Alex Mendoza, the complaint states.
Defendant Crandall did carelessly and negligently operated (sic) his vehicle so as to cause it to collide with Defendant McCarthys vehicle, causing Defendant McCarthys vehicle to strike Plaintiffs vehicle again, thereby breaching the duty of care that he owed to Plaintiff Alex Mendoza, it adds.
The complaints states that duty of care was specifically breached when McCarthy and Crandall allegedly failed to keep their vehicles under proper control, operated their vehicles without caution for the rights of Mendoza, failed to keep a proper lookout for the plaintiffs vehicle and allegedly violated certain state and local statutes.
As such Mendoza is seeking in excess of $10,000 in damages as a result of the traffic accident.
Specifically he is asking the defendants to pay general damages in excess of $10,000, special damages for past and future medical care and treatment, costs of filing the suit, attorneys fees and any other relief the court sees fit to order be paid to the plaintiff.
ROH TELEVISION REPORT: SIX MAN TAG TOURNAMENT CONTINUES, PROVING GROUND MATCH, AND MORE
We are in Lowell, Massachusetts and your announcers are Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino.
Match Number One: Toru Yano versus Michael Elgin
Yano stays against the ropes to stay away from Elgin but Yano goes for a shoulder tackle and he bounces off Elgin. Yano goes a second time and the same result. Elgin with the shoulder tackle this time and Yano goes down. Yano with forearms but Elgin stays on his feet. Elgin with a forearm and Yano goes down. Yano goes into the corner to avoid Elgin. Yano offers his hand, but Elgin does not think it is safe. Elgin shakes the hand and he adds pressure and sends Yano to the mat.
Yano gets to the ropes and Yano avoids a clothesline. Yano retreats into the ropes and he gets his boot up but that only allows Elgin to see saw Yano with forearms. Yano goes to the floor. Elgin goes to the floor and he connects with a forearm. Elgin with another forearm as they go near the steps to the stage and Elgin charges, but Yano with a drop toe hold. Yano gets the clippers for the turnbuckle pad. Elgin gets back into the ring and Elgin misses a charge into the corner but he stops short of the exposed turnbuckle. Yano hits Elgin with the exposed turnbuckle pad.
Yano chokes Elgin in the ropes and we go to commercial.
We are back and Yano with kicks and double sledges to the back. Yano unties the tag rope and he chokes Elgin with it. The referee takes the tag rope back and Yano kicks Elgin. Elgin with an Irish whip but Yano stops short to the exposed turnbuckle. Neither man goes into the exposed turnbuckle. Elgin with a power slam.
Both men get back to their feet and Elgin with a running clothesline into the corner. He connects with a second one but Yano pulls at Elgins hair but Elgin points out he does not have any so Yano pulls Elgins beard. Elgin with a Falcon Arrow for a near fall. Elgin with clotheslines to the front and back of the neck. Yano with a reverse atomic drop but Elgin with a reverse atomic drop of his own.
Elgin gets the clippers and he exposes the turnbuckles on the other side of the ring. Elgin hits Yano with the turnbuckle pad and then he signals for a buckle bomb into the exposed turnbuckle but Yano stops Elgin and Yano catapults Elgin into the exposed turnbuckle. The referee keeps Yano from hitting the low blow and then Yano holds the referee in front of him. Elgin goes for a German suplex but Yano with a low kick and a rollup for a near fall.
Elgin with a Snake Eyes onto the exposed turnbuckle followed by a clothesline but Yano kicks out. Elgin with a sit out power bomb for the three count.
Winner: Michael Elgin
We go to commercial with a Dragon Lee video package.
We are back with a video package for the Adam Page and Bobby Fish Television Title Match next week on ROH TV.
Match Number Two: Dragon Lee versus Bobby Fish in a Proving Ground Match
Fish with a waist lock but Lee with a hammer lock. Fish with a side head lock and take down. Lee goes for the arm and Fish gets to the ropes. Fish returns to the ring and Lee with a waist lock but Fish with a wrist lock. Lee with an arm drag and he gets back to his feet as Fish goes to the floor.
Lee with a waist lock but Fish with a standing switch. Lee works on the leg and Fish goes to the ropes and Lee releases the hold. Lee with a waist lock and Fish with a reverse chin lock. Fish and Lee exchange forearms. Lee with a back heel kick and snap mare into a reverse chin lock. Fish with forearms and Lee with a head scissors to send Fish to the floor and Lee with a suicide dive that sends Fish hard into the guardrails as we go to commercial.
We are back and Fish with a suplex and Fish gets a near fall. Lee and Fish with forearms but Fish with a clothesline. Lee avoids Fish when he charges at him. Fish hits the ropes chest first and then Lee with a snap German suplex. Fish and Lee exchange forearms but Lee with a bicycle kick and two rolling Northern Lights suplex into a vertical suplex. Lee gets a near fall.
Lee with a forearm but Fish with a forearm and kicks to Lee for a near fall. Fish with a round kick to the chest. Lee blocks a kick and Lee with an STF. Fish is able to eventually get to the ropes to break the hold. Fish runs Lee into the turnbuckles.
Fish goes for a suplex but Lee lands on his feet and he kicks Fish and applies a La Magistral for the three count.
Winner: Dragon Lee
We go to commercial.
We are back with a look at the matches in the Trios Tag team tournament so far.
Match Number Three: Adam Cole, Nick Jackson, and Matt Jackson versus Matt Taven, Vinny Marseglia, and TK ORyan in a First Round Trios Title Tournament Match
The Bullet Club do not do the Code of Honor so the Kingdom attack before the bell. Nick is sent to the apron by Taven and is knocked off the apron. All six men battle on the floor. Taven punches Nick and then Nick sends Taven to the guardrails and he hits a round kick. Cole is sent into the guardrails with a side Russian leg sweep and the Kingdom poses on the apron as we go to commercial.
We are back and Cole and the Young Bucks hit a triple super kick to knock the Kingdom off the apron. The Kingdom pull The Bullet Club out of the ring but the Bullet Club hit power bombs onto the apron. Cole and The Young Bucks with stereo suicide dives.
Cole and Marseglia are in the ring and Cole with a Camel Clutch as the Bucks run the ropes and then they stop to kiss Cole on the cheek. Taven and ORyan stop the Young Bucks and send them to the floor while all three men work over Cole and the referee doesnt care about maintaining order.
Matt with punches and kicks to Taven and then Matt is sent into Marseglia followed by a knee from Taven and a kick from ORyan for a near fall. Marseglia sends Matt into the corner and hits a running forearm and a second one. Marseglia with a belly-to-back into an elbow drop. ORyan with a slingshot stomp and Marseglia gets a near fall. Matt with a kick and punches. Taven makes the blind tag and Marseglia with a side Russian leg sweep and Taven with a quebrada for a near fall.
ORyan tags in and he punches Matt. Taven with a bicycle kick and ORyan with a spear for a near fall. ORyan with a cross face and he goes for a suplex but Matt blocks it. Taven with an enzuigiri to Matt and then they take care of Nick and Cole on the apron. ORyan with a running backpack stunner while Taven hits a flying boot to the head. Marseglia with a running drop kick and ORyan gets a near fall.
Taven sends Matt into the corner and ORyan with forearms. Taven and ORyan charge into the corner but Matt stops them. Matt lands on his feet when Marseglia goes for a belly-to-back suplex. ORyan tries the same and Matt lands on his feet. Taven is the third to fail at a belly-to-back suplex and Matt tags in Nick. Taven goes over the top rope and then Nick connects with kicks and elbows to Marseglia and ORyan. Nick with a running knee to Marseglia and then he hits a bulldog while clotheslining ORyan.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Nick with a springboard X Factor followed by a moonsault off the apron onto Marseglia. Nick goes up top and Taven stops him momentarily. Nick leaps over ORyan and ORyan gets Nick up but Nick with a super kick. Taven tags in and so does Cole. Cole and Taven with forearms and Taven spits in Coles face. Cole with a super kick to the knee and then he hits a Shining Wizard for a near fall. Marseglia and ORyan stop Cole from hitting a suplex. Cole blocks a kick from ORyan and Cole sends ORyans foot into Marseglias face. Cole with a super kick to ORyan.
Cole goes for a suplex on Taven but Taven avoids it. Cole avoids Climax but Taven hits a swinging neck breaker for a near fall. Taven gets Cole up for a power bomb and then ORyan and Marseglia eventually help bring Cole back to the mat. Taven gets a near fall. Marseglia sends Matt to the floor. Nick with a super kick to ORyan and Marseglia on the floor. Taven with a kick to Cole.
Taven runs into a boot from Cole. Cole tries for the Panama City Destroyer but Taven blocks it and Cole goes for a sunset flip. Taven goes for a Sharpshooter but Matt and Nick with a double super kick to Taven. Matt and Nick with super kicks to Marseglia and ORyan. Matt with a buckle bomb while Nick and Cole hit enzuigiris. Cole goes to the turnbuckles for the Panama City Destroyer and hits it but the cover is broken up. Everyone but Cole and Taven leave the ring. Matt tags in and he sets for an Indie Taker. Cole with a super kick to ORyan. Nick is pulled off the apron and is sent into the guardrails. While the referee is looking at what is going on on the floor, Taven and ORyan with low blows. ORyan with an Island Driver. Taven hits Climax on Matt followed by a swanton from Marseglia and Taven gets the three count.
Winners: Matt Taven, Vinnie Marseglia and TK ORyan (Advance to face winner of Team CMLL versus The Addiction and Kamaitachi)
We go to credits.
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EVOLVE ANNOUNCES UPDATED LINEUPS FOR THIS WEEKEND'S EVENTS
EVOLVE announced the updated lineups for this weekend's events, streaming on FloSports, following the announcement that newly signed WWE NXT star Tommy End would be stepping in to replace the injured Drew Galloway. End's matches will not be airing on the iPPV broadcasts and will be exclusive for the live crowds in Queens, NY and Joppa, MD.
Scheduled for EVOLVE 72 this Saturday from Queens, NY at La Boom:
*EVOLVE champion Timothy Thatcher with Stokely Hathaway defends vs. Drew Gulak inThe Squared Circle Of Survival
*Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ethan Page
*EVOLVE Tag Team Champion DUSTIN with Drew Galloway vs. Matt Riddle
*Chris Hero vs. Tracy Williams
*Fred Yehi vs. Jason Kincaid
*Darby Allin vs. Chris Dickinson
*Dark Match For Live Crowd Only: Tommy End vs. Tony Nese
This Sunday 11/13 in Joppa, Maryland at the MCW Arena will feature:
*EVOLVE champ Timothy Thatcher vs. Tony Nese. If Gulak wins night before, he will defend.
*Chris Hero vs. Matt Riddle
*Drew Gulak vs. Timothy Thatcher loser vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
*Ethan Page with The Gatekeepers vs. Chris Dickinson
*Dark Match For Live Crowd Only: Tommy End vs. Tracy Williams
*William Regal Will Make A Special Appearance And Be Available For Pictures & Autographs
*Also appearing are EVOLVE Tag Team Champion DUSTIN with Drew Galloway, Fred Yehi, Darby Allin and more.
EVOLVE also announced: "ATTN WRESTLERS- We are very proud of our WWN Seminar/Tryout series. We are very excited to offer a unique Seminar on December 9th in Queens, NY. Japanese legend Dick Togo will host the WWN seminar on December 9th! We'll have more info later this week. There are still spots open in the Seminar/Tryout this Sunday in Joppa, MD with special guest WWE Director Of Scouting & Talent Development William Regal. This is Mr. Regal's last scheduled Seminar/Tryout. Don't miss this golden opportunity to perform in front of and learn from one of our industry's most respected and influential figures. Go to the DGUSA.tv Seminar/Tryout page for more info."
For more on EVOLVE, tickets and details on their iPPVs, visit www.DGUSA.tv
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With just a few minutes of training, almost anyone can learn to save a life.
The American Heart Association now suggests that a simplified technique for cardiopulmonary resuscitation can help save the 350,000 people in the U.S. who experience cardiac arrest outside of the hospital each year.
Hands-Only CPR has just two steps to assist a patient during cardiac arrest.
1. Call 911 immediately
2. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute.
If you remember the disco era, think of the beat of Stayin Alive to perform the compressions.
Genesis Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Al Loeffelholz and Chuck Gipson, Medic EMS manager of quality and education, are organizing an initiative to expand the instruction about Hands-Only CPR to organizations, businesses and schools throughout the area.
When Chuck (Gipson) first discussed this with me, my comment to was, like the 2 steps, we need to get this out in the community hard and fast, Loeffelhoz said. Many people are not trained with conventional CPR, or are hesitant about doing mouth-to-mouth CPR. By knowing that simple compressions can help increase the possibility of recovery from a heart attack, many more lives can be saved.
We want to get this simple, yet effective information to as many individuals as possible.
A training video featuring actor-comedian and real-life doctor Ken Jeong, M.D., is being used as a humorous and informative tool to bring attention to Hands-Only CPR. The American Heart Association is allowing Genesis and Medic EMS to use the video for education purposes.
The American Heart Association emphasizes that there are still instances when rescue breaths should be used in conjunction with compressions.
Conventional CPR combining compressions and breaths should be used for all infants (up to age 1); children (up to puberty); for anyone found unresponsive and not breathing normally; and, for victims of drowning, drug overdose, collapse because of breathing issues, or prolonged cardiac arrest.
The American Heart Association reports that Hands-Only CPR performed by a bystander has been shown to be as effective as conventional CPR with mouth-to-mouth breaths in the first minutes of an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest. However, conventional CPR may be better than Hands-Only CPR for the exceptions.
If you didnt witness the person collapse, call 911 first and start conventional CPR if you are trained to respond. Otherwise, start with Hands-Only CPR until an AED is available or EMS providers take over.
Performing CPR prior to police, fire or EMS arriving can make a difference in whether the person has a positive outcome after a cardiac arrest event, Gipson said. There are times when a bystander may not be present or may not be able to perform the CPR tasks, but try if you can. Hands-Only CPR is not ideal for all circumstances but any CPR is better than no CPR.
Genesis has posted the video, featuring Ken Jeong, on its Facebook and YouTube pages. Find them by visiting www.genesishealth.com.
The Grant W. Brissman and Virginia M. Brissman Foundation has awarded more than $130,000 in grants to foster youth and community development, support cultural activities and help underprivileged people in the Milan area.
The Community Foundation of the Great River Bend provides administrative and grant-making services to the foundation.
The Brissmans wanted to support the community in which they lived, and I think they would be so proud to know their legacy lives on in so many good people and organizations making a difference in Milan, said Kelly Thompson, director of programs at the Community Foundation.
Grants were awarded in 2016 to:
Augustana College, speech and hearing clinic fee reductions: $1,000
Bethany for Children and Families, free dental care for uninsured children: $2,500
Childrens Therapy Center of the Quad-Cities, therapy services for children with disabilities: $9,900
First Presbyterian Church, mentorship program for elementary students at Milan Manor Apartments: $1,945
Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, leadership- and character-building program for Milan Girl Scouts: $2,500
Marriage and Family Counseling Service, counseling for couples and families: $2,500
Milan Christian Food Pantry, operating support for food pantry: $6,600
New Kingdom Trailriders, equine-assisted therapeutic programs: $1,000
River Action, improvements to Hennepin Environmental Park, Milan: $10,000
Skip-a-Long Family and Community Services, childcare for families with financial need: $5,000
Spring Forward Learning Center, out-of-school program at Thomas Jefferson Elementary: $10,000
Supplemental Emergency Assistance Program, emergency assistance: $2,500
Grant awards also included a total of $75,000 added to the endowments of Augustana College, Western Illinois University and Black Hawk College to provide scholarships for Milan students:
Augustana College, $35,000
Black Hawk College, $20,000
Western Illinois University, $20,000
Scott County Sheriffs narcotics agents have arrested a Rock Island man for allegedly trafficking in crack cocaine, heroin and marijuana.
Bryce Deandre Gay, 26, is charged in Scott County with one count of delivery of heroin, one count each of possession with the intent to deliver heroin, possession with the intent to deliver crack cocaine and possession with the intent to deliver marijuana.
The counts involving heroin and crack cocaine are Class C felonies under Iowa law that carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years. The marijuana charge is a Class D felony that carries a prison sentence of up to five years.
Gay also is charged with a drug tax stamp violation and conspiracy to commit a non-forcible felony. Both charges are Class D felonies that carry a sentence of up to five years in prison.
Gay is being held in the Scott County Jail on a $100,000 bond for the drug charges, and a $2,000 cash-only bond for failing to appear on unrelated charges of misdemeanor child endangerment and misdemeanor eluding filed by Bettendorf police.
According to arrest affidavits filed by Scott County Sheriffs investigators, on Oct. 20, narcotics agents searched a home at 1636 W. 3rd St., Davenport, a residence shared by M. E. Kahler, 25, and Lauren Chambers, 31.
Gay has allegedly been the heroin source for Kahler and Chambers and he was seen at the house before the search warrant was executed, according to the arrest affidavit. Both women at the home admitted Gay was their supplier.
On Thursday, a confidential source purchased heroin from Gay in the parking lot of a business in the 2200 block of Rockingham Road in Davenport, according to the affidavit. Gay was arrested and was found to be in possession of 11.6 grams of heroin, 4.2 grams of crack cocaine and 7.9 grams of marijuana.
Chambers was arrested Oct. 27 for a probation violation. In 2014, she was sentenced to a lifetime after pleading guilty to two counts of lascivious acts with a child.
Chambers was being held Friday night in the Scott County Jail on a $10,000 cash-only bond.
Kahler was arrested Oct. 20 on charges of parole violation, conspiracy and possession of a controlled substance. She had pleaded guilty March 28, 2015, to a charge of delivery of heroin and in May 2015, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Kalher was paroled from the Iowa Department of Corrections on Feb. 29.
Kahler was being held without bond Friday night in the Scott County Jail for the parole violation and on $5,000 bond on the other charges.
Gay is scheduled to be in Rock Island County Circuit Court on Jan. 1 to be sentenced in three separate felony cases to which he has already pleaded guilty. Of the cases, two are drug cases and one is an aggravated eluding charge.
On March 19, Gay was arrested in Rock Island County and charged with possession with intent to deliver 30-500 grams of marijuana.
Then, on May 3, Gay was arrested by Moline police on a charge of possession with the intent to deliver 30-500 grams of marijuana.
Then, on May 11, Gay was arrested for aggravated fleeing and eluding.
Each of the three charges is a Class 3 felony that carries a prison sentence of three to five years.
The investigation is continuing and Scott County Sheriffs officials have said more arrests in connection with these cases are imminent.
SPRINGFIELD Election Day is finally here, but a large share of Illinois voters wont be standing in line Tuesday at their local polling places.
More than 1.6 million people across the state had already cast their ballots as of Monday morning, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. Thats more than 20 percent of Illinois record 8 million registered voters.
Since late September, voters have cast ballots by mail, in person at early voting sites, or using grace period registration, which allows people to register and vote at the same time.
Spokesman Jim Tenuto said the elections board wasnt sure what to expect this time around after early voting options were extended by a bill former Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law in January 2015 shortly before leaving office.
I think we expected it to be big, Tenuto said.
He noted the nearly 1.3 million early ballots cast in person by voters who were already registered broke the early voting record of nearly 1.2 million set during the 2012 presidential election.
Early voting totals continued to rise Monday as people showed up to voting sites across the state. Voters also have until Election Day to postmark their mail-in ballots or drop them off at their location election authorities.
Weve got people out the door, Macon County Clerk Stephen Bean said Monday, adding about 600 people voted per day over the weekend. Bean said he expected 900 to cast ballots Monday.
As of Monday morning, 12,148 ballots had already been cast in the county, accounting for 16 percent of registered voters, according to the state elections board.
McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael said the scene was similar at her office, which oversees voting in the whole county except for the city of Bloomington.
Weve just had a line all day, Michael said, adding that about 2,000 people had cast ballots over the past four days.
A total of 9,460 county voters had cast ballots as of Monday morning, along with another 10,335 Bloomington residents, according to the state elections board. That accounts for about 15 percent of registered county voters and 21 percent of Bloomingtons registered voters.
The early turnout in Rock Island County is among the highest in the state, with 26 percent of the countys registered voters, or 25,683 people, having already voted.
With 5,935 ballots cast as of Monday, early turnout in Jackson County was nearly 17 percent. The 5,421 ballots cast early in Coles County represented nearly 18 percent of voters there.
The overall number of registered voters statewide will increase Tuesday because this is the first general election during which residents of the states most populated areas can register and vote on Election Day at their local polling places. Residents throughout the state can register and vote at the offices of their local election authorities.
Meanwhile, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced Monday afternoon that nearly 200 attorneys and investigators from her office will be monitoring polling places statewide on Election Day.
Voters should contact the attorney generals office if they observe suspected improper or illegal activity. Voters in the Chicago area and northern Illinois can call 866-536-3496, and voters in central and southern Illinois can call 866-559-6812.
Secrecy in the voting booth has become a thing of the past for those ready to share their views and daily lives on social media, but laws nationwide are mixed on whether voters are allowed to take pictures of themselves voting and their ballots.
(However, feel free to share your selfies of "I Voted" stickers to @qctimes on Twitter or facebook.com/qctimes.)
How states handle the question:
STATES WHERE BALLOT SELFIES ARE ALLOWED
CONNECTICUT: No law bans ballot selfies, according to Patrick Gallahue, a spokesman for Secretary of State Denise Merrill. But election moderators have discretion to prohibit activity "that threatens the orderly process of voting or the privacy of another voter's ballot."
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: There's no ban. Election officials discourage people from taking pictures but won't do anything to stop them, said Tamara Robinson, a spokeswoman for the D.C. Board of Elections.
HAWAII: A law passed this year allows voters to share a digital image of one's own marked ballot.
IDAHO: There's no law banning them, the secretary of state's office said.
INDIANA: A federal judge last year barred the state from enforcing a new law prohibiting ballot selfies.
KENTUCKY: Secretary of state spokesman Bradford Queen says state law does not allow people to record the likeness of a voter, but the law does not say whether voters can record their own likeness. Therefore, the secretary of state's office routinely tells county clerks the law does not prohibit ballot selfies.
LOUISIANA: Secretary of State Tom Schedler says ballot selfies are allowed in the state, though he's not a fan of them.
MAINE: The secretary of state discourages ballot selfies because there's a ban on making unauthorized ballot copies, but there's no law against voters posting photos of their marked ballot.
MINNESOTA: Allowed as long as they're not shown to fellow voters at the polling place or capture another person in the photo.
MONTANA: Law does not specifically prohibit the use of cameras at polling places, but election administrators and judges have broad authority to limit disruptive activity, according to Emily Dean, spokeswoman for the secretary of state. Sharing photos of absentee ballots is also not banned.
NEBRASKA: Gov. Pete Ricketts signed a bill in April that allows someone to show their marked ballots to others without risking a $100 fine.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston last month upheld a decision that a ban was unconstitutional, saying it suppresses a large swath of political speech and there was no evidence to support the state's concerns.
NORTH DAKOTA: Photos inside polling places are allowed.
OREGON: All voting is done through mail-in ballots, which voters are free to photograph. A state law prohibiting showing a marked ballot to another person was repealed in 2014, according to Molly Woon, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins.
RHODE ISLAND: The Board of Elections adopted new rules in time for November's election that allow for selfie-taking inside polling places. The updated regulations allow voters to take photos as long as they don't show another person's ballot.
UTAH: Gov. Gary Herbert signed a bill last year that makes it legal for people to snap pictures of themselves with their ballots. The law makes it a misdemeanor to photograph someone else's ballot.
VERMONT: No rules regarding photos in polling places. Clerks are encouraged to adopt specific rules for their polling places to maintain order, according to Jim Condos, a spokesman for the secretary of state.
VIRGINIA: Attorney General Mark Herring issued a formal opinion last month that says ballot selfies are legal in Virginia. Nothing in Virginia law prohibits voters from taking pictures of themselves, fellow voters or their ballot within the polling place, he said.
WASHINGTON STATE: It's not against the law in Washington, but a spokesman for Washington state Secretary of State Kim Wyman said the office doesn't recommend it.
WYOMING: No laws against ballot selfies. Law does allow judges of elections to "preserve order at the polls by any necessary and suitable means."
STATES WHERE BALLOT SELFIES ARE ILLEGAL
ALABAMA: Not allowed because voters have "a right to cast a ballot in secrecy and in private," said a spokesman for Secretary of State John Merrill.
ALASKA: A state law bans voters from showing their marked ballots, but Division of Elections Director Josie Bahnke says there is no practical way to enforce it.
COLORADO: Ballot selfies or any public dissemination of a marked ballot are considered a misdemeanor. A 2016 bill to repeal the ban failed.
FLORIDA: Photographs are not allowed in polling places or of mailed ballots.
GEORGIA: Law prevents photos of ballots or the screens of electronic voting machines.
ILLINOIS: Banned by a law that considers "knowingly" marking your ballot so that another person can see it is a felony that carries of prison sentence of one to three years.
KANSAS: Secretary of state says a selfie showing a picture of the actual ballot violates state law.
MASSACHUSETTS: Taking a photo of a completed ballot in a polling location is banned in Massachusetts. But the state's top election official, Secretary William Galvin, says there's little the state can do to prevent it. Photos of mailed ballots are also banned.
MICHIGAN: Michigan bans photographs of ballots, but a resident is challenging the law as unconstitutional.
MISSISSIPPI: Photos showing how someone marked their ballot after voting are prohibited.
NEVADA: Photos inside polling places are not allowed, except by the media. Photos of mailed ballots are also banned.
NEW JERSEY: Law prohibits voters from showing their ballot to others. A pending legislative measure would allow voters to take photos of their own ballots while in the voting booth and share it on social media.
NEW MEXICO: Law prohibits voters from showing their marked paper ballot "to any person in such a way as to reveal its contents."
NEW YORK: Photos showing a completed ballot or indicating how a person cast their vote are not allowed.
NORTH CAROLINA: Photographing or otherwise recording a voted official ballot is not allowed.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Law bars voters from allowing their ballots to be seen. A 2012 state attorney general's opinion says that makes it illegal to reproduce a ballot by cellphone, video camera or iPad.
SOUTH DAKOTA: Secretary of State Shantel Krebs says ballot selfies are not allowed because they can be considered influencing a vote or forcing someone to show proof of voting.
WISCONSIN: State law prohibits sharing photos of ballots.
STATES WHERE THE LEGAL STATUS IS MIXED OR UNCLEAR
ARIZONA: Bars photography within 75 feet of polling places. But the Legislature changed the law that barred showing photos of completed ballots in 2015 to allow posting of early ballots on social media.
ARKANSAS: Nothing in state law prohibits taking photos while in a polling place as long as it's not disruptive or being used for electioneering purposes, but state law on sharing voter choices is unclear.
CALIFORNIA: Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill last month that repeals a 125-year-old law barring voters from showing people their marked ballots. The change will take effect nearly two months after the presidential election, but legislative analysts have found no occasion of the ban being enforced. The author of the bill, in fact, has been sharing constituents' photos of marked ballots on social media since the law passed.
DELAWARE: Has a policy against cellphones in voting booths, but elections Commissioner Elaine Manlove said: "I don't know that we can control what happens behind the curtain."
IOWA: Law prohibits the use of cameras, cellphones or other electronic devices in voting booths, so Secretary of State Paul Pate has asked voters not to take selfies with ballots. Photos of absentee ballots are OK.
MARYLAND: Bans electronic devices in a polling place except for the media. And even media members aren't allowed to photograph a ballot that shows how someone is voting. But photos of mailed ballots are OK.
MISSOURI: Law prohibits voters from allowing others to see their ballots if the intent is to show how they voted. Secretary of state spokeswoman Stephanie Fleming described ballot selfies as a "gray area" and advises voters to check with local election authorities.
OHIO: Has a longstanding prohibition against voters letting their ballot be seen with the "apparent intention" of letting it be known how they are about to vote. The state elections chief has advised local election boards to consult their own attorneys about how to apply the law.
OKLAHOMA: Officials recommend against it, noting that state law dating back about 40 years suggests it is illegal but outlines no penalties.
PENNSYLVANIA: Law prohibits someone from revealing their ballot "letting it be known how" they're "about to vote." But officials recently released guidance on electronic items in polling places that noted the recent court cases that "found a First Amendment right to take 'ballot selfies.'"
TENNESSEE: Voters are not allowed to take photos or videos while in polling places. Voters are not allowed to take photos or videos while in polling places. They're only allowed to use electronic devices for informational purposes to assist during voting, according to Adam Ghassemi, a spokesman for Secretary of State Tre Hargett. The state's law doesn't address mail-in ballots.
TEXAS: Bars photography within 100 feet of polling stations, so selfies are not allowed. Photos of mail-in ballots are OK.
WEST VIRGINIA: Electronic devices are banned inside voting booths, according to Secretary of State Natalie Tennant. Nothing in the law prohibits photos of mail-in ballots.
MARION Donald Trump wasnt Rick Santorums first choice for the Republican presidential nomination.
I was for somebody else, the winner of the 2012 Iowa GOP precinct caucuses joked Monday. But once I got that silly idea out of my head, he finished last this year with 1 percent of the caucus vote I endorsed Donald Trump.
However, the former Pennsylvania senator hasnt given up on his populist message of embracing the values and concerns of Americas working people who are not sharing in what little economic growth there has been in recent years.
A rising tide lifts all boats except if your boat has a hole in it, Santorum told about 50 people at MJs Restaurant in Marion where he joined Iowa senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, and 1st District Rep. Rod Blum for a pep rally. We have millions and millions of Americans with holes in their boats, so when the tide goes up and it has, just look at Wall Street, look at real estate prices so why dont people feel well? Because when the tide is up and youre in a boat has a hole, youre sinking deeper.
The economy isnt working for Americas working class, including the 74 percent of Americans older than 25 who dont have a college degree, Santorum said. Although Republican proposals to cut taxes and regulation will help, he said that, for the most part, Republicans have been deaf to working peoples concerns.
However, Trump, who he called a "blunt instrument," has tapped into that angst, he said.
Donald Trump has begun the process, whether he is successful or not, he will have changed the map and provided a new course the path through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota. The Rust Belt.
For Trumps economic policies to get a chance, he needs to win Iowa.
Youre one of the states that matter, he said. It always seems to come down to Iowa.
He encouraged each person to contact 10 voters to make sure Iowa is in the Trump column tomorrow.
I know something about close elections in Iowa, Santorum said, referring to the 2012 caucuses when Mitt Romney was declared the winner by eight votes. Two weeks later, the Iowa GOP declared Santorum the winner by less than three dozen votes.
If it comes down to eight votes, your 10 may make the difference, he said. Go out and get them.
Political pros and others who closely watch Iowa's political winds have some advice on what to watch as returns come in Tuesday night in the presidential race in Iowa.
Some are watching particular regions or individual counties some key precincts and demographic groups. Perhaps, it's overall turnout or whether campaign narratives play out as expected.
We sampled the opinions of a handful of these folks, and here's what they'll be watching:
Steve Grubbs, former Iowa GOP chair and founder of Victory Enterprises Inc.:
"In Iowa, I'll be watching Muscatine and Clinton counties closely. The east coast of Iowa went strongly for Obama the last two elections. If they switch to Trump, then there will be wind in his sails." He adds that, in Davenport, he'll be watching the 1st, 2nd and 4th wards as indicators of the level of Trump appeal in blue-collar areas.
Norm Sterzenbach, former executive director, Iowa Democratic Party:
Sterzenbach says he'll be watching to see how Trump performs in traditionally Democratic counties, such as those in northeast and southeast Iowa. And he also wants to know how Clinton performs in suburban areas around Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. In those areas, he says, it will be interesting to see whether Trump has "created an opening" for Clinton and Democrats in traditionally GOP areas.
Dave Kochel, senior adviser to Mitt Romney in Iowa in 2012 and Jeb Bush's chief strategist in 2016:
Kochel says he's looking at turnout in urban counties. "Trump's polling lead in Iowa is significant and driven by large margins in rural Iowa and small- to medium-sized towns. If turnout in Polk, Linn, Scott and Black Hawk counties is lower, it signals a lack of enthusiasm in key Democratic precincts and will suggest a good night for Trump in Iowa."
Trump has struggled with college-educated voters and GOP-leaning women, Kochel says. And while polling suggests he has won over most Iowa Republicans, if there is a drop off, it will be among these voters, he adds. He says he'll be watching strong GOP areas in Scott County, such as Bettendorf, to see if Trump hits the same margins as Gov. Terry Branstad and Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst have.
Brad Anderson, state director for President Barack Obama's campaign in Iowa in 2012:
Anderson says he'll be looking at Trump's get-out-the-vote organization. "We all know the Clinton campaign has built an incredible ground game, but less is known about Trump's turnout effort," he says. "Will his supporters who turn out at his events and post on social media actually vote on Election Day? Have they built the organization to let his supporters know about polling locations, same-day voter registration requirements, etc."
Initially, Anderson says, he expected Trump to lose by double digits in Iowa. But polling and odds makers are giving Trump the edge. "Incredibly, it looks like Trump may win Iowa, and now the question is whether or not he carries any state Senate races over the finish line with him or whether there is any down-ballot effect at all from the top of the ticket."
Dennis Goldford, political science professor, Drake University:
Goldford says he'll be watching six counties in particular to see whether Democrats can win solid majorities: Polk, Scott, Dubuque, Johnson, Linn and Black Hawk counties. Those were key counties for Obama.
Dianne Bystrom, director, Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, Iowa State University:
Election Day turnout in Polk County is one of those things Bystrom will be watching. "Democrats need a huge Election Day turnout in Polk County to make the presidential race close statewide," she says. Also, watch those college areas, she says.
Robin Johnson, political science professor, Monmouth College:
Johnson will be looking to see whether Clinton maintains traditional Democratic margins in working-class counties along the Mississippi River, such as Des Moines (Burlington), Dubuque and Clinton counties. He'll also be watching what Trump's share of the vote is in suburban counties and if there is a "hidden" Trump vote surfacing in rural areas and small towns.
Christopher Larimer, political science professor, University of Northern Iowa:
Larimer says overall turnout should reach 1.6 million. If it's less than that, he says, "it could mean Democrats are in trouble." This is important not only for Clinton, but down-ballot candidates. He also is looking for the margins in Polk and Scott counties. "If Clinton wins by more than 10 points in Polk and even by just a few in Scott, she probably wins the state. If she loses Scott County, that could mean trouble for other more densely populated counties."
Plenty of spots are left for the seventh annual Davenport Police Association Trivia Night to benefit two of the associations annual charity events: the Handicapped Development Center Thanksgiving Dinner and the annual Domestic Violence Shelter Christmas Toy Drive.
This years Trivia Night will be held Nov. 18 at Knights of Columbus Hall, 1111 W. 35th St., Davenport. Play begins at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 or $100 for an eight-person team.
The Police Association also is accepting donations for door and raffle prizes for the event.
We have 33 tables, and of those, 22 tables are filled, said Davenport Police Cpl. Janet Martin, chair of the event. We have both the upstairs and downstairs of the Knights of Columbus, so we can go beyond the 33 tables if we get enough people to sign up.
Martin said among this years prizes are tickets to the 2017 Chicago Cubs, this years World Series Champion. Prizes also include tickets to the John Deere Classic, a nights stay at Chestnut Mountain Resort in Galena, Kansas City Royals tickets, a two-night stay at Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells, as well as gift cards to restaurants, among many others.
Anyone who wishes to participate may sign up by sending an email to dpdtrivia@gmail.com.
This year, the 31st annual Handicapped Development Center Thanksgiving Dinner will be held the same day as the Trivia Night.
Like anything else we do, its all about reaching out to the community, said Davenport Police Sgt. Eric Gruenhagen, who is president of the Davenport Police Association. I think it epitomizes the idea that we are looking out for those who are disenfranchised and vulnerable, maybe even forgotten about, and that certainly includes the handicapped. Its become too easy to forget about people in this day and age.
Gruenhagen said the Thanksgiving Dinner tradition started long before I came around here, but its something weve all bought into and care about, and we plan to continue the tradition for many years to come.
The 14th annual Domestic Violence Shelter Christmas Toy Drive benefiting the children in the Family Resources Inc. domestic violence shelters and safe houses over the holidays will be held Dec. 10 and Dec. 11 at NorthPark Mall in Davenport.
One of the Quad-City Times past editorials said that, in a meeting with the editorial board, Hillary Clinton lied, and yet, qualified Clintons mendacity with the unacceptability of her opponent because he was dangerous. It seems to me those who should believe in the importance of reporting the truth and holding candidates for our highest office accountable, must regard a candidate who repeatedly lies as dangerous.
There is likely to be little transparency in a Clinton administration to allow the party of opposition, as well as themselves, to hold such an administration accountable for its future actions.
I remember in 1964 when Democrats accused Sen. Barry Goldwater of being dangerous because of the risk that hed rashly precipitate a nuclear conflagration. At the time, I bought the charge hook, line and sinker. But that was when I was 11 and Im a lot older now.
Scare tactics, in addition to hiring people to foment violence at Donald Trump rallies is nothing short of despicable. Those whove called those pledged to earnest reform dangerous, are being demagogic and are themselves a threat to responsible party government, especially when this charge is used in serving to promote the candidacy of a woman who has been under a criminal investigation for the past year.
When former President Bill Clinton ascended the stairway of the attorney generals plane prior to the decision on whether charges should be leveled against his wife, it served to further undermine the principle of equality before the law
Mark Lioen
Rock Island
DES MOINES Members of a union representing state law enforcement employees Monday requested 3 percent across-the-board pay increases for each of the next two fiscal years at the start of talks with state negotiators aimed at reaching agreement on a new two-year contract effective July 1.
Jason Bardsley, a state trooper from Des Moines who is president of the State Police Officers Council (SPOC), said the initial contract offer to the state also called for boosting pay for members not at their maximum pay grade and changes in areas of health benefits, overtime policy, transfers and call-back time, clothing and meal allowances and other workplace issues.
"I do believe it's a good starting point for us with the state," said Bardsley, whose union represents about 600 Iowa State Troopers, special agents with the Division of Criminal Investigation and the Division of Narcotics Enforcement, state fire inspectors and agents, Iowa conservation officers and Iowa park rangers. "We felt that was fair to begin with."
State officials are slated to make their initial proposal Nov. 21 for a contract slated to run from July 1 through June 30, 2019.
"We appreciate what they offered and we're going to enter into good-faith negotiations," said Janet Phipps, director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services and lead state negotiator.
In discussing the bargaining unit's nine-page offer during Monday's meeting, SPOC Executive Director Sue Brown said the union was seeking flexibility for retiring members to be able to convert unused sick leave and vacation pay to defray health insurance costs and also wanted to boost a wellness incentive for members covered by insurance premiums split 80 percent/20 percent between the state and employees. The union also asked for $350 a month to cover living expenses for new troopers stationed in Polk County and increased pay for five to seven troopers working "high-stress" night shifts.
SPOC which includes about 360 state troopers of which 260 are patrolling state highways is the smallest of three bargaining units representing state employees. State officials are slated to receive an initial contract proposal on Wednesday from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 61, which is the largest bargaining unit with nearly 19,000 members.
During the last round of contract talks, AFSCME and the state went to binding arbitration which resulted in union members paying a share of their monthly health insurance premiums while receiving wage increases of about 6 percent over the life of the two-year contract that expires June 30.
Gov. Terry Branstad has indicated the state faces a tight budget for fiscal 2018. Earlier this month, officials with the state's Legislative Services Agency reported state revenue grew slightly in October, but the growth rate through the first four months of the current fiscal year is lagging significantly below the amount of tax that state officials estimated would be collected through next June 30.
Before the start of Monday's bargaining session, union and state negotiators observed a moment of silence for two Des Moines-area law officers who were killed in the line of duty last week.
Editor's note: This is the second of a three-part series examining the history of a troubled South Dakota wild horse sanctuary. The articles are based on public records, interviews and the frequent writings of the sanctuary director herself. Part III runs Tuesday.
In 2001, Karen Sussman appeared to be deeply under the spell of her wild horses and her image as their savior.
Her enthusiasm apparently rubbed off on members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Its leaders agreed to take in a herd that Sussman, the president of the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros (ISPMB), had rescued from the Virginia Range in Nevada.
Plans were hatched to attract horse-loving tourists to the reservation, to give foals to Native American children, and to incorporate horses into substance-abuse therapy programs.
Songs were sung that had not been sung in over one hundred years, the ISPMB website said. Many elders believed that the return of the horses signified the fulfillment of prophecies that the buffalo and the horses would once again return to the people.
But prophecies soon yielded to a stark reality. The tribal programming never took off, and tourists did not flock to see the wild horses. Roads covering the 150 miles from Rapid City into the remote heart of the reservation remained dominated by more deer and antelope than vehicles.
The tribe's herd of wild horses, which had numbered about 80 in 2001, multiplied to 300 by 2007. Tribal leaders decided to return their land to leased cattle grazing and send the horses back to Sussman, and send her organization into a potential death spiral.
Sussman recognized that bringing the horses onto her privately owned ranch near Lantry on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation would strain her land's grazing capacity. The ranch, which Sussman bought in 2003 after losing a pasture lease on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, was already home to other rescued horses numbering perhaps 200 or more.
Sussman, who declined requests to comment for this series, tried to find adoptive homes for the 300 horses that were being jettisoned by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, but that effort either failed or was not sufficiently pursued, and she ended up bringing the horses back to her own ranch.
Suddenly, all the horses that Sussman had rescued on behalf of the ISPMB since 1999 and all of their offspring were crowded around her. The horses, numbering perhaps 500 in all, had previously been spread across 22,000 acres of Cheyenne River Sioux tribal land, about 5,000 acres on the Pine Ridge Reservation and 665 acres of Sussmans own land.
But after the crumbling of the arrangements on both reservations, all the horses were on Sussmans 665 acres.
By this past summer, when the horses numbered 810, Sussman was exceeding sustainable grazing ratios by absurd proportions. According to data from the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service, the ISPMB horses would need at least 16,000 acres of land in the Lantry area to have sufficient grass about 24 times the actual size of the ISPMB ranch.
Breeding beyond control
Still, Sussman continued to allow the horses to reproduce. For at least several years, she made some use of the fertility control drug known as porcine zona pellucida (PZP), but that effort was not sustained and Sussman apparently exerted little to no other control over breeding.
According to articles Sussman wrote on the ISPMB website and in ISPMB newsletters, she was determined to prove that wild horses do not multiply as quickly as government land managers claim. She believed that under wild conditions, mustangs and burros would separate into bands dominated by older stallions. The older stallions would prevent the younger stallions from mating with mares, Sussman claimed, which would keep numbers in check naturally.
Under that line of thinking, the roundups that government land managers conduct to cull excess horses from public ranges only disrupt the natural social structure and allow more younger stallions to breed mares, contributing to the very population growth that government land managers want to control.
In ISPMB materials, Sussman often referenced reams of supporting data she compiled while observing the breeding of her own horses. She hoped to use the data to convince government land managers, such as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, to conduct fewer wild-horse roundups on public lands.
But the cramped conditions at Sussman's ranch were far from the wild and free conditions that served as the basis of her theories, and any credibility that might have been attached to her data was negated when she was overwhelmed by the breeding of her own horses.
Even one of Sussman's sympathetic colleagues, Susan Watt, the executive director of the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary, now recognizes that Sussman's breeding philosophy was part of her undoing. Watt noted that the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary, which is near Hot Springs, castrates studs and takes other steps to maintain a zero-growth rate in its own herd, even though it has about 200 fewer horses and 10,000 more acres than the ISPMB.
Financial storm erupts
As growing numbers of horses mowed down Sussman's pastures each spring, she became increasingly reliant on purchases of hay to replace her vanishing grass during the summer, fall and winter seasons.
A tipping point arrived in 2009, the first year that the ISPMBs feed costs exceeded its revenue, according to its annual reports to the IRS. That year, the ISPMB reported raising about $130,000 in donations and grants while spending $280,731 on feed alone and racking up loads of additional bills.
Sussman acknowledged in a 2010 ISPMB newsletter that times were tough.
To make sure we survived during the worst economical year, I personally guaranteed the acquisition of hay for last winter by putting my ranch up as collateral for payment," she wrote. "I have until November 1, 2011 to make a final payment of $250,000 to retain my ranch.
Public records indicate that Sussman ended up selling her ranch for $300,000 in 2013 to ISPMB supporter John Christopher Fine, a book author and freelance journalist from New York. She then apparently loaned most of the proceeds to the ISPMB to pay off hay suppliers and release liens that were placed on the ranch.
More trouble surfaced in 2015 when a hay supplier sued the ISPMB for unpaid bills, and by March of 2016 three more hay suppliers had filed lawsuits. Their cumulative claims against the ISPMB totaled nearly $200,000, and court records show only one of the cases has been fully settled.
Through it all, Sussman and the ISPMB not only continued to raise money, but raised more than ever.
After the organizations near financial collapse in 2009, it hired a direct-mail fundraiser, Fund Raising Strategies Inc., of McLean, Va. The company netted $183,941 for the ISPMB in 2010 and $228,185 in 2011.
Many other means of raising money were exploited. On the ISPMB's website, in its newsletters and in her emails to supporters, Sussman used droughts, floods, hard winters and spikes in hay prices as rallying cries to motivate donations. She pleaded for generosity to keep the horse herds intact and support her reproductive studies.
Supporters from around the country sponsored individual horses for $150, an acre of land for $250, an orphan foal for $500, a band of horses for $1,000 or an entire herd for $5,000. A capital campaign was launched with the hope which was never fulfilled of buying a bigger ranch. Books and photographic prints were donated to the ISPMB to be sold. Grants were obtained from sources including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
It all added up to an impressive and growing stream of income. From 2002 to 2014, the years for which the ISPMBs IRS records are publicly available, the organization raised more than $4 million in donations and grants. The last few years of that stretch were the most successful in terms of fundraising, with reported revenue of $712,915 in 2012, $700,120 in 2013 and $633,870 in 2014.
Yet, because of the lack of sustainability of the horse numbers compared with the land acreage, the high income over the past few years was barely enough to cover feed costs that soared to $10,000 per week. The ISPMB continued to fall behind, and by the end of 2014, it reported outstanding debts of more than $1 million.
Is the presidential election stressing you out?
Well, according to a national survey, you're far from alone in trying to battle the ballot blues or ax the election anxiety.
Voter fatigue is an oft-discussed topic in the runup to Election Day. But the recent survey by the American Psychology Association provides scientific evidence that the usual weariness is laced with something extra this year: an unhealthy dose of stress.
The APA issued a report last month labeling this year's presidential election as a source of significant stress for more than half of Americans.
Were seeing that it doesnt matter whether youre registered as a Democrat or Republican U.S. adults say they are experiencing significant stress from the current election, Dr. Lynn Bufka, the psychology association's director for practice research and policy, said in the report.
One of the prime stressors is social media. According to the association, political discussions on social media cause some Americans to undergo a spike in their stress level. The survey also noted that adults who use social media are more likely to rank the election as very or somewhat significantly stressful than adults who do not.
"The birth of reality TV and social media, I think, impacts how we see people or how we view the world," said Dr. Kari Scovel, public education campaign coordinator for the South Dakota Psychological Association.
The APA survey started in 2007 and provides a yearly snapshot of how stress affects the health and well-being of American adults. Bufka said this is the first time the APA has asked about stress related to the presidential election, after hearing anecdotal reports about stress and anxiety, and Clinton and Trump.
By comparison, in 2012, when Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney for a second term in the Oval Office, the survey listed health care issues as American's greatest stress-driver.
This year's survey noted that the election is an "equal opportunity stressor," meaning election stress hits people of all ages, party affiliations, races and ethnicities. About half of adults said the election is a "very or somewhat significant source of stress," according to the survey.
That means registered Democrats (55 percent) and Republicans (59 percent) are statistically equally likely to say the election is a very or somewhat significant source of stress. About 46 percent of independents do, as well.
About 59 percent of "Matures" people ages 71 and up and 56 percent of millennials report that the election is a very or somewhat significant source of stress.
That compares to 45 percent of Gen Xers (ages 38 to 51), and more than the 50 percent of Baby Boomers (ages 52 to 70) who described the election's stress that way.
Election stress doesn't discriminate based on race or ethnicity, either. Hispanics were the most likely to say the election is a very or somewhat significant source of stress (56 percent) compared to Caucasians and Native Americans, at 52 percent each. Americans with disabilities also were more likely to report being affected by election stress, according to the survey.
By now, with just two days to the election, things may be even worse. The APA survey was taken in August, before Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton both experienced last-minute October surprises in their campaigns. Even before that, the Pew Research Center reported in July that most Americans were already experiencing election coverage fatigue.
It doesn't help, Scovel said, that this year's rhetoric between candidates and some of their supporters has gotten downright nasty at times. Scovel, who is also a clinical psychologist in Rapid City, said she believes this year's election has reached a new level of stress for people.
"Whatever happened to being polite to one another? And I think part of America is wondering why arent people being at least polite to each other," Scovel said.
She referenced the October town hall debate where participant Karl Becker asked Trump and Clinton to each name one thing they admired about the other. They both made fairly respectful, conciliatory statements about each other, and the divergence from the harshness made the question a hit with viewers and internet users.
That would seem to illustrate Scovel 's point that Americans still wants some civility among the discord.
"Somehow I think this debate has lost that," she said. "We can bear to disagree, but lets try not to insult one another."
And the frequent discussion and allegations of sexual assault by both presidential candidates has also dredged up painful, unpleasant memories for victims of sexual assault.
"If you have been sexually traumatized and its re-traumatizing you by watching this, maybe counseling would help," Scovel said. "If it gets to the point where its stressing you, get some help from a mental health professional in the area."
Perhaps most important, the APA also issued suggestions on how to cope with said election stress.
The biggest takeaway? Stop talking about it. The election is Tuesday, making it a hard topic to escape. But experts say taking a step back from social media can help lower stress levels.
Don't discuss politics with family, friends or co-workers. And make sure you vote.
"Many people are saying theyre not going to vote, and that doesnt help," said Scovel. "It is part of their duty. Its really important to be an active part."
Otherwise, in addition to backing off social media, Scovel said being aware of stress levels and trying to mitigate them can be a good way to end the anxiety.
She also applauded efforts by some news outlets that have taken a more lighthearted approach to battling the election blues. CNN offers readers a photo gallery of quiet vistas to calm the mind, while The Washington Post has a channel on its site dedicated to regular "Election-free" videos, featuring tiny kittens, vibrant sunsets and a fuzzy koala bear getting a belly rub.
"Get back into your normal routine of what makes you happy, of what brings cheer to your life," she said.
The acquittal of the leaders in the 41-day armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon sends a horrible message.
The outcome heightens fear by park rangers, biologists and other federal employees for their personal safety. People are going to get killed because of this verdict, because the jury has just given militias the green light to go after federal facilities with rifles, said Kieran Suckling of the Center for Biological Diversity.
The acquittal leaves the impression that gun-toting white men in cowboy hats are entitled to get away with things that would put other Americans behind bars.
The verdict returned Oct. 27 by the federal jury in Portland stunned observers around the country, especially at the scene of protests against the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota.
If Native people were armed like the Bundy militia, we would be killed, said one pipeline protester.
The acquittal of Ammon and Ryan Bundy and five others came on the same day that authorities, including Nebraska State Patrol troopers, arrested 141 pipeline protesters. One protester responded by allegedly firing shots from a pistol. Others threw rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails and started fires.
The Oregon occupation came to an end when the Bundys and others were arrested outside the refuge. One of the occupiers was killed at the scene, authorities said, when he tried to pull a gun.
The Bundys started the occupation at the wildlife refuge to protest the arrest of ranchers who were charged with setting fire to federal lands. They still face charges in connection with an armed standoff at their fathers ranch in Nevada in 2014.
It will do little to help public perception that a close examination of the case makes the verdict more comprehensible. The problem was that federal prosecutors chose to file conspiracy charges.
All 12 (jurors) agreed that impeding existed, even if as an effect of the occupation, and that something was very wrong, Juror 4 (who asked not to be identified) told the Oregonian newspaper. But we were not asked to judge on bullets and hard feelings, rather to decide if an agreement was made with an illegal object in mind.
Prosecutors failed to present enough evidence of an agreement to interfere with federal workers, the juror said, noting that local ranchers, lawmakers, students and families visited the refuge during the occupation.
But even if those who take the time to study the case may grasp how a system of laws could deliver the surprising verdict, the fact remains that the leaders of a group of armed men took over public land and got away with it. Americans can only hope that other activists are not emboldened to try the same thing elsewhere. There are peaceful and effective ways to change government policy.
Russian ex-construction official detained on suspicion of embezzlement - report
Context Russian official suspected of fraud detained until August 30
MOSCOW, November 7 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko) Former first deputy head of the Federal Agency for Special Construction (Spetsstroy) Alexander Zagorulko, suspected of embezzling budget funds allocated for construction and reconstruction of Defense Ministrys facilities, has been put in detention, Kommersant newspaper reported on Monday.
Earlier, two other defendants in the case, deputy head of Spetsstroy Alexander Buryakov and businessman Kadyr Karakhanov, have been detained as well. They have been charged with embezzlement.
Investigators believe that Buryakov has conspired with unidentified persons to conclude contracts with subcontractors on construction and reconstruction of nine facilities for the Defense Ministry of Russia. According to preliminary data, the accused embezzled around 450 million rubles ($7 million).
Zagurolko worked in Spetsstroy from 2013. He was appointed as the first deputy for the organizations head in August 2014. In the spring of 2016, Zagorulko resigned.
BILLINGS From Trail Creek Road, Erik's Ranch looks like many of the western-style mansions in the Paradise Valley. The sprawling main house sits above a terraced lawn, and an enclosed walkway stretches to a pool house with exposed log rafters.
But there's more to the 7,500-square-foot home than white marble staircases and dining sets upholstered with fawn hides. Erik's Ranch and Retreats is a nonprofit organization providing young adults on the autism spectrum with a place to thrive.
The ranch is named for Erik Nordberg, the son of Kathryn Nordberg, who started the organization after finding the existing options for her autistic child inadequate as he entered adulthood.
"As your child starts to get older, you think, 'What's going to happen when I'm gone?'" Kathryn Nordberg said. "Every parent of a child with special needs thinks about that."
Nordberg said the need for organizations like Erik's Ranch only grows with the prevalence of autism in the United States. When Erik was first diagnosed at 2 years old, only one case was reported for every 5,000 births. Today Erik is 25 years old and the disorder is diagnosed in one of 68 children.
"Now when I walk into a room full of people and ask if anybody knows what autism is, 90 people raise their hand," Nordberg said.
Erik's Ranch and Resorts began in 2014 with a boutique hotel in Medina, Minnesota, near the Twin Cities.
Its resident "members" are moderate- to high-functioning adults with autism. Yearly fees run just north of $30,000, which includes rent, utilities, two meals a day, transportation, and social activities like hiking and biking. Members may also work at the resorts and can earn up to $15,000 to help pay for the program. They are placed in jobs according to their interests and act as concierges, chefs, and tour guides and lead activities such as horseback rides.
According to Nordberg, both members and guests benefit from interaction at the ranch. People on the autism spectrum often struggle developing social skills and too often are limited to contact with caregivers and family. Meeting new people can be therapeutic. It's also meaningful to the guests who are introduced to folks who may be outside of their idea of normal.
Nordberg said the Minnesota resort started taking guests about a year ago, and many say they look forward to making another trip to see the members they met during their stay. As more people frequent the resorts and make return visits, Nordberg hopes the cost of membership can drop.
The ranch near Emigrant will operate much the same way, but young people have yet to arrive on site. Erik's Ranch started taking guests in the off-grid cabin on its 230-acre property south of the 100-acre main estate about a year ago. The cabin has a 70-percent occupancy throughout the year, and between the beginning of June and end of September, it was vacant only two days.
Nordberg said the organization learned from the experience in Minnesota and decided to build guest clientele and revenue before bringing in members to allow for more job opportunities when they arrive.
Some members have already spent some time at the Paradise Valley ranch and worked on the property, according to Larry Jordan, one of the people overseeing the site's daily operations.
Jordan, a hall of fame rodeo cowboy, said the young people he worked with impressed him with their abilities. They mowed lawns, cleaned barns, and put up fencing to help get the ranch ready for guests. The ranch is home to six horses, and members will lead guests on tours of the nearby national forest and a tall butte across the road from the main lodge.
"Oh my lord, you climb to the top of that, you can see Old Faithful go off," Jordan said with some western exaggeration.
He welcomes every guest to the ranch with his authentic Montana persona and a few Wild West tales from his cowboy days. He's been involved with the property for a dozen years and describes the facilities as some of the nicest in the state.
When members land in Montana, they'll stay in the lodge's pool house. Six residents are expected initially and will arrive after the building is remodeled with apartments. The pool house was used as a hunting lodge by previous owners and is currently available as a vacation rental.
There's also an indoor riding arena on the estate with a commercial kitchen and bunkrooms. The bunks will likely end up as rentals as well but will need a remodel of their own to comply with fire codes.
Nordberg said Erik's Ranch is looking to expand on its south property as well with another half-dozen cabins spaced on the hillside in a way that the cabins can stay out of each other's view. With additional guest accommodations, the capacity for new members will also increase.
For now, the main lodge, pool house, and off-grid cabin are all available for rent. For rates and reservations, go online to eriksranch.org.
" " Granulated gelatin has to be dissolved properly into your panna cotta mixture. Dan Brandenburg/iStock/Thinkstock
Choose unflavored gelatin for your panna cotta -- the most common in the U.S. is granulated, but gelatin's also sold in sheets -- and make sure you "bloom" it before adding it to your cream mixture. Blooming gelatin basically means you're dissolving it, and allowing it to absorb liquid. The blooming process is pretty easy -- just sprinkle the gelatin over cool water or milk. Keeping the temperature cooler than 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius) will keep gelatin from blooming too quickly, and in doing so you'll avoid lumps in your final product. After sprinkling, give it a gentle stir to make sure you have even distribution, and let it sit for a few minutes (usually about 5 minutes will do the trick).
In addition to blooming, straining the final mixture just before you pour it into molds to set will give your panna cotta the smoothest texture.
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Gelatin-based desserts are best eaten soon after they're cooked, and panna cotta will begin to develop a rubbery texture if it ages beyond four days.
Correspondence from Revcoms at Standing Rock:
Standing With Struggle, Connecting People With Revolution
November 7, 2016 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
Standing Rock encampment , November 5, 2016. Photo: Special to Revolution/revcom.us
November 3: 300 clergy and lay people from all over the country, answering a call that was put out for the religious community to come to Standing Rock for an action to stand in solidarity with the Native people. Photo: Special to revcom.us On November 5, delegations from Hopi and Lakota tribes arrived at the main camp at Standing Rock. The Hopi Tribe from Arizona ran all the way. A powerful impact! Photo: Revolution Club, NYC @NYCRevClub For individual orders: at Revolution Books NYC, Revolution Books Berkeley, and Insight Press Available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores For "Buy 2 at a discount with second one sent to a prisoner" and bulk orders: Contact Insight Press, info@insight-press.com or (773) 329-1699. Payment accepted via credit card or money order. Or write Insight Press, 4044 N. Lincoln Ave., #264, Chicago, IL 60618 Booksellers and Book Clubs: Contact Independent Publishers Group (IPG), Baker & Taylor, Ingram and other wholesalers. Pre-publication PDF of this major work available here. Read excerpts from THE NEW COMMUNISM here. Read the entire HOW WE CAN WINHow We Can Really Make Revolution HERE
Since our last reporting, after the vicious pig attack at Turtle Island where unarmed water protectors were standing in the water on the shores of land containing sacred burial grounds, which DAPL [Dakota Access Pipeline] occupies, a lot has happened! (See At the Cannonball River: Bold Move by Standing Rock Water Protectors, Vicious Pig Attack)
We have continued to spread the message, HOW WE CAN WIN and are meeting a lot of interesting people and learning a lot off this, and we have made some significant advances in building a core of people here who are getting with the movement for revolution.
The day after the Turtle Island action, over 445 clergy members came to Standing Rock for an action to stand in solidarity with the Native people to stop DAPL. Throughout this action, helicopters and planes flew overhead, and as the clergy walked and sang their way onto the road that is blocked by National Guard tanks and police vehicles, more police vehicles quickly arrived on the scene. The next day, we learned that 14 clergy members were arrested while demonstrating in the Capitol Building in Bismarck, and there has been a deafening silence on this powerful action by mainstream media.
The role of the police is not to serve and protect the people. It is to serve and protect the system that rules over the people. To enforce the relations of exploitation and oppression, the conditions of poverty, misery and degradation into which the system has cast people and is determined to keep people in. The law and order the police are about, with all of their brutality and murder, is the law and the order that enforces all this oppression and madness.
BAsics 1:24
Also, on Saturday, delegations from the Hopi tribe from Arizona and the Oglala Lakota Nation arrived at camp, raising their fists to people cheering and raising their fists back in celebration. It was an incredibly exciting and powerful moment. More tribes continue to join this struggle, including from an Apache tribe, and this is extremely important.
Something Very Important Is Happening at Standing Rock
Something very important is happening here at Standing Rock. This struggle is drawing all kinds of people who want to stand up and fight, both Native and non-Native, many traditional and some more rebellious. From professionals, to students, to young people working in the framework of my reality vs. your reality and love your oppressor, to people who want to take direct action to stop this. The point is, they are all here, they have all come to take this righteous stand, and many are meeting the movement for revolution.
People drive 25 hours non-stop from the West Coast to spend less time than that here because they feel they have to come and be part of this heroic and historic struggle. Others come planning to spend a few days and two months later are still here. We have spoken to person after person, from people in their early 20s to 70-somethings who have put their lives on hold, leaving family, friends, jobs or retirement to throw themselves into this struggle. People tell us of leaving family and friends who just do not understand why they have come, while others have been joined by their loved ones. One middle-aged man who drove with a group from Los Angeles to spend three days here said he is going to convince his 72-year-old retired father to drive his RV from Southern California to stay here through the winter. People deeply feel that they have to be here, that they have to take a stand to stop the genocide of the Native people and the poisoning of the water and the environment globally.
We met and spoke a couple of times with a young white man from a Michigan college town. He has been here a couple of weeks. He had answered the call for people to come who had the skills to help people prepare for the brutal North Dakota winter of below-zero temperatures. He came by himself. When we talked with him the second time, he had read HOW WE CAN WIN and united with a lot of what was in the statement. He said that he felt a revolution was in fact necessary and past due. He talked with us about how he lost many friends before coming to Standing Rock, over struggling with them to confront reality and to do something about the horrors going on in this society. He felt that the culture and the mainstream media had a lot to do with what people think, and people like his friends having the space to not deal with this ugly reality, and basically just tune out. We got into how at moments like this, sudden jolts in society can change how a lot of people think, what people normally accept, and how these jolts can even then have an impact on the mainstream media, culture, etc.
We read from the introduction of THE NEW COMMUNISM, which we kept referring to in our conversation in terms of the real breakthrough that this represents, to give him a sense of the book.
With him, and everyone we met, we got into the leadership of Bob Avakianwho he is, what that leadership means. That BAs new communism is a breakthrough in the scientific approach to making revolution and emancipating all humanity. And telling people about who BA is as a person, and his role leading the revolution here.
And we also read from the strategy statement in BAsics, which gets into this question of jolts in society, and the need for it to be the case that through such situations, leaps are made in building up the movement and the organized forces for revolution, creating in this way a stronger basis to work for further advances. And we put this challenge to him, to be part of the thousands discussed in the HOW WE CAN WIN statement, and to seriously engage this work and be part of spreading it.
We spoke to one of several African-American ministers who participated in the clergy action, who talked about the connection between enslaved Africans and the Native peoples in this country, and how this system is built on this oppression. We got into this with her, and she had a lot of unity with what we were putting forward with this revolution and felt that many more people need to imagine a radically different kind of world. We strongly agreed with her on this, but that we dont have to just imagine it, we could actually make that real, and we gave her a copy of HOW WE CAN WIN and showed her the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America. She was very interested in this and was looking forward to reading the statement and staying in touch.
Connecting, and Struggling, Over HOW WE CAN WIN
HOW WE CAN WIN is spreading among different circles here. Word is getting out among some Native youths that revolutionaries are in the camp. Some are reading HOW WE CAN WIN and have written down a list of questions that they have for us. A couple of youths, one Sioux and one white, stopped to talk and were very excited to hear people talking about revolution. They talked about both the genocide of the Native people and the destruction of the environment and how we need a revolution. Their conception of revolution has a lot of anarchist influences of people working without government interference. They really did not know what communism is, but one of them was talking about the bad rap it has but said that it sounds good.
Find out more about the revolution
Find out about BA, the leader of the revolution
While talking with them, a young Native man they know came up and started listening. When he heard us say, We are with Revolution newspaper, revcom.us, the voice of the Revolutionary Communist Party, he got very excited, exclaiming, You are those people?!, and shook our hands. He had seen the website, revcom.us. We read out loud the first paragraph of HOW WE CAN WIN, and the first paragraph and first two sentences of the second paragraph in the What We Need To Do Now section. (revcom.us/a/457/how-we-can-win-en.html) The second Native youth responded that what we need to do is stop the pipeline and protect the Native people. Well into the conversation, the white youth said, I have to admit, I used information from revcom.us in a college policy debate. They told us where they are staying and we made plans to get more into HOW WE CAN WIN.
One college student, from southern Colorado, took a month off school to be here and cover what was happening on the ground, and he talked to us about reading The Communist Manifesto in school, and having this feeling, along with his classmates, that there was something to this idea of communism, but that we were too deep in this shit as far as this horrible society we are living in today, and that this idea of communism was just that, a good idea. He spoke of the frustration of just reading this and discussing it as just ideas; nothing actually realizable. We got into the statement HOW WE CAN WIN and he thought this was very good, different in that it was actually dealing with the real world, and talking about ways to make this real. We got into questions of what a revolutionary crisis is, how to transform people today, and the importance of people stepping into this revolution now.
We have been pre-emptive in anticipating that BA is going to be a contentious question among people, including the bullshit people are going to run into on the Internet and getting into the kind of leadership people actually need and how BA measures up in those terms. We had a little experience with that on the spot while we were discussing HOW WE CAN WIN with a couple of young Native women. Someone passing by made a snarky comment about Oh, the RCP. We challenged him to come join and say what his strategy for revolution was, and he said not cult of personality. In this instance, the young women we were talking to at the time were furious that some asshole was being so dismissive and disruptive while they were grappling with such an important question.
The revolution is meeting Native people who have gone through the horrors of alcoholism and drug addiction that plague so many and have turned to Christianity for help. We met a man at breakfast one day who had this kind of experience, and was now very religious, and he asked why we were here. We told him we were here to stand with the Native people who are standing up, to report from the ground, and to spread the statement HOW WE CAN WIN, and get into this with people.
He felt that what we were putting forward would just put people in harms way, and we responded with putting forward that the ones who are putting people in harms wayand the planet itselfis this system, but that when they do these things, when they make these moves like what they are doing with the pipeline, by the terms of this system, they are just smart businessmen, and he responded, Yeah, like Trump! Then he asked us what we believed in. We responded that we believe in humanity and their potential to radically change the world. He asked, So you dont believe in a higher power? We responded, no, that we apply a scientific method and approach, an evidence-based approach, to understanding the world and the real pathways for change.
We got into the question of evolution, as he started to pose his understanding of intelligent design, and we suggested that he get into the book by Ardea Skybreak, The Science of Evolution and the Myth of CreationismKnowing Whats Real and Why It Matters, and broke down scientifically how human life actually evolved, and that there are a lot of real scientific connections between human life and the Earth itself, which many people here say they feel spiritually, but we got into how we can understand this scientifically, and that it is actually an incredible thing to be able to understand! That it doesnt take away any of the awe and wonder of the connections between humanity and the planet but gives us a materialist grasp of that connection.
Stakes for the Future of Native People, the Planet, and Humanity
One night, while enjoying an incredible dinner made at the famous Grandmas Kitchen (where you get a delicious dinner and a hug from Grandma!, a Paiute from Bishop, California), we met an older couple from far Northern California. The woman told us about how she was a licensed health professional, and just kept seeing posts on Facebook about Standing Rock, and would cry every time she saw these posts, feeling so strongly that what was happening to the Native people was outrageous, and one day she decided to take a leave of absence from her job, and that was about a month ago, and she has no intention of going back any time soon and in fact does not want to go back. She talked about how her whole life had changed since coming to Standing Rock and how connected she felt to this struggle.
She was recently joined by her partner, a guy who described himself as a full-time activist. He is cataloging the rapid extinction of species in the world. He spoke of his many experiences fighting against the crimes of this system, and his frustrations over the fact that things have not changed; that this system continues to do what it does to the masses of people, and in particular he spoke of the crimes being committed in the Middle East. In the face of the continuing crimes of drone attacks by the U.S., his group has gone from advocacy to nonviolent direct action.
We brought out HOW WE CAN WIN and they were both very excited to hear about this, as they had never heard of BA and this Party. They were interested in Bob Avakians background.
And we discussed the question of Why We Need a Revolution as they both felt that was basically true, but still believed that the most we could do was vote for Jill Stein. So we got into this and walked through some examples of why this system cannot resolve these big problems, in particular the environmental crisis, because of this fossil fuel economy that cant factor in the damage being done to the environment, as that is an externality to the need for accumulating more and more profit. They thought seriously about this point and ended up getting THE NEW COMMUNISM and the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America. And we plan on getting more into this with them.
This struggle is not slowing down or giving up. It continues to grow and more people are needed to take a stand with the Native people, for their land, for the planet as a whole, and for the future of humanity.
For full coverage and the current issue of REVOLUTION click here
When the Enemy Attacks, We Politically Mobilize the People and Come Back Stronger
November 7, 2016 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
Revolution Club, New York City, October 22 National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation. Photo: Special to revcom.us/Revolution
The Revolution Clubs around the country have been boldly taking revolution and the new communism, developed by Bob Avakian, out to the massesleading people to get organized for revolution. They have been mobilizing masses of people to stand up against the crimes of this system. They have been challenging the police when they roll up and attempt to violate peoples rights in the neighborhoods. They have been challenging the reactionary authorities of all kindson campuses and elsewherewho are working to keep the masses of people in line.
This is a breath of fresh air!
No advance for the oppressed has ever been won without people breaking the rules and refusing to go along with the way the system works to keep people down. It was against the law, let us not forget, for Black students to sit down at a whites only lunch counter during the civil rights movement. It was against the law for young men to set their draft cards on fire and refuse to fight for the U.S. in the genocidal war against Vietnam. It was considered scandalous and strident when women first publicly demanded the right to birth control and then abortion. Yet, all of thisand much, much morewas absolutely righteous and necessary!
It is very good that today, revolutionaries are spreading the spirit of defying an unjust and oppressive system and its illegitimate rules. We need much, much more of this!
Not surprisingly, however, when you defy this oppressive system, the authorities hit back. In recent months, revcoms across the country have been arrested, brutalized by police, and in many places face the threat of serious jail time. In carrying out these unjust attacks, the authorities have frequently and flagrantly violated their own rules. For example, it is unquestionably legal and constitutionally protected speech to burn the U.S. flag, yet when the revcoms did this in front of the Republican National Convention last summer, they were arrested, held preventatively, and are now facing heavy charges.
Read the entire HOW WE CAN WINHow We Can Really Make Revolution HERE Download PDF Available now: ORDER HERE ABOUT THE BOOK, WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING AND MORE HERE Get Into BA HERE
Noche Diaz and the Revolution Club returned to the University of Chicago November 1, defying a permanent ban issued October 26 by UC and Chicago police that put him under threat of arrest if he ever set foot back on University of Chicago campus property again. Photo: Special to revcom.us
Why Does the System Attack?
The systems enforcers carry out these attacks because they are deeply fearful of the masses of people they oppress and exploit. They know that their system has forced millions to live on the edge, and daily drives millions over the edge. They know that manyeven among those with more privilegeare deeply troubled by the injustices around them. The system is fearfuland determined to preventthese masses of people from rising up against them. This is why they attack whenever people rise up.
Additionally, the rulers have summed up from history the disproportionate importance of revolutionary leadership. This makes them even more fearful of the massesand determined to prevent them from connecting up with the leadership, strategy, and organized force for an actual revolution. The Revolutionary Communist Party, its leader Bob Avakian, and the Revolution Clubs are playing a leading role in societyfor revolution, representing on a scientific basis the fundamental interests of the vast majority of humanity. And they are fighting for the only way out: nothing less than an actual revolution to overthrow this system, and bring into being a radically different, and far better, system. This is why the rulers and other reactionary authorities attack the revcoms in particular.
The rulers cant stop causing the misery they inflict on the masses of peoplethey cant stop their police from murdering Black people, they cant stop the attacks on immigrants, they cant stop the degradation and brutality against women, they cant stop the destruction of the environment, they cant lift their boot off the people of the world who are dying under their bombs and occupations. So, they work hard to keep people cowed and intimidated, to keep people beaten down and divided, to keep people ignorant of the way out, or to keep people thinking that the most they can do is work for change through their elections or by appealing to their system. In other words, fundamentally, the system attacks because it is vulnerable and the rulers fear of the people they oppress.
The System Is Vulnerable, But It Has Real Teeth
Still, there is no getting around the fact that the system has real teeth. Their enforcers can hurt people and they can tie people up with court cases and prison time. They want to get revolutionaries out of action and they want to send a message to others not to even dare to step into the revolution.
So, how do we handle this?
The statement HOW WE CAN WIN says, We need to oppose and disrupt the moves of the ruling powers to isolate, encircle, brutalize, mass incarcerate and murderously repress the people who have the hardest life under this system and who most need this revolution. We need to encircle themby bringing forth wave upon wave of people rising up in determined opposition to this system. While this statement is referring specifically to the way we must respond to the systems attacks on the most oppressed masses, the same principle applies to how we must respond to the systems attacks on the revcoms.
When they attack us, we have to turn their attacks against them. We have to turn every roadblock into a stepping stone. How?
We have to use their attacks to wake up even greater numbers of people to what is being fought out and why they need to take a stand themselves. We have to expose the hypocrisy and unjust nature of the attacks in a way that causes many more people to questionand themselves challengethe rules and the authority of the state, many for the first time. But this only happens if you work to draw even more people forward into the struggle as you go back at the enemy with even more defiance.
Think, for example, about what went down in Ferguson, Missouri, after the police murdered Michael Brown. The initial protests were righteous and drew in hundreds from the area. This inspired many around the country. But it was when the police and National Guard came in with tanks, stun grenades, and heavy artillery, and when people defiantly stood up to that, that millions throughout society were forced to take notice and pick a side. Because people stood strong, the militarized repression of the state had the effect of inspiring even more people to step into the struggle in waves across the country, and to begin to question the very legitimacy of this systems armed enforcersrather than scaring people off.
Find out more about the revolution
Find out about BA, the leader of the revolution
That struggle has not advanced in a straight line, and the state has worked overtime to demonize Michael Brown and those who stand up against police murder. It has also worked overtime to bring people back into the dead end of their elections and various meaningless reforms. But all this is still in play. We can influence how this plays out going forward. In this, and overall, the broader lessonsof how struggles advance by standing up to and defying repression, not avoiding it or retreating in the face of itremain.
When the revcoms get attacked, we have to use these attacks to expose to even greater numbers of people the unjust and vicious character of the system and its attacks. When they single out and attack revcoms in ways that violate their own rules, or are completely out of proportion with how they respond to people with a different message and mission, we have to expose this. We have to use this to show how it is that the systems ruthless and unjust nature requires them to lash out and prevent people from hearing the message of revolution. We have to challenge people to defy these attempts, and to look for themselves into the new communism that has been forged by Bob Avakian. We have to bring alive, when the eyes of many more are watching, the living contrast between the hypocrisy and illegitimate authority of the system and the liberating morality and authority of the revolutionary forces. And, we have to challenge and inspire even broader numbers of peopleincluding many who dont yet know what they think of the revolution we are fighting forto stand on the right side and defend those who are refusing to bow to these attacks.
Through all this, we can shatter the superstitious awe that people are trained to have towards the state and its enforcers. We can inspire many to understand that, as ruthless as they are, they are not all powerful and their power is not permanent. We can increasingly bring alive the fact that there is a whole other way the world could be organized through communist revolution that is worth fighting for, and that there is a revolutionary force to join with right now that knows how to get there.
In other words, the more the revolution stings this system politically, the more they hit back with counterrevolution, attempting to brutalize and punish the revcoms and the masses in such a way that it sidelines them. In the face of this, the revolution doesnt retreat or play by their rulesit hits them even harder politically, bringing forward more masses with even more daring and imaginative actions. Through all this, we encircle them with mass support and we disrupt their plans to shut us down. We do this both by refusing to play by their rules and finding ways to use their rules against them.
All this is not a distraction from the work of advancing the revolution. This is a key part of how revolution develops and gains strengththrough stepping up the fight against this systems crimes, even more boldly spreading revolution and communism, and using their attacks to mobilize more people into the revolution and come back even stronger. Revolution... counterrevolution... MORE revolutionthats the logic of the movement for revolution.
For full coverage and the current issue of REVOLUTION click here
"I would like to say 'This book is written to the glory of God', but nowadays this would be the trick of a cheat, i.e., it would not be correctly understood."--Ludwig Wittgenstein
"Talk to me about the truth of religion, and I'll listen gladly. Talk to me about the duty of religion and I'll listen submissively. But don't come talking to me about the consolation of religion or I shall suspect that you don't understand."--C.S. Lewis
The Economic Times - Nov 06, 2016
by T K Arun, ET Bureau
The government should withdraw the order asking NDTV India to go off the air for 24 hours as penalty for allegedly compromising national security while reporting on the Pathankot terror attack on January 2 this year. More importantly, the media and the people at large should protest against the order. For, it is the thin edge of the wedge.
If you grin and bear it, congratulating yourself on your ability to tolerate a small incision, before you know it, you would be writhing, staring at the base of the wedge buried firmly in your body in its entirety.
To take a channel off the air for any period of time is to take away its revenue for that period.
The ban order on NDTV India is a threat held out to media owners: if you publish things the government does not like and can label as being anti-national, your financial viability is at risk. LK Advani made the most memorable comment on the Emergency: editors, when asked merely to bend, obligingly crawled.
If the Emergency tested the flexibility of editorial spine, the NDTV India order puts the test to media owners, whose commitment to commerce is, more often than not, more resolute than their commitment to operating the Fourth Estate of democracy.
The charge against NDTV India is patently absurd. It did not reveal any information of strategic importance that was not already in the public domain and was not reported by other news channels and newspapers.
To say that an air force base contains planes, mortars and ammunition stockpiles is a grand revelation only for those who normally expect air force bases to house, as an Economic Times editorial put it, sailboats, rose bushes and flying squirrels.
It would be a revelation, too, no doubt, for the ordinary Indian viewer of news television, who would never know how a woman feels immediately after receiving news of her husbandas untimely death if a TV correspondent did not relay her anchoras piercing question, Aapko kaisa lag raha hain?, thrusting her microphone at the heaving, sniffling mass of presumed feminity behind a ghunghat.
A Peculiar World
The channel is accused of divulging the location of the air force school, endangering civilian lives. As if the terrorists and their handlers would not have scoped out the place thoroughly before mounting their attack, and relied, instead, on the assured irresponsibility of the Indian media to locate potential civilian targets ancillary to the main one.
How does any reporter know what quite happens inside an area cordoned off for operations? Only through what people in charge of the operation brief him or her.
If the government is serious about putting a lid on any reportage about an ongoing operation, it should train its personnel involved in the operation to keep their mouth shut.
If they speak to any one media outlet, others would be compelled to scurry around getting some asource at ground zeroa to speak as well. In fact, if organised media are muzzled, social media would have a field day and more misinformation could spread than if organised media were allowed to report.
As it is, the government itself has two versions as to how many terrorists were involved in the Pathankot attack: four and six. Even today, after prolonged investigations, including by Pakistani experts, who can be trusted to know a thing or two about terrorists and body counts, and DNA analysis of the charred remains of presumed hold-out positions of two attackers whose bodies were never recovered, a definitive number eludes us.
Then again, this is perhaps not so accidental. In a certain dystopian world imagined by George Orwell, two and two added up to five. Today, we live in a peculiar world.
The prime minister has cast himself as political correctness in human form. He denounces acow protectorsa as those running little rackets, but his ministers and his partymen, not to speak of the uber-leader of his philosophical fountainhead, the RSS, celebrate cow protectors.
The PM sings ringing praise of media freedom; his ministers suspend a news channel. The PM says chest-thumping over surgical strikes should be avoided; his partyas campaign in Uttar Pradesh pumps out surgical pride through Bose speakers with thumping bass.
The PM appeals to the people of Pakistan, in a public speech after the Uri attack, drawing a line between them and their treacherous government. His acolytes in the media and the social media slam ordinary Pakistanis and traduce ordinary Indians who do not patriotically join in this chorus of Pakistan-bashing.
The PM says, create world-class universities. Yet, in his home state of Gujarat, one of Indiaas oldest colleges, established in 1860, the Gujarat Provincial College, is allowed to decay: the faculty strength came down from 119 in 1960 to 19 in 2014-15 at its arts and commerce offshoot (26, if you add seven temporary hands), while the student strength more than doubled since 1960.
Fair, in other words, is foul and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and filthy air of Delhi, one could add.
If it persists with its one-day suspension of NDTV India, the ministry of information and broadcasting should rename itself the Ministry of Truth. And the rest of us should fastforward from 1975-77 as the epitome of democracy in danger to a footloose Nineteen Eighty-Four.
[excerpts from reportage in The Daily Star - November 07, 2016]
The vicious attacks on Hindu homes, establishments and temples since October 30 indicates an increase in the level of bigotry among certain sections of the society. The question is how did these miscreants get the courage to carry out these crimes? The Daily Star talks to some individuals who have been directly affected or are speaking out against these hate crimes.
Interviews by: Eresh Omar Jamal, Moyukh Mahtab and Shamsuddoza Sajen
Inaction leads to impunity
Khushi Kabir
"The situation started just like Ramu with a story of a Facebook post which sparked off the rest. The administration had arrested this guy who is supposed to have made the post. We heard in Brahmanbaria that he was not even very literate, does not have a Facebook account, and does not know how to use Photoshop. He is from a fishing community. The guy was arrested. Then two groups asked for permission to hold a rally, and they were given the permission. After the rally, they started attacking the temples and houses.
The women and children who had to hide during the attacks, you could see the trauma in their eyes. Many of them had to cross the river and hide, and only came back later. The main thing is the fear and the trauma that has been created, apart from the fact that they had lost everything they had.
There is a pattern of what has been happening time and again. We have seen the story of Facebook posts in Pabna, in Satkhira and many other places. This was done to create a situation to foster communalism.
The administration did tell us it wasnt just one group of people involved in the attacks -people from all political parties were there for looting.
So obviously there is an attempt across the country to try to create insecurity in the minds of the minority and push forward an intolerant, extremist version of Islam. Before this in Brahmanbaria, there have been attacks involving burning of Ahmadiya houses.
We asked the administration first if they knew about the Facebook post that was circulating. They said that they did, and had already arrested the guy. So if they had already arrested them, we asked, why did they allow the rally in the first place?
The next question was why after giving permission for the rally, there wasnt enough protection provided? We had heard from some people there that the attacks happened after the police had left.
But we do know that the MP, who is also the Minister for Fisheries, did not visit any of the houses of the affected. And after he went there four days later, he was reported to have made a communal remark, which he later claimed he didnt. But the important thing is right after his visit, there was another attack.
How can the administration be so laid back? The intelligence agencies are supposed to provide intelligence. The administration says they were inactive they didnt have information: so what were the various intelligence agencies doing after the first attacks?
How is administration allowing this to happen? They dont have the courage to act. Either they are completely detached, or they are complicit. Through their inactivity, they are giving impunity to people to create this havoc.
These Facebook posts that are being created are obviously being created by people who have an interest in creating these situations to loot property and land. The administration is giving a very wrong message by by asking people from posting anything that hurts religious sentiments instead of taking action against the perpetrators. We ask, what about the religious sentiments of the Hindus?"
Rights activist and coordinator of Nijera Kori
A Hindu woman stands in the ruins of her home in Nasirnagar of Brahmanbaria yesterday. On Sunday, religious zealots attacked homes and temples in the area over an alleged Facebook post. Photo: STAR
o o o
Unpardonable negligence
Enamul Hoque Chowdhury
"I headed the investigation team formed by the National Human Rights Commission, and visited Nasirnagar soon after the incident. We went to every house and temple affected by the attack and talked to the victims. In my observation, it was a pre-planned serial attack. It was so coordinated that attacks on different places happened at the same time. The extremist groups were planning the attack for quite some days and people from remote upazilas were also found involved in the violence. It seems to me that various interest groups joined hands to execute their vicious plan. For example, the local poor fishermen are the worst victims of the attack. Most of them are engaged in fishing in local beels that have been the target of a certain interest group for a long time. After the attack, almost all the fishermen left the village. It seems that the poorest sections of the Hindu community were basically targeted in this attack, so that they lose what little resource they have, and thus are forced to leave their homes and business behind, which most probably will be grabbed by the influential locals.
The role of the local administration is quite questionable. The OC of the local police station himself confessed that when the attack occurred he was present at a temple. When he found that the mob was nearing the temple he was visiting, he left the place. The UNO of the area is also guilty of negligence. He gave permission to hold rallies despite rumours of propaganda of a vicious activity such as this. In fact, it was even announced over microphones by some quarters that the Hindus should be decimated. He could have easily withdrawn the permission. But either he was unmindful or did not seem to care about the consequences. The comments of the local politicians, especially those of the minister, are totally irresponsible.
We have submitted our investigation report within the shortest possible time. And the government has taken it very seriously. I hope the culprits will be identified soon and will be given exemplary punishment. Now, the government has deployed BGB to protect the area. It should have been done immediately after the first attacks, so that we could have prevented the subsequent ones. Following the Nasirnagar incident, attacks on minorities were reported in various parts of the country. If we can ensure proper punishment in every case, the sense of impunity that perpetrators feel will definitely be shattered and the recurrence of communal violence can be prevented in the future."
Commissioner, National Human Rights Commission
[see full report here ]
via CNDP
To the Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
We are women living in Fukushima prefecture, where a massive accident unparalleled in history occurred on March 11, 2011, at Tokyo Electric Power Companyas Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
As a result of this accident our lives changed dramatically. Among us, there are those who lost their homes, those who lost their jobs, those who lost their hometowns and friends, those who lost their future, those who lost their joy in life, and those who lost their very lives. All of this was taken by the nuclear accident.
Even now, some five and a half years after this accident, the accident is still unresolved. We live surrounded by radioactive debris which emanated from the reactor. Even as our government pushes us to return to our homelands, many people think of their childrenas health, and they feel that they cannot return to their original homes. At the current stage, in Fukushima prefecture alone, some 174 children have been found to have contracted thyroid cancer. We are deeply worried about the wide-ranging health hazards that will appear in the years to come.
Presently court proceedings to determine legal responsibility for the nuclear accident itself have not yet been opened, and the accidentas cause, the question of human error, the question of whether the accident was handled appropriately, have not yet been clarified. Now, the problem of restarting nuclear power plants across Japan has surfaced, and battles are being fought through the courts to keep these plants from restarting. As with Takahama Nuclear Power Station, some nuclear plantsa operation has been suspended.
Under these circumstances, the fact that Japan is attempting to sell nuclear power plants to other countries, is embarrassing and most unfortunate. When we consider that a similar type accident might happen at one of Indiaas nuclear power plants, we are filled with concern. That is, as women who experienced firsthand the suffering that the Fukushima accident has brought, we do not wish anyone in the world to have the same experience we did.
Mr. Modi, we would like to invite you to visit Fukushima and see its condition firsthand. The destroyed reactor, the towns where people can no longer live that have become like abandoned towns, the mountains of radioactive rubble, the towering incinerators, and children who can no longer play freely outside. After you have seen the reality of Fukushima, then we urge you to think carefully about the nuclear cooperation agreement. Nuclear power plants will not bring happiness to your citizens. We who experienced the injury of the nuclear accident, we came to understand this through our own bodies and lives.
Mr. Modi, for the Indian people and the future of India, please do not sign the India-Japan Nuclear Cooperation Agreement. We beseech you to make a wise judgment.
Fukushima Women Against Nukes
Fukushima Women Against Nukes is a network of women that started in September 2012, using various direct actions such as sit-ins, demonstrations as well as petitioning TEPCO and others to demand justice for everything that the Fukushima Daiichi disaster has taken away from them. They are also strongly opposed to restarting any of Japanas nuclear reactors and are working for a nuclear free world (website: http://onna100nin.seesaa.net)
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Set to enjoy its North American premiere at Doc NYC this coming Saturday, November 12, Letters From Baghdad is a documentary about Gertrude Bell, who became, arguably, the most powerful woman in the British Empire in the days after World War I.
Bell left behind a treasure trove of letters that provide insight into her thinking and also her experiences during that period. In the documentary, Tilda Swinton voices Bell; other actors and actresses dramatize more people from that time period, who comment on Bell and events in the Middle East.
Zeva Oelbaum and Sabine Krayenbuhl directed. More than 500 never-before-seen film clips have been assembled from 25 archives from around the world. Here's an excerpt from the official verbiage:
The voices of Bell and her contemporaries, culled from letters, diaries and official documents, recount the wry and increasingly tragic story of colonialism and early nation-building going on behind these beguiling scenes. Bell's letters (she left over 1,600) are wonderfully written -- insightful, witty, intrepid. They reveal a woman devoted to her English family but struck with a wanderlust that couldn't be denied, a woman enraptured with an Arab culture that discounted women, and an Oxford idealist enmeshed in the realpolitik of oil and empire. They also discover a lonely woman, twice robbed of men she loved, once by war and once by social prejudice.
Early in Letters from Baghdad, Vita Sackville-West says of Gertrude Bell, "I had known her first in Constantinople where she'd arrived straight out of the desert with all the evening dresses, cutlery and napery she insisted on taking with her on her wanderings." Sackville-West, an intimate of Virginia Woolf, knew an unconventional woman when she met one.
Bell was a fearless explorer, a renowned Arabist, the indispensable woman in an old boy British intelligence service, and an advocate for Arab independence after World War I. Historians if not popular culture grant her far more credit than T.E. Lawrence for shaping today's Middle East. Lawrence cribbed from Bell's personal knowledge of Arab tribes to raise his famous Arab revolt; Bell went on to help found the nation of Iraq. Lawrence of Arabia, in fact, admired Bell, if hitting a note rather different than Sackville-West's: "A wonderful person. Not very like a woman, you know."
Our exclusive clip features a retired military veteran explaining why he admires her, and why her story is worth telling. You can watch the clip below. The film will be screening at more festivals in the weeks to come. Visit the official site for more information.
The iconic Jackie Chan reteams with his Rumble In The Bronx director Stanley Tong for the upcomign Kung Fu Yoga and what does the reunion bring? It brings a high speed car chase with a lion. Note that that's not a high speed car chase against a lion or in pursuit of a lion but actually with a lion. It's a CGI lion, sure, but what could make a car chase more fun than sticking a lion inside the car?
Chinese archeology professor Jack (Jackie Chan) teams up with beautiful Indian professor Ashmita and assistant Kyra to locate lost Magadha treasure. In a Tibetan ice cave, they find the remains of the royal army that had vanished together with the treasure, only to be ambushed by Randall (Sonu Sood), the descendent of a rebel army leader. When they free themselves, their next stop is Dubai where a diamond from the ice cave is to be auctioned. After a series of double-crosses and revelations about their past, Jack and his team travel to a mountain temple in India, using the diamond as a key to unlock the real treasure.
With its globe hopping story and obvious sense of fun the obvious point of comparison here are Chan's previous Armor Of God films, an approach that's sure to please fans. The scale is huge, the action pieces likewise, and Chan is back to the sort of goofy slapstick stunt work that built his international reputation. Check out the first trailer below!
When the naked body of a teenage girl is found on the banks of the River Baztan, it is quickly linked to a similar murder one month before. Soon, rumours are flying in the nearby village of Elizondo. Is this the work of a ritualistic killer or is it the basajaun, the invisible guardian of Basque mythology?
Inspector Amaia Salazar leads the investigation, taking her back to the heart of the Basque country where she was born, and where she hoped never to return. Shrouded in mist and surrounded by impenetrable forests, it is a place of unresolved conflicts and a terrible secret from Amaias childhood that will come back to haunt her.
Faced with the superstitions of the village, Amaia must fight the demons of her past to confront the reality of a serial killer on the loose. But as she is drawn deeper into the investigation, she feels the presence of something darker lurking in the shadows
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What are the elections that followers of sentencing reform are (or should be) watching especially closely? | Main | Interesting array of distinctive sentencing articles in Louisiana Law Reviews Fall 2016 issue
November 7, 2016
"Global Overview of Sex Offender Registration and Notification Systems"
A helpful reader altered me to this interesting publication with the same title as this post. The publication was produced by the Justice Department's Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (known as SMART). Here is its introduction:
Sex offender registration and notification systems have proliferated around the world over the last twenty years. After the United States first national-level sex offender registration law was passed in 1994, 29 additional countries have enacted sex offender registration laws. A handful of these systems are more analogous to what would be considered a CHRI (criminal history record information) database as opposed to a registry, but are included in this overview for the sake of thoroughness. The following countries have laws governing sex offender registration systems at the national and/or provincial level: Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, France, Germany, India, the Republic of Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Maldives, Malta, New Zealand, Nigeria, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Trinidad & Tobago, United Kingdom and Commonwealth Nations (Bermuda, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, and the Pitcairn Islands), and the United States. The following countries have considered or are considering sex offender registration and notification laws, but such laws have not yet passed: Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Cayman Islands, Fiji, Finland, Hong Kong, Israel, Malaysia, Poland, Samoa, St. Lucia, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, and Zimbabwe. What follows in this SMART Summary is a brief snapshot of the sex offender registration and notification laws in each of the countries that have enacted such provisions, sequenced in chronological order of the first country in a continent or region to implement such laws. Statutory references, where available, are provided. In addition, the footnotes contain additional references which might assist the reader in finding out more detailed information about the countries sex offender registration and notification provisions. As this is a rapidly developing area of the law, and many statutes have not been officially translated into English, the reader is encouraged to check for the current versions of any nations provisions and consult official translations, rather than relying solely on this SMART Summary.
November 7, 2016 at 11:33 AM | Permalink
Comments
Registries are nothing but cruel and unusual punishment imposed on people who have already served their time.
The US government is to blame for starting the "we can keep people safe with a registry" mentality. The other countries jumping on the band wagon have obviously not bothered to look at studies showing the registry does nothing but put those on it and their families at risk of harm. It keeps no one "safer".
Posted by: kat | Nov 7, 2016 1:49:43 PM
The registries are born out of a blood lust for unending vengeance and retribution. They are touted as community safety measures because those un-American fascists and totalitarians that support them know they'd never pass constitutional muster if they were called for what they are: a punishment that never ends and can be made more severe at every turn at the whim of the state or federal governments.
The Sixth Circuit got it right when it ruled that the retroactive applications of restrictions enacted in 2006 and 2011 were applied to registrants retroactively are wholly punitive in nature and violate the prohibition against ex post facto. I hope that the SCOTUS will have the moral courage shown by the 6th Circuit and strike down registries across the board as well as the numerous restrictions such as forbidding registered citizens to use Facebook and other popular social media outlets. The North Carolina law is before the S.C.O.T.U.S. now. Hopefully by mid-2017 the court will strike that end these abridgments to the registered citizen's 1st Amendment freedoms.
Posted by: Will Crump | Nov 7, 2016 3:59:08 PM
I agree that the registries put a neon orange "bull's eye" on registrants and their familes & friends. Any law that subjects someone to bodily harm at the hands of a vigilante public should never be allowed to stand for one second.
Posted by: Will Crump | Nov 7, 2016 4:31:20 PM
We have a weak-minded populace and politicians that regularly sacrifice liberty for security.
Posted by: Fat Bastard | Nov 7, 2016 6:50:17 PM
Do you know what else has "proliferated around the world over the last twenty years"? Stupidity. And hatred and vitriol.
The S*x Offender Registries (SORs) fit in perfectly. The U.S. is leading the way with increases of stupidity and douche bags per capita. It makes sense that the U.S. would champion anything that is stupid.
And what we all have to note every single day still, is that as glorious and useful as the SORs are (not), somehow the un-Americans who support them have so miserably failed to get the rest of their nanny big government (NBG) Registries created. I mean, we don't Register people who shoot people with guns. We don't Register career criminals. We do Register people who did nothing but sit in their home 2 decades ago and look at bad pictures. Really?! That is all that people with brains need to know. That, and just a casual glance at all of the thoroughly idiotic, useless, and anti-factual laws that the SORs have enabled and promoted.
BTW, the name of the NBG bureaucracy is not "SMART", it is "NOT-SMART". F them and any government or person that supports them in any way. They are just like ISIS. The time to break them is now. The time to keep them broke is now. The time to keep them dysfunctional is now. Never assist NBG in any way.
Posted by: FRegistryTerrorists | Nov 9, 2016 1:42:46 PM
He he, Trump grabbed America by her p*ssy!
Way to be your true self to bring out the nut jobs and then try to act completely normal after getting elected. Well played! We'll see how long his transformation lasts.
I have long thought that most people who are living in the U.S. are stupid, lazy, self-entitled, self-absorbed, hateful douche bags. They are only "good people" when it is convenient for them. They are too lazy to worry about any actual facts or reality. Electing Trump was good confirmation of that.
Trump is a huuuuge fan of labeling people, name calling, and hatred. He surely wants to expand the NOT-SMART bureaucracy and grow big government. Hopefully he will at least get it partially right by expanding the Registries and associated stupidity to include all people who have been convicted of any crime.
Posted by: FRegistryTerrorists | Nov 11, 2016 2:00:55 PM
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Realist. Surrealist. Hippie. Punk. Bruce Conner (1933-2008) was all of these and more. A Bay Area pioneer in experimental film, collage, photography, conceptual works, and paintings, Conner challenged the limitations of medium, genre, and style, constantly breaking new ground.
Both of and ahead of his time, Conner continues to influence artists working today. Bruce Conner: Its All True, on view at SFMOMA through January 22, is the first comprehensive retrospective of this pivotal artists incredible output, bringing together over 250 objects in various media, including film and video, works on paper, assemblages, photographs and photograms, performance, and more.
Spanning his five-decade career, the exhibition presents aspects of Conners work that have rarely been seen before, from paintings he made in the 1950s to photos from the Bay Area punk scene in the 1970s to video work from the 2000s, as well as numerous works produced in the last decade of his life.
The San Francisco Chronicle recently sang the praises of the exhibition, writing that if there was ever any doubt about who should be recognized as the greatest artist the Bay Area ever produced, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has resolved the question definitively with its lovingly presented, sweeping analysis of the work of Bruce Conner.
Bruce Conner: Its All True is on view at SFMOMA October 29 - January 22, 2017! Tickets on sale now at sfmoma.org.
This post is brought to you by SFMOMA.
A man and woman from San Francisco ended up stuck on a Rodeo Beach cliff Saturday, after they climbed down to rescue their dog.
The call came in at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, the Marin Independent Journal reports. The couple's dog had gotten stranded on the cliffside, and when they climbed down to save him or her, they got stuck, too.
They didnt fall, they shimmied themselves down into a precarious position, Southern Marin Fire Protection District Captain Matthew Bouchard told the IJ.
Then they got into a point where they couldnt come back to the top.
Bay City News reports that the trio was trapped about 80 feet from the top, when they "couldnt climb any farther because of the steep terrain and the difficulty of handling the dog."
When they got to the scene, the SMFPD realized they needed a helicopter, and requested one from California Highway Patrol. Within 15 minutes, a crew of three had arrived to do what they call a "hoist rescue" with a firefighter rappelling down to secure the couple and pup as a CHP paramedic lifted them to safety.
The couple, who KRON 4 says is in their 30s, was unharmed in the incident. The dog had some scrapes, bumps, and an injury to his leg, but is expected to recover.
Related: SFFD Rescues Woman And Dog From Perilous Cliffside Perch
Photographers capturing San Francisco sights were beset by crooks this weekend, as bands of muggers fell upon shooters in both Golden Gate Park and near the Powell Street cable car turnaround.
On Friday at 12:22 in the afternoon, a 64-year-old man was taking photos near Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park when three men in their 20s approached him from behind.
One man grabbed the victim's camera, but the victim refused to let go, according to the San Francisco Police Department. "A struggle ensued," police say, and the victim was knocked to the ground. The mugger dragged the victim on the ground, police say, as the other two suspects assisted by pulling the camera strap off their victim's shoulder.
Once they got hold of the goods, the trio fled in an unknown direction. The victim received minor injuries in the altercation, and was treated at the scene.
A second photog was mugged Sunday, police say. The 19-year-old male was taking pictures on the 900 block of Market Street, which is near the Powell Street cable car turnaround, at 12:21 a.m., when he was approached by a man and woman of unknown age.
Police say that the female suspect "pulled out a nail file" and threatened the victim with it, demanding his camera. The teen handed over the device, and the man and woman took off on foot.
In both cases, police say that the suspects remain at large and that no arrests have been made in either case. If you happen to know anything about these or any other crimes, police ask that you call SFPD's anonymous tip line at at 415-575-4444 or to text a tip to TIP411 with SFPD at the beginning of the message.
Related: Muggers Drag Ocean Beach Photographer By Car In Effort To Steal Camera
A church in North Beach is set for a very modern rebirth following its purchase by a Russian venture capitalist. Instead of a christian place of worship, as Our Lady of Guadalupe Church once was, the building will soon be used to pay homage to the Silicon Valley idol du jour: Innovation.
The Chronicle reports that the church at 906 Broadway was built in 1912 and was home for much of its life to Spanish-speaking parishioners. The church closed in 1991, and the property served as a school for some time until it was again sold in 2013. The new owners, a group of investors, worked on the property and put it back on the market in 2015.
It was in August of this year that the church was sold again for $7 million to a group of Russian investors led by Pavel Cherkashin.
The long-time church/one-time school apparently presented the perfect opportunity for Cherkashin, the co-founder of San Francisco-based GVA Capital, who through his work investing in artificial intelligence and neural networks has made clear that his faith lies less with the religions of old than with the promises of tomorrow. He told the paper that he intends to turn the church into a meeting place for thought leaders to gather and discuss the big issues facing the world.
"For a whole century it served as a place for people to come with their dreams and challenges, help and support each other and connect," Cherkashin told the paper. "We needed a place for an open public forum to inspire free flow of thoughts and ideas on innovation."
Just what, exactly, does that mean? It's not exactly clear but it likely won't just be about Soylent and Google Glass. It might even be something like a TED Talks venue. "Today, innovation doesn't mean technology only," he explained. "It is about art, philosophy, ethics and many other disciplines. The space for such a public forum should be equally comfortable for representatives of all those disciplines, outside traditional framework of board room, conference center or technology lab. [An] old church building was a perfect match."
No opening date has yet to be announced.
Related: That Big Empty Church In SoMa Will Become Office Space
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So, the final count is Donald Trump, 1, Mike Pence, 1, and Hillary Clinton, 0.
That's the final tally of campaign events held in Sioux City over four-plus months after the two presidential nominees and their running mates were finalized at July national Republican and Democratic conventions. Although Clinton did send out a top surrogate, with former president Bill Clinton holding a city riverfront event last week.
Anne Holton, the wife of Clinton's running mate Tim Kaine, also spoke in Sioux City in October.
Certainly, there are still a bounty of advertisements that will run well into Tuesday, as voting is finalized into the evening. But the in-person stops by the Big 4 nominees in Siouxland are at an end.
Over the 2015-16 cycle, Hillary Clinton and Trump, who are locked in a close battle nationally, stopped in Siouxland more than four times each. Trump on Sunday drew the largest crowd of the election cycle, when 4,500 people went to the Sioux City Convention Center. That showed a lot of enthusiasm for Trump, as he drew from well beyond the tri-state area.
There is one more event that will play out by a statewide candidate in Sioux City. Patty Judge, the Democrat seeking to deny another term by U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, will speak at noon Monday in the city.
With Iowa continuing to be a battleground state for the presidential race, Siouxlanders have a lot of chances to see the nominees and top-flight surrogates face-to-face. That's an amazing opportunity.
Of course, the flip side is that scads of people can't wait for the 2016 election to be over. Several people shared that sentiment with me over the weekend.
MOVILLE, Iowa | A man was airlifted to Mercy Medical Center -- Sioux City Monday morning after his all-terrain vehicle collided with a sport utility vehicle in rural Woodbury County.
The incident occurred shortly after 7:30 a.m. in the 2900 block of County Road K-64, according to a news release issued by the Woodbury County Sheriff's Office.
According to the release, a Ford Edge SUV was traveling south on K-64 when it collided with an ATV traveling east from a farm drive across the road. Upon contact, the Ford came to rest in a field, and the ATV came to rest in the road, the release said.
The ATV driver was flown by Mercy Air Care to Mercy Medical Center, the release said. His condition has not been released.
Medical personnel treated the driver of the Ford at the scene.
Woodbury County Emergency Services, Hornick Fire Department and first responders and Sloan Ambulance also responded to the scene.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
STORM LAKE, Iowa | A Sioux Rapids, Iowa, man pleaded guilty Monday to attempting to fraudulently claim a lottery ticket prize.
Johnny Long Jr., 26, entered his plea in Buena Vista County District Court to one count of theft of a lottery ticket or share. Sentencing was set for Dec. 19.
Long was one of three people arrested July 27 in connection with the fraud after 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, also of Sioux Rapids, 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, her boyfriend, to claim the prize.
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.
Her mother, Sally Bosler, 42, of Sioux Rapids, also was arrested, but charges were dismissed in October.
SIOUX CITY | A 41-year-old man has been charged with two counts of assaulting an officer after he pointed a shotgun at police in a four-hour standoff at a Sioux City apartment building on Nov. 6.
According to court documents, John Albenesius, of Sioux City, was booked into the Woodbury County Jail Tuesday after he was taken to a local hospital for evaluation following the incident.
Officers were called at 8:10 p.m. Nov. 6 to an apartment in the 1100 block of Fourth Street to check on a suicidal subject, a Sioux City Police Department news release said.
Upon arrival at the apartment, officers found Albenesius, who pointed a shotgun at the officers, causing them to retreat, the release said.
The release said officers and Albenesius were engaged in a standoff for four hours and the standoff ended after officers deployed gas, and Albenesius surrendered. No one was injured in the incident.
His bond has been set at $10,000.
District Judge Edward Jacobson also ordered Cansdale to serve a special sex offender sentence, in which he will be on lifetime parole after completing his prison sentence. If he were to violate terms of the special sentence, he could be sent to prison. He also must register with the Iowa Sex Offender Registry after completing his prison sentence.
SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man was sentenced to 25 years in prison Monday for stealing and later burning a pickup truck. His sentence also included a prison term for other thefts.
Brooks Olson, 20, had pleaded guilty in September in Woodbury County District Court to second-degree theft and second-degree arson. He also admitted to violating his probation from a previous theft and burglary case.
Olson was sentenced to 15 years prison for the theft and arson charges. His probation was revoked, and a 10-year prison sentence from that case was added to the 15-year sentence for a total sentence of 25 years. Olson must serve at least three years before he's eligible for parole.
According to court documents, Olson and Christopher Aspleaf broke into Sioux City Ford, 3601 Singing Hills Blvd., on Feb. 21 and stole a 2012 Ford F250 pickup and later stripped it of parts. The two tried to submerge the truck in a pond on March 22. When the vehicle wouldn't sink, they doused it with gasoline and set it on fire, destroying it.
Aspleaf, 21, was sentenced in May to 60 days in jail and three years probation.
Todays top picks from our online calendar. Find more events at siouxcityjournal.com/calendar.
A.R.T. Artisans Road Trip
A.R.T. invites you to travel Iowas scenic byways and back roads looking for one-of-a-kind art treasures. The exhibit is open through Nov. 26 at Pearson Lakes Art Center. Visit lakesart.org for additional information.
Morningside Faculty Art Show
The Morningside College Eppley Art Gallery will be full of works of several different mediums and techniques created by 12 different art faculty members. The gallery will be open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free. Contact 712-274-5209 for additional information.
Day of the Dead Exhibition
Dia de los Muertos celebrates the lives of the deceased with festivals and lively celebrations food, drink, parties and activities the dead enjoyed in life. The exhibit is open 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. at Pearson Lakes Art Center, 2201 Highway 71 N. Visit lakesart.org for additional information.
Where do I vote? You can find you polling place by entering your address at https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx
What should I expect? At many polling places, a greeter will welcome voters and direct them either to sign in to vote or, if they arent registered, to a solutions table where they can complete their voter registration.
Can I register on Election Day? Yes. To register at your polling place, you must prove who you are and where you live using a valid Iowa drivers license, for example. Also acceptable is another photo ID that is current, valid and contains an expiration date, such as an out-of-state driver's license, non-driver ID card, military ID, or ID issued by your employer, school or college.
Proof of residence could be a residential lease, current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government check or other government document.
If you cannot prove who you are and where you live with the documents listed above, a registered voter from your precinct may attest for you.
If Im registered, what do I need to bring? Iowa is not a voter ID state, so if your registration is current, including your address, nothing is needed. If youve moved, bring a drivers license or something to prove your address.
Can I bring my children? Yes. However, pets should not be brought to the polls. Service animals are welcome.
Are there restrictions on what I can do at the polls? Yes. There should be no campaigning or political conversation. Only poll watchers arranged by the election officials and political parties or candidates nominated by petition have permission to be at polling places on Election Day.
Can I vote a straight ticket? Yes. You can vote for all of the candidates from a single party by marking the oval to the left of the party name. Marking a straight party vote does not include votes for nonpartisan offices, judges or questions.
Its also possible to make an exception to a straight ticket vote by filling in the oval next to the name of a candidate from another party.
Will anyone ask me how I voted? Election officials will not. However, outside your polling place you may be approached by exit pollsters asking questions about your vote. Cooperation is voluntary.
What if I need help? If you need special assistance to vote because of a disability, you have the right to have an accessible voting location, assistance to vote and accessible voting equipment.
What if I see a problem? Call your county auditors office -- in Woodbury County, the number is 712-279-6465.
Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center.Allegations concerning Huma Abedins connections to Islamist groups and actors devoted to taking down America through a subversive jihad is no secret. But for those in the know about Islam, its goals and methodsand especially the power of indoctrinationher life story is more than enough for concern.Born in the U.S., Huma moved to Saudi Arabia (SA) at the age of two. There, she likely spent her formative years being indoctrinated in the same Islam that ISISSAs brainchildupholds.Just like ISIS, SA teaches: hate and enmity for all non-Muslims; destruction of churches and all non-Muslim places of worship; fatal consequences for apostates and blasphemers; and, most importantly, the supreme merits of engaging in jihad, which is not limited to armed warfare, as the apologists often remind us, but literally consists of strivingor for our purposes, subvertingon behalf of Islam.Such is the atmosphere and indoctrination that Abedin experienced growing up in SA; this was further supplemented at home by her mother, Saleha Abedin, a leading female activist of Islamic law and author of a book supporting female genital mutilation, death for apostates, and the participation of females in jihad. After 16 years of such indoctrination, Huma removed the hijab and returned to the U.S. at age 18. Two years later she was Hillary Clintons internand on her way to becoming, as Clinton later put it, a second daughter to her.To many, Humas troubling background is irrelevant. After all, she doesnt wear a veil, scarf, or hijabas all women (including her mother) in SAand certainly appears secular and fashionable, definitely Western. Moreover, in direct contradiction to a Sharia stipulation that, when broken, often leads to murderous responses in the Muslim world, she, a Muslim woman, married a non-Muslim man, Anthony Weiner.So how much, really, could she have been influenced by the Wahhabi/ISIS education and upbringing that all Saudi children are exposed to? Besides, why not believe that the moment she left SA, she was only too happy to forget all that Islam stuff and revel in her newfound American freedom? This notion, no doubt popular, is itself a reflection of the power of indoctrinationin this case, the power of secular and liberal indoctrination on the minds of many in the West who are convinced that the entire world is destined to and desirous of becoming just like us.Aside from overlooking the power of Islamic indoctrinationwhich causes some people to become martyrs by killing themselves and othersthese questions and observations overlook another Islamic teaching: Muslims are encouraged to deny their Islamor in the context of the modern West, merely pretend to be moderate Muslimsif by so doing they can help empower Islam over infidels.As usual, this sort of trickery goes right back to Muhammad himself. Here are two examples, both from Muslim chroniclers widely taught in Saudi Arabia:After an elderly Jewish tribal chieftain, Kab ibn Ashraf, mocked Muhammad, the prophet exclaimed, Who will kill this man who has hurt Allah and his messenger? A young Muslim named Ibn Maslama volunteered on condition that to get close enough to Kab to murder him, he needed permission from Muhammad to lie to the Jew. Allahs messenger agreed . Ibn Maslama traveled to Kab and began complaining about Muhammad and saying that he had left Islam. He carried on in this way until his disaffection from Islam led Kab to drop his guard, befriend him, and eventually invite him into his houseat which point the mask came off, Ibn Maslama slaughtered Ka b, and brought his head to Muhammad to the usual triumphant cries of Allahu Akbar!During the Battle of the Trench (627), which pitted the Muslims against the Arabian polytheists, one of the latter, Naim bin Masud, secretly went to Muhammad and converted to Islam. The prophet asked him to return to his tribesmen and allieswithout revealing that he had joined the Muslim campand try to get them to abandon the siege. For, Muhammad assured him, war is deceit. Masud returned, pretending to be loyal to his former kinsmen and allies, and began giving them bad advice. He also subtly instigated quarrels between the various tribes until, no longer trusting each other, they disbanded. Masud became a hero in Islamic tradition. He is often seen as being responsible for helping an embryonic Islam grow at a time when its existence was threatened. One English language Muslim site even recommends his actions as illustrative of how Muslims can subvert non-Muslims Anecdotes of modern day Islamic clerics encouraging fellow Muslims to behave like non-Muslims when advantageous are in fact a dime a dozen. The other day I watched an Arabic language video of a sheikh from Al Azhararguably the worlds leading, and supposedly moderate, institution of Islamic learninggiving the traditional exegesis of Koran 3:28, which reads: Let believers not take for friends and allies infidels rather than believers: whoever does this shall have no relationship left with Allahunless you but guard yourselves against them, taking precautions.After explaining that this verse means Muslims are forbidden from aiding non-Muslims against Islamhere again is another problem concerning Muslims working in the U.S. governmenthe said that unless you but guard yourselves against them, taking precautions means that Muslims under non-Muslim authority may deceive the latter by behaving like them, while keeping their Islam internally.By way of example, he said that if Muslims are under Christian authority, they have license to publicly hang, wear, and even pray to the crosswhich is saying much if you understand Islams virulent hatred for the crucifix Nor is the issue of Muslims pretending to be non-Muslims to deceive and subvert infidels limited to historical texts and sermons from sheikhs. One recent example from Turkey: in order to get close enough to a Christian pastor to assassinate him, a group of Christian-hating Muslimsincluding three very secular looking womenfeigned interest in Christianity and attended his church, where they prayed and made the sign of the cross. In the words of the pastor who eluded the assassination attempt: These people had infiltrated our church and collected information about me, my family and the church and were preparing an attack against us. Two of them attended our church for over a year and they were like family.Returning to Huma Abedin. That she appears Western/secularized and married a Jewthat is, that she did everything that no good Muslim woman, especially one who spent her formative years being indoctrinated in the most radical form of Islam, to say nothing of her ties to Islamistsmakes her appear more not less suspicious. It looks like an intentional attempt to do precisely those things that would most convince her American audience that she has nothing to do with Islam and is just another American.But if some Muslims are willing to go to such lengths as attending churches and baptisms and becoming like family to those infidels they seek to slaughter, as in the above anecdote from Turkey, one wonders: what are other Muslims willing to do to take down the Great Infidel, America? Could they not, perhaps, seek to endear themselves as a second daughter to a top politician and potentially the next president of the U.S?Should this prove to be the case, then Saudi Arabias multifaceted jihad on America continues. If it first reached the general publics awareness on 9/11 with the ugly and violent al-Qaeda, it may well be continuing with the comely and docile Huma.
Aachen, Bielefeld, Bochum, Bonn, Bottrop, Dorsten, Duisburg, Dusseldorf, Essen, Euskirchen, Gelsenkirchen-Sud, Gladbeck, Hagen, Hamm, Heinsberg, Herne, Iserlohn, Kleve, Cologne, Lippe, Ludenscheid, Marl, Mettmann, Minden, Monchengladbach, Munster, Neuss, Oberhausen, Recklinghausen, Remscheid, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, Rhein-Sieg-Kreis, Solingen, Unna, Witten and Wuppertal.
"There are districts where immigrant gangs are taking over entire streets for themselves. Native residents and business people are being intimidated and silenced. People taking trams during the evening and nighttime describe their experiences as 'living nightmares.' Policemen, and especially policewomen, are subject to 'high levels of aggression and disrespect.'
"In the medium term, nothing will change. The reasons for this: the high rate of unemployment, the lack of job prospects for immigrants without qualifications for the German labor market and ethnic tensions among migrants....
"Experts have warned for some time that problem neighborhoods could become no-go areas. The president of the German Police Union, Rainer Wendt, told Spiegel Online years ago: 'In Berlin or in the north of Duisburg there are neighborhoods where colleagues hardly dare to stop a car because they know that they'll be surrounded by 40 or 50 men.' These attacks amount to a 'deliberate challenge to the authority of the state attacks in which the perpetrators are expressing their contempt for our society.'"
"Once Duisburg-Marxloh was a popular shopping and residential area. Now clans claim the streets for themselves. The police are powerless. The descent of the district is nightmarish.
"Police will enter some parts of Marxloh only with reinforcements. Several patrol cars are needed to respond even to commonplace rear-end collisions. Too often, they are surrounded by an aggressive mob, spat upon and threatened. Last year, police were deployed to Marxloh more than 600 times with four or more patrol cars. This summer, the neighborhood descended even deeper into a spiral of violence. Family clans claim streets for themselves. Citizens hardly dare to go outside at night. In the smallest matter, violence is kindled."
"Further data collection is not legally permissible. Both internally and externally, any classification that could be used to depreciate human beings must be avoided. In this respect, the use of the term 'family clan' is forbidden from the police point of view."
Police guard the scene of a shooting murder in Essen, Germany, on April 9, 2016. The murder was part of a bloody feud within a Lebanese clan. (Image source: WDR video screenshot)
"Every police commissioner and interior minister will deny it. But of course we know where we can go with the police car and where, even initially, only with the personnel carrier. The reason is that our colleagues can no longer feel safe there in twos, and have to fear becoming the victim of a crime themselves. We know that these areas exist. Even worse: in these areas, crimes no longer result in charges. They are left to themselves. Only in the worst cases do we in the police learn anything about it. The power of the state is completely out of the picture."
Mass, unvetted immigration from Africa, Asia and the Middle East is turning parts of Germany into no-go zones lawless areas where the state has effectively lost control and where native Germans, including the police, increasingly fear to come.German authorities steadfastly deny the existence of such areas, but confidential police reports, testimonies from police on the ground and anecdotal evidence from local citizens all confirm that parts of major German cities have descended into pockets of lawlessness where criminal migrants have usurped control of the streets from German police.Observers say the problems are being exacerbated by the German government, which has relocated hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers and refugees into these areas.The newspaper,, and the newsmagazine,, among others, have identified ( here here and here ) more than 40 "problem areas" () across Germany. These are areas where large concentrations of migrants, high levels of unemployment and chronic welfare dependency, combined with urban decay, have become incubators for anarchy.In an article entitled "Ghetto Report Germany,"describes these areas as "burgeoning ghettos, parallel societies and no-go areas." They include : Berlin-Neukolln, Bremerhaven-Lehe/Bremen-Huchting, Cologne-Chorweiler, Dortmund-Nordstadt, Duisburg-Marxloh, Essen-Altenessen, Hamburg-Eidelstedt, Kaiserslautern-Asternweg, Mannheim-Neckarstadt West and Pforzheim-Oststadt.The problem of no-go zones is especially acute in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany's most populous state. According to the, NRW problem areas include In Duisburg, spiraling levels of violent crime perpetrated by migrants from the Middle East and the Balkans have turned parts of the city into de facto "no-go zones" for police, according to a confidential police report that was leaked toThe report, produced by NRW police headquarters, warns that the government is losing control over problem neighborhoods and that the ability of police to maintain public order "cannot be guaranteed over the long term."Duisburg, which has a total population of around 500,000, is home to an estimated 60,000 mostly Turkish Muslims, making it one of the most Islamized cities in Germany. In recent years, however, thousands of Bulgarians and Romanians (including Sinti and Roma "gypsies") have flocked to Duisburg, creating a volatile ethno-religious cauldron.According toDuisburg's Marxloh district, one of the most problematic in Germany, has been described as "a memorial to Germany's failed integration policy." More than half of the district's 20,000 inhabitants are migrants. They come from than 90 different countries. More than half the residents in Marxloh live on welfare.In a story entitled, "Duisburg-Marxloh: How a German Neighborhood Became a No-Go Zone," N24 Television described the decline of the area:A leaked police report revealed that Marxloh's streets are effectively controlled by Lebanese clans which do not recognize the authority of German police. They have taken over entire streets to carry out illegal business activity. New migrants from Bulgaria and Romania are adding to the problems. According to, Marxloh's streets serve as invisible boundaries between ethnic groups. Residents speak of "the Kurdish road" or "the Romanian road."Police say they are alarmed by the brutality and aggression of the clans, who are said to view crime as leisure activity. If police dare to intervene, hundreds of clan members are mobilized to confront the police. A local woman interviewed by Deutschlandfunk radio said she was afraid for her safety: "After dark I would not stand here because there are a lot of conflicts between foreigners, especially between Lebanese and Turks."Therecently published a photo series entitled, "On the streets of Marxloh by night." A photo caption reads: "Normal citizens cannot be seen on the streets at night. Marxloh seems to have died out." Another caption: "At night, Romanian residents dance on the streets, the sound system in the car supplies loud music."A 17-page report prepared for the NRW State Parliament revealed how Lebanese clans in Duisburg divide up certain neighborhoods in order to pursue their criminal activities, such as robbery, drug dealing and extortion. These groups do not recognize the authority of the police. Their members are males between the ages of 15 and 25 and "nearly 100%" of them are known to police. The prevailing offenses are physical assault, theft and robbery.The report described the situation in Duisburg's Laar district, where two large Lebanese families call the shots. "The streets are actually regarded as a separate territory. Outsiders are physically assaulted, robbed and harassed. Experience shows that the Lebanese clans "can mobilize several hundred people in a very short period of time by means of a telephone call."Peter Biesenbach of the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) said : "If this is not a no-go area, then I do not know what is." He has called for an official study to determine the true scope of the criminal clans in NRW.NRW Interior Minister Ralf Jager of the Social Democrats (SPD) rejected that request because such a study would be politically incorrect:In nearby Gelsenkirchen, Kurdish and Lebanese clans are vying for control of city streets, some of which have become lawless zones that are increasingly off limits to German authorities. In one incident, police were patrolling an area in the southern part of the city when they were suddenly surrounded and physically assaulted by more than 60 clan members.In another incident, two police officers stopped a driver who ran a red light. The driver got out of the car and ran away. When police caught up with him, they were confronted by more than 50 migrants. A 15-year-old attacked a policeman from behind and began strangling him, rendering him unconscious. Massive amounts of police reinforcements and pepper spray were needed to restore order.In a statement, Gelsenkirchen police warned : "Unfortunately, police officers and other emergency responders have increasingly been subject to hostility, insults and even violent attacks in Gelsenkirchen."Senior members of the Gelsenkirchen police recently held a secret meeting with representatives of three Arab clans in an effort to "cultivate social peace between Germans and Lebanese." According to a police report about the meeting that was leaked to the local media, the clans informed Police Chief Ralf Feldmann that "the police cannot win a war with the Lebanese because we outnumber them." The clan members added: "This applies to all of Gelsenkirchen, if we so choose."When Feldman countered that he would dispatch police reinforcements to disrupt their illegal activities, the clan members laughed in his face and said that "the government does not have enough money to deploy the numbers of police necessary to confront the Lebanese." According to the police report, German authorities should not harbor any illusions about the actual balance of power: "The police would be defeated."Local politician Gregor Golland has called for the police to be better equipped to contend with this development: "As criminal parallel societies gain the upper hand, our police need to be better equipped on a permanent basis."Another leaked police report revealed that the clans are the "executive body of an existing parallel legal system to self-adjudicate matters between large Kurdish and Lebanese families in the western Ruhr area." These clans "despise the police and German courts" and "settle their matters on their own terms."The, in an article entitled, "Neighborhoods in NRW: No-Go Areas and Parallel Societies," reports that Kurdish, Lebanese and Romanian clans have divided up the Gelsenkirchen districts of Bismarck, Rotthausen and Uckendorf, and around the central station. In these areas, the clans "claim individual streets for themselves." These are municipalities with a very high proportion of foreigners and migrants. Because of the exorbitant youth unemployment, these areas are pits of hopelessness and dread which the native German population has long since abandoned.In an interview with, Arnold Plickert, the head of the police union in North Rhine-Westphalia, warned of the emergence of no-go zones in Cologne, Dortmund, Duisburg and Essen. "Several rival rocker groups as well as Lebanese, Turkish, Romanian and Bulgarian clans are fighting for supremacy of the streets," he said. "They make their own rules; here the police have nothing more to say."Speaking to Deutschlandradio Kultur, Plickert added : "Even with the smallest traffic accidents or ID checks, police are quickly surrounded by large groups of young men with a migration background. Bodily contact, insults and physical assaults are commonplace."On October 6, more than 400 residents of the Altenessen district in Essen met local politicians in a televised "town hall meeting" to discuss spiraling violence and crime in the area. Residents complained that police often refuse to respond to calls for help and begged city officials to restore order. One resident said: "I was born here and I do not feel safe anymore."City officials flatly rejected the complaints. Mayor Thomas Kufen said : "Altenessen is not a no-go area, the people here are just angry." Police Chief Frank Richter added : "I am sick and tired of hearing about no-go zones in Essen." He insisted that Essen und Altenessen are perfectly safe.In an interview with, Osnabruck Police Commissioner Bernhard Witthaut was asked: "Are there urban areas for example in the Ruhr districts and housing blocks that are 'no-go areas,' meaning that they can no longer be secured by the police?" He replied:
PRINCE FREDERICK, Md.
Keith Byrnes, 29, of Rose Haven.
Robert Demarr, 31, of Lusby.
Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at so.md/expungeme.
(Nov. 7, 2016)The Calvert County Sheriff's Office today released the following incident and arrest reports.WEEKLY SUMMARY: During the week of November 1 through November 6, deputies responded to 1,243 calls for service throughout the community.CDS VIOLATION CASE #16-62687: On November 2, at approximately 2:30pm, Deputy B. Pounsberry conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Erie Ave/3rd Street in North Beach on a vehicle he observed failing to stop at the stop sign. When approaching the driver,, he witnessed Mr. Byrnes shaking significantly. He located a syringe inside of his right pants pocket and located a cotton ball inside of the syringe cap with heroin liquid. He was placed under arrest for CDS: Possession of Heroin and Paraphernalia Possession (syringe). He also received the appropriate traffic citation.CDS VIOLATION CASE #16-62665: On November 2, at approximately 1:00pm, Deputy S. Moran activated his emergency equipment on Lusby Lane in an attempt to perform a traffic stop on a vehicle he witnessed drive through a posted stop sign. The vehicle continued driving and pulled over onto Rousby Hall Road. Upon making contact with the driver,, he was found to be in possession of a prescription bottle containing several different pills with no proof of a prescription. He was arrested and charged with two counts of CDS: Possession-Not Marijuana (Percocet and Oxycontin).DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY CASE #16-62826: On November 3, at approximately 8:20am, Deputy V. O'Donnell was dispatched to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science building located on Charles Street/Farren Avenue in Solomons. An employee of the university wanted to report damage they observed to the Solomon's Island Bugeye Memorial, which is adjacent to their building. There were multiple tire marks around and directly across the Memorial. It appeared as if a vehicle had been traveling at a high rate of speed, intentionally doing donuts, in order to cause the large black skid marks. The case is still being investigated.THEFT CASE #16-62739: On November 2, Deputy N. Barger responded to Summer City Boulevard in Chesapeake Beach for the report of a theft. He made contact with the complainant who stated both of his Maryland registration plates were stolen from his vehicle. The last time the victim could recall seeing the tags on his vehicle was in August.THEFT CASE #16-62636: On November 2, Deputy R. Spalding was dispatched to Valley Lee Court in Prince Frederick for the report of a theft. The victim explained they had left their T-Mobile ZTE cell phone on the floor of their unlocked vehicle and it is now missing. The vehicle was parked in their driveway and the phone had been left in the vehicle at 4:00pm on November 1st. He discovered the phone missing around 5:00am on November 2nd.THEFT CASE #16-62442: On November 1 Deputy D. Clark responded to Hallowing Point Road in Prince Frederick and made contact with a SMECO employee who wanted to report a theft. He advised while inspecting SMECO's electrical meter box, he observed the lock was broken and copper wire jumpers had been installed in order to bypass the meter. The electricity had been disconnected back on May 24th; however, the residence was still drawing electricity. This case is suspended pending additional information from SMECO and further investigation.
(CNN) I didn't want to write this. I avoided making a decision as long as I could. I schlepped my absentee ballot all over the country for almost four weeks. I would periodically take it out of the envelope, look at it, shake my head in disgust, and put it back in my suitcase.
I had decided to write-in my mother as a symbolic protest vote against the Democratic and Republican nominees. I didn't want to vote for either of them.
I had hoped that a week before the election, Trump would be losing Florida by a large enough margin that my vote wouldn't matter. But darn it, my home state is too close to call. Florida could be the decisive state (again) as to who ultimately becomes the next president of the United States. I thought back to the 2000 election, which was decided by 537 votes in Florida. I thought about how I would feel if the same thing happened in 2016. I thought and I thought and I thought....
Then I cast my vote for Hillary Clinton. Let me rephrase that. I cast my vote against Donald Trump. I did it without joy or enthusiasm. I did it out of civic duty and love for our country.
I voted against Donald Trump because I am an immigrant. Trump has spent this campaign focusing on the very bad things done by a very small group of very bad immigrants. He has portrayed immigrants as criminals, rapists, and murderers. He does not talk about the contributions immigrants have made to America. He does not talk about immigrants who have made this a better and stronger country. He does not talk about the thousands and thousands of immigrant names that fill the Vietnam Wall in Washington or that are carved on so many headstones in every US military cemetery around the world.
I voted against Donald Trump because I am Hispanic. On June 16, 2015, the first day of his campaign, Trump called Mexicans "rapists." I was not born in Mexico. I am not of Mexican descent. But I knew he was also talking about me.
I voted against Donald Trump for every American who looks and sounds like me. Because we love this country. We are proud of this country. We stand as equals in the United States of America.
I voted against Donald Trump because of 8-year-old Alessia. She is my best friend's daughter. Alessia was born in Miami. Both her U.S.-citizen parents were born in Venezuela. Alessia can't sleep at night. She is afraid that if Trump becomes president, her parents will be forced to leave our country.
I voted against Donald Trump because of Judge Gonzalo Curiel. He was born in the United States to poor Mexican immigrant parents. Judge Curiel is the federal judge assigned to the Trump University case. Trump dismissively called Judge Curiel "Mexican" and attacked his ability to perform his job impartially because of his descent. Attacking another American's qualifications solely based on his ethnic background is bigotry. Plain and simple.
In the midst of the Judge Curiel controversy, I rode a taxicab in D.C. The driver was an African immigrant. He told me he worked 14 hours a day, six days a week, so his three children could one day be professionals. He teared up telling me he feared that if Trump became president, his children's ability to be professionals would be questioned because their father happened to have been born in Ethiopia. I voted against Trump for that man and his three children.
I voted against Donald Trump because of Senator John McCain. I consider him a national hero. Like generations of McCains before and after him, John McCain wore our nation's uniform. He enlisted at the age of 17. He was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He spent five years in captivity being savagely tortured. Trump doesn't consider him a hero. Trump likes people "who weren't captured." Yes, the same Trump who avoided the draft at least four times because of a foot spur. He doesn't remember on which foot.
I voted against Donald Trump because of Serge Kovaleski. That's the name of the reporter with a disability who Trump mimicked and mocked. And I voted against Trump because of Daniel Navarro, my severely disabled brother. My entire life, I have been pained and angered seeing young kids stare at him and mimic his disability. I had never seen a grown man mimic a disabled person. Trump did so in front of thousands of people at one of his rallies. In front of millions of people watching on TV. Most of us would punish our children for exhibiting such behavior.
I voted against Donald Trump because of all women in my life who have been sexually harassed or assaulted and remained silent, bearing the embarrassment, even shame, for years. I heard Trump on tape boast and laugh about being a celebrity and getting away with grabbing women and not being able to contain himself from kissing women. He explained it away as "locker room" talk. Trump was not a teen-age athlete when he said those words. He was a 59-year-old businessman. Sexual assault is no laughing matter. It is a crime.
I voted against Donald Trump because of Megyn Kelly, and Rosie O'Donnell and Alicia Machado and Carly Fiorina and Heidi Cruz and so many other women Trump has called, "bimbo" or "fat," or "ugly" or objectified and demeaned.
I voted against Trump because of Mr. and Mrs. Khan, the parents of Capt. Humayun Khan, who lost his life in Iraq in 2004. I voted against Trump because of my friends, Retired General John Kelly and Karen Kelly, who lost their son, 1st Lieutenant Robert M. Kelly in 2010 in Afghanistan. I voted against Donald Trump for all the Gold Star families who have endured the unbearable and incurable pain of losing a child, a spouse, a parent, a sibling fighting for our country. Trump somehow managed to compare the sacrifice of losing a son to the "sacrifice" of erecting a building. I have no words.
I voted against Donald Trump because of Nykea Aldridge. She was Dwyane Wade's cousin. She was shot in the head and killed while pushing her baby's stroller down a Chicago street. Donald Trump sent out a tweet about her death for his political gain. "African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!," it ended. No, Donald. Actually, every single poll shows they won't.
I voted against Donald Trump because our system is not "rigged." I live in South Florida, a community filled with political exiles from places like Cuba and Venezuela and Nicaragua, countries with corrupt, totalitarian, repressive governments. Our system is not perfect. But for 240 years, our democracy has respected the will of the people and allowed for peaceful succession. To question its legitimacy is irresponsible, reckless and un-American.
I voted against Donald Trump because I believe in freedom of expression and freedom of the press. I voted against Donald Trump because of Wolf Blitzer. Some of his relatives were killed in the Holocaust. Wolf's parents survived and fled to America. Trump has fostered an atmosphere at his political rallies where his followers angrily shout, "Jew-S-A!" and hurl insults and anti-Semitic slurs at members of the media.
I voted against Donald Trump because I am a deeply flawed person of faith. If I went into a confession booth right now, I'd be in there for hours. I believe in the redemptive need to admit mistakes, express regret and ask for forgiveness. I have done it too many times to count. The thought of a powerful leader who lacks the basic humility to admit error and ask for forgiveness -- not even from the God he professes to believe in -- astounds me.
I voted against Donald Trump because I am a Republican. I accept that Trump duly won the Republican nomination. But I do not accept that he represents Republican values -- not the ones I grew-up respecting.
I have been a Republican since before I could vote. My family fled communism. Ronald Reagan fought communism. That sealed the deal for me. I have been an active partisan my entire adult life. This is the first time I vote against the Republican nominee for President.
I did not want to vote for Hilary Clinton. Unlike Senator Bernie Sanders, I do care about her "damn emails." I am disturbed by the blurry lines and for-profit overlap between Clinton's philanthropic, business and political worlds.
Most of us suspected Hillary Clinton was going to run for President again in 2016. She and Bill Clinton knew it too. They knew they would be under scrutiny. If for no other reason, they could have and should have behaved differently.
No, she shouldn't have set up a private server, which could have compromised national security. No, she shouldn't have given paid speeches to Wall Street. No, her closest aide, Huma Abedin, should not have had an ethically questionable arrangement that allowed her to simultaneously work for four different Clinton-related entities, including the Department of State. No, the Clinton Foundation should not have accepted donations from countries which abuse human rights and discriminate against gays and women.
In every single one of those instances, Hillary Clinton and her closest advisers, including Bill, exercised bad judgment.
Like so many other Americans, I am left deciding which of these two candidates is the lesser of two evils, which one is capable of inflicting less damage on our country, our social fabric. The personal decision for me boiled down to choosing between a person who I consider to have very bad character and a person who has exercised bad judgment.
Our founding fathers set up a government of checks and balances. We can and have survived presidents with bad judgment. But I fear the effects on America of a president with bad character.
I worry that Trump brings out the worst in America. Division. Hostility. Racism. Bigotry. Misogyny. Things we used to hide. Feelings we used to try to overcome. Under the guise of not cowing to political correctness, some people are no longer embarrassed or ashamed to show the warts on their souls.
Some tell me, in 2016 we should no longer expect the president of the United States to be a role model. I refuse to accept that.
The president of the United States has to lift us all in moments of national grief. The president of the United States has to hug the children and spouses of fallen soldiers. That person represents us all. That person is recognized as the face and the voice for America in front of the rest of the world, and more importantly, by our children. A person supported by the Klu Klux Klan and its former Grand Wizard David Duke can never represent me. He can never be a role model for me.
We each have a right and a duty to make a personal choice based on those things that are most important to us, that we value most. My conscience compels me to do every little thing I can to make sure a bad person is not our next president. In America, we don't choose our leaders through violence or armed insurrections.
One vote is our right. One vote is our weapon. I am exercising mine against Donald Trump.
Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.
Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.
If youve visited Montreal sometime in your lifetime, you may have had the chance to visit a Java U cafe. Since its first location opened at the Concordia University in 1996, Java U has expanded to nearly 18 locations across the province of Quebec and more recently expanded their franchise to the Middle East with another 10 locations. But with all this growth, they had yet to expand any further into Canada. The company decided to set its eyes on somewhere a bit closer to home for the next moveToronto, Ontario.
While the Toronto cafe had been years in the making, this time around the Java U team decided to present it as a concept cafe, a partnership with milk brand Natrel, for what Brian Cytrynbaum, President of Java U, describes corporately as a permanent addition but commercially viable option of the chain. The Natrel Milk Bar is the second of the duos joint concept cafes to launch in Canada, this time popping up in the trendy West Queen West neighborhood (in a former Starbucks space), which Cytrynbaum believes fits the personality and aesthetic of the new concept cafe and clientele.
The space itself is unlike any other in Toronto, with a playful and wholly milk-inspired theme. Designed by Montreal branding and design firm, lg2 Boutique, the space offers tons of seating with booths shaped like giant milk cartons with individual in-booth lighting and plugs (for computers). Throughout the cafe, large artistic milk dollops hang from the ceiling, doubling as light fixtures.
Aesthetics aside, the concept is novel: bring in the coffee drinkers and have them drink more milk in the process. Jean-Francois Couture, Vice-President of Marketing with Natrel, explains that the collaborative approach has been a popular trend for brands, and something they are hoping will be a new concept in coffee. Behind the bar, baristas operate the three-group Magister Stilo Lusso ES100 L and have multiple Compak E6 grinders set up for Java Us Java Blend and Breakfast Blend. Java U has been working alongside Montreals Bruleries FARO for more than 10 years to roast, create, and customize the blends they serve in-house.
From there, customers have the ability to choose from eight different Natrel milk products (fine-filtered 2% and 0%; lactose-free 3.25, 2%, and 0%; maple milk; organic 2%; and lactose-free cream 10%) to use in their coffees, via a self-serve station or via a personalized drink using the dairy products. Couture says, We are convinced that people will be more and more interested [in] the type of milk used to prepare their coffees, just like they already want to know more about coffee beans. One of the specialty drinks on the menu is the Toronto Latte, using blueberry syrup and Natrels maple milk. Throughout the year, they will continue to offer a more seasonal menu featuring the dairy products.
While the Milk Bar concept is still new for them, both Cytrynbaum and Couture explain that it is something they are hoping will catch on and grow over time as they take the concept furtherin Canada and beyondin the years to come.
Amanda Scriver (@amascriver) is a freelance journalist based in Toronto. Read more Amanda Scriver on Sprudge.
Photos courtesy of Max Kopanygin.
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San Salvador, November 6, 2016 (SPS) New ambassador Sueliman Tayeb Ahmed Salem presented to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, Hugo Martinez, a copy of his credentials in his capacity as an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Arab Saharawi Republic Democratic (SADR) to the Republic of El Salvador with residence in Nicaragua.
During the ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of El Salvador, Hugo Martinez reiterated the willingness of his country to strengthen diplomatic relations with the SADR.
During his visit, the Saharawi Ambassador took part, at the Legislative Palace, in the ceremony of establishment of Saharawi-Salvadoran parliamentary friendship group composed of members representing different political parties. (SPS)
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Zaragoza (Spain), November 6, 2016 (SPS) The 6th meeting of the representatives of the Polisario Front in Spain was opened Saturday in Aragon, in cooperation with Spanish associations of friendship and solidarity with the Saharawi people in the region.
The opening ceremony was overseen by the Minister of Cooperation, Boulahi Sid, in the presence of the representative of the Polisario Front in Spain, Khira Boulahi, President of the Spanish associations of solidarity with the Saharawi people, Pepe Taboada, and President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saharawi Parliament.
The program of the meeting focused on training, exchange of experiences, the development of action strategies to promote and improve the areas of cooperation with partners.
The meeting will last for three days of workshops by experts and professors of international and human law, dimensions of the political and humanitarian solidarity and the importance of social networks to answer the false claims of the Moroccan occupier, and assessment of holidays in peace program for 2016/2017 school year. (SPS)
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Raising Richard ($8.40, Rheo Filion) and Kyles Secret ($10.80, Guy Gagnon) shared top billing on Sunday night (November 6) at Rideau Carleton Raceway with victories in the co-featured Winners Over Handicap events.
Raising Richard, the 3-1 second choice in $6,650 top trotting class, moved second-over from fourth approaching the third quarter mark and rallied home in :29.4 to score the victory in 1:58 for Filion and trainer Ed McHale. What A Rush closed inside and edged out race leader Maximus Deo (:27.3, :57.3, 1:27) for second-place, finishing just a half-length behind the winner. Unabating joined the fray outside in the four-across finish.
The four-year-old Deweycheatumnhowe gelding earned his 14th win of the year for owners John MacMillan and 2099551 Ontario Inc. Amidst the winner's circle celebrations, Rideau Carleton honoured Filion for earning his 2,500th career driving victory in the race.
Handicapped outside her seven male rivals in the $6,800 pacing co-feature, Kyles Secret trailed early on before rallying widest of all in a :28.1 final quarter to win by one and a quarter lengths in 1:54.1 for the driving and training duo of Guy Gagnon and Gerard Demers. Solid Performance came in second over Bali and Meersburg. Favourite Highland Tartan finished fifth after forging three-wide past the :27 first quarter mark and leading through middle panels of :55.2 and 1:24.3.
The five-year-old daughter of Secrets Nephew is now a 13-time winner this year for owner La Ferme Tag Inc.
Meanwhile, Jamie Copley enjoyed a training triple on the Sunday night harness racing card, scoring wins with Olivias Way ($3.30, Louis-Philippe Roy), Skyway Boomer ($4.20, Guy Gagnon), and Adamncam ($28.70, Richard Simard).
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Rideau Carleton Raceway.
Amateur racing seems to be getting more prominent with each passing season. Not only do an overwhelming amount of members own horses and employ professional trainers, but, as a group, they support various charitable and worthwhile organizations.
Each and every season the North American Amateur Drivers Association donates to worthwhile charities. And this year was no exception. The amateur drivers organization recently donated $5,000 to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
According to Joe Faraldo, president of the North American Amateur Drivers Association, members of his organization over the years have donated over $85,000 to needy causes.
The money, he says, is raised from membership dues, starting fees and drivers' percentages and is used for many worthwhile projects, including donating to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Special Strides in NJ and the Sullivan County Veterans Food Bank, to name just a few.
Also deserving credit for contributing to these worthwhile efforts is Yonkers Raceway General Manager Bob Galterio, who serves as an official of the Westchester branch of the JDRF, along with Yonkers Raceway Simulcasting Director Rosa Ferriera and Yonkers Raceway Mutuel Manager, Ursala McEntyre. Both ladies work to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, either by walking, running, or just plain old asking for donations for much needed research.
Faraldo and NAADA Vice President Alan Schwartz are the focal points for directing these funds. Later this week, NAADA, along with the Catskill Amateur Drivers Club, will donate $2,000 to the Sullivan County Veterans Food Bank after a race at Monticello Raceway comprised of U.S. veterans who are also amateur reinsmen.
(NAADA)
The first day of the Standardbred Horse Sales Company's Select Yearling Sale is in the books with Muscle Hill yearlings leading the way in a strong first session.
Gross sales for the first of three yearling sessions topped $13 million with 170 selling for a combined $13.375 million.
The sale featured 18 yearlings by Muscle Hill. His progeny averaged in excess of $168,000 in the sales ring and the sire boasted the four highest priced yearlings from the Monday session.
Less than an hour into the first session, the eventual sale topper surpassed the $400,000 price tag. Story Time Hanover sold as Hip 21 and fetched a final bid of $410,000. Jimmy Takter, acting as agent, collared the son of Muscle Hill - Shared Past. The colt is the first foal of Hanover Shoe Farms' broodmare Shared Past, a multiple stakes-winning daughter of Chocolatier and a three-quarter sister to millionaire Dejarmbro. The family also includes stakes-winners Armbro Vanquish and Manofmanymissions. Takter trained Armbro Vanquish.
Jimmy loved Armbro Vanquish, said Perry Soderberg, who handled the bidding on Story Time Hanover. (Story Time Hanover) was the right size. He was the right type of Muscle Hill and has a great pedigree. He was probably the most complete horse in the sale among the trotting colts; conformation, the way he moved in the paddock, and the pedigree. He had a little bit of everything for sure.
There are just a few of these type horses in the sale and this is the one we thought was the best.
Hip 32, Hey Jock (Muscle Hill - Sugar Wheeler) sold for $400,000. The Concord Stud-consigned colt was purchased by Serge Godin's Determination stable of Quebec. Hey Jock is the second foal of Sugar Wheeler, a former star in the Ontario Sires Stakes program with solid pedigree. Her half-brother is Dan Patch and O'Brien Award winner Wheeling N Dealin, who was owned throughout his racing career by Godin.
Hip 32 Hey Jock sells to Quebec's Determination for $400,000 (SHSC) Hip 32 Hey Jock sells to Quebec's Determination for $400,000 (SHSC)
He is a very nice horse, thats why we would buy him, said Luc Blais, who will train the colt for Godin. For sure he liked that pedigree. Yeah, its pressure (to buy a horse for that price) but I like challenges. Thats a good challenge.
You Know You Do sold as Hip 57 and the hammer fell at $350,000 for the son of Muscle Hill - You Want Me. Consigned by Peninsula Farm, You Know You Do was purchased by Perry Soderberg, acting as agent. You Know You Do is the first foal of You Want Me, who was the champion two-year-old in the NYSS program in 2012.
Hes got the size and the power, Soderberg said about You Know You Do, who will be trained by Takter for a to-be-determined ownership group. I saw him at (consignor) Peninsula Farm and he really had that punch that Im looking for in the paddock.
The two top trotting colts in my opinion were (Story Time Hanover) and this one. Were very happy.
Rounding out the top four on the yearling leaderboard was Drum Hanover. The son of Muscle Hill - Dornello was collared by Ake Svanstedt for $270,000. This is the first mating to Muscle Hill for Dornello, herself a multiple OSS winner and the dam of talented trotter Lauderdale.
On the pacing side, the highest priced yearling featured very familiar bloodlines as Dramatic Point sold for $260,000 to Toronto's Scott Horner. The son of Somebeachsomewhere - Heathers Western, consigned by Fair Winds Farm, is a half-brother to recently retired world champion and 2016 Little Brown Jug winner Betting Line.
He looks like a really nice horse, Horner said. And the pedigree, its not only Betting Line. To be frank, the chance of getting another Betting Line are slim and none. Thats not why we bought him. We bought him to buy a nice horse. And we liked the back pedigree on (Somebeachsomewhere).
Owner Jeffrey Snyder came away with two of the Top 10 sellers on Monday, Muscle Hill-sired colt Abs Hanover for $245,000 and Somebeachsomewhere-sired colt Thomas B Hanover for $230,000.
Abs Hanover is out of the mare Are You Ready and the family includes stakes-winner Blenheim, Hambletonian Oaks winner Personal Style and Dan Patch Award winner Almost An Angel.
Thomas B Hanover is out of the mare Trim Hanover and is a half-brother to Dan Patch Award winner American Jewel and stakes-winners Luck Be Withyou and Source Of Pride. Snyder co-owns full-sister Tori Hanover, who last month won a Breeders Crown elimination.
I loved the pedigree, Snyder said about Thomas B Hanover. I thought he was the best Somebeachsomewhere in the sale. (Trim Hanover) has already produced two million-dollar winners. Whats not to like? Hes by the hottest sire in harness racing.
A total of 10 Ontario-eligible horses sold on the first day. Those ten horses sold for $588,000 resulting in a $58,800 yearling average.
Canadian owners were active on the first day, with 29 yearlings being signed for by owners based in Nova Scotia, Ontario or Quebec.
In comparison to 2015, the numbers show a dip in gross sales but that can be explained by the number of total yearlings sold. The 2015 sale grossed $14.39 million on the first day with 258 yearlings sold. The 2016 sale reached $13.37 million with 88 less horses. The average jumped from $55,781 in the first session last year to $78,676 for the first session in 2016 -- a 41 per cent increase.
We wanted to create momentum the first day, said Standardbred Horse Sales Company Chairman Russell Williams. You always arrange your yearlings to best advantage, but by having a little bit less today we hoped to have more sizzle and momentum going forward.
A total of 40 yearlings sold for at least $100,000, an increase of 48 per cent compared to last year despite less horses in the opening session. Williams said he could not remember the sale ever having a better day in terms of average sale.
It was a great day, Williams said. Hip No. 1 (Cantab Hall-sired filly Pulse Hanover) started at $150,000 and it just went on from there.
The auctioneers shouldnt get paid for today because they hardly had to work, he joked.
Williams said the sales company was optimistic for a strong sale following the success of sales elsewhere, including a record-setting Lexington Selected Yearling Sale in October.
We were fairly confident, Williams said. It turned out better than we hoped. The confidence came from the quality of the catalogue and from the strong sales that everyone else has been having. They always go together.
Last years opening day in Harrisburg was hampered by a Pennsylvania budget impasse that threatened to halt racing in the state. The sales first day saw an 8.49 per cent drop in average sale compared to 2014.
Not having the governor threatening to end racing in Pennsylvania gave us a big advantage this year, Williams said. We appreciated that. Were grateful to be overlooked this time.
The Select Yearling Sale in Harrisburg will continues Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by the Mixed Sale on Thursday and Friday. Monday's session kicks off at 12:00 p.m. with the remaining sessions all starting at 10:00 a.m.
The yearling portion features a total of 899 yearlings - 478 by Pennsylvania sires, 269 by New York sires, 126 by Ontario sires, 19 by Ohio sires, 4 by New Jersey sires, and 3 by Indiana sires. Yearlings by first year sires including A Rocknroll Dance (25), So Surreal (11), Betterthancheddar (10), Possess The Will (3), Wishing Stone (3), and Pet Rock (2) will be presented.
The Mixed Sale has a total of 768 entries, including 197 broodmares and broodmare prospects, 24 weanlings, 32 yearlings, 58 stallion shares, and 457 racehorses. The Mixed Sale features top quality dispersals from Peninsula Farm selling broodmares from William Weaver Estate, Concord Stud Farm selling Katz/Libfeld broodmare reduction, and Concord Stud Farm selling stallion shares from William Weaver Estate; Little Miss Dragon p,3, 1:50.2 ($767,634), dam of Delightful Dragon p,5, 1:50 ($475,411) and in foal to Roll With Joe; Symphony In Motion p,6, 1:49 ($1,065,949), dam of Normandy Beach p,2, 1:52.1f-16 ($160,000) and in foal to Sweet Lou; Venus Delight p,5, 1:49.4 ($1.1 million); Charmed Life 4, 1:52.2 ($1.1 million); Bettor Be Steppin p,3, 1:50f ($793,210).
Pedigrees and yearling videos are available online on theblackbook.com. The roster may be searched by trotters and pacers, colts and fillies, as well as by consignors, sires, and state of eligibility.
Important Links:
(with files from HRC)
Pat Steele from Sunrise Prayer Relay in Australia said; "We invite churches, ministries, connect groups and individuals to join with us all over the world at Sunrise on Tuesday November 8th 2016 at a public location like a landmark or lookout in your city or town to pray with America for America.
We are asking praying people all over the world and in the USA to promote this call to prayer by creating a short 15 second video and sharing on a social media site to say "I am Praying with America for America at Sunrise on Tuesday 8th November 2016". We also ask you to invite others to join you in prayer at your location and use the Sunrise Prayer Relay Prayer Declaration which is available on the Sunrise Prayer Relay website.
Warwick Marsh from the National Day of Prayer and Fasting in Australia said, "We are praying for the Nation of America and the American Presidential Election and leaders present and future both in the government and in the church. We are praying for the church in America to rise up and we are praying for the youth of America who are the next generation of leaders in America.
Our principal prayer is for Revival and Transformation in America and a release and Proclamation of the Gospel in America. Finally, also we want to encourage American Christians to demonstrate and celebrate your right to vote. Voting is a privilege not a chore and every person of faith should cast a vote prayerfully. We encourage the Christian voters of America that whatever the outcome of this election Jesus is Lord and our role as His followers remains the same.
CANBERRA, Australia, Nov. 7, 2016 / Standard Newswire / -- Christians in America have been praying and fasting leading up to the American Election and Australia Christians want to show our support and let our American Brothers and Sisters in Christ know that we are praying with them for their nation. That is why Australian Christians are Calling for Prayer from all over the world and from America for the American elections at a Sunrise Prayer Relay at sunrise on Tuesday 8th November 2016.
The essential component of totalitarian propaganda is artifice (het toepassen van kunstgrepen. svh) . The ruling elites, like celebritie...
Monday, November 7, 2016
Arizona State Law School (ranked #25 in U.S. News) welcomed 230 1Ls this Fall, up 7% from 2015 (215) and up 80% from 2013 (128). Despite the large increase in its 1L class size, Arizona State has been able to largely maintain its LSAT medians (161, same as in 2015 and 2010, down only 2 from its 163 peak in 2012) and GPA medians (3.64, up from 2015 (3.63) and 2010 (3.57), down only .01 from its 3.65 peak in 2012). Arizona State admitted a huge number (66) of transfer students this Fall, in line with the past three years when it ranked either first (2015 (65, 47 from Arizona Summit) and 2014 (66, 44 from Arizona Summit)) or second (2013 (73)) in the country as a percentage of its previous first year class (2015: 45.5%; 2014: 51.6%; 2013: 48%)). One wonders about the impact of such large numbers of transfer students on bar passage rates: although Arizona State graduates have led the state the past two years, its pass rate has declined from 92.0% in 2013 to 76.8% in 2016.
Here are Arizona State's admission data for the prior six years from Law School Transparency:
Previous TaxProf Blog posts on Fall 2016 entering classes:
https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2016/11/arizona-state-welcomes-230-1ls-up-7-from-2015-80-from-2013-while-maintaining-lsats-gpas.html
Play at the new site will be free and first come, first served through the year's end.
THE SIPT corruption trial turned its attention to the 2006 development agreement between Beaches TCI and the Michael Misick-led government on Thursday (November 3).
That agreement has long since been a contentious issue in the country with many believing that the country was not getting the value it ought to.
This view is shared by the former Governor Richard Tauwhare, who is currently testifying on behalf of the prosecution in the case against former Premier Michael Misick, former ministers of his government and other persons.
Tauwhares testimony in the court on Thursday touched on the generous concessions that were granted to Beaches in 2006; an agreement that sparked years of controversy and one in which a number of people in the country believed that the people of the TCI were sold out.
In the Commission of Inquiry Report, the Beaches agreement was described as another example of political immaturity, systemic corruption, irresponsibility and lack of leadership.
In court, Tauwhare who was the chairman of Cabinet at the time and under whose tenure the agreement was signed - recounted that he had discussed the concerns he had about the agreement with Misick.
He told the court that when he sought to discuss the concessions granted to the hotel conglomerate, he was firmly told that this was the deal they were going to make.
Tauwhare said that Misick was quite keen about the deal going through and did not want any delays.
The former governor told the court that the former premier said that Beaches was the main revenue earner for the TCI, and that the revenue gained from the business outweighed the revenue foregone in the form of concessions granted to the resort.
Tauwhare told the prosecutor that he was not at all confident that the Turks and Caicos Islands was getting the best possible deal.
At this point, Queens Counsel Jerome Lynch, who is defending the McAllister Hanchell (former government minister for natural resources), objected.
Lynch said that the witness is stating an opinion, not facts, with his last statement.
The prosecutor, Andrew Mitchell Q.C. refuted Lynchs objection, stating that everyone who has testified in the trial have given their opinions about their perceptions of things.
The judge was not convinced that Tauwhares statement could be accepted as evidence, but Mitchell strenuously argued that Tauwhares statement is backed up by facts and evidence previously stated.
Judge Paul Harrison was unmoved and remained firm that he would not be considering Tauwhares last statement as evidence.
The former governors testimony continued that the government at the time was being too generous with concessions and that he had discussed with them that the country should get best possible deal.
He said that he discussed this with the premier and the minister of finance.
He recounted that they told him that they were the ones who agreed to the concessions and that they did not want to risk losing any developments.
Asked if any economic impact assessment report in relation to concessions to Beaches was ever conducted, Tauwhare replied no, he did not see one.
He further testified that he never saw an economic impact assessment report for any development during his tenure.
He also testified that he did not know of any minister of government who had received a financial benefit from Beaches during the negotiation of the development agreement.
Tauwhares entire testimony is based on him being unaware of any illegal goings-on and that of being bullied and run roughshod over by the elected politicians during his three years as governor of the islands.
The former governors evidence-in-chief continues before the Supreme court.
BY OLIVIA ROSE
MINISTER of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), Baroness Joyce Anelay, has committed to removing the position of Chief Financial Officer, by the end of March 2017.
This comes as Premier Rufus Ewing met with Baroness Anelay, FCO`s Minister with responsibility for the Overseas Territories and had the opportunity to discuss a number of important issues at the recentl- held Joint Ministerial Conference (JMC) meeting in London on November 1.
The position of the CFO has been the subject of contention for several months now after Ewing dubbed it a flagrant violation of the Turks and Caicos Islands democracy.
Ewing also recently revealed his plan to introduce a CFO Repeal bill to the House of Assembly to forcefully demonstrate his Government`s will to remove the CFO , however this would not be possible since he recently dissolved the House to usher in the constitutionally due general elections.
According to a release, during his discussion with Baroness Anelay, she told the Premier that it was unfortunate that they were unable to execute the request of the Premier as discussed with her predecessor.
However, she noted that she has already committed to the process of the position of the CFO being removed from the TCI constitution by Order in Council, and also stated that that process should be completed by the end of March 2017.
The Minister said: "A promise was made and that promise would be kept, as I am a woman to my word.
Ewing in September blasted the UK for imposing the position of the CFO on the Turks and Caicos Islands at a UK Overseas Territories Attorneys General four-day symposium held in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
He said: "This Government upon assuming office took the stance as communicated in my letter to the UK Secretary of State in February 2013 that the position of CFO was a violation of the principles of democracy.
"The responses received made it blatantly clear that we would be fighting an uphill battle against the UKs position and this administration made the decision to focus efforts on governing this country and aggressively embarked upon one of the most successful economic recovery strategies seen in modern times.
"We deemed it essential to fortify ourselves to fight another day and relied on the guarantee of the UK Government that the position of CFO would be extinguished upon retirement of the UK Guarantee.
Ewing reminded the conference that his government has since toiled arduously and the people have made tremendous sacrifice to achieve the economic recovery of the country.
"We have retired our debt in February of this year and discussions had commenced with the Overseas Territories Minister and FCO from December last year as we demanded that the U.K. Government uphold its end of the agreement with the people of these islands.
It was agreed in the Government`s discussion with the UK Government that there would be a six month transitional period following the repayment of the bond.
However, this period expired at the end of August of this year and the UK government has failed to honor their end of the bargain to remove the CFO.
Turning his attention to other pertinent matters in the TCI, Ewing impressed upon Minister Anelay, the urgency of the state of affairs as it relates to illegal migration and the threat that it poses to the national security of the Turks and Caicos Islands for which the U.K. holds responsibility.
He advised the Minister that the Turks and Caicos are insisting upon greater support from the U.K.
Government in the area of border security, defense and internal security.
On the heels of the Premier's meeting with Minister Anelay the Premier requested of the Governor, Commissioner of Police, and Immigration Minister to execute a joint approach with regional assistance to combat illegal immigration and crime in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Minister invited the Premier to apply to the newly created U.K. Overseas Territories Complex Stability and Security Fund to address the need presented for greater border security.
Premier Ewing further requested of the Minister, an indication of the progress being made with the amendments to the Crown Land Ordinance previously submitted by TCIG to the FCO.
Baroness Anelay reassured the Premier that the review is progressing well.
It is anticipated that this bill would be one of the first bills that the Premier will bring to the
House of Assembly if his party is victorious in the upcoming General Election.
Premier Ewing described the meeting as fruitful and very encouraging.
The JMC is the highest political forum under the 2012 White Paper, bringing together UK Ministers, elected Leaders and Representatives of the Overseas Territories for the purpose of providing leadership and a shared vision for the Territories.
BY OLIVIA ROSE
FIVE Independent candidates started the ball rolling when they officially registered with the Integrity Commission to run in the December 15 General Elections.
According to the Supervisor of Elections Lister Dudley Lewis, potential Candidates must register their names, party symbols and deposits before nomination day, November 18.
He said: "A nomination package will be provided for all candidates who should read it and satisfy themselves that they meet the nomination requirements.
"These should be submitted together with the required deposit of $500 on nomination day.
Coupled with that, All-Island candidates are expected to lodge their nomination papers with a returning officer in any electoral district.
Lewis said: "They should also bring their Treasury deposit receipt and photo identification.
So far, former Premier Michael Misick who is slated as an at large independent candidate was the first candidate to register with the Integrity Commission.
McAllister Hanchell was next in line to register as an independent for the South Caicos seat.
Jasmin Walkin, Clarence Selver and Damian Wilson were the other three candidates who registered to become official nominees before the nomination day is declared.
The Nomination papers and Treasury receipt for each electoral district have to be lodged with the Returning Officer for the distinct in which they intend to stand for election, according to the Supervisor of Elections.
This must only happen between the hours of 10am until 1pm, and then 2pm until 4pm on November 18, 2016.
The location of the Returning Officer for each district on Nomination Day is listed below:
ED 01 Grand Turk North, Salem Baptiste Church Sunday School Pond Street
ED 02 Grand Turk South and Salt Cay, HJ Robinson High School Auditorium
ED 03 South Caicos, Community Centre
ED 04 Middle and North Caicos, Whitby Community Centre
ED 05 Leeward, Providenciales Harvest Bible Chapel
ED 06 The Bight, Ianthe Pratt Primary School Auditorium/Library
ED 07 Richmond Hill/Cheshire Hall Disaster Management Conference Room
ED 08 Blue Hills, Providenciales Clement Howell High School Auditorium
ED 09 Five Cays Providenciales, Felix Morley Community Centre
ED 10 Wheeland Providenciales, Bethany Baptist Church School
BY DAISY HANDFIELD
MORE than 60 illegal Haitian nationals managed to escape local authorities and enter the Turks and Caicos Islands on a wooden sloop last Sunday.
The illegal immigrants made landfall southwest of Amanyara in Providenciales, where the abandoned sloop was found by Marine Branch officers.
When Police and Immigration arrived on the scene, they were only able to capture two of the illegal immigrants, but the majority disappeared into the nearby bushes.
Meanwhile, during a Police stop-and-search last week, two suspected illegals fled from a Toyota bus and a Toyota Corolla car at the sight of the officers. Drivers of both vehicles were arrested under suspicion of assisting illegal entry.
In a press statement, the Ministry of Border Control reiterated its caution to those who might be inclined to harbor illegal immigrants.
The statement read: "As a result of the new Immigration Ordinance, which came into effect on April 1, penalties for harboring illegal migrants were increased, and such persons now face a fines of up to US $20,000 on summary conviction or imprisonment for four years, or to both. In addition, persons convicted of such offence, face the possibility of having their status in the islands revoked, making them liable to deportation.
Residents took to social media pages to express their fear at the news that the illegal immigrants had escaped the TCI authorities.
One said that the country was now exposed to "more strangers, guns, robberies and murders.
Even the escapees know these Islands are too slack.
The Enforcement agencies are asking that anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of any illegal migrants to contact the Police anonymously on 911, or Crime Stoppers on 1-800-8477. Tips can also be submitted anonymously in English, French or Spanish on either www.crimestoppers.tc or on Facebook as a fan of Crime Stoppers Turks & Caicos. Crime Stoppers tips are received in the USA.
THERE is now a new Director of Public Prosecution, as announced by the Governors Office on Thursday (November 3).
Jillian Williams takes up the position at the end of November, and succeeds controversial former DPP John Masters.
Commenting on the appointment, Governor John Freeman noted that he is pleased someone of Williams calibre and experience has filled the position.
"She will bring to the job an extensive background in criminal law as well as many years experience of practising law in the region which I am sure will be of great benefit to the Office of the DPP and to the wider criminal justice system in TCI, Freeman said.
The statement from the Governor did state that the position was advertised locally and regionally, with six candidates being shortlisted for interview on September 27, by a panel which included the Attorney General, Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles, the Chair of both the TCI Judicial Services Commission and the Integrity Commission, Sir David Simmons and the Director of Human Resources, Mark Greenway.
Willaims is said to be qualified as a lawyer in 1993 and has experience in both private and public practice including in Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas.
No further details were presented as to Williams background or experience, however a simple Internet search unearthed that Williams, who served as a prosecutor in the Bahamas was involved in a matter before the Court of Appeal of that island, along with the DPP Vinettee Graham-Allen.
Graham-Allen was asked by the Court of Appeal to explain her conduct as she was seen as misleading the court when she applied for permission to challenge their decision to overturn the murder conviction of Godfrey Sawyer in April 2011.
Williams was also ordered to appear before the court as she had signed the notice for permission to challenge the decision. The action was deemed baseless and an abuse of process by the court.
Williams takes over the helm as DPP in the Turks and Caicos Islands from John Masters, who left the island under a cloud of suspicion, rancor and while being investigated by the Integrity Commission.
Early in June this year, Masters tendered his resignation to the Governor (Peter Beckingham) and promptly boarded an airplane out of the TCI while he was being investigated for making false allegations against a member of office.
The commission was at the time investigating counter allegations emanating from within the DPP's chambers - from both the Director and staff members.
The situation with the Chambers had gotten to such an untenable state that Crown Prosecutors had threatened to resign due to alleged victimization.
Masters had made counter accusations against the deputy director, which the Commission has since found to be untrue.
Shortly before his resignation, the former DPP had gotten into a public spat with a local newspaper in which he accused them of hacking into the government system to unearth email conversations between him and the Chief Financial Officer, Stephen Turnbull another controversial figure.
The issue had been brewing for a long time before it got to that state, as the DPP had been accused of hiring outside consultants to do work that local attorneys within his office were quite capable of doing.
He had claimed that there were leaks within his department and had lodged a counter complaint with the Commission when staff members complained to the body, accusing Masters of nepotism.
BY OLIVIA ROSE
IN LIGHT of the recent jail-break in Haiti, where 200 inmates from a violent prison escaped, Opposition Leaders are calling on the Government to heighten defense mechanisms.
Leader of the Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA),Oswald Skippings, in a release issued this week, said the recent in-pouring of illegal immigrants over the past few days are likely to be in the hundreds.
He said: "It is obvious that the defense mechanisms that are supposed to be in place to police our borders have failed drastically and our security and safety are virtually nonexistent and consequently we are an exposed and vulnerable people.
Skippings asserted that the Premier should declare a state of emergency.
He called on the Government to make an official appeal through the new Governor to Her Majesty's Government to take immediate action and deploy a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team to the TCI to re-establish internal and external security.
"Government has so far failed to be proactive in its actions and especially considering the level of crime that is now taking place, the amount of illegal immigrants that were already here and the supposed hundreds that have arrived in the past few days, who are most likely from among the recent escapees from the Haiti jail, who are heavily armed and dangerous. We can no longer afford to be complacent and nonchalant in our approach to effectively dealing with this devastating problem.
"We need serious action and we need it fast, because the situation is out of hand and in spite of the escalating crime wave, neither the local Government nor the British government is taking it serious, as they are obviously waiting until there are daily murders, rapes and armed robberies on our streets and in our homes before responding responsibly.
"Already there is an exodus of people from our islands because of justifiable fear, inclusive of Turks and Caicos Islanders.
He noted that this recent event may have serious repercussions on the economy, if it is not aggressively addressed.
"Because there could be a possible decline in tourist visitors to our shores as a result of uncontrollable crime and lawlessness.
Meantime, Leader of the People`s Democratic Movement (PDM) Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson echoed similar sentiments.
The PDM`s leading lady reiterated her party`s call for outside assistance.
On Thursday during the final meeting of the House of Assembly the Leader of the Opposition encouraged residents to be on their guard and to refuse assistance to illegal entrants.
She said: "With all systems at high alert as advised by the Premier and Minister of Border Control, we are advised that a sloop has landed successfully and this has exposed an area of weakness that requires immediate attention.
"Whilst we appreciate that under normal circumstances, we must have stronger ties and arrangements, we believe that this circumstance requires an unusual approach.
"We are therefore calling on the Governor and the Government to address this as a matter of urgency.
"Our people are already uneasy with the current state of increase lawlessness and we need to calm the fears of our residents by assuring added help.
Minister of Border Control, Ricardo Don Hue Gardiner on Monday, October 31, revealed that illegal Haitians are indeed hiding out after their boat made landfall around 12:20 am on Monday.
The Minister also confirmed that two Haitians are in custody on suspicion for aiding a group of some 100 illegal persons.
He reminded that people who harbor illegal migrants will pay a heftier fine of $20,000 and spend four years in prison or both.
THE PROVIDENCIALES Chamber of Commerce recently hosted a welcome cocktail reception for the new Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), Dr. John Freeman.
The reception took place at Kalookis restaurant in Blue Hills, last week Thursday at 6pm.
In attendance were Government officials, small and large business owners and a number of community members.
Kyle Smith, the new President of the Chamber, said in an interview that the event was held especially to introduce the Governor to local businesses and to elaborate on projects the Chamber was embarking on in the coming year.
He explained that two of the current objectives of the Chamber were to encourage more small businesses to join and also to create incentives to encourage more members.
He said: "We want to see more memberships not only from the big businesses, but also from the small and medium enterprises in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
"We want to diversify a little bit, so that we are no longer looked at like the big boys club, but where everyone is welcomed
"We have not had an opportunity to host our first general meeting, which will begin at the beginning of November. At that meeting the business community will be welcomed to outline any issues or concerns they have and also to make recommendations to the Chamber.
Governor Freeman said that he was elated to be invited to the reception by the Chamber of Commerce.
"This was an opportunity to come along and support businesses, because business is vital to the development of the economy.
"It is a pleasure to be here and to be a part of this event, he said.
The Providenciales Chamber of Commerce aims to encourage and promote business in the Turks & Caicos Islands by providing a forum for the business community to share their views and to speak with a unified voice on issues concerning the country.
It aims to improve the standard of services provided by all businesses and to provide technical expertise and consultation for its members.
The Chamber also seeks to foster better understanding between the business community and the Government, through its monthly meetings, where pertinent issues concerning the community are discussed.
By Daisy Handfield
TWO DOMINICAN men have been arrested for the alleged murder of well-known businessman, Gary Mead.
Mead, 55, a long-time resident of Providenciales, was killed on September 30 in the parking lot of Slots-O-Fun on the airport road.
Kevin Clarke, PR for the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF), said that the names of the suspects are being withheld because they have not yet been formally charged.
However, he did confirm the ages of the suspects to be 22 and 44, and that the arrests were carried out in Providenciales and Grand Turk.
Commissioner of Police, James Smith, said: "These arrests are the result of relentless hard work and determination of our officers, who will continue to seek to bring offenders to justice and make our communities safer, so that people can go about their daily lives feeling safer.
Meanwhile, the Police are continuing their appeal to the public for any information relating to the murder.
Prior to the arrests, Supt. Clifford Ashton said he believed there were people who had details about Mead's murder.
"I am appealing to those people to come forward.
"They might have that vital piece of information that will help us bring the offenders to justice. If you were on the Airport Road between Sammy Been Plaza, around 8 am or 9 am that morning as a pedestrian or driver along Airport Road, I urge you to come forward, he said.
The superintendent explained that if for some reason individuals did not feel safe contacting the police directly, they could call Crimestoppers on 1-800-8477, or use the Crimestoppers online reporting page www.crimestoppers.tc.All Information will be treated in the strictest of confidence. All calls are answered by Miami Dade Police and no one from the TCI will know who called.
BY OLIVIA ROSE
THE ISSUE of exorbitant and unaccounted expenditure on the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) trial has been peddled at this week`s Joint Ministerial Council(JMC) meeting in London.
Premier Rufus Ewing, who attended the recent JMC meeting in London, told the council that the SIPT trial is placing a significant financial burden on the Turks and Caicos Islands economy.
According to a Government release Ewing said: "The U.K. government is not assuming any responsibility and has not conceded to his request over the past 4 years for the U.K. to pay the SIPT cost.
Ewing has said that the UK Government has continued to disregard the wellbeing of the people of this nation and has continued to abuse its responsibilities as a sovereign state.
The Progressive National Party (PNP) administration has been calling on the UK government to foot the cost of the trial of former Premier Michael Misick and other corruption accused for some time now.
The SIPT and civil recovery records indicate that the price tag has amounted to some $36 million to date, half of which was paid by the UK government.
This realization has evoked widespread concern about the cost of the SIPT trials.
Earlier in the year Finance Minister Washington Misick echoed similar sentiments when he said:
"My view is that those costs should be borne by Her Majestys UK Government.
Misick asserted that the funds being spent on the trial could be used to further develop the country.
"We have a lot of things that we could be spending that money on, but at the end of the day, it says justice must not only be done it must be seen to be done, and sometimes the wheel of justice turns very slowly.
"My opinion and the opinion of the Government, and I believe the majority of the people of the Turks and Caicos, is that if whatever purported wrong was done, it was done while we had a British Governor here and they were sleep walking.
"If they can indeed prove that theres been wrongdoing, they should pay for it.
"That is unfortunate and unfair to the people of the Turks and Caicos, who have to foot that bill.
According to the 2016/2017 budget statements the SIPT judicial cost was laid at some $5 million under revised statement for 2015 and 2016, while another $4 million is slated for 2016/2017.
The Myrtle Rigby Health centre renovation for the SIPT trial was funded to tune of $1 million through a UK grant.
Since 2009, when they were accused of widespread corruption in the Sir Robin Auld report, Michael Misick and others have awaited their time before the judge.
Former Premier Michael Misick and several others are accused of defrauding the Government of millions of dollars.
Former Premier Misick, who is named as the main defendant in the trial, has since the beginning of the proceedings, stated that he is being persecuted by the British government.
The SIPT trials began last December 18, 2015, after a four-year investigation into widespread Government corruption.
Australia-India bond strengthens on environmental concerns. Australia has already considered India as a crucial defense partner in Indian Ocean territory. Now, the nation extends its hand on environmental affairs. Both the nations are expected to sign a memorandum of indulgent about the matter in coming days.
Such an initiative is considered crucial as it happens at a time when New Delhi, the capital of India is going through a harsh phase of smoke haze. In addition, the Paris climate change agreement has also been made recently towards minimizing the carbon trace.
An official of the environment, forest and climate change ministry has to claim that the mutual agreement is going to help both nations in supporting each other towards coral reef management and biodiversity conservation. Apart from this, it can also make the path clear regarding climate change and marine diversity concerns.
Noteworthy coastal revamps are on cards through Sagarmala program by the NDA government towards development of the ports in a couple or three upcoming years. Under the Sagarmala program, about 150 projects are anticipated to get upgraded with better connectivity, coastal community development, etc. Apart from this, it is also expected to boost the port-led industrialization.
Great Barrier Reef of Australia is considered the biggest coral reef system over the globe. However, it is being considered to be at the brink of demise due to coral bleaching. Hence, Australia has been in full efforts, inviting budding nations to discuss the ways to enhance the state of coral reefs. Coral reefs are considered pivotal, especially in the marine ecosystem as its been the biggest source of nutrition and safety for numerous marine species.
A team of officials from Indian environment ministry is expected to visit Australia soon this month to precede consultation with the Australian government. These officials will be presenting the opportunities in India, thus assuring Australia that both the nation can work mutually and assist each other thoroughly. Environment ministry of India has already made a proposal on this aspect and has also sent it for cabinet approval.
Queries have been emailed to the spokesperson, Indian ministry of external affairs and environment, and the Australian High Commission in New Delhi. The queries made on 3rd November have not been answered, though. Well, Australians are known to be the excellent coral reef managers. Thus, it is considered a welcoming step from the Indian perspective, as there will be enough opportunity to learn through the Australian scientists regarding protection of marine areas or ecosystem.
Source: VCCircle
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China's aerospace technology company has unveiled the first satellite smartphone designed for use with the country's first mobile communications satellite, Tiantong-1 (TT-1), media reports said. The new smartphone, developed by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), is scheduled to go on sale in two-to-three months, South China Morning Post reported on Sunday.
CASC launched TT-1 into an equator-hugging, geostationary orbit about 35,000km above the earth on August 6, this year. Satellite experts said the new satellite smartphone was a product of the 'space-based Silk Road', a long-term strategy proposed by Chinese aerospace companies, institutions and scholars to support the country's "One Belt, One Road" initiative.
"The TT-1 smartphone is so far capable of covering the territory of China and the whole of South China Sea. We are going to expand our coverage to the whole world by launching a network of TT satellites in the next five years," said an engineer from CASC. According to the report, the smartphone was specially designed for emergency communication by field geologists or relief workers in remote areas, or when ground telecommunication networks were interrupted by natural disaster or accidents.
Besides satellite coverage, the smartphone is compatible with multiple ground-based cellular networks, including 4G LTE and 3G, supports SMS, WeChat, video and data transmission, and allows free switching between satellite and ground communication. The smartphone will retail from around 10,000 yuan ($1,480), with communication fees starting from around 1 yuan a minute -- a tenth of the price charged by Inmarsat.
IANS
Aditya Madanapalle
Broadband connectivity in India is in a pathetic state, and the performance of broadband is among worst in the world. Broadband performance has been falling with every passing year and increased connectivity.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) operate as local monopolies which allows them to have highly restrictive data limits. The most restrictive FUP plans in the world are in Papua New Guinea, Vietnam and India. FUP and data caps simply have to go for meaningful broadband connectivity in India. The Digital India initiative is in a strong position to take effective steps to remedy the situation.
Digital India is a pet project by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, intended to bring about rapid transformation in the most marginalised sections of the society. He pitched his mission for Digital India in a meeting with CEOs of major tech companies, he addressed Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayan, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Qualcomm executive chairman Paul Jacobs, Fcaebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. PM Modi said that building connectivity was as important as building roads, We will connect all schools and colleges with broadband. Building Iways are as important as highways
Since the meetings, there have been a series of developments where major tech companies have contributed to the Digital India mission. Cisco unveiled a $60 million investment plan for India which included conferences and training programs. Nagpur was selected for conversion into a smart city, with Cisco providing the infrastructure for a citywide network with integrated Wi-Fi hotspots and surveillance technologies. Cisco is going beyond just smart cities, with a Smart Villages plan as well, with the first pilot project in Fetri village in Nagpur discrict. As part of the Digital Maharashtra vision, Cisco is contributing to the statewide deployment of broadband infrastructure.
Google has tied up with the communications arm of the Indian Railways, RailTel, to roll out public wi-fi hotspots in Railway stations across India. We are working with the Indian Railways and RailTel to bring high-speed wireless access to the entire Internet to millions of Indians who travel through Indias top railway stations, Indian born Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in an Investors call.
At the second edition of the Google for India event, Google launched Google Stations, an India specific initiative for providing high speed wireless broadband connectivity in not only Indian Railway stations but also public spaces. Google intends to roll out Wi-Fi hotspots in 100 stations by the end of 2016.
Google Stations has 15,000 new users connecting up every day, with an active user base of 3.5 million every month. Google further announced plans to extend connectivity in schools, restaurants, shops and malls. Google intends to partner with location and venue owners to set up public Wi-Fi hotspots across the country.
High speed connectivity is required for providing healthcare, banking, e-governance and education to the underserved. However, the ubiquitous broadband will also be required to support smart cities, connected cars and the internet of things. Qualcomm has set up an India specific venture firm with US $150 million (approximately Rs 9.8 billion) earmarked to encourage innovative new startups in India. The fund will focus on mobile and internet of things based startups.
Reliance Jio plans to provide high speed 1 Gbps broadband services to 100 cities in India. The rollout will be one of the largest high speed networks in the world. Even BSNL provides 100 Mbps plus broadband speeds in only 97 cities across India. If successful, this ambitious rollout will revolutionise internet access in India. Current gigabit speeds in India cost two or three times as much as the plans available globally. During Reliance Industries' AGM announcement, Mukesh Ambani said, Data is the oxygen of digital life and oxygen must never be in short supply.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that Microsoft would be working to bring low cost broadband access to 500,000 villages in India in partnership with the Digital India program. We believe that low-cost broad band connectivity coupled with the scale of cloud computing intelligence that can be harnessed from data can help drive creativity, efficiency and productivity across governments and businesses of all sizes, Nadella said. Microsoft also announced local hosting of cloud services at the same event.
Major tech companies from the United States see India as the next big market, especially with the large chunk of population still to get online. A senior US official committed to sharing expertise with the Digital India program on the side lines of an US-India Cyber Dialogue. US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Sepulveda said "We share common interests and US has its expertise to share. We will share our best practices between the regulators."
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President Rafael Reif visited Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January this year. A part of the discussion was an on expertise and knowledge transfer. The possibility of senior or retired MIT professors coming to teach in India was discussed. Modi asked for the use of MIT expertise in the Digital India program, an option that Reif was appreciative about, and offered his assistance to.
Speaking at a connectivity seminar, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha outlined the challenges for Digital India, and stressed that innovative techniques are needed to overcome these hurdles. He called for a holistic approach to tackle the problem, rather than taking care of it in small bits. He revealed that the Finance Ministry was conservative of allocating funds to the Universal Service Obligation Fund, a program to deliver connectivity to rural populations, even though the funds were available. Sinha announced that over Rs 10,000 crore will be spent between 2016 and 2017 for boosting connectivity infrastructure in rural areas.
The National Optical Fibre Network is an initiative to connect all the 2,50,000 Gram Panchayats in the country. BSNL, Railtel and the Power Grid are being used to extend the connectivity. The cost of the NOFN project is Rs 20,000 crore and is expected to be completed by 2017.
The State Wide Area Network was an initiative with Rs 2,005 crore allocated for establishing high speed connections between State and Union Territory headquarters and the block or district level headquarters. There has been successful roll-out of the SWANs in all states except the Andaman Islands and Jammu and Kashmir. Swan integration with the National Knowledge Network is under way now.
In the Digital India program, the Broadband Highways form the first and most important pillar, the central support for all the other technologies. The National Information Infrastructure plan is an effort to integrate State Wide Area Networks (SWAN), the National Knowledge Network (NKN), National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN), Government User Network (GUN) and Meghraj Cloud.
The Digital India program is driving investments in Information Technology by the government. According to Gartner, the Indian Government is expected to invest $7 billion on IT products and services in 2016, 3.1 percent increase over the previous year. Consulting, support, BPOs and IT outsourcing businesses are expected to grow because of the Digital India Program.
tech2 News Staff
Google, the king of search, has announced plans to shake up its indexing and ranking algorithm to prioritise the mobile site over the desktop one.
The company argues that most people use Google search on mobile anyway and that such users will obviously prefer results that link to mobile sites. Googles current algorithm indexes the desktop version of a website and ranks that sites pages for content in desktop mode.
Google says that today, this is the wrong approach to take. Mobile sites can sometimes offer less information than their desktop counterparts, which is bad for a mobile-first world. Keeping this in mind, Google is now conducting experiments with its search algorithm to determine the best way to rank websites in the future.
Although our search index will continue to be a single index of websites and apps, our algorithms will eventually primarily use the mobile version of a sites content to rank pages from that site, to understand structured data, and to show snippets from those pages in our results.
Currently, Googles live indexing algorithm is still looking at Desktop pages first, so you have some breathing space to transition your site to mobile (if you havent already).
The company says that if you have a responsive, dynamic website, you shouldnt be worried. If you dont have that and instead use different structures for desktop and mobile, Google has some suggestions for you here.
Google adds that if youre building a new site, it will be better to have a functional desktop site than an incomplete mobile site.
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The Haryana government was conferred with the award for outstanding work in the field of e-governance at the 'State of the States Conclave 2016' organised by India Today in New Delhi, an official said on Saturday. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley gave away the award. On behalf of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, his additional Principal Secretary Rakesh Gupta received the award.
Congratulating Gupta, Jaitley appreciated the work done in the field of e-governance in the past two years in Haryana. Gupta apprised the Union Minister about the number of e-governance initiatives taken up by the Khattar Government and said that the Chief Minister wishes to transform Haryana into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. The bureaucrat said that due to the personal interest taken by Khattar, Haryana that was earlier not so well recognized at national level in terms of e-governance, has emerged as a front ranking state.
Gupta said that the state government has aligned IT vision to Digital India framework. He said that under 'One-State One-View' initiative, an integrated SRDB (State Residents Data base) has been created. This initiative would ensure de-duplication of records. Linking data of each citizen with Aadhaar has enabled the state government in identifying those 6.25 lakh consumers who were taking both kerosene oil at subsidised rates from Fair Price Shops while availing the benefit of LPG subsidy.
About 1.5 lakh ration cards were found to be bogus. The initiative has helped in checking pilferage of subsidy. By linking admission of students in schools with their Aadhaar numbers, about 4.5 lakh admissions were found to be bogus, Gupta said. This has helped in checking waste of government money -- be it scholarship, mid day meal or other benefits. Gupta claimed that enhancing the Aadhaar scheme the Haryana government has covered 100 percent of its population according to 2015 population estimates.
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Differences over the smartphone and tablet business strained his relationship with Bill Gates, Microsoft's former CEO Steve Ballmer recounted in an interview to Bloomberg this week. If he could do it all again, Ballmer said he would have entered the mobile device market even earlier. When he finally did, Microsoft co-founder Gates and other members of the board disagreed, he said.
Ballmer, now owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers, revealed that "there was a fundamental disagreement" about his decision to push Microsoft into the hardware business and that he "drifted apart" from Gates partly due to a disagreement over whether Microsoft should make its own handsets and tablets.
"I had pushed Surface. The board had been a little -- little reluctant in supporting it. And then things came to a climax around what to do about the phone business," he said noting that it was a mistake to get into handsets and tablets too late.
Microsoft entered the market in 2012 with the Surface RT, a tablet that sold poorly and required Microsoft to take a $900 million charge to write down the value of inventory. Now, the rejigged Surface business is profitable and generated more than $4 billion in sales for the most recent year, Bloomberg reported.
"I would have moved into the hardware business faster," he said.
Responding to the famous quote where he said iPhones would never sell because it cost too much, Ballmer said,"You know, people like to point to this quote where I said iPhones will never sell, because the price at $600 or $700 was too high. And there was business model innovation by Apple to get it essentially built into the monthly cell phone bill."
IANS
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By Nikhil Pahwa
How would you define unlimited? In response to a consultation from the Indian telecom regulator TRAI in 2010, Bharti Airtel, Indias largest telecom operator and private ISP, said that while a strict definition of the word Unlimited would mean without any limits, we beg to differ with the use of the word Unlimited in tariff advertisements being termed as misleading
The word 'Unlimited'", Airtel added, "has to also be seen from the perspective of the conditions imposed.
In 2009, ISPs in India, led by Airtel and Tata Indicom, introduced the Fair Usage Policy, wherein users with unlimited data plans found that their speed of Internet access was halved if they used up a certain amount of data. In order to get back to full speed, they were forced to fork out more money. At the same time, ISPs continued to advertise unlimited broadband plans. Airtels justification for this misleading advertising was one for the history books: the limits set out by most service providers is implicitly unlimited since the capping on usage is done at a very high level.
Since the institution of the FUP, the relationship between ISPs and their customers has been typified by the first two letters of this acronym: FU. One by one, virtually every ISP systematically rolled out policies that limited Internet usage, with users previously on unlimited plans switched to these unlimited but with limits plans without explicit consent or permission. The argument from Airtel then was that the policy was aimed at encouraging responsible usage among the very few, who make inappropriate use of this service, essentially saying that a few customers were using too much bandwidth. In effect, the FUP was essentially used to introduce data caps in India, and push customers to pay more for speeds that they are used up. The result: improved monetization for ISPs, and the milking of an Internet user base that wanted higher speeds and more data, not less. Is it any surprise that earlier this year, Airtel wanted the TRAI to allow FUP of as low as 64kbps?
What made things worse was that customers really didnt have a choice: wireline Internet access in India has, for long, been controlled by neighborhood monopolies, most customers have one or two other ISPs to choose from. The cost of right-of-way access, and the fact that the thugs who run local cable operator businesses would regularly cut wires of competing ISPs meant that the top 4-5 ISPs own most of the market. Fair competition would have driven
The cartelization led by companies that own both telecom operators and ISPs has hurt the growth of broadband in India. India has added less than 10 million wireline broadband connections since 2009, when the Fair Usage Policy was introduced. We have an embarrassingly low wireline broadband base of 17.32 million. Our 2010 target was 20 million, eventually crossed only by including wireless users, for most of whom, until recently, Internet connectivity rarely crossed 100kbps, even though they were on 3G. That isnt true broadband, and wireless will not be as consistent wireline for broadband access. In fact, this cartelization also helped the same telecom operator cartel: it allowed them push policy towards increasing wireless broadband usage, where they make more money per MB (at around Rs 0.2 per MB) than wireline (believed to be around Rs 0.02 per MB).
The TRAI failed to act in 2010, when it didnt fine telecom operators for misleading consumers; in comparison, FCC in the US recently fined AT&T $100 million for misleading consumers with its Fair Usage Policy.
Heres why the FUP and data caps should go:
Firstly, the idea behind data caps and FUP, when they were introduced, was that networks have limited capacity, and users who were using a lot of data were choking the bandwidth. However, FUP and data caps arent the best way of addressing choking the bandwidth: increasing capacity is. As a country, we ought to incentivise investment in increasing capacity, and not support mechanisms that prevent it.
Secondly, this isnt 2009. Watching this three hour History Channel documentary or this two hour video of a debate on whether the Universe is a simulation isnt irresponsible or inappropriate usage, and who is it Airtel to decide whether the usage of an Internet connection is irresponsible or inappropriate? Its supposed to be merely a facilitator of Internet access, and nothing more, unless, of course, it wants to take on liability for what its customers access online.
Lastly, because of improvement in speed of access over the years, there is much more rich media content online: the growth in video consumption in India is indicative of the demand for video, and now there are speeds that allow it. Weve seen a substantial increase in speeds of access (some ISPs offer as much as 100mbps, whereas in 2009, most offered around 1mbps), but not a proportionate increase in FUP or data limits.
So while ISPs are encouraging consumption of rich media by offering higher speeds, they are artificially creating scarcity and monetizing it with FUP and data caps. Thus, FUP and data caps are only being used as a pricing tool. From a policy perspective, this government has said that it wants to encourage more Internet usage, not less: it would do well to scrap FUP and data caps, or at least end this FUP based cartelization by making it easier for more ISPs to flourish and compete.
The author is the founder of MediaNama and the co-founder of the Internet Freedom Foundation.
Aditya Madanapalle
Every ten years or so, a new technology becomes commonplace and revolutionises the way people use computers. After the desktop computer, the internet and the smartphone, the time is here for the next big thing. According to Sundar Pichai and Google, that revolution for the next ten years is artificial intelligence. Apple and its CEO Tim Cook, however, might be betting on augmented reality.
In a recent interview, Apple CEO Tim Cook had said that AR would be a big thing for years to come. That is a pretty forward looking statement from a secretive company that hesitates to talk about the future. Apple does not have any device in the category of head mounted displays at this time. Facebook has Oculus, Microsoft has HoloLens, and the Google Glass is still available to research and industrial partners. It is unclear if the AR experience will come to a standalone product, or a head mounted display where the iPhone is inserted.
There are a string of AR related acquisitions by Apple. In January this year, Apple acquired Emotient, a company that makes AR software to analyse the moods and emotions of faces in real time. In November 2015, Apple acquired Faceshift, a real time motion capture company whose technology was used in Star Wars. In May last year, Apple had acquired Metaio, a company that makes software for AR overlays for industrial applications. The technology blends computer generated imagery into real world video and the software is used in retail, industrial and automative markets.
Apple is hiring the best in AR talent as well. In January this year, Apple hired Virginia Tech professor Doug Bowman. Bowman has written a book on 3D user interfaces, and has contributed to the Microsoft research of HoloLens. Bowman is one of the leading experts in augmented reality. In August 2015, Apple hired Nick Thompson, the leading audio engineer for the Microsoft HoloLens team. In September this year, Apple hired Zeyu Li, an engineer who worked for Augmented reality startup MagicLeap and in June, Apple poached Yury Petrov from Oculus.
Apple owns patents for head mounted displays with augmented reality capabilities. One of these devices can be used with an iPhone. Developers point out that the SceneKit SDK since iOS 9 has a listing for "HeadMountedDisplayRenderingTechnique". Apple apparently has a secret research unit consisting of employees from acquisitions and engineers poached from other augmented reality companies. The team is working on a next generation head mounted augmented reality device to take on Oculus or HoloLens by Microsoft.
Analysts tracking the company have said that Apple is about to take big steps towards boosting their AR capabilities. FBR & Co analyst Daniel Ives said that Apple would take aggressive measure to grow organically as well as through acquisitions over 2016, and that AR is the next generation of consumer technology that could fit well with the iPhone. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster in a note to investors said that Apple is going to "pivot on iOS in a bid for the mixed reality space", and may allow third party partners to make headsets to be used with the iPhone. Eventually, the iPhone may be phased out entirely in favour of a head mounted mixed reality device.
Apple seems to be gearing up for the AR space, the clearest sign so far has been an interview with Buzzfeed in Japan. Tim Cook said that AR could not replace human contact and Apple was looking for technology to do that. Cook stressed that while VR may be good for education and gaming, AR is better suited for a wider range of applications. Apple is apparently also in talk with companies that make content for immersive experiences.
Anirudh Regidi
If I think of Japan, the first things that spring to mind are anime, samurai and sushi. Give that thought some time and my mind settles on the culture, mindfulness and the kindness of the people there.
Heading to Tokyo Design Week (TDW), courtesy of Autodesk, these were the thoughts in my mind. Never having been to a Design Week before, I was unsure of what to expect. Having experienced Autodesk University in the past, I expected something similar: A hodge-podge of assorted art and creations with a pinch of Japanese culture for local flavour.
And did it deliver? Oh yes it did!
The event, which was held in a field situated bang opposite the Meiji Jingu stadium in Tokyo, is an institution in itself. It draws designers and artists from all over the world and myriad creations from graphics designers, artists, architects, engineers and students are shown off here.
The event is a celebration of art and design, and you can't mistake it for anything else.
Autodesk: A tree that masquerades as a car and more
Autodesk had a relatively small booth at TDW but what they had on display was quite intriguing. For starters, they showed off a dress that would start pumping out smoke when someone gets close. At first, you might scratch your head and ask yourself, Why? But then you realise art isnt necessarily about the why.
By definition, art can have no purpose than itself and its exactly what TDW is about.
Moving on, we encountered a gorgeous, futuristic model car that was grown from bio-engineered seeds. I kid you not. Jason Medal-Katz, Gallery Curator and Director of Brand Engagement told us that this is just a concept and that the idea is that you can grow all the components yourself.
This car may not be ready in 50, maybe even a 100 years, he said, adding that the car would be made of a fictional material called biofibre and that it would draw energy from sunlight, emitting only oxygen. The idea might sound zany right now, but you have to admit, its exceedingly cool, and environmentally friendly to boot.
Looking around the booth we also spotted Under Armours boot with 3D printed sole. Wed spotted this at AU: India as well, and you can check out the video below.
Other highlights at the booth also included an intricate, 3D printed model of a building to rival the Burj Khalifa. If youre interested, the spiral structure is designed to dissipate wind forces and thus, reduce vibrations at the top of the the structure.
Autodesk had also set up PCs (not just any PCs, these were Surface Books) on which anyone could come and design something to be 3D printed or laser cut from cardboard. Its a neat idea and something that aligns very well with Autodesks philosophy of nurturing the maker in all of us.
Rimono Prototype No. 1
This fascinating contraption is, of all things, a cloth-covered electric car. Its powered by a 5kW electric motor that draws power from a 4KwH Li-Ion battery.
You steer via handle-bars rather than a steering wheel and you can slot a tablet or phone into the dashboard to serve as your HUD or navigator. This strange contraption seats two (tiny) adults.
Rimono is apparently a take on norimono, the Japanese word for vehicle or thing to ride.
Airo Miro: Fishy, very fishy
By far my favourite of the exhibition was the Airo Miro. Its an A.I. Fish Companion that can actually swim by itself in a water body of your choosing. The fish are very large and seem to have sensors that help them avoid colliding into each other and the edges of, say, your aquarium.
At first glance, theyre very realistic and the movement is very natural.
The fish are powered by an 8.4V, 11,400mA battery and can operate for 10 hours non-stop. These fish are also neither small nor light, weighing in at a whopping 2.8kg. An electronic air bladder embedded in the fish maintains neutral buoyancy and ensures that the fish dont sink to the bottom of your pool.
Now if only they had a life-size sharkbot. What a pool decoration that would be!
Everything else
There was a great deal of other stuff at TDW. We saw myriad robots designed by kids, air displays with floating UI, wooden lego blocks (called Mokulock), fascinating studies in architecture, air filled plastic igloos that hosted sound and light shows, stunning pottery, T-Shirts, paintings, interior design, toys, designer playgrounds (designed by students), a lunar rover, interactive wall fittings and so much more.
The list is long and it is endless. Make sure to check out our Facebook page where we will be putting up images and videos of all of the above and more. You can also check out Tokyo Design Weeks own Facebook page where theyve also posted pictures of all the above.
Disclaimer: Tech2 was invited to Tokyo Design Week by Autodesk. All expenses related to travel and accommodation were borne by Autodesk. However, every effort has been taken to keep the events coverage as impartial as possible.
NVIDIA is hosting the first Indian edition of the GPU Technology Conference, the worlds biggest and most important conference for GPU developers. GTCx India will bring together the countrys luminaries in deep learning, high performance computing, artificial intelligence and visual computing from across industry, startups and academia.
From self-driving cars to robotics and AI, the single-day agenda at GTCx India will cover the technologies and concepts that are changing how humans engage with the virtual worlds. This includes professional visualization, virtual reality, deep learning, and high performance computing. A curated selection of presenters will showcase their applications in each of these areas through papers and posters. The NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute will provide hands-on tutorials and training on the subject, offering the only opportunity in India to learn the concept from global experts. The VR village will provide a real life experience the virtual world.
India has reached an inflexion point where large industries, startups and researchers are realizing the power of parallel programming to accelerate change. For the first time the intent, resources, minds and technology are all available to transform the nation. We want to enable this ecosystem with the tools, support, learning and collaboration needed to capture impending technology waves that are revolutionizing not only technology, but every human endeavor over the next two decades, said Vishal Dhupar, Managing Director, South Asia, NVIDIA.
The GTCx India program would also feature a variety of keynotes, speakers and hands-on labs across a range of topics. Two eminent personalities would grace the event as keynote speakers. They are:
Padma Bhushan Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, internationally acknowledged scientist and a well-respected Indian IT leader
A Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardee, Dr. Bhatkar is best known as the architect of Indias first supercomputer. He was also the Founder and Executive Director of Indias national initiative in supercomputing, C-DAC.
Dr. Steven Parker, Vice President, Professional Graphics at NVIDIA
Dr. Parker leads the Professional Graphics division at NVIDIA. Combining a history of ray tracing, rendering and high-performance computing, he has been focused on bringing physically-based rendering systems to interactive applications.
@Technuter.com News Service
About me I'm Avi Green
From Jerusalem, Israel
I was born in Pennsylvania in 1974, and moved to Israel in 1983. I also enjoyed reading a lot of comics when I was young, the first being Fantastic Four. I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I don't expect to be perfect at the job, but I do my best. My profile
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Weve known for some time now that LeBron James supports Hillary Clinton in this years presidential election. As a result, James was there to help introduce Clinton as she was campaigning in the final days before the 2016 election.
While it was previously reported that James would be at Clintons rally, the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar added a little surprise by bringing teammate J.R. Smith with him.
Hillary Clinton is holding a campaign rally in Ohio with LeBron James https://t.co/G4isSw41BA https://t.co/bp4VenCSJF CNN (@CNN) November 6, 2016
Clinton was quick to acknowledge two of the most popular athletes in Cleveland in her remarks in front of the Ohio crowd.
Hillary: "It was an extra special treat to have JR Smith here as well." (It should be noted that JR is fully clothed for this event.) Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) November 6, 2016
Sunday was the first time Clinton and James had met in person, despite the fact James has been supporting the democratic candidate for some time now. Aside from publicly making his support known. Along with that, James was notably absent from this years Republican National Convention, which was held in Cleveland.
[Uproxx]
Indian Envoy asked to express Delhi`s concern to Sheikh Hasina
Staff Reporter :
In the wake of fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has directed the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to convey to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina her country's grave concern over safety and security of the community in that country, The Times of India reports on Sunday.
"I have asked Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to call on the Prime Minister and express our grave concern about the safety and well-being of the Hindus in Bangladesh," Swaraj tweeted on Sunday.
In fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, unidentified miscreants set ablaze houses of some of them and damaged two temples in central Brahmanbaria district where several places of worship of the minority community were vandalised a few days ago. Miscreants set fire at least six Hindu houses in a predawn attack yesterday in central Brahmanbaria district's Nasirnagar, the place where at least 15 temples and more than 20 houses were vandalised after a Facebook post deemed offensive to Islam sparked outrage in the country.
Police in overnight drives detained 33 persons for their alleged involvement in the synchronised attacks on Hindus in Brahmanbaria on October 30. Earlier also, India had taken up with Bangladesh the issue of safety and security of the minorities. Bangladesh's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had said the attacks on several Hindu temples in Bangladesh were carried out under a well-orchestrated plan aimed at grabbing lands of the minority community.
Easier travel for Indians, promises British PM on first visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, British PM Theresa May at TECH summit in Delhi on Monday.
Reuters, New Delhi :
Britain should not wait until it leaves the European Union to develop deeper trade ties with India, Prime Minister Theresa May said in New Delhi on Monday, promising to ease access for Indian business travelers. But she made no such promise for Indian students.
Making her first visit to India since taking office in July, Ms May described the potential of the British-Indian relationship as "limitless" and announced a scheme to make it quicker and easier for Indian business travelers to clear passport control.
She was attending an India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi at the start of a two-day trip that will take her on Tuesday to the tech hub of Bengaluru. Prime Minister Narendra too addressed the summit before the leaders headed into bilateral talks over lunch at Delhi's Hyderabad House.
Ms May, who said she wants Britain to be a global leader in free trade, has said she plans to use the visit to try to reduce barriers to trade with India and pave the way for a post-Brexit free-trade deal. But with the Indian government keen to secure more access to Britain for students and skilled workers, visa numbers are likely to be a sticking point in any talks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was vital that India and Britain work together to define the knowledge economy of the 21st century, and invited UK partners to get involved in his signature policy initiatives such as his plan to develop 100 "smart" cities.
He also called for "greater mobility and participation of young people in educational and research opportunities" - an apparent reference to the sharp fall in the number of Indian nationals studying in Britain since 2010.
During that period, when Ms May was interior minister, the number of Indian students in Britain fell to 11,864 in June 2015 from 68,238 five years earlier.
Some of Ms May's cabinet colleagues and business leaders in both countries have urged her to exclude foreign students from Britain's statistics on net migration, which the British PM has vowed to bring below 100,000 a year, from 336,000 in 2015.
Today, Theresa May said it was "crucial" that those who do need to travel between UK and India for business can do so, but she indicated earlier that she saw no reason to change the UK visa regime.
Responding, Amitabh Kant, the head of the Indian government's policy think tank said that while India was opening up its manufacturing sector to foreign investors, its professionals faced restrictions on working in the UK and other Western countries.
Russia says ceasefire in Syria`s Aleppo in place unless militants attack
People walk past rubble of damaged buildings in a rebel-held besieged area in Aleppo, Syria on Sunday.
Reuters, Moscow :
The Kremlin said on Monday Russia's air force would stick to the ceasefire in Syria's Aleppo unless militants launch an offensive.
"The (Russian) president deems a regime when Russian air forces don't carry out strikes on eastern Aleppo as reasonable if militants don't start combat action," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Meanwhile, Syria's government says people who fled rebel zones that have since been retaken by the military are now welcome to return. But that's not how it worked out for one refugee family that came to check out the state of their home: They found another family had moved in.
That's just one of many hurdles keeping away those displaced in Syria's war.
Many who fled say they fear arrest if they return to homes now under government control or that their sons will be conscripted into the same military that once bombarded their towns. In other former opposition strongholds, the state is carrying out redevelopment projects that have razed thousands of homes.
The opposition accuses the government of President Bashar Assad of using under-the-radar methods to discourage populations it sees as disloyal from returning, changing the demographics to help consolidate control over a corridor running from Damascus to the Mediterranean coast. The government says it is doing all it can to bring people back.
"The main goal of the Syrian government is to return all displaced Syrians to their homes," National Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar told The Associated Press last month.
More than 11 million people, nearly half Syria's population, have been driven from their homes by the war since 2011, including 5 million who fled abroad as refugees.
The war still rages in many parts of the country, and there is heavy destruction. In those conditions, a mass return is unlikely. So it is difficult to measure how much government measures are keeping opposition-minded Syrians from returning. But the fall of a number of opposition strongholds in recent months has brought to immediate relevance the issue of who can come back.
For example, a string of rebel, mainly Sunni Muslim suburbs around Damascus have come under military control. They were drained of much of their population as hundreds of thousands fled siege and bombardment in recent years. Now thousands more are leaving because of government control. It is an open question whether they will ever return.
Fight will not be easy` in ISIS-held Raqa: US Defense Chief
Ashton Carter issued his remarks as US-backed Kurdish-Arab forces launched an offensive on Raqa.
AFP, Washington :
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warned on Sunday that the fight to wrest control of Raqa, the ISIS group stronghold in Syria, "will not be easy."
"The effort to isolate, and ultimately liberate, Raqa marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan," Carter said in a statement.
"As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction of ISIL's caliphate and disrupt the group's ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners," he said, using an alternative name for the jihadist group.
"The international coalition will continue to do what we can to enable local forces in both Iraq and Syria to deliver ISIL the lasting defeat it deserves," the US defense chief added.
Carter issued his remarks as US-backed Kurdish-Arab forces launched an offensive on the ISIS group's de facto Syrian capital Raqa, increasing pressure on the jihadists who are already battling Iraqi troops in Mosul.
The offensive's "first phase will be to isolate Raqa," the US Central Command told AFP, adding that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were vital to the mission.
"We believe the inclusion of fighters from the local population is an important advantage to the SDF."
A US official source told AFP that recruitment of local forces is ongoing, adding that "it will likely be Arab forces-forces that largely mirror the population of the city-that will have to go into the city."
The start of the assault by the SDF came as Iraqi forces fought inside Mosul for the third day running, with the jihadists putting up fierce resistance.
Jamdani set to get global patent as Bangladeshi product
Economic Reporter :
Jamdani, the country's one of the finest textiles, is going to get registration by this month as Bangladesh's first Geographical Indication (GI) product, a high official at the concern ministry said.
Senior Secretary of the Industries Ministry M Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan made the disclosure while addressing the 56th annual meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva on Tuesday, he added.
Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (DPDT) under the Industries Ministry will provide the registration for Jamdani, popularly known as Dhakai Jamdani or Dhakai.
The historic production of Jamdani was patronised by imperial warrants of the Mughal emperors. The term Jamdani is Persian deriving from 'Jam', meaning flower, and 'Dani', a vase or a container, named after decorative floral patterns found on Dhakai textile.
The secretary said the government attaches highest importance to preserving intellectual property for ensuring knowledge-based industrialisation. "The government has already formulated laws and rules to provide registration for GI products," he said.
Mosharraf, who led a two-member Bangladeshi delegation to the WIPO meeting, said Bangladesh in association with the WIPO has already implemented the Industrial Property Rights project with a view to preserving, developing and registering intellectual property.
Zakir Hossain Homeo College ex-students` reception held
The reception function of 29th batch internship students of Dr.Zakir Hossain Homeo College arranged by the Ex-Students Parishad was held at local posh hotel in city on Saturday.
Chitagong Bureau :
The reception function of the 29th batch Internship students as arranged by the Dr. Zakir Hossain Homeo College Ex-students Parishad was held at Hotel Paramount International Adutitorium on Saturday evening with its President Advocate Dr. Samiuddin in the chair.
Local ward councillor and vice President of College Managing committee Alhaj Hasan Murad Biplob graced the occasion as chief guest. Chief Editor and Publisher of Monthly Homeo Chetona Journal and central President of Bangladesh Homeopathic Parishad Principal Dr. Abdul Karim was the keynote speaker in it. Divisional govt representative of Bangladesh Homeopathic Board Dr. Saleh Ahmed Suleman inaugurated the reception function formally as inaugurator. Principal of ZHHC Dr. Nurul Amin, general secretary of BAHOP Dr. Anjan Kumar Das, Vice President of Ex-Students Parishad Dr. Abdur Rahim , secretary of Homeopathy Rights Protection Committee Dr. Ismail chowdhury, Principal Dr. Dulal Kanti chowdhury, Dr. Md. Ayub and Dr.Dilip Kumar Dey attended the function as special guests duly conducted by Dr. Md. Shamsuddin. General secretary of the ex-students Parishad Dr. Kamrul Hasan Md. Faruki delivered address of welcome in it, a BAHOP sources said
CWASA board meet held at Rangunia site office
Chitagong Bureau :
The 38th Board meeting of the CWASA was held at Karnaphuli Water Supply Project site office in Rangunia with its Chairman Prof.Dr.Engr SM Nazrul Islam in the chair on Saturday.
Ten matters relatling to administrative and operations activities , increase of connection fees, development charges and finalization of audit report of fiscal 2014-15 was finalized in the meeting.
Plan to tighten cyber security in public banks
Special Correspondent :
The government has taken a massive plan to maintain a high level of cyber security in public banks following recent cyber heist in Bangladesh Bank using the SWIFT financial messaging system.
Under the plan, the government will implement a project naming 'Modernisation of state-owned financial institutions' at an estimated cost of Tk 1,600 crore.
The World Bank (WB) will provide financial assistance to Bangladesh government for implementing the project.
A special unit of Bank and Financial Institutions Division (BFID) under the Ministry of Finance will implement the project in five years, officials said.
"We have already completed negotiation with the WB for the financing of the project. It is expected to be launched on December 1 and to be completed by 2021," a senior BFDI official told The New Nation on Monday, requesting anonymity.
According to him, the global lender has assured of providing Tk 1,185 crore under the project. The board of the bank has already approved the fund.
"The rest of Tk 415 crore will be provided from the national exchequer," he added. The BFID has finalized the project after careful assessment and sent it to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for its approval.
"We hope the project will get the ECNEC nod soon," said the BFID official. When asked, the official said, the main objective of the project is to strengthen cyber security in 11 public banks. It will assist them to install modern IT infrastructure in their critical electronic networks, enhancing their capabilities to detect cyber attacks and thereby taking effective preventive measures.
"Individual financial institution has already taken measures to fend off cyber heists and minimize damage after any systems breach from financial messaging system. The government's new project will help them beef up the cyber security further," he noted. He further said the government is serious to prevent the state-owned banks and financial institutions from the growing threat of cyber attacks. In this endeavour, it has asked the central bank to craft more regulations so that banks can prevent any kinds of attempted cyber heist involving the use of fraudulent SWIFT messages.
The same technique was applied to launder US$81 million in February's massive cyber theft from a reserve account of Bangladesh Bank held with the US Federal Reserve Bank. The cyber heist through using SWIFT messaging system has sent tremors through the global financial industry as well as Bangladesh. So, we expect public financial institutions to implement strong controls in their IT systems in line with best global practices that include maintaining a high level of security for their critical IT systems, such as SWIFT. "The government has also asked the state-owned banks to elevate their information technology standards aligning with international norms. All these will boost their cyber defenses," he said.
FBI has found no criminal wrongdoing in Clinton emails
theguardian :
The FBI has determined that a new batch of emails linked to Hillary Clinton's private email server "have not changed our conclusion" that she committed no criminal wrongdoing, FBI director James Comey told congressional leaders in a letter on Sunday. As campaigning continued ahead of Tuesday's presidential election, a Clinton spokeswoman said the candidate was "glad this matter is resolved". The Democratic nominee's opponent, Donald Trump, reacted with anger at the news, and cast doubt on whether the FBI had even carried out its work. "You can't review 650,000 emails in eight days," Donald Trump told a campaign rally in Sterling Heights, Michigan on Sunday evening. On 28 October, only 11 days before the presidential election, Comey sent congressional leaders a letter informing them that agents had discovered emails "that appear pertinent" to a prior investigation, into Clinton's use of a private server while she was secretary of state. It was later reported that as many as 650,000 such emails were in question. The move, so close to an election, proved tremendously controversial. In July, Comey had announced that Clinton and her aides were "extremely careless" but that "no reasonable prosecutor" would bring a case against them. "Since my letter, the FBI investigative team has been working around the clock to process and review a large volume of emails from a device obtained in connection with an unrelated criminal investigation," Comey wrote to Congress on Sunday. "During that process, we reviewed all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state."
"Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton," he concluded. "I am grateful to the professionals at the FBI for doing an extraordinary amount of high-quality work in a short period of time." Clinton was on board her campaign plane when the news broke, as she had been when Comey's delivered his first letter nine days earlier. As news broke, aides huddled toward the front of the plane, reading from an iPad, and spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri entered Clinton's cabin, shielded by a curtain, moments before she spoke to the press. "We are glad to see that [Comey] has found, as we were confident he would, that he has confirmed the conclusions that he reached in July and we are glad that this matter is resolved," she told reporters. Leaving the plane in Cleveland, roughly 30 minutes after Comey's announcement, Clinton did not respond to a reporter's question about whether she had seen the letter.
When the letter was released, Trump was speaking in an airplane hangar in Minneapolis, but did not mention the letter to the crowd, instead directing his anger against his Democratic rival.
In Michigan, however, he said: "You can't review 650,000 emails in eight days. Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it. The FBI knows it, the people know it and now it is up for American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on 8 November." The Republican nominee also insisted that despite Comey's actions, "the rank and file special agents at the FBI won't let her get away with her terrible crimes including the deletion of 33,000 emails after receiving a federal subpoena". Trump seemed to be alluding to leaks from within the bureau that revealed acrimony and political rifts within the FBI, after Department of Justice officials expressed surprise that Comey would break with decades of tradition regarding investigations and elections. Other leading Republicans tried to dismiss the FBI's new conclusion. "Some things haven't changed at all. What FBI director Comey said on 7 July under oath to Congress is still the same: That she was reckless and careless in her handling of information," Trump's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, told MSNBC. "The reason that so many Americans have a problem with Hillary Clinton's honesty and trustworthiness and veracity does not change."
Republican House speaker Paul Ryan also insisted that the new conclusion should not change any opinions about Clinton. "Regardless of this decision, the undisputed finding of the FBI's investigation is that Secretary Clinton put our nation's secrets at risk and in doing so compromised our national security," he said in a statement. "She simply believes she's above the law and always plays by her own rules."
Although Ryan has endured spats with Trump for months, he urged Americans to vote for the businessman, as he did last week. "Fortunately, the American people have the opportunity to ensure Secretary Clinton never gets her hands on classified information again," Ryan said. "Let's bring the Clinton era to an end by voting for Donald Trump on Tuesday."
The new emails were discovered on a laptop belonging to Anthony Weiner, a disgraced former congressman who is the estranged husband of Huma Abedin, a close aide to Clinton. Weiner is under investigation for allegedly exchanging sexually explicit messages with a minor. Comey's first letter surprised both campaigns and cast the FBI into the middle of an bitter and volatile race. Senior Democrats accused Comey of political meddling, Clinton said she found the letter "deeply troubling" and Trump gleefully predicted the emails would reveal a corruption scandal "bigger than Watergate". On Sunday, Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said Comey's letter should end "once and for all" accusations that Clinton had committed any crime. "While the original letter should never have been sent so close to an election," Schiff said, "the expeditious review of these emails should put to rest the irresponsible speculation indulged in by the Trump campaign and others." The FBI said it had nothing to add to Comey's letter. Yet while the immediate drama has ended, Comey remains in a precarious position. John Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the House judiciary committee, hinted political battles to come, saying: "We will have many questions about the FBI's handling of this investigation." Senator Dianne Feinstein, usually a staunch ally of the security agencies, said the end of what she called Comey's "October surprise" made his decision to intervene "even more troubling".
Feinstein called on the justice department to "look at its procedures to prevent similar actions that could influence future elections".
He is not a cleaner
Mystery shrouds airport attack: HSIA on high security alert: Attacker's identity yet not confirmed: Probe body formed: Menon to brief media today
Staff Reporter :
Authorities on Monday have tightened security at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) following the knife attack that left an Ansar member dead and three other security men injured.
Intelligence agencies have also alerted Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and other security personnel to maintain a tight vigil at the airport and the approach roads.
Mystery continues to shroud identity of the attacker as well as his motive behind attack.
Police said the identity of the attacker has not been known yet although he claimed himself as a cleaner of a private firm AK Traders.
Armed Police Battalion (APBn) Additional Superintendent of Police Tanjina Akhter said the youth, who launched knife attack at the airport premises, does not belong to AK Traders.
"We have talked to the officials of AK Traders in this regard. The officials told police that the attacker doesn't belong to the AK Traders. Even they didn't see him in the past. But our security personnel had thought that he (attacker) might have been a cleaner of AK Traders as he was wearing a yellow shirt--AK Traders' cleaners uniform," she said.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon will brief the media at a conference today (Tuesday) over the attack at HSIA.
The members of different law enforcement agencies and intelligence personnel have already carried out an investigation whether the knife attack a sabotage one.
More security personnel have been deployed at the approach roads and additional barricades have been put up to stop vehicles. Airport authority and senior police officials held a meeting on Monday to discuss their preparedness.
Sources said security men in plainclothes have been deployed inside the international and domestic terminals.
Random anti-sabotage checks by the bomb detection and disposal teams are being carried out to keep the perimeter secure.
Ansar member Sohagh Ali, 32 was killed and three other security personnel were injured when a person in a cleaner's uniform attacked them with a knife on Sunday evening.
"Random checking of vehicles as well as passengers is being carried out by the security agencies. All passengers are requested to cooperate with the security personnel," a police official said.
A tightening of security at HSIA airport may prolong for sometime.
Tanjina Akhter said the passengers are using the departure gate on the second floor.
"None is being allowed to enter the airport to see off people. Members of law enforcement agencies have been kept standby. The security personnel are not allowing any gathering in the canopy area," she said.
Only passengers are allowed to enter departure terminal while only one person is allowed to receive their relatives at the arrival area.
The decision has been effective from Monday morning, sources in the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh said.
Meanwhile, a three-member probe committee was formed yesterday over the incident at airport.
The committee, headed by Additional Deputy Inspector General Hasib Aziz of APBn was asked to submit the report immediately.
The two other committee members are---Additional Superintendent of Police Saiful Islam and Inspector Matur Rahman.
Noor-E-Azam, Officer-in-Charge of the Airport Police Station said Platoon Commander of Khilkhet Ansar camp Ashraful Alam filed the case with Airport Police Station.
"Police are not confirmed about the identity of attacker named Shihab who claimed himself as the cleaner of a private firm AK Traders," he said, adding the attacker is now under treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital with police escort.
Members of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit are now interrogating the assailant.
"The attacker is introducing himself sometime as Shihab or Digital Akash. He told us that an unidentified person gave him the knife and asked him to go for attack," an official of Counter Terrorism said.
Daud Merchant freed from jail
Staff Reporter :
Daud Merchant, alias Abdur Rauf, an alleged associate of Dubai-based underworld Indian mafia don Daud Ibrahim, has been released from Central Jail at Keraniganj in Dhaka.
Senior Jail Super Jahangir Kabir confirmed
the matter to The New Nation on Monday, "Daud Merchant was released around 4.30pm on Sunday and he walked out of the jail alone as no one came to receive him."
Daud was relieved of a case filed under Section-54 by Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on November 3. At that time, the jail authorities said that they need the court's paper of another case before releasing him.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, however, did not clarify whether Daud was handed over to India. "His [Daud Merchant] prison term for illegal trespass into Bangladesh ended some time ago. And so, he has been released," the Minister said.
Replying to a query, he said: "If he [Daud] wants to stay in this country, he will have to obtain visa. If not, he will have to leave Bangladesh. The decision will be taken by Indian High CommissionWe don't think there is any need of pushing him back."
Official sources said maximum detention under Section-54 of the Penal Code is one month but Merchant was kept behind bars for much longer without explanation.
Daud Merchant, a convicted killer of music baron Gulshan Kumar, who was shot dead on August 12, 1997 in Mumbai. Later, he received 10 years' jail sentence for killing Gulshan Kumar who owned T-series, a noted music company of India.
He, however, fled to Bangladesh and was arrested along with one of his associates in Brahmanbaria district on May 27, 2009. A case was filed against him for making forged Bangladeshi passport and trespassing into the country. He was then kept at the Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur.
After remaining in jail for five years, he got released on bail on November 19, 2014, and was released from Kashimpur Jail in the evening of December 1 of the same year.
He was, however, arrested again on the following day under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure for suspicious movement. Daud was then produced before a Dhaka court, which placed him on a three-day remand.
Since then he had been at the Dhaka Central Jail.
Meanwhile, the media of both countries reported that steps to extradite a few Indian nationals, like Merchant, were initiated after the extradition of ULFA leader Anup Chetia from Bangladesh and Narayanganj seven-murder prime suspect Nur Hossain from India.
Dhaka had started the process to extradite Merchant after a meeting between the home secretaries in November last year, media reports suggest.
It said Delhi requested Dhaka for the extradition of three members of armed group Asif Reza Commando Force- Moulana Mansur Ali Habibullah, Mufti Obaidullah alias Abu Zafar, Moulana Emdadullah and top Kolkata criminals Zahid Sheikh and Arif Hussain.
In reply, Dhaka wanted extradition of top criminal Subrata Bain, prime suspect in Gazipur MP Ahsanullah Master's murder 'Dipu', Islami Chhatra Shibir Chittagong chapter leader Sajjad Hossain and extremist leader Mukta Hossain, among others.
Incentive for ceramic industry
THE country's ceramic manufacturers and exporters are immensely suffering since the US cancellation of GSP facility for Bangladesh in 2013. Until the scraping of the duty-free facility, export of ceramic products to the US market was on the rise and earning handsome for the industry. But with import duty at 30 percent now as against zero tariffs under GSP facility, export of ceramic items to the US market has slowed down and is almost unsustainable now.
But it is quite strange that the country's RMG sector is enjoying all sorts of government cash incentives, ceramic industry leaders say, following the cancellation of GSP although garment items never enjoyed duty-free benefits. On the other hand when ceramic export to the US market is facing the setback, the government is not extending the helping hands to it by way of any incentive. In their view it is not only a neglect to the industry but also highly discriminatory. The government must change the outlook the industry leaders say and we also believe that the concerned authorities should pay heed to its plight. Ceramic industry being the growing non-conventional export sector, it needs care.
Bangladesh has the scarcity of clay used as raw materials in manufacturing ceramics and importing much of it at high cost. Local ceramic producers are producing quality items for export markets but since its export to the US market suffers the setback, it is quite hard now for them to run the booming sector without government cash support until at least GSP reopens. Now they are mostly relying on the domestic market; which do not generate enough income to recover cost. Moreover, duties on importing raw materials and poor gas supply to factories are adding more troubles to the sector at a time when it is struggling to survive.
Trade figure shows Bangladesh exported ceramic products worth $47.58 million in fiscal 2013-14 but it fell to $43 million in 2014-15 and further down to $37.69 million in 2015-16. Moreover, as the industry leaders claim, falling exchange rate and trouble in gas supply are seriously impacting the sector. They make their case saying the government has a responsibility to extend cash incentive to the industry at this time to allow it to survive external market shock. If the garment sector can get such support why ceramics sector not.
Ceramics is a relatively new industry in the country and 40 out of 60 ceramic factories were set up in the last 10 years. They are producing tiles, tableware and sanitaryware, but it is tableware that accounts for 95 percent of Bangladesh's ceramics export. Industry leaders are highly critical of the government's discrimination towards them while it is easily giving incentives to RMG, which have its own capacity now to compete.
We believe that industries must survive by their own competitiveness and if and when government incentive is necessary for the greater interest of the economy, it may be provided on selective basis until the situation improves. It can't be a permanent solution and yet garment sector has made it a continued practice with strong lobbies and several MPs who own many factories. In our view ceramic industry should not be discriminated as well.
Conviction warrant against Tarique for money laundering
Court Correspondent :
The Third Special Judge Court of Dhaka on Monday issued conviction warrant against BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman in a case filed for money laundering.
Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar of the court passed the order yesterday.
The warrant order was sent to Dhaka Cantonment Police Station in the city through the DC
(Prosecution) of the court.
On July 21 the High Court sentenced Tarique Rahman seven-year's imprisonment in a case, the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) filed against him. Besides, the court fined the BNP leader Tk 20-crore for committing the offence of money-laundering.
An HC bench comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Amir Hossain pronounced the verdict in response to the ACC appeal against the lower court verdict that had earlier acquitted Tarique Rahman. The bench also directed the lower court to issue arrest warrant against fugitive Tarique Rahman.
Besides, the court, in the same order, upheld seven year imprisonment awarded to Gias Uddin Al Mamun, known to be a friend of Tarique Rahman, in the same case. However, the apex court, verdict decreased the amount of fine from Tk 40-crore to Tk 20-crore. The court dismissed the appeal plea of Gias Uddin Al Mamun seeking release from the prison.
India must know human rights must be protected for all or none
We have been shocked by attacks and destruction of homes and several temples of the members of the Hindu community at Nasirnagar Upazila in Brahmanbaria district on October 29 and later sporadic violence. Protests are pouring from various socio-political organizations and cultural bodies demanding arrest and exemplary punishment of the culprits.
Meanwhile, the Indian government has also expressed its grave concern over the safety and security of the Hindu community in Bangladesh. Being asked by Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka conveyed the Indian government's concern to Prime Minister's Office. We do not know exactly in what terms concern has been expressed and remedy suggested. Our view is clear that not only India any country has the obligation to condemn violation of human rights, no matter what the victims' religion or class. That is why protection of human rights is a universal concern.
We have already condemned the attack and demanded swift action against the culprits in an earlier editorial but renewed attack on Hindu homes and temples at some other districts is quite outrageous. The political leadership of the government and the police and local administration in particular have proved utter failure to rein in the situation when the Awami League government claims to achieve great communal harmony.
We must say members of the Hindu community have been living peacefully side-by-side with Muslim population all over the country over the generations. It is clear that some vested quarters have made the post in the facebook of a local Hindu boy to create communal tension. The expulsion of three local Awami League leaders for leading the attack on Hindu homes made it amply clear why the local administration remained inactive. Anger against the government's extremism certainly played a role.
We have been advising the government not to create extremism, be that communal or otherwise by using extreme police power. Politics is too intolerant. Human rights must be protected for all, it cannot be protected for any favourable class in isolation.
India must know who are pretending to be close friends of India, and whose over-enthusiasm as freedom fighters, has been encouraging communal disharmony by harping all the time on the need of fighting communalism. Our people have not been communal and were living in communal harmony. These fighters of communalism have no connection with the people and some of them need all time police protection for telling our people how anti-communal we are. They should be denied special protection.
We hope India will appreciate that all human rights violations are to be condemned if the people are to live in harmony. Communal harmony must mean unity and togetherness for enjoying human rights and justice. Politicisation of police and police excesses are no guarantee for human rights. Democracy and the rule of law are the best guarantor of human rights. The people are helpless as the police are fully controlled by the government. The police are not for politics.
We all know India's special relationship with Bangladesh and we expect our government to receive sensible advice from India.
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.
If you are looking for the new Immoral Minority posts, you should know that they can be found here at our new home Please stop by to get caught up on politics, join the conversations, or simply check out the new digs.
Pre-purchase property inspection is a relatively new thing in the United Kingdom. Its not something that most people have heard about, but it has become increasingly popular over the last few years with the rise in property prices and increased demand for high quality homes.
What are the benefits of pre-purchase building inspection? What can you expect to find out when you pay someone else to inspect your home before you buy it? And what should you look for during an inspection?
Many people want to know if theyre buying a house thats been well maintained or if its had any serious problems. If youve found a place on the market that seems attractive, but then discover some issues after moving in, you may not be as excited about buying it as you thought you were.
Its important to do your due diligence when looking at properties. A lot goes into making a property appealing to potential buyers, from the landscaping to the flooring to the kitchen appliances. The same applies when inspecting a property there are many things that need checking over to make sure everything is running smoothly.
Here are some of the benefits of performing a pre-purchase inspection:
You get to see exactly what will happen to your money
When you go shopping for a new car, youll probably be shown several different models. You might even be shown one that looks like a great value, but doesnt fit around all of the extra features that you want. When it comes time to actually buy the vehicle, however, you wont have seen how your money will be spent on it once you drive it off the showroom floor.
Likewise, when you shop for a new home, you dont really know what youre getting yourself into until you move in. In order to get a feel for whether the home youre considering is what you want, you normally have to spend quite a bit of time inside it. This allows you to learn more about everything that youre going to be spending your hard-earned cash on.
A pre-purchase building inspection gives you much the same kind of experience without having to spend thousands of dollars. Since youre paying for the service, you can expect to see exactly what youre paying for, instead of just seeing a vague idea of what you might end up with.
You find out about potential major repairs
Some buildings are very expensive to maintain, which means that owners often neglect them for the sake of saving money. While youre paying for a building inspection, youre also paying for a professional who knows how to spot signs of trouble and repair work that needs doing.
If you notice that a particular area of your new home needs fixing right away, you can call in an expert to take care of it quickly. If you find that theres something wrong with your boiler, you wont have to wait weeks for a plumber to come over and fix it. Instead, youll have access to a solution immediately.
You can save hundreds of pounds by finding out about potential problems early on
One of the biggest expenses when you first buy a home is the cost of moving in. Many people dont realize this until its too late. Buying a home involves not only paying for the actual house, but also for moving costs, furniture, and other items that have to be moved along with the home.
Having a good idea ahead of time of what youre likely to encounter can help you avoid these kinds of costs. If you know youll need to replace the plumbing system, for example, youll be able to put together a budget for the expense and plan accordingly.
You can protect your investment by finding out if the homes been well cared for
While there are plenty of people who think that houses always look better when theyre newly built, youd be surprised at how well maintained older residences can still look nice. Sometimes, though, those homes need some additional maintenance to keep them looking their best.
This could involve repairs that arent so noticeable or small improvements that you wouldnt consider otherwise. Even worse, some houses have fallen into disrepair without anyone noticing. This is why having a professional perform a building inspection prior to purchasing a home is such a big benefit.
Not only will it give you insight into the state of the property, but it will also give you peace of mind knowing youre not getting taken advantage of. As long as youre aware of the potential pitfalls, youll have less reason to worry about the state of your new home.
You can use information gathered during a building inspection to negotiate a lower price
If youre worried about buying a home because you suspect that it may need extensive renovation work, you may already have a rough idea of how much work youll need to do to bring it up to scratch. That knowledge can come in handy if you decide to buy the home.
You can use all of the details that you gather during a building inspection to present a realistic picture of what the home is worth to prospective buyers. If a potential buyer thinks that the home is worth more than what you paid for it, you can try negotiating a lower price.
You can sell your home faster and for more money
If you decide to list your home on the market soon after buying it, youll need to price it accurately in order to attract buyers. But if youve already done a thorough building inspection, youll know exactly what work is needed and what the current market conditions are.
In other words, youll be able to make a more accurate estimate of the amount of money youve invested in the home and how much its worth. If you find that youre selling your house for close to its full market value, you can use this information to convince the potential buyer that your home is worth the asking price.
Even if youre planning to stay in the home for a while before you decide to sell, the fact that you did a thorough building inspection will give you more confidence when listing it. Prospective buyers will know exactly what theyre paying for.
Your home will hold its value longer
As mentioned earlier, the value of a home depends heavily upon the condition of the building itself. If your home is in bad shape, potential buyers wont be interested in buying it. On the other hand, if youve performed a thorough building inspection and know what sort of repairs are necessary, you can offer your prospective buyer a compelling reason to invest in your property.
When you buy a home, youre essentially agreeing to have it inspected periodically to ensure that it stays in top shape. Not only does this allow you to avoid expensive repairs down the road, but it can also increase the value of your home.
You can make smart decisions about property investments
Buying real estate isnt as simple as just driving a couple of minutes to pick up a house. There are lots of considerations involved, ranging from location to cost. The same is true when youre investing in property.
If you find a house that meets all of your requirements, youll want to make sure that you have a solid understanding of where it stands with regards to the rest of the market. If you havent spent enough time researching the area, you could inadvertently end up with a bad deal.
There are lots of resources available online that can help you determine the overall level of competition in your area. They can also help you figure out if there are any properties that meet your requirements that you didnt know about.
If you own rental property, you can use the information to identify tenants who might cause damage
If you own rental property and youve noticed that certain tenants consistently cause damage, you can use the results of a building inspection to identify them. You can then contact them directly to let them know that youre watching them closely and that you dont appreciate the problem theyre causing.
They might start taking better care of their homes, which would be good news for everyone. It could also be the case that youll find out that theyre responsible for previous damages that werent caught during a previous visit.
You can make smarter decisions about hiring contractors
If youve hired contractors to build or repair your home, you might want to ask them for references. However, unless you perform a thorough building inspection, you might not know exactly what to look for.
For instance, maybe you only checked the roof for leaks or the walls for cracks. You might not have looked underneath the foundation for anything that could cause a future issue. By performing a building inspection, you can ensure that you hire reputable contractors who will be trustworthy with your money.
You can avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition
Of course, the main benefit of structural inspections perth is that it helps you avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition. Before you make the decision to buy a home, you should do whatever you can to find out about the state of the building.
You can also ask your realtor about what sorts of inspections are typically recommended. Some agents say that its standard practice to check the heating system, the roof, the electrical wiring, and the floors. Others will tell you that they recommend that you check the entire structure.
Either way, if you choose to hire an inspector, youll find out exactly what needs to be fixed and how much it will cost to do so.
As a result, it can be concluded that a pre-purchase building inspection is highly important for the buyers because it provides transparency regarding the current conditions of the structure. Additionally, the building owner is made aware of any upgrades or repairs that are required, which could lead to a fair deal throughout the purchasing and selling process.
President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine. The United States generally imports about 100,000 barrels a day from Russia, only about 5% of Russia's crude oil exports, according to Rystad Energy. Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia. Gas prices have been rising for weeks due to the conflict and in anticipation of potential sanctions on the Russian energy sector. The U.S. national average for a gallon of gasoline soared 45 cents a gallon in the past week and topped $4.06 on Monday, according to auto club AAA. Should the US ban Russian oil imports over Ukraine war?
You voted:
Feeling lost ahead of Election Day? Check out the resources and reporting we've compiled here and go into the voting booth ready on Tuesday.
Where do I vote?
Use the Google tool below to find the polling place closest to you.
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Or, visit this page on the Illinois State Board of Elections website.
Need a ride? Rides Mass Transit District is offering free rides.
When do I vote?
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
What's on the ballot?
Constitutional amendment
Voters will get to decide Nov. 8 whether the Illinois Constitution should be amended to prohibit the use of dedicated transportation funds for other purposes. Read more about the amendment here.
U.S. Senate
Republican incumbent Mark Kirk is thought to be one of the most vulnerable senators up for re-election this year. He is being challenging by Democrat Tammy Duckworth, Libertarian Kent McMillen and Green Party nominee Scott Summers.
State Comptroller
Incumbent Leslie Munger's appointment is ending (Rauner appointed her after the sudden death of former Comptroller Leslie Baar Topinka), and she is being challenged by Susana Mendoza, a Democrat, Tim Curtin, Green, and Claire Ball, Libertarian.
U.S. Congress
In our neck of the woods, incumbent 12th District U.S. Rep. Mike Bost of Murphysboro is being challenged by Democrat C.J. Baricevic and Green Party candidate Paula Bradshaw.
State Senate races
Sheila Simon, a Democrat from Carbondale, and Paul Schimph, a Republican from Waterloo, are competing for the 58th Senate District seat that's being vacated by longtime Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, after he was drawn out of his district.
Harrisburg mayor Dale Fowler, a Republican, is seeking to unseat Democrat Gary Forby in the 59th Senate District.
State House races
In the 115th District, Democrat Marsha Griffin is challenging incumbent Republican Terri Bryant.
In the 117th District, Republican Dave Severin is challenging incumbent and assistant majority leader John Bradley, a Democrat.
In the 118th District, Republican Jason Kasiar is challenging incumbent Democrat Brandon Phelps.
County races
There are also several county-level races. Click the links below to download the publication ballot (as a PDF file) for your county, or read our reporting on the races in those counties.
Jackson County
Unlike the rest of the Southern Illinois counties, Jackson County does not release a traditional publication ballot. The county's ballot announcement does not include the state Constitutional Amendment question or the proposed Jackson County questions. Download list of nominations here. Download ballot referenda here.
Judicial
There are two kinds of questions youll be asked about judges: who should fill a spot, and whether a judge should get to keep his or her job (retention).
Find out what judicial circuit you are in below.
Join thesouthern.com on election night for live returns and complete coverage of all of these races and more.
SPRINGFIELD Election Day is finally here, but a large share of Illinois voters wont be standing in line Tuesday at their local polling places.
More than 1.6 million people across the state had already cast their ballots as of Monday morning, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. Thats more than 20 percent of Illinois record 8 million registered voters.
Since late September, voters have cast ballots by mail, in person at early voting sites, or using grace period registration, which allows people to register and vote at the same time.
Spokesman Jim Tenuto said the elections board wasnt sure what to expect this time around after early voting options were extended by a bill former Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law in January 2015 shortly before leaving office.
I think we expected it to be big, Tenuto said.
He noted that the nearly 1.3 million early ballots cast in person by voters who were already registered broke the early voting record of nearly 1.2 million set during the 2012 presidential election.
Early voting totals continued to rise Monday as people showed up to voting sites across the state. Voters also have until Election Day to postmark their mail-in ballots or drop them off at their location election authorities.
Weve got people out the door, Macon County Clerk Stephen Bean said Monday, adding that about 600 people voted per day over the weekend. Bean said he expected 900 to cast ballots Monday.
As of Monday morning, 12,148 ballots had already been cast in the county, accounting for 16 percent of registered voters, according to the state elections board.
McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael said the scene was similar at her office, which oversees voting in the whole county except for the city of Bloomington.
Weve just had a line all day, Michael said, adding that about 2,000 people had cast ballots over the past four days.
A total of 9,460 county voters had cast ballots as of Monday morning, along with another 10,335 Bloomington residents, according to the state elections board. That accounts for about 15 percent of registered county voters and 21 percent of Bloomingtons registered voters.
The early turnout in Rock Island County is among the highest in the state, with 26 percent of the countys registered voters, or 25,683 people, having already voted.
With 5,935 ballots cast as of Monday, early turnout in Jackson County was nearly 17 percent. The 5,421 ballots cast early in Coles County represented nearly 18 percent of voters there.
The overall number of registered voters statewide will increase Tuesday because this is the first general election during which residents of the states most populated areas can register and vote on Election Day at their local polling places. Residents throughout the state can register and vote at the offices of their local election authorities.
Meanwhile, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced Monday afternoon that nearly 200 attorneys and investigators from her office will be monitoring polling places statewide on Election Day.
Voters should contact the attorney generals office if they observe suspected improper or illegal activity. Voters in the Chicago area and northern Illinois can call 866-536-3496, and voters in central and Southern Illinois can call 866-559-6812.
MOUNT VERNON A political action committee largely funded by civil-litigation attorneys has amassed nearly $1 million for a late advertising push against two Republicans seeking seats on the state appellate court for Southern Illinois.
Fair Courts Now formed on Oct. 11 and raised about $930,000 as of Wednesday, mostly from trial attorneys in St. Louis and Metro East suburbs, the Belleville News-Democrat reported.
The PAC's expenditures consisted largely of mailings and ad buys opposing incumbent 5th District Appellate Court Justice Randy Moore of Carterville and Madison County Circuit Judge John Barberis. Both are Republicans.
Moore is being challenged by Democrat Jo Beth Weber, a circuit judge in Jefferson County. Barberis is running against Brad K. Bleyer, a Democrat and judge serving in the 1st Judicial Circuit.
The top Fair Courts Now donors are law firms. Gori Julian & Associates of Edwardsville provided $235,000, while both Simmons Hanly Conroy of Alton and Maune Raichle Hartley French & Mudd of St. Louis contributed $250,000.
The three firms specialize in representing plaintiffs in mesothelioma lawsuits against companies that used or made asbestos, a mineral used in construction materials or insulation.
Fair Courts Now is an independent-expenditure PAC, which means it can't make direct contributions to a candidate or coordinate with any candidate.
Civil-litigation attorneys also launched a last-minute effort through a PAC in 2014 to unseat Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier, claiming he was too close with business. Karmeier, a Republican, narrowly won retention to another 10-year term.
State Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, an Okawville Republican who chairs Moore's campaign committee, said the law firms' spending against Barberis and Moore is not surprising considering what happened in 2014 with Karmeier.
"They would like an edge in that court, and they expect to have cases there. It's like an investment," Luechtefeld said.
MURPHYSBORO A Jackson County Grand Jury has returned indictments on Monday charging two De Soto women with obstructing justice related to the Oct. 24 shooting incident in Murphysboro that resulted in the death of a 38-year-old man.
Kaitlyn D. Youngberg, 26, and Jacie C. Marble, 19, have been charged with obstructing justice, Jackson County States Attorney Michael Carr said in a news release. Youngberg has been additionally charged with aiding a fugitive. Both charges are Class 4 felonies, punishable by a sentence of one to three years in prison.
The charges against the women are the latest in the case. On Friday, Carr announced that the grand jury had returned an indictment charging Juwan Jackson, 26, of Murphysboro, with two counts of first-degree murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm in connection with the shooting death of Detrick Rogers.
Rogers was laid to rest on Saturday. Hundreds of family and community members attended his services at Christ Community Church in Murphysboro.
The last time there was a murder in Murphysboro was in 2010, Police Chief Chad Roberts has said.
Of the indictments announced Monday, Count 1 alleges that Youngberg aided a fugitive in that on Oct. 31, with the intent to prevent the apprehension of Jackson, traveled to Decatur on Oct. 31 to obtain and deliver a new telephone and telephone card that could not be traced by law enforcement for Jackson.
Count 2 alleges that Youngberg knowingly provided false information to a representative of the Jackson County Sheriffs Office on Nov. 1 with the intent to prevent the prosecution of Jackson whose arrest was sought on felony warrants. Carr issued those warrants after the shooting incident, and the grand jury later returned the indictments charging Jackson with two counts of murder.
The indictment announced Monday against Marble alleges that on or about Oct. 24, with the intent to obstruct the prosecution of Jackson, she knowingly concealed physical evidence, that being shell casings ejected into her car during the Oct. 24 shooting.
Both women are being held in the Jackson County Jail with bond set a $100,000 each. An arraignment date will be scheduled later today.
TAMMS Dale Chester is upset. His father, Carl G. Chester, is a decorated veteran of World War II and the Korean War. The name Carl G. Chester is not listed on one of two veterans memorials in the village of Tamms, and it is incorrect on the other memorial.
Dale Chester said his sister wrote a check to pay for the correction and addition to the newer memorial. He has a copy of a receipt from the village of Tamms dated May 8, 2015. The family really wanted to get this fixed before his fathers birthday, June 22, in 2015. Unfortunately, it was not fixed, and Carl G. Chester died Sept. 17, 2015. Now Dale Chester has made getting the name corrected on the memorial his mission.
The Chester family has a long history of military service. Dale Chester served in the Special Forces in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He said his grandfather, as well as other family members, served in the Navy, but there was a problem when Carl G. Chester was drafted during World War II.
They wanted to put him the Marines because he did not weigh enough to get in the Navy, Dale Chester said.
As the story goes, Carl G. ate 10 pounds of bananas while waiting in line for his military physical. When he still did not meet the weight required for the Navy, another man waiting in line said they ought to go ahead and put him in the Navy because he just ate 10 pounds of bananas. So, he was put in the Navy.
Carl G. Chester drove a landing craft. He would pull it up and drop men on the shore and return to the ship. On one occasion, Carl G. Chesters landing craft was loaded with 27 men and taking fire from a 50 caliber machine gun. They returned to their ship, but the craft was sinking by the time they got back.
If it wasnt for Dad, they would have all died, Dale Chester said. He had a whole bunch of medals.
Carl G. Chester also served in the Air Force during World War II and the Army during the Korean War. He worked for Illinois Department of Corrections at Pontiac, Statesville, Menard and Vienna.
The fact that there is another Carl Chester complicates matters. Carl Chester, a cousin to Carl G. Chester, was a conscientious objector. This makes the middle initial very important to Dale Chester and his sisters.
I never met the guy. I know what my dad said about it, Dale Chester said.
Dale Chester said he has heard of others who had problems getting their loved ones noted on the memorial.
While Dale Chester was talking to The Southern Illinoisan Friday afternoon at the veterans memorials near Tamms Village Hall, village board member Tonya Reid stopped to see if we needed any help.
Reid said the village received a call Friday morning that the additional plaques were ready to install, and someone was on the way to pick them up.
Tamms has two memorials. Reid said the larger and newer of the two was designed by a local man and built in part using a grant. Family members bought the plaques with veterans names.
She added that the village decided moved the smaller memorial to the site after the larger memorial was created. She does not know who created it or collected the names on it.
I was a child when this was put up, Reid said.
The memorials are located near the old train depot, which was remodeled for use as the village hall. According to Reid, the monument had fallen into disrepair and was in danger of closing.
Weve done a lot of work to the memorial so we didnt have to close it, Reid said. We still plan on replacing the broken tiles. Were not done with it.
Reid said the monument company that makes the plaques for the memorial had a break-in, and its records were destroyed and rearranged. It took them some time to recover. That is one of the reasons for the delay.
Dale Chester explained to Reid why including his fathers middle initial is important, and she seemed to understand. She told him she would check the plaques when they arrived and call his sister to let them know if those plaques were correct. She also apologized on behalf of the village.
It may be a misunderstanding or a case of bad timing. Either way, Dale Chester knows his next move.
Ill be back in a week to see if this is done, 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.
Twenty-one homes destroyed.
Nine businesses destroyed.
The pummeling wind and rain of Hurricane Matthew left loads of damage in Orangeburg County.
In total, there was $6.7 million in damage to the countys residences, according to a report by the Orangeburg County Office of Emergency Services.
In addition to the 21 homes destroyed, 145 received major damage, 222 homes had minor damage and 105 more were affected.
The number of homes included in the damage assessment was just under 500.
Similarly, 28 businesses caught Matthews wrath.
In addition to the nine destroy businesses, eight received major damage, 10 had minor damage and another was affected.
The grand total value of the destruction to commercial property was $505,500.
Damage to public properties was $50,275.
The overall value in residential, commercial and public damage totals $7,255,275.
The report also includes local government damage projections:
$3.7 million to electrical utilities.
$1.4 million to county government.
$2.9 million to municipal government.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has received 1,674 assistance applicants from individuals and awarded $713,313.
Residents who have damages from Hurricane Matthew are encouraged to contact the Disaster Recovery Center to make direct contact with FEMA.
The recovery center will be phased out over the next couple of weeks, but FEMA will be available by phone or online after the centers close.
Orangeburg Countys DRCs are located at 8423 Old State Road in Holly Hill and at the YMCA at 2550 St. Matthews Road, Orangeburg. They are open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They are not open on Sundays.
The centers will be open on Election Day and Veterans Day.
The DRCs are accessible facilities where survivors may go for information about FEMA programs or other disaster-assistance programs, or to ask questions related to their case.
Representatives from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration are at the center to answer questions about disaster assistance and low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters and businesses. They can also help survivors apply for federal disaster assistance.
Disaster survivors who have questions may call the FEMA Helpline. Survivors can apply online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone (voice, 711 or relay service) at 800-621-3362. (TTY users should call 800-462-7585). The toll-free lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.
If possible, register for FEMA assistance by phone or online before visiting a center.
Going to a DRC is not a requirement of registration, but specialists there can provide guidance regarding disaster recovery and rental resources, explain written correspondence received from FEMA, inform survivors of their status of their application, make referrals to other organizations and answer questions.
When registering, applicants will be asked for a Social Security number, address of the damaged primary residence, description of the damage, information about insurance coverage, a current contact number, an address where mail is received and a bank account and routing numbers for those preferring direct deposits of funds.
Low-interest disaster loans from the SBA are available for businesses of all sizes (including landlords), private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters.
Low-interest disaster loans help fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the costs of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property.
The SBA opened a Business Recovery Center in Orangeburg County on Oct. 25 to help businesses impacted by Hurricane Matthew.
SBA representatives can provide information about disaster loans, answer questions and help businesses complete the SBA application.
The SBA recovery center is at the Small Business Development Center in Suite 353 of S.C. State Universitys Belcher Hall located at 300 College Street. It is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on weekends.
Three people have been charged in the October armed robbery of a Norway couple, according to the Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office.
Edward Ray, 17, of Orangeburg County, was charged with armed robbery, first-degree burglary and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime, according to the sheriffs office.
During an Oct. 28 hearing, bond was denied on all charges on the Calvary Church Road man.
Two juveniles were also charged. Their names are being withheld due to their ages.
On Oct. 27, a Norway woman called 911 after several individuals broke into her home and stole a purse.
The woman said that a few minutes before 8 p.m., she saw a male walk into her yard. The male then asked her for a soda.
As she turned to get the soda, she heard several individuals running toward her porch. When she turned back around, a slender male had a gun pointed at her.
The woman then ran out of a back door to a nearby neighbors house.
The womans husband said the robbers took the womans purse, which contained some cash and her financial cards.
Investigator John Stuke is leading the ongoing investigation.
Three weeks ago Donald Trump was miserably behind Hillary Clinton. The exposure of Trump and Billy Bush caught in potty-mouth-gate plummeted Trump in the polls and led to Bush's release from NBC. Hillary Clinton was cruising, smiling big and looking ahead to her presidency.
However, Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees said, "It ain't over til it's over."
The Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians proved Berra's philosophy once again in the World Series. Cleveland led three-games-to-two and was heading back home for the final game/games. There was a feeling of impending victory in Cleveland. Chicago rallied, winning both games in Cleveland proving, "It aint over til it's over."
The announcement by FBI Director James B. Comey of an investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server during her time as secretary of state has changed Trump and Clinton's poll numbers. Trump has slightly pushed ahead in some states and is narrowing the distance in others.
Americans are being further shocked as they discover that their health care insurance will increase 25 to 30 percent this fall. This is all due to the Affordable Care Act sadly known as Obamacare. Clinton wants to continue Obamacare but edit or tweak it some. Trump wants to abolish Obamacare and make insurance affordable and available for all Americans, allowing Americans to buy insurance across state lines and companies to promote their insurance across state lines will help.
Keeping our freedom in America is what this election is all about. More Obamacare means fewer choices for Americans. Obamacare means more cost, less medical care options for seeing doctors and more government restrictions on what kind of treatments you will be allowed to pursue.
If more illegals are allowed to flood our nation, it will mean more danger to Americans. Germany is reeling now from the flood of Syrians who went to Germany expecting free health care and national financial support. Nobody in America wants our country to become a battle zone of Syrians and millions of other illegal immigrants.
With every minute left in this election, American citizens are being exposed to more and more information such as the FBI Clinton Foundation probe. The millions of dollars received by the Clintons during Hillary's tenure as secretary of state will most likely be the subject of investigation for the next two years or more.
A ballgame is never over until it's over. Anything can happen in a day. The American people are being exposed to more and more information. The election may be over with Tuesdays voting, but then will begin the four long years that Trump or Hillary will have to back up all they have promised. We will hope, pray and wait. In reality it's never really over.
Glenn Mollette is a syndicated columnist and author of 11 books.
GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- This has been the year of living rebelliously.
Exhausted, frustrated, disgusted, millions of Americans nonetheless go to the polls Tuesday, possessed, despite all their disappointment and despair, with a sense of hope for the future and a determination to restore respect to the country and its institutions.
Tuesday brings to an end a tortuous and tortured process that has raised questions about the sturdiness of our democracy, the processes we use to select our leaders, the durability of our political parties and the willingness of Americans to be engaged in the vital civic activities of our culture. We emerge from this experience battered and bruised, skittish and skeptical -- and yet still committed to Lincoln's better angels, and of course to better presidential candidates.
This is, to be sure, a moment of extreme pressure on our institutions, spawned in part by those two deeply flawed candidates and amplified by the emergence of a new generation of voters with its own perspectives and priorities and by profound demographic shifts that are rendering old notions of our politics as outdated as the city bosses were in the 1990s.
Some of what the country has witnessed seemed new and searing, but wasn't. The name-calling (Lying Ted, Little Marco, Crooked Hillary), for example, was discordant but not exceptional in our history.
Years before he became president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis was the target of unforgiving opprobrium from Sam Houston, who criticized the Mississippi senator by saying he was as "ambitious as Lucifer and cold as a lizard." In "Profiles in Courage," John F. Kennedy wrote this of Thomas Hart Benton, who served in the Senate from 1821 to 1851: "Pouring out his taunting sarcasm in short, bombastic thunderbolts of gigantic rage, hate and ridicule, day after day, in town after town, he assailed his opponents and their policies with bitter invective."
Nor are shifts in party loyalty a new feature of our democracy. Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said of his 1940 rival, Wendell Willkie, that it was typical of him "to stand alone and to challenge the wisdom taken by powerful interests within his own party."
This is not the worst election we have ever had, though surely it is the worst we have had in modern times. The campaign has distressed commentators and political scientists, but there remain glimmers of hope among the people who actually will decide the outcome. This is not a guess based on anecdotal conversations in this classic swing state but a statistically significant finding in a respected poll. The percentage of Americans who, according to a Colby College/Boston Globe poll, say both sides in the election confrontation should come together and work together is astonishing: 93 percent.
The strains on the two parties have tested their mettle and perhaps prepared them for a raucous future, when the New Deal coalition is dissipated and when old ideas of Republican rectitude are abandoned along with wing collars, bustles and puttees.
The difference between this campaign and others is that earlier campaigns answered questions. The 1932 campaign, which swept FDR to power, answered the question of what the future of the Democratic Party would look like, and the campaign that followed, in 1936, affirmed that the United States would enter a period of government activism. The 1980 campaign answered the question of whether the country would continue on a path of big government, with Ronald Reagan standing athwart decades of trends and bringing them to a resounding halt.
By contrast, this election raised questions that the end of the campaign will not resolve. Here are six among them:
Is the Republican Party, since 1909 the party of the Establishment, going to relinquish that role and banish its own party establishment?
Will the Democrats, since 1932 the party of the poor and striving, take on the tint of the elitist party, its power centers being gentrified urban areas and college towns?
Will the Republicans, within the lifetimes of many voters the party of social rest, emerge as the party of cultural unrest?
Will the Democrats, in recent years the party of insurgency, retreat into a new, sleepy life as the party of the status quo?
Will the Republicans keep the support of blue-collar voters that their leaders spent decades fighting in labor battles but whom Donald J. Trump attracted into their column in 2016?
Will the Democrats embrace the nostrums of Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and surge leftward?
As we prepare to vote, these questions remain unanswered -- and will remain so for months, perhaps years. And, while the insults and invective of this campaign ultimately may be unremarkable -- in years to come no one will care whether Trump abused the bankruptcy or tax laws or whether Hillary Clinton should not have used a private email server -- the politics of the future will depend on the answers to those questions, some of which are interdependent.
For, above all, this campaign has been about rebellion. Rebellion over the status quo. Rebellion over the wealth gap. Rebellion over the power of party leaders. Rebellion over the prerogatives of party establishments. Rebellion over the norms of political campaigning. Rebellion against the conventions of language and manners in politics. Rebellion even over whether a presidential campaign is the proper forum for rebellion.
Campaign retrospectives may change our view of this campaign, but they almost certainly will not change the notion that this has been a year when every assumption, every expectation, every premise of politics has been under siege and, in financial terms, under water.
To all the questions in play above we might add: Is this campaign a turning point in how we conduct our politics, or is it an aberration so odious, so out of character with the country's traditions and aspirations, that the 2020 campaign will look less like the contentious struggle between Trump and Clinton and more like, say, the 1976 competition between Gerald R. Ford and Jimmy Carter?
Like so much in this year of rebellion, the answer will come neither from exit polls Tuesday afternoon nor from the final results Tuesday night. The answer will come from our heads and our hearts -- and from what we expect of our politics and what we demand of our politicians.
David M. Shribman is executive editor of the Post-Gazette (dshribman@post-gazette.com, 412 263-1890).
As the harvest of 2016 gets into full swing, many of us are having flashbacks to last October.
Almost a year to the day, Hurricane Matthew came through and tore up the coast of the Palmetto State, bringing devastation to rural communities again.
We know that 2015 was a year those of us engaged in agricultural pursuits wont soon forget. South Carolina farmers sweated through a drought in the summer and swam through a flood in the fall.
Agricultural losses as a result of the hurricane are less overall than those as a result of the flood, but still they might be worse for some farmers, particularly those in the Pee Dee.
In spite of the dry summer and now (the) hurricane, 2016 looks to still be a promising year for farmers in the Lowcountry with solid soybean and peanut yields expected. In the face of each years challenges, agriculture will continue to push forward.
Im happy to remind readers that agribusiness is still the No. 1 industry in South Carolina, generating almost $42 billion in annual economic impact and supporting over 200,000 jobs statewide. This is a 23 percent growth from the previous measurement and a significant step closer to reaching our 50x20 goal: making agribusiness a $50 billion industry by 2020.
Agriculture in the state is not all about combines, cows and collards.
Agritourism is gaining popularity with over 40 stops around South Carolina. Now in its second year, the S.C. Agritourism Association recently launched the Agritourism Passport program, which guides visitors to farm destinations around the state to collect stamps and earn Certified S.C. swag. These on-farm experiences help reconnect us with our agricultural roots.
The Certified S.C. Grown branding program for our farm products continues to thrive with nearly 1,800 members.
Our restaurant partnership program, Fresh on the Menu, features restaurants that source at least 25 percent of their offerings from local sources.
The 2016 class of Chef Ambassadors showcases the distinct flavor profiles of our state, and has helped put South Carolina on the culinary map by combining creative recipes and authentic cuisine with the art of using South Carolinas freshest ingredients to serve up mouthwatering menus.
In order for agribusiness to maintain its number one standing, we must impact the opportunities of the next generation of farm leaders.
We are working closely with Clemson University to identify helpful programs for new and beginning farmers, as well as niche markets well suited for the small- to medium-sized farm.
The Commissioners School of Agriculture had another successful run at Clemson last summer, bringing the total graduates of this great collaborative program with the College of Agriculture at Clemson to over 400.
I am inspired by farmers across South Carolina who openly express their passion for agriculture and their readiness to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
Just last week, I personally delivered the last check from the Farm Aid fund to a farmer on the upper end of Orangeburg County.
We had a good conversation standing by the pickups about the future of farming in South Carolina -- the opportunities and the challenges. Its visits like that when I am most proud to help lead this industry as commissioner of agriculture.
Working together, we will certainly move this industry forward. Stay tuned as South Carolina agriculture continues to grow.
For more information about the programs and services of the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, visit agriculture.sc.gov.
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By Azernews
By Nigar Abbasova
Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the two countries with a long history of bilateral ties and cooperation, are keen to strengthen economic ties and eliminate existing hindrances.
Iran's former ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pak Aayeen told the Tehran Times that the two countries enjoy affinities in terms of religion, history, culture and linguistics. However, there are still disagreements to address, while one of the main concerns is the difference in customs procedures.
We have differences rather than challenges over customs issues, and it is important to solve them since any delay may lead to the deceleration of trade between the two countries, he said.
He added that the differences are not related to the two countries themselves, but to different standards defined by major international organizations.
Azerbaijan sees itself as part of the European zone and has to meet relevant standards, while Iran is a member of the Economic Cooperation Organization, which follows different standard sets, he clarified. He underlined that narrowing disagreements on customs issues will provide an impetus for stronger future cooperation between the countries.
Iran and Azerbaijan have had diplomatic relations since 1918. Iran recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.
The two countries enjoy good conditions for improving economic and trade relations, while senior officials representing the sides have repeatedly shown determination to strengthen economic ties.
Iran has so far invested some $2.6 million in Azerbaijan, with some $145 million accounting for non-oil sector, according to Tehran Times. Nearly 450 companies with Iranian capital are currently operating in Azerbaijan.
The trade turnover between the countries amounted to $137.65 million in January-September 2016, while $34.91 million of the sum fell to a share of the export of Azerbaijani goods to Iran. Azerbaijan's exports to Iran almost doubled to $14.4 million in the first quarter of 2016, while imports increased from $19.4 million in 2015 to $27 million in 2016.
By Azernews
By Amina Nazarli
Issues related to the cooperation with GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development have been put on the agenda in Brussels.
Head of the EU delegation in Azerbaijan Malena Mard announced about this during the round table dedicated to "GUAM and Visegrad Group: Possibilities and limitations of regional cooperation" in Baku on November 7.
"It is necessary to pay more attention to issues relating to cooperation with GUAM and its member states. GUAM is also Europe and this should be remembered," said Mard.
Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Azerbaijan Vitezslav Pivonka, in turn, said that the purpose of the round table is to strengthen cooperation between the two institutions -GUAM and Visegrad Group.
"There is no country in Europe, which is not concerned about the issue of energy security, and this area is one of the important areas of cooperation between GUAM and Visegrad," he emphasized.
One of the priority areas for cooperation is tourism, according to the Czech ambassador.
"Separatism, which now threatens the entire world, is another issue that should be paid attention," he said.
Altay Efendiyev, Secretary General of the GUAM said that GUAM and Visegrad Group countries work on defining areas of cooperation.
"We have reached an agreement to start work on the preparation of experts meeting of GUAM and Visegrad Group countries to agree on the main directions and priority areas of cooperation. The direction in which the GUAM countries can borrow experience of the Visegrad Group in reform and diversification of the economy, as well as cooperation within the European Union in the field of transport and tourism will be determined during the meetings," he said.
In May 2015 at GUAM's meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Bratislava, the sides decided to move from the traditional format of meetings to more practical and applied cooperation.
GUAM countries can cooperate in the fields of transport, tourism, energy, economy, according to Efendiyev.
"We, as the Secretariat, have expressed our wishes to the Visegrad Group on the importance of these spheres," he said.
Efendiyev went on saying that next year GUAM and the Visegrad Group will be able to reach a new level of substantive political cooperation.
The GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) format was established by post-Soviet countries in 1997 during the summit of heads of States of the European Union in Strasbourg. In 2006, the states decided to declare GUAM an international organization, and it was renamed to the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development.
The Visegrad Group, consist of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary was founded in 1991 as a regional club aimed at strengthening cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe.
By Azernews
By Gunay Hasanova
Turkish and American military chiefs discussed the ongoing fight against Daesh in Iraqs Mosul and the latest situation in Syrias Raqqa in Ankara on November 6, Anadolu Agency reported.
U.S. General Joseph Dunford met Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar at the Turkish military headquarters in the capital.
The meeting between Dunford and Akar addressed a range of issues, according to the message.
"We have had an exchange of ideas on driving the PYD/YPG terror organization out of Syrian city of Manbij, the latest situation in Daeshs stronghold in Syria- Raqqa, Mosul operation and the activities of PYD/YPG group in Syria and Iraq, as well as, discussing the mutual fight against Daesh in Iraq and Syria, especially in Al Bab and Raqqa," the statement said.
The importance of protecting the territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria and carrying out mutual anti-terror operations were emphasized once again.
Turkey also expressed concerns over a sectarian attitude towards the predominantly Sunni population in Mosul.
Recently, it was reported that the Iraqi army for the first time since the start of operations to liberate Mosul has managed to enter the areas located in the Northern part of the city
An operation of Iraqi government troops to regain control over Mosul began on October 17. In addition to Iraqi government forces, the operation involves local Peshmerga militia (Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq). The attack is supported by the international Anti-Terrorism Coalitions Air Force.
Another key agenda point during the meeting, according to the statement, was Turkey's concern about the ongoing activities of the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in the U.S..
Led by Fethullah Gulen, FETO is accused of organizing the defeated military coup as well as a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
Earlier, the Turkish Ministry of Justice officially requested the U.S. to arrest Fethullah Gulen. In addition, the Turkish authorities sent two requests to the U.S. for Gulens extradition.
Prior to that, the Istanbul Court released an order to arrest Gulen.
By Azernews
By Laman Ismayilova
Azerbaijanis will celebrate the State Flag Day on November 9
A number of events are organized on the occasion of this solemn day, Trend Life reported.
Azerbaijan Automobile Federation invites everyone to participate in the parade of class cars which will take place on November 9.
Classic-car owners prior to 1980 edition may register at the Federation until November 8 November (19:00). The participant cars should stay in front of the Heydar Aliyev Center at 09:00.
The car parade will start at 12:00 from the Heydar Aliyev Center and end at the National Flag Square.
For more information please call :
(012) 505 60 03
(050) 295 01 00,
E-mail: [email protected] .
But that's not all!
"Flag march" will be held also in Baku on November 9.
The route of "Flag march" will start from Baku Boulevard and end at the National Flag Square. The event starts at 11:00.
The representatives of the Education Ministry, NGOs, public figures, MPs, as well as teachers and students will attend the march.
The sacred flag, waving above Azerbaijan was firstly raised on November 9, 1918, as the national flag of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR).
After regaining of Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, the flag was approved as the official flag of Azerbaijan on February 5.
In accordance with the presidential decree dated November 17, 2009, November 9 announced as the National Flag Day in memory of the ADR.
The state flag of Azerbaijan represents a rectangular panel consisting of three equal horizontal bands colored blue, red, and green, with a white crescent and an eight-pointed star are centered in the red band. The ratio of the flag's width to its length is 1:2.
The first blue stripe stands for the Turkic origin of Azerbaijani people and its Turkic heritage and is connected with the idea of Turkism. The middle red stripe means building a modern society, developing a democratic and modernized country. The third green stripe expresses affiliation to the Islamic civilization and the Islamic religion.
Polaris Learning, a global training and management systems provider for high-risk industries, will showcase its innovative approach to training at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec).
The event runs from November 7 to 10 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre in the UAE capital.
The company will form part of the SDI Scotland Pavilion, along with more than 60 other oil and gas service companies.
Polaris Learning has been approved for the Business Gateway Growth Pipeline, an intensive 18-month programme which will provide across-the-board support covering business strategy, marketing strategy, research into international markets and IT and website support.
Having been asked to provide a detailed growth proposal which outlined an overview of the business, its core products, markets, competitors and international sales targets, the firm was also required to demonstrate specific criteria including its use of technology and export strategy.
The technology which has already been used by more than 700 unique learners, largely across the oil and gas industry allows firms to reduce training costs whilst simultaneously continuing to promote competency across their respective workforces.
Keith Adam, managing director at Polaris Learning, said: With the support of Business Gateway we are in a strong position to further develop and implement a truly international growth strategy, as well as receiving invaluable advice and guidance on key elements of our business from a fresh perspective.
The business is currently in a period of rapid change and potentially high growth through our work to internationalise and use of new technologies, such as PLUS, to expand our geographical reach.
We are now turning attention towards Adipec, which will be our first major exhibition as a company. It promises to be an exciting week and we are looking forward to the opportunity to catch up with a mix of existing clients and potential new industry partners.
Andrew Mackay, business adviser at Business Gateway, said: We first identified Polaris Learning as a potential candidate for the Growth Pipeline service at Business Gateway given the companys commitment to new technology and supporting people through training and development. We look forward to working together over the coming months to bolster their progress in the expansion of the business. TradeArabia News Service
A delegation of UAE Dignitaries travelled to Ericsson Headquarters in Sweden, where they were given a first-hand experience of Capturing the Networked Society, 5G, Smart Cities and Industry and Society at the Ericsson Studio.
Experience centres are important parts of customer and VIP visits for all major ICT companies. Ericsson Studio goes beyond expectations by providing an all-in-one educational, collaborative, engaging and innovative space to open minds and promote dialog.
ICT services have profoundly changed the lives of billions of people. In the Networked Society, innovation and collaboration will continue to create new ways to meet the needs of people, business and society, said Rafiah Ibrahim, head of Region Middle East and East Africa.
Todays visit is a clear example to show our commitment towards UAE where we continuously work on making such possibilities a reality. Our commitment to UAE goes back to over 40 years since the early 80's after being awarded large contracts to upgrade the land-based network from analog to digital. Throughout the years, our commitment to the country has remained unwavering, and we look forward to continuing working and collaborating with our key partners, for the prosperity of UAE, she added. TradeArabia News Service
Alfardan Premier Motors, the exclusive retailer of Land Rover in Qatar has announced the highly-anticipated arrival of the Range Rover Evoque Convertible.
The worlds first luxury compact SUV convertible, the Range Rover Evoque Convertible combines the bold design and refinement of Evoque with comprehensive specification and a sophisticated folding roof to create a no compromise, all-season convertible, a statement said.
Now available in Alfardan Premier Motors showrooms across Qatar, the fifth member of the Range Rover family combines traditional Range Rover luxury with a distinctive four-seat design and versatile storage.
Rabih Ataya, general manager for Alfardan Premier Motors said: Taking the flagship Evoque model to new heights, the new Range Rover Evoque Convertible features unique design and outstanding engineering. Adding a new dimension to our full Land Rover line-up, we are extremely excited to make this new convertible accessible to our customers in Qatar and give them the chance to finally get their hands on this stunning vehicle.
Bruce Robertson, managing director of Jaguar Land Rover Mena said: Engineered to meet Land Rovers most rigorous standards, the Range Rover Evoque Convertible is underpinned by our brands all-terrain capability and offers customers an all-season vehicle that will fit perfectly into their lifestyles here in the MENA region. Incorporating bold design, uncompromised luxury, next-generation infotainment and safety behind the wheel, we are confident that the Range Rover Evoque Convertibles appeal will continue to rise. TradeArabia News Service
The model for development of Farzad B field will be finalized this, Iran Daily has quoted the managing director of Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) as saying.
India's ONGC will hold consultations on the economic development model before finalizing the deal, Mohammad Meshkinfam said, according to the report, which cited Shana.
Farzad B field can produce three billion cu ft per day of natural gas, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh was quoted as saying in April.
The 19th edition of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec) opens today in Abu Dhabi, bringing together more than 2,000 companies, 25 country pavilions, 700 speakers, 8,500 delegates, and 100,000 trade professionals from more than 125 countries.
The worlds most influential oil and gas event will be held under the theme Strategies for the New Energy Landscape.
Hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and organised by dmg events, Adipec will commence with the official opening ceremony, which includes keynote presentations by Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy; Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Adnoc Group CEO; Mohammed Barkindo, Opec secretary general; and Rex W Tillerson, chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation.
The event spans 130,000 gross square metres of floor space, including a dedicated quay-side exhibition area with live tours of offshore vessels.
Ali Khalifa Al Shamsi, CEO of Al Yasat Petroleum Operations Company and Adipec 2016 chairman, said: Todays energy landscape is driving organisations across the petroleum industry to be proactive and deploy innovative solutions to address todays complex business challenges. Access to credible information and best practice across all industry verticals, from operations to people and talent, is central to this effort. As a premier knowledge-sharing platform for movers and shakers in energy, Adipec has, since its inception, established itself as a flagship event for the global oil and gas community.
Christopher Hudson, president dmg events, Global Energy, said: This annual gathering of international industry stakeholders not only serves as a catalyst for shaping energy policy, but also as a powerhouse for generating business. More than half of Adipec attendees have sole or joint purchasing power, and exhibiting companies range from the worlds largest oil producers and service providers, to manufactures of state-of-the-art E&P equipment. By bringing thought leaders, innovators, and policy makers under one roof, Adipec acts as an enabler of industry excellence.
The Adipec Conference Programme, the worlds largest and most influential speaking platform for the oil and gas industry, will invite government decision makers to the stage in the first of two Global Ministerial Dialogues, which will focus on driving sustainability and shaping future energy scenarios amid an evolving global supply mix.
Ministerial speakers on Day One include Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy; Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Oil for Bahrain; and Mohammed Hamad Al Rumhy, Minister of Oil and Gas for Oman.
Adipecs opening day will also feature one of three Global Business Leader sessions, offering a world outlook for the oil industry, and shedding light on what challenges and opportunities to expect in the short, medium, and long-term economic cycles.
Speakers in the first of the three sessions include Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and CEO of Total; Bob Dudley, group chief executive of BP; Saad Sherida Al Kaabi, president and CEO, Qatar Petroleum; and Claudio Descalzi, CEO, Eni.
Three of eight panel sessions will also take place tomorrow, covering topics on the application of research and technology as a transitional strategy, nurturing and cultivating the next generation of energy leaders, and the resilience of the oil and gas industry in the future global outlook.
Closing the first day, the annual Adipec Awards will announce the 2016 winners of the prestigious accolades during a gala dinner at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi. The distinguished awards recognise individuals, companies, and projects that demonstrate excellence, best practice, and innovation in energy from around the globe.
The exclusive VIP Programme, dedicated to members of the prestigious Middle East Petroleum Club, will provide a fresh outlook to the business world, including global energy market insights from oil guru Dr Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman of IHS Markit, on Adipecs opening day.
Meanwhile, the record-breaking Adipec 2016 Technical Conference, organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), will deliver nearly 700 technical presentations in nine discipline categories, organised across 106 technical sessions throughout the four-day landmark energy event. TradeArabia News Service
Cesi, a global leader in technical consulting and engineering, has been appointed by the Oman Authority for Electricity Regulation as the lead consultant in the technical integration of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems across the sultanate.
As per the contract, Cesi will help develop a framework for the deployment of small-scale grid-connected rooftop solar PV systems.
Oman receives extensive daily solar radiation, peaking at 5,500-6,000 Wh/sq m a day in the summer months, and giving it one of the highest solar energy densities in the world. Despite this, it continues to rely heavily on power generated from conventional fossil fuels power plants (primarily gas and diesel).
Much like the wider region, the sultanate has also seen a dramatic increase in electricity demand, as its population continues to grow exponentially.
This has meant that electricity supply in Oman, from largely conventional sources, has increased by approximately 140 per cent over the past 10 years in response to the increased demand.
But a recent study completed by the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW), in co-operation with German GIZ and the Fraunhofer Institute, established that rooftop solar PV systems installed across the country could generate almost 1.4 GW of renewable energy, going a long way towards helping to meet this rising demand.
Announcing the Cesi appointment, Qais Saud Al Zakwani, the executive director at the authority, said: "As part of our 2016 Work Programme, we are committed to ensure a framework is established to enable customers to benefit from installing rooftop solar PV systems."
"The results of this assignment will provide the building blocks for what we hope would be the start of renewable energy contributing towards Oman's future energy requirements."
Dr Matteo Codazzi, the chief executive of Cesi, said it was a committed partner in helping to provide reliable and energy-efficient power to drive economic growth and development across the sultanate.
"Leveraging on our established expertise in the Middle East, as well as our global network of skilled professionals, Cesi will help to not only develop the technical integration standards for this project, but also lay the foundations for further energy stability and sustainability in the sultanate, and across the region," he added.
According to him, this is one of the major projects that Cesi Middle East has been involved with in the region, as governments increasingly seek to diversify both their economies and energy supply.
The company had earlier served as the consultant to the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (Dewa) in the UAE, on distributed renewables resources generators related to the Shams project.
It also recently served as a lead consultant to the Rural Areas Electricity Company Oman (Raeco), combining the use of diesel generators and solar power in remote areas of Oman.
"It is clear that governments in the region are committed to the development of a sustainable future through the use of renewable energy sources," remarked Dr Floris Hendrikus Schulze, the managing director of Cesi Middle East.
"Projects such as this one help to lay the foundations for the green agendas of each of these countries, and solidify Cesis position as one of the leading technical consultancies across the Middle East," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Qatar Airways has announced a codeshare partnership with Air Botswana, offering Qatar Airways travellers enhanced access to three key destinations in the African country.
The partnership with flag carrier Air Botswana will provide Qatar Airways passengers with connections to the cities of Gaborone, Francistown and Maun via Qatar Airways South Africa gateway Johannesburg.
The Gulf airline operates double-daily flights between Johannesburg and its state-of-the-art hub, Hamad International Airport in Doha, with onward flights to more than 150 destinations worldwide.
The new code-share agreement allows business and leisure travellers fast and convenient access to the home of Botswanas rich mineral industry, abundant game reserves, and luxury safari lodges. Botswanas luxurious tourism experiences are complemented by Qatar Airways ultra-modern fleet of aircraft featuring the worlds best Business Class on services to South Africa.
Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: Our new code-share agreement with Air Botswana will offer even greater opportunities for passengers from across our global network, especially from key markets in Europe and Asia to easily connect with popular destinations in Botswana, to take advantage of exclusive leisure experiences.
Codeshare partnerships and airline alliances continue to play an important role for Qatar Airways. We are committed to serving the travel needs of the African market and the addition of Air Botswana flights to Qatar Airways route network is an important expansion of our network.
The Southern African region is an important market for Qatar Airways, with three destinations in South Africa including Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, and on the east Maputo in Mozambique. Expansion in this region is a key focus for Qatar Airways, having launched services to the Namibian capital Windhoek on September 28, with Lusaka in Zambia to follow, and the resumption of services to the Seychelles in early 2017.
Air Botswanas acting general manager Agnes Khunwana said: We are delighted to join forces with a renowned global airline like Qatar Airways to launch code-share services to a number of Botswana cities. This partnership provides Qatar Airways passengers with easy and direct access to a number of key business and high-end leisure destinations across Botswana while providing easy access to Qatar Airways global network for the people of Gaborone, Francistown and Maun when booking directly with Qatar Airways. We look forward to working closely with Qatar Airways into the future.
Travellers connecting to Qatar Airways global network from Southern Africa will have access to more than 150 destinations and will continue to see Qatar Airways expand its global reach, with more than a dozen new destinations added in 2016 to explore. This year, the airline has launched routes to Adelaide (Australia), Atlanta (US), Birmingham (UK), Boston (US), Helsinki (Finland), Los Angeles (US), Marrakech (Morocco), Pisa (Italy), Ras Al Khaimah (UAE), Sydney (Australia), Windhoek (Namibia) and Yerevan (Armenia).
Over the next few months, the network will grow further with Krabi (Thailand) and Seychelles.
Qatar Airways, the national airline of Qatar, is one of the fastest growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world. Now in its 19th year of operations, the airline operates a modern fleet of 191 aircraft flying to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations across six continents. - TradeArabia News Service
A rare example of the passenger aircraft that is synonymous with early jet air travel in the UAE made its final journey when it arrived in Sharjah this month.
The front section of a Vickers VC10, fondly nicknamed The Queen of the Skies, recently arrived from the UK by boat before being driven through the mountains from Khor Fakkan to Sharjah Al Mahatta Aviation Museum.
There it is being added to the permanent exhibits for the UAE community to gain unique access to the cockpit, cabin and cargo hold of a plane that regularly touched down in what is now the UAE and throughout the Gulf in the 1960s and 70s.
The aircraft will be a lasting example of a great airliner known for its ability to operate in hot climates. Only 44 models of the British-made VC10 were ever built, despite it being second only to Concorde in the time taken to cross the Atlantic by a jet airliner.
Manal Ataya, director general of Sharjah Museums Department, said: We are honoured to be bringing this icon of air travel to Sharjah for people of all ages, and especially aviation enthusiasts, to enjoy.
The arrival of the VC10 adds another chapter to the story of aviation in the UAE, and in particular Sharjah, from where the first commercial landing took place in October 1932 at Al Mahatta Airport.
SMD would like to extend a special thanks to His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, for his foresight and generosity in ensuring that this historic aircraft was transported all the way from the UK to its permanent place at Al Mahatta Museum.
The section of aircraft to go on display in Sharjah is from a Super VC10. It was built for East African Airways Corporation in 1969 and registered as 5X-UVJ. It flew on routes taking in London, Nairobi, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, and Kampala.
In 1979 it was sold to Britains Royal Air Force to be converted into a flight re-fuelling tanker and for a further 28 years it operated mainly out of RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Huge fuel tanks in its cabin replaced the rows of passenger seats. In March 2013 it flew its last flight into Bruntingthorpe Airfield in Leicester to be struck off charge and taken out of service.
And now the aircraft has completed the last leg of its distinguished service. The front 40 feet of the aircraft was loaded on a cargo boat in the UK and shipped to the port city of Khor Fakkan, where it arrived in early May. There, it was mounted onto a truck to continue its journey westwards over the Hajar mountain ranges of central UAE until it arrived at the aircraft hangar at Al Mahatta Aviation Museum.
Al Mahatta Aviation Museum is considered to be the first airport in the UAE, which was built in 1932 as a staging post for commercial flights en route from Britain to India. It was converted into a museum in 1999/2000 to tell the story of the history of flight in the UAE and the region. - TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain Duty Free Complex achieved a net profit of $14.2 million during the first nine months of the year, a 24.5 per cent decline compared with last year's earnings of $18.8 million, the company said in a statement.
The main reason for the decrease relates to a fall in investment income where a one-off profit was realised last year on the disposal of an investment asset, Farouk Yousuf Al Moayyed - chairman of the Board - had stated. Basic earnings per share amounted to 11 US cents compared 14.6 US cents last year.
Total sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 were $57.09 million, an increase of 2.7 per cent compared to $55.5 million last year.
Shareholders Equity is $126.05 million compared to $129.5 million last year. The reduction in equity is mainly due to a dividend payment during the year.
In Q3, sales recorded were $20.3 million compared to $19.5 million last year, moving up by 4 per cent. Net Profits were $5.3 million compared to $5.05 million, which is an increase of 6.7 per cent.
Abdulla Buhindi, managing director of Bahrain Duty Free, said: "Profit from investments recorded an amount of $3.7 million compared to $7.3 million last year, representing a decline of 49.4 per cent due to profits earned last year on the sale of an investment property. The investment portfolio increased by 13.8 pre cent to $82.2 million."
He added:" The company has started the planned upgrading of all shops in the departures area, which is in line with the companys strategy to provide the customers with a better shopping experience at the Bahrain International Airport."
Candy Cloud the store which is a home to top toys and confectionery brands was opened in September. - TradeArabia News Service
Qatar Airways will keep investing in new routes and increased services to Italy as the country is an incredibly important destination for the airline, said Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker.
Al Baker, addressing a press conference during his recent visit to Tuscany to celebrating the launch of the airlines flights to Pisa, said once the runway extension at Florence Airport is complete, the airline is intending to start a service to the historic city.
"We are also committed to upgrading the aircraft type currently flying to Pisa from an A320 to a wide body model as soon as we receive more aircraft in our fleet, he said. The Pisa service was launched in August 2016.
Giving an update on the status of Qatar Airways negotiations with Meridiana Fly for a 49 per cent stake in the Italian airline, Al Baker said: We are hoping to have our discussions concluded by the end of January. During this period Meridiana Fly also has to deliver certain conditions and achieve certain targets in its performance. We want Meridiana Fly to be a very strong national carrier with a robust international network, creating jobs for the young people of Italy.
The award-winning airline is flying the Airbus A320 daily to Pisa, the airlines fourth Italian destination, and has been flying to Milan since 2002, Rome since 2003, and Venice since 2011.
The airline now offers six daily frequencies to Italy: two to Milan and Rome and one each to Venice and Pisa.
The new daily flight to Pisa has increased the airlines weekly flights from Doha to Italy from 35 to 42.
The new gateway connects travellers from Tuscany to the Qatar Airways network, through its state-of-the-art hub in Doha, to more than 150 business and leisure destinations including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. - TradeArabia News Service
The TransGriot is available for speaking engagements, college lectures, panel discussions, media interviews, conferences or Trans 101 education efforts for your school, business or professional organizations.
For local Houston area, Texas or national events, you can e-mail me at transgriot@yahoo.com
For events outside the Houston metro area, I ask that my travel and lodging expenses be covered.
This is separate from my speaking fee.
If you are interested in having me appear as a speaker or panelist, you can e-mail me with the date and details of your proposed event.
Please book as early as possible because my speaking and event calendar slots during the year rapidly fill up.
In todays oil market, a $190 million loss over three months can be good news. At least thats what EOG Resources executives told analysts Friday after the company posted its third-quarter earnings.
EOG was Wyomings largest producer of crude by volume last year. It has operations in the Powder River, Greater Green River and DJ basins.
The Houston-based company reported an almost $200 million loss, 35 cents per share, from July to September. However, in the same period of 2015, the company recorded a $4.1 billion $7.47 per share loss.
William Thomas, the companys CEO, said in a statement last week that despite the low price environment, EOGs been successful due to better well productivity, cost reductions and growth in core areas. Its a refrain echoed by a number of companies, each touting how theyve achieved more modest losses.
Companies like EOG were hit hard when prices for crude bottomed out last year after record highs in 2014. But the first two quarters of this year showed some improvement. After layoffs, bankruptcies and billions in losses, the spot price of crude has finally managed to hang on at just under $50 a barrel. The benchmark West Texas Intermediate closed at $44.13 Friday.
The markets slow stabilization, along with cost cuts and asset divestiture from companies, has drawn down the extensive losses suffered last year. Some are reporting gains for the first time since the bust. Most large companies are focusing on their strongest assets and minimizing risky investments.
Compared with last years quarter, EOGs crude production has increased 1 percent. It averaged 276,000 barrels of oil per day, with lease and well expenses down 18 percent per unit. Contrast that modest increase in production to its exploration and development expenses, which decreased by 32 percent.
The companys natural gas production decreased 10 percent from last years third quarter. The spot price of gas hit record lows over the last year but has climbed back to around a $2.50 average.
Most interesting in EOGs announcement Friday was its promise of additional growth. The company has increased production targets for the end of the year. It closed on $625 million in assets sales year to date and has significantly increased projected production in the coming years.
If the price of crude stays at $50 a barrel, the company will likely increase production by 15 percent through 2020. If the spot price climbs to $60 per barrel, the companys production will likely hit 25 percent growth in that time.
During the third quarter, the company completed nine wells in the PRB in Wyoming. Each well had an average 30-day production rate of 1,560 barrels of oil equivalent per day. In southeast Wyoming, the company completed five new wells, with rates of 720 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
Oil equivalency is a way of measuring overall production of multiple commodities, like oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. It is based on the amount of potential energy in one barrel of oil.
EOG ended the third quarter with $1.1 billion in cash and $7 billion in debt.
Tuesdays Highlights
Tuesday support meetings
Alcoholics Anonymous: 6:30 a.m., 917 N. Beech; 8:30 a.m., 500 S. Wolcott; 10 a.m., 328 E. A; noon, 500 S. Wolcott; 2 p.m., 917 N. Beech; 5:30 p.m., 1124 Elma, Imitate the Image Church; 5:30 p.m., 328 E. A; 7 p.m., 520 CY; 8 p.m,. 328-1/2 E. A; 8 p.m., 328 E. A; 8 p.m., 917 N. Beech. Douglas: 7:30 p.m., 628 E. Richards (upstairs in back). Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are open. Casper info: 266-9578; Douglas info: (307) 351-1688.
Narcotics Anonymous: Noon, 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 7 p.m., 15th and Melrose, at the church. Web site: http://www.urmrna.org.
Democrats offer rides to polls
The Natrona County Democratic office will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please call 234-1992 or visit the office at Atrium Plaza, lower level, 201 East 2nd Street, if you need a ride to the polls, or for other concerns. And be sure to vote.
Caregiver support
Wyoming Dementia Care offers Alzheimers Caregiver Support Groups five times each month. The monthly schedule during November includes group sessions on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. at Life Care Center. Drop-ins to the free group sessions are welcome and respite care is provided. The group sessions are limited to those who provide care for someone with dementia.
For information about Wyoming Dementia Care or the National Alzheimers Awareness Month activities and events, contact Dani Guerttman, 265-4678.
Parkinsons support meets
Rocky Mountain Therapy is offering a Parkinsons Support Group. Join us on the second Tuesday of each month at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 East 2nd Street, Building #500, at 5:30 p.m.
This support group is open to anyone with Parkinsons or caring for someone with Parkinsons.
Our Tuesday, Nov. 8, meeting will have Harry Groves, who will explain how Tai Chi exercise can help with balance, as well as providing a time for quiet meditation.
To RSVP, call 577-5204 and ask for Jerri or Shannon.
Dems party at Ramkota
Natrona County Democrats will celebrate the general election outcome the night of Tuesday, Nov. 8, with a Victory Party at the Ramkota Hotel, 800 N. Poplar St. From 6 to 10 p.m. the Central Committee will host the party for Democratic candidates and their supporters, featuring food, libation and election results from both local and national races.
Natrona County chairman Brett Governanti said the event will start with chips and dips at 6 p.m., and a substantial buffet plus cash bar from 7 to 10 p.m. Two separate video feeds will be available to track election results as they are reported for national, state and local elections. Theres no cover charge, but donations will be accepted.
Wyoming Democrats have fielded a larger number of candidates in races throughout the state this year, with several Natrona County races being contested, including those for state legislature and county commissioner. Democratic candidates for Wyoming Senate seats are Kim Holloway (SD 28) and Robert Ford (SD 30), while House District candidates are Brett Governanti (35), Debbie Bovee (36), Deirdre Stoelzle (37), Dan Neal (56), Audrey Cotherman (57), Michael McDaniel (58), and Laurie Longtine (59). County commissioner candidates on the Democratic ticket are Linda Shogren-OGrady and Terry Wingerter.
For more information about the election night party, please call Mary Hales at 234-4092.
Never Too Old Book Club
A book discussion of young adult novel Bomb: The Race to Buildand Stealthe Worlds Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin will be held at 6:30 p.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at Metro Coffee Co. The Never Too Old Book Club, sponsored by the Natrona County Library, discusses young adult literature with adult appeal. The group is open to both teens and adults, with parent-teen pairs especially encouraged. Pick up your free copy of Bomb: The Race to Buildand Stealthe Worlds Most Dangerous Weapon at the Librarys second floor Reference Desk. Call 577-READ ext. 101 for more information.
Lt. Col. Fred Catchpole, U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, 43, was raised in Casper and has served as a Marine, active and reserve, for 22 years. He will speak at two separate Veterans Day ceremonies on Friday first at 8:15 a.m. at Centennial Junior High School, and then at 11 a.m. in the Tom Walsh Chapel at the Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery.
He graduated from Kelly Walsh High School in 1992 and from the University of Wyoming College of Business in 1996. His masters degree is in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
His father, Glenn Catchpole, was a Navy combat pilot and served two tours in Vietnam. My dads service, hearing what they endured as a young couple, I wanted to serve, Fred Catchpole said. The Marine Corps offered a challenge and an opportunity for me. I was able to do Officer Candidate School in the summers while I was at Wyoming, and upon college graduation, was commissioned the next day.
He has been deployed to Europe, Africa and the Middle East and is currently Deputy G-2/Intelligence Officer for Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa based in Stuttgart, Germany. Two or three times a year, he joins his unit to support real world operations as an exercise or, as conditions dictate, a pop-up requirement.
He has worked for the Casper Police Department for one month as support services director in the areas of training, dispatch, property evidence, records, IT/police technology, public information, fleet/supply, community career services and operational and strategic planning.
Prior to taking the police department position, he was working on a U.S. Department of State contract providing security technology solutions for embassies and consulates around the world. While his family lived in Casper, he was in Virginia 85 to 90 percent of the time, and he was eager to work at a job that is in Casper. Wife, Beth, teaches at Summit Elementary and their children are Jackson, who is in seventh grade at Centennial, and Ella, who is in fifth grade at Summit.
I was happy to continue service in this town and community, which I value, obviously, he said.
What will your message be to the Centennial students on Friday? I think its important, one, to recognize veterans of all ages and times of service, and its also important at the junior high level to talk about service and service to others in whatever capacity that might be at the middle school level. Donating and volunteering sets the tone for service, a lifelong lifestyle or belief in service so when they get older, whether thats the military, donating of time, effort, talents, thats what makes our country what it is.
What will your message be at the traditional ceremony at the veterans cemetery? Thanking those veterans of all generations, past and present, and then I think partly talk about the continued need for volunteer service. Its what makes our military run. The threats today are as challenging as ever from nation states to individual threats. We need the right people at all levels making correct decisions. And as an anecdote, we were able to go to some of the American cemeteries in France the gratitude and appreciation that the French still have for us today is amazing. They havent forgotten the sacrifices of Americans in World War I and World War II. Still today, young and old generations ask for autographs and pictures with American Marines and soldiers.
What is your biggest takeaway from serving in the military for so long? An appreciation for the tremendous sacrifice that both the service member and the family make every day. The service member ... the support they get from their spouse or children or parents or siblings matters, especially in a deployment. The toll and burden that takes on a family, from kids to spouses to parents, is hard. As much as we celebrate and honor what the veteran does and will do, recognizing family is equally important.
This story will be published the day before the election. As a member of the military for more than two decades, what are your thoughts? Just the importance of voting ... in Iraq we held the first free and fair elections in early 2005 the joy and profound respect that they had to be able to finally have free and fair elections just reinforced how important voting is for Americans. Voting is critical. Its what helps define America, so regardless of what party or candidate you support, the process allows us to choose our civilian leadership, which impacts not only our nation but our military on a daily basis.
On Tuesday, Natrona County elections workers will arrive at the office or church, ranch, warehouse or campus before sunrise.
A staff of 275 will be spread across the old county courthouse, where the clerks office is, and 26 polling locations from Midwest to Alcova and Powder River to Evansville, according to County Clerk Renea Vitto.
Heres how the day will unfold:
7 a.m.
Workers at the courthouse start opening absentee ballots by hand and feeding them into a counting machine. That process will take about 12 hours maybe more given the surge in early voting this year.
I was saying we would be done by 6:30 p.m. or 7 p.m., but weve gotten an enormous amount of early voters, so now I dont know, said Vitto.
7 a.m.9 a.m.
Polls open, and voters rush in before work. This is one of three surges that will take place throughout the day.
People will try to get their voting done on their way to work and again on the way home, maybe even during their lunch hour, Vitto said.
The county clerk will start her morning at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds Industrial Building, a centralized polling place hosting several precincts. Then Vitto will return to the courthouse, where she and Elections Deputy Clerk Chris Lindsey will oversee the absentee vote count.
11 a.m.2 p.m.
Lunchtime coincides with the second surge in voting as people stop by a polling place during a break in their workday.
12 p.m.
There is no time for elections staff to take lunch on voting day events that can last up to 19 hours in extreme cases. Instead, they order food and eat at the office.
Im bringing sloppy joes, Vitto said. I dont know about everybody else, but its pretty good usually.
5 p.m.7 p.m.
The after-work rush is the final one before polls close. The end of voting is the earliest that absentee ballot results can be released. If the count is complete, well see the first returns posted on the county elections website once the final election day votes are cast and the polls shut down.
7 p.m.7 p.m.
Throughout the day the staff of each precinct will feed ballots into counting machines. But precinct chiefs will see only the total number of ballots tallied until voting ends at 7 p.m., at which point they can see the results of the ballots cast at their location.
Starting at 7 p.m., Natrona County sheriffs deputies will begin collecting memory cards from each precinct that contain the totals from each location. The 15 deputies will start dropping off the memory cards at the courthouse by 7:45 p.m.
Then they start trickling in, Vitto said.
7:45 p.m.9 p.m.
Vitto said that if everything goes smoothly, results could be released by 9 p.m. Tuesday. But that relies on the absentee ballot counting finishing by 7 p.m. and the memory cards being dropped off promptly.
9 p.m.2 a.m.
If there are hiccups in the counting process or anything else goes haywire during voting results may not come in until much later. Vitto said complications related to how people filled out their ballots delayed results on primary night in August until 10 p.m. But sometimes the count can stretch on even longer.
Ive been there until 2 in the morning, Vitto said. God forbid.
The candidates are both attorneys, leaders in their respective political parties and parents raising children in Cheyenne. Thats about where the similarities between Rep. Mary Throne and challenger Jared Olsen end.
Throne, 56, is a Democrat who has served in the Wyoming Legislature since 2007. Since 2013, shes been the minority floor leader, which means she is in charge of her partys caucus. She grew up in Campbell County her grandparents on both sides of the family homesteaded there and earned degrees from Princeton and Columbia universities.
Jared Olsen, 29, is a Republican. His bid for House District 11 is his first race for public office. Since 2015, hes been chairman of the Laramie County GOP. He was raised in a single-parent home in Evanston by a mother who was a cook and waitress and sometimes had to work three jobs to support the family. He was the first member of his family to attend college, with degrees from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and the University of Wyoming.
The race for HD11 a district mostly situated in the neighborhoods of eastern Cheyenne is one of the most watched in Wyoming, as considerable money is being spent by the candidates and their supporters. The tone of the race has turned negative, with both candidates crying foul at the critical mailers sent to voters in the district.
If Throne is defeated, her partys caucus will be wounded, as her understanding of state finances and other policy issues is among the keenest of all Democrats in the Wyoming Legislature. And her defeat would be a coup for the Wyoming GOP.
Even Wyoming GOP Chairman Micheli has gotten involved in the race. He and Throne have exchanged words and emails.
Matt Micheli told me why theyre targeting me, Throne said. To my face, he said, We think youre going to run for governor in two years, which I found humorous.
Throne said for now shes focused on winning and serving another term in the House.
Micheli told the Star-Tribune he was joking about the governor comment. He thinks Thrones views are too liberal for Wyoming.
Mail against Throne
On Wednesday night, Throne and her family were looking at the latest attack ad sent against her, which had a picture of Throne next to Hillary Clinton, whom Throne endorsed before the Wyoming Democratic caucus.
Mary Throne. Too extreme, the text read.
Throne stared at the photo, looking at her suit and how her hair was windswept.
Then it hit her. The photo was taken in 2015 on the stairs of the Wyoming Capitol. She was standing next to Rep. Rosie Berger, her Republican counterpart. It was the first time in Wyomings history that the majority and minority floor leaders were both women.
Berger will not serve next year, as she was defeated in the primary by a social conservative.
In the attack ad, a graphic artist had removed Berger and inserted Clinton. The legislative badge that Throne was wearing in the original photo was replaced.
In the Photoshopped picture, they covered up the legislative badge with an HRC badge, she said.
The image underscored Thrones support for Clinton, Michaeli said in a message.
Hillary Clinton would destroy Wyoming, he said. The photo simply illustrates the fact that Mary Throne chose partisan politics over Wyoming families.
Clinton at an event last spring said, Were going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business She later apologized, emphasizing her plans to combat climate change and revitalize depressed coal communities. But Republicans in Wyoming were offended.
Throne diverges from her partys position on coal and has been criticized for not being progressive enough by members of her own party. The energy industry has recognized her work on carbon sequestration legislation with Republican colleagues, she said.
The Wyoming Mining Association and the Petroleum Association of Wyoming both wrote checks to Throne. They did not support Olsen.
Mail against Olsen
The quality of some of the attack ads against Olsen have been so poor that his wife threw one out thinking it was junk mail, he said.
Jared Olsen wants to seize your public lands, states one, sent by the Wyoming Hunters and Anglers Alliance.
The ad includes a quote attributed to Olsen: Im not opposed to it Im also in favor of privatization of almost all things if theyre workable.
The quote doesnt state when or where Olsen made the statement, and Olsen said he may have uttered the statement to describe some other government program.
The Hunters and Anglers Alliance receives advice and some financial assistance from a group of left-leaning people who are tied to a company called ELLA WY, a campaign management firm. Throne pays ELLA to access a voter database. The Wyoming GOP calls the ties among the organizations illegal and has filed a formal complaint about the ads with the Wyoming Secretary of State, which referred the matter to the Wyoming Attorney Generals office.
Olsens position on public lands, he said, doesnt involve transferring them from the federal government to state ownership.
Instead, he is interested in state management of small pieces of Bureau of Land Management terrain. If the state is successful, then it could incrementally expand management to more acres and eventually begin managing pieces of U.S. Forest Service land. Hes not interested in state management of national parks, he said.
A recent study showed Wyoming will still be encumbered by the same federal bureaucracy and rules if it managed public lands under a scenario of federal ownership.
I dont have a problem with continuing to study the idea, unlike my opponent who thinks its a waste of money when we study it, he said.
Throne said there are ways the federal government can improve how it manages the lands. But ownership needs to remain in Washington because the lands belong to everyone, she said.
Its unrealistic, and it does risk the loss of public access, she said of the transfer and management movement.
Policy differences
When Olsen knocks on doors, he rarely encounters people who think everything is going swimmingly in state government, he said.
Revenues are down, and government has been cut.
I run into people every day in the district who are concerned about the last 10 years, he said. Theyre more concerned about their state government in general. Theyre concerned they dont have results.
He wants to diversify the economy, which would broaden and increase the tax base. He would consider suspending the wind generation tax Wyoming is the only state with a wind tax as a way to spur development from the energy resource.
He wants to change the method the state budgets, from todays practice of agencies presenting their current years budget, with requests for money for one-time projects, to a practice known as zero-based budgeting. That means the agencies cannot assume they have a certain base of money. The funds the Legislature will grant will be based on their needs and wont necessarily be higher than the prior time.
We need to go through agencies, line-by-line, Olsen said.
Throne called zero-based budgeting a gimmick that the state has moved away from because it is time-consuming. Many of the agencies needs are the same year after year, she said.
Money matters are a concern to Throne, too.
Throne said her voice is unique. She doesnt have to follow the Republican crowd, and as a result, she has questioned the way the state invests and spends money. The Legislature has changed its so-called spending policy, which is a guide on how save and spend earnings from the Permanent Wyoming Mineral Trust Fund, after she pressed colleagues to reconsider it, she said.
If re-elected, she said she will push for a discussion on how to prudently use the rainy day fund.
In 2016, Democrats in the Legislature voted against the budget bill because they disagreed with funding cuts and the way the state spent on construction projects. She said the Democrats budget priorities were more in line with desires by Republican Gov. Matt Mead who said he wanted people over projects.
We have to have a broad discussion of what we need government to do, what our revenues are, and prioritization, she said.
CHEYENNE The state of North Dakota will reimburse Wyoming for personnel costs and expenses incurred by six Wyoming Highway Patrol officers who traveled to North Dakota in connection with the Standing Rock protests.
The troopers, who are part of the special services squad, have been in North Dakota since Oct. 22 and will return Tuesday.
That timeline was agreed upon by the WHP and the state of North Dakota, said Col. Kebin Haller, the head of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
Haller said Wyoming is continuing to pay the officers as usual, and those costs, as well as other costs, like travel, food and lodging, will be billed to North Dakota.
The troopers have been in the state in coordination with other law enforcement agencies in response to the protests.
What initially began as a local demonstration has become a large protest. As a result, civil disturbance and unrest has and is occurring, Haller said.
The protests are over the Dakota Access Pipeline, a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure under construction from North Dakota to Illinois that would carry oil from the Bakken oilfields to distribution points.
Protesters are at a section of the pipeline that is planned to cross the Missouri River and have concerns over the effect of the pipeline on Native American cultural sites and potential harm the pipeline could cause to drinking water.
People from around the country have joined the protests, including several from Cheyenne.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers are under the direction of the Morton County Sheriffs Department, and one of the six has been assigned as the squad leader, Haller said.
The six WHP troopers role in North Dakota is to protect all persons and property, including their civil liberties, he said.
The arrangement for the troopers to go to North Dakota is under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, an agreement between all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands that guides resource sharing during emergencies.
That agreement also outlines how states are to reimburse one another for expenses.
Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead has said the decision to send troopers to North Dakota is not political in nature and is simply a response to request for aid.
Wyoming has not taken a position on the pipeline itself, but we have responded to North Dakotas Emergency Management Agreement Compact request for help to ensure the safety of the protesters, highway users, residents and the workers, the governor said in a statement.
Our response to the EMAC starts with the law, which says, Any party state requested to render mutual aid shall take the action necessary to provide and make available the resources covered by this compact in accordance with the terms hereof, he said, referencing Wyoming Statute 19-13-405.
The reason the states belong to the EMAC is to make sure there is help available when needed, the governor continued. All states benefit from this multi-state agreement, which requires intrastate assistance the language is a state shall provide assistance. It is not a political decision for a state to respond it is a safety decision based upon law and longstanding tradition of states helping one another.
Several other entities have also sent personnel to North Dakota, including the Nebraska State Patrol, the Ohio Highway Patrol, and local law enforcement agencies in Minnesota and Wisconsin, among others.
In almost all of those cases, the decision to send officers to North Dakota has been controversial due to the nature of the protests.
In Nebraska, a group of people delivered a petition of about 8,000 signatures to Gov. Pete Ricketts office last week, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.
Thousands of people also signed an online petition asking Ohio Gov. John Kasich to recall that states troopers, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
Tuesday evening, after Election Days tranquility, new clamors will erupt as analysts with agendas tickle portents and lessons from the torrent of election returns. Herewith some developments to watch.
In the 17 elections since World War II, the winner has averaged 385.4 electoral votes, the loser 145.1. In six elections (1952, 1956, 1964, 1972, 1980, 1984), a major-party candidate won fewer than 100. In the seven elections after 1984, no Democrat has received fewer than 111 (Michael Dukakis in 1988) and no Republican fewer than 159 (Bob Dole in 1996). Measure Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump accordingly.
Republican nominees popular-vote totals this century are: 2000 (Bush) 50,455,156; 2004 (Bush) 62,040,610; 2008 (McCain) 59,934,814; 2012 (Romney) 60,932,152. Measure Trumps total accordingly, bearing in mind that there are 10 million more eligible voters in 2016 than in 2012 and nearly 20 million more than in 2008.
In 2012, Romneys totals in 10 swing states were: Texas 4,569,843 (57 percent); Florida 4,163,447 (49 percent); Pennsylvania 2,680,434 (47 percent); Ohio 2,661,407 (48 percent); Michigan 2,115,256 (45 percent); Virginia 1,822,522 (47 percent); Arizona 1,233,654 (54 percent); Colorado 1,185,243 (46 percent); Nevada 463,567 (46 percent); New Hampshire 329,918 (47 percent). Use these numbers to measure Trumps success at enlarging the Republican electorate.
In 1976, when Jimmy Carter narrowly defeated President Gerald Ford, 20 states were won by five points or less; in 2012, just four were. In 1976, Ford won California and Illinois with 49.3 percent and 50.1 percent, respectively. Carter won Texas with 51.1 percent. Tuesday will show how much has changed in four decades.
In nine consecutive elections (1980-2012), Florida has been more Republican than the nation. Is it still?
In 1976, a majority of House seats were won by 10 points or less. In 2012, most were won by at least 20 points. Watch Tuesday night for further evidence of the extent to which representatives now pick their voters rather than voters picking representatives. And for how many incumbents are defeated by an electorate supposedly seething against insiders.
The blue wall consists of 18 states and the District of Columbia (totaling 242 electoral votes) that have voted Democratic in at least six consecutive elections: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. Will Trump, who vowed to expand the battlefield, carry any of these?
The Republicans red wall (in at least six consecutive elections) consists of 13 states with 102 electoral votes: Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. Will Clinton come close to carrying Texas? Will she lose any age cohort there other than voters over 65?
Will Trumps lifestyle cost him culturally conservative Utah, which last voted Democratic in 1964, and which since then has voted Republican by an average of 36.1 points?
The only Democrat to carry Arizona since 1948 was Bill Clinton in 1996. If his wife duplicates that feat, will this be because the states Mormon community recoiled from Trump?
In 1984, when Ronald Reagan carried 49 states, under-30 voters were the most Republican age group. This year, will it be, for the fourth consecutive election, the most Democratic?
A large and growing portion of voters acknowledge no religious tradition. They were 12 percent of the 2012 turnout and Democrats carried this secular cohort by 44 points. How much support did such voters give Trump, who has vowed to spiritize America?
Will Trump become the first Republican in 60 years to lose whites with college educations?
Will Trump achieve Mitt Romneys 17 percent of the nonwhite vote?
Will Trump hold Clinton in Georgia below the 46 percent that Barack Obama won in 2012?
Finally, Winston Churchill enjoyed the story of the man who, upon receiving a telegram reporting his mother-in-laws death and asking for instructions, replied: Embalm, cremate, bury at sea. Take no chances. What instructions will Tuesday evenings returns give to Republicans about what to do with Trumps approach to the electorate?
SEOUL, South Korea In only a few days, South Koreas biggest scandal in years has done what six decades of diplomacy and bloodshed couldnt. It has united the rival Koreas, at least in one area: indignation against South Koreas leader.
North Koreas propaganda mavens have never been shy in calling South Korean President Park Geun-hye an incompetent, power-hungry clone of her late dictator father, Park Chung-hee and thats when theyre pulling their punches.
Inconceivable a week ago, many South Koreans now seem to be reaching Pyongyang levels of fury over an investigation into whether Park allowed a longtime confidante with no official government role to manipulate her administration from the shadows.
The Norths fondness for vicious threats is generally missing in the South, but the anger over the scandal sometimes partisan, mostly spontaneous on the part of many South Koreans, but more violent and somewhat canned in the North, where carefully cultivated outrage is a state commodity often seems to be in lockstep.
For instance, in wording that North Korea would be right at home with, Ahn Cheol-soo, a lawmaker from a small South Korean opposition party and a potential presidential candidate, recently said of Park: You no longer have the authority to destroy the constitution. You no longer have the authority to stomp on the pride of our people.
Heres how a similar sentiment looked when North Koreas main newspaper recently attacked Park: Its deplorable that the Souths politics have become the joke of the world and its economy and peoples livelihoods are left in shreds.
To be clear, the expressions in South Korea, even at their sharpest, are still a long way from the odious linguistic swamp of violence and sexism that characterizes much of North Koreas propaganda.
The North, for instance, has called Park a dirty prostitute who licks her masters groin, an aging witch, a female dog and an American parrot. Pyongyang has also repeatedly called for her death.
But there has been an uptick in both rage and sexism in the South, especially online, where Park and her confidante, Choi Soon-sil, have been called crazy bitch, chicken head, a slur meant to attack their intelligence, and stupid Gangnam ajumma, a term often used to insult middle-aged women living in affluent southern Seoul. People have also declared that South Korea will never again vote for a female president or trust a womans leadership.
It is not just happening in obscure corners of South Koreas social media or the web, never the cream of public discourse.
Park Geun-hye threw away her authority as (the person) ultimately responsible (for governing the state) to a common street woman of unknown roots, Jae-myung Lee, the opposition mayor of Seongnam, told more than 10,000 people taking part in a recent anti-Park rally, referring to Choi.
Park has lost her authority as president and has shown that she doesnt have the basic qualities to govern a country.
That Park, who has 15 months to go in her single five-year term, should go has long been a mainstay of North Korean rhetoric. But similar sentiments are also emerging in South Korean media.
North Koreas main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, described Park and Choi as two women who have lost their minds.
It also broke down reports that Choi influenced important government decisions, including Parks move to shut down the last major symbol of inter-Korean cooperation, a jointly run factory park in the North Korean city of Kaesong.
This shows to the world that Park Geun-hye is not merely a first-class dog controlled by a large monster that is the United States, but also doubly and triply a puppet manipulated by strings pulled by one Gangnam woman, the North Korean newspaper said, referring to the Seoul neighborhood where Choi reportedly built a fortune on real estate investments.
Kurdish-led Syrian forces backed by the U.S. began an offensive Sunday to liberate the Islamic State groups de facto capital of Raqqa, clashing with the extremists north of the Syrian city and warning neighboring Turkey not to interfere in the operation.
U.S. and British officials said they would provide air support for the offensive, which was announced at a news conference in Ein Issa, north of Raqqa, by a coalition of Kurds and Arabs known as the Syria Democratic Forces.
But it lacked details on how the group dominated by Kurds plans to oust the militants from the city, home to nearly 200,000 mostly Sunni Arabs and an estimated 5,000 IS fighters.
Unlike several successful military efforts to drive Islamic State militants out of cities in Iraq, the Raqqa offensive faces several political obstacles and is likely to be much more complex.
In Iraq, the coalition has a coherent government to work with, but the U.S. and its coalition partners in Syria are relying on a hodgepodge of local Arab and Kurdish opposition groups, some of which are fierce rivals.
The tensions are exacerbated by the presence of Russian and Syrian forces on one side and Turkish forces on another.
Still, the start of the Raqqa offensive increases pressure on the Islamic State group, making it harder for its fighters to move reinforcements between Syria and Iraq. The city, which has been under IS control since early 2014, is home to some of the groups top leaders and is seen as the key to defeating the group militarily.
Islamic State forces already are now under attack by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces on the eastern edges of the city of Mosul, which the militant group seized two years ago when it captured territory across Iraq and Syria for its self-proclaimed caliphate.
The Iraqi forces began their operation Oct. 17 and are trying to push deeper into the city, which is the militants last urban bastion in Iraq.
Iraqs Hezbollah Brigades, one of the main Shiite militias taking part in the government-led push to drive IS from Mosul, said Wednesday its men had taken control of a highway linking Mosul and Raqqa, severing a key supply route between the two militant strongholds.
At the Ein Issa news conference, attended by senior commanders and representatives of the SDF, Kurdish officials said the two anti-IS campaigns are not coordinated but simply a matter of good timing.
We call on our heroic steadfast people in Raqqa and surrounding areas to stay away from enemy gatherings which will be a target for the liberating forces and the coalition forces, and to head to areas that will be liberated, said Cihan Ehmed, an SDF fighter reading the statement.
She said 30,000 fighters will take part in the operation, dubbed Euphrates Rage, and that a joint operations command had been set up to coordinate various factions on all fronts.
I welcome todays announcement by the SDF that the operation to free Raqqa from ISILs barbaric grip has begun, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said. The effort to isolate, and ultimately liberate, Raqqa marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan.
As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction of ISILs caliphate and disrupt the groups ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners, Carter added.
Activists reported clashes Sunday between SDF forces and Islamic State militants north of Raqqa.
SDF forces seized control of six villages and farms in the countryside, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It also reported strong activity by U.S.-led coalition warplanes and airstrikes that hit IS positions. The Observatory also said IS detonated two car bombs targeting the advancing forces.
CHESNEE, S.C. For 13 years, the relatives came together periodically to grieve one of South Carolinas grisliest mass shootings and compare leads with stumped investigators.
On Sunday, they gathered again on the anniversary of the crime this time in a Spartanburg courtroom after an unexpected break led to the man who, authorities say, confessed to the quadruple slayings.
The victims relatives sat a few feet away from Todd Kohlhepp as he was denied bond on the murder charges. It was their first chance to face the man accused of killing their loved ones.
After the hearing, Magistrate Judge Jimmy Henson thanked the families for their civility and composure.
I know theres a lot of hurt ... beyond what a lot of people understand, he said.
Authorities have charged Kohlhepp, 45, with four counts of murder in the 2003 deaths at the Superbike Motorsports motorcycle shop in Chesnee.
Kohlhepps alleged role in those killings was uncovered, authorities said, after a woman was found last week chained in a locked metal container on Kohlhepps property in rural Woodruff.
The murder charges against Kohlhepp represent welcome progress for investigators and families haunted by the slayings at the motorcycle shop. The killings shocked the state and left the victims parents and spouses reeling with each new rumor about a possible motive.
We got em today. We got em today, Sheriff Chuck Wright said referring to answers in the cold case. Im rejoicing that this community can know that four people who were brutally murdered, theres no wondering about it anymore, said Wright, who was first elected to the position about a year after the quadruple slayings.
A Spartanburg County Sheriffs investigative report from Saturday says Kohlhepp confessed to investigators that he shot and killed the owner, service manager, mechanic and bookkeeper of the motorcycle shop, giving details only the killer would know.
Now, investigators fear theyll make more disturbing discoveries as they unwind a hidden crime spree that unfolded over more than a decade.
Kohlhepp is also charged with the womans kidnapping, and prosecutors say more charges are expected. Authorities say Kohlhepp is a suspect in at least three other deaths.
Authorities were searching again Sunday on the suspects 95-acre Woodruff property. Wright says Kohlhepp has shown investigators where he says he buried two other victims there.
Those are in addition to the body found Friday at the site. Authorities identified that victim as 32-year-old Charles Carver, the boyfriend of the woman found Thursday. Carver died of multiple gunshot wounds after he and the woman went missing at the end of August.
The Associated Press is not naming the woman because the suspect is a sex offender, though authorities have not said whether she was sexually assaulted.
In Spartanburg, Kohlhepp appeared in an orange jumpsuit for the brief bond hearing and declined to make a statement. He didnt have an attorney.
After Kohlhepp left the courtroom, Henson told the family members that they would have a chance later to address Kohlhepp in court.
Before Kohlhepp emerged as a suspect, investigators have said all four victims were killed with the same pistol. They have theorized that the killer came in the back and killed mechanic Chris Sherbert, 26, as he worked. Bookkeeper Beverly Guy, 52, was found just outside the bathroom in the middle of the showroom.
Thirty-year-old shop owner Scott Ponder was found just outside the door in the parking lot. He was Guys son. Brian Lucas was in the doorway of the shop.
Kohlhepp was released from prison in Arizona in 2001. As a teenager, he was convicted of raping a 14-year-old neighbor at gunpoint and threatening to kill her siblings if she called police.
Kohlhepp had to register as a sex offender. That didnt stop him from getting a South Carolina real estate license in 2006, building a firm and maintaining the appearance of normalcy.
There are many requirements for running a successful business. One often overlooked task involves your competition. A competitive market analysis can generate revenue, reduce expenses and improve your profitability.
I spoke with Carol Shaugnessy, president of SCORE Southern Arizona, and learned the following:
It is imperative to have an open mind. Go into it understanding we can all learn something.
Start with a few of your biggest competitors and examine everything you can.
What products and services do they provide? Which target markets do they serve, and what marketing channels are they using? Can you identify good niche markets they may have overlooked? What did they do differently last year? Did they offer a new product or service or find a new industry to serve? How does your pricing compare to theirs?
Which online review sites are they using, and how are they getting those online reviews? How does your website compare to theirs? What can you learn from your competitors systems and processes? Are they using new technologies to increase productivity?
Ultimately, you want to adopt a few things they are doing really well and incorporate that into your business. Also look for their areas of weakness which might allow you a competitive advantage.
Staying in touch with your competition can create great opportunities, as well. Maybe you can refer overflow business to each other, or team up on a large project.
Imagine you found out one of your competitors is going out of business. Would they sell you their business assets for a good deal? Consider buying their customer list, phone number and website at a discount, too. If you are looking to hire more people, could you hire their best talent? Get creative and think outside the box.
Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems has been awarded a $178 million Navy contract to provide advanced ship-defense missiles for the U.S. Navy and several allies.
The contract calls for procurement of 186 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile Block I complete rounds, plus inert operation missiles, spare components, shipping containers and other production-related support, according to a Pentagon contract notice.
The contract includes foreign military sales to Spain, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, and about a third of the work will be performed in Tucson with the rest performed at various contractor and customer sites in the U.S. and Germany, Australia, Canada, Norway, Spain and the Netherlands.
Comedy, good comedy, walks a razors edge, ready to teeter into tragedy at any moment.
Uncle Vanya, now onstage at The Rogue Theatre, is good comedy.
Really good comedy.
Its sometimes hard to see the humor in an Anton Chekhov play. Though he always insisted his works were comedies, many directors embrace the darker, drama-heavy side of his works.
Not so the Rogues Joseph McGrath. He has set the play in the time it was written pre-revolutionary Russia and allowed both the humor and the drama to emerge organically.
The result is a clean, mesmerizing production of Uncle Vanya, one where the comedy comes easily, and the tragedy becomes punctuated because of that.
Uncle Vanya is not an easy play to do. Heck, just pronouncing the Russian names is a challenge.
Chekhov, who called it scenes from a provincial life, has brought together characters who have these in common: A terrible restlessness, an extreme ennui, and deep disappointment.
The Rogues cast has embraced all that without ever neglecting the humor, which is dark and frequent and much needed.
They all are together in a country estate, where they wander from room to room and wallow in their exhaustion and boredom with their lives.
Vanya has long cared for the estate with his niece, Sonya. The nanny Marina and Vanyas mother also live there.
They had been just fine as they slogged through their daily chores never really acknowledging or caring about the tedium that defined their lives.
But then Professor Serebryakov and his beautiful young wife, Yelena, move in. Passions are aroused, jealousies explode, dissatisfaction wafts over and settles on them with a thud.
There is much to celebrate about this production, and at the top of the list are Matt Bowdren, Ryan Parker Knox and David Weynand.
Bowdren is the alcoholic Dr. Astrov, who comes to the estate to see to a few of the professors many ills. He is an infrequent visitor there, but once he meets the beautiful Yelena, he finds a reason to come by almost daily. The characters passion for forestry, his exhaustion with caring for patients, and his constant introspection, wrap around Bowdren like a rich cloak. Because of him, we know Astrov, we ache for him, laugh at him.
Vanyas weakness for Yelena, his desperation about a life not well lived and deep longing for some purpose, become palpable in Knoxs hands.
Weynands professor is full of aches and self-importance. We dislike him. We are amused by him. We are horrified by him. Weynand is riveting.
Grace Kirkpatricks Yelena is beautiful and icy, but it is also clear she has doubts and vulnerabilities.
Sonya, nearly crippled by her longing for an oblivious Dr. Astrov, is given an aching portrayal by Holly Griffith.
What was gripping about this cast was its ability to easily access the humor in the play without ever sacrificing the tragedy of characters who love but are not loved, live but do not have life.
If you want to laugh, catch a cat video on Youtube. If you want your comedy with nuance and depth, see the Rogues Uncle Vanya.
Tucson High Magnets orchestra students usually stick to the classical stuff.
But some of them had a chance to take their string jams to indie folk, when a local musician invited them to participate in a song for his bands album.
Eight students, four of whom have since graduated, participated in a recording session for the band, The Long Wait, in April. The fruits of their labor, Something (All Around the World), came out last week on the bands 10-track release.
It was a great opportunity to go in and do live recording, said Victor Molina, 17, who was part of the project as a cellist.
The students got the chance after frontman Bjorgvin Benediktsson, a Tucson transplant from Iceland, reached out to the co-director of the Tucson High orchestra, Jessica Breen.
Students sometimes perform outside of the school in exchange for tax credit donations, Breen said. But this is the first time they got to record a song and thats an incredibly rare experience for high school musicians. It could help them down the road should they choose to become music majors in college.
The studio experience was amazing, she said. They got a real-life recording experience.
The recording took place at Saint Cecilia Studios, where the students recorded several takes. They rehearsed with Benediktsson and his bandmate, Liz Cerepanya, and also Bob Hanshaw, who wrote the string arrangement for the song prior to recording.
Benediktsson, who describes himself as a music entrepreneur, said he was envisioning something bigger and more interesting for the song. The string arrangement really made that happen.
It was just amazing to see how much it flushed out the entire production, he said.
Angie Valencia and Isabel Verdugo, who also participated in the recording, said they were anxious at first going into the project. Its really different when you hear yourself playing, Valencia said.
In the end, the students said they were satisfied with the outcome. I like the way it came out, Verdugo said.
Valencia, a senior, said she will go on to study music education in college. Verdugo, a junior, hasnt decided yet. Of the four students who graduated since the project, three have gone on to study music in college.
Molina, the cellist, said he would pursue a career in biomedical engineering. But music will always be a part of his life. He wants to give free private lessons to kids in need.
The live recording experience with The Long Wait also opened him up to the world of being a cellist for hire. Molina said hes willing to bring his cello skills to other genres in the future. Ill totally do country.
For more about the band or to purchase its new release go online to thelongwait.com
If theres any chance of the current 3-2 board of supervisors Democratic majority swinging Republican, its in the District 3 race. In the race, Democratic incumbent Sharon Bronson, who was first elected to the board in 1996, faces Republican challenger Kim DeMarco.
Bronson has incumbency on her side, as well as a district that has far more registered Democrats than Republicans nearly 40 percent of voters just 32 percent respectively, according to recent tallies.
She has also raised nearly $170,000 and had nearly $140,000 on hand at the end of the most recent campaign finance reporting period, the second largest war chest after District 4 Republican candidate Steve Christy. DeMarco has raised less than a third of that and had nearly $27,000 remaining at the end of the same period, according to the most current reports.
Caterpillars move to Pima County, along with several other developments, has been pointed to as evidence that the countys economic landscape is improving. However, some have criticized the taxpayer-funded incentives and other means used to attract businesses to the area. What are your thoughts on the countys recent role in economic development? Would you push for a different approach?
Bronson: I understand that private sector jobs are created by the private sector. However, I believe it is appropriate for the county to play a supportive role in helping the private sector create those jobs. Before I support incentives, I want to be sure the investment we make will provide an economic return to taxpayers. Creating more jobs provides both direct and indirect economic benefits throughout the county.
Recent news reports indicate that the county job initiatives I support are realizing success and that we are third in the nation in job growth. We need to keep moving forward with those initiatives while also simplifying the regulatory and permitting process for new business.
We will continue to invest in key infrastructure that makes Pima County a place where employers will want to stay or relocate.
DeMarco: I think that it is fantastic that new businesses are coming to the county. However, some businesses are receiving taxpayer-funded incentives. These incentives are not sustainable and they are providing millions of dollars in the furtherance of private corporations.
We need to focus on what will bring not only large businesses, but sustain the existing small businesses in Pima County, as they are the backbone of our community. We need to fix our roads and infrastructure, streamline our permitting process and reduce fees and property taxes, to encourage businesses, large and small. By taking care of the countys primary responsibilities and prioritize our spending it will ensure a positive business atmosphere.
Roads, and their often poor condition, are a perennial source of complaints in Pima County. What do you think is the best approach to improve the condition of county roads in coming years?
Bronson: Our roads and how we are going to pay for repairs is among the most significant challenges facing the county. In the last five years the county has spent almost $500 million in repairing, improving and building new roads. The county has undertaken pavement preservation on 225 miles of road, repaired over 800,000 potholes, and has built or will build 45 miles of new roads.
We must continue to focus on road maintenance. I will work to eliminate the state shifts of Highway User Revenue Funds that divert funds from Pima County, move to a more equitable distribution and increase resources for road repairs. Taxpayer dollars should be used to improve the roads in the county. We must also continue our investment in key infrastructure.
DeMarco: First we need to put road repair into the budget as a recurring expense. We need to use the Highway User Revenue Funds monies for road repairs as they were meant to be used. We have received $688 million over the last nine years for road repair, yet our roads are crumbling. The money is not being used for road repair. We need to look at a regional plan using the Regional Transportation Authority that will be a win-win situation for the county as well as the municipalities within Pima County.
My opponent is urging another tax increase. Tax increases are not the answer. We must cut expenses and prioritize spending. Our roads can be fixed and it is my number one priority.
Beyond the issues raised in the previous questions, what is the most significant problem or issue facing your district, and what would you do to address it?
Bronson: Reducing the property-tax burden on homeowners and businesses. Many in District 3 live on fixed incomes and own their home. As a result, property taxes have a particularly significant impact. In Pima County our property tax supports the many functions of county government including our jail and county hospital.
Other Arizona counties can generate revenue from a sales tax, which our voters have rejected four previous times. Also, these other counties, particularly Maricopa, have created separate, special taxing districts for their jail and hospital that generates revenue through separate property tax assessments.
As a result, Maricopa County taxpayers pay higher taxes when all of these other districts are included. Nonetheless, just as we did this year, I remain committed to cutting property taxes.
DeMarco: Beyond the countys poor economic development and disintegrating roads, we face a serious crisis with our sheriffs and corrections departments.
A large part of District 3 is very rural and depends heavily on our great deputies. However, our deputies and corrections officers have not received their step- pay increases as promised in 8 years. Because of this we are losing our experienced deputies and corrections officers to other departments. This loss of experience can be devastating to the safety of our community and can directly affect our ability to draw new business to the area.
This is an issue that needs to be dealt with quickly. We can do this by addressing the nonessential spending in the budget and direct those monies to compensate these men and women as they were promised.
What is the most significant problem or issue facing the county as a whole, and what would you do to address it?
Bronson: Illegal cost shifts by the Arizona Legislature I will continue to challenge the illegal cost shifts forced on Pima County residents and businesses by the Phoenix politicians in the Arizona legislature. Recently, I voted to sue these Phoenix politicians and the courts ruled in our favor. These efforts resulted in $32 million being returned to Pima County taxpayers thus enabling us to cut taxes in this years budget. I will continue to fight these illegal cost shifts.
DeMarco: By far the roads are the biggest issue countywide. Here, I would like to address an issue that is just as important: the mistrust of our county government as evidenced in the 2015 bond proposals failing to pass. It is imperative for the Board of Supervisors to operate in a transparent manner. It is important for the board to listen to the people of Pima County and hear what they are saying.
There is an enormous amount of knowledge among the residents in this county including environmental, education and business knowledge, just to name a few areas of expertise. I will change how the board conducts business. Business transactions and decisions will be done in a transparent, honest and fair manner.
Why should voters pick you over your opponent?
Bronson: I am proud to have called District 3 home for over 30 years. We have strong communities, effective partnerships and a strong embrace of innovation. Pima County is a great place to live, work and recreate. Some politicians and radio talk show hosts think they are able to advance their political and economic interests by tearing down our community. I do not. I am committed to making a difference for the residents of District 3. We will continue to build on our record of creating jobs, strong fiscal discipline, conserving our desert landscape and protecting our water resources that contributes significantly to our current and future economic prosperity. My track record demonstrates that I am committed to making a difference.
DeMarco: My opponent has been in office for 20 years and during that time the countys debt has doubled to over $1.4 billion. Economic growth remains stagnant while other counties in Arizona are flourishing and our roads and infrastructure have been neglected for years. These serious issues directly affect county residents and the responsibility falls directly on my opponents shoulders. My diverse background as a U.S. Marine, police officer and local business woman has given me the experience, knowledge and leadership skills to find solutions to these problems and take action. My experience in contract negotiation, grant acquisition and budgeting will be invaluable on the board. I will be transparent and honest in my actions and will work hard for the people.
The silver mines of the Cerro Colorado Mining district in Santa Cruz County have attracted the attention of miners who worked the narrow quartz veins in sedimentary volcanic rocks for several hundred years.
Located 55 miles southwest of Tucson among the rolling grasslands along Arivaca Road between Amado and Arivaca, the Cerro Colorado Mine is classified as one of the earliest mining operations after the Gadsden Purchase of 1854.
Known for its high-grade surface silver it was worked by Charles D. Poston and Herman Ehrenberg from San Francisco, the former acquired $100,000 in cash to invest in 80 mining claims near the old Tumacacori Mission and the Santa Rita Mountains to the east.
The nearby town of Cerro Colorado consisted of adobe buildings and storehouses. The mine entrance, or adit, was protected by a walled fortification that included a lookout tower used to protect the workings. Poston, managing agent for the Sonora Exploring and Mining Co., and Frederick Brunkow, geologist, mineralogist and mining engineer, used Tubac as their headquarters and actively sought new mining claims.
Poston operated a quasi-government circulating his own paper currency, boletos, consisting of animal depictions on cardboard that was redeemable in silver bars. He referred to his operation as a community in a perfect state of nature.
The Cerro Colorado Mine was also known as the Heintzelman Mine, named after Samuel P. Heintzelman, first president of the Sonora Exploring and Mining Co.
Located in the foothills of the Cerro Colorado Mountains, the mine early on produced $5,000 to $8,000 of silver per ton.
Ore was transported by wagon to Guaymas, Sonora, and later shipped by schooner to San Francisco paying over 50 percent dividends. Some ore was also shipped by wagon over the Santa Fe Trail to Kansas City as a sample to eastern investors of the potential mineral wealth found in Arizona.
Mineralogist and topographical engineer, Ehrenberg described the Heintzelman vein as one of the richest yet discovered in the world. Brunkow assayed ores from the 60-foot level and determined they contained 1,000 to 4,000 ounces of silver to the ton.
About 120 Mexican miners were employed at the Heintzelman Mine earning 50 cents to a $1 a day. A small adobe furnace was built at the site in 1858 at a cost of $250. Roughly 22,800 pounds of ore subsequently smelted produced 2,287 ounces of silver and 300 pounds of copper.
Remnants of arrastras and whims, the devices similar to a windlass used to haul ore to the surface, lay scattered about the mine when John Ross Browne visited the site in 1863. The main shaft was sunk down 140 feet though part of it was submerged by water.
Samuel Colt assumed presidency of the Cerro Colorado Mine in 1859. Production at the Heintzelman Mine was recorded as $100,000 that year.
However, this did not include the stolen ore shipped to Mexico, which some estimate at $900,000.
Known later for his Hartford arms manufacturer of the Colt revolver, he claimed the mine was but a hole to bury money in.
This was after the high-grade surface ore had been removed and the technological conundrums of processing the lower-grade ore below became evident having to rely on the barrel amalgamation process.
Incessant theft and desertion forced John Poston, brother of Charles, to execute the guilty parties beginning with a Mexican foreman, Juanito, caught transporting silver bullion to Mexico from the mine illegally. Rumor continues to this day that Juanito had buried $70,000 of the stolen silver bullion near the mine.
John Poston, along with two German miners, was murdered at the mine by Mexican outlaws.
The buildings and equipments around the mine were destroyed by Apaches after the U.S. military abandoned the area during the Civil War.
During the 1960s, surrounding claims, including the Silver Shield Mine and Silver Queen, later went through a succession of ownership, including Tucson merchant and Pioneer Hotel owner Harold Steinfeld and Walter Bopp.
The mill, composed of six flotation cells, did accept ore trucked in from the Arizona Mine near Ruby for processing. Although, dewatered, structurally retimbered and worked by drifting, the ore was too low grade to mine at a profit.
Perlite was also discovered in the Cerro Colorado Mountains and described as dark gray to pinkish-gray stringers of perlitic glass in rhyolite.
The Pima Air and Space Museum on Monday, Nov. 7, will add to its collection of planes with the Orbis DC-10 Flying Eye Hospital.
The plane is scheduled to arrive at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on Monday. It will then be towed to the nearby museum, where it eventually will go on public display.
We couldnt be more excited to bring this significant aircraft to the museum, the Tucson community and Arizona in general, said Scott Marchand, museum executive director, in a news release. We are honored to be selected by Orbis to be the custodian of this very unique aircraft.
The newly retired aircraft served as an airborne eye hospital for Orbis International, which works to fight blindness around the world by helping countries establish the resources to provide eye care to their citizens. It served as an ophthalmic teaching facility throughout the world.
On its final flight to Tucson, the plane will be flown by the longest serving Orbis volunteer pilot, Capt. William Willson, a retired United Airlines pilot.
The DC-10 was purchased by Orbis in 1992 and after two years of outfitting it became a flying eye hospital. Its first mission was to Beijing, China.
During the next 22 years, the plane completed 299 missions and visited 78 countries. The nonprofit retired the plane in June after putting its new MD-10 into service.
Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe of Tucson was among three soldiers the Defense Department has identified as being killed in a shooting this week outside a military base in Jordan in what is described as a very tragic incident.
The department said in a release Sunday that 27-year-old Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen, of Lawrence, Kansas and 27-year-old Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty of Kerrville, Texas, also died Friday after the convoy they were in came under fire as it entered a Jordanian military base at Jafr.
McEnroe, 30, had more than eight years of service, according to the United States Army Special Operations Command public affairs office. He was serving his third overseas tour.
During his career, he received several awards, including the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
McEnroe was born in Colorado in 1986 and moved with his family to Tucson in 1995.
His mother Linda Frost, who lives in Tucson, said McEnroe loved to play guitar, enjoyed fashion and travel and had an incredible sense of humor.
He was a little bit of a class clown in school, Frost said. McEnroe attended Green Fields Country Day School. When he walked into the room, he had this magnetism.
Frost said McEnroe was already two years in at University of Colorado, Boulder, when he decided he wanted to join the Army.
We dont really have a military background, Frost said. He just said he wanted to make a difference and become a Green Beret.
McEnroes brothers, Nick and Chris McEnroe live in Nashville, Tennessee. His father, Brian McEnroe lives in Florida.
The Defense Department says the soldiers were assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.
McEnroes body is being flown to Dover, Delaware, Monday, Nov. 7. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
A celebration of McEnroes life will be held in Tucson in January, Frost said.
In the meantime, the family asks that donations be made in memory of McEnroe to the Chapter 38, Special Forces Association at sfa38.org
OPINION: "Dickens' famous passage about an earlier fraught time captures this knife-edge moment: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us...'" writes Tucsonan Brent Harold.
Help India!
By IANS,
Cairo : Egypts ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi will go on trial Jan 28 over charges of a 2011 prison break, media reported Thursday.
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Morsi will stand trial along with more than 130 other Muslim Brotherhood members, members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, and Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah for storming the Wady al-Natroun prison.
They will be tried for kidnapping, and killing police officers during the 2011 uprising that toppled his predecessor Honsi Mubarak, Xinhua reported.
The trial will be the third announced for the Islamist leader, as he faces additional charges related to inciting violence and murdering protesters outside the presidential palace in early December 2012.
He will be tried also over espionage charges along with Brotherhood chief Mohamed Badei and Badeis two deputies Khairat al-Shater and Mahmoud Ezzat, former parliament speaker Saad al-Katatni and others.
These top Islamist leaders were accused of spying and revealing classified military information to foreign bodies including Hamas as well as financing terrorism.
The military-installed government designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist group after a blast in the Nile Deltas city of Mansoura killed 16 people last week.
The decision, which might bring harsh penalties, stoked the anger of Islamists across the country, particularly in universities which witnessed almost daily protests against the army and the interim government.
The Egyptian law on terrorists stipulates five years term for participants in protests organised by a terrorist group. The perpetrators punishment may go up to execution, hard labour or life imprisonment if terrorism is one of the means used to achieve or carry out the purposes of the group.
Thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members and top leaders, including Morsi himself, were detained over inciting violence and murder since the army toppled the Islamist leader in July announcing a roadmap to be implemented in autumn with the presidential and the parliamentary elections.
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BSP to remain aloof, to contest on its own
By Faisal Fareed, Twocircles.net
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Lucknow: In backdrop of Samajwadi Partys silver jubilee celebrations on Saturday in Lucknow, voices of forming Grand Alliance on lines of Bihar are gaining ground in Uttar Pradesh.
A bruised SP has offered an olive branch to all old socialists for coming on one stage to defeat communal forces. The occasion was on November 5 to celebrate the silver jubilee as an excuse for cementing the relationship.
Such alliances always crop up before elections in Hindi belt. This time the call is from Mulayam for the unity of all followers of Lohia, Gandhi and even Charan Singh. The old socialists have a habit of joining hands quickly only to part ways immediately.
The celebrations were attended by JD (S) leader and former PM H D Dewegowda, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, JD (U) president Sharad Yadav, INLD leader Abhay Chautala, RLD chief Ajit Singh and all of them exhorted Mulayam to take up the cudgels against communal forces and lead the front. According to them Mulayam should come forward and unite all the secular forces in the country.
The combination does not appear to be so simple. There are hiccups in it. Even efforts are being done to include Congress as its poll manager Prashant Kishore has held meeting with Mulayam and Shivpal but Akhilesh refused to meet him on Saturday.
The need for a grand alliance
The power tussle in SP has weakened it both politically and morally for the polls forcing it come on its knees for an alliance. BJP on the other hand is rejuvenated after 2014 Lok Sabha victory. Even Congress has realised after the much propaganda of poll management by Prashant Kishore that it needs an alliance for sailing through the polls. Other smaller parties like JD (U), RLD and even RJD are always open to alliance as they have nothing to lose. Caste based parties as Bhartiya Samaj Party, Apna Dal, Mahan Dal find it a good opportunity to extract their pound of flesh. For all of them, a weakened SP has created a situation where they can dictate their terms for a coalition.
SP understands that leaders like Sharad Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav may not have vote in the state but are crowd puller. Further a Grand Alliance like situation gives the psychological edge in poll battle when confronting a strong opposition. It also elevates the position of party leaders when fighting unitedly.
What is the equation?
The probable parties for coalition include mainly Congress, RLD of Ajit Singh and SP. In 2012 Congress contested on 355 seats and won 28 seats with 11.65 % of votes, RLD contested on 46 seats, won nine seats with 2.33 % votes while SP contested on 401 seats and won 224 seats with 29.13 % vote share. Other minor parties who have tall leaders but virtually nil vote share in UP include JD (U), RJD and even Communists.
Sadly in politics mathematical calculations do not work. Merely adding up the vote percentage cannot give results instead of caste equations. Now Congress has virtually no fixed vote bank. Its 28 MLAs won mainly on two factorspersonal appeal and local caste equations with hardly any issue of Congress. Hence transfer of Congress vote bank is totally ruled out as the grand old party has leaders but not voters. SP has Muslims and Yadavs while RLD still has a section of Jats in Western UP. These groups may give leverage in a possible tie-up.
What are the other alliances that can work?
Not ready to be left behind, BJP has already stuck alliance with Bhartiya Samaj Party led by Om Prakash Rajbhar who commands a following among Rajbhar voters. Apna Dal faction has been taken into fold by inducting Anupriya Patel in ministry with an eye on Kurmi voters. Talks are also on with other smaller caste based parties.
Peace Party of Dr Ayub which won four seat in 2012 and has clout among weaver section of Muslims has already tied up with Mahan Dal of Keshav Prasad Maurya who has following among Maurya, Kushwaha, Shakya communities. This tie up has been reportedly done at the behest of PK and is likely to end up as part of Grand Alliance.
The parties that remain aloof
Bahujan Samaj Party is keeping itself away from any possible tie-up. The reason that its vote gets transferred while voters from its alliance partners do not vote for BSP. In present scenario BSP is seeing a golden opportunity to get Muslim votes after weakening of SP and is harping on formidable equation of Dalit-Muslim voters. In the past BSP has entered into alliance twice once in 1993 with SP which ended on a bitter note in form of guest house incident and in 1996 with Congress which failed to increase its vote share.
Another party led by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen cannot be ignored as if it cannot win at least it can easily be the factor of defeat in many segments.
Why Bihar-like Grand Alliance is not feasible in UP
Though part of Hindi belt, political situation is totally different for repeating the success of Grand Alliance. In Bihar, there was bipolar contest between BJP led NDA and Grand Alliance leaving little diversion of votes. In UP, there are parties like BSP who will contest independently making it multi-cornered contest. Bihars Grand Alliance had the edge of Sushasan of Nitish Kumar as CM and caste equation of Lalu Prasad. Here both will be missing as there are multiple CM facesSheila Dixit of Congress, Jayant Choudhary of RLD and Akhilesh Yadav of SP. Yadavs are more in Bihar making things easier for Lalu while here there number is not much to become an effective force. Smaller parties will play spoilsport in UP as their role becomes important by eroding votes.
The most difficult task will be ticket distribution in Grand Alliance. SP has now nearly 230 MLs who are sitting legislators. It is not easy to deny them ticket. Further those who came second will also stake claim making it more difficult. Sharing up seats with other political parties will jeopardize the chances of majority of SP leaders which will result in defection and groupism. It will not be an easy task to pacify the major players in the Grand Alliance during ticket distribution. Questions will be raised over handing over seats to virtually non existent parties as JD (U) and RJD.
Most importantly Mulayam has lost the credibility of becoming leader of any Grand Alliance after his pull out from Bihar. His political image has taken a beating and it will not be an easy task to restore the confidence. Comments by SP leaders joining Grand Alliance in Bihar was like signing death warrant and Nitishs remark that Mulayam is VC of University of Secularism is still afresh. Nitish too has ambition of being the leader of any anti BJP front which may have clash with Mulayams claim. Nitish was not present during the silver jubilee celebrations in Lucknow.
Help India!
By Shafeeq Hudawi, Twocircles.net
Kozhikode: On Friday, in an unfortunate case which alarmed the Muslim leaders of the state, a newborn was denied breast milk by the father under the influence of a spiritual leader.
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Aboobacker Siddique, a middle aged man hailing from Omassery in Kozhikode, along with 75-year-old preacher Hydrose Thangal Musthirivalappu was arrested by the police on Saturday following an order issued by district collector N Prasanth and Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights member Nazeer Chaliyam.
The superstitious father reportedly refused to let his wife breastfeed their newborn kid for more than 22 hours. The baby, born around 1.30pm on Wednesday, was not fed till 12.15pm the next day despite the intervention by hospital staff, police and other health officials. A video that spread in social media soon after the incident showed the father saying that the infant should be breastfed only after five azan calls to prayers.
According to activists, malpractices including sorcery and black magic have been practised in Kerala among Muslims like any other sect. In 2014, a woman was killed by a priest during sorcery in Kerala leading to widespread agitations and marches against black magicians. However, the current incident has come as a shock for Muslim leaders in Kerala, and they say they will raise awareness among believers against such misleading spiritual leaders.
Who is the controversial preacher?
Hydrose Thangal has been practising at Kalanthod near Mukkam in Kozhikode district. According to Ithihadu Shubbanil Mujahideen (ISM), the youth outfit of Kerala Nadwathul Mujahideen leader Nizar Olavanna, Hydrose is not the lone Muslim preacher, who exploits the belief of the common men.
People belonging to all religions use to visit this preacher. That priests preach superstitions is an open secret. But, none dares to take on them fearing they will hurt communal sentiments, Nizar says.
ISM, however, took a march to the house of Hydrose Thangal demanding action against spiritual trade centres that exploit common man.
According to Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation (SKSSF) state general secretary Sathar Panthalloor, backwardness in the region and lack of proper education have a role to play in such atrocious comments being made. Sathar, who condemned the deed citing Islam doesnt allow such practices at any cost said People drift towards this kind of centres while they succumb to weaknesses due to various personal problems. These centres take advantage of the misbelief of the common men.
According to a local journalist who spoke to Twocircles.net on the condition of anonymity, Kalanthod is infamous for such preachers and their irregularities and has two other preachers, Kareem Musliyar and PKS Thangal, who work on similar lines. People from various districts, mostly from Malappuram and Kasargod flock to the duo for treatment, he said.
Locals here dont know where they came from. They are called Thangal referring to the relatives of Prophet. But, we dont have much assumption on their hereditary and tradition and no one knows when this kind of healing started here, the journalist added.
Local people here abstain from protesting against the spiritual leaders as a number of them benefit due to the presence of these local preachers.
The spiritual centres are bringing profits to the locality, especially to the restaurants and stationaries. Private buses and taxis are also reaping from the business here as they take people from Kozhikode to here and back to the city from here, he said.
People are drawn towards the centres through the oral campaigns that claim healing and guarantee results.
Meanwhile, Sathar alleged that these preachers were guarded by the fringe groups here despite opposition from the Muslim organisations.
SKSSF had carried a statewide campaign in order to raise awareness against fake healers in the state.
Sathar suggests social auditing as an effective way to resist the fake preachers. Certain limits are there while it comes to enforcing law and taking police action. The malpractice and exploitation could be prevented only through raising awareness, he said.
However, in the wake of the incident Muslim organisations in Kerala have decided to strengthen measures to raise awareness against the exploitation.
The mosques and scholars should wake up to the crisis and they have to discharge their duties by making the community aware of the issue, Nizar said.
The arrested were produced before the Thamarassery judicial first class magistrate court in Kozhikode district and were remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.
Through a Facebook post on Friday, Siddique apologised for his deed saying, no father would ever want to harm to his child. Saying he had been misguided, he apologised for ignoring the importance of breast milk for newborn, and said that they had already given water and honey to the child.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
In the early morning of November 3rd, protestors were met by a militarized police force in Cannon Ball, North Dakota. The citizens of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe were there in an attempt to protect their sacred land from the Dakota Access pipeline (DAPL). The DAPL is a $4 Billion oil pipeline that would threaten to destroy the water supply from the Missouri river. During the Protest, local law enforcement, and other agencies have assembled a militarized Police force along the protest line. They are armed with Riot gear, tear gas, rubber bullets, tasers, and tanks.
Unlawful Shots Fired
I was standing innocently onshore, not making any aggressive gestures, never exchanging a single word with the police who fired at my lower back from their boat.
During the protest, a young ambassador,Erin Schrode, was present and was interviewing a local about the protest and what they hoped to achieve. Midway through the interview gunfire can be heard and then the camera stumbles. Erin Schrode was shot with a rubber bullet by the police for what amounts to nothing more than being present at a protest. Video footage of the event has since gone viral on social media as hundred upon thousands of users across Twitter and Facebook have shared the footage and voiced their outrage over the incident.
After having received overwhelming support from the public in regards to the event, Erin Schrode made an official statement
"I do not wish to divert focus away from the bravery of the Water Protectors, from the power of nonviolent direct action, from the people fighting for their lives and for our futures but I want you to witness the indiscriminate use of excessive force firsthand."
Recently in a statement by thespokeswomen for the Morton County Sheriff'sOffice said that they have no way to prove that Schrode was actually shot.
We dont even know if thats even true,spokeswoman Donnell Preskey said, Were not confirming that thats even the case.
The event is currently under investigation by the Morton County Sherriff's Office and we will continue to report the details as they are made available.
A rhinopoacher was shot at the UNESCO World Heritage Site - iSimangaliso Wetland Park in Zululand last week. This happened after rangers monitoring four rhino responded to poachers attempting to shoot them with high-calibre rifles.
Terri Castis,spokesperson, said in a statement published by IOL South Africa, that "two men who were carrying high caliber weapons fired at the rhino." One man was shot and the other escaped.
Rhino poacher died from his wounds
Castis also said that a ".375 rifle with a silencer was recovered at the scene." It appears the rhino were shot at, but not injured by the poachers and they fled into the night.
The anti-poaching rangers resumed their rhino tracking on the morning of Friday4th November. The investigation is still ongoing.
2016 one of the worst years for KwaZulu-Natal
The poacher who was shot was wounded and later died from his injuries. The constant risk of being shot and killed while poaching in the Zululand reserves does not seem to deter the killers. According toCedric Coetzee, who runs the Rhino security operations iniSimangaliso reserves, this has been one of the worst years for poaching of rhino. So far this year, 132 rhino have been poached in theProvince of KwaZulu-Natal, and 23 of these were in the famousHluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. The rhinos were killed over a period of two weeks and the poachers operated in a gangthought to have traveled to the area from the Limpopo Province in the north of South Africa.
Inkatha Freedom Party called for life sentence for poachers
In 2015, across the country of South Africa, 1175 rhinos were killed by poachers and there were 317 people arrested, with only 48 of them being convicted in court. - a 15% conviction rate according to statistics reported by SA Breaking News. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP)were so enraged by the death of animals through poaching that in 2015 the IFP Leader in the KwaZulu-NatalKLegislature, Mr. Blessed Gwala, MPLcalled on the government to iintroducemandatory life imprisonment for rhino poaching.
UNCW Ranks Highly Among Best Colleges for Vets According to Military Times
The University of North Carolina Wilmington ranks 58th on a national list of Best for Vets: Colleges 2017 by Military Times, an independent publication for members of the U.S. armed forces and their families. Among North Carolina colleges and universities, UNCW placed 3rd amid veteran-friendly colleges and universities. East Carolina University ranked 43rd and Western Carolina, 57th.
UNCWs efforts to support the educational and campus life needs of our military-affiliated students have gained national recognition, said Bill Kawczynski, director of military affairs. The best testament of our commitment can be seen in our military-affiliated students who are working with the university to strengthen services and support for veterans and military families on campus and throughout our local communities.
Military Times ranked institutions according to factors including culture, academic quality, support for student veterans, cost and financial aid. More than 500 colleges and universities participated in the detailed survey. This is the eighth annual survey the publication has conducted in an effort to help veterans find a school that is a good fit.
In September 2016, U.S. News & World Report ranked UNCW 11th on a list of Best Colleges for Veterans in the South. The university also has received recognition from Military Advanced Education & Transition Guide to Colleges & Universities and by SR Education Group, which publishes the Guide to Online Schools.
UNCW was established after World War II as Wilmington College to address the needs of veterans returning to Southeastern North Carolina. Today, the university is continuously working to increase educational opportunities and support for military-affiliated students. Find information on programs, services, support and student involvement opportunities for active-duty service members, veterans and military families here.
-- Tricia Vance
#MILITARY
#RANKINGS
The death of Janet Reno, Bill Clintons Attorney General, of complications of Parkinsons disease serves as a bitter reminder of two of the greatest atrocities of the 1990s, the military assault on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas in 1993 and the kidnapping of Elian Gonzalez from his family in Miami and his taking back into bondage in Cuba. The latter act likely turned the Florida Cuban vote against Al Gore and handed the presidency to George W. Bush in 2000.
Reno ordered the assault against the Branch Davidian compound after a 51 day standoff after a failed raid by ATF agents attempting to make arrests for alleged weapons violations.
The assault resulted in the deaths of 80 members of the cult, including children. Reno accepted responsibility for the slaughter, but did not resign from her office.
Fast forward seven years later and the way Reno dealt with the matter of Elian Gonzalez, a six year old boy who was the only survivor of a group of refugees who attempted to cross from Communist Cuba by boat to Florida. While Gonzalez was safe in the care of Miami relatives, the Cuban government and his father demanded his return. After a long standoff, Reno decided to comply with Cuban demands and sent armed federal agents to snatch the boy from the arms of his relatives and arrange to have him carried off into bondage in Cuba.
She handed the Castro government a propaganda victory. Elian Gonzalez remains a hero of the Cuban Communist state to this day.
Renos tendency to resort to brute force when the federal government became embroiled in high profile disputes with American citizens was a feature of her tenure and perhaps a foreshadowing of things to come if Hillary Clinton becomes president.
She represented an authoritarian style of governance that relied on using the force of the government rather than arbitration in the courts to prevail, both in the cases of the Branch Davidians and Elian Gonzalez. Her incompetence caused blood, tears, and a decline in the respect of the rule of law.
Mazu culture forum held in Fujian Updated: 2016-11-06 20:28 By Liang Shuang in Putian, Fujian(chinadaily.com.cn)
A symposium on Mazu culture - a custom of worshiping a maritime goddess believed to be practiced by 300 million people in China and Southeast Asia - was held on Tuesday and Wednesday on Meizhou Island - Mazu's birthplace - in Southeast China's Fujian province.
Being the first of its kind, experts hoped to inherit and expand the Mazu spirit to the world.
"The core of Mazu spirit is to establish virtue, to do kindness things and to love inclusively," said Wang Hong, head of the SOA. "It corresponds with our idea of develop the ocean reasonably and protect the oceanic environment."
The symposium, organized by China's State Oceanic Administration, features professors giving speeches on Mazu culture and its values in the modern maritime Silk Road, in cultural heritage and in civilization.
Mazu, originally named Lin Mo, is believed to be a Good-Samaritan type of woman who lived in the North Song Dynasty (960-1129 AD), and died during a shipwreck rescue. She was later worshiped by local fishermen, eventually bestowed the status of a sea goddess by different emperors of various Chinese dynasties throughout the second millennium.
The customs of worshiping Mazu were also brought overseas by immigrants to Southeast Asia and even North America, where temples dedicated to Mazu were built. Sailors believe that Mazu will help them navigate in the ocean and overcome difficulties. Mazu belief and customs are also listed on the UNESCO intangible heritage since 2009.
"There are more than 5,000 Mazu temples all over the world with more than 300 million believers," said T.C. Yoong, head of Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. "Most of them being along the countries of the Maritime Silk Road."
"Statistics show that there are more than 1,300 Mazu temples in Taiwan, showing the omnipresence of the culture in Taiwanese people's lives," said Wu Yang-ho, professor of Meiho University in Taiwan. "
The symposium serves as a core section of the first Global Mazu Culture Forum, and activities will last throughout November. According to the initiative passed during the sessions, the organizers intend to make the forum an annual event to further promoting the Mazu culture.
Doctor gives up comfortable life to serve seniors in village Updated: 2016-11-07 12:53 By Ma Chi(chinadaily.com.cn)
Li Qinru is on his way to a patient's home. [Photo/CCTV]
In an age when money defines everything, a doctor gave up the chance to earn big and instead chose to stay in his rural hometown and help the elderly, reported Xinhua News Agency.
Li Qinru, 54, is the only doctor in Zaoshi village in Qiqin township, Jiangxi province. Zaoshi is the most remote administrative village in the county. With an altitude of 600 meters, the only concrete road leading to the outside world was built in 2012, and the 13 communities in the village are all located halfway up the mountain, with the remotest one six kilometers away from Li's clinic.
Young people have left the village to work in cities, leaving behind the elderly with the average age of more than 70.
It is cold and humid in late October. Li Qinru is eating breakfast when the phone rings. It is an old woman named Li Dianpo. A person making the call on her behalf said that her husband had an asthma attack, and she herself wasn't feeling well.
Putting down his bowl, Li steps out of his clinic with a medical kit full of medicines, a blood pressure monitor and a stethoscope.
Carefully walking through the slippery stones, Li enters the patient's home. He inquires about the conditions of Li Dianpo's husband, prepares the medicines, and hangs up the saline drip for him. He also prescribes medicines for the old woman.
"The couple is in their 80s. One suffers from arthritis and asthma, and the other has hypertension. Their sons are working in the county seat. They old couple come to me when they are unwell," said Li.
While Li was seeing his patients, several others gathered at the door for consulation.
By the time he finished handling all the patients, it was half past eleven. Then it was time go back to the clinic. On the way back, he was stopped by an old man who was walking with difficulty. He whispered something to Li.
"He has used up the firewood and asked me to chop some for him," said the doctor.
Inner Mongolia hosts big data promotion conference Updated: 2016-11-07 13:41 (chinadaily.com.cn)
Officials attend the signing ceremony during the 2016 Inner Mongolia Big Data Promotion Conference held at the China National Convention Center in Beijing on Nov 7. [Photo/nmgnews.com.cn]
The 2016 Inner Mongolia Big Data Promotion Conference commenced at the China National Convention Center in Beijing on Nov 7.
The conference aimed to publicize the regional advantages in developing the big data industry, to attract more investment to boost local cloud computing, and to promote the construction and potential applications of the industry.
The event was sponsored by the Peoples Government of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the Inner Mongolia Branches of China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Inner Mongolia Development and Reform Commission, the Inner Mongolia Science and Technology Bureau, and the Hohhot government.
The event attracted over 500 guests, including 18 officials from government ministries, five academics, over 100 officers from 12 cities and banners in the region, 65 businesses representatives and around 40 directors from industrial organizations and agencies.
During the event, Li Jiheng, secretary of the CPC Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Committee; Xu Shaoshi, director the National Development and Reform Commission; and Bu Xiaolin, president of the Peoples Government of Inner Mongolia autonomous region addressed the conference, and other officials including Zhang Jianmin (vice president of Inner Mongolia), Nashun Menghe (secretary of the CPC Hohhot municipal committee) also attended the meeting.
Trump reaches out to Chinese voters Updated: 2016-11-07 11:59 By Wang Linyan in New York(China Daily USA)
Vincent Xie was excited on Nov 2 when he received a letter from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
"We got more than 8,000 followers in less than one hour after we put the letter online. Now the number is almost 60,000," Xie, founder of Civil Rights WeChat account and PhD holder from an American university, said on Saturday.
"The Chinese community is very excited to see the letter. Most responses are positive."
The letter, signed by Trump and translated into Chinese, stressed the common values shared by the Chinese community and Trump.
"For too long, Chinese Americans have been ignored by Washington," it reads. "I have a lot of respect for Chinese people and Chinese Americans especially. We share a lot of the same values. Work hard. Push our children to be good - no drinking, no drugs and do well in school. Make our parents and grandparents proud of us. Work to build a lasting legacy.
"I will make our schools better and safer," the letter continues. "We will build a wall and make a strict screening process to keep out terrorists. I will lower taxes and bring down our deficit by encouraging American companies to bring their trillions of tax sheltered profits back.
"When this election is over, I will work to bring our country together to be greater than before," Trump said. "But this can only happen with your help! Help me make America great again!"
The letter encourages viewers to make donation varying from $6 to $200.
A day before Election Day, the grueling race between Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton has become even more intense since the FBI announced it was reopening its investigation of Clinton's newly discovered emails on Oct 28. But on Sunday, FBI Director James Comey said nothing was found that would have any criminal consequences.
In the latest RealClearPolitics.com average of polls, Clinton holds a lead of 46.6 percent to 44.8 percent for Trump.
The Chinese-American community, with a population of more than 4 million, which accounts for nearly a quarter of the Asian-American population in the US, according to a Pew Research report in 2013 has become a battleground for minority votes from both sides.
With widespread and easy access to Chinese followers, WeChat has become a good channel to reach potential voters.
Xie said he received the letter from Trump after he asked for it when someone from Trump's campaign team approached Xie, telling him that Trump's campaign appreciated the support from the Chinese-American community and wanted to reach out to more Chinese Americans.
He created the account in California in late 2013. Last month, it has about 2.38 million different views. Between Nov 2, 2015 and Nov 1, it has more than 15.23 million different views.
And 76.4 percent of the followers live in the US, according to its recent survey.
Xie said he supports Trump because of the Supreme Court.
"The Supreme Court is the most important issue in this campaign," said Xie.
"I don't like SCA-5. I believe everyone should be judged only by the content of their character instead of their color. Now Dems are going the opposite way."
Senate Constitutional Amendment 5 in California would ask voters to consider removing California Proposition 209's ban on using race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in recruitment, admissions and retention programs at public universities and colleges in the state.
"In my opinion, candidates should respect each other and supporters of candidates should respect each other," he said.
Cliff Li, advisor of the Asian Pacific American Advisory Committee for the Trump campaign, said Americans are "polarized" politically.
"The momentum is good for Trump," said the executive director of the National Committee of Asian American Republicans who lives in both South Florida and the Greater Washington area. "Hillary has more offices in swing states and more surrogates than Trump has. But her advantage is declining."
"I dislike Trump's temperament, but I feel he's the one, between Hillary and Trump, to bring the country in the right direction," said Li, citing Trump's 100-day contract with the American voter and Hillary's plan for the first 100 days.
Trump released a plan on Oct 22 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which included proposing a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress and a five-year ban on White House and congressional officials becoming lobbyists after they leave government service.
Clinton pledged in her 100-day plan to make the boldest investments in American infrastructure since Dwight D. Eisenhower.
On Saturday, several leaders from the Chinese, Latino and African-American communities in New York held a rally in support of Trump in front of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
Daniel Lou, co-founder of the Chinese American Alliance for Trump and co-chair for Saturday's rally, said he decided to support Trump when he heard Trump make his nomination acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
"Trump said he wants to break political correctness and restore law and order. It's very important to the US," said Lou.
For Tian Wang, founder of Chinese Americans for Trump (CAFT) and one of his Asia Pacific advisers, said it is most urgent for Trump to win votes in swing states.
On Saturday, he had CAFT leaders from Connecticut, Washington and Pennsylvania chapters and volunteers visiting households in Pennsylvania to get votes out for Trump.
"We visited 15,000 houses, I think Trump has 60 percent chance to win Pennsylvania," Wang said. "I think Trump cares about Chinese Americans. If he wants to get their votes, he should talk more to them."
wanglinyan@chinadailyusa.com
FBI clears Clinton in latest email review before election Updated: 2016-11-07 09:19 (Agencies)
US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton acknowledges the crowd at a campaign rally in Cleveland, Ohio, US Nov 6, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
WASHINGTON - The FBI said on Sunday it stood by its earlier finding that no criminal charges were warranted against Democrat Hillary Clinton for using a private email server for government work, lifting a cloud over her presidential campaign two days before the US election.
FBI Director James Comey made the announcement in a letter to Congress, saying the agency had worked "around the clock" to complete its review of newly discovered emails and found no reason to change its July finding.
"During that process, we reviewed all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state," Comey said. "We have not changed our conclusions expressed in July."
A law enforcement source told Reuters the decision closes the FBI probe of Clinton's email practices.
Comey informed Congress of the newly discovered emails more than a week ago, throwing the race for the White House into turmoil and eroding Clinton's lead over Republican candidate Donald Trump in the final stretch before Tuesday's vote.
"We're glad this issue is resolved but for the record, this could easily have been learned before 1st letter was sent," Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon wrote on Twitter.
Republicans, however, did not ease up on their criticism of Clinton.
"She simply believes she's above the law and always plays by her own rules," House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement, arguing that Clinton's use of a private email server "compromised our national security."
US stock index futures rose more than 1 percent after the FBI announcement, suggesting Wall Street is poised to end its longest skid in more than three decades. The US dollar also jumped in Asian trading against the yen, euro and Swiss franc.
Global financial markets last week slipped as polls showed the presidential race tightening.
German prosecutors investigate Facebook over hate postings Updated: 2016-11-07 10:19 (Agencies)
A 3D-printed Facebook logo is seen in front of a displayed stock graph in this illustration taken November 3, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
BERLIN - German prosecutors are investigating Mark Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives, a spokesman for the Munich prosecutor's office said on Friday, following a complaint alleging the company broke national laws against hate speech and sedition by failing to remove racist postings.
The spokesman declined to provide further details. German attorney Chan-jo Jun had filed a complaint with prosecutors in the Bavarian city in September and demanded that Facebook executives be compelled to comply with anti-hate speech laws by deleting racist or violent postings from its site.
Facebook's rules forbid bullying, harassment and threatening language, but critics say it does not do enough to enforce them and has failed to staunch a tide of racist and threatening posts on the social network during an influx of migrants into Europe.
Prosecutors in Hamburg earlier this year rejected a similar complaint by Jun on the grounds that the regional court lacked jurisdiction because Facebook's European operations are based in Ireland.
"There is a different view in Bavaria," his firm Jun Lawyers of Wuerzburg in Bavaria said in a statement.
"Upon Jun's request, Bavarian Justice Minister Winfried Bausback said that Hamburg's view was wrong and German law does indeed apply to some of the offences," it said.
Jun's complaint named Zuckerberg, who is Facebook's founder and chief executive, and nine other managers at the company. A spokesman for Facebook declined to comment on the proceedings.
Jun has compiled a list of 438 postings that were flagged as inappropriate but not deleted over the past year. They include what some might consider merely angry political rantings, but also clear examples of racist hate speech and calls to violence laced with references to Nazi-era genocide.
Following a public outcry and pressure from German politicians, Facebook this year hired Arvato, a business services unit of Bertelsmann, to monitor and delete racist posts.
A rash of online abuse and violent attacks against newcomers to Germany accompanied the influx of hundreds of thousands of migrants last year, which led to a rise in the popularity of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and has put pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Freedom or 'fool's errand'? D.C. to vote on statehood referendum Updated: 2016-11-07 10:36 (Agencies)
A man enters a polling station as District of Columbia voters head to the polls in the final 2016 US Democratic primary in Washington, DC, US June 14, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
WASHINGTON - Long-frustrated backers of statehood for the District of Columbia are pinning their hopes on a first-ever referendum on Tuesday in a long-shot bid to become the 51st US state.
Invoking the colonial-era demand of "no taxation without representation," supporters say becoming a state would end Washingtonians' status as second-class citizens because they lack representation in Congress.
But opponents dismiss the referendum as a "fool's errand" destined to fail because of partisan political hurdles and the need to amend the US Constitution, a procedure accomplished only 17 times since 1789.
The District of Columbia was carved out to serve as the nation's capital, but it is not a state. Its 672,000 residents have no voting representative in the Senate or House of Representatives although they pay federal taxes, though they do have a delegate in the House.
A "yes" vote could help pressure the new Congress and president - either Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump - to admit the District of Columbia as a new state, though even advocates admit that is unlikely anytime soon.
A "yes" vote would simply be an expression of public support for statehood, a non-binding measure without any legal force.
"Statehood's the only way that we can have the same rights and responsibilities as all the other citizens of the United States," District of Columbia Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said.
The overwhelmingly Democratic capital city was fed up with Republican lawmakers espousing the rights of states and cities to self-governance and then interfering with local issues such as abortion and marijuana legalization, Mendelson said.
"That's so antithetical to democratic principles, but that doesn't seem to bother some of these folks," he said.
The referendum seeks to upend the Constitution's provision giving Congress legislative control over the District of Columbia.
Voters will cast a single "yes" or "no" vote on the referendum's four parts: admission as a state, its boundaries, approval of a constitution, and guarantees of a representative form of government.
Chilling tales of spying accusations recounted Updated: 2016-11-07 10:37 By May Zhou in Houston(China Daily)
From left: legal expert Nelson Dong, Temple University professor Xi Xiaoxing and former federal hydrologist Sherry Chen respond to questions from the audience on Saturday in Houston. [Photo/China Daily]
Sherry Chen recounted how she was confronted by FBI agents one morning upon arriving at her job and whisked away in handcuffs in front of all her colleagues. She was shocked and bewildered.
"It's a scene I only saw in movies. I was so humiliated," she said.
Chen, a former federal hydrologist for the US National Weather Service in Ohio, was suspected of espionage by the US government.
She and Xi Xiaoxing, a physics professor at Temple University, recalled their ordeals at a seminar for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) professionals on Saturday in Houston.
To help Chinese-American STEM professionals understand the current climate and potential risks, the Committee of 100, with the help of local Chinese-American civil rights organizations, presented the seminar on the legal risks of advancing technology between the United States and China. Noted physicist Paul Chu was among the audience members.
In recent years, an increasing number of Chinese-American scientists have been charged with espionage. While some of the cases were legitimate, several Asian Americans were wrongfully prosecuted, resulting in serious financial, psychological and career damage to them, as in the cases of Chen and Xi.
The charges against her were dropped a week before a scheduled trial. Despite that, Chen was fired from her job and became unemployable.
"I worked hard, built one of the largest hydraulic models used by US companies and the government. I contributed to the country. I couldn't believe that all I had worked for was taken away by a government witch hunt," Chen said tearfully.
Xi also shared his personal nightmare: He woke up early one morning in May 2015 to loud knocks by FBI agents. He was immediately handcuffed, and his family members, including his 12-year-old daughter, were rousted out of their bedrooms at gunpoint.
More humiliation awaited him at an FBI facility, where he was stripped naked and body searched, Xi recounted in a faltering voice.
It was not a case of mistaken identity, as Xi had thought. He was arrested and charged with sharing US technology with a Chinese company, a baseless accusation that was later dropped.
Both Chen and Xi said they went through tremendous psychological suffering and career setbacks. When their names were cleared, they were left with large legal bills.
Their injustices prompted Chen and Xi to speak out about their experiences in Asian communities around the country. "I want to do my part to make this land a better place to live and work," Chen said.
"There is a pattern to charge Asian Americans with espionage crimes, only to have the charges dropped later," Xi said. "These are race-based prosecutions. The scary aspect of this is that the wrongful prosecution could happen to anyone. I am still not clear how I got targeted. We need to speak out; Asian Americans deserve equal protection."
Joyce Xi, Xi's daughter and a recent STEM college graduate, said her father's experience prompted her to take a job at a civil rights organization.
The personal testimonies of Xi and Chen were used as cautionary tales to illustrate the risks that Chinese-American STEM professional face in their daily work lives.
Nelson Dong, a legal expert and a member of the Committee of 100, said that due to the geopolitical power struggle between the US and China, Chinese Americans are at risk of being crushed in the turbulence.
"A career you spent your entire life to build could all be destroyed due to wrongful prosecution by the government," said Dong, who at the seminar reviewed US policies, regulations and laws related to espionage.
Dong advised the audience to understand the law and its complexities, the contracts signed with employers and to be cautious about sensitive information stored on laptop computers and smartphones when traveling across borders.
"Anything in your possession could become evidence against you in a criminal case. Things can be far more sinister and guilty than you mean," warned Dong.
Event organizers Edmond Gor, national president of the Chinese American Citizen Alliance, and Cecil Fong, president of the Organization of Chinese AmericansHouston chapter, said that although most cases are concentrated on the East and West coasts, the large number of STEM professionals in Houston made the discussion vital to helping them prepare for such possibilities.
Chinese student stabbed to death in Japan Updated: 2016-11-07 10:42 (CRI)
A Chinese university student in Tokyo was found dead with multiple stab wounds in her neck at the corridor of her apartment on Thursday, November 3.
The victim, Jiang Ge, was in her 20s and from Qingdao, Shandong Province. She was currently completing her postgraduate in Japan, Beijing Youth Daily reported.
Jiang's roommate called the police after she heard a scream and a bang on the door that night.
Jiang was immediately sent to hospital after the police arrived. She was confirmed dead shortly after.
Jiang's mother was notified of the incident by the Japanese Embassy. She arrived in Japan on Friday night.
She said she could not cope with the death of her daughter.
"She (my daughter) told me she wanted to get a good job to make money and me happy, but only about 18 minutes later, she's dead," Jing's mother said on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform.
People who knew Jiang back in China have been greatly saddened and disturbed by the incident.
Jiang was in a WeChat group (another Chinese social media platform) with her high school classmates. No one in the group could believe the news, Beijing Youth Daily reported.
Jiang was an optimistic and outgoing person of integrity, her classmates said on WeChat.
The case is still under investigation.
Sydney set to host one of biggest Lunar New Year celebrations outside of Asia in 2017 Updated: 2016-11-07 16:16 (Xinhua)
SYDNEY -- Australia's Sydney is set to host one of the biggest celebrations of the 2017 Lunar New Year Festival outside of Asia with more than a million visitors set to enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of the celebration.
City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore in a statement on Monday said the Sydney Chinese New Year Festival Celebration to be held from January 27 to February 12 will be an internationally renowned celebration among the Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Korean communities.
"From its humble beginnings in Chinatown, the festival now extends all the way to Sydney Harbour and last year attracted 1.3 million people, making it the third largest annual event in Sydney," Moore said.
"Featuring the Lunar Lanterns and 80 traditional and contemporary events across Sydney, the 2017 Lunar New Year celebrations has something for everyone," he said.
Among them will be the Lunar Lanterns trail around Circular Quay from the Sydney Opera House to Dawes Point.
Twelve spectacular zodiac animal lanterns designed by Australian Chinese artists and varying in size up to 10 meters high will line the foreshore for the entire 17-day festival.
Festival curator, Claudia Chan Shaw said the Lunar Lanterns walk will create a vibrant precinct around the Sydney harbour for visitors and families to explore.
"Following the enormous success of last year's inaugural Lunar Lanterns exhibition, in 2017 we will introduce several new lanterns that will amaze and delight visitors," Shaw said.
"And being the year of the Rooster, an animal that loves being the centre of attention there will be two hero Rooster lanterns, one at the Sydney Opera House and the other in the festival's cultural heart in Chinatown," she said.
2016 presidential election most unconventional, drama-ridden in US history Updated: 2016-11-07 17:07 (Xinhua)
HOUSTON - This year's presidential election is unarguably the most unconventional, drama-ridden and divisive in the history of American electoral politics, according to political observers in the United States.
Peter Li, a political science professor with tenure at the University of Houston, said that "this year's presidential election has divided American society into two camps. Never before were presidential elections so divisive."
From his point of view, this election is indeed a battle between two mind-sets and two policy directions.
Li said that Hillary Clinton is undeniably one of the most qualified candidates to run for the White House while pointing out that "her use of a private e-mail server, questions raised on her handling of the crisis in the Middle East, Libya in particular, and her connection with the Clinton Foundation have been undercutting the effectiveness of her campaign."
As for the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, his political views and sexist and misogynistic remarks "have earned him both popularity and controversy," said Li.
However, Li also pointed out that Trump's "lack of political experience, his bluntness, and his 'outsider' status have even been seen as an advantage and are attractive to a part of the American voters."
Li believed that the start of the e-mail probe by the FBI is not good news to the Clinton campaign, "making the uncommitted voters to vote for Trump."
The second largest state of Texas and a Republican support base has been a die-hard red state for many presidential elections, but there is speculation that it could become a battleground state that could swing Democrat.
Li's view about the presidential election was also echoed by Ling Luo, chairwoman of Asian Americans for the Hillary National Committee, and Jingjing Clemence, Republican Precinct Chair and Texas Asian Republican Club Vice President.
Ling Luo said that this year's election is the most critical one in American history. It's the choice between progress and regression of American democracy. The candidates of both sides are not liked very much by voters.
She believed that Texas used to be a strong Republican state but could become blue this election.
Jingjing also believed that this year's presidential election is unique with both candidates of the two parties being very unpopular, and each loathed by the supporters of the other. ( "In my view, people who are favoring or supporting Trump are doing so not only because they like Trump's conservative views, but rather it is regular people's expression of their dissatisfaction towards the current administration's policies," she said.
"To a lot of Texas Republicans, Trump is not their first choice. But since he is the GOP nominee, and because the Supreme Court justices will be pointed by the newly elected president, Texas GOP or conservative voters will vote for Trump despite the fact that they may not like him as a person," she said.
"Clinton is unlikely to stand a chance in Texas as a whole, but it could be closer than at any time in the past 20 years. The reason for that is because of two demographic groups - Republican-leaning suburban women offended by Trump's comments about women, and Latinos, who are fired up to vote against him."
She believed that Asian American voters have shown great interest and participated much more in this election than any other presidential election in recent years. Most Asian American voters support Trump because of issues like gay marriage and anger at programs such as the Affordable Care Act, all of which are pushing the Asian voters to the right.
As for the prospect for China-US relations after the election, Li said that he was not worried about China-US ties whether Trump or Clinton wins the election.
From his point of view, Beijing-Washington relations are the most important bilateral relations in the world today.
"No US president can afford to mismanage the relationship. A mal-functioning US-China relationship will make life difficult, if not miserable, for Washington. The United States needs China's cooperation in matters concerning security and stability on the Korean Peninsula. A stable Korean Peninsula allows the United States to tackle challenges in other regions of the world," Li said.
He also stressed that managing US-China relations is a bipartisan responsibility, with both Democrats and Republicans understanding its importance.
"China has been a rising power in the world over the past few decades, and a new US president will have differences in style and priorities in his or her China policy," Li said. "But he or she will has no choice but to maintain a good working relationship with China".
Looking ahead - Nov 7 Updated: 2016-11-07 18:50 (China Daily UK)
Events and stories coming up in the next few days
Fashion companies head to China
British fashion companies will be in China for the LINKINGplus Fashion Event on Monday and Tuesday. The newly created expo is aimed at opening direct opportunities for overseas apparel companies, and ensuring they can meet their Chinese counterparts. It is being hosted by the China National Garment Association, the sector's leading organization, and runs alongside Xiamen Fashion Week, which started on Saturday. The expo is at the Xiamen International Conference Centre.
Institute celebrates 10th birthday
The Confucius Institute at The University of Manchester is celebrating its 10th anniversary on Tuesday with musical performances and a debate about the role of the media in shaping perceptions of modern China and its history. The debate will feature Michael Wood, the professor of public history at Manchester who is a well-known broadcaster. This year, he presented the TV documentary series The Story of China. The event will take place at Whitworth Hall, Oxford Road, Manchester.
Scholars get chance to build China network
King's College London is presenting Global Careers SeriesChina on Tuesday. The series, which turns its attention to different countries and regions each week, is an initiative involving five international colleges within the University of London and supports students wanting to pursue an international career. The event is aimed at students and recent graduates and helps them network with like-minded individuals and industry professionals and learn more about working in China. The session is set for the B5 Auditorium in the Franklin-Wilkins Building on Stamford Street, London.
FBI: Clinton emails not a problem Updated: 2016-11-07 11:59 By Associated Press(China Daily)
FBI Director James Comey abruptly announced on Sunday that Hillary Clinton should not face criminal charges related to newly discovered emails from her tenure at the State Department, lifting a cloud of uncertainty that has shadowed the final days of her presidential campaign.
In a letter to congressional lawmakers two days before Election Day, Comey said the FBI has worked "around the clock to process and review a large number of emails" obtained from a device belonging to Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman and estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.
Comey said the review has not changed the bureau's assessment from earlier this year that Clinton should not be prosecuted for her handling of classified information at the State Department.
Clinton's campaign welcomed the FBI announcement.
"We're glad this matter is resolved," Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton's communications director, told reporters traveling with the campaign to Ohio.
Clinton was infuriated by Comey's decision to alert Congress late last month that the FBI was reviewing new materials, calling it "unprecedented" and "deeply troubling". The decision shattered what had appeared to be Clinton's solid grip on the race and emboldened Republican Donald Trump.
Trump landed in Minnesota for a rally moments after Comey's announcement. He made no direct mention of the FBI decision and continued to insist - without evidence - that Clinton would be under investigation during her potential presidency.
"She's protected by a rigged system," he said. "She shouldn't even be allowed to run for president."
The FBI began investigating the handling of classified material on Clinton's private server in New York shortly after she announced her bid in April 2015. Last July, in an extraordinary public statement on an ongoing case, Comey announced that he was not recommending criminal charges against Clinton and called the decision "not even a close call".
But he also delivered blistering criticism of Clinton, calling her and her team "extremely careless" with her handling of national secrets.
Clinton had appeared to be heading for victory before the FBI review, but Comey's announcement blunted her momentum. Since then, national polls and battleground states have tightened, though Clinton still appears to hold an edge over Trump in the campaign's last moments.
During remarks at a black church on Sunday morning, Clinton urged voters to choose "unity over division". She warned that President Barack Obama's legacy is on the line, part of her strategy to shore up black voters who may be less enthusiastic about her than the president.
Trump opened a busy day of campaigning in Iowa, the battleground state where he appears in the strongest position. He also planned to make stops in Minnesota, Michigan and Pennsylvania, three states that have reliably voted for Democrats in presidential elections, as well as Virginia, a state Clinton's campaign believes it has a solid hold on.
Chinese-language teachers debate exam's fine points Updated: 2016-11-08 00:15 By China Daily in Washington(China Daily USA)
Xu Xin (third from left), president of the Chinese Language Teachers Association National Capital Region (CLTA-NCR); Lucy Chu Lee (sixth from left), professional consultant for the National Commission for the AP World Languages Course and Exam Review Project and other CLTA-NCR members gather at the association's fall conference last Saturday in Washington. The conference presented information about the Advanced Placement Chinese Language and Culture Exam for Chinese-language teachers around the Washington area. Yuan Yuan / For China Daily
In a show of dedication, Chinese-language teachers debated the grading of a sample answer on the writing section of an advanced placement test.
The teachers gathered last Saturday at the fall conference of the Chinese Language Teachers Association National Capital Region branch in Washington.
"Today we sow the seeds; hopefully all of you'll be able to share what you've learned from today with other teachers," said Xu Xin, president of the NCR branch.
The Chinese Language Teachers Association (CLTA), a professional organization devoted to the study of Chinese language, culture and pedagogy, was established in 1962.
In response to an increase in Chinese-language learners in the US, especially after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the association's National Capital Region (NCR) branch was established in 2009 to bring Chinese-language teaching resources together and create a platform for teachers in the region to exchange ideas and thoughts.
The branch comprises teachers from elementary schools to universities and from public and private schools.
In addition to regular meetings, the teachers hold conferences twice a year, usually with a few speakers giving their perspectives on a chosen topic.
"This spring, we talked about technologies in the classroom for a larger audience," Xu said. "Instead, this time, we choose to discuss AP teaching intended for a specific niche audience."
They invited Lucy Chu Lee, a consultant to the National Commission for the AP World Languages Course and Exam Review Project, as the keynote speaker to talk about how to design Chinese lessons using authentic texts.
"When I started to teach Chinese in 1988, we used to compete on how many characters we had taught to our first graders," Lee said. "But that didn't necessarily reflect what our students had learned."
"After all these years, I realized that we need to prove the usefulness of learning Chinese to our students in order to keep them going, and the AP exam is a strong proof of that," she said.
The Advanced Placement (AP) Chinese Language and Culture Exam (which was the discussion topic) assesses interpersonal, interpretive and presentational communication skills in Mandarin Chinese, along with knowledge of Chinese culture, according to its official website.
Similar to TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), the AP Chinese exam includes listening, reading, writing and speaking sections.
"The AP courses serve as a transition between high school and college," Lee said. "And we want to make sure that the AP exam is fair and reflects the actual situation of the high school students."
High schoolers who have completed their required credits are able to take AP Chinese courses to either transfer into college credits or to waive entry-level courses later in college.
The ultimate goal of teaching Chinese, according to Lee, is to enable the students to actually communicate with others in Chinese when being thrust into a Chinese-language environment.
"Field trips to China would be the best way to immerse students into the Chinese-language environment," Lee said. "Even if the situation doesn't allow such field trips, we want to provide the students with real context of Chinese conversations; that's our responsibility."
Teachers need to provide specific and practical goals along the way so that students understand the objectives, she said.
Three local speakers also provided insights on how to effectively teach AP Chinese courses.
NCR Vice-President Liang Hui illustrated the culture triangle: product, practice and perspective in teaching AP with examples.
"I used to throw dumpling parties at home with my students during the Spring Festivals since making dumplings was probably their favorite activity," Liang said.
"In this case, dumpling is considered a cultural product and teaching them how to make dumplings is a cultural practice. In order to help them gain perspectives, I need to add a little bit backgrounds on why we made dumplings for Spring Festival," she said.
She pointed out that in language teaching, the often-overlooked component was to teach perspectives the back stories related to language learning.
"It's important for us to make Chinese into a mainstream second language in the US," Lee said.
That's what Hanban, or the China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, is trying to do by sending out teachers from China, developing Chinese proficiency tests and setting up Confucius institutes.
"Also, we want to increase the number of non-Chinese teachers to join in our force to promote Chinese," Lee said.
"That way we achieve real globalization of the Chinese language no matter what native languages or backgrounds they have, they can learn Chinese well enough to make it a profession," she said.
Yuan Yuan in Washington contributed to the story.
UK 'will stick to planned EU departure plan' Updated: 2016-11-08 00:58 By Harvey Morris in London(chinadaily.com.cn)
David Davis, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union arrives at Downing Street in London, Britain October 24, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
The UK government said on Monday it would stick to a March deadline to trigger Britain's departure from the European Union despite the setback of a High Court ruling that said Parliament must have a say on the issue.
David Davis, minister for exiting the EU, confirmed the government would appeal the ruling in the Supreme Court in early December but told the House of Commons there would be no second referendum and "no going back".
The government is contesting the High Court's view that it cannot trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty by using the so-called royal prerogative.
The ruling reignited new controversy over the Brexit vote in the June referendum after pro-leave newspapers attacked the three judges for their decision as well as the private individuals who brought the case. The Daily Mail dubbed the judges "Enemies of the People" along with front-page pictures of them.
Davis said on Monday that the government valued both "the independence of the judiciary" and the "freedom of the press".
He said he was prepared to work constructively with other parties over the Brexit issue.
Davis said he expected the Supreme Court to swiftly deliver its decision on the appeal, although he was challenged by Keir Starmer, his Labour party opposite number, to say what his plans were if the appeal went against the government.
The government would be as open as possible about negotiations, Davis said. However, he said the involvement of Parliament meant handing over negotiations with the EU to its 650 MPs plus the House of Lords. That would weaken Britain's hand.
"Nobody begins by revealing his entire strategy," Davis said, reiterating the government's insistence that it will not give a running commentary on talks with EU in order not to reveal its negotiating hand.
He said there were plenty of MPs attempting to "thwart and reverse" the result of the June referendum, which resulted in a 52-48 percent vote to leave the EU.
Starmer agreed that "no one expects Government to reveal the details of its negotiating hand, but there are big headline issues." He said decisions on Brexit could not be taken in a vacuum.
Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing UKIP party, that campaigned for Brexit, said he was planning to lead a 100,000-strong march to the Supreme Court to coincide with the start of the government's appeal against what he sees as an attempt to delay or reverse Brexit.
To contact the reporter: harvey.morris@gmail.com
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The Vietnamese e-commerce market is expected to surge in the next five years, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which has set an online sales target of US$10 billion or 5 per cent of total retail sales, has said. Photo thanhtra.com.vn
HCM CITY The Vietnamese e-commerce market is expected to surge in the next five years, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which has set an online sales target of US$10 billion or 5 per cent of total retail sales.
Vietnamese e-commerce has achieved significant progress, creating infrastructure and becoming very popular with consumers and businesses, Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam (Viet Nam Economic Times) quoted Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Ho Thi Kim Thoa as saying at a seminar late last month.
The e-commerce market share has expanded, with small cities accounting for 25 per cent of last years $4 billion sales, and Ha Noi and HCM City for 75 per cent.
The seminar also heard that Ha Noi accounted for 5,161 e-commerce websites, or 5.6 per cent of all websites in the city.
According to figures from the Ministry of Industry and Trades information technology and e-commerce department, around 50 million people use the internet and three-fourths of them shop online. Last years $4 billion sales represented a growth of 37 per cent from 2014, and accounted for 2.8 per cent of total retail turnover.
The entry of more people and small and tiny enterprises into social media increased e-commerce turnover.
An estimated 32 million people, or 36 per cent of the Vietnamese population, used social media frequently.
Some 30 per cent of consumers always refer to social media before shopping, 28 per cent of businesses advertise and sell on them, and 62 per cent of e-commerce websites have integrated with social networks like Facebook (70 per cent), Google Plus and Twitter (27 and 18 per cent respectively).
Vietnamese e-commerce turnover is still very small, at only $4 billion, Lai Viet Anh deputy head of the department, said.
The figure is $617 billion in China, $39 billion in South Korea and $14 billion in India.
Most urban residents in Viet Nam may be familiar with e-commerce, but in rural areas it is not well-known, she said.
It wont be difficult to reach the $10 billion target, but the Government must create infrastructure and a legal framework for e-commerce.
Nguyen Thanh Hung, chairman of the Viet Nam E-commerce Association, said: The Government will play a very important role in e-commerce. Besides creating proper infrastructure and a legal framework, the Government will also be a big user by calling for online tenders and providing online public services.
It should protect the rights of consumers shopping online, he said.
To achieve the target of $10 billion, infrastructure, market size, the use of e-commerce by the business community and government offices must all be stepped up sharply, he said.
Thoa said, We need comprehensive co-operation between localities, ministries and industries to develop e-commerce.
Her ministry was developing an online marketplace at www.tuhaoviet.vn and many local businesses were keen to get on it, she said.
In future the ministry will develop more websites to support local enterprises with e-commerce. VNS
Cassava farmers in Gia Lai Province are in dire straits, unable to sell their produce even after prices have plunged below production costs. Photo baodatviet.vn
GIA LAI Cassava farmers in Gia Lai Province are in dire straits, unable to sell their produce even after prices have plunged below production costs.
They have also suffered a steep decline in productivity.
Cassava prices in the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) province have dropped to VND30,000-35,000 (US$1.3-1.5) per 100kg, much less than last year, a Nong Thon Ngay Nay (Countryside Today) report says.
Last year, cassava prices reached VN1,800 per kg or VN180,000 per 100kg, prompting farmers in the region to cultivate them.
After months of planting and care, we are getting just VN35,000-40,000 for 100kg, what you pay for a bowl of pho (beef rice noodles), lamented Le Van Thanh, a cassava grower in Chu Drang Commune.
Thanh said cassava had been a key crop helping farmers in Krong Pa District escape poverty over several years now, but prolonged drought has affected its yield and quality.
Other crops were similarly affected, he noted.
Cassava productivity this crop dropped by half over previous years, Thanh said.
"Last crop, I harvested about 30 tonnes of cassava per hectare, but this year, Ive got just 17-18 tonnes. The drop in productivity and prices is a heavy loss and we dont know what to do for the next crop, he added.
The report says farmers had to invest over VN15-20 million (over $670-897) per hectare for planting cassava, but were able to recover just VN5-6 milllion ($224-270) after harvest.
Farmers are harvesting the crop now, but the low prices have prevented many traders from buying it, push farmers even deeper into hopelessness.
inh Van Duyen, head of the Agriculture and Rural Development bureau in Krong Pa, said the area for cassava cultivation reached 15,000ha for the 2015-16 crop.
But the area planned for cultivating this crop was just around 8,500ha.
Every year, farmers have rushed to grow this plant, despite warnings, Duyen said.
The low prices at present badly affected farmers incomes and lives, he added.
The local authorities are trying to guide and advise farmers cultivate others plants in order to improve their land and earn more money.
Nguyen Van Vu, a local farmer planted 1ha of grass for breeding cows instead of cassava. He said that he earned more from planting grass.
A representative of the FOCOCEV Joint Stock Company, which purchases cassava from local farmers, said the decrease in prices was due to fluctuations in cassava starch prices in domestic and world markets.
Last year, the average selling price was US$350-360 (VN7.8-8 million) per tonne of cassava starch, but now it is just $270-280 ($6-6.2 million) per tonne, the company said. -- VNS
HA NOI Viet Nam plans to export chicken to Japan from next year and expand chicken export markets to other Asian countries in 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said.
To reach the target, the ministry has issued a plan to supervise production chains to process export quality chicken.
The domestic animal husbandry industry has supplied between 500,000 and 700,000 tonnes of meat and 8 billion eggs per year but only salted duck eggs have been exported to Hong Kong and Singapore and the remaining was consumed in the domestic market, the ministry said.
Nguyen Xuan Duong, deputy director of the Animal Husbandry Department, said that since 2015, with regard to the export of animal husbandry products, the industry had developed a plan to establish a safe region without diseases for poultry and cattle, for a certification of food safety from the veterinary department and meet regulations of the World Organisation for Animal Health that would help boost the export of meat to other countries.
If the local enterprises receive permission to export chicken to Japan next year, it would be a good beginning for the local husbandry industry in exporting chicken to other countries in the future, Duong said.
However, at present, local enterprises are unable to export chicken to Japan because veterinary offices in Viet Nam and Japan have not reached a consensus on the export code. The ministry has worked with its partner in Japan to resolve the obstacle, he said.
By 2017, the local enterprises which want to export processed chicken must complete the procedures to send to the relevant offices of countries that have made a demand for Viet Nams poultry products, according to the ministry.
It said that they should also submit the proposal to the ministrys Animal Husbandry Department and other relevant offices. They must actively have market research, find trade partners, and ensure to fulfil the requirements on the production of chicken of importing countries.
The ministry expects that after Japan, Viet Nam could export chicken to Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and South Korea from 2018. VNS
HA NOI More than 60 per cent of people in the country use Vietnamese goods, information released at the Proud of Vietnamese Products 2016 programme, held in Ha Noi on Sunday, revealed.
In the two big cities, Ha Noi and HCM City, Vietnamese products account for 90 per cent of the market share in distribution channels.
The programme, which was launched by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in cities and provinces nationwide, concluded in the capital on Sunday. It was aimed at promoting locally produced goods and involved various business associations, supermarkets and shopping centres.
Speaking at the ceremony, Hoang Quoc Vuong, deputy minister of industry and trade, said the programme has helped Vietnamese businesses promote their brand name and products, thus improving their competitiveness and helping them expand their market. The programme has contributed to improve peoples awareness on the importance of the local market and Vietnamese goods, he said.
The movement, Vietnamese people prioritise Vietnamese products, started in 2006 and has since built peoples trust in the quality of Vietnamese goods.
The event got a great response, especially in major cities such as Ha Noi, HCM City, a Nang, Hai Phong and Can Tho.
Truong Thi Ngoc Anh, vice president of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee, said the steering committee of the Vietnamese give priority to using Vietnamese products campaign aims to have all consumers and businesses know about the campaign by 2020.
All centrally-run cities and provinces, ministries, agencies and organisations are also expected to set up their own media channels to promote Vietnamese goods, she said, adding that all the cities and provinces will set up permanent outlets for Vietnamese goods. -- VNS
HA NOI Samsung Viet Nam Mobile Research and Development Centre (SVMC) has launched the "Samsung Software Challenge 2016" - a computer software programming contest for university students in Ha Noi.
This is the second programming contest that Samsung has organised in Viet Nam. It has attracted 1,200 entries from university students across the nation. From the entries, the organising committee has selected 857 candidates to participate in the preliminary round.
Based on the preliminary rounds results, the 200 best candidates will be selected to advance through to the final round, which will be held at the Centre for Educational Testing-Viet Nam National University in Ha Noi on November 12. These top 200 candidates will participate in an advanced algorithm and programming skills contest. One first place winner will be selected, along with five second place winners and 20 consolation prizes, worth a combined total of VN500 million.
There is also one trip to visit South Korea, including a tour of Samsungs headquarters, which will be awarded to the six best candidates of the contest.
Speaking at the contest, Huh Chang Wan, vice president of Samsung Electronics Viet Nam and president of SVMC, said Through this contest, Samsung hopes to create a valuable intellectual playground for Vietnamese youth, while creating opportunities for our company to evaluate Vietnamese university students programming skills versus the actual market demands. Samsung wants to use this event to develop young talent in the field of information technology, reinforce the talent pool and cater to Samsungs long-term development in Viet Nam.
In 2015, the first programme was held under the name Samsung Smart Art contest, encouragaing students to use the Samsung Mobile software development kit to create apps, services and games that were pragmatic for users. The event, which is expected to take place annually, will create an intellectual outlet for Vietnamese university students to exchange ideas and develop to meet local market demands and global competition. VNS
HA NOI South Korean company Hyosung Corporation has proposed to build polypropylene (PP) factories and a liquid petroleum gas (LPG) storage facility in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.
The company recently submitted the proposal to the Ba Ria-Vung Tau industrial zones authority. A source from the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) said Hyosung Corp wanted to set up the factories and storage facility in Cai Mep Industrial Zone, in Tan Thanh District. The firm would make a capital investment of US$1.2 billion, and the two units would occupy a proposed area of 608,910sq.m.
The project will be divided into two phases. The first phase would include the construction of an $133 million underground storage facility for LPG and the first PP factory with an annual capacity of 300 million tonnes, at a cost of $336 million.
The second phase will include the construction of a second PP factory with an annual capacity of 300,000 tonnes at a cost of $226 million as well as a PDH factory worth $496 million.
In its proposal, Hyosung Corp has shown its commitment to environmental conservation and guaranteed the quality of its technology and machinery.
Hyosung Corp is one of South Koreas top 15 companies in the field of textiles, manufacturing spandex and nylon, among other things.
In Viet Nam, Hyosung Corp operates factories in Nhon Trach 5 Industrial Zone in ong Nai Province, producing spandex, nylon and polyester threads, and steel wires, steel tire cords, bead wires, saw wires, used in auto manufacturing. Most of their products are exported. VNS
HA NOI Up to 15 people were killed and another six are missing from heavy downpours and flooding in the central region and Central Highlands.
The figures were updated yesterday by the Central Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and the National Committee for Search and Rescue, compiled from damage reports of 13 localities affected in the prolonged downpour.
Flooding affected ten provinces: Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Ngai, Binh inh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan. Another three in the Central Highlands including Kon Tum, Gia Lai and ak Lak were also on the map of disaster-hit localities.
The current death toll rose from 10 announced in Saturdays report. Phu Yen province suffered the heaviest loss, with a total of seven killed and one missing. Quang Binh had three deaths while Quang Tri and Binh inh each lost two residents. The last victim was from ak Lak Province.
Heavy rain started last Monday and continued throughout the week, flooding nearly 41,000 houses across the two regions, of which 223 houses were damaged by 50 to 70 per cent, according to yesterdays report of the Department of Disaster Prevention in the Central region and Central Highlands (DDPCCH).
The agriculture sector was hit badly with about 12,000 hectares of paddy and vegetable fields under water, while some 42,724 poultry and another 440 cattle were drowned or washed away.
The DDPCCH estimated the economic damages caused by the flooding at VN492 billion (US$21.8 million) as of yesterday morning. Damage in Phu Yen alone amounts to about VN337 billion, accounting for nearly 70 per cent of the total losses.
Lobsters dies en mass in Cong Cau Town, Phu Yen Province. Photo vnexpress.net
Phu Yen Peoples Committee yesterday asked the Government to urgently send 1,100 tonnes of rice as aid relief for some 33,600 people affected by the flooding. Phu Yen and ak Lak were the only two provinces with most of the land still under water as of yesterday.
Flood waters fully receded in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue, while low lands in the remaining provinces were still submerged.
The Central Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention warned the provinces to keep monitoring rain and flood forecasts, and be prepared to evacuate residents from areas prone to flash flooding and landslides.
Prolonged rains in Mekong Delta
Meanwhile thousands of hectares of the 2016-17 winter-spring rice season, which were sown early in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, have been damaged by prolonged and heavy rains.
In Hau Giang Province, many farmers have had to pump rain water out of paddy fields to save their young rice.
Nguyen Van Hon in Hau Giangs Vi Thuy District said his family used more than 100 litters of diesel oil to pump water out of two hectares of 10 day old rice.
But before all the redundant water had been pumped out of the field, rains continue occurring. As a result, about 30 per cent of the rice has died, he said.
Rains have flooded more than 210ha of newly sown paddy fields in Hau Giang, causing 10-50 per cent of newly sown rice in the fields to die, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Under the provinces plan for the 2016-17 winter-spring rice crop, Hau Giang planned to sow about 30,000ha in the crops first sowing stage in October.
But the province has sown about 4,000ha so far.
Le Van oi, deputy director of the Hau Giang Province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the 30,000ha of rice are planned to be sown early in areas which are prone to irrigation water shortage near the end of the crop because of drought and salt water intrusion.
However, continuing rains made the process of sowing rice slower than scheduled, he said.
The Hau Giang Province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has warned farmers to temporarily stop sowing rice seeds as prolonged rains are forecast to continue in coming days.
Farmers can resume sowing rice seeds between November 15 and December 15, the main sowing period of the 2016-17 winter-spring rice crop, said the department.
In Long An Province, prolonged rains have caused damage to about 7,500ha of rice aged 5-20 days old.
Besides prolonged rains, the deltas annual flooding is increasing in the ong Thap Muoi (Plain of Reeds) region, threatening the safety of rice areas which are not protected by dykes in Long An.
The annual flooding is caused by the rising levels of the Mekong River and its tributaries between August and November.
The Long An Province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in co-operation with district authorities is consolidating dykes and pumping water out of paddy fields to mitigate the damage for farmers.
ong Thap Province has also sown more than 60,000ha of the 2015-16 winter-spring crop and prolonged rains have affected many paddy fields in Hong Ngu, Tan Hong, Tam Nong and Thap Muoi districts.
In Thap Muoi alone, more than 250ha of winter-spring rice have been inundated. Of the figure, more than 150ha have been damaged 70-100 per cent.
Nguyen Phu Ben in Thap Muoi, who has sown more than 7ha of glutinous rice, said prolonged and heavy rains caused the loss of sown seeds and increased extra production costs.
The extra production costs included buying pesticides to kill golden snails and hiring people to transplant new rice seedlings in areas where rice seedlings died because of flooding, he said.
Costs had increased by VN2-4 million per hectare (US$90-180), he said.
ong Thap authorities have mobilised more pumps to suction water out of paddy fields and warned farmers to sow rice seeds according to schedules to mitigate damage.
The delta, the countrys rice granary, plans to grow about 1.5 million hectares of rice in the 2016-17 winter-spring crop, down nearly 5,000ha compared to the 2015-16 winter-spring crop, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Developments Plant Cultivation Department.
Under the Plant Cultivation Departments sowing schedules for the delta, the region planned to sow early about 420,000 ha of winter-spring rice last month, continue sowing the rest of the areas in the following months and finish the sowing by January 10, 2017. VNS
by Mai Khuyen
Violence against women is unacceptable.
Such slogans have been chanted around the globe, while governments and researchers have devoted resources to combat violence and promote gender equality campaigns. But the sad truth is that the violence continues.
In every corner of the planet women are the targets of violence, and Viet Nam is no exception.
Aperceived increase in violence against women in public places is adding to the gloomy picture of women being discriminated against in the country, activists have warned.
A number of video clips were shared recently on social networks or reported by media in the past two months about women being attacked in public.
One clip showed a woman being beaten by her husband in front of a cafeteria in central Ha Noi, while another showed two men attacking a girl at Ha Nois Noi Bai International Airport on Vietnamese Womens Day (October 20). The two video clips were followed by several others showing a group of young girls and boys beating girls on streets in a rural area of central Nghe An Province and HCM City.
Violence against humans, particularly against women, is escalating in our society, said Hoang Giang Son, a gender equality campaigner from the Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment (iSEE).
Hoang Giang Son, Human rights activist
Son said there were many reasons for violence against women, including cultural behaviour, a fragile legal system and social prejudices, but lacking education about human rights was among the most important causes.
He added that a person who does not understand about human rights would also not understand or respect the nations laws. An underestimation of human rights could easily lead to an act of violating the laws, said Son.
Although the clips might have caused anger and disappointment to some, it did not really surprise me, said Bich Van a former official from the Research Centre for Family Support and Community Development (RCFSCD).
They (the clips) are just the straw that broke the camels back and real proof that womens rights are seriously being violated, said the official.
Bich Van, Samantha Purse International Relief
Van, who is now working on a project for the protection of womens rights with the Samantha Purse International Relief in Viet Nam, said based upon her own experience, and particularly after more than one year working for the RCFSCD, she now has special insights about womens rights.
The official had the chance to witness and help in several cases of serious violations of womens rights when they were attacked and harassed in public spaces.
Violence against women is not unusual in Viet Nam. It is an act of discrimination against women. However, today such condemned actions have become more serious and are difficult to control, said Van.
My experience working for RCFSCD has helped me find a truth, since in almost all cases the attacked women were rarely ready to react afterwards, according to Van.
Van added that part of her research indicated that many people who witness or hear about an attack consider it a personal affair and never interfere.
There is not much interference from outsiders when attacks on women occur in public places, and this has hindered the fight against womens discrimination, according to Van.
Van added that there were several reasons for most cases of such violence, but the most common are that attackers, and even the women who have been attacked, do not possess adequate knowledge about womens rights.
A second reason is psychological, as women are often frightened of the attackers and would not ask the police or authorities for protection or prosecution of the offenders.
Meanwhile, the iSEE activist said that along with little knowledge about human rights, in many cases of violence against women, both attackers and victims did not understand how to protect their rights.
Attackers often do not recognise the fact that they have violated an individuals human rights and could be punished by law, while victims do not understand that being attacked means their rights were being violated and they should bring the attackers to court.
Also, lack of support and care for attacked women compounds the causes for an increase of violence against women in Viet Nam, said Son.
All of the above opinions were confirmed in a small survey conducted by this writer among a dozen adults whom she met on streets last week, asking: Have you ever witnessed or heard about violence against women in public places? The result was surprising: two-thirds of those questioned answered yes.
Additionally, almost all of the people who answered yes replied no when asked: Did you do something to stop a woman from being attacked?
Although some refused to answer due to the sensitive nature of the question, the result was proof that violence against women in public places has become an increasingly serious and complicated issue.
Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women Country Representative in Viet Nam, agrees. She says women and girls experience high levels of violence in public spaces, although this is not yet fully understood and acknowledged.
Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women Viet Nam Country Representative
Shoko cited a 2014 survey which revealed that nine in 10 women in HCM City, and eight in 10 women in Ha Noi have experienced violence in a public place and 16 per cent of them experience sexual harassment on a regular basis.
Yet, of those that had experienced sexual harassment, Shoko said only 1.9 per cent said they would seek assistance from authorities, and of all bystanders who witnessed harassment, 65 per cent said they would not interfere.
Vulnerable women, particularly young women, women with disabilities, migrant women, female and transgender sex workers, LBTI women, and ethnic minority women, are at greater risk of violence due to intersectional discrimination resulting from their particular vulnerabilities, said the UN official.
Despite affecting thousands of women and girls in Viet Nam, sexual violence in public spaces has long been tolerated, and there are gaps in evidence, policies, laws and awareness of violence against women beyond domestic violence, said Shoko.
Hoang Anh Tho from the Viet Nam Womens Union, said violence against women is a daily occurrence for many women and girls in the country.
Hoang Anh Tho, Viet Nam Womens Union
In citing some of the reasons for a growing frequency of such violence, she included a lack of awareness, human aggressiveness, selfish behaviour and the character of some men who seek to dominate others, including women.
She also advised women to control themselves when they are faced with aggressive men, saying that aggressive reaction on the part of some women to male attacks compounds the problem in Viet Nam.
In general, Tho said, people in Viet Nam do not say "sorry" or "excuse me" often enough, a cultural shortcoming for society as a whole.
Sometimes, just the word sorry can help women avoid being hit or attacked, said Tho.
In addition, womens knowledge about preventing violence remains low. Most of the attacked women were not ready to complain to authorities or police, while attitudes and reactions of some communities were either indifferent or negative and thus did not help prevent violence.
This absolutely hinders the fight against violence, and should be completely changed, said Tho.
Moreover, men should be held responsible for violence against women, because in almost all cases, the assailants were men, according to the WU official.
Men should be encouraged to participate in campaigns or even commit to help in protecting women from violence, Tho said.
The official presented a variety of activities pioneered by the Viet Nam Women Union to protect womens rights, including the establishment of many Houses of Peace and shelters across the country that allow women to hide from attackers.
The union also co-operated with local authorities to prevent violence against women, particularly those in underprivileged regions such as mountains and remote areas.
Shoko agreed with Tho, saying more needs to be done to address patriarchal attitudes and deep-rooted gender stereotypes held by Government officials, members of mass organisations, the general public, and the media.
The media plays an important role in shaping community understanding of social issues, and yet many media outlets in Viet Nam still project and perpetuate stereotyped views of women and men, according to Shoko.
In some cases of violence against women, police, healthcare professionals and community leaders blame women for causing men to be violent, and the only assistance they provide is to attempt to negotiate between attackers and their victims for some compensation or even for forgiveness. -VNS
Only 12% of reported cases result in prosecution
HA NOI-Viet Nam has made progress on its gender equality targets. The revised Constitution adopted in 2013 and Gender Equality Law of 2006 explicitly prohibit gender-based discrimination, and the policy and legal framework to promote gender equality and empower women and girls is now stronger. However, discriminatory laws, policies and practices are still prevalent. In a statement to Viet Nam News last week, UN Women said 58 per cent of women experienced at least one type of violence at some point in their lives. Further, the frequency, mostly of domestic violence, was estimated to cost 3.2 per cent of Viet Nams GDP by calculating the total productivity losses and potential opportunity costs. At the same time, women who experience domestic violence earn 35 per cent less, on average, than women who experience no violence. Conviction rates of violent offenders against women are extremely low. While 43 per cent of violent crimes come to the attention of police, only 12 per cent of reported cases result in criminal charges, and only 1 per cent of reported cases lead to convictions. The overuse of reconciliation measures limit womens capacities to seek formal protection, redress or justice, leaving survivors exposed to repeated violence during their lifetimes. Beyond violence that includes domestic violence, there are gaps in evidence, policies, laws and awareness about other forms of VAW, such as dating violence, cyber violence and violence in public spaces. Women continue to face discrimination in both public and private spheres, ranging from womens low political representation, unequal access to educational and economic opportunities, violence and lack of access to justice. The root cause of gender-based discrimination is the prevailing patriarchal attitudes and gender stereotypes that privilege men over women. These negative social norms held by law and policy makers, media, and the general public continue to accept discrimination against women and girls. It remains common for violence survivors to be blamed for causing their partners to be violent. VNS
DA NANG The Da Nang police arrested three officials of the Southeast Asian joint-stock commercial Bank (SEA Bank) for banking and loan service violations in the city starting in 2007.
The citys public security department said Thai Tran Thong, former director of the Da Nang-based branch, Hoang Trung Hieu and Nguyen An, will all be in custody for four months, pending further investigation.
According to police, the three bank officials agreed to a loan contract of VN120 billion (US$5.3 million) for Gia Bao company in 2007, with property and stocks pledged as collateral.
After one year, Gia Bao company could not pay their loan debt and the accumulated interest of over VND100 billion; so the bank decided to check the value of the companys stocks and property in late 2008.
The total estimated value of the companys stock was only VN14.5 billion, far below the companys registered valuation of VN184 billion in the loan contract.
The company eventually only paid VN45 billion of its total debt to the bank; but the bank could not reclaim the remaining VN55.2 billion debt due to the low value of the companys stock.
The police said the three officials acted illegally when they failed to assign an independent entity to manage Gia Baos stock. Police said the illegal actions of the three bank officials violated item 3, clause 179, which governs lending regulations under Viet Nams Criminal Law code.
The police also said bank officials intentionally allowed the company to overstate the value of its stocks and assets to qualify for the bank loan.
The case is under investigation. VNS
HA NOI Viet Nam and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) hope to boost cooperation in developing genetic resources and choosing technology to improve rice quality, experts have said.
The IRRI genebanks, wild rice introgression population, structured genetic population and breeding lines represent a critical resource for generating the critical traits and climate-smart varieties that Viet Nam needs to fulfill its vision, said Matthew Morell, IRRI director general.
He was speaking at a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on rice production development held in Ha Noi on Friday.
IRRI can assist partners in Viet Nam to minimise yield gap and decrease over-use of pesticide, fertiliser, water, labour and seeds, Morell said, adding that IRRI studies could help the country reduce loss during rice harvesting, drying and processing and optimise the supply and quality of the product.
IRRI would work with farmers to facilitate their market access and higher returns through farmers cooperatives, branding strategies and providing market and trade information, Morell said.
Le Quoc Doanh, deputy minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, thanked the IRRI for its assistance to Viet Nam since 1963, saying it had provided thousand of varieties to the country every year. In addition, thousands of researchers and scientists from Viet Nam have been trained or received support by the institute.
At the meeting, experts from domestic research institutes expressed hope of continued cooperation with IRRI in using genetic resources, personnel training and studies on post-harvest and intensive processing technologies as well as studies on rice markets, including China.
According to Le Huy Ham, Director of the Viet Nam Agriculture Genetic Institute, as one of five countries likely to be most affected by climate change, Viet Nam has a great demand for drought and salinity-resistant rice varieties.
Samarendu Mohanty, an economist from IRRI, said Viet Nam was facing stiff competition from Thailand and Cambodia in the world rice market. Thus, he said, the country should focus on establishing a base in the African market and increase market share in the American and European markets to deal with the competition.
Nguyen Xuan inh, deputy head of Crop Production Department under the MARD, said the ministry had set forth a plan to restructure rice production by 2020, with a vision to 2030, in order to improve production effectiveness and raise the stake of Vietnamese rice on the global market. Specifically, the ministry would focus on setting up rice research programmes, renewing policies and enhancing capacity for rice trading enterprises and associations. VNS
Representatives share their opinions on gender equality and social barriers to women at the forum. VNS Photo Thu Trang
HA NOI Experts yesterday met and discussed how to promote gender equality, provide economic opportunities and empower women at a forum in Ha Noi.
The forum, Her Challenges, Her Opportunities, was organised by the Kenan Institute Asia and 23 other civil society organisations and government agencies that work with women. The forum is part of the Vietnam Women Improving Lives and Leadership (Vietnam WILL) Project, which started in October 2014 and will run till March 2017 in Ha Noi and the northern province of Hoa Binh. The project is funded by the US Department of State.
The forum was attended by around 100 Vietnamese and international participants from the public sector, private sector, embassies, international organisations, United Nations agencies, and 23 social organisations and government agencies in Ha Noi and Hoa Binh Province. Experts discussed issues related to the health, education, disability and economic opportunities of women and girls.
Ha inh Bon, Director of Legal Department under Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said that though the Government of Viet Nam was making numerous efforts to promote gender equality and empower women, a lot of challenges were coming up during the implementation process.
Currently, gender equality and womens rights are not perceived as important issues by a large section of the population, Bon and other experts at the forum agreed. As a result, women continue to face violence and the mindset that favours males remains deeply rooted in the community.
The gender gap in income too has not improved significantly in many rural and remote areas where women are bound by practices that dont favour gender equality.
We have to keep improving our policy system, fostering social communication, raising awareness of all classes and mobilising civil resources to promote womens development, Bon said.
Experts proposed that to improve the implementation of gender equality laws, ministries, sectors and localities had to formulate and execute legal documents, strategies and plans. Another important measure was to reinforce training and communication for gender equality awareness among the staff and civil servants in charge of policy formulation and execution.
Students act out a short play about combating social discrimination on gender equality at the forum. VNS Photo Thu Trang
At the forum, Phan Kieu Anh, country programme manager of Kenan in Viet Nam, said, Women can not only speak on behalf of marginalised groups, such as minorities and people with disabilities, but also play an important role in advocating change.
The US Department of State, through its grant for the Vietnam WILL project, was helping empower women so they have a greater say in Viet Nams decision-making process, she said.
Ted Osius, ambassador of the US Embassy, said, Kenan and the projects efforts to advance gender equality, tackle domestic violence and combat discrimination will make Viet Nam a stronger and more prosperous country.
Over the past two years, the Vietnam WILL Project has enabled the leaders and staff of 23 civil society organisations and government agencies to campaign on behalf of women, as a means to prevent conflict between the needs of women and the state, and involve women in conflict prevention through the development of civil society. VNS
HA NOI Nguyen uc Chung, chairman of Ha Noi Peoples Committee, has asked the director of the Ha Noi police to urgently clarify the incident related to the attack on two journalists on Sunday.
Yesterday, the media reported that two reporters, one from Viet Nam Television Corporation (VTC) and the other from Phap Luat Viet Nam (Viet Nam Law) newspaper, were assaulted by a group of hooligans during an operation in the concentrated animal slaughter area in Ha Nois Thanh Oai District.
The two journalists are Nguyen Tung, working for VTC, and Pham Hien from Phap Luat Viet Nam newspaper.
According to Tung, the group used hard objects hit his and Hiens head and then arbitrarily took their personal documents and mobile phones.
Tung was hospitalised at Bach Mai Hospital in a state of emergency. He complained of dizziness and had trouble breathing following the attack.
According to him, there were several witnesses at the scene.
The chairman asked the police to investigate the incident and strictly deal with the case in accordance with the law. They were also asked to report to the committee before November 20.
Two more journalists in Thai Nguyen Province were reportedly attacked on Monday, when they went to ai Tu District to report on the sand exploitation.
They are ang Van Nghinh, 35, and Nguyen Anh Tuan, 33, working for a provincial television channel.
Nghinh said two young men asked them not to make the film and ordered them to delete all images in the camera while they were filming in Quan Chu Commune.
The men also threatened to break their cameras if they did not stop their operation, Nghinh said.
When they refused to cooperate, the journalists were hit with sticks.
Following the hostile behavior of the young men, the journalists ran into a nearby house. They reported the incident to police and local authorities and urged them to intervene.
The incident is under investigation. VNS
BAGHDAD Hundreds of families have been driven out of the Iraqi city of Kirkuk in apparent retaliation for a recent attack by the Islamic State group, Amnesty International said on Monday.
Authorities in the Kurdish-controlled city demolished the homes of hundreds of Arab residents and ordered them to leave Kirkuk in the wake of the attack on October 21, the London-based rights group said.
Those displaced include an estimated 250 families who had fled to Kirkuk, which lies in an oil-rich area around 240 kilometres north of Baghdad, from other areas in Iraq.
An additional 190 families were said to have been displaced from nearby villages by Kurdish Peshmerga and Asayesh forces.
Amnesty said those forced from their homes were told to return to their places of origin or moved to camps, after being suspected of helping IS coordinate its attack.
Three days of clashes left at least 46 people dead, mostly members of the security forces.
The governor of Kirkuk province, Najmeddin Karim, said at least 81 jihadists were killed while several others were detained.
Amnestys report quoted residents as saying homes were demolished on October 25, a day after Karim announced the attack was over.
Lynn Maalouf, Amnestys deputy director for research in Beirut, said destroying homes without military necessity amounts to "a war crime".
"Forcibly evicting and displacing Sunni Arab residents of Kirkuk is unlawful and cruel.
"Kurdish authorities must immediately put an end to unlawful destruction of civilian property and forced displacement," Maalouf said.
The brazen raid on Kirkuk appeared to be an attempt by IS to divert attention from Mosul, where a major offensive is under way to retake the city from the jihadists. AFP
LONDON - British police were trying to quell a prison riot involving up to 200 inmates, which broke out just days after a warders association warned of a "bloodbath" in the UKs detention facilities.
Police, ambulance and fire services were called to the prison in Bedford, central England, shortly before 5:00pm on Sunday after the disturbance broke out.
The Prison Officers Associations (POA) general secretary, Steve Gillan, estimated up to 200 prisoners were involved.
"Prison officers on the landings have withdrawn to a safe place, so prisoners are out in large numbers.
"We dont know if it will turn into a full-scale riot as these things can turn very quickly," he said.
A police spokeswoman said a number of officers were working with staff to resolve the incident at Bedford prison, which currently holds around 500 inmates.
Following the outbreak of unrest a Prison Service spokesman warned there would be consequences for those involved: "We are absolutely clear that prisoners who behave in this way will be punished and could spend significantly longer behind bars."
The incident comes just days after the head of the POA, Mike Rolfe, warned of the deteriorating situation in Britains prisons.
"Its a bloodbath in prisons at this minute in time. Staff are absolutely on their knees, lost all morale, all motivation," he told BBC Radio Four.
"Low staffing numbers, people leaving the job in droves, its a real bad mix, and its dangerous for everyone, staff and prisoners alike."
Last month a 21-year-old inmate was stabbed to death at Londons Pentonville prison.
On October 29 a national response unit was brought in to control prisoners at East Sussex prison, south-east England, in a standoff which last six hours.
On Friday the justice ministry announced the creation of 2,500 new jobs as part of its broader prison reform.
The government also promised annual investment of more than 100 million and greater efforts to tackle drugs in prisons.
The worsening situation at Bedford prison was documented in a September report by watchdog HM Inspectorate of Prisons, which found the number of inmates saying it was easy or very easy to get drugs had almost doubled since February 2014.
The report also documented shortages of clothing, cramped conditions, and weak arrangements for managing violent and bullying behaviour. AFP
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CEDAR FALLS Choosing the perfect name for an ensemble can be as challenging as the repertoire they intend to perform. But for Trio 826, it was sort of a no-brainer.
Its the mileage 826 miles that we have to travel to rehearse, says Julia Bullard, violist, who teaches viola at the University of Northern Iowa School of Music, where she also is associate director of graduate studies. Violinist Susanna Klein lives in Richmond, Va., and Hannah Holman, cellist, is a member of the New York City Ballet Orchestra, the Quad Cities symphony and formerly taught at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
Trio 826 will begin a residency this month at the Hearst Center for the Arts, and again during the second week of April 2017. They will perform several outreach concerts, as well as performing and teaching at the Hearst Center.
The musicians have been friends for years, Bullard says, and started playing together, mostly for fun, then it turned into a thing. All three are educators and professional musicians who came together in 2011 with a mission to do something different, explore different ways to reach audiences, to play music from traditional canons, as well as new composers and genres that cross some lines that arent always expected with classical music.
Cocktails and Chamber Music with Trio 826 is the first outreach concert at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Octopus, followed Thursday at 8 p.m. by a second outreach concert at Cup of Joe, both in Cedar Falls.
The residency begins at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday with a performance at the Western Home Chapel. On Wednesday at 10 a.m., Trio 826 will entertain and educate preschoolers in Musical Messy Mornings at the Hearst Center. Registration is required.
At noon Wednesday, the trio presents a class, Chamber Music From the Inside.
On Thursday, the musicians will perform outreach concerts at Cedar Falls High School and Waterloo East High School, and on Friday, will perform a lunchtime concert with UNI chamber music students at noon at the Hearst Center.
Also on Friday, Trio 826 will perform at 7 p.m. during its CD release reception. The disc, Mosaic, was recorded at Michigans Blue Griffin Studios and features many short, single movement works the trio often plays in concert. CDs will be available to purchase.
One of the things we like is trying a variety of different styles of music. We do standard master works, but the shorter pieces are perfect for outreach performances, so it seemed like a natural choice to record those, Bullard explains.
They plan to perform music from the CD, as well as a Beethoven composition.
We love playing together. We all have other jobs, but I can speak for all of us in saying that this experience, Trio 826, enhances all the other things we do. If youre teaching, you need a creative way to continue your development as a player and to work with students in a different context. It shows them heres how to come up with interesting ways to connect with people, the public, and bring classical music to a different audience. I love the entrepreneurial aspect of it, Bullard adds.
All events are free and open to the public, except Musical Messy Mornings, which requires advance registration. For more information, go to www.thehearst.org or call 273-8641.
WATERLOO -- Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum knows better than most the agony of a close race. He lost the 2012 Iowa caucus by eight votes; though, it later turned out he won by 34.
That initial count, however, set the stage for his eventual defeat to 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
He doesnt want to see a similar situation play out Tuesday, where this years Republican nominee Donald Trump could lose by a small margin to his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, in Iowa and perhaps across the nation.
Donald Trumps path to the presidency, lets just be honest, is very narrow. Its a narrow path, and Iowa is part of it, Santorum said Monday. I can tell you every vote can matter. You dont know. Maybe it wont this time, but if it does come down to that, and this race could be so close that these six electoral votes could decide who the president is.
Santorum joined a line-up of Republicans, some on the ballot, some not, to speak at a last get-out-the-vote push to more than 50 people packed into Newtons in downtown Waterloo Monday afternoon.
The potential for close races was a theme echoed throughout the event. Aside from Santorums close race, candidates mentioned the 2012 Iowa Senate District 28 contest in northeast Iowa that saw Republican Michael Breitbach win by just 17 votes.
So, think of the Democrats, the morning after the election when they lost this seat by 17 votes; they were saying to themselves, Im sure, if we would have knocked on just a few more doors, if wed have made a few more phone calls, Breitbach wouldnt be there, U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, R-1st District said. We dont want to have those discussions on Wednesday, do we? We dont want to lose any of our races by 17 votes. And it can happen.
Though the Real Clear Politics average of polls shows Trump with a 3-point lead over Clinton in Iowa, and the well-regarded Iowa poll gives him a 7-point advantage, the Republicans were taking nothing for granted. Especially as national polls show a narrow Clinton victory.
Santorum urged the people in attendance to work hard during the next 24 hours and try to get another 10 people each to vote for Republicans.
Their message of why to vote for Republicans was largely about the long-term future of the United States.
Though Santorum called Clintons policies, particularly on abortion, evil, the candidates mostly focused on the need to fill the current U.S. Supreme Court vacancy with a conservative justice, after the February death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia.
This is an election about the Supreme Court for the next 40 years, said U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee that has refused to hold a hearing on President Barack Obamas nominee to succeed Scalia. Weve got an opportunity based upon what Mr. Trump has listed 20 people that he would pick from to be Supreme Court justices. Every one of them are strict constructionists.
During the half-hour event, Santorum also praised Blum and Grassley for their representation of their constituents. He said they represented Iowans both in the sense of reflecting their values and in the sense of being average Iowans.
Though U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, isnt on the ballot this year, she made clear that Iowans have a chance to build on what we started in 2014 when the state elected a second Republican to the U.S. Senate, so as Grassley says his votes no longer get canceled out.
WATERLOO Former Sen. Tom Harkin predicted Democrat Hillary Clinton will prevail in Iowa during Tuesdays presidential election despite dropping further behind in the latest poll.
Harkin, who retired from the U.S. Senate in 2014, stopped at Clintons Waterloo campaign office Sunday as more than 30 people prepared to canvass neighborhoods as part of a get out the vote effort.
He noted Republican Donald Trump is ahead of Clinton by 7 percentage points in the Des Moines Registers latest Iowa Poll, conducted Nov. 1-4. Forty-six percent of the likely Iowa voters said they would vote for Trump if the election were held today versus 39 percent for Clinton. But Harkin questioned those results.
For some reason, the Iowa Poll has a problem with Trump, he said, pointing to its final poll before the caucuses in late January. That had Trump winning by 5 percent. Instead, he came in second to Ted Cruz.
Across the state, said Harkin, over 100,000 doors were knocked on yesterday. He added that Democrats are doing great with early ballots this year.
Our ground game is better than anything Ive ever seen, Harkin contended. I have no doubt when the polls close that well come out ahead.
Alex Navissi, a Waterloo-based field organizer for the Iowa Democratic Party, said volunteers have been working hard to reach people before the election.
So far this weekend, weve knocked on 15,000 doors and weve made 5,000 phone calls and theres still two days to go, he said, suggesting thats how to make sure people go to the polls. We will win, were looking good.
Harkin also pointed to breaking news Sunday afternoon of FBI Director James Comeys announcement that Clinton should not face criminal charges related to newly discovered emails from her tenure at the State Department. When Comey publicized a review of the emails late last month, momentum for Hillary Clinton just stopped, said Harkin.
Again, I think this will recharge a lot of independents, he suggested. They now know theres nothing out there. There never was anything.
Harkin pointed to Clintons advocacy for creation of the Childrens Health Insurance Program while her husband was president in the 1990s. Later when Clinton was a senator from New York, she served on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee with Harkin and was involved in legislation amending the Americans with Disabilities Act.
I got to see her up close and personal, he said, noting Clinton needed to work with Republicans to get the job done. She knows how to work with people.
Harkin added that the volunteers work is important to the election of other Democrats on the ballot so our local candidates get into the Iowa Legislature and put a check on (Gov.) Branstad.
DES MOINES Iowans hoping Tuesdays long-awaited election will help dial down the partisan acrimony of a hyper-divisive 2016 campaign cycle could be in for a big letdown, according to experts.
Americans will go to the polls Tuesday to decide whether Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton will be their 45th president bringing an end to a long-suffering campaign some political scientists believe will become the benchmark by which future campaigns are measured.
Its been quite an odd cycle from start to finish, said Dave Anderson, an assistant professor of political science at Iowa State University. Weve seen weird election years before, he said, such as H. Ross Perots 1992 independent presidential bid; the disrupted 1968 Democratic National convention in Chicago; and the disputed 2000 election finish between George W. Bush and Al Gore.
But, from the start of the primary process through the end, there havent been moments of normalcy in this campaign he said. Its been odd throughout.
And the final chapter has yet to be written by the voters, let alone the aftermath if the election is challenged or illegitimatized in some way as a rigged process.
Theres a possibility, too, either candidate could face ongoing scrutiny Clinton for her email scandal and foundation dealings and Trump for alleged financial and sexual improprieties.
Drake University political science professor Dennis Goldford said, Were looking down at a volcano thats spewing hot lava.
There is talk if Clinton wins, the Republican House will push impeachment proceedings against her, and if Trump wins, all bets are off, Goldford said, because no one really knows for sure what he will do.
The ride is not over. Were really in a difficult circumstance here. Its been ugly and I think it will continue to be at least as ugly if not uglier, he said.
No matter who wins, Goldford observed, there will be a group of people who supported the losing candidate who will think its a travesty and this person legitimately should not be president of the United States and theyre not going to stop. That will be true if Trump wins, and that will be true if Clinton wins.
University of Iowa political scientist Cary Covington said both major political parties are coming through a tough period that has caused internal strains and deep divisions.
Its very hard to reunify a country when the two sides look at each other that way, he said. I see us heading for a very difficult patch of time, regardless who is president.
Covington said the problems and divisions could carry over for at least two more general elections.
This is just a completely unusual convergence of events, said ISU political science professor Steffen Schmidt. You cant really square it with anything because weve never had a candidate like Donald Trump and weve never had a candidate in as much trouble leading up to Election Day as Hillary Clinton. There is no reference point that we can compare this to.
Dianne Bystrom, director of ISUs Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women & Politics, said the historical significance of Clinton being the first woman to win a major political partys presidential nomination has been overshadowed by a campaign shrouded in negativity driven by the 24-hour cable TV news cycle, talk radio and social media.
This has probably been one of the most frustrating campaigns of my lifetime and I think a lot of people feel that way and its for lots of different reasons, Bystrom said.
Not just the candidates, I think (because of) the media coverage and the emergence of social media, people getting their campaign news through Twitter and people fighting with each other on Facebook and Twitter, she added. This campaign also has exposed some of the ugly sides of race and gender.
Bystrom said it would be a major glass-ceiling shattering event if Clinton becomes the first woman elected as U.S. president.
Schmidt said the near-term outlook points to a period of instability for the nation that wont be solved by Tuesdays vote.
This election is going to leave us, regardless of the outcome, as a very divided country.
Drake University political scientist Arthur Sanders said, its the strangest campaign weve seen. Its been fascinating to follow, but Im not sure its been particularly informative to the American public about what the elections about.
The 2016 race has tightened in the campaigns closing days with the nation closely watching less than a dozen battleground states including Iowa that hold the key to reaching the threshold of 270 electoral votes needed to become president.
Goldford said Clinton has a clearer electoral path to victory than Trump, but its not over yet, adding Clinton is the political manifestation of Murphys Law if something could possibly go wrong, it will.
SIOUX CITY In his final scheduled Iowa stop before Election Day, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump continued to paint himself as a man of the people while casting his opponent as a corrupt insider and a candidate of yesterday.
Hillary (Clinton) is an insider fighting only for herself and special interests, Trump told a crowd of 4,500 on Sunday afternoon at the Sioux City Convention Center. Im an outsider. The American people are our only special interests.
During his 30-minute speech, Trump focused on the differences between him and Clinton on Barack Obamas health care law, immigration and foreign policy. He began with his plan to repeal and replace Obamacare and his plans to strengthen Social Security.
Hillary Clinton is going to destroy your Social Security and Medicare. She even wants to give your benefits to illegal immigrants, Trump said. I am going to protect and save your Social Security and your Medicare.
Trump told the crowd there was little doubt the FBI would be able to indict Hillary Clinton, fostering an unprecedented constitutional crisis if she were elected and then indicted and put under a criminal trial. His words elicited a chant of lock her up from the crowd.
Those remarks on Clinton came just hours before word was released Sunday afternoon the FBI found no evidence to warrant criminal charges in a review of newly discovered emails sent or received by Clinton.
During the speech, Trump reiterated his support for family farms, corn-based ethanol, coal miners and steel factories. He said he plans to reduce job-killing regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency and keep the death tax from increasing.
Trump said he plans to suspend the Syrian refugee resettlement program and keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country.
During Sundays visit to Iowas deeply red northwest corner, Trump multiple times stressed the importance of casting a vote Tuesday, referring to his candidacy as a critical juncture for the country.
As our country, this is never going to happen again, he said. This is your last chance to make our country truly, truly great again.
Sundays stop was the first of five for Trump Sunday. Following Sioux City, Trump was scheduled to visit Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia. He has another five events scheduled Monday in a final campaign blitz before Election Day.
Sundays crowd filled the Sioux City Convention Center to capacity for the rally, with Sioux City Fire Rescue officials saying they had to turn away another 200 to 300 lined up out the doors. A crowd wrapped around the corner more than a block away from the Convention Center entrance for much of the morning as people went through security at the venue.
While standing in line prior to the rally, Jeff Zimmerman, of Clarkson, Neb., said he was 100 percent solidified in his support of Trump and planned to vote Tuesday. He said the main reason he was supporting Trump was because of his rising healthcare costs.
I have 14 children, and Obamacare is killing us, he said. When I started my job 16 years ago, my maximum out-of-pocket was less than what our deductible is now. And our insurance is horrible. It costs 10 times as much.
Tracy L., of Ida Grove, who declined to give her full last name, said she was about 90 percent sure of her vote for Trump but wanted to see him well-spoken and in control Sunday to cement her support.
I have a son in the military and a husband in law enforcement, she said. I hear hes the best candidate to represent those.
A trio of protesters stood outside the front entrance holding Say no to Trump signs. They said they were opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline, protesting Trumps financial interests in the pipeline.
Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, U.S. Rep. Steve King and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst addressed the crowd prior to Trumps arrival. King, R-Kiron, drew attention to Trumps 7-point lead in a new Des Moines Register poll released Saturday.
A Real Clear Politics average had Trump leading Clinton by 3 points, 44.3 to 41.3, in the battleground state of Iowa with less than 48 hours to Election Day.
In response to Trumps campaign stop, former Gov. Tom Vilsack, a Democrat, issued a statement saying Trump continues to offer a dark and divisive vision as the closing argument for his campaign.
He has shown us time and again that he is temperamentally unfit and unqualified to be President and Commander in Chief, Vilsacks statement said. Iowans deserve a President like Hillary Clinton who holds the optimistic view that Americans are stronger together, rather than one who could destroy the values that would tear our country apart.
HAMPTON Chief Deputy Linn Larson and Deputy Rick Rieken are looking to fill the position held by Franklin County Sheriff Larry Richtsmeier, who is not seeking re-election.
Larson, 58, a Republican, has served as chief deputy since 2008. He and his wife, Judy, an instructor for Hampton-Dumont Schools, have one daughter, Heidi.
Larson has served as a full-time law enforcement officer since 1978, beginning his career with the Belmond Police Department. He began working for the Franklin County Sheriffs Office in 2006.
I have truly enjoyed serving the public and want to continue to do so and I feel the best way for me to do that is as sheriff, Larson said. By working with the wonderful staff we have on the Sheriffs Office, I feel we can make a big difference in the quality of law enforcement for Franklin County.
Rieken, 39, an independent, was born and raised in Franklin County. He and his wife, Stacy, have three children.
Rieken is a deputy as well as a small-scale farmer and landowner.
I have always been passionate about law enforcement, Rieken said. I feel strongly that we can make real changes in the department in order to better serve and protect the citizens of Franklin County.
Larson feels his 23 years as a law enforcement administrator and experience differentiates him from his opponent.
I have made agency budgets, I have written agency policies, I have worked with city councils and county supervisors, I have served on several boards and commissions dealing with public safety, Larson said. I use this experience to give the citizens of Franklin County the highest-quality service.
Both have graduated from the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy.
We both have extensive training and continuing education in criminal justice fields, Rieken said. What I have is 29 more years of experience living and working in Franklin County, and I have a very diverse resume in being a volunteer for a variety of community, civic and conservation groups.
Rieken has been involved with Kiwanis, American Legion, Masonic Lodge, Franklin County Conservation Board, Iowa DNR and more.
I believe it is also important because of the nature of the job as sheriff, that you must be multi-dimensional and more diverse than just a law enforcement provider, Rieken said.
Both Rieken and Larson are passionate about moving to a 24-hour coverage schedule, something the department began implementing in July.
There are still a few days each week that has gaps where there are deputies on call but not patrolling. I would like to see these filled in, Rieken said.
Rieken said he sees an opportunity to modernize the department and help it run more efficiently.
He would like to take a look at using grants to help with deficits or gaps in the offices budget and reduce taxpayer funding.
I want to set up a restitution system for our department so that after a defendant has been charged and handled by our department that the subject will pay back the officers time, office supplies and certain expenditures so that the burden isnt placed directly on the taxpayers of Franklin County, and instead on the criminals themselves, Rieken said.
If elected, Larson wants to take the agency to a higher level of service. Larson looks to improve on the departments investigations to provide the county attorney with the best cases possible.
This will save us from having cases dismissed due to poor-quality investigations, Larson said. I will make sure the deputies have the training and tools to best serve our citizens.
OSAGE A Northwood businesswoman and an Osage educator are vying for the open seat in Iowa House District 51.
Republican Jane Bloomingdale, the mayor of Northwood, is running against Osage High School Principal Tim Hejhal, a Democrat from Osage.
Theyre competing for the seat being vacated by Rep. Josh Byrnes, R-Osage, who announced in February he would not seek re-election. The district covers Worth, Mitchell and Howard counties and part of Winneshiek County.
Its their first run for state office.
Hejhal, 53, says hell bring a common-sense approach to the Legislature.
I think we need leaders, not politicians, said Hejhal, who said people tell him theyre sick of political rhetoric. I think we need people who are more in the middle, more moderate, so they can reach across the aisle and get things done.
In his eighth year as principal, Hejhal previously served 29 years with the 185th Air Refueling Wing of the Iowa National Guard in Sioux City, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
Bloomingdale, 60, has operated Bloomingdale Tax and Accounting of Northwood for 25 years.
Shes served in city leadership in Northwood for 20 years and is in her second term as mayor.
The candidates say job creation and education funding are among the important issues that must be addressed by state legislators.
Bloomingdale favors bettering the business climate with less restriction and a more competitive tax structure.
I think we need an environment in Iowa that is friendly for not just new businesses but also retaining businesses and business expansion, and, in the meantime creating good-paying jobs, Bloomingdale said.
Hejhal, whos taught business and operates a concession stand with his children, says he also thinks theres too much regulation for small businesses.
The state needs to encourage startups and foster entrepreneurship, including teaching students the basics of running a business, he said.
Both candidates believe schools should have more flexibility with their budgets.
The state currently dictates how funds it provides to schools must be spent. Schools are not allowed to use those funds for other purposes, regardless of where the district is most in need.
Schools were given a 2.25 percent increase in supplemental state aid this academic year. Although the long-term effects of this funding level wont be known for a few years, Hejhal said its already difficult for him to get the best teacher candidates to take positions in Osage.
The biggest issue is theyre taking better-paying positions in nearby states, he said.
We need to take a bigger, holistic approach, Hejhal said. If were going to get our best and brightest going into education, we need to increase teacher pay.
Bloomingdale also said something needs to be done to address school transportation costs, which can be costly for the states rural school districts.
We could free up some funds for classroom resources, which would help our rural schools quite a bit, Bloomingdale said.
If elected, Hejhal would stay on as principal at Osage High School. He says he will give back his salary on days he is away.
AEA 267 to host input meeting
CEDAR FALLs Area Education Agency 267 will host a public input meeting Wednesday to gather input for state implementation of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.
Iowa Department of Education officials will lead the 5 to 7 p.m. session in Rooms B and C of the AEAs Conference Center, 3712 Cedar Heights Drive. Satellite locations will be at AEA 267 offices in Clear Lake and Marshalltown, where people can participate remotely using video conferencing.
The meeting will open with an overview of ESSA and the departments goals for developing a state plan.
ESSA, which replaces the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, will be fully implemented starting in the 2017-18 school year. Iowa officials say the new law provides a more reasonable balance between the role of states and the federal government in accountability for the success of all children. Under the reauthorized law, the federal government sets expectations and states determine how schools will reach them.
Satellite sites are Room A of the AEA 267 Clear Lake office, 9184 265th St., which is on the Mason City Airport grounds, and Room G of the AEA 267 Marshalltown office, 909 S. 12th St.
For more information on Iowas plans to meet the Every Student Succeeds Act, go to www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/every-student-succeeds-act. Iowans also can submit questions and feedback by sending an email to essa@iowa.gov.
Waterloo library
to close Friday
WATERLOO The Waterloo Public Library will be closed Friday for Veterans Day.
The library will reopen for regular hours Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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The most-anticipated concert hall in Hamburg designed by Herzog&de Meuron is officially set to open on January 11 and 12, 2017 in Hamburgs HafenCity, but the Plaza of the Elbphilharmonie a public viewing platform situated between the former warehouse and the new glass structure was officially opened to public at a ceremony on November 4.
The event to mark the opening of the Plaza and the handover of the completed building by the construction firm Hochtief was attended by the Mayor of Hamburg, Olaf Scholz, the CEO of Hochtief AG, Marcelino Fernandez Verdes, General and Artistic Director Christoph Lieben-Seutter and the architects Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron and Ascan Mergenthaler from the firm Herzog & de Meuron.
Nigh view. Image Iwan Baan
Some 200 Hamburg residents were also invited, from pupils at the neighbouring Katharinenschule to former dock workers who used to work in Kaispeicher A the warehouse on which the new concert hall has been built.
Plaza. Image Iwan Baan
The observation deck of the concert hall, which follows a public square concept, is located at a height of 37 metres above ground level, between the historical brick warehouse foundation and the new glass structure. Visitors reach the deck via an 82-metre-long, curved escalator which leads to a large panorama window. From there, the path follows a second smaller escalator and spaciously designed stairs to the Plaza itself. An exterior walkway around the building offers fantastic views of the city and the harbour.
The interior of the Plaza houses the stairs to the concert halls, the lobby of The Westin Hamburg hotel and the takeaway cafe Deck & Deli. It is also home to the Elbphilharmonie shop, which sells books, CDs and products created specially for the venue. In the name of the ceremony, the Elbphilharmonie has published a set of images of concert hall taken by acclaimed architecture photographer Iwan Baan.
Exterior view. Image Iwan Baan
The Plaza is now open to all visitors from Hamburg and around the world starting on Saturday, 5 November 2016. Music will be performed on the Plaza throughout the weekend to celebrate its opening. As the visitor capacity is limited, admission will be regulated by the issue of tickets.
Plaza. Image Iwan Baan
''The Elbphilharmonie is much more than just a spectacular concert hall. It is a unique place, which reflects Hamburgs social and cultural life. With the Plaza, we wanted to create a place for everyone with a unique panorama: the outward-looking design of the spacious terrace, sprawling on the warehouse like a new public square, counterbalances the inward focus of the philharmonic hall above it,'' said Herzog&de Meuron at the opening.
Plaza. Image Iwan Baan
''Hamburg has one of the best concert halls in the world now. I am delighted that we are holding the first of several official opening ceremonies here on the Plaza. Right now, we are standing in the Port of Hamburg, 37 metres above sea level at the highest public square in northern Germany - and there is a skyscraper above our heads. The Elbphilharmonie is a place for everyone. Hamburg is a city of music, and you could call this its parliament. It is a concert hall that will wow the world,'' added Hamburgs Mayor Olaf Scholz in his speech.
Plaza. Image Iwan Baan
Grand Hall Foyer. Image Iwan Baan
Grand Hall Foyer. Image Iwan Baan
Grand Hall Foyer. Image Iwan Baan
Grand Hall Foyer. Image Iwan Baan
Grand Hall Foyer. Image Iwan Baan
Grand Hall. Image Iwan Baan
Grand Hall Detail. Image Iwan Baan
Rooftop. Image Iwan Baan
Tube. Image Iwan Baan
Tube. Image Iwan Baan
Foyer Kleiner Saal. Image Iwan Baan
Grand Hall. Image Michael Zapf
Grand Hall. Image Michael Zapf
Grand Hall. Image Michael Zapf
Exterior view. Image Michael Zapf
Architects Jacques Herzog, Ascan Mergenthaler, Pierre de Meuron / Olaf Scholz, Mayor of Hamburg / Marcelino Fernandez Verdes, CEO Hochtief AG / Christoph Lieben-Seutter, General & Artistic Director / Enno Isermann, spokesperson for the Department of Culture in Hamburg-at press conference on November 4. Image Michael Zapf
Top image Iwan Baan
> via The Elbphilharmonie
by Olivia Zhu
Not too long ago, I was struck by a haiku. Its a form I know very little about, aside from what most students are taught in school about its five-seven-five syllabic structure. Moreover, I dont read or understand Japanese, and feel very much at a loss to understand the paragons of the form in their original languageessential, I think, given their length.
But Ill venture a clumsy stab at explaining why this haiku might be so striking, and then dare to do the same for another, because I do think theres something here that transcends translation. Ive taken the liberty of picking the translations I thought sounded nice, but versions abound.
First, the Japanese poet Fukuda Chiyo-ni wrote:
Dragonfly catcher,
How far have you gone today
In your wandering?
She wrote it after the death of her son, when she had already been widowed. It is, perhaps, a simple workfor her child, who loved dragonflies and died young, the same flavor of thought for a living boy and one no longer. It makes me imagine a mother wondering where her son is playing, only to remember with a sharp breath that he has died. Yet this haiku is at once the moment before that breath, and the one after. What a sweet thought, to then picture your child continuing to do what he liked best in life, no matter that he has wandered far beyond where a mother might find him and care for him.
Here, it is the brevity of the haiku that makes me feel as if it is a passing thought, but perhaps a thought that Chiyo-ni might have had every day, multiple times a day, before committing it to paper.
This work also seems to have touched Kobayashi Issa, considered one of the great four masters of haiku. He, too, lost his childrena son, and then a daughter. It was the death of his daughter Sato that caused him the most heartbreak, for in one of his diaries, he said he believed she lives in a special state of grace, and enjoys divine protection from Buddha. His descriptions of her burst with a proud love and bemusement, and so his diary entry when she contracts and dies from smallpox seems all the more sorrowful by contrast. Upon her death, he wrote an entry in his journal, accompanied by Chiyo-nis poem on her dragonfly hunter, several other works about the loss of a child, and this haiku, his own:
The world of dew
A world of dew it is indeed,
And yet, and yet
Scholar Guy Newland discusses the work in his book on Buddhist grief, noting that the Issa would have followed the Buddhist belief that living things are fleeting, vanishing like dew. As Issa himself writes, I knew well that it was no use to cry, that water once flown past the bridge does not return, and blossoms that are scattered are gone beyond recall. Yet try as I would, I could not, simply could not cut the binding cord of human love. This is what he means when he says and yet, and yet, that even recognizing that he cannot recover his beloved daughter from death, he knows still that he shall love her and think on her, as Chiyo-ni does with her son. Newland describes it in quite a lovely way, saying that Now this little girls death hurts him bone-deep, cuts him to the core. To be utterly heart-wrecked and, at the same time, strangely grateful for some lost gracethis is what it will always mean to be a human who loves another mortal.
Consider again the haiku form, and how it shapes Issas feeling. It is a thought, a concise one. Yet it is a thought that lingers. Chiyo-nis thoughther questionrevisits her over and over again, but Issas here is left to extend, a remnant of the cord that still binds him to his daughter. Critic and translator Donald Keene notes that Issa was generally reluctant to express [tragic] feelings in his poetry, yet he does so in his diaries, and especially in this haiku that reconciles his reckoning with the physics of the real world and his grief. Chiyo-ni, on the other hand, has elided that barrier, blending the spheres of life and death into her question.
So much, from thirty-four syllables!
Sources
The Finest Female Haiku Writer
The Life of Kobayashi Issa
Guy Newland, A Buddhist Grief Observed, (33-34)
Issa Kobayashi, The Year of My Life, (Chapters 12 and 14)
Donald Keene, World Within Walls: Japanese Literature of the Pre-modern Era, 1600-1867, Volume 1, 368
Image: Pixabay
by Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad
In Islamic theology it is stated that for each human being God has appointed two angels (Kiraman Katibin) that record the good and the bad deeds that a person commits over the course of lifetime. Regardless of ones belief or disbelief in this theology, a world where our deeds are recorded is in our near future. Instead of angels there will be algorithms that will be processing our deeds and it won't be God who would be judging but rather corporations and governments. Welcome to the strange world of scoring citizens. This phenomenon is not something out of a science fiction dystopia, some governments have already laid the groundwork to make it a reality, the most ambitious among them being China. The Chinese government has already instituted a plan where data from a persons credit history, publically available information and most importantly their online activities will be aggregated and form the basis of a social scoring system.
Credit scoring systems like FICO, VantageScore, CE Score etc. have been around for a while. Such systems were initially meant as just another aid in helping companies make financial decisions about their customers. However these credit scores have evolved into definitive authorities on the financial liability of a person to the extent that the human involvement in decision making has become minimal. The same fate may befall social scoring systems but the difference being that anything that you post on online social networks like Facebook, microblogging website like Twitter, search and browsing behaviors on Google or their Chinese equivalents RenRen, Sina Weibo and Baidu respectively is being recorded and can potentially be fed into a social scoring model. As an example of how things can go wrong lets consider the case of the biggest country in the world China. In that country the government has mandated that social scoring system will become mandatory by 2020. The Chinese government has also blocked access to non-Chinese social networks which leaves just two companies, Alibaba and Tencent, to literally run all the social networks in the country. This makes it all the more intriguing that the Social Credit Scoring system in China is being built by the help of these two companies. To this end the Chinese government has given the green light to eight companies to have their own pilots of citizen scoring systems.
As compared to other scoring systems many social scoring system not only takes a persons activities into account but also that of their friends e.g., if your friend has a negative score or is considered to be a troublemaker by the government then your social score will also be negatively impacted by your friend. The Chinese social scoring does not take this into account right now but some folks have started ringing the alarm bells that this where it will end up. And just like the credit scores, the social score is a number that you can only ignore at your own peril. A low social score may result in you not getting the promotion, not getting hired for that government job or even that private sector job as private companies may not want to look bad by hiring too many employees with bad social scores. The government may even take things up by a notch by scoring companies based on their workforce and hiring practices. Once the system is set up, the authorities may not even need to do much policing because the algorithms will be doing the policing for them. This state of affairs has even been rightfully called gamified authoritarianism. The government can push the society in a particular direction by soft coercion. Consider the following quote from Li Yingyun, director of Ali Babas pilot social scoring system, as reported by the BBC, Someone who plays video games for 10 hours a day, for example, would be considered an idle person, and someone who frequently buys diapers would be considered as probably a parent, who on balance is more likely to have a sense of responsibility. It is not hard to imagine where such a system can go next.
Jay Stanley, from the ACLU, has rightfully observed that something like the Chinese social scoring system is unlikely to come to realization in the US. That said, governments are not the only entity that one should be worried about. If the government does not create such a system then large corporations may be tempted to replicate the Chinese social scoring systems. They not only have the resources but also motivation to do so. This scenario is not as far fetched as it may seem at first at first as many organizations already have internal scoring systems where they score their customers not just on their purchasing activities but also browsing behaviors and their engagement with the social media.
Retail and shopping is not the only thing that will be affected by social scoring system. It is not unconceivable that matchmaking services like Match.com, eHarmony, Tinder etc. will start using online social cues for marriage and dating. This is another area where China is ahead of the curve. Chinese dating apps are already incorporating social scores. After all, would you really want to date someone who can negatively impact your social score. Imagine a version of Tinder where you can filter people by their social scores. Just as you do not want to hangout with the wrong people that can lower your score, you also would not want to date someone who comes from a lower stratum of social scores. After all a social scoring system may penalize a person more for choosing to spend their life with the wrong kind of person. The long-term effects of such a system could be self-policing as well as stratification along social scoring lines. At this point if you are wondering that this is starting to look like the contours of a digital caste system being solidified then you are not imagining things.
One disclaimer that I should add here is that the version of the social scoring system described here is the more extreme version of what the Western media has stated what the Chinese government has in store. Details coming out of China about this system keep on changing and hence assessment of the system takes the various versions into account.. The version that is currently being rolled out is limited to a credit scoring system based on online and offline financial activities. However some analysts observe that the Chinese government may install such a system in the near future and this is just a warm-up. There has already been some backlash against aspects of this system so that the Chinese government has scaled back its plans tio some extent.
Then there is the dreaded correlation is causation fallacy that people can easy fall prey to. While one may argue that even if someone has a low social score that does not mean that they are a bad person, this not how large swaths of population are going to look at the matter. It does not help that majority of the populace is not very apt at even basic stats. Thus if you have low social score then people may start thinking that something wrong with you even though the low score may be because you are the victim of adverse circumstances. The problem of visibility of social scores is even more severe as compared to financial scores. If anyone can just query your social score then you may end up making and breaking friendship based on an invisible social marker. In the near future just imagine wearing a VR device over and walking down the street where you can see everyones social scores. Consequently not only your interactions with the government and impersonal organizations would change but your day-to-day interactions with other people may be impacted as well.
With the proliferation of social scoring systems used by the government and large corporations, a new profession may also emerge in the near future: Reputation management for social credit scores. Organizations may crawl the internet, analyze ones social media usage, scrutinize ones social circle etc. to making recommends regarding what actions to take and what friendships to maintain or even break based on how these might help a person improve their social score. Especially if querying social scores becomes as easy as querying a VR device then gold digging may not be limited to financial gain in the near future. We should also think about the psychological toll that it might take on people if they have to force themselves to create the illusion of a perfect to get that perfect social score. We have already seen glimpses of this phenomenon on Facebook and Instagram. It is not that hard to create a fake life on social networks it seems.
As with many autonomous systems run by algorithms, the proponents of social scoring systems may state that since the human element is being taken out these systems are likely to be unbiased. Researchers like Frank Pasquale have observed, There is nothing unbiased about scoring systems. Another important issue is the data collection and interpretation of the data. The former does not take into account the circumstances that lead to people making certain life decisions and the later may run into the problem of using the same cultural yardstick across different cultures and ethnicities. We already have computing systems that recommend giving African Americans longer sentences as compared to their Caucasian counterparts for the same crime. The problem is not that the programmers who designed the systems are consciously biased or racists but rather unconscious bias and selectivity of data get incorporated into the system without its creators realizing it.
Especially if the use of social credit scores can make people get others in line without direct government coercion then this would result in the perfect form of the Panopticon. Not only are the guards not needed in this version of Panopticon but all the prisoners have to put up a smiley face as well. It is the stuff of dreams for authoritarian regimes. Like many other technologies of control theocracies may jump at the thought of keeping tabs of what their citizens do. Just imagine how a technologically advanced North Korea or Saudi Arabia would look like with a social scoring system in place. Imagine North Korea with listening devices everywhere and recording and analyzing everything that one says in real time. It would impossible for dissidents to verbalize their opposition to the regime to one another, let alone mobilize and gets their voices across the rest of the world, this truly be as the late Christopher Hitchens put it a Cosmic North Korea. Imagine a theocratic regime that keeps tabs on the religiosity of its populace and scoring them based on their compliance to a particular creeds and set of behaviors.
Given the technological and consequent social developments of our age, social scoring systems may be inevitable. If this is the case then we should try to steer them towards greater transparency, privacy and fairness. Unlike the financial scoring metrics one should be able to query the system regarding why one has a low social score. If the government or some company is giving you a negative score because of your participation in some demonstration then arent they infringing on your constitutional rights by penalizing you? If this is the case then you should have a say in rectifying your score. It may of course result in an unusually high number of lawsuits against social scoring system, which is enough of a reason to not have such systems in the first place. On the flipside the advocate of such systems could use this premise to argue that such systems should not be transparent. As is the case with large-scale big data systems that collect personal data and offer services the question comes down to finding the right balance between privacy and transparency. It may be that such a balance does not exist for social scoring systems.
This makes the era of Big Data quite different from the previous information revolutions. One does not have to wait till the end of the world for judgment being pronounced. The algorithms of our own making are judging us and since they are created in our own image they are likely biased. This may not exactly be what Jesus had in mind when he said Dont judge lest ye be judged but algorithms that judge us are already here and increasingly will be part of the social fabric.
by Jalees Rehman
Political jokes were no laughing matter for the East German state security service., The Ministerium fur Staatssicherheit (MfS, more commonly known as the Stasi) viewed humorous quips about the political leadership as a form of political resistance during the Cold War years. The culture of repression enforced by the Stasi in the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik, the official name of East Germany) outlawed anti-government propaganda and sedition, and these anti-sedition laws enabled the Stasi to arrest citizens who shared political jokes.
Just a few months after the Berlin Wall was constructed, the Stasi arrested a 32-year old building painter at his workplace in the town of Sassnitz, hand-cuffed him and drove him to an undisclosed location. The Stasi agents provided no explanation for his arrest until late at night when he was lay down on a plank bed in a prison cell, trying to make sense of what crime he had committed. Exhausted and befuddled, he was just about to fall asleep when Stasi prison guards dragged him out of his cell into an interrogation room and informed him that he had been arrested for sedition. A Stasi interrogator wanted to know exactly what his opinions were about the party leadership, the relationship between the DDR and the Soviet Union and which Western radio channels he listened to. The painter provided all the details in a reasonably honest manner, without hiding his critical views.
The interrogator then asked him to write down every political joke he had ever heard or shared. He knew of nine jokes that he had told and wrote them all out for the Stasi. Here is one of the nine jokes:
Three DDR citizens are sitting in a prison cell and talking about why they have been arrested. The first says, My watch always went ahead, and I would arrive too early to work so they said I was spying. The second says, My watch was always behind, I always came too late so they said I was engaged in sabotage. The third said, My watch always worked perfectly, I always arrived on time, so they said my watch must have come from the West.
After spending several months in Stasi custody where he underwent repeated interrogations, he was sentenced to three years in prison for engaging in anti-government propaganda and sedition by a penal court. The summary report by his Stasi interrogators was a central piece of evidence in the mock trial and it specifically listed the political jokes as well as the names of fellow citizens who heard him tell the jokes.
The journalist Bodo Muller describes the fate of this painter in his recent book Lachen gegen die Ohnmacht: DDR-Witze im Visier der Stasi (Laughter as medicine against impotence: DDR jokes in the crosshairs of the Stasi) as an example of how seriously the Stasi approached the matter of political jokes, especially in the 1950s and 1960s. Muller was a DDR journalist who had been arrested and imprisoned by the state authorities after a failed attempt to escape in 1985. After the reunification, he was granted access to the secret files the Stasi has kept on him. Muller found out that the Stasi had kept a file on him since the 1970s, long before his attempted escape. He had been flagged because he collected and told jokes mocking the DDR leadership since his teenage years. When perusing the Stasi files about his activities, he learned that secret Stasi informants among his acquaintances had provided detailed information about the exact dates of when he had begun telling jokes, details that Muller himself had long forgotten. In fact, Muller had written down several hundred jokes about the DDR government and hidden those notes in the wall behind his kitchen sink. Fortunately for him, the Stasi never found his joke stash despite conducting secret searches of his apartment to find signs of conspiratorial activity.
Reading his Stasi file inspired Muller to scour 40,000 pages of now declassified Stasi files to understand the depth of the Stasi involvement in monitoring and persecuting jokesters. It appears that the DDR authorities aggressively pursued joke-tellers in the 1950s and 1960s but had relented somewhat by the 1980s. Perhaps they had realized that some degree of political humor allowed the DDR citizenry to blow off steam without engaging in activities that might pose an even greater threat to the regime. Or perhaps political jokes had become so widespread that containing humor by arresting perpetrators would have been futile.
How did the West German authorities view political joke-telling in the DDR? The West German intelligence agency BND (Bundesnachrichtendienst, now the primary foreign intelligence agency of the reunified Germany) recently declassified documents which revealed that one of their divisions monitored political humor in the DDR as a barometer of resistance in the DDR. The historian Hans-Hermann Hertle and the journalist Hans-Wilhelm Saure reviewed the declassified BND materials in their recent book Ausgelacht: DDR-Witze aus den Geheimakten des BND (Mocked: DDR jokes from the secret files of the BND). The BND emphatically denied that they actively disseminated political jokes to undermine the DDR leadership but the BND did have agents in the DDR who reported on the latest comedic developments. A number of the jokes compiled by the BND remarkably overlap with those found by Muller's research in the Stasi files.
Here are some examples of the jokes told by DDR citizens documented in the BND records:
What is the difference between an egg and a DDR citizen? An egg can only be broken once.
Reagan, Gorbachev and Honecker [DDR leader from 1971-1989] are talking to God. Reagan asks when the US will experience race problems like South Africa. God responds, In five years! Reagan is relieved and says, Great, I will no longer be in office at that time! Gorbachev asks God when the Soviet Union will no longer depend on wheat imports. God answers, In 30 years! Gorbachev is dismayed and says, Too bad, I will no longer be in office at that time! Honecker asks when the DDR will catch up with the West in terms of technology. God hesitates and then says, I will no longer be in office at that time.
How was the legacy of Karl Marx divided? The East inherited the Manifesto, the West inherited the Capital.
What is a 3/8 joke? Three years prison for the listener, eight years prison for the joke-teller.
Why aren't there any bank robberies in the DDR? The robbers would have to wait 14 years for the escape car.
Why do DDR athletes always win Olympic bobsledding events? People in the DDR grow up squished between walls while racing downhill.
The majority of these jokes found in the BND files were collected in the late 1980s, just a few years before the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the DDR. The growing number of jokes and widespread usage may have been indicative of the shifting mood and increased political defiance among the broad DDR citizenry towards the late 1980s, especially when the authoritarian DDR regime stood our as being even more reactionary than the Soviet Union under Gorbachev.
It may be an interesting undertaking to similarly analyze political or anti-authoritarian humor in other totalitarian settings, both historically as well as in the present. Does increased telling of jokes about contemporary religious and political leaders in religious or political totalitarian systems, for example, foreshadow their downfall? Humor as an indicator and even a vehicle for bringing about political or ideological change is an exciting area of research that could yield important insights into the psychology of resistance and revolution.
Even though the BND meticulously collected political DDR jokes, it is not clear that these jokes were adequately analyzed and that they provided valuable intelligence. Instead, it appears that they represented a missed opportunity for the BND which was blindsided by the political change in the weeks leading up the resignation of Erich Honecker and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Perhaps the best albeit unintentional- joke in the BND files is a statement made on September 26th 1989, two weeks before the famous Leipzig mass demonstration against the DDR government and seven weeks before the opening of the Berlin Wall: The BND stated that the protestors belonged to marginalized groups who would have little political impact.
References
1. Muller, Bodo (2016). Lachen gegen die Ohnmacht: DDR-Witze im Visier der Stasi. Ch. Links Verlag.
2. Hertle, Hans-Hermann and Saure, Hans-Wilhelm (2015). Ausgelacht: DDR-Witze aus den Geheimakten des BND. Ch. Links Verlag.
This holiday season, Alchemy by Dark Heart has a plan to give back to families whose loved ones have been unfairly incarcerated due to the war on drugs.
Imagine being a small child whose parent has been locked up for petty possession of cannabis. In the Bay Area and throughout California, this is the grim reality for thousands of families for whom giving gifts and spending time together can feel like a far-off fantasy. On November 8th, a vote for Proposition 64 will mark the beginning of the end of California's war on drugs, reducing many felony drug convictions to misdemeanors. But with so many already behind bars, there are many families in need of our support.
California nonprofit Friends Outside provides services to all incarcerated people in our state prisons who ask for assistance; among them, nearly 12,000 people have been convicted of drug-related offenses. Friends Outside aims to help people prepare to re-adjust to the free world and reunite with their families and communities. The organization also advocates year-round for the children of incarcerated parents, and works double-time at the holidays to provide for kids in need through its Holiday Wish event.
(Courtesy of Friends Outside)
"The families that are impacted say to us that, if it were not for this special annual event, the holidays would be very destitutethese families are hanging on by a thread to make ends meet," says Omar Cervantes, jail program facilitator for Friends Outside. "Their children are asking for basic needs such as clothing, socks, a jacket, shoes...a toy or doing an activity is often a luxury in this community."
This year, one cannabis company has found a way to help these families during the holiday season. Alchemy by Dark Heart will offer a special Holiday Wellness Pack that will directly benefit Friends Outside. Cannabis patients can get Alchemy's vaporizer pen with a choice of two or four aromatic cannabis oils with botanical extracts, each uniquely blended to enhance the holidays and packaged in a stylish, limited edition case. Blends include Awaken, a cheerful sativa with a mint and citrus blend; Explore, a hybrid rose and jasmine blend perfect for festivities; Relax, an indica, lavender and chamomile blend for escaping the holiday hustle; and Inspire, a hybrid chai blend to get your holiday card-writing juices flowing.
Choose from two or four blends of cannabis oils and botanical extracts. (Courtesy of Alchemy by Dark Heart)
On November 20th, join the Cannaisseur Series (6 to 10pm) for the launch of Alchemy's Holiday Wellness Pack. Starting November 1st, and through the Holiday season, you can pick one up for yourself from any of the following Bay Area dispensaries and delivery services. Proceeds will benefit Friends Outside in time for holiday gift giving as well as its programs for the year to come.
Find the Alchemy Holiday Wellness Pack at these Bay Area dispensaries:
Abatin (Sacramento), abatinsacramento.com
Apothecarium (San Francisco), apothecariumsf.com
CBCB (Berkeley), cbcbberkeley.com
Green Gold (Stockton), weedmaps.com/dispensaries/green-gold-cultivators
Magnolia Wellness (Oakland), magnoliawellness.org
RCP (Sacramento), rivercityphoenix.info
The Holiday Wellness Pack is also available for delivery with these local concierge services:
GetSava.com (All of CA), getsava.com/our-providers/alchemy-by-dark-heart
Stash Twist (Bay Area), stashtwist.com/store
Visit darkheartalchemy.com/holidaywellness for more locations
If this election doesn't drive you to drink, you must be drunk.
If you haven't yet found an election night support group to join, there's still hope! Several local bars and restaurants will be hosting watching parties on Tuesday. You'll find enough alcohol to float through a historic victory (or to drown your sorrows) whatever the case may be.
Nasty Women and Bad Hombres
If anything good has come from this crazy election season, it might be the Nasty Woman and Bad Hombre cocktails spawned from the final debate. Try award-winning bartender Nicky Beyries' versions at Laszlo on Tuesday for $14 each (or make them at home using the recipes published in Mother Jones). // 2526 Mission St. (Mission), laszlobar.com
Voters in Sausalito can also taste (and vote on) Copita's versions of the Nasty Woman and Bad Hombre, while watching live coverage on the television above the tequila bar. Wear your "I Voted" sticker for a free shot of tequila. You deserve it. // 739 Bridgeway (Sausalito), copita restaurant.com
Castro residents are invited to cuddle up on the couches, armchairs and barstools of The Residence, where you won't find a Nasty Woman, but you will find a Basic Bitch, which has been on the menu longer than the FBI has been investigating Hillary Clinton. Cash only. // 718 14th St. (Castro)
Liars Dice at The Dorian
The Dorian will be hosting a viewing party in The Study, offering half-price first drinks to anyone wearing an "I Voted" sticker. They'll also have Liars Dice and Dominoes set up for those who like to play with numbers other than 271 and 538. // 2001 Chestnut St. (Marina), doriansf.com
Freedom Wings at Tamarind Hall
From 5pm to 8pm on election night, Tamarind Hall Thai Street Food & Bar is offering $5 beers and well drinks as well as specially-priced small bites. Think freedom wings, egg rolls, chicken satay and beef jerky. // 1268 Grant Ave. (North Beach), tamarindhall.com
Best of Both Worlds at Left Bank Brasserie
Menlo Park residents can watch the election returns all day in the bar (two screens, no sound), or escape the dumpster fire altogether in the dining room, where there are no TVs. Happy hour starts at 3pm and continues until closing time, because we're all going to need a few extra hours of discounted boozing. // 635 Santa Cruz Ave. (Menlo Park), leftbank.com
Drink to the Future at Canela
Rather than worry about winning on election night, Canela Bistro & Wine Bar is simply hosting an "unofficial" Hillary Clinton Victory Party on Tuesday, starting at 5:30pm. Dress as your favorite politician to win a prize, and enjoy food and drink specials throughout the evening. // 2272 Market St (Castro), canelasf.com
Which beer will win the Alection? (Half Moon Bay Brewing Co.)
Celebrate Alection Night at Half Moon Bay Brewing Company
In keeping with their long tradition of public affairs and political programming through their monthly Brews and Views events, Half Moon Bay Brewing is (of course) tuning the TVs to election results starting at 5pm, offering $3 brewer's choice pints all day, and treating bar guests to complimentary "Pampered by the Chef" appetizers. They've been running their third presidential Alection since August, and Hillary's brew is beating Donald's in the popular vote, 57% to 43%. But some people are saying it's rigged. // 390 Capistrano Rd. (Half Moon Bay), hmbbrewingco.com
Trick Dog for President
Don't like either of the major party candidates for president? Pick another one from the Trick Dog for President menu, printed on a cotton flag, and get a campaign button to go along with it ( see campaign video ). On election night, from 3pm to 2am, trade in your official "I Voted" sticker for a free Red or Blue shot and a custom Trick Dog campaign button. // 3010 20th St. (Mission), trickdogbar.com
Watch Without Fanfare
Laws crafted by those elected should do most good for most people
Major players in the global cable and accessories market include Prysmian S.p.A (Italy), General Cable Technologies Corporation (U.S.), Nexans (France), NKT Cables (Germany), and ABB Ltd. (Switzerland), among others.
The report Cable and Accessories Market by Overhead (Conductors, Fittings & Fixtures), Underground (PVC Cables, XLPE Cables, Cable Terminations, & Joints), Submarine (XLPE Cables, MI Cables, Cable Terminations & Joints) and End-User Global Forecast to 2021, The global cable and accessories market is projected to grow from an estimated USD 147.53 billion in 2016 to USD 202.07 Billion by 2021, registering a CAGR of 6.5%. Factors such as increase in renewable energy generation, rapid industrialization & urbanization, and government initiatives undertaken to expand transmission & distribution systems would drive the LV & MV cable and accessories market.
Browse 163 market data Tables and 60 Figures spread through 259 Pages and in-depth TOC on Cable and Accessories Market
Download Free PDF Brochure: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=183767317
Infrastructure segment to dominate the LV cables & accessories market
The cable and accessories market has been categorized, by installation, into three segments, namely, industrial, infrastructure, and renewables. The infrastructure sector held more than half of the LV cables & accessories market share in 2015. This growth can be attributed to increasing urbanization and continuing demand from commercial users, especially in the emerging economies. The industrial sector held around half of the MV cable and accessories market share in 2015. Growth in construction would eventually increase the number of MV cables & accessories being used in the construction process. These factors drive the cable and accessories market.
Overhead segment is expected to hold the major market for LV cables & accessories
On the basis of installation, the LV cable and accessories market has been segmented into underground and overhead. The overhead sector dominated the market, followed by underground in 2015. Further, the MV cable and accessories market, based on installation, has been segmented into underground, overhead, and submarine. In 2015, the underground sector dominated the market, followed by overhead. Continuous refurbishment of LV & MV voltage cables & accessories is essential in the underground segment. They have to be replaced in order to maintain the cables according to the soil condition. Therefore, the market for LV & MV cables & accessories in the underground segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.
Asia-Pacific would see the highest growth for cable and accessories market
The report covers five regions, namely, Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness a high-growth rate for cables & accessories from 2016 to 2021. Moreover, increase in renewable power generation would drive the LV & MV cable and accessories market.
The report also provides an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, along with profiles of the leading cables & accessories market players such as Prysmian S.p.A (Italy), General Cable Technologies Corporation (U.S.), Nexans (France), NKT Cables (Germany), and ABB Ltd. (Switzerland).
In this report, the LV & MV cable and accessories market has been analyzed with respect to the following regions, namely, Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Asia-Pacific is estimated to be the largest market for cables & accessories, followed by Europe. The figure given below shows the regional scenario of the cables & accessories market from 2016 to 2021.
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Power companies
Cable manufacturing companies
Low and medium voltage cable accessories & equipment manufacturers
Engineering, procurement, and construction contractors
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Metal ore (copper, aluminum, and their alloy) suppliers
Government and research organizations
Consulting companies in the energy sector
Energy associations
Environment associations
Investment banks
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Address:701 Pike Street, Suite 2175
City: Seattle
State: Washington
Country: United States
Website: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/
Wilderness Adventure Cruise Explores Kimberley Coast
BROOME, WA. November 7, 2016 The Great Escape Charter Company offers a view of Australias Kimberley Coast rivalled by none, giving customers a mix of fun and adventure that makes for an enjoyable vacation or holiday gift.
The Great Escape wilderness adventure cruises transport passengers to an ancient remote wilderness landscape. Different than other cruises, Great Escape gives passengers a chance to depart the vessel and explore the remote Kimberley Coast thats only reachable by boat or helicopter. They can witness ancient rock art sites, hike over rocky riverbed paths and take a swim in refreshing waterholes or fish for Mangrove Jack and Barramundi. At night they can enjoy drinks and view the sunset on deserted sandy beaches.
Its about disconnecting from life and seizing the opportunity to be one with nature and experience an adventure. Passengers view some of the most beautiful untouched places on Earth. They still, however, get to travel in luxury aboard the comfortable stylish MV Great Escape.
The ship features seven executive staterooms with room for up to 14 guests. Each room is fully air-conditioned and features a queen-sized bed, a private ensuite, a flat screen television, a DVD player and a personal fridge. Guests have access to an on-board helicopter which offers the chance to experience thrilling aerial views of Kimberley Coasts enchanting wilderness. They can also relax in the refreshing saltwater spa on the foredeck. State-of-the-art satellite communications technology including phone, fax and email and an Apple iPad so that guests can keep in touch with the outside world if they wish.
The Great Escape Charter Company is made up of ordinary people who share a true passion for the Kimberley Coast. The charter company is a small, local business that is relaxed, down-to-earth, fun and professional. Crew members are selected for their unique abilities and personable character. They are led by co-owners and skippers Chris and Jeremy Tucker, who have unrivalled knowledge of the Kimberley Coast and Rowley Shoals with more than 35 years of exploring the region. That knowledge includes an infinite awareness of the unique and unpredictable tides and river systems, leaving passengers in safe hands.
For moreinformation on how to have an enjoyable journey with the Great Escape Charter Company, visit https://www.greatescape.net.au/ or call +61 (8) 9193 5983.
###
Media Contact
Company Name: Great Escape
Contact Person: Natasha Mahar
Email: cruises@greatescape.net.au
Phone: +61 (8) 9193 5983
Address:Suite 4, 15-17 Dampier Terrace PO Box 1133 Broome WA 6725 Australia
Country: Australia
Website: https://www.greatescape.net.au
November 7, 2016, Scottsdale, AZ, USA Vehicle wrap company Signature Graphics, a local business active since 2008, is moving into some exciting new industry areas. While Signature Graphics started with advertising wraps for businesses and decorative wraps for consumers, founder Ken Johnson is expanding the companys focus to include color change and race graphics wraps. He has also made plans to start creating wraps for small aircraft.
Arizonas own Inde Motorsports Ranch has recently partnered with Signature Graphics. This has allowed Signature Graphics to get experience and clients producing vinyl wraps with racing graphics for motorsports cars. The company is excited to continue branching out into this area of the industry, and to continue their partnership with Inde Motorsports Ranch.
Signature Graphics plans dont stop there, however. The company plans to introduce wraps for small aircraft within the next two months. Businesses large and small will soon be able to advertise not only through car and truck wraps by Signature Graphics, but in the sky as well. Ken Johnson and the rest of the team at Signature Graphics are sure this will offer businesses great exposure, allowing Signature Graphics to continue in their mission to provide them with the best return on investmentmeaning Signature Graphics will help Arizona businesses make money through advertising like never before.
Signature Graphics small aircraft wrap services will also be available to individuals looking to make their personal aircraft more eye-catching and excitingjust as the company has helped various people in and around Phoenix to make their cars, trucks, boats, and RVs look more vibrant.
According to companys owner Mr. Ken Johnson: The company hopes to form relationships with more small and large local businesses than ever, while also attracting new private customers who want eye-catching custom vehicle wrap designs for racing, boating, or everyday driving.
About Signature Graphics
Signature Graphics offers vehicle wrap services for business or pleasure, helping local businesses and individuals alike. They have been creating vibrant custom designs for cars, trucks, marine vehicles, and recreational vehicles since 2008. The company is headed by founder Ken Johnson, who has over ten years experience in the vinyl industry. For more information and free quotes, Johnson and his team may be contacted through Signature Graphics website: http://signaturegraphicsaz.com/
Media Contact
Company Name: Signature Graphics
Contact Person: Ken Johnson
Email: info@signaturegraphicsaz.com
Phone: (480) 736-1111
City: Scottsdale
State: AZ
Country: United States
Website: http://signaturegraphicsaz.com/
White Cliff Raises $1.5 Million in Oversubscribed Placement
Perth, Nov 7, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - White Cliff Minerals Limited ( ASX:WCN ) ("White Cliff" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed a $1.5 million placement to professional and sophisticated investors through the issue of 200 million new shares at 0.75 cents per share. Participants in the placement will also receive one attaching option exercisable at $0.013 on or before 31 December 2018 for every three shares subscribed ("Placement").
Novus Capital Limited acted as Lead Broker and underwriter in respect of the Placement. The Placement was underwritten to $750,000 however investor demand was well in excess of the underwritten amount.
Funds raised pursuant to the Placement will be used primarily to fund the following exploration:
1. Further drilling at the Aucu gold prospect where significant surface expressions of visible gold have been discovered along strike from the Company's existing gold resource of 156,000 Ounces at 4.2 g/t of gold from surface.
2. Conduct metallurgical testwork on high grade samples recovered from this years drilling, and update its JORC compliant gold resource at the completion of this testwork, and;
3. Drill testing high grade gold soil anomalies at the Company's Merolia gold project.
White Cliff's Managing Director, Mr Todd Hibberd commented "We are very pleased with the strong response received for this Placement. The quality of the Company's high grade gold project in Central Asia and Western Australian gold projects has generated significant interest. Ongoing drilling in Kyrgyz and accelerated drilling of our Western Australian gold projects is expected to generate a constant supply of positive exploration results. Indeed we will now be able to commit to a drill program at the Ironstone prospect before the year end."
The Placement has been made to professional and sophisticated investors. The Placement will be completed in two tranches with 200 million shares issued in the first tranche, pursuant to the Company's 15% capacity under ASX listing rule 7.1. The attaching 66.67 million options will be issued after the lodging of a prospectus to remove trading restrictions. An application to ASX for the options to be quoted will be made subject to all ASX conditions being met.
A share purchase plan (SPP) to raise $1,250,000 on the same terms as the Placement was announced on 31 October 2016. The SPP offer letter will be dispatched to eligible shareholders this week.
To view the release, please visit:
http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/O4588FV6
About White Cliff Minerals Ltd
White Cliff Minerals Ltd is a Gold, Copper, Cobalt, Nickel resources and mining company listed in Australia (ASX:WCN). The Company is focused on developing low cost high value mineral deposits that have near term cash flow potential.
Major projects include the Aucu gold deposit that contains 484,000 ounces of gold (3mt at 5.1 g/t) starting at surface and Chanach copper deposit that contains 64,000 tonnes of copper (17.2Mt at 0.37% copper). Both projects have substantial blue sky potential with drilling covering only 5% of the known structures. In Australia the company is developing the Coronation Dam cobaltnickel deposit where a maiden resource will be announced in the late 2018.
The U.S.-led coalition tasked with degrading and defeating Daesh successfully executed a large scale, multinational strike on a weapons facility in Al Hadithah, Iraq, Oct. 31.
The strike package achieved the functional destruction of a Desert Storm-era weapons facility Daesh forces actively used to store artillery and ammunition as well as manufacture improvised explosive devices and vehicle-borne IEDs.
The mission served as a capstone demonstration of the interoperability, synergy and multinational partnership boasted by the coalition. The U.S., United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Australia, Belgium and Jordan each contributed assets and aircraft toward the strike package.
"The efforts to degrade and defeat Da'esh are not confined to the responsibility of a single nation," said Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, U.S. Air Forces Central Command commander. "The fight to defeat this organization is a coalition effort, and it takes a coalition force to achieve that end state. This strike showcased the cumulative efforts of a diverse coalition dedicated toward a singular objective."
The package included a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress, Royal Air Force Tornado GR4s, French air force Dassault Rafales, Royal Danish air force F-16s, Royal Australian air force F/A-18 Hornets, Belgian air force F-16s and Royal Jordanian air force F-16s.
In total, 20 strike and bomber aircraft effectively destroyed 38 specified targets with a combination of air-launched cruise missiles and precision guided munitions.
The air tasking order coordination chief and lead planning officer for the weapons facility strike, Capt. Jarred Thorley, said the planning phase for a multinational strike package is critical.
Every nation brings their own specific tactics, techniques and procedures to the table, and we have to meld those together to create a successful strike package, said Thorley. We have to ensure everyone is looking at the same picture.
Deconflicting a compressed and congested airspace and communicating across multinational aircraft platforms also served as a crucial component of the pre-planning process.
The way I like to think about it is like ballet, Thorley said. Every piece has to be in the right place at the right time. We have to get it right at ground level in order for our operators to execute their mission safely.
The flexibility of coordinating and directing a massive air operation from a singular location between several nations is a testament to the capabilities employed by the coalition, said a U.K. liaison officer involved in the planning of the airstrike package.
Directing a large scale strike like this from one centralized location with a range of aircraft from throughout the region is impressive, he said. It says something that we are able to combine all these different nations with different equipment, training and perspectives and execute a mission like this not in a controlled exercise but in a real world operation.
This strike showcased a real deterrence for our adversaries, Thorley added.
This shows Daesh that they cannot win going forward, he said. The force dedicated to their defeat is too large and united. We have tremendous partners, and we leverage the coalition capability every day.
The strike was conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate Daesh and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria and the wider international community.
(Bloomberg) An emeritus professor of business administration in Rochester, New York, pleaded guilty to hiding $200 million in assets from the Internal Revenue Service by using offshore accounts at a bank that people familiar with the matter identified as Credit Suisse Group AG.
Dan Horsky, 71, entered the plea Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, where he admitted that a Zurich-based bank helped him conceal assets from the IRS, according to the Justice Department. That bank was Credit Suisse, according to three people familiar with the case who asked not to be named because they werent authorized to discuss the bank.
Despite his extraordinary wealth, Mr. Horsky concealed funds offshore, failed to report substantial income, conspired to submit false repatriation documents to cover up his fraudulent scheme, and evaded paying his fair share of tax, Caroline Ciraolo, a principal deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, said in a statement.
Credit Suisse spokeswoman Karina Byrne didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Mark Matthews and Seth Kossman, two attorneys for Horsky, said in a statement: Mr. Horsky deeply regrets what he did and accepts responsibility for his conduct.
Horsky signed a plea agreement on June 29, 2015, in which he said hed cooperate with prosecutors and provide all information he has regarding any criminal activity requested by the government.
Horsky is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 10. He faces as long as five years in prison. If prosecutors are satisfied with his cooperation they will ask the sentencing judge for a reduced term, according to the plea agreement.
Startup Investments
Horsky admitted that he began investing in startup businesses in 1995 through financial accounts at various offshore banks, including the one in Zurich, according to the Justice Department. In 2008, he put money into a company that was bought by another for $1.8 billion. While he received $80 million in net proceeds, he disclosed a gain of only $7 million to the IRS, the Justice Department said.
Horsky then invested those proceeds using funds from the Zurich-based bank, and his investments, combined with other unreported offshore assets, grew to $200 million by 2013, according to the statement.
Bank representatives regularly communicated with bank employees, and it was readily apparent that he was a U.S. resident, according to the statement. Horsky is a citizen of the U.S., United Kingdom and Israel, the Justice Department said.
In 2011, Horsky gave signature authority over the accounts to another individual. That helped him hide the assets from the IRS, the government said.
Horsky filed false tax returns from 2008 to 2014, failing to disclose his income from the Zurich banks accounts, resulting in a tax loss of at least $10 million, the U.S. said. He also failed to file Reports of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, or FBARs, until 2011, and false ones in 2012 and 2013, according to the Justice Department.
Horsky paid an FBAR penalty of $100 million, which is separate from any other restitution he may face, the department said.
The case is U.S. v. Horsky, 16-cr-224, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia (Alexandria).
(Bloomberg) Known to many as a partisan attack dog, Senate Democratic leader-in-waiting Chuck Schumer is plotting to reach across the aisle next year with a pragmatic agenda he insists can get through a bitterly divided Congress.
"We have a moral obligation, even beyond the economy and politics, to avoid gridlock and get the country to work again," the New York senator said in an interview last week. "We have to get things done."
It wont be easy. If Democrats manage to win the Senatewhich Schumer insists is still "more likely than not," despite narrowing polls over the past two weeksthe party likely will control the chamber by a very slim margin. The Senate could even end up split 50-50, with the vice president having to cast deciding votes. And Democrats are unlikely to hold the chamber beyond 2018, with that years Senate map stacked against them.
If Schumers former rival, Hillary Clinton, wins and hes running the Senate, he said hes optimistic several big issues could get done early on, including overhauls of international corporate taxes and immigration laws, criminal justice changes and more funding for scientific research.
That might sound like little more than wishful thinking coming from a man whose job for many years was to run a hard-charging Democratic Senate campaign arm that defeated many Republican candidates. Schumer has a New Yorkers zest for sharp-elbowed politics that might make Senate Republicans wary of doing business with him, especially in todays highly partisan atmosphere.
Deal Maker
But Schumer is at heart a deal maker and a legislator. He worked with Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on immigration and Chinese currency manipulation. And Schumer said he and Paul Ryan had been negotiating a deal on overhauling corporate tax rates "at a pretty granular level" before the Wisconsin Republican got tapped last year to become speaker of the House.
"I hope and intend to resume those conversations," he said.
A deal could potentially result in the repatriation of trillions of dollars parked overseas by corporations like Apple Inc. to avoid the 35 percent corporate tax, while curbing incentives for future corporate inversions. If Schumer and Ryan want to cut a deal, so does one other person: Clinton.
Whats Possible
While Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has resisted doing a piecemeal tax overhaul that helps corporations without lowering individual tax rates, Schumer said the more targeted deal can get done.
"Youve got to do whats possible," he said. "There is a possibility of compromise for international tax reform provided its attached to a broad, strong infrastructure bank."
He notes that many Democrats dont like the idea of overhauling international taxes for corporations, but can support it if the windfall from the transition to a new system funds infrastructure and creates jobs.
Partisan and Effective
Republicans like Lamar Alexander of Tennesseewith whom Schumer negotiated a deal in 2012 to facilitate some executive appointments and a separate agreement to streamline the ruleshave already approached him in hopes of working in a bipartisan way.
"Both he and Mitch McConnell are smart, partisan and effective," Alexander said in an interview. "They both place a value on how unique the Senate is as an institution to get consensus on big issues at a time the country is hungry for consensus."
But any good feelings could dissipate quickly, particularly if there is an early battle over a Supreme Court nominee in which Republicans block a confirmation and Democrats change Senate rules to push through a Clinton pick.
Across the Aisle
As leader, Schumer would spend far more time negotiating with Republicans. He did so in the past when the Senate passed a bipartisan immigration bill in 2013an issue Schumer hopes Republicans will want to revisit quickly if Donald Trump loses.
"I dont just want to put things on the floor where they vote yes and we vote no, everyone points fingers and nothing gets done," he said. "There is a yearning among people in both parties to get things done."
Alexander said McConnells already opened up the Senate floorfar more amendments got votes this Congress than the last one under the leadership of Democrat Harry Reid of Nevadaand bipartisan bills like a rewrite of the No Child Left Behind education measure and a long-term highway law were among the results.
"Theres always the potential for the Senate to run off the tracks, especially after a bitter presidential election like the one weve had," Alexander said. But, "when you add a new leader to the mix, there is the potential for us to work together and solve some big issues."
McConnell would have an incentive to make a Democratic Senate look dysfunctional, particularly with half of the Democrats up for re-election in 2018 versus just eight Republicans, but Alexander doesnt see that as his objective.
"Theyve both been around long enough to know that this years winner is next years loser. What we need is a longer view," he said.
Schumer doesnt think a straight blockade would work anyway.
"The party thats seen as obstructionist is going to pay a price in 2018," he said.
Clinton Partnership
Schumer and Clinton have come a long way from the rivalry between them when they first entered the Senate.
"Our first year, it took us a while to get to know each other," Schumer said, insisting they have long been friends.
"We talk two or three times a week," he said. And some of Schumers star former aides are on Clintons campaign, including spokesman Brian Fallon.
Even so, Schumer noted his independence from Clinton during his one televised debate with Republican opponent Wendy Long, saying he opposed the Iran dealsomething that at one point had allies of President Barack Obama openly questioning whether he should become party leader.
Such talk never took off in the Senate, where Schumer has been seen as Reids de facto successor for years. Practically the entire caucus endorsed him within a day of Reids retirement announcement.
But he will have his hands full keeping Democrats united.
Already, liberals Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont have declared they plan to block Clintons nominees if they are too friendly to Wall Streetand Wall Street, of course, includes many of Schumers and Clintons most powerful constituents and patrons.
His pitch to the liberals: Stay united to get things done. And moderates have long trusted his political skills.
"If anyone is up for it, its Chuck Schumer," said Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who credits Schumer with both a passion for legislation and knowing what makes senators tick.
"Hes kind of like a Brooklyn LBJ," said Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island. "Hes got immense capacity to bring people together and nobodys ever outworked him."
Schumers biggest challenge may be simply confirming Clintons nominees, starting with the Supreme Court, assuming McConnell doesnt relent on his threat to block Merrick Garlands confirmation later this year.
One of Schumers first decisions will be whether to change Senate rules to prevent a minority from blocking Supreme Court picks after Republicans like John McCain of Arizona, Ted Cruz of Texas and Richard Burr of North Carolina each raised the possibility that they could indefinitely block any Clinton nominee.
Schumer wouldnt say whether hell go there.
"In the heat of elections, people say a lot of things," he said. "Im hopeful that after the election well be able to work something out."
But Klobuchar and Whitehouse, both members of the Judiciary Committee, said Democrats wouldnt allow a Republican blockade.
"We would have no choice and no hesitancy about using the same rules for Supreme Court nominees as we use for every other judge and executive branch nominee," Whitehouse said.
By Joseph Jankowski
An organization which has the aim to separate the state of California from the Union of the United States is set to hold a meeting at the state capitol in Sacramento on Wednesday, November 9, 2016, the day after the presidential election.
The Yes California Independence Campaign, which is based in San Diego, describes itself as a nonviolent campaign to establish the country of California using any and all legal and constitutional means to do so.
The group is currently trying to qualify a citizens initiative in 2018 to get a referendum for secession on the ballot in 2019, reports SF Gate. They will be in Sacramento in hopes to gather support for the states exit, or the Calexit, as they call it.
In our view, the United States of America represents so many things that conflict with Californian values, and our continued statehood means California will continue subsidizing the other states to our own detriment, and to the detriment of our children, reads Yes Californias official website.
The groups page reads on:
Although charity is part of our culture, when you consider that Californias infrastructure is falling apart, our public schools are ranked among the worst in the entire country, we have the highest number of homeless persons living without shelter and other basic necessities, poverty rates remain high, income inequality continues to expand, and we must often borrow money from the future to provide services for today, now is not the time for charity. It is about California taking its place in the world, standing as an equal among nations. We believe in two fundamental truths: (1) California exerts a positive influence on the rest of the world, and (2) California could do more good as an independent country than it is able to do as a just a U.S. state.
Yes Californias website lays out 9 different points covering topics the group believes will benefit from a California exit from the US, including education, peace and security, debt and taxes and immigration.
One blog post on their page draws parallels with a Calexit and the recent referendum known as Brexit that passed in the UK in June which showed that most British people are ready for their country to leave the EU.
The push for secession is nothing new to California. In 1941 the mayor of Port Orford, Oregon, Gilbert Gable, proposed the idea to push the Oregon counties of Curry, Josephine, Jackson, and Klamath to join with the California counties of Del Norte, Siskiyou, and Modoc to form a new state, later named Jefferson.
Modoc County of Northern California voted in 2013 to join neighboring Siskiyou County in a push to secede from the State of California.
In 2014, two counties in northern California petitioned for the right to form a 51st State of America, which they also wanted to name Jefferson.
Joseph Jankowski is a contributor for Planet Free Will.com. His works have been published by recognizable alternative news sites like GlobalResearch.ca, ActivistPost.com, Mintpressnews.com and ZeroHedge.com.
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Photo Credit: US National Flag and California State Flag, City Hall, Santa Monica (Ed Uthman/Flickr)
By Catherine J. Frompovich
This is the continuation of the testimony I will present before the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commissions Administrative Law Court November 2 and 3, 2016.
A very similar scheme, I offer, currently is being used and foisted upon customers and consumers by vested interests and even the PA PUC I may add, which depend upon fifty-year-old or more, radar science heat-producing (thermal) studies to prove that microwave technologies RFs/EMFs do not harm human health, while specifically totally disregarding and discrediting scientifically documented Non-thermal health effects in order to cash in on federal grant monies that promote whats being called The Internet of Things or the Grid.
Moreover, the U.S. military document in Exhibit L indicates that RF/EMF microwave safety is not cost effective and, therefore, always has been avoided and deliberately not pursued further. That deliberate fact needs to be prosecuted as crimes of conspiracy, collusion and racketeering to maintain specific military vested interests, which have impacted industry , including controlling a one-sided inaccurate assessment of science and technology, detrimental to human health and the environment.
According to the study Epidemiologic evidence relevant to radar (microwave) effects published in 1997 online at Environmental Health Prospectives, PECO, Exelon, and the PA PUC must consider the following regarding cancer and EMFs, which are created by microwave functioning AMI Smart Meters, including the dirty electricity they create:
Public and occupational exposures to microwave (RF) are of two main types. The first type of exposures are [sic] those connected with military and industrial uses and, to some extent broadcast exposures. It is this type that most of the data cited in this study draw upon. The second type, cellular telephones and their associated broadcast requirements, [which AMI Smart Meters operate on] have raised concerns about current exposures because of their increasingly widespread use. Four types of effects were originally reported in multiple studies: increased spontaneous abortion, shifts in red and white blood cell counts, increased somatic mutation rates in lymphocytes, and increased childhood, testicular, and other cancers. In addition, there is evidence of generalized increased disability rates from a variety of causes in one study and symptoms of sensitivity reactions and lenticular opacity in at least one other. These findings suggest that RF exposures are potentially carcinogenic and have other health effects. Therefore, prudent avoidance of unneeded exposures is recommended as a precautionary measure. [1] [ CJF emphasis added ]
Additionally, I introduce Exhibit R-2 Scientific-Medical Evidence on EMF Radiation, which further corroborates the medical science affirming non-thermal health effects from RF/EMF radiation.
Science promotes the recommendation for using precautionary measures or the Precautionary Principle[2], which, in the case of AMI Smart Meters, is the avoidance of RFs/EMFs. Frompovich has proven in her answers to Attorney Smiths interrogatories that she lives, as humanly possible, an electromagnetic-free lifestyle as possible since she has no RF/EMF-producing appliances, gadgets, or even a TV in her home. And yet, Frompovich is being harassed and threatened with no electric power if she does not submit to scientific folly, corporate agendas, and ill-found administrative mandates that depend upon 1940s radar science when it is now 2016!
Talk about insanity surrounding AMI Smart Meters! Duquesne Light had been harassing utility customers because of AMI Smart Meter malfunctions, which were explained away as Smart Meters are like computers, and discrepancies and technical issues occur. However, no technical issues occurred for decades with safe, efficient, non-plastic parts, non-RF/EMF-producing analog meters.
I have a question for the PA PUC: Are you aware of the inefficiencies of AMI Smart Meters; how they are causing all sorts of heartachesliterally and figurativelyfor customers? And, pray tell, what are you doing about them, other than holding hearings like mine and allowing, and even enabling, consumer health and domestic problems?
Reporter Jon Delano of KDKA2 TV, a Pittsburgh CBS affiliate, reports http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/video/3401389-smart-meters-pose-ongoing-issu/ about one customer whose first bill, after the AMI Smart Meter was installed, went from previous monthly bills of $42 to $2,545.13! Another customer reported receiving zero bills for electricity used, and then was harassed and threatened with service termination for non-payment!
Its totally outrageous what goes on with AMI Smart Meters, their malfunctions, safety issues like fires and, most of all, their politics! How can customers trust they are not getting ripped off by utility companies with the obvious blessing of the PA PUC when bills skyrocket for no apparent reasons?
Heres what ought to be most perturbing information for the PA PUC and all entities involved in pushing RFs and EMFs AMI Smart Meters on to unsuspecting public consumers . This is happening in Australia where a judge has allowed the case to proceed through that legal system:
Over the past few years, New Farm resident Louise Brosnan has lead [sic] the community charge in raising awareness regarding her findings relating to EMR (electromagnetic radiation) and to stop Telcos emitting harmful exposure. Her efforts and research have been an attempt to get people doing something about this menace but also to provide awareness to unsuspecting residents. Louise suffers from microwave sickness or electro-hypersensitivity and claims that Telcos via their installation of a mobile phone tower emission have threatened to assault her with unseen electrical energy. Increasingly, in many territories, wi-fi is being removed from schools and hospitals.[3]
That assault threat is deemed sufficiently legal to allow Ms. Brosnans case to proceed through Australias legal system. We need such legal awareness, e.g., assault and battery from microwaves and their generation, in the USA, I offer. Australian law recognizes the culpability involved from microwave-generated RFs/EMFs. Furthermore, Frompovich stresses that microwave assault and battery legal actions probably soon willand shouldfollow within the USA legal system.
Additionally, I feel morally obligated to mention that some researchers are noticing parallels between EMF effects and autism physiology. Dr Martha R Herbert, PhD, MD (Harvard Medical School, MGH Neurology, Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, TRANSCEND Research, Higher Synthesis Foundation & Higher Synthesis Health) gave a slide presentation titled Parallels between EMF effects and Autism Findings, accessible at the Pediatric Societies Conference in May of 2016.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByIQaPLaf3_PQUl0MFA1RXFlMGM/view?pref=2&pli=1
So what do EMFs do physiologically to impact autism physiology? According to Dr Herbert, theres a page full of twelve (12) physiological issues, which I will not read but introduce as Exhibit P, Parallels Between EMF Effects and Autism Findings. Additional information can be found at Footnote [4] of my written testimony.
Dr Herberts slide presentations Conclusions need to be taken seriously insofar as she says that EMF is likely to make autisms cellular, metabolic and nervous system physiological dysfunctions worse, and that Reducing EMF exposures could reduce severity and incidence of autism. If that be the case, AMI Smart Meters on every house may become the proverbial albatross around utilities necks when class action lawsuits, similar to those filed for prescription drug damages, start being filed by parents whose children are impacted by microwave RFs/EMFs and dirty electricity travelling on their homes wiring generated by AMI Smart Meters 24/7/365, as often as every 15 seconds, 9600 times a day!
Personally, I recommend the PA PUC look further into how RFs/EMFs, AMI Smart Meters and Wi-Fi in schools are adversely impacting children, who are the most vulnerable to RF/EMF radiation.
Moreover, Id like to impress upon this court, the PA PUC, and all utility companies installing and operating AMI Smart Meters what the American Academy of Environmental Medicine states in its Electromagnetic and Radiofrequency Fields Effect on Human Health paper Exhibit I:
While it was practical to regulate thermal bioeffects, it was also stated that non-thermal effects are not well understood and no conclusive scientific evidence point to non-thermal based negative health effect. Further arguments are made with respect to RF exposure from WiFi, cell towers and smart meters that due to distance, exposure to these wavelengths are negligible. However, many in vitro, in vivo and epidemiological studies demonstrate that significant harmful biological effects occur from non-thermal RF exposure and satisfy Hills criteria of causality[5]. Genetic damage, productive defects, cancer, neurological degeneration and nervous system dysfunction, immune system dysfunction, cognitive effects, protein and peptide damage, kidney damage, and developmental effects have all been reported in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. Pg. 2 [Printed copy provided]
And this from Health Impacts of Radiofrequency Exposure from Smart Meters April 2011, a 52-page report prepared by the California Council on Science and Technology:
Two Types of Radio Frequency Effects: Thermal and Non-Thermal Household electronic devices, such as cellular and cordless telephones, microwave ovens, wireless routers, and wireless smart meters produce RF emissions. Exposure to RF emissions may lead to thermal and non-thermal effects. Thermal effects on human have been extensively studied and appear to be well understood. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has established guidelines to protect public health from known hazards associated with thermal impacts of RF: tissue heating from absorbing energy associated with radiofrequency emissions. Non-thermal effects, however, including cumulative or prolonged exposure to lower levels of RF emissions, are not well understood. Some studies have suggested non-thermal effects may include fatigue, headache, irritability, or even cancer . https://ccst.us/publications/2011/2011smart-final.pdf Pg. 4 [CJF emphasis added]
Id be extremely lax if I did not address and question the Cost Effectiveness of AMI Smart Meters, which other states Attorneys General and Utility Commissioners have studied and feel do not support a mandated roll out, like Pennsylvanians are experiencing.
I introduce Exhibit Q Smart Meters Cost Effectiveness Questioned into the record along with the specific request that the PA PUC provide Frompovich the study regarding cost effectiveness or feasibility studies documenting AMI Smart Meters ability to effectuate consumer savings that was done before, and presented to the PA PUC prior to, the roll out in Pennsylvania.
Such a study certainly should have to have been required and done to comply with the PA PUC Title 66 1501 Utilities Not Harm Customers, as part of a feasibility study regarding implementing a new product and/or type of service before deployment or roll out. What is the date of that study, and may I please have a copy of it?
Furthermore, may I respectfully remind everyone that PECO had to stop installing, plus reinstall close to 200,000 AMI smart meters[6], due to the Sensus AMI smart meter fires [7] that were occurring in the metropolitan Philadelphia area. One AMI smart meter fire, about which I reported internationally, has made the family destitute and no one at the PA PUC or PECO has stepped up to the plate to correct the damage caused by the installation of an AMI smart meter![8]
However, there is one last measure of unfinished business; it concerns Chairman Robert Godshall of the PA House Consumer Affairs Committee, who has sat on AMI Smart Meter opt-out bills for years and continues to this day to NOT call up, nor release, several bills currently in that committee.
Since PA state legislators have heard the plea from citizens for redress to government and introduced appropriate bills to deal with AMI Smart Meters, I allege that Chairman Godshall is depriving all Pennsylvanians of due process, plus redress from harmful health effects to citizens minds, bodies, and health by not allowing said opt-out bills to be released for a vote, which subsequently will pass that committee and the entire state legislature.
Representative Godshall knows that and is acting to prevent those bills from becoming law, I contend. Therefore, I allege Chairman Godshall is acting in his own or industrys best interestsnot Pennsylvanians and either should recuse himself, since his son Grey works or worked for PECO/Exelon, which prompts conflict of interest claims, or there should be a recall of Representative Godshall who is preventing Pennsylvanians from having their grievances heard about AMI Smart Meters and NOT processing bills introduced into the legislative process to rectify AMI Smart Meter hardships. Other states have enacted opt-out legislation for AMI Smart Meters, so whats preventing Representative Godshall from releasing those bills?
May I respectfully remind the PA PUC, every PA state legislator, and all state government agency administrators, who actually function as fiduciaries in their relationships with taxpaying citizens, that you should be demanding Representative Godshalls resignation for his blatant exercise for several years of what appears to be a pre-set and/or determined agenda, or course of action, that is not in the best interests of Pennsylvanians health and wellbeing, but smacks clearly of a conflict of interest and even possible collusion.
And finally, the following are my closing remarks.
Unfortunately and most dramatically, a classic example of government inefficiencies and governmental agencies questionable and inaccurate health information and/or advisories, or more accuratelythe lack of correct and proper health information or science, plus probable vested-interest data propaganda, input is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys totally inept and clearly ludicrous daily September 11, 2001 event air quality reports during the World Trade Center implosions that contended air quality was safe, along with insistent admonitions to go back to work in that area and get on with life as normal.
Such GROSSLY inaccurate information for all involved, especially first responders, EMS personnel, rescue and recovery crews, plus deconstruction and reconstruction crews later on, now has been proven scientifically false and apparently driven either by blatantly unqualified or deliberately bad scientific information, OR possibly, a deliberate conspiracy to keep important air quality health damaging information from those brave men and women who put their lives in danger to help their fellow human beings. I, for one, remember that day and salute with the highest esteem I can muster those brave and selfless souls and their families who have suffered the consequences of government stupidity or malfeasance, deliberate or otherwise, I offer.
There were extremely high levels of toxic contaminantschemicals, heavy metals and questionable particulatesand federal, City of New York and State of New York health officials knowingly did NOT protect the publics health, only doggedly reassured and told obvious scientific lies, which leads Frompovich to question if similar modus operandi are employed with regard to electromagnetic frequencies non-thermal adverse health effects from microwave technology being forced upon Pennsylvanians via utility companies AMI Smart Meters and PA PUCs regulations, despite what HB2200 stated:
(f) (2) (i) upon request from a customer that agrees to pay the cost of the smart meter at the time of the request.
Frompovichs question to PECO and the PA PUC is this: How many PECO customers requested an AMI Smart Meter? May I please have the number of customer requests for a smart meter, plus the cost of each customers meter? Id be willing to wager neither of you have had such requests!
After all the scientific research, publications and documentation Frompovich has introduced into this hearing record, especially the Bioinitiative 2012 report with 1800 new studies that I introduce as Exhibit R-1, the PA PUC, PECO, all Pennsylvania utility companies, the media and federal government agencies surely now must know the current scientific facts about EMFs/RFs and electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) problems emanating from microwave technologies by which AMI Smart Meters operate.
What is the PA Public Utility Commission going to do about it now that you know?
Unfortunately, human nature is such that humans cannot understand, nor appreciate, the problems others are saddled with, which some even consider as odd UNTILand heres the key momentone actually experiences those very same problems, but then its too late. Have any of you walked in an EHS persons shoes? When you contract electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), you, too, I can almost guarantee, will become totally distraught and demand relief.
What is the PA PUC going to do to relieve the fear, mental and physical anguish and suffering of those who have forced retrofitted AMI Smart Meters on their homes, plus all the harassment Pennsylvania consumers who refuse(d) being damaged by AMI Smart Meter EMFs receive(d); are bullied about; and/or threatened with loss of service and/or fines?
Where is the PA PUCs collective government conscience and fiduciary responsibility regarding the PA PUCs safety mission?
Where is the current experimentalnot epidemiologicalscience proving there are no EMF/RF non-thermal adverse health effects? Frompovich requests that PECO please produce them to her and the PA PUC Administrative Law judges before any decision is rendered by this court in the Frompovich case.
Lastly, where are the PA PUC members individual senses of integrity, honor and agency decency regarding implementation of Act 129 of 2008 as actually passed by the legislature as HB2200, not what PA PUC employees believed legislators had passed?
I rest my case, and thank you very much for the opportunity to present my testimony, which I respectfully ask be printed in its entirety as part of this hearing record, with no deletions and/or redactions.
Catherine J Frompovich
November 2, 2016
Notes:
[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1469943/
[2] http://www.precautionaryprinciple.eu/
[3] https://app.box.com/s/svj3a4q7pi77dzrtxg3ekbn4dmp26ppm
[4] http://ehtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/MarthaHerbertPAS-Handout-1.pdf Pp. 2-3
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_Hill_criteria
Criteria: Strength, Consistency, Specificity, Temporality, Biological gradient, Plausibility, Coherence, Experiment, Analogy
[6] http://marylandsmartmeterawareness.org/smart-meter-news/after-tests-peco-to-resume-smart-meter-installations-sensus-defends-their-meters/
[7] http://articles.philly.com/2012-08-16/news/33217445_1_smart-meters-smart-meter-installation-sensus
[8] https://www.activistpost.com/2015/06/smart-meters-fire-living-hell-and.html
Catherine J Frompovich (website) is a retired natural nutritionist who earned advanced degrees in Nutrition and Holistic Health Sciences, Certification in Orthomolecular Theory and Practice plus Paralegal Studies. Her work has been published in national and airline magazines since the early 1980s. Catherine authored numerous books on health issues along with co-authoring papers and monographs with physicians, nurses, and holistic healthcare professionals. She has been a consumer healthcare researcher 35 years and counting.
Catherines latest book, published October 4, 2013, is Vaccination Voodoo, What YOU Dont Know About Vaccines, available on Amazon.com.
Her 2012 book A Cancer Answer, Holistic BREAST Cancer Management, A Guide to Effective & Non-Toxic Treatments, is available on Amazon.com and as a Kindle eBook.
Two of Catherines more recent books on Amazon.com are Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, A Probe Into Whats Probably Making Us Sick (2009) and Lord, How Can I Make It Through Grieving My Loss, An Inspirational Guide Through the Grieving Process (2008)
Catherines NEW book: Eat To Beat Disease, Foods Medicinal Qualities 2016 Catherine J Frompovich is now available
ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Pat G. Kaplan, a Realtor from Portland, Oregon has received the National Association of Realtors 2016 Distinguished Service Award. The honor is presented yearly to no more than two of NAR's more than 1.2 million members. Winners were recognized at the REALTORS Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida.
NAR established the DSA in 1979 to honor Realtors who have made outstanding contributions to the real estate industry and who serve as leaders in their local communities. The award is considered the highest honor an NAR member can receive; recipients must be active at the local, state and national association levels but must not have served as NAR president. NAR President Tom Salomone presented the award to Kaplan.
"Pat Kaplan has been a leader in the Realtor community for decades. On the local, state and national level, Pat's commitment and professionalism make her an obvious selection for the Distinguished Service Award," said Salomone, broker-owner of Real Estate II Inc. in Coral Springs, Florida. "On behalf of the entire Realtor family, I thank Pat for her inspiring dedication."
Kaplan, a Realtor for 36 years, is broker-owner of Kaplan Real Estate Group, specializing in residential real estate and consulting. She holds the professional designations of Graduate, Realtor Institute; GREEN; Certified International Property Specialist; Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager; as well as the e-PRO and At Home with Diversity certifications.
"I am very honored and thankful to NAR for being named a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. I am proud of be a part of an organization that honors members for giving back to their communities and protecting the rights and privileges of real property ownership," said Kaplan.
An active NAR member, Kaplan has held many leadership positions throughout the Realtor organization during her nearly four-decade tenure, including serving as the NAR treasurer from 2001 to 2003, a president's liaison in 2000, vice president of committees in 2004, and regional vice president for Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington in 1999. She has served on NAR's Board of Directors since 1993, and currently serves on an advisory group for the Realtors Federal Credit Union (a division of Northwest Federal Credit Union since 2012), on the Second Century Initiatives board since 2010 and the Sentrilock LLC Board of Directors since 2014.
Kaplan chaired the Finance Committee and Smart Growth Program Advisory Group, as well as held leadership roles on a variety of committees, including Strategic Planning, Risk Management, State and Municipal Legislation, Communications and Political Affairs. She chaired presidential advisory groups on NAR Governance in 1997 and Global in 2014. Kaplan served as the first president of the Realtors Relief Foundation from 2001 to 2006 and continued on its board until 2008. She is a member of the Realtors Political Action Committee Hall of Fame, President's Circle and a Golden R.
At the state level, Kaplan was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Oregon Association of Realtors in 2012. She was president of OAR in 1996 and the first ever to be honored as Realtor of the Year while serving as president. Known for her political activism, Kaplan chaired OAR's Legislative Committee for four years, and chaired the Budget and Finance, Strategic Planning and Executive Committees. Kaplan was the first recipient of OAR's Realtors Active in Politics award. She continues to serve on the OAR Board of Directors.
At the local level, Kaplan served as the Washington County Association of Realtors president in 1991, was named Realtor of the Year in 1993, and served on its board for more than 10 years, including chairing the Budget and Finance, Strategic Planning, Nominating, Realtor of the Year and RPAC committees. She was given the Distinguished Service Award in 1994. Today, Kaplan continues service on several key Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors committees, as well as serving as a mediator for Professional Standards. Kaplan has served as director of the Realtor Multiple Listing Service since 2013.
Active in her community, Kaplan was involved in the Oregon Fair Housing Planning Conference from 1992 to 1994 and served on two state advisory committees: History of Housing Discrimination in Oregon and Oregon Comprehensive Housing Affordability Study Group. Kaplan has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Club, Catlin Gable School, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland Community College Foundation, Campfire Girls, World Affairs Council, and also served on the board of the Oregon Junior Miss Scholarship Program. She is currently on the board of the International Real Property Foundation and is a partner in the Social Venture Partners of Portland philanthropy.
Kaplan and her husband, Joel, reside in Portland. They have two children.
Information about NAR is available at www.realtor.org. This and other news releases are posted in the "News, Blogs and Videos" tab on the website.
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SOURCE National Association of Realtors
WESTMINSTER, Mass., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teamster warehouse workers and drivers at Aubuchon Hardware's distribution facility found themselves locked out of their jobs when they reported to their shifts this morning. They were met by security who had been instructed to tell the workers that they were not allowed on the property.
The 60 warehouse workers and drivers at Aubuchon's distribution center are represented by Teamsters Local 170. After difficult contract negotiations that involved Aubuchon Hardware attempting to end its employees' pensions and significantly raise their health care costs, the workers and the company agreed on a contract on October 21.
The workers planned to hold a contract ratification vote, but before that happened, Aubuchon changed the contract to include language allowing the company to outsource the distribution center work.
"We told Aubuchon that we cannot let this company outsource these jobs and destroy the lives of 60 families in Massachusetts," said Shannon George, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 170. "They want to outsource their distribution business to Orgill, Inc. It is the height of hypocrisy for a company that calls itself locally-operated and community-oriented to send good New England jobs to a low-wage sub-contractor in West Virginia.
"The company refused to honor the contract we jointly agreed upon. Massachusetts communities have supported Aubuchon Hardware for decades. It's outrageous that the company would treat community members who work there in this fashion."
"I don't know what kind of people renege on something they've agreed to," said shop steward Bruce Girouard. "We discussed our contract for a long time. It feels like they're trying to cheat us out of job security by slipping in different language at the last minute."
"We showed up to work this morning and Aubuchon wouldn't let us in. Now we're out here on the street with no pay because the company is trying to starve us out just weeks before Thanksgiving, to force us to accept a contract that kills 60 jobs," Girouard said.
"The Teamsters will not allow companies to intimidate workers," said Sean O'Brien, Teamsters International Vice President, Teamsters Local 25 President and Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Joint Council 10 in New England. "The Teamsters are in the process of filing charges against Aubuchon with the National Labor Relations Board. This is a serious violation of federal laws protecting workers' rights. Teamster members throughout New England stand ready to support these members of Local 170 as they fight back against Aubuchon's abuses of workers and communities."
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @teamsters and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.
Contact: Shannon George, (508) 799-0551
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SOURCE Teamsters Local 170
Coalition airstrike demonstrates synergy among nations
The U.S.-led Coalition tasked with degrading and defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant successfully executed a large scale, multinational strike on a weapons facility in Al Haditha, Iraq, Oct. 31.
The strike package achieved the functional destruction of a Desert Storm-era weapons facility that ISIL forces actively used to store artillery and ammunition as well as manufacture improvised explosive devices and vehicle-borne IEDs.
The mission served as a capstone demonstration of the interoperability, synergy and multinational partnership boasted by the coalition. The U.S., United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Australia, Belgium and Jordan each contributed assets and aircraft in the strike package.
"The efforts to degrade and defeat (ISIL) are not confined to the responsibility of a single nation," said Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, the U.S. Air Forces Central Command commander. "The fight to defeat this organization is a coalition effort and it takes a coalition force to achieve that end state. This strike showcased the cumulative efforts of a diverse coalition dedicated toward a singular objective."
The package included a B-52 Stratofortress, Royal Air Force Tornado GR4s, French Air Force Dassault Rafales, Royal Danish Air Force F-16s, Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 Hornets, Belgian Air Force F-16s and Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16s.
In total, 20 strike and bomber aircraft effectively destroyed 38 specified targets with a combination of air-launched cruise missiles and precision guided munitions.
The air tasking order coordination chief and lead planning officer for the weapons facility strike, Capt. Jarred Thorley, said that the planning phase for a multinational strike package is critical.
Every nation brings their own specific tactics, techniques and procedures to the table and we have to meld those together to create a successful strike package, Thorley said. We have to ensure everyone is looking at the same picture.
De-conflicting a compressed and congested airspace and communicating across multi-national aircraft platforms also served as a crucial component of the pre-planning process.
The way I like to think about it is like ballet, Thorley said. Every piece has to be in the right place at the right time. We have to get it right at ground level in order for our operators to execute their mission safely.
The flexibility of coordinating and directing a massive air operation from a singular location between several nations is a testament to the capabilities employed by the coalition, said a U.K. liaison officer involved in the planning of the airstrike package.
Directing a large scale strike like this from one centralized location with a range of aircraft from throughout the region is impressive, he said. It says something that we are able to combine all these different nations with different equipment, training and perspectives and execute a mission like this not in a controlled exercise but in a real world operation.
This strike showcased a real deterrence for our adversaries, Thorley added.
This shows (ISIL) that they cannot win going forward, Thorley said. The force dedicated to their defeat is too large and united. We have tremendous partners and we leverage the coalition capability every day.
The strike was conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate ISIL and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria and the wider international community.
The November issue of Airman magazine is now available to download and is viewable through a web browser.In this issue, we look at the history of the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System program and share the developers goals for future implementation. In the next feature, we also explore the benefits of reverse engineering foreign materiel -- an activity performed at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Finally, we tell the story of a military spouse who supported her husbands 22-year Air Force career and then decided, at the age of 46, that she wanted to become the active-duty Airman in the family.You can download Junes issue of Airman magazine on your tablet here:To read this issue on a PC/Mac, click here For more stories, visit Airman Online , the website for the official magazine of the U.S. Air Force.
Citizen Airmen often wear multiple hats. They have to maintain a military career and a civilian career.
When a member has to leave their civilian job to serve their country, civilian employers may understand why, but still feel a hole when the member is gone. Thats what one Airmans employer, Bethany Butler, assistant branch manager at Navy Federal Credit Union in Gulfport mentioned during her visit to Keesler.
To show employers the value of their Citizen Airmens time away from their civilian workplaces, the 403rd Wing hosted an Employ Appreciation Day Nov. 5. This event gave employers the opportunity to see the 403rd Wings mission up close and helped them understand what their Citizen Airmen have volunteered to do for their country.
Before her participation in Employer Appreciation Day, Butler said her understanding of what her employee, Staff Sgt. Jordan Watson, does as an air transportation journeyman with the 41st Aerial Port Squadron was to load cargo on airplanes.
After attending the event, she was able to understand more of what Watson does in her military life.
I am just amazed that they are able to move all that and do everything in a hurry. To be able to go out there and do that in addition to all the training they have to do, its amazing, said Butler. All the little details that are in place (that) she has to focus on and make sure they are correct, (they) make everything work beautifully.
The mission briefings, flight with the 815th Airlift Squadron and demonstrations of palate building, weapons, gas masks, deployment bags and self-aid/buddy care provided employers an opportunity to understand and appreciate what the Air Force Reserve teaches their Citizen Airmen.
They pick up different talents when they work for the military, so when they return to the workplace, everyone else there is able to experience, learn and grow from them as well, said Butler.
"It's a great asset having Airmen who come from diverse backgrounds with a variety of civilian careers and varying talents. They bring a valued set of skills with them that ultimately enrich their contributions to the Air Force Reserve. The experiences our Airmen gain while serving allow them to bring back qualities and skills that benefit the employers and businesses," Col. Michael Manion, 403rd Wing commander said. "We appreciate the employers for allowing their employees to serve their country. The support of both employers and family members is vital for us to accomplish our mission."
Watsons military supervisor, Tech. Sgt. Timothy Entrekin, an air terminal operations supervisor with the 41st APS, said the Employ Appreciation Day also serves as a morale booster for Airmen when their employer is able to come visit.
(The employers) can see that what I do is worth it and that it means something. Their support doesnt go unwarranted; its worth something, said Watson.
King Mohammed VI affirmed, on Sunday in a historical speech commemorating the 42th anniversary of the Green March and delivered from Dakar, that Morocco needs a serious, responsible government, away from electoral arithmetic.
The future cabinet should not be the result of calculations aimed at fulfilling political parties wishes, based on electoral arithmetic, as if there were spoils to be shared out, said the sovereign in a speech on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the glorious Green March, delivered to the Nation from the Senegalese capital Dakar.
A government should have a clear program and well-defined priorities, both for home and foreign affairs, particularly as far as Africa is concerned. The government should have the ability to deal with the difficulties inherited from past years, with respect to Moroccos obligations towards its partners, the King said.
In this regard, the sovereign noted that the government should involve an efficient, coherent structuring effort, consonant with programs and priorities, adding that it also requires qualified, skilled resources, with specific sectoral attributions.
These are the criteria I will ensure are respected when the next government is formed, in compliance with a strict methodology. I will not tolerate any attempts to deviate from it, the King stated.
Moroccans expect the coming government to be up to the challenge of this crucial phase, the monarch underlined.
The speech comes less than a month after the legislative elections held on October 7, in which the Party of Justice and Development (PJD) obtained a majority of 125 seats. It was followed by the Party of Authenticity and Modernity with 102 seats.
Few days following the elections, the Moroccan monarch appointed Abdelilah Benkirane, head of the PJD, as new head of government and entrusted with the mission of forming a new coalition government.
King Mohammed VI, arrived late Sunday to Dakar for an official visit to the Republic of Senegal.
King Mohammed VI, accompanied by HRH Prince Moulay Rachid and HH Prince Moulay Ismail, arrived on Sunday in Dakar for an official visit to the Republic of Senegal.
At his arrival at the Leopold Sedar Senghor airport, the the King was greeted by Senegalese President H.E. Macky Sall.
The sovereign was afterwards greeted by Senegalese Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne, Speaker of the Senegalese National Assembly Moustapha Niasse, president of the high council of local authorities Ousmane Tanor Dieng, and president of the economic, social and environmental Council Aminata Tall.
The King was also greeted by the minister of state, director of presidents office, the foreign minister, the interior minister, the Chief of general staff of Senegals armies, the high commander of gendarmerie, the presidents chief of staff and the governor of the region of Dakar.
The two leaders headed for the VIP stand to salute the flags while the national anthems were playing.
Afterwards, The Moroccan Sovereign and the Senegalese head of state reviewed a detachment of the different corps of the Senegalese army who paid the honors.
The sovereign was, then, greeted by members of the Senegalese government, vice-speakers of the National Assembly, the Arab and African diplomatic corps accredited in Dakar, chiefs of brotherhoods, representatives of the Moroccan community living in Senegal, Moroccos ambassador in Dakar and members of the Moroccan diplomatic mission.
The Senegalese president was greeted by members of the official delegation accompanying HM the King, composed notably of the sovereigns advisors Fouad Ali El Himma and Yassir Zenagui.
The delegation includes also agriculture and fisheries minister Aziz Akhannouch, minister delegate for foreign affairs Nasser Bourita, as well as high-ranking civil and military figures.
After a short break at the VIP lounge at the Leopold Sedar Senghor airport, the official procession headed for the Kings residence.
King Mohammed VI is due to deliver a speech on 41th anniversary of the Green March from the Senegalese capital. This is the first time the Moroccan monarch addresses the nation from outside of Morocco.
In a statement issued by the Senegalese Presidents office earlier Sunday welcomed King Mohammed VIs visit, and stated that. HM the King will kick off on Nov. 6, 2016, an official visit to Senegal and H.E. President Macky Sall welcomes the sovereign and wishes his distinguished guest a nice stay, said a statement issued on Saturday in Dakar.
HM the Kings stay in Senegal is part of strengthening long-standing and privileged relations of friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Senegal, said the same source.
During his stay, HM the King will meet with H. E. President Macky Sall on issues of shared interest, in addition to the signature of cooperation agreements between the two countries, said the statement, adding the sovereigns visit will be also marked by important social activities for the benefit of the population.
The King Mohammed VI, accompanied by Prince Moulay Ismail, and President of the Republic of Senegal, Macky Sall, chaired, on Monday at the presidential palace in Dakar, the launch ceremony of a partnership to support small-scale agriculture and rural areas in Senegal.
At the beginning of the ceremony, minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Aziz Akhannouch, presented before the two leaders an outline of this partnership program, developed in accordance with the High Royal instructions to benefit the Senegalese State from Moroccos expertise in developing small-scale agriculture, notably as part of Morocco Green Plan.
This partnership is part of the existing cooperation between Morocco and Senegal in the agricultural field, mainly in training, technology transfer and financial support, which will contribute to the success of this new ambitious partnership, Akhannouch said.
The partnership for the support of small-scale agriculture and rural areas in Senegal is based on the joint approach of four key actors, namely the Mohammed VI Foundation for Sustainable Development, Moroccos Groupe Credit Agricole, Groupe Banque Centrale Populaire, and the ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, added Akhannouch.
The Mohammed VI Foundation for Sustainable Development will provide expertise in terms of social development, and a financial contribution of 1 million Euros for the creation of a guarantee fund, said the minister.
Moroccos Groupe Credit Agricole will provide expertise in financial engineering, Akhannouch said, noting that the Groupe Bank Centrale Populaire, already established in Senegal, will provide an additional financial contribution of 1.5 million Euros.
The ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will provide experience notably in project management, he added.
Later on, the King and the Senegal President chaired the signing ceremony of two agreements on the implementation of the Moroccan-Senegalese agricultural partnership program.
The first agreement provides for the establishment of a funding mechanism to support small-scale agriculture and rural areas, while the second concerns the implementation of a development plan for octopus fishing between the Moroccan and the Senegalese governments.
The agreements reflect The King Mohammed VIs commitment to consolidating South-South cooperation, as well as the common will of the two countries Heads of State to further promote relations between Senegal and Morocco.
At the end of the ceremony, Senegalese minister of Tourism and Air Transport, Maimouna Ndoye Seck, read out a statement by the Foreign ministries of Morocco and Senegal on accelerating discussions for a partnership between Royal Air Maroc and Air Senegal S.A, benefiting both companies.
The ceremony was attended by the official delegation accompanying the Sovereign, members of the Senegalese government and several civil and military high officials.
The King of Morocco Mohammed VI, accompanied by Prince Moulay Ismail and Senegalese president, Macky Sall launched, on Monday in Dakar, the Octopus Development Plan for the benefit of Senegal.
The Plan, whose implementation memorandum of understanding was inked today under the chairmanship of the two leaders, will be carried out over five phases and seeks mainly octopus preservation and promotion, the restoration of this resource stock and its protection against socio-economic impacts.
The first phase will concern the setting up of a methodological working group tasked with determining the plan and zone for scientific exploration, elaborating a sampling strategy and campaign planning. Two bilateral meetings yearly will be held between the Moroccan and Senegalese scientists.
The second phase, related to the scientific campaign, touches on operations of bathymetric scanning and trawling, an inventory of species and biological sampling, sampling and measurements of oceanographic parameters. Two campaigns will be organized annually during hot and cold seasons.
As for the third phase, it is aimed at statistic and geostatistic treatment, the establishment of a cartography on distributions, demographic structures of biological parameters, and abundances and biomasses. The joint working group will hold a meeting at the end of mission (Morocco-Senegal).
The fourth phase involves the assessment and modeling of the exploitable potential through the evaluation of potentialities of optimal capture and the assessment of exploitation scenarios and fishing effort. This stage will lead to the setting up of a stock evaluation group.
The fifth concerns the establishment of the development plan related to sensitive zones and periods (biological rest periods and threatened zones), the biomass and exploitable potential (fishing quota), in addition to the fishing dynamic and strategy (development unit). A triennial scientific evaluation group will be created in this regard.
On this occasion, the King handed the Senegalese authorities a grant by the Kingdom of Morocco composed of 12 engines (inflatable boats) for rescue operations and monitoring fishing activities.
Since an Ebola outbreak was declared in Uganda on 20 September, health assistant Nyangoma Kirrungi has been on the frontline of the countrys response day in and day out, working as a contact tracer in Madudu sub-county, one of the areas affected by the outbreak.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Monday slammed the Narendra Modi government saying that it is obsessed with power and tries to silence all those who disagree with it and this is darkest hours Democracy is going through under this government.
The Gandhi scion is chairing a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) in the place of his mother and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, whos reportedly unwell and unable to attend in spite of car waiting for her in 10, Janpath.
Rahul Gandhi said, Democracy under the present dispensation is going through one of the darkest hours. Attempts by the government to suppress freedom by abusing state power will only strengthen our resolve to defeat such dangerous designs.
Asking questions is what discomforts this government, for they have no answers. We must expose governments failures in upcoming Parliament session, Rahul Gandhi declared, further alleging that the government is abusing fundamental freedoms of the people.
He also raised the issue of his detention last week following his attempt to meet the family of ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal, who committed suicide, and for raising the issue of One Rank One Pension.
The opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account, he said.
Television channels are being punished & asked to shut down. Opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account, the Congress VP added.
Accusing the Modi government of swinging from one extreme to another in dealing with Pakistan, Rahul also addressed the issue of One Rank One Pension (OROP).
Our jawans are being cruelly rewarded by a callous government with denial of OROP and cut in disability pensions, Rahul said.
Television channels are being punished and asked to shut down, he said about the ban that has been imposed for the channels coverage of the January terrorist attack in Pathankot. The government said it found the coverage to be in violation of broadcasting norms.
This is the first time Rahul has presided over a CWC meeting. Top Congress leaders, including Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Janardan Dwivedi, Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni and AK Antony are among those attending the meeting.
Sadly, the answer is a big No. We have for long blamed our citys Corporation and other civic agencies for their incompetence in keeping our city clean. We have become complacent after complaining about the garbage, the poor roads and the lack of pavements. But when the authorities begin improving some of the facilities, we respond by rampant vandalism. Such incidents dont augur well for the residents of Mumbai which is known as the commercial capital of India.
Names have been assigned to several streets in Mumbai. All of a sudden, long forgotten streets and neighbourhoods regained an identity, and finding locations became that much easier. The boards are elegantly painted with names painted in big fonts so that they are easily visible for pedestrians. Wherever errors are pointed out in the names of the streets correction was made in record time. But these places have become a convenient spot for pasting notices and posters. For a change, the political parties should not be blamed. In case you have not observed, the number of posters that ilk has come down drastically in the past couple of months, it being reliably construed that informal orders are in order to that effect from senior officials. Still equipments used in streets decoration are stolen and sold to scrap dealers.
Those at the bottom of the economic scale are probably indulging in this type of vandalism. They make money by selling valuables available on the streets used to beautify the city. But what about the rich and affluent citizens? We have seen revival of pavement in some localities. Efforts are being made to clear these of encroachments, relay the stones and make them comfortable for pedestrians. In order to prevent people from parking cars and other vehicles height of footpaths have been increased in the city. Climbing these high rise footpaths become difficult for children and senior citizens. Thus steps must be taken to make them user friendly.
Make people aware about the value for money as these developments takes place at the cost of tax payers money and people must not damage public property. We should also become responsible citizens. Our Corporators and ward officials are trying to have one to one meet with the people in the area and that extends the scope for bringing out genuine problems and solving them immediately without the need of sending letters or publishing them in newspapers. After all, Government is of the people, by the people, for the people. We make use of the facilities and protect them from deterioration and keep the city neat and clean and prove that we are also responsible citizens of India.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Subedar Ram Kishen Grewals suicide is one more case meant for political mileage. How many farmers committed suicide due to banks enforcing rules for recovering minimal loan amount in the past? In this particular case also banks failed to deliver the pension amount in time and the blame is squarely passed on the Government at the centre. If these politicians had the guts they should have protested in front of the SBI to show their resentment instead of indulging in vote bank politics. Depression is a strong mood involving sadness, loneliness, discouragement, despair or hopelessness that lasts for weeks, months or ever for a longer period and creates the guilty feelings. Even though the deep brain stimulation surgery is practiced in other countries, in India patients suffering from depression suppress their disease and die without much relief from surgery as and the treatment is expensive. OROP issue was raised by the opposition to defame the government. Opposition parties should have prevented him from committing suicide rather than trying to take political mileage when everything is over. Dance of democracy is taken serious turn and show the real image of the country.
Anandambal Subbu
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
India and the UK on Monday agreed to start a strategic dialogue on home affairs issues covering areas like visas and organised crime even as they voiced concern over terrorism, which they saw as threat that was not a limited security challenge and whose arc spread across nations and regions.
After holding extensive talks which covered a wide range issues including trade, investment, security and defence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May called for Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the November 2008 terrorist strike in Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot attack to justice.
Addressing a joint press event with May, Modi said they discussed ways to purposefully work together to combat the growing forces of radicalisation and terrorism. We agreed that it is not a limited security challenge. Its arc of threat spreads across nations and regions. Terrorists move across borders with ease and endanger the entire humanity.
I conveyed our deep concern to Prime Minister May regarding cross-border terrorism and the need for the international community to take strong action against States that support and sponsor terrorism, he said.
On her part, May said the two countries face the shared threat of terrorism as individual countries, as partners, and global powers, and have agreed to strengthen cooperation, in particular by sharing best practices to tackle use of internet by violent extremists.
We have also agreed to establish a strategic dialogue on Home affairs issues covering visas, returns and organised crime. As part of this we will step up speed and return of those Indians who have no right to be in the UK, May said.
The joint statement issued after the talks said May strongly condemned the September terrorist attack on the Indian Army Brigade headquarters in Uri and offered condolences to the victims and their families.
In an obvious reference to Pakistan hailing slain Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani as martyr, the joint statement said, There should be no glorification of terrorists or efforts to make a distinction between good and bad terrorists. They agreed that South Asia should be stable, prosperous and free from terror and called on all countries to work towards that goal.
Strongly affirming that terrorism is a serious threat to humanity, the leaders reiterated their strong commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and stressed that there can be no justification for acts of terror on any grounds. They shared the view that there should be zero tolerance to terrorism, the statement said.
The UK will consider further improvements to our visa offer if at the same time we can step up the speed and volume of returns of Indians with no right to remain, May told reporters in New Delhi, referring to the launch of a separate strategic dialogue on home affairs.
We will continue to raise our concerns regarding mobility with the UK, said Vikas Swarup, spokesman of ministry of external affairs. Mobility of people is closely linked to free flow of finance, goods and services.
Speaking at the India-UK Tech Summit, May said: So we will offer, for the first time to any country that needs visas to enter Britain, what we called Registered Traveller Scheme.
That means the Indian nationals who frequently come to the UK and to fuel growth in both our countries, the entry process will become significantly easier, she said at the event organised by CII that was also attended by Modi.
Daud Merchant is also a close aide of Dawood Ibrahim and was sentenced to life term in India for killing Gulshan Kumar.
Abdur Rauf Daud Merchant who was awarded life sentence in India for the murder of music baron Gulshan Kumar has been released from jail after a Dhaka court freed him of a case filed under section 54. Daud, a suspected associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, went out of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj around 4:30 pm on Sunday. Daud Merchant was lodged in Bangladesh prison for five years after he trespassed into the country in 2009. The question which arises here is whether Bangladesh will extradite Merchant to India? Home Minister Of Bangladesh Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal failed to clarify whether Daud will be handed over to India where he is to stand trial.
He (Merchant) has been released after completion of legal procedure. His prison term for illegal trespass into Bangladesh ended some time ago, said Asaduzzaman Khan.
Merchant was granted bail in December 2014, and was subsequently released from Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur. He, however, was rearrested from outside the jail.
Daud was then produced before a Dhaka court, which placed him on a three-day remand in the case filed under section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure for suspicious movement. Jail authorities said they were waiting to get the courts paper before releasing him.
According to Section-54 of the Penal Code maximum detention is one month but Merchant was kept behind bars for much longer without explanation.
On August 12, 1997, Gulshan Kumar was shot while he was coming out of a temple. Merchant, however, filed an appeal against his conviction. Mumbai police said he absconded after being released on parole in April, 2009 to visit his family in Mumbra, a small town about 40 km from Mumbai. Detectives arrested him in the same year from Brahmanbarhias Mourail, with two associates, while he was hiding in the residence of one Kamal Mian. He was sentenced to five years jail for illegal trespass.
Merchant was produced in a Dhaka court the next day. He was remanded into police custody in a case filed under Section-54 for suspicious behaviour.
In January, the home minister said Dhaka was working to extradite him.
As per media reports steps to extradite a few Indian nationals, like Merchant, were initiated after the extradition of ULFA leader Anup Chetia from Bangladesh and Narayanganj seven-murder prime suspect Nur Hossain from India.
After a meeting between the home secretaries there were plans to extradite Merchant. The Indian government had demanded the extradition of three members of armed group Asif Reza Commando Force Maulana Mansur Ali Habibullah, Mufti Obaidullah alias Abu Zafar, Maulana Emdadullah and top Kolkata criminals Zahid Sheikh and Arif Hussain.
On the other hand, Dhaka wanted top criminal Subrata Bain, prime suspect in Gazipur MP Ahsanullah Masters murder Dipu, Islami Chhatra Shibir Chittagong chapter leader Sajjad Hossain and extremist leader Mukta Hossain, among others to be extradited.
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American historian Stanley Wolpert records first Indian Ambassador to Pakistan Sri Prakashs statement that India should hand over Kashmir to Pakistan. Nehrus, Wolpert mentions, sharp reaction saying "If we did anything of the kind our government would not last many days and there would be no peace....it would lead to war with Pakistan because of public opinion here and of war-like elements coming in control of our policy". Pandit Nehru, a visionary was wary of the danger for perpetrators of Gujarat carnage and Gandhis assassins to come to power in India.
Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar in his article Independence Day for Kashmir published by Times of India states that "On August 15, India celebrated independence from the British. But Kashmiris staged a bandh demanding independence from India. A day symbolising the end of colonialism in India became a day symbolising Indian colonialism in the Valley (Kashmir)". Aiyar further adds "We promised Kashmir a plebiscite six decades ago. Let us hold one now, and give them three choices: independence, union with Pakistan, and union with India. Almost certainly the Valley will opt for independence. Let Kashmiris decide the outcome, not the politicians and armies of India and Pakistan".
Kashmir at the moment is not fighting India but the mindset guided by hindutva nostalgia. But Kashmir believes India to be a home to majority of Jaiprakash Narayans, Justice Tarkundes, Arundhati Roys, P Chidambarams, Digvijay Singhs and millions more who believe in human and political rights of people at large. Since there is no dearth of right thinking people in India with an honest perception of Kashmir quandary, more are joining in to stress the point that basic political rights of the people of Kashmir must be respected and their legitimate rights accorded as per promises made by the international community, UN and political leaders of India.
It is generally believed that if Sheikh Abdullah were a seasoned politician and would not put all his eggs in Nehrus basket; would wait to keep Maharaja engaged in domestic politics allowing him to rule as sovereign head of the state especially when international support was visible. Maharaja continuing as head of the state, a strategy evolved would culminate into a situation that would leave Kashmir undisturbed both by India and Pakistan and Pathan invasion, as believed, would have been out of question. As is evident Maharaja Hari Singh was sacrificed to rope in Sheikh Abdullah and at the same time retained Maharajas heir-apparent Yuvraj Karan Singh who delivered initially as Sadr-e-Riyasat (President) and later as Governor of Kashmir.
Ved Pratap Vaidik Indian journalist, a freelance columnist joining millions of other Indian like minded philanthropists stated that "there is no harm if Kashmir is made an independent nation". Braving the wrath of hardliner extremist forces, Vaidik said that "both India and Pakistan should stop fighting over Kashmir, should work to build a bridge rather than a gorge and make it an independent nation".
In an open letter to Prime Minister Modi, another well known journalist Santosh Bhartiya, accompanied by associates the likes of journalist Ashoke Wankhade, senior political journalist and a research scholar Prof. Abhay Dubey, on his recent visit to Kashmir gives an account of his shocking experience and describes what he observed in the following words: "I am in a state of restlessness after returning from the Valley (Kashmir). No matter the land of Kashmir is with us and as in our armys control but the people of Kashmir are not with us. I believe this situation would lead us to the disastrous massacre situation.
Bhartiya further adds "To my understanding, there is no such thing called as "Separatists Movement", it is actually a revolution of every common man of Kashmir that has taken a shape of mass-movement. During night people sleep with the doubt of pathos that anytime the military and security forces will enter their homes to pick them up, and they will never ever return to their homes. Such a situation was never witnessed in our history, not even during the times of British Rule.
If people of Kashmir are not with us then what are we going to do with bare land of Kashmir. Do you ever assume that you will be remembered as a ruthless Prime Minister who didnt bother to stop the massacres? Why the pellets and bullets are shot above the waist in Kashmir only? Why you need to shoot a six- year-old child? Why a six-year-old child and our own local police are against us? We actually wept by seeing the bleeding condition of Kashmir".
The official position of United States, other world powers and United Nations have always been that Kashmir is an issue needing a solution but Indias sensitivities based on unreasonable arguments makes it rather hard to bring her on the negotiating table. International community hesitates to force third party mediation as long as, under the circumstances, India rejects it.
Prime Minister Modi believes that world community approves or even ignores the inhuman methods like rampant killings; pellet guns blinding hundreds, rapes, torching paddy fields, orchards and razing properties. Turning Kashmir upside down has not broken the will of people and the ongoing resistance is worrisome for Modi govt; forcing it to introduce newer forms of atrocities to subdue the hapless populace.
Lord Mountbatten visited Kashmir in June 1947 to persuade Maharaja Hari Singh to join any of the two dominions India or Pakistan and in this connection Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre in their book Freedom at Midnight on page 209 record the following conversation between Lord Mountbatten and the last ruler of Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh.
I dont want to accede to Pakistan on any account, Hari Singh answered. Well, Mountbatten said, it is up to you, but I think you should consider it very carefully since after all 90% of your people are Moslem. But, if you dont, then you must join India. In that case, I will see that an infantry division is sent up here to preserve the integrity of your boundaries.
No, replied the Maharaja, I dont wish to join India either. .
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Today marks the 511th days that Dezrin Carby-Samuels has been keep a prisoner her own home by "entities" which include Horace Carby-Samuels her husband. Dezrin had complained that she was being abused by Horace. However, Horace had gotten a dirty cop named Detective Robert Griffin and his entourage to ignore Dezrin's cries for help.
The entities who have subject Dezrin to torture at her Kanata home for more than 500 days can scarcely been called human. Indeed, Horace had often literally ranted about the aliens who visited him. Just before he reportedly complained about the "extraterrestrial threat" and "demons" was when he stopped allowing visitation access for Dezrin.
Since 12 June 2015, Dezrin Carby-Samuels has not been able to see her son and other people. Horace subjected Dezrin to neglect and abuse to the point that she lost the ability to talk, write or walk, and hence, the ability to cry for help.
Raymond who is Dezrin's son, had obtained a Court Order on 11 February 2016 which had enabled Dezrin to obtain visitation access. But then in a shocking turn of event, Horace was able to use his influence to secure a lawyer who was able to apparently hire a corrupt Judge named Justice P. E. Roger to overturn the original Judge's decision.
When Ottawa Police arrived at Fezrin's home at 30 Jarlan Terrace in Kanata, Ontario to enforce Judge Patrick Smith's order in February, as you can see in the above video, Horace was hostile. But, since Dezrin was not able to cry for help as a result of the abuse, the police who did arrive were not able to enter the premise to save Dezrin from further abuse and neglect.
One neighbour had reported to police thhat it was apparent that Dezrin was without proper access to food and looked in a state of abuse and neglect.
A photo of Dezrin taken by her son 511 days ago accompanies this article.
If you are as outrages as we, at The Canadian, we invite you to sign an online petition below or to make a donation to Raymond's Legal Fund in support of his Mom.
SIGN PETITION HERE and then circulate it on your social media networks - http://www.thepetitionsite.com/en-gb/takeaction/865/478/452/
Autoneum workers get union cards after official certification as members of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union in late October.
FILE - In this July 7, 2016 file photo, FBI Director James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington before the House Oversight Committee to explain his agency's recommendation to not prosecute Hillary Clinton. In a letter from Comey released on Nov. 6, he tells Congress review of additional Clinton emails does not change conclusion she should not face charges.
Aiken County police received at least five calls from residents the night of Nov. 6 complaining about a man chasing and threatening to shoot t
SDF Marching on Raqqa is Mix of Ethnicities, Religions, Genders
The coalition of brigades taking part in the Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) 'Wrath of Euphrates' operation to retake Raqqa from ISIS is a mix of ethnicities, religions, and genders. The SDF published a list of nine forces partaking in the military offensive to oust the extremist group from its de facto capital in Syria. Many of the brigades are from Raqqa. The Raqqa Falcons Brigade is a Sunni Arab fighters' brigade that are from Raqqa. The Ahrar al-Raqqa Brigade is another Arab force from the area that was originally formed to fight against the Syrian regime during the Arab Spring. In March 2016 they joined the SDF. The Liberation Brigade, Raqqa Martyrs Brigade and Tal Abyad Revolutionaries are three other Arab brigades that are taking part in the operation. The two Kurdish forces, the People's Defense Units (YPG) and the Women's Defense Units (YPJ), which are considered the backbone of the SDF, will be key forces in retaking Raqqa as well. The Hamam Turkmen Martyrs Brigade, whose fighters are from Raqqa, is joining the Arab and Kurdish forces. It takes its name from Hamam, a Turkmen village north of Raqqa, close to the border with Turkey. Though the majority of Raqqa's population is Muslim, the city has a long Christian history and members of the city's Christian community, both men and women, have joined the military offensive. "As Syriac-Assyrian Christians we work with our Kurdish and Arab allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces to liberate Raqqa," the Syriac Military Council and Bethnahrin Women Protection Forces said in a statement on Monday. "The fight against terrorism is the fight for existence of our Syriac--Assyrian people and we cannot rest until this fight is won," the statement continues. "At the same moment this war against ISIS is a war for all civilization against utter evil. We ask therefore the international community to support us and all Syrian Democratic Forces. Together we fight for freedom and dignity of all peoples." "We men and women who protect the oldest Christian community on earth ask the global Christian community to stand up for us and give us political, practical and moral support," the statement added. A female SDF commander said on Sunday that the goal of the operation was to evict ISIS from Raqqa. Eighty percent of the 30,000-strong force is made up of locals from Raqqa, the commanders said. "We in the general command of the Syrian Democratic Forces give you the good news of the launch of our big military offensive to liberate the city of Raqqa and its suburbs from the clutches of the terror forces of the dark world, represented by Daesh [ISIS] which made the city the capital of its self-styled caliphate," a female commander of the SDF said in a televised statement announcing the launch of the offensive on Sunday.
November 4, 2016
Dealing with facts is the only way to make logical predictions, and the facts do not favor a reconciliation between the Egyptian regime and the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
Since the ouster of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi in 2013, the facts have never pointed toward a potential compromise between the Brotherhood and the governments since then: the transitional regime that was led by President Adly Mansour, the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, or the current regime headed by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, elected in 2014.
In fact, all the evidence points to the contrary. A get-together hardly seems to be on the political horizon when one considers all the reports compiled against Brotherhood leaders; their persecution; the dispersal at Rabia al-Adawiya Square in August 2013 sometimes called Egypts Tiananmen Square; the continuing crackdown on the Brotherhoods funds and companies; and the sentences issued against members.
The governments Oct. 4 slaying of Brotherhood official Mohamed Kamal forced observers and analysts to seek real answers to citizens questions about how serious reconciliation attempts are.
They didnt have to wait long for input.
Egypts Court of Cassation on Oct. 22 rejected an appeal of 20-year sentences against Morsi and some Brotherhood leaders in a case known as the Ittihadiya clashes. They had been found guilty of inciting violence that led to the death of 10 people in 2012 and of detaining and torturing protesters. The ruling was final and cannot be appealed.
On Oct. 26, the court upheld the 25-year prison sentences of Mohamed Badie, the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, and 36 other leaders and members for their roles in blocking the agricultural road of Qalyoub, which was considered a terrorist crime. This ruling also was final and cannot be further appealed.
Every time politicians propose a reconciliation initiative between the Brotherhood and the state, the Brotherhood insists that Morsi be returned to power as the legitimate president. The demand is not realistic and it may even be stranger than fiction.
On the other hand, public and political figures have been focusing on getting the jailed leaders and young members of the Muslim Brotherhood released. That demand, especially regarding the leaders, has become harder since the final appeals have been ruled on.
Sisi mentioned the questions regarding reconciliation with the Muslim Brotherhood when he participated in the first round of the National Youth Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh on Oct. 27. The decision to reconcile with the Brotherhood is not mine alone to make, as it is also a decision for the state, Sisi said.
Yousry El-Ezbawy, a researcher at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor, The word 'state' includes the political regime represented by a president, government, house of representatives, judiciary and the people. It is impossible for a political regime to interfere by pressuring the judiciary to amend provisions that were issued indicting leaders of the Brotherhood or indicting the Brotherhood itself as a terrorist organization.
He said that even if the current regime actively sought to reconcile with the Brotherhood, it would not be able to as long as there were judicial sentences in place that cannot be further appealed.
Samir Ghattass, a lawmaker and the head of the Middle East Center for Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor, If we find that someone was not involved in a crime, they can practice their life activities normally including political ones but not under the title of the Brotherhood, a terrorist organization under the law. Therefore, the word [reconciliation] does not exist, as the state does not reconcile with terrorism or those indicted by the judiciary.
Ghattass posed the rhetorical question, Could the state reconcile with [the Islamic State]?
Ezbawy did hold out a bit of hope, based on specific situations and a flexible definition of reconciliation. If reconciliation means releasing young people who are thought to have participated in protests organized by the Brotherhood, this is possible to discuss, as Sisi can pardon them on certain occasions, he said.
He added, Moreover, Sisi could interfere using his constitutional right to reduce sentences issued against some leaders for considerations of age or illness. Such considerations can be made for all prisoners, without a political basis.
Also at the youth conference, Sisi pledged to form a committee from among the conference youths to look into the cases of children remanded into custody in which no criminal sentences have been issued. He promised that the committees reports would be considered in the release process.
November 4, 2016
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip With a long stick that has a curved metal tip, Sanaa Omar, 14, who lives in Johr al-Deek village in the central Gaza Strip, tries to pick cactuses to put them in a basket she holds in her other hand. Nearby, her sister Hind Omar, 13, competes with her to harvest the biggest number of fruits to sell them and make some money to support their families in their basic daily needs.
Cactus, aka Barbary fig, is common in the eastern parts of the Gaza Strip and does not need care and irrigation from farmers, because its deep roots extract underground water. Its stems retain water inside.
Sanaa and Hind head out early every morning to the nearby farms to pick the rough thorny cactuses.
Sanaa told Al-Monitor, My sister and I try to leave at 5 in the morning to harvest cactuses from the nearby farms. Farmers allow us to pick whatever we want, since cactuses are cheap relative to other fruits that they plant.
Sanaa and Hind, who have memorized the road leading to the areas where the cactuses are planted in Johr al-Deek, no longer know the way to school. Their father took them out of school a year ago because he needs their help, as there is no son in the family. The girls spend around six hours daily collecting cactuses and selling 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) for 3 shekels ($0.80). They return home with 20 shekels (around $5) daily.
Sanaa said, Although their thorns are painful, our unemployed father asks us to pick them and sell them to help him support our five-member family.
Nizar al-Wahidi, the director general of Irrigation and Soil at the Ministry of Agriculture, told Al-Monitor, Cactus is not planted in independent spaces. Farmers plant it along vertical lines, like a wall, to protect their lands from strangers and thieves. They dont care about selling cactus for profit.
He said that the average cultivated surface area of cactuses in the Gaza Strip is around 400 dunams (99 acres), and the average production per dunam amounts to 3 tons. Gaza produces around 1,200 tons of cactuses yearly.
Iyad Daloul, 49, a farmer who owns 3 dunams (0.74 acre) planted with olives and guava in Hay al-Zeitoun, east of Gaza City, told Al-Monitor, Farmers are allowing women to pick cactuses planted along the planted lands without considering this theft or punishing them for doing so. Cactus is not expensive, compared to 1 kilogram of guava, which is sold for 7 shekels [$1.80]. Therefore, cactus is considered the fruit of the poor.
The harvest season starts in August and ends in November, and it offers temporary job opportunities for many women of all ages in the Gaza Strip to meet their basic needs. The unemployment rate in Gaza is 41.2%, as per an official survey issued by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in July.
Zeinab Issa, 20, who lives in Khazaa in southern Gaza, is trying to take advantage of the cactus season to make some profit. She told Al-Monitor, I really need to pick cactuses and sell them to save for my university tuition. My father told me that he wont be able to pay for my university because his monthly income of 1,200 shekels [around $316] can barely provide for our family.
Issa, who is studying engineering at the University College of Applied Sciences in Gaza, said that her younger brother sells the cactuses because women are not allowed to sell at the markets.
Issa noted that she often faces risks during her cactus picking, like snakes that nest in the fruit, and the thorns in the fruit bother her. She said, When I finish picking cactus, it takes me hours to remove the thorns from my hands by using tweezers. Still, I wouldnt give this up because I need to save for my college tuition.
Mouin Rajab, an economics teacher at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, said that women pick and sell cactuses to support their families and provide their basic needs amid the rising levels of unemployment and poverty in the wake of the Israeli blockade. He told Al-Monitor, The bad economic situation in the Gaza Strip and the declining job opportunities have pushed young women to rely on themselves rather than their fathers and seek jobs.
He noted that society considers women working in an environment where there are men shameful. He said, Young women in Gaza prefer to take on individual jobs that do not involve mingling with men, like harvesting and embroidery to avoid societys criticism.
Wahidi agreed with Rajab that picking and selling cactuses has helped provide temporary job opportunities for the unemployed. He said, I strongly support the cultivation of cactuses on wide stretches of land in Gaza for several reasons. This fruit can tolerate high levels of salt in water and its blossoms attract bees. As a result, raising bees and producing honey proliferate in Gaza, which means more job opportunities.
He added that the Ministry of Agriculture does not have any plans to develop cactus cultivation in Gaza because it is preoccupied with other matters like seeking self-sufficiency in vegetables.
With the end of the harvest season, the young women return to unemployment, in the hope of finding another job opportunity provided by nature, amid the lack of jobs in the local job market.
November 7, 2016
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi announced that the legal process for opening a European Union office in Tehran remains ongoing, but his own ministrys spokesman denied the report. In a Nov. 6 interview with the Iranian Labor News Agency, Takht-Ravanchi said that with improving relations with the EU, It is now crucial to open the EU office in the Iranian capital. He added, Since we have more collaborations [with the EU] due to new developments, it is unmanageable for an ambassador [to Iran] of another European country to take care of Iran-European Union relations.
On Nov. 7, however, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi, in his weekly news conference, sparked controversy over Takht-Ravanchis comments by asserting that there is no decisive and comprehensive view on opening such an office in Tehran in the near future. Negotiations [with the EU] are broad, long, time-consuming and complicated. However, we consider the talks per se as positive in finding common grounds for cooperation, he said.
These contradictory remarks come two weeks after Iranian conservatives voiced objection to an Oct. 25 resolution by the European Parliament calling for normalization of relations with Iran. Mohammad Javad Larijani, head of the Iranian judiciarys Human Rights Council, criticized the EUs resolution on Oct. 26, saying, They should know that the judicial system will definitely not allow such a nest of corruption to be established in Iran.
It was certainly not the first time that a right-wing politician spoke out in a way opposing President Hassan Rouhanis policy of improving relations with Western countries. In contrast, the Reformists have taken a supportive stance toward the expansion of bilateral ties with other nations.
On Nov. 7, the front-page headline of the Reformist Shargh Daily, read, Green Light for Opening EU Office. Shargh went on to note, Rouhanis administration has just a few months to complete its task of breaking taboos [by expanding diplomatic ties with Western states]. Shargh cited the historic phone call between Rouhani and US President Barack Obama on Sept. 27, 2013, and the reopening of the British Embassy in Tehran on Aug. 23, 2015, as previous incidents breaking the taboo of restoring relations with Western powers.
The Reformist Arman also endorsed the move, stating, After the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers was reached, and due to the recent interactions with European countries, reopening the EU office in Tehran has been a necessity.
Besides the political significance of normalizing diplomatic relations with the EU, such a move would also be of economic importance to the Rouhani administration and its open-door economic policy. Donya-e Eqtesad focused on this aspect Nov. 7 in an interview with Mansour Moazemi, deputy minister of industry, mines and trade. The presence of foreign delegations in Iran has been on the increase since the current administration took office, Moazemi observed.
These delegations come to assess Irans potential in economic, social and political terms [for investment and trade], he added. But we cannot expect all economic issues to be resolved immediately after the [nuclear] deal with world powers.
Meanwhile, commentators from the other end of Irans political spectrum believe that Rouhanis economic policy has been unsuccessful in healing the wounds created by international sanctions. In this regard, the conservative Kayhan criticized Rouhanis policies with the headline Economy Is in Good Condition, but Only on Paper. The daily asserted, On the one hand, we hear that the countrys economic growth has reached 6%, but on the other hand, we hear that some have not received their salaries, or part of them, for months.
November 6, 2016
BAGHDAD With the beginning of the battle to liberate Mosul, several media outlets, including governmental and private media, decided to wage a media battle against the Islamic State (IS) by establishing the National Media Alliance on Oct. 17 to support the operations to liberate Mosul.
This came as a response to IS propaganda, which has been conducting an extensive media campaign through its personal pages on social networking sites, where the organization wages psychological warfare, recruits fighters and attracts supporters.
The media alliance includes several media institutions, including the Iraqi Media Network, which represents the government view and operates TV channels such as Al-Iraqiya and the popular Iraqi private channel Alsumaria TV. The alliance relies on a unified plan that is carried out in a joint operations newsroom, reporting on the battles and providing technical and journalistic services.
The media of the Popular Mobilization Units, representing dozens of the militant factions, joined the media alliance Oct. 18.
However, retaliating against and challenging IS at the media level was not the only reason for establishing this media alliance, media figure Walid al-Tai told Al-Monitor.
He said, One of the reasons behind the establishment of the alliance is to avoid any chaotic media coverage of the battle as every media and military institution is sending its correspondents to battlefronts. This leads to conflict in the coverage of the fighting and a greater number of casualties among journalists.
Ali Raysan, a photographer of Alsumaria News, was gunned down by an IS sniper Oct. 22 during the ongoing Mosul battle, and Ahmed Hajer Oglu, a media officer in the Turkmeneli TV news department, was killed in the Tesin area in central Kirkuk on Oct. 21.
The undeniable reality is that journalists are frequently targeted in Iraq. A New York Times photographer was wounded by a car bomb in the battle of Bartella on Oct. 20. Six other journalists were also wounded, including an American, while covering the Mosul battle. This is not to mention reporters affiliated with WAAR media and Reuters who also were injured. A correspondent for the Kurdish news agency Zagros was shot by IS snipers in the village of Kabrook.
To reduce casualties among embedded journalists and reporters, Military leaderships ought to ban them from being present on the battlefields without the necessary safety precautions such as wearing helmets and bulletproof vests, Col. Abdul Hamza Hassan Ali, who is involved in the ongoing battle, told Al-Monitor.
Ali said, Coordination between the military units and the National Media Alliance is of paramount importance.
For his part, Haider al-Amiri, a journalist with the Iraqi Foundation for Media and International Relations, told Al-Monitor that the alliance is a successful step to unify and provide accurate information. He said, "The Iraqi Media Network has endorsed this project, which would contribute to compensating for the weak capabilities of the media institutions correspondents.
Hadi Merhi, the director of the Iraqi Observatory for Journalistic Freedoms, criticized that correspondents of the alliance enjoy priority over other journalists and receive support from Iraqi forces. He told Al-Monitor, This is unacceptable, even if the alliance includes a group of media institutions. Everyone in the media should have the opportunity to cover the fighting.
Merhi added, Security forces are concerned with providing protection to war journalists in coordination with the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate and the organizations concerned with the security of individuals.
The Peshmerga Ministry in the Kurdistan Region on Oct. 23 banned the Turkish NRT agency from covering the ongoing battles in the city of Mosul, accusing it of disdaining the troops.
During the events of the Mosul battle, the media alliance has launched press releases, hashtags, blogs on social media and deployed reporters and photographers to different spots on the battlefronts.
Commenting on the feasibility of the media alliance, Showan Dawudi, a member of the parliamentary Culture and Information Committee, told Al-Monitor, The media alliance does not mean dispensing with the services of embedded journalists and reporters, who have played a prominent role in all the battles waged by the Iraqi army against IS since 2014.
He said, It is important at some point to preserve the independence of news coverage and promote neutrality so that the facts are relayed to the world without any interference. There is a need for a sophisticated, impartial media to showcase IS crimes in Iraq."
Journalist Nassar al-Kurity of the Iraqi Media Network had a different take. He told Al-Monitor, The media alliance is heavily present on the battlefields as it has turned into a source of stories for the mass media. The alliance, although run by the state-funded Iraqi Media Network, remained impartial while covering the details of the Mosul battle.
He added, The alliance has managed to tap into the Iraqi media capabilities to report live from the battlefields as many journalists have left the office to go into the field. However, we still have a long way to go to turn the Iraqi arena into a more professional and safe environment, and to a better assessment of Iraq in international forums as it is considered one of the most unsafe countries for journalists and reporters.
November 3, 2016
In October, Houthi rebels in Yemen fired three times at vessels near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. These incidents are evolving into a strategic threat against Israel and other countries on the straits shores. This new situation, which could impact the local and regional economy, will require regional cooperation in order to maintain safe passage through the strait and safeguard maritime commerce.
The first incident took place Oct. 1, when a missile fired by the Houthi rebels in Yemen struck a United Arab Emirates vessel, causing severe damage. The missile was fired from the vicinity of the Red Sea port city of Mokha, slightly to the north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The location of the incident and the type of missile fired are of utmost importance. The Houthis said that the anti-ship missile was a Chinese-made C-802. This is the same kind of missile fired by Hezbollah at the Israeli navys Ahi-Hanit vessel in Lebanese waters in July 2006. The missile caused grave damage and killed several crew members. Its safe to assume that this time, too, the missile made its way from China to Iran and from Iran to the Houthi rebels backed and trained by the Quds Force of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
On Oct. 9, two cruise missiles were fired from the same area, north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, at the US destroyer Mason. The ships countermeasures were activated, and the missiles failed to strike. On Oct. 12, the Mason was once again targeted in the same fashion, at the same place.
Even if it turns out that it was not a C-802 missile that hit the UAE vessel and was twice launched against an American destroyer, the Houthis very boasting about the firing indicates the rebels are supported by the IRGC. But the strategic significance of these attacks lies in their location. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, some 12 nautical miles in width, is a vital passage between the Indian Ocean and southeast Asia and the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Closure of the Strait of Hormuz only cuts off the Gulf states, including Iran, from international shipping lanes. However, the closure of Bab el-Mandeb would be a far more serious blow to nearby states Egypt, Jordan and Israel and to the global economy.
For now, the series of Houthi missile launches will not block the strait, but it does illustrate the operational feasibility of such a move if Iran continues to maintain its hold on Yemens shores, which form the eastern bank of the strait.
When the Houthi rebels fired a missile for the third time against an American vessel (failing again to hit it), the Americans retaliated with Tomahawk missiles, targeting and destroying Houthi radar stations the same stations apparently used to locate and target the vessels.
It is difficult to tell at the moment if the American retaliation was just a one-time signal to Saudi Arabia and the UAE that the US is not abandoning its allies or an indication of an escalation in American policy against Iranian proxies.
In light of these developments, all the states bordering the Red Sea that are susceptible to growing Iranian activity off their shores must first and foremost tighten their military cooperation.
The events also shine a light on a forgotten state that is actually in the eye of the storm Eritrea. The damaged Emirates boat was taken for repairs to the Eritrean port of Assab. This port serves as a logistical heartland for the Saudi-led coalition forces and is some 50 kilometers (31 miles) away from the Yemeni port of Mokha on the western flank of the strait. Although Eritrea is closely involved in the anti-Iranian campaign in Yemen, the West is keeping up its embargo and sanctions against this small African state. Only few people still believe the accusations that the half-Christian African state supports the Islamist al-Shabaab organization in neighboring Somalia, which triggered these sanctions, but the sanctions are in place as though nothing has happened since. European Union members, at least, should reinstate Eritrea into the family of nations, enable it to develop its economy and allow it to defend itself. The port of Assab and the adjacent air base were recently attacked from the sea by Houthi rebels. Given the emerging struggle for control of the Red Sea, the world must stop boycotting Eritrea.
Eritrea must also be mobilized for diplomatic and military efforts to block Iran in the Red Sea. Egypt, a key state in the Arab world that lies along the Red Sea coast and provides passage for all naval transportation to and from the Suez Canal, also has a vital role to play. Lets not forget that Egypt has one of the regions largest navies, which is constantly being upgraded. Israel, whose trade with Asia passes primarily through the threatened shipping lane, will also have to adopt special precautions and make clear the price to be paid for attacking ships headed for the Red Sea port of Eilat. Israel has the means to deal with threats on its freedom of navigation, even on that far-off front.
Thus, there is an opportunity and urgent need for regional cooperation from states that share concerns of Iranian subversive activities, in general, and in the Red Sea, in particular. The Houthi rebels would not have attacked the UAE vessel nor would they have bragged about it without a green light from Iran. And herein lies the additional strategic importance of this event: Iran is defying the world and using its proxies to reshape the region and even areas beyond.
Lebanon and Iraq are not the only countries that serve as bases for military deployment by Iran and its surrogates. Under the mantle of legitimacy granted by the West in the nuclear agreement, Iran is now cementing its hold on the most strategically important point in the Red Sea. Kurdistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan could be next in line for Iranian expansion, given the weakness of the West.
Even if the next US administration preserves the nuclear agreement, the United States cannot remain indifferent to the new threat posed by Iran to the freedom of navigation between Asia and the West. Lets hope that the role the United States assumes in this struggle will be consistent and leading, rather than transitory and marginal.
November 7, 2016
BEIRUT The moment Michel Aoun, Lebanons new president, stepped into the presidential palace Oct. 31, he knew his calm days if there had been any were over. His ability to secure the support of two opposing groups in the Cabinet and parliament, Hezbollah and the Future Movement, got him into office; now he must manage the relationship.
Aoun is considered an ally of Shiite movement Hezbollah and Iran, yet he leads the largest Christian bloc in parliament. He also managed to win the support of new Prime Minister Saad Hariri, leader of the Sunni Future Movement and a Saudi ally.
The president is entering a term of volatile challenges. The war in neighboring Syria is most pressing for now. The refugee crisis is one of the implications of this war, and the Saudi-Iranian struggle is affected by it. The same applies to Hezbollahs regional role, from Syria to Iraq and Yemen. A less-immediate but important challenge is security on Lebanon's southern border with Israel. There is a de facto truce dominating that front, despite occasional skirmishes that have been mostly contained for now.
Aoun tried to address some of these issues when he was sworn in. While noting that the flames raging around the region have not reached Lebanon so far, he stressed that preventing sparks remains a top priority. He added, It is therefore necessary to dissociate Lebanon from external conflicts, while remaining committed to the charter of the League of Arab States.
This approach would have comforted political factions opposed to Hezbollahs involvement against rebels in Syria, except that the president later stressed the importance of countering terrorism by adopting pre-emptive, deterrent and defensive measures until we defeat it.
Aoun will have to walk through Syrian landmines until those involved in the war reach a solution. If he is to adhere to the dissociation principle, he will sooner or later break up with his main ally, Hezbollah, which regards the war in Syria as existential and more important politically than anything else at this moment. Such a break would lessen international pressure on Aoun, but it would also affect internal political stability. Given that Maronite Christians and Hezbollah's Shiite Muslims both have strong popular bases, tensions might grow between them.
On the other hand, if Aoun reverts to his previous stance of backing Hezbollahs support of the Syrian regime and goes along with what he said in his speech about countering terrorism and adopting pre-emptive defensive measures he will then stir discord with Hariri, who was chosen Nov. 2 by the majority of parliament members to be the new prime minister. This will have dire implications for the presidency and the country, not to mention regional and international implications.
Aoun might have fulfilled his presidency dream, but the dream could turn into a nightmare if he falters in any sensitive step ahead of him.
Hezbollah and the Future Movement are influenced and backed by Iran and Saudi Arabia, respectively. The latter two are fighting a war by proxy, mainly in Syria and Yemen. What will the president do if Saudi-Iranian strife increases? The seemingly easiest approach would be to ignore the events, but this has proven ineffective and even harmful in the past. A striking example is Lebanon's lack of a position regarding the burning of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran.
Another question in this regard: How will Lebanon deal with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states attempts to sanction or isolate Hezbollah? Tammam Salam, Lebanon's outgoing prime minister, strove to distance the country from such moves. In March, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk rejected a joint statement of Arab interior ministers classifying Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Now that a president has been elected in Lebanon, will he deal with Gulf countries the same way the outgoing Cabinet did, or will he take a different position?
Not far from the regional quagmire, the Syrian refugee crisis is one of Lebanons most urgent challenges. The number of registered refugees in Lebanon, according to the United Nations, exceeds 1 million. That figure is estimated at more than 1.5 million when nonregistered refugees are included.
There will be heavy responsibilities to face, either by raising funds to meet the needs of the refugee population or by finding ways to reduce its size. Gebran Bassil, Lebanons foreign minister and one of Aouns close aides, has warned on several occasions of a "plot" to keep Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Bassils take on the refugees will probably be the presidents; therefore, Aoun is expected to throw the ball into the international communitys court and ask for either funding for all related expenses or help in expediting the settlement of refugees in other countries. Another option would be reaching an agreement with the Syrian government on accommodating some of the refugees in safe areas inside Syria.
The president also will have to examine security on the southern borders with Israel. It is true that relative calm has dominated the area for some years now despite occasional, contained skirmishes yet this does not mean the calm will last forever. The few incidents that took place on the Lebanese-Israeli border in the past five years were mostly prompted by actions that took place in Syria.
In his inaugural speech, Aoun vowed to spare no effort and no resistance to liberate the remaining occupied Lebanese territories and protect our country from an enemy which still covets our land, water and natural resources. In principle, this should not be a matter of dispute. Yet if a serious event occurs on the borders, then the president certainly will have to make difficult decisions that once again will not suit his old and new allies.
With all these burdens on Aouns shoulders, he is left with a very slight margin for error. The new president will have to weigh his stances wisely. He must consider his different allies positions seriously, and he will need to address regional differences. It is all about crossing this huge minefield safely, for the first mistake here could be the last one.
November 7, 2016
When the Turkish government called for a state of emergency six days after the failed coup attempt of July 15, many critics of the government, including this journalist, supported the move, given that the nation had just confronted a lethal threat. As the state of emergency unfolded, however, some of these initial supporters, again including this one, began to change their minds primarily for two reasons.
First, the crackdown against suspected coup plotters turned into a witch hunt, which sunk to the level of raiding one of the country's few remaining critical newspapers. Second, with a plenitude of executive orders and the rendering of the Turkish parliament as practically ineffective, the government hastened its ambition of building a political system based on an excessive concentration of power. A perfect example of the latter is Executive Order 676, issued Oct. 30. Among other things, it gives the Turkish president the power to appoint all rectors, the top executives of universities. In short, all Turkish universities even the private ones have thus been brought under the full control of the president.
This might be too mind-boggling for Western readers to fathom. In the West, especially in the United States, universities are autonomous institutions. Even if state-run, they are more or less immune from political intervention by the government. If they are private, the government has no say in their administration. What has been introduced in Turkey is the exact opposite. It is comparable to the president of the United States appointing the presidents of all universities in his nation, from Harvard to UCLA and institutions north and south.
Of course, Turkey has never had a political system as decentralized as that of the United States, and Turkish universities have never been fully independent. Before the executive order in question, all state and private universities had been under the control of the Higher Education Board (YOK), whose head is appointed by the president. The president also had the right to appoint the rectors of all state universities, based on YOK recommendations but also ostensibly on the results of intra-university elections in which academics voted for their colleagues seeking the office. Meanwhile private universities were more independent, with boards of trustees choosing rectors with the blessing of the YOK.
Two major changes have now been introduced. First, the intra-university elections at state universities are a thing of the past. The president will simply appoint whomever he wants, without a feedback mechanism involving academics. Second, and more stunning, the president will appoint the rectors of private universities. The latters boards of trustees will only be able to make suggestions to the YOK, which will defer the final decision to the president.
What does this means in practice? According to political science professor Ustun Erguder, a former rector of Bogazici University and a prominent liberal, We went back to 1982. That year, Turkey was ruled by the brutal military junta that established the YOK to bring universities under its control. After that, as Erguder explained, various reforms were implemented over the years, including the intra-university election system, to provide some self-governance for Turkish academia. Now, however, to Erguder's regret, these reforms have been reversed.
Bogazici, Turkeys most prestigious university and this writer's alma mater, is impeccably liberal. It had exceptionally resisted the headscarf ban imposed by the YOK's illiberal secularists in the 1990s and is now protesting the executive order putting it under Ankara's full control. On Nov. 1, some 350 academics from the institution gathered on the campus, wearing their academic gowns, to declare that the move would leave university administrations in the hands of the political will. Other Turkish universities, however, have remained silent. They may well recognize this same political will, but have decided to go along, staying in tune with it.
There are of course defenders of the executive order as well. They argue that the intra-university elections brought polarization to campuses and diverted academics from their real job. There is some merit to this argument, as some objective critics of the system have cited this as well. The problem now is what replaces the intra-university elections. The successor is not a less politicized form of self-governance, such as by a board of trustees, but oversight by a politicized hierarchy that will tie all universities to the political will of the president.
What will this hierarchical system bring to Turkish universities, already under major stress because of the massive purge of suspected Gulenists and left-leaning academics who infuriated the government by denouncing its anti-terror tactics? Well, it will probably bring about more Erdoganization. As President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will have the power to appoint all university heads, he will probably chose them from among the people with the right ideology, especially at a time when he suspects so many people of being traitors. As a result, the ongoing trend of ideological nepotism, as observed by Ali Alpar, an astrophysicist at Istanbuls Sabanci University, will probably deepen.
Nepotism will, unfortunately, produce its usual consequence: curbing meritocracy. People will rise or fall in the academic world based on ideological affiliation, rather than merit alone. If the right ideology is the tool by which one rises, why bother with building one's merit and accomplishments?
Of note, Turkish universities also suffered from the same problem in the past. Aligning with the official ideology, Kemalism at the time, was the safest bet in academia, especially in the late 1990s when the arch-Kemalist military imposed its will on campuses. Today's official ideology is Erdoganism, rather than Kemalism, but the way it suffocates Turkish academia, while supposedly trying to save it, is not so different.
November 5, 2016
As emergency law becomes the new order in Turkey, several institutions are being reformed, shut down or promptly restructured. With each new executive decree that passes as law, Ankara bureaucrats have been wondering whether the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) would be affected as well.
Al-Monitor was one of the first to be informed Nov. 4 that the long-awaited changes had been finalized within the MIT; the information received came directly from senior bureaucrats of the agency. The MIT used to have four main departments, each led by a deputy undersecretary. In the new setup it will have six. To put this in perspective, when Hakan Fidan became the director of the MIT in May 2010, there was only one position of deputy undersecretary. The Nov. 4 decision is more than just about the addition of new offices; responsibilities are rearranged in addition to the scope of each office.
There are three main changes that could give us clues about what we can expect from the role of the MIT in Turkish bureaucracy. First, two new departments have been created. One is the position of a new deputy undersecretary for coordination among state institutions. This unit is quite important as communication between different institutions of the state has become a serious hurdle in the aftermath of the coup attempt. As the state system is reorganized, keeping communication channels open has become a priority for the MIT as well. This unit is important in order to understand that the MIT is no longer an isolated entity, operating in a vacuum, but indeed does carry out day-to-day interactions with the Interior Ministry and Foreign Ministry as well as other ministries and agencies. Its reports and activities are now coordinated with several different offices on a daily basis, breaking the mysterious, unreachable aura of the intelligence agency within the state system.
The next long-awaited position created is that of deputy undersecretary for special operations. The establishment of this unit tells us that Turkish adventurism is not to be quelled any time soon. To the contrary, it will expand because now we see the government is willing to spare more funding and human resources to special operations. The institutionalization also tells us that Turkish presence in Syria and involvement in Iraq will be coordinated from this center and that this unit is set to grow in the coming months. The MIT is likely to remain the key Turkish player in Syria and Iraq above all other Turkish institutions.
The other four deputy undersecretaries will be responsible for the following units: security intelligence, strategic intelligence, technical intelligence and internal administrative services. All of these have operational powers, except for the administrative services unit, which is responsible for management services. The strategic intelligence unit is particularly important because foreign operations are now planned and coordinated through this unit exclusively. Indeed, its previous name was the foreign intelligence unit. It should be highlighted that strategic intelligence will have foreign intelligence gathering and analysis, but no military functions, whereas the special operations unit is referred to as the paramilitary operations unit.
The second important change is the technical intelligence unit, which has a new, young, much-admired bureaucrat as its deputy undersecretary, Cemalettin Celik, and a new mission statement. Celik is in his mid-40s and brings enthusiasm and energy to the agency. He has a security background and gained expertise in technical matters. He is no stranger to the MIT because he joined the agency in 2012. He became the deputy of the Turkish Telecommunications Directorate (TIB) in December 2013. As Gulenists had infiltrated that agency heavily, the TIB was shut down after the July 15 coup attempt and Celik returned to the MIT. Fidan and Celik have a long working relationship; Fidan is known to appreciate and trust Celik's professional skills. He is also known in Ankara as the man who works diligently to battle the Gulen movement. His nomination and the redefining of the units mission indicates that cybersecurity is a clear priority for the MIT, and it aims to design this unit to resemble the National Security Agency of the United States.
Another crucial name in the agency is Yavuz Celik (not related to Cemalettin Celik), who joined the MIT in 2013. Yavuz Celik has been a long-trusted colleague of Fidan's as well. In his early 40s, Celik is seen as one of the key figures who designed and facilitated the notorious MIT legislation of 2014. He is also known for his interagency communication skills and his knowledge of the bureaucracy. Now he has been nominated as the undersecretary for the internal administrative services.
Like Fidan, these men are seen as political appointees and they have been the target of criticism that the MIT was being turned into an institution of the Justice and Development Party rather than being one of the state. Now, in these days of emergency law, no one questions these matters anymore.
Most importantly, these changes indicate that the balance of institutional power in Ankara is settling. After July 15, Fidans reputation and the MITs credibility were tarnished with deep-seeded questions about why the MIT had not discovered the coup plot in advance and why Fidan had failed to inform Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in advance. When Erdogan told the press that he learned about the plot from his brother-in-law and not Fidan both international and national audiences were perplexed. Several pundits were convinced that this time Fidan would be fired. In the immediate aftermath of the coup, Fidans reputation was tarnished as a result of intense criticism. Yet the latest expansion of the MIT informs us that those days are over. Fidans power or position is not at risk. To the contrary, the newly appointed young bureaucrats and expansion of the MIT show that he has managed to repair the relationships with Erdogan and others, and maintains his trustworthiness within the system.
In addition, both special operations and interagency coordination and communication units signal that the MIT will remain a crucial player in both regional and domestic politics. In the near future, we can expect the MITs involvement in Syria to intensify and for its role in coordinating between the Ankara agencies and ministries to grow. We also see that the changes will expand the MITs outreach abroad. The recent restructuring of the agency barely involves any domestic matters. What can we make of this?
The recent changes in the MIT should be seen as a precursor of a major reform to come in the Turkish intelligence establishment. If Erdogan accomplishes his ambition for a new constitution that will empower him as an executive president, a new entity is expected to be created just for domestic intelligence. In this case, it will be a safe bet that the MIT and any other possible new branch of intelligence will be brought under the direct control of the presidency in the new system. Under Erdogan's planned presidential system, the MIT may become yet even more powerful.
November 7, 2016
US efforts to appease Turkey over its collaboration with Syrian Kurdish-led forces to take Raqqa, the self-declared capital of the Islamic State, appeared to have yielded some progress over the weekend following an unannounced visit by Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Ankara.
Following 4 hours of talks with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar, Dunford said, The coalition and Turkey will work together on the long-term plan for seizing, holding and governing Raqqa. The US general, who characterized Turkish-American ties as excellent further asserted, "We always knew the SDF wasnt the solution for holding and governing Raqqa. What we are working on right now is to find the right mix of forces for the operation.
Dunford was referring to the Syrian Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which remain the United States premier ally against IS in Syria. On Nov. 6, the SDF announced that it had launched an operation to retake Raqqa.
But the SDFs activities will focus on isolating the city, a process that could take months.
Turkey continues to voice its opposition to the alliance because of the very close links between the SDFs Kurdish component, known as the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), and the Kurdistan Workers Party, the Kurdish rebel group that is fighting for Kurdish autonomy inside Turkey.
Dunford stressed that the coalition would not proceed with the seizure phase of Raqqa proper without incorporating the Turks and their perspective into our plans. He suggested that Turkish-backed Syrian rebels might be involved in taking the mainly Arab city: [Turkey] will be helpful in identifying the right forces to do that. In a further gesture of goodwill, the sides agreed that a high-ranking US officer and his staff would work in Ankara with the Turkish General Staff and act as a point of contact for the Combined Joint Task Force against IS. We want to be totally transparent about this with our Turkish ally, Dunford said.
It remains unclear, however, what Washington has promised the YPG in exchange for its support to take Raqqa, which lies outside Syrian Kurdistan. More likely Washington is trying to keep all sides on board and away from each others throats as it seeks to fulfill its stated goal to degrade and destroy IS. And though Dunford seems to have slapped a bandage over bleeding US-Turkish ties, the wound is getting harder to contain by the day.
Dunfords visit came only days after Akar traveled to Moscow with Turkeys powerful spy chief, Hakan Fidan, sparking alarm among Turkeys NATO allies over a possible Russian-Turkish rapprochement. The Turks are believed to have sought to persuade Russia to allow Turkish-backed rebels to move toward the IS-held city of al-Bab. They returned from Moscow reportedly claiming that they had received its blessing, if only to advance closer to al-Bab if not to actually take it, which would be a very bloody affair anyway because IS is expected to put up a big fight. The likely outcome is that the Russians pledged to not let the YPG move on al-Bab either.
The mainly Arab city, where pro-Salafist sentiment is said to run high, has long been coveted by the YPG because its capture would allow the Syrian Kurds to link up the vast swath of territory they hold to the east of the Euphrates River with Afrin, a mainly Kurdish enclave that lies to its west.
Turkey is bent on preventing the YPG from doing so, and Russia has been artfully playing on this vulnerability to increase its leverage over the YPG and Ankara alike and to drive a wedge between both sides and Washington.
Last month, Russia turned a blind eye as Turkish jets pounded YPG positions northeast of Aleppo.
But the Turkish strikes wound up being a one-off thing. Days later, Syrian jets bombed Turkish-backed rebel forces in the north Aleppo countryside as they moved against the YPG.
Washington has made clear that it will not allow Turkish-backed rebels to go after the YPG in Arab-dominated Manbij or in Tal Abyad, another majority Arab town on the Turkish border, which the Syrian Kurds wrested from IS in June 2015 with American help. Washington has practically zero say over what happens on the ground and in the skies over northern Syria beyond the SDG-held town of Manbij, which has emerged as something of a demarcation line between US and Russian zones of influence. So contrary to the commonly held view, it cannot deliver al-Bab to either its Kurdish nor its Turkish allies. And for now, in the words of Syrian Kurdish commentator Barzan Iso during a Skype interview with Al-Monitor, Russia will keep dangling this tasty meal without ever letting Turkey or the Kurds to eat it either.
Kroger is holding hiring events in all of its locations Wednesday, with more than 700 full-time and part-time jobs available at stores in Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Interested candidates may apply at jobs.kroger.com and then visit a store Wednesday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. No appointment is necessary.
Kroger is also offering "mobile apply" for job-seekers to submit applications through their smartphones or tablet devices.
With Veterans Day observed this week, the company is also strongly encouraging veterans and their families to apply.
Kroger hired more than 7,000 veterans company-wide in 2015, and has hired more than 35,000 veterans since 2009, according to a company statement.
Davis Park.JPG
A truck leaves the Scott Davis Industrial Park near Woodstock, Ala., Monday, Oct. 17, 2016.
(William Thornton / wthornton@al.com)
Executives with German auto supplier MollerTech will break ground on the company's new $46.3 million Bibb County manufacturing facility Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield and Bibb County officials will also be at the ceremony at the Scott G. Davis Industrial Park near Woodstock.
The factory will employ 222 and manufacture interior parts for the next generation of MercedesBenz SUVs. The project is part of the $1.3 billion expansion Mercedes began in 2015.
At an announcement last month in Centreville, MollerTech said the 150,000-square-foot plant will serve as the company's flagship manufacturing facility, joining existing factories in Elberton, Ga., and Detroit, Mich. Production is slated to begin by the end of 2019.
MollerTech is a German family company that has been associated with the Mercedes brand for several decades. It also develops and produces interior parts for Audi, BMW, Daimler, GM, Honda, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, and Toyota.
MollerTech is the 18th German corporate investment in the seven-county Birmingham metropolitan area. Those 18 companies will employ approximately 1,700 people when MollerTech is operational.
Dam
Dam A new report says Alabama's energy industry has a total economic impact of more than $13 billion.
((Mark Almond/malmond@al.com))
Alabama's energy industry powers Alabama's economy to the tune of $13.22 billion, according to what may be the first comprehensive review of its scope.
A report from Auburn University at Montgomery and the Energy Institute of Alabama is offering a window into the industry, with numbers that surprised the chairman of the Energy Institute of Alabama, former Alabama Speaker of the House Seth Hammett.
"We didn't need to guess," Hammett said. "We needed to really know."
According to the report, completed in August by AUM economics professor Keivan Deravi and using information from 2015:
*Alabama's energy industry generates 124,000 jobs in state. For a little perspective, the American Petroleum Institute estimates about 9 million people are employed nationwide in the energy industry.
*Provides total tax revenue of $385 million.
*Alabama's electricity production sector provides $8.24 billion.
*Alabama's electrical industry construction provides $1.13 billion.
In addition, Alabama is
Fifth in the nation in generating electricity using Biomass
Sixth in the nation in electricity generation.
Eighth in generating from renewable resources.
14th in total coal production.
16th in total energy production.
16th in natural gas production.
17th in producing natural gas wells.
Mobile is the third largest coal exporting seaport in the U.S. About 83 percent of that coal is coking coal for the steelmaking process.
Hammett said, prior to looking at the report he would not have thought Alabama would be fifth in the use of biomass, or fuel from organic material, such as scrap lumber and forest debris.
Much of Alabama's contribution comes from wood and wood waste from the state's forest products industry. In fact, Alabama has the third largest amount of timberland acreage in the lower 48 states, according to the report.
And about 25 percent of the state's electricity comes from nuclear power. The three reactors at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Limestone County have a combined generating capacity of 3,309 megawatts, second only to a plant in Arizona.
But there were some things that weren't surprises. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that approximately 10 percent of the freshwater resources in the entire continental United States originate in or flow through Alabama. That factors into the state's percentage of hydroelectric power generation.
"But it also shows a lot of potential for hydro," Hammett said.
The report also stated Alabama ranks among the top two-fifths of all states in "every measurable attribute of the energy industry" and ranks 18th in energy consumption per person.
Why so high? Due to relatively high demands for Alabama's industrial sector, which consumes more energy than the state's transportation sector and residential sector combined, according to the report.
Hammett said the report will provide a baseline on how the energy industry impacts the state's economy.
"We can come back in a few years and see where we are, what changes have been made," he said.
The Energy Institute of Alabama advocates for energy policy that encourages "economic growth" through clean, affordable energy," according to its website.
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Chandler Riggs
Chandler Riggs, who portrays Carl on AMC's "The Walking Dead," may soon be calling the Plains home after being accepted to Auburn University.
The actor announced that he was accepted at Auburn on Sunday night through his Twitter account, saying "ayy i just got accepted in auburn." Riggs, 17, has played Carl Grimes, son of "The Walking Dead" protagonist Rick Grimes, since 2010.
"The Walking Dead" alum Jon Bernthal, who played Shane in the show's first two seasons, was quick to congratulate Riggs by sharing a throwback photo with the message "atta boy C nice. Congrats on college. I'm proud of you buddy."
For fans worried what Riggs' pursuit of higher education might mean for his character on the show, it's unlikely there's any cause for alarm. "The Walking Dead" is mostly filmed in Georgia so the young actor should be able to attend school and continue filming without too much of a hassle.
ayy i just got accepted into auburn chandler riggs (@chandlerriggs) November 7, 2016
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Law enforcement officers take part in a perimeter during a manhunt Sunday night, Nov. 6, 2016 in Rainbow City, Ala.
(William Thornton / wthornton@al.com)
Hunter Bellew
Rainbow City police are seeking an 18-year-old man as a person of interest in the slaying of a 50-year-old resident.
Rainbow City Police Chief Jonathon Horton said Hunter Dewayne Bellew, 18, is being sought in connection with the killing of Tony McCartney, 50.
McCartney's body was found in the bedroom of his home in the 4900 block of Riddles Bend Road around noon today. Police had been called to the residence on a welfare check after McCartney's son reported he could not reach his father.
Horton said McCartney was killed by a gunshot wound to the head.
Bellew was an acquaintance of the victim and at one time lived about a mile from McCartney's house in the Shawnee Circle area. On Sunday night, authorities were engaged in a manhunt for Bellew in that neighborhood.
Horton said a resident saw a figure in the roadway who fled into the woods around 6:30 p.m. Police called the U.S. Marshals, the St. Clair County dog team and the Etowah County Sheriff's Office's helicopter. A perimeter was set up in the area.
The killing came, police believe, in the course of a robbery. Horton said police encountered "a wild scene" at the victim's home on 50 acres of property. Police believe some of the victim's weapons may have been taken, and some clothes were found near a pond on the property.
In addition, police discovered one of the victim's vehicles wrecked after hitting a tree, and another one missing. Bellew may be traveling in a 1998 white Toyota Tacoma pickup, Alabama tag No. 31BH254.
A police chase that began in Columbus, Ga., early Sunday morning ended in a shooting in Alabama.
The chase crossed the state line and one of the suspects in the vehicle being pursued was killed by a Columbus police officer, according to Corporal Jess Thornton. The officer-involved shooting happened in Phenix City.
Agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the State Bureau of Investigation are investigating the shooting.
AL.com is awaiting comment from Columbus police.
William Justin Cole
A Jefferson County man is behind bars today after leading lawmen on an interstate chase - while he was on a stolen ATV.
William Justin Cole, 33, was arrested Sunday afternoon. It all began about 12:30 p.m. when deputies received information that Cole - wanted on an outstanding felony drug warrant - was at a home in the 3500 block of McConnell Lane in Forestdale, said Chief Deputy Randy Christian. Deputies went to the home, but Cole was already gone.
A short time later, a deputy spotted Cole's vehicle at a gas station, and saw that Cole was inside the store. When he came out of the store, he saw deputies and took off running on foot.
Deputies lost sight of him in a back yard, but soon found him again as he drove by them on a stolen ATV. Cole drove the ATV along Coalburg Road to I-22 where he got onto the interstate, Christian said. Deputies followed him.
Cole left the interstate and tried to drive up a steep embankment where he lost control of the ATV and crashed. He was arrested and taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
After being treated and released from the hospital he was transferred to the Jefferson County Jail. Christian said deputies later learned that Cole had broken into a garage and stolen the ATV in an attempt to escape.
Cole remains in the Jefferson County Jail on the original charge of unlawful possession of a controlled substance. He is now expected to be charged with third-degree burglary, first-degree theft of property and attempting to elude. He is being held without bond.
"This would have made a good movie clip,'' Christian said. "Not sure if it would have been better as a comedy or action drama, but it did have a happy ending."
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Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
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Disparities in school funding
Data from the Alabama Department of Education shows large disparities in spending per student across the state. While the top spending school district spends $12,536 per pupil, the lowest-spending district spends about $7,536.
A two-year financial study conducted by Colorado-based company Augenblick, Palaich and Associates (APA) blamed the state's funding formula for the gap. APA told the State Board of Education in September 2015 that the current method gives districts little flexibility when using state funds, meaning districts depend more on money generated by local property taxes to pay for more teachers, better equipment and extra programs. Thus, a district located in an area with high property values has the ability to raise more than a school system located in an area where values are lower.
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Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
Top 10 school systems that spend the most per pupil
To better show the spending gap, we have ranked which of Alabama's 136 school districts spent the most and the least per student. We've also broke down the spending total to show much of it is from the federal government, state government and local taxes.
The rankings are based on numbers from fiscal 2015, which started Oct. 1, 2014 and ended on Sept. 30, 2015.
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Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
10. Sheffield City Schools
Total spending per student: $10,797
Local dollars: $2,487
State dollars: $6,265
Federal dollars: $2,044
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Students at D. C. Wolfe Elementary School participating in a career fair on Oct. 22, 2014. (Credit: Wolfe elementary Facebook)
Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
9. Macon County Schools
Total spending per student: $10, 908
Local dollars: $1,600
State dollars: $6,910
Federal dollars: $2,398
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Anniston High School graduation on May 23. (Credit: Anniston City Schools Facebook)
Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
8. Anniston City Schools
Total spending per student: $10,916
Local dollars: $2,394
State dollars: $6, 382
Federal dollars: $2,140
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Parents and students participating during Family Math Night at Union Springs Elementary School on October 2015.
Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
7. Bullock County Schools
Total spending per student: $10,978
Local dollars: $1,110
State dollars: $6,370
Federal dollars: $3,499
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Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
6. Barbour County School District
Total spending per student: $11,004
Local dollars: $1,088
State dollars: $6,844
Federal dollars: $3,072
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Elba Elementary School students enjoying a "Say No to Drugs" Rally on October 2014. (Credit: Elba Elementary School Facebook)
Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
5. Elba City Schools
Total spending per student: $11, 198
Local dollars: $1,691
State dollars: $7,637
Federal dollars: $1,869
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Kindergarten students at Shades Cahaba Elementary paint during a winter festival in February. (Credit: Shades Cahaba Elementary PTO Facebook)
Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
4. Homewood City Schools
Total spending per student: $11,371
Local dollars: $5,245
State dollars: $5,142
Federal dollars: $985
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Students working during an open house at the Workforce Development Center on May 3. (Credit: Conecuh County Schools Facebook)
Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
3. Conecuh County Schools
Total spending per student: $11,953
Local dollars: $3,125
State dollars: $6,783
Federal dollars: $2,046
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Hayneville Middle School building (Credit: Lowndes County Schools Facebook)
Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
2. Lowndes County Public Schools
Total spending per student: $12,098
Local dollars: $1,143
State dollars: $7,255
Federal dollars: $3,700
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Mountain Brook High School graduation day 2013.
Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
1. Mountain Brook Schools
Total spending per student: $12,162
Local dollars: $6,536
State dollars: $5,450
Federal dollars: $177
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Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
The bottom 10 school systems that spend the least per student
Here are the school systems that spent the least amount of money per student. Since the state has 136 districts, the countdown will begin with #127 and #136 is the lowest spender per student in the state.
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An elementary class goes on a virtual field trip. (Credit: Fort Payne Facebook)
Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
127. Fort Payne City Schools
Total spending per student: $8,149
Local dollars: $1,156
State dollars: $5,594
Federal dollars: $1,399
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Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
128. Albertville City Schools
Total spending per student: $8,142
Local dollars: $1,150
State dollars: $5,630
Federal dollars: $1,362
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Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
129. Chilton County Schools
Total spending per student: $8,126
Local dollars: $998
State dollars: $5,765
Federal dollars: $1,364
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Ashville High School students prepare to have a debate in class. (Credit: St. Clair County Schools Facebook)
Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
130. St. Clair County Schools
Total spending per student: $8,034
Local dollars: $1,017
State dollars: $5,840
Federal dollars: $1,177
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Etowah County fourth grade students participate in the Water Festival on Dec. 11, 2015, at Gadsden State Community College. (Credit: Etowah County website)
Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
131. Etowah County Schools
Total spending per student: $8,033
Local dollars: $768
State dollars: $6,034
Federal dollars: $1,231
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An officer speaks to a second-grade class at Blountsville Elementary. (Credit: Blount County Schools website)
Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
132. Blount County Schools
Total spending per student: $7,967
Local dollars: $805
State dollars: $6,057
Federal dollars: $1,106
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(Credit: Oneonta Middle School Twitter)
Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
133. Oneonta City Schools
Total spending per student: $7,817
Local dollars: $1,033
State dollars: $5,794
Federal dollars: $989
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Saraland Middle School students participate in Alabama Votes mock election on Oct. 25. (Credit: Saraland City Schools Twitter)
Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
134. Saraland City Schools
Total spending per student: $7,789
Local dollars: $1,543
State dollars: $5,270
Federal dollars: $977
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Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
135. Elmore County Schools
Total spending per student: $7,554
Local dollars: $862
State dollars: $5,730
Federal dollars: $963
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(Credit: Autauga County School System Facebook)
Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com
136. Autauga County
Total spending per student: $7, 536
Local dollars: $645
State dollars: $5,806
Federal dollars: $1,084
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To find out where how your school system ranks, click here.
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Tommy Battle raised his right hand, placed his left on the Bible held by wife Eula and took the oath of office as Huntsville's mayor for the third time.
He talked the challenges over the next four years facing his administration and building on past successes.
But the question also lingered: Will Battle be Huntsville's mayor for the next four years?
His name has been a part of speculation when it comes to possible gubernatorial candidates in 2018. There was even such speculation that Battle would challenge Gov. Robert Bentley in 2014 that the mayor issued a formal statement announcing he would not seek the state's top job.
After the inauguration ceremony Monday, Battle said a decision about 2018 is for "another time and another place."
"At this point, that's the whole goal and direction to everything we do," Battle told AL.com when asked if he would be the mayor of Huntsville for the next four years. "Obviously, the question comes up, have people talked to you about other offices that are different offices?
"You can say they are different because they are not bigger or better. There's not a better job than being the mayor of Huntsville. That's a decision for another time and another place. I like what I'm doing now."
So on a picturesque afternoon in Big Spring Park, Battle talked about how Huntsville must launch itself from the successes of the past to successes in the future.
"Our challenge will be to build on the success and achievements of the past four years, the past eight years and the past 12 years and over the history of Huntsville, the successes we've had," Battle said in his speech.
"To seize upon what is working well and to recognize what we can do better, to know that when to stay the course and when to change direction. That's our goal, day by day, week by week and year by year. To work together to create a better Huntsville. There is no other reason we are here."
The ceremony also featured the inauguration of Devyn Keith, who defeated longtime District 1 councilman Richard Showers. In his speech, Keith paid homage to Showers - who served on the city council for 28 years.
"I promise you, that vision (for District 1) is so clear and the reason it is clear is because I stand on the shoulders of individuals who were pioneers, pillars of strength," Keith said. "Individuals like Dr. Richard Showers, who, if not for him, I would not have a day such as this.
"So I come at a unique moment to bring this idea: Unity. Without unity, you cannot say community."
District 5 councilman Will Culver won a third term and took his oath of office during a private ceremony before Battle's inauguration.
"To serve in this capacity is an honor and a privilege," Culver said. "It's not a right, it's not an entitlement. And I know unequivocally, when you get ready for me to go, you will send me to the house as well. and I'll be candid with you - I'm somewhat looking forward to that day.
"In the meantime, my commitment to you is to do all that I can, with all that I have, to do all that I can do, to make Huntsville, Madison County a better place not only for people in District 5 but people throughout the city of Huntsville, Alabama."
Human remains that were found in a field off Alabama 205 this weekend might belong to a Guntersville man who hasn't been seen or heard from since June.
Guntersville police have been trying to identify the remains since a farmer reported them to police on Sunday, said Investigator John East.
The remains are believed to be connected to the disappearance of Steve Sims, who was reported missing in August.
"The field is directly adjacent to where (Sims) lived and was last seen," East said. "We don't have a positive ID yet, so we're still processing what we've got at the scene and collecting what evidence we can."
Marshall County Coroner Marlon Killion said this afternoon authorities hadn't determined a cause of death and referred further questions to the Police Department.
East said the farmer who reported the remains was aware police were looking for Sims.
"We had previously been out here with dogs and search teams," East said. "The corn crop was in at that point, and it limited our search abilities. They were bush hogging when the discovery was made."
A Lawrence County man was killed when his motorcycle overturned off Alabama 36 early this morning.
Johnathan Dewey Long, 33, of Town Creek was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash around 1:30 a.m., according to state troopers. The crash occurred about 8 miles south of Moulton.
Long's 2004 Kawasaki motorcycle overturned in a field after leaving the highway, troopers said.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is investigating the crash.
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This sign outside St. Luke Christian Church at 1800 Sparkman Drive N.W. in Huntsville encourages voters to choose Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton when they hit the polls.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 5:21 p.m. with comments from the pastor of St. Luke's Christian Church.
The pastor for an Alabama church that's telling people to "vote or pick cotton" said the message isn't directed in support of either major party candidate for president.
The message is written on the sign outside St. Luke Christian Church on Sparkman Drive Northwest in Huntsville.
"It's to spark a conversation of why voting is important," Pastor T.C. Johnson said. "It's to motivate voters and remind them and voting is important and has consequences."
A sign for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her running mate, vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine is outside St. Luke Christian Church's office in Huntsville.
A political sign supporting Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her running mate, vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine also was located outside the church office this afternoon, but Johnson said that was left behind after a political rally last night.
"We had Trump signs and other candidates, too," Johnson said. "Everybody was invited to the rally. Some of them just left their signs here."
Johnson said the sign should not be interpreted as a racial gesture. "It says nothing about black people picking cotton," Johnson said. "We know the history, but it wasn't just black people picking cotton; whites were too."
The church is being used as a polling place for Tuesday's elections.
Polls open at 7 a.m. on Nov. 8 and turnout is expected to be high as voters choose who they want to be their next president. And whether you're casting a ballot for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, Alabama law has a provision that requires employers to give workers time off to vote.
Alabama law allows for employees to take time off to vote with "reasonable notice" to their employer. The provision covers municipal, county, state or federal primaries and elections but does require the employee asking for time off to be registered and eligible to vote.
Other provisions include:
Employees can only ask for one hour off work to vote
Employees whose shift start two hours after the polls open (7 a.m.) or end at least an hour before they close (7 p.m.) isn't eligible to take off to vote.
It's up the employer to dictate what time the person can leave to vote.
It's also up to the employer to decide if they want to pay the employee for taking time off to vote. It's not required for them to do so.
Alabama is one of 32 states that provide for some type of leave to allow employees to vote. Of those states, 23 require the employers to pay workers for the time away from work. The most generous laws are in Minnesota, where workers can take off whatever time is necessary and employers are required to pay them for the time spent casting their ballot.
Voters in Alabama's largest "dry" city are set to decide on alcohol sales - again.
It's the fifth time in 14 years Hartselle residents will go to the polls to vote on legalized alcohol sales. Hartselle, population 14,500, is in Morgan County, which is dry. However, Decatur, the largest city in the county, as well as neighboring Priceville, both allow for legalized alcohol sales.
Hartselle's City Council recently passed a draft ordinance to place limits on where and when alcohol could be sold if voters do approve the measure.
Proponents of the measure said the lack of alcohol sales have limited economic development in the city, which has a sparsely developed exit along I-65. A 2015 study pointed to the lack of alcohol sales as one of the major reasons for the lack of development - namely a hotel - near the interstate.
"The illegality of alcohol limits the quality of restaurants which in turns limits the area's appeal to overnight travelers," the study noted. "Many people currently visiting the area will stay elsewhere due to the better restaurant selection."
Opponents of the measure said economic development isn't worth the risk and point to concerns over the lack of local control over alcohol sales.
Voters have agreed with that idea in the last four referendums, though the margin has shrunk each time. In 2010, effort to legalize alcohol sales failed by 467 votes; by 2012, the difference was 412. In 2014, the margin of victory shrunk to 231 votes. The 2014 vote came just months after former mayor Don Hall was arrested in Limestone County on charges of driving while intoxicated.
Hall later resigned from his post after his name was linked to AshleyMadison.com, a website that promoted extramarital affairs.
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After Gov. Bentley's public announcement last week that the education system in Alabama "sucks," talk is turning to what impact school funding has on student outcomes.
In Alabama, local public schools are chiefly dependent on state support, although many wealthier systems get a boost by raising local taxes and some poorer systems get more help from federal grants.
But when all sources are combined, Alabama's school districts are still spending fewer dollars per student than they did in 2008, after adjusting for inflation. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a report recently showing Alabama's state spending on education is down more than 14% from 2008.
National experts contend the way Alabama funds its schools through the state's Foundation Program, enacted in 1995, exacerbates inequities by not providing funding based on student needs.
School districts that can raise additional money for schools do. For example, Mountain Brook spent the most per pupil in the state last year.
Mountain Brook schools spent $6,536 additional dollars per student from local money on top of what the state provided in 2015, resulting in spending of $12,162 per student. Those local dollars afford students greater opportunities including lowered class sizes and better program offerings.
In addition, school districts that have more local money available typically pay teachers more than the state minimum salary schedule, allowing them to cherry-pick the best teachers away from school districts paying teachers less. They typically employ more teachers per pupil and offer more enrichment classes.
On the other end of the spending spectrum is Autauga County, which spent the least per pupil. Autauga spent only $7,536 per student. That included just $645 additional dollars per student from local funding.
That range, from $7,500 to $12,200 per pupil, exacerbates inequities in opportunities for students that already exist based on the wealth of a community according to a firm hired to examine Alabama's funding system.
Some school districts now rely heavily on federal funding, which targets populations of students in poverty and in special education.
In Alabama, 61 of the 136 school districts in 2015 spent more in federal funding than local funding. In 15 school districts, most of which are in Alabama's Black Belt region, federal funding made up more than 20 percent of overall dollars per student.
The average split in funding in Alabama's school districts in 2015 was 65 percent state, 15 percent federal, and 20 percent local. The average spent was $9,098 per student from all sources, with $5,934 of that coming from the state.
Take a look at the breakdown between state, federal, and local dollars spent on students across the state in the chart below.
The funding formula
Alabama is one of only seven states that uses a formula that provides basic school funding solely based on the number of students in a school, according to EdBuild, a national non-profit focused on bringing common sense and fairness to the way states fund schools.
Larger maps can be viewed here.
Research overwhelmingly demonstrates that additional resources are needed to teach students in poverty, English language learners, and students with special needs to get them to the same level, according to Rebecca Sibilia, founder and CEO of EdBuild.
"So [Alabama's] funding formula isn't even in keeping with what we see in research," she added.
EdBuild was recently hired by Mississippi lawmakers to rebuild its school finance system, which is similar to Alabama's, but Mississippi's system allocates more money to districts based on the number of students in poverty. Alabama's does not.
School finance consultants hired by the Alabama State Department of Education reached the same conclusion.
APA consulting, which has worked in all 50 states and provided framework for building equitable school funding systems across the country, was hired in 2013 to study the adequacy (is it enough?) and equity (is it fair?) of the state's school finance system.
APA concluded Alabama's funding system is neither adequate nor equitable, estimating the state should send 20 to 35 percent more in state funding just to reach adequate levels.
Based on 2013 actual state spending of $7,723 per student, APA said the state should expect to spend between $9,388 and $10,590 per student to achieve the student outcomes educators and communities expect and that successful school districts achieve.
State board of education members were given an update on the study in September of last year. The report was never formally presented to state lawmakers.
Knowing that spending gap is sizable, APA recommended a phase-in approach:
(1) Consider shifting to a weighted student-based funding model.
(2) Consider equalizing local tax efforts, similar to the way capital funding is distributed among school districts now. This would not restrict local tax revenues, but would take into account the ability of a school district to raise additional local money. State funds could be used as an incentive for local districts to raise their own taxes.
(3) Raise taxes for education.
The authors acknowledge how difficult it is to raise taxes, but say even if taxes can't be raised, "changing the overall structure of the finance system would have immediate impacts and ensure that any new funding that is introduced is distributed in an equitable manner."
Adequacy and equity are both important to any school funding formula, experts said, but the student-based formula is the key.
"Administrators will find it very difficult to make the right spending decisions to inspire achievement in the classroom if they're not being funding adequately and fairly," Sibilia of EdBuild said.
Addressing the argument from critics of increasing spending that the amount of money doesn't matter, Sibilia said, "It matters very much how much money you have, particularly when you're teaching higher cost students who are higher cost through no fault of their own. All of those things get fixed in a student-based formula."
Sibilia echoed APA's findings saying, "Regardless of the outcome, what we know is that Alabama's current system is not structured to anticipate the cost of students who present at school with special needs. What we do know is that students present with profound needs need more money and when that money is provided, they can achieve."
Here's the full school finance study from APA Consulting, presented to the state board of education in September 2015.
Equity and Adequacy in Alabama Schools and Districts by Trisha Powell Crain on Scribd
After more than a year of political drama, twists and turns, rhetoric and promises, it all comes down to this.
Voters will head to the polls Nov. 8 to decide between Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump. In Alabama, there are a host of local races, as well as amendments, on the ballot.
Want to see a sample ballot?
Click here to see sample ballots for every county in Alabama. You are allowed to bring your marked sample ballot with you to the polls as long as you remove it when you leave.
You can go here to learn more about the amendments on the ballot.
What time do the polls open?
Polls in Alabama are open Nov. 8 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
What do I need to bring to the polls?
You will need photo ID to vote in Alabama. Accepted ID includes an Alabama driver's license; nondriver ID; photo voter ID card; any state-issued identification; federal-issued ID; passport; employee ID from federal government, state of Alabama, county, municipality, board or other entity of the state; valid student ID from a public or private college or university (either in-state or out-of-state); military ID; or tribal ID.
What if you don't have ID?
If a voter does not have one of the valid forms of photo ID, they can still vote if they can be positively identified by two election officials as an eligible voter in their precinct. A voter without identification or who cannot be positively identified will be allowed to cast a provisional ballot. You will then have until 5 p.m. on the Friday following the election to bring a valid form of photo identification to your county board of registrars in order for your vote to be counted.
Oops. I made a mistake. Can I get a new ballot?
If you have not already placed your ballot in the electronic voting machine or ballot box, you may ask a poll worker for another copy. The poll worker will destroy your first ballot so that it cannot be counted or reused and then issue you another one.
Can I take a selfie (or a video) while voting?
No. Alabama does not allow photography or videotaping inside a polling place.
Can I wear a campaign t-shirt to the poll?
Yes. Candidates or their supporters cannot campaign within 30 feet of the entrance to a polling place. A voter can wear a campaign button or t-shirt to the polls but they cannot hang around to advertise their candidate or leave any campaign materials at the polls.
Where do I vote?
You can go here to find out your polling place.
Have a voting place complaint?
You can file a comment with the Alabama Secretary of State's Office.
There will be four presidential candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot in Alabama: Democrat Hillary Clinton, Republican Donald Trump, Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein.
But what if you want to vote for Evan McMullin, the Utah businessman who is picking up traction as an independent? Or what if you want to cast your ballot for someone else entirely?
You can do that in Alabama by writing in the name of the person but there are rules, according to the Secretary of State's Office.
How to cast a write-in vote
If your preferred candidate isn't listed on the ballot, you can vote for them by writing his or her name in the "write-in" box found below each contest. You must also color in the bubble next to the write-in box for your vote to count.
You can write in a candidate's name and vote straight party, too. The straight-party selection gives your votes to your chosen political party's candidates in all contests except where you wrote-in someone's name. The write-in vote overrides the straight-party ticket in that race.
Spelling counts...sort of
What if you're not quite sure how to spell a candidate's name? If you get close you will probably be OK, as long as the spelling is close enough for the person to be identifiable. You can use initials and a last name rather than a full name but a last name alone won't do. The write-in vote must be handwritten and you can't use a sticker bearing someone's name.
"The bottom line is that a write-in vote must be marked in a way that the election officials can determine exactly who you are voting for," the Secretary of State's Office said.
Another no-no is writing in the name of fictional characters. Only votes for live human beings who are eligible to serve in office will be counted, so skip writing in Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny.
Alabama law does allow you to write-in a person's name even if they lost in the primary election. The state's "sore loser" law bars someone who unsuccessfully ran in a party primary from seeking election as an independent but there's no stipulation against write-in votes.
Write-in votes probably won't be counted on election night
There is a change to know about write-in votes this year, however.
Counting write-in votes has often been a laborious process. This year, the Legislature approved a measure that did away with requirements that all write-in votes be counted on election night.
Under the new law, election officials will determine if there are enough write-in votes to impact the outcome of an election. If not, the actual ballots will be reviewed and counted only if one of the candidates agrees to pay for the cost associated with tallying the votes.
Write-in laws in other states
Thirty-four states currently allow for write-in votes as long as a candidate files the necessary paperwork before the election. Nine states ban write-in voting in presidential elections, the remaining states - including Alabama - allow for write-ins with no pre-filed paperwork.
Birmingham Water Works's multi-million dollar engineering company Arcadis, formerly known as Malcolm Pirnie, has been served with a federal subpoena.
The subpoena seeks records dating back to 2013, and specifies documents related to Arcadis Vice President Jerry Jones, the face of the company in Birmingham.
Arcadis lawyer Tommy Spina said he could not comment on the matter at this time. Peggy Sanford, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, said she could not confirm nor deny an investigation.
Arcadis, a global company with deep roots in Birmingham's political scene - has for years been the largest contractor at the water works, receiving millions of dollars for engineering services. The money has often fueled pitched political battles, and the company - along with Jones - has been a big donor in local political races.
The federal subpoena is a dramatic development because it indicates at least two investigative agencies have turned their attention on the water works - the agency in Birmingham that arguably affects the most residents in the metropolitan area.
The Alabama Attorney General's special investigations unit last month opened a state grand jury in Birmingham that appears to focus on the water works as well. It is unclear whether the investigations are independent or whether the two agencies are cooperating.
Malcolm Pirnie, along with longtime water works lawyer Charlie Waldrep, have been among the most highly paid and controversial water works contractors.
Birmingham Mayor William Bell, who served as interim mayor a decade and a half ago, sold the assets of the water works back to the water board. After he lost the mayor's race, and before he was elected to the Jefferson County Commission, he worked as a consultant for Malcolm Pirnie, which profited dramatically after the sale.
In recent months much of the infighting between the Bell and the Birmingham City Council has been linked to the water works. The Birmingham City Council appoints members to the water board, and council-backed appointees have hired council-friendly lawyers and engineers to replace or supplement the old guard.
It is unclear if others have been subpoenaed by either the state or the federal government.
This story will be updated.
Janet Reno, the first woman to hold the office of U.S. Attorney General, died Monday. She was 78.
Reno, who served under the Bill Clinton administration from 1993-2001, died in Miami-Dade County from complications of Parkinson's disease, her family confirmed. She was diagnosed with the disease in November 1995.
A towering figure at 6 foot, 2 inches, the Florida native was known for her direct manner and no-nonsense approach to the law.
"The Department of Justice is committed to asking one central question of everything we do: What is the right thing to do? Now that can produce debate, and I want it to be spirited debate. I want the lawyers of America to be able to call me and tell me: Janet, have you lost your mind?" she once said.
Reno's tenure as Attorney General started even as the federal standoff with a fringe religious group in Waco, Texas was already underway. She later ordered agents to raid the compound, resulting in a fire in which more than 80 cult members were killed.
As AG, Reno oversaw the convictions of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, 1993 World Trade Center bomber Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman; and Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the men responsible for the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City.
In 2000, after months of dispute between the U.S. and Cuban governments, Reno ordered the seizure of 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez, the only survivor among a group of 13 Cuban immigrants found off the coast of Fort Lauderdale in November 1999. Images of Gonzalez's seizure and his return to the communist nation set off a wave of criticism against Reno.
Reno was not immune from the scandals of the Clinton White House, first appointing a special prosecutor to investigate the Whitewater scandal to being threatened with contempt of Congress in connection to Clinton's impeachment hearings.
After leaving Washington, Reno made an unsuccessful bid for Florida's governorship, running against incumbent Jeb Bush in 2002. She spent her later years lecturing on law around the country.
Campaign 2016 Trump
A man, second right, is escorted by law enforcement officers moments after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was rushed offstage by Secret Service agents during a campaign rally in Reno, Nev., on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A protester involved in a scuffle at a Donald Trump rally in Reno, Nevada denied accusations Sunday that he is an operative for Democrats.
"It's absolutely ludicrous," Austyn Crites said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "I stand by my principles, and that's the reason why I felt compelled to go in there to hold up the sign."
The registered Republican was holding a "Republicans Against Trump" sign at the Saturday night rally while the GOP nominee for president spoke. A disturbance broke out and
.
The candidate returned later to finish his remarks.
Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told CNN the protester was "a Democratic plant or operative" but offered no details or proof.
Crites, 33, said he has donated money to Clinton's campaign and canvassed for her last week for "a total of three hours." But he has never met with Clinton or any campaign aides.
In a statement, the Secret Service said a person in front of the stage had shouted "Gun!" but that no weapon was found after a search of the person and the immediate area. The agency did not identify the person when reached Sunday. But the investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
According to Crites, he was getting booed when things suddenly turned violent. People grabbed at his arms to get the sign down and then someone tackled him. He said that's when people kicked him and even grabbed at his crotch.
"As I'm down there being choked, I hear something about a gun," Crites said. "I'm telling people 'There is no gun, there is no gun. There's just a sign. I only have a sign.'"
Secret Service agents and Reno police took him to a backstage area and found no weapon on him. He was released after about an hour and a half.
Since the incident, Crites said he has been the subject of conspiracy theories and negative messages from online trolls. Crites said his Facebook page was deactivated after someone reported that it belonged to an impostor.
Crites said he would be supporting the GOP if another Republican -- such as Sen. Ted Cruz or Sen. Marco Rubio -- was running.
"I actually liked Donald Trump when he was just a businessman who wrote about business," Crites said. "There was no ill will toward this man whatsoever until he started divisive rhetoric which I have zero tolerance for."
Sessions denies dismissing Trump's lewd video comments Alabama senator says 'Crystal clear' sexual assault is unacceptable
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., left, looks on as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a national security meeting with advisors at Trump Tower, Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
(Leada Gore lgore@al.com)
U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions in recent days rolled through Iowa, Nevada and the panhandle of Florida to stump for Republican Donald Trump.
The first U.S. senator to endorse the outsider candidate turned Republican nominee has emerged as a key surrogate deployed to battleground states in the waning hours of the campaign.
"This is a movement. Look at what is happening. The American people are not happy with their government," Sessions said as he first endorsed Trump in February.
Sessions' role in the inner orbit of the Republican nominee has led to speculation of an eventual presidential appointment if Trump should manage to close the polling gap and prove victorious Tuesday.
While Sessions, 69, has downplayed the prospect, his close association with the Republican nominee has raised the national profile of the junior senator from Alabama.
"When Mr. Trump wins this election .... I can't imagine in my wildest dreams that he would not be a part of that conversation simply because he has been one of Mr. Trump's closest aides and confidants and helped guide the ship into the White House," Alabama Republican Party Chairwoman Terry Lathan said.
A presidential appointment for Sessions would also cause a shake-up in the state political food chain, leaving vacant a U.S. Senate seat, a coveted office that usually only comes open with an incumbent's death or retirement, to be filled by appointment. It is a titillating possibility for state politicians trying to make their plans for 2018 races. For that reason, some gubernatorial contenders are expected to hold off on campaign plans until after Nov. 8.
"There is no doubt that Montgomery is full of people right now salivating at the prospect of being appointed to the U.S. Senate," said Scott Beason, a former state senator and host of a conservative radio talk show.
The pairing of the bombastic billionaire and the polite southerner at first seems an unlikely one. While divergent in style, the pair found common ground with tough stances on immigration and against free trade agreements. Sessions, a conservative popular with tea party voters, brought Republican "street cred" to the early days of the Trump campaign, said Natalie Davis, a pollster and political science professor at Birmingham-Southern College.
"Sessions is an outsider in terms of Washington thinking," said former Alabama congressman Glen Browder. "It is not surprising Trump has done well in Alabama. There has always been a certain populism in Alabama -- a distrust of the establishment," Browder said.
In turn, Trump has raised the national profile of Sessions, who previously was perhaps best known outside of his home state as an ardent hardliner on immigration.
Analysts say a Trump defeat -- even a resounding one-- on Tuesday would likely bring few, if any, consequences for Sessions in deeply red Alabama, which hasn't gone for a Democrat in a presidential election since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Alabama is more likely to reward Sessions for supporting Trump, even if he loses the presidential race.
"I think Jeff Sessions emerges just as strong," Browder said.
While Trumps law and order rhetoric has alienated many, the legacy of Bill Clinton hangs over Hillary.
New York, United States In the 11th hour of the presidential campaign, the candidates, criss-crossing the crucial swing states, both appealed to the same voting group: African Americans.
Hillary Clinton, speaking in a Northwest Philadelphia church on Sunday, told black voters that the election is a choice between hope and fear.
This election is about doing everything we can to stop a movement to destroy President Obamas legacy, she said.
Her campaign is seeking to boost turnout of African-American voters, which has slipped since they voted in record numbers to elect Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.
According to a November 2 aggregation of five national polls, Clinton commands 83.3 percent of the black vote, against Trumps 4.3 percent.
The numbers did not discourage Trump from making a last appeal to African Americans in Florida on Saturday, asking them to vote for him with the question: What the hell do you have to lose?
The Trump outreach
Throughout his campaign, Trumps outreach to black voters has focused on the need for tough law enforcement as he has described African-American neighbourhoods as ghettos overwhelmed by crime and poverty.
Dominic Carter has been covering politics in New York and nationally for more than 30 years. He says Trumps overtures to the African-American community are not only failing, but are actually backfiring.
If anything, he says the rhetoric will make voters come out for Clinton. Him connecting with communities of colour is never going to happen.
One reason, Carter says, is Trumps refusal to recognise the innocence of the Central Park Five, despite the DNA evidence that exonerated them. The African-American teenagers were accused, then convicted of raping and savagely beating a woman jogging in Central Park in 1989.
They confessed after 43 hours of questioning and Trump called for the death penalty for them.
The confessions were later found to be coerced, and the real rapist confessed. Yet, just weeks ago, Trump still insisted they were guilty.
Another element of Trumps law and order campaign, brought up as tension flared over police shootings of black men in September, is his intention to bring back the stop-and-frisk policy.
We did it in New York, and it worked incredibly well, he said of the practice that was criticised for unfairly targeting African Americans and Latinos.
To refer to a policy that has been deemed unconstitutional shows a lack of knowledge and concern for a significant portion of the country, Arva Rice, president of the New York Urban League, a civil rights group, says.
Stop-and-frisk first came under intense scrutiny in 1999, in the aftermath of the police shooting of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed Guinean immigrant, outside of his apartment in the Bronx.
Stop-and-frisk was the direct result that caused my sons death, his mother, Kadiatou Diallo, told Al Jazeera.
The 23-year-old street vendor was shot and killed by two plain-clothes police officers on his way home while reaching for his wallet inside his coat. The cops opened fire, shooting 42 times, hitting Diallo 19 times. He died holding his wallet.
READ MORE: Understanding racism in the US
The death of the son Kadiatou Diallo describes as sweet and loving started a movement, bringing attention to the issue of black deaths at the hands of police.
People were coming out saying, it could have been me. Parents were worried about their sons. It was really a defining moment for the community and the city, she says.
While there is no official US database tracking police shootings, there are independent studies and lists. A University of California study, for instance, shows the probability of being black, unarmed and shot by police is 3.49 times the probability of being white, unarmed and shot by police.
A study conducted by The Guardian, shows that, in 2015 alone, black men were nine times more likely to be killed by police than white men.
A Clinton appeal
Clinton has responded to the shootings by acknowledging racial injustice in the justice system and calling for investment in training of the police, but, still faces challenges in convincing African American voters.
Taina Traverso, an artist and community activist, has lived in East Harlems public housing projects for 30 years. Originally a Bernie Sanders supporter, she says that she finds it hard to support Clinton for one reason: the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, commonly called the Clinton Crime Bill, backed by Bill Clinton and passed with a bi-partisan vote.
So many of our young men were incarcerated because of that bill, she says. An entire generation was lost.
The bill contained a controversial three strikes rule, which said that a third felony arrest, no matter what the crime, could, and often did, result in a life sentence.
But some leaders in the African-American community say anger over the past is not nearly as important as defeating Trump and electing Clinton.
Dr Hazel Dukes, president of the New York State chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and a civil rights activist since the 1960s, says she is sure black voters will turn out for Clinton.
Bill Clinton is not running for president, she says. The candidates are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. And Donald Trump has never done anything for the African-American community. We have been insulted and disrespected.
She specifically refers to the birther lie, Trumps insistence that Obama was not born in the US, therefore not eligible to be president.
Thats a real hot spot in the community. Yes, we get very upset about that. Very upset, Dukes said.
Kadiatou Diallo, who is an American citizen now, says that she will be voting for Clinton.
Hillary Clinton resonates with me, Diallo says, because, when my sons case was up, she came out and supported me. Shes speaking with messages that give us hope, and Im looking forward to calling her Madame President.
WATCH: Black Lives Matter What has the movement achieved? (9:37)
The disengaged youth
But there is a new generation of African-American voters, millennials who are not tied to the past, or, even, to a single issue.
Kristian Davis Bailey, 24, is a Detroit-based member of the Black Youth Party 100, which works closely with the Movement for Black Lives. He says he will not be voting for either presidential candidate.
To be honest, Ive intentionally disengaged from this election cycle, he says. In part, he blames his disenchantment on the Obama administration.
The issues of people being killed by police or being locked behind bars has either continued or escalated, he says, with little meaningful action from our first African-American president.
But, he says, millennials, like him, are not one-issue voters.
When you look outside just black issues, he says, youre either still participating in or investing in wars abroad, and theyre still locking up millions of our citizens. Either candidate is still going to continue bombing Muslim countries.
The ultimate aim of COP 22 will be to build on the scaffolding put in place by Pariss climate talks in 2015.
Rabat It has long been known as Moroccos ochre city, thanks to the dusty pink of its historic sandstone walls. But for the next 11 days, Marrakech will be going green for COP 22, the massive, international follow-up to 2015s historic Paris Agreement on climate action.
At COP, a vast array of stakeholders will be approaching a diverse spread of topics, from renewable energy to eco-feminism. But the ultimate aim for all those invested in global climate action will be to build on the scaffolding put in place by Pariss climate talks in 2015.
What we hope for the event is to mobilise for funds for renewable energy projects and technology transfer in Africa in particular. by Badr Ikken, General Director of the Research Institute for Solar Energy
While the strenuous government negotiations will take place at the events Blue Zone, whose site will be sectioned off under the authority of the United Nations, in the Green Zone, members of the general public will mingle with NGO workers, state institutions and private sector employees in any of the 500-plus side events that are being staged.
We need to flesh out what the fine print of the agreement is, said Mariana Panuncio-Feldman, who co-leads the World Wildlife Funds delegation to COP 22. [The agreement] provided some guidance, but issues like financial support, for example, were not touched on as much.
Nows the time to turn the promise of Paris into action and build on it, she added. We can come out of COP 22 with a clear work plan that looks ahead to two years from now, in 2018.
The two-year mark is important, as 2018 will bring together the parties of the Paris Agreement once again for a facilitative dialogue, in which countries will take stock of their progress on implementing the agreements measures.
COP 22, wedged between the agreement and its future evaluation, is an important enforcing mechanism in the collective aim of the parties to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Paris gave the world a number: 2 degrees, which is the maximum rise in temperature that the globe can experience this century, before climate change begins to unleash serious consequences.
Bolstering COP22s urgency is the knowledge that, currently, the international community is not doing enough. Even if all the Paris pledges can be realised, the earth is still set to experience a temperature rise of 2.9C to 3.4C this century, according to a UN Environment Emissions Gap report.
The field of climate change is strewn with technical terminology and sometimes buzzwords such as capacity building or enhanced transparency framework mystify the outside observer. Yet in Marrakech, theres an opportunity to get concrete.
As delegations hash out the details of the Paris Agreement, they will have to narrow in on the specifics of policy and determine how international goals translate into formalised plans. An example, Panuncio-Feldman notes, is the issue of timing; as of today, parties have not yet agreed on whether contributions under the agreement should be set against a five or 10-year span. Pinning countries down to a uniform schedule could be a major accomplishment for COP 22.
A second issue is clarifying how developing countries can structure and propose the limits of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). According to Panuncio-Feldman, it is useful when countries note both what they can do with their own resources and what they would like to do but cannot with the current finances and resources they have.
Fact Check COP 22 represents an important link to curb greenhouse gas emissions and limit the globes temperature increase to two degrees Celsius. COP 22 has been nicknamed the COP of Africa. An issue clambering to the top of the agenda is the role developing countries must play in global climate solutions. By 2030, Morocco plans to draw 52 percent of its energy from renewable sources. The world will experience a temperature rise of 2.9C to 3.4C this century, according to a UN Environment Emissions Gap report. Parties have not yet agreed on whether contributions under the Paris Agreement should be set against a five or 10-year span.
COP 22 has been nicknamed the COP of Africa, and an issue clambering to the top of its agenda is the role developing countries must play in global climate solutions. Badr Ikken, general-director of the Research Institute for Solar Energy and New Energies, will be attending COP 22 as part of the Morocco delegation; for him, Marrakech has great potential to draw in stronger involvement from the continent and make climate action a more inclusive project.
At COP 22, were seeing the participation of small countries, countries which are still in need of support from developed nations, he said. What we hope for the event is to mobilise for funds for renewable energy projects and technology transfer in Africa in particular.
According to Ikken, COP 22 must give space for developing countries to assert their needs, so that the parties can distinguish between how energy heavyweights such as China and the United States approach climate action, and how smaller countries can maintain the same goal while maximizing the efficiency of their resources.
Its very important to reach our goal of 2C or less, and non-developed countries, which in the future will start generating more energy, have to be strongly involved now, said Ikken. He noted that Morocco is embarking on a big transition, with plans to draw 52 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.
Other countries on the continent, however, are earlier in the development process, and must still bulk up their resources by building power plants and infrastructure.
Now is the right time to support them, said Ikken. To make sure the power plants they build are for renewable energy. The cost of a transition is high. New infrastructure for renewable energy, however, is easier to establish.
Ikken also pointed to the importance of transnational collaboration, invoking the example of the Triple A Initiative, which Morocco spearheaded as part of the countrys build-up to COP 22.
Under the Green Morocco Plan, Triple A aims to address the challenges faced by the agricultural industry in Africa, while also assisting in the research of farming techniques for the continents arid and semi-arid zones.
The importance of African nations as emerging climate actors was also a notable COP theme for Aymen Halleb, an environmental activist from Tunisia, who attended COP 22s opening youth conference with an environmental NGO, Atlas.
I met a lot of young people from Africa hoping to use this COP to raise their collective voices, he said. We are all affected by climate change and we are aware of pressing issues in our countries like water shortage and deforestation.
As part of his organisation, Halleb works with womens cooperatives back home to teach them agricultural and oil-production methods that are environmentally sustainable. For him, COP 22s youth conference was an opportunity to meet other young people from neighbouring countries, discuss experiences and form fledgling partnerships.
Yet looking ahead, Halleb feels doubtful that COP 22 will match these networking opportunities with material support. Im not optimistic. The problem is the financing of projects, he said. Its difficult for projects in some African countries to find funding, so we as civil society actors are here to put pressure on our national delegations to finance projects and include our input in discussions on funding.
In 2009, developed countries pledged to raise $100bn a year by 2020 to support sustainable initiatives in developing countries, often through the vehicle of the Green Climate Fund, which functions under the guidance of COP.
Geared towards vulnerable communities facing climate change, the fund attracts proposals from organisations such as Hallebs. This October, the countries that made the $100bn pledge released a report declaring that they were on track for 2020 yet some commenters have called into question the documents credibility, revealing the persistent ambiguity that clouds questions of funding sources and financial support.
At COP 22, where transparency is currently enjoying a big emphasis, the financing of the Paris Agreement and NDCs will be a key issue.
According to Ikken, however, there is also promise in the private sector, which has become increasingly involved in gatherings such as COP 22.
Private-public partnerships were a very positive experience in Morocco, they were key in developing our renewable energy projects, he said. At COP 22, we would like to highlight solutions and instruments like private-public partnerships. We had the opportunity to finance some projects through them and we think they could provide useful solutions.
Normally in political debate, you accuse your opponent of being wrong. Resistance implies something bigger.
To understand the candidacy of Donald Trump, start with this: Trump is the un-Obama. A lot of Americans see President Barack Obama as weak and ineffectual. They see Trump as just the opposite. The extreme opposite not just self-assured, but arrogant.
Trumps candidacy fits a well-established pattern in American politics.
The party out of power the Republican Party this year has to find out what voters want that they are not getting from the incumbent.
Obama got elected in 2008 because he was the un-Bush. President Obama is cerebral and deliberative. Not bold and reckless like George W Bush. Trump offers decisiveness, which is something a lot of voters are missing in President Obama.
Trump is leading a resistance movement. Republicans are responding to Trumps call for resistance. Resist Obamacare. Resist immigration reform. Resist trade deals. Resist Islamic radicalism. Most of all, resist the New America that came to power with Barack Obama.
A New America?
The New America is a coalition of groups that have long felt marginalised in US politics: Latinos, Asian-Americans, African Americans, Jews, working women, single mothers, gays, educated professionals, young people and the unchurched the growing numbers of Americans, now more than one in five, who have no affiliation with any organised religion.
What holds the New America together is a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Donald Trumps resistance movement defies diversity and inclusion.
Defiance is Trumps defining attitude. Trump defies conventional wisdom. He defies the Republican Party establishment. He defies conservative principles. He defies the press. He defies the truth.
READ MORE: Why Donald Trump draws crowds, and Hillary Clinton doesnt
And he is not a career politician.
Many Americans are angry because government cant solve problems any more. It cant stop illegal immigration. It cant keep jobs in the US. It cant stop terrorists from killing Americans.
Trump is offering himself as a problem-solver a leader who can get things done.
Americans believe politics is the enemy of problem-solving. And Trump can set politics aside.
I think the voters like me, they understand me, they know Im going to do the job, Trump says.
Fervent following
Trump does best among voters from the declining sectors of American life.
A study by The New York Times found that Trumps strongest support is in places with high percentages of whites with no high school diploma, low numbers of ethnic and religious minorities, old economy jobs such as in agriculture and manufacturing, and low labour force participation rates Appalachia, for instance.
What you find in those places are Americans who have been left out of the economic recovery, whose jobs are threatened by foreign trade, who are declining demographically and whose traditional religious and cultural values are under challenge.
They believe they are now the ones being marginalised.
Theyre an angry resistance movement, and Trump is their leader. They hate liberals such as President Obama with their snobbish condescension. And they hate conservatives such as Mitt Romney with their heedless rapacity.
Trump has a fervent following, some of whom persist in believing his bizarre assertions.
He started his political ascent as the leading proponent of the birther theory the idea that President Barack Obama is not a natural-born US citizen and is therefore an illegitimate president. That idea has been conclusively disproved. But it continues to thrive on the political fringe.
When Trump attacked Muslim Gold Star parents who had lost a son fighting for the US, Trump claimed in a tweet, The story is not about Mr Khan [the father] but rather RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM.
He charged that President Obama was a founder of ISIS and Hillary Clinton a co-founder.
Trump has said, We are led by a man that either is not tough, not smart, or has something else in mind.
Something else in mind? Trump insinuates that theres something going on and leaves it to his supporters to imagine what it could be.
Normally in political debate, you accuse your opponent of being wrong. Resistance implies something bigger.
It implies that your opponent is not just wrong but illegitimate a fraud, a cheat, a usurper, a criminal.
Trump calls for Hillary Clinton to be sent to jail.
If he loses, dont expect Trump to fade away.
There is talk of his starting Trump TV. That will give him a platform to keep the resistance alive and agitate opposition to everything President Clinton wants.
At the end of the campaign, a Trump enthusiast told a rally in Las Vegas that their mantra has to be Attack, attack, attack! We will never accept defeat! We will never give up!
Victims of the former dictator oppose President Rodrigo Dutertes plan to bury him at the national heroes cemetery.
Manila, Philippines On the night of March 24, 1983, around 30 government commandos, with Rambo-style ammunition, raided a house in the southern Philippine city of Davao, where Hilda Narcisco and three other church workers were staying.
It was the height of the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship, and although the military and police were within his grip, the rest of the country was starting to slip from his control.
Without showing arrest warrants, Narcisco says the authorities forcibly took her and two of her colleagues to the headquarters of the now-defunct Philippine Constabulary (PC), a military unit with police powers.
The trio was accused of subversion and conspiracy to commit rebellion, using their church work as cover. The fourth person, a German pastor, was put under house arrest.
READ MORE: The Philippines autocratic nostalgia
Narcisco recalls how she was placed alone in a separate van to the others blindfolded and handcuffed. She says she was first interrogated and then sexually molested inside the van.
For the next six months she was raped and mentally and physically abused.
Now 71, Narcisco says the memories of her time in detention have not faded. She wants to continue to share her story, she explains, so that everyone can know about the human rights abuses committed during Marcos rule.
As one of the 70,000 people imprisoned and 34,000 tortured during his 21 year rule, from 1965 to 1986, Narcisco says she opposes the plan of the current president, Rodrigo Duterte, to bury Marcos at the national heroes cemetery.
On Tuesday, the Philippine Supreme Court is set to decide on a petition objecting to Dutertes proposal.
Critics say that the law bars Marcos from being accorded that honour, because of the human rights abuses he committed as president.
But Duterte who has praised Marcos and who has, as a result of his own war on drugs in which at least 3,000 people have so far been killed, been compared to him and other Marcos supporters have argued that as a former president and a soldier, the ousted leader is entitled to a spot at the cemetery. They insist that it is time for the country to forgive Marcos and start the process of healing.
WATCH: Imelda and Me
Rape and torture
According to court records, more than 3,200 people were killed during Marcos rule, including between 700 to 800 who are presumed dead after remaining missing for decades.
Death did not come to Hilda Narciscos doorstep that night, but she says what she endured was even worse.
On the same night that she was taken by the military operatives in Davao Dutertes home town Narcisco says she was taken to a safe house where she was repeatedly sexually abused.
First, I was raped by the head of the interrogating team. Then a group of men would rape me alternately and commit lewd acts. Some of them even placed their genitals in my mouth, Narcisco says.
For two to three days after her arrest, her hands were tied and her eyes blindfolded, preventing her from seeing the perpetrators. All the while she was raped again and again, she says.
The abuse was dehumanising. The humiliation and degradation were getting worse. I was threatened to be killed, and was forced to say that I committed the crimes they were charging me [with].
They also tried to force her to eat worm-infested food, she says.
Narcisco went on a 44-day hunger strike.
She was denied any visitors and to avoid more scrutiny from human rights groups and international organisations, Narcisco says she was transferred from one detention facility to another. The authorities wanted to hide her from the German government, which was looking into her case.
After six months in jail, Narcisco was released on September 11, 1983.
She later founded the Womens Crisis Center in Manila, an organisation that strives to end violence against women.
READ MORE: Duterte threatens martial law if drug war is blocked
Atone for his sins
Several other victims of torture have also spoken out against Dutertes decision to honour Marcos.
During a hearing at the Supreme Court in August, Loretta Rosales, the former head of the Philippine human rights commission, told the justices that she was sexually molested and endured electric shocks.
It was just a continuing thing. I lay there for 24 hours of continuing torture. There was no eating or sleeping, Rosales was quoted in news reports as saying.
Rodrigo Duterte interview: Death, drugs and diplomacy Talk to Al Jazeera
She later became a member of Congress and a colleague of one of her former torturers, a top-ranking member of the military who entered politics after retirement.
Atilano Fajardo, a Catholic priest, was still at school when Marcos declared martial law in 1972.
I was in college when I started to join mass rallies, and we were also scared that the authorities would just pick us up, he recalls, adding that he had witnessed many of his friends being abused by the police.
While Fajardo believes that Marcos does not deserve a heros burial, he does think it is important to forgive him. But, he adds, the Marcos family must atone for his sins by returning the billions of dollars it stole from the government.
According to estimates from the Philippine Supreme Court, the Marcoses stole between $5bn and $10bn from the countrys treasury during their two-decade rule.
Paul Sotelo, a Filipino-American whose grandfather Luis Balanay was killed by police during Marcos rule, also opposes the move to honour Marcos.
Balanay was attending a village festival when the police accused him of throwing a rock at them.
My grandmother told me that nothing like that happened. The police just made it up to cover up for the shooting. It was done for nothing. And we never got justice from his death, Sotelo says, adding that his family had to sell many of their properties to pursue the attackers.
No one went to jail for my grandfathers death. There was a culture of impunity during that time, and it was perpetrated by Marcos himself, so certainly he was responsible for the abuses, he told Al Jazeera.
For all that was committed during his time as a dictator, Marcos does not deserve a place of honour alongside other real Filipino heroes.
Activists started #CripTheVote campaign to unite community and get politicians attention.
A watershed moment in the 2016 race for the White House occurred nearly a year ago when Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump mocked a disabled New York Times reporter, Serge Kovaleski, thrashing his arms to mimic a physical impairment.
Voters expressed disgust, and Democtratic Party nominee Hillary Clintons campaign quickly capitalised with attack ads.
Above all, the incident mobilised American voters with disabilities, who, at one in six eligible voters, are the countrys largest minority.
The disability community is an extremely diverse community for a number of reasons, said Filippo Trevisan, deputy director of The Institute on Disability and Public Policy.
It can be difficult sometimes to bring it all together under a common cause. Donald Trumps comments against a disabled reporter may have galvanised this base.
While Trumps comments were a motivating force, Americans with disabilities have since sought to direct the election conversation towards issues affecting their community.
Disability rights advocates started the #CripTheVote campaign to use social media as a tool to elevate issues of importance to voters with disabilities to the political agenda.
Andrew Pulrang, one of the campaigns founders, cites labour law exemptions that allow employers to pay less than the minimum wage to workers with disabilities as a policy issue where activists have made an impact.
More than 200,000 Americans with disabilities work for subminimum wages, according to the US Department of Labor.
A 1938 law allows employers to set wages based on how productive a person with disabilities is compared to a non-disabled worker doing the same task. The law sets no floor for wages, so many workers with disabilities earn as little as a dollar an hour.
Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have endorsed getting rid of the sub-minimum wage, Pulrang told Al Jazeeras The Stream . Its a very specific issue that got addressed at least at the campaign level.
Disability issues
Lawrence Carter-Long, a spokesman for the National Council on Disability, said he would like to see disability included in a broader range of policy issues such as transportation, education and poverty.
If you cant get the job, if youre finding it more difficult to get to the job, if you cant get an education, if youre eight times more likely to live in poverty than your non-disabled peers, those are all disability issues, Carter-Long says.
Ballot access and voting rights are persistent problems for voters with disabilities seeking to make their voices heard in the election.
According to a report by the National Council on Disability on the 2012 election, one in five voters with a disability was kept from casting a ballot privately and independently ( PDF ). The report also found rampant problems with polling place accessibility and a lack of working technology to assist people with disabilities casting their vote.
Alec Frazier, director of the disability campaigning group Autistic Reality, said a common problem at polling places is poll workers limited understanding of what constitutes a disability.
My biggest concern with voting accessibility is what happens when you dont have a visible disability, Frazier, who has autism, said. I was told at one point that I did not need accessible voting because I am not visibly impaired.
Voting rights revoked
People with intellectual disabilities frequently have their voting rights taken away entirely.
According to data from the Election Assistance Commission, more than 7,300 people in 33 states lost their voting rights due to mental incompetence between 2012 and 2014. Ten states ban those declared mentally incompetent from voting automatically.
Voting rights are often taken away when a person with an intellectual disability has a legal guardian appointed to oversee some of their decision-making and care.
Thomas Coleman, a disability rights attorney, has challenged this practice in California.
I found through case after case that judges and attorneys were stripping people of their voting rights, Coleman said. Just assuming that they lack the capacity to vote.
Despite these barriers, Carter-Long sees the disability community continually gaining influence.
You screw something up, and disabled people are going to take to Twitter and call you out on it. Thats never happened before, he says, adding that today, US politicians at all levels are paying attention.
Pulrang says that he hopes non-disabled people will use this election as an opportunity to examine their own biases toward people with disabilities.
Ableism is not just the most outrageous things people say, its also the less intense but deeply ingrained habits, said Pulrang, who has a rare genetic condition affecting his joints and spine. Since his disability manifests itself visually, Pulrang says many able-bodied people will often subconsciously avoid addressing him directly in conversation.
Theres a parallel there with politics. Politicians will talk about us which is good progress but not so much to us.
Disability used to be a diagnosis now its a community, says Carter-long. Its an identity and a constituency that politicians have to pay attention to.
May played the prerogative powers card to gain political advantage and push for a softer Brexit.
Richard Seymour is a London-based writer and editor. He is author of The Twittering Machine (Indigo Press, 2019) and a founding editor of Salvage magazine.
No one had a plan for this. Neither Brexit campaigners nor the government made any contingency plan for how Britains exit from the European Union would be organised, or on what terms, if the majority of people voted to leave. So why is Theresa May in such a big hurry?
Once the result was in, the Conservative establishment moved quickly to install a leadership that could be trusted with its management. David Cameron resigned as prime minister and Conservative leader.
His former ally and the Home Secretary Theresa May was piloted into power after potential rivals, the clownish Boris Johnson and the hard-right fund manager Andrea Leadsom, were forced to stand down.
May was no Brexiter. She had been quietly on the Remain side, and had given a private speech to Goldman Sachs warning of the dire economic consequences of leaving the European Union.
But she was also preparing her leadership bid, and knew that in the event that she had a chance to stand, she would have to shred her liberal, modernising credentials and come out as a new model reactionary.
This strategy was cleverly epitomised in her recent speech to the Conservative Partys annual conference, in which she laid into immigration but also promised to use the power of government to defend working-class people, while attacking tax dodgers and multinationals.
By articulating a right-wing, nationalist version of Jeremy Corbyns class language, she hoped to tap into popular discontents, squeeze out the UK Independence Party (UKIP) as a right-wing challenger, and use racism to cut into Labours electoral base.
Currently, her government has the support of more than 40 percent of the population, a level of support rarely achieved by the Conservatives in recent decades. This is remarkable, given that her government has overseen a sharp fall in the value of the currency, to its lowest levels since 1985, food prices are likely to soar, and the property market at the centre of a growth system based on speculation and debt is set to flatline.
No right to use prerogative power
So why, then, did she set herself up for such a dramatic failure in the High Court last week? Having come into office with no plan for leaving the EU, May promised Brexit means Brexit.
She adopted a timetable for leaving based on triggering Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, giving notification of the intention to leave, by March next year.
Hard Brexit would be devastating for business, while soft Brexit would necessitate British acceptance of some form of free movement of labour. by
She claimed that she could do this without consulting parliament by invoking royal prerogative powers.
These powers derive from the Crown, and in principle give the monarch a great deal of power to make decisions.
In practice, it is usually used by the executive in Downing Street in matters of defence and national security a legacy of empire. But, as the High Court ruled, the prime minister had no right to use prerogative power in this case.
May is a sophisticated, shrewd operator, but she almost gives the impression of being a ham-fisted, UKIP-style pugilist. Unless, that is, the result was actually a success for her.
If we were to work on the hypothesis that she still agrees with the views that she outlined before and during the referendum, then her task is to engineer the softest possible Brexit while appearing to give the right-wing what it wants.
In British politics, hard Brexit has come to mean leaving the EU and the single market, and ending the free movement of labour to and from the UK.
Soft Brexit means leaving the EU, but retaining access to Britains biggest trading partner accounting for 44 percent of UK exports, and 53 percent of imports, in 2015.
Hard Brexit would be devastating for business (and almost everyone else), while soft Brexit would necessitate British acceptance of some form of free movement of labour.
Since immigration was the big issue galvanising Brexit, Theresa May has claimed to put immigration controls ahead of having access to the single market.
OPINION: Brexit The English gamble
There is a harsh irony in that. For many of those who supported Brexit, controlling immigration was supposed to spare jobs and resources for hard-press British workers.
In practice, punishing immigrants now matters more than people having work or enough to eat.
But Mays apparently gauche invocation of prerogative powers may have been subtler than anyone realised. There is a strong likelihood now that her government will be forced to bring legislation to parliament before triggering Article 50.
This allows for all sorts of delaying motions, as well as making it more likely that the process will result in a soft Brexit.
What is more, May will not have to take responsibility for any of it. She can blame the opposition parties, above all Labour, for sabotaging sincere government efforts to fulfil the democratic will.
Of course it is just possible that May doesnt know what shes doing and is essentially stumbling around in the dark.
Pundits often dont make enough room for that aspect of political life. But Mays record is far more suggestive of guile than ineptitude, and this looks like a gambit that paid off.
Richard Seymour is an author and broadcaster based in London. He has written for The Guardian, the London Review of Books and many other publications.
The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Trade, Iranian influence and regional instability are drawing Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan closer than ever before.
Turkeys relationship with Iraqs Kurds has not been without its problems. Not so long ago Ankara refused to deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and has opposed its efforts to consolidate control in disputed oil-rich areas such as Kirkuk.
Moreover, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has complicated the KRGs efforts to strengthen political and economic ties with its neighbours, all of whom have historically combated Kurdish rebellions within their own territories.
Times have certainly changed. There have been landmark visits and exchanges between senior-ranking Turkish and KRG officials as well as a rapid increase in trade that has seen Turkish companies flood Kurdistans market and the building of a pipeline that enables the KRG to independently export its hydrocarbons to international markets.
The shift in Turkish foreign policy towards Erbil is happening despite concerns about PKKs rebellion and Turkeys major economic and political interests in Baghdad. It is a response to the violent instability in Iraq and the growing Iranian influence.
While Turkey has significant political and economic ties with the rest of Iraq, Ankara like others in the Arab and Islamic world may believe Baghdads Shia-ruling establishment has shifted too far into Irans orbit of influence and, during the course of the campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, Tehran has further expanded its influence in the country.
In fact, Turkey may double-down on its cooperation with the KRG because of the uncertainties and challenges that may follow in the post-ISIL period, both in Iraq and Syria.
The political and administrative structures that emerge after the Islamic ISILs eventual defeat have as much relevance for Turkey and its geopolitical rivals as it does Iraqs own political actors.
Forging close ties with Iraqi Kurdistan, based around mutual security, economic and strategic interests, after the Mosul operation enables Turkey to maintain a buffer against Iranian influence.
The encroachment of Shia militias into Tal Afar some of whom include Shia Turkmen who were expelled by ISIL when it seized northern Iraq in 2014 brings the militias closer into disputed and strategically important areas such as Sinjar, where the PKK and Massoud Barzanis Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) have a significant presence.
Turkey played an important role in alleviating the humanitarian crisis that followed the first Gulf War. The ensuing western-backed no-fly zone and the creation of an autonomous Kurdish region further enabled the space for commercial ties, even if politically, and publicly, relations remained tense and constrained. by
This has implications for Turkeys security interests in the longer-run. The presence of Shia militias in the vicinity of places such as Sinjar will inflame tensions between the militias and the KRG as well as embolden the PKK, which has attempted to bring Sinjar under its own administrative control and whose fighters in Sinjar are financially supported by Baghdad.
Ankara fears that these recently emerged alliances and security structures could become stronger, especially because of the strong nexus that connects the PKK, Shia militias and Iran.
Turkey has, therefore, continued its troop presence in northern Iraq, despite threats from Baghdad and Shia militias.
Moreover, beyond the KRG, the PKK undermines Ankaras other allies in Iraq, such as Atheel Nujayfi, the former governor of Nineveh province, whose 6,500-strong militia have been trained by Ankara.
Whats in it for the Iraqi Kurds?
Turkish influence in Iraqi Kurdistan has largely been framed as a Turkey-KDP project aimed at securing the KDPs position as the dominant party there, to the detriment of its main rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which enjoys closer ties to the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), PKK-leaning groups in Syria.
But the situation is much more complicated than that. It is commonly believed that Turkeys strong ties with the KRG only recently emerged, when, in fact, the relationship strengthened in the 1990s.
Turkey played an important role in alleviating the humanitarian crisis that followed the first Gulf War. The ensuing western-backed no-fly zone and the creation of an autonomous Kurdish region further enabled the space for commercial ties, even if politically, and publicly, relations remained tense and constrained.
READ MORE: Money and patience grow short in Iraqi Kurdistan
Todays political cooperation between Ankara and the KRG is an extension of these ties. Contrary to conventional wisdom, in the past both the KDP and the PUK have worked alongside Turkey against the PKK, whose Marxist-orientated vision of Kurdish nationalism runs contrary to their social-democratic and liberal outlook.
In the 1990s, the PUK founder and former president of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, attacked the PKK for working to abort our democratic experiment and remove our parliament.
As recently as 2009, Talabani asked the group to leave Iraqi Kurdistan. Both Barzani and Talabani were provided with Turkish passports, which allowed them to travel freely outside of Iraq and Turkey, and were even allowed to establish official representation in Ankara.
Over the past two years, the spillover from the Syria conflict has complicated Turkeys ties to the regions Kurds, owing to its own domestic confrontation with the PKK but also the ascendancy in Syria of the PYD and the YPG.
The Syria conflict has heightened Kurdish nationalistic sentiments and has provided the opportunity for greater Kurdish autonomy throughout the region. This has also made more difficult KRG efforts to balance domestic Kurdish sentiments with their dependency on Ankara.
Yet, Turkey is still the only reliable ally for Iraqs Kurds. In a region that can no longer count on United States engagement, Turkey may be the least worst option for the KRG.
The Iran dimension
Iran also enjoys close ties to the Kurds and has historically provided them with a base from which to fight the former Baath regime, but it cannot offer what Turkey can.
Its nuclear ambitions, support for groups identified as terrorist organisations, support for anti-Kurdish Shia militias (who have clashed with PUK Peshmerga forces) and the anti-western rhetoric of its leadership has undermined its international standing and makes it a more unreliable, unpredictable and economically weaker ally.
Partnering with Turkey a major military power, a NATO member and historic western ally with a resilient economy provides the Kurdistan Region with its own buffer against the atomised security structures in Iraq and the rest of the region.
The state and non-state actors that threaten the Kurdistan region in the current political and security environment will think twice before challenging Turkeys security interests in Iraq and, for now, those interests overlap with the KRGs own.
The KRG will also benefit from increased foreign investment, technological expertise and access to the European markets. Continued interaction could also help to alleviate Turkeys tensions with other Kurdish groups in the region and, potentially, restart the peace process with the PKK.
Ranj Alaaldin is a Visiting Fellow at Brookings Institution Doha. He specialises in Iraq and the modern history of the Middle East and holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
The World Health Organisation says at least 7,000 people have been killed in Yemens 20-month civil war, and the UN peace envoy warns that the country is teetering on the brink of the abyss.
In a statement released on Monday, the WHO said more than 7,070 people had been killed and over 36,818 injured as of October 25 with another 21 million people in urgent need of health services.
More than half of all health facilities across the country have been shut or were only partially functioning amid a critical shortage of doctors, it said.
Speaking to reporters in the capital Sanaa, UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed lamented the devastating violence and reiterated calls for an end to the fighting.
People are dying the infrastructure is falling apart and the economy is on the brink of abyss, he said.
Saudi Arabia, along with a coalition of other Arab states, intervened in Yemen in March 2015 in support of the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels took over the capital.
Since then, the coalition has been blamed for several attacks on medical centres including some run by international aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) schools, factories and homes, which have killed scores of civilians.
Last month, at least 140 people were killed and more than 500 wounded when several air strikes targeted a funeral reception in the capital.
The October 8 strike prompted an international outcry and strong criticism even from Saudi Arabias closest Western allies.
A recent report published by the Yemen Data Project, a group of security and human rights researchers, said more than one third of coalition air strikes hit civilian sites, including schools, hospitals and mosques.
Out of the more than 8,600 air raids it examined, the report found 3,577 were listed as hitting military sites and 3,158 non-military, while 1,882 strikes were classified as unknown.
The UN envoy urged the Arab coalition controlling Yemens airspace to allow commercial flights in and out of Sanaas international airport to evacuate the wounded.
The coalition, however, has argued that the rebels would use the airport completely under their control to transport weapons.
READ MORE: My children are starving to death
International organisations have also warned in recent weeks of a spread of disease and growing malnutrition rates in the country.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed warned of a very dangerous health situation with an estimated 2,241 suspected cholera cases.
The UN has confirmed 71 cases of the disease, which is transmitted through contaminated drinking water and causes acute diarrhoea.
Attempts by the UN envoy to coax all sides to commit to a ceasefire and resume peace talks have failed.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed urged the rivals to make some concessions and defended a plan for peace he put forward last month.
The mediator, who had been discussing his proposal with the rebels since Thursday, was heading to Riyadh to meet Hadi.
The UN refugee agency estimates that more than 2.4 million Yemenis have fled their homes to elsewhere in the country, and 120,000 have sought asylum in other countries, including Djibouti and Somalia.
Kurdish Peshmerga forces claim to be in control of nearly three-quarters of Bashiqa, a town 13km east of Mosul city.
Iraqi Kurdish forces have exchanged heavy fire with ISIL fighters as they move from two directions into the centre of Bashiqa, a town along a key supply route for the armed group on the way to Mosul.
The offensive to reclaim the town 13km east of Mosul city is the latest push in a broader offensive to drive the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant out of Iraqs second-largest city, the groups last major stronghold in the country.
Combat began at dawn on Monday with a Kurdish barrage of heavy artillery, Katyusha rockets, and mortar rounds striking ISIL positions, providing cover for the advance of armoured columns.
Peshmerga fighters tell us theyve retaken most of Bashiqa now, Al Jazeeras Mohammed Jamjoom reported from about 2.5km away.
He said troops had secured the municipal building in the centre of Bashiqa .
However, by late Monday, the battle still raged on.
Were still hearing heavy fighting going on: street battles, gunfire, theres been air strikes happening as well. So it seems, at this hour, the fight is still intensifying, our correspondent said.
Bashiqa is believed to be largely deserted except for dozens of ISIL fighters.
We have the coordinates of their bases and tunnels, and we are targeting them from here in order to weaken them so that our forces can reach their targets more easily, Peshmerga commander Brigadier-General Iskander Khalil Gardi told the Associated Press news agency.
READ MORE: The battle for Mosul Inside ISILs bomb-making factory
Concerns about civilians do not play a role in operations in Bashiqa, Gardi said.
Regarding the challenges, in any area that has no civilians, there wont be any problem. And currently, according to our intelligence, there are no civilians left in Bashiqa, he said.
Iraqi government and Kurdish forces, backed by a US-led coalition and joined by various militias, are fighting to drive ISIL, also known as ISIS, out of Mosuls surrounding areas and open additional fronts to attack the main city, which has been held by the group since 2014.
Bashiqa has been surrounded by Kurdish forces for weeks, but Mondays push appears to be the most serious yet to drive ISIL out.
Civilians trapped
The United Nations has warned of a possible exodus of hundreds of thousands of refugees from Mosul, which is still home to as many as 1.5 million people.
So far 34,000 have been displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Meanwhile, the UN health agency says it has set up 82 rapid response teams to manage risks of epidemics, chemical exposure, and other health worries among people fleeing Mosul.
The World Health Organization said water and sanitation in camps for displaced people could face disruptions as the numbers of those fleeing Mosul grew, raising the risk of food and water borne diseases such as cholera.
On Mosuls southern front, Iraqi soldiers advanced into Hammam al-Alil, 20km from the citys centre.
READ MORE: Tunnelling under an ISIL commanders house
Army spokesman Brigadier Firas Bashar said the city had been retaken, although fighting continued and other reports said ISIL fighters remained in several areas.
Iraqi Brigadier-General Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the Joint Military Command, told AP about 100 decapitated bodies were found in a mass grave near Hammam al-Alil.
Iraqi special forces entered the eastern edge of Mosul last week and have made some progress but have been slowed by fierce ISIL resistance as troops push into more densely populated areas.
Soldiers are suffering mounting casualties as ISIL fighters bog them down with suicide car bombs, booby traps, and close-quarter combat along narrow streets. ISIL still holds territory to the north, south and west of Mosul.
As Iraqi forces struggle to solidify gains in neighbourhoods in eastern Mosul, more and more civilians are fleeing the city, according to special forces Lieutenant-Colonel Hussein Aziz.
Daesh is trying to draw a line, Aziz said of heavy fighting in Mosuls eastern-most neighbourhoods, referring to ISIL by its Arabic acronym.
They have a lot of fighters there and they forced families to stay.
Aziz mans a small checkpoint on the edge of Gogjali, Mosuls eastern-most suburb, where civilians fleeing Mosul are screened to catch any ISIL fighters who may be hiding among them.
Since Iraqi forces first pushed into the east of the city last Tuesday, Azizs team has arrested dozens of people.
Magnetic sticky bomb planted under a military vehicle detonates near education ministry in the Afghan capital.
Kabul, Afghanistan A bomb hidden under a military truck went off in the Afghan capital on Monday, wounding two people in a sign of the deteriorating security situation in the war-torn country.
A police officer securing the area told Al Jazeera a magnetic sticky bomb exploded under the vehicle in Kabul near the Ministry of Higher Education at about 4:30pm local time just as government offices closed.
The driver of the truck and a passenger were wounded.
I was leaving the Ministry of Higher Education when I heard the explosion and saw two people on the ground. One of them was missing a leg, said a witness at the scene, adding he helped to get the victims into an ambulance. The man ran away before giving Al Jazeera his name.
READ MORE: UN to probe US air raid that killed women and children
Sticky bombs planted on vehicles by insurgents are usually on a timer or remotely detonated.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Security throughout Afghanistan continues to slide amid attacks by the Taliban and other armed groups.
Afghan forces have suffered thousands of casualties, with more than 5,500 killed in the first eight months of 2016.
A UN report on Afghanistan published in July also showed a record number of civilian casualties in the long-running conflict with 5,166 civilians killed or maimed in just the first six months of the year. Nearly one third of those were children.
Pro-Russia, anti-migration candidate Rumen Radev won 25.8 percent of the vote in first round of the election.
Socialist-backed opposition candidate Rumen Radev, who has called for an end to European Union sanctions against Russia, won the first round of Bulgarias presidential election.
Radevs close-fought victory over ruling party candidate Tsetska Tsacheva on Monday makes the former air force commander favourite to win a run-off on Sunday, a result that could bring the Black Sea state politically closer to Russia.
Radev, a jet fighter pilot and novice to politics, has tapped into public anger with political elites and fears about immigration, and vowed not to make the Balkan country a migrant ghetto.
The hope for a change is already tangible. People want to see more security and well functioning institutions, he said after his win.
The country of 7.2 million people already has warmer ties with Russia than most of its EU peers. Radev has made it clear he believes NATO member Bulgaria should focus more on its economic and political ties with Moscow, which has been under EU sanctions since it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
READ MORE: Petar Nizamov Vigilante migrant hunter of Bulgaria
Results from 86 percent of polling stations showed Radev, 53, winning 25.8 percent of the vote. Centre-right candidate Tsacheva, who had been expected to win narrowly, was on 22 percent, according to the national election commission.
A Radev victory in the run-off could usher in months of political instability, including a possible snap parliamentary ballot, after Prime Minister Boiko Borisov signalled that he may quit if his candidate, Tsacheva, loses.
Tsacheva appealed for support in the run-off, saying victory for her opponent could put Bulgaria at odds with its EU and NATO allies and trigger a spike in corruption.
OPINION: Time for Eastern Europe to shine at the United Nations
It is important to know what kind of Bulgaria we want to see a country isolated internationally, with EU aid frozen and corruption things that the Socialists trigger when they take power or a Bulgaria whose voice is heard in Brussels, she said.
Under Bulgarias constitution, the presidents job is mostly ceremonial, but whoever holds the post can influence policy, veto legislation and sign international treaties.
Beijings ruling follows deliberate misreading of oath by two elected pro-independence lawmakers last month.
China effectively barred two elected pro-independence MPs from Hong Kongs legislature after they deliberately misread their oaths, saying that they could not now be sworn in again.
Pro-independence legislators Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching misread their oaths of office for seats on the Legislative Council (Legco) last month.
An oath that did not conform to Hong Kongs law should be determined to be invalid, and cannot be retaken, the Communist-controlled National Peoples Congress (NPC) in Beijing said on Monday.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said he will implement Chinas ban on the two politicians.
As chief executive, I have the responsibility to follow Hong Kongs Basic Law and implement the ban. Hong Kong is an inseperable part of China. Everyone in Hong Kong has a responsibility to respect the countrys unity and safety, he said.
At the swearing-in ceremony, both modified their oaths in an act of defiance by using a derogatory word for China. Yau also slipped in an expletive.
Hong Kongs legislature descended into chaos after the two lawmakers defied a barring order and barged into the chamber as democrats formed a human chain around them, forcing the session to be adjourned last month.
The NPC declared legislators had to be sincere and solemn when taking their oaths, and had to pledge completely and solemnly to uphold the Basic Law of Hong Kong as part of the Peoples Republic of China.
The question has become hugely sensitive in Hong Kong, the former British colony which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a promise of one country, two systems and where fears of increasing encroachment by Beijing have been rising, prompting mass protests two years ago.
Beijing sees any talk of independence as treasonous and the official Xinhua news agency quoted a spokesman for the governments Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office welcoming the ruling.
The interpretation demonstrates the central governments firm determination and will in opposing Hong Kong independence, the spokesperson said, adding that it complies with the common aspiration of the entire Chinese people, including the compatriots in Hong Kong.
Al Jazeeras Sarah Clarke, reporting from Hong Kong, said it was not a surprise to see the ban being implemented in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong chief executive initiated the High Court action, doing exactly what the NPC has done this morning. He wants them disqualified, she said.
China has intervened on five separate occassions but this is very rare as the interpretation has come ahead of a court ruling in Hong Kong. This has angered the people in Hong Kong. A lot of people may not support independence, but their concern is that China is disqualifying two MPs who were democratically elected.
OPINION: Hong Kong and China: A special relationship
On Sunday, street battles erupted as thousands in Hong Kong protested Chinas intervention in the dispute.
Scuffles broke out and police pepper-sprayed some demonstrators as they marched from Wan Chai district to the citys Central financial district, with several hundred pressing on to Beijings Liaison Office where demonstrators charged metal fences set up by police.
This is outrageous, said Jay, a 21-year-old student who wore a mask to protect against the pepper spray.
The Chinese government is destroying Hong Kongs judicial independence. Its an attempt to control what we think. Even people who are against independence are coming out against this.
Li Fei, the chairman of the Basic Law Committee of the NPC Standing Committee, told reporters: These Hong Kong independence figures are going against the country and splitting the country. How can they uphold Hong Kongs Basic Law?
I hope people can see the real face of these people, he added.
Turkish President Erdogan challenges US support for Kurdish fighters in operation to seize Raqqa from ISIL.
Turkeys president said on Monday it is naive to use Syrian Kurdish fighters whom he branded terrorists to retake the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) groups stronghold of Raqqa.
Fighters aligned with the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are currently pushing ahead in an offensive towards ISILs so-called capital in northern Syria.
No one in the world will buy this naive attitude of [attacking] Daesh with another terror organisation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, using an Arabic acronym for ISIL.
READ MORE: Syrian rebels announce offensive to retake Raqqa
Erdogan called the Syrian Kurdish groups fighting against ISIL a side branch of Turkeys outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and criticised the United States, a NATO ally, for supporting such groups.
PKK, an armed group that has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state, is categorised as a terrorist organisation by the US, the European Union and Turkey.
Raqqa an Arab city
The use of non-Arab forces to liberate Raqqa will not contribute to peace, Turkeys Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus also said on Monday.
Turkey would not like to see Raqqa, which is an Arab city in its entirety, to be captured by elements that are not Arabs and to be administered by them, Kurtulmus said after a cabinet meeting in Ankara.
Legitimacy cannot be provided with the participation of armed terror organisations. It requires the participation of legitimate states and their armed forces, he added.
Al Jazeeras Mohammed Adow, reporting from Gaziantep on Turkeys border with Syria, said that although the SDF called on international forces to assist the offensive, it has made it clear it does not want Turkish military involvement.
The Turkish officials latest comments came a day after their top military leaders met NATO allies in Ankara to discuss Turkeys grievances about the operation to take Raqqa.
The coalition and Turkey will work together on the long-term plan for seizing, holding, and governing Raqqa, General Joe Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said following a four-and-a-half hour meeting with his Turkish counterpart, General Hulusi Akar.
READ MORE: Kurds deny forcing Arabs from Iraqs Kirkuk
As the operation to retake Raqqa continues, the US will work with the Turks and others to determine the make-up of forces that move on Raqqa and govern it, he said in a statement on the Pentagons website on Monday.
We always knew the SDF wasnt the solution for holding and governing Raqqa, Dunford said. What we are working on right now is to find the right mix of forces for the operation.
Turkey launched an operation inside Syria in August alongside allied rebel forces who have managed to capture Jarabulus and the symbolically important town of Dabiq from ISIL.
But one of the operations goals is also to check the advance of Syrias Kurds. Turkish forces have carried out air strikes against Kurdish positions in northern Syria.
Clintons early activism was focused on civil rights, but her later career was defined by her hawkish foreign policy.
In 1961, a 14-year-old Hillary Rodham Clinton wrote a letter to NASA asking what she needed to do to become an astronaut.
According to Clinton, now the Democratic nominee for US presidency, the agencys response was effectively thank you but we dont take girls.
The organisation has since changed its policies and become more inclusive, sending dozens of women into space, but the number of female US presidents since the letter was purportedly sent remains the same: zero.
Clintons journey to change that began on the opposite side of the US political divide, as a young conservative activist for the Republican Party.
By 1968, however, she had transformed.
The young Clinton broke with the party after the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King and labelled the Republican establishment racist.
OPINION: Hillary Clinton and the woman card
Her early activism focused on pressuring her college to accept more African-American students and organising civil rights protests.
Later, Clinton studied law at Yale University, where she met her husband and future US President Bill Clinton.
The two were devoted Democrat activists and campaigned together for the party, eventually marrying in 1975.
Her first political positions came with the marriage; first as the First Lady of Arkansas when her husband was elected the governor of the state in 1978.
Later Clinton would serve as First Lady in the White House, when Bill was elected president in 1992.
Her first direct political appointment came with her election to the US senate in 2000.
In office, her foreign policy positions were barely distinguishable from the Republican President George W Bush; Clinton supported the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and advocated for strong support of Israel.
At home, Clinton supported the controversial Patriot Act and the bailout of Wall Street banks during the 2007 to 2008 financial crisis.
The latter period would also mark the start of her first campaign for the presidency, but after an initial lead, the attempt was cut short at the primary stage when current US President Barack Obama secured the Democratic nomination.
OPINION: Can Hillary Clinton change gender roles in politics?
However, it would be Obama who gave Clinton her most senior political role; as secretary of state, a position in which she presided over the US response to the Arab uprisings that started in 2010.
During her tenure as the top US diplomat, Clinton oversaw western-led military action in Libya to topple the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the WikiLeaks exposes, and the operation that killed the leader of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden.
Clinton was also in the position during the attack on the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi, in which US ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed.
For years, the incident became the primary attack point for her critics, who accused Clinton of failing to heed warnings and to do enough to protect those who died.
The Democratic nominee stood down as secretary of state in 2013 but the scandals were brought back out into the spotlight again after it was revealed that she had used private email servers for official correspondence.
The FBI cleared Clinton of wrongdoing, but her Republican rivals have used the scandal as evidence of her alleged incompetence.
Most recently, in October 2016, Clintons campaign manager John Podestas private emails were hacked and leaked, allegedly by members of the Russian intelligence.
The leaks raised questions about the payments received by the Clinton Foundation, which the Democrat leader runs with her husband, and the pairs ties to Wall Street banks.
Ahead of the November 8 election, analysts said in any other campaign and against any other candidate, the leaks could have destroyed a candidacy, but Clinton was still favourited to become the next president.
Expecting opponents to forget about the numerous scandals is another issue entirely, and one that could prove to be a nuisance for a Clinton presidency, especially if the Republicans maintain control of the Congress.
Freelance journalist Kosuke Tsuneoka, detained over suspected links to ISIL, was handed over to Japanese authorities.
Authorities in Iraqs autonomous Kurdish region on Monday handed over a Japanese national detained last month on suspicion of ties to ISIL.
Media reports say Kosuke Tsuneoka, 47, is a freelance journalist who was covering the battle to take the city of Mosul from the armed group.
A Japanese national, Mr Kosuke Tsuneoka also known by the nom de guerre Shamil K Tsuneoka was detained for links to the Islamic State, the Kurdistan Regional Security Council said in a statement.
An investigation by our Counter-Terrorism Department found he was in contact with ISIL members through his smartphone.
Tsuneoka was taken into custody on October 27 by Kurdish forces near Mount Zardak, a strategic hill east of Mosul, the council said.
READ MORE: Japanese journalist missing in Syria appears in video
After his release, Tsuneoka took to Twitter to explain what happened.
He said he had been arrested because he was carrying a key chain with an ISIL logo that he obtained on an earlier reporting trip.
But this became a problem at a security check for a presidential press conference. I was suspected as an IS member and arrested and interrogated. I had explained this to the authorities, and I do hope they believe my innocence, Tsuneoka said.
He denied a media report that said he served as a translator for ISIL fighters and received a medal.
Thats terrible. I dont understand Arabic at all, he tweeted.
Mosul is ISILs last major stronghold in Iraq. A coalition of Iraqi forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, launched a huge multi-pronged offensive to retake the city on October 17.
The KRSC said Tsuneoka left the country on Monday via the main airport in Erbil, the capital of Iraqs Kurdish region.
Ahmed Manasra, 14, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in a stabbing attack that wounded two Israelis.
An Israeli court has sentenced a 14-year-old Palestinian boy to 12 years in prison for his role in a stabbing attack that wounded two Israelis in October last year.
Ahmed Manasra, who was 13 at the time of the incident, was sentenced by Israels Jerusalems District Court on Monday for the attempted murder of two Israelis in an settlement north of Jerusalem. Both men have since recovered.
Manasra had earlier pleaded not guilty, saying he had not personally stabbed either of the victims and had only intended to frighten them.
His 15-year-old cousin, Hassan Manasra, who carried out the stabbings, was shot dead by an Israeli passer-by, while Ahmed Manasra was severely beaten by an Israeli mob and hit by a car.
At the time, the incident caused widespread controversy because Palestinian authorities accused Israel of killing both attackers. Israel then scrambled to release footage of Manasra sitting up in a Jerusalem hospital bed.
READ MORE: Oz: Israels prison for Palestinian children
Al Jazeeras Tony Birtley, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, said the court ruling could have far-reaching implications for Palestinian youth.
Every year, hundreds of Palestinian boys are arrested and charged for crimes, sometimes as small as stone throwing, but following this case anyone, even minors, found guilty of murder, manslaughter or attempted murder can get a prison sentence.
In addition to the jail term, the court ordered Manasra to pay $50,000 in compensation to the victims, the ruling said. His lawyer, Lea Tsemel, said she planned to appeal the sentence.
Over the past year, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 226 Palestinians, including unarmed demonstrators, bystanders and alleged attackers, while 35 Israelis were killed in stabbing and shooting incidents.
Human rights groups have accused Israeli forces of unlawful killings and the use of lethal force in situations where non-lethal measures would have been appropriate.
READ MORE: Will Israel be put on trial for war crimes?
In other sentences handed down by the same court on Monday, a Palestinian woman who suffered severe burns when she tried to attack Israeli security officers at a West Bank checkpoint by blowing up a gas canister was sentenced to 11 years in jail.
Two other minors, aged 15 and 17, were handed 11-year sentences for attacking a group of Jewish worshippers at Damascus Gate, a central entrance for Palestinians to Jerusalems Old City and the scene of many attacks. One person was lightly hurt in that attack.
The court verdicts, delivered by the same three judges, laid out in detail personal issues and family strife afflicting the assailants, offering those conditions as part of the reason why they may have carried out the attacks.
Palestinian leaders say the assailants are acting out of desperation over the collapse in 2014 of peace talks, and the expansion of Israeli settlements on occupied land that Palestinians seek for an independent state.
Amnesty says Kurdish authorities demolished homes and forced Arabs out but officials call accusations one-sided.
Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq have rejected accusations by a rights group that their forces destroyed Arab homes and forced residents from the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk.
The UK-based Amnesty International, in a statement published on Monday, said Kurdish forces carried out a wave of attacks that followed an unsuccessful attack on Kirkuk by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group in October.
However, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) strongly rejected the rights groups accusation, describing the claims as one-sided.
Amnesty International said Peshmerga forces forcibly displaced 190 families from the villages of Qotan and Qoshkaya after the attack. Those expelled had moved to nearby villages or IDP camps in the area, it said.
The authorities in Kirkuk are undeniably facing a serious security threat, said Amnesty Internationals Lynn Maalouf. But that cannot justify bulldozing peoples homes and forcibly displacing hundreds of Arab residents.
Deliberate destruction carried out without military necessity is a war crime. Ordering the displacement of civilians unless necessary for their own security or for reasons of imperative military necessity is also a war crime.
Amnesty further cited testimony from Arabs, who had been accused by Kurdish officials of helping ISIL launch attacks and were later expelled from the area.
In a report released in January 2016, Amnesty accused Kurdish forces of destroying thousands of homes and attempting to uproot Arab communities.
Kirkuk lies in an oil-rich and ethnically mixed part of Iraq. Control over the city is contested by Kurdish and Iraqi authorities.
Kurdish forces took over the city in 2014 when the Iraqi army fled during ISILs summer offensive in northern Iraq.
The city is home to Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and Assyrians, as well as tens of thousands of people fleeing ISIL and Shia militias from other areas of Iraq.
Kurds reject accusation
Karwan Jamal Tahir, the KRGs High Representative in the UK, told Al Jazeera that the Kurds had an open door policy and only people from areas taken back from ISIL control were asked to return home.
It is quite surprising that we hear some dissonant voices lately on this matter, said Tahir. Kirkuks governorate hosts nearly 600,000 IDPs. This itself illustrates the fact that KRG pursues an open-door policy without discrimination for those who flee violence.
OPINION: Why the Turkey-KRG alliance works, for now
Those who have their town or villages liberated need to go back after a good arrangement with the mayor or district mayor of the newly liberated areas.
Tahir further argued that Kurdish authorities were simultaneously being accused of not allowing IDPs to return home and expelling them.
Amnesty must take both sides and not tell a one-sided story. The Kurdistan region should be credited, not blamed.
In October 2016, ISIL launched an unsuccessful surprise attack on the city in response to the ongoing Mosul offensive.
A number of the citys Arab residents were accused of helping the fighters by giving them shelter.
Additional reporting by Shafik Mandhai: @ShafikFM
Iraqi military says mass grave discovered in ISIL-held territory near Mosul contained 100 skeletons with heads severed.
The Iraqi military has found about 100 decapitated bodies in a mass grave south of the ISIL-held city of Mosul.
Brigadier-General Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the Joint Military Command, said the bodies were discovered on Monday near the town of Hammam al-Alil.
Most were reduced to skeletons, he told The Associated Press news agency. The grave was found about 14km from the southern outskirts of Mosul.
The Joint Operations Command said Iraqi forces found 100 bodies of citizens with their heads cut off.
Peshmerga in heavy gun battles with ISIL near Mosul
AFP news agency quoted a police statement saying: Federal police found a mass grave west of Hamam al-Alil in the agricultural college. It did not elaborate.
A forensics team from Baghdad will investigate the site on Tuesday. Rasool said the state of the bodies made it difficult to tell by their clothes if they were soldiers or civilians.
ISIL has carried out several massacres since it swept into northern and central Iraq in the summer of 2014, often documenting them with photos and videos circulated online.
Iraqi forces launched a massive operation last month to drive ISIL fighters from Mosul and surrounding areas.
Photos released of Iraq mass execution
The United Nations warned two weeks ago the armed group appeared to be have killed dozens of civilians since Iraqi forces launched the offensive against Mosul.
Aid organizations, local officials, and Mosul residents have cited reports that ISIL executed people in Hammam al-Alil and barracks nearby over the course of a week, on suspicion of planning rebellions in-and-around Mosul to aid the advancing troops.
Abdul Rahman al-Waggaa, a member of the Nineveh provincial council, told Reuters news agency last month most of the victims were former police and army members.
ISIL had used the towns agricultural college as a killing field for hundreds of people in the days before the Iraqi government advance, Ahmed said.
They would torture them inside and then take them out of the neighbourhood and either shoot them or slit their throats.
Police backed up his accounts, but the road to the college was still lined with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on Monday, preventing Reuters from visiting.
Former Sandinista guerrilla wins with 72 percent of the vote as opposition vows to fight the outcome.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has overwhelmingly won re-election to a third consecutive term as voters cheered in the streets and overlooked criticism that he is installing a family dynasty.
Ortega, 71, ran with his wife, Rosario Murillo, as his vice-presidential candidate in a race that pitted him against five lesser-known candidates after court rulings weakened the opposition.
The Reuters news agency reported on Monday that Ortega secured 72.1 percent of votes citing Nicaraguas Supreme Electoral Council.
The announcement sent hundreds of Ortegas Sandinista National Liberation Front party supporters out into the streets of the capital to celebrate.
The opposition, which had urged people to boycott the election, disputed that claim, contending more than 70 percent of voters did not cast ballots.
Ana Margarita Vigil, a leader from the Broad Front for Democracy, told Al Jazeera the opposition rejected the results and would fight the outcome.
The people of Nicaragua have said no to this farce and we are committed to fight until we have new, free, fair and competitive elections.
Al Jazeeras Lucia Newman, reporting from the capital, Managua, said there was a real fear among some Nicaraguans that Ortega was trying to create a political dynasty.
For many there is a real concern that history may be repeating itself. Nicaragua fought a revolution that ended a political dynasty that lasted nearly 50 years.
Murillos election as vice president legitimises her already dominant position in the government and allows her to take over if and when the 70-year-old cannot complete his mandate, Newman said.
OPINION: Whats left of the Latin American left?
However, Ortega will face an increasingly difficult regional landscape in his new term.
Leftist ally Venezuela is overwhelmed by an economic crisis and Cuba is normalising relations with the United States.
The US Congress is also working on legislation to require the US government to oppose loans to Nicaragua from international lending institutions.
The lack of Venezuelan support, the international price of oil, the price of our exports, and the possibility that [US legislation passes] make it a more complicated outlook for Ortega in the next term, Oscar Rene Vargas, a sociologist and economist at Central American University, told AFP news agency.
Ortega leads polls with 71 percent of votes, according to electoral authorities, as opposition contests turnout.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is on course to win a third consecutive term in a vote that the opposition called a farce.
The president of the Supreme Electoral Council, Roberto Rivas, said late on Sunday that Ortega had more than 71 percent of the votes with about a fifth of the ballots counted.
Ortega, who ran with his wife Rosario Murillo as his vice-presidential candidate, faced five other lesser-known candidates in an election that critics of the government had called unfairly tilted against the opposition.
Rivas said 65 percent of Nicaraguas 3.8 million registered voters participated in the election. The opposition, which had urged people to boycott the election, disputed that, contending turnout was low.
The main opposition movement, the Broad Front for Democracy, said its checks indicated that more than 70 percent of voters did not cast ballots.
Emerging with her husband after casting their ballots shortly before the polls closed, Murillo called the vote an exemplary, historic election.
Al Jazeeras Latin America Editor Lucia Newman, reporting from Managua, said Murillo was widely seen as the power behind the presidency.
She is the person who normally addresses the Nicaraguan people everyday at midday, unlike President Ortega who is rarely seen and heard from. This will give her the legitimacy now to take over should anything happen to him, she said.
But this has led to widespread charges that the Ortegas are trying to install a family dynasty something that the Nicaraguans fought so hard to get rid of when they overthrew Anastasio Somoza in 1979.
Another bone of contention is the fact that international observers from the EU, the Organization of American States and even The Carter Center were not allowed to be here to oversee the polls, said Newman.
There were no vote counts yet for 92 congressional seats that were also contested on Sunday.
Not worth voting
Ortega and his leftist Sandinista National Liberation Front have benefited from the Central American countrys steady economic growth and low levels of violence compared to neighbouring Honduras and El Salvador.
Many Nicaraguans also cite the first ladys social programs as a major reason for the governing partys popularity.
But critics accused Ortega and his allies of manipulating the political system to guarantee he stayed in power for a new five-year term by dominating all branches of government, allowing indefinite presidential re-election and delegitimising the only opposition force seen as capable of challenging him.
They said he wants to form a political dynasty together with his wife.
I dont think its worth voting and wasting time, because its already fixed, said Glenda Bendana, an appliance sales executive in a Managua shopping mall.
Here they have taken away not our right to vote, but to choose. Ortega wants to die in power and leave his wife to take his place.
READ MORE: Whats left of the Latin American left?
Eva Duarte Castillo, with a degree in marketing, was among those who went to the polls, though she did not say how she voted.
I came to vote because it is not only my right as a citizen, it is also my duty. It is a responsibility and I exercised it. Im happy, she said at a polling station in the capitals Altamira Managua neighborhood.
In July, Nicaraguas Supreme Electoral Council effectively decimated the opposition by ousting almost all its members from congress 28 active and alternate legislators from the Liberal Independent Party and the allied Sandinista Renovation Movement for refusing to recognise Pedro Reyes as their leader.
Reyes was named head of the opposition by the Supreme Court but is seen by many as a tool of Ortega. The ousted legislators supported former opposition leader Eduardo Montealegre.
Many Nicaraguans believed the five other presidential candidates were not true opponents, but were placed on the ballot to make it seem that Ortega had legitimate competition.
Iraqi Kurdish forces assault town of Bashiqa, just 13km from ISIL-held Mosul, from two fronts as offensive continues.
Iraqi Kurdish fighters are exchanging heavy fire with ISIL fighters as they advance from two directions on a town held by the armed group just 13km east of the city of Mosul.
The town of Bashiqa has been surrounded by Kurdish Peshmerga forces for weeks.
Mondays push appears to be the most serious yet to drive the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) from the area, which is to the northeast of Mosul, the groups last major urban bastion in the country.
Al Jazeeras Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from the frontline near Bashiqa, said: It was the biggest push yet to try to take control of Bashiqa since the battle for Mosul began.
The Peshmerga fighters are optimistic. They say there are only about 100 to 200 ISIL fighters left, as well as possibly three very high-ranking ISIL commanders, he said, adding that there was black smoke rising from the city and its surrounding areas, signaling ISILs tactic of burning tyres and oil to limit aerial vision and create suffocating smells.
There were also white plumes of smoke from US-led coalition air strikes over the city, he said.
As far as civilians go, the Peshmerga fighters believe that most of the civilians have already fled the town.
Kurdish forces launched mortar rounds and fired heavy artillery into the town on Sunday in advance of the offensive.
Al Jazeeras Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from Erbil, said: As far as the Kurdish fighters are concerned, Bashiqa is the last remaining major area ISIL controls in the KRG, which is the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq.
[Kurdish forces] are entering [Bashiqa] not only on the ground but from the skies as well. Bashiqa is also important to retake because it has a multicultural, multi-ethnic population, which includes Christians, Yazidis, Sunni Arabs, and many others, he said.
This is not only a fight against ISIL to retake these towns for the Iraqi government. Theres a sectarian side to this conflict where maybe getting these towns back will give some benefit to beating ISIL, as it will build a cross-section of society banded together.
ISIL hits back
The three-week-long Mosul offensive has slowed down in recent days as Iraqi forces have pushed into more densely populated areas of the city.
The Iraqi army has also been fighting in the district of Gogjali, east of Mosul.
The army is going house-to-house to secure some of the other districts taken in recent days.
However, Iraqi troops have been forced to retreat from the neighbourhood of Al-Karamah after ISlL fighters used a network of tunnels to surround them.
Elsewhere, two ISIL suicide attacks killed at least 22 people in cities 200km south of Mosul.
A fighter blew himself up in an ambulance packed with explosives at a checkpoint in Samarra. Ten Iranian pilgrims were among the dead in that attack.
Earlier, another bomber had blown up his vehicle on the outskirts of the city of Tikrit.
The trajectory of suicide bombings is in correlation with how much closer the Iraqi army is getting to the centre of Mosul, Elshayyal said. The closer they get, the higher number of suicide and car bombings we will see.
Over the past few days, ISIL has been focusing all its efforts and firepower on maintaining its stronghold in Mosul. We even saw some videos of international journalists stuck for up to 24 hours as they and the forces they were embedded with were ambushed by ISIL fighters.
Starting in Fall 2018, UF students will have to take a course that includes What is the Good Life and may add additional general education requirements.
UF Quest is a four-part program that will require students to take not only an already-mandatory updated version of What is the Good Life, but a social-science or natural-science course, an internship, study-abroad course or other work outside the classroom and maintain an e-portfolio of experiences in the program.
The social-sciences or natural-sciences program requirement may add more science gen-ed credits depending on students majors. The third requirement, which pushes students outside the classroom for experiential learning, could count for zero to three credit hours. The program parts are described as experiences in the proposed plan.
Angela Lindner, the UF associate provost for Undergraduate Affairs, hosted a conference about the development of the program Friday. About 50 people attended the conference, which included administrators, faculty, community members and at least three UF students.
The intention of this program is to reconnect students to their general education, Lindner said.
The programs proposed courses may count as part of a students general education track or it may be additional separate courses, depending on the students major, Lindner said. The program will not limit the number of general education courses available, she said.
The UF Quest program shouldnt require any additional cost besides the current cost of implementing any new courses at UF, Lindner said.
Lindner said she has been developing the program since September 2015. She meets with an advisory council of about 25 UF students once a month to get a student perspective.
While a lot has to be determined about UF Quest, four task forces are in place to outline the curriculum for each experience. Each part is one semester long, with the exception of the online portfolio, which ideally is completed throughout the previous three parts.
The first core experience will require students to take a newer version of What is the Good Life, the start of students purpose exploration to connect first-year students with each other. Andrew Wolpert, the director of What is the Good Life, said hes aware that there are negative opinions about the course and that he is trying to figure out how to advertise UF Quest and his course to students.
This class does force people to come together who may not otherwise, he said, adding that he doesnt understand why the requirement keeps students from enjoying the course.
The second core experience will require students to select one of eight three-credit courses in either the social sciences or natural sciences. David Miller, the chair of the second core-experience task force, said those courses have yet to be selected.
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The third core experience, or experiential learning, will require students to participate in activities outside of the classroom, such as internships, research or a study-abroad program, for a semester.
For the online portfolio, the fourth core-experience task force is still deciding how best to implement the portfolio and what platform to use, said Elayne Colon, the chair of the fourth core-experience task force. Lindner said she imagines it to be a supplement to a students transcript.
TJ Pyche, one of three student members of UFs University Curriculum Committee, said he wished more students had attended the conference.
I think this is a big issue, the 21-year-old UF journalism senior said, adding that it will take a lot of input from students and faculty to develop the program.
The UF Quest program will be divided into four experiences for students.
The program is set to launch in Fall 2018 for incoming freshmen. Although UF Quest is still developing, heres what we know now:
First experience: Students will take an updated version of What is the Good Life (IUF 1000). They will discuss their purpose and direction in life.
Second experience: Students will choose one three-credit course from up to eight different course options. The course, either a social-sciences or natural-sciences course, will either fulfill a general-education requirement already in place or be an additional gen-ed credit, depending on major.
Third experience: Students will take part in a semesters worth of experiential learning, such as research, internships, study abroad, community service and public service.
Fourth experience: Students will keep an e-portfolio of their work from the previous three experiences.
Gainesville Police arrested a Georgia man after he led an officer in a high-speed chase Thursday.
At about 10 p.m., Jevon Maurice Graham, 39, sped westbound on West University Avenue at more than 70 mph in a 35 mph zone, according to a police report. Graham passed slower-moving cars over the double yellow line into oncoming traffic, causing cars near him to swerve to avoid being hit.
In the 6800 block of W. Newberry Road, Graham tried to turn into The Oaks Mall and struck a curb, nearly hitting a telephone pole and bushes, according to the report. He then kept driving through the mall parking lot, making his way back onto West Newberry Road going eastbound.
The GPD officer then bumped the back of the car in an attempt to stop the chase, according to the report. Grahams car swung back and forth, but Graham regained control, turning around before hitting a car at 4800 W. Newberry Road.
After hitting the car, Graham kept trying to drive away, according to the report. The officer then used the pushbar, the grille on the front of his car, to pin the car into the center median. Graham fled on foot before he tripped and fell in a parking lot near Gainesville Health and Fitness, allowing the officer to arrest him.
He was arrested on charges of fleeing a police officer and reckless driving. He was released from the Alachua County Jail on Sunday on a $10,000 bond and could not be reached for comment.
Two pediatric cancer patients twisted green pipe cleaners around clothespins as they made alligators and turtles at a crafts event Sunday.
Elyse Hancock, 9, worked alongside her friend Veronica Dillow, 8, at Depot Parks Childrens Arts & Crafts event as a woman moved between them, helping them make their critters. The two met in third grade at their school in Lake City, Florida, after learning they both had the same kind of leukemia.
After they made their animals in the pavilion, Joy Graham Miller, who has been teaching arts and crafts in Gainesville for almost 50 years, hot-glued googly eyes on them. Throughout the four-hour event, she helped about 25 kids with their crafts, which were made of recycled materials she collects.
Miller, 62, said she has reused materials for kids crafts since she was 13. In addition to pipe cleaners, she also used Kool-Aid boxes and water bottle caps. She said Sunday was the first time she has taught at the event at Depot Park.
She said she started teaching crafts because it shows kids that they can build things if they put time into it.
I love teaching kids that they can do something with stuff all around them, so I recycle, Miller said.
Kristy Hancock, Elyses mom, said events like Millers craft station allow the girls to keep in touch despite doctors appointments.
I love working with kids theyre amazed at stuff adults take for granted, Miller said.
Surrounded by her family, Joy Graham Miller shows David, 7, how to make a toy turtle out of pipe cleaners and bottle caps on his birthday on Sunday.
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Citizens can get a free cup of coffee and a doughnut by showing their I Voted sticker this week.
Mi Apa Latin Cafe started giving out free medium cafes con leche Thursday for those who showed an early-voting sticker or a photo of themselves wearing it. The Krispy Kreme on Northwest 13th Street will give out a free doughnut to voters on Election Day.
Mi Apa is giving away coffee at its Gainesville and Alachua locations and will continue to do so through Tuesday, said Pamela Sanchez, a manager at Mi Apas Gainesville location.
On Tuesday only, customers at Krispy Kremes Gainesville location can get any one doughnut of their choice with their voting sticker, said Shonda Lewis, a Gainesville Krispy Kreme employee. Stickers from both Election Day and early voting will be accepted.
At least 100 customers have taken advantage of Mi Apas free coffee so far, Sanchez said. Between Sunday and Tuesday night, Sanchez said she expects more than 20 voters per day to show their stickers.
Mi Apa owner Peter Ynigo started the promotion in order to give back to loyal customers and encourage citizens to participate in this years election, Sanchez said.
The Cuban-style restaurant first posted the offer to its Facebook and Instagram accounts to alert customers Thursday, she said. Its the first time Ynigo has provided the incentive.
He wanted to make it really clear we dont care who you vote for but its really important that you go out and vote, Sanchez said.
Kaitlyn Hosticka, an area coordinator for the UF Department of Graduate and Family Housing, said although free coffee is not the reason shes planning to vote Tuesday, she likes the idea.
Its extremely important that people go out and vote because theres a lot at stake, she said.
Adam Baker / Flickr
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The Clinton name comes with strong connotations of scandal, and this past week just added to it with the latest email snafu about Huma Abedins emails being on Anthony Weiners computer. Even if there was no criminal activity, the announcement of an investigation so close to Election Day creates doubt. Although Election Day is tomorrow, these scandals will linger long after, perhaps throughout a Hillary Clinton presidency.
The people who dont read past a headline may have already made up their minds that Clinton is inseparable from scandal and crime, even if they dont fully understand the situation. According to an article by Matthew Yglesias for Vox.com, network newscasts have, remarkably, dedicated more airtime to coverage of Clintons emails than to all policy issues combined.
Because of the murkiness surrounding Clinton, undecided voters might not think their vote makes much of a difference. Voters who might have voted for Clinton just because shes not Trump may find less of an incentive to make it to the polls.
It seems Clinton will be president even though many of her votes are not enthusiastic votes but rather not Trump votes. Unlike President Barack Obama, who had the enthusiastic support of college students, Clinton has not been as successful at courting a pro-Hillary vote. David Smith, in an article for The Guardian, wrote that Clinton is trailing Obamas 2012 performance, as indicated by requests for early ballots. In recent weeks, Clinton has increasingly used celebrities and other surrogates to campaign for her to ramp up enthusiasm among young people, with How to Get Away With Murders Aja Naomi King touring several Florida universities last week. Clinton certainly isnt the first presidential candidate to use celebrities to campaign on her behalf, but with lagging enthusiasm among young voters, it seems increasingly desperate.
Clinton may be elected president tomorrow, but that does not mean she has the full enthusiastic votes of people who believed she was the best candidate. Although there are always the voters who say they are picking between the lesser of two evils, this election seems to have increased this type of voter. This election does have enthusiastic voters, but they are more enthused by the democratic process than by a candidate the fact that they are taking a stand at all in an election so polarizing is enough. People who ordinarily do not make political posts on Facebook will not hesitate to post a picture of themselves with an I Voted sticker and a caption about not voting for Trump. Generally, Trump voters seem enthusiastic that he will make a change, while Clinton voters are more spread out about their enthusiasm with voters ranging from those who volunteer for the campaign to those who would vote third party if they didnt live in a swing state which is why the scandals so close to Election Day should not lull voters into complacency.
Whether its with enthusiasm or not, go out and vote. This election has too high-stakes for anyone to sit at home on Election Day or not cast an early ballot.
Nicole Dan is a UF political science and journalism junior. Her column appears on Mondays.
The UK is looking forward to the first convening of the Parties to the historic Paris Agreement following its entry into force. The level of international support reflects both the urgency and the importance of tackling climate change in nations across the globe. In the UK we have already begun the necessary parliamentary steps for []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...
During a pivotal moment in Lin Manuel Miranda's award-winning Broadway musical "Hamilton," founding fathers Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton engage in a rap battle over the establishment of a national bank and whether the U.S. government should assume the debts of the states. Hamilton makes his case for the proposal, while an uncompromising Jefferson opposes it. Following the lyrical debate, George Washington pulls aside an exasperated Hamilton and admonishes him, "Winning was easy, young man. Governing is harder."
As we count down to Election Day, most polls show Secretary Hillary Clinton clinging to a narrow lead over Donald Trump in the Electoral College. The Clinton campaign rightfully prides itself on a thorough treatment of most policy issues, despite media attention on the candidates' personal backgrounds. However, if Clinton wins on Tuesday and is sworn in on Jan. 20, she could soon face opposition from within her own party when implementing her policies, especially in the banking and economic sectors.
One such area of opposition could come by way of her political ally, Sen. Elizabeth Warren. It is no secret that Warren takes pride in taking on the big banks, earning the label as a "sheriff of Wall Street" in the Senate. Just before Congress recessed, Warren made headlines by calling out Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf in a Senate Banking Committee hearing. Candidate Clinton, on the other hand, has been less boisterous in expressing distaste for big banks, and some on the left even view her as too friendly towards Wall Street. Clinton's plan for reforming Wall Street includes strengthening Dodd-Frank, taxing high-frequency trading and increasing regulation of the "shadow banking" sector. But will these measures be enough to calm Warren and her allies in their crusade to overhaul regulation of the financial sector?
Warren is not afraid to point out those who fall short of her aggressive stance towards financial institutions. In her 2003 book, "The Two-Income Trap," Warren criticized then-Sen. Clinton for her vote on a 2001 bankruptcy bill. In her book, Warren noted that Clinton was more willing to stand up to Wall Street as first lady than as a New York senator. A more recent example is Warren's support for Glass-Steagall, which was enacted in 1933 to bar banks from participating in both commercial and investment banking. The act was repealed in 1999 by President Bill Clinton and a Republican Congress, an action that Hillary Clinton has not since challenged. Instead, Clinton lays out plans to address "too big to fail" concerns by tightening up measures currently put in place by Dodd-Frank. Clinton has stated she believes Dodd-Frank did not go far enough in regulating the risks banks place on the financial system, but she has stopped short of endorsing reinstatement of Glass-Steagall.
Senate polls continue to shift daily, but if Democrats claim a Senate majority in the next Congress, Warren will enjoy a powerful position on the Senate Banking Committee, which will then likely be chaired by Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio. Brown would likely use his leadership of the Banking Committee to keep a Clinton administration in check on international trade issues. Warren, on the other hand, would likely take the lead on pushing Clinton to the left on banking issues. With her powerful voice and populist following, Warren can insist that any legislation moving through the Banking Committee reflects her consumer-focused views. She can also block more industry-friendly bills passed by the House of Representatives, which will likely stay in Republican hands. The Senate will play its key role in confirming the next president's nominees, and Warren's supporters expect her to take a dim view of nominees with substantial Wall Street backgrounds.
We expect a Clinton administration, on the other hand, to take a more centrist approach towards dealing with banks. While Secretary Clinton has laid out a number of financial reform measures, she has also made comments that some bankers find more palatable. She has said she is willing to consider regulatory relief for smaller banks where appropriate, and that she will work with the industry where she can to push reasonable reforms.
While the banking industry and all of America has watched the Clinton-Trump battle with great interest, we will be focused on banking issues where a President Clinton and Senator Warren don't see eye to eye should Secretary Clinton win the election. While many bankers have hoped for a Republican-controlled House of Representatives to serve as a check on Clinton's policies, bankers may soon find themselves backing Clinton as a check on Senator Warren's attempts to continue to push for more regulation of the industry.
Jonathan Hightower is a partner in Bryan Cave's Financial Services practice. Dave Russell is a senior policy adviser in Bryan Cave's Public Policy group.
The $6.7 billion cannabis industry is hoping that a new crop of state ballot legalization measures in Tuesday's elections will mark a major inflection point in its long-running fight for acceptance in Washington.
While pot sales are legal today in 25 states, a decades-old federal ban continues to cast a long shadow on the sector's legitimacy. Banks and credit unions remain reluctant to work with marijuana firms, many of which have been forced to operate on a cash-only basis.
As more states have legalized marijuana, the Obama administration has taken some intermediate steps aimed at lowering the tension between state and federal laws, including 2014 Financial Crimes Enforcement Network guidance suggesting that financial institutions will not be punished for serving the legal pot industry as long as they take certain precautions. Still, less than 3% of the nation's banks and credit unions have relationships with marijuana businesses, according to the most recent government data.
Pot advocates argue that as more states legalize the drug, there will be growing pressure on Congress and the executive branch to provide stronger assurances that the pot business and the banks that serve it will be safe from federal interference.
That is where Tuesday's elections could have a substantial impact. Voters in nine states will decide on ballot initiatives to legalize the drug in some form. The list includes California, which is deciding whether to approve the drug for recreational use, and Florida, where the issue is whether medical marijuana should be legal. Ballots will also be cast in Arizona, Nevada, Montana, Massachusetts, Maine, North Dakota and Arkansas.
For the banking industry, this week's votes are unlikely to have a direct effect. But if the state-level results spur action by Congress, the impact could be substantial.
Beth Mills, a spokeswoman for the California Bankers Association, said that her group's members do not have a position on whether marijuana should be legalized at the federal level. But she did voice frustration with what she described as a lack of clarity from Washington.
"One would think that at some point Congress is going to have to act," Mills said.
If all nine ballot measures get approved, roughly 62% of U.S. residents will live in states where pot is legal, according to the National Cannabis Industry Association.
Federal lawmakers from states like Oregon and Washington, which have already legalized recreational pot, have been leaders in the push for changes in federal law. The pot industry is betting that state-level victories on Tuesday will bring more members of Congress to its point of view.
"It moves slow here on [Capitol] Hill," said Robert Capechi, director of federal policies for the Marijuana Policy Project. "I'm hopeful that the results on Tuesday will get us to that critical mass."
California has 55 members of Congress, more than any other state. One of them is Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican from Orange County who has long been an advocate for legal cannabis. He has been tracking pre-election polls, which suggest that California voters are likely to approve the recreational pot measure.
"It should get at least 55% of the vote," Rohrabacher said. "That type of a solid win would certainly send shockwaves across the country."
Support for the pot industry in Washington does not fall along party lines, but the outcome of U.S. Senate races which will determine which party controls the chamber could have an impact on federal cannabis policy.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, a marijuana opponent, will lose his gavel if the Democrats gain control of the Senate. His likely successor under Democratic control, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, is much more sympathetic to the industry.
Of course, the impact of Tuesday's marijuana votes will go well beyond the banking access issue. How quickly the pot industry will grow also hangs in the balance.
Privateer Holdings, a Seattle-based cannabis company that is working in several countries, last week announced $40 million in convertible bridge financing. That financing is expected to convert into equity funding when the firm completes its next round of financing.
Asked when the firm's next financing round will close, Chief Executive Officer Brendan Kennedy responded: "I would say ask me next Wednesday, after the election."
Millions, perhaps billions, of words have been written analyzing this election and the phenomenal rise of Donald Trump in his quest for the White House. The metaphor often used to describe his blunt, hyperbolic, sometimes vulgar rhetorical style is that of a bull in a china shop. And theres no question that he has broken a lot of china, both in terms of conventional political wisdom in how to run a presidential campaign and in the politically correct sensibilities of elitist Americans, and of many regular Americans as well.
However, I was struck by a minor epiphany and a better animal metaphor as I was walking my newly acquired mutt, Charlotte, yesterday. My wife and I adopted the pooch at a dog rescue show two months ago as a friend for our older mongrel, who lost his beloved Labrador Retriever companion that we had to put to sleep last year. The new pup, four months old when we got her, was recovering from a bout of mange and was slightly hairless. She seemed sweet, docile and a bit forlorn. With her baleful brown eyes, she looked up at us and our Wheaten terrier mix, who we brought along to pick out his new friend. She wagged her tail, which had a strange stripe running down the middle, and sniffed our older dog. He sniffed and wagged back. We found our new family member.
We were told that Charlotte, whose pregnant mother was found wandering a road in West Virginia, was a mix of bloodhound, plot hound and Rhodesian Ridgeback, according to a DNA test. The Ridgeback part would explain the stripe running down her tail, which seems like a ridge that decided to quit forming when it realized it wasnt on the Serengeti. The Ridgeback is also known as the African lion hound, because of its ability to keep a lion at bay, while waiting for its lion-hunter master to take the lion down, according to Wikipedia.
Charlotte has been a wonderful dog. In the house, she is playful, loving and loves to wrestle with our Wheaten. She is warm and affectionate with family members and friends who come to visit. She is a bit mischievous, but in that lovable toddler sort of way. However, when we take her on walks in the neighborhood, it seems that her inner lion hunter comes out whenever she encounters other dogs, sometimes three times her size. A Cujo-like demon seems to emerge and she strains with remarkable power for a 50-pound puppy to rip the heart out of the hapless canine on the other side of the street, complete with growling and barking, of course. What a bully wed adopted! What an embarrassment. Thats when it hit me. We had the Donald Trump of dogs.
Sorry for the long wind-up, but I thought the atmospherics would be helpful in making my point. The American people are sort of like homeowners in a pleasant suburb of hard-working, family-oriented folks living in lovely, modest homes with nicely manicured lawns they worked hard for and saved up to buy. They just want to raise their children, send them off to college or onto careers, own a crazy dog or two, and enjoy their lives.
For the past eight years, however, theyve discovered that their neighborhood, and indeed their home, has been changing in disturbing ways. They discover that people have been trespassing on their property, violating it, leaving trash, breaking the windows of their house, and even occupying it when theyre not home. They contact the police, but it seems that not only do the police not care, the cops have been encouraging the lawbreakers by delivering them to our prototypical Americans community.
This scenario is actually playing out on our southern border. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has contracted with the security firm G4S to transport illegal aliens caught at the border and deliver them further into the interior of the United States, where they are released, as Judicial Watch has reported. We know that illegal aliens who have been convicted of crimes in this country and been deported multiple times continue to re-enter the United States, and in some cases go on to commit heinous crimes while being harbored in sanctuary cities, like San Francisco. The case of poor Kate Steinle, who lost her life to one such illegal alien while she innocently enjoyed the sites of that city with her father, is one of the most notorious examples, but such cases abound.
Back to our representative American family. They are living their lives, minding their own business, when suddenly they get a knock on the door and are told by Mr. Government that he has determined that their health insurance policy does not conform to standards that he has deemed minimum essential coverage -- you know, like maternity care for 60-year-old women. As a result of Mr. Governments new requirements, our typical American family loses the insurance coverage theyve been perfectly happy with for many years, and is forced to purchase an insurance plan from Mr. Governments marketplace with higher premiums, higher deductibles, and fewer choice of physicians. But it gets better. Our representative family has just discovered their new insurance policy premiums will increase 25 percent next year.
Then our hypothetical family discovers that Mr. Government, working with a so-called religious non-profit (which in reality takes in tens of millions of dollars a year of taxpayer money), is planning to resettle a small colony of Syrian refugees in a seed community right inside their quaint little town, without informing them or their neighbors. No vote of the local population is taken. The towns aldermen are not even informed. The towns mayor, seeing federal dollars and future votes, furtively communicates with officials from the non-profit as they scheme together. This scenario is playing out right now in Rutland, Vermont, and in towns across the country. Rutlands treasurer has also informed its residents that they are looking at property tax increases of 35 percent over five years as a result of the drain on the citys fisc from the social services needed by the refugees. The director of the FBI has testified to Congress that it is impossible to vet such individuals, who originate from a breeding ground for jihadism, because databases do not exist in Syria against which to check them.
It is these sorts of abuses, along with many others, that our typical American family has been enduring, seemingly on a daily basis, since the Obama administration came to power. Now with a presidential election upon us, many of these heretofore helpless Americans are using the one tool at their disposal to correct what seems like a never-ending spiral of decline for themselves and their country. They have opted in effect, to use our homeowner analogy, to get a big, obnoxious, kind of scary dog to protect their home, in the form of Donald Trump. Such dogs are sometimes called junkyard dogs. They may embarrass us a bit with their ferocious temperaments and unseemly displays. They sometimes soil the carpets. They tear up pillows on occasion. But they are also fiercely protective of us and our property. They will rip the heart out of a lion if it threatens us, or die in the attempt.
I think the junkyard dog analogy might be more suitable for The Donald because, unlike the clumsy bull, the junkyard dog has some redeeming qualities, not least of which is a belief in the people he would serve. At least, that is the hope of many Trump supporters.
William F. Marshall has been an intelligence analyst and investigator in the government and private sector for 30 years. He is presently a Senior Investigator for Judicial Watch, Inc. (The views expressed are the authors alone, and not necessarily those of Judicial Watch.)
Its almost Election Day, and Hillary Clinton is buzzing around the country trying to grab as many votes as she can in what time remains.
For several years now Hillary has reigned as the one and only queen bee in the Democratic Partys hive, where she has been followed and fiercely protected by a community of lesser bees. They are the drones and the workers well paid to be sure who exist for the exclusive purpose of serving her royal highness. In return, Queen Bee Hillary is expected to insure the perpetuation of the partys political power.
In spite of her royal position, a queen bee does not directly control her hive. Instead, she is continuously surrounded by swarms of minion bees, intent on meeting her every need, giving her food, and disposing of her waste. In an actual apian colony, these attendant busy bees also collect and then distribute what is called queen mandibular pheromone, a substance that inhibits the workers from starting their own queen cells.
In a zoomorphic twist, the term queen bee has been used informally to describe a woman in a position of dominance or ascendancy over her peers and associates. The definition suits -- or pantsuits -- Hillary well. However, in a bona fide colony of bees, the queen is actually marked with a special color by which apiculturists can identify the year in which she was hatched. This helps to determine whether she has grown too old to maintain a strong hive and must be replaced.
Hillary Clinton has been functioning as the Democrats political queen bee for about a quarter of a century, ever since she and her honey-pot Bill landed in the White House. There may have been other party pretenders willing to replace her -- e.g. long-time United States Senators Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein, and, more contemporarily, Elizabeth Warren. But over the long haul, Hillary Clinton has made sure (a term used repeatedly by President Obama) to remain significantly in the public eye. Early on, it seemed that that her aspirations to become the first female president of the United States were not just indefatigable, but messianic. Now she is in the final push to fulfill her destiny as the most powerful woman on earth.
But as is the custom with queen bees, Hillary has consistently depended upon others to fulfill her promise. Her aides and confidants form a tight group of loyalists who have been with her for years. At the end of the second debate, when asked to name a redeeming characteristic of Secretary Clinton, Donald Trump responded, without hesitation, that she was a fighter. But closer to the truth may be the fact that Hillary has successfully used others to fight for her.
The WikiLeaks revelations have made this clear, since just about every damning piece of evidence uncovered was initiated by somebody other than Hillary. They reflect the often-troubled musings of close cohorts intent on cleaning up the messes made by their queen bee. The more hacked e-mails that emerge, the more obvious it becomes that Hillarys trusted lieutenants were risking their own hides to save hers. Was it a matter of self-effacing fealty paying deference to the queen bees higher purpose?
The best way for an ambitious politician to circumvent the trap of censure is to let others cover her tracks or even commit her sins. Hillary may have vaguely taken responsibility for choosing to use a private server, but thats as far as her mea culpa has gone. The WikiLeaks records now show that she was not above the blunder of ill-conceived conduct. On those e-mails, even her bosom buddies refer to her as forgetful, cagey, and in need of direction.
Even more apparent is that Clintons lack of foresight, particularly in regard to the use of a private server, confounded her close associates, who spent a lot of worrisome time and effort mulling over the unwise decisions of their queen bee. One wonders how many more important matters were neglected while Team Clinton engaged in the exchanging an electronic blizzard of doubt and possibly despair.
Of course, it was a mess of Hillarys own doing, not theirs. But in the process, the reputations of her faithful underlings were sullied. In his compromised e-mails, for instance, John Podesta is revealed as a ditherer, stressed out by the need to control the damage of his bosss actionsor inactions.
Cheryl Mills, Huma Abedin and possibly others were shown to have been arbitrarily hustled back and forth from State Department assignments to those at the Clinton Foundation. Nevertheless their having been awarded immunity during the prior Clinton e-mail investigation could be good news for Hillary. The costly professional bleaching of her server as well as the destruction of her undisclosed e-mails were also chores undertaken by others. Meanwhile, the true culprit has masqueraded as a wide-eyed innocent, asking reporter Ed Henry, for example, if the term wiping the server meant using a cloth.
Its not entirely clear how much Clinton actually knows about the tangled web of technology that could eventually be her undoing. She likes to quip with millennials about electronic innovations like SnapChat, but that likely is the brainchild of her younger staff.
Ironically, Hillarys closest confident and long-time other daughter, Huma Abedin now poses the greatest threat. After all, it was the Clintons who introduced Huma to their good friend Anthony Weiner and took part joyously in the couples wedding. Even after the former New York City Congressman was disgraced, Hillary did not censure him the way she now vilifies Trump for the far tamer open mic comments he made thirteen years ago.
Now the investigation of Weiners sexting with an underage girl in North Carolina has brought to light thousands of his estranged wifes work-related e-mails that had been sent from Weiners laptop. They could be duplicates; they could contain sensitive or even confidential information. But if Huma is found to have lied previously about disclosing all her e-mails, her immunity could be revoked.
Still, she is sticking to her story of not knowing how those e-mails got onto Anthonys computer in the first place. At the very least, in the manner of her long-time friend and mentor, Abedin would appear to lack good judgment. She has not been seen lately as a passenger on the official Clinton plane, suggesting that she and Hillary are no longer stronger together. But if Ms. Clinton is victorious on Tuesday night, dont be surprised to find Huma and maybe even her unsavory spouse -- back in the fold. After all, more than ever, the queen bee would need attending.
Not too long ago, Democrats were the ones claiming that elections were stolen.
While serving as Ohio secretary of state, I saw wild accusations and ridiculous lawsuits from Democrats and left-wing advocacy groups in an attempt to delegitimize election results.
The conspiracy theories of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.; the late Gore Vidal; and liberal blogs grew into something widely promoted by prominent elected Democrats.
Liberal Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), who is now running for his 27th term in Congress, held outrageous hearings and even produced a taxpayer-funded, 142-page report detailing these tinfoil-hat accusations. By fairly enforcing state election laws during a year with record-breaking turnout, local election officials and I were accused by Conyers of suppressing votes through "intentional misconduct and illegal behavior."
Conyers's efforts were a publicity stunt that spun out of control. By spreading distrust in the democratic system, liberals started believing that President George W. Bush and senior adviser Karl Rove could control election results from their secret bunker in Texas.
For the most part, the mainstream media blew up these stupid lies.
My, how things have changed!
Now, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is claiming that the 2016 election is "rigged." Suddenly, the political establishment, mainstream media, and liberal pundits have changed their tune.
Repeatedly, Trump's accusations have been called "dangerous demagoguery," "playing with fire," and even "unpatriotic."
Dozens of Republican election officials across the country have rejected Trump's accusations. My predecessor, Ohio secretary of state Jon Husted, indignantly announced, "I am in charge of elections in Ohio, and they're not going to be rigged. I'll make sure of that."
But 2004 is not 2016. And I am convinced the integrity of the 2016 election is actually under assault.
Published by WikiLeaks, thousands of leaked emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign show that her team is perfectly capable of rigging the election.
We now have a firm grasp of Hilary's unethical ties to Wall Street, the mainstream media, foreign despots, and even the FBI agents involved in her criminal investigation. Now she is using that vast, corrupt network to rig an election against a candidate who received more primary votes than any Republican in history.
First, emails showed then-DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz actively engaged in a strategy to rig the election for Hillary. DNC money was coordinated with Hillary's campaign, and Hillary's staff had the final say in all DNC hires. We watched as Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) won the popular vote in state after state, only to be overruled by DNC superdelegates who just happened to be Clinton insiders.
Schultz, along with CEO Amy Dacey, chief finance officer Brad Marshall, and communications director Luis Miranda, were all forced to resign after WikiLeaks exposed their coordination with Hillary's campaign.
Then WikiLeaks exposed Schutlz's DNC replacement, Donna Brazile, a longtime Clinton hack, who was just fired by CNN for leaking television debate questions to Hillary Clinton in advance.
Team Hillary shamelessly rigged debates. And while the media's bias in favor of the Clintons is extensive, this was actual cheating. The fix was in, and Sanders never stood a chance.
For the campaign against Trump, we have read messages showing Hillary's campaign chair actively encouraging illegal aliens to vote in states that provide them driver's licenses. In addition, an extensive network of illegal aliens has been hired to register in targeted areas, expanding the likelihood of more voter fraud.
In Virginia, Colorado, Texas, Illinois, and many other states, election fraud is happening on a scale never imagined before. Thanks to motor voter laws and early voting, many examples of deceased voters casting ballots have been exposed. In the meantime, votes for people who have lived in multiple states are counted. One frequent practice noticed by election officials has been "vote harvesting," where signatures are obtained illegally to cast ballots without the voters' consent.
According to a Pew Charitable Trust report from 2012, one in eight voter registrations is significantly inaccurate "or no longer valid." There are more than 146 million Americans registered to vote, which means at least 18 million are invalid. With almost 3 million people registered in multiple states and 2 million deceased individuals still on the rolls, the chances for fraud are more widespread than ever.
Hillary is good at rigging things, and her friends at the Department of Justice have control of her FBI Investigation. If Hillary were anyone else in the government, she could not get a security clearance and would face serious prison time. But WikiLeaks shows that the State Department and the White House worked closely with Hillary's campaign to explain her illegally used home email server. Not only did Hillary help raise money for an FBI agent's wife who was running for office, her campaign chairman was a close friend with another top agent.
FBI director James Comey changed direction on the investigation only due to internal pressure caused by Anthony Weiner's laptop. Now, the FBI has waited so long that America will not know the details of the newly discovered messages before Election Day.
Hillary Clinton's campaign is a criminal enterprise, and her ability to get away with corruption is unprecedented. Her defeat at the polls must be greater than her margin of corruption.
Ken Blackwell is a former secretary of state of Ohio. He is a senior fellow at the American Civil Rights Union and the Family Research Council.
For a moment, let us imagine on November 8 that Donald Trump is unable to pull a rabbit out of his hair and loses the election. What then? We will be facing four or possibly eight years of Hillary Clinton as president. We will have to survive the dreaded Hillary-pocalypse.
The first thing Hillary is likely to do as president, besides gloat, is increase border security and send a few thousand illegal criminals back where they came from, and maybe try to get some kind of additional government assistance for displaced union factory workers. Do not be fooled this will be nothing more than a hocus-pocus misdirection strategy designed to mellow the opposition and increase Hillary's favorability ratings prior to going after what she and the Democratic Party really want. That would be amnesty for the mass of illegal immigrants presently in the country.
The number of illegals could be anywhere from ten to thirty million. The Pew Research Center says the number has been holding steady at eleven million since 2009. Former Mexican ambassador to the U.S. Arturo Sarukhan, in a 2015 interview, claimed that it was closer to thirty million. Considering that Pew uses an estimate based on two different U.S. Census Bureau surveys, the Current Population Survey and the American Community Survey, both of which depend on illegals telling the truth, I tend to believe that the number is larger than eleven million.
Once these people can legally vote and are happily resettled in enough narrowly held Republican House and Senate districts to flip the Congress to Democrat control, Hillary can do pretty much whatever she wants. A few items on the list might be raising taxes on the middle class, replacing Obamacare with a single-payer government-run health care system, placing liberal justices on the Supreme Court, opening the borders to immigrants from wherever she likes, and ratifying the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
If you are expecting the billionaire-backed #NeverTrump wing of the Republican Party to save you, guess again. These folks want amnesty for illegals, too, but for a different reason.
Ask yourself this question: how do you increase sales at stores who sell food, clothing, shoes, medicines, cell phones, etc. without even trying? Easy: You invite a bunch of new friends into the country, and you give them money to spend.
Where does the money come from? As soon as our illegal friends have children within U.S. borders, the children are immediately granted citizenship. This entitles them to a smorgasbord of federal and state benefits like welfare, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, food stamps, Medicaid, housing assistance, and so on. Better still, all of the items mentioned above get charged to our credit card down at the U.S. Treasury. As comedian Yakov Smirnoff used to say, "what a country!"
Also, as soon as our illegal friends get amnesty and become citizens, they can legally compete for jobs. Have you looked at a job application lately? Many of them say, "Must be a U.S. citizen to apply." I guess now that there are enough high-paying jobs for every U.S. citizen, it would be unfair to keep illegals from looking for work, too.
Do not expect the job pool to expand during a Clinton administration. The only jobs Hillary has ever created were for investigators, prosecutors, and a few plead-the-Fifth computer techs.
What does this all mean? If Hillary wins, expect taxes to rise on the middle class and jobs to be scarce for the working class, and expect more foreign workers to be allowed to come to the United States for employment. In short, everyone who has a job should start saving his money for the tough times ahead.
Fortunately, saving money is not difficult. Here are a few excellent ideas on how to do it.
Let's start with the Republican Party. This includes the moralists who pretend they are so ashamed of Trump that they are going to vote for Hillary, the #NeverTrump folks who like their perks and privileges and who want amnesty for illegal aliens, and our brave friends in the roll-over-and-beg Congress.
If you are a registered Republican and have contributed to Republican candidates or any cash-raising branch of the RNC, I am sure you have received contribution requests in the mail, which usually start out, "Dear fellow Republican." This is usually followed by a mention of Obama and his pals, Pelosi and her gang, or Harry Reid, all of whom are going to do yada-yada-yada unless you help us stop them. Next is a fake survey with four or five hot-button issues, with a request that you select the ones most important to you. Finally, there are check boxes with dollar values of 50, 100, 200, etc. The idea is for you to be so outraged that you will check the boxes and send a contribution. I have received so many of these that I could paper the outside of my house twice over.
I have a suggestion. When you receive one that says, Hillary and her pals are going to do yada-yada-yada, please remember that Hillary probably would not be there if the Republican Party had fully backed Trump. Then do what I am going to do: throw the letter in the trash. Better yet, write, "When you do something about the issues I care about, I will send you a check" on the survey before returning it. In business circles, that is called "pay for performance." If they never do anything, just think of all the money you will save.
Then there are the media. Our left-wing friends at ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, the New York Times, etc., have done everything they can to boost Hillary and disparage Trump, going so far as abandoning any pretense of objectivity and conspiring directly with the DNC and the Hillary campaign. At what point do we cease viewing them with rose-colored glasses and see them as they really are? The leftist media are enablers of the socialist movement. They are more than willing to help suppress conservatives, impoverish working-class people, sanction government corruption, restrict our rights, send our jobs to foreign countries, and wreck our children's future, simply because we do not agree with their politics and beliefs.
If you want to do something about this, stop watching network broadcasts and stop reading the newspapers. These are businesses who have to make money in order to survive, and the amount of money they make is partly based on the number of people who watch their programs and read their papers and magazines.
If you want to carry this a step farther, find a list of advertisers who are supporting the news programs and newspapers. Once you know who they are, stop buying their products. If they are publicly traded companies, sell their stock and refuse to buy it. No need to protest or yell and scream on the internet. Stay calm, stay cool, stop watching, stop buying, cancel your newspaper or magazine subscription, and help yourself at the same time.
As the French used to say not long ago, bienvenue a la resistance.
Its been a great pleasure to watch the massive return of ordinary Republican and conservative voters to the only man who can prevent eight more years of Americas rule by the poisonous, destructive and corrupt Democratic Left. In states that are normally solid Republican at the presidential level (e.g., Texas and Utah) the American Propaganda Ministrys non-stop carpet bombing of Donald Trump took its toll for a while, as Utah flirted briefly with an irrelevant Romney sponsored spoiler and some Texas Republicans fell into uncertainty. But those states are solid now, and the race as a whole has tightened astonishingly over the last ten days.
Its hard to know what demographic movements account for the narrowing (or, for that matter, whether what were seeing is simply more honest polling as Election Day nears); but theres no doubt that the return to Trump, or recent declaration for Trump, by Republicans and conservatives who had not been openly with him before is a large part of the story.
The collective efforts of CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, the New York Times and Washington Post to destroy Trumps character and to hide his enormously popular agenda from public view couldnt succeed forever in the internet era.
Ordinary Republicans examined and reflected on Trump the man, and sensibly concluded that, though imperfect, his character and past conduct fall far short of disqualifying -- particularly when compared to that of his opponent, now unmasked as the most odiously corrupt human being ever to seek the US presidency as a major party nominee.
But less important than character and personal conduct, Trumps overwhelmingly conservative agenda has finally gotten the attention it deserves from his natural voter base.
And even the most rigorously conservative among normal voters are concluding that 75-90% of a loaf beats no bread at all, especially when the one offering no bread at all demands that they drink poison besides.
And so, in the end, ordinary Republicans and conservatives are streaming to Trumps banner.
Meanwhile, the intellectual and political NeverTrumps add fresh coats of paint to the floor surrounding the corner theyve painted themselves into.
Examples abound but a recent one stands out:
The snobbish, confused, out-of-touch-with-America David Brooks helpfully explained that Trumps is a campaign of hate and that Trumps supporters who do not have college degrees are voting for Trump because they are just going with their gene pool.
Does this New York City/Philadelphia Main Line-reared son of university academics have any idea how statements like that affect the mass of Republican/conservative voters whove made his cushy life possible? Does he know anything at all about the practical art of coalition building in a democracy?
Could statements like Mr. Brooks and the elitist world-view they imply explain at least in part why East Coast conservative intellectuals have failed utterly to halt or even slow the progress of the American Left through the nations cultural institutions?
Throughout this campaign an arrogant superiority and oily condescension has flowed like a river out of the New York-Washington NeverTrumps, reaching and inundating the heart of traditional America, in the Midwest and South, where the great voter base of American traditionalism and conservatism resides. Its going to be many years before the ground poisoned by that flow recovers.
But to a happier subject:
The national contest is finishing up close, extremely close, despite uniform recent predictions of a decisive Clinton victory from propagandists in the major media.
At the state level, too, there has been strong movement to Trump across the nation during the last week; battleground states have moved from likely Clinton to toss-up; Trump has inched slightly ahead in critical tossup states; and normally Democrat states, such as New Mexico and Maine, have moved into the unaccustomed status of tossup.
The RealClearPolitics No Tossups map of Saturday, November 5, 2016, shows an electoral vote of Clinton 297, Trump 241, and that assumes Clinton carries Floridas 29 electoral votes. The RCP map has Trump carrying all the Romney states, plus Nevada, Iowa, Ohio, New Hampshire and Maine CD1.
On this electoral map, if Trump Carries Florida, he wins. It appears that infamous Never Trump George Will is going to fall far short of his April 28, 2016 publically announced wish for a 50 state Clinton landslide.
But back to that wonderful phenomenon, the ability of ordinary Republicans and conservatives to get it right, despite ubiquitous media disinformation and numerous internal apostasies:
Unlike their intellectual betters, or embittered members of the Republican Partys discredited and deposed royal family, or the Partys two most recent failed presidential candidates, the vast majority of Main Street is moved by the realization that that they would have to live with the direct consequences if the Left triumphs.
A mentally clarifying realization, that.
The Trump haters among many conservative intellectuals and Republican royalty understand the enormous damage the Left will do if Clinton wins, but it doesnt move them. They are among the protected classes (Peggy Noonan). They can -- so they think -- survive and thrive under Clinton and the Left.
Whatever the outcome, none of us whove fought for Trump from the moment he clinched the nomination will forget or soon forgive conservative intellectuals -- including David Brooks, George Will, Jonah Goldberg, William Kristol and Rich Lowry, to name just a few -- and former Republican office holders and candidates who, for feeble reasons of personal grudge, style, language or social acceptability, went over to the leftist enemy.
They made weak attempts to defend their deserting the battlefield, but all their self-justifying language is chaff in the wind to anyone who compares what we know America faces under Clinton with what we have good reason to hope for under Trump.
Doubters can compare Trumps definitive policy statement in his speech at Gettysburg, with almost anything out of Clintons mouth or with the Democratic Party platform. William Buckley would have read and reflected on Trumps program, considered Trumps personal style and attributes, pronounced the program 75-90% great, the style and attributes occasionally problematic but not disqualifying, the alternative an unspeakable atrocity, and given Trump his full support.
The whole analysis would take Bill all of about five minutes if God would lend him to us for a short visit.
In making political choices in a universal suffrage democracy, especially for President of the United States, the agenda to be pursued is everything. Barring gross criminality, including the sale of access or influence, always support the candidate who will do the most to bring about and preserve the kind of country you would want for your children and grandchildren. Wherever possible forgive the personal and decide based on the agenda.
In the circumstances we face today, only a socially snobbish conservative intellectual or a failed Republican politician could be dumb enough, in the first case, or vindictive enough, in the second, to miss the opportunity of electing a President who credibly promises to work for an agenda containing upwards of 90% of what conservatives have sought for 25 years.
Embarrassment at social gatherings in Georgetown and the Upper East Side explain, but will never excuse, the Never Trumps rejection of Trump.
Though Trump is now drawing huge majorities of Republican and conservative voters, his performance among both groups may not yet rise to the almost always requisite level of near unanimity. The race appears to be extremely close. If Trump loses narrowly, by a margin attributable to the Republican and conservative deficit created by the NeverTrumps, that suicidal crowd of snobbish apostates will own the Clinton/Left disaster to follow.
What are they going to do for a living?
Who will be their friends?
In 2000, many will tell you that Governor Bush got a big help out of the Elian Gonzalez episode. It certainly didn't hurt! He won by less than a 1,000 votes out of 7 million.
In 2012, President Obama beat Governor Romney by less than a point. I wonder who would have won Florida if Cuban-Americans had known that the Obama administration was having secret talks with Cuba to re-establish relations.
In 2016, Cuba is back in the news again. The issue is that many of us disagree with the Obama approach toward Cuba, a policy that seems to have benefited the Castro dictatorship at the expense of the Cuban people.
I don't live in Florida, but my hunch may prove right on election day, as Andres Oppenheimer wrote this week:
If Republican candidate Donald Trump wins Florida, as some polls predict, and goes on to win the Nov. 8 election a big if, but not an impossible outcome he might have President Obama to thank for lending him a hand in the final stretch of the race. Obamas Oct. 14 decision to further relax the U.S. embargo on Cuba by allowing American tourists to bring back unlimited quantities of Cuban rum and cigars, as well as his Oct. 26 decision to abstain for the first time in a United Nations vote against the U.S. embargo on Cuba, have probably pushed many undecided Cuban Americans in Florida to vote for Trump. Cubans return to Trump, read a sub-headline of The New York Times Upshot/Siena University poll released Oct. 27, which gave Trump a four-point lead in Florida. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton was leading in the same poll only a month earlier. The polls explanatory text by The New York Times Nate Cohn said that Trumps surprising comeback in Florida the most important swing state might be thanks to Cuban American voters. Trumps support among Cuban-American voters in Florida was at 52 percent, up from 33 percent in September, the story said.
My own unscientific poll is that Cubans fall into two camps.
The first camp, or where I reside, is that the Obama opening has opened nothing, except an oxygen line to a failing dictatorship. We are stunned that the Obama administration demanded nothing in return for a U.S. flag in Havana.
The second camp is made up of Cubans who were convinced that an opening would bring hope, or an opportunity for Cuba to change. My guess is that most of those Cubans are not happy with the results. They see more repression and Cubans desperately trying to leave.
On election day, these two groups will vote against the Cuba opening by putting Mr. Trump over the top.
P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
James Comey again gave Hillary a pass on the email investigation by announcing on Sunday afternoon, November 6, two days before the election, that he stands by his July 5, 2016 decision to not recommend indictment of Hillary. This may help Hillary win, even though she still is under investigation for the pay-for-play Clinton Foundation scandal.
The Washington Post reported Sunday afternoon, November 6, 2016:
FBI Director James B. Comey notified key members of Congress Sunday afternoon that after reviewing newly discovered Hillary Clinton emails the agency stands by its original findings against recommending charges. Comey wrote that investigators had worked around the clock to review all the emails found on a device used by former congressman Anthony Weiner that had been sent to or from Clinton and that we have not changed our conclusions expressed in July.
The July 5 decision has been criticized because Comey concluded that Hillary did not have the criminal intent to violate the statutes when the statutes at issue do not require a specific criminal intent. He said there wasnt clear evidence of criminal intent, which means there was evidence of criminal intent that Comey did not believe was clear. Since there was evidence of intent, Comey should have recommended indictment and left it to the court to decide whether the evidence is clear on intent, assuming that a court would agree with Comey that the statutes require intent.
But more important is the issue of the relation between the investigation into the pay-for-play conducted by Hillary as secretary of state to get contributions to the William J. Clinton Foundation, aka the William J. Corleone Foundation. One can make the reasonable argument that Hillary used a private unsecured email server system to hide the pay-for-play scheme. The two scandals should be seen as one scandal. A jury or judge, the trier of facts, should and would consider the pay-for-play scandal as part of why Hillary used a private email server. This goes directly to intent: why did she use the private email server? While Comey believes that there is no criminal intent, that is an issue for the trier of facts. There is enough evidence, even if we apply the intent requirement, to recommend indictment.
Comey has separated the pay-for-play scandal from the email scandal, which allows him to ignore that Hillary used the private email server to hide the pay-for-play scheme.
Comey did not comment on how and why Hillarys emails were on Weiners and Humas computers. Nor did he comment on whether his original finding that Hillary acted with extreme negligence was affected by the Weiner and Huma emails. Does this mean that Hillary was even more extremely negligent? Comey should explain whether the Hillary emails on Weiners computers were confidential emails.
Comey is now back in the good graces of the Democrats.
It seems that Comey again succumbed to pressure from Obama, the Democrats, and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who criticized his reopening the email investigation.
The question now is, what will the FBI agents who do not agree with Comeys conclusion do about it? Will they step up to tell the public the truth about the investigation and why Comey did not consider the pay-for-play scheme on the issue of intent? We are voting on Tuesday without knowing the facts of the investigation, and what Comey found in the Weiner emails, except that Hillary acted with extreme negligence.
The Republicans botched this by not demanding a special prosecutor when this scandal broke in April 2015.
"The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous." Machiavelli
Well, now we know. Now it is certain. James Comey, the man so many on both sides of the aisle were once quick to defend as non-partisan, seems to be owned and controlled by establishment bigwigs. He does their bidding; today the left, tomorrow the right, next day the left. His head must be spinning on his neck.
He is allegedly a fervent Catholic. So why can he not tell the difference between right and wrong? Isn't that an essential ingredient to religious belief? The ability to recognize evil?
"It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver." Machiavelli
The Clintons are notoriously and obviously corrupt. Everyone knows this, even those on the left. But they excuse their corruption because they are leftists. For progressives, being on the left trumps morality, trumps right over wrong. For the left, Trump must be trumped by any means necessary. Our media have become Orwellian in their fervor to demean and defeat Donald Trump. They are willingly prostrating themselves on the altar of deceit to put Hillary Clinton in the White House. Why? She is so manifestly the most corrupt candidate ever to run for the office. What's in it for them? Only victory. And a Pyrrhic victory it will be if she is elected. The woman has no idea how to be president. She has failed dismally in every government position she has held. As revealed in Podesta's emails, even her own staff thinks "she has terrible instincts." Indeed she does. She advocates welcoming a five-hundred-percent increase in Middle Eastern refugees to the U.S.? Check out Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the U.K. Not a good idea. Free college tuition? This will further bankrupt our bankrupt nation, as anyone remotely cognizant of basic economics knows. Hillary will complete the destruction of the United States as founded.
James Comey knows this as well as every other person in the FBI and the DOJ. But apparently he does not care.
The Clintons are famous for amassing information on people to use if needed. They are the mafia in government clothing. They use and abuse what they have on people. The leaked Podesta emails revealed that they had something on Bernie Sanders that brought him to heel. Then he bought a vacation house on an island.
Our country is at a crossroads. Will we continue to be a democratic republic, or will we be a tyrannous dictatorship like some of the nations of Central and South America? The Obama administration has taken us halfway down that road. Hillary will take us the rest of the way. After four years of another Clinton administration, we will be edging toward Venezuela territory.
The left's antipathy toward energy, toward better lives for those in the Third World, and toward cheaper energy for us, is abhorrent. They pretend that they know not what they do. But they do know. They just do not care. The climate change eco-tyrants know that the planet has sustained itself for billions of years, that it has undergone climate changes long before man appeared on the earth.
James Comey's announcement that those 650K emails on Weiner's laptop amount to nothing was a tragic commentary on the state of our leadership. Everyone knows that Mrs. Clinton is guilty of more than negligence. She is a calculating, deceitful person. She always has been. She is the kind of person you teach your children to be wary of, to recognize and avoid in their personal lives. She is the kind of politician you teach your children never to vote for. And now Comey, who put some soft brakes on her ascent to the White House, has again given her a clean bill of health, as if anyone cares what he has to say at this point. Everyone, everyone, knows she is an unscrupulous person with a history of criminal enterprise. The saddest commentary is that so many people will vote for her anyway.
The first female attorney general of the United States, Janet Reno, has died following a long battle with Parkinson's disease. She was 78.
Reno served as Bill Clinton's only A.G. from 1993-2001. Her tenure was marked with numerous controversies that most observers believe would have forced any other A.G. to resign in disgrace. But President Clinton reportedly refused to accept her resignation offered after 80 people were killed in an FBI raid she ordered on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas.
CNN:
As part of the Clinton administration, Reno oversaw the high-profile convictions of numerous bombers including Ted Kaczynski, the domestic terrorist infamously known as the "Unabomber;" Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing; and Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols for their roles in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. "Speak out against the hatred, the bigotry and the violence in this land. Most haters are cowards. When confronted, they back down. When we remain silent, they flourish," Reno said one month after the Oklahoma City bombing. Reno's time in office was also bookended with a pair of major controversies that gripped the country. In 1993, she took office as the Waco, Texas, standoff was already underway. On the 51st day of the standoff, the attorney general ordered federal agents to raid the compound -- a decision that resulted in the death of approximately 80 members of the Branch Davidian sect. "The buck stops with me," Reno said after the incident. She later said on CNN's "Larry King Live" that her decision was "obviously wrong." In April 2000, Reno played a pivotal role in the saga of six-year-old Cuban immigrant Elian Gonzalez. Gonzalez, found off the coast of Fort Lauderdale in November 1999, was the only survivor among a group of 13 Cuban migrants trying to make it to the US. The incident sparked an international custody dispute between Gonzalez's relatives in the US and his father in Cuba. Reno ultimately ordered a raid that sent Gonzalez back to Cuba. When Clinton's administration was rocked by the Whitewater scandal, Reno was the person tasked with appointing special prosecutor Robert Fiske to lead the probe in 1994. The Clintons were never charged with criminal wrongdoing. In Clinton's second term -- months before his impeachment -- the Republican-controlled House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform voted to cite Reno for contempt of Congress for failing to hand over key memos. Reno eventually provided those documents. Congress never moved forward with a vote on the matter.
The DoJ investigation into what happened in Waco when the FBI raided the compound covered up several key facts, not the least of which was the incompetent decision-making process that led to the tragedy. There was no reason to raid the compound. The children, despite claims by the FBI to the contrary, were not in danger. But Waco had become a political liability for President Clinton. Reno dutifully sought to eliminate the problem, only making it worse in the end.
She ran point for the administration against GOP investigations into Bill and Hillary Clinton's business dealings, as well as Bill's affairs that led to the president lying under oath. Her managing the Clinton scandals drew high praise from the president.
Reno was overtly partisan just another cog in the Clinton political machine. That the highest ranking law enforcement officer in the nation was reduced to carrying water for partisan reasons will be Janet Reno's real legacy.
A week ago, in an effort to inspire Latino voters, womens advocate Hillary Clinton stood by as J-Lo exposed her ample booty to a Miami crowd. A few nights later in Cleveland, to encourage black hip-hop voters, Hillary stood by again as Beyonce trivialized her femininity while her husband, Jay-Z, dropped F-bombs and tossed around the N-word.
Then, just days before the 2016 election, in the hope of rousing disinterested millennials to pull the lever for Grandma, Hillary Clinton, looking completely out of place, was joined by a disgruntled pastors kid for yet another melodious arm-twister.
On a stage in Philadelphia, Hillary joined pop star Katy Perry, who must have realized that if she wanted to convince people to vote for the frumpy woman in the pantsuit, shed need to do more than strip naked for a Funny or Die video.
Hence, in the City of Brotherly Love, after delivering a boring better, fairer, stronger America stump speech, Hillary introduced one-woman-lover of a very long list of brothers Katy Perry.
Zany Katy, who acts as if shes the Lucille Ball of pop music, poked fun at Donald Trumps nasty woman comment by strutting onto the Mann Center stage in time to Janet Jacksons Nasty Boys. A recovering evangelical, Perry, who is no longer with Jesus, wore blue leather leggings and a flowing cape emblazoned with the words "I'm with Madame president."
If votes are what Hillary really wants, maybe she should have just followed Katys lead and donned a blue wig and a cupcake bra.
Meanwhile, a rhythmically challenged "Hilly-C" got so caught up in the heat of the moment she made the fatal mistake of breaking into what looked like a spastic jig. In all honesty, as the promiscuous pop star yelled things at the audience like "Let me hear you roar for Hillary!," a clapping, grinning Clinton looked less like a candidate for president and more like an over-enthusiastic senior citizen trying really hard to fit in at a teenage dance party.
In truth, the whole thing was excruciating to watch.
At one point, Katy, decked out in over-the-top regalia, held hands with Mrs. Clinton and a curtain call of uncomfortable-looking Democrat politicians who were awkwardly pretending to have a blast.
After that strange lineup exited stage right, Katy, who learned how to proselytize growing up in a Christian home, attempted to cajole the crowd to vote for the socialist, pro-choice maven by weaving Hillary into songs like "Part of Me."
After she sang the lyric that says, "Find out who is really there for me," Katy hollered to the crowd, "Are you there for her?"
Evidently, K.P. is unaware that the presidential candidate she wanted people to be "there for," wasn't there for four Americans who returned home from Benghazi in coffins draped in the type of flag the pop star slipped into for the second half of the show.
As the evening progressed, Perry;s Hillary-4-President song metaphors included tunes like "Rise," which is what Hillary had trouble doing after she collapsed on a New York City sidewalk on September 11, and "Roar," which is what the gravelly-voiced shrew does whenever she tries to convince voters that Donald Trump is affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan.
Offering no explanation of how Hillary plans to "make the world a better place," at one point, Katy exhorted the crowd, shouting, "Shouldn't we have some fun whilst we make the world a better place?"
Maybe a more appropriate question would have been, "Shouldn't we have some fun whilst we attempt to convince people to elect the most corrupt politician in American history?"
Besides falling in and out of love faster than Hillary can deposit other people's money into a private bank account, Katy told the crowd that when she's not courting Orlando Bloom, she's out "knocking on doors."
So, Beyonce, Jay-Z, and Katy Perry followed up J-Lo, but not before the cumbersome Lena Dunham danced her heart out in a rap video that paid homage to a "sensual pantsuit."
Next up, Bon Jovi and Mr. and Mrs. "Hope and Change" will join Hilly in Philly on Election Day eve.
In hopes of propelling the former secretary of state to victory, angry Michelle will play the sexist race card; sniveling provocateur Barry will scold and demand that the crowd "focus" entirely on him, and then John Bon Jovi will probably dedicate "Livin' on a Prayer" to a woman suffering from seizure.
But in the end, if all the ballyhoo still doesn't get out the vote in Philadelphia on Election Day, Obama can always stem the tide of Trump voters by dispatching a band of billy club-toting New Black Panthers.
Jeannie hosts a blog at www.jeannie-ology.com.
The sheriff in the 1975 case where Hillary Clinton defended an accused rapist and had arranged for a plea bargain says Thomas Alfred Taylor never served time in jail after he was sentenced. This despite a court order that sentenced Taylor to only ten months in jail.
Just as Hillary Clinton had said at the end of an audio with journalist Roy Reed in 1984 that she "got him off with time served in the county jail," Washington County sheriff Herbert Marshall said that after Hillary pleaded down the charges from first-degree rape, where he could have received a sentence of 30 years in prison, to unlawful fondling of a child, that Taylor never spent another day in jail after his conviction. Rather, he was put on probation, which was completed in 1980.
Taylor was held in the county jail for just two months between May and July 1975 before he was bonded out, when the bond was reduced from $50,000 to $2,500, of which he had to spend only $250 in cash.
Sheriff Herbert Marshall recently said he was "majorly pissed" when he was ordered to release Taylor. He noted that a case as grievous as Taylor's was rare and that he was "extremely pissed" that Taylor served only two months.
Also, Taylor was not on a work release program, as some of Mrs. Clintons defenders have said. Marshall said he could not even remember anyone being on work release at that time, and he would definitely have noticed if Taylor had been.
On the Sean Hannity Radio Show of November 4, Sheriff Marshall said, "When I got the call, when I received a court order to release him, I couldn't believe it. I immediately called the prosecutor's office to find out what was going on. Because here I had a man for a heinous crime and was ordered by the court to release him."
Marshall went on to say that if this man had gone before a jury in Washington County (Arkansas), "he'd have went down for thirty years to life" and that this was a case "where just the assault alone should have gotten him 5 years. Then the rape on top of that should have been sent to prison for 30 years."
War-gaming the electoral college is the favorite pastime of pundits at this point in the campaign. With less than 24 hours to go before the polls open, there are still a dozen states up for grabs including some surprises on both sides.
For Donald Trump, it's a comeback of historic proportions. Left for dead a couple of weeks ago, Trump has battled back into a competitive position and, according the Nate Silver, actually has a decent chance of winning:
All of this data is nevertheless consistent with Clinton being an Electoral College favorite. She has a 64 percent chance of winning the Electoral College in our polls-only model and 65 percent in polls-plus, putting her somewhere in the range of being a 2-1 favorite. At the same time, it shouldnt be hard to see how Clinton could lose. Shes up by about 3 percentage points nationally, and 3-point polling errors happen fairly often, including in the last two federal elections. Obama beat his polls by about 3 points in 2012, whereas Republicans beat their polls by 3 to 4 points in the 2014 midterms. If such an error were to favor Clinton, she could win in a borderline landslide. If the error favored Trump, however, shed be in a dicey position, because the error is highly correlated across states.
Trump's one-in-three chance of winning is a surprise, given that Silver had Clinton at a 98% chance of winning just a few weeks ago.
What's changed? Republicans are coming home. Clinton hasn't lost much support, but Trump has gained millions of votes from Republicans who have decided they can't vote for Clinton and will hold their noses and vote for Trump. And Trump's white working-class male support is making him extremely competitive in Rust Belt states like Michigan and Pennsylvania.
How competitive? You can always tell how each candidate thinks the race is shaping up by where they spend the last few hours of the campaign.
Hillary Clinton has events scheduled in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Colorado, and Virginia all states won by President Obama in 2012. She also has events scheduled in North Carolina and Florida, which are both extremely close.
Trump will also be in Florida today but sees an opportunity in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. It is significant that neither candidate will be in the hugely important state of Ohio today. Clinton is reportedly shifting staff from Ohio to Michigan.
The bottom line is that Clinton is campaigning in states that she should have already wrapped up New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Trump is going for the jugular by trying to pick off each of those states.
And it is in Michigan where he may have the best shot.
The Hill:
If Donald Trump wins the swing state of Michigan Tuesday, he'll win the presidency, Republican National Convention (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus said Sunday. It's an absolute toss-up," Priebus said on ABC's "This Week." "When you look at Michigan, where jobs have gone to Mexico and China, people are out of work and people want things to get better, I think Donald Trump is offering that vision for the state of Michigan. If we win a state like Michigan ... it's all over." A RealClearPolitics polling average gives Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintona 5-point advantage in Michigan, 48 percent to 43 percent. Priebus also said Trump, the Republican nominee, hasn't "turned away" from Wisconsin, even though he canceled a campaign event there to go to Minnesota. "It's possible he may go back to Wisconsin tomorrow," he said. With just a few days until Election Day, Priebus said he thinks momentum will carry Trump across the finish line. "I don't think we're fighting from behind. We've got momentum," he said.
There hasn't been a Michigan poll for four long days, during which time the national polls have tightened considerably. The fact that Trump and Clinton are both spending time there less than a day before the polls open suggests the race in Michigan is much tighter than the numbers show.
Is Priebus right? Trump winning Michigan would force Clinton to win either Ohio or Florida to compensate. Trump appears to be in good shape in Ohio and will have more than a fighting chance in Florida.
But winning Michigan would signal a seismic shift toward Trump that would be reflected in other close states like North Carolina and New Hampshire. In short, Michigan could be a bellwether that will signal whether or not Trump will be victorious.
The Democratic National Committee has proven particularly helpful to the Clinton campaign. Not only did Donna Brazile funnel questions to Clinton for a town hall debate, but WikiLeaks has released some emails showing CNN reaching out to the DNC for suggested questions to ask Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.
Washington Examiner:
In an email to DNC colleagues on April 25 with the headline "Trump Questions for CNN," a DNC official with the email username DillonL@dnc.org asked for ideas for an interview to be conducted by CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer.
"Wolf Blitzer is interviewing Trump on Tues ahead of his foreign policy address on Wed. ... Please send me thoughts by 10:30 AM tomorrow."
The sender of the email would seem to be DNC Research Director Lauren Dillon, who was identified in previous reports of DNC emails released by WikiLeaks in July.
Several hours after the first email was sent, Dillon said in a follow-up email that the interview had been cancelled, "as of now," but shared a list of questions thought up by the DNC that she said could be used for the next interview.
Some of the questions included: "Who helped you write the foreign policy speech you're giving tomorrow? Which advisors specifically did you talk to? What advice did they give you? Did they give you any advice that you chose not to take?" Others explored Saudi Arabia's alleged involvement in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a pre-preemptive strike against North Korea and court martials for members of the military who didn't follow orders.
A separate email from Dillon that same day said "CNN is looking for questions" for then-GOP primary candidate Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and "maybe a couple on" former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.
CNN and the DNC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Nestled between the towns of Dolgellau and Machynlleth, in central Wales, is a series of grass covered valleys that is renowned the world over among photographers and aviation enthusiast for being one of the best places in the world to watch fighter jets in action. This area is referred to as Low Flying Area 7, but is better known as the Mach Loop.
The Mach Loop, which gets its name from the nearby town of Machynlleth, is essentially a roundabout for low level air traffic that snakes around the mountain peaks. Aircrafts such as Tornados, Typhoons, Hawks and F-15E Strike Eagles race through the narrow valley, hugging the ground as it twists and turns around the mountains. The machines fly dangerously close to the terrain, sometimes as low as 100 feet off the ground, at speeds over 500 miles per hour. Viewers can get so close to the scene of action that during flybys one can clearly see the pilots inside the cockpits.
A Tornado GR4 at Mach Loop. Photo credit: Jez/Flickr
Low level flying has several tactical advantages, such as flying below enemy radar to avoid detection, and evading engagement from other aircrafts or attacks from the ground. Low flying is a demanding skill that can only be acquired through progressive training and continuous practice. The Royal Air Force uses several areas within the United Kingdom for low level flight training. Because low level flying can be noisy, they are distributed all around the United Kingdom, to share any potential impact of this training activity as fairly as possible across all the population, says the RAF.
The cool thing about Mach Loop, and why so many photographers climb those steep, muddy hills and often camp out to capture the action, is the variety of aircraft that flies by, writes Tyler Rogoway for Jalopnik. The regulars are USAF F-15Es from RAF Lakenheath and RAF Typhoons, along with C-130s, Hawk Trainers, and various helicopters, but visitors do pop up, like A-10s or Saudi Tornadoes, or even Qinetiq test aircraft.
The RAF publishes a timetable of upcoming low level trainings, so that the local population can prepare beforehand, such as keep livestock away from the region, etcetera.
Those in the United States wishing to witness such a spectacle can head to the Rainbow Canyon, in the Death Valley National park in California, where there is an area known to the military as the R2508 Complex. Although not quite as scenic as the Mach Loop, the Rainbow Canyon is one of the best, both in terms of the frequency of aircrafts flying overhead and the relative ease of seeing them. In fact, there are hundreds of low-level flying routes in the US, but very few are so picturesque and many are empty most of the time.
Typhoon T1. Photo credit: Jez/Flickr
Hercules. Photo credit: Jonny Williams/Flickr
Tornado GR4. Photo credit: Jez/Flickr
Hawk T1. Photo credit: Jez/Flickr
Tornado GR4. Photo credit: Jez/Flickr
F15C Eagle. Photo credit: Jason Humphries-Brown/Flickr
F-15E Eagle. Photo credit: Jez/Flickr
Sources: Airspacemag / www.gov.uk / Wikipedia / Telegraph
Following the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, Samsungs left with only two flagships this year, the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge. Given the circumstances, its not surprising that the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world is looking to offer the best software support for its latest premium devices, which includes pushing the Android 7.0 Nougat to them as soon as possible. While the Galaxy Beta Program app already started rolling out for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge owners in the United Kingdom last Friday, it seems that launch was a bit premature as the app has since been pulled from the Galaxy Apps store. Luckily, theres no reason to despair because Samsung just announced that the Android 7.0 Nougat beta will officially start this week.
More specifically, the Galaxy Beta Program app will return to the Galaxy Apps store in the United Kingdom on Wednesday, November 9th. The beta program will be available to all British owners of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge until mid-December. As expected, participants will be able to directly send feedback to Samsung during this period. The South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer also pointed out that some performance and stability issues are to be expected as long as this OS version is still in beta. On the bright side, if youre satisfied with the stock Nougat ROM for your device, youll be able to use it even after the official beta period is over, i.e. until Samsung pushes out an official Android 7.0 update for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge. Its also possible to restore the official Marshmallow software during the beta period through Samsungs Smart Switch PC tool. Speaking of which, Samsung recommends all participants to use this software to backup their data before installing the Nougat beta update.
If youre located in the UK and are interested in trying out Nougat on your Samsung flagship as soon as possible, you can download the Galaxy Beta Programme app from the Galaxy Apps store from November 9th and use it to submit an application form to Samsung. The process is relatively straightforward: just tap the Registration option located on the top of the apps main menu and fill in the details. After thats said and done, youll have to wait for Samsung to confirm your application after which the Android 7.0 Nougat beta update will be available from the Settings menu of your device. Note that this program is only available to owners of unlocked variants of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge. In case you sign up for the program but change your mind before Samsung approves your application, you can opt out by tapping the Deregister option in the Galaxy Beta Program app.
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Unfortunately, theres still no word on whether Samsung is planning to expand this beta program to other territories or how many UK users it plans on including. On the bright side, the fact that the testing period is ending in mid-December suggests that the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge may be getting an official upgrade to Nougat before the end of the year.
Xiaomi had introduced their long-awaited flagship phablet recently, the Xiaomi Mi Note 2. Now, alongside the Mi Note 2, the company had introduced yet another high-end phablet, a device nobody expected, the Xiaomi Mi MIX. This is Xiaomis innovative 6.4-inch bezel-less phablet, it comes with a 91.3% screen-to-body ratio, and its quite captivating when you lay your eyes on it. Now, the Xiaomi Mi MIX is already available in China, Xiaomi had already sold a number of units as part of the first flash sale, and the second flash sale is coming. Well, it seems like one of Xiaomis competitors is working on their very own bezel-less device as well, read on.
The company were here to talk about is Meizu, a well-known Chinese smartphone manufacturer that might not be at the very top of the Chinese market, but theyre getting there. Meizu had released their new flagship smartphone a couple of days ago, the Meizu PRO 6s, and it seems like theyre working on a bezel-less device as well, at least according to the latest leak. If you take a look at the gallery down below, youll get to see a bezel-less device which seems to sport an even higher screen-to-body ratio than the Xiaomi Mi MIX, the device is made out of its display and the frame through and through. According to rumors, this smartphone is expected to land in China on December 24th, which is Christmas Eve and its a Saturday, which makes this rumor kind of hard to believe.
Now, this smartphone does look great, but were not exactly sure its real, it seems more like a concept of some sort, though on the other hand that would probably have been our reaction to the Xiaomi Mi MIX as well, so anything is possible. The device that is shown off down below will sport a fingerprint scanner, if real, of course, and were looking at Qualcomms Ultrasonic Fingerprint scanner here most probably. The fingerprint scanner will be placed below the display, and the power / lock and volume rocker buttons are placed on the right-hand side of this device. The phone does look really stunning in these images, and pretty much everyone who loves mobile technology probably wants this to become a reality. Well, stay tuned, well keep an eye on leaks and rumors in China, and will share more images / info if something pops up.
Drones can hack your lightbulbs from 1000 feet overhead
Drones can hack your lightbulbs. Its true. It sounds mad to say it, granted. But its true. PC World reports on a cyber attack on your so-called smart bulbs:
Researchers were able to take control of some Philips Hue lights using a drone. Based on an exploit for the ZigBee Light Link Touchlink system, white hat hackers were able to remotely control the Hue lights via drone and cause them to blink S-O-S in Morse code. The drone carried out the attack from more than a thousand feet away.
If they can blink for help, presumably they can also be turned off and on in, say, an attack by an enemy? The war-time command to Put that light out would be null and void if the enemy was controlling the things.
There is no other method of reprogramming these [infected] devices without full disassemble (which is not feasible). Any old stock would also need to be recalled, as any devices with vulnerable firmware can be infected as soon as power is applied, according to the researchers.
Apparently, the Israeli and Canadian researchers have informed Philips of the design flaw and its been patched.
Isnt technology marvellous.
Spotter: iotWorm
Anorak
Posted: 7th, November 2016 | In: Reviews, Technology Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(supersedes previous)(ANSA) - Brussels, November 7 - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday chided Italy on its draft budget, saying its projected 2017 deficit is overblown compared to its emergency spending on refugees and post-quake relief and reconstruction.
Additional spending on quake relief and on asylum seekers is worth 0.1% of GDP, but Italy has raised its projected 2017 deficit from 2.4% after it pledged one at 1.7%, Juncker said.
Italy is in no position to state that the EC is carrying on austerity policies from the past, he added. "If it wants to say so it can, but actually I don't care," the EC chief said.
"Today, in 2016, Italy can spend an additional 19 billion euros, which it would not have been able to spend had I not reformed the (EU) Stability (and Growth) Pact in the direction of flexibility," Juncker told a meeting of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
"I believe wisdom calls for us to take earthquake and refugee costs into account... in Italy," Juncker said.
"But the additional costs of migrant and earthquake policies in Italy are worth 0.1% of GDP, while Italy had promised a deficit target of 1.7% in 2017 and now it is proposing a 2.4% deficit due to the earthquake and the refugees," the EC chief said. He added that Italy's attacks on the EU over its draft budget are unfair and counterproductive. "The Commission I preside over has introduced elements of flexibility into the interpretation of the (EU Growth and) Stability Pact, to the benefit of a certain number of member states," Juncker said. "I would take the example of Italy, because (it) won't stop unfairly attacking the Commission, and this won't produce the expected results".
Italian Premier Matteo Renzi has said he won't let the EU curb his government's spending to make schools anti-seismic and other emergencies in the wake of a devastating August 24 earthquake - and three more that followed in the last week of October - that claimed 298 lives, left tens of thousands homeless, and caused billions in damage.
(ANSA) - Milan, November 7 - Tax police in Milan on Monday seized a home owned by Fabrizio Corona, a famous former paparazzi agent, as part of a fiscal fraud investigation coordinated by DDA anti-mafia police.
Milan prosecutors Ilda Boccassini and Paolo Storari are investigating Corona, who is currently in jail, on charges including fiscal fraud and violating property laws.
The apartment is worth approximately 2.5 million euros and investigators believe it was bought by Corona through a dummy purchaser with financial resources taken from his once high-flying photography agency.
A Milan court last month seized assets worth 1.7 million euros from Corona, saying the former 'paparazzi king' was still a danger to society and had failed to declare those assets.
In 2013, the photographer was sentenced to roughly five years in prison for the fraudulent bankruptcy of his agency and for blackmailing VIPs with compromising photographs.
(ANSA) - Rome, November 3 - Premier Matteo Renzi has accused rebel members of his Democratic Party (PD) of wanting to wreck the centre-left group.
The premier said the rebels, led by the old guard of the party, wanted to use next month's referendum on his government's Constitutional reform to get "revenge" for losing control of the PD.
The said on the final day of his Leopolda conference in Florence on Sunday that the risk is that the PD would meet the same end as the centre-left Olive Tree alliance between 1995 and 2007, which was dogged by infighting.
Many PD rebels have said they will vote No to the Constitutional reform, which turns the Senate into a leaner assembly of local-government representatives with fewer powers, unless the election law is changed to ensure the new members of the Upper House are elected directly by voters.
Egypt stops 674 migrants at borders Part of overall anti-terrorism security plan, armed forces say
(ANSAmed) - CAIRO, NOVEMBER 7 - Egyptian armed forces said on Monday that border guards have stopped 674 migrants of various nationalities attempting to cross the country's western and southern borders, according to state news agency MENA.
The armed forces said their security campaign is moving forward on all strategic fronts in line with the Egyptian Army's efforts to combat terrorism.(ANSAmed).
CAIRO - Saudi Arabia has suspended oil shipments to Egypt for the second consecutive month, leaving Egypt to look to other international markets for its supply, said local media sources al Masry el Yom and al Youm 7.
Egyptian Oil Minister Tarek el Molla said Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company Aramco told Cairo was suspending its shipments of crude until further notice, reported Al Ahram.
In the spring, Aramco signed a five-year agreement with Egypt to provide 700,000 tons of oil a month in a 23-billion-dollar contract.
Following the suspension in October of oil shipments, el Molla said that the Aramco agreement was still in effect, and that the decision to suspend oil supply didn't have "political dimensions".
Analysts, however, say the move is linked to Egypt's vote in favor of Moscow's UN Security Council resolution on the Syrian crisis, which Saudi Arabia was against.
The Saudi government has made no comment regarding those speculations.
Palestinian teen sentenced to 12 years in Israel prison Participated in armed attack on Jewish teen
(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, NOVEMBER 7 - The Jerusalem district court on Monday convicted a 14-year-old Palestinian to 12 years in prison for his role in an armed attack on a Jewish teen who was seriously injured.
Ahmad Manasra took part in the attack a year ago in Pisgat Zeev near Jerusalem with another boy who was killed by gunshots from Israeli passsersby. The court also ordered Manasra's family to pay 180,000 shekels (over 40,000 euros) to the Jewish boy's family.
Defence attorney Leah Tsemel told military radio that it is "inconceivable that the judges totally ignored 50 years of Israeli military occupation" that she said made up the backdrop for the attack.(ANSAmed).
Serbia-Qatar: economic, trade, cultural accords signed
(ANSAmed) - BELGRADE, NOVEMBER 7 - During an official visit to Doha, a Serbian delegation headed by President Tomislav Nikolic signed five bilateral documents with Qatar. The two parties signed intergovernmental agreements on economic, trade and technical cooperation, on mutual protection and fostering of investments and on cultural cooperation, as well as a memorandum of understanding in the field of youth and sport. The Serbian Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection and Qatar's Ministry of Municipality and Environment signed an agreement on agricultural cooperation. Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic on Monday spoke with Qatar's PM and Interior Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, proposing establishment of a joint commission of the two countries. Nikolic urged Qatari companies to invest in Serbia, and Al Thani agreed Qatar should send a business delegation to Serbia. (ANSAmed).
Riyadh suspends oil to Egypt in November Second consecutive month. Analysts say decision linked to Syria
(ANSAmed) - CAIRO, NOVEMBER 7 - Saudi Arabia has suspended oil shipments to Egypt for the second consecutive month, leaving Egypt to look to other international markets for its supply, said local media sources al Masry el Yom and al Youm 7.
Egyptian Oil Minister Tarek el Molla said Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company Aramco told Cairo was suspending its shipments of crude until further notice, reported Al Ahram.
In the spring, Aramco signed a five-year agreement with Egypt to provide 700,000 tons of oil a month in a 23-billion-dollar contract.
Following the suspension in October of oil shipments, el Molla said that the Aramco agreement was still in effect, and that the decision to suspend oil supply didn't have "political dimensions".
Analysts, however, say the move is linked to Egypt's vote in favor of Moscow's UN Security Council resolution on the Syrian crisis, which Saudi Arabia was against.
The Saudi government has made no comment regarding those speculations.(ANSAmed).
RABAT - France's Environment Minister Segolene Royal passed the baton of the COP22 UN climate change summit to Morocco's Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar amid smiles and formality at the official transition ceremony Monday.
A smiley-faced miniature Earth was part of the ceremony's set, while delegates lit small solar-powered lamps in the shape of the flower of Ethiopia.
Of the 193 countries that signed the Paris Agreement on climate change, 100 have ratified it.
"Together we've made possible what everyone thought was impossible," said Royal, inviting the remaining 93 countries to complete the ratification process by the end of the year.
The seminars and meetings at the conference, which starts on Monday and runs through November 18, aim to reinvent the world's environmental policies.
It's an important responsibility, given that 300 million children - one in seven living on the planet - breathe poisoned air, according to UNICEF.
Morocco was determined to host the event, bringing Africa to the centre of the debate.
The at-risk continent still has 700 million residents without electricity.
Newly-elected COP22 president Mezouar appealed to the "spirit of Paris" and "collective responsibility".
At stake, he said, is "not only climate change, but also a question of civilisation and economic development".
"From this moment, Africa takes control of its destiny," he said. Three keywords mark the conference: urgency, action, and justice.
"I'll ensure that the Moroccan presidency takes action for concrete advancement of the work in 2017 and employs a strategic vision, working transparently alongside all, without excluding anyone," Mezouar said.
BORGO DI SAN DALMAZZO (CUNEO) - Two Italian hostages who were freed unharmed with a Canadian citizen after being held captive in Libya have reunited with their families in Italy and said they are in good condition.
Technicians Bruno Cacace and Danilo Calonego, together with Canadian national Frank Poccia, were freed Friday in southern Libya after their abduction on September 19 and were flown back to Italy over the weekend.
Speaking from his northern hometown of Borgo San Dalmazzo, Cacace said Sunday he would never be returning to Libya because of the anxiety he had caused to his family.
"My daughters have cried a lot", he said, adding that he is doing "fine".
His colleague Danilo Calonego, who returned home to the town of Peron di Sedico near Belluno on Sunday, said he feared for his life during the abduction and felt he had run a "huge risk".
One of his sisters, Daniela Cacace, said he was "very worn out and tired but happy".
The intelligence services of Canada, Italy and Libya reportedly cooperated for the release of the hostages, who were held captive for a month and a half.
The technicians, who were working for Italian company Con.I.Cos. on an airport construction site, were abducted on September 19 by armed, masked men who stopped they vehicle in the Sahara desert city of Ghat, in south-western Libya close to the border with Algeria, where both criminal and extremist organizations are known to operate.
Rome prosecutor Sergio Colaiocco on Saturday questioned the technicians to investigate potential terrorist involvement in the abduction.
Jordanian Fashion show inspired by Italian designers Part of EU funded project resilience through creativity
(ANSAmed) - AMMAN, NOVEMBER 7 - Jordanian designers have launched the first womenswear collection of the new Fashion Brand JO! In collaboration with Italian designers as part of an EU funded project Creative Jordan-resilience through creativity.
The project also known as- Resilience through Creativity'; Creative Jordan is also funded by the Italian Development Cooperation and implemented by the United Nations Organization for Industrial Development (UNIDO). The aim of 'Creative Jordan' is to improve and foster the design and manufacturing process in the garment industry in order to facilitate the access to local and international markets, said the Italian embassy. "It represents an important step for the Jordanian garment industry: a new team of local designers and local manufacturing factories have been working together, for the first time, to develop a womenswear collection with international standards," a statement reads.
JO! Collection and 'Creative Jordan' projects are developed in collaboration with the Garment Design & Training Services Center (GSC) in Amman. The 'Creative Jordan' team is comprised of Zein H Mango (Fashion Designer), Aida Ghanem (Embroidery Designer), Dina Maqdah (Fashion Designer), Tallaat Haddad (Industrial Designer), Ibrahim Al Badareen (Product Developer).
The project was managed by GSC CEO Eng. Ameed Abdel Qader and coordinated by Ms Dina Seisah. The collection has been developed under the Creative Direction of Caterina Filice, Italian Fashion Designer, UNIDO Expert. (ANSAmed).
TUNIS - Between 22,000 and 25,000 Tunisian citizens have migrated illegally towards Italian and European coasts from 2011 until today, or in Tunisia's post-revolution phase, Secretary of State for Migration Radhouane Ayara told local media. Ayara made the statement yesterday in Chebba, in the Mahdia governorate, during a meeting with local youths, adding that authorities were able to cut down the number of migrants to some 800 each year thanks to cooperation agreements with neighboring countries, including Italy.
For Ayara, the solution for illegal emigration - which kills each year dozens of Tunisians who are victims of shipwrecks - lies in re-establishing confidence between the young and the State, in strategies to create jobs, promote regional development and facilitate legal migrations.
The official has announced the presentation soon of a government bill aimed at transferring funding sent by Tunisians living abroad towards more disadvantaged regions. Moreover, meetings dedicated to such issues will be organized with Tunisians living in France, Germany and Italy.
Turkey: trial begins for deadly Ankara station attacks Over 100 victims in suicide attack in 2015, 36 defendants
(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, NOVEMBER 7 - The first hearing of a trial for two deadly suicide attacks on October 10, 2015, on the station in Ankara, that killed over 100 people started on Monday.
The attack, claimed by ISIS, struck a peaceful Kurdish demonstration 20 days before political elections.
The 36 defendants are accused of contributing to organize the attack. Prosecutors have asked for jail terms totaling 11,750 years.
Several opposition lawmakers are attending the hearing, which takes place under tight security measures. (ANSAmed).
ANSAmed - Today's events in the Mediterranean
(ANSAmed) - ROME, NOVEMBER 7 - Weekly diary of the main events scheduled for today in the Euro-Mediterranean area: BRUSSELS - EU, meeting of defence ministers with EU High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini.
RENNES - EU, "Dialogue with Citizens", with European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans.
MARRAKECH - 22nd Conference of Parties (COP22) to the United Nations Framework Convention (until November 18).
ROME - MedFilm Festival kicks off (until November 12).
Jordan: king inaugurates Parliament session
(ANSAmed) - AMMAN, NOVEMBER 7 - Jordan king Abdullah on Monday inaugurated the parliament's first session, amid calls for reforms from opposition parties, many of which accuse the king of running a patriarchal system.
In his speech from the throne, Abdullah called for reform and 'respect to Jordanian citizens." The pro-west Monarch addressed a parliament that has been described as carbon copy of previous parliaments, where tribal figures, intelligence and army officers as well as pro-regime businessmen dominate house.
This year's parliament was elected under a new elections law that sought to regain public confidence in the reform process following the introduction of list systems. But powerful former MPs and pro-government candidates ended up sweeping most of the seats, amid wide claims of vote rigging.
The king enjoys absolute powers that allow him to dismantle the parliament and senates houses at his wish, while he is also in charge of appointing security chiefs and prime ministers.
Reformists have been calling for gradual shift in power balance, whereby parliament members can form governments, according to majority gained, but the palace continues to resist such calls.
(ANSAmed).
Tunisian Ghannouchi wins prize for promotion Gandhian values Awarded by Jamnalal Bajaj foundation for peace in the world
(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, NOVEMBER 7 - The leader of Tunisia's Islamic party Ennhadha, Rached Ghannouchi, will receive on Monday in Mumbai, India, the 2016 prize awarded by the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation to promote Gandhian values outside of India.
The ceremony will be attended by members of the Indian government.
The foundation awards every year a number of prizes to celebrate the memory of Mahatma Gandhi, including one to an international personality for contributing to peace in the world and defending human rights. Ghannouchi's political advisor, Lofti Zitoun, defines the prize as a homage to all of Tunisia for its successful democratic transition for which Ghannouchi has contributed in working to ''search for consensus between different sites that allowed to avoid a scenario of clashes in Tunisia''.
Last year the International Crisis Group awarded to Tunisian politicians Rached Ghannouchi and Beji Caid Essebsi, the current president, the prize 'pioneers for the construction of peace' for the mediation role undertaken during the national dialogue process in 2013. (ANSAmed).
If youre considering a subscription to the Disney Plus streaming service, you may be wondering how much it costs. The service is available on both
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Hakob Bagratuni representative of the Armenian lawmaker group and ARF Lebanons Central Committee, and lawmaker Artur Nazaryan had a meeting on November 5 with Prime Minister of Lebanon Saad Hariri, ARMENPRESS correspondent reports from Beirut.
After the meeting, Mr. Bagratuni issued a statement, saying : The Armenian MP bloc welcomes the initiative of Prime Minister Hariri on forming a national unity government, underscoring that all Lebanese sides must be part of that government. We requested the Prime Minister to form a government comprising 32 ministers, where the Armenian Apostolic community will be represented by two ministers, who will be specified by the Armenian parties. In addition, we proposed to include a minister who will represent minorities.
The importance of the National Covenant was highlighted during the meeting. The basis of this covenant is political cooperation and equality. Therefore, we requested the Prime Minister to end the political heresy of the power ministries existence. The existence of power ministries is unconstitutional, since all ministries are of power. There are no small or big ministries, likewise there are no big, important or less important communities.
Bagratuni reminded that during the formation of the previous government, a consensus was almost reached that during the formation of the next government a shift of ministries will take place.
He said they urged the Prime Minister to speed up the formation of the government.
Accelerating doesnt mean hurrying, but forming the government during a logical time period, in order for it to begin restoration works of the country, as well as elaborate fair electoral laws guaranteeing the right presence of all Lebanese, Bagratuni said.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Theresa May has rejected calls to relax Indian visa rules, saying the UK has a "good system" for applications, BBC reports.
The prime minister, who is in Delhi to pave the way for the UK's first post-Brexit trade deal, said the UK was already able to attract "the brightest and the best" from outside the EU.
"Nine out of 10 visa applications from India are already accepted," she said.
But Mrs May announced the UK would make it easier for wealthy Indian business executives to come to the UK.
A small group of high net worth individuals and their families will be offered access to the Great Club - a bespoke visa and immigration service - to make visa applications smoother.
Thousands of Indians on work visas will also be able to join the Registered Travellers Scheme which will mean they can get through UK border controls more quickly.
"As we leave the EU, we want to ensure that the UK remains one of the most attractive countries in the world to do business and invest," Mrs May said.
The prime minister flew into Delhi late last night to be greeted by the worst smog this city has seen in nearly 20 years.
Where better to get a taste of life beyond the EU - than India. With such deep historical links between the two countries - surely the UK can cut through the bureaucratic smog that saw Brussels spend nearly a decade negotiating, but ultimately fail to agree a deal with the world's fastest growing economy.
But Indian business leaders are confused. No-one knows what the UK's relationship with Europe will eventually look like, and many are unsure about how much can be usefully discussed until the UK has withdrawn from the EU - a point that is at least two years away.
Some things are clear and all too familiar. Trade and immigration are linked. If the UK wants better access to Indian markets, the government in Delhi wants a looser approach to UK work and student visas. This week saw Britain's visa rules for foreign visitors tightened.
Specific deals will be announced over the next 24 hours but more clarity around a trade relationship that has stagnated or even declined in recent years is likely to remain enveloped in the Delhi smog.
Visa issues risk dominating Theresa May's first trade trip since becoming prime minister.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a technology summit in Delhi he wanted to encourage "greater mobility" for its young people in education.
He said: "Education is vital for our students and will define our engagement in a shared future.
"We must therefore encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in education and research opportunities."
Cobra Beer founder Lord Bilimoria earlier said restrictions on staying in the UK after their studies meant the number of Indians attending UK universities had halved in the past five years.
He said "movement of people" would form a key part of any trade negotiations.
The number of study visas issued to Indian nationals fell from 68,238 in the year to June 2010 to 11,864 five years later, official UK figures show.
The solution, according to Karan Bilimoria, is to exclude foreign students from Britain's statistics on net migration, which Mrs May has pledged to cut to below 100,000 annually - down from 336,000 in the year to June 2015.
"We need to immediately get the government, Theresa May, on this visit to announce and say 'we're no longer going to include international students within the net migration figures,'" crossbencher Lord Bilimoria told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend.
He added: "The reality is Theresa May when she was home secretary did deliver very, very negative messages towards immigration."
"She has got a lot of bridge-building to do when she goes to India."
Mrs May will be accompanied on the three-day trip by International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and trade minister Greg Hands as well as representatives from 33 UK companies.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Cher, Jon Stewart, Lena Dunham and other celebrities who have promised to leave the country if Donald Trump is elected president of USA were lampooned Sunday on fake billboards that are sure to get a rise out of a real estate agency that is very popular with the rich and famous, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
Some of the ads feature an image of Trump as a realtor on one side while on the other side is a picture of one of the offending celebrities. "Moving to Canada election day sale: For sales information contact Sotheby's agent Donald Trump," reads the text.
There's also a phone number and a website, GTFOOH.today, which prolific street artist Sabo told The Hollywood Reporter stands for: "Get the f--k out of here today." (The plan is for satirical content at the website while the phone number is actually to a Beverly Hills art gallery that is temporarily closed).
The faux advertisements were plastered all over bus-stop benches in Pacific Palisades, Brentwood and Beverly Hills. The ads also appeared on yard signs one would typically see in front of homes that are for sale. All of the false ads that were peppered throughout some of the fanciest portions of Los Angeles on Sunday are based on real ones from Sotheby's International Realty.
Other celebrities featured in the fake ads include Samuel L. Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Stephen King, Bryan Cranston and Neve Campbell.
"I swear to God, you give these people a platform and they bash you over the head with it every time," said the conservative street artist, who goes by the pseudonym, Sabo.
"Half of Hollywood is moving to Canada if Trump is elected. Not much of a threat when you consider so much of the movie industry has already made their exodus in that direction due to the socialistic mess they've made of California," said Sabo.
"And by the way, why the hell aren't these people moving to Mexico? Too many short, brown people for their liking down there? Not white enough? I created these mock Sotheby's bench advertisements to help them along their way, letting people know their homes are on the market."
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. President of the State Revenue Committee of Armenia Mr. Vardan Harutyunyan has very good perception on the problems of entrepreneurship, which must be solved. Mr. Harutyunyan told reporters in the Parliament that he will struggle in order for the field to open up for business.
Its one month since Im no longer a businessman. Ive been a representative of the business for 25 years, that is large business, and I know very well the problems and issues which must be solved for entrepreneurships, in order for the field to open up. Therefore, we will take steps, you will see. I will struggle against the shadow economy, I will struggle, you will see, Harutyunyan said.
Asked if they will be able to make oligarchs pay their taxes properly, Harutyunyan said: Yes, we will be able.
If there is shadow, I have to know its place. Very short period of time is needed for that. After that short period, when results of the studies will be clear, we will push a serious fight against the shadow economy, he said.
Harutyunyan also mentioned the State Revenue Committee is recruiting professional specialists.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. The renovation of Sundukyan National Academic Theater is completed.
Culture Minister Armen Amiryan, Artistic Director of the Theater Armen Elbakyan, Director Stepan Davtyan toured the theater with reporters on November 7 and reviewed the new stage mechanism, lighting and sound systems.
The renovation began in 2015, financed by an Austrian organization. We received assistance from the Ministry of Culture, Director Stepan Davtyan said.
According to Artistic Director Armen Elbakyan, the new stage equipment allow solving different problems. Decorations are hanged on them. Prior to the renovation their movement made a horrible noise, now there are 47 new equipments on the stage, each of them with 300 kg capacity, he said.
According to him, the artistic level of stage plays does not depend on equipment. It depends on the talent of artists, however the main pulse of the theater is the atmosphere, which is the heart of the play: the equipment will contribute to the formation of that atmosphere, Elbakyan said.
The Sundukyan Theater was founded in 1922.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. This year, the full moons of October, November and December all take place when the moon is at its closest point of approach in its orbit around Earth a so-called supermoon.
October's supermoon occurred on Oct. 16. The next supermoon will be November's full Beaver Moon, which is expected to reach the peak of its full phase on the morning of Nov. 14, at 8:52 a.m. EST (1352 GMT).
This full moon will be not only the closest and brightest supermoon of 2016 but also the largest since 1948, Bob Berman, Armenpress reports an astronomer at the Slooh Community Observatory, told Space.com. What's more, the full moon won't come this close to Earth again until Nov. 25, 2034, according to a statement from NASA.
A full moon occurs each month when the sun, Earth and moon line up, with the moon on the side of the Earth opposite to the sun. The term "supermoon" is used to describe a full moon at its perigee the point in the moon's orbit when it is closest to Earth, causing it to appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter in the sky, NASA officials said in the statement.
November's full moon is also called the Beaver Moon because it arrives at the time of year (in the Northern Hemisphere) when hunters would set traps before the waters froze over, to ensure they had enough warm furs for the winter.
The Beaver Moon follows the full Hunter's Moon of October and the full Harvest Moon of September both of which are also named for seasonal changes that marked times when people would begin to prepare for the colder months ahead. November's full moon also has been referred to as the full Frost Moon, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac.
To round out the trifecta of supermoons for 2016, December will see its full Cold Moon peak on Dec. 13 at 7:05 p.m. EST (0005 GMT on Dec. 14).
"The supermoon of December 14 is remarkable for a different reason: It's going to wipe out the view of the Geminid meteor shower," NASA officials said in the statement. "Bright moonlight will reduce the visibility of faint meteors five- to ten-fold, transforming the usually fantastic Geminids into an astronomical footnote. Sky watchers will be lucky to see a dozen Geminids per hour when the shower peaks."
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Toyota Motor Corp. is looking at mass-producing long-range electric vehicles (EVs) that would hit the market around 2020, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Monday, in what would be a dramatic reversal of strategy for the world's top-selling automaker, Reuters reports.
Even as rivals such as Nissan Motor Co, Volkswagen AG and Tesla Motors have touted pure electric cars as the most viable zero-emission vehicles for the future, Toyota has said it would reserve EVs for short-distance commuting given the high price of rechargeable batteries and lengthy charging times.
By adding longer-range EVs to its product range, Toyota would be changing its tune from promoting plug-in petrol-electric hybrid cars and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs) as the most promising alternative to conventional cars.
The Nikkei business daily, without citing sources, said Toyota would set up a team in early 2017 dedicated to developing electric cars that can travel more than 300 km (186 miles) on a single charge.
The paper added that Toyota aims to begin selling its first long-range EV in 2020 in Japan as well as other markets such as California, and China - the world's biggest car market - which is promoting a switch to battery EVs.
Toyota neither confirmed nor denied the report, saying it does not comment on product development plans. In an emailed response, it said it continued to develop various fuel-efficient technologies, including EVs, with the best application for each in mind.
Toyota has pledged to make all of its vehicles essentially emissions-free by 2050.
Industry experts said emissions regulations in California, widely considered a benchmark in global vehicle emissions standards, and China's push to increase electric car usage could be behind a possible change of heart at Toyota.
"Toyota has been a major hold-out on EVs, but it appears that it now realizes that without them it may be difficult to satisfy tightening regulations," said Takeshi Miyao, managing director of consultancy Carnorama.
"Not (including EVs as an option) would run the risk that it could face sales restrictions in some areas."
From 2018, California and a growing number of U.S. states will require automakers to produce a much larger number of zero-emissions vehicles as a proportion of total sales.
Toyota has promoted FCVs such as its Mirai sedan as the most sensible next-generation option to hybrids, a category it dominates with the Prius, since they have a similar driving range and refueling time to conventional cars. But the lack of hydrogen fuelling stations poses a major hurdle for mass consumption.
Toyota will launch a plug-in hybrid version of the Prius in the coming months. Engineers have told Reuters that in developing a safe and powerful lithium-ion battery for the model, Toyota would be able to produce batteries for EVs in future.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. A criminal case has been initiated by the Investigations department of the State Revenue Committee of Armenia regarding a tax evasion case involving great sums of money, the SRC told ARMENPRESS.
Based on documents received from the tax control agency, it was revealed that a company registered in Yerevans downtown Moskovyan Street, K and AK Ltd., has constructed a multi-apartment building and has alienated all of its units to three foreign companies which do not have official registration in Armenia AK and AK Building Technologies Limited, AIG and Lasked Limited.
Afterwards, AK and AK Building Technologies Limited has sold apartments and parking spaces from that building in the offshore zone British Virgin Islands, however the company failed to present tax reports and evaded tax obligations.
According to initial calculations, in terms of VAT and profit tax without penalties and fines the companys obligations amounted 251.065.000 AMD, Samvel Sinanyan, a SRC official said.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. The Government of the UK is quietly preparing the first draft of a bill to trigger Article 50 - the formal process to divorce the EU - in case it loses the appeal in the Supreme Court, Sky News reports.
A senior Government source told Sky News it was "sensible" for the Government to draw up a bill now in order to keep Theresa May's Brexit timetable on track should it be forced to grant a vote on activating Article 50 through Parliament.
While in public the Government has insisted its focus is on challenging the High Court ruling that it must consult Parliament on the process of triggering formal talks to leave the EU, in private ministers and civil servants are working on alternatives in the event No 10 loses its appeal.
Sources told Sky News that the Government needed to begin work on a bill now in order to have enough time to push it through Parliament by the Prime Minister's deadline for triggering Article 50 by the end of March 2017.
Primary legislation could take at least six weeks to clear both Houses of Parliament and is also subject to amendments, which gives MPs and Lords huge scope to change the tenor of the bill - making Mrs May's March deadline look tight.
Other options being discussed include activating formal EU exit talks through a so-called statutory instrument or a resolution.
Both parliamentary mechanisms appeal to No 10 because they avoid days of debates and amendments, but legal brains such as the former attorney general, Dominic Grieve, believe these options would not be legally sufficient.
David Davis, the Secretary for Exiting the EU, will update MPs on the High Court case on Monday afternoon when he makes a statement to the House reiterating the Government's determination to win its appeal against the High Court ruling and stick to its March deadline.
Last week, Downing Street refused to say whether legislation was being drawn up for triggering Article 50 in case the appeal fails, stressing it was focused on winning the case.
While the Prime Minister has a majority in the House of Commons to push through Article 50, opposition MPs will today press Mr Davis for more transparency over his closely held Brexit plans.
Sir Keir Starmer, shadow Brexit secretary, said Labour will not block Article 50 but has also insisted the Government must show MPs its "basic plan" for leaving the EU first.
Sir Keir said MPs could not vote on the issue "in a vaccum". He said that while Labour MPs would not "frustrate the process" the party did have red lines on retaining the "fullest possible access to the single market" and staying in the customs union.
Meanwhile, a group of Mrs May's own backbenchers - including Mr Grieve and former education secretary Nicky Morgan - sent a message to No 10 indicating they would vote for a one-line bill mandating the Government to trigger Article 50.
In return they are also demanding that she publishes a white paper setting out her priorities for a deal, according to the Sunday Times.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Defense Minister of Armenia Vigen Sargsyan on November 7 held a meeting with Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Ambassador Argo Avakov, press service of the Ministry told Armenpress.
At the meeting issues related to the cooperation agenda between the Defense Ministry and the OSCE Office in Yerevan, as well as the ongoing joint projects were discussed. The sides highly appreciated the continuous expansion of mutual cooperation sectors and the realization of a number of projects within the framework of bilateral cooperation.
Vigen Sargsyan attached importance to the assistance of the OSCE Office in Yerevan aimed at strengthening army-society ties, ethics in the defense sector, reducing corruption risks, raising awareness on the rights of servicemen.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. The Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh held a consultation on November 4, press service of the Armenian MFA told Armenpress.
For that purpose Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Karen Nazaryan has departed for Stepanakert where he held working discussions with NKR Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan.
Issues related to the further development and expansion of the existing cooperation between the two Ministries, as well as the coordination of works carried out at the European direction in the bilateral and multilateral platforms were on the consultation agenda.
NKR President Bako Sahakyan on November 5 held a meeting with Karen Nazaryan. During the meeting they discussed issues related to the mutual cooperation in foreign policy sector and summarized the consultation results.
The NKR President attached importance on holding regular consultations, working visits and meetings between Stepanakert and Yerevan.
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Malaysia: Corporate Income Tax to be Reduced for Profit-making Companies
In the forthcoming Assessment Year (AY) 2017, beginning January 1, 2017, as well as AY 2018, companies registering an increase in revenue, compared to the previous AY, will be eligible to pay a reduced rate of corporate income tax (CIT) on the increased amount.
As per the new measure, companies increasing their annual revenue by at least five percent over the previous year will get a one percent reduction in the 24 percent CIT rate on the incremental portion of taxable income. The tax cut will rise on a sliding scale to four percent in line with revenue increases of 20 percent or more. For example, if a company increases its chargeable income from RM 10 million in AY 2016 to RM 12 million in AY 2017, the income tax rate for the first RM 10 million will be 24 percent, and the income tax rate for the additional RM 2 million will be 20 percent.
In addition, a tax incentive has been introduced for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) whereby the income tax rate on the first RM 500,000 (US$120,222) will be reduced from the current 19 percent to 18 percent with effect from AY 2017. The changes are part of the Budget 2017, which will also include incentives for other sectors like hotels and insurance. Despite these incentives, analysts have stated that the tax reduction is still not attractive as compared to other ASEAN countries.
Indonesia Climbs Ease of Doing Business Index by 15 Spots
Indonesia moved up 15 places in this years Ease of Doing Business 2017 index of the World Bank. Indonesia moved to 91 from 106 among 190 world economies. The improvement has been attributed to the removal of several unnecessary regulations by the government. Improvements were particularly felt in Jakarta and Surabaya, which are two of the biggest industrial cities in the country. Indonesia improved on several factors, including access to electricity, registration of property, payment of taxes, use of online systems, and the scrapping of paid-in minimum capital requirement for SMEs among others.
Nevertheless, government officials have stated that a special team needs to be assigned to monitor ease of doing business in order to attract more private investment. The government has released fiscal stimulus and economic reforms through 13 packages since September 2015 aimed at boosting investment; the 14th package focusing on e-commerce is scheduled to be released this week. Ahead of Indonesia was Malaysia at 23rd, Thailand at 46th and Vietnam at 82nd.
Cambodia to Sign Agreement to Export Rice to Indonesia
Cambodian authorities have prepared a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indonesia which will allow it to export one million tons of rice as per a new quota system. The MoU is expected to be signed soon. Government estimates forecast that three million tons of rice are expected to be produced this year, depending on how the grain is harvested and stored.
Nevertheless, officials have stated that even when the MoU is signed, Cambodia will have to compete with other rice exporters such as Thailand and Vietnam. Difficulties that prevent the country to increase rice exports include capital shortages, inefficient logistical capacity, inadequate storage capacity, and the high cost of electricity.
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.
Focus is on economic relations, military alliances and strategic interests. Clinton is seen as naturally continuing Obama's policies. Trump is deemed "unpredictable", but he is liked in China and North Korea. A survey in the Middle East indicates that half of the respondents would not vote for either candidate, but Americas choices will continue to affect the region.
Washington (AsiaNews) A day before the US election, Asian media look at its effects on economic relations, military alliances, strategic interests, and world politics. According to the latest polls, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has a slight lead over her Republican rival Donald Trump.
The pending US elections has mostly sparked indifference in the Middle East and North Africa. An Arab News/YouGov poll across 18 countries in the predominantly Muslim region found that almost half of respondents would not vote for either Clinton or Trump, against 44 per cent who would vote for Clinton and 9 per cent for her Republican rival.
Middle East
Despite this lack of interest for the candidates, an overwhelming majority (for 91 per cent) believes that the outcome of the elections will have an impact on the Arab world.
In Egypt, where many closely followed the rise of Barack Obama in 2008, most people are more concerned about domestic issues and the economy. Trumps "hostility" towards Muslims is well known, but for a majority neither candidate makes any difference.
There is greater interest in Iraq, a country that has changed since 2003 precisely as a result of US intervention and policies. Some, although they blame the Republicans for the invasion under George W. Bush, seem to prefer Trump, seen as better "in the fight against terrorism."
Others still remember Clintons "controversial choices" when she was secretary of state during Obamas first term in office. In fact, for many, US foreign policy is the main culprit for the chaos that has hit the region after the Arab Spring uprisings.
The situation is different in other Gulf countries. According to Abdel Khaleq Abdullah, an Emirati analyst, local rulers are cheering for a Clinton victory because she has " knowledge of the region's issues".
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are hoping that Obamas successor will end the (partial political) opening to Iran and the agreement over Tehran's atomic program. The next tenant of the White House is expected to take a tougher approach to the Islamic Republic.
One Saudi writer said "we have a huge experience with Clinton and she has a much better, clearer idea about foreign policy and Saudi Arabia". Conversely, "with Trump it's total unpredictability."
Southeast Asia
In the Philippines, several analysts view Hillary Clinton as the best candidate for the country, expecting her to maintain the status quo. Trumps protectionism could damage US companies overseas activities.
Still, the Filipino economy will be okay regardless of the outcome of US presidential elections, said President Rodrigo Dutertes newly-appointed trade envoy to Washington.
"Frankly speaking, for me, I really want to see Trump win the election. If Trump wins, the world will be changed and will be better because Trump is a businessman and as a businessman he never wants war," Cambodias Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a lecture to about 1,000 police officers at the Royal Police Academy.
Almost for the same reason, "I think Hillary Clinton will be preferable for Thailand in the long term based on their trade policies," said Charl Kengchon, managing director of Kasikorn Research Center (K-Research).
East Asia
In China, the US election is closely followed, but with a sense of mockery and superiority. In general, it seems that the Chinese those in China and those who emigrated to America prefer Trump because he projects the image of a strong man and is seen as a pragmatist. Clinton is seen negatively because she has increasingly criticised China.
The Global Times, which is linked to the People's Daily, the Chinese Communist Partys daily, slams Americas "dubious" campaign and democracy. The clashes and low blows, the sexual scandals and mutual accusations by the two candidates seem to give Chinese leaders reasons to despise Western democracy.
The newspaper attacks US media for their one-sidedness in favour of Clinton, showing "the venal nature of American democracy" as well as Wall Streets support for the former secretary of state.
However, some bloggers and especially young people like the disastrous campaign. "Two bad candidates are better than a great leader of a country that is not Democratic, wrote Hu Xingdou in a post.
In Japan, one survey found that 88 per cent of Japanese voters would opt for Hillary Clinton if they had a vote, with a mere 7 per cent having a positive personal impression of the Republican candidate.
Asked to choose the attributes that most accurately describe Trump, Japanese people selected "arrogant", "unpredictable" and "divisive". Clinton, on the other hand, was seen as being "well-prepared", "diplomatic" and "steady".
In North Korea, leader Kim Jong-un has not publicly spoken about the US presidential election. However, the DPRK Today newspaper has described the billionaire property mogul as a "wise politician" and a "prescient presidential candidate", open to dialogue and ready to criticise Barack Obamas action.
In South Korea, most people dislike the Republican candidate for his intolerance towards ethnic minorities and his threat to increase the costs of US troops in South Korea.
South Asia
All South Asian countries have closely followed the US election. Some local newspapers have sided openly with the one or the other candidate, others were more "lukewarm" in their political analyses.
In India, most media favour Hillary Clinton. An article in todays First Post, Donald Trump is portrayed as a "suit-clad businessman-turned-TV producer-turned-politician who has a reputation of being an arrogant and indefatigable arguer, a stereotypical tax evading businessman, not really known to treat women with respect [. . .]. In short, a perfect specimen of a bully in American flicks that no one wants to associate with, forget accepting as their chief commander.
Indian newspapers also point to the Republican candidate's position on Muslim immigration. For some commentators, his Florida speech describing delocalisation as job theft by India and China is an insult.
In Pakistan too, most comments are in favour of the Democratic candidate. On Dawn, former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar says that Hillary Clinton will win the United States presidential election as she is considered more suitable, respected, experienced and sensible candidate.
In Bangladesh, Clintons election would represent a continuation of Obama's policies whereas Trump is seen as an "unknown" quantity.
Newspapers report surveys conducted in October with 1,353 small businesses across the country, shows that a majority of employers prefer Trump due to his positions on health insurance (55 per cent to 45 per cent for Clinton), as well as taxes (66 per cent to 34 per cent) and trade (55 per cent to 45 per cent).
Damascus (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Kurdish and Arab militias have launched an operation to capture the city of Raqqathe stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) in Syria since January 2014. Air US-led coalition raid supporting the ground advance of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which, together with Arab ethnic militias, have gained territory in the areas north of the city.
The offensive, which was announced during a press conference held at Ain Issa, about 50 km from Raqqa, began yesterday and is divided into two different phases. The first aims to isolate the city and surround Daesh [Arabic acronym for the Islamic state]. The second step is to clean the city of jihadists.
The start of the offensive against the stronghold in Syria comes three weeks after the start of a similar operation in Iraq, to wrest Mosul from the jihadists.
In a study released by IHS Conflict Monitor shows that, from the beginning of the year, Daesh has lost at least 16% of its territories and more than a quarter compared to January 2015. A possible defeat of the jihadists in Raqqa (and Mosul) would mean the end of the so-called "Caliphate".
The military operation against Raqqa, called "Wrath of the Euphrates", involves about 30 thousand fighters. In addition there are about 50 American war experts, with the task of guiding and coordinating air strikes.
Since its capture by the Islamic state, Raqqa (such as Mosul) has been the scene of some of the worst atrocities committed by jihadists from stoning to beheadings, trafficking of sex slaves to the burning of prisoners of war.
The US-led international coalition is taking part in both the offensive against Mosul, and the Raqqa assault. However, analysts and military policy experts point out the profound differences of the two operations. After five years of war, which has caused 300 thousand deaths (430 thousand according to other sources) and millions refugees, Syria is fragmented among the various actors in the field: forces loyal to President Assad, rebel militias, the opposition forces and jihadist groups, including IS.
In addition, the coalition is engaged in the advance against Mosul in support of the Iraqi government. The situation in Syria is different, where much of the West and the Arab world is in open opposition to President Assad in Damascus.
Turkey, which borders the north of Syria, is not taking part in the offensive against the IS stronghold. The Syrian Democratic Forces have "agreed" with Washington that "there will be no role for Turkey or its allied forces' in the operation in Raqqa.
Ankara considers Kurdish militias committed on Syrian soil a hostile force because of their links to the PKK, the Kurdish Workers Party banned in Turkey because it is considered a terrorist organization.
With Diwali, pollution levels in Delhi hit the highest point in 17 years. On 2 October, India ratified the Paris Climate Agreement, but does not seem hard pressed to implement it.
New Delhi (AsiaNews) Air quality in the Indian capital has almost reached its worst point in 17 years.
In view of the situation, about 1,800 municipal schools have shut and 900,000 pupils sent home for three days because of pollution levels enhanced by celebrations associated with Diwali, the Festival of Lights, a time when revellers light fireworks and oil lamps.
The festival, which ended last Thursday (3 November), raised the level of fine particles (PM2.5) to 800 micrograms per cubic metre, 90 times WHOs limits.
In addition to the school shutdown, Delhi authorities announced other measures against the emergency situation, such as a five-day ban on construction work for, and closing the Badarpur power plant for ten days.
Experts doubt this will be enough to clean up the city. The measures taken are fine, but unless theres restraint on the numbers of vehicles, including trucks, it wont be helpful, said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
In 2014, WHO ranked the Indian capital as the most polluted city in the world. The air pollution level in Delhi has reached a stage where people should evacuate the city, said Ravi Agarwal, director of Toxics Link, an environmental NGO. For him, the situation is unimaginable.
Air pollution is the leading cause of premature death in India. WHO figures show that about 620,000 people perish every year from pollution-related diseases.
In December 2015, world leaders agreed to COP21 negotiations to keep global warming below 2 centigrade. On 2 October, India ratified the Paris Climate Agreement, which came into effect on 4 November; however, it still seems reluctant to implement it.
by Paul Wang
Democrats say Beijing decree voids the territorys judicial system. At least 11 thousand protesters clash with police. Governor CY Leung pressed to pass a law on security, rejected many times by the population.
Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - Beijing has decreed that two young localist deputies who had refused to swear alliance with China be excluded from Hong Kong parliament. This resulted in over night clashes between police and thousands of young people demonstrating outside the High Court in Hong Kong.
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Chinas highest legislative authority - ruled on a precise interpretation of the Basic Law (Hong Kongs constitution) stating that anyone who fails to submit to the established oath, cannot take their seat Hong Kongs parliament (Legco).
The two young localist, Sixtus Baggio and Leung Yau Wai-ching had refused to swear alliance with China. The chairman of the Legco had first asked them to retake the oath, but then the government referred the matter to Hong Kong High Court to check the terms of their definitive expulsion from the Legco.
Beijing took action before the High Court had ruled.
According to the democratic group, which sympathizes with the two young parliamentarians, the Basic Law already says that a Member can be excluded from the legislation only by the vote of two thirds of Legco.
According to Martin Lee, a Democrat, drafter of the Basic Law, Beijings decree "takes away the right to address such cases in the future from the hands of the court," weakening "the high degree of autonomy" of always promised by China to the territory. But other pro-Beijing legislators appreciate the intervention as "necessary and at the right time", making Hong Kong stable and of less concern for its economy.
As news of Beijings intervention spread thousands of people took to the downtown streets in protest. Many of them had participated in the Occupy Central demonstrations in 2014, to demand full democracy to the territory (denied by Beijing in a heavy handed intervention).
At least 11 thousand demonstrators were confronted with police in riot gear, who used pepper spray and baton charges against the crowd that defended itself with umbrellas.
Sixtus Baggio and Leung Yau Wai-ching were among protesters. They believe that Beijing should have left the Hong Kong court to decide what to do.
Fearing new and future demonstrations or sit-ins such as Occupy Central which lasted over two months, Leung Chun-ying, Governor of Hong Kong threatened to immediately approve a law on security, the notorious Article 23, which in the past had been rejected by the people of Hong Kong with massive demonstrations and by the Legco, thanks to the presence of many democratic legislators who are not subservient to Beijing.
by Mathias Hariyadi
Buni Yani, a communications professor at the London School in Central Jakarta, is accused of having manipulated the words of the capitals Christian governor to make them offensive to Islam. He defended himself by saying he did it "by mistake", but the public wants an investigation.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) A petition has gathered more than 100,000 signatures calling for legal action against the man who appears to have incited the protests on 4 November in Jakarta.
Buni Yani, a former journalist and communications professor at the London School in Central Jakarta, has confessed to manipulating the words of the capitals governor, which led to charges of blasphemy against him.
For several weeks, Jakartas governor, Tjahaja Ahok Basuki Purnama, an ethnic Chinese and a Christian, has been under attack after he was accused of "slandering of Islam".
Last Friday (4 November), tens of thousands of Islamic radicals took to the streets to demand his prosecution. The event, which resulted in violence, was infiltrated by political agitators with the aim of discrediting President Joko Widodo.
After calm returned to the capital, questions were asked as to what could have unleashed this wave of protests. At present, Yani is the only suspect.
Speaking on television, the professor admitted that he had misrepresented Ahoks words and omitted word by mistake, changing the meaning of the sentence and modifying it to an insult against the Muslim community. He rejected however the accusation that he was behind the protest movement that ended in the demonstration in Jakarta.
In his original statement Ahok said was: "do not believe everything what people say . . . because often you are deceived by using verse 51 of Al Maidah (the fifth surah of the Quran). By omitting "using, it left the impression that he was saying that the Quran deceives Muslims.
According to many observers, the case against the governor now falls apart. Yani appears to have deliberately posted a doctored video online showing Ahok uttering the offending phrase, and accused the political leader on his Facebook page of religious defamation".
On the basis on Yanis "confession", the petition calls for the police to shed light on the case and charge the professor with moral and intellectual dishonesty. "His action are a provocation that degenerated into fury among most Muslim communities.
Some academics slammed the whole blasphemy episode as a set-up to harm the Christian governor.
"Are God and religion so weak that they need to be defended by their community?" asks Sarlito Wirawan Sarwono, a professor of psychology at the University of Indonesia.
Islam, he noted, does not need to be defended. By contrast, if anyone needs to be defended it is orphans and people down on their luck.
The two were traveling with their yacht in southern Philippine waters when they were attacked by jihadists. Sabine Merz died trying to resist her attackers. Jurgen Kantner, 70, contacted the authorities and identified. The couple had been kidnapped by Somali pirates in 2008.
Manila (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The jihadist Abu Sayyaf group allegedly killed a German woman and kidnapped her husband. Yesterday morning a yacht was found in the waters of Tawi-tawi (the southernmost province of the Philippines). Aboard the lifeless body of Sabine Merz, a German national, who had been shot dead. There was no trace of her husband Jurgen Kantner, 70 years.
Muammar Ashkali (aka Abu Ramie), self-proclaimed spokesman of Abu Sayyaf, has contacted the authorities claiming responsibility for the attack and the kidnapping: "Unfortunately the other is dead - he said, referring to the woman - she tried to fire and so we shot her and she died. " During the phone call, Kantner was able to speak with authorities and identify himself.
The German couple had already suffered a kidnapping. In June 2008, the two were kidnapped by pirates off Somalia and held for 52 days. According to a German newspaper they had been released after payment of 600 thousand dollars, but Kantner has refused to explain the conditions of his release.
Abu Sayyaf is small but makes up for it as the most dangerous and violent Islamist groups fighting for the secession of southern Philippines. It is very active in the provinces of Basilan and Sulu (whose capital is Jolo). Kidnapping for ransom is their largest source of income.
In 2016 the jihadists were responsible for the beheading of the Canadian John Ridsdel. According to some sources, the group could be the same group that released the former PIME missionary Rolando Del Torchio.
by Weena Kowitwanij
Capuchin Brother Anuchitt Somboonpermpoon remembers the visits to Thailand of Saint John Paul II and Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Thais are fortunate to have their own Blessed and King Bhumibol, who sacrificed himself for his people.
Bangkok (AsiaNews) Thailand "is fortunate to have been visited by two great saints, Saint John Paul II and Saint Teresa of Calcutta, and privileged to have the Blessed Fr Nicholas Kitbamrung, whom John Paul II beatified on 5 March 2000, and the seven Blessed in Song Khon district, whom the pope beatified on 22 October 1989, the first Thai Catholics to be so recognised, said Brother Anuchitt Somboonpermpoon, a Capuchin friar, during the homily in yesterdays Mass.
An ethnic Karen and from the northern province of Chiang Mai, the brother remembered John Paul IIs visit to Thailand in 1984, and described the benefits Thai Catholicism gained from the two saints time in the country. However, "There is another man to consider, he noted, namely King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
I did not know a lot about him before his death, he said. When he passed away I read the story of his life. I think His Majesty should be considered a saint on earth and in the hearts of all Thai people. He sacrificed himself with devotion so that everyone could have better living conditions."
by Bernardo Cervellera
The faithful of the underground Church are frustrated by the Holy Sees overlooking them. There have been no underground bishops, but only apostolic administrators, for almost 20 years. In the eyes of the faithful, this decision is a kind of death sentence for their communities. "Embraces", meetings and souvenir photos with the pope for officials; no meetings or blessings for underground priests, and bishops. The question of registration to the Patriotic Association. An official bishop: "We are all puppets. We just do what they tell us to do". A double defeat for the Vatican and China.
Rome (AsiaNews) - There is a widespread "despair", "bitterness", and even "anger" among the underground community of the Catholic Church in China. Underground communities are those who in the name of religious freedom guaranteed in the Chinese constitution, reject all the controls put in place by the Government on religious personnel, places of worship, activities, teachers and texts to be published and read. Above all, they refuse to sign up and this is part of the conditions imposed by the government to the Patriotic Association (PA), whose statutes outline a national Church independent of the Holy See, because it is against the Catholic faith.
According to some priests, it was this "desperation" that pushed Fr. Dong Guanhua (underground priest) to be ordained illicitly, publicizing the announcement of his ordination along with his phone number and offering to ordain other bishops without the Holy Sees mandate.
The incident is very ambiguous (Fr. Dongs mental health; the doubts of those who ordained him and when; the questions about who is the real instigator of this episode: whether it is someone in the underground Church or some government spy trying to humiliate all underground Catholics). The fact remains - demonstrated by the many comments that are on the internet - that the faithful of the underground Church are frustrated by the Holy Sees "oversight" toward them.
Some of them point out that for at least 20 years the Vatican has failed to appoint a successor when an underground bishop bishop dies, but at most indicates a priest as an apostolic administrator. In the eyes of the faithful, this decision is a kind of death sentence on their communities and dioceses. This has given rise to their "desperation". Especially since at the same time, they see that the Vatican approving episcopal candidates who have already registered with the Patriotic Association, while rejecting it as "incompatible with Catholic doctrine" is by Benedict XVI as Pope Francis.
The recent news of an "imminent" agreement between China and the Holy See, of the "imminent" removal of the excommunication and reinstatement of the eight illegitimate official bishops (some with wives and children) exacerbate this sense of frustration. Some accuse the Vatican of using "double standards", embracing official bishops and priests while being completely indifferent to and even marginalizing unofficial ones.
A young priest from the underground Church in the center of China noted that for many groups of the official church, who go as pilgrims to Rome, the Secretary of State does all it can to help them meet with the Pope and even to take a group photo.
For example, on 5 October in St Peter's Square, a hundred faithful from the Diocese of Suzhou (Jiangsu) took this picture with the Pope and with their Bishop Msgr. Joseph Xu Honggen (see photo). Now Msgr. Xu is a great bishop on his own merit, recognized by the government and the Holy See. However, it is virtually impossible for a pastor to be pictured alongside the Pope of Rome without a prior concession from the Patriotic Association. The well-publicized occasion frustrates underground Catholics who, when they come to ask to speak to the Pope of their situation, are beaten back. A priest who for months had been asking for a papal blessing for his bishop in Henan, who was marking 25 years as bishop - often very difficult, under police surveillance and house arrest - was sent packing empty handed. "My bishop he confided - has undergone persecution and faced difficulties to defend the faith and his loyalty to the Pope in all these years. Now they wont even give a sign of support and encouragement to those who need it most. This makes us feel very lonely. "
"Feeling lonely," "abandoned", "forgotten" is a refrain frequently heard among unofficial Catholics from Heilongjiang up to Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia to Guangdong.
Of course, the Vatican, in an attempt to bring the Pope to China and to reach an agreement on the appointment of bishops, and (in the future) diplomatic relations, is very cautious not to give in to some Chinese critics who might accuse it of "meddling in China's internal affairs under the guise of religion ", even supporting persons who commit acts outside the government's control and therefore - according to Beijing -" criminals. "
In addition, as if to avoid any friction with Beijing, the Vatican has decided to stop listening to Card. Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, champion of religious freedom in China and "spokesman" of the underground Church. Even the mission entrusted to Msgr. Savio Hon, a Salesian like Cardinal. Zen, the only Chinese in the leadership of the Roman Curia, secretary of Propaganda Fide, sent to Guam in recent months, is seen as a move away from the Sino-Vatican negotiating table.
It must be said that underground bishops would be willing to register with the government and the Ministry of Religious Affairs, but not to the Patriotic Association, given its "incompatibility with the Catholic faith". Instead the government - in Henan, Anhui, Shaanxi, ... - obliges registry with the Patriotic Association. And even when it promises the bishops that they will be only registered with the Government, automatically supplies them with a membership card of the Association.
To belong or not to the PA is a crucial fact. Not only it submits bishops, clergy and faithful to suffocating controls, with heavy interference in the appointment of bishops, in the positions of the priests, in the assessments on young people's vocations, it also drags the bishops away from the diocese and from their pastoral work for months, to "bring them on vacation" and indoctrinate them. In fact it was an official bishop, with a very high role in the PA who confessed to us: "We are all puppets. We just do what they tell us to do. "
Because of that, even if the Vatican is in agreement with Beijing on the appointment of bishops and gives an indication on the registration of priests, many underground communities have already declared that they will not do it because of conscientious objection. This is not in "disobedience to the Pope," as some commentators have improperly claimed, but a final attempt to safeguard the freedom of the Gospel from being engulfed in a state and political structure, that has nothing to do with faith.
It is likely that a possible agreement between Beijing and the Holy See will not give any indication on belonging to the PA or not, leaving the bishops and priests free to choose within the margins of religious freedom conceded to them. Thus underground Catholics will continue their lives full of risks and possible imprisonment, but without submitting to the PA.
However, this would be a defeat for the Vatican, at least temporarily: in the first attempt at a longed for dialogue with China, it has failed to wrest a minimum freedom for all the faithful, in view of a future, real, peaceful reconciliation of the two communities, the official and underground.
But it will also be a defeat for the Chinese government with the further frustration of its obsession with control. According to some observers, the over- publication of an "imminent agreement" is the result of Beijings so-called "soft power" which it uses to intimidate Taiwan, restless underground communities and drive the Vatican to sign a hasty agreement to hem in the experience of the underground Church, putting the whole Church in the hands of the government and its control.
These two "losses" are not painless: they have generated widespread distrust in the government and the Vatican among the official and underground Catholics, and there is the risk that before distasteful political agreements, the faithful will take refuge in more ways private to live their the faith.
This situation, however, is also an opportunity to help the Church in China not with political dialogue, which closes off entire portions of the Christian community, but in strengthening relations of communion, of friendship, cooperation and especially formation. Diplomatic agreements can wait.
In one of the last conversations I had with the heroic Bishop Anthony Li Duan of Xian, who died in 2006, he said: "There is no need to search for diplomatic relations at all costs between the government and the Holy See. Only when Beijing can guarantee full religious freedom to the Church, should we pursue diplomatic relations. Meanwhile, let us strive to build up the Church and to evangelize Chinese society".
Farmers Fund milk brand gets boost from levy and funds grants to dairy farms
The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is playing an active role in revitalising the dairy farming sector through its ownership of a new brand, and announced today its allocation of 60 first-round grants to dairy farmers.
The source of the funds is a 40 cent levy on each two-litre carton of Farmers Fund milk sold at Coles.
In early September 2016, Coles committed AUD $1 million to the VFF Farmers Fund and to place the Farmers Fund branded milk alongside its own $1 per litre milk.
More than 600 applications for funding were received by the VFF which will now review many of the unsuccessful applications before announcing its second-round allocations.
Applications can still be made but close at the end of December 2016.
The grants allocated are between AUD $5,000 and AUD $20,000 and being used by the dairy farmers for farm improvement works or equipment purchases and even succession planning.
The successful applicants were chosen for demonstrating that the grant would improve their businesses.
VFF is hoping that in the next 12 months the Fund will grow by between AUD $1.5million and AUD $2million.
Despite the fact that the initial deal was made between VFF and Coles in September 2016, the agreement is non-exclusive, however; the Farmers Fund brand is wholly owned by VFF.
Discussions are proceeding with other distribution networks to place Farmers Fund milk into Woolworths.
Western Australian new findings on Vitamin D deficiency and childhood asthma
Australian research has found that children with vitamin D deficiency are more likely to develop asthma.
Researchers at Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI) tracked vitamin D levels in Perth, West Australia, of children at high risk for asthma and allergy from birth to age 10. They found that repeated bouts of vitamin D deficiency in early childhood were linked to higher rates of asthma at age 10, as well as allergy and eczema.
Professor Katie Allen of MCRI says We believe that vitamin D supplementation trials in infancy are essential to answer this important health question.
Although the study did not explore all the causes, Australian Food News notes that a highly successful anti-skin cancer campaign and the increasing time spent indoors has previously been found to be associated with increasing vitamin D deficiency in Australia.
Vitamin D is recognised as an important immune regulator and Australian Food News has previously reported calls for it to be added to bread and milk in Australia.
Margarine in Australia and New Zealand is vitamin D fortified but despite this and the abundance of sunshine in Australia, Vitamin D deficiency is one of Australias most common vitamin deficiencies.
Australia also has one of the highest rates in the developed world of allergic disease, including food allergies.
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The leaders of the European arm of King & Wood Mallesons are in China to discuss with their Chinese counterparts how to help the embattled partnership.According to a report from Legal Week, a former KWM partner said that the EU bosses are trying to play on the reputational damage the Chinese arm would face if Europe goes under. Tim Bednall who was elected to his post as current Europe, UK and Middle East (EUME) managing partner in October and senior partner Micheal Cziesla are said to be discussing help from the Chinese partnership.The aid from the legacy King & Wood partnership may include financing for the legacy SJ Berwin business.KWM is a Swiss verein, operating separate partnerships after Chinas Red Circle firm King & Wood PRC merged with Australias Big Six firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques in 2012 and subsequently merged with Britains Silver Circle firm SJ Berwin in 2013.The news of KWMs Europe bosses looking to the China partnership for help comes after the EUME arm cancelled a 14 million (about $22.76 million) capital call after further partner exits.High-profile City partners Michael Halford, Jonathan Pittal, Andrew Wingfield and Rob Day departed last week. The partners are believed to have been bringing about 9 million (about $14.63 million) in billings yearly, Legal Week reports.The capital call was seen as one of the last efforts KWM could do to stabilise the EUME arm. The partnership has 35 million (about $56.9 million) in debt.In August, KWMs bankers, particularly Barclays Bank, placed tighter lending restrictions after the law firm signed a debenture.Its still uncertain whether the Chinese partnership will help the EUME partnership, with former partners telling Legal Week conflicting sentiments.One former China partner said the Chinese arm may be reluctant to aid Europe even though the Chinese partnership is in good financial standing. The legacy Mallesons partnership in Australia, however, may be open to help the struggling Europe business, the partner added.In late September, KWM was reported to have retained its third spot in a ranking of firms in China by revenue after it reached annual turnover of RMB2 billion (about $394 million), just behind Dentons RMB2.9 billion (about $572 million) and Zhong Luns RMB2.1 billion (about $414 million).Another partner told Legal Week China is likely to provide financial aid saying I think its worth more to the Chinese parts of the business to keep Europe going.
By Giles Hamm, PhD candidate in archeology, La Trobe University
The Warratyi rock shelter in the Flinders Ranges, 550km north of Adelaide, is an impressive place.
The South Australian cave is a natural geological feature and it stands out from the surrounding ridges. Its located in a strategic position, elevated high above the local landscape, giving it a commanding view of the gorge below.
It provides good protection from extremes of heat and cold, and Aboriginal people would no doubt have been naturally attracted to the place through the countrys history.
From the evidence we have found so far, published in Nature this month, it appears they came back repeatedly to use the site over many generations from as early as 49,000 years ago. It would have been a place of local cultural significance given the visual appearance of the cave itself.
The search for early life
This wasnt the first site to be examined in our search for evidence of early human existence in Australias central region.
I had investigated a number of open sites (near the edges of creeks) in the Southern Flinders Ranges but couldnt really get a well-stratified sequence or intact deposit good enough for excavation purposes.
I had also recorded a series of ancient rock engraving sites in the Northern Flinders Ranges, which is what actually led us to Warratyi.
Warratyi is special because it has this amazing, intact, well-layered structure with so much archaeological evidence in only a metre of deposit. It is an archaeologists dream to find such a site.
A rich find
We have now recovered more than 4,300 stone artefacts, 3kgs of animal bone, emu egg shell material, red ochre, white gypsum pigment, lots of plant remains and charcoal.
The deposit had lots of features such as bands of hearths (ancient fire places) around the walls of the excavation trenches, so visually we knew that the site was well occupied.
This evidence tells us that people were hunting local wildlife such as the Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby that lives in colonies around the local area, high along the ridge tops.
People were collecting emu eggs on a seasonal basis, then taking them into Warratyi and cooking them. They were collecting local bush tucker foods like Quandong (a sweet fruit like berry) and Bash Bananas as snacks.
We even have evidence of people cooking a small skink lizard called a Shingleback.
People were gathering fibrous plants and probably processing them in the shelter, perhaps to make nets to catch the Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby. We still have to prove this, but we know that this local plant was not eaten.
They were also using gypsum (white pigment like material) and red ochre very early in the sites occupation. These pigments were probably applied to the body for ceremonial purposes and mixed with animal fats, which allowed them to better stick to the persons body.
How ancient?
The human use of the site is dated to between 49,000 and 45,000 years ago, which shows that Aboriginal Australians settled the arid interior of the country some 10,000 years earlier than previously thought.
We found evidence of the earliest bone tool (pictured, below) in Australia dated to between 40,000 to 38,000 years ago.
This was an amazing bone tool called a uni point, probably made from the shin bone of a Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby. This would have been used to pierce the skins and hides of animals like kangaroos and wallabies, which Aboriginal people used to make skin bags for carrying water, among other things.
We found a lot of tools used for wood working and processing plant matter. These are stone flakes which have been shaped around their edges to used as cutting and shaving like tools.
We also found the earliest use of modern backed artefacts, a specialised hunting tool which was probably hafted on a composite spear, dated to between 30,000 and 24,000 years ago.
We even found evidence of the earliest use of ochre dated to 49,000 to 45,000 years ago. The ochre was more than likely painted on the body for ceremonial purposes and mixed with animal fats.
A place for survival
When people arrived at Warratyi the environment and climate would have been better than todays more arid climate, but already it was changing. We know the big lakes were drying out and the rivers would have also been losing quite a lot of water.
By 35,000 years ago? it was becoming drier and colder, and by 24,000 years ago, the Last Glacial Maximum hyper-arid phase had well and truly arrived. This made things very challenging in terms of day to day living in the Northern Flinders Ranges.
At the Warratyi shelter there were lots of bones from a medium sized macropod which we assumed to be Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby.
This wasnt the only macropod we found we had Rufus Hare Wallaby, Bilby, Greater Stick nest Rat, Barred Bandicoot, Rat Kangaroo, Burrowing Bettong, Crescent Nailed Tail Wallaby and Plains Rat.
We also found a lot of small marsupial mice such as the Short Tail Hopping Mouse.
Amazingly, we found dingo bone. They are incredibly rare in Australian archaeological sites so when we find one stratified we get excited. There were also bones from a bigger kangaroo. We found some teeth of a red kangaroo as well.
There were lots of fragments of emu egg shell, many showing signs of being burnt, but no bones of the emu.
Excitingly, on some of the edges of the stone tools we also found feather barbules the remains of bird feathers which probably meant people were working with feathers, perhaps for ceremonial purposes.
Megafauna for food?
The main evidence of megafauna at the site, dating to around 46,000 years ago, comes from a single fragment of Diprotodon (Diprotodon optatum) radius bone.
The other evidence includes burnt eggshell from a giant extinct megapode flightless bird.
But we found no actual cut marks from tool use on the Diprotodon bone, so we cant say for certain it was used for food. The fact that it is in direct association with other archaeological evidence at the site does makes this a very interesting find.
So this has proved to be a remarkable find, and I think there is real chance we will uncover one or two more rock shelters in the nearby area.
But whether they have the same depth of deposit, richness of archaeological finds and the same antiquity as Warratyi remains to be seen.
Giles Hamm does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.
Originally published in The Conversation.
Skilled migration tests for people moving to Australia should be stricter and the number of 457 visas cut back, according to a new report.The analysis from the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) support immigration growth but says that there needs to be a greater focus on the impact of growing migration. It explains that permanent migration could be doubled over the next 40 years and deliver significant per capita economic benefit, but only if the impact this will have on major cities, where the majority of immigrants tend to go to, and the country's infrastructure is taken into account.CEDA chief executive, Professor Stephen Martin, said ensuring continued success with a skills focused migration programme requires getting the right mix of migration and also looking at where migrants settle.'Migration has been a significant driver for our economy, particularly under the skills based approach that has been in place for some time. Australia's migration programme is considered world leading, and the contribution to Australia's economic sustainability genuine but that's not to say Australia's migration programme is problem free,' he pointed out.'A focus on skilled migration has served Australia well and that is why we need to make sure that if we are bringing in skilled labour it is to meet genuine skills shortages, which is why we are recommending a more robust evidence based model be put in place for the 457 visa occupation shortages list,' he said.The CEDA report also recommends shifting to a universal points test for permanent skilled migrants and tightening entry requirements relating to age, skills and English language proficiency.'Alongside getting the right skill mix, we also need to ensure that settlement is occurring in the right places and with consideration for the service and infrastructure needs of a larger population,' added Martin.The report finds that Australia could absorb a greater migration intake, but this could only be done in conjunction with complementary policy that addresses adverse consequences of population growth such as infrastructure provision, urban congestion and environmental degradation.Martin said that there needs to be better long term planning around population growth, taking into account potential migration patterns and Australia should also be exploring options to encourage settlement in regional areas and in particular Northern Australia, given the focus on driving investment and growth in that region.Martin added that improvements also need to be made to the working holiday visa programme, with the report recommending a cap, and a new guest worker programme for specific industries struggling to attract low skilled workers.'While migration shouldn't be relied on as the only driver of economic growth in Australia, if the policy settings are right it can deliver significant economic and social benefits for both existing and new residents,' he concluded.The report also recommends increasing penalties for those found to be exploiting migrant workers, incorporating the economic and social consequences of migration in future intergenerational reports and improving settlement services and support, access to English language programmes and recognition of foreign qualifications.
Hi there,
I am living in Adelaide, SA under PR with my family.
I have done certificate 111 in Administration in Australia before couple of years back and I have some experience in general office administration work in my home country.
I am looking for an any type of general office support work start from begining?
Anyone can help me?? Then I can pass my email to communicate further.
It's highly appreciated.
Thank you,
samadi
Hey guys,
Just a quick question regarding the payment section on the 600 visa application.
Last time my fiance' applied offshore in Bangkok we paid cash and just handed in all the documents that our visa service had already set up we didnt have to sign anything we just gave all the documents for the checklist and the lady from the visa service did the rest and gave it all in a folder for my fiance to hand in to the embassy.
This time we aren't using a visa service and are going for a 6 months one while we wait out our PMV application. In the payment section there is no option for cash on the application and my fiance' is sure she can do it again at the Bangkok embassy.
What should i write in that section on the application?
Thanks
Jarrod
Toyota has launched the new Fortuner with the choice of a petrol and diesel engine; prices start at Rs 25.92 lakh.
Since its launch back in 2009, the Fortuner has established itself as a favourite of large seven-seat SUV buyers in the country. The first-gen model held on to its place as the segment bestseller for a long time, despite the launch of newer SUVs such as the new Ford Endeavour and Chevrolet Trailblazer. Now Toyota has upped its game in the segment with the replacement of the first-gen model with the new larger and more upmarket second-generation Fortuner.
Engines
The Fortuner holds the distinction of being the only SUV in the segment to offer a petrol engine. The petrol engine in question is the same 166hp 2.7-litre four-cylinder engine from the Innova Crysta. The unit is offered with the choice of either a five-speed manual or a six-speed automatic gearbox. For diesel buyers, the Fortuner is offered with a 177hp 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel engine. The unit is paired with either a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox with both getting the option of all-wheel drive. The engines get three drive modes Power, Economy and Normal (default).
Unlike its predecessor, the Fortuner isnt a full-time all-wheel drive with the new Sigma 4 system getting three switchable modes 2WD, 4WD High and 4WD Low. The system also features an active traction control system for all four wheels that individually brakes each wheel to help maintain traction.
Features
The Fortuner gets automatic LED projector headlamps, LED daytime-running lamps, keyless entry and go, powered tailgate with memory function for opening height, electric adjust and retractable wing mirrors, leather upholstery, eight-way power adjust driver seat, Eco and Power drive modes, auto climate control, rear air-con vents, reverse camera, rear parking sensors, 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, and one-touch-tumble second row seats. In terms of safety, the Fortuner comes equipped with seven airbags and ABS.
The SUV also gets features like stability control, hill-hold assist, hill descent control, paddle shifters and cruise control depending on the models specifications. Additionally, all two-wheel- drive models come with 17-inch alloy wheels, while the all-wheel-drive iterations use larger 18-inch units.
Toyota is offering the new Fortuner in a choice of seven exterior paint shades Phantom Brown, Super White, Grey Metallic, Attitude Black, Silver Metallic, Avant-Garde Bronze and White Pearl Crystal Shine.
Price
Prices for the Fortuner petrol start at Rs 25.92 lakh and go up to Rs 27.61 lakh. Prices for the diesel start at a more premium Rs 27.52 lakh and top off at Rs 31.12 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom, Delhi).
The prices for the new Fortuner are as follows:
Toyota Fortuner 2.8 Diesel 4X2 MT Rs 27.52 lakh
Toyota Fortuner 2.8 Diesel 4X2 AT Rs 29.14 lakh
Toyota Fortuner 2.8 Diesel 4X4 MT Rs 30.05 lakh
Toyota Fortuner 2.8 Diesel 4X4 AT Rs 31.12 lakh
Toyota Fortuner 2.7 Petrol 4X2 MT Rs 25.92 lakh
Toyota Fortuner 2.7 Petrol 4X2 AT Rs 27.61 lakh
New Toyota Fortuner review
New Toyota Fortuner photo gallery
Rivals
The Fortuner diesel rivals the likes of the Chevrolet Trailblazer (Rs 23.95 lakh) and the Ford Endeavour (Rs 23.78-29.77 lakh), both of which have recently seen a drop in pricing. Also a rival to the new Fortuner is the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport. The petrol Fortuner, however, doesn't have any direct rival.
William Clay Ford (Jr), executive chairman, Ford Motor Company, to make important announcement in Chennai tomorrow
Ford Motor Co is understood to be taking a serious re-look at its India business. Over the years, Ford India has underperformed in the domestic market while the companys export game plan, to make India an export hub, could have seen far greater success than it has at present. On November 8, 2016, Ford Motor Co is to make a significant and exciting global announcement, representing a major stride in our commitment to India, innovation, and One Ford. The importance of which can be gauged from the fact that William Clay Ford (Jr), executive chairman, Ford Motor Company, will be present along with senior members of Fords leadership team in Chennai.
Reviewing alternatives in India
A clue to Fords realignment about its India operations lies in the presentation made at the Ford Investor Day in Dearborn on September 15, 2016. Among other highlights, the presentation said, Ford is taking a new look at how to lead in select emerging markets. The company sees Russia and South America positioned for recovery, ASEAN remaining profitable and a path to profitable growth in Middle East and Africa. As it pushes for a path to profitability in all emerging markets, Ford is re-evaluating its strategy and business model for India. According to Ford president and CEO Mark Fields, who was quoted in the presentation, During the past six months, weve been focused as a leadership team on building Fords expanded business model with a more clearly defined vision, strategy and roadmap on how to deliver success. Weve been making important decisions and have agreed on three key principles to guide future capital allocation: where to play, where not to play and how to win.
Ford India, which has two plants in India in Chennai, Tamil Nadu and Sanand, Gujarat and a combined manufacturing capacity of 440,000 units per annum, produced 189,433 units in 2016-17 and sold 79,944 cars. On the export front, the company did better, shipping 110,840 units.
At present, Ford India manufactures the EcoSport and Endeavour SUVs, the Figo hatchback and Figo Aspire sedan. More recently, it has introduced the Mustang as a halo CBU product. In the current fiscals April-September 2016 period, the company has sold a total of 46,422 units and exported 73,821 units. Ford India currently has a 3.11 percent market share in the domestic passenger vehicle market.
Earlier this year, Ford Smart Mobility LLC, a Ford Motor Co subsidiary, invested $24 million (Rs 151 crore) in Zoomcar, a Bengaluru-based car rental company. Ford is the startups first OEM investor.
To develop region-specific models
The One Ford policy, under which the same basic models are sold in all regions around the world, has peaked, according to the companys global design chief, Moray Callum. While the policy isn't being abandoned, future models will be tailored to suit the region they will be sold in. Of the policy, introduced by previous Ford boss Alan Mulally, Callum said: It was the right approach at the time. 'One Ford' prompted the development of the Mustang as a global model, the launch of the Fiesta in the US and the arrival of the Brazilian EcoSport crossover in Europe, as well as the disposal of the Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo and part-owned Mazda brands from Fords portfolio. The 'One Ford' strategy was also partly responsible in helping Ford regain its financial health, following the 2008 financial crisis.
The high-performance brand will make its debut in India with the S60 Polestar sedan equipped with a 2.0-litre petrol engine capable of 367hp.
Volvo is all set to join the league of luxury carmakers having performance divisions in India with the launch of the high-performance Polestar brand. Leading the charge will be the S60 Polestar sedan that is set to launch early next year. We had exclusively reported last year about Volvos plans to introduce the Polestar brand in India.
We are looking to launch the S60 Polestar in the beginning of next yearIt will be a good performance alternative and also a petrol alternative for the market, Tom Von Bonsdorff, managing director of Volvo Auto India told Autocar India.
The S60 Polestar coming to the Indian shores could be the updated variant with a four-cylinder 1,969cc 2.0-litre engine putting out 367hp and 470Nm. Earlier, the Polestar used a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six making a lower 345hp but a higher 500Nm.
Apart from the bump in power, the performance sedan comes with an eight-speed automatic gearbox in place of the old car's six-speed. It also gets a stiffer suspension, a larger air intake, a bigger turbo and a higher-capacity fuel pump.
The sedan is equipped with a Polestar-enhanced four-wheel-drive system. Volvo claims a run to 100kph from standstill can be attained in 4.7sec and top speed is electronically limited at 250kph.
Interestingly, in a bid to improve handling, Volvo has cut 15kg from the overall weight and has improved the weight distribution by reducing the load over the front axle.
The Swedish carmaker, which recently launched the S90 sedan in India, is looking to ramp up its presence in the country. Our focus now is on expanding network and building our reputation, Bonsdorff said. The carmaker presently has around 15 dealerships across the country and will soon expand to Lucknow, Pune and Jaipur.
EV
What it remarkably failed to bring , though, was the electric luxury sedan it plans to launch shortly. Called the LeSee Pro, the car has been shown around in its concept form, landing a role in the future Transformers movie as well - which was also the reason why it missed its US appearance.However, that turned out to be the least of LeEco's worries, as a letter to its employees signed by the company's co-founder and renowned Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting revealed the delicate situation it finds itself in. The main idea of the memo is that LeEco is running out of cash due to its exaggerated expansion and will soon have to cut costs.No company has had such an experience, a simultaneous time in ice and fire, read the Yueting's letter, quoted by Bloomberg News . We blindly sped ahead, and our cash demand ballooned. We got over-extended in our global strategy. At the same time, our capital and resources were in fact limited."Among the measures expected are cost-cutting programs, reduced subsidies for customers, and, most importantly for everyone interested in themarket, a switch of focus on existing business as opposed to new ones. It's unclear whether Yueting sees the electric car development as a new business or not, but will get an answer in the following months.Aside from LeSee Pro, LeEco was also backing up financially another EV startup you might have heard of: Faraday Future. This US-Chinese merger is currently in the process of building its own $1 billion Gigafactory in Nevada (where else?). Once that's done, it will be used to assemble the company's first product of many: an electric crossover that's already been teased and should be officially unveiled next January. recent report late last month showed that Faraday Future had fallen behind on its construction bills, with the total debt toward the company contracted to build the facility having reached $60 million. A joint statement from both parties assured everybody that there were no problems and it was all going to be sorted out soon. Now, though, that piece of news can be read in a totally new light.Given the latest developments and today's announcement that Toyota is going to build a battery-powered EV by 2020, it could be that the established carmakers will be the ones that run the electric market after all. Well, them and Tesla, obviously.
Saints previously introduced Unbreakable denim pants could withstand a slide on asphalt for 3.75 seconds. That is a lot compared to the 0.4 seconds average standard denim can hold, but wasnt enough to meet CE level 1 safety regulations.Well, Saint is back now with the Model 1 jeans that can cope with asphalt slides for up to 5.9 seconds. The company claims the new model is the first single-layer type jeans that can truly meet CE level 1 standards. And they do this without relying on Kevlar lining that creates discomfort for the rider.The Model 1 jeans are made using a double warp beam that combines the worlds strongest fiber, known as Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE), with cotton. The structure is rated 15 times stronger than carbon steel at a similar dimension, but its still light enough to float on water.The durable riding jeans are fitted by default with CE level 1 knee armor and CE level 2 hip pads. They are also finished with a triple-stitch seam to prevent ruptures and feature accordion stretch panels at the knee-joint area.Saints Model 1 denim riding pants come in straight leg and boot leg cuts at a price of $350. Might sound a bit steep for a pair of riding jeans, but considering the fact that they come with full armor along with the new material technology and stretch panels, they do seem a good investment. For comparison purpose, the Saint Unbreakable is sold at $500 while the REVIT Rockefeller with Cordura-reinforced denim and Coolmax technology is priced at $350.
EV
The Japanese brand has long proclaimed that the best way to reduce emissions is to use hybrid propulsion or a hydrogen fuel cell as a mobile source of power for electric-only vehicles. Its credo was that range over weight ratio in the case of batteries just didn't make them a viable option to power EVs.It's uncertain whether the advancements in the battery technology or the fact that a lot of its competitors have gone down this way is what made Toyota reconsider, but Nikkei says the Japanese giant will enter themarket as soon as 2020. One other reason might be the appalling reception the Mirai has had, with just 782 sold so far in the US (a lot of which were bought by government agencies).According to the same source, the initial numbers don't sound too impressive. Toyota wants to kick off its EV production with a car capable of driving over 300 kilometers (186 miles) on a single charge, which might have sounded a lot better two or three years ago, but it will definitely be less than overwhelming come 2020, considering most EVs have already gone past the 200 miles milestone.Be that as it may, Toyota can't afford to stand back anymore. Volkswagen may be wounded following the dieselgate scandal from over a year ago, but it can still fight back. Its intentions are very clear, and they are built around making a lot of battery-powered electric vehicles. The Germans showed the I.D. concept in Paris and supported its presentation with a lot of bold claims.Besides that, a lot of markets are now either offering incentives for EV buyers or forcing manufacturers to throw a few electric cars in the mix as well. And we're talking about important countries such as the USA or China, places where Toyota sells most of its cars.After Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz , Toyota looks to be the next big carmaker that is forced to give in and adopt the electrification trend, and they don't come bigger than this. And if it does decide to invest in EVs, it's going to have to do it properly, so expect the competition to heighten. Which is great news for us, the potential buyers.
One of the least known models from this breed was the Volkswagen Passat R36, which was also available in wagon form. The car was discontinued due to lagging sales and stricter environmental standards.Volkswagens diehard fans kept expecting a successor, but the German automaker failed to deliver such a model after it discontinued the R36 and its eccentric engines.Fortunately for those that remained faithful to the Wolfsburg brand, which is not easy these days if you are informed about the emissions scandal, Volkswagen will make something close to a Passat R36, but not quite. First of all, the R36 name is scrapped because there is no way in hell Volkswagen is going to sell a 3.6-liter gasoline engine in a Passat these days.Sources close to the matter claim that Volkswagen was considering the launch of a high-end Passat, which would have been the new R36. Unfortunately, it did not get the thumbs up from the board, mainly because the Volkswagen Group is cutting costs these days to keep things in check after its emissions scandal.Instead of R36, the extraordinary version of the Passat was supposed to be named R . It was supposed to replace the old VR6 engine with a new 2.0-liter four cylinder unit for the successor, which was meant to develop more power and torque than the old Rs used to deliver. Evidently, there was no VR6 noise there, and the car would have been more understated that its predecessors.Fortunately, we already know that Volkswagen is planning to launch a spiritual successor of the R36 , which will come in the form of a 280 HP model named Passat 206TSI R-Line in Australia. This R-Line Passat would therefore be the closest thing that Volkswagen offers as a contemporary R36. Is it enough? We will have to be patient and see how the automaker rebuilds its reputation after the emissions scandal.
When I first read articles about the use of drones in fleet operations, I used to roll my eyes. But, no longer. After talking with many different fleet managers, Ive come to the conclusion that drones in commercial applications will have a major impact in a variety of industries. At most companies, drone operations will fall outside the domain of fleet, at least initially. The utility and cost-effectiveness of drones may buttress a business case that fewer vehicles may be needed due to the efficacy of drones.
Commercial drone flights are banned in the U.S. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded exemptions to allow test flights while the agency formulates formal regulations. Under this program, the FAA has provided 5,500 exemptions to use commercial drones in 42 different applications in the U.S. As FAA restrictions are further eased, my prediction is that drones will proliferate into mainstream business practices, with the insurance and energy industries being in the vanguard.
Use of Drones in the Insurance Industry
Almost all insurance companies, such as Travelers, Hartford, State Farm, Erie Insurance, AIG, USAA, American Family, etc., have received exemptions from the FAA to fly commercial drones. The property insurance industry is testing drones for use in underwriting by helping to determine property values and conditions before issuing policies, as well as for claims after an incident has occurred. One application that the insurance industry is testing is the use of drones for claims inspections, in particular, assessing roof damage. In many cases, drones will make it unnecessary for appraisers to perform the hazardous task of climbing on roofs, thereby reducing Workers Comp claims.
A drone can survey roof damage in real-time and relay data to a claims agents phone, tablet computer, or any device with a WiFi connection. Using a drone to inspect a building after a loss is not only safer, but also more efficient. Initial tests show that by using a drone, adjusters and underwriters can obtain the information they need approximately 10 times faster than before. In addition, drones can be operated at a much lower per-hour cost than manned inspection vehicles and offer the ability to collect data on a pre-programmed repeatable track, providing consistency in the inspection data. However, there are limitations. Drones are not allowed to exceed an altitude of 400 feet by the FAA.
Since the use of drone technology is in its infancy, it is still uncertain the impact drones will have on insurance company vehicle fleets. One argument is there will be less need for larger -ton trucks or SUVs to haul two-story ladders (28-feet) and may allow downsizing vehicles currently used to carry one-story ladders. But the counter-argument is that drones will require larger vehicles than those currently in use. This could play into current dynamics of some field people advocating for SUVs. Drones will require substantial cargo space, which could be remedied by selecting SUVs. Also, most drones are battery powered. If drones are used during an entire work day or for more substantial periods, such as during disasters, it may require specing vehicles with larger alternators to charge drones or additional cargo space to haul a power generator.
Energy Industry a Leader in Use of Drones
Energy companies are reconsidering the ways they inspect equipment and infrastructure by exploring cost-effective alternatives. The energy industry uses drones equipped with thermal imaging and gas sniffer technology to monitor pipelines, fuel storage tanks, and onshore oil platforms to provide rapid response to oil spills and gas leaks. ConocoPhillips conducted the first drone flight in commercial airspace in Alaska in 2013. The cost-effectiveness of drones is appealing to the energy industry, especially at a time of low oil prices and constrained budgets. Drones offer a faster and more efficient way of inspecting energy infrastructure in remote locations versus using 4x4 trucks and manned aircraft.
Commercial Drone Revenues to Hit $82B in 2026
Besides the insurance and energy sectors, many other companies also recognize the benefits of drones and are looking to use them in a wide-range of commercial application. One example is the railroad company BNSF, which is testing drones to monitor and inspect rail tracks and bridges. Other drone applications being investigated include remote reporting capabilities by news organizations, surveying farm crops and monitoring livestock, maritime applications, transporting medical supplies to remote areas, and the much publicized experiments by UPS, Google, and Amazon in using drones for the final mile delivery of parcels.
Also, a new industry is emerging to provide third-party drone services to individuals and businesses on an outsourced basis. Perhaps, we may see this as a future service offering from todays fleet management companies? The commercial drone market promises to grow very rapidly. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx forecasts the commercial drone industry will generate $82 billion revenue by 2026 and create 100,000 new jobs.
Relaxing FAA Rules Inhibiting Drone Use
FAA rules require a commercial drone operator be accompanied by a spotter when flying outdoors. Anyone within 500 feet of a drone flight must be notified, which includes pedestrians and motorists who might be in the coverage zone. New FAA rules have eased strict regulations on who could fly drones, as well as the manpower needed to operate them. The proposed changes would allow for solo operation of a drone. Also, as of Aug. 29, 2016, commercial users will be able to operate a drone after only taking a written exam on drone flight safety.
One major, and ongoing, issue is that there are no national standard regulations governing drone usage. When a business operates a drone in a new location, the company must check state and local restrictions since regulations vary by jurisdiction.
Let me know what you think.
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Photo of Survant courtesy of Shahar Azran.
Charter Communications Senior Director of Fleet George Survant was named the AF Professional Fleet Manager of the Year for 2016. Survant received his award, which is presented by Automotive Fleet magazine and sponsored by Wheels Inc. and the Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association (AFLA), during AFLAs annual conference, which was held in San Diego.
Eligible recipients of the award are full-time commercial fleet managers who control a company-owned or leased fleet in excess of 100 cars and light trucks combined. The award winner is chosen by an industry panel made up of past winners, FMC and OEM executives, and the media. As part of the award AFLA provides a $5,000 scholarship that is awarded to a business program of the winners choosing.
Survant is currently responsible for fleet strategy at Charter Communications in Charlotte, N.C. He became part of Charter Communications when the company purchased Time Warner Communications earlier this year. He joined Time Warner four years ago, and has been in the fleet industry for 40 years.
Combining Fleet Operations
Joining Charter Communications through its purchase of Time Warner Cable and Charters additional purchase of Floridas Bright House Networks has thrust Survant into the role of fleet integrator.
Survant and his counterparts with the legacy fleets at Charter and Bright House are in the process of the combining the fleets into a single 36,700-vehicle operating unit comprised of 20,000 cargo vans, 7,400 pickup trucks, 5,000 aerial trucks, 2,000 SUVs, 350 sedans, 200 heavy-duty trucks, and 90 passenger vans.
One of the key aspects of merging of the fleets is combining their accounting and other administrative systems and processes. On the operational side, the integration is likely to be relatively seamless since all three fleets used ARI as their fleet management company and WEX as their fuel card provider.
Witness to Change
Since entering the fleet industry, Survant has witnessed its evolution from a field dominated by what he calls legacy behavior to one marked by sophisticated, technologically oriented practices.
When I started in this business, the ability to effectively track, measure, and change or improve equipment reliability didnt exist. Just about the only tools you had was to buy a larger percentage of new equipment, he said. Whereas today we have some very, very sophisticated tools to measure and manage equipment reliability, and we have a whole host of new strategies to improve that reliability that go beyond the simple lets-replace-it-now thinking that was prevalent 10 years ago.
When Survant started in fleet, it was common to cycle out vans at seven years and 70,000 miles.
Today, we think those are unnecessarily quick in terms of replacement cycles in that we still like the seven to eight years for a van, for example, but we are considerably closer to 150,000 miles for lifetime mileage, he said. And thats the function of the fact that the products were buying are much better than they were.
The ability to gather data from vehicles and the improvement in vehicle quality over the years have been two of the biggest game changers for fleets, according to Survant.
Those are huge changes in our environment, he said. And were seeing a whole new generation of leaders and practitioners in the fleet management world that are really growing into a much greater level of sophistication with these tools. So its a pretty exciting time to be in the industry.
Implementing Technology
Survant entered fleet at the dawn of the personal computing era, and has seen this technology transform the way fleets operate.
He has also pioneered alternative-fuel technology for the fleets he has managed.
Over the course of my career I have had extensive alt-fuel experience, he said. I ran a pilot DOE Electric Vehicle Program in the early 1980s, so I have extensive experience with this. At San Diego Gas and Electric, I had nearly 1,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. At GTE in Los Angeles, we had methane fueled vehicles which is a fairly rare type of fuel in this day and age and propane autogas, at a number of different locations at different times. So, while having broad experience base with that, we really approach this in a very different way than we did even five years ago. As our thinking about alternative fuel has evolved, our focus today is to burn less fuel. Thats the central watch word.
Survant added he never adopts technology for its own sake. It needs to fit the needs of his stakeholders.
Ultimately, I have three stakeholders that I have to be focused on in a broader context for every decision, he observed. The first stakeholder, of course, is the Charter retail customer. Thats got to be our first and abiding interest. And any decision I make as a fleet operator that might inhibit our ability to respond quickly and effectively and reliably under a huge array of conditions would not be the best decision for our customers. The second stakeholder group is, of course, the shareholders whove invested their money and entrusted it to Charter to give them a good and stable return on investment. And then the third group of stakeholders, who, in our eyes, are as important as the other two, are the people that spend eight, nine hours a day in those trucks, the drivers and supervisors that actually use our product each and every day. So we look through that lens at every decision we make.
This focus ultimately informs every decision Survant and the other fleet leaders at Charter make.
We tailor our solutions set to the practical realities of the opportunities we have in the marketplace through that lens of those three key stakeholders, he said. Translated to real work in the fleet world, what that means is that our trucks are low-density, high-volume material carriers. Typically, our loads dont approach maximal loads on our trucks, except for our employees who are in very remote areas and had to carry two-and-a-half weeks worth to stock on board.
Survant is also careful to look beyond tomorrow when implementing a vehicle or other technological solution.
We are not going to invest in a technology that doesnt have the realistic expectation of surviving the lifetime of a service truck in North America that we would keep in service as long as we do, he said. So its not tomorrows decision, its not next years decision, but its actually a decision for how effective will that truck or pickup or van be, six or seven years from now.
Getting into Fleet
Raised in Kentucky, Survant left home at a young age and was eventually drafted into the U.S. Army where he was trained and worked in communications. After his discharge he went to work for the telephone company, attending night classes at the University of Kentucky where he eventually received a bachelor of arts degree in business management with a minor in mathematics.
The combination of those two things has actually proved to be extraordinarily useful in my fleet career, he said. In later years, I was fortunate to work for a company that believed in Six Sigma, and I got extensive Six Sigma training. And of course all that math background sort of gelled with that, and with the way that we now automate so much of our work.
Survant moved into a fleet position at a large telecommunications company where he was working after turning around a unit that had some significant performance challenges. After successfully turning the unit around, a fleet position opened up requiring solving some of the same performance issues, and Survant has been in fleet ever since.
He later worked for a Florida Power & Light (FPL), and eventually segued back into communications fleets landing at Time Warner Communications.
Rewards and Challenges
If theres a theme to Survants career, it would be problem solving, which started in his first fleet position turning a faltering unit around to his current task as part of the team responsible for merging three fleets into one.
While Survant has experienced numerous successes, he said there are three perennial challenges that he has experienced.
One is finding ways to get the very best effort out of your team on a consistent basis. Sustained excellence is always a challenge. Continuous improvement is always a challenge, he said. Another big challenge is that as the economic environment fluxes or flexes, there are years where the economy doesnt really allow you to make as much investment into your fleet as youd like, or that circumstances of the industry youre in vary. And then the final challenge that Ive seen on more than one occasion is, as you get a new management team, they very often have their own perspective and their own experience with vehicles, and so its really how long its going to take to get through the learning curve, and help them develop the trust in the team and the direction of the team so that they are actively engaged in supporting their best efforts across the board.
Survant has a hands-on approach to managing, finding the right person to build a strong team that works in harmony with one another.
I would prefer to think of myself when Im really doing the right thing is being a conductor of an orchestra and that my job is to get the right portions of the organization deployed at the right moment. Timing, inflection, emphasis those are roles that I find really appealing. And so while Im certainly always in search of improvement, thats at least what Im focused on doing, he said. I like to find really talented and energetic people, and Im a whole lot more comfortable with the more collaborative style. I like to listen to input, a lot of different inputs. And while I am certainly clearly opinionated, and anybody who knows me will tell you that, I typically look forward to an opportunity to be persuaded to see things in a different way.
While Survant can point to numerous accomplishments in his long fleet career, by his own account, his biggest one is a reflection of his personal leadership style.
The single most rewarding thing that I have had happen to me and its happened time and time again is to have an employee come up to me at some point in their career, sometime after theyve worked for me, sometimes years later and say, You made a huge difference in my life. And thats probably the single most rewarding thing I ever get a chance to experience, he said.
Industry Involvement
Survant has not only influenced those hes worked with, he has served the industry as a whole.
He has been active in a number of fleet organizations, including as the past chair for the FPL PAC Trustees, Electric Utility Fleet Managers Conference (EUFMC), and the CalStart Board of Directors. He has also served on several OEM advisory boards and is the past chair of the Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF) Utility Fleet Hybrid Development Team.
He has received numerous industry honors, including the National Safety Council Fleet Award, the NAFA Green Fleet Award, the Sustainable Florida Award, the Blue Sky Award for Leadership, the Vocational Fleet of the Year award, the Eye for Innovation Award from the Biodiesel Board, and a NAFA Fleet Excellence Award for Fleet Sustainability.
Perhaps Survants most unique accomplishments are the two patents he helped to develop.
The first was born out of a tragedy when Survant was working at Florida Power & Light. A worker was killed in a boom accident, and, collaborating with several colleagues at Florida Power & Light, including Glenn Martin, developed a way to predict boom failures called to avoid the type of accident that caused the fatality at Florida Power and Light.
The second patent was developed with Claude Masters and Alan Smith and is a self-powered device that accurately measures how much fuel is in a mobile supply tank of a fuel truck.
Survant sees his industry involvement and contributions as a matter of course.
I had a good friend that was an enormously accomplished guy in the newspaper business, he said, You can be a part of the effort to make a positive change, or you can stand up to one side and complain about it. And that really has driven a lot of my volunteer activity. If I want things to change it will be because I got engaged, Survant said.
Dan Frank (right) along with Bobit Business Media Group Publisher Sherb Brown (center) congratulates AF Professional Fleet Manager of the Year George Survant. Photo courtesy of AFLA.
While this seemed to be the year of the autonomous vehicle, fleet management certainly isnt on autopilot. Fleet managers today are dealing with an ever-increasing amount of change and complexity.
A Year of Change
After many years of deliberation, new accounting standards for leases were finally released. Some states have changed their requirements for vehicle registration, making driver compliance more demanding. A more proactive National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has increased the number and complexity of recalls and changed methodologies for evaluating the safety of vehicles. As Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards continue to increase, the design and cost of vehicles continues to change.
In addition, technology continues to impact our industry. The evolution of new transportation models like Uber, the advancement of autonomous vehicle technology and associated regulations, the introduction of new safety technologies, greater vehicle connectivity and the threat of hacking, cyber security and privacy issues, and the growing distraction and benefits of mobile devices continues to test our industry in understanding and maximizing the benefits of these advancements.
Adapting to Change
Oftentimes this rapid pace of change needs to be tackled with fewer resources. As a result, fleet managers must have many different skills, requiring expertise in risk management, information technology, operations, HR, and procurement. As the breadth of fleet managers skills continue to grow, being nimble and creative is more important than ever to grab hold of todays exciting challenges.
Recognizing Vision
The AF Professional Fleet Manager of the Year Award recognizes and shows appreciation for fleet managers who have shown leadership and success in tackling these issues. Reviewing the list of nominees for the award this year, there was a wide and impressive array of industries, fleet experience, leadership styles, and success stories.
Congratulations to George Survant, senior fleet director at Charter Communications, along with the many other qualified nominees. They are called upon to embrace change and ask the hard questions to successfully execute their vision and continue to shape the fleet industry. George is a visionary leader who today and over the past 40 years has tackled business and fleet challenges head on, taken leadership positions within the industry, and has been at the forefront of sustainability in particular. He is a great example of the impact many fleet managers in our industry are having in running safer, cleaner, and more productive fleets.
We are fortunate to work in an industry that cooperates well and where we all have the opportunity to learn from each other. The media organizations, industry associations, fleet management companies, OEMs, suppliers, and fellow fleet managers have always worked well to understand and address the challenges that face our industry. While keeping up with the pace of change in the fleet industry is demanding, it is also what makes our industry interesting and creates new opportunities for all of us.
Dan Frank is the president of Wheels Inc., and leads virtually all of Wheels business units. He is also president of Wheels Leasing Canada, Ltd., and is chairman of Ixe Fleet, Wheels joint venture in Mexico.
Editor's note: This article first appeared in the November 2016 issue of Automotive Fleet.
A3, the Airbus advanced-projects group based in Silicon Valley, has contracted with two local companies who are tasked with developing a flying prototype of an autonomous electric taxi aircraft by the end of next year. Modern Technology Solutions Inc. (MTSI) will lead the flight-test effort, and Soar Oregon will provide test-range support and other services. This unique air vehicle will challenge traditional flight-test methodologies, said Paul Linnell, who will direct the project for MTSI. A3 officials have said they plan to have a production-line-ready demonstrator ready by 2020, and could have a product ready for the market in 10 years. They foresee a demand for millions of the vehicles worldwide.
At its website for the project, called Vahana, A3 says they aim to create the first certified passenger aircraft without a pilot. Their goal is to help enable truly vertical cities by opening up urban airways in a predictable and controlled manner. The fully automated vehicles will minimize human error, according to the website, to maximize safety. We believe this mode of operation will be compatible with future airspace management systems and will allow more aircraft to share the sky, the website says. Full automation also enables us to make our aircraft as small and light as possible, and will significantly reduce manufacturing costs.
Bombardiers Global 7000 long-range business jet flew for the first time Friday at Bombardiers assembly plant at its private airport in Toronto. The aircraft took off from Downsview for a two-hour, 27-minute flight that went to 20,000 feet and 276 mph. With todays first flight successfully completed, all teams remain focused on meeting the programs development and certification schedule and the aircrafts entry-into-service in the second half of 2018, said Michel Ouellette, the Bombardier VP in charge of the program.
The Global 7000 and the slightly smaller but longer-range Global 8000 were announced in 2010 and were to have been in service by 2016 and 2017 respectively. The aircraft will be built at the Toronto plant but most of the testing will be done at Bombardiers facilities in Wichita, which has better winter weather than Toronto. The 7000 will have an opening list price of $72.8 million and the 8000 will cost $56.9 million. Both are derivatives of the Global 6000.
The Canadian Navy is sending a ship to a remote area of the British Columbia coast to see if an object found by a diver is part of an unarmed atomic bomb jettisoned by a crashing B-36 in 1950. Sean Smyrichinsky told the Vancouver Sun he found a strange-looking piece of metal on the ocean floor off Boyle Point on Pitt Island, about 500 miles north of Vancouver, while diving for sea cucumbers. I found this big thing underwater, huge, never seen anything like it before, Smyrichinsky said. He told others about his find but it wasnt until he related it to a longtime resident of the area did the connection get made. Nobody had ever seen it before or heard of it, (because) nobody ever dives there, he told the Sun. Then some old-timer said Oh, you might have found that bomb.'
That bomb might be a Mark IV atomic bomb of the same type that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945. The U.S. Army has acknowledged that a bomb was jettisoned from a crashing B-36 in that area but that it did not contain any fissionable material. The aircraft was on a training flight from Alaska to California when three of its engines caught fire. The 17 crew members abandoned the aircraft but five died. The aircraft continued inland and crashed near the top of Mt. Kologet, about 200 miles from where the diver made his find. The Canadian Navy says the official record says the bombs core was packed with lead, rather than plutonium, but wants to make sure. However, it likely still has the TNT charge used to detonate the plutonium. The Canadian Armed Forces treats reports of suspected unexploded ordnances very seriously and we continue to investigate this matter, a government official told the Sun.
Teachers and students of a village school in central Armenia boycotted classes on Monday in protest against the provincial governors decision to sack its principal.
Governor Gabriel Gyozalian, who is affiliated with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), has also appointed a young woman apparently related to him as acting director of the secondary school of Aghtsk, a historic village located in his Aragatsotn province.
The decisions seem to have angered many local residents. Dozens of them joined the schools students and teaching personnel in rallying outside the school building to demand that the sacked principal, Harutiun Sukiasian, be reinstated. Some protesters carried posters saying Sukiasian is our director.
We all respect him and dont want him to be fired, said one teacher. This may be a partisan thing: the new governor is a Dashnak, claimed another.
Sukiasian, who is affiliated with the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), also condemned his dismissal. I have appealed to President Serzh Sarkisians staff to look into the matter and restore justice, he said.
Some villagers claimed that Gyozalian has installed his cronies as well as Dashnaktsutyun members in various positions since being appointed governor in March as part of his partys power-sharing deal with Sarkisian.
The new, acting principal, Sona Muradian, is Gyozalians goddaughter. The young woman refused to comment on the controversy.
Gyozalian, meanwhile, denied the allegations of nepotism and partisanship, saying that he simply wants to rejuvenate the school management. He also blamed the sacked principal for the protest.
He has had six or seven of his relatives work in the school and the school is not in good shape, the governor told RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) after meeting with the village mayor and an Armenian parliamentarian born in Aghtsk to discuss the protest.
The protesters also argued that Muradian does not have a special government license needed for running the school on a permanent basis. Gyozalian countered, however, that she will receive one before a panel of representatives of the schools teachers, students parents and the provincial administration meets to elect the new principal.
7 November 2016 11:51 (UTC+04:00)
By Rashid Shirinov
The Armenian armed units breached the truce with Azerbaijan a total of 29 times throughout the day, Azerbaijan`s Defense Ministry said on November 7.
The attacks were carried out from mortars and heavy machine guns in different directions of the contact line between the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops.
The Armenian armed forces, stationed in Armenia's Shavarshavan village in Noyemberyan region and Aygedzor village in Berd region subjected to fire the positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces located in Farahli village of Gazakh region and nameless hills in Tovuz region.
The ceasefire was also violated in Chilaburt village in Tartar region, Bash Garvand, Garagashli villages in Aghdam region, Horadiz village in Fuzuli region, as well as nameless hills in Goranboy, Tartar, Khojavend and Fuzuli regions.
Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.
Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.
Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. have produced no results so far.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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7 November 2016 16:31 (UTC+04:00)
By Rashid Shirinov
Long lines of people waiting outside foreign embassies in Yerevan to file their papers to leave can be seen daily.
The Armenian authorities would like to create the impression that the rumors of thousands leaving Armenia were just a figment of popular myth and a collective nightmarish dream. However, the statistics show that the migration issue in Armenia is indeed a real nightmare.
The permanent population of Armenia by October 1, 2016 did not even reach 3 million it made up just 2,993,900 people, according to the data provided by the National Statistical Service of Armenia. Meanwhile, this figure equaled to 2,998,600 in early 2016.
Thus, for past 9 months the population of the country decreased by 4,700 people.
Moreover, the population as of January 1, 2016 decreased by 12,000 people compared to the same period of 2015.
Desperate Armenian government tries to fill this gap with ethnic Armenians, who have fled the war in Syria. However, majority of Syrian Armenians refuse this proposal maybe they would agree to live in the capital Yerevan, but the authorities try to place them in undeveloped regions, where living conditions is getting worse daily.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in the country made up 18.4 percent in the second quarter of 2016. Thousands of Armenians hold protest because they cannot find any job to feed their families.
In this regard, the fact that Armenia has lost over12,000 people during the last year seems quite logical. Thus, Armenia, one of the poorest countries in the world, can literally turn into an abandoned desert soon.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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7 November 2016 11:16 (UTC+04:00)
By Trend
The Financial Markets Supervision Chamber of Azerbaijan and the World Bank (WB) have discussed an action plan for reforms in the field of banking supervision, the Chamber reported on November 7.
During the meeting, Rufat Aslanli, chairman of the Board of Directors of Azerbaijans Financial Markets Supervision Chamber, and Angela Prigozhina, WB private and financial development sector leader, also discussed the issue of non-performing loans and deposit insurance, according to the report.
The sides outlined the challenges ahead within the framework of ensuring financial stability and the corresponding action plan covering the reforms in the spheres of supervision, regulation and law.
Azerbaijan joined the WB Group in 1992.
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7 November 2016 11:48 (UTC+04:00)
By Rashid Shirinov
PwC, one of the world's largest providers of assurance, tax, and business consulting services, will help attract foreign investors to privatization process in Azerbaijan.
The State Committee on Property Issues and PwC signed a relevant Memorandum of Cooperation, the Committee reported on November 7.
The company will assist in holding of investment conferences and forums with participation of foreign investors. Currently, the Committee together with PwC develops a map of cooperation and discusses next steps.
The parties already launched negotiations to make the privatization process more attractive for both local and foreign investors. The sides consider the optimal methods of privatization and recommendations on privatization of strategic sectors.
Our goal is to attract the interest of local and foreign investors and consider their expectations in this area. The use of modern approach and innovations in the privatization process will improve the efficiency of this process, the Committee said.
PwC Azerbaijan is one of the first international professional services firms, established in Azerbaijan in 1995. Since then, the company has made significant investments in the local economy. Currently, PwC Azerbaijan has more than 120 experts from more than 5 countries.
Azerbaijans State Committee on Property Issues carries out the process of privatization of state-owned properties.
The privatization process started in the framework of the decree dated May 19, 2016 by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on additional measures to improve the process of state property privatization, as well as the presidential Decree from July 19, 2016, on some measures to improve the management efficiency and accelerate privatization of state property.
Under the decree, the acceleration of the state property privatization process has been defined as an important direction of the economic policy.
The portal for privatization privatization.az, launched in July 2016, reflects all necessary information about the facilities, their addresses, location, and even initial cost and aims at facilitation of the process. The website is available in two languages - Azerbaijani and English. Why Azerbaijan is special section available on the website explains the reasons and advantages of investing in the country.
The privatization process is designed to attract both foreign and local investors, as well as improve the business environment of Azerbaijan.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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7 November 2016 12:40 (UTC+04:00)
By Nigar Abbasova
Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the two countries with a long history of bilateral ties and cooperation, are keen to strengthen economic ties and eliminate existing hindrances.
Iran's former ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pak Aayeen told the Tehran Times that the two countries enjoy affinities in terms of religion, history, culture and linguistics. However, there are still disagreements to address, while one of the main concerns is the difference in customs procedures.
We have differences rather than challenges over customs issues, and it is important to solve them since any delay may lead to the deceleration of trade between the two countries, he said.
He added that the differences are not related to the two countries themselves, but to different standards defined by major international organizations.
Azerbaijan sees itself as part of the European zone and has to meet relevant standards, while Iran is a member of the Economic Cooperation Organization, which follows different standard sets, he clarified. He underlined that narrowing disagreements on customs issues will provide an impetus for stronger future cooperation between the countries.
Iran and Azerbaijan have had diplomatic relations since 1918. Iran recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.
The two countries enjoy good conditions for improving economic and trade relations, while senior officials representing the sides have repeatedly shown determination to strengthen economic ties.
Iran has so far invested some $2.6 million in Azerbaijan, with some $145 million accounting for non-oil sector, according to Tehran Times. Nearly 450 companies with Iranian capital are currently operating in Azerbaijan.
The trade turnover between the countries amounted to $137.65 million in January-September 2016, while $34.91 million of the sum fell to a share of the export of Azerbaijani goods to Iran. Azerbaijan's exports to Iran almost doubled to $14.4 million in the first quarter of 2016, while imports increased from $19.4 million in 2015 to $27 million in 2016.
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7 November 2016 14:37 (UTC+04:00)
By Amina Nazarli
Azerbaijan and Monaco signed three memorandums on mutual cooperation within the framework of the Azerbaijan-Monaco Business Forum held in Baku on November 7.
Memorandums were signed between the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) and Monaco Economic Board, Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Monaco Economic Board, as well as Azalternativenerji LLC and Chamber of Renewable Energies and Ecology of Monaco.
Azerbaijans Deputy Minister of Economy Sahil Babayev noted that Azerbaijan may become a country for Monaco, which allows getting access to the markets of other countries in the South Caucasus region and the CIS.
Azerbaijan for Monaco is not only a potential market with a population of almost 10 million people, Babayev said. We have free trade agreements with the CIS countries and Georgia; we can actually provide Monaco access to the market with a population of more than 200 million people.
He said the business forum will give an impetus to the development of relations between the two countries' entrepreneurs, highlighting the government`s measures to improve business and investment climate in the country.
Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Monaco were established in 2007.
The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Monaco reached $41,970 in January-September 2016, which entirely accounted for the import of goods from Monaco.
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7 November 2016 15:25 (UTC+04:00)
By Rashid Shirinov
Azerbaijan's State Committee on Property Issues announced the date of next auction for privatization of the state-owned properties.
The auction to be held on December 6 will feature 100 objects of state property, namely, 26 joint stock companies, 50 small enterprises and properties and 24 vehicles. The report reads that 14 out of 50 small objects of state property will be offered for privatization together with the land.
These enterprises and properties are located in the Nizami, Surakhani, Sabunchu, Garadag, Khazar, Binagadi and Pirallahi districts of Baku, in the cities of Ganja, Mingachevir, Yevlakh and Sumgait, as well as in other regions of the country.
The most expensive small state enterprises to be put up for auction together with the land is the property complex in Balakan region with an area of 89,500 square meters, and the "Performance Management on Technological Equipment" Ltd. with an area of up to 4,130 square meters. Their cost are one million manats and 1,075 million manats respectively.
As for the joint stock companies, the privatization auction will feature only 30-45 percent of their shares. These enterprises operate in the fields of construction, repair, industry, cotton, poultry, agro-chemistry, transportation, processing and other.
A total of 19 state-owned properties out of 101 have been sold at the previous auction of November 1, while 31 state properties were sold at the auction of October 25.
The third stage of privatization started in the framework of the decree dated May 19, 2016 by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on additional measures to improve the process of state property privatization, as well as the presidential Decree from July 19, 2016, on some measures to improve the management efficiency and accelerate privatization of state property.
Under the decree, the acceleration of the state property privatization process has been defined as an important direction of the economic policy.
The portal for privatization privatization.az, launched in July 2016, reflects all necessary information about the facilities, their addresses, location, and even initial cost and aims at facilitation of the process. The website is available in two languages - Azerbaijani and English. Why Azerbaijan is special section available on the website explains the reasons and advantages of investing in the country.
The privatization process is designed to attract both foreign and local investors, as well as improve the business environment of Azerbaijan.
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7 November 2016 11:23 (UTC+04:00)
By Amina Nazarli
Next year, Baku will host an international conference dedicated to "Ali and Nino" novel by an Azerbaijani author, who wrote under the pen name Kurban Said.
Ali and Nino is a tale of love and one of the most original works of twentieth century literature.
The epic love story is about an Azerbaijani Muslim boy Ali and Georgian Nino, who live in the oil-rich capital of Azerbaijan, which at the beginning of the 20th century was a melting pot of different cultures. Despite differences in cultures, they have loved each other since childhood.
Isa Habibbayli, Vice President of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Director of Nizami Institute of Literature, said that the agreement to hold the conference was reached at a meeting with the management of Georgian Institute of Literature named after Rustaveli.
The conference will be co-organized by the two institutions, bringing together scientists and philosophers from many countries. The novel is considered an important contribution to strengthening of relations between the neighboring and brotherly Azerbaijani and Georgian peoples.
One of the main goals of the event is to study how the novel influenced the development of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Georgia.
The conference will hear reports on a number of issues, including on the role of the novel in developing ties of friendship between the Azerbaijani and Georgian people, and on the development of Azerbaijani and Georgian literature during the years of independence.
The novel was recently screened by Oscar-winning Indo-British filmmaker Asif Kapadias and produced by Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Leyla Aliyeva and Chris Tike.
The premiere of the film was held in Los Angeles in early 2016.
The shooting took place in Baku, including the streets of the historic Icherisheher (Old City) and in different places of the capital, as well as in Gobustan and Khynalyg. The stars of the 104-minute film include Adam Bakri, Maria Valverde, also known from movie Three meters above the sky, Mandy Patinkin, Connie Nielsen, Riccardo Scamarcio, Homayoun Ershadi and others.
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7 November 2016 13:21 (UTC+04:00)
By Laman Ismayilova
The 4th Baku International Theatre Conference titled "Multiculturalism and the Theatre" has started in Baku.
The conference organized by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Union of Theatre Figures of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, was supported by Baku International Centre for Multiculturalism, Azertac reported.
The event brought together about 150 theater workers, playwrights and theater leaders of international institutions from 38 countries. One of the aims of the conference is to familiarize the participants with the cultural platform in the country.
State Adviser on Multinational, Multicultural and Religious Affairs, Academician Kamal Abdulla, addressing the event, read a message of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to the participants.
Azerbaijani Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev, in turn, spoke about the development history of the national theatre.
He said that the conference aims at creating a platform for discussing the possibilities of modern theater with the theater professionals from different countries.
We are proud to hold such an event in Baku. Today, Azerbaijan is also known for its tolerance and multicultural tradition. People of different nationalities living in the country speaks in their language and develop their culture, the minister stressed.
International Theatre Institute, International Federation of Theatre Studies, International Association of Theatre Critics, International Association of Theatre for Children and Youth, International Puppet Theatre Union, International Association of Musical Theatres are represented at the event.
The conference continued in plenary sessions. The IV Baku International Theatre Conference will run until November 8.
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7 November 2016 15:39 (UTC+04:00)
By Laman Ismayilova
Azerbaijanis will celebrate the State Flag Day on November 9
A number of events are organized on the occasion of this solemn day, Trend Life reported.
Azerbaijan Automobile Federation invites everyone to participate in the parade of class cars which will take place on November 9.
Classic-car owners prior to 1980 edition may register at the Federation until November 8 November (19:00). The participant cars should stay in front of the Heydar Aliyev Center at 09:00.
The car parade will start at 12:00 from the Heydar Aliyev Center and end at the National Flag Square.
For more information please call :
(012) 505 60 03
(050) 295 01 00,
E-mail: [email protected] .
But that's not all!
"Flag march" will be held also in Baku on November 9.
The route of "Flag march" will start from Baku Boulevard and end at the National Flag Square. The event starts at 11:00.
The representatives of the Education Ministry, NGOs, public figures, MPs, as well as teachers and students will attend the march.
The sacred flag, waving above Azerbaijan was firstly raised on November 9, 1918, as the national flag of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR).
After regaining of Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, the flag was approved as the official flag of Azerbaijan on February 5.
In accordance with the presidential decree dated November 17, 2009, November 9 announced as the National Flag Day in memory of the ADR.
The state flag of Azerbaijan represents a rectangular panel consisting of three equal horizontal bands colored blue, red, and green, with a white crescent and an eight-pointed star are centered in the red band. The ratio of the flag's width to its length is 1:2.
The first blue stripe stands for the Turkic origin of Azerbaijani people and its Turkic heritage and is connected with the idea of Turkism. The middle red stripe means building a modern society, developing a democratic and modernized country. The third green stripe expresses affiliation to the Islamic civilization and the Islamic religion.
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7 November 2016 14:59 (UTC+04:00)
By Rashid Shirinov
Azerbaijans National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) has announced its report for October. The Agency cleared a total of 1,223,059 square meters of the countrys territory during the month.
ANAMA informed Trend on November 7 that its staff discovered and neutralized 456 unexploded ammunition and three anti-personnel mines last month. The demining operations involved 490 sappers and 126 member of the administrative staff, as well as six cars on mechanical demining and 34 dogs.
Demining operations were conducted in Absheron, Agjabadi, Agdam, Agstafa, Fuzuli, Gazakh, Lankaran,Tartar and Salyan regions, as well as in the cities of Ganja, Sumgayit and the Guzdek settlement in Garadagh district of Baku.
In general, ANAMA cleared a total of 389,603,952 square meters of Azerbaijans territory, discovered and defused 752,702 pieces of unexploded ordnance during 10 years of its activity.
Most of the unexploded ordnance is the result of Armenian aggression. 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. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
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.
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7 November 2016 12:23 (UTC+04:00)
The Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills (TEBH) hosted an event on Azerbaijan on November 3.
Co-hosted by the American Jewish Committees Los Angeles Regional Office (AJC-LA), the event was attended by the members of TEBH, one of Southern California's premier Reform Jewish congregations and synagogues, serving West and Greater Los Angeles.
At the invitation of both institutions, Consul General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev spoke at the event.
Opening the event, Rabbi Sarah Bassin, the Associate Rabbi of TEBH, spoke of the importance of this discussion that is designed to push us out of our comfort zones.
AJC-LAs Vice President Julie Bram highlighted AJCs long-standing friendship with Azerbaijan and informed the audience about the global activities of the organization.
Following the screening of a short video on Azerbaijan, Consul General Aghayev was invited to address the audience in a conversation moderated by Rabbi Sarah Bassin.
In his remarks, Consul General Aghayev informed the attendees about important milestones of Azerbaijans history, as well as its steady development and modernization as an independent nation since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
He also mentioned that the Azerbaijani people established in 1918 the first secular parliamentary republic in the Muslim world that granted voting rights to women in 1919, making Azerbaijan the first among Muslim countries taking such a pioneering step.
Speaking of Azerbaijans ages-old traditions of interfaith tolerance, Consul General Aghayev stated that thanks to tireless efforts by Azerbaijans leadership, today all religious communities in Azerbaijan enjoy strong interfaith harmony and acceptance, and Muslims, Christians, Jews and other communities live together in peace, dignity and mutual respect in the country.
Stressing the fact that this harmony exists not only among religions, but also within religions as well, Aghayev noted the harmonious relationship between Shias and Sunnis of Azerbaijans Muslim population, which is encouraged and strengthened by the government on a daily basis.
Highlighting the 2,500-year old history of Azerbaijans vibrant Jewish community, the Consul General also talked about the comprehensive relationship and strong friendship between Azerbaijan and Israel.
Speaking about the illegal occupation and ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijans lands by neighboring Armenia, Consul General Aghayev expressed appreciation for Israels constant support for Azerbaijans territorial integrity.
In this regard, Aghayev also expressed gratitude for Israeli President Rivlins reference to the Khojaly Massacre committed by Armenia in 1992 against Azerbaijani civilians resulting in the death of over 600 including 300 children, women and elderly in his 2015 U.N. speech on the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The event concluded with a lively Q&A session, during which Nasimi Aghayev responded to various questions from the audience.
Short video of the event can be watched here:
https://youtu.be/HYfpeGGohdg
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7 November 2016 16:17 (UTC+04:00)
Azerbaijan will host gatherings of influential international media organizations on November 16-18 the 5th News Agencies World Congress, the 16th General Assembly of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) and the 22nd session of the Council of CIS Heads of News Agencies.
Co-organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Azertac, these events will bring together heads and representatives of more than 100 news agencies, which shape the global information policy, international media experts, UN and UNESCO officials, and representatives of regional media organizations, Azertac reported.
The joint opening ceremony of the News Agencies World Congress and the OANA General Assembly will take place at the Heydar Aliyev Center on November 16.
The slogan of the 5th News Agencies World Congress is New Challenges for News Agencies.
The Congress will feature several sessions, including The future of news consumption, News agencies challenges and opportunities of new technologies and social media, News agency innovation, Training journalists for a multi-media future, Protecting the journalists mission: freedom, access, safety and conflict zones. It will also feature discussion on problems facing journalism, which is now in experiencing rapid transformation, and forms of cooperation between news agencies and different social media platforms.
The Congress will also see the presentation of a photo album featuring nearly 600 photographs by the participating agencies in News, Festival and Sport categories. The photo album was published through partnership between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Baku Media Center.
The Congress will also feature the signing of several agreements, election to executive bodies of the Congress, and the adoption of Declaration.
Azertac will take on a three-year presidency (2016-2019) of the Congress at the event.
The 16th General Assembly of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies will be held at JW Marriott Absheron Baku hotel on November 18, bringing together more than 80 heads and representatives of 40 news agencies.
The agenda of the 22nd session of the Council of CIS Heads of News Agencies encompasses a wide range of issues, including review of the organization`s activities in 2016, implementation of joint projects, and expansion of news exchange.
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7 November 2016 16:57 (UTC+04:00)
By Amina Nazarli
Issues related to the cooperation with GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development have been put on the agenda in Brussels.
Head of the EU delegation in Azerbaijan Malena Mard announced about this during the round table dedicated to "GUAM and Visegrad Group: Possibilities and limitations of regional cooperation" in Baku on November 7.
"It is necessary to pay more attention to issues relating to cooperation with GUAM and its member states. GUAM is also Europe and this should be remembered," said Mard.
Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Azerbaijan Vitezslav Pivonka, in turn, said that the purpose of the round table is to strengthen cooperation between the two institutions -GUAM and Visegrad Group.
"There is no country in Europe, which is not concerned about the issue of energy security, and this area is one of the important areas of cooperation between GUAM and Visegrad," he emphasized.
One of the priority areas for cooperation is tourism, according to the Czech ambassador.
"Separatism, which now threatens the entire world, is another issue that should be paid attention," he said.
Altay Efendiyev, Secretary General of the GUAM said that GUAM and Visegrad Group countries work on defining areas of cooperation.
"We have reached an agreement to start work on the preparation of experts meeting of GUAM and Visegrad Group countries to agree on the main directions and priority areas of cooperation. The direction in which the GUAM countries can borrow experience of the Visegrad Group in reform and diversification of the economy, as well as cooperation within the European Union in the field of transport and tourism will be determined during the meetings," he said.
In May 2015 at GUAM's meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Bratislava, the sides decided to move from the traditional format of meetings to more practical and applied cooperation.
GUAM countries can cooperate in the fields of transport, tourism, energy, economy, according to Efendiyev.
"We, as the Secretariat, have expressed our wishes to the Visegrad Group on the importance of these spheres," he said.
Efendiyev went on saying that next year GUAM and the Visegrad Group will be able to reach a new level of substantive political cooperation.
The GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) format was established by post-Soviet countries in 1997 during the summit of heads of States of the European Union in Strasbourg. In 2006, the states decided to declare GUAM an international organization, and it was renamed to the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development.
The Visegrad Group, consist of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary was founded in 1991 as a regional club aimed at strengthening cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe.
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7 November 2016 18:00 (UTC+04:00)
By Nigar Abbasova
Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said that Iran stands for the implementation of further measures to introduce visa-free regime with Azerbaijan.
He mentioned that the canceling of the visa regime may be brought into force, given the character of relations between Baku and Tehran, mentioning that the process may be implemented gradually.
He said that the first step toward visa-free regime is the simplification of requirements for obtaining a visa, adding that the regime may be further applied in reference to special groups and then to others. He mentioned that the program is currently being held with Russia.
Some 18 flights are operated from Iran to Azerbaijan on a monthly basis, while the interest of Iranian tourists in the country is growing steadily.
Irans former ambassador to Azerbaijan earlier said that the number of flights from Iran to Azerbaijan should be increased, given the constantly growing interest of tourists in the country.
Azerbaijan issues 2 types of visas, including entry and transit visas to foreigners and stateless people. A single- entry visa allows only one entry-exit to the country within the period, while a multiple entry visa is valid for 2 years. This visa type allows a person to enter and exit the country several times within relevant period.
A period of staying in the country is limited by a validity period of a visa, which becomes invalid if it is not used during its validity period. Azerbaijani citizens currently have visa-free or visa on arrival access to some 62 countries and territories. Citizens of Iran can obtain a 15 days visa on arrival only for Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
Iran and Azerbaijan have had diplomatic relations since 1918. Iran recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.
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7 November 2016 16:02 (UTC+04:00)
By Nigar Abbasova
World oil prices recorded an increase by over one percent on November 7, supported by OPEC statement, which reaffirmed the commitment to implement the preliminary Algeria deal and cut oil output.
Brent crude futures stood at $46.29 recording an increase of some 71 cents, or 1.56 percent, from the previous close, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude traded at $44.80 a barrel, 730 cents, or 1.66 percent up from the previous index.
OPEC Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo said that the group and other major oil producers are on course to deliver a deal this month, signaling that the cartel is committed to the Algeria consent.
Moreover, Barkindo stressed that Russia would join an output-curbing deal to help speed up the rebalancing of the oil market, saying that he "heard from the highest quarters in Moscow that Russia is on board.
Algeria's Energy Minister Nouredine Bouterfa, in turn, said he was confident that OPEC members would stick to a deal made in Algeria, mentioning that there will be no return on the agreement.
Meanwhile, Energy Minister of the United Arab Emirates Suhail al Mazroui said that the global market oil supply glut is nearly gone
We need to optimize the finding cost and the production cost of every barrel of oil that we produce, said the minister.
The accord in Algeria helped to push up oil prices to a 15-month high standing above $50 a barrel, but crude has subsequently fallen and the recovery turned to be tentative. The last week losses of the market became the sharpest since January, and took nearly 15 percent off a one-year record high hit in the first half of October.
The High Level Committee of experts will meet again in Vienna on November 25 ahead of the next meeting of OPEC ministers on November 30, where the cartel is expected to finalize the deal.
Traders however still doubt due to a number of uncertainties and hindrances, including ongoing oversupply in the market, internal disagreements within the cartel and the fact that none of the non-OPEC states has expressed any intention of a cut thus far.
Reuters earlier reported that oil disputes between Saudi Arabia and Iran resurfaced at a meeting of OPEC experts last week, with Riyadh saying it could raise oil output steeply to bring prices down if Tehran refuses to limit its supply. Extra supply would deteriorate the problem of global glut, which has triggered more than a half decrease in crude prices pushing them down from about $115 a barrel since mid-2014.
Barkindo, however, denied Saudi Arabias threat to raise output, saying that the position of Saudi Arabia at the meeting was as usual constructive.
However, market watchers say Riyadh may increase its exports even if the country does not follow the threat, as local oil demand is falling and the fact could imply higher exports even maintaining current output level.
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7 November 2016 16:46 (UTC+04:00)
By Nigar Abbasova
The energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria bears a strategic character, said Bulgarian Ambassador to Baku Maya Khristova.
She said that Bulgaria is satisfied with strong support of Azerbaijan in the process of negotiation with the Shah Deniz Consortium, mentioning that the support allowed to conclude a long-term deal on the deliveries of natural gas in the volume of one billion cubic meters (bcm) from the Shah Deniz Stage 2 to Bulgaria starting from 2020.
The envoy made the remarks addressing the meeting with the delegation led by President and Editor-in-Chief of Caspian Energy International Media Group Natalya Aliyeva.
She recalled that energy ministries of the countries signed a MoU in the energy sphere in November 13, 2009. Moreover, Azerbaijans state oil company (SOCAR) also has MoUs with Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) and Bulgartransgaz.
The ambassador also hailed the operation of the Joint Gas and Oil Working Group, which is represented by the Bulgarian Energy Ministry, BEH and SOCAR, mentioning that the group is an important and successful instrument for the development of energy cooperation between the two countries.
Moreover, the envoy highlighted the successful operation of the intergovernmental commission between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria, underlining the signing of over 60 bilateral agreements between the sides.
As for the implementation of Bulgarian gas hub project, Khristova said that its establishment suggests the use of many gas sources, including supplies from Russia, interconnector from Greece and other energy terminals.
Bulgaria seeks to become the main gas transit country for South Eastern and Central Europe, while the project and its financial plan are being developed by the Bulgarian government jointly with the European Commission.
The gas for the project is expected to be supplied from Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, as well as from Romanian and Bulgarian fields. The diversification of natural gas resources and the routes delivering natural gas to Bulgaria is vital for the country. Also, the country may act as a transit-state for the supplies of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, as the talks on delivering Azerbaijani gas via the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) continue.
The IGB project, (Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria), which ranks in the list of European Commission's seven priority projects for energy supply, will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field.
IGB is expected to be connected to the Trans Adriatic pipeline via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets. The 180-km pipeline is to be built by a Bulgarian-Greek joint venture that also includes Italian energy group Edison SpA.
Azerbaijan and Bulgaria have developed friendly relations after Bulgaria recognized the independence of Azerbaijan in January 1992. The embassy of Bulgaria in Azerbaijan was opened in December 1999.
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7 November 2016 23:33 (UTC+04:00)
The commitments undertaken by Azerbaijan and Italy on implementation of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will expand bilateral cooperation, said Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni in Baku on November 7.
Our cooperation covers many areas, such as trade, agrarian sector, energy, Gentiloni said in a briefing with Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. Italy can also contribute to development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU.
Mammadyarov, for his part, said the TAP projects implementation continues in line with the schedule.
There have been some delays, but we hope that they will be eliminated, noted the Azerbaijani foreign minister.
TAP project envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries. The 870-kilometer pipeline will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.
TAPs initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year with the possibility of expanding it to 20 billion cubic meters.
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7 November 2016 10:24 (UTC+04:00)
By Trend
Twelve railway carriages derailed in Kazakhstan on November 7, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (Kazakh Railways) reported.
Nobody was injured as a result of the incident.
The carriages of the freight train derailed at Saz station in the Almaty region at 5:18 Almaty time (Nov. 6, 23:18 GMT). As much as 8 passenger trains were delayed as a result.
Kazakhstan Temir Zholy created a special commission to examine the incident.
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7 November 2016 11:12 (UTC+04:00)
By Gunay Hasanova
The Iraqi army for the first time since the start of operations to liberate Mosul has managed to enter the areas located in the Northern part of the city, TASS reported with reference to Al Jazeera.
The Iraqi military forces established control over residential areas Es-Saada and Bawiza, according to the channel.The Iraqi air force managed to destroy several warehouses .
Moreover, from the Eastern part of the city to the center of Mosul are moving Iraqi anti-terrorist unit, supported by armored units. Earlier media reported about the use of militants toxic substances chlorine gas, and housekeeping. In addition, extremists put the booby traps that operate by a chain reaction.
Having worked in one place, they can put in action a bomb planted in neighboring districts, the head of the security Committee in the government of Iraqi Kurdistan masrour Barzani said.
The battle against the IG in Mosul will be prolonged not only in military terms but in economic and ideological, Barzani added.
An operation of Iraqi government troops to regain control over Mosul began on October 17. In addition to Iraqi government forces, the operation involves local Peshmerga militia (Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq).
The attack is supported by the international Anti-Terrorism Coalitions Air Force.
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.
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Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
7 November 2016 13:37 (UTC+04:00)
By Gunay Hasanova
Turkish and American military chiefs discussed the ongoing fight against Daesh in Iraqs Mosul and the latest situation in Syrias Raqqa in Ankara on November 6, Anadolu Agency reported.
U.S. General Joseph Dunford met Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar at the Turkish military headquarters in the capital.
The meeting between Dunford and Akar addressed a range of issues, according to the message.
"We have had an exchange of ideas on driving the PYD/YPG terror organization out of Syrian city of Manbij, the latest situation in Daeshs stronghold in Syria- Raqqa, Mosul operation and the activities of PYD/YPG group in Syria and Iraq, as well as, discussing the mutual fight against Daesh in Iraq and Syria, especially in Al Bab and Raqqa," the statement said.
The importance of protecting the territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria and carrying out mutual anti-terror operations were emphasized once again.
Turkey also expressed concerns over a sectarian attitude towards the predominantly Sunni population in Mosul.
Recently, it was reported that the Iraqi army for the first time since the start of operations to liberate Mosul has managed to enter the areas located in the Northern part of the city
An operation of Iraqi government troops to regain control over Mosul began on October 17. In addition to Iraqi government forces, the operation involves local Peshmerga militia (Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq). The attack is supported by the international Anti-Terrorism Coalitions Air Force.
Another key agenda point during the meeting, according to the statement, was Turkey's concern about the ongoing activities of the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in the U.S..
Led by Fethullah Gulen, FETO is accused of organizing the defeated military coup as well as a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
Earlier, the Turkish Ministry of Justice officially requested the U.S. to arrest Fethullah Gulen. In addition, the Turkish authorities sent two requests to the U.S. for Gulens extradition.
Prior to that, the Istanbul Court released an order to arrest Gulen.
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Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
7 November 2016 16:58 (UTC+04:00)
By Gunay Hasanova
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili discussed the enhancement of bilateral relations between Georgia and Italy during a meeting in Tbilisi on November 7.
The sides have also discussed the political and economic issues and the prospects of strengthening cooperation between Georgia and Italy in the fields of education, science, and culture, the Presidential Administration of Georgia reported.
The importance of Georgias European and Euro-Atlantic aspiration and the steps taken in this direction, both in the country and in the entire region, were highlighted.
The president thanked Gentiloni for his firm support of Georgias sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-recognition policy, and visa liberalization process.
Gentiloni arrived in Georgia on November 6, where he held a number of bilateral meetings at the highest level. The minister is planning to visit Azerbaijan and Armenia after Georgia.
Italy and Georgia established diplomatic relations on May 11, 1992.
The first Georgian-Italian Business Forum was held in Tbilisi on November 29-30, 2004 and this was a good beginning for activating of bilateral economic cooperation.
The trade turnover between Georgia and Italy, according to Geostat is $131 million (3.2% share of total turnover with the EU)
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Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), a common contagious lung infection, is a global health threat responsible for up to 200,000 deaths worldwide annually
UK Phase I trial supported with EUR 3.44 m from Wellcome Trust, taking place at Imperial College, London
Groningen, the Netherlands, November 07, 2016 / B3C newswire / -- Mucosis B.V., a clinical stage biotechnology company using a proprietary technology platform to develop next-generation and needle-free human vaccines for infectious diseases, today announces the start of a first-in-human study of its intranasal Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine candidate, SynGEM, at Imperial College Londons Clinical Research Facility.
The first trial will recruit 48 healthy adults (36 vaccinated, 12 placebo) to assess the safety and immunogenicity of a prime-boost regime of two different intranasal doses of SynGEM, in a randomised, double-blind Phase I study. Phase I is completed at day 180 post prime vaccine administration, with interim data readout expected in the first half of 2017. Phase II, due to start mid-2017, will recruit 108 adults (54 vaccinated, 54 placebo).
SynGEM is based on a unique prefusion version of the F subunit of RSV, shown to raise more potent serum neutralizing antibodies against RSV compared with the postfusion F antigen approach others have used. Delivered via the mucous membranes in the nose, the Mucosis vaccine candidate is also able to recruit antibodies produced in the mucosal linings of the body, with the potential to effectively stop the virus from entering the body via the mucosal pathways, where over 90% of pathogens enter the body. SynGEM is based on Mucosis patented Mimopath technology, which uses bacterium-like particles (BLP) derived from food-grade bacteria, to deliver the antigen in a more natural conformation and boost the bodys immune response to the virus.
RSV is a common contagious infection of the lungs and respiratory pathways, eliciting cold-like symptoms in adults. Whilst RSV infection is normally mild in healthy adults, the infection can lead to serious and sometimes fatal diseases such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis, most often in susceptible populations such as the young and elderly. Every year in the US, RSV infections lead to 57,527 hospitalisations of children under 5 years old1 and are responsible for up to 200,000 deaths annually worldwide2.
Professor Peter Openshaw, Professor of Experimental Medicine at Imperial College London and Physician in the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, We are delighted to work with Mucosis on SynGEM, a needle-free nasal spray vaccine that is designed to raise not only systemic but also mucosal immunity at the site of entry of the virus. We will first test whether the vaccine induces the right sort of immunity in humans, and, if it does, then test whether it will prevent infection in adult volunteers. Previous research has shown that boosting immunity in the nose and lungs may be the best way of increasing defence against RSV, blocking the virus from gaining entry to the body.
The start of this first-in-human study marks an important milestone in our progress towards a needle-free vaccine for prevention of RSV, a global health threat for which there is still no vaccine said Tom Johnston, CEO of Mucosis. We are pleased to be working with the support of the Wellcome Trust and a world-renowned university for this next step in the program, enabling us to take advantage of leading experts in the RSV field, and dedicated respiratory facilities. This second human trial of our Mimopath platform builds on the successful proof of concept trial in influenza in 2012.
The Wellcome Trust awarded Mucosis with a 3.44 million (2.77 million) translational fund earlier in the year to progress SynGEM into phase I and IIa human clinical trials. On completion of the phase I study, a phase IIa study will involve a live viral challenge to assess the efficacy of SynGEM against RSV.
Details of the study can be found at www.rsvstudy.org
About Mucosis
Mucosis B.V. (Mucosis) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company using a proprietary technology platform to develop next-generation needle-free human vaccines for infectious diseases. Mucosiss investigational patient-friendly vaccines can be delivered via the nose or mouth to elicit a more natural immune response with a broader base of protection. The company is developing multiple programs for its clinical-stage proprietary Mimopath platform vaccine technology for several routes of administration including those that provide additional mucosal protection, where over 90% of pathogens enter the human body.
Mucosiss lead product SynGEM, a stabilized recombinant vaccine delivered intranasally to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, entered human proof-of-concept studies in 2016. The annual global burden of RSV illness is significant, with 33.8 million estimated new episodes of RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) worldwide in children under 5, and over 3.4 million hospital admissions associated with severe RSV disease. Global mortality was estimated at 253,500 deaths in 2010.
The company has also developed PneuGEM, a vaccine to prevent diseases caused by pneumococcal bacteria, and FluGEM, a vaccine against influenza. FluGEM served as a successful proof of concept for the Mimopath platform in human clinical testing.
Mucosis has raised over EUR 20m in dilutive and non-dilutive funding, with key investment partners including MedSciences Capital, BioGeneration Ventures, NOM, BCHT & Utrecht Holdings. The company has strategic partnerships in US, Asia and the EU with organisations including the US National Institutes of Health, China-based Changchun BCHT Biotechnology co., Utrecht University, and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. Mucosiss management is highly experienced in the design, development and commercialisation of vaccines. Mucosis is headquartered in Groningen, The Netherlands.
References
Hall CB, Weinberg GA, Iwane MK, Blumkin AK, Edwards KM, et al. The burden of respiratory syncytial virus infection in young children. New Engl J Med. 2009;360(6):588-98. Nair H., Nokes D., Gessner B., Dherani M., Madhi S., Singleton R., et al. (2010) Global burden of acute lower respiratory infections due to respiratory syncytial virus in young children: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet 375: 11731181
Contacts
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In the race for Florida Senate in the newly drawn District 22, incumbent Kelli Stargel hopes to fend off a challenge from Democrat Debra Wright.
Stargel has been a public servant for the past eight years
Wright is a former principal who worked in public education for 40 years
Both place a high priority on education in the district
Both candidates are Florida natives, grandmothers, and theyre both pro-life. Besides that, they dont have much in common.
Stargel made national news earlier in her career as a state representative when she pushed for parents to be graded based on their parental involvement. She's served Florida's residents for the past eight years, first as a representative, then in her current role.
"I want to make sure this state is a place where people can come and raise their family and get a good education, affordable health, start a business and have low taxes," said Stargel. "We've had that for a quite a few years in Florida. I want to maintain that."
In terms of national politics, Stargel has publicly voiced support for her party's presidential nominee, Donald Trump.
"As a Christian, I support Donald Trump," Stargel said while on stage during a Donald Trump rally in Lakeland earlier this year.
Wright, in contrast, is a retired principal who worked for 40 years in public education. She said she brought diversity to Polk County schools while serving on the board from 2010 to 2014.
"I'm most proud of the recruitment of Puerto Rican teachers who we were able to help get in our district to help teachers who weren't speaking Spanish and we had a large influx of students who weren't speaking English, and those teachers were able to help those students and teachers, said Wright.
Education is, in fact, an area both women said theyre passionate about.
"We will continue to work on parental involvement in education, because I believe that is the key if we really want to have a really strong work force, Stargel said. Stargel hopes to reform the education system at all levels; one of her priorities is making sure fourth graders read at grade level.
Wright, on the other hand, has made restoring the Special Education diploma a priority in her platform. She also wants to extend early childhood education to all four-year-olds, and make college affordable for all.
My heart is when it comes to teachers. I think we are over testing in our classrooms," said Wright. "I dont like the fact that were tying the outcomes of one day testing or a few days testing to evaluate whether a teacher is effective or not."
St. Petersburg Police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide of an elderly mother and daughter.
Grandmother and great-grandmother were found shot
Police believe the shooting was a murder-suicide
19-year-old granddaughter found Elizabeth Mitchell, 69, and Curley Williams, 90
The investigation is still on going, but preliminary information leads detectives to believe Elizabeth Mitchell, 69, shot her mother, Curley Williams, 90, and then turned the gun on herself.
Mitchells 19-year old granddaughter found them. The shooting happened around 11:30 a.m. Sunday at the Osprey Pointe Apartments where all three women lived together.
No one else was in the apartment at the time.
A Q&A with Mary Frances Berry
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore
November 8, wed better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged. Thats what presidential candidate Donald Trump said August 1 at a rally in Columbus, Ohio. During this campaign, Trump has alleged that the electoral system is rigged against him, that he will lose because of voter fraud. Additionally, he has claimed that undocumented immigrants will cast their votes, as well as people who died ten years ago. To prevent this act of voter fraud, Trump has encouraged his supporters to act as poll watchers. But is this kind of voter fraud really playing out at the polls as he claims? Beacon Broadside editor Christian Coleman caught up with Dr. Mary Frances Berry, historian and author of Five Dollars and a Pork Chop Sandwich: Vote Buying and the Corruption of Democracy, to ask her about Trumps notion of a rigged election and whats currently at stake for voters.
Why do you think Donald Trump is putting so much emphasis on losing to voter fraud?
Donald Trump is emphasizing the possibility of voter fraud because if he loses he may want to challenge the election. The most obvious way to do that is to charge fraud. The conventional wisdom that there is little or no voter fraud is not quite accurate. While there is little in-person fraud that can be prevented with ID laws, the more pervasive fraud involves misuse of ballots and other kinds of vote-buying. This is what I call suppression of voter choice on the cheap. Studies and news accounts usually examine only the lack of a large number of prosecutions. The problem is that in most cases of vote buying, local prosecutors refuse to prosecute mainly, I believe, because buying votes is common, and indeed, they themselvesas well as local judgesmay have bought votes to get elected. In a close count of electoral votes, this type of fraud in one state could make a difference.
Cheap suppression of voter choice is done most often by campaign ground game operatives who use street money or walk-around-money. They say they want to increase turnout from the poor, the elderly, nursing home residents and other vulnerable populations, but the operators are in collusion with corrupt voting officials. They use absentee ballots and then pay them a small amount or hand-out fried chicken boxes and beverages for voting the right way. In Louisiana, such voters may get a pork chop sandwich and $5.00 and a cold drink. Before you believe that cant happen, think about the clerk in Broward County just recently who was opening ballots and counting them in her office, or the Jefferson Parish official in Louisiana who had a private machine in his office for particular people to vote which he personally kept track of without observation.
Are Trumps claims of a rigged election unique to this season? Have there been other presidential candidates before him who have made the same claim?
There are nineteenth-century examples of corruption claims. However, the charges that John F. Kennedy stole the election from Richard Nixon in 1960 stand out as a twentieth-century example. The most recent case is the Bush vs. Gore 2000 election and the controversy over votes in Florida that led to a Supreme Court decision electing George W. Bush president. Broward County was, during that cycle, one of the places where vote-counting problems occurred.
Early voting is underway and a Black voter like Grace Bell Hardison was nearly denied her right to vote at the polls in North Carolina. Why is voter intimidation and voter suppression still rampant?
Voter intimidation and suppression still occur because campaigns want to keep anyone who they think might vote against them from voting, while increasing turnout of their own voters. Candidates know turnout is a problem because many people dont believe voting improves their lives or dont care for either candidate. Since Grace Bell Hardison apparently was already on the rolls, there was no reason except how she might vote to prevent her from voting since North Carolinas photo voter ID law had been struck down by the courts.
Ms. Hardisons situation recalls that of a clergyman in Tallahassee during the 2000 presidential election who had voted repeatedly but was denied the right to vote at the polls because he had been purged from the registration list as a convicted felon when the only time he had ever been in a courthouse was to testify in a case. He said he was embarrassed by the experience and felt he had been sling-shotted back to slavery.
Trump has encouraged his supporters to act as unofficial poll watchers. What can voters do to make sure their voting experience is safe?
The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is leading civil rights groups in organizing lawyers and other volunteers to monitor the polls on Election Day for evidence of voter intimidation. They advise voters that if there are no monitors outside their polling place, and they are stopped and questioned by someone before they enter, they should not answer but call the Election Protection hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). They should go inside, vote, and notify poll workers of the intimidation.
About the Author
Mary Frances Berry is the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania, and the author of nine books. The recipient of thirty-three honorary degrees, she has been chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, is a regular contributor to Politico, and has appeared onReal Time with Bill Maher, Anderson Cooper 360, The Daily Show, Tavis Smiley, and PBS's NewsHour. Follow her on Twitter at @DrMFBerry.
Baker Katz
The retail shopping center in Port Arthur containing Hobby Lobby, PetSmart and Party City is not expected to change despite the sale of the property earlier this year, real estate firm Baker Katz said.
The Houston-based company sold the Port Arthur shopping center in September, development partner Neal Wade said.
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Some Houston bartenders are making a splash in Galveston, at an improbable address for a new business.
Former Boheme bar staff Ian Ramirez and Brad Stringer who's also known for being among the founding staff members at Heights bar Johnny's Gold Brick put down roots in Galveston with business partner Robert Hollis. Over the summer the trio opened Daiquiri Time Out, better known as DTO, at 2701 Market St.
DTO is joined by a small string of other retailers west of 25th Street by the Strand.
That might not seem peculiar to those unfamiliar with the area's onetime reputation as a hub of prostitution. It's known to islanders as the old red-light district, where brothels once lined the streets between 25th and 29th.
Now, it's a small up-and-coming dining row that attracts Galveston natives and tourists alike. Nearby are fellow newcomers Soul 2 Soul, 3104 Market St., a Southern fare restaurant, and Gypsy Joynt, 2711 Market St. The latter is an American cafe launched by a Massachusetts family who relocated to Galveston.
BLOCKS AWAY: Galveston's Hubcap Grill now open on the Strand
For the owners of DTO, the decision to establish their bar on this block was simple. Rental prices were more affordable just off the Strand, but it's still only blocks from the tourist district.
"People ask why we came to Galveston, why we opened (this side) of 25th," Ramirez says. "Our goal was to open a small business. It's not an easy thing for someone who doesn't have investors, and we wanted to prove that you don't have to spend an enormous amount of money."
Likewise, Stringer says that they're proud of what they've "put together so far on a little money and a lot of hard work."
"I think this block will definitely change over the next year or two," Stringer says. "We're off the beaten path, but we're a destination bar in a destination spot."
Co-founder Ramirez agrees. "People drive out of their comfort zones if a place offers quality service and quality product," he explains.
Previously, the main outpost in that area was Maceo Spice & Import Company, a longtime island business founded and still owned by iconic Galveston family, the Maceos. Ironically, they ran Galveston during the prohibition era, and their spice shop/cafe is across the street from the bar.
RELATED: Houston entrepreneur plans to buy Galveston's historic Fadden Building
DTO's owners learned about the Maceos, as well as other general island history, while poring over archives historic maps, menus and advertisements at Galveston's Rosenberg Library. They say they wanted to learn more about their new home so that it might inform the look, feel and menu at the bar.
Their research and strategy seems to be working. Despite the area's prior reputation, Stringer says Galveston residents "really support it," adding that 90 percent of their clientele is comprised of locals.
By now, many Galveston residents are familiar with the bar's offerings, although the name might at first be misleading. The primary drink offerings are mixed cocktails, with a few frozen options. Eventually, they say, the bar's menu will include seasonal and specialty cocktails. Stringer competes in cocktail competitions, which leads to new ideas for a separate drinks list. For now, the menu features primarily old-fashioned, quintessential concoctions.
"These are classic cocktails, and what's more historic than Galveston?" Stringer says.
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SOUTHEAST TEXAS TALES
The last man standing would get the contents of the kitty or would slosh down the wine or the cognac in memory of his buddies from the front.
It was a pact, called a "tontine," that old Army buddies made as a focus of their annual reunions until there were too few and finally, just one.
In Beaumont, the members of Company B, 143rd Infantry, 72nd Brigade, 36th Division - the Rainbow Division, who were members of National Guard units from across the country - created their Last Man Club on Nov. 11, 1936 - Armistice Day. They selected a nice bottle of French champagne to place in a sealed glass case for the lone survivor well into the future.
Two other units, Company G and Company M, were included, though most of the group's 257 members were in Company B and were from the Beaumont area.
The idea of a Last Man Club is said to have originated in mid-17th century France with Neapolitan banker Lorenzo de Tonti, who devised an investment in which an annuity would be paid to its subscribers and the principal would revert to the last man in the group. The agreement is called a "tontine" in French.
American soldiers returning from France brought the idea with them, along with a taste for wine, and formed the clubs for fellowship.
>> See the members of the Last Man Club and images from World War I in the slideshow above.
The Beaumont club chose a bottle of G.H. Mumm champagne, extra dry.
The Last Man Club met every Nov. 11 in the Hotel Beaumont, gathering at about 10 a.m. to await the 11th hour and to remember their friends who died in the war "to make the world safe for democracy." They also remembered the friends who had died since the previous year's meeting.
Before the war, Company B spent time along the Texas-Mexico border, chasing Pancho Villa with Gen. John Pershing, who later commanded the American Expeditionary Force in France. Company B went along with him, joking that each of them also spent a month in the Navy - two weeks going to France and two weeks coming back.
In the second-to-last year of the club, which disbanded in 1981, Frank Clarkson of Vidor, recounted the ravages that time had taken.
"As of this date there are 15 of us left," Clarkson wrote in advance of the "44th Chow Call."
Clarkson, who tried unsuccessfully for 20 years to resign his post as club secretary, particularly wanted to make it known that the "mesdames" were invited and that the club was picking up the tab, having a cash balance of $218.79 at the Orange Savings and Loan.
"There was such a pleasant, refreshing atmosphere at the meeting last year with the ladies mingling here and there," Clarkson wrote in a letter to The Enterprise.
"If you can give us a nice story, it will be much appreciated," Clarkson wrote.
In articles through the years, The Enterprise recorded most of the Last Man Club meetings, detailing how the champagne began evaporating. Clarkson, who also kept the company scrap book and the bottle, said its contents, likely in the early 1970s, appeared to go missing. So he filled it with "branch water," and no one seemed to know the difference.
In 1976, Clarkson said the level in the bottle was "getting lower and lower" and "somebody must have been nipping out of it."
Clarkson refilled the bottle with scotch - Chivas Regal.
He didn't like scotch, he said. The only time he tasted it was when he licked some from his fingers as he poured it into the champagne bottle.
By Nov. 11, 1981, the club had nine members, but only three attended - Clarkson, then 87; Nick Deitiker, 86; and Jess Slaughter, 84. Deitiker died in December 1982. Slaughter died in October 1984. A public records search shows a Frank Clarkson from Vidor who was born in September 1895 died in April 1986.
There are no records of who the last man was, though presumably that title went to Clarkson.
During the 1981 meeting, the three in attendance decided to "bury the club" while they were in good health.
The fate of the bottle was undecided and is still unknown.
"We don't worship that bottle," Slaughter said. "It's just a symbol."
Southeast Texas Tales is a weekly feature that revisits regional history.
DWallach@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/dwallach
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Courtney Peveto said he typically mows about 100 yards a month. Last month he had six.
"The grass is turning brown right now, it's real dry," said Peveto, owner of Peveto Lawn Service in Buna. "When you walk on it or try to run your mowers on it, you can hear it crunch."
The majority of Southeast Texas is in a moderate drought, with northern parts of Jasper and Newton counties in severe droughts, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
County officials are watching for brush fires and considering burn bans, while local farmers are hoping for rain.
Tim Humphrey, a National Weather Service forecaster in Lake Charles, said that Beaumont-Port Arthur's last significant rainfall was on Sept. 16. Since then, the region hasn't had a rain of more than a quarter of an inch.
The dry spell comes just after what the NWS called the fifth-wettest summer on record for Beaumont. The region received a year's worth of rain from January through August, according to forecasters.
Although that rain is helping keep water tables and well levels up, grass is drying out, which hurts farmers and increases the chances of brush fires.
Orange County Emergency Management Coordinator Charlie Cox recommended a burn ban for the county's Emergency Services District 1, which covers Vidor, Pine Forest and Rose City, after the district's chief reported "quite a few" small brush fires.
Humidity helps prevent fires because morning dew on the grass keeps it from drying out, said Cox. A brief period in October with lower humidity, less rain and higher wind likely contributed to the concerns now in ESD 1, he said.
The Commissioners' Court issued the ban last week, extending it through Tuesday. The ban applies only to ESD 1 and not to the rest of the county. Cox said that was because other areas did not report the same issues.
Jefferson and Hardin counties have not issued burn bans, but Jasper County Judge Mark Allen said that while the county does not have one yet, "we're very close to pulling the trigger."
"Right now, we haven't heard anything from local fire departments," he said, but he's monitoring the situation and hoping for rain, especially in the northern parts of the county.
Jefferson County AgriLife Extension Agent Allen Homann said that while the drought has not yet caused major problems, it is making people more cautious.
"People are holding back on when they rotate their cattle" to preserve grass in fields where it's not growing as much, and some are having to switch their cattle over from grass to hay earlier than usual. That could cause problems in a few months if they run out of hay too early, or if the soil gets too dry now which could hurt their grass in the spring."
Larry Folmar, of Buna, said he had to switch to hay earlier than he'd planned but expects to be fine. He's hoping for rain soon so that the grass he planted for the spring starts growing, because now "it's basically just sitting there," he said.
Rodney Dishman, of Beaumont's Dishman and Sons Farm, said he'll get concerned if the drought continues.
"We could use a little rain for the crawfish, so we wouldn't have to buy as much water," he said. "If it stays like this, it could get bad, but we're in good shape."
The drought is helping out mosquito control departments, by eliminating standing water where mosquito eggs hatch. Jefferson County Mosquito Control director Kevin Sexton said that the department is still spraying as a precaution but that the weather has helped keep numbers low, especially after the heavy rain earlier this year.
"It makes a huge difference. You have to have water to make a mosquito," he said.
The rapid change from frequent rain this spring to a dry fall is hurting trees, especially older ones, Homann said. "When you get that much rain and then hardly any rain, it's hard for trees and some pastures, and they're just dying," he said. "You see leaves falling off way before they're supposed to, it's dead and it couldn't take the sudden switch," he said.
The contrast between summer and fall precipitation levels could also make it harder for hunters, said Hardin County Game Warden Michael Boone, because the rain helped vegetation and acorns grow, which have not yet rooted because of the dry weather. That provides an easy food source for deer, who aren't attracted to corn feeders that hunters put out for them, he said.
Longer term effects of the drought on the deer population likely won't be visible until next year or the year after, said Jasper County Game Warden Morgan Inman.
Anglers are likely benefitting from the spring's rain, which has helped keep lakes full despite the drought, Inman said.
For now, officials and farmers are both closely watching the forecasts for rain, though Humphrey said they'll likely be waiting a while longer for anything substantial. Chances of precipitation are less than 40 percent through Wednesday, and he expects rainfall totals to stay on the low side through the end of the week.
LTeitz@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/LizTeitz
Fridley, Minn.-based Medtronic and Irvine, Calif.-based Masimo Corp. are partnering to share anonymous patient data with each other and researchers to help predict health problems, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Here's what you need to know.
1. Medtronic is joining the Patient Safety Movement Foundation. Masimo CEO Joe Kiani founded the foundation.
2. Medtronic will provide $5 million to the foundation and will share data from its devices the foundation will incorporate into its predictive analytical program.
3. The program is developing code which would use patient data to predict health problems for other patients in real time.
Mr. Kiani told the StarTribune, We wanted to show the healthcare industry, hospitals, everyone, that when it comes to patient safety we all have to collaborate together. Even fierce competitors.
4. The foundation has the support of more than 60 healthcare technology companies including GE Healthcare, IBM Watson Health, Philips Healthcare and Zoll Medical.
5. Medtronic will share patient-level information from its monitoring and diagnostic devices. Proprietary data or information from its implantable pacemakers will not be shared.
6. The foundation's main goal is to end preventable patient deaths in healthcare settings by 2020.
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The American Organization of Nurse Executives has released the 2016 edition of its "Salary and Compensation Study for Nurse Leaders" report.
This year, 2,541 nurses completed all or part of the survey, reporting on data from the 2015 calendar year. Most of the respondents 35 percent were nurse directors; 21 percent were CNOs or chief nurse executives.
Here are 36 statistics on nurse leaders' salaries, based on the survey's findings.
Note: Not all of the response areas add up to 100 percent, as percentages were rounded to the nearest whole number and in some cases respondents were able to select more than one response.
CNO/CNE salary in a non-system
1. $80,000 to $109,999: 5 percent
2. $110,000 to $139,000: 14 percent
3. $140,000 to $179,000: 26 percent
4. $180,000 to $209,000: 22 percent
5. $210,000 to $249,999: 16 percent
6. $250,000 or more: 17 percent
CNO/CNE salary in a system
7. $70,000 to $109,999: 6 percent
8. $110,000 to $139,000: 5 percent
9. $140,000 to $179,000: 6 percent
10. $180,000 to $209,000: 13 percent
11. $210,000 to $249,999: 14 percent
12. $250,000 or more: 52 percent
Nurse director salary in a health system
13. $60,000 to $99,999: 10 percent
14. $100,000 to $119,000: 22 percent
15. $120,000 to $139,999: 27 percent
16. $140,000 to $159,000: 20 percent
17. $160,000 to $189,000: 14 percent
18. $190,000 to $219,999: 6 percent
Nurse leader (including CNO/CNE, consultant, director, management, president and vice president, professor and dean and specialist and coordinator positions) for acute care hospitals
19. Under $60,000: 1 percent
20. $60,000 to $99,999: 20 percent
21. $100,000 to $119,000: 18 percent
22. $120,000 to $149,000: 21 percent
23. $150,000 to $189,000: 18 percent
24. $190,000 to $229,999: 13 percent
Nurse leader salary at an ambulatory (including CNO/CNE, consultant, director, management, president and vice president, professor and dean and specialist and coordinator positions) care facility
25. $60,000 to $89,999: 25 percent
26. $90,000 to $109,999: 29 percent
27. $110,000 to $119,999: 19 percent
28. $120,000 to $139,999: 10 percent
29. $140,000 to $159,999: 3 percent
30. $160,000 to $199,999: 12 percent
Bonus as a percentage of base salary
31. 1 percent to 2.5 percent: 21 percent
32. 2.6 percent to 5 percent: 19 percent
33. 5.1 percent to 7.5 percent: 9 percent
34. 7.6 percent to 10 percent: 13 percent
35. 10.1 percent to 20 percent: 22 percent
36. 20.1 percent to 30 percent: 10 percent
On the eve of Election Day, here are 12 reads from the pages of Becker's Hospital Review recapping how healthcare issues played out in the 2016 presidential election.
On the issues
1. Donald Trump & healthcare: 15 things to know
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump released his "Healthcare Reform to Make America Great Again" plan March 2, calling for less government oversight of healthcare and letting the free market sort out costs. Here are 15 things to know about his proposals and views.
2. Hillary Clinton & healthcare: 16 things to know
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's healthcare views are centered around building on the ACA. Read on for 16 things to know about her views on healthcare.
Analyses
3. Trump, Clinton's healthcare plans would achieve opposite results, studies find
Voters know Mr. Trump and Ms. Clinton's healthcare plans are dramatically different, but they may not realize just how distinct they are: A pair of studies conducted by Rand Corp., and released by The Commonwealth Fund suggests the candidates' plans would achieve almost opposite outcomes.
4. Study: Trump's healthcare plan would cause 21M to lose coverage
An analysis of Mr. Trump's healthcare reform plan shows it would nearly double the number of Americans without health insurance.
5. Fitch: Clinton's healthcare plan could benefit hospitals in the near term, but long-term effects uncertain
Ms. Clinton's broad healthcare proposals could create near-term benefits for nonprofit hospitals. However, if her proposals are implemented, it could lead to uncertainties and operating risk in the longer term, according to a Fitch Ratings report.
What voters think
6. Affordable drug prices, not ACA, tops voters' healthcare concerns for 2017
Addressing the high price of prescription drugs tops the American public's list of healthcare issues for the next president and Congress to address. Matters specific to the ACA, such as repealing parts or all of the law, are considered less important by comparison, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll.
7. Survey: Cybersecurity major concern for millennial voters
Cyber threats to the U.S. presidential election has pushed cybersecurity to the forefront of millennials' minds across the globe, according to a Raytheon report.
8. Clinton, Trump voters on abortion: 3 survey findings
Roughly 25 percent of voters describe future federal policies on abortion as a healthcare issue that is extremely important to their pick for president, according to a September poll.
9. Physicians in these 14 specialties more likely to vote Republican
While physicians are generally split 50/50 between the Democrat and Republican parties, partisanship is less evenly divided when looking at individual specialties. Data compiled by Yale researchers indicate some specialties lean heavily Democratic while others lean heavily Republican, reports The New York Times.
Candidates' health
10. Clinton, Trump health records take center stage: 5 developments and observations
The physical health of Mr. Trump and Ms. Clinton has catapulted to the forefront of issues in the election cycle. Here are five developments and observations on the topic of presidential candidates' health.
11. Trump shares results of physical on Dr. Oz
Mr. Trump shared the results of a physical examination during an hour-long interview on The Doctor Oz Show taped Sept. 14, revealing he is overweight and takes a statin to lower cholesterol.
12. Clinton campaign releases physician's letter: 4 things to know
Following Ms. Clinton's pneumonia diagnosis, her campaign released a letter Sept. 14 from her physician, Lisa Bardack, MD. Here are four updates on Ms. Clinton's health.
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The election season wrapping up tomorrow has been characterized by vitriol and divisiveness. In the face of all this contention, Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz is reminding his employees to embrace "respect and dignity" during this "epic, unseemly election," according to Fortune.
Mr. Shultz wrote a letter to Starbucks employees Sunday, encouraging them to demonstrate "kindness, compassion, empathy and love," according to Fortune.
Although he endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in October, Mr. Shultz didn't intimate in his letter that employees should vote for a certain candidate come Tuesday, according to the report.
"Let's each embrace the universal virtues of respect and dignity, refusing to allow the hatred on cable news, the ugliness of our politics, and the lack of political role models for our kids to define us and to dictate how we treat each other," Mr. Schultz wrote, according to the report.
Colusa (Calif.) RegionalMedicalCenterclosed in April, but hospital officials have signed a deal to reopen the facility, according to Action News Now.
Officials announced plans to close Colusa Regional in late March, and the hospital shut down April 22. Hospital officials cited reimbursement models under the ACA, loss of capital and a medical paradigm shift to outpatient care as the primary reasons for the closure.
Hoping to restore healthcare services in Colusa, American Specialty Healthcare in Modesto, Calif., began talks with Colusa Regional earlier this year. The parties have now inked a lease agreement, according to the report.
Under the agreement, Colusa Regional's emergency room, X-ray services, lab and sub-acute care center will be reopened. Colusa County Supervisor Mark Marshall told Action News Now the deal still needs to be approved by the bankruptcy court and the facility needs to be relicensed with the state before it can reopen. He hopes Colusa Regional will reopen in early 2017, according to the report.
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A judge has signed off on the $107 million settlement Hartford, Conn.-based St.FrancisHospital inked earlier this year to settle a lawsuit alleging it mismanaged its pension plan, according to the Connecticut Law Tribune.
St.FrancisHospital, part of Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health, entered into the settlement in May. The settlement resolved allegations brought by a group of St. Francis workers who argued officials improperly classified the hospital's pension as a "church plan" exempt from the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act. ERISA requires pension plans to have adequate funding to pay their promised benefits. The lawsuit alleged the misclassification resulted in the pension being underfunded by $139 million.
To resolve the workers' allegations, Saint Francis will pay the $107 million over 10 years. Additionally, the hospital will guarantee the pension fund for 15 years and pay $800,000 in attorney fees and $2,000 to the lead plaintiff in the case, according to the Connecticut Law Tribune.
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These 10 contract resolutions and dissolutions occurred between payers and providers in the past month, beginning with the most recent.
1. Banner Health, Carondelet among providers not accepting ACA insurance plans in 2017
The fourth open enrollment season for Arizona's insurance exchange boasts health plans with noticeably narrower provider networks than in previous years.
2. CHI Memorial, UnitedHealthcare dispute halts coverage for 5k Chattanoogans
Negotiators from CHI Memorial in Chattanooga, Tenn., and UnitedHealthcare failed to reach a network agreement before their previous contract expired, affecting coverage of roughly 5,000 UnitedHealthcare members in the region.
3. Aetna, Banner Health embark on joint health plan
Aetna and Phoenix-based Banner Health will create and jointly own a health plan company offering employer-based insurance in Arizona's Maricopa and Pinal Counties, with eyes toward statewide expansion.
4. Jefferson Health expands network contract with Humana
Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health entered into a participation agreement with Louisville, Ky.-based Humana. The agreement will expand the health system's Medicare Advantage network plan, providing healthcare access to nearly 9,000 Humana Medicare Advantage members.
5. Prime Healthcare, BCBS of Alabama reach network agreement at hospital
Prime Healthcare Services and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama reached a network agreement regarding Gadsden, Ala.-based Riverview Regional Medical Center.
6. Mississippi insurance commissioner addresses NMHS, UnitedHealthcare strife
The Mississippi Insurance Department requested reports from North Mississippi Health Services and payer UnitedHealthcare showing efforts to resolve a payment dispute.
7. Memorial Community Hospital & Health System back in network with BCBS plan
Blair, Neb.-based Memorial Community Hospital & Health System primary care providers and a regional Blue Cross Blue Shield plan networked for coverage effective Nov. 1.
8. Long Beach Memorial Hospital, CareMore Health team up
Long Beach (Calif.) Memorial Medical Center and Cerritos, Calif.-based CareMore Health Plan teamed up to allow CareMore members access to the medical center's inpatient and outpatient services at in-network rates.
9. UnitedHealthcare, Moffitt Cancer Center partner for lung cancer payment model
Tampa, Fla.-based Moffitt Cancer Center and payer UnitedHealthcare launched a value-based payment model for lung cancer treatment effective Oct. 1.
10. Spartanburg Regional Health System, UnitedHealthcare renew agreement
Spartanburg (S.C.) Regional Healthcare System and Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealthcare agreed to a two-year contract to keep all SRHS hospitals and physicians in UnitedHealthcare's network, effective Oct. 15.
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Earlier this year, the CDC issued a warning to hospitals about an emerging, deadly yeast infection making its way across the globe. Now, local and state health departments and the CDC have identified 13 cases of Candida auris infections in the U.S.
Here are eight things to know about C. auris and the newly reported U.S. cases.
1. Many C. auris isolates are resistant to multiple antifungal drugs, with some strains showing resistance to all three major classes of antifungal medications. The fungus is difficult to identify and is often mistaken for other, less-dangerous Candida strains.
2. The yeast has caused outbreaks in healthcare settings (like a current outbreak in London) and is present in several countries, including Japan, Colombia, India, Israel, Kenya, Kuwait, Pakistan and others.
3. In June, the CDC issued a warning about the yeast and asked labs in the U.S. to report C. auris cases and send samples to the CDC. Since then, 13 cases have been identified. Seven of the cases were described in the most recent CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, but the other six were identified after the period covered by the report.
4. The seven cases were identified between May 2013 and August 2016 in four states: New York, Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey. Four of those patients died, but it is unclear if their deaths were associated with the C. auris infection, as they all had serious underlying medical conditions.
5. In two instances, two patients were treated at the same healthcare facility and their C. auris strains were nearly identical.
6. Most of the C. auris strains in U.S. patients (71 percent) had some sort of drug resistance, but none of them were resistant to all three antifungal drug cases. Most of the samples seemed to be related to C. auris strains from South Asia and South America, but the effected patients had not traveled to that area, meaning they likely acquired the infection locally.
7. The CDC recommends hospitals implement Standard and Contact Precautions to prevent the spread of the yeast in their facilities. In rooms where a C. auris patient is discharged, workers should use an Environmental Protection Agency-registered disinfectant active against fungi.
8. "We need to act now to better understand, contain and stop the spread of this drug-resistant fungus," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD. "This is an emerging threat, and we need to protect vulnerable patients and others."
Here are four spine surgeons and neurosurgeons who were in the news this past week.
Neurosurgeon Robert Nugent, MD, passed away in his home on Oct. 31, 2016. He performed more than 1,600 procedures through his career. He was 95 years old.
John Styliaras, MD, will now see patients at Gateway Family Health Clinics in Moose Lake and Sandstone, both in Minnesota.
Jason E. Lowenstein, MD, has been honored as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor in 2016.
North American Spine Society named F. Todd Wetzel, MD, president at their annual meeting in Boston.
Here are more than 10 spine surgeons and neurosurgeons who recently received awards or promotions.
North American Spine Society named F. Todd Wetzel, MD, president at their annual meeting in Boston.
The Scoliosis Research Society honored these five surgeons for their paper, "The Possible Pathogenesis in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Based on Experimental Model of Melatonin-deficit C57BL/6J Mice." They won the Russell A. Hibbs Basic Research Award:
Masafumi Machida, MD
Jean Dubousset, MD
Atsushi Miyake, MD, PhD
Mitsuru Yagi, MD, PhD
Masakuzu Takemitsu, MD, PhD
The Spine Journal and North American Spine Society awarded three 2016 Outstanding Paper Awards. Read about the involved surgeons here.
The North American Spine Society awarded research grants and traveling fellowships for 2016, totaling $136,479 based on scientific merit, project significance, approach and feasibility. Read about the winners here.
Dr. Nacmettin Pamir, a professor at Acbadem University in Istanbul, Turkey, took the helm of the World Academy of Neurological Surgery.
The National Academy of Medicine elected Michael J. Yaszemski, MD, PhD, of Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic.
Michael Lawton, MD, vice chairman of the neurological surgery department at the University of California at San Francisco, will replace Robert Spetzler, MD, as president and CEO of Phoenix-based Barrow Neurological Institute.
Jason E. Lowenstein, MD, has been honored as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor in 2016.
Park Rapids, Minn.-based CHI St. Joseph's Health appointed Brennan Smith, DO, the head of its orthopedic and spine surgery services.
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Willie Walsh described the decision of the Civil Aviation Authority to write to Heathrow as "absolutely critical"
The boss of British Airways' parent company IAG has warned that the airline will not contribute towards the cost of Heathrow expansion unless the budget is tightly controlled.
Willie Walsh described the decision of the Civil Aviation Authority to write to the airport stressing the importance of it working with airlines to "drive value for money" as "absolutely critical".
The scheme, confirmed as the Government's preferred location for a new runway last month, was estimated by the Airports Commission to cost 17.6 billion.
Speaking at travel trade show World Travel Market at the ExCeL centre in east London, Mr Walsh said: "The days of airports just building expensive, inefficient infrastructure and passing the cost on to airlines and our customers, those days are over.
"We're not going to tolerate it any more, we have been absolutely clear in relation to that.
"I think the economic case for the expansion of Heathrow is very strong but there's no way anyone on this world justifies spending the 17.6 billion that was being identified in the manner in which it was going to be spent. Absolutely no way.
"That would have been an outrageous waste of money and the people taking the risk were the airlines and the airline customers, rather than the shareholders."
Mr Walsh insisted "we're not going to pay for inefficient expansion of the airport", saying the 4.3 billion Terminal 5, which opened in 2008, is "fantastic, but boy was it expensive".
He told the audience that just 1% of the estimated cost for boosting capacity at Heathrow is for the runway, with 800 million going towards a car park.
"I have no objection to Heathrow expansion," he said. "I think that would be good. I have no objection to Gatwick expansion.
"I do object to having to pay for it unless what they are building is what we need and unless what they are building is built in an efficient manner.
"I have a huge objection to the idea that you can built anything at any price in the name of the national economy and expect others to pick up the tab for it."
Alasdair Allan will travel to Estonia on Monday to restate the Scottish Government's determination to remain part of the EU single market
Scotland's Europe Minister is to visit Estonia this week as the Government continues to build relationships amid the fallout of the Brexit vote.
Nicola Sturgeon recently unveiled plans to increase Scottish Development International's presence in Europe to support Scottish companies, with a permanent hub to be established in Berlin and trade envoys appointed to promote exports.
Alasdair Allan will travel to Estonia on Monday to restate the Scottish Government's determination to remain part of the EU single market.
The Estonian Government takes on the EU presidency in 2017.
Dr Allan said: "Our friendships and partnerships with other nations are important to us. We will ensure that whatever the outcomes are of the UK leaving the European Union, these partnerships are not damaged.
"There is a real risk that Scottish companies face a damaging loss of business if the UK leaves the single market. The priority is to protect Scotland's interests at home and abroad.
"I'll be meeting with Scots doing business in Estonia and reassuring them that we are exploring all possible options to protect Scotland's relationship with the EU.
"Single market membership is a key priority for Scotland with over 40% of our exports going to the EU.
"I'll also reinforce that more than ever we need to tell our European friends that Scotland is open for business, working with our neighbours, and playing a positive role in the world."
There will be no talks with Tata bosses
Plans for Prime Minister Theresa May to talk to leaders of Indian multinational Tata during her three-day visit to the country about the future of the company's steelmaking plants in the UK have fallen through.
Mrs May - who is on a trade mission taking in Indian capital New Delhi and Bangalore - said it had proved impossible to stage the meeting for scheduling reasons.
The future of Tata Steel UK and its 11,000 workers have been in doubt since its Indian owner announced in March it was reviewing the future of the business.
And uncertainty was heightened when former boss Cyrus Mistry was removed as chairman.
Interim chair Ratan Tata is reported to be conducting a detailed review of the UK - which includes former British Steel works at Port Talbot - before making a final decision in around four weeks.
"I had hoped to be able to meet key people from Tata while I was in India," said Mrs May.
"Sadly, the schedules don't allow me to do that on this particular visit.
"But there are regular contacts between the Government and Tata Steel for some time now. There continue to be those regular contacts to ensure we maintain - as been maintained so far - that steel production in the UK."
Theresa May has offered a deal with India which could see more visas for the country's nationals to come to the UK in return for increased co-operation in taking back migrants who overstay their permission to remain.
But the Prime Minister gave no ground on Indian concerns over the eligibility criteria for British visas, with aides stressing that any reforms would relate to the speed, convenience and cost of the application process only.
Indian PM Narendra Modi has heaped pressure on Mrs May on the issue during her first visit to the country as Prime Minister, publicly voicing unease over restrictions on access to the UK for students and skilled workers.
And British entrepreneur Sir James Dyson also told a business summit in New Delhi he wanted to see liberalisation of visa rules.
Indian concerns revolve around new minimum salary requirements on workers hoping to relocate to the UK, as well as Mrs May's removal as home secretary of a right for students to work for two years in Britain after graduation.
The issue has overshadowed a three-day trip devoted to paving the way for a free trade deal following the UK's withdrawal from the EU, as well as the removal of existing barriers to commerce.
Mrs May - who arrived at the head of a 33-strong trade delegation - said deals worth 1 billion had been sealed during the visit, creating more than 1,300 jobs in the UK.
Memorandums of understanding were signed on intellectual property rights and the ease of doing business in India, and the two premiers agreed to co-operate on cyber-security and tackling violent extremists online.
As part of a new "strategic dialogue" on home affairs issues, Mrs May said the UK "will consider further improvements to our visa offer if at the same time we can step up the speed and volume of returns of Indians with no right to remain in the UK".
"And the UK will continue to welcome the brightest and best Indian students, with the latest figures showing that nine out of 10 applications are granted."
Aides stressed that the improvements to the visa system on offer did not include any relaxation of eligibility criteria. And no estimates are being made of the number of extra visitors that might result.
Instead, the UK is ready to consider changes such as cutting the cost of visas, speeding up the process or increasing the number of locations where applications can be submitted - something which could increase the number of visas requested and approved.
In return, it was hoped that India will agree to accept back overstayers on the basis of biometric information - such as fingerprints - gathered by UK migration authorities, rather than insisting on documentation which may have been destroyed or lost.
Indian nationals are among the most frequent visa overstayers in the UK, and it is thought that thousands may be covered by a deal of the kind being considered.
Speaking alongside Mrs May at a tech sector summit ahead of their working lunch, Mr Modi made clear his concern about visa changes which have almost halved numbers of Indian students at UK universities over the past five years.
"Education is vital for our students and will define our engagement in a shared future," he said.
"We must therefore encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in education and research opportunities."
Following the lunch, he signalled he was also concerned about restrictions on visas for skilled workers.
Welcoming the establishment of a UK-India joint working group on trade, he said: "We believe that such a group should not only focus on trade in goods but also the expansion of services trade, including greater mobility of skilled professionals."
Mrs May has already announced moves to speed the way for Indian executives through UK airports as well as helping a handful of top business figures with visa applications.
UK officials were delighted that Mr Modi granted Mrs May an unusually lengthy 90-minute one-on-one private discussion in talks which formed the centrepiece of her first bilateral visit as PM outside Europe.
Cobra beer founder Lord Bilimoria said Indians were getting a raw deal on visas, compared to China, which was given two-year multiple entry visa for less than 100 following President Xi Jinping's state visit last year.
The crossbench peer told BBC2's Daily Politics: "Prime Minister Modi came within a month after that - no such concession for India.
"And now here we are - this was an ideal opportunity for the Prime Minister to say: 'Here in India, you can have exactly the same as we're offering China.' Because we know that many Indian visitors we lose out from in the UK, and the UK economy loses out on, because they go as far as Paris and do not come to the UK."
Lord Bilimoria was backed by Conservative peer and leading Brexiter Jacob Rees-Mogg, who told the programme: "I'm entirely with Lord Bilimoria that we should give at least as good terms to India as we give to China. It's quite wrong that we should give preferential terms to China rather than one of our closest allies."
Sir James told the BBC: "We should let more people from India in on visas and people who study here should be allowed to stay here and they should be told they can stay before they come.
"The Government needs to change its mind on this one because we are going to be one million engineers short in the coming years. We only have a quarter of the engineers we actually need."
Police at the scene of a shooting in the Springview Walk area of west Belfast
A man has been injured in a paramilitary-style shooting in Belfast.
The 35-year-old was shot in the legs in Springview Walk, off the Springfield Road.
The incident was reported shortly after 7.10pm.
Ambulance crew sped to the scene and administered first aid to the victim.
The injured man was then taken by ambulance to the Royal Victoria Hospital.
His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Police in forensic suits later examined the scene in the darkness.
There is nothing to suggest that the shooting was linked to a suspicious death in Divis Tower in west Belfast last night.
This is believed to have been the 16th paramlitary-style shooting this year. Recent PSNI statistics reported that there were 22 non-fatal paramilitary shootings between October 2015 and this September.
A prisoner who took his own life at under-pressure Maghaberry jail at the weekend was being held in custody on suspicion of the murder of his own father.
Gerard Mulligan (44) was charged with the murder of his father - also called Gerard - on September 29, after police discovered his body in the boot of a car in Limehurst Way in Lisburn days earlier.
It's understood the victim, who had severe head injuries after he was hit with a breeze block, was in his 70s.
The NI Prison Service (NIPS) confirmed the death of a 44-year-old prisoner on Saturday night, but have yet to name him.
Acting Prison Service director general Phil Wragg said: "I would like to extend my sympathy and that of the Northern Ireland Prison Service to the family of the prisoner who has died in Maghaberry. My thoughts are with them at this difficult time."
A NIPS spokesman said the man's next of kin have been informed.
"As with standard procedure, the PSNI, Coroner and Prisoner Ombudsman have launched investigations into the death," he added.
This is at least the fourth death to have occurred in Maghaberry since a damning report a year ago branded the high-security prison "dangerous and unsafe."
The joint assessment by HM Inspectorate of Prisons and Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) in November 2015 said Maghaberry was "a prison in crisis".
Nick Hardwick, the chief inspector of prisons in England and Wales, said at the time: "This is one of the worst prisons I've ever seen and the most dangerous prison I've been to."
Maghaberry houses almost 1,000 prisoners, including around 50 with loyalist and republican paramilitary affiliations who are held in segregated accommodation.
Dissident republicans have issued death threats against prison staff in recent years and in 2012 long-serving officer David Black was shot dead by dissidents as he drove to work.
SDLP councillor Pat Catney lives across the street from Gerard Mulligan Snr's house in Lisburn.
He said questions needed to be asked on how the murder victim's son, someone with obvious "psychological problems", came to harm in Maghaberry.
"It's a really sad finale to that whole story," he said.
"That whole family is devastated, there's more pain for them now, no matter what the circumstances. The bottom line is just human tragedy, a family plunged into more grief than they already had."
"Questions have to be asked about Maghaberry.
"I would say before that man went in there was psychological problems there and they would have been aware of it. There has to be accountability in the Prison Service, there's problems there that keep building."
Mr Catney said he believed that although the nature of Mr Mulligan's crime was "horrific," he may have needed extra supervision.
"You would think in those circumstances we would be watching out for problems," he said.
"Prison officers don't have it easy there's no doubt about that. But the amount of money put into prisons here means we need answers.
"We're meant to feel fairly safe when dangerous people are taken out of society. But when they're in Her Majesty's care we should expect the highest standards."
Ulster Unionist justice spokesperson Doug Beattie MLA said that "any death in custody is a tragedy".
"Our thoughts are with the man's family and all those affected, including the prison officers," he added.
"We must now await the outcome of the Prison Ombudsman's report."
Declan Kearney, Sinn Fein's justice spokesman, said that he was "deeply concerned" about the latest death in Maghaberry prison.
"I will be contacting prison service authorities to obtain a full report on the circumstances surrounding this man's death in custody," he said.
"My sympathies and thoughts are with his family and friends at this time."
On Friday, 190 prison staff at Maghaberry arrived late for work over a pay dispute that has apparently been running for a year.
Finlay Spratt, chair of the Prison Officer's association, said "staff are totally frustrated" with working conditions, adding: "I intend to ballot the membership for an all-out strike.
"It is so sad that we have to go to those extremes to make the management sit up and listen."
Last night, Justice Minister Claire Sugden declined to comment when asked if the latest death was a sign that conditions in the Northern Ireland prison service were only getting worse.
Gemma Weir from the Worker's Party said the crisis demanded an "immediate and incisive response" from the Justice Minister.
"The latest death of an inmate at Maghaberry prison further heightens concerns about the fitness of our prison regime and the way in which duty of care is approached," she said.
She added the death of the prisoner at Maghaberry and a series of incidents - one involving a prisoner blinding and self harming himself while under observation by prison staff - were alarming.
"We have some very serious and systemic problems in our prison system," she said.
"This has to be the top of the Minister for Justice's agenda and a comprehensive, all-inclusive and far-reaching action plan must be forthcoming within weeks: not months or years.
"Prisoners in the care of society are inflicting harm upon themselves and in several cases taking their own lives," she added.
"This is not a time for pious platitudes, it is a time for a root and branch examination of the entire prison system with a view to making it safe, effective and accountable."
The effect of the UK leaving the EU will be the primary focus of the summit
The impact of Brexit on the funding of Northern Ireland's musical scene is to be discussed at a special event in Belfast this week.
Figures from the Musicians' Union and the British Council will speak at the gathering at the Oh Yeah Music Centre on Thursday afternoon.
Other key talks will discuss the campaign to preserve small venues, licensing laws and links with other great gigging cities such as Berlin.
Charlotte Dryden, chief executive officer of Oh Yeah, said: "Oh Yeah felt it important to continue the conversation on the issues affecting not only the music industry but also the wider infrastructure for music and the scene.
"One of the key panels on the day involves Brexit and what it means for musicians. It should be a very interesting afternoon and an important discussion."
It is part of the Sound of Belfast festival which is focusing on the city's musical present, past and future.
Small and grassroots venues are the lifeblood of many music scenes and can play a crucial role in nurturing local talent. A panel will explore ways of improving, protecting and securing these venues' long-term future.
The State has failed to prove police acted lawfully in shooting dead an unarmed IRA man in Belfast, a coroner has ruled.
Justice Horner said it was impossible to determine with certainty what happened when Pearse Jordan was killed by a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer in west Belfast in 1992.
In delivering his findings in what was the third inquest into the highly contentious death, the coroner said he was not convinced either by family claims the 22-year-old was gunned down in cold blood or by police insistence the RUC sergeant acted in self-defence.
Justice Horner noted that under European human rights laws the onus was on the State to prove that, on the balance of probabilities, the killing was lawful.
He said given his inability to reach a firm conclusion on what had happened, the state had failed to prove that point.
"It is sufficient to record that no version has been put forward which commends itself to this inquest on the balance of probabilities," he said.
Mr Jordan had been driving a stolen car suspected of ferrying IRA munitions when the fatal incident unfolded. He failed to stop when ordered by police and sped away from a patrol car.
The Ford Orion was finally brought to a halt on the Falls Road when police rammed the vehicle. Mr Jordan was shot after getting out of the car when he tried to run away.
The family pointed to civilian witnesses who alleged he was shot in the back as he fled the scene, but police claimed Mr Jordan had turned quickly back toward them, prompting concern he was going to open fire on them.
The investigation into the shooting has been beset by controversy and delay.
In 2014, the Jordan family were awarded compensation for the lengthy hold-ups in concluding an inquest.
An original inquest was adjourned in 1995 after being only part heard. Another probe was held in 2012 but the jury failed to reach consensus on a number of crucial issues, including whether the RUC used reasonable force.
Those findings were later quashed after the High Court identified a number of failings in how the probe was run.
One of the primary issues was the failure to disclose to next of kin a series of top-secret government reports into allegations that the security forces engaged in a shoot-to-kill policy during a period of the Troubles.
The Stalker/Sampson reports did factor in the re-ordered inquest heard by Justice Horner without a jury.
Justice Horner, a High Court judge sitting as a coroner, said Mr Jordan had been on an IRA mission when he was killed.
Taking almost three hours to read his substantive findings at Belfast's Royal Courts of Justice, he said the car had been used to ferry weapons earlier in the day but at the time when it was stopped it was not transporting arms.
"It is now impossible with the passage of time to say with any certainty what happened on that fateful afternoon," the coroner added.
"At the remove of a quarter of a century I am simply unable to reach a concluded view which is fair and just as to whether the use of lethal force was justified or not.
"I remain profoundly unsure as to what happened."
He said neither side in the case had "been able to convince me that what they say did occur immediately prior to the deceased's death."
The coroner said the police had failed to provide a "satisfactory and convincing" explanation to justify the use of lethal force.
"The reason why delay is the enemy of justice is clearly demonstrated by this inquest," he said.
"Taking into account all the evidence which has been adduced it is not now possible at the remove of 25 years to reach a final conclusion which is fair and just to both sides, given the doubts which I continue to harbour about how the deceased met his death all those years ago.
"It follows therefore that in my opinion the State has failed to discharge the onus which lies upon it under Article 2 of the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights) to prove on the balance of probabilities that the killing of the deceased was lawful."
The officer who fired the three shots that hit Mr Jordan gave evidence to the inquest, which was heard over 16 days between February and April this year. Sergeant A insisted he acted proportionately and said he did not regret his actions.
Mr Jordan's mother Teresa, father Hugh and brother Matt sat in the front row of the public gallery as the coroner delivered his lengthy findings on Monday morning.
Afterwards, the family issued a statement through their lawyer Fearghal Shiels.
"While the family welcome the coroner's conclusion that the PSNI failed to discharge the onus upon them to provide a satisfactory and convincing explanation for the use of lethal force they are nonetheless very disappointed that the coroner failed to conclude on the evidence that the shooting of Pearse Jordan was unjustified," it stated.
"Pearse's parents had the opportunity to see and hear Sergeant A when he gave his evidence and are firmly of the belief that the evidence clearly established that the shooting of Pearse was unjustified and unjustifiable.
"The evidence before the coroner demonstrated that Pearse was shot in the back, while running away from the RUC and that he was unarmed."
The statement concluded: "We will now study the detailed verdict closely with Pearse's parents and consider our next steps in order to secure justice for Pearse Jordan's family."
A far-right protest group has been accused of "causing division" and "stirring up tensions" after it distributed hundreds of leaflets over the weekend claiming jihadis were targeting Northern Ireland.
The group - which calls itself Ulster Awake and has more than 3,000 followers on Facebook - said it distributed hundreds of copies of the leaflet headed: "No jihad here! Northern Ireland is under threat."
It claimed there could be up to 650 jihadis on the island and suggests Islamic terrorists are plotting attacks in Northern Ireland and other parts of the UK.
The leaflets were found stuck to the windscreens of cars parked outside Lisburn's Bow Street Mall on Saturday.
It criticised Muslims and other ethnic minority and religious groups, and claimed the media is involved in a cover up on terrorist attacks.
"The insanity of mass immigration/bogus asylum seekers and refugees welcome must be challenged and stopped if our nation and people are to survive," the leaflet said.
"We refuse to stand idly by and watch the funeral pyre of our race and nation be built with the help of our 'so-called' politicians, which includes much of unionism. For the sake of your children and grandchildren stand up and resist the invasion."
Lisburn and Castlereagh Council deputy mayor Stephen Martin said those behind the leaflet were "anonymous cowards".
"Everyone is entitled to express their point of view, but when a group pretends to defend us all by spreading outright lies intended to divide communities, it needs condemned in the strongest possible terms," the Alliance councillor said.
"This propaganda needs continually challenged - nothing of what they have put into the public domain actually stands up to scrutiny. These sorts of groups are only interested in whipping up unnecessary fear to further their own agenda.
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"Whoever wrote this offensive material won't even put their own names to their propaganda. These anonymous cowards need challenged on their lies at every turn."
DUP councillor Jonathan Craig said the leaflets were an "obvious attempt to stir up tensions".
He said: "Those behind the leaflets do not represent the view of people in the Lisburn area and they are clearly ignorant of the huge amount of good work which has been done in tackling racism and promoting good community relations with those who have come to live in Lisburn.
"A national debate about controlled immigration is a world away from these kind of leaflets which are deliberately worded and would undoubtedly be intimidating to those from ethnic minority groups."
A PSNI spokesman said police were aware of political leaflets being distributed in the Lisburn area on Saturday, but did not say if they were treating the incident as a hate crime.
The group claims its "mission is to maintain Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom, and to promote all that is British. British jobs for British people".
Last month, four men were arrested in Ballymena and Coleraine by police investigating the alleged activities of 'right wing extremists' involved in suspicious activity in a Co Antrim forest.
The owners of Ashers Bakery have sent a message of thanks to their supporters, saying they "do not feel defeated or dismayed" after losing their appeal against being found to have unlawfully refused to make a cake with a pro-gay marriage slogan.
The McArthur family also said they haven't decided whether to take further legal action following last month's landmark verdict by senior judges, who ruled they directly discriminated against a customer due to his sexuality.
Ashers' Baking Company declined an order placed by gay rights activist Gareth Lee at its Belfast city centre shop in May 2014. He had requested a cake depicting Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie below the motto 'Support Gay Marriage' for an event to mark International Day Against Homophobia.
Bosses at the bakery refunded his money for the order because the message ran contrary to their Christian faith.
In their letter of thanks - sent to churches which have backed them, as well as to thousands of individual supporters - Daniel McArthur said he wanted to express "how thankful we are for your prayerful support at this time".
"It has been our joy to take a small stand for Christ and to have opportunities to witness for Him in the public spotlight, and we have many people to thank for how they have been an encouragement to us," he said.
"Above all, we give God thanks for how He has brought us through all our difficulties and spread his wings over us. Despite the judgment delivered last week, we do not feel defeated or dismayed."
In May 2015, District Judge Brownlie ruled that Ashers Baking Company had broken sexual orientation and political discrimination laws.
The lengthy and costly legal action against the bakery was brought by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. The family is still considering possible further legal options with its advisors.
In their judgment, three Court of Appeal judges accepted that Ashers did not refuse the cake order because the customer, Mr Lee, was gay, but nonetheless ruled that refusing the order because of its slogan "was direct discrimination".
In his letter, Mr McArthur asked supporters to pray for his family as it decides what to do next. "We believe that this judgment is part of God's will and through it He will bring glory to Himself. We take comfort in knowing that our God is sovereign and rules over all the earth. Please continue to pray for us as we look to God for guidance in response to this judgment. 'As I have planned, so shall it be' Isaiah 14 v 24," Mr McArthur wrote.
The Christian Institute has backed the case which, it says, demonstrates the need for the law to reasonably accommodate family-run businesses with firmly-held beliefs. Its spokesman Simon Calvert said that although it has already cost more than 200,000 to help Ashers defend the case, it will continue to support them.
"It has been an inspirational privilege to stand with Daniel and his family in this fundamentally important matter as they consider the implications of the recent decision and options which they may now have in the future," he said.
"We promised that through The Christian Institute's Legal Defence Fund we would stand with the family through this costly battle, and we will continue to do so. It has cost over 200,000 so far to defend the legal action brought against them by the Equality Commission."
Northern Ireland- 30th April 2013 Mandatory Credit - Photo-Jonathan Porter/Presseye. Linda Black pictured leaving the tribunal office at the Gasworks in Belfast.
Revelations of a sex discrimination row between a teacher and her estranged husband a school principal have sent shockwaves throughout the school at the centre of the scandal.
Parents of pupils from Newtownbreda High School in south Belfast said they were stunned to learn of the industrial tribunal action being pursued by former teacher Linda Black.
Colin Black is the principal of Newtownbreda High in south Belfast.
His wife, Linda, has taken a case to an industrial tribunal alleging she was forced from her job after Mr Black had an affair with another teacher at the school.
As revealed in yesterday's Belfast Telegraph, Mrs Black has complained of unfair dismissal, citing her husband, the school and the South Eastern Education and Library Board.
In the joint action, she also claims the parties breached their contract of employment.
Mrs Black is also pursuing a complaint of sexual discrimination against Mr Black, the school and its board of governors.
Mr Black denies the claims.
One parent who was dropping her children off at the school yesterday said: I couldn't believe it.
"I have two children there and I know the teachers pretty well with being in and out of the school but I hadn't heard a thing."
Another said: "Everybody is talking about it. I have always found Mr Black a very affable man."
Residents in the area and local political representatives also said they had been unaware of the tribunal action.
Yesterday afternoon, Mr Black's parking space at the school was vacant.
The Belfast Telegraph attempted to contact him at the school but were unable to do so.
The woman named during the tribunal hearing as having had an affair with Mr Black was also unavailable for comment.
Yesterday, a spokeswoman for the South Eastern Education and Library Board said there would be no further comment on the story.
Details of the case were given at a pre-hearing of the industrial tribunal case in Belfast's Killymeal House on Tuesday.
Mr Black and his legal representatives reject the claims.
When asked by tribunal pre-hearing president Eileen McBride of the circumstances surrounding the breakdown of the Blacks' marriage, a legal representative for Mr Black said the affair was not disputed. Mr Black said he was not considering his position.
The case is due to be heard next month.
Unionists have called for a reduction in fines for parking offences
Over-zealous car parking attendants are competing to raise as much money as possible from fines, the DUP has claimed.
Hefty charges of up to 90 represent a cash cow for the Infrastructure Department and should be cut to encourage shoppers into town centres, unionists said.
But reducing fines would only encourage bad parking which puts vulnerable pedestrians at risk, the Alliance Party insisted.
DUP North Down MLA Alex Easton said: "Over-zealous car parking attendants are actively competing to raise as much revenue as possible as an alternative source of income to the Department.
"This in my view is wrong and sends out the wrong message to local businesses.
"Action is required urgently to reduce the burden of fines, to increase flexibility, to encourage shoppers into our town centres and for Transport Northern Ireland to decide to listen for a change."
Parking tickets carry a 90 fine but are halved if the driver pays within 14 days.
Around 4.5 million was collected by the Infrastructure Department last year, an Assembly question revealed previously. Most people paid 45.
DUP South Belfast MLA Christopher Stalford said: "The Lisburn Road has become something of a golden goose for the red coats."
Declan McCrossan, SDLP MLA for West Tyrone, concurred the situation was similar in towns like Omagh and Strabane, saying: "One was almost handing them out like raffle tickets."
Kellie Armstrong, who represents the Alliance Party in Strangford, said badly parked motorists blocked footpaths and forced the vulnerable onto the roads, adding: " Bad parking is the fault of a driver who does not care - who takes risks."
She said poor parking could create havoc, blocking bus lanes and making mothers with children in buggies go onto the road.
"The fine needs to be enough of a deterrent to stop people from parking badly in the first place. Reducing the fine will reduce the deterrent," she said.
The Assembly called on Minister for Infrastructure Chris Hazzard to investigate the reduction of mandatory car parking fines and look at options to review on-street car parking fees and times.
Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) chief executive Glyn Roberts said: "It is absolutely vital that we make significant changes to car parking charges and fines to support the growth of our town centres and high streets."
NIIRTA has called on the minister to devolve on-street car parking to the 11 councils, giving them a greater role in shaping town centres and high streets.
Mr Roberts added: "This will be a central part of our submission to the review.
"This review should also include a fairer way to enforce Belfast bus lanes regulations, ensuring a yellow card system is introduced for first-time offenders."
The NASUWT has warned that some schools may have to shut.
Northern Ireland's largest teachers' union has announced the schools which will take part in its first wave of strike action.
Teachers are to take to the picket lines over what the NASUWT has described as a "derisory pay offer of 0%", excessive workloads and job security.
The action is to take place later this month at schools in Belfast and Newtownabbey. The union said it will announce the date of the strike when the official notice is sent to employers.
It is anticipated that the industrial action will cause widespread disruption. Union officials told the BBC some schools may have to close.
Further rolling strikes are planned for January and February 2017.
Chris Keates, NASUWT general secretary, said: The high quality education to which all children and young people are entitled cannot be delivered by teachers whose professional lives are being blighted by deep pay cuts and excessive workload.
Our children and young people are entitled to be taught by those who are recognised and rewarded as highly skilled professionals and who have working conditions which enable them to focus on teaching and learning.
For fourteen months of negotiations on last years pay award to conclude with an offer of 0% shows that the employers had no intention of doing anything but delay the process to save money at the expense of hardworking teachers.
And as if that was not enough to demonstrate to teachers, who are providing one of the most vital public services, the contempt with which they are being treated, the minister then seeks to announce a good news story on school funding, the bulk of which comes from plundering teachers pay packets.
Teachers do not take strike action lightly. No one wants to disrupt the children and young people they teach or their parents but teachers pay and conditions are inextricably linked to the provision of high quality education.
Attacks on teachers are attacks on children and young people.
The responsibility for the strike action rests with the minister and the employers.
Even in the face of their gross unreasonableness, we have presented them with a more than reasonable way to avoid strike action.
Its now up to them.
Justin McCamphill, NASUWT National Official Northern Ireland, said: We regret the disruption that will be caused to pupils and to teachers, if the ministers and employers fail to respond positively to the NASUWTs reasonable proposition on how strike action can be avoided.
Ministers and the employers have been given the money to pay teachers the minimum of 1% for 2015-16. It is nothing short of scandalous that they clearly do not think that paying teachers is important.
Teachers have been left with no choice but to stand up to such a contemptuous attitude.
A Northern Ireland man who was at his lowest ebb as he fought severe depression has told how volunteering in Nepal transformed his life and gave him back his self-esteem.
Kieran Mines, from Crossmaglen, had been struggling with low confidence and low self-worth and was undergoing one-on-one counselling.
But after his counsellor suggested volunteering as a way of getting out and connecting with people, the 25-year-old found a programme online and he said he has never looked back.
"Before I went over there I had no real self-worth, but the experience taught me that I'm a lot stronger than I thought I was and I can do a lot more than I thought I could," Kieran said.
"I did stuff that I never thought I'd be able to do and it was just because I had that support and I had that help.
"Before I got over there I didn't know myself, but the way they treat you and the way they push you and the way they do team leaderships, it's just set up to build you as well as build the community you're in."
Kieran chose the International Citizen Service (ICS) programme, partnered with Raleigh ICS, which brings young people from the UK to work with local communities and create long-lasting change in countries like Nicaragua, Tanzania and Nepal.
He said he was quickly drawn to the programme because of the emphasis on working with local communities, both abroad and at home.
"Instead of just going out and doing your charity work, once you get home, you concentrate heavily on action at home, where you continue what you were doing in your country," Kieran said.
He added that Raleigh ICS also focused on integrating UK volunteers with local people. For every UK volunteer there was a Nepali volunteer and for the 10 weeks that Kieran and the other volunteers stayed in Nibuwater, they lived with host families.
"Even though there was a language barrier, getting to know your family and the rest of the people in the community and how they live That was the most beautiful experience ever," Kieran said.
For the first few weeks, the team focused on meeting with the Nibuwater community to teach them about sustainability and hygiene. They talked about treating water for drinking, climate change and staying safe in natural disasters like earthquakes and lightning strikes.
The volunteers also discussed their plans for building a water tank, toilets and hand-washing stations and listened to figure out "what they felt was the most important thing in their community".
Kieran said there were some difficulties at first in figuring out how to work with the people in Nibuwater.
Some of the issue was caused by the language barrier, even though many of the UK volunteers had learned some Nepali before they arrived. In the end, it came down to understanding the Nibuwater people instead of imposing on them.
"Just figuring out how they worked and not how we wanted them to work was the best way to do it," he said.
But by the end of the 10 weeks, the volunteers had helped build a 20,000 litre water tank, five toilets and four hand-washing stations. The UK volunteers also gave English lessons and set up a camp for the children.
Kieran said going to Nepal was a big step for him, but he hopes that others will make the same decision he did.
"It's not as hard as people think," he said.
"And no matter if it's a tiny step or a big leap, (volunteering) really does make a difference in the long run."
An aerial view of Fort George army barracks near Inverness (Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland/PA Wire)
Ballykinler Army camp is to have no resident regiment for the first time since the Napoleonic wars
Plans to close more military sites throws thousands of jobs into doubt, unions warned.
Another 56 Ministry of Defence sites are to close, including the historic Fort George in Scotland.
The sites that are set to close in County Down are Abercorn Barracks, Ballykinler; Kinnegar Logistics Base, Holywood; and Volunteer Gliding School at Newtownards Airfield
The plans are part of the Government's Defence Review that aims to cut thousands of civilian posts under huge budget cuts.
The Public and Commercial Services union said the cuts will severely hit the support available to armed forces and will further damage morale.
The union will oppose closures and job losses, adding that the MoD should learn from previous mistakes if it sells off land for housing.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "We are opposed to these closure plans that throw the future into doubt for thousands of staff.
"The MoD has a poor track record on selling off land for homes and this again exposes how the Tories are simply paying lip service to the urgent need to address the housing crisis."
Unite national officer Mike McCartney said: "In many instances the bases earmarked for closure are at the heart of their local communities providing a source of decent and secure employment.
"Their closure will be a severe blow to the local economies where they are located and the people whose livelihoods depend on them.
"Over the coming weeks we will be analysing the detail of the proposed base closures and pressing the MoD to step back from its brutal base closure programme."
Paula Mayrs and daughter Joanna laid a wreath at Aghadowey War Memorial yesterday in memory of Captain David Patton who was killed in Afghanistan in 2006
A woman who lost her SAS husband to the Taliban has given a moving account of finding peace and love again after a decade mired in grief.
Captain David Patton was due home from a special forces mission in Afghanistan on June 27, 2006, but instead his wife Paula received the news every army spouse dreads: David would not be coming home and he would never see her or their one-year-old daughter Joanna again.
The devastation was something the Co Londonderry woman never thought she would recover from but, 10 years on, she has spoken of unexpectedly finding love again, while also remaining David's widow with a desire to keep his memory very much alive.
Recalling how she had been looking forward to welcoming David home from Afghanistan before tragedy struck, Paula Mayrs (50) said their 10 weeks apart had been the longest in their 11 years together.
"I was buzzing with excitement about his return, impatient for the phone to ring, to hear his voice from the army plane," she recalled.
"But that call never came. David was dead, lying face down in a field, gunned down by the Taliban who had ambushed his paratroop patrol during a covert mission in Helmand Province.
"Would I have got involved with David if I had known the dangerous nature of his job from the outset? Growing up in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, during The Troubles, I'd vowed never to date a policeman or soldier, much less someone from special forces who everyone knew were targeted. I had seen first-hand the devastating impact army life could have on the wife left behind. My sister's husband, who was in the regular army, had been shot dead in front of her by the IRA at their home while on Christmas leave in 1992.
"But in 1995, when I was 29, and introduced to David by a mutual friend, I remember looking at this exceptionally handsome man and thinking, 'Oh golly.' We just fell for each other."
For the first few years of their marriage the couple were fortunate that David was stationed in the UK and could come home regularly to their Aghadowey address.
Then, in 2004, after giving up hope of having children, Paula discovered she was pregnant - but her happiness was clouded with concern about David's promotion to captain, which meant it was compulsory for him to do a tour of duty. After a painful goodbye, Paula was only able to speak to David three times while he was in Afghanistan.
"The last time I heard from him was a week before his death," she told the Mail On Sunday's You magazine.
"He was due home but told me he would be staying on an extra week, that the lads needed him.
"People said afterwards, 'I bet you wish you'd told him to come back', but he would have stayed regardless, and then there would have been bad feeling between us.
"On the day of his death, I'd gone to work as usual in the admissions office of Ulster University, leaving Joanna at the creche.
I was surprised to see David's commanding officer in the doorway of my office. I started to smile, and then I saw his expression. He didn't say a word; he didn't need to. I ran out of the back door, along the corridor, screaming 'No, no,' so loudly that they heard me on the floor above."
Two funerals, one military and one civil, would follow, of which Paula remembers little.
"I lost the next three years of my life," she said. "I can't even remember Joanna's second or third birthdays."
Memories would start to come back, but they were often painful ones, and Paula lost her self-confidence. During that period she said it was a help to be in contact with the War Widows Association, while her family and church community also helped.
"After a while, friends began saying that I should start dating," said Paula.
"Even Joanna sometimes asked, 'Can I have a daddy?' I went on a couple of coffee dates over the years, but it never felt right. Then, last year, a member of church asked if I would have coffee with his friend Steve. I refused, but reluctantly accepted his Facebook friend request. Steve messaged me to say that he knew I didn't want a relationship but he would still like to buy me a coffee. I really couldn't be bothered, but something made me go.
"When he walked into the cafe, I thought, 'Oh, this isn't going to go the way I thought.' Yes, I was attracted to Steve, who is 10 years my senior and a retired pilot, but it was more than that. He was exactly what I needed. He is kind and thoughtful, and calmed me down, bringing a peacefulness to my life. He made it easy for me to be me again, almost as if I could step back into the person I'd been before tragedy struck. I can only describe it as feeling as though I could breathe again, and relax for the first time in almost a decade."
Paula said their relationship progressed very quickly.
"We met in October 2015, were engaged by Christmas and married in March this year.
"We knew how we felt about each other, so there seemed little point in waiting, although I did have an internal struggle about marrying on the 10th anniversary of David's death. But after grieving for a decade, it felt OK to put my new life first," she said.
"The fact I've remarried doesn't mean I've stopped being David's widow. A part of me will always be left behind at that roadblock. I have an obligation and desire to keep his memory alive. Steve supports my wishes - I couldn't be with a man who didn't. He doesn't feel threatened by David's memory.
"When I go to Army events to represent David, I always ask Steve if he wants to come too, as I will do next week, on Remembrance Sunday."
More than 20 lawyers from Northern Ireland have joined a massive surge of UK lawyers seeking to practice in the Irish Republic in the wake of the decision to leave the EU.
The number of lawyers from England and Wales admitted to the Irish Roll of Solicitors has soared by nearly 10 times so far this year in reaction to the Brexit vote, new figures have shown.
On average the number of English and Welsh lawyers applying to work in the Republic ranges between 50 and 100 per year.
However, that number has already rocketed to 618 so far this year with a further 93 applications currently being processed, according to the Law Society of Ireland.
And a further 23 solicitors from Northern Ireland have also been added to the roll.
Solicitors that have qualified in England, Wales or Northern Ireland are allowed to undergo a process that allows them to practice in the Republic.
And similarly solicitors that have qualified in the Republic can transfer to the rolls of solicitors in Northern Ireland, England, and Wales. So far, just over a sixth of lawyers that have been added to the Irish roll have been granted a practising certificate, which is required in order to practice law in the Republic.
Practising certs cost 2,035 (1,811) a year for lawyers that have been qualified for less than three years and 2,335 (2,078) for those that have been qualified for more than three years.
The director general of the Law Society of Ireland Ken Murphy told said the rise in applications has been a direct result of the UK's decision to leave the European Union.
"It's completely a Brexit-triggered event that's taking place now and the solicitors that are doing this and coming on the roll are doing this like cautious lawyers," he said.
One of the biggest law firms in the UK has transferred some of its solicitors from its anti-trust, competition and trade law teams as a precautionary measure. "The Law Society of Ireland has had informal discussions with some of the major international law firms whose England and Wales-qualified solicitors have in recent months been taking out an additional qualification by seeking and gaining admittance to the Roll of Solicitors in Ireland," Mr Murphy said.
"This, of course, is all being done in anticipation of the UK leaving the European Union."
Mick Wallace: The Independents4Change TD has been a vociferous critic of the 1.6bn deal under which Cerberus bought Namas Northern Ireland loan portfolio, Project Eagle, in 2014
US vulture fund Cerberus has petitioned the High Court to adjudicate TD Mick Wallace bankrupt.
The petition comes ten months after the fund secured a 2m judgment against the Wexford politician arising out of debts it bought from Ulster Bank.
The application was made this morning to Ms Justice Caroline Costello by barrister Eddie Farrelly, representing Cerberuss Irish subsidiary Promontoria (Aran) Ltd.
The proceedings were adjourned until December 5 following an application from Mr Wallace's barrister Keith Farry.
Mr Wallace was present in court for the application. Wearing blue jeans and a dark blue shirt, he stood at the back of the courtroom as he waited for the application to be made.
"I'll deal with it the best I can. Life is too short to be worrying," said Mr Wallace after the brief hearing.
He was accompanied by David Hall, chief executive of the Irish Mortgage Holders Organisation.
The Independents4Change TD has been a vociferous critic of the 1.6bn deal under which Cerberus bought Namas Northern Ireland loan portfolio, Project Eagle, in 2014.
He has consistently questioned the sale price and raised concerns about alleged kickback payments. Cerberus has denied any wrongdoing.
Even if he is adjudicated a bankrupt Mr Wallace will be able to hold onto his Dail seat.
A change in the law two years ago removed the prohibition on bankrupts being members of the Dail.
Last January, Mr Justice Brian McGovern ruled that Promontoria (Aran) Ltd was entitled to summary judgment after finding Mr Wallace had raised no arguable defence to the claim.
He entered judgment for 2m, the maximum amount of Mr Wallace's liability under his guarantee of the debt of his construction company, M & J Wallace Ltd, and also awarded costs against Mr Wallace.
The judge granted a stay for three months on execution of the judgment order at the time.
Mr Wallace has been one of the fiercest critics of Cerberus's purchase of Project Eagle.
Claims of political kickbacks on the margins of that purchase are being investigated by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) and the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Mr Wallace used Dail privilege to reveal around Stg7m linked to the deal had been deposited in an account in the Isle of Man. He alleged this was intended for a Northern Ireland politician or political party.
A former Nama official and a former Nama advisor have both been questioned by the NCA as part of its investigation.
Mr Wallace also spoke out in opposition to the sale of another Nama asset portfolio, known as Project Arrow, to Cerberus for around 800m, calling on Finance Minister Michael Noonan to suspend the sale until the NCA investigation was complete.
Earlier this year the TD set up a website called namaleaks.com, seeking to uncover possible injustice and poor practice related to Nama and financial institutions in Ireland.
He said last week that the website had received information about events in the North before 2013 relating to the sale and planned to outline details in the Dail.
A report by the Comptroller & Auditor General Seamus McCarthy found Nama made a probable loss of around 220m on the sale, a finding rejected by Nama.
Todays application is the latest in a series of financial setbacks for the TD, who also had a judgment for 19.1m registered against him and M&J Wallace Ltd by ACC in 2011.
The company was placed in receivership by ACC in May 2011.
Its assets included the Italian Quarter on Ormond Quay in Dublin and the Behan Square apartment complex on Russell Street near Croke Park.
The ACC debts arose out of five loans granted to M&J Wallace Ltd between 2004 and 2008, for which personal guarantees were given by Mr Wallace.
The construction firm also made a 2.1m settlement with the Revenue Commissioners in 2012, arising out of a failure to make full tax returns on apartment sales over a two-year period.
A rickshaw driver who left a young woman severely injured in a lane way after raping and assaulting her has been jailed for 13 years.
Rafael Tiso (31), from Brazil, was captured on CCTV leaving a nightclub with the intoxicated victim and walking with her down a side street before going into a lane with her. He left the lane 40 minutes later and returned to drink in the same bar for over an hour.
On Monday, the Sun posted part of the footage online.
A passer-by heard a moaning noise and discovered the woman lying on the ground between a truck and a car with her legs spread apart. The man believed the woman was dead at first as her eyes were closed and he did not want to touch her to contaminate the scene.
He saw blood on the ground beside her. The woman's clothing and hair were soaking wet. Gardai were alerted and the woman taken to hospital.
The 23 year old victim, who can not recall anything of the incident, suffered severe injuries.
Tiso, who was living in rented accommodation at Offaly Road, Cabra, Dublin pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to rape, oral rape, aggravated sexual assault and assault causing harm to the woman at Montague Lane, Dublin on January 18, 2016. He has no previous convictions and has been in custody since his arrest.
Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy said that this was a violent and callous crime perpetrated on a vulnerable inebriated young woman. She said the victim's restrained impact report showed how the attack would affect her for the rest of his life.
She said the fact that Tiso had left the woman in such a dreadful state and the severe emotional and mental impact of his attack were aggravating factors.
She suspended the final year of a 14 year sentence on condition that Tiso leave the State on his release for a period of ten years.
Garda Chris Fitzgerald told Martina Baxter BL, prosecuting, that the woman had been socialising in a nightclub and was described as very intoxicated and incoherent. She had taken an ecstasy tablet.
She was seen on the CCTV being escorted out by security and accompanied by Tiso, who helped her out of the club. A young man passing by about 40 minutes later discovered the woman in a shocking condition in the lane way, Ms Justice Kennedy said.
Tiso had returned to the nightclub and remained there for a further hour and a half. The woman was taken to hospital and staff were concerned that she may have been sexually assaulted. She had no memory of events, only recalling being in the nightclub and later seeing a flash light in her face when she was found.
The young woman was found to have injuries which required surgery. She also had numerous lacerations and bruising. Gardai began an investigation and recovered the CCTV footage showing Tiso with the victim.
Tiso, who was working as a rickshaw driver in the Harcourt Street area, was nominated as a suspect and interviewed. He claimed he had consensual sex with the woman.
Tiso told gardai in his final interview that he really regretted taking advantage of her. Ms Justice Kennedy noted that his expression of remorse was motivated to a degree by remorse for how these events were impacting on his life.
Ms Justice Kennedy said the physical damage caused to the victim was appalling.
In her victim impact report the woman said something terrible happened to me and described it like being an episode of a horror series. She said she sometimes felt as if she is in a nightmare and tried not to think about what happened.
She said she would like to delete that day and described a daily fight between going forward or making a martyr of myself.
Caroline Biggs SC, defending, said Tiso came from a small town in Brazil where he worked hard in school and college before securing a job in a bank. He continued to study for a masters at night-time before coming to Ireland to study English.
She said Tiso had been on anti-anxiety medication at the time and had been working long hours. She said he had been isolated and alienated from his family.
A psychological report concluded that he was at a moderate to low risk of re-offending and that he didn't have an inappropriate attitude towards women. Letters from former girlfriends spoke of normal sexual and respectful relationships.
Ms Biggs asked Ms Justice Kennedy to accept that her clients actions on the night were utterly out of character and suggested that he may not have been used to drinking heavily and had eaten very little that day.
Those with 'saint-like patience', an 'aversion to bolloxology' and a 'thick skin' have been invited to send in an application for Irelands worst job, an assistant to Ryanair CEO Michael OLeary.
In a job listing posted on the airlines website this morning, the company have urged talented accountants to apply for the role to work directly with Ryanairs misunderstood but beloved CEO, outlining that an ability to operate without sleep and social interaction will be taken as a big plus at the interview stage.
The advertisement openly states that Manchester United fans, Dubliners and cyclists need not apply, and those who do enter the recruitment process despite the warning will be tracked down, tortured and shot.
The new role in Ryanair headquarters also calls for applicants to be good with their hands, as OLeary is on the lookout for an accountant that doubles as a masseuse at the end of the day.
The tongue-in-cheek advertisement received much attention on Monday, when it was shared on the Ryanairs social channels.
Do you think you have what it takes to land ' the worst job in Ireland?'
Fifty-six Ministry of Defence sites are set to close across the UK by 2040, the Defence Secretary has said.
The historic sites of Fort George in Scotland and Brecon Barracks in Wales are among the sites due to be disposed of by the Government, under a review of its estate.
Sir Michael Fallon said the estate is too big and costly to run, and releasing the land could enable the building of up to 55,000 new homes.
But the SNP warned the closure of eight sites north of the border risked "savaging" Scotland's defence presence.
Three sites will also be sold in Wales and Northern Ireland, with more than 32,000 acres of land due to be released across the country.
Announcing the closures in the Commons, Sir Michael said: "This strategy looks ahead to 2040 to provide a better defence estate.
"An estate that supports a more efficient and effective military capability, an estate that gives our armed forces a world class base from which to work, and an estate that helps defence keep Britain safe and to promote our prosperity."
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) estate currently covers nearly 2% of the UK's land area.
Sir Michael told MPs it costs 2.5 billion a year to maintain, and 40% of the MoD's built assets are more than 50 years old.
It is hoped selling the sites could save 140 million of running costs over the next decade.
Sir Michael said the strategy is part of efforts to consolidate military units, as well as moving them closer to population centres, to provide access to jobs and facilities for families.
But SNP defence spokesman Brendan O'Hara condemned the closure plans.
He said: "While we have been primed to expect big reductions in Scotland's defence footprint, having now heard the statement, I fear that when a Government department tries to spin cutbacks as being investment concentrated in fewer, better locations what they are actually saying is 'prepare for a savaging of what remains of Scotland's defence footprint'."
Mr O'Hara said it would be "absolutely unacceptable if once again Scotland's service personnel and our conventional defence capability has been hollowed out and sold off because of this Government's obsession with nuclear weapons".
Sir Michael rejected Mr O'Hara's concerns as he said the Government is investing in defence infrastructure north of the border, including increasing employment on the Clyde from 6,800 to 8,200.
He said: "That is not savaging Scotland. That is investing in Scotland."
Last year's Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) outlined the MoD's aim to reduce the size of its estate by 30% before 2040.
The latest announcement takes the number of sites due to be closed to 91.
Among the other sites due to be sold are parts of Britain's largest Army garrison - Catterick in North Yorkshire - as well as Invicta Park Barracks in Maidstone and Imphal Barracks in York.
Sir Michael said the changes would mean the Royal Navy remained focused on port bases and naval stations.
MPs heard that surface ships would be based in Portsmouth and Devonport, with all the United Kingdom's submarines based on the Clyde.
There will be a specialist amphibious centre in the South West, based around Devonport, with helicopters based at Yeovilton and Culdrose.
Sir Michael added the Army would have "specialised infantry" at Aldershot, mechanised wheel capability in Catterick, air assault forces in Colchester, armoured vehicle units around Salisbury Plain, medical services in the West Midlands and hubs of light infantry battalions in London, Edinburgh, Lisburn, St Athan, Blackpool and Cottesmore.
In the RAF, combat units will remain in Coningsby, Marham and Lossiemouth, with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance services remaining in Waddington.
Air transport will be based at Brize Norton, force protection will be based at Honington, and support enablers will be based at Wittering and Leeming.
In Scotland, eight sites will be released over the next 15 years, Sir Michael said.
He said investment in specialised centres would focus on Lossiemouth, Faslane and Leuchars, and Kinloss will be retained.
In Wales, the estate will be brought together into "capability clusters", Sir Michael said, with a specialist light infantry centre at St Athan.
In Northern Ireland, three sites will be released and the remaining operations will be centred on larger centres of population, he added.
Shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith said Labour recognised "there is a need to modernise" the defence estate.
She said: "The Government is right to seek to restructure the estate to ensure that we optimise our military capability and deliver value for money for the British taxpayer.
"The changes proposed in this report are very considerable in scale and there is a real need to ensure they are delivered in a way that does not cause undue challenges to our forces and their families."
Ms Griffith also sought assurances that the money raised through the sale of sites would be kept by the Ministry of Defence rather than going to the Treasury.
Tesco has cut the amount of sugar in its own brand soft drinks as part of the fight against obesity.
The supermarket giant said it had halved the sugar content in products including Tesco Cola as part of a continued drive to meet official recommendations on nutrition.
Some 50 products have seen sugar levels cut to below 5g per 100ml in the final step of a reformulation of its 251-strong range that began in 2011, the retailer added.
The move comes ahead of the introduction of the proposed levy on sugary drinks f rom 2018, in which products with 5g of sugar per 100ml will face a lower rate of tax while those with more than 8g per 100ml will face a higher rate.
Health campaigners and the Government welcomed Tesco's announcement.
Matt Davies, Tesco UK and Ireland chief executive said: " This is just one part of our plans to make the food on our shelves healthier by reducing levels of sugar, salt and fat in our own brands.
"We have worked to make sure our soft drinks still taste great, just with less sugar. Tesco customers are now consuming on average over 20 per cent less sugar from our soft drinks than in 2011.
"We're hoping this initiative will help make it a little easier for our customers to live more healthily."
Chris Askew, Diabetes UK chief executive, urged other retailers to follow suit.
He said: "Helping customers lead healthier lives by reducing sugar in its own brand soft drinks is a welcome move by Tesco. Similar action from other manufacturers and retailers to make products lower in sugar, saturated fat and salt is vital to tackle rising rates of obesity in the UK.
"Making the healthy choice the easy choice for all of us will help to tackle the rapidly rising number of people developing Type 2 diabetes."
Public health minister Nicola Blackwood said: " It is great to see Tesco leading the field by reducing the level of sugar in their own brand drinks. It is proof that taking added sugar out of drinks is both possible and in line with what customers want.
"The Government's sugar levy is designed to encourage manufacturers to cut the sugar from their products before the levy comes into force in 2018. Responsible actions like this are so important in our fight against childhood obesity."
Tesco said it had also reduced the amount of salt, fat and sugar in more than 4,200 own-brand products and vowed to do so in 1,000 more each year for the next three years.
For example, some 65 tonnes of fat, 600 tonnes of sugar and 27 tonnes of salt had been removed from its range of cooking sauces.
The new reduced sugar drinks range will be in stores from Friday November 11.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Charles,the Prince of Wales, visit the Grand Mosque on the first day of a Royal tour of the United Arab Emirates
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Charles,the Prince of Wales, visit the Grand Mosque on the first day of a Royal tour of the United Arab Emirates
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have visited the spectacular Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque to promote religious tolerance.
Charles and Camilla first visited the mosque, in Abu Dhabi, in 2007 when it was still being built.
They returned as part of their tour to the Middle East on behalf of the Government, having left Oman earlier yesterday. Charles was dressed in a linen suit and striped tie, while Camilla wore a blue headscarf, long jacket and trousers.
Visitors to the mosque must remove their footwear, and Charles walked round in black socks while his wife went barefoot.
The couple toured the mosque, which has stunning chandeliers and a wall featuring the 99 names of God in traditional calligraphy, before learning about its architecture.
The carpet in the main hall of the mosque, which took 11 years to build, is considered to be one of the largest in the world.
Following the tour, Charles and Camilla attended a reception for guests of different faiths and nationalities. Among them was Bishop Paul Hinder of the Roman Catholic Church, who spoke with Charles at the mosque.
"For me, the visit is about recognition," he said. "The prince was able to speak to us and see the mutual tolerance which is reality in this country.
"It doesn't happen all over the world that we can meet in such a place, in such a formation. Living and seeing this reality has an impact."
The mosque was established in 2008 and sits at the entrance to Abu Dhabi City Island. It aims to work with research centres and religious, educational and cultural institutions within the United Arab Emirates and across the world.
Charles and Camilla were shown around the mosque by Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, appointed as the new minister of state for tolerance in February.
A riot at Bedford Prison which reportedly saw up to 200 inmates go on the rampage has been "successfully resolved", the Prison Service said.
Scores of prisoners flooded the prison's gangways in chaotic scenes after the disturbance broke out shortly after 5pm.
But after an operation that lasted more than six hours, the situation was brought under control.
A Prison Service spokesman said: "Specially trained prison officers and staff from the emergency services have successfully resolved an incident involving a number of prisoners at HMP Bedford.
"An investigation into this incident will take place. We are absolutely clear that prisoners who behave in this way will be punished and could spend significantly longer behind bars."
There were no injuries to staff but two prisoners were treated for injuries that were not thought to be serious.
Specialist riot officers were deployed at the category B prison in Bedford town centre on Sunday afternoon, with police cordoning off an area outside and emergency services on standby.
Steve Gillan, general secretary of the Prison Officers Association (POA) said some guards had been forced to retreat to a "safe place" while large numbers of prisoners ran amok.
Sources told the Press Association the riot spread over more than wing inside the prison, and footage supposedly from inside the facility - though unverified - posted online revealed chaotic scenes with scores of prisoners shouting and bellowing in walkways and gangways.
At around 11pm, about half an hour before the riot was brought under control, there were reports of loud bangs or explosions coming from inside the prison.
It comes after the head of the POA Mike Rolfe last week warned British jails had been engulfed by a "bloodbath".
Mr Gillan said: "The POA has been warning about this situation of violence in our prisons - it would appear it's coming to fruition.
"I just hope there's no prisoners or indeed prison officers injured in the violence."
HMP Bedford, which has been on its current site since 1801, currently holds around 500 inmates, according to a HM Inspectorate of Prisons report in September.
The watchdog's report found inmates claimed it was easier to get drugs than clothes or bedsheets at a prison where standards had deteriorated to "unacceptable levels".
A survey found the number of prisoners saying it was easy or very easy to get drugs had almost doubled since the last inspection of the jail in February 2014.
The number saying they had developed a drug problem while at the prison increased from 4% to 14%.
The HMP inspection in May also found that the physical condition of the prison was poor, with many inmates living in cramped conditions. The report detailed damaged furniture, graffiti, shortages of clothing and dirty, unscreened showers.
The report also said: "Arrangements for managing violent and bullying behaviour and supporting victims were weak."
Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon said on Twitter: "More troubling news concerning our prisons. The Justice Secretary needs to do more urgently to tackle crisis."
A Sinn Fein MEP has insisted the party has "no intention" of changing its policy of abstaining from Westminster - despite Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness signalling a possible review.
The party's long-held policy of not taking its seats in the House of Commons has come under enormous scrutiny.
A ruling by the High Court in London last week means Parliament must ratify the decision to leave the EU.
Questioned about the ruling on Friday, Mr McGuinness refused to rule out a change of policy, saying "who knows where all of this could end up?"
But Mr McGuinness's colleague, Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan, has now completely ruled out such a scenario.
"Sinn Fein's abstentionist policy regarding Westminster is based on our republican politics," Ms Boylan said.
"We put that proposition to the people in the North during elections and people vote for us with that position included in our policy manifesto.
"Sinn Fein MPs will not be taking seats in Westminster as they stood on that clear abstentionist platform and they are therefore mandated by our voters not to attend. We have no intention of reviewing that position."
Fine Gael MEP Brian Hayes said Sinn Fein "cannot have its cake and eat it."
"How can Irish voters, especially those who voted to remain, have their voice heard and defended when Sinn Fein choose not to show up?" he asked.
"Running away at this time when our interest, both North and South, is so connected to what happens in the UK represents a complete betrayal to Irish voters.
"Sinn Fein would be better advised to get over themselves and realise that their voice at Westminster, especially when working with others such as the SNP, could actually help Ireland deal with Brexit," he added.
Mr McGuinness's comments came just a day after party leader Gerry Adams told RTE that Sinn Fein would not take seats to exploit the opportunity to vote against leaving the EU.
Yau Wai-ching, centre left, and Sixtus Leung, centre right, are surrounded by photographers outside the legislature council in Hong Kong. (AP)
China's top legislature has effectively barred two democratically elected separatist lawmakers from taking office in Hong Kong.
The intervention by the National People's Congress Standing Committee in Beijing into a local political dispute is likely to spark further turmoil in the southern Chinese city.
It issued a ruling on a section of Hong Kong's mini-constitution covering oaths taken by officials that meant two newly elected pro-independence lawmakers, who displayed anti-China sentiment during their swearing-in last month, would be disqualified.
The move is likely to trigger protests in Hong Kong, where thousands of people took to the streets on Sunday after Beijing signalled it was planning to intervene. They demanded that China's central government stay out of the political dispute, saying the move would undermine the city's considerable autonomy and independent judiciary by bypassing its top court, where the case is currently being heard.
Police used pepper spray and batons against some demonstrators trying to reach Beijing's liaison office after the rally ended. Four people were arrested and two officers were injured.
The dispute centres on two newly-elected pro-independence lawmakers, Sixtus Leung, 30, and Yau Wai-ching, 25, who altered their oaths to insert a disparaging Japanese expression for China. Displaying a flag reading "Hong Kong is not China," they vowed to defend the "Hong Kong nation". Their oaths were ruled invalid, but subsequent attempts have resulted in mayhem in the legislature's weekly sessions.
In the interpretation published on Monday, the top legislative panel in Beijing said talk of independence for Hong Kong is intended to "divide the country" and severely harms the country's unity, territorial sovereignty and national security. It also said those who advocate for independence for Hong Kong are not only disqualified from election and from assuming posts as lawmakers but should also be investigated for their legal obligations.
At a briefing for reporters in Beijing, Li Fei, a deputy secretary general of the NPC Standing Committee, denied that the central government was escalating its interference in Hong Kong's affairs.
Hong Kong's Basic Law - the city's mini-constitution - stipulates that Beijing holds the legal power to make interpretations, and it is the central government's duty to step in when there is a difference of legal opinion, Mr Li said. He also warned that promoting independence was not a matter of freedom of speech.
"Breaking 'one-country two-systems' is violating the law, not voicing a political view," said Mr Li, referring to a principle under which Beijing is supposed to let Hong Kong keep its capitalist economic and political system separate from mainland China's until 2047.
The central government's stance is absolute, he said, adding: "There will be no leniency."
Eddie Chu, an independent pro-democracy lawmaker in Hong Kong, said Beijing was making a "needless intervention" with its interpretation because Hong Kong's courts could have handled the dispute.
"They are trying to create a rhetoric about the independence movement" to deter those who seek greater self-determination for the city, Mr Chu said. "And Sixtus and Yau Wai-ching are the first victims in this new legal net."
Mr Chu, Mr Leung and Ms Yau were among pro-democracy candidates elected for the first time in September who advocate greater autonomy for Hong Kong. Mr Leung and Ms Yau are members of the radical Youngspiration party.
Hong Kong's government will fully implement the interpretation, said chief executive Leung Chun-ying, the Beijing-backed leader of the semi-autonomous Chinese region.
He told a packed news briefing in Hong Kong that the Youngspiration duo had not only advocated for independence for Hong Kong, but "even insulted the country and the Chinese people in their words and deeds".
"Their conduct has caused widespread indignation in Hong Kong and across the country," Mr Leung said.
Beijing officials struck a similar note in the closing moments of the briefing on Monday, which took an unexpected turn as Mr Li, the standing committee official, revived the accusation that the oath-takers had intentionally used a Japanese term to smear the Chinese people.
Mr Li decried the two as "traitors" and recounted Japanese Second World War atrocities in Hong Kong in graphic detail, telling of nurses raped and bodies bayoneted and thrown into the Hong Kong harbour.
"I hope the people of Hong Kong won't forget the history of Japanese invaders," he said. "All the traitors who sell out the country never have good endings."
IS has claimed Raqqa as its de factor capital
A rocket or mortar barrage has struck a pre-school in an opposition-controlled suburb of the Syrian capital, Damascus, killing at least six children.
The activist-run Unified Medical Bureau of Eastern Ghouta reported the death toll and said medical facilities in the suburb of Harista received tens of wounded children and adults following Sunday's shelling.
The locally-run Education Directorate said government forces struck the school during the first recess of the day. It said more than 25 children were wounded in addition to the six killed.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of local activists, also blamed government forces for the strike.
Earlier US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian forces announced the start of a campaign to retake Islamic State's de facto capital of Raqqa.
The announcement by the Syria Democratic Forces at a press conference in Ein Issa, north of Raqqa, comes more than two weeks after US-backed Iraqi forces began a campaign to clear IS militants from their stronghold in Mosul, Iraq.
The SDF is dominated by the main Syrian Kurdish fighting force known as the People's Protection Units, or YPG.
The United States considers the Syrian Kurdish fighters as the most effective force against the IS, but Turkey views them as a terror organisation and has said it will not accept a role for the Kurds in the liberation of Raqqa.
AP
Easter Rising Way will be a pedestrian staircase that runs along 53rd Avenue, from 65th Place to 64th Street in west Queens
Gerry Adams is being honoured in a New York street-naming ceremony commemorating the Easter Rising.
The Sinn Fein president has been invited to make a keynote speech at the formal ceremony on Saturday, in which 'Easter Rising Way' will be born.
The currently unnamed street is in Maspeth in the west Queens area of New York - a pedestrian thoroughfare that runs along 53rd Avenue, from 65th Place to 64th Street.
New York City Council gave approval for the street naming.
This particular area was chosen because it is in a traditional Irish-American part of Queens and because it overlooks the Fenian Monument erected in 1907 by the Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood, which was involved in planning the Easter Rising.
While in some American circles the Sinn Fein leader is criticised for being an apologist for the IRA, he is viewed by many in the US as a champion of the peace process.
Among them is New York City councilwoman, Elizabeth Crowley, who is helping organise the street naming ceremony.
"Adams is credited with bringing peace to Northern Ireland after centuries of turmoil, and helped move them forward," she said. "Gerry has joined our community on many occasions and I am very pleased he will be with us to commemorate this co-naming in Maspeth.
"The Easter Rising Way co-naming is a celebration of Ireland, its Proclamation for Equality and its connection to America. It is a celebration of peace, equality, independence and progress, and I am thrilled to have Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams be a part of it, as well as other notable Irish figures."
Ms Crowley reportedly invited Mr Adams to the ceremony after recently learning he was planning on coming to New York this month for an unrelated event. She said the decision by New York City Council to name the street in honour of the Easter Rising was because the Proclamation drew on the US Declaration of Independence.
"The difference is that the Proclamation said 'Irishmen and Irishwomen' at a time when women in the United States did not have the right to vote," she said.
"I see that Proclamation as helping us in our struggles for equality. Our country has been struggling in that direction. I see that as a strong bond between Ireland and America."
Ms Crowley said the thoroughfare has been cleaned up and planted in advance of Saturday's naming ceremony.
Barbara Jones, the consul general of Ireland in New York, will also attend the street co-naming ceremony at 11am on Saturday, according to Ms Crowley's office.
Donald Trump reacted with fury to the news that the FBI had cleared Hillary Clinton of criminal wrongdoing over her email use (AP)
Ratings through the roof
2008 holds the record for the biggest TV audience of any presidential election ever: 71.5 million people tuned in to see the networks call it for Barack Obama. This year, with the future of liberal western democracy hanging in the balance, expect that many and more.
Most. Tweets. Ever.
This year's town hall-style second presidential debate was the most-tweeted debate to date, with more than 17 million microblogs posted during the 90 minute-clash between Clinton and Trump. Expect the social network's servers to be ablaze again on election night.
Voter suppression
Trump has been complaining that the election is "rigged" (he said the same thing about the Emmys) but it's Republicans whom the courts have faulted for their efforts to influence the vote. A federal appeals court recently blocked a voter ID law in North Carolina, saying it would wipe black voters from the rolls "with almost surgical precision". On Friday, a judge in Ohio issued a restraining order against the Trump campaign, barring operatives from engaging in "intimidating conduct" at polling sites. We'll find out whether that was sufficient on Tuesday.
'Bedwetting' Democrats
Many Clinton supporters spent the weekend refreshing opinion poll site FiveThirtyEight every 10 seconds, hoping to see the Democrat's chances climb back up from the low 60s. Their anxiety is sure to peak in the hours before the first results are called. If Clinton wins Florida early, for example, this thing is as good as over. But if she loses, say, New Hampshire, we could be in for a very long night: maybe as long as four to eight years.
Raging Republicans
Boy, those guys are angry, aren't they? Karl Rove was disbelieving in 2012, when Fox News host Chris Wallace informed him that Ohio had been called for Obama. But at least he was polite about it. Expect no such decorum from the likes of Rudy Giuliani and Corey Lewandowski if they happen to be sitting on a CNN panel as Nevada is called for Clinton.
Trump TV
This could be the last hurrah for many of the Trumpist talking heads of cable news, unless (A) Trump wins, or (B) Trump gives them a new home on Trump TV. It seems likely that on election night the Republican's fledgling broadcast operation - 'Trump Tower Live' - will once again be streaming on Facebook Live from an alternative universe, where Fox is too fair and balanced.
Comfort eating (and drinking)
It's a night sure to be filled with plenty of 'grab-the-popcorn' moments. Can Americans surpass the estimated 1.3 billion chicken wings they supposedly consumed during Super Bowl? Can the journalists in newsrooms across the US survive on pizza alone? And will they be serving taco bowls at the Trump victory party?
Victory parties
Trump and Clinton are holding their election night parties less than two miles from one another in New York City. Clinton has a major bash planned at the Jacob Javits Convention Centre, which has a vast glass ceiling. Geddit? Trump's choice of venue is more unusual: for once, he won't be publicising his own properties. Instead, he's hosting what sounds like a modest gathering - by his standards - at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Irish-American support has been key to the success of the peace process, the Northern Ireland Finance Minister, Mairtin O Muilleoir, explained last week. Well, thats one way of putting it. It would be more accurate to say that Irish-Americans support was the key to the war process that with the help of money and vicious Anglophobic propaganda, from the late 19th century, encouraged generations of young people to murder and die in the name of Ireland.
However, revolutionary-minded Irish-America represented just an infinitesimal proportion of descendants of Irish immigrants
And mercifully, there are only a few left that havent followed the republican leaderships instructions to channel money into supporting Sinn Fein rather than financing arms shipments, though the warmongers havent all gone out of business.
Mr O Muilleoir, who has been seeking investment in the United States, went on to explain that while there were only 6.6 million people on the island of Ireland, there are 40 million in the Irish and Scots Irish diaspora in the US and the power of our global family remains our ace card.
Family?
Were used to Mr O Muilleoir thinking big, but he gets a bit carried away.
Most members of the Irish diaspora, like most other diasporas, concentrate on being American and go on St Patricks Day parades because they like leprechaun hats and Irish pubs.
In Indiana primarily for a crime fiction convention, I gave a couple of talks in small cities on the 1916 rising and its aftermath and checked out the heritage of members of the audience.
A few had a vague memory of having heard of some Irish ancestor somewhere along the line and almost none knew anything about Irish history. Whatever their background, what they mostly had in common was they came from famine-ridden or oppressive countries, were happy to be ingredients in the great North American melting pot, and amazed to learn that people would so hang on to historic grievances that they would fund revolutions thousands of miles away.
Mr O Muilleoir should realise the limitations of banging the Irish-American drum.
Among his other American media interests, he owns The Irish Echo, which claims to be the countrys most widely read Irish-American newspaper, yet its circulation is only 60,000.
The article he wrote for the Echo, however, was certainly upbeat about the power and reach of Irish America.
Wherever he went, apparently, when I made the case for a ramped up engagement between the North of Ireland and the US, I found a ready ear.
(I sometimes wonder if a member of Sinn Fein who accidentally said Northern Ireland would actually choke.)
He also found a strong determination among Irish-Americans to defend the mandate of the people of the North who voted to remain at the heart of Europe.
Admittedly, he was hanging out with progressive politicians on the West Coast and I was in a conservative state, but I met a lot of people who like Donald Trump thought Brexit was a great blow for independence.
Im pleased the Northern Irish finance minister is chasing investment opportunities, but the notion that the hard-headed business world can be driven by romantic ethnic loyalties and the Sinn Fein political agenda is nonsense.
Ive been visiting America for years and have had many people from an Irish-American background complaining about the begging bowl mentality of Irish nationalists.
I went back to a biography I wrote of Patrick Pearse years ago to locate a furious piece of doggerel written in New York in 1910 by a second generation Irish-American called John Quinn, who was sick and tired of the hard luck tales.
I think they have become a race of spongers, it ended. And have long ceased to be the land of saints.
Like the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland will do fine if its sufficiently competitive.
The trick is to exploit ones natural advantages, of which, Im sorry to tell Mr O Muilleoir, the English language, a reliable legal system, and a competitive approach to taxation top the list.
Even for Irish-Americans.
Is the Pope a Catholic? Do bears in the woods use outdoor loos? For years, these have been cited as examples of rhetorical questions whose answer is so blindingly obvious that only a fool wouldn't know it.
That hasn't stopped the first one being the subject of feverish speculation by people who are constantly astonished on discovering that His Holiness is, indeed, a practising member of the Roman Catholic Church.
They're at it again after Pope Francis once more ruled out allowing women to become priests, telling a journalist on the papal plane as he flew home to Rome from his recent trip to Sweden: "The final word is clear."
"Forever?" asked the journalist. The Pontiff confirmed that this was so.
Cue another round of dismay from liberal believers and non-believers alike, who had convinced themselves that he was about to unveil some radical change in the Catholic Church's normal way of doing business, since setting up a special commission in August to look into the issue of female deacons.
Daydreamers have been doing the same thing for decades, deluding themselves that it was only a matter of time before gay people were accepted by the Church, priests were freed from celibacy, women were being ordained and everyone had as much contraception and abortion as their little hearts desired.
Naturally, it never worked out like that.
By the 1970s, it even looked as if things were moving in the opposite direction, with the election of arch-conservative John Paul II, whose pronouncements could all be summed up as: "See that thing you're doing? Stop doing it immediately, or you'll go to Hell."
When he died, hopes rose that the next Pope would finally lead liberal Catholics to the promised land of tolerance. Instead, they got Pope Benedict XVI, aka Joseph Ratzinger, whose very name struck fear into the reformers. Soon he was telling the faithful that homosexuality was an "intrinsic moral evil". The happy-go-lucky wonderland, where everyone would live and let live, was put on hold once more.
Then he retired and along came Jorge Bergoglio of Buenes Aires, a different kettle of fish altogether.
At last, there was a Pope to whom nice, open-minded folks everywhere could relate.
He was laid back. He was cool. He was "the people's Pope". He was, in the title of one deferential biography, The Great Reformer.
Unfortunately, the honeymoon didn't last.
Sure, he was a bit Left-wing on political and economic issues; he didn't like consumerism, or big corporations; he wanted action on refugees and climate change. On all these points, he'd be perfectly at home in Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party.
But his views on family and sexual issues remained entirely traditional - and there's nothing wrong with that. He's a Catholic. That's what Catholicism is.
The problem is that the message still hasn't sunk in to the cheering crowds who welcomed him when he took over as CEO of Vatican Inc.
They're still waiting for the day when he stands on the balcony overlooking St Peter's Square and declares that he doesn't really mean it when he lays down all those rules, it's just the job talking, and that everyone should do whatever makes them happy.
That's why they were so dismayed when Pope Francis confirmed this week that women priests are still about as welcome in the Vatican as Ian Paisley's ghost.
It may be illogical. If priests have to be men, because Jesus only chose men as his disciples, then why don't they all have to be Jewish fishermen from Palestine, too, because that's also who Jesus chose?
But illogical or not, that's the way it's been for centuries.
It's not as if the Church suddenly sprung this one on its followers.
Pope Francis made his own view on the role of women perfectly explicit in the summer, when he declared that "inscribed in the woman's body is the call to welcome both man and baby". In other words, women are for having sex and having babies. Nice.
That doesn't mean women shouldn't be consulted on Church teaching. On the contrary, he's all for asking the ladies what they think before deciding on their behalf what they can and cannot do.
In his second year, Francis even let a few women slip through the net onto the International Theological Commission, describing them in jaw-dropping fashion as "strawberries on the cake". Well, who doesn't like strawberries?
Faced with these repeated instances of Pope Francis's less-than-progressive attitude towards women, those who championed his radical credentials still seem reluctant to admit that they might have misread the Argentinian's mind. They'd still rather cling to the hope that he's waiting for the right moment before dragging the Church into the 21st century.
Some have even tried to paint the Pope's remarks about female priests in a good light, by saying that he's actually doing them a favour. By allowing women to become priests, the argument goes, he'd simply be reinforcing the idea that priests are better and more important than other members of the Church - "Clericalism", as it's known.
"Women in the Church must be valued, not clericalised," as he told an Italian newspaper in 2013. That sounds great in theory, but in practice it still comes down to men deciding what's best for women, on the grounds that women don't know what's good for them.
Cloaking this in patronising language about women having a "feminine genius" that's best suited to doing other things simply makes it worse. In fact, insofar as he is the most senior cleric in a boys' club of clerics, isn't excluding women the biggest act of clericalism at all? If he doesn't think that priests are the most important people in the Church, then why do they get to make all the decisions, for all time?
There's no point telling the Pope about the positive role that women in dog collars now play in the Protestant Churches, or that clericalism might actually be tempered by opening up the priesthood to more candidates.
Because - and, seriously, how many times must we go over this? - the Pope is, indeed, a Catholic, just as bears don't have indoor plumbing, and there's no evidence that he ever intends to be anything else.
The Roman Catholic Church is a conservative, patriarchal organisation which - surprise, surprise - is headed by a conservative patriarch. Anyone who hasn't grasped that fact yet can't have been paying attention.
SONG CHEN
The United States will go to the polls to elect a new president on Tuesday. But whether Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump wins the election, one thing is certainthat the presidential election campaign has widened the rift in American society.
Public discontent has become more obvious, and some commentators believe the election is not about the Democratic Party versus the Republican Party, but about the grassroots versus the elite. Trump and Bernie Sanders (who lost the Democratic race to Clinton) were in the headlines because Sanders belongs to the left and Trump to the right. Neither represents the mainstream American society, though.
Saunders advocated reforming the Wall Street-controlled financial system, raising the minimum wage, raising taxes for the rich, making college education free, promoting universal healthcare and opposing the consortium's use of money power to intervene in elections. And he was supported by young American voters.
On the other hand, Trump's supporters are mostly white blue-collar workers who are not protected under affirmative action. Since the global financial crisis the social status of such workers has deteriorated, and studies show the decline of white Americans has accelerated over the past 15 years.
Money politics is another issue in this election. After the Watergate scandal, the US imposed a number of restrictions on political contributions to limit the spread of black money, fixing the ceiling at $123,200.
But on April 2, 2014, the US Supreme Court ruled there would be no ceiling on political campaign contributions. After the limit was removed, American democracy tilted toward money power.
So even if any US citizen can run for presidency in principle, only the rich or the politicians supported by large monetary contributions can be nominated.
Another issue exposed by this election campaign is the resurgence of racial conflict. Barack Obama is the first black president of the US, but during his term racial conflicts have actually increased, with police being accused of inflicting violence on blacks. Besides, the poverty rate among blacks is now almost double that among whites, according to research by Brookings Institution. So it would not be an exaggeration to say the US is experiencing the most serious racial crisis since the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Immigration and its impact on mainstream American culture is another major issue thrown up by this election campaign. Trump has been tough on the immigration issue, and his racist rhetoric has violated the bottom line of religious tolerance and cultural diversity of the US. But some Americans are indeed worried about the influx of illegal immigrants into the US and the social problems they could create.
Manipulations in elections are contrary to the spirit of democracy, but this election has exposed some political conspiracies. For one, the tens of thousands of emails from the Democratic National Committee released by WikiLeaks during the primaries exposed top Democrats' efforts to "sideline" Sanders and manipulate the election.
Moreover, "Oath Keepers", a militia group of heavily armed white men, has asked its members to patrol outside polling stations on election day to prevent voter fraud, The Washington Post said on Oct 28, 2016. The Oath Keepers comprises mostly retired police officers, veterans and retired military personnel. And although they claim to be non-partisan, they are mostly Trump supporters. This is shocking in a mature democracy.
Worse, Trump's supporters have warned that "if Trump is defeated, it will lead to a revolution". This has prompted elites to analyze the US democratic system and researchers to discuss the rise and fall of the US.
The real message of this election, therefore, is that American democracy has finally begun to respond to the widening wealth gap.
The old topic of "class" has returned to the center of American politics, so the new US president has to face the reality of repairing the problem of democracy in the country.
The author is a senior fellow at the Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and the managing editor of the Chinese Journal of American Studies.
Two RAF Tornado GR4 aircraft are set to fly over the Titanic Quarter in Belfast on Tuesday morning for the start of Skills Northern Ireland.
A flypast from The Royal Air Force will celebrate the opening day of Skills Northern Ireland, taking place on the 8 & 9 November at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast.
RAF Tornado aircraft from IX (Bomber) Squadron will provide a low-level fly past of the Titanic Exhibition Centre and Campbell College, Belfast on Tuesday morning (November 8) at around 10.50am.
Skills NI is THE careers and skills event not to be missed by the young people of Northern Ireland and their families.
Organised by Prospects Events, sponsored by NIE Networks and supported by Ulster University, Skills Northern Ireland offers young people the opportunity to discover careers in a unique and practical way, and with many exhibitors from colleges, universities and various industries, including: Energy & Research, Healthcare, Aviation, Hospitality & Catering, Engineering, the Arts and many others, there is no better place to discover what to do after leaving school and realise their full potential.
An event of this kind is crucial for encouraging, inspiring and educating young people about the career options available to them and challenging gender stereotypes. Our event sponsors, Northern Ireland Electricity Networks have seen perceptions slowly beginning to shift with an annual increase in female applicants for their apprenticeship and graduate programmes.
In fact, this year women have made up over 30% of their new apprentice recruits, their highest female intake ever. Skills Northern Ireland aims to be an event that will encourage more and more young people to explore career options not yet considered, and broaden horizons.
Visitors will have the opportunity to explore the events various features, including; the Showcase Stage that will host demonstrations from amazing talent like Paddy McGurgan, one of Northern Irelands leading make-up artists and Get Skilled stands offering activities in robotics, computing, automotive, theatrical make-up, IT, product design and much more.
Amongst the features on offer is the Skills Showcase, an area within an uplit inflatable dome showcasing the incredible works of those who have produced creations for work or training, and is sponsored by Belfast Metropolitan College.
Each stand promises to be more inspirational than the next with demonstrations ranging from the Armys climbing wall to the NIE Networks DeLorean car making its appearance at the event.
Attendees will also be able to view current job, work experience and apprenticeship vacancies featured on the Live Opportunities Board, sponsored by the Belfast Telegraph and NIJobFinder.
Citing mounting legal threats against him, a British campaigner for migrant-worker rights in Thailand said Monday he had fled the country where he faced jail time over a complaint brought by a pineapple processing company.
Andy Hall, who spent 11 years in Thailand campaigning for the rights of migrants from Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries, boarded a flight from Bangkok to Paris after midnight on Sunday and later confirmed to BenarNews his arrival in the French capital.
Hall left Thailand just four days after the Thai Supreme Court dismissed a ciminal defamation case brought by the Natural Fruit Co., ruling that the plaintiff lacked jurisdictional power to prosecute him over comments that he had made in another country. However, Hall still faced a three-year jail sentence following his conviction in September in a separate defamation case filed by the same Thai company.
My goal has always been to improve living and working conditions of millions of exploited migrant workers in Thailand and ensure these workers access fully labor rights and other rights they are entitled under Thai law, Hall said in a statement posted on his Facebook page and Twitter on Monday, in which he detailed his reasons for leaving Thailand.
However, in the end, the situation has not worked out as I planned or hoped. This work has entailed many personal challenges. I have in particular encountered insurmountable challenges with some companies and establishments, he added.
On Monday it was unclear what would happen with his standing conviction. Hall did not say whether he would return to Thailand, but he did say that he had given his head lawyer all authority to act on my behalf in these matters and during my absence from Thailand. ...
Hall cited a new legal case being mounted against him by the owner of a chicken farm in Lopburi province, where Hall had been working with the Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN) an NGO that provides legal aid and translation services to migrants from Myanmar to investigate allegations of workplace abuses.
This case is now resulting in additional criminal prosecutions and threats of even more extensive litigation in Thailands Courts of Justice. When taken together, this ongoing, costly and extensive litigation on migrant labor issues creates challenges that critically prevent in many ways enhancement of migrant worker rights in Thailand, Hall said in his statement.
Chanchai Permpol, the owner of Thammakaset Farm, which supplies chickens to Betagro Group, one of Thailands giant poultry exporters, confirmed that Hall was among a group of rights activists whom he was suing over the allegations, which he denied.
I sued whoever told the lie that caused damage to my business, including all in MWRN and so on, Chanchai told BenarNews on Monday.
The owner of the farm in Lopburi, which is about 160 km (100 miles) north of Bangkok, said two of his employees, in testifying before a labor court, admitted there was no such thing as torture and slavery at his farm.
I called on him [Andy] to come back and stand trial. If you lie, you lose. If I am guilty, I lose, Chanchai said in a phone interview.
Commenting from France on the lawsuit brought by Thammakaset Farm, Hall told BenarNews, What myself, colleagues and others have said is that the workers were victims of forced labor and hence modern-day slavery.
Past suits
The case against Hall that was dismissed on Nov. 3 stemmed from comments he made during an interview in Myanmar with the al-Jazeera television network three years ago.
But in September, the Bangkok South Criminal Court sentenced the Briton to prison and fined him 150,000 baht (U.S. $4,292), after finding him guilty of defaming the Natural Fruit Co. and violating Thailands Computer Crimes Act.
The court handed him a four-year sentence, but reduced it to three years and stipulated that he could begin serving the sentence in two years.
The company had sued Hall for defamation over the online publication of a survey about workplace conditions, in which he interviewed workers most of whom are from Myanmar at the pineapple companys plant in southern Thailand.
Hall undertook the research for Finnwatch, and claimed he merely relayed the information collected for the Finland-based NGO that advocates global corporate responsibility. In 2013, Finnwatch posted its report on the internet based on Halls work.
Somsak Toraksa, a lawyer representing Natural Fruit, on Monday did not comment specifically on Halls exit from Thailand, but told BenarNews, the lawyers and the court have the way to handle lawsuits in defendants absence.
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By Bob Cunningham
Saranga Komanduri 05, 07 had been infatuated with computers since he was 5 years old, but it wasnt until his late 20s that he decided to get serious about going to college.
Komanduri, who grew up in Perrysburg, Ohio, earned bachelors and masters degrees incomputer science and minored inmathematics andbusiness administration at Bowling Green State University. Komanduri, who had internships at Google and Microsoft Research, went on to get his doctoral degree in computer science from from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Today, Komanduri is technical lead at Civis Analytics in Chicago, helping to build its data-science platform. At Civis Analytics, which has more than 100 employees, he leads a talented team of software engineers who maintain and build some of the core architecture of the companys program.
Civis Analytics has its roots in politics. The companys CEO, Dan Wagner, was chief analytics officer for the 2012 Obama re-election campaign, where data science was used to direct campaign efforts to the areas of the country where there was the highest probability of success, Komanduri said. The strategy caught the attention of Eric Schmidt, who at the time was executive chairman of Google, and he provided initial funding for the company.
We now use data science to increase the adoption of clean energy and awareness of the refugee crisis, and more commercial things like helping companies determine where to spend their TV advertising budget, Komanduri said. Our platform allows organizations to build their own data-science workflows that run entirely in the cloud.
Komanduri said there's a distinction between simple analytics, in which data is summarized to learn more about what currently is going on, and data-driven decision making, which tries to predict a particular decision.
For example, imagine you are running a hospital and you use analytics to determine which doctors have the worst patient outcomes, he said. You identify the lowest 10 percent and let them go, but then you find that patient outcomes get even worse.
How is that possible?
It turns out that sometimes the best doctors have poor outcomes because they take on the hardest cases and now you've let some of your best people go. To figure this out, you actually need more data and a more sophisticated analysis. You need to do an experiment, or see what happens when a doctor goes on vacation, to get the whole story.
This is where data science can help, Komanduri said. Civis Analytics helps companies run experiments and gather data from multiple sources to get the right insights from their information.
Even though Komanduri finds algorithms fascinating, the end goal is to solve problems, and that is the most satisfying part of the job even when he worked at Bowling Green.
When I worked in the Technology Support Center at BGSU in 110 Hayes Hall, handing back a fixed computer with the user's data intact was the most rewarding thing about the job, he said.
Before Komanduri enrolled at BGSU, he thought computer science was just about programming, but he learned theres so much more to it.
Algorithms can be used to solve huge problems, but you have to learn a lot of fundamentals before you can do interesting things, he said. Once you make that investment in your future, you reach a point where you can solve problems quickly and automate away whatever you find boring.
Komanduri said he enjoys working at Civis Analytics, which from its inception has made collaboration a part of the workplace.
Tech companies have embraced the use of technology to facilitate collaboration, he said. Greater collaboration can lead to better products, but you have to be willing to accept a cost in productivity. If multiple teams are working on a single feature and don't collaborate, you'll end up with something that works like it was designed by a committee. On the other hand, the cost of collaboration is that it might take longer to get the feature out the door.
Face-to-face communication is still the fastest way to reach consensus, Komanduri said, but technology certainly helps.
It can make it much easier to schedule meetings, and we use polls to decide if a meeting is even necessary, he said. We also use a chat application to get answers to simple questions, outside of scheduled meetings, but this has a cost in the interruption of others' work. Many companies have decided to accept the cost of increased communication, but you have to decide how much of it you need.
Komanduri lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife, Pradipta, and son, Shreyas.
For Immediate Release, November 7, 2016
Contact: Taylor McKinnon, (801) 300-2414, tmckinnon@biologicaldiversity.org
New Fracking-related Earthquakes in Oklahoma Spark Demand for Oil, Gas Lease Withdrawal
CUSHING, Okla. Sundays earthquake that damaged dozens of buildings near an oil and gas pipeline hub in Cushing, Okla., is further proof that fracking and wastewater injection are too dangerous to people and property to be allowed to continue, the Center for Biological Diversity said today. The Center in May called on the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw 11 proposed oil and gas leases in Oklahoma because of earthquake risks. The BLM has yet to respond to that request.
The Center on Friday filed a supplemental letter to its April protest highlighting the increase in human-induced earthquake activity in the region and the Bureaus ongoing refusal to analyze those potential impacts in its oil and gas lease approvals.
The 5.0 magnitude quake was the third temblor this year in Oklahoma to register greater than 5.0, according to The Associated Press, including a magnitude 5.8 quake on Sept. 3 in Pawnee. More than two dozen earthquakes have shaken Oklahoma in the past week, the AP said. The increase in quakes has been linked to human activity, such as hydraulic fracturing and wastewater injection, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study.
We dont need a major earthquake that claims lives and costs millions in damage to tell us the rapid increase in fracking and wastewater injection in Oklahoma and neighboring states is the cause, said Taylor McKinnon with the Center. The USGS has already linked seismic activity to wastewater disposal associated with fracking and has raised the risk for damaging quakes in Oklahoma and Kansas. We renew our call on Interior Secretary Jewell to cancel public leases recently auctioned in the region before more serious harm occurs.
Sundays quake occurred in Cushing, the self-proclaimed Pipeline Crossroads of the World, where a confluence of pipelines and storage facilities is located. No infrastructure damage was reported to the pipelines or a nearby storage facility that recently held more than 58 million barrels of crude, the AP said. Downtown Cushing was evacuated Sunday and schools were closed today, reports said.
Its only a matter of time until these increasing quakes cause catastrophic damage, McKinnon said. Alongside the worsening climate crisis, earthquakes are yet another reason that President Obama should end the federal fossil fuel leasing programs now.
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence that these dangerous wastewater-injection practices cause destructive quakes, the BLM, which reviews and auctions public lands for fracking, failed to consider these effects in its evaluation of its latest lease auction in April 2016. A new environmental review released last month for the agencys next lease auction in April 2017 also fails to consider these effects.
Background
On behalf of the American people, the U.S. federal government manages nearly 650 million acres of public land and more than 1.7 billion acres of the Outer Continental Shelf and the fossil fuels beneath them. This includes federal public land, which makes up about a third of the U.S. land area, and oceans like Alaskas Chukchi Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Eastern Seaboard. These places and the fossil fuels beneath them are held in trust for the public by the federal government; federal fossil fuel leasing is administered by the Department of the Interior.
Over the past decade, the combustion of federal fossil fuels has resulted in nearly a quarter of all U.S. energy-related emissions. A 2015 report by EcoShift Consulting, commissioned by the Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Earth, found that remaining federal oil, gas, coal, oil shale and tar sands that have not been leased to industry contain up to 450 billion tons of potential greenhouse gas pollution. As of earlier this year, 67 million acres of federal fossil fuel were already leased to industry, an area more than 55 times larger than Grand Canyon National Park containing up to 43 billion tons of potential greenhouse gas pollution.
Last year Sens. Merkley (D-Ore.), Sanders (I-Vt.) and others introduced the Keep It In the Ground Act (S. 2238) legislation to end new federal fossil fuel leases and cancel non-producing federal fossil fuel leases. Days later President Obama canceled the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, saying, Because ultimately, if were going to prevent large parts of this Earth from becoming not only inhospitable but uninhabitable in our lifetimes, were going to have to keep some fossil fuels in the ground rather than burn them and release more dangerous pollution into the sky.
Download the September 2015 Keep It in the Ground letter to President Obama.
Download Grounded: The Presidents Power to Fight Climate Change, Protect Public Lands by Keeping Publicly Owned Fossil Fuels in the Ground (this report details the legal authorities with which a president can halt new federal fossil fuel leases).
Download The Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions of U.S. Federal Fossil Fuels (this report quantifies the volume and potential greenhouse gas emissions of remaining federal fossil fuels) and The Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions fact sheet.
Download Over-leased: How Production Horizons of Already Leased Federal Fossil Fuels Outlast Global Carbon Budgets.
Download Critical Gulf: The Vital Importance of Ending Fossil Fuel Leasing in the Gulf of Mexico.
Download Public Lands, Private Profits about the corporations profiting from climate-destroying fossil fuel extraction on public lands.
Download the Center for Biological Diversitys legal petition calling on the Obama administration to halt all new offshore fossil fuel leasing.
Download the Center for Biological Diversitys legal petition with 264 other groups calling on the Obama administration to halt all new onshore fossil fuel leasing.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
Twenty startups have been selected from nine African countries to pitch in front of investors that include Dave McClure, Tim Draper and Chris Kirubi.
Image by 123RF
Angel Fair Africa will take place in Kenya for the first time on November 10 - 11, 2017 following previous editions in Johannesburg, Lagos and Accra, hosted by Angel Africa List and Chanzo Capital.
Keynote speakers McClure, Draper and Kirubi have already been confirmed, and 20 startups have now been selected to pitch in front of them and a wider investor audience.
The selected entrepreneurs include Rita Kimani of Kenyas Farm Drive, Kenya; Tito Munhequete of Mozambiques Izy Shop; Ugwem Eneyo of Nigerias Solstice; Josephat Mandara of Tanzanias TIME Tickets; and Joanna Bichsel of Rwandas Kasha.
The 20 entrepreneurs will pitch their businesses in a storytelling format in a way that can connect directly with investors. The first day will feature pre-revenue startups, with the second day reserved for those that are post-revenue and raising their second or third round of capital.
Angel Fair Africa will also feature a panel of entrepreneurs sharing their experiences on building companies, putting together a founding team, and key successes and challenges. The panel of entrepreneurs will include Caitlin Dolkart of Flare, Andrew Airelobhegbe of OgaVenue, Eva Muraya of BDS Group, Erik Hersman of BRCK and Selorm Brantie of mPedigree.
Africa is in urgent need of real mentoring from experienced fathers and mothers, and it is time we rose up to that role. Many opportunities are presenting themselves across Africa and if we do not guide the young people then we will have failed as a continent. This is why I am at the forefront when it comes to mentoring and investing in the young people of Africa, said Chris Kirubi, who will open the event in a keynote fireside chat.
Tim Draper, founding partner of Draper Associates, will be keynoting the second day of the event. Africa shows promise to be the economic growth jewel of the next 20 years. As people become more mobile and connected, leaders will have to compete for the businesses and capital of the world, and Africans will benefit, he said.
As African countries become more free market and democratic, the people will become more entrepreneurial and the continent can take advantage of the breakthroughs in Bitcoin, Blockchain, drone delivery, stem cells, drug design, digital signatures, digital voting, digital identity and new efficient (virtual) forms of government that have not been available until recently. Entrepreneurship in Africa is here to stay.
As the Nigerian government's plans to increase port and terminal activity creates great excitement within the sector, thousands of representatives from the transport and logistics industry will meet for the Multimodal West Africa exhibition and conference in Lagos from 24-26 January 2017.
In July 2016, the Minister of Aviation made a pronouncement that our ports are overwhelmed and as a result of that, they are creating dry ports for the different geopolitical zones, says Oluremi Ajayi, general manager of freight forwarder, DSV.
She adds: This will go a long way to strengthen our connecting modes of transports especially the rail system and also boost relationship within and outside African countries through the Ecowas Trade Liberalization Scheme.
Big leap
Samuel Jeffson, Director at St. John Freight Systems agrees: We...are equally excited as we closely monitor some interesting developments ahead with investments coming in from global conglomerates like AP Moller in the upcoming Badagry port facility and also the setting up of Lekki Deep Sea port by AfDB and a consortium of private investors and banks. With these additional facilities coming up, it will increase the port and terminal throughput activities by multiple folds.
Presently we see that the Nigerian economy is ready to take a big leap but its port infrastructure unfortunately does not support the vision and forms a major bottleneck. We believe with the new facilities coming up, the port and terminal industry landscape will totally change.
Jennifer Ijeoma Anoyika, Director General of the Nigerian-German Business Association, says, There are numerous expectations by the logistics sector, the business community and the general public, to see a great deal of obvious and measurable economic impacts and benefits resulting from the proposed port and terminal activity expansion. With appropriate investments and implementations in the right aspects, the plan should yield positive direct and indirect effects. We hope to see economic, technical, infrastructural and organisational development.
Industry support
DSV and St John are both already confirmed to exhibit at the upcoming Multimodal West Africa transport and logistics exhibition and conference, which will offer a unique platform to showcase the latest supply chain solutions and equipment to decision makers from leading cargo owners, importers and exporters.
Some of the 2500 cargo owners, shippers, major importers and exporters already registered to attend include West African Cotton Company, Zaika Foods Ltd, Pharmatex, GSK, De United Foods Industries Limited, Frigo Glass and DN Meyer. More than 80 exhibitors are expected, including freight forwarders, ship owners, shipping lines, ports & terminal operators as well as official government bodies.
Multimodal West Africa dates and venue:
Exhibition and conference: 24-26 January 2017
Venue: Landmark Centre, Lagos, Nigeria
For more information visit: www.multimodalwestafrica.com
LAGOS, Nigeria - The African Development Bank has approved the first installment of a $1 billion loan to Nigeria to help President Muhammadu Buhari combat a "crisis situation".
Image by 123RF
The AfDB said that the $600 million loan was the "first tranche of a US $1 billion budget support loan" to help the West African country overcome a recession. "We must think through innovative solutions to support our regional member countries in crisis situations like this," AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina said.
"It will help the (Nigerian) government create fiscal space to facilitate a smooth implementation of the government's budget, support fiscal and structural reforms, and improve the targeting of social sector spending," the bank said, adding that the last tranche of $400 million will be approved in 2017.
Buhari introduced a record budget designed to stimulate growth earlier this year, but has struggled to attract funding. On Tuesday, the Senate rejected his plan to borrow some $30 billion from abroad to finance key projects and plug budget deficits in the next three years.
Nigeria's gross domestic product is expected to shrink in 2016 by 1.6% after slipping into a recession in August, according to the AfDB. The economy has taken a hit after the global price of crude - worth 90% of its exports and 70% of government revenue - crashed.
Ongoing rebel attacks on oil infastructure in the country's oil-producing southern swamplands have compounded Buhari's headache, slashing production at a time the country desperately needs the money from the oil sector.
Support for Buhari is slipping as a result of his handling of the economy, analysts warn. The president scored a 41% approval rating in a September poll, compared with 80% around the same time in 2015, said BMI Research, a London-based research firm, in a recent note.
"Falling popularity and increasing criticism from influential figures and close allies will limit President Muhammadu Buhari's ability to enact the hard policy decisions needed to take Nigeria out of its present macroeconomic morass," BMI Research warned.
Source: AFP.
Warc, a UK-based marketing intelligence service, has released its latest Consensus Ad Forecast, indicating that global advertising spend will rise by 4.5% during 2016 as a whole, before the growth rate slows to 4.2% in 2017.
Cathy Yeulet via 123RF
With the exception of newspapers and magazines, all major media channels are expected to record adspend growth this year and next. However, the two largest, TV (+1.1%) and internet (+13%) are forecast to see their growth rate ease during 2017. The same is true for mobile, though it is still set to be the fastest-growing ad channel over the period.
The Forecast is based on a weighted average of adspend predictions at current prices from ad agencies, media monitoring companies, analysts, the companys own team and other industry bodies. Current sources include Carat, eMarketer, GroupM, Magna Global, Nikkei Advertising Research Institute (NARI), Pitch-Madison, Pivotal Research Group and ZenithOptimedia.
All 13 markets covered in the report are forecast to see the amount invested in advertising rise both this year and next, though for eight of these the growth rate will be softer in 2017.
India is expected to see the strongest annual rise in adspend this year, up 13.3%, with a similar rate of growth anticipated next year. The world's largest ad market, the US, is expected to post adspend growth of 5.1% this year - buoyed by the presidential election campaigns and the Rio Olympics. US adspend growth is then forecast to cool next year - rising by 2.8% - as the impact of these events is lost.
Adspend growth by country
2016 vs 2015 year-on-year % change 2017 vs 2016 year-on-year % change India 13.3 13.4 China 7.8 7.1 Russia 5.8 6.1 Spain 5.8 5.2 UK 5.6 4.3 US 5.1 2.8 Australia 3.8 3.8 Brazil 3.3 2.1 Italy 2.8 1.6 Germany 2.1 1.8 Canada 2.0 2.4 Japan 1.7 1.7 France 1.3 0.8 Global 4.5 4.2
Source: Warc's Consensus Ad Forecast, November 2016 (www.warc.com)
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Brexit process by which the UK will leave the European Union in 2017, the nation's ad market is forecast to record adspend growth of 5.6% this year and 4.3% next; both above the global respective rates.
All four BRIC markets, India (+13.4%), China (+7.1%), Russia (+6.1%) and Brazil (+2.1%), are expected to post rises in ad expenditure this year and next. France is forecast to record muted growth of +0.8% in 2017, the softest rate of the 13 markets studied.
All media, barring newspapers and magazines, are predicted to record year-on-year growth in 2017, with mobile expected to see the greatest adspend rise, up 34.2%. Total internet (including mobile) growth is expected to be 13.0% next year, while TV, the world's largest ad channel by spend, is forecast to post growth of 1.1%.
Global adspend growth by medium
2016 vs 2015 year-on-year % change 2017 vs 2016 year-on-year % change Mobile 47.1 34.2 Internet 14.6 13.0 Out of home 3.4 3.2 Cinema 3.1 5.1 TV 2.8 1.1 Radio 0.4 0.3 Magazines -5.9 -4.5 Newspapers -8.0 -6.1
Source: Warc's Consensus Ad Forecast, November 2016 (www.warc.com)
James McDonald, senior research analyst at Warc, said, The latest consensus results present a positive outlook for advertising investment at both a global and local level. All 13 markets studied are expected to record adspend growth in the short term, and this despite their contrasting socio-economic environments.
We have identified a common trend among more mature markets whereby increasing investment in internet - particularly mobile - ad formats is driving headline growth. Applying consensus trends to Warcs adspend data shows that mobile will grow to be the worlds third-largest ad channel by the end of 2016.
For more information, go to www.warc.com.
Richemont's share price jumped as much as 7.8% on Friday morning despite reporting halved net profit.
The luxury brand groups interim sales fell 13% to 5bn and net profit plunged 51% to 540m in the six months to end-September, its results statement said.
The sharp drop in profit was due to one-off costs of 249m, which included inventory buy-backs of slow moving products, chairman Johann Rupert said in his commentary.
"Excluding these one-time charges, operating profit would have declined by 25%," Rupert said.
Its jewellery "Maisons" Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels and Giampiero Bodino suffered a 13% drop in sales to 2.8bn.
Sales at its specialist watchmakers division fell 17% to 1.4bn.
"This largely reflected a difficult environment for watches, in particular in the wholesale channel," Richemont said.
Its "other" division, which includes Montblanc and various fashion and accessories brands, managed to hold sales nearly flat at 886m, a 1% decline from the matching periods 895m.
Richemonts largest market is Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, which contributed 1.8bn, or 35%, of the groups total sales. This was 10% lower in euros and 8% lower in Asian currencies.
Europe contributed 1.6bn, or 31 % of overall sales, down 18% from the matching period.
"European countries saw a decline in sales after a strong performance in the prior period. France was particularly affected by a significantly lower level of tourist activity. The UK, however, enjoyed double-digit growth rates in sales following the EU referendum," the statement said.
In Japan, sales fell 11% to 477m. Measured in yen, sales plunged 22%. Richemont said a strong yen caused all product categories to suffer.
A strong dollar led to its Americas division suffering a 7% sales drop to 821m.
The group has not paid an interim dividend since 2011.
"We remain convinced of the long-term prospects for high quality products, in particular for watches and jewellery. Our Maisons stand for timelessness, quality and craftsmanship values that are particularly sought after in uncertain times," Rupert said.
A new FAO methodology has been launched that allows dairy farmers and project designers to reliably document how they are reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. The tool means the sector will soon be able to participate in international carbon credit markets, opening up new sources of finance for the livestock industry, helping promote investment in smallholder operations.
PublicDomainPictures via pixabay
FAO's new smallholder dairy methodology tackles two major challenges facing agriculture today: the need to make agriculture more productive by increasing yields, while at the same time cutting agriculture's carbon footprint. By opening up new sources of finance, the methodology addresses the critical question of how to finance the necessary transition to a greener livestock sector.
The new methodology, developed by FAO and partners, identifies areas within dairy production where greenhouse emissions can be curbed - for example, by changing feed composition or feeding practices, or improving the energy efficiency of equipment - and explains how those reductions can be measured and reported.
Importantly, it has been certified by Gold Standard, an independent body that evaluates climate projects under the UN's Clean Development Mechanism and ensures they deliver genuine emission reductions.
This certification is key to allowing smallholder dairy operations to receive internationally-accepted carbon credits in exchange for emission reductions. These can be sold on carbon markets - a potential revenue stream that creates a financial incentive for the dairy industry to go greener and opens new opportunities for small-scale producers to access investment funding for their farms.
"Investing in ways to make smallholder dairy systems more productive is an efficient way to simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure food security," said Henning Steinfeld, chief of FAO's Livestock Information, Sector Analysis and Policy Branch. "This methodology will help to channel finance to projects that have real impacts on the livelihoods of millions of smallholder dairy farmers," he added.
He estimated that milk production will have to grow by 144 million tonnes by 2025 to meet rising demands.
Strategic changes in housing and feeding animals, in managing their manure and selecting breeds that produce more milk with equal inputs, hold the key to meeting those demands with the least possible environmental damage.
Why it's a game-changer
Under current carbon credit schemes, project developers - such as governments, businesses and NGOs - can apply for permits that allow their projects to emit a certain amount of greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide or methane. If a project manages to emit fewer gasses than the full allowance it received, developers can trade the remaining "carbon credits" on the open market - meaning there is a financial incentive for project developers to adopt environmentally friendly technologies and management practices.
But until now, climate finance - and carbon markets in particular - were closed to the livestock sector, partly because there was no methodology for calculating credits and certifying emission cuts. The new tool now sets a global standard that fills that gap.
Enhancing Kenya's dairy sector
In Kenya, which served as developing ground for the new tool, the methodology is already part of the country's effort to sustainably intensify its dairy industry under the country's climate action plan.
Because Kenya's livestock sector is dominated by smallholder farmers who have limited access to productivity-enhancing technologies, productivity in dairy has been low and emissions per unit of milk high. This means there is great opportunity to make Kenya's dairy sector more productive and environmentally friendly by introducing new technologies and resource management practices.
With the new tool the Kenyan government is able to track, quantify and certify that its interventions indeed result in lower emission intensity - in other words, fewer greenhouses gasses per unit of milk. This is essential for involving the dairy sector in the country's international climate commitments and has allowed Kenya to extend its Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action to the dairy sector.
There are additional benefits, beyond emissions reductions as well. For smallholder dairy farmers - some 750-million around the world-changes at the farm level that increase milk yield also bring stronger food security and more income. Increased investment in agriculture also tends to drive development of rural areas at large.
Emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions from milk production vary greatly across the world. Some countries have production systems that emit as little as 1.7kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilogram of milk (CO2e/kg) while in others it can be five times as high, reaching up to 9kg of carbon dioxide equivalent for each kilogram of milk. But these large variations don't just show in comparisons between countries - they can also be very evident within countries. As a case in point, Kenya's average emissions from milk are 3.7CO2e/kg - compared to the global average of 2.8- but emissions range 3 to 8CO2e/kg depending on the farm. This underscores the significant impacts different production methods can have on carbon emissions and the potential for climate mitigation.
A great deal of attention will be dedicated at the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech (COP22) to finding innovative ways to fund climate adaptation and mitigation work and make good on the commitments made under the Paris Climate Treaty, making this new tool particularly relevant.
The new methodology was developed by FAO in partnership with the International Livestock Research Institute the State Department of Livestock in Kenya, Unique Forestry and Land Use, and Climate Check Corporation.
43% of Africa's urban population lives below the poverty line. Vanessa Watson, professor of City and Regional Planning at UCT's School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics, and a speaker at the recently concluded African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit, notes that beneath the 'Africa is Rising' narrative currently in circulation, lies the reality that the continent's cities continue to face an urban 'polycrisis'.
One of the more frequently heard stories about Africa and African development, explained Watson, is that Africa is the hopeful continent experiencing economic growth, an emerging market boom, rapid urbanisation and a growing middle class that will spell a rise in demand for infrastructure and services. Another popular story is that Africa, after the profits have been mopped up in the Global North and Asia, is the last development frontier - untouched territory ready to be developed.
Recognising Africa's urban 'polycrisis'
The more accurate story, said Watson, reads somewhat differently with very high numbers of the African urban population living in informal settlements, working in the informal sector, and living from hand to mouth.
"One can say that for most of the urban population in Africa, Africa is not rising, it is still the same, and in some cases it is getting tougher and tougher," said Watson. "When we have African cities with these sorts of problems, I think what we can quite accurately say, with the growth of population that's coming, is that what we are facing is an urban polycrisis."
Watson defined this as encompassing a range of 'wicked' problems including lack of food security, climage change, unemployment, and poverty. As urban populations grow, these issues will only compound - this is the reality of African cities, explained Watson.
The new 'Africa masterplans'
While sub-Saharan Africa countries do have a history of poor urban planning and policymaking, the new 'Africa masterplans', designed by foreign developers, that have emerged post-2008 are particularly concerning to Watson, given the continent's current challenges. There are three fantasy city types she explained: one is the full city makeover in which the existing city is done away with and a new development takes its place. Another is the edge city - these are very large projects undertaken at the edge of existing cities. The last type is satellite cities. All these cities are branded as either smart, eco-friendly or world-class - the labels are interchangeable.
Eko Atlantic - Lagos, Nigeria Hope City - Accra, Ghana Kigali Conceptual Master Plan Tatu City - Nairobi, Kanya
"It looks just like Dubai, Shanghai or Singapore ... What do they have to do with the African continent or the realities of African cities? Absolutely nothing," said Watson.
There are three contentious driving forces spurring on the development of these Dubai-esque fantasy cities, said Watson:
1. Profit and consumerism: a recent overestimation by the African Development Bank on the rate of growth and size of the African middle class means that the size of the market is misrepresented.
2. Symbolic power: politicians are persuaded that these fantasy plans will help them achieve world-class status and modernisation.
3. Smart city / eco city rhetoric: these labels are largely branding efforts rather than authentic undertakings.
"The fact is that many of these projects, many of these fantasy cities have become mired in a lack of infrastructure, a lack of demand, corruption, and resistance from those who are already on the land. It's a dream of being something that is most probably not attainable," said Watson.
While many of these fantasy plans may never see the light of day, Watson worries that those that do may exacerbate the polycrisis in Africa's cities as they "completely ignore the real and urgent issues of African cities" and "radically increase inequalities in African cities and all the problems that go along with it".
The challenge, noted Watson, is for all cities to meet UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: "All cities of the world, between now and 2030, have to try as hard as they can and devote maximum resources to achieving inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities."
Careful, complex, thorough administrative management and pro-poor urban development will turn us into world-class cities, concluded Watson, not design plans.
The African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit took place 2-3 November 2016, at the CTICC. For more info, go to www.african-real-estate-summit.com
An estimated 3.4-million people across the Eastern Cape are in need of food aid due to high food prices exacerbated by two consecutive years of drought.
About 585,606 of these people are also struggling to purchase enough food to meet a minimum energy intake of 8786-kilojoules as they are living on R498 a month.
This is according to Molatelo Mamadi, a director at the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Pretoria.
He was addressing a conference on food security in Africa held at the International Convention Centre in East London on Friday, 4 November.
The three-day conference was attended by pan-African food security experts from Zambia, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, Lesotho, Swaziland, Sudan, Nigeria, Mauritius, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa. Mamadi said: "We went to Mbizana to profile different households as part of our World Food Day celebrations.
"The poverty there is such that we could not even ask some people in the area if they were hungry because we could see the poverty in their faces," he said.
"We could feel it, they had not eaten in the past three days."
He said the country had not produced enough food for the consumption year ending March 2017 because of the drought.
"Because we don't have enough food in storage we have had to import 3.9-million tons of grain, yellow and white maize from Argentina.
"This has caused food prices to go up because you have to factor in the transportation costs of the product.
"Food is so expensive now that as many as 3.4-million people in the Eastern Cape risk going hungry," Mamadi said.
He said the average household in the province earned as little as R1077 each month.
Another delegate at the conference, Dr Francois Lategan, an agricultural extension specialist practitioner and researcher at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, said the value of social grant payouts in the province exceeded the agricultural potential of the Eastern Cape.
Source: Herald
In a collaborative effort to improve cybersecurity in the financial sector, the G7 finance ministers and central bank governors have endorsed the G7 Fundamental Elements of Cybersecurity for the Financial Sector
The guidelines are non-binding and represent best practice in cybersecurity. They are applicable to both public and private financial sector entities and have been designed to accommodate the size of each entity and the nature of the cyber risks it faces.
Banks in South Africa
There are no specific laws or guidelines for cybersecurity governance of banks in South Africa. The newly released King IV Corporate Governance Report provides limited guidance for managing cybersecurity risks. The Cybercrime and Cybersecurity Bill, which is expected to be introduced in parliament later this year, also does not provide governance guidelines. In the absence of specific guidelines, the countrys banking sector should consider aligning with the G7 guidelines.
Cost of cyber-attacks
The frequency and severity of cyber-attacks have grown, costing consumers $158bn in 2015, according to Cybersecurity Ventures research. They predict that global cybersecurity costs will grow to $6trn annually by 2021 and these will include:
Damages and destruction of data
Fraud, embezzlement, theft of money, intellectual property and personal and financial data
Business interruption and costs associated with loss in productivity, restoring and deleting hacked data systems and post-attack disruptions
So serious is the threat that the US president Barack Obama declared a national state of emergency to deal with cybercrime, which is to national borders and can originate anywhere in the world.
The spectacular cyber-heist on the Bangladesh Bank in 2016 resulted in theft of $81m, and was the largest hack on a bank to date. The forensic investigation revealed that malware was installed within the bank's system some time prior to the hack. The malware gathered information on all the banks operational procedures, allowing the theft.
Eight key elements in the new guidelines
Background screening is arguably one of the most essential steps in human resource management and staff recruitment today. They assist with improving transparency and disclosure, ensuring that informed decisions can be made regarding one of the most important assets of an organisation - its employees. Prospective employees may not always be 100% upfront when applying for a position with companies. Employing the use of a background check programme can therefore assist with red flagging criminal behaviour, unverified qualifications, fabricated experience and other relevant information, before the legally binding employment contract is signed.
Rudi Kruger, general manager for LexisNexis Risk Management, delves into how background checks act as an investment in rooting out unsuitable candidates. It is a well-worn phrase, The best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. While it is not necessarily always the case, the fact an employee/employer relationship is legally binding means that employees cannot be fired in the event of certain behaviour patterns showing up only after they are hired.
For this reason, an employment contract should not be entered into until all the relevant checks are concluded and the results are available for clear and factual assessment.
Dealing with money and customers
In a corporate environment, employees dealing with finances or providing customers with financial advice should be checked in accordance with the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act. These checks include the FSB Fit and Proper check, credit check and criminal check.
These pertinent checks go a long way in identifying behaviour like involvement in crime or past and present issues with credit and whether the candidate has been debarred from providing financial advice, said Kruger. Employees who need money or have a history of theft are more likely to steal from the employer or customer should the opportunity arise. This is not a situation any employer wants to face, especially when early detection was possible through criminal checks.
Workplace safety
Pre-screening candidates also aids in ensuring a safer work environment for existing employees. Work place violence is an unfortunate reality. The mental and physical health of workers must be taken into account when introducing a new member to the team, said Kruger. Through the use of a screening process before a candidate is employed, businesses are more likely to uncover prior complaints against individuals through either former employers or even, in extreme cases, criminal records, he added. Extra vigilance is especially expected in cases where the potential employee will be in direct contact with civil society like hospital workers, police or teachers.
Reputation protection
Every business owner is aware of the effort that goes into building a reputation that positions the company as trustworthy and above-board. Avoid introducing employees into your company who have the potential to tarnish your reputation, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Nobody can predict the future but an evaluation of a candidates history will quickly give you an idea of their integrity and credibility. This also holds true for NGOs that rely on the goodwill of volunteers.
While it is difficult to turn away those offering a helping hand, the rules of the employer/employee relationship still hold significance in these circumstances. Much like companies, NGOs that engage volunteers, also have a reputation to uphold and any negligence or negative publicity can affect cash flow, and in some cases, lead to closure or worse, scar those in the care of these individuals. It is therefore imperative that volunteers are screened accordingly, before they enter an organisation, Kruger said.
Fabricated qualifications and experience
Some of the most prominent forms of CV fraud are fabricated academic qualifications and experience. These gross misinterpretations may assist the candidate with appearing more qualified for the job. However, once hired their failure to perform can quickly turn disastrous for the employer.
We have seen numerous, high profile cases of incompetence in South Africa. Many of them were found to have lied on their CV about their qualifications yet, they managed to obtain senior positions.
"Recruiters should never accept the information on CVs as is. Nobody, as evident from some of the prominent examples, should be blindly trusted. Always verify the authenticity of the qualification as well as their experience, said Kruger.
Millennials are standing up and making their presence known in the real estate market. While it is the generation X consumers who are still the driving force behind the property market, there are several areas around the country where millennials represent the highest percentage of recent buyers.
There are approximately 18.74-million generation X consumers in the country, however, millennials account for around 28.4-million of the population. This up-and-coming generation will have a massive impact on the economy and more specifically the property market going forward. As the future decision makers, millennials will be able to change the real estate industry as we know it and will largely influence trends that we see unfold. To a large degree, we are already seeing trends develop as more and more millennials influence the dynamic of the real estate sector.
Buying and lifestyle habits of millennials that will shape the economy and real estate industry:
Millennials would rather rent
There are a number of reasons that these younger generation consumers favour renting over buying. Given the increasing cost of living and challenging economic conditions in South Africa, many millennials are opting to stay in the rental market a while longer. There is also the desire to stay in trendier, often more expensive areas that they would not afford to buy in. Renting offers them the freedom to pick up and go with relative ease. While millennials want their own space, many feel that they are not ready to manage a property and prefer to have a landlord take care of the maintenance issues.
Most do value homeownership and will invest in a property as they get older, however, rising debt and delayed life events will delay the process. When they do purchase a home it is likely to be an entry-level home that they can rent out if they decide to move away.
Millennials are tech savvy
Millennials are heavily reliant on technology and are more likely to use online search portals to find a home they like than going through an agency. In order to stay relevant, real estate professionals will need to have a strong online presence to successfully engage with the millennial generation. This includes a website with high quality images of homes and an engaging social media presence.
Compact, efficient spaces
A large number of millennials are looking for a minimalist lifestyle which includes fewer possessions and smaller living spaces, as this provides them with both the flexibility and financial stability they want. Generally, millennials dont want to spend all their time at home but see their living quarters as more of a home base. As a result, they are comfortable in smaller, lock-up-and-go spaces. Many are also looking for homes with energy-efficient appliances and fittings so that they can reduce both their monthly living expenses and carbon footprint.
In order to cater to the wants of millennials, the industry will need to keep increasing its energy-saving home offering. Environmentally friendly, multi-functional spaces are highly appealing to millennial home buyers.
Millennials have already started to impact housing market trends and will grow in influence as their incomes increase and they begin to settle down. As this generation continues to effect change, the real estate industry will need to take their needs into consideration and innovate accordingly.
I was privileged to attend the 12th edition of the African Travel & Tourism Conference (Akwaaba): a gathering of travel and tourism experts in Africa - both from private establishments and various government parastatals.
The event was held at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos from 31 October to 1 November 2016. My attendance was indeed a worthwhile investment as it exposed me to a cocktail of different issues stalling the growth of the industry as well as practical recommendations that are believed to be the fertilizer African tourism needs to germinate. For me, the icing on the cake was the convergence of key stakeholders from across the continent, and lots of representatives from almost all the African countries talking to people on the many opportunities for tourists in their countries.
I saw sheer enthusiasm on the faces of these representatives as they went about selling their countries as the best tourist destination. This wasnt an all-comers event. Even I only had the opportunity to attend because the managing director of Jumia Travel, Kushal Dutta was invited as a panelist to discuss 'The Internet and the Future of Travel in Africa.'
While all the speakers and panelists touched on many pertinent issues on how to advance the course of tourism in Africa, I found very intriguing a presentation by the Deputy Minister of Tourism for Zimbabwe, Anastacia Ndlovu. She provided some insights on the growth and opportunities that tourism can facilitate on the continent. These opportunities are undoubtedly very promising, if properly harnessed, and are the impetuses urgently required to compliment trade and commerce for a better economic development of each country.
It was effortlessly transparent from the data she presented that the advancement of travel and tourism for a country like Nigeria might seem improbable if the government doesnt embrace its potentials and invests enormously to reap untold economic rewards.
There were six major challenges which the deputy minister stated as the reasons for lack of growth in the sector, although she mentioned that Zimbabwe isnt exempted from the burden of these challenges.
Underdeveloped tourism infrastructure
Countries like Switzerland, Germany, and Austria lead the world in terms of their travel and tourism industry competitiveness. They are closely followed by Spain, United Kingdom, USA, France, Canada, Sweden, and Singapore. There are thousands of hotel rooms per capita in these countries by international standard. The policy environments are also top-ranking considering the low cost required to start a business, and a much flexible visa policy. For Africas infrastructure to develop, we need to protect our natural and cultural resources, fix our air transport system (90% of tourists travel by air), improve the quality of roads and ports, and fix electricity issues as it applies to each country.
Poor intra-African air connectivity
There are very few flights connecting major cities in Africa; and not many of the very few are good enough, or at least meet international standards. The perception of Africa being a country and not a continent has to change. We need to overhaul the entire air transport system within Africa, and engender more airlines to fly within Africa. The number of tourists visiting Africa every year runs into millions. Imagine how many more we will record if we can bring in more airlines to convey many more tourists to various destinations.
Absence of strategically-integrated product development and marketing
We need to develop tourism products that are marketable. This is indeed lacking in Africa. For instance, Uganda has been able to grow its tourism sector on one thing that a lot of tourists love to see: gorillas. The country has the largest mountain gorilla population in the world 54% (over 400 of them). In addition, there are over 5,000 chimpanzees found in Uganda. The country is also home to the worlds largest number of monkeys, baboons, apes, rare colobus, nocturnal bush babies and pottos found in pristine eco-environment.
Commendably, Uganda has packaged its tourism around gorilla sight-seeing, and a lot of tourists visit every year just to see these apes. Such tourism products/packages is what many countries in Africa need to market to the world.
Religious tourism is another untapped market. There are tons of people flying into Nigeria to attend churches such as The Synagogue, Christ Embassy and many more. These people do not come into the country only for a religious programme, they interact with people, discover new places, and go sight-seeing. During these religious programmes, a lot of hotels cash in what they would make in six months in just one week, transporters increase their earnings too, and so do airlines.
Visa restrictions
The effort of the African Union (AU) in developing a Pan-African passport which allows all Africans to travel freely within Africa without a visa is highly commendable. Of course, the objective is to achieve what the European Union passport has made possible. However, more needs to be done.
If we can cut out visa requirements as we have in some countries, it will engender the growth of tourism as more people will be entitled to free movement within the continent. Although, there are worries that the security threats this poses outweighs the benefits that we as a continent will accrue from lifting all visa restrictions. It therefore becomes the responsibility of each countrys government to ensure theres adequate supply of security, and if possible putting in place strict measures to gatekeep criminals from perpetrating their evil acts.
Poor treasury support
In most African countries, it is sad that the tourism sector gets the lowest budget even in countries where tourism is their mainstay. This poses a huge threat to the survival and eventual sustainability of the sector. Government at all levels should invest adequate funds to boost its economic viability which has the potential to contribute up to 25% to each countrys GDP.
Brand Africa
Our image as a continent has been marred with poverty, strife, hunger, war, starvation, diseases, and the list continues. These things shape the way people see us and our countries. We need an urgent clinical repair of these bad representations. We have challenges as a country, no doubt as do developed countries but we are not our challenges. For instance, a lot of tourists stayed away from visiting Nigeria in the last three years in fear of the terrorist group Boko Haram. But what country doesnt suffer from terrorism, whether on a large or small scale? So why should this challenge determine who we are?
It has become our collective responsibility to treat people who come to our country like they are part of us. Remember, we need word of mouth marketing to promote our tourist destinations more than we need advertising. A tourist who was well treated and accommodated will go back to friends and family to recommend your country as a good destination to visit.
To the continent of Africa! To the great people of Africa! From Africa to the world!
WASHINGTON: Google's Android operating system captured a record-high 87.5 percent of the global smartphone market in the third quarter, a research firm said.
The survey released Wednesday by Strategy Analytics found Android's share increase from 84.1% in the same period a year ago, while Apple's iOS saw its share slip to 12.1% from 13.6%.
"Android's leadership of the global smartphone market looks unassailable at the moment," said Strategy Analytics' Woody Oh.
"Its low-cost services and user-friendly software remain attractive to hardware makers, operators and consumers worldwide."
Oh added that the dominance of Android poses challenges for Google, which offers the system for free to manufacturers.
"The Android platform is getting overcrowded with hundreds of manufacturers, few Android device vendors make profits, and Google's new Pixel range is attacking its own hardware partners that made Android popular in the first place," he said.
The report said global smartphone shipments grew 6% from a year ago to 375.4 million in the quarter, the fastest growth rate for a year.
According to the survey, the market share for other operating systems including Windows and BlackBerry fell to a minuscule 0.3% from 2.3% last year.
"BlackBerry and Microsoft Windows Phone have all but disappeared due to strategic shifts, while (Samsung's) Tizen and other emerging platforms softened as a result of limited product portfolios and modest developer support," said Neil Mawston, executive director of the research firm.
Source: AFP
The events industry in South Africa is heading for a knowledge gap within five years. So, how does the sector help those studying the subject realise just what is required when they start out?
My concern is that there is currently a generation of event professionals, with over 30-years experience, that will be retiring within 5 to 10 years. When this happens it will create a vacuum, so there is need to upskill the emerging talent and draw on the vast knowledge and practical experience that currently exists in the industry.
The education gap is what exists between theory-based learning in tertiary education and the practical situations that happen in the event industry. Many situations and challenges happen in events, which cannot be taught in a classroom. This includes how to react in an emergency and the skills of how to handle event hiccups without guests being aware of them. How young event professionals handle themselves in such situations requires a certain amount of practical experience and the confidence to manage and execute challenging situations.
This concern about this looming knowledge gap has prompted the formation of the Council of Event Professionals Africa (CEP Africa) to promote and uphold industry standards and fast-track the development of individuals. Focusing on practical skills is a positive move for the industry, as the young event professionals can now have a career path mapped out by a professional body that will support them every step of the way.
Academia needs to engage with business and professional bodies, to allow experienced professionals to give back to education at schools and universities. What is needed is an understanding of the practical skills needed by new entrants. This includes clearly understanding the realities of the industry at entry level, the broad spectrum of event and live communication genres, and a clearly defined aptitude needed to succeed in these diverse areas of the industry.
The industry is currently experiencing a shortage of AV skills and this is an opportunity for students to specialise. Other focus areas include lighting, sound, infrastructure and event marketing. By working with other event bodies, and universities, CEP Africa can identify courses that are practically more relevant to the industry, and pre-empt skills shortages through training skills that are needed.
The newly formed body which is waiting for its registration as a Professional Body from SAQA is made up of three organisations: EXSA, IFEA Africa and SAACI. Shortly the visionary collaboration of these organisations will see CEP Africa provide its first three professional certifications for event co-ordinators, event managers and event directors. These valuable endorsements will be awarded once students have fulfilled the relevant practical requirements that are desired by the events industry.
As with any professional certification, CEP Africa professionals will require a maintenance of 60 continual professional development points to retain their status. This is aimed at ensuring continuous learning, maintaining involvement in the space that the business and events businesses operate, as well as being involved in industry forums that achieve knowledge sharing.
As one of the founders of CEP Africa, I believe that the event industry is a victim of its own success. High-profile events result in students believing that the industry is all glamour and moments of fame. The reality is that most of our time is about the grind and repetitive behind-the-scene actions that make others look good. CEP Africa is committed to a vision of giving students a realistic view of the events industry and then assisting them in developing the relevant skills that current professionals have developed and are keen to share.
It took 17 judges across 24 categories several weeks of marking to decide that the coveted title of the Toyota Financial Services SAGMJ Motoring Journalist of the Year for 2016 belonged to Ferdi de Vos. De Vos was joined on the podium by Seagram Pearce, the Photographer of the Year, and Gavin Forster, the Motorcycle Journalist of the Year for 2016.
From left: Derek Leach (TFS); Ferdi de Vos; Bernard Hellberg (SAGMJ).
It is De Voss fourth title as Journalist of the Year. Seagram won the event in 2012 and 2014, while Foster won the inaugural Motorcyclist of the Year category last year. De Vos, Pearce and Foster took home the silverware at a gala event held at the Birchwood Hotel near the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. The event was attended by journalists and their families, media and representatives from the automotive industry.
This year saw a significant amount of entries across almost all of the expanded 24 categories of the competition. With a large number of entries scoring above the minimum 75% and several closely contested prizes, it is clear that the quality of automotive journalism is alive and well in South Africa, says Bernard Hellberg, chairman of the SA Guild of Motoring Journalists.
The competition was again made possible by various prize and category sponsors and most notably Toyota Financial Services, whose major donation ensured that category winners bagged between R2,500 and R5,000, and the overall winners took home a cash prize of R10,000 each.
De Vos proved that consistency and a wide field of interest were key in winning the Journalist of the Year category. He was runner-up in the Motoring categories for Magazines, Newspapers and Digital channels, while winning the Photojournalist, the Environmental and Digital Media Motorsport categories. The Environmental category is sponsored by Bridgestone South Africa. De Vos also received a commendation for his entries in the Magazine Motorsport category and was runner-up in the Newspaper Motorsport category.
For Pearce, the road to the overall Motoring Photographer of the Year prize was paved with a win in the Motoring Photographer category and the Carlie Norval Photograph of the Year special category for the single best motoring photograph entered this year. The Carlie Norval Photograph of the Year is sponsored by Motorpress.
Foster, in turn, won the Magazine Motorsport, Magazine Motorcycles and Digital Media Motorcycles categories en route to taking the overall prize as the Motorcycle Journalist of the Year.
Special awards
Several new faces were called to the podium for special and category awards this year. Most notable was Francisco Nwamba who won the Steve Dlamini Award for Excellence in Motoring Journalism. The Award, made in honour of the late Steve Dlamini, is sponsored by Bridgestone SA and encourages top young talent with a winning purse of R10,000. All entries from journalists below 26 years old are considered for this prize.
In other special categories, Egmont Sippel won the Business, Industry and Technology Award, sponsored by the Retail Motor Industry and Charleen Clarke took home the Commercial Vehicles Award, sponsored by Hino South Africa.
Another highlight of the evening was the awarding of special industry prizes that are not judged, but compiled from votes by the SAGMJ committee, Guild members and the automotive industry. In one of these categories, Patrick OLeary of Fleetwatch was selected Editor of the Year and the legendary Sarel van der Merwe was recognised in the Lifetime Achievement Category for his achievements in motorsport. The Chairmans Award for Service to Motoring Journalism was not awarded this year.
And the winners are...
Category awards
Magazine (Motoring):
Winner: Ray Leathern
Runner-up: Ferdi de Vos
Highly commended: Gavin Foster, Mike Monk, Mark Smyth, Derek Watts, Nicola Furniss, Charleen Clarke, James Siddall
Newspaper (Motoring):
Winner: Egmont Sippel
Runner-up: Ferdi de Vos
Highly Commended: James Siddall, Hanjo Stier, Mark Smyth, Lerato Matebese
Digital Media (Motoring):
Winner: Egmont Sippel
Runner-up: Ferdi de Vos
Highly Commended: Ray Leathern, Hanjo Stier
Television (Motoring):
Winner: Hannes Visser
Runner-up: Waldo van der Waal
Highly Commended: Francisco Nwamba
Radio (Motoring):
Winner: Carl & Jeanette Kritzinger
Runner-up: Mark Smyth
Highly Commended: Ashref Ismail
Magazine (Motorsport):
Winner: Gavin Foster
Runner-up: Roger Houghton
Highly Commended: Ferdi de Vos
Newspaper (Motorsport):
Winner: Egmont Sippel
Runner-up: Ferdi de Vos
Highly Commended: Reuben van Niekerk
Digital Media (Motorsport):
Winner: Ferdi de Vos
Runner-up: Egmont Sippel
Television (Motorsport):
Winner: Plan-C Productions
Runner-up: Hannes Visser
Highly Commended: Waldo van der Waal
Radio (Motorsport):
Winner: Neels Rabe, Patrick Vermaak, Nick van der Meulen
Magazine (Motorcycles):
Winner: Gavin Foster
Runner-up: Clive Strugnell
Highly Commended: Hein Eksteen
Newspaper (Motorcycles):
No winner
Digital Media (Motorcycles):
Winner: Gavin Foster
Television (Motorcycles):
No entries received in this category
Radio (Motorcycles):
Winner: Carl & Jeanette Kritzinger
Runner-up: Johann van Tonder
Photojournalist:
Winner: Ferdi de Vos
Runner-up: Ian Groat
Highly Commended: Chris Wall
Photographer (Motoring):
Winner: Seagram Pearce
Runner-up: Matteo Conti
Photographer (Motorsport):
Winner: Waldo van der Waal
Photographer of the Year (Motorcycles):
Winner: Jay Groat
Individual awards
Bridgestone SA Environmental Award:
Winner: Ferdi de Vos
Road Safety Award:
Winner: Mark Smyth
Road Ecology:
No entries received in this category
RMI Business, Industry & Technology Award:
Winner: Egmont Sippel
Hino SA Commercial Vehicles Award:
Winner: Charleen Clarke
Motorpress Carlie Norval Photograph of the Year:
Winner: Seagram Pearce
Bridgestone SA Steve Dlamini Award for Excellence In Motoring Journalism:
Winner: Francisco Nwamba
Editor of the Year:
Patrick OLeary
The SAGMJ Chairmans Award for Service to Motoring Journalism:
Not awarded in 2016
The SAGMJ Lifetime Achievement Award:
Sarel van der Merwe
Motorcycle Journalist of the Year 2016:
Gavin Foster
Photographer of the Year 2016:
Seagram Pearce
Motoring Journalist of the Year 2016:
Ferdi de Vos
Media today is more about a conversation with your audience or readers, instead of a one-way communication, emphasises Lerina Bierman, managing director of Carat Cape Town media agency.
Image by 123RF
The definition of media hasnt really changed: it is still mass communication, broadcast, publishing, internet, traditional media, as we see it. What has changed is that everyone can now publish. The competition is a lot bigger. We always thought about traditional channels as competition, but that competition now includes everyone with a Facebook and Twitter account.
Bierman says traditional media need to adapt to new channels and have a conversation with their consumers. What we are seeing is that many traditional media owners are now offering multi-platform solutions. Media owners realise that they need to embrace new technology and sell it to us as a broader, more holistic offering, playing in a new appealing space, rather as staid old media.
By way of example, she highlighted the Cannes-award winning New York Times rich content activation with the Google VR viewers showing a short film, The Displaced, about children uprooted by war. It brought virtual reality mainstream for traditional media. Another big winner at Cannes was the Field trip to Mars experience by agency McCann New York for client Lockheed Martin.
The scope of what media is, is a lot broader, with more options. But we dont need a new definition for media, we need a new approach. We are playing in a far broader playing field right now, with more eco-systems that play out across multi-platforms, touch points, conversations. We are trying to drive earned media through conversations too. There is now a far more intricate set of touch points and we now need to create a story around that.
Follow your consumer
Bierman says that the reality is that media in its traditional format is dying. Not print or television per say, but traditional long form media is dying in the way it used to be. Even regular television that you put out according to a programming schedule is dying out at the top end.
As regards the health of the media industry in South Africa and Africa, a large portion of the market does not have the luxury of options, so traditional media is experiencing success and is not in dire straits yet, says Bierman.
Where the media industry needs to grow and change is in the top end space. We see DStv and TML starting to do this well. They are looking at how consumers are doing things, consumers want things on demand. DStv has more on-demand platforms, and are continuing to grow on-demand platforms, otherwise they will become completely irrelevant, adds Bierman, referring to increasing consumer demand for video-on-demand (VoD).
What is crucial for all media, is to watch what their audiences want and are doing and adapt to that, she says. Particularly the new generation. They dont want to wait for anything. For print, consumers want to see things in short format, disposable nuggets of info. All the answers lie with our consumers. The trend is towards Snapchat right now. What is it about Snapchat? Learn from that. Give them content in that same format.
If you dont start adapting now, you will die. It is all about on-demand. About having different platforms and extending what you have on television, for example, into other channels.
Bierman references Comedy Central which also places extended programming on YouTube, in addition to its television programming.
Of course, the cost of data and bandwidth means that on-demand is not as much of a threat in South Africa and Africa, as people dont have the option. But companies are also coming up with innovative ways to bring the internet to the mass market, so this is a matter of time (think Google balloon project, Facebook satellites).
When costs come down for data, changes will occur more rapidly, Bierman reiterates.
Media under pressure
Print has been threatened by online media for the past decade and now it is the turn of the television industry with on-demand TV and YouTube reality show trends. What television broadcasters need to do is adapt to the two-way conversation, says Bierman, where viewers and consumer engagement is brought into the show, like they do on Idols and other reality shows.
TV broadcasters need to create these shows, curate and expand the content onto YouTube, with behind the scenes interviews, extra clips It is about creating more than what is on the TV, becoming a multi-platform brand, that you are not just providing a one-way conversation. People want to have a conversation, create Twitter hashtags, creating those additional platforms and vehicles to talk about the shows that is where broadcasters need to adapt to. Creating earned media, hype around a show.
Unlocking that earned media space is where the real value sits. Telling a millennial to buy something doesnt mean as much to them as their friends telling them about it. That advocacy is where the value of social media lies.
It is actually really simple, says Bierman. No one knows what the future holds, so follow what your consumers want and adapt your platforms to them and youll be fine.
The digital age
We are heading into new territory that new technologies such as augmented or virtual reality bring. It is important to bring it into our media plans, but in the context of our clients market. At the same time, in South Africa, this is a really small part of the consumer market that has these technologies available to them. Certain kinds of brands, innovative top-end brands can play in this space and get the right consumer engagement, but for us to get to critical mass in AR, etc., will take some time, Bierman reiterates.
One of the trends for the future, she says, will be more partnerships between technology companies and agencies and the media. New media platforms and models will be the new status quo. We will be adapting to new trends and finding new models. The answer is always with the consumer how they behave, what they want in the future.
ISTANBUL: Internet users in Turkey were on Friday experiencing severe difficulties accessing social media after the country was plunged into new turbulence by the detention of its main pro-Kurdish leaders, correspondents and a watchdog said.
The messaging service WhatsApp was not working for most of the day while users were also reporting severe problems accessing Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other sites, AFP correspondents and internet users said.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim did not directly confirm that blocks were in place but acknowledged that "from time to time for security reasons we can use such measures".
"These are temporary measures. Once the danger is passed, everything returns to normal," he told reporters in Istanbul in televised comments.
The problems came after 12 MPs from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), including its co-leaders Figen Yuksekdag and Selahattin Demirtas, were detained in an unprecedented crackdown.
Turkey is regularly accused of blocking access to social media in heightened situations such as terror attacks.
The monitoring site Turkey Blocks said that Twitter, Facebook and YouTube were down in Turkey while restrictions had also been imposed on WhatsApp, Skype and Instagram.
The site, which monitors internet restrictions in Turkey, said this had been carried out by a "throttling" at Internet Service Provider (ISP) level including national providers like TTNet and Turkcell.
"Internet restrictions are increasingly being used in Turkey to suppress media coverage of political incidents, a form of censorship deployed at short notice to prevent civil unrest," it said.
It said that while there had been restrictions on Twitter and Facebook in the past, this was the first time that popular messaging services like WhatsApp were affected.
Users in the southeast of Turkey had last week reported major difficulties in using the internet.
Many internet-savvy Turks during such times turn to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to subvert the restrictions on public servers and flocked to the apps as the internet troubles continued throughout the day.
However by the late evening, users were also complaining of problems accessing VPNs, in a possible sign the authorities were also moving to block some of the most popular apps.
The T24 website said that the Turkish telecommunications authority BTK had moved to restrict access to leading VPN services like Tor Project and Tunnel Bear.
There was no official confirmation of this but Tunnel Bear tweeted that is was doing all it could to help users in Turkey.
"To our friends in Turkey, you now have unlimited data to stay connected with Tunnel Bear, the internet is better when it's open," it said.
Source: AFP
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The last KNU Congress was held four years ago and the 16th Congress was due to be held later this month (November). However, during the last KNU Central Executive Committee meeting some KNU leaders submitted a proposal to only hold the KNU Congress after the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) peace process between the Burmese Government and eight ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) including the KNU, has been completed.
Naw Ohn Hla, a Karen politician, said to KIC News: I see this as deception against the Karen people. As far as I know, the congress has been held even during the war conflict. The Peace [process] shouldnt be used as a reason to postpone [the congress] at a time like this. Who wants to postpone it? Why? You cant hide the [answers to these questions] from the public in this age.
A Karen politician from Rangoon, who did not want to be named, told KIC News that the drafting of the framework for political dialogue between the Burmese government, the Burma Army, and EAOs is not yet complete and there are rumours that it may be three years before political dialogue starts.
He said that the peace process should not be used as an excuse to postpone the 16th Congress.
A Karen writer, who also did not want to be identified, expected the 16th Congress to bring changes in the KNU leadership and to decide whether the KNU should try to re-join the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) coalition of EAOs.
The writer also said that since the beginning of the year many politically aware Karen people with a strong sense of nationalism who live in the Rangoon area have been showing an interest in and discussing the KNUs 16th Congress.
Saw Htee Muu, a Karen youth who lives in Rangoon said: Every organisation has its own strengths and weaknesses over four years. The congress should be held in order for everyone to support and fix [the weaknesses].
According to the KNUs constitution, the congress must be held every four years to elect the groups central leaders through a secret voting system.
The 15th KNU Congress and election was held at the KNU-controlled Lay Wah Camp in Hpa-an District, Karen State in December 2012.
The Central Standing Committee has been meeting every year since the last congress was held.
The last annual Central Standing Committee meeting, which was also held at Lay Wah Camp, finished on 6 November. Topics that were due to be discussed included the holding of the 16th KNU Congress, the state of Karen ethnic armed organisations, the state of their allies and KNU policies and directives. The Committee was also scheduled to review KNU political and departmental reports, work programmes, the groups organisational structure and future work programmes.
Translated by Thida Linn
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
Strong performances in the banking sector helped the Ibex 35 to hit 8,918 points and rise 1.45% in Monday trading. The Spanish index had a keen eye on the US presidential election as European markets showed a high degree of confidence in a win for Hillary Clinton on Tuesday.
Two polls released on Monday show Hillary Clinton maintaining her lead over Donald Trump in the US presidential election, by as much as four percentage points.
The Democratic candidate saw a significant lead disintegrate after she was the subject of a further probe into her use of a private email server as secretary of state, of which she was cleared at the weekend. National polls conducted by Bloomberg and The Washington Post/ABC News both show Clinton with a small lead over Trump, the former by three points (44-41) and the latter by four points (44-40).
A win for her Republican rival Trump would represent a break from the status quo, and global markets are not interested in such uncertainty, of which the New York businessman brings a lot.
In the political and macroeconomic situation in Spain, the new government has promised Brussels that it will work to reduce its deficit. Government spokesperson for the Ministry of Education Inigo Mendez de Vigo said that the government is "keen to make up for lost time" in its attempt to reduce the country's financial deficit.
Back on the domestic front, Banco de Espana today designated Santander as an "Entity of Global Systemic Importance", for 2017. However, BBVA will stop retaining such status from January of next year, for failing to maintain the 130 points required to obtain EISM status.
Bolsamania technical analyst Jose Maria Rodriguez still warned caution on Monday however, despite the rise of the Ibex 35. "Despite the important boost we started the week off with, as at the moment the only thing we can talk about is the 4.4% fall from last week," Rodriguez said.
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Many parts of Japan are happy with the news that a preliminary review panel of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has recommended that 33 traditional Japanese festivals be registered as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage.
UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee is expected to make the final decision later this month.
The expected registration of the festivals, most of which date back to the Edo Period (1603-1868), will bring the total number of Japanese items included in UNESCO's lists of intangible cultural heritage to 21.
Yet Japan was less than happy when UNESCO recently listed historical evidence of that part of the country's past that it would like the world to forget.
Japan has refused to pay its share of this year's budget for UNESCOapproximately 4 billion yen ($42 million)because the organization's Memory of the World program listed China's documents recording the mass murder and rape committed by Japanese troops following their occupation of the Chinese city of Nanjing in 1937.
The evidence China submitted in 2014 includes court records from the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, which found several Japanese leaders guilty of war crimes, as well as photographs showing the slaughter of people in Nanjing and film footage taken by an American missionary. Troops of the Imperial Japanese Army entered the then Chinese capital and embarked on a six-week orgy of murder, looting, rape, arson and general pillage.
The UNESCO established the Memory of the World Register in 1992 to preserve and ensure access to documentary heritage of "world significance and outstanding universal value".
Japan has questioned the integrity and authenticity of China's documents. It has also accused China of turning the historical issue into political capital, calling the registration "anti-Japan propaganda".
The country has gone further by asking the UNESCO to reform the selection process.
However, some in Japan say that it is inappropriate for their country to use its financial contributions to pressure UNESCO to review its system. They are worried about Japan's voting rights. Under UNESCO's constitution, any country that fails to pay dues for two years loses its vote in the organization's general assembly. For them, the move could decrease Japan's influence within the world's culture agency, allowing China, to have a bigger say.
The deadline for contributions is the end of December each year.
Joining UNESCO in 1951 was regarded as Japan's official comeback to the international community following its defeat in World War II. Japan is currently the largest contributor to UNESCO after the United States ceased all support in 2011 in protest against the organization's admission of Palestine as a full member.
In October 2015, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Japan will push for reforms at UNESCO so that member countries will not be able to take political advantage of the organization, whose mission is to "promote friendship and mutual understanding among its members".
But friendship and understanding will not be built by pretending the past never happened.
Some rights groups are applying to have thousands of documents on Japan's wartime "comfort women" listed as a Memory of the World. A decision on whether to register the documents will be made by October 2017.
As this issue is also something Japan would prefer the world to forget, the country's displeasure is expected.
The author is China Daily Tokyo bureau chief.
caihong@chinadaily.com.cn
One hundred years ago today, Americans went to the polls to vote for the President of the United States between the Democrat and incumbent President Woodrow Wilson and the Republican Charles Evans Hughes.
The election was held on November 7, 1916, and its interesting to peruse the details of the day itself and the headlines from the following days, looking for parallels to our current election.
Like the current 2016 election, the choice back then sprouted from local political figures, pitting the former governor of New Jersey (Wilson) with the former governor of New York (Hughes). Imagine Chris Christie running against Andrew Cuomo. (On second thought, dont!)
Below: Hughes at a rally in New York a few days before Election Day.
Of course, technically there was a third candidate on the ballot and one with the deepest New York roots Theodore Roosevelt. After great entreaties by supporters, the former president was submitted as the Progressive Party candidate, only to withdraw his name late in the process to endorse Hughes.
Hughes (pictured above) was a hand-picked recommendation of Charles S. Whitman, the popular New York governor who was himself re-elected that November.
Hughes, who sat on the New York Supreme Court after his tenure as governor, was a popular candidate for President but he was no match for Wilsons anti-war message. (Literally anti-war. Wilsons slogan was He kept us out of war. President Wilson would eventually enter the war five months after he was elected.)
Also on voters minds Mexico. Several Americans had been killed in Mexico and on the border, and the U.S. was in the middle of a punitive attack against Pancho Villa and his militias which had begun that Spring.
Below: A political cartoon by Clifford Kennedy Berryman from 1916
How TheyA Spent The Day
Voting looking quite different than it does today. In New York, there were no designated polling places and no absentee voting for non-military members. Half of todays electorate was missing as women would not achieve the right to vote on the federal level for another few years. (However they would receive voting rights in New York in 1917.)
Secret ballots and voting machines were relatively new installations to the voting process thanks to the election reforms of the 1890s. It was still a wild and relatively imperfect process but a great improvement over the mid-19th century heyday of voter intimidation and fraud.
Of course Hughes was a Republican and at a disadvantage in New York, still considerably controlled by the Democrats and, in particular, the political machine Tammany Hall. A Tammany leaders did not give out any figures regarding New York City, but it was asserted at Tammany Hall that Charles F. Murphy was confident that the city would roll up a big Democratic plurality, and that New York state would go Democratic.
Hughes watched the election results from New York City that day. According to the Times, he voted in a little laundry in Eighth Avenue between 44th and 45th Streets, and spent the day at the Hotel Astor in Times Square (pictured below).
Despite signs of a contentious election spilling over into altercations at the polls, the day of voting in New York City was relatively free of conflict, with people standing in long lines with only a negligible number of arrests for disorderly conduct and other causes having been made.
While influencers supporting specific candidates were not allowed at the polls, suffragists were certainly there, passing out flyers for their cause and in certain cases, providing poll workers with sandwiches and coffee.
How They Watched The Results
As with many celebrations, there were three gathering points of information, all near newspaper offices Times Square, Herald Square and City Hall Park. In midtown, people awaited a gigantic searchlight atop of the New York Times building for signs of victory. Late that evening, a red light filled the sky, and New Yorkers who were Hughes supporters began celebrating. At the Hotel Astor, the name HUGHES lit up in electric lights as thousands celebrated below.
It was a confusing time; downtown at the New York World building (pictured below), a white searchlight announced Wilson as the winner. (It would take days for results from all 48 states to come in.)
The streets of Times Square were thick with revelers it was comparable to New Years Eve crowds and, in fact, probably exceeded them although this was mostly due to the fine weather and the results coming in at around the same time as the Broadway theaters let out.
Earlier in the week, city officials authorized the shutting down Times Square due subway construction but it seems people still managed to gather around the edges, looking like the exit of the Polo Grounds after a worlds series game. The sounds of horns were deafening. Bonfires were set along side streets.
Below: In 1911, in front of the New York Herald building in Herald Square, crowds watch a sporting event via playograph, a hand-manipulated board. Election results were posted in a similar fashion.
In Herald Square and in Times Square, information on election tallies was delivered via constantly updated bulletins. [B]ulletins followed each other every few seconds as reports to The Times were telephoned over to the operators from The Times Annex, and the lofty canvas screen was within the view of probably 100,000 people down Broadway and Seventh Avenue.
The New York Evening World had a merry go of it, lampooning election enthusiasts on the street. The merry-makers was festively illustrated (see above and below and here for the rest). Yes Election Night used to be fun!
Bulletins were also posted in Columbus Circle. Due to disliked results or perhaps the trauma of the crowd, one man drop dead there early in the evening. [source]
Adding to the chaos a midnight subway fire in Harlem! [SUBWAY FIRE IMPERILS 2,500; SCORES OVERCOME BY SMOKE]
The Results
A map of election results which ran in the New York Times on November 8, 1916, is remarkably similar to one which might run in newspapers today. Of course, given the evolution (or de-evolution, depending on you how you choose to look at it) of American politics, the party affiliations have remarkably changed!
In the end, as with many other elections, New Yorks electoral votes went to the Republicans but New York City firmly voted for Wilson. New York City gave Woodrow Wilson a scant plurality of 40,069 to offset the 186,930 plurality for Charles E. Hughes which the up-State counties sent down to the Bronx line. The citys vote for Wilson was 351,539, compared with 312,386 which it gave him for President four years ago. A [source]
The election was not ultimately determined for a few days. The newspaper front page below is from November 10, four days after Election Day:
Hughes supporters instantly leveled charges of fraud at their opponent but the former governor was too dignified to take the bait. While not yet conceding on November 11, Mr. Hughes declared that in the absence of absolutely proof of fraud no such cry should be revised to becloud the title of the next President of the United States. [source]
KOLKATA (PTI): An Indian Army contingent have reached Dhaka to participate in the India-Bangladesh joint military exercise 'Sampriti-2016'.
Sixth in the series of joint exercises, this edition is being conducted at Bangabandhu Senanibas (BBS) at Tangail from November 5 to November 18 with a focus on counter terrorism and counter insurgency operations in semi mountainous and jungle terrain, an official release issued here said.
Led by Col P S Sandhi the Indian contingent comprises one company of Mahar Regiment, numbering close to 120 troops.
The 'Sampriti' series of bilateral exercises is one of the major bilateral defensive cooperation initiatives between the armies of India and Bangladesh. India had hosted the last joint exercise between the two countries last year at Binnaguri in West Bengal.
"Sampriti-2016 would commence with the familiarisation phase in various tactical drills and procedures that is essential for smooth and coordinated operations. Subsequently, soldiers from both the armies will undertake execution of joint tactical operations like Cordon and Search, Road Opening, Raid and House Clearance," the release said.
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BROOKDALE In a small cemetery on the edge of Brookdale, community members gathered on Sunday to honour their veterans in a way that the town hasnt done before.
In Brookdale alone, 42 men served in the First World War and 45 men served in the Second World War, yet there were no memorial crosses in the Brookdale Cemetery.
We have a war memorial, but until now we havent had crosses for our veterans, said Brookdale resident Barry Campbell. So I thought we better do something here.
Erin Debooy/The Brandon Sun Barry and Kathy Campbell made and distributed 19 metal crosses to honour the veterans laid to rest in the Brookdale Cemetery.
Campbell and his wife, Kathy, started researching and found there were 19 veterans laid to rest in the cemetery, and Barry, a self-described guy that does everything, started welding 19 metal crosses.
We always have to remember the ones that have come before us and what they went through, Kathy Campbell said. We better remember because we dont want those hard times to come back. I never want my grandkids to have to go through what these people had to go through.
Barry Campbell said he was proud of how the community located approximately 50 kilometres northeast of Brandon came together.
Im proud of the effort it comes from the heart, he said.
For Richard Anderson, being able to lay a cross on his fathers grave was an emotional but proud moment.
It brought tears to my eyes, its an honour, Anderson said. My dad was never one to tell stories, some of the funny stuff I guess, but none of the horror stories.
He had problems going to funerals and he was plagued with nightmares.
Erin Debooy/The Brandon Sun Kathy Campbell, left, and her granddaughter, Olivia, sing Amazing Grace with the community after all the crosses had been distributed in Brookdale Cemetery on Sunday.
Andersons father, Peter Esben Anderson, spent the better part of a night floating on a plank in the English Channel when Canadian forces pulled out of Dieppe in the Second World War, Anderson said. He couldnt swim, and was hanging onto the railing on the side of the boat, which was so full he couldnt hoist himself onboard. He fell off in front of a plank which he floated on until he was found.
His helmet was shot off, Anderson said. Hed tell me his backpack, rifle and helmet are somewhere in the bottom of the English Channel.
Doing things for the community is something Barry Campbell has always believed in, and he passed that belief to his children, said his daughter, Becky Szucki.
Its very humbling and its definitely part of the way we were raised, to give back to the community, Szucki said. To see this come together, its a good feeling.
To remember our soldiers and honour those who have served is very important.
Szuckis daughter Olivia is already following in her grandfathers footsteps. She is raising money for The Childrens Hospital in Winnipeg, with a goal to raise $2,000 by Christmas.
Its definitely something that our parents have passed along to us and its something that were trying to pass down to our kids as well, Szucki said.
Erin Debooy/The Brandon Sun Andrew Dennis stands with his son, Shawn, as Warrant Officer Joe Ukleja gives the salute after setting a cross by his fathers grave. His father, George H. Dennis, had 23,000 hours in the seat of a jet, 10,000 hours of which were in a widowmaker, in his 30 years of service.
The crosses will stay in the cemetery for the next week or so, weather permitting, and will be taken down until next year to preserve the flag and the poppies. Barry Campbell hopes laying the crosses will be a new tradition that will honour veterans, and the community, for years to come.
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Indias biggest festival of the year, Diwali, lit up the Ukrainian National Home on Saturday night.
Also known as the festival of lights, Diwali gets its name from the row of lamps that the people of India light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects us from spiritual darkness. Vandana Jamadagni, organizer with the Canada India Friendship Association, likens the festival to Christmas.
Back in India, we have holidays family and friends gather for lunches and dinners. For months we get together we make sweets and we bake kids, and some adults, light firecrackers in the streets, Jamadagni said. Its very nostalgic for us.
Colin Corneau Volunteers with the Canada India Friendship Association, along with members of the community, light a symbolic lamp to open Diwali celebrations at the Ukrainian National Home in Brandon on Saturday evening. The Hindu holiday marks the triumph of light and hope over darkness.
The most important tradition of Diwali is the lighting of the lamp, Jamadagni said. As the lamp is ready to be lit, the lights are dimmed in the hall, leaving the lights hung on the wall twinkling almost as brightly as the matches lighting the lamp.
Afterwards, the lamp is whisked away to open the stage for celebration. Various dances are performed, as well as a fashion show-like display of brides of India and Canada, where elaborate gowns from different areas of India are shown off.
We like to dress up, Jamadagni laughs. We like our diamonds and gold.
Its not only the Indian community invited to take part, as CIFA has a solid membership of both Indians and Canadians, Jamadagni said.
As you look around, we have almost half and half of Canadians and Indians coming together, Jamadagni said. We work together and try to bring the cultures together.
Colin Corneau/The Brandon Sun Dancers with the Canada India Friendship Association rehearse prior to a performance for Diwali celebrations at the Ukrainian National Home on Saturday.
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Pencils in hand, a small group of new Canadians listened intently to their instructor as he defines different terms on a Saturday morning.
The course material this volunteer instructor was teaching, however, is knowledge that most Canadians take for granted.
Money Matters, a community program launched by ABC Life Literacy Canada, helps newcomers and new Canadians improve their math and money management skills and educate them on banking in Canada.
Colin Corneau/The Brandon Sun Abhinay Kumar, a volunteer instructor from TD Canada Trust, works with recent immigrants during a Money Matters workshop on Saturday.
When I was an immigrant here in Canada, I had no knowledge about banking structure. I was getting cheques and I was paying so much money to cash my cheque, said Abhinay Kumar, a volunteer instructor from TD Canada Trust. Now Im working in a bank and know the ways to save money.
The free class covers everything from social insurance numbers to credit card fraud, investments and retirement saving plans. Students participated for a variety of reasons from wanting to know how to buy a home to finding out the steps to start a business.
Most of these people basically need information, and this information is so important to help to build credit, help them to save money, help them plan for their kids, help them to purchase a home we need to help people, Kumar said.
The workshop packs a lot of information into four hours, but Kumar stopped to answer every question and patiently explained terms as many times as needed until participants understand. The language barrier tends to complicate things, Kumar said.
I try to cover as much as possible, Kumar said. They were asking questions and thats really amazing Not everyone is comfortable with the English language.
This is the first time the Brandon Literacy Council has hosted the Money Matters workshop, said Tammy Bourgeois, executive director of the Brandon Literacy Council. With November being financial literacy month, running the Money Matters class just made sense.
When we moved into this building (on 12th Street) in 2006, we saw our numbers go up a little bit, but when Maple Leaf opened, our numbers doubled, Bourgeois said.
The Brandon Literacy Council helps members of the community with literacy in all forms, Bourgeois said, from computer learning to healthy eating classes.
I cant imagine going to a different country and having to learn their whole banking system along with everything else how difficult it would be to adjust, Bourgeois said.
For David Yu, who immigrated to Canada six years ago and has taken to referring to himself as a Brandonite, navigating the Canadian banking system is still a huge struggle.
As an immigrant, I need this kind of knowledge. I live like a blind sheep, so this activity helped me a lot to learn new information, Yu said. Im going to use the information I got from here in the future to improve my banking and investments, to maximize my benefits I knew nothing about the registered education savings plan so now that I know, (my kids) can get some benefits of course, kids come first.
A record 1,000 adult learners are registered this November in classes across Canada. Bourgeois said they are planning to host another local Money Matters workshop in April.
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Vivian Campbell still remembers her first job as a nurse after graduating in 1949 from the Health Sciences Centre.
I came into public health in Virden. I was covering McAuley and Elkhorn, Campbell said. I lived out of Virden and I travelled back and forth.
Being a nurse in a rural area, a lot of her nursing took place in rural homes, Campbell said, where she would do whatever needed to be done.
Colin Corneau/The Brandon Sun Vivian Campbell has her name tag affixed by her daughter Tannis as they arrive at a reception at the Victoria Inn on Saturday to mark the 100th anniversary of public health nursing in Manitoba. Campbell started her nursing career in the 1940s and served western Manitoba for more than 30 years.
One time I drove into the yard and the oldest (child) was nine years old and the mother was in a wheelchair, and she was in tears. So I said, Whats going on? and she said the cows had got out. So I said, OK, mom, relax. Well get the cows back in, and we did, Campbell said. Thats always been my rule you deal with the crisis first.
Campbell was one of about 70 nurses who gathered on Saturday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of public health nursing in Manitoba.
There was lots to catch up on, as the last time the group got together was 25 years ago to celebrate the 75th anniversary, said Kathy Beernaert, retired nurse and member of the anniversary planning committee.
Manitoba was actually the first province in Canada to have public health nursing, Beernaert said. We found that out as we started planning (for the celebration) and its been very exciting.
Past and present public health nurses from all over the Prairie Mountain Health region were invited, Beernaert said.
I enjoy meeting up again because Im retired. Some of the girls are still working, some are not, so it just helps us get together and celebrate public nursing all over again, Beernaert said.
The excitement to see longtime colleagues was a unanimous feeling.
Its very lovely for all of us, the fact that we had this opportunity to get together, which we dont do a very good job of otherwise, Campbell said.
With the region being as big as it is, its hard to get everyone together, said Barb Hodgins, a public health nurse with Prairie Mountain Health, so nights like this are very special.
A lot of these people cover a large area, so we dont often get to cross paths with the other nurses out of town. Youre out on an island of your own when youre doing the job in a lot of ways, Hodgins said. So its just great to see everybody.
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Conservative MP Erin OToole announced last month he will be throwing his hat in the ring to replace former prime minister Stephen Harper as party leader. The Ontario MP, who served as veterans affairs minister in the previous Conservative government, was most recently endorsed by Brandon-Souris Conservative MP Larry Maguire. The Brandon Sun had the opportunity to sit down with OToole as he stopped in the city to talk about his decision to run.
Q: Why did you decide to run?
OToole: I think the Conservative party needs to reconnect with Canadians. We had a great run in government under prime minister Stephen Harper, but we lost the trust of a number of Canadians. We need to regain that. I think my style, my approach and my experience is what can help do that.
Submitted Erin OToole addresses Lions Club members at the Keystone Centre on Saturday.
Im also the only candidate who has served in the military. Ive been in uniform, Ive worked in the private sector with large and small job creators, Ive been an active MP, I was a cabinet minister, people saw me turn around some problems at Veterans Affairs, so we need experience and we need a balanced fresh voice. Thats why a lot of people were encouraging me.
My family and I were very careful to make sure that we could do this in a positive way, and Im in. My second trip was to Brandon, its good to be here, its my third time here as an MP.
Q: How will your military background help you?
OToole: Im a planner and a team builder, and thats why Im fortunate I have the support of (Manitoba MPs) Larry Maguire, James Bezan and Robert Sopuck, so I am building a team with some of our exceptional MPs to help us build for the future. Im also a long-term planning person thats what the military teaches you to help the team meet an objective so I think being able to reconnect with people and build a plan to win in 2019 is one part of my military experience.
The second is that I relate to people that serve their country or community, whether its the men and women serving here at Shilo Ive had friends who have served at Shilo as I was in the military for 12 years or whether its police officers, firefighters, first responders once you wear a uniform of service, you understand the issues related.
Then, of course, I understand Canadas position in the world. I sailed abroad with the navy and with NATO, so that perspective is helpful because one of the most important jobs a prime minister has to do is decide if we are going to send men and women into harms way. So if you understand service, I think that helps you be a better prime minister.
Im running to replace Justin Trudeau, Im not really running to say things about my colleagues in the Conservative party running in this race. Im setting my eyes on being the next prime minister.
Q: At the end of the Conservatives term, there wasnt the best working relationship with veterans. How can you rectify that?
OToole: Whats interesting is that I was the last veterans affairs minister for the last 10 and a half months of the Harper government. With a fresh approach, with respect, with knowledge and working with dispirit groups, we were able to turn around a lot of issues in a short amount of time. In fact, there were veterans that were suing the federal government who are now supporting my leadership bid because they respected the role that I played. I think by and large, most veterans know I was always honest, I was focused on the top priorities and that we were making progress together, so Im actually getting support from a lot of veterans.
I think coming out of the Afghanistan conflict with a department that hadnt been modernized in 40 years, things are improving. I see the Trudeau government stepping things back. The veterans that I settled the lawsuit with is back in court now. Our focus in the Harper government on mental health and opening clinics, the new government is not doing anything on.
We know the challenges from PTSD and operational stress, that sort of thing. So I take it as a positive that a lot of veterans are stepping up to help me run as a sign they know I was repairing the relationship and military, public safety, and veterans will be an important part of my leadership of the Conservative party.
Q: Do you feel the party is still viewed as Stephen Harpers party, or how has that evolved?
OToole: I spoke to former prime minister Harper before I launched my leadership a few weeks ago and talked about how I want to write the next chapter of the Conservative party.
The first chapter was a really positive one, we did a lot of great work under Mr. Harper, but we have to build for the next election and the new future. What can we do for the younger generation, millennials, that are underemployed?
The Liberals said just last week that these people better get used to job churn. It was the most disconnected comment Ive heard from a politician in my lifetime. I say its the modern equivalent to, Let them eat cake. Government is about solving problems and building for the future, not just about resigning yourself.
I think the Conservatives have the opportunity to leverage our strength in running the economy, which we did well. If we can rely on our strengths on the economy and reach out to new voters through programs targeted to help them, help the underemployed, I think a whole range of new Canadians will vote for us.
If we can win that confidence back, we can win the next election, and thats going to be my goal as leader. The next chapter of the Conservative party builds on the strengths of Harpers work on the economy, of job creation, those are core values.
Q: How would you differ from Stephen Harper as a leader?
OToole: Were the same in that we have a really strong focus on the economy and making sure we dont spend as a government far more than we need to and go into heavy debt. The Liberals will have us in hundreds of millions of dollars in debt by the end of their mandate.
Mr. Harper and I are different in our experiences I served in the military, I lived in Manitoba for over a year, I lived in Atlantic Canada, I grew up in Ontario, I worked in business, Ive worked in a law firm a leader brings their experience to the problems of today. I have the same sort of economic emphasis that Mr. Harper has, but my experiences give me a different perspective.
I also like to think I love a good debate, I love to speak to people and articulate why were doing something. I think sometimes we didnt do that as well as we should have in government and that can happen, so Im going to really make an effort to make sure that our priorities and principles are articulated.
Q: Would you be moving the party further right or toward the middle socially?
OToole: You know, its funny, people always put politics on this spectrum. I think the Conservative party is centre-right. On some things like balanced budgets, support for the military, wed be right. Lower taxes are also generally right. But I think youll see on some issues like health, we are probably centre to centre-right, we want to work with that. Im a lawyer, so I respect the decisions of our courts on issues related to human rights, but I also respect different viewpoints.
The Conservative party, unlike Justin Trudeaus party, doesnt have to have the same opinion on things. For a leader to say the party has to share his view on certain issues, how is that diverse and inclusive? Im very proud of our Conservative party and that we have a range of views on certain issues, but were united on those centre-right issues.
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The Brandon Police Service has recently received two complaints of bank inspector frauds.
In these types of frauds, an individual will identify themselves as a bank inspector, investigator or bank official and advise a person that they suspect a bank teller of theft. They ask the victim to withdraw cash from a teller at their bank. The bank inspector then arranges to meet the victim and asks the victim to turn over the cash as it is evidence required for their investigation.
Seniors seem to be the primary target of bank inspector fraud. However, anyone could be victimized by this type of crime.
Police are reminding the public there is no such thing as a bank inspector. Also, no one employed by a government agency, a law enforcement agency or a financial institution (bank, credit union or trust company), will ever ask anyone to withdraw money and turn it over to them.
Police are encouraging anyone who has been a victim of this type of fraud to report it to police as soon as possible.
The Brandon Sun
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By Lt. Julia Crombach, 17 Wing Winnipeg Military Police Officer and Joint Task Force Ukraine Military Police Instructor
In late August, with summer still in the air, our team of eight soldiers from various parts of Canada met in Toronto for our departure to Ukraine, where we would be tasked with training a Field Military Police Platoon. For many of us, it was the first trip of this kind.
Our team made up of five military police (MP) members and three other military personnel deployed to conduct Canadian-led military training and exercises aimed at preparing the platoon for its future missions with other allied partners. This platoon arrived at the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre in Starychi, Ukraine, on Sept. 5 to work with our team for the following three weeks. Given that this was the first training package of its kind to be offered to the Ukrainian Military Law and Order Service (MLOS), it was something different and unique for both sides.
Joint Task Force Ukraine Ukrainian Military Law and Order Service trainees prepare a vehicle checkpoint following a lesson by Canadian Joint Task Force Ukraine members at the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre in Starychi, Ukraine, on Sept. 12.
A nine-hour plane ride brought us to this beautiful country. With our bags and equipment in hand, we had officially started our adventure.
The MLOS and Canadian groups quickly gelled and swiftly became a unified team. We worked tirelessly, both in camp conducting lectures and in the forests of the training area for practical scenarios. The weather was mostly in our favour and we spent many days outside in the sunshine, enjoying the late summer weather and watching the rapid progress of the MLOS trainees.
During the training program itself, the Ukrainians were tasked with many realistic and wide-ranging scenarios, from setting up traffic control points to providing escorts, to planning and orchestrating movements of troops.
It has been enriching for all of us. Every morning started with a new task and a new opportunity. While we as Canadians had much to offer in terms of knowledge and experience, we learned as much, if not more, from this professional group of soldier police. The Ukrainians have been operationally active, and brought their personal experiences and lessons learned along with them in a way that melded very well with the program of instruction. It was incredible to see how quickly they grew as a cohesive group and were able to tackle every challenge we threw at them with zest and smiles on their faces.
We leave this country with a new appreciation and many lessons learned. We step away with a profound respect for one another and great stories that we can take back. As a team, we can all look back on this incredible opportunity, and our appreciation of Ukrainian culture so similar to our own. We are pleased to have played a part in welcoming new members to the MP family.
Joint Task Force Ukraine Military police instructors of Joint Task Force Ukraine provide feedback after a practical vehicle checkpoint lesson on Sept.12.
The Mission at Hand is a biweekly column, written by soldiers from CFB Shilo who are stationed overseas.
Opinion
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To contemplate the impact of war especially the First World War visit the war memorial in a Manitoba town or village. Look at the monument itself. Read the names. Reflect on the numbers of those who died in the Great War a century ago: like Alexander 18, Hamiota 57, Virden 70, Neepawa 122.
Over the years, Brandon has struggled with remembrance.
What should we remember? The overall war effort? Those who died? Those caught up in the war, like family members, others in the community, or even those who spoke out against war? What about a monument to peace?
How should we remember? This turned out to be difficult. After the First World War, various proposals were made for a memorial in Brandon. But every idea like a library or a towering obelisk could not produce agreement or a commitment of money.
The Great War veterans became frustrated. In May 1924, the Brandon Daily Sun reported that the veterans despaired of any action being taken by a memorial committee that has taken five years to do nothing.
So, the veterans went ahead on their own. They purchased a Cross of Sacrifice to serve as Brandons war memorial. The veterans then launched a campaign challenging the community to raise the required $5,000.
The fundraising appeal was successful and in the fall of 1924, the Cross of Sacrifice was installed in the cemetery. What about identifying the war dead? No names will be placed on the Cross, the Sun reported. It had been definitely determined that there was no accurate list of those who made the supreme sacrifice.
In the years since, there was an undercurrent of feeling in Brandon that more should have been done to remember the Great War.
But perhaps more had been done? Had not remembrance trees been planted along Victoria Avenue?
The City of Brandon, the Sun reported in June 2014, plans to rededicate the trees along Victoria Avenue to local soldiers who fought in the First World War. Mayor Shari Decter Hirst explained why this should be regarded as a rededication. That there were trees on Victoria Avenue honouring the war, the mayor said, was a deeply held belief within the community.
But Great War remembrance trees were a Brandon myth. There is no record of trees on Victoria Avenue being dedicated after the Great War. And there was no rededication of trees in 2014.
One long-standing wish in the community, though, has been recently fulfilled. This was the thought that Brandon should have a centrally located memorial in addition to the Cross of Sacrifice in the cemetery. Two new monuments are on Victoria Avenue between 10th and 11th streets.
What about the future? The goal of planting and dedicating trees could be revived. Perhaps this notion would have even more resonance today.
Another community aspiration could also be realized: A memorial listing all the names of Brandons war dead. New research is establishing the accurate list that could not be compiled previously. For information, call the 26th Field Regiment RCA/XII Manitoba Dragoons Museum at the Brandon Armoury at 204-717-4579 or visit 12mbdragoons.com.
One of those names is Maj. Joseph McLaren. In 1914, McLaren was working as the drill instructor in Brandon schools. The popular 32-year-old lived at 641 Lorne Ave., in a residence known as the Brandon Bachelors Club. McLaren enlisted when the war started and he was killed at Ypres seven months later.
McLaren was the second Brandonite to die in the war. He was greatly respected and the community wanted him remembered. In May 1915, 1,000 people attended a ceremony at Rideau Park, where a tree was planted in his memory. Another tree was planted at the Brandon Normal School. The school division also named a school after McLaren.
But even a strong memory made can eventually fade. Today, there are no McLaren trees; there is no McLaren School. (At the former school at 1031 Sixth St., now the school division offices, however, you can still see the name McLaren.)
Finally, what about a monument to peace? Many will be surprised to learn that Brandon already has one the Labyrinth of Peace. Brandon University created the Labyrinth in 2002 after two years of research and fundraising. It is near the Riverbank Discovery Centre, just off Kirkcaldy Drive. Unfortunately, the Labyrinth of Peace is not only almost unknown, it also has fallen into disrepair.
Remember war? Reflect on peace? For citizens of Brandon, this is an ongoing task.
David McConkey is an active citizen. Contact him and read previous columns at davidmcconkey.com.
Opinion
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Millions of children in the developing world go to schools which have no drinking water or clean latrines basic things that many of us take for granted.
Sigrid Kaag, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa
Clean drinking water and adequate water facilities are a fundamental human right, however, 783 million people in the world are suffering from diseases due to unsanitary water amenities. In fact, 80 per cent of illnesses are linked to untreated water and pour sanitation conditions in developing countries. These unclean facilities not only affect the health, quality of life and safety for children, but also disrupt their educational opportunities.
Water is an essential source to everyday life. We use it to cook, clean, bathe and drink. This concept is similar to the need of a proper education, however, in developing countries school is less of a priority. Worldwide, approximately 59 million children ages six to 11 do not attend school and half of them are situated in Sub-Saharan Africa. With reason, these numbers continue to grow every day resulting in high numbers of illiterate children. If schools cannot provide a basic latrine and drinking water source, they will not be able to run.
Consequently, this is why children must walk far distances to the nearest school. This could be prevented if there were more adequate water facilities available which would improve the education for students.
Due to the lack of proper sanitation facilities, many adolescents are forced to miss school because of water-contaminated illnesses such as diarrhea and typhoid. These illnesses alone spread quickly within the schools and affect the academics and attendance for many children. Despite the unsanitary conditions in most schools, kids often sacrifice their education to earn money if their family member is sick from waterborne diseases. Orphaned children are forced to quit school and provide for their younger siblings or other people in the community rather than focus on their education. Additionally, the jobs that are given to women and children limit their educational opportunities because they must walk more than six kilometres each day to collect water. On these journeys, the average container of water, known as the jerrycan, can weigh up to 40 pounds when it is full. These trips are time-consuming and keep women and children from receiving an education.
There are so many barriers to a girls education, toilets shouldnt be one of them, said Amboka Wameyo, Canadian Feed The Childrens regional program manager in Africa.
Out of 104 million children who do not attend school, 65 million of them are female. When the female body hits puberty, the majority of girls immediately drop out of school because they have more of a disadvantage without clean water. In fact, more than half of the worlds primary schools cannot provide proper hygienic methods compromising the health, safety and dignity of women. In schools, young girls are shy to voice their needs because they are anxious and find the topic of menstruation embarrassing. Therefore, they are excused from classes.
With the lack of washroom facilities, boys are forced to either urinate outside or walk alongside the girls to the nearest latrine. This puts boys and girls at a higher risk for violence that may occur outside the school perimeter. Altogether, it is not worth the hassle for students and many choose to drop out.
Nevertheless, education is the key to learning appropriate and healthy habits. By teaching proper hygienic methods within schools, they would help to prevent diseases from spreading and improve communities substantially. Although without suitable supplies and sanitary water in schools, how do you teach proper hand-washing techniques, never mind encourage children to attend?
In developing countries, many children are at a disadvantage whereas they may be born into a low-income family, live in conflicted areas, are female, and/or do not have an opportunity to learn at school. However, when these children can access clean drinking water they are given an equal chance to obtain an education that increases a healthier community, economic growth, and creates more opportunities and jobs. Educated adults are also more likely to have smaller, healthier families who will go on to be healthy and teach their children to receive a good education. According to UNESCO, a child who is born from a literate mother will raise its chance of survival past the age of five by 50 per cent. Therefore, by providing sanitary conditions and clean drinking water in schools, students will grow to become self-sufficient and be able to support their families ending the cycle of poverty. Overall, this has a positive impact on communities and will raise awareness for adequate water facilities.
Tessa Adamski is a Grade 12 student at Ecole secondaire Neelin High School.
Opinion
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/11/2016 (2185 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Finance Minister Bill Morneau has already done everything he can think of to stimulate economic expansion in Canada this year and create jobs.
In his fall economic statement to Parliament last Tuesday, Mr. Morneau turned the countrys attention to the distant future and the wonderful things that may be built with government help 10 or 12 years from now. Since he had already spent all the available money, that was about the best he could do.
The government cut income tax rates for nine million taxpayers on Jan. 1 and started distributing the Canada child benefit to families with children on July 1. These measures, besides pleasing voters, were supposed to make consumers spend more and encourage Canadian companies to expand.
It hasnt worked yet. The unemployment rate remains at seven per cent and gross domestic product declined by 1.6 per cent in the second quarter.
Mr. Morneau blames these disappointing results on China, which failed to grow as fast as it used to, the United Kingdom, which decided to quit the European Union, and Canadas oil companies, which laid off workers when their markets dried up.
But in the face of these conditions, Mr. Morneau has no more ammunition to shoot. He has already driven the federal debt up to 31.8 per cent of gross domestic product and he dare not drive it higher. All he is left with is encouraging talk about the bright future that awaits several years from now.
He did an excellent job of packaging that bright future. A Canada Infrastructure Bank will induce pension fund managers around the world to invest in Canadian pipelines, power lines, ports and airports. A safe, sustainable and efficient transportation system will bring Canadian exports to overseas markets.
New roads and urban rail services will ease traffic congestion and speed up the daily commute. Affordable housing and shelters for abused women will be provided. Sewage treatment plants and water supply systems will be built. How and when all this will be done remains vague for the moment, but more details will be provided in Mr. Morneaus budget in the spring.
But theres more much more. The government will create an Invest in Canada Hub, which will be much better than the programs it already runs to encourage foreign direct investment. Immigration delays will be shortened for selected companies that are trying to bring executives to their Canadian offices.
Best of all, the government will replace the National Statistics Council with a newly created Canadian Statistics Advisory Council to reinforce the independence of the national statistical system.
Mr. Morneau lost his last chief statistician because the government refused to let him run his own information technology department, but that detail escaped the ministers notice in last weeks series of announcements. Statistics Canada will still be at the mercy of Shared Services Canada, the government computer agency.
What it comes down to is: the cupboard is bare. Mr. Morneau gave it his best shot back in January and July, and now he must ask Canadians to wait patiently for that economic stimulus to take effect.
If that seems like cold comfort as the winds of December and January sweep across the land, we should sing ourselves to sleep with a song about the Invest in Canada Hub and dream sweet dreams of the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
Winnipeg Free Press
Billy, an employee at the Australian Reptile Park, proposed to his girlfriend in the crocodile enclosure.
He met her almost three years ago and describes her as "the girl of my dreams".
Two of the country's premier waterways have been shut down with authorities blaming indiscriminate attacks on boaters and barges.
The Grand Canal and Royal Canal were closed indefinitely in Dublin at the end of September despite up to 50m being spent in recent years to encourage more traffic to flow.
Waterways Ireland blamed anti-social behaviour and warned of safety fears for its staff and boaters after cataloguing 28 incidents in four years including assault, intimidation, theft, vandalism and arson.
The shutdown was ordered after a gang of youths pelted a couple on a boat with rocks as they were being guided through the lock in Inchicore and blocked the boat from passing through.
The agency claimed its staff have been harassed and threatened elsewhere as they escort up to 70 boats a year through the capital.
Mick Kinahan, of the Dublin branch of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland and an experienced guide on the Dublin canals, accused authorities of over-reacting.
"I would hate to see that because of a few incidents, some of them minor, that this approach is taken," he said.
"It's totally and utterly over the top. I would question the agenda."
Waterways Ireland began formally guiding boats in and out of Dublin on the canals in 2007 in order to keep users safe. Anyone wanting to use the routes has to give two days notice.
It said the worst incidents of anti-social behaviour generally occur between the first and sixth locks on the Grand Canal and during spells of good weather.
The incident in August, which is said to have sparked the closure order, involved a couple who wished to travel across Ireland by water, including passing through Dublin.
"The recently reported incident has been the most serious and required an appropriate response," a spokeswoman said.
"Presently a review is being conducted of the movement of boat in the area identified and the procedures in place.
"Waterways Ireland is taking this opportunity to undertake a review of the wider process, and when it is completed any appropriate updates will be put in place, aimed again at the safety of boaters and staff."
Waterways Ireland apologised for the closure of the canals but said it expected disruption to be limited as it does not have any current bookings for boats to be guided through the city.
Up to 70 barges and boats travel the route every year.
Mr Kinahan questioned whether Waterways Ireland were attempting to stop boats and barges getting access to the Grand Canal Basin amid concerns over permits and overcrowding at the city centre berths.
"Things are not as bad. These things happen in isolated areas," he said.
"Anti-social behaviour is going to take place anywhere in the country.
"I would speculate that they have used this to close the canals. They tried to stop people coming into Dublin and they can't. Maybe that was their way of saying the canals are closed and they could justify it. But I can't see how it is for health and safety grounds for these minimum number of incidents."
Gardai have seized around 200,000 worth of drugs in a house raid in Dublin.
Officers from the Tallaght Drugs Unit, Detective Unit and the DMR South Task Force carried out a planned search of a house in the Glenshane area of Tallaght at around 10pm last night.
As part of the planned operation, they found cocaine with an estimated street value of 150,000 and heroin with an estimated street value of 50,000 during the search.
They also seized more than 80,000 in cash.
A man in his early 40s was arrested at the scene and is being held at Tallaght Garda Station.
Hundreds of secondary schools across the country are to remain shut indefinitely after crunch talks over a pay row collapsed without a deal.
Education Minister Richard Bruton said he is very disappointed last gasp negotiations with the Association of Secondary School Teachers' of Ireland (Asti) over the weekend failed.
"This will cause huge disruption for 200,000 students, and their parents, with particular stress caused for those in exam years," he said.
"Asti have effectively decided to close hundreds of schools indefinitely, as a result of a dispute which essentially relates to one hour a week of additional duties.
"Monday's withdrawal from supervision and substitution duties, and consequent closure by Asti of hundreds of schools, is explicitly not about new entrants pay, but about the Croke Park Hours - one extra hour each week for the 33 weeks of the school year."
Asti has said its 17,500 members will refuse to carry out supervision and substitution duties as part of the industrial action over pay for supervision as well as equal wages for recently qualified teachers.
More than half of the country's 735 schools face closure as a result.
In a statement, the union said it is "regrettable" that the planned withdrawal from supervision and substitution will go ahead, citing "no progress" on key issues.
"Teachers who are members of the Asti will turn up for work as normal tomorrow but will not engage in supervision and substitution duties," the statement said.
The union said it will continue contacts with the Department of Education and Skills in the coming days.
Mr Bruton insisted a "good deal" is already on the table.
"I would again urge Asti to consider it seriously, so that we can end this dispute and limit the disruption to parents and students," he added.
"I am also disappointed that the Asti refused to cooperate with any contingency plans, both not allowing their principals to co-operate, and by not giving schools enough time to advertise, recruit and have external supervisors Garda vetted.
"As a result, hundreds of schools will be forced to close tomorrow to protect the health and safety of students and staff".
Irish citizens are expected to have their special status in the UK protected post-Brexit, according to David Davis.
The Brexit Secretary told MPs he believes there will be no change to what is enshrined in law in the Ireland Act 1949.
This legislation established the special status in which the Republic of Ireland is regarded "not a foreign country" for the purpose of UK laws.
Speaking in the Commons, SNP MP Martin Docherty-Hughes (West Dunbartonshire) told Mr Davis: "My constituents share an issue, share a concern already brought to the floor of this House by myself and also (Mark Durkan, SDLP MP for Foyle) about the relationship with our closest neighbour and with our border with the sovereign nation of Ireland, in which the Ireland Act 1949... they talk about the common travel area but there's no answer to this question yet.
"Would you, here on the floor of the House, say here and now that there will be no change to the rights of Irish citizens as dictated by the Ireland Act, amended in 1949?"
Mr Davis replied: "It's a very specific question and forgive me if I did not answer it before because I intend to.
"I will write to you in detail but I think the answer is there will be no change.
"The aim, as I said to you before, is that the common travel area rights - including the rights to vote, the rights to work and so on, both ways - will continue but I will come back to you about the detail."
A man has been handed a life sentence for murdering a fellow inmate at Cork prison last year.
Brian Veale, who is originally from Dungarvan in Co. Waterford, stabbed Graham Johnson following a row over what to watch on TV.
It only took the jury two-and-a-half hours to find Brian Veale guilty of murder at the end of last month.
He and 41-year-old Graham Johnson were inmates of Cork prison when a row broke out over what to watch on the TV in the kitchen area on May 16, 2015.
A few hours later, Veale stabbed the father-of-three in the chest with a large knife. A prison officer said he appeared relatively calm as his victim lay dying on the kitchen floor.
Graham Johnsons sister Vivienne read out a Victim Impact Statement on behalf of their 87-year-old mother Theresa.
She said it breaks her heart everyday thinking of how and why he is not here anymore and said she will never understand or forgive Brian Veale for his actions on that dreadful day.
Veale was then handed the mandatory life sentence for murder.
A convicted attempted murderer is one of two men who broke out of HMP Pentonville after reportedly using diamond-tipped cutting equipment to break through cell bars, Scotland Yard said.
Matthew Baker, 28, was on remand awaiting sentencing after being convicted two weeks ago of stabbing a man during a dispute in Dagenham, the Metropolitan Police said.
Matthew Baker is on the run after escaping from Pentonville Prison in north London (Metropolitan Police)
The other man who fled the Victorian Category B prison in London today was named as James Whitlock, 31, who was also being held on remand after being charged with conspiracy to burgle over 19 alleged ATM thefts.
Undated Metropolitan Police handout photo of James Anthony Whitlock. Photo credit: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire
A Metropolitan Police spokesman warned that the public should not approach them "as they could become violent".
Pictures of the two men were released by Scotland Yard as the investigation into how they managed to get out of the prison continued.
The pair - understood to be cell mates - reportedly used diamond-tipped cutting equipment to break through cell bars and are said to have scaled the perimeter wall of the prison.
Pentonville Prison, north London
There were suggestions that the escape was uncovered when staff found the inmates' beds stuffed with pillows in the shape of bodies.
Police launched a manhunt after the escape was reported shortly before noon today.
Following the break-out the head of the Victorian-built Category B prison's independent inspection watchdog said Pentonville was "a soft target" because of the "dilapidated" state of its windows.
Whitlock was described by police as being white, with a slim build and the word "Tracy" tattooed on his torso.
Baker, described as white and ginger-haired, was due to be sentenced on November 11, a Met spokesman added.
A police dog unit van outside Pentonville Prison, north London
It is not known what clothing either man was wearing during the escape.
A woman who visited the prison said an inmate had told her the two prisoners escaped through a cell window on the fifth floor. She said it was rumoured that they used bed sheets to lower themselves down.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "They cut one of the bars and then they came down through the window. They are assuming that it was probably bed sheets and it was at night."
A male visitor, who also wished to remain anonymous, said he was told the escapees folded bed sheets in the shape of a body to fool staff into believing they were asleep.
Inside Pentonville Prison, north London
The episode came hours after a major disturbance at another prison,
Read More:
Camilla Poulton, chairwoman of Pentonville's independent monitoring board, said one of its members had been to the prison on Monday.
Ms Poulton said: "Clearly this is a regrettable incident. As we reported in the summer to the Secretary of State for Justice, HMP Pentonville will remain a soft target for contraband and other security breaches as long as its dilapidated windows are in place, notwithstanding the efforts of management and staff."
HMP Pentonville opened in 1842 and holds more than 1,200 adult men.
The prison was last year singled out by former justice secretary Michael Gove as "the most dramatic example of failure" in the estate.
Inmate Jamal Mahmoud, 21, died after being stabbed at the jail on October 18 in an attack which left two others injured.
In 2012 convicted murderer John Massey spent 48-hours on the run after he escaped from Pentonville by climbing over a wall using a makeshift rope made from bed sheets.
Figures showed that in 2015/16 there were two escapes from prisons, and the number has not exceeded two in any financial year since 2007/08.
A report published by the Ministry of Justice earlier this year said escapes were "rare" and "taken very seriously". None of those who escaped were still at large by the end of April, it added.
A Prison Service spokeswoman said: "We are working closely with the police and are urgently investigating the matter. Two prisoners at HMP Pentonville were found to be missing on Monday 7 November."
Last week Justice Secretary Liz Truss unveiled a package of measures aimed at reforming prisons after a slew of warnings about violence and safety behind bars.
The strategy includes a recruitment drive to add 2,500 new officers to the front line and "no-fly zones" to stop drones dropping drugs and other contraband into prisons.
The incident at HMP Bedford on Sunday had already sparked fresh scrutiny of the prisons system, with the Prison Governors Association renewing calls for a public inquiry.
It said the Government's white paper on prisons will see the introduction of a "much-welcomed shift from the bureaucratic centre back to governors, but it will not recruit staff needed immediately".
The PGA added: "Consequently, what happened at HMP Bedford this weekend may indicate the start of similar disturbances or worse to come - there is, in short, a real risk to the core security function of prisons - keeping prisoners within its walls."
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AfDB approves 900m for Algerias Industrial and Energy Support program
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) on Wednesday, November 2, 2016, approved a 900-million loan to Algeria to finance the countrys Industrial and Energy Competitiveness Support Programme (PACIE).
PACIE aims to help create conditions conducive to inclusive growth in Algeria through implementation of economic reforms to (i) ensure fiscal consolidation through improved domestic revenue mobilization and rationalization of budgetary expenditure; (ii) improve the investment climate, opening up the economy to improving framework for private economic initiative and activities, foreign as well as local; and (iii) improving efficiency of the energy sector and promoting renewable energy.
With declining oil revenues, Algerias overriding economic challenges call for a vigorous policy response built on fiscal consolidation through broadening and strengthening the revenue side, rationalizing and reducing expenditures, enhancing the efficiency of capital expenditure to ensure long-term budget sustainability; as well as structural transformation centered on diversification, away from hydrocarbon, and strengthened competitiveness and job creation.
PACIE is in line with the New Economic Growth Model (NMCE) 2016-2030 adopted on July 26, 2016, and addresses Algerias need to enhance the resilience and competitiveness of its economy and, hence, lay a solid foundation for sustainable growth that creates jobs and wealth. The PACIE is the first lending operation of the new strategic framework highlighting the cooperation between the Bank and Algeria for the period of 2016-2018.
The Program is aligned with two of the Banks top five institutional priorities (High 5s), namely Industrialize Africa and Light up and power Africa. It will also have significant ripple effects on the Feed Africa top priority by supporting the development of value chains in the countrys regions since agriculture is a strategic sector, as well as on the Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa priority.
PACIE will benefit the entire Algerian population through enhanced competitiveness, which will boost growth and job creation. In particular, it will benefit: (i) Algerian SMEs; (ii) investors; (iii) economic stakeholders mostly youth and women to take advantage of opportunities through self-employed status.
The Board also approved an Interim Country Strategy Paper which provides an operational framework for the Banks re-engagement to support the achievement of the objectives of the Governments 2016-2018 New Economic Growth Model, built on two pillars (i) industrialization, competitiveness and development of value chains; and (ii) support for transformation of the energy sector.
www.afdb.org
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Regional broadcaster Southern Cross Austereo will launch a Canberra edition of Nine News in February as it rolls out 15 local news bulletins to its TV markets in southern NSW, country Victoria and regional Queensland.
The Canberra bulletin of Nine News is set to go head-to-head in the 6pm timeslot with WIN News the first time in 15 years that WIN has faced direct commercial competition for local news viewers in the capital.
Canberra-based Nine Network political editor Laurie Oakes has announced his retirement. Credit:Simon Schluter
Produced by Nine as part of its $500 million affiliation agreement with Southern Cross Austereo, the hour-long regional bulletins will air Monday to Friday and blend local news, sport and weather reports with national and international news and sport from Nine's existing Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane bulletins.
The regional editions will be rolled out progressively from February, beginning in Canberra and then WIN's hometown market of Wollongong.
The Greens will be the first to say that we are disappointed about the lack of commitment that the Liberal and Labor parties have shown on real gambling reform. It is lamentable that right around the country, governments have failed to show the political courage to stand up to the gambling lobby and take real action to reduce gambling harm.
However, just as the public campaign about Big Tobacco made it politically impossible for governments to refuse to act, I am confident that we will win the public fight against dangerous poker machines.
The Greens are confident they'll will win the fight against poker machines.
But we can't do it alone.
Last weekend, the ACT Greens signed the Parliamentary Agreement with the Labor Party to form government. The Parliamentary Agreement is the starting point, not the end point, for what the ACT Greens will do during this term.
If she asks Australia to mimic US patrols the Turnbull government is entitled to ask whether any other American friend will join in or whether this is a once-in-a-lifetime offer for plucky little Australia alone.
In the South China Sea she will continue to run freedom of navigation patrols within the 12 nautical mile radius of Chinese-claimed territory. And then? She's unlikely to declare a red line on Chinese construction on artificial islands.
Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State failed at an attempt to "reset" relations with the Russian president. How can she now overlook the consensus of US intelligence experts that the Russians were behind the hacking of her election campaign's emails? Challenged by Putin, US policy makers will have to focus on an agenda for cyber security and Europe like never before.
Does the president simply hope the prospect of mutually assured destruction (MAD) restrains the feudal-Marxists in Pyongyang? Or must the US embrace a preventive war? Or accept that this is inapplicable given the vulnerability of South Korea and the deep-seated interest of China?
Like this one: at the present rate of development North Korea's nuclear missiles could target the West Coast of the United States by 2020.
Philippine fishing vessels have returned to the waters of Scarborough Shoal with the apparent agreement of the Chinese. This may be a hint that China is capable of subtle diplomacy when it's offered an opportunity like that presented by President Duterte. For his part, Duterte seems to have tacitly agreed to set aside the difference over sovereignty in return for fishing access to the disputed area.
Hugh White made the point in The National Interest that America is unlikely to fight for Scarborough Shoal. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is entitled to tell President Clinton that, in all these circumstances, we don't think we should be the only American friend to embark on such patrols although we will continue to run aerial patrols in the area and argue the applicability of international law to Beijing
If China were to stick to its recent diplomatic tack and put a halt to its more assertive behaviour (no guarantees, of course) then it's hard to see a Clinton administration deliberately elevating the South China Sea. And on behalf of whom? Duterte? Or the Vietnamese, who in October hosted Chinese warships in Cam Ranh Bay?
There will be plenty to fill the new president's 18-hour days. There is likely to be constitutional civil war between the Clinton administration and a Republican Congress. There is also the urgency of rebuilding Democratic Party support with America's furious white working class. The alternative is to entrench their isolation, to see them evolve into an aggrieved block of white nationalism.
The US is in a political nervous breakdown, with no imminent return to health. It's already forced Clinton to abrogate one area of US global leadership the 12 nation Trans-Pacific Partnership. As realist academic Stephen M. Walt put it in Foreign Policy, fixing US politics is a hell of a lot more important to the US's future "than trying to determine who's going to run what's left of Syria or who gets to pretend to be in charge in Kabul."
The bizarre campaigns of both the US presidential candidates have left many security and foreign policy experts scratching their heads over what the United States' security policy will look like after the new president takes office early next year.
As a rusted-on American ally, this country has much to be concerned about, no matter who wins the election.
Donald Trump is a classic American isolationist. Credit:AP
America is in the throes of a tectonic shift at the heart of its political culture that will have profound consequences for it, and for its allies, into the coming decade.
In his 2014 book Dangerous Allies, Malcolm Fraser argued it was time for Australia to remove itself from the ANZUS alliance, even suggesting it had become inimical to Australia's security. It's time, he argued, for this country to chart a new, independent and self-reliant security policy for itself. He reasoned Australia has been to all of the United States' wars since the end of the Pacific War (1945) at great cost in terms of Australian blood and treasure but with almost no obviously successful outcomes.
Rescuers say they found a "needle in a haystack" after plucking a solo diver out of the Pacific Ocean, more than 50 kilometres from where he went missing a day earlier.
The 68-year-old man, who was lost at sea off the north Queensland coast overnight, is counting his lucky stars on Monday while recovering in hospital with mild hypothermia.
Police held grave concerns for the 68-year-old man, who went missing during a solo diving trip to the Yongala wreck, east of Townsville, on Sunday.
He was found by a rescue helicopter on Monday morning more than 50 kilometres, or about 30 nautical miles, south-east of his dive site, with police reporting the man was relatively healthy when he was found and even managed a wave for rescuers.
Police investigating the Dreamworld ride tragedy have finished analysing the scene, handing it back to operators after almost a fortnight of examination.
The Thunder River Rapids ride, which malfunctioned on October 25, killing four visitors, had remained a crime scene while a large team of detectives and other investigators tried to determine what went wrong.
Members of the public left thousands of flowers in the wake of the tragedy. Credit:Mark Jesser
But police on Monday confirmed their analysis of the scene was complete and the site had been handed back to Dreamworld, on the same day two of the victims were farewelled.
"As the investigation is ongoing and is under the control of the Coroner, the Queensland Police Service does not intend to provide further comment on the matter," QPS said, in a statement.
A social scientist from Woolloongabba is set to take on the Greens' fight to steal the seat of South Brisbane from the Deputy Premier.
On Tuesday, the Queensland Greens announced Amy MacMahon as their candidate for South Brisbane for the next state election.
Greens candidate Amy MacMahon said the Greens weren't looking to punish landlords, but protect housing security for renters.
The electorate is set to be fiercely fought by the Greens, emboldened after winning the overlapping Brisbane City Council seat at the 2016 local government elections.
The Greens believe they can win South Brisbane, saying they only have to swing 1500 votes to win their first Queensland seat at an election, based on results from the federal election.
A man on trial for the 1974 murders of Brisbane woman Barbara McCulkin and her two daughters has pleaded not guilty.
The trial of Garry Reginald Dubois started in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday morning.
Barbara McCulkin (right) and her daughters Vicky (left) and Leanne (centre) disappeared from their home on January 16, 1974.
Dubois pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder, two counts of rape and one count of deprivation of liberty.
The prosecution case is that Barbara McCulkin and her daughters Vicki and Leanne were taken from their Highgate Hill home on or about January 16, 1974.
A diver has been found alive about 30 nautical miles from where he disappeared, more than 15 hours after going missing.
Police held grave concerns for the 68-year-old man, who went missing during a solo diving trip to the Yongala wreck, east of Townsville, on Sunday, before he was found on Monday.
A diver is missing at the Yongala dive site off Townsville.
A police spokesman said the man was relatively healthy when found, even managing a wave for rescuers.
He was found about 30 nautical miles away from the dive site, police said.
There are many firsts for police, but surely this traffic stop was more than the officers could bear.
Officers from the Upper Mt Gravatt Tactical Crime Squad stopped a woman at 8.55pm on Sunday night on Newnham Road, Wishart.
Police have found a baby koala in a woman's bag after stopping her at Wishart on November 6. Credit:Queensland Police Service
The 50-year-old East Brisbane woman was arrested on outstanding matters but before being taken to the watch house, she was asked if she had anything to declare.
The woman handed over a zipped green canvas bag, telling officers it contained a baby koala.
A new train timetable rolled out on Monday will mean an end to cancellations caused by a lack of drivers, Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe has promised.
Hundreds of services have been cut from the October 4 timetable, which failed due to not having enough drivers following the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula line.
Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe promises no more cancellations due to a driver shortage under new scaled-back timetable. Credit:Jorge Branco
Mr Hinchliffe said there would always be last-minute cancellations as a result of train issues, faults in the network and signalling problems.
But cancellations would not be caused by a lack of drivers under the new timetable, which will be in placed until 2017.
The new vision of West Village has been revealed, following Deputy Premier Jackie Trad's decision to approve the project on Monday.
West Village spokesman Stephen Williams said the announcement of a doubling of public parkland would create a "majestic setting" for the old Peters Ice Cream factory and warehouse.
Artists' impression of West Village, based on the revised plans approved by Deputy Premier Jackie Trad.
The decision means the creation of a new park, Mollison Street Green, linking around the heritage building to the planned Boundary Street Common.
West Village will now have 30 per cent of the 2.1 hectare site as publicly accessible open space, laneways and arcades. There will be seven buildings above the podium, ranging from eight to 22 storeys in height.
There's a new kid in school with flashing eyes who is a friend, a teacher and a superb dancer.
The 58-centimetre robot is called Nao and promises to revolutionise the way students learn.
It's the latest educational toy schools are rushing to buy if they can afford the $13,000 to $25,000 price tag.
Bialik College in Hawthorn East purchased one of them for $15,000 last year, and its students were quick to assign it a gender and a new name Rosie.
Federal police are hunting a lone-wolf radio hoaxer who made 15 illegal transmissions to air-traffic controllers and domestic passenger pilots last month including one telling a Virgin pilot to abort a landing.
The agencies investigating the incidents believe only one person has made the transmissions by finding a way to tap into the air traffic control frequency and communicate directly with planes and control towers.
Flight data shows the plane came close to the runway at 5.19pm as it approached Tullamarine Airport. Then three minutes later the plane climbed to 3800 feet and started circling over north-west Melbourne all under orders from the hoax air-traffic controller.
John Lyons, president of Virgin Independent Pilots Australia, said rogue radio transmissions were "a concern" because pilots must obey instructions from air traffic controllers but may not be able to verify who is or isn't a legitimate controller.
The truck that drove under Footscray's Napier Street bridge has been moved and both lanes of McNab Avenue have been reopened for traffic.
Meanwhile the Werribee train line, which experienced "minor delays" according to Metro, is back to normal.
A truck has hit an overpass in Footscray. Credit:Jimmy Traffic
The incident happened at about 3.30pm on Monday.
A VicRoads spokesman said traffic became heavy in both directions.
Jakarta: This city's embattled governor was interrogated by police over alleged blasphemy on Monday, amid fears that opponents of the government are deliberately fomenting unrest to destabilise Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
Up to 200,000 Muslims took to the streets on Friday demanding that Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, widely known as Ahok, be jailed for allegedly insulting Islam.
The rally was largely peaceful but erupted into violence on Friday night. One man died, a police officer lost his eye and 300 people were injured.
Many at the protest accused the president of protecting Ahok, a political ally who is Christian and from the country's Chinese minority.
New York: A 46-year-old Queens woman was killed after being pushed in front of a subway train in Times Square on Monday, the New York Police Department said, disrupting traffic at the city's busiest transit hub as trains were diverted and emergency workers converged on the scene.
Deputy Chief William Aubry, the commander of Manhattan detectives, said witnesses on both the subway platform and the train itself flagged down police officers and pointed out a suspect.
A 30-year-old woman was taken into custody almost immediately. Neither woman was identified by the police.
The police were combing through video from the platform and the area to better understand what happened, but the preliminary investigation suggested that the attack was unprovoked.
Judge rejects CB request to limit unequal pay suit, sets opt-in deadline
Women who have taught in Central Bucks since 2000 have until Dec. 16 to join an unequal pay lawsuit after judge quashes motion to cut timeframe.
Research News
Bak USAs link with UB is vital and growing stronger
From left: Bak USA founders Ulla and JP Bak, and UB alumnus Bilel Neji, head of product design and development at Bak USA. Photo: Douglas Levere.
By GROVE POTTER
UB is the prime factor for why we are here in Buffalo.
The Baks sold the Haitian firm to local operators and brought the concept to the U.S. Initially lured by the START-UP NY tax-free business program, the Baks selected Buffalo as their headquarters.
The company grew out of a social enterprise in Haiti that Bak and her husband, JP, started after the deadly 2010 earthquake left the island nation in ruins. The Baks sought to employ people in a small tablet-making plant and never considered it a viable business. But to enter a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) grant contest, they had to describe the operation as a business.
The fast-growing, 63-person firm has emerged as a successful social enterprise whose mission is twofold: to build and sell computers and to hire locals including new immigrants and people from the surrounding East Side neighborhood. Reviving manufacturing while empowering people from impoverished areas makes it more than simply a balance sheet-driven business.
UB is the prime factor for why we are here in Buffalo, says Ulla Bak, president of the company.
From interns and engineers it has hired, to professors who have reached out to help the startup, UB has played a major role in the success of the social/business enterprise.
The link between Bak USA maker of computers and tablets in downtown Buffalo and UB is strong, and growing stronger.
That was 22 months ago, and the company is now on a steep growth trajectory. It is expanding onto another floor of the Compass East Building at Michigan Avenue and Clinton Street (formerly Sheehan Memorial Hospital), and plans to expand its manufacturing operation to 100 people.
Talent is needed in every department, says Eva Bak, chief people officer. But Ulla Bak noted that while they only hire the best of the best, new hires must fit with the companys social enterprise philosophy. We are also interested in their emotional intelligence.
The company now has 11 UB graduates: two engineers, four customer service representatives, three production workers and one in marketing. The 11th is Ulla Bak, who attended UB in the summer of 1974 as part of an exchange program from the law school at the University of Copenhagen.
We are thrilled to have Bak as a partner, says Christina Orsi, UB associate vice president for economic development. They are a model for how START-UP NY can attract companies to locate in New York State and engage with UB.
Bak is providing intern opportunities for students, hiring graduates, leveraging faculty expertise for research and development, and they have served as guest speakers at several UB events. We look forward to our continued partnership and Baks growth in Buffalo.
Bilel Neji, who holds a PhD from UB, is head of product design and development. He says having a company like Bak USA so close at hand is an opportunity for UB students.
Engineering students can often have a difficult time finding a firm to take on their projects, but for UB students, if you have something to prove, you can come here and we can make a prototype, Neji says.
Albert H. Titus, professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, a multidisciplinary unit that includes the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, says he became aware of Bak USA through Neji, whom he taught as a graduate student. Titus has helped place a couple of interns at Bak, one of whom is looking into biomedical applications for the Bak tablets.
Another company Titus is consulting with also is considering working with Bak.
That personal connection with Neji and with other companies is generally how lasting alliances get started, he says.
Bak USA has a new partnership with Microsoft that means its devices are Windows-based with Intel processors and they can easily sync with desk computers. In addition, Microsoft will handle the distribution of Bak products.
The Baks had hoped to inspire local manufacturers to become their suppliers, but that has not happened yet.
We know they will come, JP Bak says. We didnt exist before. I think its a matter of time. There will be small companies that jump on the ship.
The companys long-range plans are to fill its space in Buffalo and then open other satellite companies in other distressed urban areas. In that way, it will be keeping with its social mission.
But Buffalo will remain the companys headquarters, and its connection with UB will remain strong.
We are part of the university, JP Bak says.
Mapei UK has become the latest supplier member of the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF).
The company immediately demonstrated its commitment to the BMF by offering to host a visit by members of the BMF Young Merchants Group at its parent companys main R&D facility in Milan.
The BMFs annual Young Merchants Groups tour is designed to give them an opportunity to learn more about suppliers and their operations. They will also have an opportunity to visit an Italian merchant and compare with their own branches back in the UK.
John Newcomb, managing director of the BMF, said: I am delighted to welcome Mapei UK into the BMF. They have immediately demonstrated the importance they place on membership and I would like to thank them for generously giving our young merchants access to their most advanced R&D facility. Tours like this not only enable our young merchants to develop their knowledge of different product areas, but also the opportunity to get together with other young senior managers to build relationships.
Dave Jordan, Mapei UKs, national business development manager, added: We are delighted to support the BMF in the forthcoming trip. Im sure the young merchants will learn a great deal at our Milan R&D facility. We are continually developing new products to meet the requirements of design and construction markets around the world.
Why do people keep leaving their cars unlocked in NJ? We asked
With Ayurved Limited (PAL) taking up research work to find out the health benefits of green tea, Assam tea is of the view that if sources and markets such teas under its label, it would give a fillip to production of speciality teas in the state and provide much-needed market linkages to the small tea growers.
Unocoin, a bitcoin company from India, on Monday announced that it has implemented its first-ever application programming interface (API) allowing from around the world to access the world's largest potential market for Bitcoin and to take advantage of Unocoin's set of features.
After tea, China has shown interest in Indian . The first consignment of a 400 kg-tender of arecanut, which is used by Chinese in mouth fresheners will be shipped as samples to China in the coming days.
Hyderabad-based IT and engineering services company India Limited on Monday announced that it would acquire UK-based ground surveying and digital mapping solutions provider Blom Aerofilms Limited. It has signed a definitive agreement with Blom AS, Norway for the acquisition of its UK-based subsidiary.
Danfoss Global President and Chief Executive Officer Niels B Christiansen has said that the company's Indian operation will double its revenue from the current figure of around Rs 1,000 crore, which will make India one of the top five markets for the company, in the next five years.
About $1.35 trillion of wealth of Indians is deposited in low-yield deposits. If invested elsewhere, it could generate better return. The most often cited reason for this is lack of financial literacy and this is exactly where Fisdom, a financial technology start-up, comes in. By giving goal-based and jargon-free advice to its customers, it helps them follow their investment on a real-time basis.
Lloyds, which on Monday got first level approval to provide onshore reinsurance services in India, said it would push the government to relax a rule that puts Indian re-insurance at a favourable position against foreign insurers.
Bolstered by the unanimous support from independent directors of Company (IHCL), the Cyrus Mistry camp is banking on the independent directors of other listed Tata companies to follow suit, based on Mistrys performance as chairman at the operating companies in his four-year term, say sources close to the Shapoorji Pallonji Group.
Japanese auto major Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Monday launched the new Fortuner, it's popular SUV, priced between Rs 25.92 lakh and Rs 31.12 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). For the first time, Fortuner will also have a petrol variant.
In the 1990s, when India was struggling with issues in the hydraulic systems of its Russian built T-72 battle tanks, it looked for a solution within. The Army was battling a shortage of tanks in its fleet; spares from Russia were expensive and took time to arrive. Udayant Malhoutra, a third-generation entrepreneur from Bengaluru, took up the challenge to indigenise the hydraulic pumps for lubrication and transmission used in the Russian tanks.
Karnataka on Monday offered British students opportunities to do internships at Indian technology services firms in Bengaluru, even as it seeks relaxation of visa norms by the United Kingdom for software professionals from the country.
As it becomes increasingly clear with each passing day why Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken away the Information and Broadcasting Ministry portfolio from Arun Jaitley and given it to M Venkaiah Naidu in the cabinet reshuffle in mid-July, the journalistic world is sharply divided over the daylong blackout of NDTV India and News Time Assam.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced a list of emergency measures to be enforced by the state government to combat the capital's dangerous levels of pollution.
Sunday was the most polluted day after Diwali in the capital with New Delhi recording \particulate matter (PM) 2.5 concentration of 999.99 at 12.45am 16.5 times higher than WHO's prescribed norm, said a Times of India report, citing data from data Central Pollution Control Board.
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The Delhi High Court has passed an order over-ruling the orders passed by various other High Courts removing the stay granted for extension of digitization for 9 cases spanning 4 states, in DAS (digital access system) Phase 3.
Nearly 580 schools under the south corporation will remain closed for the entire week, while those in the jurisdiction of north and east civic bodies will be shut till Wednesday in view of the alarming pollution levels in the capital.
Over 17,000 schools running under the three municipal corporations of Delhi were closed on Saturday due to heavy smog that has already caused a spike in cases of asthma, allergy and breathlessness in the city, with doctors suggesting extra protection for children and the elderly.
All schools under the MCD are primary schools, which are run in morning and evening shifts. About 10 lakh students are enrolled in the schools run by by the three corporations.
Delhi government had yesterday also ordered closure of all its schools till November 9.
"We have decided to keep our schools remain closed till November 12, as these are primary students. In the morning shift, the smog is severe. In the evening too the pollution level peaks, so, we have decided to keep it shut for extended period," an SDMC spokesperson told PTI.
579 schools are run under the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), about 740 under North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and the rest under East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC).
Sirifort area in south Delhi and Anand Vihar in east Delh, among other places, have lately registered high levels of pollution, both on PM 2.5 and PM 10 scales.
"We have ordered the schools to remain shut till November 9. We will assess the situation after that and take further decision accordingly," North Delhi Mayor Sanjeev Nayyar said.
"Schools of East Delhi Municipal Corporation will also remain closed till November 9," an senior EDMC official said.
Besides, SDMC has also started a radio campaign to make people aware about issues related to pollution.
"Our radio campaign is running since Friday where the chairman of the SDMC's standing committee gives out a message to people to inform the civic body about any cases of leaf burning to our control room so that action can be taken," the senior SDMC official said.
Delhi is witnessing the worst situation due to smog in last 17 years, prompting Delhi government and the Centre to take immediate measures to curb the pollution.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal yesterday announced a raft of "emergency" measures to deal with the situation including ban on construction and demolition activities for next five days and temporary closure of Badarpur Power Plant in south Delhi.
"Use of diesel generators should be stopped, construction activities should be immediately halted and leaf-burning should not be allowed. Besides, children should be protected properly and extra caution should be taken for them," Nayyar said.
While a blanket of thick smog continued to cover Delhi and other Capital Region (NCR) cities, Delhiites on Monday compared the citys condition to J K Rowlings Harry Potter world, where people have turned into living embodiments of dementors.
Ltd has approached the Supreme Court against a recent government order banning broadcast of its Hindi news channel India for a day. The media company has filed a writ petition questioning the constitutional validity of government action, the firm informed the BSE. Meanwhile, the government has decided to hold the ban, an spokesperson said. The order has been held by the government in response to an appeal, she said.
Ltd, the parent company which operates India, has approached the Supreme Court against a recent government order banning broadcast of the news channel. The media company has filed a writ petition questioning the constitutional validity of the government action, the firm informed the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
told leaders in Congress on Monday he was ready to take over as party chief from his mother Sonia Gandhi.
Students of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, one of India's top management institutes, are taking a cue from the recent Ease Of Doing Business(EODB) rankings as a handful of them prefer a government assignment over a corporate job.
British Prime Minister arrived in India on Sunday, for a three-day visit aimed at enhancing Indo-UK ties in the key areas of trade, investment, defence, and security. This is her first bilateral visit post Brexit outside Europe. She is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
India on Monday asked Britain to handover 57 wanted people, including Chirstian Michel, the alleged middleman in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal, so that they can be brought to justice for committing various offences in the country.
This was conveyed during the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May here.
Britain also hand over to India a list of 17 people whom it seeks custody under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty or against whom Letter Rogatory were issued, official sources said.
Among the people India seeks extradition include Chirstian Michel, the alleged middleman in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal.
Both the countries are believed to have agreed to expedite the each other's all extradition requests and help to take all such cases into logical conclusion, sources said.
India expects early extradition of industrialist Vijay Mallya from the United Kingdom (UK) to face probe in the money laundering case against him after the two countries today agreed not to allow fugitives and criminals escape law and resolved to facilitate outstanding extradition requests.
In talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May, the issue of extradition requests figured and officials dealing with the issue from both sides were directed to meet at the earliest.
Sources said India expects forward movement in Mallya's extradition from the UK following the talks. They said the specific issue of Mallya's extradition had also figured in the talks between the two sides in the run up to the meeting between Modi and May.
Asked whether Mallya issue figured in the talks, Joint Secretary (Europe) in the External Affairs Ministry Randhir Jaiswal referred to the Indo-UK joint statement issued after the discussions which said the two Prime Ministers affirmed their strong commitment to enhancing cooperation under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.
Former IPL boss Lalit Modi is also evading law in India and today's talks may help Indian authorities to push for his early extradition as well. Both Mallya and Modi, who have made the UK their home, are wanted by the ED in money laundering cases.
"The two leaders agreed that fugitives and criminals should not be allowed to escape the law. They expressed their strong commitment to facilitate outstanding extradition requests from both sides.
"In this context, they directed that the officials dealing with extradition matters from both sides should meet at the earliest to develop better understanding of each countries' legal processes and requirements; share best practices, and identify the causes of delays and expedite pending requests," the statement said.
It also said the two leaders agreed that regular interactions between the relevant India-UK authorities would be useful in resolving all outstanding cases expeditiously.
The Enforcement Directorate has already sought issuance of an Interpol red corner notice against Mallya in connection with its money laundering probe against him.
India has asked Britain to hand over 57 wanted people, including Chirstian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal.
17 extradition requests from Britain are pending with Indian authorities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his UK counterpart Theresa May at the inauguration of India- UK Tech Summit in New Delhi on Monday. The two nations announced a sub-fund under the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund to raise 500 million
The Delhi High Court on Monday gave the central government another two months to arrive at its decision regarding the extension of a production-sharing contract (PSC) with India for extraction of oil in Barmer, Rajasthan.
Heads of businesses, who met in a parallel track as part of the India-UK Tech Summit on Monday, exchanged views on issues related to some of the signature schemes of Prime Minister such as ease of doing business, smart cities and Digital India.
United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister (PM) has landed in India with a 32-member delegation that is in stark contrast to her predecessor David Camerons delegation during his two visits in 2010 and 2013.
AfDB launches Fashionomics at Lagos Fashion and Design Week in Nigeria
The African Development Bank launched Fashionomics, a platform to develop the African fashion industry for jobs creation, at Lagos Fashion and Design Week, which opened Friday, October 28, 2016.
The launch included the dissemination of the final report and findings on Fashionomics, a demonstration of the dedicated online sharing platform and a panel discussion featuring designers from Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Africa, alongside relevant Nigerian policy-makers.
The event brought together around 300 designers, entrepreneurs, fashion bloggers, investors, and representatives of international organizations, as well as stakeholders from the textile and fashion industry.
The high-level panel comprised the Minister of State for Industry Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar; the Permanent Secretary in the Education Ministry, Folasade Yemi-Esan; Chioma Dike, Special Assistant to the Commissioner of the Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Ministry; the CEO of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Olusegun Awolowo; the AfDB Nigeria Country Office Director, Ousmane Dore; and Omoyemi Akerele, Founder of Lagos Fashion and Design Week.
Lagos Fashion and Design Week (LFDW) aims to promote the Nigerian and, ultimately, the African fashion industry by bringing together fashion producers, consumers and the media to review the collections of African designers in Lagos, Nigerias economic hub. LFDW is supporting initiatives to strengthen and develop the fashion industry. The annual event provides a physical platform that is repositioning the fashion industry for commerce and creativity.
The decision to use this event as a launch pad for Fashionomics in Nigeria ensured the maximum use of both the AfDB convening power and the presence of Africas vibrant creatives looking to unleash the economic potentials of the fashion industry. Designers, investors, policy-makers and media representatives from all over the continent participated in the event.
Addressing the panel, Minister Abubakar recalled that Nigeria was once a major producer of cotton and had a vibrant textile industry that has declined from over 135 industries to seven that are barely functional. This is why the government has been making concerted efforts to address the challenge by including the cotton, textile and garment (CTG) industry under the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP). A dedicated Fashionomics platform will shore up government efforts and those of other players in the sector to support the growth of the textile and garment industry. The Fashionomics online platform will expose designers and other stakeholders to the global market, attract international investment and improve skills development.
In her opening remarks, the AfDB Special Envoy on Gender, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, sounded a wake-up call. Fashion is not only about design or inspiration. Its also a multi-billion dollar industry that creates millions of jobs, she said, noting that the combined apparel and footwear market in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to be worth $31 billion.
At the interactive panel discussion, young designers agreed that the platform indeed had a two-way advantage in that they could both reap from and contribute to the industry across the continent and indeed worldwide. Omoyemi Akerele, the founder of the event, remarked that the platform would position African couture on the global fashion stage where it belongs.
The designers and budding entrepreneurs appealed to the media to assist in building and enhancing their work. Haowa Bello, a Nigerian handbag designer who rears her own goats and processes her leather into beautifully finished pieces, urged Nigerians to drop the big brands and showcase local talent. Please dont give me money. Instead, when youre jetting off to New York to seal that all-important deal, drop the Louis Vuitton and wear one of my creations, she said.
Fashionomics aims to create an enabling environment, where all players in the industry are connected to foster peer-to-peer learning, mentoring, information- and knowledge-sharing, and access to markets across borders with the click of a button.
To access the online platform, visit: http://fashionomicsafrica.org/
India and the UK on Monday signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on increasing cooperation in intellectual property rights (IPRs) and ease of doing business.
Both the MoUs were exchanged in the presence of Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and her British counterpart here.
The MoU on IPR was inked between the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and the Intellectual Property Office of the United Kingdom (UKIPO).
It is intended to promote innovation, creativity and economic growth in both countries, an official statement said.
It establishes a broad and flexible framework through which both countries can exchange best practices and work together on training programmes and technical exchanges to raise awareness on IPRs and better protect intellectual property rights.
The priority initiatives under the MoU include exchange of best practices, experiences and knowledge on IP awareness among the public, businesses and educational institutions of both countries, collaboration in training programmes, exchange of experts, technical exchanges, and outreach activities.
It also covers exchange and dissemination of best practices, experiences and knowledge on IP with the industry, universities, R&D organisations and SMEs through participation in programmes and events, exchange of information and best practices on processes for disposal of applications for patents, trademarks, industrial designs and Geographical Indications, and also the protection, enforcement and use of IP rights.
Under this, both the countries will also enhance cooperation in the development of automation and implementation of modernisation projects, cooperation to understand how traditional knowledge is protected and the exchange of best practices, including traditional knowledge related databases and raising of awareness of existing IP systems.
The MoU on ease of doing business will harness UK expertise to support India's efforts to climb the World Bank Ease of Doing Business ratings.
In the World Bank's latest 'Doing Business' report, India's place remained unchanged from last year's original ranking of 130 among the 190 economies that were assessed on various parameters. But the last year's ranking has been revised to 131 from which the country has improved its place by one spot.
India and the United Kingdom (UK) will ink more than GBP 1 billion (Rs 8,300 crore) of business deals during the three-day visit of British Prime Minister Theresa May, who is here on her first bilateral outside Europe since assuming office in July.
Describing her talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "good and productive", May said as leaders, they both were working to improve the livelihoods of their citizens - creating jobs, developing skills, investing in infrastructure and supporting the technologies of the future.
Talking about Modi's vision of smart cities, May said they have agreed on a new partnership that will bring together government, investors and experts to work together on urban development, unlocking opportunities worth GBP 2 billion for British businesses over the next five years.
This will focus on the dynamic state of Madhya Pradesh - with plans for more smart cities than anywhere else - and the historic city of Varanasi.
Take the capital that is required for India's infrastructure - since the launch of the first masala bond in London in July, rupee-denominated bonds worth over GBP 900 million have now been issued, the British PM said.
"And we expect a further 4 bonds with a total value of GBP 600 million to be issued in the next 3 months. This is a vote of confidence in India's growth story. And it's a vote of confidence in London as the world's leading financial centre.
"Alongside this, the UK has agreed to invest GBP 120 million in a joint fund that will lever private sector investment from the City of London to finance Indian infrastructure.
"So, the potential to expand the commercial opportunities for both our countries is huge. On this visit alone, more than GBP 1 billion of business deals will be signed."
Noting that both India and the UK were firm supporters of free trade who want to be great exporting nations, May said they need to work together, for the long haul, to break down the barriers to trade and investment.
"We will achieve this through the strong bonds that exist between our people, through British and Indian businesses working together, but most of all we will accomplish this because Prime Minister Modi and I are personally committed to investing in this relationship and turning this vision into a reality. I look forward to establishing a unique friendship and working together for the benefit of both our countries," she said.
The UK and India have agreed on a new programme of cooperation to strengthen the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, which provides greater certainty for business, May said, adding and the UK will share technical expertise on issues such as deregulation and tax to help make India an easier place to do business.
will raise over Rs 270.59 crore by issuing shares to state-owned life insurer Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) on preferential basis.
At extraordinary general meeting of the state-owned bank held on Saturday, shareholders approved issuing 7,17,00,000 equity shares to LIC at an issue price of Rs 37.74 per share, UCO said in a regulatory filing.
LIC holds 10.38% in and after the preferential allotment of additional 7.17 crore shares, its shareholding in the bank will increase to 14.50% of the total equity capital.
"Subsequent to the present issue to the LIC, the public shareholding will increase from 19.64% to 23.33% and the shareholding of Government will reduce from 80.36% to 76.67%," it said in the filing.
On the intent of preferential allotment of shares to LIC, the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer R K Takkar informed shareholders that the bank requires capital for meeting Basel III norms and also to comply with minimum public shareholding norms.
In 2014, Minister Arun Jaitley had said the government would bring down its stake in public sector to 52% so as to meet Rs 3 lakh crore capital requirement of the and to better serve the agenda of financial inclusion.
stock jumped 2.6% at Rs 33.60 a piece on BSE.
9th International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines Meeting from 8th November
The Ministry of AYUSH will be organizing the 9th Annual Meeting of International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines (IRCH) from 8-10 November, 2016 which will be inaugurated by Minister of State for AYUSH Shri Sripad Yesso Naik at Ashoka Hotel in New Delhi.
Being an active member of IRCH network since 2007 the Ministry of AYUSH has been represented in IRCH meetings held so far and has the honour of organizing the 9th Annual IRCH Meeting.
International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines (IRCH), established in 2006, is a global network of regulatory authorities created by World Health Organization (WHO) responsible for regulation of herbal medicines.
Its mission is to protect and promote public health and safety through improved regulation for herbal medicines.
The objectives of IRCH meeting are to Globally promote and facilitate the safe use of herbal medicines, through regional initiatives, sharing information and fostering dialogue; Facilitate and strengthen cooperation between national regulatory authorities by sharing experience, information and knowledge related to the regulation, quality, safety and efficacy of herbal medicines; Further discuss existing requirements and standards to promote the regulation, quality, safety and efficacy of herbal medicines; Recommend future activities to WHO related to the quality and safety of herbal medicines; Refer issues to the International Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities and other bodies, where ever needed, for further discussion related to the quality and safety of herbal medicines.
Goals of IRCH are to development of a process that addresses and resolves questions related to the regulation and safe use of herbal medicines; The establishment of a communication network that fosters dialogue on the regulation and safe use of herbal medicines among the IRCH members; the development, through WHO, of efficient links between National Drug Regulatory Authorities and information focal points among the member countries of IRCH.
So far 19 member countries of IRCH with 36 delegates including experts from WHO Headquarters, Geneva have confirmed their participation in meeting at New Delhi. The event would be utilized to show case AYUSH strength to these countries.
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha Inaugurates 64th International Congress of Aviation and Space Medicine
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha Inaugurated 64th International Congress of Aviation and Space medicine today at Hotel Pullman, Aerocity, Delhi which is being organized by Indian Society of Aviation Medicine (ISAM) from 07 Nov 16 to 10 Nov 16.
In the inaugural address the CAS stressed upon the fact that the modern aircraft, with advanced technology are highly capable. However the human capabilities both physical, physiological and psychological at times cause a constraint in full exploitation of these machines to their full potential. This gap is ably bridged by the Aviation Medicine Specialists who take an active part to ensure that the man machine combination is optimised by being a friend, philosopher and guide to aircrew and all others associated with aviation.
The Congress is being attended by more than 300 delegates across the world. More than 100 delegates, including Aerospace Medicine specialists from both Civil and Military Aviation, from 30 foreign countries are participating in the Congress. The Annual Congress is one of the most prestigious International Conference in the field of Aerospace Medicine and this year ISAM has got the honor to host it in New Delhi after a decade. A Congress of this stature provides an opportunity to Indian Aerospace Medicine specialists to interact with eminent personalities from the field of Aerospace medicine around the world and learn from them the newer advances made in the field.
The congress started with the brief movie depicting the history of Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine. Air Mshl Pawan Kapoor, VSM PHS DGMS (Air) and the President of ISAM delivered the Welcome Address. He emphasized that the progress of mankind has been possible because of willingness to absorb new knowledge and constant quest to learn from experience of others and utilizing these to take next step forwards. Keeping this in mind the congress theme has been chosen to be Learn & Overcome and it rightly focuses on the desire to overcome all stumbling blocks in the way of progress of aviation and further build on our contributions to the cause of Aerospace Safety and Human Performance Optimisation.
Dr Jarnail Singh, President International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine delivered the Presidential Address.
He stressed that this is unprecedented third time that the Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine has been bestowed with the responsibility of organizing the congress and how mutual cooperation and exchange of ideas benefits everyone.
Dr Pooshan Navathe a renowned aviation medicine expert delivered the prestigious Dr Andre Allard lecture wherein he brought out how more and more aircrew with different medical issues can continue to fly without hampering aerospace safety. All this is possible because of the advancement of medical science and the use of evidence based medicine to ensure that trained aircrew both military and civil continues to remain in the cockpit.
The Congress will have fourteen scientific sessions which will consist of more than 50 presentations and three poster sessions comprising of more than 40 posters. The scientific discussions during the Congress will discuss aeromedical issues related to civil and military aviation faced around the world, which will not only emphasise the importance of aerospace safety but will also discuss measures to improve it with the available resources. The newer research in the field will enlighten the delegates and provide them an opportunity to discuss their queries with the stalwarts in the specialty. The different sessions of the congress are focused on Occupational Medicine, Clinical Aviation Medicine, Civil Aviation Medicine, Operational Aviation Medicine, Aeromedical Certifications and Space Medicine.
Aerospace Medicine is a dynamic field which deals mainly with the Occupational & Preventive Medicine. The aeromedical disposition policies, indoctrination philosophies, ability to support and enhance the performance of the aviator in operations are constantly evolving with the newer advances and research in the field. The conference will provide a platform for sharing the experiences and views of the participating delegates on these aspects, thus helping both the military and civil aviation sectors to suitably amend existing policies related to medical fitness of aircrew.
With exponential growth of civil aviation there is a growing challenge of aeromedical indoctrination of civil aircrew, their initial and periodic medical examinations and decisions on their fitness to fly. The recent advances in clinical medicine and their follow up have proved that now many more disabilities can be cured permanently or can be permitted to fly with permissible medications or restrictions. The papers in the Congress are going to deliberate such issues and will benefit all the delegates.
The Congress will also include the John Ernsting Panel Discussion" where the panelists, all of whom are prominent personalities in International Aviation Medicine, will discuss aeromedical issues related to common but critical clinical conditions from point of view of the aeromedical practitioner.
The Congress provides an opportunity for Indian Aerospace Medicine Specialists to participate in large numbers and interact with the specialists from all over the world about the recent developments in this exciting field.
AB/MKR
India-Bangladesh Joint Military Exercise Sampriti-2016 begins in Bangladesh
The Sixth edition of India-Bangladesh Joint Military Exercise SAMPRITI-2016" commenced at Bangabandhu Senanibas, Tangail today. Main focus of this edition of the fourteen day joint exercise which will terminate on 18 Nov 2016 is on Counter-Terrorism Operations in mountainous and jungle terrain under the United Nations Mandate. To achieve interoperability in joint operations the troops from both sides would acquaint themselves with respective approach of the two armies towards the conduct of such operations. A comprehensive training programme spanning 14 days has been drawn up for the purpose.
A Company Group of The MAHAR Regiment is representing the Indian Contingent.
In the initial stages, both armies would familiarize each other in various tactical drills and procedures. They will thereafter graduate to execution of joint tactical operations like Cordon and Search, Road Opening, Raid and House Clearance.
SAMPRITI series of bilateral exercises is one of the major bilateral defence cooperation initiatives between India and Bangladesh. The previous joint exercise with the Bangladesh Army was conducted successfully in the year 2015 at Binnaguri, West Bengal in India. The Indian Contingent is scheduled to return to India on termination of the Exercise in the third week of November 2016.
Col Rohan Anand, SM
PRO (Army)
Indian Tourism Outlook is Certainly Very Promising with an Upswing in Growth of Foreign Tourist Arrivals in India in Recent Years Dr. Mahesh Sharma Dr. Mahesh Sharma Addresses at World Travel Mart-2016 in London
Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism and Culture along with an Indian delegation participated in the World Travel Market (WTM) 2016" in London, United Kingdom, which is one of the largest international events of the travel and tourism industry. India is the official Premier Partner at WTM 2016 with the theme India - The Land of Eternal Heritage.
The Indian delegation comprises of Chief Ministers, State Tourism Ministers, dignitaries from the State Governments & Union Territories, Industry partners and officials of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Around 42 co-exhibitors/ partners including State / Union Territory Tourism departments, tour operators, hoteliers, resort owners, Air India, IRCTC, ITDC, and other stakeholders are present at the India Stand, to showcase their diverse tourism products and services.
Dr. Mahesh Sharma, in his address, said that the Indian tourism outlook is certainly very promising with an upswing in the growth of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India in the recent years. In 2015, India received 8.03 million Foreign Tourists as compared to 7.68 million in 2014 with a growth rate of 4.5%.
In 2015, the tourist arrivals in India from the U. K alone was 867601 with a 3.4% growth over the previous year (2014).
The Minister said that India has set a target to achieve 1% of international tourist arrivals through a multi-pronged approach, including proactive marketing strategies in partnership with the tourism stakeholders.
Dr. Sharma said that the Government of India is fully aware of the contribution of tourism towards the economic growth and stands committed to make it easy for the travellers to visit India. The initiative taken by the Government of India to introduce Electronic Tourist Visa (eTV) has been a great step in this direction and has further boosted tourist arrivals. The facility of eTV is at present available for nationals of 150 countries including Visa on Arrival for Japan.
He further said that India has a rich and diverse natural, cultural, and religious heritage which provides a unique opportunity for tourism. The architecture of Indias temples, palaces, forts, the grandeur of its sculptures, and the beauty of its paintings, all offer an unparalleled experience. The desert circuit in Rajasthan, snow-bound Himalayas, back waters of Kerala, and the beaches of Goa are very popular with international tourists. India has 35 World Heritage Sites including cultural properties and bio geographical zones.
INDO SRI LANKA JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE MITRA SHAKTI - 2016 CONCLUDES
The Indo-Sri Lankan military exercise MITRA SHAKTI 2016' culminated on 06 November 2016 after fourteen days of intense military training. The exercise concluded with an impressive closing ceremony held at Sinha Regimental Centre, Ambepussa.
A platoon each from an infantry battalion of the Rajputana Rifles Regiment, Indian Army and Sinha Regiment, Sri Lankan Army participated in the fourth edition of this bilateral exercise. The joint exercise was conducted from 24 October to 06 November 2016 and focused on enhancing inter-operability while carrying out Counter Insurgency (CI) and Counter Terrorism (CT) operations under a UN mandate. The exercise also provided an opportunity to both the armies for greater cultural understanding, sharing experiences and strengthening mutual trust and co-operation. The participating contingents expressed immense satisfaction at the standards achieved during the validation phase of the exercise. The contingents of both armies carry home, cherished memories of bonhomie and the professional association established. The previous exercise with the Sri Lankan Army was successfully conducted in the month of September 2015 at Pune in India. Col Rohan Anand, SM PRO (Army)
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mayors and Municipal Councilors to discuss walkers friendly roads, smart parking solutions Urban Mobility India Conference in Gandhinagar from tomorrow; first time outside of Delhi Four day conference to focus on Planning Mobility for Citys Sustainability To be inaugurated by Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu; 2,500 from India and abroad to attend
In the context of rising concerns over atmospheric pollution and congestion in urban areas, about 1,000 Mayors and Municipal Councilors will discuss making roads pedestrian friendly and smart parking solutions. These issues will be deliberated in two exclusive sessions for Mayors and Councilors as part of the four day long Urban Mobility India Conference and Expo beginning in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from tomorrow i.e November 8,2016
Minister of Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information & Broadcasting Shri M.
Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the conference. About 2,500 delegates from India and 25 foreign countries will deliberate on various aspects of Planning Mobility for Citys Sustainability. Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Vijaybhai Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Shri Nitinbhai Patel will also attend the inaugural session.
After 8 UMI Conferences held in Delhi since 2008, it is being held outside of Delhi for the first time in Gandhinagar with Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan as the focus States.
Aimed at enhancing the knowledge of State and city governments on various aspects of low carbon climate friendly urban transport, the other issues to be discussed are; Improving city bus service, Financing metro systems, Multi-modal Transport solutions, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) for smart mobility, Road safety, smart urban mobility planning, Ensuring access for common man to urban transport, Smart mobility solutions in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan etc.
Mr. Chang Woom Lee, President, Korea Transport Institute will deliver the keynote address.
Participation in UMI Conference has increased from 500 in 2008 to 2,500 in the Gandhinagar Conference.
Minister of State for Planning(Independent Charge) and Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Shri Rao Inderjit Singh will present Awards for Excellence in Urban Transport and Urban Mobility on the last day of conference.
AAR/KM
President of Sri Lanka calls on President
His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena, the President of Sri Lanka called on President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday (November 6, 2016).
Welcoming the Sri Lankan President to India, the President said India believes its growth is linked to the prosperity of its neighbourhood. India would like to see Sri Lanka utilize the economic growth in India to catalyze its own economic development. This is also Indias message to other partners in BIMSTEC. The President said India and Sri Lanka need to expeditiously implement on the ground some of the large developmental projects that have been under discussion. He said Indian private sector companies are keen to be partners in Sri Lankas infrastructure projects. The President of Sri Lanka warmly reciprocated the Presidents sentiments and said he was happy that India Sri Lanka relations have strengthened and a number of high level contacts taken place. He expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by India in various sectors and said his national unity government was convinced of the need to enhance economic and political ties.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shri J P Nadda inaugurates Seventh Session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Government is committed to strengthening non-communicable disease programmes and interventions and implementation of the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control: J P Nadda
We are committed to strengthening non-communicable disease programmes and interventions and implementation of the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) as an integral part of the post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)." This was stated by Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare at the opening of the Seventh Session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, at Noida, today. His Excellency Shri Maithripala Sirisena, Honble President of Sri Lanka, were also present on the occasion and delivered a special address.
Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri C K Mishra, Secretary (Health), Dr. Oleg Salagay, President of the COP, Dr. Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva, Head of the Convention Secretariat were also present at the inaugural session.
His Excellency Shri Maithripala Sirisena applauded the commitment of India in taking the measures to control tobacco consumption. The Honble President stated that tobacco and alcohol control is on his top agenda too. He highlighted the steps taken by Sri Lanka in this direction. He stated that Sri Lanka recently reviewed tobacco taxation and increased it by 10%. He further said that the government is also thinking of changing the packaging of tobacco products in near future. The Sri Lankan President informed that the Sri Lankan government has adopted strict anti-tobacco laws that have shown encouraging results in curbing the tobacco usage in the young and adult population. He also highlighted the growing menace of smokeless tobacco in Sri Lanka and the neighbouring region.
Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, said that the Government continues to take strong steps for regulation of the Smokeless tobacco products and have prohibited the production, sale, transportation and storage of certain forms of smokeless tobacco products under our food safety regulations. There is now a complete ban on the manufacture and sale of Gutkha and Pan Masala containing tobacco or nicotine, a form of chewing tobacco," Shri Nadda added.
Shri Nadda informed that recently the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India has directed all the States and Union Territories in India to file affidavits on compliance of the ban imposed on manufacturing and sale of Gutkha and Pan Masala with tobacco or nicotine. We have, in coordination with the Convention Secretariat, set up the Global Knowledge Hub for Smokeless Tobacco which will act as a global repository of knowledge related to smokeless tobacco.
India has successfully launched a toll-free Tobacco Cessation Quitline as well as mCessation services under the Be Healthy Be Mobile Initiative," the Health Minister elaborated.
The Union Health Minister further stated that the Indian Government has done pioneering work in regulating promotion of tobacco use through films and TV programmes. Our regulations require display of anti-tobacco health spots, disclaimer and messages, in films depicting tobacco use. We are one of the global leaders in this area, and since Indian films are watched across the globe, this messaging has great significance," Shri Nadda pointed out.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is the first global evidence-based public health treaty that recognises the right of all people to the highest standard of health. The Treaty was developed by countries in response to the globalization of the tobacco epidemic. There are currently 180 Parties to the Convention. India has been the forerunner in ratification of this public health treaty and was the 7th Country to ratify the Convention in 2004. India provided a leadership role in the negotiations of FCTC and was also the Regional Coordinator for the South-East Asia Region. India ratified the treaty on 5th February 2004 and is therefore obligated to comply with the treaty provisions and its guidelines to reduce tobacco consumption globally.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the Governing Body of the WHO FCTC and is comprised of all Parties to the Convention. It keeps under regular review the implementation of the Convention and takes the decisions necessary to promote its effective implementation, and may also adopt protocols, annexes and amendments to the Convention. The regular sessions of COP are held at two yearly intervals and therefore, this time, the Seventh Session of Conference of Parties (COP7) is being hosted by Government of India in partnership with the WHO FCTC Secretariat, which is based at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva.
India has taken significant steps to implement decisions of previous COP sessions. As per the decisions taken during the Sixth Session of Conference of Parties (COP6), Government of India has set up a Global Knowledge Hub on Smokeless Tobacco at National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR). This hub serves as a repository of knowledge related to smokeless tobacco.
Also present on the occasion were Honble Ministers of various countries, distinguished Delegates & Participants, Members of the COP Secretariat, officers of WHO, Observers to COP, civil society representatives and senior officers from the Ministry of Health.
Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurates the 11th Annual Convention of CIC E-Court software launched by Home Minister to enable speedy disposal of Appeals/Complaints
The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 2-day 11th Annual Convention of Central Information Commission (CIC) here today.
While delivering the inaugural address, Shri Rajnath Singh said that Right to Information (RTI) Act is a powerful medium of two-way communication between the citizens and the Government. On the one hand, the citizens get information through this act and on the other hand, the Government gets new ideas for formulating people-friendly policy and to reform the governance system, when people ask such information. The Government system should use it effectively, he added. He also said that our system needs to be corruption-free, smart, sensitive, transparent and answerable for making all the programmes of the Government a success and RTI can play an important role in it. RTI Act provides a strong foundation to the feeling of trust and cooperation which is important for the governance based upon trust.
Shri Rajnath Singh said that programmes like My Gov.in website provide a platform for two-way communication between the Government and the citizens. This benefits both the citizens and the Government, he added. He also said that the Top-down approach is now getting converted into Bottom-up approach. The Home Minister said that now maximum possible information is being made available on the websites of Government departments and agencies. This transformation has gained momentum after the advent of RTI Act. He also recalled that the Prime Minister had said last year that the dream of Digital India is closely linked with the transparent government. This means that the maximum information the Government makes available online, the transparency of the Government increases to that extent. The Union Home Minister also emphasised on the need of an Integrated Response System, where every citizen has a Single Window to reach the Government for fulfilment of his needs.
Shri Rajnath Singh said that the need of the hour for the Government is to be transparent, answerable and smart. It is also needed that the Government should provide information to its citizens along with its performance, he added. The Central and State Information Commissions are acting as a catalyst and as a bridge between the Government and the citizens, he added. He said that the right to information has become a peoples revolution after the enactment of RTI Act.
Shri Rajnath Singh also expressed happiness over the launch of Citizen-friendly software by CIC, where the citizens can register their appeals and complaints. The citizens can know the status of the cases and can also have information of the date of appeal through Email and SMS. He also said that CIC also uses video-conferencing to hear the cases and last year about 11,000 hearings have been done through video-conferencing. This is a good facility for people living in the far-flung areas. He said that e-Court system introduced by Commission today will help reducing the pendency of cases.
Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the instinct for information existed since the birth of the mankind.
Over the centuries, as the civilisation evolved, the quest for information became more institutionalised and with now the right to information has taken the shape of a law. He said that the government is virtually already in public domain. He said that e.g. in case of Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), every decision taken by the ACC is uploaded on the real time basis. He also said that the department has recently launched a Mobile App - Employees Online (EO) for this purpose, which aims at Government being more transparent and citizen-centric.
Delivering his welcome address, the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Shri R. K. Mahtur said that this annual convention aims at taking stock of the successes and shortcomings of the previous year. He said that during the two- day conference, various sessions have been planned on RTI implementation in different sectors. He also said that during the previous annual convention, the Prime Minister had said that the RTI queries received by the ministries should be analysed. It will help us knowing where we lack in transparency and policy etc. Shri Mathur also informed that the CIC has digitised about 1.5 lakh files. He also emphasised that RTI should be strengthened in some areas such as women and underprivileged.
On the above occasion, the Union Home Minister launched e-Court Software. The e-Court system aims at enabling speedy disposal of Appeals/Complaints by using digital technology. The system will allow online filing of appeals/complaints and case disposals using latest technology. The system will generate a unique number which can be used by the applicant for tracking the status of a case filed with the Commission. As soon as a case is filed online or offline, the system will generate SMS/email alert to the applicant. Alerts will also be generated to inform the applicant at the stage of Registration, issue of Facilitation Memo, scheduling of the case hearing and also at the stage of decision uploading. The system will offer an online search facility which allows a user to search for Dak, File, Hearing Notice and Decision etc.
The Home Minister also released a book on RTI success stories. The book has been prepared for the Commission by Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration.
During the two days of the conference, various sessions are being organised on topics such as RTI in Railways, RTI Web portal by DoPT, RTI in Public Sector Undertakings, RTI in Banking/Insurance, Academic papers on RTI and RTI in States. These sessions are being attended by eminent panelists and experts in these areas.
China's government replaced its minister on Monday with a veteran of its tax bureau, prompting expectations communist leaders plan changes in the tax system.
A government announcement that Lou Jiwei, one of China's most prominent figures in global finance, will step down gave no reason, but Lou is 65, an age at which Cabinet ministers traditionally retire. He will be succeeded by one of his deputies, Xiao Jie.
The choice of Xiao, who headed China's tax bureau in 2007-2013, prompted speculation the leadership is preparing to roll out tax changes, possibly including China's first nationwide property tax.
The ruling party has been gradually expanding its narrow tax base, which relies on corporate income tax and sales taxes on real estate. That has forced local governments to rely on land sales for venue, encouraging urban sprawl.
Xiao earlier oversaw two trials of property taxes in Shanghai and the western city of Chongqing.
China's government has indicated a property tax will be implemented starting in 2018, according to Brian Jackson of IHS Markit.
Xiao's background suggests his ministry will "leverage his experience in formulating and implementing new tax policies that will help put on a more sustainable fiscal revenue path," Jackson said in a report.
Lou became the minister in 2013 after serving as chairman of China's sovereign wealth fund, the Investment Corp.
Xiao is lower-profile but has been a member of the ruling party's Central Committee since 2007, while Lou became a full member in 2012.
Democratic presidential candidate and her Republican rival Donald Trump are neck to neck in the race to the White House as the end game in the often divisive and bitter election is at hand, according to a selection of polls.
As the race comes to its close, media reports on October 6 said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had decided not to change its view on the closure of its investigation into the alleged Clinton email scandal after it reviewed the new emails found on disgraced former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner and close Clinton aide, and Weiner's now estranged wife, Huma Abedin's computer.
Legendary investor and chairman of Rogers Holdings, Jim Rogers, has little good to say about either candidate running for the US Presidency, but he continues to bet on Republican Donald Trump as the next President.
The father of a Muslim US Army soldier killed in Iraq, Khizr Khan, rebuked Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as an "embarrassment to the US" barely two days ahead of the November 8 election.
Khan, who came into prominence at the Democratic National Convention earlier, on Sunday campaigning for Clinton in Manchester of New Hampshire retold the story of his son Humayun Khan, the Washington Post reported.
The younger Khan was killed in a 2004 explosion while trying to save his company and inspecting a suspicious car in Baqubah, Iraq.
Waving and raising a fist in the air before introducing Clinton, Khan praised her experience and temperament.
He told the supportive crowd at the rally that following his debut convention speech and Trump's attack on him as a Democratic shill, he and his family had received thousands of letters and messages of support.
"This election will decide the future of America and the future of the world," Khan said, reported the Washington Post.
"On one hand, we have Donald Trump and his policies of hate, exclusion, intimidation and division," he said, adding, "On the other hand, we have Hillary Rodham Clinton and her lifelong public service to the country."
Khan is an unlikely political star, a middle-aged Pakistani-born lawyer, but his convention speech is one of the most memorable moments of the 2016 campaign. It is seen as turning point, with Trump's angry reaction setting off weeks of disarray.
Trump has recovered politically since, but Clinton's campaign sought to keep the powerful story of Khan and Trump's willingness to attack the dead soldier's parents at the centre of the political contest.
Clinton on Sunday gave a subdued version of her stump speech focusing largely on the threat she said Trump poses to American values and national security. She pledged to work for "healing and reconciliation" after the election.
The government on Monday formed a committee to investigate who "leaked" a controversial news report about a rift between the government and the powerful army over support to militants in the country.
The committee headed by a former high court judge will complete its job in 30 days and submit its findings to the government.
Justice (retd) Aamir Raza Khan will be the chairman of the committee, which has representatives of security agencies ISI, MI and IB, according to the notification by the interior ministry.
Secretary Establishment Tahir Shahbaz and NAB Punjab's Najam Saeed will also be part of the committee, along with Director FIA Usman Anwar.
According to the notification, the probe committee will enquire into the circumstances of the alleged leak and establish the identity of those responsible.
The government later sacked information minister Pervaiz Rasheed for failing to stop the story from being published.
A rift between the civilian and military leaderships on the powerful ISI's covert support to terror groups in the country was the subject of a news report on October 6 in the Dawn newspaper.
The widely read daily stood by the story saying it was "verified, cross-checked and fact-checked".
A travel ban on Cyril Almeida, the journalist who wrote the story, had sparked massive criticism of the government and the military from media houses, journalist associations and civil society.
Almeida's name was put on the Exit Control List but the ban was later lifted after a backlash against the government.
Republican presidential nominee has accused American tech giant IBM of laying off 500 workers in Minneapolis and shifting their jobs to India and other countries, saying he will levy a 35% tax on companies doing so.
"IBM laid off 500 workers in Minneapolis and moved their jobs to India and other countries. A Trump Administration will stop the jobs from leaving America, and we will stop the jobs from leaving Minnesota," Trump said in his speech yesterday in Minneapolis, as part of efforts to woo voters in Minnesota state which has been a Democrat stronghold.
"If a company wants to leave Minnesota, fire their workers and move to another country and then ship their products back into the United States, we will make them pay a 35% tax. We will also unleash American energy including shale oil, natural gas and clean coal," he said.
Trump said he will cancel all harmful Obama regulations that hurt Minnesota farmers, workers and small businesses.
"We will become a rich nation once again. But to be a rich nation, we must also be a safe nation," he said.
He claimed that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wants a 550% increase in Syrian Refugees pouring into the US wants virtually unlimited immigration and refugee admissions from the most dangerous regions of the world.
"Her plan will import generations of terrorism, extremism and radicalism into your schools and communities. When I'm elected President, we will suspend the Syrian Refugee Program and we will keep Radical Islamic Terrorists out of our country," he added.
"Here, in Minnesota, you've seen first-hand the problems caused with faulty refugee vetting, with large numbers of Somali Refugees coming into your state without your knowledge, support or approval and with some then joining ISIS and spreading their extremist views," Trump said.
He asserted that a Trump administration will not admit any refugees without the support of the local community where they are being placed.
"And we will pause admissions from terror-prone regions until a full security assessment has been performed, and until proven vetting mechanisms have been established," he said.
A Trump administration will also secure and defend the borders of the United States, he said reiterating that he will build a wall along the Mexico border.
"Hillary supports totally open borders, and strongly supports Sanctuary Cities like San Francisco where Kate Steinle was murdered by an illegal immigrant deported 5 times. Thousands of Americans would be alive today if not for the open border policies of Obama-Clinton," Trump said.
As enter its final stage, here is a look at how some countries look at the presidential candidates:
Donald J. Trump is in striking distance of winning the election with two days to go, and theres really just one reason for that: Hes leading white voters without a college degree by a huge margin.
Exiled Baloch leaders and activists took part in a protest rally against Pakistan and China for constructing the multi-billion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The protest rally was organised by Free Balochistan Movement (FBM) and was led by exiled Baloch leader Hyrbyair Marri.
This was the second week-long round the clock protest by the Free Balochistan Movement outside the Chinese Embassy in London. The first protest was held in October and lasted for about a week.
The protesters shouted anti-Pakistan slogans on the streets of London and alleged that Islamabad has intensified its brutalities against innocent Baloch people residing on the CPEC route.
Hundreds of Baloch houses have been attacked and burnt to ashes, and hundreds of innocent Baloch have disappeared only to appease China.
The Baloch are determined to resist the nexus between China and Pakistan and their exploitative designs against the Baloch nation.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Kanu Gandhi passed away on Monday in Surat after prolonged illness.
The 87-year-old Kanu was admitted to a charitable hospitable in Surat in a critical condition with little financial support.
On May 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to Kanu to enquire about his health.
On his direction, Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma had even met Kanu and assured all possible help.
A former NASA scientist, Kanu was the energetic little boy who led his grandfather, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi holding his stick on the beaches of Gujarat's Dandi village during the historic Salt Satyagraha of March-April 1930.
The picture has been etched in public memory for over eight decades and even immortalised in memorials on the Salt Satyagraha at Mumbai's Juhu Beach and several other parts of the country.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
British Prime Minister Theresa May arrived in India on a three-day trade mission and will be looking to hammer out trade and immigration issues between London and New Delhi.
May is accompanied by a business delegation on her first bilateral visit outside Europe since assuming office.
She will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and review all aspects of the India-UK Strategic Partnership.
She will also attend a Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting on the sidelines of her visit.
UK is among India's major trading partners and during the year 2014-15, UK ranked 18th in the list of India's top 25 trading partners.
As per data published by Department of Commerce, two-way merchandise trade during 2014-15 was USD 14.33 billion, marking a decrease of 9.39 percent as compared to 2013-14. UK's share in India's global trade has gone down from 2.07percent in 2013-14 to 1.89 percent in 2014-15.
India's main exports to the UK are garments and textiles, machinery and The British Prime Minister will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee. Prime Minister May and Prime Minister Modi will jointly inaugurate the India-UK jointly inaugurate the India UK Tech
Summit being organized by Department of Science and Technology and the Confederation of Indian Industry.
The summit will be an opportunity for both sides to strengthen business-to-business engagement in the areas of technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, design, IPRs and higher education.
The two sides had agreed to hold the summit during Prime Minister Modi's visit to the United Kingdom in November 2015.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Monday unanimously supported the view that Rahul Gandhi should take over as president of the party.
"Congress Working Committee (CWC) was of view that Rahul Gandhi must take over presidency of the Congress party. It's high time the Congress mobilises all forces to fight against the dictatorial rule of the Modi government," said former Union Minister A.K. Anthony.
Antony said this was the first time such a sentiment had been expressed so strongly added that a final decision would be taken by party president Sonia Gandhi.
Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "Rahul Gandhi has said that he wants to fight for idea of India and whatever the Congress party and the committee will decide, he'll b ready to take up any challenge."
Surjewala also targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said the Centre has actually diluted the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme introduced by the Congress.
Rahul Gandhi chaired today's crucial CWC meeting, as party president Sonia Gandhi skipped it citing poor health.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
To commemorate the visit of John McCallum, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Canada, DataWind on Monday signed two Memorandums of Understanding(MoU), one with A K Education Pvt. Ltd and the other with Carleton University in the presence of the Minister, who also visited DataWind Innovations, manufacturing facility in Amritsar.
The MoU was signed for testing of DataWind's patented technology, software solutions and products across India.
"My mission to India is an ideal opportunity for us to share knowledge and expertise in key areas, including technology and education. We are proud that Canada based company DataWind, has become India's largest tablet player and is contributing immensely in the field of education by offering rich content to the Indian student community," Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Canada, John McCallum said.
"I and the entire team of DataWind are extremely humbled by the presence of Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, from Canada- John McCallum who has taken his time out to visit our Amritsar facility. On behalf of all of us at DataWind, I sincerely thank the Minister and members of his delegation for their presence here,"President and CEO, DataWind Inc., Suneet Singh Tuli said.
DataWind Innovations also signed an MoU with Canada India Centre of Excellence at Carleton University, Ottawa at the occasion.
The Memorandum is to facilitate and promote co-operation between Datawind Innovations and the Carleton University, with a view to supporting and imparting knowledge through Technology, research collaboration, and other forms of academic partnerships.
To meet the educational challenges in India, DataWind is working towards addressing the key demands of a large population, whose poor communities often face disproportionally high illiteracy rates.
The company is focused on expanding the roll-out of its tablets for the students, which are
Designed to be affordable, deliver high quality educational content and free apps, and also to provide internet access at the lowest cost or for free, where possible.
DataWind is a leader in low-cost Internet connectivity for emerging markets. DataWind's mission is to bring the Internet, which has the ability to create tremendous social and economic benefits, to billions of unconnected people in the developing world.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Monday issued a notice to the Delhi Police over a complaint alleging physical abuse on a female student by an officer during protest for the missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed.
The Women's Commission has asked the Delhi Police to reply to the notice within 72 hours, failing which action as per law will be initiated.
The Delhi Police on Sunday detained the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), who were staging protest against the authorities at the India Gate for not taking firm steps to locate their missing colleague Najeeb Ahmed.
Najeeb's sister Sadaf Mosharraf, who was also among those detained by the police, vented her ire at the men in uniform.
"We were protesting very peacefully but the Delhi Police detained us without any reason," she said.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday alleged that the Centre was adopting 'dictatorship' policy and violating the constitutional right of an individual by adopting such measures.
Commenting on the Delhi Police's move to summon nine people in connection with this case, Kejriwal said that the men in uniform have just done a formality in the name of investigation.
Earlier that day, Kejriwal met President Pranab Mukherjee to seek his intervention into the matter.
Speaking to the media after meeting with the President, Kejriwal pinned the blame on Delhi Police, accusing them of refusing to take action after coming under political pressure.
The Chief Minister further said that President Mukherjee had assured him of seeking a report both from the JNU administration and the Delhi Police as well.
Najeeb went missing on the intervening night of October 14 and 15 after allegedly being beaten up by a mob of 20 students comprising of the ABVP members, who had gone campaigning to his room for hostel elections.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday cleared the blacklisting policy for banning or suspension of entities.
According to sources, the DAC has discussed Japanese us2i (amphibious aircraft) but no decision has been taken so far.
It cleared procurement of 598 mini UAV for the Indian Army at Rs. 1,100 crore on a buy Indian biases.
For the first time, two Indian Design Developed Manufacture (IDDM) scheme for the Acceptance of Necessity (AON) was accorded.
The proposals cleared include AON for procurement of 83 LCA for the Indian Air Force from Hal as a buy Indian (IDDM scheme) at a cost of Rs. 50,025 crore along with simulators and ancillary equipment.
It also includes AON to Indian Air Force and Indian army - 15 light combat helicopter as a buy Indian (IDDM scheme) From Hal at a total indicative cost of Rs. 2,911 crore.
The AON is also accorded 464 T-90 tanks for an estimated cost of Rs. 13,448 crore for the Indian Army on buy Indian biases from OFB (ordinance factory board) as a repeat order.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chairing the crucial Congress Working Committee (CEC) meeting here in the absence of party president Sonia Gandhi, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Monday tore into 'power-obsessed' Prime Minister Narendra Modi and called on the gathering to expose the Centre's failures in the upcoming Winter Parliament session.
In his opening remarks before proceeding with the agenda of the meeting, Rahul asserted that democracy, under the present dispensation, is going through one of its darkest hours and that the government is silencing all those who disagree with it.
"Hiding behind the cloak of security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions. Television channels are being punished and asked to shut down. The opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account. All attempts by this government to suppress our fundamental freedoms by abusing state power will only strengthen our resolve to defeat such dangerous designs," Rahul said.
Listing out a range of issues highlighting the failures of the NDA Government, Rahul emphasised that the Centre is trying to hide its failure behind numbers that have been widely doubted and questioned.
"Selectively chosen corporate are favoured, not the aam admi. Youth, even those who have good education, face the spectre of unemployment. Famers' suicides and agrarian unrest have increased to astonishing levels," he said.
Continuing to press heavily on the Modi Government over its failure in dealing effectively with Pakistan, Rahul stated that the Centre has swung from one extreme to another in dealing with Islamabad and the issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir.
Pointing out that Indian soldiers have suffered the highest causalities in decades, the Congress vide president added that the Armed Forces are being cruelly rewarded by a callous government with denial of OROP and cut in disability pensions.
"With state elections due in the coming months we can safely expect the Modi government to launch a campaign of disinformation and polarization. They will exploit caste and religious fault lines. We must anticipate and neutralise such devious strategies," he added.
Rahul further called on the Congress gathering to continue its fight to expose the "comprehensive failure" of the Modi government on all fronts.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prominent entrepreneur and political commentator Tehseen Poonawalla 's plan to stage a protest against the government's one day ban imposed on news channel NDTV India by watching the channel online on the day of the ban in front of the official residence of the Prime Minister has put the Delhi police in a tight spot.
Poonawalla, while opposing the ban on NDTV India, had tweeted that he planned to watch the channel online outside the residence of the Prime Minister in order to protest against the gag on media.?
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It maybe recalled that NDTV India has been ordered to go off air on November 9 (Wednesday) for broadcasting sensitive details of the terror attack that took place on the air force base in Pathankot in January this year. ?
The Delhi Police, meanwhile, are now in a quandary on how to tackle Poonawalla. A source from Delhi police said on condition of anonymity that even if prohibitory orders are in place, Poonawalla intends to go there alone and watch the channel on the pavement outside perhaps on his mobile or tablet. Any action will end up looking bad, especially since Poonawalla also has a substantial following online, especially amongst youngsters.
Meanwhile, Poonawalla was unavailable for comment, but his office released the following statement on his behalf: "It seems we are moving into an era of undeclared emergency where freedom of speech is in serious peril. The gag order on a news channel - NDTV India -- is completely illegal and should the government go ahead with this ban, I will peacefully, without any crowds, watch the news channel on the pavement outside the PM 's official residence, to mark my protest. By going alone and peacefully watching content online, I will not disrupt any prohibitory orders if put to stop me nor will I shout slogans or create disturbance. I simply will register my protest. I have no affinity for the said channel, however it is the larger principle of free press and free speech I wish to fight for, and stand up against this government, which I believe is bent of gagging democracy."
On Monday, NDTV challenged the government's one-day ban of its Hindi channel in the Supreme Court. It refuted all charges and allegations levelled against it by a government-appointed committee and pointed out that other channels and newspapers had also reported the same information.
The ban has been widely condemned by journalists and editors with all press councils drawing parallels to the Emergency of the 1970s when basic constitutional rights, including the freedom of the press were blatantly violated.
The Editors' Guild of India has described the government ban as unprecedented, and added that the Centre appears to have given itself the power "to intervene in the functioning of the media and take arbitrary punitive action as and when it does not agree with the coverage."
The organisation, a grouping of editors of all major newspapers and magazines in the country, said if the government finds any media coverage objectionable, it can approach the courts.
Defending the ban, Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said over the weekend that it was "in the interest of the country's security" and that the barrage of criticism confronted by the government appears "politically inspired.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ahead of UK Prime Minister Theresa May's three-day visit to India from November six to eight, FICCI has reconstituted the India-UK Forum of Parliamentarians as an important initiative to cement bilateral ties through a track two mode.
Launched with the objective to strengthen Parliamentary diplomacy that binds India and the UK, the Forum brings together MPs across political ideologies, age group and gender. The Forum is Chaired by Rajya Sabha MP and scholar, Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe.
Welcoming the timely move, Dr. Sahasrabuddhe said "In the light of recent developments in Europe, the relevance of greater co-operation between India and Britain has greatly enhanced. Social and civilization values like Democracy, Universal fraternity, Open economy and Desire to engage for mutual benefit are common to both."
President FICCI Harshavardhan Neotia said that as India's national industry association, FICCI has a multi-pronged international outreach strategy. Through the India UK Forum of Parliamentarians, our endeavor is to supplement traditional channels of engagement by creating a track two dialogue process to build greater understanding between elected representatives of India and UK in a cordial atmosphere and a neutral platform. In the coming months, we look forward to rolling out a series of initiatives under the able guidance of Dr. Sahasra buddhe.
Under the Forum, FICCI plans to organize a series of policy dialogues on topics of critical significance to India and UK including the proposed FTA, post Brexit developments and deliberations on the India UK Strategic Partnership. An outbound delegation to UK is being planned for early 2017 to engage with the UK Parliament, diaspora and industry.
FICCI has similar bilateral Forums of Parliamentarians with strategic partner countries such as United States, Germany and Japan to facilitate a track two mechanism for wider exchange of views and experiences amongst elected representatives from India and their peers in other countries on bilateral and global issues, leadership and the institution of democracy.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hundreds of devotees thronged the temple of Lakamma (Hindu Goddess) to celebrate a two-day annual footwear festival in Gulbarga district of India's southern Karnataka state on Saturday.
People from all across the state converged at the Gola (B) village of the district to take part in the festival known for its unique customs and rituals.
Devotees rush the temple on the sixth day after festival of lights, Diwali, to get their wishes fulfilled. Once answered, they tie a garland of footwear on a tree outside the temple.
Devotees also offer vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes to the Goddess.
"She is our Goddess, we came to know about it from my grandfather that the Jatra (fair) of our Goddess is being organised", said a devotee, Milind.
Devotees have different beliefs regarding the offering made to the goddess. Few believe that the Goddess wear the footwear and protect people from evil. While for others, the Goddess relieve them of knee or foot pain if they made these unique offering.
According to the media reports, Villagers believe that animals were sacrificed at the temple to appease the goddess, but after a ban on animal sacrifice, people started offering footwear at the temple.
The 600-year-old temple houses no sculpture. Gulbarga Gazetteer published by the state government also does not mention about the temple and its rituals. Devotees have urged scholars to conduct research in order to throw light on the temple history and it practices.
Significantly, such rituals are not uncommon in temples in India. In India's northwest Rajasthan state, an offering of alcohol is made to a Goddess in her temple.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kerala Government on Monday told the Supreme Court that it is ready to allow women inside the sanctum sanctorum of Sabarimala Temple.
The next hearing in this matter is scheduled to be held on February 20, 2017.
This was the first hearing after the Supreme Court changed the bench hearing a decade-old petition against the restriction on women aged between 10 and 50 from entering the temple.
Earlier, a three-judge Bench led by Justice Dipak Misra and included Justices Gopala V. Gowda and Kurian Joseph, was replaced by Justices C. Nagappan and R. Banumathi on July 11.
A total of 10 Supreme Court judges, sitting in various combinations, have already heard the case in as many years since it was first filed in 2006.
Earlier, the Bombay High Court had directed that the Maharashtra Government to ensure that women are not denied entry to the temple.
Defending the ban, the Sabarimala Temple administration said the tradition is connected to essential religious practices.
Supporting them, the Kerala Government told the court that beliefs and customs of devotees cannot be changed through a judicial process and that the opinion of the priests is final in matters of religion.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
KIWAMI - an Educational Developmental center from Japan has entered Indian market and looking to spread the TAMAI style of learning amoung the young minds of India. The self funded venture which has a global turnover of 500 million yen has already started classes at their first center based out of Punjabi Bagh and has plans to expand to rest of the country and are targeting 10 standalone centers by March 2017.
"TAMAI" Method has been effectively brought into numerous schools, kindergartens and significant educational centers in Japan. It's interesting 3D environment for learning geometry is new instructive technique and has earned positive notoriety in enhancing youngsters' scholarly results. This technique has likewise been adopted in US, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam.
Established by Mitsuyo Tamai, KIWAMI is an out of school program which prepares the kid out of school limits and sets him up or her to confront the word. Moreover, KIWAMI is a self learning and cloud based learning framework, where youngsters from pre-school till class eighth can be a part of the structure. More than an educational cost focus, KIWAMI is a learning focus where students are occupied with free and self coordinated learning exercises with help of precisely arranged materials arranged to encourage learning results.
Tamai, founder KIWAMI said, "We have already been successful in Japan and the results from other countries have been very positive which motivates us to bring our proven methods to Indian shores. Owing to our cultural similarities and importance for education given at very young age we are looking at a mutually beneficial association in a longer run."
At KIWAMI more importance is given to the imaginative development of the child and use these imaginative skills for learning by integrating Soroban in their learning process.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With opposition and media slamming action against NDTV India, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said that the Congress Party has no right to criticize because if they point fingers it will revert to them.
Addressing the media here, Naidu said people who are criticising this action (ban on TV channels) are the same people who had put behind bars an artist for cartoons.
"Congress has no right to criticise, if they point fingers, it will revert to them. They have curtailed press and civil freedom during emergency. During emergency, people were put behind bars, democratic rights were trampled, civil liberty were curtailed, censorship was imposed on media. That party is talking about democracy and fundamental rights," he said.
"21 channels were banned during UPA regime, some were banned for airing midnight masala. Whereas we are worried about daylight portrayal of terror activities with running commentary on whereabouts of ammo depot, etc," he added.
He also alleged that the Congress party is getting frustrated because they are losing state after state.
"Democracy has never been this vibrant, people from all walks of life feel they have a say in government issues," Naidu said.
Naidu further said that the Bharatiya Janata Party has never called any Prime Minister 'khoon ka dalal', and therefore, this is the kind of freedom people have now.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A two-day tribal cultural heritage meet was recently organized at the town hall in Agartala to promote and preserve the tribal culture of the state.
All the 19 tribes of Tripura including some which are on the verge of extinction participated in the meet organized for the third time here by the ONGC.
The OGNC, engaged in exploration in the state since early 1970, has taken the initiative to spread the rich culture prevailing in the villages of Tripura and spread it among the new generation of the urban class so that it can be preserved and inculcated among them, said ONGC's Tripura asset manager and organizer S.C. Soni.
Various traditional dances of indigenous tribes like Reang, Chakma, Jamatia, Kaloi, Lusai and Kuki were performed during the two-day meet.
The participants also expressed that such programmes not only help the new generation to know about the rich tradition of their community but also brings closer various tribes and unites them through cultural activities.
"Our traditional dance and music are gradually getting extinct and we are trying to preserve it with an initiative to encourage the youth to take part in such programmes throughout the state of Tripura. Moreover, both tribals and non-tribals are taking part in this festival and which is bringing us closer and helping in maintain peace. So, this festival is also important for that and I believe that such meets should be organised very frequently to preserve this culture of ours," said Bishudev Koloi, one of the participants.
Along with the tribal population, many non-tribals also came to enjoy the show and appreciated it as such programmes besides disseminating information about the tribals also help them unite with other.
Sunita Koushal, a non-tribal visitor, expressed her delight over the rich cultural heritage in northeast India.
"And at such a programme, we also get to know what is happening. The people bond over such programmes which serve as platform for uniting them," she added.
Another visitor Rohit Kumar said all traditional dances of the tribals of Tripura were demonstrated during this programme, adding it also send a message of peace and love among the tribal and non-tribal section of the people.
A fashion show on traditional attires of various tribal communities of the state was also part of the programme.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jammu and Kashmir possesses the unique culture and tradition coupled with a rich blend of beautiful nature.
People living in the region are an epitome of peace and mutual co-existence.
But, of late, some anti- elements have been at works to disturb peace and communal harmony.
A sinister attempt has been made to poison the minds of the innocent youth.
Not only the educational institutions are being burned down, the youth of the Valley are being exhorted to join protests and pelt stones at security personnel.
The frequent shutdown calls given by separatists have disrupted the normal life of the Valley.
Tourism, a major source of revenue for the state, has been hit severely due to the ongoing crisis.
The separatists are furthering the Talibanisation propaganda and are hell bent to change the entire demography and peaceful environment of the once called the land of Sufis.
Former senior police officer and now defence expert M.M. Khajuria said, "The common man supports that Islam which was proposed by the saints like Lal Din. In fact, I would like to say that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are bound by the thread of humanity and brotherhood with the rest of Indians. We can clearly see this difference how India opted for secularism unlike its neighbour Pakistan which was divided on the lines of religion."
The people of Kashmir have out rightly rejected the nefarious plans of Pakistani establishment to promote talibanisation in the region.
The people in Kashmir do not want their children to be uneducated like the ones in Pakistan.
They are demanding peaceful existence with better economic prospects and education for their children.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court on Monday will hear the petition seeking the entry of women aged into Kerala's Sabarimala temple.
This will be the first hearing after the Supreme Court changed the Bench hearing a decade-old petition against the restriction on women aged between 10 and 50 from entering the temple.
Earlier, the three-judge Bench led by Justice Dipak Misra included Justices Gopala V. Gowda and Kurian Joseph, who were replaced by Justices C. Nagappan and R. Banumathi on July 11.
A total of 10 Supreme Court judges, sitting in various combinations, have already heard the case in as many years since it was first filed in 2006.
Earlier, the Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra Government to ensure that women are not denied entry at any temple.
Defending the ban, the Sabarimala temple administration said the tradition is connected to essential religious practice.
Supporting them, the Kerala Government told the court that beliefs and customs of devotees cannot be changed through a judicial process and that the opinion of the priests is final in matters of religion.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court on Monday recused Justice Uday Umesh Lalit from hearing the case of former Mohammad Shahabuddin on ground that he had appeared as a lawyer for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP once.
The apex court is now likely to hear the matter after four weeks.
Last month, the top court issued notice to Shahabuddin, the Bihar Government and the Centre seeking their reply to shift the former from Siwan district jail in Bihar to Tihar jail in Delhi .
The hearing of the case was scheduled to be held on November 28.
Slain journalist Rajdeo Ranjan's widow Asha Ranjan had filed a plea in the apex court seeking to shift Shahabuddin from the Siwan to the Tihar jail so that witnesses in her husband's murder case are not influenced.
Hearing Asha Ranjan's plea earlier on October 17, an apex court bench headed by Justice Dipak Mishra had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to complete the murder probe within three months.
The apex court also issued notices and sought responses from Shahabuddin and Bihar Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav.
During the last hearing, Tej Pratap had admitted that he had accepted a bouquet from one of the murder accused, but denied his involvement in the murder.
42-year old Ranjan, the bureau chief of The Hindustan, was shot dead in July this year at Phal Mandi near the Siwan railway station, barely half-a-kilometer from the police station.
The Bihar Government has recommended the Central Bureau Investigation (CBI) probe into the case.
The case came into limelight again after a photograph appeared in the media showing murder suspects Mohammad Kaif and Mohammad Javed with gangster-politician Mohammed Shahabuddin after his release from jail.
Kaif, however, later rubbished all accusations against him and said he has no involvement in Rajdeo's murder case.
Meanwhile, a separate petition filed by Chandrakeshwar Prasad, whose three sons had been murdered at the behest of the RJD leader.
Shahabuddin, who had been in jail for more than 10 years in connection with multiple cases, was granted bail by the Patna High Court on September 7 in connection with the murder of a man who witnessed the killing of two brothers in Siwan.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senior journalist and TV anchor Girish Nikam passed away on Monday after a severe heart attack.
59-year old Nikam complained of uneasiness while shooting a programme in studio after which he was taken to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital where he was announced dead.
He started his journalistic career with English Daily Star of Mysore and later shifted to Indian Express in Bengaluru.
He had worked in various media organisations including India Today, Deccan Chronicle and News Today before joining Rajya Sabha TV.
Nikam's body will be taken to Bengaluru tomorrow for the last rites.
Meanwhile, Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari also condoled the passing away of Nikam.
"I am deeply saddened to learn of the untimely demise of Shri Girish Nikam, Anchor at Rajya Sabha Television. My thoughts are with the bereaved family. I join the Rajya Sabha Television team in offering my condolences to his family and friends and in praying for eternal rest for the departed soul," Vice President Ansari said in a message.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With just a day left for the much awaited US presidential elections, special 'ardas' (prayers) was organised by Indian American businessman Sant Singh Chatwal for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's victory.
Besides the members of the Indian Sikh community, the Americans in New York also took part in the prayers and wished for the victory of the Democratic presidential nominee.
Das Gyani Bhupinder Singh, Head Granthi, Gurudwara Sikh Culture, New York, said that they conducted the 'ardas' because Hillary not only works for the betterment of humanity but also addresses the concerns of the Sikh community residing in the United States.
"Today we conducted a special 'ardas' for the success of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in the US elections. We have prayed for her success because we believe Hillary works for the betterment of humanity and in particular the Sikh community residing in America. All of us are praying that she creates history by becoming the first female President of the United States," Singh told ANI.
Others attending the prayers for Hillary's success said they were not only hopeful but were confident that the American population would do the right thing by electing Hillary as the US President.
"I hope the American public would do the right thing and Hillary would be a great leader for all of us. She is the only leader in the country who is leading with the Indian population behind her," one of the participants said.
Chatwal, who organised the prayers, said Hillary is one of those leaders who can make the economy stable by creating more employment and providing more business opportunities for the Indian Americans.
"24 hours before the elections we requested the head priest to pray so that tomorrow Hillary has a sure shot victory. Hillary is a great friend of Indo-Americans. I live in this country so I want someone to become the President who can make the economy stable," Chatwal told ANI.
"She is also committed to resolving the immigration problem which will be very helpful," he added.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Unocoin, India's bitcoin company, on Monday has implemented its first-ever, easy-to-access Application Programming Interface (API) allowing companies from around the world to access the world's largest potential market for Bitcoin and to take advantage of Unocoin's extraordinary set of features.
Unocoin's API allows individuals and companies in India to generate bitcoin wallets; buy, sell, send and receive bitcoin, securely store bitcoin, retrieve real-time or historical price information, receive notifications when payments arrive, accept and request bitcoin payments for merchants; as well as allow companies around the world to remit bitcoin to India and to submit KYC details of beneficiaries.
Unocoin recently set a national record with a USD 1.5 million raise to support its unprecedented growth. The company now has more than 30 employees on staff servicing over 100,000 users. The Unocoin API has concluded rigorous testing and is already in active use by its largest customer: Unocoin itself.
The company's full-featured iOS app and soon-to-be-released Android app are both built entirely off of the Unocoin API.
Moreover, the Unocoin API has become instrumental in the day-to-day functionality of businesses like Paycase, a Canadian remittance innovator making overseas transactions much faster and more cost efficient.
"We've been excited to develop a robust API for use by companies around the world. Our API is best described as an on-ramp for firms looking for a simple way to gain entry into one of the world's fastest growing and largest potential markets. Our team has been working non-stop prior to and during our Pre-Series A round to provide the most reliable, full-featured API, but one that, most importantly, is incredibly easy to adopt," Unocoin co-founder and CEO, Sathvik Vishwanath said.
"Our API is the engine powering our mobile apps, through which customers will be able to store and spend bitcoin on the go, and also be able to buy bitcoin with just a click of a button," added Vishwanath.
India is the remittance capital of the world, as well as the largest gold and IT market.
While blockchain and bitcoin adoption climbs exponentially, businesses and individuals need the appropriate financial infrastructure to process secure transactions.
The Unocoin API can plug right into any company, anywhere in the world, to assist them gaining access to the Indian bitcoin market and remittance industry, potentially worth an estimated USD100 billion.
Paycase, a mobile-first remittance application, is now using the Unocoin API and Blockstream's Liquid network to carry out frictionless money transfers from Canada to India.
Paycase's protocol-agnostic transfer routing system has already been tested in nearly 20 countries around the world, using a sophisticated trading algorithm to route payments over a variety of cryptocurrency rails with far greater efficiency as compared to the traditional SWIFT network.
During a 6-month beta, Paycase successfully completed USD 50,000 worth of micro-transactions from Canada to the Philippines, with costs averaging 60-80 percent lower than traditional remittance players.
"Our work with Unocoin shows both company's long-term dedication to one another, in strategically partnering to take bitcoin and Blockchain powered remittances and cross border transfer to the mass market. We have worked together from Canada and India to establish the technical, regulatory, and business logic needed to enable Canadian dollar to Indian rupee money transfer with bitcoin efficiencies in place. With the API, experience, and infrastructure in place, we can now scale this model beyond our current corridors and into the promising Indian market," Paycase Co-founder and CEO Joseph Weinberg said.
Unocoin's recently released features include a merchant point-of-sale (POS) app, a mobile trading app, an auto-selling feature for remittance users, systematic investment planning (SIP) to mitigate against volatility risk, integration with NETKI to simplify Bitcoin addresses, an over the counter (OTC) desk for large traders, and integration with Purse.io for discounts on Amazon.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Monday chaired the crucial Congress Working Committee (CEC), as party president Sonia Gandhi skipped the meet citing poor health.
A call is likely to be taken on extending the deadline for the completion of the party's organisational elections which were to be completed by December 31st.
The meeting is expected to take stock of the current political situation and discuss its plans for assembly elections to other states including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur in next year.
The meeting is significant as the Winter Session of Parliament is starting from 16th of this month and the Congress will finalise its strategy for the session.
There have been repeated suggestions that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi should take over reins of the party from his mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the CWC is likely to take a call on that issue today as well.
However, many in the party are divided over Rahul's elevation and seek to defer the matter until the upcoming assembly polls.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Selfie lovers have a reason to rejoice as The Washington Apple Commission (WAC) has announced an exciting Facebook contest for their consumers.
To participate in the "I Love Washington Apples!" photo contest, all you got to do is click a selfie of yourself enjoying a Washington Apple and post the photo on WAC Facebook page with the hashtag #WashingtonApples.
Winning photos will be those with the highest numbers of "Reactions" at the end of the contest time period, which will run till November 30th, 2016.
The excitement doesn't end here, one grand prize winner and three first prize winners will be selected at the close of the contest. The grand prize winner will be the entrant with the photo receiving the highest number of total "Reactions" (Like/Love/Wow etc.) and the first prize winners will be the photos with the second, third and fourth highest numbers of total reactions over the contest. The winners will be announced on or around Friday, December 2nd and prizes will be shipped on or before December 15, 2016.
"We all love taking selfies, don't we? And what's exciting is that you get to be healthy with the apples while you click some great pictures to share with your friends and family. Not to forget the joy of winning some exciting prizes from the house of Washington Apples. We are certain that we will receive a great response from this contest," said India Representative Washington Apple Commission, Keith Sunderlal.
So what are you waiting for? Go grab your favorite Washington Apple right away, click a selfie and don't forget to get maximum likes for your picture!
Rules to participate
Participants will have to Like the Washington Apples India Facebook page to enter the contest.
Every week, the Washington Apples India Facebook page will be posting two contest entry posts to inform the participants about the contest.
Participants will have to post a photo of themselves with a Washington Apple or eating a Washington apple with the hashtag #WashingtonApples in the comments section.
The entry needs to be your own and original failing which will result in disqualification.
In order to win, you have to get the maximum number of Reactions (Likes / Love / Wow, etc.) on your entry.
You can submit more than one entry, but only one entry will be chosen in case of maximum Reactions.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
From CRISIL and India Ratings & Research
Canara Bank has received ratings from the following Credit Rating Agencies for the proposed issue of Basel III Compliant Tier I Bonds aggregating Rs 2500 crore:
CRISIL : has assigned a "CRISIL AA/Negative (pronounced "CRISIL Double A rating with Negative outlook").
India Ratings & Research : has assigned the "IND AA" rating with Stable Outlook.
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Model GST Law suggests multiple registrations in each State for supply of goods and services. This has the potential to result in huge burden of complexity as companies operate in many different States. Businesses in the services sector such as telecom, banking, insurance, airlines, e-commerce, undertake pan-India operations, meeting requirements of each State through different registrations, audits and compliances would be a massive task, said Dr Naushad Forbes, President, Confederation of Indian Industry. Dr Forbes further stated that a centralized registration system should be instituted under GST. States could be offered credits through the Integrated GST (IGST) mechanism. Such a system would greatly simplify ease of doing business and foster better tax compliance.
On multiple GST rates, CII has said that GST rates structure can be absolute limit of four rates as suggested by the Government, and over time, the Government should commit to converge to one or two rates. Further, CII has said that it is also important that the bulk of goods and services should fall within the standard rate of 18% and only as exception to go to the higher rate of 28% and a lower rate for essential goods such as unprocessed food items, etc. CII agrees with the proposal that the higher rate of 28% should apply only to 'demerit goods' and the term Luxury goods should not be used to define this category, stated the CII Release.
CII has further suggested that the Cess needs to be levied only at the final product and total tax including Cess on demerit goods should be kept within the present overall indirect tax incidence.
GST Law does not clarify if administration of GST for assessment and audits is to be undertaken by the Central Government or by State governments.
It would be challenging for companies to meet the requirements of dual administration by both the Central and State governments, while maintaining consistency across different filings. Likewise, it could be an additional burden for the administration in terms of duplication and costs. There should be a single administration process, either by the Center or the State, which would be acceptable to both. This would action the intention of making India a common market with single audit and assessment said Dr Forbes. He further added that for all purposes of calculating taxes under GST, only the invoice value should be considered.
Dr Forbes further emphasized on the transition to GST issues and stated that transition is expected to entail a period where companies have higher inventories and it is necessary to deal with these stocks of goods in terms of applicable tax. GST Law does not clearly specify if credit is available on excise duty and central sales tax paid on inventories of domestic goods, and on countervailing duty (CVD) paid for imported goods. Clarity on this aspect needs to be provided, said the CII President.
Introducing a national tax reform of the magnitude that impacts every consumer and millions of producers is certainly not an easy endeavour. We commend the Central and State governments for strong commitment to the GST. In turn, CII pledges to partner with the government to ensure smooth, hassle-free, and efficient roll-out of the GST so that all stakeholders derive the maximum benefit, stated Dr Forbes.
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The export of oilmeals during October 2016 is reported at 67,779 tons compared to 34,168 tons, as per the data compiled by The Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA). The overall export of oilmeals during April to October, 2016 is reported at 554,147 tons compared to 783,565 tons during the same period of last year i.e. down by 29% due to lesser availability of oilseeds for crushing and continuous disparity in exporting soybean meal in International Market.
Oilmeal import by South Korea from India during April-Oct., 2016 is reported at 378,064 tons compared to 481,827 tons; consisting 137,567 tons of rapeseed meal and 240,497 tons of castor meal.
Vietnam imported 113,743 tons compared to 175,744 tons last year; consisting of 5,824 tons of rapeseed meal, 103 tons of soybean meal and 107,816 tons of Deoiled Rice Bran Extraction. Taiwan imported 16,988 tons compared to 22,340 tons last year; consisting of 7,082 tons of rapeseed meal, 827 tons of groundnut meal and 9,079 tons of castor meal. Myanmar imported 16,989 tons compared to 13,225 tons last year; consisting 3,039 tons of soybean meal , 2,845 tons of rapeseed meal, 10,906 tons of Deoiled Rice Bran Extraction and 199 tons of groundnut meal.
The export from Kandla is reported at 377,944 tons (68%), followed by Kolkata handled 122,022 tons (22%), Mumbai including JNPT handled 16,686 tons (3%), and Mundra handled 37,495 tons (7%).
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Imports from China increased more than 500% during the last ten years 2005-2015
Demand for Chinese products in India is decelerating month after month and imports from the country would see a major hit in the coming months finds a survey conducted by PHD Research Bureau of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Survey has been conducted in the various consumer and industry segments across the country and around 2000 responses were analysed from the consumption segment and more than 100 industry stakeholders participated in the survey study.
Demand for industrial products such as raw materials etc is declining by 10-15% and demand for consumption goods is less by 20-25% said the survey study.
Dr. Mahesh Gupta, President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that Indian production capabilities are incasing and becoming competitive as compared with China because of many reasons such as improvement in the ease of doing business. Also, there is a significant shift in the consumption pattern of Indian consumers from the Chinese products to domestic products.
India has been dramatically improving in all the global frontiers with its accomplishments in the Global Competiveness Index by moving 16 spots up to 39th place from 55th place earlier, Ease of Doing Business Ranking (130th) and improvements in goods market efficiency, business sophistication, and innovation which reflects there is a rising accentuation in global competitiveness of India, said Dr. Mahesh Gupta
India's imports from China increased more than 500% from US$10bn to US$61bn during the last ten years from 2005 to 2015. China's share in India's imports increased from 7% in 2005 to around 16% in 2015 said the analysis by PHD Research Bureau.
However, the trend has been reversed and growth of imports from China decelerated by 8% in the first six months of the current financial year 2016-17.
The growth of imports from China has been decelerating and is in the negative trajectory in the recent months; no enthusiasm is seen in the upcoming months too.
Despite the festive season imports from China decelerated (-) 14.5% in the month of September 2016 whereas imports from World decelerated (-) 2.5%.
Majority of the decline in imports has been witnessed in products such as ships and boats, tobacco products, aquatic products, pearls and precious stones, musical instruments and parts thereof, mineral fuels and oils, lead and articles thereof, cocoa products, and wool and products thereof, further revealed the analysis.
Analysis highlighted the pivotal role of investments for the long term sustainable goals.
FDI inflows from China to India between April 2000 and March 2015 stood at USD 288.512 billion wherein China's share was roughly 0.47% which rightfully indicates that China is not a significant and substantial investor in India as compared to Singapore, Mauritius and Switzerland.
As the Make in India programme is getting pace month after month, we can anticipate a significant improvement in the balance of trade with China, said Dr. Mahesh Gupta.
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For Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems
L&T-MHPS Boilers, a joint venture of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS), Japan, has signed a Technology Licence Agreement for Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems with MHPS.
The technology licensing agreement is for design, engineering, manufacture, installation, commissioning, and sale of new boilers under BTG, EPC or SG packages or standalone SCR systems, and for existing and under construction boilers on exclusive basis in India.
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Shares of PNB Housing Finance will debut on the bourses today, 7 November 2016. The initial public offer (IPO) of PNB Housing Finance saw strong response from investors. The issue received bids for 82.96 crore shares compared with 2.80 crore shares on offer. The IPO was subscribed 29.55 times. The bidding for the IPO remained open between 25 October 2016 to 27 October 2016. The issue price was fixed at top end of the price band of Rs 750 to Rs 775 per share. PNB Housing Finance is the fifth largest housing finance company (HFC) in India by the size of loan portfolio.
ICICI Bank announces Q2 results today, 7 November 2016.
Lupin announced that it has received notification that the inspection carried out by the USFDA in March 2016 at its Goa facility is now closed and the agency has issued an Establishment Inspection Report (EIR). This closes all outstanding US FDA inspections at Lupin's Goa facility, the company said. Commenting on the receipt of the EIR, Vinita Gupta, Chief Executive Officer and Nilesh Gupta, Managing Director, Lupin said that the company is committed to ensuring that all systems and processes followed by it are compliant with cGMP and are committed to bringing quality products to market. The announcement was made on Saturday, 5 November 2016.
Shares of Grasim Industries will be in focus. The Reserve Bank of India has notified that Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs)/Registered Foreign Portfolios Investors (RFPIs) can now invest from up to 30% of the paid up capital of Grasim Industries under the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS). The Reserve Bank has stated that Grasim Industries has passed resolutions at its board of directors' level and a special resolution by the shareholders, agreeing for enhancing the limit from default 24% to 30% for the purchase of its equity shares by FIIs/RFPIs. The purchases could be made through primary market and stock exchanges. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 4 November 2016.
PSU OMCs and auto stocks will be in focus after Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) announced increase in selling price of petrol by Rs 0.89/litre (excluding State levies) and increase in selling price of diesel by Rs 0.86/litre (excluding State levies) with effect from midnight of 5 November 2016 / 6 November 2016. After including VAT, petrol in Delhi costs Rs. 67.62 a litre up Rs. 1.17 from Rs 66.45 a litre. Similarly, diesel costs Rs 56.41 a litre after including VAT in Delhi, up Rs 1.03 as compared to Rs 55.38.The current level of international product prices of petrol and diesel and INR-USD exchange rate warrant decrease in price of petrol and increase in price of diesel, the impact of which is being passed on to the consumers with this price revision, IOCL said. The movement of prices in the international oil market and INR-USD exchange rate shall continue to be monitored closely and developing trends of the market will be reflected in future price changes, the company said.
Reliance Industries (RIL) announced on Saturday, 5 November 2016 that earlier that day, constituents of the contractor (RIL, BP and Niko) for block KG-DWN-98/3 (KG D6) received a communication from the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. Based on the recommendations of the Shah Committee, the Government has made a claim of about $1.55 billion against the contractor parties in respect of gas said to have migrated from neighbouring blocks. In carrying out petroleum operations, the contractor has worked within the boundaries of the block awarded to it and has complied with all applicable regulations and provisions of the Production Sharing Contract (PSC).
The claim of the Government is based on misreading and misinterpretation of key elements of the PSC and is without precedent in the oil & gas industry, anywhere in the world, company said. According to the Government the contractor is restricted to producing only that quantity of hydrocarbon as they existed at the point in time when the PSC was signed. This approach overlooks the fundamental fact that at that stage the work of exploration of the block has not even commenced and a complete lack of data makes it impossible to estimate the quantity of hydrocarbons available in the block. The liability of the Contractor has not been established by any process known to law and the quantification of the purported claim is without any basis and arbitrary.
RIL proposes to invoke the dispute resolution mechanism in the PSC and issue a Notice of Arbitration to the Government. RIL remains convinced of being able to fully justify and vindicate its position that the Government's claim is not sustainable.
Pfizer's net profit rose 52.49% to Rs 126.33 crore on 6.35% rise in total income to Rs 581.96 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015. The result was announced after market hours on Friday, 4 November 2016.
Punjab National Bank's net profit fell 11.54% to Rs 549.36 crore on 3.77% rise in total income to Rs 14,218.27 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015. The result was announced after market hours on Friday, 4 November 2016.
Union Bank of India's net profit dropped 73.15% to Rs 176.67 crore on 2.71% rise in total income to Rs 9347.58 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015. The result was announced after market hours on Friday, 4 November 2016.
Union Bank of India announced that the bank has on 4 November 2016 issued 10,000 non-convertible, unsecured subordinated Basel III compliant perpetual debt instruments eligible for inclusion in additional tier 1 capital. The bond is issued for face value of Rs 10 lakh each at par aggregating to Rs 1000 crore on private placement basis bearing 9% per annum coupon payable annually.
UCO Bank announced after market hours on Friday, 4 November 2016, that the bank has raised non-convertible, unsecured subordinated fully paid-up Basel III compliant perpetual debt instruments eligible for inclusion in additional tier I capital of Rs 750 crore through private placement.
Central Bank of India reported net loss of Rs 641.82 crore in Q2 September 2016 compared with net profit of Rs 112.87 crore in Q2 September 2015. Total income decreased 1.95% to Rs 6965.45 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015. The result was announced after market hours on Friday, 4 November 2016.
KPIT Technologies announced on Sunday, 6 November 2016 that it has completed agreement with ANSYS, to sell its Berlin-based subsidiary, KPIT medini Technologies AG, which has been focusing on functional safety products (Product brand known as Medini). Medini is a functional safety product which has applications beyond KPIT's focused industries and as a software product, needs a wider and different distribution network to reach out to other industries beyond KPIT's focused areas.
KPIT is expanding its portfolio as a provider of services and platforms to automotive industry for product engineering areas such as Powertrain, AUTOSAR, Diagnostics, Infotainment, etc. While KPIT will continue to provide services around the Medini tools, it would like to deepen its domain expertise by continuing to make further strategic investments in its focus areas for which the proceeds from this sale will be used.
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Rajesh Exports rose 1.49% to Rs 459.05 at 14:15 IST on BSE after the company announced the opening of 81st retail showroom under its retail brand name of Shubh Jewellers.
The announcement was made during market hours today, 7 November 2016.
Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex was up 244.51 points, or 0.9%, to 27,518.66.
On BSE, so far 47,073 shares were traded in the counter, compared with an average volume of 1.16 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 461 and a low of Rs 455 so far during the day. The stock hit a record high of Rs 745.50 on 18 February 2016. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 422.50 on 24 June 2015. The stock underperformed the market over the past one month till 4 November 2016, falling 3.99% compared with the Sensex's 3.74% fall. The scrip, however, outperformed the market in the past one quarter gaining 4.64% as against the Sensex's 1.59% decline.
The large-cap company has an equity capital of Rs 29.53 crore. Face value per share is Re 1.
Rajesh Exports announced that it opened 81st retail showroom under its brand 'Shubh Jewellers' at Bangalore. The company has completed its first phase of retail launch by launching 80 Shubh Jewellers showrooms. The company has now launched its second phase of retail expansion with the opening of this showroom, Rajesh Exports said. In the second phase of retail expansion, the company has finalised plans to launch series of retail showrooms in the four southern states of India. The second phase of retail expansion will span over the next four financial quarters.
Chairman of Rajesh Exports, Rajesh Mehta said that the company is confident that over a period of the next one year, the company would be able to substantially increase the retail business by launching new retail stores which would result in increased profit margin for the company as retail is a high margin business.
On a consolidated basis, net profit of Rajesh Exports rose 13.8% to Rs 269.91 crore on 289% jump in net sales to Rs 58916.76 crore in Q1 June 2016 over Q1 June 2015. The company will announce its Q2 results on 11 November 2016.
Rajesh Exports is largest processor of gold in the world. It processes 35% of gold produced in the world. It has a presence across the value chain of gold from mining till its own retail brand. It is also the largest refiner of gold in the world.
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This year, during the current kharif season, country will be harvesting a bumper groundnut crop of about 55.0 lakh tonnes against 32.3 lakh tonnes last year.
The total production of groundnut in shell as per trade estimate would be about 70.0 lakh tonnes for the current oil year against last year 45.0 Lakh tonnes. Government has fixed Minimum Support Price for groundnut in shell at Rs.4,220 per quintal, whereas due to bumper crop, the prices has already fallen below MSP and farmers are forced to sell in distress at Rs.3,700/- to Rs.3,800/- per quintal which is likely to go down further with the full arrival pressure, discouraging and disappointing the groundnut farmers.
To support the groundnut farmers, Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) has strongly requested the Government to initiate Market Intervention Operation (MIO) to buy groundnut shell at MSP and also allow immediately the export of groundnut oil in bulk to support the price level.
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On 16 November 2016
Voltas will hold a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company on 16 November 2016 to consider and approve the Unaudited Financial Results (Stand-alone and Consolidated) for the quarter/six months ended 30 September, 2016 (Q2).
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Ahead of the India-Palestine Joint Commission meeting, Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar on Monday met Saeb Erkat, Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
"Expanding outreach in West Asia. MoS @mjakbar meets Dr.Saeb Erkat, Secy General of Executive Committee of Palestine Liberation Organisation," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.
Akbar reached Palestine on Monday to co-chair the First Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) of India and Palestine to be held on November 8-9.
He was received by Governor of Jericho Majed Fityani.
At the JCM, the Palestinian side will be co-chaired by Palestinian Foreign Minister of State Riad al-Maliki.
In a bid to give further impetus to the bilateral relationship, it was agreed to establish this JCM during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's visit to Palestine in January this year.
According to the External Affairs Ministry, the JCM will cover a range of issues that include cooperation in economy, energy, tourism, agriculture, water and environment, education, health, information technology, sports, culture, and media.
Akbar will also be visiting Amman, Jordan, on November 10 for bilateral talks with his counterpart and other dignitaries.
--IANS
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Actor Brad Pitt has pulled out of all of his promotional commitments for his new movie "Allied" following his split with Angelina Jolie.
The 52-year-old, who portrays the lead role of Max Vatan in the forthcoming romantic thriller, is reportedly refusing to do any interviews, press junkets or chat show appearances following his divorce with the 41-year-old "By the Sea" actress, reports tmz.com.
"This was supposed to be the start of a big campaign push for Brad to finally win an acting Oscar but there's too much controversy for him to risk any publicity. It also doesn't help that there were rumours he had an affair with his co-star Marion Cotillard, which both deny," a source told The Sun newspaper.
"Loads of chat show studios are gutted as they had him booked to come on and dozens of journalists have had their interviews scrapped. They are also being briefed not to ask anybody else associated about the film about Brad's personal life.
"His team look very likely to pull the plug on him even walking the red carpet in Los Angeles. They know it's important he been seen to support the film but this is a huge crisis for him and the current tactic is to lie low. If he does appear, he'll not say a word to any media and sneak in a side door," the source added.
The estranged couple, who got married last year, is currently locked in a legal battle as Jolie has requested full physical custody of their six children; Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and eight-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne while he has asked for shared guardianship.
Jolie had filed for divorce after Pitt turned "verbally abusive" and "physical" with their son Maddox while under the influence of alcohol during a flight on September 14.
--IANS
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A British labour rights activist on Monday left Thailand after facing harassment from companies he had denounced for abuses against migrant workers, prompting a series of lawsuits accusing him of defamation.
Andy Hall announced his departure on Monday morning on his Facebook account, attributing it to "insurmountable challenges with some companies and establishments" and "the increasingly negative developments", Efe news reported.
"The situation in defending migrant worker rights for me and others who act as human rights defenders in similar situations has rapidly deteriorated in Thailand with significantly increased risks and aggressiveness evident," said Hall, though he indicated he would be willing to return to Thailand without specifying a return date.
In September, Hall received a suspended sentence of three years in prison and a more than $4,000-fine over complaints filed by the multinational Natural Fruit Company.
The lawsuit was filed after Finnish human rights organisation FinnWatch released a report detailing the conditions of workers in a pineapple factory that exports the canned fruit globally, including to European Union countries.
Based on data gathered by Hall, the document accused the company of employing hundreds of Burmese immigrants, some of whom were minors, confiscating their passports and paying them below the minimum wage.
Hall's departure from Thailand comes just days after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Natural Fruit Company in another lawsuit against remarks made by him in 2013 during an interview with Al Jazeera on the situation of migrant workers in Thailand.
After winning the case, Hall announced he would file a lawsuit against the multinational company, the police and the attorney general for "unlawful prosecution and perjury".
--IANS
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British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday that she valued the independence of the judiciary and freedom of press, after a High Court ruling ordering the government to seek parliament's approval to trigger Article 50 was attacked by the media.
"I believe in and value the independence of our judiciary, I also value the freedom of our press. I think these both underpin our democracy and they are important," the Independent quoted May as saying to reporters on the plane to India for her first visit outside the EU after taking office this July.
"Of course the judges will look at the legal arguments. We think we have strong legal arguments and we will be taking those arguments to the Supreme Court," she added.
The High Court in London on Thursday ruled that parliament, and not May's government, should trigger the Article 50 mechanism to start the Brexit process, Xinhua news agency reported.
The decision by three of the leading judges in Britain sent shock waves through Westminster. Within an hour of the decision, the government confirmed it would appeal by taking the case to the highest court in England, the Supreme Court.
The decision and its response caused controversy after the judges were branded "enemies of the people" by Daily Mail and the cabinet minister Sajid Javid said the ruling flew in the face of democracy and was an unacceptable attempt to frustrate the will of the people.
From the moment she became the Prime Minister in July of this year, May's mantra became Brexit means Brexit and she would lead the people out of the EU. Political commentators are already speculating whether May will call an early general election to put her authority to the test.
--IANS
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China will have 58 million kilowatts (kw) of installed nuclear power by 2020 as it expands its clean energy network and pursues green growth, the country's energy regulator announced on Monday.
The government will have around 30 million kw of nulcear energy facility going into operation and over 30 million kw of such facility under construction in the next five years, according to the 13th Five-Year Plan for power development released by the National Energy Administration and the National Development and Reform Commission.
China is expected to require about 6.8 trillion to 7.2 trillion kw of power by 2020, with per capita power consumption of about 5,000 kw, close to the level of medium-developed countries, Xinhua news agency reported.
Non-fossil fuel will play a bigger role as the government aims to lift its share in total energy consumption to about 15 per cent by the end of 2020.
Installed capacity of hydropower, wind power and solar power will be respectively about 340 million, 210 million and 110 million kw.
Meanwhile, the installed capacity of coal-fired power will be restricted within 1.1 billion kw while natural-gas-fired power will reach over 110 million kw by 2020.
China will also promote smart grid development, address regional power supply imbalances and improve the power market rules, according to the development plan.
--IANS
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Paving the way for the elevation of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as the party chief, Congress Working Committee (CWC) members on Monday unanimously expressed their "strong sentiments" that he must take over the post.
Rahul Gandhi chaired the meeting of the party's highest decision-making body as his mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi was indisposed.
He also set the stage with his opening remarks in which he accused the Narendra Modi government of being "obsessed with power", and that democracy under the present dispensation was going through one of its "darkest hours".
The CWC adopted a resolution blaming the government for "growing intolerance and jobless growth" and asserted that the party will continue to fight the "communal agenda of the BJP and the RSS".
The Congress also accused the government of seeking to derive political mileage from the Indian Army's surgical strikes across the Line of Control in September and said that the promised One Rank One Pension had not been implemented in a "meaningful way."
The party also decided to seek one more year's extension from the Election Commission for holding organisational elections.
The push for Rahul Gandhi's elevation as Congress chief came after senior leader A.K. Antony raised the issue and was supported by all the members present including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Rahul Gandhi also signalled his inclination to take up the post, saying he was willing to take up any role decided by the party and the CWC.
Antony told media persons later that it was the first time that the CWC had issued its "strong sentiments" on the issue.
"In today's working committee meeting, members unanimously expressed their strong sentiments that respecting the wishes of crores of party workers and well-wishers that Rahul Gandhi ji must take over the presidentship of the Congress party," Antony said in a joint press briefing with party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala.
"We are recommending this for the first time to the Congress President. The final decision has to be that of the party President," he added.
Rahul Gandhi, 46, was appointed Vice President in January 2013 at Congress' brainstorming session in Jaipur.
A party leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Rahul Gandhi's elevation will definitely occur before December and another CWC meeting may be called for the purpose.
"The coming assembly polls, including those in crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, will be fought with Rahul Gandhi as the party chief," he said.
Party leaders said that Sonia Gandhi, who has been the longest serving president of the party since taking over in 1998 but has faced health problems in the recent past, will continue to be a guiding force.
In his remarks, Rahul Gandhi also charged the Modi government with seeking to "silence all those who disagree".
"Hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions. Television channels are being punished and asked to shut down. The opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account," he said.
Calling for "exposing" the Modi government in the upcoming Parliament session, Gandhi said: "Asking questions is what discomforts this government the most, for they have no answers."
On Pakistan, he said the government's policy has swung "from one extreme to another."
The resolution adopted by CWC also accused the government of "delay in the appointments of judges to the higher judiciary". It also observed key parameters of the economy were in sharp decline, noting that the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power on the promise of creating two crore jobs annually.
It asked the government to redress payment anomalies in OROP, correct its orders "about the cut in the disability pension" and address concerns about disparity between civilian and military grades.
Referring to surgical strikes, it urged the government "to give up its crude attempt to gain political advantage out of the essentially military action", noting "false claims, chest thumping and jingoism have no place in a mature democracy".
The CWC also discussed preparations for upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
--IANS
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Congress Working Committee (CWC) members on Monday unanimously urged party Vice President Rahul Gandhi to take over as Congress chief at a meeting of the party's highest decision-making body here, party leaders said.
"Number of party members expressed strong sentiments that Rahul Gandhi must take over the presidentship of the party," Congress leader A.K. Antony told reporters.
"It is high time that Congress must mobilise all its forces to fight against the dictatorial rule of the (Narendra) Modi government," the former Defence Minister added.
Antony also said that it was for the first time that this sentiment was strongly and unanimously expressed in the CWC meeting. "Final decision has to be that of the party President," he added.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi was not present at the meeting due to illness.
Replying to questions what Rahul Gandhi's response was, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said: "Congress VP (Vice President) was present in CWC meeting, he said whatever party and committee will decide, he would be ready to take up any challenge.
"Rahul Gandhiji said he wants to fight for idea of India and whatever party workers decide he will be ready to take up that role."
There have been demands in the party that Rahul Gandhi should take over the reigns of the party from his mother Sonia Gandhi, who is the longest serving president of the party.
She became party chief in 1998.
--IANS
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The national capital continued to suffer from "severe" air quality on Monday, though the smog cover saw some reduction.
System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) showed levels of PM (particulate matter) 2.5 and PM 10 breaching the 500 mark in most locations on Monday afternoon.
According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the average levels of PM 2.5 was around 500 micrograms per cubic metre at all the pollution measuring centres, including Anand Vihar in east Delhi, Punjabi Bagh and Dwarka in the west, R.K. Puram in the south and Mandir Marg in central Delhi.
The US Embassy's air pollution monitor, which covers the area of Chanakyapuri, showed Air Quality Index at 551, categorized as hazardous.
Values above 500 are considered beyond the Air Quality Index (AQI).
The US Embassy website issued an alert saying people could experience serious health effects due to the pollution.
On Monday, visibility improved from 200 metres on Sunday to 400 metres on Monday.
"Visibility at 8.30 a.m. was 400 metres at Safdarjung area," an official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) told IANS.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made an appeal saying it was time for the central and state governments to work together.
"Very important that central government and state governments work together. Delhi is willing to do whatever required and cooperate in every endeavour," he tweeted.
Delhi government intensified efforts to sprinkle water on city roads to curb pollution due to dust. The government has ordered schools remain closed for three days and stopped all construction and demolition activities till Friday.
Lt Governor Najeeb Jung has also called a meeting on Monday with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Public Works Department Minister Satyendar Jain, Environment Minister Imran Hussain, three municipal commissioners and other stakeholders on the issue.
Private weather forecaster, Skymet, said the air quality is expected to improve from Tuesday onward as strong winds of 15-20 kmph are expected from the northwest which would help in fast dispersal of pollutants in the air.
The Delhi government on Sunday unveiled a slew of steps to battle unprecedented smog levels that drastically cut visibility and turned the national capital into a virtual gas chamber.
Coal-based thermal power plant at Badarpur in south Delhi, which generates fly ash, was ordered to shut for 10 days.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal maintained that this was a larger problem involving neighbouring states, where farmers are burning crop stubble in a wide area, and sought the central government's intervention.
--IANS
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In a 2008 interview with Barack Obama, two weeks before he was elected Americas President, I had asked him why a democracy over 200 years old was fixated over issues like its "first black president.
Obama was then a US Senator, but his response was more ideological than political. He referred to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 following years of racial inequity, adding: "We are running on inclusiveness, optimism and hope, and that will translate into a progressive presidency on issues of diversity and inclusion."
As Obama prepares to leave the White House, America is increasingly, and in the estimation of many, irreparably divided by race, class and religion. What Republican candidate Donald Trump's presidential campaign has done is to make targeting people of a different skin color not just acceptable, but chic.
The devastating effects could linger awhile, even if he loses. In New York, which like California, was once considered a bastion of pluralism, Mexican school students have been told to "go home". In Georgia a militia of gun owners prepare to withstand the anticipated onslaught on their way of life should Hillary Clinton become president. The group welcomes immigrants, but only from Europe.
The possibility of Donald Trump becoming the next US president is dire enough to have sent many to psychiatrists. Other Americans have contemplated moving to Canada or New Zealand.
The unspoken apprehension of impending doom seems pervasive among all but the faithful. In Chicago, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev was asked as to how Americans should deal with the voter's moral dilemma in the most contentious presidential campaign in recent American history. His answer was that what the country needed was a considered vote, not a "committed" one.
Bertrand Russell once said that one of the problems in the world is that fools and fanatics are so sure of themselves while the wise are full of doubt. Like the far right elsewhere, Indian Americans supporting Trump are absolute -- both in their certitude and their manifestations of ferocious piety.
At the Hindus for Trump event organized in New Jersey recently, Bollywood actress Malaika Arora revved up the audience before Trump made his appearance to declare that "I am a big fan of Hindu". By many accounts, well over 90 percent of the three million Indian Americans are anti-Trump. (Indians like many immigrants tend to vote for the Democrats.)
Hindu Americans appeared to gravitate to Trump for his relentless anti-Muslim rhetoric and his professed admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In the euphoria of a new found savior, history was the first casualty. New Jersey is no stranger to bigotry. As recently as the early 1990s, the state was infamous for the 'dot busters', gangs which targeted 'bindi' wearing Hindu women. In the post 9/11 America, there have been also instances of Hindus and Sikhs being targeted because they were perceived as being Muslims. How would Donald Trump isolate Muslims while preventing the targeting of other South Asians? Neither the organizers nor the audience appeared perturbed by such subtleties.
Analysts have said that with Donald Trump, the Republicans -- the party of Abraham Lincoln -- has become one for those without college degrees. Like right-wing politicians in Europe and elsewhere, he has tapped into the fear of free trade and immigration among blue collar workers in parts of America known as the rust belt.
He has obliterated election traditions -- not releasing his tax returns and even refusing to accept the election results unless he is declared the victor.
At his campaign events, journalists are corralled and the audience encouraged to boo at them. This has reinforced Trump's image as a martyr against the establishment and the 'rigged' media.
Trump has become such an effective parody of himself that the staff of the satirical magazine The Onion found themselves creatively bankrupt trying to caricature him.
Trump's affairs of the heart are famously ephemeral. It was not long ago when, railing against outsourcing of American jobs, he put on a fake Indian accent to mimic a call center worker.
Indian Americans basking in his affection today may discover rather quickly that Trump's infatuation can shift in a heartbeat. And it was Napoleon Bonaparte who warned that one who knows how to flatter is equally adept at slander.
(Ashok Easwaran is a senior journalist of Indian origin. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at ashok3185@yahoo.com)
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Security has been enhanced and vigil stepped up for the day-long visit of British Prime Minister Theresa May here on Tuesday, said a police official.
"Security details are sensitive and hence not divulged for official reasons, especially in case of VIPs visiting the state. Elaborate security is in place for May in the city as per the rules," a senior police official told IANS on the condition of anonymity.
May, 60, who is on a maiden three-day official visit to India since Sunday, will reach here from New Delh on a special aircraft and will participate in five-six events across the city.
Soon on arrival at 10.30 a.m., May will hold a bilateral meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at a hotel near the international airport at Devanahalli, about 40km from the city centre.
On way to the city, May will go to a state-run primary school at Papanahalli and interact with its girls and boys.
"The British Prime Minister will visit Dynamatic Technologies Ltd at the Peenya industrial estate and inspect its aerospace facility, where components are made for British and French firms like BAE Systems and Airbus Industries," said a protocol official ahead of the visit.
After lunch at a hotel in the city centre, May will go to the Someshwara Temple at Halasuru and seek blessings of the Hindu deity Shiva.
The 15th century temple is one the oldest in the southern state, dating back to the Chola period.
On way back to the airport, May will hold an hour-long interactive session with chief executives of India Inc at a city hotel.
A delegation of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) will call on her at the venue.
May is the fourth British Premier to visit Bengaluru after her (Conservative) Party's then leader John Major on January 9, 1997, his Labour Party successor Tony Blair on January 4, 2002 and her predecessor David Cameron on July 28, 2010.
"Vehicular traffic will be restricted and regulated on the routes May's motorcade will drive to the venues where events are scheduled for her and her accompanying delegation. We will try to minimise inconvenience to the public and avoid gridlock," the police officer added.
--IANS
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Ficci has reconstituted the India-UK Forum of Parliamentarians coinciding with British Prime Minister Theresa Mays three-day official visit to India from November 6 to 8, the industry chamber said here on Monday.
According to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), this as an important initiative to cement bilateral ties through a track-two mode.
The forum -- launched with the objective to strengthen parliamentary diplomacy that binds India and the UK -- brings together members of parliament across political ideologies, age groups and gender.
"In the light of recent developments in Europe, the relevance of greater cooperation between India and Britain has greatly enhanced. Social and civilisational values like democracy, universal fraternity, open economy and desire to engage for mutual benefits are common to both," said Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Chairman of the forum who is Rajya Sabha member and scholar.
Under the forum, the industry association plans to organise a series of policy dialogues on topics of critical significance to India and the UK, including the proposed FTA (free-trade agreement), post Brexit developments and deliberations on the India-UK Strategic Partnership.
An outbound delegation to the UK is being planned for early 2017 to engage with the British Parliament, diaspora and industry, the industry chamber said.
"As India's national industry association, Ficci has a multi-pronged international outreach strategy. Through the India-UK Forum of Parliamentarians, our endeavour is to supplement traditional channels of engagement by creating a track two dialogue process to build greater understanding between elected representatives of India and the UK in a cordial atmosphere and a neutral platform," said Harshavardhan Neotia, President of Ficci.
"In the coming months, we look forward to rolling out a series of initiatives under the able guidance of Dr. Sahasrabuddhe," he said.
The industry chamber has similar bilateral Forums of Parliamentarians with strategic partner countries such as the US, Germany and Japan to facilitate a "track two" mechanism for wider exchange of views and experiences amongst elected representatives from India and their peers in other countries on bilateral and global issues, leadership and the institution of democracy.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers Sunday the agency hasn't changed its opinion that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton should not face criminal charges over her use of personal e-mail server during her stay in the State Department, after a review of new e-mails.
Comey had dropped a bombshell 11 days from the November 8 election when he informed Congress that the FBI had discovered e-mails in its separate investigation of Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, that could be connected to its investigation of whether Clinton mishandled classified information by using a private e-mail server, CNN reported.
"Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July," Comey said in a letter to top Republicans on the House Oversight Committee.
Comey's letter was the culmination of a fast-paced review of the newly discovered e-mails, law enforcement sources said on Sunday.
"We went through this as fast as we could," a senior law enforcement official told CNN.
The e-mails, thousands found, were mostly duplicates of what had already been seen and personal e-mails, law enforcement officials said in explaining how the conclusion was reached so quickly. The laptop which was found was around a decade old, with lots of personal content on it not relevant to the investigation, according to one source.
In July, Comey said Clinton had been careless but not criminal in handling sensitive material on her private e-mail server as Secretary of State.
It's impossible to know before results are tallied what impact Comey's actions -- first raising a vaguely worded red flag 11 days out, and then lowering it two days from the election -- will have on the contest.
But the news could help Clinton put to rest a controversy that has dogged her in the 2016 race's closing days, helping her rival Donald Trump narrow a polling gap nationally and in key battleground states.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Allu Sirish has started shooting for upcoming Malayalam war drama "1971: Beyond Borders", which focuses on the tank battle between India and Pakistan. He says it's an honour to be part of a film on history.
Directed by Major Ravi, the film also stars Malayalam superstar Mohanlal.
"I'm very patriotic, and it's one of the reasons why I was chosen for the role. I like wearing my patriotic tag on my sleeve. When Ravi sir offered me the role, I thought it would be an honour to be part of a film on our history," Sirish told IANS.
Recalling how he landed the offer, Sirish said an accidental meeting with director Ravi did the trick.
"He was in Hyderabad to meet someone else. We accidentally met and I started talking to him about his films, about partition and history. He felt I was more patriotic and he was very keen on having like-minded people on his project. He wanted someone who believed in the film, in his vision, and he saw that in me," he said.
In the film, Sirish plays a tank commander, and he has already started shooting in Arjungarh army base in Rajasthan.
Asked if he being patriotic was enough to play his part, Sirish said: "Ravi was on the lookout for someone who was physically strong but at the same time vulnerable. He wanted a young guy with brashness, and he wanted him to take crazy risks. He saw these things in me and that's how I landed the role."
Although Ravi had initially planned to cast someone older and even more familiar, he felt the character won't be justified.
The film marks Sirish's Malayalam debut. And he isn't nervous.
"I'm excited," said Sirish in an affirmative tone.
"I've always been numb towards success and failure. When my first film tanked, I didn't feel depressed. When my last film turned out to be a hit, I wasn't super elated. More than getting worked up about something, I like to be prepared. Preparation helps more than nervousness," he said and added that challenges excite him.
Sirish will use this opportunity to learn from Mohanlal, with whom he will share screen space.
"It's a big break for me to act alongside Mohanlal sir in my first Malayalam film. I hope to learn from him as much as possible. I'm sure it's going to be a great learning experience," he said.
Other things he hopes to pick by working in Malayalam industry is the different kind of acting style.
"You can find a lot of realism in the performances in Malayalam films. In Tamil and Telugu industries, it's got more to do with a theatrical kind of performance style," he added.
--IANS
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At least one person was killed and crops were damaged in incessant rains caused by a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal in Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and southern Assam over te past three days, officials said on Monday.
The normal life has been thrown out of gear in the northeastern states, they added.
A 21-year-old youth, Biswajit Roy, died while crossing a flooded canal in Agartala on Sunday night. His body was recovered late on Sunday night.
An official of Tripura's Disaster Control Centre said that several hundred families in different parts of Tripura took shelter in relief camps, as their homes and villages were flooded following incessant rains.
"Many houses were also washed away in western Tripura. Low-lying areas were inundated. District Magistrate Milind Ramteke and Additional District Magistrate Kuntal Das have visited the affected areas and met the affected people," Sadar Sub-Divisional Magistrate Samit Roy Chowdhury told IANS.
Seasonal crops in Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and southern Assam were the worst affected by the post-monsoon rain.
"Seasonal crops like potato, cauliflower, cabbage and various other vegetables were badly damaged due to the rains in Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and southern Assam," agricultural expert Chandan Debbarma told IANS.
In Aizawl, a Mizoram Disaster Control Centre official said that the rains since Friday damaged many houses built in the hilly terrain.
He said as vehicular movement was restricted by landslides and uprooted trees, normal life was severely affected in different parts of eastern and western Mizoram.
Meteorological Department officials in Agartala, Aizawl and Silchar (southern Assam's main commercial city) said that the situation is likely to improve from Monday night.
"There would be no heavy rains in the next couple of days. Light or moderate rains are likely to occur in some places of Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and southern Assam," Meteorological Department Director in Agartala Dilip Saha told IANS.
He said that the deep depression, generated in the Bay of Bengal four days back, has now lost its strength and it currently exists in Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, southern Assam and adjoining northeastern Bangladesh.
Refuting the reports in a section of media, Saha said that no cyclone has occurred in the past one week in the region.
"The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has never announced a cyclone in Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur or southern Assam and other areas. To declare a cyclone, its wind speed must be 65 km per hour, besides fulfilling other criteria. The wind speed of the current deep depression did not cross 55 km per hour," the official said.
He added that a high-level IMD committee in Delhi after considering various aspects declares a phenomenon as a cyclone.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India and Britain on Monday signed agreements on intellectual property rights (IPR) and ease of doing business following delegation-level talks led by Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Theresa May here.
"Advancing business through agreements. The two leaders witness exchange of MoUs in Intellectual Property and Ease of Doing Business," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.
Earlier on Monday, Modi and May addressed the India-UK Tech Summit here.
This is May's first bilateral visit outside of Europe since she assumed the Prime Minister's office in July this year.
She took over the prime ministership after David Cameron resigned following the historic referendum in June in which Britain voted to exit from the European Union. Cameron rooted for Britain to stay in the EU.
May's visit comes a little less than a year after Modi's visit to Britain in November last year.
May, who arrived here late on Sunday night on a three-day official visit to India, will also visit Bengaluru on Tuesday.
--IANS
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A Japanese journalist who was detained in Iraq and thought to have been held by Kurdish authorities near the northern city of Mosul has been freed, the Japanese reported on Monday.
Japan's public broadcaster NHK said Kosuke Tsuneoka, detained while trying to cover an offensive by Iraqi and Kurdish military in a bid to recapture the Islamic State-held Mosul, had told NHK that he was released recently.
Tsuneoka, 47, was unharmed and in what NHK described as "good health". The journalist will return to Japan on a flight from an airport in northern Iraq, reports Xinhua news agency.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Abdul Rauf Daud Merchant, the convicted killer of Indian music baron Gulshan Kumar, and an alleged aide of Dubai-based Indian underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, has been released from Dhaka Central Jail, media reports said on Monday.
Merchant left Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj around 4.30 p.m. on Sunday, Jahangir Kabir, senior jail superintendent of the prison, confirmed to The Daily Star.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal did not clarify whether Merchant has been handed over to India, where he is to stand trial.
Merchant had been arrested in Brahmanbaria in 2009 for possessing a fake Bangladeshi passport. Merchant was initially kept at the Kashimpur jail in Gazipur.
He was kept at the Dhaka Central Jail since November 2014, when he was re-arrested only four days after being released on bail under section 54 of the penal code, which gives the police the right to arrest anyone under suspicion.
Merchant was sentenced to life imprisonment in India in April 2002 for shooting dead the music baron and T-Series founder Gulshan Kumar, in Mumbai on August 12, 1997.
Kumar was shot while he was coming out of a temple on August 12, 1997.
Merchant illegally entered Bangladesh after being released on parole in April 2009 to visit his sick mother. Since 2013, the Indian government had been pressing Bangladesh to fast-track his extradition, Dhaka Tribune reported.
On November 11 last year, Anup Chetia, leader of the Indian separatist group Ulfa, was handed over to the Indian authorities. India then returned Nur Hossain, the prime suspect in the Narayanganj seven-murder case.
--IANS
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After the rebuff by the independent directors of Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), Tata Sons will have to tread cautiously if it seeks Cyrus Mistry's ouster from the group's companies as experts in the industry feel "it will not be an easy task" procedurally and legally.
A cross-section of experts with whom IANS spoke to, including lawyers dealing with corporate matters, say nothing can be said definitely as they are not privy to the memorandum and the articles of association of the group's different companies.
Yet, they add, going by the statute, a lot would depend on how Mistry decides to play ball. Nesar Ahmed, A former president of Institute of Company Secretaries of India, said: "If he decides to dig in his heels, then removing him as director would not be an easy job."
Ahmed, also a corporate consultant, added that the way the Tatas have conducted themselves in removing Mistry may not be strictly in breach of the law but certainly it was not in conformity with the transparent and ethos-based corporate governance that they have been espousing all along.
However, there is also a view that a lot would depend on which side the government would lean, as Life Insurance Corp (LIC) and state-run banks have sizeable stakes in the Tata group's various entities.
In this regard, they also point towards the meetings that Ratan Tata, now back as the interim chairman, had with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley soon after the removal of Mistry as Chairman by the Tata Sons board.
While there is a general agreement that it would not be a cakewalk for the Tatas to unload Mistry from the board of group companies, well known legal luminary Lalit Bhasin said it depends on the facts of each case, and of each company.
This view is also shared by Harish Vaid, Vice President for Corporate Affairs at Jaypee Group.
While Amitabh Chaturvedi, a lawyer dealing with corporate matters, said that the Memorandum of Association is the basic document laying down the procedures, another corporate lawyer -- while endorsing the position -- said that it all depends on the pleasure of the board.
Also, a former vice-president of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India, Vaid said on the basis of available information, it is not clear whether the chairmen of Tata group companies are the nominees of the Tata Sons or appointed by their respective boards.
If it is to be decided by the individual boards, Vaid said that independent directors would have a decisive say as in the case of IHCL, where the move to remove Mistry as Chairman was frustrated by seven independent directors.
In that situation, Vaid said they will have to wait for the next shareholders' meeting where the directors are appointed. It is at such a meeting that the Tata's can exercise their indirect control and remove Mistry.
In this situation, the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, with a little more than 18 per cent stake in Tata Sons, will not have any bearing, as the Tata Trusts have majority stake in Tata Sons.
Ahmed said other options for Tata Sons would be to requisition an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders by taking recourse to Section 115 of the Companies Act.
Under this section, notice for such a meeting can be given by stakeholders with 1 per cent of the total voting power, or those with shares of Rs Five lakh and above. The sacking can be asked for under Section 169 of the Companies Act, which provides for the removal of directors.
Ahmed said that not only the chairman, being sought to be replaced, has to be given reasonable notice period, but even the market regulator and the exchanges where the shares are listed have to be informed about it. The rules of the corporate governance have to be observed.
(Parmod Kumar can be reached at saneel2010@gmail.com)
--IANS
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed grief over the death of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Union Minister Jayawantiben Mehta.
"Saddened by the passing away of Jayawantiben Mehta. We remember her rich contribution to the nation. Condolences to her family," said Modi in a tweet.
Mehta, 78 passed away in the early hours of the day at her residence in Mumbai following a brief illness.
She had served as a minister in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
--IANS
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Rome, Nov 7 (IANS/AKI) A rescued shipped docked in the Sicilian capital Palermo on Monday carrying over 1,000 migrants and the bodies of 10 people who perished during the crossing from North Africa.
Italian prosecutors requested autopsies to be carried out on the 10 migrant corpses.
The bodies were recovered on Saturday from a rubber dinghy off the Libyan coast, Italian Coastguard said, adding that 2,200 other migrants were rescued during the day.
A further 1,200 migrants were rescued on Friday in operations in the Mediterranean.
Some 169,901 people have arrived in Greece and 159,496 in Italy this year till November 2, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
The figure is well below the number of arrivals at over the same period of 2015 and is line with the totals for 2014.
Some 4,220 migrants died attempting to cross the Mediterranean this year through 2 November in what is the deadliest on record, said IOM.
--IANS/AKI
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Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday hit out at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and said whatever he said about democracy and curtailing the freedom of press "suits the Congress itself".
"Every word Rahul said at the Congress Working Commitee (CWC) meet suits the Congress itself and reminds people of what it had done... Democracy was taken off the air for 19-and-a-half months and Emergency was imposed," the Information and Broadcasting Minister told reporters here.
Defending the government's decision against Hindi news channel NDTV India as a "small action", he said the government would never do anything to suppress freedom.
Naidu said indiscriminate criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government would boomerang on the Congress, which has "no moral right to talk about democracy".
"The Congress Vice President's statements are laughable," he said, adding the government was prepared for a detailed debate on all these issues with the opposition during the winter session of Parliament.
He said nobody spoke about democracy and freedom of during the UPA regime when 21 news channels were banned from time to time.
"In fact, the channel named 'Janmat' was banned for 20 days when P.R. Dasmunsi was the Information and Broadcasting Minister," he said.
Naidu also said the action against NDTV India was initiated by the government following the guidelines and advisories issued by the UPA government in December 2008.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV company on Monday moved the Supreme Court to challenge the government imposed one-day ban on its Hindi channel, NDTV India.
"NDTV challenges the one-day ban on Hindi channel in the Supreme Court," NDTV said in a statement issued here.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Thursday directed the news channel to go off air from the midnight of November 8 to midnight of November 9 for allegedly breaching cable TV norms in its coverage of the January 2 terror attack on the Pathankot Indian Air Force base.
Refuting the claims, NDTV said: "Other channels and newspapers reported the same information."
The ban on NDTV India has been widely condemned by major opposition parties, the Editors Guild and other groups.
--IANS
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An elderly person was killed when a crude bomb went off in Katwa town in West Bengal's Bardhaman district on Monday, causing widespread panic in the area, the state police said.
The explosion occurred at a local club in Katwa town, about 160 km north of Kolkata, where a huge number of crude bombs and other explosives were found stored illegally, the police added.
"It was a huge explosion. The entire area shook with the impact and was completely covered in smoke," a local resident said.
The locals also said that the club got completely flattened and its roof was bloown away.
"We came out hearing the explosion and saw the club building completely demolished. The elderly man, who was sitting by the club, died on the spot," another local said.
The police reached the spot and recovered plenty of fresh crude bombs among other explosives.
"We received complaints that crude bombs were made and stored inside the local club. Further investigation is on," Bardhaman district's Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Raj Narayan Mukherjee said.
--IANS
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Global climate began on Monday with the opening of the 22nd session of the Conference of Parties (COP22) by lighting a small solar lamp. President COP21, Segolene Royal handed over the baton of climate change negotiations to President COP22, Salaheddine Mezouar, along with the responsibility to keep the global temperature rise well below two degrees.
The two week conference, which is seen as the COP of action, started at this historic Morocco town, four days after the landmark Paris Climate Agreement (COP21) entered into force.
"Paris gave us a global commitment to climate change and Marrakech will give us more ambitious climate action. We must all rise to the challenge in support of the most vulnerable countries in the fight against climate change," said Mezouar, Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Underlining that the COP21, which entered into force four years before its intended deadline, had been ratified by 100 countries now, Mezouar said to know how to implement the Paris Climate Deal is the latest challenge for the world.
"The commitment which started in Copenhagen and COP21 has now been ratified by 100 nations. We need to know how to implement the Paris Agreement," Mezouar said.
The Copenhagen Accord or 15th COP and Fifth session of CMP (Parties to the Kyoto Protocol) that happened in 2009, was a political agreement at UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, where parties pledged to take action against greenhouse gas emission.
Seven years later, Morocco is now holding the first session of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA1), COP22 and CMP 12 (Parties to the Kyoto Protocol).
Mezouar spoke of gathering financial resources for the developing nations to help them mitigate climate change, technology transfer and capacity building. The developed world, under a $100 billion mission, is supposed to extend help to the developing nations. Of this, about $63 billion is said to have started being mobilised by public funds, and remaining as private funds.
"There is a need to increase the NDCs commitments. Efforts to live up with a process to give financial resources, technology transfer, capacity building for the developing nations is required," said the COP22 President.
NDCs or Nationally Determined Contributions are the plans of countries submitted to the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), on reducing green house gases, such as planting billion of trees as enunciated by India's NDC.
Speaking of his own country Morocco, he said, "Morocco is going to become regional leader for clean energy."
He called for a concrete action plan for the most vulnerable countries, especially in Africa, the least developed and small island developing states.
Mezouar said that during COP22, Morocco, along with a number of partners, will launch the NDC Partnership to ensure that direct finance flows towards the most vulnerable countries.
President COP21 and former French minister, Royal lauded the entry into force of the Paris Agreement.
"The rapid entry into force of the Paris Agreement is unprecedented and sends a powerful signal of the world's commitment to combating climate change," said Royal.
Executive Secretary of UNFCCC, Patricia Espinosa of Mexico, pointed out the historic significance of Morocco as host of the UN Climate Change Conference 22 as well as the COP7, held in Marrakech in 2001 - leading to the Marrakech Accords. The COP22 will feature CMA1 and the first global climate action agenda that will feature thematic showcase events, dialogues and a high-level event to call for more coordinated and ambitious climate action between states and civil society.
"We need to work together with speed and scale on all fronts," said Espinosa.
(IANS correspondent Kushagra Dixit is in Marrakech to cover COP22. He can be reached at kushagra.d@ians.in)
--IANS
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US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her Republican rival Donald Trump were in a "technical tie" in critical battleground states, showed a poll released on Monday.
The Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll shows a technical tie between Clinton and Trump in Florida and North Carolina, EFE news quoted Peter A. Brown, the Assistant Director of the poll, as saying.
Clinton held a 1-point lead over her Republican rival Donald Trump in Florida and a 2-point lead in North Carolina, well within the poll's margin of error.
The error margin in the two state surveys is 3.3 per cent, and thus the states remain "too close to call".
The landline and cellphone surveys in the two states were conducted on November 3-6 among 884 possible voters in Florida and 870 in North Carolina.
According to Brown, it is not realistic to think about a scenario in which Trump wins the White House without winning either of these two states, and Clinton can win even without them that is "not a road she wants to travel".
Brown said he does not believe that a situation will arise where the winner in either state will be decided by as few as 548 votes, as was the case in George W. Bush's 2000 win over Al Gore in Florida.
"However, both states could keep the country up counting ballots well into Wednesday morning and perhaps beyond," he added.
In Florida, almost half of the registered voters have already voted by absentee ballot or in early voting, and most of those who have cast ballots so far have been Democrats, according to the latest official figures.
The state's election authorities reported on Monday that some 6.42 million voters, out of Florida's 12.9 million eligible voters, have already cast their ballots.
Of those who have voted, 2.56 million are Democrats and 2.47 million are Republicans, along with 1.23 million who are listed as independents, EFE news reported.
More than 8.5 million people voted in Florida in 2012, when President Barack Obama won re-election.
Quinnipiac University said that 47 per cent of the early or absentee voters have cast their ballots for Clinton and 43 per cent for Trump in the Sunshine State, and 45 per cent of independents have voted for the former First Lady and 43 per cent for the business magnate.
Trump has received 86 per cent of the votes of registered Republicans and Clinton has received 85 per cent of the votes of registered Democrats.
While Trump is ahead of Clinton among white voters, 57 per cent to 34 per cent, and among men, 48 per cent to 40 per cent, former Secretary of State is leading among non-white voters by 68 per cent to 23 per cent and among women, 50 per cent to 42 per cent.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said a poor country like India cannot afford the luxury of corruption and called for increased use of technology to counter the menace.
Addressing the valedictory function of Vigilance Awareness Week here, Modi also said politicians were considered to be the most corrupt.
"A poor country like India cannot afford the luxury of corruption. It is a tough challenge but we must continue to fight it. When we are vigilant in all sectors, there is a cumulative effect. There are honest countries in the world, so why can't India be one of them," said Modi.
Talking about how people often come out with "ingenious mode" to indulge in corruption, Modi said the politician community was the most infamous for corruption.
"Wherever you ask who is the most corrupt, people will say politicians. It's our community (politicians) which is the most infamous," he said.
Harping on initiatives like Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Modi said technology can play a big role in countering corruption.
"Because of DBT, we saved Rs 36,000 crore which otherwise would have been channelised to somebody's pockets. Because of use of technology we have been able to send this money to the rightful beneficiaries. Technology can play a big role in counting corruption," he said.
He also advocated for policy-driven laws.
"Ambiguity can open avenues for corruption, that is why laws should be straight and policy driven. There should not be any ifs and buts. Otherwise people will use them to suit their vested interests," Modi said.
"That is why we should focus more on policy driven laws, so there is no scope of ambiguity and thus no scope for corruption," he added.
Observing that there was a prevalent perception of "all being corrupt", Modi called for constant endeavours at vigilance and countering corruption.
"It is only some who are dishonest but there exists this perception that all are corrupt. There is also this tendency of treating corruption as an acceptable norm. We need to fight this perception. Besides use of technology, we need to spread awareness," added Modi.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
While not ruling out the Congress joining a "grand alliance" in Uttar Pradesh, Congress chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit said it was a "little surprising" that the party's election strategist Prashant Kishor met Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.
"It did look a little surprising. I don't know what made him go for the meeting," Dikshit told IANS when asked about the November 1 Kishor-Mulayam meeting which set tongues wagging.
The former Delhi Chief Minister for 15 long years also said she was not in a position to say if Kishor went as a Congress emissary.
Asked if the party was satisfied with his style of functioning, Dikshit said: "He is an advisor, a strategist. Whether we are happy with his work or not, only the Secretaries would know... I wouldn't know."
She added: "A grand alliance is being spoken about, but I don't think anything concrete has yet been decided."
The Kishor-Mulayam meeting, also attended by the Samajwadi Party supremo's confidant Amar Singh, triggered speculation that the Congress may be mulling the idea of a "grand alliance" to take on the BJP in Uttar Pradesh in next year's assembly elections -- a la Bihar.
The Congress, the Janata Dal-United and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) came together in Bihar and worsted a BJP-led alliance. In Bihar, however, the Samajwadi Party pulled out of the alliance at the eleventh hour, blaming the many seats given to the Congress.
Will there be an alliance in Uttar Pradesh too?
Dikshit replied: "It's not that there is no question. At the moment, it is not there. There is talk about it, but I think it is more in the news. Let's see what happens."
Senior leaders from the erstwhile Janata Parivar on Saturday called for unity at an event in Lucknow to mark 25 years of the Samajwadi Party. It was led by former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. Others present included former JD-U President Sharad Yadav, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad.
Dikshit said as of now no one from the Samajwadi Party had approached the Congress to discuss a possible alliance.
"Except that (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister) Akhilesh (Yadav) did say that he has a lot of warmth for Rahul Gandhi, I don't think anything else (sent feelers from SP). Personally, if something has happened, I won't be able to tell," Dikshit told IANS in an interview.
But she admitted that the current turmoil in the Samajwadi Party had tarnished the party's image.
Asked about her comments that Akhilesh Yadav was a "modern CM", she said: "These comments are not related to any alliance per se.
"There is nothing like a soft corner (for Akhilesh), it is a political requirement. If a person is doing a good job, we appreciate it. We should not read any political message in it.
"He is a young CM; there is no affinity. He belongs to a different political party and our thinking is very different," she added when asked if the Congress had an affinity towards him.
Dikshit said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had to take a decision on joining the election campaign in the state. "There is a huge demand for her, unprecedented demand, but she has to take the call."
Dikshit said the strategy behind projecting her as the Chief Ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh was her record as the Chief Minister of Delhi.
"Primarily, it is because of the work the Congress did in Delhi. That's for everybody to see. Also, I am a UP wala. I am married into a UP family. I lived there... started my political career there."
Asked if it was also to woo the Brahmin voters, she said: "I also happen to be a Brahmin." But she quickly added that the Congress was an "inclusive" party and did not look at things from a caste point of view.
How well is the Congress placed in the state whose three major players are the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party?
"It is improving," she said, but refused to predict the number of seats the party could win. "Our chances are improving and we are feeling more and more confident every day. The chances are good. We are very positive. People are looking at governance.
"We are trying to reach out to people and explain to them our style of governance," said Dikshit.
(Sidhartha Dutta can be contacted at sidhartha.d@ians.in)
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday questioned the government's Pakistan policy, saying it was swinging "from one extreme to another" while dealing with Islamabad.
Presiding over the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here, Gandhi also said that soldiers were suffering the highest casualties in decades and accused the government of being callous towards the troops.
"The government has swung from one extreme to another in dealing with Pakistan and the issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir," Gandhi said.
"In recent months, our jawans have suffered the highest casualties in decades. They are being cruelly 'rewarded' by a callous government with denial of OROP (One Rank One Pension) and cut in disabilities pensions."
Congress President Sonia Gandhi skipped the meeting. The party said she was unwell.
The CWC is expected to discuss organisational polls and strategy for the winter session of Parliament as well as assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa and Manipur.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and actor Kabir Bedi rooted for Hillary Clinton, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor also expressed support for the Democratic nominee for the forthcoming US elections.
Rishi on Monday wished Clinton for the elections, which would be taking place on Tuesday.
"POTUS (President Of The United States). Go, Hillary Clinton! Please elect her as your new President if you want peace, stability and harmony. Donald Duck (Trump) is no option," Rishi tweeted.
On the work front, Rishi who made his Bollywood debut in 1970 with "Mera Naam Joker", was last seen on screen in the 2015 film "Kapoor & Sons", where he was lauded for effortlessly portraying a nonagenarian.
As of now, the 64-year-old has no films in his kitty.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who could not attend the Congress Working Committee meeting on Monday due to illness, had her last major public engagement three months back -- a road show in Varanasi.
She had suddenly taken ill during the road show in Varanasi on August 2 and had to return to the national capital.
She was later admitted to a private hospital in Delhi following dehydration and fever. She also underwent treatment for a shoulder injury.
After falling ill at Varanasi, Gandhi's first major official interaction was in October, when she met visiting Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Later in the month, she also met visiting Myanmar State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi at her residence.
Gandhi on Monday reported unwell ahead of the party's working committee meet that she was scheduled to chair. Sources said she complained of a bad throat.
There have been demands in the party that Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi take over the reigns of the party from his mother amid concerns that Sonia Gandhi should not undertake a strenuous election campaign for the upcoming assembly polls in five states.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sri Lanka is planning to introduce plain packaging of all tobacco products in a new step to curb its consumption, President Maithripala Sirisena said on Monday.
Stating consumption of smokeless tobacco was an alarming issue in Sri Lanka and the entire region, Sirisena said there should not be any kind of compromise with the tobacco industry.
Sri Lankan Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne is proposing to introduce plain packaging as another important measure in the near future, and "here we thank the FCTC for the excellent technical support", said Sirisena.
The Sri Lankan President was speaking at the opening ceremony of the WHO FCTC COP7 -- the world's biggest convention on tobacco control policies being held in India for the first time.
The November 7-12 meet will see the participation of members from 180 countries to frame stringent policies against the tobacco industry.
The convention will also see deliberations on the ways to curb illicit trade of tobacco.
Sri Lanka ratified the FCTC in 2005 and was one of the first country to sign the FCTC. It passed a Tobacco and Alcohol Act in 2006 and set up the Tobacco and Alcohol Authority, popularly known as NATA.
"With support of the WHO and FCTC, we regularly monitor the trends of tobacco prevalence among the populations," said Sirisena.
Accusing the tobacco industry of being a dishonest industry, Sirisena said: "The tobacco industry often distorts and challenges the best scientific knowledge, promotes dishonest arguments that have nothing to do with the truth.
"We know that the industry will try to influence policy makers in many ways, often support petitioners to challenge government legislation and persuade the mass media.
"This to me is a direct interference in the internal policy matters of any country. We need not have any compromise of any kind with the tobacco industry," said Sirisena.
Sri Lanka has 80 per cent pictorial warnings mandatory on all the packets of tobacco products.
The President, who held the health portfolio during former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's tenure, had once called for a fight against the rising illicit trade of tobacco products.
He also urged more countries to ratify the FCTC Protocol.
Highlighting the rising problem of smokeless tobacco consumption in Sri Lanka and in the region, Sirisena said: "I would urge the FCTC to address the issue of smokeless tobacco also very seriously in the years to come. Cost of neglect can be very high."
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indian Navy, the smallest but most strategic of the three services, is suffering from chronic malnutrition, with its share of defence allocations cut from 18 per cent, four years ago, to just 14.5 per cent today. In dealing with a Chinese military offensive, the army and air force will be on the defensive. The navy alone can take the offensive, with its control over the Indian Ocean trade routes providing an instrument to throttle Chinas economy. Yet, short-term preoccupations grab the resources. When a high-power, empowered committee visited Russia last month after the Uri attack, the focus was entirely on making up the armys shortfalls. Ditto for another similar committee that is currently shopping in Israel. Meanwhile, many warship and naval acquisitions are starved of funding while indigenous projects, such as building a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, languish for years awaiting sanctions.
Congress Vice-President on Monday hit out at the Narendra Modi government saying that the democracy is going through one of the darkest hours under the present government.
Hitting out at the Centre, CPI(M) general secretary on Monday said the government "under the control of the RSS is intensifying its Hindutva agenda".
Inaugurating the year-long celebrations of October Revolution here, he said, "The situation has gone to an extent that the RSS is now issuing certificates of patriotism. They are propagating that Hindutva equates to Indian nationalism."
"The government under the control of the RSS is intensifying its Hindutva agenda," Yechury added.
Attacking the BJP-led NDA government on the Kashmir issue, the CPI(M) leader alleged that efforts were on to "aggravate the situation with an eye on next year's Uttar Pradesh Assembly election".
Stating that his party was opposed to 'triple talaq', he alleged that the Centre had "clubbed the matter" with Uniform Civil Code (UCC) with an "ulterior" motive, adding that a unilateral imposition of UCC would divide the society.
Referring to the problems faced by countries following capitalism, Yechury said, "A socialist political alternative is the only answer to capitalism and these crises."
"The CPI-M will redouble its resolve to strengthen the socialist political alternative to capitalism. It is the only answer to the crisis the country is facing," he added.
Yechury claimed that the argument often put forward by the supporters of capitalism that it was the "final stage of human development" had crumbled, adding, "The discontent of the people is growing in all the capitalist countries."
"Capitalism will not collapse on its own. To overcome capitalism, the socialist political alternative has to be strengthened. That is the answer to the global crisis and the task before the party is to build the same," he said.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, former chief minister and CPI(M) veteran VS Achuthanandan, CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, state ministers and party MLAs were among those present on the occasion.
A march, in which hundreds of volunteers took part, marked the opening of the celebrations.
Officials from Mizoram today identified 1,111 Brus as bona fide residents of Mizoram and cleared them for physical repatriation from the Khakchangpara relief camp in North Tripura.
Earlier, 3,849 Brus belonging to 578 families were identified as residents of Mizoram at Asapara relief camp, the first camp where identification was conducted since November 2 and completed on November 5.
With this, 4,960 Bru refugees have so far being identified in the two relief camps.
Identification of Brus would be conducted at Hamsapara on Wednesday and Thursday.
Mizoram government proposed to repatriate around 3,445 Bru families from six relief camps in Tripura and the physical repatriation is scheduled to start from November 30.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was killed and two army personnel were injured in an encounter in south Kashmir's Shopian district, police said today.
"An encounter broke out between security forces and militants at Wangam in Shopian after the security forces launched a search operation following specific intelligence inputs," a police official said.
In the gun battle, one militant identified as Sadam Hussain Mir, a resident of Chatripora Shopian, belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed, the official said.
Two army personnel were injured in the encounter, he said.
Security forces have recovered one assault rifle, five AK 47 magazines, 119 AK 47 rounds and one hand grenade, the official said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 12-year old boy has been booked under the POCSO Act after a teenaged girl, who gave birth to a baby girl, claimed that he had impregnated her, police said today.
Both the boy and the 17-year old girl are relatives and the case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act had been registered on the basis of a statement given by her, they said.
Police said they have decided to conduct a DNA test to verify the claim of the girl, who delivered the baby girl in a private hospital recently, that the boy is the father of the child. He would be prosecuted as per the Juvenile Justice Act.
A case has also been registered against the private hospital under POCSO Act for allegedly not informing them on the same day when the girl was admitted for delivery.
Police said a case under section 21 of the POCSO Act has been registered against the hospital.
Meanwhile, hospital sources claimed that they had immediately informed the district childline authorities after coming to know about the girl's claim.
It was the family members of the girl who had brought her to the hospital for admission, hospital sources said.
The new born baby has been handed over to the childcare institution after the girl's relatives informed the district childline authorities that they were not ready to accept it, officials said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An ambitious collaborative project, comprising works by artists from either side of Arabian Sea, will make its first run in parallel with the upcoming third edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale, starting on December 12.
'Trans-Indian Ocean Artists Exchange', an initiative by Kochi Biennale Foundation and Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah, and Dutch artist and curator Mo Reda, aims to build on historical forms of traffic between Kerala and West Asia and explore possibilities of developing new forms of exchange based on contemporary art and culture, a KBF release said here today.
As part of the four-phase project, Emirati artists Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim and Mohammed Kazem are now finishing a two-month residency at Pepper House, Fort Kochi. This will culminate in a display of their works at Pepper House Residency Exhibition, to run in concurrence with KMB 2016.
"Each city,each place has its own feel,its own atmosphere. Being in residency in Kochi has put me in touch with the spirit and materials of the city. I feel like I have struck a friendship with Kochi. This will be reflected in my work,which will be built of paper and rock," saidIbrahim, a pioneering artist, whose work has been exhibited across the world, including in Venice, Bonn, Havana, Cairo and Moscow.
Kazem said working in residency here has been a chance to interact with various elements of Kochi's social life, movement of its people and its natural environment.
"Both my art practise and project captures these elements and gives them visual context," said Kazem, who will show both an installation and photographs in December's exhibition.
Kazem, who co-curated the 2007 Sharjah Biennale, has presented his work in Venice, Singapore, Dubai and Beijing.
In early 2017, two Indian artists - to be selected from respondents to an open call that will be issued next week - will make the return journey to Sharjah to work in residence at Maraya Art Centre.
The artists will research historical ties, current realities and future possibilities while looking back at centuries-long economical and cultural involvement between the two regions. The works of all four artists will then be shown at exhibitions independently curated by Reda.
"Being in residency while implementing a project naturally stimulates the exchange of ideas and knowledge. The artists do their own research, exploration and have their moments of serendipity," said Reda, who is working with the philosophical theme of 'Solipsism' for the Kochi exhibition.
On expectations for the project, KBF Secretary Riyas Komu said the existing narrative is primarily shaped by Kerala sending manpower to the Gulf and receiving capital in return.
"In this initiative, we are looking to see how the situation plays out when the exchange involves artists and the economic imperative is intercepted by an aesthetic imperative," he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The four-day long 'Chhath' festival ended today with devotees offering 'Arghya' to the rising sun god.
Lakhs of devotees, who thronged the banks of the Ganga river and other water bodies across the state, ended their 36 hour fast by offering to the rising Sun god early this morning.
Meanwhile, seven children drowned during Chhath puja this morning in separate incidents in three districts of Khagaria, Muzaffarpur and Patna, official sources said here quoting reports.
In Patna, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar offered 'arghya' to the rising Sun at a pond built at his official residence -- 1, Aney Marg -- and prayed to the sun god for the peace, prosperity and development of the state and the country.
Kumar's sister-in-law did the puja at the Chief Minister's residence.
In a departure, the family of Kumar's ally and RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav did not celebrate 'Chhath' at his 10 Circular Road residence, which used to be the centre of media attention every year.
The district administration, however, heaved a sigh of relief as the four-day long Chhath puja, which began on November 4 and revered as the most pious festival of Bihar, passed off peacefully barring some stray incidents of drowning during puja this morning across the state.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, while inspecting the ghats along Ganga river, had praised the district administration for its preparations yesterday.
Patna District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, who himself inspected ghats last evening and this morning and monitored the entire arrangements, expressed satisfaction on the successful completion of the puja and said administration would honour officials and employees for their good work, an official release said.
Elaborate security arrangements were made by the district administration on the banks of the Ganga and ponds in Patna and elsewhere.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were posted at the ghats with boats and other equipment for rescue and relief operation personnel.
Municipal authorities too had made elaborate arrangements to spruce up ghats across the city and roads leading to ghats.
As per the reports available from various districts, devotees thronged rivers, ponds to offer arghya to the rising Sun god with all gaiety and enthusiasm.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Four persons were killed and two others injured after they were hit by the Delhi-Jaynagar Swantantrata Express while crossing railway tracks near Rambhadrapur railway station in Samastipur district of Bihar today.
The group was crossing the tracks after performing Chhath Puja and did not see the approaching train due to morning fog.
The accident took place near Rambhadrapur railway station, around 35 km from Samastipur town, Senior DCM Samastipur division, Birendra Kumar said.
While three persons died on the spot, one succumbed to injuries at the hospital, he said.
The injured have been sent to Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).
Agitators were protesting with the bodies, affecting train services between Samastipur and Darbhanga section.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Four members of ultra
outfit People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) were arrested with arms and ammunition from a jungle near Lohajimi village under Torpa police station of extremist-affected Khunti district, police today said.
Acting on an information that an armed squad of the outfit have assembled in the jungle last evening, security forces rushed to the spot and arrested Prasan Gudia, Ruben Gudia, Manoj Gudia and Susrijit Bodra, Superintendent of Police, Anish Gupta said.
A country-made sten gun, 10 cartridges and five mobile phones were seized from their possession, he said.
A hunt was on to apprehend one ultra identified as Sanjeevan Topna alias Disco, who managed to escape, Gupta added.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Botswana Makes Doing Business Easier for Local Entrepreneurs, says Latest Doing Business Report
With an overall ranking of 71 out 190 economies, Botswana maintained previous position on the ease of doing business index, according to Doing Business 2017: Equal Opportunity for All, released on the 25th of October. This year, the country also showed a slight improvement in the distance to frontier score (a measurement of the gap between an economys performance and best practice) of 0.16 percentage points; currently 65.55 percent compared to 65.39 percent the previous year.
In the region, Botswana ranks third, with Mauritius being the highest ranked (49) among Sub-Saharan Africa economies, followed by Rwanda (56). The report also notes that Botswana implemented a reform over the course of the last year in the area of Dealing with Construction Permits by abolishing the requirement to submit a rates clearance certificate in order to obtain a building permit.
Botswanas position on the Doing Business has been steady over the past several years,said Elene Imnadze, World Bank Botswana Country Representative, While retaining its spot among the best ranked economies in the region, it still lags behind many of the worlds best practices. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest number of reforms globally this year 37 of the regions 48 economies implemented a record 80 reforms. Botswana is encouraged to step up the pace of its efforts in order to keep up with this fast pace reforms in coming years.
This years Doing Business report includes, for the first time, a gender dimension in three indicators: Starting a Business, Registering Property and Enforcing Contracts. While in Botswana there are no gender differences. For example, women can start a business in the same way as men. Yet, 13 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa require additional hurdles for women entrepreneurs.
The Paying Taxes indicator has been expanded to cover post-filing processes, such as tax audits and VAT refund. The report finds that the region has room for improvement in these new areas. In Botswana, similar to some economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, taxpayers are exposed to a field audit whereby the auditor visits the taxpayers.
The report highlighted that Sub-Saharan Africa economies underperform in the areas of Getting Electricity Trading Across Borders and Dealing with Construction Permits. For example, it takes an average of 120 days to obtain a permanent electricity connection to the grid in Sub-Saharan Africa, compared to the OECD high-income countries in which it takes 76 days, this shows that Botswana is almost on the same level with OECD countries in the time it takes to get connected to the grid, as it takes only 77 days to obtain electricity connection.
www.worldbank.org
About 42 per cent of the present 24,000 government teachers in Nagaland are untrained while 15 per cent schools, numbering 172, are being run by a single teacher, a major deterrent in achieving quality education in the state, Nagaland Minister for School Education and SCERT, Yitachu said this.
Inaugurating a two-day Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) sponsored National Seminar on "Quality Teacher Education: Issues and Challenges of two year Bachelor of Education (B. Ed)" at Nagaland University, Kohima Campus in Meriema today, the minister said that Right to Education (RTE) policy of the Central government has brought immense infrastructural improvements beside opening and upgradation of schools to reach each and every student.
This also created opportunities for recruitment of teachers.
However, he regretted that the process has also created a huge gap in imparting quality education to the students, which has led to rise in the number of school dropouts and drop in students' enrolment in government schools.
The minister said that the gap is also widening because of the high number of professionally unqualified teachers in the Education department as recruitment of teachers has become a way to solve unemployment problem rather then imparting quality education.
He also attributed the decline in quality education to the No Detention Policy, where students continue to get promoted to high classes despite poor performance.
The Minister said steps are being initiated in Nagaland to train all the untrained teachers.
In-service teachers are being allowed to undergo B.Ed training by employing substitute teachers by the government during their training period, he said.
Dean, Faculty of Education, Sri Venkateswara University, Andhra Pradesh, Prof P A Reddy delivering the keynote address stressed on the need to improve teachers' education programme.
He said that the programmes should be based on the need of the quality education of the particular state while teaching should not be a mere means of employment but a profession.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Green Tribunal today hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government and public authorities in Agra for "improper" demarcation of Yamuna floodplains and fixation of pillars, saying that 85 per cent of the buildings on the riverbed were liable to demolished.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed the lawyer appearing for UP government to take clear instructions whether they would like to demarcate the floodplains afresh or not.
"Local commissioner's report has found severe violations in functioning of government departments in Agra as there is improper demarcation of floodplains. According to the report there appears to be malafide in measuring the distance of various real estate projects from the flood plains of river Yamuna in Agra. Contrary to claims, 85 per cent of buildings on Yamuna floodplains are liable to be demolished," the bench observed.
The tribunal asked various real estate developers and other parties in the case to file their replies on the local commissioner's report within two weeks.
The bench was hearing a plea filed by Agra resident D K Joshi, who passed away recently. The plea had alleged that many buildings have been built right in the flood plain and even in the river itself.
He has now been substituted by new petitioners Umashankar Patwa and Shabi Haider Jafri after Joshi's lawyer Rahul Choudhary moved an application in this regard.
The matter was listed for next hearing on November 22.
Earlier, the green panel had appointed Registrar General Mukesh Kumar Gupta as local commissioner to ascertain the "correct position" of flood plains and the distances of the various projects, after expressing dissatisfaction over a chart submitted by UP government on the construction carried out by builders on the floodplains of Yamuna.
The tribunal had earlier issued notice to these builders to show cause why compensation in terms of Section 15 and 17 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 should not be imposed on them and why appropriate directions not passed regarding their structures which were violative of environmental laws.
It had also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Agra Municipal Corporation for dumping of waste on the floodplains of river Yamuna in the city, noting that the civic body has failed to perform its duty and protect the environment.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
AAP government today defended in Delhi High Court its decision to award Rs one crore compensation and a job to the family of ex-armyman Ram Kishan Grewal, who had recently committed suicide allegedly over OROP issue, saying it was a "policy matter" which has to go to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) for approval.
The government opposed two separate petitions challenging its decision before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal and said these pleas were "premature" and no public interest was involved in it.
"No public interest is involved in this. These petitions are premature. The decision has to go to the LG. If any decision is taken by the council of ministers, it has to go to the LG for his approval," senior standing counsel of Delhi government Rahul Mehra told the bench.
He also said the decision was "a policy matter which is under consideration. It is under the domain of government policy".
At the outset of the hearing, the bench asked the counsel appearing for one of the petitioners regarding the public interest involved in the matter.
"This is a policy matter. What public interest is involved in this and why the court should interfere in this," the bench asked advocate Abhishek Choudhary, who was appearing for petitioner Puran Chand Arya.
Responding to this, Choudhary said the government has decided to give 'martyr' status to Grewal and they should not award compensation like this as it was taxpayers' money.
"A person who has committed suicide has been awarded. It will promote suicide in the society," he claimed.
Similarly the other petitioner advocate Avadh Kaushik, who also opposed the government's decision to declare Grewal as a 'martyr', said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should not "glorify" the act of suicide.
After hearing the submissions, the bench reserved its order on both the pleas for November 14, saying "we will consider it and pass orders".
Retired Army Subedar Grewal had on November 1 committed suicide here, allegedly over the issue of 'One Rank, One Pension' (OROP).
At the fag end of the hearing, one of the petitioners
said the government should be restrained from going ahead with the decision till the court pronounced its order.
The bench, however, said that everything is on record and it would pass the order on both the pleas on November 14.
Advocate Kaushik, who had on two earlier occasions challenged similar decisions of the Delhi government granting compensation and government job to kin of individuals who had committed suicide, told the bench that this was the third time when the government has taken such a decision.
In his petition, he has alleged that by granting compensation and a job to kin of the ex-serviceman, Kejriwal and his government were "glorifying, justifying, supporting, propagating and consecrating the act of suicide".
He has sought directions from the court to quash or set aside the government's decision saying it amounts to "misappropriation of public funds".
The PIL has also sought a direction to the Centre, LG and Delhi government to "frame a proper and valid scheme or policy for declaring a deceased person as a 'martyr' and to award the compensatory benefits and perquisite to his family".
Activists of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today staged dharnas in the grain markets in the state to protest against Punjab government's alleged "apathy" towards farmers, especially paddy growers.
Protests were held at Nawanshahr, Balachaur and Banga in Nawanshahr district and Phagwara and Moga, reports here said.
Charanjit Singh Channi, Brig (retd) Raj Kumar and Harjot Kaur, who will contest from Nawanshahr, Balachaur and Banga assembly segments respectively on AAP ticket in the upcoming Punjab assembly polls, led these dharnas.
In Nawanshahr, the activists first gathered at the party office on Saloh Road and from there they proceeded to the grain market.
Addressing protestors, the speakers, including Channi, lambasted the Badal government for its alleged failure to make timely payments to the farmers for the procured paddy.
They held the alleged "embezzlement of Rs 12,000 crore funds by the Badal government responsible for the present financial crunch in the state".
They alleged that due to this food scam, banks led by State Bank of India had stopped lending money to the Punjab government for further procurement.
The speakers also targeted Punjab Congress Chief Amarinder Singh, saying he was making "shallow promises" just to get the reins of the state.
In Balachaur mandi, Kumar started the dharna at around 3.30 PM.
AAP leader S P S Mrar alleged that paddy growers were being harassed in mandis.
He alleged that "anti-farmer policies" of the Badal government was forcing farmers to commit suicide.
(Reopens NRG 18)
Meanwhile, AAP state convenor Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi said the government is harassing farmers by "delaying" the procurement process and not paying the paddy sum to them.
"Due to the anti-farmers policies of centre and state governments, the farmers across the country are in bad financial condition. It is the right time to implement the recommendations of Swaminathan Commission to save the farmers. But Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is discouraging the farmers by saying that agriculture is not a profitable occupation in Punjab now," he said.
After having dealt a body blow to the outlawed CPI(Maoist) by killing 28 of its cadre in an encounter on the Andhra-Odisha border recently, Andhra Pradesh Police have now opened its doors to the ultras for "talks" with the only rider that they first shun arms.
Unlike in 2004, when the political leadership of then united Andhra Pradesh under Y S Rajasekhara Reddy took the initiative and engaged the Maoists in peace talks, which though bore no fruit, the current offer has come only from police.
"Basically, we see it as a major internal security problem. So it is in our interest that we engage them in talks," Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (in charge) Nanduri Sambasiva Rao said today.
"We are always ready for talks. But they should first give up arms. This has been our consistent position," he said, adding if the Maoists lay down arms, police will welcome it.
Replying to a query, the DGP said police's combing operation in the AOB area ceased on October 28, four days after the major encounter.
Rao said that he had briefed Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi about the encounter and its aftermath a couple of days ago.
"All along, we maintained that Maoist top leader Ramakrishna alias RK is not in our custody and their admission that he is safe only vindicated us," he said.
In a dramatic announcement on November 3, the Revolutionary Writers Association (RWA) had said that Akkiraju Haragopal alias Ramakrishna alias RK was "safe". The top Maoist leader was reported missing since the encounter took place on October 24.
The DGP said he took up with the Union Home Minister the issue of establishing the Greyhounds Training Centre in the state as per the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.
"We had the best training institute for our Greyhounds (the elite anti-Naxal force) but we lost it (to Telangana) in the bifurcation. No we have to build it from scratch," he said.
The DGP said, "We submitted a proposal for setting up
the training centre at a cost of Rs 850 crore. The Home Minister agreed to fund the project in phases and accordingly we will take up the first phase at a cost of Rs 400 crore. It will come up in Visakhapatnam district."
He said the Centre has also agreed to release Rs 153 crore as its share for establishing the state-of-the-art Forensic Science Laboratory in the state capital region. The state government would bear the rest Rs 100 crore.
"This will be developed as a Centre of Excellence in forensics and DNA fingerprinting," Sambasiva Rao said.
A Nepali 'tarkariwali' has shot to fame for her good looks with her photographs carrying vegetables going viral on the internet, days after a handsome Pakistani chai-wala made global headlines.
18-year-old Kusum Shrestha, of Gorkha district, was photographed carrying vegetables at a local market during her vacation. She is a grade 11 student and her father is a vegetable seller.
When the photographer posted the shots online, the hashtags #Tarkariwali and #Sabjiwali - "vegetable seller" - quickly started trending on social media as admirers praised her looks.
Shrestha told BBC Nepali that she is a student in the nearby district of Chitwan, and was helping her parents during college holidays when the snaps were taken.
In one picture, the teenager smiles as she carries crates of tomatoes over a bridge. In another, she is talking on a mobile phone while selling tomatoes at a market.
Photographer RupChandra Maharjan told a Nepalese blog, the Gundruk Post, that he photographed Shrestha at the Fishling suspension bridge between Gorkha and Chitwan.
The young woman said she had found out about the pictures from a friend.
"First my friend asked me if I am the same girl whose photos became viral on Facebook. But I didn't know," Shrestha said.
"Then she sent me the pictures and when I saw them, I found it was me. On that day, I came to sell the vegetables to help my parents. When I was on my way to sell the vegetables, RupChandra (the photographer) took my picture - but at that point of time, I didn't know that I was being photographed," she said.
Her father Narayan Shrestha, 43, told myrepublica.Com,"I hear that her photos have become popular on the internet. Who had imagined that she would get such publicity? My daughter has always been a shy girl; she is a girl of very few words."
Shrestha said his daughter was studying management, although she really wants to train as a nurse.
Her photographs came just days after a Pakistani tea- seller named Arshad Khan broke the internet thanks to his intense blue eyes. He also bagged a modelling deal with a fashion portal.
Retail site fitin.Pk has signed on Arshad as a model for an undisclosed amount.
He had become an internet sensation after a local photographer posted his picture on social media and the story was picked up by several media organisations across the globe.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The departure of a New Delhi bound Air India flight from here was delayed for five hours after one of its wheel tyre was found flat at Renigunta airport, 20 km from here today.
The pilot noticed that a tyre had got deflated just as the passengers were about to board the aircraft, airport officials said.
The passengers were accommodated at the airport till the tyre was replaced, officials said, adding, it was nothing serious.
After a five hour delay, the A541 flight with 145 passengers on board left for Hyderabad en route to New Delhi at 6.35 PM instead of the scheduled time of 1.35 PM, officials added.
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Alleging there was "negligence and lack of communication" on part of the Air Force, Parents of Flt Lt Kunal Barpatte, who was on board AN-32 aircraft which went missing along with 28 others on July 22 off Chennai coast, today said the IAF has not given the exact status information of the search operations.
"The aircraft has gone missing along with six crew members and 23 defence personnel for over 100 days now. The Air Force is not providing exact status and details of the search operations," Kunal's father Rajendra told reporters here.
Kunal was the navigator on the aircraft which went missing.
"As parents of Kunal, we feel that it is a prime responsibility of the Air Force to provide factual information to the affected families pertaining to the missing aircraft," he said in the presence of his wife Vidya.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had visited the Barpatte family here and assured them of all support.
Rajendra said recently they received a letter from the Assistant Chief of Air Staff, Air headquarters in New Delhi, seeking consent for "presumption of demise".
"It is Air Force which should declare about their demise. Why are they (Air Force) seeking consent from us when they know everything about the operation," he said.
He alleged the Air Force was showing "negligence and lack of communication in the matter".
"Air Force had created a WhatsApp group of all the family members of missing crew members. However, they have stopped that group," Rajendra said.
"All the families are in follow up with the Air Force on search operation. However, sadly there are no updates and the authorities have almost concluded the search operations despite the fact that wreckage is still not salvaged," alleged Kunal's parents.
"Our basic objection and demand is that if you (Air Force) do not have expertise in locating the aircraft, you should seek help from foreign countries," he said.
He also claimed that the family had tried to seek clarification on the history of missing aircraft and the methodology, used by Air Force in the search operation.
"We have not received any response from the authorities," Rajendra added.
He alleged that many questions like what exactly happened to the aircraft on the particular day, why there were delays in commencement of rescue operation, despite the fact that authorities had received clear radar signal, why under water locator was not fitted to the missing AN-32 aircraft despite being upgraded, are still unanswered.
Rajendra claimed that "a source had clarified that the
fleet of AN-32 did not have features which planes from the Navy and Coast Guard have because AN-32 is not primarily a marine / maritime aircraft."
He demanded that the use of AN-32 Aircraft be stopped to save the lives of IAF personnel and avoid wastage of national wealth.
Kunal, a graduate from Fergusson College with B Sc in Electronics, had joined the IAF Academy, Dundigal. He was commissioned in 2008.
Before his posting at Sulur Air Force base near Coimbatore, Kunal was stationed in Jorhat in Assam.
Real estate barons Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal today moved Supreme Court seeking de-sealing of the Uphaar cinema hall where 59 cine-goers had lost their lives in 1997 in a blaze when a Bollywood movie was being screened.
A bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justices D Y Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao said it will discuss the matter with Justice A R Dave, who had heard the petition in the case.
Senior advocate Salman Khurshid, appearing for Ansals, mentioned the matter for urgent hearing and said the fresh plea of Ansals could be heard together with other petitions including those filed by CBI and the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) in the case.
Justice Dave, who headed the three-judge bench which had heard the matters in the Uphaar case, is set to demit office on November 18.
Earlier this year, a three-judge bench comprising justices Dave, Kurian Joseph and A K Goel had decided to hear in an open court the petitions filed by CBI and the AVUT seeking review of its 2015 verdict by which Sushil and Gopal Ansal were required to serve two-year jail term if they failed to pay Rs 30 crore each. The Ansals have deposited the amount.
59 people had died of asphyxia when a fire broke out during the screening of Bollywood movie 'Border' in Uphaar theatre in Green Park area of South Delhi on June 13, 1997. Over 100 were also injured in the subsequent stampede.
The review plea filed by AVUT had said the apex court judgements "bestow an unwarranted leniency on convicts whose conviction in the most heinous of offences has been upheld by all courts including this court and sentences imposed on them have been substituted with fine without assigning any reason or basis."
"The sentences of the convicts have been reduced to the period undergone without taking into account the gravity of their offence," it had said.
The CBI, in its review plea, had said the apex court did not give it time to put its views forth which has resulted in "miscarriage of justice".
"Due to the paucity of time on the day on which this case was heard, the prosecution could not adequately put across the reasons why this court should not substitute a monetary fine in place of a jail sentence.
"This petition also seeks to raise issue of an apparent error of law in the judgement and order of this court which has occasioned a grave miscarriage of justice," the agency had said in its plea.
The agency had also said that the "callousness" of the
Ansal brothers led to 59 people being trapped and suffocated to death in the theatre.
The apex court had, on August 19, 2015 sent Ansal brothers to two-year rigorous jail term if they failed to pay Rs 30 crore each within three months.
In a judgement on September 23, 2015, the bench had said the "magnitude" of the case "calls for a higher sentence" but the court has to limit itself to the choice available under the law.
A two-judge bench of justices T S Thakur and Gyan Sudha Misra (since retired) had in a March 5, 2014 order differed on the quantum of sentence for Ansal brothers -- Sushil, 76, and Gopal, 67.
While Justice Thakur had retained the one-year jail term awarded by Delhi High Court in 2008, Justice Misra had awarded the maximum punishment of two years with a rider that it can be reduced to the period already undergone behind bars on payment of Rs 100 crore as fine collectively by them.
After this, the matter was referred to the bench of Justices A R Dave, Kurian Joseph and Adarsh Kumar Goel, which enhanced the sentence to the maximum period of two years under Section 304-A (causing death by negligence) of IPC if they failed to pay the fine amount.
While Sushil has spent over five months in prison, Gopal was in jail for over four months soon after the accident.
The three-judge bench had also said that on the principle of parity, the case of Gopal will stand on the same footing as that of Sushil.
The Army today paid its last respects to Naik Tupare Rajendra Narayan, who laid down his life while guarding the nation's frontiers at the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch Sector of Jammu and Kashmir yesterday.
A wreath laying ceremony was organised in honour of the brave martyr Narayan who laid down his life guarding the nation's frontiers at the LoC in Poonch Sector, a Defence spokesman said.
He said the ceremonial military send-off was held at Rajouri this morning.
"General Officer Commanding, Ace of Spades Division, laid a wreath on behalf of Lieutenant General AK Sharma, General Officer Commanding, White Knight Corps and all ranks," the spokesman said.
He said the mortal remains of the soldier are being sent to his native village for performing the last rites.
Narayan, who hailed from Karve village of Kolhapur district in Maharashtra, is survived by his wife Sharmila.
"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," the spokesman added.
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Top Army officers today briefed the defence and military attaches of various countries posted here about the "global and regional security scenario" and India's "security concerns", amid rising tensions along the borders with Pakistan.
The Annual Foreign Service Attaches (FSAs) briefing on military subjects of common interest was conducted by Indian Army at Manekshaw Centre.
Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag and senior military officers were present on the occasion and interacted with the guests. Pakistan was not invited to the meet.
Lt Gen Bipin Rawat, Vice Chief of the Army Staff, addressed the audience and spoke about "global and regional security scenario and India's security concerns", sources said.
Later during the interaction, the attaches also shared views on the security issues and how they have been impacted, they said.
India is host to a large number of FSAs from defence forces of friendly foreign countries.
Defence diplomacy has emerged as a powerful tool in present day environment where the armed forces of the world stand united fighting common enemies and challenges, a statement by the Army said.
"Indian Army thanked the FSA community for their contribution in strengthening defence ties between India and their respective nations," it added.
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Asbah, a brand owned by DCP India Pvt Ltd, today said it will invest over Rs 50 crore to launch new product 'fortified rice' in the domestic market.
A relatively new brand launched in India in August 2016 sells basmati rice, dalia, poha, suji and maida here. It also exports basmati rice.
"We have really progressed and our products are being sold in major cities. As part of our expansion, we are focusing on fortification of rice. We are investing more than Rs 50 crore," DCP India Pvt Ltd Director Gaurav Jain told PTI.
The funds will be sourced through equity and debt. A separate unit will be set up at Sasiabad, Haryana, he said, adding that the new product be ready in the next six months.
The company has already done research and development with the government's Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Now, food safefy regulator FSSAI has also come up with fortification norms.
"Earlier, fortified products were not allowed to sell in the absence of fortification norms. FSSAI's has notified fortification norms. We are going to be the first to take benefit of it and deliver a fortified rice product in the market," Jain said.
Jain explained that the company would use broken rice and grind it to make powder and add protien, iron and zinc to it as per FSSAI norms. The powder would be converted into rice grain form using a separate machine.
"This will be ready within six months. It will be blended with original rice and will cater to poor section of society to ensure nutrition," he said.
A separate unit with machine with 5 tonnes per hour capacity would be set up Sasiabad, Haryana for this purpose.
To boost export of dalia, poha, suji and maida under Asbah brand, Jain said that the company has invested Rs 2 crore to improve shelf life of these items for export purpose.
"We have ordered a machine, which will help in reducing the moisture level and get the shelf life up to one year. Then we will start export of these products," he said.
Haryana-based DCP India Pvt Ltd, which has been trading of commodities for last 45 years, has recently entered into processing of agri-commodities under the brand Asbah.
It has a processing unit for basmati rice at Sonipat with a capacity to handle 42,000 tonnes a year. It has similar capacity for dalia, poha, suji and maida at same place.
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At least 25 soldiers were killed in weekend fighting between rival Puntland and Galmudug regional forces in the Somali town of Galkayo, military officials on both sides said today.
"We have lost 12 men and there are more than 10 wounded," said Puntland commander Jumale Jama Takar, while his Galmudug counterpart Abdirahman Qoje said: "We have lost 13 soldiers and nearly 20 others wounded."
The commanders blamed each other for starting the fight.
The divided city of Galkayo, about 700 kilometres (440 miles) northeast of the capital Mogadishu, has seen repeated clashes in recent weeks but Sunday's fighting is the deadliest yet and marked the collapse of a short-lived peace agreement between the two semi-autonomous Somali states.
In September the US was drawn into the rivalry when Galmudug authorities accused Puntland of duping US forces into carrying out an air strike on its soldiers, killing 13.
Residents said the toll may be higher than the rival parties admit and included civilians as well as soldiers.
"We are asking both sides to show restraint and stop the war," said Mohamed Farah, a traditional elder in the city. "Yesterday alone 35 people have been killed and more than 100 others wounded. Most of those killed are the combatants but there also civilian casualties on the both sides of Galkayo."
Another resident, Bile Abdulahi, said there was no fighting on Monday but that the city remained tense. "There are still some dead bodies strewn around the contested area. Fighting can resume anytime," he said.
Somalia is in the process of selecting a new parliament, upper house and president in a limited franchise election that involves 14,000 delegates from all regional states, including Galmudug and Puntland.
Political tensions have been rising and threats from the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab militants have increased in the run-up to the delayed vote, originally due in August.
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Nepalese Police today asked all ATM card users in the country to immediately change their PIN codes in view of potential threat of fraud after three foreigners were arrested for illegally withdrawing a huge amount of money by stealing bank details.
Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police issued the security alert after it was found that an international criminal ring was involved in stealing PIN numbers and passwords to withdraw money from ATM booths in Nepal.
CIB has arrested three Romanian fraudsters in connection with ATM fraud along with technical equipment used for the purpose.
"The arrested criminals have already transmitted ATM pin numbers among their other international crime partners. Therefore, we advice public to change their ATM pin code at the earliest," said CIB Chief DIG Nawaraj Silwal.
According to CIB data, there are 3.5 million ATM users in Nepal and ATM information of most of them have been compromised.
"Earlier, the gang used to steal ATM PIN from foreign countries and cash it in Nepal. But now they have started stealing Nepali people's PIN code and steal the money," said DIG Silwal.
The equipment confiscated from the arrested Romanians include 353 ATM cards, hidden camera, forged ATM number keypad, card personalisation machine, among others.
The police also recovered Rs 300,000 and 1000 Euros from the foreigners.
The arrested foreigners used to extract money out of ATMs placed at various tourist spots in Kathmandu including Durbarmarg, Thamel, and Basantapur.
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Austria's foreign minister said today the EU should change its stance on Turkey following the recent crackdown and stop the flow of billions of euros in aid if Ankara fails to stick to its migrants deal with the bloc.
Sebastian Kurz told Oe1 radio that Turkey must "top the agenda" of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers next Monday that should agree a "different EU policy".
"Over recent years Turkey has moved further and further away from the EU, but our policy has remained the same. That can't work. What we need are clear consequences," Kurz said.
"In Turkey, opposition figures are being arrested, journalists are being persecuted, officials are being fired if they think differently and the return of the death penalty is being talked about."
Under the EU's deal with Turkey in force since March, the EU has promised an acceleration of accession talks, visa liberalisation and three billion euros (USD 3.3 billion) in return for taking back migrants who make it to Greece.
"This does not correspond to the situation in Turkey and as a result this policy must be changed," Kurz said.
Stopping the funds "is the logical consequence... It is quite clear that this money will not flow if Turkey does not stick to its side of the deal," he said.
Turkey's Western allies are concerned that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is using a state of emergency imposed after a July 15 coup attempt to crack down not just on plotters but on critics in general.
Some 35,000 people have been arrested while tens of thousands more have been fired from their jobs. The main pro-Kurdish party yesterday said it was pulling out of parliament after nine of its MPs including the two co-leaders were arrested.
Austrian Defence Minister Hans Peter Doskozil said yesterday that EU countries "cannot rely on Turkey" and should prepare for a breakdown of the accord by reinforcing their borders.
The issue was set to be high on the agenda of a meeting in eastern Austria Monday between Doskozil and regional counterparts in the Central European Defence Cooperation body. The talks move to Sarajevo tomorrow for a second day.
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The Civil Aviation Ministry has been informed about the afternoon rush witnessed at Goa's Dabolim airport because of the Indian Navy's regular flying sorties there in the morning hours.
The Dabolim international airport operates as a civil enclave in a military airbase named INS Hansa.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, during his Goa visit last week, was briefed about the afternoon rush at the airport which increases the time taken by a passenger from his entry in the airport building to the boarding gate.
"The Indian Navy uses the airport for its regular sorties between 8.30 AM to 12.30 PM due to which there is a rush between 12.30-3.30 PM as the passenger flights operate during that peak time," Dabolim Airport director BCH Negi told PTI today.
"This is the period (12.30-3.30 PM) when the time taken by passengers between entry in the airport to boarding goes up to 30 minutes. We want to reduce this timing further. During lean time, the passenger can enter airport and will be at the boarding point within ten minutes," he said.
"The minister might request the Indian Navy to shift its timings of sortie so that the afternoon congestion is solved," Negi said.
Goa airport is among the facilities taken up under the Centre's ambitious 'DISHA' programme.
Negi said during his visit, the minister was briefed about the initiatives taken under the DISHA programme.
The minister has sought report from the Airport Authority of India (AAI) about thepresent constraints.
Dabolim is the lone airport in the coastal state. The second facility is coming up at Mopa in north Goa.
The foundation stone for the Greenfield Mopa airport would be laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 13.
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Bangladesh's central bank will soon get back from the Philippines USD 15.25 million of the USD 81 million reserve money stolen by hackers in February, a senior official has said.
"Philippine's central bank Bangko Sentral Pilipinas (BSP) will send back the money in cash to Bangladesh Bank's reserve account at Federal Reserve Bank (of New York) following Bangladesh's appeal," General Manager of Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit of Bangladesh Bank Debaprosad Debnath said.
"We hope it will take maximum one week to deposit the money in our account," said a senior executive of the central bank who is working with the money recovering process was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune.
"According to a court order, November 24 is the last deadline to return the money", the official said.
Earlier on October 30, the Manila court cleared an 'execution suit' outlining the procedures for sending back USD 15.25 million of Bangladesh Bank's reserve heist money from Philippines.
The execution suit order came more than one month after BB finally got a Philippines court order in its favour to get back a portion of hacked money that was forfeited and kept in the vault of the Philippine central bank.
On September 19, Philippine's regional trial court in Manila ordered BSP to return around USD 15.25 million, a portion of hacked USD 81 million to the Bangladesh's central bank.
Earlier, some USD 68,000 left with the RCBC bank had been sent back to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
"Of the rest USD 65.68 million, USD 30 million has been frozen in Solaire casino of Philippines. The legal procedure of returning the portion is ongoing in Philippines' court," said the Bangladesh Bank executive.
The rest of USD 65.68 million still remains unidentified but Bangladesh Bank expects that the money can be recovered from Solaire casino if we get court order in our favour, he said, adding that the value of assets of Solaire casino that was forfeited is far more than the BB's heist portion left with the casino.
Hackers tried to steal some USD one billion from Bangladesh Bank's settlement account at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York in February by sending fraudulent transfer orders.
Of the 35 transfer orders sent, 30 were blocked. Four transfers to a Philippine bank for a total of USD 81 million went through. A USD 20 million transfer to a Sri Lankan company was reversed because the hackers mis-spelled the name of the company.
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A local court today extended till November 11 the police custody of a Bangladeshi national, arrested last week at Kalwa in the district and who is suspected to have been involved in terror activities, including blasts, in his country.
Bashirmulla Sukurmulla Shaikh (40) was produced before Judicial Magistrate P D Chavan, who extended the police custody.
The Bangladeshi national, who has been illegally staying in India, was nabbed by Crime Branch officials from Kalwa on Friday in connection with an offence registered in the city for theft and house trespass.
The investigators told the court that they were in the process of getting additional information about the accused from various agencies and needed more time for the probe.
Police told the court that they were verifying whether Shaikh was also involved in human trafficking after he fled to India from Bangladesh in 2014.
Police said they were also examining whether Shaikh had any role to play in the bomb explosion, which took place in front of the hotel in Dhaka, where President Pranab Mukherjee was staying on his official visit to Bangladesh, in March 2013.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is also interrogating the accused to get further details of his activities and his involvement in the blasts.
Shaikh, who hails from Narail district in south-western Bangladesh, has revealed to the police that while he was in his country, he had taken training in bomb-making from terror outfits. Shaikh assembled bombs at his residence in Narail district, south-western Bangladesh, and also carried out a few explosions, in which people were killed.
During the interrogation, he disclosed that his wife Sultana was killed in one such explosion in 2014.
Offences were lodged against him and his associates in 2014 at Kalia Police Station in Narail district (Bangladesh) in connection with these blasts, police said.
Shaikh was earlier arrested by Special Branch of Mumbai Police in March 2016 for staying in India without valid documents, including passport. He was booked under Indian Passport Act and Foreigners Act and was out on bail and lived in Navi Mumbai.
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Aligarh Muslim University Employees Union (AMUEU) today said banning telecast of a Hindi channel for a day was an "attack" on civil liberty and freedom of speech in the country.
General secretary of the union Shamim Akhter, in a statement, said civil and democratic organisations in the country should support NDTV India in its "ongoing attempts to protect the freedom of the media in the country".
If the right thinking persons fail to understand the "threat" presently posed to the freedom of speech in the country, then tomorrow it will be too late, he said.
He said the Central government was "misusing" the idea of nationalism by "dubbing" any voice of dissent as "anti-national" with the "intent to crush it".
Akther said BJP leaders do not have the "sole right to judge whether any action was national or anti-national".
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Beach shack owners in Goa today warned that they would show black flags during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Goa visit on November 13 to draw his attention towards their demand for issuance of fresh licences for their eateries.
The shack owners are upset that despite the onset of this year's tourist season, the Goa Tourism Department has not issued licences to them, due to which they are unable to run their business. The three-year Beach Shack Policy 2013-16 for erection of temporary shacks ended on May 31, 2016.
Cruz Cardoso, president of Shack Owners' Welfare Society, along with others today launched an indefinite hunger strike at the Paryatan Bhavan, the headquarters of state Tourism Department over the demand.
"We have decided to wave black flags during the Prime Minister's visit to the state on November 13 to protest against Tourism Department's failure to issue fresh licences to beach shacks," Cardozo told PTI today.
"Modi has been speaking about 'Make in India', but he should know what is happening to shack owners in Goa who are self employed people serving the tourism industry. Without the shacks, the tourism industry in Goa will collapse," he added.
He said the department has been citing various reasons and delaying allotment of licences to erect the beach shacks.
Beach shacks are food and beverage eateries that are temporarily allowed to be operated on the beaches. Goa government had recently approved the new shack policy for 2016-19 and the licences were supposed to be allotted according to it.
"The state government takes all the possible steps to ensure that licences for off-shore casinos are granted but when it comes to traditional beach shacks, the government is pointing out towards the difficulties," Cardoso said.
A senior tourism department official today said they had begun the process to allot the shack licences from October 20 onwards, but it could not be completed due to the several clearances required as per the Coastal Regulation Zone norms.
The department was supposed to grant licences for 259 shacks in north and 108 in south Goa.
The Prime Minister will visit Goa on November 13 to lay the foundation stone of Mopa international airport in the northern part of the state.
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The West Bengal government today accepted the regional connectivity scheme in civil aviation as proposed by the Centre, but at the same time, threatened to pull out of it if the state had to bear in excess of the 20 per cent share as has been committed by the Centre under the Viability Gap Funding (VGF).
"The VGF is to be shared between the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the state governments in the 80:20 ratio. We shall pull out of the scheme if the state has to bear in excess of the 20 per cent share as committed by the Centre," state Transport Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay said while briefing reporters on the outcome of a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport with the state government.
"The chief minister has discussed several issues relating to our state at the meeting. She has urged the MoCA to restrict the flight fare from un-served and under-served airports to Rs 2,500. The Centre will have to bear 80 per cent, while for the state, it will be a maximum of 20 per cent if the fare exceeds the limit," Bandyopadhyay said.
While the meeting was chaired by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey led the visiting delegation.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) had proposed a fare of Rs 2,500 per hour of flying, for around 500 kms, under the regional connectivity scheme.
The chief minister also urged the MoCA for direct flights from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in the city to European destinations, Bandyopadhyay said, adding that the MoCA has assured her to look into the possibilities.
The state government believed that four airports in the state -- Balurghat, Durgapur, Cooch Behar and Malda -- would benefit once the scheme became operational, the Transport Secretary said.
The chief minister also urged the MoCA for the revival of Behala Flying Club, he said, adding that Choubey assured her that the Centre would float an expression of interest (EOI) shortly, inviting private agencies for the purpose.
The MoCA would also form a three-member committee, comprising the state Transport Secretary, an Airport Authority of India (AAI) official and a Defence Ministry official, to look after the maintenance of Bagdogra airport near Siliguri.
It may be noted that the main objective of the National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016 was to make regional air connectivity a reality.
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BJP legislator Surinder Ambardar today joined the chain hunger strike of Kashmiri Pandit (KP) employees who are demanding their posting in Jammu in the wake of the ongoing unrest in Kashmir.
Speaking on the occasion, Ambardar, who is an MLC, said the government seems "insensitive" towards the issue of KP employees.
He said he would try to take up the matter with the higher authorities.
Meanwhile, Vinod Pandit, Chief, All Parties Migrants Coordination Committee (APMCC), that supports the "cause" of KP employees, asked employees to prepare for an "aggressive agitation as the government does not seem serious towards their plight".
He said his organisation will "soon organise" a "bigger agitation" and road shows in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and other parts of the country".
The chain hunger strike by KP employees, under the banner of All Migrant Employees Association Kashmir, today entered the 11th day.
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Britain is all set to extradite a an abduction accused while another accused of 2002 post-Godhra riot was handed over to India recently.
This was said to have been conveyed during the bilateral meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with his British counterpart Theresa May.
Rajesh Kapoor, an accused of child abduction, is expected to be extradite to India in the next few days, sources privy to the discussions said.
Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, who was arrested by Scotland Yard in west London on a Red Corner Notice issued by Indian authorities, was extradited to India on October 18.
Patel was wanted in connection with the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat, sources said.
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Britain-based appliances maker Dyson will be entering Indian market and plans to invest around 150 million British Pounds (Rs 124.32 crore) in next three to five years to set up a retail network here.
The company, which designs and manufactures vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, bladeless fans and heaters has applied for a business license to make its patented technology available in India.
"We will invest 150 million British Pounds in next three to five years to open stores and set up retail network here. Our first store would open in the middle of next year, if we are allowed to," Dyson Founder & Chief Engineer Sir James Dyson told PTI.
He further said: "We want to invest here to have a set up and sell our products, which are known for their technology. We would have our own stores and website for that. We want people to experience our products here," he added.
Established in 1991, Dyson has filed 7,500 patents for its technology worldwide. It invests 5 million British Pounds each week with over 40 universities to develop early stage technologies.
The company has plans to open stores in major 20 cities in next three years and would focus on mass market.
It is confident to create space in the highly competitive segment of vacuum cleaners and air purifiers.
"We would offer better technology and better engineering and design here," he said.
Besides, the company also has plans to partner leading retailers.
"In the first year, we would go alone and then in the second year, we may look for multi brand stores," he added.
At present, Dyson would import units manufactured at Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines and would consider to set up an assembling unit if the volume picks up.
"We would study the market response for one or two years and then evaluate it," he added.
Dyson products are sold in over 75 countries and in 2015, it had a revenue of 1.74 billion British Pounds.
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Archaeologists have uncovered a large Bronze Age city in northern Iraq which was established in about 3000 BC and flourished for more than 1200 years.
The settlement near the town of Dohuk is now home to the small Kurdish village of Bassetki in the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan.
The archaeologists from the University of Tubingen in Germany also discovered settlement layers dating from the Akkadian Empire period (2340-2200 BC), which is regarded as the first world empire in human history.
Scientists led by Professor Peter Pfalzner from the University of Tubingen and Dr Hasan Qasim from the Directorate of Antiquities in Dohuk conducted the excavation work in Bassetki between August and October this year.
The former significance of the settlement can be seen from the finds discovered during the excavation work.
The city already had a wall running around the upper part of the town from about 2700 BC onwards in order to protect its residents from invaders. Large stone structures were erected there in about 1800 BC.
The researchers also found fragments of Assyrian cuneiform tablets dating from about 1300 BC, which suggested the existence of a temple dedicated to the Mesopotamian weather god Adad on this site.
There was a lower town about one kilometre long outside the city centre.
Using geomagnetic resistance measurements, the archaeologists discovered indications of an extensive road network, various residential districts, grand houses and a kind of palatial building dating from the Bronze Age.
The residents buried their dead at a cemetery outside the city. The settlement was connected to the neighbouring regions of Mesopotamia and Anatolia via an overland roadway dating from about 1800 BC.
Bassetki was only known to the general public in the past because of the "Bassetki statue," which was discovered there by chance in 1975.
"The area around Bassetki is proving to be an unexpectedly rich cultural region, which was located at the crossroads of communication ways between the Mesopotamian, Syrian and Anatolian cultures during the Bronze Age," said Pfalzner.
"We're therefore planning to establish a long-term archaeological research project in the region in conjunction with our Kurdish colleagues," he said.
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Leading stock exchange BSE will suspend trading in securities of 17 companies from November 29 for not complying with provision of listing regulations and failing to pay the mandatory fines for non-compliance.
The exchange will suspend trading in seven companies that had submitted their financial results but did not pay the applicable fines.
The 10 companies that did not comply with the listing regulations are Mysore Paper Mills, Premier Energy and Infrastructure, Ranjeev Alloys, RCL Foods, Soma Papers & Industries, Sudar Industries, Sunrise Asian, SVOGL Oil Gas And Energy, Techtran Polylenses and Valecha Engineering.
Trading in securities of the companies will be suspended from November 29 on account of non-compliance with Regulation 33 of Sebi (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 for two consecutive quarters to March and June 2016, BSE said in a circular.
The Regulation 33 pertains to submission of financial results.
The firms yet to pay the fines are Agro Dutch Industries, Aroma Enterprises (India), Avon Lifesciences, Hindustan Everest Tools, Karur KCP Packkagings, Tarrif Cine & Finance, Tulsyan Nec LTD.
The entire promoter shareholding of the seven companies will be frozen from November 7.
In case the firms comply with the norms on or before November 23, they will not face trading suspension.
Further, the exchange said the suspension will continue till such time that these firms comply with the norms, including payment of fines.
Besides, 15 days after suspension, trading in the shares of non-compliant companies will be allowed on restricted basis or trade for trade basis in Z group only on the first trading day of every week for six months.
"Revocation of suspension will be subject to the companies further complying with the procedure and all extant norms prescribed for revocation of suspension," BSE noted.
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A burglar who tried to steal a car in Australia got more than he bargained for when he was shot in the buttocks with an arrow by the archery enthusiast owner.
Police said the hapless thief broke into the man's Sydney house yesterday evening and took cash before grabbing the keys to his car.
The proprietor, who was at home at the time with his wife, confronted the thief in the garage as he tried to reverse the vehicle and make a getaway.
After the 68-year-old armed himself with his bow, the intruder opted to get out of the car and make a run for it, jumping a fence.
"As he ran away, the male resident stood up on the fence and shot the fleeing man using the compound bow and arrow, hitting him in the buttocks or lower back area," New South Wales police said.
Despite apparently taking a hit, the man escaped and no trace has been seen of him since.
Police seized the bow and arrow as part of their investigation.
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Haryana Government today decided to implement a multi-pronged strategy to improve air quality in the districts facing smog-like conditions, even as Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar claimed the severe air pollution in Delhi cannot be "entirely" blamed on stubble burning.
In an "emergency meeting" presided by the Chief Minister here today, it was decided that stone crushers in affected areas will remain closed and manufacturing at brick-kilns will be suspended for five days, till November 12.
Also, to prevent accidents on the National Highway due to low visibility caused by smog, traffic police will be on high alert during night hours.
Deputy Commissioners in smog-affected districts can declare holidays in schools, depending on air pollution situation in their respective areas, an official spokesperson said.
After the meeting, Khattar said the smog over Delhi and some parts in the National Capital Region is fallout of various factors, including construction activities and vehicular emissions.
"It is not at all right to say the entire problem of smog has been caused because of crop-residue burning by farmers. Reports suggest it is due to construction activities, vehicular emissions and bursting of firecrackers during Diwali," he claimed.
"We are witnessing a combined effect of all these things," Khattra said, adding the impact of this pollution has been felt more on Delhi and NCR areas.
"Moreover, the winds too have been calm. Generally there are some light rains around Diwali but it has not happened this time," Khattar said.
Asserting that the Haryana government had taken several steps to stop the practice of stubble burning, the Chief Minister said, "Action has been taken against 1,424 erring farmers and Rs 13.50 lakh have been collected. We have also appealed to farmers to shun the practice."
He appealed undertaking of collective measures by the people of Haryana, Punjab and Delhi to control the severe air pollution.
Meanwhile, on the AAP government in Delhi attributing crop-residue burning as the major reason for the smog in the national capital, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij alleged, "Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has a habit of putting blame on others for his own shortcomings and failures."
He should search for the reason behind air pollution in Delhi itself, he said.
"If Kejriwal is blaming Haryana then where are the dark clouds (thick smog) over our state. The skies are clear and there is no such pollution in here. Kejriwal is spreading political pollution. Everywhere he does the same thing," he alleged.
In a threadbare discussion with senior officers on air pollution and measures to control it, Khattar directed them to ensure the National Green Tribunal's guidelines are being followed by those undertaking construction activities.
He also directed the health department to issue an advisory on measures to combat smoke and pollution.
Government hospitals are on stand-by-mode to meet any eventuality and provide immediate medical care to accident victims, he said.
Khattar directed the officials to constitute a high-level committee to explore possibilities of setting up plants to convert agriculture and urban waste into energy and submit a report within a month.
Efforts are being made to "permanently" resolve the problem of air pollution due to agricultural residue burning, he assured.
Farmers are being encouraged to use 'Happy Seeder', a technique in which wheat is sown without burning the crop's residue, he informed.
"A 50 per cent subsidy is given on purchase of Happy Seeder. Budget for the subsidy has been increased from Rs 21 crore to Rs 31 crore in this fiscal to cover maximum farmers," Khattar said, adding, "Each block will have a straw-baler in the next fiscal to deal with crop-residue burning."
Haryana and Punjab governments have imposed a ban on crop-residue burning and erring farmers can also be prosecuted by authorities.
The Haryana government has directed district-level committees, constituted for to check the practice, to monitor incidents through satellite images and submit a daily report to the headquarters.
Besides, the committees have been directed to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and register cases against violators at special environment courts backed by photographic and videographic evidence.
Meanwhile, on Khattar's directions the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has asked all its Regional Officers (ROs) to ensure compliance and submit daily reports till November 12.
"All stone crushing units in NCR districts will not be allowed to operate for a five-day period, up to November 12. The same has been directed for brick-kilns not in operation for the time being. No new brick-kiln will be allowed to start operations during this period," a HSPCB spokesperson said.
The ROs will conduct special drives to ensure directions issued by the Central Pollution Control Board and the NGT are being followed at construction projects in NCR districts, he said, adding similar drives will be conducted by the Haryana Urban Development Authority and municipal corporations.
The ROs will ensure that 17 types of industries, highly polluting in nature, comply with emission standards issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
CBI has filed its charge sheet against three accused in Bulandshahr rape case in which a woman and her teenaged daughter were alleged raped by a gang of over six persons while they were on their way to attend a family function in Shahjahanpur.
The agency has filed chargesheet against three alleged gang members--Saleem alias Beena alias Diawan, Zuber alias Sunil alias Parvez and Sajid for IPC sections related to dacoity, abduction and gang rape besides additional charges of child rape under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012.
All the three are under judicial custody, CBI sources said, adding that the probe against remaining three who are in custody and some absconding members is still going on.
They said further supplementary charge sheet will be filed against them.
The sources said chargesheet has been filed in the fast track court in Bulandshahr.
A 13-year-old girl and her mother were dragged out of their car and raped by a group of assailants in a field while the victims along with their family were travelling from Noida to Shahjahanpur on the intervening night of July 29-30.
The case was transferred to CBI on the instructions of the Allahabad High Court. The agency had registered a case on August 18 and sent a team of forensic experts and a DIG-ranked officer to the crime scene.
UP Police, which had earlier received flak from the Allahabad High Court, had solved the blind case within nine days of the incident with arrest of Salim Bawariya, the head of a gang from Rajasthan.
On the basis of his interrogation, two other gang members -- Zuber and Sajid -- were arrested by the Special Task Force of UP Police. Later, three more accused -- Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) -- were also arrested.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the unlikely event of the zombie apocalypse, it would take less than two months for the walking dead to take control of the US city Chicago, according to a new study.
Using a computational model developed to study the spread of diseases such as MRSA and Ebola, scientists at Argonne National Laboratory in the US found that it would take only 60 days for two million Chicagoans to be zombified.
The project by Argonne researcher Chick Macal and his team tested their agent-based modelling simulations on a Halloween-themed slice of epidemiology, following the spread of a zombie virus and testing out "interventions" that could save humanity.
While the worst-case scenario found little resistance against the walking dead, strategies such as training populations to kill zombies or communications from city officials that tell people how to avoid them provided some more optimistic outcomes.
"This offers great promise for countering the zombie apocalypse in Chicago," said Macal.
The playful experiment draws attention to the power of the group's city model, dubbed ChiSIM, for strategising during more realistic public health crises, researchers said.
ChiSIM utilises a computational method called agent-based modelling, which can simulate the complex behaviour of millions of individual "agents" representing, in this case, Chicago's 3 million citizens, they said.
The model also represents more than 2 million locations in the city, and simulates the movement of Chicagoans through that virtual map, encountering each other and - occasionally - transmitting disease.
"The results can help officials and policymakers address ongoing crises and prepare for potential ones," researchers said.
For example, the research team conducts simulations of the flu or Ebola in case these diseases reach Chicago or surrounding counties.
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In an unprecedented move, China today passed a new controversial law to bar elected rebel lawmakers from taking office in Hong Kong in a bid to crush growing pro-independence movement in the former British colony.
The ruling passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's rubber stamp parliament, said elected members to Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) must swear allegiance to Hong Kong as part of China and those who changed their oath will be disqualified.
"When assuming office, the chief executive, principal officials, members of the executive council and of the legislative council, judges of courts at all levels and other members of the judiciary in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region must, in accordance with law, swear to uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.
And swear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China," NPC said issuing official interpretation basic law of article 104 of the Hong Kong's Basic Law.
The clause stipulating "allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People' s Republic of China" is not only the legal content which must be included in the oath prescribed by the Article, but also the legal requirements and preconditions for standing for election in respect of or taking up the public office specified in the Article, the NPC ruling said.
This followed China facing major challenge to its political hold on the former British colony which was merged with the mainland in 1997 with certain privileges like freedom of expression which were not granted to Tibet and Xinjiang, though they are treated as Autonomous Regions for their distinct ethnic identities.
The pro-independence sentiments which had been brewing since 2014 over China's insistence to screen candidates to contest the polls for the Chief Executive post snowballed into a political movement with some of the rebels getting elected to LegCo.
Two pro-independence legislators, Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung, from Youngspiration party expressed support for Hong Kong's independence from China while taking oath in LegCo last month and used a derogatory term to describe Beijing.
China's ruling may also call into question oath of three other pro-independence legislators.
Yau Wai-ching created a stir by laying out a banner with the word "Hong Kong is not China" before taking her first oath.
The two rebel legislators vowed to defend the "Hong Kong nation."
Leung crossed his fingers while Yau used the F-word in her pledge.
Their actions followed by over a year anti-China protests and demonstrations in former British colony creating a piquant situation for Beijing over fears that an outright crackdown may alienate the SAR further.
This is the first time China made a decisive intervention to prevent situation from spiralling out of control.
Oath taking is the legal prerequisite and required
procedure for public officers specified in the Article to assume office.
Today's ruling by the NPC said no public office shall be assumed, no corresponding powers and functions shall be exercised, and no corresponding entitlements shall be enjoyed by anyone who fails to lawfully and validly take the oath or who declines to take the oath.
This effectively prevents any pro-independence people in Hong Kong either to contest polls or hold any office.
The ruling also barred people from tampering with the oath.
An oath taker is disqualified forthwith from assuming the public office specified in the Article if he or she declines to take the oath, the interpretation said.
As soon as the NPC passed the new interpretation, China backed Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said that he and the SAR government will fully implement it.
Leung, who faced criticism for toeing Beijing's line told a press conference that as the chief executive of the SAR, he has the duty to implement the Basic Law in accordance with Article 48 of the Basic Law.
Hong Kong is an inalienable part of China and the Hong Kong people have the duty to uphold national unity, territorial integrity and security, as well as the dignity and interests of the Chinese people, Xinhua quoted him as saying.
The Beijing's interpretation may be challenged in the Hong Kong courts who still uphold the freedoms when the British colony was handed over to China.
The terse ruling by China was expected to take control of the city whose 7.3 million population turned increasingly hostile to Beijing's attempts to firm up its control.
Three advocates of Hong Kong self-determination who have been sworn in as lawmakers say they are undeterred by Beijing's latest ruling, vowing to stay true to their election platforms and discuss the issue in the Legislative Council.
Among them, Lau Siu-lai, widely seen as the next target for disqualification, said she would seek legal advice to fight to keep her seat, Hong Kong-based 'South China Morning Post' reported.
"It's not my own concern [about losing my seat] now. The whole society should be worried," she said about NPC's ruling.
Several Labour Party leaders of Hong Kong gathered in front of Beijing's liaison office to protest against the interpretation, the report said.
Cyd Ho Sau-lan, the party's vice-chairwoman, said the interpretation set a precedent for future justifications to disqualify and prosecute dissenting legislators.
"This interpretation has thoroughly destroyed our election system. Through requiring legislators to sincerely embrace the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Basic Law, [Beijing] can screen out candidates and bar people from entering Legco," she said.
China effectively barred two elected pro-independence lawmakers from Hong Kong's legislature today after they deliberately misread their oaths, saying that they could not be sworn in again.
An oath that did not conform to Hong Kong's law "should be determined to be invalid, and cannot be retaken", the Communist-controlled National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing said in a rare interpretation of the semi-autonomous city's constitution.
Legislators had to be "sincere and solemn" when taking their oaths, and had to pledge "completely and solemnly" to uphold the Basic Law of Hong Kong as part of the People's Republic of China, the NPC declared at the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square.
The question has become hugely sensitive in Hong Kong, the former British colony which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a promise of "one country, two systems" for 50 years.
There are deep concerns those liberties, enshrined in the city's constitution known as the Basic Law, are under threat, and mass protests two years ago demanded greater democracy.
Pro-independence legislators Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching deliberately misread their oaths of office for seats on the Legislative Council (Legco) last month.
Beijing sees any talk of independence as treasonous and the official Xinhua agency quoted a spokesman for the government's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office welcoming the ruling.
"The interpretation demonstrates the central government's firm determination and will in opposing 'Hong Kong independence,'" the spokesperson said, adding that it "complies with the common aspiration of the entire Chinese people, including the compatriots in Hong Kong".
Hong Kong police used pepper spray Sunday to drive back hundreds of protesters angry at China's decision to intervene in the row.
In chaotic scenes reminiscent of the demonstrations of 2014, protesters charged metal fences set up by police outside China's liaison office in the city.
They carried banners reading: "Chinese law interpretation tramples on Hong Kong people."
Today's announcement was the fifth time since the handover that China has interpreted the Basic Law.
Li Fei, the chairman of the Basic Law Committee of the NPC Standing Committee, told reporters: "These Hong Kong independence figures are going against the country and splitting the country. How can they uphold Hong Kong's Basic Law?"
"I hope people can see the real face of these people," he added.
Both those promoting independence and those arguing for self-determination were supporting separatism, he said - anathema to China's ruling party.
Ahead of the ruling, the state-run Global Times newspaper, which often takes a nationalistic tone, backed Beijing's intervention.
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Hillary Clinton routinely asked her Filipino maid to print out sensitive government e-mails and classified documents when she was the secretary of state, according to a media report.
Clinton's maid Marina Santos, lacked the security clearance to handle such material, was called on so frequently to receive e-mails that she may hold the secrets to E-mailgate, the New York Post reported.
Clinton entrusted far more than the care of her Washington DC residence, known as Whitehaven, to Santos.
She expected the Filipino immigrant to handle state secrets, further opening the 69-year-old former Democratic presidential nominee to criticism that she played fast and loose with national security, the report said.
The report came just before the FBI gave a clean chit to Clinton, saying she should not face criminal charges after a review of new emails, an 11th-hour respite for her.
Trump lashed out at the FBI for the clean chit, saying, "Right now, she is being protected by a rigged system."
According to the report, Clinton would first receive highly sensitive e-mails from top aides at the State Department and then request that they, in turn, forward the messages and any attached documents to Santos to print out for her at the home.
Among other things, Clinton requested Santos print out drafts of her speeches, confidential memos and 'call sheets' -- background information and talking points prepared for the secretary of state in advance of a phone call with a foreign head of state.
"Pls ask Marina to print for me...," Clinton e-mailed top aide Huma Abedin regarding a redacted 2011 message marked sensitive but unclassified.
In a classified 2012 e-mail dealing with the new president of Malawi, another Clinton aide, Monica Hanley, advised Clinton, "We can ask Marina to print this".
"Revisions to the Iran points" was the subject line of a classified April 2012 e-mail to Clinton from Hanley. In it, the text reads, "Marina is trying to print for you".
Both classified e-mails were marked 'confidential' the tier below 'secret' or 'top secret'.
Santos also had access to a highly secure room called an SCIF (sensitive compartmented information facility) that diplomatic security agents set up at Whitehaven, according to FBI notes from an interview with Abedin.
From within the SCIF, Santos -- who had no clearance -- "collected documents from the secure facsimile machine for Clinton," the FBI notes revealed.
A 2012 'sensitive' but unclassified e-mail from Hanley to Clinton refers to a fax the staff wanted Clinton "to see before your Netanyahu mtg. Marina will grab for you".
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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his wife Amruta Fadnavis today inaugurated week-long Sri Venkateswara Vaibhavotsavam here.
"Farmers in the state have been battling the drought for last few years, I pray for their prosperity and good crops," Fadnavis said on this occasion.
During the week-long event at K J Somaiya ground in Sion here, organised by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, devotees can have 'darshan' and perform puja of the lord Venkateswara.
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Power generation has started from the first unit of 110 MW capacity Barauni thermal power station (BTPS) in Bihar.
"Commercial generation from the first unit (unit 7) of 110 MW capacity of Bihar's own Barauni thermal power station started on November 4," state Energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav told PTI.
With generation starting from one unit of BTPS, the state's power generation capacity has increased to 330 MW from 220 MW, which comes from two units of 110 MW each at Muzaffarpur Thermal Power Station (MTPS), a joint venture firm of NTPC and Bihar State Power Holding Company Ltd with NTPC having 67 per cent of stake in the JV.
Yadav said, "We expect commercial generation of power from the second unit (unit 6) of BTPS in two-three months."
"Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has been carrying out renovation and modernisation (R&M) of the two units of 110 MW at Barauni (in Begusaria district). After running the unit number 7 for 72 hours since November 1, the commercial generation of power from the unit was declared. The plant generated 113 MW of power during the 72 hours," BTPS General Manager Arun Kumar Sinha told PTI.
"Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has been informed about the commercial generation from the plant. We have also informed North and South Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited," Sinha said.
CEA is a nodal agency under the Ministry of Power, which advises the government on issues relating to power.
The unit was temporarily closed yesterday to plug minor technical problems, Sinha said adding, generation from unit 7 would again start in a day or two again.
Bihar, which would get the entire 110 MW of power to its kitty, has been drawing between 3,500 MW to 3,700 MW since Durga Puja from all sources including 2,400-2,600 MW against the scheduled allocation of 2,942 MW from the central sector.
BTPS would be the first power plant, which is wholly owned by the state government.
BHEL, which also carried out renovation and modernisation (R&M) of MTPS, crossed deadlines to start the two units of BTPS umpteen times in the past.
Out of the two units located at Barauni for which R&M is being carried out, one unit was commissioned on December 1, 1984, which stopped generation in March 2012.
The other unit was made operational on March 30, 1985 and it stopped generation in August 2006.
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Punjab Congress today hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party over absence of the issue of stubble burning, one of the main causes of unprecedented smog cover over the national capital, in its poll manifesto in the state, saying it exposes the party's "vested" interests in promoting "petty politics".
Clearly with an eye on the forthcoming Punjab assembly elections, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's AAP has chosen to maintain a studious silence over the critical issue of stubble burning in the state, said Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) leaders Rana Gurjit Singh, Dr Dharamveer Agnihotri and Inderjit Singh Zira.
"While the Congress has been maintaining a clear stand on the issue of stubble burning, the AAP leadership's ambiguity in the matter indicates a deliberate attempt by Kejriwal and his colleagues to mislead the farmers of Punjab," said the PPCC
leaders.
They said that the "notable" absence of the issue of stubble burning from the Aam Aadmi Party's manifesto has exposed the party's "vested" interests in promoting "petty politics".
They pointed out that PPCC president Captain Amarinder Singh had clearly stated, time and again, that the poor farmers of Punjab were being forced to resort to stubble burning due to lack of sufficient resources to go for alternate measures.
Punjab Congress will ensure that procurement is done in a timely manner and that the farmers get timely payments, at MSP, for their produce once the party is in power.
The PPCC leaders said it was evident that Kejriwal, on the other hand, was least interested in securing the interests of the people either in Delhi, where his party is currently in power, or in Punjab, where he's eying the chief ministerial berth for himself.
Though the AAP manifesto claims to be comprehensive, addressing as many as 31 issues of concern to the farmers, the absence of the stubble burning issue expose Kejriwal's intentions, according to the PPCC leaders, who demanded that AAP clarify its stand on the controversial issue, particularly in the context of the prevailing smog crisis in Delhi.
The Congress leaders flayed the desperate attempts of AAP's Kanwar Sandhu to justify the fact that the manifesto was quiet on stubble burning by claiming that just because it has not been referred to in the manifesto does not mean the issue has been swept under the carpet.
"What's the point of coming out with a manifesto if you are going to leave vital issues unstated," they asked Sandhu, lambasting him for trying to befool the people of Punjab.
Other AAP leaders have tried to wriggle out of the embarrassment caused by the non-mention of the stubble burning issue in the manifesto by saying "maybe it will be there in the environment manifesto."
"Is AAP saying that they don't even know for sure if they are going to include this vital subject in their manifesto at all," the PPCC leaders said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala today welcomed the CWC's unanimous sentiment that Rahul Gandhi should take over as the Party President.
In Kerala and in the country every Congress worker would welcome the decision. There was no doubt, he said in a statement here.
"Rahul Gandhi will be able to give leadership to the disciplined party and also rise to the expectations of the people and country," Chennithala, who is the Opposition leader in the state assembly, said.
"The party needs the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, a member of the Nehru family, to rescue the country from communal forces and to uphold democratic values."
The Congress Working Committee (CWC), which met in Delhi today, had unanimously expressed their strong sentiment that party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi take over as its President.
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State Congress senior vice president Lal Singh today said if the party comes to power in Punjab it will eradicate the menace of drugs, unemployment and corruption in the first six months of it forming government.
"The Congress party will finish these problems in the first six months of coming to power in 2017," he claimed after flagging-off the second phase of 'Jawani Sambhal Yatra' here in poll-bound Punjab.
"The youth of Punjab have suffered the most in the last 10 years. Drugs have entered every house and is easily available because of the police-politico nexus being run under the SAD-BJP government," he alleged.
"The wealth of the first family of Punjab has multiplied while the state has deteriorated in every sector. Corruption has engulfed every sphere of life," Lal said.
Meanwhile, Indian Youth Congress president Raja Amrinder Warring said this time the youth will bring revolution in Punjab and strengthen the Congress party by forming government in 2017.
"The youth will play major a role in the ousting of this corrupt and visionless government of SAD-BJP which has ruined the state in last 10 years," he said.
Punjab Congress Legislature Party chief Charanjit Singh Channi expressed shock over the "insult" heaped upon family members of freedom fighters during the inauguration of an "incomplete" Jang-e-Azadi memorial at Jalandhar yesterday.
The 'yatra' will be covering 22 constituencies and will end on November 11 in Amritsar, Lal informed.
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In line with the order of the city administration, construction and demolition activities at Delhi Metro sites and areas under the jurisdiction of municipal corporations have been suspended for this week with immediate effect to improve the air quality.
"Excavation, backfilling works have been be suspended for five days. Dry dismantling of concrete and bricks, which are likely to cause dust pollution and dry stone cutting will be suspended too," a senior Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) official said.
"These steps have been taken in compliance with the instructions given by the Delhi government regarding construction sites," he said.
Delhi is facing its worst smog in 17 years and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had yesterday announced "emergency" measures to deal with the situation, including ban on construction and demolition activities for five days and temporary closure of Badarpur Power Plant.
However, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung after chairing a high-level meeting today with Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Environment Minister Imran Hussain and representatives from other agencies, extended the period of ban till November 14.
Municipal and DMRC authorities said the city administration's order will be complied with.
"Water is being sprinkled regularly to avoid soil erosion and dust pollution. The muck generated from excavation is disposed of at designated areas using dumpers with tarpaulin cover on top. Wheels of trucks exiting construction sites are thoroughly washed before they enter public roads," DMRC said.
"To prevent land and water contamination, hazardous liquid wastes such as used oil and chemicals are disposed of only through government-approved recyclers of such waste," it added.
Civic officials said, the ban will apply to all properties, public or private, and they will have to comply with it.
Despite the ban being imposed with immediate effect, construction works at some sites were still seen going on.
A senior official at the LG office said the decisions taken today will be reviewed at the next meeting on November 15.
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A lower-rung police officer here landed in police net after he was found to have allegedly amassed assets worth over Rs three crore, 800 per cent more than his known sources of income, police said today.
Under the FIR in corruption case last month, Assistant Sub-Inspector Prakash Patil was booked under relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly possessing assets which were disproportionate by 284.4 per cent.
"In last 20 days of investigation, Rs 3 crore 20 lakh worth property belonging to Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of Surat (Rural) Police, Prakash Patil has come on record.
"We have found that Patil owns properties that are valued 800 per cent more (compared) to his known sources of income. This is based on the property registered documents scrutinised by us. Investigation is still going on," Assistant Superintendent of Police (Dangs) Manish Singh, who is investigating the case, told PTI.
Incidentally, Patil is currently under suspension for his alleged role in recent hooch tragedy at Vareli village in Surat district in September in which 21 people died.
Singh said the police were also probing the details of foreign visits undertaken by Patil in the past.
"We also suspect his role in money laundering, but this is a matter of further investigation which is going on," the officer said.
Patil was booked for his alleged links with bootleggers in the wake of the hooch incident.
During the alleged corruption probe, police found that Patil's son Pankaj Patil (27) had allegedly spent Rs 81 lakh in last four years and also owns three residential apartments, one in Pune and two in Surat.
According to police, Pankaj also owns a shop in Surat and has stakes in two chemical companies and several plots of land.
The ASI' wife Mandaben, a homemaker, also owns a residential apartment and plots of land in her name, police said.
Patil, who joined police force in 1984, was working as ASI with parole/furlough squad of Surat (rural) police before he was suspended.
The hooch case was briefly investigated by local police, before it was handed over to state Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).
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CPI(M) today criticised the Madhya Pradesh government for the arrest of party activists and others before they could stage a demonstration two days ago in Indore for seeking Supreme Court-monitored probe in the alleged encounter of eight SIMI activists after Bhopal jailbreak.
"The BJP government in the state is throttling the voices of people," CPI(M) politburo member Subhashini Ali said in a statement.
She said her party and human rights activists were arrested before they could hold a demonstration on November 5 at Indore seeking an apex court-monitored probe into the October 31 Bhopal encounter of eight SIMI men accused of terror.
The demonstration was also organised against the one-day ban order on NDTV India channel telecast on November 9, said the senior Left leader, who is in-charge of her party's state affairs.
90-year-old Anand Mohan Mathur, former MP Advocate General and the senior-most practising lawyer of the state, was scheduled to lead the demonstration.
Hours before the protests, the police swooped on the CPI(M) office and arrested everyone there undemocratically, Ali alleged.
Mathur was pushed into his house and the car keys snatched from his driver by the police, she further alleged.
The venue of the demonstration, Regal Square at Indore, was surrounded by hundreds of police men and everyone approaching the venue were also arrested, state CPI(M) Secretary Badal Saroj said.
All those arrested were detained for a long time.
The CPI(M), CPI and other groups are not going to sit quiet, Saroj said.
"We are going to hold a statewide protest seeking Supreme Court-monitored probe into the encounter and against the ban on NDTV India shortly," he said.
"We are not going to disclose the date of the protest as the state government will again try to throttle our voice by arresting us before the demonstration," he added.
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Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said the severe air pollution in Delhi cannot be entirely blamed on crop-residue burning by farmers, but is fallout of various factors, including construction activities and vehicular emissions.
"It is not at all right to say the entire problem of smog has been caused because of crop-residue burning by farmers. Reports suggest it is due to construction activities, vehicle emissions and bursting of firecrackers during Diwali," he claimed.
"We are witnessing a combined effect of all these things," he said, adding the impact of this pollution has been felt more on Delhi and NCR areas.
"Moreover, the winds too have been calm. Generally there are some light rains around Diwali but it has not happened this time," Khattar said.
Asserting that the Haryana government had taken several steps to stop the practice of stubble burning, the Chief Minister said, "Action has been taken against 1,424 erring farmers and Rs 13.50 lakh have been collected. We have also appealed to farmers to shun the practice."
Meanwhile, on the AAP government in Delhi attributing crop-residue burning as the major reason for smog in the national capital, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij alleged, "Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has a habit of putting blame on others for his own shortcomings and failures."
He should search for the reason behind air pollution in Delhi itself, he said.
"If Kejriwal is blaming Haryana then where are the dark clouds (thick smog) over our state. The skies are clear and there is no such pollution in here. Kejriwal is spreading political pollution. Everywhere he does the same thing," he alleged.
Haryana and Punjab governments have imposed a ban on crop-residue burning and erring farmers can be prosecuted by the authorities.
The Haryana government had recently also directed district-level committees, constituted to check the practice, to monitor the incidents through satellite images and submit a daily report to the headquarters.
Besides, the committees have been directed to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and register cases against violators at special environment courts backed by photographic and videographic evidence.
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Members of the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision making body of the party, today pitched for Rahul Gandhi's elevation as its president.
Member after member suggested that heir apparent to Congress president Sonia Gandhi should helm the party at a meeting of the CWC which was chaired by Rahul Gandhi. The Congress president did not attend the meeting as she was said to be indisposed.
46-year-old Rahul was appointed party vice-president in January 2013 at Congress's brainstorming session in Jaipur. The talk about his elevation has been going on for quite some time now.
Sources said the ball was set rolling by senior Congress leader A K Antony, who first spoke about the need for Rahul Gandhi to take over the party leadership. Antony's suggestion received the backing of all other CWC members attending the meeting, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, sources said.
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IT services firm Cyinet Ltd today said it has signed a definitive agreement with Blom ASA to acquire 100 per cent stake in Blom Aerofilms, a UK-based digital mapping and ground survey provider.
According to a statement issued by Cyinet (formerly Infotech Enterprises Limited), the revenue of Blom stood at 6 million pounds during the last calendar year.
The company did not provide financial details of the deal.
John Renard, President EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) and Business Unit Head for Utilities and Geospatial, said the acquisition complements the company's geospatial skills and also brings industry leading knowledge around data acquisition.
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Deepika Padukone's 2016 MTV Europe Music Awards appearance has been labelled as "Bollywood blunder" by an international publication but Indian designers have supported the actress for choosing a Monisha Jaisingh ensemble.
The 30-year-old actress, who is set to make her Hollywood debut with Vin Diesel's "xXx: Return of Xander Cage," walked the red carpet in a look put together by Jaising and Shaleen Nathani.
She wore a thigh-high slit trail skirt, in military green and olive hues, which she teamed up with an embellished bodice and matching bomber jacket. Fringe earrings, a Balmain belt, Misho rings and black heels completed her look.
A British publication, which had earlier received flak for addressing Deepika as a "female companion" of Novak Djokovic, featured her in their 'Worst Dressed Celebs', calling her a 'Bollywood Blunder.'
However, Indian designers like Ritu Beri, Rina Dhaka, Anju Modi and Payal Singhal, who have dressed Deepika, said though there were too many elements in her look, it cannot be called a fashion faux pas.
Beri dismissed the criticism, saying Deepika is an "epitome of style".
"Deepika is the epitome of style. She has inherent grace and elegance which she carries with her to every look she adorns. I absolutely loved her ensemble and especially the creativity with which she put it together," said Beri.
Modi, who has designed Deepika's look in "Ram Leela" and "Bajirao Mastani", said the actress always looks elegant.
"She can wear a sack, or an international designer or an Indian designer and look great as always. I liked what she was wearing. And they (international media) should understand the Indian sensibility. It is great that Deepika decided to wear an Indian designer," Modi told PTI.
Dhaka said though the look was "excessive", she loved the skirt and the bold slit.
"The top, however, I felt was a bit overpowering. It was an excessive look for me with the strong eye make-up, strong shoulders, accessories. We are used to seeing her like that here. May be it was a bit too much for the international press. But definitely the look was not a blunder," she said.
Singhal said she liked that Deepika decided to wear an Indian designer for her maiden award red carpet outing even though it was "a bit overdone".
"I have worked with Deepika and her stylist before and I think it was just a one off moment for them and she will make a striking appearance soon. I liked that she decided to wear an Indian designer but I feel that it was a bit overdone with belt, earrings and jacket.
"The criticism should be either taken in a positive stride or should be ignored completely. When you are making an appearance at an international platform where big names are coming, you try a lot and at times miss it and I guess this is what happened," Singhal told PTI.
Jaisingh, in an Instagram post, had said she opted for military green because it is a functional and strong colour.
"It has a tough, almost androgynous appeal for all of those women warriors out there. Deepika is unstoppable, fit and fierce; making a perfect muse for my Artemisia Gown.
The actress along with her "xXx" co-star Nina Dobrev presented the best video award to The Weeknd for "Starboy". Dobrev, Jourdan Dunn, Bebe Rexha and Winne Harlow were among the best dressed at the event.
"xXx: Return of Xander Cage" will hit the theatres on January 20, 2017.
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The Delhi government today demanded that the Centre conduct a fresh study to find out sources of emission and their respective share in polluting the national capital's air.
Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain wrote to his Union counterpart Anil Dave urging him to instruct the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to undertake the scientific investigation.
His letter came on a day neighbouring Haryana and Punjab rejected the city government's argument that biomass burning in their states was largely responsible for the capital's foul air and alarming levels of smog.
"...Satellite imagery from NASA shows large scale crop burning and pollution from the industries of nearby states like Punjab and Haryana, which have tremendous amounts of pollution.
"In this scenario, it is imperative that the source of emissions and their respective pollutant load contribution is investigated for the entire NCR," Hussain wrote.
This, he said, will ensure that states "own up" to their responsibilities.
Early this year, a team led by IIT-Kanpur Professor Mukesh Sharma had submitted a report titled 'Comprehensive Study on Air Pollution and Green House Gases (GHGs) in Delhi'.
The widely quoted report had put the contribution of biomass burning in pollution within the city (during winters) at 17 per cent (for PM 10) and 26 per cent (for PM 2.5).
PM 2.5 and PM 10 are ultrafine respirable pollutants that are harmful to the respiratory system and can lead to cardiac issues in human beings.
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The Delhi government today suggested the Centre to consider engineering artificial rain over Delhi and the NCR region which are grappling with record- breaking levels air pollution.
At a meeting between the Centre and NCR states, Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain said "the Centre should consider (engineering) artificial rains."
However, Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave said there is a need to examine its "workability".
"We will have to examine technical aspects and its workability. The Aviation Ministry will also have to take a decision. The area involved will be vast...More than 50 kilometres. So, we will seek details from the Aviation Ministry. If it is possible, we will take the necessary steps," he said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while enumerating the steps his government will take to fight pollution had yesterday mentioned that his government had received a proposal on artificial rain through cloud seeding.
"We have asked the Chief Secretary and the Environment Secretary to work with the Centre and assess its possibility and effectiveness," he had said.
Artificial rain is produced by spraying clouds with substances like silver iodide or solid carbon dioxide. It helps increase precipitation and disperse fog.
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In view of the proposed demerger into two separate companies, the Delhi High Court has directed the Ratnagiri Gas and Power (RGPPL) and Konkan LNG to hold separate meetings of their shareholders and creditors for considering the demerger.
In a public notice issued today, the Delhi High Court said, "...Separate meetings to be held of equity shareholders and secured and unsecured creditors of RGPPL and separate meeting of equity shareholders of Konkan LNG for the purpose of considering, and, if thought fit approving with or without modification, the scheme of arrangement (demerger)..."
In September, the Maharashtra government granted approval for the demerger of RGPPL into two separate companies for viability and prevent it from being declared as a non-performing asset (NPA).
Built by the erstwhile US firm Enron, the Rs 12,000 crore, 1,967 MW Dabhol power project, was closed since December 2013 due to inadequate supply of gas. But it was revived in November last year.
After the demerger, the two new companies will be known as RGPPL and Konkan LNG to operate the five million per annum LNG import facilities in Ratnagiri.
While the state government holds a 13.5 per cent stake in RGPPL through the MSEB Holding Company, other stakeholders include financial institutions (35.41 per cent), NTPC and GAIL (both 25.51 per cent each).
In the new demerged firm Konkan LNG, MSEB Holding will have a 4.10 per cent equity.
Post-revival, RGPPL currently generates 500 MW power which is being supplied to the Indian Railways.
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Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave today said Delhi is responsible for the 80 per cent of the worsening air in the city and that there is a need for ending the blame game over the issue.
At a meeting of the environment ministers of Delhi-NCR states to find a solution to combat the problem, he said crop stubble burning contributed just 20 per cent of the pollutants.
Neighbouring states of Haryana and Punjab also put the blame on Delhi.
"Stubble burning is 20 per cent of the problem. Delhi's responsibility is 80 per cent. Burning of petrol/diesel, coal, wood, dry leaves and of garbage at a waste disposal ground led to pollution in Delhi. Burning of crackers can be added to that as well," Dave said.
Dave stressed the need to end the blame game and focus on resolving the problem at hand.
"I always make an attempt to put an end to blame game. Sensationalism and blame game have become a strategy. People get affected by this. They are having trouble breathing. Deal with that first. I want that the states carry out their responsibilities," he said.
The minister said an "Environment Protection Calendar", listing measures to be adopted by all states on a monthly basis, will be prepared in January.
Haryana Environment Minister Vipul Goel said vehicular emission was the root cause of the problem.
"It is definitely not due to stubble burning. Moreover, its rate has dropped to extremely low levels. There is neither wind nor pollution in the areas where the stubble is being burned.
"Pollution in Delhi is due to traffic in the NCR region. On our part, we have banned construction activities in Gurgaon and Faridabad, and intensified drive against old vehicles," Goel said.
He enumerated steps the Haryana government is taking, including a ban on vehicles causing pollution and added it was contemplating shifting thermal power plants.
Punjab Agriculture Minister Tota Singh said, "This is aimed at tarnishing the image of Punjab and Haryana. We have statistics to prove that the situation in Delhi is its own doing. Pollution in Delhi affects other states. Crop burning is not a reason at all.
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Delhi Police is in the process of reconstructing the psychological profile of JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing from the campus over three weeks ago, as its traditional methods of tracing him have failed so far.
"We are doing a meticulous reconstruction of Najeeb's personality and the incident. Our team is analysing his Whatsapp messages, SMSes, his call records and the people he used to interact with to gain an insight on whether he was an introvert or extrovert," said a senior police officer.
Eight special teams have been fanned out to various places where he has stayed and studied before JNU in order to talk to his teachers and friends to know whether he has been in touch with any of them or contacted them, he said.
A special team is also doing technical surveillance of Najeeb's mobile phone and laptop to know about his interests and what he used to read on the internet, police said.
We are also appealing to JNU students to assist us in our efforts in tracing Najeeb and sharing information about him, said Dependra Pathak, Delhi Police spokesperson and Joint Commissioner of Police (Southwest).
Police will also be questioning members of JNUSU including its President Mohit Pandey in connection with this case.
Najeeb (27), a student of School of Biotechnology and a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing on October 15 following an on-campus scuffle allegedly with the members of ABVP the night before.
Najeeb's mother Fatima Nafees and his family members today met Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma and other senior officers, including special commissioners of police (Law & Order) North and South, joint commissioner of police (Southeast), who assured her of all the action in the matter.
After coming out of the meeting, Fatima said, "I have been told that all possible steps are being taken to trace Najeeb. I just want him back."
Police also asked the family members to share with them minutest of details about Najeeb's personality so that he can be traced.
She refused to comment on reports that she was allegedly dragged by Delhi Police officers yesterday and detained.
"I am ready to tolerate more pain than what I went through yesterday just to get my son back," she said.
Najeeb's family members also alleged that the officers didn't talk about yesterday's incident where they were detained en route to India Gate and taken to different police stations.
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The Congress Working Committee today warned the Modi government that its "undemocratic methods" and "acts to curtail" liberty and freedom of expression would be strongly resisted as Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on it alleging that democracy is going through "one of its darkest hours".
A meeting of the CWC presided over by Rahul "warned the government that its undemocratic methods and acts to curtail liberty, freedom of expression and violation of fundamental rights of the citizen as enshrined in the Constitution will be strongly resisted."
Congress president Sonia Gandhi did not attend the meeting as she was said to be indisposed.
In a resolution on political and economic situation in the country, adopted at the meet, the CWC associated itself with the concerns of citizens and media over "growing intolerance, centralisation of authority, arbitrary and partisan decisions, abuse of power, and misuse of government agencies to target political opponents, critics and institutions".
The apex policy making body of the Congress met close on the heels of detention of Rahul Gandhi thrice in two days by Delhi Police after he protested over the OROP issue in the wake of suicide by an ex-serviceman.
The meeting also comes in the backdrop of the government's order putting a one-day ban on NDTV India over its coverage of the Pathankot terror attack, a move that has come under all-round attack from opposition and the media.
In a combative speech, Rahul said the ruling dispensation was "obsessed with power and seeking to silence" all those who disagree and which was "hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions".
"Democracy under the present dispensation is going through one of the darkest hours," he said, adding that all attempts by the government to suppress fundamental rights by "abusing" state power would only strengthen the Congress resolve to defeat such "danger designs".
"Asking questions is what discomforts this government the most, for they have no answers. We must in every forum, in particular the upcoming session of Parliament, expose the government's failures," Rahul said in his opening remarks.
With the Winter Session of Parliament just over a week away, the CWC resolved to continue its struggle "to expose communal and divisive agenda of BJP-RSS and reactionary forces and the failures and the double speak of the Modi government, and will champion with greater vigor the cause of the poor and the marginalised."
A highlight of the meeting, which lasted over four hours, was that all members, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior leader A K Antony, made a strong pitch for Rahul to take over the reins of the party.
"(CWC) Members unanimously expressed their strong
sentiment that accepting the wishes of crores of Congress workers and well-wishers, Rahul Gandhi take over as the president of the Congress party," Antony told reporters while briefing on the deliberations.
He said all members, including Manmohan Singh, insisted it was "high time" Rahul took over as party chief and the Congress mobilised "all forces" to take on "anti-people and dictatorial" policies of the Modi government.
Meanwhile, the CWC expressed deep concern and alarm over the "continuing and deliberate attack" on the independence of the judiciary and the delay in appointments of judges to higher judiciary, which it felt has adversely affected the judicial delivery system.
It also exhorted the government to take stock of the unprecedented spurt in prices of essential commodities, and the plight of farmers on account of inadequate MSP for crops.
Making a strong pitch for a course correction, the party wanted the government to focus on governance and address the genuine problems of people and fulfil its promises made earlier.
The resolution also criticised the government for taking political mileage out of the bravery of soldiers in the wake of surgical strikes across the Line of Control and deplored the attempt by the government and BJP to whip up hysteria and create a division in the polity and termed it as "unfortunate and counter-productive".
The CWC urged the government to observe restraint and discretion and give up its attempts to gain political advantage out of an essentially military action.
"False claims, chest-thumping and jingoism have no place in a mature democracy, especially on matters concerning the defence of the country," the resolution said.
The CWC offered its unequivocal support to ex-servicemen in their "just struggle to win OROP", removal of anomalies in implementation of 7th Pay Commission to Armed Forces, withdrawal of order on reduction of 'Disability Pension'.
Rahul, who has been raking up the issue of OROP for the past few days, said, "In recent months, our jawans have suffered the highest casualties in decades. They are being cruelly rewarded by a callous government with denial of OROP and cut in disability pension."
The CWC also deplored "the government's actions in launching an assault on democratic rights by misusing the police and the laws and illegally detaining the principal opposition party and its leadership to prevent them from taking up the cause of ex-servicemen".
Alluding to the one-day ban on Hindi channel NDTV India, Rahul charged, "TV channels are being punished and asked to shut down. The opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account".
It passed a resolution condemning the Uri terror attack. Another resolution recalled the contribution of Indira Gandhi to nation-building and her sacrifice for unity and integrity of the country.
(REOPENS DEL 105)
The CWC condemned escalation of atrocities on dalits, adivasis and minorities and the violent attacks on poor who have raised their voice of protest, which has created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among the people.
"It is deplorable that persons occupying positions of responsibility in the Government and in the ruling party have encouraged and endorsed the actions of individuals and organizations responsible for these incidents and acts of violence," it said.
Noting that key parameters of the economy are in sharp decline, the party said, "contrary to boastful claims, Indian economy is not surging but is struggling" and government is attempting to hide behind GDP growth figures amid doubts over it being incompatible with verifiable data in public domain.
The CWC also conveyed to government to take note of the alarming environmental situation reflected in pollution and smog enveloping the national capital and north India.
"We urge upon Government of India and Government of Delhi to rise above their adversarial relationship and find lasting solutions to the problem," the resolution said.
In its resolution, the party recalled the contribution of Indira Gandhi to nation-building and her sacrifice for unity and integrity of the country.
It also called upon all to celebrate the birth centenary of Indira Gandhi in a befitting manner and regretted that the NDA government instead of recognising her enormous contribution was attempting to belittle her life and work and "disrespected her memory".
The resolution expressing shock and deep distress over the martyrdom of 19 Indian soldiers in a terror attack in Uri on September 18, expressed the hope that the perpetrators of the act as also forces behind it will be severely dealt with and brought to book.
The CWC members also observed a two-minute silence in memory of all those who laid their lives for the country.
In view of upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, Rahul Gandhi earlier said the Modi government is expected to launch a "disinformation campaign and polarisation to exploit caste and religious issues".
"With state elections due in the coming months as we can safely expect the Modi government to launch a campaign of disinformation and polarisation. They will exploit caste and religious fault lines. We must anticipates and neutralise such devious strategies," he said.
Underlining that Congress has "successfully exposed" the Modi government's "anti-poor agenda and broken promises", Gandhi asked the partymen to continue the "struggle to expose the comprehensive failure of the Modi government on all fronts".
Telangana government would introduce digital class rooms in the first phase in 1,500 schools from November 14, the Children's Day, Deputy Chief Minister K Srihari said here today.
Srihari, who inaugurated an education exhibition at a school here, said the digital class rooms are being introduced as part of the government's resolve to improve quality of education.
The state government would also set up computer labs in schools, an official release quoted him as saying.
He also said the notification for District Selection Committee for teachers' recruitment would be announced soon. The notification was delayed due to re-organisation of districts in the state.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a major respite to commuters, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) today deferred its decision to hike fares.
The Board could not decide on hiking the fare of Delhi Metro, based on the recommendation of the Fare Fixation Committee (FCC), since the Delhi Chief Secretary K K Sharma could not attend the meeting, a source said.
Sharma, a member of the Board and also member of FCC, had signed the recommendations of the Committee which was set up by Urban Development Ministry to recommend the hike in passenger fares for Delhi Metro.
Delhi government, which was represented by the finance secretary, has sought more time to study the report, the source said.
"In this scenario, DMRC chairperson Rajiv Gauba, who is also Urban Development Secretary, has no option but to defer the decision in the matter," the source added.
In September, the committee had submitted its report which had reportedly recommended the lowest fares to be increased to Rs 10 from Rs 8 now, and the maximum fare to Rs 50 from Rs 30 at present.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had last time revised the fares in 2009.
The Government had in June this year set up at the three-member committee under former Delhi High Court Judge, Justice (retd) M L Mehta to look into the fare revision issue.
Earlier, the DMRC had proposed a five-slab fare system in the range of Rs 10-50 to mitigate the "adverse" impact on its financial health.
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After the telecom regulator suggested a hefty penalty on incumbent operators over interconnect issue, the Telecom Department has sought Attorney-General's opinion on whether it has the authority to impose penalty for breach of licence conditions.
"We have sought A-G's opinion on whether the authority to impose penalty for (breach of) licence condition remains, in the context of Tripura High Court ruling which raised question on our power to impose such penalty," a Department of Telecom (DoT) official said.
Late last month, telecom regulator TRAI suggested imposition of Rs 1,050 crore penalty each for Airtel and Vodafone, and Rs 950 crore for Idea Cellular, for denying interconnect to newcomer Reliance Jio.
TRAI, in its recommendation to DoT, said it has found the trio non-compliant with licence conditions and service quality norms, given the high rate of call failures and congestion at interconnect points for Reliance Jio.
Following TRAI's recommendation, the Telecom Department sought A-G's opinion on the matter last week, sources pointed out.
Sources further indicated that DoT may not make any move on setting up internal committees to examine the matter from commercial and technical aspects, till such time it receives A-G's opinion on the larger issue of its authority to impose penalty.
While giving its recommendation to DoT, TRAI had noted that denial of interconnection by the three operators to RJio "appears to be with the ulterior motive to stifle competition and is anti-consumer".
The regulator had, in fact, stopped short of recommending cancellation of their telecom licences, saying it may lead to "significant consumer inconvenience". The recommendation came on complaint by Reliance Jio that over 75 per cent of calls on its network are failing as incumbents were not giving sufficient points of interconnect to help complete calls.
In its defence, Airtel had stated that it has done everything 'humanly' possible to augment connectivity between its network and Reliance Jio, and is hopeful of 'objective outcome' on the penalty issue.
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A Delhi University Professor has been booked along with Maoists and others on charges of murder of a tribal villager in the insurgency-hit Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, police said today.
"An FIR was lodged against DU Professor Nandini Sundar, Archana Prasad (JNU Professor), Vineet Tiwari (from Delhi's Joshi Adhikar Sansthan), Sanjay Parate(Chhattisgarh CPI (Marxist) State Secretary) and others along with Maoists for the murder of Baghel based on the complaint of his wife on Saturday," Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) SRP Kalluri told PTI.
They were booked under section 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 and 149 of IPC at Tongpal police station, the IG said adding, "strongest possible action will be taken against those guilty after the investigation".
Though the case was registered on Saturday, the matter came to light late Monday evening.
Armed Naxals had allegedly killed the villager, Shamnath Baghel, with sharp weapons on late night on Friday (November 4) at his residence in Nama village under Kumakoleng gram panchayat in Tongpal area, around 450 kms away from here.
Baghel and some of his associates were spearheading the protest against Naxal activities in their village since April this year.
"As per the complaint lodged by the victim's wife, her husband had been getting threats from Maoists since he and other villagers had complained against Sundar in May this year. Even armed ultras were referring to that complaint and anti-Maoist demonstrations while attacking Baghel on Friday," the IG said.
His wife has sought action against Sundar and others accusing them of murdering her husband, Kalluri added.
Notably, Baghel and other villagers of the region had earlier given a complaint with Tongpal police in May this year against Sundar, Prasad, Tiwari, Parate and an unidentified woman activist from Sukmafor allegedly inciting innocent tribals against the government and seeking their support for Maoists.
Villagers of Nama and the neighbouring Kumakoleng village (both under Kumakoleng village panchayat) had started a self-motivated protest against Maoist activities in their villages after forming its own security group named "Tangiya (axe) group" in April this year.
"Following the development, according to villagers, Sundar and others went in the village to allegedly threaten them not to oppose the Maoists," the IG said.
Sundar had gone to the village with fake name Richa Keshav, he added.
A letter was then written to the Vice Chancellors of both DU and JNU informing that Bastar police was conducting an inquiry against both the professors following complaint received against them, he added.
Baghel and other villagers of the region had earlier
given a complaint to Tongpal police in May this year against Sundar, Prasad, Tiwari, Parate and an unidentified woman activist from Sukmafor allegedly inciting innocent tribals against the government and seeking their support for Maoists.
Villagers of Nama and the neighbouring Kumakoleng village (both under Kumakoleng village panchayat) had started a self-motivated protest against Maoist activities in their villages after forming its own security group named "Tangiya (axe) group" in April this year.
"Following the development, according to villagers, Sundar and others went in the village to allegedly threaten them not to oppose the Maoists," the IG said.
Sundar had gone to the village with the alias Richa Keshav, he said.
A letter was then written to the Vice Chancellors of both DU and JNU informing that Bastar police was conducting an inquiry against both the professors following complaint received against them, he added.
Julian Assange will be questioned next week over longstanding rape accusations, Sweden's public prosecutor's office announced today, saying an Ecuadorian prosecutor would visit the WikiLeaks founder in the embassy where he has been holed up since 2012.
Through his lawyer Assange welcomed the saying he was looking forward to the "chance to clear his name".
The Swedish authorities said one of the prosecutors on the case, Ingrid Isgren, as well as a Swedish police inspector would also attend the questioning on November 14 and report the findings to Sweden.
"A DNA sample will also be taken, provided that Julian Assange agrees to it," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
The 45-year-old whistleblower sought refuge in Ecuador's embassy in London in June 2012, fleeing allegations of rape and sexual assault in Sweden dating back to 2010. Assange denies the claims.
An Australian national, he had refused to travel to Sweden for questioning due to concerns that he would then be extradited to the United States over WikiLeaks' release of 500,000 secret military files on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"We have requested this interview repeatedly since 2010," his lawyer Per Samuelsson told AFP.
"Julian Assange has always wanted to tell his version to the Swedish police. He wants a chance to clear his name," he said.
"We hope the investigation will be closed then."
The lawyer added the "shape of the questioning is under discussion."
A first hearing scheduled for October with the prosecutor Toainga Wilson had been postponed at Assange's request, citing "his rights to the protection and defense of his person," according to Ecuadorian prosecutors.
Swedish prosecutors have dropped a sexual assault probe, concerning another woman, against Assange last year after the five-year statute of limitations expired.
But they still want to question him about the 2010 rape allegation, which carries a 10-year statute of limitations.
Assange insists the sexual encounters in question were consensual.
Last month, the Swedish prosecutor's office rejected Assange's request to temporarily suspend his arrest warrant so he could leave the Ecuadoran embassy to attend the funeral of mentor Gavin MacFayden.
WikiLeaks has meanwhile returned to the spotlight in recent weeks with the damaging leak of tens of thousands of emails from the US Democratic Party and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign.
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Eddie Redmayne said he was worried about ruining "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them" because he is such a huge fan of the "Harry Potter" movies.
The Oscar-winning actor is a huge fan of the "Harry Potter" movies and admitted to some nerves about taking on the role of Newt Scamander in the upcoming spin-off, reported Contactmusic.
"Of course you feel pressure. Also, particularly because I loved the Potter films. There was something so warming about being able to dive back into that world every year or two. And if you've enjoyed something, you don't want to be the one who comes in and screws it up," he said.
"But pressure's there with every film. With 'The Theory of Everything' it was knowing Stephen and Jane Hawking and the family would see the film. With 'The Danish Girl' it was all the people that I'd met in preparation for the film who came from the trans community. It's pressure here of a different type, which is called hard core fandom.
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An engineering student was today arrested on charges of posting morphed photos of a 19-year-old girl on a social networking website, police said.
Vamsa Krishna Yadav, studying in a private engineering college, was allegedly pestering the girl, a nursing student in Puducherry, police said.
The girl had spurned his advances, they added.
Irked over the girl's refusal, Yadav allegedly posted her morphed pictures on a social networking website, police said.
On a complaint from the girl's parents, police arrested Yadav under various sections of the IPC as also the Information Technology Act.
He was remanded to judicial custody, police said.
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Indian tobacco farmers staged a demonstration at the venue of a global conference organised by the WHO here today to protest against the "non-democratic" way of framing "one-sided" policies on tobacco.
India is hosting the Seventh Session of the Conference of Parties (COP7) to World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) for the first time.
The farmers also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to institute an investigation and expose the opaque working of WHO-FCTC and NGO operations in India who orchestrated atrocities against farmers.
They said that WHO's FCTC global conference, which decided to keep farmers away from the critical decision-making about their future despite repeated appeals, is expected to severely impact the lives and livelihoods of 4.6 crore Indians associated with the tobacco industry.
"We pledge to fight against the non-transparent machinery of WHO FCTC. We appeal to the policy makers to investigate the hidden agenda of global organisations that, under the garb of development and welfare, are silently working towards destroying local markets and livelihoods in developing economies, which is against their own guiding principles.
"They are creating an environment that facilitates the entry of global corporations to manipulate and earn profits from the lucrative Indian market," said B V Javare Gowda, President of the Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA).
Murali Babu, General Secretary of FAIFA, appealed to the Prime Minister to recognise the hardships that confront crores of Indian farmers as global representatives get together to "destroy their future".
"Tobacco control measures need to be more inclusive and should not be decided only by health officials and activists, but should allow participation from tobacco growers and realistically acknowledge the problems they face," he said.
(REOPENS DES20)
Around 500 farmers were detained when they reached the gates of the India Expo Mart, the venue of the WHO FCTC conference, FAIFA said, adding that the detained farmers were released later.
The farmers community also jointly passed a 'Delhi Declaration', outlining steps to fight the "unfair and unjust approach" to tobacco control.
The farmers said the WHO FCTC Conference of Parties is not addressing concerns of stakeholders and is following a "non-inclusive and non-transparent" process at the behest of non-state actors who have vested interests.
Through the declaration, they demanded a probe to expose the hidden agendas of non-state actors in WHO FCTC operations, to provide equally remunerative alternative crop options for all tobacco growers across the globe, to investigate financial records of all anti-tobacco NGOs and the motives of their financial contributors.
They also demanded provision of alternative livelihood opportunities for affected farmers, farm labourers, bidi and tobacco workers, tribal tendu leaf pickers and tobacco retailers.
They said that the WHO FCTC meeting should be consultative, transparent, democratic and inclusive of all stakeholders.
Janet Reno, the first female US attorney general and a lightning rod for Republican attacks during Bill Clinton's presidency, died today in Florida, US media reported. She was 78.
Reno died at her Miami home due to complications from Parkinson's disease, her sister Maggy Hurchalla told CNN.
The top US law enforcement officer throughout Clinton's 1993-2001 presidency, Reno came under fire barely one month after becoming attorney general for her handling of a botched April 1993 FBI raid on an armed religious cult in Waco, Texas.
Some 80 people died when the Branch Davidian cult's compound went up in flames.
Her other actions included ordering the Miami relatives of six-year-old Cuban shipwreck survivor Elian Gonzalez in 2000 to surrender the boy to federal authorities.
One of the longest-serving US attorney generals, her Department of Justice handled prosecutions in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and two cases of domestic terrorism, the 1995 Oklahoma City federal building bombing and the "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski.
Other cases included an anti-trust lawsuit against Microsoft, and suing the tobacco industry along with several states to recover health care money spent on people who suffered the effects of smoking.
Reno was born in Miami on July 21, 1938, the daughter of Henry and Jane Reno, two newspaper reporters.
Reno enrolled at Cornell University in New York in 1956 and became president of the university's Women's Self Government Association.
She was one of only 16 women in the 500-strong 1960 class at Harvard Law School, where she received her degree three years later.
Reno chaired the Florida Governor's Council for the Prosecution of Organized Crime in 1979-80.
Upon leaving office Reno, who was six foot, two inches tall, saw her bid to run for governor in 2002 thwarted when she narrowly lost in the Democratic party primary.
Her post-government work included a 2013 appearance as a guest character on the animated show "The Simpsons.
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With Delhi and NCR area air quality plunging due to high level of air pollution, foreign delegates at a global health conference on tobacco control at Greater Noida today were seen wearing masks.
Participants and delegates arriving at the 7th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP7) to World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which kicked off at Greater Noida today were seen wearing protective masks or protecting their nose with a cloth.
Giovanni Castillo, Ambassador of Guatemala said that given the present situation, he had to get a protective mask from the embassy while coming to the conference venue.
"I came from the Caribbean where the air is clean and fresh. Given the kind of pollution in the national capital, I am wearing the protective mask," Castillo said.
Another delegate from Syria, who refused to be identified, was also seen coming out of the bus with her mouth and nose covered with a cloth.
She said that she was informed about the bad quality of air which is why she used the cloth to protect her mouth and nose as a precautionary measure.
Many other delegates were seen wearing protective masks while arriving at the venue.
Green body Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had recently said that according to the India Meteorological Department, this is the worst smog with very poor visibility in 17 years.
In Delhi, there has been no respite from the choking haze of pollution since Diwali.
Analysis of air pollution data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee shows that on Diwali day (October 30) the air was already saturated - the 24-hour average level of PM2.5 was 347 microgramme per cubic metre (cu m) and was at 'severe' level which is the worst category according to the air quality index.
This further increased significantly post-Diwali when on November 2 the 24-hour average levels shot up to 577 microgramme per cu m. Yesterday - almost a week later -- it was far worse at 639 microgramme per cu m.
The peak levels were even more horrendous and not breathable. On November 5, the four hour averages (12 noon - 4 pm) of peak levels were as high as 732 microgramme per cu m in Punjabi Bagh, 762 microgramme per cu m in Mandir Marg and 566 microgramme per cu m in R K Puram, CSE had said.
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CPI-M led LDF government in Kerala has ropped in former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai as the Chairman of Fund Trustee Advisory Commission, which would ensure proper use of resources under the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).
The decision to appoint Vinod Rai as Chairman was taken at the first meeting of KIIFB chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, State Finance Minister T M Thomas Issac said.
Former Reserve Bank of India deputy governor Usha Thorat and former NABARD Chairman Prakash Bakshai are the other two members of the Commission, that would have a two-year tenure.
Making a major step forward in attracting private investments, the LDF government had brought in an amendment to the KIFB Act, among other things to mobilise funds outside the budget to boost investment in infrastructure sector.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Issac said the Board gave sanction to 48 projects with a total outlay of Rs. 4004.86 crore and an amount of Rs.1740.63 crore would be released as first instalment for the projects.
Resources for the first phase to a tune of Rs.2000 crore would be raised through General Obligation Bond, he said.
'Definitely the present decision is a strategic shift to attract private investments to boost infrastructure. Changes have taken place in the country. The objective is to tap the opportunities', Issac said in reply to a question.
The plan was to have investments to a tune of Rs.50,000 crore in various sectors in the next five years through KIIFB, he said.
Infrastructure Fund Management Corporation would be formed to work out details of products for raising funds from the market, he said.
New resource mobilisation mechanism, that has the approval of RBI and SEBI, such as Alternative Investment Fund, Infrastructure Debt fund and Infrastructure Investment Trust would also be formed, he said.
It was decided to start an 'NRI Chit' fund under the Kerala State Financial Enterprises as part of resource mobilisation, he said.
To a question on GST, Issac said Kerala would introduce the new tax regime in the next Finance Bill in February as GST would be rolled out from April next.
Asked whether state assembly would ratify the GST Bill passed by the Parliament, Issac said there was no need for it now as the bill had been approved by President.
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A French tourist, who reached the temple city a few days ago along with his partner, has reportedly gone missing from a hotel, police said today.
Theari Mark Nesti and his partner Velaria Manot reached the city on November 4. They shifted to a hotel in Sigra area here the day after, Superintendent of Police (city) Rajesh Yadav said.
Nesti went to a nearby market yesterday and did not return, he said.
A missing complaint was filed by the hotel staff following which a search operation has been launched for the missing tourist, he said.
Yadav said that the French embassy has been informed of the matter.
"The tourist's girlfriend, who was staying with him in the same room, has also been questioned and we are working on the case," he said.
Police added that the staff of a hotel, where the couple had stayed earlier said that Nesti had visited them the day he went missing, and that he may have lost his way.
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A German court today sentenced a far-right local politician to eight months in jail after he was spotted at a swimming pool with a tattoo of a Nazi slogan and a rendering of the Auschwitz death camp.
A district court in Neuruppin, north of Berlin, found 28-year-old Marcel Zech guilty of public incitement and gave him a harsher punishment on appeal than the six-month suspended sentence he originally received last December.
Prosecutors at the time complained that the sentence against Zech, a local council member of the neo-Nazi NPD party, was too lenient.
Explaining his appeal verdict, judge Joern Kalbow said a lesser sentence could have been interpreted as "the state backing down in the face of right-wing radicalism", DPA agency reported.
Zech's back tattoo was photographed after he took his shirt off at a public swimming pool last November in Oranienburg in the eastern state of Brandenburg which surrounds the capital.
It featured the German words "Jedem das Seine" (To Each His Own) -- the message at the front gate of the Buchenwald concentration camp -- below a picture of the former Auschwitz concentration camp.
After the first trial Zech was ordered to hide the tattoo in public, but his initial display of it raised questions in Germany whether it represented a new brazenness on the part of the far-right as the country grapples with a record refugee influx.
The reporter who took his picture and posted it on Facebook said no one at the pool had complained when Zech removed his shirt.
According to DPA, Zech's lawyer told the court that his client had since then covered up the Auschwitz drawing with another tattoo, although the slogan remains.
He added that they would appeal the prison sentence.
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In order to reduce post harvest food losses, estimated at Rs 1,00,000 crore, the government today said it will promote new technologies that help increase the shelf life of pulses and other grains.
Efforts are also being made, it said, to strengthen storage infrastructure with modern silos by giving huge subsidies under various government schemes.
Addressing a global conference on controlled atmosphere and fumigation in stored products, Food Processing Secretary Avinash K Srivastava pitched for use of science and technology to address the problem of food wastage in the country.
"Apart from increasing production, we should take steps to control and reduce post harvesting losses. Unparallel role of technology is now being hailed... The advantage of technology is great in so far as conserving and improving our production and by-products," he said.
At present, post harvest food losses are to the tune of Rs 1,00,000 crore, which is 1 per cent of the country's GDP. "If we reduce the losses, that much increase in GDP would be seen," he said.
Stressing upon the need to promote new technologies, Srivastava highlighted the advantage of 'Buhler grain technology' for pulses and JVM technology for citrus fruits in increasing the shelf life of the products.
Since India faces shortage of pulses, he said this technology can be used. Already, some private players in Maharashtra and Gujarat are using it on a small scale.
Asked on the sidelines of the event that if the government will promote such technologies, he said, "Definitely, we are there to push such new technologies that will help reduce wastage."
Highlighting government schemes that promote setting up of storage facilities, the Secretary said private players are being roped in this area and modern silos are coming up gradually.
Srivastava also mentioned that the government will soon conduct a fresh study to ascertain the extent of post harvest food losses in the country.
The current post harvest food loss of Rs 1,00,000 crore was estimated in 2014 and this needs to be updated, he added.
The four-day international conference is being organised by agro-chemical firm UPL Ltd and Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The event is organised once in four years and the last one was held in Turkey.
Talking about gaining popularity of controlled atmosphere
storage systems, Additional Secretary in the Department of Agriculture, Research and Education Sunil K Singh said stored grains are generally fumigated using chemicals and other gases to protect them from spoilage.
"Application of chemicals on stored grains are discouraged because of the residues they leave on the grain and increasing resistance of insects against chemicals. Controlled atmosphere storage by altering gas composition of the storage environment is gaining greater attention worldwide because they are safer than chemicals," he said.
He added that discussions on this subject at the conference will surely bring out action plan and guidance document for reduction in post-harvest losses of foodgrains and prevention in deterioration of quality of foodgrains during storage.
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd today reported 16.62 per cent decline in standalone net profit at Rs 183.72 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2016.
The company had posted a standalone net profit of Rs 220.34 crore in the same quarter last fiscal, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd (GSKCH) said in BSE filing.
Net sales during the quarter under review stood at Rs 1,135.6 crore as against Rs 1,151.06 crore in the year-ago period, down 1.34 per cent.
"The reported net sales decline of 1.3 per cent got impacted due to one off accounting adjustment sitting in the base and impact of change in accounting standard (IndAS)," it said.
Commenting on the performance, GSKCH Managing Director Manoj Kumar said, "Despite the subdued demand in the FMCG sector, we have gained share in the HFD (health food drink) category. We continue to improve consumer's experience with new products like Horlicks Marie, our biggest launch in the foods category."
He said the company is emphasising on its access strategy with the re-launch of Rs 5 pack of base Horlicks and Boost to ensure that its products are within the easy reach of a larger consumer base.
"Focus on science, innovation and customer, remains our key differentiator and helps us to stay ahead in the category. Our outlook for the upcoming quarter's remains positive," Kumar added.
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The Madras High Court has directed the state government to include three educational experts in the committee constituted by the government to deal with issues, including minimum land requirement, relating to 746 unauthorized schools.
The court said the advocate general submitted that the norms have been worked out but conceded that the committee consists of only bureaucrats manning department persons concerned with education.
It was agreed that since earlier recommendations included education experts also, three educational experts in the earlier committee could be included in this committee which may now finalize the report developed by the committee of bureaucrats.
"We may note the submission of the counsel for the petitioner that the committee may keep in mind the observations made by the Supreme Court while dealing with Kumbakonam tragedy case," the bench added.
During the course of hearing, as per the earlier directive of the court, D.Sabitha, Principal Secretary to Education department, was present in the court.
The PIL was filed by an NGO, CHANGE India, represented by its director A. Narayanan.
In his PIL, Narayanansought to quash a government order dated August 18, 2015 of the school education secretary and consequently to forbear authorities from granting recognition against law to unrecognized schools not fulfilling the norms specified in various GOs and the judgment of the Supreme Court.
He also sought a direction to ensure that all unrecognized schools were closed by the end of the academic year 2015-16 and that students in such schools were placed in other neighborhood government/government aided/unaided schools so as to enable them to continue their education in recognized schools.
The court posted toDecember 22 further hearing of the PIL.
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The Madras High court today rejected a plea filed by expelled AIADMK MP L Sasikala Pushpa, her husband and son that police should not arrest them till the court decides on their anticipatory bail petition in connection
with "ransacking" of the house of a lawyer representing two women domestic aides in a sexual harassment case against her and the family.
In her complaint, the woman advocate had sought action against a gang which had "ransacked" her house at Tirunelveli during her absence on September 11. She had also sought protection for herself and her clients.
Police had arrested three supporters of Pushpa -- Harinadar, Ramalingam and Chitrakumar in connection with the attack on the house.
Pushpa, her husband Lingeswara Tilagan and Praddeepraja had earlier applied for anticipatory bail at the court's Madurai bench.
During the hearing today, they sought a direction to police not to arrest them till the court decides on the anticipatory bail plea.
They alleged that police was implicating them in the attack based on confession of three persons who had been arrested already. They submitted that they were not connected with the case in any way and were innocent,and should be granted anticipatory bail.
Harinadar, Ramalingam and Chitrakumar also sought bail.
The Additional Advocate General claimed that the attack had taken place at the instigation of one rocket raja.
The documents submitted by the petitioners had not been given to the government side, he said, adding, government wanted to file all the documents relating to the case and the court should grant some more time and adjourn the hearing.
However, counsel for the petitioners submitted that they had given all the documents relating to the case 15 days ago.Even as the bail application was pending one person was detained under Goondas act, the counsel said.
The government was deliberately delaying hearing of the case, the counsel said, submitting proof of documents being handed over to the government side.
The court said the case had been adjourned thrice already.There was proof of petitioners submitting documents to the government side.However, the government was seeking more time, the court said and adjourned the case to November 9, declining to stay the arrest of Pushpa,her husband and son till that date.
However, the court said if the government sought time onNovember 9, he would consider staying the arrest of the petitioners.
While the high court had earlier rejected Pushpa's bail plea, the Supreme Court gave her protection from arrest and on September 26, directed her to join the police investigation.
A case has recently been registered against Pushpa and some of her family members for alleged sexual harassment of their maids in 2001.
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Delhi High Court today reserved its order on two separate pleas challenging the AAP government's decision to give Rs one crore compensation and a job to the family of ex-armyman Ram Kishan Grewal, who recently committed suicide here allegedly over grievances on 'One Rank, One Pension' (OROP) issue.
The Delhi government opposed these pleas before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal, saying the petitions were "premature" as the decision has to go to Lieutenant Governor (LG) for his approval.
"No public interest is involved in this. These petitions are premature. The decision has to go to the LG. If any decision is taken by the council of ministers, it has to go to the LG for his approval," senior standing counsel of Delhi government Rahul Mehra told the bench.
One of the public interest litigation (PILs) filed by advocate Avadh Kaushik has also opposed the AAP government's decision to declare Grewal a 'martyr'.
The petitioner alleged in the court that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should not have "glorified" this act of committing suicide.
Advocate Abhishek Choudhary, appearing for other petitioner Puran Chand Arya, alleged that the government should not award money like this as it is "taxpayers money".
The bench, after hearing the submissions, reserved its order for November 14 on both the pleas.
Retired Army Subedar Grewal had allegedly committed suicide over the 'One Rank, One Pension' (OROP) issue on November 1.
In one of the petitions it was contended that by granting compensation and a job to kin of the ex-serviceman, Kejriwal and his government were "justifying, supporting, propagating and consecrating the act of suicide".
It had sought directions from the court to quash the AAP government's decision saying it amounts to "misappropriation of public funds".
The PIL also sought a direction to the Centre, LG and Delhi government to "frame a proper and valid scheme or policy for declaring a deceased person as a 'martyr' and to award the compensatory benefits and perquisite to his family".
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The Maharashtra health department's decision to rope-in some private hospitals along with its existing network of health centres and workers has started showing results as there have been improvement in the health of tribal children in Palghar district.
Since October 26, the health department has concentrated its efforts on daily medication, supply of nutrition and routine health check up of about 6,000 children, and the results are encouraging in terms of rise in hemoglobin and body weight, state health minister Deepak Sawant told PTI today.
"Severely Active Malnourished (SAM) and Moderately Active Malnourished (MAM) are the two major categories and we focused on for improvement. The programmes, Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre for providing nutritious food, and Child Treatment Centre, were jointly implemented to get the desired effect," he said.
"There are some children who have gained weight as high as two kg till today from October 26. Most of the children have shown improvement as they are getting daily food and medication from the government machinery as well as from the private hospitals that are roped-in," the minister said.
"It has increased our response as well as quality of treatment to the children," Sawant claimed.
The health department has asked the anganwadi workers as well as Asha workers to keep a tab on children who are being treated at private or government hospitals or centres and maintain a report card of the children.
"We will continue the programme for a year so that there is significant improvement in the health of the children," Sawant said.
Six private hospitals from Mumbai city and suburban areas have participated in the drive to improve the health of children in Palghar district.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Democrat sweep in US polls may pose even greater pricing challenges for the pharma industry and pave the way for tighter pricing regulations for both brand name and generic drugs, according to a report.
"Last week's turmoil in generics stocks reminded investors that price increase-led growth is likely coming to an end in the US. However, a Democrat sweep across houses could pose even greater pricing challenges for the industry and pave the way for tighter pricing regulations for both brand name and generic drugs," Kotak Institutional Equities Research stated in its report here.
Emerging headwinds have resulted in US generics sector facing a massive 34 per cent de-rating.
A bigger overhang for the sector is the upcoming US elections, with the recent days witnessing increasing rhetoric over drug pricing.
Both US presidential candidates have argued in favour of allowing the US government's Medicare programme, which accounts for over 20 per cent of total US drug spend, to directly negotiate drug prices with manufacturers. The Democrats are also proposing a pricing cap on Medicare that is similar to Medicaid, mirroring an upcoming referendum in California that proposes to give powers to the State to cap drug pricing at a level similar to Veterans contracts.
The report stated that any such proposal will require complete control of both Houses and in the past, proposals to facilitate direct negotiation for Medicare have turned up and failed to pass muster with the Congress multiple times since 2003.
It is also worth noting that pricing for brand drugs has started turning challenging even in the private market with PBM's targeting pricing of several primary care medications such as respiratory, insulins, etc. Over the past two years with speciality medicines such as Hep-C drugs and even biologics such as TNFs coming under pressure due to increasing therapeutic competition.
Despite the headwinds to the US business, Indian
generics are now trading at a record 138 per cent premium over global generics, and while a premium is justified, the extent of the premium is questionable, given the deteriorating dynamics of the US segment, which has contributed the bulk of the growth for the Indian generics.
Last week, global and Indian generics stocks went for a free fall following that the two-year old antitrust investigation by the US Justice Department (DoJ) over generic drug pricing is likely to result in charges being filed before the year end.
The investigation's focus is on a dozen companies and over two dozen drugs, many of which are not in the public domain. It is probing potential collusion or anti-competitive activities to raise prices.
Among Indian companies involved are Sun (doxycycline and albuterol), Dr Reddy's (Depakote ER and pravastatin), Zydus (Depakote ER), and Taro (drug names not disclosed), though the scope could likely be expanded to include other companies as well.
It is extremely difficult to prove collusion, but the US DoJ has, in the past, been successful in its investigations in other sectors, and it seems unlikely, that charges will be filed unless the DoJ has potential evidence to support its charges, the report said.
Joining the bandwagon of protest against the one-day ban on Hindi channel NDTV India, an association of Hindi journalists from here has termed it as "anti-democratic" and demanded its revocation.
Mumbai Hindi Patrakar Sangh, a prominent body of Hindi journalists across the megapolis slammed the move through a statement.
"Mumbai Hindi Patrakar Sangh strongly condemns the Information and Broadcasting ministry's decision of asking Hindi channel NDTV India to go off-air for one day. The order is anti-democratic in entirety.
"We demand that the I&B Ministry should immediately quash the order as it is arbitrary and violates the fundamental principles of freedom of expression as enshrined in our Constitution," the statement said.
An inter-ministerial committee, in its inquiry last week had found that the channel's coverage of the Pathankot air base attack in January had "flouted the rules by giving out sensitive information". It also imposed one-day ban on the channel on November 9.
The Sangh alleged that NDTV has been "singled out" as its coverage was "balanced".
"Mumbai Hindi Patrakar Sangh is of the firm view that this banning decision is an axe over the freedom of press and the channel's coverage was more balanced in comparison to other channels or media houses. This is nothing less than emergency imposed over the country," it added.
Meanwhile, NDTV India today moved the Supreme Court against the government's order banning its telecast for a day on November 9.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hong Kong's leader said today he would "fully implement" a ruling by Beijing which effectively bars two elected pro-independence lawmakers from the city's legislature after after they deliberately misread their oaths of office.
It comes as fears grow that China is tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city with concerns that Hong Kong's rule of law and court system are now under threat.
Beijing's intervention pre-empts a decision by Hong Kong's High Court into whether rebel lawmakers Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching should be disqualified from taking up their seats. That court decision is still pending.
An oath that did not conform to Hong Kong's law "should be determined to be invalid, and cannot be retaken", the Communist-controlled National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing said in a rare interpretation of the city's constitution.
Hong Kong's leader Leung Chun-ying told reporters that he and the city government would "implement the interpretation fully".
"Any words or deeds that deliberately contravene (the interpretation's) requirements, defy the prescribed oath-taking procedures, or even use the opportunity to insult the country and the Chinese people and advocate cessation, must be stopped in accordance with the law," Leung said.
Hong Kong is a former British colony which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a promise of "one country, two systems" for 50 years.
But there are deep concerns those liberties, enshrined in the city's constitution known as the Basic Law, are at risk, and mass protests two years ago demanded greater democracy.
As frustrations build, an independence movement demanding a split from Beijing has emerged.
Yau and Baggio included expletives and derogatory terms in their oaths of office last month, and draped themselves in "Hong Kong is not China" flags.
They sought a second chance to take their oaths, but both the Hong Kong government and Beijing have stepped in to prevent that.
Beijing sees any talk of independence as treasonous and the official Xinhua agency quoted a spokesman for the government's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office welcoming the ruling.
"The interpretation demonstrates the central government's firm determination and will in opposing 'Hong Kong independence,'" the spokesperson said, adding that it "complies with the common aspiration of the entire Chinese people, including the compatriots in Hong Kong".
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Himachal Pradesh government is going "hammer and tongs" to scuttle the investigation in the disproportionate assets case against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and others and trying to "protect" him, the CBI today alleged in the Delhi High Court.
The probe agency claimed before Justice Vipin Sanghi that the state government was trying to "blatantly frustrate" the probe into the case, a contention which was challenged by Singh's counsel.
"I will show this court how serious the offences are. They (state government) are going hammer and tongs to scuttle the probe," Additional Solicitor General (ASG) P S Patwalia, appearing for CBI, told the court.
The ASG said the state government was not a petitioner in the matter and its advocate general cannot raise the issue of provisions of Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act as the applicants have not raised it in their pleas filed before the court.
"They (Virbhadra and other petitioners) have challenged the lodging of FIR. They have said whatever they wanted to say. He (Advocate General of HP) cannot go on like this. We are not having an academic discussion," he said.
Patwalia further said "tghe state is trying to frustrate the investigation. This is the way how the state is protecting the petitioner".
Countering the contention, the counsel appearing for Singh said, "we do not need state government to protect us".
During the arguments, advocate general of Himachal Pradesh said he has raised constitutional issues which were required to be looked into by the court.
He argued that in this matter, CBI entered in the state and conducted probe and raids, without taking its consent.
However, Patwalia said if the state government wants to raise these issues, they can file a petition in the court.
"Let the state file a petition for Chief Minister and say that CBI is illegal. Let us see the true face of the state," he said, adding "it's obviously a blatant attempt to frustrate the investigation".
"The state is not a petitioner here. They cannot raise the issues which the petitioners have not raised in their petition and their arguments," he said.
The arguments, however, remained inconclusive and would continue tomorrow.
During the arguments, the advocate general of Himachal
Pradesh also referred to a judgement passed by the Gauhati High Court declaring the CBI as unconstitutional.
However, the ASG said the operation of that order has been stayed by the Supreme Court.
Earlier, Singh's counsel had said in the court that CBI cannot on its own decide to probe offences outside Delhi without the consent of the concerned state government.
The counsel had contended that in this case, the alleged offence was committed in Himachal Pradesh as disproportionate assets were located there and hence, the police of that state should have been probing it.
Singh had earlier claimed that CBI's FIR was "premature" as it was based on the proceedings of the Income Tax department, which were still pending.
CBI had told the court that its probe in the DA case was "complete" and it wanted to file charge sheet in the matter.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court in an interim order on October 1, 2015, had restrained the agency from arresting, interrogating or filing a charge sheet against Singh in the case without its permission.
The matter, in which Himachal Pradesh HC had passed the interim order, was transferred by the Supreme Court to the Delhi High Court, which on April 6 this year had directed CBI not to arrest Singh and asked him to join the probe.
On November 5 last year, the apex court had transferred Singh's plea from Himachal Pradesh HC to Delhi HC, saying it was not expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, but "simply" transferring the petition "in interest of justice and to save the institution (judiciary) from any embarrassment".
CBI had moved the apex court seeking transfer of the case here and setting aside the interim order granting protection from arrest and other relief granted to Virbhadra.
A DA case was lodged against the Chief Minister and others by CBI under sections 13(2) and 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and section 109 (punishment for abetment) of the IPC.
India today asked Britain to extradite nearly 60 people wanted by it, including liquor baron Vijay Mallya and Chirstian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal, for bringing them back to face justice here.
India and Britain also agreed to hold annual strategic dialogue at the level of Union Home Secretary to jointly deal with issues like terrorism, organised crimes, visa and immigration matters.
The Indian list of around 60 wanted people was handed over to Britain during the bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Theresa May.
Britain also handed over to India a list of 17 people whose custody it seeks under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty or against whom Letters Rogatories had been issued, official sources said.
While industrialist Vijay Mallya has been accused of money laundering, Chirstian Michel is the alleged middleman in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal.
The two countries agreed not to allow fugitives and criminals escape law and resolved to facilitate outstanding extradition requests.
In talks between Modi and May, the issue of extradition requests figured and officials dealing with the issue from both sides were directed to meet at the earliest.
Sources said India expects forward movement in Mallya's extradition from the UK following the talks. They said the specific issue of Mallya's extradition had also figured in the talks between the two sides in the run up to the meeting between Modi and May.
Asked whether Mallya issue figured in the talks, Joint
Secretary (Europe) in the External Affairs Ministry Randhir Jaiswal referred to the Indo-UK joint statement issued after the discussions which said the two Prime Ministers affirmed their strong commitment to enhancing cooperation under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.
Former IPL boss Lalit Modi is also evading law in India and today's talks may help Indian authorities to push for his early extradition as well.
Michel is a British citizen and wanted by CBI while Mallya and Modi, who have made the UK their home, are wanted by the ED in money laundering cases.
"The two leaders agreed that fugitives and criminals should not be allowed to escape the law. They expressed their strong commitment to facilitate outstanding extradition requests from both sides.
"In this context, they directed that the officials dealing with extradition matters from both sides should meet at the earliest to develop better understanding of each countries' legal processes and requirements; share best practices, and identify the causes of delays and expedite pending requests," the statement said.
The strategic dialogue between Union Home Secretary and his British counterpart, Permanent Secretary for Home Office, will begin from next year to discuss counter-terror cooperation, ways to deal with organised crimes besides bilateral visa and immigration matters, sources said.
This is for the first time India and Britain will have such a mechanism for dealing with security issues.
India already has an arrangement with the United States to have annual Homeland Security dialogue at the level of Union Home Minister.
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In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the two Prime Ministers affirmed their strong commitment to enhancing cooperation under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.
"The two leaders agreed that fugitives and criminals should not be allowed to escape the law. They expressed their strong commitment to facilitate outstanding extradition requests from both sides," it said.
In this context, the Prime Ministers directed that the officials dealing with extradition matters from both sides should meet at the earliest to develop better understanding of each countries' legal processes and requirements; share best practices, and identify the causes of delays and expedite pending requests.
They also agreed that regular interactions between the relevant India-UK authorities would be useful for resolving all outstanding cases expeditiously.
India and Britain today pledged to fight terrorism and bring to justice terror groups and those who encourage them even as the two countries agreed not to allow fugitives escape law in each other's territory.
As Prime Minister Theresa May made her first bilateral visit outside Europe and held extensive talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, officials handed over a list of 57 fugitives New Delhi wants to be extradited and hoped for early extradition of industrialist Vijay Mallya to face probe in the money laundering case against him.
After more than three hours of "extensive" talks, the two Prime Ministers agreed on boosting trade ties, with May saying that during her visit alone, India and the UK will ink more than GBP 1 billion (Rs 83,00 crore) of business deals.
At a joint press interaction with Modi, May announced two business-centric visa programmes -Registered Traveller Scheme and Great Club-- while India drew her attention to its students and working professionals getting impacted by the stringent visa norms in the UK. As per official UK figures, the number of study visas issued to Indian nationals fell from 68,238 in 2010 to 11,864 this year.
While boosting trade and simplifying visa regime apart from security and defence cooperation were among the key bilateral issues, the two leaders also discussed regional and international matters of mutual interest including the need for South Asia to be stable, prosperous and free from terror. They called upon all countries to work towards that goal.
"Both Prime Ministers acknowledged that terrorism and violent extremism poses one of the most serious threats to international peace and security and in this regard called for concerted global action without selectivity.
"The two leaders called for urgent measures to counter and prevent the spread of terrorism, violent extremism and radicalisation," a joint statement issued after the talks said.
The two sides underlined the importance of maintaining the legal order for the seas and oceans based on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The remarks are seen as a veiled reference to the recent order by the UN on the South China Sea that was criticised by China, which refused to accept it.
Reaffirming their respect for and commitment to the freedom of navigation and overflight based on the universally recognised principles of international law, as reflected in the UNCLOS, the two leaders stated that all related territorial and jurisdictional disputes should be resolved by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force.
"They urged States to respect UNCLOS and refrain from activities which prejudice the peace, good order and security of the oceans," the statement said.
Earlier in the day, May, who arrived here last night, inaugurated UK-India Tech Summit jointly with Modi and will fly to Bangaluru tomorrow where she will attend business events.
On bilateral defence cooperation front, Modi said, "I
encourage British companies to look at the multiple opportunities in the Indian defence sector. Looking beyond trade in defence equipment, I invite them to build partnerships with Indian enterprises that focus on manufacturing, technology transfer and co-development."
Recognising the potential for cooperation in defence manufacturing between the British and Indian companies in the 'Make in India' framework, the two sides agreed to encourage and facilitate such cooperation.
The UK will continue its engagement with the Indian Ministry of Defence and Indian defence companies to simplify and expedite export control regimes and to support the transfer of technology to enable projects in areas of mutual interest.
"The two Prime Ministers tasked the Defence Consultative Group (DCG) on 15-16 November 2016 to advance the bilateral defence cooperation agenda, including the UK's proposals for capability partnerships, through a range of activities including military to military cooperation, training, exchange of subject matter experts, research and technology linkages as well as defence manufacturing," the joint statement said.
Noting that ongoing cooperation between HAL and BAE Systems in manufacturing Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers in India was an example of partnership in defence manufacturing, the Prime Ministers agreed to apply innovative approaches to jointly promote products and services in international markets.
India and Sri Lanka need to expeditiously implement some of the large developmental projects that have been under discussion on the ground, President Pranab Mukherjee has said.
Mukherjee said this during a meeting with his Lankan counterpart Maithripala Sirisena who called on him yesterday.
According to a Rashtrapati Bhawan spokesman, the President said Indian private sector companies were keen to be partners in Sri Lanka's infrastructure projects.
Welcoming the Sri Lankan President to India, the President said India believes its growth is linked to the prosperity of its neighbourhood.
"India would like to see Sri Lanka utilise the economic growth in India to catalyze its own economic development. This is also India's message to other partners in BIMSTEC," he said.
BIMSTEC -- Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation was formed in 1997 to promote technological and economic cooperation among south Asian and south east Asian countries along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.
Besides India, other members of the group are Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.
The spokesman said the Sri Lankan President warmly reciprocated the sentiments and said he was happy that India -Sri Lanka relations have strengthened and a number of high level contacts taken place.
He expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by India in various sectors and said his national unity government was convinced of the need to enhance economic and political ties.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The India-UK CEO Forum today announced setting up of an Advanced Material and Manufacturing Technology Centre in India, modeled on the high-value catapult centres of the United Kingdom.
The Forum's meeting coincided with the visit of British Prime Minister Theresa May here.
The centre will be established with equal participation from both the governments, industry members and the academia.
"The proposed centre will focused on establishing Advanced Manufacturing capabilities having primary applications in Defence and Aerospace sector in India," said a release by industry body CII.
"Once established, the Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technology Centre will be at the forefront of the Make in India and Skill India programmes of the Government of India," it said.
As per Catapult Programme website, "The Catapult centres are a network of world-leading centres designed to transform the UK's capability for innovation in specific areas and help drive future economic growth."
CII and the UK-India Business Council (UKIBC) are the secretariat to the India UK CEO Forum.
The Forum also acknowledged the strength of the bilateral economic relationship. The UK is the largest G20 investor in India and India is the third-largest investor and second-largest job creator in the UK economy.
The Forum said it is committed to addressing issues in bilateral trade and investment, as well as pursuing new areas for collaboration.
The Forum, which met for the first time since the UK voted to exit the EU, described it as an opportunity to build a new, stronger UK-India trade and investment relationship and welcomed the commitment of both Governments to achieving this stronger relationship.
It was decided that CII and UKIBC will prepare a paper for the Governments regarding the main opportunities, trade and other barriers, and recommendations and solutions.
Indian members of the Forum raised several issues with the UK side including easing global talent mobility in the UK, addressing technology-related skills shortage in the UK, avoiding double taxation for Indian industry, according mutual recognition of qualifications and institutionalising a social security totalisation agreement.
They also sought further clarity and certainty in emerging policies post-Brexit.
The CEO Forum also discussed collaboration and capacity building in the area of insolvency as India implements a major reform through the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016.
Another focus area that emerged was the need to cooperate in the tourism sector as there were several opportunities for Indian companies to invest in that area.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India and the UK will ink more than GBP 1 billion (Rs 83,00 crore) of business deals during the three-day visit of British Prime Minister Theresa May, who is here on her first bilateral outside Europe since assuming office in July.
Describing her talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "good and productive", May said as leaders, they both were working to improve the livelihoods of their citizens - creating jobs, developing skills, investing in infrastructure and supporting the technologies of the future.
Talking about Modi's vision of smart cities, May said they have agreed on a new partnership that will bring together government, investors and experts to work together on urban development, unlocking opportunities worth GBP 2 billion for British businesses over the next five years.
This will focus on the dynamic state of Madhya Pradesh - with plans for more smart cities than anywhere else - and the historic city of Varanasi.
Take the capital that is required for India's infrastructure - since the launch of the first masala bond in London in July, rupee-denominated bonds worth over GBP 900 million have now been issued, the British PM said.
"And we expect a further 4 bonds with a total value of GBP 600 million to be issued in the next 3 months. This is a vote of confidence in India's growth story. And it's a vote of confidence in London as the world's leading financial centre.
"Alongside this, the UK has agreed to invest GBP 120 million in a joint fund that will lever private sector investment from the City of London to finance Indian infrastructure.
"So, the potential to expand the commercial opportunities for both our countries is huge. On this visit alone, more than GBP 1 billion of business deals will be signed."
Noting that both India and the UK were firm supporters of free trade who want to be great exporting nations, May said they need to work together, for the long haul, to break down the barriers to trade and investment.
"We will achieve this through the strong bonds that exist between our people, through British and Indian businesses working together, but most of all we will accomplish this because Prime Minister Modi and I are personally committed to investing in this relationship and turning this vision into a reality. I look forward to establishing a unique friendship and working together for the benefit of both our countries," she said.
The two sides also inked two MoUs on ease of doing business and co-operation in the area of intellectual property rights (IPR).
The UK and India have agreed on a new programme of cooperation to strengthen the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, which provides greater certainty for business, May said, adding and the UK will share technical expertise on issues such as deregulation and tax to help make India an easier place to do business.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian-Americans have held a 'Get out the Vote' rally in the Silicon Valley in support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Ro Khanna, who is seeking to enter the House of Representatives, to urge supporters to drive voter turnout.
"We have a historic chance to have a young Indian-American be the face of Silicon Valley in the Congress," said Ajai Jain Bhutoria, an eminent community leader and a major fundraiser for the Hillary Clinton Campaign.
"Ro understands and represents our culture, values. It's a huge opportunity. It's going to redefine our community and open path for future generations to follow Ro's Success," said Bhutoria, the host of the event which also supported other Indian-Americans candidates in the race to various elected offices in the Silicon Valley.
A Yale law graduate and a former official of the Obama administration, Khanna, 40, is pitted against his own party's Mike Honda to represent the 17th Congressional district of California.
If elected, Khanna would be the first Indian- American to be elected to the Congress from Silicon Valley.
Khanna's supporters include top tech firms such as investor Marc Andreessen, Yahoo's Marissa Mayer, Salesforce's Marc Benioff, Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg, and even investor and entrepreneur Keith Rabois.
"Ro is our future. Ro is our voice in the Congress. He understands technology, educational needs and will represent and protect students interests," said Raj, 16, student advisory chair for Ro Khanna.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 39-year-old Indian, who triggered a bomb scare here at the Geneva airport to avoid missing his flight to India, has been sentenced to six months prison and slapped with a hefty penalty of 50,000 Swiss francs, Swiss media reported today.
The Indian, who has not been named, called up an Aeroflot airline employee at Geneva's Cointrin airport last month and told them there was a bomb on his Moscow bound connecting flight to India, which he was rushing to catch, the Le Matin daily reported.
The plane, with 116 passengers on board, had to be evacuated and throughly searched after the Swiss police was alerted about the bomb scare made by the Indian man who lives in the Swiss town of Montreux.
The man, who was arrested by the police after he reached the airport to catch his flight, was sentenced to six-months prison term and also slapped with a fine of 50,000 Swiss francs (USD 51,200) to compensate for the loss time of police and airport authorities, the report said.
Geneva police chief Francois Waridel said that the amount would be enough to pay the 101 police officers and six security agents who were called in to respond to the alert.
"Considering the times we are living in, we have to take maximum security precautions," Waridel said.
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A 2-day international conference on cultural gerontology reflected in Shakespeare's works began today at the University of Bankura to commemorate the 400th death anniversary of the Bard.
West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi, who inaugurated the seminar, called upon the youth to learn to respect the elderly by imbibing Shakespeare's writing and urged them to learn to develop discipline.
The seminar entitled, "Ripeness ia All: Discoursing Shakespeare and the Politics of Cultural Gerontology", was organised by the University of Bankura in collaboration with ICSSR, New Delhi and British Council, Kolkata.
It was attended by among others Minister of State for Panchayat Shyamal Santra, Vice Chancellor of Bankura University, Prof. Debnarayan Bandopadhyay, Professor Shova Bajpai of Lucknow University.
The seminar will discuss Transcultural Rewriting and Ageing in Shakespeare; Reinventing Ageing: Subjectivism and Shakespeare; Gerontology as a Cultural Genre: Early Modern Era and Shakespeare; Anxiety, Ageing and Denouement: Re-visiting Shakespeare; Shapes of Lateness: Ageing and the Last Plays of Shakespeare; Land, Inheritance and Possession: Shakespeare Studies; Kingship, Ageing and Shakespeare; Grief, Insanity and Dementia: Reconstructing Shakespeare.
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A Japanese freelance journalist detained by local authorities in Iraq was released today after being suspected of being a member of the Islamic State group.
Kosuke Tsuneoka was handed over by the authorities in the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq to the Japanese Embassy, Japan's Foreign Ministry said.
The 47-year-old journalist, who specialises in the Middle East, was captured last month while reporting on the battle to retake Mosul from IS. He was taken into custody by Kurdish-led, US-backed forces.
Japan had been negotiating with the Iraqi side to allow local Japanese diplomats to meet Tsuneoka for an eventual release.
Tsuneoka tweeted: "Freed now. Will return home tomorrow evening ... Thanks everyone."
He said he had been investigated after being arrested as he was carrying a key chain with an IS logo that he obtained on an earlier reporting trip. He said he was carrying the key chain as reporting "material."
"But this became a problem at a security check for a presidential press conference. I was suspected as an IS member and arrested and interrogated. I had explained this to the authorities, and I do hope they believe my innocence," Tsuneoka said on Twitter.
He denied a media report that said he served as a translator for IS militants and received a medal.
"That's terrible. I don't understand Arabic at all," he tweeted.
The ministry said that Tsuneoka was in good health and that he was expected to return to Japan tomorrow.
Tsuneoka had been taken into custody several times in the past, and was kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2010.
His arrest was a reminder in Japan of the abduction and beheading of two Japanese nationals last year by IS extremists in Syria. Another Japanese freelance journalist, Jumpei Yasuda, has been missing for nearly a year and is believed to have been in captivity in Syria.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Islamic State group has been eroded by international efforts to crush the jihadist group but its ability to mount devastating attacks on the West remains very real, defence and security experts say.
As France prepares to mark the first anniversary of the Paris attacks by the group on November 13, analysts say military defeats in its strongholds in Iraq and Syria will almost certainly not make its Western targets any safer.
"Depriving ISIS of control over population centres and sanctuary to raise funds and train fighters, and breaking it up as key organisation, matters," said Anthony Cordesman of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), using another name for the group.
"Defeating it in any practical sense, however, will not begin to deal with the lasting threat," he added.
It was in June 2014 that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghadi proclaimed the creation of a caliphate in land the group had seized in Iraq and Syria and urged Muslims who shared the group's vision to join them.
Thousands of foreigners answered his call, among them several French and Belgian men who would go on to slaughter 130 people in a Paris concert hall and at bars and restaurants.
The bloodshed in Paris contributed to strengthening the resolve of the West to fight IS.
A year on, Iraqi forces backed by the air power of the United States and countries including France are locked in fierce fighting to re-take Iraq's second city of Mosul from the jihadist group.
Yesterday, a US-backed Kurdish and Arab force said it had begun an assault on the city of Raqqa, IS's stronghold in Syria.
These military efforts have led to a sharp reduction in the number of foreigners making the trek to join IS forces in Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon says from 2,000 a month in early 2015, the figure is now just 200.
Tighter controls on the Turkish border - the main gateway to Syria - and improved surveillance by European intelligence have also helped stem the flow of foreign recruits.
The military onslaught on IS has also slowed the production of the slick, blood-drenched propaganda which has played a prominent role in attracting recruits.
The number of articles or videos posted online by the jihadists' official media outlets dropped by 70 per cent, from 700 items in August 2015 to 200 a year later, according to a report by the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at the elite US West Point military academy.
The author of the report, Daniel Milton, said while IS's main selling point was the creation of its self-proclaimed caliphate, it was now "struggling to maintain the appearance of a functioning state".
Most experts agree, however, that crushing IS's hopes of establishing the caliphate will not diminish its ability to launch attacks against the West.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israel today reiterated its firm opposition to a French plan to hold an international conference before the end of the year to restart long-stalled peace efforts with the Palestinians.
France's envoy for the plan, Pierre Vimont, met in the morning with Israeli acting national security adviser Jacob Nagel and diplomatic envoy Yitzhak Molcho before holding talks with the Palestinians.
The Israeli officials called for "direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority" and said "any other initiative only pushes the region further away from this process," according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
"It was made clear to the French envoy that Israel will not participate in any international conference convened contrary to its position."
The statement added that "promoting such a conference will make the possibility of advancing the peace process much less likely since it will allow Abu Mazen (Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas) and the Palestinian Authority to continue avoiding the decision to enter into direct negotiations without preconditions."
The Palestinians strongly support France's international approach, saying years of negotiations with the Israelis have not ended the occupation.
Today afternoon, Abbas asked Vimont to issue invitations to the conference, senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said after the meeting.
Erekat said the Israeli government had opted for "dictation rather than negotiation".
"They want to continue with their settlement activities, torpedoing the two state solution, believing they can replace the two state solution with what we call one state, two systems.
"Status quo means apartheid and that (is) what exists out there," he said.
Peace efforts have been at a complete standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in April 2014.
Netanyahu has spoken out against "international diktats" and repeatedly called for direct negotiations.
He has expressed concern that President Barack Obama could break with recent US policy before leaving office in January and support -- or at least not veto -- a UN Security Council resolution laying out parameters for resolving the conflict.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As British Prime Minister Theresa May lands in the IT city tomorrow, the Karnataka government today expressed concerns over changes in the UK visa rules. "The recent decision of the UK government to makevisas more expensive and more difficult is creating disquietin Bengaluru," Karnataka Industries Minister R V Deshpandesaid.
Speaking to reporters here, he said just as London was concerned about passporting rights for its financial services industry after Brexit, "we are concerned about difficulties incross border work".
"Technology is global today and restrictions like this, which prevent great talent from working globally, will inhibit competitiveness of the UK industry," he added. Deshpande was speaking at an event organised toannounce "ThinkBig 2016", which is projected to be Asia'slargest women entrepreneurship and economic empowerment summit, to be held on November 14-15 here.
Under the new visa rules announced last week by the UK Home Office, anyone applying after November 24 under the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) category would be required to meet a higher salary threshold requirement of 30,000 pounds from the earlier 20,800 pounds.
Stating that what IT industry needs was a visa whichenabled their engineers to travel to the UK, work on theprojects from 3/12 months and come back, he said they were notlooking for immigration visas but for projects as such work isglobal.
Pointing out there were also concerns relating to study and tourist visa, he expressed hope that the UK government would look intothe request.
"Together we can create a competitive partnership toaddress global markets..." he added.
The ICT route is largely used by Indian IT companiesin Britain, and the UK's Migration Advisory Committee hadfound earlier this year that Indian IT workers accounted fornearly 90 per cent of visas issued under this route. Dismayed at the UK's proposed changes in visa system that will impact skilled IT migration, software body Nasscom had sought a high skilled worker mobility pact to safeguard the economic interests of both nations.
According to sources, May, who will be on a day long visit to the city, is scheduled to hold a meeting withChief Minister Siddaramaih.
She is also expected to visitDynamatics Technologies - an aerospace and hydraulic pumpsmanufacturer and Stonehill School.
(REOPEN MDS5)
ThinkBig 2016 is being organised by Karnataka Government together with WEConnectInternational in India and Thinkthrough Consulting (TTC).
The event will bring together more than2000 women entrepreneurs, 300 industry leaders and 400 businesses and 35 top banks to connect women entrepreneursacross the globe with the "thriving" business ecosystem in Karnataka, Deshpande said.
Eminent personalities like Lalitha Kumaramangalam, Chairperson - National Commission for Women, Bunty Bohra, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs India among others are expected to attend the event.
It was the Congress which imposed Emergency and dismissed state governments on several occasions, the government said today, hitting back at Rahul Gandhi for his remarks that the Narendra Modi dispensation seeks to silence the Opposition.
"It is like devil quoting the scriptures. Congress has no moral right to rake up the issue of democratic principles. It is they who imposed Emergency and used Article 356 (to impose central rule in states) umpteen times... You silenced Opposition, you devalued institutions," Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said here.
Earlier, launching a scathing attack on the Modi government, Rahul said democracy is going through "one of its darkest hours" with the ruling dispensation "obsessed with power and seeking to silence" all those who disagree.
Alluding to the one-day ban on Hindi channel NDTV India, Gandhi charged, "TV channels are being punished and asked to shut down. The Opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account".
But Naidu reminded the Congress Vice President that under UPA rule, 21 channels were banned for "airing midnight masala".
He said the Modi government imposed a day-long ban on national security issue.
The norms related to coverage of terror incidents were stipulated by the former UPA government, he pointed out.
Naidu said the criticism of the Prime Minister by Congress was out of frustration and democracy was more vibrant in India today.
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The University of Jammu was awarded with A+ grade by NAAC, an autonomous organisation established by the UGC.
"University of Jammu has been awarded A+ grade (Cycle III 2009-2016) with CGPA of 3.51, thereby making the University a part of an elite group of A+ Institutions," Dr Meenakshi Kilam, Director, Directorate of Internal Quality Assurance, said.
JU had volunteered to be accredited and assessed by NAAC for the third time (Cycle III), she said.
NAAC is an autonomous organisation which was established in 1994 by the UGC to assess and accredit institutions of higher learning.
"The Assessment and Accreditation is done by a Peer Team of eminent academicians and academic administrators," she said.
The NAAC Peer Team visited the University of Jammu from September 27-30, to assess and accredit the University by validating the self-study Report submitted by the University.
In a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Executive Council of NAAC in Bangalore, University of Jammu has been awarded A+ grade (Cycle III 2009-2016) with CGPA of 3.51, thereby making the University a part of an elite group of A+ Institutions.
A function was organised by the University near the Fountain Plaza to celebrate this success.
The function was attended by the faculty members, students, scholars, non teaching staff and non-gazetted staff.
Dr Kilam expressed gratitude to each and every member of the University fraternity for their contribution and commitment.
She attributed the success to personal and regular monitoring of NAAC Assessment process, by the Vice Chancellor, Prof R D Sharma and to his commitment to strengthen the quality assurance system of the University.
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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said today that her government's thrust would be to "demotivate" newly recruited militants and bring them back to their homes in Kashmir, and took a swipe at Pakistan over repeated violations of the ceasefire noting "nothing comes out of firing".
"Our first thrust would be to demotivate those who have recently joined the (militant) outfits but have not been involved in any kind of militancy act, and bring them back to their homes," Mehbooba told reporters here.
In the same breath, she said the security forces were well-equipped and capable to deal with militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to the surrender of militant Umar Khaliq Mir in Baramulla last week after five-hour-long efforts of the security forces, she said, "The boy, who came back, had joined militant ranks three months ago and he was not involved in any militancy-related incident."
"I am confident that they (security forces) are capable in dealing with the situation. There were presence of thousands of militants (during the beginning of militancy) and today there are 200-300 militants present in which some foreign mercenaries are there," she said here where the Civil Secretariat reopened today after functioning from Srinagar for six months.
She said militancy was always a concern whether there are two or 50 militants present or 250-300 militants and that the endeavor would be to bring back them into national mainstream.
Taking a swipe at Pakistan, she said, "I hope and pray that Pakistan understands that the two countries have to live together and nothing will come out of firing."
She said, "It is very unfortunate that there have been border firings and internal unrest for over three months in Kashmir...Our people are suffering and this is unfortunate on the part of our history that we are facing this situation for nearly 70 years."
"Firing is taking place, our people are getting displaced and schools are closed at the borders and the education of the children get affected. I hope that good sense prevails," she said.
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mehbooba said, "We have powerful leadership at the Centre and that tolerance is the sign of power of a government and it reflects that you are able to take decisions.
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A day after they were detained while attempting to take out a protest march to India Gate, JNU students today staged a demonstration outside Police Headquarters in ITO over the issue of a student who has been missing from campus since 24 days.
The protest outside PHQ also led to traffic snarls at the ITO cross-section.
Najeeb Ahmed (27), a student of School of Biotechnology and a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing on October 15 following an on-campus scuffle allegedly with the members of ABVP the night before.
Najeeb's mother Fatima Nafees and his family members also met Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma and other senior officers who assured them of all possible action in the matter.
After coming out of the meeting, Fatima said, "I have been told that all possible steps are being taken to trace Najeeb. I just want him back."
Nafees, however, refused to comment on the fact that she was allegedly dragged by Delhi Police officers yesterday and detained.
"I'm ready to tolerate more pain than what I went through yesterday just to get my son back," she said.
Najeeb's family members also alleged that the officers didn't talk about yesterday's incident where they were detained enroute to India Gate and taken to different police stations.
In anticipation of protest by JNU students at police headquarters, Delhi Police had tightened security and barricades were put on the path from the ITO metro station to the PHQ.
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A special court for cases probed by National Investigation Agency here is likely to pronounce judgement in the February 2013 Dilsukhnagar twin blasts case on November 21.
Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and Pakistani national Zia-ur-Rahman alias Waqas are among the six accused in the case. Main accused, IM founder Riyaz Bhatkal, is absconding.
Other three accused (all alleged IM members) are Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, Tahaseen Akhtar alias Monu and Aijaz Sheikh.
The hearing was held in the premises of Cherlapally Central Prison here where the accused are lodged.
"Final arguments by the prosecution and defence were completed. The court today reserved its judgement for November 21," said special public prosecutor K Surendra.
A total of 158 witnesses were examined and more than 500 documents were cited during the hearing, Surendra told PTI. The hearing began in August last year.
Eighteen people were killed and 131 injured in two deadly explosions near Konark and Venkatadiri theatres in Dilsukhnagar, a crowded shopping area in the city, on February 21, 2013.
The accused were tried under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and other relevant acts including IPC.
Riyaz Bhatkal arranged supply of explosive substances and money, according to NIA.
Asadullah Akhtar and Waqas, who got the explosives and the money, joined Tahseen Akhtar in Hyderabad and they together prepared two IEDs, NIA said.
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Jammat-ud-Dawah chief and Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed has threatened India with a "surgical strike" by Kashmiri militants in Jammu and Kashmir that will long be remembered.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi had done what he had to. Now it is the turn of Mujahideen to carry out a in Kashmir," Saeed threatened while addressing a rally on Sunday in Mirpur, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
"The Mujahideen are going to carry out will long be remembered. Such a strike will not be like that of India's one which is not even acknowledged by the world," Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, said in an aggressive tone amid chants of 'jihad...Jihad' by his supporters.
Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba who carries a USD 10-million bounty on his head, last week criticised the Nawaz Sharif government for giving a "cool" response to India over alleged atrocities in Kashmir, saying people in the Valley need Pakistan's "full practical support".
Soon after India's surgical strikes Saeed had warned the Modi government to get ready to face a from the Pakistan army.
He was criticised here for issuing the statement on behalf of the army.
A closed-door military court in Kazakhstan today sentenced a wealthy businessmen accused of plotting to topple the Central Asian country's authoritarian government to 21 years in prison, a court representative said.
Tokhtar Tuleshov, best known for owning a brewery in Shymkent, a city in the south of the ex-Soviet state had been charged with attempting to overthrow the government, though the court representative would only confirm to AFP the sentence and refused to say what precisely he was convicted of.
Kazakhstan's national security committee in June implicated Tuleshov in the organisation of protests against a controversial land reform that had rocked the government over the two previous months.
Thousands participated in the countrywide demonstrations against amendments that would have changed the maximum length of leases on land for foreigners from 10 to 25 years.
President Nursultan Nazarbayev, 76, subsequently halted the reforms until 2021.
New York-based Human Rights Watch reported that hundreds were detained in the build-up to a planned nationwide protest on May 21 and at least two people are still awaiting judgement in connection with the unrest.
Land policy is highly sensitive in ex-Soviet Central Asia where many recall the privatisations of the 1990s after the collapse of the USSR with bitterness.
Tuleshov was already in detention at the time of the land protests, but authorities said Tuleshov had "inspired and financed" them before his arrest in January.
He previously headed the Kazakh office of a Russian think-tank, the Centre for the Analysis of Terrorist Threats (CATT) as well as leading Shymkent Beer, maker of one of the country's most popular brews.
Tuleshov has in the past acted as an advisor to the Russian parliament and worked to strengthen ties between the two countries.
Some observers painted Tuleshov's January arrest as part of an ongoing power struggle in Kazakhstan connected to the looming issue of the country's political succession.
Once hailed as a regional success story in volatile Central Asia, Kazakhstan has endured a period of unrest amid depressed global prices for its key crude oil export.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Chief Minister today wrote to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung urging him to resolve the issue involving the appointment of directors in power distribution companies.
The AAP government had last year nominated directors to the boards of the three power distribution companies BSES Rajdhani Power limited (BRPL), BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL), but the LG refused to acknowledge the appointments.
In his letter, Kejriwal urged Jung to invite him and the Power Minister for a discussion to resolve the issue.
The Chief Minister said that when top most officers of the government became a part of decision making in discoms, there was "conflict of interest" when discoms' decisions come before the government for consideration.
"Moreover, it becomes difficult to question their decision and performance subsequently, which are not in consumers' interest. For this reason, it is not advisable to nominate top most officers of the government on discom's board," the letter said.
"The LG ought to have engaged in a discussion with the CM or Power Minister in an endeavor to settle the difference of opinion. However, without inviting the CM/Power Minister to discuss the matter, LG directed in his note dated (01.11.2016) to 'immediately implement' his decision of rejecting names proposed by the government and instead to nominate different names decided by LG unilaterally," it said.
Kejriwal further urged the LG to refer the matter to the council, if the difference of opinion persisted.
Two Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LeJ) militants have been arrested for killing Amjad Sabri, one of Pakistan's finest Sufi Qawwals, in a sectarian attack, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said today.
Sabri, 45, and an associate were travelling in a car in Karachi's congested Liquatabad 10 area in June when two motorcycle-borne gunmen fired at their vehicle, killing them.
The victims were apparently heading for the studio of a private TV channel when they were attacked.
"The Counter-Terrorism Department headed by Raja Umar Khattab made a major breakthrough and arrested two people from Liaquatabad called Ishaq alias Bobby and Asim alias Capri. Their weapons were also recovered," he said.
The men are affiliated with the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi Naeem Bukhari group, the chief minister said.
"Asim alias Capri was Sabri's neighbour. We have not found any motive (behind the murder) as yet, but it seems sectarian to us because Sabri used to frequent majalis (religious congregation of minority Shia community)," the Dawn quoted him as saying.
Shah said there was 'conclusive proof' that the two were part of a gang involved in nine 'major incidents'.
"After a probe and forensic investigation, we found proof of (their) involvement in 28 cases," he said.
"We will try to follow the lead through the arrested ones and apprehend rest of the gang," he added.
The weapons were matched using empty bullet casings collected from crime scenes and bullets retrieved during post mortems, he added.
Amjad Sabri was the son of renowned Qawwal Ghulam Farid Sabri whose family is famous in the subcontinent for their contribution to this sufi art and mystic poetry.
Sabri was one of Pakistan's finest qawwals, known for his soul-stirring renditions of mystic poetry.
Some of the most memorable and famous qawwalis of the Sabris were 'Bhar Do Jholi Meri', 'Tajdar-i-Haram' and 'Mera Koi Nahin Hai Teray Siwa'.
Sabri, who travelled widely to Europe and the US for his concerts, was known as the "rockstar" of Qawali due to his modern style of rendition.
The two LeJ men were also involved in various instances of target killing of 12 police personnel and seven Shias, Shah said, adding that a large quantity of weapons were recovered from the suspects, including three SMGs, two MP5 rifles stolen from police, 27 pistols, and lots of hand grenades and IEDs.
The LeJ has roots in Punjab province and has a history of carrying out sectarian attacks in Balochistan, particularly against the minority Shias.
The group recently claimed that it killed 61 people, mostly young cadets, during an attack on a police training centre in Quetta, the capital of the restive Balochistan province, in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Pakistan.
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Maosist set ablaze eight road construction machineries in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharswan and Khunti districts, a senior police officer today said.
Peoples Liberation Front of India(PLFI) ultras assaulted labourers and set on fire one excavator, one dumper, one tipping kit and a truck after chasing away the labourers at Bamahni village in Khunti district today afternoon, Superintendent of Police, Anish Gupta said.
Fire-brigade personnel rushed to the spot to douse the flames but the vehicles were badly damaged, he said.
Police rushed to the spot soon after the incident and launched a search to track down the culprits, he said.
CPI(Maoists) ultras set on fire four equipment engaged in road construction at Hesakocha village in Seraikela-Kharswan district on Sunday evening when the district police force was busy in maintaining law and order during Chhat festival.
Chandil sub-divisional police officer, Sandeep Bhagat said today the ultras have set on fire a tractor, a water tank, a mixture machine and a road roller last evening and the Maoist squad led by Maharaj Pramanik, which is active in the area, is suspected to be behind it.
The demand of levy by the ultras was suspected to be reason behind the incident, he said adding a massive search has been launched in Hesakocha jungle by security personnel led by the DIG (Kolhan) Sambhu Thakur and superintendent of police Indrajeet Mahatha to catch the culprits.
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Egypts Economic Reforms Will Create Jobs and Promote Social Inclusion World Bank
The World Bank welcomes Egypts recent economic and social reform measures including the floatation of the currency, measures to boost investment especially in Upper Egypt, adjusting energy prices to reflect market conditions, and strengthening the social safety net.
The package of reforms announced by the government would help create jobs and revitalize the economy. They would boost the competitiveness of Egyptian businesses, support export growth, attract new foreign investment, free public resources for priority growth and social programs, and support incomes for the poor and the vulnerable.
This is an ambitious program of reforms with a strong focus on job creation and on social measures to support the incomes of the poor and the vulnerable, said Dr. Asad Alam, World Bank Country Director for Egypt. In particular, we are pleased to support the governments social protection efforts especially in the expansion of the Takaful program which already reaches about 4.5 million people in extreme poverty, new investments for job creation in Upper Egypt, as well as through labor intensive works for the youth and for women.
www.worldbank.org
British Prime Minister Theresa May today joined her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in demanding strong action against those who support terrorism and provide sanctuary to its perpetrators after he voiced deep concern over cross-border terrorism, in an obvious reference to Pakistan.
The leaders called upon Pakistan to bring to justice the perpetrators of the November 2008 and 2016 terrorist attacks in Mumbai and Pathankot as May condemned the terror strike on the Indian Army Brigade headquarters in Uri in September. As many as 19 soldiers were killed in the attack.
Terrorism and Indo-British economic ties were the key subjects at the talks here between Modi and May, who arrived last night on a three day visit to India, her first bilateral trip outside Europe since becoming Prime Minister in July after the Brexit vote.
The joint statement issued after the talks said they strongly affirmed that terrorism is a serious threat to humanity and reiterated their strong commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They stressed that there can be no justification for acts of terror on any grounds whatsoever while agreeing there should be zero-tolerance to terrorism.
In an obvious reference to Pakistan hailing Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani as "martyr", the joint statement said, "There should be no glorification of terrorists or efforts to make a distinction between good and bad terrorists. They agreed that South Asia should be stable, prosperous and free from terror and called on all countries to work towards that goal."
Modi and May also called for concerted global action against them "without selectivity". They pitched for urgent measures to counter and prevent the spread of terrorism, violent extremism and radicalisation.
The two Prime Ministers affirmed that the fight against terrorism should not only seek to disrupt and bring to justice terrorists, terror organisations and networks, but also identify, hold accountable and take strong measures against all those who encourage, support and finance terrorism, provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups, and falsely extol their virtues.
Addressing a joint press event with May, Modi said they discussed ways to purposefully work together to combat the growing forces of radicalisation and terrorism. "We agreed that it is not a limited security challenge. Its arc of threat spreads across nations and regions. Terrorists move across borders with ease, and endanger the entire humanity.
"I conveyed our deep concerns to Prime Minister May regarding cross-border terrorism and the need for the international community to take strong action against States that support and sponsor terrorism," he said.
On her part, May said the two countries face the shared threat of terrorism as individual countries, as partners, and as global powers and have agreed to strengthen cooperation in particular by sharing best practice to tackle use of internet by violent extremists.
Noting both the UK and India face an increasing threat of
attacks from other states, terrorists and criminals operating in cyberspace, May said the two countries were already working together to tackle it.
"Prime Minister Modi and I have agreed to step up our cooperation, by negotiating a cyber framework between our countries which would improve our mutual cyber security, promote a free, open and secure cyberspace, and unlock commercial opportunities for UK industry," she said.
May also asserted that the two countries face a shared threat of terrorism - as individual countries, as partners, and as global powers whose interests lay in a stable world, founded on the rules-based international system.
"Today, we have agreed to strengthen our cooperation, in particular by sharing best practice to tackle the use of the internet by violent extremists and to reduce radicalisation and recruitment attempts online," May added.
According to the joint statement, the leaders directed their relevant officials to have close and regular consultations on all matters related to the UN, including UN terrorist designations.
The two Prime Ministers underlined the priority they attach to international peace keeping, where India is the second largest troop contributor and the UK is the 6th largest budget contributor in the world.
Stung by unrelenting barbs of BJP chief Amit Shah, BSP supremo Mayawati today hit back saying the saffron party has "notorious goondas" and everyone was aware of Shah's history as well.
She also trained guns at the Samajwadi Party government, saying in the interest of the state, the chief minister should rise above oneupmanship and family feud and look after law- and-order situation of the state.
She also said any move by SP to enter into a grand alliance proved that it had accepted defeat even before the polls.
"BJP mein itney nami-girami goonday hain...Main naam ginaney lag jaoon...Aur iski shuruwat Gujarat sey hoti hai... Amit Shah ka kya itihas raha hai yeh aapko pata hai (BJP has a number of notorious criminals...If I started counting names... The list starts with Gujarat...You already know Amit Shah's history)," she told newspersons here.
"Not only in UP, in the country also BJP has goondas, mafia and criminal elements...You all know about it well," she said in response to the allegations made by Shah during his party's Parivatran Yatras.
Shah had alleged that BSP like the ruling SP had goondas and criminal elements.
Making light of BJP's promise to bring a change in the state in the upcoming Assembly polls, Mayawati said it will meet the same fate in Uttar Pradesh as in Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal and southern states.
"I have convened the press conference especially to expose BJP and its national leaders who are going about making tall claims and to give them a befitting reply so that common people do not fall prey to their Lok Sabha-like promises," she said.
Dubbing the Narendra Modi government as anti-farmer, she said his claims of clearing sugarcane dues of farmers in the state were far from truth.
"He is telling a lie, neither the PM nor the SP government has given a single paisa," she alleged.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Around 1,000 mayors and municipal councilors from India and abroad will gather in Gandhinagar, in Gujarat, to discuss ways to make roads pedestrian friendly and find smart parking solutions to tackle pollution and congestion in urban areas.
The mayors and councilors will deliberate on the issues in two exclusive sessions of the four-day long 'Urban Mobility India Conference and Expo' beginning tomorrow.
Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the conference in which 2,500 delegates from India and abroad will deliberate on various aspects of "Planning Mobility for City's Sustainability".
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijaybhai Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitinbhai Patel will also attend the inaugural session.
After eight conferences held in Delhi since 2008, it is being held outside national capital for the first time in Gandhinagar with Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan as the focus states, an official release said.
"In the context of rising concerns over atmospheric pollution and congestion in urban areas, about 1,000 mayors and municipal councilors will discuss making roads pedestrian friendly and smart parking solutions," it added.
Aimed at enhancing the knowledge of state and city governments on various aspects of low carbon climate friendly urban transport, the other issues to be discussed include, Improving city bus service, financing metro systems, multi- modal transport solutions, intelligent transport systems(ITS), road safety, smart urban mobility planning and ensuring access for common man to urban transport, among others.
Chang Woom Lee, President, Korea Transport Institute will deliver the keynote address.
Minister of State for Urban Development and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Rao Inderjit Singh will present Awards for Excellence in Urban Transport and Urban Mobility on the last day of conference.
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Ousted Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry continued to chair group companies and today he chaired a meeting of the distressed telecom arm of the group, Tata Teleservices, at the Bombay House, the group headquarters here this afternoon.
Mistry entered the building past 1300 hrs and was inside till about 1530 hrs.
The privately held Tata Teleservices board is led by Mistry as the chairman and Srinath Narasimhan as the managing director.
The executive directors include Ishaat Hussain who is also on the board of Tata Sons, and two DoCoMo representatives -- Hidetada Hayashi and Katsuhiko Yamagata. That apart the company has three independent directors in Bharati Rao, Vibha Paul Rishi and Narendra Jhadav who is a Rajya Sabha member.
Jadhav and Rishi confirmed the meeting to the media but refused to share the details of what was discussed at the meeting of the unlisted company.
Despite being removed as Tata Sons chairman, Mistry continues to hold chairmanship of several Tata group companies including some listed firms. Among these, he has already chaired board meetings of Tata Global Beverages and Indian Hotels after his removal as Tata Sons chairman on October 24.
Last week, independent directors of Indian Hotels issued a statement reposing their faith in Mistry's chairmanship.
Mistry's dealing with Tata Teleservices Japanese partner NTT Docomo, wherein he refused to buyout the 26 per cent stake of the Japanese firm citing RBI ban and let the matter reach an international arbitration tribunal in London with an adverse verdict, had found repeated mention in the commentary on what would have led to the surprise ouster of Mistry.
Some Tata Group sources said Mistry did not keep Tata Sons in the loop while taking decisions regarding the bleeding telecom venture and that he conducted himself in a manner which was not characteristic of the 'Tata culture and ethos'.
Mistry has denied all such speculations. In a letter to Tata Sons board members a day after his removal, he had said he was attempting to get a "potential player" in the consolidation of the industry and the attempt was to improve the bottomline.
Following the assault on media representatives last Friday by private security guards employed by the Tata Group outside the Bombay House, there were more than two dozen police personnel present outside the building today.
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Prime Minister on Monday asked Britain to relax student visa rules saying greater mobility of young people must be encouraged, even as Prime Minister Theresa May has said her country has a "good system" for applications.
Addressing India-UK Tech Summit with May in attendance, Modi said education is vital for Indian students and will define the country's engagement in a shared future.
"We must therefore encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in education and research opportunities," he said.
May, who arrived here on Monday to pave way for UK's first post-Brexit trade deal, however has said the UK has a "good system" for applications.
UK was already able to attract "the brightest and the best" from outside the EU, she was quoted by BBC as saying. "Nine out of 10 visa applications from India are already accepted."
Bloomberg quoted her as telling reporters on flight to New Delhi that Britain has "a visa system for countries outside the European Union which ensures that the brightest and the best are able to come to the United Kingdom."
"The figures show that we issued more work visas to India than I think the US, Australia, Canada and China put together," she was quoted as saying.
UK's new policy requires students to return home after their courses end, a move that has led to fall in Indian students enrolling in British universities by 50 per cent.
The number of study visas issued to Indian nationals fell from 68,238 in 2010 to 11,864 this year, official UK figures show.
At the Summit, May however announced easier visa regime for the businessmen coming to UK.
"So we will offer, for the first time to any country that needs visas to enter Britain, what we called 'Registered Traveller Scheme'.
"That means the Indian nationals who frequently come to the UK and to fuel growth in both our countries, the entry process will become significantly easier," she said.
High net worth individuals and their families will be offered to the Great Club - a bespoke visa and immigration service - to make visa applications smoother.
Also, Indians on work visas would be able to join the Registered Travellers Scheme which will mean they can get through UK border controls more quickly.
"We want to attract more Indian businesses to the UK, which is why it's right to offer Indian business executives a world-class visa service tailored to their needs," Bloomberg quoted May as saying in a statement to journalists traveling with her.
After HDFC and NTPC, several other Indian entities including Indian Railway Finance Corporation are looking at raising funds through rupee-dominated masala bonds in London Stock Exchange.
Three other Indian companies -- National Agri Authority of India, Energy Efficiency Services Ltd and Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd -- are also planning to raise funds through masala bonds in London.
Officials said the issue of closer financial cooperation between India and the UK figured prominently during talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May.
The rupee-denominated bonds or masala bonds are instruments through which Indian entities can raise funds by accessing overseas capital markets, while the bond investors hold the currency risk.
In July, housing finance major HDFC had raised Rs 3,000 crore through these rupee-denominated bonds that got over- subscribed by 4.3 times while in August, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) had raised Rs 2,000 crore with the launch of its 'Green Masala Bond' on London Stock Exchange.
"Several Indian companies including HDFC and NTPC they have raised masala bonds. Apart from these two Indian companies, there are foreign companies which have raised masala bonds. That is one partnership which is coming up very well.
"There are other Indian companies like Indian Railway Finance Corporation and National Agri Authority of India which are looking forward to raise finance through masala bonds in London," Joint Secretary (Europe) in the External Affairs Ministry Randhir Jaiswal told reporters while briefing about outcome of the talks.
He said Energy Efficiency Services Ltd and IREDA, which works in the renewable energy area, are also looking forward to raise money through masala bonds.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mozambique became the 181st party to join the Conference of Parties (COP7) to World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which kicked off here today.
"On the opening day of the convention, it was announced that Mozambique is to become the 181st party to the convention and Zimbabwe was welcome as the most recent party to accede to the convention," an official statement said.
India is hosting the seventh session of the six-day convention for the first time. The convention that began today will continue till November 12.
"Parties highlighted the progress they have made in implementation of the convention and it shows there is increasing compliance with the provisions of the treaty.
"The report by the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC Global Progress in implementation of the WHO FCTC also notes the incredible advances made in implementing the measures of the treaty," the statement said.
The Head of the Convention Secretariat, Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva, noted that the period since COP6 in 2014 has seen significant success.
"We must applaud the bold action taken by many Parties during the last two years and it is reassuring that the treaty and the standards adopted by COP have helped you protect your decisions against legal challenges," she said.
For the first time, note verbale had been sent requesting Parties to exclude representatives of partially or wholly state-owned tobacco companies from their delegations, the official added.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mumbai police have taken action against 12,000 persons in last two months as part of their campaign to stop unnecessary honking.
Police have launched a "Horn Flu" campaign against honking, Police Commissioner Datta Padsalgikar told reporters here today.
Action has been taken against 12,000 persons in last two months as part of their campaign to stop unnecessary honking. Around 1,000 cases have been filed by police for causing noise pollution, he said.
Meanwhile, Sumaira Abdulali of Awaaz Foundation said the noise level due to fire crackers this Diwali was 10 per cent lower than the previous year.
Last year, the noise level stood at 123 decibels, while this year it was 113 decibels, she said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With just a day left for the US presidential election, some rituals seeking divine blessings for the victory of Republican candidate Donald Trump were performed in a temple here today at the behest of some NRIs.
"We performed two yagnas for the victory of Trump. The rituals were performed at the behest of NRIs in the US," Vishnudham temple trustee Ramesh Joshi told PTI.
The temple, located in north Mumbai suburb Kandivli, conducted the three-hour-long rituals, Joshi said.
"Some NRIs in the US are regular visitors to the temple when they visit India. They asked us to perform the yagnas. Accordingly, two yagnas were performed. The Vijay Prapti Yagna was to ensure victory for Trump and the Shasan Prapti Yagna was to help him govern the US," Joshi said.
"The NRIs told me that Trump has assured the Indian diaspora in the US that he will work for eliminating the terror menace in India, if elected," Joshi said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Health Minister J P Nadda today termed the challenge of tobacco control as "formidable" and said there is need to take multi-sectoral action and integrated approaches to health goals, especially as the country is facing the dual burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases.
He was speaking during the inauguration of the Seventh Session of the Conference of Parties (COP7) to World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) which India is hosting for the first time.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena gave a special address during the inaugural session of the conference.
Nadda said there are nearly 275 million current users in the country and close to one million lives are lost every year due to tobacco use, either directly or indirectly.
He said the economic cost to India or the healthcare cost to treat tobacco-related diseases is a whopping USD 22 billion and the target of achieving relative reduction of tobacco use by 30 per cent is no longer a choice but a necessity.
"The challenges faced by India in the realm of tobacco control are formidable, both in their number and in their complexity. However, despite our vast complexity, substantial investments for implementation of WHO FCTC are slowly improving the situation," he said at the conference where more than 1500 delegates from all over the world are taking part.
He said India has to go a long way in preventing millions of avoidable deaths resulting from the habit of tobacco use and there are many challenges like new products which are emerging and the existing products are profilerating locally and internationally to newer areas.
"The prevalence of tobacco use is still unacceptably high. Morbidity and mortality due to its use is also very high. There is a huge economic burden on people and governments due to adverse health consequences of tobacco use. Certain parts of the world, including India, have a myriad of tobacco products.
"We cannot do this alone. Along with national will and resources, we also need the strength of international collaboration to mitigate the rising burden of health, social and economic costs of tobacco," Nadda said.
He said this is a landmark year for tobacco control activities as the country has successfully implemented, from April, large pictorial health warnings occupying 85 per cent of the principal display area of tobacco packs and on all forms of tobacco.
Terming WHO FCTC as India's strongest tool to curb the emerging non-communicable diseases, Nadda said India cannot tackle these diseases only by making more hospitals, cancer institutes and producing more doctors and allied health professionals.
"Today, India and other developing countries in the south
east Asian, African and Latin American regions face the dual burden of infectious diseases like malaria and TB, and emergent conditions like zika and dengue, along with non- communicable diseases like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes etc.
"All countries are gearing up and making efforts to strengthen their health systems to tackle these challenges. For this to happen, we need multi-sectoral action along with integrated approaches to health programmes and health goals," he said.
"We need to prevent the risk factors, tobacco being the biggest of them, since today's risk factors are tomorrow's diseases," he said.
He said India is committed to strengthening non- communicable disease programmes and interventions and implementation of the WHO FCTC as an integral part of the post 2015 sustainable development goals.
"Tobacco use is detrimental to all aspects of life and grips users in the most productive years. We must reverse this tide. We must, for this purpose, target our young children, catch them young, and indoctrinate their minds against the harms of tobacco use," he said.
Nifty 50 Futures, an index to track the futures price movement on benchmark Nifty 50, today got listed on the Taiwan Futures Exchange (TAIFEX), a move that will provide investors with more efficient access to the Indian capital market.
In June, India Index Services and Products Ltd (IISL), an arm of NSE, launched Nifty 50 futures and said it plans to list for investors in Taiwan. The index is maintained by IISL.
"TAIFEX Nifty 50 futures is a New Taiwan Dollar (TWD) denominated contract and the first Indian equity index futures product to be introduced in Taiwan," NSE said in a release.
The Nifty 50 futures index reflects futures price movement in the benchmark equity index Nifty 50 which comprises securities listed on NSE. It is one of the most widely-used index to track the performance of the Indian stock market.
"It's an inevitable choice for global investors who want to invest in India. Going forward, investors from Taiwan can take a view on the top 50 Indian companies representing multiple sectors in India by investing in TAIFEX Nifty 50 futures," NSE Managing Director and CEO Chitra Ramkrishna said.
TAIFEX chairman Len-Yu Liu said: "We are very much delighted to work with NSE, and TAIFEX will continue our initiatives towards building co-operation between Taiwan and the global market."
The move is expected to help TAIFEX, which has entered into a licensing agreement with IISL, expand its product line as well as increase its international exposure.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today expressed anxiety over rising pollution in Delhi and said the issue should have been addressed earlier to prevent it from soaring to such a level.
"Pollution has increased in Delhi. I think the issue must have been accorded proper attention to prevent the situation soaring to such a level," Kumar told reporters.
Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav, senior ministers Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lallan, Maheshwar Hazari and JD(U) secretary general K C Tyagi along with senior officials of the state accompanied the CM on a boat inspection of Chhath arrangements.
He said despite the countrywide awareness drive, crackers bursting on the occasion of Diwali went on unabated, but claimed the appeal against bursting of crackers had a positive impact in Bihar.
"Crackers bursting on Diwali was almost less than half in Bihar than it used to be in the past. I assume the same must have been the situation in Delhi too," Kumar said after inspecting Chhath arrangements during the morning Arghya.
Kumar stressed on creating mass awareness against the rise in pollution levels and said lighting up left overs after the reaping season in the fields of Punjab and Haryana robs off fertility of the soil and emphasised on mass campaign against the practise.
He also hit out at the NDA government over the one-day ban imposed on a Delhi-based channel and a channel from Assam, saying it "reminds of the days of Emergency".
"The basis on which this ban has been effected reminds the days of Emergency... This cannot be accepted in a democracy," he said on the ban imposed.
He urged the Centre to immediately take back the decision (of ban), which has left a bad impact across the country.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has said she is "grateful" for the "amazing" support she got from Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle and acknowledged that the outgoing US president is leaving "big shoes" to fill.
Clinton said Obama was not getting the credit he deserves for everything he did to save the US economy and for putting the country on the "right track".
"I am so grateful for President Obama's leadership. I love it when he talks - and I'm so grateful for all of his support in this election. Both he and Michelle have been amazing on the campaign trail," Clinton said at an election rally in Philadelphia yesterday.
"I love it when the president talks about supporting me, and he said he wants to "pass on the baton" to me. And I'm just hoping he will bend low enough that I can reach it, because he's a tall man. I'm not sure. So he's going to have to bend, and I'm going to have to stand on my toes. Those are big shoes to fill," she said.
Clinton, 69, said Tuesday's US general election was not about any individual, but about choosing "hope over fear, unity over division and love over hate."
She laid out the stakes in the election, calling it not just a choice between two candidates but between two very different visions for the country.
"This election is about much more than the two candidates. Our names may be on the ballot, but make no mistake: everything you care about, everything that I care about and I've worked for is at stake," she said.
"On Tuesday, we face a test of our own. This election is about much more than the two candidates. Our names may be on the ballot, but make no mistake: everything you care about, everything that I care about and I've worked for is at stake," Clinton said.
"This election is about doing everything we can to stop the movement to destroy President Obama's legacy - in fact it is about building on the gains and the progress we've made in the last eight years," she said.
Clinton vowed to break down all the barriers that are holding Americans back and outlined her commitments to end-to-end criminal justice reform, more investment in underserved communities, common sense gun reform so African American men's lives are not disproportionately cut short by gun violence and a concerted effort against systemic racism in all corners of the society.
"We have got to continue to take on the problem of systemic racism, to rid ourselves of deep-rooted injustice, hatred, and fear. We need end-to-end reform in our criminal justice system - with real follow through. I want us to get rid of what is called the 'school to prison pipeline' and replace it with the 'cradle to college pipeline'," she said.
"We have got to make sure that we have a commitment to ensure that everyone knows we are safer, when the police respect the communities and protect them and when the communities respect the police, who serve them. That must be our goal," she added.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Over 600 Indian-Americans gathered on the banks of the historic Potomac River in the suburbs here to celebrate the festival of Chhath, making it the largest gathering in the last nine years.
Indian-Americans from the area attended the three-day long annual festival organised here yesterday.
"This was the largest gathering for Chhath Puja," said Kripa Singh, an eminent Indian American community leader in Virginia, who has been solely organising the event for the past nine years now.
This year, people came from as far as Chicago, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey in addition to those from Maryland and Virginia.
Last year, around 250 Indian-Americans took part in this festival of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Recounting how it all began, Singh - who hails from Bihar's capital Patna - said, in 2007 his mother asked his wife Anita to take care of Chhath Puja to keep alive the family tradition of generations.
When he inquired among his friends and other Indian-American community leaders if anyone here performed the Chhath Puja, he found that people did it inside their homes or at the most in a makeshift plastic tub full of water following which the idea of organising the ceremony on the banks of Potomac River in Loudon County struck his mind when he saw concrete boat ramp on a picnic trip with his friends there.
He found the place good for performing the rare Puja in the real way with all the traditional and religious rituals.
He, then, approached the Loudon County Parks and Recreation Department with the details and sought permission to do the ceremony which was granted.
He said that the Loudon county is enthusiastic about supporting the Indian-Americans in organising this rare festival outside India.
Chhath Puja entails worship of Sun God, embodied in cosmic energy, and is observed mainly by people from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ONGC Videsh Ltd will provide $318 million financing to help raise output at a Venezuelan oilfield after the Latin American nation signed pact to supply 17,000 barrels per day of crude oil to India to clear past dues.
OVL, the overseas arm of state-owned ONGC, owns 40% of Venezuela's San Cristobal oilfield and had invested about $190 million in the project in 2008. State-run Petroleos de SA (PDVSA) holds the remaining stake.
"We will stand guarantee to raising of the $318 million capital required for investing in the San Cristobal project," OVL CEO and Managing Director Narendra K Verma said.
OVL and Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA signed the deal on Friday to finance increased crude production at the joint venture Petrolera Indovenezolana, SA, which operates the San Cristobal oilfield.
The financing will help boost production at San Cristobal field to 30,000-35,000 bpd from current 19,000-20,000 bpd, he said.
Verma said PDVSA has agreed to supply 17,000 bpd of crude oil till repay $537 million it owes to OVL.
"The crude oil will be supplied till such time that the dues are fully cleared," he said.
OVL has not been paid for its share of oil from the San Cristobal field in last few years.
San Cristobal project covers an area of 160.18 square kilometers in the Zuata Subdivision of proliferous Orinoco Heavy Oil belt in . The field output is down from a peak of 38,000 bpd.
OVL had received its dividend from sale of crude oil produced from the field totalling $56.224 million for 2008. But dividends for 2009 to 2013 totalling $537.631 million remained unpaid due to cash flow difficulties being faced by PDVSA.
"What we have signed is basically a very good deal. It will help raise production as well as clear our outstanding," said Verma, who was in Caracus for the signing of the deal last week.
During 2015-16, OVL's share of crude oil production was 0.585 million tonnes as compared to 0.645 million tonnes during the previous fiscal. It's share of investment in the project was Rs 2,599.71 crore ($486.69 million) till March 31, 2016.
Venezuela, the cash-strapped OPEC member and holder of the world's biggest oil reserves, has been unable to pay foreign partners on some of its projects as revenues slumped along with crude prices and as funds were diverted to social programme and fuel subsidies.
The Latin American nation earns almost all of its export revenues from oil.
It is already repaying loans outstanding to China with crude and OVL was keen on a similar deal.
is India's fourth largest source of crude oil, supplying some 23.6 million tonnes or 12% of the country's annual import in 2015-16.
OVL, along with Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and Oil India Ltd, also holds 18 per cent stake in Venezuela's Carabobo-1 project, which currently produces about 16,000 bpd of oil and is expected to reach 90,000 bpd by end of 2017.
Pakistani troops today fired mortar shells at Indian posts and civilian areas in Mendhar sector of Poonch district along the Line of Control (LoC), leading to retaliation from Indian security forces.
"Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation in Mendhar sector of Poonch district from 0915 hours," defence spokesman said.
He said that they fired 120 mm mortars, 82 mm mortars and automatic weapons targeting Indian posts and civilian areas.
Troops guarding the border line gave a befitting reply resulting in exchange which was still going on when reports last came in.
Yesterday, two army jawans were killed and five others -- two soldiers, a BSF officer and two women -- were injured as Pakistani army opened fire in an attempt to facilitate two infiltration bids along the LoC in Krishna Ghati and Poonch sectors of Poonch district.
There have been over 100 ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after the surgical strike.
The worst-ever Pakistani shelling targeting civil population took place on November 1 when eight persons, including two children and four women, were killed and 22 others injured along the IB and the LoC in five sectors of J&K, forcing Indian troops to give befitting reply by destroying 14 Pakistani posts and killing two of their troopers.
The state government had closed over 400 schools along the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu region in wake of the ongoing heavy cross-border firing.
A total of 18 people, including 12 civilians, have been killed and more than 83 injured in Pakistani shelling and firing along IB and LoC in Jammu.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistani police detained several Sunni and Shiite Muslim leaders in a probe over recent sectarian attacks in the southern port city of Karachi, prompting protests and clashes today, police said.
Faisal Raza Abidi, an outspoken former anti-Taliban Shiite lawmaker from Pakistan's liberal People's Party, is among those facing questioning, said counter-terrorism police officer Junaid Sheikh.
The police and Pakistan's paramilitary forces have raided both Sunni and Shiite religious seminaries over the last two days, detaining an unspecified number of people, Sheikh said.
Sunni and Shiite activists have rallied in Karachi, protesting against the raids. One of the rallies by the Shiites blocked a highway for eight hours, which the police dispersed with tear gas.
Police officer Razaq Khan said protesters clashed with police and pelted them with stones.
Pakistan's Sunni militants, many affiliated with the Taliban and al-Qaeda, have long targeted minority Shiites, considering them to be heretics.
The police suspect some of Karachi's recent sectarian killings of Sunnis could be the work of Shiite militants.
Pakistan has been fighting the Islamic militants and their sectarian allies for over a decade; the militants have a strong presence in urban areas and ties with Taliban and al-Qaida linked foreign militants in tribal regions along Afghan border.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dissatisfied with the replies submitted by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's three children in the Panama Papers scandal, the Supreme Court today gave them a week's time to furnish relevant documents about the money invested by the family in foreign businesses.
The court last week had ordered Maryam, Hassan and Hussain to respond the charges by opposition that they bought assets abroad with illegal money.
The five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali took up five identical petition by Imran Khan and other on November 1, demanding probe into the assets of those mentioned in the Panama Leaks.
Sharif had submitted his response last week through his counsel, Salman Aslam Butt, in which he denied any financial wrongdoing.
Today, his counsel representing Sharif's children, told the court that Hassan Nawaz has been doing a lawful business for the last 22 years and Hussain for 16 years.
Butt said that Maryam Nawaz is not dependent on the prime minister and lives an independent life as a married person.
All three children denied allegations leveled against them.
The court asked about the money trail which was invested in the foreign businesses of Sharif's family and gave seven days period to furnish relevant documents.
The court adjourned till November 15.
It also directed all parties to submit documentary evidence about their claims and charges or denials.
The case is being billed as make or break for the Prime Minister as Imran Khan and others have alleged that foreign assets of three children managed by offshore companies were purchased through corruption and money laundering.
The court initially refused to hear the case but took up the proceeding after Imran Khan announced to lockdown capital Islamabad on November 2.
The court has indicated that it would set up one-man probe commission to thoroughly probe the charges. But it needed detailed Terms of Reference (ToR).
In the past no headway was made in the probe as both government and opposition have different ToRs.
Now the court has asked the parties to submit their ToRs and announced to go ahead with its own ToRs for the probe if difference continue.
It is believed that a negative judgment in the case would seal Sharif's fate.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ED has issued summons to senior Congress leader Motilal Vora in connection with its money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the allotment of a plot to AssociatedJournal Limited (AJL), publisher of the National Herald newspaper, in Haryana's Panchkula in 2005.
Officials said Vora, the national Treasurer of the All India Congress Committee, has been summoned under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for questioning on November 22.
They said Vora has been summoned by the Investigating Officer (IO) of the case in his capacity as the Chairman and Managing Director of the AJL.
Congress sources said the party has already sent a reply in regard to the case to the Enforcement Directorate sometime back.
The agency, early this year, had filed a criminal complaint and booked former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, AJL officials and others on charges of alleged money laundering, taking cognisance of a Haryana State Vigilance Bureau FIR.
The vigilance Bureauhad registered a case of cheating and corruption against Hooda and four officials who were in HUDA for allegedly re-alloting a plot to AJL in Panchkula in 2005.
Hooda had termed the action as "political vendetta" and said there was no wrong doing.
The vigilance case that was registered under various IPC sections, including criminal breach of trust by a public servant, cheating, criminal conspiracy and under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, was made against Hooda, the then Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) chairman, an ex-officio post held by him as the CM, and four other top officials of HUDA on May 5 this year.
The plot had been initially allotted to AJL in 1982.
After the expiry of the lease period in 1996, then Haryana Vikas Party goverment led by Bansi Lal took back its possession. It was re-allotted to AJL after the Congress leader came to power in 2005.
The Vigilance Bureau had alleged that the act by the then HUDA chairman and the officials had caused a huge financial loss to HUDA as the plot should have been sold through open auction instead of being alloted again to AJL.
(REOPENS DEL118)
A separate FIR had been lodged in December last year by the state vigilance bureau against Hooda as the then chairman and chief administrator of HUDA for alleged irregularities in allotment of industrial plots in Panchkula three years ago.
Hooda had then said that no rules had been violated in the allotment.
Oppositionparties in Haryana hadsought registration of a criminal case in the matter for alleged illegal re-allotment of land in Panchkula from the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government.
In a missive to the Chief Minister, Leader of the Opposition Abhay Chautala had said a plot measuring 3,360 square metres in the prime location of Sector 6 in Panchkula was reallotted to the Associated Journals Ltd on June 29, 2005.
However, soon after Congress was voted to power in 2005, Hooda initiated the process of restoring the plot to AJL on a representation made on its behalf by one of the trustees, Chautala had claimed.
Minutes after the arrest of Assam Public Services Commission's chairman on Friday, a huge quantity of paper was set ablaze in the office chamber of a member who dubbed these as "non-official papers" that may help dengue mosquitoes to breed.
Security and other personnel in the APSC office said a huge quantity of paper was set ablaze in the office chamber of APSC member Basanta Kumar Doley within minutes of APSC Chairman Rakesh Paul's arrest on November 4.
Some journalists claimed that half burnt envelopes with names of candidates taking various examinations conducted by APSC were also found.
Doley, when asked by the media today said "I told my office attender to burn the non-official papers lying in my room as they were potent places for dengue mosquitoes to breed in a closed AC room."
"There were too many mosquitoes in my room and it is said dengue mosquitoes breed in room AC's water. So I asked for the papers to be taken out and burnt. They are not official documents, only waste papers were burnt," Doley asserted.
Attender Til Bahadur Chetri said he had burnt the papers "on the orders of sir (Doley). He (Doley) gave me the papers in bags and I burnt them. I don't know what papers they contained as I did not check them. Besides, I cannot read so I do not know what they were".
Investigating officer of Dibrugarh district and its Additional Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Paneshar said police will inquire into the incident and a special team may be sent from Dibrugarh district to probe it.
On sealing the Commission's office, Paneshar said there are technical problems in doing so but it will investigate into the paper burning incident.
Police has meanwhile taken the call details of Paul's mobile phone to find out which people and APSC examinees, if any, he had communicated with.
Police is also on the lookout for Paul's brother Rajib in whose printing press the duplicate answer scripts with APSC logo were printed.
Examination of those applying for APSC civil service and sanctioned posts were held in exchange of money.
Police said APSC examination answer scripts can only be printed at the government press and the cash-for-job examinees wrote their exams in the private printing press, a five star hotel in the city and private apartments as evidenced by the recovery of answer scripts from those places.
The examinees were provided duplicate answer scripts and books to write afresh their answers to replace their original answer scripts, the police said, adding these had been sent for forensic examination.
(Reopens CAL4)
It was for the first time that the chairman of Assam
Public Service Commission has been arrested.
Paul was picked up from his office on November 4 evening following complaints and evidences of a racket involving him and taken to the 4th Assam Police Battalion (APBN) at Kahilipara here for interrogation prior to his arrest under various sections of the IPC, Paneshar said.
Paul, who was a Notary prior to his appointment as member and then chairman of APSC, was on November 5 remanded to 14 days' police custody by the special judge of Guwahati.
There was widespread public outcry for inquiry into how Paul, who from a humble post was appointed to the high office of APSC chairman and corrupted the administration system by selecting undeserving people in exchange of money overriding merit to administer the state.
According to lawyers here said no prior permission is required for the arrest of APSC chairman of the APSC or that of any state public service commission or union Public Service Commission but only the president can remove them from their post under Article 317 for "misbehaviour" or any other reason after making a reference to the Supreme Court.
APSC has been mired in controversies with allegations of corruption in selection and appointment of Assam Civil Service (ACS), Assam Police Service (APS), Education Service, allied services and all gazetted posts for exchange of hefty amounts. Buckling under opposition pressure and from a section of Congress colleagues, former chief minister Tarun Gogoi had in July last year set up of an inquiry commission headed by a retired judge to probe the alleged irregularities.
A month before it the Gogoi government after receiving five specific complaints from examinees had ordered a probe by an additional chief secretary into the alleged irregularities in the results of civil services examinations.
The present ruling alliance headed by BJP has been under pressure since it assumed office in May this year to take strict action against Paul and clean up APSC.
Rueing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi remained silent over river Mahanadi water dispute, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today asserted that his government will move court for protection of the state's interest.
"I had sought the Prime Minister's intervention in the Mahanadi water issue. However, it is a matter of regret that the Prime Minister does not respond to us in this sensitive matter," Patnaik said while addressing the ruling BJD MPs, MLAs and senior leaders here.
Stating that the state government has been time and again reminding the Centre about the 'adverse impact' of the project by Chhattisgarh on Odisha, Patnaik said, "The Centre is not pursuing the issue with sincerity and has been ignoring our demands.
"I attended the tripartite meeting convened by the Centre in Delhi. I had demanded stop of construction work by Chhattishgarh government. But the Centre has been supporting the Chhattisgarh government silently owing to political considerations. Our fight will continue and we will take the matter to Supreme Court," he added.
Patnaik was of the view that the construction work being carried out by the Chhattishgarh government on the upstream of river Mahanadi, could be stopped if Centre wanted.
"But, the Centre is not doing anything to stop work by the Chhattishgarh government," the Odisha Chief Minister said.
He also blamed the Congress for allowing Chhattishgarh to go ahead with unilateral construction on upstream of river Mahanadi when the party was in power.
Similarly, Patnaik said the BJP-led Central government also helped Andhra Pradesh government to carry forward Polavaram project though the matter was sub-judice.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aam Aadmi Party's Punjab convener Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi today alleged that the state government is "politicising" the sacrifice of freedom fighters and "insulting" them by not announcing anything for them during the inauguration of Jang-e-Azadi memorial.
"What is the use of spending Rs 200 crore to construct war memorial when the families of freedom fighters are running pillar to post for government help announced for them," he said.
"Rather than running away from its duty, the government must renew the 45-year-old freedom fighters pension policy," the AAP leader said.
Ghuggi alleged that the Badal government, while inaugurating Jang-e-Azadi memorial at Kartarpur yesterday, invited the family members of freedom fighters but "insulted" them by not announcing anything for them.
Leaders of SAD-BJP alliance kept on praising themselves in their speeches but did not even mention the freedom fighters, in whose memory the memorial was built, he alleged.
"Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal must have shown courtesy to visit the protesting freedom fighters' families, but he along with his deputy Sukhbir Singh Badal preferred to flee from the venue," Ghuggi claimed.
He claimed that there is a strong resentment among the people and they are ready to throw out corrupt leaders in upcoming Assembly elections.
"Slogans being raised against the Chief Minister while he was addressing the gathering, itself say a lot. Akalis must understand the anger of the people and stop committing atrocities on the common people," the AAP leader said.
"After AAP forms government in Punjab, the families of freedom fighters will be given due respect. It is because of the sacrifice of freedom fighters that we are enjoying freedom and their families deserve more respect than ordinary people of country," he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Firebrand Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte today said he would cancel an order for about 27,000 American-made assault rifles, in his latest display of defiance against the United States.
The rifles were due to be provided to the Philippine police but Duterte said he would look for cheaper alternatives.
"The (rifles) that were ordered already, I am ordering the police to cancel it. We'll just have to look for another source that is cheaper and maybe as durable and as good," Duterte said.
The status of the order had become cloudy over the past week after the Philippine media reported the US government would not deliver the weapons because of concerns about Duterte's war on drugs and other crime, which has claimed more than 4,100 lives in four months.
Duterte's spokesman said last week those reports were not accurate, and the US arms would be delivered as promised. But the president also made comments last week which appeared to indicate he believed the Americans had cancelled the planned delivery.
Since taking office on June 30 Duterte has launched repeated tirades against the United States for criticising his drug war and said he wants to loosen the Philippines' dependence on its former colonial ruler.
The United States and the Philippines are bound by a mutual defence pact, but Duterte has said he wants to kick out American forces.
On a state visit to Beijing last month he announced the Philippines' "separation" from the United States and declared he was in China's "ideological flow".
Duterte walked back from those remarks after returning to the Philippines, saying he would not sever ties with the United States.
But he has continued to launch near- daily criticisms of US colonial rule of the Philippines from 1898-1946, as well as of current American foreign policy.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Supreme Court Judge Justice U U Lalit today recused himself from hearing a plea of the mother of three youths who were brutally killed by henchmen of controversial RJD leader Mohd Shahabuddin seeking cancellation of bail granted to him in the case in which he has already been sentenced to life.
A bench comprising Justices Amitava Roy and U U Lalit posted the matter for further hearing after four weeks as counsel appearing for Shahabuddin sought time to file his reply on the plea.
Justice U U Lalit said since he has appeared in a matter concerning the issue, it cannot be heard by him.
The woman, whose two sons were killed and her third son, an eye witness to the incident, later murdered allegedly at the instance of Shahabuddin, has challenged Patna High Court's March 2 order granting regular bail to him.
While a sessions court in Siwan had convicted Shahabuddin for the offence of murder and kidnapping for ransom in the twin murder case and awarded him life imprisonment, the trial in the murder case of the eye witness son is going on.
In her plea, Kalawati Devi has claimed that the high court had "completely lost sight" of the fact that Shahabuddin was a "dreaded criminal, who has absolutely no regard for the law, and granting bail to him even though he has been convicted for heinous offences like murder, abduction etc and is still facing trial in many of the cases lodged against him, would be travesty of justice".
Devi has said in her plea, filed through advocate Prashant Bhushan, that her two sons, Girish and Satish, were abducted by Shahabuddin's henchmen and after being brutally assaulted, they were killed by pouring acid on their bodies, packed in a sack full of salt and buried.
The plea alleged that Devi's third son, Rajiv Roshan, was initially abducted but had managed to escape. He was an eye-witness to the killing of his two brothers.
She claimed that during pendency of trial in the twin murder case, Roshan was killed in June 2014 allegedly at the behest of Shahabuddin who is facing trial in the case.
The apex court had on September 30 cancelled the bail granted to him by Patna High Court in a murder case saying the discretion to release must be applied in "judicious manner" and "not as a matter of course".
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shares of Punjab National Bank on Monday surged over 6% following the company's housing finance arm making a strong debut at the bourses coupled with a marginal stability in NPA numbers during the second quarter.
The stock jumped 5.7% to Rs 139.20 on BSE.
On NSE, shares of the company rose by 6.19% to Rs 139.80.
"After witnessing sharp deterioration in asset quality in the last few quarters, PNB has reported some stability in NPA numbers during Q2 FY17," said Siddharth Purohit, Senior Equity Research Analyst - Banking, Angel Broking.
State-owned Punjab National Bank's net profit fell by 11.5% to Rs 549.36 crore for second quarter as the provision for bad loans rose, even as "green shoots" are visible on stressed assets front.
The bank had reported a net profit of Rs 621.03 crore during the July-September quarter last financial year.
"The green shoots are being seen as stressed assets ratio now reduced to 13%. From here onwards, we would like to see the reduction happening gradually. Many of the numbers, whether it is the income or cost of deposits, net interest margin, GNPA, NNPA all are moving in a positive trajectory," Usha Ananthasubramanian, MD and CEO, Punjab National Bank had said.
Total earnings of the bank during July-September quarter of current fiscal rose by a marginal 3.8% to Rs 14,218.27 crore as against Rs 13,701.93 crore a year earlier.
Gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) moved up to 13.63% of the gross advances during the quarter as against 6.36% a year ago, while net NPAs rose to 9.10% as compared to 3.99% in the year-ago period.
The GNPAs showed slight improvement at 13.63% q-o-q) from 13.75% at the quarter ended June.
A New Jersey man wanted for questioning in connection with a weekend knife attack at a Newark home that left two children and a woman dead has been taken into custody, authorities said.
Investigators said 26-year-old Jeremy Arrington was taken into custody late last night after he barricaded himself inside a Newark home. Arrington had been identified by police as a "person of interest" in the Saturday afternoon attack that also left three people wounded.
A possible motive for the attack has not been disclosed.
Arrington has not been charged in the stabbings, but was also wanted on charges of sexual assault and aggravated assault for an unrelated incident on October 9, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A Murray said at a conference after the stabbings.
Prosecutors yesterday released the names of the three who were killed. They said 8-year-old Aerial Little Whitehurst and 11-year-old Al-Jahon Whitehurst both died at a hospital shortly after the attack. A county spokesman said the two Newark children are related, but he declined further comment.
The three injured - a 29-year-old woman, a 13-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl - remained hospitalised in critical but stable condition.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on Saturday called the attack "one of the most tragic and savage" he's seen. The mayor pleaded for anyone with information to come forward, NJ.Com reported.
"We have to get him immediately before he hurts someone else," he said. "As long as he's on the street, nobody is safe."
Police offered a USD 20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A police officer, who allegedly posed indecent questions when a gangrape victim approached him to register a complaint, was today suspended, even as opposition UDF demanded action against a CPI-M functionary for "disclosing" the name of the woman.
Circle Inspector of Peramangalam police station in Thrissur district M V Manikantan was suspended by IGP M R Ajit Kumar pending inquiry, police said.
Kumar conducted a preliminary probe into the allegation levelled by the victim that the police officer had asked her "indecent questions" about the crime.
CPI(M) has suspended its Wadakancherry Municipal Councillor Jayanthan and another party worker in connection with the gangrape allegations made by the 33-year-old woman, who had along with her husband narrated the trauma she underwent two years ago to the media here.
Actor and social activitst Bhagyalakshmi, who was instrumental in bringing the crime to light in her Facebook post, criticised the police officer for posing such questions. Meanwhile, Congress-led UDF today demanded that a case be registered against CPI(M)'s Thrissur District Secretary K Radhakrishnan for allegedly disclosing to the media the name of the gangrape victim.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Ramesh Chennithala wrote to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, demanding that a case be registered against Radhakrishnan, a former minister and Speaker, as he had "deliberately" named the victim.
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the party had promptly acted when the allegations were levelled.
"We will make sure such things which are not correct are not allowed," he told reporters here.
He also said the Thrissur District Secretary should not have revealed the victim's name.
CPI(M) Politbureau member Brinda Karat said that naming the victim was a "mistake".
"We are not supposed to name the victim. So it was a mistake to name the victim," she said in Delhi.
Police have recorded the statements of the woman and her husband.
In another related development, Wadakancherry MLA Anil Akkara complained to the DGP that the victim's statement had been leaked.
He said the phones of woman police officers who took the vicitm's statement should be verified.
The woman had appeared before media here, alleging that she had been gang raped by four persons, including by the CPI(M) councillor, two years ago and was being harassed.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The students of PMV polytechnic today blocked the Mathura-Vrindavan road here for nearly half-an-hour, protesting the shortage of teaching staff in their institute.
"The students lifted the blockade when they were assured of an early arrangement of the staff," principal of the college Anil Kumar Pandey said.
The principal had acted beyond his powers by appointing staff on contract basis.
"He (the principal) was ordered to withdraw the staff he had appointed without taking permission from the District Magistrate," City Magistrate Ram Araj Yadav said, adding that Pandey was asked to appoint the staff with the approval of the committee within three days by following the set procedure.
The magistrate said the principal could only spend Rs 5,000 for the purpose.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today instructed the administration to renovate the Posta trading market and prepare a master plan regarding the renovation.
"Posta Bazaar is one of the oldest Bazaars of India. It has to be renovated. A master plan needs to be prepared on what should be done for its renovation," Banerjee said while addressing a program here.
Local MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay, local MLA and Police Commissioner will discuss on what has to be done, she said.
In March this year, an under construction flyover had collapsed in Posta area leading to deaths of over 20 persons.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India-born Pramila Jayapal, who made a mark with her progressive agenda in the Washington State Senate, is on the cusp of becoming the first South Asian and Indian-American woman to be elected to the US Congress.
A recent poll indicated that Jayapal had a commanding lead in double digits against Brady Pineto Walkinshaw, who she defeated in the primaries by a substantial margin.
Endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, the former Democratic presidential aspirant, 51-year-old Jayapal is running from the seventh Congressional District of Washington State that encompasses Seattle and its neighbourhood.
Pitted against her own party colleague, Walkinshaw, a State legislature, Jayapal would replace Congressman Jim McDermott in the US House of Representatives.
Like Kamala Harris, the two-term attorney general who is running for US Senate in California, Jayapal is likely to enter the US Congress in her maiden try.
"I'm running for Congress because now is the time for a bold progressive fighter," Jayapal had said when she launched her campaign in January this year.
She has been endorsed by as many as 21 sitting Congressman including Ami Bera, the only Indian-American in the current Congress, and every major women groups like NARAL, EMILY's List and Planned Parenthood, and major labour unions.
"A progressive champion and first generation America," EMILY's list described.
She has already announced that the first bill she would introduce in the Congress, if elected, would be for a tuition-free community college, gun violence protection, funding basic education, mental health and transportation.
In recognition of her community work among the immigrants, the White House had felicitated her with "Champion of Change" award in 2012.
Jayapal says her life transformed for the better after she spent some time in India when she returned to the country after a gap of 25 years in April 1995.
Her book-- "Pilgrimage to India: A Woman Revisits Her Homeland" was published in 2000.
Born in Chennai, she left India at the age of five for Indonesia, Singapore and eventually for the US.
Jayapal believes coming from an Asian and Indian background would bring a different perspective to the Congress.
"It is a different understanding that we bring. The underrepresentation is part and parcel that our communities of colour have not had the same opportunities," she told North West Asian Newsweekly in an interview.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the backdrop of Indo-Sri Lankan fishermen-level talks ending in a stalemate, DMK Treasurer M K Stalin today urged the Tamil Nadu government to exert pressure on the Centre to establish fishing rights of fishers from the state.
In a statement here, Stalin, leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, said AIADMK government should not approach the livelihood issue of fishermen with a 'ritualistic' mindset and should "boldly exert the required pressure on the Centre to establish the fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen."
His statement comes against the backdrop of November 2 talks held in New Delhi between the fishermen leaders of Indo-Srilanka over the thorny issue of fishing rights during which the visiting delegation had rejected demands for relaxation of norms for Tamil Nadu's fishing trawlers.
Hitting out at state Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, who took part in the talks, Stalin accused him of not even making a reasonable demand seeking release of arrested fishermen and boats from Sri Lankan custody before the start of talks.
Also taking a swipe at the Centre, he said the dialogue under the auspices of the Union government was held "for the sake of it".
He said a situation continued to prevail wherein no decision aimed at protecting the interests or rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen could be taken in such parleys.
He urged the Centre to take "concrete action", to get the arrested fishermen and seized boats released.
Stalin also said the Sri Lankan government during such talks was "adamanat" and did not release the seized fishing boats of Tamil Nadu fishermen.
Also, by not allowing fishermen to fish in their traditional fishing region in the Palk Strait, the island nation has wrecked the livelihood of the state's fishermen, he charged.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Centre today told the Supreme Court that the process for filling up vacancies of judicial members in various Armed Force Tribunal was underway.
A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur, which took a suo motu cognizance of vacancies in various Armed Force Tribunal (AFT), were told by top law officers that the appointment process was going on and there was a need to seek instructions from the concerned ministry.
Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar said the representation received by the apex court contained the submission of lawyer and the situation was not as what has been projected.
However, the bench, which also comprised Justices D Y Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao, said the petition was about vacancies at AFT and there was a complete breakdown of the system.
Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh said he had spoken to the concerned ministry and the process of appointing judicial officers in various AFTs was going on.
The bench said "there is no lawyer and no presiding officer".
Singh said he needed to seek further instructions on the matter and sought the matter to be listed on November 15. The apex court then posted the matter for the same day.
Recently, the AFT Bar Association had written to Chief Justice T S Thakur seeking appointment of judicial members of AFTs claiming that the work there has almost come to a "standstill".
In the letter to Chief Justice, copies of which was sent to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rajiv Manglik, Secretary of the AFT (PB) Bar Association, said there were only five benches functional out of a total of 17, which had resulted in a lack of access to justice to military personnel, disabled soldiers and even widows of defence personnel.
"While it is claimed that there are not enough applicants for the posts, it is learnt that appointments already approved by the Selection Committee have not yet been notified," the letter said.
It said the reason articulated by the government to create AFT was "speedy and less expensive dispensation of justice", but with the passing years, it emerges that perhaps the actual reason was simply to take out the jurisdiction of such matters from the inherently independent constitutional courts and bring them under a departmental tribunal which functions under the Ministry of Defence.
The letter further said the biggest disappointment with
the creation of AFT has come in the form of a lack of any effective remedy of judicial review over its orders, thereby making it the first and the last court for litigants.
"Though an appeal in 'points of law of general public importance' or in matters which the Supreme Court considers so exceptional that the highest court of the land ought to hear them, was provided in the form of Section 31 of the Act, it was expected that all other issues would be challengeable before the high courts," it said.
The letter said it was hard to imagine a disabled soldier or a widow in Kerala or West Bengal approaching the Supreme Court concerning his or her case involving a few hundred rupees and then trying to prove that the case involved a 'point of law of general public importance'.
Hence, while civilians get a three-tier system of justice and judicial review, the military counterparts are encumbered with only AFT, which is practically the court of first instance as also the last instance, it said.
The communication, it said, may be treated as a 'Letter Petition' in case the Chief Justice deem appropriate.
"We would hence request you to ensure that appointments of Judicial Members are made at the earliest and also that an effective remedy to AFT orders is provided at par with similarly placed civilian employees," it said.
Bajaj Group patriarch Rahul Bajaj today praised the Narendra Modi government for the reform process it has undertaken, saying these initiatives, coupled with good monsoons, are likely to improve domestic demand.
"I hope that the domestic demand will improve due to this year's good monsoons, reform initiatives of the government and the efforts by various companies," Bajaj said during a speech at the 39th Jamnalal Bajaj Awards here this evening.
Stating that private sector investment, which has been missing for the past couple of years, will pick up when the demand scenario improves, Bajaj said that private sector investment is badly needed to create jobs.
Bajaj said global economic, political and social situation is likely to continue to be discouraging, with downside headwinds.
"The one silver lining for India is the continuing softness in oil prices," he added.
"In the social sphere, one is encouraged by a large number of youth getting involved in trying to solve social issues. The rise of the social entrepreneur, of impact oriented initiatives that are scalable and almost self-supporting, augur well of our future.
"The corporate social responsibility spending mandated by the government from April 2014 has also played a role in this development," he said.
Bajaj, however, said that this did not absolve the government of its responsibilities towards provisioning of basic services like health, education and infrastructure.
On the visit of British Prime Minister Theresa May, Bajaj said he hoped that the talks between the two nations remains successful.
"This is important for us because after Brexit, our trade with Britain and investment into the island nation would not be same. We were using Britain to go to the European Union which may or may not be possible now. It is important that talks should go well," Bajaj said.
The Jamnalal Bajaj Awards were given to Mohan Hirabai Hirala for constructive work, BV Nimbkar for application of science and technology for rural development, Nannapaneni Manga Devi for welfare of women and children and to Sheikh Rached Ghannouchi of the Ennahdha Party of Tunisia, for promoting Gandhian values outside the country.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi over his strident attack on the Modi government, I&B minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said his talk of democracy and fundamental rights is like the "devil quoting scriptures".
"Every word said by (Rahul) him, suits them and reminds the nation of what they have done. He may not be knowing," Naidu said, reminding people of Emergency clamped by the Congress in 1975. "The Congress talking of democracy and fundamental rights is like the devil quoting scriptures."
Naidu told reporters that the country is vibrant and people from all walks of life feel they have a stake in the governance issues.
He claimed that the Congress Vice President's outburst at the CWC meeting today is a result of the party's frustration that even after showing readiness to strike "unnatural and unholy alliances", it could see no prospect of faring well in Uttar Pradesh or other states.
Naidu justified his ministry's order that Hindi channel NDTV India be taken off for a day, saying that 21 channels were "banned" during the UPA regime.
Many of these channels were banned, he said, for airing "midnight masala" while the present action is with regard to giving details like ammunition depot etc during the Pathankot terror attack.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi, Naidu said he would like to remind him that the UPA government for the first time stipulated the norms of coverage of anti-terror operations.
Earlier, launching a scathing attack on the Modi government, Rahul said democracy is going through "one of its darkest hours" with the ruling dispensation "obsessed with power and seeking to silence" all those who disagree.
"It is ridiculous to say that PM Shri Modi is obsessed with power. The entire Nation knows who and which family is obsessed with power and for which the country was thrown into the dark days of Emergency," Naidu said.
He claimed that articles are written calling the Prime Minister names and yet the present regime has taken no action, while earlier people have been jailed even for drawing a cartoon.
Referring to Emergency, Naidu said that at time people from Jaiprakash Narayan to 12-year-old children were sent to jail. Many top BJP leaders too had opposed Emergency and gone to jail, Naidu said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Parsad here today laid the foundation stone of the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) which is to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore.
The Amritsar incubation centre, spread over 2.72 acres of land, will be fully furnished air conditioned three-storeyed with state-of-art Network Operation Centre (NOC), an STPI release said here.
The new facility would serve the IT/ITeS exporting units by offering modern infrastructural facility including incubation facilities, high speed data communication and connectivity and exports facilitation, creating new direct and indirect employment opportunities too.
This is part of the national initiative under Digital India programme so that the hardware and software industry grows in pace with the international developments and create newer employment opportunities as well as for the startups.
NOC shall be equipped with servers, routers, and 100 per cent redundant bandwidth and effective firewalls besides the conference facilities which shall also house the STPI's local administrative office, the release said.
Prasad had on October 25 inaugurated one of the biggest incubator facility at Mohali spread over 1.40 lakh sq ft of built up space at an estimated cost of Rs 60 crore.
The overall exports done by STPI registered IT/ITES units in the country increased from Rs 2,93,797 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 3,19,569 crore in 2015-16, an increase of 8.77 per cent, and the largest contribution has been from the STPIs setup in the Tier-II cities, the release said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Expressing concern about the rising pollution levels as well as traffic congestion in major cities, a senior government official today wondered whether it was possible to regulate sale of private vehicles to stop the cities from "choking".
According to RK Singh, who is Director of Urban Transport in the Urban Development Ministry, such regulation on the ownership of private vehicles would be the last option for the government to keep a check on pollution as well as traffic jams in cities.
"As of now, I am not aware if the Urban Development Ministry is mulling such an idea, but, it is indeed possible to regulate sale of private vehicles. There are countries like Singapore where it is very difficult to buy your own vehicle. Circumstances may force the authorities to do the same in India," Singh told reporters.
He said it is not possible to handle such a large number of vehicles coming on roads every year.
"How we are supposed to handle such a large number of vehicles hitting the roads? How many flyovers we will build? And that is also not a solution. In China, all the newly built flyovers are choked. South Korea has razed some flyovers recently. Best solution is public transport, such as BRTS or metro trains," said Singh.
He was here to brief media about the commencement of 4-day long 'Urban Mobility India Conference' to be held in Gandhinagar from tomorrow.
Replying to a query if it is possible to bring some kind of rule to restrict private vehicle ownership in the worst case scenario, Singh said "There is no such rule at present in this regard. However, just like Singapore, we can also do it here. In future, when our cities will be choked, we may have to do it by force".
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Logistics company Rivigo has received funding worth USD 75 million (about Rs 500 crore) from an affiliate of private equity firm, Warburg Pincus for a minority stake.
This is the fourth and largest round of capital raised by the company, with previous capital coming from a number of investors including SAIF Partners and Singapore Post, Rivigo said in a statement.
Headquartered in Gurgaon, Rivigo was founded in 2014 by IIT-Kanpur alumni Deepak Garg. Its 'relay' operating model claims to reduce transit time of trucks by 50-70 per cent compared to typical truck operators.
The company currently owns and operates over 2,000 trucks and has a pan India network across 150 locations.
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Juniper appoints Dinesh Verma as India & SAARC MD * Juniper Networks today said it has appointed Dinesh Verma as the Managing Director of its India and SAARC operations, effective immediately.
With responsibility over all Go-to- Market (GTM) operations in region, Verma will be tasked with driving consistent high-impact growth for Juniper across the region, the company said in a statement.
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Wipro launches Open Banking API platform * IT firm Wipro today said launched its Open Banking API (Application Programming Interface) platform, a move that will enable banks and financial institutions to create new forms of distribution channels and servicing capabilities.
It facilitates greater financial transparency and helps financial institutions innovate and create new revenue models, Wipro said in a statement.
* * * * * *
Manali Petrochemicals Q2 net at Rs 10.38 Cr
Chennai: Manali Petrochemicals has recorded a standalone net profit of Rs 10.38 crore for the April-September quarter against a net profit of Rs 16.56 crore during corresponding quarter of previous fiscal.
"The company has identified manufacturing of petrochemicals and trading in Chemicals as Business segments from the quarter ending June 30, 2016. Accordingly, presenting of comparative figures for the previous periods are not applicable", the city based company said in BSE.
Total income from operations for the quarter ending September 30, 2016, was at Rs 153.87 crore, while it was Rs 187.24 crore registered during corresponding quarter of last year.
Meanwhile, the company said its UK subsidiary AMCHEM Speciality Chemicals, acquired one hundred per cent equity shares of Notedome Ltd, which has become stepdown subsidiary of the company from October one, 2016.
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Supreme Court today dismissed a plea of Bihar government challenging the bail granted to suspended JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi in connection with recovery of liquor bottles from her house at Gaya during a search operation.
"In facts and circumstances of the case, we are not inclined to interfere with the order of the High Court. The petition is dismissed," a bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and A M Sapre said.
During the hearing, advocate Gopal Singh, appearing for the Bihar government, said the Patna High Court had erred in granting bail to the lawmaker.
He said the view of the High Court that mere possession of Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) was not illegal in the state, was wrong.
The bench, however, refused to go into the matter.
On June 6, the High Court had granted bail to Manorama Devi, mother of the prime accused Rocky Yadav in the Aditya Sachdeva murder case.
She was booked under the Excise Act after liquor bottles were recovered from her residence at A P Colony of the town during the police raid following which she went into hiding for a couple of days before surrendering on May 17.
The MLC's son Rocky Yadav had allegedly shot dead a Class XII student Aditya Sachdeva for overtaking his car on May 7, this year.
The JD(U) had suspended Manorama Devi for harbouring her son, while the Gaya Police arrested her husband Bindeshwari Prasad Yadav alias Bindi Yadav and her body guard.
On October 28, the apex court had stayed the Patna High Court order granting bail to Rakesh Ranjan alias Rocky Yadav after which he had surrendered before the police.
Rocky is facing two cases - one of murder of Aditya and another under Excise Act for recovery of liquor bottles from the house of his mother. He was arrested from his father's mixer plant in Gaya on May 10.
His name was included along with his father Bindi Yadav in the case of recovery of liquor bottles which were found when police raided his mother's house looking for Rocky.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Shiv Sena today called for Human Rights violation case to be filed against the Karnataka police, for the "inhuman" treatment meted out to those taking part in a 'Black Day' protest rally in Belgaum on 'Karnataka Rajyotsava Day' on November 1.
"Karnataka police and political goons in the state have been terrorising Marathi people staying at the border. Like every other year, the inhuman treatment meted out to those observing 'Black Day' by the police cannot just be condemned. A Human Rights violation case needs to be filed against the police," the Sena said in an editorial in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
It said that Maharashtra government should take the lead in filing the case.
In a veiled dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Sena said that those vying for an Independent Balochistan do not see the 60-year struggle of the people living at the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
"Where is Anna Hazare now ? If he would have fasted for justice to the Marathi speaking people, he would have earned the respect of the martyred," it said.
It questioned under which law is Karnataka police committing atrocities against those who want to be a part of Maharashtra.
Youths and activists of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), a regional outfit in Karnataka, were arrested for taking part in a 'Black Day' protest rally in Belgaum on Karnataka Rajyotsava Day on November 1.
MES leaders have alleged their activists are being beaten and tortured by Karnataka Police. MES observes Black Day on November 1, which is celebrated across Karnataka as Kannada Rajyotsava Day, the day on which the state was formed.
The MES wants 814 villages, where the Marathi-speaking population is dominant, to be integrated with Maharashtra. In its report 50 years ago, the Centre-appointed Mahajan Commission (under former Chief Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan) had recommended that these villages remain in Karnataka.
Maharashtra Government has been fighting the case in the Supreme Court for nearly 12 years to get Belgaum and adjoining areas back from Karnataka.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ending its five-session losing run, BSE benchmark Sensex today recouped nearly 185 points on positive global sentiments as chances of Hillary Clinton in the US election brightened following a relief from FBI in personal email server probe.
The US elections and outcome speculation caused nervousness in global markets last week but the of a reprieve, mere two days ahead of polls, for Clinton from FBI brought cheers for investors as the investigative agency did not find any material evidence for potential criminal charges.
Besides, domestic equities got a major push from covering-up by speculators, who had been creating short positions.
Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services Ltd, said, "Market reacted positively to the outcome of US FBI's clean chit to the Democratic presidential candidate. Investors expressed an interim relief in the midst of escalating worry in the final lap of election battle. Further, short covering on pharma, bank stocks has also supported the rally."
The Sensex opened gap-up at 27,552.27 and hovered between 27,591.15 and 27,398.72 before closing at 27,458.99, showing a gain of 184.84 points, or 0.68 per cent.
The gauge had lost 667.36 points in the previous five sessions.
The Nifty after shuttling between 8,535.85 and 8,481.45 ended higher by 63.30 points, or 0.75 per cent, at 8,497.05.
Buying activity was so strong that all the sectoral indices, except capital goods, ended in the green, rising by up to l.94 per cent.
Tracking overall trends, broader markets were also in better shape with the small-cap surging 1.19 per cent and the mid-cap index rising 0.59 per cent.
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 343.30 crore on Friday, as per provisional data.
Globally, in the Asian region, Japan's Nikkei moved up 1.61 per cent, Shanghai Composite was higher 0.26 per cent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng up 0.70 per cent.
European markets also joined Asian markets as Frankfurt's DAX climbed 1.71 per cent, while the Paris CAC rose 1.81 per cent in their initial deals. London's FTSE too surged 1.37 per cent. The US stocks futures too were trading in positive terrain ahead of Monday's market opening.
In the domestic market, 21 scrips out of 30 ended higher
while only nine scrips closed lower.
Top gainer was Lupin with 6.93 per cent rise to Rs 1,519. The company has announced it received a notification that the inspection carried out by USFDA in March 2016 at its Goa facility is now closed and the agency has issued an Establishment Inspection Report (EIR). This closes all outstanding US FDA inspections at Lupin's Goa facility.
Other gainers were: SBI 4.06 per cent, ICICI Bank 3.36 per cent, ITC 3.05 per cent, Tata Steel 2.10 per cent, Hero Motoco 2.05 per cent, Adani Ports 1.77 per cent, NTPC 1.40 per cent, Axis Bank 1.32 per cent and Coal India 1.03 per cent.
Among the laggards were: TCS 2.18 per cent, L&T 1.34 per cent, HUL 1.09 per cent, Tata Motors 0.94 per cent and ONGC 0.85 per cent.
Sector-sise, metal rose 1.94 per cent followed by healthcare 1.89 per cent, bankex 1.70 per cent, realty 1.50 per cent, FMCG 1.15 per cent, finance 1.05 per cent and oil & gas 0.83 per cent.
While, telecom fell by 0.53 per cent and capital goods 0.09 per cent.
The market breadth turned positive as 2,020 stocks ended higher, 861 finished in red while 142 ruled steady.
Total turnover on BSE amounted to Rs 3,203.53 crore, lower than turnover of Rs 4,545.34 crore registered during the previous trading session.
The Madhya Pradesh government today issued a notification appointing retired High Court judge S K Pandey to probe the daring jail break by eight SIMI activists and their alleged encounter killings.
The alleged encounter is mired in controversy as doubts are being raised about its genuineness by opposition Congress and other parties amid surfacing of a video clip and audio tapes that reportedly raised a question over the police version of the incident.
"The single-member commission has been mandated to complete the probe within three months and submit its report to the state government," the notification stated.
The Pandey panel has been directed to probe the "circumstances in which the SIMI members escaped from the prison and the officials responsible for it".
"How and under what circumstances the encounter took place at Manikheda village under Gunga Police Station limits on the outskirts of Bhopal in which all eight prisoners were killed...Whether the action taken by the police is justified under prevailing circumstances," the notification asked.
It also asked the commission to recommend steps to be taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents (escaping of prisoners) and any other suggestions it deemed appropriate.
The eight SIMI under-trials had pulled off an audacious escape from the high-security Central Jail on the intervening night of October 30-31 after killing a guard, before they were gunned down in an alleged encounter by police on the outskirts of city on October 31 morning.
Before ordering the probe by the Pandey panel, the government had announced a probe by an SIT comprising CID officers into the encounter and a separate investigation by former Director General of Police Nandan Dubey into the jailbreak but Congress and other opposition parties had been pressing for a judicial probe.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sri Lanka is mooting introduction of plain packaging of tobacco products that prohibits use of logos, colours and brand images, its President Maithripala Sirisena said here today.
Delivering a special address at the inaugural session of the7th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP7) to World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), he said his country has beenaddressing the tobacco issue in numerous other ways, including by adopting strict laws.
He said he was grateful to his "good friend" Prime Minister Narendra Modi for showing commitment on the subject of tobacco control by hosting the conference.
"My minister of health is proposing to introduce plain packaging which is another important measure in the near future. We thank FCTC for the excellent technical support," he said in his address.
He said that in line with FCTC, Sri Lanka has set up a National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol.
The Sri Lankan President, who arrived in India yesterday, said that his country has accepted various recommendations from FCTC and is one of the first countries in South East Asian region to sign and ratify it.
"Since I assumed the President's office, tobacco and alcohol control has been on top of my national agenda. I have set up a presidential task force to monitor situation related to drugs and narcotics," he said.
"I should be grateful to my good friend Narendra Modi for their commitment to the subject of this conference," he said.
He said that Sri Lanka has immensely benefited from the information that WHO FCTC has generated over these years in framing in its policies and regulations for tobacco control.
"We are also addressing the tobacco issue in numerous other ways, by having adopted strict laws including banning smoking in public spaces, prohibiting advertisement of tobacco," he said.
India is hosting the conference for the first time where around 1,500 delegates are participating from around 180 countries along with other observers in official relations with the WHO FCTC Secretariat in Geneva.
The WHO FCTC is the first global evidence-based public health treaty that recognises the right of all people to the highest standard of health.
The treaty was developed by countries in response to the globalisation of the tobacco epidemic. There are at present 180 Parties to the Convention.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sri Lanka is mooting introduction of plain packaging of tobacco products that prohibits use of logos, colours and brand images, its President Maithripala Sirisena said here today and stressed on the need to think "seriously" about the growing menace of smokeless tobacco in the region.
Delivering a special address at the inaugural session of the7th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP7) to World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), he said his country has beenaddressing the tobacco issue in numerous other ways, including by adopting strict laws.
He said he was grateful to his "good friend" Prime Minister Narendra Modi for showing commitment on the subject of tobacco control by hosting the conference.
"My minister of health is proposing to introduce plain packaging which is another important measure in the near future. We thank FCTC for the excellent technical support," he said in his address.
He said that in line with FCTC, Sri Lanka has set up a National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol.
The Sri Lankan President, who arrived in India yesterday, said that his country has accepted various recommendations from FCTC and is one of the first countries in South East Asian region to sign and ratify it.
"Since I assumed the President's office, tobacco and alcohol control has been on top of my national agenda. I have set up a presidential task force to monitor situation related to drugs and narcotics," he said.
"I should be grateful to my good friend Narendra Modi for their commitment to the subject of this conference," he said.
He said that Sri Lanka has immensely benefited from the information that WHO FCTC has generated over these years in framing its policies and regulations for tobacco control.
"We are also addressing the tobacco issue in numerous other ways, by having adopted strict laws including banning smoking in public spaces, prohibiting advertisement of tobacco," he said.
The president said his country recently reviewed tobacco taxation and increased it by 10 per cent and that his government's adoption of strict anti-tobacco laws have shown encouraging results in curbing the tobacco usage in the young and adult population.
He also highlighted the growing menace of smokeless tobacco in Sri Lanka and the neighbouring region.
"I would urge the FCTC to address the issue of smokeless tobacco very seriously in the years to come as the cost of neglect can be very high," he said.
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Sirisena said that Sri Lanka completed the global youth tobacco survey earlier this year and learned that the prevalence of tobacco use and smoking among youth has shown significant downward trend since last survey.
"We are hoping that together with you (WHO FCTC) Sri Lanka will be able to image as one of the emerging economies that successfully tobacco as a complete health problem," he said.
Noting that after becoming President, he urged his Minister of Health to bring a new act in Parliament to increase pictorial warning to 80 per cent. "Finally we could achieve it," he said.
Noting that the tobacco industry often distorts and challenges the best scientific knowledge, he said that it tries to influence policy makers in many ways.
"This to me is a direct interference with the internal policy matters of any country. We need not have any compromise of any kind with the tobacco industry," he said.
He said that another issue which we have to guard is the illicit trade of tobacco products and said that it can be a serious threat to public health and national tobacco control policy.
Noting that the Sri Lankan population is already at an advance stage of ageing and disease transition, he said that non communicable diseases (NCDs) are now the largest contributers of disease burden in the country.
"My government is leading the nation wide effort to address the problem of NCD. The central theme of our NCD programme is health promotion and creation," he said.
Sirisena said that while looking at improving the health and well being of our people, the government is also keeping in mind its wider obligation in the SDG agenda.
"Two weeks back, we organised an international round table
on role of sustainable consumption and production in climate change mitigation.
"Sri Lanka renewable energy project has contributed to the reduction of almost 3,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas annually since 2014 through the dissemination of biogas system. My government has the target of increasing the share of renewable energy," he said.
India is hosting the conference for the first time where around 1,500 delegates are participating from around 180 countries along with other observers in official relations with the WHO FCTC Secretariat in Geneva.
The WHO FCTC is the first global evidence-based public health treaty that recognises the right of all people to the highest standard of health.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today said the state can develop only with the progress of every person.
Only by providing road, electricity and water does not mean all round development, Das said adding, his aim was to end poverty in Jharkhand and for that people were being connected with employment.
In villages, employment opportunities were being created to make the people self-sustenance, an official release said quoting him.
Dirty politics in the name of the poor should end, he said whole speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of legal services clinic at Jaratoli-Baram village in Ranchi district.
The village has been adopted by Rajya Shaba member Parimal Nathwani under Adarsh Gram Yozana, the release said.
Saying that Acts were simplified to develop necessary infrastructural development, the Chief Minister said some people were not refraining from indulging in politics.
He said they did not have anything to do with the state's development other than politics and did not do anything during their rule, but when this government was doing work they were raising questions.
Das said constructive initiatives have been taken to make people self-reliant and cited that 30,000 schools in the state don't have bench-desk. The carpenters of villages were given order to supply bench-desk to the nearby schools and in return they would get wages from the school management.
Rs 400 crore would be allotted to the villages for this task, he said.
Similarly, women belonging to BPL families were being connected with poultry farming and eggs would be procured for Mid Day Meals in the nearby schools, Das said.
Women were also being connected with JHARCRAFT and would be trained in making blankets, door screens, towels and pillow covers, and the government would purchase them, besides encouraging private sale, the CM said.
Appealing to the women to send their children to school, Das said a literate village could become a developed village.
The Chief Minister said development has begun; acceleration of works was on, keep patience and change would be visible in the next two/three years.
Stating that the government was working to bring smile on the face of people, he said rooting out poverty was a collective effort.
On the legal service centre, Das said it would provide legal aid to people and would become a role model in the country and the government and judiciary's work was to give justice to the poor.
Besides Nathwani, JHALSA's working president Justice D N Patel, MLA Ramkumar Pahan, State Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairperson Arti Kujur and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nepal's former deputy prime minister and foreign minister Sujata Koirala has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Koirala, the 62-year-old leader of the ruling Nepali Congress, feels that the disease is curable as it is in the initial stage.
"I have been diagnosed with the cancer during my recent visit to Malaysia, where I had had medical check-up," Koirala told PTI.
"However, it is in the initial stage and the doctors have told me not to worry, as the disease is curable."
She will probably leave Nepal next week for Singapore for the treatment, according to sources close to Koirala.
Koirala had urged NC president Sher Bahadur Deuba to seek financial assistance from the government for her cancer treatment. Deuba then asked Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal for help, the Kathmandu post reported, citing sources.
Sources said that Koirala has sought Rs 10 million for her treatment, the paper said.
Health Minister Gagan Thapa, however, said he had no information regarding providing assistance to Koirala.
"May be it was channeled through PM Dahal or Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi but I have no idea about such assistance," said Minister Thapa.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 32-year-old man has been arrested from Surat for allegedly raping his sister-in-law during a family vacation in Goa recently, police said today.
The man, whose identity has not been disclosed, was arrested last night after the woman (42) filed a complaint.
"The family was on a vacation to Goa recently and had hired a villa in Anjuna where the incident reportedly happened. The woman has complained that her brother-in-law entered her bedroom from window and raped her. She has also claimed that he assaulted her before leaving the room," police inspector Paresh Naik told PTI today.
As per the complaint, the woman was alone in the bedroom at the time of the crime as entire family had gone out.
"She was sent for medical examination at Goa Medical College and Hospital where rape has been confirmed," Naik said, adding that the accused has been booked under section 376 (punishment for rape) of IPC and is remanded in police custody for seven days by a magisterial court in Mapusa.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The father of a fallen Pakistani- American Muslim soldier, whose public spat with Donald Trump won him a lot of support, has attacked the Republican presidential nominee for his divisive rhetoric but expressed satisfaction that "thankfully, this isn't your America".
Khizr Khan, 66, father of Army Capt. Humayun Khan, hit the campaign trail for the first time along with Hillary Clinton to make an emotional endorsement of the Democratic nominee.
"Donald Trump, would my son, Capt. Humayun Khan, have a place in your America? Would Muslims have a place in your America? Would Latinos have a place in your America? Would African Americans have a place in your America? Would anyone who isn't like you have a place in your America?" he asked.
"Thankfully, Donald Trump, this isn't your America," he added as the crowd in Manchester, New Hampshire roared and applauded in response.
"And on Tuesday we are going to prove America belongs to all of us," said Khan, who has emerged as a national hero particularly among Muslim Americans after his July speech in the Democratic National Convention.
While posthumously receiving a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his son after he was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004, Khan had stunned a national audience when he directly confronted the controversial real estate tycoon, saying Trump "has sacrificed nothing and no one".
He had also campaigned for Clinton in his home state in Virginia and made a passionate plea in a one-minute campaign ad for Clinton, fighting back tears and asking in a heavy voice if his deceased son have a place in Trump's America.
In Manchester, he introduced Clinton - who has lashed out on several occasions against Trump for insulting Khan and his family - as someone who would"preserve fundamental American values".
He said that in Clinton, people see a leader who is fighting for the true values of this country, which are "under attack" by Trump in this election.
Khan added that the general election tomorrow will "decide the future of America and the world".
When Clinton took the podium, she thanked Khan for his support and made a nod toward the difficult task of mending fences after a divisive presidential campaign.
"We will have some work to do to bring about healing and reconciliation after this election," she said.
Vowing to be a president for all Americans, Clinton said the idea that the US is "hopeful, inclusive, big-hearted, united" is one of the most fundamental values.
"We must make sure it remains a place, where everyone is included, where people who are willing to work hard can get ahead and stay ahead, where we recognize the importance of the American dream and we believe and we will ensure it is big enough for everyone, not just a few," she said and thanked Khan and his family for their sacrifice, their strength and commitment to the nation's ideals.
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Khan said: "On one hand, we have Donald Trump and his policies of hate, exclusion, intimidation and division. He challenges the impartiality of our justice system. His shameful disrespect of women has been embarrassing for America to watch.
"His angry, unstable temperament proves him unsuitable for the office of commander-in-chief of our armed forces - unsuitable - unsuitable for the office of commander-in-chief of our armed forces and consumption of the nuclear arsenal/ nuclear asset of this country.
"On the other hand, we have Hillary Rodham Clinton, with her lifelong public service to this country. She is the strongest, most qualified representative of the fundamental values which have made this country a symbol of hope and dignity for all throughout the world."
Clinton also reiterated her commitment to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, to help all kids get the chance to thrive with good schools and good teachers.
"Our country needs to serve as a Commander-in-Chief that understands the sacred responsibility of sending our troops into battle," she said.
Two months after Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa announced enhancing maternity leave period for women government employees from six to nine months, the state government today issued an order to implement it.
A Government Order (GO) of the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department recalled that Jayalalithaa had made an announcement in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in September, promising to increase the leave period from the existing six months or 180 days to nine months, i.E 270 days.
"The women government servants who proceeded on maternity leave, prior to the date of issue of this order and continue to be on this leave as of now, are also eligible for availing maternity leave upto nine months (270 days) in total," it said.
Necessary amendments to the Fundamental Rules will be issued seperately, it added.
Woman employees "with less than two surviving children", were eligible for the 9-month maternity leave with full pay, it added.
The period may be "spread over from the pre-confinement rest to post-confinement recuperation, at the option of the woman government servant," it said.
On September 1, Jayalalithaa had said that maternity leave for women government employees will be increased from six to nine months, fulfilling her party's electoral promise.
She had earlier enhanced it from three to six months after assuming office in 2011.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Telecom regulator Trai is expected to release this week its recommendations on free data services in the wake of its ban on free Internet platforms like Facebook's Free Basics and Airtel Zero.
"We expect to issue recommendation on free data service by end of this week," Trai Chairman RS Sharma told PTI.
Trai floated proposals in May to explore models for providing free Internet services to consumers within the Net neutrality framework, months after barring platforms like Facebook's Free Basics and Airtel Zero under its differential pricing rule.
The regulator, which is exploring a 'toll free' number like facility for accessing online platforms, received comments from 11 telecom operators and Internet service providers, 25 companies and organisations, 14 individuals who addressed questions raised in the paper and hundreds of one line comments from individuals on the proposal.
Internet-based companies like Hike Messenger, Times Internet, Medianama appreciated the move but with a caution that the final regulation should not violate principle of net neutrality.
Majority of individuals who responded to Trai's paper to frame rules for providing free Internet service apprehended that attempt to create framework for free data may violate net neutrality principles.
Sharma said that consultation paper on net neutrality will also be issued within a fortnight.
Trai has floated pre-consultation paper on net neutrality in May seeking to put in place an overall framework for Internet usage in the country.
There has been a conflict between telecom operators, Internet companies and consumers interest on the issue of net neutrality.
While all the three major stakeholders - telecom operators, Internet companies and consumers - favour net neutrality, they define it differently from their standpoint.
Trai has partially addressed the issue of net neutrality like differential pricing and, through a separate consultation paper, is in process of exploring model for providing free Internet within framework of net neutrality.
Trai has sought views on approach that "India's policy and/or regulatory approach" should take in dealing with issues relating to net neutrality.
The debate on net neutrality picked up in India when telecom operator Bharti Airtel in December 2014 decided to charge extra for making Internet calls. However, the company rolled back its plan after huge public protest.
It then launched Airtel Zero platform which provided fee access to websites under it while websites were required pay for being on it.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy today called for creating energy circuit encompassing Bangladesh, Myanmar and India's North-East for development of the concerning areas.
Inaugurating an international seminar, 'the present and future of natural gas: Challenges and opportunities for N-E India' Roy said, "Our North-East and two neighbouring countries, Bangladesh and Myanmar have well reserves of natural gas.
"The possibility of creating an energy circuit involving these regions should be explored for faster development".
The seminar was organised by the Synergy For Energy Challenges and Opportunities in N-E (SECONE), an organisation funded by Indian energy companies ONGC, GAIL, IOL etc.
Chairman of SECONE, P K Chowdhury, also the former Director of IOCL said, "We need regional cooperation in energy sector for development and prosperity. Bangladesh and North-East both have gas reserves which needs to be tapped in a planned way. Both have prospect and future."
However, he is sceptical whether energy cooperation would be possible with Myanmar.
"Already China has made agreements for gas cooperation with Myanmar and build-up infrastructures for transportation of gas inside China. With the restoration of democracy in Myanmar, we can hope cooperation with India is possible," he said.
Md. Maqbul E Elahi, former Director of Petro-bangla, who led the 12-member delegation of Bangladesh said, it has a long border with India's north eastern region and both the areas have good reserves of gas and energy cooperation is required for the interest of both the countries.
"I think both the countries are interested in energy cooperation. Now we need to find out the means and ways of cooperation. We also need to exchange expertise and information regarding the energy reserve", he said.
Manager of ONGC, Tripura unit, S.C Soni said gas exploration was expedited in the state as the demand of natural gas is very high in the country.
"We also need good investment and building up infrastructures for proper utilization of gas", he added.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As the US presidential election entered its home stretch, supporters of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump went into full throttle to urge voters to cast their ballots on the poll day as well as rally support for their presidential candidates.
Surrounded by police and law enforcement officials, groups of men and women gathered outside the Trump Towers on Fifth Avenue here, the campaign headquarters for the billionaire, as they held placards and shouted slogans in his support.
Holding banners of 'Make America Great Again', 'Drain the Swamp', 'Stop Terrorism, Vote Trump' and 'Women for Trump', the supporters shouted slogans of 'Trump, Trump', 'Lock Clinton up' and 'Obamacare Sucks'.
Teresa Ilemo, who came with her young granddaughter, told PTI that under the administration of the Democrats, the US is "going down the hill".
"America is one of the greatest creations but with socialism and liberalism, it is going down the drain. Trump is our last chance," she said, warning that if Trump is not elected, the country will get "flooded with illegal immigrants" and the working class will have to pay for their social security.
"I worry about my grandchildren, they are going to have a country that I wouldn't recognise," she said.
Another supporter, who only gave her first name as Maria, accused Clinton of being a liar who has broken the law her entire life.
"How can she put her hand on the Bible and say she will uphold the law," she said.
Mytolah Mayh, who was holding the placard 'Stop Terrorism, Vote Trump' said Trump will be the best option for the country "as he will be the opposite of what the current administration is".
Several passers-by, including tourists, stopped by the Trump Tower to take pictures of the supporters, while some stopped to argue with them, shouting that he will not win on November 8.
At the Clinton campaign headquarters in Brooklyn, volunteers turned out in large numbers, urging voters to go and cast their ballot on and before November 8.
Several young children and their families were seen tallying numbers, making phone calls and scurrying across the campaign headquarters, leaving no stone unturned as they tried to reach as many voters just a day before the elections.
Posters of Clinton, several made by young children, were pasted across the campaign headquarters as banners of 'New York Together' and 'Stronger Together' hang across the rooms.
Nine-year old Wella, who had accompanied her mother to volunteer for the Clinton campaign, said she had made 70 calls to voters telling them "why it is important that Clinton needs to win".
Visibly excited to be volunteering for the campaign, Wella said she has been coming to the headquarters for the last three days to reach out to as many voters as possible.
"I asked my mother how can I help. I do not want Trump to win," she said, adding that she did not feel disheartened when she was confronted with supporters of Trump on the phone.
Anne Bovay, Secretary to the Board of Directors at the New York State Nurses Association, said while the volunteers are canvassing people who are likely to vote for Clinton, it is important to get the message out that each vote counts.
"We are telling them that it is crucial for them to get out and vote and to not take it for granted that Clinton will win or Trump will lose," she said.
She added that it is not just an election for the President but also for the many congressional seats.
"People have to go out and vote as it must be ensured that we have a strong Congress that do the job for the people," she said.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump today expressed confidence about winning the election, saying it would be "Brexit times 50", a reference to the surprising result of the UK's referendum to leave the European Union.
"You have to get everyone you know to the polls. We are going to win. We are going to have one of the greatest victories of all time. This is going to be Brexit times 50," Trump, 70, told cheering supporters in Leesburg, a suburb of Washington DC in Virginia.
His comments came as the pollsters and the media predicted a victory for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
"I think, we are up in Colorado. We are doing very well in Nevada.Doing really well in North Carolina. I hear, we are going to do very well in the State of Virginia. We are winning Florida. I think, we are doing very well in Pennsylvania," he said.
Meanwhile, a woman protester heckled the real estate tycoon with his own vulgar language from an infamous 2005 open-mic recording.
Trump called the protester, a "very obnoxious young lady." who disrupted the speech.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Raising serious concern over visa issues with the UK, India today said Britain has ceased to be a preferred destination for students wanting to pursue higher studies in British universities.
"I did raise the issue of visa fees, student visa, and how Indian students are no longer wanting to go for UK universities, which was the top priority earlier because of the nature of visa regulations and requirements which Indian students have to go through," Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters.
She said the UK visa regime "discourages" a lot of Indian students from going to Britain and they are now preferring other destinations like the US, Australia or New Zealand.
On issues related to the IT visa fee, she said India raised its concern strongly.
"I did say that... The UK seems to want access to the Indian market, the UK seems to want Indian investments, but the UK does not seem to want Indian talent... This is not an impression or perception that UK can afford to have," the minister added.
India, she said, would want them to consider Indian professionals who want to go to the UK as part of a company or group which has won a project there and as a professional talented skilled person going there for a certain tenure with valid paperwork done.
Those professionals return after the project is completed and that can not be compared with migration of people, she stressed.
Asked about the UK trade minister Liam Fox's response on India's concerns, Sitharaman said: "On the fact that Indian students are no longer preferring to go to the UK, I felt he was not in agreement."
The UK minister clearly felt that out of every 10 applications, nine are being accepted and strictly the numbers have not fallen and that is the impression that he has been putting forth, she said.
Fox, she said, "conceded that if there has been any crackdown on Indian students, it has been because they probably got enrolled into institutions which have turned out to be spurious and which they had to clamp down".
"So, his case was that if there is a decline in numbers, it is because those students who went to less than credible institutions... But we recorded our concerns that the numbers have fallen," she added.
Further, Sitharaman said that during her bilateral meeting, she raised the issue of the totalisation agreement.
"Our workers go, work their and pay social services premium, but return without any benefits derived out of it and the amount gets locked up in the UK," she said further.
She also said that raising of charges from Indian professionals who go to the UK only to fund their own skill development is something that "we thought was somewhat like a non-tariff barrier" and it does not encourage competitiveness in the service sector.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Britain today reaffirmed its support to India's bid for permanent membership of the UN Security Council (UNSC) as the Prime Ministers of the two countries directed their officials concerned to have "close and regular consultations" on all matters related to the international body.
The United Kingdom also welcomed India's entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), a key global non-proliferation objectives, and backed India's bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as well as other key export control regimes like the Australia Group.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May also welcomed a fourth phase of the Joint UK-India Civil Nuclear Research Programme that will look at new technologies for enhancing nuclear safety, advanced materials for nuclear systems, waste management and future civil nuclear energy systems.
The leaders directed their officials to have close and regular consultations on all matters related to the United Nations, including UN terrorist designations.
Recognising that Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) is a global challenge, India and the UK announced new research partnerships worth 80 million pounds, including establishment of a joint strategic group on AMR with a joint investment of up to 13 million pounds.
The two sides said they would work together to support the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance.
"The growing India-UK cyber relationship is a success story of the Defence and International Security Partnership (DISP)," a joint statement by the two Prime Ministers said.
The two Prime Ministers also expressed desire to enter into a Framework for the UK-India Cyber Relationship.
Projects to reduce post-harvest losses to benefit farmers, collaborations in health care and the launch of the second phase of joint research in women and children's health in low-income settings were also announced.
May also signalled the UK's intention to join the International Solar Alliance.
In their joint statement, both the Prime Ministers said they look forward to the celebration of 2017 as the India-UK Year of Culture and support the activities and programmes being planned, for example an exhibition of Indian Science in the Science Museum in London and another highlighting 400th death anniversary of William Shakespeare.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
British Prime Minister Theresa May today announced that the UK will invest 160 million pound (about Rs 1,330 crore) across 75 start-up enterprises that will help generate new jobs.
She also announced an additional 20 million pound for a Start-Up India Venture Capital Fund.
The fund will support 30 enterprises and leverage additional 40 million pound capital from other investors, including UK venture capital funds.
"The UK is investing over 160 million pound across 75 start-up enterprises, which would create jobs and deliver critical services across several states in India," read the joint statement issued after the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and May here.
May is in India for a two-day official visit.
India was the third-largest investor in the UK and the second-largest international job creator, with Indian companies having created over 1,10,000 jobs in the UK. Britain is the largest G-20 investor in India.
Both the Prime Ministers called for greater participation of the investment community from both sides in stimulating Indian and UK economic growth.
"They agreed that the two governments, together with the CEO Forum, would review how the Forum can better support an enhanced economic and commercial relationship, alongside government dialogues," it said.
They also agreed that they will make it a priority for both the countries to build the closest possible commercial and economic relationship when the UK leaves the EU.
"To this end, the newly established Joint Working Group, reporting to JETCO, will discuss the detail of our trading relationship, and help drive progress," it added.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A peacekeeper from Togo and two Malian civilians were killed in an attack on a military convoy in Mali, rounding off a bloody week for foreign forces stationed there, a UN statement said.
Seven other peacekeepers, also from Togo, were wounded in the attack in the central Mopti region yesterday, according to the statement by the UN mission, known by the acronym MINUSMA.
After a mine or improvised explosive device was detonated, attackers opened fire on the convoy, the UN said, without identifying the assailants.
A MINUSMA spokesman said Malian police would investigate the death of the two civilians, who were following the convoy.
More than 11,000 UN police and military are currently serving in Mali, attempting to guarantee security in lawless swathes of the vast Sahel nation.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the killings "in the strongest terms" and warned that "attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law."
"Attacks against MINUSMA will not weaken the determination of the Mission to fully implement its mandate in support of the efforts of the Malian Government, the parties to the peace agreement and the people of Mali to achieve lasting peace and stability" Ban said in a statement issued by his spokesperson.
The attack came the day after a soldier serving with France's "Barkhane" counter-terror force was killed in a similar incident.
He died of his injuries following a mine blast near the northern town of Kidal in an attack claimed by the Islamist group Ansar Dine, which has ties to Al-Qaeda.
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian yesterday called on Mali's president to take action to establish peace in the country's restive north.
"I stress regularly to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita that he must take the necessary initiatives to ensure the integration of the people of the north into the Malian community," he told French media.
In Bamako, however, a Malian minister who did not wish to be named, hit back saying Mali did not need "national unity lessons" from Le Drian.
"We have been working on national unity for a long time. Unity should go hand in hand with the fight against terrorism, insecurity," the minister said.
"The situation in Kidal is not because of the Malian government."
However, the Malian president convened an emergency meeting and instructed security forces to take more mobile positions in several parts of the country, especially the north.
"The state will provide the means needed to fight against terrorism," one participant at the meeting said.
Also yesterday, Ansar Dine claimed the ransacking of an army base in the north during which they stole weapons and vehicles as troops fled their positions.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United Nations is investigating claims that up to 32 civilians were killed in a US airstrike in the volatile Afghan province of Kunduz last week, calling any loss of civilian life "unacceptable".
The strike early last Thursday triggered angry protests in Kunduz, with local officials saying at least 30 people had been killed, many of them children whose mutilated bodies were paraded through the streets by grieving relatives.
Civilian casualties caused by NATO forces have been one of the most contentious issues in the 15-year campaign against the insurgents, prompting strong public and government criticism.
US forces have conceded that the strike "very likely" resulted in civilian casualties and pledged a full investigation into the incident. A State Department spokesman called it a "terrible event".
The killings came just days before the US presidential election, in which Afghanistan has received scarcely a passing mention -- even though the situation there will be an urgent matter for the new president.
Either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will inherit America's longest war with no end in sight.
It was also the second time in just over a year that a US airstrike has gone wrong in Kunduz.
Last year, a US air strike during fighting hit a hospital operated by Medecins Sans Frontieres on October 3, killing 42 people and sparking international outrage.
Late yesterday the UN's mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) announced it is investigating the allegations surrounding Thursday's strike.
"Preliminary findings indicate that the aerial operation killed at least 32 civilians and injured an additional 19 civilians, the vast majority of whom were women and children," a UNAMA statement said.
"The loss of civilian life is unacceptable and undermines efforts toward building peace and stability in Afghanistan," said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN special envoy to Afghanistan.
"When conducting aerial operations, international military forces should take all feasible measures to minimize civilian harm, including full analysis of the context for aerial strikes."
Thursday's strike came after a Taliban assault left two American soldiers and three Afghan special forces soldiers dead in the Boz-e-Kandahari area near the provincial capital.
Errant air strikes contributed to a 42 percent jump this year in casualties caused by pro-government forces compared to last year, according to the UN.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A policeman in the US state of Texas has been sacked for allegedly giving a sandwich filled with feces to a homeless man.
Matthew Luckhurst, a San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) officer who had been on the force for five years, reportedly placed fecal matter between two pieces of bread and gave it to a homeless person.
"This was a vile and disgusting act that violates our guiding principles of 'treating all with integrity', compassion, fairness and respect," SAPD Chief William McManus said in a statement.
"The fact that his fellow officers were so disgusted with his actions that they reported him to Internal Affairs demonstrates that this type of behaviour will never be tolerated. The action of this one former officer in no way reflects the actions of all the other good men and women who respectfully serve this community," he was quoted as saying by San Antonio Express- .
The alleged incident occurred in May, when Officer Luckhurst bragged to a fellow officer that "he had picked up some feces, placed it in a slice of bread, and put it in a Styrofoam container next to the unknown homeless male", a statement from the police chief's office said.
"The officer reported that he told Luckhurst to go back and throw it away. The officer said he saw Luckhurst go back and he assumed that Luckhurst discarded the container," it said.
The incident was reported to Internal Affairs in July. Police Department officials have been unable to locate the homeless man.
"Firing this officer was the right thing to do," Mayor Ivy Taylor was quoted as saying.
"His actions were a betrayal of every value we have in our community, and he is not representative of our great police force," he said.
Ben Sifuentes, Luckhurst's attorney, said his client joked about giving an excrement sandwich to a homeless person but never actually did so.
The "joke" spiraled out of control, he said, and has turned is client into the subject of unfair persecution, Sifuentes said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
VHP President Pravin Togadia today demanded from the Centre a law for banning cow slaughter in the country and said this would be a step towards total safety and prosperity of the nation.
He said the draft for a national law banning cow slaughter was ready for long. It was prepared during previous NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee with help and inputs from various saints and VHP.
"The said draft is ready for long. Now, cow worshipers have formed the government of the cow lovers, so it is time that the government fulfills the long-awaited demand.
"It is time that the Union government resolves to pass the national law banning cow slaughter and make pious beginning towards total safety and prosperity of the nation," Togadia said in a statement.
Togadia, who was speaking on the occasion of Gopashtami, said, on this very day, 50 years ago the then RSS Sar Sanghchalak Golwalkar in the Prayag Hindu Congress had passed the resolution demanding a law for banning cow slaughter in the country.
Earlier, Togadia had criticised the BJP-led NDA government for terming cow vigilante groups as anti-social and had also demanded a nation-wide law for banning cow slaughter.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CPI(M)-led LDF government would complete the construction of the multi-crore Vizhinjam International Seaport project in a time-bound manner though various concerns raised against it still remained, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the state assembly today.
There was no option before the LDF government other than implementing it as the previous Congress-led UDF government had inked the agreement in this regard, he said during the Question Hour.
"A number of concerns have risen in connection with the Vizhinjam project agreement since the beginning itself. Those concerns regarding the project still remain," Vijayan said.
"But, we have no option other than implementing the project as the previous government already inked the deal in this regard. The project will be completed in a time-bound manner," he said.
On the questions about the alleged 'leakage' of CAG report on Vizhinjam project, he said not the final report but some information from the draft report was appeared on media.
It was not a new thing that such a report was being leaked, he added.
Port Minister Kadannappally Ramachandran said the government was yet to receive the final CAG report on Vizhinjam and what appeared on a section of media was only some information from the draft report.
The minister said discussions were going on in connection with the rehabilitation of fisher-folk and resort staff as part of the project.
The Vizhinjam seaport project, designed primarily to cater container transhipment besides multi-purpose and break bulk cargo, is being developed by Kerala government in collaboration with the Adani Group.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Scientists have detected the presence of water on Psyche, the largest metallic asteroid in our solar system and the target of a proposed NASA mission.
Previous observations of Psyche had shown no evidence of water-rich minerals on its surface.
However, new observations from the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii show evidence of water or hydroxyl on its surface.
While the source of these molecules on Psyche remains a mystery, scientists propose a few possible mechanisms for its formation.
Water-rich minerals detected on Psyche may have been delivered by carbonaceous asteroids that impacted Psyche in the distant past, said researchers including Joshua Emery, from University of Tennessee in the US.
Psyche is about 300 kilometre across and is made of almost pure nickel-iron metal.
Located in the asteroid belt, it is thought to be the remnant core of a budding planet that was mostly destroyed by impacts billions of years ago.
The study was published in the Astronomical Journal.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Websites of seven Indian missions in Europe and Africa were hacked today with the External Affairs Ministry saying it was aware of the "problem" and was trying to fix it.
Romania was one of the seven countries where Indian mission websites were hacked.
Though it was not immediately known which were the other countries where Indian mission websites had been hacked but the Embassies targeted were in Europe and Africa.
"We are aware of the problem and are trying to fix it," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in New Delhi when asked about the incident.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Close on the heels of alleged rape of two girls in a tribal residential school in Buldhana district, the government has asked the women committees, mandated to study the living conditions of girls in such facilities across state, to find out whether officials have been asking the students to do their domestic work at odd hours.
A government circular dated November 5 gave a 13-point agenda to these committees, asking them to find out whether the staff quarters of male employees are located far from the dormitories of girl students residing at the ashram shalas (tribal boarding schools).
Police have so far arrested 15 people in connection with the rape of two girls at Nimbaji Kokare Aided Primary Ashram School at Pala in Khamgaon tehsil, allegedly by accused Ittusingh Pawar, a former sweeper at the facility.
The committees were set up on the direction of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently. They are tasked with visiting all the aided and un-aided ashram shalas to find out the state of affairs there.
The committees are expected to start their visits from November 15. The department has asked the committees to submit their reports to government by November 22.
The other pointers on which the committees are expected to conduct the probe are the availability of adequate and independent rooms for girl students, adequate toilet and washroom facilities per 20 girl students, and their condition, availability of adequate water supply etc.
The committees will also verify if women superintendents have been appointed for dormitories of girl students, if a register is maintained for visitors and about the usage of a toll free complaint number.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 21-year-old youth drowned, many houses were damaged and standing crops submerged in torrential rains that lashed many parts of the Tripura capital town and its outskirts.
Police said the youth drowned while crossing a rivulet called Katakhal at Bhati Abhoy Nagar here last night.
The unseasonal rains have been caused by the depression in the Bay of Bengal, which has moved to Bangladesh.
Deputy Speaker Pabitra Kar said four houses were washed away by Howrah river at Khayerpur, about 20 km from here and at least 165 people took shelter in government buildings in the area. They were provided general relief by the West Tripura district administration.
Kar visited the area which falls in his assembly constituency.
Sub-divisional magistrate S Roy Chowdhury, who also visited the area said administration was alert to face the situation and two boats were pressed into service to rescue those stranded in water logged areas.
Meanwhile, Director of IMD here, Dilip Saha said 40.7 mm rainfall was recorded today.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Kylie MacLellan and Douglas Busvine
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Britain should not wait until it leaves the European Union to develop deeper trade ties with India, Prime Minister Theresa May said in New Delhi on Monday, promising to ease access for Indian business travellers but not for its students.
Making her first visit to India since taking office in July, May described the potential of the British-Indian relationship as "limitless" and announced a scheme to make it quicker and easier for Indian business travellers to clear passport control.
"I will be discussing with Prime Minister Modi how we can increase the detail and depth of our trade and investment discussions, and identify what more we can do, now, to unleash our businesses, industries, exporters and investors," May told an India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi at the start of a two-day trip that will take her on Tuesday to the tech hub of Bengaluru.
"This does not need to wait for us to leave the EU."
May, who said she wants Britain to be a global leader in free trade, has said she plans to use the visit to try to reduce barriers to trade with India and pave the way for a post-Brexit free-trade deal.
But with the Indian government keen to secure more access to Britain for students and skilled workers, visa numbers are likely to be a sticking point in any talks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was vital that India and Britain work together to define the knowledge economy of the 21st century, and invited UK partners to get involved in his signature policy initiatives such as his plan to develop 100 "smart" cities.
He also called for "greater mobility and participation of young people in educational and research opportunities" - an apparent reference to the sharp fall in the number of Indian nationals studying in Britain since 2010.
During that period, when May was interior minister, the number of Indian students in Britain fell to 11,864 in June 2015 from 68,238 five years earlier.
TRADE AND MOVEMENT
Some of May's cabinet colleagues and business leaders in both countries have urged May to exclude foreign students from Britain's statistics on net migration, which May has vowed to bring below 100,000 a year, from 336,000 in 2015.
May said it was "crucial" that those who do need to travel between UK and India for business can do so, but she indicated earlier that she saw no reason to change the UK visa regime.
Responding, the head of the Indian government's policy think tank said that, while India was opening up its manufacturing sector to foreign investors, its professionals faced restrictions on working in the UK and other Western countries.
"There is no such thing as selective free trade," Amitabh Kant told the tech summit when asked about May's emphasis on striking a free trade agreement with India.
En route to India, May said Britain already issued more work visas to Indian nationals than to those from China, Australia and the United States combined.
"We have a visa system for countries outside the European Union which ensures the brightest and the best are able to come to the United Kingdom," she said. "We have, I believe, a good system. We will be talking about trade here."
Britain will offer new services to improve business travel for Indian visitors, including faster clearance through UK border controls, but an aide to May said this was about speeding up the process rather than boosting numbers.
A select group of high-net-worth Indians, nominated by New Delhi, will also be offered access to a "bespoke" visa and immigration service by Britain, May's office said.
(Editing by Louise Ireland and Simon Cameron-Moore)
(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.)
App-based taxi aggregator has raised strong objection against the state government's proposal in the draft Maharashtra City Taxi Rules 2016 with regard to the minimum and maximum limit for rates of fare saying that the pricing should be based on economic models of demand and supply, and not determined by regulations. in its representation to the government argued that cap on the minimum amount that can be charged for a trip, preventing market forces determining lower fares when possible.
NDTV on Monday said it has filed writ a petition in the Supreme Court challenging government's one-day ban on New Delhi Television Ltd's Hindi news channel, NDTV India.
"We now update that NDTV Ltd. and others have filed a writ petition before the Hon'ble Supreme Court challenging the said order, inter-alia, challenging the constitutional validity of the said order and the provisions of law pursuant to which the said order has purportedly been passed," the company said in a BSE filing.
Last week, the Information and Broadcasting ministry's inter-ministerial committee had directed NDTV India to go off air for 1 day from November 9, 2016 to November 10, 2016 for allegedly disclosing sensitive information during its coverage of Pathankot terror attack in January this year.
NDTV had earlier said that other channels and newspapers had similar coverage and the channel's coverage of the Pathankot attack in no way compromised the national interests.
India's Defence Ministry will agree on Monday to purchase 12 amphibious rescue aircraft from Japanese manufacturer ShinMaywa Industries worth $1.5 billion-$1.6 billion, the Nikkei news paper reported on Sunday.
Japan and India have been holding talks on the purchase for more than two years. It would be one of Japan's first sales of military equipment since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted a 50-year ban on arms exports and it reflects growing defence ties between the two countries.
India's Defence Ministry will approve the purchase of 12 US-2 aircraft at a Defense Acquisitions Council meeting scheduled for Monday, the Nikkei reporting, citing senior ministry officials it did not name.
The deal will be included in a memorandum of understanding to be signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan from Thursday to Saturday, the Nikkei said, citing the officials.
During the visit, Abe will also urge Modi to expand its usage of Japan's high-speed train technology, the Nikkei reported.
British Prime Minister Theresa May during her first visit to India assured New Delhi of easy access for Indian business travelers. However, same won't apply for Indian students. In last few years UK has tightened its visa norms for Indian students.
May was speaking at the India-UK Tech Summit where she said that travel to UK for Indians would be made easy. "There would be a registered travel scheme for Indians to travel to Britain regularly," she said.
This is May's first bilateral visit to India since taking over as UK's Prime Minister. Addressing the summit, she also said that Britain should not wait until it leaves the European Union to develop deeper trade ties with India.
May's announcement on visa for business travelers could be a welcome move that may strengthen the trade ties between both the countries. However, UK's some latest changes in its Visa policy have dashed the hope of millions of Indian students aspiring to get the admission in UK-based universities.
According to the Independent, the number of Indian students attending British universities fell by 10 per cent over the last year in the wake of concerns about immigration. The number of Indians first-year enrollments at UK universities fell from 11,270 to 10,125.
"Critics have blamed the Government's immigration reforms for the drop in the number of foreign students over recent years. Previously non-EU students were allowed to remain in the UK after finishing their studies," British Daily reported.
Last year, UK immigration minister James Brokenshire announced that students from outside the European Union who come to study at publicly-funded further education (FE) colleges in Britain will lose the right to work for up to 10 hours a week. "Immigration offenders want to sell illegal access to the UK jobs market, and there are plenty of people willing to buy," Brokenshire had said.
It not only cut down the working hours but also reduced the term of the student visas issued for FE colleges from three to a maximum of two years after which they will have to leave the country.
Theresa May's views on immigration have been tough as she wants to bring down the number of non-EU citizens who can qualify to get education and work in the UK. And, she has already started the process.
Earlier in the week, May announced changes to UK's visa policy for non-EU nationals that will curb its soaring immigration numbers. Under the new visa rules, anyone applying after November 24 under the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) category would be required to meet a minimum salary threshold of 30,000 pounds. Earlier the figure was 20,800 pounds. The ICT route is largely used by Indian IT companies in Britain.
The government move was in the backdrop of a study conducted by UK's Migration Advisory Committee that found that nearly 90 per cent of visas approved under the ICT route were issued to Indian IT workers.
Once the policy is in place, those who have been working here for six years on less than 30,000 pound can expect to have their visas revoked.
British Prime Minister offered more flexibility with visas for Indians. However, she also made it clear that visa relaxation will depend on the "speed and volume of the return of Indians with no right to remain in the UK."
During the joint press conference with her counter part, May also announced that the two countries had set up a strategic group which would work on visas.
As Delhi goes through its worst phase of consistent bad air quality, residents in the capital have been demanding immediate measures to curb city's unrelenting smog. While the administration has finally woken up to the seriousness of the issue, the relief measures taken by the government may take days before we see clear blue skies in the city.
Some have suggested an artificial bout of rain to clear the toxic particulate matter present in city's air.
What is cloud seeding?
Cloud seeding or weather modification is an artificial way to induce moisture in the clouds so as to cause a rainfall. In this process, either silver iodide or dry ice is dumped onto the clouds by using an aircraft or an artillery gun which leads to a rain shower.
ALSO READ: Delhi Smog: Your guide to buying the best pollution mask Where has it been used? China frequently uses weather modification system to create rainfall during droughts. In July this year, China allocated 199 million yuan ($29.76 million) to spend on its cloud seeding program to prevent drought. In June this year, a team of scientists from Beijing offered China's cloud seeding technology to India to fight droughts in Maharashtra's Marathwada region. During 2008 Beijing Olympics, Chinese organisers fired a barrage of rockets in the air ensuring clear skies for the opening ceremony. In 2009, Chinese scientists fired Beijing skies with iodide sticks hoping to end a long spell of drought, the seeding however caused an early snowfall which disrupted air and road traffic. In United States, cloud seeding is occasionally used by ski resorts to induce snowfall. Cloud seeding is being used to recharge the ground water in arid UAE. ALSO READ: Delhi air quality reminiscent of the 1952 Great Smog in London
Last year, Malaysia and Indonesia used cloud seeding to stimulate rainfall after tocix smoke gripped the region.
How effective is it?
The success of cloud seeding depends on the weather conditions of the area. Some moisture in the atmosphere is needed to cause precipitation.
Environmentalists have raised concerns regarding secondary air and water pollution as an outcome of chemicals used to cause precipitation.
Can it work in Delhi?
According to experts, Delhi's dry weather is not suitable for cloud-seeding. First, some clouds are needed to carry out the seeding process. Second, the humidity in the air is too less for it to succeed in Delhi. But considering the severity of air pollution and the threat it poses to more than 40 million people in Delhi-NCR, this method could be worth a try.
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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Wyoming authorities say it will take longer than initially thought to bring in a Utah man accused in the death of a train worker.
Lincoln County Attorney Spencer Allred said in a statement Friday it will take a few weeks to extradite 23-year-old Dereck James DJ Harrison because Utah prison authorities are processing him.
Harrison was sentenced to at least 30 years in a Utah prison last week after pleading guilty to tying up a woman and her four daughters in a basement.
He has agreed to waive extradition to face murder charges that could carry the death penalty. Allred had hoped to move him to Wyoming within days of sentencing.
Prosecutors say he and his father snatched the train worker while on the run from police and killed him in Wyoming.
Heidi Rutchey, 42, arrested in connection with the death of her 2-year-old son, Eli Rutchey.
LOGAN A 45-year-old River Heights mother, Heidi Marie Rutchey has been found competent to stand trial in the death of her two-year-old son, more than three-years ago.
Rutchey and her defense attorney, David Perry, appeared in 1st District Court Monday morning for a review hearing since being sent to the State Hospital for treatment in January 2014.
Judge Thomas Willmore said he had received a report from hospital staff stating they had treated Rutcheys mental illness and restored her competency.
Perry asked the court for a couple weeks to discuss a possible plea agreement with prosecutors. He also requested that Rutchey remain in the State Hospital during that time, so that she can continue receiving treatment.
Judge Willmore granted the requests and ordered her to appear again in court on November 28.
Rutchey was arrested on a first-degree murder charge in October 2013.
A month earlier, on September 4, Rutchey was driven to Logan Regional Hospital for an undisclosed medical issue. After she checked into the hospital, questions arose concerning her son Elis condition. Medical staff called police dispatch and requested a welfare check for the child at a River Heights apartment near 400 South 400 East. When Cache County Sheriffs deputies arrived at the location, they found the toddler dead inside.
will@cvradio.com
According to Azerbaijans energy minister Natig Aliev, his country and Kazakhstan will construct an oil pipeline under the Caspian Sea to provide additional necessary routes for export of Kazakhstani oil from the offshore supergiant Kashagan field, which has finally entered commercial production after years of delay. The two sides appear unbothered by the sometimes vexatious and still unsettled matter of the Caspian Seas legal regime, which has for nearly two decades prevented Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan from constructing a natural gas pipeline under the sea between their two countries.
BACKGROUND: Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have been planning the Trans-Caspian Oil Transport System (TCOTS) for a decade. The project calls for construction of a 739-kilometer overland pipeline from Eskene to Kuryk in Kazakhstan, to be called the Kazakhstan-Caspian Transportation System (KCTS), and a 700-kilometer Trans-Caspian Oil Pipeline (TCOP) running from Kuryk, near Aqtau port, underneath the sea to Baku. As Kashagan has now just begun commercial production, after years of delay, the two countries have signed an agreement confirming the earlier understanding and reaffirming the intention to build the undersea TCOP together.
Previously, Russia has resisted implementation of the planned doubling of the volume of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline, which conducts Tengiz oil to the Black Sea, and ultimately to the world market through the Turkish Straits. However, earlier this decade, after a restructuring of the consortium, that work began in stages. The CPC is this year reaching its fully increased capacity of 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd). Original work on the TCOP provided for Kazakhstan to ship 150,000 bpd across the Caspian in the first stage, but that volume is already mostly accounted for by the 120,000 bpd that Kazakhstan sends to Azerbaijan across the Caspian Sea by tanker.
The plan was for the oil from Kazakhstan to arrive in Azerbaijan for further transit to Georgias Black Sea coast, from where tankers would take it the Ukrainian port of Odessa. There, it would enter the planned Euro-Asian Oil Transportation Corridor (EAOTC) via the Odessa-Brody Pipeline (OBP). The EAOTC project was agreed in May 2008 among Azerbaijan, Georgia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine. Soon thereafter the bilateral Azerbaijani-Polish economic cooperation commission recommended to the EU that EAOTC be included in the framework of the Eastern Partnership policy, which sought to coordinate the EUs development assistance to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.
IMPLICATIONS: The EAOTC project has not been implemented because of the delays until now in developing the Kashagan source, and because Russia eventually agreed to the CPC expansion, obviating the need to find other export routes for Tengiz oil. In late 2010, the Azerbaijani-Polish commission agreed to work with Kazakhstans national champion KazMunaiGaz and Azerbaijans SOCAR, in order to coordinate the timing of EAOTC development work with that of the TCOP. This fall, the European Commission included the extension of the OBP to Adamowo, Poland, on its revised schedule of Projects of Special Interest (a list for energy infrastructure development) that it seeks to encourage via financial and political support. The Brody-Adamowo link is the first leg of the EAOTC.
On the other shore of the Caspian, developments are already under way, thanks partly to long-term assistance from the EUs international program Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA), which Kazakhstan sees as necessary for circumventing uneconomic Russian strangleholds. In October 2009, French president Nicolas Sarkozy visited Kazakhstan and signed an agreement with his counterpart Nursultan Nazarbaev giving a French consortium exclusive rights for one year to negotiate terms for constructing the KCTS. (The US$ 3 billion contract would have created several thousand French jobs). The negotiations failed because the oil was not ready. French companies have nevertheless been invited to participate in the new plans currently being redeveloped.
The new port at Kuryk is already under construction, and officials in Kazakhstan are modeling it after Azerbaijans multimodal and customs-streamlined Alat port. Its ferry complex will permit transport without unloading cars and Kazakhstan regards it as strategically important: it will handle oil, polyethylene, iron ore, and concentrates destined for the world market through Baku. With Aktau port (now operating almost beyond capacity), it will transit 18 million tons of goods annually, a figure that Astana intends to increase to 33 million tons by 2030 and 50 million tons by 2050. French companies are also involved again in the preliminary design of the Eskene-Kuryk KCTS.
In theory, the existing tanker oil transport system from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan could be expanded with more tankers. However, there are no shipyards in the region capable of satisfying demand for them, and the Caspian Seas land-locked status makes it too expensive to construct them elsewhere, even in modular parts, for assemblage in the region. The cost of building entirely new shipyards and port terminals for tanker fabrication in the region itself is equally prohibitive. By contrast, the undersea pipeline would likely be profitable at 500,000 bpd (nominal projected volume of Kashagan Two) and would definitely be so at 1.2 million bpd (nominally projected for Kashagan Three).
Towards the end of the last decade, Astana and Baku discussed the possibility of an undersea natural gas pipeline to take Kashagans associated gas to world markets. This does not seem in the cards today, but it opened discussions about Turkmenistans gas being piped northward to Kazakhstans offshore to join the gas pipeline to Azerbaijan. The TCOPs construction would open the possibility for the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline (TCGP) from Turkmenistan to finesse political costs by sharing the same route. But since the TCOP from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan would come online only in the 2020s, it would make better sense (and be more economical) to construct the TCGP from Turkmenistan directly to Azerbaijan, and to do so sooner rather than later. The TCGPs engineering and planning was completed long ago: implementation still awaits only a political decision to proceed.
CONCLUSIONS: Kazakhstans and Azerbaijans TCOP project highlights the economic significance of the OBP, which was a geopolitical flashpoint towards the end of the last decade. At that time, when it was in reverse flow carrying Russian oil eastward through Ukraine domestically, its optimal capacity was 285,000 bpd. It has now for some years flowed in the originally intended westward direction. The inclusion of the Brody-Adamowo pipeline on the EUs Projects of Common Interest list confirms its significance as a key link in the export of Central Asian oil. It means that Brussels now takes seriously the prospect of its subsequent extension to Plock, from where an existing pipeline would, after refurbishment, take Central Asian oil to Gdansk for export to the world market via the completed the TCOTS-EAOTC system.
AUTHORS BIO: Robert M. Cutler (@robertmcutler) ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) is a senior researcher at the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, Carleton University, Canada.
Image source: www.ncoc.kz, accessed on November 7, 2016
How envelope glue put Austria in a sticky situation
Published on November 7, 2016
Story by Franciska Goweil Translation by: Lucy Chadwick
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European citizens can always rely on their right to vote. Unless glue gets in the way, like in Austria. They had to postpone their presidential elections (for a second time) because the adhesive on the envelopes used for the postal vote didnt stick properly. Seriously.
The second round of the presidential elections in Austria was due to be held on 2 October. But they didn't happen and glue is to blame. Due to a manufacturing error, the envelopes which had been specifically been produced for the postal vote either couldnt be sealed or easily came open again. This made it impossible to obtain a reliable count of the results and so the election was postponed. But it's not only the Interior Ministry who are preoccupied with the faulty glue; it has also attracted much ridicule, mockery and attention from abroad.
Both presidential candidates were in favour of postponing the election. Alexander van der Bellen of the Green Party cancelled his election campaign on 9 September, while the right-wing candidate, Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), suggested omitting the postal vote during counting. These exact voices were a thorn in the eye for the FPO candidate even before the first round of elections, as it was the postal vote which would secure a narrow victory for his opponent van der Bellen.
Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka of the Austrian People's Party (OVP) could not fulfil this request, saying on 13 September in a press conference that abolishing the postal vote is "currently not legally possible." The postal vote is guaranteed as part of the election regulations.
Glitch in the first elections
But this election itself was already a repeat: in the elections held in April this year, the two major parties - the Social Democratic Party (SPO) and OVP - suffered historic losses. A second ballot followed, in which Alexander van der Bellen scraped a majority.
But his time in office was brief: the FPO appealed the vote. The reason: the possibility of serious shortages in certain areas, meaning the postal vote envelopes were opened too early or by unqualified people or were not stored safely enough. The constitutional court decided that the election should be repeated on 2 October. The second attempt therefore should have solved the chaos, but in the end, the flaps of the postal vote envelopesended up creating more chaos.
Deja vu all over again
Faulty envelopes were not the only things causing upset, however. Since it was a repeat, the election had to be treated exactly the same as the first time round. That meant the same law, same voters. But thousands of Austrians who were eligible to vote had passed away in the interim, while others who had turned 16 and were now of legal voting age were not allowed to vote. The list of voters therefore had to be readjusted. Most importantly, the envelopes would be legally re-standardised. "We have a great responsibility to ensure that there are no further technical mishaps," Sobotka said.
The date for the next election attempt is 4 December. Maybe itll work this time.
Story by Franciska Goweil
Translated from Wie Osterreich dem Kleber auf den Leim ging
| BY Ricki Green |
It was a sweet night for full-time Monash University student Charlotte Denham, after she was awarded ADMA Creative School Melbournes Best in Class award last week.
The communication design student who also works as a cake decorator might be no stranger to sweets, but her high on Thursday night was more than a sugar-induced one when she was recognised for her outstanding work. Denham was joined by the rest of her classmates at Campari House in Melbourne for their graduation ceremony after undertaking an intensive 10-week course headed by David Ponce de Leon.
Ponce de Leon, who is the executive creative director of Ogilvy Melbourne, commended Denham for her great work: It was a very difficult decision to pick just one student and the top three students were all very close. However, Charlotte had the most creative responses to a wider spread of briefs. In one particular instance she went to the trouble of doing a full mock-up of her idea hand-drawn, of course which captured the imaginations of the judges. She is a worthy winner.
There was a really high standard to all of this years graduates. Their attention to detail, the quality of their ideas and their presentation skills were amongst the best Ive ever seen. So to all agencies and potential employers out there, give these graduates a shot. You wont be disappointed.
Says Jodie Sangster, CEO, ADMA: All of us at ADMA are extremely proud of our graduates, who year after year continue to impress us with their creativity and ideation process. This years winners were exceptionally stand out and are exactly the kind of well-rounded creatives that the industry needs.
Id also like to take the opportunity to thank all of your Creative School mentors, especially David, for putting in so much effort to nurture these future creatives. Its so inspiriting to see Australias greatest creatives so willing to give back to the industry, to ensure a next-gen creative pool thats a force to be reckoned with.
| BY Ricki Green |
It was a notable evening for a close-knit group of agency folks, as a new intake of creatives were welcomed into the industry at ADMAs Creative School Sydney 2016 graduation ceremony. Daniel OBrien (left), an art director at George P. Johnson, was all smiles when it was announced that he had been awarded Best in Class, beating 16 of his classmates to take home the coveted title.
The celebrations which took place at CBD Hotel in Sydney also saw Jenny Tao and Louisa Saddington coming in first and second runner up respectively and two other students Julie Murace and Stephanie Allen being highly commended by the judges.
Says Leo Bajzert, a creative director with over 18 years of experience and the head tutor of the 10-week Creative School program in Sydney: Ive always said I wished ADMA Creative School had been around when I started out. The tutors and lecturers are some of the most talented and experienced the industry has to offer. And students continue to get jobs in the industry at a rate were very proud of.
In an incredibly tight field, the consistency of Daniels smart creative thinking set him apart. He handled each creative challenge deftly, and hes clearly got what it takes to hit the ground running in todays increasingly data-driven creative environment.
Says Jodie Sangster, CEO, ADMA who hosted the graduation ceremony: Highly talented creatives are still very much sought after by agencies across the region and ADMAs Creative School provides graduates with an amazing opportunity to get their foot in the door and let their creative talents shine through.
Were very proud of our graduates, who usually go on after to produce some of the most effective and creative campaigns in Australia. These students are being mentored by leaders in their fields, who are extremely capable in shaping raw talent and helping them get their work recognised by their peers.
| BY Ricki Green |
Production company Fiction has announced the release of its ad campaign in partnership with Tsuno, a social enterprise selling sanitary products run by Roslyn Campbell. Created in Victoria by an all-volunteer, all-female team, the ad highlights the stigma of menstruation in developing countries and the struggles young women face as a result, encouraging viewers to break the cycle of poverty, with your cycle. Generously lending her talents to the project, the TVC features the voice-over of Australian film icon, actor and director, Rachel Ward.
Tsuno is a social enterprise selling sanitary products, with 50% of profits going to charities empowering women across the globe. Most notably, these charities include One Girl, who provide girls access to education in Sierra Leone and Uganda, as well as menstrual health and hygiene training.
Directed by Natalie Erika James and produced by Emma Haarburger, the ad begins with a young girl applying lipstick in the mirror her excitement fading to embarrassment as she accidentally smudges the lipstick. The narration questions why the innocence of young girls can shift into shame over their bodies, relating the issue on a wider scale to depictions of disadvantaged girls in developing countries, who are shown isolated or missing out in some way.
The campaign was created using an all-female cast and crew to highlight the gender gap against women in the film and advertising industry.
Says Haarburger: We wanted to make an ad, made by women, for women, to help out women.
Says James: The all-female crew approach was definitely not about excluding anybody. It was about seeking out more female collaborators, in an effort to work with both genders equally across the board.
The spot was shot by Katie Millwright (whose recent credits include cinematography on Looking for Grace (Venice IFF and Toronto IFF, 2016) and Sydney-based sound mixer, Cate Cahill (Max Max: Fury Road).
Says Haarburger: It was amazing to see the generous donation of time from all of our talented industry professionals who jumped on board for a good cause. The sheer experience of working with a full female crew was quite amazing.
The campaign has been released with a moving behind-the-scenes video, which features Rachel Ward talking candidly about her transition to womanhood, as well as insight from Charlotte Harper, one of the young 11-year-old girls who features in the ad.
Both Haarburger and James are part of Fiction, an award-winning production house based in Melbourne. Established in 2006 by director Jake Robb and executive producer Jackie Fish, Fiction produces a range of work both locally and internationally with a focus on television commercial production and creative content.
The TVC which features scenes from four different countries was filmed in one location in Brunswick, Melbourne over 1.25 days.
TSUNOs founder, Campbell, is currently in the process of crowd-funding her next product in the Tsuno line: 100% organic, cotton tampons. The crowd-funding video features comedian Hannah Malarski in a giant vagina costume, and runs until November 15th.
Click here to visit TSUNOs website.
Click here to visit One Girls website.
Writer/Director Natalie Erika James
Producer Emma Haarburger
Production Company Fiction
Executive Producers Jackie Fish, Jake Robb
Casting 2 Divas
Featuring Charlotte Harper, Claudine Henningsen, Sophie Hoang, Monalisa Takwada & Arlyn Marinas
Voice Over Rachel Ward
Production Manager Jess Langley
Cinematographer Katie Millwright
Production Designer Josie Wagstaff
1st AD Bree-Anne Sykes
2nd AD Annabel Clayton
1st AC Felicia Smith & Katherine Schachte
2nd AC Rebeka Arnott
Gaffer Kira Creamer
Best Girl Hannah Palmer
Sound Recordist Rezzan Ufacikligil
Art Department Assist Daphne Do
Wardrobe Designer Chloe Neyland
Makeup Artist Lou McLaren
Location Manager Fiona Wood Reel Locations
Behind the Scenes footage Ruby Railey, Tess Hutson
Unit Manager Maddie Latomanski
Prod. Assist / Runner Sarah Fraser
Editor Florence Mathilde Holmes
Colourist Pocket Post CJ Dobson
Composer Biddy Connor
Sound Mix Cate Cahill
Sound Mix Facility Zig Zag Post
Special thanks to James from The Vision House and Red For Unit Services
| BY Ricki Green |
Every December, Aussies are force-fed cheesy American white Christmas movies; they sing carols about sleighbells and snow, and don Santas red jacket, white beard and big black boots, even though the mercury is sliding up to 40 degrees. And if thats not enough, people from the North who have settled in Australia, constantly whinge that Christmas Down Under doesnt feel like real Christmas. Bah Humbug.
This year ALDIs Christmas campaign via BMF Sydney, features the Tinkletons a family of super enthusiastic Americans who are convinced that their Christmas is better than ours. And they have come to Australia to prove it.
Not only are the Tinkletons up against the perfect Aussie weather, backyard barbies and days at the beach, theyre also battling ALDIs luxury range of delicious tiger prawns, garlic butter lobster tails, half leg hams, fudge and much, much more.
Says Alex Derwin, CD, BMF: To an outsider, an Aussie Christmas feels weird and wrong, but when you get used to the sunburn and speedos you realize just how special it is. Its an insight weve used before, but this year weve put it on steroids. The Tinkletons are a device that allow us to show the Perfect Aussie Christmas through a new lens. An all-singing and dancing, theatrical new lens.
Says Steve McArdle, MD, BMF: When the team presented an idea for Christmas (in April) that was best described as Glee meets The Griswalds, yet unmistakably ALDI, I thought Christmas had come early which of course it had. Our thanks to the client, yet again, for demanding something that nobody else would make.
Says Sam Viney, marketing director, ALDI: By offering quality Christmas products such as prawns, hams and pavlovas, at prices that everyone can afford, ALDI is uniquely placed to celebrate everything thats great about Australian Christmas. And what better way to dramatise this by throwing a fish-out-of-water Northern Hemisphere family into the mix If they can be converted, who can argue with the fact that Nothing beats the perfect Aussie Christmas?
The campaign launched with a combination of long form and series of retail TV ads and is supported by social content, print, radio, display advertising, OOH, POS, ALDI catalogues and www.aldi.com.au/christmas.
Agency: BMF
Executive Creative Director: Cam Blackley
Creative Director: Alex Derwin
Creative Team: Hans Christian Berents, Gooch Richards, Rosita Rawnsley-Mason, Lucy Chappell and Ben Pearce
Designer: Matthew Hughes
Head of Planning: Hugh Munro
Managing Director: Stephen McArdle
Group Account Director: Toby Hussey
Senior Account Directors: Aisling Colley, Peitra Withaar
Account Executive: Kellie Box
Agency Producer: Jenny Lee-Archer
Executive Planning Director: Christina Aventi
Production Company: Finch
Director: Nick Ball
Producer: Camilla Mazzaferro
MD/EP: Corey Esse
Production Designer: Neville Stevenson
Production Manager: Amanda Yu
Post Production and VFX: Drew Downes at The Refinery
Editor: Jack Hutchings at The Butchery
Music and Sound Production: Rumble Studios
Sound design: Rumble Studios
DoP: Lachlan Milne
Art Buyer: Basir Salleh
Photographer: Gavin Johns
Media: Maxus
Client:
Marketing Director: Sam Viney
Marketing Manager: Kylie Warnke
| BY Lynchy |
Telcolympics is the latest campaign from Malaysias U Mobile to demonstrate the benefits of their Power Prepaid phone plan in a way that directly pits the underdog telco against its competitors.
Because direct comparison ads are banned in Malaysia, BBDO Malaysia needed to use humor and mask its intention of showcasing comparisons by using the platform of sports.
This film, part of a larger campaign, is targeted at the larger Malay segment who are fans of humorous content.
The story follows the antics of four different athletes, characters who are based loosely on the four major telco players in the industry, as they compete against one another in made-up Olympic sports.
The commentator carries the story and intercepts the funny mishaps with the info on how these athletes fail in each category.
U Mobile has always embraced the position of the challenger brand, with the intention of relentlessly pushing the boundaries of their offers for the benefit of everybody in Malaysia. We felt that the best way to express this was to capture the friendly spirit of competition, in this case a spoof of the Olympics, where we dont just talk about what were good at, but to also challenge others to respond, so that ultimately, the consumer wins. In fact, were willing to bet that when this article goes out, some telcos would have already reacted to the campaign in a big wayand thats to be expected and embraced, said Rafiq Ridzwan, Planning Director, BBDO Malaysia.
The competition between telcos is serious business, but it neednt be addressed in a necessarily serious way. Add that to the fact that most features in telco plans go unnoticed or unquestioned and you get a campaign that reveals every plan out there for what they truly are in the most entertaining way. At least wed like to think so. Its a ballsy campaign that first needed approval from a ballsy client, and we cant be happier to have a daring client such as U Mobile, said Shune, Creative Director, BBDO Malaysia.
Credits
Producers: Nyok, Jan Teoh
Film Directors : Iskandar Siva and PRS Production
Account Servicing: Asran Zakri, John Teoh, Victoria Kovalan, Mark Siew
Idea, Script, Design and Creative Direction: Yusrizal Yusof, TattHo, Dot, Shune, VJ ANAND
"This is why many people are coming to the conclusion that politics is broken: MPs of all political persuasions don't listen much at all to the public's concerns and they hardly ever act upon them."
After the crushing defeat at DIBP, with perhaps worse to come, and the humiliation last week at the hands of the ABC, which agreed to a deal with its workforce well outside the terms of the bargaining policy and then raised a middle finger at the government's helpless protests, Cash and Lloyd need to take a trick.
The Spanish operators Business Solutions arm said the deployment of Nokias VSR in a Provider Edge application for fixed networks was a significant step forward in the evolution of telecoms infrastructure.
It means Telefonica can now deploy and configure vPEs, expanding their VPN offerings o new locations more rapidly. It will also allow the operator to deploy on-net points of presence in areas with lower customer density.
Telefonica said it will also use the technology to deploy new PoPs in both Spain and other countries, although locations were not revealed.
Javier Gavilan, Telefonica's global CTO planning and technology director, said: "We have been working together with Nokia in our NFV Reference Implementation Lab for some time in order to advance the availability of virtualized solutions and, in fact, the Virtualized Service Router was successfully tested in 2015 and the current deployment is UNICA-ready as part of the overall strategy of the company."
The news comes just weeks after Nokia helped Telefonica achieve 4G download speeds of up to 800Mbps in network tests carried out with Qualcomm. It has also been involved in the process of upgrading the Spanish firms 4G network across its home market.
General manager for Nokia's IP routing business, said: "When multinational companies want to extend their VPNs - or add capacity to those already deployed - speed, performance and reliability are all essential.
Telefonica has taken a leadership role in virtualization, and with the certification and deployment of the Nokia VSR, they are well positioned to expand the range and reach of their VPN services and address their customers' evolving needs."
We have opened our new PoP in Telehouses North London data centre, Rafa Magrys, vice president at Exatel, told Capacity.
This allows us to offer products to existing and new customers. The shortest routing from Warsaw to Frankfurt allows us to provide not only transit services up to 100Gbps but also low-latency services, which is crucial for the finance and banking sector.
From its new London PoP, Exatel will be able to offer a full range of voice termination in the Polish wholesale market via direct interconnection points, with fixed and mobile networks in Poland and direct international interconnections and full range of data services, including: metro Ethernet, SDH, MPLS and transit services.
It has established a new point of presence in Croatia, providing wholesale IP transit and Ethernet services for carriers in the region.
The new PoP means Telia Carrier has expanded the reach of its global IP backbone, AS1299, to Croatia and adjacent countries, making the capital a conduit for connectivity in the Balkans.
The AS1299 backbone is the first in both Europe and North America to be 100G-enabled, according to the carrier, transmitting 1Tb/s on its US arm.
Dyn Research ranked AS1299 as one of the top two global IP backbones, and the carrier connects more than 200 PoPs across Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East.
Telia Carrier is dedicated to delivering a responsive, connected experience to address the continued demand in the Eastern European market, said Jerzy Wilisowski, director of sales, Europe at Telia Carrier.
By moving into Zagreb, in addition to existing PoPs in Budapest and Vienna, Telia Carrier strengthens its presence in a high growth IP transit market in Croatia, and improves the customer experience for those using online gaming and content services provided in the region.
When the Asia-Africa-Europe 1 (AAE-1) cable landed in Italy in May 2016, it also landed a huge opportunity for operators in Europe and across the Middle East and Asia. With almost all of the undersea cable installed and 15 shore-end landings, AAE-1 is confirmed to start commissioning before end 2016. When the project begins service in Q1 2017 it will provide 25,000km of subsea cable with an initial design capacity of at least 32 to 40Tbps, interconnecting Asia, Middle East, Africa and Europe. AAE-1s landing station establishes this Eurasian route through Bari, on the mainland of southern Italy.
Why does Bari matter? First, it offers ready-made open access infrastructure that avoids existing congested routes and single points of failure through the Sicily Channel. Operators with long memories will recall December 2008, when FLAG Telecom, SEA-ME-WE 4 and SEA-ME-WE 3 cables were simultaneously cut, probably by a ships anchor, disrupting 75% of Eurasian communications. The usual landing points in Europe are in Greece, Sicily in Italy and especially Marseille, says Giuseppe Sini, head of Retelits international business unit. While Marseille has become very important for operators, it is also very crowded. Operators are looking for diversity.
The Bari landing station is about much more than diversity, which is why Retelit made the decision to become the only Italian investor in the AAE-1 consortium. For Retelits 18 consortium partners looking to connect to Europe, for its 60 international carriers customers in Europe and North America who want to reach Asian destinations and for the US Department of Defense, a strategic partner of Retelit, the AAE-1 provides high quality solutions to existing needs. Additionally, for fast-growing Asian operators looking for low-latency connection to Europe, and for ambitious OTT players looking for flexibility, AAE-1 is coming online at exactly the time it is needed.
This Europe-Asia route continues to grow in importance. If we exclude Hong Kong, Singapore, France and Italy, the locations visited by AAE-1 have had infrastructure to support only 24% of the populations connectivity needs. Asia-to-Europe capacity demand is growing at 41% per year. AAE-1s capacity will be filled up quickly. Look at the growth in demand, especially between Europe and Southeast Asia, says Sini, We know about rapidly growing established markets in Hong Kong and China, but there are also emerging markets like Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand. For them AAE-1 is unique: it is the only project with a route all the way from Europe to Thailand without a stopover."
For Asian financial centres, low latency is vital. Connecting Europes financial centres in Europe to Hong Kong, for example, using AAE-1 through Bari will improve the round trip delay on the route by 10ms. With 9,000km of fibre optic cables in Italy and with points of presence in Frankfurt, Milan and London, Retelit is already the preferred partner for operators who choose to route this type of high-value traffic through Italy.
Sini says that Retelit can now also use AAE-1 to serve the needs of an important class of customer: the OTT service providers who want a route from Southeast Asia to Europe, whose needs are often not well met by legacy cables. They have commercial power, and we are carrier neutral so we dont compete with them. We can offer service to them without conflict, he explains. Often OTT applications require fine-tuning, and we can attract them to Bari and onto Retelits multiple 100Gbps network with our flexibility and innovative end-to-end network solutions. We can talk to them about functionality, performance and a customised SLA, whereas traditional approach leverages mainly on capacity, price and diversity.
While it will take time for Bari to assume the importance of the Mediterraneans established landing stations, the location meets needs based on innovation, performance or simply risk management.
And with 20Tbps of capacity either designed or operational along Atlantic and Pacific routes, but only 5Tbps available before 2016 on the fast-growing Europe-Asia route, the demand for the route will keep growing. We believe Bari is a key point on that route, says Sini, and we want Retelit to be the key carrier.
For more information, please visit www.retelit.it
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In a move to steer IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) up in global standards, the group of institutions have decided to conduct an international recruitment drive, this time for faculty. The drive is scheduled for January next year and is expected to improve the ranking of IITs in the world level.
It aims at untapping international talent on Indian grounds and train the students to become global citizens.
While announcing the initiative IIT Delhi Director V Ramgopal Rao said, "To ensure that the global ranking of IITs improves, it is important not only to have international students but also international faculty. We are planning to conduct faculty recruitment drives in foreign countries and will begin with the US in January."
"Earlier also we used to conduct a similar exercise but that was limited to candidates with Indian-origin. Here we will look only for global talent. We will also encourage the faculty members to start their own companies while teaching here to lead students in establishing their start ups," he said.
"We plan to increase the intake of PhD students from current 2500 to around 5000 in next three years. The idea is to do it in phases so the quality of research doesn't suffer," Rao added. Also, an Alumni Development Cell is scheduled to be set up to connect with the passed out students and gain their constant support for IITs.
The institute recently held its 47th convocation day on November 6 when Bharat Ratna awardee scientist CN Rao gave away degrees to 1964 students, the highest number in past ten years.
New Delhi, India/Atlanta, GA, November 7, 2016: NIIT Limited, a leading provider of managed training services announced today that it has been selected as a 2016 Top 20 IT Training Company for the seventh year by TrainingIndustry.com. TrainingIndustry.com continually monitors the training marketplace for the best providers of IT training services/technologies in support of corporate learning and development.
Selection of NIIT to this year's Top 20 IT Training Companies List was based on the following criteria:
Leadership and innovation in IT training
Breadth of IT training and delivery methods offered
Company size and growth potential
Quality and number of clients/users
Geographic reach
Awards, recognition and competitive differentiation
"The 2016 Top IT Training Companies List recognizes the most prominent names in IT training," said Ken Taylor, President, Training Industry, Inc. "We found that these companies provide some of the highest quality corporate training available, often adapting their offerings to meet the specific training needs of their customers.
"IT training is in our DNA. We provide technology customer education for the world's leading companies and we want to focus on consistently delivering innovation, scalability, and value to this continuously evolving industry," said Sapnesh Lalla, President - Corporate Learning Group, NIIT Limited.
Devenderjit Chadha, Senior Vice President, Learning Delivery and Operations at NIIT said, "We are honored to be among the Top 20 IT Training companies for the seventh year. This is a very dynamic industry and we constantly monitor market needs and trends to deliver the most innovative, cutting-edge, and cost-effective IT training services for our customers."
"The IT training market is one of the largest and most constantly evolving segments within the training industry," said Doug Harward, Chief Executive Officer, Training Industry, Inc. "These organizations are the key players in this space in part because they have demonstrated the ability to innovate and respond to market needs."
View the 2016 Top 20 IT Training Companies
Property/casualty insurance executives may be worried about disrupters discovering novel ways to connect with their hard-earned policyholders, but an insurance regulator with a reputation for jumpstarting change sees positive motivations for industry action on the horizon.
Executive Summary Facing some long odds, North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm opened up the state's health insurance market, which was dominated by one large player when he joined the department nine years ago. Similar successes at the department and the NAIC came as a result of daily hard work and a leadership style that emphasizes consensus-building.
What theyre really doing is they are forcing the industry to be very honest with itself, look itself in the mirror and say, We had better meet this challenge. We had better figure out what our policyholders want. We better get from point A to point Z, or we are going to lose them,' North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm told Carrier Management in a September interview.
Asked about the creation of InsurTech competitors that include peer-to-peer insurers, on-demand coverage providers and underwriting platforms using social networking reputations instead of credit scores, Hamm delivered two calls to action. It incentivizes the insurance industry to stay on the top of its game. And it incentivizes us as regulators to do the same thing and to work with the industry, he said.
As Alfa Romeos engineers are getting ready to wrap up the development of the brands first-ever SUV, the Stelvio is just a week away from celebrating its global debut at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Set to rival the likes of models such as the Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLC, and BMW X3, it will reportedly go on sale in the United States in the first quarter of 2017, according to AutoNews.
The Stelvio will borrow its design DNA from the Giulia, with the Italian firms sedan also lending its dashboard, center console and steering wheel, as revealed in previous scoops.
It may be too early to talk about the engine lineup, but previous reports indicate that the Stelvio will use a similar range of turbocharged four- and six-cylinder units to the Giulia, in either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive configurations, depending on the chosen grade, with the most anticipated version expected to use the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6, which currently powers the Giulia QV.
PHOTO GALLERY
If youre looking for you next family hauler, chances are, many of you are probably torn between these three crossovers which are among the best-selling crossovers in their segment in Europe.
The newest member of the group is the VW Tiguan, if you exclude the fact that Honda has already revealed the new generation of the CR-V, but is still not available in the market.
VWs Tiguan combines all the usual traits of its regular models including a character thats nicely balanced between comfort and handling, top levels of practicality, great room in the cabin and a wide range of engines to choose from.
The Toyota RAV4, on the other hand, features a more distinctive look that might not suit everyones taste, is the only one of the group that comes with a hybrid powertrain and offers the most space in the cabin.
Hondas outgoing CR-V features high-quality materials in the cabin, its on-road manners focus more on the comfort side of things while the available space inside can easily fit a family with all its stuff.
Only one though is the best option out of the three, with CarWow picking the winner in the video linked below.
VIDEO
Samuel Goldwyn Films has released a trailer for the R-rated 2D feature Nerdland, which will arrive in U.S. theaters on December 6.
Nerdland marks the feature directorial debut of Chris Prynoski, whose studio Titmouse (Metalocalypse, Motorcity, Son of Zorn) produced the project. In the film, slacker pals Paul Rudd and Patton Oswalt portray a struggling actor and screenwriter who hatch a plan to achieve-instant fame by the end of the day at all costs.
Watching this trailer, its interesting to note how quickly Sausage Party has influenced the rest of the feature animation biz. The beginning of the Nerdland trailer, which contrasts the high-profile voice actors with the raunchy comedy that follows is an idea borrowed directly from this Sausage Party promo:
Photo: Contributed
For the month of November residents are invited to watch or take part in the Lip Sync Challenge at the Copper Mug Pub in Penticton.
Innovative Events and the James Chicalo Experience, along with the pub, are putting on a third version of the contest.
The first two contests we ran were so successful we decided to do it again," said Lisa Laflamme, owner of Innovative Events. "Its also for a great cause with partial proceeds going to the South Okanagan Women in Need Society.
"We will also be collecting different items on different nights that are badly needed at the transition house run by SOWINS.
The contest is on Wednesday nights, Nov. 9-30, starting at 7 p.m., with the finals on the last night.
Its free to come and watch, except on finals night when it will be $10 per person with proceeds going to SOWINS.
People can make their reservations through the Copper Mug.
Organizers are also still accepting sponsors and contestants.
Contact their Facebook page or email [email protected] to find out how to get involved.
Photo: Contributed
Updating for less
By Crispin Butterfield
When it comes to refreshing and sprucing up your spaces, design and decorating are acts of passion, not just about pulling out your wallet and hearing the cash register ring.
If your budget's a little tight, here are great ideas that will help transform your spaces without hurting your bank account.
Hardware
A quick pick-me-up for your cabinets, dressers, sideboards, and hutches, new hardware spices things up instantly.
If you have dated-looking hardware, switch it out for modern chrome or distressed pewter handles. And don't worry if you have a few different finishes in the same area.
As long as they're in the same colour family (chrome, pewter, nickel, and aluminum, or copper, oil rubbed bronze, black, or antiqued brass), you'll be just fine.
Some companies are coming out with amazing etched and oxidized finishes for unique and artistic looks; don't be afraid to go bold on drab cabinets or aged furniture.
Paint
Paint is one of the best, if not the best, ways to instantly transform a room.
Were no strangers to painting at least one room nearly every year in our house; it staves off boredom and allows us to create different looks at the fraction of the cost a total makeover would run.
Choose a paint colour by pulling an existing shade out of a pattern on a throw, cushion, or canvas that is already in your room.
Walls aren't the only thing that might benefit from a dash of new colour: coffee tables, consoles, old dressers, bookshelves, and end tables are other pieces you can splash your brush with for a fresh look.
This works great for thrift shop finds or new pieces with less desirable finishes.
Lighting
Outdated and inefficient fixtures drag your spaces down and don't flatter.
Lighting can make or break a space and is often over looked when it comes to decorating. Some of the most fun fixtures I've ordered in the past have come from places like EQ3 or Structube.
Floor lamps done up with transparent rice paper or woven grass cloth add soft sculptural dimension to bare or dim corners, while Mid-Century ceiling fixtures infuse whimsy and minimalist charm over a dining table or breakfast counter.
Art
Once those walls are painted, its time to add a little dimension and flare; I don't necessarily mean you need to buy all new (that can get expensive) artwork, but take it down and move it around.
Make new groupings by pairing pieces of similar size or colour together, or take that large piece down from over the mantle and lay a few smaller frames with black and white images up against the wall for a more contemporary look.
Get creative with large collages made from patterned paper or fabric, wallpaper scraps or maps, or pop kids art into off-the-shelf frames with bright white mattes.
Pillows and throws
Tired of your living room, but not in the position to buy new furniture? Buy a few new toss pillows to help introduce a new accent colour, or beef up the look of a plain sofa.
If you've lucked out and own neutral furniture, you've essentially got a blank canvas you can work with. A colourful throw over the back of a plain sofa is a great way to add a pop of colour.
Conversely, if the heavy or outdated pattern of your furniture needs to be toned down or neutralized, a single toned or monochromatic throw will help to hide some of the busyness.
As a rule, don't buy more than three of the same cushions to use in a room that can end up looking too contrived and matchy-matchy.
Instead, buy two or three of the same staple cushion, and then find a few others in similar or contrasting shades with different and interesting textures or patterns.
Crispin Butterfield owns Urban Theory Interior Design, and has been designing soul-hugging residential and commercial spaces across Western Canada for the past 13 years. Check www.designchick.ca.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: Contributed
The man accused of killing an Abbotsford teen and injuring another is described as quiet, with a volatile temper.
Sandra Kay-Leigh Schmidt went to school with suspect Gabriel Klein, 21, in Red Deer, Alta. and said he used to be a quiet person prone to sudden outbursts of rage.
"Some days he seemed perfectly OK," she told CTV Vancouver. "Other days were a write-off and he could scream at you for nothing."
RCMP said for the past several months, Klein had been living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside where it is believed he fell into drugs.
Klein is now facing a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of 13-year-old Abbotsford Secondary School student Letisha Reimer. Klein is also facing aggravated assault in connection with the attack that injured a 14-year-old student.
Schmidt says Klein once started yelling in class after another student put his feet under his desk and struck a friend of her's in the head, but fellow classmate Tanner McDougall paints a different picture of the Klein who was staying at a homeless shelter in Abbotsford at the time of the attack.
McDougall described him as a "generic" person who never exhibited any "red flags" or anything out of the ordinary.
- with files from CTV
Photo: Contributed
The final suspect in a Lower Mainland pot shop robbery has been nabbed.
Vancouver Police Department Sgt. Brian Montague said the fourth and final suspect allegedly involved in a robbery three weeks ago at the Stressed and Depressed marijuana shop has now been arrested.
Just before 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct.16, three men and one woman armed with guns entered the store located at 1353 East 41st Avenue, and robbed the business of cash and products, said Montague.
Three men remain in custody after they were arrested on Oct. 22 and charged with a variety of robbery and weapons related criminal offences.
The woman believed to be involved was identified by detectives after further investigation. She was charged with robbery, use of an imitation firearm in commission of offence, and sexual assault and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Police were unable to locate the suspect and the VPD made an appeal for information regarding her whereabouts.
Brittany Ulmer-Wightman, 23, was arrested early Sunday morning by Surrey RCMP. She remains in the Vancouver jail until her next court appearance.
Photo: CTV
UPDATED 6:07 P.M.
Richmond RCMP are continuing to investigate a multi-casualty accident that left one person dead.
Shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday Nov. 6, police responded to the 23000 block of River Road for a collision involving a single vehicle and multiple cyclists.
Cpl. Dennis Hwang said a 2013 Lexus travelling westbound along River Road collided with a group of six cyclists who were travelling eastbound along River Road.
One cyclist, a 33-year old male from Vancouver, is confirmed to be deceased at scene, while two other cyclists were transported to local area hospital A 39-year-old cyclist from Vancouver is listed in critical condition while a 46-year-old cyclist from Vancouver is listed in serious condition, said Hwang. The remaining three cyclists suffered minor injuries. All of the cyclists are male. The sole occupant driver of the Lexus, a 19-year-old male from Burnaby, is unhurt and was present when officers arrived. He has been co-operative with police.
The Richmond RCMP Road Safety Unit (RSU) has taken the lead in this investigation and is being assisted by the Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service (ICARS), the BC Coroners Service, and the Richmond RCMP Victim Services Unit.
This was a very difficult collision scene for our officers to investigate. To put it into some perspective, the carbon fiber frame and forks on one of the bikes was snapped in multiple places like twigs or matchsticks, said Hwang. It is too early to tell what contributed to this terrible crash. The cyclists did appear to be wearing their helmets. This is the second fatality in Richmond within the last week.
One cyclist is dead and five others have been injured after a car plowed into a group of cyclists in the Lower Mainland.
The accident happened Sunday morning in Richmond at 10: 30 a.m. along River Road near Westminster Highway.
Police said six male cyclists were struck by a car.
One was pronounced dead at the scene with the others being rushed to Royal Columbian Hospital, two of them in serious condition.
Mounties say the driver is co-operating with police.
- with files from CTV
Photo: CTV
Members of a First Nation affected by a diesel spill on British Columbia's central coast are calling for changes to be made quickly following another visit from a federal cabinet minister.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau visited the Heiltsuk Nation on Sunday, more than three weeks after the Nathan E. Stewart ran aground and sank near Bella Bella, B.C., releasing thousands of litres of diesel and lubricants into the water.
Heiltsuk Nation Chief Marilyn Slett issued a news release saying the community was happy to welcome Garneau and show him what impact the sunken tug has had.
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and Fisheries and Oceans Minister Dominic LeBlanc previously went to the community to take-in the damage.
Slett said Garneau told community members about details of the federal government's marine safety plan.
"Our nation has been waiting for years for a robust safety plan that protects coastal waters including our own, and the details Minister Garneau shared with us today are encouraging," she said.
But Slett noted that the Liberal government has made a lot of promises during its first year in office, and she said the community wants to see legislation as soon as possible.
The release did not share what those details include, but said a moratorium on tanker traffic does not currently appear to be included.
The transport minister and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are expected to make an announcement about spill responses on the West Coast in Vancouver on Monday.
The Heiltsuk Nation has invited Trudeau to come visit the site of the sunken tug and to announce a moratorium on tanker traffic in Bella Bella.
"In the spirit of reconciliation and his government's promise to make relationships with indigenous nations a key focus, we can think of no better place, and no better time to make the announcement than in Heiltsuk territory this year," Slett said.
Photo: Facebook
UPDATE: 4:45 p.m.
A man accused of fatally stabbing a 13-year-old girl at a high school in Abbotsford sat motionless and was unresponsive during a video appearance in court on Monday.
Gabriel Klein, 21, didn't answer when a judge asked him questions and was impassive as the Crown discussed his case. Klein could be seen on a monitor seated in a wheelchair with his head cocked to the side, wrapped in a blanket that revealed his bare shoulders.
He appeared via video link about an hour later than scheduled after initially refusing to participate. Last Wednesday, the court heard that Klein wouldn't leave his cell to stand before a judge.
Klein faces one charge each of second-degree murder and aggravated assault.
Letisha Reimer, 13, a Grade 9 student at Abbotsford Senior Secondary School, died after an attack in the school's foyer last Tuesday. A 14-year-old girl whose name is protected by a publication ban was also injured.
UPDATE: 11:25 p.m.
Students at a British Columbia high school say it's scary to be heading back into a building where a Grade 9 girl was stabbed to death.
Letisha Reimer was killed and her friend was injured last Tuesday at a school in Abbotsford, in what police say was a random knife attack by a homeless man.
Angel Simon, also in Grade 9, says she's afraid of walking through the doors of Abbotsford Senior Secondary, even though she says she knows it's safe again.
Shaquille Anwar says it's nerve-wracking to be going back for the first time since the attack, but that everyone has to stick together.
The Grade 11 student says the attack affected everyone at the school and it will be a long time before things return to normal.
Twenty-one-year-old Gabriel Klein faces one charge each of second-degree murder and aggravated assault and is scheduled to appear in court later today.
ORIGINAL
Students at Abbotsford Secondary School will be returning to classes Monday, the first time since a stabbing left one student dead an another injured.
Letisha Reimer, 13, was killed after a random attack by a homeless man last week. The other victim, a 14-year-old girl, remains in hospital.
Gabriel Klein, 21, has been charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault the attacked that shocked the nation. Klein, originally from Red Deer, Alta., was living in a homeless shelter in the days leading up to the attack.
A number of initiatives have been undertaken to make the transition back to class a little easier, such as cleaning the ravine behind the high school that had been full of needles, condoms, shopping carts, clothes and other discarded items.
American crisis specialist Cheri Louvre, who has dealt with such school tragedies as the Columbine massacre, is working with the Abbotsford School District.
Louvre had high praise for the school, saying the response to the stabbing was remarkable.
Friday night, students and parents were invited to the school for a vigil.
The parents took their kids into the school, and as they went into the school at first it was quite somber, Louvre added. But within 30 minutes you could feel the kids taking the school back.
There will only be a half day of school Monday.
- with files from CTV
Photo: Heiltsuk Nation
Another tug towing a barge has lost its load in northwestern B.C. near Bella Bella, says the Heiltsuk Nation.
The spill involving a barge loaded with gravel and sand happened Sunday night the same day that Transport Minister Marc Garneau visited Bella Bella to share details of his governments new marine safety and transportation plan.
His visit comes in the wake of a diesel spill that threatens sensitive and important local marine life.
"After encountering bad weather, including large swells, the barge flipped and lost its load into the channel, north of Bella Bella and the neighbouring community of Klemtu," says the Heiltsuk.
"The tug is currently afloat as of 9 p.m. The barge has sunk. A Coast Guard vessel is en route. The four crew members aboard the Columbia Jayne are safe."
The Heiltsuk say the vessels involved are the Jayne and a bulk transport barge owned by Channel Construction Incorporated of Juneau, Alaska.
"It is unknown at this time the full size of the load it was carrying," says the Nation in a statement.
They were apparently en route from Seattle, Was., to Juneau, Alaska. The incident happened in the Graham Reach.
Two incidents in four weeks is too many for these coastal waters," said local Coun. Jess Housty.
"The Coast Guard and other marine rescue services are already stretched thin. A Coast Guard vessel currently responding to the Nathan E. Stewart spill had to be deployed to deal with this second incident, and at this time we don't know if it will be able to return tomorrow."
She added the promised regulatory changes "cant come soon enough.
Photo: Heiltsuk Nation
The prime minister is expected to make an announcement in Vancouver today about the future of responses to tanker and fuel spills along the West Coast.
Justin Trudeau is scheduled to take a tour of Vancouver harbour aboard a Coast Guard vessel this morning, before heading to Stanley Park, where he will make an announcement with Transport Minister Marc Garneau.
The B.C. government has already laid out a long list of requirements, including a coast guard base in Prince Rupert, B.C., monitoring systems to manage vessel traffic, and three new salvage ships that could arrive at a spill site within three hours.
A detailed cost of the requirements has not been provided, but is estimated at $200 million.
Garneau spent Sunday touring a site on the province's central coast where a tug boat ran aground and sank more than three weeks ago, releasing thousands of litres of diesel and lubricants into the water.
Speaking to supporters on Sunday, B.C. Premier Christy Clark said the province has been "cheated" by the federal government when it comes to spill response, and she believes Trudeau can be the one to change the "historical wrong."
Photo: CTV
Dozens of dogs got a new chance at life, Sunday, as they were flown from California to Vancouver.
The dogs were rescued from high-kill shelters to be adopted into "fur-ever homes" in the Lower Mainland.
The 60 dogs arrived at Vancouver International Airport Saturday in an effort led by the group Thank Dog I Am Out Rescue.
They spent the night at the airport with volunteers before meeting their new families, Sunday. All but two remain in foster care until finding a home.
Up to 6,000 dogs can be euthanized a week in California because of overcrowded shelters, organization founder Susan Patterson told CTV. After this event, we will have rescued over 650 dogs locally in B.C. and from abroad.
Carl, Laura and Evie Bessai found their new pooch, Benny, among the rescued animals.
Weve been trying to adopt a dog for a while, but small dogs are hard to find ... so this seemed like a really good option for us because we knew there would be a lot of little dogs here today, said Laura.
with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: Flickr/BC Gov't
British Columbia's premier is calling on her party's volunteers and supporters to come together ahead of what she promises will be a very difficult election next spring.
Christy Clark spoke at the B.C. Liberal party's convention Sunday, saying members must prove to the province that the party is one residents can believe in.
"We are going to have to fight to succeed in 2017 like we have never fought before," she said. "And we are going to make sure that we earn every single vote that's out there. We're going to have to work our hearts out."
The government has had many successes in recent years, the premier said, including balanced budgets, job creation and funding social programs, such as those for single moms and kids looking to be adopted.
Running a surplus has given the government an opportunity to invest in people, Clark said.
The B.C. government has also come under fire during its mandate for several issues, including possible conflicts of interest, the handling of a teachers' strike in 2014, and sky-rocketing housing costs across the province.
Clark told her supporters that opponents will criticize them leading up to the provincial election on May 9, 2017. Some of the negative comments, she said, will focus on the fact that she is not perfect.
The premier doled out criticism of her own at the convention, calling the opposition NDP a party of "quitters."
"Those guys, they're a party of ideologues. We're a party of ideas. They're a bunch of guys who want to go back into the past. We're a party who bust forward into a bright new future," she said.
The broad-ranging speech also criticized the federal government for a lack of spending on helping to prepare B.C. to respond to tanker spills along the West Coast.
"We have been cheated by a federal government for a long time while resources have gone to the East," Clark said. "It is our time to make sure our coast is properly protected. And this prime minister has the chance to change it."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can right the "historical wrong," she added.
"He has the chance to change it and I believe he is going to be the one who does it," Clark said.
Photo: Contributed
When Patrick McLaren first pitched a sediment analysis of the port of Prince Rupert seabed, he had no idea he would uncover a "mind-blowingly wonderful" 8,000-year-old anomaly underpinning a long-established area of critical salmon habitat.
The B.C.-based geologist and founder of SedTrend Analysis Ltd., who began his career with the Geological Survey of Canada, pioneered a technique of sediment analysis in 1985 that helps engineers understand flow dynamics the way currents, and structures built within them, affect riverbeds, beaches and sea floors.
So with a massive, $36-billion liquefied natural gas project proposed to end at Lelu Island in Chatham Sound, McLaren offered to study the entire port area to establish some baseline understanding of the port's dramatic currents. It's an area of seven-metre tides, the mouth of the 610-kilometre Skeena River one of the longest undammed rivers in the world and heavy seas, where Chatham Sound opens out into the notoriously wild Hecate Strait.
McLaren's research, funded first by the Lax Kw'Alaams First Nation and later by the Gitanyow First Nation, was the beginning of a battle that would see him butting heads with federal bureaucrats, a Malaysian state-owned oil and gas giant and the "dynamic modelling" industry, considered the gold standard for predicting highly complex processes and interactions.
The federal Liberal government conditionally approved the Petronas-led LNG project last month, based in part on an environmental assessment that determined a terminal and suspension bridge across one side of Flora Bank off Lelu Island would not harm fish stocks. Dynamic modelling was integral to the company's case.
Late last month, First Nations and environmental groups filed several legal challenges against the project, including one based on a claim that the environmental assessment was flawed.
McLaren's work will be extensively referenced in the court challenge.
He currently has a contract to advise the Gitanyow band, who hired McLaren to do follow-up current measurements on the Flora Bank after his initial findings were challenged. The Skeena Wild Conservation Trust, which has asked the Federal Court for a judicial review of the project's environment assessment approval, is subsidizing McLaren's contract with the Gitanyow.
McLaren alleges that Petronas contractors altered, manipulated and ignored data under the gaze of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, Fisheries and Oceans, and Environment Canada in an effort to prove their project wouldn't harm the Flora Bank, a natural formation their model still can't account for.
The five-square-kilometre area of sand and eelgrass at the mouth of the Skeena River has been recognized for decades as critical habitat for millions of smolting Skeena salmon, B.C.'s second largest sockeye salmon run.
"I feel I could easily go to court in terms of what constitutes scientific fraud," McLaren said in an interview.
"The concepts through all their work have the characteristics of scientific fraud."
Neither Pacific Northwest LNG, whose majority owner is Petronas, nor the various government departments and agencies, responded directly to a series of technical modelling questions based on McLaren's allegations.
"Pacific NorthWest LNG's project underwent a rigorous, comprehensive and science-based environmental assessment, during which Pacific NorthWest LNG responded to requests from the regulator," Tessa Gill, PNG's head of external affairs, said in an email.
"Pacific NorthWest LNG also met and worked with local communities and area First Nations throughout the three-year long environmental assessment process."
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency said it "conducted a thorough science-based review, taking into account the views of scientific experts, including the views of Dr. McLaren, the public and indigenous groups, and basing their conclusions on a diligent review of the facts and evidence."
Wind and rain may cause problems for those travelling along the Coquihalla Connector on Monday.
Environment Canada is forecasting light fog from Pennask Summit to Brenda Mine, and from Pennask Summit to the Junction with Highway 5A.
Winds will pick up this afternoon to almost 50 kilometres an hour and the high at the summit will be 14 C.
Tonight, the rain is expected to dissipate but it will remain cloudy in higher elevations.
Motorists continuing on to the Coquihalla will see periods of rain throughout the day, then cloudy conditions this afternoon. The high will be 12 C.
This evening, expect winds to pick up on Highway 5, with temperatures steady near 10 C.
For those travelling east on Highway 1, showers are expected throughout the day turning to flurries near the summit of Rogers Pass. The snow level will rise from 1,300 metres to 1,700 metres near noon.
Tonight, it will be cloudy with a 30 per cent chance of showers.
The weather will clear up for Tuesday, and the sun is forecast to return to both the highways and the Central Okanagan Valley.
Temperatures will warm to 18 C.
Rain is expected to return to the region on Wednesday and to continue for the rest of the week.
Photo: Contributed
The province is making changes to its campsite reservation system in an effort to stamp out so called campsite scalpers.
Following an outcry from many B.C. campers about not being able to find a place to pitch their tent, the BC Liberals have announced changes to the BC Parks Discover Camping Reservation Service for the 2017 season.
The overhaul will bump the advanced reservation window up to four months from three and eliminate the mid-March opening day booking rush.
Reports of travel companies buying up and reselling campsites for a profit provoked frustration from families and politicians such as Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver.
This is not like a Rihanna concert, because the difference between our parks and Rihanna is that the public doesnt own Rihanna, Weaver told CTV News in July.
In a statement, Environment Minister Mary Polak said the changes will target abuse of the system.
"The changes we're bringing in for 2017 address policies that are prone to abuse by a small number of people and contribute to positive camping experiences in our beautiful B.C. parks," she said.
with files from CTV Vancouver
Janet Reno died this morning. Reno was the first woman to serve as the attorney general. Her two terms at the White House were tumultuous, defined by several shocking events including a federal raid on a cult in Waco, TX, and in 2000, the governments seizing of Elian Gonzalez, a young Cuban refugee who was at the center of an international custody battle and a political tug of war.
Tomorrow is election day. If you haven't done so already, VOTE.
I know we're all going to be glad when this election season is over. But one thing I'll miss? The fact-checking.
In a year full of frightening political threats from China and Russia, it's refreshing to hear of an international dispute done the civil way: with booze. Since 1984, Canada and Denmark have been fighting over the ownership of a small island off the coast of Greenland by regularly placing their country's flag and a bottle of whiskey and schnapps, respectively.
Whatever goes down on election day, the nightmare of Trump will linger for some. He has successfully whipped the nation into a fever-pitch of racist anger and violence, especially against Latinos. And that anger and violence will not go away, even if Trump isn't elected.
Can Online Doctors Identify Ear Infection
Ear infections are an incredibly major problem that requires immediate focus on ensure that the infection does not obtain any even worse or outcome in the loss of your listening to. In our immediate treatment facility, we have a high-quality staff thats equipped to manage also one of the most complicated situations of ear infections. Find more about Can Online Doctors Identify Ear Infection, in this article.
Although in certain circumstances your child or you might be treated of an ear infection, without medication, the best technique to determine whether the issue can be considered major, is to look for a doctor to determine the problem. Once you have an appropriate medical diagnosis is a way to decrease the chances of becoming worse or experiencing any problems that arise from the infection.
Meaning Ear Infection
There are many various kinds of ear infections, based upon the location of your ear affected. The ear is typically split right into 3 elements which are the external ear an ear in the center, as well as the inside ear. The external ear makes up the noticeable part of the ear as well as an ear canal. A microbial infection of the canal is known as the otitis externa. Its commonly called swimmers ear.
The center ear, also known as the air-filled space that exists in between the eardrum (tympanic membrane layer) and the ears internal. The center ear is the home of the ear bones as well as it also houses the Eustachian tube. The center ear is one of the most vulnerable to infection. are known as the otitis media.
The internal ear exists inside the head. It houses the listening to body organ known as the cochlea as well as semicircular canals, also known as balance canals. Infections in the internal ear are not common and are described as labyrinthitis, vestibular neuritis, or unexpected loss of sensorineural listening to inning accordance with the location of the internal ear is affected.
There are 2 common kinds of Otitis media (center an ear problem) and external otitis (swimmers Ear). Most of ear infections amongst children are found within the center of the ear.
PLEASE NOTE!
Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!
All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!
(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
At MSC, we want to continue to improve towage service efficiency and expand Rimorchiatori Mediterranei, building on the impressive work of the Genoese families that have developed the company the past 100 years, MSC CEO Soren Toft said.
A native of Yemen who allegedly made a statement to government officials that he was part of ISIS, but was not convicted of that offense, has been sentenced to serve nine months in federal prison.
Fahd Albaadani, who has already been in custody for seven months, appeared before Federal Judge Curtis Collier.
The government wants to deport Albaadani, and he would like to return to Yemen, but Yemen does not want him, prosecutor Perry Piper said.
Albaadani earlier was found not guilty on two felony charges involving alleged threats. He was found guilty of two misdemeanors.
Prosecutor Piper had argued that he should be sentenced to the maximum two years on the misdemeanors.
He pointed out that Albaadani has posed with a number of guns in Facebook photos.
He is no longer suppose to possess any weapon.
Average retail gasoline prices in Chattanooga have risen 2.9 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $1.97 per gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 170 gas outlets in Chattanooga. This compares with the national average that has increased 0.5 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.21 per gallon, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.
Including the change in gas prices in Chattanooga during the past week, prices on Sunday were 0.3 cents per gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 12.1 cents per gallon lower than a month ago.
According to GasBuddy historical data, gasoline prices on Nov. 7 in Chattanooga have ranged widely over the last five years:
$1.97 in 2015, $2.61 in 2014, $3.03 in 2013, $3.20 in 2012 and $3.20 in 2011.
Areas nearby Chattanooga and their current gas price climate:
Knoxville- $2.08, up 4.1 cents per gallon from last week's $2.04.
State of Tennessee- $2.05, up 2.3 cents per gallon from last week's $2.02.
Huntsville- $2.06, flat from last week's $2.06.
"If there's one thing to be excited about for November it's that gas prices in the last five of them have not risen nationally. Better yet, over the same timeframe, gas prices nationally have averaged a modest twelve cent decline from start to finish. And while there may be more excitement as America heads to the polls this week, it's important to dispel the myth: presidential elections do not affect gas prices," said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com.
"Whomever is our next Commander-in-Chief, we could see a change to previous energy policy which could have a negligible impact on gasoline prices, but more focus will be on OPEC's coming decision to follow through on cutting oil output. Skepticism that OPEC won't agree to a cut in production continues to prevail, with West Texas Intermediate crude oil closing last week at $44.07 per barrel, the lowest since
September 20
," he said.
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For a quarter of a century, the Tennessee Aquarium has shown guests the vast network of animals and environments impacted by a single drop of water as it flows from the mountains to the sea. Audiences at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater will be able to witness a similar journey, set amongst the astonishing vistas and incredible wildlife of the wildest continent on earth, when Wild Africa 3D comes to Chattanoogas largest screen beginning on Friday.
Wild Africa 3D takes viewers on a virtual safari across, over and through some of the wildest places remaining on the planet. From the highest snow-covered mountains in Kenya, along great rivers, into steamy rainforests and wide-open savannahs, Wild Africa 3D reveals the striking contrast of stunning deserts beside wild oceans and the sunlit abundance of the coral reefs.
Although terrestrial environments are featured in plenty of the documentarys marquee moments of ecological and geographic splendor, water is a star and constant presence throughout the film. It shapes the landscape and conjures up life everywhere along its path. Through the magic of 3D technology, the audience flies along the Great Rift Valley following the twisting rivers to discover a family of elephants on their epic search for water. Other iconic animals featured include hungry crocodiles as they wait at the water holes for the annual wildebeest migration on the savannahs of the Serengeti; a family of mountain gorillas in the misty forests of Rwanda and thousands of flamingos performing an extraordinary mating display along the vast shores of the volcanic Lake Bogoria.
And in a final epic giant screen experience, the movie chases the great rains of the African summer storms that annually bring life to this magnificent continent. Life flourishes everywhere fresh water exists on our planet, said Dr. Anna George, director of the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute. We live in one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet because of the geology and climate of the watersheds across the Southeast. This film affords us an opportunity to view how fresh water, moving from the mountains to the sea, has also shaped the ecological communities on another continent.
"Our aim with Wild Africa was the most ambitious ever 3D wildlife photography for the giant screen, said co-director and producer Neil Nightingale. We want to transport audiences on a thrilling journey through Africa to discover how water shapes all life. We filmed in the toughest wild locations using a whole range of photographic techniques to put giant screen audiences right in the heart of some of the most awesome landscapes and dramatic wildlife on earth."
The crew captured footage in 30 locations, transporting tons of camera equipment across 13 countries, over the course of nearly two years. The result is an immersive cinematic experience that is breathtakingly beautiful especially when shown with the Aquariums new IMAX with Laser projection system.
View the official trailer at https://vimeo.com/162584595.
Daily screenings of Wild Africa 3D at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater
Nov. 11 through Dec. 1
Sunday through Thursday at 11 a.m.; 1, 3 and 5 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays at 11 a.m.; 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 p.m.
Dec. 2 through Jan. 5
Sunday through Thursday at 1, 3 and 5 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 p.m.
Jan. 6 through Jan. 12 (during IMAX Film Festival)
Daily at 1 p.m.
Admission:
Non-member: $11.95 adults; $9.95 children (3-12)
Aquarium Member: $8.00 adults; $8.00 children (3-12)
IMAX Club pass holders: Free
Purchase tickets online: http://www.tnaqua.org/plan-you r-visit/ticket-information
Or, purchase the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX Club Pass to see unlimited 45-minute films for one year and enjoy additional pass holder benefits at http://www.tnaqua.org/imax/ima x-club .
Tennessee American made its annual submission of capital infrastructure projects and the associated costs for 2017 to the TRA for approval of the proposed adjustment to the surcharges, including an average $0.77 monthly increase for the average city of Chattanooga residential customer bill.
Infrastructure capital projects planned for 2017 total almost $16 million. The largest capital infrastructure project will be a $2 million river crossing to reinforce Tennessee American Waters service to the area north of the Tennessee River. The project also offsets the impact earlier in 2016 from the emergency repair on the existing river transmission main. Tennessee American Water plans to replace approximately 25,500 feet of water main to address aging infrastructure in the community.
"Our investments are focused on making sure we continue to deliver safe, clean and reliable water that meet our communitys needs, said Tennessee American Water President Valoria Armstrong. With changes in technology in the water utility industry, we are investing in our system so that customers benefit from these improvements.
Tennessees 2016 Report Card on Infrastructure published by the American Society of Civil Engineers grades the States Drinking Water Systems as a C. The report indicates that Tennessee needs to spend $2.7 billion over the next 20 years to keep up with drinking water infrastructure.
The filing, which would be effective Jan. 1, is a 3.57 percent increase applied to all water charges and appears on customer bills as the line item Capital Recovery Riders. The request would be a $0.77 monthly increase for the average city of Chattanooga residential customer bill. Tennessee American Water will continue its systematic investment in improving the local water system, said officials.
The Tennessee Regulatory Authority approved in 2014 an alternative rate mechanism with Tennessee American Water annually submitting capital infrastructure projects and costs for the upcoming year. This approach leads to better planning of projects and associated costs, said officials.
The building boom keeps coming in Chicago as One Bennett Park is going up at 451 E. Grand Ave. Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Nov. 7, 2016, that 33 cranes are busy constructing buildings in downtown Chicago, the largest number since the 2008 recession. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)
It's not your imagination.
There truly is an extraordinary number of cranes in the air above downtown Chicago. Currently, 33 are busy constructing high-rise buildings, the largest number since the 2008 recession brought development to a halt.
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Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the record development activity Monday at the Streeterville site where a crane has been installed to build the city's tallest luxury apartment/condominium tower to date, the 67-story One Bennett Park, at 451 E. Grand Ave. near Navy Pier.
Besides 33 buildings using cranes now, seven others are awaiting permits to begin this year, according to the city's Department of Buildings. Among them are the Wanda Vista hotel and condo at 363 and 401 E. Wacker Drive, a hotel at 854 W. Randolph St., apartment and retail buildings at 1136 S. Wabash Ave. and 935 W. Altgeld St., and the multiphase Riverline development involving a 28-story apartment building and 452 condos at 720 S. Wells St..
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The cranes in the air show "confidence in the city," said Emanuel. He noted that for every crane, 800 to 1,200 people are working on a building.
Among 48 downtown Chicago projects this year, 31 have been residential and there have been six office and six hotel towers.
One Bennett Park, like most of the new buildings erected during the last few years in Chicago's downtown area, will house luxury apartments. But the tower will have 69 condominiums in addition to the 279 apartments. Condos are expected to start at $2 million a unit and rents could be close to $4 a square foot, according to developer Related Midwest.
Since the financial crisis, lenders have required that a sizable portion of planned condo units often 30 percent or more be sold before extending construction loans. Curt Bailey, president of Related Midwest, said he wasn't required to meet such a high hurdle.
gmarksjarvis@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @gailmarksjarvis
Die-hard Chicago Cubs fans waited in line some of them since Sunday outside Macy's on State Street Monday morning, hoping to get the chance to meet Javier Baez and get his autograph.
The Cubs infielder was a big get for Macy's, which planned his appearance days before the team won the World Series.
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"We were really hoping that the Cubs would win and already working in anticipation on a public appearance," said Andrea Schwartz, vice president of media relations for Macy's North Central region. "We're more than excited that we got Javier Baez."
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 17 Chicago Cubs fans line up outside Macy's on State Street in Chicago as they wait for Chicago Cubs player Javier Baez on Nov. 7, 2016. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
After some members of the team made cameo appearances on "Saturday Night Live" and booked themselves for multiple talk shows, they're showing up at autograph signings and other events throughout the city. Some retailers are cashing in on the limelight.
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Baez was also expected to visit the Dick's Sporting Goods store in the South Loop neighborhood Monday afternoon.
The impact goes much further than just the crowds gathering at events, said Alexander Chernev, a marketing professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. People pay attention to these retailers in a way they didn't before, and that effect lingers.
"It makes Macy's brand more relevant to a different segment of people who might not necessarily be regular shoppers of Macy's," he said. "The hope is to generate profits, but not necessarily the same day."
Retailers typically turn to discounts to bring new shoppers into their stores, but hosting a Cubs player gives people a different reason to step inside. Next time they need to go shopping, Macy's might be on the top of their minds, he said.
Schwartz said about 600 people waited in line Monday morning, and once the doors opened they lined up along the second, third and fourth floor balconies to get a glimpse of Baez. She declined to comment on how much extra revenue she expected the event to generate.
"Look at all the exposure (the retailers) are getting," said Jason Hostetler, owner of Minneapolis-based Crave Sports Co., a website that lists athletes' autograph signing events. "If you get people in there, there's going to be people lingering and it's going to be generating extra revenue."
Fans had to spend at least $35 on Cubs merchandise at the Lids store in Macy's to get a chance to get Baez's autograph Monday. Doors opened at 10 a.m., and Baez was scheduled to start signing autographs at noon. He planned to sign 175 autographs, and only sign merchandise bought in-store.
Cubs fans buy Cubs gear for Javier Baez to sign at an event at Macy's on State Street in Chicago on Nov. 7, 2016. (Chicago Tribune)
Early Monday morning, the line started at the entrance near Randolph and State streets stretched along State Street and around the other corner onto Washington Street. Clad in Cubbie blue from head to toe, people clearly didn't need any more Cubs gear, but were willing to do what it took for the chance to meet Baez.
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Adriel Gonzalez said he woke up at 3:45 a.m., and planned to grab the first piece of Cubs gear he saw and head straight to the cash register. "Being a great Cubs fan, you want to meet anyone you can," he said. "I would have come for any of them."
Schwartz declined to comment on Macy's agreement with Baez, and representatives from Dick's did not respond to a request for comment. Baez's agent did not return requests for comment.
ATI Physical Therapy, which partners with the Cubs and has a branded training room in Wrigley Field's new clubhouse, also is absorbing some of the Cubs' shine.
Kyle Schwarber did about 15 interviews Monday morning about his knee injury earlier this year and his recovery, much of which involved physical therapy. In the interviews, he talked up ATI, which compensated him.
Timelapse view of the line for Javier Baez outside of Macy's in Chicago on Nov. 7, 2016. (Maya Miller/Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)
"It's just a natural fit for Kyle just because of the services we provide him," said ATI spokesman Cliff O'Neal. "Right now Kyle has a bigger stage to get the message out."
amarotti@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @AllyMarotti
Zipcar is among the companies offering discounted rides on Election Day. (Mark Lennihan / AP)
Attention millennials, especially those living in cities.
Don't panic if it comes down to late Tuesday afternoon. There are no excuses for not voting. Not work hours. Not weather. Not lack of wheels.
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Uber, Lyft, Google, Zipcar and Maven are offering special discounts or promotions to enable voters of all ages to get to their polling places on time.
Uber and Google are offering an "in-app" feature that will help you locate your polling location and then seamlessly request a ride with just the push of a button.
When you open the Uber app Tuesday, you'll see a reminder to get out and vote.
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Then by tapping the "Find Your Polling Place" button, which takes you a site with a Google-generated list of nearest polling stations. Next step: requesting a ride to get there.
If you have managed to never take an Uber and will be requesting a ride for the first time, enter the code VOTETODAY to get $20 off.
Lyft, in recognition that we are electing the nation's 45th president, will offer a 45% discount on one ride between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. for metro Detroit passengers. All Detroit Lyft users can access this promotion through the Deal of the Week e-mail they receive Sunday night.
If you've never used Lyft before, just download the app and use the code NOVEMBER8TH to receive $5 off your first 10 rides.
On the car-sharing front, Zipcar will make 74 cars available for free between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesday night. But remember, polls close at 8 p.m.
One must be a Zipcar member to use the service. Members can reserve free Zipcars on the mobile app or online starting today through Tuesday. New members can join instantly by downloading the app.
Zipcar spokeswoman Katelyn Chesley said there will be 26 free cars at the company's stations in the city of Detroit, one at Metro Airport, three in Dearborn, one in Flint, and 43 in Ann Arbor.
General Motors' Maven ride-sharing business will offer $5 off all day, according to GM spokeswoman Annalisa Bluhm.
No one, however, will be able to complete his or her ballot by app. That must be done the old-school way.
Detroit Free Press | Tribune News Service
The official blog of the Campaign for the American Reader, an independent initiative to encourage more readers to read more books.
Believe it or not, we're almost done with the months-long slog to find our nations newest leader. To celebrate (or mourn), several restaurants and bars around the city will be slinging themed cocktails at election watch parties or serving food and drink specials to the voting crowds. Heres whats happening around the city on Election Day.
All parties take place and all specials are valid Tuesday, Nov. 8, only unless otherwise noted.
ELECTION WATCH PARTIES
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5 Rabbit Cerveceria The South Side brewery that created Chinga Tu Pelo, the beer named after Trump's hair, is hosting a "Taco Trucks on Every Corner Party" with food from Cemitas Puebla. Watch the election coverage while listening to Spanish and English music from DJ Resistol 5000, and make sure to trade your voter ballot receipt for a beer. 6398 W. 74th St., 312-895-9591, www.5rabbitbrewery.com
Belly Up Smokehouse & Saloon This viewing party is interactive if you choose: Every time it is announced Donald Trump wins a state, shots of Fireball whiskey are on special for $5. Dirty martinis with blue-cheese-stuffed olives are $12 each all evening, which the bar says is in recognition of Hillary Clinton. 1132 S. Wabash Ave., 312-929-3856, www.bellyupchicago.com
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Bread & Wine Watch the results while sipping on any of four election-themed cocktails: the Madame President (Kentucky bourbon, vermouth, sherry and orange), The Apprentice (dry gin, campari, orange juice, bitters and simple syrup), Bad Hombre (mezcal, cherry liqueur, grapefruit juice, bitters and lemon) and The Smoking Gun (vodka, cranberry, lemon, rosemary simple syrup, burnt rosemary). Each cocktail costs $10. 3734 W. Irving Park Road, 773-866-5266, www.breadandwinechicago.com
D.S. Tequila Company Choose between two politically themed margaritas at the Boystown spot's viewing party: the Democrazy (tequila, lime juice, orange juice, blueberry Red Bull float and blue curacao) and the Republican't Walk Anymore (tequila, lime juice, orange juice, blueberry Red Bull float and grenadine), each available by the mug ($10), bowl ($22) and pitcher ($38). From 5-10 p.m., wings are just 25 cents. 3352 N. Halsted St., 773-697-9127, www.dstequila.com
The Duck Inn This Bridgeport bar and restaurant knows how to throw a party. Election night is no exception the event will feature a Donald Trump pinata filled with Mexican candy and "Hillary's emails" (snag one to win a prize), a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey-style game called pin the wig on the Trump, and specials such as $4 Cabrito tequila cocktails and $6 "Life After Bern" Fresno chili poppers. 2701 S. Eleanor St., 312-724-8811, www.theduckinnchicago.com
Emporium Wicker Park Emporium is teaming up with 24 local breweries, including Solemn Oath, Half Acre and 18th Street Brewery, to throw what the arcade bar is calling Election Day Party: A Smoke Filled Room. Anyone who brings a voting receipt or "I Voted!" wristband will receive a cold can of Solemn Oath brew on the house. Fernet Branca shots will be $3 all evening. And, of course, the bar will broadcast the election results on TV. Starts at 6 p.m. 1366 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-697-7922, www.emporiumchicago.com
Fountainhead The Ravenswood spot wants you to cast another vote, this one to see which beer from Alarmist Brewing will remain on tap throughout the month. Which means, of course, you'll have to try all four to vote objectively: Candidates are the "Phobophobia" Belgian Ale, "Entrenched" IPA, "Pantsless" Pale Ale and "Impulsion" Oatmeal Stout. As for the results of the real election, the bar will have them on TV. 6 p.m. to midnight. 1970 W. Montrose Ave., 773-697-8204, www.fountainheadchicago.com
Green Street Local This neighborhood bar in the West Loop has TVs everywhere you look, all of which will be playing the election results with sound. Theyve also got you covered with 40-ounce cocktails: the bright red The Republican (Honey Wild Turkey, lemonade, grenadine; $9 Mason jar, $27 fishbowl) and the bright blue The Democrat (Absolut citron, blue curacao, lemonade, simple syrup; $12 Mason jar, $35 fishbowl). 130 S. Green St., 312-226-6565, www.greenstreetlocal.com
Headquarters Beercade Watch the election results, and play with Legos at this beer arcade in River North. The Trumped Up cocktail (jalapeno-infused tequila, simple syrup, lime, chili-lime salt rim; $12) comes surrounded by a wall of Legos, which guests are encouraged to deconstruct. There's also a Hillary Clinton-themed cocktail called You've Got Mail (brandy, cherry and orange syrup, bitters; $12) that comes wrapped with a "Classified" seal. 213 W. Institute Place, 312-291-8735, www.hqbeercade.com/rivernorth
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Henry's The election party at this River North bar comes with $5 Tallboys, $5 well drinks, and games surrounding the results pouring in, which will be playing on the bar's big screen. 18 W. Hubbard St., 312-955-8018, www.henrys-chicago.com
Kick Tune into the election with burger in hand at this North Center restaurant, which offers its wagyu beef burgers (can sub chicken breast or veggie patty) for half-price 6-10 p.m. From 4-6 p.m., the appetizer menu is half-priced, and draft beer and tap wines are just $5 and $7 a glass, respectively. 1943 W. Byron St., 773-236-8886, www.kickuptheheat.com
Morton's The Steakhouse If you're looking for something relaxed, all locations of this classic Chicago steakhouse will screen election coverage on the TVs in the bar. Multiple locations, If you're looking for something relaxed, all locations of this classic Chicago steakhouse will screen election coverage on the TVs in the bar. Multiple locations, www.mortons.com
Remedy Bar Watch election coverage to the tune of $2 and $3 select beers all night. Plus, a 4-7 p.m. happy hour offers 50 percent off the entire menu. 1910 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-698-7715, Watch election coverage to the tune of $2 and $3 select beers all night. Plus, a 4-7 p.m. happy hour offers 50 percent off the entire menu. 1910 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-698-7715, www.remedybarchicago.com
The Rookery Bring your voters receipt for a $5 beer/shot combo of Chinga Tu Pelo beer and Old Overholt, then settle in to watch the election results on TV. 2109 W. Chicago Ave., 773-772-0406, www.therookerychicago.com
Rush Bar Head to the lobby bar of the Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile for live election coverage on three large flatscreens and two themed cocktails (offered noon to close; each $12): the Ruby Red with elderflower liqueur, vodka, grapefruit and cranberry; and the True Blue with vodka, blue curacao and a ginger beer float. 540 N. Michigan Ave., 312-836-0100, Head to the lobby bar of the Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile for live election coverage on three large flatscreens and two themed cocktails (offered noon to close; each $12): the Ruby Red with elderflower liqueur, vodka, grapefruit and cranberry; and the True Blue with vodka, blue curacao and a ginger beer float. 540 N. Michigan Ave., 312-836-0100, www.marriott.com
Sidetrack Video Bar For a decidedly partisan party, head over to Sidetrack, where Chicagos LGBTQ community will root for Hillary Clinton. The election results will roll in on Sidetracks big screen, and there will be plenty of cocktails available. 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. 3349 N. Halsted St., 773-477-9189, www.sidetrackchicago.com
SPiN At the pingpong club's lighthearted Paddle a Politician party, guests get a free round of pingpong, and anyone who can show a voters receipt or I Voted! wristband will be entered in a raffle to win special-edition Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump pingpong paddles. Enjoy a supercut of "Saturday Night Lives" best president-related sketches on the many TVs; the election will be shown as well. 6-11 p.m. 344 N. State St., 773-635-9999, www.chicago.wearespin.com
Taco Joint A dinein viewing party offers two margaritas with chips, salsa and guacamole for just $20.16. (Or, get six tacos and chips and salsa for takeout or delivery if you'd rather stay home.) 158 W. Ontario St., 312-337-8226; 1969 N. Halsted St., 312-951-2457, A dinein viewing party offers two margaritas with chips, salsa and guacamole for just $20.16. (Or, get six tacos and chips and salsa for takeout or delivery if you'd rather stay home.) 158 W. Ontario St., 312-337-8226; 1969 N. Halsted St., 312-951-2457, www.tacojoint.com
Thalia Hall If you dont want to wait until Tuesday to enjoy an election party, head to Thalia Hall on Monday for a pre-election bash with live DJ sets from Samantha Ronson and Sandra Suave, as well as a pair of celebrity hosts: Chicago Fires Monica Raymund & Chicago P.D's Sophia Bush. To liven things up even more, The Fly Honeys will perform a burlesque series aimed at promoting self-love and gender equality. Early birds can get the party started with $3 cocktails 7-8 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Project Vote organization. $25; $35 seated balcony. 7 p.m. to midnight Monday, Nov. 7, at 1807 S. Allport St., 312-526-3851, www.thaliahallchicago.com
Timothy O'Toole's A whopping 74 TV screens will show election coverage, followed by karaoke at 10:30 p.m. Drink specials include $4.50 select beer and $5.50 well vodka drinks. 622 N. Fairbanks Court, 312-642-0700, A whopping 74 TV screens will show election coverage, followed by karaoke at 10:30 p.m. Drink specials include $4.50 select beer and $5.50 well vodka drinks. 622 N. Fairbanks Court, 312-642-0700, www.timothyotooles.com
Tuscany Restaurant The Oak Brook, Wheeling and Taylor Street locations are showing election coverage on the TVs in the bar, with two themed cocktails for the evening. Each just $5, The Donald is a red martini made with vodka, butterscotch and apple Schnapps and cranberry juice, while The Hillary is a blue martini with citrus vodka, blue curacao, cranberry juice and lime, served in a sugar-rimmed glass. 1415 W. 22nd St., Oak Brook, 630-990-1993; 550 S. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling, 847-465-9988; 1014 W. Taylor St., 312-829-1990, The Oak Brook, Wheeling and Taylor Street locations are showing election coverage on the TVs in the bar, with two themed cocktails for the evening. Each just $5, The Donald is a red martini made with vodka, butterscotch and apple Schnapps and cranberry juice, while The Hillary is a blue martini with citrus vodka, blue curacao, cranberry juice and lime, served in a sugar-rimmed glass. 1415 W. 22nd St., Oak Brook, 630-990-1993; 550 S. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling, 847-465-9988; 1014 W. Taylor St., 312-829-1990, www.tuscanychicago.com
Wise Owl Drinkery & Cookhouse The Wise Owl offers another no-frills election party option, with an open invitation to come and watch the results on the restuarants 150-inch projector screen. There will be drink and food specials for all, and a raffle for anyone who brings his or her business card. 7 p.m. to midnight. 324 S. Racine Ave., 312-374-8915, www.wiseowlchicago.com
VOTER SPECIALS
aliveONE Enjoy $2 beers when you show an "I Voted" wristband. A happy hour 5-7 p.m. features half-off everything on the menu. 2683 N. Halsted St., 773-348-9800, www.aliveone.com
Chop Shop From 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., get $3 Malort shots when you show that you voted. From 5 to 10 p.m., "red and blue" dinner specials include a blue cheese burger, fries and PBR for $15 and chicken Parmesan in a spicy red sauce with pasta and a PBR, also $15. 2033 W. North Ave., From 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., get $3 Malort shots when you show that you voted. From 5 to 10 p.m., "red and blue" dinner specials include a blue cheese burger, fries and PBR for $15 and chicken Parmesan in a spicy red sauce with pasta and a PBR, also $15. 2033 W. North Ave., www.chopshopchi.com
Dusek's Board & Beer Receive a complimentary 5 Rabbit Chinga Tu Pelo beer with any entree purchase, as long as supplies last. 1227 W. 18th St., 312-526-3851, www.dusekschicago.com
Kanela Breakfast Club Receive 10 percent off your bill when you show your "I Voted" wristband. Dine-in only. Multiple locations, www.kanelabreakfastclub.com
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LYFE Kitchen Get a free cup of coffee by showing your "I Voted" sticker or wristband. Multiple locations, www.lyfekitchen.com
Nandos Peri-Peri You've picked a side on your ballot; now, pick a side at Nandos Peri-Peri, which will give away one free side dish to anyone wearing a sticker on Election Day. (To err on the side of caution concerning voter incentive laws, they'll accept any type of sticker.) The Portuguese restaurant offers flame-grilled corn on the cob, macho peas (peas with mint and chili), fries and Portuguese rice among their side options, and the deal will be available at all Nandos locations. Multiple locations, www.nandosperiperi.com
Presidio Take advantage of the bar's Tuesday night special: a cheeseburger, Anchor Steam beer and shot of fernet for just $15. 1749 N. Damen Ave., 773-697-3315, Take advantage of the bar's Tuesday night special: a cheeseburger, Anchor Steam beer and shot of fernet for just $15. 1749 N. Damen Ave., 773-697-3315, www.presidiochicago.com
Roberts Pizza Company Vote for Roberts for dinner on Election Day. The River North pizza spot will take 20 percent off your pie if you flash a voter receipt or I Voted! wristband. 355 E. Ohio St., 312-222-0905, www.robertspizzacompany.com
Saint Lou's Assembly Get the same deal as at Dusek's: show up and receive a complimentary 5 Rabbit Chinga Tu Pelo beer with any entree purchase, while they last. 664 W. Lake St., 312-600-0600, Get the same deal as at Dusek's: show up and receive a complimentary 5 Rabbit Chinga Tu Pelo beer with any entree purchase, while they last. 664 W. Lake St., 312-600-0600, www.saintlouschicago.com
Sprinkles Cupcakes Throwing an election party of your own? Make it a little sweeter with Sprinkles' Vanillary or Trumpkin cupcakes, decorated with a sugar donkey or elephant. 50 E. Walton St., 312-573-1600, Throwing an election party of your own? Make it a little sweeter with Sprinkles' Vanillary or Trumpkin cupcakes, decorated with a sugar donkey or elephant. 50 E. Walton St., 312-573-1600, www.sprinkles.com
sweetFrog Frozen Yogurt Kids get the chance to vote at this frozen yogurt shop, which will line its counter with ballot boxes corresponding to different flavors and toppings. Taste them all, decide and leave with an "I Voted" sticker. Were excited to show young customers that its fun to vote," says sweetFrog CFO Matt Smith. 9645 W. Lincoln-Way Lane, Suite 109, Frankfort, 815-277-2269, www.sweetfrog.com
Tallboy Taco It's not a truck, but you can get your taco fix at Tallboy, which will give a free taco to anyone who purchases a regular menu item and shows an I Voted! wristband. Tallboys eight taco options include 12-hour smoked brisket, beer-battered fish and chicken tinga. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. inside Nacional 27, 325 W. Huron St., 312-488-4917, www.tallboytaco.com
adlukach@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @lucheezy
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 24 Pick the macarons up at Bennisons first thing in the morning, when the trays are still full, as a treat for your office mates. Give one a slight pinch, and the airy crust will shatter, yielding to a chewy burst of flavor. Our favorite flavors are the salted caramel for its dusky brown sugar quality and the vanilla for its light and bright lift. But its fun to mix and match. The jammy strawberry and the raspberry macarons beg for partners: strawberry with chocolate, rich with cocoa notes; raspberry with sweet lemon. Warn your podmates to pace themselves: This is a sugar rush. $1.85 each. 1000 Davis St., Evanston, 847-328-9434, bennisonscakes.com Jennifer Day (Jennifer Day/Chicago Tribune)
Nearly 100 restaurants and catering companies competed over the weekend at Chicago's third annual Mac & Cheese Fest, a celebration of all things cheese and noodles at UIC Forum.
About 4,000 people attended this year's fest, where they sampled as much macaroni and cheese as their stomachs allowed and ultimately voted on who should win the grand prize, a gold-plated noodle-shaped trophy dubbed the Golden Noodle. The fest was divided into two sessions lunch and dinner with a Golden Noodle awarded at each. (If you went to both, you could have gorged on more than 11 pounds of food.)
And the winners are: Rosebud Restaurants, where chefs Fabio Capparelli and Andrew Sikkelerus made arancini from macaroni, cheese, carbonara, bacon and peas; and catering company Amazing Edibles, which served chef Alexi Mandolini's macaroni and Asiago cheese with crispy fried Brussels sprouts, mini potato chips and a chipotle-honey drizzle.
The winners for most creative mac and cheese were Carnivale with its mini mac and cheese ice cream cones (Brunkow aged cheddar ice cream, semolina waffle cone and ancho chili breadcrumbs), and Il Tavolino, which served its Bad to the Bone marrow mac and cheese on an actual slice of bone.
Event owners and producers Cece Gonzales Kemnitzer, Melinda Joseph and Ozzie Gromada Meza will donate $10,000 of proceeds this year to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. They've donated $35,000 to date through the event.
Regretting that you missed out? A trio of the winning fried pasta balls from Rosebud will be available at the groups Steakhouse and Prime restaurants throughout November for $10, and at least a dozen other restaurants will serve their entries for a limited time, reports RedEye.
See below for a complete list of the 2016 Mac & Cheese Fest winners:
Lunch session
Golden Noodle: Rosebud Restaurants
1st runner-up: Blackwood BBQ
2nd runner-up: Real Urban Barbecue
Most creative: Carnivale
Best presentation: NiX
Dinner session
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Golden Noodle: Amazing Edibles
1st runner-up: Filini
2nd runner-up: Harvest Room
Most creative: Il Tavolino
Best presentation: 720 South Bar & Grill
lchu@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @louisachu
Around this time of year, a few years ago, I had my first pet-nat, out of a jam jar on a New York fire escape, talking with a friend about the kinds of stuff jaded 20-somethings talk about while sipping wine. The bottle we were sharing is lost to time, but I remember thinking in the moment, "Why can't more wine be like this?" Low-key, noncerebral, immediately pleasurable.
Short for petillant naturel French for, simply, "natural sparkling" pet-nat has been in the glasses of cool-kid sommeliers in New York and San Francisco for a few years now, and for good reason. Easy-drinking (the word "chuggable" comes to mind), the fresh and fizzy drink is the exact thing you want during a barbecue, a dinner party with friends or, better yet, an existential episode on a fire escape.
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Pet-nat has often been described as Champagne's bubbly cousin but, depending on whom you ask, it predates the Champagne method of creating sparkling wine. Made in the methode ancestrale, "pet-nat" describes bottling partially fermented wine (red, white or rose) before the fermentation is completed, which creates softer, smaller bubbles. A telltale sign for most pet-nats: no cork, but instead, the same crown cap you find on beer bottles. Compare this with Champagne-style wines, which go through a secondary fermentation in the bottle after sugar is added, yielding a crisper bubble and fuller body.
If Zooey Deschanel were a wine, she'd be pet-nat: quirky, funky, approachable, fruity. It is the manic pixie dream girl of the wine scene, unpredictable and sometimes weird but always a delight. And now, I've found a pet-nat in Chicago to make new memories with: The bottle from small producer Le Sot de L'Ange ($27) is available at Pastoral. It's from France's Loire valley, arguably pet-nat's spiritual home, even as the style explodes among stateside winemakers. Crafted by rising star winemaker Quentin Bourse, this bottle is a blend of gamay, cot (the French word for malbec) and grolleau, from Bourse's biodynamic vineyards in Azay-le-Rideau, in the greater Touraine region.
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While pet-nat is typically cloudy thanks to yeast deposits left over from fermentation, adding a rustic quality and weighty texture Le Sot de L'Ange is a vivid cranberry red, clear as crystal. Crack open the bottle, and out waft aromas of morning buns filled with jam, right before going into the oven, a lift of yeastiness mingling with bright, late-season berries.
Don't expect the light pearl necklace of Champagne bubbles in fact, don't drink this in a flute. Pet-nat's effervescence is more akin to that of saison, the farmer ale style of beers with a fine layer of mousselike fizz. So it goes here, complete with a squeeze of grapefruit zest and bergamot, with a slight tingle of sugar on the finish bitter and sweet, like the passing of time.
Nonvintage Le Sot de L'Ange Pet-Nat is available at Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread and Wine, 53 E. Lake St., 312-658-1250, www.pastoralartisan.com
jbhernandez@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @joeybear85
Possibly in 2018, the Chicago Humanities Festival session on the past, present and future of the freshly minted Pullman National Monument could actually happen in a Pullman Historic District structure.
That's when partial restoration of the district's central clock tower building should be ready so that it can begin hosting visitors, said Lynn McClure, regional director of the National Parks Conservation Association.
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Full restoration of the building, the only part of the historic Pullman site actually owned by the National Park Service, is expected the following year. It will become the official visitor center.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 65 Officials attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the visitor center and factory grounds at Pullman National Monument and State Historic Site on Labor Day in Chicago, Sept. 6, 2021. The Pullman National Monument was established by President Barack Obama in 2015 to preserve and interpret the historic model industrial community that played a pivotal role in the history of the American labor movement. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
But because McClure was speaking on a Sunday morning in 2016, she and her panelists and audience members met at a theater on South Michigan Avenue.
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What was outlined was an ambitious vision for Pullman. President Obama designated it a National Monument in February 2015, the culmination of years of work by preservationists, historians and especially community members.
Already, things are happening for Pullman that can turn it from a half-day destination to a full day and even possibly a two- or three-day visit, said Chicago architect Richard Wilson, who helped lead Positioning Pullman, an ideas workshop for the monument convened by the Driehaus Foundation in the spring of 2015 (the workshop's "ideas book" is at www.positioningpullman.org).
There's a new Metra station. The nearby Big Marsh Bike Park officially opened Sunday, and "the first superintendent of the Pullman National Monument started this week," McClure said. Bus lines have been extended to better serve Pullman, and the extension of the Red Line will bring even more public transit service, said panelist Mark Bouman, who guides Chicago conservation and cultural heritage work at the Field Museum.
To be sure, there are plenty of challenges, too, beginning with trying to fit a destination for perhaps 300,000 annual visitors into an existing neighborhood. Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park near San Francisco and Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts were mentioned as having some elements in common.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 12 Children walk home after classes at Pullman Elementary School on Jan. 14, 2016, in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood, which has been declared a national monument by President Barack Obama. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
The cash-strapped state of Illinois owns the partly restored Florence Hotel on the site, and there are hopes that it can become a boutique hotel, said Wilson. But again: Illinois owns the Florence.
Also, the model factory town built by rail car magnate George Pullman beginning in 1880 was significant for many reasons: as a demonstration of effective urban planning, as an early harbinger of suburbanization, as a significant site in industrial and labor history and in the 20th century American battle to maintain, rather than tear down, such spots.
But possibly its greatest American resonance comes from the association with the Pullman railroad car porters, the largest group of African-American workers in the U.S. in the early 20th century, the first to be recognized as a union and a kick-starter for the Great Migration and the civil rights movement.
The A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum is in the Pullman district, but Randolph's work organizing and guiding the union was done largely out of Harlem, in New York City, McClure said, which presents challenges to the Chicago site.
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"An opportunity we need to work on is elevating that Pullman Porter story," Wilson said, calling it "this amazing African-American heritage story."
One thing has been constant in the recent Pullman work. There is no shortage of willing helpers. When planning the Positioning Pullman conference, "everyone we called instantly, without hesitation, agreed to participate," Wilson said.
sajohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @StevenKJohnson
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
In the 2001 remake of "Ocean's Eleven," Danny Ocean, the charismatic caper kingpin, rallies a group of the finest swindlers anywhere and tells them his plan of robbing the top casinos in Vegas. "Smash-and-grab job, huh?" says Matt Damon as the pickpocket Linus Caldwell. Ocean's partner Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) responds: "It's a little more complicated than that."
Well, yeah. A lot more complicated. And a lot more fun, but you wouldn't necessarily know it from the sleepy event "From the Heist to the Long Con," held in the School of the Art Institute's ballroom Sunday afternoon. The Dilettantes, an experimental arts collective, unpacked the American mythos behind the perfect heist and the genius planning required to pull off the long con. The group is working on a full-length immersive experience that will debut in spring.
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The multimedia presentation was led by Karen Shimmin and Rebecca Stevens, members of The Dilettantes. The goal of the spring production will be to "see if we can get the audience to feel like they are pulling off a heist," said Stevens. It's a feeling the group thinks most American audiences will welcome. Ideas of exceptionalism, manifest destiny and overnight wealth are as American as anything. And if there's no actual chance of going to jail? Sounds like an easy sell.
The lecture covering the history of the heist in popular culture began with the James-Younger gang, a group of notorious robbers based in Missouri who came together in the late 1860s, and covered the 1930s rise in bank robberies with John Dillinger and Bonnie and Clyde. When advances in technology slowed the narrative of the celebrity con artist, cinema kept it going. After the Hays Code (or Motion Picture Production Code, discouraging depiction of crime in movies) ran its course, the criminal could be celebrated. And editing techniques utilizing parallel action could manipulate an audience into feeling the stakes of a heist.
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The presentation included clips from the 1999 film "The Thomas Crown Affair"; Jules Dassin's "Rififi," a French film that Stevens called "the first real heist movie"; and "Ocean's Eleven."
In one of the more exciting moments, Stevens and Shimmin asked audience members to draw a Q on their foreheads. Those who flipped the letter as if they were drawing it for someone else were more willing to manipulate reality, said the group. Perhaps they would fare better at whatever this immersive experience may be.
The lecture transitioned into a "criminal recruitment fair," lead by the fictional PHYLA, a corporation dedicated to "enduring commitment to every part of the heist, from the initial target to the final disbursement."
Audience members could visit nine stations to discover where they might fit into a world of crime. One stop offered power posing and verbal affirmations, at another was locked boxes. One booth had a Criminal Strength Finder quiz and at another a meditation that was supposed to open our eyes to things we could steal. But the crime fair felt less like pulling off a heist than a drama club class project. Most in the Chicago Humanities Festival audience seemed to stop at a few before heading out to Michigan Avenue what you could perhaps call the immersive world of pickpockets.
mgreene@chicagotribune.com
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Months after a fractious primary season, California Democratic and independent voters have come home to Hillary Clinton, sharply boosting her popularity and giving her a commanding lead in the nation's most populous state, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll.
In late May, just before the state's primary, half of California voters had an unfavorable impression of Clinton, while 47% viewed her favorably. Today, thanks to consolidation of support among Democrats and substantially improved standing with independents Clinton is viewed favorably by 56% of California voters, while 42% hold an unfavorable view.
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Clinton's improved popularity is particularly notable among groups that heavily supported Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in the primary young voters and those who are not registered as party members.
Two-way race 54% 30% 4 3 10 Hillary Clinton, Democrat Donald Trump, Republican Other Gary Johnson, Libertarian Jill Stein, Green Four-way race 33% 9% 58% How California views the race Q: If the 2016 presidential election were held today among the following candidates, for whom would you vote? Source: USC Dornsife/L.A. Times poll @latimesgraphics
In May, voters registered without a party preference were evenly split in their view of Clinton, 49% viewing her favorably and 49% holding unfavorable views. Now, 60% of unaffiliated likely voters hold favorable views of Clinton, while 38% say they see her unfavorably.
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Among voters younger than 30, two-thirds now have a favorable view of Clinton, up from just four in 10 on the eve of the primary.
"There's a big improvement since May," said Anna Greenberg, of the Democratic polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, which conducted the survey for The Times and USC along with the Republican firm American Viewpoint.
The unified Democratic support and improved popularity among independent voters have positioned Clinton for a strong showing on Nov. 8. She is supported by 54% of likely voters, the poll found, compared with 30% backing Donald Trump.
Gary Johnson, the Libertarian party nominee, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein are backed by 4% and 3% of likely voters, respectively.
Asked who they would support if they had to choose between the two major-party nominees, 58% of likely voters said Clinton and 32% said Trump. The figures among all registered voters were almost identical to the likely voters.
The numbers indicate Clinton is on track to roughly match the level of support President Obama received in the state in his reelection four years ago, when he took just over 60% of the vote.
Trump, by contrast, may fall below the level achieved by Mitt Romney, the GOP nominee in 2012, who took 37% of the state's vote. The poll found notable weaknesses for Trump among some groups that typically vote Republican, especially married women.
The survey of 1,500 registered voters, including 1,365 considered likely to vote, was conducted by telephone, including landlines and cellphones, in English and Spanish from Oct. 22-30. The results for the likely voter sample have a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points in either direction.
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Clinton has always been the prohibitive favorite in reliably blue California, but the grinding Democratic primary battle against Sanders had damaged her standing in the spring.
Ivan Pineda, a 19 year-old student from Santa Ana, was among those who said they had warmed to Clinton since then.
In the spring, Pineda preferred Sanders and his campaign pledge for free tuition at public colleges and universities. Once Clinton clinched the Democratic nomination, however, Pineda had no doubt how he'd cast his vote.
"I've always been on board with the Democratic party," Pineda said.
Heather Lewis, a 32 year-old from Alameda County, said she had briefly considered voting for a third-party candidate after the defeat of Sanders, her choice in the primary.
But, she concluded, "if I were to vote for a third party candidate in this election, I would be voting for Trump, basically. That wasn't really an option for me."
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In addition to her own higher popularity, Clinton was also buoyed by Californians' high regard for President Obama, who notched a 64% approval rating among likely voters, the highest level that the poll has recorded since it started in 2010.
Clinton has positioned herself as an extension of Obama's presidency, and Obama on the campaign trail has portrayed his former rival as crucial to upholding his legacy.
The improved popularity has not wiped away all doubts about Clinton, of course. Asked to pick two items that were concerns about her, one in three voters in the state said they were worried she wasn't honest and trustworthy. About three in 10 said they were concerned she had been involved in scandals, and about one in four worried that she was too close to Wall Street.
Predictably, a partisan split colored those views. Republicans were most likely to say that they were concerned about honesty and scandals related to Clinton. Democrats were more likely to cite Wall Street ties.
Asked what concerned them about Trump, about three in 10 voters cited his temperament, another three in 10 cited his lack of experience, one quarter mentioned his style of demeaning people and just under one quarter picked his comments about women and allegations that he had committed sexual assaults.
Clinton leads Trump among most demographic groups in the state, including among white men, a group he dominates in most other parts of the country. In California, white male likely voters sided with Clinton over Trump 48% to 35%, the poll found.
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The only major group among whom Trump led was white Californians without a college degree, 44% of whom backed the GOP nominee compared with 39% for Clinton.
Trump remains broadly unpopular with key slices of the electorate, notably Latinos. Among Latino likely voters, 81% viewed him unfavorably, and only 16% said they planned to vote for him.
Among married women, just over half were backing Clinton, and only about one-third planned to vote for Trump.
[ The ballot box guide to California's propositions ]
Mike Madrid, a GOP strategist who was a consultant on the poll, said national Republicans should heed the warnings of California's gender and racial divisions.
"California is a more pronounced example of what's happening demographically in the country," Madrid said.
Republicans are trapping themselves in a "demographic death spiral" by alienating such large swaths of the electorate and relying solely on a shrinking number of white voters, he said.
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Clinton favorability Up overall and among independent voters Surged among young and less affluent voters 49% 47% 60% 56% All voters Nonpartisan voters May 31 Oct. 30 69% 54% 49% 41% 67% 63% Earn less than $50,000 per year Ages 18-29 Young women Source: USC Dornsife/L.A. Times poll @latimesgraphics
Greenberg, however, said it remains unclear if the Republican disadvantage among married women was specific to Trump or indicative of a larger, longer-lasting political shift.
"It's Trump's views and behavior" that women voters have reacted to, she said. "I don't know if that extends beyond this election cycle."
The poll also found ominous cracks within the GOP, particularly between those who align with Trump and those who side with party leaders such as House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.
Among those voters with a favorable opinion of Trump, only 46% viewed Ryan favorably, while 38% had an unfavorable view of him, the poll found.
Of those who viewed Ryan favorably, only 47% planned to vote for Trump.
"This splintering of the Republican party isn't doing either side any good," said Randall Gutermuth of American Viewpoint.
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Colleen Fitzpatrick, a registered Republican from Sacramento, predicted difficult times ahead for her party, regardless of the election outcome.
"The party is going to get split, there's a big divide," she said. "I don't think the party is going to come back together. They may be coming back together to vote him in...but I think we'll end up with a third party."
Fitzpatrick, a 62 year-old retired police officer, was leaning toward voting for Trump, but she still had doubts about his ability to work with Congress.
"I don't think he realizes he's not going to be able to run this country like a business," she said. "He can't go in and say 'you're fired.'"
Barbara Manos, 65, a cosmetics saleswoman and ballet teacher from Contra Costa county, also predicted a GOP split. She said she aligns more with Trump than with the traditional party establishment.
"Possibly if Trump were more politically involved, he might have been able to pull the party together...[but] there are too many career politicians still in there that are going to be contentious," she said.
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For all the operatic turns in this presidential race, most Californians developed opinions on the candidates long ago. Among the likely voters who oppose Trump, 77% said they had been against him from the beginning. An even higher share of voters opposed to Clinton, 86%, said they felt that way from the start.
Times staff writer David Lauter in Washington contributed to this report.
melanie.mason@latimes.com
Follow @melmason for the latest on national politics.
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Dead folks don't have to be from Chicago to vote, at least not according to a downstate prosecutor who has slapped felony election fraud charges on an 88-year-old election judge who allegedly voted on behalf of her recently deceased husband.
Audrey R. Cook a Republican election judge in Alton, near St. Louis is accused of attempting to cast an absentee ballot on behalf of her late husband, Vic. She's been removed from her election judging position and is facing two felony counts.
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"I voted for him, yes, but you should probably call my lawyer if you have any other questions," the grieving widow told Chicago Inc.
On Friday she told the Belleville News-Democrat that she didn't see how she'd done anything wrong and that she saw no reason to hire a lawyer.
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"My husband was very sick, and we applied for absentee ballots for both of us," she told the News-Democrat on Friday. "We got them a couple of days after he died, and I knew how he wanted to vote."
The couple had been married for 66 years, the paper said.
Madison County State's Attorney Tom Gibbons said in an emailed statement, "While my heart goes out to this woman for her loss, we must protect the electoral process from any possible fraud."
kjanssen@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @kimjnews
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is spending $1 million to support Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's proposed penny-an-ounce tax on sodas. (Drew Angerer / EPA)
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg may have been dashed in his bid to put an end to supersized sugary sodas in his hometown.
But now that he's out of office, he's shelling out $1 million to support Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's proposed penny-an-ounce tax on sodas.
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A campaign of TV and online ads paid for by Bloomberg aims to counter the heavy ad spending of the soda industry and urges voters to "spend a penny and get back change."
The TV ads feature images of children and suggests the money generated by the tax could be used to fund anti-violence initiatives.
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Preckwinkle says the tax is necessary to plug a budget gap but also will have positive health benefits as it discourages the public from consuming sugary drinks, a cause close to Bloomberg's heart.
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Though his New York ban on giant sodas was struck down by the courts, Bloomberg has helped fund successful campaigns to introduce soda taxes in Philadelphia and in Berkeley, Calif., and is bankrolling similar efforts in Oakland and San Francisco.
The American Beverage Association, the industry trade group representing soda giants including PepsiCo, Coca Cola and Red Bull, spent almost $600,000 for cable ads running in the Chicago market from Oct. 22 to Nov. 20, a figure that doesn't include ad buys on local broadcast channels.
Bloomberg adviser Howard Wolfson said Bloomberg put the ads out under his own name, rather than using the more common device of a political action committee, because "we don't need to operate under a cloak."
Both he and Preckwinkle spokesman Frank Shuftan said there had been no coordination between Bloomberg and Preckwinkle's office, beyond a courtesy call to let Preckwinkle know that the ads would be running. Bloomberg has previously gotten involved in Illinois politics to support U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, whose gun-control platform he supported.
Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the tax Thursday.
kjanssen@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @kimjnews
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.
Debris dug up on the east side of Lake Shore Drive during the ongoing I-55/Lake Shore Drive ramp reconstruction project is from the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, according to Illinois Department of Transportation officials. (IDOT)
How big and far-reaching were road construction projects this year?
So big that workers on the Lake Shore Drive ramp project turned up what officials say is charred debris from the Chicago Fire.
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The Illinois Department of Transportation is in the final stages of a two-year, $134 million reconstruction of ramps connecting I-55 and Lake Shore Drive, one of several major hard-hat tangles challenging the patience of Chicago-area drivers this year. Some of the projects, like the widening of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, are expected to wrap up in December.
Workers drilling holes for new pillars on the east side of Lake Shore Drive this year and last year turned up bricks, wooden timbers and ash from the conflagration that destroyed most of the city in October 1871, said Anthony Quigley, IDOT project implementation engineer.
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Workers also found a concrete stairway, of unknown age and origin, said IDOT resident engineer Eric Ray.
Asked whether he thought the finds were interesting, Ray said they were "annoying."
"It slows down the work. We look at it and we say, 'Oh, cool,' and then we say, 'Oh, crap,'" Ray said.
Work was slowed down to change methods and equipment to deal with the debris, said IDOT spokeswoman Gianna Urgo. No historical preservationists needed to be called in, as fire debris was commonly used as landfill along the lake, Urgo said. It's how Grant Park was made.
Besides the fire fragments, the I-55 reconstruction has another unusual feature a temporary bridge, which connects a new section of an inbound ramp from I-55 to Lake Shore Drive to an older section. Rarely used by the Illinois Department of Transportation, a temporary bridge was necessary because of the unusual nature of the ramp project, Quigley said.
IDOT needed to tear down four old ramp structures and put up four new ones for carrying six lanes of traffic.
Ordinarily, IDOT would have torn down an old bridge to make way for the building of a new one, but IDOT did not want to cut off the flow of traffic, as 123,000 vehicles use the ramps daily to leave or enter the city, Quigley said.
Space is tight, so IDOT couldn't build a whole new inbound bridge while still using the old bridge. The area is bounded by Lake Michigan to the east, McCormick Place to the north, more buildings to the west and has Metra and Canadian National Railway tracks flowing underneath, Quigley explained.
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"There's not a lot of space and there's not a lot of options," he said. The temporary bridge provides a way to use new and old construction at the same time, linking the new, half-finished bridge with the old, half-demolished bridge to allow traffic to keep flowing while the rest of the new bridge is built, Quigley said.
The temporary bridge is a piece of the old bridge, raised up to connect the new structure with the old, and will be demolished once the new structure is complete.
The I-55/Lake Shore Drive ramps were originally built in the mid-1960s and have seen multiple bridge deck failures, particularly during the harsh winters of 2013 and 2014, which caused potholes that shut down lanes, Quigley said.
The project, started in 2015, should be completed by July 2017, Quigley said. Weather permitting, all traffic should be on new ramps by January while demolition continues on the old ramps.
Progress on other projects
An IDOT project closer to completion is the flyover ramp on the Byrne Interchange connecting the northbound Dan Ryan Expressway to the outbound Eisenhower, Urgo said. That project should be finished by the end of the year.
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Another big, messy job nearing the finish line is the Illinois Tollway's work on the Jane Addams (I-90). Tollway spokesman Dan Rozek said this $2.5 billion project should be wrapped up by the end of December.
The rebuilt and widened tollway will have eight lanes from I-294 to Randall Road. It will include a "flex" lane on the inner shoulder to allow for Pace buses and emergency vehicles.
The tollway will also have SmartRoad technology between Barrington Road and I-294 that uses electronic overhead signs placed every half-mile to provide real-time information to drivers, including traffic incidents, advisory speeds, lane closures and alternate routes, Rozek said. The signs are being installed and tested and should be complete before SmartRoad goes live in spring 2017.
The tollway also expects to have a new lane on the southbound Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355) from 71st Street to just beyond 75th Street by the end of the December.
In Chicago, two projects slowing up North Side traffic have been the Damen/Fullerton/Elston avenues intersection redesign and the removal of the Western Avenue viaduct north of Belmont Avenue.
The Chicago Department of Transportation expects to open up two lanes and new protected bike lanes on Elston, and open up Fullerton and Damen to two lanes in each direction by mid-December, said spokesman Mike Claffey.
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This $23.5 million project was intended to eliminate the traffic snarl at the six-corner intersection by realigning Elston to cross Damen north of the old intersection, and then curving around to cross Fullerton Avenue about a block east.
Elston south of Fullerton will remain one lane in each direction over the winter. Work is scheduled to be "substantially completed" on the entire project by July 2017, Claffey said.
Work on the $25.7 million project to eliminate the old Western Avenue viaduct over Belmont and replace it with a five-way intersection at Western, Belmont and Clybourn Avenue will continue throughout the winter. Claffey said. One lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained along Belmont and Clybourn, and left turns are restricted along Western at Belmont and along Belmont at Western, Claffey said.
That project is expected to be complete by summer 2017.
Work on the Western Avenue bridge over the North Branch of the Chicago River is expected to be complete on Nov. 15, with two lanes of traffic open in each direction.
Lower Wacker Drive will continue to have weekday lane closures until the end of the year to complete Riverwalk work, Claffey said. Sporadic lane closures are expected next year.
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And finally, the Washington-Wabash CTA station is expected to open in the spring, and CDOT is working to get Wabash Avenue between Washington and Madison streets reopened in early 2017, Claffey said. Wabash south of Madison to Monroe Street is expected to reopen on Nov. 23.
Counting cyclists on Milwaukee
Milwaukee Avenue is known as "Hipster Highway" because of its heavy bike traffic.
But how many cyclists really travel Milwaukee? The Chicago Department of Transportation does a monthly rush-hour count for example, Aug. 16 saw 2,220 cyclists on Milwaukee between 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. But bike advocates say more complete figures could help make the case for better bike infrastructure, like more bike lanes.
A possible solution is coming from the private sector early next year. A city ordinance passed last week allows the developer of an apartment building at 1237 N. Milwaukee Ave. to install an "Eco-Totem" bike counter on the sidewalk. The 7.5-foot counter, designed by Chicago graphic designer J. Byrnes, will have a digital display to show how many bikes have passed on the northbound side of the street daily and year-to-date.
The city will receive a live stream of data from the counter, which will inform future decisions about building bike infrastructure, Claffey said.
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Barry Howard, a partner with LG Development Group, said its seven-story apartment building is "not anti-car, but pro-bike." The 60-unit building has just 15 car parking spaces and 60 bike parking spaces. The developer hopes to open the building and install the bike counter by the end of February.
"We support biking and we think it's something the city should have," said Howard, calling the counter a "community amenity." He noted that other U.S. cities like Madison, Wis., and Boulder, Colo., have bike counters, as do major European cities.
The LG project is being built under the transit-oriented development ordinance, which promotes high-density housing with fewer parking spaces near transit.
Having the counter will serve as a "high-visibility reminder" of the thousands of people who bike Milwaukee daily, said Jim Merrell, campaign director for the Active Transportation Alliance, a pro-bike and pedestrian group. That stretch of Milwaukee currently does not have a bike lane.
Rents at the building will be $1,800 to $3,000 a month typical for new-construction transit-oriented development. The building stands kitty-corner to the Polish Triangle park with a fountain dedicated to writer Nelson Algren, known for his gritty depictions of the underclass. In case you needed a little irony with your oatmeal.
Transit customer surveys
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Got a complaint or compliment for CTA or Metra? Now is your chance to tell all.
Metra, the commuter rail service, is putting out a customer survey through emails, social media and on its website, metrarail.com, on Monday. The survey asks commuters to rate their satisfaction with Metra on such aspects as safety, service levels, communications and cleanliness.
The survey, funded through the Regional Transportation Authority, will be available online through mid-December.
There are also two customer surveys of CTA customers, an RTA-led survey launched last week and running through the end of the year, and a separate ridership survey conducted by the CTA begun last summer and ongoing.
Pace is about to launch its triennial customer satisfaction survey, working with the RTA, according to spokeswoman Maggie Daly Skogsbakken.
mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @marywizchicago
Howard Brown Health in Chicago, like other medical centers specializing in LGBT care, is experiencing a shortage of high-dose injectable estrogen given to transgender women. (Chicago Tribune)
After months of working with a doctor on a plan to complete her transition into a woman, Savannah Jo Willis was finally seeing resemblances to her mother's figure, a goal hard-earned through painful shots of estrogen administered at a medical clinic every two weeks.
But today, Willis worries that her emotionally and physically taxing transition may soon come undone, as a nationwide shortage of injectable estrogen caused by an indefinite backlog from the drug manufacturer has left trans women and medical centers specializing in the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community scrambling to keep up with demand.
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"I'm very nervous," said Willis, 24, of Chicago. "This is what keeps us what we want to be in life. This is what we have worked hard for."
As of early September, Chicago-based Howard Brown Health, the Midwest's largest community health center devoted to LGBT health and wellness, has joined similar centers across the country experiencing a shortage of high-dose injectable estrogen given to trans women. Without access to the injections, trans women are choosing from what medical staff see as potentially harmful alternatives, said Kristin Keglovitz-Baker, chief operating officer of Howard Brown Health.
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In some cases, patients are using alternative forms of estrogen, such as patches, pills or lower-dose injections. But those alternatives may not have the same effectiveness for some patients. Other trans women are turning to the black market or expensive wholesale suppliers for the injections, a risky and costly choice, Keglovitz-Baker said.
Meanwhile, the shortage which the center anticipates could continue through January sends a troubling message to trans women, a group that health officials have worked hard to earn trust from in recent years.
"It's such a vulnerable population," Keglovitz-Baker said. "It doesn't create more trust in the medical community."
To achieve female characteristics such as curvy hips, breasts, thinning face and hair growth, trans women may be prescribed estrogen a hormone that stimulates development in those areas.
But the injections, which are typically needed in high dosages of 40 mg for trans women, became scarce this fall. Par Pharmaceutical, one of the companies that manufactures estrogen injections under the name Delestrogen, ceased making its product after one of its suppliers stopped providing a material used in the injections. To begin producing Delestrogen again with material from a new supplier, that supplier must be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said Heather Zoumas-Lubeski, senior director of corporate affairs for Par Pharmaceutical.
While there has been correspondence back and forth between the FDA and Par, Zoumas-Lubeski said she did not have information on when the approval process would be done.
A spokesman from Perrigo, a second company that manufactures an estrogen injection known as Estradiol Valerate, did not return a call seeking comment.
Willis, who found out about the estrogen injection shortage when she last tried to fill her prescription at a Walgreens store, said she and other trans women she knows are beginning to panic about the scarcity.
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Although she didn't enjoy the biweekly injections in her thigh, over the course of a year she had grown accustomed to them and appreciated what they did for her, both physically and mentally, she said.
"This is the thing I've been waiting for a long time, and I just don't want to take it away," she said.
vortiz@chicagotribune.com
For the second weekend in a row, more than 50 people were shot in Chicago as the number of homicides this year rose to more than 50 percent above the same period last year.
More than 660 people have been killed in the city so far this year, according to data compiled by the Tribune. The number of people shot in Chicago this year is more than a thousand above what it was this time last year, from 2,620 to 3,795, according to Tribune data.
From Friday afternoon to late Sunday, 10 people were killed and 41 others were wounded in shootings across Chicago, in addition to a man shot to death by police on Saturday, police said.
Among the wounded was a 78-year-old man who was dragged out of a car in Englewood on Sunday and shot in the head. He was listed in serious condition.
Five people were shot in a single attack in Uptown early Saturday morning, police said. Two men, two women and a 17-year-old boy were shot about 1:35 a.m. in the 4800 block of North Winthrop Avenue. They were all taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in good condition.
Law enforcement sources said none of them provided details of the shooting to investigators.
The most recent fatal shooting was at 2:15 p.m. Sunday in Roseland, where two men ages 19 and 20 were shot. Both were hospitalized in what police initially said was good condition, but the 19-year-old later was pronounced dead. The two were shot in the 11100 block of South Michigan Avenue, the same block where another 19-year-old man was killed last week.
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A member of the Chicago Police Department works the scene of a shooting on the 5700 block of South Calumet Avenue on Nov. 5, 2016. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
In addition to the fatal shootings, a man was stabbed to death in Chatham late Sunday. He was found with stab wounds to the chest after a fight in the 8300 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue and pronounced dead at the scene.
On Saturday, 25-year-old Joshua Beal was shot to death by Chicago police in a chaotic encounter Mount Greenwood.
Police characterized it as a road-rage incident that led to an off-duty Chicago police officer and sergeant firing their weapons. Beal's death was ruled a homicide from multiple gunshot wounds, a technical ruling that does not indicate legal culpability for the death.
CHICAGO Federal prosecutors are asking for a reduced prison term of 5 years for a Bolingbrook man in an Islamic State case, citing his "extensive" cooperation helping to track two recruiters for the militants.
Mohammed Hamzah Khan pleaded guilty last year in a plea deal to attempting to provide material support to terrorists by seeking to travel to IS territory. The 21-year-old faced a maximum 15-year sentence.
A Friday government filing in Chicago says Khan committed to "abandoning" his country and understood IS's "barbaric nature."
But it adds his cooperation is "an important step in turning away" from IS. It also praises him for offering to testify at related trials.
Agents detained Khan with two younger siblings in 2014 at a Chicago airport. They weren't charged.
Sentencing is Nov. 18.
Associated Press
Ameena Matthews, center, and other protesters rally on Nov. 20, 2016, in Chicago's Mount Greenwood neighborhood on the Far Southwest Side following a police-involved shooting earlier in the month. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Schools developed safety plans and Chicago officials appealed for calm Monday after the fatal shooting of a black man by off-duty police in the largely white Mount Greenwood neighborhood led to a racially charged confrontation between protesters and counter-demonstrators over the weekend.
Joshua Beal, 25, of Indianapolis, was shot Saturday in the 3100 block of West 111th Street after a road rage incident escalated into a physical altercation with an off-duty police officer. Relatives say Beal, a father of two, had just left his cousin's funeral at nearby Mount Hope Cemetery and was on his way to visit an uncle at a South Side hospital.
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Beal's killing on a sunny, warm afternoon sparked racial tensions a day later between about 15 protesters against police brutality and hundreds of so-called Blue Lives Matter demonstrators and Mount Greenwood residents who hurled racial-tinged slurs and held up signs including one that read, "You are animals, #gohome."
Asked Monday about the protests, Mayor Rahm Emanuel rebuked what he called hateful rhetoric.
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"There is no place in the city of Chicago for racially, culturally or ethnically tinged language," the mayor said. "It is totally unacceptable. You can have a protest. You can make your views known without it spilling over to anywhere that in any way demonizes anybody for their race, their ethnicity or their culture."
Emanuel said that if people want to express themselves they should "do it in a way that respects our differences rather than drives a wedge between us as one city with one future."
Earlier Monday, social media erupted after it was reported that some Marist High School students had exchanged racist messages on Twitter, including some using the N-word.
Chicago Public Schools spokesman Michael Passman said in a statement Monday that CPS worked with principals to develop safety plans for schools in the area. No incidents were reported, he said. A community member said principals opted to keep children at two neighborhood elementary schools inside during recess.
Also, Monday, 19th Ward Ald. Matt O'Shea sent an email urging residents "not to further burden law enforcement by spreading rumors, engaging in speculation, or using divisive rhetoric."
Members of the Blue Lives Matter movement and the Black Lives Matter movement gathered to protest in Mount Greenwood on Sunday, following the death of Joshua Beal. Beal, a 25-year-old African-American, was shot and killed in Mount Greenwood on Nov. 5, in an incident involving off-duty Chicago police officers. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune) (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)
More protests were likely in the area in the coming days, O'Shea said, and engaging "in any type of dispute with protesters will only fuel conflict and make it more difficult for the police to maintain peace."
The incident unfolded in a neighborhood long known as an enclave of Chicago police, firefighters and other city workers. According to the most recent U.S. Census statistics, Mount Greenwood is 5 percent black.
Beal and other family members riding in multiple cars were stopped in traffic when an off-duty firefighter informed one of them that they were blocking a fire lane, according to police. An argument turned into a melee that an off-duty police officer became involved in when he happened upon the incident while on his way to work.
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Two brief cellphone videos of the incident, filmed by witness Britnie Nelson, 32, of Hickory Hills, and obtained by the Tribune, show the last moments of the chaotic confrontation before shots were fired.
The videos depict a man dressed in a red T-shirt and jeans identified by law enforcement sources as an off-duty officer pointing a handgun with his right hand and yelling, "F---ing police! Get the f--- back!" The man later ordered several people to get on the ground, then after they did not comply, he tucked the weapon into the waistband of his jeans.
One person could be heard yelling, "He tried to run her off the road!" As a camera continued to pan back and forth, another man identified by a Chicago police spokesman as Beal is shown briefly pointing a handgun, then lowering it.
In the second video, the camera is pointed at the ground, but screams followed by volleys of gunshots can be heard. After the gunfire, people in the area, including Nelson, abandoned their vehicles and ran away from the scene.
"Oh, my God!" one person could be heard screaming.
Warning: Graphic content, strong language. A man was fatally shot by a Chicago police sergeant after a road-rage incident and fight involving an off-duty firefighter and another police officer in the 11100 block of South Troy Street on Nov. 5, 2016, in Mount Greenwood. (Submitted by Britnie Nelson) (Chicago Tribune)
An autopsy showed Beal died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
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The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating the shooting.
On Monday, Beal's older brother, Michael Beal, 28, was charged with felony aggravated battery, resisting arrest and attempted disarming of a police officer after police said he tackled an off-duty officer during the altercation and put him in a chokehold. He was expected to appear in bond court Tuesday.
Records show the incident was not the first time Joshua Beal had pulled a firearm during a traffic altercation. In 2009, he was convicted in Indianapolis of misdemeanor battery and sentenced to probation for pistol-whipping another motorist in the head following a fender-bender, according to court records with the Indiana Court of Appeals. Officers who arrived at the scene reported Beal was in a "very agitated" state and cursed at police, who handcuffed him for their own safety.
In an interview with the Tribune on Monday, police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said he didn't believe there were racial undertones to the shooting but said he was concerned that protests could escalate the situation.
"Everybody has a right to vocalize the way they feel, but I would just hope that everybody's responsible enough not to turn this into a race issue," Johnson said. "I just would hope that everybody acts respectfully and respect everybody's right to their opinion."
Meanwhile, Beal's mother, Tiffaney Boxley, said she had hoped to hold a vigil for her son at the scene of the shooting on Sunday, but contentious demonstrations dissuaded her memorial plans.
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"I couldn't come out there with all of that," said Boxley, on her way Monday to identify Beal's body at the morgue. "That's not the scene for me with all the people and all the things they were saying. I want to hold a vigil, but they were swearing. I don't want to subject my family to those things done by the racist people in Mount Greenwood."
Beal's 26-year-old cousin, Marcus Washington, was buried earlier Saturday in Mount Hope Cemetery in the Kennedy Park neighborhood, about a mile away from where Beal was fatally shot. Washington, who had previously lived in Chicago, was fatally shot in Indianapolis on Oct. 27.
Black Lives Matter Chicago has launched an online fundraiser to pay for Beal's funeral expenses. As of Monday afternoon, it had raised $1,000 of its $5,000 goal. The group has also been collaborating with Chicago Community Bond Fund, an organization that raises money to pay bond for those who can't afford to post them, to bail out Beal's brother.
Chicago Tribune's Jeremy Gorner and Annie Sweeney contributed.
tbriscoe@chicagotribune.com
bruthhart@chicagotribune.com
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jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
An ever-more-polarized electorate goes to the polls Tuesday to decide races from the White House to the county courthouse in one of the most contentious and expensive elections in Illinois history.
Polls open statewide at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m., though voters in line at closing time are still eligible to vote, election officials said. A chance of morning rain is in the forecast.
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Voters throughout Illinois will pick a successor to hometown two-term Democratic President Barack Obama, choose a U.S. senator and weigh in on a special election for comptroller. In many parts of the state, voters also will decide Illinois House and Senate contests that have amassed record spending by forces allied with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic Speaker Michael Madigan. Congressional, judiciary and county races also are on the ballot.
Before voters even get to those choices, though, they'll be asked if they want to change the Illinois Constitution with an amendment that aims to prevent transportation-related funding from being used for nontransportation purposes.
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Once they wade through that lengthy question, voters will get to the marquee contest the race for president featuring Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who was born in Chicago and raised in Park Ridge, against New York real estate mogul and former reality TV star Donald Trump, the GOP nominee. The winner here gets Illinois' 20 electoral votes, with 270 securing the presidency.
As has been the case in most recent presidential elections, Illinois largely has served as flyover territory, owing to the state's tradition of heavily favoring the Democrat. Illinois last went Republican in 1988, voting for Republican George H.W. Bush against Democrat Michael Dukakis.
As a result, the presidential contest in Illinois has served more as a point for questions about voter intensity and turnout, particularly in the first presidential race without Obama on the ticket in eight years, and whether the battle for the White House will have any down-ballot effects.
Monday was the last day for early voting, and at times lines of people wrapped around the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners' special voting center in the Loop. On the eve of Election Day, more than 1.6 million people statewide had voted early or by mail as the number of registered voters crossed the 8 million mark, the State Board of Elections said.
Early voting records were expected as the chance to cast a ballot ahead of time was expanded to more than a month after running 13 days in 2012. Election officials said they weren't sure if it was a sign of large turnout or just a substitution from normal Election Day voting. Voters also can register on Election Day.
Rather than serving as a contested battleground state, Illinois has served as a significant source of cash to federal candidates, including those running for president.
The Center for Responsive Politics calculated Illinois donations to federal candidates and national political parties at more than $125 million during the two-year 2016 election cycle. The group ranked Illinois fourth nationally in contributions to Democrats at more than $66.8 million and seventh to Republicans, with more than $58.4 million not including money given to super political action committees.
But big money, especially from outside groups, failed to materialize in the U.S. Senate campaign between Republican Sen. Mark Kirk, of Highland Park, who is seeking a second term, and Democratic challenger Tammy Duckworth, a two-term congresswoman from Hoffman Estates.
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The contest is central to Democratic efforts to retake the Senate from Republicans. With a Clinton victory, Democrats need to take four seats currently held by the GOP, five if Trump wins the White House.
Heading into the Senate contest, Kirk faced difficult headwinds due to Illinois' Democratic presidential-year propensity. Duckworth also raised more money than Kirk for more than a year, and major Republican-backed national super PACs and independent spending groups shied away.
Sen. Mark Kirk greets supporters as he makes a campaign stop at the New Trier Republican headquarters Nov. 7, 2016, in Winnetka. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
On Monday, Kirk stopped by a Republican campaign office in Winnetka, where he spoke to about two dozen campaign workers and supporters. He predicted an "upset win" on Tuesday as he lamented the difficulties of running as a Republican statewide.
"When you're a Republican in Illinois, everybody discounts you," said Kirk, who noted that his own campaign polling showed him trailing Duckworth. "People usually are surprised by a Kirk win that comes on a Tuesday election day."
It wasn't long ago that a Republican won statewide office here Rauner did it in 2014. But aside from publicly supporting Kirk's candidacy, the Republican governor and de facto leader of the Illinois GOP hasn't figured much in Kirk's campaign, which has centered on a pledge to restore fiscal order to the federal government. Since Rauner took office, state government has been embroiled in a political stalemate between the governor and Democrats who control the General Assembly and the dysfunction has helped to drive the state far deeper into the red.
"It's probably my strategy, that I have not sought to borrow every single problem from Springfield," Kirk said when asked why he hadn't tapped Rauner for help on the campaign trail. "My job is to take care of problems in Washington, D.C. I am up to the minute on Washington, D.C. ... let Bruce run the state, because I think I very much support the governor."
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Tammy Duckworth, 8th District Congresswoman and Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, greets well-wishers Nov. 7, 2016, outside her campaign office in Arlington Heights. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Duckworth made an election eve stop at a Democratic campaign office in Arlington Heights, where she and fellow candidates spent a few minutes dialing for votes.
"I'm pushing hard every single minute, every single hour, all the way through the election day," Duckworth said. "I learned in the Army never to give up on the mission before it's accomplished, and I'm going to keep working as hard as I can."
Flanked by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, of Evanston, and Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza, who is running against Republican Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger, Duckworth thanked campaign workers for knocking on doors "not just for me but for everyone on the ticket."
"I can't wait to get to work and get past tomorrow," Duckworth said.
The Rauner-Madigan battle will play out in General Assembly contests. All 118 House seats and 40 of 59 Senate seats are up, though more than 60 percent have candidates running unopposed and additional contests feature only token opposition.
Of the roughly 30 truly contested House and Senate races, many have eclipsed the $1 million mark and some may pass $5 million as Rauner and wealthy allies try to make good on the governor's vow to erode Madigan's labor union-backed power and the Democratic supermajorities in the House and Senate.
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Republicans did not field enough candidates to attempt a full-scale reversal of the Senate and it is unlikely the GOP could turn over control of the House. Candidates are running in legislative districts with map lines drawn by the Democrats after the 2010 census.
All of Illinois' 18 congressional seats are up for election. Among the most competitive is the North Shore 10th District, where Republican Rep. Bob Dold, of Kenilworth, is seeking re-election against the Democrat he defeated two years ago, former Rep. Brad Schneider, of Deerfield.
In 2012, it was Schneider who defeated Dold, who had taken the seat in 2010 when Kirk gave it up to run for U.S. Senate.
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kgeiger@chicagotribune.com
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
Early voting for this year's general election ends Monday and it's certain to exceed previous years, largely due to an extended voting period and longer polling hours.
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The Chicago Board of Elections reports that through Sunday that
284,506 early ballots had been cast, a new record. On Sunday, 22,904 early votes were made, compared to the previous Sunday record, just a week earlier, when there were 11,946 early votes cast.
The previous record for early votes in Chicago was 260,378 ballots, cast in the 2008 presidential election when hometown presidential candidate Barack Obama was first seeking the White House. Four years later, for Obama's re-election, the total fell slightly to 243,107 early ballots.
The early voting figure for Chicago this general election is about 9 percent greater than 2008.
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 8 Voters line up early at Tom's Farm Market in northwest suburban Huntley on Nov. 8, 2016. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
In suburban Cook County, 315,875 early votes had been cast through mid-afternoon Sunday, County Clerk David Orr's office website showed. That compares to 228,695 early ballots cast in the 2012 presidential election and 226,084 in the 2008 White House voting.
Overall statewide numbers, reflecting weekend early voting, were not available from the State Board of Elections.
Election officials have cautioned that early voting numbers do not necessarily reflect enthusiasm or high turnout since the procedure is so well accepted that it may substitute for ballots that would normally be cast on Election Day.
Voter registration in the state stands at more than 8 million, but under a new state law, voters seeking to register for the first time or to update their registration status may do so through Election Day. Still, election officials suggest to avoid problems and lines, anyone seeking to register do so on Monday and not Election Day.
There were some reports of long lines on Sunday, including in the western suburbs. Orr's office said suburban Cook locations would be open until at least 5 p.m. Monday and provided a map of the sites. (Rick Pearson)
What's on tap
*Mayor Rahm Emanuel will make an announcement about downtown building construction at noon.
*Gov. Bruce Rauner's public schedule was not available.
*The Chicago City Council Finance Committee meets at 10 a.m. to consider the revenue ordinance for the mayor's 2017 budget. That includes the airport parking fee hikes, 7-cent bag fee and surge parking meter pricing at Wrigley Field and Soldier Field.
*It's the final day of early voting.
What we're writing
*Candidates campaign high and low looking for votes in the final weekend before Election Day
*Illinois' topsy-turvy campaign hits final weekend.
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*'Rahmemail.com': WikiLeaks shows Rahm Emanuel's use of personal domain.
*At final U.S. Senate debate, Mark Kirk says, "I'm not a racist."
*Cook County voters to decide fate of recorder of deeds office.
*Latino Caucus jockeying begins for city clerk job if Susana Mendoza is elected comptroller.
What we're reading
*Cubs sing, dance way into nation's hearts on "Saturday Night Live."
*There's no "I" in team, even after you win a World Series.
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*Joy spans generations at Cubs' World Series parade (includes some great portraits).
From the notebook
*The Sunday Spin: On this week's show, Chicago Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson hosted a pre-election roundtable featuring David Yepsen, retired director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; former state Republican Chairman Pat Brady; and Bob Secter, director of investigations at the Better Government Association. Sunday Spin airs from 7 to 9 a.m. on WGN-AM 720. Listen to the full show here.
Follow the money
*Republican Michelle Smith of Plainfield got another $135,000 from the Illinois Republican Party for her challenge of Democratic Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant of Shorewood.
*The Illinois Republican Party spent another $103,827 on mail for freshman Rep. Christine Winger of Wood Dale, who's being challenged by Democrat Cynthia Borbas of Carol Stream.
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*Democrats, meanwhile, spent more than $30,000 each to boost Rep. Kate Cloonen of Kankakee (challenged by GOP-backed Lindsay Parkhurst) and Mike Mathis, who's challenging appointed Rep. Avery Bourne of Downstate Raymond.
*The Illinois Sunshine folks look at party spending in top races.
*If you missed it earlier this week, here's our online treatment of the targeted Illinois House and Senate districts (now with maps).
*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here.
Beyond Chicago
*FBI's James Comey says status quo after latest Hillary Clinton email review.
*Clinton aides might bring baggage to White House.
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*NYT goes inside Donald Trump's last stand.
*Frenzied final weekend of campaigning, presidential version.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel welcomed the latest building development Monday November 7, 2016, One Bennett Park is going up at 451 E. Grand Ave. The mayor also fielded questions about his personal emails. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday refused to say whether he has used his personal email addresses to conduct government business, suggesting his answer would come in a court of law.
The mayor faced questions on the issue after the Chicago Tribune reported Saturday that Emanuel has used at least two personal email accounts to communicate with top government and political figures, including through his own custom domain, rahmemail.com.
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Emanuel's use of the personal email accounts surfaced among the thousands of hacked emails from Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta that WikiLeaks posted in recent weeks. A search of Clinton's publicly released emails from her time as secretary of state also found that Emanuel used a personal account to communicate with her.
The messages marked the first direct evidence Emanuel has used personal email accounts as mayor, beyond his official government accounts at City Hall. In Illinois, government business conducted via email by a public official is subject to the state's open records law.
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The Tribune sued Emanuel in September 2015 seeking emails, text messages and other electronic communications related to the city's scandal-plagued red light camera program and similar correspondence between the mayor and top adviser Michael Sacks.
The suit alleged the mayor had violated open records laws by refusing to release communications about city business conducted through personal emails and text messages. The Emanuel administration asked the judge to dismiss the suit, arguing that the requests constituted an "unprecedented and unreasonable invasion of privacy" and that the "alleged emails are not public records."
On Monday, Emanuel was asked several times whether he had used his personal email addresses to conduct government business, but he would not say. Instead, he brought up the Tribune's lawsuit.
"We've handed the material over to you guys," Emanuel said, referring to messages from his city email account. "You rejected it, so you went to court. That's where my answer will be."
Records show Emanuel registered his personal domain rahmemail.com on May 16, 2011 the same day he took the oath of office as mayor. Emanuel spokesman Adam Collins has said the mayor's campaign set up the account that day "to ensure the mayor was not using government email for private or political use, which could violate city ordinance or state law."
The newly revealed WikiLeaks emails showed Emanuel writing to Podesta, recommending his then-speechwriter for a job with the Clinton campaign. The State Department emails showed Emanuel giving Clinton a positive review on a "60 Minutes" television appearance and the mayor inviting the then-secretary of state to appear onstage with him at a Chicago "Ideas Week" event.
Emanuel has taken part in "Ideas Week" events as mayor, with his office publicizing the appearances on his official schedule and placing the events on his official calendar. Emanuel was asked Monday how inviting the secretary of state to an event didn't constitute government business in his official capacity as mayor.
"It's a personal request, and that's how we did it," Emanuel said. "We did it exactly consistent, exactly how you're supposed to do personal and political on one side and government on another, and we've been consistent with that."
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Emanuel also said the messages from his personal emails that have been revealed publicly were not government work.
"They were actually political work on a private email, because if you did it the other way around, it'd be wrong and you can't do that," Emanuel said. "Look at the email to John Podesta, political work. The same thing with Hillary."
Emanuel's 2012 and 2013 emails to Clinton, which were sent from a BlackBerry, came after the Tribune had filed Freedom of Information Act requests seeking Emanuel's phone and email records on the installation of a speed camera system and a revamp of the city's aging water infrastructure. The requests turned up no emails from Emanuel on his government accounts.
The Tribune's 2015 lawsuit grew out of another records request related to the red light camera program. The news organization's reporting on the red light cameras led to a bribery indictment of a former city official and revealed inconsistent enforcement and lax oversight.
The same records request sought communications between Emanuel and Sacks, the CEO of a Chicago-based asset management firm that specializes in hedge funds and private equity, the top donor to the mayor's campaign fund and a prominent adviser to the mayor on economic development and other public policy issues. The request asked for Emanuel's text messages and electronic communications for a two-month period, including correspondence on both city and personal devices.
Emanuel's office said it had no records responsive to the request for emails and texts in which Emanuel conducted city business on personal devices and said it was not required under the law to produce those.
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The Tribune's suit argues that the emails that the city did turn over from two official email accounts linked to the mayor were not fully responsive to the FOIA request, calling the amount a "surprisingly low" number for a big-city mayor if all his government business was conducted on official email.
The mayor's office argued that the law allows plaintiffs "to enjoin a public body from improperly withholding public records. But a public body cannot 'withhold' a record that it does not possess. Indeed, Plaintiff does not identify, nor does the Act provide, any means by which a public body such as the City could force its officers and employees to grant it access to their privately owned accounts and devices."
But Cook County Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Pantle disagreed. She ruled that the FOIA law does not distinguish between records kept on publicly funded devices and personal ones.
The judge said it should be up to the court to decide whether the communications are "public record" and wrote that communication on personal devices or within personal accounts "does not ipso facto mean that the communication is personal in nature."
Emanuel has appealed the ruling.
bruthhart@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @BillRuthhart
All politicians like to brag about their abilities and achievements. But rarely has a presidential hopeful emerged like Donald Trump, who consistently touts his resume and plans for the nation in sweeping and over-the-top terms.
Trump is particularly unique in how he talks about himself. Plenty of would-be presidents make dubious claims about what they have accomplished in elected office (created millions of jobs! slashed spending!). Few make such claims about their personal attributes. Trump has no such hesitation. Just before the Iowa caucuses, here are five of the biggest myths Donald Trump tells about himself.
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1. "I'm, like, a really smart person."
Trump is not shy about his intellectual prowess. As he tweeted in 2013: "Sorry losers and haters, but my I.Q. is one of the highest and you all know it! Please don't feel so stupid or insecure, it's not your fault."
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Of course, "smart" is a bit subjective. There's book smarts as well as street smarts. Many would say Trump has run a pretty smart campaign. But clearly he's saying that his brain is very sharp as he puts it, "super-genius stuff.'' At one point, Trump rebutted criticism from Washington Post columnist George Will and GOP consultant Karl Rove by saying: "I'm much smarter than them. I think I have a much higher IQ. I think I went to a better college better everything."
Trump's college background, in fact, is often his key piece of evidence for his intellectual superiority. But there's less here than meets the eye. Trump did graduate from the Wharton School of business at the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League college. But Trump did not get an MBA from Wharton; he has a much less prestigious undergraduate degree. He was a transfer student who arrived at Wharton after two years at Fordham University, which U.S. News & World Report currently ranks 66th among national universities. (Besides, simply going to an Ivy League school doesn't prove you're a genius.)
Gwenda Blair, in her 2001 book "The Trumps," said that Trump's grades at Fordham were just "respectable" and that he got into Wharton mainly because he had an interview with an admissions officer who had been a high school classmate of his older brother. And Wharton's admissions team surely knew that Trump was from one of New York's wealthiest families.
For years, numerous media reports said Trump graduated first in his class from Wharton, but that's wrong. The 1968 commencement program does not list him as graduating with any sort of honors. In fact, The Boston Globe reported that he barely made an impression at all: "His former classmates said he seemed a student who spoke up a lot but rarely shined in class, who barely participated in campus activities, shunned fraternity parties."
2. "I have the world's greatest memory."
One of Trump's most controversial statements is his claim that he saw a television news report about thousands of Muslims in New Jersey cheering the collapse of the World Trade Center in 2001. That statement ended up on The Washington Post Fact Checker's list of 2015's biggest Pinocchios.
Trump insisted he was right because he has such a great memory.
But no television network could find such a clip though extensive searches were made. No news reports were tracked down to validate Trump's claim of "thousands." The closest thing ever found was a local newscast at the time, from a CBS affiliate in New York, that reported on the arrest of eight men who neighbors said had celebrated the attack. That's a far cry from thousands. There were also video clips of several Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territories cheering. But that wasn't New Jersey and again, it wasn't thousands.
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Trump also pointed to a line in a Washington Post article written days after the attacks that said law enforcement authorities detained and questioned some people who were allegedly seen celebrating. But when one of the reporters, Serge Kovaleski, said the article did not validate Trump's claim, the real estate magnate mocked Kovaleski's disability. (Kovaleski has a chronic condition that limits his mobility.)
Trump later denied doing so, claiming that he didn't know the reporter even though Kovaleski had closely covered Trump in the 1980s and 1990s and had interviewed him several times.
Maybe Trump should rephrase his boast: "I have the world's most selective memory."
3. "I'm proud of my net worth. I've done an amazing job."
Trump frequently touts his financial acumen. He often says he is worth $10 billion, though most analysts say that is exaggerated. Bloomberg News closely studied his 92-page financial disclosure report and concluded that he is really worth $2.9 billion.
That may sound like a lot of money. But don't forget that Trump inherited a lot of money, too about $40 million in 1974. In 1978, his net worth was estimated by BusinessWeek at $100 million. The Post's Wonkblog calculated that if Trump had gotten out of real estate, put his money in an index fund based on the Standard & Poor's 500 index and reinvested the dividends, he'd be worth twice as much $6 billion today.
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National Journal noted that Warren Buffett was also worth $40 million in 1974 and he managed to turn that into $67 billion today. But then Buffett doesn't have a long list of business flops, such as Trump Airlines, Trump Vodka, various Trump casinos, Trump Steaks and Trump University.
4. "I'm self-funding my campaign."
Trump keeps saying that unlike his rivals, he's paying for his own presidential campaign, but that's largely false.
At the start of his campaign, he loaned his political operation $1.8 million. As of Oct. 1, he had given his campaign an additional $104,829.27 but he had also received $3.9 million from donors, which accounted for the vast majority of the $5.8 million his campaign had taken in by then. His campaign website features a prominent "donate" button on its homepage. Trump has spent $5.4 million, and interestingly, about one-quarter of his spending has gone to Trump-owned entities (mainly his private jet company).
In January, Trump launched an ad campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire, saying he planned to spend $2 million. He also claimed that his campaign was $35 million to $40 million below budget. Ultimately, all of his spending and where the money came from will have to be disclosed in campaign finance reports. The odds are his personal share of the spending will be less than 50 percent.
5. "I'm probably the least racist person on Earth."
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When people have criticized Trump for promising to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border or proposing a ban on all Muslims from entering the country, he has defended himself by saying he's not motivated by racism. Still, he has a pattern of racially tinged remarks and actions.
The very first article about Trump in The New York Times it appeared 42 years ago was headlined "Major Landlord Accused Of Antiblack Bias in City." Trump was quoted in the report as saying that the charges in a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department against the company he and his father ran were "absolutely ridiculous." The two sides eventually settled the case but three years later, the Justice Department charged Trump's organization with continuing to discriminate against blacks.
When five black and Latino teenagers were implicated in a brutal attack on a white woman jogging in Central Park in 1989, Trump took out full-page newspaper advertisements calling for the death penalty for "criminals of every age." The suspects were convicted but later exonerated by DNA evidence and Trump then called their wrongful-conviction settlement a "disgrace."
Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino President John R. O'Donnell, in the 1991 book "Trumped!: The Inside Story of the Real Donald Trump," alleged that Trump once said that "laziness is a trait in blacks." He also claimed that Trump said, of his accountants: "Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are little short guys that wear yarmulkes every day." (Trump has called O'Donnell a disgruntled employee, but he has not disputed the remarks. "The stuff O'Donnell wrote about me is probably true," he told Playboy in an interview published in May 1997.)
Speaking to the Republican Jewish Coalition in December, Trump made a speech riddled with Jewish stereotypes, such as: "Look, I'm a negotiator like you folks; we're negotiators." And: "I know why you're not going to support me. You're not going to support me because I don't want your money."
Another Trump observation: "A well-educated black has a tremendous advantage over a well-educated white in terms of the job market. . . . If I were starting off today, I would love to be a well-educated black, because I believe they do have an actual advantage.''
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When Trump launched his campaign, he made a broad-brush accusation against Mexico: "They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing . . . drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
Washington Post
Glenn Kessler is a veteran diplomatic correspondent who writes the "Fact Checker" blog for The Washington Post.
A Syrian man tries to extinguish a fire caused nearby airstrikes in the rebel-held town of Douma, on the eastern outskirts of Damascus on November 7, 2016. (SAMEER AL-DOUMY / AFP/Getty Images)
BEIRUT Islamic State fighters launched a wave of car bombs in northern Syria on Monday as U.S.-backed forces made the first moves in a long-awaited push to retake the militant's de facto capital.
The Kurdish-led military operation, announced Sunday, seeks to isolate the city of Raqqa in preparation for a possible assault that could deal a devastating blow to the Islamic State - which is also fighting Iraqi-led forces in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
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The two cities represent critical hubs for the Islamic State, and the twin offensives could cut off routes for supplies and reinforcements. In a rare audio recording released Thursday, the Islamic State's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, urged militants to fight to the death in Mosul.
But the rush of car bombs that met the alliance, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), offered an early taste of just how ferocious the battle for Raqqa may become. The blasts occurred as the forces pushed south from the towns of Ain Issa and Suluk, about 30 miles north of Raqqa.
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Jihan Sheikh Muhammad, a spokeswoman for the campaign, said the Islamic State had sent seven car bombs toward SDF forces.
At the same time, the United States seeks to calm NATO ally Turkey, which is uneasy over any increased influence by Kurdish groups in the region. Turkey has waged battles against Kurdish factions in the country's southeast for decades.
The U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State said Monday that it has begun airstrikes in support of the offensive near Ain Issa, destroying six of the militants' fighting positions and seven vehicles, two of them packed with explosives.
The Islamic State has become increasingly reliant on suicide attacks to slow the progress of the array of forces rolling back its territory. The Amaq news agency, the extremist group's media arm, claimed that the Islamic State launched 120 such assaults across Syria, Iraq and Libya in October.
On a visit to Turkey's capital, Ankara, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, cautioned that retaking Raqqa would be neither swift nor simple.
"We always advertised that the isolation phase is going to take months," he was quoted as saying Sunday.
The Obama administration faces a delicate balancing act between Turkey and the Syrian Kurdish forces it has trained and equipped. Ankara draws no distinction between these militants and the Kurdish insurgents that launch regular attacks on Turkish soil.
U.S. defense officials said they are still hammering out details of the planned assault into Raqqa but that they do not envision a direct role for Turkey in that operation. Officials have said the NATO ally, for example, could help block militant movements out of the Raqqa area or focus on securing the Turkish border.
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Talks this weekend between Dunford and Turkey's top military officer were aimed at securing Turkish support for the Pentagon's concept of the operation and at reassuring Ankara that the offensive into the city, which U.S. officials say will be spearheaded by Arab forces, would not hand additional territory to Syrian Kurds.
Washington Post
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Did iDubbbz Have Cancer, Is He Gay and Who Is His Girlfriend Now? iDubbbz is one YouTuber who has made a career out of courting controversy. Renowned for his absurdist channels and comedy video series, the Los Angeles based personality is the owner of two channels, iDubbzTV, and iDubbzTV2, as well as the brains behind comedy video series such as Content Cop, Kickstarter Crap, Gaming News Crap, and ...
Inside Greg Gutfelds Love Story With Wife Elena Moussa and Why Fans Thought He Was Gay Greg Gutfeld is a seasoned American television producer whose career in the media industry has spanned over a decade. He is a man of many talents who makes extra income through comedy, journalism, and editorial works. Gutfeld regularly appears on Fox News Channel as a panellist and co-host of the political talk show The Five ...
Works That Made Bo Burnham A Household Name and How Much He Is Worth Now One of YouTubes first viral stars and the worlds most exciting young comedian, Bo Burnham, has always amazed critics and comedy aficionados alike. Often regarded as the Justin Bieber of comedy, thanks to his fresh looks, floppy blond hair and hoodies, he has a multi-faceted career bigger than many comedians twice his age. It wouldnt ...
Is Louie Anderson Gay And What Is His Net Worth? Louie Anderson has one of the most abstract faces in the industry and equally knows how to use it to his advantage. He is not only a stand-up comedian but also an actor and television host who is known for his distinctive comic wits. Some of his notable projects include Family Feud, where he was ...
Is Don Lemon of CNN Gay, Who is His Partner and What Is His Salary? Don Lemon has risen to become one of the most recognizable faces on CNN over the past few years. The fiery journalist, who anchors CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, is liked and somewhat disliked for his strong and candid opinions on a variety of matters that do not just include politics but also race, significantly, matters that ...
Is Rachel Maddow Gay, Who is the Wife and How Much Does She Earn in Salary? Rachel Maddow is an award-winning American journalist, political commentator, and television news anchor. She is best known for hosting the popular nightly TV show The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Prior to this, she hosted a talk radio program on Air America Radio from 2005 to 2010. As of now, the TV sensation co-anchors MSNBCs ...
Demystifying Pokimane Her Real Name, Ethnicity & Boyfriend Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Pokimane Thicc is one of those stars who took advantage of the internet to make a name for herself. Given the unlimited potentials which the social media space offers, many people have been instantly propelled to fame just by posting creative online contents. Not only has ...
A Breakdown of Kris Jenners Net Worth, Sources Of Income and Relationships Over The Years Standing outside and looking in, Kris Jenner looks like the oil that greases the wheels of the entire Kardashian/Jenner machine. She has been dubbed a momager and rightfully so because she seems to have had a part to play in the trajectory of each and every one of her daughters individually and the Kardashian brand ...
Pursuits That Brought Liza Koshys Fame To its Zenith and Her Love Life Since David Dobrik Liza Koshy is an American actress who has leveraged YouTube as a platform to promote her comedy while also serving as a television host on occasions. She is talented and funny and has gathered a lot of fans from around the world. Koshy started on Vine in high school and was able to get millions of ...
Alex Aiono Biography Inside The Life Of The American Singer Not everyone who started from the streets has attained the heights where Alex Aiono is currently. His story could be referred to as the perfect definition of rising from Grass to Grace. He came into the limelight after he started out as a YouTuber, singer, and producer. One fascinating thing about the young YouTuber is ...
Virginia Vallejo Biography And Her Love Story With Pablo Escobar Virginia Vallejo can be referred to as one of the oldest whistleblowers in history after her involvement with Pablo Escobar which made her famous. Over the years, many questions have been raised about her relationship with the drug lord and why she endangered her life to be with him despite his notorious acts. The death ...
Princess Love Bio Ethnicity, Real Name & Parents For many people, Princess Love is simply Ray Js wife but there is so much more to this feisty lady than meets the eye. She is a star in her own right and has many feathers on her cap. Princess Love is a reality TV star, a model, video vixen, and fashion designer. She and her ...
Who is Papa Franku Also Known As Filthy Frank or Joji, Where is He Now? The social media as we all know today has given people the opportunity to be creative and innovative and at the same time, make something of themselves. YouTube is one of the known social platforms we have today that makes it possible for people to express their God-given talents and post videos they created to ...
Who Is Molly Qerim, How Did She Become a Famous Sports Anchor and Who Is Her Husband? Molly Qerim is an American sports anchor popularly known for moderating First Take, a highly rated sports talk show, on ESPN. Prior to joining ESPN, Qerim hosted Fantasy Live and NFL AM on NFL Network. It is quite obvious that the widely acclaimed television personality is in a class of her own when it comes ...
Safiya Nygaard Height, Parents & Net Worth Safiya Nygaard is an American YouTuber, writer, content producer, and director who is popular for posting makeup, beauty and fashion videos on YouTube. Her videos regularly top at least one million views, thanks to her lively character as well as her willingness to experiment with outrageous outfits and different beauty products. Here are the things to ...
The Rigors of Sunlen Serfatys Career Journey Until CNN and Fun Facts About Her Personal Life CNN correspondent, Sunlen Serfaty is an Emmy Award-winning journalist known for covering a broad range of breaking news stories, national news, and Washington politics. She has been able to garner widespread recognition for herself which even goes beyond the sphere of her work. Her profile also increased with the extensive work she did in covering ...
Demystifying Jazz Jennings Real Name, Boyfriend & Family Of One The Youngest Transgenders Jazz Jennings is an unusual personality who became famous as a transgender activist and was recorded as the youngest documented public figure to be seen as transgender. She is also a YouTube personality and spokesmodel for brands, her fans, and other transgenders. She fought for acceptance in her high school with her super supportive family for over ...
Inside Fred Armisens Life Ethnicity, Romantic Relationships and Gay Rumors Fred Armisen is an award-winning American comedian, he is also a writer, an actor as well as a musician. He was a cast member of the legendary comedy show, Saturday Night Live for 13 years and also one of the brains behind the successful satirical show Portlandia. Find out more about this incredibly talented guy ...
Ed and Lorraine Warren Biography: Cases, Kids, and Family Life Have you ever woken up with fear you could not explain, or felt a strange presence that made the hair at your nape rise or even experienced strange occurrences around you? Well, these were some of the promptings that made the well-known paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren delve into trying to explain the ideas ...
Truth About Tony Romos Wife, Kids and Life Since His NFL Retirement Tony Romo grew from the field as a quarterback to the screens as an American Football Analyst. He was a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the richest football league in the world (NFL) before retiring. As a junior, he was honored as an All-Ohio Conference Member, an Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and ...
Who is Brittany Venti, The Controversial Game Streamer and YouTuber? In recent times, many people live stream themselves playing video games. This has become a popular pastime on the internet and many highly skilled gamers have become internet celebrities through this means. However, some of them rather than becoming renowned for their gaming skills and great commentary, have become controversial and infamous. A good example ...
Rob Dyrdeks Family: His Kids And Relationship With Wife Bryiana Noelle Flores A multi-talented star and an elite pro skateboarder, Rob Dyrdeks success story began at a remarkably young age. Yet another proof that schooling doesnt always correlate with success, Rob has established himself not just as a phenomenal sportsman but also as a successful entrepreneur. Besides perfecting his skill as a natural talent on the board, ...
xChocobars Biography and Everything You Should Know About Her Having distinguished herself and recorded massive successes in an industry notably dominated by men, it is very safe to say that Xchocobars deserves all the attention and cash she makes from her career. A household name on Twitch (a smart live streaming video platform), the online-gamer is popularly known for streaming classic games such as Stardew ...
Everything To Know About Mary Padian, Her Boyfriend and Net Worth Mary Padian is a famous American television reality personality best known for her involvements on the Reality show Storage Wars. She also has her own shop called Mary finds where she displays her antique collections. Since her childhood, Padian has been a creative learner. At the time, she used to create new items out of reusable ones and ...
Betsy Woodruffs Family Life: Is She Married or Related To Bob Woodruff? An old name in the world of journalism, Betsy Woodruff has warmed her way into the hearts of many with her impressive talents. Through hard work, Woodruff has carved a niche for herself in a very competitive field. Betsy has strong family and work values and is also an advocate for equal opportunities for everyone ...
Matpat (Matthew Patrick) Wife, Height & Net Worth As far as internet business is concerned, Matpat remains one of the most dynamic and seasoned figures. He boasts a wealth of experience that has helped him in growing his business from one level of greatness to another. Like most successful people, MatPat started out small but today, he makes millions of dollars from his ...
Facts About Ricegum His Girlfriend, Real Name & Net Worth Ricegum is an online gamer and YouTube sensation who ditched college; took advantage of the digital era, and made a name for himself on the internet. Though he began as a gaming YouTuber, Ricegum soon gained recognition as a controversial internet star following his many diss tracks. Here is everything you need to know about the youngster ...
Joy Taylor Once Married MLBs Richard Giannotti Inside Look At Her Love Life and Family The erosion of the sexist idea that women have no business in sports broadcasting created a host of women celebrities who attained fame outside of modeling and acting. One of them, Joy Taylor, a radio personality and TV host for Fox Sports 1, has been in the industry since 2009, becoming one of the most ...
What To Know About Conan OBriens Wife, Kids & Family Today The name Conan OBrien is one that jumps right at you almost immediately you start talking about the most popular television hosts in the USA and this is no surprise because the man behind that name has risen to become one of the most admired men in the business. Known for hosting the late-night talk ...
David Letterman Net Worth, Wife & Son In all of American, one man whose face has been seen frequently by late night TV talk show lovers is none but David Letterman. The comedian and TV show veteran has been hosting late night talk shows for more than three decades. His Late Night with David Letterman show began on February 1st, 1982 aired ...
Demystifying Sssniperwolfs Family Background And The Boyfriends Shes Had Since she launched her eponymously named channel in 2013, Sssniperwolf has been on the rise when it comes to video game influencers. She is one of the biggest names in the online gaming subgenre of YouTube videos. Real name Lia Shelesh, she started with Call of Duty: Black Ops II but has diversified with other ...
Lester Holt Wife, Family & Net Worth Lester Holt is a multiple award-winning journalist, newscaster, reporter, and actor who has worked for notable media houses like WCBS TV, CBS, MSNBC and among others. His remarkable feat in journalism has endeared him to the hearts of many and earned him some awards and recognitions. Read on to get acquainted with his biography, ethnicity, ...
What Is Louis C.K. Doing Now, Where Are His Family And How Much Is His Net Worth? It is not easy to make it in comedy. It takes more than a funny bone and the ability to elicit a few giggles from a listening audience. For all the complexities that go into making a successful career in comedy, Louis C.K, the Washington D.C-born comedian, did it. For years, he was at the ...
The Progression of Hoda Kotbs Career, Her Ancestry and Family Life Hoda Kotb gained fame as a television host and news anchor for NBC. She anchors the shows signature show Today, and it has been an excellent vehicle for her skills in front of a camera. Kotb has won several awards, including Daytime Emmys and Peabody Awards. Simply put, she is one of the most successful ...
Jerry Seinfelds Family: All About The Amazing Comedians Wife and Kids Apparently one of the highly important entertainers in America, Jerry Seinfeld is a man of many talents. A very funny man, he is considered to be one of the most successful comedians in the USA who has been in the business as a professional rib-cracker for more than 40 years. As an actor, he has ...
The Rigors Of Sarah Silvermans Rise To Prominence And Rundown Of The Men She Has Dated A comedian, writer, and actress, Sarah Silvermans art and craft is as unique as you would ever find. Her poignant use of comedy to discuss social issues such as race, sexism, politics, and religion has gained her an impressive following. As unorthodox as her style is, so is her life experiences. She previously suffered from epiglottitis ...
Who Is Hannibal Buress, Does He Have A Wife or Girlfriend & Why Was He Arrested? Making people laugh when they are tense or not in the mood is a tough order and to ply the trade, it must indeed take some guts and expertise, this is what the humor maker, Hannibal Buress has been able to achieve and sustain after his inital teething process. The African-American is a screen writer, stand-up ...
The Success of John Mulaneys Career Efforts Since His Work On Saturday Night Live and Facts About His Wife John Mulaney had been working as a professional comedian for years before Saturday Night Live changed his status for life and like many who are now his fans, you probably did not know of him then. However, that changed when he joined the sketch comedy show in 2008. Since then, he has been one of ...
Jeff Dunham Wife, Children and Net Worth Ventriloquism is a very subtle method of making an inanimate object (like a puppet, doll or dummy) appear to be saying words which are actually coming from the person (holding the inanimate object). In effect, the individual throws his/her voice to the puppet and can even appear to be having a conversation with it. Not ...
Ellen DeGeneres Net Worth, Wife Portia de Rossi & Parents Ellen DeGeneres is an American female standup comedian who has proven that whatever a man can do, a woman can also do. Since her journey as a standup comedian started in 1981, she has held swirl as one of the finest comedians America and the world at large has seen. She is often referred to ...
Revisiting Joan Rivers Death The Daughter, Husband & Net Worth She Left Behind Joan Rivers was a renowned American comedian, TV host, writer, and actress. Her brand of comedy consisted of scathing one-liners and no individual or topic is spared. She hosted her own talk shows in the 80s and 90s and was a pioneer for women in stand up comedy. She was the first woman to host a late night ...
The Struggles of Margaret Chos Childhood, How It Influenced Her Career Growth and Love Life Margaret Cho is best described as a comic star who knows how to maneuver everything related to life into a rib-cracking joke. She is also known to criticize every social and political problem, especially those involving race and sexuality. Apart from her talents as a comic actress, she does amazingly well as a singer and ...
Where Is Eric Bolling Today? Who Is His Son & What Is His Net Worth? Eric Bolling who was once a notable figure on Fox News, is an American TV personality, an author, and versatile Journalist. As a political and financial analyst/commentator, he anchored discussions bothering on finance for Fox Business Channel. Here is everything there is to know about his career, family, and allegations that led to his exit ...
Who Is Chelsea Handler and Does She Have A Husband or Boyfriend? Chelsea Handler is one of Americas top female comedians. She is also an actress, writer, television host, producer, and activist. She is known to be very outspoken even with things that are very personal. In separate interviews with The New York Times, Handler revealed that she had an abortion twice when she was 16. She has authored five books ...
How Did Laura Lee Achieve Fame, How Much is She Worth and Who is Her Husband? Laura Lee is a popular American YouTuber, make-up artist and beauty blogger. From posting videos of her makeup routines on Instagram, Lee has transformed into a beauty influencer and a YouTube sensation. Today, her YouTube Channel has over 630 million views and 4.5 million subscribers. Asides having millions of followers across all social media platforms, ...
Madison Gesiotto Bio Ethnicity, Parents & Measurements Madison Gesiotto is no ordinary woman; although she excelled in quite a number of pageants and competitions while she was in school, it is her views on politics and issues in America that has made her name known to most people. She possesses beauty and intelligence in a seemingly equal measure and has been able ...
Who Is Lil Tay? Parents, Brother, Sister, Age, Net Worth, Ethnicity Child stardom is nothing new in the entertainment world. With the advent of social media, we have seen more stars made from the internet than ever before, and Lil Tay is one of them. Her uploaded rap videos trademark is cursing, swearing, cash-throwing, and use of obscene languages. Her fame went wild after she dropped ...
What To Know About Tig Notaros Wife, Kids and Family Today Tig Notaro is an American stand-up comic star, writer, actress, and radio analyst. Since she started her career in 2001, she has become one of Americas best comedians, particularly when it comes to observational comedy. One prominent aspect of her routine involves her family, which includes a wife and two children. Interestingly, Tig Notaro is part ...
Who Is Chantel Jeffries? What To Know About Her Age, Ethnicity & Net Worth Chantel Jeffries is a lady of many talents. Beyond being celebrated as a DJ, she has fared well as a model, an actress, musician, and as an artist. She first rose to fame on Instagram where she has a large following. However, in recent times, she has hit the spotlight for her rumored relationships with some ...
Is Ellen DeGeneres Married, Who Is The Brother Vance DeGeneres and Family Members? Ellen DeGeneres is one of a kind celebrity in todays world as she has used her wealth for the greater good for many people. She has served a host of famous awards shows like the Grammy, Primetime Emmy and Academy Awards. Moreso, she is probably one of the most decorated entertainment personalities around the world and ...
Carli Bybel Bio Height, Boyfriend & Net Worth Video blogging is now on the rise and YouTube is the place where most of it happens. If you are a lady who cares about her looks or a guy who likes to help his woman out with her looks, then one person whose name rings a bell when it comes to giving beauty tips ...
Who Is Lexy Panterra? What To Know About Her Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth Lexy Panterra is one of the YouTube personalities whose breakout came through the Twerk dance videos she posted on her social media handles and YouTube which has so far generated over 13 million views for her. From there on, she created her LexTwerkOut workout program in 2014. She is sure very talented as she as moved ...
Who Is AnneMunition? What Is Her Ethnicity & Does She Have A Girlfriend or Boyfriend? AnneMunition is a professional gamer and content creator of American origin. She is one of the most sought-after streamers on Twitch a popular online platform for watching and streaming videos, especially video games. AnneMunition has almost half a million followers on Twitch and her channel has accumulated at least 13 million views. Her favorite games ...
Norm MacDonald Former Wife, Son & Net Worth Recently, 59-year-old former Saturday Night Live stand-up comic Norm MacDonald caused a not-so-funny stir when he expressed his personal opinion about the #MeToo movement speaking in defense of Louis CK and Roseanne Barr. Following the backlash of his actions, he is diligently doing damage control for his questionable opinion by posting a public apology on ...
Inside Iliza Shlesingers Life With Husband and How Much She is Worth Now Witty, spontaneous, and truly humorous, Iliza Shlesinger is an American comedian who is clearly proving that the stereotypical claim that women are not really funny is not only incredibly wrong but completely outrageous. Having been in the game for more than 10 years, Shlesinger has grown bigger with each step, stunning fans with her incredible ...
Who Is Nessa Diab? Details of her Parents, Ethnicity & Relationship With Colin Kaepernick Nessa Diab has gained more fame as the girlfriend of different footballers than in her career. She is currently with the popular National Football League (NFL) player, Colin Kaepernick, and has stood by his side during his most trying times. Also known for her mononym, Nessa, she recently engaged in a tweet battle with the ...
Samantha Bee Inside the Life of Full Frontal Comedian and Presenter We have over the decades seen various brands of humor and personalities who have walked the ropes. One of the formidable forces in the world of comedy is no other than the iconic Samantha Bee of the Daily Show who now runs her own television show on TBS channel. She is a Canadian-American political commentator, ...
What Happened To Jessica Williamss Boyfriend And Which Are Her Best Works? Jessica Williams is a woman who has a lot of feathers in her cap and keeps acquiring more. The former senior political correspondent of the comic Daily Show, who is also a comedian and actress whose recent movie appearance include starring as a playwright just recovering from a recent split with her boyfriend, Damon, and ...
Who is Nicole Byer? Here are 5 Facts You Need To Know About The Comedian Nicole Byer, an American comedian, actress, and writer, made a name for herself after she played supporting roles on MTVs prank show Ladylike and the reality show Girl Code. The latter was a series that featured comedians who analyzed in minute details, all the issues that young women deal with daily, from period to dating, to weird friendship dynamics and questions about sex. Currently, ...
A Closer Look At Bart Kwans Ethnicity, Height & Personal Life Bart Kwan is one of few Asians who is known for being successful in the comic industry at an international level. His fame broke out after the YouTube channel which he created with his close pal Joe Jo garnered up massive followings. The talented duo has been running the channel since 2007 and their success ...
Heres How VanossGaming Achieved Fame Online, His Worth and Other Facts About The Gamer For many years, the decision to drop out of college to pursue an online career was considered to be foolish and self-destructive by conventional wisdom. It was no different when Evan Fong, popularly known as VanossGaming, dropped out of college to pursue a YouTube career. However, that radical move paid off, and he stands shoulder to ...
Desi Perkins Ethnicity, Net Worth & Husband YouTube is littered with videos of makeup tutorials by different people but if you are interested in learning how to do your makeup like a pro, there is just one person on that platform who you must follow. She is none other than Desi Perkins! She is a popular make-up artist, Instagram star, and vlogger. Desi, ...
The Phases of Casey Neistats Pursuits and His Love Story With Candice Pool YouTuber, vlogger, filmmaker, and creator extraordinaire; these are just a few hats that Casey Neistat wears and the story of how he got here is incredible. A native of Connecticut, Neistat started out by making refreshingly-authentic short films and videos that featured content that was based on everyday life and called attention to serious issues. He ...
Connor Franta Inside The Life of American YouTuber YouTube has produced a lot of young celebrities in modern times and Connor Franta happens to be one of them. Apart from being a YouTuber, the young American is also an entrepreneur, entertainer, and writer. His journey to fame began almost a decade ago when he started a self-named YouTube channel where he uploads content ranging ...
Rhett and Link Bio, Who are Their Wives, Net Worth and Family Facts Rhett and Link refer to an American comedy duo who are very popular on YouTube. They are known for their comic songs, viral commercials, skits and the daily show, Good Mythical Morning. Good Mythical Morning is the most watched daily show online, averaging 100 million views in a month. The show has featured guests such ...
A Walk Through The Maze of Ryan Higas Career Pursuits And Relationship With Arden Cho Ryan Higa is not only celebrated as a YouTube star, but he is also famed for appearing on television screens as an actor and comedian. Nigahiga, his Youtube channel, has gathered over 20 million subscribers and billions of views with his different comic acts, short films, and music videos uploads. With the rise in his career, ...
What to Know About The Shows That Made Craig Ferguson a Star and His Family Ties Rising to the top of your profession can sometimes be a hard and difficult process. It requires days and nights of working consistently hard to be better than what you were yesterday. It requires not giving up when all of your experiences seem to be pushing you to quit. It is because of these challenges ...
David Dobrik Married Liza Koshy for One Month Inside His Family and Relationships David Dobrik is a YouTube sensation who has garnered fame not just for his vlogs but his love life too. Given his career as a YouTuber, his channel is one place where he shares his romantic escapades. With a cute boyish look like his, this Slovakian young man is definitely a good catch, and not ...
Merrell Twins Bio Ethnicity, Parents & Boyfriend One of the beautiful things about modern life is social media. As rudimentary as it might seem, it could turn out to be the greatest thing that would be invented in the next 50 years because of its impact on human life. Very few tools have revolutionized human behavior and culture as much as social ...
Who Is Bunny Meyer, Is She Married & What Is Her Net Worth? Bunny Meyer is a YouTube celebrity who has amassed over 8.8 million subscribers with 1.5 million viewers on her channel. She is popularly known as Grav3yardgirl and is one of the highest-paid YouTubers in the world. She initially started out as a fashion designer and later chose the path of a YouTuber. Grav3yardgirl has used her knowledge on fashion, makeup, ...
Ninja Inside The Life of The American YouTuber and Internet Personality Ninja is a talented video game player known for his mastery of Fortnite and other seemingly difficult games he plays with ease. The video gamer made a career out of what is ordinarily the hobby of many people and has since then amassed a huge online following. Find out about him here, including the controversies that ...
What Is Eva Gutowskis True Sexuality and How Did She Rise So Fast As an Influencer? Ever since Eva Gutowski joined YouTube in 2011, it has been an interesting journey for her, moving from one milestone to the other. Backed by an army of young women and teenage girl fans known as Evanators, she has risen to become one of the most-talked-about personalities in the digital stratosphere. She has also leveraged ...
Emma Chamberlain Biography Age, Height & Net Worth Before now, people in the entertainment industry could only achieve popularity after many years of dedication and hard work but since social media came into the scene, massive success and overnight popularity became possible. That is the story of Emma Chamberlain who encountered fame as a fifteen-year-old. Emma is one of the many young people who became ...
Anna Akana Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth There is a new crop of YouTubers known by their different contents with a very strong uniqueness that stands every one of them out, some upload video games, some fashion while some others have comedy video contents to showcase on their channels. Anna Akana has used her platform to showcase her comedy contents to the ...
Revealing Truths About Lilly Singhs Ethnic Background, Family and Her Relationship With Yousef Erakat Lilly Singh is an Indian-Canadian YouTube personality, actress, and comedian also known as Superwoman. She kicked off her YouTube career in 2010 with the launch of her channel IISuperwomanII and followed it up with a vlog channel in 2011. This paved the way for her fame and success which led to a world tour. The ...
Who Is Andrea Constand, Is She Married and What Is Her Connection With Bill Cosby? Many people got sexually molested but could not voice out due to the stigma victims suffer and what will become of them thereafter. Very few of the victims danm every consequence to seek justice and bring the perpetrator to the book, like Andrea Constand. She never got any media buzz, not until her friend cum molester; ...
Who Is Lazarbeam (Lannan Eacott)? Here Are Facts You Need To Know Lannan Eacott became a person of interest after his YouTube channel, LazarBeam pulled him to the limelight. Initially, he started with uploads of Madden Challenge videos before deciding to build his own channel in January 2015. Within the space of three years, his YouTube channel had gathered over 7 million loyal subscribers. Today, he has not ...
Puzzling Facts About Wengies YouTube Success and More About Her Fiance Among the many YouTubers who have succeeded in winning the hearts of millions of people is Wengie. She is a Chinese-Australian YouTube personality, vlogger, singer, and voice actress. Wengie is famous for a lot of things, from her simple life hacks, DIYs, craft ideas to fun experiments, tricks and pranks. Her content portfolio also includes hair tutorials, diet & fitness tips, lookbooks, ...
Is Jeffree Star A Billionaire and How Much Does He Make On YouTube? If looks can be deceptive then theres no other person who proves this maxim better than Jeffree Star. A quick look at Stars pictures would likely leave you wondering whether or not to tag him a male or female. But who says being controversial has to be a curse? For Star, his looks have caught ...
The Place of Rosanna Pansinos Career Hats In Her Rise To Fame and Facts About Her Personal Life There are a few phrases that could summarize Rosanna Pansinos rise to fame. None of them can do it better than the famous axiom, no knowledge is lost. Her popularity YouTube comes out of her foray into other professions, specifically acting. Although acting now occupies one of the major professional hats in Rosannas resume, it was ...
Muselk (Elliott Watkins) Biography Age, Girlfriend and Net Worth The new and best in-thing in terms of career is video gaming and we have over time seen young men and women make massive income from an activity that was purportedly designed to serve as a hobby or a relaxation activity. One of such individuals is the Australian-born YouTube Celebrity and Twitch streamer, Muselk, whose ...
PopularMMOs Biography: 5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know We have over the years seen social media millionaires, especially on the YouTube social platform. These celebrities cum millionaires have made names for themselves after carving out niches on the internet, and a typical example of one of such exciting media personality on the YouTube is American Minecraft gamer and YouTube star, PopularMMOs whose channel ...
Jason Nash Once Married Marney Hochman What To Know About His Ex-Wife and Kids The now-defunct video-sharing app Vine was the path that led Jason Nash to fame. With it, he built an audience of over two million followers, which he parlayed into a significant YouTube career. That move has seen him become one of the most popular personalities on the internet, with the cash income to go with ...
Where Does Dantdm Live? What Do We Know About His Net Worth, Wife and Brother? Most parents buy video games for their kids to occupy their time leisure, while other parents frown at their kids when they play video games. Despite the disparity, every parent would be proud of their child if he/she eventually turns a celebrity or millionaire through playing video games like Dantdm. Biography of Dantdm Dantdm was born Daniel ...
LaurDIY Biography: 5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTuber LaurDIY is the YouTube channel of Lauren Riihimaki which she created on December 1, 2011, when she was still a college undergrad with the sole aim of giving Do It Yourself (DIY) as well as practical fashion and beauty tips to her followers. She has used the channel to establish herself as a YouTube personality ...
Lachlan Ross Power Bio And Family Life Of Australian The YouTube Star It is amazing the varied sources of income that the internet has made possible in this day and age. Internet fame can get its holder a whole lot of monetary and social benefits, but it must be noted that it does not come easy or cheap. For those who desire fame, content is the sacrifice ...
Alfie Deyes Bio and Net Worth: Everything You Need To Know Alfie Deyes is one internet personality you definitely would like to know about. He boasts of over 10 million subscribers on three of his YouTube channels and has three bestseller books to his name. He is probably the most renowned young personality on YouTube today and his vlogging empire continues to grow by the day. ...
Colleen Ballingers Love Story With Husband Erik Stocklin and How Much She Is Worth Now Colleen Ballinger is an American comedian and YouTuber who is a very funny, adventurous, and highly talented woman. She is also an actress, singer, and writer. Collen is widely known for her work on YouTube where she posts content on her channel, Miranda Sings. The comedian has gained many subscribers over the years and has ...
Who Are The Dude Perfect Members and How Much Are They Worth? Entertainment in the 21st century can be digested in many forms and with platforms like YouTube, the creators and purveyors of entertainment have been democratized. Today, one of the most popular platforms to exhibit ones creative talents is YouTube, even though there are other platforms like Twitter, Facebook, who suffer in comparison to YouTube because ...
Who Is Rudy Mancuso, What Is His Earning Power and What Do We Know About His Girlfriend? Rudy Mancuso started his internet journey on Vine. He would later transition to YouTube where he solidified his place among the internets most beloved comedic creators. He is now regarded as one of the renowned internet personalities in the world, with a presence in mainstream TV and film projects like Comedy Centrals Drunk History and ...
Vsauce (Michael Stevens) Biography and Net Worth: All You Need To Know The advent of YouTube and the internet as a whole revolutionized how human beings consume information. With each passing year, the percentage of learning that is done in a traditional classroom decrease as a seismic shift to internet-based learning happens in our education industry. From open courses online to YouTube classes and videos, there are ...
How did Jake Paul Make His YouTube Big Break and Who is His Wife? One of the most interesting Social Media personalities of the 21st century is the young and popular Jake Paul whose elder brother is the famed Vine star, Logan Paul. Jake has utilized the power of the internet to bring himself to the limelight with a channel named JakePaulProductions that has amassed up to six billion ...
5 Facts You Need To Know About Reaction Time (Tal Fishman) The American YouTuber Before 2015, the leading meaning of reaction time was the amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus, until Tal Fishman started his channel, Reaction Time on YouTube and the dominant meaning changed. Today, a google search of Reaction Time would deliver Tal Fishmans videos and YouTube channel link with a few physics ...
Grace Helbig Net Worth, Boyfriend and Family Life of The YouTuber Grace Helbig is an American internet personality, comedian, actress, and writer. She became popular due to her daily vlog series, DailyGrace, which ran on My Damn Channel from 2008 to 2013. Helbig is also popular for her own indie series on YouTube, ItsGrace, which she launched in 2014. Her vlogs which feature random stuff such as ...
Mark Wiens Bio Ethnicity, Wife and Parents Food is a great way to connect with people. We all love to eat, if not for the pleasure of food, the satisfaction of quenching hunger, and the very process of providing and sharing that food is part of the strongest bonds that bind humanity together. Maybe it is our historical connection to food, where ...
Is Filthy Frank Dead, What Happened To Him and How Much Is He Worth? As George Kusunoki Miller, he was a nobody. However, as Filthy Frank, George was one of the most famous internet personalities on the planet. The Filthy Frank Show, a sketch series on his YouTube channel, TVFilthyFrank, was one of the platforms most influential creations. He is the reason a crazy dance song, Harlem Shake, made it ...
CaptainSparklez Bio Net Worth, House and Cars of The Famous YouTuber Sometimes, what society wants from its citizens is quite different from what the citizens want for themselves. This is evident in the life and career of video blogger and American YouTube personality, Jordan Maron famous for his YouTube channel CaptainSparklez. He dropped out of school after discovering his talent in playing an online game called Minecraft. ...
Who is Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg)? Here are Facts You Must Know Canadian Youtube personality, Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg) originally started out polishing and designing nails even before it became a trendy culture in the social media. Simply Nailogica started out her showbiz career in her early days as a child actress, acting in commercials for game and toy companies. Aside from acting, she is blogger, vlogger, specializing ...
5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know About Huda Beauty In the world of entrepreneurship, it is interesting when an individual has a mentor who he/she looks up to, this yield more productivity on the part of the individual. The iconic and rich American beautician and makeup artist Huda Kattan nicknamed Heida is the founder of the Huda Beauty blog which is number one Instagram beauty blog ...
Is Dino MasterChef Gay? Details About His Ethnicity, Girlfriend, Where He Is Now Food, for the better part of the early years of human life, was nothing more than what we needed for survival. There was no artistry or curation to the method of cooking. The scarcity of food left no room for artistic expression until we figured out agriculture and we could make as much as we ...
Who Is Gabbie Hanna And How Did She Become Famous? As the world shifts to digital media and depends more and more on streaming services for its news and entertainment content, YouTubers have become one of the leading creators in the new media world. Their understanding of the online audience: how to create, maintain, and increase followers, are all handy skills that have primed them ...
Jacksepticeye Height, Girlfriend & Net Worth Jacksepticeye is a YouTuber and actor who gained popularity with a series of gaming videos he uploads on his channel to the delight of millions of his subscribers. He is Known primarily for his comic video game series titled Lets Play and his vlogs. His channel was formerly ranked 46th in the list of most subscribed ...
Chris Heria Personal Details: About His Wife, Height & Ethnicity Background In this generation, keeping fit has become one of the major criteria for being hale and hearty. In fact, most occupations these days are majorly concerned with ones body mass, weight and looks. Unlike the past where most people have to register in a gym to keep fit, social media has made it quite easy ...
Everything You Need To Know About Game Grumps Gaming is becoming incredibly popular on YouTube these days with game vloggers make millions of dollars out of them yearly. One of the most popular up-coming gaming YouTube channels is Game Grumps. The Lets Play series was created in 2012 and celebrated its fifth anniversary on July 18th, 2017. In six years of its existence, the ...
Daithi De Nogla Biography, Girlfriend and Net Worth YouTube has created an avenue for many to make wealth and become famous from the comfort of their homes while having fun. Many have built a career out of the platform, uploading numerous videos that have earned them the admiration of viewers across the globe. For Daithi De Nogla, he is loved for his humorous commentary on ...
Does Phoebe Robinson Have A Boyfriend or Husband and What Do We Know About Her Family? Phoebe Robinson is a New York-based comedian, writer, and actress. She is best known as the co-creator and co-host of the WNYC Studios podcast 2 Dope Queens. Just like some other female comedians, she never had any original plans of becoming a stand-up comedian even though, according to her, she took a class on a whim at Carolines on Broadway. After ...
Who Are Lex and Alana from Listed Sisters? What Is Their Ethnicity & Is the Show Cancelled? America is a country built on diversity. Everywhere you look all over the country, a countless number of immigrants or children of immigrants have become an integral part of the fabric of the country. From entertainment to business, immigrants are creating a niche for themselves and climbing to the summit of their respective professions. One ...
Riveting Facts About Danielle Lombard And What She Is Best Known For The American entertainment industry is one that provides many avenues for aspiring hopefuls to express their talents and become famous. From films to television shows and game shows, there is no shortage of ways for men and women who desire fame to pursue and earn it in the United States of America. Another tested medium ...
Unearthing New Details About The YouTube Success And Personal Life of Alex Burriss of Wassabi Productions Wildly hilarious and truly audacious, Alex Wassabi is an American YouTuber who has become a very popular face on the video-sharing platform after having garnered millions of subscribers over the years by keeping people glued to his channel with his witty parody video releases. If you have always loved parody videos, there is every chance ...
Everything You Need To Know About H2O Delirious H2O Delirious whose full birth name is reported to be Jonathan Gormon Dennis has successfully kept himself mystified by hiding his face behind the masks leaving his loyal fans speculating who he really is for many years. The American YouTube star is easily identified by the Jason Mask Style with make-up which he wears on his ...
Who Is HolaSoyGerman and What Happened To Him? German Garmendia has certainly seen it all when it comes to internet success. His channels, HolaSoyGerman and JuegaGerman are in the top twenty most subscribed channel on YouTube. The Chilean YouTuber found a way to tap into one of the worlds greatest inventions and make a living from it. He has been able to build ...
Who Are Glenn Becks Family, What Is His Net Worth And What Happened To Him? The American political commentary space is filled with different personalities. A few of them, through their rhetoric, charisma, and resources have been able to build a large following of men and women who listen to them for insight and direction for various political and social issues in the United States. For Conservatives, the story is ...
Following Charissa Thompsons Rise Through The Ranks Of Sports Casting and All About Her Boyfriend Superstar TV host and sportscaster, Charissa Thompson, has been hailed as one of the highest-profile women journalists in America, and the reason is there for all to see. She has worked for popular establishments such as Versus, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, GSN, and Big Ten Network. She currently hosts the popular pre-game show, Fox NFL Kickoff, ...
Is Chris Kattan Gay or Does He Have A Wife? What Is His Net Worth? Chris Kattan is a popular American comedian and actor. He has appeared in several comic movies and TV series such as The Middle, A Night at the Roxbury and Bunnicula. Kattan is, however, most popular for his six-year stint as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. During his time on the legendary show, he ...
Everything You Should Know About the Rise of Insta Star Claire Abbott and Why She Gave It All Up A lot of young Americans have shot into the limelight for uploading different kinds of videos on YouTube. Some of these young stars include Connor Franta, Desi Perkins, Emma Chamberlain, the Dolan Twins (Ethan and Grayson), and Claire Abbott. The latter became a social media celebrity for uploading sexy bikini pictures of herself on social media. Apart from ...
5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTube Channel h3h3Productions H3h3Productions is a YouTube channel that specializes on Comic responses or reactions of other contents or trendy stories. The celebrity couple that created the channel has over time racked up sizable views for their commentaries and contents. Even though they had their own fair share of copyright cases, thankfully they scored an unprecedented victory in all ...
Lilypichu Bio Height, Brother and Love Story With Albert SleightlyMusical Chang Like most popular internet celebrities, Lilypichu is one of those Twitch streamers who spend their lives on camera. From daydreaming about the possibility of becoming a full-time professional streamer, she grew to live out her dreams on the popular live streaming platform where people play games, make crafts, and showcase their day-to-day activities. Given the rise of ...
KSI What To Know About His Girlfriend, Brother Deji Olatunji & Net Worth Assuredly, when Internet inventors Vint Cerf and Bob Khan created the technological masterpiece, they probably did not know how massive the creation will be harnessed by many for different purposes including as a platform for earning money through content creation. One of such person who smiles to the bank regularly today for spending time creating ...
The Interesting Progression and Highlights of Carrie Keagans Career as a Host and Actress Carrie Keagan has garnered huge fame through her various stints on television. She is not just your regular TV host but one with a difference. Keagan has hosted several high profile events and TV shows, including VH1s Big Morning Buzz Live and Fox News Channels Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. However, not many know she ...
The Gist On Elise Jordans Marriages And Her Rise To Prominence Political commentaries tend to be boring when it is handled by someone who does not have a knack for it. However, when you see the likes of Elise Jordan run the same commentary, you will have a lot of reasons to look forward to watching her again as the journalist is well-versed in the field ...
What Is Timmy Thick Best Known For and How Successful Is The Star? Thanks to the internet, many people whose talents would have ordinarily gone unnoticed have become famous. A very good example of this modern-day internet celebrity is Timmy Thick, an American social media star. He became popular on Instagram due to his penchant for posting raunchy pictures of himself. He also often posted videos of himself ...
What Does Heather Storm Do For a Living and Who Is She Dating? Reality Television is a great way to make a name for oneself as well as amass a fortune. Heather Storm can attest to this as she is one of those who have made a name and earned a lot from reality TV. She made her name appearing on shows like Car Fanatics, Awesome Autos, and, ...
Matt Carriker Biography Net Worth, Wife & Height Unlike your regular veterinary doctor next door, Matt Carriker chose to spice up his noble profession with the unusual. Though he is known to many as a medical practitioner, Carriker is better renowned as a YouTube star and an animal lover. Having recorded huge successes on his various YouTube channels, the vet doctors name and ...
Jillian Mele of Fox News Career Achievements, Husband & Measurements There are quite a good number of presenters on radio and television who listeners and viewers may never wish to miss any of their shows because of their sensational golden voice, beauty or the special way or artistry they anchor their shows. Jillian Mele is one of such. She has been at the top of ...
Who is Gillian Turner of Fox News? Her Fiance or Husband and Net Worth Gillian Turner is well-known as a news correspondent for Fox News Channel but before she became a TV personality, she built an intimidating resume working for different institutions, including the American government. She served in different capacities at the White House National Security Council during the administration of former US Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. ...
Gloria Govan Bio Age, Ethnicity & Height Even as Gloria Govan is famous as an American actress, author, a TV host, and reality television star, shes more popular as the wife of the former NBA player, Matt Barnes. She became known after appearing on the Florida version of the reality television series, Basketball Wives and later, Basketball Wives: LA after Matt was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Sadly, ...
Michael Fishmans Interesting Start as an Actor and Why He Divorced His Wife of Many Years When one door closes, another one opens. As silly as that axiom may seem, it is the story of the resurgence of Michael Fishman, who plays D.J Conner on the popular show, Roseanne. Having played the character for several years as a child actor into his teenage years; when the show originally ended, Michael did ...
Who Is October Gonzalez Tony Gonzalezs Wife? All You Need To Know October Gonzalez is a popular American TV host and media personality. Additionally, she is also a model. Gonzalez has hosted several TV shows such as Beat Shazam, Entertainment Tonight, and Rachel Ray. She has also featured in several reality TV shows. Gonzalezs fame is not just due to her profession but also because of her ...
Who Is Tony Berlin Harris Faulkners Husband: His Children and Family Facts Tony Berlin is a popular American media guru. He has variously worked as a reporter, anchor, and producer for some of the biggest TV networks in America. They include CNN, CBS, NBC, and ABC (where he hosted the popular Good Morning America). Berlin has now diversified into public relations and owns his own PR firm. ...
The Progression of Gianna Tobonis Journalism Career and Details About Her Marriage to Kyle Buckley Gianna Toboni may not be your ideal newscaster but her unusual reporting is what made her a household name. The American journalist is renowned for her hard-hitting and authentic reportage. A motivator and activist for total press freedom, Gianna loves to explore pervasive cultural issues. Not only does this unique and ambitious journalist call for all ...
Dog The Bounty Hunters Family Including Details of His Late Wife and Kids Popularly known as Dog, a name which he got from the television series, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Duane Chapman, an American bounty hunter, and one-time bail bondsman, went from being convicted for a felony to being a reality TV star. He was brought to the limelight following the capture of the convicted criminal, Andrew Luster in 2003 and this eventually made ...
Vicky Karayiannis, Chris Cornells Wifes Bio, Children and Family The world of showbiz is made up of different people who serve different roles, and function in a variety of capacities, and one of the most important people are those in the background. Publicists are undoubtedly one of these background people yet they are vital to the life and fame of most of our favorite ...
Joe Rogan Has A Step-Daughter and 2 Other Kids With Wife Jessica Ditzel Meet His Family Joe Rogan is a popular American stand-up comedian and TV host. His journey to stardom began in the late 80s and has seen him host several shows, the most popular is the game show titled Fear Factor. The exciting show dares contestants to face some of their greatest fears and embark on challenging stunts. The ...
Josh Gates and Wife Hallie Gnatovich Have 2 Kids But Who Has the Higher Net Worth? Best known for his explorations and adventures, Josh Gates, is a television presenter with a voracious appetite for seeing the world and the beauties in it. Some of that beauty, however, is in his home, in the form of two children he shares with his wife, Hallie Gnatovich. Not excluded is their marriage which has lasted ...
Holly Sonders Wiki, Plastic Surgery & Why She Divorced Her Husband Erik Kuselias After trying everything within her capacity to have a low key wedding, Holly Sonders was drawn to the public because of her husbands controversy at his workplace. Well, the two are rumored to be divorced but the article below will give more light on how true these rumors are. Meanwhile, Holly Sonders is yet to ...
Nadeska Alexis Bio Age, Boyfriend & Net Worth Journalism is one diverse profession that allows the practitioners to choose their area of specialty, build a career on it by reporting the truth and facts which in the long run will distinguish them as deserving commendation and recognition among their peers. Some choose to specialize in political journalism, while to others it is sports ...
Media Platforms Charlamagne Tha God Has Explored and All The Controversies He Has Courted Charlamagne Tha God is an American on-air personality, radio presenter, and more recently, author. He is popularly known as a co-host on New York radios nationally syndicated show, The Breakfast Club, a program he has been hosting alongside DJ Envy and Angela Yee since 2010. However, his early years had no connection to his current career ...
A Look At Jimmy Fallons Net Worth and Family Including His Wife & Kids Sometimes, a childs passion for something is a pointer to what he/she would become in the future. As a child, Jimmy Fallon was literally obsessed with watching the late-night comedy program, Saturday Night Live (SNL). Then, his parents would tape the clean parts for him to watch and later, he and his sister would re-enact sketches from the ...
Kay Adams Biography Does The Sportscaster Have A Husband or Boyfriend? When you hear the phrase sports enthusiast, women are hardly the first group that comes to mind. Well, thats changing pretty fast. Especially with the rise of female sports analysts and broadcasters like Kay Adams who is famed for knowing more about sports than most men do. And why not, shes paid handsomely for it ...
Ben Shapiros Family Meet His Wife, Kids and Sister Who is Popular for the Wrong Reasons A multi-talented man, Ben Shapiro is a man of controversial nature, an attribute that has made him an unusual public figure. An intellectual whose career path was clearly defined even before he became a man, the Jewish conservative commentator has always had his way with words. He became popular by sharing his critical and often ...
QVC Shawn Killinger Bio Husband, Net Worth & Facts To Know Shawn Killinger is a prominent TV personality who has worked her way to the top. Though not initially a journalist by training, she defied the odds and today has established herself as a household name, as well as, worked alongside some industry legends. More than just being a reporter, newscaster, and anchor, heres all you ...
Liv Lo Dissecting the Ethnicity, Parents and Personal Life of Henry Goldings Wife While many are aware that Liv Lo is the better half to Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, only a few understand why his beautiful wife appears increasingly endearing to fans. A former model turned TV personality, and fitness star, Liv has an impressive resume which when combined with that of her statuesque spouse is considered a perfect ...
Stpeach Age, Husband and Other Facts About The Twitch Streamer Lisa Vannatta, famously known by her online alias, STPeach is a Canadian video game streamer cum vlogger who has garnered fame through her appearances on different video-sharing/social networking platforms such as Youtube, Instagram, Twitch, Reddit, and Twitter. The beautiful lady got her career to a start in August 2015 when she joined the live streaming video platform, Twitch. She rose to ...
Insights into Seth Meyers Wife, Family and What His Net Worth Is Celebrities are mostly remembered and known for the work they do. For Seth Meyers, his career as a comedian, writer, actor, TV host, and producer is his biggest identifier. He was on Saturday Night Live SNL show as a head writer and cast member for more than ten years during which he built a reputation ...
Who Is Jessica Gadsden Age, Net Worth & All About Charlamagne tha Gods Wife Jessica Gadsden is an American fitness coach as well as a personal trainer. She is better known as the spouse of popular American media personality, Charlamagne Tha God. Charlamange Tha God is a well-known TV and radio personality in the U.S. He has featured in several shows (both on the radio and TV) and is ...
Who Is Collins Tuohy Michael Ohers sister ? Her Wedding, Husband & Net Worth Collins Tuohy is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, blogger, and social media personality. She is also better known as the adoptive sister of NFL player, Michael Oher, whose life story inspired the Hollywood blockbuster The Blind Side. The Blind Side tells the true life story of Oher who grew up in an impoverished background consisting of a ...
Eye-Popping Facts About The Personal Life And Career Success Of Sportscaster Heidi Watney Heidi Watney is a media personality who has created a niche for herself as a sportscaster. Starting out as a radio presenter, the brilliant young lady has gone on to work for several prominent sports networks, and currently, she is with the MLB. The sportscaster is also known to have been an avid sports lady right ...
Marty Lagina Bio Siblings (Martina and Rick Lagina), Net Worth and Wife Marty Lagina is an American engineer and businessman who has risen to fame as a reality TV star. This is thanks to his involvement in the adventure TV series, The Curse of Oak Island. The Curse of Oak Island is a long-running TV series which airs on the history channel. The show aims to solve ...
Is Jordan Schlansky Just A Character or a Real Life Person and What Does He Do? The world of late-night television is an interesting one. Shows during that time are geared towards giving viewers comedic relief from a long day at work through interviews and comedy sketches. The often charismatic host of this show requires the balancing talent of a producer whose primary job is to deliver great episodes. It is ...
Heres How Wealthy Jimmy Kimmel Is From All The Phases of His Career, Marriages and Sons Health Jimmy Kimmel is a renowned late-night talk show host known for his charm, wit, and the A-list guests he features on his show. As the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! On ABC, Jimmy has been serving comedy to television viewers for years which played a pivotal role in launching him into mainstream fame and enabled ...
Natasha Bertrand Biography Is She Married? Who Is the Husband & What Is Her Age? Natasha Bertrand is not just a young prominent journalist but a first-rate investigative reporter. With her natural beauty and smile, Natashas sharp, insightful political commentary also makes her a thorough reporter. Her sound political perspective and coverage in the country have made her a force to be reckoned with in the profession. Renowned for her ...
What Happened to Shane Kilcher? His Injury Update, Net Worth and More Shane Kilcher is well-known thanks to the Discovery Channel series Alaska: The Last Frontier. It is a show that documents the daily lives of the extended Kilcher family, people who live without plumbing or modern heating. The episodes follow their routines as they rely on hunting and farming for their nutritional needs as well as ...
Is Stephanie Gosk Gay or Lesbian, Who is the Wife or Partner Jenna Wolfe? In August 2013, NBCs Today viewers were greeted with two shocking news. Today weekend anchor, Jenna Wolfe, announced that she was as a lesbian, introducing her partner as NBC News correspondent Stephanie Gosk, and said the two are expecting their first child. A long time has passed since then and certainly, a lot of things ...
Nikki Mudarris Bio and Net Worth: 5 Interesting Facts You Need to Know Nikki Mudarris, also known as Miss Nikki Baby, is a reality television star, model and fashionista. Shes best known for VH1s reality TV series Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood. Her entrepreneurial skills enable her to create and run a successful lingerie line Nude by Nikki. Not only that, but Nikki has also successfully run the Las ...
5 Interesting Things You Need To Know About Kelly Nash Ever heard of the lady who gained national prominence for taking a selfie with a dangerous ball just a few inches away from hitting her? Its no other person than Kelly Nash, an American sports broadcaster currently working as host of The Rundown show which airs on MLB Network every weekday at 2 pm ET. ...
Understanding The Height of Fame John Oliver Achieved With The Daily Show and How He Met His Wife Without knowledge of who he is and his exemplary career, John Oliver cuts an unassuming figure of a regular man but he is one of the most influential personalities in America, especially on television. Since he began his career in 1998, he has been a loud and unapologetic agent of change, using his wit and ...
Why Did Big Chief Leave Street Outlaws, Where Is He Now And Why Did He Divorce His Wife? Justin Shearer, otherwise known by his professional name Big Chief is a famous street racer and television personality. He is famously known for being one of the main characters on the racing reality television series, Street Outlaws. Justin, who had been a significant part of the show since its premiere in 2013, appeared in a ...
Who is Josina Anderson of ESPN? Her Husband and Family Facts There has been a gradual paradigm shift in the world of sports which has today produced the likes of Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and other female athletes that are pulling great feats in different sporting fields. Their achievements have also been followed by the emergence of female sports journalists such as Jillian Mele, Eboni Williams, ...
Is Brittany Wagner Married, Who Is The Husband, How Old Is She? Brittany Wagner has been an inspiration to a lot of sports youngster. She has won the hearts of many athletic students with her role as a life coach and an academic counselor. She is well groomed in her career and has worked over a decade for The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and The National ...
Tati Westbrook Bio Age, Husband & Net Worth With five videos dished out every week, alongside running her own brand, beauty guru, and YouTube superstar Tati Westbrook has proved to the world that theres utterly no impossibility or limit to whatever one is passionate about. Tati is best known for being the owner and manager of the worlds most-viewed beauty and lifestyle YouTube channel, ...
Cathy Areus Long Road to Becoming a Freelance Journalist and What to Know About Her Kids An American freelance journalist, news analyst, and author, Cathy Areu has built a lasting reputation for herself on cable television. Popular for her skillful and sassy presentation of professional views on varying topics including cultural and feminist issues, Cathy is an inspiration to many women across the globe. In addition to being a journalist, she ...
Tucker Carlsons Love Story With Wife Susan Andrews, their Children and Net Worth Today On the TV screens, Tucker Carlson is that fiery fellow who passionately dishes out his conservative and often controversial views on issues of national importance. Such brazenness has fetched him many enemies, especially on the left-wing, but it has also helped him cement a reputation as one of the foremost broadcast journalists in America. His ...
Paige Wyatts Net Worth, Boyfriend and Where She Is Now Paige Wyatt became popular after the Wyatt family began running the reality television show, American Guns. The Wyatt family comprises Rich Wyatt (father), Renee Wyatt (mother), Paige and Kurt Wyatt (children). Rich Wyatt originally ran a gun shop, the Gunsmoke Guns in Wheat Ridge, Colorado which is outside of Denver. The business which he ran together ...
The Progression of Howard Sterns Career As A Media Personality And Why He Divorced His First Wife Howard Stern is a legendary American radio host, who has also done some notable work as an actor, producer, author, as well as photographer. The radio personality achieved worldwide fame as a result of his self-titled radio program, The Howard Stern Show. As a professional radio personality, he has worked in different radio stations. Since 2006, ...
Lisa Joyners Biography Ethnicity, Net Worth and Other Key Facts Lisa Joyner is an American Journalist, TV talk show host, and actress. Some of her well-known works are her correspondences for the Los Angeles based TV KCBS, inFANity show, Find My Family Show including her film and television appearances in Brimstone, American Sweetheart, The Bold and The Beautiful among others. Lisas passion for reconnecting people with their biological families ...
Amanda Balionis Rise Through the Ranks of Sportscasting and the Identity of Her Boyfriend Amanda Balionis is an American sportscaster currently working as a golf broadcaster for CBS Sports. Among so many of her works in the field of sports reporting, Amandas PGA Tour coverage seems to be the most popular so far. She covered the Super Bowl working with CBS Sports social media team in Atlanta, where she ...
Dissecting Charles Paynes Sexual Allegations, Its After Effects and More About His Wife Charles Payne had a respectable career as an analyst on Wall Street before he made the transition to television and became a contributor and later a host on Fox. In that time, his expertise has come under scrutiny, and he has been at the center of at least one major controversy. The major controversy in question ...
Erik Asla And Tryra Banks Split: Everything You Need To Know Tyra Banks and Erik Asla have called it quits! The couple, who began dating in 2013 and have a son named York Banks Asla, has decided to end what everybody taught was the perfect relationship. Neither person has come out to give a reason for the breakup, but what is obvious right now is that ...
What to Note About Dr Terry Dubrows Qualifications, TV Works and Marriage to Heather Kent In the realm of people that we expect to see regularly on our screens, medical doctors are closer to the bottom of the list. Aside from the fact that their work has little correlation with TV, they are presumably too busy to pursue life as TV personalities. Yet, a few of them have usurped this ...
Jessica Goch Bio: 5 Things You Didnt Know About Ninjas Wife Jessica Goch is the Schofield-born American Social Media Influencer who has worked as a model but is now better known as a host and interviewer of prominent Electronic sports celebrities at popular gaming events/tournaments. The screen queen also serves as the manager of her famous husband Ninja aka Tyler Blevins whose exploits on Twitch and Fortnite has ...
CNNs Chris Cuomo Biography Wife, Family & Net worth Chris Cuomo needs no elaborate introduction as he has starred graced many prominent Television cable networks and his voice has been heard through acknowledged radio shows. He is a television journalist and Lawyer who has previously worked for ABC News as Chief law and justice correspondent as well as a co-anchor on 20/20. If you still ...
Neil deGrasse Tyson Family, Religion & Net Worth Neil deGrasse Tyson is a distinguished American astrophysicist and author who has been able to achieve so much after falling in love with astronomy at the age of 9. He has since attended and become an alumnus of prestigious universities such as Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia, and also recorded numerous achievements in his field of ...
Is Simon Cowell Gay? Does He Have A Wife or Girlfriend and Why is He Famous? Simon Cowell is a well-known talent show judge, TV producer, entrepreneur and one of the most popular TV personalities that Britain has ever produced. In conjunction with his company, Syco, Cowell is the brain behind hugely successful talent hunt shows such as The X-Factor UK, The X-Factor US, Britains Got Talent, Americas Got Talent and ...
Everything To Know About Joanna Gaines Life With Chip Gaines, Their Business Pursuits and Kids Joanna Gaines and her husband Chip Gaines became celebrities after their television show Fixer Upper began airing back in 2013. The show which was about home renovation and decoration ran for about 6 seasons with a total of 79 episodes before the couple bade farewell to it in April 2018. Apart from their appearances on ...
Who Is Larry The Cable Guy? What To Know About His Wife And Net Worth Larry the Cable Guy is a self-professed country kid renowned for his trademark Southern accent and sensational catchphrase Git-R-Done! The famous comedian who talks about anything under the sun has gone on to become one of the most memorable characters in comedy history. Join us in unearthing lesser-known facts about the former on-air-personality, standup comedy superstar, movie ...
Who Is Patrick Starr, What Is His Net Worth and Gender? The make-up industry over the years has grown to become a billion dollar industry not just because there are probably more women wearing make-up but because a whole lot of men, especially the young ones, have become bold enough to wear it unlike before. A few of these men, like Patrick Starr, have even gone ...
How Did Chris Jansing Become a Senior Correspondent at MSNBC and Who Is Her Husband? An award-winning American television news reporter and journalist, Chris Jansing has succeeded in carving a spectacular niche for herself in the field of TV journalism. Outstanding for not just her excellence in journalism, Chris is also cherished for her incredibly gorgeous looks post 60! For close to four decades, Jansing has continued to soar in her ...
Jaclyn Glenn Biography Age, Height & Ex-Boyfriend American Youtuber, Jaclyn Glenn, rose to prominence through her self-titled YouTube channel Jaclyn Glenn. She has remained an acclaimed atheist and continues to air her views on hot issues from politics, religion, animal rights, to atheism. During the heated 2016 US Presidential elections, Glenn featured in Hump Trump: Official Donald Trump Song. Her parallel acting career ...
Is Pat Sajak Married to a Wife or is He Gay With a Partner? Pat Sajak is one of the most popular TV game show hosts in America. He commenced his career as a radio disk jockey as well as a TV weatherman before being tapped to host Wheel of Fortune, the longest-running syndicated game show in the United States. Sajak has hosted the popular game show from 1983 ...
Nayyera Haqs Bio What To Know About Her Husband, Parents And Family Nayyera Haq can take anyone on political debates as well as discussions on social issues affecting many. Her ability to masterfully deliver her stance on every issue or political debate has made her a regular face in morning and evening news media platforms. This is not a common feat especially for someone from her kind ...
Inside Guy Fieris Family With Wife, Kids and Sister Who Died of Cancer Over the years we have seen men dominate the kitchen and churn out amazing delicacies from it. Some do it way better than their female counterparts and one of such men is Guy Ramsay Fieri an American TV host, celebrity chef, restaurant owner, bestselling author of four culinary books, and game show host. His ...
Meet Phil Mudd of CNN The Former CIA and FBI Exec, Is He Married, Who Is The Wife? When it comes to discussing issues surrounding terrorism, American Counterterrorism and National Security Expert, Phil Mudd, occupies a globally significant position. He has voiced his interest in the fight against terrorism and insecurity on many popular media platforms, both print and broadcast, such as CNN, BBC, CBS, MSNBC, al-Jazeera, ABC, NBC, Fox, The New York Times, ...
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The Ups and Downs of Erin Mcpikes Journalism Career and Other Facts About Her Personal Life Erin McPike is a journalist working for the Independent Journal Review (IJR) as a White House Correspondent but she gained widespread recognition for her coverage of general news. Whether its breaking news or some mainstream story, McPike has a reputation of baring the facts. As a journalist, her work as a White House Correspondent for Independent ...
Bert Kreischer Is Married To LeeAnn Kreischer With 2 Kids Meet His Family Those familiar with Bert Kreischer mainly have the image of a large-bellied party man whose college life inspired the National Lampoon film, Van Wilder. It is an image that one would not naturally associate with a wholesome family. The standup comedian still maintains his wild party animal image on stage. But, back at home, he is ...
How Brendan Greene Became a Game Designer to Look Out For and Facts About His Failed Marriage The name Brendan Greene may not easily ring a bell in the larger society but for gaming enthusiasts, he is considered a god and this is because of his invention of the video game, Player Unknowns Battlegrounds, also called PUBG. Based on the popular last-man-standing/battle royale concept, Greenes creation has taken the gaming world by ...
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One of the only silver linings in this miserable storm of an election may be that whomever wins, we can dispense with the tired conceit of the "first hundred days."
This notion, which has been around since FDR, holds that presidents have maximum political power in their first couple months in office and they must use it quickly and forcefully to enact their agenda. This theory of governing made sense when the country was in the Great Depression and was also understandable in Barack Obama's first days in office when the nation faced dire economic times. As Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said then, quoting Winston Churchill, "Never let a good crisis go to waste."
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In 2017, the new president will face a crisis all right, but it will be one uniquely ill-suited for the forceful imposition of political will. The crisis facing America today is not economic; the economy remains recovered, albeit weakly and unevenly.
Rather, it is a political crisis. As this election has so depressingly underscored, our nation remains bitterly divided, and the two sides not only distrust each other, many of their loyalists hate each other. Politicians in Washington may offer an extreme and distorted reflection of their constituents' divisions, but they hold a mirror nonetheless. Neither party in the new Congress will be inclined initially to offer a new president much cooperation, let alone enact a sweeping agenda.
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Any new president in these partisan times, but especially ones as battered and reviled as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, will have a deficit of political capital from day one. Should either interpret their victory as a mandate to enact an ambitious agenda in their first days in office, they will fail, further undermining their already weakened standing.
So instead of writing checks that will bounce for insufficient political funds, the new president in 2017 should try to use their first months to put political capital in the bank. Admittedly, that advice isn't an agenda but rather a governing philosophy and requires a fundamental change in how both candidates are thinking about their time in office. Both already have ambitious 100-day plans and seem intent on trying to impose their will and agenda.
Here's an alternative for the new president to this conventional and outmoded approach to the first 100 days.
Send a signal on election night that you understand the country's quarrel and that you know that almost as many people are condemning your victory as celebrating it. Announce that night that you will dedicate your first years in office to finding common ground. Use the transition to build a cabinet that has multiple members of the opposite party. Tell your staff to scrap the grand plans and instead ask them to draw up a strategy to win a series of small victories in year one of your presidency.
As much as possible, avoid obviously controversial appointments so you are not immediately dragged down by endless confirmation fights. This will not be easy, especially on the Supreme Court, but there are "compromise" picks there too, such as Padmanabhan Srikanth Srinivasan and Patricia Ann Millett. Cancel the inaugural balls and parades and make a modest speech about trying to bring the country together while being realistic and respectful about its deep disagreements. Start small, so maybe you get to go big. Think not about a "hundred days" but a thousand.
Washington Post
Eskew is a founder of The Glover Park Group who oversees the firm's branding, corporate reputation and creative services groups. Before forming GPG in 2001, Carter worked as a political media consultant and corporate strategist.
As Hillary Clinton's once-commanding lead in the polls collapses, Democrats are panicking at the possibility that Donald Trump actually could be elected president of the United States.
They can relax. Strip away the incendiary rhetoric, and a Trump presidency in many ways will be exactly what Democrats want a third Obama term.
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While Trump attacks President Barack Obama on the campaign trail as "the worst president, maybe in the history of our country," on issue after issue Trump has mimicked not only Obama's policies but also Obama's own language to argue for them.
Take spending and debt. One of the great liberal achievements of the Obama presidency was the massive 2009 stimulus, which included $550 billion in government spending to fix what Obama called "our crumbling roads, bridges, and schools" even though it was not paid for with spending cuts elsewhere. This was the bill that helped set off the tea party revolt of 2010. Nearly every Republican in Congress voted no.
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Well, in August, Trump said that as president he plans to spend wait for it more than $500 billion on new infrastructure projects which, he boasted, is "at least double" what Clinton plans to spend. Where would Trump get the money? By adding to the national debt. "This is the time to borrow," he told CNBC, because "rates are so low." Trump further explained that "normally, you would say you want to reduce your debt, and I would like to reduce debt, too," but we can't because we have "a tremendous infrastructure problem."
That's Obama's policy spending money we don't have on "shovel-ready" projects. Apparently, it's Trump's policy, too.
Or take the Middle East. In announcing his drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan in June 2011, President Obama declared that the United States could no longer afford to deploy troops across the world. "Over the last decade, we have spent a trillion dollars on war, at a time of rising debt and hard economic times," Obama said, adding that "it is time to focus on nation-building here at home." At the time, former House speaker Newt Gingrich ripped Obama's speech as "dangerously misinformed," declaring that a "tsunami of violence is building offshore" and "this administration is crippling the United States and every country in the world by failing to protect those who help us."
Well, Donald Trump has said the exact same thing as Obama. "We are spending trillions of dollars in the Middle East, and the infrastructure of our country is disintegrating," Trump has said, adding that "we have to build our own country, and that's what we have to focus on."
Withdrawing from a dangerous world to save money and focus on nation-building here at home that is the Obama policy. And apparently it will remain U.S. policy in a Trump administration.
Or take American exceptionalism. Back in 2009, Republicans blasted Obama when he declared, "I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism." Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani said, "I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America," adding that Obama's comments show "a stark lack of moral clarity."
Well, you know who shares that lack of moral clarity? Trump. At a Texas tea party event in 2015, Trump said virtually the same thing as Obama: "Look, if I'm a Russian, or I'm a German ... I don't think it's a very nice term. We're exceptional; you're not ... I think you're insulting the world ... I never liked the expression."
At least Obama paid lip service to American exceptionalism; Trump rejects it outright.
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And that's just scratching the surface. Obama has slammed "fat-cat bankers on Wall Street." Trump says hedge-fund managers are "getting away with murder." Obama told Republicans in Congress who opposed a minimum-wage hike, "If you truly believe you could work full time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, try it." Trump says, "I don't know how people make it on $7.25 an hour ... I would like to see a [minimum wage] increase of some magnitude." Obama blasts Republicans for what he called efforts at "privatizing Social Security." Trump says, "Every Republican wants to do a big number on Social Security, they want to do it on Medicare, they want to do it on Medicaid ... And we can't do that." The list goes on and on.
In some areas, such as Supreme Court nominations, a Trump presidency would probably be a setback for Democrats. But in other areas, Trump may actually be an improvement for liberal Democrats over Obama. On trade, Trump opposes the hated Trans-Pacific Partnership that Obama negotiated. On health care, he supports single-payer and has said, "This is an un-Republican thing for me to say ... I am going to take care of everybody ... the government's gonna pay for it." Even on immigration, Trump's inflammatory rhetoric aside, he actually supports giving legal status to almost all of the 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States they just have to "touch back" in their home country briefly to get it. Trump may actually be the president most likely to deliver on the Democratic dream of comprehensive immigration reform.
So, don't worry, Democrats. There's no need to move to Canada. On spending, foreign policy, entitlements, the minimum wage, trade, health care and even immigration, Trump agrees with you.
Even if Clinton loses, you may get your third Obama term after all.
Washington Post
Marc A. Thiessen, a fellow with the American Enterprise Institute and former chief speechwriter to President George W. Bush, writes a weekly online column for The Washington Post.
Among Republican elected officials, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Wis., occupied, before the Donald Trump debacle, a unique position. Conservative intellectuals admired and rooted for him as he plowed new ground on anti-poverty measures, entitlement reform and health care. His reputation as a squeaky-clean public servant, all-around nice guy and policy heavyweight earned him a measure of respect from friends and foes alike. Claiming he was a hypocrite, a liar or a phony was wasted effort. Not the Wisconsin boy scout! Then came Trump.
Ryan frittered away a good deal of his reputation on defending the indefensible, namely Trump's candidacy. Ryan's last act of intellectual debasement came in the form of an op-ed for CNN on Sunday. (For starters, hadn't he promised to keep quiet about Trump and just work on securing his majority?) Unfortunately, he dishonestly hawked the Trump presidency:
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"A unified Republican government will dedicate itself to reclaiming our founding principles and solving the country's problems. This is not just a vague promise we have put on paper the details for how we will address the big challenges of the day. It's a six-point plan called 'A Better Way'..."
He then proceeds to tick off the list of his policy proposals that he rolled out months ago in the hopes of providing a lifeline for GOP candidates and a blueprint for governance. Trump, however, isn't interested in any of that. His agenda is neither smart nor concrete. Rip up trade agreements. Make allies pay more. Bring back jobs from China. Build a wall. It's all hooey. And yet Ryan would have us believe that after winning the presidency Trump would listen to Ryan?! Please.
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In fact, Trump's ideas, such as they are, run counter to much of Ryan's "Better Way" and his other long-standing policy positions. Unlike Ryan, Trump is not interested in "restoring our traditional alliances." Rather, Trump wants to gut NATO. Trump is not interested in Ryan's ideas to "restore the Constitution by restoring the separation of powers." This is Trump we are talking about, a narcissist who has no idea how many articles are in the Constitution. Trump isn't about to abrogate power to Congress. Ryan wants to reform entitlements. Trump parrots the irresponsible line that getting rid of waste, fraud and abuse will solve the problem. You have to wonder if Ryan is kidding us or himself.
Even worse, Ryan, who has always extended to foes the presumption of good intentions and patriotism, sounds remarkably churlish in his Trump-for-president missive. "This is our job as leaders: to offer positive solutions and empower people. Our duty is to tackle our problems before they tackle us. Hillary Clinton feels no such obligation." Really? He may not like her solutions, but does he really think Clinton feels no obligation to solve problems? No, he claims; "She has offered no new ideas to address our biggest challenges, and that is no accident." That's wrong, actually. You can disagree profoundly with her ideas while conceding she wants to solve problems and has plans to do so.
This is akin to President Barack Obama accusing Ryan of Social Darwinism. Obama too often painted Republicans as not caring about the poor, questioning the concept of Social Security and putting party above country. Ryan rightly bristled at the strawman arguments. Maybe Ryan has decided that if you cannot beat them, then join them.
If Clinton wins and the GOP keeps the House, Ryan and Clinton will have to work together. One hopes that at that point Ryan will have reflected on his own conduct during the race and will be ready to look for places where his and her agendas overlap.
He's about the only person capable of serving as speaker, so for the good of the country we hope the Freedom Caucus doesn't toss him overboard. Beyond that, however, the GOP will need to look for moral leadership and future presidential prospects elsewhere. Ryan has lost his exalted place in the conservative pantheon. Sadly, he did it for nothing.
Washington Post
Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Post, offering reported opinion from a conservative perspective.
Rhonda Crawford, left, the fired law clerk accused of posing as a judge, speaks out Sept. 22, 2016, at a news conference in Chicago. At right is attorney Victor P. Henderson. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)
Before she got fired for pretending to be a judge, before she was charged with a felony, before the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission moved to take away her law license, before the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that she can't take the oath of office even if she wins the election Tuesday ... before all of that: Rhonda Crawford was not qualified to be a Cook County Circuit Court judge.
It's likely she'll be elected anyway. Then what?
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She's pleaded not guilty to official misconduct, a felony, and false impersonation, a misdemeanor. She could face up to five years in prison, which is needlessly harsh. But a felony conviction would disqualify her from the bench. That feels about right.
She could spend years fighting for her law license, without which she can't be a judge. The disciplinary commission's complaint accuses her of dishonesty, criminal conduct by impersonating a public officer and making false statements in a disciplinary investigation. Allowing her to practice law "threatens irreparable injury to the public, the legal system and the orderly administration of justice," the commission said.
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So what happens if/when she wins the election? Good question. When a vacancy occurs on the Circuit Court bench, the state Supreme Court appoints a judge to complete the unexpired term. If Crawford is elected but not sworn in, will the justices declare the seat vacant? It's more likely it would sit empty, and the caseload would be absorbed by other judges. The wheels of justice would spin a little slower for citizens of Cook County for as long as it takes for Crawford to resolve her issues.
All of that serves the interests of one person: Rhonda Crawford.
Her refusal to put voters' needs ahead of her own is one of the factors the commission cited when it asked the Supreme Court to suspend her license. But the justices resisted calls to disqualify Crawford before the election. It's too late to remove her name from the ballot where she faces only write-in opposition and the court declined to invalidate the votes that are cast for her.
Crawford hopes to beat all the raps and claim the gavel. What citizen could step confidently into her courtroom?
Not long ago, Crawford was a $57,000-a-year law clerk in the Markham courthouse. There's nothing in her resume to suggest she has the experience or the legal skills to be a judge. She knew that, so she ducked the judicial evaluations that local bar associations conduct to provide guidance to voters. All 12 bar groups gave her a thumbs-down.
But she won the three-way Democratic primary in the 1st Judicial Subcircuit. With no Republican on the Nov. 8 ballot, she was coasting to a $188,000-a-year job for which did we mention? she's not qualified.
Then she got ahead of herself. On Aug. 11, Circuit Judge Valarie Turner lent her robe and gavel to Crawford, who sat at the bench and ruled on three cases. No, Crawford didn't send anyone to prison it was traffic court. That doesn't excuse the ruse. A citizen who comes to court to contest a speeding ticket is there to seek justice, not to play games.
Crawford says nobody was misled. But an attorney who appeared in court that day told the commission that Turner introduced Crawford as a judge, and Crawford did not correct her. A defendant and a police officer also said they thought Crawford was a judge. All three cases were later dismissed, and Crawford was fired from her clerk's job.
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With her law license on the line, she vacillated between admitting her mistakes and insisting she'd done nothing wrong, according to the commission.
By refusing to step aside while she cleans up the mess she made, Crawford shows more concern for herself than for the integrity of the judicial system or the needs of the electorate. She's not, as she says, fighting "the good fight." She's digging the hole deeper.
She should withdraw from the race and concentrate on resolving the criminal and disciplinary cases against her. If she emerges without being disqualified for the bench that's a big if then she can restart her campaign to become a judge. First stop: the bar association screening committees.
Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
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:
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I
P
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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
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. The gross agricultural production of Armenia in the period of January-September comprised around 654 billion 606.9 million AMD.
According to data of the National Statistical Service, the indicator has increased by 2.6% as compared to the same period of last year.
Overall, 421 billion 544.6 million AMD is the indicator of crop/plant production a decrease of 6%, and livestock farming comprised 233 billion 62.3 million AMD an increase of 4%.
In an interview with ARMENPRESS, President of the Agrarian Union NGO Hrachya Berberyan says if the indicator of agriculture has decreased, then it is due to the damages inflicted by hailstorms. According to him, apricot and grape harvests have decreased because of the hailstorms this year.
Cultivation of potato is growing in Armenia. We have growth in onion production. Overall, as compared to the previous year, we have growth in vegetable production, Berberyan said.
Speaking about livestock indicators, Berberyan said it is necessary to note livestock farming isnt just meat production, but also milk.
Berberyan said meat production will grow until the end of the year.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. A tornado has hit the coastal town of Ladispoli, Italy, with local media reporting at least 2 people dead, RT reports.
According to reports, a man died in hospital after being struck by falling building fragments. The tornado caused two of the floors in the eight story building to collapse in Via Ancona.
Il Messaggero says the victim was a 36 year old Pakistani man.
Two others have been injured. Shops, cars and trees have also suffered damage.
Another casualty was reported by local media later.
Locals have begun sharing images and video of the aftermath, with one woman showing a broken window frame inside her home.
Italy has been hit by powerful storms that have left branches strewn across roads and flooding in some areas. A road in Rome was partially closed to traffic due to large branches blocking some of the roadway.
Weather reports say severe storms are expected, with a tornado risk in Central Italy.
On Thursday, a waterspout or tornado of water was spotted off the coast of Positano in Italy.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is heading for a third consecutive term in office after securing more than 70% of the vote in partial results for Sunday's election, officials say, BBC reports.
A former left-wing rebel, Mr Ortega is popular in the country thanks to social programmes and economic stability.
He was widely expected to win as he faced no obvious challenger.
Mr Ortega's wife, Rosario Murillo, was also standing for vice president.
"There has been an excellent turnout," said Telemaco Talavera, an official accredited to monitor the vote.
With ballots from 21.3% of polling stations counted, Mr Ortega had 71.3% of the votes.
Critics accused Mr Ortega of manipulating the political system to stay in power and of smothering the opposition.
The vote was seen as the most one-sided election in Nicaragua since the overthrow of dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979 - a process that Mr Ortega himself was involved in.
But Nicaragua is sharply divided over the 70-year-old former guerrilla.
Many feel that the elections were a farce, that with this, his third consecutive term, there is growing autocracy in the country and the role of his wife as running-mate is too much of a family affair.
The fact remains, though, that he was the most popular candidate by far.
Overseeing Nicaragua's stable economic growth and the lack of violence compared to the problems of its neighbours El Salvador and Honduras in recent years have cemented him as the best option for many Nicaraguans.
Mr Ortega arrived at the voting station in the capital, Managua, with Ms Murillo just before the polls closed on Sunday at 18:00 local time (00:00 GMT).
"This is a vote for peace, for stability, for the security of Nicaraguan families," said Mr Ortega.
"Some say that we don't have proper elections here, because we're not insulting each other, throwing messages of hate, banging the drums of death," he added.
The five other candidates were all minor figures and were unable to present a challenge to the president. Part of the opposition urged a boycott, calling the vote a "farce".
International observers were not allowed to monitor the vote.
Analysts said that Mr Ortega's wife already shares decision-making with him and could become president herself if he bows out - there are rumours about the state of his health - or in the next election.
Nicaragua's economy has grown at double the Latin American average, but the country still needs to attract more foreign investment.
A $50bn (40bn) plan to build an interoceanic canal across Nicaragua with Chinese investment gained international attention, but there are serious doubts over whether it will ever be built.
The country has been able to avoid the sky-high murder rates of some of its Central American neighbours but it also faces the ever pervasive threat of drug-trafficking.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Economic Development and Reforms Suren Karayan assures the Armenian Government will assist any investor willing to invest in Armenia.
During Parliamentary debates of the 2017 state budget, the Minister said there wont be any case when the investor arrives in Armenia to invest and any state agency puts forward conditions.
Such approaches are excluded. I, as minister of economic development and investment, am responsible and I announce that we will assist anyone willing to invest in Armenia, Karayan said.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Between November 10 and 20 NATO-Georgia Exercise 2016 will take place at the Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC), Krtsanisi National Training Centre, near Tbilisi, Georgia. The Exercise will be officially opened in the conference hall of IV Mechanized Brigade in Vaziani on November 10, the Georgian Defense Ministry reports.
NATO-GEO 16 is a landmark exercise for Georgia and a significant milestone in strengthening NATO-Georgia military cooperation. It is the first NATO-Georgia joint multinational brigade-level, Computer Assisted, Command Post exercise (CAX/CPX), which is included in NATO exercises list. The exercise is testing the interoperability of Georgian, Allied and Partner Forces, as well as command and control capabilities. This is the second NATO-Georgia exercise to take place through the SNGP framework - a series of 13 defence capacity building measures agreed between Georgia and NATO at the Wales summit in 2014.
The brigade-level exercise is supported and organized by NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT), NATO LANDCOM, Joint Force Training Centre (JFTC), partner countries and the Georgian Armed Forces. 13 Allied Member States and 2 Partners are providing officers including Turkey, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Belgium, Slovenia, UK, US, Ukraine and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Humanitarian bodies like the inter-governmental organisation, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Save the Children and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are also participating in it.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Galust Sahakyan on November 7 received the delegation which arrived in Armenia to take part in the international conference organized by the Confucius Institute of the V. Bryusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences of Yerevan and the Union of School-Centers.
Ambassador of China to Armenia H.E. Tian Erlong was also present at the meeting, the Press Service of the Parliament told ARMENPRESS.
Galust Sahakyan welcomed the guests and highlighted the organization of such conferences, which can have a significant role for exchange of experience.
According to Sahakyan, the implementation of educational programs is a priority for the Parliament of Armenia. In this context, Mr. Sahakyan added: Having a high quality educational system is important for our nation. The state is powerful if there are leading schools in the country.
Ambassador Tian Erlong, on behalf of the delegation thanked Sahakyan for the warm reception and said that the Armenian-Chinese relations are on a high level, and expressed hope that the conference will deepened the educational cooperation of Armenia and China.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Turkey moves toward sultanization more and more rapidly, Armenpress reports Director of Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan told.
Turkeys governance system gradually resembles Azerbaijan. If the electoral system was more or less effective in the past, now it is no longer so. The recent developments in Turkey (coup attempt, political arrests) show that Erdogan faces no counter power, Iskandaryan said, adding that the civil activists, opposition forces and the intellectuals in Turkey live in an atmosphere of fear.
The political scientists predicted that constitutional changes will be held in Turkey in spring, which will resemble the changes in Azerbaijani constitution.
It will mean that it will be impossible to change the leadership of Turkey by elections as it is in Azerbaijan, he stated.
Referring to the issue how the Turkish society will react to the restoration of death penalty, the Director of Caucasus Institute said, The Turkish society has no influence on that issue. Of course, there will be protests, much about it will be spoken and written, but they will have no significant impact on the decision.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Egyptian Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla was on his way to Iran on Sunday to try to strike new oil deals, sources close to his delegation said at Cairo airport, after Saudi Arabia suspended its oil agreement last month, Reuters reports.
After that suspension, Egypt voted in favor of a Russian-backed U.N. resolution on Syria in October that excluded calls to stop bombing Aleppo, which Saudi Arabia strongly opposed.
Saudi Arabia has showered Egypt with billions of dollars in aid since 2013, when President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted elected Mohammed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood and banned the Islamist movement, which Riyadh opposes.
The Saudi deal was for 700,000 tonnes of oil products a month for five years under a $23 billion deal between Saudi Aramco and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) to be paid off over 15 years.
Molla is set to meet several senior Iranian officials to discuss the possibility of securing oil supplies from Tehran, one source, who accompanied Molla to the airport, said.
His visit to Iran, Saudi Arabia's main regional rival, may signal a further rift between Egypt and its top benefactor.
Molla said last month it was unclear when the Saudi oil deliveries would resume and Saudi Arabia has provided no reason for their suspension.
Egypt has since worked to secure new energy sources, signing a memorandum of understanding last week with Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR for up to 2 million barrels of crude oil.
The EGPC last week signed a farm-out agreement with Kuwait Energy Plc giving Egypt's state oil buyer a 20-percent participating interest in its Siba field in Iraq.
Egypt and Iran have had strained diplomatic ties since the late 1970s and an Egyptian official visiting Tehran is a rarity.
Heres how Pueblo wants to spend public safety sales tax funds in 2023
Pueblo voters have yet to decide whether to extend the tax or let it sunset, but the city has already decided how it will spend the funds if continued.
STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 7, ARTSAKHPRESS: Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan noted the above-said at his talk Monday with French Ambassador Jean-Francois Charpentier, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia informed.
The Ambassador congratulated the Defense Minister on his new post, wished him success in his tenure.
During the meeting Vigen Sargsyan attached importance to the efforts of France over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair country.
Referring to the cooperation in the defense sector, the sides stated that the mutual cooperation in the defense, especially, in the international peacekeeping sector has a great potential for development taking into account the high level inter-state relations between the two states.
At the meeting an agreement was reached to carry out works aimed at intensifying the cooperation in the defense sector and the regular bilateral contacts at the military-political level.
The sides also discussed regional security issues during the meeting.
A crane lifts the containment top head to cap the first unit of the Haiyang Nuclear Power Plant in Haiyang, east China's Shandong Province. [File photo]
China will have 58 million kilowatts of installed nuclear power by 2020 as it expands its clean energy network and pursues green growth, the country's energy regulator announced Monday.
The government will have around 30 million kw of nulcear energy facility going into operation and over 30 million kw of such facility under construction in the next five years, according to the 13th Five-Year Plan for power development released by the National Energy Administration and the National Development and Reform Commission.
China is expected to require about 6.8 trillion to 7.2 trillion kw of power by 2020, with per capita power consumption of about 5,000 kw, close to the level of medium-developed countries.
Non-fossil fuel will play a bigger role as the government aims to lift its share in total energy consumption to about 15 percent by the end of 2020.
Installed capacity of hydropower, wind power and solar power will be about 340 million, 210 million and 110 million kw, respectively.
Meanwhile, installed capacity of coal-fired power will be restricted within 1.1 billion kw while natural-gas-fired power will reach over 110 million kw by 2020.
China will also promote smart grid development, address regional power supply imbalances and improve the power market rules, according to the development plan.
A nationwide platform for sharing and searching exit-entry information is being considered in China, according to the central government.
The platform aims to strengthen the coordination of governmental departments across the country relating to exit-entry affairs and to improve efficiency, according to a State Council report.
The report was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, for review over the weekend.
"Our exit-entry departments are increasing informationization, as information sharing among them is insufficient," said Huang Ming, vice-minister of public security.
Currently, residents have to go to several different departments to submit documents if they want to go abroad, "which contributes to the asymmetric information sharing among exit-entry authorities", Huang said.
The country plans to build the platform by asking the departments to join hands in sharing their data, he said.
"Meanwhile, an exit-entry integrated data application platform for public security is planned, and we'll integrate data from authorities covering railway, civil aviation, tourism, foreign affairs, maritime and foreign specialists, aiming to effectively solve exit-entry issues," Huang said.
In addition, the report stipulates that the country's exit-entry services for foreigners will be improved, while a series of regulations, including one related to the permanent residence of foreigners, are to be issued soon.
"Foreigners with permanent residence permits will be given an e-certificate that can better serve them when buying tickets for trains, flights and ships, and make booking accommodation or dealing with financial insurance more convenient," Huang said.
Ada Jen, a United States citizen and administrator at an international school in Beijing, said, "I'm glad to know that life will be made more convenient for Chinese green-card holders like me.
"It takes too long to buy a ticket at Beijing South Railway Station, and my permit could not be used when I wanted to stay at a hotel in Guangdong province."
Roeland Aerts, a marketing executive from Belgium, said that he has never had an unpleasant experience with exit-entry bureaus in China, but added that some paperwork processes could be simplified or put online.
"Putting paperwork processes online would be more practical," Aerts said.
"When my parents come to visit, besides preparing all the paperwork, they need to go to the consulate to deposit the forms, which is about a four-hour drive from their home, which is impractical."
The new exit-entry data platform should speed up related affairs and improve efficiency, he said.
China's Hong Kong police arrested two protesters Sunday evening for obstruction of police duties and failure to provide their personal identifications in an illegal rally against China's top legislature's interpretation of the Hong Kong Basic Law.
A senior superintendent of the Hong Kong Island Regional Headquarters told the media that the police arrested the two males outside the central government liaison office in Hong Kong.
Thousands of protesters gathered outside the liaison office Sunday evening after participation in a march in the afternoon to protest against the Basic Law interpretation.
The police officer said the rally outside the liaison office was not permitted and condemned the protesters who used bricks and bamboo sticks to attack the police.
The protesters occupied and blocked the Des Voeux Road West to the south of the liaison office, pushing the police's iron fences with umbrellas and sticks.
The police used pepper spray to disperse the protesters.
Two legislators-elect of Hong Kong's sixth Legislative Council (LegCo) deliberately used curse words insulting the Chinese nation and the country when reading the oath on Oct. 12. Their oath was not accepted by the LegCo's oath supervisor.
While whether they deserve a second chance to take oath is widely debated, Hong Kong people from all circles have criticized and condemned the two.
Senior members of China's top legislature on Friday heard a report on a draft interpretation of Article 104 of the Hong Kong Basic Law which rules that the LegCo members must swear to uphold the Basic Law and swear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China.
The liaison office's director Zhang Xiaoming met with about 200 Hong Kong's delegates to the National People's Congress and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on Sunday to notify them the top legislature's incoming interpretation of the Basic Law.
Zhang noted that the central government holds a clear and firm stance to contain the spread of "Hong Kong Independence" by taking effective measures in accordance with law.
The central government will not allow pro-independence advocates to become LegCo lawmakers, Zhang stressed.
The acting mayor in the city of Wenshan, southwest China's Yunan province, has apologized for his inappropriate comments on the Miao ethnic group after branding them as "horrible" at a local government meeting.
Acting mayor Gong Qing is also said to have warned the Miao women would use sorcery to ensnare men and described the culture as "witchcraft".
Gong issued the apology on Wenshan's public television's WeChat account (Chinese social media).
"Though I did not mean to insult or discriminate against the Miao people, I did use inappropriate language and examples that have hurt their feelings. I am deeply sorry for this and owe my sincere apology to the Miao ethnic group," said Gong Qing.
The comments "went viral in the WeChat groups of Miao people in Beijing and the provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Hunan, sparking unprecedented indignation," said an email from a Miao research society reported China Daily earlier this month.
The local authorities later launched an investigation into the matter and found that Gong made remarks that offended the Miao community.
Officials leading the probe have talked with the 20 people present at the meeting, 4 of whom confirmed that they had heard Gong's remarks.
It added: "One of them said the remarks were made during a discussion and were not intended to insult or discriminate. The other three refused to comment."
A new profession in China of playing with children in parks proves to be quite rewarding.
'Walking children' teacher Zheng Wei teaches children a funny dance in a park in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province on November 4, 2016. [Photo: cnhubei.com]
Zheng Wei just graduated with a bachelor degree in preschool education, his job now is to play with 30 children aged from three to five years old in a park in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province.
Taking children out to a park simply to play games with other children is becoming more of a trend for Chinese parents.
Zheng Wei is just one the 'walking children teachers' available for hire in Wuhan. Zheng also provides them with tasks in order to improve interaction between the children.
This activity has stemmed from the One Child Policy, a generation of children without brothers and sisters in China.
Parents hope their children can spend more time outdoors playing with other children.
Long Feng, another teacher, explains that as most parents are busy with work, and it is an opportunity for their children to play with each other than stay at home and play electronic devices.
What's more, teachers, based on their work experience and how well the children get along with them, can earn more than 10,000 yuan (1,4800 USD) a month, that's much higher than the average salary for public school teachers in China.
Walking children teachers emerged two years ago in Wuhan and most teachers are professional in preschool education and sports, said Feng Tingting of a walking children agency.
Teachers are also required to know basic first aid. Long Feng said she will buy insurance for each child before the activities and have a first aid kit with her at all times.
Zhang Dejiang (C), chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, attends the third plenary meeting of the bimonthly session of the NPC Standing Committee in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 5, 2016.
China's top legislature on Monday adopted an interpretation of Article 104 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) by a unanimous vote.
Article 104 of the Basic Law stipulates: "When assuming office, the chief executive, principal officials, members of the executive council and of the legislative council, judges of courts at all levels and other members of the judiciary in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region must, in accordance with law, swear to uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and swear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China."
According to the interpretation of Article 104 of the Basic Law, "To uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China" and to bear "allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People' s Republic of China" are not only the legal content which must be included in the oath prescribed by the Article, but also the legal requirements and preconditions for standing for election in respect of or taking up the public office specified in the Article.
Oath taking is the legal prerequisite and required procedure for public officers specified in the Article to assume office, it said.
No public office shall be assumed, no corresponding powers and functions shall be exercised, and no corresponding entitlements shall be enjoyed by anyone who fails to lawfully and validly take the oath or who declines to take the oath, it spelled out.
An oath taker must take the oath sincerely and solemnly, and must accurately, completely and solemnly read out the oath prescribed by law, the content of which includes "will uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, bear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People' s Republic of China", according to the interpretation.
An oath taker is disqualified forthwith from assuming the public office specified in the Article if he or she declines to take the oath, the interpretation said.
An oath taker who intentionally reads out words which do not accord with the wording of the oath prescribed by law, or takes the oath in a manner which is not sincere or not solemn, shall be treated as declining to take the oath. The oath so taken is invalid and the oath taker is disqualified forthwith from assuming the public office specified in the Article, it added.
The oath must be taken before the person authorized by law to administer the oath. The person administering the oath has the duty to ensure that the oath is taken in a lawful manner, the interpretation read.
The taking of the oath stipulated by Article 104 of the Basic Law is a legal pledge made by the public officers specified in the Article and is legally binding, it said.
The oath taker must sincerely believe in and strictly abide by the relevant oath prescribed by law. An oath taker who makes a false oath, or, who, after taking the oath, engages in conduct in breach of the oath, shall bear legal responsibility in accordance with law, it added.
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Another 27 suspects have been arrested for the vaccine scandal revealed last March in east China's Shandong province, adding the total number of the arrested to 324.
The number is released by Cao Jianming, procurator-general of China's Supreme People's Procuratorate.
100 officials have been put under investigation under suspicion of taking bribes, abuse of power, and negligence, according to the authority.
The scandal which shocked and stunned the public was first unveiled in March, 2016.
The main suspect Pang Hongwei, a former pharmacist at a hospital in Shandong, and her 21-year-old daughter were found illegally selling 12 different kinds of vaccines, 2 kinds of immune globulin and one kind of therapeutic product across the country.
Investigation later found a trade ring surrounding Pang with 300 illegal distributors across 24 provinces and regions.
Most of the vaccines are supposed to be used for children and the elderly.
They allegedly kept the vaccines at home, at temperatures of about 14 degree Celsius, much higher than the required 2 to 8 degree Celsius for storing and transporting vaccines.
Storing at improper temperatures could make the vaccines ineffective or even harmful if used.
The vaccines are worth more than 570 million yuan or 88 million U.S. dollars, making the case the largest of its kind in China in terms of the amount of money involved.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (front) attends the Fifth Meeting of Heads of Government of Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) and China in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)
Approximately five weeks after his visit to New York on the occasion of the UN General Assembly and Cuba, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang embarks on a new international initiative which includes stops in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia and Russia. The agenda of Li's diplomatic trip is based on bilateral issues. However, it is also directly connected to critical multilateral economic and geopolitical themes.
At the bilateral trade level, relations between China and Kazakhstan are rapidly intensifying. An official publication of the government of the latter titled "Invest in Kazakhstan" shows that the trade volume was worth of $10.4 billion in 2015 and that the two countries have signed agreements worth $24 billion, mostly geared toward industrialization and improving logistics.
Also, the "Khorgos Eastern Gates" special economic zone, located near the border of China and Kazakhstan, boosts both their economies. Correspondingly, the bilateral strategic partnership outlines common energy and security considerations as well as mutual interests for joint synergies to secure regional stability.
The visit of Li in Astana confirms the general progress already made following the visit of President Nursultan Nazarbayev to China fourteen months ago and his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
Moreover, relations between China and Kyrgyzstan are also showing remarkable growth, although the population of the latter is much smaller approximately 5.8 million than that of Kazakhstan which exceeds 18 million people.
According to Kyrgyzstan official data, the first half of 2016 reached $672 million dollars worth of bilateral trade, constituting a 60 percent increase in comparison to the same period last year. The country's geographical position further raises its significance for Beijing.
This is because it shares a border with Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The need for efficient cooperation against terrorism has become more urgent than ever after an August suicide attack at the Embassy of China in Kyrgyzstan. Local authorities attributed the terror act to Uighur militants.
As far as Latvia is concerned, the country a small European one with a population of approximately 2 million and with a brief history of 12 years as a member of the EU. Despite the relatively small scale, bilateral relations with China are flourishing.
Data from the Latvian China Business Council demonstrates that the volume of exports of goods from Latvia to China amounted to 105.9 million in 2015 which is 0.4 percent more than in 2014. Also, in 2015 the volume of imports of goods from China to Latvia amounted to 415.1 million, an increase of 17.7 in comparison to 2014.
Within this framework, Li agreed with Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis in Riga to expand ties at the business, trade, infrastructure, culture, education and people-to-people exchange level. In addition, Latvia has for years made a systematic effort to promote its products to the Chinese market including fish, meat, milk and medical products.
In relation to Russia, the bilateral relationship has a critical dimension due to the economic and political power of both countries. 2015 was not particularly fruitful. Trade volume had dropped by 27.8 percent to $64.2 billion according to a report by The Moscow Times, which quotes a spokesman for the Chinese customs department.
Beijing and Moscow are still committed to catching the target of a volume worth $200 billion by 2020 as agreed by Presidents Xi and Putin despite difficulties and the problematic international environment. This bilateral relationship goes beyond economics and into the political sphere and has therefore sparked a debate as to whether it contains strategic depth. The possibility of a Sino-Russian political and military alliance has only increased the concern in the West, which has been growing since the beginning of joint naval exercises.
From another perspective, the new international diplomatic activity of Premier Li Keqiang secures China's national interests vis-a-vis Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia and Russia, but also reflects two broader strategic calculations.
First, it strengthens Beijing's role in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as the 15th prime ministers' meeting took place in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. As the Chinese premier explained in his speech, the enhancement of the "Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure" and the reconstruction of Afghanistan are among the top priorities.
And second, Li's new international diplomatic activity promotes Beijing's policy towards Central and Eastern Europe. Riga, the capital of Latvia, hosts this year so-called "16+1 Meeting" which was held for the first time in Warsaw in 2012.
More importantly, Li' diplomatic trip brings closer four countries Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia and Russia to China under the umbrella of an unprecedented integration model. The implementation of the "Belt and Road" initiative is the driving force of interconnectedness and expanding development between different regions, countries and continents. This is perhaps Beijing's biggest credit at the beginning of the 21st century.
George N. Tzogopoulos is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:
http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/GeorgeNTzogopoulos.htm
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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Taiwan authorities recently announced a stimulus package to help the island's tourism industry tackle the sharp decline in Chinese mainland tourists, but business owners have described it as "a drop in the ocean."
The number of mainland tourists has plummeted since Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen took office in May. The tourism industry has plunged into recession since, and demanded the government help make ends meet.
A subsidy plan worth 300 million new Taiwan dollars (9.5 million U.S. dollars) has been unveiled by the government, aiming to encourage Taiwan locals to travel on the island.
A tourist group of at least ten people can receive subsidies of up to 15,000 new Taiwan dollars per day.
Local public servants, military personnel and teachers can receive up to 16,000 new Taiwan dollars as travel subsidies per year, but they have to spend half the money in tourism spots hit hard by the downturn.
The island's tourism bureau estimated that mainland tourists decreased by 28.4 percent in the third quarter compared with a year earlier. Insiders predicted that the annual fall could reach 800,000 people, resulting in economic losses of up to 40 billion new Taiwan dollars, while the subsidies can only boost tourism revenues by about 1.4 billion new Taiwan dollars.
Su Chia-nan, chief of headquarters of the Taiwan Tourism Association Coalition, said the subsidies were far from enough to make up for the losses brought by dwindling mainland tourists, adding that the new policy could intensify vicious competition in the industry.
Lai Cheng-i, Chairman of Taiwan's General Chamber of Commerce, said at least 30 bus companies have filed for bankruptcy since May. Snack vendors, farmers and hotel owners have also been hit hard.
Industry insiders said things could get worse in November, the traditional low season for tourism.
Lin Hsin-hsiung, a professor with Shu-Te University, said subsidies were not a panacea for long-term woes.
The ruling party should address the problem by making a positive response on the 1992 Consensus, Lin added.
The number of mainland visitors to Taiwan for both tourism and business quadrupled from 1 million in 2008 to 4 million in 2015, amid improved cross-Strait ties.
However, relations have been disrupted since Tsai Ing-wen took office in May, due to her refusal to recognize the 1992 Consensus, which adheres to the one-China principle.
In mid-September, around 10,000 tourist business owners in Taiwan took to the streets in downtown Taipei to voice their anger at government policy.
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Vietnam will grant e-visa for international tourists on trial basis in two years of 2017-2018, said Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) on Friday.
Following that, all procedures from applying files, reviewing and announcing visa-granting result will be carried out on the internet.
The visa fee payment will be made via banking transactions to improve financial transparency and facilitate the application of visitors, said VNAT chief Nguyen Van Tuan at a press conference held Friday in Vietnam's capital Hanoi.
The time to review and grant e-visa is three days while the duration of a visa is 30 days.
The move aims at reducing troubles that tourists many encounter while applying for Vietnamese visa, especially in travelling time, said Tuan, adding that the tourism sector still expected more favorable policies to become more attractive compared with other regional countries.
In the first ten months of 2016, Vietnam welcomed more than 8.07 million international tourists, up 25.4 percent year-on-year.
The country targets to receive some 9.7 million person-times of foreign visitors and 62 million domestic travelers in 2016, pocketing around 400 trillion Vietnamese dong (17.94 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue, said the VNAT.
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Chinese tourists are set to enjoy another year of visa-free entry into Malaysia, as the country tries to attract more tourists from China. Tourism is one of Malaysia's key industries, and China makes a significant contribution to the sector's growth.
Set to attract 2 million Chinese tourists by the end of the year, Malaysia is optimistic it will reach this goal. The country's tourism industry has seen a growth of 23 percent in arrivals from China since the e-visa entry program was introduced in March this year.
Now Malaysia's Tourism and Culture Minister, Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, has announced the program has been extended to December next year.
"The cabinet has made the decision to extend the facility until December 2017, as a result of good performance in terms of Chinese arrivals," he said.
China is the third largest source of foreign tourists for Malaysia, after Singapore and Indonesia.
"All countries in the world are now competing to attract Chinese to come and visit their countries. Malaysia is one of them and we are working very hard to ensure that by 2020 we'll receive about 8million Chinese tourists," Aziz said.
On a recent trip to China, Aziz witnessed the signing of an agreement to launch the Alitrip Malaysia Tourism Pavilion, an e-commerce platform offering travel products and services to Chinese tourists.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mohd Najib Tun Razak also attended the ceremony, indicating that Malaysia will cooperate with Alibaba founder Jack Ma to boost its digital economy.
"Future development of Malaysia digital economy will be in partnership with Mr. Jack Ma, he will advise us and he will tell us how we can put together," he said.
He said Malaysia hopes to attract more Chinese tourists through the tourism pavilion, which he says is a good example of cooperation in the digital economy.
With a large number of users, Alitrip, part of the Alibaba group, is expected to bring further benefits to Malaysia's tourism industry.
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wo Indian army troopers were killed and two others wounded Sunday in skirmishes between troops of India and Pakistan on the Line of Control (LoC) dividing Kashmir.
A woman was also wounded in the standoff.
The two sides fired mortars and resorted to heavy firing in Krishna Ghati and Sabzian sectors of Poonch district, about 185 km southwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
"One trooper was killed in Krishna Ghati sector while foiling infiltration bids, while as another one was killed and two others wounded in skirmishes in the Poonch sector," army officials said. "A civilian woman was also wounded in Poonch sector."
Indian army officials blame Pakistan side for resorting to unprovoked firing to make attempts to push infiltrators inside Indian side.
Last week, eight civilians were killed and 22 others wounded in similar fire exchange between the two sides.
Indian defense officials said they were adequately retaliating to the firing from Pakistan.
The past several weeks have seen a surge in skirmishes on the International Border (IB) and LoC between the two countries. Apart from troop casualties, the firing has claimed civilian lives on both sides, besides prompting migrations of residents from frontier areas. Officials have ordered closure of 174 schools in frontier areas in wake of shelling.
Both New Delhi and Islamabad accuse each other of resorting to unprovoked firings and violating cease-fire agreements. And both sides maintain that their troops gave befitting reply. The troops of India and Pakistan intermittently exchange fire on 720 km-long LoC and 198 km IB in Kashmir, despite an agreement in 2003 to observe a cease-fire. Though some violations have been reported on both sides, the cease-fire however remains in effect.
Reports said more than 60 cease-fire violations were recorded in the past several weeks.
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated because of the ongoing civilian protests in Indian-controlled Kashmir that saw at least 90 civilians dead and over 12,000 others injured. However, the situation worsened between New Delhi and Islamabad following a militant attack on Uri army camp last month that left 19 troopers dead and subsequent claims of Indian military that it carried out "surgical strikes" inside Pakistan-controlled Kashmir inflicting significant casualties on infiltrators and their supporters.
Pakistan, however, rejected Indian claims about "surgical strikes".
LoC is a de facto border that divides Kashmir into India and Pakistan controlled parts.
Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.
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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang leaves Latvia and heads for Russia on Nov. 6, 2016. Latvian officials and China's Ambassador to Latvia sees the premier off at Riga's airport. [Photo: gov.cn]
The ongoing visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Russia is expected to yield fruitful results in the two countries' political, economic and cultural cooperation, analysts have said.
Premier Li arrived in St. Petersburg Sunday for the 21st China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting and an official visit to the northern neighbor.
During the visit, the Chinese premier and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, will discuss major areas of interest and cooperation projects and sign agreements in areas including trade, energy, aviation, customs and education, according to Li Huilai, assistant foreign minister of China.
Medvedev has said that his meeting with Premier Li will be much meaningful and impressive. Also, the visit comes on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination.
Analysts believed that the current political relations between China and Russia are at the best time in history. Premier Li's visit will definitely solidify and deepen political and strategic mutual trust between the two neighbors.
The prime ministers' meeting will also issue a joint communique, which signals the confidence that China and Russia can safeguard peace and stability of the region and the world at large and establish a fair and rational world order. The two countries will tell the world that they will remain coordinated with and supportive to each other on major international issues.
The upcoming meeting between the two heads of government will give a new impetus to the development of bilateral relations, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui said.
"This is a great event for China-Russia relations this year," Li said in a recent interview with Xinhua.
The current China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is mature and stable, and it has become a model for relations between the world's major countries, said the ambassador.
He also noted that the relations feature mutual respect and equality in the political sphere, as well as comprehensive mutual benefit and win-win cooperation on the economic front.
Russia, which has been under great pressure due to Western sanctions, is facing an economic transformation that needs to be promoted by an industrial upgrading.
Sergei Luzyanin, director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said new windows of opportunity have been opened for boosting bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, economy, investment, technology and the booming e-commerce industry.
Infrastructure is another promising area for bilateral cooperation, he said, adding that Chinese investment and joint projects are expected to play a huge role in Russia's Siberia and Far East regions.
Moreover, the alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) will also give new opportunities to the development of economic and trade ties between China and Russia.
The Belt and Road Initiative comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and aspires to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes. The EEU groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.
Li Hui expressed confidence in the prospects of cooperation between the two countries, citing their highly mutually complementary economies and their agreement to coordinate in the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the EEU.
Meanwhile, further promoting cooperation in people-to-people and cultural exchanges will be another important aspect of Premier Li's visit.
Frequent people-to-people and cultural exchanges have been witnessed in recent years, analysts said.
China and Russia have held major events such as reciprocal years of languages, tourism, friendly youth and media exchanges, mutual visits of diplomats, journalists, students, as well as art festivals, film weeks and media forums, with the aim of further strengthening mutual understanding and friendship, analysts said.
They believed that on the basis of the already matured people-to-people and cultural cooperation mechanism, the Chinese premier's visit will deepen it with new bilateral agreements in this field.
Flash
A UN peacekeeper from Togo and two Malian civilians were killed Sunday in an attack in the Mopti region of Mali, a UN spokesman said in a statement.
Seven peacekeepers from the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) were injured in the attack, which occurred north of Douentza, in the Mopti region, said the statement.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the deadly attack "in the strongest terms" and called for the perpetrators of this attack to be brought to justice, it said. It was not immediately clear who were the attackers.
The MINUSMA, which was deployed in 2013 to support the political process and carry out security-related stabilization tasks, has become a frequent target of terrorist attacks in Mali.
The Malian government has been seeking to restore stability after a series of setbacks since early 2012, including a military coup, renewed fighting between government forces and Tuareg rebels, and the seizure of its northern territory by radical extremists.
Flash
The upcoming meeting between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will give a new impetus to the development of bilateral relations, Chinese ambassador to Russia Li Hui said.
"This is a great event for Sino-Russian relations this year," Li said in an interview with Xinhua ahead of the 21st regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian government heads, scheduled for Monday in Russia's second largest city of St. Petersburg.
The current China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is mature and stable, and it has become a model for relations between major powers, Li said.
According to the ambassador, these relations feature mutual respect and equality in the political sphere, as well as comprehensive mutual benefit and win-win cooperation in the economic sphere.
They also demonstrate mutual trust and awareness of shared responsibility in the field of security, and see exchange of experience and mutual promotion of development in the cultural sphere, he added.
The efforts undertaken by China and Russia have increased bilateral trade by 1.8 percent to 31.72 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of this year, Li said.
The construction of the China-Russia natural gas pipeline through the eastern route, with the first deliveries of gas scheduled for 2018, is among the most important projects which promote new growth points for the cooperation between China and Russia, the ambassador noted.
Another important bilateral project is the construction of a bridge over the Heilongjiang River (the Amur River) between the Chinese city of Tongjiang and the Russian village of Nizhneleninskoye, Li said.
The ambassador also praised investments of various Chinese enterprises such as Haier in Russia.
"China and Russia have huge economies, strong industrial synergies, capacious markets, as well as a number of political, geopolitical and humanitarian advantages," Li said.
The alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) is a practical implementation of jointly building an innovative, open, coherent and inclusive global economy, which was put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Hangzhou G20 summit in September, said the ambassador.
The integration is meant to unlock the potential of economic complementarity between China and Russia, and to contribute to the economic recovery of EEU member states as well as the countries along the ancient Silk Road and across Eurasia, Li said.
To achieve such goals, the ambassador offered the following four proposals.
First, the Chinese side is willing to actively carry out bilateral and regional cooperation with EEU member states by taking trade and investment liberalization and facilitation as a linking bridge, interconnectivity, production capacity cooperation and cultural exchanges as pillars, and mutually beneficial financial cooperation as a guarantee.
Second, China is willing to work with the Russian side to promote the mutually beneficial cooperation among EEU governments, enterprises, social organizations and civil groups in various forms, and jointly build a win-win platform accessible to multiple participants that covers various fields.
Third, China and Russia should jointly push forward the construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor, the New Eurasian Land Bridge, and make good use of cooperation programs such as "the Northeast China -Russian Far East Mechanism" and "the Yangtze-Volga River Mechanism."
Fourth, the relevant parties should make full use of financial organizations such as the Silk Road Fund, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Interbank Consortium, to broaden currency operations and increase mutual investment, the ambassador proposed.
Flash
A Japanese journalist who was detained in Iraq in the northern Kurdish region and thought to have been held by Kurdish authorities near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, has been freed, the Japanese media reported on Monday.
Japan's public broadcaster NHK said Kosuke Tsuneoka, who was detained while trying to cover a fresh offensive by Iraqi and Kurdish military last month in a bid to recapture the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, had told NHK that he had been released recently.
Tsuneoka, 47, was unharmed and in what NHK described as "good health." The journalist will be returning to Japan on a flight from an airport in northern Iraq, with further details not being disclosed.
Tsuneoka was reportedly detained last month by local authorities, but fears were somewhat alleviated when Kyodo News reported that Japanese foreign ministry officials had met with the detained journalist.
Since Tsuneoka had been detained the Japanese government advised all Japanese citizens to avoid entering Iraq under any circumstances.
The order was also issued to journalists, with the abduction and brutal executions by the IS of journalist Kenji Goto in February last year and contractor Haruna Yukawa, to avoid that war-ravaged country.
Tsuneoka, who claimed to be an expert on Islamic State-related issues, had also covered insurgency and fighting in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and was captured and detained by a militant group in Afghanistan in April 2010, but was freed in September of the same year.
DEWITT U.S. Rep. John Katko and Democratic challenger Colleen Deacon accused each other of misleading voters and tangled on several issues Sunday during the final televised debate of the 24th Congressional District race.
At an hour-long debate hosted by WSYR, Deacon, D-Syracuse, said Katko's campaign distorted her position on fighting the Islamic State, a terrorist group operating mainly in Iraq and Syria. Ads have been airing in central New York claiming that Deacon doesn't have a plan to fight the terrorist organization.
Moments later, Katko, R-Camillus, addressed the commercials that have aired against him seeking to tie him to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Deacon has said that Katko publicly announced he wouldn't endorse Trump when it was politically expedient to do so. Katko denied that charge.
In a rare moment of agreement, both candidates said that a constitutional amendment is needed to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision that has had a dramatic effect on how campaigns are financed. But it didn't take long for the sparring to restart.
When asked by moderator Dan Cummings about the contributions he's received from political action committees, Katko dismissed the idea that the money has influenced his actions as a lawmaker.
Deacon pounced and suggested that the reason the GOP congressman doesn't support a version of the "no fly, no buy" bill a measure that would prevent suspected terrorists from purchasing guns is because of donations he's received from the National Rifle Association.
"He supports the piece of legislation that the NRA supports," Deacon said, referring to an alternative, but similar measure that Katko has cosponsored. "So I think that the shows the gun lobby has influenced John."
Katko said Deacon was "twisting things around" to make it seem he doesn't support prohibiting those on the no-fly list from buying guns. He added that her claim ignored his 20-year career combating violent crime as a federal prosecutor.
Deacon, turning to Katko, said it was about his record in Congress. She then claimed he doesn't support universal background checks for gun purchases.
"That's just not true," he said.
But Deacon didn't stop there. She raised a story that was used against Katko during the 2014 election the gun that was stolen out of his truck 16 years ago and used in a robbery.
Katko was issued the gun when he was a federal prosecutor after receiving a death threat.
"So you think that person shouldn't have to go through a universal background check after they do their time," Deacon said. "I think it's obvious that you're not supporting bipartisan commonsense gun legislation that 90 percent of Americans support."
Katko called Deacon's claim "outrageous."
"To use that at this point just smacks of desperation," he said.
Other highlights from the debate:
The candidates were asked for their positions on the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of Medicaid to cover abortion services. Deacon supports repealing the Hyde Amendment, which she says impacts low-income women. Katko doesn't support getting rid of the ban.
Cummings asked the candidates if American security would be threatened if we accept Syrian refugees. Deacon said there is an intense vetting process in place to screen refugees before they get enter the U.S. Most of the refugees, she noted, are women and children.
Katko disagreed that the vetting process is the most intensive. He said terrorist groups, most notably ISIS and al-Qaeda, want to infiltrate the West by disguising themselves as refugees.
Deacon and Katko also clashed over FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Oswego County. Deacon was asked if she supported the Clean Energy Standard, which the state adopted to subsidize nuclear energy. She came out in support of the subsidies that helped keep FitzPatrick operating in Scriba.
But Katko said she ignored the issue when she worked in U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's office. He added that his opponent opposes the development of any more nuclear power plants.
Deacon accused Katko of "making things up." When the news about FitzPatrick's possible closure first broke, she said she was finishing up her final week as Gillibrand's top aide in the region. The announcement was made in mid-September 2015. She left Gillibrand's office to launch her congressional campaign on Oct. 1.
Katko, though, reiterated his point that she was the point person for Gillibrand in the district. He then claimed she's "anti-nuke."
The debate airs at 7 p.m. Sunday on WSYR channel 9. It will air again at 8 p.m. Monday on Me-TV channel 9.2, Verizon FiOS channel 470 and Time Warner Cable channel 1240.
Voters in the 24th Congressional District will go to the polls Tuesday to decide whether Katko will get a second term or if Deacon will be their new representative.
The district includes all of Cayuga, Onondaga and Wayne counties, plus the western portion of Oswego County.
Katko will appear on the Republican, Conservative, Independence and Reform ballot lines. Deacon has the Democratic and Working Families Party lines.
RIGA - China and Romania eyed further cooperation on nuclear energy and thermal power in a meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries in Riga, capital of Latvia, on Saturday evening.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said China attaches high importance to the cooperation with Romania, and is ready to strengthen the integration of the two countries' development strategies, enhance cooperation on nuclear energy, thermal power, deep processing of agricultural products, and promote a balanced growth of the bilateral trade.
He also called for stronger tourism cooperation between the two countries.
Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said his country is committed to the friendly cooperation with China.
Romania welcomes Chinese firms to invest in local infrastructure like the ports, cooperate on agriculture and tourism, and promote major cooperation projects on nuclear energy and thermal power, he added.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Fifth Summit of China and Central and Eastern European Countries.
FREETOWN - The Shandong Iron and Steel Group plans to expand its investment in Sierra Leone with $700 million for the construction of processing plants.
Hou Jun, chairman of the Chinese steel firm, made the announcement during a courtesy call on Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma on Friday.
Hou assured the president that the company's goal in Sierra Leone is to work "closely with the government to scale up China-Sierra Leone economic cooperation."
The company has committed $700 million for the construction of processing plants so as to further expand its business in Sierra Leone, said Hou.
President Koroma encouraged the Shandong Iron and Steel Group to scale up its activities through the injection of investment into its operations and promised continuous support from his government.
"We will continue to support the project because we believe it's a win-win situation for both the company and Sierra Leone," the president told Hou.
Pedestrians walk past a Bank of China sign at its branch in Beijing, March 26, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]
ANKARA - The Bank of China (BOC) will start its operation in Turkey by the end of this year, Turkish Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) President Mehmet Ali Akben said on Sunday.
"I suppose the BOC will start its operations in Turkey by the end of the year. We do not foresee any shortcomings or problems," Akben said after meeting with BOC high-ranking executives, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
The vice president and other representatives of the BOC and the BDDK had recently discussed a series of important projects, Akben said.
"They are now considering the issue of resource acquisition for projects like energy, bridge and Channel Istanbul," the BDDK president said, adding "they also care about the Silk Road project."
Channel Istanbul, or Kanal Istanbul, is the Turkish project name of artificial sea-level waterway being built to connect the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara.
The BOC, the world's seventh largest bank and the third largest in China, launched its preparations to establish a commercial bank in Turkey last year.
It has been conducting its operations in Turkey through a representative office since 2011, and planned to establish a commercial bank with a total capital of TL 300 million ($98 million).
After the completion of the application process and submission of the required documents in April, the bank was granted permission by the BDDK to run in Turkey in May.
Employees are seen at the stand of China Fortune Land Development during the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2014 in Qionghai city, South China's Hainan province, April 9, 2014. [Photo/IC]
China Fortune Land Development Co Ltd is accelerating the pace to gain market share overseas, betting big on foreign countries' appetite for new industrial cities.
CFLD, the industry zone developer and operator in Hebei province, said it will help the governments in foreign countries, such as those from Southeast Asia and South Asia, to build and manage new industrial cities, as the company's next priority is to promote a globalization strategy.
Yang Kan, property analyst at Ping An Securities Ltd, recently reiterated the conviction buy of CFLD stocks, as the company "actively explores the global market."
The company's net income rose 22.32 percent to 4,603 million yuan ($679 million) in the first nine months of 2016 compared with that of last year, according to the latest quarterly statement. In the same period, its revenue increased 1.82 percent year-on-year.
The fast global business expansion, especially among countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, has fueled CFLD's strong performance.
To date, it has signed memorandum of understandings with Indonesian, Indian, Vietnamese and Egyptian governments to work out wide-ranging partnerships in the construction of industrial zones or city complexes.
In early October, CFLD secured its first project in Africato build a new city in Egypt. Under the MOU, CFLD will help the Egyptian government build a new administrative capital located between Cairo and Suez, a city along the Suez Canal.
It is believed that, once completed, the city will serve as the country's political and financial center and will effectively drive the development of the Suez Canal Economic Belt and the Red Sea Economic Belt.
To facilitate the overseas projects in mid October, the company signed a strategic agreement with US-based Conway Inc, a provider of corporate investment services, to cooperate in attracting foreign investment and enterprises to CFLD's new industrial cities overseas.
"Conway has a global network of attracting investment, a solid base of client relations, and a powerful database of site selection, which meet CFLD's immediate needs," Li Shaoming, real estate analyst with China Investment Securities Ltd, wrote in a research note in late October.
"CFLD could use the resources to land quality investments to its overseas projects, " Li added.
In addition, the company plans to integrate itself in global innovative ecosystems through angel investment.
CFID, in partnership with a local technology company, set up 16 incubators at global innovation hubs such as Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv, Berlin and Seoul, and raised 1.53 billion yuan to invest in 319 startups across the world.
The unpredictability and uncertainty of German policies will influence the investment environment in Germany and trigger loss of investors, officials and industry experts warned.
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy recently withdrew its approval of a Chinese company's takeover of German chip equipment maker Aixtron SE. It said it would review the deal, which was approved in September.
The ministry's move will throw up obstacles for the 670-million-euro ($743 million) deal from Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund LP and wield a negative influence over the credibility of the German government, said Duan Wei, general manager of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Germany.
"We are concerned about the German government's political intervention in the normal investment operation from a Chinese company and cannot understand its contradictory move in such a short time," Duan said.
"The unpredictability and uncertainty of policies will influence the investment environment in Germany and trigger loss of investors. We expect German authorities to contribute more to trade liberalization and facilitation," he added.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce hopes the German government's recent investigation is "an exception" and doesn't represent a policy against Chinese businesses, the ministry's spokesman Shen Danyang said on Nov 2.
Shen said even though Chinese investment in Germany has grown rapidly in recent years, the total volume is still relatively small, and so it's unnecessary for German officials to worry that German technology and jobs will be lost as a result of Chinese investment.
The Federation of German Industries (BDI) and the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) also warned against obstacles erected by the ministry.
"I think that is not the right way. Germany, particularly, relies on exports as well as open markets in other countries. It is not convincing to set barriers, when you yourself rely on the open markets of other countries at the same time," DIHK President Eric Schweitzer told German television ARD.
"German enterprises have invested more than 60 billion euro ($66.54 billion) in China, while only 2 or 3 billion has come in the reverse direction. I think it would be correct when an improved balance could be reached here, so that we could stand in a better position during negotiations," he added.
Led by the central government's strategy, more Chinese companies are keen to invest and purchase overseas ventures. Statistics from the Ministry of Commerce showed that Chinese companies have completed a total of 521 acquisition projects worth more than $67.4 billion in 67 countries and regions covering 18 industries so far this year.
The amount has already passed last year's total of $54.4 billion.
An employee in the mining area of Sinosteel Corporation's Australian subsidiary where Rio has a 60 percent stake. [Photo by Zhou Dan / Xinhua]
The giant Simandou iron ore mine in Guinea caused countless headaches for Rio Tinto Group, but it was always worth the fight. Not any more.
Rio turned its back on Simandou, one of the world's largest untapped iron ore deposits, by signing a non-binding agreement with partner Aluminum Corp of China to hand over its stake. Rio may receive as much as $1.3 billion should the mine be built.
For an undeveloped piece of mountain, Simandou has a storied past including a US Department of Justice corruption probe involving diamond billionaire Beny Steinmetz. The mine's fortunes also offer an example of the situation facing the wider industryafter years of profligate spending, the sector is abandoning new projects in a new era of lower iron ore prices.
"Out with a fizzle, not out with a bang," said Hunter Hillcoat, an analyst at Investec Plc in London. "It's a pretty sad indictment of the super cycle."
Rio Tinto, the world's second-biggest miner, had been exploring Simandou since the 1990s, lured by a resource that's now estimated at 2 billion metric tons of iron. The deposit came to prominence in 2007 as Rio fought off a hostile takeover bid from larger rival BHP Billiton Ltd. At the time, Rio used the resource as an example to argue that the company was undervalued, calling the project the world's "top undeveloped" deposit.
"It was a rush for the best-quality assets you could get," said Hillcoat. "There was never going to be enough iron ore to satisfy the world's demand on the projections people had at the time."
Rio has been fighting for rights for the asset since 2008, when the government stripped the company of some of its license area. Steinmetz's BSG Resources Ltd bought rights to the project that year. Later, Vale SA agreed to acquire 51 percent of the project from BSGR for as much as $2.5 billion in 2010.
BSGR's grip loosened when a US grand jury began looking at whether bribes were paid by Frederic Cilins, who had links to the firm, to a wife of former Guinea President Lansana Conte. BSGR was ultimately stripped of the license in 2014, with a Guinean government committee saying it found evidence of corruption in the award of the project. BSGR always denied any wrongdoing.
The development of Simandou was hampered by West Africa's Ebola crisis in 2014 and the collapse in iron ore finally ended Rio's interest. Prices slumped 67 percent from a peak of more than $190 a ton in 2011 as China's slowdown sent commodities tumbling. The world was awash with supply after Rio, BHP and Vale had rapidly increased production.
Bloomberg
RIGA - The first trans-Eurasia container train linking China and Latvia arrived here on Saturday afternoon, marking a milestone in the history of the two countries' cooperation in transport and logistics sectors.
Amid the sounding of trumpets and drums, the bright-colored freight train consisting of 84 containers entered the Central Station of Riga around 1:20 pm local time, and was greeted by a huge round of applause from a crowd of government officials, entrepreneurs, rail workers and journalists.
The direct freight route was then announced successfully inaugurated at a welcoming ceremony on the platform as representatives from both countries cut through a long red ribbon with golden scissors.
The train departed on Oct 20 from Yiwu, a vibrant manufacturing hub in East China, and finished a journey of over 11,000 km following the China-Russia-Latvia route.
The containers were packed with small commodities made in Yiwu, mainly decorative items and souvenirs, Xiong Tao, deputy major of the city, told Xinhua ahead of the ceremony.
"Riga is the destination of the train, but not of these commodities. After the arrival, they will be distributed to different eastern European or Scandinavian countries within one to three days," he said.
Latvia is the first Baltic nation to have established a direct rail freight route with China under the unified brand China Railway Express which refers to all rail routes connecting China and Europe, thanks to the country's position as a major transport and logistics transit in the region.
The project was conceived in July during a visit to China by the Latvian Minister of Transport Uldis Augulis, who at Saturday's ceremony lauded the tremendous efforts made by both sides to fulfill the ambition within only three months.
"Every success story begins with an idea to try. China and Latvia made a decision to try something unprecedented, and now it has been realized. A lot of hard work has been put into it," said the minister.
He hailed the historical route as a great opportunity for both China and Latvia to work shoulder to shoulder to bring benefits for their economies.
"Latvia serves as a gateway to Europe because of our geographic location and China opens gates for us to Asia," he explained. "We're seeing a good example of our cooperation today on this platform. If people want to work together, if they share common understanding of ideas, then they can achieve great results."
Speaking at the ceremony, He Lifeng, deputy head of China's National Development and Reform Commission, said that the trans-Eurasia container trains were a "new organization model of international cargo transport" in response to the expansion of investment and trade between China and Europe.
He attributed the recent boom in China-Europe rail freight routes to the steady progress made in the implementation of the China-proposed Belt and Road initiative.
The Belt and Road initiative aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.
Since the Initiative began to take shape, over 2,000 trains have passed from China to Europe along some 40 lines.
"As an old Chinese saying goes, a one-thousand-mile journey can only be completed with incremental steps. We'll take such steps with Latvia to boost investment and trade, and we will welcome more Latvia products to China on the container trains," He added.
CANBERRA - Chinese ownership of Australian farming land has climbed above three million hectares as an increasing number of Chinese investors show their interest in Australian agriculture.
A flurry of significant land sales in recent months, mostly in Western Australia (WA), has driven the amount of Australian agricultural land owned by Chinese investors to more than three million hectares, more than double the 1.46 million hectares reported by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) in June.
Two of the largest properties, the 705,000-hectare Wollogorang and Wentworth station on the border of Queensland and the Northern Territory (NT) and the 639,500-hectare Balfour Downs and Wandanya station in WA, both owned by Chinese, almost accounting for the whole 1.46 million hectares reported by the register.
The soaring amount of Australian land owned by Chinese investors since June has largely been driven by Shanghai Zenith, the Australian arm of real estate developer Shanghai CRED.
Shanghai Zenith has settled on the purchases of the 200,000-hectare Mount Elizabeth cattle station and 189,000-hectare Yakka Munga station, both in WA, since June.
The developer has also attained approval from the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) to buy more than 400,000 hectares of pastoral land in WA's Goldfields region and is part of the likely-successful bid by Gina Rinehart, Australia's richest woman, to buy the nation's largest network of cattle stations, S Kidman and Co.
Shanghai Zhongfu, a rival real estate developer, purchased the 476,000-hectare Carlton Hill station in WA for $75 million.
Danny Thomas, regional director of agribusiness with real estate consultant CBRE, said the boom in Chinese investment in Australia reflected the interest from foreign investors worldwide.
"The market is as active at the moment as I've seen it in my professional career," Thomas told Fairfax Media on Monday.
The new Chinese ownership figures came as a survey of China's richest people found many were planning to pour millions of dollars into Australia's real estate market.
The Hurun Report, released on Monday, found that 800,000 Chinese people worth more than $1.5 million, planned to invest overseas, with property in Sydney and Melbourne a popular investment choice.
Rupert Hoogewerf, chief researcher for the Hurun Report, a monthly magazine best known for its "China Rich List", a ranking of the wealthiest individuals in China, said the depreciation of the yuan was partly responsible for the flow of capital from China into Australian property.
"As immigration and house-buying destinations, Australia is still very popular. Sydney and Melbourne are still very popular," he said.
"China currently has 1,340,000 high-net-worth individuals, defined as individuals with $1.5 million, so that means we are looking at a massive 800,000 individuals who want to buy property overseas over the next three years."
A major oil shale company has successfully extracted shale oil underground for the first time, according to reports in the Jilin Daily.
After eight years of exploration, Jilin Unity & Strength Oil Shale Investment Development Co Ltd has demonstrated the effectiveness of its home-developed oil shale in-situ retorting technology.
"Our oil share project has entered the pilot stage, at which the daily output of a single well's shale oil can reach 200 kilograms and more, three times the initial stage," the company's technical director told Jilin Daily.
The shale oil, pumped from 300 meters underground and poured directly onto an iron plate by workers, could be lit and burned well, as Jilin Daily witnessed at the company's test site at Fuyu city.
After being filtered by gauze, the oil can be directly used in farm tractors.
Compared to the old technology, the oil shale in-situ method applies heat to the oil shale layer to make it crack and produce shale oil and natural gas underground. It's then pumped above ground. The process costs less and avoids generating a lot of waste residue, gas and water.
Project director Zhao Jinmin, who invented the technology said it was tailor made for the conditions in Jilin province.
"The oil shale is located deep, the layer is thin and the oil rate is low. It not only can make full use of the resources but also can protect the environment," he said.
The company, established in 2012, has a scientific research team consisting of four doctors and 46 graduate students and has invested 180 million yuan ($26.57 million) researching the technology.
It also set up an academic hub in Changchun, capital of Jilin province, to host leaders in the field Li Tingdong and Zhai Yusheng from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Kang Yuzhu, an academic from the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
"The new technology is entirely developed by our independent innovation research. Having full intellectual property rights on it, we have obtained eight national patents and are applying for two international patents."
The oil shale resources in China are rich and its development is one of the major projects in China's 13th Five-Year Plan.
Estimated to hold about 107 billion tonnes of oil shale, Jilin is home to 80 per cent of the total proven reserves in China.
ZHUHAI - Boeing is 100 years old this year and for the past 45 years Boeing and China have established partnership based on mutual benefit, said John Bruns, president Boeing China, during an air show in South China.
"Boeing has made the major decision to extend its 737 production system overseas at the right time, bringing its innovative and strategic partnership with China to the next level," Bruns said in an interview with Xinhua at the 11th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition.
"The secret to vitality lies in innovating and believing in dreams, as well as in partnering with the right partner at the right time for joint development," Bruns said, adding Boeing has enjoyed a partnership with China, and China is crucial to Boeing's success in the next century.
On Oct 28, just a few days before the opening of the air show in Zhuhai, Boeing signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement on a Boeing 737 completion and delivery center with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd (COMAC) and Zhejiang province.
The center in Zhoushan in East China will be the first part of its 737 production system outside the United States.
"Boeing has followed its own logic and roadmap for its development in China, giving due and full consideration at each step of the way to maximizing the benefits of both sides," Bruns said.
From delivering aircraft to Chinese customers to partnering with China in production of parts and components; from market integration to joint innovation: "We've arrived where we are today so that we can take a new step," said Bruns.
"All types of Boeing aircraft with parts and components manufactured in China meet our requirements, and we're pleased to work with China's aviation enterprises to steadily enhance aviation manufacturing as well as innovation capabilities," said Bruns.
Boeing's deliveries to China each year account for one quarter of the world total, and one third of all 737 aircraft deliveries are bound for China.
In addition, parts and components made by Chinese manufacturers serve the global aerospace industry. AVIC Chengfei Commercial Aircraft Co delivered the first batch of rudders for Boeing 737MAX and the new widebody 787-10 on Sept 9, the delivery of a critical component.
"We regard China as a very important strategic partner, not only because of the civil aviation market and potential, but also because we are willing to provide support to our Chinese partners.
"Making each other successful is more in line with our long-term interest and steady cooperation between the two sides," said Bruns.
Seats for passenger aircraft produced by Ali-Jiatai have been listed as an option in the 737 equipment catalog. "This brings more options for our customers domestically and around the world," Bruns added.
On Nov 1, COMAC and Boeing signed an agreement to expand research collaboration and explore new technology for sustainable aviation biofuel through the Boeing-COMAC sustainable aviation technology center.
"The global aviation market is a huge pie that is getting bigger and bigger. There are always new entrants joining in as many countries want aircraft manufacturing capability.
"Boeing welcomes competition that is conducive to the sound development of the industry and we are confident of keeping our advantages through innovation," he said.
He explained that when COMAC was established Boeing began collaboration in biofuel, safety and other fields. The latest research center is a testament to that cooperation.
To Bruns, China is not just a remarkable market, it will become a strong competitor in global commercial aviation, reforming the current structure of market.
"Boeing has established an innovative and strategic partnership with China's aviation industry, striving for collaboration while maintaining competition," said Bruns.
To maintain cooperation while competing with each other creates a subtle and challenging situation which requires confidence and strength. Bruns believes Boeing and China will both benefit and grow stronger through collaboration.
"The future will be more challenging for Boeing and we choose to face it boldly," Bruns said.
This month, I get the honor of introducing you to the new winemaker at Knapp Winery, Jerry Van Vort.
Jerry is a Colorado native who moved to California during high school then served a four-year term in the U.S. Navy. From 2004 to 2008, he was overseas in the Persian Gulf and Southeast Asia, where he was stationed on the USS Essex (LHD-2) out of Sasebo, Japan. After the Navy, he returned to California, where he graduated with a degree in enology and viticulture from Allan Hancock College before beginning his winemaking career in the Santa Barbara, California wine region, including Lucas Lewellen and Holus Bolus. He spent 10 years working on the West Coast before relocating to Colchester, Connecticut, where he worked at Priam Winery. The Connecticut wine region he comes from had very similar growing conditions to the Finger Lakes, with glacial deposits, similar weather and harvest season, hybrid grapes and warmer temperatures due to its proximity to the ocean. This summer, Jerry and his wife, Breana, who also works in the industry on Skaneateles Lake, were drawn to the Finger Lakes region for its beauty and thriving wine industry, so they relocated to Geneva with their two cats and two dogs.
I got to chat with Jerry about wine, of course, and Ill share with you a summary of our conversation. The team at Knapp just finished harvesting its 2016 crop, which despite fears from the common population, turned out alright. As many of you know, we had a severe drought here in the Finger Lakes. The lack of rain did have a direct effect on the grapes, but it was anything but detrimental. According to Jerry, the acids in the fruit are high, but more importantly, the brix was high. Brix is a measurement of the sugar levels of grapes, which will indicate the potential alcohol content of a wine before its made. Each gram of sugar thats fermented will turn into about a half gram of alcohol. Higher brix means less chaptalization is needed. Chaptalizing is when sugar is added to the juice prior to fermentation to increase alcohol. The grapes were ripe for the picking early, but we did see a lower yield than in less dry years, having smaller clusters with smaller berries.
Jerry said that mutterings throughout the area claim cabernet franc was perhaps the hardest hit by the rough weather we had, but that we should actually see some great color in this years reds. Smaller berries means the juice-to-skin ratio is favorable to the skins. What juice did come from the grapes had much more skin contact, which should result in some beautiful reds.
As he speaks, I get the sense that he is extremely excited to work with this years crop. For those of us anxiously awaiting his first Finger Lakes works of art, he estimates that roses and whites will be ready for sipping as early as late winter, and some of the reds will be ready in just less than a year.
His favorite wines to drink depend largely on what he is eating, but at the top of his list is Riesling, cabernet franc and blaufrankisch, or lemberger, as you may know it. The crisp acidity of Finger Lakes wines also results in great roses. These are, perhaps not coincidentally, his favorite wines to make as well! I asked if he has ever had any notable mishaps or epic fails in making wine, but luckily he had nothing to report aside from the inevitable equipment failure. With so many moving parts, its very common for things to stop working, and of course, a harvest without equipment failure is nearly unheard of.
In addition to keeping the traditional wines that Knapp is known for, including Rieslings, Superstition and limoncello, he is considering working with the distiller to produce more wine-based fortified products and distillates. Join me in welcoming Jerry to the Finger Lakes and thanking him for choosing the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail.
With the growth of business in China and the opportunities for more professional job offerings, China is expected to surpass the United States and become the largest global market for project management, according to the world's largest professional membership association in project management.
Craig Killough, Vice President of Organization Markets for Project Management Institute, said in a recent interview with China Daily: "We probably see active project management professionals (PMPs) at 200,000 by 2020. And I see that there is very much potential to get to 1 million PMPs after 2020."
"The opportunity for the expansion of the project management professions in China is huge. And we see a very positive outlook for that capability and growing the confidences for project management in China. I fully expect sometime in the future pure number of PMPs in China will exceed the number in the United States."
According to Killough, as more big Chinese firms seek business opportunities globally, those companies need to focus more on dealing with cultural issues in the right way since they are attempting to do business outside their norm.
"The vast majority of time there would be subcontract relationships that they would need to develop. Going into the region for the first time, they must understand the environment of business in that area and adapt [to] their ways of doing things to how to do things locally."
Killough also noted that as the business moves so rapidly globally, organizations need to be able to operate with more agility.
Ray Ju, board advisor at MSOL Inc, a Japan-headquartered firm that provides project management advisory, execution and training, said in the latest annual PMI (China) Conference that, there would be 1.57 million project management job opportunities per year by 2020, calling for more professional talents.
Founded in the United States in 1969, PMI is a leading non-for-profit membership association for project management. And its PMP certificate is the world's only project management certification linked to the international standard ISO 17024. Currently more than 700,000 people possess the certificate in the world.
Established at the end of 2008, PMI (China) now has more than one million Chinese participants in the PMI project management training programs in the Chinese mainland, with nearly 150,000 PMPs.
Today, PMI (China) has offices in big cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. The organization said it would open new offices in Sichuan province and Dalian in the next year. It also will seek new certified education institutions, in a move to enable more people to take exams in their local areas.
Favorable purchase tax in China may help push auto market growth, said industry insiders. [Photo provided to China Daily]
One-year extension is on the cards for duty rules that supporters say have boosted the market for small engine vehicles, Hao Yan reports.
China is likely to extend its favorable purchase tax policy on small engine vehicles to further boost the market's growth, though some have suggested tax reform to further discourage the "gas guzzlers".
Sources familiar with the matter said the country's government bodies discussed the vehicle purchase tax policy on Nov 1, with some ministries expressing firm support for a one-year extension. However, the decision makers are still surveying, an official told The Economic Observer in anonymity.
"The tax policy may help unleash five to six percentage points of growth in the nation's automobile market," said Dong Yang, executive vice-president of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, on Oct 28. "With the extended policy, market growth could reach up to 8 percent, but without it, growth could touch as low as 3 percent."
The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers believes the policy has been the major savior of the domestic car market. The association is lobbying the State Council, China's cabinet, to extend the policy if necessary.
CAAM's statistics showed that cars with engines no larger than 1.6 liters contributed nearly 67 percent to total sales volumes in the first nine months. The proportion in the same period last year were lower than 63 percent.
From January 1 to September 30, the country saw a total of 19.19 million new cars registered, jumping 14.6 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Public Security.
The Chinese central government introduced a stimulus measure in October 2015 which halved the tax to 5 percent on purchases of passenger vehicles powered by engines no larger than 1.6 liters. But the policy is due to expire by the end of this year.
Jia Xinguang, a senior analyst with the China Automobile Dealers Association, suggested prudent consideration of the policy extension, despite encouraging the purchase of energy-saving cars with smaller engines. He claims that each time the country repeats the same policy, its effect diminishes.
"The halved tax policy was applied in 2009 and 2010, and helped boom the market with a 46-percent annual surge. But history won't repeat itself," Jia said. "The market volume base is expanding, so we can't expect the policy to fuel acceleration in 2017 as high as that of this year."
Policy substitutes
On the other hand, the policy substitutes include reform for taxation to further benefit smaller car buyers.
Chinese media reported that the Ministry of Finance is mulling over the possibility of merging the vehicle purchase tax into consumption tax to better popularize the small cars and discourage the "guzzlers".
The drafted vehicle consumption tax may lower the universal 10-percent rate to 1 percent on cars with engines no larger than 1-liter, but charge 40 percent on those larger than 4 liters. The rate for 3- to 4-liter vehicles would be 25 percent.
Jia noted that "the country needs to balance the burdens brought by tax cuts, because the policy was actually bringing a fiscal burden to the country. And a simple tax cut seldom helps the automotive industry change."
The country might lose a total of 72 billion yuan ($10.7 billion) in tax revenue throughout the tax cut period from Oct 2015 to the end of 2016, according to China International Capital Co's estimate last year.
Dong pointed out that when dealers and buyers do not see the possibility of a favorable policy in 2017, the market may encounter an overdraft in the two months, followed by a slow-down next year. Many dealers and buyers will try to close the deal as soon as possible this year in November and December, ahead of their original plan for 2017.
Dong said: "Given such a historical volume record in the world's largest market, a minor bump in development won't matter in the overall situation."
Another substitute stimulus measure suggested is to give subsidies to small vehicle buyers in rural areas, described as "automobiles going to the countryside".
The subsidies were given to rural residents from March 2009 to the end of 2010. Buyers who scrap an agricultural tricycle or low-speed van received a subsidy equivalent to 10 percent of the sticker price of a newly-purchased car powered by an engine no larger than 1.3 liters.
That round of countryside subsidies unleashed the rural population's demands on small-sized, multi-purpose vehicles, and drove Chang'an Star and SAIC GM Wuling Hongguang to become nationwide bestsellers. Wuling Hongguang, with its upgraded models, has been staying in the pole position since 2010.
Jia viewed these low-end vehicles as carrying very limited technical content, and believes their volume would not help the Chinese automotive industry's evolution.
He said: "Those low-price, low-end models would suffer the most when the favorable policies were ceased, as their customers are very sensitive to price fluctuations."
A driverless vehicle developed by the internet giant Baidu on display in December at an exposition in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province.[Photo/China Daily]
Baidu Inc expects to have the edge in autonomous driving after years of running China's biggest search engine, arming it with expertise in machine learning and mapping.
The internet giant is sticking to a plan to have self-driving cars ply China's roads by 2018, then mass production by 2020. The company will focus on its home market despite road conditions there being much more complex than in developed countries, Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Li told the Bloomberg Markets Most Influential Summit in Hong Kong.
Baidu is banking on artificial intelligence and automobiles to provide much-needed engines for growth as its search business decelerates. This year, it's expected to post its slowest pace of revenue growth since going public, as Tencent Holdings Ltd and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd draw advertisers away. Baidu however hasn't outlined a business plan for AI.
"AI, it's a technology. And technology itself, until you put it into real applications, into real businesses where it can really transform industries, it's not really of real business value," Li said during an onstage interview. But she predicted "many new business opportunities are going to come out of these core competencies."
Like Google Inc, Baidu believes it has advantages in AI that can be used to develop driverless technology, such as internet services that adapt to each user and computers that think and respond like humans. The Chinese company has won approval to test its self-driving technology in California, becoming the 15th company to get permission. And it's also partnered with chipmaker Nvidia Corp to develop the necessary technology.
Delving into new areas will be key as its advertising machine peters out. Research firm eMarketer predicted Baidu would fall behind Alibaba in terms of ad revenue this year, thanks in part to a series of well-publicized scandals and increased government regulations.
In July, the company warned investors that restrictions on internet advertising would hurt revenue growth for the next two to three quarters and it forecast lower-than-expected sales of 18.04 billion ($2.7 billion) to 18.58 billion yuan in the third quarter.
That came as the government implemented rules to limit the number of ads that can be displayed on each page. Baidu is also expecting slower customer growth as it rechecks the credentials of advertisers to ensure their businesses are legitimate.
Bloomberg
The Chinese Mainland and Taiwan plan to work together to promote research and industrial cooperation on the fifth generation (5G) mobile network technology, experts and company executives said on Monday.
Their comments came after the Chinese mainland finished the first phase of 5G research and testing in September that focused on 5G wireless and key technologies. Domestic and overseas enterprises such as Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, Ericsson AB and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd have all played an active part in the process.
Yang Zemin, vice president and secretary general at China Communications Standards Association, said that he has an optimistic view of the opportunity for Taiwan-based firms to participate in the mainland's second phase of experimental work on 5G.
"Both the mainland and Taiwan have open minds for deep cooperation in [the] future, and the two sides can work together to help formulate global 5G standard," Yang said at a cross-straits CEO summit in Xiamen, Fujian province.
Cliff Lai, general manager at Taiwan Star Telecom Corp, a mobile network operator in Taiwan, said that currently most operators in Taiwan have launched the VoLTE service. However, due to the low data pricing, Taiwan-based firms lack a strong driving force for enhancing its development.
VoLTE stands for voice calls provisioned over a 4G LTE data network, rather than the 2G or 3G networks that are commonly used. It is a 4G technology that allows users to have better quality phone calls and high-definition video calls.
"I really look forward to working with the Chinese mainland. By working together, we can seek a better business model to profit from the VoLTE service."
In his point of view, the two sides will probably also work within the semiconductor business, especially the chips.
According to data from the US International Trade Administration, the Chinese mainland is the largest consumer market of semiconductors, accounting for more than half of global consumption in 2015. And Taiwan's semiconductor business is the world's second-largest in terms of output.
"Through the cooperation, Taiwan can fully access the mainland's market and compete with foreign chipmakers, such as the US-based Qualcomm Inc. For the mainland, it can have bigger development opportunities," Lai added.
New technologies and software could help preserve Tibetan language and culture, while also promoting communication between different ethnic groups, a news conference in Lhasa heard on Thursday.
All three of the world's main mobile phone operating systems Apple iOS, Google Android and Microsoft Windows now come with Tibetan typefaces and keyboards, the conference in the Tibet autonomous region's capital heard.
Software offering handwriting or voice recognition and synthesis is also available in the language, and China's first Tibetan language search engine, yongzin.com, launched this year, aiming to serve as a unified portal for all major Tibetan language websites.
Tibet University's Tibetan Information Technology Research Center and iFlytek Co Ltd, a national enterprise dedicated to researching intelligent speech and language technologies, have been instrumental in developing Tibetan language software and applications over the past five years.
"The launching of relevant voice products and applications reveal China's international leading position in the field of intelligence speech technology," said Hu Yu, rotating president of iFlytek Co Ltd.
Hu said the official launch of Tibetan intelligent voice applications had far-reaching significance for promoting communication between ethnic groups, and boosting the protection and inheritance of Tibetan language and culture.
Li Junjie, vice-president of Tibet University, said its research center had made "great contributions" to "interdisciplinary Tibetan information technology research, Tibetan software development, and training Tibetan intellectuals in information technology".
The center was further lauded by Ngodrup, vice-president of Tibet Minzu University, who said standardization was crucial for a language's healthy development.
"The Tibetan Information Technology Research Center plays a core role in processing Tibetan pictographs, ideographs and phonology," said Ngodurup, who also plays as a leading role in the Tibetan information technology joint laboratory.
Lhakpa Dondrup, 27, a postgraduate student of the research center, said the latest raft of Tibetan language applications had been useful for his studies.
"One of my favorite parts is the machine translation tool, it is so convenient, and it also supports voice recognition," said Lhakpa.
"My major is to computers, and I really like the newly developed Tibetan keyboard, it has greatly accelerated typing speed, and is really convenient."
A destroyed vehicle is towed away the scene on an expressway in Shanghai, East China, Nov 6, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
SHANGHAI - Nine people were killed and another 43 injured Sunday in two accidents along an expressway in Shanghai, local authorities said.
According to a Shanghai police press release, police received calls at around 6 am regarding an accident involving multiple vehicles in foggy weather.
In one accident, two people were killed at the scene when a tanker ran into four people who had got off a minibus to look further ahead.
Another accident occurred three kilometers away, when an engineering van was crushed by two heavy vehicles. Five people were killed in the van.
As of 5 pm, a further 45 were hospitalized. Two died at the hospital.
Further investigation is underway.
Shanghai weather station issued an orange alert for heavy fog at 6 am, the second highest level in China's weather alert system, indicating fog with visibility of less than 200 meters for at least six hours.
New regulations are expected to make travel in country more convenient for foreigners
A nationwide platform for sharing and searching exit-entry information is being considered in China, according to the central government.
The platform aims to strengthen the coordination of governmental departments across the country relating to exit-entry affairs and to improve efficiency, according to a State Council report.
The report was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, for review over the weekend.
"Our exit-entry departments are increasing informationization, as information sharing among them is insufficient," said Huang Ming, vice-minister of public security.
Currently, residents have to go to several different departments to submit documents if they want to go abroad, "which contributes to the asymmetric information sharing among exit-entry authorities", Huang said.
The country plans to build the platform by asking the departments to join hands in sharing their data, he said.
"Meanwhile, an exit-entry integrated data application platform for public security is planned, and we'll integrate data from authorities covering railway, civil aviation, tourism, foreign affairs, maritime and foreign specialists, aiming to effectively solve exit-entry issues," Huang said.
In addition, the report stipulates that the country's exit-entry services for foreigners will be improved, while a series of regulations, including one related to the permanent residence of foreigners, are to be issued soon.
"Foreigners with permanent residence permits will be given an e-certificate that can better serve them when buying tickets for trains, flights and ships, and make booking accommodation or dealing with financial insurance more convenient," Huang said.
Ada Jen, a United States citizen and administrator at an international school in Beijing, said, "I'm glad to know that life will be made more convenient for Chinese green-card holders like me.
"It takes too long to buy a ticket at Beijing South Railway Station, and my permit could not be used when I wanted to stay at a hotel in Guangdong province."
Roeland Aerts, a marketing executive from Belgium, said that he has never had an unpleasant experience with exit-entry bureaus in China, but added that some paperwork processes could be simplified or put online.
"Putting paperwork processes online would be more practical," Aerts said.
"When my parents come to visit, besides preparing all the paperwork, they need to go the consulate to deposit the forms, which is about a four-hour drive from their home, which is impractical."
The new exit-entry data platform should speed up related affairs and improve efficiency, he said.
With stealth aircraft like the United States' F-22 and F-35 poised to dominate modern aerial combat, countermeasures are emerging.
China has been showcasing an array of air-defense radars capable of detecting stealth fighters at a six-day arms expo - and the nation appears keen to sell the cutting-edge technology to any state fearing a threat from above.
Three large radars made by China Electronics Technology Group Corp were on display at the 11th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, which closed on Sunday in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. The State-owned defense giant has developed almost all of the radars used by the People's Liberation Army.
Two models, the YLC-8B and SLC-7, which were designed by the company's Nanjing Research Institute of Electronic Technology, integrate the traditional detection method of mechanical scanning with advanced phased array technology, so are capable of detecting aerial targets including stealth aircraft, the institute said.
Another model, the JY-27A, is a long-range surveillance/guidance radar that is resistant to jamming and is highly reliable and mobile, according to materials provided by China Electronics Technology Group.
The biennial exhibition, also known as the Zhuhai Air Show, is said to be the largest arms expo in Asia. Chinese defense enterprises use the occasion to debut or promote their products.
Senior Colonel Li Li, a military equipment expert at the PLA National Defense University, said detecting stealth planes requires highly sophisticated technology and that Chinese institutes have been devising radar-based approaches.
Gao Zhuo, a military observer in Shanghai, said China has become a leader in anti-stealth radar, with many capabilities of its radars regarded the best in the world.
In addition to the current models, the Nanjing Research Institute of Electronic Technology is also developing a cutting-edge radar that adopts quantum technology, according to a report by an online PLA publication.
A quantum-based radar can be mounted on ground vehicles and aircraft to detect stealth planes from long distances, the report said, adding that only the US and China are researching such technology.
zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 11/07/2016 page3)
Beijing's top liaison in Hong Kong briefed local members of the state legislature and top political advisers on Sunday about deliberations over a potential interpretation of an article in the city's Basic Law.
The move concerns Article 104, which relates to swearing-in procedures for public officials in the special administrative region, and is expected to prevent separatists from paralyzing the Legislative Council.
A vote on the draft interpretation is likely to come on Monday before a session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee closes in Beijing.
Zhang Xiaoming, director of the central government's liaison office in Hong Kong, said on Sunday that pro-independence advocacy in the LegCo goes against the "one country, two systems" policy, according to Chan Wing-kee, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, who was at the briefing.
Article 158 states that, when necessary, "the power of interpretation of Basic Law should be vested in the NPC Standing Committee" to clarify the exact and original meaning of a term or article. Zhang said the interpretation will provide a guideline for future oath-taking ceremonies and for courts, according to Chan.
The move comes after two lawmakers-elect - Sixtus Leung Chung-hang and Yau Wai-ching - altered their LegCo oath and used foul language to insult China during their swearing-in on Oct 12. A judicial review sought by the SAR government that demands they vacate their seats is ongoing.
Chan Yung, an NPC deputy and vice-chairman of Hong Kong's largest political party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said the interpretation will help to prevent separatists from affecting Hong Kong's governance.
In the 19 years since Hong Kong's reunification with the mainland, the NPC Standing Committee has made interpretations on Basic Law four times.
uisliu@chinadailyhk.com
(China Daily 11/07/2016 page3)
A group of leading government spokesmen and spokeswomen exchanged their views on how to tell China's story in a positive way to the world, during the nation's first forum organized for professionals in official communication roles on Saturday.
More than 80 spokesmen and spokeswomen, experts, scholars and heads of media gathered in Shanghai to share their opinions on news publishing. Topics included new media, guiding public opinion when hot issues arise and creating a positive national image as Chinese companies expand globally.
China's spokesman system can be traced to the early 1980s. After more than three decades of development, it has become a witness, participant, facilitator and contributor in China's reform, opening-up and modernization, according to Jiang Jianguo, minister of the State Council Information Office.
The news publishing industry is based on China's reforms, opening-up and modernization, Jiang said, so the industry has distinctive Chinese characteristics. He also said that a competent spokesman or spokeswoman should be confident, good at establishing topics, have a good sense of timing and be capable of using all media.
Spokespersons, along with scholars from different sectors, shared their views about how an official speaker should deal with hot issues that arise from time to time in society.
Yang Yujun, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, likened a sensitive topic to a time bomb, saying that if you don't defuse it the bomb will go off.
Attendees agreed that an effective spokesperson should be a good storyteller, and a confident and responsible coordinator.
Zhao Chenxin, spokesman for the National Development and Reform Commission, said past experience shows that people-centered stories with strong, relevant content will have better effect and make a bigger impact on the public than those that don't.
Li Zhong, who speaks for the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, also noted the importance of establishing a mistake-tolerant system.
"President Xi Jinping noted that as long as the leaders are doing their jobs proactively, minor mistakes in a speech are forgivable, but being lost for words when answering questions, or creating a severe public opinion crisis are not," Li said.
According to Hu Kaihong, deputy director of the State Council Information Office's Press Bureau, government leaders themselves are increasingly going in front of the public to make statements.
The major reason behind some spokespersons being silent and avoiding reporters is that they have few opportunities to take part in drafting important policies or are not necessarily familiar with the situation, Li said.
Guo Weimin, spokesperson and vice-minister of the State Council Information Office, said spokespersons at different levels will have more training in the future to increase their capability of making a decent speech and becoming a strong storyteller.
Nov. 7, 1936
The Wells-Colgate Players, will present "The Royal Family," the famous farce by George F. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, this evening in Macmillan Hall, Wells College, Aurora. The leads are in the hands of Mildred Strobe and Barbara Southard of Wells and "Ed" Garve of Colgate. The presentation will be under the direction of John Woodruff and Russell Spears. Following the play, there will be a dance which the Colgate Dons furnishing the music. The play will be presented at later date at Colgate University.
Nov. 7, 1961
Cayuga County Fire Police Association announced winners of the annual fire prevention week poster contest at the Auburn Inn Sunday. Grand prize winner was Millicent Dudley, fourth grade student at Cato-Meridian school. Debbie Riffle, first grade student from Cayuga School Union Springs System was runner up.
Other winners announced were Mary Fuller of Cayuga, kindergarten class; Alfred Cooper of Cato-Meridian, second grade; Patty Moore of Cayuga, third grade; Albertenah Brown of Port Byron, fifth grade, and Carol Butler of Port Byron, sixth grade.
Nov. 7, 2006
The girl, whom some Weedsport residents have come to know as Biz, received her award in Rochester Oct. 27. Only one student per state is honored annually among a select group of children in grades three to six.
Nov. 7, 2011
Jim Balloni would have been proud to see the crowd at the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES Sunday morning. The Auburn Rotary Clubs annual charity pancake breakfast, renamed this year for former member Balloni, drew hundreds of people in support of Warm the Children and the clubs other activities. Balloni was a longtime Auburn resident who died of cancer in 2002.
A mayor in Yunnan province apologized on Sunday for making "inappropriate" comments, after an investigation found he did not brand China's Miao ethnic group "horrible", an allegation which caused widespread anger among Miao people.
"I didn't subjectively insult or discriminate against Miao people, but I think I used inappropriate language and improper examples, which hurt the feelings of the ethnic group," said Gong Qing, acting mayor of Wenshan.
"Deeply ashamed, I sincerely apologize to the Miao people and beg for your understanding and forgiveness," he wrote in a letter of apology that was published online.
Netizens and Miao community leaders called for Gong to apologize over comments he was said to have made on Oct 26 in a meeting to discuss a Miao cultural-themed park.
Gong reportedly said he had been warned that Miao women use sorcery to ensnare men, asking, "Why should we promote this kind of culture?"
Reports of the comments "went viral in WeChat groups for Miao people in Yunnan, Guizhou and Hunan provinces and Beijing, sparking unprecedented indignation", according to a Miao research society that reported the case to the Yunnan Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission.
However, an investigation report published by Wenshan Zhuang and Miao autonomous prefecture on Saturday said Gong made the comments about Miao women when the meeting was discussing a "witchcraft land" project in the theme park, as "he worried that the project would arouse people's misunderstanding of Miao culture".
The report also said there is no solid proof to support accusations that Gong said, "Is this something to be proud of?" after saying "Miao people were driven here and to other countries" when he was talking about Miao people's migration history.
The report was based on conversations with all participants of the meeting.
It's the second report published by the Wenshan Zhuang and Miao autonomous prefecture on the matter. The first report, published on Oct 31, quoted Gong as saying that he was "merely giving suggestions" and was not insulting Miao people, but he didn't apologize.
Experts said the matter has reminded cadres working in regions inhabited by ethnic groups that they should measure their words and behavior.
"Officials should work hard to know the history and culture of ethnic groups in the regions they work in, and speak and act cautiously," said Yang Fuquan, vice-chairman of the Association of Chinese Ethnology.
Chen Pingling, an 81-year-old retired diplomat, likes his 66-square-meter private apartment.Zou Hong / China Daily
Chen Pingling, 81, an ex-career diplomat with appointments including political counselor to Moscow, is an example of the kind of elite senior population that the Yanda retirement community hopes to attract and retain as residents. Chen spent his early retirement years in his own home. After his wife died, he moved to one of the best public nursing homes in Beijing. For the past five years, he has lived in a private retirement community in a 66-square-meter, one-bedroom apartment on the edge of Beijing. He has no plans to move again.
Chen spoke recently to China Daily about his life and retirement. The following are edited excerpts:
Why do you prefer a private nursing home instead of a public one?
When I was accepted by a well-known welfare institution in 2010, I was told that as many as 4,000 people were waiting for a bed there. But soon, I realized my room was like a hospital ward and it had no privacy. Nurses could come in at anytime to check on you. In summertime, the door was left open and there was only a curtain hung on the frame. I couldn't even listen to Western classics because I didn't want to disturb others.
Then I became one of the first residents in Yanda after I saw the apartment. It was like my own home, with privacy.
How's your life like here?
I have meals at the canteen, which serves small portions of food for seniors. I don't eat much. For dinner, I eat porridge with pickles that I take away from the breakfast.
At night, I'll have milk that is warmed in the microwave oven in the kitchen and then go to bed with my favorite musical numbers on.
There are many activities for residents. I'm an active member of the choir. I've taught other members to sing Russian oldies like Oy, The Kalina is Blooming, Katusha and Far, Far Away.
I've written and published books on politics and culture about Eastern Europe. Sometimes, young authors ask for my comments or a preface for their works on the topic.
If you want to go back to Beijing to visit friends, they have regular shuttle-buses to downtown areas with nurses tagging along.
Have you visited any foreign nursing homes?
I went to college in Prague in the early 1950s, majoring in Czech history. I have friends there including a rich art collector and former diplomat to China who was in the best nursing home in Prague. I think my apartment is nicer than his in terms of furnishings and amenities.
What about the costs?
I pay 4,500 yuan ($666) per month for the apartment and services. The meals cost 10 to 20 yuan each. My pension of 8,500 yuan a month is more than enough for the expenses.
Are there any areas where the provider can improve?
Getting reimbursed for medical bills remains a big problem for residents here. We have full health coverage in Beijing, but still have to pay up front at the hospital.
Do you have any plans to move?
No. I'm comfortable here. They offer all-in-one services from retirement to grave. When you're healthy, you stay in the self-help area. When you're not, you stay in a partial-help or full-help area. The hospital is just a few minutes away by foot. I've heard stories of residents whose lives were saved by the doctors at the hospital. They might not have been able to make it if they'd stayed in their own homes.
A device similar to the one designed to help astronauts counter loss of bone mass.Huayu Aerospace Science Co
A handheld device designed to help astronauts counter loss of bone mass in microgravity environments will soon be available to the general public online, according to the developer.
"The functions of the device we will sell online will be the same as those used by astronauts in space right now," said Ma Yan, deputy general manager of Shandong Huayu Aerospace Science Co, which is owned by the Shandong Institute of Aerospace Electronics Technology with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp in Yantai, Shandong province.
After more than 10 years of development, the instrument was tested for 13 days by astronauts aboard on the Shenzhou IX spacecraft in 2012.
After more upgrades, it is currently being used by two astronauts during a month-long mission aboard Tiangong II.
Detailed data about the effects of the instrument cannot be released for reasons of confidentiality, but Ma said the data obtained indicated that the astronauts aboard Shenzhou IX who used the instrument suffered lower levels of bone mass loss than those who didn't.
Bone mass loss is a major problem that astronauts must overcome during extended stays in space.
Microgravity environments induce higher levels of bone resorption - the process by which bone tissue breaks down and releases the minerals inside - and decreased blood supply to the bones which results in loss of mass.
During space flight, astronauts usually protect their bones by eating correctly and exercising hard.
Ma said the instrument is used like a massage device. Based on theories associated with traditional Chinese medicine, it taps acupuncture points in the legs to stimulate blood circulation and enhance bone density.
"Astronauts can choose vibrations with different frequencies, timing and strength," Ma said, adding that the instrument has great market potential on Earth. The appearance and size of the device will be changed to make it more visually appealing and easier to carry.
His company plans to put the device on sale via a crowdfunding platform, and anyone who donates 1,399 yuan ($207) will receive one.
Liu Qingchun, a physician at Laixi People Hospital in Shandong province, said the device will help to protect people from a hidden danger.
"For most people, bone loss begins at about age 35. However, most people don't realize that because there are no obvious symptoms at the beginning," he said.
1. Growing plants in space (tests overseen by the institute of plant physiology and ecology at the Shanghai Institute of Biological Sciences)
In the movie The Martian, astronaut Mark Watney survives on the red planet by growing potatoes. In reality, growing plants in space is much harder to do. Scientists have built a mini "greenhouse" on Tiangong II that features controlled temperatures and light, and they hope to cultivate rice and mouse-ear cress during the voyage.
"China will conduct its first seed-to-seed experiment in space through Tiangong II," Zheng Huiqiong, a science professor at the institute, told China Central Television.
According to Zheng, before the launch of Tiangong II, most biological experiments in space were limited to 20 days and it was impossible for higher plants to finish a life cycle. China has never conducted a full seed-to-seed growth-cycle experiment in space.
2. Gamma ray detector POLAR (tests overseen by the Chinese Academy of Sciences)
Tiangong II uses a detector called POLAR to observe gamma rays. The experiments represent the only international collaboration aboard Tiangong II, with scientists from Switzerland and Poland joining their Chinese counterparts to conduct experiments.
Completed in 2015, POLAR can measure the polarization of hard X-ray photons, in particular the polarization of prompt photons from gamma ray bursts.
Tools used in high-energy physics, such as POLAR, are employed to detect and characterize gamma ray photons and allow scientists to observe the cosmos in greater detail.
Sources: Xinhua And The chinese Academy Of Sciences
BEIJING - A spokesperson with the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council on Monday issued a statement hailing the adoption of an interpretation of Article 104 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) as "absolutely necessary" and timely.
"The interpretation demonstrates the central government's firm determination and will in opposition of 'Hong Kong independence,'" the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson went on to say that the interpretation, which was adopted at the bimonthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, which concluded Monday, "underscores the authority of the Basic Law and the rule of law in Hong Kong" and "complies with the common aspirations of all Chinese people, including our compatriots in Hong Kong."
The spokesperson said that the interpretation, issued by the top legislature following the behavior of a handful of legislators-elect during the election of Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) and the subsequent swearing-in ceremony, clarifies the implications and requirements of the oaths taken by legislators-elect.
Hong Kong is a local administrative region directly under the central government, the spokesperson confirmed, and the LegCo is a SAR legislative organ set up in accordance with the Hong Kong Basic Law.
"The interpretation of the Basic Law given by the NPC Standing Committee is the same as the law itself," the spokesperson added, stressing that relevant provisions in the Basic Law and its interpretation "must be implemented to the letter."
"Activities that advocate a splitting of the nation or 'Hong Kong independence' shall in no way be allowed," the spokesperson underscored.
The central government hopes people from all circles of life in Hong Kong will recognize the consequences of "Hong Kong independence" and protect the stability and development in Hong Kong, according to the spokesperson.
The central government is confident that LegCo will implement the "one country, two systems" principle and the Basic Law in a comprehensive and accurate manner, safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and maintain long-term prosperity and stability in the SAR.
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Li Qinru is on his way to a patient's home. [Photo/CCTV]
In an age when money defines everything, a doctor gave up the chance to earn big and instead chose to stay in his rural hometown and help the elderly, reported Xinhua News Agency.
Li Qinru, 54, is the only doctor in Zaoshi village in Qiqin township, Jiangxi province. Zaoshi is the most remote administrative village in the county. With an altitude of 600 meters, the only concrete road leading to the outside world was built in 2012, and the 13 communities in the village are all located halfway up the mountain, with the remotest one six kilometers away from Li's clinic.
Young people have left the village to work in cities, leaving behind the elderly with the average age of more than 70.
It is cold and humid in late October. Li Qinru is eating breakfast when the phone rings. It is an old woman named Li Dianpo. A person making the call on her behalf said that her husband had an asthma attack, and she herself wasn't feeling well.
Putting down his bowl, Li steps out of his clinic with a medical kit full of medicines, a blood pressure monitor and a stethoscope.
Carefully walking through the slippery stones, Li enters the patient's home. He inquires about the conditions of Li Dianpo's husband, prepares the medicines, and hangs up the saline drip for him. He also prescribes medicines for the old woman.
"The couple is in their 80s. One suffers from arthritis and asthma, and the other has hypertension. Their sons are working in the county seat. They old couple come to me when they are unwell," said Li.
While Li was seeing his patients, several others gathered at the door for consultation.
By the time he finished handling all the patients, it was half past eleven. Then it was time go back to the clinic. On the way back, he was stopped by an old man who was walking with difficulty. He whispered something to Li.
"He has used up the firewood and asked me to chop some for him," said the doctor.
BEIJING -- China has banned profit-led private schools from the nine-year compulsory education system, which covers primary to junior high school years, according to a revised law.
The revised law on private education was adopted Monday at the close of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee's bi-monthly session after a third reading.
China's compulsory education is a nationwide free system, supported by funding from the central government.
The system is a public service that must be provided by the government, said Zhu Zhiwen, vice minister of education, at a press conference after the law's revision was finalized.
"Profit-led private schools are unsuitable for the free education program," Zhu said.
He stressed that private schools are still allowed to offer diversified, market-oriented paid educational services, as long as they comply with the law.
China has about 162,700 private schools nationwide with more than 45.7 million students, according to figures from the Ministry of Education.
Currently none of the registered private primary and junior high schools are for-profit, and the law will only have impact on those who want to turn their schools into profit-led establishments, added Zhu.
The revised law, which will take effect on Sept. 1, 2017, clearly defines for-profit and non-profit private schools and specifies different measures to support private education.
Non-profit private schools will enjoy equal policies as public schools in land use and taxation.
All private schools should guarantee the staff's legitimate interests in salary and welfare, and are supposed to pay social insurance contributions for their employees, according to the law.
Private schools must establish a sound internal supervision system and entrust a third-party agency to inspect their educational environment. They should also establish an information publicity system.
Any institution found to have issued fake degrees or educational certificates, will be punished.
"Communist Party of China groups in private schools should carry out Party activities according to the Party Constitution and strengthen Party building," read one of the articles in the revised law.
HONG KONG -- China's Hong Kong police arrested two protesters Sunday evening for obstruction of police duties and failure to provide their personal identifications in an illegal rally against China's top legislature's interpretation of the Hong Kong Basic Law.
A senior superintendent of the Hong Kong Island Regional Headquarters told the media that the police arrested the two males outside the central government liaison office in Hong Kong.
Thousands of protesters gathered outside the liaison office Sunday evening after participation in a march in the afternoon to protest against the Basic Law interpretation.
The police officer said the rally outside the liaison office was not permitted and condemned the protesters who used bricks and bamboo sticks to attack the police.
The protesters occupied and blocked the Des Voeux Road West to the south of the liaison office, pushing the police's iron fences with umbrellas and sticks.
The police used pepper spray to disperse the protesters.
Two legislators-elect of Hong Kong's sixth Legislative Council (LegCo) deliberately used curse words insulting the Chinese nation and the country when reading the oath on Oct. 12. Their oath was not accepted by the LegCo's oath supervisor.
While whether they deserve a second chance to take oath is widely debated, Hong Kong people from all circles have criticized and condemned the two.
Senior members of China's top legislature on Friday heard a report on a draft interpretation of Article 104 of the Hong Kong Basic Law which rules that the LegCo members must swear to uphold the Basic Law and swear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China.
The liaison office's director Zhang Xiaoming met with about 200 Hong Kong's delegates to the National People's Congress and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on Sunday to notify them the top legislature's incoming interpretation of the Basic Law.
Zhang noted that the central government holds a clear and firm stance to contain the spread of "Hong Kong Independence" by taking effective measures in accordance with law.
The central government will not allow pro-independence advocates to become LegCo lawmakers, Zhang stressed.
An eagle flies over the Gyaring Lake in Madoi county in Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region. [Photo/Xinhua]
XINING - Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve, which will become China's first national park by 2020, has engaged the WWF and a Chinese car maker to be involved in protection work.
Li Xiaonan, chief of the administrative bureau of Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve, said Monday that the bureau had signed cooperation deals with the WWF and Guangzhou Automobile Group. Co. Ltd. (GAC Group).
The central government hopes to make Sanjiangyuan, home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow, and Lancang (Mekong) rivers, as a model of "effective environmental protection and harmony between nature and humanity."
Li said under the cooperation agreements, WWF will partner with the park on research, resource survey, environmental monitoring and training. While GAC Group will donate vehicles to be used to patrol the vast protection area and support the park's environmental campaigns.
China named Sanjiangyuang a nature reserve in 2005. About 100,000 herders left the grassland completely around that time and another 700,000 reduced their herds to help restore the grassland.
Beginning in April, the park has been expanding its staff, it will need to hire 10,000 wardens to patrol over 120,000 square kilometers, an area bigger than the U.S. state of New York.
AUBURN Since its construction in 1960, the tan brick building at 49 Kearney Ave. in Auburn has always had its roots in religion.
Nestled next to what is now Seward Elementary School, it was originally built as a convent for nuns who served at Mount Carmel High School on Metcalf Drive. And, several years later, it was converted into a church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
But now the building will serve a new purpose in the community, as it was sold to Cayuga Centers last month.
On Oct. 27, Cayuga Centers closed on the purchase of the property assessed at $318,600 for $180,000. Edward Myers Hayes, president and CEO of Cayuga Centers, said the organization began looking for another location last spring as it had outgrown its Hamilton Avenue headquarters.
Over the last several years, the agency which provides residential and home-based services for at-risk adolescents and their families, along with services for people with developmental disabilities has hired additional support staff in human resources, development, strategic growth, IT and finance after expanding programs to Florida and Delaware.
"Right now, (Cayuga Centers) is growing again ... and this new building will help us house that growth," Hayes said in a phone interview on Monday. "And even though most of this expansion happens hundreds of miles away, we then have to hire people in Auburn and Cayuga County to support our expansion."
After making an offer in May or June, Hayes said, Cayuga Centers came to a quick agreement with the Mormon church and, thanks to a capital campaign, the agency was able to buy it without the need for a mortgage. However, because the building was owned by a church, the sale had to go through the state Attorney General's Office, and it took several months to "dot the i's and cross the t's."
In addition, Cayuga Centers is still in the process of buying another building, Hayes said. The former annex at 210 Osborne St., which Cayuga Centers previously rented, will cost around $1.2 million. It will also be dedicated to former board chairman, Frederick Richardson, who passed away this summer.
"We had plans to buy the building down the block (on Osborne Street), but all of a sudden it wasn't enough," Hayes said. "So we decided to buy the building on Kearney Avenue, as well. ... And that will make more space at the Frederick Richardson Center, which we will use to double our respite program there."
The building on Kearney Avenue, which has been vacant since 2012 when the church moved to its new location on Miller Road in the town of Sennett, is nearly 11,000 square feet and has two floors, a two bay garage and over 35 parking spaces. The space, Hayes said, will be used to accommodate around 30 staff members from the Richardson Center and will serve as additional file storage for Cayuga Centers.
"We're planning to go and locate a lot of our staff who serve in community-based programs, whether it be individuals in the child welfare system ... family preservation and multi-systemic therapy or whether it's families with individuals with developmental disabilities," Hayes said. "And I think that everybody is happy that as we go and base staff there and use it as a center for our operations, we're going to continue the tradition of the building in serving the community."
Two J-20 stealth fighter jets perform aerobatic maneuvers during the 11th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition held in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. Feng Yongbin / China Daily
ZHUHAI -- An international airshow that concluded Sunday has displayed China's new found prowess in aviation technology, with both state-owned and private firms contributing to progress.
The 11th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, which was held in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong province, featured a number of debuts for Chinese aviation technology, including the J-20 advanced stealth fighter.
"By focusing on innovation and technological breakthroughs, China has become one of the few countries to systematically develop advanced aeronautic weaponry across a wide spectrum," said Tan Ruisong, general manager of Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the conglomerate that manufactures the J-20.
The Y-20, a domestic-made transport aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of around 200 tonnes, also took to the skies at the show.
"We have learned one thing from years of experiences: only through independent research and development can we master the most advanced technology," said Tang Changhong, chief designer of Y-20.
State-owned aircraft maker Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China was among the biggest stars at the airshow. One leasing firm ordered 40 ARJ21-700 regional jets and two others ordered 56 C919 large passenger aircraft.
While passenger aircraft still depend on foreign-made engines, the state-owned Aero Engine Corporation of China announced plans at the airshow to deal with Honeywell on a number of initiatives concerning engines.
President Xi Jinping meets with representatives of winners of this year's China News Award and Changjiang Taofen Award, the country's top two journalism awards, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov 7, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday stressed the importance of "a sound environment for public opinion," calling it crucial for governance and national stability.
Xi made the remarks while meeting with representatives of the All-China Journalists' Association (ACJA) and winners of this year's China News Award and Changjiang Taofen Award, the country's top two journalism awards, named after famous Chinese journalists Fan Changjiang (1909-1970) and Zou Taofen (or Tsou Tao-fen, 1895-1944).
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, urged the country's journalists to follow "the correct political direction," conform to the CPC Central Committee, adhere to the Marxist view of journalism, stick to the standpoint of the Party and the people and uphold socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Journalists were told to make more efforts to promote the Party's theories and policies, Chinese people's hard work and achievements, as well as mainstream values and "positive energy."
Xi also called on them to continuously improve their professional abilities, strive for innovation and be diligent and dedicated.
In addition, Xi urged the ACJA, an organization linking the Party and the government with journalists, to better unite journalists and make the association their "home."
Xi said the media have played a very important role in various stages of revolution, reform and development, praising their efforts in disseminating the Party's propositions, speaking for the people and conducting research for policy-making.
Xi said the media sector has inspired the confidence and strength of the Party and Chinese people of all ethnic groups in uniting and marching forward by actively publicizing the Party's propositions since the 18th CPC National Congress in late 2012.
Describing the country's journalists as "reliable and high-quality," Xi expressed his gratitude to them on behalf of the Party and the people.
Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended Monday's award ceremony and asked journalists to study the spirit of remarks made by Xi, resolutely safeguard the authority of the CPC Central Committee with Xi as the core, maintain a high degree of consistency with the CPC Central Committee and better perform their duties.
Liu asked journalists to bear social responsibility, take the lead in implementing socialist core values and improve the social effects of news reports.
As China announced the appointment of a new finance minister on Monday, analysts said major fiscal policies will not change and the country can use more policy tools to help anchor its economic growth.
Xiao Jie, a former tax chief and deputy finance minister, is the new minister, according to a decision passed at a bimonthly meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature.
Xiao, 59, who is currently deputy secretary-general of the State Council, worked in the Ministry of Finance from 1982 until 2005. He was head of the State Administration of Taxation from 2007 to 2013.
His predecessor, Lou Jiwei, was finance minister since 2013. It was not disclosed why Lou was replaced, but it is generally believed that it is because Lou, nearly 66, has passed the conventional retirement age for ministerial-level officials, which is 65.
Lou is known for pushing China's fiscal reforms, a task that includes putting the issuance of new debt by local governments under strict control to prevent any financial risks from derailing the growth of the world's second-largest economy.
Monday's legislative meeting also decided on the replacement of State Security Minister Geng Huichang, 65, with Chen Wenqing, 56, and Civil Affairs Minister Li Liguo, 63, with Huang Shuxian, 62.
Both Chen and Huang have long experience with the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Communist Party of China's internal anti-corruption watchdog. It was not disclosed whether there would be any further arrangement for Li.
Analysts said Monday's Finance Ministry reshuffle will not have a major impact on China's fiscal policies, such as reform of the property tax. Lou has repeatedly said that China is actively pushing reforms on property-related taxes, including the tax on holding property.
"Such reforms have been decided by the central authorities and will not be changed by replacement of the minister," said Liang Haiming, chief economist of China Silk Road iValley Research Institute. "The new minister will also make efforts to push the property tax reforms, since it is a task that China must accomplish."
Following Xiao's appointment, China may use more fiscal means to help generate growth, Liang said.
"I believe Xiao as the new minister (of finance) will take bolder fiscal measures to stimulate economic growth," Liang said. "The world has realized that simply using monetary policy has failed to keep the world economy going and fiscal policy will be allowed to play a larger role."
xinzhiming@chinadaily.com.cn
Events and stories coming up in the next few days
China, Greece to launch cities forum
China and Greece have decided to hold a cities forum to bolster ties. The forum will be officially launched in Athens on Friday, according to Zou Xiaoli, China's ambassador to Greece. It will be held at the Zappeion Conference and Exhibition Center, a historic venue at the heart of the Greek capital. Delegates from 14 Chinese cities will join more than 160 Greek officials at the conference. China established diplomatic relations with Greece 44 years ago.
Meetings review progress and development of China's economic exchanges with Central and Eastern Europe
The fifth Meeting of Heads of Government of Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) and China was held in Riga, Latvia, on Saturday. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attended the meeting.
A business forum also took place alongside the meeting from Nov 4-6 to foster cooperation in various business areas within the China-CEEC framework - known as 16+1. According to the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, the forum covered broad and captivating perspectives of cooperation, paying close attention to various aspects of entrepreneurship in the 21st century.
According to the meeting's official website, the 16+1 format is an initiative led by the People's Republic of China aimed at intensifying and expanding cooperation with 11 EU member states and five Balkan countries.
The meeting was planned to "review the progress and results of CEEC-China (16+1) cooperation since 2012 as well as the implementation of the Medium-Term Agenda for Cooperation between CEEC and China and the Suzhou Guidelines", according to the website.
Panel discussions at the Business Forum centered on the importance of transport and logistics, investment and finance, trade, tourism and lifestyle, industrialization and sustainable development in the context of the 16+1 initiative.
Maris Kucinskis, prime minister of the Republic of Latvia, said the forum was "an important opportunity to create new contacts, network and share ideas, contributing to promotion of trade and investment".
Sept 12 marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Latvia.
"Latvia is an important partner of China in the Baltic Sea Region. Over the past 25 years ...both sides have strengthened mutual trust in the political field, maintained a good momentum of development in economy and trade, as well as expanded and deepened areas of cooperation," said the Chinese Embassy to Latvia in a preface to a report, "Latvia as a business partner for China".
Maris Kucinskis said on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries: "As cooperation and confidence continue to grow, so does the common determination to engage in mutually profitable projects and business."
Kucinskis said that transport and logistics is one of the cornerstones of Latvia's growing economy due to the country's geographical location.
"We see ourselves as an integral part of the Belt and Road Initiative by offering convenient transport connectivity to Northern Europe and the whole Baltic Sea Region," he said.
Over the years, there have been several success stories of Latvian businesses entering China, the most notable being Latvian cosmetics and soap producer Stenders, which entered China in 2006-07.
More recently, dairy and ice cream producer Food Union has started to actively engage in the Chinese market. In 2016, Food Union started regular exports of dairy products to China. To make this possible, a representative office was opened. The company is also planning to invest in production facilities in China.
Chinese companies likewise have a growing interest in Latvia, and the importance of cooperation between the two countries continues to increase. Chinese companies seek to cooperate with high-capacity Latvian companies and then enter the market of other European countries as they develop their business. From China's perspective, Latvia is perceived as an important gateway to the EU, Commonwealth of Independent States and Nordic region. Compared to other EU member states, Latvia has an advantage in terms of its geographic location and consumption patterns. Chinese investors have invested in wood processing, real estate and seem increasingly interested in infrastructure (ports, airlines and railways).
Riga's port has the closest international airport and there are possibilities for the integration of transport and distribution centers along the route to Northern Europe and CIS countries.
The story is provided by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia.
Old town of Riga, capital of Latvia. Cooperation between China and Latvia continues to grow.Provided To China Daily
(China Daily 11/07/2016 page10)
The first trans-Eurasia container train linking China and Latvia arrived in Riga, Latvia, on Saturday, marking a milestone in the history of the two countries' cooperation in transport and logistics sectors. Amid the sounding of trumpets and drums, the bright-colored freight train consisting of 84 containers entered the Central Station of Riga at 1:20 pm, and was greeted by a huge round of applause from a crowd of government officials, entrepreneurs, rail workers and journalists.
The direct freight route was then announced successfully inaugurated at a welcoming ceremony on the platform as representatives from both countries cut through a long red ribbon with golden scissors.
The train departed on Oct 20 from Yiwu, a vibrant manufacturing hub in east China's Zhejiang province, and finished a journey of more than 11,000 kilometers following the China-Russia-Latvia route.
The containers were packed with small commodities made in Yiwu, mainly decorative items and souvenirs, said Xiong Tao, deputy major of the city.
"Riga is the destination of the train, but not of these commodities. After the arrival, they will be distributed to different eastern European or Scandinavian countries within one to three days," he said.
Latvia is the first Baltic nation to have established a direct rail freight route with China under the unified brand China Railway Express which refers to all rail routes connecting China and Europe, thanks to the country's position as a major transport and logistics transit in the region.
The project was conceived in July during a visit to China by the Latvian Minister of Transport Uldis Augulis, who at Saturday's ceremony lauded the tremendous efforts made by both sides to fulfill the ambition within only three months.
"Every success story begins with an idea to try. China and Latvia made a decision to try something unprecedented, and now it has been realized. A lot of hard work has been put into it," the minister said.
He hailed the route as a great opportunity for both China and Latvia to work shoulder to shoulder to bring benefits for their economies.
"Latvia serves as a gateway to Europe because of our geographic location and China opens gates for us to Asia," he said. "We're seeing a good example of our cooperation today on this platform. If people want to work together, if they share common understanding of ideas, then they can achieve great results."
Speaking at the ceremony, He Lifeng, deputy head of China's National Development and Reform Commission, said that the trans-Eurasia container trains were a "new organization model of international cargo transport" in response to the expansion of investment and trade between China and Europe.
He attributed the recent boom in China-Europe rail freight routes to the steady progress made in the implementation of the Belt and Road initiative.
The Belt and Road initiative aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.
Since the initiative began to take shape, more than 2,000 trains have passed from China to Europe along some 40 lines.
"As an old Chinese saying goes, a one-thousand-mile journey can only be completed with incremental steps. We'll take such steps with Latvia to boost investment and trade, and we will welcome more Latvia products to China on the container trains," He said.
People welcome the first trans-Eurasia container train linking China and Latvia in Riga, capital of Latvia, on Saturday.Wang Yaxiong / Xinhua
(China Daily 11/07/2016 page11)
Students of the Juilliard School perform in Beijing on Oct 16. [Photo provided to China Daily]
The first overseas campus of a prominent classical music institution, the Juilliard School, will open in Tianjin in the fall of 2019, the school's president said recently in Beijing.
The campus was earlier expected to open in 2018.
"We want to do everything very carefully. This is the best decision for all parties," school president Joseph Polisi says of the delay.
The long-expected school will bring "authentic" Juilliard to Tianjin, about 40 minutes by high-speed train from Beijing.
"What we will use (in Tianjin) is the approach that we have in New York, which may be a little different from China's conservatories. We are interested in the students' growth holistically, not only as young artists but also as young adults," Polisi says, adding that the school will provide programs that go beyond arts, including entrepreneurship and community outreach programs.
"I want to emphasize my belief that artists of the 21st century must rededicate themselves to a broader professional agenda that goes beyond what was expected of them in an earlier time."
Juilliard's violin student Jennifer Liu, who performs at a community children's hospital, says playing there is one of the greatest experiences she gets in school.
"My quartet and I were so shocked to see that the children (in the hospital) were so disabled that they were not even able to move. We prepared a short piece by Mozart, and I noticed that one of the boys was moving suddenly. Later, his mother came up and told us that this was the first time he had moved in four weeks. I was very touched," she says.
"Music, without words, is so strong," she says, adding that the performance program allows her to have a deeper understanding that music is a valuable tool to express feelings and engage with the community.
Founded in New York in 1905, Juilliard has trained some of the world's leading artists, including Van Cliburn, Renee Fleming and Yo-Yo Ma.
Juilliard's links with China go back to the 1920s when it recruited its first Chinese student.
When Polisi became the school's president in 1984, there were very few Chinese students enrolled. But now, Chinese students are the largest international student body in Juilliard, accounting for about 30 percent of its international intake.
The tie-up between Juilliard and Tianjin was announced by Polisi when China's first lady, Peng Liyuan, visited the school on Sept 28, during a weeklong visit to the United States with her husband, President Xi Jinping.
The school in Tianjin will offer US-accredited master's degrees in orchestral performance, chamber music performance and collaborative piano.
The accredited degree program will recruit 200 students from all over the world. Classes will be taught in English, and the academic standard will be the same as the school in New York.
Beijing-based musician Dou is the daughter of diva Faye Wong and combustible rock star Dou Wei - a now-divorced musical couple equivalent to Beyonce and Jay Z in terms of star power in China.
The 19 year old is performing major venues in the UK for the first time, supporting Indie-pop band Bastille on the British leg of their Wild Wild World Tour. On Wednesday, she plays the UK's second biggest indoor venue - London's O2 Arena - and on the weekend it's the country's largest in Manchester.
"I'm doing small pub gigs and then tomorrow is the O2 - it's crazy," she says, her tiny frame perched on a leather sofa at The Queen's Head pub in Central London. "The opportunity came up and I was really lucky to be able to join [Bastille] on tour. Just being able to tour somewhere out of China is really amazing for me, especially in the classic way, with everybody on a tour bus, I'm really excited for it."
Chinese artist Bao Lin's painting. [Photo/art.china.cn]
The Summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2016 will be held in Lima, Peru this month.
As the theme for the 2016 summit is Quality Growth and Human Development", an art exhibition, "Human and Nature" will be held at the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History of Peru from Nov 16 to Dec 8.
The showcase features works from 31 painters around the world. The artists pictured thought and sentiment in these colorful paintings that are their own explorations of the relationship between nature and humans in the era of globalization.
Concerts will be held in five cities on both sides of the Taiwan Straits to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Sun Yat-sen, from Nov 8 to 26. The performances will be in Beijing, Nanjing, Taipei, Zhongshan and Guangzhou.
Sun played a decisive role in the 1911 revolution that overthrew the imperial Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and laid the foundation for the establishment of a new political system.
Organized by Chinese Musicians' Association, China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Musicians' Association of Jiangsu Province and Federation of Literary and Art Circles of Jiangsu Province, the concerts will be performed by China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra; Chinese Orchestra of Jiangsu Performing Arts Group; National Chinese Orchestra, Taiwan; and Taipei Zan Ying National Chinese Orchestra.
Composer Ye Xiaogang, the president of Chinese Musicians' Association, who also teaches at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, was commissioned to write a new piece, called Toward the Brightness. Borrowed from the name of the classic erhu (two-stringed bowed instrument) piece, written and performed by Liu Tianhua (18951932), the piece will feature Chinese erhu player Song Fei.
Composer Guan Naizhong will premiere his Prelude to 1911, which is based on Guans early work, 100th Anniversary of 1911 Revolution.
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2022-10-28
Foreign enterprises remain upbeat about investment prospects in Tianjin with more capital increase in the northern China port city.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang speaks at a news conference in the National Library in Riga, Latvia, Nov 5, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is currently embarked on an epic Eurasia grand tour encompassing many of the countries along Chinas One Belt, One Road (OBOR) Initiative, particularly those on the New Silk Road Economic Belt. Premier Li just attended the 15th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and is making a historic visit to Riga, Latvia, for the Fifth Summit of China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries.
The geopolitical significance of Premier Lis trip cannot be overstated. The two visits, plus bilateral stopovers in Kazakhstan and Russia, are not disconnected they herald the Chinese leaderships unveiling of a new Eurasia economic vision and strategy to be implemented in large measure through the OBOR Initiative.
Moving away from its traditional role as solely a regional security forum, the SCO meeting in Bishkek focused on an ambitious, far-reaching economic agenda. Premier Li set forth a six-pronged proposal and the SCO membership issued a joint communique highlighting the agendas main points.
China and other SCO members stressed the importance of increased inter-connectivity between their economies. A joint taskforce is to be set up to address streamlined customs and harmonized border control, inspection, quarantine as well as certification and accreditation. The members also adopted the List of Events comprising 38 measures, which will guide SCO practical cooperation (2017-2021) in seven areas ranging from trade and investment to customs and agriculture. Premier Li particularly stressed the need for international production capacity cooperation, which will accelerate industrialization of other SCO countries and serve as a pathway towards regional economic integration.
At the same time, the members will make use of the SCO Environmental Information Sharing Platform to promote best ecological practices, environmental technology innovation and clean energy development. China also advocated for the establishment of a SCO e-commerce alliance to advance trade facilitation, customs clearance, cross-border e-commerce and logistics capabilities. On the crucial and sometimes contentious issue of SCO regional infrastructure finance, Premier Li emphasized the need to establish the SCO Development Bank, while also relying on other investment and financing platforms, including the SCO Inter-Bank Consortium, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Silk Road Fund, China-Eurasia Economic Cooperation Fund and the BRICS New Development Bank.
In light of a recent accord between China and Russia, the SCO membership is now seeking to enhance synergies between Chinas One Belt and One Road (OBOR) Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a Russian initiative. A major feature of such cooperation, discussed at the Bishkek meeting, is the eventual creation of a SCO Free Trade Area, with FTA feasibility studies soon commencing. This would be a major development which would place the SCO on similar footing to that of EEU and could be the basis of a fully-fledged future Eurasian Mega-regional. It also underlines the commitment of SCO membership, including Russia, to link their national development strategies to greater regional economic integration via Chinas OBOR.
At the CEE or 16+1 Summit in Riga, Latvia, we can expect further deepening European economic cooperation with China in regards to production capacity, transport, infrastructure and finance. From Chinas perspective, the CEE countries play a pivotal role in OBOR, which includes several transport corridors linking China with Europe. Three proposed corridors to Western Europe pass through the CEE region - from Greek ports via Southern Europe and the Balkans, via Poland, and via the Baltic States.
China-CEE relations are already well developed, and actually have a long history dating back to the Soviet era. The Fifth CEE Summit is founded on substantial progress made since 2012, including the Suzhou Guidelines (for 2016), the Medium-Term Agenda for Cooperation between China and CEE Countries (2016-2020) and the Belgrade Guidelines (2014). Infrastructure construction and the expansion of transport links have understandably been featured prominently, including the development of roads, railways, ports, telecommunications and pipelines. The Suzhou Guidelines also include a customs facilitation agreement for goods in transit and means of transport.
At the 16+1 Summit, we can expect renewed emphasis on the three-sea harbor district cooperation initiative. This initiative, proposed by Premier Li, refers to cooperation programs covering the Adriatic Sea, the Black Sea, and the Baltic Sea. Latvias port of Riga, in particular, is seen as a vitally important harbor link to the Baltic Sea and Latvia is considered a key transit point for China-EU trade. Latvia plans to create a transportation network involving China, Kazakhstan and Belarus, and set up a 16+1 Secretariat for transport and logistics. The small Baltic State will also sign a MoU with China concerning its participation in OBOR during the CEE Summit. The MoU covers a range of sectors including transport, logistics, infrastructure, trade, finance, technology and culture.
Premier Li has made it clear that China-CEE relations are intended to be conducive to a renewed, balanced development of Europe and its integration, notwithstanding Brexit, and are situated within the larger context of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.
The author is a Director of the Centre for International Economic Law, Trade & Development (CIELTD).
FBI Director James Comey testifies before a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, US on July 14, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
WASHINGTON - FBI Director James Comey told Congress on Sunday a recent review of newly discovered emails did not change the agency's conclusion reached in July that no charges were warranted in the case of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.
US Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz said in a tweet that Comey had informed him of the conclusion. Comey's letter to Congress informing it of the newly discovered emails had thrown Clinton's presidential race against Republican Donald Trump into turmoil.
Former US Ambassador to China Gary Locke believes Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton will be a better choice for US-China relations and the Chinese-American community.
Locke, a Democrat, has been campaigning for Clinton lately in New York and Pennsylvania.
Having known Clinton for 20 years from his days as governor of Washington state, Locke described Clinton as one of the architects of President Barack Obama's China policy. "So you will see a continuation of that policy. And she is very firm with the Chinese, they very much respect her," Locke told China Daily on Sunday.
He said Republican candidate Donald Trump would be a disaster for US-China relations. He cited the example of a letter he got from Trump when Locke was serving as secretary of commerce. "He spoke the most racist, insulting terms about the Chinese," Locke said. "I still have that letter. It's about trade with China."
Locke said bilateral trade relations benefit both countries and workers in both countries. "That will continue under President Clinton if she is elected," he said.
But he also believes Clinton will be firm with China to make sure it lives up to its agreements and promises, citing the many WTO cases the US has brought against China.
The Obama administration has been described by organizations like Global Trade Alert, a London-based independent academic and research think tank, as imposing the most protectionist measures of any country since the global financial crisis of 2008.
Locke argued that the US is just following the law and international rules when countries sell their products below cost. He said the US not only has trade issues with China, but also Canada, Germany, France, Mexico and others.
Locke disagreed that the US-China relationship is in a downward spiral. "We're not going downward," he said, adding that the relationship is stronger than it was five years ago, and the days when diplomatic ties was established under President Jimmy Carter and certainly the days when President Richard Nixon made his trip to China.
"Yes, we have differences. Yes, we have frictions. But we also have many more areas of cooperation. Areas of cooperation and mutual benefit far exceed, far outweigh disagreements," Locke said, adding that the US also has disagreements with its strongest allies.
"We have to focus on the positives, not the 5 percent areas of disagreement," he said.
Locke believes that Clinton will continue talk with the Chinese and other countries where they have disagreements. "So we are going to build on our strength, our good relationship, good aspects of our relationship and hope that can lead the way to solving some of these disputes," he said.
There has been concern among some Chinese that Clinton, if elected, will be tougher on China than Obama has been. Many have also described her as hawkish, given her support for the war in Iraq and actions in Libya and Syria while she was secretary of state.
Locke believes top US and Chinese leaders need more face-to-face dialogue. "I would suggest the same thing for President Clinton," he said.
Locke, a third-generation Chinese, also believes Clinton is a good choice for Chinese Americans.
"She cares so much about people," said Locke. He described how Clinton, as a US Senator from New York, cared about the Chinese-American community in New York, such as visiting the Queens Library, talking to Chinese immigrants learning English and meeting with leaders of the Chinese community in Chinatown.
"She listens and she cares about our issues, and most of all, she respects Chinese Americans," said Locke.
The Chinese-American community is divided at the moment. While there is overwhelming support for Clinton, the support for Trump has also gained momentum lately.
Locke pointed to the fact that many of the top positions on the Clinton campaign are held by Chinese Americans.
He warned the Chinese community that Trump is going to immediately deport all illegal immigrants once elected. "People need to understand that 10 percent of the illegal immigrants here in the United States are Chinese," he said.
chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com
US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton acknowledges the crowd at a campaign rally in Cleveland, Ohio, US Nov 6, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
WASHINGTON - The FBI said on Sunday it stood by its earlier finding that no criminal charges were warranted against Democrat Hillary Clinton for using a private email server for government work, lifting a cloud over her presidential campaign two days before the US election.
FBI Director James Comey made the announcement in a letter to Congress, saying the agency had worked "around the clock" to complete its review of newly discovered emails and found no reason to change its July finding.
"During that process, we reviewed all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state," Comey said. "We have not changed our conclusions expressed in July."
A law enforcement source told Reuters the decision closes the FBI probe of Clinton's email practices.
Comey informed Congress of the newly discovered emails more than a week ago, throwing the race for the White House into turmoil and eroding Clinton's lead over Republican candidate Donald Trump in the final stretch before Tuesday's vote.
"We're glad this issue is resolved but for the record, this could easily have been learned before 1st letter was sent," Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon wrote on Twitter.
Republicans, however, did not ease up on their criticism of Clinton.
"She simply believes she's above the law and always plays by her own rules," House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement, arguing that Clinton's use of a private email server "compromised our national security."
US stock index futures rose more than 1 percent after the FBI announcement, suggesting Wall Street is poised to end its longest skid in more than three decades. The US dollar also jumped in Asian trading against the yen, euro and Swiss franc.
Global financial markets last week slipped as polls showed the presidential race tightening.
A 3D-printed Facebook logo is seen in front of a displayed stock graph in this illustration taken November 3, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
BERLIN - German prosecutors are investigating Mark Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives, a spokesman for the Munich prosecutor's office said on Friday, following a complaint alleging the company broke national laws against hate speech and sedition by failing to remove racist postings.
The spokesman declined to provide further details. German attorney Chan-jo Jun had filed a complaint with prosecutors in the Bavarian city in September and demanded that Facebook executives be compelled to comply with anti-hate speech laws by deleting racist or violent postings from its site.
Facebook's rules forbid bullying, harassment and threatening language, but critics say it does not do enough to enforce them and has failed to staunch a tide of racist and threatening posts on the social network during an influx of migrants into Europe.
Prosecutors in Hamburg earlier this year rejected a similar complaint by Jun on the grounds that the regional court lacked jurisdiction because Facebook's European operations are based in Ireland.
"There is a different view in Bavaria," his firm Jun Lawyers of Wuerzburg in Bavaria said in a statement.
"Upon Jun's request, Bavarian Justice Minister Winfried Bausback said that Hamburg's view was wrong and German law does indeed apply to some of the offences," it said.
Jun's complaint named Zuckerberg, who is Facebook's founder and chief executive, and nine other managers at the company. A spokesman for Facebook declined to comment on the proceedings.
Jun has compiled a list of 438 postings that were flagged as inappropriate but not deleted over the past year. They include what some might consider merely angry political rantings, but also clear examples of racist hate speech and calls to violence laced with references to Nazi-era genocide.
Following a public outcry and pressure from German politicians, Facebook this year hired Arvato, a business services unit of Bertelsmann, to monitor and delete racist posts.
A rash of online abuse and violent attacks against newcomers to Germany accompanied the influx of hundreds of thousands of migrants last year, which led to a rise in the popularity of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and has put pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Indonesia President Joko Widodo (3rd L) talks to reporters after a protest by hardline Muslim groups against Jakarta's incumbent governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, November 5, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
MELBOURNE - Indonesia's President Joko Widodo has canceled his visit to Australia due to "the security situation in Jakarta", following following clashes at a rally by hardline Muslims, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in a statement on Saturday.
Tens of thousands of hardline Muslims rallied in Jakarta on Friday to demand the resignation of the Christian governor of the capital, Jakarta, over allegations of blasphemy. The clashes left one person dead and 12 wounded.
Widodo had planned to visit Australia on Sunday for bilateral meetings and was scheduled to address the Australian parliament on Monday.
A man enters a polling station as District of Columbia voters head to the polls in the final 2016 US Democratic primary in Washington, DC, US June 14, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
WASHINGTON - Long-frustrated backers of statehood for the District of Columbia are pinning their hopes on a first-ever referendum on Tuesday in a long-shot bid to become the 51st US state.
Invoking the colonial-era demand of "no taxation without representation," supporters say becoming a state would end Washingtonians' status as second-class citizens because they lack representation in Congress.
But opponents dismiss the referendum as a "fool's errand" destined to fail because of partisan political hurdles and the need to amend the US Constitution, a procedure accomplished only 17 times since 1789.
The District of Columbia was carved out to serve as the nation's capital, but it is not a state. Its 672,000 residents have no voting representative in the Senate or House of Representatives although they pay federal taxes, though they do have a delegate in the House.
A "yes" vote could help pressure the new Congress and president - either Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump - to admit the District of Columbia as a new state, though even advocates admit that is unlikely anytime soon.
A "yes" vote would simply be an expression of public support for statehood, a non-binding measure without any legal force.
"Statehood's the only way that we can have the same rights and responsibilities as all the other citizens of the United States," District of Columbia Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said.
The overwhelmingly Democratic capital city was fed up with Republican lawmakers espousing the rights of states and cities to self-governance and then interfering with local issues such as abortion and marijuana legalization, Mendelson said.
"That's so antithetical to democratic principles, but that doesn't seem to bother some of these folks," he said.
The referendum seeks to upend the Constitution's provision giving Congress legislative control over the District of Columbia.
Voters will cast a single "yes" or "no" vote on the referendum's four parts: admission as a state, its boundaries, approval of a constitution, and guarantees of a representative form of government.
When Geely acquired Volvo in March 2010, the Chinese manufacturers CEO Li Shufu compared the Swedish brand to a tiger that, in his words, we need to release. Many analysts explained his comment as a snide remark at Volvos previous owner, Ford.
In 1990, Ford, which was at the time the worlds second largest automaker, was looking to expand out of its native US into the European market. At that time it made a lot of noteworthy purchases of upscale European brands like Aston Martin, Land Rover, Jaguar and, of course, Volvo. These brands were all placed under Fords Premier Automotive Group (PAG), formed in 1999. However, the PAG posted terrible sales numbers soon after its establishment. In 2004 it reported a total deficit of $362 million, with the Jaguar brand accounting for the largest amount of losses. Volvo, which previously performed well with several strong models, also started seeing its performance slip. In 2005 Volvos staff was cut by approximately 1,500 members as restructuring plans were put into place.
Despite these setbacks, the Volvo brand remained PAGs most valuable. Merrill Lynch estimated that selling Volvo would bring in $7 billion to $8 billion for Ford. This attracted the interest of many other rival automakers, among them BMW.
It was under this background that Ford entered into negotiations with Geely regarding the transfer of Volvo near the end of 2009. Ford, which had recently suffered massive deficits, reached an agreement with Geely the following March. Not long before Ford had already sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Indian company Tata Motors. Ford agreed to a price of $1.8 for Volvo in order to pay off its huge mounting debts.
Volvos performance did not change a great deal because of the sale. Back in 2005, the manufacturers annual global sales exceeded the 500,000 mark for the first time; its sales in the European and American markets grew 10.6% and 24.3%, respectively. By comparison, its sales over the first half of this year grew 10.3% in Europe and 24.8% in the US. While its sales in the Chinese market have only increased 6.3% over that same time period, the fact remains China is still Volvos largest market internationally.
Even now Volvo is still priding itself on its safety. In a publicity stunt for both the Swedish manufacturer and the Chinese government, a XC90 drove across the new glass bridge at Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon this June. Volvo has also announced plans to implement new technology that will allow owners to directly use their phones to unlock the vehicle.
Volvo has also announced that it will eliminate all deaths in its cars by 2020. A lot of the key technology that is to be critical in achieving this goal has already been researched on and implemented in its current vehicles. This plan actually dates from back in 2008. Volvo has also had quite some history in this field, with it forming the Traffic Accident Research Team in 1970 to research on how to design safer automobiles.
Earlier this month in Beijing Volvo China held a conference in which Yi Han, vice president of China sales, reaffirmed the companys commitment to innovation. In addition to promising deathproof cars by 2020, Mr. Yi also announced that Volvo Chinas leadership team would be comprised of 35% women. He also promised that Volvo would sell one million vehicles and reach its carbon neutral targets by 2025.
Volvo has also announced that it will be redesigning its products using newly developed platforms like the highly praised, award-winning Scalable Product Architecture, which underpins the XC90, and the Compact Modular Architecture, which will be featured in the upcoming S40 and XC40, which are both scheduled to debut next year.
Volvo has set up a very clear plan for its product lineup, with each vehicle being clearly marked according to its class and specification.
It is clear that after Geelys acquisition Volvo has made some notable changes. However, it hasnt been especially easy for Geely to come up with a way to raise Volvos prestige in China to match German brands like Audi and BMW. Managing development plans for both the Volvo brand and its own has proven to be quite a delicate balancing act for Geely. At the same time, Volvos own ambition is very clear, and how much control Geely has over them is also a question that many in the industry are left pondering about.
From left: legal expert Nelson Dong, Temple University professor Xi Xiaoxing and former federal hydrologist Sherry Chen respond to questions from the audience on Saturday in Houston. [Photo/China Daily]
Sherry Chen recounted how she was confronted by FBI agents one morning upon arriving at her job and whisked away in handcuffs in front of all her colleagues. She was shocked and bewildered.
"It's a scene I only saw in movies. I was so humiliated," she said.
Chen, a former federal hydrologist for the US National Weather Service in Ohio, was suspected of espionage by the US government.
She and Xi Xiaoxing, a physics professor at Temple University, recalled their ordeals at a seminar for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) professionals on Saturday in Houston.
To help Chinese-American STEM professionals understand the current climate and potential risks, the Committee of 100, with the help of local Chinese-American civil rights organizations, presented the seminar on the legal risks of advancing technology between the United States and China. Noted physicist Paul Chu was among the audience members.
In recent years, an increasing number of Chinese-American scientists have been charged with espionage. While some of the cases were legitimate, several Asian Americans were wrongfully prosecuted, resulting in serious financial, psychological and career damage to them, as in the cases of Chen and Xi.
The charges against her were dropped a week before a scheduled trial. Despite that, Chen was fired from her job and became unemployable.
"I worked hard, built one of the largest hydraulic models used by US companies and the government. I contributed to the country. I couldn't believe that all I had worked for was taken away by a government witch hunt," Chen said tearfully.
Xi also shared his personal nightmare: He woke up early one morning in May 2015 to loud knocks by FBI agents. He was immediately handcuffed, and his family members, including his 12-year-old daughter, were rousted out of their bedrooms at gunpoint.
More humiliation awaited him at an FBI facility, where he was stripped naked and body searched, Xi recounted in a faltering voice.
It was not a case of mistaken identity, as Xi had thought. He was arrested and charged with sharing US technology with a Chinese company, a baseless accusation that was later dropped.
Both Chen and Xi said they went through tremendous psychological suffering and career setbacks. When their names were cleared, they were left with large legal bills.
Their injustices prompted Chen and Xi to speak out about their experiences in Asian communities around the country. "I want to do my part to make this land a better place to live and work," Chen said.
"There is a pattern to charge Asian Americans with espionage crimes, only to have the charges dropped later," Xi said. "These are race-based prosecutions. The scary aspect of this is that the wrongful prosecution could happen to anyone. I am still not clear how I got targeted. We need to speak out; Asian Americans deserve equal protection."
Joyce Xi, Xi's daughter and a recent STEM college graduate, said her father's experience prompted her to take a job at a civil rights organization.
The personal testimonies of Xi and Chen were used as cautionary tales to illustrate the risks that Chinese-American STEM professional face in their daily work lives.
Nelson Dong, a legal expert and a member of the Committee of 100, said that due to the geopolitical power struggle between the US and China, Chinese Americans are at risk of being crushed in the turbulence.
"A career you spent your entire life to build could all be destroyed due to wrongful prosecution by the government," said Dong, who at the seminar reviewed US policies, regulations and laws related to espionage.
Dong advised the audience to understand the law and its complexities, the contracts signed with employers and to be cautious about sensitive information stored on laptop computers and smartphones when traveling across borders.
"Anything in your possession could become evidence against you in a criminal case. Things can be far more sinister and guilty than you mean," warned Dong.
Event organizers Edmond Gor, national president of the Chinese American Citizen Alliance, and Cecil Fong, president of the Organization of Chinese AmericansHouston chapter, said that although most cases are concentrated on the East and West coasts, the large number of STEM professionals in Houston made the discussion vital to helping them prepare for such possibilities.
A Chinese university student in Tokyo was found dead with multiple stab wounds in her neck at the corridor of her apartment on Thursday, November 3.
The victim, Jiang Ge, was in her 20s and from Qingdao, Shandong Province. She was currently completing her postgraduate in Japan, Beijing Youth Daily reported.
Jiang's roommate called the police after she heard a scream and a bang on the door that night.
Jiang was immediately sent to hospital after the police arrived. She was confirmed dead shortly after.
Jiang's mother was notified of the incident by the Japanese Embassy. She arrived in Japan on Friday night.
She said she could not cope with the death of her daughter.
"She (my daughter) told me she wanted to get a good job to make money and me happy, but only about 18 minutes later, she's dead," Jing's mother said on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform.
People who knew Jiang back in China have been greatly saddened and disturbed by the incident.
Jiang was in a WeChat group (another Chinese social media platform) with her high school classmates. No one in the group could believe the news, Beijing Youth Daily reported.
Jiang was an optimistic and outgoing person of integrity, her classmates said on WeChat.
The case is still under investigation.
Menelik Gurnell, a student from Global Learning Village, reads a poem aloud to his father. TIFFANY WANG / FOR CHINA DAILY
The Confucius Institute (CI) at Texas Southern University has staged an art exhibition in an effort to bring more Chinese art to the Houston public.
CI hosted a reception on Friday night to kick off a contemporary art exhibit titled Chinese Expressions, featuring several paintings from 10 different artists along the theme of calligraphy and ink wash paintings.
The exhibit runs through Nov 13 and is the start of several events planned for the institute.
Yi Xiao, Chinese director of CI since April, said the institute will be busy well into next year.
"This month, we have four major projects, and this is the first one," Yi said. "Following this event, we will have presentations on the Chinese railway system and Chinese history. For next year, we have around 30 events planned," Yi said.
Congressman Al Green and Consul General of China Li Qiangmin attended the event.
"We are very appreciative of what the Confucius Institute does, which is to build a bridge between Houston and China," Li said. "We are very thankful for Al Green, who graduated right here from Texas Southern University. I am very surprised so many young children can sing beautiful Chinese songs. More and more American people are learning Chinese and Chinese culture."
Wang Liyuan, the event coordinator, said she loves being a part of the institute because it is a good platform to promote Chinese art in Houston.
"Art has no language barrier," she said. "You can view the painting directly with your eyes it's in front of you. There's no boundary between countries when it comes to art. That's one of the reasons the director wanted to do the exhibit in the first place."
There was a performance of Chinese songs by third-grade students from Global Learning Village, a charter school.
Loretta Williams, a mother of one of the student performers, said she was amazed by the paintings and culture being displayed.
"The exhibit was wonderful," she said. "What I love about it is the diversity, to be able to bring out African-American and Chinese and Mexican culture under one roof, and then to have African-American children able to perform in Chinese fluently. We are very thankful."
The exhibit consists of all contemporary and modern artists. Yang Yuehui, one of the featured artists, said the event was of momentous and current significance because it showcased the history of cultural and artistic exchanges between two nations.
"Painting is a non-linguistic exchange," Yang said. "The characteristics in common manifest the same glory and wonder between different cultures. Chinese water-ink painting has its distinct sense of visual beauty and sensational tastes of aesthetics. It is my sacred practice forever."
Another artist, Qingniang Tang, said he was trying to add a contemporary twist to the traditional medium of Chinese ink by painting unconventional scenes.
"It's a traditional painting, but I try not to do anything too traditional," he said. "Usually, traditional paintings of scenery are horizontal and eye-level, but mine is more similar to Google Earth."
Director Yi was pleased with the positive response from the reception and said it will serve as a catalyst to pursue other similar events next year.
"We want to try our best to promote Chinese language and culture. Houston is such a big city, if we do a good job here it can influence the rest of the south," said Yi.
Tiffany Wang in Houston contributed to the story.
SYDNEY -- Australia's Sydney is set to host one of the biggest celebrations of the 2017 Lunar New Year Festival outside of Asia with more than a million visitors set to enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of the celebration.
City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore in a statement on Monday said the Sydney Chinese New Year Festival Celebration to be held from January 27 to February 12 will be an internationally renowned celebration among the Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Korean communities.
"From its humble beginnings in Chinatown, the festival now extends all the way to Sydney Harbour and last year attracted 1.3 million people, making it the third largest annual event in Sydney," Moore said.
"Featuring the Lunar Lanterns and 80 traditional and contemporary events across Sydney, the 2017 Lunar New Year celebrations has something for everyone," he said.
Among them will be the Lunar Lanterns trail around Circular Quay from the Sydney Opera House to Dawes Point.
Twelve spectacular zodiac animal lanterns designed by Australian Chinese artists and varying in size up to 10 meters high will line the foreshore for the entire 17-day festival.
Festival curator, Claudia Chan Shaw said the Lunar Lanterns walk will create a vibrant precinct around the Sydney harbour for visitors and families to explore.
"Following the enormous success of last year's inaugural Lunar Lanterns exhibition, in 2017 we will introduce several new lanterns that will amaze and delight visitors," Shaw said.
"And being the year of the Rooster, an animal that loves being the centre of attention there will be two hero Rooster lanterns, one at the Sydney Opera House and the other in the festival's cultural heart in Chinatown," she said.
HOUSTON - This year's presidential election is unarguably the most unconventional, drama-ridden and divisive in the history of American electoral politics, according to political observers in the United States.
Peter Li, a political science professor with tenure at the University of Houston, said that "this year's presidential election has divided American society into two camps. Never before were presidential elections so divisive."
From his point of view, this election is indeed a battle between two mind-sets and two policy directions.
Li said that Hillary Clinton is undeniably one of the most qualified candidates to run for the White House while pointing out that "her use of a private e-mail server, questions raised on her handling of the crisis in the Middle East, Libya in particular, and her connection with the Clinton Foundation have been undercutting the effectiveness of her campaign."
As for the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, his political views and sexist and misogynistic remarks "have earned him both popularity and controversy," said Li.
However, Li also pointed out that Trump's "lack of political experience, his bluntness, and his 'outsider' status have even been seen as an advantage and are attractive to a part of the American voters."
Li believed that the start of the e-mail probe by the FBI is not good news to the Clinton campaign, "making the uncommitted voters to vote for Trump."
The second largest state of Texas and a Republican support base has been a die-hard red state for many presidential elections, but there is speculation that it could become a battleground state that could swing Democrat.
Li's view about the presidential election was also echoed by Ling Luo, chairwoman of Asian Americans for the Hillary National Committee, and Jingjing Clemence, Republican Precinct Chair and Texas Asian Republican Club Vice President.
Ling Luo said that this year's election is the most critical one in American history. It's the choice between progress and regression of American democracy. The candidates of both sides are not liked very much by voters.
She believed that Texas used to be a strong Republican state but could become blue this election.
Jingjing also believed that this year's presidential election is unique with both candidates of the two parties being very unpopular, and each loathed by the supporters of the other. ( "In my view, people who are favoring or supporting Trump are doing so not only because they like Trump's conservative views, but rather it is regular people's expression of their dissatisfaction towards the current administration's policies," she said.
"To a lot of Texas Republicans, Trump is not their first choice. But since he is the GOP nominee, and because the Supreme Court justices will be pointed by the newly elected president, Texas GOP or conservative voters will vote for Trump despite the fact that they may not like him as a person," she said.
"Clinton is unlikely to stand a chance in Texas as a whole, but it could be closer than at any time in the past 20 years. The reason for that is because of two demographic groups - Republican-leaning suburban women offended by Trump's comments about women, and Latinos, who are fired up to vote against him."
She believed that Asian American voters have shown great interest and participated much more in this election than any other presidential election in recent years. Most Asian American voters support Trump because of issues like gay marriage and anger at programs such as the Affordable Care Act, all of which are pushing the Asian voters to the right.
As for the prospect for China-US relations after the election, Li said that he was not worried about China-US ties whether Trump or Clinton wins the election.
From his point of view, Beijing-Washington relations are the most important bilateral relations in the world today.
"No US president can afford to mismanage the relationship. A mal-functioning US-China relationship will make life difficult, if not miserable, for Washington. The United States needs China's cooperation in matters concerning security and stability on the Korean Peninsula. A stable Korean Peninsula allows the United States to tackle challenges in other regions of the world," Li said.
He also stressed that managing US-China relations is a bipartisan responsibility, with both Democrats and Republicans understanding its importance.
"China has been a rising power in the world over the past few decades, and a new US president will have differences in style and priorities in his or her China policy," Li said. "But he or she will has no choice but to maintain a good working relationship with China".
Picture taken on Nov 5, 2016 shows a sign at the entrance to Dixville Notch, US state of New Hampshire. Dixville Notch, a small village located in the far north of New Hampshire, is well known for its longstanding middle-of-the-night vote in the US presidential elections. This year, a total of six residents of the village will begin to cast their ballots from midnight Nov 8. [Photo/Xinhua]
Mary Oboh shows her third place trophy at Dartford Grammar School on Friday. [Photo by Bo Leung/China Daily]
Learning Chinese is hard for some, but a 17-year-old English student from Dartford, Kent, picked it up in a hurry.
Mary Oboh had only been studying Mandarin for three years when she clinched third prize in a Chinese proficiency competition in China.
Her school, Dartford Grammar, was chosen to take part in the 9th Chinese Bridge Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students last month.
It was organized by Hanban, which is affiliated to China's Ministry of Education.
Oboh's talents do not end at speaking fluent Mandarin, she can also read and write it.
She told China Daily the language was not a struggle.
"I thought it wasn't too difficult because maybe I approach the language as a hobby and I didn't have any pressure whatsoever," she said. "And compared to a language like French, I find Chinese a bit more intuitive and a lot more logical."
Her Chinese language teacher, Jonathan Pope, agreed.
"For some people, Chinese is certainly a very difficult language, but for others like Mary it's actually quite easy," he said. "I found that the character system makes so much more sense than English or French or any European language, which is more random letters all over the place, I just feel Chinese makes sense."
Oboh explained that the competition included a multiple-choice test and a performance on a random topic.
"I wasn't nervous at all on the stage because the other participants in the audience were so supportive and everyone just cheered each other on and there's so much encouragement," she said."I was teaching myself at first because I was bored and I wanted to challenge myself with languages. As I studied Mandarin, I became interested in Chinese culture, history and philosophy and that's what motivated me to learn more about China."
Representing the UK, Oboh, Pope and three other pupils from the school were flown to the event at Yunnan Normal University to compete with students from more than 80 countries. They also got to visit Beijing for cultural activities.
Oboh loves learning new languages and, after finishing her GCSE French early, decided to take on another language, taking up Mandarin lessons in the sixth form at her school, where she is in her final year.
"I've only been learning Chinese for three years and the students who won first and second have been learning for 10 or more years. So it was amazing to be compared to them," she said.
Her prize is a four-year scholarship to any university in China.
"I've applied to go to Oxford to study Chinese and that's my first choice university," she said,"But I'm not ruling out going to school in China in the future."
Her teacher, Pope, said the competition was "a fantastic opportunity for everyone involved".
Events and stories coming up in the next few days
Fashion companies head to China
British fashion companies will be in China for the LINKINGplus Fashion Event on Monday and Tuesday. The newly created expo is aimed at opening direct opportunities for overseas apparel companies, and ensuring they can meet their Chinese counterparts. It is being hosted by the China National Garment Association, the sector's leading organization, and runs alongside Xiamen Fashion Week, which started on Saturday. The expo is at the Xiamen International Conference Centre.
Institute celebrates 10th birthday
The Confucius Institute at The University of Manchester is celebrating its 10th anniversary on Tuesday with musical performances and a debate about the role of the media in shaping perceptions of modern China and its history. The debate will feature Michael Wood, the professor of public history at Manchester who is a well-known broadcaster. This year, he presented the TV documentary series The Story of China. The event will take place at Whitworth Hall, Oxford Road, Manchester.
Scholars get chance to build China network
King's College London is presenting Global Careers SeriesChina on Tuesday. The series, which turns its attention to different countries and regions each week, is an initiative involving five international colleges within the University of London and supports students wanting to pursue an international career. The event is aimed at students and recent graduates and helps them network with like-minded individuals and industry professionals and learn more about working in China. The session is set for the B5 Auditorium in the Franklin-Wilkins Building on Stamford Street, London.
David Davis, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union arrives at Downing Street in London, Britain October 24, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
The UK government said on Monday it would stick to a March deadline to trigger Britain's departure from the European Union despite the setback of a High Court ruling that said Parliament must have a say on the issue.
David Davis, minister for exiting the EU, confirmed the government would appeal the ruling in the Supreme Court in early December but told the House of Commons there would be no second referendum and "no going back".
The government is contesting the High Court's view that it cannot trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty by using the so-called royal prerogative.
The ruling reignited new controversy over the Brexit vote in the June referendum after pro-leave newspapers attacked the three judges for their decision as well as the private individuals who brought the case. The Daily Mail dubbed the judges "Enemies of the People" along with front-page pictures of them.
Davis said on Monday that the government valued both "the independence of the judiciary" and the "freedom of the press".
He said he was prepared to work constructively with other parties over the Brexit issue.
Davis said he expected the Supreme Court to swiftly deliver its decision on the appeal, although he was challenged by Keir Starmer, his Labour party opposite number, to say what his plans were if the appeal went against the government.
The government would be as open as possible about negotiations, Davis said. However, he said the involvement of Parliament meant handing over negotiations with the EU to its 650 MPs plus the House of Lords. That would weaken Britain's hand.
"Nobody begins by revealing his entire strategy," Davis said, reiterating the government's insistence that it will not give a running commentary on talks with EU in order not to reveal its negotiating hand.
He said there were plenty of MPs attempting to "thwart and reverse" the result of the June referendum, which resulted in a 52-48 percent vote to leave the EU.
Starmer agreed that "no one expects Government to reveal the details of its negotiating hand, but there are big headline issues." He said decisions on Brexit could not be taken in a vacuum.
Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing UKIP party, that campaigned for Brexit, said he was planning to lead a 100,000-strong march to the Supreme Court to coincide with the start of the government's appeal against what he sees as an attempt to delay or reverse Brexit.
To contact the reporter: harvey.morris@gmail.com
(Photo : ChinaPhotos/GettyImages) The state of New York has imposed $215 million fine on Agricultural Bank of China
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The state of New York has imposed a $215 million fine on the Agricultural Bank of China for violating its anti-money laundering law. The bank was found responsible for obscuring the trail of dollar transactions by several suspicious clients. The regulators have further ordered the bank to appoint an independent monitor for auditory purposes.
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The Department of Financial Service of New York issued the consent order on Friday. The state regulator has heightened its vigilance over foreign banks for clamping down the violations of money laundering law.
The Agricultural Bank of China has also been found guilty of trying to silence a whistleblower. Earlier in September, the bank was asked to revamp its money-laundering control measures as it was found to have 'significant deficiencies.'
Maria Vullo of the Department of Financial Service said, "The failure of a strong compliance program at the New York Branch of the Agricultural Bank of China created a substantial risk."
She added that such deficiency may have been exploited by terrorist groups or other criminals for supporting their "illicit activities." The bank is alleged to have used various tactics including sending of coded messages using an international wire messaging system. It was sued by a former chief compliance officer, earlier this year.
The state of New York has taken steps against other banks as well. In 2014, the state had imposed record $8.9 billion fine on BNP Paribas bank for violating US sanctions against Cuba, Iran and Sudan. The fine was slapped as a clear message to financial institutions.
The Agricultural Bank of China, the third largest lender in the country, manages nearly $2.8 trillion worth of assets. Its New York branch manages $9.5 billion in assets. The officials of the bank have not issued any comment yet.
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TagsAgricultural Bank of China, Department of Financial Service, BNP Paribas bank
(Photo : DavidRamos/GettyImages) WiLan has filed a case against Sony in a Chinese court.
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Ontario-based Wilan is suing Sony Mobile Communications for an alleged violation of its patent. The company has filed a case in a Chinese court in the eastern city of Nanjing.
According to court documents, the case was filed by a subsidiary of Wilan Inc., a non-practicing entity (NPE).
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The case is important for various reasons. Apart from its implications for the defendant and persecutor, the case could also establish China as an important player in the international intellectual property right field.
Erick Robinson, a lawyer with Rouse, advisor to Wilan, told the Financial Times, "It's the first time a foreign NPE has sued a foreign tech company in China." He also said that the case was filed after two years of negotiations with Sony.
Wilan may obtain an injunction against Sony if the case is determined in its favor. The injunction will bar Sony from selling LTE-enabled phones in China. The country is the largest market for mobile communication gadgets. Sony may also be barred from exporting such smartphones from China. While Sony does not have a considerable market share in China, the country is an important manufacturing base for the company.
Wilan had earlier filed the case against Sony in Germany. Robinson stated that the company expects to obtain an injunction in Germany. He added that the inability to sell in China is going to hurt Sony more than its inability to sell in Germany. Robinson also said that any export ban from China would effectively cutoff the company from the global market.
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TagsWiLan, sony, china, Germany
(Photo : Getty Images) Pro-democracy protesters rally in Hong Kong. Chinese authorities have once again taken a stand against attempts to separate the island from mainland China.
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China's top legislative panel has urged the Chinese government to intervene in a Hong Kong political dispute to deter people advocating for the independence of the city.
Describing the actions of the advocates a threat to national security, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress said that Beijing could not afford to remain idle in the face of challenges to its authority.
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Two pro-Hong Kong independence MPs--Sixtus Leung and Yau Wai-Ching--displayed provocative anti-China sentiments during their swearing-in ceremony last month.
The pro-independence clamor has since been centered on the two, and the panel insists that their actions "posed a grave threat to national security and sovereignty."
The committee, which part of China's legislature, says that If the situation persists, it will hurt the interests of Hong Kong residents.
The statement came after discussions by the top legislative body on the interpretation of an article in Hong Kong's constitution that covers the oaths taken by legislators.
The article is known as the Basic Law.
During their swearing in, Leung and Yau altered their oaths to insert a provocative Japanese term for China.
They unfurled a flag reading "Hong Kong is not China," and vowed to defend the "Hong Kong nation."
Leung crossed his fingers while Yau used the F-word in her pledge.
Their oaths have been ruled as invalid, but attempts to have them redo the oath have been met with mayhem in the legislature's weekly sessions.
The comment from Chinese legislators indicates that Beijing intends to use its interpretation of the article to send a strong and bold message against separatism. Chinese legislators have the final say in the matter.
Leung and Yau are members of the radical Youngspiration Party.
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Tagschina, Hong Kong, Sixtus Leung, Yau Wai-Ching
(Photo : SpencerPlatt/GettyImages) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is currently in Latvia.
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China announced that it has cancelled a high-level bilateral meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. The cancellation is believed to be in retaliation to Slovakia's President Andrej Kiska meeting with the Dalai Lama last month. Fico took quick action to salvage the situation by extending an invitation to Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.
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Premier Li is currently in Latvia. In the country's capital Riga, he held meeting with 16 of his counterparts from various central and East European countries. The meeting was primarily aimed at the discussion of trade issues.
Li was schedule to hold a meeting Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. However, the Slovak government issued a statement saying that the Chinese side cancelled the meeting. Fico told reporters that President Andrej Kiska's decision to meet Dalai Lama during his October visit to Europe had "clearly damaged Slovak-Chinese relations."
Kiska met privately with the Dalai Lama on October 16 in Bratislava. China had asked the Slovak President not go ahead with his meeting with the Tibetan monk. The Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry had criticized Kiska for not heeding to China's "strong opposition." China had also warned Slovakia that it would retaliate.
Slovak Prime Minister Fico tried to diffuse the situation. "I regret that instead of adding energy to further projects with China, we must repair the damage that has been inflicted," he said. He revealed that he has invited the Chinese Prime Minister Li to visit Slovakia.
Apart from being Slovak Prime Minister, Fico is currently managing Slovakia's six-month rotating presidency of the European Union. The tenure for the rotating position will expire at the end of December.
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TagsSlovakia, Dalai Lama, Li Keqiang
(Photo : Lam Yik Fei/Stringer/GettyImages) China is also looking to speed up its economic growth rate by transforming its main sources of revenue.
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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has said that China is ready to face all the economic challenges the could come its way. He said that the country's economy is robust and is expected to maintain steady growth.
China is also looking to speed up its economic growth rate by transforming its main source of revenue. The country is making a transition from production-based economy to consumption-based one.
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Li addressed the Sixth China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) Countries Economic and Trade Forum in Riga, Latvia this week. He offered updates about the Chinese economy to the audience.
Li said that China is taking a proactive approach towards its fiscal policies. The country is also adopting a prudent monetary policy, to avoid the possibility of economic bubbles.
The Chinese Premier stated that the country is also adopting new types of macroeconomic regulations to meet the demands of the changing economic scenario. China is also employing "market-oriented and rules-based methods" to keep the economy stable.
Li said that the country is optimistic about maintaining its "medium-high" growth rate. According to data released in October, the Chinese economy grew by 6.7 percent during the third quarter, consistent with the previous quarter.
The Chinese economy has been buoyed by support from increased government spending and the country's booming real estate market. However, China is still dealing with its stagnating export market front. Its overpriced housing market is also a point of concern.
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TagsLi Keqiang, China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) Countries Economic and Trade Forum, Latvia
(Photo : Getty Images) Latvia is the third leg of Premier Li Keqiang's tour of Eurasia, after making stops in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
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China has set up a 10 billion euro investment fund to finance projects in Central and Eastern Europe.
This fund was revealed by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in a statement.
According to the statement, the China-Central Eastern Europe fund will be run by Sino-CEE Financial Holdings Company Limited, a company set up by the bank earlier this year.
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The company was formally launched by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during his official visit to Riga, Latvia.
"China has the advantage of cost-effective equipment and capacity while Central and Eastern European countries need to raise the level of industrialisation," said Premier Li in a speech.
The fund is targeting to raise 50 billion euros in project finance for various sectors such as infrastructure, consumer goods, and hi-tech manufacturing.
While its main target will be Central and Eastern Europe, the fund has the potential to extend to other parts of Europe.
Other regions could be targeted if they are relevant to China-Central and Eastern Europe cooperation, the statement said.
The fund will be backed by the Chinese government but will operate under business principles and be guided by the market.
Beijing's efforts to increase investment at the gateway to the European Union comes amid increased calls by Germany to curb Chinese investment in some sectors that are considered sensitive.
Leaders from 16 Central and Eastern European countries and China have convened in Riga for a summit dubbed "16+1" by Beijing.
The 16+1 framework refers to the different mechanisms and arrangements between China and 16 Central and Eastern European countries that were formed after Chinese former Premier's Wen Jiabao's historic visit to Poland in 2012.
In the last two years, summits between China and Central and Eastern European countries have been held regularly.
Varying cooperation mechanisms have been formed while others are under consideration.
This is the first such visit by a top Chinese official since Latvia declared her independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Li has pledged that Beijing is ready to work on various projects with Latvia.
Riga is the third leg of Li's tour of Eurasia, after making stops in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
He is also expected to visit Moscow.
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Tagschina, 16+1, Europe
(Photo : YouTube Screenshot) China has successfully developed a high-speed unmanned sea vessel called SeaFly-01 that can be used for a number of applications including detecting submarines.
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China has successfully developed a high-speed unmanned sea vessel called SeaFly-01 that can be used for a number of applications including detecting submarines.
The sea vessel has reportedly completed a test at Nanhu Lake in Wuhan last Oct. 27, the state-backed Daily People's Liberation Army said as reported by Pakistan Daily.
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According to Indian Express, the SeaFly-01 has cutting-edge functions and capabilities including learning independently and avoiding obstacles, to name a few. Tech n Zone reported it will have a stealth technology that will not be traceable to radars.
Aside from submarine detection, the vessel also offers several other applications such as coastal patrol, armed confrontation, and water quality monitoring. It could also carry photoelectric scout device, light weapons, sonar and other equipment, according to NDTV.
"All the core equipment was developed by us, and the localization rate is 100 percent," Liu Fei, a technician from Sifang, the vessel's developer, told People's Daily China.
While the country has developed its highly advanced unmanned sea vessel, it also introduced its deadliest unmanned combat aircraft called the Caihong 5 (CH-5) during the recent International Aviation and Aerial Space Exhibition in Zhuhai, China.
The killer drone could carry out spying and bombing missions for 24 hours without refueling within a range of 15,000 miles. It could carry smart bombs, missiles, and radar jammers. It is also capable of carrying airborne early warning systems and could conduct a joint strike with its predecessors, CH-3 and CH-4.
The SeaFly-01, which is made of carbon fiber material, is 10.25 meters long and has a maximum speed of up to 45 knots. It is also equipped with the BeiDou communication navigation technology, a satellite system independently developed by China.
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TagsSeaFly-01, unmanned sea vessel, stealth vessel, China unmanned drones, China unmanned submarines
(Photo : USAF) B-52 drops bombs on ISIS in Iraq.
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The United States said its aircraft launched iron bombs, smart bombs or guided air-to-ground missiles at ISIS targets in and around the Iraqi city of Mosul at the rate of one every eight minutes during the first three days of the offensive that began Oct. 17.
That translates into some 180 bombs or missiles striking ISIS targets daily or close to 550 during the first three days of the ongoing offensive. That number has likely risen since then as the tempo of ground combat has greatly increased with the Iraqi Army now fighting inside Mosul.
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The air coalition attacking ISIS has conducted more than 191 strikes through Nov. 1, employing over 1,352 weapons, according to Air Forces Central Command. From the start of Operation Inherent Resolve in 2014, the coalition has struck 1,239 targets in Mosul, dropping 5,941 bombs.
B-52 bombers, which can carry up to 31,500 kg of bombs, are being used to soften up ISIS targets during the air campaign. U.S. Navy attack aircraft such as Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets have been launching airstrikes daily.
U.S. airpower has been key to easing the rapid advance of the offensive in the first week by blasting ISIS fighting positions or destroying car bombs trying to impede the advance of the Iraqi Army and their allies. Calls for U.S. air support are a constant hourly feature of this intense campaign that might take up to six months to complete.
The U.S. Air Force said the massive number of airstrikes sets the operation apart from others in the ongoing campaign against ISIS. Mosul (al Mawsil) is the only Iraqi city still in the hands of ISIS.
"It's a pretty intense bombing campaign if you think about each of these bombs are precision-guided weapons ... so it's a really high rate to be concentrated over one city over a prolonged period of time," said Col. Daniel Manning, the deputy director of the Combined Air Operations Center.
"You tend to employ more weapons when the weather is better, and when you're partner forces are on the move because when they're on the move, they're finding the enemy, forcing the enemy to reveal themselves, and we're there to strike them," said Manning.
"We can certainly employ weapons in all weather -- we have sensors that can look through the weather -- but (a storm) usually slows down an operation of this size."
The B-52 Stratofortress has been invaluable in the air campaign with its ability to stay airborne for up to 10 hours. It also has sensors that can identify targets and can attack everything from vehicles to large targets.
"Frankly, we want our partners and the enemy to see the airpower (the B-52) has overhead," said Manning.
"A B-52 encourages our partner force that we have their back. Being seen is actually a pretty good thing."
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TagsU.S. Air Force, Airstrikes, Mosul, bombing campaign, ISIS, Iraqi Army, B-52, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
(Photo : US Army) U.S. troops in Poland
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Norway's all but certain decision to allow United States Marines to rotate out of one of its military bases is being seen by Russian military analysts as further proof of the United States so-called "Anaconda Strategy" that first seeks to isolate Russia and then choke it into impotence with overwhelming U.S. and NATO military power.
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The manifestations of this strategy are the U.S.' insistence on establishing a string of military bases along Russia's vast border with NATO.
Russians are also alarmed the recent NATO exercise in Poland named "Exercise Anakonda 2016" was one of the largest NATO-U.S. exercises yet and involved over 31,000 troops. This exercise held last June saw the participation of soldiers from Albania, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The deployment of U.S. Marines to a base 1,000 km from Norway's border with Russia is alarming Russia as this is the first time since the World War II that foreign troops will be stationed on Norwegian soil. The last foreign troops to base in Norway were men of Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht or armed forces.
While a mere 300 Marines will rotate through the Vaernes Air Station near the port city of Trondheim in central Norway, this innocuous deployment is still part of the "Anaconda Plan," claims Colonel General Leonid Ivashov, President of the Academy of Geopolitical Studies and a former Member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
"In their anti-Russian military policy Americans are using the 'Anaconda Strategy.' They deploy a network of military bases along the entire perimeter of Russia's borders, launching numerous military drills and so on," said Gen. Ivashov.
Gen. Ivashov said Norway "is now set to become one the Anaconda's coils. We should not forget that Norway is located near Russia's Northern Fleet bases.
"Norway is an active participant in the Arctic process. And a powerful military stand-off is developing there."
Like its namesake, the aim of America's Anaconda Strategy is to strangle Russia, thereby removing the only credible threat to American hegemonism.
Gen. Ivashov's views are similar to that of Andrei Koshkin, a political scientist and head of the political science department of the Russian Economic University.
"There is an attempt to make an anaconda coil in this region by deploying deterrent military political forces who will be able to neutralize Russia along the Arctic contact line," said Koshkin.
"The US has put its boots on Norway's ground with the purpose of boosting the activity of Western states on the border with Russia in the Arctic, to be able then to squeeze Russia out of that region."
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TagsUnited States, Russia, Norway, NATO, Anaconda Strategy, Exercise Anakonda 2016, Colonel General Leonid Ivashov
(Photo : Getty Images) India could be looking to be more vocal about its opposition to China's actions in the South China Sea dispute.
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With China refusing to soften its stand on blacklisting Masood Azhar and supporting India's bid for membership in the Nuclear Supplier's Group (NSG), New Delhi seems to have adopted a hot pursuit policy on the South China Sea. The Indian government has started following a more bold and aggressive policy on the maritime dispute.
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Sources in New Delhi claim that last month India proposed to Singapore to include the Permanent Court of Arbitration's ruling on the South China Sea in a joint statement. The proposal was made in the run up to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's visit to India.
Singapore, which is not a claimant in the maritime dispute, reportedly rejected New Delhi's proposal. This was apparently done to safeguard its diplomatic ties with China, which is already miffed over Singapore's decision to align with the U.S. on the maritime dispute. A top Chinese diplomat had in fact warned Lee Hsien Loong's government in August to stay out of the South China Sea row.
India apparently decided to follow an aggressive policy on South China Sea in September when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Vietnam ahead of the G20 Hummit. New Delhi and Hanoi had made specific mention of the international tribunal's verdict on the maritime dispute in their joint statement.
The move is a clear departure from India's traditional policy, which was characterised by an indirect interference in the issue through military and financial assistance to rival claimants in the dispute.
Experts say that the Indian government wants to send a clear message to Beijing that it would not sit silent after getting snubbed repeatedly by China.
Meanwhile, Indian media claim that Japan is encouraging New Delhi to speak its mind on the South China Sea dispute. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe may include the international tribunal's verdict in a joint statement after their meeting next week.
Modi is also under immense pressure to play hardball with China. Some Indian politicians have reached a consensus that New Delhi must exploit the Permanent Court of Arbitration's unprecedented verdict on the South China Sea, which was delivered in July.
The verdict had dismissed Beijing's claim of ownership over the South China Sea as "illegal." The verdict has, however, been dismissed by Beijing.
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TagsSouth China Sea Dispute, India, India and China, India South China Sea Dispute
(Photo : getty images.) Hong Kong citizens advocating independence from Mainland China cannot hold any public office, Chinas top legislative body gave a landmark verdict on Monday. This means that recently elected legislators Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung will not be allowed to retake their oath.
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Hong Kong citizens advocating independence from mainland China cannot hold any public office, China's top legislative body, the National People's Congress Standing Committee, ruled on Monday.
The controversial verdict means that Hong Kong's recently elected legislators Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung will not be allowed to retake their oath, after they allegedly botched their oath-taking ceremony on October 12.
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China's top legislative body said that oath-takers shall take legal responsibility for making false oaths and "Oath-taking shall not be rearranged," according to China's state media agency Xinhua.
Following the landmark ruling, Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has vowed that his government would ensure that the interpretation is implimented in full spirit.
The former British colony is already on its toes following the oath taking controversy. Thousands of protestors gathered outside Hong Kong's highest court on Sunday to stage pro-democracy protest against China. Police had to use pepper spray to disperse the protestors as they were getting increasingly violent and aggressive.
China's decision to review the mini-constitution, known as Basic Law, was seen as a highly controversial move. Many termed Beijing's attempt as one of the most direct intervention in the city's internal affairs since taking over in 1997.
"The interpretation demonstrates the central government's firm determination and will in opposing Hong Kong independence," Xinhua quoted China's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office in a statement.
The intensity of pro-independence movement had fizzled out over the past one year. However, the latest street protest following the oath-taking controversy may revive the movement across the City.
Wai-ching, 25, and Sixtus Leung, 30 allegedly used derogatory words during their oath taking ceremony, forcing officials to term their oath as 'invalid.' They also reportedly pledged their allegiance to "Hong Kong Nation" and unfurled banners that read "Hong Kong Is Not China" during the ceremony.
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TagsHong Kong, Hong Kong Pro Independence, china, China and Hong Kong, Hong Kong pro-democracy, oath-taking
(Photo : Getty Images) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is currently on a visit to Russia.
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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has arrived in Russia to discuss issues of mutual importance with his counterpart Dmitry Medvedev and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The two countries are seeking to deepen their strategic partnership. Li arrived in Saint Petersburg on Sunday and is officially set to meet Medvedev on Monday.
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The two countries are expected to sign cooperation agreements in several areas such as investments and economy. Cooperation on nuclear energy is also on the agenda.
Li and Medvedev are also expected to attend the 21st regular meeting Prime Ministers of the two countries.
The Chinese Premier will then sit down for talks with President Putin in the country's capital, Moscow.
Li had earlier paid visits to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Latvia before his stop in Russia on the last leg of his Eurasia tour.
China's latest diplomatic forays are seen to be hugely significant as they could lead to the strengthening of ties between the five countries.
Analysts believe that ties between China and Russia will now go beyond economics and politics, moving on to military-political alliance.
Earlier this year, during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the formation of an alliance "before which NATO would be weak, and this would put to an end the imperialist ambitions of the west."
Moscow and Beijing have held joint military drills in recent years in the disputed South China Sea.
The US has waded into the row to show force against China, and the presence of its warships in the region has been a source of concern for Beijing and Moscow.
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Tagschina, Russia, South China Sea, China-Russia partnership, China-Russia cooperation
(Photo : Getty images) China's new cybersecurity law has received a barrage of criticisms.
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The controversial cybersecurity laws passed on Monday by the Chinese government was met with massive criticism from foreign companies and human rights groups. The rules will be implemented in June 2017, a government official said.
Yang Heging, an official at the National People's Congress Standing Committee, said that the move was an "objective need" as China is one of world power when it comes to the internet.
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"China is an internet power, and as one of the countries that face the greatest internet security risks, we urgently need to establish and perfect network security legal systems," said Yang.
Under the new cybersecurity law, companies will be required to localize data, be put under surveillance, and register their users' real names and personal information while censoring content that is "prohibited."
When the new laws come into place, critical infrastructure operators would be required to store data in China, a move which Human Rights Watch is strongly against.
"The law will effectively put China's internet companies and hundreds of millions of Internet users under greater state control," said Human Rights Watch director Sophie Richardson.
Richardson added that Chinese authorities have neglected the request by international corporations for a revision of the restrictive laws for over a year.
"Chinese have pressed ahead with this restrictive law without making meaningful changes," she said.
According to James Zimmerman, the chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, China is at risk of "becoming isolated technologically from the rest of the world."
"Requirements for national security reviews and data sharing will unnecessarily weaken security and expose personal information," he noted. "The new law creates barriers to trade and innovation."
Zhao Zeliang, director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, however, defended the move, stating that trade links were not broken, nor does the country plan to inhibit foreign companies from operating.
"They believe that [phrases such as] independent control, secure and reliable, that these are signs of trade protectionism. They are synonymous. This is a kind of misunderstanding, a kind of prejudice," said Zhao.
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Tagschina, Human Rights Watch, cybersecurity laws, cybersecurity
PHOENIX -- The state's largest electric utility has already spent 1.3 percent of what it earned in the last quarter to ensure election of a friendly regulatory agency.
New reports Thursday from Pinnacle West Capital Corp. show the utility has net income for the third quarter of $263 million. That translates out to $2.35 per share.
That's also an increase of $5.9 million from the same period last year. And the company said it would have earned more from its Arizona Public Service affiliate, the source of virtually all of its cash, had Mother Nature cooperated.
The disclosure comes as the most recent financial disclosures show that a campaign committee financed entirely by Pinnacle West already has spent more than $3.5 million to ensure that the Arizona Corporation Commission remains an all-Republican affair.
All of that is designed to convince voters to reelect Bob Burns and Andy Tobin and Boyd Dunn. More to the point, Pinnacle West CEO Don Brandt has made it abundantly clear in public statements that he believes the election of either Bill Mundell or Tom Chabin, both Democrats, would be bad for his corporation.
"Based on the steady flow of vicious, misleading anti-APS rhetoric from the other candidates in the ACC race, it's difficult to believe they could regulate any utility impartially,'' Brandt wrote to company employees.
Pinnacle West isn't the only one spending heavily to influence the race.
SolarCity which sells and leases rooftop solar units has spent more than $2.2 million in support of Mundell and Burns for the general election. And that is on top of more than $713,000 put into ensuring that Burns would survive the Republican primary.
In both cases the spending is designed to protect profits.
The commission will decide on the policies that govern "net metering,'' how much utilities have to pay to their customers who generate excess power. There also is a debate over whether utilities should be able to impose "demand charges'' that can boost a customer's bill based on peak usage during any given hour of the day.
It also comes as APS is asking the commission for an 8 percent rate hike on top of changes to the rules for how it deals with customers who generate their own power.
Yet Pinnacle West, in Thursday's disclosure, admits it anticipates that when the entire year's earnings are taken into account, they will be in the range of $3.90 to $4.10 per share "to achieve a consolidated earned return on average common equity of more than 9.5 percent.''
The report says, though, that's based on a "weather-normalized basis.'' And that gets to the company's contention that weather is to blame for lower-than-hoped-for earnings.
Not bad weather. Good weather.
On one hand, Arizona experienced the second-hottest July on record, meaning customers were using their air conditioners more. But it didn't last.
"The other two months in the quarter were marked by unusually cooler-than-normal temperatures,'' the company's report states. "August was the third-mildest in the last 20 years, and September was the second-mildest over the same period.''
Company spokesman Alan Bunnell said the rate-hike request is justified, even with that anticipated 9.5 percent return on equity for shareholders.
He said this is the first increase APS has sought in five years. And Bunnell said the funds are needed to pay for upgrades and expansion of the electrical distribution system.
The major beneficiary from all this outside spending has been Burns.
On one hand, SolarCity considers him a potential ally, especially given his high-profile fight with Pinnacle West, APS and Brandt to get the records of what they spent on the 2014 campaign.
Two outside groups that refuse to disclose donors put $3.2 million into that race to ensure the election of Republicans Tom Forese and Doug Little. A Pinnacle West spokesman will neither confirm nor deny it is the source of any or all of those dollars.
Burns has issued subpoenas for the books of both APS and its parent; Pinnacle West responded by filing suit to block the effort.
But Brandt, whose corporate funds are trying to get Burns reelected along with Tobin and Dunn, said he still considers Burns preferable to Mundell or Chabin.
(Photo : US Navy) USS Zumwalt at sea.
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There's a chance the world's most advanced destroyer -- the strikingly shaped USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) -- will enter combat service with the U.S. Navy in mid-2018 without any ammunition for the two 155 mm guns in its Advanced Gun System (AGS).
Latest reports from the U.S. defense community say the Navy is balking at the eye-popping $800,000 price tag for each of the Long Range Land-Attack Projectiles (LRLAP) the 155 mm guns are to fire. The Navy is now moving to cancel its order for the LRLAP.
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But the $800,000 cost isn't what really bothers the Navy. It's that this price is at the low-end of estimates as to how much each LRLAP might really cost. Were the LRLAP to go into mass production today, the price tag will balloon to over $1 million per round.
"That's probably low," said a Navy official about the $800,000 cost. "That's what the acquisition community wanted to get it down to."
The official said there was no sense Lockheed Martin (which will produce LRLAP) was "overcharging or anything."
Analysts said the astounding cost of each round is due to simple economics. The Navy intended to buy thousands of LRLAP rounds but based its cost per round on there being a fleet of 28 Zumwalts.
But the Navy grossly underestimated the price of a new destroyer outfitted with cutting edge technology like no other on any destroyer ever built. The massive cost of producing these destroyers forced the Navy to cut the number of Zumwalts to seven and then to three.
And absent economies of scale, this meant the cost of producing the unique 155 mm ammunition for the Zumwalts was bound to zoom, which it has. The Zumwalt is the only destroyer armed with the AGS. Each of the three Zumwalts will cost $4.5 billion.
"We were going to buy thousands of these rounds," said another Navy official. "But (the fewer) quantities of ships killed the affordable round."
A precision guided munition made by Lockheed Martin, LRLAP is a land bombardment round that would have been fired in support of U.S. Marines storming ashore on enemy territory. It can precisely hit land targets almost 130 km distant.
LRLAP is the only munition designed to be fired from the AGS. It's also the only round that fits into the AGS' automated magazine and handling system. Each of the three Zumwalts will carry two of the guns -- the largest weapons to be designed for and fitted on a warship since World War II.
The U.S. Navy hasn't yet cancelled LRLAP but is reported to be seriously considering three or four more affordable replacement rounds.
"We are looking at multiple different rounds for that gun," said the Navy official.
He noted that "three or four different rounds" are being considered. There include the U.S. Army's 155 mm Excalibur munition (which is GPS-guided shell) and the 155 mm Hyper Velocity Projectile (HVP), a project under development by the Office of Naval Research.
"There are multiple companies that have looked at alternatives to get the cost down and use that delivery system," said the Navy official.
The Navy originally intended to use HVPs as missile-killing ammunition for its conventional naval guns.
Studies by the Department of Defense have revealed that HVPs fired from 5 inch (127 mm) Mk-45 guns aboard Navy warships such as the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers and the 155 mm guns aboard the Zumwalt-class destroyers can neutralize anti-ship missile salvoes.
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TagsUSS Zumwalt, Long Range Land-Attack Projectile, LRLAP, U.S. Navy, Excalibur munition, Hyper Velocity Projectile, HVP
Terror alert heightened after ISIS U.S. 'voting guide' calls for 'blood' of Muslims, Christians & mothers at polls 07 November, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , |
WASHINGTON (Christian Examiner) Just after the FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a terror alert for Nov. 7 (the day before the U.S. presidential election), the Islamic State published a voting guide of sorts.
This one is not about selecting the best candidate. It is aimed at terrifying women, Christians and, interestingly, Muslims who adopt the values of democracy.
Portions of the 7-page publication from the Islamic State's Al-Hayat Media group were reprinted by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) and its Joint Terrorism Threat Monitor Nov. 5. The vast majority of the writing condemns U.S. Muslims for participating in free elections. It also calls them "apostates" who are pitting their wills against Allah's and says, because they are working against Allah, they should be killed.
As it is clear that the voter is a part of the taghut [rebellion] of democracy 'the power of the people' and that the voters are directly involved in the decision making process by choosing delegates to represent them and their whims executively, judicially, and legislatively, the blood of Crusader voters is even more deserving of being spilled than the blood of Crusader combatants.
The piece describes American political life as divided along an axis with two pagan camps the Republicans and Democrats. It also laments Muslim's past support of George W. Bush, who is called both a hypocrite and a sort of high priest of the Republican religion. It criticizes Muslims for pushing Florida into the Bush column in 2000.
But it also criticizes Muslim support for Obama.
"Obama invaded Iraq and Sham [Syria], backed the Jewish state and Arab tyrants, interfered in Libya (fearing the arising and spreading of jihad, just as Clinton had done in the Balkans), continued Bush's drone strikes and proxy wars in Yemen, Afghanistan, and Somalia, and preserved Guantanamo Bay, breaking almost every election promise he had made, something that both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton would undoubtedly do just as their predecessors had done before them," the article said.
The writing condemns both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton for their commitment to the Jewish state and vows to continue the war against Islam. The ISIS writers claim Clinton is more skilled at being politically correct, "giving her leverage in the sorcery of hypocrisy." They also call her a feminist and warn that Muhammad forbade women from leading.
"As for Trump, he has yet to learn that what he refers to as 'radical Islamic terrorism' in nothing but the teachings of Islam, plain and simple. No adjective needs to precede Islam to describe the just terror it incites," the jihadists wrote.
The strongest criticism in the piece, however, is not reserved for a person. It is reserved for a way of political life. Democracy is the true enemy of Islam, they claim, and Shari'a law prevents participation in any form of government except an Islamic theocracy.
"Accordingly, human legislators, manmade laws, modern constitutions, judges who rule thereby, and rulers who enforce such upon others are all tawaghit [tyrants] whom the Muslim must disassociate from and disbelieve in. Throughout history, legislative tawaghit existed mainly in the forms of clergies and monarchies, with their flocks and subjects worshiping them through obedience and following. It was not until democracy was innovated and practiced by the pagan Greeks and Romans that the commoner became a participant in legislation itself. The false 'gods' thereby grew in number from regime and clergy members to include all voters of the citizenry, as democracy is 'the rule of the people.' According to this pagan creed, the people are the ultimate judge, all power is theirs, and they alone have the right to legislate," the article said.
According to ISIS, those who vote, even if Muslim, are secularists and are no longer monotheists. They are polytheists who allow many individuals to challenge the laws of God. Legislation, they wrote, is Allah's alone, and "not for the people, nor the constitution of the people, nor the representatives of the people."
Muslims who believe they can peacefully co-exist with Christians and Jews are also not following Allah, the ISIS writers claim. The Quran, they argue, forbids taking either as an ally. They were especially critical of any Muslim support for the candidate who has threatened the deportation of illegal immigrants Donald Trump.
In the conclusion of the article, ISIS warns that its operatives "have come to slaughter you and smash your ballot boxes" to turn the 2016 presidential election into "a dreadful calamity like no other." The prophet Muhammad commanded this, they claim.
"As it is clear that the voter is a part of the taghut [rebellion] of democracy 'the power of the people' and that the voters are directly involved in the decision making process by choosing delegates to represent them and their whims executively, judicially, and legislatively, the blood of Crusader voters is even more deserving of being spilled than the blood of Crusader combatants," they wrote.
"The same would apply to the blood of female voters, as they are no longer mere wives serving Crusader husbands and raising cross-worshiping children, rather female voters are part of the democratic taghut that decrees the crusades to be waged against Islam and the Muslims, and are thus just as actively responsible for the Muslim blood being spilled as the male, Crusader soldier on the frontlines."
University promotes gay bars as 'welcoming spaces' 07 November, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , |
IRVINE, California (Christian Examiner) When it comes to "extra-curricular" activities, the University of California Irvine wants to make sure students are aware of the best options. So the school is letting students know where to find the best gay clubs and bars in Southern California.
The College Fix reports the school's LGBT Resource Center website links to 18 of the sites across Orange County, Long Beach, Los Angeles and San Diego, as well encourages students to visit Palm Springs for a gay retreat. One listing in San Diego notes, "The adventurous go 'au naturale' at Black's Beach near UCSD."
Other venues, with names like the Velvet Lounge and TigerHeat, promote specials such as "Sunday Drag Brunches," "Transgirl Tuesdays," and "Planet Queer." Christian Examiner cannot reprint some of the event titles because they are vulgar in nature.
The listing of nightclubs that provide welcoming spaces for the LGBT community is just one page of a website that also includes links to academic, health, counseling, spiritual, recreational and programming resources as well as opportunities for student life and leadership involvement on campus. Hosting one page on a website costs the taxpayers virtually nothing.
Asked why the university had promoted the off-campus bars and clubs for homosexuals, the university issued a statement claiming "the extra-curricular life of its students" is an important part of the college experience.
"The listing of nightclubs that provide welcoming spaces for the LGBT community is just one page of a website that also includes links to academic, health, counseling, spiritual, recreational and programming resources as well as opportunities for student life and leadership involvement on campus. Hosting one page on a website costs the taxpayers virtually nothing," the statement said.
There are those who oppose the use of college resources to promote the LGBT lifestyle, but not for the reasons most would think. According to the College news website, one student said it was time that "UC Irvine stops trying to put us into categories and stops creating division."
"If the school is going to have this taxpayer-funded resource, it should be for every student, not just a select few," student Koosha Azartash told The College Fix.
The school's LGBT Resource Center not only supports those practicing the homosexual or transgender lifestyle. It also promotes it through campus events such as "TransAction Week" and "Queer History Week."
The university has also offered "LGBT housing" to gay students since 2010.
"For first-years, the 'Open House' dorm will be located in Isengard in Middle Earth. The Open House will be a non-judgmental space where the diversity of identities and gender expressions are celebrated. It will provide opportunities for personal development to flourish in a gender-free and transgender-friendly living environment. This gender-neutral hall allows for both same and opposite gender roommate pairings," a statement from the school said six years ago.
The school also offers gay housing for returning students. The 'Spectrum House' offers a welcoming space for students to have cultural experiences for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, questioning students and their allies."
Nigerian government and security officials have sexually assaulted women and girls who sought shelter at refugee camps after attacks by Boko Haram, Human Rights Watch said in a report. The rights group called out the government for failing to penalize abusers and provide the displaced people at the camps with basic amenities.
In July, the group recorded rape and sexual abuse cases of 43 women and girls living at camps in Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram. Four of the women said their assaulters drugged and raped them, while 37 said officials forced them to have sex either through false marriage promises or financial assistance. The victims said they feared retaliation if they reported their attackers.
One 17-year-old girl said a policeman approached her for friendship in the camp, then raped her. She later found out she was pregnant.
When I informed him about my condition, he threatened to shoot and kill me if I told anyone else, the girl said. So I was too afraid to report him.
Residents at the camps also battle with insufficient amenities and restricted movement, which leaves them more vulnerable to the advances of the officials. One woman, who survived an attack on the Borno town of Walassa, said she accepted the advances of a soldier because he brought food and clothes for herself and her four children. The 30-year-old mother said the man suddenly stopped coming, and she realized she was pregnant.
I felt so angry with him for deceiving me, she said. Now my situation is worse as the pregnancy makes me sick, and I have no one to help me care for my children.
A medical worker at the camp told the rights group the number of people in need of HIV treatment has risen sharply from about 200 cases in 2014 to more than 500 by July.
The Nigerian government has not actively responded to aid workers and human rights advocates concerns about the deplorable conditions in the camps. The Borno State Protection Sector Working Group, which compromises national and international providers, released a report in May detailing incidents of sexual exploitation in nearly all 13 camps around Maiduguri, Bornos capital. In August, the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, said after visiting Nigeria that the government tends to downplay the sexual violence and abuse against displaced people.
Human Rights Watch said Nigerias minister of women affairs and social development, Sen. Aisha Jumai Alhassan, promised to investigate the allegations and respond after seeing the groups report. But the rights group said it never received a response from the senator.
Failure to respond to these widely reported abuses amounts to severe negligence or worse by Nigerian authorities, said Mausi Segun, a senior Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch. Authorities should provide adequate aid in the camps, ensure freedom of movement for all displaced people, safe and confidential health care for survivors, and punish the abusers.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari responded to the report, saying it was deeply worrying to hear of the abuse and exploitation in the camps. The president said he had asked the inspector-general of police and concerned state governors to investigate immediately.
Courtesy: WORLD News Service
Publication date: November 7, 2016
The nations attention may be on the presidential election, but there are a number of down-ballot issues of interest to religious and nonreligious voters. Heres a sampling of whats being considered and how people of faith are weighing them:
Marijuana
Recreational: Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada
Medicinal: Arkansas, Florida, Montana, North Dakota
More states than ever will be mulling whether marijuana should be legalized, and many religious leaders have spoken out against it. More than 125 Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox leaders in Massachusetts signed a statement urging defeat of Question 4 in that state.
As faith leaders, we believe that our efforts as a society should be focused toward improving life for our citizens, they said. A culture that encourages and promotes the use of drugs is failing its people.
The Archdiocese of Boston donated $850,000 to oppose Question 4, and the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization, contributed another $150,000. Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian group, has created a guide on The Allure of Legalizing Marijuana that its supporters and marijuana opponents can use to advocate against passage of the initiatives.
But a group of clergy in Arizona has argued that the states marijuana laws, which prohibit the possession and sale of marijuana, are unjust. Taxpayers spend millions of dollars annually to arrest, prosecute, cite and process thousands of people disproportionately Latinos and African-Americans for possessing small amounts of marijuana, a letter to Arizona clergy states.
Gun control and ammunition initiatives
California, Maine, Nevada, Washington
The Golden State is still reeling after last years terror attack in San Bernardino, in which a heavily armed couple killed 14 and wounded 22 more. Polls now show two-thirds of Californians support the states Proposition 63, which would require background checks for the purchase of ammunition and would ban possession of ammunition magazines with more than 10 rounds.
Supporting the ban are a slew of religious organizations, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and a number of parachurch groups, such as Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice and Rabbis Against Gun Violence.
Pushing for a no vote is a Southern California-based group called Jews Can Shoot that frames its opposition in terms of preventing another Holocaust.
Minimum wage
Washington, Arizona, Maine, Colorado
A higher minimum wage a living wage in some parlance is on the to-do list of many religious groups, some of which frame it as an economic justice issue, a kind of What would Jesus pay? Initiatives across four states would raise the wage to between $12 and $13.50 over four years.
Maines religious communities have rallied behind their states Question 4, which would take the minimum wage to $12 by 2020, with endorsements from the Maine Council of Churches, which represents nine Christian denominations.
For me, the minimum wage is an issue of faith, Stephen T. Lane, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, wrote in the Portland Press Herald. Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and that requires us to work for all of our fellow citizens.
Repealing the death penalty
California, Nebraska, Oklahoma
Repealing or maintaining a repeal of the death penalty seems to have the most support of any ballot initiatives across the states. In California, almost 30 different religious groups support a death penalty repeal, while in Nebraska, celebrity Christian author Shane Claiborne has spoken in support of retaining a repeal of the death penalty at anti-death penalty events.
In Oklahoma, clergy want to see a no vote on Question 776, which would reverse the states current death penalty repeal, put in place after several botched executions.
The death penalty is state-sponsored murder and its disgusting, and were telling the rest of the world that not only are we OK with it, but were making it a fundamental value and putting it in our constitution, said the Rev. Adam Leathers, a spokesperson for Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. This (measure) will truly make us look ignorant, brutish and all manner of negative attributes.
Public money for religious purposes
Oklahoma
This ballot measure, fueled by the removal of a Ten Commandments monument from the state Capitol grounds, has divided religious leaders. Question 790 would repeal a section of the Oklahoma Constitution that prohibits religious organizations from using state money. In a statement supporting that repeal, Catholic Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City said approval of the measure would remove the Blaine Amendment, which aimed to exclude Catholics from public life in general and religious education in particular.
If State Question 790 passes, Oklahomans would remove a current major threat to religious organizations including Catholic social service agencies who serve the poor, refugees, the disabled, the homeless, the hungry and many other needy people in our state, said Coakley, who joins the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty in seeking passage.
But Holly Hollman, general counsel for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, criticized the measure as a move toward blending the institutions of church and state.
Assisted suicide or death with dignity
Colorado
Assisted suicide is a big issue for some religious Americans who oppose it vehemently. Nowhere is this more true than in Colorado, home to a large number of conservative Christians. The state is considering Proposition 106, which would allow terminally ill patients with under six months to live to self-administer aid-in-dying drugs.
But the measure may succeed this time supporters of the proposition have out-raised opponents by 2-to-1. The chief opponent of the proposition is the Catholic Archdiocese of Denver, which has contributed $1.6 million to defeat it. Joining the opposition are Focus on the Family, Colorado Christian University and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The moral aspects of this debate are very clear, Catholic Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila said in a video condemning assisted suicide. God has taught us not to kill and that includes killing ourselves.
Courtesy: Religion News Service
Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com
Publication date: November 7, 2016
GRAND CANYON Matt Rudig stands on Havasupai Hilltop and looks down at the landscape of the Grand Canyon. He laces up his hiking boots and situates his backpack in preparation for the 8-mile hike ahead of him. Deep within the gorge is the Havasupai Tribes village his destination.
Rudig, who works for Coconino County, volunteered to set up polls for the tribe for the 2016 primaries.
Another volunteer from the county, Margaret Penado, will do it again on Nov. 8 for the general election. This will be her first trip.
That means about a 3.5-hour hike down the canyon, 12 hours monitoring the polls, two overnight stays and then the hike back out. The office makes the trek to serve about 100 registered voters, county officials said.
Coconino County officials said theyve sent somebody down to the Havasupai Indian Reservation a tribe of about 450 people living on the southwest region of the Grand Canyon, according to an Arizona State University report for every major election since 1968.
In 1967, 50 tribe members petitioned the Coconino Board of Supervisors to provide them with a polling location on election days. The supervisors unanimously approved the move, said Patty Hansen, the countys recorder.
These folks deserve a chance to show up on election day and vote just like anybody else, Rudig said.
Election officials said they started providing polls in the canyon after Congress passed the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which banned racial discrimination in the voting process on federal, state and county levels.
Although Native Americans were granted the right to vote by the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924, Arizona has had a rocky relationship with Native Americans when it comes to voting.
Various tribes and representatives have sued the state regarding literacy tests and the states voter ID law, which prevented tribal members from voting if he or she didnt speak English or didnt have proper identification, according to an article in the Arizona State Law Journal.
More recently, plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the state and Maricopa County after voters faced long lines during the presidential preference election earlier this year. The plaintiffs said the countys reduction in polling places negatively affected black, Hispanic and Native American communities.
They also challenged Arizonas new law that makes it illegal to collect other peoples ballots. A federal appeals court recently upheld the law.
Some minority groups, like Native Americans, rely on ballot collection to ensure their vote gets cast, according to the a court opinion. However, state officials said the law enhances the integrity of the voting process, according to a Cronkite News article.
In Coconino County, officials said they make it a priority to provide all residents with an accessible polling location, Hansen said. This includes those living in remote, rural areas like the Havasupai Tribe.
The county is 24 percent Native American the third-highest percentage next to Navajo and Apache counties. Arizona, as a whole, is 5 percent Native American, according to data from the U.S. Census.
County officials work closely with Native American residents to make the voting process as convenient as possible, even if that means hiking 8 miles into the Grand Canyon, Hansen said.
Before 2004, the county used a punch card system, which required the volunteer to hike out of the canyon after the polls closed. Weather conditions complicated the process and sometimes recorders didnt start counting until 2 a.m., said Candy Owens, the countys former recorder.
Now, county officials use touchscreen equipment to cast the ballots. All equipment, like the voting booth and signature rosters, are flown in by helicopter prior to voting day. Once a vote is cast, its telephoned into the recorders office and counted.
Hansen said tribe members had expressed concern that their votes werent being counted because the equipment isnt flown out until a day or two after. But, county officials sent outreach members to the village to explain how the process works.
In 2012, 32 tribal members voted. Hansen said the low turnout might have been because few tribal members were in the canyon on voting day.
Overall, Hansen believes the relationship between the county and the Havasupai Tribe is a positive one.
Members of the Havasupai Tribe did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The tribe has been calling the canyon home for the past 800 years and the phrase Havasupai translates to the people of the blue green waters, according to one website devoted to planning trips to national parks.
The Colorado River that flows between the canyon walls of their land projects aqua colors and travels through a series of majestic waterfalls.
The reservation is 5 miles long, 12 miles wide and 518 acres, according to an intertribal council website.
An FBI investigation has been opened to identify vandals who burned a black church in Mississippi, and wrote "Vote Trump" on the wall on November 1.
The act of vandalism was carried out about a week before the scheduled election on November 8th, contested by Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Both the candidates came out strongly against the arson attack on Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville.
Donald Trump's campaign said that they were "deeply saddened for the members of the Hopewell M.B. Church community and condemn in the strongest terms this terrible act that has no place in our society."
"We are grateful that no one was hurt and we urge witnesses with any information to come forward and help bring justice to those who are responsible," the Trump campaign said.
Democratic nominee Clinton tweeted, "This kind of hate has no place in America."
Church members said they had not received any threats during the past weeks.
"Our church was a historic church that has been there for over 111 years," Pastor Carolyn Hudson said at a press conference. "This has left our hearts broken, but we are strong together."
Mayor Errick D. Simmons said that hate crime is being investigated.
"This act is a direct assault on people's right to freely worship," Simmons said. "We will not rest until the culprit is found and fully prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
The FBI cautioned that it was too early to assume the motives behind the attack.
"The FBI Jackson Division is aware of the situation in Greenville," said FBI spokesman Brett Carr, "and we are working with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to determine if any civil rights crimes were committed."
Governor Phil Bryant (Rep) said that suspects are expected to be identified and prosecuted soon.
"First, anyone who burns a place of worship will answer to almighty God for this crime against people of faith. But they should also answer to man's law," Bryant wrote on his official Facebook page. "Authorities are investigating and we expect a suspect will be identified and brought to justice."
Donations have poured in to help repair the church, and about $200,000 have been collected through GoFundMe since November 2.
Irish Christian bakers lost their appeal in court challenging a conviction of discrimination against a gay man by declining to bake a cake with a slogan supporting gay marriage two years ago. Their appeal was turned down on October 24.
Ashers Baking Company was found guilty by a lower court of discriminating against Gareth Lee who ordered a cake with icing in the shape of Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie accompanied by a message 'Support Gay Marriage' and a logo of gay rights group QueerSpace. The bakers were fined 500 in 2015 for violating equality legislation by discriminating on the grounds of sexual orientation.
The Ashers said that baking such a cake was inconsistent with their sincerely-held religious beliefs.
"This order was at odds with our beliefs, it certainly was a contradiction of what the Bible teaches," Daniel McArthur, the general manager of the bakery in Belfast, Northern Ireland, had said in response to the allegations of discrimination.
Many gay rights activists opposed the court ruling. LGBT activist Peter Tatchell wrote on his website that the ruling goes against free speech and expression.
"The judgement opens a can of worms," Tatchell said. "It means that a Muslim printer could be obliged to publish cartoons of Mohammed and a Jewish printer could be required to publish a book that propagates Holocaust denial... What the court has decided sets a dangerous, authoritarian precedent that is open to serious abuse," he noted.
However, the court said that since the cake was declined because of protected sexual orientation, it was clearly a discrimination.
"The reason that the order was cancelled was that the appellants would not provide a cake with a message supporting a right to marry for those of a particular sexual orientation. This was a case of association with the gay and bisexual community and the protected personal characteristic was the sexual orientation of that community. Accordingly, this was direct discrimination," the court stated.
The defendants disagreed, and pointed out that the ruling is in violation of law in Northern Ireland where gay marriage is illegal.
"We have always said it: It was never about the customer, it was about the message," said McArthur. "But now we're being told that we have to promote the message, even if it's against our conscience."
The U.S. Department of Education has released a report showing that the amount of students being homeschooled has doubled from 850,000 to 1.8 million between 1999 and 2012. DOE also noted that homeschooling has become more racially and ethnically diverse.
The survey was conducted by DOE's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on school-going or homeschooled students under 20 enrolled in grades equivalent to kindergarten through grade 12 in 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The study revealed that homeschooling enrollment increased most between 1999 and 2007, but slowed down between 2007 and 2012.
Most of the homeschooled children lived in rural areas (41 percent), followed by suburban areas (28 percent), cities (21 percent), and towns (10 percent). A majority of the students were white (83 percent).
A greater proportion of homeschoolers were enrolled in 9th to 12th grades (32 percent) and 6th to 8th grades (29 percent). Relatively fewer pupils were in 3rd to 5th grades (22 percent) and kindergarten to 2nd grade (18 percent).
About 32 percent of the students had parents who had at least some vocation or college degree, while 26 percent had a Bachelor's degree. Some 23 percent of the parents were high school graduates. Only 2 percent of the homeschoolers had parents who had dropped out of high school.
As many as 89 percent of the students were from non-poor background, while 11 percent had household incomes which fell below the poverty threshold.
Nine out of ten parents of homeschooled students say that factors including "safety, drugs, or negative peer pressure" was the main reason why they decided to educate their child at home. Other reasons cited by the parents were "a desire to provide moral instruction," (77 percent), "dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools" (74 percent), and "a desire to provide religious instruction" (64 percent).
President of DC Home Educators Association, Ethan Reedy, told Christian Post that families from a wide variety of backgrounds are opting for homeschooling.
"The homeschool community in America is growing, not just numerically, but in diversity. An earlier generation helped people understand that homeschooling was possible and that it produced better outcomes, on average, than American schools do," said Reedy.
November 6 was marked as the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, and Christians around the world prayed for their fellow believers who are being persecuted in different parts of the globe.
On the International Day of Prayer, Christians from over 100 countries came together to raise those laborers in faith who suffer every day for the sake of the Gospel.
The day was first celebrated in 1996 as "Day of Prayer for Iran" when an Iranian pastor was murdered in the country. It has become an annual day of prayer when Christians lift up their brothers and sisters in Christ and join in their support for them.
Incidents of persecution of Christians are reported frequently in the international media, which recount how believers are targeted for sharing the gospel, distributing tracts, and even assembling in homes.
"From merciless killing, destruction of churches and buildings, to being forced to denounce Jesus as their Lord, Christians are being stripped of the ability to follow Christ in safety and freedom," Open Doors USA said on its website.
"Because we have freedom of religion in the United States, we can freely and openly worship Jesus Christ. Let us stand in the freedom we have to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world," it continued.
A Nigerian pastor was quoted as saying by Open Door: "Only guns of love can silence guns of hatred. What better way to love someone than to pray for them?"
Christians around the world are invited to pray for persecuted believers on the first and second Sundays of November every year. The International Day of Prayer (IDOP) ministry has distributed devotionals, Sunday School materials, and prayer points via dropbox.
"According to statistics, persecution is the daily reality of at least 100 million Christians around the world," said Godfrey Yogarajah, Executive Director of the World Evangelical Alliance and the Religious Liberty Commission.
"These Christians, who face routine harassment and difficulties, often suffer in silence and isolation. Over the years, the IDOP has served as a platform to highlight their stories and advocate their plight. Moreover, in so doing, the IDOP has also been a source of solidarity and encouragement to persecuted Christians by reminding them that they are part of a larger, global family of believers."
"We believe that God uses the prayers of his people to strengthen and deliver suffering saints. Based on scripture, we are also convinced that though sorrow maybe the present reality of those suffering for Christ, triumph is their ultimate reward," he continued.
The preachers long life started on a dairy farm near Charlotte, North Carolina, on November 7, 1918. The Great War in Europe ended on November 11, 1918. He liked to joke that it took the world only four days to hear that he had arrived.
Billy Grahams 98th birthday, today, seems a good time to pause and think about the impact of his work.
Most evident are the numerical records. Graham probably spoke to more people face-to-face than any other person in history, 215 million at last count. Additional hundreds of millions encountered him via electronic and print media. In 1956, he founded Christianity Today, which soon ranked as the most widely read Christian periodical in the world. Graham organized international conferences in Europe that helped galvanize the global evangelical movement. He nabbed a spot on Gallups list of Most Admired Man in the World 59 times, nearly twice as as often as runner-up Ronald Reagan.
Grahams most obvious legacy is the three million men and women who registered commitments for Christ at his crusades. Beyond that figure stand the numberless souls who made decisions in the quiet spaces of their lives.
Yet these data tell only part of the story. Grahams legacy has taken forms that are hard to measure but important to remember. We see them especially in the realms of evangelical beliefs, everyday life, American politics, and Christian hope.
Beliefs, Changing and Unchanged
Many of Grahams beliefs stayed exactly the same decade after decadeand if they sound like the heartbeat of evangelicalism, that is partly because he made them so. They included the Bibles authority, Gods sovereignty, humans sin, Christs saving death, ...
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I had the privilege or reading a pre-release version of "God Shines Forth: How the Nature of God Shapes and Drives the Mission of the Church." Here are 20 quotes from the book, which you should pick up.
Worse than what missing the mark does to our soul is what it does to our neighbors.
Pat Steele from Sunrise Prayer Relay in Australia said; "We invite churches, ministries, connect groups and individuals to join with us all over the world at Sunrise on Tuesday November 8th 2016 at a public location like a landmark or lookout in your city or town to pray with America for America.
We are asking praying people all over the world and in the USA to promote this call to prayer by creating a short 15 second video and sharing on a social media site to say "I am Praying with America for America at Sunrise on Tuesday 8th November 2016". We also ask you to invite others to join you in prayer at your location and use the Sunrise Prayer Relay Prayer Declaration which is available on the Sunrise Prayer Relay website.
Warwick Marsh from the National Day of Prayer and Fasting in Australia said, "We are praying for the Nation of America and the American Presidential Election and leaders present and future both in the government and in the church. We are praying for the church in America to rise up and we are praying for the youth of America who are the next generation of leaders in America.
Our principal prayer is for Revival and Transformation in America and a release and Proclamation of the Gospel in America. Finally, also we want to encourage American Christians to demonstrate and celebrate your right to vote. Voting is a privilege not a chore and every person of faith should cast a vote prayerfully. We encourage the Christian voters of America that whatever the outcome of this election Jesus is Lord and our role as His followers remains the same.
CANBERRA, Australia, Nov. 7, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- Christians in America have been praying and fasting leading up to the American Election and Australia Christians want to show our support and let our American Brothers and Sisters in Christ know that we are praying with them for their nation. That is why Australian Christians are Calling for Prayer from all over the world and from America for the American elections at a Sunrise Prayer Relay at sunrise on Tuesday 8th November 2016.
home World Christian group and pastors criticize detention of American pastor in Turkey
Christian groups are decrying the detention of an American pastor who has remained in jail for almost a month in Turkey after he was accused of being a national security threat.
Andrew Brunson, who served as a pastor at the ProtestantResurrectionChurch in Izmir, Turkey, was arrested along with his wife, Norine, on Oct. 7. Norine was released on Oct. 20 but Brunson is still detained at Izmir's detention facility.
The case of the Brunsons has caught the attention of U.S.-based Christian group Voice of the Persecuted (VOTP) as well as some Protestant pastors and opposition Parliament members in Turkey, VOA reported.
Norine has been ordered to leave the country but officials have decided to let her stay until Nov. 10 which is when her visa expires. Church officials said that Brunson is also expected to be deported upon his release.
VOTP stated that the priority is to get the couple safely out of Turkey.
"The new objective is to see Norine and Andrew safely released from Turkey. They are willing and ready to comply with the deportation order, and yet the authorities continue to hold Andrew. Very little progress has been made through normal channels, so we will now start pressing the issue through Congress, through the media, and through the Turkish embassy," VOTP said in a statement.
Selina Dogan, a Turkish Parliament member of the Republican People's Party (CHP), told VOA that she has raised her concerns about the Brunsons to Turkish authorities but she has not received a reply.
"The pastors do have the right to share their faith with people. And what the Turkish authorities mean when they accuse the pastors of being a threat to national security does require some explanation," Dogan said.
She has been in contact with church officials and lawyers who are trying to secure Brunson's release.
The Association of Protestant Churches in Turkey reported that Turkish authorities have denied the extension of visas of over 100 expatriate Protestants in the past four years. Last month, American Christian Ryan D. Keating, who worked at a refugee ministry in Ankara, was denied re-entry to Turkey after he went on a short trip abroad.
Keating, who has lived in the country for over 10 years, was told by officers that he had a lifetime ban. The officers said his deportation was related to national security but he speculated that it was due to his work at the ministry.
'American Horror Story' season 6 news, episode 9 spoilers: Dylan is the Piggy Man; Taissa Farmiga's character is a backpacker?
Dylan (Wes Bentley) has arrived at the "Roanoke" house dressed as the Piggy Man. Meanwhile, Taissa Farmiga might be entering the next episode of "American Horror Story" season 6 as a backpacker in the woods.
Previously in "American Horror Story: Roanoke," Audrey (Sarah Paulson) and Lee (Adina Porter) were able to escape the Polk family and have returned to the Roanoke house. They find Dominic (Cuba Gooding Jr.) with Shelby's (Lily Rabe) dead body and blame him for her death, but she actually slit her own throat out of guilt for killing Matt (Andre Holland). Audrey and Lee decide to lock out Dominic, where he took a hit from the Piggy Man and was killed.
Audrey and Lee were getting ready to leave the house, but Lee convinced the former to return to the Polk farm to get rid of the evidence that they killed Mama Polk. Just as they were about to leave the house, Dylan shows up dressed as the Piggy Man. Why Dylan has shown up and why he was dressed up as the Piggy Man is a mystery.
It is possible that he was originally sent by the producers of "Roanoke: Return to Hell" to bring horror into the docuseries, but how he has survived after the ongoing slaughter around the house is also a mystery.
Meanwhile, the long anticipated return of Taissa Farmiga is expected to happen in the upcoming ninth episode of "American Horror Story: Roanoke."
Farmiga is expected to portray a backpacker in the woods, and she will be introduced along with two others who stumble upon the Roanoke house. As seen from the episode promo, one of the backpackers is a girl with long hair similar to Farmiga's.
According to Vanity Fair, the series' addition of a group of backpackers is a homage to the movie "Blair Witch Project," where found footage tells the story of three backpackers travelling to a small town to make a documentary about the legendary murderer Blair Witch.
"American Horror Story: Roanoke" airs every Wednesday at 10 p.m. EDT on FX.
PHOENIX -- With the fate of legalized marijuana in doubt, supporters and foes of Proposition 205 are amassing cash for a last-minute blitz to convince voters.
A new poll of 550 Arizonans conducted this past Tuesday and Wednesday finds the ballot measure leading -- but only slightly.
Of those questioned, 48 percent said they are likely to support the initiative, with 47 percent opposed and the balance undecided. Pollster George Khalaf who conducted the survey for Data Orbital, a Phoenix based consulting firm, said that difference is statistically insignificant, being well within the 4.1 percentage point margin of error.
With victory on the issue clearly within the grasp of either side, both are raising lots of last-minute cash to close the deal.
Reports analyzed by Capitol Media Services shows that the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has more than $5.2 million. More than $2 million of that has been donated in the last six weeks.
For the foes, the late infusion is more striking.
As of Sept. 19, Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy had collected less than $1.9 million. But since that time it has secured additional donations of more than $4.4 million.
Both sides can boast some major donors.
The Marijuana Policy Project and its separate foundation have put in close to $1.6 million, both to pay circulators to get the measure on the ballot and to promote it to voters.
There's also $410,000 from Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, a California firm that makes cleaning products, including those that use hemp oil. But the company says various restrictions on growing hemp -- essentially a version of marijuana without the psychoactive ingredients -- have forced it to look elsewhere for supplies.
This isn't the first outing for the company, which says it donated money to previous successful legalization initiatives in Colorado and Washington.
There also was a $350,000 donation just days ago from Drug Policy Action which advocates for reform of drug laws.
On the other side of the fight, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been the main source of dollars, putting in close to $1.5 million to keep recreational use of marijuana illegal in Arizona.
But Discount Tire has contributed another $1 million on top of that. It is a private company owned by Paradise Valley resident Bruce Halle. Forbes pegged the 86-year-old Halle's net worth Friday at $6 billion. And the tire chain has more than 900 stores in 31 states with estimated annual revenues of $4.2 billion.
There also is $500,000 from Nevada casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and an identical amount from Insys Therapeutics, a Chandler firm that manufactures a spray opiate for pain relief and is seeking to market a non-psychoactive version of marijuana that could be prescribed by doctors.
Hanging in the balance of what happens Tuesday is who will be able to buy and use marijuana.
A 2010 initiative, also financed by the Marijuana Policy Project, allows those with certain medical conditions and a doctor's recommendation to obtain a card from the state Department of Health Services as a registered user. That card entitles individuals to obtain up to 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana every two weeks from one of approximately 90 state-licensed dispensaries.
Proposition 205 would extend the right to buy and use the drug to any adult, albeit with a limit of one ounce at any one time.
It also would expand the number of places where marijuana could be sold to 147 through 2020. And existing dispensary owners would have first dibs on those new permits.
Much of the campaign to date has been focused on what has happened in Colorado where voters approved legalization for recreational use four years ago.
There are various claims of whether use of marijuana by teens, who are not legally permitted to have the drug there, has increased since 2012. Much of the conclusion depends on which report is cited and what starting date is used for comparison.
Proponents of the Arizona initiative point out that Proposition 205 would raise additional money in taxes for schools. But, here too, there are conflicting claims about how much reached individual schools in Colorado.
According to Data Orbital, 455 of those questioned said they were extremely likely to vote in this election with another 88 very likely.
Before US Election, Pope Francis Condemns Politics Of Fear
Pope Francis hit out against the politics of fear in a speech that touched on the crucial themes of the US presidential election without actually mentioning it.
Speaking at the Vatican at the weekend, he urged social activists to build bridges instead of walls, in a clear reference to Donald Trump's pledge to build a wall between the US and Mexico: "Because fear as well as being a good deal for the merchants of arms and death weakens and destabilises us, destroys our psychological and spiritual defences, numbs us to the suffering of others," he said.
He continued: "In the end, it makes us cruel."
Francis reiterated his plea for a more generous response to the global refugee crisis, which he blamed on "an unjust socio-economic system and wars". "No one should be forced to flee their homeland," he said.
Trump has previously pledged to ban all Muslims from entering the US. Furthermore, he said when accepting the Republican nomination that the country "must immediately suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism until such time it's proven that vetting mechanisms have been put in place".
Pope Francis said the refugee crisis was "a problem of the world" and urged political leaders to do more.
He said on Saturday that Christians should not give in to the temptation to build walls, even in the face of "hateful and cowardly attacks". He said that "mercy is the best antidote against fear" and that it "is much more effective than walls, that barbed wire fences, than alarms and arms, and it is free. It is the gift of God."
Francis said: "Dear brothers and sisters, all walls fall."
Cardinal Nichols Praises Gaza Christians: 'Their Faith Is Strong'
The Catholic Archbishop of Westminster visited Gaza on Sunday, praising the region's tiny Christian population for their faith.
Cardinal Nichols, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, went to the war-torn strip hoping to give a spiritual boost for the few Christians that remain. After nearly 10 years of Hamas rule, the number of Christians in the coastal enclave has plummeted from more than 3,000 to just 1,200 now.
"There've always been Christians here. Their numbers are small, but I believe their faith is strong," he said.
Nichols celebrated Mass at the Holy Family Church on Sunday and asked the Virgin Mary to "pray for the protection" for Christians in Gaza.
The President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales was appointed Archbishop of Westminster in 2009 and admitted as a Cardinal in 2014.
Later that year he visited Gaza for the first time after the 50-day war between Israel and Hamas. More than 2,200 Palestinians including 100s of civilians were killed, according to UN figures. In Israel 66 soldiers and seven civilians were killed in the fighting.
Nichols said on Sunday he saw "some signs of rebuilding, there is an awful lot of damage that is still untouched."
"The whole world is worried about the stability of the Middle East," where both Christians and Muslims "are persecuted and murdered by the extremists," he said.
Christian Children Forced to Wear Hijab, Beaten for Refusing to Recite Quran in Egypt Schools
Christian children are being forced to recite the Quran in schools across Egypt. Christian schoolgirls are also now being required to wear the Muslim headscarf, just like their Muslim schoolmates.
Punishments, including expulsion from school, await those who could not comply, the Express reported.
"No girl can show up with her hair showing. They all have to wear the hijab," the Express quoted 12-year-old Muslim schoolgirl Rahman Salem as saying.
In one school, the head teacher posted a large sign saying that Islam dress is now part of the girls' uniform.
More stringent punishments await children who could not recite the Quran by heart, the source said.
Viola Samir, a 7-year-old Christian student, said her Islamic religious studies teacher held back eight Christian students in her class of 35 and beat the students that did not know the Quran by heart.
Samir has also been punished by her teacher, her father told World Watch Monitor.
"When my daughter told the teacher that the extra texts were not part of the Arabic curriculum which all students have to learn, she was severely punished by her teacher," the girl's father was quoted as saying.
A boy from another school in Egypt was also reportedly punished by his teacher after he failed to recite certain verses from the Quran, according to the boy's father.
The unidentified father said his son was first caned on the back of his hands. The boy was then forced to stand "with his face to the board and both arms up in the air for the entire length of the lesson."
In another incident, a Christian student was pinned down by his classmates while his teacher beat him.
"The teacher made the other students pin down my son as he gave him the bastinado, caning him on his bare feet. It seems only Christians are given this punishment," the boy's father said.
All of the parents interviewed said their children now hate going to school and are often absent because they are now scared of bullying from the teachers and the other students.
Christians To Fast Ahead Of US Election
Churches across America are urged to hold a national day of prayer and fasting ahead of voting on Tuesday.
The conservative American Family Association urged Christians to join together on Monday evening to pray that God would "heal our broken land". The traditionally Republican-leaning group has previously described the decision as a "wretched" one.
"It is time that we, as Christians, recognise our need to repent of our own wickedness and cry out to the Lord for forgiveness," said AFA President Tim Wildmon in a Facebook post on Sunday.
"We should heed the voice of President Lincoln. He was the man who steered our nation through its greatest crisis, and he knew that God was the only one who could save us," the group added on its website.
It is not clear whether Lincoln was a Christian and he is more often considered a deist or an atheist than a believer.
The call came as Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, completed his Decision America Tour across 50 states. He insisted he was "not telling anyone who to vote for", adding: "God can do that."
Graham's daughter, Cissie Graham Lynch, has openly backed Republican Donald Trump because of his promise to appoint pro-life justices to defend religious freedom at the Supreme Court.
Although Franklin has not openly endorsed any candidate he made his priorities clear in his final call before polling day.
"The biggest impact this election will have on our nation is who the next president appoints to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court. This will affect the course of America for decades to come. Right now the court is divided," he wrote.
"The next president will immediately appoint one justice and could appoint several more during his or her term.
"If liberal, progressive judges are appointed, our religious freedoms and our standards of morality will be under attack, and the consequences for America will be grave."
He also encouraged voters to not "overlook the second person on the team and what his values are". Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence is seen as a more palatable choice than the New York billionaire to many evangelicals.
Clinton's running mate is a Catholic but has supported abortion in public policy even if he disagrees privately.
"We need a Christian revolution in America," Graham wrote, asking followers to pray for the victor "no matter who wins".
Clinton Starts Final Campaigning Day With Boost From FBI
Democrat Hillary Clinton heads into the final day of a tight White House race against Republican Donald Trump on Monday with new momentum after the FBI's announcement that no criminal charges were forthcoming in the probe of her email practices.
Both Clinton and Trump will spend the day racing across a handful of key battleground states that could swing Tuesday's election, which polls show is extremely close but tilting toward Clinton.
FBI Director James Comey sent shockwaves through the race by telling Congress on Sunday that investigators had worked "around the clock" to complete a review of newly discovered emails and found no reason to change their July finding that Clinton was not guilty of criminal wrongdoing in her use of a private email server while secretary of state.
Whether the announcement came in time to change minds or undo any damage from days of Republican attacks on Clinton as corrupt was uncertain. Tens of millions of Americans had cast early votes in the 10 days since Comey first told Congress of the newly discovered emails.
Clinton's Democratic allies hoped the FBI finding would be enough to push her over the finish line and end the uncertainty and Republican attacks on her character that dogged her campaign for the last 10 days.
"The FBI's swift and thorough review should finally close the door on this Republican sideshow," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said, adding the election would now be decided "on the merits of the candidates" rather than innuendo.
But Republicans kept up their criticism of Clinton despite Comey's announcement.
"She simply believes she's above the law and always plays by her own rules," House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement, arguing that Clinton's use of a private email server "compromised our national security".
US stock index futures rose more than one per cent after the FBI announcement and the US dollar also strengthened in Asian trading against major currencies.
Markets have tended to see Clinton as the status quo candidate, and news favouring her bid often boosts investors' risk appetite. Global financial markets slipped last week as opinion polls showed the presidential race tightening.
Clinton did not mention the FBI finding during her last two campaign events on Sunday, but Trump was blunt in questioning the thoroughness of the renewed probe and saying the issue would not go away.
"The investigation will go on, the rank-and-file special agents won't let her get away with her terrible crimes," he told supporters in Sterling Heights, Michigan, on Sunday night.
Trump will hit five battleground states today Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Michigan and close with a late-night rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Clinton will make two stops in Pennsylvania and visit Michigan before wrapping up with a midnight rally in Raleigh, North Carolina. Earlier, she will appear at an evening rally at Philadelphia's Independence Hall with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, as well as rock star Bruce Springsteen.
News of the renewed probe had appeared to fuel a recent slide in Clinton's poll numbers. The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Clinton with a five percentage point lead over the New York businessman nationally 44 per cent to 39 per cent support while races in the swing states of Florida and North Carolina shifted from favouring Clinton to being too close to call.
Ebola One Year On: Sierra Leone's Children Are Still Suffering
A year ago today, Sierra Leone was declared Ebola free, but thousands of children orphaned by the virus are still suffering immense difficulties.
Mariatu, now 16, lives in Freetown with her two younger brothers, aged 12 and nine. She became the head of her household when their parents both died after contracting Ebola.
"My mother attended a funeral service of a neighbour who died [of Ebola], when she came back she said that she felt feverish. My father accompanied her to the hospital. She died and my father came back to the house. A week later he started to vomit," she told UK NGO Street Child.
"He advised us not to go near him and he stayed in my mother's room, we went to stay with a friend of theirs. My brother passed by the window of my father's room and saw him dead inside. A burial team came to take him away. Until this day we don't know where he and my mother are buried."
After Mariatu's father died, she and her brothers were forced to leave the family home because the landlord was afraid of them passing on the disease, but they have since moved back.
"I do petty trading to try and support both my brothers through school but it is very hard to raise the money for fees, books and uniforms. I also do all the cooking in the house. We receive support from no-one, not even the community. We have aunts and uncles but they don't care and they don't help us," she said.
"I want to be somebody, I want to finish school and become a soldier. I also really want my brothers to finish education and get well paid jobs. I get on very well with both my brothers, we look after each other".
Mariatu is just one of more than 12,000 children orphaned by Ebola, which killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa between 2014 and 2015.
She and her brothers are now being helped by Street Child, but the NGO today warned that many others are still suffering alone.
"Whilst there has been some welcome recovery for many Ebola impacted families and thousands of orphans have been helped by Street Child and others, some of the most at-risk orphans are still in acute conditions," said Street Child CEO Tom Dannatt.
"We should celebrate that the Ebola epidemic is over but we must recognise that for the most complex and vulnerable cases, the crisis certainly isn't. In fact in many ways it is at its most dangerous because international support and interest has largely moved on."
In addition to orphaned children looking after siblings alone, often having to drop out of school to do so, another major concern is teenage mothers who fell pregnant after exchanging sex for food during and in the aftermath of the Ebola crisis. The UN Development Programme estimates that teenage pregnancy rose by up to 65 per cent in some communities, and a total of 18,119 teenage girls became pregnant during the outbreak.
Sierra Leone is also now suffering a food crisis. The price of a bag of rice a staple food in the country has more than doubled since 2014, while wages have stagnated.
A report published last week by UN food agencies and the Sierra Leone government warned that half the population more than 3.5 million people are facing food shortages.
"The double kick from Ebola and then the collapse of its main commodity, iron ore, means that the post-Ebola celebrations ended long ago," Dannatt said.
"A collapsed economy that's no longer propped up by the aid given during and immediately after Ebola means that life is very hard for everyone. If economic recovery does not happen soon, more parents will struggle to send their children to school, more families will go hungry and more girls will be forced to sell their bodies to get by."
Street Child is now running a programme to help teenage mothers return to education, and has provided 8,000 households impacted by Ebola with support including food packages, school fees and business grants.
More than 5,500 orphaned children have been helped to return to school, and the NGO is aiming to provide another 20,000 children with the same support.
"At least three-quarters of Ebola impacted families have had significant support from Street Child and others since the epidemic but what we have been able to do has not been enough for the toughest and most complex cases child-headed households, grand-parent headed households, households where the numbers of children now run into double-figures. We recently identified 1,400 seriously at-risk Ebola orphans who need significant extra support but to do that we urgently need to raise more funds," Dannatt said.
"Sierra Leone has faced so much tragedy with the civil war followed by Ebola. It is heartbreaking to see the recovery stunted by an economic crisis. The children of Sierra Leone deserve a better future. It is vital that the international community does not turn away yet."
To find out more about Street Child's work in Sierra Leone, visit www.street-child.co.uk.
Is An Earthquake Really A Sign Of God's Wrath?
The Catholic priest who blamed Italy's recent earthquakes on gay marriage has doubled down on his assertions in a radio interview.
Fr Giovanni Cavalcoli said at the weekend that "human sins, such as civil unions" were behind the earthquakes that have killed hundreds, made thousands homeless and destroyed historic churches and monuments that were hundreds of years old.
The Vatican distanced itself from his comments, saying the idea God sought revenge through inflicting natural disasters was a "pagan vision" dating from "the pre-Christian era". Archbishop Angelo Becciu said Cavalcoli's comments were "offensive to believers and disgraceful for non-believers".
But Cavalcoli has competition. According to Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Ayoub Kara, the quakes were divine punishment for Italy's abstention on a UNESCO resolution about the status of Jerusalem's holy sites.
And this does neatly highlight one of the problems with the whole God-punishes-humans-with-earthquakes view. It is a very blunt instrument. How are we to know exactly the sins God has taken exception to? Is it UNESCO or gay marriage? Or is it a different sin altogether, which no one has noticed?
A bigger problem, however, is not the competition for the causative sins, but the the things God apparently overlooks. John Hagee thought gay marriage was behind Hurricane Katrina; Pat Robertson thought Ariel Sharon's stroke was because he evacuated illegal settlements from Gaza. Former congresswoman Michele Bachmann also prophesied national disasters because of President Obama's foreign policy regarding Israel.
But what about the things human beings get away with? Why didn't God judge America when it was lynching black people with impunity instead of waiting until there was gay marriage? It all seems a bit random.
And that's the problem: there is no credible connectionion between bad things happening in the natural world like an earthquake and bad things being done in the human world. The connections people make are invented. At its best, this is because when something terrible happens we look desperately for a reason, an explanation that assures us that somehow God is in control. At its worst, it's because people use natural disasters to promote their own political and theological agenda. The one is excusable; the other isn't.
Does God inflict natural disasters on human beings? The best example in the Bible is the story of Noah, when most of the whole human race is judged with a great flood. But that is a very long way from using that story to back up our own pet causes and suggesting God is sending earthquakes to show His disapproval of same-sex marriage. The later biblical testimony is that God cares about each individual.
In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus tells his followers about two tragedies, one a massacre of Galileans by Pilate, another the collapse of a tower which killed 18 people. His point is that they weren't singled out because they were worse than anyone else: they died because they were mortal. And, he says, "Unless you repent, you too will all perish": everyone is under judgment and everyone is vulnerable, so everyone should turn to God in repentance and faith.
If these natural disasters tell us anything beyond the obvious build your houses earthquake-proof, invest in tsunami early warning systems, keep your flood defences in good repair it's that life is terribly fragile and we can't assume that tomorrow is going to be like today. Each of us needs to live prepared to face God at any time, ready to give an account of how we are using the time we have been given.
Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
Is The Church's Mission Falling Apart?
Mission is front and centre on the Church's agenda. It is hard to find a growing church these days that is running only for its members. Most churches I come across are seeking to serve the communities they have access to. But I have noticed some competing trends that could tear the Church's mission apart.
People and Programmes
Churches are running programmes such as Foodbanks, Street Pastors, Alpha, Christians Against Poverty (CAP), Mums and Toddlers groups, English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes, parenting classes and many other creative ways of engaging with their communities. We are increasingly active outside of our circle of friends both in evangelism and in social justice. Here we see integration at work.
Yet there is a disintegrating tendency at work too. In many churches there is a disconnect between the programmes and the congregation. This works at two levels. Firstly, fewer church members are now available to help run these events as more people work full time, so programmes are often run by paid staff. Secondly, those people who attended the ESOL classes or financial support groups rarely turn up to our services. If they did would we even know what to do with them? And so for all our programmes there is still the challenge of relational integration.
Church leaders often feel the pressure of providing the kind of church experience that is expected by those who faithfully attend, and financially support, their churches. Our regular punters want excellent children's ministry, high quality music, and engaging biblical preaching. But our visiting community members may have different criteria. Some churches solve the 'problem' by running alternative services for those who come from difficult backgrounds. Other churches have worked hard at integration although it's messy and complicated and it doesn't plot well on a church growth chart. Building relational bridges between the congregation and the community can be difficult. Many people commute to church and so have very little relational connection to the neighbourhood where the church is. Some people are busy at work and prefer to give money instead of time to help the needy and they really don't expect to have much to do with them apart from that.
Stephen Whittington, a church pastor in Hull, raised the question at a recent Jubilee Plus conference: "Are we running a church for the poor or are we just running church projects?" Sadly, the two often don't overlap.
Gospel and Justice
Despite many of our churches being active in evangelism and engaging with poverty, the connection between poverty and our gospel is often tenuous. Justice is often not theologically attached to the core of our message. In fact, it is so tangentially connected that some churches sever it completely. Many Christians still argue that social justice is a distraction from gospel ministry. They point to examples of mission agencies and indeed churches that have shown an interest in social justice and have ended up theologically liberal or uninterested in evangelism. They point out that involvement in social justice ministry is a softer option because our culture will cheer us on, while the important work of evangelism is declining as our culture is increasingly nervous of the idea of conversion. These conservative Christians raise a fair point, even if it reveals a skewed understanding of the gospel.
Think about the last evangelistic talk or course you were part of was caring for the poor part of the message? Caring for the poor has become such an optional extra that I can't think of the last time I saw it included in the curriculum of an evangelistic course or as part of an evangelistic presentation. Yet Jesus spent the bulk of his time with the poor: he preached good news to them, and challenged his followers to care for them.
So who are we to separate what God has joined together? Caring for the needy and vulnerable is an essential part of Christian devotion. We cannot divorce the good news of the gospel from the good works of the Kingdom either because of fear of the culture or due to a misreading of Scripture. As long as our gospel remains incomplete our discipleship will remain incomplete too. We need to look again to Jesus who preached and lived a body and soul gospel, where people always won over projects.
Now and Then
Most churches I know use either Alpha or Christianity Explored as their central evangelistic tool. Both have recently invested a lot of money in upgrading their videos, and both work on a similar premise: the gospel is best communicated through a drip feed of the Bible, stories and the opportunity to ask questions. They both offer a community-based dialogical and relational approach to evangelism. Both have been very successful. Both have begun to internationalise. Both work on the premise that Christians have a circle of friends who may be interested in Christianity and through a relational bridge can be invited to explore the faith further. Both emphasise what we could call a 'process approach' to evangelism a gradual introduction to the Christian faith.
Over the past couple of years we have seen alternative approaches to evangelism. The healing on the streets phenomenon encouraged people to go out in their neighbourhoods and find people to pray for. There is currently an approach to evangelism taking place on the streets of Reading, Liverpool and Southampton where Christians are encouraged to approach strangers and ask them a series of questions which leads to a presentation of the gospel. Participants report hundreds of people converting, and some are using the word revival to account for what has happened.
From what I can understand, this approach to evangelism has seen more fruit when done with strangers than with family members and work colleagues. Indeed, the less relationship present the more effective the approach seems to be. No practical help is offered, no needs are being met, except that of their eternal destiny. This is as far from the process approach as is possible we could call it a crisis approach to evangelism.
How are we supposed to understand this disintegration in mission between the crisis and the process while praising the integration of evangelism back into our mainline ministries? What is our stand on the dichotomy between the faithful presence in the community verses the immediate conversion of strangers? Surely our gospel needs to account for both.
Jesus talked about an invisible slow and steady growth of the Kingdom, like a mustard seed or yeast working through dough. Yet he also demonstrated transformative encounters with strangers and outcasts. We need the reintegration of crisis and process, but also to recognise that we cannot allow the crisis approach to evangelism to act as a short-circuit to the long-term relational investment that authenticates our gospel witness. We cannot allow for the process and crisis to fall apart.
Programmes and Commitment
Volunteering once a fortnight on a rota to help the poor is praiseworthy. It is more than many people do. It may be enough to open our eyes to the great needs of our communities, and inspire us to act and advocate on behalf of the vulnerable. However, a rota slot should not be confused with a life of service. We need to give people onramps to engage with poverty and injustice but we need to be careful not to confuse the onramps for the thing itself. It's like confusing the wedding for a marriage: it's an important rite of passage, but it's not the whole journey. What we do in church services or on Friday nights is important but should not be confused with true worship of God. Short-term mission should not be confused with the mission of the Church.
As a cross-cultural missionary, I was often shocked by the sanctuaries we made of our own homes. While we worked with families who were crowded into small, basic apartments, we would go home to what would seem to be our relocated American or British residences with all their mod cons. Outside the home we would be missionaries, not afraid to get our hands dirty. But then we would come home to recharge and would lock the doors behind us. I was also shocked when we occasionally saw the opposite approach: a missionary who was prepared to live like and with the people they were reaching. This integrated approach inevitably reaped much more fruit.
Mission is ontology. It's a way of being in the world not a temporary activity we engage in. It's more than a programme, more than a hobby, more than something we do with a segment of our lives. It's a permanent posture towards our world and our God. Jesus is the Son sent into the world to serve the Father all the time. Like a stick of rock, Christ is mission all the way through wherever you cut him he bleeds the compassion and grace of God. So must we, as living sacrifices. We need to live out our commitment to the people we are reaching out to, above our commitment to the projects themselves.
We still celebrate the instant over the long-term, the miraculous over the mundane, the crisis over the process, the body over the soul, at our peril. We need a gospel that is big enough to cope with the complexity of life in order to live lives of faithfulness to our God.
Dr Krish Kandiah is a theologian, author and the founding director of Home for Good, a charity seeking to find loving homes for children in the care system. Follow him on Twitter @krishk.
ISIS Forced Back In Both Iraq And Syria As Twin Campaigns Continue
An ISIS-held town outside Mosul was stormed by Kurdish peshmerga troops today as Iraqi forces waged a tough urban war in the city's eastern suberbs.
The operation against the Iraqi stronghold has entered its fourth week. Despite limited advance in Iraq, fighters in Syria began an offensive targeting ISIS' base in the city of Raqqa.
An alliance of US-backed Kurdish and Arab groups launched the campaign for Raqqa, where ISIS has been dug in for nearly three years, with an assault on territory about 50km to the north which they have dubbed Euphrates Anger.
The battle for Raqqa will be every bit as challenging as the one for Mosul, with both cities carrying huge strategic and symbolic value to the jihadists and their self-declared caliphate covering territory in both Syria and Iraq.
The Iraqi operation, involving a 100,000-strong alliance of troops, security forces, Kurdish peshmerga and Shi'ite militias, backed by US-led air strikes and a global consensus against the jihadis, has so far gained just a small foothold in Mosul.
The Raqqa campaign, launched amid a complex civil war in Syria which has divided world powers, is not coordinated with President Bashar al-Assad or the Syrian army. The Kurdish element of SDF groups fighting towards Raqqa also makes them an unlikely force to recapture the Arab city.
"It is difficult to put a time frame on the operation at present. The battle will not be easy," a Syrian Kurdish source told Reuters.
In Bashiqa, some 15km from Mosul, the first waves of a 2,000-strong peshmerga force entered the town on foot and in armored vehicles or Humvees.
Artillery earlier pounded the town, which lies on the Nineveh plains at the foot of a mountain.
"Our aim is to take control and clear out all the Daesh (ISIS) militants," Lieutenant-Colonel Safeen Rasoul told Reuters. "Our estimates are there are about 100 still left and 10 suicide cars."
ISIS fighters have sought to slow the offensive on their Mosul stronghold with waves of suicide car bomb attacks. Iraqi commanders say there have been 100 on the eastern front and 140 in the south.
A top Kurdish official told Reuters on Sunday that the jihadists had also deployed drones strapped with explosives, long-range artillery shells filled with chlorine gas and mustard gas and trained snipers.
In eastern districts of Mosul, which Iraqi special forces broke into last week, officers say jihadists melted into the population, ambushing and isolating troops in what the special forces spokesman called the world's "toughest urban warfare".
Mosul, the largest ISIS-controlled city in either Iraq or Syria, has been held by the group since its fighters drove the army out of northern Iraq in June 2014. The campaign to retake it is the most complex military operation in Iraq since the 2003 US invasion which toppled Saddam Hussein.
Twin offensives on Raqqa and Mosul could bring to an end the self-styled caliphate declared by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque in 2014.
Baghdadi, whose whereabouts are unknown but who is believed to be in northern Iraq close to the Syrian border, has told his followers there can be no retreat in a "total war" with their enemies.
The militants in Mosul have been waging a fierce and brutal defense, although they have lost ground on all fronts outside the city itself.
To the south of Mosul, security forces said they had recaptured and secured the town of Hammam al-Alil from Islamic State fighters, who they said had kept thousands of residents as human shields as well as marching many others alongside retreating militants towards Mosul as cover from air strikes.
The United Nations has warned of a possible exodus of hundreds of thousands of refugees from a city which is still home to up to 1.5 million people. So far 34,000 have been displaced, the International Organisation for Migration said.
Many of those still in Mosul feel trapped, including those in districts which the army entered last week.
"We still can't go out of our houses... mortars are falling continuously on the quarter," a resident of the Quds neighborhood on the eastern edge of the city told Reuters by telephone on Sunday.
Security forces on the southern front have continued their advance, reaching within four km of Mosul's airport, on the southern edge of the city and on the western bank of the Tigris River which runs through its centre.
To the north, a military statement said the army's Sixteenth Infantry Division had also recaptured the village of Bawiza and entered another area, Sada, on the city's northern limits, further tightening the circle of forces around Islamic State.
Shi'ite militias known as Popular Mobilisation forces are also fighting to the west of Mosul to seal the routes to the Islamic State-held town of Tal Afar and its territory in neighboring Syria, to prevent any retreat or reinforcement.
Additional reporting from Reuters.
New Chaplain To The Archbishop Of Canterbury Appointed
The Archbishop of Canterbury has appointed a new chaplain, it was announced on Monday.
Revd Isabelle Hamley will oversee the development of the Archbishop's priority of prayer and the renewal of religious life, especially through the Community of St Anselm, in addition to her duties as chaplain.
The St Anselm Community is a monastic-style year-long programme based at Lambeth Palace and focused on prayer and service to the poor.
"I am delighted to welcome Isabelle to the team at Lambeth," Archbishop Justin Welby said.
"The Chaplain is a central part of life here, supporting the Archbishop and the family, maintaining the rhythms of worship and prayer and providing pastoral support for the community who live and work here.
"Isabelle comes to us highly commended by her diocese where she has served in several ministry roles, lay and ordained, in university, college and parish. She brings a pastoral heart, a spiritual richness and a rigorous theological understanding to what is a demanding role. We look forward to welcoming her, husband Paul and daughter Aelwen to London and life at Lambeth."
Originally from France, Hamley is currently a tutor in Biblical Studies at St John's College, Nottingham and associate priest in the parish of Edwalton. She will take up her new role in January.
"I am delighted with the opportunity to join the Lambeth team in supporting the work of the Archbishop. It is a privilege to join such a rich and diverse working environment, bringing my experience in parish, chaplaincy and theological education. I look forward to getting to know all those who work and live at Lambeth and enabling prayer to be the beating heart of our life together," she said.
Hamley became a British citizen only recently. During the process, she was asked: "Who is the Archbishop of Canterbury and where does he live?"
A new bakery is among expansion plans for Lidls store in Norbury, South London.
The retailer has applied to Croydon Council for permission to add a 120 sq m extension to the store. This will be filled with a selection of freshly baked goods and an enhanced range of bakery products, according to the application.
Lidl has improved its bakery facilities across a number of stores in Scotland, including Dalry, North Ayrshire and Penicuik over the past few months.
Chris Young-Wootton, Lidl UKs regional head of property, said: "We are always looking at ways to improve our existing portfolio of stores.
"Weve seen incredible demand in the Norbury store so have decided to take this step to increase our bakery offering in order to enhance the shopping experience for our customers."
More than six million British shoppers are visiting Lidl stores each week, said the retailer, half a million more a week than in 2015.
Lidls share of UK grocery sales rose to 4.6% in the 12 weeks to 9 October this year, according to Kantar Worldpanel, up from 4.3% in the same period in 2015.
Pastor John Piper Says Christians Are 'Not Bound' to Vote
Pastor John Piper, founder of Desiring God, believes that Christians are "not bound" to vote because their allegiance belongs to God above all else.
Piper shared this message at Bethel College and Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota on Wednesday, according to The Christian Post.
Many evangelicals have been urging Christians to vote for the "lesser of two evils" between presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton this Tuesday, Nov. 8.
However, Piper believes they need not feel compelled to do so.
"[God's] children are free! Free from human institutions. As citizens of heaven, we are not bound in every situation to participate in the processes of human government. We are not bound! This is not our homeland!" he said. "We vote if we vote because the Lord of our homeland commissions us to vote, and He does not absolutise this act above all other considerations of Christian witness!"
Evangelicals have been using the Bible verse 1 Peter 2:13, which reads: "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution," to get people to vote. But Piper explained that it is "blind" for citizens of heaven to display their allegiance to the values of another world and all their human engagements.
At the same time, Piper argued that the usage of the verse in voting is blind to "the radical freedom of the children of God from the inherent authority of human processes and government and institutions."
He clarified that he is not saying Christians are bound not to vote, since they are free to do so if they wish. Piper added that Christians are "free to hear the voice of their Master about the best way to witness to His supremacy."
But personally, he would not be voting for either Trump or Clinton "unless a supernatural intervention of cataclysmic proportions happens in the next seven days with profound transformation."
"Then I might consider it," he asserted.
Protests After San Diego Church Told The Devil Is Working Through Clinton
Protests have erupted in San Diego after a church bulletin suggested that the devil is working through Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the suggestion came in an article in the weekly bulletin for the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church on October 30.
It prompted demonstrations at the church this weekend and calls for the church's priest, Father Richard Perozich, to be removed from office.
One protestor told NBC 7: "I don't think any leader should be telling anyone how to vote. It really comes down to the individual and their conscience how they want to vote."
Another demonstrator, Father Dermot Rogers - a pastor from a church not affiliated with the Catholic diocese - said voters should "not be influenced by religious organisations or by churches".
"This is a violation of the great principle of separation of church and state. A pillar upon which our democracy is built and this is an egregious, egregious violation of that principle," he said.
Perozich, meanwhile, defended the article. "The fact that people from other Catholic parishes, other faith communities, or other non-religious wish to comment would be an exercise of their free speech, the very exercise they are trying to deny me because it does not fit their agenda," he told NBC 7.
"I will continue to guide my flock to live out their faith in Jesus."
The article follows a previous controversy on October 16, when a flier was inserted into the church's bulletin warning that parishioners who voted Democrat risked "descending into Hell".
"It is a mortal sin to vote Democrat... immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell," it said.
Perozich said this flier was inserted by a group not affiliated with the church, and he did not agree with their claims.
Bishop of San Diego, Robert McElroy, said in a statement: "It is contrary to Catholic teaching to state that voting for a Democrat or Republican automatically condemns the voter to hell".
He urged Catholics to consult a statement written by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops on "the substantive implications of Catholic faith for the current election".
"Pray about the vote that you are going to make, and then in conscience select the candidates whom you are going to vote for in this very difficult year," he said.
These Heartbreaking Photos Of Syrian Refugees Reveal The Human Impact Of War
Ammouna and her family sit in front of a black fabric backdrop, typical of a studio photograph.
Except this isn't a classic family portrait. Behind them, a refugee camp is visible, and an empty chair sits beside Ammouna's. It represents that her father is missing the family were forced to leave him behind when they fled to Lebanon from Syria.
The portrait, from a series shot in 2015 entitled Lost Family Portraits, is among images featured in this year's World Press Photo Exhibition at London's Royal Festival Hall.
The series was devised in collaboration with creative agency M & C Saatchi and award-winning photographer Dario Mitidieri as part of Catholic aid agency CAFOD's Syrian Refugee Crisis Appeal. It highlights the plight of Syrian refugee families in Lebanon's Bekka Valley who have lost a loved one symbolised by empty chairs or unfilled arms.
Another photo shows 44-year-old Khawle and her three children. "It took us three days to get here," she recalled. "The bus dropped us on the mountain and we had to walk the rest of the way."
Khawle's 11-year-old daughter, who has a learning disability, was beaten so badly by armed men that she couldn't move for days.
Sadly, Khawle's youngest child was left behind with her mother. "I couldn't bring all the members of my family with me... The bombs stopped us from being together," she said.
"Children are sad here, there is nothing for them to do, and there is no means for me to earn money.
"Perhaps we might stay like this for the rest of our lives. I don't have anything to be happy for, just to live like this, here in our tent. I feel sad to be here without all my children."
Of the portrait, she added: "A photograph speaks of family happiness, everyone smiling together. This photograph is full of tears."
Mahmoud, 35, lost his wife when a missile struck their home. Two weeks later, he and his daughters fled as more bombs rained on their town. "I knew we had to leave. I told the girls to come with me and we left with nothing just the clothes we were dressed in," he said.
The loss of their mother has deeply affected the whole family. Mahmoud's youngest daughter, Rama, is struggling at school, and has shrapnel embedded in her arm from a recent airstrike.
"We are so sad and in a bad way. We're alive, but we have nothing," Mahmoud said.
"I worry about my daughters' futures. What do they have? They tell me, 'We have no future', but I tell them, 'The war will end soon.' We have to pray for this."
CAFOD hopes to reveal the emotional impact of the Syrian conflict on the hundreds of thousands of people who have been forced to flee their homes since the war began in 2011.
"Lost Family Portraits is a challenging and thought provoking statement highlighting the human cost of war," said Nana Anto-Awuakye, head of world news at CAFOD.
"The unrelenting nature of the conflict in Syria is heart-breaking to behold but it is absolutely crucial aid agencies continue to find innovative ways to keep this issue at the forefront of public consciousness.
"We are pleased that Lost Family Portraits has been recognised for its impact and would encourage the public to visit the exhibition."
Mitidieri praised CAFOD for its commitment to supporting Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
"My biggest thank you goes to the families, who despite their unimaginable tragedies, and fear of repercussions, agreed to tell their stories and be photographed with such dignity and courage," he added at the exhibition's private launch.
The World Press Photo Exhibition is free, and is open now until November 21.
Tim Farron Slams Theresa May For Wishing Trump 'Good Luck'
Tim Farron has slammed Theresa May for wishing both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump "good luck" in the US presidential election.
The Prime Minister's spokesman was asked if May had any message for the two candidates ahead of polling day on Tuesday. "I think the Prime Minister would wish them both good luck," said her spokesman. Number 10 said there was no favouritism and repeated its line that the vote was "a matter for the voters of America".
But Liberal Democrat leader Farron, who is an evangelical Christian, jumped on the statement.
"Donald Trump is not just mad and bad but he's also dangerous. Why would you wish him luck? I have never seen anyone so unworthy of the office of the Presidency in history," he said, according to the Huffington Post.
"He is a nasty misogynist and woefully under prepared for the immense responsibility that comes with sitting in the Oval Office.
"I am worried that millions of people will vote for him this week. The party of Abraham Lincoln is now the party of Donald Trump."
Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader and Scottish First Minister, also defied the traditional convention of not commenting on US elections.
"I have already made my views on Donald Trump clear, when late last year I withdrew his status as a Global Scot," she said on Facebook.
"Hillary Clinton is not perfect - what politician, anywhere, is? But she will be a great role model for women the world over. What's more she'll be a president.
"I wish her luck on Tuesday."
Downing Street inevitably adopted a more cautious tone as it will have to negotiate with the future President. When the spokesman was pressed on whether May would be happy with a Trump administration, he said: "The outcome of the Presidential election is a matter for voters in America of course.
"We will work with whoever is the next President of the United States."
Ukraine's Religious Divisions Exposed As Church Is Firebombed With Molotov Cocktails
A church has been firebombed in central Ukraine in an attack illustrating the profound religious divisions of the country.
Molotov cocktails were hurled at the Church of SS Cyril and Methodius in Pavlograd, according to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The church, which sustained significant damage, is part of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), which is under the authority of Patriarch Kirill, head of the ROC. A rival branch of the Orthodox Church, the Kiev Patriarchate, rejects Russian control and is associated with Ukrainian nationalism.
The Church statement said three Molotov cocktails were thrown, with the resulting fire damaging prayer books and the central part of the church including icons and frescoes.
Churches have become targets in the bitter conflict with the Russian-backed secessionists who plunged the country into civil war in 2014. Ukrainian Orthodox churches have been subjected to arson attacks by pro-Russian activists, with the Church of the Transfiguration in Kiev damaged in May. Moscow Patriarchate churches have been destroyed or damaged in fighting in the south east of the country.
While a ceasefire struck in Minsk last year has largely eliminated full-scale battles, low-level fighting and skirmishes have continued along the de facto front line in the east of the country. Efforts to secure a lasting peace and the return of Ukrainian territory have so far failed.
A custom prosthetic limbs manufacturer sold his business to a Tennessee company.
Houston Artificial Limbs, LLC has been acquired by Advanced Prosthetics & Orthotics, Inc., a company based in Cordova, Tenn.
Advanced Business Brokers, Inc., facilitated the sale. A price was not disclosed.
Houston Artificial Limbs, an accredited prosthetics maker, opened in 2013 when owner Miguel Cruz began making and repairing artificial feet, lower- and upper extremities and other devices after the economic downturn affected his home construction business.
Cruz wants to return to housing construction, according to a statement from the sale's broker.
The purchase fits with Advanced Prosthetics' expansion plans. Marcus Baker, Advanced Prosthetics' owner, said in a statement that the purchase of Houston Artificial Limbs gives his company an entry to the Texas market. Baker plans to open an additional facility in the Dallas area.
Chris Shepherd just wanted to raise a lot of money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. So he invited some friends (who just happened to be some of the hottest chefs in the country) for a cookout on Sunday called Southern Smoke. And those friends not only served up some great food, they helped the event raise more than last year's inaugural Southern Smoke. A lot more, just as Shepherd had planned.
When the smoke cleared, a check for $281,000 about $100,000 more than 2015 was presented to the MS Society.
"Everyone came out. It was such a good show of what Houston can do," Shepherd said.
Southern Smoke, a rambling street fair that took over the Underbelly and the Hay Merchant campus, attracted about 1,200 for an afternoon of Southern fare, beer, wine, cocktails and live music. Foodies were no doubt attracted to the culinary star power of participating chefs using smoke and live fire to create a variety of dishes. Those chefs included Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue in Austin; pitmaster Rodney Scott of Scott's Bar-B-Que in Hemingway, S.C.; Ashley Christensen of Poole's Diner in Raleigh, N.C.; Ryan Prewitt of Peche Seafood Grill in New Orleans; Stephen Stryjewski of Cochon in New Orleans; and Tandy Wilson of City House in Nashville. They were joined by the HOUBBQ Collective, which included Shepherd, Terrence Gallivan and Seth-Siegel-Gardner of The Pass & Provisions, Justin Yu of Oxheart and Ryan Pera of Coltivare. There were seven James Beard Award winners among the chefs.
Southern Smoke guests came hungry. There were epic lines for Franklin's famous brisket and for Scott's whole hog. The Collective dazzled with numerous dishes that included uni pizza, fish tacos, and char siu banh mi.
For some of the chefs it was their first visit to Houston, including Christensen (who will collaborate with Pera on a dinner on Wednesday at Revival Market inspired by her new cookbook), and Wilson, both of whom were treated to a culinary tour of Houston led by Shepherd.
"I've eaten this city through Chris' eyes. Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian we had everything," Wilson said, adding that he didn't hesitate for a second to accept Shepherd's invitation to participate in Southern Smoke. "It's an extended expression of what we do as chefs taking care of our guests and taking care of our community."
Franklin, a second-timer at Southern Smoke, went through 32 whole briskets. He was out of food by 5:20 p.m., only about two hours into the event.
"It was just as awesome as last year," Franklin said after serving the last person the final shreds of meat he had to offer. "I'm just excited to be a part of it. It's so sweet."
This year's tally toppled last year's $184,000 primarily because of the silent auction, which brought in about $150,000 this year compared to $70,000 last year. Shepherd created Southern Smoke after his friend, sommelier Antonio Gianola, was diagnosed with MS.
Charles and David Deltz, twins of Troy and Niki Deltz, and Dylan Terrell, son of Drake and Joan Terrell are all proud recipients of the rank of Eagle Scout.
The members of Troop 730 at St. Anne's Catholic Church received their Eagle Scout Awards on Oct. 1 at their Court of Honor ceremony.
At 15, these young men have known each other since kindergarten at Mark Twain Elementary. Charles and David are sophomores at the Energy Institute High School and Terrell is a sophomore at Carnegie Vanguard High School.
To earn the Eagle Scout rank, the highest advancement rank in Scouting, a Boy Scout must fulfill requirements in the areas of leadership, service, and outdoor skills. They had to advance through six ranks, pass specific tests that are organized by requirements and earn at least 21 merit badges and have multiple boards of review. In addition, they have experienced several high adventure camps in various parts of Texas and Colorado. All three would also like to continue in scouting to earn their Eagle Palm awards and plan to go to Philmont, N.M., and Sea Base Florida in the Florida Keys.
Their individual Eagle Scout Projects included hours of planning, preparation, recruiting volunteers and obtaining resources to complete their respective projects.
Charles and his team built an ADA accessible trail at Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire. This trail connected two existing trails and took more than eight hours to excavate and haul dirt, level and line the trail, pour crushed granite and compact it before completion. This 3.5-foot wide by 42-foot long trail is now enjoyed by the visitors to the center including those with wheelchairs and strollers. This is part of an overall park improvement project called Gateway to create a more inviting and redesigned environment which should be complete by January 2017.
David and his team removed non-native plants and planted native species at the Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire. In this plot of land, it took several hours to remove and haul away the non-native plants, bushes and trees. They then planted 29 native plant varieties from small plants to larger shrubs. After 10 hours, the project was complete but David continued to water and maintain the plants for 30 days after to ensure their success. Also part of the Gateway project, native plants add beauty to the landscape and preserve the natural heritage as well as provide food and habitat for native wildlife.
Terrell and his team harvested, relocated, and planted marsh grass (smooth cord grass) to help increase wetlands in Trinity Bay. Terrell initially volunteered to help with the Galveston Bay Foundation's March Mania event on June 4, 2016 to prepare for his project. He then later traveled to Trinity Bay to scout out the logistics for his project site. On the day of his project, Terrell and his team traveled to the NRG EcoCenter in Baytown where they waded into a muddy bog and harvested the marsh grass. This consisted of pulling up the individual stalks of grass and filling 12 large 10-gallon buckets, loading them on a trailer, and transporting them to the project site in the town of Beach City on Trinity Bay. Working in teams of two, for four hours, they stood in water digging into the soil with special tools and planting the marsh grass. The marsh grass helps control erosion and creates a habitat for baby fish, shrimp, birds and other wildlife. Terrell planned and coordinated the project with the Galveston Bay Foundation and they provided the tools and expert guidance and assistance for the project.
Since the inception of the Eagle Scout award in 1912, less than 5 percent of eligible Scouts have earned Scouting's highest honor. This year also marks the Sam Houston Area Council of Boy Scouts celebrating 100 years of Eagle Scouts in southeast Texas.
Danish bakery brand Ole & Steen is set to broaden its business overseas after securing a site St James Market, London.
The 4,400 sq ft restaurant will be split over a ground floor and basement, which is expected to open for business in the first week of January 2017.
The new premises will feature space for 120 covers and will be designed by studio Space Copenhagen.
The brand is part of the Lagkagehuset bakery business, which was founded by Ole Kristoffersen and Steen Skallbaek, and already has more than 50 locations in their native Denmark, serving freshly baked breads, stews, soups and sandwiches.
Ole & Steen UK operations director Alastair Gordon said he believed it was important to secure a busy, central location, adding that property agents Shelley Sandzer had found the perfect site.
We are glad to be in the company of other exciting operators and cant wait to introduce our new brand both to the food-loving people of London and also to visitors from around the world, Gordon said.
Leo Feldman at Shelley Sandzer, added: The team at Ole & Steen wanted a landmark site for their international debut and we are thrilled to see them take this space.
Their site is at the heart of a very quickly developing area, which has recently welcomed Veneta, the latest concept from the Salt Yard Group, as well as Anzu, a new concept from Tonkotsu, and Duck & Waffles second London site.
The Briarwood School is hosting journalist Linda Ellerbee as a part of its Community Speakers Breakfast on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at The Junior League of Houston at 8 a.m.
Ellerbee is an American journalist who is known for several jobs at NBC News, including Washington, D.C., correspondent, and also as host of the Nickelodeon network's "Nick News with Linda Ellerbee." In addition to her work in broadcast as an award-winning producer, writer and anchor, Ellerbee is also a best-selling author, speaker, cancer survivor, mom, grandmother and, as she puts it, "one more proud, loud, storytelling Texan."
Craig Moseley/Staff
The diverse and immigrant-heavy neighborhoods that surround the city of Bellaire were recently featured on CNN's Parts Unknown with Anthony Bourdain in the Houston episode that aired last Sunday.
As if the opening scene inside a Hillcroft-area Indian grocery store full of dancing, singing and Bollywood glitz wasn't enough of a reason for residents to celebrate, next week Bellaire Mayor Andrew Friedberg will declare Saturday, Nov. 12, "Diwali Day."
The City of West University Place approved the 2017 city budget at an Oct. 17 special meeting that homes owners in the area should be pleased with. The budget - unanimously approved except for council member Brennan Reilly who voted against it - set a general operating budget of $19.7 million.
The budget, taking effect Jan. 1, 2017, includes a property tax rate of $0.3168 per $100 home valuation, down from the previous year's $0.3317 rate.
The "Art.Write.Now.Tour" showcases work from some of the nation's best teen writers and artists as it travels to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH) Nov. 1 through Jan. 8, 2017. The exhibition is produced by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit organization that presents the national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Featured in the tour are essays and short stories from three Houston writers who qualified for national acclaim through Harris County Department of Education's Scholastic Art & Writing Regional Awards. Through the tour, works are showcased from the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards National Exhibition from teens in grades 7-12.
The MFAH Kinder Foundation Education Center Gallery, where the traveling exhibition will reside, is located at 1001 Bissonet Street. Houston is the second of four stops for the "Art.Write.Now.Tour" which features more than 50 art pieces this year and multiple prose.
The three local teens included in the showcase are from Deer Park and Houston: Peyton Vasquez, 13, of Bonnette Junior High School in Deer Park Independent School District, wrote a personal essay called "The Floppy Arm," a situation backlash from his cancer treatments: www.artandwriting.org/media/294881. Vasquez also won a revered The RBC "Flaunt It" Award.
Amy Dong, 17, from St. John's School, crafted a critical essay: "Hoping for Disaster": www.artandwriting.org/media/250213.
The Village School's Melanie Menkiti, 14, is introduced in the show with her short story called "The War": www.artandwriting.org/media/295203.
"We are proud that Houston gains the opportunity to display the amazing work of these visionary teens through this traveling exhibition," said Andrea Segraves, coordinator for the regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and director of the Teaching and Learning Center at Harris County Department of Education. "We are exceptionally proud of these writers who are representing Houston in this national art and writing tour."
The show arrived in Houston from Grand Rapids, Michigan and visits Bozeman, Montana and Jackson, Mississippi later this year. For information about MFAH hours and admission fees, visit: www.mfah.org/visit/hours-and-admissions.
In its seventh year, the Art.Write.Now.Tour was curated this year by Johanna Burton, Keith Haring Director and Curator of Education and Public Engagement at the New Museum in New York City. The exhibition is renowned for showcasing exemplary work from teens across the country. Now in its 94th year, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards reported a record-breaking 320,000 works submitted at the regional level for judging in 2016. Noted alumni include Sylvia Plath, Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Joyce Carol Oates, Ken Burns and Zac Posen.
Regional art and writing entries are currently being accepted for the 2017 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, sponsored by Harris County Department of Education. The deadline is Dec. 15, 2016. For more information, go to www.hcde-texas.org/Scholastic.
About HCDE
About Harris County Department of Education (HCDE): Serving students, teachers, schools and communities throughout Harris County, HCDE is a local governmental organization providing value for school districts while supporting educational opportunity. Partnering with Harris County school districts, HCDE maximizes local resources and responds to the needs of locally elected school boards and education leaders. HCDE services include school-based therapy for students, after school programs, Head Start, educator training, adult education and programs to promote safe schools. To learn more about how your county department of education can help you: www.hcde-texas.org.
Westbury Christian
Westbury Christian first-graders recently thanked officers at the Houston Police Department's South Gessner Division for their service to the community by hand-delivering cookies the students baked and decorated themselves in one of the school's kitchens.
The special cookie delivery was inspired by the WCS Lower School's new Project H.U.G. (Hearts Understanding Goodness), which promotes the idea that kids can serve in mighty ways. Through the service-learning initiative, primary and elementary students are discovering how to give back to the community, to support one another, and to encourage those both near and far.
Graduates of the law school at the University of Texas at Austin had the highest bar examination pass rate in Texas this past summer. Nearly 94 percent of the first-time test takers passed the July exam, according to the Texas Board of Law Examiners.
Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law came in second with 91 percent passing while Baylor Law School was third with nearly 87 percent.
HistoryMaker Homes, a builder operating in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for more than 60 years, has opened its first model home in the Houston area in Wright's Landing in Spring.
The builder has secured 69 lots in the community near the Grand Parkway and Interstate 45 and has six houses under construction.
HistoryMaker Homes is offering 17 floor plans ranging from 1,800 to nearly 4,000 square feet. Prices range from $220,000 to more than $320,000.
"We have updated our selection offerings for our first homes in Houston, giving buyers more space and more choice," Kurt Watzek of HistoryMaker Homes in Houston said in an announcement.
The model home plan starts at $280,000. The layout provides for up to six bedrooms, a game room, media room, private study and ample storage. Details include tray ceilings, French doors and walls of windows.
RELATED: Canadian homebuilder gains Texas toehold
HistoryMaker launched in Dallas-Fort Worth in 1949 and builds in 16 developments there.
The largest floor plan in Wright's Landing is priced at just more than $80 per square foot.
"Our success has been founded on building homes that offer our homeowners more living space and less wasted space at an exceptional value," said HistoryMaker Homes CEO Nelson Mitchell.
Conroe Independent School District schools, including Birnham Woods Elementary, Cox Intermediate, York Junior High and Oak Ridge High School, are expected to be a draw.
"Being so well established in Dallas, it is now time for us to move into Houston," Mitchell said.
"The housing market here is still strong and will continue to improve. Finding properties in a community like Wright's Landing that offers a one-two punch of what people want location and exceptional schools was ideal."
I was listening to some records the other day and played one by the Statler Brothers from the 1970s titled: "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott."
That got me to thinking about what happened to some people that made the news many years ago. I sat down and started listing some name to research. Here are the results.
WORLD WAR II SOLDIER SLAPPED BY GEN. GEORGE PATTON: My research showed that Patton actually slapped two soldiers, Pvt. Charles Kuhl on Aug. 3, 1943 and Pvt. Paul G. Bennett on Aug. 10, 1943.
The "Pvt. Bennett slapping event" gained more media attention in that Patton slapped him twice and threatened to shoot him.
Allied commander Gen. Dwight Eisenhower received reports of Patton's action and sent him a letter on Aug. 17 ordering Patton to apologize.
The news media was aware of the incidents but at the request of Eisenhower, noting Patton's value as a commander and tactician, sat on the story. Word eventually leaked out a few months later with the publicity seriously threatening Patton's career.
As ordered, Patton made an apology and continued his service. He died of injuries from an auto accident in 1945.
As for the two privates, Kuhl later participated in the Normandy invasion. He died in 1971. Bennett went on to serve in the Korean War and died kin 1973.
BAND LEADER GLENN MILLER IN WORLD WAR II: Popular American band leader Glenn Miller was en route from England to France where he was to entertain troops in recently liberated Paris. A single-engine plane he was riding in disappeared. No trace of the plane was ever found. There were several ideas concerning the event. Some speculated that a German fighter might have shot the plane down. Another suggestion was that it might have been hit by a bomb dropped by British bombers on their way back from a cancelled bombing mission.
GENERAL ANTHONY McAULIFFE - In World War II, McAuliffe was stationed with the 101st division along with thousands of Allied forces to hold the northern and southern lines of Ardennes Forest, including the city of Bastogne. The Germans cut off supplies to Bastogne. On December 22, 1945, the Germans offered McAulifffe a chance to surrender his troops. McAuliffe answered: "Nuts!" The Germans commander did not understand this one word answer. An interpreter translated it to mean "go to hell."
The battle for Bastogne continued for more than four days until the arrival of the 4th Armored Division.
McAuliffe's action earned him the Distinguished Service Cross and later the Distinguished Service Medal. The Division was honored with the first Division Army Distinguished Unit Citation.
General McAuliffe stayed in the Army following World War II and held senior ranking positions including Commander in Chief of the U.S. Army in Europe.
He retired in 1956 and died in 1975. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Paul Tibbets, a colonel and the pilot of the air craft that dropped the first atomic bomb was born Feb. 23, 1915, in Quincy, Ill., and died Nov. 1, 2007.
Initially he wanted to pursue a career in medicine. He joined the U.S. Air Corps and flew combat missions in Europe during World War II.
On Aug. 6, 1945, the piloted the B-29 bomber that he named Enola Gay after his mother and dropped the first atomic bomb that eventually led to the surrender of Japan and ended World War II.
In 1959, Tibbets was promoted to brigadier general in 1964. Tibbets retired from the military in 1966 to become president of Executive Jet Aviation.
LT. FELIX EUGENE MONCLA JR. AND LT. ROBERT L. WILSON - Here is a mystery for all the UFO aficionados.
On Nov. 23, 1953, a U.S. Air Force F-89C jet piloted by Moncla with Wilson as radar operator was dispatched from Kinrose Air Force Base near Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan. An unidentified intruder had appeared on radar. Moncla raced his jet out over Lake Superior guided by ground radar operators. Suddenly the ground radar operators saw the image of the jet merge with the bogie that it was chasing and the blip from the F-89 disappeared from the screen. No trace of the jet was ever found.
As for the subject of the Statler Brothers song, actor Randolph Scott, he began his career in acting in 1929. Following the production of the movie "Ride The High Country" in 1962, Scott retired. In all, he had appeared in over 100 movies in his career.
Scott died in 1987.
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No one was passing the plate at the Dayton Chamber of Commerce, but three notable non-profits were sharing the message of their ministry to the Dayton and Liberty county area.
From humble beginnings in 1977 with a small counseling center with two rooms, Family Time Crisis and Counseling Center has expanded to four locations in east Harris, Liberty and Montgomery counties.
The staff has also had to grow from two to 43 to meet the demand for services offered by the center.
"We have our counseling office in Humble with three License Professional Counselors, 23 interns working from Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and most of the day on Saturday," said Judy Cox, executive director for Family Time.
"This is not just counseling for domestic violence," she said, "but it ranges the spectrum."
"We are seeing an uptick in those seeking help for anxiety and depression," Cox said.
At least half of her clients are children who have experienced sexual, physical or emotional abuse of some kind.
"We have play therapy for the children and offer three different parenting classes," she said.
With the growth came the need for additional income to support all the services so they opened a resale shop in Porter in 1997.
Cox said they hoped to average about $15,000 per year to help defray expenses.
"Last year, our sales at final tally were just over $263,000."
"It's a mission in itself because people who shop there usually need some help of some sort," she said.
They also opened a shelter for domestic abuse victims over 20 years ago. Unfortunately, that business has also increased.
"I can tell you that after having more than 700 people go through that same shelter each year, we need a new one. We have developed a task force to search for about a 20,000 square-foot facility on five acres. Those of you in real estate know that will cost us in the vicinity of about $3M to $5M. It will take us awhile to come up with that amount, but we are looking now.
The current facility has been full every day for the last two years straight with 35-38 in the shelter.
This year they have already sheltered 537, but have been forced to turn away 905 for lack of space.
"Those 900 probably went back to their abuser," she said disappointed.
In 2015, 158 Texas women were murdered by someone they loved.
"It is the highest number since they've been keeping record the last 25 years. It's up 20 percent over the previous year's number," she said.
The youngest was 16, strangled and murdered by her boyfriend. The eldest was a 93-year-old, one of among three over 90.
"This problem isn't going away and it affects all ages of women," she said.
In addition to the new shelter, they are also wanting to expand their current thrift shop in Dayton to a 4,000-sq. foot facility. She is looking for realtors to assist them in their search.
Bridgehaven Children's Advocacy Center explained to chamber members their focused mission on helping abused children.
"Before we were created, when there would be reports of child abuse, the children would have to go to law enforcement to tell them what happened," said Paula Torres, executive director for Bridgehaven.
"Sometimes CPS would go to their home or to school and they would have to tell the investigators the same story again. If the case went to trial, they would have to repeat the same story to prosecutors."
The program began in 2002 with a staff of two in Mont Belvieu. Now there are 10 staff members housed in offices in Anahuac, Dayton and Mont Belvieu.
"You can see how the children would have to repeat the same story just to get through the justice system in order to see the alleged perpetrators prosecuted," Torres said.
Torres said now they offer a solution where everyone is included in the investigation and interview from the onset and children only tell their story once.
"We use a forensic interview and all involved in the investigation observe the interview as it takes place. The children are giving their statement while the interested parties observe in another room. It also allows them to have a safe place to tell their story without feeling threatened by guns, badges, police department, or strangers in their home," she said. "We are a non-profit. These services are free of charge. Most of our funding comes from grants and government. Dayton is a proud supporter of our program."
Their yearly fund-raiser is the popular Purse Bingo that helps bring in a good bit of money to help them with their cause. This next year they will add a Macho Bingo for men. Prizes include guns, hunting trips and more that men will enjoy winning.
"We also provide counseling and case management and use Family Time as well," said Rachel Ansley, program director.
They are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday but are also available 24/7 with a phone call.
Cathy Greer also extolled the virtues of the Pregnancy Care Center of Dayton.
The center has been open since 2002 and now in their third location of operation.
"The main thing is that we do free pregnancy test confirmation that comes with Medicaid paperwork that they can submit for those services," Greer said.
They discuss the options they have including parenting advice and adoption.
"We never force opinions on anyone, but we present them with educated options so that they can make the best decisions for themselves," she said.
After participating in the parenting classes, or pregnancy development classes, they receive vouchers to shop in their store for items.
Greer also petitioned for help with donations of clothes or items for children from infant up to age 5.
"With these services, we have the tools to impact the lives of children and parents," she said.
File
Barbie Michelle Skarpa, 39, of Liberty, is facing one count of Impersonating a Police Officer. The former police officer, who has worked for several agencies in Liberty County, was indicted Wednesday, Nov. 2, on the third-degree felony charge.
According to Chief Thomas Claunch with Liberty Police Department, the arresting agency, Skarpa's apprehension came after a month-long investigation where it was reportedly determined she was providing police escorts for funeral homes at a time when no police agency was holding her commission through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.
TV chef James Martin is set to bring food-to-go bakery concept James Martin Kitchen to Manchesters Piccadilly Station.
This will be the second outlet to bear the name, with Martin opening a bakery at Londons Stansted Airport last year.
He said the decision to open a second bakery site was prompted by a lack of a decent soups and sandwiches when he travels around Britain.
Ive decided to open a place of my own called James Martin Kitchen serving up proper British food, Martin wrote on his website.
Every ingredient used in our food is sourced as fresh and locally as possible - that includes our bread, butter, cheese, salmon, chicken, pork and, of course, our cakes.
An opening date for the new Manchester Piccadilly bakery is yet to be confirmed.
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It took several weeks, dozens of volunteers and a few bouts with Mother Nature's rainy weather, but the old Jamison log cabin has been restored and safely placed on the property next to the Dayton Old School Museum.
A project of the Dayton Historical Society, it's not ready to tour just yet despite most of the exterior being complete. Curators and volunteers will now turn their attention to furnishing the inside of the old log cabin.
Caroline Wadzeck, co-curator of Dayton's Old School Museum and project coordinator said the finished product is coming quickly.
"We were looking to find a log cabin. It was a dream of David Parker's for a long time," Wadzeck said. "We needed another structure in addition to this museum to add old tools, implements and things like that. We thought about building a log cabin because David has a passion for that, but in the meantime, I remembered that Marybeth Jamison had an old log cabin in her backyard."
Wadzeck, a former teacher, wasn't shy about making the request on behalf of the historical clan, but Jamison's son was operating a computer repair business out of the cabin and after conferring, he agreed enthusiastically that it should be done.
That was six months ago.
During that time, Parker, his wife Aline and Wadzeck traveled to Livingston to meet with a former school superintendent whose specialty was in log cabins.
They met with Dell Brown, whose vast knowledge of period log cabins impressed them considerably, and hired him to be their consultant in the move and rebuild of the cabin.
"It had to be completely disassembled," Parker said. "Some parts of it were in pretty bad shape."
They numbered the logs, but many were so damaged they couldn't use them.
They were fortunate to be able to save 19 of the original logs from the cabin and Brown donated some logs from his own property.
"When the community heard what we were doing, many of them brought logs by to donate to help us," Parker said. "They didn't charge us anything. The community was so helpful."
Once the new logs were assembled, they had to be stripped of the bark before they could be used.
Parker said their tools would have been similar to those used to strip the bark off logs in 1850 when the cabin was pre-dated. According to the experts, no radio-active carbon dating has been done yet, but the date is firm. Still, not easy work for the volunteers.
It took them days and hard labor to complete that task alone.
The logs were assembled using a crane and 14-inch spikes.
"I don't think there will be a storm that will come into Texas that would move this thing," said Pete Jamison.
The Jamison family has had the cabin in their backyard since 1966, some 50 years.
Jamison said outside of putting a roof on it, the log cabin has withstood the ravages of nature quite well.
"We probably would have taken better care of it had we known exactly how old it was," he said.
Between the logs the volunteers were using a mixture of lime, concrete dust and saw dust paste that has lasted previously more than 50 years on the cabin.
The stories around Kenefick, where we got the log cabin, place this back in the 1800s.
"Dell Brown told us to go into the wood and we would be able to find out how old it was and he was right," Jamison said. "There was rotten pieces on the one-inch outside, but the inside of that log was just fine."
The Jamisons found the cabin on Sackett Hill near his uncle's home and moved it to their property.
The log cabin was one among four used by share croppers and in the best condition, Jamison said.
Compression and those logs close to the bottom were mostly rotten, but those above the ground were in great condition and still useable.
"The proper name for the cabin would really be the Murphy-Jamison cabin, the Murphy's being the last family to live in it before the Jamisons moved it to their property at 8 Sherwood in Dayton," Jamison said.
The log cabin exterior is now complete and Wadzeck said there will be some surprises coming on the interior decoration.
"We'll take it back to 1850, which would have been during primitive Texas," Parker said.
She wouldn't reveal where she would was assembling iconic materials from early Texas, but Wadzeck is bold enough to find it.
Mary Sarah made it to the top 10 on Season 10 of 'The Voice." She's back for Season 11 -- with no fear of elimination.
The country sweetheart, who grew up in Sugar Land and Richmond, will co-host the Kohl's Green Room backstage segments with fellow "Voice" competitor Bryan Bautista. She announced it Sunday night on Facebook.
A new generation of Rotarians has been welcomed into the Humble Rotary Club.
Twelve high school seniors from Humble Independent School District were selected as the first participants in the new Rotary Club of Humble Junior Rotarian program. It aims to instill youth with the values of integrity, fairness, honesty, goodwill and respect through community involvement, leadership activities and mentorship.
Seven of the 12 junior Rotarians had the opportunity to introduce themselves and talk about what they hope to gain through the program during the Humble Rotary Club meeting Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the Humble Civic Center.
"We have two seniors selected from each of the six high schools," said Dr. Bonnie Longnion, Jr. Rotarian Selection Committee member. "They were selected by a committee and were chosen based on academic performance, community service, leadership activities and references given by their schools. We asked principals and counselors to nominate students, so we had 32 students to select from. The committee spent a long time reviewing, and we are so pleased to have our selection."
The Humble ISD high school seniors selected as the first Junior Rotarians of the Humble Rotary Club are Logan Brabson and Elyse Santiago, from Atascocita High School; Brandon Casper and Nia Daughtry, from Humble High School; Fernanda Lago Arroyo and Carla Godoy, from Kingwood High School; Noah Amar and Gregory Mika, from Kingwood Park High School; Kayla House and Akriti Keswani, from Quest High School; and Puja Bhatia and Arian Watson, from Summer Creek High School.
The dozen students spent Saturday, Oct. 29, at a Junior Rotarian Orientation and Leadership Program, where they engaged in team-building exercises and learned more about Rotary Club.
Now, they begin preparing for the goals laid out ahead of them as members of Junior Rotary.
Throughout the year, the Humble Junior Rotarians will practice service above self by planning and carrying out a service project, engaging in an Humble Rotary service project and applying for the Rotary CARES scholarship.
The program also will provide opportunities that encourage junior Rotarians as leaders in the community through a leadership seminar, holding officer elections and conducting a Rotary Club of Humble meeting in May.
Junior Rotarians will engage in camaraderie-building initiatives by holding a minimum of three Junior Rotary meetings and one social event with youth exchange students. In addition to peer interaction, a mentor from Humble Rotary will be assigned to each junior Rotarian based on career interest and similarities.
Finally, each student will have the opportunity to participate in the Four Way Test essay contest and will be asked during exit interviews to talk about how the values of Rotary may affect their future.
Junior Rotarians are encouraged to attend as many meetings and be as involved as possible throughout their time in the program.
"Through this program, I hope to become a better leader," Santiago, an Atascocita High School senior, said. "In school, we don't get much practice, but this is a really great opportunity to learn more about how to serve others."
With an interest in politics, House, a Quest High School senior, wants to find ways she can use this opportunity to encourage young people to be more involved in politics.
"I made it an initiative of mine to make sure I was involved in my community," she said. "When I was chosen to be a junior Rotarian, it gave me a sense of power because I felt like for once I could do something; I could take initiative in my community."
Casper, a senior at Humble High School, looks forward to becoming more familiar with leaders in the community.
"I want to learn what all of you do, how you help the community and how you get involved through Rotary Club," Casper said.
The Rotary Club of Humble said it is looking forward to working with their junior Rotarians to continue making the new program as beneficial as possible for members of the Junior Rotary program, the Humble Rotary Club and the community.
"As much as they're here to learn, we can learn from them," said Corey Turner, Junior Rotarian Selection Committee member. "I'm encouraging us to reach out and make those connections to them. It's not just the 12 mentors we will have selected based on career and similarities; every Rotarian has something of value to sow into the life of these young people. They're already leaders, so it's our mission to make them even better leaders moving forward."
For more information about the Humble Rotary, visit www.humblerotary.com.
Like many areas across America, Katy's demographics have vastly changed over time to include people from various backgrounds, offering different perspectives, skills and culture.
As the area continues to become more diverse, the Katy Area Economic Development Council, which helps recruit businesses to Katy, recently hosted a forum to exchange ideas about how Katy and its leaders can best foster the diversity present, both for social and business reasons.
"Katy is diverse, and it has evolved," Carmen Carter, a leader at Diversity on Demand, a local talent and organizational firm, said at the forum. "There has been data that shows that the more inclusive organizations are out-performing others. If we are going to continue to be competitive, not only as an organization, not only as a community, but as a city, as a state, as a nation then diversity is imperative."
According to the latest U.S. Census figures in 2010, the Katy area, which roughly covers 181 square miles in west Houston, had a population then that was 48 percent white, 31 percent Hispanic, 11 percent black and 8 percent Asian/Pacific Islander with the area's diversity growing more in the past six years.
Katy ISD's students are 39 percent white, 34 percent Hispanic, 13 percent Asian/Pacific Islander and 9 percent black, according to 2015 information from the district.
Data presented at the forum revealed that the Katy area's white population mostly consists of people in retirement age, while those 35 years old and younger represent the greatest diversity in the area, meaning that a significant demographic shift is coming.
With the Houston region being one of the most diverse in America, different groups of people have been increasingly inhabiting suburban areas like Katy.
Those present at the forum, which included school district leaders such as Superintendent Lance Hindt, as well as business leaders and businesspeople, laid out points on how to cultivate Katy's diversity.
They included for local companies and entities to be intentional about nurturing diversity, having employers drive diversity, capitalizing on differences, creating community events, using education to break down barriers and including Katy's young population in the discussion, among other points.
The area's leadership is one part where diversity, particularly with Hispanics, is lacking, with most leadership and member positions in the local school district, chamber of commerce, EDC and at city hall being filled by white individuals.
That same issue is present in many entities across the state and country, Carter said, but she believes Katy leaders are taking the right steps to embrace the area's diversity.
"It's a great conversation," she said. "It's a great opportunity for Katy. It's not a reactionary type of thing like this is happening because of something negative. It's like, 'things are changing, so how do we best grow it?' The case for inclusion in business speaks for itself."
Local immigration attorney and EDC Talent and Leadership Task Force member Rehan Alimohammed discussed the benefits of diversity in business at the forum. He cited research by University of Chicago sociology professor Cedric Herring, who found that companies across the U.S. make 6 percent greater revenue when they are formed by a diverse staff, and those same companies generally outperform their peers.
Alimohammed also said in order to have more diversity present in local leadership and business groups, different clusters of people also have to be willing to participate to alter the demographics and perspectives present.
"It takes time," Alimohammed said. "Everything good takes time. I think you're going to see in Katy it takes time. Maybe we are impatient in saying there's no diversity in Katy leadership right now, and maybe it's true, but it's going to take time. As the younger people come in, over time, it will change. I think this (forum) is a good step."
The EDC is going to form a diversity task force to move the discussion forward, said EDC chairman Stan Goss. The task force will be comprised of a group of volunteers who could discuss goals for embracing and growing Katy's diversity.
Angelo Siciliano was born in Acri, a tiny town in southern Italy on October 30, 1892. In 1903, at the age of 10, he and his parents arrived at Ellis Island. He did not speak a word of English.
He wasn't very big either. He was skinny and got sick a lot. The bullies in the Brooklyn neighborhood where his family settled picked on him. On top of that, his own uncle beat him for getting into fights.
As he got older Coney Island Beach provided some escape, but not much. One day a muscular lifeguard kicked sand in his face and when he swore revenge, his girlfriend looked at his 97-pound physique and just laughed.
A visit to the Bronx zoo changed his life. He watched a lion as it stretched. He noticed how this magnificent, strong creature did not use weights or any kind of exercise machines. It was just muscle against muscle. He went home and tossed out his weights and started flexing his muscles through isometric exercises. Within a few months he was sculpted like a Greek god. One of his friends said he looked like Atlas.
You know Angelo by that name: Atlas. Charles Atlas. He made a fortune off of giving skinny young men a vision of who they could be. The marketing idea is that once you have a vision for who you want to be you'll sign up and put some money down. You do that because you decide you want to see a change.
Knowing your "want" is the first step in seeing transformation happen. That is also true for spiritual formation. The most important question is: "What do you want?" Jesus asked it. When John's disciples were following him he turned and asked them, "What do you want?" Not "What do you believe?" or "What do you know?" He asks, "What do you want?"
Jesus asks this question because he knows that what we want will move us towards that desire. So the first question to settle in your life is: "Do you want your spirit to be formed like Jesus?"
If that is what you want, then there is a way transformation happens. Paul says it happens in community. In Romans 12 he tells us to "be transformed by the renewing of the mind." The shape of our thinking - which shapes our behavior - has to be renovated. The old has to be broken down and tossed out. New things have to be put in place.
Paul demonstrates this renewal of the mind happens in community. He begins to talk about different gifts in the church. As we interact as the church our mind is renewed. We hear teaching that helps us see life the way Jesus does. We watch people serve others and we in turn learn to do the same. We encounter people who are generous givers, not hoarding "stuff" like we are inclined to do. We observe some giving mercy and we learn compassion.
Spiritual transformation is as much caught as it is taught. That's why most change happens in community. But even with community to help shape you, you still need to enact your will. "Be transformed" is both passive-a divine action-and an imperative-a command to follow. We place ourselves in places where God can do his work to move us from one shape - being conformed to the world - to another shape where Christ is formed in us.
Charles Atlas was a dreamer. He envisioned taking weak men and transforming them into strong ones. Paul was a dreamer too. He envisioned taking people who looked more like the world and seeing them transformed into people who looked like Christ.
You may be a spiritual 97-pound weakling today. But with the want, a way, and the will you can be transformed along with the church into the image of Christ. So what do you want?
Read more from Rick Brown and get a free e-book at www.rickbrown1Life2Love.com.
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Donna Karan and Russell James are titans in the fashion world.
She's the designer and fashion mogul who sold her namesake brand and started Urban Zen to support her charitable interests and do super chic comfy wear and zen merchandise. He is the Australian-native, world-renowned photographer who has shot nearly every Victoria's Secret model on the planet.
Both were in town recently to celebrate James' Nomad Two Worlds Foundation, which is designed to empower and promote the artistic expression of indigenous communities around the world. The cocktail party, which was held at the chic Life HTX, was co-hosted Karan, James and Fadila Kibsgaard, an Algerian born, Houston resident, who is the organization's honorary ambassador.
Performances included spoken word by Olive Knight, an Australian activist and musician, and musical performances by Paul Boon, Keito St. James and Kimboli 'Talking Medicine' St. James Satchitananda. Graywolf, the curator and assistant director for the Chumash Indian Museum in Thousand Oaks, Calif., also spoke.
Charles and David Deltz, twins of Troy and Niki Deltz, and Dylan Terrell, son of Drake and Joan Terrell, are all proud recipients of the rank of Eagle Scout.
The members of Troop 730 at St. Anne's Catholic Church received their Eagle Scout Awards on Oct. 1 at their Court of Honor ceremony.
At 15, these young men have known each other since kindergarten at Mark Twain Elementary. Charles and David are sophomores at the Energy Institute High School and Dylan is a sophomore at Carnegie Vanguard High School.
To earn the Eagle Scout rank, the highest advancement rank in Scouting, a Boy Scout must fulfill requirements in the areas of leadership, service, and outdoor skills. They had to advance through six ranks, pass specific tests that are organized by requirements and earn at least 21 merit badges and have multiple boards of review. In addition, they have experienced several high adventure camps in various parts of Texas and Colorado. All three would also like to continue in scouting to earn their Eagle Palm awards and plan to go to Philmont, N.M., and Sea Base Florida in the Florida Keys.
Their individual Eagle Scout Projects included hours of planning, preparation, recruiting volunteers and obtaining resources to complete their respective projects.
Charles and his team built an ADA accessible trail at Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire. This trail connected two existing trails and took more than eight hours to excavate and haul dirt, level and line the trail, pour crushed granite and compact it before completion. This 3.5-foot wide by 42-foot long trail is now enjoyed by the visitors to the center including those with wheelchairs and strollers. This is part of an overall park improvement project called Gateway to create a more inviting and redesigned environment which should be complete by January 2017.
David and his team removed non-native plants and planted native species at the Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire. In this plot of land, it took several hours to remove and haul away the non-native plants, bushes and trees. They then planted 29 native plant varieties from small plants to larger shrubs. After 10 hours, the project was complete but David continued to water and maintain the plants for 30 days after to ensure their success. Also part of the Gateway project, native plants add beauty to the landscape and preserve the natural heritage as well as provide food and habitat for native wildlife.
Terrell and his team harvested, relocated and planted marsh grass (smooth cord grass) to help increase wetlands in Trinity Bay. Dylan initially volunteered to help with the Galveston Bay Foundation's March Mania event on June 4 to prepare for his project. He then later traveled to Trinity Bay to scout out the logistics for his project site. On the day of his project, he and his team traveled to the NRG EcoCenter in Baytown, where they waded into a muddy bog and harvested the marsh grass.
This consisted of pulling up the individual stalks of grass and filling 12 large 10-gallon buckets, loading them on a trailer, and transporting them to the project site in the town of Beach City on Trinity Bay. Working in teams of two, for four hours, they stood in water digging into the soil with special tools and planting the marsh grass. Terrell planned and coordinated the project with the Galveston Bay Foundation.
More than 70 Memorial Hermann nurses were recently honored by the Good Samaritan Foundation with Excellence in Nursing Awards.
The honorees were nominated by their peers for their passion, leadership, mentorship and service to the Houston community.
The Clayton Woods Homeowners Association was supposed to hold its annual meeting and board member elections Wednesday evening, but at noon that day an email was sent notifying a handful of parties that the election and meeting was cancelled.
Only it wasn't.
The email from property management company, Elite Association Management said, "Please be advised that the meeting for Clayton Woods will not be held for an election this evening. Once the Board of Directors has informed me of a date a notice will be sent accordingly. I ask that you please inform your client."
The email was addressed to Cweren Law Firm, the attorneys representing Sally S. Solomon, resident and member of the Clayton Woods Homeowners Association.
Solomon and her husband, Tedros Teame, would have interpreted that message to mean what most would: That no meeting would take place, nor an election.
But having been involved with this HOA for more than a decade, they knew it was possible that the board was going to conduct some type of business in which they did not want to include the members, or at the very least Solomon and Teame, as that cancellation notice was the only one sent to anyone in the neighborhood.
The couple, with a few other residents of the subdivision nestled just west of Highway 6 near George Bush Park, are frustrated with the lack of transparency by the board and the management company. They showed up to the location where the meeting was supposed to be held that evening, where they found the board of directors, the Elite Management representative, Patricia Ortiz and an attorney who said he represented the HOA.
Teame, who calls the language in the email "willfully deceiving," said that at that meeting the board elected a nominating committee for the upcoming board of directors election - something the couple and other residents have been pleading with the board to do for months. They even sought legal council from Cweren Law Firm to help them after their individual requests were ignored.
"The nominating committee was only done with people they want," Teame said. "They had a phony meeting so they can fulfil the requirement to have a nominating committee that they handpicked."
One resident in attendance said they were told by the board that the attorney they brought to help explain the bylaws, was hired by the HOA - his fees being paid by their dues - but that none of the residents would have access to him other than the board members and the management company.
They all feel that the board of directors and Ortiz don't follow the bylaws of the association.
"When we start to complain we get harassed, all the time, on so many levels," Solomon said.
The couple have lived in their home since 1999, and in that time Solomon said she's seen changes to HOA management, and not for the better.
"We barely have meetings, we barely have elections," she said.
The problems started when Elite Management Company took over operations of the HOA.
She says the property manager, Ortiz, who declined comment when reached for this story except to say she is abiding by her attorney's advice, routinely violates the association's bylaws that state members have the right to form a nominating committee for all elections, election notices must be timely, and challengers to the incumbents should be given enough time to get on the ballot and effectively campaign.
In fact, the election Ortiz was referring to in her cancellation notice was one only a handful of neighbors were even aware of. Solomon and Teame say they received a notice in the mail last Saturday of the election to choose new board members that was supposed to be held the following Wednesday - a four-day notice, when the bylaws state a 10-day notice must be given.
At least three other residents of the neighborhood said they received the notice of the election around the same time, or not at all. They all attribute their knowledge of meetings and elections to Solomon.
Ignored requests
Brian Cweren, one of the attorneys representing Solomon with Cweren Law Firm, has so far only sent demand letters to the management company and board members in a move to give them the opportunity to correct their operations.
"I think in general if people feel there's not due process, a board ought to take a pause and respond to the people," he said.
But, until Wednesday with the notice of the cancelled election, his law firm had not received a response from Ortiz to the two letters sent previously dating back to August of this year.
The third letter from Cweren was sent Monday, Oct. 31, when Solomon alerted her attorney to the election with insufficient notice. The law firm quickly sent the last letter to the board members and Ortiz, stating they were in violation of three of the bylaws: Failure to form a nominating committee, failure to hold a member meeting within 60 days of the election - the last meeting was held Aug. 10 - and failure to give 10 days notice of the voting meeting.
In the letters, Cweren also notes that because of the violations of the notice requirements, Solomon and other residents who want to run for board positions haven't been able to get on the ballot, and the few times they have, they haven't been afforded enough time to effectively campaign against incumbents, some of whom have held their positions for decades.
This is the third time the board of directors election has been postponed due to Solomon's privately funded legal council.
Solomon and her husband are from Eritrea, the East-African country on the border of Sudan, and say that at the meetings they and other residents who have immigrated to the U.S., the majority of whom are U.S. citizens, are often referred to as "foreigners" by Ortiz and Tyrone Morgan, board member.
"They don't listen to us, Teame said. "If you have an accent, their attitude is 'what do you know.' It's very condescending and disrespectful."
Several other residents who have attended the HOA meetings said they have seen this kind of dismissive attitude from the board and Ortiz toward those from other countries. They both described the meetings as hostile, and one woman said it was a factor in her decision to stop going to the meetings.
Teame is an Operations Manager at the Houstonian Hotel Club & Spa, and has a part-time job at the United Airlines foreign language desk translating Italian for customers. Solomon graduated from Texas Southern University. She a biologist by training and interested in GMO research, but after her home was broken into twice, she became more concerned with the quality of her neighborhood and its elected officials.
After the burglaries, Solomon was afraid to leave her house, and she and her husband installed security cameras on their home.
She never thought she would need that type of security since she lives in a gated neighborhood, but the gate is often broken and requires repeated pleas with the management company to fix it.
"There's just so much negligence," she said.
There's also an abandoned house that's been an eyesore and a public health risk, according to neighbors for over a year, as the company hasn't responded to the needs of the property.
Neighbors have even started paying out of their own pocket to have the lawn mowed, a service that they say falls under the responsibilities of the HOA.
"The grass is growing, it's full of fungus and the whole neighborhood is scared," said Solomon. "We don't want to go to court ... but we will, we've had it."
Attempts to reach Ortiz's attorney and board members of Clayton Woods Homeowners Association have not been returned at the time of this report.
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Juliana Oyen, a sophomore at St. Pius X High School, organized a book drive that accumulated nearly two tons of books to benefit schools and families in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who were still in need after the August floods.
"The response of the student body at St. Pius X was overwhelming," said Judith Oyen, mother of Juliana. "Every afternoon, Juliana had bags and boxes of books waiting in the lobby for her to pack in her car. Even Mrs. Larsen, principal of St. Pius X, let us know that there were many books in the library to help Juliana's cause."
Through Oyen's connection with a school board member in Baton Rouge, she learned that many teachers and students lost everything in their classrooms and libraries after the severe flooding.
Outreach was tremendous in terms of food, clothing and furniture, but the schools were still lacking books. Juliana then decided to head up a project to assist the Baton Rouge schools and families.
She is a member of the American Heritage Girls Troop TX 2928. The mission of the organization is to build women of integrity through the service to God, family, community and country. Juliana is working toward her Dolley Madison Award, which includes organizing a community outreach project. A big reason she decided to hold the book drive at St. Pius X was because the school's social ministry emphasizes the role of the human being within a larger community.
The Office for Campus Ministry at St. Pius X assisted Juliana, who chose to hold the book drive for a week in October.
To display the need for books, she made announcements and displayed posters throughout the school. The Office for Campus Ministry also helped put Oyen in touch with St. Cecilia Catholic School.
The school was holding a fundraiser fair, which included a book sale. St. Cecilia was able to donate two carloads of remaining books at the end of the fair.
Juliana also received many books from her community including neighbors, Catholic homeschool groups and the American Heritage Girls.
Burrow Global, an engineering company based in Houston that does business in Louisiana, agreed to ship the books.
As a result of Juliana's extraordinary service, she has received the Bronze President's Volunteer Service Award.
The PVSA recognizes United States citizens who have achieved the required number of hours of service over a 12-month period.
In order to receive a bronze award, Oyen had to complete 50-74 hours of service. She is eight service hours shy of receiving the silver award.
From a 28-strong list of entrants, to a short list of five pastry chefs, the winner of the 2016 Classic Fine Foods Christmas Entremet competition has been crowned.
The winner is Cecile Thiery from 5 Hertford Street, a London private members club. Her Valrhona Ivoire white chocolate entremets with Capfruit raspberry and blackcurrant purees was praised for both its flavour and pared down but beautiful style, according to the panel of judges.
Thiery won flights and accommodation to attend a two-day chocolate workshop at French chocolate manufacturer Valrhonas new chocolate school in Brooklyn, New York.
The competition, now in its third year, was launched in September, and after over 4,000 peoples votes were counted, five chefs took part in the live final in London this week.
These were Jeremy Lesongeur from Harrods; Francois-Xavier Cocherel from Rhubarb; Cecile Thiery from 5 Hertford Street; Lyece Major from The Langham Hotel and Jessica Huang from The Berkeley Hotel.
They had three hours to prepare two ten-portion Christmas-themed Entremets using at least one Valrhona chocolate, one fruit puree made by French puree producer Capfruit and one item from French pastry decoration company PCB Creation.
The judges, led by last years winner Maxime Michelot (now demi chef de partie for the Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard), awarded marks out of five for both visual appearance and taste. Technique was also taken into account.
Lyece Major from The Langham Hotel was runner up, and won a three-day hands-on course at the Classic Fine Foods Taste Lab.
Jeremy Lesongeur was third and won a dinner for two in a Michelin starred restaurant.
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Warbirds circled west Houston on Friday, but the flyover was simply part of a much bigger celebration.
With scores of veterans filling the room, the Houston West Chamber of Commerce and its assembled members paid tribute to the service members at the Omni Houston Hotel-Westside. Prior to the luncheon, a flyover of four period airplanes from the Commemorative Airforce of Houston Wing wowed the crowd.
Also on display were numerous vintage military vehicles as well as table displays from branches of the military and several businesses.
It was all part of a bigger theme in honoring veterans on the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the the 25th anniversary of the start of Desert Storm.
The event was handled with military precision, with an explanation of the Missing Man Table and an invocation by Chaplain Douglas Richardson of the Texas National Guard. The Texas A&M Corps of Cadets Color Guard presented the colors.
The featured speaker was Col. E.A. "Buddy" Grantham, the former director of the city of Houston Office of Veterans Affairs.
Grantham recounted the service of his father, Harold Grantham, in World War II, explaining that it took years for his father to talk about his experiences. It wasn't until Grantham returned from a tour of duty in Desert Storm and a trip to Galveston and standing aboard a military vessel that his father finally opened up.
It was shared experience that brought down any walls.
Grantham, who won a Bronze Star during his time of service, retired from the U.S. Army in 2005 after 20 years of active duty service. He is currently the commander of Houston's 8th Regiment of the Texas State Guard.
His presentation began with recounting events that happened leading up to and after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
"A total of 2,403 Americans paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country's defense," Grantham said, "1,178 others were wounded."
Many of those who were killed or wounded had families on the bases in Pearl Harbor. It is important that not just old veterans are remembered, but their families as well.
"As we think about those service members, we must think about the spouses, the sons and daughters," Grantham said.
On Dec. 8, Franklin Delano Roosevelt went before Congress to issue a call to declare war.
"Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941, a date that will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the empire of Japan," Grantham quoted.
On Dec. 11, 1941, Germany and Italy joined in their declarations of war against the United States, which in turn declared war on those nations as well.
"We all know the rest of the story," Grantham said. "The Allies won and Kate Smith sang the song that stood for the war heroes, 'God Bless America.'"
By the end of the war, more than 20 million international military forces lost their lives as well as 40 million civilians.
"My dad returned to Florida after the war. He had ambitions of opening a Harley-Davidson dealership in California," Grantham said. "On the way to California, he stopped to visit an uncle and ended up going on a date with Grantham's mother. That led to staying in Houston, running a successful painting business and raising a family."
Years later, while Grantham was stationed in West Germany as a "young captain," the U.S. started operations against Saddam Hussein.
His unit was deployed and helped lead the charge against Hussien's forces in Kuwait.
"The dream of freedom whether our own or that of others is worth fighting for," Grantham said. "As the size of our military force dwindles - about 1 percent of the population is now serving in the armed forces - it is even more important that we don't forget the freedoms we have and who protects them for us."
Upon the conclusion of Grantham's presentation, he stood at the front of a line to shake hands with every veteran in attendance.
All the veterans were awarded a special "Challenge Coin" as a token for their time of service.
For information go to hwcoc.org.
The "Art.Write.Now.Tour" showcases work from some of the nation's best teen writers and artists as it travels to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH) Nov. 1 through Jan. 8, 2017. The exhibition is produced by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit organization that presents the national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Featured in the tour are essays and short stories from three Houston writers who qualified for national acclaim through Harris County Department of Education's Scholastic Art & Writing Regional Awards. Through the tour, works are showcased from the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards National Exhibition from teens in grades 7-12.
An oil and gas exploration company that stirred controversy with a project near Lake Houston has completed its drilling and has no plans to return, according to a company employee.
Tri-C Resources LLC Business Development Manager Ben Balagia said the exploratory drilling operation is complete but would not comment on the findings of the exploratory drill. However, Balagia did say Tri-C will not drill follow-up wells. The drilling started Sept. 22 and was finished Nov. 1.
"We have already drilled the well," Balagia said. "... We're done drilling. The rig hasn't moved yet, but it's about to be moved out. We are not going back."
That should come as good news to a group of residents and activists who banded together against the project, forming Lake Houston Protect Our Water and Air (POWA), which met Thursday, Nov. 3, to continue addressing the exploratory drilling operation near Lakewood Heights in Huffman.
FRACKING FEARS: Drilling permit stirs concern in Lake Houston
The Texas Railroad Commission approved a permit in late July for Tri-C to drill the exploratory well at the southwest corner of Smith Road and East Lake Houston Parkway. The operation's proximity to Lake Houston, a major water source for the city of Houston, as well as the proximity to schools and residences in Lakewood Heights, prompted the formation of POWA, which held multiple community meetings to discuss the operation and potential repercussions from drilling operations on water and air quality.
Thursday night's meeting was led by Jere Locke, from the Texas Drought Project, Priscilla Villa, from Earthworks, and Kingwood resident Kevin McManis.
"When I found out about the local drilling, I decided to do what I can to find out how bad this is and what we can do about it," McManis said. "We had a couple of meetings in Kingwood and a couple downtown to spread the word about what's going on. Ultimately, what we found out over the past six weeks is that once the permitting process has started and been approved, we're shut out. We can't do anything."
SKEPTICAL RESIDENTS: Community reacts to Lake Houston drilling
Many of those in attendance were residents of Lakewood Heights, including resident Lynn Sibley. She, like several other residents in attendance, expressed concern about excessive noise and vibrations allegedly caused by the drilling operation.
According to Sibley, the noise still continues despite the fact that Tri-C stated the drilling is complete.
Balagia said he is not sure what is causing the noise residents were referring to, but that the rig is totally shut down. He said some noise can be expected as equipment is moved off site, which is expected to be finished in less than two weeks.
Although Tri-C expressed no intention to return to the site, some residents and Lake Houston POWA organizers remain skeptical.
More answers regarding this particular drilling operation will become apparent in the coming weeks. Regardless of the outcome, Lake Houston POWA intends to continue using the group as a platform to advocate for more public influence in the permitting process as well as more air and water quality monitoring.
"The biggest problem we have is that there wasn't any sort of awareness," Villa said. "There's no form of public process in either the Railroad Commission's permitting or the city's permitting. Currently, we're kind of dealing with trying to get the Railroad Commission to include public opinions on permits. One of the things we're thinking and hoping for is that we can apply pressure to our city and say that there should be public input in approving these permits.
"I also think there should be an air- and water-monitoring system in place already if they want to do anything like this in the area. If they're willing to approve a permit, there should be some sort of infrastructure, air and water monitoring in that area."
Although Lake Houston POWA has not made any official plans moving forward, McManis thinks the organization is on a course to extend its reach to more areas around Houston and become more active in a push for change.
"We're going to advocate for changes because this can happen again down the road; they could come back and do this again next year," McManis said. "So, I think regardless we're going to continue our organization to ask the city to make those monitoring improvements and process changes on our behalf because that benefits people in this and other communities. That's something we should stick with, whether these guys leave or not.
"I think we're probably done with the public meetings for the time being. From here, based on what happens in the next couple of weeks, I think we're going to start going toward downtown, or the county; talking to the mayor or council members. So, I think our 'change phase' will kick in."
For more information about Lake Houston POWA, visit www.facebook.com/ProtectLakeHouston or email lakehoustonpowa@gmail.com.
Information about Tri-C resources can be found at www.tricresources.com.
Jason Eaton went to his girlfriend's Indiana home last week with an engagement ring, he told police.
He planned on proposing to Wendy Sabatini, according to court documents.
But Sabatini told Eaton "no" before he even got the question out.
Then, Eaton grabbed a gun, he later told police.
Eaton now stands accused in the fatal shooting of Sabatini. The Greensburg Daily News reports that Eaton faces a murder charge in connection with Sabatini's death, a crime authorities say he has confessed to.
Eaton walked into the Greensburg police department on Oct. 25 and asked to speak with an officer, according to a probable cause affidavit. He told the officer that he had killed his girlfriend, and authorities went out to check on Sabatini.
They were met at Sabatini's Indiana home by her son, who thought his mother was still at work. The son was eating dinner after an internship, and was "unaware of any problems in the home," the affidavit notes.
"Officers searched the residence and found Sabatini deceased in an upstairs bedroom from an apparent single gunshot wound to the crown of her head," the documents read. "A firearm located inside the bedroom was found and seized."
After Eaton was detained at the police station, he told police about the failed proposal attempt and subsequent shooting.
"Eaton advised that earlier in the afternoon, he was speaking to Sabatini in the upstairs bedroom and approached her with an engagement ring, with the intent to ask Sabatini to marry Eaton. Sabatini declined before he asked," the court documents state. "Eaton said that he then retrieved a firearm from a nightstand and moved behind Sabatini, who was seated on the opposite side of the bed. Eaton said the gun fired, striking Sabatini in the head."
Eaton told police that he left the gun in the bedroom and went downstairs. Eventually, he told investigators, he left the house and traveled to the home of another woman.
Eaton told that woman "that he messed up and he thinks he killed Sabatini," the affidavit states. The pair then drove to the police department.
The affidavit notes that the investigation is ongoing, "with regard to intent, motive and timeline."
"The investigation by the Greensburg Police Department is ongoing," Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Harter said in a statement released to the Greensburg Daily News. "Any person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty. This office will have no further comment on this pending criminal case, consistent with the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct."
A message left with Eaton's attorney was not immediately returned.
Sabatini's son, Lake, spoke with Fox 59 after the shooting, telling the station that he knew his mother, who was divorced, would turn down a proposal, saying that she simply did not want to get remarried.
"Anybody instantly would fall in love when you met her," he said of his mother. "She was a wonderful person."
Sabatini's sister told the Fox affiliate that she was shocked by Eaton's reaction to the rejection.
"I would have never seen this side out of him, but I guess you truly don't know everybody," Heather Rasmus told the station. "He just didn't get the answer he wanted."
Of her slain sister, Rasmus said: "She was a very stern woman. She stood her ground."
Sabatini's friends remembered the 44-year-old as a supportive woman who was "inspiring," according to the Logansport Pharos-Tribune. Her ex-husband recalled her smile, telling the newspaper that when they met: "I couldn't take my eyes off her."
"There was just something about her," John Sabatini told the Pharos-Tribune. "She was always smiling."
Another acquaintance, Lora Collins, said learned of Sabatini's death the morning after the shooting, after noticing several missed calls.
"If she wanted something," Collins told the newspaper, "Wendy went out and got it. But she was also so humble and had an awesome personality, and I will always remember that laughter."
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One student is dead and another wounded after an apparent drive-by shooting on Monday near a southwest Houston school.
The gunfire broke out about 12:30 p.m. in the 9700 block of Bissonnet near Houston CAN Academy, according to the Houston Police Department.
Violence erupted after multiple suspects in a gray SUV got into a verbal altercation with two males in a white pickup truck in the school parking lot, HPD spokeswoman Jodi Silva said.
About four men jumped out of the SUV and one of the passengers in the SUV opened fire on the two people inside the pickup truck.
Silva said the truck's driver drove to 5900 Chimney Rock, where an urgent care is located. The passenger of the white pickup truck was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was rushed to Ben Taub General Hospital. Silva said the driver was in stable condition Monday evening.
James Troutman, principal of the southwest campus of Houston CAN Academy, issued a statement shortly after the tragedy.
"It is our understanding that the person who committed this crime is not one of our students," Troutman said.
Troutman told media on Monday that the shooting happened between the school morning session and afternoon session. Details about the students will be released after family members have been notified, Troutman said.
"It's scary to know what happened," Troutman told media near the site of the shooting on Monday.
Troutman said that when the shots were fired, school officials immediately went into emergency lockdown. Parents were notified of the shooting. Classes continued, and the school will be open on Tuesday.
Troutman said counselors will be on campus for students, parents and staff members.
There have been no arrests at this time. Anyone with information about the suspects can call Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS or HPD homicide division at 713-308-3600.
Chron.com reporter Will Axford contributed to this report.
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Canned foods are staples at food pantries because of their long shelf life, nutritional value and because they are convenient.
Christian Helping Hands has been trying to make it as convenient as possible for its communities to help serve the needy in Pearland, Friendswood, Brookside Village and Manvel for over 30 years.
On Nov. 19, the nonprofit will hold a food drive at three Pearland Kroger stores so that area residents can drop off nonperishable food items like canned fruit, tuna, vegetables and peanut butter.
Co-founder Hita Dixon likes to tell the story about CHH's beginnings.
In 1983, Dixon and Candy Johnson, representing St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Pearland, returned from a women's conference in Bryan/College Station with a challenge.
"We were asked to focus on hunger in our communities," Dixon said.
They were told to go home and find those people who were hungry or who needed some type of assistance. It was a challenge, said Dixon, because they didn't believe that people in their hometown could ever go hungry.
But Johnson met one single mother who had been carefully portioning one pot of beans for her children.
"She kept her pot of pinto beans with a lid on it and stored it in the refrigerator to keep bugs from getting in it," Dixon remembers. "Every day she would scoop out the mold, recook it and that's how she fed her kids. Candy said, 'If I know one person, somebody else knows one person and somebody else knows one person' - that's how the whole thing got started."
In its first 19 years, Christian Helping Hands would provide services to 143,000 people representing 41,000 families throughout the area.
In 2015, many families received those services, either through the food pantry, by utility and rent assistance, medical and clothing vouchers or emergency lodging.
The independent nonprofit, which relies solely on donations and the support of various community businesses and churches, doesn't dwell on the holiday season appeals. Thanksgiving and Christmas come once a year, but all the various reasons - financial issues, unemployment - why people find themselves going hungry, don't go away after December, Dixon said.
"We try to get as much everyday food as we can," she said. "People are always coming in with frozen turkeys, the biggest turkey and Christmas baskets for that family, but once that one meal is gone it's gone."
Instead, CHH stresses constant restocking. Right now, it is specifically asking for canned corn and tuna, dried milk (in boxes), pasta and pasta sauces and fruit. Besides food items, clothes, hygiene products can help. Even something simple like day-old roses, provided by a retail store, can have an emotional impact, Dixon said.
Dixon said CHH thrives by paying attention to such details because of volunteers like Robbie Lynn Beck.
Because it is independent and self-sustaining, volunteers are a big part of its daily operation, Dixon said.
Beck has been volunteering at CHH since it opened, spending several hours a week interviewing clients and determining how the organization can assist them.
"I feel like it is what God wanted me to do as opposed to working for a paycheck," she said. "It makes me feel like I have maybe helped ease their burden. Sometimes you make them feel better because they are able to talk to someone. If I'm feeling bad when I come in here, just be talking to them and helping them, I feel better."
CHH relies on that kind of commitment, Dixon said.
"People come here as volunteers looking for something to fulfil their lives and one they get comfortable doing this, they can't stay away," Dixon said. "They really feel they need to help more and more. It's just a great camaraderie and there's a great love in being able to help."
Beck, 87, has been volunteering in some capacity for most of her life. To her, it's about empathy.
"Many of us are very privileged in what we have in our daily life," she said. "Because of that, we need to think of those that maybe don't have as much and be willing to contribute to Christian Helping Hands or other organizations that help those that need it."
On Nov. 19, participating Kroger stores include the following locations in Pearland: Shadow Creek Parkway, Broadway at Cullen and Broadway at Barry Rose.
CHH is at 3402 Swensen in Pearland. To find out how to donate or help, visit www.christianhelpinghands.org or call 281-485-9776.
The Sugar Land Office of Economic Development is partnering with the Sugar Land Legacy Foundation to recognize individuals and businesses that have made a significant, lasting impact on the city's economic development and overall prosperity.
The nomination deadline for the first Sugar Land Legacy Awards is Nov. 30. Recipients will be honored at a business appreciation luncheon on Dec. 16 at the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land. The foundation board of directors will select recipients from nominations based on their commitment, business experience, tenure, service and leadership.
"The foundation is pleased to be a part of the first ever Sugar Land Legacy Awards" said Sugar Land Legacy Foundation President Sunil Sharma. "We look forward to celebrating the achievements of these recipients and applaud their commitment to our community."
The foundation was created by the Sugar Land City Council in 2010 to assist in the development of city-owned capital projects and to promote community investment in facilities and activities that enhance the long-term prosperity and quality of life for Sugar Land residents.
Past foundation projects include the Remembrance Tower and Honor and Remember engraved brick pavers located within the Veterans Memorial area at Sugar Land Memorial Park, the universally accessible playground in Sugar Land's First Colony Park, Eldridge Park Trail improvements, City Park skate park enhancements and memorial, and the installation of several sculptures throughout Sugar Land.
The foundation focuses on "planned giving opportunities" that do not compete with the fundraising efforts of Fort Bend County's many charitable organizations, explained Sharma.
Since its creation in 1999, the Sugar Land Office of Economic Development has worked with numerous corporations and developers to expand, construct improvements, or relocate to Sugar Land.
"Thanks to our corporate community, Sugar Land has been able to maintain a pro-business climate and family-oriented quality of life, attracting everything from Fortune 500 companies to startups," said City Manager Allen Bogard. "The city is an economic powerhouse within the Houston region, and the companies we're recognizing have been an important part of our success. Our proactive efforts to ensure a strong economy help pay for the quality services our residents expect and supports one of the lowest tax rates in the state."
Sugar Land has more than 64,500 jobs and is home to high-profile regional and international corporations housed in more than 25 million square feet of commercial space, including more than 15 Fortune 500 companies. The city's assessed commercial valuation has more than doubled in just over a decade-increasing by more than $2 billion.
For more information on the event or to make a nomination, visit www.sugarlandecodev.com/legacy or contact the Office of Economic Development at ecodev@sugarlandtx.gov or 281-275-2229.
If you find yourself in a place where you cannot light up a cigarette in Missouri City, you may as well leave the electronic cigarette at home, too.
The use of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices is now banned anywhere smoking is prohibited in the city of Missouri City, in accordance with a recently amended city ordinance. The ordinance defines electronic cigarettes and expanded the definition of smoking to include the use of the devices, thus enforcing the use of electronic cigarettes in the same way as other cigarettes.
Next November, Missouri City voters will have a few more local races on their ballots.
City council approved Oct. 17 a resolution that will move the city's general elections from May to November.
The 4-3 vote in favor of the change sparked conflict among city council members. Those in favor of the resolution argued that May elections confused voters. Holding them in November would increase citizen participation, they said.
But opponents of the resolution, who included Mayor Allen Owen, argued the change would bury important city elections at the bottom of a lengthy November ballot.
Voter confusion
District A Councilmember Yolanda Ford raised the issue of changing the date of Missouri City's general elections after getting feedback from citizens.
"This is all I hear: Why are we having May elections? Why aren't we doing November elections?" Ford said at the Oct. 17 meeting. "People, when they think of elections, they think of November."
Ford, At-Large Position 2 Councilmember Chris Preston, District B Councilmember Don Smith and District C Councilmember Anthony Maroulis voted in favor of the date change.
Missouri City at-large councilmembers are elected to two-year terms in even-numbered years. District council members are elected to two-year terms in odd-numbered years.
In May of 2013, 2,152 Missouri City residents voted. That's about 400 less than the 2,531 that turned out in November of 2013. But in May of 2015, just 1,635 people in Missouri City headed to the polls, compared to 5,004 in November.
By comparison, nearly 12,500 people headed to the polls in November of 2014. In May of that year, 5,486 ballots were cast.
Fort Bend ISD, the district to which Missouri City residents are zoned, will still hold its school board elections in May.
Previous attempts
Ford requested the council consider changing the dates just a month after another entity struck down the idea.
Missouri City is in the midst of reviewing its charter. Its charter review commission voted 3 to 2 at an Oct. 10 meeting against changing the election date.
Owen, At-Large Position 1 Councilmember Jerry Wyatt and Mayor Pro Tem Floyd Emery voted against changing the date. Owen and Emery cited the charter review commission's decision as one reason they did so.
"If we're going to have a charter review committee, we have to at least listen to what they say and what they propose," Emery said.
With the change, Missouri City will be the only major city with residents in Fort Bend County besides Houston to hold elections in November.
Another concern Emery and Owen raised was important local races getting buried in nation and statewide elections.
"I think voters will vote," Maroulis said. "It's a shame that it's going to be on the third page, but voters will vote."
With the change, current city council members' terms will be extended six months. Their terms will end in November.
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Jasper's announced that Frank Santos has been named general manager of The Woodlands location with a goal to focus on outstanding guest service and the award-winning gourmet backyard cuisine in an atmosphere of casual elegance.
Having over 25 years of hospitality and restaurant management experience with the Pappas Restaurant Group, and a successful career as general manager and marketing director, Santos is looking forward to continuing the Jasper's tradition of an exceptional dining experience and increased community involvement.
Oct. 24
At 4:35 p.m., Officers O'Sullivan and D.Guerra were dispatched to the 5300 block of Bellaire in reference to an accident. The driver of the at fault vehicle was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
At 5:35 p.m., Cpl. C. Barber was dispatched to a call for service regarding a burglary of a habitation in the 800 block of Woodstock. Upon arrival it was observed the back door glass had been broken out and items had been taken.
At 3:30 p.m., Officer Liccketto was dispatched to 4501 Bissonnet in reference to a family disturbance in which the father of the caller claimed to strike her in the face after an argument they had. During the course of the investigation the caller admitted to fabricating the story.
Oct. 25
At 3:06 a.m., Officer Proctor was patrolling the 5000 block of Bellaire Blvd. W/B when he observed a vehicle with expired insurance as of 08/11/2016 with no match in 45 days. Officer Proctor initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle at the 5100 block of Bellaire Blvd. W/B and made contact with the driver. Upon further investigation, Officer Proctor found the driver to be driving while her license was invalid, and the driver did not have any insurance on the vehicle. Officer Proctor also found the driver to have five active warrants out of the city of Bellaire and 8 active warrants out of the city of Houston. About 3:17 a.m., Officer Proctor placed the driver into custody for DWLI/Enhanced and the warrants and transported her to Bellaire Jail for booking.
About 12 p.m., Officer Andrade observed a black Chevrolet Suburban circling the area on the 5000 block of Beech Street. Due to the recent burglaries in the area, Officer Andrade initiated a traffic stop on the 6300 block of N. Second Street and made contact with the driver who advised he was looking for rental homes. The driver identified himself by his Texas Driver's License. After further investigation, the driver was found to be driving while license invalid. The driver was taken into custody and transported to the City of Bellaire Jail for booking and processing.
At 4:19 a.m., Officer Barrientos was dispatched to a major motor vehicle accident in the 6700 block of 610 West Loop South northbound. Upon arrival, Ofc. Barrientos made contact with all parties involved. During the investigation it was determined the driver of a green Ford Mustang was traveling south bound in the north bound lanes of the above address and collided with a silver Ford Focus causing serious bodily injury. The driver of the Mustang admitted to drinking before the incident.
At 11:22 a.m., Officer J. Trujillo and Officer R. Guerra were dispatched to 5861 Bissonnet St. in reference to a theft. The complainant advised the suspect took some pizza rolls from the store without paying for them. Upon arrival, officers observed the suspect drive away from the store onto the 5800 block of Bissonnet and officers initiated a traffic stop. The driver was arrested and charged with driving while license suspended (DWLS) Class B.
At 2 p.m., Officer H. Lopez was dispatched to the Bellaire Police Lobby in reference to an identity theft. The reportee stated an unknown person obtained his business routing/ account number on his checks and cashed them in several states.
Oct. 26
At 7:41 p.m., Officer Delgado conducted a traffic stop on a 2008 tan Chevrolet Suburban for failure to maintain a single lane and for defective equipment (left headlight out). Officer Delgado made contact with the driver who provided his Texas Driver License and proof of financial responsibility. While speaking with the driver, Officer Delgado detected an odor or marijuana emitting from the vehicle. The driver was detained and later placed in custody after being found in possession of a prohibited weapon. The driver was transported to the Bellaire Police Department Jail for booking and processing.
Oct. 27
At 12:41 a.m., Officer Jenkins observed a vehicle driving with expired license plates as of March 2015. Officer Jenkins stopped the vehicle in the 5400 block of Dashwood Drive and made contact with the driver. A check on the driver showed the driver did not have a valid driver's license and he was unable to show proof of financial responsibility. The driver was arrested for driving while license invalid class B. The passenger in the vehicle was intoxicated to the point he was a danger to himself or other and was arrested for public intoxication.
At 3:38 p.m., police officers with the city of Bellaire were dispatched to an in-progress burglary of habitation call in the 5100 block of Patrick Henry. Officers arrived and checked the interior of the residence but did not locate any suspects. Officers observed the back glass door of the residence vandalized with an unknown object, by an unknown suspect(s). Officer Delgado made contact with the victim who stated nothing appeared to be out of place or missing. During the investigation it was found the suspects did not make entry into the residence. Officer Delgado collected information from the victim and took pictures of the damages.
At 8:10 p.m., Bellaire officers responded to a burglary alarm call in the 5500 block of Newcastle. Officers arrived and found a window to be broken. The unknown suspect(s) made forced entry through a window located on the North side of the residence and burglarized the home.
Oct. 28
At 10:26 a.m., Officer Andrade was dispatched to the 5100 block of Cedar in reference to an in-progress burglary of a motor vehicle. Officer Andrade met with the victim who advised that between the hours of 10:15 and 10:25, unknown suspect(s) forced entry into his vehicle and stole a Cashier's Check without his consent.
At 2:53 p.m., Officers O'Sullivan and D. Guerra were dispatched to the City of Bellaire Police Department lobby in reference to a report of forgery. Officers O'Sullivan and D. Guerra arrived at approximately 3:02 p.m. and met with the victim who stated an unknown subject had withdrawn money from his account using a debit card and his PIN number.
About 9 p.m., the victim in this case picked up an unknown white female and an unknown black female from a check cashing store at the intersection of Rampart and Glenmont in the City of Houston. The victim brought both females back to his motel room at the Bellaire Motor Inn. The two females then proceeded to hold the victim at knife point and rob him of his belongings. Both female suspects fled the scene in a red colored SUV. The victim suffered two minor cuts on his back and refused any medical attention.
At 3:56 p.m., Officer Liccketto was patrolling the 6800 block of Third Street and observed a gray Chevrolet van with a defective passenger side brake light in front of his patrol vehicle. Officer Liccketto conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and conduced 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.
Oct. 29
At 10:46 a.m., Officer Andrade was dispatched to Bellaire Police Department Lobby in reference to an identity theft. Officer Andrade met with the victim who stated an unknown suspect(s) opened an account with a utility company using his identifying information without his consent.
At 1:37 a.m., Officer Bellard was on patrol in the 5300 block of Bissonnet when he observed a beige Jaguar go straight in a turn only lane. Officer Bellard initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and after further investigation the driver was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
At 3:08 a.m., Officer Bellard was on patrol in the 7500 block of IH 610 South when he observed a black Ford Explorer traveling at a high rate of speed. Officer Bellard paced the suspect vehicle at approximately 87 MPH in a 60 MPH zone. The suspect also failed to signal a lane change. Officer Bellard initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and after further investigation the driver was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
At 7:55 p.m., Officers O'Sullivan and D. Guerra were dispatched to the 5400 block of Bissonnet in reference to an aggravated robbery. Officers O'Sullivan and D. Guerra arrived on location at approximately 7:57 p.m. and met with the victim. The victim advised Officer D. Guerra that a silver Honda CRV occupied by two black males was parked at CVS. The vehicle drove to Firehouse Pizza parking lot while the victim was loading up a pizza into the backseat of her car. One black male approached the victim and presented a silver handgun and demanded the victim's car keys. The victim turned over her car keys and the suspect left the area. One suspect drove the silver Honda CRV and the other drove the victim's vehicle.
Oct. 30
About 7:15 p.m., Officer O'Sullivan responded to the 500 block of Chelsea Street in reference to a fraudulent purchase. The reporting party stated a former friend and business partner had purchased a vehicle in California, as well as opening a credit and insurance account. The investigation concluded the incident was an identity theft.
At 4:13 p.m., Officer Liccketto was dispatched to 500 Wilmington in reference to a vehicle accident that had just occurred. The suspect vehicle was last seen headed West on Bissonnet Street. Officer Liccketto was able to find the suspect vehicle in the 5000 block of Bissonnet. Officer Liccketto conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and during the course of the investigation, the driver was found to have slow and sluggish speech and was slow processing information. Officer Liccketto performed SFST's on the suspect and based on the results of the test, the driver was arrested for DWI. The driver was taken to Bellaire Police Department for booking and processing without incident.
At 11:37 p.m., Officers Ortega and Proctor were flagged down by the victim in the 5100 block of Jessamine. The victim stated while at work, an unknown person placed a cell phone attached to a magnet underneath her vehicle.
The circumstances of the so-called Beatrice 6 case prevent Gage County from seeking a loan from the Nebraska Treasurer's Office to pay a $28.1 million judgment awarded earlier this year to six people wrongfully convicted of a 1985 murder, the state Attorney General said Friday.
Attorney General Doug Peterson, who wrote the opinion with Assistant Attorney General Natalee Hart, said state law allowing political subdivisions to ask the treasurer for a loan to pay judgments is not a viable solution because the judgment in this case was awarded in federal court.
Treasurer Don Stenberg asked for the opinion in October after Jeffry Patterson, one of the attorneys for the six people convicted after a 1989 cold case investigation, suggested the option to Gage County.
Joseph White, Ada JoAnn Taylor, Thomas Winslow, James Dean, Kathleen Gonzalez and Debra Shelden spent a combined 75 years in prison for the rape and beating death of Helen Wilson in her downtown Beatrice apartment. They were absolved after DNA evidence implicated a seventh person.
The six sued Gage County, Deputy Sheriff Burdette Searcey, Reserve Deputy Wayne Price and others for violating their civil rights and in July, a federal jury found in their favor.
The county appealed, but is exploring options for paying the judgment more than three times greater than its annual budget.
In October, Patterson made this offer: If the county could arrange the means to pay the jury award, the six would agree to wait until the end of the appeals process to push for payment.
One avenue attorneys for the six suggested was that the county apply for a loan from the Treasurer's Office under the Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act, which allows governmental entities to get a loan, then pay back the state with minimal interest.
But Stenberg said there is no record any political subdivision has asked for one since the act was signed into law nearly half a century ago and asked the attorney general for his opinion on Oct. 13.
On Friday, Peterson said it's not an avenue Gage County can pursue.
None of the Plaintiffs claims were brought under the Political Subdivisions Tort Claims act, nor do they make any reference to those statutes, the opinion says.
Furthermore, the judgment does not refer to any claims in state courts, meaning any loan filed by Gage County to the State Treasurers office under Political Subdivisions Tort Claims Act would not fall within the parameters of this statute.
He also said Gage County can pursue no other options through Stenbergs office.
You did not indicate whether you thought another statute may apply in this circumstance, and Mr. Patterson pointed to no other statutes under which he believes a loan could be made to Gage County, Peterson wrote. We are not aware of any other provision in Nebraska statute which would allow the State Treasurer to loan money to a political subdivision in order for a judgment to be satisfied.
While waiting for a decision on its appeal to the 8th Circuit Court, Gage County continues to try to figure out how it might pay the judgment, and it has asked for a stay in the judgment.
Last week, the county Board of Supervisors discussed the case in a two-hour closed session with its team of private-practice attorneys led by Patrick OBrien, as well as lawyers it hired earlier this summer to analyze its insurance history in the case.
Less than a week after Patterson wrote to the county requesting payment, OBrien wrote his own letter telling the six the county will not increase its property tax levy beyond the 50 cents per $100 valuation it is limited to by state law to pay the judgment.
While you cite a number of statutes that seem to ignore this limitation, case law in Nebraska supports our position that in order to exceed the $.50 levy, the County would have to submit the proposition to a vote of the people, OBrien wrote.
He also called Pattersons reference to a provision in state law that allows for county officials to be held personally liable if they fail to levy a tax necessary to pay a court judgment gratuitous and unenforceable.
The County Commissioners are in the process of exploring all of their options in response to the jurys verdict entered in this case, he said. As you know, Gage County does not have a sufficient tax base to raise over $30 million for immediate payment.
The County Commissioners have paid diligent attention to this case and they will continue to take all steps necessary to properly respond to the jurys verdict in due time, OBrien added.
Responding to Pattersons offer to stay the judgment if Gage County can guarantee prompt payment in the event the 8th Circuit sides with the six, OBrien said the county does not have the resources or authority to make any promises.
As we have previously indicated, the County is exploring all of the possibilities open to it in responding to the jurys verdict and will do so in a considered and timely manner.
Oct. 28
At 8:26 a.m., an officer observed two male subjects to be behind a dumpster of a local business in the 5300 block of Kirby. Upon further investigation it was discovered that one of the individuals was in possession of a green leafy substance that the individuals advised that were going to smoke. Pending results on the substance a warrant will be filed at a later date for arrest.
Officers were dispatched to the 3200 block of Amherst in regards to a burglary of motor vehicle that had just occurred. An officer arrived to the scene and spoke to the owner/complainant of the vehicle.
At 12:34 p.m., an officer stopped a vehicle on traffic in the 3200 block of Albans. The vehicle displayed a Texas Temporary Tag that didn't match the vehicle. Upon investigation, it was discovered the driver was knowledgeable the registations was ficticous and placed it on his vehicle. Subsequently the driver was taken into custody for Ficticious or Altered Registration.
At 3:16 p.m., officers were dispatched to a report of suspicious activity where a vehicle was following another vehicle for an extended amount of time. The reportee called 9-1-1 and advised that a vehicle had been following her, the reportee pulled into the West University Place Police Department parking lot, where the suspicious vehicle was stopped by police. There were three male subjects inside the suspicious vehicle, and all three were subsequently arrested. The driver was arrested for driving without a driver's license, and multiple warrants with Houston Police Department, also has prior arrest history including Unlawful carry of weapon and forgery government financial institution. The passengers also had multiple Houston Police warrants, also has prior arrest history including Evading, Aggravated Assault with Deadly Weapon (2x), Unlawful carry of weapon and possession with intent. The third occupant was brought in for an investigative hold/ further questioning, this subject has a prior arrest history including Burglary of Habitation (4x), possession of controlled substance (2x), possession of marijuana and forgery government financial institution.
At 3:29 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the 3100 block of Albans in regards to a burglary of a motor vehicle that just occurred. Upon arrival, it was discovered an unknown person(s) entered an unsecured vehicle and took items without consent.
At 4:19 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the 3000 block of Bissonnet in regard to a theft of a bicycle. Upon arriving it was discovered the bike had been stolen from inside a detached garage leading to a residence. The bicycle was hanging from the ceiling and taken from the approximate time frame of 3:45 p. m., and 4:10 p.m., while the resident left for a short time leaving the garage open.
Oct. 29
At 9:29 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 2600 block of Sunset in regard to a report of a suspicious vehicle that had been parked in front of a resident's home for about a week. Upon running the license plate, and VIN number attached to the vehicle it was discovered that the vehicle had been reported to be stolen. The vehicles owner was contacted, and the vehicle was recovered.
At 2:51 pm, officer were dispatched to the 2700 block of Centenary in regard to a report of a burglary of a motor vehicle that had just occurred. Upon arrival at the scene it was discovered that an unknown person had shattered/ broken the front driver side window on the reportee's vehicle while it was parked in the driveway of the residence.
An officer was dispatched to a business located in the 5800 block of Kirby in regard to a minor accident/FSGI that had already occurred. Upon arrival, it was discovered that the vehicle had sustained damage to the passenger side rear door and passenger side rear quarter panel.
An officer was dispatched to the 6100 block of Edloe to meet with a reportee in regard to found property. The Officer took custody of the property and it was transported to the West U PD.
Oct. 30
An oOfficer was dispatched to the 4100 block of Villanova in regard to an FSGI that had already occurred.
At 9:38 am, an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 5300 block of Westchester in regard to a report of suspicious activity. Upon arrival it was discovered that an unknown male subject had walked up to the reportee's home and used a small device to take a picture of the front yard/ home. The reportee advised that he witnessed the individual take the picture as he was leaving the home.
At 1:18 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 6600 block of Community Dr. in regards to a verbal dispute in progress.
At 10:52 p.m., an officer observed a vehicle travelling northbound in the 6400 block of Buffalo Speedway with defective taillights. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the driver had many traffic violations. The driver was arrested for the offenses. This subject has prior arrest history including theft (2x).
Oct. 31
An officer was dispatched to the 3000 block of Georgetown in reference to a burglary of a motor vehicle that had already occurred. The officer arrived and met with the complainant who advised that an unknown person(s) had entered her vehicle.
Officers were dispatched to an assault that had occurred in the 4000 block of Bellaire. The reportee advised that a male suspect tried to fight a store employee. The suspect left the store east bound on Bellaire. Officers searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect.
An officer observed a vehicle with expired registration in the 5300 block of Buffalo Speedway. A stop was conducted and contact was made with the driver in the 5200 block of Buffalo Speedway. With consent, a search was conducted, and narcotics were found. The subject was placed in custody for the possession of marijuana. This subject has prior arrest history including falsifying drug test results and theft aggregate.
Nov. 1
An officer was dispatched to 4200 block of Amherst in reference to criminal mischief. The officer made contact with the complainant who stated that an unknown person(s) had broken the window to his vehicle with an unknown object.
An officer was dispatched to the West U PD lobby in reference to a Burglary of motor vehicle. The officer arrived and made contact with the complainant who stated that an unknown person(s) had entered her vehicle without her permission and removed a laptop.
An officer was dispatched to a disturbance in the 6300 block of Rutgers. Upon the arrival, it was discovered that an argument had ensued officers investigated the incident, but was unable determine what had occurred, due to conflicting statement given by all parties involved. All parties also stated that they did not wish to pursue any charges.
An officer was dispatched to the 6300 block of Mercer in regard to a complaint of a sharp item found inside of child's Halloween candy. During the investigation the officer found a piece of candy with a sewing needle protruding from it.
An officer was dispatched to 5800 block of Lake in reference to a found bag in the roadway.
Nov. 2
No crimes reported.
Nov. 3
At 10:26 a.m., officers were dispatched to a residence in the 4100 block of Lehigh in regard to a report of a verbal disturbance in progress.
An officer was dispatched to the 2800 block of Wroxton in regards to a burglary of motor vehicle that had already occurred. Officer arrived to the scene and spoke to the reportee.
An officer observed a vehicle traveling westbound with no headlights on. The officer initiated a traffic stop and upon further investigation, it was discovered the driver was driving while license invalid. The driver was subsequently arrested for the offense of driving while license invalid. This subject has prior arrest history including burglary of motor vehicle.
An officer was dispatched to the 2600 block of Bissonnet to speak with a complainant in regards to a burglary of a motor vehicle.
An officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby for a walk in report of lost property.
Nov. 4
No crimes reported.
As prison overcrowding issues continue to be a concern, probation is becoming a more common sentence in Nebraska courtrooms.
Additionally, many felony prison sentences are for a shorter term and require a period of post-release supervision, essentially a period of probation after time served.
These sentences aim to relieve overcrowding and better rehab offenders to become viable members of society, and the probation office in Beatrice is taking its own steps to help offenders stay on the right path.
An open house was held at the probation office in Beatrice, located at Fifth and Ella streets on the second floor of the Beatrice Police Department, on Monday to introduce the new reporting center to the community.
Jeremy Behrends, Chief Probation Officer for District 1 of Nebraska, discussed what the addition means for the area.
The reporting center basically allows us to offer programing here in the probation office focusing on alcohol and drug treatment, mental health counseling and employment services, he said. Things that we really want to focus on with our clients so we can lower their risk and ensure, as much we can, them leaving here and not coming back again.
Were trying to get them to walk out the door that last time where theyve really improved themselves.
The district includes 11 counties in southeast Nebraska and is anchored by Gage County.
The reporting center aims to serve as a community resource by offering a variety of services for those on probation, including relapse prevention, trauma and DBT therapy, womens trauma after care group, crime victim empathy class and more.
Eric Perkins, Reporting Center Coordinator, said the key component of the addition is putting new technology to use.
What you notice right away is improved technology and accessibility, he explained. Weve redesigned the offices as far as the floor plan, secured entry and new technology. Weve got increased video and teleservices. What thats really going to do is we can broadcast out to anyplace across the state. If we have a probationer in Falls City and they cant make it up, they can sit in the Falls City office and actively participate and engage.
Chris Reece, probation reentry supervisor, said another way technology has been implemented is by a series of terminals clients can use to work on things like finding employment.
Behrends pointed out that many of the services offered by the reporting center addition have always been available for people on probation. The key change is probation officers will have more face time with their clients, be more involved and can flag any issues earlier in the process.
Us having these services in this office is huge, he said. The real benefit of this, they could do these services out in the community, but then we were losing the daily interaction with the clientsOur main goal when they first come in is seeing what their high-risk areas are, focusing on that and making sure were focusing on where we can get the most bang for our buck and try to get that change to happen.
A Beatrice man was arrested on a warrant after he allegedly stole and sold calves from the Diller area.
Todd Fritzen, 47, was arrested for theft of livestock after an investigation by the Jefferson County Sheriffs Department.
At around noon on Tuesday, Nov. 1, Jefferson County Communications received a report of missing cattle from the Diller area.
The caller said the cattle were being fed out and he received a call from someone who told him that 10 head of calves had been taken and sold in Marysville Livestock, according to a press release from the department.
Deputies with the Sheriffs office began an investigation into the theft of the calves.
A suspect was identified, and it was determined that the calves were sold in Marysville and the suspect received more than $5,900 for the sale of the calves.
The suspect was identified and contacted by a Sheriffs Deputy. On the 3rd of November 2016 an arrest warrant was obtained for Fritzen.
Fritzen was arrested in Beatrice for theft by deception, a felony, and for being a habitual criminal, the press release stated.
Fritzen was transported to the Jefferson County Jail, where he also is being held for the Nebraska Department of Corrections on a parole violation.
The Sheriffs Office requested that if anyone is missing cattle from pastures or lots that they contact deputies, so they can follow up and attempt to track the missing animals.
Blair is a small Nebraska town right north of Omaha, nestled among beautiful and wooded rolling hills along the Missouri River. It is a traditional hub of agricultural activity, several large manufacturing plants, and a very stable community of strong values. So much so that a Sunday school class of little children wrote to me about the need to help other impoverished children in countries across the world. Their letters were heartwarming, and they demonstrated the enduring, universal ideals that animate the moral imagination of Nebraska youth.
Fast forward to a jarring criminal incident that took place last month when three men were arrested in Blair driving nearly 90 miles per hour with a loaded gun stolen in Iowa. Two of them were Somali immigrants from Lincoln and Minneapolis here on visas. Both were wanted by the United States Department of Homeland Security, and between the two, had 34 previous arrests. The third man lived in Omaha.
He had 50 previous arrests. Even though the three have been in America long enough to have been arrested 94 times, they still requested a court interpreter. They have abused their privilege. They do not belong in America.
Events of this nature do not usually disrupt our communities. But we live in a world, even here in Nebraska, intertwined with many challenges abroad. Although this event is somewhat unusual in the First District, its another failure of our current immigration system. Thankfully the police apprehended the men without any violence. Neither the officers nor anyone from Blair were harmed. At the same time, one has to consider whether this benign outcome was also partially a function of luck.
Contrast this with a gentleman who recently called my office to personally express his heartfelt gratitude for helping relocate his family here from another war torn country. Although I do not know the fullness of his story, I imagine they faced dire circumstances. Here is a man who arrives and straightaway signals respect for the system that helped get him here.
America has a great capacity to be generous, but those who have received our generosity have an obligation. If you want to come to America, you will accept American values. If you want to come to America, you will work, provide for yourself, and integrate responsibly into dutiful citizenship. If you want to come to America, celebrate your past culture, explain it to other people, and at the same time celebrate your new one.
The children who wrote to me from Blair showed the right humanitarian impulse. Nebraskans throughout our great state have a proper desire to assist one another as well as visitors and newcomers. Our nation has generally maintained a vibrant immigration system, but chaos, disorder, and crime undermine our ability to maintain that openness.
Of our countrys priorities, one of the most pressing should be ensuring that the criminal justice system, the judicial system, and the immigration system work in concert to swiftly remove persons who have seriously transgressed our laws. This will help keep America safe, and protect the integrity of immigration policy for those properly standing in line who want to come, rebuild their lives, and contribute to societysustaining America's generous impulse. The core principle of immigration is this: first, you must choose to be an American.
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The dean of Houston's 93-year-old law school announced Monday morning the school will henceforth be known as South Texas College of Law Houston, on the heels of an injunction by a federal judge barring the school from using the name Houston College of Law while a trademark suit played out in court.
The new name is designed to avoid confusion with the University of Houston's Law Center while still helping potential students find the Houston-based law school.
BACKGROUND: Law school in trademark fight will change its name again
Just after South Texas College of Law announced its Houston-focused name in June, the University of Houston regents sued for trademark infringement.
UH attorneys argued that those interested in their institution had become confused about with school was which when viewing the new branding at college fairs and online.
In mid-October U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison found that UH had a strong likelihood of prevailing at trial on the grounds that the new law school name prominently featuring the words Houston and Law along with a new red-and-white color scheme were likely to confuse consumers in the marketplace. The judge upheld UH's motion for an injunction.
THE FIGHT: Houston law schools square off in federal courtroom
At a subsequent hearing before Judge Ellison, Houston College of Law's attorneys acquiesced, agreeing to take down billboards and banners and revise Internet and letterhead branding. The attorneys said the school would share its new name confidentially with lawyers for UH Friday, and the parties complied with that agreement. If UH didn't see the proposed name as problematic, the downtown law school would move forward.
"We agreed to it and we don't have any problems with it at all," said Dona Cornell, general counsel for UH. As for the lawsuit, Cornell said, "I totally anticipate its going to be over in very short order."
She explained that some loose ends would likely be wrapped up in the coming weeks. South Texas agreed to complete its rebranding with the post-injunction name by the end of 2016.
The school said it will stick with its traditional crimson and gold colors and will add the color navy blue to further distinguish itself from other colleges, officials said.
"We believed we were acting in the best interest of our law school and its students when we made only one change to our name: we replaced 'South Texas' with 'Houston' to acknowledge our birthplace in the heart of downtown," J. Ken Johnson, chairman of the South Texas College of Law Houston board of directors, said in a press release.
He explained, "Given that time was of the essence, by promptly changing our name to South Texas College of Law Houston, the board of directors made the only responsible and prudent decision for the law school."
Donald J. Guter, president and dean of South Texas College of Law Houston, emphasized that the heritage of the institution remains unblemished by this litigious episode.
"We have a 93-year heritage of educating some of the nation's top litigators and transactional attorneys, and we confidently stand on our own award-winning reputation," Guter said. "Our name change stemmed from a desire to make certain that people knew we were in Houston and not South Texas. We have great pride in our law school and what we have accomplished as a unique educational institution."
The renewed prospect of a terrorist attack on Election Day has Texas and federal officials on alert.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security official said Monday that the public should see an increased law enforcement and security presence across communities in public places.
The Islamic State is calling for a lone-wolf-style attack on U.S. voters Tuesday in the wake of a reported call by al-Qaeda last week to hit on election eve.
Through its official communication channel on the Internet, ISIS has called on Muslims in the United States to refuse to participate in the election and take action by announcing that they "have come to slaughter you and smash your ballot boxes," according to SITE Intelligence Group.
"We are aware of alleged threats in recent press reports," the Homeland Security officials said. "While we do not comment on intelligence matters, we will say the counterterrorism and homeland security communities remain vigilant and well-postured to defend against attacks here in the United States."
The official said that Homeland Security is working with the FBI, as well as state and local agencies, to identify and disrupt any potential threat.
"As we have long said, in this environment, homegrown violent extremists could strike with little or no notice," the official said . "Our concern that violent extremists could be inspired to conduct attacks inside the U.S. have not diminished."
Rita Katz, director of SITE Intelligence Group, has been monitoring the situation.
"Calls from ISIS leadership for attacks in the West have been answered by the group's supporters around the world," she said. "Since the Mosul Offensive began, ISIS-inspired attacks have taken place in Turkey, Kenya, Germany, and Russia."
State officials pointed to a statement by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last week when word first became public of a possible threat from al-Qaeda, particularly in Texas, New York and Virginia.
"My office is working with law enforcement officials and we are continuing to monitor the situation in close coordination with the Texas Department of Public Safety," Abbott said in a written statement. "Texans should go about their daily lives as usual, but remain vigilant over the next several days and report any suspicious activity to state or local law enforcement. The State of Texas will continue to do everything it can to ensure the safety and security of its citizens."
Harris County officials declined to say if they were in a heightened status on election day.
"The Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management monitors events that could potentially impact our region," said spokesman Francisco Sanchez Jr . "We are in close communication with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners about any potential terrorist threats or disruptions to election activities."
A substitute teacher is under investigation after allegations that he inappropriately kissed and touched students at a Houston ISD elementary school.
The district sent a letter late last week to Looscan Elementary School parents announcing a first-grade teacher was removed from the classroom, according to KTRK.
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The solution to a West Texas problem could be breakfast for someone in Houston.
Trappers in Lubbock and the surrounding area are catching wild hogs - a scourge to the land in the state - and selling them to buying stations. The buying stations then sell the animals to processors.
From there, feral pigs become tame and tasty breakfast.
NEW NEIGHBORS: Feral hogs appearing in Kingwood, other Houston neighborhoods
I would say if its prepared properly, the taste is almost exactly the same, rancher Jason Bond told The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
There are an estimated 8 million wild hogs roaming the U.S. countryside.
About 2.6 million are in the Lone Star State. Theyre known to devour corn and sorghum and AgriLife at Texas A&M estimates they cost Texas agriculture $52 million a year.
The crops, they just wipe em out, Bond, who runs a buying station in Snyder, told the newspaper.
HUNTING SEASON: Later winter can be hog heaven for hunters
There are also dangers of feral hogs running into vehicles and the damage to the ecosystem caused by the animals.
While bacon may not be the healthiest solution to the problem - or even a long-term fix - it certainly is the tastiest idea to tackle the issue.
President Barack Obama shortened the sentences for six federal inmates from Texas on Friday as his administration granted clemency for 72 inmates around the country.
Fridays announcement was the second consecutive week in which Obama commuted sentences for several dozen people. In all, Obama has granted 944 people clemency since taking office.
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A seemingly forgotten piece of Texas history rests in Carthage, deep behind the pine curtain. Its a reminder of the states beginnings as its own nation.
The last remaining boundary marker for the Republic of Texas, a sizable granite pillar, still stands near the border of Texas and Louisiana on FM-31. Its about six miles from the Louisiana border and some 10 miles from Deadwood, Texas in Panola county.
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The marker dates back to 1841, nearly five years before Texas officially became part of the United States after a decade as its own country.
Nearby, there is a marker denoting that the small community Galloway was where classic country artist Jim Reeves was born.
According to Atlas Obscura the rest of Texas' national boundary markers have since been reclaimed to the land or disappeared, likely into a family collection. That would be no small feat as the pillars are actually 10 feet in length.
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Atlas Obscura community member Brian Carusella took a host of photos of the marker and the area around it for the outlet's coverage of the quirky Texas history tidbit.
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You can check out the markers official National Register of Historic Places nomination form from 1977, wherein it notes that the marker wasnt found until 1971 by woodsmen working the land.
The State of Texas historical marker notes that this is believed to be the last remaining, original international boundary marker within the contiguous United States. The marker text reads in part:
When Texas became a republic in 1836, it appointed a joint commission with the U.S. to survey and mark the established boundary from the Gulf of Mexico up the Sabine River and on to the Red River This is the only known marker remaining, and it is believed to be the only original international boundary marker within the contiguous U.S. Today, the border between Texas and Louisiana follows the Sabine River to the 32nd parallel, at which point it connects to the boundary established by Hunt and Forsyth. The Texas Historical Foundation purchased this site to provide public access to the early boundary marker.
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The marker is nearly a four-hour drive from Houston proper, so its worth throwing on the itinerary of your next Texas history road trip.
Carthage, just northwest of the marker, is the small Texas city made infamous by the Richard Linklater film Bernie, which told the true story of Bernie Tiede, the mild-mannered mortician that shot and killed his companion Marjorie "Marge" Nugent in late 1996.
He was re-sentenced in April 2016 to 99 years or life in prison.
(h/t Atlas Obscura)
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If you're looking to join an upscale community that'll be prepared for any disaster, you may want to move to North Texas in the next few years.
Trident Lakes is a 700-acre, $300 million development that's billed as a "lavish country-club community" that' developers say is "part private resort, part safe haven."
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The community is being built along Highway 56, between Ector and Savoy. Ector is about 50 miles northwest of Dallas.
Trident Lakes CEO Jim O'Connor and spokesman Richie Whitt said the 400 planned condos will be able to house about 1,600 people total. The condos will range from 900 to 3,600 square feet in size and feature underground floors.
O'Connor understands there may be an inkling to look at Trident Lakes as a "doomsday survival community," but said he doesn't view his development in such terms.
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"We've evolved it into long-term sustainability instead of a survival community," O'Connor said. "The concept is to build a community that will last two centuries or longer. That means we're looking at designs that include earth structures that won't be exposed to the elements."
Part of that longevity feature is building most of the condos underground.
O'Connor plans to make the community sustainable by including "off the grid" sources of food, water and energy. Communal greenhouses, an air purification system and even a DNA vault are also planned for the community.
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On the upscale side of Trident Lakes, O'Connor plans on adding an equestrian center, polo fields, zip lines and gun ranges. Retail shops, restaurants and a row of helipads are also in the works.
O'Connor and Whitt haven't disclosed a set price to move into the community yet. Whitt said the condos will be comparable to owning a second home.
"Interest in the community has been very favorable," Whitt said. "We've gotten over 300 people who are interested, telling us to put them down for a down payment."
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O'Connor said the first wave of move-ins may start sometime in 2018 if everything goes according to plan. The CEO said surveying and basic engineering is underway now and construction could start in 2017.
"We're looking into using different energy sources and innovative amenities," O'Connor said. "This is not only a place to go in an emergency, but also a place people can enjoy living in year round."
For more information, visit the Trident Lakes homepage.
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AUSTIN -- A Senate committee on Monday recommended spending $75.9 million for emergency pay hikes for front-line workers in the state's troubled child-protection programs, and to hire 100 additional investigators to catch up on a chronic backlog of initial abuse and neglect inquiries.
"Ensuring the safety and protection of our state's most vulnerable children is one of the Texas Legislature's most important responsibilities," said Senate Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown. "We owe it to the children of Texas to get this right."
Schwertner heads a special work group of the budget-writing Senate Finance Committee that had been seeking a stop-gap solution to problems in the Department of Family and Protective Services amid demands that the state reduce its backlog of more than 2,800 children who had not been seen by officials -- some for months -- even though they had been reported as abused or neglected.
Senate Finance Chairman Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, said the recommendation would be immediately taken under advisement by the budget panel, which will have to find a funding source.
No source was specified in the announcement of the recommendations by officials, although Nelson said she intends to find the money quickly.
Monday's announcement came after two court-appointed experts in a federal court case where Texas' foster-care system has been declared unconstitutional recommended sweeping changes in the operations of that program, including the hiring of additional staff and initiatives to reduce skyrocketing staff turnover.
A spokesman said Abbott supports the additional funding and staff requested by DFPS Commissioner Henry "Hank" Whitman Jr.. "As the Governor said months ago, he has a primary goal: no more child deaths in Texas," said Press Secretary John Wittman. "We will continue working with the House and Senate to immediately secure additional resources to address the crisis facing our child welfare system and protect the children of Texas."
Schwertner said the pay increases were designed to help the child-protection agency reduce turnover, and the additional staff positions -- 100 investigators and 36 support staff -- would help ease a critical staff shortage in several offices, especially in Houston and Dallas.
"These additional front-line investigators will help ensure that children at the highest risk of abuse are contacted by CPS within hours or days, not weeks or months," Schwertner said.
The recommendations include a 20 percent annual salary increase for supervisors of front-line caseworkers, a 20 percent annual salary increase for special investigators, and a 10-15 percent salary increase for program directors, program administrators, and other supervisors.
The additional staffing and pay hikes had been requested by Whitman, a former Texas Ranger who was named last spring to turn around the embattled agency and fix various chronic problems that have plagued Texas' child-protection programs for more than two decades.
With a federal court now considering imposing the special masters' recommendations, perhaps early next year, sweeping changes for the troubled programs appear to be a certainty.
Of the $75.3 million, Schwertner said $67.6 million will come from state funding and the rest from federal funds.
Schwertner said that as a condition for the additional funding, the agency will have to provide weekly updates to the Senate on the number of high-priority children who are not being seen fast enough by state workers, a plan for the agency to see abused and neglected children much faster than they do now, and detailed reports on turnover rates among staff and reasons why employees are leaving.
In a statement, Watson said the recommendation "is just the start, and there is much more left to be done to examine the needs of children in the care of Child Protective Services as well as the hardworking state employees that work with those children every day.
"We can't stop there, he said. "We must look comprehensively at how we care for some of the most vulnerable children in Texas and ensure the state is creating a safe haven.
Nelson said the work group will conduct "a deep dive" into the Child Protective Services budget and the agency's appropriations request in preparation for the next legislative session.
Workgroup members include Schwertner and Sens. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury; Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham; John Whitmire, D-Houston, and Watson.
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It is safe to say that U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump were not big fans of each other after a bruising primary campaign earlier this year.
But, in recent weeks, the Texas senator has taken to the road for Trump, even if he won't say the name of the man who criticized his wife and implied his father was involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Cruz's team estimates he's given more than $650,000 to GOP causes this election cycle, traveled over 12,600 miles for fellow Republicans and lent his support to more than 100 candidates. Not bad for a guy who said he wouldn't be a "servile puppy" during the campaign.
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Cruz has joined up with Vice Presidential nominee Mike Pence in Iowa, Michigan, Indiana and Missouri, among other places. The two campaigned for the top of the ticket as well as Senate races across the country.
Asked by CNN why he wouldn't say Trump's name, Cruz ducked the question, to an extent.
"Well, I am here standing as I said in front of the 'Trump-Pence' plane campaigning for the Trump-Pence ticket and I voted for Donald Trump and Mike Pence this week," Cruz said to CNN.
CONSPIRACY THEORY: Ted Cruz was set up in endorsement of Donald Trump
Of course, Cruz has his own reasons for making the stops. He's up for re-election in 2018 and is thought to still have presidential aspirations in 2020.
Time will tell whether Trump will hit the campaign trail for his former rival in two or four years.
Click through to see some of the history of bad blood between Trump and Cruz as well some of the candidates Cruz has campaigned for.
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One of the best sarcastic bumper-stickers from this year's election read "Giant Meteor 2016, just end it already," but the folks at NASA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are taking the threat of this "candidate" more seriously than others.
The two government organizations recently held an asteroid impact emergency planning exercise in El Segundo, California. This is the third time NASA and FEMA have worked together on this "low-probability" but "high-consequence" scenario.
Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, Thomas Zurbuchen, gave a sobering thought in a prepared statement when he said an asteroid heading for Earth is "not a matter of if -- but when."
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Luckily, Zurbuchen also said that humans have a unique advantage against Earth-bound space rocks.
"But unlike any other time in our history, we now have the ability to respond to an impact threat through continued observations, predictions, response planning and mitigation," Zurbuchen said.
Officials from both organizations practiced by creating a fictitious scenario where observers tracked an asteroid heading towards Earth for several months, too short to launch a "deflection mission" in order to knock the asteroid off course.
"The high degree of initial uncertainty coupled with the relatively long impact warning time made this scenario unique and especially challenging for emergency managers," said FEMA National Response Coordination Branch Chief Leviticus A. Lewis in the same statement. "It's quite different from preparing for an event with a much shorter timeline, such as a hurricane."
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According to NASA and FEMA, both organizations will continue practicing joint exercises in order to better prepare for the eventuality of an asteroid.
"These exercises are invaluable for those of us in the asteroid science community responsible for engaging with FEMA on this natural hazard," said NASA Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson. "We receive valuable feedback from emergency managers at these exercises about what information is critical for their decision making, and we take that into account when we exercise how we would provide information to FEMA about a predicted impact."
Click through to see what would happen if an asteroid hit Houston and other major cities.
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
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CANNON BALL, N.D. The killing and injuring of cattle and horses is one of the most emotionally charged incidents associated with the pipeline protests in Sioux and Morton Counties in North Dakota.
Authorities are investigating reports of livestock being killed or butchered some even shot with arrows and left to suffer. The reports have made national news and helped build a case for a stronger law enforcement response in the area of the protests. For any outsider, the facts in the situation are hard to pin down.
The most notable cases involve Jack Paul Thomas, a white rancher who is engaged to an American Indian woman. The couple live on a ranch site owned by his brother, Frank, about a half-mile east and south of Cannon Ball, N.D., which is a reservation settlement of about 200 people.
Cattle death incidents have occurred on a 360-acre pasture that lies adjacent to the Camp of the Sacred Stone, the original protester camp established around April 1.
While Thomas says he's a victim in this case, he has his own history of legal problems. Most recently, on Oct. 19, a neighbor accused him of stealing a horse a charge he denies. He says the "stolen" horse was recovered from his corral, but it was in plain sight of North Dakota Highway 1806. He has appeared in court once on that case.
More significantly, he has a string of legal convictions and has served time for livestock theft, but says that doesn't have anything to do with the cattle deaths.
It's complicated
Thomas, 49, has lived in the Cannon Ball area all his life.
His fiancee, Jeffrie Marie Cavanaugh-Thomas, 31, is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Together, the couple operates J&J Thomas and Sons Horse and Cattle Company, a cow-calf and quarterhorse business. Jack Paul Thomas said they have about 400 cows and more than 200 horses.
Significantly, the Thomas family is involved in a lease dispute with LaDonna (Brave Bull) Allard, the central figure in the Sacred Stone Camp.
Allard, 60, a professional historian and genealogist for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said she has attempted to terminate a lease that Thomas claims on the pasture, which is on land owned by the Brave Bull family. She lives 25 miles south at Fort Yates, and started the prayer camp on Army Corps land next to the 360-acre pasture, where the recent livestock incidents have occurred.
This past June, Allard filed to establish a nonprofit company to build a cultural, environmental youth camp on the land where Thomas maintains his cattle, and where cattle have been injured, killed or have gone missing.
Thomas said he runs cattle on about 6,000 acres total about 500 acres in the Cannon Ball area, including the 360-acre Brave Bull tract. He said his family historically subleased the Brave Bull property from David Archambault II, the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Now, he said the lease is in his fiances name. "She's an enrolled member, Thomas said. It's easier to get leases when you're an enrolled member.
The lease, he said, is about $17 per acre. "It's a fair rate, I guess."
String of claims
On April 1, Allard started the Sacred Stones Camp, because regional tribe members needed a place to pray to "save the water" because the "DAPL pipeline was going to kill the water." She sees it as a place for prayer and vision quests.
But things started heating up between Thomas and Allard through the summer, as people flooded the camp.
On Sept. 27, Thomas says he found two dead black Angus cows above the Sacred Stone Camp, on the leased 360-acre pasture. He also found a dead Palomino quarter horse. "I turned it in to insurance, and from there on it gradually went on, Thomas says. From then until we worked cattle, that's when I noticed we were short cattle."
On Oct. 9, he was rounding up cattle and found the heads of some of his cows behind the Sacred Stone Camp no other remains were found.
On Oct. 11, Thomas was sorting cattle and confirmed he was short 23 cows, plus some calves. Cows today are worth about $1,200 and calves around $800, he says.
On the morning of Oct. 17, he discovered in his pasture one cow had two arrows stuck in her stomach and another cow had a hole in its shoulder. Brand inspectors visited the ranch and photographed the affected animals.
On Oct. 19, a brood mare was dead, with a hole in her neck, and a square-shaped hole in the skin, possibly to hide what had caused the injury. "It's a perfect cut; no animal would do that," he says.
On Oct. 26, a neighbor, George Keepseagle, found six cows and five calves that belonged to Thomas.
Allard says it's preposterous to think the camp members killed the animals for food. Butchering the animals would have been obvious and would have taken time for unskilled protesters. Many are urbanites who are vegetarian. She says the area is under constant surveillance from law enforcement.
"Most of this is gossip and rumor," Allard says.
Saving water
Allard's father, Frank Brave Bull, lived on the land now leased by the Thomas family, and raised horses and cattle. The Brave Bull family established a 1-acre cemetery in 1997 when Frank died, and seven people are now buried there.
She claims to control the lease on the pasture where she wants to expand the camp. She has 17 siblings, including 11 living, each of whom owns a piece of the pasture, though she owns 27 acres. This past summer, she went to the Land Operations office at the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and asked that any lease with the Thomas family be terminated. Allard claims she's "never seen a lease with any Thomases."
Until November 2015, she says, the pasture had been leased to Archambault, who is married to one of Allard's cousins.
"We've never had cattle; all of a sudden, these (Thomas) cattle show up, Allard says. I don't like cows."
Fencing issues
Paul Thomas, 77, Jack's father, says he had leases in the Cannon Ball area, and formerly had leases on the Brave Bull family land, but gave them up. "We had so much trouble with fences, and cattle getting in the 'taken area' and going south, and cattle on the highways." He says he got disgusted and turned the leases to his son, Jack. He still leases 80 acres.
Jack and Allard offer markedly different descriptions of who is doing what with fences.
"That camp just tore everything out; it's a mess," Jack says. "As they got bigger, the fences disappeared. They would cut all our fences, and chase cows out onto fields. It's a big, big headache."
Other leased pastures adjoin the 360-acre pasture, but with all of the newcomers it was difficult to keep gates shut and animals in place, he says. "We were up there four or five times a day fixing fence, to keep the cattle in where they were supposed to (be). Every day, three-quarters of our day goes to checking fences in that area, making sure the cattle were all right." Jack says by leasing the pasture, he is entitled to Corps land access to the river for water.
Allard, on the other hand, says the Thomases are "forever cutting our fences, letting these cows all over the place," down on Army Corps land. "I'm spending all of this money, fixing fences," she says. "The cows are not where they're supposed to be."
Allard says the Thomas family told her in June they'd delivered a $7,000 check to ensure he'd get the lease. But, she says tribal land officials told her in May or June they'd notified Jack that he was trespassing on the land, a fact tribal officials weren't immediately available to confirm.
In August, Allard received a pasture rent check from the BIA, but says she never cashed the check, which would account for 27 acres, or about $459 by his description. She couldn't say whether any of her siblings had cashed their checks.
Allard wants the Thomas cattle gone for good. She says they've obstructed traffic on the unpaved road through the pasture to the Sacred Stone Camp entrance. They trampled a one-acre family grave plot during a two-day period the fences were down after a recent burial. "That's not even human," she says. "People should not allow that." She couldn't say why cattle might avoid an unfenced plot, but says buffalo would not make the same mistake.
In late August or early September, Jack says his family saw Allard on Facebook posted a general invitation to the public for the collection of free livestock. "She said, 'Come one, come-all, help yourself to free cattle, free horses. We'll help you round them up. Just come and get them off our land."
Allard confirms she did create the post, and explains: "They're in my way."
A video that made the rounds this weekend appeared to show President Obama encouraging illegal aliens to vote. In his initial response to actress Gina Rodriguezs provocatively worded question/statement implying that contribution to the system establishes citizenship, Obama said, When you vote, you are a citizen yourself. Though he went on to affirm that non-citizens cant legally vote, the exchange highlighted the perennial issue of voter fraud.
Every election, progressives and Democrats dismiss Republican claims of voter fraud as isolated incidents, too disaggregated to affect the outcome. Nonetheless, stories about voter and electoral fraud persist. Analysts have found thousands of cases of non-citizen voters on the electoral rolls, which work on the honor system and rely on the applicant to affirm eligibility to vote. Three years ago, New York Citys Department of Investigation carried out a test of the integrity of the citys voter rolls, sending investigators to poll sites to present themselves as dead people or incarcerated felons who were nonetheless still registered to vote. In 61 out of 63 cases, the testers were easily able to cast illegal votes. In response, the Board of Elections called for prosecution . . . of the DOI, for voter fraud and for violating the civil rights of the impersonated felons.
Recent hidden camera footage emerged showing Alan Schulkinone of Manhattans two election commissionersasserting that local elections are beset with rampant fraud and that campaigns routinely bus people to poll sites to vote multiple times. Numerous enraged politicians, including Mayor Bill de Blasio, demanded Schulkins resignation for his insult to the electoral process, and more particularly, for disparaging New York Citys IDNYC card, a municipal photo identification card issued to any resident of the city, regardless of immigration status. According to Schulkin, the IDNYC card can be abused for purposes of illegal voter registration. On the video, he bemoaned the lack of voter ID requirements in New York.
ID requirements are regularly denounced by the Left as racist, a return to the Jim Crow days of poll taxes and literacy tests. Former attorney general Eric Holder claimed in 2012 that 8 percent of all adult Americans lack a government-issued photo ID, and that 25 percent of black Americans lack such identification. These numbers appear to have come from NYUs Brennan Center, which now claims that 11 percent of Americans lack state-issued photo ID.
To listen to liberals, one would think that most Americans were born around 1880 in the Dakotas, and the only proof of their identity is a faint inscription in a family Bible. It strains credulity that so many people lack photo identification, when virtually any modern transaction requires its display. Forget about airplane flights, driving a car, or opening bank accounts, which are arguably middle-class or non-penurious pursuits; try entering a public school or municipal building in New York City without a photo ID and see how far you get. Moreover, poor people and old people can get non-driver state-issued photo ID for at most $13, and in many cases for no charge.
Any call for the prevention of voter fraud, no matter how anodyne, is spun around and called an effort at voter suppression, whichunlike fraudis understood to operate on a grand scale and result in the effective disenfranchisement of tens of millions of people. Voter suppression is said to occur at virtually every level of the political system, from the failure of some states to establish early voting to the makeup of the Electoral College.
For example, reports that the Donald Trump campaign plans to dispatch watchers to poll sites are cited as paramilitary attacks on democracy. How hostile poll-watchers could hand pennsylvania to trump, says Politico; Trump is recruiting an army of poll watchers. Its even worse than it sounds, warns Mother Jones. In fact, poll watching is an integral part of our process, and both sides assign certified observers to make sure that the poll-site officials are doing their job correctly. Poll-watchers are not empowered to challenge voters directly or to tell anyone what to do.
Claimants of mass voter suppression are hard put to explain how it is that, in 2012, the percentage of black voters turning out exceeded that of white voters for the first time. Presumably, one would expect that widespread efforts at keeping blacks from voting would have minimized their turnout, not the opposite. This year, when black turnout is anticipated to decline as a result of low enthusiasm for Hillary Clinton, expect voter suppression to be brought forth as the reason.
Voter suppression is similar in this sense to disparate impactthe assumption that any negative outcome for a protected class is proof enough to demonstrate inequality of opportunity. In both cases, the result is all the evidence one needs to demonstrate that some malice was perpetrated; the effect is its own proof. So whereas voter fraud is always understood to be nonexistent, and therefore one need never bother looking for it, voter suppression is assumed to be ubiquitous, and therefore self-evident.
Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Ever since Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump picked Mike Pence to be his running mate, the Indiana press corps has watched its conservative governor get repackaged for a national audience as a moderate statesman.
Certainly compared to Trump, Pence looks like a mainstream Republican, a former congressman who not only knows Washington but also how to talk about the issues in a reasonable, if partisan, way.
But the Indiana governor is hardly mainstream, according to the reporters who covered him. In 2015, Pence signed a controversial bill that, in its original form, would have allowed businesses to discriminate against potential customers based on sexual orientation. It was quickly revised after national backlash, but largely because of his stance on that bill, Pence became so unpopular at home that he stood a good chance of losing his job to a Democrat in a firmly red state this fall.
Theres almost this perception that Mike Pence is a moderate voice or a less partisan voice because in comparison to Trump almost everything seems like that, says Brandon Smith, the state news bureau reporter for the Indiana Public Broadcasting System. But Mike Pence is not moderate. He is very, very conservative, particularly socially speaking, Hes also, in my experience covering him, a pretty partisan guy.
Mike Pence is not moderate. He is very, very conservative, particularly socially speaking.
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With the Indiana governor on the campaign trail since mid-July, the small but mighty statehouse press corps in Pences home state hasnt seen much of him. Their reporting on Pence, like the vice presidential nominee himself, has been somewhat lost in the midst of the massive media attention given to Trump. But its been notable.
The Indianapolis Star had a big scoop three months ago when the paper broke the story that Donald Trump had picked the Indiana governor as his vice presidential running mate. Then on Oct. 9, the night of the second presidential debate, the Gannett-owned paper reported that Pence was sticking with Trump in public but privately was holding his options open, a scoop that picked up steam after it started circulating on Twitter.
After the debate, Pence tweeted his congratulations to Trump and said he was sticking with him. The Star stood by its story.
The Star also published a story right after Pence was named to the ticket about his deep religious faith. Brian Slodysko, who covers the Indiana statehouse for the AP, last week had a story about a Pence campaign aide who has remained on the Indiana state payroll, a possible ethics violation.
Regardless of the outcome on Tuesday, Pence will emerge from the campaign as a GOP star. He is already considered a Republican front-runner in 2020. The question is whether the image hes created during this campaign would stand up if he were atop the ticket and faced the kind of national media scrutiny that comes with it.
Indiana press corps veterans like CNN reporters Tom LoBianco and Eric Bradner already are poised to help lead that coverage. LoBianco, who covers Pence, previously was a reporter at the Indianapolis Star. Bradner, who writes the Nightcap newsletter, covered Pence as statehouse reporter at the Evansville Courier & Press. At Roll Call, Jacob Rund, a former editor at TheStatehouseFile.com, a news service powered by Franklin College journalism students in Indiana, has written some of the most insightful stories this campaign season on the governor, including a story last week about Pences job options if he doesnt become vice president.
Before Trump selected Pence as his running mate, Pence had a reputation for being mostly accessible, the kind of politician whod welcome reporters to his press conferenceseven if he had a scripted answer to their questions, or avoided them altogether.
He had an incredible knack for never answering your questions, says Lesley Weidenbener, a longtime Indiana statehouse reporter who is now the managing editor of Indianapolis Business Journal. Over time, reporters stopped going to his events.
While he was considered congenial, he wasnt setting any records for access to journalists, says Gerry Lanosga, an assistant professor at the Indiana University Media School and a former political reporter. Hes had a reputation of being a friend of the press, Lanosga says. But its a mixed relationship.
The press-friendly moves: Pence vetoed a bill in 2015 that would have charged a fee on public records searches that took more than two hours. And this year, he vetoed a bill that would have sheltered private college and university police departments in Indiana from the same reporting requirements as other law enforcement agencies. But he signed another bill this year that limits public access to footage from police body cameras.
Compared to Trump who spent all of his public life in business and TV, theres much more of a government-related background on Pence for people to judge, says Ronnie Ramos, the executive editor of the Indianapolis Star. Up until he joined the Trump ticket hes been fairly consistent on his viewpoints and policies. Hes not one whos changed a lot.
For most of the months hes spent on the national stage, Pence has not been a big story in Indiana. Statehouse reporters who typically might have been chasing him are instead focused on the governors race that Pence left behind.
Smaller media outlets have not been able to afford to join him on the campaign trail, says Niki Kelly, statehouse bureau chief for the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. Frankly, access to Pence is completely gone here in Indiana, she says. He is rarely in the statehouse, and they dont tell us when he is. We see it on Twitter. The few times he has had events since July, he doesnt talk to Indiana reporters at all.
National reporters whove been able to travel with him arent getting much out of him, anyway, she notes. He doesnt gaggle.
Smith says its been one of the delights of my life the past few months to see Pence dodge questions from the national media. They are experiencing what we in Indiana have experienced in the last few years, he says.
Weidenbener of Indianapolis Business Journal says there is so much star power atop the presidential tickets that the vice presidential nomineesboth Pence, and Tim Kaine on the Democratic tickethave been lost.
A consequence, Weidenbener says, is that Pences personal politics have been pushed aside. He seems so incredibly calm compared to Donald Trump, so straightforward.
That is certainly one side of Pence, she says. But I do think he is very, very conservative, and thats something people at the polls should know.
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Jackie Spinner is CJRs correspondent for Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. She is an associate journalism professor at Columbia College Chicago and a former staff writer for The Washington Post. Follow her on Twitter @jackiespinner.
Big data is a topic about which much has been written, although rarely is it explained in specific terms what it means for insurance professionals.
Should claims adjusters and investigators be learning complex algorithms and software programming? Or does all of this technological change mean that claims professionals will soon be replaced by machines?
Fortunately, while theres no doubt that data analytics is the future of insurance claims processing, claims professionals will still be as necessary as they are today, and they dont need to become data scientists to have a bright future in the field.
Instead, claims professionals who learn how to think in terms of datawhat we call a data mindsetwill be much more valuable to their companies. Similarly, organizations that encourage such learning will be in a much better position to seize the opportunities that data analytics presents.
How Analytics Can Improve Claims
Analytics can affect claims in three main areas: fraud detection, claims triage and process efficiency.
Large enterprises have been especially quick to use analytics to root out fraud. In the past, it was largely up to claims associates to connect the dots. Insurers relied on them to notice coincidences, such as seeing the same drivers, accident witnesses and auto body shops overlap in suspicious ways. Now, algorithms can analyze complex networks far faster and with greater objectivity.
In claims triage, predictive models can identify potentially complex claims so that insurers can respond and prepare more quickly. By looking at similar attributes of complex claims that were not initially reported as serious, data scientists can develop so-called classification tree analyses, which identify claims ahead of time that are likely to turn out to be major losses.
Analytics can also make claims professionals jobs easier while improving outcomes for customers. A method called process mining applies the concept of data mining to an entire process rather than just a certain set of data, serving to quantify an entire workflow. Process mining might reveal that a certain step in the claims handling process takes disproportionately longtwo days to call someone back, for instanceand that if the protocol were tweaked, it might fix that persistent issue. Much frustration could be avoided for everyone involved if an isolated problem at one point in the process didnt cause issues throughout the rest of the process.
Why We Still Need Claims Professionals
Its understandable, when hearing how superior these computer programs are to human abilities, to worry about the future of claims careers. Whats important to note is that none of these models can, or should, be completely automated.
The data that the system analyzes needs to be gathered by qualified adjusters. If analytics indicate that a certain claim may be fraudulent, its crucial for a human investigator to then conduct a thorough investigation, not just ensure that the system files a report. Claims triage and process efficiencies are only tools to help make professionals work more effective; they alone cant solve customers problems.
Claims professionals wont suddenly need to become data scientists either. What claims professionals will need to do, however, is become fluent in data analytics terminology and be able to think about how analytics can solve claims problems. They will need to understand whats possible using new analytical methods and provide insight to data scientists so that they can design effective models.
The future of leading claims operations involves integrated teams of professionals who apply their expertise to collaboratively solve problems. In other words, smart companies will bring together representatives from different departments in one room to share their different perspectives. In such a setting, actuaries and data scientists will need insight from claims associates and vice versa.
Joining Forces With the Analytics Team
To understand how this collaboration will work, consider how companies currently handle claims with the potential for subrogation.
Determining whether a third party was responsible for a workers compensation accident isnt always straightforward. Did a ladder fail and lead to the injury? Did the worker slip and fall on another premises? A number of factors often need to be examined, which can be time-consuming for claims teams.
Text mining tools can help automate this work. Technology is already capable of reading handwriting and seeking out key words, phrases and trends that indicate likelihood for subrogation. The system could then flag those claims for further investigation.
Data scientists would design those programs, but to know what to look for, they need to collaborate with professionals who actually handle the claims. On the front end, they need to understand the existing claims process, the way adjusters fill out forms, and the terminology they use. On the back end, data scientists need to understand what type of output would be most helpful and actionable in taking next steps.
At the same time, companies cant expect solely their data scientists to propose ways to analyze that data. Professionals who are gathering claims data or trying to make sense of issues theyre encountering in the field are potentially more likely to bring forward good ideas about how analytics can improve processesthat is, if they have a working knowledge of what data analytics makes possible.
Getting Into a Data Mindset
Insurance simply wouldnt work without data, so its always been part of the industry. But when analytics was limited to numbers and statistics, only a small number of workers dealt with data. Now that almost any bit of information can be combed for insight, every single person working in the insurance industry has access to potentially valuable data.
That reality is incredibly exciting, not only for those with a computational bent, but also for every claims professional. Adjusters, investigators and other specialists will now be gathering information that could result in game-changing innovation.
However, companies will lag behind competitors if frontline employees cant work with the employees who are managing data. Potential leaders will lose chances for advancement if they cant get the most out of their teams by fostering interdepartmental collaboration. The organizations in which field associates eagerly share ideas for new models are those that are most likely to be industry leaders.
To realize the potential that data analytics offers, all insurance professionals need to cultivate a data mindset. They need to conceptually understand data analytics and be able to bring their own knowledge and skill sets to the conversation. Those who do will be assets to their companies and have a bright future in their claims career.
Judith Vaughan, CPCU, AIC, AIM, has more than twenty years experience in claims and risk management for international organizations, and is currently director of Content Development at The Institutes.
Honda must do more to track down owners of 300,000 cars with highly dangerous Takata airbag inflators and make sure they are repaired, the nations top auto safety regulator said Wednesday.
Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says the agency has talked to Honda about hiring private investigators to track down owners, sending notices in different languages, or even taking service trucks into neighborhoods to repair cars on the spot.
Theres a whole series of things that we want to see, Rosekind said at an auto industry parts supplier conference Wednesday in Detroit. Its just not happening fast enough for anybody.
Tests show that airbag inflators in 313,000 older Hondas and Acuras have up to a 50 percent chance of rupturing in a crash and shooting shrapnel at the driver. NHTSA and Honda issued an urgent warning to the vehicle owners in June, but so far only 13,000 of the cars have been fixed.
Takata uses the explosive chemical ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion that inflates airbags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to prolonged humidity and high temperatures. So far as many as 11 people in the U.S. and 16 people worldwide have been killed by Takata airbag inflators.
The problem has touched off the largest auto safety recall in U.S. history with more than 69 million inflators under recall. Another 30 million are under recall worldwide. In the U.S., about 11.4 million airbags have been repaired, with relatively scarce replacement inflators first going to high-humidity areas around the Gulf of Mexico.
So far 17 auto and truck makers are shouldering the cost of the recalls, but they eventually will try to get reimbursement from Takata. That is causing the Tokyo-based company to look for buyers and could drive it into bankruptcy.
Rosekind says he isnt worried about Takatas finances or a potential bankruptcy because automakers ultimately are responsible for the recall repairs. Also, bankruptcy laws have safeguards to make sure such safety recalls get done, he said. We feel pretty comfortable knowing that these things are going to get fixed, Rosekind said.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Amazon.com was sued by Illinois delivery drivers who say the company failed to pay them overtime for hauling its goods. Among the questions the judge will have to answer? Whether they actually worked for Amazon.
Amazon controls everything, without a shadow of a doubt, says Theron Bradley, a former employee of Amazon contractor Silverstar whos one of the named plaintiffs in the proposed class action. Silverstar pays me, but I definitely know I work for Amazon.
Bradleys lawsuit, filed this week in Chicago federal court, targets not just the contractor that signed his paychecks but the e-commerce behemoth itself. In the complaint, he contends Amazon was so involved in his day-to-day work as to be a joint employer and as such, liable for the alleged violations under both state and federal law. Drivers have also brought wage-and-hour lawsuits naming Amazon as an employer in Washington State and California.
Amazon sees its relationship with the drivers differently. The small and medium-sized businesses that partner with Amazon logistics have their own employees and are required to abide by applicable laws and Amazons Supplier Code of Conduct, the company said in an e-mailed statement. We investigate any claim that a provider isnt complying with these obligations. (An attorney for Silverstar said Wednesday it was still investigating the allegations.)
But labor advocates say when it comes to contracted workers like Bradley, Amazon is much more than a mere consumer of services. The trainings were done by Amazon personnel, the daily assignments were given out by Amazon personnel, Amazon personnel tracked the routes taken by the drivers, they wore Amazon logos, says the workers attorney, Chris Williams. If there was a problem with package delivery, they went to Amazon. They didnt go to Silverstar.
The Illinois lawsuit is among the latest in a series of efforts by activists, attorneys, and agencies to hold name-brand companies accountable for the conditions of workers they rely on but are ostensibly employed by someone elsebe it a supplier, a franchisee, or (if theyre classified as independent contractors) no one at all. In 2012, guest workers at a Louisiana seafood supplier went on strike over alleged forced labor and mounted simultaneous protests targeting Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in the U.S. and Mexico. In 2014, California legislators passed a law increasing company liability for labor law violations by contractors. Last month, McDonalds Corp. agreed to a $3.75 million wage-and-hour settlement with workers at five franchisee-run restaurants that had sued the corporation as a joint employer.
More and more, businesses are varying organizational and staffing models, David Weil, chief of the U.S. Department of Labors Wage and Hour Division, wrote last January in an Administrators Interpretation. He said that as a result, the traditional employment relationship of one employer employing one employee is less prevalent. Weil, who before joining the Obama administration wrote a book about how the fissuring of employment structures has hurt workplace standards, emphasized the breadth of who federal law deems to be an employer, and the need to expand enforcement beyond the company that signs a paycheck.
In the litigation context, being able to target the larger, deeper-pocketed defendant does increase the potential for a more lucrative outcome, for workers and their lawyers. But it may also lead to change for more employees.
Where joint employment exists, Weil wrote, one employer may also be larger and more established, with a greater ability to implement policy or systemic changes to ensure compliance.
Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
A lawsuit claims two Texas cities are illegally using cameras to ticket drivers accused of ignoring stop signs that extend from school buses as students get on and off the vehicles, arguing that among other issues, the state Legislature hasnt authorized cities to take such action.
To me, its just beyond belief that cities would plunge down this path and spend the taxpayers money on these systems and these systems are very expensive with so many red flags along the way, said LeDouglas Johnson, the attorney who recently filed the lawsuit last month in Dallas County.
Noting that state law already makes ignoring a school bus stop sign a criminal offense, the lawsuit argues that Dallas and Carrollton took conduct that is a crime and devised a civil penalty in an attempt to transform it into a civil matter.
The lawsuit says local authorities cant enact an ordinance that conflicts with state law without authorization, and adds that the ordinances violate rights guaranteed in the Texas Constitution. However, some attorneys say such ordinances dont conflict with state law and guarantees of such constitutional rights dont apply to civil penalties.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of five motorists and asks for class-action status on behalf of all those who have gotten the $300 tickets since Dallas and Carrollton enacted their ordinances in 2012 and 2014, respectively. The lawsuit was filed against the two cities and Dallas County Schools, which is the governmental entity that operates the ticket programs in those cities and 13 others across Texas.
About 110,000 tickets have been issued in Dallas and Carrollton resulting in about $29 million in fines, according to Dallas County Schools.
Johnson said a ruling in his clients favor could cause other Texas cities to abandon such programs for fear of being sued.
The lawsuit says that since 2007, four bills proposed in the Legislature seeking to give local authorities authorization to issue civil penalties for such violations didnt pass. State law makes passing a school bus with its stop sign extended a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $500 to $1,250.
Mick McKamie, a city attorney for Amarillo and Alpine, neither of which have such ordinances, said state law doesnt prohibit cities from issuing such civil penalties. He says the plaintiffs will have a big hill to climb in their argument that theres a conflict.
The lawsuit also says the ordinances violate various constitutional rights, including the right to a jury trial and the right against self-incrimination by presuming the registered owner was driving. But McKamie said theres no guarantee of a jury trial related to civil proceedings and that the right of self-incrimination only applies to criminal matters where jail is possible.
Melissa Hamilton, a visiting criminal law scholar at the University of Houston Law Center, said the lawsuit tries to argue that the violations are civil in name only.
Theyll have to convince the judge that a civil violation is akin to criminal, but its really not, she said.
But attorney Russell Bowman sees merit in the lawsuit. A judge ruled in his favor this summer in a lawsuit over a red light camera ticket hed received from the Dallas suburb of Richardson. And Bowman notes that Johnsons lawsuit alleges the same constitutional violations that he did.
Those ordinances (regarding school bus camera tickets) have the same constitutional problems as what was involved in my case and then its got the even bigger problem that theres no state law that would even allow the city to do that, Bowman said.
The judge found Bowman wasnt liable for the ticket and ordered Richardson to pay him $27,500 in legal fees. The city is appealing.
Dallas County Schools board president Larry Duncan said he couldnt comment on the pending litigation. But he said the school bus ticket programs improve safety, noting that from the first year to the third of Dallas program, violations decreased by 37 percent.
Carrollton officials declined comment, saying they hadnt been served with the lawsuit. Dallas officials didnt respond to a request for comment.
Charlie Hood, executive director of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, said the tickets are among the tools that help prevent school bus stop sign violations. He said another is training bus drivers to stop in a way that theyre less likely to be illegally passed.
Its a complex issue, though, Hood said. The main message is that such tickets have value but theres way more to it than that, he said.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The number of pedestrians in Houston, Texas, who have been struck and killed by cars has spiked this year already 31 percent higher than the total for all of 2015 according to police.
At least 71 pedestrians have been killed as of Oct. 31, the Houston Chronicle reported. Last year, there were 7.1 percent more fatalities than in 2014.
The numbers are just dramatically going up, and its been really hard for us to explain why, Houston police Sgt. Derrick Hall said.
Many of the 71 deaths occurred when people didnt use crosswalks to cross freeways or streets.
This years surge could be driven by millennials preference to walk and seniors reliance on travel by foot, urban planners say. Advocates and planners said the city needs to work making streets safer by building sidewalks, narrowing lanes, encouraging safe speeds and adding crosswalks.
Local mobility advocate Jay Blazek Crossley said authorities often blame pedestrians for their own deaths.
But why are they incorrectly using the infrastructure? Maybe its because were designing this infrastructure wrong, Crossley said. Anywhere where you have to walk four blocks to get to a crosswalk is wrong. Anywhere where a human thinks it makes sense to run across a freeway, (there is) a problem of design.
Emiko Atherton, who leads Smart Growth Americas Complete Streets coalition, said design issues become evident as cities attract more millennials, who preferred walking over driving by 12 percentage points in a 2015 National Association of Realtors survey.
Seniors also may be walking more as it becomes more popular to age in place by staying in their homes as they grow older. Nearly 90 percent of those 65 and older said they prefer that option, according to a 2014 AARP survey.
The rise in pedestrian deaths is not confined to Houston. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced last month that the first half of 2016 saw 10.4 percent more traffic deaths across the country compared to the same period in 2015.
Harris County commissioner Steve Radack said hundreds and hundreds of miles of county roads lack sidewalks, and many subdivisions in unincorporated areas have been designed without thought to pedestrians. Radack also pointed to the problem of distracted driving, criticizing the Legislature and former Gov. Rick Perry for being unresponsive and not banning texting while driving.
Houston police said overall traffic fatalities have also increased, but not as sharply. The first 10 months of 2016 show 21 percent more crashes than the same period last year.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is offering a reward for information about two mule deer bucks that were dumped and illegally left to waste at the 17 Mile target shooting area north of Billings.
Game warden Brad Balis said someone dumped the deer the evening of Saturday, Nov. 5, at the far west end of the BLM shooting area west of Highway 87 in Yellowstone County. All of the meat was left to waste.
Anyone with information about the illegal kills is encouraged to call Balis at 247-2940 or email him at bbalis@mt.gov.
FWP is offering a reward of as much as $1,000 for information leading to a conviction of the people responsible for the illegal dumping. Anyone with information about the crimes is encouraged to call FWPs 24-hour wildlife tip line at 1-800-TIP-MONT (800-847-6668).
Sulfurous fumes seep from the walls of Valentine Hendrixs home, slowly attacking her appliances and light fixtures, her lungs and sinuses.
Its been that way for almost nine years.
In 2008, Hendrixs family was one of 12 poor black families encouraged by the Tampa Housing Authority to become first-time home buyers in east Tampa. With down payment help from federal and city grants, they took out mortgages for new homes that cost up to $175,000.
But the homes were built with tainted Chinese drywall, the same material that marred an estimated 100,000 U.S. homes built during last decades boom and bust. Within months, light fixtures and wall sockets stopped working. Air conditioning units kept breaking down.
The toll was human, too, with residents complaining of headaches, rashes, nosebleeds and breathing difficulties.
After the problems came to light, the developer and the Housing Authority argued over who was responsible. They still disagree today. Meanwhile, a class action lawsuit against the Chinese drywall manufacturer has stalled.
With no help in sight, eight of the 12 families eventually walked away from their homes, their credit ratings ruined.
The rest remain, stuck making hefty mortgage payments on virtually worthless homes, still fearing for their health and future.
Hendrix, 51, is one of them, working two jobs to afford her $800 monthly payment.
She rides the bus to Tampa General Hospital for an eight-hour shift as a therapy rehab technician. Twice a week, she scrambles across the bridge from Davis Islands to a second job at an assisted living facility where her shift doesnt end until 11 p.m.
All that hard work and eight years of payments have gotten her to this:
She still owes $79,000 on her two-bedroom bungalow.
The home is valued at just $6,000.
But she wont give up on the place where her grandchildren learned to walk and where she wants to bring her 90-year-old mother to live out her days.
So Hendrix stays, living without air conditioning, without a working stove, without hope that things will get better.
Sometimes I cry. I got to work; I got to keep paying this mortgage, paying these bills, she said. This is I what I worked hard for. Im not going to walk away from my house.
The home in east Tampas Belmont Heights neighborhood should have been a second act for Hendrix, one made up of grandchildren and retirement plans after raising four children as a single mother.
Most of her life was spent in Central Park Village, a blighted public housing project within sight of the shiny skyscrapers of downtown Tampa.
She was already pregnant with her first child, Tara, when she graduated from Robinson High School. She juggled motherhood and classes while studying for a criminal justice degree at Hillsborough Community College. Then her father died of cancer.
She left home but didnt go far an apartment in the same housing project, where she had three more children.
So she worked and raised her kids, imagining one day living in a home where noise from adjoining apartments didnt intrude, a place with its own yard and space to breathe.
Most of her kids were already grown before she got that chance through a home ownership program offered by the Housing Authority. It was aimed at public housing residents who, like her, had a history of steady employment.
She took the mandatory twice-weekly classes in finance and home maintenance and qualified for a $52,500 grant from the city of Tampa and a $30,000 federal grant. To make up the rest of the $165,000 asking price for the home on E 31st Avenue, she took out an $89,000 mortgage.
She owed more money than she could picture but, finally, the roof over her head was her own. She said it felt special when she turned the key in the door for the first time.
But she was opening the door to a real estate crash and a housing health disaster, all wrapped into a home built by a company that had already gone bankrupt.
In most regards, the Belmont Heights project was a success.
Funded through a $35 million federal Hope VI grant, it replaced College Hill Homes and Ponce de Leon Courts, two aging and dilapidated public housing complexes. Crime in the area fell and the project won awards from the American Association of Architects, among others.
The inclusion of single-family homes amid more than 800 low-rent and Section 8 apartments was meant to give residents a stake in their community. The 12 homes were built on three different streets but close together. They had small front porches and angular columns.
In all, almost $900,000 in tax dollars helped pay for the homes built with toxic walls.
The Housing Authority hired Michaels Development Co. as master developer of the project, leasing the land to the New Jersey company.
Michaels built the apartments but bid out construction of the single-family homes to Banner Homes of Florida, a small family company operating out of an office on Busch Boulevard.
Banners main drywall supplier was Clearwater company Black Bear Gypsum, said Dennis Mead, a Banner employee whose son David Mead owned the firm.
At the time, many suppliers had turned to Chinese manufacturers to keep up with the huge demand created by the housing boom and two busy hurricane seasons, said Will Spates, principal of Indoor Environmental Technologies, a Clearwater company that has inspected hundreds of homes for toxic drywall.
No one was aware then of the sulfur emissions that blackened and corroded copper coils and wiring and played havoc with smoke alarms.
As many as 30,000 Florida homes may have been affected, Spates said.
Banner Homes would likely have been found liable in court for using tainted drywall, as happened to other home builders.
But that hope vanished for Hendrix and her neighbors in bizarre circumstances.
In May 2007, Mead sold a controlling interest in his company to James Harvey, a 64-year-old investor. Harvey installed his girlfriend, Martina Hood, a 30-year-old Russian-born real estate agent, as company president and fired the Meads.
Months later, Banner filed for bankruptcy, long before any of the residents were aware of the toxic drywall. In the years that followed, both Harvey and his girlfriend died, Hood after a leap from her 29th-floor SkyPoint condo in downtown Tampa.
David Mead left the construction field to become a missionary pilot. He did not return calls for comment.
Banner Homes is rather an unpleasant memory for him the way it ended, said his father, Dennis Mead.
Most of the eight abandoned homes have been snapped up at cut-rate prices by developers who have rehabbed them and rented them out.
At least three of them are used as Section 8 housing. That means taxpayers paid to build the homes and are now helping to pay the rent.
Tonia Grant was so excited to be moving into her own home in Belmont Heights, she doodled designs on how she would lay out her furniture.
In 2008, with down payment assistance from the government, she took out an $83,000 mortgage on a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home just four doors down from Hendrix.
I knew I would put my couch here, my TV here. I had it all drawn out, she said. That was the happiest packing I ever did in my life.
She first heard about the Chinese drywall from one of her neighbors a few months after moving in. Then her air conditioning unit broke.
She began to suffer from headaches and would leave the windows open to get fresh air. She had to pay for frequent repairs to the air conditioner because of corrosion of its copper coils.
She lost her job as a data entry specialist for the city of Tampa because she kept getting sick, she said. It was when one of her mirrors turned black that she decided she had to leave her home.
Thats when I got scared, she said. If its doing this to the mirror, turning it black inside, what is it doing to me and my kids?
After five years of paying her mortgage, she let her home go into foreclosure. Her credit rating went from good to terrible.
Now 45, Grant is trying to rebuild her life. She lives in an apartment in Riverview and works at the Amazon warehouse in Ruskin.
I thought that was my last chance to be a homeowner and it was gone, it was completely gone, and all the work and money I had put into it to make it the way I wanted was thrown out the window, she said.
Walking away from her home was equally traumatic for Diane Hicks, who works as a cardiac monitor technician at Tampa General.
Inspectors found that 90 percent of her home was built with toxic drywall.
Her sinuses were often irritated and she had shortness of breath. Later, she had an operation to have 3 inches of intestine removed. It was black, she said.
After she moved out in 2010, the city of Tampa wrote to her saying she would have to pay back the $55,000 in down payment assistance since she did not stay there for at least five years.
She was able to persuade them to drop that, but moving out resulted in her filing for bankruptcy and the repossession of her car, she said.
Now 61, she still wants to one day own a home.
It seems a distant dream.
I ran into depression because of that house, Hicks said. I still havent got my life back. I still havent recovered.
While the public and private sector worked together on the Belmont Heights project, neither wants to own the Chinese drywall problem.
Emails show that the Housing Authority knew about problems with the drywall in 2011. That year, it wrote a letter to Michaels saying that as master developer it should accept responsibility, a position chief operating officer Leroy Moore maintains to this day.
We didnt sell the homes. We didnt build the homes, Moore said. If theres more we could have done, Id like someone to look at that and tell us where.
But Michaels has refused to get involved, arguing that Banner Homes should be liable. Michaels employs 1,800 people and manages 360 rental communities nationwide.
We are sympathetic to these homeowners, said Laura Zaner, vice president of marketing. We believe there is pending litigation against the responsible parties Banner Homes and the Chinese drywall provider. Michaels has no involvement in this situation other than the initial land development.
Officials at the city of Tampa, which contributed toward the down-payment grants, heard about the drywall issue but said they were not contacted for help.
Five years after the problem came to light, the Housing Authority this summer decided to assist the four remaining families in applying for an owner-occupier rehab grant that the city administers.
It was the first contact most of the families had with the authority for several years and came only after local black activist Connie Burton repeatedly raised the plight of the families at a Housing Authority board meeting.
The grant is unlikely to be enough. The city has received almost 300 applications for the $1 million pot, and the maximum individual award is $40,000.
The four families will get priority, officials said, but builders estimate replacing drywall throughout a home could cost up to $70,000.
Im not going to speculate on whether weve done enough, said Thom Snelling, city director of planning and development. Were doing as much as were able to.
The residents last hope for full compensation seems to lie in the courts.
They are among 4,000 plaintiffs in a case filed in a Louisiana federal court against Taishan Gypsum Co., the state-owned Chinese drywall manufacturer.
A federal judge has ruled in the plaintiffs favor and banned the company from working in the United States. But Chinas Ministry of Justice has refused to recognize the courts jurisdiction over Chinese companies.
The legal stalemate could last for years, said Arnold Levin, a lawyer with Levin Fishbein Sedran & Berman and lead counsel for the plaintiffs.
Burton, the activist, put most of the blame on the Housing Authority. It let the residents down by not pursuing compensation from Michaels, she said.
She plans to keep pushing awareness of their plight until someone steps up to help the last four families.
These people believed in that process, and they were betrayed and led astray, she said.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
BROOK PARK, Ohio -- In order to boost his business potential and offset a loan he secured to purchase a new $107,000 lathe, James Drabik, chief executive officer of family-owned Drabik Manufacturing, has applied to the city of Brook Park for a $50,000 job retention and business expansion grant. An ordinance to authorize awarding the grant was discussed at Brook Park City Council's Oct. 25 caucus meeting.
The Commerce Park Drive specialty tool and die company has nine full-time employees and one part-time employee. Its average annual payroll during the past 10 years has been more than $608,000. Since moving to the Brook Park location, Drabik has invested more than $1.2 million in the building and equipment.
"They need (the grant) in order to remain competitive, expand their business lines and service their existing lines," said Brook Park Economic Development Commissioner Mike Dolan. "The grant would go to helping him reduce his loan burden so that he can redirect the resources and finances of the company into marketing and activities that will expand the business and create additional economic and job creation opportunities within the city."
According to the legislation, the grant would be provided as long as "Drabik utilizes best efforts to add two full-time employees to its payroll and ... maintains its base payroll at 2015 levels throughout the useful life of the machine." City council must approve the legislation in order to award the grant. The $50,000 would have to be applied exclusively to purchasing the new lathe, which could not be moved, sold or dismantled for 15 years.
"We do a wide variety of work," Drabik explained to council, noting his company will observe its 60th anniversary next year. "This machine gives us the capability to expedite work and add production."
"They have a lot of skilled artisans in that shop," Dolan added. "The benefit that is reaped by the city ... is that it helps us grow our business base. They're a good company."
The ordinance received its first of three public readings at the Nov. 1 council meeting.
Voters cast their ballots on Election Day
The Ohio Democratic Party has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a restraining order in a voter-intimidation case.
(Marvin Fong/The Plain Dealer)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Ohio Democratic Party has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a Cleveland federal judge's restraining order against Donald Trump's campaign in a voter-intimidation case.
The party filed an emergency request Sunday that said the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati overturned U.S. District Judge James Gwin order without reviewing evidence at a hearing Friday.
The 6th Circuit overturned his ruling on Sunday morning.
Ohio Democrats filed the lawsuit Oct. 30 against state Republicans, Trump's campaign and longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone. State Democrats said they feared an aggressive presence at polling places from Trump supporters on Election Day could discourage voters from the black community and other groups.
Gwin wrote that intervention was necessary because "there is a legitimate possibility that particular laws may be imminently violated." The order was to expire after Election Day.
The judge filed the order against Trump's campaign and Stone, but wrote that it applied to both Democrats and Republicans.
Trump's campaign immediately appealed, arguing that Gwin's order restricted its First Amendment rights and was not based on any actual examples of voter intimidation in Ohio.
The order restricted certain activities such as loitering at or near polling places without any intention of voting and a handing out literature that says voter fraud is a crime.
Generally, the order said people must follow established Ohio laws on electioneering outside of polling places.
voting-booth.jpg
The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it would not intervene in a voter-intimidation lawsuit in Ohio after a federal appeals court struck down a Cleveland judge's restraining order.
(Plain Dealer file photo)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday afternoon that it would not intervene in an appellate court's decision to overturn an Ohio federal judge's restraining order against Donald Trump's campaign in a voter-intimidation case.
The decision of the justices means that a restraining order issued Friday by U.S. District Judge James Gwin will not be in place on Nov. 8 Election Day.
State and federal laws make voter intimidation a crime. The Supreme Court's short order included a statement from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg that said she voted to not intervene because Ohio's law already outlaws voter intimidation.
The Ohio Democratic Party filed a lawsuit last week against Trump's campaign, the Ohio Republican Party and longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling came Sunday.
The Democrats asked the Supreme Court late Sunday to overturn the appellate court's decision to stay Gwin's ruling.
The Democrats fear that Trump and his supporters would be aggressive at polling places in Democratic leaning cities such as Cleveland and would try to dissuade voters from the black community and other groups from voting.
Trump's campaign argued that Gwin's order restricted its First Amendment rights and was not based on any examples of actual voter intimidation in Ohio.
Gwin wrote Friday that intervention was necessary because "there is a legitimate possibility that particular laws may be imminently violated." The order was to expire after Election Day.
The order restricted certain activities such as loitering at or near polling places without any intention of voting and a handing out literature that says voter fraud is a crime.
Generally, the order said people must follow established Ohio laws on electioneering outside of polling places.
The Ohio Democratic Party forwarded a reporter's request for comment to Hillary Clinton's campaign. A Clinton spokesman did not directly react to the Supreme Court's ruling, but said in a statement that "every voice needs to be heard in this election and we have taken steps to ensure that every American will have easy access to the ballot box."
beer
Holiday beer events, Hofbrauhaus dinner, a special Hoppin' Frog release and more are scheduled throughout Northeast Ohio.
(Mitchael J. Zaremba, Plai Dealer Historical Photo)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Our weekly beer calendar features a special tap list at Rozi's Wine Shop, a special Hoppin' Frog release and more. Deadline to submit events is Thursday:
NOVEMBER
Wednesday, Nov. 9: Graffiti Social Kitchen has a four-course dinner planned featuring Dogfish Head Brewery at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $40. Beer lineup: Immort Ale Wood Aged Ale, 11 percent alcohol; Midas Touch Ancient Ale, 9 percent; Indian Brown Ale, 7.2 percent; Punkin Ale, 7 percent. Graffiti Social Kitchen is at 1261 W. 76th St., Cleveland.
Wednesday, Nov. 9: The Winking Lizard Tavern is hosting a Cider and Mead Festival at its Party Center 6-9 p.m. Guests from all over the world will attend. Tickets include samples of more than 10 different ciders and meads, appetizer buffet and chance to talk with cider and mead experts. Non-refundable tickets are $35 ($30 for those who are currently a tourist in the Winking Lizard's Tour of Beers program). The party center is behind the Bedford Heights Winking Lizard at 25200 Miles Road, Bedford Heights.
Thursday, Nov. 10: Bistro 111 will hold a dinner featuring New Belgium Brewing Co. The five-course, five-beer dinner is 6:30-9:30 p.m. Cost is $45 plus tax and tip ($30 without beer) at 2736 Medina Road, Medina. Beers: HopWorks Fat Sour Apple Ale, Hof Ten Dormaal Golden Ale, De Koninck Flowering Citrus Ale, Orval (Anne Francoise) Spiced Strong Dark Ale and Abbey Belgian Style Dubbel.
Thursday, Nov. 10: Paul Gaston, author of "Ohio's Craft Beers," will speak at Brunswick Library at 6 p.m. The library is at 3649 Center Road, Brunswick. To register, call 330-273-4150.
Wednesday, Nov. 16: Hofbrauhaus will hold a four-course Brewmaster's Dinner at 7 p.m. Cost is $45. Premium lager, Hefeweizen, Winterzwickel, red lager and a surprise beer will be served. Hofbrauhaus is at 1550 Chester Ave., Cleveland. Call 216-777-9449 for details.
Wednesday, Nov. 23: Chez Francois will hold a 12 Beers of Christmas tasting 6-8 p.m. Sixteen Christmas ales will be served with hors d'oeuvres. Cost is $50; tax and tip included. Chez Francois is at 555 Main St., Vermilion.
Friday, Nov. 25: Rozi's Wine Shop will feature its Black Friday special tap list 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eight special / rare beers will be on tap to help start the holiday shopping season. This is not a tasting; it's pay by the glass. Sit on the porch or drink as you shop. Tap list: Deschutes Black Butte XVIII, Founders KBS, Weyerbacher Sunday Morning Stout, Alesmith Hammerhead Speedway Stout, DuClaw 2015 BA Retribution, Evil Twin Even More Jesus, Maumee Bay BA Total Eclipse Breakfast Stout and one to be determined. Rozi's is at 14900 Detroit Ave., Lakewood.
Friday, Nov. 25: Hoppin' Frog Brewery is releasing Gavel Slammer, a 17.4 percent alcohol brew billed as a "Monumental Dark Ale." Gavel Slammer will be sold exclusively at the brewery, on draft and in bottles. It will not be released for distribution. Doors will open one hour early, at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 25-26. Chicken and waffles will be available for breakfast. Hoppin' Frog is at 1680 East Waterloo Road, Akron.
GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio -- No arrests have been made in an armed robbery that happened Thursday at a gas station in Garfield Heights, police said.
An unidentified man stole more than $1,000 just after 2:30 a.m. at a Speedway on Turney Road near McCracken Road, according to a police report.
The man entered the gas station and forced a clerk to hand over cash from a register, the clerk told police. The man then ran from the gas station.
The clerk said the man might have been holding a gun during the robbery. A K-9 later found an airsoft gun and several $20 bills on the ground near the gas station, according to the report.
The gun has been sent to the state's Bureau of Criminal Investigation for DNA and fingerprint testing. But investigators believe the man wore gloves during the robbery, police said.
Investigators are working to obtain surveillance video from the incident.
If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Monday's crime and courts comments section.
Lyndhurst sign.JPG
The Lyndhurst Community Center will host a heroin crisis panel discussion Nov. 16.
(Jeff Piorkowski/special to cleveland.com)
LYNDHURST, Ohio -- Mayor Patrick Ward believes people need to become more aware of drug addictions, how they begin, and how those addicted and their loved ones can get help.
To those ends, Lyndhurst is teaming with the Cleveland Clinic to present a crisis panel discussion titled "Heroin, Fentanyl, Carfentanyl: The Triple Threat on Our Doorstep," from 6-8 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Lyndhurst Community Center, 1341 Parkview Drive.
"If you have resources ready, you're 1,000 times more effective in battling (addictions) than if you're uneducated about them," Ward said. "I've been to so many forums and sessions on these issues. You hear stories that break your heart."
In writing about the issue in Lyndhurst Magazine, Lyndhurst Police Chief Rick Porrello stated that drug addiction is pervasive.
During one particular Sunday in September, Porrello noted, the Hillcrest region experienced four overdoses, including two fatalities. During the entire month of September, there were 13 overdoses in the Hillcrest area, which included four deaths.
In September, Cuyahoga County experienced 54 deaths due to addiction. The county projection for all of 2016 is 550 heroin-related deaths.
"Addiction may start innocently enough," Porrello wrote, "with a prescription for an opiate painkiller to manage pain after a surgical procedure or injury. Once the prescription is gone, heroin is easier and less expensive to obtain."
"Prescribing has gotten to the point where it has to be looked at," Ward said. "If I have surgery and I get a prescription for 40 Oxycodone pills and I take three, what do I do with the other 37?"
Ward said that the police department, at Lyndhurst City Hall, 5301 Mayfield Road, has a drop-off for unused prescriptions, and recommends people rid themselves of the pills before unnecessarily taking them becomes a habit.
To make matters worse, Porrello stated, synthetic opiates, such as fentanyl, which is 50-100 times stronger than heroin, and carfentanyl, an anesthetic for very large animals that is 100 times more powerful than fentanyl, are now being sold on the streets.
To try and increase profits, illegal drug dealers are "cutting" heroin with fentanyl and carfentanyl. Meanwhile, Oxycodone is being counterfeited, by being made with the much more lethal fentanyl.
"Most alarming is that users and experimenters are playing Russian roulette because they can't be sure what actual drug and dose they are putting in their bodies," Porrello wrote.
The forum at the Lyndhurst Community Center will include panelists Vince Caraffi, of the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, whom Ward called "an amazing speaker"; Detective Mike Scipione, of the SPAN Drug Enforcement Unit; Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner and pathologist Dr. Thomas Gilson; Dr. James Sauto, Cleveland Clinic emergency medicine physician and EMS medical director; and Eugenia Cash, of the Alcohol Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services Board.
The forum will be moderated by Cuyahoga Community College professor Valerie S. Brown.
The open discussion is designed to provide education, prevention and resource information to communities surrounding Hillcrest Hospital, 6780 Mayfield Road in Mayfield Heights.
For further information about the forum, contact Terrance Richardson at 216-470-8259, or by email at richart8@ccf.org., or Marybeth Mack at 440-312-4784, or mmack@ccf.org.
Jack Todd has ministered to the desperately poor in Guatemala, the Philippines and Romania, and its only inspired him to do more.
I appreciate Vision Beyond Borders for the opportunity to serve the Lord and to work with people who dont have much of anything and help offer them a decent life, said Todd, a longtime volunteer with the organization, which recently set up an office and warehouse on the Billings West End.
Todd said he and his wife, Andrea, worked at a Romanian orphanage four years ago on behalf of the faith-based group. They helped construct greenhouses and delivered, among other items, seeds, tools, clothes, Bibles and toys, ministering in particular to the regions gypsy population.
It really opened our eyes how unfortunate they are and how fortunate we are, he said. Every Christian ought to be required to go to one of these countries and see people dealing with poverty. It makes your heart ache, but it is so pleasing to be able to help people.
Founded in 1994 by Patrick Klein, the Casper, Wyo.-based humanitarian organization also aids and develops job skills in women trapped as sex workers, said Mickala Schmidt, the charitys Vision for Women and social media coordinator.
Schmidt, an international studies major in the University of Wyomings online program, said she got my dream job when she went to work for Vision Beyond Borders in Casper. A few months ago, the agency closed its Bozeman office and a month ago opened its new Billings location at 2697 Enterprise Ave., Suite D.
Having previously traveled to China and Thailand, Schmidt most recently returned from Nepal and a town outside Mumbai, Indias largest city.
In the town in India Schmidt cant identify it for fear of endangering the operation Vision Beyond Borders has established a salon where sex workers are given job training and services, including hair styling, manicures and pedicures. But the humanitarian work doesn't go unnoticed by the people who profit from sex work.
Our contact there has received death threats for the work she does in the communitys red light district, Schmidt said.
She said the children of sex workers are considered outcasts by their schoolmates, and often are the only joy in the lives of their mothers.
The children arent allowed out of the brothel, she said. Sometimes, she said, children hide under the bed while their mother is being put to work inches above their head.
Vision Beyond Borders is establishing a daycare/night care facility at the site, as well as providing educational opportunities for the children of sex workers.
They are often sold into the trade by family members a husband, father or brother, she said, and the children must often follow their mothers into the industry. Because of karma, they believe that if they submit, things will be better in the next life. Thats why we introduce Jesus. Its not Gods purpose for them to stay in this state.
Vision Beyond Borders Billings location includes a warehouse, where donated items are boxed, palletized and wrapped for shipment overseas. The organization has an outreach in the Middle East to people who have been affected by ISIS, she said.
Volunteers are always needed, Schmidt said, to, among other tasks, sort clothing.
We would never give anything to anybody overseas that we wouldnt give to someone in the U.S., she said. We want to restore dignity.
The group also works to recruit volunteers willing to visit places where the charity partners with local agencies abroad.
Not everyone can go, but if they can, I recommend it. It is a life-changing experience, Schmidt said. Poverty in the United States is completely different than it is overseas.
The nondenominational organization doesnt direct its ministry efforts at Christians exclusively, Todd said.
The whole purpose is to meet peoples needs, he said. When we send supplies and people overseas, it goes to local contacts who are already helping people.
Id love to go again, said the retired aviation industry worker. That is up to Vision Beyond Borders, wherever I can be used.
Learn more at the agency's website, www.visionbeyondborders.org. To volunteer or donate, phone 406-652-3663.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A 13-year-old girl found a man shot dead and another woman critically wounded by gunfire in an East Side apartment, according to police reports.
The shooting happened about 3 p.m. Friday at the Outwaithe housing complex on East 40th Street. Marquis Ford, 36, was found in the kitchen with a gunshot wound in his head.
A 33-year-old woman was found seated on the living room couch with a gunshot wound to the head, police reports say. Investigators said Ford and the woman lived together and were in a relationship.
Their relationship to the 13-year-old girl who found them is unclear. She told police that she found Ford. Several other calls came in to 911 dispatchers from neighbors saying they found the two shot inside the apartment.
Officers found the home had been ransacked. The mattress in the master bedroom was moved, drawers were pulled out and their contents strewn across the floor, according to police reports.
The woman's purse was dumped out on the couch next to where police found her bleeding from the face. A bullet casing was found nearby, police reports say.
Officers also noted that Ford was found dead in the kitchen. Uncooked meat was sitting the counter and in a pot near the stove, which was still on when police arrived.
A set of unknown keys was also found near Ford's body. The officers also noted the back door to the kitchen was unlocked but closed. It is unknown if anything was stolen from the apartment and the motive for the shooting is unclear.
Police searched the apartment and found a handgun and marijuana, according to police reports.
Ford was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center. A hospital spokeswoman said Monday the woman remains in critical condition.
No arrests have been made in the case.
If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Monday's crime and courts comments section.
To my fellow millennials:
Yeah, I know, you're scoffing at this salutation. I'm on the older side of our generation, which has been repeatedly redefined downward to represent an ever-younger, increasingly manbunned, microaggressed group of whippersnapchatters. "Millennial" used to refer to a specific cohort born between about 1980 and the mid-'90s; now it's just a generic slur meaning "any annoying person younger than I am."
Still, I beg you, lend a slightly older lady your valuable, monetized eyeballs.
Over the years, youth get-out-the-vote ads have come close to desecrating the American flag. They have included felony-decorated musicians, foul-mouthed actors and sexed-up socialites. They have served up a peculiar mix of cynicism and optimism, in which a better future can be achieved only by tearing down and replacing the useless, rigged, self-dealing systems and leaders of the present.
It's all an attempt to rechannel the presumed anarchical, mutinous instincts of young people into a more socially productive "political revolution" to use Bernie Sanders' preferred term.
This core theme of youth mobilization campaigns has persisted, election after election, regardless of who's running for office, and even as new and differently complected cohorts aged into and out of the "youth" demographic. The constant is understandable: Rebelliousness is the timeless idiom of youth.
Which is why this year, the messaging machine is struggling to motivate young voters. How can you inspire millennials to vote when our primary political vessel represents not volatility and upheaval, but boring stability? Not rocking the boat, but keeping it from crashing into an iceberg?
There is, of course, a burn-it-all-down candidate on the ballot next week, one who fits more easily into the usual youth GOTV rhetoric. But our generation, by and large, despises him.
Trouble with Trump
Donald Trump has a 76 percent unfavorable rating among voters younger than 30, according to a recent Harvard Institute of Politics poll. According to other surveys, large majorities of us believe he embodies or appeals to bigotry, racism and bias against women. About 6 in 10 say his comments about women alone disqualify him from the presidency, according to Reuters/Ipsos.
On the other hand, the institutionalist candidate whose policy preferences are actually closer to our own, and who pledges to build on progress made by Barack Obama, has struggled to inspire us. That same Harvard youth poll also found that a slim majority 51 percent of young people view Hillary Clinton unfavorably. Millennial enthusiasm for her runs thin, particularly relative to liberal change-messengers such as Sanders and Obama.
"Steady as she goes" is hardly a compelling campaign slogan for any age group. But it is an especially poor fit for the insurrectionist, get-out-the-vote rhetoric usually used to woo young people to the polls.
Some young voters have expressed support for third-party candidates, though millennial support for Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein has eroded over the past month or so.
Brexit lesson
The greater danger right now is that millennials won't vote at all. We will express our political frustrations with the system not by trying to upend it, but by abstaining altogether.
And our collective abstention is exactly what could stand between a stable, prosperous, peaceful world order and something else entirely. We millennials now match boomers as the largest share of the electorate; our votes can swing, and indeed have swung, elections, if only we show up.
I keep thinking of YouGov's viral analysis on Brexit votes, showing that those who had to live longest with the decision (i.e., young people) were most likely to vote "Remain." And yet youths also had the lowest voter turnout rates of any demographic. So "Remain" lost.
Take a lesson from our British cousins, my fellow American millennials. A vote for keeping it together may be less cathartic than a vote for burning it all down. But it's better than not voting at all.
Yours,
Catherine
"We think it is because (of) how raw the Brexit (vote) is in people's minds they're not convinced yet that it's a done deal," Totten said.
By Sunday, roughly $130 million had been traded on who will become the next U.S. president, compared with $159 million on the Brexit referendum, Betfair spokeswoman Naomi Totten said. The amount bet so far on the 2016 contest dwarfs the roughly $50 million laid on the 2012 race.
UK-based internet betting exchange Betfair said on Sunday its "Next President" market was set to become the most traded it had ever seen and expected to surpass even Brexit, the contentious UK referendum to leave the European Union.
With many opinion polls showing a tight race just one day before Tuesday's election, record numbers of bettors are pouring millions into online platforms from Ireland to Iowa in the hope of capturing a financial windfall from a victory by Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump .
The raucous, passionate and unpredictable 2016 U.S. presidential election is on track to notch another distinction: the most wagered-upon political event ever.
Most polls leading into Britain's June 23 referendum predicted Britons would choose to remain in the EU. Instead, they voted to leave by a 52 percent to 48 percent margin.
Betfair's "Next President" market was by far the largest of more than 70 markets on the site related to the U.S. election. As of Friday, some $140 million has been put into play on markets ranging from who will win the popular vote to how many states each party will carry.
On Ireland's Paddy Power, which merged with Betfair earlier this year, the U.S. presidential election "is definitely on course to be the biggest political event," said spokesman Feilim Mac An Iomaire. The site has had about $4.38 million bet on the race so far.
For Paddy Power, sporting events remain the site's "bread and butter," with politics more of a "niche market," Mac An Iomaire said. Nonetheless, he expects the 2016 race to be among the top 10-most-traded events on the site.
Even people with no knowledge of politics know who Trump is, said Mac An Iomaire said, explaining the runaway popularity of the U.S. election in betting markets. "Trump is such a huge celebrity."
Ladbrokes, a UK-based gambling company, said about 5 million pounds, or a little over $6 million, had been bet on the 2016 presidential election since its markets on the race opened four years ago. A Ladbrokes spokesman said that amount was "at least double" the amount wagered on the 2012 election.
The three sites all reported an 83 percent probability of a Clinton victory on Tuesday. Her probability shot up a few percentage points on Sunday after the FBI stood by its earlier recommendation that no criminal charges were warranted against Clinton in her use of a private email server.
Back in the USA
The vast majority of big-dollar political betting occurs outside America. Wagering on elections in the United States is limited by law to relatively small trading platforms connected to universities, which use data from the markets for academic research.
Still, the sites are abuzz with activity as the election nears, albeit in small amounts.
On PredictIt, launched in 2014 and jointly run by Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, and Washington, D.C.-based political consulting firm Aristotle International Inc, the five most-active markets all related to the presidential election.
PredictIt is not legally permitted to disclose the amount of money traded, but its top three markets have all reached the maximum number of participants.
Trading on the older Iowa Electronic Markets, launched by the University of Iowa in 1988, has also been brisk, although a spokeswoman said she could not say if 2016 was seeing substantially more volume than in 2012, when President Barack Obama won re-election against Republican Mitt Romney.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Clinton with a 5 percentage point lead over Trump in the national survey 44 percent to 39 percent while races in the swing states of Florida, North Carolina had shifted from Clinton's control to being too close to call.
The PredictIt market gave Clinton an 81 percent probability of winning the White House. IEM's "Winner Takes All" market showed her with a 71 percent chance .
'She will win in a landslide'
Betfair said on Friday that Trump was emerging as the clear favorite among one group of players in particular - Brexit backers. Two-thirds of its customers who had supported a Brexit outcome were also backing Trump on Betfair.
Paul Krishnamurty, a professional gambler for 15 years who works as an analyst at Betfair and a columnist at Politico, is not one of them. He told Reuters he stood to lose $28,000 if Trump wins on Tuesday.
Krishnamurty, who said he had earned roughly half a million dollars during his betting career, has laid money on several election-related markets this year. He took a winning position on Trump's selection of Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate and bet against Jeb Bush during the Republican nominating contests.
He said he believed Clinton would likely to win both North Carolina and Florida and that a Trump victory was unlikely.
"I personally believe she will win in a landslide," Krishnamurty said.
Investors dumped perceived safe trades on Monday, a day after FBI Director James Comey informed Congress that the bureau had "not changed its conclusions" on Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.
Prices for U.S. Treasurys the classic "safe haven" investment fell, sending their yields higher: the two-year note yield rose to near 0.82 percent and the benchmark 10-year yield rose to around 1.817 percent. The face value of bonds move in opposite directions of yields.
Gold fell $23 lower to $1,281.60 per ounce. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) , widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, traded 12 percent lower, near 19.8, and was on track to snap a nine-day streak of gains.
The Japanese yen, considered a safe-haven trade in currencies, fell more than 1 percent to 104.5 yen to the dollar.
Investors had recently taken off riskier positions from their portfolios, after Comey said 11 days before Tuesday's election that the bureau would start a new investigation into Clinton emails found on disgraced congressman Anthony Weiner's computer. After that, Clinton's lead in the polls over Donald Trump narrowed significantly, according to data from RealClearPolitics.
Clinton to win, but we still like Trump on these issues, respondents to CNBC survey
Steve Liesman | @steveliesman
Respondents to a special election edition of the CNBC Fed Survey overwhelmingly believe that Hillary Clinton will win the White House and a plurality want her to win, yet they side with Donald Trump on many key economic issues.
The survey, conducted Thursday and Friday, suggests the recent email revelations surrounding Clinton have had little effect on the outlook for the presidential race. Among the 36 respondents, 78 percent believe Clinton will win the presidency compared with just 8 percent for Trump.
A CNBC Fed Survey conducted largely before those email reports found 82 percent expecting a Clinton victory. (The current survey was conducted before news broke Sunday evening that the FBI had found no new evidence in those emails.)
"Our assumption continues to be that Clinton wins the presidency," John Roberts, director of research of Hilliard Lyons, wrote in response to the current survey. "We are hoping that the Republicans hold both houses, although our base case is that Senate control moves to the Democrats."
By 46 percent to 23 percent, respondents say they want Clinton to win the presidency. In 2012, the survey found respondents wanted Republican nominee Mitt Romney to win.
In the current survey, respondents give Trump a slight 3-point edge on who has the best economic policies. They also favor his policies in three of five specific economic areas asked about in the survey: taxes, business regulation and jobs.
Clinton is judged to have the better polices on trade and budget deficits. And a Clinton victory is judged best for the stock market by 69 percent of respondents, compared with 25 percent for Trump.
For several months, the CNBC survey has found a split where Trump is seen as better for the economy and Clinton for the stock market. Many favor Trump's proposals for tax cuts and loosening business regulations. Yet they fear the trade policies and political instability that could be brought about by a Trump presidency. Respondents say the relative continuity and predictability of a Clinton presidency would be best for equities.
Just under half of respondents, who include economists, fund managers and strategists, say they will mark down their forecast for stock market gains for next year if Trump wins. Among those, the average markdown is about 10 percent to their year-end 2017 S&P 500 forecast. Just under a third of respondents say they won't change their stock market outlook and about a fifth say they will raise their forecasts. The average increase among this group is 5.8 percent.
But James Bianco, president of Bianco Research, is skeptical that markets will be hurt by a Trump victory. "Trump wins, think Brexit," Bianco wrote. "Everyone thought that would be bad for markets."
And Art Hogan, director of equity research of Wunderlich Securities, said: "We have had elections for 240 years and some crazy ones at that. The world keeps spinning. I bet that will be the case come November 9th."
Roughly two-thirds of respondents say they won't change their stock outlook at all if Clinton wins, a sign that the market expects such a victory. Just under a fifth said they would mark up their forecast by an average of 3 percent. Another fifth said they would lower their stocks market forecast by an average of 9.5 percent if Clinton wins.
A 46 percent plurality say divided government with a Democrat in the White House and Republicans controlling one or both houses of Congress is best for stocks and the economy. Roughly a third say unified government with Republicans controlling both is best.
Eight of 10 respondents said a President Trump would not reappoint Fed Chair Janet Yellen when her term expires in January 2018. Stanford University economist John Taylor was mentioned by three respondents as the most likely person to be named Fed chairman by Trump, followed by two votes for Trump economic advisor David Malpass. Others mentioned just once included former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, Columbia University Business School Dean Glenn Hubbard and Harvard University economist Gregory Mankiw.
About 62 percent of respondents expect a President Clinton to reappoint Yellen. If Clinton decides to look elsewhere, a third say she'll appoint Fed Governor Lael Brainard to the post.
Most respondents believe a Clinton victory will result in almost no change to Fed policy. But there's a division about Trump. Eleven respondents think a Trump presidency means lower rates than they currently forecast for next year, nine respondents say higher and 15 say no change.
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Oracle 's acquisition of NetSuite will bring in some cash for Larry Ellison, Oracle's co-founder and the early financier of Netsuite but to truly get richer, he must prove to Oracle investors the deal will work.
Despite some tough dealings with holdout shareholders, Oracle completed its purchase of Netsuite on Monday for $109 per share, above its $91.57 close on July 27, before the deal was announced.
Ellison owns nearly 32 million shares of Netsuite, according to Factset, meaning he will walk away from the cash deal with about $3.48 billion. Ellison owned about 39 percent of NetSuite's stock as of Sept. 30 and together with his family owned 44.8 percent, according to SEC filings.
But he also owns almost 1.2 billion shares of Oracle whose shares have fallen to $39.09, down from $40.93 before the deal was announced. All in all, Ellison's net worth is down about $1.59 billion so far.
Whether he wins or loses depends on whether companies perform well enough together to boost Oracle's shares. The deal will leverage Oracle's scale in cloud computing to increase the availability of NetSuite's software, and is expected to immediately make money for Oracle, executives said when the deal was announced in July.
Ever since Mitt Romney's unexpected loss to President Barack Obama in 2012, Republicans have debated whether, and how they need to expand their appeal.
The post-2012 GOP "autopsy" called for the party to reach out to Democratic-leaning constituencies including women, African-Americans and Hispanics. Some Republican officials, noting Donald Trump's large polling deficit among those groups, fear his candidacy has taken the party in the opposite direction.
Any chance of the Republican Party regaining the White House has been hampered by Donald Trump's campaign tactics, according to one U.S. policy expert.
The latest and final poll from NBC and the Wall Street Journal shows Clinton holding a slim lead over Trump, with a four-way race showing her on 44 percent to Trump's 40 percent.
James Boys, senior US policy expert and associate professor of international political studies at Richmond University, told CNBC Monday that Trump is not waging a campaign that can win the election.
"If you put in someone who could reach out to Hispanics, to women, to the African American community and build on what Mitt Romney had done four years ago, maybe.
"But when you see him do the exact opposite, it is impossible to see how he can win this," he said.
His comments come on the tail end of the campaign trail after many wealthy Americans have already made public their own presidential endorsements, some even speaking at rallies and conventions.
Greene told CNBC's Closing Bell, "I live two doors away from Donald Trump in Palm Beach. I know enough about Donald Trump to know that I would be scared to death to see him as our president."
Greene said he already voted early for Hillary Clinton, attributing her qualification to her many roles in public service both on her own and alongside her husband.
"Forget whether she did an amazing job or an OK job, she knows every single thing you need to know about being a president of the United States," he said.
However, he acknowledged the complex facets of potential fiscal implications of a Clinton presidency.
"Hillary Clinton could be very, very, very good for a long-term prospect of a struggling economy, but she may not be that great if we actually start doing something intelligent with fiscal policy. She may not be that great for the asset bubbles," Greene noted.
For many voters, the multiple facets of the two candidates' policies have them torn, still weighing their options only hours before polls open on Election Day.
Real estate mogul Don Peebles, chairman and CEO of Peebles Corporation, is among the voters still on the fence.
"If you are satisfied with the direction the country is going, she's the clear choice. If you think the country needs to be changing direction and we need to reform some of our approaches to how we run our country, how we run our economy and how we support businesses, then it's not as easy of a choice," he told "Closing Bell."
Peebles mentioned future fiscal policy uncertainty as one of the issues he is concerned about, especially in terms of the potential future cost of doing business in the United States.
Regardless, "I would not think that happy days are here again if either one of them gets elected tomorrow," he said.
As a 37 year old McDonald's worker trying to support three kids on $9.00/hour, I haven't had much time for politics. In fact, I've never votednot in a local or even a national election. But this year, that will change.
I never voted because I never felt politicians listened to me. I was born in a housing project in South Carolina, and I grew up fast. My mother worked overtime at Hardee's, yet I often came home to an empty refrigerator or a dark home because the electricity had been cut off.
As soon as I turned 16, I dropped out of school and started work at Taco Bell. Since then I've stayed in the fast-food industry mostly working jobs at McDonald's. I've spent my whole life focused on the next paycheck, the next meal, and the next place to lay my head. And when you're faced with the prospect of homelessness, the idea of picking up a newspaper and reading about the horse race in Washington isn't a priority.
My life changed when I got involved with the Fight for $15 in Kansas City. For nearly four years, workers like me have been chanting in the street, going on strike, and getting arrested. Over time we captured the attention of politicians and suddenly San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, and SeaTac were adopting a $15/hour wage.
Then Oregon and Massachusetts adopted the wage for all home care workers. And in the spring, New York and California were racing to become the first state to pass a $15/hour wage.
Even the president of the United States heard us. In October 2015, I was asked to introduce President Obama at a White House summit on the importance of working people coming together for respect, wage increases, and the right to form a union.
Since we started, 20 million Americans have gotten a raise. We have proven what everyone said was impossible: we have the power to win $15.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. Darren Rudloff was blown away when he found out visitors from Montana and Ohio had already purchased tickets for the upcoming rare tours of the Union Pacific Steam Shop.
"That really shows the strength of this attraction," the CEO of Visit Cheyenne said. "This is such a unique opportunity for train enthusiasts to see the working steam shop and to see the renovation of the Big Boy."
The building tours, which normally only happen once a year during Cheyenne Depot Days in May, will kick off Nov. 4 and run until late March, reported the Wyoming Tribune Eagle (http://bit.ly/2f5RFbb). There won't be tours during December, however.
Anyone who purchases a $20 ticket for the outing will get the chance to visit the Cheyenne Depot Museum, the steam shop and see the progress on the restoration of the Big Boy 4014 - a large steam engine that was built in 1941.
The Big Boy arrived in Cheyenne in 2014 with the expectation that the reconstruction would take anywhere from three to five years. However, restoration will now likely take five to seven years to complete.
"There were only 25 Big Boys originally made," Rudloff said. "Most are in parks or museums, but this is such a unique effort to take one of these old engines that has been out of duty for so long and restore it back to working order."
The tours, which will last two hours, start on the second floor of the Cheyenne Depot Museum, where guests will see an overview of the train yard. From there, guests will board one of the trolleys and go to the steam shop, where UP employees will give a detailed run-through of the building and show off the engines inside.
Participants will have to wear closed-toe shoes and sign a liability release before going on the tour. Hard hats will be provided.
The steam shop is a major attraction during Depot Days, which usually brings in around 5,000 visitors every year, so Rudloff said now was a perfect time to open the building up to the public, albeit for a short time.
"The large crowds show the demand to see what's going on the steam shop," he said. "We see visitors at the Cheyenne Depot Museum every day, wanting to see the shop and know about the Big Boy updates. We hope these tours will help satisfy that demand."
Visit Cheyenne and Union Pacific partnered last year to do test runs of the tour, which turned out to be successes.
Rudloff expects the excursions will draw more out-of-town visitors, as well as curious residents. But, he also hopes more tours will come from the first 15 dates.
"Cheyenne is known as a railroad town," he said. "We have some of the most amazing artifacts in the UP yards, behind closed doors. This opportunity is really special, because you can see steam engines that aren't really around anymore. We hope to see a lot of positive response from this."
Turkish anti-riot police push away protesters at Kadikoy district in Istanbul, on November 6, 2016, during a demonstration. Yasin Akgul | AFP | Getty Images
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused Europe on Sunday of abetting terrorism by supporting Kurdish militants and said he did not care if it called him a dictator. Turkey drew international condemnation for the arrest on Friday of leaders and lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the second-largest opposition grouping in parliament, as part of a terrorism investigation. The government accuses the HDP, which made history last year by becoming the first Kurdish party to win 10 percent of the vote and enter parliament, of financing and supporting an armed Kurdish insurgency, which it denies. The HDP announced a partial boycott of parliament on Sunday, saying it was "halting its legislative efforts" and that its deputies would stop participating in sessions of the legislature or meetings of parliamentary commissions. The action against the HDP has heightened concern among Western allies about the state of democracy in Turkey, a NATO member which aspires to join the European Union and which is a buffer between Europe and the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. More than 110,000 officials - from soldiers and judges to teachers and journalists - have been detained or suspended since a failed military coup in July, in what Erdogan's critics say is a crackdown on all forms of dissent.
Turkish anti-riot police officers stand guard on November 6, 2016 during a demonstration in Diyarbakir. Erhan Demirtas | NurPhoto | Getty Images
"I don't care if they call me dictator or whatever else, it goes in one ear, out the other. What matters is what my people call me," Erdogan said in a speech at an Istanbul university, where he was receiving an honorary doctorate. Erdogan and the government are furious at what they see as Western criticism of their fight against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy and whose allied groups in Syria enjoy U.S. support in the fight against Islamic State. Erdogan said the PKK, listed as a terrorist group by the European Union and United States, had killed almost 800 members of the security forces and more than 300 civilians since a ceasefire in the largely Kurdish southeast collapsed last year. A PKK offshoot claimed responsibility for a car bomb in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir on Friday which killed 11 and wounded at least 100 hours after the HDP detentions, according to a website close to the militants. Islamic State had also claimed the attack, according to the group's Amaq news agency. "Europe, as a whole, is abetting terrorism. Even though they declared the PKK a terrorist organisation, this is clear," Erdogan said. "We see how the PKK can act so freely and comfortably in Europe." Turkey's EU Minister Omer Celik has called European ambassadors to a meeting in Ankara on Monday to brief them on the latest developments, a statement from his ministry said. "Turn back while you can" HDP co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag were jailed pending trial on Friday after refusing to give testimony in a probe linked to "terrorist propaganda". Ten other HDP lawmakers were also detained, though some were later released. The United States expressed deep concern, while Germany and Denmark summoned Turkish diplomats over the Kurdish arrests. European Parliament President Martin Schulz said the actions "call into question the basis for the sustainable relationship between the EU and Turkey".
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Sunday night's decision by the FBI to take no action against Hillary Clinton over newly uncovered emails is unlikely to change the state of play ahead of Tuesday's U.S. presidential election, according to an academic specialist.
Peter Trubowitz, director of the United States Center at the London School of Economics (LSE), told CNBC Monday that the main impact was most likely on those with one foot already in the Republican camp.
"What the FBI investigation did was it gave Republicans who were on the fence and who had real misgivings about Donald Trump an opportunity to rethink their position," he said.
"It's not that undecided voters suddenly broke because of the FBI investigation, it's that it increased a sense of enthusiasm among Republicans for Trump - or to put it another way, they just couldn't sit it out," he continued, highlighting that it was the college-educated white voters whom Donald Trump has had more problems attracting that were most likely to have been in this category.
In Trubowitz's view, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is the clear favorite to be the next in the White House, however, it's not over yet.
"About 12 percent of voters are either going to vote for a third party candidate or are still undecided. So there is a group out there that could be conceivably moved," he said.
"It's hers to lose but she could lose it," he summarized,pointing to the latest polls that give Clinton around a 3 to 5 percent lead.
Tesco Bank's chief executive said on Monday that it was temporarily stopping online transactions after about 20,000 customers had money removed from their accounts after an attack by fraudsters over the weekend.
The bank, wholly owned by supermarket chain Tesco , said it had discovered there had been "significant" fraudulent criminal activity on customers' current accounts late on Saturday and early Sunday morning.
Benny Higgins, the bank's chief executive, said 40,000 of current accounts had experienced suspicious transactions and about half had money taken from their account.
Angela Merkel is set to hold on to a fourth term as Germany's Chancellor next year in what is likely to be a "messy" election battle, an independent European Union expert told CNBC.
Amid rising support for extremist parties and growing discontent for Merkel's refugee policy, the 2017 general election is lining up to be an historic one for the EU's largest economy.
"Of course, it's going to be messy," Nina Schick, an independent EU expert told CNBC on Monday.
"I think the headline of the German election is going to be that the AfD (Alternative for Germany), the far-right populist party, is going to smash the threshold to get into the Bundestag. That in German politics is going to spook people - a far-right, populist, anti-migration party going into the Bundestag," Shick added.
Recent state elections across Germany showed that voters are becoming increasingly more supportive of anti-immigration rhetoric. For instance, the AfD managed to beat Merkel's CDU party in an election in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in September. While AfD obtained 21 percent of the votes, the ruling CDU came only in third with 19 percent.
The mayor added that he hoped that the government would listen to the public's needs, as while Britons may have voted to leave, they hadn't voted to come out with a deal that provided "fewer jobs, less prosperity and less growth."
Speaking at the annual switching on of Oxford Street's Christmas lights, Khan who is a member of the U.K.'s opposition Labour party said during these negotiations it was important for the U.K. capital to also have "a seat around the table."
"What's really important is access to a single market. What's really important is the ability to carry on attracting talent. What's really important is a relation to financial jobs with passport financial services."
"The problem with a 'hard Brexit' is there aren't any winners. A 'hard Brexit' is no good for London and the U.K., and is no good for the EU," Khan told CNBC's Tania Bryer.
The number one priority for the U.K. government regarding the Brexit negotiations is to come up with a plan that benefits everyone, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has told CNBC.
His comments come after the U.K.'s High Court ruled last week that any proposed Brexit plan would have to be approved by all lawmakers in parliament before triggering "Article 50". This instigated anger from some politicians and some U.K. newspapers.
On Sunday however, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said she respected the independence of the judiciary, adding that the government believed it had strong legal arguments when it comes to appealing the ruling, according to Reuters.
In reaction to the latest developments surrounding Brexit, London's mayor said the key issue for government now is to show it's got a game plan prior to triggering the formal process of leaving the EU, which is expected to take place next year.
"They need a plan before 'Article 50' is served. They've got to plan to make sure what we negotiate with the EU, the deal we get is good for London, is good for our country, good for the EU, and good for businesses. It's really important," he said.
While there is fear that foreign investors could be put off by London and the U.K., Khan argued otherwise saying at present, investors have heard London's message that it is open as a city open to people, talent and ideas.
The mayor added that the city had to provide reassurance to these investors, and show those from outside the U.K. that London has some of the "most talented people in the world" and that the city still wants to and will always want to do business with foreign investors.
"They love London. They love the U.K., they want to carry on doing business with us, and the government's job is to make sure they get a good deal with the EU."
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Pennsylvania and Michigan give Donald Trump his greatest chance for posting an Election Day surprise, while victories in Colorado and Nevada could seal the deal for Hillary Clinton, according to a Goldman Sachs analysis of what to expect in presidential voting.
Voters hit the polls Tuesday morning as the nation looks to elect its 45th president.
Goldman's views hold largely with the consensus, though it makes room for surprises not foretold in prediction markets and polling. Economist Alec Phillips told clients:
Our central election expectation continues to be that (Secretary) Clinton wins the White House, with a slim Democratic majority in the Senate quite possibly a 50-50 split with the vice president breaking the tie and a somewhat smaller Republican majority in the House than the 246 seats they currently hold.
For Trump, the path to victory comes through states that haven't voted Republican for decades.
Mr. Trump has been outperforming other recent Republicans in both states, and polls in both have tightened over the last week. That said, no Republican has won either state since 1988, and while Mr. Trump has made some inroads in both places, he has not won a single poll in either state this year, though he has come close. Both states also inject a bit more uncertainty due their lack of a significant early vote Pennsylvania has very little early voting, and Michigan does not report early vote data based on party registration and because these industrial states would appear to be the sort of place where a Brexit-like surprise, if it were to materialize anywhere, might be most likely.
In Clinton's case, two states with only a handful of electoral votes nine for Colorado, six for Nevada could push her over the 270 mark, when viewed by the timetable that states are likely to follow for reporting results.
At this stage, both states appear to favor Sec. Clinton by narrow margins, and look more likely than any others to provide the marginal 270th electoral vote to the winner. In Nevada, polls show Mr. Trump with a narrow 2 (percentage point) advantage, but early voting patterns favor Sec. Clinton. With early voting now over, (18,000) more Democratic-registered voters turned out than Republican-registered voters. ... In Colorado, polls have tightened somewhat, showing a 3 (percentage point) lead for Sec. Clinton. Early voting in the state also leans in Clinton's direction; Democratic-registered voters are roughly even with Republican-registered voters, an improvement over their 3 (percentage point) early voting deficit in 2012 (President Obama won Colorado by 5.4 (percentage points) despite this). If Sec. Clinton wins both states, along with the states noted above, she would have reached 274 electoral votes.
There are other battlegrounds, of course Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and New Hampshire among them that could tile the race.
For the hard-core election follower, Goldman provides the following timetable to use when watching the results.
"The longer we stay stuck waiting for a savior to bring back our jobs, the longer we are denying ourselves the opportunity to move forward towards progress."
In some ways, I understand Trump supporters who feel alarmed by the changes our country has undergone in the last 50 years demographic changes, technological changes, and jobs changing. I see the appeal of Donald Trump's promises for those voters who fear the restructuring in our country. They have worked hard to find their cheese, and now the cheese is gone. Like me during the restructuring, they are having a tough time with change.
Trump has told his supporters that immigrants from Mexico, China and other countries have stolen their jobs. That rhetoric is wrong. He has promised to bring back those jobs, but the truth is that industries in our country have changed, and some jobs no longer exist. Technology has brought about progress and change, but in the process it has left some people displaced and others unequipped to take advantage of the "new cheese."
Take the metal industry. Roles held by people to set casting machines and operate core-making machinery have declined by 25 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor statistics. Instead of a metal worker being paid an average of $30,000 a year, companies have adopted machines that use computer numerically controlled technology (CNC) to lower production costs and improve product quality. Another example is postal workers, where jobs are projected to decline by 34 percent by 2024. These jobs are being pushed out by the nation's reliance on email and online bill-paying services.
Some industries, of course, do face foreign competition, but instead of looking into the past to find our future, we need to look ahead. We need to stop blaming immigrants for stealing our jobs. Times are changing. Instead of focusing on finding a scapegoat and building a wall, we should focus on finding solutions and giving people the skills necessary to succeed in the new industries.
The longer we stay stuck waiting for a savior to bring back our jobs, the longer we are denying ourselves the opportunity to move forward towards progress.
Commentary by Julissa Arce, the author of the forthcoming book, "My (Underground) American Dream" (Sept. 13, 2016). Arce made national and international headlines when she revealed that she had achieved the American Dream of wealth and status working her way up to vice president at Goldman Sachs by age 27 while being an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. She currently works with the Ascend Educational Fund, a scholarship program for immigrant students in New York City. Follow her on Twitter @julissaarce.
For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
A daily morning look at the financial stories you need to know to start the day.
STOCKS/ECONOMY
Stock futures are more than 200 points higher as investors liked the news from FBI Director James Comey Sunday that said the Bureau is sticking with its recommendation not to indict Hillary Clinton. Gold is down more than 1 percent on the Clinton FBI news. Key earnings today come from Marriott and Dean Foods.
ELECTION
-Today's LA Times/USC poll has Donald Trump leading Hillary Clinton by 4.8 points. Investors Business Daily has Trump ahead by 2 points. ABC News has Clinton ahead by 4 points. And the NBC/WSJ poll has Clinton ahead by 4 points.
OIL/ENERGY
-U.S crude prices are up more than 1.5 percent, but still at the $44 a barrel level.
President Barack Obama speaks at a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, on November 3, 2016. Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty Images
President Barack Obama taunted Donald Trump after the Republican's campaign reportedly stopped letting him use his Twitter account. Trump has used the social network to lob insults at rivals and complain about media coverage throughout his presidential bid, sometimes tweeting attacks in the wee hours of the morning. On Sunday, The New York Times reported that his advisors have "finally wrested away" the account from Trump in the campaign's final days.
At a rally Sunday for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in Florida, Obama contended that Trump cannot be trusted with a nuclear arsenal if he cannot handle a Twitter account. "In the last two days, they had so little confidence in his self-control they said we're just gonna take away your Twitter. Now, if somebody can't handle a Twitter account, they can't handle the nuclear codes," Obama said.
CASPER The Wyoming Health Department is asking the state for $20 million to comply with court-ordered mental health commitments.
Officials say they only have about $5 million and they expect a big deficit.
The Casper Star-Tribune reports the state contracts with community agencies for care because the state hospital does not have the facilities to handle the number of court-ordered cases.
State officials are considering shifting some of the costs to counties and local governments.
With investors trying to figure out how to position themselves for the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, two investment experts told CNBC politics shouldn't influence investment thinking.
Markets rallied Monday on the eve of the historic vote. Wall Street analysts are predicting an sell-off on a Donald Trump win and believe it will at least hold gains if Hillary Clinton is the victor.
However, the election is only one of several risk events that will play out before the end of the year, said Karin Kimbrough, head of macro and economic policy at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management.
"We also have more on Brexit, more on the Fed decision, more on an Italian referendum and then all the way next year, we expect to see even more uncertainty in the political spectrum in Europe," she told CNBC's "Power Lunch" on Monday.
"Think about the long run. Don't focus so much in trying to position around these events. It's too unpredictable," she said.
Gabriela Santos, global market strategist for JPMorgan Funds, believes it's a mistake to get in or out of the market based on an election in the U.S. Historically, the market has done well in the medium-term regardless of who is in the White House or what is the makeup of Congress, she said.
What the market wants is the least amount of uncertainty possible, and that will likely be true whether it is Trump or Clinton in the Oval Office.
"Both are leading with an establishment, Republican-led House. So it's difficult actually for either candidate to get a lot of what they've been proposing through Congress, and as a result we're likely to end up with a government of moderation despite the extreme nature of the election process," Santos told "Power Lunch."
Patrick Pouyanne, Chairman and CEO of French energy company Total visits the Shetland Gas Plant on May 16, 2016, in the Shetland Islands. Andy Buchanan | AFP | Getty Images
French oil giant is expected to sign a deal Tuesday with to develop the country's largest natural gas field, paving the way for Western oil companies' return to the Persian Gulf country. Total would be the first European integrated oil company to sign a contract to develop Iranian oil or gas assets after the lifting of sanctions on Tehran earlier this year. The deal would also advance Iran's goal of tapping its vast oil and natural gas reserves, which are the fourth and second largest in the world, respectively. Total will lead a consortium that includes China National Petroleum Corp. and Iran's Petropars to develop the South Pars field in the Persian Gulf, AFP reported, citing the Iranian Oil Ministry. The deal is worth $6 billion and needs to be finalized within six months, a ministry spokesman told AFP.
Total and other European energy giants began pulling out of Iran in 2008 as the international community ratcheted up sanctions on the country over its nuclear program. Total had previously been involved in developing South Pars, which contains nearly 40 percent of Iran's massive natural gas reserves. As Europeans exited Iran, China National Petroleum Corp. and other Chinese companies continued their development plans thanks to a loophole that allowed firms investing $20 million or less in the country's oil and gas sector to keep doing business there. But steadily escalating sanctions eventually made it too onerous for the Chinese drillers to meet the obligations of their contracts with Tehran. Iran is seeking to attract roughly $200 billion in investment into its oil and gas industry. A key component of that is a new model petroleum contract, which allows foreign companies to participate in more phases of development and production than the old "buy-back" contract. European oil companies have been eager to re-enter Iran, but continue to mull over the terms of the new contract and watch for signs that major financial institutions will resume operations there. Major natural gas fields in Iran
Analyst say the outcome of Iran's elections next spring will be critical to determining the investment outlook. The outward-looking moderate President Hassan Rouhani, whose administration brokered the nuclear deal, will face off against Iranian hardliners who are skeptical of international involvement in their country's energy sector. Total did not immediately return a request for a response. A spokesperson for Royal Dutch Shell recently confirmed to CNBC that the company is considering areas of cooperation with Iran's National Petrochemical Co. However, "It is much too early to discuss potential Shell investment in any project," said Nureddin Wefati, Shell's head of media relations for the Middle East and North Africa.
President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the cancellation on Monday of Philippine's purchase of police rifles from the United States, after U.S. senatorial aides said last month that Washington was halting the sale due to concerns about human rights violations.
"We will not insist on buying expensive arms from the United States. We can always get them somewhere else. I am ordering the police to cancel it. We don't need them," Duterte said in a televised speech at a event attended by Muslim rebel leaders.
"We will just have to look for another source that is cheaper and maybe as durable and as good as those made in the place we are ordering them," Duterte said.
The relationship between the United States and the Philippines, a long-time ally, has been complicated lately by Duterte's angry reaction to criticism from Washington of his violent battle to rid the country of illegal drugs.
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For every $1 that employees at the world's biggest technology companies donated to Donald Trump, they gave $60 to Hillary Clinton.
People who work at Apple , Alphabet , Microsoft , Facebook and Amazon.com sent a total of $3 million to the Democratic presidential nominee ahead of the 2016 election on Tuesday, compared with just over $50,000 to her Republican challenger, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Said differently, as of Oct. 19, Clinton attracted 97 percent of big tech money, with the remaining 3 percent split between Trump, Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein. Silicon Valley and Seattle, home to the technology giants, have long leaned blue, but this sort of one-sidedness is unprecedented and speaks to the technology industry's rejection of Trump's attitudes toward minorities and women and concern around pressing issues like climate change (which he called a hoax) and immigration. "Ninety-seven percent support of Clinton is mindblowing and really suggests that we're pounding the table," said Kate Mitchell, a partner at venture firm Scale Venture Partners in Foster City, California. "We think her business policies are going to be friendlier."
Particularly notable this time around is that the five most valuable tech companies are, depending on the day, the five biggest companies across all industries and worth a combined $2.2 trillion.
Typically, there's a solid roster of fiscal conservatives, who vote Republican because of favorable tax policies and the prospect of less regulation. But aside from the outspoken venture capitalist and Facebook director Peter Thiel, who addressed the Republican National Convention and spent over $1 million supporting Trump, the loudest voices in tech this cycle have all been anti-Trump. Federal laws limit the amount an individual can give directly to a candidate to $2,700 per election, with primaries and general elections considered separate events. Super PACs that support a candidate but are technically independent can raise unlimited sums from individuals and corporations. Overall, the communications and electronics industry sent $55.7 million to Clinton and related groups, more than 55 times the $1 million directed to Trump's side. Compare that to 2012, when President Barack Obama raised about triple the amount of Mitt Romney, and 2008, when Obama outraised John McCain by about sixfold.
In some cases, Trump's relationship to the big tech companies has turned openly hostile. As part of his plan to return jobs to the U.S. and eliminate trade subsidies to countries like China, Trump has on multiple occasions said that he'd demand Apple start manufacturing iPhones domestically.
Breakdown by company Clinton Trump Johnson Stein Facebook $400,523 $3,965 $3,300 $0 Apple $530,566 $1,926 $4,820 $907 Google $1,292,624 $20,964 $5,330 $5,907 Microsoft $657,538 $20,358 $3,473 $1,600 Amazon $144,359 $3,200 $5,405 $250 Total $3,025,610 $50,413 $22,328 $8,664
"We're gonna get Apple to start building their damn computers and things in this country, instead of in other countries," he said in a speech in January.
He has slammed Amazon for allegedly not paying its fair share of taxes, and attacked CEO Jeff Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, for what he called the use of the newspaper as a "tool for political power." Bezos shot back last month, criticizing Trump's effort to influence the press. At a Vanity Fair conference in San Francisco, he said, "To try and chill the media and threaten retribution, retaliation which is what he has done in a number of cases to people involved in the media is not appropriate."
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Eaze fulfills a simple function: Push button, get pot. The average order is around $10 and cannabis can be delivered in as little as 15 minutes, said Eaze CEO Keith McCarty. But unlike its customers marijuana dispensaries Eaze is a tech company and one of a growing number of cannabis tech start-ups using data to offer products and services to the pot industry. According to polls, recreational marijuana legalization measures are likely to pass, albeit narrowly, in all five states where they are on the ballot Tuesday: Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada. Four other states Montana, North Dakota, Arkansas and Florida have ballots proposing at least some form of medical marijuana legalization. Tuesday's vote is set to open up giant new market opportunities over the next several years. Nationally, legal sales of marijuana will reach $7.4 billion this year and surpass $20.6 billion by 2020, with recreational marijuana sales making up about 53 percent of the market, according to Arcview Market Research.
"A lot of the fastest growing cannabis companies are data driven, said McCarty, who helped start workplace social network Yammer, bought by Microsoft in 2012 for $1.2 billion. "There are not very many of them, but as the industry continues to evolve, the data-driven companies will be most successful."
Eaze technology powers on-demand deliveries to 200,000 medical marijuana patients in 100 California cities. Its Uber-like app connects patients with dispensaries and powers deliveries. The company provides data to help retailers predict supply and demand so they know how many delivery drivers they will need at any given time and what products those drivers should carry, said McCarty. Eaze does not employ the drivers directly that is left to the dispensaries but does conduct driver background checks before passing along applicants. A separate app can connect California residents with a doctor for an evaluation.
The start-up launched in California in 2014 to serve medical marijuana patients and can easily adapt its software for so-called adult or recreational use, said McCarty. Because it is a tech platform, it is an easy business to scale up with demand, he said. The company has raised $25 million in venture funding and is among the most well-funded cannabis tech companies. Eaze has amassed a vast trove of sales data and is putting it to use for its dispensary customers. For example, the most popular product is still dried marijuana plants, though marijuana oil cartridges for vaporizers have taken off this year growing three fold as a proportion of sales and are almost as popular as traditional weed in the San Francisco Bay Area, Eaze has found. Northern Californians prefer the sativa strain (57 percent) and generally buy cannabis at night. Southern Californians prefer the indica strain (61 percent) and spread their buying throughout the day. Insights like these will help Eaze scale its business as the marijuana industry grows. Women make up a growing share of medical marijuana consumers, and accounted for 27 percent of sales in October, up from 25 percent in January. Over that same time period, sales of medical marijuana to patients ages 25 to 55 have increased, sales to younger users 18 to 25 have declined, and sales to seniors have held steady, Eaze has found.
Data-driven cannabis start-ups are attracting a ton of funding in areas such as subscription e-commerce, compliance, tracking, payments, banking, data analytics, order management and social networking, CB Insights found.
"Cannabis technology will soar, but the federal government will decline to solve the problems around banking, transportation and interstate commerce," said Bradley Tusk, who leads Tusk Ventures, which specializes in advising and investing in start-ups facing tough regulatory environments. Tusk has invested in Eaze.
Eaze is far from alone. The Denver-based MJ Freeway has developed patented seed-to-sale agricultural tracking products that enable marijuana license holders to manage their businesses and comply with regulation. Its clients include cultivators, manufacturers, retailers and state and local government agencies. The company will unveil a new product at the Marijuana Business Conference & Expo next week. Since launching in 2010, MJ Freeway has amassed 500 billion lines of data on marijuana retail and cultivation the industry's largest data set. Clients range from small growers to big multistate, multilocation retail and cultivation operations in the U.S. and Canada. They also have some government clients. Last year, the company launched Leaf Data Systems, a product the helps the government track and monitor the cannabis industry. Licensed businesses use the software to comply with state and local laws. In 2015, MJ Freeway had revenues of $3.9 million, and its business has grown 340 percent over the past three years.
The market for MJ Freeway's products could double if marijuana legislation passes in every state where it is on the ballot and states implement robust, well-funded programs, said Jessica Billingsley, chief operating officer.
"Every time a new state or a new market implements a successful program, that has a direct tie and benefit to our company as a technology provider to those operators," said Billingsley. The California vote on adult use marijuana is particularly important, said Chief Executive Officer Amy Poinsett. It will put a regulatory framework around a very large, unregulated market, she said. The Golden State is already the nation's largest marijuana producer and consumer and if California goes legal, the rest of the country may follow.
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Some Americans are quietly considering jobs in Canada as the presidential election draws closer.
The number of Americans looking for jobs across the border has increased a whopping 58 percent since last year, jobs posting platform Monster Worldwide has found.
But what kinds of professionals are searching up north? LinkedIn, the world's largest online professional network, took a look at its own data to find out.
These are the jobs that the site has determined have received the highest number of applicants from U.S.-based users over the past 30 days. The median salaries are listed in Canadian dollars, and the current exchange rate is $1 U.S. to $1.34 Canadian.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the town hall debate at Washington University on October 9, 2016 in St Louis, Missouri.
The U.S. presidential campaign is entering its final days, with polls showing a tight race between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump.
On Sunday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) again cleared Clinton of potential criminal charges over her use of a private email server for government business while secretary of state.
The FBI's decision to reveal an extended probe just over a week ago had slowed Clinton's momentum in the polls, allowing Trump to catch up.
Markets reacted positively to Sunday's news, with U.S. futures climbing.
For this week's Trader Poll,tell us who you believe will come out on top.
Given the continued decrease in prices for clean energy, it will win on its own merits. Regardless of who wins the presidency, clean energy providers will continue to offer the most cost-effective energy options to utilities, businesses and homeowners around the country.
The ambivalence regarding the election can be seen across the energy industry. Oil and gas industry workers in the U.S. have contributed about the same amount to both presidential candidates. The American Gas Association has also declined to endorse a candidate. Why is that? It's because energy markets are, for the most part, open markets that can only be marginally influenced by politicians and their policies.
Hillary Clinton wants to make the U.S. a "clean energy superpower"? Great. Donald Trump wants to get rid of regulations for energy companies and try to revive the dying coal industry? No threat.
No matter what policies the eventual candidate supports and enacts, the fact remains that clean energy is the most popular and cost effective option for new generation.
Other sources of generation just can't compete in the market. As T. Boone Pickens, one of Texas' biggest energy investors, has said about the oil and gas industry, "Obama hasn't shut down drilling--what has shut down drilling is price. I don't know what Trump can do to help the industry."
Some advocates are worried about what will happen with the Clean Power PlanObama's plan to cut carbon pollution from power plantsdepending on who gets elected.
But right now, eighteen states are on track to hit the CPP's 2030 targets with no changes to their current trajectory. It is because of the respective energy costs of each energy source (such as shale gas), not regulations, that the coal industry now employs less than 150,000 people while the solar industry employs more than 200,000 workers.
Regardless of who wins, our next president must support competitive energy markets and a modernized grid infrastructure that will allow consumers to become more active participants in the energy market. Competition and consumer choice have been sorely lacking in the U.S. power industry over the past century.
More competition in the energy sector and engagement by customers means that consumers come out ahead by getting access to cheaper, cleaner and safer electricity that will help create jobs and grow our economy.
Ultimately, the energy sector is being driven by market forces and consumer demand, not by politicians who make promises bigger than they are able to fulfill. The market will ultimately dictate which sources of energy our country will rely on in the future and we fully expect to see the continued expansion of clean energy based on its own merits. I'm looking forward to the election because either way, clean energy will emerge the winner.
Commentary by John Berger, the CEO and co-founder of Sunnova. He has more than 20 years of experience in the power industry and previously co-founded SunCap Financial, Standard Renewable Energy and Contango Capital Partners.
For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
The U.S. could be heading towards a chaotic, yet entertaining, moment if Republican candidate Donald Trump wins Tuesday's presidential election, the CEO of one of the largest European carriers has told CNBC.
"Given the (election) results are out in two days time, I don't think it will make that much difference, unless of course Trump upsets the polls, in which case chaos will ensue. But it might be entertaining for a number of months," Michael O'Leary, CEO of RyanAir told CNBC on Monday.
The owner of the budget airline added however, that "there are limits on presidential power" and a potential President Trump would still have to work with Congress and with the Senate.
The United States Postal Service isn't on the same page with a major Chinese company that claims they have an agreement in the works.
The USPS would not confirm or deny to CNBC the existence of an agreement with a major Chinese package-shipping firm that just launched an initial public offering in the United States. Meanwhile, the Chinese company in question has posted photographs online of an apparent deal signing between the two.
Shanghai-based ZTO Express debuted on Oct. 27 as the largest U.S. IPO of the year, and chief financial officer James Guo told CNBC then that the company had recently entered a partnership with the United States Postal Service for handling cross-border transactions.
A new report on the gender wage gap between men and women has found the U.S. tech sector low-balls its female workers, offering them salaries worth 8 percent less than those offered to men.
Data collected by tech recruitment platform Hired found that, based on median salary offers, women in the U.S. tech sector were paid 8 percent less than male counterparts. In the U.K., the gap was 9 percent, equivalent to 5,000 ($6,214) a year in salary terms, while in Canada the gap was 7 percent and 5 percent in Australia.
Hired analyzed more than 10,000 offers made to approximately 3,000 candidates. The company hopes the information will help to close the gender pay gap and encourage debate.
"We want to be part of the solution by sharing much-needed insight for both women and the companies that employ them," the company said on its website.
"Our hope is that by sharing data of this kind, we'll bring attention to this issue, encourage companies to investigate their compensation policies and empower women to ask for their market worth."
Since L Brands said its Victoria's Secret brand would stop selling swimwear and dial back on promotions, the company's shares have plunged as steeply as one of its asset-baring bras.
But one analyst fears the retailer's woes may extend beyond this shift in strategy meaning a recovery in its stock price could take longer than expected.
Jefferies analyst Randal Konik on Monday downgraded L Brands' shares from hold to underperform, saying industry and consumer trends could cause Victoria's Secret to lose its dominance in intimate apparel. Among those trends are a slowdown in spending on the category and increased competition from specialty stores and online start-ups.
But perhaps more importantly, Americans are moving away from the "bombshell" look Victoria's Secret has built its reputation on, and are instead stocking up on more natural, unstructured bralettes. Because bralettes are easier to construct, they make it simpler for nontraditional lingerie brands to challenge the stalwart. Both American Eagle 's aerie lingerie line and Urban Outfitters have recently cited the item as one trend fueling their sales.
"We believe the growth in popularity of bralettes is reflective of a broader shift in the consumers' mindset, particularly among younger consumers, which are increasingly rejecting traditional beauty standards in favor of more natural, attainable looks," Konik told investors.
The analyst pointed to a decline in breast augmentations as one example of consumers' changing tastes. Roughly 279,000 American women went under the knife in 2015, down from nearly 331,000 three years earlier. It was the third consecutive year that number had fallen.
And in its December issue, Vogue UK declared that showing cleavage is no longer fashionable.
A set of revised administrative rules governing the oil and gas industry that regulators characterize as "robust" will go to lawmakers next month for final approval.
North Dakota Industrial Commission members unanimously agreed to the set of proposed rules which govern underground gathering pipelines, requirements for dikes and berms as well as bonding for oil and saltwater-gathering pipelines.
Members of the Administrative Rules Committee meet Dec. 5 to review the proposed rules and, if approved, would go into effect on Jan. 1.
Its very rigorous, Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms said. I think these rules really raise the bar.
Among the changes is the addition of a 180-day time limit after notification by regulators for operators to construct 6-inch berms around storage facilities and production sites. The timeframe also would be enforced for saltwater handling facilities.
The same time limit is to be set for treating plants, if deemed necessary by Helms.
We need to make sure they have adequate time to build it properly, Helms said. Its much more enforceable.
The 180 days was set with the traditionally long North Dakota winter in mind, according to Helms.
Bruce Hicks, assistant director of the Department of Mineral Resources, said about 1,400 sites across the state would require berms.
We believe thats going to satisfy the Administrative Rules Committee, Hicks said of the berm requirements.
Some delays
In September, lawmakers had delayed implementation of a handful of rules due to concerns over the NDICs authority to issue them as well as for reasons of clarity. Other issues considered were cost and addressing confusion in the industry over the proposed regulations.
Clarification was given to require bonds for pipelines in service after April 19, 2015. This coincides with when a 2015 Legislature bill relating to pipeline regulations was signed into law.
All references in the proposed rules to underground gas pipelines were removed because lawmakers had said regulation of gas lines wasnt part of legislative intent last session. The department still maintains its existing regulatory authority over underground gas pipelines in another section of statute.
Hicks said legislative intent last session also specifically blocked regulators from requiring a leak detection plan for pipelines. The revised rules allow for the department to request a copy of a leak detection plan for individual projects if a company has one to provide.
Gov. Jack Dalrymple said the revised rules are solid.
I think the rules are definitely a step in the right direction, Dalrymple said.
North Dakota Petroleum Council President Ron Ness said the new rules are onerous to industry but providing specifics helps.
They definitely clarified the uncertainties that exist. Its a much better approach," said Ness, adding the proposed rules are unprecedented and other states will be watching if theyre enacted.
MANDAN -- A few police outside the Morton County Sheriffs Department interacted with people who came in a spirit of forgiveness for incidents related to Dakota Access pipeline actions, but there was no official participation in the Sunday morning gathering.
About 400 people behind a banner reading Love Prayer Forgiveness surrounded the downtown block of the Morton County courthouse and sheriffs department hoping to heal themselves through forgiveness for what they view as excessive police brutality the past two weeks.
The last thing we feel like doing is forgiving today, but we do it anyway. It is medicine that will heal the world, said Lyla June Johnston, a Dine and Cheyenne tribal member, who co-organized the rally with Cheryl Angel, a Lakota. She referred to the Oct. 27 police sweep through a protest camp on the pipeline route in which 141 were arrested and protesters were shot with rubber bullets and bean bags and sprayed with pepper spray. Some protesters threw rocks and wood chunks and later some hurled Molotov cocktails at police.
Mandan Police Chief Jason Ziegler slightly opened the front door to the sheriffs department to say he had no intentions of coming out to participate in the forgiveness ceremony.
Theyve thrown fire bottles at our police; thats why Im not coming out. This is peaceful, but they have used Molotov cocktails. This is their thing and we wont interrupt. If they would keep it like this, we would have no problem, Ziegler said before closing the door again.
Highway Patrolman Rob Moyle phoned patrol Lt. Tom Iverson at Johnstons request and relayed the response that no one from the agency would be coming out, either.
For himself, Moyle said, It got chaotic out there (that day) and I did get hit by a couple of rocks, but in the end we all want peace. Their voices are being heard. I dont feel good about the violence.
As he stood there near the sheriffs building, Jillian Quam, 10, of Mandan, who came with her mom, ran up for a hug. Everyone needs to be all peaceful, she said.
Around the other side of the block, officers with the State Parole Board and the Bismarck Police Department were walking into the building as the long line of marchers passed on the sidewalk in front of them. The men stood for several moments, sort of caught between their vehicles and the marchers, shaking hands, taking hugs and wishing good morning to people who reached out as they passed by.
The men said they didnt want to be identified by name, because there have been problems for police over the months of the protest, but the Bismarck officer did say of Oct. 27, It was surreal. I never thought I would see that in North Dakota. Was it painful? Yeah, it was, he said.
Isaac Weston, an Oglala Sioux, said watching women being sprayed with pepper spray was particularly painful as the militarized police action on North Dakota Highway 1806 brought armored vehicles and hundreds of armed officers through the encampment. It followed an attempt by authorities to first negotiate a voluntary non-confrontational resolution.
Weston said that afterward, I felt lost and confused, wondering how human beings could treat another human being that way. I came to spread the love. The hardest thing to do is to forgive.
Johnston said all the police agencies were informed that the forgiveness march would be held and that awareness was more important to her than whether they joined in.
Its good enough for me that they know were here in love, she said.
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
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All the cool tech companies are doing it.
Introducing A.I.-powered digital assistants, that is. Google has the Google Assistant, Apple has Siri, Microsoft has Cortana. And Samsung doesn't want to be left out. That is why the tech giant is going to be debuting it's next phone, the Samsung Galaxy S8, with a digital assistant all its own.
In IT Blogwatch, we ask Siri to introduce us.
So what's happening? Jungah Lee has the background:
Samsung...plans to equip its next Galaxy S smartphones with a Siri-like digital assistant, seeking to make a comeback after the global debacle that precipitated the death of its flawed Note 7 lineup.
...
Samsung, which last month acquired...artificial-intelligence software company Viv Labs Inc., said the Galaxy S8 slated for next year will come with A.I.-enabled features significantly differentiated from those of Apples Siri or Google.
How will the technology work with Samsung's upcoming phones? Se Young Lee and Nataly Pak have the details:
Samsung plans to integrate the...A.I. platform...into the Galaxy smartphones and expand voice-assistant services to home appliances and wearable technology devices...Samsung did not comment on what types of services would be offered through the A.I. assistant...It said the A.I. assistant would allow customers to use third-party service seamlessly.
Aside from the recent acquisition of Viv Labs, is there any reason why Samsung is introducing a digital assistant now? Alexandra Burlacu can think of a reason:
Samsung has so far stayed out of the smart assistant race...That won't be the case for long...Considering the...blow it took from two Galaxy Note 7 recalls, Samsung desperately needs its Galaxy S8 to be a...hit. The A.I. digital assistant could raise...interest, offer...advanced functionality and help Samsung rebuild consumer confidence after the massive Note 7 flop.
...
Samsung's...digital assistant is apparently dubbed Bixby and the company already applied for a trademark.
And just in case you have been living under a rock for the last few years, what is the big deal with A.I.? Steven Musil fills us in:
Artificial intelligence...is widely expected to represent the next frontier of computing...A.I.-powered voice assistants have suddenly become all the rage, offering a hands-free and more natural way to ask questions, find information and manage busy lives.
Do we know anything else about the Galaxy S8? Specs? Release date? Sean Riley tells us what he knows:
Samsung has stuck to a...consistent schedule with the Galaxy S line over the years, introducing new phones on or around each years Mobile World Congress...The 2017 Mobile World Congress starts Feb. 27.
...
Galaxy S8...reports...indicate that Samsung is ready to step up the resolution...to 4K UHD...Samsung Display engineer Park Won-sang...indicated...Samsung would be rolling out a display...that covers 90 percent of the body...Achieving this ratio would mean dropping the physical home button...With Huawei, LG and Apple now offering rear cameras with two lenses, look for Samsung to follow suit with the S8.
So, any first reactions to the news? Chris Black has one:
The S8 will boast a brand new-state of the art Artificial Intelligence based Digital Assistant...If you ask me, that sounds like Apples Siri on steroids...Samsung needs a...fire-proof flagship smartphone to clear up its reputation...Lets hope that Bixby and the Galaxy S8 will make Samsung Great Again!
Bismarck police asked south Bismarck residents to shelter in place following reports of gunshots Sunday morning.
Officers were dispatched at 6:09 a.m. to 1119 University Drive after multiple reports of a series of gunshots in the area, said Sgt. Noah Lindelow.
Police found nine small caliber casings at the residence and holes in the side of the residence as if the home had been shot at.
The surrounding neighborhood was then notified to shelter in place as the police did not know if the shooter or shooters had left the area.
Lindelow said it took officers about 90 minutes to make contact with the residents of the single-family home. When contact was made with the six people who were in the home at the time of the shooting, several were found to have active warrants and were arrested.
Two other men in the area were stopped by police and then arrested when they were found to have active warrants. None of those arrested had firearms in their possession.
No one in the residence and no neighbors were injured during the incident.
The shelter in place was lifted around 10 a.m.
The incident remains under investigation. No suspect or suspect vehicle has been identified, Lindelow said.
If the Government is indeed forced to bring a Bill before the House of Commons to trigger Article 50, the Prime Minister can only be heartened by the state of Labour, both generally and on this particular topic.
Jeremy Corbyn glumly shook his head just now as David Davis reminded the House that the Labour leader called on 24th June for Article 50 to be triggered immediately. Unfortunately for Corbyn, he said it in front of a television camera and television cameras have a nasty habit of recording things that you say out loud while standing in front of them. By September, he was denying ever having said it in order to refute Owen Smiths allegations that he was failing to challenge the process of Brexit.
Just in case anyone missed this farce the first time round, Labour have chosen to restage it. Yesterday, Corbyn announced that Labour would vote against Article 50 unless a series of demands were met.
Those demands were quite confused. Apparently he wants Britain to have access to the Single Market, which is the Governments own position. Attempts to extract other guarantees, such as eternal continuation of EU environment and workplace regulations, seem to fall foul of the simple fact that no Government can bind its successors.
But Corbyns problem was more serious than simply not having thought through his demands. I wondered as soon as the news broke whether he had checked to confirm that his own MPs would follow his line of threatening to block Article 50. After all, most of them represent Leave-voting constituencies, and are unlikely to want to be seen to be blocking the will of their constituents.
The answer came within hours, as the Oppositions new policy had started to unravel. Tom Watson, the Deputy Leader, said the opposite: Were not going to hold this up. The British people have spoken and Article 50 will be triggered when it comes to Westminster. The retreat continued when Labour HQ told The Independent: We wont be seeking to block Article 50, only amend or influence the Governments negotiating terms if they do not meet our red lines. This morning Keir Starmer, the Shadow Brexit Secretary, had reduced the position to proposing amendments to the Bill, but definitely voting for it regardless.
There are numerous weaknesses in Labours position. Their leader, a lifelong Eurosceptic whose last-minute conversion to Remain was less than convincing, doesnt seem to have the first idea what to do. Their MPs are mostly minded to disobey him on any given topic just because. Various wings of the Labour Party want very different things from Continuity Remainers who want Brexit stopped, through Single Market fans to ultra-Corbynites who have always disliked the idea of Brussels having the power to forbid nationalisations. Meanwhile, as they tank in the polls the MPs are looking nervously at the large numbers of core Labour voters who supported Leave already at risk of losing their seats thanks to Corbyns unpopularity, they fear that being seen as obstacles to Brexit could be the final straw.
On top of the incompetence, the divisions and the gulf between Labour MPs and Labour voters, the Opposition also has no nuclear button to press. When the Sunday Mirror headline on Corbyns threat to demand an election, it was hard to imagine anyone in Downing Street being in any way worried. If the next election is a choice between May or Corbyn as Prime Minister, their respective versions of Brexit arent going to change the decision even if Labour could find a way to go to the country, theyd simply end up pushing voters to endorse their rivals approach.
Judy Terry is a marketing professional and a former local councillor in Suffolk.
It hardly seems possible that it is 10 years since the infamous murder of five young women, aged from 18 to 25, in Ipswich between October and December 2006.
All the young women were addicted to drugs which they paid for by prostitution in part of the town which had become a red light district. Although regularly policed, with occasional raids, pimps, prostitutes and their customers kept returning to the area.
All that changed as, one after another, the girls bodies were found within just days of each other.
As the scale of the investigation became clear, there was fear, but no panic. Instead an overwhelming sadness amongst the local population, which was non-judgmental; I never heard a word of criticism of the girls lifestyles, merely sympathy for them and their families. People came together in a way not seen for generations.
Most importantly, it wasnt just residents who came together. Leadership across local authorities and emergency services, religious, health and charitable sectors was strong, purposeful and constructive; politics put aside as everyone focused on protecting the vulnerable and finding the killer.
An eery silence pervaded, as people stayed at home in the ever darker evenings, shops and restaurants closed early, theatres and cinemas were empty, and the annual Christmas tree unveiling was a non-event. As a councillor, I spent days manning an information stand in the town centre with retired police officers, giving away hundreds of rape alarms and advisory leaflets, helping to calm nerves.
As the national and international media descended, the town welcomed police officers from other Forces, including burly Northerners, who managed day to day policing with an enthusiasm not previously seen in Sleepy Suffolk. Uninsured, speeding drivers in cars without an MOT or road fund licence quickly paid the price, as did those indulging in petty crime under the illusion that they wouldnt be caught when the police were distracted by the murders.
Meanwhile, Suffolks detectives forensically evaluated all the evidence, resulting in an early arrest. A lorry driver, Steve Wright, who subsequently became known as the Suffolk Strangler, was charged on 21 st December 2006.
Although relieved, there remained a nervousness across the town until he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment at Ipswich Crown Court in 2008. It was only then that normality gradually returned.
Sadly, the murders highlighted the extent of the prostitution problem, previously largely hidden, even accepted as part of life, and there was a sense of shock that this had been allowed to happen.
Consequently, there was an immediate and strong commitment to ensure no repetition of the tragic events. The girls legacy became the Ipswich and Suffolk Joint Agency strategy an initial five year programme, largely funded locally, which eventually eradicated street prostitution in the town. This programme soon became nationally recognised.
Since charities had previously worked with some victims to try to get them off drugs, the first priority was to identify those at risk and focus on their rehabilitation, with an emphasis on not criminalising the women. However, police rigorously enforced prevention by arresting more than 140 male kerb crawlers in the first year, and none have been seen since 2008.
It soon became clear, however, that no-one had any idea of the scale of potential child grooming in and around the town so, by identifying and targeting such vulnerable young people, 222 teenagers were saved from the sex trade in the first five years, with traffickers prosecuted. A former police Superintendent who led the initiative from 2006 believes that, had other authorities adopted a similar approach to stopping the development of organised grooming rings at the same time, some recent scandals, such as in Rochdale and Oxford, could have been avoided, and young people protected. Nevertheless, child exploitation remains a national problem, as recently highlighted again by the BBC on its Today programme.
Throughout the last decade, Suffolks multi-agency teams (as well as councillors) were trained in awareness, to understand the potential impact on mental health, and the importance of early intervention, shared intelligence, including from communities, and joint working to achieve the best outcomes for vulnerable children and adults alike, getting them into safe housing, education and employment.
Reviewed and updated in 2009 and again in 2011 when the Suffolk Prostitution & Sexual Exploitation Strategy was developed, the same multi-agency approach continues, with designated Make a Change teams, part of Suffolk County Councils Children & Young Peoples Services, handling hundreds of referrals of children both boys and girls aged eight to 18.
Whilst all parties acknowledge that it is unlikely that communities can ever be rid of off-street prostitution and sexual exploitation, efforts continue to contain it, and the streets remain safe.
There is always more to be done, but Suffolks sustained momentum to address associated issues and improve lives is a tribute to all those who responded to the horrific events with vision and determination to make good come out of something so evil as the unnecessary deaths of five young women, some of whom were mothers. All had their lives ahead of them, and could have achieved so much if only the right help had been available at the right time, enabling them to realise their potential.
A decade on, it is time to remember them, and be thankful for the vigilance and intervention which has so far prevented a repetition of those dark days in the run-up to Christmas 2006.
Source: Ofcom. News consumption in the UK: research report.
Context is everything. If an article appears attacking the BBC in a right-wing paper, it often comes with an agenda: the author doesnt really want the corporation around at all. He or she would like a media settlement more like Americas, where there is no public service broadcaster equivalent. Nothing would please him more than to see a British version of Fox News, slightly adapted to our norms, ruling the media roost while the Guardian simultaneously goes out of business.
For what its worth, this isnt my view. I confess to having a soft spot for the Guardian, perhaps because it once paid me for six months worth of columns without actually asking me to write anything. Maybe the arrangement was a model for how it thinks the economy should be run. Turning to the BBC, I value its part in our social ecology. Yes, the licence fee is no longer justifiable, if it ever was. Yes, a lot of its coverage lacks imagination: on, say, abortion, climate change, aid, the NHS or America, it finds it very hard to get inside the heads of those who think differently. It will be interesting to see whether its election night coverage of this weeks Presidential election shows any understanding of the changes in America that have propelled Donald Trump to the very gate of the White House.
And, yes, being a public service broadcaster gives it a public sector mentality, which is not altogether a good thing. But my view of the BBC is none the less much the same as Theresa Mays of taxation, as outlined at this years Conservative Party Conference. The corporation is part of the price we pay for living in a civilised society. There is more to Auntie as no-one in real life calls the BBC than Today. It is worth putting up with Newsnight to get War and Peace. You may well find this take a bit pollyannaish, but it may be worth noting that the Prime Minister doesnt seem to. In that same speech, she praised institutions like the NHS and the BBC whose reputations echo in some of the farthest corners of the globe.
Mention of a civilised society brings me to the Daily Mail. It would not be my first Fleet Street read of choice each morning. This is because it is bad for my blood pressure, at that time of day, to be worked up into a state of self-righteous fury. It is none the less my earliest port of call, because it will have any important story covered. It is brilliantly edited and sub-edited. Every page has pace and variety. Each headline hits home. Everyone who works there seems to know, as Topol put it in Fiddler on the Roof, who he is and what God expects him to do the latter, in this case, being the editor, Paul Dacre. He ensures that everything in it coheres in a worldview that is unconservative only in the sense of being angry all the time. For all the criticism of it, it scored better on complaints with the Press Complaints Commission than some of its rivals, despite the venom with which it sometimes operates.
Such as last week when it sank its teeth into three High Court judges, in the wake of their verdict in the Brexit appeal case, labelling them enemies of the people. This was an attack on the rule of law, no less, according to Schona Jolly, a human rights and equalities barrister from Cloisters Chambers. A Liberal Democrat MP (yes, there are still one or two) said that the paper was attacking the judiciary in a way that would be approved by Putin or Mugabe. No less magisterial a figure than the Lord Chancellor herself, Elizabeth Truss, was hauled into the row. Asked to say something, she very sensibly said nothing very much for which she was promptly assailed by the Bar Council for not going far enough: as Lord Chancellor, it falls within her role to uphold the rule of law.
Was the Mails headline inflammatory? Perhaps, given the context of Jo Coxs horrible murder. But then again, Britain will be a less liberal country if free speech, already trammelled about in law, is to be curtailed further because a madman killed an MP. The point can be argued either way. Certainly, regardless of ones take on the High Courts verdict, judges are more political to put it crudely but effectively than they were a generation ago. The European Court of Human Rights, the European Court of Justice, the Human Rights Act, the import of such ideas as proportionality into English law: the effect of these institutions and reforms, and others, has been to make the function of judges just a little bit more like that of politicians. They cant then complain if theyre treated in the much same way (which, to be fair, they have not).
I close where I opened. Context is everything, and let no-one pretend that the assault on the Mail takes place in any more of a vacuum than those that are unleashed on the BBC. Some of those who have criticised the paper are no doubt truly shocked that anyone should dare to criticse a judge. Scandalum magnatum! But for others the attack on Dacre Towers is but one battlefield manouevre in a long war. Study that graph above. The Mail is not the mighty Goliath of the field, with the media reach of a giant. Rather, he dominant player in the market is the BBC, with its news channels and website too funded on compulsion by the licence fee. Pulverise the Mail or rather its editor and you will have neutered the paper, leaving the corporation as the cock of the walk.
Despite everything, the Daily Mail is a bastion of British democracy, Peter Franklin once wrote on this site. If Britain like America could boast a wide range of unashamedly conservative media outlets, then we could afford to be a bit sniffier about the shortcomings of any particular operation. But the reality is that our options are limited. While British conservatives have a choice of specialist and upmarket sources of news and comment, there are very few mass market challenges to the voice of the BBC and the other major broadcasters which, to varying extents, embody the assumptions and values of the liberal establishment. Peter was right. In essence, the paper was accused last week of behaving like a lynch mob exactly what some of its critics are now doing. But it is their own campaign which has got out of hand.
GRAND FORKS -- When Pablo de Leon was a boy growing up in Argentina, he fell in love with outer space.
He loved the whole idea of it. He followed along with the Apollo space flights that sent man to the moon and even launched his own rockets as a way to get closer to space.
For quite some time, de Leon has been instrumental in getting astronauts to space and making sure they have the proper spacesuit when theyre up there.
De Leon, an associate professor in the space studies department, and his team of students at the University of North Dakota are crafting spacesuits that could eventually be used by astronauts when they travel to Mars.
There are so many unknowns and things that we have a response before NASA sends the first human crew, he said. Were learning here on Earth, here in Grand Forks, how we can make safer and better space missions for the future.
De Leon was hired at UND in 2004 and at first had only planned to be in Grand Forks for nine months. Previously, he had moved from Argentina to the United States and worked at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., where he worked with spacesuit development.
At the time, the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences had no human space flight component.
I said Id give it a try, he said. I dont know if trading Cape Canaveral for Grand Forks was a wise decision. It was a tough sell for my wife because we were living just a few blocks from the beach. But I came here and fell in love with the School of Aerospace. This is a great place to do things and to experiment.
Since coming to UND, de Leon and his team have gotten multiple research grants from NASA for different research on various topics, including human spaceflight and spacesuits.
One grant has de Leons and his students working on an inflatable lunar and Mars habitat, which would allow space travelers to live, work, grow plants, categorize geological finds and exercise while working in space for an extended period of time while on the moon or Mars.
He and his students also have developed a suit for astronauts to wear that connects directly to the rover. That way, the toxicity of the Mars soil remains outside and the suit doesnt bring it inside the spacecraft.
Being able to do it here in North Dakota is quite something, he said. You would think this research is done in Houston or California or wherever. But of all places, were doing this here.
De Leon and his research recently have gained national attention. He was invited as part of an event at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where he took time to display and answer questions about the latest version of his NDX-1 space suit, which was designed and constructed at UND.
He also is featured in the latest edition of National Geographic, which is now on newsstands. In the cover story titled Race To The Red Planet, de Leon is pictured in a centerspread photo with a prototype of his spacesuit at NASAs John F. Kennedy Space Center.
For us, its a big deal. You always read National Geographic as a kid, and to see your work displayed there is a big thing, he said.
De Leon has been featured by the Smithsonian and the National Geographic, and his students also have benefited from the NASA partnership. Many students going through the program are highly sought after by employers when they graduate.
We are training our students, and even before the ink on their diploma is dry, they are being hired by NASA and NASA contractors to work, he said.
Pranbu Victor, who is pursuing a masters in space studies, said hes not sure what he wants to do after college, but hes looking at pursuing a job at NASA or a private space company.
This has definitely helped me a lot, Victor said. I think I can apply what Ive learned here to a lot of different jobs.
For de Leon, it's rewarding to see students pursuing careers much like his own after working with him at UND.
It was nice to see there was so much interest in the things you work on a daily basis, de Leon said. Sometimes youre disconnected from the excitement that it causes in other people just because you have to work from 9 to 5. But Ive never lose the amazement of working on these things.
No one doubted the story, and not just because for any random horrible statement, there is a greater-than-50-percent chance Trump has said it. This was, after all, the guy who said John McCain wasn't a hero because he got captured, because capture means failure. It plays right into the existing narrative.
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The narrative being "This guy is a gigantic douche Cheeto."
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That's why reading what he actually said is all the more surprising:
"When you talk about the mental health problems when people come back from war and combat and they see things that maybe a lot of folks in this room have seen many times over, and you're strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can't handle it, and they see horror stories, they see events that you couldn't see in a movie, nobody would believe it. Now we need a mental health help and medical, and it's one of the things that I think is least addressed, and it's one of the things I hear -- like your question -- one of the things I hear most about when I go around and talk to the veterans.
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"So we're going to have a very, very robust, very very robust level of performance having to do with mental health. We are losing so many great people that can be taken care of if they have proper care."
Applications & OS News
Oracle To Complete Its $9.3B NetSuite Acquisition Monday After Majority Of Unaffiliated Shares Are Tendered
Rick Whiting
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Oracle expects to close its $9.3 billion acquisition of cloud application developer NetSuite Monday after a majority of unaffiliated NetSuite shares were tendered as of midnight Friday, Oracle's deadline for its $109-per-share offer.
Redwood City, Calif.-based Oracle Saturday issued a statement saying that as of midnight Friday 21,775,553 unaffiliated shares, or 53.21 percent of the total unaffiliated shares, had been tendered. Altogether, 62,330,605 shares, or 76.39 percent, of the total shares issued and outstanding had been tendered, including shares held by Oracle CTO Larry Ellison, his family members and other related entities.
Oracle and NetSuite disclosed the acquisition deal in July under which Oracle would obtain NetSuite's cloud-based ERP, CRM and ecommerce applications. While Oracle lists many Fortune 500 corporations among its customers, the fast-growing NetSuite has been particularly successful in selling its application services to small and midsize businesses.
[Related: Oracle Partners Feel 'Pain' From Oracle, T. Rowe Price Brinkmanship]
Oracle Co-CEO Mark Hurd said at the time the deal was announced that Oracle and NetSuite's cloud applications would "co-exist in the marketplace forever," suggesting that Oracle would continue to offer NetSuite's applications independently of Oracle's cloud software portfolio.
Because Ellison and his family members own around 45 percent of NetSuite's stock, many in the industry had expected that Oracle might one day move to acquire NetSuite.
But Ellison's stake in NetSuite became an issue in September when T. Rowe Price Associates, one of NetSuite's largest shareholders with 12.2 million shares, sent NetSuite's board of directors a letter arguing that Oracle's $109-per-share offer was too low. The letter suggested that Ellison's stake in the company had prevented other potential buyers from coming forward.
T. Rowe Price said it would support an acquisition price of $133 per share, adding about $2 billion to the total acquisition price. But Hurd recently said the $109-per-share offer was Oracle's last and best offer and the giant software company would walk away from the deal if a majority of shares weren't tendered by Nov. 4.
It was not clear whether Oracle's final tally of tendered shares included T. Rowe Price's holdings. T. Rowe Price did not respond to an inquiry by press time.
The standoff threatened to derail the deal and created uncertainty for NetSuite, based in San Mateo, Calif., and for its channel partners. With the acquisition in limbo, partners said closing deals for NetSuite application services had become more difficult.
"I've talked to a couple of different partners so far. This has become almost a crisis. It feels like everything has stopped cold," Brenda Brinkley, founder and CEO of Houston-based Epiphany, a NetSuite partner, told CRN. "It's usually hot and heavy at this time of year, but right now it's cold."
Networking News
Windstream, EarthLink To Join Forces In $1.1B Merger
Gina Narcisi
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Two more telecom providers are officially joining forces. Windstream and EarthLink plan to merge to create a joint company with a large national footprint in a $1.1 billion transaction, the two companies said Monday.
Via the terms of the deal, Windstream and EarthLink are coming together in an all-stock transaction, valued at $1.1 billion, included debt. Windstream shareholders will own approximately 51 percent of the new company, while EarthLink shareholders will own approximately 49 percent. The transaction has been unanimously approved by both companies' boards of directors, the service providers said.
The two companies officially announced the merger during a joint conference call Monday morning, following reports that they were in advanced merger talks late last week.
[Related: Report: Windstream, EarthLink In Advanced Merger Talks ]
The combined telecom provider will have a nationwide fiber footprint of 145,000 route miles, which includes strategic routes located across the Southeast and Northeast U.S. The company will have an expanded portfolio of products and services, and will be able to offer enhanced enterprise solutions due to the combination of Windstream's reach within the enterprise customer segment and EarthLink's SD-WAN portfolio, the two companies said.
With this transaction, we are combining two highly complementary organizations with closely aligned operating strategies and business unit structures," said Tony Thomas, president and CEO of Little Rock, Ark.-based Windstream.
The two companies also announced fiscal third-quarter 2016 results during the call.
Windstream reported revenue of $1.34 billion in third-quarter 2016, down from $1.50 billion in the year-ago period. Operating income also dipped from $179 million to $129 million year over year. Atlanta-based EarthLink reported revenue of $235.1 million for third-quarter 2016, down about 13 percent from $270.9 million in third-quarter 2015.
"Weve both made significant progress as evidenced by our improving financial results and strengthening balance sheets. Now is the right time for us to come together. We look forward to working with the Windstream team to better serve our customers in a world that is becoming more network-centric every day," said Joe Eazor, EarthLink's president and CEO, in a statement.
Windstream's Thomas will stay on as president and CEO of the new company, while Windstream CFO Bob Gunderman will remain on as CFO of the new company. In its joint statement, the two companies said that "key EarthLink management" is expected to join the new company. The new company will have 12 members on its board of directors, with three existing EarthLink directors joining the new board.
The telecommunications market has been busy with merger and acquisition news over the past month. Dallas-based AT&T said it plans to buy media giant Time Warner, and Monroe, La.-based CenturyLink also revealed its plans to merge with Broomfield, Colo.-based service provider Level 3 in late October.
But even though the Federal Communications Commission will undoubtedly have its hands full evaluating acquisitions, both Windstream and CenturyLink said that there is "a lot of public interest in bringing these two companies together" during its conference call on Monday. The two service providers pointed to a larger network that would make the combined company more competitive, as well a better credit profile for the joint company, executives for both companies said.
Windstream and EarthLink said they expect the deal to close during the first half of 2017.
Plenty of great things have come out of Connecticut, however, one of the greatest things doesn't get the recognition it deserves.
In the 18th and 19th century, Election Day was far more of an extravaganza than it is today. Residents would venture out to the cities to cast their vote and then hang around and socialize, celebrating our great country and its freedoms.
One way to celebrate was with Election Cake, a sort of cake-bread hybrid. Election Cake rose to prominence in the 1830s in Hartford, Conn., according to materials provided by the Connecticut Historical Society. Colonist were said to enjoy cake during daylong meetings or after completing their service of voting.
The society said while women didn't have many opportunities to exercise patriotism, the reprint of Amelia Simmons's recipe book, "American Cookery," in 1800 gave food a chance to be seen as more social and patriotic. Thus, leading to Election Cake becoming one of the first foods associated to politics in America.
Barbara Austen, an archivist at the Connecticut Historical Society, said the society has a copy of Simmons' cookbooks as well and, "at one time I did find several handwritten recipes for the cake."
Austen also tried out making a version of Election Cake herself.
"The cake tasted terrific. My recipe was a bit different...but looked about the same. It was a big hit here at [the historical society]," Austen said.
Now centuries later, the delicious pastime is looking to make a comeback.
Old World Levain Bakery, in Asheville, N.C., is one such place getting into the election spirit. Their "Make America Cake Again" is a nation-wide project aimed at raising awareness, "about our culinary heritage and the place of food in political and social life as well as to generate funds for voting access and rights," according to the bakery.
The bakery is celebrating the colonial treat by bringing together other bakeries from all over the country to sell "Election Cakes" on or around Nov. 8, with a percentage of proceeds to be donated to the League of Women Voters, a non-profit organization that works on voting access, education, and policy.
They're also asking everyone participating to share the cake resurgence on social media through the hashtag "#MakeAmericaCakeAgain" or "#electioncake."
Like the good Nutmeggers we are, we took a chance at making Election Cake and the results weren't bad. Like many recipes described, the cake is almost like a fruit cake-bread, depending on what you add to it. Our version tasted like a cinnamon-raisin roll, without the icing.
We've included our amended recipe from Richard Sax's 1994 cookbook, "Classic Home Desserts," below. Give it a try this election season and help, "Make America Cake Again."
Makes two (8- by 10-inch) loaves, each serves about 8
Sponge/dough
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Cake mix
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup raisins
2/3 cup chopped, dried pineapple
3 tablespoons spiced rum
To make the sponge:
Dissolve yeast and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar in 1/4 cup of milk; let stand about 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining brown sugar and the remaining 1 1/4 cups of milk; gradually add enough of the flour to form a soft dough.
Knead in a food processor or by hand until dough forms. Place the dough in a buttered bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled in volume, 45 to 60 minutes, or let rise overnight in the refrigerator.
To make the cake:
Combine butter and brown sugar until light. Beat in the eggs. Punch down the risen sponge, break it up into pieces and add pieces to the egg mixture.
Combine the flour with spices in a bowl, add the raisins and pineapple and toss to coat. Add to the dough, along with the rum. Beat until well combined.
Generously butter the loaf pans. Divide the dough between the two pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake until the loaves are golden brown, usually about 45 minutes.
What are the odds?
A math professor from Monroe won $100,000 on a Powerball ticket after lecturing to his class about probability and odds.
Nicholas Kapoor was trying to help his Fairfield University statistics class understand the concept of chance and bought a Powerball ticket as a real-life example explaining the odds of winning.
Its funny how it all worked out, Kapoor said. We were doing computations on what the chances of getting a winning ticket were and it turned out I had a winning ticket.
Kapoor told lottery officials, The professor side of me sticks to the numbers but the winner in me says, its luck.
Kapoor said he will probably invest his winnings.
Im going to have to see how the market does after the election, he added.
Kapoors Quick Pick ticket matched four of the five numbers drawn, plus the Powerball number. Because his Powerball ticket was a Power Play, for an extra $1 at the time of purchase, the Monroe residents $50,000 prize was automatically doubled to $100,000.
When asked if his lecture will change now that he won Powerball, Kapoor chuckled. Irony certainly is a funny thing, he said.
The winning ticket was sold at Huntington Center Gulf, at 20 Huntington St. in Shelton.
The overall odds of winning a Powerball prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning a Match 4 + Powerball prize are 1 in 913,129. Odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338, according to lottery officials.
Even if Anthony had a year to analyze and dissect each piece...(he couldn't tell if it would)... stand the harsh light of public exposure.
WUWT insider Willis Eschenbach tells you all you need to know about Anthony Watts and his blog, WattsUpWithThat (WUWT). As part of his scathing commentary , Wondering Willis accuses Anthony Watts of being clueless about the blog articles he posts. To paraphrase: Click here to read more.
Democrats saw a surge in new voters in Pennsylvania as midterms near
Measure 100 in Oregon will help save endangered sea turtles, elephants, rhinos, and other wild animals threatened with cruel poaching and extinction. Photo by iStockphoto
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Momentum is building in the three states where The HSUS and the Humane Society Legislative Fund are actively campaigning for and against animal-related ballot measures for pro-animal measures in Massachusetts (Yes on Question 3) and Oregon (Yes on Measure 100), and against an Oklahoma referendum (No on 777) that seeks to give unjustifiable special rights to industrial farms in the Sooner State.
In Oklahoma, the states three prior governors have announced their opposition to the overreaching right to farm measure set for a vote tomorrow. [Question] 777 is for the outsiders, said former two-term governor Frank Keating, a Republican, giving foreign-owned and industrialized factory farms blanket protection in our constitution. Keating was instrumental in helping with the campaign to outlaw cockfighting in 2002, and hes pitching in now with Democrats Brad Henry and David Walters and former four-term Attorney General Drew Edmondson to block a constitutional amendment that threatens future regulations on just about any aspect of agriculture.
Whats more, every major newspaper in the state has panned right to farm, which the Enid News & Eagle said seems like a recipe for disaster and the Talaquah Daily Press said is masquerading as a way to protect family farms.
Yesterday, in Massachusetts, current Governor Charlie Baker, a Republican, endorsed Question 3 in Massachusetts, not long after U.S. Senator Ed Markey and a raft of Democratic Congressmen in the state did the same, in support of a measure to halt the extreme confinement of veal calves, breeding sows, and laying hens. We have a thousand volunteers working on the campaign and they are knocking on doors and touching tens of thousands of voters in the Commonwealth. Money for the opposition campaign is coming from oil man and agribusiness enthusiast Forrest Lucas, and the National Pork Producers Council. This campaign, which is expected to succeed with a resounding yes vote, should take us one step closer to the end of the era of extreme confinement of animals on factory farms.
Lucas, whose money failed to ensure passage of a right to farm measure in his home state of Indiana, is also helping to finance the campaign for the right to farm measure in Oklahoma. Hes joined in with Washington, D.C. lobbyist and public-relations operative Rick Berman, who creates front groups to conceal the money he receives from animal-use industries. The good news is, Berman has an abysmal record on animal welfare ballot measures, losing to us in every fight where hes spent money. When he popped up on the grid this last week with spending, it was a good sign that the No on Question 3 campaign and the Yes on 777 campaign are feeling desperate. As our side lined up an incredible array of supporters, Berman trotted out tired anti-animal-welfare arguments that our polling shows dont resonate in the least with voters.
Though they are used to losing to us, neither Lucas nor Berman has shown up to fight our ballot measure in Oregon, which would ban the trade in the parts of rare species. The latest polls show it has more than 80 percent support. Seems like they didnt want to come out on the losing side in three of three campaigns this fall.
There are some other ballot measures where weve registered our opinions and reached out to supporters. Heres the list of campaigns where were active, with different levels of intensity; it is crucial that you get out and vote tomorrow.
Yes on Question 3 in Massachusetts: Question 3 would phase out the extreme confinement of veal calves, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens in small crates and cages in which theyre virtually immobilized for their entire lives, and remove inhumane and unsafe products from the Massachusetts marketplace. The measure codifies the voluntary commitments already occurring in the marketplace, with McDonalds, Walmart, and 200 other major food retail brands pledging to change their procurement practices and source only cage-free eggs and meats.
Yes on Measure 100 in Oregon: Measure 100 will help save endangered sea turtles, elephants, rhinos, and other wild animals threatened with cruel poaching and extinction. Every day close to 100 elephants are killed in Africa, and their tusks hacked off to supply the black market for ivory trinkets. Poachers poison watering holes with cyanide, killing hundreds of elephants at once. Organized criminal gangs and armed rebels use military weapons to kill wildlife for the multi-billion-dollar illegal wildlife trade. Measure 100 will ensure that Oregon does not provide a market for endangered species products resulting from wildlife poaching and trafficking.
No on Question 777 in Oklahoma: Rather than right to farm, State Question 777 is really more accurately described as a right to harm forbidding local governments, the state legislature, or even the people (through the initiative process) from placing any restraints on any form of agriculture, except if there is a compelling state interest. The measure would protect corporate interests and foreign-owned Big Ag entities at the expense of Oklahomas family farmers, land, and animals. The measure is so broadly worded that it could prevent future restrictions on puppy mills, horse slaughter, and raising gamefowl for cockfighting. Even the president of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau admitted that the language referencing a compelling state interest is flawed, and said, I wish that language werent in there.
No on Amendment 71 in Colorado: Under Amendment 71, instead of just gathering signatures representing five percent of the vote total in the proceeding election to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot, citizens in Colorado will be required to fan out and collect large numbers of signatures in each state Senate district, no matter how thinly populated. This would make it extremely difficult if not impossible for Coloradans who want better treatment for animals to get protections for animals on the states ballot, such as the ballot initiative that protected fur-bearing animals from trappers cruel devices.
Yes on Proposition 67 in California: Proposition 67 would protect the states ban on plastic grocery bags, which wash into our rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans, where they are ingested by or entangle sea turtles, otters, seals, fish, and birds. Some ocean animals mistake the bags for food, fill their stomachs with plastics, and die of starvation.
Yes on I-177 in Montana: I-177 would end commercial and recreational trapping on public lands in Montana to protect people, pets, and wildlife from indiscriminate, hidden, and baited traps. The initiative is based on the principle that Montanas public lands, and the wildlife on them, are held in the public trust. Steel-jawed leghold traps and other body-gripping traps are indiscriminate, cruel, and dangerous, and make those public lands unsafe for pets and wildlife. Arizona passed a similar measure by a wide margin two decades ago, and several other western states, including California, Colorado, and Washington, have passed comprehensive anti-trapping measures.
As citizens, we all have both the right and the duty to participate in our political process, and its especially true for those of us seeking to help a voiceless constituency like animals who cannot press their own case. Its judgment day, and I hope youll all get out and vote in candidate races and on the many critical issues confronting animals at the ballot box.
P.S. Ill be posting live updates about the election on the blog tomorrow. Please follow along to learn about the outcomes of these crucial ballot measures.
Every year on January first, the moment I wake up I head to the window to see what my first bird of the New Year will be. My hope is us...
The High Court ruling came as a shock to Theresa May, pictured on Sunday
Perhaps you weren't watching the TV news at 7.30am on June 24, the morning when those who had slept through the previous night's events awoke to realise we had voted to leave the European Union.
If you were, however, you will have seen the Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn on Westminster's College Green declaring that Article 50 of the European Treaties the approved means by which an EU member state initiates negotiations to depart should be invoked without delay: 'The British people have made their decision. We must respect that result and Article 50 has to be invoked now.'
The idea of immediate action to invoke Article 50 without waiting for the passage of parliamentary approval had also been the line taken by the leader of the Remain campaign, one David Cameron.
Throughout, the then prime minister had said that if the voters chose Leave, he would 'trigger Article 50 straight away'. No one, at the time, argued that Corbyn and Cameron were suggesting something unconstitutional.
So what has changed? Well, first of all, David Cameron instantly broke his word and quit, leaving the issue of handling our EU departure to his successor.
And, yesterday, Jeremy Corbyn told the Sunday Mirror that he would only let Prime Minister Theresa May trigger Article 50 if she agreed to what he called 'Labour's Brexit bottom line'. These demands included 'no watering down of EU workplace rights' and 'guarantees on safeguarding consumers and the environment'.
In other words, the Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition was saying he would try to block the Government's attempt to negotiate EU exit, unless it was done on his terms.
The High Court issued a strikingly clear judgment in support of a legal action brought against the Government by a former model and now investment manager, Gina Miller, pictured
Given Corbyn's appalling relationship with his own parliamentary party, his grandiose statement is laughable. Labour MPs will do as they wish. But during the referendum campaign only a handful of them were for Leave. And some of that great majority of the PLP on the losing side have still not accepted the result.
The man who recently challenged Corbyn for the Labour leadership, Owen Smith, told the BBC's Andrew Neil last week that he would continue to press in Parliament for a second referendum in an effort to negate the result of the one on June 23.
And Paul Flynn, until last month Labour's Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, wrote in the latest issue of the New Statesman magazine: 'The Brexit vote deserves the same respect as the vote which chose to name a state-of-the-art ship Boaty McBoatface.'
He went on to argue that MPs 'are under no obligation' to obey the referendum decision, which he dismissed as 'a snapshot of public opinion one day in June'.
Until last Thursday, it was possible to regard such voices as ones in the wilderness: Mrs May had declared her timetable for Brexit, which included invoking Article 50 by next March.
But that day, those who wanted to obstruct and delay the referendum verdict were given a tremendous boost: the High Court issued a strikingly clear judgment in support of a legal action brought against the Government by a former model and now investment manager, Gina Miller (who said the Brexit vote made her 'physically sick').
The three judges accepted the arguments of Ms Miller's lawyers that negotiations to leave the EU could not even be started without the prior approval of MPs such as Owen Smith and Paul Flynn.
This clearly came as a shock to Downing Street, which, after a moment or two to absorb the blow, declared it would appeal the case to the Supreme Court.
Yesterday, Theresa May reinforced that message: 'The referendum result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided.'
When the Supreme Court hears the appeal in a month's time, the Government team will need to do a better job of advocacy than they did in front of the High Court. Ms Miller had employed Lord (David) Pannick, regarded as one of the legal profession's most brilliant advocates in the field of public law. To put it politely, no one would say the same of the Attorney General, 44-year-old Jeremy Wright.
I am sure those High Court judges were acting conscientiously and in accordance with what they believed to be the dictates of the law when they sided with Pannick's arguments, rather than those of the much less impressive Government team.
But that does not mean their judgment can't be questioned. And, indeed, I have received comments from a number of constitutional lawyers saying exactly that.
First, it's necessary to understand the reason the High Court gave for blocking Mrs May's wish to invoke Article 50 with 'the royal prerogative' executive action under authority vested in the Crown, as opposed to a vote by MPs.
The judges argued that when Parliament voted in 1972 to join what was then the European Communities, it gave the British people certain 'rights' and that such 'rights' could not be removed from us without Parliament agreeing to reverse its original (44-year-old) decision.
The judges also ruled that the invocation of Article 50 would lead 'inevitably' to that loss of 'rights', since it set in train an irrevocable process towards EU exit.
In fact, this last point is highly contentious. Remarkably, the day that the High Court made its judgment, Lord Kerr, the man who actually devised Article 50, told the BBC that invoking it would not make Britain's exit from the EU 'irrevocable'. He said: 'You can change your mind while the process is going on.'
That view was endorsed by Jean-Claude Piris, the former chief of the EU's legal service.
Not only does this show that matters are much less clear than the High Court suggests, but there is, instead, an obvious moment at which our so-called 'loss of EU rights' would be irrevocable. That is when Mrs May brings before MPs her already announced EU 'Great Repeal Act'. And, of course, Parliament will have a decisive vote on that: the clue is in the name.
In yesterday's Mail on Sunday, the former Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, defended the High Court's ruling, saying it was simply following the centuries-old constitutional dictum: 'Judges know nothing of the will of the people save to the extent it is expressed through Acts of Parliament.'
But this is like saying that the referendum vote is irrelevant to the matter under discussion. To quote Charles Dickens' Mr Bumble: 'If the law supposes that the law is an ass.'
For when those High Court judges spoke of the loss of the British people's 'rights', it was as if 17.4 million of us had never voted, of our own free will, to relinquish our 'right' to be a citizen of the EU.
Sure, 16.1 million Britons said that they wished to retain the rights (and obligations) of EU membership. But it was always accepted that whichever side won would have the issue settled definitively in its favour.
Nick Clegg, pictured yesterday, the former deputy prime minister, who made it clear he will use the High Court ruling to tie the Prime Minister's hands in her Brexit negotiation
Most importantly, that was accepted by Parliament itself. In 2015, by a six to one majority, it passed the Referendum Bill.
And the measure's proposer, the then Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond (a Remain campaigner), declared: 'The decision about our membership should be taken by the British people, not by parliamentarians in this chamber.'
Later, the Government leaflet backing Remain, distributed to every household across the land at a cost of 9.3 million, declared: 'This is your decision. The Government will implement what you decide.'
As the eminent QC Martin Howe argues: 'It is therefore clear that the referendum was not merely advisory, as the High Court judgment suggests, but was constitutionally decisive and binding.'
Of course, this means nothing to those members of Continuity Remain such as Nick Clegg, the former deputy prime minister, who made it clear he will use the High Court ruling (and the Liberal Democrats' 104 unelected representatives in the House of Lords) to tie the Prime Minister's hands in her Brexit negotiations.
Not many like-minded MPs will admit it, but their real objective is to stop Brexit altogether. That was encapsulated by the headline on the Guardian's front page commentary by Polly Toynbee rejoicing at the High Court verdict: 'The court's ruling is a chance for MPs to put the national interest first and halt Brexit.'
Astonishing intervention: Lord Patten
Last Thursday, three unelected High Court judges handed down from their lofty benches a ruling that rode roughshod over the views of 17.4million voters a decisive majority in the EU referendum.
Despite repeated promises to the contrary, they said it should be up to MPs and not the British people to decide how and when Brexit will be triggered.
The Mail was not alone in daring to report this glaringly undemocratic verdict in uncompromising terms, prompting a torrent of pompous humbug from the liberal elite.
Yesterday, an all too familiar face took the sound and fury to a sinister new level.
Step forward Lord Patten, that perfect embodiment of the arrogant political class, who has enjoyed a life of opulent privilege at the taxpayers expense since the voters had the good sense to sack him as an MP 24 years ago.
Governor of Hong Kong. European Commissioner. Chancellor of Oxford University. Chairman of the BBC. And now this committed europhile has assumed a new mantle that of self-appointed Censor-in-Chief.
In an astonishing intervention, after lambasting newspapers for criticising the court ruling and the judges who made it, he urged the Prime Minister to condemn editors and instruct them to behave with more respect.
Is this a tip he picked up from the Chinese? Because this was a blatant call for the suppression of dissent. And as a former guardian of the BBCs editorial independence Lord Patten should be truly ashamed.
The fact is that by scrutinising the backgrounds of the judges, the Press which, thankfully, is still free in this country is simply doing its job of holding the powerful to account.
Its Lord Patten and his embittered Remainer friends who are failing to show respect in this case, for the legions who voted for Brexit. Why on earth should the judiciary one of the last great unreformed British institutions be above criticism?
Nick Clegg hopes the ruling by the High Court could help overturn the will of the people
Its a virtual closed shop, with Supreme Court judges largely selected by their peers. Calls for public hearings to gauge candidates views and any political leanings as happens in the US have been resisted. Isnt it time for a change?
Surely, if judges have allegiances which may affect their decisions, the public has a right to know. For example, one of those involved in the High Court ruling and several at the Supreme Court have links with the EU and European courts. How can such detail not be of relevance?
Of course the High Court insists its ruling was purely legalistic. But the political motivation behind the case and those who brought it is unashamed and transparent.
Hapless Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wants to use it to force an election (which would be like a turkey voting for Christmas) while the preposterous Nick Clegg (LibDem MPs: 8) hopes it could help overturn the will of the people. How much more political can you get?
To her great credit, Theresa May appears unmoved by the bleatings of the Remainers, saying unequivocally that a free Press and independent judiciary underpin our democracy and that she wouldnt seek to interfere with either.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt also stoutly defended to the hilt the right of this newspaper to criticise the powerful.
Parliament has already had its say on EU membership, when MPs voted by a majority of six to one to let the British people decide in a referendum.
The voters were consulted on Brexit. They carefully considered Brexit. And then they chose Brexit.
The first time I visited my boyfriend in the West Highlands of Scotland, it was midsummer and I was astounded by the fact it simply didnt get dark.
What hadnt occurred to me until I moved up there last spring was that the opposite is true in winter while London enjoys eight hours of light in the colder months, in Edinburgh its just seven, and 100 miles further north, its starting to feel more like two.
Its dark when I get up, dark when I finish work, and some days, now the clocks have gone back, I feel like an undersea creature groping about in inky blackness.
Uplifting: Flic Everett has the light and scents treatment
Im also aware that most winters I experience a mild form of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and that this far north Im staring at a serious case of it. The scenery may be spectacular and the nearby icy loch breathtaking but they cant dig me out of my gloom.
According to sad.org.uk, the charity that helps sufferers, one cause of the affliction is our indoor jobs. A century ago, 75 per cent of people worked outdoors; now its just 10 per cent.
For me, SAD manifests as general weariness, a lack of joy and an increased appetite for stodgy stuff. Others report disrupted moods, plummeting energy levels and serious sleep disturbances.
When my alarm goes off, my heart sinks. Im constantly tired, gloomy and irritable, and my craving for crisps and pasta affects my waistline.
Light regulates our natural, circadian rhythms. Without it, the necessary hormones arent triggered and our bodies respond badly were unable to wake easily, crave carbo-hydrates and badly lack energy.
And in some cases, it can develop into full-blown depression. Recent statistics suggest it affects as many as one in 15 people severely, and one in three to some extent.
Some cases are so severe that sufferers can barely function during the winter months. Until recently, cures were limited to special lamps that replicate daylight, but often with limited results.
Flic says: 'When my alarm goes off, my heart sinks. Im constantly tired, gloomy and irritable, and my craving for crisps and pasta affects my waistline' (stock image)
Now Dr Tim Jacobs, a professor of bioscience at Cardiff University, has developed a device that could help sufferers without medication, therapy or spending hours a day crouched over a lightbox.
Kodobio Sensory Therapy is a curved screen that sits over the users face and emits alternating light and scent. And Professor Jacobs insists that just 15 minutes weekly can cure depression, particularly SAD.
To me, the use of scent therapy sounds like a potential game-changer. For many years I researched how the human sense of smell works and how it can influence mind and body, says Professor Jacobs.
Increasingly, evidence emerged showing the beneficial effects of smell and how it can change mood.
Then about ten or 12 years ago I came across SAD and bright light therapy and thought: Why not put the two together?
Kodobio delivers scent and light stimulation on a 60-second cycle. Apparently, it affects the balance of the hormones melatonin (which helps you sleep) and serotonin (thought to be a mood stabiliser).
Recent statistics suggest SAD affects as many as one in 15 people severely, and one in three to some extent
The cyclical nature has a stimulating effect bright light alters the melatonin-serotonin balance, says Professor Jacobs.
SAD sufferers feel blue in the winter because there is an increase in melatonin and a decrease of serotonin. So a blast of bright light helps to boost the serotonin. We also identified the scents that verifiably have an effect on mood.
The results, he says, are astonishing. The mix of light and smell lowers blood pressure and heart rate. Using a skin resistance measurement to test stress levels, weve seen a very significant reduction in anxiety.
The aromas are derived from essential oils uplifting uses citrus scents, energising peppermint, and relaxing relies on lavender. The light used is equivalent to midday sunlight.
Its the same type of bright light stimulation used by SAD lights, says Professor Jacob. But in the Kodobio its fluctuated to maintain varied brain stimulation.
It all sounds highly scientific but on my way to try the therapy at Londons MichaelJohn salon (where the treatment is being trialled before going nationwide next year), I wasnt fully convinced.
The 35 experience takes 15 minutes, and while lying down having lights and smells wafted at me sounded pleasant, it didnt sound life-changing.
Kodobio delivers scent and light stimulation on a 60-second cycle. Apparently, Flic says, 'it affects the balance of the hormones melatonin (which helps you sleep) and serotonin (thought to be a mood stabiliser)' (stock image)
In the treatment room, I lay down fully dressed and the machine was positioned over my face like a benign alien. Once the curved screen was in place, I could see nothing else. The therapist slotted in a citrus capsule, for an uplifting mood, and discreetly left me to it.
Gradually, the light in front of my eyes brightened. I kept them wide open (though you can shut them and it still works), but it wasnt dazzling. The light brightened and dimmed, a pleasant grapefruit scent wafted by and it felt as though several hours had passed.
Before the treatment, Id filled in a card, ticking the numbers that matched my mood they had all been hovering around neutral.
As I sat up, the therapist asked me again and I rattled off much higher scores. I did feel happier not euphoric, just content.
Back in Scotland a day or so later, the alarm shrilled and I rolled over, fully expecting the usual resistance to getting up. It didnt happen.
I did feel happier not euphoric, just content
I went about my morning routine feeling perfectly content. It wasnt a sunny day, and I only managed a trot around the field with my dog at lunchtime, but even as darkness fell shortly after lunch, my mood remained upbeat.
In the days since, Ive noticed my longing for piles of pasta has eased, Im less grumpy and more upbeat.
I would love a top-up Professor Jacobs suggests a minimum of three treatments because, he says, the effect builds as the brain learns to recognise the light and reset instantly to happy.
He does, however, admit that even one treatment session can make a significant difference.
Frankly, Im amazed but if it really is as simple as boosting serotonin through light and scent, from November to April, there should be a Kodobio machine in every house in Britain.
Savannah Miller, 37, created the label Twenty8Twelve with her sister, actress Sienna
Savannah Miller, 37, created the label Twenty8Twelve with her sister, actress Sienna.
She designs a womenswear collection for Debenhams and lives in the Cotswolds with her husband, Nick, and three children.
Two years ago, I was at a crossroads in my life. Id been working solidly throughout three pregnancies and needed some time out.
So I packed it all in and moved with my husband from the Cotswolds to Panama.
Nick is a bushcraft teacher so we lived on a nature reserve, which was fascinating, but tough there was no running water or electricity.
Eighteen months after the birth of our daughter Bali, I was diagnosed with post-natal depression. Id had this illusion Panama was going to be children frolicking on the beach it wasnt, but it was good for me to dispel that myth.
Taking that year out of the crazy world of fashion allowed me to think about the clothes that mothers need.
It gave me the time and space to realise a new mission: to create aspirational yet practical clothes for the High Street, machine-washable yet glamorous.
Then Debenhams invited me to design a new collection.
Its called Nine in honour of my daughter, Lyra: she is named after a constellation of stars that shines brightest at 9pm. Through Debenhams I was introduced to beauty brand bagsy, whose products fit in your handbag.
I was thrilled when they asked me to do a beauty line. We were trying to do the same thing: make busy women feel good in a practical way.
Eighteen months after the birth of our daughter Bali, I was diagnosed with post-natal depression
Fifteen per cent of the price of the Bronzed Brilliance Shimmer powder is donated to the charity Women For Women International.
It goes into conflict zones to teach women to read and write as well as basic business skills.
For me, its exciting because its not a charity where youre just giving money to assuage your guilt youre changing lives. That is my mission when I design anything for women.
Savannah Miller x bagsy collection, Debenhams and bagsybeauty.com.
The author and scriptwriter of TV hit Victoria suggests novels to help you through the trickier times.
It really is never too late to fall in love. I have two friends who found the love of their life in their 40s at a point when they had reconciled themselves to a lifetime of singledom. Both were dumbfounded by their good luck. But fiction is a great road map for late love.
One of the most surprising love stories is found in U.S. writer Elizabeth Strouts great novel Olive Kitteridge.
Set in a seaside town in Maine, its the story of Olive, a retired maths teacher, who despite a difficult manner, touches the lives of everyone she meets.
One of the most surprising love stories is found in U.S. writer Elizabeth Strouts great novel Olive Kitteridge. It is a wonderful reminder that love blossoms in the rockiest places
We learn through a series of linked short stories that her marriage has not been entirely happy, and she has a complicated relationship with her son.
When her husband has a stroke, Olive is at the care home every day. When he dies she feels there is no point left to her existence. She gets through her days by going for long walks by the river. One day she finds a man her age collapsed on the path.
He is a man she has always disliked, even though she didnt know him, but his plight moves her to compassion. He recovers and she discovers that he has been widowed. Together and with much mutual prickliness they find consolation and finally love.
It is a wonderful reminder that love blossoms in the rockiest places.
But falling in love later in life can render you vulnerable as Daisy, the self- sufficient heroine of Elizabeth Jane Howards autobiographical novel, Falling, finds when she meets the charming Harry Kent
But falling in love later in life can render you vulnerable as Daisy, the self- sufficient heroine of Elizabeth Jane Howards autobiographical novel, Falling, finds when she meets the charming Harry Kent.
At first she thinks he is too good to be true, but she is so happy she abandons her natural caution.
Harry does turn out to be a dangerous conman and Daisy is left alone once again. Being grown-up doesnt mean you are impervious to heartbreak.
And finally to prove we all want to believe passion can strike at any age, Robert James Wallers The Bridges Of Madison Country about a four-day affair between a middle-aged married woman and a photographer who comes to document the covered bridges near her home became one of the bestselling books of the 20th century.
His wife was 'numb' but said she later came round to the idea of polyamory
Having supported her husband through a difficult battle with cancer, a mother-of-three has spoken of her shock when he suggested the couple move into an open relationship.
In a heartfelt anonymous letter, the woman, who is believed to be Australian, described the wrenching moment her partner of 17 years told her he wanted to sleep with others.
The bombshell came nine months into her husband's remission from cancer as he joined a gym, overhauled his wardrobe and generally indulged his new lust for life.
Bombshell: A mother-of-three has described the heartwrenching moment her husband of 17 years said he wanted an open relationship (stock photo)
The woman, who is in her 40s, told Fairfax Media how she broke down in tears as her husband made the suggestion in a quiet riverside cafe.
'He held my hand. He told me he loved me. He told me he still loved having sex with me,' she said.
'And then he dropped the most extraordinary bombshell of all - He wanted to open our marriage and bring other lovers into it.
'Not just him but me as well.'
Life-changing: Despite her initial reluctance, the woman said having an open relationship had made her love her husband 'more than ever' (stock photo)
In the weeks that followed the woman felt numb as she grappled with the revelation that her life partner wanted to sleep with others.
WHAT IS POLYAMORY? Polyamory is the practice of being in a relationship with more than one romantic partners. It is different from polygamy the practice of having multiple wives or husbands in that it is typically just a romantic involvement with others, not marriage (which is illegal in Australia). In recent years it has become more popular and accepted, with researchers estimating about five per cent of Americans are currently involved in polyamorous relationships. There are no similar statistics for Australia. Advertisement
But the more she looked into the concept of polyamory, the more she realised it could have its merits.
The pair spoke to other polyamorous couples and slowly started to flirt and date outside their relationship.
Eventually, they brought new lovers into their relationship and even introduced them to their children.
The excitement and desire that came from having other lovers made their marriage more intimate than ever, the woman said.
'I reflect on how our lives have changed in the past year,' she told Fairfax.
'I still love my husband more than ever. The intensity is made stronger by the delirious energy of new loves.
Said: 'I'm trying to get it happening now, I don't want to leave it too late.'
Now she has told Woman's Day she hopes to give her daughter a sibling
Jade Morgan, 22, agreed to donate after seeing an advert they placed
A woman who became a mum again at the age of 51, thanks to the help of a stranger who donated her eggs, has revealed she wants to have another baby.
Grandmother of four Kim Castles, from Melbourne, told Woman's Day that she hopes to give baby Nellie - who was conceived with the help of egg donor Jade Morgan, 22 - a sibling.
'I desperately love Nellie,' Ms Castles, who has a 33-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, told the magazine. 'She's just a perfect baby. She doesn't cry - she's one out of the box'.
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Kim Castles (pictured) told Woman's Day that she hopes to give baby Nellie - who was conceived with the help of egg donor Jade Morgan, 22 - a sibling.
She went on to say that, as she has another embryo from another of Ms Morgan's fertilised eggs available, she hopes to have another child.
'We have one frozen, ready to go,' she said. 'I'm trying to get it happening now. I don't want to leave it too late.'
Ms Castles and her husband Greg made headlines earlier this year when they appeared on 60 Minutes, talking about the difficulties they faced during their quest to find an egg donor.
The couple met in their 40s and had their daughter Stephanie shortly after but had always yearned for another child
Greg (left) and Kim Castles (middle) had their daughter Nellie (right) after paying for a young woman's braces so she would donate her eggs
The couple had placed an advertisement in a Melbourne newspaper seeking a 'kind and generous' woman to donate her eggs after losing twins in a miscarriage and finding out they were too old to conceive a child naturally.
They had several women respond but many were looking to take advantage of their desperation and tried to negotiate payments of up to $20,000 - a practice which is illegal in Australia and can attract a 15 year jail sentence.
The couple's dream finally came true when Ms Morgan said she would be willing to undergo painful fertility treatments, counselling and a surgery so she could donate her eggs in exchange for $5,000 worth of dental work.
The couple's dream finally came true when 22-year-old Jade Morgan (pictured) said she would be willing to undergo painful fertility treatments, counselling and a surgery so she could donate her eggs
Mrs Castles said she was consumed by the desire to expand her family when she decided to cover Ms Morgan's medical costs and agreed to 'compensate' her by paying $5,000 for her braces.
'If you want this then you're going to have to pay for it because no one is willing to go through all that for nothing,' Mrs Hughes told 60 Minutes.
'You're hoping people will do it out of the goodness of their heart, helping another person,' she added.
But despite knowing they were breaking the law, the doting parents said they had no regrets after holding their new baby Nellie (pictured) in their arms for the first time
But despite knowing they were breaking the law, the doting parents said they had no regrets after holding their new baby Nellie in their arms for the first time.
'[It is] not unethical. She's done so much more than we've done for her. We just paid for her teeth so what?' Mrs Castles said at the time.
'It might be the law but it's unfair. It is destroying families,' Mr Castles added.
Mrs Castle said the laws surrounding the purchase of eggs should be relaxed so women can be fairly compensated for their sacrifice.
'They not just giving an egg, they are giving a family they should be compensated they are heroes,' she told 60 Minutes.
'[It is] not unethical. She's done so much more than we've done for her. We just paid for her teeth so what?' Mrs Castles (left) said of her daughter's biological mother (right)
Australian surrogacy lawyer Stephen Page previously said there is a growing market in egg donation and he argued women should be paid around $5,000 for giving up their eggs.
'These women who spend 50 hours multiple injections, have a shot in the stomach every day, have the risk of too many eggs being pulled out and as a result they may die they don't get paid and I think $5,000 would be a reasonable figure,' he said.
But Ms Morgan said donating her eggs was never about money at all.
As far as career changes go, Chanel White's drastic decision will be hard to beat.
At 30 years old the London-based anti-terrorism expert traded in her job for something a little more tranquil.
After quitting her career in international security, she moved back to Sydney to start her own business designing stationery.
Career change: Chanel White gave up her job as a security analyst for a career in stationery design
Ms White began her career as an anti-terrorism analyst after gaining a Masters in International Security and interning for the United Nations in New York.
But she quickly realised that a life dealing in 'sad and horrific' terrorism events was not all it was cracked up to be.
'More than that, I found the constant exposure to such sad and horrific events impacted my normally positive outlook and I wanted to do something that made myself and others happy,' she said.
She hit upon the idea for her new business, Amelia Lane Paper, as she flew back home to Sydney after quitting her job in London.
Creative: Despite taking up a job as an anti-terrorism expert, Ms White said she had always considered switching back to her creative side
'A few days after turning 30, I found myself on a plane back home to Sydney,' she said.
'[I had] nowhere to live, depleted savings, two useless degrees, work experience that wasn't relevant to what I wanted to do and a dream for what Amelia Lane Paper could be.'
Ms White said she had always struggled to choose between her serious side and her creative inclinations when it came to a career.
'I've always felt torn between pursuing something creative and having a ''serious'' job,' she said.
Thriving: Since moving back to Sydney, her Amelia Lane Paper business has started to thrive, and is now stocked throughout Australia and in some stores overseas
'At the time of applying for my MA in International Security, I was finishing up an undergrad degree and interning at Sotheby's art auction house.
'I loved working among the beautiful artworks but knew I wanted to explore the diplomatic path.'
Ms White's Amelia Lane Paper business is now thriving and her wall planners are stocked in stores around Australia and overseas.
'I think in this digital age with an app and technology for everything, the quiet and calm focus that a physical planner brings can be meditative,' she said.
The Dutch royals were greeted with a downpour on the first day of their state visit to New Zealand.
King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima of The Netherlands were officially welcomed at Government House in Wellington, where they greeted waiting royal enthusiasts in the rain.
The Queen stayed dry under a clear umbrella, while Willem-Alexander braced the elements to walk beside his wife.
Royal in the rain! Queen Maxima has arrived in New Zealand where she was greeted by royal enthusiasts in the rain
Well dressed: Queen Maxima wore a large black hat and poncho for the occasion, pairing it with a Givenchy dress in a green leopard print (pictured)
Nice to meet you: Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander met the Prime Minister of New Zealand, John Key, during their visit
Bracing the elements: King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima walked side by side, the King choosing not to hold an umbrella like his wife
All smiles: The couple are embarking on a three-day state visit of the country that includes visits to Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland
The couple travelled to New Zealand from Australia where they just wrapped-up their state visit.
They were officially welcomed to New Zealand with a ceremony at Government House, Wellington, that included the traditional Maori haka powhiri, a dance of welcome, and Hongi greeting, in which people press their noses together.
They went on to visit the National War Memorial, where they laid a wreath before bowing their heads in a minute of silence.
Traditional welcome: King Willem-Alexander received a Hongi greeting from a Maori Warrior during a welcome ceremony at Government House
Watching on: The King observed the Maori welcome, standing on the grass of Government House in a navy suit and soft blue tie
Tour of country: The New Zealand state visit comes after the Dutch royals travelled across Australia for a national tour
Paying her respects: Maxim appeared solemn as she took a minute's silence at the National War Memorial in Wellington
Minute's silence: She and King Willem-Alexander laid a wreath at the memorial before bowing their heads in respect
Maxima, 45, wore a large black hat and black poncho for the occasion.
Underneath she wore a Givenchy dress in a green leopard print, a dress she previously wore to attend a conference in Buenos Aires earlier this year.
She finished the look with pearl-drop earrings, open-toe black pumps and black leather gloves.
National emblem: The Dutch royals lay a fern on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior
Green in Givenchy: Maxima paired her outfit with a pair of pearl-drop earrings and open-toe black pumps
State visit: The three-day tour includes visits to Christchurch and Auckland
Conclusion: They will finish the state visit on Wednesday by visiting the training vessel Spirit of New Zealand
The Dutch royals visited the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, and learned about New Zealand's role in the First World War.
They also met with the Prime Minister of New Zealand, John Key.
The Dutch Royals' three-day tour includes visits to Christchurch and Auckland.
Throughout her pregnancy Shannon Garner's friends kept asking whether she was really going to give the baby away.
The mum-of-two had agreed to carry a baby as a surrogate mother after meeting a gay couple who were desperate for a child.
Although she admitted she had doubts herself, she said the moment she saw the couple hold their newborn daughter, she knew she had done an amazing thing.
Loving embrace: Shannon Garner holds baby Elsie, the little girl she carried as a surrogate mother
Giving them a chance: Shannon (centre) decided to act as a surrogate after hearing about Justin Worthy (left) and Jon Cole's (right) struggle to adopt
The story began in 2014 when the 36-year-old met Justin Worthy and Jon Cole - a gay couple who were running out of avenues to have children of their own.
She met the couple through a mutual friend, and after hearing of their struggles to adopt, decided she could help them out as a surrogate.
Mrs Garner carried the child while the mutual friend provided the egg.
'People would say to me all along throughout the pregnancy, ''I don't know how you're doing that. How are you going to give away a baby that you've grown in your belly?'',' Mrs Garner told Mamamia.
'And I just told them that she's not mine. I'm just giving her a chance at life. I am her way to get into this world. Otherwise, how else will she get here?
Helping out: After giving birth to little Elsie, Shannon (centre) would visit Justin (left) and Jon (right) to deliver breast milk
Labour of love: Shannon is pictured with her husband Andrew (left), Justin (third from left) and Jon (centre). Sereena, a friend of Justin and Jon (second from right) donated the egg
Mrs Garner, who wrote the book A Labour of Love describing the experience, said the pregnancy was essentially trouble free.
However, one of the the most difficult moments came in the instant after Elsie was born.
'I didn't [hold her]and I really regret that now,' she told Mamamia.
'In the back of my mind I just thought if I hold her how am I going to feel and what am I going to do if those emotions are there?'
Overcome: When Elsie, now almost two, was born her father Justin said he was overcome with a wave of happiness
'I regret that now': Shannon said one of the hardest parts about the surrogacy was not holding baby Elsie after birth. She is also pictured with husband Andrew and children Keira (middle) and Jackson (right)
Father Justin helped deliver his daughter and said he was overcome with a wave of happiness when she finally arrived.
'She was born into my arms. It was a feeling of such relief and such happiness, and a feeling that you never really have any other way,' he told the Coffs Coast Advocate.
The couple took Elsie home soon after her birth, but had maintained a close connection with Mrs Garner ever since.
For the first two weeks Mrs Garner would even drive out to their home in the Blue Mountains to visit Elsie and deliver her breast milk.
'I wasn't taking anything away from them, it was just, ''This is what my body is designed to do and when she comes out, I am going to give her to you'',' Mrs Garner said.
Attended the event to launch the U.K. U.A.E. Year of Culture
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Prince Charles spent the day cruising around a private island and Camilla visited a falcon hospital - but the duo still appeared to be full of energy as they attended a glittering event on in Abu Dhabi Monday night.
The royal couple donned their gladrags as they attended an event at the historic Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain to launch the U.K. U.A.E. Year of Culture for which the Prince of Wales is patron.
Prince Charles, who looked dapper in a suit, and the Duchess of Cornwall watched an Ayala performance (traditional folk dance performed at big events known as the stick dance) and met a number of Emirati and UK delegates upon arrival.
Night on the town! Despite their hectic schedule Prince Charles and Camilla appeared to be full of energy as they attended a glittering event on in Abu Dhabi Monday night
Charles and Camilla, wearing a beautifully embroidered flowing white tunic and trousers by Anna Valentine, also sat entranced by a performance by students from the Centre for Musical Arts along with a duo from the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Afterwards they attended a lavish dinner of delicately spiced lamb, chicken and rice.
They then watched a short film celebrating the launch of the year of culture, followed by a speech from His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE's Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, to officially launch the year.
The couple spent the rest of the evening chatting to their hosts whilst taking in the stunning sights of the fort.
The Duchess of Cornwall stunned in an ivory coloured ensemble with gold embroidery detailing as she arrived at the historic Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain
The royal couple attended the glittering event today to launch the U.K. U.A.E. Year of Culture which starts in 2017
Charles also presented facsimiles of a Quran manuscript held by the University of Birmingham, which has been placed among the oldest in the world, to the Crown Prince.
Next year is the U.K.-U.A.E Year of Culture. The British Council, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the British Embassy and Emirati partners will be among those working together to create a diverse programme of activities which will take place in the U.K and the U.A.E featuring events in the arts, education, society, sport, science and trade. The aim of the Year of Culture is to strengthen the existing relationship between the U.K. and U.A.E.
Charles and Camilla, wearing a beautifully embroidered flowing white tunic and trousers by Anna Valentine, also sat entranced by a performance by students from the Centre for Musical Arts along with a duo from the BBC Symphony Orchestra
The couple spent the rest of the evening chatting to their hosts whilst taking in the stunning sights of the fort
The Prince of Wales seemed to be in hysterics as he chatted with his host while Camilla seemed to enjoy a more serious chat with her neighbour
The couple enjoyed a dinner of chicken and rice as they watched the performances this evening
Commenting on the visit Her Majestys Ambassador to UAE, Mr Philip Parham, said: 'We are delighted that Their Royal Highnesses will make this exciting visit to three of the UAEs seven Emirates. The relationship between the UK and UAE is historic and modern, deep and broad, sound and creative.
'And the programme for this visit reflects that - with engagements ranging from a celebration of our historic ties at the Jahili Fort in Al Ain to a Youth Circle in Masdar City, where HRH The Prince of Wales is a Patron of the Masdar Institute for Science and Technology.'
The Duchess made an elegant entrance this evening armed with a clutch bag and a matching ivory coloured pashmina
The couple also sat entranced by a performance by students from the Centre for Musical Arts along with a duo from the BBC Symphony Orchestra
Earlier today the Duchess found herself in a bit of a flap as she visited Abu Dhabi's world class Falconry Hospital.
Resplendent in a vibrant green overcoat and scarf, which she offset with wedges and white trousers, the Duchess looked radiant as she arrived at the hospital.
Camilla admitted she was absolutely terrified of the beautiful birds of prey and couldn't be persuaded to hold one - but did nervously allow a tiny owl called Baby to hop onto her hand.
Camilla put her fear of birds behind her and held a tiny owl at an animal hospital in Abu Dhabi on Monday. The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital is the worlds largest avian hospital and the leading centre for falcon medicine. Around 9,000 birds are treated at the hospital a year
Camilla admitted she was absolutely terrified of the beautiful birds of prey and couldn't be persuaded to hold one - but did nervously allow a tiny owl called Baby to hop onto her hand
When told that a female falcon - the larger of the species - could kill animals up to fives times their body weight, such as gazelles, by severing their spinal cord she exclaimed: 'Good Lord!' and looked even more terrified
The royal, who is with her husband, Prince Charles, on an official tour of the United Arab Emirates, looked nervously at the birds and remarked: 'They're rather large, aren't they. I think I had better stick with the children!'
And when told that a female falcon - the larger of the species - could kill animals up to fives times their body weight, such as gazelles, by severing their spinal cord she exclaimed: 'Good Lord!' and looked even more terrified.
The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital is the worlds largest avian hospital and the leading centre for falcon medicine. Around 9,000 birds are treated at the hospital a year.
The hospital has an intensive care unit, quarantine centres and air-conditioned rooms for the animals to rest.
Falcons are a huge part of Bedouin culture and although they are not used for day-to-day hunting any more, are still hugely revered.
It is estimated that more than 11,000 are owned in Abu Dhabi alone, with some of the most expensive ones costing more than 100,000.
The Duchess of Cornwall looked a little hesitant as she met a few of the birds in the sanctuary
Camilla met a group of children who have been learning about the different aspects of Bedouin culture
Resplendent in a vibrant green overcoat and scarf, which she offset with wedges and white trousers, the Duchess looked radiant as she arrived at the hospital
The smiling Duchess accessorised her outfit with turquoise chandellier earrings and a red poppy during her visit to the falcon hospital whilst her husband paid a visit to a nature reserve
Camilla got stuck in during her visit to the Falcon Hospital as she helped care for a sick bird that was being operated on
Camilla gave the vet a helping hand as they examined a sick falcon during her visit to the animal hospital
The hospital treats birds with a variety of injures such as broken wings or legs and bacterial infections.
'They really are a deep rooted part of our culture and heritage here and cuts across all social strata. They will often live with the family like a child,' explained executive director Dr Margrit Muller.
'Well I am glad to hear the female of the species is the most powerful,' said Camilla with a wink.
In the veterinary room the duchess looked on slightly tremulously as a gyr falcon was given a 'pedicure' under anaesthetic.
'Err, it is asleep isn't it?' She asked.
But she did bravely agree to stroke the snowy white bird and conceded: 'It is surprisingly soft.'
Caring Camilla listened avidly as the team told her all about the bird hospital and how they help to save their lives
A cheerful Camilla smiled as she met plenty of falcons during her visit to the hospital
In 1999, the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency created a programme to increase the wild falcon by population. Since then, more than 1,300 falcons have been released into their original habitats in Pakistan, Iran and Kazakhstan
There was just enough time to make friends with Baby, a tiny three-year-old burrowing owl before she was onto her next engagement.
Later Camilla enjoyed a women's power lunch with a group of high powered Emirati women - including the country's first female fighter pilot.
Sitting down to chat to the women, Camilla recalled her barefoot visit to the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque the previous day. 'I can't tell you what a joy it was not to wear shoes for an hour and walk on that marble,' she said.
She also chatted to Major Staff Fighter Pilot Mariam Almansoori, the first woman to fly fighter planes in the UAE airforce.
The 38-year-old has clocked up more than 1,000 hours in a F16 Block 60 and is a well known figure in her country.
Wearing brilliant purple lipstick with her black Shayla headcovering, Camilla listened fascinated as she told how how she had always dreamed of flying and joined the Air Force as soon as it opened its doors to women in 2006.
'I can't quite believe I am talking to a woman fighter pilot when I am so scared of aeroplanes', she said.
The Duchess added: ' Looks like there is a lot of diversity in this room. I'm feeling a little inferior. '
Miss Almansoori said afterwards: 'There is no barrier to women in the UAE. The doors are already open to you when you are ready for them. '
Around 9,000 birds are treated at the hospital, which has an intensive care unit and air-conditioned rooms, each year
After her visit to the hospital, which is working to release certain types of falcons back into their natural wild habitat, Camilla met with children who were studying culture
He may be used to travelling in a Range Rover but Prince Charles looked right at home as he was driven through a private island by dune buggy on Monday.
The royal was in his element as he visited Bu Tinah Island, at the center of the UNESCO Marawah Protected Marine Area on the Persian Gulf, on Monday.
The royal, who was dressed casually in a cream linen suit, looked through a telescope during his visit to the area, which is about 105 miles west of Abu Dhabi.
Prince Charles sits in front of a dune buggy as he visits Bu Tinah Island, at the center of the UNESCO Marawah Protected Marine Area on the Persian Gulf
Bu Tinah Island is a tiny archipelago that's protected as a private nature reserve. Bu Tinah is a protected sanctuary home to endangered species such as the dugong and hawksbill turtle.
Rich in biodiversity, it was recognised as a UNESCO site in 2001 so is closed to visitors and fishermen.
In sweltering heat, the prince - still wearing a lightweight cream suit and tie - saw first hand how the positive impact of conservation work in the region
Charles, who arrived by helicopter on the tiny island of Bu Tinah, off the coast of Abu Dhabi, then hopped into the open buggy for a race along the white standard coastline.
On the way he was treated to amazing sights of rare bird species such as ospreys and Socotra Cormorants.
Afterwards went on a boat tour of the surrounding waters of the island to see turtles, dugongs (rare sea elephants) stingrays and dolphins.
He was clearly gripped as Turtles and stingrays swam within feet of his boat.
Prince Charles visited Bu Tinah island, a UNESCO protected marine area, where he saw a variety of birds including Socotra Cormorants and a turtle
Charles then boarded a boat for a tour of the surrounding waters of the island to view turtles, dugongs and dolphins
Bu Tinah Island is a tiny archipelago that's protected as a private nature reserve. Bu Tinah is a protected sanctuary home to endangered species such as the dugong and hawksbill turtle
The Marawah Marine Protected area is the largest of its kind in the Arabian Gulf.
Bu Tinah Island is home to important marine and coastal ecosystems including sea grass breeds, coral reefs and shallow waters.
The island hosts rare and globally endangered marine life including hawksbill turtles and the second largest population of dugongs, a large marine mammal that is globally threatened.
It hosts rare and globally endangered marine life including hawksbill turtles and the second largest population of dugongs, which are globally threatened.
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were hoping for some animal magic today as they continued their tour of the Middle East on behalf of the British Government
Charles also watched as a ranger opened an Oyster to reveal a pearl with Dr Shakha Salem al Dhahen, Director of Marine Biodiversity
Charles, who is an avid nature fan, seemed to be enthralled by his trip to the private island on Monday
Prince Charles looks through a telescope as he visits Bu Tinah Island, at the center of the UNESCO Marawah Protected Marine Area on the Persian Gulf, about 105 miles, (170 km) west of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Bu Tinah is a protected sanctuary home to endangered species such as the dugong and hawksbill turtle
Prince Charles shakes hands with rangers after he arrives at the Bu Tinah Island, at the center of the UNESCO Marawah Protected Marine Area
Prince Charles reacts after he signs on the screen during his visit to Masdar City in Abu Dhabi
Britain's Prince Charles receives a Sustainability Award during the Chief Financial Officers meeting of region in Abu Dhabi
The Prince of Wales is given an award at the Accounting for Sustainability conference by Badr Jafar
Prince Charles takes part in a Youth Circle focusing on youth empowerment during his visit to Masdar City
Charles will later visit Masdar City and take a driverless electric car to the Masdar Institute for Science and Technology, where he will view a model of the city and sign an electronic visitors book.
Masdar is a regional centre for innovation and research dedicated to clean and alternative energy, combining technology with the planning for principles of traditional Arab settlements.
Charles will then join finance leaders to address sustainability challenges, while his wife joins high level Emirati women to hear about the United Arab Emirates' work on women's empowerment.
For the final engagement of the day, Charles and Camilla will attend a cultural event at the historic Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain to launch the UK-UAE Year of Culture.
On Sunday, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visited the spectacular Sheikh Zaved Grand Mosque to promote religious tolerance.
Charles and Camilla first visited the mosque, in Abu Dhabi, in 2007 when it was still being built.
They returned as part of their tour to the Middle East on behalf of the British Government, having left Oman earlier on Sunday.
The Prince of Wales speaks at the Accounting for Sustainability conference at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi
Charles was dressed in a linen suit and striped tie, while Camilla wore a blue headscarf, long jacket and trousers.
Visitors to the mosque must remove their footwear, and Charles walked round in black socks while his wife went barefoot.
The couple toured the mosque, which has stunning chandeliers and a wall featuring the 99 names of God in traditional calligraphy, before learning about its architecture.
The carpet in the main hall of the mosque, which took 11 years to build, is considered to be one of the largest in the world.
The Duchess of Cornwall removed her shoes while her husband kept on his black loafers on a visit to the Sheikh Zaved Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi on Sunday
The Duchess engaged in an animated conversation with clerics at the Sheikh Zaved Grand Mosque
Camilla slipped out of her beige suede wedges in accordance with religious regulations as she visited the mosque
Prince Charles looked a little unsure of the spread being offered as his wife chatted to Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi
A laughing Prince Charles chats with Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed after arriving in Abu Dhabi
The Duchess covered her hair with a delicate blue headscarf
The Duchess puts her best foot forward during her second visit to the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi
Following the tour, Charles and Camilla attended a reception for guests of different faiths and nationalities.
Bishop Paul Hinder, of the Roman Catholic Church, spoke with Charles at the mosque.
'For me, the visit is about recognition,' he said.
'The prince was able to speak to us and see the mutual tolerance which is reality in this country.
On arrival at the mosque, Camilla was wearing a pair of camel suede shoes with a low wedge heel
'It doesn't happen all over the world that we can meet in such a place in such a formation. Living and seeing this reality has an impact.'
The mosque was established in 2008 and sits at the entrance to Abu Dhabi City Island.
It aims to work with research centres and religious, educational and cultural institutions within the United Arab Emirates and across the world.
The royal pair looked delighted to be visiting the landmark,which was established in 2008 and sits at the entrance to Abu Dhabi City Island
The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince of Wales were shown around the spectacular religious site, which was erected eight years ago
Prince Charles was dressed in a linen suit and striped tie, while Camilla wore a blue headscarf, long jacket and trousers
Charles and Camilla were shown around the mosque by Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, who was appointed as the new minister of state for tolerance in February.
The UAE is home to more than 200 nationalities, a large majority of whom are Commonwealth citizens.
Kim Debenham, deputy head of mission at the Australian embassy, said: 'It was my first opportunity to meet anyone from the British royal family so it was quite special.
'Prince Charles said he had visited Abu Dhabi before but the last time he was at the mosque it was a construction site.
Camilla Duchess of Cornwall attended a religious tolerance event at the Sheikh Zaved Grand Mosque, her first engagement on the Abu Dhabi leg of her royal tour of the Middle East
It was the royals' second visit to the mosque, which they first saw back in 2007, prior to its completion
Prince Charles descends the airplane staircase ahead of his wife Camilla as they arrive into Abu Dhabi Airport
The royal shares a joke with Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi
'We spoke about the different commonwealth communities here in Abu Dhabi and that they are growing all the time.'
Earlier today Camilla showed off her nurturing side as she joined children for story-time to promote literacy initiatives.
In keeping with tradition, Camilla wore a long-sleeved dishdasha dress in mint green and white sarwal trousers, although she did not cover her head.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall talks to children during a book reading outside Dar Al Atta Bookshop on the third day of a Royal tour of Oman
This little boy was so focused on his jigsaw puzzle that he only had time for a half-hearted handshake with the royal visitor
Camilla visits Maktabat Oman's first mobile library while promoting literacy initiatives
The first stop was the Dar Al Attaa 'Let's Read' initiative which encourages young Omani readers to pick up a book in its charity book shop.
Camilla say on the ground and made herself comfortable as she chatted to children during a reading outside the bookshop.
She also visited Oman's first Children's public Library and met young children who won a local writing competition. Their stories have now been published in their own book.
At the library, she examined students' work and helped young people complete jigsaws.
The grandmother-of-two, who is also step grandmother to Prince George and Princess Charlotte, looked very much at ease as she chatted to youngsters
A young boy gives a reading for the royal visitor during her visit to Oman's first Children's public library
Helping hand! The Duchess gives her guidance to a young girl as she completes a jigsaw puzzle
No help needed! The youngster manages to successfully complete the jigaw puzzle
Prince Charles and Camilla are on a Royal tour of the Middle East starting with Oman, then the UAE and finally Bahrain.
Camilla carried out her engagements solo this morning while her husband was otherwise engaged.
Charles was set to join a reception for Young Leaders in Oman before meeting the Crossing The Empty Quarter Expedition.
Camilla talks to children during a book reading outside Dar Al Atta Bookshop during the third day of her royal tour of the Middle East
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall chats the librarian, Hatim Al Mamari, on Maktabat Oman's first mobile library
Young students proudly show off their work for Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall
Camilla learns more about literacy initiatives at the Dar Al Atta Bookshop on the third day of a Royal tour of Oman
He spoke with Mark Evans, Mohammed Al-Zadjali and Amour Al-Wadibi, who recreated the 1931 journey of British explorer Bertram Thomas earlier this year.
Prince Charles then viewed images from the recent expedition across the Empty Quarter and a copy of the map from the original journey - which was the first crossing of the biggest sand desert on earth.
The royal couple departed Oman for Abu Dhabi, where they were met on arrival by the minister of foreign Affairs and international cooperation and HM ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
Camilla sits on a table with young childrento inspect their artwork as she visits Oman's first Children's public library
The Duchess looked elegant in a neutral colour palette and carried a floral print clutch
A delighted Duchess was all smiles as she chatted to children about their artwork
Showing her nurturing side: Camilla looked very much at ease as she chatted to young people while visiting literacy initiatives
Charles took a salute from the guard of honour before the couple attended the religious tolerance event at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
After touring the mosque including a brief photography exhibition and visiting the main hall to learn about the architecture they joined a reception to meet guests from different faiths and nationalities.
A police constable who piled on weight while she was pregnant has revealed how she overhauled her lifestyle to become a bikini model competitor in less than a year.
Laura Crew, 33, from Binstead on the Isle of Wight, suffered 'crippling' pelvic pain during her second pregnancy in 2015 which led her to gain 3 stone 7lbs after bingeing on sweets and biscuits.
But after being inspired by a friend, the determined mother-of-two has lost 4 stone 7lbs in under a year and sculpted her dream body.
Laura before, left, and now, right. Since giving birth to her second son, Freddie, in December 2015 she has dropped 4 stone 7lbs and become a bikini model competitor
At around 30 weeks into Laura's second pregnancy she began experiencing crippling pelvic pain which only eased when she lay flat on her back.
Watching television and gorging on Hob Nobs and Skittles at home became a way to kill the boredom and the feelings of inertia.
Laura would regularly get through a whole packet of biscuits in one sitting and, despite being active before the pregnancy, the weight began to pile on.
She explained: 'I developed pregnancy-related pelvic girdle (PPGP) also know as symphysis pubis dysfunction). It started at about 30 weeks, and by the last ten weeks I could hardly do anything. The only time it didn't hurt was when I was lying down.
Laura this year with her partner Michael Jeffrey, 28, and sons Freddie, 11 months and Jack, seven
Laura during her pregnancy last year, left, and after, right. She took comparison photos to help keep track of her changing physique after piling on more than 3 stone during pregnancy
'I was looking after a six-year-old, Jack, and it was just horrible really. It got me down. I was getting so much pain towards the end of the pregnancy I couldn't deal with it any more.
'I'd pick up a biscuit and think "one more's not going to hurt". Half the packet would be gone then I'd just eat the whole lot.'
Laura didn't realise how much weighs she'd gained until Freddie was born in December 2015; at 5ft 4in, she had gone from around 10 stone to 13 stone 7lbs.
It was then that Laura was inspired by an old school friend who she had caught up with on Facebook earlier that year, and often posted pictures of her training and showing off her sculpted body.
The mother-of-two on stage at the Don Styler competition tin August where she reached the final. She achieved her dream gym body by hitting the gym before ten-hour shifts
Laura, right, joins fellow bikini competitors at the competition held in August this year. She cut down on her calorie intake and went to the gym every day in the run-up to bikini events
The mother-of-two, right, poses on stage. She recalled: 'I had a 1,680 calories a day and I never took a day off. In the peak week leading up to competition I had 1,500 dropping to 1,400'
Laura's weight reached 13 stone 7lbs during her pregnancy but she has since dropped more than 4 stone and takes part in bikini modelling competitions
During her pregnancy, while suffering from PRPG, it was something Laura had initially pushed to the back of her mind- but now she saw her chance.
She said: 'I kept getting told the pain would go once the baby was born - and it went in a couple of days. I felt so inspired but it wasn't until six weeks [that] I started getting into training properly.
'I would do two lower body sessions a week and other sessions, up to four times a week, training on my upper body and shoulders. I was also doing cardio everyday.'
'My partner Michael Jeffrey, 28, and I would sit with our diaries working out gym times. I would go to the gym when my son was at school or after he went to bed so he wouldn't worry mummy wan't there.
Laura trains ahead of a competition. She said: 'I would do two lower body sessions a week and other sessions, up to four times a week, training on my upper body and shoulders'
The police constable with Freddie, 11 months and Jack, seven, since losing her pregnancy weight
Look at me now: 'I had to tactically think about when I was going to eat,' Laura said. 'At work I'd eat little and often during the day. I had a lot of snacks and small meals I pre-prepared'
'I'd train for an hour and a half before a ten-hour shift at work as a police constable.'
As the weight fell off, Laura's confidence began to grow. When friends suggested entering an amateur body sculpting and fitness competition, she says she was 'flattered'.
'I started counting and controlling all my food,' Laura recalled. 'I ate a lot of chicken, green beans, broccoli and rice. I didn't have milk for the whole time. My treat was a strawberry-flavoured fat free Total Greek yogurt.
'I had a 1,680 calories a day and I never took a day off. In the peak week leading up to competition I had 1,500 dropping to 1,400.
After taking comparison photos, Laura was 'amazed' to see the difference in her physique week after week
Describing her workout diet, Laura said: 'I started counting and controlling all my food,' Laura recalled. 'I ate a lot of chicken, green beans, broccoli and rice'
'I had to tactically think about when I was going to eat at work I'd eat little and often during the day. I had a lot of snacks and small meals I pre-prepared.'
After taking comparison photos, Laura was 'amazed' to see the difference in her physique week after week.
'I'd never seen my abs like that before,' she admitted. 'There were times when I wondered if it was worth it.
'My mum Linda Barnicoat didn't understand it at first and thought I was being obsessive. She's since said how good I look and that she's proud of me.
Eventually, the day of the competition arrived in May 2016. Stepping up on the stage in her bikini at the UK Ultimate Physiques competition in Port Talbot, and performing Laura had to stave off the waves of panic.
After looking at her before and after photos, Laura said: 'I'd never seen my abs like that before. There were times when I wondered if it was worth it'
Laura with her children. Speaking of her fitness journey, she said: 'I still can't believe I wanted to do it. Looking back I can't believe I had the guts to do it'
WHAT IS PPGP? PPGP is a collection of uncomfortable symptoms caused by a stiffness of your pelvic joints or the joints moving unevenly at either the back or front of your pelvis. PPGP is not harmful to your baby, but it can cause severe pain around your pelvic area and make it difficult for you to get around. Different women have different symptoms, and PPGP is worse for some women than others. Source: NHS.uk Advertisement
She said: 'It was scary. It's such a big theatre hall and I had five judges in front of me and everyone else watching. I was a bit daunting but I had a huge adrenaline rush and I love it.
'I still can't believe I wanted to do it. Looking back I can't believe I had the guts to do it. But I just got up there and did what I had to do.'
Just eight days, later Laura took to the stage once again in the Miss Bikini category at the Solent City competition in Gosport, Hants, and could not believe it when she was placed second.
She said: 'I did it and I did well. I was overwelmed. It was a couple of days until it sank in.
One man's tea is another man's poison, so the expression (almost) goes.
As a collection of photos posted on Twitter show, the humble brew can stir up feelings of incandescent rage when it comes to the debate over what makes the perfect cup.
Hot drink fanatics have been sharing their images of 'crimes against tea', naming and shaming cups that are incorrectly, in their opinion at least, brewed.
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Storm in a tea cup? While many tea fanatics have taken to Twitter to name and shame badly brewed cups of char, others admitted they have a penchant for it
Rosie-Lee? Or a very pale imitation? User Cat Flowers posted this snap of a tea that looked like it'd barely seen a tea bag
Posh tea, no legs: This disgruntled tea drinker was aghast at the pale colour of their luxury brew. Right: Is it a tea? Is it a cappucino? Emily Wren expressed her disdain at this frothy brew
The tea on the train, which Twitter user @SkinnyMilk79 described as 'Wednesday's latest insult. P*** weak tea'
While it seems that everyone has a different opinion on how exactly the marriage between tea leaves and hot water should be, plenty of observers agreed that too much milk was a cardinal sin and pale tea was a very bad thing.
The images show plenty of tea that looked like it had barely seen a teabag, which were dubbed by one as 'milky monstrosi-teas'.
What seems to particularly aggrieve is when high-street cafes serve up super weak tea, and then ask you to stump up nearly 3 for the pleasure.
IN PURSUIT OF PERFECTION: HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT TEA Precision over everything from cup size to brew time and the amount of milk added is essential for the perfect brew
Two different sized pots made of porcelain or glazed earthenware are recommended, alongside two corresponding small and large 'bowls' - or cups. The first, large pot should measure be between 74mm and 78mm wide and stand between 83mm and 87mm tall. It should also have a lid. The ideal smaller pot should be between 61mm and 65 mm tall and ideally 64mm wide. The larger cup is should be between 57mm and 63mm tall by 109mm - plus or minus 3mm -compared to 49mm and 55mm wide. Either way, the large pot should not exceed 318ml, and the small pot must have a maximum capacity of 159ml. To make tea without milk, 2g of tea should be used for every 100ml of water. Pour freshly boiled water into the pot up to 4mm and 6mm below the brim. The tea should then be left to infuse for six minutes. Advertisement
Cake? Check. Weak tea? Check! Twitter user Dave Mawn is proud of his love of a paler brew
It. Won't. Turn. Brown: Phil Armstrong rages at the super light colour of his cafe chain tea
Disappointed drinker, Pamela Earle tweeted an image of her demoralising drink, asking: 'Has this cup of tea seen a tea bag? #weak#tea' Twitter user @skinnymilk79 posted a picture of her brew, commenting: 'Wednesday's latest insult. P*** weak tea'
James Pritchard thought he'd found a winner for a weak tea award after buying a cup of tea from restaurant chain, Upper Crust.
He wrote:' 'thinks that if weak tea won awards, @UpperCrust_uk would be in with a shot.'
How do you prefer yours? Steve Marshall showcases the spectrum of preferences; from mid brown to a little on the anaemic side
You left the bag in for how long? This cup of char is a work in progress clearly...
The cup's white as snow, and the tea's not far off: weak tea fan Dave Mawn posts another brew
Twitter user Steve Marshall shared a picture of a good comparison between a strong and weak cup of tea.
He said: 'Two cups of tea. One good, one awfully bad... #TeaShouldLookLikeHeMansFace #Cuppa #StrongTea #WeakTea' Drinker Michael was so upset by his brew he called on the Government to declare war after posting a picture of the sorry beverage.
Recipe for success? According to the experts, tea should brew for at least six minutes and requires 2.5ml of milk in a cup filled 4mm from the brim
THE SCIENCE OF STEEPING TEA Steeping tea is the process of soaking a solid - in this case tea leaves - to extract flavours and soften it. For standard black tea, freshly boiled water should be used - with temperatures above 95C (203F). On average, a teabag weighs 2g but contains around 1.5g of tea leaves so at least two should be used for a small pot and at least four should be used for a larger pot. When being made with milk, the tea should be made and brewed in the same way and then added to at least 2.5ml milk in the bowl Water should be left to cool down for at least 30 seconds when making green and white tea, with a recommended temperature of 74C to 85C (160F to 203F). Oolong tea is best steeped in 85C (185F) water. Herbal teas should be steeped in water with a temperature of 95C (203F). Regardless of the temperature, the standard explained that tea should be steeped for six minutes. Advertisement
It's our favourite refreshment...but everyone has different ideas on how the perfect cup of tea should be served
He tweeted: '@David_Cameron Swiss Air served this clearly weak tea. Please declare war on Switzerland.' However, the disdain for weak tea is not universally held by all Brits. Dave Mawn proudly shared his tepid cups of tea with this pals on social media, tweeting: 'I love a weak tea.'
Brits consume 60 billion cups per year, according to the Tea and Infusions Organisation - more than 900 cups annually for every man, woman and child.
It's the most important day of the year for Jordan's politicians...and Queen Rania looked more than ready for business as she arrived at the state opening of parliament.
Wearing an Antonio Berardi black velvet outfit, with lace detail on the tailored skirt, Rania fitted in perfectly among the suits in Amman's parliament building.
The red carpet was rolled out for the formal occasion and the 46-year-old royal, with her highlighted hair in tumbling ringlets, looked suitably regal.
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Queen Rania of Jordan arrives for the 18th state opening of parliament in Amman earlier today
The mother-of-four opted for a classic black pencil skirt suit, adding a feminine touch with a lace detail blouse and loose curls
She teemed the suit with a feminine light beige frilly blouse and a smart pair of stiletto heels.
Queen Rania, vocal on the world stage about Jordan's ongoing refugee plight, listened intently as her husband King Abdullah II addressed politicians and dignitaries.
The king vowed to continue protecting holy sites in Jerusalem.
Rania, who has been vocal on the world stage about Jordan's ongoing refugee plight, supported King Abdullah II as he addressed politicians
Rania is greeted by dignitaries on the opening day of parliament, which sees the King set out his vision for the year ahead
A busy week! Yesterday the Jordanian queen entertained the Polish first lady, Agata Kornhauser-Duda, in the country's capital
He told politicians: 'Despite all of the challenges and the repercussions, we will continue carrying out our historical role to protect the issues important to our nation, both Arab and Islamic, and fulfill our duty in protecting the holy places for Islam and Christianity in Jerusalem.'
Witnessing an ex-partner find new love is hard for anyone but when your former lover happens to Prince Harry it must be excruciating.
However, Cressida Bonas seemed to be unphased by the news that Harry is now dating Meghan Markle as she stepped out in West London this evening.
The actress, who dated the royal for two years until their split in April 2014, was all smiles as she arrived at the preview of the School of Rock musical at the New London Theatre.
Her ex-boyfriend Prince Harry's love life may be all over the papers but Cressida Bonas seemed all smiles as she stepped out in West London this evening
Cressida carried a red Louis Vuitton shoulder bag which added a splash of colour to her all-black ensemble
Known for her boho style Cressida opted for a more casual look for tonight's event pairing a frilly white blouse with a ankle length black wool overcoat
Cressida, 27, beamed for the cameras as she arrived at Andrew Llyod Webber's latest showcase which is helping to raise money for the Miles Frost Fund, in partnership with the British Heart Foundation.
Known for her boho style Cressida opted for a more casual look for tonight's event pairing a frilly white blouse with a ankle length black wool overcoat.
She kept her accessories un-fussy adding just a hint of bling in the form of gold hoop earrings and she kept her footwear comfortable opting for a pair of wedged boots.
The rising star kept her accessories un-fussy adding just a hint of bling in the form of gold hoop earrings
The aspiring actress (second right) cosied up for a picture with (left to right) Emerald Fennell, George Frost and Flora Dundas
The royal's former lover seemed in high spirits as she arrived at the preview of the School of Rock Musical at the New London Theatre
Famed for a boho style Cressida showcased a dressed down look opting for a casual blouse and wool coat on Monday
The starlet rocked monochrome chic for her night out at the theatre in London
Also in attendance tonight is Prince Harry's aunt, Sarah Ferguson, who went for a somewhat dressier look to that of Cressida.
The ex-wife of Prince Andrew showcased a rock chick vibe in an asymmetric detail black and nude leather dress.
The showstopping dress appeared to cause some problems for the Duchess of York however, as she was pictured adjusting as she arrived at tonight's event.
Also in attendance is Prince Harry's aunt the Duchess of York who opted for a rock chick vibe in a leather asymmetric dress
If a leather dress wasn't statement enough the 57-year-old continued the theme with a matching black leather jacket
The showstopping dress appeared to cause some problems for the Duchess of York however, as she was pictured adjusting as she arrived at tonight's event
And if a leather dress wasn't statement enough the 57-year-old continued the theme with a matching black leather jacket for the charity event on Monday.
The Duchess could also be seen posing with Lady Carina Frost and her son George Frost as she arrived at this evening's performance.
Both women arrived alone this evening though are likely to bump into one another during tonight's reception.
The Duchess could also be seen posing with Lady Carina Frost (left) and her son George Frost (right) as she arrived at this evening's performance
Cressida's outing this evening comes just a week after Prince Harry was revealed to have a new love interest.
Last week it emerged the pair had been spending time together in Canada after Prince Harry jetted to Toronto in secret.
According to Canadian gossip columnist Shinan Govani, the couple, who have yet to be photographed together, even stepped out together in public.
The flame-haired prince and his girlfriend are said to have spent the week 'hanging out' at her apartment and playing with her dogs, Bogart and Guy.
Residents in the upmarket Toronto suburb where divorcee Meghan lives said they had seen black SUVs in the area on several occasions.
Cressida's outing comes just a week after her ex-boyfriend Prince Harry (left) was reported to be dating actress and model Meghan Markle (right)
Meghan and Harry are believed to have struck up a romance after being introduced by fashion designer Misha Nonoo this summer
Karen Henry told the Mail: 'One guy got out from the back of the car and you could see he had an earpiece.'
The pair are believed to have struck up a romance after being introduced by fashion designer Misha Nonoo this summer.
Meghan, 35, enjoyed a stint in London in June before jetting off on a sunny holiday to Madrid in Spain with Misha, who she counts as a close friend.
Middle-age spread in men can raise their risk of getting cancer by 50 per cent, a study has found.
Men need to gain only 2st 7lb from their teenage years to retirement to be in significantly greater danger. For women, the risk of cancer rises by almost 20 per cent over a lifetime if they put on 3st 7lb.
The findings, to be presented at a National Cancer Research Institute conference in Liverpool today, shed new light on how weight gain causes cancer most often breast and womb cancer in women and kidney and bowel cancer in both sexes.
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Men need to gain only 2st 7lb from their teenage years to retirement to be in significantly greater danger of getting cancer
It is not known exactly why piling on the pounds can lead to the disease, although excess fat is believed to produce hormones which help cancer to develop.
In the study of 300,000 people in the US, researchers from Manchester University looked at changes in men and womens body mass index (BMI) between the ages of 18 and 65. By recording those who developed obesity-related cancers, they were able to determine the risk from their weight.
Lead author Dr Hannah Lennon said: This research shows how important it is to look at weight gain over a persons lifetime to give a clearer picture of cancer risk through life compared to assessing someones BMI at a single point.
This study could also be really useful in public health. It could help identify people who would benefit the most from taking action to control their weight before any health problems arise.
Being overweight is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer in the UK after smoking and can cause 13 different cancers. Middle-aged men with beer bellies and apple-shaped women are particularly at risk, with too much fat stored around the middle linked to bowel, kidney, oesophageal, pancreatic and breast cancer.
The men in the study at 50 per cent greater risk of cancer were not obese, which is classed as a BMI of above 30, but had gone from a BMI of 22 to 27 within the overweight bracket.
For a man of average weight, this equated to putting on 2st 7lbs over a lifetime. Women who went from a BMI of 23 to 32 had a 17 per cent increased risk of cancer in comparison to those whose weight stayed stable and healthy.
Sir Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said 'this is a really interesting way to look at lifetime risk of obesity'. Pictured at Buckingham Palace, London, after being made a Knight Bachelor of the British Empire by the Prince of Wales
Sir Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, which funded the research, said: This is a really interesting way to look at lifetime risk of obesity-related cancers and helps us understand the effects of weight gain over time.
Its important that people are informed about ways to reduce their risk of cancer. And while there are no guarantees against the disease, keeping a healthy weight can help you stack the odds in your favour and has lots of other benefits too.
Obesity-related cancers include two of the most common breast and bowel cancer and three of the hardest to treat: pancreatic, oesophageal and gallbladder.
Dr Karen Kennedy, director of the National Cancer Research Institute, said: This study provides a deeper understanding of the health implications caused by the obesity epidemic. It helps paint the picture of how risk could accumulate over time for different people.
....AS PANCREATIC CANCER DEATHS SET TO SOAR Britain's obesity crisis will see death rates for pancreatic cancer overtake breast cancer in four years, it is forecast. Breast cancer is the third biggest killer cancer in the country, behind bowel and lung cancer. Pancreatic cancer, which is notoriously hard to treat, is less well known despite killing almost 9,000 people a year. But predictions by the International Agency for Research on Cancer show British deaths from the disease are on the rise and set to leapfrog breast cancer by 2020. Kerry Harvey in the Pancreatic Cancer appeal poster which was used to stress how hard it is to treat compared to other forms The forecasts are based on death rates and the at-risk population. For pancreatic cancer those at greatest risk are smokers, diabetics and the obese. Smoking levels have fallen, but the UK population is getting fatter, increasing the risk. The research was presented at a conference held by United European Gastroenterology, which combines all the leading European societies concerned with digestive diseases. Professor Matthias Lohr, a pancreatic cancer specialist, said: It is absolutely vital that patients receive a diagnosis as early as possible to allow for surgery, which is currently the only potential for a cure. While many women know to check their breasts for lumps, the signs of pancreatic cancer, which include abdominal and back pain, a change in bowel habits and jaundice, are not as well known. Advertisement
More than 130,000 patients a year are not receiving vital NHS cancer care on time, as hospitals treat record numbers of people with the disease.
Doctors have warned the failure to meet waiting time targets, with thousands of patients waiting more than three months for treatment after being referred by a doctor, is causing greater stress and may even harm their chances of survival.
Last year 132,138 patients in England did not see a cancer specialist within the 14-day target.
Nor did they start treatment, such as surgery or radiotherapy, within 31 days of diagnosis, or 62 days after initial consultation and tests, according to analysis of NHS data conducted by Cancer Research UK.
Last year 132,138 patients in England did not see a cancer specialist within the 14-day target, shocking new figures show
It comes as cancer diagnoses are set to rise still further from unhealthy British lifestyle choices including smoking, drinking and overeating.
Professor Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK's chief clinician, told the Guardian: 'These figures are alarming. The number of people for whom these targets are being missed is a real source of concern.
'Delay creates additional anxiety for people. That matters for individual patients affected in a precise way because they have a prolonged period of uncertainty. Do I have cancer or do I not? And if I do have cancer, will it be curable?'
The leading NHS cancer specialist, and professor of medical oncology at Southampton University, said some delays may mean the chance to give curative treatment is lost, while others would get worse waiting for their test results.
'I'm pretty angry about that,' he added. 'This all reflects a system that's failing to meet the needs of people with cancer or suspected cancer.'
Delays in some hospitals have seen more than 6,000 people who should have had their first treatment within 62 days of being urgently referred by their GP were forced to wait 104 days or more.
It comes as cancer diagnoses are set to rise still further from unhealthy British lifestyle choices including smoking, drinking and overeating
Leading doctors say an NHS cash crisis has left the system unable to cope with the 1.5 million people a year sent for tests by their family doctor after being suspected of having cancer.
A lack of scanners and key staff like radiologists have been highlighted.
These figures are alarming. The number of people for whom these targets are being missed is a real source of concern. Professor Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK's chief clinician
The analysis shows that 101,140 people with suspected cancer did not get to see a specialist within 14 days of being referred as urgent cases in 2015-16.
An extra 6,713 who were found to have cancer did not receive their first treatment within 31 days - the target introduced by the previous Labour government in 2009.
And a further 24,285 were not treated within 62 days.
Medical experts fear the NHS is increasingly ill prepared to provide timely care to those who will be diagnosed with cancer in the future as the population ages.
The targets analysed state that hospitals in England should ensure 93 per cent of those referred by a GP should see a specialist within two weeks, 96 per cent diagnosed should get their treatment within 31 days and 85 per cent should start urgent treatment within 62 days of referral.
'CANCER PATIENTS KILLED BY CHEMOTHERAPY' Cancer drugs are behind the deaths of up to half of patients with the disease in some hospitals, a damning report found earlier this year. Researchers looked at the numbers of cancer patients who died within 30 days of starting the treatment, indicating the medication is responsible, rather than the disease itself. They found 19 hospital trusts had higher rates of 30-day mortality after chemotherapy for lung and breast cancer than expected. The hospital trusts were told to review their cancer treatment after data showed that too many patients died within a month of receiving chemotherapy. Advertisement
That last target has been breached in every quarter for the last two and a half years.
Dr Giles Maskell, until recently president of the Royal College of Radiologists, said: 'There are gaps right across the NHS cancer workforce, including oncologists, therapists, nutritionists, nurse specialists and other groups.
'The shortage of radiologists who interpret x-rays and scans is so serious that one university hospital in the south-east recently had 11 of its 33 consultant radiologist posts unfilled because there were too few applicants.
'While another teaching hospital in the north-west has eight of its 36 posts unfilled, and seven have been vacant for over a year.'
The Department of Health declined to comment directly on the large numbers of patients not getting care within the target times.
A spokesman said: 'Cancer survival rates have never been higher and just this week the NHS announced a new 130 million investment to kickstart the upgrade of radiotherapy equipment and transform cancer treatment across England.
The desire for TOWIE teeth: the bright, white, straight smile sported by reality TV stars such as Joey Essex, X Factor's Rylan Clark and, more recently, Geordie Shore's Chloe Ferry, is putting fans in debt, a survey has found.
Keen to emulate their idols, young people are being misled over 'quick-fix' tooth veneers that could end up costing them 100,000.
Veneers designed to give people a 'Hollywood smile' can cost up to 1,000 a tooth, but they often need replacing every ten to 15 years.
Now a One Poll survey of 1,000 16 to 30-year-olds commissioned by the London Smile Clinic found that 58 per cent who had veneers fitted were not told how long they would last.
The desire for TOWIE teeth - the bright, white, straight smile sported by reality TV stars, such as Joey Essex - is putting fans in debt
More than a fifth did not realise that the invasive and irreversible treatment involved removing the natural enamel coating the teeth before replacements, typically made of porcelain, are bonded on top using glue.
More enamel must be removed with each refit, and eventually full crowns may be needed.
A quarter of those who had veneers later required root-canal treatment, while a third of people said they now regretted having the cosmetic treatment and would have chosen a less drastic option if given the opportunity.
This comes after previous research published in The Grocer found sales of toothbrushes and mouthwash have also surged - blaming it on the rise of TV reality shows.
The magazine previously said: 'Forget Hollywood smiles. Today it's all about the Brentwood smile.
A new poll found 58 per cent of people who had veneers fitted were not told that they may need replacing after just 10 years
'The bleached white teeth popularised by the cast of TOWIE, Brentwood's top topless model-cum-vegan bodybuilder Jodie Marsh, and X-Factor runner up Rylan, born just down the road in Stanford-le-Hope.
'Not everyone wants a rictus as radiant as Rylan's, of course, but white is clearly in.'
Data from market analysts Kantar Worldpanel revealed oral care is outperforming the wider personal care and toiletries category which is down 2.1 per cent to 5.8 billion.
Toothbrush sales have soared 8.6 per cent thanks mainly to the growing popularity of electronic devices.
Mouthwash is also slightly up - driven by the health of market leader Listerine.
And although toothpaste may have dipped, average prices are up in defiance of the deflation in the wider category.
A new study of the Zika virus in mice raises hope for a way to protect pregnant women and their babies from the possible repercussions of being infected, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
The experimental treatment is derived from antibodies taken from the blood of people who have recovered from Zika infections.
Tested on pregnant mice, the treatment reduced levels of the virus in the mothers, and also protected their pups from the ravages of the virus.
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Researchers hailed the study as 'proof of principle that Zika virus during pregnancy is treatable'. Tested on pregnant mice, it reduced levels of the virus in mothers, and protected pups.
HOW IT WORKS In the study, the researchers screened 29 Zika-specific antibodies taken from the white blood cells of patients who recovered from Zika infections caused by strains in Asia, Africa and the Americas. They found one, called ZIKV-117, that neutralized all of the strains. The team then tested the antibodies in pregnant mice one day before and a day after infection with Zika. Advertisement
Zika, spread primarily through mosquitoes, has been known to cause birth defects in infants whose mothers have been infected during pregnancy.
'This is proof of principle that Zika virus during pregnancy is treatable, and we already have a human antibody that treats it, at least in mice,' said Dr. Michael Diamond of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, co-author of the study published on Monday in the journal Nature.
In the study, the researchers screened 29 Zika-specific antibodies taken from the white blood cells of patients who recovered from Zika infections caused by strains in Asia, Africa and the Americas.
They found one, called ZIKV-117, that neutralized all of the strains.
The team then tested the antibodies in pregnant mice one day before and a day after infection with Zika.
A researcher holds a tray of Zika virus growing in animal cells at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. There is no treatment available to block Zika virus in a pregnant woman from infecting her fetus and potentially causing severe birth defects. But researchers have identified a human antibody that prevents, in pregnant mice, the fetus from becoming infected and the placenta from being damaged.
'The antibody reduces virus in the mother and also in the fetus, and it protects against placental and fetal damage,' said Dr. James Crowe of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
'These naturally occurring human antibodies isolated from humans represent the first medical intervention that prevents Zika infection and damage to fetuses,' said Crowe.
'We're excited because the data suggests we may have antibody treatments in hand that could be developed for use in pregnant women,' he said.
ZIKA infection could cause lasting infertility and lead to men's testicles shrinking, medical researchers warned in a recent study (stock image)
Crowe said he intends to keep pressing ahead, licensing the product to commercial partners.
He believes it can be ready for human trials in nine to 12 months, 'if we go flat out.'
Still, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which funded the research, cautioned that not everything that works in mice works in people.
However, he said: 'The very fact that you did get a positive result in the mouse model is a pretty good impetus to take it to the next step, which could be a non-human primate, and see if the same things works in a non-human primate.'
Vanderbilt is in the process of licensing the antibody to privately held Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, which has begun ramping up production of the antibodies in a facility designed to meet FDA manufacturing specifications.
'The antibody reduces virus in the mother and also in the fetus, and it protects against placental and fetal damage,' said Dr. James Crowe of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (pictured).
As a treatment, antibodies for Zika could be given to pregnant women as infusions to offer temporary protection for the fetus.
The protection would last about three weeks, before another infusion is needed.
Getting support for a treatment for use in pregnant women may prove difficult, however.
'With many things outstanding in our knowledge gap with Zika, therapeutics that would be used in pregnant women to benefit an infected fetus is high risk and there is a lot of development work to be done to ensure those drugs could be used safely,' Rick Bright, who is leading Zika medical countermeasure development for Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and BARDA, said in an emailed statement.
Bright said the agency might be interested in supporting the treatment in later-stage development, after it has been proven successful in early-stage studies.
'It's important to keep in mind that 80 percent of people do not even know that they have been infected with Zika, so we are focused first on vaccines to prevent infection, diagnostics to determine if someone has been infected, and screening to prevent the spread of the virus through the blood supply,' he said.
Two weeks ago, two British tourists in Florida were reported to have contracted the Zika virus. The Foreign Office is now advising pregnant women not to visit Florida.
The news came as Bill Gates announced the details of a major project to tackle the problem.
The richest man in the world is turning his unrivalled global power to fighting Zika, the newest pandemic virus to threaten humanity.
Speaking exclusively to Good Health in a small conference room overlooking the Houses of Parliament, he leant back in his chair and declared: 'I think it's very likely we will have a vaccine against Zika and the intervention we're working on here will be one that makes a big difference.'
The richest man in the world, Bill Gates (pictured), is turning his unrivalled global power to fighting Zika, the newest pandemic virus to threaten humanity
Now 61, Mr Gates is rumpled-looking when we meet, and has little of the gloss you might associate with immense power and wealth.
While Mr Gates remains low key in explaining what he is doing, his intentions are anything but.
'We put $30 million into malaria research in 2002, we are the biggest funder of such research,' he said. Now it's Zika's turn.
Zika is spread by bites from disease carrying mosquitoes and the 'intervention' he was referring to are specially produced Zika-resistant mosquitoes designed to breed with wild mosquitoes and destroy their ability to transmit the virus to us.
If money is the answer, Mr Gates is the man who will conquer Zika. He was in London to launch a 14.5 milhead, lion programme to test this new way of neutralising Zika in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Medellin in Colombia.
A vaccine couldn't come too soon.
Zika has affected babies in 68 countries, mainly tropical, and is spreading. The virus, which causes stillbirth or microcephaly, an abnormally small could infect up to 93 million people before the epidemic dies out, according to statisticians in the journal Nature Microbiology in July, raising the frightening prospect of a major worldwide threat to an entire generation.
Last month Public Health England revealed that eggs from tropical tiger mosquitoes, a strain capable of carrying Zika, have been found in Folkestone, Kent
Last month Public Health England revealed that eggs from tropical tiger mosquitoes, capable of carrying Zika, have been found in Folkestone, Kent, but with winter approaching, added there is 'currently no risk to public health in the UK'.
However experts predict that more tiger mosquitoes are likely to arrive in Britain. 'It's important the Government invests in creating enhanced surveillance and control measures for mosquito species that may be imported from other countries,' according to James Logan, associate professor of medical entomology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
The worldwide Zika eradication plan being backed by 6.5 million from Bill Gates has been topped up with 4.1 million from Britain's Department for Overseas Development and the Wellcome Trust, with the rest coming from the U.S., Brazilian and Colombian governments. The project is being led by Professor Scott O'Neill, dean of science at Monash University in Melbourne.
It involves releasing millions of eggs from mosquitoes specially bred to carry bacteria called wolbachia which alter the mosquito's immune system to make it resistant to Zika so it doesn't carry it.
Illustration of a Zika virus attaching to the surface of a neural stem cell. This causes Zika fever leading to microcephaly, an abnormally small head, in newborns
The plan is Wolbachia mosquitoes will mate with wild mosquitoes and spread resistance to Zika, as well as dengue fever and chikungunya, both debilitating diseases which infect up to 500 million people a year, also transmitted by mosquito bites.
The Gates project is focused on aedes aegypti, the mosquito strain most responsible for transmitting tropical viruses (although another strain, aedes albopictus, the tiger mosquito whose eggs were found in Folkestone, has been identified by experts at London's Natural History Museum as a danger capable of spreading 25 viruses including Zika, while research in Brazil has shown a third species, culex quinquefasciatus, may also carry Zika).
The project involves people taking home boxes (the size of popcorn tubs) containing aedes aegypti eggs carrying the wolbachia bacteria and a supply of the food the mosquito larvae eat. Once the mosquitoes grow wings, householders are meant to release them.
In an earlier study started in 2014, schoolchildren in the city of Townsville, in Queensland, Australia, were recruited to take home the boxes and educate their parents on it.
A vaccine couldn't come too soon. Zika has already affected babies in 68 countries, mainly tropical, and is spreading
Earlier this year scientists announced that at least 80 per cent of the mosquitoes in Townsville were believed to be now Zika-free. Now the technique is to be tried in South America.
Almost a decade ago, Mr Gates announced he was leaving the hands-on management of his Microsoft empire to other people to devote himself full time to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable enterprise.
Poll Would YOU abort a baby if it had a strong chance of Zika-related birth defects? YES NO Would YOU abort a baby if it had a strong chance of Zika-related birth defects? YES 426 votes
NO 117 votes Now share your opinion
Professor O'Neill was alongside Mr Gates for the project's launch last week. He recognises that getting the public to help breed mosquitoes is a difficult strategy: 'It's not what people want to do,' he admits.
'All their lives they've been told to kill mosquitoes and now they're being asked to nurture and release them into the environment. That's why we're involving children.'
Meanwhile, there are about 30 other Zika vaccines in development, some of which could hold as much promise, but it's not clear that any have a similar scale of investment as the wolbachia project. Seek, a London biotech company, has devised a vaccine using a harmless mosquito saliva protein.
After it's injected into people, their bodies produce antibodies to the protein which then prevent viruses including Zika, getting in via a mosquito bite.
The first human trials are to start next month. Seek tried unsuccessfully three times to get funding from the Gates Foundation, before turning to the U.S. government's National Institutes of Health
A Seek spokesman said: 'Scientific research is very fashion driven and if there is huge in one particular field, that can eclipse interest in ideas that might work better.'
Mr Gates said while he didn't know specifics about vaccine research: 'The [wolbachia project] isn't a replacement for drugs, vaccines or other treatments but this intervention alone could make a big difference.'
Nature has always been a rich source of inspiration in developing new medicines.
It's estimated nearly half the pharmaceutical drugs in use are derived from natural sources, mainly plants.
Now nature is helping science to combat major illnesses in other ways, too, with researchers designing medical devices and surgical instruments based on the unique features of certain animals or plants.
The field even has its own name 'bioinspiration'.
'We've been developing medicines and treatments for a few thousand years, but nature has been evolving solutions to problems for hundreds of millions of years,' says Dr Chris Holland, from the department of materials science and engineering at Sheffield University.
Scientists at Harvard Medical School's Laboratory of Accelerated Medical Innovation have been developing surgical staples based on the quills of the North American porcupine
Jeffrey Karp, an associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in the US, is seen as a world expert on bioinspiration and is involved in several major breakthroughs in the field.
'The opportunities are enormous,' says Prof Karp.
'Nature is like an encyclopaedia of solutions for scientists because any species of plant or animal that survives has evolved to solve problems.'
One well known example is inspired by a dog's powerful sense of smell.
There are several anecdotal tales of dogs finding their owners' undetected cancers, which scientists put down to the dogs' ability to pick up traces of volatile organic compounds given off as gases by tumours.
Numerous electronic noses are now in development, including the Na-Nose, which sniffs out lung cancer by analysing these compounds in a patient's breath.
Here we look at some of the other nature-inspired new medical technologies set to benefit us all.
WASP PROBE FOR BRAIN SURGERY
One species of wasp has a unique feature which is set to transform brain surgery.
The female wood-boring wasp, native to Europe, Asia and north Africa, has a hollow needle-like probe protruding from her rear which she uses to deposit eggs in the wood of dead or dying trees.
It's made of three overlapping sections with interlocking teeth which can slide along each other.
It uses this mechanism to bore through rotting wood, pushing one section into the soft wood until it encounters tougher material. It can then pull another section down along the teeth for added force.
The probe is also flexible enough to bend round hard bits in search of softer material.
The female wood-boring wasp, native to Europe, Asia and north Africa, has a hollow needle-like probe protruding from her rear
Last year, neurosurgeons at Imperial College London began testing probes that mimic that of the wasp's to deliver drugs deep into the brain.
Currently, neurosurgeons have to insert rigid, plastic hollow devices called cannulas to deliver drugs into the brain or drain fluid from it.
But these can only be inserted in a straight path, potentially damaging tissue on the way.
Imperial College scientists developed a prototype robotic needle, inspired by the wasp, which is firm enough to push through brain tissue but also flexible enough to bend.
Like the wasp's probe the needle has three interlocking segments, giving it the flexibility to travel along curved paths. So far, the wasp needle has been tested only on brain tissue in the lab, but human trials are planned by 2020.
PORCUPINE QUILLS FOR STITCHES
Scientists at Harvard Medical School's Laboratory of Accelerated Medical Innovation have been developing surgical staples based on the quills of the North American porcupine.
The quills serve as a superb defence mechanism they're very sharp and each has microscopic backward-facing arrow-like barbs on its tip.
Porcupine quills serve as a superb defence mechanism they're very sharp and each has microscopic backward-facing arrow-like barbs on its tip
This feature allows the quills to penetrate skin easily. But the barbs flare out if the quill is pulled, making it extremely hard to remove.
The Harvard team realised this natural design was ideal for the development of surgical staples.
Existing staples can cause large punctures, increasing the chances of bacteria getting in. The porcupine quills leave only tiny entry points.
In 2014, the Harvard team, led by Professor Karp reported they had developed a prototype staple based on porcupine quills which gripped tissue tightly but damaged skin less.
LEUKAEMIA TEST FROM JELLYFISH
Patients with acute myeloid leukaemia, a type of blood cancer, are usually treated with chemotherapy.
But even those who achieve remission still have low levels of cancerous cells circulating in their blood.
Doctors currently use a microfluidic device not much larger than a phone SIM card to check patients' blood for cancerous cells: as the blood flows through tiny channels in the device, adhesives on the sides 'capture' cancer cells.
If cancer cells are found, then more chemotherapy can be given.
But it works only if the cells make contact with the sides and the devices often fail to spot cells in the early stages of cancer.
Doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital are developing a device that could do a good job of finding cancer cells, inspired by the way jellyfish capture their food
Now doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital are developing a device that could do a better job, inspired by the way jellyfish capture their food.
Jellyfish have dozens of tentacles with thousands of stinging cells on the surface to stun prey. The tentacles stretch out into the water to catch any passing food, mainly plankton.
The new microfluidic device has dozens of 'tentacles', or strands. These float around inside the channels and are made from the patient's own DNA harvested from bone marrow this binds to a protein on the leukaemia cells.
With this extra 'fishing net', blood can be pumped through more quickly and test results produced in a tenth of the time.
The technology could be in routine use among leukaemia patients within three to five years.
LOTUS LEAVES TO STOP BLOOD CLOTS
The leaves of the lotus flower plant have a remarkable way of keeping themselves clean and healthy, with a highly waterproof coating.
Rain forms into 'beads', which roll off the leaf, carrying away dirt and deposits that might interfere with the plant's exposure to sunlight.
So when Harvard scientists wanted to develop a coating for medical implants that would repel blood and fluid, they based it on the lotus leaf.
The leaves of the lotus flower plant have a remarkable way of keeping themselves clean and healthy, with a highly waterproof coating
All medical devices used internally increase the risk of a potentially fatal blood clot because blood cells tend to 'stick' to the surface of foreign materials.
But by coating such implants and devices with a synthetic form of the lotus leaf waterproof chemical, scientists hope to significantly reduce the risks.
They coated a range of different devices with two chemicals similar to those found on lotus leaves. In each case, the coating reduced the build-up of blood cells four-fold, slashing the likelihood of a clot forming.
GECKO FEET LINK TO SURGICAL GLUE
Surgical glues have transformed treatment of minor cuts and abrasions.
But the problem with most glues is that they are hydrophilic they dissolve easily in water or fluid such as blood so can't be used deep inside the body.
One solution may come from gecko feet. Geckos have millions of tiny hairs under their five toes which allow them to stick to smooth surfaces. The end of each hair splits into tinier fragments, called spatula, each shaped like a kitchen spatula.
Geckos have millions of tiny hairs under their five toes which allow them to stick to smooth surfaces. The end of each hair splits into tinier fragments, each shaped like a kitchen spatula
Their sheer number and proximity to the surface means the gecko feet can conform to any shape or surface, wet or dry, and this has been the basis for the development of a new adhesive tape for surgery.
Now a Paris-based company, Gecko Biomedical, has been set up to commercialise the tape, which will be used to cover large internal wounds in a trial which began earlier this year.
Another option for the future has taken its inspiration from the tiny sandcastle worm, found mainly on the coast of California.
It builds hive-like shelters on the sea bed by secreting a glue that bonds individual grains of sand together the glue sets in seconds despite being submersed in water.
Last year, a team of scientists at the University of California Santa Barbara published a paper in Nature Materials showing they had successfully produced a synthetic glue based on worm glue it could stick materials such as glass, wood and biological tissue even when wet.
Their sheer number and proximity to the surface means the gecko feet can conform to any shape or surface, wet or dry
And it worked without applying pressure.
It could mean surgeons operating deep inside the body will soon be able to glue tissue together rather than injure it further by piercing it with needles and sutures. Glueing broken bones could also be a possibility.
The sandcastle worm glue contains two types of proteins, one carrying a positive electrical charge, the other a negative.
They bond together to form a porous, honeycomb-like structure of immense strength and flexibility which is hydro-phobic, meaning it repels water and fluids.
Scientists used the same principles to develop the surgical glue.
WORMS INSPIRE NEW SKIN GRAFT
Treatments for burns and scars could soon be using a key feature of a tiny creature called the spiny-headed worm.
Called Pomphorhynchus laevis, it sets up home in the intestines of fish by plunging head-first into the host's intestinal wall. The worm then swells its head for a secure hold, allowing it to feed on nutrients in fish blood.
The strength and simplicity of the technique inspired scientists at Harvard Medical School to produce an adhesive patch to hold delicate skin grafts in place, without damaging surrounding tissue further.
Treatments for burns and scars could soon be using a key feature of a tiny creature called the spiny-headed worm
The patch features hundreds of tiny cone-shaped needles with tips that swell when exposed to water in the surface of the skin.
The needles pierce tissue with minimal force and once the tips have swollen, are 'locked' in place so the graft cannot move. It can be easily removed as the needles cannot rip skin.
Current techniques with stitches or staples can damage skin and tear the graft's edges.
In a 2013 report, the scientists said the worm-inspired patch was three times stronger than sutures or staples, increasing the chances of grafts staying in place and bonding with skin.
SPIDER SILK FOR KNEE IMPLANTS
Spider silk is 25 times tougher than high-tensile steel, weight for weight. It's also very flexible and biocompatible (it doesn't get rejected by the immune system).
That's why Oxford University set up the Oxford Silk Group to explore how spiders' web-building prowess could benefit medicine.
The result is an implant called FibroFix, which is set to undergo clinical trials in Britain to treat damaged joint cartilage. The implant is made from fibroin, the major protein found in silk from spiders and silk worms.
Spider silk is 25 times tougher than high-tensile steel, weight for weight. It's also very flexible and biocompatible (it doesn't get rejected by the immune system)
Scientists developed a manufacturing process where fibroin molecules can be aligned in the same way they are in spider silk.
It meant they could produce a soft, material spongy enough to work like cartilage absorbing loads during running, say but tough enough to withstand the body's weight on the joint.
She's not alone. Many patients are misdiagnosed as tests are inaccurate
Bladder infections such as cystitis are extremely common and yet many patients typically women end up being misdiagnosed.
So they miss out on the treatment that could help them and instead are left in agony, often for years, and undergoing painful treatments they do not need, say campaigners.
Carolyn Andrew's story is far from unique.
For eight months she struggled with her symptoms sometimes needing to pass urine up to six times an hour, with severe pain in her bladder which doctors insisted were not caused by an infection, leaving her 'desperate' and 'suicidal', says the 65-year-old retired college lecturer.
For eight months 65-year-old Carolyn Andrew struggled with her symptoms, which doctors insisted were not caused by an infection, leaving her 'desperate' and 'suicidal'
Her problems began in August 2014 after a four-and-a-half-hour, 300-mile car journey she and her husband Jack, 67, a retired engineering lecturer, made from their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire to the Edinburgh Festival.
'We wanted to get there quickly so I had to hold on for the loo,' recalls Carolyn.
Not long afterwards she noticed the characteristic symptoms of cystitis, a burning sensation when passing urine and pain in the bladder.
Her symptoms worsened and she saw a GP who sent a urine sample to a laboratory, prescribing an antibiotic in the meantime.
But it made no difference and two days later the GP phoned her to say lab test results for an infection were negative.
Back home, Carolyn was tested by her GP four times, but each time the test came back negative she didn't have an infection.
Her symptoms persisted and four courses of different antibiotics failed to clear them.
'I think the GP was aware the urine tests can sometimes be inaccurate and was just trying to find something that might work', says Carolyn.
'By this stage I also had a dull ache in my bladder and was needing the loo six times an hour, I just couldn't get out of the house.'
It was not until May 2015 when she saw a specialist, James Malone-Lee, an emeritus professor of medicine from University College London who has revived an old approach to treating chronic cystitis from the Twenties that she was finally diagnosed.
Carolyn was tested by her GP four times, but each time the test came back negative she didn't have an infection. Four courses of different antibiotics failed to clear the symptoms
Yet by this time Carolyn had been seen by a urologist and told she had interstitial cystitis, a chronic condition, and had undergone a procedure to increase the capacity of the bladder by inflating it with fluid that may reduce the frequency of urination but in Carolyn's case it made no difference.
She had also had a cystoscopy, where a camera is inserted into the bladder this showed her bladder was inflamed and she was prescribed medication to stop the bladder contracting abnormally.
This worked initially but she had to stop taking them after she suffered side-effects.
'I'd lost a stone in weight in just over a month and isolated myself from friends and family and felt suicidal.
'I made an emergency appointment and saw another GP who prescribed me the antidepressant amitriptyline because it can stop the bladder's muscles contracting.
'It did reduce the frequency to twice an hour but the pain got worse.'
Yet once she was correctly diagnosed and on the appropriate low-term antibitotics, she was pain-free and, bar the odd flare up if she drinks anything acidic, she's had no symptoms ever since.
Symptoms of urinary tract infections include burning or stinging pain when passing urine, frequent urination and a feeling of urgency even when the bladder is empty
Four million people a year in the UK suffer urinary tract infections (UTIs), most commonly cystitis, the majority of them women (their urethra is closer to the bottom, so is more prone to contamination).
Symptoms include burning or stinging pain when passing urine, frequent urination and a feeling of urgency even when the bladder is empty.
For most patients, a short course of antibiotics will sort it out within days.
But according to the Cystitis and Overactive Bladder Foundation, for 400,000 women like Carolyn, it's not so simple, and the painful bladder symptoms simply don't go away.
Yet subsequent urine tests come back negative for an infection and they're diagnosed instead with interstitial cystitis and overactive bladder (a problem with bladder storage which causes a sudden urge to urinate, and is treated with drugs to relax the bladder).
Unlike other types of cystitis there is no obvious infection.
But campaigners believe that many women diagnosed with interstitial cystitis may actually have cystitis caused by bacteria.
Four million people a year in the UK suffer urinary tract infections (UTIs), most commonly cystitis. For most patients, a short course of antibiotics will sort it out within days
The problem, they say, lies with urine dipstick tests, which miss up to 50 per cent of infections, or the mid-stream laboratory culture tests, which they say miss about the same amount.
These infections tend to persist because they either aren't treated early enough with antibiotics or the dosage or course is not high or long enough to kill off the bugs completely, so they survive and the infection becomes chronic.
'Failures in the diagnosis of chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) condemn many sufferers to a life of agony and painful, ineffective surgical interventions (such as cystoscopies, biopsies and bladder stretches)' says a spokesperson for The Chronic Urinary Tract Campaign, a patient-led pressure group.
The issue was raised in parliament last week by Catherine West, Labour MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, who told the Commons that questions about the accuracy of dipstick tests were first raised in the Eighties.
'Too many people have told me that they have spent years reporting horrendous symptoms and suffering terrible pain, but they have been dismissed and told they do not have an infection because the culture was negative,' Catherine West told MPs.
According to the Cystitis and Overactive Bladder Foundation, for 400,000 women like Carolyn, the painful bladder symptoms simply don't go away
The Minister for public health and innovation Nicola Blackwood has agreed to discuss how this can be changed, and has asked the NICE guideline surveillance committee to look at the research of Professor Malone-Lee, the expert who saw Carolyn.
Professor Malone-Lee, who has a specialist bladder clinic in Hornsey, north London, has reinvented an approach first used in the Twenties, using a different type of urine test that involves using a microscope to a check a fresh sample.
This technique was overtaken during the 1950s by centralised testing of all samples at one laboratory - by which time the samples have aged and are less likely to give an accurate result, says Professor Malone-Lee.
In the 1980s dip stick tests were introduced which allow more immediate testing but lack accuracy.
The older microsope method, he says, picks up previously undiagnosed urinary tract infections.
He then treats patients with a long-term high dose of a low spectrum antibiotic (which targets fewer types of bacteria but reduces the likelihood of antibiotic resistance developing) and which is stopped and then restarted.
In the 1980s dip stick tests were introduced which allow more immediate testing but lack accuracy, but some experts say these tests simply aren't sensitive enough
He also prescribes an antiseptic (Hiprex) which stops the growth of bacteria in urine.
It is a controversial approach, because the standard treatment recommended by NICE for acute UTIs is a three-day course of antibiotics for an uncomplicated infection and five to ten days for a complicated infection (where the underlying health of the patient is thought to be a problem).
For recurrent infections the guidelines are the same, with the proviso that if patients fail to respond to treatment or further tests are negative then a diagnosis of interstitial cystitis, also known as painful bladder syndrome, should be considered.
Professor Malone-Lee told Good Health: 'I'm seeing people in a desperate state on average they have been coping with a chronic urinary infection for six-and-a-half years before they get to see me.'
Professor Malone-Lee says dipstick tests simply aren't sensitive enough and lab cultures tests have thresholds which are based on outdated flawed data and don't pick up lower level infections either.
He says GPs and consultants shouldn't simply rely on tests alone to diagnose UTIs and should take a careful history and examine the patient.
Eighteen months later Carolyn is still taking antibiotics but hopes to come off them eventually
'I test fresh samples under a microscope and do a white blood cell count and this picks up many previously undiagnosed bacterial infections.
'I accept long term courses of antibiotics are not ideal with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, but we shouldn't let this be used as an excuse to deny treatment to patients who need them,' he says.
Professor Malone-Lee said he was much more interested in patients with UTIs being diagnosed at the very beginning and treated sufficiently to clear the infection properly because this might avoid a chronic problem developing.
Health economists estimate Professor Malone-Lee's approach costs 409,000 to treat 1,000 patients a year, compared with 5.3 million for the NHS to treat the same number of patients with conventional methods.
Dr Brian Parsons, a urology fellow at Guy's Hospital, agrees the current urine test used in GP surgeries and clinics is far from perfect.
'There's definitely a case for a more accurate test, but I think microscope tests would probably be too time consuming for GPs to perform'.
The dipstick test takes seconds to perform but microscopy takes five to ten minutes.
'And the problem with treating with long term antibiotics is that we already have a big problem with antibiotic resistance.
'In some parts of the country 80 per cent of bacterial UTIs are resistant to amoxicillin (a standard antibiotic for UTIs) for instance and as doctors we have to bear this in mind when prescribing for individual patients.'
There are many theories about why some women and men are plagued with chronic UTIs.
One of the latest is that a previous E.coli infections a bug that causes cystitis reprogramme the lining of the bladder if it isn't treated early enough, making it more susceptible.
Carolyn says 'something needs to be done to stop thousands of women, and men and children, going through such agony'
Another theory is that bacteria are able to hide inside the 'cloak of invisibility' created by a biofilm, which is made of microorganisms that stick to each other and cover a surface, in this case the bladder wall.
Here the bacteria are beyond the reach of antibiotics, re-emerging when the immune system is under stress.
Drinking cranberry juice is often recommended to protect against UTIs because they contain chemicals which prevent bacteria sticking to the walls of the bladder.
However, a study by Yale University published last week found it had no impact on infection rates.
Eighteen months later Carolyn is still taking antibiotics but hopes to come off them eventually.
She says 'something needs to be done to stop thousands of women, and men and children, going through such agony'.
An article on August 8 about expenses claimed by top police officers said that Chief Constable Phil Gormley was living rent-free at Tulliallan Castle. In fact he is now paying rent, his pension has been put in abeyance and he was in retirement before being reemployed by Police Scotland for only nine weeks, not nine months. We are happy to set the record straight.
A report on October 25 of the trial of Suman Das for sexually assaulting a woman during a flight repeated the prosecutions claim that he was Qatari. In fact Mr Das is Indian.
However RSS leader Suresh Bhaiyaji Joshi recently said it was the duty of the government to take care of cows
Other Gau Rakshaks are often mobs of right-wing nationalist
Home Minister Rajnath Singh has once again stressed the importance of cow protection to Indian culture.
Alluding to the significance of cows during Mughal rule, and drawing on scientific studies, Singh urged states to implement stricter adherence to the rules against cow slaughter.
Sharing the stage with gau rakshaks at a function held in memory of those killed during a demonstration on the issue here 50 years ago, Rajnath said, According to a study by scientists in USA, cows and humans share 80 percent of same genes.
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Home Minister Rajnath Singh has stressed the importance of cow protection, claiming that, according to a study by scientists in USA, cows and humans share 80 percent of same genes
"So there is not much difference between us.
As far as cow is concerned, it is not just a cultural issue, it is an issue of faith. But besides being an issue of faith, it is also an issue which should be viewed from economic, historical and scientific perspective, he said.
Singh said the NDA government was working towards enforcing complete ban on smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh and taken a number of steps in this regard, but achieved only partial success keeping in view the long borders.
He said that apart from the steps taken by the Centre, there needs to be introspection in this matter even from the point of view of climate change, which is a challenge for the country.
Cattle in Hindu India are considered to be holy and when they die local people adorn the corpse in coloured paint and peace offerings
We have taken a number of measures and will try to put a complete ban on smuggling of cows, but I feel this will take some time, Singh said, adding Article 48 of the Constitution mentions that governments will work to stop cow slaughter.
We should understand that India is a federal country and there is need to take the states into confidence.
"He also said that there is a historical importance attached to the issue.
Cow slaughter and beef was banned since the vedic times. Even during the Mughal rule, it was banned during the times of Bahadurshah Zafar, Akbar and Jehangir.
"It has even been written in the Babarnama that one cannot rule over Hindustan unless you stop cow slaughter, said Singh.
Rajnath told the crowd, 'According to a study by scientists in USA, cows and humans share 80 percent of same genes'
Swami Gyanand Maharaj, who shared the stage, promised the gathering that the government was actively looking at making an amendment to such an MHA advisory against cow vigilantes.
However, sources indicate that the sentiment expressed at the dais is not one shared by the Central Government.
This is, however, the first time any cabinet minister was seen sharing such a dais with cow protection groups after Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly condemned actions by anti-social elements masquerading as gau rakshaks.
Singh said that cow slaughter and beef has been banned since the vedic times. Even during the Mughal rule, it was banned during the times of Bahadurshah Zafar, Akbar and Jehangir.
Modi had in August this year asked the State governments to prepare a dossier on such cow protectors, while asserting that about 80 per cent of them would be found to be involved in illegal activities.
The crowds in stadium were men gathered from across the country.
They also included BJP members, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and even RSS men. Senior RSS leader Suresh Bhaiyaji Joshi said it duty of the government to take care of cows.
Another Sangh leader said that this government has taken steps like the surgical strike was capable of bringing in law to ban cow slaughter."
Over 200 students along with the mother of missing student Najeeb Ahmed were detained on Sunday by Delhi Police near India Gate.
The students were held while they were staging a protest against police inaction in the case.
The police also allegedly manhandled Najeebs mother Fatima, while the detainees were later taken to Mandi Marg police station.
Over 200 students along with the mother of missing student Najeeb Ahmed were detained on Sunday by Delhi Police near India Gate. The police also allegedly manhandled Najeebs mother - pictured.
However, Najeebs mother was later released by the police.
Shahid Raza, one of the protesters, told reporters: The police detained us on way to India Gate. They manhandled Najeebs mother.
"In fact, two young women riding an auto-rickshaw were detained by male police officials who were not accompanied by any woman police official.
Police sources said that the protesters were detained since restrictions under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code prohibited assembly of four or more people.
Earlier President Pranab Mukherjee assured that he will seek a report from the Ministry of Home Affairs on the missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed.
The statement was made by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after he met the President on Sunday.
Najeeb Ahmed, a student of School of Biotechnology in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and a resident of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, has been missing since October 15.
The BJP on Sunday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress and the Left of orchestrating the protest by JNU students at India Gate, saying they cannot digest the good work done by the Narendra Modi government.
BJP National Secretary Shrikant Sharma said the party prays that JNU student Najeeb Ahmed is found safe, adding that it was tragic that he could not be traced yet.
Police sources said that the protesters were detained since restrictions under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code prohibited assembly of four or more people
Police permission was taken for Jantar Mantar but they have intentionally gone to India Gate where Section 144 of CrPC is imposed.
Arvind Kejriwal had gone to JNU campus a few days back and influenced the students to take this step, Sharma alleged.
He asserted that none of the political leaders in the opposition had any concern for the missing students and that they were only playing politics.
The opposition, be it the AAP, Congress or the Left cannot digest the fact that the Modi government is fulfiling all its promises even as they cant.
"It is shameful that they are using students to hit out at the Modi government, Sharma said.
He claimed that the BJP was providing a corruption-free government and hence the opposition was trying to use various incidents to attack it.
Stating that the opposition was devoid of ideas, he slammed them for resorting to politically milking the missing scholar.
Najeeb, a Biotechnology student, has been missing since a brawl at his hostel on October 14.
The Left-linked All India Students Association (AISA) has alleged that before he vanished, Najeeb was beaten up by activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is linked to the RSS.
The ABVP, however, has denied any involvement in his disappearance.
The protest comes days after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other leaders of the opposition parties visited the university during a protest regarding the missing student.
Najeeb Ahmad's mother with members of SDPI demand justice for the missing JNU student
The students have accused the JNU authorities of not doing enough to trace him.
Last month, the protesting students had kept the Vice-Chancellor, Rector and other University officials confined in the administrative block for a whole night, demanding that they take action to trace Najeeb.
Police have announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for any information on Najeeb.
See how Najeeb's mother was dragged by Delhi police. Mr. @rajnathsingh , nothing more shameful can happen under your rule.@ArvindKejriwal pic.twitter.com/zlWhBZsed0 Satarupa Chakraborty (@satarupajnu) November 6, 2016
Najeeb's mother misbehaved by Delhi police, beaten up and dragged into police van, now detained in Mayapuri PS. pic.twitter.com/mUNK7Jf17f Satarupa Chakraborty (@satarupajnu) November 6, 2016
Kejriwal seeks President's help to trace student
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said that President Pranab Mukherje assured him that he will seek a report from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the JNU administration on the missing student.
The Chief Minister called on the President and then spoke to reporters after the meeting, he said he apprised Mukherjee of the matter.
He also alleged that the Delhi Police did not take any action in the matter due to political pressure.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal calls on President Pranab Mukherjee (left) on the issue of missing JNU student
People who were involved in the brawl with Najeeb were questioned by the police on Saturday, 22 days after he went missing.
That was also a formality.
We have apprised the President of the matter. He has assured us that he will seek a report from the Delhi Police and JNU in this regard, Kejriwal said.
Met Honble Prez to seek his intervention on missing JNU student Najeeb. He assured of all support n that he will seek report from MHA n JNU, he later tweeted.
The practice is banned in Pakistan, Afghanistan and around the world but not in India
Triple talaq is the practice of saying 'I
RSS female wing, the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, wants the practice of triple talaq among the Muslim community to end, although it says the voices of change need to come from within.
In an exclusive interview, second-in-command of the worlds largest body of Hindu women volunteers Seetha Annadanam spoke to Mail Today.
The Pramukh Karyavahika or the general secretary of the Samiti said the organisation had been discussing the problem as part of its discussion and also at the shakhas which she claimed had been attended by a large number of women from the Muslim community.
RSS female wing, the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, wants the practice of triple talaq among the Muslim community to end, though the voices of change need to come from within (file pic)
Just as the RSS, the samiti too is organised on the lines of local shakhas. Though it is a personal issue, we believe that there should be no discrimination and injustice.
"As an organisation dedicated to women, we stand for equal rights and equal protection and we recently passed a resolution on the womens rights issues involved in the larger issues of uniform civil code.
"We want equal rights for women, she said.
However, this problem has propped up from within their (Muslim communitys) society and the voices will also have to rise from within the community.
Triple talaq is the practice of saying 'I Divorce you' three times. The practice is banned in Pakistan, Afghanistan and around the world but not in India.
"We cannot, as third persons, issue any solutions to that. But, again, from the vantage of citizenship and with a view to womens rights, they (Muslim women) must get equality, said Annadanam.
"We try to educate the educated class among the community so as to bring positive change, she added.
The Samiti turned 80 this year, having been founded in 1936 on Dussehra.
It is organising a three-day All-India Volunteers Inspiration Conclave (Akhil Bharatiya Karyakarta Prerna Shivir) in Delhi, starting November 11.
We are organising this conclave to give our volunteers a definite direction for the future.
"The theme is centred on the role of the family in Indian tradition and polity: how to move from building the family to building the nation, Annadanam told Mail Today.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will be the chief guest on the opening day.
Among the whos who to attend the event would also be Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Paralympic silvermedalist Deepa Malik.
Government isnt 'bulldozing minorities' on triple talaq
The dispensation was not interfering with the religious or Shariat matters of the biggest Indian minority, said Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
Modi government has not been trying to bulldoze the Muslim community over the triple talaq matter.
The dispensation was not interfering with the religious or Shariat matters of the biggest Indian minority, said Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
The Union Minister told Mail Today that some people were spreading misconceptions for their narrow political self interest.
They are trying to divert attention from real issues and development agenda. Only the agenda of development can defeat all other kinds of negative agenda, he added.
Drawing attention to the much heated debate recently, surrounding the practice of triple talaq, Naqvi clarified that there was a need for a positive debate and discussion at the national level for an inclusive outcome.
So far as triple talaq and issues surrounding the Uniform Civil Code are concerned, there should be a positive discussion on this issue.
"Debate and discussions are important parts of any democracy. National consensus should be achieved through national debate.
Masters of corruption are unable to digest the corruption-free, development-oriented system provided by the Central Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Naqvi said.
Naqvi has been proactive since he took charge of the ministry in the last reshuffle, replacing Najma Heptullah.
The ministry since has made it clear that minorities, especially the Muslims, would not be left out of the mainstream, that Naqvi ascribes to the previous governments.
The Modi government has been moving forward for empowerment of all needy people including minorities with the mantra of Vikas Bhi, Vishwas Bhi (development along with trust).
Meanwhile, Naqvi inaugurated a Progress Panchayat in a village in Uttarakhands Uddham Singh Nagar recently.
An Afghan national was offloaded from a Kam Air flight following what was described as severe health complications. And police had a major surprise when they sent him for a detailed medical checkup.
Medical examinations revealed that the man had consumed 57 capsules containing contraband that had led to his extreme discomfort.
The incident occurred on October 3 when two Afghan nationals boarded the flight.
Medical examinations revealed 'something fishy' and the man was suffering extreme abdominal pain (file pic)
One of them, identified as Ghulam Rabani (43), became unwell at the airport.
As Rabani was under immense abdominal pain, he was immediately taken to AIIMS.
"We smelled something fishy and asked the doctors to examine him thoroughly, said DCP of IGI, Sanjay Bhatia.
Doctors operated upon the patient on October 4 and found 57 well-wrapped polythene coated capsules in his stomach.
The capsules contained heroin. The total weight of the contraband recovered from his stomach is 525 grams. It is worth Rs 2 crore in the international market, Bhatia said.
The DCP added that Delhi police is making efforts to unearth the whole smuggling racket in Delhi and its international connections.
Bhatia told Mail Today that the accused is undergoing treatment and is currently recuperating in ICU.
Due to this, an interrogation has not yet been possible.
Police are hoping that Rabani will be able to provide vital clues about his handlers in Delhi and abroad.
During investigation, it did not appear that the man accompanying him could also be involved in the racket.
However, he too was offloaded and is currently under the watch of police.
Rabani arrived in India on a medical visa in October, but he did not visit any hospital for treatment so far, it was revealed.
The total weight of the contraband recovered from his stomach is 525 grams and has a street value of Rs 2 crore
Police said that it is a one-of-its-kind incident where a passenger has taken such a high risk with his health to smuggle contraband from India.
The governing authority of IGI airport had recently decided to install a full-body scanner at all terminals to prevent any kind of smuggling.
The machines will be made operational by the end of this month as part of enhanced security and counter-terror measures.
This will be the first time a full-body scanner will be installed and made operational for trial purposes at any civil airport in the country, officials said.
The scanner, procured from a German firm, works on the Millimetre Wave (MMW) Technology which does not give out the exact body contours of a flier under inspection at the scanner but puts out a generic mannequin figure depicting only metalic and non-metalic objects on an individuals body, sources said.
The scanner will ensure a targeted search and will look out for prohibited items that can be concealed such as liquid gels, ceramics, cutters, recording devices, knives and other weapons.
It is expected that the scanner will be made operational on trial basis at IGIs domestic terminal 1D for fliers on voluntary basis.
India has thus far been unable to extradite him from the UK
Vijay Mallya was once one of India's top business men but is now wanted for questioning over defaulted loan payments
India's infamous - 'King of Good Times' - liquor baron Vijay Mallya is hiding in England
India's infamous King of Good Times - liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who is on the run for tax evasion, and VVIP chopper scam accused Christian Michel top the list of the 57 alleged 'criminals' India want handed over by the UK for questioning.
Officials accompanying Britain Prime Minister Theresa May, in turn, have given India a list of 17 accused they want in return.
Others who make it to the list include Sikh terrorists, other AgustaWestland accused and an accused paedophile.
It is known that the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Enforcement Directorate have given separate lists of both Indian and British nationals wanted by India.
The cooperation is already paying rich dividends as 2002 riot accused Sameer Bhai Patel was recently extradited to India.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves towards the media as his British counterpart Theresa May looks on
Another accused, Rajesh Kapoor, who is wanted in connection with child abduction is in the process of being extradited.
VVIP chopper scam accused Christian Michel
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and May signed multiple memorandums on trade and intellectual property rights, as internal security of both the countries received a shot in the arm.
Both countries agreed to have cordial relations and cooperate on homeland security on similar lines as India and US post 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
The India-UK joint statement on extradition said, In this context, they ( Modi and May) directed that officials dealing with extradition matters from both sides should meet at the earliest to develop better understanding of each countries legal processes and requirements; share best practices, and identify the causes of delays and expedite pending requests.
World's worst boss? Ryanair's Michael O'Leary
Ryanair scallywag Michael O'Leary is advertising for an assistant.
Applicants to what the airline describes as the 'worst job in Ireland' should have 'thick skin' 'saint-like patience' and 'an ability to operate without sleep or contact with the outside world'.
It notes 'Man U supporters and cyclists will not only be automatically excluded from the process, but will be tracked down, tortured and shot'.
Is the ad a spoof? A Ryanair spokesman advises: 'It's genuine.'
Deputy Bank of England governor Ben Broadbent remains favourite to succeed Mark Carney as governor in 2019. Broadbent, 51, would certainly be popular choice, regarded by colleagues as affable and easy-going.
But some wonder if the Government will want another ex-Goldman Sachs man in the job.
His spluttering response on Radio 4's Today when recently asked about the post ('I haven't even thought about it') at least provided listeners of the early morning snoozeathon some rare comic relief.
JP Morgan boss Jamie Dimon, known as Wall Street's Mr Teflon after surviving a string of scandals, is said to avoid communicating digitally.
He occasionally uses email but just to reply with a brief 'Yes,' 'No' or 'Thank You' and never writes anything substantial.
A tip from his 2.5million-a-year bootlicker, Tony Blair? The former prime minister famously never put anything down in email while in Downing Street, as he couldn't use a computer.
That was the slippery eel's excuse, at any rate.
Air France-KLM's cultivated new boss Jean-Marc Janaillac, whose airline has laid off thousands of staff, says he likes to relieve stress by travelling to his mother's home near Bordeaux to prune her roses.
Perhaps 'pruning the roses' should become unmarried Monsieur Janaillac's delicate euphemism for further job cuts. Last year his executives had their shirts torn from their backs by feral staff during an angry meeting over redundancies.
I hear a troubled businessman's recent travails are not helped after taking a recent pounding at the casino.
So much vitriol has been expended in the US presidential election campaign on the malodorous character flaws of Donald Trump and careless emails of Hillary Clinton that we know less about the likely economic policy of these two candidates than in any other presidential election.
Nevertheless, if Clinton is elected (as polls and markets currently suggest) we should gird ourselves for the new economic era of 'monopsony.'
This is a condition which occurs when there is so little competition among businesses that it is the workers who suffer.
A lack of challengers means firms do not have to compete for competent employees and this drives wages down.
Crunch time: But we know less about the economic policies of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton than those of the candidates of any other presidential election
Distortions that can create inequality are traditionally tackled by 'soak-the-rich' tax policies of the kind tried by President Hollande in France. But monopsony makes the case for different kinds of intervention.
In the labour market this could involve broadening the reach of the minimum wage so, for instance, it covers workers in the hospitality and other sectors who are dependent on tips.
Profit sharing opportunities for employees could also be deployed. There may also be a case for strengthening collective bargaining weakened by Reagan- and Thatcher-style trade union reforms.
The most effective means of dealing with the issue might well be to reach back into America's trust-busting past, which was all about breaking up the big corporations so as to ensure price and employment competition.
If that were the case, some of the big mergers currently on the table such as the AT&T bid for Time Warner and the 105billion proposed deal between Dow Chemical and Du Pont could be interrupted.
Beyond that there may well be a case for anti-trust actions against the Silicon Valley giants. In the not so distant the past, the US Justice Department, using the Sherman Act, showed no fear in turning its guns on AT&T and breaking it up into seven different companies, injecting huge competition into US telecoms.
A 13-year anti-trust action against IBM was less successful but did lead the company to voluntarily unbundle many operations.
Using the same legislation against Apple could encourage the separation of its design and manufacturing from the 'Apple store' which forces users through its gateway to access music and other content.
If Clinton were bold enough and followed the advice of her more progressive advisers she could reshape the corporate landscape for the benefit of customers and workforces.
Farewell Brazil
The shadow of the past hovers over HSBC as much as it does the other UK-headquartered banks. In the third quarter HSBC's profits were heavily impacted by restructuring costs, most significantly a 1.4billion charge against the sale of its Brazilian offshoot.
The bank's history in Brazil can be traced back to 1976 but the great leap backwards came in 2003 when then chairman Sir John Bond bought Lloyds TSB's operation for 657million.
This is another of Bond's value-destroying acquisitions, which also included the doom-laden mortgage lender Household in the US, the late Edmund Safra's Republic Bank of New York and a money-laundering Mexican operation.
All have been unmitigated disasters and damaged HSBC's reputation for caution.
The current leadership team of chairman Douglas Flint and chief executive Stuart Gulliver has struggled to steady the ship.
Net earnings may have fallen 86 per cent to just 679million in the present quarter but the bank has augmented its capital ratios through sales and a change in the way it accounts for its stake in China's Bank of Communications.
That should ensure the dividend promise is maintained. Having agreed to keep its HQ in Britain the bank warns that UK retail profits may come under stress next year if the economy slows.
The main interest for many investors is what happens when Flint and Gulliver leave. A global search is on for an outsider to replace Flint but finding the right candidate has not proved easy.
A retired central banker, such as Mark Carney, could be a possibility but the wait may be too long. Activist investors such as Standard Life are urging an early change.
But other investors spoken to are in no hurry to give Flint and Gulliver their marching orders. Together they have narrowed the focus of the enterprise and in their view should be given time to finish the job rather than hurried into an unnecessary switch.
Beijing rising
As Theresa May courts Indian trade deals the Chinese continue to plunder UK technology without hindrance.
Hot on the heels of the sale of Framestone a UK visual effects firm that worked on Gravity and Superman Returns to China's Cultural Investment Holdings, Cambridge-based digital radio champion Sepura has caught the eye of Chinese investors.
Shares in the firm have soared amid interest from China's Hytera Communications Corp. It is months since the Prime Minster stood on the steps of Downing Street demanding an end to foreign takeovers and the loss of British high-tech expertise.
Airline boss Michael O'Leary revealed Ryanair will slash fares by up to 15 per cent this winter to combat the fallout from Brexit.
The outspoken boss of the low cost airline hinted the fare reductions could last as long as 18 months, with Ryanair using lower fuel prices and cost cutting to help pay for price cuts, as the airline aims to fill seats at whatever price it can to win market share.
O'Leary told Bloomberg TV: 'We are looking at a year where as far as we can see air fares will keep falling. We are looking at extraordinary fare declines.'
Not shy: Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has said the company will have lower fares to and from the UK for at least the next 12 months
Fares have already fallen by 10 per cent in the last six months alone, helping boost Ryanair's profits by 7 per cent and increasing passenger numbers over the period.
O'Leary described the price falls as 'good news for customers, not so good news for shareholders', but added that the latter would have to 'learn to live with it for the foreseeable future'.
Ryanair is looking to drum up the firm's UK traffic numbers before Brexit fully kicks in. Despite it being a European airline, Britain remains a key market for the Irish carrier. Lower fares could help tempt Britons to fly overseas, who may be wavering in the face of the sizeable fall in the pound, from 1.32 in May to 1.12 today.
But O'Leary also warned that once Brexit had been fully implemented, there would be a reduction in the number of flights operating from the UK and therefore prices would have to rise again.
O'Leary, who campaigned for Remain in the referendum, followed the company's announcement on prices by savaging the UK Government and its plans to leave the European Union.
He warned that the aviation industry faces uncertainty over what ownership restrictions would be in place after a 'Hard Brexit' and what routes could be flown if the UK leaves the EU's Open Skies aviation free market.
He described politicians negotiating Brexit as 'puddings' and claimed the UK economy is in 'real trouble'.
The Prime Minister is currently in Delhi trying to pave the way for the UK's first post-Brexit trade deal
O'Leary said: 'It's hard to believe that the UK Government could be more uncertain or it's going to get any less certain as to what the hell they're doing about Brexit. Given that they haven't an idea what the hell they're doing about Brexit in the first place.
'Mrs May is out in India about to give free movement to Indian citizens now. But at least you're controlling your borders here.
'You're going to prevent the Europeans coming here but at the cost of giving the Indians free visas and God knows what else. It's a shambles but long may it continue to be such a shambles until they realise they're better off staying in the single market.'
He went on: 'It looks like these puddings are heading for a hard Brexit simply because of their own incompetence. The UK has no negotiating position.'
The UK is a key market for Ryanair and Britons looking to take a break abroad have been hit by the big fall in the pound against the euro
The firm's six month results this morning appeared to show the airline's performance was holding up.
Half-year profits after tax reached 1.2billion (1billion) to the end of September, up from 1.1billion over the same period last year.
The results were better than expected given that the company is currently enduring turbulent market conditions triggered by air traffic control strikes, a string of overseas terror attacks and the economic fallout of the Brexit vote.
Shares in the firm, once famous for flying passengers to airports on the fringes of the major cities they serve, were up 5 per cent at 13.41 after lunch.
Just last month Ryanair was forced to slash its full year earnings forecasts, blaming the impact of the Brexit-hit pound.
The airline has pencilled in full-year earnings of between 1.30billion and 1.35billion, down from the previous range of 1.38billion to 1.43billion.
Ryanair has announced plans to buy back as much as 490million of stock after record passenger numbers helped profits soar.
The budget airline said that despite the uncertainty created by Brexit, its half-year profits had increased by 7 per cent to 1billion. Analysts had predicted earnings of 798million.
Following the good results, Ryanair, which flew 65million customers in the same period, increased its long-term traffic forecast by 10 per cent with a goal of carrying 200million passengers by March 2024.
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said the company's first-half performance was creditable in a period marked by terrorist attacks, airport strikes and the effect of the Brexit vote
However, the company said uncertainty over Brexit and the outcome of the UK's negotiations with the EU continued to hang over its business, and it reduced its planned UK growth in 2017 from 12 per cent to 5 per cent.
The Dublin carrier also scaled back plans to expand in the UK and shifted capacity to airports in Italy, Germany and Belgium.
Chief executive Michael O'Leary said the company's first-half performance was creditable in a period marked by terrorist attacks, airport strikes and the effect of the Brexit vote.
For most, the Rubik's Cube is a baffling puzzle that seems impossible to solve.
There are competitions to set world records, with expert 'speed-cubers' striving to achieve ever-faster times.
But the legal puzzle over its trademark has been dragging on for years, and is putting the Rubik's Cube in danger of being stripped of key protections.
It also threatens to put companies licensed to make the cube under threat from cheaper replicas as well as Seven Towns, the UK firm that manages its intellectual property rights.
This week, EU judges will decide whether the trademark registration covering the cube's three-dimensional shape should be cancelled.
The case has wider ramifications, leading to worries that it will lead to a weakening of European intellectual property protections.
In May, one EU judge said the shape did not qualify for trademark protection. This followed a ten-year legal claim launched by German toymaker Simba.
It wanted to import cheaper, unlicensed cubes from China, and called for Rubik's Cube to be stripped of its trademark.
JCB has landed one of its biggest orders of the year in a major boost to business following the Brexit vote.
The digger maker, whose boss Lord Bamford backed the campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, has received an order for 1,200 machines worth 35million from the UK's largest plant hire firm.
The contract from A-Plant includes a fleet of 13-ton excavators made at JCB's heavy products site in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire.
Deal: JCB has received an order for 1,200 machines worth 35m from the UK's largest plant hire firm A-Plant
A-Plant has also ordered a fleet of JCB site dumpers, mini excavators, telescopic handlers and rough terrain forklift trucks.
JCB, the third largest manufacturer of construction equipment in the world, donated 100,000 to the Leave campaign ahead of the EU referendum.
Just weeks before the June vote, Bamford wrote to his 6,500 staff to say they had 'very little to fear' from Britain leaving the EU.
JCB is now quitting the pro-EU CBI in protest against the business lobby group's stance over Brexit including its dire warnings of almost one million job losses.
Just a few years ago Tracey Obamwi was a happy teenager, studying hard to achieve her lifetime ambition of becoming a policewoman.
Then Ebola swept through her village, killing her father and three siblings, turning her life upside down.
Now pregnant, alone and starving, she is one Sierra Leone's Ebola orphans, left to fend for herself and her unborn child at the tender age of 16.
Tracey's mother died in 2012 and when Ebola hit her town she was sent to her uncle's house to avoid the virus. She later found out the rest of her family had died.
Overcome with grief, she vowed never to return to her village and went to stay with her grandmother in Freetown where she met a boy a year older than her and soon became pregnant.
'When I found out I was pregnant I was scared and felt like running away,' she said.
Orphan: Tracey Obamwi, 16, has told how the Ebola outbreak swept through her village, killing her father and three siblings, turning her life upside down
Crisis: The desperate plight of orphans provides a stark reminder that crisis is far from over. Pictured: Orphan Florence washed her clothes just as her mother used to
'My grandmother was very angry and she went to the boy's parents' house and started harassing them. She said their son would go to prison for what he had done to me. She kept going there and the boy got scared and disappeared. I haven't seen him since.'
Left alone to raise her unborn child, Tracey needed her grandmother more than ever, but she struggled to feed the teenager and the pair eventually parted ways.
'My grandmother couldn't forgive me for what I'd done and she was cruel to me,' recalled Tracey.
'She said it was already difficult to find enough food for me how would she manage with another mouth? She starved me and stole my clothes. I decided to leave the house.
She was then forced to stay with friends where she sleeps on the hard floor and battles every day to get enough food for her and her baby to survive.
'I went to stay with a friend of mine aged 15 and her husband,' she said.
'They took me in but the living conditions are not good. I sleep on some broken foam on the floor with three other people. I worry about finding food and getting proper beddings. I also need to access medical care. Sometimes I am feeling pain in my belly. It is so difficult, I often sit in the corner and just cry.
Now Tracey yearns for a better life, still desperate to one day achieve her dream.
'I want to go back to school and study agriculture was my favourite subject,' she said.
Tracey sits down on her bed in the room where she is staying. NGO Street Child has helped provide orphans with mosquito nets as it assists Ebola orphans
Tracey is pictured outside the house where she stays. Many children have to live with strangers or distant relatives
Haunting: 4,000 mothers, fathers and children lost their lives to Ebola, leaving 12,000 orphans
Devastated: The Kroo Bay slum area was hit badly by Ebola, leaving families torn apart
'When I'm finished with school I'd like to become a policewoman so that I can help protect girls who are maltreated in their homes. I want to make life more comfortable for them.'
Sadly Tracey's story is not unique - she is like 12,000 Ebola orphans in Sierra Leone.
On November 7 the nation will be plunged in silence to remember the 4,000 mothers, fathers and children whose lives were cruelly snatched by Ebola.
But as the West African country prepares to mark its first anniversary of being declared Ebola free, the desperate plight its orphans provides a stark reminder that crisis is far from over.
The day-to-day struggle of Ebola's orphans and their haunting experiences of stigmatisation mean the recovery process is long and complex.
UK NGO Street Child warns that the most vulnerable children are still at high risk.
The charity has met with teenage orphans who have taken on the burden of looking after their young siblings and are struggling to cope.
One orphan named Florence has to trade clothes to earn food to stay alive
Musa and Mohamed, pictured, are among the Ebola orphans. They make and sell coal pots to survive
Several have dropped out of school, sacrificing their own futures to try to make sure their brothers and sisters can stay in education.
Sadly, running a business and a household is proving too tough for many of them.
And one of the groups most at risk is teenage mothers who fell pregnant when exchanging sex for food in a desperate bid for survival.
The ongoing economic crisis that has swept across Sierra Leone has stunted the post-Ebola recovery and made life harder for many who are trying to rebuild their lives.
Recently, the government has been forced to implement formal austerity measures a grim thought in one of the world's very poorest countries. For many Sierra Leoneans, the hard times are about to get harder.
Since the Ebola crisis ended, food prices have rocketed and wages have stagnated. A bag of rice, the staple food stuff, has more than doubled in price since 2014.
Last week UN food agencies and the Sierra Leone government published a report stating that half of the population face food shortages.
Minisha Tunigy, 18, was training to be a nurse when both her parents died of Ebola, leaving her to care for five younger siblings. She is desperate to finish her training but now has to focus on survival - sometimes her family do not eat for three days.
Struggle: Minisha Tunigy, 18, cradles her sister whom she raises alone after the death of her parents
Last week UN food agencies and the Sierra Leone government published a report stating that half of the population face food shortages
Since the Ebola crisis ended, food prices have rocketed and wages have stagnated. A bag of rice, the staple food stuff, has more than doubled in price since 2014
Amid severe food crisis, chicken feet are considered a rare treat for some Ebola orphans
She said: 'It happened after my parents went to the provinces. They had gone to the market to buy commodities to sell in Freetown. My father stayed there longer and my mother came home first. From the moment she got back she started to show symptoms of Ebola.
'I was training to be a nurse at the time and I knew about the protocol of quarantining sick persons. I put my mother in a room by herself and always wore rubber gloves and protection when I was caring for her. After two days my father returned, he was sick too.
'I told them both to isolate themselves together in the room away from my five younger siblings. I provided care for them both but they got worse and worse and eventually my mother died. We called the helpline to come and take the body away but the burial team didn't arrive for two days. We left her body in the isolated room with my father and the next day we also found him dead. His body was on top of hers, holding her.
'After their deaths my younger brother became mentally ill. He started putting on my mother's old necklaces and talking to himself. We were also stigmatised by our community and they stopped helping us with food. Street Child provided some support and were giving us food, new mattresses, and mosquito nets.
Brave: Sierra Leone has 12,000 Ebola orphans, such as Minisha who must raise her three sisters by herself
Children play in the murky waters running through the Kroo bay slum
'We struggle now for food. Sometimes we can't eat for two or three days. The pastor in our church tries to help us out. My younger siblings are still in school but I have stopped my nursing qualification. I really want to continue for the next two years and become a nurse but I cannot afford the fees. I dream of being a nurse'.
According to Street Child's research, by the time that Sierra Leone was declared Ebola free, at least 12,000 children had been orphaned.
During the Ebola crisis the United Nations Development Programme estimated that teenage pregnancy increased by up to 65 per cent in some communities.
In desperate situations, young girls exchanged sex for money to feed themselves and their families - the United Nations Population Fund indicated that 18,119 teenage girls became pregnant during the Ebola crisis.
The on-going economic crisis has stunted the post-Ebola recovery and made life harder for many who are trying to rebuild their lives. Pictured: A rubbish dump in Bomeh
Recently, the government has been forced to implemented formal austerity measures a grim thought in one of the world's very poorest countries
Many of them, especially those who are Ebola orphans, are struggling to provide basic food and medicine for themselves and their babies.
Without support, these girls are unlikely to ever return to school. Street Child's survey of 2,000 adolescent girls found that teenage pregnancy was listed as one of the top five barriers to girls' education.
The charity, with UK Government support, is currently running a programme which helps teenage mothers to return to education, prioritising Ebola-impacted girls.
Over the last 18 months, it has supported 8,000 Ebola-impacted households and helped 5,580 Ebola orphans to go to school.
It aims aims to help another 20,000 children to go to school in post Ebola Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Signs were put up around cities raising awareness of the deadly disease
Brothers Musa and Mohamed show off their coal pots. They are lucky to have their own business but times are hard
Street Child CEO Tom Dannatt said: 'Whilst there has been some welcome recovery for many Ebola impacted families and thousands of orphans have been helped by Street Child and others, some of the most at-risk orphans are still in acute conditions. We should celebrate that the Ebola epidemic is over but we must recognise that for the most complex and vulnerable cases, the crisis certainly isn't. In fact in many ways it is at its most dangerous because international support and interest has largely moved on.'
Mr Dannatt added: 'The double kick from Ebola and then the collapse of its main commodity, iron ore, means that the post Ebola celebrations ended long ago. A collapsed economy that's no longer propped up by the aid given during and immediately after Ebola means that life is very hard for everyone.
Street Child CEO Tom Dannatt said: 'The children of Sierra Leone deserve a better future. It is vital that the international community does not turn away yet.'
The day-to-day struggle of Ebola's orphans and their haunting experiences of stigmatization mean the recovery process is only just beginning.
'If economic recovery does not happen soon, more parents will struggle to send their children to school, more families will go hungry and more girls will be forced to sell their bodies to get by.'
'The children of Sierra Leone deserve a better future. It is vital that the international community does not turn away yet.'
A driver managed to knock over a pedestrian, hit another car and flipped her own vehicle while reversing out of a parking spot in China.
The motorist said she didn't check the road conditions before she reversed and then panicked and accidentally stepped on the accelerator when she hit someone according to local media.
CCTV footage of the accident has since emerged online where it's had over 98,000 views since Friday.
The driver was seen reversing out of her parking spot, knocking over a pedestrian before hitting another car
After backing into the second car, the driver's own vehicle then flipped over (pictured above)
The incident on October 30 took place inside the car park of the Anjiang service station on China's Shanghai to Kunming motorway according to iFeng.
As recently emerged footage shows, as the white car backed out of its parking spot, it knocked over a person walking just behind it.
Then the car speeds up and reverses into another vehicle, before dramatically flipping over onto its roof.
CCTV footage from a different angle also showed someone being knocked out of the parked car.
According to reports, two people were injured while three cars were damaged as a result of the accident
According to iFeng, the driver, identified as a Ms Yang, was driving at the time while her husband was standing outside giving her instructions.
She reportedly reversed without checking her surroundings and knocked over the pedestrian.
In a panic, her foot slipped onto the accelerator, which caused her to back into the parked car.
Three cars were damaged and two people were injured.
An intruder has been shot in the buttocks with an arrow after being chased from a house in Sydney's southwest by the resident armed with a bow.
Police said a 68-year-old man and his wife were in their home in Wattle Grove on Sunday about 5.20pm when a man aged in his 30s broke in and stole cash and the keys to their car.
As he started the car, a Nissan X-Trail, and attempted to reverse out of the garage the resident armed himself with a wooden 'Epic Traditional 'bow and arrow and confronted the intruder who got out of the car and fled over a fence.
An intruder has been shot in the buttocks with an arrow after being chased from a house in Sydney's southwest by the resident armed with a wooden bow and arrow, similar to the one pictured
A 68-year-old man and his wife were at their home in Wattle Grove (pictured) when a man in his 30s broke in and stole cash, other items and keys to their car
Police said that as he ran away, the resident stood on the fence and shot the man.
He hit him in the buttocks or lower back, before the man jumped in a parked Mazda Tribute and drove off.
Police have seized the bow and arrow and say inquiries at hospitals have yet to locate anyone treated for an injury consistent with being shot in the buttocks with an arrow.
The man who broke into the home is described as Caucasian appearance, 30 to 35 years old, short in height, with dark hair, olive skin with a tattoo on the left arm above the elbow and he was wearing a black coloured short sleeved shirt.
Anyone with information that can assist the investigation is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A Chinese businessman known for bringing high-rollers into James Packer's Crown Towers VIP gaming salons has been arrested for gambling crimes in China.
Tian Di was one of 18 Crown Casino employees - including four Australians - detained last month on suspicion of illegally promoting and organising gambling activities for large groups in China, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The 58-year-old junket operator makes money by bringing wealthy clients into high-stakes gambling suites at Crown Towers Casino in Melbourne, but friends said he 'disappeared off the face of the earth' after returning to China a few weeks ago.
High-stakes junket at James Packer's casino Tian Di (right) was among 18 marketing staff arrested in China for gambling crimes last month
The group, including Crown Towers' head of VIP operations Jason O'Conner, are believed to have been detained in a series of coordinated raids across China following a crackdown on corruption in the gaming industry, the ABC reported.
Direct promotion and marketing of gambling activities is strictly prohibited in China, with those arrested facing up to ten years behind bars if prosecuted.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Tian owns a grand seven-bedroom property in Templestowe, a suburb in Melbourne's north east, and a 140-acre horse stable near Chelsea Beach, south east of the CBD, for six million dollars in 2013.
His daughter Sisly runs the prestigious Nine Dragons Horse Club, while Mr Tian is also known to help wealthy Chinese horse buyers purchase thoroughbreds at local auction.
The 58-year-old junket operator makes money by bringing wealthy clients into high-stakes gambling suites (pictured) at Crown Towers Casino in Melbourne
His daughter Sisly (right) runs the prestigious horse club has been seen flaunting a one million dollar chip while visiting the private and highly-exclusive VIP salons her father frequents
Mr Tian purchased Nine Dragons Horse Club (pictured), a 140-acre horse stable south east of Melbourne's, for six million dollars in 2013
The prestigious horse club holds poker tournaments and has a 2200-metre racetrack
Mr Tian is being detained with Crown Towers' head of VIP operations Jason O'Conner (pictured) and 16 other marketing staff after a crackdown on corruption in the gaming industry
Ms Tian has been seen flaunting a one million dollar chip from James Packer's Melbourne casino while visiting the private and highly-exclusive VIP salons her father frequents nestled on the 39th floor.
He is afforded a premium suite while schmoozing high-rolling clients - who reportedly have no qualms betting as much as $30 million - and uses the Towers' private helicopter to transport his guests from the Chelsea horse club to the casino for evening activities, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
A VIP services manager revealed wealthy clientele are also offered meals cooked by Cordon Bleu chefs, free access to five-star penthouses and jets, as well as an unlimited supply of luxury champagnes like Cristal and Krug at exclusive events.
'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 told Exclusive Style.
'The casino could flex its muscles and get them whatever they wanted, just as long as they extended their stay and continued to gamble.'
Mr Tian (pictured) is afforded a premium suite while schmoozing high-rolling clients and uses the Towers' private helicopter to transport his guests from his horse club to the casino
Wealthy clientele are offered free access to five-star penthouses and jets, as well as an unlimited supply of luxury champagnes to keep them gambling at the casino
The practice, known a 'duchessing', also involves helping visitors successfully apply for Australian visas to gamble.
Mr Tian is reportedly not formally employed by Crown Towers, but receives money for brining in clientele.
Those detained are expected to be formally charged with crimes relating to the promotion of gambling activities within the next three weeks
Mr Packer - the primary stakeholder of Crown Towers - said he has made every effort to contact and support the casino employees currently detained in Shanghai, the ABC reported.
James Packer - the primary stakeholder of Crown Towers - said he has made every effort to contact and support the casino employees currently being detained in Shanghai
Mr Tian is not formally employed by Crown Towers (pictured), but receives money for brining in clientele
'Crown will do whatever it can to support our employees and their families at this difficult time,' he said in a statement.
This is the shocking moment a man was beaten on a train after being accused of using an anti-gay slur.
Dramatic footage has emerged showing one man punching another in the face after he apparently used the word 'f****t'.
Video does not capture the moment the word is used, but it does show the violent aftermath that left one man bleeding from multiple wounds.
This is the moment a man wearing black was filmed repeatedly punching another man after accusing him of using a homophobic slur on a train
It is believed the film was captured during the annual Mardi Gras celebration in Sydney, Australia.
As the footage starts one man, wearing a black vest top, can be seen squaring up to another man wearing red an accusing him of using the pejorative term.
Despite pleas from an observer for the man in black to 'sit down', he continues shouting at the man in red before lashing out.
He throws several punches at the other man's head, backing him into the corner of the train carriage as a crowd gathers.
At one point the man in red appears to wipe blood from under his nose before flicking it at his attacker, earning himself another punch in the process.
The man is red does appear to be arguing with the other man, pointing his finger at him, but his words are inaudible.
The man in red is eventually forced off the train, which is believed to be in Sydney, after another man (left) threatens to 'destroy your a**hole'
At one point he can be heard shouting: 'Shut up, idiot,' apparently directed at another man sitting down who has also joined the argument.
As the train pulls into a station the man in black shouts: 'Get the f*** off this train, c***.'
The other man adds: 'When you call people f****t, we will f***ing demolish your a**hole until you take that s*** out.
'Get out before we scratch your f***ing eyes out.'
The man complies, though not before swapping few more words with his attackers before stepping on to the platform.
The electronic sign on the train appears to show the footage was filmed at Central station, in Sydney's CBD.
A gang of 15 teenagers brazenly shoplifted from a Melbourne Officeworks store and left 'cheering and dancing' while holding the stolen items above their heads.
Witness Chris, who chose to keep his surname anonymous, said he went to the South Yarra store in the city's southeast to buy a computer at 4.30pm on Saturday when he noticed the youths, aged 13 to 17, taking headphones and speakers from the shelves.
He said the teenagers, believed to be members of the notorious Apex gang, were dancing down the aisles and walked out cheering a minute later, setting off the store alarms.
'They certainly weren't walking around with their heads down - they were happily ransacking the shelves,' he told 3AW on Monday.
Witness Chris said he went to the South Yarra Officeworks (pictured) in the city's southeast at 4.30pm on Saturday when he saw the youths, aged 13 to 17, stealing from the shelves
'The staff just stood there, like myself, probably in shock at what they were witnessing'.
Chris said the teenagers, all of African descent, were all wearing hooded jumpers, but were 'confident' as they trawled the store.
He said after the gang left and police had been called, he asked a staff member whether it was the first incident they had at the store.
'She indicated it had happened a few times before and they were a soft target on the weekends with reduced staff,' he said.
Victoria police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia officers went to the store following reports a group of about 15 males were shoplifting.
A woman who heard Chris' account, said she was driving along Nepean Highway when she saw a similar group heading toward the Moorabbin Officeworks (picured)
Chris said the teenagers were dancing down the aisles and walked out cheering a minute later, setting off the store alarms (stock image)
A woman who heard Chris' account, said she was driving along Nepean Highway on the same day when she saw a similar group emerging from a house and heading toward the Moorabbin Officeworks.
Witness Julia said the group were milling out the front of the store, but 'nervously legged it' down Highett Road when they heard police sirens approaching.
There was reportedly another similar incident at the Officeworks in Chadstone, 17-kilometres from the city centre, on Saturday.
An Officeworks spokesperson confirmed there were 'incidents involving theft at four of its stores in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne on Saturday'.
'No Officeworks team members or customers were harmed and all affected stores remain open today with a heightened level of security,' a statement read.
'As the incidents are currently under police investigation, we are unable to provide further comment at this time'.
Witness Julia said the group were milling out the front of the Moorabbin store, but 'nervously legged it' down Highett Road (pictured) when they heard police sirens approaching
Reulas refused a plea for three years of probation and expects trial soon
Cited for operating food facility and engaging in business without permits
Mariza Reulas, of Stockton, California, is due to in court on Wednesday
A single mother of six faces possible jail time after selling her homemade ceviche through Facebook.
Mariza Reulas, of Stockton, California, joined a community board a few years back for people wanting to share recipes, organize potlucks or, sometimes, sell the food they made.
Reulas received an order for a plate of her homemade ceviche - a dish made of fresh raw fish, which she serves on a tortilla with avocado, shrimp and lime.
But the person placing the order turned out to be an undercover investigator. Reulas, who has refused a guilty plea, is due in court next week and expects to go to trial soon for selling her ceviche without a permit.
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Mariza Reulas (pictured), of Stockton, California, faces possible jail time after selling her homemade ceviche on a Facebook community group
Reulas (back row, second from right) joined a community board a few years back for people wanting to share recipes, organize potlucks or, sometimes, sell the food they made
'It was just, like, unreal that they were saying you could face up to a year in jail,' Reulas told Fox 40.
A dozen other members of the group were cited for operating a food facility and engaging in business without a permit, according to court documents reviewed by the network.
The undercover county investigator reached out to Reulas in December.
Since then, authorities offered her to take a plea bargain and accept three years of probation, which Reulas refused. She was the only person charged in the sting who refused the plea, according to Fox 40.
When she thinks about potential jail time, Reulas said she thinks about her children.
Someone reached out to Reulas in December asking to buy some of her homemade ceviche, a dish with fresh raw fish, which she serves on top of a tortilla with avocado and lime (pictured)
A dozen other members of the group were cited for operating a food facility and engaging in business without a permit, according to court documents (pictured)
Her six-year-old son Justice asks her before each court date if she will come back, she said.
Selling food without a permit and without undergoing health department inspections puts customers at risk and isn't fair to business owners who actually get permits, San Joaquin County Deputy District Attorney Kelly McDaniel said.
Reulas said on a Go Fund Me page created Saturday that she never thought the situation would get this bad.
'It was a hobby my girls and I enjoyed doing together on a free weekend,' she wrote.
'I will definitely be looking into opening a small restaurant after all this is done & over with especially with all the people's encouragement. I will do my best to serve you my signature dishes!'
A jockey who was arrested on suspicion of raping a girl at a late night party has returned to horse racing today.
Brendan Powell Jnr, 21, and fellow jockeys Sean Mooney and Richard Condon, 20, were arrested and bailed over the incident, which took place at a house in Chiseldon, Swindon.
The girl was said to be left with 'appalling injuries' following the attack on November 3, which she claims happened at one of jockey's homes.
Powell Jnr placed third in the 1pm race at Kempton Racecourse in Surrey this afternoon, riding 33/1 shot Gannicus.
Brendan Powell Jnr, 21, pictured, pictured today at Kempton Racecourse in Surrey, is one of three men arrested over the alleged rape
Powell Jnr returned to racing today placing third on Gannicus, pictured, at Kempton
The jockey, pictured, was arrested at his home on Friday (November 4) alongside fellow jockey Richard Condon. Another jockey, Sean Mooney, was arrested a day later
He is not set to appear in any more races today.
Police arrested Mooney on Saturday (November 5) before he was about to race in Doncaster. They detained him whilst he was in the jockey's weighing room.
The news of the arrests of the up-and-coming jockeys has already rocked the tight-knit world of racing.
One source told the Sun: 'They are all very good jockeys and very popular. It will come as a huge shock to punters and everyone who knows them.'
Mooney had been due to ride Cincuenta Pasos in an apprentice handicap at 4.05pm before police arrived. Racecourse bosses scrambled to find a replacement jockey to take his place.
Police arrested Powell Jnr at his home with Irish jockey Condon who races on the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire for trainer Neil King.
A stand-in had to replace Powell Jnr as he was due to ride Our Reward in a National Hunt novices hurdle race at Liverpool's Aintree course on Saturday while he was in police custody at the time.
Police arrested Mooney (pictured racing last month) before he was about to race in Doncaster. They detained him whilst he was in the jockey's weighing room
The men were arrested on suspicion of rape and released on bail until a date in late December pending further inquiries (Richard Condon pictured)
Powell Jnr's family is well known in racing as he is the son of a Grand National winner and top trainer, Brendan Powell Snr.
The 21-year-old became a professional at just 16 and has ridden 14 winners this season alone.
His father, who describes himself as having 'two talented kids' on his Twitter profile, won the 1988 Grand National on Rhyme N Reason and now works as a trainer at Frenchmans Lodge Stables in Lambourn, Berkshire.
Condon made his professional race debut in 2015 and has competed in 10 flat races, winning once at Nottingham earlier this year. He has earned around 3,500 in prize money over his career so far.
Mooney, originally from Dublin, rides for trainer Joseph Tuite at Felstead Court Stable, also in Lambourn.
Powell Jnr with his father Brendan Powell Snr who is a former Grand National winner
One stable worker told the Sun: 'It has left everyone here numb. We all work hard and there is a close-knit and very friendly scene.'
Mooney has competed in 49 races in the past two years, with his three wins coming at Bath, Kempton and Chepstow. His total prize money stands at almost 15,000.
Powell Jnr previously told MailOnline how he was 'living the dream' when he turned professional at 16, despite being too young to drive himself to racecourses around the country.
He said: 'I'm living the dream. This is what I've always wanted to do, but I'm finding it difficult getting around the country.
'I'm 17 later this month, but haven't had time yet to fix up any driving lessons.'
Police detained Mooney whilst he was in the jockey's weighing room at Doncaster racecourse (pictured)
He started out in Cork in the Irish pony circuit and quickly displayed talent, with his father describing him as 'miles ahead of me' when he was a teenager.
His younger sister Jennifer, 19, is an apprentice jockey working with trainer Henry Candy.
Detectives rushed to the scene after the girl, from Surrey, told police the following morning.
A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: 'Detectives from Wiltshire Police are investigating an allegation of rape of a 18 year old woman that occurred on November 3 at a residential address in Chiseldon, Swindon.
'Two men aged 21 and 20 were arrested on 4 November and a third man, aged 20, was arrested on Saturday 5 November. All were taken to a local police station.
Video footage shows the moment a piece of pumpkin cannon struck two people after the device exploded.
Cries can be heard from the crowd as some people rush toward the spot where it landed at the 'Punkin Chunkin' competition Sunday.
Delaware State Police said in a statement that the trap door of the 'Pumpkin Reaper' cannon separated as a pumpkin launched at the competition.
Police say a 39-year-old woman was hit in the head and face and was critically injured. A 56-year-old man sustained non-life threatening injuries. Master Cpl. Jeffrey Hale says they were observing the event, but he declined to elaborate.
Explosion: A video that appeared online shows something going wrong with the cannon as it fires, with a large piece of the device shooting off into the crowd (top left)
The cannon was firing its final shot at the 'Punkin Chunkin' competition Sunday in Bridgeville, Delaware, when it malfunctioned. This shows the piece of cannon going into the crowd
The unidentified woman was treated at the scene before she was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, Hale said.
A man was also injured in the explosion that occurred Sunday in Bridgeville, a town about 40 miles south of Dover.
The 56-year-old was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital.
One of the injured was struck in the head and went down motionless at the event, police said. Part of the impact can be seen and heard in the video, which appeared on YouTube.
A woman was critically injured after a cannon used to launch pumpkins into the air exploded during Delaware's 'Punkin Chunkin' contest. Paramedics on the scene treated the woman before she was airlifted to a hospital
Delaware State Police said the 39-year-old woman was injured when the cannon went off and sent large pieces of shrapnel flying through the air. The unidentified woman was injured by the apparatus as it fired police spokesman Master Cpl Jeffrey Hale said
A man was also injured in the explosion that occurred Sunday in Bridgeville. The 56-year-old was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital
One of the injured was struck in the head and went down motionless at the event, police said. Pictured is the Great Emancipator air cannon during this year's contest. It's unclear which cannon exploded on Sunday
Bystander, Kerry Collias, saw the air cannon malfunction upon arriving to the event.
After the incident Collias heard an announcement about a woman being taken to Nanticoke Hospital, she told the News Journal.
The event has been canceled for the past two years because of problems finding insurance.
The Punkin Chunkin event has been canceled for the past two years because of problems finding insurance. During the contest, participants launch pumpkins with a variety of homemade contraptions
Several bystanders wore hard hats during the event. More than 100 teams competed in this year's contest
During the contest, participants launch pumpkins with a variety of homemade contraptions.
In 2014, a Sussex County farmer had stopped making his property available for the contest because a volunteer who was injured in an ATV accident filed a lawsuit.
But organizers for the 2016 contest said an insurance policy was in place to protect the landowner.
More than 100 teams had signed up to compete this year.
Police are still investigating the incident.
But the unafraid 'victim' takes the gun and sends the robber scrambling
When a customer enters, it looks like his payday has finally come
man has no idea what to do
With no staff to threaten, the shotgun-
Crime really hasn't paid for this armed robber, who not only tried to rob an empty gas station, but had his gun taken from him by the first customer to arrive.
The would-be criminal is seen wandering haplessly around the apparently empty gas station in Midland, Texas, with no idea what to do.
But as this security footage, posted on LiveLeak, shows, you should be careful what you wish for - because when a victim finally appears, he's not as pliable as the robber would hope for.
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A Midland, Texas robber was perplexed to find an empty gas station in October. With the register locked (left) and the offices empty (right), he had no idea what to do
The video shows a victim (left image, bottom-right) entering oblivious to the frustrated robber (left image, top-left). But an attempt to scare him (right) goes horribly wrong for the criminal
The video, dated October 24, opens with the would-be robber pacing around outside the gas station, possibly building up his nerve.
But when he enters, all that adrenaline quickly goes to waste.
He paces behind the counter, pulling out a shotgun, and inspects the office - but there's no-one there.
He looks in a stock room in the back. But again - no-one. He tries a door, but it's locked - perhaps by the store clerk who saw him outside.
The robber paces some more. Tries the tills, but they're locked. Tries the doors again. What's a guy to do?
While he's searching a back room one more time, a customer pulls up out front and comes in, waiting obliviously at the register for the missing clerk.
For the robber, this guy looks like easy pickings, But the short-clad, sneaker wearing stranger isn't easily intimidated, and tells the armed robber to take a hike.
Then, as the put-out criminal heads for the door, the customer changes his mind, bundles him out the front doors, grabs the gun and sends him flying.
The video ends with a repeated shot of the robber scampering off into the night, utterly defeated.
The 'victim' refuses to give his money, and as the robber inches away, the customer lunges at him (left) and bundles him out of the front door (right)
We have watched elephants starving to death, and gazelles being chased down by lions.
But the death of a penguin is just a step too far, it seems.
For it has been revealed that the long-awaited series Planet Earth 2 does not feature any penguin deaths because they look too much like humans, so it would upset viewers.
A source close to the BBC natural history programme said that they had to take extra care when it came to anthropomorphic animals, and penguins were deemed to resemble little people.
Not all footage was shown of the gruesome deaths of some of the worlds biggest colony of penguins, on Zavodovski Island, near Antarctica (pictured)
Last nights opening episode showed the harsh reality of the animal kingdom, with Sir David Attenborough narrating as baby iguanas were strangled to death by snakes and crabs were blinded with acid.
But when the worlds biggest colony of penguins, on Zavodovski Island, near Antarctica, were featured there was a limit imposed on how gruesome the footage could be.
Producers on the programme have described seeing a scene of death and destruction when they arrived on the remote island, which is home to chin-strap penguins.
But viewers did see crabs blinded by acid (pictured)
In the behind-the-scenes section at the end of the episode, Liz White said: It was absolute carnage.
It was quite heart-breaking, they are trying so hard to get up the beach with broken legs and bleeding, its very sobering really.
The beach in the afternoon was just a scene of death and destruction.
Yet the most extreme close-up shots showed one penguin with a bloody stomach and another with a broken leg, and wide-angled shots showed penguins being crashed into the rocks by waves.
An insider on the show has now revealed that the reason the corporation did not explicitly show them dying is because viewers resonate with penguins so closely.
They said: Penguins are particularly hard because theyre like little people.
They look like little men dressed up in dinner jackets.
Because they have a particular resonance with people, you have to be very, very careful.
People are inviting you into their lounge, into their front room.
You have to be very careful, particularly with those more anthropomorphic animals.
It was important to show whats at stake and how difficult it is, and a bloody one and one with a broken leg was just about enough.
And producers didn't cut scenes of a hatchling marine iguana being strangled by a snake
I dont think you need to show dead penguins, because you can say they were dead.
He added: What was more important to show was that drive to get back with proper food for your chicks, even when youve got a broken wing or when youve been cut.
The six-part series, which follows on from the original Planet Earth in 2006, has taken three years of filming and 117 filming trips.
The first episode focused on island life and used nine different filming locations.
The greatly anticipated new series is again hosted by the popular presenter Sir David Attenborough
Viewers were enamoured by the sight of a pygmy three-toed sloth swimming to find a mate, but perhaps the most shocking scene involved marine iguanas on Fernandina Island, Galapagos.
The hatchlings faced a treacherous start to life, as racer snakes were ready to ensnare them as soon as they first emerged out of the sand.
A man accused of marrying a 15-year-old child bride under Islamic law in a backyard ceremony is set to face court.
The man, 20, allegedly married the girl at her father's home in south-west Sydney in November 2014 when he would have been 18-years-old.
He was charged with the alleged crime in February last year and pleaded not guilty, Sydney Morning Herald reported at the time.
Mr Ghany arrived at Downing Centre Court in the CBD on Monday ahead of the trial on Monday.
The man, 20, allegedly married a 15-year-old child bride under Islamic law. He would have been 18-years-old at the time
Mr Ghany is pictured arriving at Downing Centre Court on Monday
He allegedly married the girl at her father's home in south-west Sydney in November 2014
The man was 19 years old when he was charged in February last year
The brother and sister killed in a freak Dreamworld accident last month are being farewelled by family and friends at a joint funeral service in Canberra.
Kate Goodchild, 32, and her older brother Luke Dorsett, 35, were killed almost instantly when their raft on the Thunder River Rapids ride flipped on October 25.
With the Phil Collins' song 'You'll Be In My Heart' playing, mourners arrived at St Christopher's Cathedral in Manuka to say a final goodbye to the much-loved siblings.
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The brother and sister killed in a Dreamworld accident were farewelled at a joint funeral service in Canberra. Pallbearers are pictured carrying coffin of mother Kate Goodchild
David Turner (left), partner of Dreamworld accident victim Kate Goodchild is consoled during the funeral at St Christopher's Cathedral in Manuka
A photograph of Kate and Luke was printed out on the front page of the order of service
The siblings were remembered for their mutual love of Australian soap opera television, heavy metal music and tomato sauce (pictured is a montage of family photographs)
Shayne Goodchild (centre), the father of Kate Goodchild and Luke Dorsett, was joined by mourners at the packed service
Kate Goodchild, 32, and her older brother Luke Dorsett, 35, were killed almost instantly when a malfunction on the Thunder River Rapids ride caused their raft to flip
The pair were remembered for their mutual love of Australian soap opera television, heavy metal music and tomato sauce.
Their uncle Ray spoke of Kate's infectious laughter and how the siblings had a typical love-hate relationship.
He told how Luke would spend hours constructing Lego towers only to have his sister patiently wait for the last block to be put in place before knocking over his engineering designs.
The congregation heard how Luke would do anything to get out of sport at school and loved watching TV shows Neighbours and Home and Away.
'It is from these early encounters with one Kylie Minogue that Luke's love of Kylie blossomed,' their uncle said.
He spoke of how his nephew was a troubled soul in his early twenties, but all that changed when he met Roozi Araghi, who was also killed on the ride.
'Luke was at his happiest with Roozi,' he said, expressing sincere condolences to representatives of his family who were also present.
The uncle shared tales of how they would help dress Kate's daughter Ebony - only in outfits Nicole Kidman would approve of - and missed their callings in children's birthday party entertainment.
Mourners were told how the Fountain sauce company would probably go into receivership with Kate's passing, 'such was her influence on the company's sales.'
Family and friends spilled out of the Catholic church just after midday on Monday
Powderfinger's lyrics 'Gonna burn your name right across the sky, So I never forget what the feeling's like' played through speakers as pallbearers carried out the coffins
The siblings were remembered for (pictured is Ms Goodchild's partner David)
He said the family will continue to ask why the tragedy happened to them.
'We cannot know for certain how long we have here,' he said.
'What we can do is to live our lives as best we can with purpose.
Powderfinger's 'Burn Your Name' was chosen as the recessional song, with the lyrics 'Gonna burn your name right across the sky, So I never forget what the feeling's like' playing through speakers as pallbearers carried out the coffins.
Hundreds of mourners spilled out of the Catholic church just after midday on Monday to Phil Collins' 'You'll be in my heart', embracing Kate's partner Dave and family members.
Among the congregation was Human Services Minister Alan Tudge, representing the siblings' employer.
Media were asked to wait across the road for the duration of the service and the funeral will be followed by a burial a Gungahlin Cemetery.
Mourners were asked to dress colourfully to celebrate the short but treasured lives of Kate and Luke
David Turner, Ms Goodchild's partner, wiped tears from his face after the moving service
Phil Collins' 'You'll be in my heart' played as mourners embraced the family of Kate Goodchild and Luke Dorsett
Mr Dorsett's partner Roozbeh Araghi, and 42-year-old mother Cindy Low were also killed when the raft malfunctioned and threw six passengers into the water.
Ms Low's son Kieran, 10, and Ms Goodchild's daughter Ebony were miraculously thrown from the raft and miraculously survived without sustaining any major injuries.
The young children then watched on in horror as staff members desperately tried to pull their mother's bodies from the simulated rapids.
Ms Low was remembered as a 'vivacious', 'compassionate' and 'caring' wife and mother-of-two at her funeral on the Central Coast last Tuesday.
The New Zealand expat's loved ones lined the driveway of the Palmdale Hillside Chapel to perform the haka as her coffin was brought in.
Mr Araghi was farewelled at a separate service in Sydney last week.
The siblings' uncle Ray Dorsett said the family would continue to ask why the tragedy happened to them
Media were asked to wait across the road for the duration of the service
Dreamworld will remain closed until all four funerals have been completed.
The embattled theme park announced it would be creating a permanent memorial for the four victims using the mounting pile of flowers left outside by mourners.
Queensland Police announced on Monday that they had finished investigating the theme park following the fatal accident last month.
The site has been handed back to Dreamworld but the investigation is ongoing.
Mr Dorsett's partner Roozbeh Araghi (right) and 42-year-old mother Cindy Low (left) were also killed on the Dreamworld ride. They were farewelled in separate services last week
The embattled theme park announced it would be creating a permanent memorial for the four victims using the mounting pile of flowers left outside by mourners
Blowing the whistle: Sara Adam says it made her feel a prisoner
Four Islamic schools ordered to close following fears over extremism or pupil safety continue to operate because the Government is powerless to shut them down, the Daily Mail can reveal.
One allegedly taught girls that men can beat their wives. Another distributed leaflets saying music is an act of the devil.
They could continue operating for months, if not years, after launching legal appeals against closure. The four fee-paying independent establishments include a girls boarding school, Jamia al-Hudaa in Nottingham, that was ordered to close last month after Ofsted found books in the library by individuals banned from entering Britain.
Ministers told the 237-pupil school it must close its boarding facilities immediately and stop accepting new pupils. But in a letter seen by the Mail, Jamia al-Hudaa defiantly told parents it will take a stand against its closure and has launched a 300,000 appeal to fund its legal costs. Parents were told to unite against the biased and unfair Government.
One former student says she is disgusted that it can continue to operate, saying it was like a prison where girls were isolated from the outside world. She says girls were taught they can be beaten and raped by their husbands, in order to make Allah happy and that music is the voice of the devil.
A spokesman for the school claimed it is a victim of a highly politicised agenda against Islamic schools across the UK.
Several Islamic schools were ordered to close by the Department for Education after a series of critical Ofsted reports. But the four appealed to the courts, which allows them to continue operating until a ruling is made.
At Darul Uloom in Birmingham, inspectors found a large number of leaflets containing highly concerning and extremist views. It remains open five years after concerns were first raised, when a preacher was filmed making racist remarks about Hindus and ranting that disbelievers are the worst creatures.
The school, which has more than 100 pupils, said it disputes the Ofsted reports and has criticised the conduct of inspectors.
At Darul Uloom in Birmingham, pictured, inspectors found a large number of leaflets containing highly concerning and extremist views
At Darul Uloom in Leicester, a boys boarding school with nearly 150 pupils, inspectors found that pupils hold stereotypical views on gender and careers and are not prepared for life in modern Britain. The school, which did not respond to a request to comment, has already received 176,000 from parents and other supporters in an online campaign to keep it open.
Jamia al-Hudaa boys boarding school in Sheffield was ordered to close after inspectors criticised its limited curriculum and unsafe facilities. It, too, did not respond to requests to comment.
Tory MP Philip Hollobone said: Readers will be shocked that there is a loophole that allows these schools to carry on as if nothing has happened.
His colleague Peter Bone called for emergency legislation to close the schools immediately while fellow Tory Andrew Bridgen said: It is of great concern that schools which have been identified by Ofsted with such systemic failings are using our legal system to continue to educate children.
The DfE confirmed the schools were taken off the register but closure is automatically lifted when an appeal is launched. It said: Extremism has no place in our society and when we find schools promoting twisted ideologies or discrimination in classrooms, we will take action.
OFSTED'S DAMNING VERDICTS ON THE FOUR JAMIA AL-HUDAA, NOTTINGHAM Girls secondary school. Ofsted said it does not promote balanced views. Pupils can access books written by an author who is banned from Britain. Pupils have been suspended for possessing a mobile phone. Maintenance is inadequate and poses a risk to students. DARUL ULOOM, BIRMINGHAM Boys secondary school. Ofsted said staff have not ensured that pupils are protected from extremism. A leaflet containing extremist views such as Music, dancing and singing are acts of the devil was discovered. The school does not promote pupils understanding of fundamental British values. The curriculum is narrow. Pupils safety is at risk. DARUL ULOOM, LEICESTER Boys secondary boarding school. Ofsted said social, moral, spiritual and cultural education is weak and the school does not prepare pupils for life in modern British society. Pupils hold stereotypical views on gender that go unchallenged. The premises are unsafe, shabby and dirty with poor hygiene. Boarders have no access to television and very limited access to the internet. JAMIA AL-HUDAA, SHEFFIELD Boys boarding school. Ofsted said it lacks basic standards of cleanliness. Resources are inadequate, limiting pupils learning in a range of subjects, including science. There is limited teaching of other cultures and boarders are restricted in their ability to integrate into the community. Advertisement
They taught us it was OK for a wife to be raped
By Mail Investigations Reporter
A Former pupil at Jamia al-Hudaa school in Nottingham says she was taught that women can be raped and beaten by their husbands and that music is the voice of the devil.
Sara Adam not her real name says the girls boarding school was like a prison where girls are entirely isolated from the outside world and simply trained to become subservient housewives.
She said: We were not taught geography, history or music and in art we just did knitting. We were banned from drawing anything with eyes.
The four fee-paying independent establishments include a girls boarding school, Jamia al-Hudaa in Nottingham, pictured, that was ordered to close last month after Ofsted found books in the library by individuals banned from entering Britain
There was no sex education and we were taught that evolution was a belief of devil worshippers and atheists. Most of our day was spent doing Islamic studies.
Miss Adam, who does not want her face pictured for fear of retribution from within her community, left Jamia al-Hudaa more than a decade ago. But the school, which has 237 pupils, continues to operate under the same leadership, despite whistleblowers repeatedly raising concerns.
Last month Aliyah Saleem, now 27, told the Mail how she was expelled from the school for owning a disposable camera.
She said she was taught that Jews and Christians make God angry.
Miss Adam recalled how when she was a pupil, two girls aged 14 and 16 were put into solitary confinement for three weeks after teachers suspected they were lesbians.
There was no sex education and we were taught that evolution was a belief of devil worshippers and atheists. Most of our day was spent doing Islamic studies Sara Adam
When she was 13, Miss Adam fell and broke her collarbone but no doctor was called and her parents were not informed. She was given paracetamol and told to sleep it off. This, she claims, was because her teachers did not want outsiders in the school.
Teachers would carry out regular spot-checks of the girls dormitories, and lift up our mattresses and look underneath like they do in prisons.
They found my personal diary, Miss Adam said. I was told off by teachers because in the summer holidays before I joined the school, I wrote that I fancied a boy I saw on the Disney Channel.
The teacher said it was forbidden to like boys at my age especially if they are kuffars [a derogatory term to describe non-Muslims].
Her diary was eventually returned with a third of the pages torn out.
Miss Adam said: We were basically trained to be mindless zombies who submit to their husbands. I was lucky because, after calling my parents every night in tears, they eventually pulled me out of the school.
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich has said that James Comey caved, after the FBI Director announced Sunday that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton should not face criminal charges related to newly discovered emails from her tenure at the State Department.
Gingrich tweeted on Sunday: 'Comey must be under enormous political pressure to cave like this and announce something he cant possibly know.'
In a letter to congressional lawmakers two days before Election Day, Comey said the FBI has worked 'around the clock to process and review a large number of emails' obtained from a device belonging to Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman and estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.
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Former House speaker Newt Gingrich has said that James Comey caved
Comey (left) announced Sunday that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (right) should not face criminal charges related to newly discovered emails from her tenure at the State Department
Comey said the review has not changed the bureau's assessment from earlier this year that Clinton should not be prosecuted for her handling of classified information at the State Department.
Gingrich also said Sunday that he expects the United States to be 'in for a long, difficult couple of years, maybe a decade or more' regardless of who wins the election.
Gingrich, a Republican and supporter of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, made the comment in an interview with Meet the Press host Chuck Todd.
The NBC journalist asked Gingrich: 'November ninth - what do we do as a country on November ninth? because it's been a rough election, and I want to use your words.
Todd quoted remarks Gingrich made in January 2001, which were: 'Most Americans do not find themselves actually alienated from their fellow Americans or truly fearful if the other party wins power.
Gingrich also claimed on Sunday: 'I think that we are in for a long, difficult couple of years, maybe a decade or more'
'Unlike in Bosnia, Northern Ireland or Rwanda, competition for power in the US remains largely a debate between people who can work together once the election is over.'
Todd said: 'That was America circa 2001, as far as you were concerned. Do you believe that's the case in January of 2017?
Gingrich responded: 'No. No, I think tragically we have drifted into an environment where if Hillary is elected, the criminal investigations will be endless, and if Trump is elected, it will be just like Madison, Wisconsin, with Scott Walker.
Gingrich appeared Sunday on Meet the Press and spoke to the show's host Chuck Todd (left)
'The opposition of the government employee unions will be so hostile and so direct and so immediate, that it will be a continuing fight over who controls the country.
'I think that we are in for a long, difficult couple of years, maybe a decade or more.
'Because the gap between those of us who are deeply offended by the dishonesty and the corruption and the total lack of honesty on the Clinton team.
'And on their side, their defense of unions - which they have to defend, I understand that - but that will lead to a Madison, Wisconsin, kind of struggle if Trump wins.'
'Well, Speaker Gingrich, there's a picture you painted there, uh, to go,' Todd said.
A California mother-of-two, who went missing during an afternoon jog last week, is believed to have been abducted.
Police found Sherri Papini's cell phone along a jogging trail which sparked fears that she was abducted, her family members told authorities.
The 34-year-old was last seen jogging in the Old Oregon Trail and Sunrise Drive area around 2pm on Wednesday, according to the Ventura County Star.
The family members of Sherri Papini (pictured), 34, believe that she was abducted while jogging Wednesday afternoon after police found her cell phone along a jogging trail in a California neighborhood
Before her routine jog, Papini texted her husband, Keith Papini (pictured), and asked him if he was coming home for lunch. He responded no and when he came home from work, he found an empty home. His wife would usually pick up their two children but they were left at daycare
Papini's two young children were left at daycare on the day she went missing. Her family confirmed the children were picked up and are in the care of other family members as the search for their mother continues
Before her routine jog, Papini texted her husband, Keith Papini, and asked him if he was coming home for lunch, her sister Sheila Koester the Star.
Koester told the Star that Papini's husband replied that he wasn't.
Upon his return home from work, no one was home.
He then used his Find My iPhone app and located his wife's phone near the intersection of Old Oregon Trail and Sunrise Drive in Redding, according to a GoFundMe account set up to aid in finding Papini safely.
Her husband was also unable to locate their two children, whom he later discovered had not been picked up from daycare.
Her sister said that Papini usually picks up the couple's two children and jogs in the afternoons.
Video courtesy of KRON4
Papini was last seen jogging between Old Oregon Trail and Sunrise Drive (pictured)
Search crews (pictured) have been looking for Papini for the last four days in the area where her cell phone was discovered
Koester told KRCR TV that Papini loved her children and she would not just leave them at daycare.
'She wouldn't leave her babies,' Koester said.
'There is no way she would do anything to disrupt her children's routine,' Keith's sister, Suzanne Papini added.
Keith then called 911 to report his wife missing around 5.51pm, police said.
'She wouldn't just drop her phone if she was running away,' Keith's sister, Suzanne Papini, told the New York Daily News.
'At least it's giving us some kind of information. This is a pretty sickening situation.'
Search crews have been looking for Papini for the last four days to no avail.
Her sister, Sheila Koester (left) said that Papini (right) usually picks up the couple's two children and jogs in the afternoons. But on the day she went missing the children were left at daycare, which Koester says is not something her sister would do
Keith's sister, Suzanne Papini, posted this photo on Facebook. The family believes this is the top that she was wearing when she went missing
On Wednesday night and Thursday more than 20 searchers combed the area where the phone was found.
And on Friday more than 100 people gathered to search for the missing mother.
Secret Witness of Shasta County, Inc, initially offered up to $10,000 for anyone who has information that leads to the arrest and/or conviction of a suspect behind the disappearance of Papini.
But that reward has since increased to $50,000, according to her family.
The family also posted a photo on Facebook of what they believe Papini was wearing on the day she disappeared.
Police have not identified anyone involved in her disappearance, Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko told the newspaper.
However, authorities are investigating four registered sex offenders in the area.
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Acclaimed shows like the BBC's flagship documentary series Planet Earth will be the next to suffer swingeing cuts to the corporation's budget.
The corporation has proposed 25 job losses at the Natural History Unit in Bristol as part of plans to find 300 voluntary redundancies across the factual, music and events departments.
Gerry Morrissey, general secretary if Bectu, the broadcaster union, slammed the plans, which he claimed could impact the quality of internationally renowned shows such as Planet Earth.
Two Komodo dragons wrestle on the island of Rinca, near Komodo
A pygmy three-toed sloth swimming on Escudo. They live on the Caribbean island of Escudo de Veraguas
Thousands of penguins in stunning scenes from the show's trailer that helped draw millions of viewers
A swift-footed Verreauxs sifaka lemur with baby on board in Madagascar
Attenborough himself, pictured in the new series at 90, has talked of the importance of using expensive new technology to bring rare moments from nature to millions of viewers
But the acclaimed new series premiered amid concerns over cuts to the BBC, with 25 job losses announced at the Natural History Unit in Bristol (pictured)
Speaking to the Sunday Times, he said it was 'incomprehensible' that the corporation would risk losing the talent and reputation it has built up with decades of groundbreaking broadcasting.
His comments come tonight as the new series of Planet Earth premiered to huge acclaim from the millions of viewers who tuned in to watch the highly anticipated nature documentary.
The first episode, which cost millions to make, was hailed as 'absolutely incredible' by one viewer, with another saying 'David Attenborough is everything' on Twitter.
And Attenborough himself talked of how cutting edge technology, funded by the licence payer, had helped make the series the most stunning and groundbreaking yet.
In Madagascar, David the indri examines researcher Emma Brennand's camera
Chilean flamingos fly over the country's Torres del Paine National Park
Recalling the previous series made ten years ago, he talked about how developments in technology had allowed millions to see moments usually only seen by a handful of people on the planet.
Talking about memorable footage of the snow leopard captured in the first series, he explains how new, more advanced cameras, have allowed the filmmakers to get more rare, dramatic insights into their natural lives.
Writing in the Daily Mail, he says: 'Does all this matter? Has all this technical invention and human endeavour provided us with anything more than a wonderfully watchable and visually unforgettable television series? I believe it does. Since those early days, the human population of this planet has tripled, meaning the space for the other creatures we share it with has become more restricted.
'Series such as Planet Earth II manage to bring us greater understanding of the natural world, the way it works and what it needs to survive. And its survival could not be more important to us. We depend on the natural world for all the food we eat, for the very air we breathe. Its health is our health. Its survival is essential for ours.'
An indri lemur feeds on leaves in the forest canopy
Zavodovski island is home to more than 1.5 million penguins, the largest colony in the world
A pygmy three-toed sloth mother cradling her baby. The sloths have a problem common to island inhabitants. Cut off from the rest of the world, animals adapt to their environment
Amid cuts to BC budgets, Sir David Attenborough has backed government plans to force the BBC to reveal top presenter's wages, saying the corporation should be 'held to account'.
The much-loved BBC documentary star argued that TV licence payers should have the right to see how the broadcaster spends their money.
In September, the government announced it is forcing the BBC to make public the salaries of its on-air talent, some of whom earn more than 150,000.
When asked about the BBC having to publish wages of presenters like himself, and what he thinks about the pressure that the broadcaster is under, he replied:
'The BBC will always be under pressure, the BBC spends a lot of money and it comes from all our pockets so it's right an proper that it should be under pressure.
"It's right and proper that the BBC should be held to account, of course.'
When asked about cuts to BBC funding, he added: 'Of course I worry about it. Anybody who doesn't worry about it, deserves to lose it - of course you worry about it and we argue the point all the time, we don't drop our guard.
'We are very lucky and we know programs like Planet Earth are holding their own because they sell worldwide.
'They take the BBC's name round the world but they also bring back proper income which makes it conceivably possible.
'So the viewer gets a very good bargain from their license, he really does.'
Attenborough has a career with the BBC Natural History Unit spanning 60 years and is a former senior manager at the BBC. Now aged 90, he said he has no plans to retire.
Marine iguanas in the Galapagos, with their precious babies perched high for safety
When asked if he would take a step back following the release of the second part of the Planet Earth Series he said: 'No I'm not having a break. I'm making a film about a fossil in the south of England, I'm doing various things, I'm going to Australia and I'm going to go to America. All I can say is that I'm extremely lucky.
'It's not a secret that I am 90 but I know an awful lot of dear friends and relatives of my age, who can't remember much (even though I can't remember much).
'But they can't get about and it's not their fault and it's not a virtue of mine, I've done nothing good to make me walk about.
Granted bail: Ardian Rragami out in Essex
An Albanian killer is back on our streets months after the Daily Mail exposed how he made a mockery of the extradition process.
In June this newspaper revealed that Ardian Rragami, 45, had returned to Britain four years after being forcibly sent home to serve a 15-year sentence for murder.
Within hours of the Home Office being asked to account for his presence here, immigration enforcement officers detained him pending deportation.
But now Rragami has been granted bail as he appeals the decision to boot him out a second time. A judge at the Birmingham Immigration and Asylum Chamber released him from 'immigration detention' on September 7.
Judge Esther Lagunju ordered him to wear an electronic tag, comply with an 8pm to 8am curfew and report weekly to officials.
Officials have refused to give details of his grounds for appeal. But many foreign criminals cite the right to a family life under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act when fighting deportation.
Rragami was pictured recently in the Essex town where he lives with his British wife and two children, smoking a cigarette seemingly without a care.
His case deepens the scandal of Albanian killers who fled to the UK, with the authorities now facing an increasingly costly battle to send Rragami home again.
Over the summer the Mail exposed two others who, like Rragami, posed as Kosovan refugees to enter Britain.
Saliman Barci, 41, a one-legged double killer convicted in his absence in Albania and given a 25-year sentence, is in a UK prison pending the outcome of his appeal against extradition.
And, following a Mail investigation, double murderer Avni Metra, 53 also convicted in his absence in Albania and jailed for 25 years was arrested in June after 18 years in hiding in the UK.
We tracked him down at his Hertfordshire bolthole and tipped off police. His extradition has since been ordered and he is also in prison as he pursues an appeal.
Double murderer Avni Metra, 53, pictured, also convicted in his absence in Albania and jailed for 25 years was arrested in June after 18 years in hiding in the UK
Rragami, posing as a Kosovan called Ardian Gashi, first sneaked into Britain after the murder of a man in northern Albania in 1998. The fugitive married a divorcee in London in 2002 and is said to have been granted asylum after Home Office officials believed his lies about being from Kosovo.
Interpol belatedly tracked him down in 2009 when he was working as a builder in Essex. In 2010 he was extradited to Albania to serve a 15-year term passed in his absence. But after appealing against the length of sentence, Rragami was freed in 2014 and returned to the UK to be reunited with his wife Chrysoulla Michaels, 46, and their two daughters.
In February last year he was detained by immigration officers but was conditionally released the following month due to a 'leave to remain' application. Last June after the Mail revealed he was back on the streets he was again detained.
The Home Office said Rragami has never been a British citizen and is liable for deportation based on his overseas convictions.
Asked why he is back on the streets, the Home Office said: 'Where people have been released into the community in the vast majority of cases it was ordered by an immigration judge despite our strenuous objections.'
The Ministry of Justice said he has not been granted legal aid to fight deportation.
Rragami, from Shkoder in northern Albania, is living with his family in a smart housing association property. He and his wife declined to comment.
Officials fear strike will keep elderly, disabled and ill passengers away
Joe Biden said Saturday: 'If we win Pennsylvania, we win this election'
Workers have been on strike since October 31 against works schedules
Court on Friday declined to issue injunction forcing strike to end that day
Philadelphia, the largest city in the all-important state of Pennsylvania, could be deprived of mass transit on Election Day.
Workers have been on strike since October 31 to protest against their work schedules and negotiate pensions and health care.
Transit officials asked the state court to issue an injunction forcing the strike to end on Election Day.
But a judge declined to do so Friday, meaning Philadelphia could be left without subways, buses or trolleys on November 8.
Philadelphia, the largest city in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, could be deprived of mass transit on Election Day. Trains are pictured idle just outside of Philadelphia
Workers have been on strike since October 31 to protest against their work schedules and negotiate pensions and health care. Pictured is a picket line in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
'The City has a legal responsibility to ensure that Philadelphians can exercise their constitutional right to vote,' the request for an injunction read.
'Though there are extensive efforts to minimize the effect of any transit strike on Election Day, unquestionably, such an Election-Day strike will make it practically impossible for many Philadelphians to participate in this election.'
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will be able to argue for the injunction again on Monday when the hearing resumes.
'We are not going to lie down while they can't resolve this strike, and just watch our passengers suffer. Not going to do it,' SEPTA lawyer Gino Benedetti told 6-Action News.
Transit officials asked the state court to issue an injunction forcing the strike to end on Election Day but a judge declined to do so. Pictured, a station is closed in Philadelphia
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will be able to argue for the injunction again on Monday when the hearing resumes. Pictured is a picket line in Upper Darby
Elderly, disabled and ill passengers are most likely to suffer from the the lack of public transportation, according to SEPTA.
The Transportation Workers Union (TWU), which is organizing the strike, told ABC News that it doesn't believe the strike will have an effect on Philadelphia's voter turnout.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf spoke in support of an injunction to end the strike in a statement Sunday.
'Due to the inability of SEPTA and TWU to reach a compromise, I will file an amicus brief in support of the immediate injunction pending before the court to ensure that the system is fully operational and able to serve the individuals who rely solely on SEPTA for their transportation needs,' Wolf said.
Workers have been protesting in part against their schedules, which they say often do not allow for bathroom breaks, rest between shifts or adequate meal breaks.
Vice President Joe Biden highlighted the importance of Pennsylvania while campaigning for Hillary Clinton in West Mifflin Saturday.
'If we win Pennsylvania, we win this election,' he said.
A Saab driver was tasered at a police station after four patrol cars were damaged.
The 56-year-old Queenslander is accused of being aggressive towards police on Sunday.
The trouble started when he crashed his Swedish luxury sedan into police cars at a Sunshine Coast police station while under the influence of alcohol, it is alleged.
The Saab 9-5 which crashed into the back of a Holden Commodore police car at Nambour police station on Queensland's Sunshine Coast
He drove into the Nambour police station car park shortly before 4pm on Sunday.
He then crashed his late-model Saab 9-5 into the passenger side of a police car, police allege.
The impact forced that patrol car into another police vehicle, causing damage.
The man is accused of then reversing into another police vehicle at the Currie Street station causing severe damage to the passenger side.
He then drove into the back of a fourth police vehicle causing significant damage, police say.
The man then got out of his red Saab and challenged police before an officer tasered him.
The man was taken into custody without incident and no police officers were injured.
He was due to appear in Maroochydore Magistrates Court today.
His Saab was one of the last 9-5 models built before the car company went bankrupt in 2012 and would sell for more than $30,000 if it had low kilometres.
A Nissan Patrol and a Ford Falcon (pictured) which were damaged at Nambour police station
Fast food chain McDonald's is planning to finally catch up to its rivals by rolling out a new mobile order-and-pay app that essentially creates a digital drive-thru.
The popular eatery, which has more than 36,000 locations worldwide, plans to allow customers to order and pay for their meals on their smartphones, Business Insider first reported.
The new pay-and-pickup technology won't be launched until sometime next year in both the U.S., Great Britain, Australia, France and Canada.
McDonald's spokesperson Becca Hary said the mobile ordering should be available in as many as 25,000 of their locations globally by 2018.
Fast food chain McDonald's is planning to catch up with its rivals and roll out mobile order-and-pay technology sometime next year at locations around the world (file above)
The popular eatery, which has more than 36,000 locations worldwide, plans to allow customers to order and pay for their meals on their smartphones. The company first launched their smartphone app last year, though it only has a limited features (file above)
The company first launched their smartphone app last year, though it only has a limited features.
They also started the option of mobile pay this summer at a 22 locations in Columbus, Georgia. However, the test ended a short time later.
Despite being the largest fast-food chain in the world, McDonald's has seemingly fallen behind in adopting the technology compared to other chains.
Other industry competition like Domino's and Starbucks have seen massive success in their mobile ordering option.
The popular coffee chain launched its program a year ago and now roughly 25 per cent of their customers use the app to pay for their orders and six per cent use it to order ahead.
The move for McDonald's is expected to help alleviate problems with long lines at their physical drive-thrus, as 70 per cent of customers use that option to obtain their meals (file above)
The move for McDonald's is expected to help alleviate problems with long lines at their physical drive-thrus, as 70 per cent of customers use that option to obtain their meals.
In addition, the new option will overall cut down on customer wait times and is expected to drastically improve order accuracy.
In July 2015, McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook discussed mobile ordering and said that the technology would be coming soon for the company.
McDonald's has included digital kiosks at restaurants which perform the same way as mobile ordering, however, it costs the company a lot more.
The kiosks can be found in about 7,000 locations around the world, and cost $125,000 per restaurant to install.
The company, which sells 75 hamburgers per second, has a U.S. workforce that is four times the size of Atlanta, Georgia.
Barack Obama has taunted Donald Trump after reports that Republican staff have forced him off Twitter because he keeps scuppering his own campaign.
Speaking at a campaign rally for Hillary Clinton in Kissimmee, Florida, Sunday, Obama told the crowd about the alleged time-out enforced by campaign aides.
'In the last two days, they had so little confidence in his self-control, they said: "Were just going to take away his Twitter,"' he joked.
'Now, if somebody cant handle a Twitter account, they cant handle the nuclear codes. If somebody starts tweeting at three in the morning because "SNL" made fun of you, then you cant handle the nuclear codes.'
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Joker: In a Florida push for Hillary Clinton, President Obama joked about Trump having had his Twitter privileges taken away by staff, who are scared he will damage his campaign
Under control: Trump's firey rhetoric on Twitter made him appeal to voters tired of slick Washington patter. But since October 20, his tweets appear to have been edited and filtered
The 'SNL' remark referenced Trump's early-morning Tweet in mid-October, in which he complained about Alec Baldwin's depiction of him and complained that the show was part of a negative, media-wide campaign to discredit him.
'Watched "Saturday Night Live" hit job on me,' he wrote at the time. 'Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!'
Obama was referring in his speech to a report published in The New York Times Sunday, in which it was claimed that Trump's campaign staff had forced him to tweet through an editor.
The President also said that Trump had been relieved of his Twitter privileges two days ago, but it is believed that he actually made his last independent tweet on October 20.
That's when he posted: 'Why didn't Hillary Clinton announce that she was inappropriately given the debate questions - she secretly used them! Crooked Hillary.'
Since then the Republican candidate - who has a history of going off-message and undercutting his own allies - has tweeted through a human filter.
Star: Obama was speaking shortly after Stevie Wonder performed at the rally in Florida
Making the cut: Spokeswoman Hope Hicks (pictured) is one of those who now takes Trump's tweets in dictation, then edits them before posting them to his official account
A final word: This appears to be the last unedited tweet sent by Trump, according to a Gawker robot that filters out posts not made from Trump's preferred phone, his Samsung Galaxy
Trump's outlandish, unfiltered stream-of-consciousness tweets were a reliable reminder to his supporters that the firebrand was not part of a slick political machine like arch-rival Hillary Clinton.
But leaving him to his own devices - literally - has backfired for the campaign, as the candidate has ended up running interference for his own party.
On the morning of October 16, Mike Pence said on multiple TV channels that Trump's claims about the election being 'rigged' were only in reference to a supposed anti-Trump bias in the media, not actual vote-rigging.
Hours later, Trump tweeted: 'The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD.'
Four days after that, it would appear, Donald Trump made his last solo tweet.
According to Gawker's Real Real Donald Trump bot, which filters out only those tweets that have come from Trump's Samsung Galaxy phone, October 20 was the end of Trump-only tweets.
Contradictions: When Trump was free to make his own comments, he undercut his own race, including contradicting running mate Mike Pence
War of words: This Oct 16 post, in which Trump said the election was 'being rigged... at many polling places,' was made hours after Pence said Trump didn't believe in vote rigging
Since then, all tweets appear to have come from other phones - and according to The New York Times, have been either written by others or filtered by staff.
One tweet, made on November 3 was edited by Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks from Miami airport.
While on board his private campaign jet the disgruntled candidate saw Air Force One across the tarmac and dictated a tweet to her: 'Why is he campaigning instead of creating jobs and fixing Obamacare? Get back to work.'
Hicks added '...for the American people' to the end.
Throttling Trump's famously aggressive tweets and tying him down to the teleprompter have been major tactics in the last two weeks to stop the motormouthed candidate from scuppering his own race, the Times reported.
It certainly seems to have worked - giving the Clinton campaign's email woes air to breathe has resulted in Trump clawing his way back up the polls.
Whether it will be enough for him to finally crack the nut and take America - and whether he'll be allowed his Twitter account back if he does - remains to be seen.
One of the trickiest elements of proposed spending rules for the Every Student Succeeds Act has been the issue of forced teacher transfers.
Heres the issue: The U.S. Department of Education has made it clear it wants more state and local funds being directed to schools with large shares of poor students under ESSA. But that possibility has concerned teachers unions and others because in many cases, at least in theory, that could mean moving teachers (and their salaries) to different schools where they may not wish to teach.
The proposed ESSA supplement-not-supplant rules have this to say about the issue: Nothing in this section should be construed to require the forced or involuntary transfer of any school personnel.
And heres how American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten has interpreted that language: The proposed rules ban forced teacher transfers.
During a meeting with reporters in late September, Weingarten said that, in her view, the way the rules were written mean they cant be used to do the awful bad things that people are projecting that you would do, including forced transfers. That amounts to a ban, she stated.
I read the draft regulation differently than others, Weingarten said.
The Departments View
Its important to point out that the proposed rules also say that they would not override local collective bargaining agreements. So any agreements that ban forced transfers would stand. However, that language itself obviously leaves out any agreements that dont have such a ban.
What did the Education Department say about this issue? In its fact sheet about its proposal, the Education Department encouraged districts to consider Avoiding forced staff transfers and instead investing in providing the resources that students need to learn and that will attract staff to choose to work in Title I schools.
Its unclear why the department would feel the need to encourage districts not to do forced teacher-transfers if doing so were already banned under the proposed rules. We asked for some clarification from the department about this issue. Heres the statement we got in response, in its entirety:
Our proposal would not require forced teacher transfers or take away local hiring authority. Our proposed rule includes a rule of construction that states: nothing in this section shall be construed to require the forced or involuntary transfer of any school personnel. Districts that would be required to move additional resources to Title I schools to meet the new statutory requirement could, for example, consider strategies that do not involve transferring teachers at all, including increased salaries for teachers in Title I schools, additional funding for preschool or advanced coursework in Title I schools, or additional funding for extended learning time opportunities in Title I schools.
Theres nothing in that statement that confirms or denies that forced transfers are banned. Its essentially a reiteration of whats in the proposed rules.
Other Voices
But what do others whove studied this issue think about whether the proposed rules ban teacher transfers? Here are some answers weve gotten:
Tom Zembar, Senior Policy Analyst, National Education Associations Education Policy and Practice Department
Zembar wrote to us that the departments proposal clearly delineates that educator rights are protected under law and in regulations and collective bargaining agreements, among other places.
But Zembar also said, However, while the construction clause protects current agreements, it does not eliminate problems that are likely to surface due to overly prescriptive rules and unnecessary compliance tests in future rounds on local negotiations.
Nora Gordon, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Georgetown University
The proposed rule absolutely does not ban forced transfers. It simply states that such transfers are not required, said Gordon, who has studied and sharply criticized the proposed ESSA rules, in an email. The disconnect here comes from whether or not you expect new state and local money. To comply with the rule without forced transfers is not impossible: it just requires an influx of new state and local money.
Noelle Ellerson, Associate Executive Director, AASA, the School Superintendents Association
I dont know how schools achieve the stated goals if the rules ban forced transfers, Ellerson told me. AASA also has concerns about the proposed rules.
I dont think they ban it. I think they make it clear thats not their intent, she added, referring to the Education Department.
Recently, 49 state-level affiliates of AASA signed on to comments on the proposed rules. (The state missing there, Hawaii, has a statewide district.) Click here to read those comments .
Liz King, Director of Education Policy, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
We know that forced transfers are a huge part of this conversation, and were glad that the reg clarifies that there is nothing in it that requires forced transfers, said King, whose organization supports the departments overall approach to these spending rules. Moreover, it is a terrible way of coming into compliance and we know that it wouldnt work.
Sheara Krvaric, Attorney, Federal Education Group
Asked if she thinks the rules ban forced transfers, Krvaric responded, No.
She later added: The language says that involuntarily transfers are not required. If this means that involuntary transfers arent allowed, thats something that should be clarified in the final [rules]. (The Federal Education Group consults with states and districts about K-12 spending issues.)
Chris Minnich, Executive Director, Council of Chief State School Officers
Heres Minnichs statement on the matter:
The proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Education does not require the forced transfer of school personnel, but nor does it prohibit it. Based on how the rule is currently written, we know many schools would be forced to move resources, which could include teachers and other school personnel, rather than focusing on doing what is in the best interest of students.
CCSSO recently put out its own alternative supplement-not-supplant proposal, which you can read here.
I dont think they explicitly prohibit districts from doing forced teacher transfers, said Sargrad, who has testified to Congress in favor of the departments proposal.
However, Sargrad added that the department is clearly pushing districts to think of other ways to comply with its proposed rules, assuming those become the final rules. In his view, districts could respond to such a proposal by creating extended learning time, or improving working conditions to help attract more experienced, more effective educators into Title I schools.
Forced transfers is generally a bad idea, Sargrad told us. And there are alternatives to forced transfers to meet the supplement-not-supplant requirement.
Clearly, forced teacher transfers are unpopular, whether you like the tack the department is taking or not. But that consensus by itself doesnt address whether they would be banned if the departments proposal goes through.
So whats your interpretation of the language? Do you agree with the AFT? Let us know in the comments section.
Photos: AFT President Randi Weingarten, right, in Philadelphia during the Democratic National Convention in July (Andrew Ujifusa for Education Week); Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. at a high school in Washington, D.C. last month. King has said the proposed spending rules for the Every Student Succeeds Act are designed to increase the resources available to low-income students.
Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Championed as a superfood by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlett Johansson, a jar of manuka honey can sell for hundreds of pounds.
So it is perhaps unsurprising that a row has broken out over just who can make the lucrative product.
A Cornish estate which has been growing a manuka bush on its grounds for 130 years has annoyed producers in New Zealand, where the honey was used in Maori medicine long before it became fashionable.
A Cornish estate which has been growing a manuka bush on its grounds for 130 years has annoyed producers in New Zealand
The Kiwis say true manuka honey is taken from bees with hives close to wild manuka bushes in New Zealand.
While Tregothnan estate in Cornwall is welcome to make honey from their imported plant, they say: You cant call it manuka.
Tregothnan estate, which boasts it is one of the few places making manuka outside of New Zealand, has defended its right to sell it for up to 225 a jar.
However the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) Honey Association, which has more than 70 members, including beekeepers and manuka exporters, is seeking protected geographical status for the honey, just like for French champagne and Melton Mowbray porkpies.
Manuka honey has been championed as a superfood by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow
General manager John Rawcliffe said: Manuka is a Maori word and this honey comes from New Zealand, just like Cornish pasties come from Cornwall.
When you buy this honey, the bees have travelled up to 6km (3.7 miles) to collect it. It is a representation of that environment and our climate, just as if I bought Scottish whisky I would expect it to come from the peat soil of Scotland.
Its not just about protecting our position, its about the consumer.
Until the 1980s, beekeepers used to throw manuka honey away, or add it to cattle feed, because of its strong medicinal taste.
But then claims started to emerge about its medicinal qualities, leading it to be nicknamed liquid gold. Actress Scarlett has said she has regular manuka facials to pull the impurities from her skin, and it is claimed to banish acne and sore throats.
While some of its qualities are untested scientifically, manuka honeys antibacterial properties have been proven in lab tests where it killed off hospital superbugs.
Tregothnan, an estate in Truro owned by the Boscawen family, began growing Manuka, which grows mainly in New Zealands North Island, in the 1880s and started selling it around a decade ago.
Its honey, described as natures most mellifluous medicine, ranges from a floral honey at 29.95 to 225 for a limited edition 420g jar, and usually sells out within weeks.
Spokesman Jonathon Jones said: The debate is set to run forever. Our European honey bee is used to produce the manuka honey in New Zealand. There is no serious discussion about sending the bees back!
Tregothnan will never compete on commodity production and is a luxury brand celebrating the best of British, pioneering new plants for centuries.
The Kiwis say true manuka honey is taken from bees with hives close to wild manuka bushes in New Zealand. File picture
'I hope the continued debate raises awareness of honey for the good of bee farmers everywhere.
But Mr Rawcliffe wants the name of this British honey changed, although he has no objection to it being produced.
The manager, whose organisation licences manuka honey, said: Its great, give it a go, grow the plant, I have no problem with that. But give it another name that doesnt confuse the consumer.
Referencing the Latin name of the manuka plant, he added: Call it Cornish Leptospermum.
A special episode of Emmerdale will be shown entirely from the perspective of a character suffering from dementia, to give audiences an insight into living with the condition.
The camerawork and editing of the soap will be altered to put viewers 'inside the mind' of former vicar Ashley Thomas and show how 'confused' he is when he leaves hospital.
The episode is thought to be the first of its kind for a British programme, and will continue what has been one of the most troubling storylines in the history of the soap.
The camerawork and editing of the soap will be altered to put viewers 'inside the mind' of former vicar Ashley Thomas and show how 'confused' he is when he leaves hospital
Details of the storyline have not been given, but ITV has worked with the Alzheimer's Society and Methodist Homes to give the 'most realistic depiction' of the condition.
Mr Thomas has been a stalwart of the Dales-based soap for nearly 20 years, but was last year diagnosed with stroke-related early onset vascular dementia.
Viewers have watched his condition deteriorate significantly since then, and there is frenzied speculation that he might succumb to the condition by the end of the year.
Only last week, a heart-breaking scene showed Mr Thomas, played by John Middleton, reduced to tears by troubled character Emma Barton after she manipulated him and used his memory loss as a weapon.
Iain MacLeod, the series producer, explained that he wanted to undertake the one-off episode to help viewers understand how everyday tasks become 'Herculean' for people with dementia.
He said: 'People living with dementia face challenges most of us can barely imagine. So, I took it as a challenge to help people picture this experience to put them inside the mind of someone living with this condition.
Mr Thomas has been a stalwart of the Dales-based soap for nearly 20 years, but was last year diagnosed with stroke-related early onset vascular dementia
'Ordinary, day-to-day experiences can become disorientating and distressing when refracted through the lens of dementia. Catching a bus, the apparently simple act of buying something in a shop, holding a conversation - all of these become tasks of Herculean scale.
'By telling the episode solely from Ashley's point of view and seeing things the way he sees them, I hope we're showing a side of dementia that is seldom represented on television.'
Shoppers could save up to 43 per cent on selected products if they choose to bypass big retailers like Coles or Woolworths and opt for discount rival Aldi.
The German supermarket stocks many of the branded products seen on shelves at Coles and Woolworths but buy in bulk and are able to offer substantial savings by reducing staff numbers and limiting the number of products available.
An investigation by Fairfax revealed a sample of 36 products cost shoppers $113.25 at Adli, while customers buying the same items would pay $13.24 more at Woolworths and an extra $16.25 at Coles.
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Shoppers could save up to 14 per cent on groceries if they choose to bypass big retailers like Coles or Woolworths and opt for discount rival Aldi (pictured)
But both Woolworths (right) and Coles (left) have argued its customers could save a considerable amount by taking advantage of the supermarket's weekly specials
While not all branded products found in the major retailers were available at Aldi, those stocked were often more competitively priced when not on special, according to Fairfax's analysis.
Woolworths shoppers could save around 43 per cent on Devondale long life skim milk by purchasing the 2L bottle at Aldi.
Picking up a packet of Tim Tams from Aldi could save Coles consumers 31 per cent on their sweet treat for the week, but you could enjoy a further ten per cent discount at Woolworths.
A bag of Allens Strawberry and Cream lollies are 31 per cent more expensive at Woolworths and Coles, while shoppers would save 42 per cent per 100 grams if they also picked up their BBQ Shapes from Aldi.
Woolworths shoppers could save around 43 per cent on Devondale long life skim milk (pictured) by purchasing the 2L bottle at Aldi
Shoppers could save 31 per cent if they purchase a bag of Allens Strawberry and Cream lollies (left) from Aldi, while they will save 13 per cent on Johnson and Johnson Band Aids (right)
Shoppers could save 42 per cent per 100 grams if they picked up their BBQ Shapes from Aldi
Picking up a packet of Tim Tams from Aldi could save Coles consumers 31 per cent on their sweet treat for the week, but you could enjoy a further ten per cent discount at Woolworths
AUSTRALIAN SUPERMARKET BRANDED PRODUCTS PRICE COMPARISON Product Coles Woolworths Aldi Tim Tams $3.65 $2.50 $2.79 Vegemite
$1.25 per 100g $1.58 per 100g $1.54 per 100g
Devondale Skim Milk 2L $1.99 $2.85 $2 BBQ Shapes $1.71 per 100g $1.71 per 100g $1.20 per 100g Allens Strawberry and Cream $3 $3 $2.29 Source: Fairfax
Coles sells Johnson and Johnson Band Aids for 13 per cent more than the German retailer, while prices on breakfast cereal Weet Bix was around the same across the board.
Libra Ultra Thin pads were seven per cent more expensive at both Coles and Woolworths, while shoppers purchasing a 600ml bottle of Coca Cola will pay three per cent more at Coles.
Former Aldi executive Paul Foley said the supermarket powerhouse is able to offer such competitive prices as it has struck a deal with suppliers to get discounted products through bulk purchases, the Brisbane Times reported.
Both Woolworths and Coles argued its customers were offered discounts and could save considerably by taking advantage of its weekly specials.
Consumers purchasing a 600ml bottle of Coca Cola will pay three per cent more at Coles
Shoppers could get Vegemite spread for the most competitive price at Coles supermarket
The breakfast cereal Weet Bix was priced around the same at all three major supermarkets
A spokesperson for Woolworths said the price of thousands of branded products has been slashed, with the supermarket seeing improved sales after spending $1 billion on reducing prices.
'Woolworths works hard to ensure our customers are always getting great quality products at excellent value throughout the supermarket,' they said in a statement.
Coles argued the sample taken by Fairfax did not represent an 'average shopping basket' and said it had reduced prices by around 7.5 per cent since the end of the 2009 financial year, the Brisbane Times reported.
Coles discounted 145 of its home brand products - including pasta sauce, sunscreen, rolled oats and and sandwich bags - by up to 25 per cent in July.
Woolworths said the price of thousands of branded products has been slashed, with the supermarket seeing improved sales after spending $1 billion on reducing prices
British Airways is putting the squeeze on passengers by cramming an extra 52 seats on to its Boeing 777 holiday jets.
The scheme will involve adding an extra seat to each row, taking the total for the aircraft from 280 to 332.
Currently there are nine seats across each row in economy but in 2018 this will rise to ten on the aircraft, which operate out of Gatwick.
The scheme will involve adding an extra seat to each row, taking the total for the aircraft from 280 to 332
This will raise the economy cabin from 216 to 252 seats. The seats will not be any smaller, but the aisles will be narrower, making cabins more claustrophobic.
It will also trim the business-class cabin from 40 to 32 seats but double the premium-economy cabin to 48 seats.
The change comes as passengers are getting bigger, which means flying will inevitably be more uncomfortable.
It is also likely to lead to longer queues for the toilets as there will now be only one for every 30 passengers compared with the current one for 25.
BA faces increasing competition on routes to the US from the likes of budget operator, Norwegian. The airline is desperate to bring down fares in order to appear at the top of price comparison tables.
Willie Walsh, chief of BAs parent company IAG, said: Were responding to a market opportunity. He said the move would allow BA to lower the average cost per seat, charge a lower price and stimulate demand.
British Airways is putting the squeeze on passengers by cramming an extra 52 seats on to its Boeing 777 holiday jets, which operate out of Gatwick
A spokesman for BA said: We are updating our 777 cabins to bring us into line with many of our competitors.
CABIN FUMES 'ADMISSION' An airline boss is said to have admitted passengers and crew could be harmed by toxic fumes on flights. Mark Mannering-Smith, head of in-flight safety at British Airways, apparently posted comments on an internal forum saying cabin fumes can incapacitate flyers and crews might in theory wear smoke hoods for protection. The comments were later deleted but were saved by staff, according to The Sun. Former BA flight attendant Dee Passon, who blames fumes for being forced to retire on health grounds, said 412 crew had died between 2006 and 2014. She believes aerotoxic syndrome is likely to have been a factor. She said: BA knows fumes are happening but does not provide protection. BA said: Our safety equipment and training exceed required industry standards. Advertisement
Other airlines with ten seats per row include Air New Zealand and Emirates. Air France has a special fleet devoted to Caribbean and Indian Ocean services with ten seats in each row.
BA will also add 12 seats on its short-haul Airbus A320 fleet operating from Heathrow, giving the planes the same seating density as easyJet. BA said the new seats on Triple Sevens would be fitted with bigger screens.
Airlines across the world are competing for passenger traffic on short and long-haul routes by trying to reduce costs.
Some carriers, such as Uzbekistan Airways, even considered weighing passengers before boarding, citing in-flight safety requirements introduced by the International Air Transport Association, but the organisation said it has no such rules.
BA recently announced it is dropping free meals and drinks in economy class on short-haul flights in a switch to sandwiches from Marks & Spencer.
It will be able to cash in from selling snacks, pastries, sandwiches and drinks, where there are big profit margins.
Comeback tour: Phil Collins
Ticketmaster has been accused of profiteering by potentially pocketing more than 600 on tickets sold by touts for Phil Collins concerts.
Seats for the tour sold out on Ticketmaster in seconds last month, with many booked by touts who sell them on for inflated prices.
Ticketmaster's website now redirects fans to a re-selling site it owns called Get Me In! where the seats originally priced at 55 to 175 sell for up to 2,200.
The firm then takes huge cuts on the mark-ups for tickets. The Daily Mail has found for each ticket sold for 2,200 the highest on offer the company claims 611.59.
MPs accused Ticketmaster of 'manipulating' the market, saying the firm must 'come clean' and put fans before profit. The company is expected to be hauled before the Culture, Media and Sport select committee.
Collins, 65, is playing a five-night residency at the Royal Albert Hall in June, followed by two dates in Paris and two in Cologne.
Terms and conditions show Get Me In! takes a 10 per cent cut from the seller, then adds 15 per cent of the full sale price plus VAT as a processing fee. Tickets sent to UK addresses incur another 10.57 delivery fee.
So for 2,200 Phil Collins tickets in the front row on the Friday night the seller would make 2,000, Get Me In! would take 611.59 and the buyer would pay 2,611.59 in total. The seller of these tickets is not known, as Get Me In! protects their identities.
Tory MP Nigel Adams, of the committee, said: 'People will ask questions as to the conflict of interest with Ticketmaster earning [from] secondary ticketing sites. Genuine fans are missing out.' Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, of the parliamentary group on ticket abuse, said: 'There are questions that need to be answered by Ticketmaster about the relationship between the two branches of their business. [It] needs to be seen to be doing much more to stop the abuse.'
Ticketmaster's website now redirects fans to a re-selling site it owns called Get Me In! (screenshot pictured) where the seats originally priced at 55 to 175 sell for up to 2,200
But Warwick University's Professor Michael Waterson, who wrote a government review calling for prosecution of touts, said it was not in the firm's interest to crack down on them.
A petition to enforce sanctions on resale sites and require them to reveal identities has more than 53,000 signatures. Accounts report Get Me In! made 2.5million profit over the past two years. It paid no tax in either of the years.
Also confessed to a 2003 quadruple murder that had remained unsolved
Another body found on the land has been identified as Charlie Carver's
Police have unearthed a second body from the farmland of alleged serial killer Todd Kohlhepp.
The grim discovery was made Sunday, one day after the kidnap and murder suspect led officers to the spots where he said two victims were buried.
The hunt was going on tonight for other bodies. One has been identified as Charlie Carver's whose girlfriend Kala Brown is thought to have been held captive in a container by Kohlhepp for two months.
County sheriff Chuck Wright said of the second body: 'We can't tell anything about the cause of death, gender or how long or any of that stuff.'
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Police unearthed a second body from the Woodruff, Soutch Carolina farmland of alleged serial killer Todd Kohlhepp (pictured in court Sunday)
Authorities have worked tirelessly to search Kohlhepp's land and have now extended their search to other properties connected to him. They are pictured digging in Woodruff
County sheriff Chuck Wright (pictured talking to reporters Sunday) said of the second body: 'We can't tell anything about the cause of death, gender or how long or any of that stuff'
Authorities have expanded their search beyond Kohlhepp's 100-acre farmland. Pictured, Wright and Coroner Rusty Clevenger hold a news conference in front of the property Sunday
The body is thought to be one of the two Kohlhepp mentioned when investigators took him back to his property Saturday, the Greenville News reported.
Authorities were in the process of recovering the remains on Sunday evening.
Detectives have expanded their search perimeter beyond Kohlhepp's 100-acre farmland in Woodruff and are now looking at other properties linked to him.
The search extends beyond South Carolina, Wright said, although he declined to say where investigators were looking.
Homeland Security and the FBI have gotten involved in the search.
Experts meticulously dug into the ground to recover the second body while preserving as much evidence as possible, Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger said.
Kohlhepp has already been charged with four gun murders dating back to 2003 and Kidnapping Brown. He might be connected to seven deaths in total, according to Wright.
The arrest of a convicted rapist in a 2003 quadruple murder has put to rest for the families of the victims a mystery that has haunted them for more than a decade. Above, the family members of the victims comfort each other in the courtroom on Sunday
Tood Kohlhepp (pictured) is charged with four counts of murder in the shooting deaths
Scott Ponder, his mother Beverly Guy, service manager Brian Lucas, and mechanic Chris Sherbert were found fatally shot at the Superbike Motorsports in Chesnee, South Carolina, on November 6, 2003.
The case stunned the community and baffled police for more than a decade.
Rumors swirled that the slaying was committed by a Mexican drug gang or the victims were part of a love triangle, crushing the victims' loved ones.
Now, on the 13th anniversary of the murders, the families say Todd Kohlhepp's arrest will bring them some peace.
Kohlhepp is charged with four counts of murder in the shooting deaths and the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office said that he has confessed to the killings.
Terry Guy, whose wife and stepson were among those killed, spoke with reporters outside Spartanburg County jail on his way to Kohlhepp's bond hearing on Sunday.
Guy said Kohlhepp's arrest means his relatives and the families of others killed can now finally be at peace.
'I'm just so relieved,' he said.
Tom and Lorraine Lucas lost their son, Brian, who was the service manager gunned down at the store.
Standing with his wife outside the Spartanburg County Detention Center, Tom Lucas said he wants to be in court to look the man accused of killing his son in the eye.
CONVICTED RAPIST TODD KHOLHEPP'S RECORD SO FAR Kohlhepp served 14 years in jail for raping a 14-year-old girl at gunpoint in 1986, when he was 15. A sentencing report, obtained by WFXG, claims Kohlhepp lured the girl outside by telling her an ex-boyfriend wanted to talk to her. When the two were outside, he then pointed a 'small blue steel handgun at her head' and 'told her to walk down the alley towards his house.' Once they got into Kohlhepp's bedroom, according to the documents, he duct taped her mouth, tied her hands together, and, 'removed her clothes, then his clothes and forced the victim to have sexual intercourse with him.' Kohlhepp pleaded guilty to kidnapping in the case and was added to the sex offender registry in Arizona. He remained behind bars from 1987 to 2001. Two years after his release, Kohlhepp murdered four people in Chesnee, South Carolina according to a confession he gave investigators Saturday. Scott Ponder, his mother Beverly Guy, service manager Brian Lucas, and mechanic Chris Sherbert were found fatally shot at the Superbike Motorsports shop on November 6, 2003. Kholhepp hasn't indicated a motive. He was charged with four counts of murder Sunday. He is now accused of kidnapping 30-year-old Kala Brown and is believed to have kept her in a metal container on his farmland in Woodruff, South Carolina, for two months. Brown was found chained up inside the container on Thursday. The body of her boyfriend Charlie Carver, 32, was found on Kholhepp's property and identified on Saturday. Authorities unearthed another body on the farmland Sunday and have yet to identify the remains. The second body is believed to be one of two that Kehlhopp located when investigators brought him back to his Woodruff property on Saturday. Advertisement
Scott Ponder (right) and his mother Beverly Guy (left) were found dead at the bike shop in 2003
Service manager Brian Lucas and mechanic Chris Sherbert (left) also died in the 13-year-old quadruple murder
Doris Henry, Guy's sister and Ponder's aunt, is pictured left being comforted by her husband while awaiting to hear about them in 2003. Right, a deck of cards made by Lucas' father and passed out to inmates in South Carolina prisons
'We want to see the face. I want to look at him, and I want to try to use that in healing,' he said.
Lorraine Lucas said she started counseling sessions several weeks ago to prepare herself in case a suspect was ever arrested.
'I needed to be prepared for when they do make an arrest, so we can accept what happened,' she said.
Melissa Ponder said she was resigned that her husband Scott's death would never be solved before getting a phone call on Saturday evening from one of the case's original detectives.
Ponder says the detectives told family members of all four victims the news at the same time - that Kohlhepp confessed to the killings.
Judge Jimmy Henson speaks to the family members of the bike shop murder victims during a bond hearing for Todd Kohlhepp at the Spartanburg Detention Facility on Sunday
Todd Kohlhepp is addressed by Judge Jimmy Henson during a bond hearing on Sunday
'He knew too much about the crime scene,' Ponder said of Kohlhepp's account to detectives. 'He knew everything.'
She added: 'It isn't closure, but it is an answer - and I am thankful for that.'
Detectives told Ponder Kohlhepp was an angry customer who had been in the shop several times, she said.
All four victims were shot multiple times, authorities said at the time.
Before Kohlhepp emerged as a suspect, investigators said all four victims were killed with the same 9 mm pistol.
They theorized that the killer came in the back, perhaps through an open garage door, and killed mechanic Sherbert, 26, as he worked.
Bookkeeper Beverly Guy, 52, was found just outside the bathroom in the middle of the showroom.
Thirty-year-old shop owner Scott Ponder was found just outside the door in the parking lot. Brian Lucas, 29, was in the doorway.
At the time, the suspect was described on 'wanted' posters as a white male, aged between 25 and 40, with dark brown feathered hair, approximately six feet tall and weighing between 175 and 200 pounds.
Kohlhepp (pictured left) confessed to a 2003 quadruple murder. At the time, the suspect was described on 'wanted' posters (right) as a white male, aged between 25 and 40
Law enforcement personnel stand near police tape on Kohlhepp's property in Woodruff, South Carolina, on Sunday
Police work on Todd Kohlhepp's property on Sunday after Kohlhepp showed officers where two other people are buried on his property
The case was Spartanburg County's first quadruple homicide, the Greenville News reported.
Kohlhepp hasn't revealed a motive in the killings and declined to speak when Magistrate Judge Jimmy Henson offered him the chance to make a statement at his bond hearing on Sunday.
The victims' families were there as Henson denied bond for Kohlhepp.
After Kohlhepp left the courtroom, Henson addressed the victims' families, saying: 'What you've gone through ... is beyond what a lot of people would understand.'
Kohlhepp, who was added to the sex offender registry in Arizona after being convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl, is also charged with kidnapping a woman and keeping her chained on his property.
British conservationist Rachel Bradley speaks of her 'horror film' ordeal
A British conservationist has told how she survived five days stranded in the Mexican jungle by eating peanuts and raw fish.
Rachel Bradley was one of a group of four exploring the Yucatan Peninsula by river when they lost the canoes containing their GPS system, communication equipment, food and medical supplies.
After leaving the river and heading into the jungle with their remaining food just one bag of M&Ms and some caramelised peanuts they spent five days fighting to survive before they were eventually rescued.
The group described their ordeal as being like a horror film, as they wandered through the jungle, sleeping in trees and swallowing raw fish whole to fend off starvation.
Miss Bradley, 31, from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, was working for Ninth Wave Global, an environmental consultancy operating in remote areas.
She told how the team which included fellow Briton Mike Burgess, 52, of Plymouth got lost while exploring the area due to unexpected rapids and a labyrinth of swamps and waterfalls created by heavy rain.
Having hurtled over several waterfalls in their canoes emerging each time covered in water-dwelling leeches the group found themselves pushed further and further into the 7,340 square mile jungle.
Rachel Bradley, was one of four who spent five days stranded in a Mexican jungle, surviving on a pack of peanuts and scavenged fish, after their journey turned into a nightmare because of the affects of heavy rain
Miss Bradley said: The water just kept flowing faster and faster. But at this point it was too late to go back.
When two of their four boats flipped over and were lost, their food, first aid equipment and GPS navigation system also vanished. The team then swam and climbed their way through the jungle before finding a mangrove they decided to stay in.
Expedition leader Jon Bonfiglio, 42, from Gibraltar, was forced to spend the entire five days in just his underwear having stripped off to help another member of the group when their boat capsized. Without basic supplies, the group, which also included a 24-year-old Mexican man, were forced to drink dirty river water and sleep in trees.
Miss Bradley said: We thought the safest place was just staying put and hoping someone could find us. For the next two days and two nights we stayed in this tree and explored a few different exit routes, walking to the other side of the palm field and swimming up and down stream.
We had a bag of M&Ms which we shared on the first evening and then we rationed a bag of caramelised peanuts I had five each per sitting. However, their meagre supplies soon ran out.
By day three, my colleagues had started testing a local fruit they recognised and had caught some small fish using my mosquito net, said Miss Bradley. They cut the heads off and swallowed them whole.
Remarkably despite everything Miss Bradley only suffered cuts all over her legs from the palm leaves and an eye infection
She added: Throughout it all there was that feeling of what if nobody comes? I just kept feeling guilty for my family in Stockton in case I didnt come back.
After five days they were discovered on October 23 by a passing Mexican man named Juan de Dios or John of the Gods who took them to safety at the nearest home. Miss Bradley suffered cuts all over her legs from the palm leaves and an eye infection.
Mr Bonfiglio said they had spoken to locals about what to expect before setting out, saying: We were not naive idiots going over a cliff edge. We talked to them about the river, but people told us there was only one waterfall, even the local people didnt know of all the waterfalls or the perils.
He added: It was like all the best horror films, it started beautifully, the river was meant to be placid and gentle, no one mentioned the rapids and waterfall.
A firebrand Muslim sheik has gone on a hate-filled rant instructing young children that Jewish people have 'hatred and envy' in their heart.
Sheik Youssef Hasan, the leader of prayer at Quakers Hill Mosque, in Sydney's west, described Jews as having 'hearts harder than stone' during a regular Friday surmon in front of youngsters and their parents.
Video of the lecture on the second chapter of the Koran shows sheik Hassan talking about the differences Allah sees between the 'hearts' of Jews and Muslims.
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Sheik Youssef Hasan (pictured) , the leader of prayer at Quakers Hill mosque went on a hate-filled rant against Jews during a surmon in front of children and their parents
'Allah mentioned the heart of the Jewish,' sheik Hassan began.
'Many of the Israelites - the Jewish - their heart become very hard and Allah said they become like a stone, but actually harder than a stone.'
The sheik then relates his sermon to a section of the Koran, where it states that 'for indeed there are stones from which rivers burst forth'.
In what he calls a 'great warning for Muslims', sheik Hassan dismisses that good can come from Jewish hearts.
'Some of the rocks, water come out of the rocks, so the water can get away' he said.
'The rocks can be soft, so they can make a way for the water. But the Jewish heart is very hard.
'They don't have mercy. They don't have anything in the heart. They've got only envy (and) they've got hatred.'
Despite the seemingly obvious message of his lecture, sheik Hassan denied to The Australian that he was talking about the entire Jewish race.
The firebrand Muslim sheik told those gathered that Jewish people have 'hatred and envy' in their heart
Sheik Hassan gives the sermons regularly at the Quakers Hill mosque in western Sydney (pictured)
He claims that instead he was referring to a small group named specifically in the holy text.
'I've got so many friends (who are) Jewish and I have no problem with these people at all,' he said.
Vic Alhadeff, the CEO of the NSW Jewish board of deputies said the incident was disappointing.
The relatives of four people killed by a truck driver using his phone at the wheel have called on Apple to introduce a disabling function.
In 2008, the technology giant filed an application to patent a lock-out feature which would disable a phone when being used by a driver, but has never introduced it.
Patent documents reveal that the device would be able to determine if the car was moving thanks to GPS and see who was using the phone by activating its camera.
Patent documents reveal that the device would be able to determine if the car was moving thanks to GPS and see who was using the phone by activating its camera
But despite the patent being granted in 2014, Apple has not added the potentially life-saving feature to its products.
Tracy Houghton, 45, from Dunstable, Bedfordshire, was killed alongside her sons Josh, 11, and Ethan, 13, and stepdaughter Aimee Goldsmith, 11, when Polish driver Tomasz Kroker, 30, ploughed into a queue of traffic on the A34 in Berkshire while distracted by his phone in August.
Now their relatives have asked Apple for a meeting to urge the company to introduce the technology in Britain.
Doug Houghton, who lost sons Josh and Ethan, said: If that technology exists it should be compulsory.
Josh Houghton and Aimee Goldsmith, who were killed in a crash on the A34
'There is an epidemic of people using their phone at the wheel. And what do you do with epidemics? You cure them.
Mark Goldsmith, Mrs Houghtons partner and Aimees father, told The Sunday Times: It should be impossible to use your phone in the driving seat of a car.
It would be fantastic if that feature was included. The technology contains a motion analyser which can detect the speed at which the car is moving.
A scenery analyser checks if the phone was being used in a safe location or in the driving seat.
The device would look out for things such as distance from the phone to wheel and whether other people were in the car.
Patent documents state: Texting while driving has become a major concern of parents, law enforcement and the general public.
They add that the function could be used without making any modifications to the car.
The development was also backed by Paul Carvin, 59, from Morpeth, Northumberland, whose wife Zoe, 42, died when she was crushed while waiting in a queue of traffic.
Father-of-two Mr Carvin said car manufacturers and mobile phone giants had a duty to stop phones being used by drivers.
Josh, 11, and Ethan, 13, were killed when driver Tomasz Kroker, 30, ploughed into a queue of traffic in Berkshire
He added: Some people will respond to education and some people will respond if there is a harsh punishment. Some people wont respond to any of that.
It [the disabling function] is the equivalent of taking a phone away, like saying to children: You dont use it at mealtimes until eventually they dont do it any more.
Safety charity Brake said: With so many people flouting current laws, technology that would make this impossible could be life-saving.
They are two of the deadliest spiders in the world - containing venom that can kill a person in as little as 15 minutes.
But while the risks of funnel web and redback spiders to humans are well known, they do not usually pose a danger to each other - until now.
One homeowner filmed the moment he caught the arachnids fighting over a ventilation shaft outside his home in Australia.
This is the moment two deadly spiders - a funnel web and a redback - were filmed fighting in a web outside a man's home in Australia
Footage shows the redback - also known as a black widow - has managed to get its opponent entangled in a web, and appears to be trying to bite its feet.
Perhaps playing dead, the funnel web doesn't move as the redback darts toward it with a few strikes, backing away each time.
After the funnel web fails to move, the reback seems to lose interest, instead crawling away to the safety of the ventilation hole.
Meanwhile its rival is left dangling upside down while still caught in the sticky strands of its web.
While it appears to be dead in footage posted on Liveleak, a poke with a stick quickly reveals it is not, as it begins flailing its legs around.
The homeowner said he captured the funnel web it a jar and uploaded more footage showing him releasing it safely back into the wild.
It is not clear what, if anything, he decided to do with the redback spider.
Despite its superior size and razor sharp fangs, the redback manages to entangle its opponent in web, leaving it helpless
With the funnel web safely trapped, the redback spider scurries back into a crevice in the wall
Funnel web spiders are generally considered the second most lethal in the world, topped only by the Brazilian wandering spider whose deadly venom is 20 times more toxic than the redback and causes painful, four-hour erections in victims.
Funnel webs have the largest and sharpest fangs of any spider, even rivaling some small snakes, which can bite through shoe leather.
Unlike most spider species they are aggressive, and if threatened will charge and deliver a series of bites, ensuring a maximum dose of venom is injected.
While their venom is less toxic than the redback, because it is delivered in a larger dose they are considered more lethal.
Redbacks contain one of the most dangerous poisons identified in spiders, but mostly pose a danger to children as their fangs struggle to penetrate adult skin.
They are known to hunt other spiders for food, but typically don't challenge creatures as large as a funnel web.
FUNNEL WEB Most deadly rank: Number two Most deadly variety: Male Venom: Causes brain swelling, palpitations, vomiting and spasms starting as little as 15 minutes after bite Behaviour: Unusually aggressive, it will charge opponents and deliver a volley of bites with its extremely sharp fangs Risk to humans: High. Their fangs can penetrate shoe leather, their venom is fast acting and delivered in a high dose, and they will attack first. Their habit of hiding in shoes also brings them into contact with humans Advertisement
UPDATED
A Nov. 8 ballot question in Massachusetts over whether to raise the cap on the number of charter schools allowed to open in the state has become the dominant school choice political story of this election.
Campaigns for and against ballot question 2 have raised over $41 million dollars at last check [UPDATE: these are the most recent numbers as of Nov. 8, 2016], and much of that money has come from national teachers unions and out-of-state charter advocates and groups.
Prominent politicians, such as Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, have weighed in on the ballot question, saying they are against expanding charter schools. Meanwhile the push to raise the cap has the backing of the states governor, Charlie Baker, and businessman and former New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg.
The most recent poll, from Suffolk University and the Boston Globe, showed voters evenly split on the charter cap question with 9 percent of voters still undecided when the poll was conducted.
An earlier poll in late October by MassInc Polling Group for WBUR, one of Bostons NPR affiliates, found that 52 percent of the states voters plan to cast their ballots against raising the charter cap, compared with 41 percent who said they would vote yes.
Both sides for and against lifting the cap have been actively putting key surrogatesparents and teacherson the front line.
I recently spoke with a district school teacher and a charter school parent about how their canvasing efforts were going, and what arguments they found to be the most persuasive with the people theyve called or spoken with on their doorsteps.
Deborah Gesualdo, a music teacher at a district school in Malden, Mass., said what seems to move people the most were some of the most widespread criticisms of charter schools nationally.
I think what resonates most is that not every kid can get in [to a charter school], and that special needs kids are often advised to leave the school, she said. People listen, they have questions, and once I talk to them for a bit, they say, wow, I had no idea that charter schools dont take everyone and can tell people to leave.
Daphne Lawson, a parent of two children who attend charter schools and a paid organizer for New York City-based Families for Excellent Schools, said she has had to play a lot of defense while out canvasing.
She hears from people that they are not only concerned that charter schools dont educate as many special education students, but that they also drain money away from traditional district schools.
But Lawson has found that it helps to relay her personal experiences as a parent of school-aged children who wasnt happy with traditional public schools, but cant afford private school. She calls the district system a monopoly.
I equate it to Uber and taxis, Lawson said. If taxis were doing what they were supposed to do, there would be no Uber.
Voters will decide whether to raise the cap on charter schools in Massachusetts tomorrow.
Related stories:
Photo: A sign urging a vote against a ballot measure that seeks to lift the cap on charter schools in Massachusetts is seen at the McKinley South End Academy, a public school in Boston. David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty
Jeremy Hunt, pictured yesterday, suggested a parliamentary vote to delay Brexit could lead to an early General Election
Jeremy Hunt yesterday suggested a parliamentary vote to delay Brexit could lead to an early General Election.
The Health Secretary played down suggestions that Theresa May would be forced to call a snap poll saying it was the 'last thing' the Government or the people wanted.
But he appeared to suggest that if MPs vote down triggering Article 50 formally starting talks on leaving the EU an election would be necessary. Appearing on BBC1's Andrew Marr show, he warned MPs and peers not to scupper Brexit, saying that Parliament was not there to negotiate treaties.
And he said the economy would suffer if Mrs May was forced by Parliament to reveal too much about her talks with the European Commission.
Asked by Mr Marr if an election would have to be called if Parliament voted against Article 50, the Health Secretary said: 'I think a General Election is frankly the last thing the Government wants.
'Theresa May wants to get on with the job and frankly it is the last thing the British people want, with all these very, very important national decisions.
'Because of that I think it is highly unlikely that Parliament would not, in the end, back a decision to trigger Article 50.'
Mr Hunt told the programme he had been a Remainer until the EU referendum. 'After that I became a democrat,' he said, as he warned Parliament not to 'unpick' the public's decision.
'Parliament passes laws, it always has, but governments negotiate treaties,' he said.
Mr Hunt played down suggestions that Theresa May, pictured in India on Sunday, would be forced to call a snap poll saying it was the 'last thing' the Government or the people wanted
'And the reason that Parliament can't negotiate treaties is because you can't decide an international treaty by a simple vote of MPs.'
He added: 'For people worried about the impact of Brexit on the economy or whatever else it is, the damage to the fabric of our democracy would be far, far worse if people felt the Establishment was trying to unpick a decision that was made. The impact on the economy will be far worse if, through some parliamentary mechanism, Theresa May is forced to lay out her entire negotiating strategy.
The RAF joined the fight yesterday as the battle for Islamic States de-facto capital Raqqa began.
US intelligence sources say the terror groups attacks against Western targets are being plotted from the Syrian city, adding urgency to coalition plans to launch an attack.
Speaking as the operation got under way, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the RAF would be involved in a two-pronged attack in Iraq and Syria.
The RAF joined the fight yesterday as the battle for Islamic States de-facto capital Raqqa began. File image
He said: Were supporting Iraqi-led forces defeating Daesh (IS) in Mosul and the RAF will support the Raqqa operation as it develops.
Our strikes are making a difference in Mosul now and our sophisticated surveillance effort is helping give the coalition a vital edge in Syria.
Some 30,000 moderate fighters, backed by the US and led by the Kurds, said they had begun the military campaign to liberate Raqqa yesterday, urging civilians to avoid enemy gatherings in the city.
The announcement by a coalition of Kurds and Arabs known as the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) came at a conference in Ein Issa, north of Raqqa.
But it lacked specific details on how they plan to oust the militants from the city, which is home to nearly 200,000 mostly Sunni Arabs and an estimated 5,000 militants.
Last year David Cameron told MPs that Raqqa was the snakes head for IS and Britain should be attacking there to rid the world of this evil.
US intelligence sources say the terror groups attacks against Western targets are being plotted from the Syrian city. File picture
With the US-backed SDF considered the only viable ground force the West can support, the fight to retake Raqqa is likely to prove even more difficult than the battle in Mosul.
Cihan Ehmed, an SDF fighter, said: We call on our heroic steadfast people in Raqqa and surrounding areas to stay away from enemy gatherings which will be a target for the liberating forces and the coalition forces, and to head to areas that will be liberated.
She said 30,000 fighters will take part in the operation, dubbed Euphrates Rage, adding: Our hope is that the Turkish state will not interfere in the internal affairs of Syria. Raqqa will be freed by its own sons.
Lord Reed has worked for the EU Forum of Judges; while Lord Kerr is an unashamed champion of the Human Rights Act
These four of 11 Supreme Court judges to rule on the Governments Brexit case have links to Europe
Britain's selection of Supreme Court justices is far more secretive than the process in the US.
When a vacancy arises, the Lord Chancellor chooses a selection committee to look at candidates. It consults senior judges and politicians with the only criteria that they are chosen on merit.
The appointment is then made by the Queen on the Prime Ministers recommendation with no public scrutiny required.
Here we look at four of the law lords set to hear the Brexit case in December. All have links to the European legal establishment.
Brussels man: Lord Reed
LORD REED
The 60-year-old is one of two Supreme Court judges who has served on the European Court of Human Rights. Lord Reed was on a panel which decided in 1999 that Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, who killed toddler James Bulger, had not received a fair trial.
And it ruled Michael Howard, the home secretary at the time of the 1993 trial, breached human rights laws by intervening to raise the killers sentences.
Lord Reed was also vice-president of the EU Forum of Judges for the Environment between 2006 and 2008. A Brussels man to his fingertips, he was an adviser to the EU Initiative with Turkey on Democratisation and Human Rights between 2002 and 2004.
He was an obvious choice to deliver the annual Sir Thomas More lecture (More was beheaded by Henry VIII) on EU law and the Supreme Court in 2014. He said: For anyone invited to express his views on Britains relations with Europe, Sir Thomas does not provide an encouraging precedent.
While I do not expect this lecture to be followed by my heads being impaled and displayed on London Bridge, I nevertheless subscribe to the view that it is wise for judges to avoid speaking in public on controversial topics.
Human Rights Act: Lord Kerr
LORD KERR
A former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Lord Kerr, 68, has also sat in the European Court of Human Rights.
Last year he went against then-home secretary Theresa May over her decision not to admit an Iranian woman with a terrorist conviction to Britain.
In the case, Lord Kerr held the court had the power not only to review whether the home secretarys argument was tenable according to the rules, but if it was right.
He is an unashamed champion of the Human Rights Act brought in by the Blair government.
He said in an interview: The central point about the Act is that it has given judges free access to the rich vein of jurisprudence that is provided by the Strasbourg Court. I am in favour of the view that Strasbourg should not necessarily provide the last word on the content of human rights in our jurisdiction.'
European law: Lord Mance
LORD MANCE
Fluent in several languages, Lord Mances career has been saturated in the processes of European law.
The 73-year-old worked for a Hamburg law firm shortly after leaving Oxford, and has gone on to represent the UK on the Consultative Council of European Judges, set up to advise the Council of Europe on the independence, impartiality and competence of judges.
He is also a member of panel set up under an EU treaty to give an opinion on candidates suitability for the European Court of Justice.
In 2012 Oxford University chancellor Lord Patten, who yesterday urged Downing Street to order newspapers to desist from publishing criticism of the judges, made Lord Mance high steward of the university.
His wife Dame Mary Arden is also a judge. This year he upheld an injunction preventing the naming of a married celebrity who asked another couple if they were willing to have a threesome in a childrens paddling pool filled with olive oil.
The judgment provoked derision as the celebritys identity was published around the world and all over the internet.
When MPs said the ruling made the law look an ass, an unrepentant Lord Mance retorted: If that is the price of the applying the law it is one which must be paid.
Old Etonian: Lord Carnwath
LORD CARNWATH
A key legal adviser to Prince Charles between 1988 and 1994, Lord Carnwath, 71, is steeped in EU laws and tradition.
The Old Etonian was a co-founder of the EU Forum of Judges for the Environment. The body exists to promote the enforcement of national, European and international environmental law.
Last year he chaired a Supreme Court climate-change conference and he has been president of the UK Environmental Law Association since 2006.
Lord Carnwath is also on the editorial board of the Journal of Environmental Law.
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She was once one of Australia's richest women, jetting around on private planes and building $35 million mansions with her husband, Christopher.
But Pixie Skase's dramatic fall from grace has left her renting a modest two-bedroom Melbourne apartment from a friend for $560-a-week and rifling through supermarket bargain bins.
The socialite lived exiled in Spain for 17 years after the collapse of her husband's $1.5 billion company Qintex in 1991, leaving Mr Skase with personal debts of $172 million.
After Christopher Skase lost his battle to stomach cancer in 2001, Ms Skase, now 76, returned to Australia and now keeps a low profile - only emerging from her apartment to walk her dog, Nevis, according to Women's Weekly.
Pixie Skase (pictured shopping at Prahran Market in 2009) has has a dramatic fall from grace following the death of her con-artist husband, Christopher Skase, and now lives a modest lifestyle in Toorak, Melbourne
Ms Skase lived exiled in Spain for 17 years after the collapse of her husband's (both pictured) $1.5 billion company Qintex in 1991, leaving the Brisbane couple with personal debts of $172 million
Close friends said she now spends her days watching TV, reading books and cooking.
It is a far cry from the 1980s, when the socialite would splash her millions on art, clothes, property and huge events.
She threw a $1 million, five-day party for the opening of Skase's Port Douglas resort and forked out $500,000 for his 40th birthday celebrations in Brisbane.
Her friends said Ms Skase would spend her life 'drowning in French Champagne,' at their mansion.
On one occasion, Skase even paid for a private jet from Port Douglas to pick up a dress for his wife in Melbourne.
The couple would entertain guests on a $6 million yacht and at their sprawling Brisbane River mansion and Ms Skase prided herself on expensive finishing touches, including Hermes ashtrays and Christofle cutlery.
But the couple's ostentatious spending came to a standstill in 1991 when the Australian-American company Qintex - which owned a large slice of Australian TV including Channel 7 - collapsed.
Skase died from stomach cancer in August, 2001 and a private funeral was held with his wife (pictured, centre) and just 15 mourners
Ms Skase (pictured) would entertain guests on a $6 million yacht and at their sprawling Brisbane River mansion
Ms Skase lived exiled in Spain for 17 years after the collapse of her husband's (both pictured) $1.5 billion company Qintex in 1991, leaving the Brisbane couple with personal debts of $172 million
In the 1980s, the socialite (pictured) would splash her millions on art, clothes, property and events
After the company collapse, Skase's furious creditors lost hundreds of thousands of dollars and the media tycoon (pictured) was left with a company debt of $1.5 billion and personal debts of $172 million
Christopher Skase spent one night in Southport jail, near the Gold Coast, after being charged with using his company position to obtain management fees
Ms Skase has three daughters, Amanda Larkins, Felicity Trytell (both pictued) and Kate Argenti, and seven grandchildren
His furious creditors lost hundreds of thousands of dollars and the media tycoon was left with a company debt of $1.5 billion and personal debts of $172 million.
He spent one night in Southport jail, near the Gold Coast, after being charged with using his company position to obtain management fees.
Skase, who bought the company in 1970, became one of the country's most wanted fugitives after he then fled Queensland authorities with his wife to hide out in Spain.
The couple rented a luxurious $6 million mansion on the island of Majorca and Australian authorities spend years, and millions of taxpayer dollars, to try and have the case heard in Spanish court.
Skase died from stomach cancer in August, 2001 and a private funeral was held with his wife and just 15 mourners.
Skase, who bought the company in 1970, became one of the country's most wanted fugitives after he fled Queensland authorities with his wife to hide out in Spain
Following her husband's death, Ms Skase stayed in Spain for seven years, before deciding to return to Australia in 2008
Pixie's son-in-law claimed she sold her story before Skase has been cremated and also alleges she was given a $1 million insurance policy
The couple once once lived in this nine-bedroom and nine-bathroom mansion in Hamilton, Queensland
In a recent self published book, Ms Skase's son-in-law Tony Larkins (pictured with Ms Skase's daughter Amanda) revealed she continued to spend a fortune even after Christopher had died
Ms Skase's spending was described as out-of-control and she event forked out $1 million on a five-day party for the opening of Skase's Port Douglas Sheraton Mirage resort (pictured)
In a recent self published book, Ms Skase's son-in-law Tony Larkins revealed she continued to spend a fortune.
'Just before he died, when we owed money everywhere and there was no money in the accounts, I turned around to find she was buying a new Mercedes,' Mr Larkins wrote.
He claimed his mother-in-law sold her story before Skase has been cremated and also alleges she was given a $1 million insurance policy. She also sold a number of properties the couple owned.
Mr Larkins said the family are very much estranged after she refused to honour Christopher's wish his granddaughter be given some of the insurance payout. She has three daughters, Amanda Larkins, Felicity Trytell and Kate Argenti, and seven grandchildren.
Pixie's (right) son-in-law said the family are very much estranged after she refused to honour Christopher's (left) wish his granddaughter be given some of the insurance payout
The couple had an enormous property portfolio and owned a number of resorts, including the iconic Sheraton Mirage Resort on the Gold Coast (pictured)
Following her husband's death, Ms Skase stayed in Spain for seven years, before deciding to return to Australia in 2008 and now lives as a recluse in Toorak, Melbourne
Their former Brisbane River property sold for $35 million just last month after the new owners fell into $60 million of debt
The wealthy couple once threw enormous five-day long parties in their Hamilton home
Following her husband's death, Ms Skase stayed in Spain for seven years, before deciding to return to Australia in 2008.
She moved into a friend's apartment in the exclusive suburb of Toorak and became a recluse. The move prompted many to wonder where the struggling pensioner's money went.
Her friends said she only leaves her home to walk her husky, Nevis, go supermarket shopping and have the occasional lunch in the Toorak village.
A neighbour said Ms Skase was 'very friendly, but she really keeps to herself', The Herald Sun reported.
'Pixie has to get by on a very small budget - she's basically broke,' a close friend said.
But Ms Skase reportedly made a rare appearance at Tuesday's Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse.
They built the nine-bedroom mansion in 1988 and it spans across nine titles
Controversial New Zealand tribal gang leader Jamie Pink is being investigated by police after a mystery weekend 'incident'.
Pink, the boss of Waikato-based gang Tribal Huk, first made headlines in October when he promised to run drug dealers out of a small town on the country's north island.
Ever since he's been under the watchful eye of police, however it's currently unclear exactly what he's alleged to have done over the weekend, stuff.co.nz reports.
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Controversial New Zealand gang boss Jamie Pink (pictured) is being investigated by police over an unknown weekend 'incident'
The 45-year-old made headlines in October when he and his gang Tribal Huk promised to run drug dealers out of a small town on the country's north island to protect young children
For the 45-year-old heavily tattooed gang president from the town of Ngaruawahia, the incident isn't his first since achieving notoriety with his stance on drugs.
In late October he was involved on a back-road confrontation but aside from being 'a little battered and bruised', he was otherwise okay.
There was also the well-publicised 'assassination attempt' that saw him lose an eye.
Pink has worn a black eye patch over his right eye ever since he 'lost an eyeball' after being shot at by 'two little old ladies' with a tommy gun.
Interestingly, there was no record of Pink ever being hospitalised at Waikato Hospital for an eye injury.
Pink (pictured) has made a habit of making headlines since his stance against drugs in October, having appeared in court in weapons charges and also lost an eye in an alleged assassination attempt
After Pink's (left) young daughter was allegedly offered methamphetamine on the streets of 'his' small town of Ngaruawahia he and his gang (right) took the strong stand that made news across the world
Just last week Pink was back in the limelight as he appeared in court to face charges over being in possession of two illegal pump-action shotguns.
The notorious bikie reportedly acted like a celebrity during his court appearance, teh New Zealand Herald reported.
Shaking hands with people inside the court, he then offered a two-arm salute to his gang members as he left.
The serious weapons charges came after local police searched his blood-stained, armoured Ford Explorer - which he abandoned at a New Zealand newspaper office after his war on drugs.
The vehicle, which had bullet holes punctured through the doors and windows and had no rear windscreen at all, allegedly had a number of weapons inside of it.
When the 8th Earl Spencer died, his widow, Raine, was unceremoniously turfed out of the familys ancestral home, Althorp, with bin bags full of her clothes allegedly kicked down the stairs by her stepchildren.
Sadly, time does not seem to have been a healer for the current Earl Spencer and his two surviving sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, when it comes to their former stepmother.
I hear that the funeral of Raine, Countess Spencer was held quietly last week, with her former stepchildren conspicuous by their absence.
Rapprochment Raine and her former step-daughter Princess Diana in 1997
There was a private service in London for her family only, confirms a spokesman for Raines son, the Earl of Dartmouth, a Ukip MEP.
Raine, who was the only child of romantic novelist Dame Barbara Cartland and printing heir Alexander McCorquodale, died on October 21 at the age of 87.
According to one of Raines friends, she always wanted her ashes to be interred next to those of her beloved second husband, Johnnie, the 8th Earl Spencer, at the Spencer family chapel at St Marys Church in Great Brington, Northamptonshire.
Raine, who was the only child of romantic novelist Dame Barbara Cartland and printing heir Alexander McCorquodale, died on October 21 at the age of 87
The earls son and heir, Charles Spencer, could not be reached for comment on whether he would allow this, although it seems most unlikely.
He and his sisters had wasted no time in booting Raine out of Althorp after their fathers death in 1992 at the age of 68. As well as reportedly filling bin bags with Lady Spencers clothes, Charles and his sister, the future Princess Diana, had nicknamed her Acid Raine. They are said to have hated the way she had redecorated their home.
Charles remarked in 2009: The south drawing room, for generations a model of handsome English reserve, became a cacophony of clashing pinks pink silk walls, pink silk curtains, pink French rug, pink sofas, plump pink cushions; it was as if the room had been ablush at the sickliness of it all.
He also claimed that works of art had been smuggled out in laundry baskets to meet the interior decorators bills. The children were appalled when a portrait of their stepmother appeared in pride of place, even if it was at her husbands behest.
3k jetsetting - but aren't you London Mayor, Sadiq?
Criticised for his love of red carpet events, Labours London Mayor Sadiq Khan enjoys the jet-set lifestyle as well.
Expenses declared by his office disclosed that the controversial former human rights lawyer spent almost 3,000 on a trip to America and Canada in September.
The hard-pressed taxpayer was also forced to foot the 244.80 bill for his trip to Paris on Eurostar the previous month. Clearly Londons not big enough for his ego.
Sadiq Khan meets Dame Barbara Windsor at Team London Awards, in City Hall, London, on October 31
Struggling families will have the chance to buy their homes after 25 years of paying rent under radical proposals designed to tackle a national housing crisis.
A new type of tenure, to be called buy as you go, is expected to be announced as part of a major revamp of the housing market at the end of this month.
Buyers will not need to have paid a deposit or require a mortgage but will build up equity in their homes over time.
Struggling families will have the chance to buy their homes after 25 years of paying rent under radical proposals designed to tackle a national housing crisis
The policy is set to be unveiled during the chancellors Autumn statement, with details to be published in a housing white paper shortly afterwards.
It is understood the National Housing Federation has told ministers that housing associations will be able to build 335,000 homes in the next four years, including a significant number on a buy as you go tenure, if given some additional funding.
They also want the freedom to shuffle current capital injections from government into the project.
The rents paid by people in buy as you go homes would be around 90per cent of the market rate in the local area, with the split between rent and equity payments changing over time until the tenant eventually owns their home outright.
Private renters generally pay about 47per cent of their take-home pay to landlords, so that many aspiring homeowners on a low wage currently have no chance of saving a deposit.
A new type of tenure, to be called buy as you go, is expected to be announced as part of a major revamp of the housing market at the end of this month. File picture
A report published on Saturday by Savills revealed that a shortage of available homes to rent has already pushed up rental prices.
Tenants in London face a 25per cent rise in rents over the next five years while the average increase in the rest of the country is set to be 19per cent.
Senior government sources said Downing Street was determined to improve the lot of long-term renters, and that Theresa May has told cabinet that it is her priority.
On the steps of No 10, in her inaugural address as prime minister, May said her government would be driven by the interests of the just managing ... working around the clock and yet finding life a struggle.
The development comes as Labour releases new figures showing that the drop in homeownership since 2010 has been worst for young people in the north of England.
The figures from the governments English Housing Survey show that between 2010 and 2015 the number of homeowners in the north of England has dropped by more than 130,000 two-thirds of the decline across the country.
Younger households in the north have been hardest hit with 90,000 fewer homeowners under 45 in Yorkshire, and 100,000 fewer in the north-west.
The shadow housing secretary, John Healey, said: Six years of failure on housing under the Tories have meant a big drop in homeownership for young people right across the country, with the fall sharpest in the north of England.
Buyers will not need to have paid a deposit or require a mortgage but will build up equity in their homes over time
This is no longer just a problem for London and the south-east, but a national problem that requires new national leadership.
Short-term gimmicks from Conservative ministers over the last six years were too often designed to give the Conservatives a poll boost rather than real support to first-time buyers on ordinary incomes.
Young people are now paying a price for this failure. A YouGov poll last year found that 52% of private renters earning the living wage or less wanted to own their own home but did not think that they would ever be able to do so.
Bill Shorten and John Laws have been photographed in the radio personality's studio next to golliwog dolls.
The Labor Opposition leader was interviewed on Thursday by Laws on the veteran radio personality's morning show.
Laws, 81, later shared a picture of him and Mr Shorten on social media, and a keen-eyed listener spotted golliwog dolls in the 2SM Sydney studio.
Bill Shorten and John Laws have been photographed in the radio personality's studio next to golliwog dolls
Laws called Mr Shorten a 'lovely man in person' after interviewing him on Thursday morning
'Fantastic and enlightening chat with Bill Shorten this morning, if you missed it make sure you listen back on the podcast,' Laws wrote on Twitter alongside the photo.
Laws also shared the photo on Facebook and called Mr Shorten a 'lovely man in person'.
At least two golliwogs could be seen on display on a shelf, it was pointed out on Twitter.
In another photo posted to Twitter earlier this month, at least four of the dolls could be seen in the centre of his studio.
The golliwogs had been previously spotted in Laws' studio with Malcolm Turnbull.
The golliwogs had been previously spotted in Laws' studio with Malcolm Turnbull
Mr Turnbull and John Laws are pictured in the 2SM radio studio in April this year
'Why on earth does John Laws have a golliwog in his studio?' Channel Ten's Adam Todd asked on Twitter in April.
Most on social media appeared to agree it was inappropriate, however another suggested it was 'politically correct' that people 'can't have a toy without any connotations to it.
Golliwogs were popular in the 1990s up until the '70s and are widely understood to be a racist caricature of people of colour.
The dolls have been spotted in gift shops across country Australia over the past year.
The dolls have been spotted in gift shops across country Australia over the past year
Golliwog dolls wearing Santa outfits were spotted in Geelong, Victoria, last Christmas
Last Christmas, founder of media platform IndigenousX, told Daily Mail Australia the restocking and selling of Golliwogs was 'eternally frustrating' and incredibly insulting.
'Golliwogs have f***ing paws instead of hands and feet they come from a time when human zoos were a part of reality people would go to a zoo to see an African person,' he said.
'They are back because Australia has this idea that we're so far beyond racism that it's okay to be racist again.
'It's just frustrating for people who are working towards a point of understanding about how racism exists in today's society as well as historically ... to know that it's constantly an uphill battle,' he said.
They went to a residence and the young girl's body was found in a well
On Saturday, police acted on an investigative lead
Kayla Gomez-Orozco's body was discovered in a well Bullard, Texas, a few miles from where she went missing
The man accused of abducting and killing a 10-year-old girl is a relative who is in the United States illegally, reports suggest.
Gustavo Zavala-Garcia is in custody on an immigration hold after Kayla Gomez-Orozco's body was found in a well next to his home in Bullard, Texas, on Saturday night.
He is believed to be the last person to have seen the youngster alive. Police also believe he caused her death.
A law enforcement source told KETK, he somehow got back into the United States after being deported for committing a violent crime in 2014.
Jail records indicate he served 30 days behind bars for assaulting his wife.
He is in the Smith County jail with no possibility of bond.
Kayla was last seen on Tuesday at the Bullard First Assembly Church where she was attending a prayer service with her family.
Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith told the TV station: 'A family member resides at the residence that we conducted the search where the body was recovered.
Kayla, 10, was last seen Tuesday at the Bullard First Assembly Church. Her family was attending a prayer service there. Local media has named the suspect in the case as Gustavo Zavala-Garcia (right)
'He voluntarily accompanied law enforcement officers to be interviewed. Upon the completion of the interview, a federal immigration detainer was issued for his detention.
'He is now in the Smith County jail, without any possibility of making bond at this time.'
Zavala-Garcia is married to Kayla's cousin, the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported.
His wife Esther Zavala told the newspaper her husband and daughter went to the Tuesday prayer service, which she didn't go to.
She said: 'Kayla bent down to hug (my daughter) and said, I'll see you Friday. My husband buckled her up, and said, "We're leaving."
'(Kayla) didn't come outside. She is scared of the dark. She stayed in the lobby area.'
Citing court records, the newspaper reported that Gustavo Zavala-Garcia pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife and received a 30-day county jail sentence two years ago.
Authorities initially believed that Kayla may have been snatched by a stranger.
Officers said she was in 'grave danger' when she first disappeared.
Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said investigators acted on an investigative lead
Smith said a search warrant was issued late Saturday night to search a property
Hundreds of people wait in line to help in the search for missing child Kayla Gomez-Orozco Saturday in Bullard, Texas on Saturday
On a Facebook page, Help Find Kayla Gomez, supporters confirmed their fears.
A post on the page read: 'There is confirmation that Kayla has been found deceased.
'However, please remember that there is a family involved, and respecting this family who is in more pain than you imagine needs considered first and foremost. Thank you for your respect of the family at this time.
'Please focus your efforts on prayer and comfort for this family at this time.'
Cherokee County Sheriff James Campbell has described Kayla as a 'sweet little girl, just as cute as she could be'.
When she first went missing, he said they had no idea why she would have been abducted.
Kayla, who has black hair and brown eyes, was wearing a black t-shirt and a peach-colored skirt when she was last seen on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday night people conducted a vigil outside the city hall in Bullard.
Bullard City Manager Jay Abercrombie said: '(There are) a lot of mixed emotions for a small community like ours. Shock is one of the main things.'
Samuel Kane and Sebastian Miggiani of the Alert Academy assist Smith County Sheriffs Office detectives Ron Rathbun and Justin Hall with organizing groups of volunteers for a public search for missing Kayla on Saturday
People in Bullard, Texas, held a vigil on Wednesday evening for Kayla
Eli is now smiling and laughing after weeks in Children's Hospital rehab
Young Eli Campbell has made astonishing progress in rehab after the two-year-old was bitten by a coastal taipan and was left fighting for his life.
Eli, two, has smiled and laughed for the first time and even sat up by himself since he suffered brain damage from going into cardiac arrest when he was bitten by a deadly taipan in September.
The parents, Giles Campbell and Brittany Cervantes, have been helping the toddler learn to live with his brain injury in rehabilitation in Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, according to The Observer.
The brave toddler has even regained movement in his arms and legs this week and was handed the #smileoftheweek at the Children's Hospital.
The brave toddler, pictured after the incident, has regained movement in his arms and legs this week and was handed the #smileoftheweek at the Children's Hospital
Eli Campbell (right) with his mother Brittany (left) during his rehabilitation in Queensland
The parents said in a statement they would like to thank everyone that helped the family during the tough time.
'We are glad to be able to tell you that Eli has come a long way since his admission to the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital on 26 September.'
'We know Eli's vision has been severely impaired by the snake bite, but his care team is still determining the full extent of this impairment.
'We do know it will be a long journey, but we have seen good progress in the past two weeks. Eli has smiled again, laughed a few times, remembered some of his favourite toys and is starting to regain purposeful movement in his arms and legs.'
A statement from Dr Shelvarngan Ravi, Paediatric Registrar at the Childrens Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, said Eli has neurological problems particularly around his visual centre of the brain and the areas that control coordinated muscle movement.
The brave toddler has regained movement in his arms and legs this week and was handed the #smileoftheweek at the Children's Hospital
The GoFundMe page dedicated to help the parents afford the medical bills on the Queensland toddler's road to recovery has now raised more than $71,000.
Eli was declared dead for six minutes after he was bitten by a coastal taipan has been pictured in hospital after being left paralysed.
He was collecting eggs from his family's chicken pen in Queensland's Agnes Waters on September 26 when he was bitten three times by the deadly snake, suffering a cardiac arrest.
Eli has been taken off a ventilator and is no longer 'fighting for his life,' but his distraught father Giles said the little boy's MRI showed significant swelling on the brain and he has no control over his limbs.
Toddler Eli was with his mother in his backyard when he was bitten three times by a coastal taipan snake, suffering a cardiac arrest
Mr Campbell said Eli was moved to the paediatric ward at the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital on Friday and will remain there until his seizures reduce.
'He has lost quite a bit of weight as he is pretty much immobile, he currently has no real control of limbs and cannot hold his head up,' Mr Campbell wrote on the family's GoFundMe page.
'His eyes wander constantly and he is still very weak.
'We are under no illusions anymore, we know this boy of ours will need some care for the rest of his life'.
Eli's mother Brittany, who is pregnant, was credited with saving the little boy's life after she applied a pressure bandage to his wounds until paramedics arrived.
In September, she said the two-year-old suffered brain damage after a lack of oxygen from the taipan venom.
The family are considering permanently relocating to Brisbane from rural Queensland to ensure they have access to the best possible rehabilitation facilities.
Ms Campbell is due to give birth to their second child on March 24.
She wrote on the crowdfunding campaign page last week, explaining the family need to wait until he 'comes to a bit more' to see the extent of his brain damage.
The taipan snake is elusive but highly venomous, striking repeatedly and very quickly if they feel threatened (stock image)
'He is very sensitive at the moment, very easily over stimulated,' she said.
'Eli has suffered some brain damage as a result of his cardiac arrest and subsequent lack of oxygen to the brain,' Brittany wrote on their GoFundMe page.
'We won't know the extent until he starts to come too a bit more.
The little boy's occipital lobe has been most affected by the oxygen deprivation and he could be left with the inability to recognise objects and have constant hallucinations.
'We have no idea the extent but we also have no expectations. We are now ready to walk this path with our little boy,' Brittany said.
After the snake attack on Sunday, Eli was declared dead for six minutes before being revived by paramedics.
The friend said Eli's MRI results 'weren't the best'.
Snake handler Richie Gilbert (right) has thrown support behind the family with a fundraiser to help foot Eli's medical bills
Richie Gilbert from Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 told Daily Mail Australia taipans are elusive but will strike when cornered.
'It was tragic. The snake would have probably had its head in a hole looking for rats or mice. They are a shy but they can strike repeatedly and very quickly if they feel threatened.'
Mr Gilbert said there were approximately two fatal bites a year from taipans in Australia.
He is helping Eli's parents raise money for his medical bills with a free snake awareness demonstration.
'We're hoping to raise awareness on different breeds of snakes and explain what to do in case of a snake bite. We're staging a number of activities to raise money for the family.'
A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help Eli's family and can be seen here
Melania Trump said at a campaign event Thursday that she wants to do her part to combat the cruelty children experience on the internet, and she pledged to take up cyberbullying as her cause if her husband, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, wins the election.
As adults, many of us are able to handle mean words, even lies, Melania Trump said in Pennsylvania. Children and teenagers can be fragile. They are hurt when they are made fun of, or made to feel less in looks or intelligence. This makes their life hard and can force them to hide and retreat. Our culture has gotten too mean and too rough, especially to children and teenagers. It is never okay when a 12-year-old girl or boy is mocked, bullied or attacked. It is terrible when that happens on the playground, and it is absolutely unacceptable when its done by someone with no name hiding on the Internet.
If Melania Trump wants to take on cyberbullying the way Michelle Obama took on school lunches, where should she start? Heres some advice from your humble blogger, research, and the internet hordes who responded to her speech.
Talk to Your Husband About His Tweets
Predictably, people took to the internet Thursday to note that if Trump wants to promote cyber civility, she might want to start with her own husband. Donald Trumps campaign has been marked by constant questions about his temperament and a regular stream of criticisms and insults about reporters, opponents, and everyone else on his Twitter account. Last month, the New York Times even published a list of the hundreds of people and things Trump has insulted on Twitter since he launched his campaign. So Mrs. Trumps remarks were met with responses like this.
If Melania Trump wants to combat cyber bullying on social media, she should start by changing the password to her husbands Twitter account. -- Sean Simons (@seanrsimons) November 3, 2016
Melanias speech today would be like Bernie Madoffs wife giving a talk on integrity of investment portfolios and fighting Ponzi schemes -- Matthew Dowd (@matthewjdowd) November 3, 2016
National teachers unions, which have endorsed Donald Trumps opponent, Sec. Hillary Clinton, claim his coarse campaign rhetoric has led to a Trump effect marked by an uptick of bullying in classrooms. But researcher who study bullying and its effects say its too early to draw such conclusions. Still, leading by example might be a good idea if the Trumps move into the White House. It would certainly keep the focus on would-be first lady Trumps speeches on the very real effects of bullying on the lives of children, rather than on the perceived hypocrisy of adults.
Study Up On the Relationship Between Cyberbullying and In-Person Bullying
While media outlets often portray cyberbullying as a unique phenomenon, research increasingly shows that mean behavior on the internet is often an extension of the harassment students face in-person , both in and out of school.
While it brings some unique First Amendment challenges, response and prevention efforts for cyberbullying are really just extensions of the work schools and parents do for traditional bullying, researchers say.
Some of those best practices include:
Encouraging positive behaviors on the front end by making expectations clear to students and finding ways to support social and emotional growth.
Schools should have clear policies for reporting bullying, and they should respond quickly and effectively by investigating reports and responding to problems.
Avoiding quick fixes like one-time assemblies or slogans.
Its also important to understand that bullying extends beyond harmful words. Researchers say bullying is intentional, repeated behavior that is designed to inflict hurt. It also involves an imbalance of power between the victim and perpetrator. Online and in person, that can include behaviors that socially isolate students, lead them to feel singled out, or prey on their vulnerabilities.
Familiarize Yourself With Existing Anti-Bullying Efforts and the State and National Level
According to the most recent federal data, 23.1 percent of students ages 12-18 report being bullied and 6.9 percent report being bullied online.
The Obama administration has made big efforts to tackle the problem by pulling together interagency task forces to explore the federal role, by funding research to examine possible solutions, and by aggressively investigating civil rights complaints in schools . (Schools can be found in violation of civil rights laws for inadequate responses to bullying based on race, religion, and other demographic categories.)
After Montana adopted its anti-bullying law , every state in the country now has one. But some groups have said many of those laws dont have enough teeth because states dont enforce them or because they werent written with enough requirements to begin with.
Some, including Hillary Clinton, have spoken in favor of the Safe Schools Improvement Act , a federal law that would set requirements for schools anti-bullying policies. You can read about Hillary Clintons anti-bullying plan here.
Photo: Melania Trump arrives for the third presidential debate between Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on Oct. 19 in Las Vegas. --Evan Vucci/AP
Donald Trump's campaign has come under fire again for antisemitism after a prominent Jewish group said it was demonizing Jews.
The 'Argument for America' ad features Trump's West Palm beach speech from mid-October, with accompanying illustrative images and footage.
But at three points in the video, it accompanies Trump's remarks about a wealthy cabal controlling the world with images of prominent Jewish people - something that smacks of antisemitic fear-mongering, the Anti-Defamation League says.
'Whether intentional or not, the images and rhetoric in this ad touch on subjects that anti-Semites have used for ages,' Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, said in a tweeted statement Sunday. 'This needs to stop.'
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'Insinuations': The last TV ad of Trump's campaign has antisemitic insinuations, according to the Jewish Anti-Defamation League, which says it demonizes Jews such as George Soros
'Links': The video also appears to link Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein (left) and Federal Reserve chair Jane Yellen (right), both Jewish, to 'global special interests' who 'control' the US
Denied: Critics say it draws on a long history of antisemitic conspiracy theories that say evil Jews are planning to take control of the world. Trump's camp roundly denied the accusation
Greenblatt concluded: ' In the final days before the elections, tensions are extremely high.
'It's a time when all candidates need to be especially responsible and bid for votes by offering sincere ideas and policy proposals, not by conjuring painful stereotypes and baseless conspiracy theories.'
During the two-minute video, which had been watched by more than 2.8 million times between its publication on Sunday morning and Sunday evening, Trump rails against various perceived threats to America.
'For those who control the levers of power in Washington, and for the global special interests, they partner with these people that don't have your good in mind,' Trump says.
Accompanying 'the levers of power' is a Wall Street road sign. That's immediately followed by a clip of George Soros, a Jewish businessman and philanthropist.
And as Trump says 'the global special interests,' footage is shown of Federal Reserve chair Jane Yellen, who is also Jewish.
A little later in the video, at the climax of a stab at a 'global power structure' that has 'bled our country dry,' there is a shot of a Clinton Foundation event featuring Lloyd Blankfein, the Jewish CEO of Goldman-Sachs bank.
Several commentators, including comedian and Minnesota state senator Al Franken, observed alleged similarities between the video and 'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.'
That's a debunked, fabricated text, first published in 1903, that purported to show the minutes of a secret Jewish conspiracy to the entire world over from oblivious gentiles.
And 'globalism' has entered the rhetoric of the far right as a synonym for purported Jewish cabals.
Trump supporter and ex-KKK leader David Duke's 'anti-globalism' webpage currently has a headline that reads, 'Even Chinese Intellectuals Recognise Jewish Supremacy Over America!'
Stop: The ADL said that the rhetoric 'needs to stop.' Others have likened it to 'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,' a fabricated text that purported to reveal a secret Jewish conspiracy
Responding to the video on CNN, Franken suggested that the ad may have been deliberately impregnated with anti-Jewish messages as a 'dog whistle' - a secret message - to the far right.
'This was something of a German shepherd whistle, a dog whistle, to sort of the, a certain group in the United States,' Franken said.
His use of German shepherd - a dog beloved by Hitler - appears to imply Nazi sentiments.
'I'm Jewish, so maybe I'm sensitive to it, but it clearly had sort of "Elders of Zion" kind of feel to it. International banking plot or conspiracy, rather, and then a number of Jews.'
'I think that it's an appeal to some of the worst elements in our country as his closing argument,' he added. 'And I think that people who aren't sensitive to that or don't know that history may not see that in that, but that's what I immediately saw.'
Dog whistle: Senator Al Franken called it a 'dog whistle' that would go over the heads of most people while appealing to far-right voters who are 'some of the worst elements in our country'
The Trump camp hit back at the ADL in its own statement to CBS, written by Trump's lawyer, Jason Greenblatt.
'The ADL should focus on real anti-Semitism and hatred, and not try to find any where none exist,' he wrote.
'I am offended and concerned that an institution such as the ADL would involve itself in partisan politics instead of focusing on its important mission.'
This isn't the first time Trump's campaign has been hit times with accusations of, and links to, antisemitism.
But the response before and now has been to deny claims of antisemitism, and to point to Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who is Jewish, and Ivanka, who converted when she married Kushner.
Trump was also the grand marshal at the 2004 Salute to Israel Parade in New York.
Last week, a man was filmed at a Trump rally chanting 'Jew-S-A!' He was subsequently derided as 'deplorable' by Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, who language echoed similar sentiments expressed by Hillary Clinton.
Prejudice: This man was pictured at a Trump rally on October 30, chanting 'Jew-S-A!' He was denounced by Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway
Trouble: A Trump tweet that appeared to use a Star of David (left) was deleted in July. In August Stephen Bannon (right) joined Trump's team. He has been accused of antisemitism
In August Trump brought Breitbart executive chairman Stephen K Bannon in to be his campaign's chief executive.
Bannon had previously made several antisemitic comments, including that he didn't want his daughters going to school with Jews, according to court documents filed in 2007 by his ex-wife, Mary Louise Piccard.
In July Trump tweeted an image of Clinton over a pile of money with 'Most corrupt candidate in history!' inside what appeared to be a Star of David.
Trump then deleted the tweet and reposted the image with the star replaced by a circle.
His team denied that there was any antisemitic intent, and that the symbol was supposed to be a 'sheriff's star' or 'plain star.'
And last year, after David Duke publicly supported Trump's campaign, Trump came under fire for taking too long to strongly and full-throatedly condemn Duke and his supporters.
Gov. says it's due to disposing oil and gas wastewater in wells, not fracking
There were only two in 2008, before fracking ramped up across the US
It's is the fifth-biggest quake ever in the state, and the second in two weeks
There were mo injuries in the quake, which was felt in Kansas and Arkansas
An Oklahoma city has been evacuated after the state was hit by its fifth-biggest earthquake ever - and the latest of many since the fracking ramped up in the state.
The 5.0-magnitude quake struck one mile west of Cushing at 7.44pm CST, damaging buildings and gas lines, and forcing downtown residents to flee, News9 reported.
The quake, which was originally rated at 5.3, was felt as far away as Kansas City, Missouri, and Little Rock, Arkansas, and comes a week after a 4.5-magnitude quake was reported near Pawnee.
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Struck: Cushing, Oklahoma (pictured) has been struck by a 5.0 magnitude earthquake on Sunday evening that broke gas lines, cut power and damaged buildings
Huge: The quake was the fifth-largest Oklahoma has ever seen. The largest-ever was a 5.6-magnitude quake that occurred in September
Tremors: The earthquake was felt as far away as Kansas City, Kansas and Little Rock, Arkansas. Downtown Cushing was evacuated due to gas leaks. Some believe fracking is to blame
Debris: Debris is seen here scattered across the ground. Downtown Cushing, where many buildings were made of brick in the 1900s, sustained the worst damage
Megan Gustafson, 17, was working at a McDonald's in Cushing when the earthquake struck. She told Fox News she was terrified.
'It felt like a train was going right through the building, actually,' she said. 'I kind of freaked out and was hyperventilating a bit.'
But her colleague Jonathan Gillespie, also 17, was less impressed. 'I didn't think it was anything new,' he said - a sign that Oklahomans are becoming used to what has become an everyday occurrence in the once-placid state.
The earthquake was less than four miles deep and occurred around 50 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
The Cushing Fire Department said that nobody in the 7,900-person city had been taken to hospital due to injuries at the moment.
However, the downtown area had to be evacuated as officials checked damaged gas lines and buildings.
All gas leaks were later contained, authorities said, and while much of the damage appears to be superficial, there are concerns about damage to foundations.
Citizens were advised to stay out of the area while the buildings - many of them brick, and built in the early 1900s - were checked.
A number of buildings sustained 'significant damage,' including an assisted living home for seniors at Cimarron Tower, and power was cut off to some residents for around two hours after the quake but was later restored.
Photographs from the scene show bricks and masonry scattered across streets, and awnings collapsed down onto the sides of buildings.
Before: This was Cleveland Ave in March 2016. This is Oklahoma fifth-biggest quake ever. The USGS says the problem is due to dumping oil and gas wastewater underground, not fracking
After: This was Cleveland Ave Sunday night, after the quake shook bricks and mortar onto the street. Fracking opponents say that the process also produces dumped wastewater
WATCH: The Moments Right After The 5.0 Magnitude Earthquake Struck Cushing, OK Tonight pic.twitter.com/D10RkWPkuW newszbreakinwx (@newszbreakinwx) November 7, 2016
A Red Cross center was set up at the Cushing Youth Center with cots, supplies and blankets, the Arkansas Red Cross tweeted.
The oil and gas division of the Oklahoma Corporation commission said in a statement that they are in contact with pipeline operators, but so far there were no immediate reports of damage to pipelines.
The Official Oklahoma Department of Transportation reported that no bridges within a 15-mile radius of the epicenter had sustained damage.
OKLAHOMA'S TOP 5 STRONGEST EARTHQUAKES Here's a list of the top five strongest earthquakes that have happened in Oklahoma. September 3, 2016 in Pawnee; 5.6 magnitude November 6, 2011 in Prague; 5.6 magnitude April 9, 1952 in Yukon; 5.5 magnitude February 13, 2016 in Woods County; 5.1 magnitude November 6, 2016 in Payne County; provisionally rated 5.0 magnitude Source: Oklahoma Geological Survey Advertisement
Oklahoma is now the most earthquake-prone state in the continental US - a status that some blame on fracking.
They say that the practice, which involves injecting a high-pressure water mixture into the earth's crust to release gases from shale deposits, is causing the quakes.
Use of fracking - which is hoped to ultimately replace coal - has stepped up dramatically in the US since 2006.
In that year, the US produced about 4billion cubic feet of shale gas per day, according to Forbes. Last year it was around ten times that.
That, critics say has led to an increased incidence of earthquakes across the US - particularly since 2009, when production increased dramatically.
Prior to that year, Oklahoma had just two or three earthquakes a year of greater than 3.0 magnitude.
Last year it had 907.
But defenders of fracking say that other gas and oil production methods are to blame.
Damaged: Cimarron Tower, pictured before the quake, was also damaged - forcing the senior citizens at an assisted living home there to have to flee
A March report by the independent United States Geological Survey agreed that fracking was not to blame - it pointed the finger at the underground disposal of wastewater from oil and gas production.
That would certainly fit the bill for Cushing, which calls itself the 'Pipeline Crossroads of the World.'
It is home to the Cushing Tank Farm, a massive oil storage facility that's touted as the world's largest.
But according to an article by Forbes, both groups are correct: Fracking wastewater, like wastewater produced through other methods, is also being injected into deep wells, although it's only 5 per cent of the total amount.
And that means is contributing to the increased number of earthquakes, it says.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has shut down some disposal wells and ordered a reduction in the amount of wastewater disposed of in others - but that process has been ongoing for a year, and the earthquakes keep coming.
A 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck the northern part of Oklahoma last week, with an epicenter near Pawnee.
Peach County Deputy Patrick Sondron (above), 41, died after being shot on Sunday
A dispute between neighbors led to a police involved shooting that left one deputy dead and another wounded in Georgia on Sunday.
Peach County Deputy Patrick Sondron, 41, was pronounced dead at 6:40pm after being rushed to Peach County Medical Center, The Macon Telegraph reported.
'He was a very good person,' Peach County Coroner Kerry Rooks said. 'He was just a great deputy. He did his job well and was always willing to help.'
Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese said around 9:45pm that Deputy Daryl Smallwood was the second officer injured in the shooting and was listed in critical condition on Sunday night, WMAZ reported.
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Sondron (left) was pronounced dead at 6:40pm after being rushed to Peach County Medical Center. It's unclear how many times he was shot
Sondron (left) was responding to a dispute between neighbors on Hardison Road at Ga. 42 at about 5:30pm when he was shot along with Deputy Daryl Smallwood
Smallwood is currently in critical condition at Navicent Health medical center. Above authorities are gathered outside the hospital
Smallwod was rushed to Navicent Health medical center after the deadly shooting that happened on Hardison Road at Ga. 42 at about 5:30pm.
J.T. Ricketson, special agent in charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) office in Perry, said that he was contacted by the sheriff's office who requested assistance with a shooting around 6pm.
He explained that the deputies were responding to 'a dispute between neighbors'.
'When they arrived, they were under gunfire,' Ricketson said at the scene, the newspaper reported. 'They returned fire.'
Authorities named the suspect as Ralph Stanley Elrod and he suffered a wound to the abdomen during the shooting, WGXA reported.
He was taken to Macon medical center for treatment and his condition is unknown at this time.
J.T. Ricketson, special agent in charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) office in Perry, said when the deputies arrived to the scene, 'they were under gunfire.' Above authorities are gathered outside the hospital
The deadly shooting happened on Hardison Road at Ga. 42 at about 5:30pm (scene above)
Ricketson explained that the deadly incident started with two people who were riding on ATVs up and down Hardison Road when they were confronted by Elrod who came out of his home.
The GBI said Elrod threatened them with a gun and the two people went home to call 911.
Sondron and Smallwood responded to the scene and spoke to the two people before going to Elrod's home.
As soon as the two deputies got out of their vehicles, Elrod opened fire on them, the GBI said.
The two neighbors who were allegedly threatened by Elrod witnessed the shooting and called 911 again to report that the officers had been shot.
Several law enforcement agencies responded to the scene and opened fire at Elrod, who was hit and taken into custody.
Peach County Law Enforcement is being assisted by Bibb and Byron counties deputies (scene above)
A neighbor who lives roughly about a quarter mile from where the shooting happened told The Macon Telegraph they heard many gunshots fired.
He explained that he didn't know the gunman, but said the community is in shock over what happened.
'This is a quiet little neighborhood,' said the neighbor, who did not want to be publicly named.
'This is about the peaceful place you can find. Nobody here can believe this has happened.'
The scene has been secured, according to Sheriff Terry Deese of the Peach County Sheriff's Department.
Peach County Law Enforcement is being assisted by Bibb and Byron counties deputies.
The heartbroken widow of the Bali police officer allegedly beaten to death on a Kuta Beach by an Australian mother and her younger DJ boyfriend, cannot bring herself to forgive them for her husband's death.
Ketut Arsini believes her husband of 31 years, Wayan Sudarsa, would still be alive if Byron Bay woman Sara Connor, 45, had sought help instead of leaving him dying on the deserted beach, theSydney Morning Herald reports.
Ms Arsini also rejected a letter sent to her by co-accused, British DJ David Taylor, where he asked for forgiveness for bashing the police officer's head with a beer bottle just after 4am on August 17.
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Ketut Arsini (pictured), the wife of dead police officer Wayan Sudarsa, refuses to forgive Byron Bay woman Sara Connor and Briton David Taylor for their part in his death
'I really cannot believe that my terrible actions may have contributed to the taking of another life,' Taylor, 34, wrote in the letter to Ms Arsini.
Connor - a mother of two - and Taylor will this week stand trial at Denpasar District Court over the alleged murder of Mr Sudarsa.
But his wife Ms Arsini cannot find forgiveness for the pair after the father of two, who served as a Bali police officer for 35 years, was killed.
'If she is such a good person, why did she leave my husband like that? If she was really trying to help, if she got help, maybe they could have saved [him]. They just left him, he was found much later. No good person would do that. That's just her excuse,' she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Taylor (left) and Connor (right) take part in a reenactment of 'scenes' from the night Sudarsa was allegedly murdered on Bali's Kuta Beach
The letter (pictured) sent to Ms Arsini by co-accused Taylor begging for her forgiveness
Taylor, 34, pretended to hit the 'victim' with a broken bottle as he re-enacted the alleged death of officer Sudarsa
Connor (left) and Taylor (right) deny murdering Wayan Sudarsa in Bali
Wayan Sudarsa served as a Bali police officer for 35 years before he was killed
She also felt that Taylor's letter meant nothing and that it was too late now to apologise for his actions.
Taylor has admitted to brawling with Mr Sudarsa on the sand and hitting him with binoculars, a smashed beer bottle and a sharp object but that he did not kill him.
'I still want to rip the letter [he wrote], I want to rip it. I can't forgive him. We can't forgive him. Whatever they are saying, that it was an accident, [that] they didn't mean it, are all just excuses,' Ms Arsini said.
Connor and Taylor both face charges of unpremeditated murder, group attack or assault leading to death. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail.
In September Connor and Taylor spent several gruelling hours re-enacting 'scenes' from the night Sudarsa was allegedly murdered on Bali's Kuta Beach in August.
Ms Connor, 45, had originally told police Mr Sudarsa was a 'bad cop' who had pinned her down in the sand with his body weight.
But she later changed her story to say she had been trying to separate Mr Sudarsa and Mr Taylor after a fight broke out between the pair.
Connor and Taylor are pictured laying on top of a police officer acting as Mr Sudarsa during the reenactment 'scenes'
A man posing as a social worker is accused of sexually grooming homeless boys with fast food, lollies and marijuana.
The accident compensation recipient befriended a group of 'troubled youths' at a city fast food outlet last year, a Christchurch jury has been told.
The 37-year-old Kiwi later allegedly gave marijuana to the 13-year-old boys at his house so they would be stoned enough to sleep with him, the New Zealand Herald reports.
A 37-year-old Christchurch man is accused of getting a boy, 13, stoned so he could sexually assault him, a jury has been told. (Stock image)
Crown prosecutor Karyn South told jurors the defendant had lied to the boys about being a social worker, called Jack, who was aged in his early 20s.
'He lied about his name, age, and occupation,' she told Christchurch District Court on the opening day of the trial.
The accused, whose named has been suppressed, bought the boys takeaway food and took them for a ride in his van, the prosecution alleged.
He then returned to see them the next day, allegedly some time between May 1 and June 30 last year.
He again offered to buy them food before driving them around and later taking them shopping to buy clothes, a phone charger and lollies, the prosecution said.
Ms South said he offered accommodation at his house to the homeless youths.
'Quite an appealing proposition,' she told the court.
The defendant allegedly offered homeless boys free fast food to groom them, a jury was told
A jury at Christchurch District Court (pictured) has been told how a 37-year-old man allegedly pretended to be a social worker to trick a group of boys, aged 13
The prosecution also alleges he drove the boys to a drug dealer and gave them about $100 to buy marijuana.
He then allegedly took them back to his house where the young teens 'smoked a very substantial amount'.
The defendant, who remained sober, insisted all the boys sleep in one bedroom.
Two boys 'very intoxicated with cannabis' slept in the same bed as him, the prosecutor said.
The defendant allegedly offered homeless boys lollies in a bid to win their trust. Stock image
One of them woke in the night to find his trousers and underwear halfway down his legs with the accused allegedly lying 'very closely' beside him, with the accused's hands 'rubbing' his leg.
The defendant then contacted the mother of the boy, who he had allegedly touched, to make some 'counter allegations' suggesting her son was a gay drug dealer who had made false allegations against him, the prosecutor said.
Ms South said his actions were 'sinister behaviour'.
The accused man is contesting two charges of giving cannabis to children under 18, and indecently assaulting a 13-year-old boy.
Defence lawyer Andrew McCormick urged the jury of seven women and five men to look at the evidence critically.
A group of tourists claim they were assaulted by a gang of teenagers on a beach as they did not allow the underage boys to take their alcohol.
A Brazilian traveller was having a barbecue in the sun with a group of friends at Bronte Beach, in Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs, on Saturday afternoon when a group of 20 or more boys approached them.
He said the boys - aged between 15 and 16 - became aggressive and claimed the tourists had 'taken their beach' after one of his friends questioned why they were rifling through their belongings and demanding drinks.
A group of tourists claim they were assaulted by a gang of teenagers at Bronte Beach (pictured) as they did not allow the underage boys to take their alcohol
The man said he tried to step in and calmly separate the groups but one of the teenagers grabbed his jacket and pulled him back - tearing the jumper and leaving him with a scratch on his neck.
He claimed one of the boys also smashed a bottle over his friend's head, while another was punched and kicked by several members of the group after he fell on the ground.
'One of the friends has some bumps on the head the other one who was seriously injured had broken teeth and a cut on the face,' he wrote in a group social media to warn others of the attack.
'All the action was [over] very quickly and the boys ran up the hill at the same time the police arrived,' he added.
The traveller was having a barbecue with friends when they claim to have been assaulted
The man posted an account of the incident to a local Facebook group on Sunday
It is common for the picnic area off the beach to be full of visitors making the most of the sun
Social media users who claimed to have witnessed the incident, or fallen victim to the group themselves responded online with similar tales.
'I was there too and it was very sad to watch, and also very disturbing the anger those kids held against us ... police arrived but when we told them where the kids went running they didn't even go,' one woman wrote.
Another man said he could not understand why the 'drunken Aussies' launched the vicious attack, even on victims who had fallen to the ground.
'I was there as well and couldn't understand this... Aussie boys drunken as f**k just punched other guys ... even when they already fell on the ground.'
A third person said the group also tried to take drinks from her esky, but she chose not confront the group as they were 'big boys'.
Social media users who claimed to have witnessed the incident, or fallen victim to the same group at Bronte (pictured) responded online with similar tales
Another tourist claimed his friend is still paying for expensive dental work after being targeted by a group with a similar description.
'A Chilean guy whose insurance expired got terribly injured by these f**kers after he "confronted" them (not even) and they came back a couple of minutes later (20 a****les, maybe) to beat the cr*p outta him,' the man wrote.
The man said he was saddened by the incident and hoped the police would track down the group responsible.
But a spokesperson from New South Wales Police Force said there was no record of officers responding to the incident.
Donald Trump said: ' There's no guitar, there are no pianos' right after Nugent left the stage with his guitar
Nugent played the guitar and discussed politics in between songs
Grabbed his crotch onstage saying: 'I've got your blue state right here'
Musician Ted Nugent grabbed his crotch onstage while addressing the crowd at a Trump rally Sunday.
'I've got your blue state right here,' Nugent said at the Sterling Heights, Michigan event while grabbing his genitals. 'Black and blue.'
Nugent later played songs with his guitar and talked about politics in between tunes.
Donald Trump told the crowd after Nugent's performance: 'There's no guitar, there are no pianos.' Nugent had just left the stage with his guitar.
Nugent told the audience in Sterling Heights that Michigan had 'the hardest working s***kickers mankind has ever known', Business Insider reported.
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Musician Ted Nugent grabbed his crotch onstage while addressing the crowd at a Trump rally Sunday in Sterling Heights, Michigan, while saying: 'I've got your blue state right here'
Nugent (pictured onstage Sunday) later played songs with his guitar and talked about politics, including gun rights, in between tunes
He sang the national anthem and touched on gun rights, telling the crowd: 'We the people get to keep and bear arms.
'By the way, in case there's any blue Michiganiacs here, let me explain it to ya. Keep means it's mine you can't have it,' Nugent said according to MLive.
'Bear means I got a couple hundred right now and they're loaded. The Secret Service are good friends of mine.'
Trump on Friday mocked Hillary Clinton for appearing with Jay-Z and Beyonce at a concert in Cleveland, Ohio - which attracted 10,000 people.
'I didn't have to bring J-Lo or Jay-Z the only way she gets anybody,' Trump said. 'I'm here all by myself. Just me. No guitar, no piano, no nothing.'
Donald Trump told the crowd after Nugent's performance: 'There's no guitar, there are no pianos.' Nugent (pictured left and right at the rally) had just left the stage with his guitar
Political historian and writer tweeted after Sunday's rally that Trump had said there was 'no guitar' at the event - even though Nugent used one during his performance
Trump further blasted Clinton Saturday, saying: 'We don't need Jay Z to fill up arenas. We do it the old-fashioned way, folks. 'We fill them up because you love what we're saying and you wanna make America great again.'
He shifted gears Sunday night and instead attacked the FBI for announcing it had reached no significant conclusion after investigating additional emails related to Clinton's use of a private server.
Trump claimed Clinton was being protected by a 'rigged' system.
'You can't review 650,000 new emails in eight days! You can't do it, folks!' he told the crowd in Sterling Heights.
Some made fun of Nugent's performance on Twitter, expressing concern at his comments.
'If Ted Nugent's genitals are bruised he should get that checked out,' MSNBC host Christopher Hayes tweeted. 'But I don't understand what that has to do w the electoral college.'
The Guardian's Ben Jacobs wrote: 'If Ted Nugent's crotch is actually black and blue, he should seek immediate medical attention.'
Some made fun of Nugent's performance on Twitter, expressing concern at his comments. MSNBC host Christopher Hayes thought he might want to get medical advice
Sources claimed the stalker believed he was the
The 38-year-old man had to be Tasered after he became angry with police
It is believed the stroke was triggered after a man
The stalker that is claimed to have caused entertainer Maria Venuti's stroke believes he is her husband, claimed sources.
Aussie entertainer Maria Venuti has opened her eyes for the first time since a man believed to be her stalker caused the 75-year-old to have a stroke when he surprised her at her home.
Sources claim the male stalker believes he is the 75-year-old's husband and Ms Venuti had been worried about the stalker for more than a month, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Police also confirmed a man had been taken into custody following a previous incident at the same address, according to the publication.
Sources claim the aussie entertainer's stalker believed he was her husband, according to The Daily Telegraph
Aussie entertainer Maria Venuti (pictured) opened her eyes on Sunday for the first time since a man believed to be her stalker caused the 75-year-old to have a stroke when he appeared at her home on Saturday
Ms Venuti is best known for her roles as Mama Gigliott in the television series Pizza
The police are believed to be evaluating the psychiatric condition of the male stalker.
The vivacious cabaret performer and actor has been in an induced coma at Sydney's Royal North Shore hospital since Saturday morning when a 38-year-old man allegedly appeared at her Gladesville house and harassed her.
Ms Venuti opened her eyes briefly on Sunday after doctors operated on her to fix an internal bleed causing pressure on her brain, according to The Daily Telegraph.
She has since slipped back into a half-conscious state and is still being observed by physicians.
Venuti's daughter Bianca has remained by her mother's side and maintained a vigil at the hospital.
The unidentified man accused of stalking Ms Venuti is undergoing an evaluation in a separate section of the hospital.
It is believed Ms Venuti collapsed just minutes after alerting police of the man at her home around 8.30am.
Ms Venuti's only daughter, Bianca (pictured right) is by her side at Royal North Shore hospital
Ms Venuti made an appearance at the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, wearing a black dress with bright and colourful prints, as well as a red feathered fascinator
A family friend told The Daily Telegraph the man had tripped a security light at Ms Venuti's house as he walked by several times.
'She [Venuti] was inside screaming at him and it alerted the woman next door who must have called the police and her daughter Bianca,' the friend said.
Ms Venuti is said to have collapsed in front of a door after having a stroke, accidentally preventing police from entering the home.
Ms Venuti (pictured) has since slipped back into a half-conscious state and is still being observed by physicians
Her daughter let officers inside with a spare key.
The man was allegedly still harassing Ms Venuti when officers arrived and had to be Tasered after becoming angry.
Ms Venuti made an appearance at the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday. She donned a black dress with bright and colourful prints and a red feathered fascinator.
An adorable koala joey has been found by police tucked away in a backpack after searching a woman who was acting peculiarly.
Alfred the koala shocked officers when he popped his head out of a canvas backpack belonging to a 50-year-old woman who was arrested in Wishart, a south eastern suburb of Brisbane, on Sunday night.
The woman attracted the attention of officers when she started acting strangely and handed the bag over once arriving at the Brisbane Local Watch house, advising it contained the Australian native when asked if she had 'anything to declare'.
An adorable koala joey has been found by police tucked away in a backpack after searching a woman who was acting peculiarly
'Not quite believing their ears the officers cautiously un-zipped the bag and found this gorgeous boy,' a police spokesperson said.
The woman, from Brisbane East, said she found Alfred on Saturday night and had been caring for the tree-dwelling marsupial when she was taken into custody.
The RSPCA was surrendered to the RSPCA after a few hugs with officers from the Upper Mount Gravatt Tactical Crime Squad.
Alfred - believed to be around six months old - was a little dehydrated but overall in good health and was taken to the RSPCA to be placed with a carer.
'Not quite believing their ears the officers cautiously un-zipped the bag and found this gorgeous boy,' a police spokesperson said
The woman said she found Alfred on Saturday night and had been caring for the tree-dwelling marsupial when she was taken into custody
The six-month old koala joey was a little dehydrated but in good health overall
'He's been on fluids but is doing well and will shortly be going out to a carer,' RSPCA Qld spokesperson Michael Beatty said.
'He weighs 1.5 kg and we've called him Alfred,' he added.
Koalas are protected under the Nature Conservation Act, with experts warning they should not be handled if found.
The RSPCA have urged anyone who finds a lost koala, even if they don't appear to be harmed, to contact its animal emergency hotline.
Often the animal may have no obvious signs of injury but it can have internal injuries that need immediate attention,' Mr Beatty said.
A Gold Coast bodybuilder and promotional model charged with drug trafficking offences allegedly threatened his lawyer with physical violence before the trial.
Darren Troy Viellaris, 38, appeared in Brisbane's Supreme Court on Monday on charges of drug trafficking, drug possession and receiving or possessing property from drug trafficking,The Courier-Mail reported.
Barrister Peter Richards - who is being instructed by Campbell MacCallum from Moloney MacCallum lawyers - told the court of the threats.
Gold Coast bodybuilder and promotional model Darren Troy Viellaris (pictured), who is in court for alleged drug trafficking charges, is said to have threatened his lawyer with physical violence before the trial
The 38-year-old appeared in the Supreme Court in Brisbane on Monday on charges of drug trafficking, drug possession and receiving or possessing property from drug trafficking
The court heard Viellaris made threats of physical violence to Mr Richards' face, saying he would sack his lawyers and 'do something'.
'He has no confidence it seems in myself or my instructing solicitors,' Mr Richards told the court.
Justice Roslyn Atkinson granted Mr Richards permission to withdraw as counsel for Viellaris.
Viellaris asked the court for an adjournment so he could find alternative lawyers for his trial, saying he had not seen any of the prosecution evidence against him or any witness statements.
Justice Atkinson revoked Viellaris' bail and adjourned the case until a later date, which is yet to be fixed.
Lady Gaga called Melania Trump a hypocrite on Sunday for supporting her husband Donald Trump while pledging to stand against cyber bullying as first lady.
The pop star tweeted: '.@MELANIATRUMP to say u will stand for "anti-bullying" is hypocrisy. Your husband is 1 of the most notorious bullies we have ever witnessed'
The Born This Way hit-maker also urged her devoted fans to mobilize behind Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, while referring to Trump as a 'dangerous man'.
Lady Gaga's message was even clear in an outfit she wore as she stepped out in Tokyo, Japan.
The costume harked back to the suffragettes with a large 'VOTE' badge on her hat and a discarded corset pinned to the back of her skirt.
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Lady Gaga, who is in Japan promoting her new album Joanne, pinned a corset to the back of her fantastical outfit
Lady Gaga called Melania Trump a hypocrite on Sunday for supporting her husband Donald Trump while pledging to stand against cyber bullying as first lady
In addition to firing shots at Melania, Lady Gaga rallied her fans and urged them to vote for Hillary Clinton
In a flurry of tweets on Sunday, Gaga rallied her fans, who are often referred to as 'monsters', urging them to vote for Clinton.
'#MinnesotaMonsters mobilize! RT Our republican candidate is a reality star leveraging our country for his own business. #Vote for honesty,' she tweeted.
Posting a photo alongside an absentee ballot envelope, Lady Gaga also wrote: '@realDonaldTrump you divided us with hateful language & fear . I love everyone in this country and I vote for @HillaryClinton to unite us.'
Lady Gaga also took shots at Melania, who appeared in Pennsylvania to announce her goal to make social media safer for young people as the country's first lady.
In the brief speech on Thursday, Melania said: 'Technology has changed our universe. But like anything that is powerful, it can have a bad side.
'Children and teenagers can be fragile. They are hurt when they are made fun of or made to feel less in looks or intelligence.
'This makes their life hard and can force them to hide and retreat... It is never OK when a 12-year-old girl or boy is mocked, bullied, or attacked.
'It is terrible when that happens on the playground. And it is absolutely unacceptable when it is done by someone with no name hiding on the internet.'
Trump, who is known for lashing out at his critics through his Twitter account, has come under fire throughout his campaign for grave missteps like mocking a disabled reporter, or making unprovoked attacks on Carly Fiorina's face.
Lady Gaga (pictured promoting her new album in Japan this week) has established the Born This Way Foundation, which she started with her mother Cynthia Germanotta
In a flurry of tweets on Sunday, Gaga rallied her fans, called Trump a 'dangerous man' and proudly posed with her absentee ballot
With a feathered cap, a large 'vote' badge on her hat, and tulle layered top and skirt, the pop diva drove her point home with a corset trailing behind her
An image of her own outfit on Snapchat was captioned, 'Corsets off ladies!!!!' which many quickly noted was a reference to the work of feminist writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Lady Gaga, who is promoting her new album Joanne, also appeared on a talk show in Japan to express her views that Trump is 'an actor, and that this is an act'.
She elaborated, saying: 'We are standing with Hillary not just because she is far superior as the choice for president, but we're also standing with her because it would be a complete disaster to elect someone who is essentially a political impostor.'
Lady Gaga's outfit also made quite the statement when she appeared at Narita International Airport on Sunday morning in what appears to be a sartorial nod to the suffragettes with hints of her current country look mixed in.
With a feathered cap, a large 'vote' badge on her hat, and tulle layered top and skirt, the pop diva drove her point home with a corset trailing behind her.
An image of her own outfit on Snapchat was captioned, 'Corsets off ladies!!!!' which many quickly noted was a reference to the work of writer and feminist Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
Gilman envisioned a world where women cast off their corsets, a metaphor she used at the turn of the century for constraining gender roles that she said could easily go unnoticed by those who had become numb to the feeling.
Police have released chilling surveillance footage that shows Craigslist killer Brady Oestrike setting up a 'sex torture dungeon' where he kept an 18-year-old girl chained for five days before killing her.
Investigators in Wyoming, Michigan, also unveiled more than 100 photos from inside 31-year-old Oestrike's gun-littered house of horrors on Wednesday and confirmed that video of Brooke Slocum's gruesome strangling also exists.
On July 12 of 2014, Brady Oestrike kidnapped Slocum - who was eight-months pregnant - after agreeing on Craigslist to meet her and her boyfriend, Charles Oppenneer, 25, for sex.
He then decapitated Oppenneer in the park, handcuffed Slocum and took her back to his home in the early hours of July 13 where he kept her in a dog kennel and sadistically abused her.
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Chilling surveillance footage of a Craigslist murderer, Brady Oestrike (pictured), shows him setting up a cage where he tortured Brooke Slocum. He kidnapped her on July 12 and surveillance cameras recorded him sadistically torturing her for five days and then killing her on July 17
Slocum - who was eight months pregnant - was repeatedly assaulted, tortured and forced to smoke marijuana over five days. Oestrike turned off the cameras about 1 p.m. on July 17
In the video, Oestrike is seen preparing a dog kennel, trying out ropes and chains, laying out bowls of water and walking around with handguns in the videos.
Wyoming Police Chief James Carmody revealed that Oestrike, who he described as a gun fetishist, had hoarded whips, swords and bondage tools inside his home.
Police recovered a 'sex slave contract,' stuffed toys tied with handcuffs and blood-covered panties.
'We always try to find a reason for someone acting like this. Sometimes there isn't one.' Wyoming Police Chief James Carmody
The contract was written by hand and involved sickening clauses such as 'I must obey my master' and 'pleasure, I must earn it'.
They also found dozens of restraints, ropes, sex toys and cattle prods strewn across his dilapidated home.
In addition they recovered a medieval mask and chainmail gloves, medical gloves and syringes
And in a another disturbing twist, officers who collected evidence from Oestrike's home found a child's sippy cup, a baby doll with a noose and suitcases filled with women's clothing.
But they saw no evidence of any children inside the property.
Police also called in the FBI when they discovered a map of the US hung on Oestrike's wall - covered from coast to coast in push pins.
Authorities panicked and thought they were dealing with a serial killer, but a former girlfriend told them that the pins represented places where he had stored food in case of the apocalypse.
Charles Oppenneer was found decapitated in Gezon Park. His head was never found. Brooke Slocum (right) was found strangled after undergoing at least five days of torture. In one video she was shown with handcuffs on at 1am on with a chain around her neck
Slocum's roommate told police that the pair had been posting Craigslist ads for 'sex for cash' at the time. A conversation dated for July 12, 2014, between Slocum and a person identified as 'Hard Mike' was discovered by police and led them to Oestrike's (pictured) Facebook page
Surveillance footage from cameras Oestrike installed into his home show him cleaning a room before the murders. In this clip from a video, ropes can be seen hanging from the ceiling and lying on the floor
The disturbing video - which has audio - was recovered from four cameras that Oestrike had set up across his home.
The first dated surveillance footage that police released show him cleaning a room in May 2014, in apparent preparation for a murder and abduction.
It shows the same dog kennel cage that Slocum was imprisoned in and the various chains and restraints that Oestrike used during her torture.
Video that police have said they will never release shows the depraved torture that Oestrike put Slocum through.
One of these videos is time-stamped 11 p.m. on July 12, 2014. This is one hour before he went to meet the Oppenneer and his pregnant girlfriend.
He also walks by with a chain and padlock and lays out underwear.
Slocum's arms were also attached to a pulley system suspended from the ceiling, one of the videos revealed. She was repeatedly assaulted, tortured and forced to smoke marijuana over several days
Disgusting: This is the dog kennel that Oestrike kept Slocum trapped inside for five days before killing her
Restraints: The home-made pulley system that Oestrike tied Slocum to is seen in this picture. Her arms were both attached to ropes that allowed him to pull them up and down like a puppet
Planning: The box the dog kennel training crate arrived in can be seen in the left of the picture
Suitcases: Police revealed that they found blood-stained women's underwear and other female undergarments in Oestrike's home
Slocum is first seen on Oestrikes depraved video being dragged into his Taft Avenue house with handcuffs on at 1am on July 13.
According to the police reports he wrapped a chain around her neck that had been bolted to the bathroom floor and forced her inside a dog cage.
Her arms were then attached to a pulley system suspended from the ceiling - which he could manipulate at will - controlling her like a puppet.
Slocum is then seen to be repeatedly assaulted and forced to smoke marijuana for several days, the documents show.
The video appears to show Oestrike convince Slocum that Oppenneer is still alive before he kills her.
Panic stations: Police in Wyoming, Michigan called in the FBI when they found this map dotted with pins from coast to coast. An ex-girlfriend told police that they were markers where he had dumped food in case of the apocalypse
SORDID CRAIGSLIST MEETUP THAT LED TO DOUBLE MURDER
Police revealed the Craigslist messages between Charles Oppenneer and Brooke Slocum and Brady Oestrike that led to their deaths. On July 2, 2014, Brooke Slocum posted a desperate plea for money to Facebook, asking for help to pay bills. Sex trafficked: Brooke Slocum's family claim she was forced into meeting Oestrike for sex because she had been forced into prostitution The 18-year-old wrote on Craigslist: 'I need $50 by 330pm today. I can pay you back later tonight but I need gas and some mess (sic) quick! Everyone has bronchitis at my house and I do not want to get sick! I'm 8 months pregnant and my lungs are all squished as is... If you could help me and my daugher will greatly appreciate it!' This went unanswered until Brady Oestrike replied under the user name 'Mike's Hard' to say that he could 'host' her and asked what she was thinking. Only ten minutes later Slocum wrote back to Oestrike saying: 'Uhmmm well we are looking for donations if possible. kinda in a tight spot and we have a baby on the way. As far as the funn goes though there won't be any male on male action.' In response to this, Oestrike said that he could pay $120 and offers to pick them up, which Slocum declines. Perverted: Brady Oestrike chose Gezon park to meet kidnap and ultimately kill both Brooke Slocum and Charles Oppenneer and told them there was no police presence there during their Craigslist chats Oestrike then suggests Gezon Park at 11.30pm - which also appears to unnerve Slocum: 'hmmm..I dunno..I don't wanna get in trouble for indecent exposure or anything... I can't go to jail being 8 months pregnant.' In their last exchange before agreeing to meet at around midnight in the park, Oestrike tells her that 'It's a cop free park with lots of woods.' Advertisement
The autopsy carried out on Slocum revealed that her cause of death was strangulation.
The footage is so stark that the Wyoming Police Chief James Carmody called the case 'one of the most brutal' he had ever seen.
Prepper: Brady Oestrike believed that the end of the world was coming and hoarded food and supplies across the country
'I think it was pure evil from start to finish,' he added, saying that officers who discovered the torture video had to go through counseling afterwards.
'It definitely had a profound effect on all of us,' he said to MLive. 'It's very disturbing. There's no way you can say that you get used to that stuff, because you don't.'
'We always try to find a reason for someone acting like this' he added. 'Sometimes there isn't one.'
Until police released the video on Wednesday it was not clear to the public how long Slocum had been held captive.
In one of the released videos, Oestrike is seen walking back-and-forth in a room containing the empty dog kennel.
As he moves things around, ropes can be seen hanging from the ceiling and lying on the floor.
Police apprehended Oestrike on July 17 after a high speed car chase ended with him taking his own life by shooting himself following a crash.
The videos show Oestrike's home (pictured) where Slocum was held captive
Oestrike led police on a chase in a yellow car before killing himself after he crashed into a railing (pictured)
Slocum's body was found inside the trunk. She had been strangled and her baby did not survive
TIMELINE OF CRAIGSLIST MURDERS July 2nd, 2014: Charles Oppenneer and Brooke Slocum post original Craigslist ad asking for cash July 12th, 2014: Brady Oestrike responds and suggests that he will pay them money for sex July 12th, 11.30pm: This is the last time that Oppenneer and Slocum are seen alive Midnight on July 13: Brady Oestrike meets Slocum and Oppenneer in Gozen Park and kills Oppenneer and beheads him with a long knife. July 13: Witnesses said they saw a man looking into what police later discovered to be Oppenneer's car. July 16: A body is discovered disguised with branches in the park. July 17: Police confirm the body is Oppenneer's and launch a frantic search for Slocum. July 17 at 1pm: Oestrike unplugs the surveillance video that was recording his torture of Slocum. July 17 at 4.45pm: Police realize that the last person to speak with the missing couple was Oestrike and a tactical team is deployed to his house while they wait for a search warrant. July 17 at 9.15pm: Oestrike is stopped by police fleeing his home and leads them on a chase. July 17 at 9.45pm: Oestrike crashes his car and shoots and kills himself. Moments later police discover Slocum's body stuffed in a suitcase in the trunk. Advertisement
Slocum's body was found in the trunk of Oestrike's car inside a suitcase. Her baby who she had already named Audi did not survive.
Oestrike worked as a lineman for a power company.
On July 13, 2014, police said they received a tip from a woman who reported that there was a man in a white mask looking into vehicles near the park where Oestrike had killed Oppenneer.
Around the same time, another person turned in Oppenneer's wallet that was found on a dirt road near the Gezon Park.
Officials also contacted Oppenneer's parents.
That same day, police found the empty car that was registered to Oppenneer in the area, according to the unsealed and released documents.
Authorities tried to contact Oppenneer after the vehicle was unmoved for two days.
Police then searched the area near the car on July 15 and smelled a 'faint odor of decomposition'.
The next day, authorities continued the search and found Oppenneer's decapitated body in the woods.
His head has still not been found.
Police then obtained search warrants for the couple's cell phones.
Slocum's roommate told police that the pair had been posting Craigslist ads for 'sex for cash' at the time, according to the recently released documents.
A conversation dated for July 12, 2014, between Slocum and a person identified as 'Hard Mike' was discovered by police.
They were planning to meet at Gezon Park for sex, the documents show.
Oppenneer's car (pictured) was found near Gezon Park on July 13. Authorities tried to contact Oppenneer after the vehicle was unmoved for two days
Terrifying: The fantasy fan kept such a wild array of weapons it bewildered police
Outlandish: The only part of Oestrike's home that has any semblance of order is his bullet rack while police claimed he kept knives stuffed down his chairs in case of attack
Firearms: Among the many weapons police found was this - possibly styled to resemble a golden gun
Armed to the teeth: A semi-automatic weapon sits among plastic chairs while a broadsword and cattle prod are racked up
Police were able to link the Craigslist profile to a Gmail account, which led them to a Facebook user by the name of 'Joat Amos', who turned out to be Oestrike, according to Fox.
Oestrike was briefly stopped by police on July 17 near his home.
Dashcam video shows him speeding away from police in a yellow car.
He led them on a short pursuit before crashing at Burton Street SW and US-131 and killing himself.
Pope Francis urged people to build bridges not walls in a thinly veiled shot at Donald Trump while delivering a speech on Saturday, just three days ahead of the U.S. presidential election.
He did not specifically mention the November 8 U.S. election while addressing an audience of social justice activists from around the world at the Vatican on Saturday for the World Meeting of Popular Movements,American Magazine reported.
However, many of the themes he spoke about during his speech have occurred between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton over the last few months.
'(Fear) is fed and manipulated' he said. 'Because fearas well as being a good deal for the merchants of arms and deathweakens and destabilizes us, destroys our psychological and spiritual defenses, numbs us to the suffering of others. In the end it makes us cruel.'
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Pope Francis (above) urged people not to give into the politics of fear while delivering a speech on Saturday just three days ahead of the U.S. presidential election
Francis (above) did not specifically mention the November 8 U.S. election while addressing an audience of social justice activists from around the world at the Vatican on Saturday for the World Meeting of Popular Movements
He also urged for the defeat of 'false prophets who exploit fear and desperation, who sell magic formulas of hatred and cruelty or selfish well-being and illusory security.'
Francis said that the 'best antidote to fear is mercy, and that it's 'much more effective than walls, iron bars, alarms and weapons. And it is free.'
While campaigning for president, Trump has proposed building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent undocumented immigrants from entering the country.
When Francis visited the border during a trip to Mexico in February, he said that politicians who propose to build walls instead of bridges are 'not Christian.'
Officials from the Vatican later said that the pope was not addressing Trump or any specific candidates in the election.
Many of the themes Francis (above) spoke about during his speech have occurred between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton over the last few months
During his speech on Saturday, Francis (above) reiterated his call for nations to respond more generously to the global refugee crisis that he blamed on 'an unjust socio-economic system and wars.'
In addition, Trump has also proposed a ban on Muslims and refugees, especially from countries that are experiencing terrorism.
During his speech on Saturday, Francis reiterated his call for nations to respond more generously to the global refugee crisis that he blamed on 'an unjust socio-economic system and wars.'
'No one should be forced to flee his or her homeland,' Francis said.
'But the evil is doubled when, facing terrible circumstances, the migrant is thrown into the clutches of human traffickers to cross the border.
'And it is tripled if, arriving in the land where he or she hoped to find a better future, one is despised, exploited or even enslaved.'
Francis (above) said: 'No one should be forced to flee his or her homeland'
Francis urged for political leaders to do more as the refugee crisis should not be 'a problem of the world.'
He also quoted from late civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and said: 'Hate for hate only intensifies the existence of hate and evil in the universe.'
Francis also said that politics is not the place for 'anyone who is too attached to material things or to the mirror, those who love money, lavish banquets, sumptuous houses, refined clothes, luxury cars.'
He said that seeking power or money 'sullies the noble cause' of politics as service.
'Fight the fear with a life of service, solidarity and humility on behalf of the people, especially those who suffer,' he said.
'Against the terror, the best remedy is love. Love heals all.'
She decided to table his nomination form while the matter is
Pauline Hanson has dumped embattled senator Rod Culleton as allegations he stole a $7.50 truck key are referred to the High Court.
The One Nation leader said she would be tabling Mr Culleton's Senate nomination form on Monday only moments after he announced his intentions to keep voting in parliament while his matter was considered by the courts.
Senator Hanson said she supported Mr Culleton but felt it necessary for the High Court to review his case as a matter of 'personal integrity' as she has seen too many other politicians not held accountable for their indiscretions.
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The One Nation leader said she would be tabling Mr Culleton's Senate nomination form on Monday only moments after he announced his intentions to keep voting in parliament
Pauline Hanson (left) has dumped embattled senator Rod Culleton (right) as allegations he stole a $7.50 truck key are referred to the High Court
'We have seen on too many occasions politicians in this place and the other place who have not been accountable to the Australian people and I will not stand here and be of the same ilk,' she told parliament on Monday.
She said she had believed Senator Culleton when he signed a form, witnessed by a justice of the peace, which said he was eligible to run for parliament.
Mr Culleton said earlier he had accepted advice from the Senate Clerk that he had the right to continue to exercise his vote while the court considered the matter.
He told parliament he wanted a 'full jury trial' instead of a hearing before the High Court bench.
'We have seen on too many occasions politicians in this place ... not been accountable to the Australian people and I will not stand here and be of the same ilk,' Ms Hanson (pictured) said
Mr Culleton (pictured) said earlier he had accepted advice from the Senate Clerk that he had the right to continue to exercise his vote while the court considered the matter
'We have a country in need of a moral and ethical Senate chamber and yet the most urgent call to this chamber this morning is to attempt to remove two senators who have worked determinedly to restore the constitutional rights of all Australians,' Mr Culleton said.
The politician's referral stems from a larceny conviction against him which stood at the time of the July 2 election but was later annulled.
Under the constitution, anyone convicted of a charge carrying a jail sentence of a year or more is not eligible to run for parliament.
Senator Culleton said he would fulfil his commitment to voters as long as he was in the Senate despite earlier pledging not to vote on contentious matters until the issue was resolved.
One Nation senator Rod Culleton (pictured) had a stealing conviction when he was elected
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (pictured left) with One Nation senator Rod Culleton (pictured right) who had a stealing conviction when he was elected in July
Attorney-General George Brandis provided a statement of material facts to the parliament and Senate President Stephen Parry on Monday.
The letter explained Senator Culleton had been convicted in the Armidale Local Court on March 2 of larceny, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail.
He nominated as a WA Senate candidate on June 10 and was declared victorious on August 2.
Senator Culleton's conviction was annulled on August 8, and he pleaded guilty to the charge on October 25 with the magistrate dismissing the charge after finding it proven.
Senator Culleton said in an email response, also tabled in parliament, he was 'quite confident' he would remain in the Senate for his full term despite the court challenge.
Attorney-General George Brandis (pictured) provided a statement of material facts to the parliament and Senate President Stephen Parry on Monday
The High Court could decide if Senator Rod Culleton's stealing conviction and financial standing make him ineligible to remain as an elected member of the Australian parliament
However, he noted he would refrain from voting on any 'contentious form of legislation' until all matters were resolved.
Earlier, Senatort Culleton compared himself to Muhammad Ali.
Senatort Culleton has compared himself to the famed boxer Muhammad Ali
'I will do the Muhammad Ali - I will just go out and hopefully take it out in the eighth round today and do my best,' Senator Culleton said in a Facebook video.
He said he was standing up for his property rights when he was charged with stealing a tow truck key.
'I will give it my best shot today - I won't go down without a fight. Thanks for believing in me,' he says in the video to his supporters.
Senator Culleton in a three-page letter to the Senate president said the legal action showed 'contempt' for Australia's system of government.
He said rules governing the High Court were a 'virtual cancer on society' which would destroy Australia 'unless it is cured'.
'It is in your power to effect a cure,' he wrote to Senator Parry.
A charity boss and racing club president is being investigated after he was filmed allegedly attacking a photographer at the weekend.
Ted Jarvis, founder of youth mentoring charity Silver Fern Motorsport Charitable Trust, was caught on camera fighting with sport photographer Dirk Klynsmith at a racing meet over the weekend.
Footage shows Jarvis deep in an argument with Klynsmith, unleashing a torrent of abuse in his direction.
Ted Jarvis, founder of a youth mentoring charity (left), has been filmed attacking photographer Dirk Klynsmith (right) during a racing event in New Zealand
The argument is believed to have been sparked by an incident earlier in the day that initially did not involve Jarvis, Speedcafe.com reported.
Klynsmith allegedly got involved in a verbal argument with a member of security at the racing track in Pukekohe, just south of Auckland.
Later in the day Klynsmith saw the man at another part of the track and asked for his name in order to make a complaint, according to local media.
When Klynsmith tried to take a photograph of the security guard because he would not reveal his name, Jarvis got involved in the dispute.
The short clip, which was uploaded to Facebook, begins with Jarvis shouting: 'Go away now.
'Go away now before I put you in the toilet,' he adds, in reference to a set of portable toilets lined up nearby.
'Hey c**k sucker, get your head out the toilet and go.'
Klynsmith appears to fire a few unkind words back before going to walk away, at which point the man believed to be Jarvis kicks his leg.
Klynsmith said he had been attempting to photograph a security guard he had argued with earlier in the day to make a complaint before Jarvis
The photographer spins around to face his opponent who grabs him by the jacket and starts walking him backwards.
When the photographer bumps up against a low brick wall, the other man gives him a shove, sending him falling backwards.
As he falls he hits his head against a large camera he is carrying, which appears to knock him almost unconscious.
Ben Pilot, who put the footage on Facebook, said Klynsmith had to seek medical attention afterward for cuts to his head before being driven back to his hotel.
The Auckland Car Club, where Jarvis serves as president, issued a statement.
'The Auckland Car Club executive committee have been made aware of the situation late last night and we are meeting in urgency to deal with it,' the statement said.
Klynsmith is almost knocked out after Jarvis pushes him backwards and he hits the back of his head against a heavy camera he is carrying
'Although we have no formal details at this stage and have not yet spoken with Mr Jarvis, the Committee would like it to be known that we absolutely do not condone any kind of violence and we hope Mr Klynsmith is okay and apologise to him over this very regrettable incident.
'We would like it to be known that Mr Jarvis was not representing the car club in any formal capacity over the Supercar weekend.'
Meanwhile police say they have identified the man in the footage, and are in the process of locating and speaking to him.
Jarvis told the New Zealand Herald he planned to issue a statement in the near future.
A former security guard who escaped jail after having sex with a 14-year-old girl he met at the Children's Court was given a 'manifestly inadequate' sentence, a court has heard.
In August, Franco Abad was sentenced to a two-year good behaviour bond by County Court Judge Christopher Ryan who said the 32-year-old was 'not made of steel' and described the young girl as 'nubile' and 'worldly'.
In the Court of Appeal on Monday, Kerri Judd, QC, said Judge Ryan used the 14-year-old's attractiveness as an 'excuse for his behaviour,' The Age reported.
Franco Abad (pictured) escaped jail after having sex with a 14-year-old girl he met at the Children's Court and was given a 'manifestly inadequate' sentence, according to prosecutors
'The judge ought not to have made those comments as mitigating the moral culpability,' she said.
Ms Judd called for the judge to impose a harsher sentence to send a message to adults in the community 'not to engage in this behaviour'.
She said it was now impossible to push for a jail term, but has urged Abad be given a community corrections order.
This would mean Abad would serve his sentence in the community with attached conditions.
Abad met the teenager outside the Children's Court in 2015 and had a sexual relationship with her for a number of weeks.
He said he believed she was 17-years-old, but was charged after he continued to have sex with her after police told him otherwise.
Abad met the teenage girl at Melbourne's Children's Court (pictured) when he worked as a security guard
He said he argued with the teenager about her age, claiming her mother had lied to police and then jumped into bed with her again.
'Then he goes to bed and is joined by a young woman. Well, he's not made of steel,' the Judge Ryan told the court.
'There's nothing unnatural about having sex'.
The Court of Appeal has reserved its decision.
Mills - who has been with Clintons since '93 - didn't want her to run
One of Hillary Clinton's closest aides didn't want her to run for President - and that could be because she was the one who gave the thumbs-up for using the private server, it has emerged.
Cheryl Mills, who was given partial immunity in the FBI's probe into the Clinton email server, could have been the one who told Clinton she could use the private server for work - and should have been 'drawn and quartered,' according to insiders.
The remarks came in the latest batch of WikiLeaks emails taken from the account of Clinton campaign chair John Podesta, Fox News reported.
Reluctant: Cheryl Mills (pictured left), one of Hillary Clinton's closes aides, didn't want Clinton to run for president, it has emerged in emails acquired by WikiLeaks
Leaked: Campaign chair John Podesta (left) told Neera Tanden (right) that he thought Mills told Clinton that the private server was all right to use - hence her reluctance
In an exchange between Podesta and Neera Tanden, head of the Center for American Progress, on July 24, 2015, Tanden asked who was responsible for the server.
That was the day it was reported that the The State Department and Intelligence Community inspector generals had found four emails containing classified information out of a random sample of 40, and passed the case up to the heads of the FBI.
'Do we actually know who told Hillary she could use a private email?' she asked, as the FBI investigation was picking up steam.
'And has that person been drawn and quartered?' she added. 'Like whole thing is f**king insane.'
'Don't you think Cheryl?' speculated Podesta, later adding 'At least we now know why Cheryl didn't want her to run.'
Close: Mills has worked with the Clintons since 2009, and was Hillary's counsel as secretary of state. She also helped on Clinton's 2008 presidential run, but apparently lost faith
The pair had also discussed Mills earlier in the year, in March, just after the news about the server became public.
'This is a Cheryl special,' he said of the server. 'Know you love her, but this stuff is like her Achilles heal. Or kryptonite. She just can't say no to this s**t.
'Why didn't they get this stuff out like 18 months ago?' he asked, possibly referring to reports in March 2013 that revealed for the first time the clintonemail.com address in the wake of Benghazi leaks by hacker Guccifer. 'So crazy.'
'I guess I know the answer,' Tanden replied. 'They wanted to get away with it.'
Mills, a lawyer and CEO of a group that grows enterprises in Africa, has been a close ally of the Clintons since 1993, when she was associate counsel to Bill Clinton's White House, and later advised him during his impeachment.
She was counselor and chief of staff to Hillary Clinton during her entire tenure as United States Secretary of State, and worked on Clinton's 2008 presidential run.
The FBI investigation uncovered that she had communicated extensively on the clintonemail.com server, and she exchanged partial immunity in exchange for access to her laptop.
A drunk man who sexually assaulted his fiancee's work colleague at a New Year's Eve party has avoided going to prison.
The man, in his early 30s, plead guilty to one count of digital rape instead of the original charge of three counts of rape.
Adelaide's District Court heard his fiancee had invited her coworkers to their home for a New Year's Eve party this year, the ABC reported.
Female victim was digitally raped by her work colleague's fiance at a New Year's Eve party at the couple's home. The man, in his 30s, was given a two-year non-parole and three-year good behaviour bond (stock image)
The victim was asleep on the couple's sofa bed, in the same room as his fiancee, when the assault happened early in the morning, the court heard.
Judge Paul Muscat called the man's behaviour 'inexplicable' considering the number of people at his home for the occasion and the close proximity of his fiancee in the room.
Character references read in court supported the man's good nature and the offence he committed was not like him.
'Your conduct can only be explained by the significant amount of alcohol which you had consumed,' Judge Muscat said
The district court of Adelaide Judge Paul Muscat said the man's 'conduct can only be explained by the significant amount of alcohol which [he] had consumed'
He also said the attack a significantly affected the victim and that she may be further traumatised by her belief that he may have committed other sexual acts on her without her consent.
The man was sentenced to three years and eight months jail that was wholly suspended.
Judge Muscat deemed it appropriate to instead place the man on a non-parole period of two years and a three-year good behaviour bond.
She is using her experience with the condition to
While most other girls were playing with Barbies and having sleepovers with friends, Sarah Christian began losing her hair.
Initially, not sure why such a thing would be happening to her seven-year-old daughter, Sarah's mum kept it a secret.
But eventually when the hairloss became too noticeable, it was discovered that a young Sarah - from Sydney - had alopecia areata, a rare hairloss condition.
As you'd expect, being a bald girl at primary school was tough.
Not only was she bullied by her classmates, but even had her wig yanked from her head.
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At the age of just seven Sarah Christian (right) began losing her hair because unbeknown to her she was suffering from alopecia areata
Ms Christian (front) said it was hard for her at primary and secondary school where she would be bullied and even had wigs pulled from her head
'Kids are pretty cruel, they speak their mind and at the time I had wigs that were synthetic which looked pretty tragic,' Ms Christian told Daily Mail Australia.
'I lost all my hair for the first time at around nine or 10 years old, and so it was pretty embarrassing when I had them taken off my head in the playground.'
Through her teenage years the battle moved away from losing her wig at lunchtime, to wanting to be and feel as glamorous as her friends.
'It was hardest probably around 15 or 16, because I guess youre growing up and everyone has beautiful hair and you stand out compared to your friends,' she said.
Ms Christian said that as a youngster her mother didn't initially tell her that she was losing her hair because she was didn't know the reason behind it. Eventually at the age of seven she began wearing synthetic wigs
Ms Christian (far right) said that despite the brutal honesty of her primary school classmates one of the toughest times in her life was during her teenage years
'It was hardest probably around 15 or 16, because I guess youre growing up and everyone has beautiful hair and you stand out,' she said
For years Ms Christain battled to find a cure. She also battled to find a wig. And the whole time she battled alopecia.
While at the time she didn't realise it, the ups and downs she experience through her younger and teenage years would come in handy once she reached her early 30s.
Sick of the quality of wigs she was getting for thousands of dollars in Australia, Ms Christian decided it was time to import them herself.
After that proved successful she had the idea of bringing them in en masse and creating a wig business to help other people with the condition.
'About two years ago I was sourcing hair from a company in Sydney and I was spending close to $10,000 a year on wigs,' she said.
'The quality eventually got worse and worse and the hair was falling out of the wig quicker than it was falling out of my own head.
'So I started sourcing my own hair and amazing quality wigs and importing them into Australia and the response has been amazing.'
Ms Christian initially started The Beautiful Hair Boutique (pictured) as a business to sell wigs, but it has since become more of a counsellor to many of the women that walk through her door
While she initially started The Beautiful Hair Boutique as a business, it has since become something so much more.
Ms Christian now helps women like her on a daily basis, not just by providing them with wigs, but by using her expertise with alopecia to provide support and counselling.
'A lot of the time I'm more of a counsellor and the wig is just secondary,' she said.
'Women will come in and cry and just want to talk to someone who understands hairloss, because with alopecia or cancer it's the number one thing women fear.
'Theres no cure, no treatment yet, so lending a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on is the least I can do to help.'
Rescuers say they found a 'needle in a haystack' after plucking a solo diver out of the Pacific Ocean, more than 50 kilometres from where he went missing a day earlier.
The 68-year-old man was found alive on Monday morning after spending the night in shark-infested waters off the north Queensland coast.
He was last seen at the Yongala dive site 20km off Cape Bowling Green, south of Townsville on Sunday afternoon, but had failed to return.
Rescuer Alan Griffiths told Daily Mail Australia his team had only stumbled upon the missing diver as they tracked back to refuel after 90 minutes of searching.
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The man, 68, (pictured), who was lost at sea, was found nearly 15 hours later on Monday
Rescuer Alan Griffiths (pictured) was on the helicopter searching for the missing man
He said the first thing the man did when he was lowered down to rescue him was hold out his arm to shake his hand.
'He put his hand out so I could shake it [that] says a little bit about him, and the type of gentleman he is,' Mr Griffiths said.
Mr Griffiths - an Air Rescue Officer - was on the helicopter searching for the man when they spotted him.
The man - who is currently recovering in hospital with mild hypothermia - was found floating in the water after going missing for nearly 15 hours.
Rescuers pull the diver to safety after he was reported missing after he failed to return home
The helicopter had only stumbled upon the missing diver as they tracked back to refuel after 90 minutes of searching
Mr Griffiths said it appeared the diver didn't realise how strong the currents around the Yongala wreck could be
Mr Griffiths said it appeared the diver did not realise how strong the currents around the Yongala wreck could be.
'He's gone by himself, which is a bit naughty, he jumped in the water from his boat and then realised the current was so strong and he simply couldn't get back,' Mr Griffiths told ABC radio.
A friend who knew his dive plans raised the alarm with police, prompting a massive air and sea search.
Acting Inspector Graeme Patterson said it was a huge task.
The man was found floating in the water more than 50 kilometres southeast of his dive site
Rescuers say they found a 'needle in a haystack' after plucking a solo diver out of the ocean
The missing diver was pulled to safety after he was floating in the water for nearly 15 hours
'It's like looking for a needle in a haystack,' he told reporters on Monday.
Searchers found the man's boat at the dive site around 8.45pm on Sunday but there was no sign of him.
He was eventually spotted the following day waving to the rescue helicopter in waters before being winched to safety.
He has been taken to hospital to be assessed and his boat was towed back to the Water Police base in Townsville.
New Gingrich accused Comey of giving in to 'enormous' political pressure
FBI director James Comey is under increasing pressure from both Republicans and Democrats to explain his actions over the past eight days after announcing the bureau's latest probe into Hillary Clinton's private server wouldn't lead to criminal charges.
Comey rocked the Democratic boat 11 days before the election when the FBI decided to investigate additional emails in the case.
The letter in which he announced his bureau hadn't reached different conclusions than when it probed the case in July came just two days before Election Day.
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FBI director James Comey (pictured) came under fire Sunday after announcing that the bureau's latest probe into Hillary Clinton's private server wouldn't lead to criminal charges
Comey rocked the Democratic boat 11 days before the election - before announcing it would stick with its decision not to bring criminal charges against Hillary Clinton (pictured)
Senator Al Franken on Sunday called for Comey to stand before the Senate Judiciary Committee - and was joined in the charge against Comey by fellow Senator Dianne Feinstein.
'I think that there should be hearings, and I'm certain there will be hearings in the Judiciary Committee on this matter,' Franken said on CNN's 'State of the Union'.
'We will have hearings. I'm sure that FBI Director Comey will be before us,' Franken added.
'I think he should be able to answer questions about this, and he should be able to control the FBI.'
Franken belongs to the Minnesota DemocraticFarmerLabor Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party.
Feinstein, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a Democrat, said Sunday that Comey's initial letter 'unfairly hurt' Clinton's campaign and 'changed the tenor' of the election.
Senator Al Franken (pictured left on Late Night With Seth Meyers last month) on Sunday called for Comey to stand before the Senate Judiciary Committee Sunday
Senator Dianne Feinstein (pictured in September) bashed Comey in a statement, saying his initial letter had 'unfairly hurt' Clinton's campaign and 'changed the tenor' of the election
THE CLINTON EMAIL CONTROVERSY January 13, 2009: Hillary Clinton's aide Justin Cooper sets up clintonemail.com domain. Huma Abedin signs off on it February 2, 2009: Clinton is sworn in as Secretary of State March 18, 2009: Clinton stops using her BlackBerry email account and switches to the newly created hdr22@clintonemail.com account. The domain is hosted on her own private email server, set up by her aide Bryan Pagliano September 11, 2012: Four Americans are killed in attack on a U.S. base in Benghazi, Libya including Ambassador Chris Stevens January 23, 2013: Clinton responded forcefully to intense questioning on the September attacks on U.S. diplomatic sites in Benghazi, Libya, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC February 1, 2013: Clinton steps down as secretary of state Above then-Secretary of State Clinton checks her Blackberry from a desk inside a C-17 military plane upon her departure from Malta, in the Mediterranean Sea, bound for Tripoli, Libya on October 18, 2011 October 28, 2014: State Department demands Clinton's work-related correspondence as part of a congressional investigation into Benghazi Fall 2014: Clinton's lawyers delete 33,000 emails which they claim are 'personal' December 5, 2014: Clinton's legal team provide roughly 30,000 emails to the State Department when they are demanded by a congressional investigation into Benghazi March 2, 2015: The New York Times breaks the news that Clinton used a personal email account to conduct government business while secretary of state July 25, 2015: Clinton says she is confident none of the emails on her private email server were classified at the time of sending and receiving Above Clinton responded forcefully to intense questioning on the September attacks on U.S. diplomatic sites in Benghazi, Libya, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC August 4, 2015: The Washington Post reveals the FBI has begun looking into the security of Clinton's private email set-up September 10, 2015: Bryan Pagliano formally asserts his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination rather than answer questions from a Republican-led House committee on her email arrangements July 6, 2016: The Justice Department closes Clinton email probe and FBI Director James Comey announces the FBI won't prosecute. The decision was made by Comey because Attorney General Loretta Lynch had to recluse herself after a secret meeting with Bill Clinton October 7, 2016: WikiLeaks begins release of thousands of emails hacked from the Gmail account of John Podesta, Clinton's campaign chair October 28, 2016: FBI reopens its investigation into Clinton's server November 6, 2016: FBI announces it will not change its original decision not to charge Clinton Advertisement
Former House Speaker and current Donald Trump supporter New Gingrich (pictured) bashed Comey and accused him of caving
'Comey must be under enormous political pressure to cave like this and announce something he cant possibly know,' Gingrich wrote in a tweet Sunday
'The destruction of James Comey by political pressure is painful to watch,' Gingrich added. 'He is being twisted into an indefensible pretzel of contradictions'
Comey sent this letter announcing the FBI's finding after examining the newly-discovered emails on Sunday afternoon
'Today's letter makes Director Comey's actions nine days ago even more troubling. There's no doubt that it created a false impression about the nature of the agency's inquiry,' Feinstein wrote.
Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it, the FBI knows it, the people know Donald Trump in Detroit, Michigan
'I believe the Justice Department needs to take a look at its procedures to prevent similar actions that could influence future elections.
'Now that this matter is concluded, I hope that the final days of the campaign allow the American people an opportunity to consider the important issues facing our country.'
The FBI decided in October to probe emails encountered during a search of former congressman's Anthony Weiner's laptop.
Trump attacked Comey's decision during a rally in an airport hangar in Minneapolis. He said the entire electoral system of being rigged against him.
He said: 'This is a whole different ballgame.'
During the rally in Detroit - which has been a Democrat stronghold since 1976 - he said: 'Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it, the FBI knows it, the people know. And now it's up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on November 8th.'
Trump also received the strong backing of House Speaker Paul Ryan, who urged voters to support the billionaire businessman.
He called on people to 'bring the Clinton era to an end'.
'Regardless of this decision, the undisputed finding of the FBI's investigation is that Secretary Clinton put our nation's secrets at risk and in doing so compromised our national security.
'She simply believes she's above the law and always plays by her own rules.
'This is a pattern with the Clintons, and the American people should not have to endure four more years of their scandal and baggage.
'Fortunately, the American people have the opportunity to ensure Secretary Clinton never gets her hands on classified information again.
'Let's bring the Clinton era to an end by voting for Donald Trump on Tuesday.'
Chairman of the Republican National Committee Reince Priebus said: 'The FBI's findings from its criminal investigation of Hillary Clinton's secret email server were a damning and unprecedented indictment of her judgment.
'The FBI found evidence Clinton broke the law, that she placed highly classified national security information at risk and repeatedly lied to the American people about her reckless conduct. '
ANTHONY WEINER SEXTING SCANDAL 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 exclusively reported on Sept. 21 that the former politician carried on a months-long online relationship with a 15-year-old high school girl. Weiner exchanged flirtatious and sexually-charged messages with the teen for months after the girl struck up a conversation with him on Twitter in January. Weiner told the girl he woke up 'hard' after thinking about her, sent her shirtless photos, and complimented her body. He also encouraged her to talk to him on the video-chat application Skype. The girl alleged that during these Skype conversations, Weiner asked her to get undressed and touch herself. She claimed he also asked her to dress up in school girl outfits and pretend he was her teacher and brought up 'rape fantasies.' Weiner issued a statement to the Dailymail.com apologizing for 'repeatedly demonstrate[ing] terrible judgment about the people I have communicated with online and the things I have sent.' In one particularly lewd message, he told the teen: 'I would bust that tight p***y so hard and so often that you would leak and limp for a week.' Advertisement
FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY'S FULL LETTER CLEARING HILLARY CLINTON AGAIN 'I write to supplement my October 28, 2016 letter that notified you the FBI would be taking additional investigative steps with respect to former Secretary of State Clinton's use of a personal email server. Since my letter, the FBI investigative team has been working around the clock to process and review a large volume of emails from a device obtained in connection with an unrelated criminal investigation. During that process, we reviewed all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State. Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton. I am very grateful to the professionals at the FBI for doing an extraordinary amount of high-quality work in a short period of time.' Advertisement
Former House Speaker and current Donald Trump supporter New Gingrich bashed Comey and accused him of caving.
Trump himself slammed the FBI's latest announcement, claiming it was impossible to review 650,000 emails in eight days.
'Comey must be under enormous political pressure to cave like this and announce something he cant possibly know,' Gingrich wrote in a tweet Sunday.
'The destruction of James Comey by political pressure is painful to watch,' Gingrich added. 'He is being twisted into an indefensible pretzel of contradictions.'
Trump himself (pictured) slammed the FBI's latest announcement, claiming it was impossible to review 650,000 emails in eight days
Two water cooler towers that caused 13 people to fall ill with legionnaires' disease during two outbreaks earlier this year have been identified by health officials.
The NSW Ministry of Health has determined the water cooler towers on adjacent streets in central Sydney tested positive for the same strain of the disease, which has symptoms similar to pneumonia, according to an investigation report.
Out of 15 people who were diagnosed during outbreaks in March and May, 13 people were found to have the same strain linked to the coolers found on Clarence Street and York Street, officials concluded.
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A strain of legionnaires' disease which infected 13 people during two outbreaks in Sydney earlier this year have been linked back to two water cooling towers
'The origin of the bacteria to buildings in downtown Sydney west of Hyde Park between Park and Margaret Streets,' NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said
The other two people diagnosed, including an 80-year-old man who died, tested positive for another strain of the disease from an unidentified source and were excluded from the investigation.
But the exact source of the outbreaks cannot be pinpointed, health authorities said.
'While we cannot pinpoint the ultimate source of the outbreak, we were able to confine the origin of the bacteria to buildings in downtown Sydney west of Hyde Park between Park and Margaret Streets,' NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant told The Sydney Morning Herald.
Some cooling towers may be cleaned even before they can be examined, she explained.
One of the two water coolers are located on Clarence Street (pictured)
The other is located on the adjacent York Street (pictured)
The exact source of the outbreaks can't be pinpointed, NSW Ministry of Health authorities said in an investigation report
The Clarence Street location may continue to be regulated and the City of Sydney has sent a letter warning to the York Street, the report said.
The outbreaks serve as a warning for operators to maintain the state's regulations for water coolers, NSW Health Director of Health Protection Dr Jeremy McAnulty told the Sydney Morning Herald.
'Certainly this should be a wake up call: if you have a water cooling tower you need to make sure you are operating in a safe way,' Dr McAnulty said.
'Legionella outbreaks are very different to, say a food-borne outbreak where we can ask the people affected where and what they ate. We might be able to work out, for instance, that it was the potato salad,' he said.
Failing to meet state standards could carry up to 12 years in prison for an individual or a $55,000 fine and a $275,000 fine for a company.
The father of murdered schoolboy Damilola Taylor has opened up about his failed efforts to mentor one of Lee Rigby's murderers.
Richard Taylor first met Michael Adebowale when he was 10 years old after being asked by his mother to help him.
Mr Taylor, whose son was just ten when he was killed in Peckham, South London in 2000, said Adebowale was being bullied 'just like Damilola' and that he tried to help him 'many times' through his charity.
Richard Taylor, left, said he tried to mentor Michael Adebowale, right, as a child because he was being bullied 'just like Damilola'
Adebowale was jailed for life after he and Michael Adebolajo murdered soldier Lee Rigby, pictured, in 2013
Adebowale was jailed alongside Michael Adebolajo, 32, for murdering Mr Rigby with a meat cleaver and knives near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, south east London, in May 2013.
They knocked Mr Rigby down in a car as he walked towards the barracks and then hacked him to death with a meat cleaver.
Mr Taylor, 60, said he last spoke to Adebowale just weeks before the attack.
He told the Daily Mirror: 'He [Adebowale] told me he was being bullied. Just like Damilola.
Damilola, pictured, was stabbed to death aged just 10 in Peckham in 2000
'I talked to him many times. The last time was about a month before the Woolwich attack. He told me he had become a Muslim and was doing well.
'But his mother said there were still serious problems. I told her to call the police.'
Both of Mr Rigby's attackers were found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Adebolajo was given a whole life order and Adebowale was ordered to serve at least 45 years.
Adebolajo and Adebowale were raised as Christians but described as British Muslim converts at their trial.
Adebowale had openly discussed murdering a soldier on Facebook, but that information had not been passed to the intelligence services.
Mr Taylor runs the Damilola Taylor Trust which aims to help vulnerable inner-city children and young people through special projects.
As previously reported by MailOnline, Adebowale sparked outrage after being allowed to write letters to a pen pal urging him to convert to Islam and advising him on jihad while moaning about prison food, it is claimed.
The 24-year-old, who is currently at HMP Wakefield, West Yorkshire, told his pen pal to embrace Islam, adding: 'Allah has blessed me a lot.'
An email dated April 28 entitled 'Cruz on CNN' reads 'CNN is looking for questions. Please send some topical/interesting ones'
One email discusses how CNN inquired with the DNC about questions to ask during interviews with Ted Cruz and Trump for Wolf Blitzer
The Democratic National Committee tried to provide CNN anchor Wolf Blizter with questions to ask Donald Trump, the latest WikiLeaks email dump has revealed.
Among the batch of 8,263 emails released on Sunday night, one shows that staff working for the network hosts asked DNC staffers what questions they should put to the Republican candidate.
They also asked for advice when it came to an appearance from former candidate, Ted Cruz.
An email dated April 28 entitled 'Cruz on CNN' reads 'CNN is looking for questions. Please send some topical/interesting ones.'
That email was sent from DNC research director Lauren Dillon to other officials and staffers.
Days before that, on April 25 she asked for questions from officials and staffers for an interview that CNN's Wolf Blitzer would be conducting with Trump.
Among the recently released batch of 8,263 emails, one email shows the Cable News Network inquiring with DNC staffers for questions to ask during an interview Wolf Blitzer (above) would conduct with Donald Trump
On April 24, DNC research director Lauren Dillon sent the above email to staffers saying Blitzer is interviewing Trump ahead of his foreign policy address. The subject line reads 'Trump Questions for CNN'
An email (above) dated April 28 entitled 'Cruz on CNN' reads 'CNN is looking for questions. Please send some topical/interesting ones.' That email was sent from Dillon to other officials and staffers
'Wolf Blitzer is interviewing Trump on Tues (sic) ahead of his foreign policy address on Wed,' Dillon wrote in the email that was entitled 'CNN questions for Trump.'
Numerous questions were submitted by a group of DNC staffers and officials for 68-year-old Blitzer to ask the billionaire.
However, in a follow-up email, she informed the group of staffers that the Trump interview ended up being cancelled.
'CNN said the interview was cancelled as of now but will keep the questions for the next one Good to have for others as well,' Dillon wrote in the email.
DNC deputy communications director Christina Freundlich responded to Dillion's email with 'Boo', seemingly showing that she was disappointed.
Blitzer, who has been working at CNN since 1990, did end up interviewing the real estate mogul on May 4.
That interview took place right after both Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich dropped out of the Republican presidential race as candidates.
A CNN spokeswoman told the Daily Mail Online the emails are 'completely unremarkable'.
'When preparing for interviews we are regularly sent suggestions from rival campaigns and political parties, both solicited and unsolicited,' she said.
'Casting a wide net to ensure a tough and fair interview isn't just common media practice, it's smart.'
In a separate conversation dated on April 28, Jason Seher, a writer for Jake Tapper's (above) show on CNN, emailed Pablo Manriquez, a former DNC media booker thanking him
In that same email chain, he said he needed to know 'asap if we want to offer Jake Tapper questions to ask us'
In a separate conversation dated on April 28, Jason Seher, a writer for Jake Tapper's show on CNN, emailed Pablo Manriquez, a former DNC media booker thanking him for 'facilitating Luis coming on today, and bearing with us through a meelee (sic) of GOP nonsense and cancellations and all that. Any particular points he'll want to make? We're gonna stay Dem focused...'
In responding, Manriquez said he would include Dillon and Christina Freundlich into the conversation to see 'if there's any newsworthy (opposition) Luis can drop'.
Freundlich previously worked for the Iowa Democratic Party before she caused outrage when she took a selfie smiling in front of a deadly New York City fire in March 2015. She was hired as a spokeswoman for the DNC in July 2015.
Manriquez then sent a message to several staffers and wrote, 'Window closing on this. Need to know asap if we want to offer Jake Tapper questions to ask us.'
The Tapper email had been published by Wikileaks before in a separate set of leaks.
At the time Tapper responded that the emails did not suggest bias because there were similar communications with every other aspect of the political spectrum.
'One critic suggests that this betrays a certain 'coziness' with Democratic officials,' he wrote on his blog.
'I disagree we work very hard to make The Lead and State of the Union fair and I think we have developed a reputation for good nonpartisan journalism; I think the staffer was just being collegial.
'Some days we have GOP nonsense/booking issues, some days we have Democratic nonsense/booking issues.
'That said, it's a good lesson for everyone in journalism and beyond that emails get hacked and things get misconstrued.
"Any particular points he'll want to make?" is a fairly standard question producers and reporters ask it all the time of Democrats, Republicans, everyone, to make sure we don't miss out on news-making opportunities.
'Have we asked that question of Trump campaign staffers? Absolutely. Of RNC staffers? Absolutely. Of Sanders campaign staffers? Absolutely. And on and on.'
The emails suggest that the DNC staff took the message as going further than that, believing it was an invitation to provide questions.
The latest email release by Wikileaks comes two days before the presidential election.
The release also follows criticism the Cable News Network faced after emails showed that DNC interim chairwoman Donna Brazile, who worked at the network as an on-air contributor, leaked questions to the Clinton campaign for a debate and a town hall event.
Another DNC email chain found in this huge batch of emails released by Wikileaks appears to show that Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank asked the DNC for help with research for a column he wrote about Trump in April 2016
Another DNC email chain found in this huge batch of emails released by Wikileaks appears to show that Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank asked the DNC for help with research for a column he wrote about Trump in April 2016.
His column titled, 'The Ten Plagues of Trump,' featured a list of things the Republican presidential candidate said that he deemed as 'outrageous.'
The email was titled 'research request: top 10 worst Trump quotes?' as Deputy Communications Director Eric Walker wrote, 'Milbank doing a Passover-themed 10 plagues of Trump.'
Walker was provided with a list of things that could be used to help Milbank.
One of the 'plagues' listed by Milbank in his column was 'Blood' and focused around the quote from Trump regarding Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly.
'You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever,' Trump said.
The former stepfather of a four-year-old boy who died in 2009 after being found unconscious with 70 injuries let out an expletive as he was refused bail.
Matthew Scown, 33, and his former partner Heidi Strbak, also 33, are charged with the manslaughter of her son, Tyrell Cobb, on the Gold Coast in May 2009.
Magistrate Anthony Gett rejected Scown's bail application in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.
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Tyrell Cobb, four, who died after being found allegedly covered in 70 injuries and vomiting green slime
Heidi Strbak leaves the Magistrates Court in Brisbane on November 2
Scown muttered 's***' as the magistrate's decision was announced.
Mr Gett said the accused's background and the substantial sentence he would serve if convicted would be a significant concern if he was released.
Tyrell Cobb pictured before his death
He described the prosecution case against Scown as 'moderately strong', with evidence of him having been aggressive towards Tyrell.
The prosecution opposed his bail on the grounds he was an unacceptable risk of not appearing at future court dates.
Scown is alleged to have punched or kicked the young boy in the stomach before his death, while he was under his care.
When Tyler was found, he was allegedly covered in injuries and vomiting green slime.
Both Scown and Strbak were committed to trial recently.
Controversial columnist Niki Savva used a derogatory slur about 'killing a Chinaman' on live television.
Savva drew gasps from fellow members of the panel on ABC talkshow Insiders after using the outdated term on Sunday evening.
'Just on Malcolm Turnbull's continuing run of bad luck, at the risk of offending the Human Rights Commission - which seems all too easy - given what's happened to Bill Leak, anyone would think Malcolm had killed a Chinaman,' she said.
Controversial columnist Niki Savva used a derogatory slur about 'killing a Chinaman' on live television last night
The term 'killed a Chinaman' is a largely defunct phrase and implies there must be a reason for a person's bad luck.
Chinese people were once a symbol of good luck in Australia and killing a Chinese person was supposed to bring about bad luck, according to the The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English.
The word 'Chinaman' is now seen as offensive, but Savva, a columnist for The Australian, did not seem worried about upsetting people.
Insiders host Barrie Cassidy mused it 'might cost you $100,000 to defend that under 18C [of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975]'.
Host Barrie Cassidy joked it 'might cost Savva' $100,000 to defend that under 18C [of the Racial Discrimination Act]'
Host Barrie Cassidy joked it 'might cost you $100,000 to defend that under 18C [of the Racial Discrimination Act]'.
'Go for it,' Savva replied.
Savva had been defending cartoonist Bill Leak (pictured), who is under investigation by the Human Rights Commission
The outspoken columnist had earlier defended cartoonist Bill Leak, who is under investigation by the Human Rights Commission for his depiction of Aboriginals.
In the cartoon in question, a police officer tells an Aborginal man to 'sit down and talk to your son about personal responsibility'.
The man replies: 'Yeah righto what's his name then?'
Leak's cartoon also shows the Aboriginal man holding a can of beer.
Savva, whose husband is an adviser to Malcolm Turnbull, is part of a campaign to remove the words 'offend' and 'insult' from the Racial Discrimination Act.
Two sisters sexually abused by their stepfather from the ages of 12 and 15 have waived their right to anonymity in order to expose him.
Celeste and Tiana Smith from Auckland, New Zealand, were abused for years by Ira Hayes Ricky Manamana, 43, who has just been jailed for 16 years for the horrific offending.
As victims of sexual abuse in New Zealand, their identities were automatically suppressed from publication or broadcast.
But the sisters, who are now aged 19 and 20, decided to reveal themselves - and thereby their attacker - to encourage other victims of sexual abuse to come forward, the New Zealand Herald reported.
New Zealand sisters Celeste and Tiana Smith have chosen to be named although they are victims of sexual abuse - in order to expose their abuser, their stepfather
Celeste was 12 when Manamana began abusing her in 2008 and she said: 'automatic name suppression makes you feel like you have to be hidden and ashamed'.
She was abused more than 100 times, according to Radio New Zealand.
In late 2015 she spoke up about the abuse, leading to Manamana being convicted of nine charges of sexual violation, rape and indecent assault in September 2016.
She wanted to show being named as a victim of sexual abuse wasn't embarrassing, but instead empowering.
Talking about it was helping her regain the self respect, relationships and personality the abuse had taken from her.
'I'm finally allowed to speak after the many years, since 15, of having to keep this secret. I feel content with myself knowing there is now nothing to hide
Tiana, the younger of the pair, recounted a similar experience with empowerment.
'I'm finally allowed to speak after the many years, since 15, of having to keep this secret. I feel content with myself knowing there is now nothing to hide,' she told the NZ Herald.
It had given her back control of her life that she had lost, she told Radio NZ.
Their mother had been devastated when the abuse was revealed but was proud of her daughters and they had become closer as a result.
She and her daughters urged victims to never give up - even if someone did not believe them.
The sisters have already begun receiving messages from others who had begun to stand up for themselves - the exact reason they chose to be named.
When Manamana was sentenced in the Waitakere District Court by Judge Kevin Glubb, he was given 16 years in jail due to his lack of remorse.
He will be eligible to apply for parole in eight years.
A British banker who killed two prostitutes in his Hong Kong flat planned to book a flight back to Britain after slaying his first victim, a court heard.
Rurik Jutting intended to return to the UK after killing 23-year-old Indonesian woman Sumarti Ningsih at his luxury apartment, the jury in his murder trial was told.
But he went on to kill a second woman, 26-year-old Seneng Mujiasih in October 2014 while high on drink and drugs.
Double killer: Rurik Jutting has lost dramatic amounts of weight since he was arrested after killing two prostitutes in an orgy of violence in Hong Kong two years ago
Chained: Jutting was seen walking through a courtyard at the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre shortly before boarding a high security prison van which took him to his trial at the High Court of Hong Kong
The judge in the murder trial told the jury today to put aside any feeling of sympathy they had for the two victims in reaching their verdict.
Mr Justice Michael Stuart-Moore also told the five men and four women they should not look down on Rurik Jutting because he had an 'appalling private life.'
The judge took the jury through the two weeks of evidence while explaining the difference in law between murder and manslaughter.
Jutting, 31, has denied the murder of prostitutes Sumarti Ningsih and Seneng Mujiasih at his flat in Hong Kong.
He has admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.
Victim: Jurors viewed harrowing iPhone footage showing his attacks on Sumarti Ningsih (pictured), whose body was later found dead in a suitcase in his Hong Kong flat
Horrific: Officers discovered 26-year-old Seneng Mujiasih's naked body with knife wounds to her legs and buttocks
The jury will have to find Jutting's mind so was 'substantially impaired' by the drugs and two mental disorders, including sex sadism, if they are to reach a manslaughter verdict.
If he is convicted of murder the banker faces a mandatory life sentence.
Manslaughter also carries a life sentence but the judge has the power to impose a lighter sentence.
Beginning a day of summing up at Hong Kong's High Court, Mr Justice Stuart-Moore said the prosecution and defence were in agreement on many facts of the case and did not dispute the sequence of events that led to the deaths of the two women.
He said Jutting had tortured and abused his first victim, Ningsih, for three days before cutting her throat.
Defence: In interviews with two UK based psychologists Jutting admitted his life was in chaos and he was unable to control his sexual urges
Bloated: Jutting, 31, pictured in 2014 looking overweight and unshaven, has pleaded not guilty to the murders of two Indonesian sex workers
The judge said the 350,000 a year banker later went out and bought sex toys and DIY tools, including a blowtorch, to use on his second victim, Mujiasih.
The judge said: 'He had in his mind to create even more unimaginable torture.'
Mr Justice Stuart-Moore said when reaching their verdict they should put aside what they personally thought about Jutting's 'appalling private' life.
'The fact he had an appalling private life is neither here or there,' he said.
The court has heard Jutting spent close to 600,000 dollars on prostitutes and drugs. He was also addicted to watching violent porn.
Rurik Jutting (shown in a court drawing) said he took huge quantities of cocaine before clambering on to the balcony of the apartment in the Wan Chai district with some vodka and an energy drink - fearing special forces were in his home
Mr Justice Stuart-Moore urged the jury to stick to the facts of the case and not be swayed by any 'sympathy' they might have for the victims and their families while adding Jutting had carried out 'quite dreadful acts.'
Jutting showed no emotion as he sat in the dock listening to the judge repeat the evidence, including his police interviews and quoting from one of 42 rambling iPhone videos he made after the deaths.
The videos showed one of his victim's bodies and amounted to a confession to the killing as he described what had taken place in his flat.
Mr Justice Stuart-Moore said he planned to send the jury out to consider their verdict on Tuesday.
Suspected serial killer Todd Kohlhepp is being probed over chilling Amazon reviews in which he spoke about stabbing someone and using a shovel for hiding bodies.
He is thought to have penned the reviews for weapons including a chainsaw and a blade in the months before a woman was found chained up in his storage container.
Investigators in South Carolina are looking into Kohlhepp's online activity as part of their probe into the sex offender who has confessed to as many as seven deaths.
Kohlhepp, 45, has been charged with four counts of murder and this number is expected to rise after two more bodies were found on his 95-acre farm in Woodruff.
Suspected serial killer Todd Kohlhepp is being probed over chilling Amazon reviews where he spoke about his stabbing someone and using a shovel for hiding bodies
On a review of a knife posted on 13 September 2014, he said: 'havnet (sic) stabbed anyone yet...... yet.... but I am keeping the dream alive and when I do, it will be with a quality tool'
In the same month that Kohlhepp acquired the farmland in May 2014, an Amazon user named 'me' with a wish list linked to 'Todd Kohlhepp' began to leave reviews.
On a review of a knife posted on 13 September 2014, he said: 'havnet (sic) stabbed anyone yet...... yet.... but I am keeping the dream alive and when I do, it will be with a quality tool like this...'
For a shovel, the user wrote a review, suggesting: 'keep in car for when you have to hide the bodies and you left the full size shovel at home.... does not come with a midget, which would have been nice.'
One of the disturbing reviews spoke about chasing neighbors with a chainsaw.
In one review about a padlock, the Amazon user wrote: 'solid locks.. have 5 on a shipping container.. wont stop them.. but sure will slow them down til they are too old to care. (sic)'
The Amazon user posted 140 reviews in all with the majority between May and September 2014, Greenville Online reported.
For a shovel, the user wrote a review, suggesting: 'keep in car for when you have to hide the bodies and you left the full size shovel at home'
The Amazon user posted 140 reviews in all with the majority between May and September 2014
Authorities have worked tirelessly to search Kohlhepp's land and have now extended their search to other properties connected to him. They are pictured digging in Woodruff
Kohlhepp was arrested on Thursday after Kala Brown - who had been missing for two months - was found 'chained like a dog' inside a shipping container on his rural land.
Police are said to have rescued her after hearing a banging sound when they arrived at Kohlhepp's property with a search warrant.
The body of her boyfriend Charlie Carver, 32, was also found at the property. His cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.
Investigators unearthed a second body on Sunday, but they have not yet announced the identity.
The body is thought to be one of the two Kohlhepp mentioned when investigators took him back to his property Saturday.
Detectives have expanded their search perimeter beyond Kohlhepp's 100-acre farmland in Woodruff and are now looking at other properties linked to him.
The search extends beyond South Carolina, Wright said, although he declined to say where investigators were looking.
County sheriff Chuck Wright (pictured talking to reporters Sunday) said of the second body: 'We can't tell anything about the cause of death, gender or how long or any of that stuff'
Authorities have expanded their search beyond Kohlhepp's 100-acre farmland. Pictured, Wright and Coroner Rusty Clevenger hold a news conference in front of the property Sunday
Homeland Security and the FBI have gotten involved in the search.
Experts meticulously dug into the ground to recover the second body while preserving as much evidence as possible, Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger said.
Kohlhepp has already been charged with four gun murders dating back to 2003 and kidnapping Brown.
Scott Ponder, his mother Beverly Guy, service manager Brian Lucas, and mechanic Chris Sherbert were found fatally shot at the Superbike Motorsports in Chesnee, South Carolina, on November 6, 2003.
The case stunned the community and baffled police for more than a decade.
Rumors swirled that the slaying was committed by a Mexican drug gang or the victims were part of a love triangle, crushing the victims' loved ones.
The arrest of a convicted rapist in a 2003 quadruple murder has put to rest for the families of the victims a mystery that has haunted them for more than a decade. Above, the family members of the victims comfort each other in the courtroom on Sunday
Tood Kohlhepp (pictured) is charged with four counts of murder in the shooting deaths
Now, on the 13th anniversary of the murders, the families say Todd Kohlhepp's arrest will bring them some peace.
Kohlhepp is charged with four counts of murder in the shooting deaths and the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office said that he has confessed to the killings.
Terry Guy, whose wife and stepson were among those killed, spoke with reporters outside Spartanburg County jail on his way to Kohlhepp's bond hearing on Sunday.
Guy said Kohlhepp's arrest means his relatives and the families of others killed can now finally be at peace.
'I'm just so relieved,' he said.
Tom and Lorraine Lucas lost their son, Brian, who was the service manager gunned down at the store.
Standing with his wife outside the Spartanburg County Detention Center, Tom Lucas said he wants to be in court to look the man accused of killing his son in the eye.
CONVICTED RAPIST TODD KHOLHEPP'S RECORD SO FAR Kohlhepp served 14 years in jail for raping a 14-year-old girl at gunpoint in 1986, when he was 15. A sentencing report, obtained by WFXG, claims Kohlhepp lured the girl outside by telling her an ex-boyfriend wanted to talk to her. When the two were outside, he then pointed a 'small blue steel handgun at her head' and 'told her to walk down the alley towards his house.' Once they got into Kohlhepp's bedroom, according to the documents, he duct taped her mouth, tied her hands together, and, 'removed her clothes, then his clothes and forced the victim to have sexual intercourse with him.' Kohlhepp pleaded guilty to kidnapping in the case and was added to the sex offender registry in Arizona. He remained behind bars from 1987 to 2001. Two years after his release, Kohlhepp murdered four people in Chesnee, South Carolina according to a confession he gave investigators Saturday. Scott Ponder, his mother Beverly Guy, service manager Brian Lucas, and mechanic Chris Sherbert were found fatally shot at the Superbike Motorsports shop on November 6, 2003. Kholhepp hasn't indicated a motive. He was charged with four counts of murder Sunday. He is now accused of kidnapping 30-year-old Kala Brown and is believed to have kept her in a metal container on his farmland in Woodruff, South Carolina, for two months. Brown was found chained up inside the container on Thursday. The body of her boyfriend Charlie Carver, 32, was found on Kholhepp's property and identified on Saturday. Authorities unearthed another body on the farmland Sunday and have yet to identify the remains. The second body is believed to be one of two that Kehlhopp located when investigators brought him back to his Woodruff property on Saturday. Advertisement
Scott Ponder (right) and his mother Beverly Guy (left) were found dead at the bike shop in 2003
Service manager Brian Lucas (left) and mechanic Chris Sherbert (right) died in the quadruple murder
Doris Henry, Guy's sister and Ponder's aunt, is pictured left being comforted by her husband while awaiting to hear about them in 2003. Right, a deck of cards made by Lucas' father and passed out to inmates in South Carolina prisons
'We want to see the face. I want to look at him, and I want to try to use that in healing,' he said.
Lorraine Lucas said she started counseling sessions several weeks ago to prepare herself in case a suspect was ever arrested.
'I needed to be prepared for when they do make an arrest, so we can accept what happened,' she said.
Melissa Ponder said she was resigned that her husband Scott's death would never be solved before getting a phone call on Saturday evening from one of the case's original detectives.
Ponder says the detectives told family members of all four victims the news at the same time - that Kohlhepp confessed to the killings.
Judge Jimmy Henson speaks to the family members of the bike shop murder victims during a bond hearing for Todd Kohlhepp at the Spartanburg Detention Facility on Sunday
Todd Kohlhepp is addressed by Judge Jimmy Henson during a bond hearing on Sunday
'He knew too much about the crime scene,' Ponder said of Kohlhepp's account to detectives. 'He knew everything.'
She added: 'It isn't closure, but it is an answer - and I am thankful for that.'
Detectives told Ponder Kohlhepp was an angry customer who had been in the shop several times, she said.
All four victims were shot multiple times, authorities said at the time.
Before Kohlhepp emerged as a suspect, investigators said all four victims were killed with the same 9 mm pistol.
They theorized that the killer came in the back, perhaps through an open garage door, and killed mechanic Sherbert, 26, as he worked.
Bookkeeper Beverly Guy, 52, was found just outside the bathroom in the middle of the showroom.
Thirty-year-old shop owner Scott Ponder was found just outside the door in the parking lot. Brian Lucas, 29, was in the doorway.
At the time, the suspect was described on 'wanted' posters as a white male, aged between 25 and 40, with dark brown feathered hair, approximately six feet tall and weighing between 175 and 200 pounds.
Kohlhepp (pictured left) confessed to a 2003 quadruple murder. At the time, the suspect was described on 'wanted' posters (right) as a white male, aged between 25 and 40
Law enforcement personnel stand near police tape on Kohlhepp's property in Woodruff, South Carolina, on Sunday
Police work on Todd Kohlhepp's property on Sunday after Kohlhepp showed officers where two other people are buried on his property
The case was Spartanburg County's first quadruple homicide, the Greenville News reported.
Kohlhepp hasn't revealed a motive in the killings and declined to speak when Magistrate Judge Jimmy Henson offered him the chance to make a statement at his bond hearing on Sunday.
The victims' families were there as Henson denied bond for Kohlhepp.
After Kohlhepp left the courtroom, Henson addressed the victims' families, saying: 'What you've gone through ... is beyond what a lot of people would understand.'
Kohlhepp, who was added to the sex offender registry in Arizona after being convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl, is also charged with kidnapping a woman and keeping her chained on his property.
Nato chiefs, thrown into a panic by fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin might attack the West, are scrambling to put together a force of 300,000 troops which they can put on 'high alert'.
Relations between Russia and the West have plunged in the last year, with Moscow's insistence on backing its Syrian ally, President Bashar al-Assad, at all costs leading to serious tension with the US, Britain and France.
Most Nato members cut their defence spending dramatically since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 but Russia has been bolstering its military capabilities, holding parades involving more than 100,000 troops each year.
Nato soldiers stand on a pontoon bridge constructed across the Vistula river in Poland during the NATO Anaconda-16 exercise earlier this year
Moscow has been throwing its weight around in recent years - in 2008 Russian troops humiliated the Georgians and in turn the White House by invading South Ossetia and Abkhazia in support of pro-Moscow rebels.
Then in 2014 Russia annexed Crimea and supported ethnic Russian rebels in the eastern Ukraine.
President Obama's 'Russian reset' policy, which was designed to improve relations with Moscow, has looked increasingly like a policy of appeasement.
Russia's President Putin (left, with outgoing President Obama, during a recent meeting in China) has massively increased Russian military spending and anti-Western rhetoric
At the weekend Russian soldiers, dressed in World War Two era uniforms, commemorate the 75th anniversary of a famous parade in 1941 when the Red Army headed out of Moscow to take on the Nazis
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has been accused of attempting to interfere with the US election process by hacking into the emails of senior members of the Democratic party and recently moved the Iskander nuclear-capable missiles into the Kaliningrad enclave, on the borders with Poland.
But Nato members like Estonia, Poland and Romania, who are feeling increasingly threatened by Moscow, are now being promised a rapid deployment force.
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told The Times this week: 'We have also seen Russia using propaganda in Europe among Nato allies and that is exactly the reason why Nato is responding. We are responding with the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War.
'We have seen Russia being much more active in many different ways.
'We have seen a more assertive Russia implementing a substantial military build-up over many years; tripling defence spending since 2000 in real terms; developing new military capabilities; exercising their forces and using military force against neighbours,' added Mr Stoltenberg.
Russia recently moved its nuclear-capable Iskander missiles into the Kaliningrad enclave. The missiles could take out targets in Berlin
Britain's permanent representative to Nato, Sir Adam Thomson, told The Times it would currently take Nato six months to deploy a force of 300,000, which was simply too slow.
At the weekend British military intelligence officers issued a warning over a new Russian 'super tank' which they claim is far superior to anything which is available to Nato.
The document claims that Britain's Challenger II main battle tank could be overpowered by the Kremlin's new Armata tank.
Officials believe the new Russian tank is 'revolutionary' and blames the government for failing to provide a proper response.
Russia displayed its new Armata main battle tank at the Victory Day parade in Red Square in May this year
The new tank has several highly advanced features including an un-manned turret which makes the machine safer for crews
Yesterday's military parade in Red Square commemorated a pivotal moment in World War Two when German forces were turned back from the gates of Moscow
A Russian soldier in a World War Two era vehicle in Red Square yesterday. Despite its name Red Square was not named after the red flag of communism but dates from an earlier era
The Russians showed off their new Armata tank at the annual May Day parade.
Intelligence experts believe the new Russian tank has a lower profile than Western heavy armour, is faster and lighter.
The turret has the ability to self-load its ammunition, including high explosive and armour piercing rounds. It also has the ability to fire anti-tank missiles.
Russian soldiers in World War Two era uniforms, carrying skis. In the depth of the Russian winter Soviet soldiers, equipped with skis, were able to outmanouevre the German enemy
Russian servicemen and women dressed in World War Two uniforms seen in Moscow's Red Square ahead of yesterday's military parade. The Soviet Union was years ahead of the West in allowing women to serve on the frontline
British officials believed the main battle tank was obsolete and ineffective against jihadis
British defence planners had initially decided to abandon plans to replace the Challenger II
The Armata is the first totally new Russian tank since the introduction of the T-72 in 1973 and would be crucial to any Russian military offensive.
The crew of three is smaller than most Nato tanks who normally have four people on board.
The vehicle's hull is made from steel, ceramics and composite materials. It is also protected by explosive reactive armour.
The tank's 125mm main gun loads itself an is capable of firing anti-tank missiles.
The missiles have a range of approximately five miles.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said recently: 'The truth is, however, that Russia is not going to attack anyone, that's ridiculous.'
Putin has ordered the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean do enable airstrikes in Syria
The new Armata is the first Russian tank which considered the crew's ability to survive
He added: 'Russia values its independence and own identity
'We don't want world domination or expansion or confrontation with anyone.'
Putin's assurance came as Russia launched a new super stealth submarine which will be deployed to the Black Sea.
Last month Putin ordered the deployment of the aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean to continue his was war in support of Bashar Al-Assad.
A Russian airborne infantry fighting vehicle BMD-2 parachutes from a plane during the joint Russian, Belarusian and Serbian military exercise at military airport Kovin
A Russian drone descends after a flight during the joint Russian, Belarusian and Serbian military exercise
A Russian BMD armoured personnel carrier descends to the ground from an IL-76 transport plane
Serbian soldiers sprinted across a plain during the exercise
North Korea is set to launch a missile on the day of the US presidential election, it has been reported.
US forces and the South Korean military have their troops in the Korean peninsula on high alert amid the threat of a missile test tomorrow.
Experts fear the secretive state will launch the Masudan or BM-35 rocket, both of which could hit targets in the US Pacific territory of Guam that is 1,800 miles away, Yonhap news agency reported.
The tropical island of Guam, in the western Pacific, has many American strategic assets to counter any attack from the North.
The North has continued carrying out missile and nuclear tests despite sanctions by the US and other countries.
Kim Jong-un is reportedly preparing to unleash a missile on the US during election day as a warning to the newly elected President
An official from Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said they are 'closely watching every move by the North Korean military at its Punggye-ri nuclear test site and other possible missile-launching sites'.
'The military is fully prepared to respond to any provocative acts by the North,' the official added.
A military spokesman added: 'All military and security matters, including the deployment of an advanced missile defence system known as Thaad, will be pushed forward as planned regardless of the scandal.'
South Korean foreign minister Yun Byung-se warned last month that the North is close to the 'final stage of nuclear weaponisation' and ally states would mobilise 'all tools in the toolkit' to protect themselves.
In his first military inspection for two months, Kim visited the North Korean special operation battalion on Friday.
He ordered them to 'eliminate the human filth occupying the [South Korean] presidential Blue House, military and the puppet government, all who have committed crimes that cannot be forgiven for all of eternity.'
North Korea is set to fire an intermediate-range ballistic missile tomorrow
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un cheered on a military unit tasked with killing South Korean politicians this week in a rare visit with soldiers
In September, North Korea conducted its most powerful nuclear test to date, marking the 68th anniversary of its founding.
The North said that test had been of a 'nuclear warhead that has been standardised to be able to be mounted on strategic ballistic rockets'.
South Korea's military said it was about 10 kilotonnes, enough to make it the North's 'strongest nuclear test ever'.
Other experts say initial indications suggest 20 kilotonnes or more.
A Coles shopper claims to have found maggots squirming around on a roast chicken he bought from the supermarket.
A disgusting video posted online by customer Darryl Colville shows more than a dozen maggots crawling inside a bag containing a Coles chicken.
Mr Colville claims the bag was still sealed when he shot the revolting footage on his mobile phone.
A Coles shopper claims to have found maggots wriggling on a roast chicken he bought from the supermarket
'BBQ chicken I bought today with maggots sealed in [the] bag,' he wrote on the Coles Facebook page as he posted the grim video online on Sunday.
Another picture posted online by Mr Colville appears to show as many as 20 maggots inside the plastic bag.
It is not clear how the maggots got inside the packaging.
Mr Colville claims the bag was still sealed when he shot the revolting footage on his phone
The shopper said he bought the roast chicken from a Coles store in Horsham, Victoria.
The roast chicken cost $8 and the label on the bag appears to suggest that it was placed on sale on Sunday.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Coles for comment.
The supermarket's customer service team have been in contact with Mr Colville.
Victoria's meat safety regulator, PrimeSafe, investigated a complaint regarding two chickens allegedly infested with maggots. However the meat safety regulator found no faults with the Horsham supply chain and ruled that Coles had met all safety requirements. An internal investigation conducted by the supermarket also found no issues with chicken sold.
Hundreds of thousands of Nato troops are to be put on a higher readiness for deployment amid mounting tensions with Russia, it has been revealed.
Commanders have been increasingly anxious at the length of time it would take to assemble a force in the event of aggression from Moscow.
It is thought it would currently take the alliance around 180 days to deploy a force of around 300,000.
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has indicated that he wants to slash the timescale for deploying signficant numbers of troops
But Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has indicated that he wants to cut that timescale to two months or less.
The troops on higher alert would act as a 'follow-on' to the bloc's existing response force, which can be deployed within days.
The military personnel are expected to come from a range of nations including Britain.
Mr Stoltenberg told the Times: 'We have seen Russia being much more active in many different ways.
'We have seen a more assertive Russia implementing a substantial military build-up over many years; tripling defence spending since 2000 in real terms; developing new military capabilities; exercising their forces and using military force against neighbours.
'We have also seen Russia using propaganda in Europe among Nato allies and that is exactly the reason why Nato is responding.
'We are responding with the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War.'
Nato has already been beefing up its forces in key areas in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the conflict in Ukraine.
Some 4,000 troops almost a quarter British are being sent to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland from next year.
An emergency response force of 5,000 ground troops has been established.
Military analysts have warned Russia's new Armata tank is more advanced than Nato's current heavy armour including Britain's Challenger II
President Vladimir Putin's annexation of the Crimea sent relations with Nato into a tailspin
Mr Stoltenberg said the 28-nation alliance was now looking at improving readiness of its three million military personnel.
'We are ... addressing what we call the follow-on forces,' he said. 'There are a large number of people in the armed forces of Nato allies.
'We are looking into how more of them can be ready on a shorter notice.'
Meanwhile, British military intelligence officers have issued a warning over a new Russian 'super tank' which they claim is far superior to anything which is available to Nato.
The document claims that Britain's Challenger II main battle tank could be overpowered by the Kremlin's new Armata tank.
Officials believe the new Russian tank is 'revolutionary' and blames the government for failing to provide a proper response.
A 'Top Gun' pilot terrified hundreds of people across East Anglia has been grounded after breaking the sound barrier.
Angry American Air Force chiefs say the pilot receive 'additional training' before he's allowed to fly again following the incident in Norfolk.
He broke the rules by smashing through the sound barrier over the Norfolk countryside, instead of miles out over the North Sea.
The 'deafening' sonic boom reverberated across Norwich and surrounding towns and villages, panicking shoppers who thought it was a terrorist bomb attack.
A US Air Force pilot in an F-15C Eagle sparked a panic in East Anglia after breaking the sound barrier. Pictured is an F-15C Eagle taking off from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk (file picture)
It sent farmers' horses and cows stampeding and rattled window frames in thousands of houses.
Mother-of-three Kim Daniels, 35, from Norwich, said 'There was this terrific bang which shook everything - we wondered what on earth it was.
'It was so loud it sounded like a bomb going off - it shook the window panes' said the single mother who lives in a flat on the Heartsease estate near the city centre.
'I rushed out and some of my neighbours had also run outside to see what it was, but we couldn't see anything.
'It was only later we heard that it was an American jet fighter breaking the sound barrier.
'It was so loud it would have terrified dogs and pet cats, and I can't image what would have happened in farmers' fields full of cows and horses - they would have been spooked, that's for sure.
'They shouldn't let pilots break the sound barrier over a built-up area. It's bound to frighten people.'
Now the USAF has confirmed the pilot of the F-15C Eagle, from the 48th Fighter Wing stationed at RAF Lakenheath, has been reprimanded for the 'brief sonic event' which breached UK aviation rules.
A sonic boom occurs when an aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound.
Pilots are meant to stay below Mach.95 (728mph) to prevent them from flying over Mach 1 (767mph), the speed of sound, over residential areas.
Pilots are not supposed to fly fighter jets above 767mph - the speed of sound - over populated areas and the USAF confirmed the airman would not fly again until he completed an 'additional training course' (file picture)
The sonic boom, which breached UK aviation rules, was heard in Norwich, pictured
A USAF spokesman said 'We will conduct and investigation and develop mitigation measures.
'The pilot will receive additional training to prevent this in the future, and will not fly again until this training is complete.
'We offer our sincerest apologies for any disturbance this may have caused, and we will continue to emphasize airspeed restrictions in flight briefings.'
Julian Assange will be interviewed by Swedish police over claims he raped a woman in 2010.
But the WikiLeaks founder, 45, will not leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London because the authorities will visit him inside next Monday.
The Swedish assistant prosecutor, Chief Prosecutor Ingrid Isgren, and a Swedish police investigator have been allowed to be present at the interview. They will report the findings to Sweden.
Swedish authorities want to question Assange over allegations that he committed rape in 2010. Assange denies the allegations.
Julian Assange will be interviewed by Swedish police over claims he raped a woman in 2010
The 45-year-old Australian sought refuge in the Ecuadoran embassy in London in June 2012 after exhausting all his legal options in Britain against extradition to Sweden.
Event: Assange was speaking at a Wikileaks seminar in Sweden on August 14 2010, within four days he allegedly slept with two women who accused him of sex attacks
Assange fears that if he were sent to Sweden to face trial, he could be extradited to the United States to be tried over WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of thousands of classified documents and face a long prison sentence or the death penalty.
Authorities have said that the statute of limitations on the charges against Assange runs through 2020.
The scandal made headlines around the world, forcing the usually strident campaigner to go to ground in Stockholm, claiming it was a smear campaign, possibly initiated by the CIA or the Pentagon.
Assange, 45, was attending a seminar in Stockholm six years ago when he found himself facing charges of rape and sexual molestation.
He denies the alleged sex crimes but does not seem to be in dispute is that he had sex with the two women within four days.
His supporters pointed out that the allegations came just a few weeks after WikiLeaks became embroiled in a dispute with the Pentagon over its publication of classified war documents, which the U.S. says endangers the lives of its soldiers and their Afghan allies.
Sources in Sweden take a different view - they insist it was Assanges louche behaviour and his chauvinistic attitude that led to the charges.
The anti-secrecy campaigner, who denies the allegation, walked into Ecuador's London embassy of his own free will four years ago, with Britain on the brink of sending him to Stockholm, and has not left since.
Earlier this year a Swedish district court maintained a European arrest warrant against Assange, rejecting his lawyers' request to have it lifted.
Path: George Clooney's lawyer wife Amal Alamuddin (left) leaving an extradition hearing with Julian Assange, who would later seek refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London
Ecuador in the past has said it does not want to interfere with Sweden's rape investigation.
Quito has said it would support Assange's transfer if Stockholm could provide guarantees that he would not be sent to the United States for prosecution over WikiLeaks' release of 500,000 secret military files.
Assange has compared living inside the embassy - which has no garden but is in the plush Knightsbridge district, near Harrods department store - to life on a space station.
His 15 feet by 13 feet (4.6 by 4 meter) room is divided into an office and a living area. He has a treadmill, shower, microwave and sun lamp and spends most of his day at his computer.
A UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on February 5 ruled in a non-binding decision that Assange's confinement in the Ecuadoran embassy amounted to arbitrary detention by Sweden and Britain.
A man accused of murdering Wade Cameron Dunn and dismembering him with a chainsaw kept the victim's head in his car for days, a jury has been told.
Gary David Jackson, 51, is on trial in the Western Australia Supreme Court accused of murdering 40-year-old Wade Cameron Dunn at the Alexander Heights home of Mark David Corbett in May last year.
Corbett has already pleaded guilty over Mr Dunn's death and will give evidence during the trial.
Perth man Wade Cameron Dunn (pictured) was killed and dismembered in May 2015 before his body was disposed of
Prosecutor Laura Christian said in her opening address on Monday the trio were all involved in drugs, mostly meth, and there was lots of lying, cheating and double-crossing between them.
She said Corbett had a $27,000 drug debt and Mr Dunn was lured to Corbett's house under the pretext of collecting the debt.
But when Mr Dunn arrived, he was beaten to death with a metal pole and his body was kept in Jackson's shed overnight.
Ms Christian said the victim was later cut into pieces with a chainsaw and dumped in bushland near Bindoon, northeast of Perth.
She said Jackson cut off Mr Dunn's hands because the victim had scratched him and he was worried about his DNA being under Mr Dunn's fingernails.
Mr Dunn's body was dumped in bushland near Bindoon (pictured), Western Australia
Jackson also kept Mr Dunn's head in his ute because he wanted a friend with a boat to get rid of it, but then someone noticed the smell.
Ms Christian said Corbett had taken police to the area where Mr Dunn was dumped, but his body has not been found.
Jackson is also accused of conspiring to pervert the course of justice after allegedly trying to stop Corbett from testifying.
Defence counsel David McKenzie said in his brief opening remarks that Jackson was innocent of both charges and was not involved in Mr Dunn's death in any way.
He asked the jury to keep an open mind and not jump to conclusions.
The trial continues.
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Incredible images show 1960s Beatlemania Liverpool in black and white merged with the colourful modern-day city.
The stunning pictures offer a trip down memory lane as excited fans are pictured queuing for a Beatles gig at the Cavern Club while modern-day commuters stroll past on their way to work.
Other shots show the young Fab Four playing in an otherwise empty bar, arriving at Speke airport and posing in the modern Derby Square.
The nostalgic pictures are the work of Port Captain and amateur photographer Keith Jones, 45, from Liverpool.
Amateur photographer Keith Jones, from Liverpool, has merged pictures from the height of Beatlemania with images of the city today, such as this combination of the Cavern Club today in Mathew Street with a huge queue for a Beatles gig in the 1960s
Mr Jones took on the project as a tribute to the Fab Four, pictured here posing in Derby Square, because they remain 'synonymous' with their hometown
He also merged a picture of modern day Speke Airport with that of the Beatles arriving in the city in 1964 for the premiere of their film A Hard Day's Night, with hundreds of fans packing out the building to give them a huge welcome
The photographer merged iconic styles of the 1960s - including the Fab Four clad in leather jackets outside the Mathew Street venue (pictured) - with the modern day surroundings
He said: 'I'm biased, I know, but who doesn't love The Beatles?
'I'm a lifelong fan of their music and having travelled the world a bit, it has been particularly clear to me that, for people from other parts of the world, the group are absolutely synonymous with their hometown.
'Ask anybody from New York to Nepal, Auckland to the Arctic, to name someone or something from Liverpool and I imagine John, Paul, George and Ringo would be right out in front.
'I feel our city should be proud and thankful for their music, their impact and their message, and blending their image back into the modern day scenes makes me smile and also wish I had been around to be in that queue for a lunchtime show at The Cavern Club!'
Mr Jones was even able to go back to the band's humble beginnings as The Quarrymen, revisiting the Childwall Abbey Hotel where they played at George Harrison's brother's wedding in the 1950s
It's not just the Beatles who are the centre of attention, as Mr Jones shines a spotlight on the city's history through this picture of a shopper in Lord Street surrounded by a modern day crowd
He captures the essence of Beatlemania outside the Mathew Street Cavern, pictured, and contrasts it with the more subdued scenes outside the club in modern Liverpool
Fans regularly fainted while waiting to see the Fab Four in Liverpool, pictured here in the High Street in the 1960s
Mr Jones first got the idea to merge old photographs with new ones at the same location when he came across old Victorian postcards and realised the pictured buildings still stood today.
'I went back as close to the same vantage point to 'rephotograph' the same view, to compare the scenes,' he said.
'It struck me that I found it equally fascinating whether the scene was unchanged in one hundred years, completely different or now a mixture of modern and historic elements.
'I'm lucky to live and work here in that the City of Liverpool has an amazing history, with everything from incredibly grand architecture from the most prosperous times in the 19th Century, to the most modern designs, quite often already placed side by side.
'When I get the chance to 'change the timeline' by blending in people from different eras to a modern day scene, it fascinates me to imagine how life was for city residents in decades gone by.'
In the early 1960s it was not unusual to see the Beatles out and about in Liverpool, as these pictures of Derby Square in the 1960s prove, and the landscape does not seem to have changed much in 50 years
An aspiring young Beatle is pictured on a bench in Renelagh Place in the 1960s in a scene that could easily still be the same today, aside from the fashion
This is the horrifying moment a huge glass door came crashing down over a three-year-old girl.
As the door was falling over the toddler, it also knocked over an elderly woman, believed to be the girl's grandmother.
Fortunately, both family members survived the shocking accident in China, which is now under investigation.
CCTV footage of the incident in China showed the girl walking behind her grandmother
As the toddler entered the building, the glass door was seen toppling down after her (pictured)
In a CCTV footage of the incident, the grandmother was seen walking ahead with the toddler trailing behind.
The child is seen pushing back the glass door before following her grandmother into the building.
But, as she walks forward waving her arms, the door came tumbling down towards her and crashes over her head.
The girl's grandmother watched as the incident unfolded and when she tried to stop the inevitable, she was knocked over as well.
Her grandmother watched as the incident unfolded and tried to save the girl from the inevitable (above)
The elderly woman was knocked over while trying to help her granddaughter, who was seen trapped underneath
She was seen immediately scrambling up to help her granddaughter.
According to iFeng, the incident took place at around 4pm on Sunday at South China Sea Ji Jia Square mall in Foshan, China.
The girl fainted at the scene and was rushed to hospital where doctors found that her skull had been fractured in several places.
However, the resilient toddler survived the accident and is already awake.
A representative from the shopping mall said that they are now investigating the incident according to iFeng.
A rogue prankster has used a portable radio to give unauthorised directions to pilots preparing to land at Melbourne airports.
The Australian Federal Police have launched an investigation into 15 incidents of illegal transmissions with aircrafts over the past several weeks at Melbourne, also known as Tullamarine, and Avalon airports.
It is understood an unidentified person posed as an air traffic controller and instructed pilots to circle the area before landing.
The prankster also caused one Virgin pilot to pull out of landing just 80 metres before the plane would hit tarmac, The Age reported.
A person who is using a portable radio to override the air traffic controller frequency and give false directions to pilots preparing to land at Melbourne airports is under investigation (stock image)
It is understood an unidentified person posed as an air traffic controller over the past several weeks and instructed pilots to circle the area before landing and even told one Virgin pilot to abort his landing (stock image)
The person, who police believe is working alone to tap into the traffic control frequency, also pretended to be a pilot to fake a mayday call and told the traffic controller the plane had engine trouble.
'I can see you there now. Roger your mayday. Could you please advise what your situation is,' the air traffic control operator asks in the recorded audio of the fake call.
'Engine failure... Descending passing through 4,500,' the hoaxer said.
Data shows another plane that prepared to land at Tullamarine Airport began ascending suddenly and circling over the airport after the hoaxer instructed the pilot to do so.
The Australian Federal Police are investigating 15 incidents of illegal transmissions with aircrafts over the past several weeks at Melbourne, also known as Tullamarine (pictured), and Avalon Airports.
The AFP said in a statement on Monday travellers should not be concerned (stock image)
President of Virgin Independent Pilots Australia John Lyons told the Sydney Morning Herald an amateur VHF radio could be used in the transmissions, which are worrying for pilots who are unable to verify a controller in the air.
The AFP said in a statement on Monday travellers should not be concerned.
'The AFP, Airservices, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the aviation industry are all committed to ensuring the safety of the travelling public and we are treating this matter extremely seriously,' AFP's head of Crime Operations and acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Sheehan said.
'These incidents are being thoroughly investigated by the AFP, with technical support from the ACMA.' 'The airlines have been briefed to ensure the advice has been passed on to their pilots and to ensure appropriate measures are in place.'
The hoaxer could face up to 20 years in jail, police said.
Organisers of the Brit Awards have scrapped their 'pale male' voting panel in an attempt to make the nominations more diverse following claims of racism.
The Brits Voting Academy - the body convened to select the nominees and, ultimately, the winners each year has announced the biggest ever shakeup of its 1,000 members.
It comes just months after a backlash from stars that no black artists were nominated in any major category at last year's Brit awards, held in February.
Laura Mvula threatened to boycott the event and the hashtag #BritsSoWhite went viral.
The new invite list - which includes 718 potential voters for the 2017 Brit winners - represents an almost even gender split (52 per cent male and 48 per cent female) and 17 per cent black, Asian and minority ethnic (bame) members.
The overhaul comes after the chairman of BPI, which represents UK record labels, claimed the lack of diversity had caused 'an elephant in the room' at this year's event. Pictured: Singer Adele was the big winner at this year's Brit Awards, which was criticised for lack of diversity
Laura Mvula (right) threatened to boycott the event over the lack of diversity. Left: Stormzy
More than 1,000 people have been called upon to help select nominees for the 2017 Brit Awards as part of a huge shake-up to the voting system following previous racism accusations
This compares to the 70 per cent 30 per cent male-female split and 15 per cent Bame voters that contributed to the 2016 awards indicating a significant attempt to diversify in 2017.
Ged Doherty, chairman of the BPI, the music organisation which oversees the Brits, said there had been an 'elephant in the room' over the lack of diversity at last year's event.
Ged Doherty, chairman of the BPI, the music organisation which oversees the Brits, said there had been an 'elephant in the room'
Mr Doherty promised to fix the voting system after the ceremony was the subject of criticism for not nominating more people of different ethnic backgrounds.
Grime star Big Narstie was also particularly outspoken about the lack of diversity.
'The only diversity in the Brits is with the Americans, he told Channel 4 news. 'I've been saying for this for a while; for our country to do good, we need to embrace our country.'
Now, organisers say the new 1,200 members will 'refresh' its voting system following a major review earlier this year.
Mr Doherty, chairman of the BPI who led the review, said that the changes would signify a general improvement in the awards and keep them up to date with modern music trends.
He said: 'I'm really proud that we've taken firm action to refresh the academy to ensure that it keeps up with trends in music and society at large.
Jason Iley, chairman of the Brits (pictured with Paloma Faith and Rita Ora), said the board has a 'responsibility to be truly reflective of what is happening in music' as it announced the change
'I believe that as a result of these changes the Brits will be better equipped to reflect the diverse nature of Britain and British music.
'There's been a long-held myth that Brits winners and nominees are decided by industry executives in a smoke-filled room, but the simple truth is that the awards are voted for each year by a 1,000-plus strong voting academy made up of experts drawn from all areas of music.'
A specialist committee made up of leading black and Asian figureshas been appointed, co-chaired by Paulette Long OBE and Kwame Kwaten (pictured), to advise on the academy's voting structures and make-up
The voting academy body convenes to select the nominees of most of the annual Brit Awards and is updated each year with around 300 new voters.
Members are invited to the academy on the basis of their music expertise and knowledge and are sourced from all areas of the industry, including artists, retailers, managers, producers, record labels and social media.
For the 2017 awards, a specialist committee made up of leading black and Asian figures from both music and media has been appointed, co-chaired by Paulette Long OBE and Kwame Kwaten, to advise on the academy's voting structures and make-up.
The move represents the biggest shake up seen in some time.
Jason Iley, chairman of the Brit Awards, said: 'As the most important awards in the British music calendar, we have a responsibility to be truly reflective of what is happening in music so that we can support new and emerging talent as well as recognise and celebrate mainstream commercial success.
'To do this it's important we have voting academy members who are both knowledgeable and passionate about all types of music and who also reflect the diversity of our consumers and country.'
The voting academy invites were sent out on Monday, a month ahead of the voting, which will be open between Friday December 9 and Tuesday December 13.
Cornel Popa walked back into Britain months after he was deported for a series of sex attacks on girls on school buses
A Romanian sex offender who rubbed himself in front of teenage girls on a school bus walked back into Britain soon after he was deported.
Cornel Popa had been kicked out of the UK after he was jailed for a string of sex attacks in Hertfordshire in 2014.
But - despite his conviction and deportation - the father-of-four then returned to Britain and was arrested again over an assault in north London.
There has been repeated rows over the apparent ease with which convicted criminals from EU countries have been able to move to and commit offences in the UK.
Popa, 44, had already been jailed for five years for attempted rape in his native Romania before he first moved to Waltham Cross with his four children and their mother.
But in March 2014, he kissed the hand of a 16-year-old girl on a school bus in Stevenage before rubbing his trousers. He told the girl: 'This is for you.'
A 17-year-old reported a similar incident on the same day, with another teenager saying Popa appeared to be 'getting a thrill' from rubbing himself.
Popa also admitted touching the bottom of a woman cyclist and rubbing himself in front of another woman on a bus in Hatfield.
Popa carried out sex attacks on buses in Hertfordshire in 2014 before being deported
He pleaded guilty to two offences of sexual assault and four offences of outraging public decency and was jailed for three years and four months.
The judge in the case added: 'Unless he changes, this man is a danger to his victims.'
After his release halfway through that sentence, he was deported back to Romania, to where his family had returned.
But he returned to Britain earlier this year using his own passport and was only found to have returned when he was arrested over an assault in Enfield.
Popa was deported on 5 October 2015, after serving two years in jail, Highbury Magistrates Court heard.
He was arrested again last week for brutally assaulting a house mate in Enfield, north London.
Popa was found to have returned to the country after he attacked a man in this street in Enfield
Popa punched Cosmin Dinu then broke a bottle and threatened Mr Dinu after an argument.
He later admitted common assault and breaching the requirements of the sex offenders register.
A Peshmerga soldier used his armour-plated BMW to rescue dozens of civilians pinned down by ISIS snipers in Iraq, it has emerged.
Kurdish fighter, Ako Aburrahman, used the German-made car to drive 70 injured victims to hospital in southern Kirkuk, Iraq despite terrorist marksmen repeatedly shooting at the vehicle.
The frontline soldier said his reinforced BMW was the only option to help wounded residents because 'bullets could not penetrate my car'.
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A Peshmerga soldier used his armour-plated BMW (pictured) to rescue dozens of civilians pinned down by ISIS snipers in Iraq, it has emerged
Kurdish fighter, Ako Aburrahman, used the German-made car to drive 70 injured victims to hospital in southern Kirkuk, Iraq despite terrorist marksmen repeatedly shooting at the vehicle
The frontline soldier said his reinforced BMW was the only option to help wounded residents because 'bullets could not penetrate my car'
According to Basnews, the BMW was hit 50 times by bullets and car eventually broke down as a result of the damage.
He told the website he had purchased it four months earlier for $9,000.
'I was on mission when the militants of ISIS attacked Kirkuk, a friend soon called me and we decided to go to Kirkuk at once to fight the attackers,' he said.
'After we arrived at the scene, we saw many wounded individuals among the security forces and civilians and no one was able to approach them due to the ISIS snipers. Therefore we decided to help those wounded people since bullets could not penetrate my car.'
The BMW was hit 50 times by bullets and car eventually broke down as a result of the damage
The fighter said he had purchased the BMW four months before the drama unfolded for $9,000
The rescue unfolded as ISIS militants were attacking positions in Kirkuk in October
The wounded included Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens, he said.
'Sadly, one injured person died on the way to the hospital although he was lightly wounded, but he had not been transferred to hospital soon enough.'
The rescue unfolded as ISIS militants were attacking positions in Kirkuk in October.
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The fanatics were pushed back by local forces but the fierce fighting left scores dead and more than 200 injured.
According to Basnews, BMW offered to swap the vehicle for a new one so that they could display it in their museum.
The corpse-like face resembles the woman from the horror film The Ring
They posed for a picture which was photobombed by an apparent 'ghost'
A team of ghost hunters went on a tour around an old Victorian orphanage
Ghost hunters on a haunted hospital tour were stunned to see that a picture of them had been photobombed by an eerie corpse-like woman smiling at the camera.
The disturbing face, which resembles the ghost from the 2002 horror film The Ring, seemed to appear in the middle of the mysterious picture.
Host Phil Barron, 45, was leading the 32-strong group at the abandoned Newsham Park Hospital in Liverpool when he unwittingly snapped the photograph.
The photogenic spook turned up at the beginning of the night before the ghostly gang, led by events company Haunted Happenings, had the chance to summon the spirits at the former Victorian orphanage.
The disturbing face, which resembles the famous ghost from the 2002 horror film The Ring, seemed to appear in the middle of the mysterious picture
The 32-strong group visited the abandoned Newsham Park Hospital in Liverpool (pictured)
Mr Barron said: 'I took the snap and then put my phone away and during the break three hours later I sent it over to the office to be uploaded and thought nothing more of it.
'It was only the following day when I was woken by a flurry of instant messages and saw the number of comments on the post I had a proper look at the photo.
'There's been no Photoshop work - I just lightened the picture a little as it was quite dark and sent it over.'
Mr Barron said that despite going on such expeditions for the last 12 years he still gets a thrill from going on tours like this one, which they did at Halloween.
He added: 'I'm very lucky go to lots of places and experience different things.
'People think that we are immune to it but I get just as excited and apprehensive when something happens that you just can't explain.
'I've seen shadows walking around people, seen a glass move on a Ouija board I've heard knocks and bangs that are really loud when people aren't there.
'I've never actually seen a full apparition - I think that's the holy grail for most people.
'I've no idea what it is - but I'm very interested to find out.'
The orphanage dates back to the Victorian era and was opened in 1874 to support and educate the orphans of British seamen.
Legend has it that conditions there were harsh and cruel and after being converted into a hospital it's now home to a maze of corridors, wards, accommodation blocks, chapel and even a morgue.
Mr Barron said: 'We had a very active evening that night.
'During table tipping, where you ask the spirit to move the table, there was movement, guests felt things touching them and the Ouija board had activity too.'
The face appeared from nowhere and even the event organisers were spooked by the face
The spooky building was an old Victorian orphanage which is now now home to a maze of corridors, wards, accommodation blocks, chapel and even a morgue
Founder of Haunted Happenings Hazel Ford said she was shocked to see what appears to be a ghostly figure standing in the middle of the picture.
Ms Ford said: 'If someone can de-bunk it and prove what's caused this to happen I'm not going to argue with them.
'I'm not prepared to say it is paranormal or not at this stage - we just don't know.
'We've stripped it down to prove it's not been edited. We've emailed everyone who attended that night but no-one's come forward to say it's them.
'Some suggested it could be a skull on someone's t-shirt but we don't think it's that either.
'The size of the face is totally out of proportion to everyone else in the picture. Lots of things about it don't add up, it's really strange.
'Fundamentally I would like to know what the photo shows and that it's not just some poor lady who looks a bit ill.
Nigel Farage (pictured at the European Freedom Awards in Stockholm, Sweden on Friday) is considering leading a 100,000-strong march outside the Supreme Court
Nigel Farage is planning to lead a 100,000-strong march outside the Supreme Court to coincide with its historic ruling on whether Parliament must be given a vote on Brexit.
It will serve as a 'reminder' about June's historic Brexit vote and is being organised by the Ukip-affiliated Leave.EU group.
The march would start in Trafalgar Square and move down Whitehall towards Parliament Square and to the Supreme Court in Westminster.
It is expected to coincide with the start of the Supreme Court's four-day hearing of the Government's appeal against last week's hugely controversial judgement that Parliament must be given a vote on triggering Article 50 - the formal process for leaving the EU.
The hearing is expected to start on December 5, but a decision is unlikely until January.
A spokesman for Mr Farage said the march is 'among a series of thoughts' about how to protest against Parliament delaying the Brexit process and said no firm plans for a march had been made.
Leave.EU also said it is also planning to raise 100,000 from its supporters to help pay for barristers to represent Brexit supporters in the court hearing.
A spokesman told the Telegraph that Arron Banks, the wealthy Ukip donor and founder of Leave.EU, had 'secured support from thousands of Leave voters' for the march and legal action.
A Leave.EU spokesperson said the march will be a 'reminder about what we voted for, so there is no slippage on the single market which we think this case was used to get a negotiating stand on.'
The spokesperson added: 'We will also be launching with all Leave campaigns, including members of all political parties, a march on the Supreme Court to make a point that 'Brexit means Brexit'.
'This will remind the Government, politicians and the establishment, including the court, that they cannot ignore the democratic vote of the people in the referendum.'
Leave.EU confirmed on Twitter today that it is planning the march outside the Supreme Court
Nigel Farage (pictured on the Andrew Marr Show with Gina Miller, who brought the High Court case against the Government) is said to be considering leading the march outside the Supreme Court to coincide with the start of the appeal process next month
Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer (pictured on Sky News today) said Labour would insist on ministers presenting their negotiating plan to MPs before it launched the formal negotiations on the terms of the UK's withdrawal
Meanwhile this morning Labour insisted it will not 'frustrate' the process of invoking Article 50 in the wake of last week's High Court ruling, but said it will use the parliamentary vote to force the Government to lay out its negotiating strategy.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Shadow Brexit Secretary, said the party would insist on ministers presenting their negotiating plan to MPs before it launched the formal negotiations on the terms of the UK's withdrawal.
'The Labour Party accepts that the Government has a mandate to leave the EU. They have no mandate for the terms on which we leave,' he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
'We will not frustrate the process by simply voting down Article 50 but we are absolutely clear that before we get to that stage the Government must put its plan before Parliament.'
Sir Keir made clear that once the Government had laid out its negotiating plan, Labour would insist on 'discussions' in Parliament on the proposed terms.
'We can't have a vote in a vacuum but we can't proceed with this approach where the Prime Minister says 'I hold all the cards to the future of the UK in Europe and its relationship with Europe and the world and I'm not going disclose even the basic terms to Parliament'. So of course we need that discussion,' he said.
'We should be proceeding if we can on the basis of a consensus across Parliament, not forced divisions. That means we should try to agree the plans. Proceeding in this divided way is wrong.'
Nigel Farage (pictured at the European Freedom Awards in Stockholm, Sweden on Friday) has threatened to return to front-line politics if there are attempts to block Brexit
His comments came after Labour deputy leader Tom Watson was forced to declare that Labour would not hold up the process after Jeremy Corbyn had appeared to suggest they would seek to block the triggering of Article 50 unless the Government could guarantee continued access to the EU single market.
Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green said it would be 'foolish' for the Government to give away in advance its negotiating strategy on issues such as future access to the EU single market.
'All these choices are being framed in binary ways. The more everyone looks at the detail of this there are various ways you can approach thee single market. There are huge complications here,' he said.
He said no decision would be taken on how to proceed in Parliament until the Supreme Court had heard the Government's appeal against the High Court's ruling.
'The parliamentary process hasn't yet been decided,' he told the Today programme.
video has emerged showing a couple fighting next to a fruit stall
A woman was filmed repeatedly kicking her boyfriend in the groin in front of a fruit stall in China.
She was seen savagely attacking him at least 10 times and continued her assault even when he was cowering on the floor.
According to reports, the pair started fighting because the man refused to buy fruit for her as he thought it was 'too expensive'.
In the footage, the man was seen trying to drag the woman away as the two of them stood outside a fruit stall
As the couple were talking, the woman suddenly burst into a fit of rage and started attacking the man repeatedly
In the footage, the man was seen trying to drag the woman away.
The woman, in a pink causal outfit, reportedly asked her male companion to buy her some fruit just moments earlier.
As the two of them were talking, she suddenly burst into a fit of rage.
The furious woman started kicking the man in the groin, causing him to instantly crumble to the floor.
At the same time, she can be heard yelling at the man, 'are you going to buy me the fruit?'
The woman continued to kick him after he fell on to the ground.
A member of staff manning the stall tried to separate the couple but the angry woman appeared to be unstoppable.
The furious woman started kicking the man in the groin, causing him to instantly crumble to the floor
The woman continued to kick him after he fell on to the ground and was heard yelling, 'are you going to buy me the fruit?'
The video has gone viral across Chinese social media platforms including major portal QQ.com, where it's attracted over sixteen millions views.
It's not known where the video was filmed but Chinese web users have suggested that the incident took place in Nanchang city according to Apple Daily,
The violent behaviors of the woman has attracted lots of attention on the Chinese micro-blogging platform Weibo.
One person commented: 'I feel blessed being single.'
Another expressed his sympathy saying: 'I could feel his pain just by watching this video.'
A security guard was killed after falling off his chair and into an uncovered drain when he had been napping at work.
The horrific incident was caught on camera as the guard loses his balance and topples into the hole.
The guard settled down into the plastic chair for a nap in the early hours of Saturday morning, at around 2.30am.
The security guard sits down on a white chair and puts his leg up on the red one as he decides to have a nap
He loses his balance as he drops off to sleep and the guard falls off the chair, down into the drain below
The CCTV camera captures the fall as the chairs go flying from underneath him and he tumbles down into the drain
His right leg is resting on a second plastic chair but as he nods off his seat starts to wobble and he topples over to his right.
Shockingly, he rolls straight into a large open road drain without a metal grill.
The footage has emerged from Bangkok, Thailand.
The man - who was guarding an apartment block's car park at the time - plunged several feet down the drain and smashed his head on the exposed concrete.
A second guard appears moments later but he did not do anything to help his colleague for 30 minutes, according to reports in Thailand
A colleague appears moments later but he did not raise the alarm for another 30 minutes, according to local reports.
Ambulance workers arrived but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The distressing footage was shared online with many questioning why the co-worker didn't rescue his colleague.
Shell New wrote: 'He was hired to patrol the building and shouldn't have been sleeping on the job, especially near something so dangerous.
'His friends should have heard something but perhaps they didn't see him in the drain because it was so dark.'
A shocking photograph has emerged, revealing how a South Korean airport was left covered in rubbish.
The appalling scene reportedly showed the departure area at Jeju Airport after a Chinese tour group had passed through.
According to local media, the group had been on a duty-free shopping spree and decided to unwrap their purchases at the airport before boarding the plane.
The sea of rubbish appeared at the department gates after Chinese tourists unwrapped their items before boarding
According to Jeju news outlet Jemin Ilbo, tourists who purchased duty-free goods on the island are able to collect their purchases in a designated area at the departure gate of the airport.
However, once they've received their purchases, many tourists would unwrap the goods at the airport, to reduce the size and weight of the goods according to the report.
The packaging would then left on the floor of the airport. The scene pictured was captured by a reader of Jemin Ilbo on October 26 but similar incidents have also taken place at the airport according to the report.
Efforts to provide tourists with bins and rubbish bags have also reportedly failed.
The Korea Airports Corporation in Jeju said the number of cleaners at the gate will be raised from two to three according to The Korea Times.
An official for the airport told the publication: 'Those who keep throwing waste on the floor might face fines as a penalty in the future.'
The Korea Airports Corporation in Jeju said the number of cleaners at the gate will be raised from two to three
The airport has already set up special areas around the gate for tourists to dump the rubbish according to the official.
Jeju Island, famous for its beaches, has attracted a huge group of Chinese holidaymakers in recent years.
The destination was second on the list of most popular islands for Chinese tourists, following Thailand's Phuket, according to research by Chinese travel agency CTrip.
To attract more tourists from the country, Jeju began offering Chinese visitors visa-free travel in 2008 according to Global Times.
Last year, Chinese tourists accounted for 85.3 percent of the 2.6million foreign visitors to the resort island.
One of the founding fathers of the eurozone has admitted it is in great jeopardy because too many weak economies were allowed to join and no exit strategy was adopted for those who failed to get up to speed.
Nineteen countries are in the eurozone - the original members, included economic powerhouses like Germany and France, but were later joined by Greece, Cyprus, Malta and the Baltic countries.
But Professor Otmar Issing said the struggling economies of Italy, Portugal and Greece were holding back the eurozone, having failed to recover from the crisis of 2007.
Professor Otmar Issing (pictured, right) says the euro itself was doing well and was still the second most powerful currency itself was doing well, but he fears for the eurozone
Prof Issing told the BBC's Wake Up To Money programme: 'The euro is in good shape. It is still the second most importance currency in the world. I wish I could still say the same about the eurozone, where a lot of risks are looming.'
The former Chief Economist of the European Central Bank was influential in the formation of the euro in 1999 but he has become increasingly critical of the failing monetary union in recent years and has warned the bloc will collapse unless it is reformed.
Prof Issing, who is German, claimed: 'This is a mistake in the construction of the whole arrangement that once a member, you remain a member for eternity.
Prof Issing said the Greece was in 'permanent crisis' and needed to leave the eurozone to carry out reforms and 'come back in better shape'. STOCK IMAGES of the National Bank of Greece (left) and a rioter protesting at austerity reforms
'This creates a problem that those countries which do not comply with the rules of the monetary union can blackmail the others.'
He said 'temporary exit' would allow countries like Greece to leave the monetary union and 'do the needed reforms and come back in better shape'.
Prof Issing, a former adviser to Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, said: 'The framework does not foresee an exit, be it permanent or temporary. This was a mistake but the biggest mistake was too many countries taken on board from the beginning, countries who were not yet ready.'
A street pastor who fraudulently claimed 36,000 in disability benefits faces jail today after footage emerged of her walking in heels and jogging from a car.
Stephanie Meakin, 51, of Crewe, was also secretly filmed standing up as she delivered a sermon and it emerged she also took part in the hokey-cokey at her church's Christmas party.
Meakin was investigated by the Department of Work and Pensions over 36,000 of disability living allowance payments paid out to her.
A Liverpool Crown Court jury took just 90 minutes to decide those claims were fraudulent after also hearing she waded into the sea to baptise members of the church she created, the Church of Abundant Life International.
Stephanie Meakin, 51, was also secretly filmed wearing heels while claiming disability benefits
Meakin was also seen walking up a steep hill and jogging to a cash machine.
The jury heard that during this period she also went to South Africa on a church mission and twice visited relatives in the Phillipines.
The court heard her initial claims were legitimate but after a back problem improved she did not tell benefits bosses of her recovery.
Meakin was given a 15 month sentence suspended for 12 months and placed under supervision for 12 months for failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions of a change in her circumstances.
The street pastor, who fraudulently claimed 36,000 in disability benefits faces jail today after footage emerged of her walking in heels and jogging from a car (pictured)
Meakin was also seen walking up a steep hill and doing the hokey-cokey at the church party
Meakin was accused of dishonestly claiming 36,000 between October 2001 and February 2013, which she denied.
The court heard that when DWP investigators and police raided her home they found a life insurance application form on which she stated that apart from high blood pressure she had no on-going health problem and 'exercised three times a week for 30 minutes'.
The court heard her initial claims were legitimate but after a back problem improved she did not tell benefits bosses of her recovery
The court heard that neighbours saw her walking her Rottweiler and a member of her congregation spoke of her involvement in baptisms at Black Rock, North Wales and the Christmas party.
After the jury delivered its guilty verdict the presiding judge, Recorder Mary Loram, told Meakin: 'The speed of their verdict is perhaps an indication of the strength of the evidence against you.
'Immediate custody is a realistic option for you.'
Meakin took part in the hokey-cokey at the church's Christmas party, and was seen jogging to a cash machine
Ahead of the sentencing a DWP spokeswoman said: 'Only a small minority of benefit claimants are dishonest, but cases like this show how we are rooting out the unscrupulous minority who are cheating the system and diverting taxpayers' money from those who really need it.
'We are determined to find those we suspect of abusing the welfare system by following up on tip-offs, undertaking surveillance and working with local councils.
'Deliberately not informing us of a change in your condition that may affect your claim is a crime.
Jeremy Corbyn has walked away from a TV reporter questioning him about Brexit by complaining he is being 'harassed'.
ITV reporter Libby Wiener asked the Labour leader if he backed an early general election to end debate over Theresa May's power to start Brexit talks.
But a bad tempered Mr Corbyn refused to answer the question, asking someone else present: 'Can we go outside? We're being harassed here.'
Mr Corbyn marched out of the room, leaving one of his aides to try and cover the broadcaster's camera - accusing Ms Wiener of being 'rude'.
The Labour leader had just completed a speech at the thinktank Class and was approached at the conference venue.
Jeremy Corbyn walked away from questions on Saturday claiming he was being 'harassed' by a TV reporter who asked him about an early general election over Brexit
Mr Corbyn marched out of the room, leaving one of his aides to try and cover the broadcaster's camera - accusing Ms Wiener of being 'rude'
The question about an early election came as Mr Corbyn walked into the room after his Brexit speech to the Class think tank in London
Last week's High Court ruling Mrs May does not personally hold the power to send the notification the EU Britain is leaving the trading bloc means a Commons vote on doing so will have to take place, subject to a Supreme Court appeal.
While there is wide expectation such a vote will be carried among MPs, some Remain campaigners want the vote linked to details of Mrs May's negotiating aims.
In the speech to a left wing think tank, the Labour leader said Mrs May must set out her Brexit negotiating terms to Parliament 'without delay' in the wake of the High Court ruling.
He claimed the Government opposes democratic scrutiny of its plans because 'there aren't any'.
The surprise legal ruling followed by the resignation of Tory MP Stephen Phillips has fuelled speculation that Mrs May will end up going to the polls before 2020.
Mr Corbyn refused to say whether he would be happy if there was an early election when asked by ITV.
The single question pitched at the Labour leader after his address in central London left him clearly irked.
Mr Corbyn was irked by a reporter asking him after a speech if he would be happy to fight a general election
But the question was ignored and his aide covered the camera with paper work
As aides intervened to stop him being quizzed by the media, he walked away saying: 'Can we go outside because we are being harassed here?'
Mr Corbyn had earlier been forced into an embarrassing climbdown after appearing to set out 'red lines' for letting Theresa May trigger Brexit.
The Labour leader made a series of demands about future ties to Brussels and suggested his MPs would not support invoking Article 50 if they were not met.
They included single market access, 'no watering down of EU workplace rights', 'guarantees on safeguarding consumers and the environment' and a promise for the UK government to fund any EU capital investments lost by Brexit.
Jeremy Corbyn has threatened an attempt to force a spring election if Theresa May does not meet his Brexit demands, including continued access to the single market
But within hours Mr Corbyn's deputy Tom Watson was making clear that there is no prospect of Labour MPs blocking Article 50 - the formal mechanism for leaving the EU.
'We're not going to hold this up. The British people have spoken and Article 50 will be triggered when it comes to Westminster,' he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Pienaar's Politics.
'I think it's important the country needs to hear this because most people think that that court judgment meant that the referendum result has fallen.
'It hasn't, it will go through. We have a lot to say on the way ... we want Theresa May to be accountable to parliament, but the people have spoken and we will respect their decision.'
Tom Watson (pictured right with Mr Corbyn) insisted Labour MPs will not be blocking the triggering of Article 50 - the formal mechanism for Brexit
The six-day course was held at Naung Nai Village in Kawkareik Township, Karen State from 27 October to 1 November.
The course trainers explained that the aim of the course was to raise youths interest and knowledge in the peace process, help them to develop better mindsets, help them to take leading political, societal and national roles amongst others and to give them the confidence to communicate and cooperate in cultural and knowledge exchanges with ethnic people.
KYO Centrals Social Affairs Officer, Saw Phoe Kwar Gyi, said to KIC News: We will select outstanding youths who are interested and give them a one-month training course. The aim is for them to participate effectively in the peace process. We are giving the training course in this area because we are targeting youths from rural areas.
A total of 77 Karen, Mon, PaO, and Burmese youths from the Karen State attended the training course, where they learned about peace, environmental conservation, human rights, self-development, and leadership.
Nan Phaw Thein Htai, a course attendee from the KNUs Doopalaya District, said to KIC News: In this training course, we were taught how to participate in politics and organisations, how to become activists, how to teach [others what we have learned] when we go back to our areas at the end of the course. I believe I can use what I have been taught and teach it back in my district to the best of my ability.
The KYO has been running the course in Karen State and Bago Region. The KYO has also cooperated with the Youth Circle Group to run training courses in other states and regions.
Reporting by Nan Wai Phyo Zar for KIC News
Translated by Thida Linn
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
A 16-month-old baby was among four relatives fighting for their lives after a fire ripped through their home last night.
The blaze in the ground floor of the terraced house was at the centre of a police investigation on Monday to find out whether it had been deliberately started.
Six people were inside the two-storey property and the baby - along with two adults - were rescued by firefighters who went into the burning home wearing breathing apparatus.
Three others in the property had managed to get out but were treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to hospital.
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The fire spread across both floors of the property on Sunday night (left) and emergency services rushed to put out the blaze (right)
A devastating fire at the terraced home in Swindon, Wiltshire, has left four people fighting for their lives
Six fire crews tackled the blaze at the two-storey terraced home in Swindon just before midnight on Sunday
Fire engines and police raced to the home and pulled the five adults and the baby out from the thick smoke
Fire engines and police raced to the home and pulled the five adults and the baby out from the thick smoke and flames with a fleet of ambulances and air ambulances ferrying them to hospitals.
A 60-year-old man, a 21-year-old woman and the baby were today in a serious condition in different hospitals.
A third woman, aged 20 years, was in intensive care with serious burns.
A 23-year-old woman and a 13-year-old boy were led away from the flames and were taken to hospital but their injuries were described as 'not critical.'
Other residents in the road were evacuated for their own safety to a nearby mosque and were only allowed back in their homes at dawn.
Detectives and specialist firefighters were today appealing for anyone who may have seen anything in the hours leading up to the fire which was fully underway at around midnight, in Manchester Road, Swindon.
The spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: 'Five adults and a child were removed from the property and received emergency medical treatment at the scene.
'A 60 year old man, a 21 year old woman, a baby girl aged 16 months and a woman aged 20 are all in serious conditions in hospital. They were taken to a variety of hospitals including GWH, Southmead and Bristol.
'In particular, the 20 year old woman is currently in intensive care at Great Western Hospital due to be moved to a specialist hospital.
'A boy aged 13 and a woman aged 23 were also injured and taken to hospital but are not believed to be critical.
'Local residents were evacuated and kept warm at the local mosque. They were allowed back into their homes at approx. 3.40am.
'Later this morning a fire investigation unit along with a police CSI unit will be attending the scene to establish the circumstances. Cordons remain in place around the property but there are no road closures at this time.'
A spokesman for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to a terraced house in Manchester Road at 11.54pm and found the property well alight.
Six fire crews attended, from Stratton, Swindon, Westlea, Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade and firefighters tackled the blaze using two hose reel jets. An incident command vehicle from Stratton was also mobilised.
A spokesman for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to a terraced house in Manchester Road at 11.54pm and found the property well alight
The fire at the address left four people fighting for their lives when it tore through both floors of the home
Three people were out of the property when crews arrived, and a further three were rescued by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus.
All six were treated at the scene by South Western Ambulance Service and a BASICS doctor, supported by firefighters, and were taken to hospitals in Bristol and Swindon.
A spokesman for Swindon Borough Council said a local community centre was opened during the night to provide shelter for neighbours displaced by the firefighting operation, and the British Red Cross emergency response volunteers based at Swindon fire station attended at the scene to offer support.
Group Manager Dave Jacomb, who attended at the scene, said: 'This was a traumatic incident for all concerned, and I cannot praise enough the professionalism of both the attending firefighters and colleagues in Fire Control.
The federal government's proposed same-sex marriage plebiscite has been knocked back in the Senate.
Legislation to enable a national vote was defeated 33 votes to 29, with Labor, Greens, the Nick Xenophon Team and independent Derryn Hinch opposing it.
Liberal backbencher Dean Smith was absent from the chamber, after earlier speaking out against the plebiscite.
The gay senator spoke against the plebiscite, warning it could open a floodgate that could see Australians voting to lock out immigrants.
Federal government's proposed same-sex marriage plebiscite has been blocked in the Senate
Legislation to enable a national vote was defeated 33 votes to 29 on Monday
Senator Smith said his opposition to the plebiscite stemmed from his position as a constitutional and parliamentary conservative.
A plebiscite was an abdication of parliament's responsibility and would undermine parliament's sovereignty, he said.
'Do we really want to be the first generation of modern parliamentarians who effectively say that we are not capable of resolving difficult issues?' Senator Smith told parliament on Monday.
'If this plebiscite proceeds, I fear it would not be the last.
'I shudder to think that we may see a day in this country where determinations about our right to freedom of speech and freedom of worship or on whether or not Australia accepts immigrants from a particular nation are made by a popular vote of the people at the expense of our parliamentary system of government.'
Two men celebrating at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade in Sydney this year
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Penny Wong spoke about the bill on Monday
Several gay senators made impassioned pleas against the plebiscite, telling parliament it would denigrate their families and subject them to hate speech.
Debate on enabling legislation for a February plebiscite, which is set to fail in the face of opposition from Labor, the Greens and several crossbenchers, got personal on Monday.
Senior Labor figure Penny Wong spoke of how she decided to oppose the plebiscite after much soul-searching, deciding it was not the right path to same-sex marriage.
'We do not want our families and our children publicly denigrated,' she told parliament.
'This hate speech is not abstract, it is real, it is part of our daily life.'
The secular state should not impose the theology of some on all Australians, she said.
One Nation Senator Brian Burston and One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson in Parliament House in Canberra on Monday
Liberal Democratic Party David Leyonhjelm (L) speaking to Senator Brian Burston (C), Senator Pauline (R) and One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts after the vote for the Same Sex Marriage Plebiscite Bill in the Senate chamber at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday
'Speaking personally, I do not think the God of my faith would be affronted by who I am, my relationship, or my family.
'Australians overwhelmingly support marriage equality yet now Malcolm Turnbull is asking them to do as opponents of that equality demand, to take a path he did not support.'
Greens senator Janet Rice, who married her transgender wife Penny 30 years ago when she was Peter, said Australia did not need to be put through a divisive debate that would not even be binding on parliamentarians.
To stay married, her wife is unable to update her birth certificate to reflect her changed gender.
Special Minister of State Scott Ryan (pictured), who supports marriage equality, said arguments a plebiscite would subject gay couples to hurtful comments was foolish
Senator Nick Xenophonm (left), Senator Skye Kakoschke-Moore (centre) and Senator Sterling Griff (right) vote against the Same Sex Marriage Plebiscite Bill in the Senate on Monday
Derryn Hinch (left) opposed against the federal government's same-sex proposal plebiscite
'We know that our same-sex marriage is just as important and valid and deep and wonderful and loving as our heterosexual one was,' she said.
'People's human rights should not be subject to a popular vote.'
Special Minister of State Scott Ryan, who supports marriage equality, said arguments a plebiscite would subject gay couples to hurtful comments was foolish.
There may be a small number of individuals who behave inappropriately during the debate, but that's true for any contentious debate, he said.
'Anyone who thinks that stopping a plebiscite means stopping discourteous speech is fooling themselves,' he told parliament.
Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm said gay marriage could remain a highly partisan issue for years to come if the plebiscite doesn't go ahead.
A man with a red swastika tattoo who began using drugs at the tender age of nine stored a homemade drug lab in an esky at his mother's home to feed his habit.
Police discovered drugs and the dismantled paraphernalia belonging to Shannon Hinchey at his mother's home in Gladstone, north of Brisbane, during a search in July last year, a district court heard on Monday.
Hinchey, who began using 'amphetamine-type products' when he was 13, pleaded guilty this week to producing ice, and possessing amphetamines, cannabis and ice, the Gladstone Observer reported.
Shannon Hinchey (pictured), who began using drugs at the age of nine, pleaded guilty in a Gladstone, Queensland, court on Monday to keeping a homemade drug lab in an esky at his mum's home
Barrister Tom Polley told the court his 28-year-old client has had issues with drugs since 2005.
He was first introduced to the illegal substances when he was nine or 10 and was offered marijuana and cigarettes in exchange for his attention deficit medication.
'He reports that he didn't have any friends prior to this and when he was taking the products, he was able to socialise and feel normal,' Mr Polley said.
'And, quite simply, the habit developed.'
The 28-year-old, who began using 'amphetamine-type products' when he was 13, also pleaded guilty to possessing amphetamines, cannabis and ice at the Gladstone court (pictured)
Police discovered drugs and the dismantled paraphernalia during a search in July last year (stock image)
Mr Polley and prosecutor Matthew Hynes agreed the lab was for personal use, not commercial.
Hinchey decided to make his own drugs instead of stealing to fund his habit, Mr Polley said.
'Your Honour should note that it must have been a fairly desperate situation for it to be at his mother's residence,' he said.
Hinchey was sentenced to five months in jail for producing ice and another five months for possession.
He will be eligible for parole in April next year.
The Federal Government has had a frustrating day in parliament after a Liberal MP accidentally voted against his own party.
Scott Buchholz, a former chief whip, on Monday inadvertently backed a motion by Labor MP Emma Husar criticising the government on short-changing Australian pension payments.
Mr Buchholz was asked by Labor MP Rob Mitchell, sitting in the Speaker's chair, whether he wanted to 'second the motion' - signalling his support for the issue - which he did.
Former prime minister Tony Abbot (pictured) looking aghast as the government had an embarrassing day in parliament following a liberal MP accidentally voted against his own party
Scott Buchholz (pictured) accidentally backed a motion by a Labor MP criticising the government on short-changing Australian pension payments. Mr Buchholz said he only backed the motion to allow debate on it to continue
'I'm sorry for my loss of protocol or procedure in the house,' Mr Buchholz said.
Mr Buchholz wanted to speak on the motion because he grew up in a household in Queensland where the sole source of income was a widow's pension.
He later said he only backed the motion to allow debate on it to continue and if anyone failed in their responsibility, it was the Labor seconder.
'I made clear my support of the government's policy surrounding pensioners in my speech,' he told parliament.
This follows a similar procedural stuff-up in October, when the government effectively voted to call on itself to explain its failures on multinational tax avoidance.
In September, the opposition exploited the government's slim majority to win procedural votes on a bid to debate a call for the establishment of a royal commission into banks when a number of MPs left early.
Tony Abbott as the Labour government made attempts to suspend standing orders in the House of Representatives over the affairs of former senator Bob Day and Senator Rod Culleton
'Gov brought forward its weekly own goal to the Monday,' Labor frontbencher Tony Burke tweeted.
Mr Burke later moved a motion to, in part, jokingly 'congratulate' Mr Buchholz for his willingness to condemn the Turnbull government.
The chaos in the Senate had extended to the House of Representatives, 'where every week there is a new stumble', he said.
Tony Abbott also appeared stressed as the Labor Party made attempts to suspend standing orders in the House of Representatives over the affairs of former senator Bob Day and Senator Rod Culleton.
Mr Abbott was pictured holding his head in his hands during the discussion.
In an interview with ABC radio prime minister Turnbull dashed Abbot's hopes of returning to the Liberal frontbench saying he has no plans of making any changes to his current cabinet
The Opposition wants Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to explain what the government knew and when about the affairs of former senator Bob Day and Senator Rod Culleton
Mr Turnbull has also dashed his predecessor's hopes of returning to the frontbench, which Mr Abbott hinted in a friend's newspaper column.
The Prime Minister told ABC radio he had no plans of making any changes to his current cabinet.
A German shepherd who helped her owner cope with cope with post-traumatic stress disorder after returning from the Iraq War has been reunited with the veteran after being stolen last week.
Francisco and Angela Torres were devastated after their eight-month-old dog TJ was stolen out of their southern California yard early Tuesday morning.
Surveillance footage shows a person walking up to the gate of the Torres's yard, letting the friendly dog out and walking away with her.
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Iraq war veteran Francisco Torres (left), of Los Angeles, has been reunited with his dog TJ (right) after the pup was stolen out of his front yard
TJ has helped Torres cope with post-traumatic stress disorder since his return from the war
But on Saturday night the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed that TJ had been found and returned to her owners.
'She's part of our family, and mostly it's more important for her to come back for my husband, because he suffers from PTSD and she's been really good to him, Angela Torres told KABC.
Francisco Torres said a friend gave him the dog when she was just a few weeks old and the bond with the pup changed his life.
Last week, a person was seen opening the gate of Torres' front yard and leading the dog away from the home
No arrests have been made and officials aren't saying how TJ was found but a neighbor claims one of their friends took the dog
'I train her. She keeps me busy. And we just want her back,' Francisco Torres told the station before she was returned.
TJ was unharmed when she was found and returned to the Torres family in East Los Angeles.
The Torreses say they know who took the dog - a neighbor told them it was one of their friends but wouldn't name the suspect.
The descendants of a sex-obsessed Victorian cult leader are battling in court for a 1million payout they claim is their birthright.
The Agapemonites were a 'very middle class' messianic free-love sect, established in 1846, whose activities scandalised 19th and early 20th century society.
A former CofE clergyman, John Hugh Smyth-Pigott, declared himself the 'new messiah' of the free-love cult in 1902 following the death of its founder.
John Hugh Smyth-Pigott was the leader of the Agapemonites. The sale of one of the sect's churches has now sparked a High Court legal case over who should get the proceeds
Smyth-Pigott and his followers were a curiosity at the time. Pictured: A newspaper image
He is said to have brought together a harem of dozens of what he called 'soul brides' as part of his bizarre cult.
Smyth-Pigott - who was known to his followers simply as 'Beloved' - died in 1927 and the cult faded into obscurity and folded in 1956.
Now his great-granddaughter is spearheading a High Court claim by his six granddaughters, who say they are entitled to the 1million proceeds from the sale of the defunct cult's last place of worship.
Agapemone is seen as a prototype of modern cults, with sex scandals, accusations of brainwashing, dramatic rescues of members by their families, moral outrage from respectable society. It was named from the Greek, Agapemone, meaning 'Abode of Love'.
Rachel Phillips, the great-granddaughter of Smyth-Pigott, is one of those involved
It was founded by defrocked clergyman Henry Prince who set up a base in the quiet Somerset Village of Spaxton, using the money of followers - mostly of wealthy, unmarried women.
The cult's base was a collection of houses and cottages with its own chapel surrounded by a 12ft high wall and guarded by ferocious dogs.
The 'Beloved' leader later expanded and founded other centres, including a London base, the Church of the Arc of the Covenant, in Clapton.
It was in this church that Smyth-Pigott declared himself to be the 'second coming of Christ' in September 1902, before a 6,000 strong crowd.
The sale of the London church in 2010, and uncertainty over who should be given the 1m proceeds of sale, that has sparked the court case.
When the trust deed was drawn up, no-one envisaged a time when the sect and its members would have long passed away.
Trustees who currently hold the 1million have now turned to the High Court for help, asking Judge Andrew Simmonds QC to solve the impasse.
Six granddaughters of Smyth-Pigott and his principal soul bride, Ruth Preece, are involved in the case. They say the money from the church sale should be theirs.
The sect was based in a closed community, living in cottages in Spaxton, Somerset
Their buildings were paid for by his wealthy followers, who critics said he 'brainwashed'
In a statement, they told the High Court: 'All six of us grandchildren have been involved with the Agapemone in one way or another, having spent much of their childhood in the community in Spaxton, Somerset or living in nearby villages.
'Like people born into a religion, they have not followed its precepts, but it has been a formative part of their lives.
Smyth-Pigott, was known as 'The Beloved' by his 'middle-class' female 'soul brides'
'All the community members are now long since deceased and gone and there are no other descendants.
'The six named are the direct descendants of Beloved and his 'soul bride' and are next in line, and are therefore the rightful and only true beneficiaries of the trust.
'What each does in terms of furthering Beloved's legacy should be left to individuals to decide,' the judge was told.
Barrister Andrew Cosedge, for the trustees, told the judge the first option for the money is to hand the granddaughters.
Another would be to attempt to trace any living descendents of the 13 original trustees and to split the money between them allm but that 'could present practical difficulties,' he said.
If all else fails, and the court cannot identify any living person who should receive the money, it will pass to the Crown.
With just one day to go before Election Day, Donald Trump's Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway said there were still 'very troubling open questions' about the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails.
Such as, 'Why reopen the investigation if there's no there there?' she asked Monday morning on the 'Today' show.
'That's something both sides were asking and, frankly, the investigation has been a hot mess since the beginning,' Conway said.
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Donald Trump's Campaign Manager floated some remaining questions she had about the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails - labeling the saga a 'hot mess'
Both Hillary Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook (left) and Donald Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway (right) did the morning show rounds with just one day left
Yesterday, FBI Director James Comey again reinserted himself in the presidential race, informing the public that the agency had quickly looked through the cache of Clinton-related emails on a laptop belonging to aide Huma Abedin's estranged husband Anthony Weiner and gave Clinton an all clear.
Republican, including top Trump operatives, returned to their original complaints about the investigation that they aired out over the summer, when Clinton was originally let off the hook.
'He said, "I won't prosecute her," but then went on to list the whole litany of illegalities,' Conway complianed.
What Comey said in July was that no reasonable prosecutor would bring a case against Clinton for her handling of classified information, but tsk-tsked the former secretary of state for being so sloppy.
'And, the fact is, serious point, we already know what Hillary Clinton would do with classified information,' Conway stated, making more closing arguments in favor of Trump on the set of 'Morning Joe.'
'We already know that she's unfit and unqualified,' Conway added.
Addressing the panelists on the MSNBC show, Conway spoke of Trump's temperament and knocked down the New York Times' reporting that his campaign chiefs have taken away his phone so he can no longer tweet.
'He has his phone,' Conway said. 'You can call him right now. He'll be watching. He'll probably call me as I exit the stage because ... it's a mystery when this man sleeps.'
Conway also referred to Trump as a 'warrior' after appearing at six campaign events yesterday, with five on the schedule for today, his campaign manager said.
Trump's campaign manager knocked down the no-Twitter rumor during appearances on the 'Today' show and 'CBS This Morning' too.
'I would not do that,' Conway said of taking Twitter privileges away from her candidate.
With both campaigns making mad dashes to the finish lines, with Trump hopping to a handful of swing states today and Clinton even planning a midnight North Carolina rally, Conway revealed that the campaign has six paths to victory.
The electoral map, in which the winner needs 270 votes to win, has always been more challenging for Trump than for Clinton.
Team Trump made the call to have the GOP hopeful campaign in some blue states, which have favorable demographics for the nominee.
As of late he's visited both Minnesota and Michigan and Conway said she believed the latter state Trump can definitely pick off.
'We will win Michigan,' she said.
She touted the 22,000 RSVPs the campaign received when Trump decided to hold a rally in a Minnesota airport hangar.
'I know that people say that crowds don't matter,' she said. 'And sometime somebody will ask, "But will they vote?" she continued.
Josh's actions forced TLC to cancel the family show and state that Josh will not appear on the Duggar's new reality program,
Anna Duggar got the chance to spend some time with her family, and her disgraced husband Josh, over the weekend after her sister-in-law Jinger's wedding.
The reality star was seen enjoying dinner with a slimmed-down Josh, her sister Priscilla Waller and her brother-in-law David in an photo posted to Instagram.
'Thank you, Josh & Anna, for a wonderful weekend together topped off with a fun #doubledate this evening! You'll are doing great! #sistertime #familytime,' wrote David in the Instagram caption.
Anna is seen smiling in the photo as she links arms with her husband.
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Double date: Anna and Josh Duggar were seen on dinner date Sunday night with Anna's sister Priscilla and brother-in-law David (above)
Good weekend: The couple were also seen together one day prior at the wedding of Josh's sister Jinger
They do: Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo were married in front of 1,000 guests on Saturday, six months after announcing they were courting
The group's dinner date on Sunday night came one day after Josh's sister Jinger said 'I do' to Jeremy Vuolo in front of 1,000 guests at the Cathedral of the Ozarks in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.
Josh and Anna could be seen in one photo from the big day standing behind the newlyweds as they drove off after the wedding.
Josh was holding the couple's three-year-old son Marcus in the photo. The pair are also parents to three other children - Mackynzie, seven, Michael, five, and daughter Meredith Grace, who is just 15 months.
Jinger, 22, and her new husband shared a video message shortly after their wedding that was posted by TLC, who will be airing the nuptials in an upcoming special.
'We are overjoyed to announce that we are now husband and wife,' said Jeremy in the video message.
'It was surreal when you said "I do."'
Jeremy, 29, went on to say: 'Its incredible to see us at this place when weve prayed about this for so long and we just longed for the day where we were married, and now Gods given us our hearts desire and our prayer hes just so graciously given [this] to us.'
Jinger then added: 'I think we're just so excited to start a life together.'
Duggars of parade: Jim Bob, Jedidiah and Jeremiah Duggar at the wedding reception Saturday (left) along with Jordyn Grace Duggar (right)
Baby girl: Family friend Jason Hartono posted a photo at the Duggar compound with Josh and Anna's daughter Meredith on Friday night just before the wedding
Family: Jeremy's mother Diana (left) and sister Valerie (right) also attended the wedding
Videos congratulating the couple were also filmed by Jinger's parents and grandmother, as well as Jeremy's grandparents, and posted on the Duggar family's blog.
Josh and Anna meanwhile seem to be doing better than ever after his lengthy trip to rehab to deal with a porn addiction after it was discovered he had cheated on his wife and had a profile of the website Ashley Madison.
The couple celebrated their eight-year anniversary last month.
It has now been over year since the public learned that Josh molested five minors as a teenager, including four of his sisters.
He was never tried or charged for those offenses, and law enforcement was never notified in any official capacity by his parents.
In the aftermath of this scandal, the family's popular reality show 19 Kids & Counting was cancelled by TLC.
The summer then ended with the news that Josh had an account on the adult cheating website Ashley Madison and had been having sexual encounters with women outside his marriage.
Counting on: The nuptials were filmed for an upcoming TLC special (film crew above)
Big day: Jeremy is seen getting ready to drive off after putting his wife in the car (above)
Moving fat: Jinger and Jeremy announced they were courting in June
Josh confessed to having affairs in a letter in August, writing; 'I have been the biggest hypocrite ever. While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the internet and this became a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife.
'I am so ashamed of the double life that I have been living and am grieved for the hurt, pain and disgrace my sin has caused my wife and family, and most of all Jesus and all those who profess faith in Him.'
The photos of the couple together over the weekend come at the same time as a report from InTouch Weekly that claimed Anne, 28, was getting ready to divorce Josh.
'She will see a lawyer in the next few weeks to have divorce papers drawn up so she can rid herself of Josh,' claimed a family insider.
That however does not seem to be the case.
There were not many photos of the two at the wedding however which is likely due to the fact that Josh, 28, cannot appear on his family's new TLC show Counting On.
A civil rights organization says Muslim-Americans in eight states were questioned over the weekend over a pre-election terror threat.
The FBI announced last week that it had received a threat from al Qaeda, planned for Monday. The threat targeted the states of New York, Virginia and Texas, but no further details were released.
Over the weekend, the Council on American Islamic Relations received reports from Muslim-Americans in eight states, who said they were approached by FBI agents who wanted to speak to them about the alleged threat. Those states included California, Washington State, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Kansas Oklahoma, Florida and Texas.
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The FBI questioned Muslim-Americans in eight states over the weekend, as they were investigating a threat against Texas, Virginia and New York for Monday. Above, the states where Muslim-Americans were questioned
Hassan Shibly, a lawyer and director of CAIR in Florida, told the Washington Post that he received six calls about FBI agents asking questions this weekend.
Shibly says his clients were asked a series of eight questions, many of them related directly to al Qaeda.
The threat was allegedly related to Faruq al Qatani, a top al Qaeda leader who was killed in a U.S. drone strike on October 23.
The people who were interviewed this weekend were asked if they knew anyone killed in the strikes, and if they knew anyone who might want to harm Americans at home or abroad.
Shibly said there appeared to be no connection between those interviewed (who included a youth group leader and several wealthy doctors) and the threat, other than their religion or ethnicity. All of those interviewed appeared to be of Afghani or Pakistani descent.
'The FBI actions . . . to conduct a sweep of American Muslim leaders the weekend before the election is completely outrageous and . . . borderline unconstitutional,' Shibly told the Washington Post. 'Thats the equivalent of the FBI visiting churchgoing Christians because someone overseas was threatening to blow up an abortion clinic. Its that preposterous and outrageous.'
The FBI warned last week about potential terror threats for New York, Virginia and Texas today. Above, the aftermath of the Chelsea, New York City bombing in September
Shibly said he contacted the FBI agents that reached out to his clients, and they said that the names and questions were given to them by FBI headquarters. They said that the people who were questioned were not considered suspects.
Nevertheless, Shibly says such sweeps are dangerous to Muslim-American relations.
'Unfortunately were dealing with an environment thats not very friendly to American Muslims,' he said. 'The environment is very hostile to the American Muslim community.'
After receiving the reports that Muslim-Americans were being questioned by the FBI in the lead-up to the election, CAIR officials around the country sent out warnings and reminded Muslims to call for an attorney right away if an FBI agent shows up at their door step.
'Our law enforcement is very important. The FBI serves an important purpose in our country,' Alia Salem, North Texas CAIR director, said in an online video. 'But we have to do so observing our rights and helping to protect our families and our communities from any unwarranted aggression or profiling.'
Alia Salem, director of CAIR in North Texas, posted this video over the weekend, telling fellow Muslim-Americans what to do if they are approached by FBI agents
When the FBI announced the threat last week, they said it was vague and that they were still assessing its credibility.
Both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued statements saying they were 'vigilant and well-postured' to defend against a terror attack and that they were working with other agencies 'to identify and disrupt any potential threat to public safety'.
Officials are monitoring incoming international flights and coming up with a list of possible suspects in the New York area.
Officials are also concerned that foreign hackers may conduct a cyber attack on election systems tomorrow. The candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, pictured left and right
Texas was allegedly on the list of targeted states because terrorists could use its southern border with Mexico to illegally cross into the country.
Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement on Friday, warning his citizens to be alert and vigilant and to report any suspicious activity.
The potential for clashes has already darkened a rancorous presidential race between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, on top of the threat of computer hacking and fears that Russia or other state actors could spread political misinformation online or tamper with voting.
A mother-of-four who had half her face ripped off has battled the courts to save two 'dangerous' pit bulls who were set to be put down - and even brought them home to live with her children.
Roberta Jackson, 34, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, took on the authorities to adopt pit bulls Mimi, three, and two-year-old Tia after they were seized by police as 'dangerous dogs' and were effectively sentenced to death.
As a one-year-old the full-time mother needed a five hour operation and was scarred for life after she was savaged by a Rottweiler belonging to a family friend.
Roberta Jackson, 34, took on the authorities to adopt pit bulls Mimi, three, and two-year-old Tia after they were seized by police as dangerous dogs and effectively sentenced to death
But Ms Jackson insists her dogs - who are two of only a handful of dogs in the UK to be exempted from the Dangerous Dogs Act - are the perfect family pets.
Ms Jackson, who is mum to Dion-Lee, seven, five-year-old Tiana-Love, Katira-Italia, four, and two-year-old Giovanna-Mia, said: 'I had to prove to the courts I was a capable owner and was willing to take the risk of bringing these supposedly dangerous dogs into my home to live with my children.
'Because I had four young kids, you could say that made it more of a danger.
'But any dog can be a danger - as a one-year-old a family dog who had been around kids his whole life savaged me for no reason and took half my face off when I wasn't even near him.
Katira-Italia, four, and rescued pit bull Mimi enjoy a cuddle after the family adopted the dog
Ms Jackson insists her dogs - who are two of only a handful of dogs in the UK to be exempted from the Dangerous Dogs Act - are the perfect family pets
The Dangerous Dogs Act legislation bans four dog breeds deemed by their shape to be bred for fighting - making it illegal to own any dog which looks like a pit bull terrier
'It has never made me scared of dogs, but I understand exactly how dangerous dogs can be.'
Section one of the Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA), breed-specific legislation (BSL), bans four dog breeds deemed by their shape to be bred for fighting - making it illegal to own any dog which looks like a pit bull terrier.
In February this year Ms Jackson was driving home from a children's birthday party in the Boothtown area of Halifax when two-year-old stray Tia ran in front of her car.
She took the dog home to find her owner but when she attempted to have Tia's microchip checked she was seized by the police as a dangerous pit bull and put in a pound.
As a one-year-old the full-time mother needed a five hour operation and was scarred for life
In February this year Ms Jackson was driving home from a children's birthday party in the Boothtown area of Halifax when two-year-old stray Tia (left) ran in front of her car
Ms Jackson embarked on a mission to have Tia returned to her care and in the meantime found Mimi, a three-year-old stray pit bull seized in Manchester who was also due to be put down, via Facebook.
Determined to adopt both dogs, Ms Jackson fought two court battles against Greater Manchester Police and West Yorkshire Police to prove the pooches did not pose a danger to the public.
This meant the mum-of-four also had to prove to the court she was a fit and proper owner by undergoing stringent home, family and criminal record checks.
Ms Jackson was successful and was granted Contingent Destruction Orders for Mimi at Preston Magistrates Court in March and for Tia at Wakefield Magistrates Court in August.
Ms Jackson embarked on a mission to have Tia returned to her care and in the meantime found Mimi, a three-year-old stray pit bull (pictured) who was also due to be put down
The court order meant the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) were required to grant exemption certificates excluding both dogs from the Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA).
Fundraisers helped Ms Jackson pay the 3,000 in court fees, DEFRA certificates, vets costs and training.
And now both dogs, who also underwent behaviour assessments, live in her family home but had to be microchipped, insured and neutered and must be muzzled and kept on a lead in public.
And Ms Jackson insists her children are perfectly safe around the 'couch potato' pooches - who she said like nothing more than a cuddle and stroke.
Ms Jackson said: 'When I decided to fight for the dogs I had barely met Tia and didn't know anything about Mimi so obviously I was nervous, because I didn't know what the situation would be at home.
'But luckily they are really brilliant and loving. You couldn't ask for better dogs and they are so gentle with the kids, and the kids know to have boundaries with them too.
'It is like they are both so grateful to have this new life. They are part of our family.
'Before this I was oblivious to the law around pit bulls, but there was no way I would have let either of them be put to sleep.
'I didn't even think about having to go through the courts.
'I just wanted to help them whatever the costs and do everything I could to make sure they were happy, as otherwise they would have died.'
Giovanna-Mia, Katira-Italia, Tiana-Love and Dio-Lee pose with their beloved pet dog
A DEFRA spokesman said: 'Dog attacks can have horrific consequences for victims and families.
'The DDA ensures tough prison sentences for owners who do not control their dogs, and gives police and local authorities the power to intervene early.
'Prohibiting certain types of dog under the DDA is crucial to help deal with the heightened risk they pose.'
James Parry, advocate and partner at Parry Welch Lacey solicitors, said: 'Statistics suggest you are far more likely to be bitten by another breed of dog than a pit bull.
'You are also far more likely to be attacked or assaulted by another human than by a dog.
'These dogs are being sentenced to death over stereotypical views about how they look - and if this was happening with humans, we would consider it reprehensible.'
Frannie Santos-Mawdsley, chairman breed neutral legislation campaign group Born Innocent, said: 'Roberta and her family are a fantastic example of responsible dog owners and this went a long way in securing Tia and Mimi's safety.
'Roberta has proven pit bull types - and in this case, two stray pit bull types - make wonderful family pets.'
The Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ) has issued a statement saying security officials in Myanmar should stop obstructing and harassing journalists attempting to report on the conflict in the country's Rakhine State.
The call comes as the Myanmar government allowed US, EU and UN representatives to visit the troubled area.
The CPJ claims the censorship comes amid widespread allegations of military abuses, including allegations of sexual violence, perpetrated as part of an intensified counterinsurgency campaign along the country's border with Bangladesh.
The CPJ notes that border guards and military officers in mid-October blocked journalists and photographers from several news organizations from traveling north of the state's Kyikanpyin police station to areas in the Maungdaw Township, where joint military-police security operations are underway.
Security officials told reporters they could not travel to the area because it was unsafe for journalists. Military officials also ordered journalists to delete photographs they had taken of the aftermath of an October 9 attack on a border guard post that killed five police. The reporters refused to comply and drove back from the military checkpoint, declining to tell officers their names or the media outlets that employ them, according to the CPJ.
"Myanmar's democratically elected government should assert civilian control over its security forces and command senior officers to allow journalists to freely and safely report on the evolving crisis in Rakhine State," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's senior Southeast Asia representative. "The best way to prove or disprove allegations of rights abuses is to allow independent media to probe the accusations. If the government truly has nothing to hide, then there is no need to restrict media access to the areas in question in northern Rakhine State.
Nongovernmental organizations, rights groups, and international media have all alleged that soldiers have committed rights abuses in security sweeps, including alleged arbitrary arrests, killings of unarmed civilians, arson, and the rape of women in blockaded areas of Maungdaw Township, news reports said. Reuters reported that "dozens of Rohingya Muslim women" had been raped or sexually assaulted by soldiers, based on interviews it conducted with victims and rights groups.
Presidential spokesman Zaw Htay has denied the reports, claiming the allegations are part of an insurgent "disinformation campaign."
Journalists who have probed the rape allegations have come under official fire. Fiona MacGregor, an investigative editor at the Myanmar Times, was singled out by Zaw Htay for being biased against the government and in favour of local Muslims soon after she reported, on October 27, allegations made by a local rights group that claimed security forces raped around 30 ethnic-Rohingya women in a single village on October 19.
The presidential spokesman also reposted comments made on social media by former minister of information Ye Htut calling for a police investigation into MacGregor and her newspaper's reporting on the allegations. MacGregor told CPJ she believed Zaw Htay sought to stifle reporting on the allegations.
On Monday, the Myanmar Times fired MacGregor for breaching company policy against damaging national reconciliation and damaging the paper's reputation by publishing the article alleging the rape of ethnic-Rohingya women and other opinion and analysis articles she had recently written about military and government actions in Rakhine State, MacGregor told CPJ.
In an open letter, MacGregor has expressed her concern over press freedom in Myanmar, and about the hate speech directed against her and the Myanmar Times.
She wrote: I have written extensively on gender based violence in conflict and the wider impact of conflict on civilians in different parts of this country. Allegations of rapes and other human rights abuses by members of the Myanmar military are a matter of national and international concern and were highlighted by the outgoing UN secretary general in his last annual report.
Douglas Long, editor of The Myanmar Times, told CPJ by email that MacGregor was fired for violating employee obligations outlined in the company's handbook related to complying "with all reasonable and lawful instructions, policies, procedures and legal requirements." Long wrote, "The extent of direct government pressure [on the paper to fire MacGregor], if any, is unclear."
Phil Robertson, Deputy Director, Asia Division, Human Rights Watch, expressed his concern over the MacGregor case.
"The Burmese government's intimidation of journalists reached a new low in its campaign against Myanmar Times journalist Fiona MacGregor and her reporting on alleged sexual abuses by security forces in Rakhine state. What are they trying to hide? Rather than trying to shut down reports that it doesn't like, the government should respect press freedom and permit journalists to do their jobs by investigating what is really happening on the ground," he said in a comment sent to Mizzima.
Myanmar's government has given access this week to foreign diplomats and aid workers in northern Rakhine State. Foreign diplomats including the US and Britain ambassadors and EU and U.N. officials were invited by the government early this week to check the three-week surge in violence.
"We hope that this is the first step for greater access for us to resume humanitarian assistance," US Ambassador to Myanmar Scot Marciel told media.
UN coordinator Renata Lok-Dessallien urged the government to launch an independent investigation into allegations of human rights abuses following her two-day trip to the region.
"The allegation of gender-based violence is worrying and we expressed this to the government, but we discussed mainly how to resume humanitarian assistance in the region," she told reporters on Friday, after being asked about reports of rape.
She said she was '
Manuel Rosales (pictured), 35, died after being shot multiple times during a gun battle with the NYPD
The wife of a cop killer has said she is 'sick to her stomach' over the death of the officer who tried to rescue her from her husband while he was holding her hostage.
Manuel Rosales, 35, was shot dead in New York City during a gun battle with two NYPD officers last week.
Ex-con Rosales was hunted by police after he executed Sgt Paul Tuozzolo, 41, by shooting him in the head at point black range, before wounding his partner Sgt Emmanuel Kwo, 30.
Officers had originally been called after Rosales took his wife Tia and their three-year-old son hostage at an apartment in the Bronx.
Sgt Tuozzolo, a 19-year veteran on the force, died from his injuries at a local hospital. He left behind his wife, Lisa, and their two young children.
In a heartfelt post on her Facebook page Mrs Rosales said she felt 'sick to her stomach' over the loss of Sgt Tuozzolo and mourned for his family.
She wrote: 'I would like to say that I am just so sorry for that Sergeant and his family. So sick to my stomach. As hurt and distraught and grief stricken as I am by this end, I can't stop also thinking of that officer and his wife and children. I'm devastated.'
Mrs Rosales said that her husband, who had been in prison three times, suffered from mental illness and that she believes he was let down by the system.
Tia Rosales has posted a heartfelt status on Facebook where she said she is 'sick to her stomach' over the death of Sgt Paul Tuozzolo (Pictured, Tia and Manuel Rosales)
Rosales was out on bail at the time of the shooting, after he was arrested in relation to a domestic violence offence in Suffolk County.
Mrs Rosales accused officials with Suffolk County District Attorney's office of refusing to help her husband with his mental health issues.
She said: 'I know that no matter what I say is going to be ripped to shreds but I feel that I have to say some things on my behalf and my husband's behalf.
Rosales shot Sgt Paul Tuozzolo (left), 41, in the head before shooting his partner Sgt Emmanuel Kwo (right), 30, in the leg
'This is something that should have been prevented and could have been prevented time and time again. Manny should never have been on the street in the condition he was in,'
'If anyone is truly to blame for this tragedy, I blame Suffolk County District Court and the judge who let him walk out of there knowing he was in mental distress, knowing he needed immediate psychiatric care.
'Because of this GROSS negligence, two husbands and two fathers are lost.'
Tuozzolo and Kwo were unable to see the semiautomatic handgun Rosales had before he opened fire on them
Mrs Rosales also used the post to reflect on the good times she shared with her husband.
She wrote: 'Now I'm just thinking about the brief periods of time where he wasn't feeling twisted and being tortured by mental illness and Manny was able to just be Manny and he was just so bright. So bright.
'Had he been steered another way he could have been something amazing. He was so smart, so funny, so handsome and lit up a room when he was feeling good.
Snake dealt with by animal control with no harm to passengers, says airline
According to reports, the plane was given priority landing in Mexico City
Hollywood came to life in one of the worst possible ways for passengers flying to Mexico City when a snake dropped from an overhead baggage compartment and dangled over their heads.
This video, reportedly taken on an AeroMexico flight from Torreon to Mexico City on Sunday, shows a poisonous five-foot-long green viper hanging from the lockers directly above terrified passengers.
A snake has been spotted dropping out of an overhead locker on a flight from Torreon to Mexico CityT
Passengers appear to have jumped out of their seats when they spotted the green creature slithering down the plane
The video was shared on Twitter by Indalecio Medina who appears to be a passenger on the flight and said it was a 'unique' experience
A man standing at the side appears to have jumped up from his seat in fear.
Indalecio Medina shared the video on Twitter with the comment: 'The Viper flying.... A unique experience in the flight 231 from Aeromexico.
'Priority in landing.'
He later added on social media: 'I had to catch it with a blanket and obviously we gave it some magazines to read for a while.
'The snake arrived alive and kicking, frightened but without having paid its airfare.
'And best of all, priority when it came to landing and animal control experts waiting for the unexpected traveller.'
It has been reported that the flight had priority landing and the snake was dealt with by animal control.
One person jokingly tweeted the famous line from the Samuel L Jackson film but then added that their skin 'crawled' when they saw it
The airline is reported to have dealt with the incident with no harm to other passengers or to the snake
Plenty of people have taken to Twitter to express their shock at the video.
One person jokingly tweeted the famous line from the Samuel L Jackson film but then added: 'My skin crawled'.
Another said: 'It's worse than turbulance, crosswind, rain.'
A spokesman for Aeromexico said: 'AeroMexico reports that today, on flight 231 from Torreon to Mexico City, a snake was detected inside the passenger cabin.
'Due to the presence of the animal and following security protocols, the flight was given priority to land at the AICM. Once it had landed, AICM personnel secured the reptile.
'The procedures carried out for this flight are currently being evaluated to determine how the animal entered the cabin and measures have been taken to avoid such incidents in the future.
'For Aeromexico, the security of its passengers and crew is of the highest priority and it always works to meet the highest quality standards.'
In October 2012, staff on a flight from Mexico to Glasgow found a snake on the plane on arrival at the Scottish airport.
Joyce Sweetheart Cole, pictured, told her son she would embarrass him if he played up
A mother from Georgia was arrested after she forced her young son to walk through the parking lot of his school naked after he got in trouble in class.
Joyce Sweetheart Cole, 32, of Cobb County, Georgia, ordered the child to strip as a punishment for messing about at Norton Park Elementary school.
Cobb County Sheriff's department said Cole, who was born in Liberia, had warned the child that she would embarrass him in front of his friends if he continued his poor behavior.
Cole was arrested following the incident and her three children, including the victim, were taken into state protective custody.
The mother-of-three was released on a $5,720 bond.
She has been charged on a felony count first degree cruelty to children and a pair of misdemeanors, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and simple battery.
According to jail records, her bond includes $100 towards the indigent defense fund, $500 towards the jail construction and staffing act fund, $100 to the Peace Officer and Prosecutor Training Fund and a further $20 as a Cobb County bond fee.
According to Fox 5, Cole arrived at the school on Halloween morning after she received reports her son had kicked a fellow pupil.
It was the second time within a month she had to come to the school because of his poor behavior.
A lawyer from the Making A Murderer documentary says he could have helped Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton avoid a wrongful conviction.
Jerry Buting brought up the case of baby Azaria Chamberlain, who was snatched and killed by a dingo near Alice Springs in 1980, while he was on a tour of Australia recently.
Ms Chamberlain-Creighton was jailed for her two-month-old daughter's murder and spent four years in jail before her convictions were overturned.
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Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton and baby Azaria before the two-month-old was snatched by a dingo near Uluru in 1980
Dean Strang (lfet) and Jerry Buting (right), lawyers for Steven Avery in the documentary series Making A Murderer
A piece of Azaria's clothing was found near a dingo lair in 1986 while her mother was in prison after being wrongfully convicted of her daughter's murder
Mr Buting said the case was an example of some of the most poor-quality police work in the world, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.
'They simply ignored the claims of the parents that this child was taken by a dingo,' he said.
'My niche is forensic science. Certainly, I would have been demanding, and getting second opinions, and second tests of physical evidence.'
Ms Chamberlain-Creighton was jailed in 1982.
Ms Chamberlain-Creighton and ex-husband Michael Chamberlain
An initial inquest finding her and husband Michael's daughter had been taken by a dingo had been dismissed.
Baby Azaria pictured before her death
She was then wrongfully convicted of murder and doubts were cast when police found Azaria's clothing buried near a dingo's lair in 1986.
Her convictions were overturned in 1988 by the Northern Territory Court of Criminal Appeals.
It took until a fourth inquest in 2012 for it to be found that Azaria was taken by a dingo.
Mr Buting and colleague Dean Strang were lawyers for Steven Avery in the Netflix documentary, Making A Murderer.
It centres around Mr Avery who was wrongfully imprisoned in 1985 for 18 years for rape and sued after being released.
Then in 2005 he was jailed again for the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, but maintains he was set up.
Mr Buting and Mr Strang have been working to prove his innocence.
THE LINDY CHAMBERLAIN CASE: OVER THE YEARS August 17, 1980 Lindy Chamberlain discovered her daughter Azaria missing from their family tent during a camping trip at Uluru in the Northern Territory. December 1980 An initial inquest supported Lindy and Michael Chamberlain's claims their daughter was taken by a dingo. December 1981 A second inquest was ordered after the Supreme Court quashed the initial inquest's findings. September 1982 Lindy was charged with Azaria's murder and Michael was charged with being an accessory after the fact. October 29, 1982 The couple was found guilty of their respective charges. Lindy was sentenced to life in prison and Michael received a suspended sentence. Early 1986 The jacket Azaria was wearing when she was killed was found by authorities in a dingo lair after a British tourist fell to his death in the same area. 1986 The Northern Territory government ordered Lindy to be released from prison. 1988 Lindy and Michael were acquitted of Azaria's death by the Supreme Court and their convictions were overturned. The couple received a $1.3 million pay-out for their wrongful imprisonment. 1991 Lindy and Michael divorced. 1995 A third inquest into the infant's death was held and returned an open verdict. 2012 A fourth inquest was held and the coroner ruled that a dingo did in fact take Azaria from the family's campsite. Michael said that he and his ex-wife had no contact. Advertisement
He admitted perverting the course of justice and was jailed for 10 months
Currie demanded action but police became suspicious and arrested him
A neighbour-from-hell who set up a fake hate-filled Facebook account to frame a long-suffering resident has been jailed for ten months.
Scotsman Andrew Currie, 48, was posted statements in the name of 57-year-old Andrew Small, who he tried to have arrested and prosecuted.
Currie, who lives off disability benefits, was angered by his neighbour leading a successful battle against a council parking scheme in their south Croydon street, the court heard.
He pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice between April 5 and August 7, 2014, by falsely claiming Mr Small had made the Facebook insults.
Andrew Currie, pictured with partner Joanna Goodwin, has been jailed for 10 months after admitting setting up a fake Facebook account for neighbour Andrew Small and posting malicious messages under his name
Andrew Small, pictured with wife Annie, was accused of 'supporting the KKK' and threatening to posion dogs with anti-freeze in the false messages
His partner, mother-of-five Joanna Goodwin, 41, who lives with him his home in Newark Road, was also arrested and charged with the same offence, but it was later dropped by the prosecution.
Croydon Crown Court heard police were on the brink of arresting Mr Small, a project manager in the construction industry, also of Newark Road, until one officer became suspicious.
Prosecutor Kate Lumsden said: 'He [Currie] set up a Facebook account in the name of neighbour Mr Small, who is purportedly abusing Mr Currie.'
The account was opened the day after Mr Small's wife, Annie, 57, was abused by Currie's children in the street and the police were called.
Miss Lumsden added: 'The next day Mr Currie attended the front desk of Croydon Police Station to complain about a Facebook page in the name of Mr Small.'
Entries, supposedly made by the victim, described the Currie's as a 's*****c family', 'inbred', and threatened to poison their two dogs with anti-freeze.
There were also threats to set the Currie's house on fire to get them out of the street, and claims that the 'KKK are needed in Croydon.'
The page also said Mr Small 'hates disabled people', thinks 'mixed-race children should be a crime' and enjoys spying on his neighbours in their showers.
Miss Lumsden said: 'An arrest warrant was issued for Mr Small, but one officer examined a Freedom of Information request from the victim and saw how well-written it was in comparison.'
Currie's bogus Facebook account even used an internet photo of Mr Small taken by the local newspaper a year before when he complained of a local hate campaign against him.
Miss Lumsden said: 'Mr Currie demanded that Mr Small be immediately arrested and told the police it was a waste of time to investigate the internet IP address of the posts.'
However, officers successfully applied to Facebook for details of the account and arrested Currie, who denied everything, on August 6, 2014.
Ms Goodwin, pictured with Currie, was initially arrested and charged alongside her partner but they were later dropped by prosecutors
'The victims found it extremely distressing and don't feel they can go about their business without being harassed by Mr Currie and his family.
'They find it intolerable and Mr Small's wife is suffering from stress,' added Miss Lumsden.
They have fitted CCTV outside their smart 425,000 home and hope the Currie's housing association landlord's will move the family on.
Currie was once convicted of a similar crime in his twenties, when he tried to have an innocent person blamed for criminal offences.
His lawyer Thomas Quinn told the court: 'He was in a bad place and took it out on his neighbours over a short period of time. It was very amateurish.
'It is very easy to set up a Facebook account and was detected very easily. He's not a sophisticated person.'
Judge Daniel Flahive told Currie: 'You falsely claimed Mr Small set up a Facebook account and made abusive remarks to you, your family and other people.
A restraining order has also been put in place stopping Currie contacting Mr and Mrs Small, pictured
'It is not amateurish, it was quite sophisticated and took a bit of time to do.
'Your offending has had a great effect on your neighbours and you expressed little remorse in your pre-sentence report.
'Anyone who makes false allegations to the police and asks for the arrest of others must receive a prison sentence.'
A restraining order was made, which prevents Currie contacting Mr and Mrs Small and as she left court his partner Ms Goodwin told the couple: 'I hope you're happy now.'
Afterwards Mr Small said: 'It has been going on for years. He won't learn and will just carry on hurting people.
'He has intimidated a lot of people and is a fantasist. It has escalated and escalated and escalated.
'He is unemployed and hangs around all day and knows our routine inside out. It is a nightmare scenario.
'He has got two big dogs and hangs over his front fence all day.'
Mr Small, who is currently on a sabbatical from work with stress, said he led community opposition to the council's planned controlled parking zone in 2010.
Currie petitioned for the zone, even though he has his own disabled parking space.
The couple say Currie and Ms Goodwin have reported them to the police multiple times with false complaints.
This horrifying footage shows the chilling moment a rapist told nightclub staff 'I'll take care of her, I'm a friend' before leading a woman away and attacking her.
Rafael Tiso, a Brazilian rickshaw driver, has been jailed for 13 years for the sickening attack on January 18.
He was caught on CCTV leaving Dicey's nightclub in Dublin with the victim and taking her down a side street before going into a lane with her.
After leaving the intoxicated woman lying in a pool of blood, he brazenly returned to the nightclub where he stayed for another hour and a half.
The victim is led away from the nightclub by rapist Rafael Tiso, a Brazilian rickshaw driver
The CCTV footage shows Tiso grabbing his coat and then leading the vulnerable victim out of the venue.
She had taken an ecstasy pill and was under the influence of alcohol.
He assured bouncers he would 'take care of her' but then subjected her to an appalling 40 minute attack.
She was left with shocking internal injuries, lying unconscious in a pool of blood with her legs spread open.
She was saved by two Good Samaritans who spotted her on the floor between two cars, with blood dripping from her head.
She is now unable to give birth naturally and wears a colostomy bag, the Sun reported.
After the horrendous attack, Tiso went back to the nightclub and groped six other women before he was removed by security.
Since being jailed he has been attacked twice by other prisoners, the newspaper said.
Justice Isobel Kennedy suspended the final year of a 14-year sentence on the condition he leave the country on his release for a period of 10 years.
She told Dublin's Central Criminal Court: 'The victim was discarded in a shocking condition and has suffered appalling damage. Her injuries are very physical but also emotional.'
Rafael Tiso, a Brazilian rickshaw driver, has been jailed for 13 years for the sickening attack on January 18
In her moving victim impact statement to the court, the woman said she faces a 'daily fight' with herself and described it as 'like an episode of a horror series'.
She said: 'I feel paranoid and sometimes I fear this will affect my mental health and I will lose control of my mind.
'It's a daily fight against myself, between going forward or making a martyr of myself. Sometimes I feel like I'm in a nightmare that I am unable to wake up from.
'I would like to delete that day of my life and never have to remember that night I was the vulnerable girl, the girl that I read stuff about in the newspaper many times or that I watch on the television.
'I never imagined that one day this could be me.
'I don't have the same desires for life that I had before. I feel like I don't make any sense.
'On January 18, 2016, something terrible happened to me. It looks like an episode of a horror series. The girl that just went out to have some fun nearly died.
'Australia will not loosen its tough border rules,' the government ad reads
A Federal Government advertisement seeking to prevent illegal immigration has angered Australians who have been living in the country for generations after it appeared to target them on social media.
The advertisements appear in 17 languages, with the Vietnamese message translating to, 'Never, no way Australia will not loosen its tough border rules', the ABC reported.
An English poster reads: 'No way if your family and friends get on a boat without a visa, they will not end up in Australia.
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A Federal Government advertisement deterring illegal immigration has angered second and third-generation Australians after it appeared to target them on their social media (pictured)
The advertisement, which appears in 17 languages, urges people to discourage their relatives from illegally immigrating
'Tell your family and friends overseas,' the advertisement continues.
Johnny Lieu, whose parents immigrated to Australia several decades ago, said he was taken aback by the advertisement and believes he received it because he listed Vietnamese as one of his languages on Facebook.
'Obviously they're targeting me for some particular reason even though I live in Australia, I've been born in Australia, I don't know anyone who's looking to arrive in Australia by boat,' Johnny Lieu, whose parents migrated from Vietnam, said.
'So I'm not really sure what the point is of these advertisements except to make me feel uneasy.'
Pictured is a boat of asylum seekers arriving at Christmas Island (pictured)
Asylum seekers stare from behind a fence at the Manus Island detention centre in Papua New Guinea (pictured)
Facebook advertisements can be personalised based off of interests, friendships and activity online.
Aitak Salempour, an Australian citizen who migrated with her family from Iran when she was a toddler, told ABC she saw the advertisements on her social media in Farsi.
'Maybe because I've put [on Facebook] my place of birth which is in Iran... I have no idea why they would have chosen me who is already an Australian citizen living here,' she said.
The ad is confronting, Ms Salempour said, adding she would not send the message along.
The advertisements are part of the government's Operation Sovereign Borders (pictured here in Farsi)
The Federal Government has missed their target, she said.
The advertisements are part of the government's Operation Sovereign Borders, according to its website.
The day before the election and the presidential race put both candidates on a knife edge.
Hillary Clinton led Donald Trump in most four-way polls by three or four points, according to data published Monday.
That includes the CBS News and the ABC News/Washington Post polls, where she was ahead in both by 47 points to Trump's 43.
That's outside the margin of error for both surveys.
Fox News said the Democrat was four points ahead of her Republican rival, at 48 points to 44.
The latest CNN poll of polls on Monday also gave Clinton a four-point lead over Trump and predicted she'd get 46 per cent of the vote, compared to his predicted 42 per cent.
The CNN Poll of Polls, which doesn't have a margin of error, is an average of the seven most recent nationwide telephone polls.
A Bloomberg poll had Clinton three points ahead, at 46 to 43 - within its error margin, as was her two-point lead in aRasmussen survey.
But two other polls published later on Monday showed Clinton with a more comfortable six-point lead: 50 per cent to 44 in a Monmouth University survey, and 47 to 41 from NBC News/Survey Monkey.
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Both the CBS and Bloomberg polls published Monday placed Clinton in the lead by a small margin
The ABC News/Washington Post poll showed Clinton with a four-point lead the day before America casts its ballots
Donald Trump checks his watch at a 'Midnight rally' in Leesburg, Virginia in the early hours of Monday morning. He trails Clinton by three or four points in most polls
Hillary Clinton, pictured Sunday, leads Trump in both the CBS News and the ABC News/Washington Post polls, where she is ahead in both by 47 points to Trump's 43
Other surveys, however, lean towards a Republican victory.
The LA Times tracking poll, which has tended to show Trump at an advantage when other polls gave Clinton the lead, presently has the billionaire at 48 points to the Democrat's 43. The IBD/TIPP four-way tracking survey similarly shows Trump ahead, at 43 points to Clinton's 41.
Clinton was given an eleventh-hour reprieve on Sunday when the FBI said it had not found any evidence to change its July verdict of no charges for her use of a private email server while secretary of state. The polls were largely completed before the announcement.
The LA Times tracking poll, which has tended to show Trump at an advantage when other polls gave Clinton the lead, presently has the billionaire at 48 points to the Democrat's 43.
The agency was forced into conducting a lightning speed investigation after it caused an uproar with its declaration that it had found emails on devices belonging to Anthony Weiner, estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin. Agents only examined messages sent to and from Clinton, from a reported trove of some 650,000.
Although Clinton has now been let off the hook again, she still lost valuable momentum over the course of the nine days between FBI director James Comey's initial letter to Congress and the Sunday announcement.
Most polls showed her support dipping during that time, and Democrat hopes of using their candidate's formerly strong position to make a push for seats in the Senate were largely dashed as the campaign scrambled to shore up core support.
The IBD/TIPP four-way tracking survey shows Trump ahead
INSIDE THE FINAL DAY The candidates and their prominent supporters are criss-crossing states in the last hours of the race. Here is where they will be: DONALD TRUMP 11am: Sarasota Fairgrounds, Sarasota, Florida 3pm: J.S. Dorton Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina 5.30pm: Lackawanna College Student Union, Scranton, Pennsylvania 8pm: Manchester, New Hampshire, with Mike Pence 11pm: Devos Place, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with Mike Pence Pence MIKE PENCE 9:30 am: Duluth, Minnesota Traverse City, Michigan Erie, Pennsylvania HILLARY CLINTON Noon: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 4 pm: Grand Valley State University Fieldhouse, Grand Rapids, Michigan 7.30 pm: Rally with President Obama, Michelle Obama, Bill and Chlesea Clinton, Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen. Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Midnight: Reynolds Coliseum, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina TIM KAINE Charlotte, North Carolina Wilmington, North Carolina Fairfax, Virginia Richmond Airport, Richmond, Virginia PRESIDENT OBAMA Ray L. Fisher Stadium, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan Whittemore Center Arena, Durham, New Hampshire Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Clinton JOE BIDEN Tallahassee, Florida St. Petersburg, Florida Fairfax, Virginia Wilmington, Delaware BILL CLINTON Greensboro, North Carolina Philadelphia rally with his wife Advertisement
Clinton has on average led her rival in the polls, but the campaign has been a rollercoaster. Clinton has been poleaxed by the FBI's bombshell and also suffered from the steady drip of emails released by WikiLeaks, while Trump was badly damaged after a 2005 video leaked of him talking about grabbing women 'by the p***y'.
Still, the Democrat will go into Election Day with a 2.2 point lead over her rival, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average of the four main candidates, at 44.5 to Trump's 42.3. Libertarian Gary Johnson has 4.8 points and Green Jill Stein gets 1.8.
Both of the two major party candidates are seen unfavorably by a majority of voters. Clinton is disliked by 55.3 per cent, while Trump has a slightly worse showing of 57.8 per cent. Both of those ratings exceed by several points the peak unfavorability figures of either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney in the 2012 electoral race.
With more than 41 million people having already voted, according to Washington Post figures Sunday morning, just five per cent of likely voters say they would change their minds at this late stage, the CBS poll showed.
Although surveys of the popular vote suggest a close race, analysts believe the electoral college voting map could bring a landslide for Clinton. Emerson College forecast Monday that Clinton could win 323 votes to Trump's 215 - far and beyond the 270 votes required to claim the White House.
270towin.com predicts that the Democrat can count on 252 votes to Trump's 163, with 123 votes to play for in the battleground states.
In battleground polls published Monday, Quinnipiac is showing a statistically insignificant one-point lead for Clinton in Florida, a must-win Republican state.
In North Carolina, Clinton is polling at 47 per cent against 45 for Trump, the organization said.
In Virginia, Clinton is leading 48 to 42, says Christopher Newport University, and she also has the thinnest of edges in Nevada, at 47 to 46, according to Emerson.
But Trump is doing much better in Ohio: He has a seven-point lead over Clinton, 46-39, Emerson figures showed.
Despite Trump's refusal to say whether he will accept the legitimacy of a Democrat victory, most likely voters - 79 per cent - say they will accept it, including 87 per cent of Clinton supporters and 68 per cent of Trump's, according to the ABC/Washington Post surveys.
Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight forecasts a 66 per cent likelihood that Clinton will take the White House.
Both candidates have been in a last-ditch attempt to eke out every vote they can in the final hours of the campaign, with both holding midnight rallies. Clinton will take the stage in Raleigh, North Carolina at 12 a.m. on Election Day, while Trump will be in Grand Rapids, Michigan from 11 p.m. Monday evening.
Trump (pictured in Leesburg, Virginia in the early hours of Monday morning) will be in Grand Rapids, Michigan from 11 p.m. Monday evening
This is the first picture of an RE teacher who called Islam 'sick' and 'a plague' in a Facebook rant and accessed pornography on his school laptop.
Nicholas Hall, 53, who was a teacher at Soar Valley College in Leicester for 15 years, also let children as young as 12 and 13 watch an 18-certificate film.
Hall, who also attended Britain First marches at least once, resigned earlier this year after being suspended by the school and has now been banned from teaching.
RE teacher: Nicholas Hall, 53, who was a teacher at a college in Leicester for 15 years and attended Britain First marches at least once, resigned after being suspended by the school
A National College for Teaching and Leadership panel investigated a series of accusations and found him guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.
The teacher has now been struck off indefinitely by the Department for Education.
Hall admitted all the allegations, including saying on Facebook that Islam is a sick religion. He also described Islam as a plague that needed to be eradicated.
Hall also failed to act after a student made a comment about taking drugs and feigned illness so he could work as a security guard.
But he denied an allegation that he had expressed anti-Islamic views to another member of staff, and the panel found that not proved.
The panel heard the first incident was when Hall showed year eight pupils an 18-certificate film, which had reference to drug use and explicit language.
Concerning behaviour: Hall showed year eight pupils at at Soar Valley College in Leicester an 18-certificate film, which had reference to drug use and explicit language
There was an internal disciplinary hearing in 2012 after a vicar wrote to the school to complain children had been shown a film of an extremely crude and sexual nature.
In 2014 and 2015, Hall took sick leave to work as a security guard, and also attended a Britain First rally in March 2015 when he was off sick.
In its report, the panel said: Having found a number of the allegations to have been proven, the panel is satisfied that the conduct of Mr Hall in relation to the facts found proven, involved breaches of the teachers standards.
The panel is satisfied the conduct of Mr Hall fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.
They found he had breached several of the official standards, including those requiring teachers to observe proper boundaries, to safeguard pupils well-being and to show tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
School: In 2014 and 2015, Hall took sick leave to work as a security guard, and also attended a Britain First rally in March 2015 when he was off sick
Regarding the religious intolerance, the report said: The panel is of the view the conduct displayed by Mr Hall in relation to these allegations affects the way in which Mr Hall fulfils his role as a teacher, or may lead to pupils being exposed to or influenced by his behaviour in a harmful way.
The panel has seen no evidence of any insight or remorse from Mr Hall.
The report said what Hall admitted to displayed an attitude of vehement intolerance toward people of other faiths.
It said: The panel believes such an attitude is completely incongruous with Mr Halls role as a teacher, but particularly his role as an RE teacher of the college.
The panel is satisfied Mr Hall is guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.
The FBI says it closed the book on Hillary Clinton's email case, and her campaign is urging voters to follow suit.
Clinton ignored the announcement altogether. She chose not to address it remarks on Sunday or during a brief gaggle with reporters on Monday morning. Her aides declared the controversy 'resolved' on her behalf.
'I think the American people have heard enough about this email matter,' Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook told CNN's Alisyn Camerota this morning. 'We are focused on turning out our supporters.'
Mook predicted on ABC's Good Morning America that Donald Trump would not be able to pull off an upset in any of the blue states he visited yesterday.
The FBI says it closed the book on Hillary Clinton's email case, and her campaign is urging voters to follow suit
'I think he needed to get those into play much earlier,' Mook said of Trump's trips to Minnesota and Michigan. 'Im not concerned that hes spending so much time there at the end because he didnt build a ground game.'
FBI Director James Comey's Sunday afternoon announcement that the bureau had reached the same conclusion that it did before about Clinton's handling of classified information was welcome news to the Democrat and her campaign.
'We're glad that this matter is resolved,' her communications director Jennifer Palmieri told reporters traveling with Clinton to Cleveland.
But senior campaign official quickly changed the topic to the candidate's blow-out bash tonight in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Palmieri revealed that Bruce Springsteen would be joining the line-up for the event that already featured the Clinton family, the president and first lady and Jon Bon Jovi.
Clinton and her campaign are hurriedly moving on from the disclosure that came within 48 hours of the election.
Responding to a question this morning from host George Stephanopoulos about Comey's latest letter to Congress and whether it came 'too late' in the race, Mook said: 'I dont understand why he couldnt have just looked into the matter and resolved it and not created such a ruckus in the campaign.
'Were just glad that in this last day Hillary can get back out on the road, celebrate the historic turnout that weve seen across the country and talk about the vision she has for our country,' he said, moving the conversation to more comfortable territory.
Clinton has rallies today in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Grand Rapids, Michigan, before the Philadelphia. She'll cap off her campaign in Raleigh, North Carolina, at a late-night rally that will bleed into Election Day.
Trump will also visit Raleigh today along with Sarasota, Florida, Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Manchester, New Hampshire.
The Republican sandwiched trips to Minnesota and Michigan on Sunday between events in Iowa and Pennsylvania.
The ambitious endeavor to visit five states in one day put the Republican White House candidate three hours behind schedule and left his supporters in Northern Virginia, his last stop of the day, waiting past midnight for his arrival.
Mook said on GMA on Monday, 'I don't think Donald Trump dashing around to these states at the last hour is going to do what is needed to get his supporters out.'
Trump is 'kind of running to each and every state it seems,' he told Camerota on CNN.
The Clinton campaign has long considered Michigan part of its 'blue wall' that will keep Trump from capturing the American flag.
Trump's popularity in Ohio, a border state with similar demographics, has him convinced, and Democrats concerned, that Clinton could be vulnerable in the Great Lake State.
Clinton and her campaign are hurriedly moving on from the disclosure that came within 48 hours of the election. She's seen here talking to press this morning as she boards her plane
She made an unexpected visit to Detroit on Friday and threw a rally in Grand Rapids on her schedule today of good measure. Michigan does not facilitate early voting, making it difficult for either of the campaigns to know with any certainty who's currently ahead there.
Clinton was up by five in Michigan on Friday. She leads Trump by four nationally in ABC News' tracking poll.
'At this point we're just focused on turning out the voters, not really paying too much attention to polls,' Mook said this morning on the network's GMA program.
The Clinton campaign chief said he's 'paying very close attention' to the early voting numbers in swing states that allow their residents to cast ballots before Election Day.
Florida and North Carolina have had 'eye-popping' turnout, he said, particularly within two demographic groups Democrats are banking on to win: Latinos and Asian Americans.
In 2009, illustrator Florent Chavouet decided to shrug off city life and get lost somewhere off the beaten path. Way off the beaten path. Stating, "The country [Japan] claims more than four thousand islands. But I only know two," as reason enough and taking pencils in hand, Chavouet traveled to the smallest, most isolated island he could find: the small fishing island of Manabeshima.
A good travel diary is built on unfamiliar, sometimes incomprehensible scenes brought to life by the ability of its author to paint pictures in the readers' minds. He or she must make both the physical and cultural descriptions of a place and its people understandable, and relatable. In lovely, delicate colors, Chavouet does exactly that. Whether it is by detailing the furnishings and artifacts layered in a photographer's home or in the odd and surprising detritus cluttering up the local post office, the author shows us all the minutia of daily life on this tiny island.
Chavouet has a knack for finding the little details that define people and places in our minds. We meet Hironobu, whose "round belly fills him with joy." We meet a nameless vagabond who seems to take delight in inserting himself into Chavouet's personal space. We meet Reizo-san, an old man who taught English in Hiroshima after the war. And on and on until it seems that the entirety of the town must have come straight from central casting just to populate this charming locale.
In between and alongside the descriptions and sketches of people and places are all the tiny things that make up daily life. There are sketches of fish and vegetables and maps of the local cat gangs' territories. There are structured stories about spending a day crab fishing or attending the village festival. There is a glossary and an appendix and even a fold-out map of the island.
I had never heard of Manabeshima before I picked up this book. I still have a hard time finding it on a map. But that's not really all that important. What matters is Chavouet's sense of earnest enthusiasm. It's contagious. Which makes this a book worth reading again and again while you plot your next adventure. While watching a local production about gods and devils, Chavouet notes, "[It's] A bit on the light side for a script but it makes you want to be in it." I guess you could say that about Manabeshima, too.
Manabeshima Island Japan: One Island, Two Months, One Minicar, Sixty Crabs, Eighty Bites, and Fifty Shots of Shochu
by Florent Chavouet
Tuttle Publishing
2015, 144 pages, 7.5 x 10 x 0.6 inches (softcover)
$17 Buy a copy on Amazon
See sample pages from this book at Wink.
Outraged: Courtney Palacios, 19, claims a Texas trooper tried to rip out her nipple piercing with a pair of pliers following her arrest on October 31
A 19-year-old Texas woman has accused a trooper of using a pair of pliers to try and rip out her nipple piercing following an arrest, leaving her bleeding and in pain.
Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Michael Tice has been placed on administrative duty pending the results on an internal investigation sparked by the woman's complaint.
Courtney Palacios, 19, and her friend Tayler Myers, 18, both of Fort Worth, were returning home from a concert in Houston last Monday night when Trooper Tice pulled them over for speeding in Marlin.
The trooper claimed he found a single pill in the door on the driver's side and arrested the two women and their two male companions on drug possession charges, reported the station NBC DFW.
Myers and Palacios were riding in the backseat and said they did not know the pill was in the car.
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Friends arrested: Palacios (right) and Tayler Myers, 18 (left) were riding home from a concert when the car they were in was pulled over by Trooper Michael Tice
All four suspects were taken to the Falls County Jail, and in the course of the booking process Myers and Palacios said Trooper Tice instructed them to remove all of their piercings.
And then we told him, Well, where do we go to take out our nipple rings?" Myers said. And he was like, You are going to have to do it right here, in the open."
The two women turned away and attempted to unscrew their nipple piercings, but they were unable to take out the rings from the left side, prompting Trooper Tice to allegedly go out to his car and grab a pair of pliers.
Palacios said that after she once again tried, and failed, to remove the nipple ring from her left breast, Trooper Tice 'got really close to it, and he was just staring,' the 19-year-old told the station.
According to the woman, the law enforcement official then took matters into his own hands.
Twisted: As Palacios was being booked into jail on drug possession charges, she says Trooper Trice ordered her to remove all of her piercings, and when he nipple ring got stuck, he grabbed a pair of pliers and started twisting
He's like, I think it unscrews from the left side. So then, without gloves or anything and I could see dirt under his nails, it was extremely disgusting he gets on there and he tries to twist it and he starts shaking from trying so hard and he ends up pulling it and ripping it and it starts bleeding.
Palacios said Tice than backed away from her and did not offer to get her medical assistance. He also did not apologize for allegedly injuring the woman.
It was extremely uncomfortable and uncalled for and I don't think he should have been anywhere near me, Palacios said.
Despite Tice's efforts, the piercing remained lodged in Palacios' nipple and she was ultimately allowed to keep it in. She later went to a hospital to seek medical treatment for her wound.
Myers, the daughter of a police sergeant and a police dispatcher, said that in her case, a female corrections officer used pliers to try and remove the nipple ring, with Trooper Tice present nearby.
Palacios and Myers have since retained the services of Fort Worth attorney Curtis Fortinberry and are considering pursuing legal action.
A court in Saudi Arabia has ordered four men to be flogged and jailed for 52 years for raping a foreign woman in front of her expat husband and daughter.
The gang - three Saudis and one Sudanese man - were sentenced to a total of 7,000 lashes by the court in Jeddah.
None of the rapists have been identified and the nationality of the victim is not known.
The first defendant, who was 17 at the time, was jailed for 17 years and will be given 2,500 lashes in 50 sessions, while two of his accomplices were jailed for 15 years each and given 1,500 lashes
The Saudi daily Al Riyadh said the fourth defendant was sentenced to five years in prison and 1,500 lashes.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman (pictured, at a ceremony at the Diwan royal palace in Riyadh) was crowned last year and is keen on law and order
The gang forced their way into a house in Jeddah, tied the man up with electric wire, stripped his wife and raped her in front of him and their young daughter.
They stole 10,000 Saudi riyals (2,100) and eight mobile phones but returned to the house and raped the woman again, at knifepoint.
The four men confessed after being arrested. Many people on social media in Saudi Arabia called for them to be executed.
Last a Saudi prince was flogged in prison in Jeddah as punishment for an unspecified crime.
Saudi Arabia, a leading Arab ally of the United States and guardian of the birthplace of Islam, follows the strict Wahhabi Sunni Muslim school, which involves the imposition of Sharia law.
Last month a Saudi prince was executed in Riyadh after a court found him guilty of shooting dead a fellow Saudi, in what was the first execution of a prince since the 1970s.
Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kabir had pleaded guilty to shooting Adel al-Mohaimed after a brawl, the ministry of interior said.
Hundreds of Muslim pilgrims pray outside the Namira mosque in Mecca. Saudi Arabia follows a strict code of Sharia law which involves beheading for murder, cutting off hands for theft and flogging for lesser crimes
Saudi social media users interpreted the rare execution of a prince as a sign of equality under Islamic law.
Saudi Arabia's 80-year-old King Salman is thought to be keen on cracking down on some of the country's hundreds of playboy princes.
Tragedy: Susan Norman, 68, was watching TV in her pyjamas when her ground-floor flat was destroyed by the landslip in Looe, Cornwall on March 22, 2013
A grandmother died instantly when her home was engulfed by a landslide caused by torrential rain, an inquest heard today.
Susan Norman, 68, was watching TV in her pyjamas when her ground-floor flat was destroyed by the landslip in Looe, Cornwall on March 22, 2013.
Mrs Norman's death was so quick that she was still in a sitting position when emergency workers entered the two-storey house after 11.30pm.
A post-mortem examination found that the mother-of-three had died as a result of crush injuries to the head and chest.
Her daughter Rachel Boden fought back tears as she gave evidence to the inquest.
She said her mother had moved to the area with second husband Terence in 1991 but had lived alone since his death a few years later.
Ms Boden described her mother as 'very sociable', adding: 'She was very active in the community and well known'.
She told the court that in December 2012 a crack had appeared in the wall behind her mother's flat, which backed on to her utility room.
Ms Boden said by January the wall was bulging and 'looked like a pregnant lady'. She added: 'I didn't know how a wall could do that'.
She told the court that a 'small amount' of the wall fell away and she urged her mother to move her bed away from the wall at the back of the flat.
'I said to her: "You best move your bed over to the other side as if the whole lot comes down it will hit your wall and end up with plaster all over you"... Not the whole house would fall on top of her. She moved her bed to the far side of the house.'
Neighbour Dwayne Bown, 24, told the inquest he only just managed to escape the landslide.
Heartbreaking: Emergency workers said Mrs Norman was found dead in a sitting position and was killed instantly as her flat was inundated with mud and rubble
He said: 'I arrived home at 11.30pm. You could see the rain coming off the road. It was torrential.
'I heard a few really loud bangs so I got out of bed to see what was going on. As I left to go into the front room of the flat there was a second bang and that's when the house moved, causing the floor to drop in front of me.
'I couldn't assess what was happening until I got out onto the landing which meant kicking down the door.
'You could see water and mud coming down onto the landing while I was trying to get out. The entrance had got blocked completely so I had to climb over dirt and water and mud.'
Mr Bown said he didn't initially think victim Susan Norman was at home at her ground floor flat - but remembered hearing her TV.
You could see water and mud coming down onto the landing while I was trying to get out. The entrance had got blocked completely so I had to climb over dirt and water and mud Neighbour Dwayne Brown
He escaped by climbing down a wall as stairs he would usually use outside were 'filled with debris'.
Mrs Norman's daughter Rachel Boden sobbed as she gave evidence to the inquest.
She said her mother had moved to the area with her second husband Terence in 1991 but he died a few years later.
Ms Boden added: 'She had a lot of friends in the community. She was very active in the community and was well known. She was lovely. She enjoyed life.
'I had a lot of problems with my son. Mum helped with him. He was very close to her as well. We were a close family. She helped me a lot.
Rowan Beckingham, who moved into the upstairs flat in February 2013, revealed that there had been a landslide nearby months earlier.
He said: 'When we moved into the flat we were aware there had been a landslip further along our road and this occurred around Christmas 2012. There was building work going on to fix the damage caused and it was due to last about four months.
'The road outside our house was shut because of the works. This building work would cause a slight shaking to our flat and it would make a cup of tea shake.
'Over the course of the time I lived at the flat I would regularly stand outside on our balcony at the front of the flat and I saw, about 20 yards up the road, there were large cracks in the road, about 5ft long. Over the next month these cracks gradually got wider and wider.
'Me and my partner would often joke about how deep they were. I presumed the cracks were as a result of the landslip and the building machinery may have made it worse.
'At the beginning of March I remember there was a problem with the cliff at the rear of our property. I do remember asking why the council was not fixing it and she replied that they would not do it fast enough and so she would get someone in.'
Escape: Rowan Beckingham, who moved into the upstairs flat in February 2013, revealed that there had been a landslide nearby months earlier while Dwayne Bown, 24, told the inquest he only just managed to escape the landslide
Mr Beckingham said that over the coming weeks he saw workman removing rubble from the cliff.
'I saw the builders had dug a hole into the wall of the cliff and I heard the sound of machinery and saw one of the builders holding a large corrugated pipe to the area they had been working and I could see they were pumping what I presumed to be concrete into the cliff,' he said.
'I could clearly see what they were doing. I remember thinking at the time it was crazy putting concete into a cliff if there was a problem with it. I remember seeing the foreman there so presumed they knew what they were doing.'
Mr Beckingham was not at home when the landslip happened. He was alerted to the incident by his letting agent and returned to the scene afterwards.
He said he saw the foreman and confronted him.
'Because I was upset I said "Why did you put that concrete into the cliff?" He immediately got irate and said he did know what I was going on about and the cliff had been bulging for a few days and they had been fixing it.'
Dr Amanda Jeffery, who carried out the post-mortem examination, said: 'Mrs Norman died as result of injuries sustained when her flat collapsed following a landslip at the rear of the property.
'Mrs Norman had suffered a catastrophic head injury and crush injuries to the chest. She was clearly alive at the time the building collapsed. Nothing could have been done by the paramedics to have altered the outcome as the injuries sustained were incompatible with life. It is likely she was killed almost instantaneously.'
The inquest, which is being heard before a jury and is due to last up to three weeks, heard that repair work was being carried out to a retaining wall behind Mrs Norman's home prior to the landslip as it had been seen to be 'bulging'.
Neighbours also reported a previous landslip on the same road a few months earlier, in which other repair work was being carried out.
The house, called Veronica, was owned by Christina Miller and had been converted into one ground-floor flat and two upstairs flats, the jury was told.
This is the shocking moment a man was brutally bashed by a thug outside a McDonald's.
Shocking CCTV footage shows a man being knocked to the ground and repeatedly punched as he lay helpless on the ground in a car park outside the fast food restaurant.
The vicious attack - which took place in Lanyon, south of Canberra - was only brought to a halt after a brave bystander intervened by flashing their headlights.
This is the shocking moment a man was brutally attacked by a thug outside a McDonald's
Shocking CCTV footage shows a man being knocked to the ground and repeatedly punched as he lay helpless on the ground in a car park outside the fast food restaurant
The horrific video shows the man punching his victim in the head, knocking him to the ground, before standing over grim and delivering blow after blow to his face.
Meanwhile a friend of the attacker looks on and fails to intervene despite being just a metre or so away.
The fight is eventually broken up by a motorist sitting in a car nearby, who flashed their lights to startle the assailant.
Police are now hunting down the pair seen in the surveillance footage, which was taken about 1am on October 8.
The vicious attack was only brought to a halt after a brave bystander intervened by flashing their headlights
The attack took place in the car park outside this McDonald's in Lanyon, south of Canberra
The offender, who fled the scene, is described as being about 5'7'', white and in his early 20s. He was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans at the time of the assault.
His friend is also described as being approximately 5'7" and white and was wearing similar clothes.
Crinkled and coffee-stained but full of heartfelt words, this is the 70-year-old love letter that has captured the imagination of a 22-year-old supermarket worker after she found it languishing in the lost and found bin.
Stacie Adamson, 22, was working at the Asda superstore in Leigh, Greater Manchester, when she found the moving letter from a Second World War hero's sweetheart.
Date-stamped 1945, the letter was written by Dorothy to Harry and was formally addressed LAC H Hughes, 13 MSU (Torps), Royal Air Force, Ceylon Air Forces.
With moving words, Dorothy describes life back home in New Moston, Manchester, and talks of her plans to marry her soldier when he returns from serving in the war.
Miss Adamson, who was not even born when the letter was written, has now made it her mission to track down Dorothy, Harry or their relatives. So far she has discovered video footage of Harry in the 'Calling Blighty' films created during the war.
Stacie Adamson, 22 (pictured), was working at the superstore in Leigh, Greater Manchester, when she found the moving letter from a Second World War hero's sweetheart in lost property
Stacie Adamson, 22, was working in lost property at Asda in Leigh, Greater Manchester, when she found the 70-year-old letter addressed to LAC H Hughes, 13 MSU (Torps), Royal Air Force
It was written by a woman named Dorothy and was sent to her sweetheart Harry (pictured while serving in the Second World War in archive footage from the 'Calling Blighty' website
She said: 'I was sorting through all the letters which we shred when I found this one and noticed the stamp.
'I saw it was from the war and saved it from being shredded. I so want to return it to its owner. Whoever it is has been walking around with all these years.'
Miss Adamson, who lives in Leigh with her parents, Googled the information on the letter and found a video of Harry in the 'Calling Blighty' films.
In the footage, he even refers to Dorothy.
She tracked down the website's creators - which led her to the North West Film Archive at Manchester Metropolitan University and their 'A Message Home' project.
They have agreed to help her find Harry. Asda is also supporting her search and a Facebook appeal is already gaining momentum.
In the sweet letter - addressed to LAC H Hughes (seen above) - Dorothy describes life back home and talks of their plans to marry when he returns from the Second World War
Miss Adamson hopes that someone may be able to shed some light on its rightful home
Miss Adamson hopes that someone may be able to shed some light on its rightful home.
She added: 'I'm hoping Harry is still alive but if not maybe it belongs to a relative.
'The thing is, this letter has probablly been all around the world - to far more places than I have. It's the best thing I've ever found.
'I just really want to give it back.'
ISIS terrorists decapitated 100 hostages in a college building and left their bodies to rot.
The gruesome scene was discovered by Iraqi officers as they swept through Hamam al-Alil, having wrestled back control of the town south of Mosul.
The Iraqi War Media Office said: 'A special team will be sent to inspect this heinous crime in the Faculty of Agriculture'.
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Iraqi forces have seized a crucial town south of Mosul as penned-in ISIS militants face a second battle with Kurdish fighters to the east of the city. US medics treat a wounded soldier east of Mosul
The shocking discovery was made after Iraqi forces seized the crucial town as penned-in ISIS militants face a second battle with Kurdish fighters to the east of Mosul.
Troops raised the Iraqi flag after taking full control of Hamam al-Alil, 10 miles from the city centre and the last town of note on the way to the terrorist stronghold.
To the east, Kurdish fighters exchanged heavy fire with extremists as they advanced from two directions into the formerly ISIS-held town of Bashiqa.
They captured full control of the city on Monday after a siege lasting several days and the peshmerga troops are now stationed there.
Armoured vehicles belonging to the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government's peshmerga forces move to Bashiqa Town
Kurdish forces are attacking from Bashqira to the east while Iraqi forces are moving on Mosul having taken Hamam al-Alil
Iraqi forces have already entered Mosul in another eastern area and were moving close to the city limits from the north on Monday but have some distance to cover on the southern front.
Life quickly resumed in Hamam al-Alil, eyewitnesses reported, with some residents re-opening shops and others bathing in the town's sulphur springs.
Hussein Khalaf al-Juburi, 73, was ecstatic.
'If I say I'm happy, it's not enough. It's more than happiness, more than joy. I thank the brave heroes who saved us from these tyrannical and corrupt groups,' he said.
ISIS 'has no connection to Islam,' he said.
A wounded Iraqi special forces soldier gets treatment at a field clinic in Gogjali, on the eastern outskirts of Mosul
Iraqi forces have already entered Mosul in another eastern area and were moving close to the city limits from the north on Monday but have some distance to cover on the southern front
Attack: Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers fire artillery at ISIS in Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq
A much anticipated Mosul offensive to liberate the city from ISIS began midnight on October 16
Soldiers of the Iraqi army display mortar shells confiscated from Islamic State
A soldier of the Iraqi army displays ammunition and a tank confiscated from Islamic State
A soldier of the Iraqi army walks past ammunition and a tank confiscated from Islamic State
The weapons were takne from jihadists in the town of al-Hamdaniyah, 30 kms east of Mosul
Soldiers could be seen helping some displaced civilians with their bags.
The recapture of the town clears the way for Iraqi forces to push further north and move to within striking distance of the southern neighbourhoods of Mosul.
An officer with the federal police said clearing operations would continue around Hamam al-Alil before all the forces regroup to conquer the last stretch before Mosul.
The next phase is 'to clear the other villages around the town and then move forward towards Mosul to liberate it, God willing,' Colonel Amjad Mohammed told AFP.
Mosul's southern approach is home to the international airport, a vast military area and a large base that Iraqi forces were forced to flee when ISIS took over the city in June 2014.
To the east, the offensive to reclaim the town of Bashiqa was part of the broader push to drive ISIS out of Mosul.
Smoke rises from Daesh terrorists positions after U.S.-led coalition's airstrike over east of Bashiqa town in Mosul
To the east, an offensive to reclaim the town of Bashiqa is part of the broader push to drive ISIS out of Mosul
Combat began at dawn with a Kurdish barrage of heavy artillery, Katyusha rockets and mortar rounds slamming into ISIS positions, providing cover for the advance of armoured columns
A man suspected of links with ISIL is arrested by Iraqi Special forces after being screened at a civilian check point whilst fleeing fighting in Mosul
Soldiers of the Iraqi army attend to mortar shells confiscated from Islamic State
The mortars that were taken from the IS terrorists were shown off by Iraqi forces
A man speaks with Iraqi special forces soldiers at a civilian screening check point after fleeing Mosul
Iranian Kurdish female members of the Freedom Party of Kurdistan (PAK)
Combat began at dawn with a Kurdish barrage of heavy artillery, Katyusha rockets and mortar rounds slamming into ISIS positions, providing cover for the advance of armoured columns.
Smoke rose from town throughout the day, with large explosions sending dark clouds into the sky.
'We have the coordinates of their bases and tunnels, and we are targeting them from here in order to weaken them so that our forces can reach their targets more easily,' said Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga commander Brig. Gen. Iskander Khalil Gardi.
Bashiqa, which is believed to be largely deserted except for dozens of ISIS fighters, is located about 8 miles northeast of the edge of Mosul and about 13 miles from the city centre.
A man distributing food from the back of a truck reacts as people push forward to receive food packages at th Hasan Sham IDP camp
Men sit and wait to board a bus to take them to Hasan Sham IDP camp
A child looks out the muddy window of a bus after fleeing fighting in Mosul
A young girl looks out a bus window for members of her family after fleeing fighting in Mosul
A young girl plays with a white flag as she waits at a civilian screening point for an evacuation bus to the Hasan Sham IDP camp
Commanders of Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government's peshmerga forces are seen at Omer Kamchi front as they enter Bashiqa Town center
A woman walks down a street as she returns to her destroyed home in the newly liberated town of Bartella
Two men walk past piles of discarded niqabs thrown on the fence by women arriving at the Hasan Sham IDP camp
Iraqi government and Kurdish forces, backed by a US-led coalition and joined by government-sanctioned militias, were fighting to drive ISIS out of those surrounding areas and open additional fronts to attack Mosul itself.
Bashiqa has been surrounded by Kurdish forces, known as peshmerga, for weeks but Monday's push appeared to be the most serious yet to drive IS from the town.
Kurdish forces launched mortar rounds and fired heavy artillery into the town on Sunday in advance of the offensive. More artillery and air strikes hit the town early Monday as the Kurdish forces' advance got underway.
Kurdish forces launched mortar rounds and fired heavy artillery into the town on Sunday in advance of the offensive
Iraqi special forces entered Mosul last week and have made some progress in gaining a foothold on the city's eastern edges
A camp official tries to push people back after they gathered to get snacks and cigarettes that were being given out at the Hasan Sham IDP camp
People displaced by fighting in Mosul wait to receive food packages at the Hasan Sham IDP camp
A young girl is carried by her mother as they board a bus going from a civilian screening check point to the Hasan Sham IDP camp
Peshmerga fighters buy snacks from a makeshift store at a checkpoint on the road to the frontline near Gogjali
Iraqi special forces entered Mosul last week and have made some progress in gaining a foothold on the city's eastern edges.
But progress inside the city has been slowed as troops push into more densely populated areas.
The troops are suffering casualties as the militants have bogged them down with suicide car bombs, booby traps and close-quarters fighting along narrow streets. ISIS still holds territory to the north, south and west of Mosul.
As Iraqi forces struggle to solidify gains in neighbourhoods in eastern Mosul, more and more civilians are fleeing the city, according to special forces Lt. Col. Hussein Aziz.
'Daesh is trying to draw a line,' Aziz said of the heavy fighting in Mosul's easternmost neighborhoods, referring to IS by its Arabic acronym. 'They have a lot of fighters there and they forced families to stay.'
Aziz mans a small checkpoint on the edge of Gogjali, Mosul's easternmost neighborhood, where civilians fleeing Mosul are screened to catch any IS fighters who may be hiding among them.
People displaced by fighting in Mosul scuffle for snacks and cigarettes thrown to them at the Hasan Sham IDP camp
An injured man displaced by the fighting in Mosul pleads with a camp official to be given snacks and cigarettes that were being given out at the Hasan Sham IDP camp
Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government's peshmerga forces attack Daesh terrorists as they move towards Bashiqa center
Meanwhile, the UN health agency said it has set up 82 'rapid response teams' to manage risks of epidemics, chemical exposure and other health worries among people fleeing Mosul
Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government's peshmerga forces make their last preparations before they move to Bashiqa Town
Since Iraqi forces first pushed into the eastern edge of the city last Tuesday, Aziz's team has arrested dozens of people.
At the checkpoint, men were waiting for their names to be screened by a pair of informants from the area and multiple Iraqi government databases. Women and children waited further back from the road in the shade of an abandoned building.
Gayda, a 42-year-old woman from Mosul, said she fled the Samah neighborhood in the city's east just hours earlier, after a car bomb exploded next to her home. She only gave her first name, fearing for her safety and that of family members still under IS rule in other parts of Mosul.
The World Health Organisation says that water and sanitation in camps for displaced people could 'face disruptions' as the numbers of those who fled Mosul is growing, raising the risk of food- and water-borne diseases such as cholera
A man watches on as civilians are assisted from a truck after arriving at the Hasan Sham IDP camp after fleeing fighting in Mosul
When they reached the checkpoint, her husband and son were separated from her and her daughter, and held for questioning a few meters (yards) away.
'How can he be from Daesh, he's so young,' she said of the 18-year old son. 'We are good people, we don't have any enemies.'
Concerns over civilians do not play a role in operations in Bashiqa, the peshmerga's Gardi said.
Men sit and wait to board a bus to take them to Hasan Sham IDP camp
Bomb disposal experts check land as the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government's peshmerga forces move towards Bashiqa center
An Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighter, next to a Kurdish flag, holds a position in Sheikh Ali village
'Regarding the challenges, in any area that has no civilians, there won't be any problem. And currently, according to our intelligence, there are no civilians left in Bashiqa,' he said.
Meanwhile, the UN health agency said it has set up 82 'rapid response teams' to manage risks of epidemics, chemical exposure and other health worries among people fleeing Mosul.
The World Health Organisation says that water and sanitation in camps for displaced people could 'face disruptions' as the numbers of those who fled Mosul is growing, raising the risk of food- and water-borne diseases such as cholera.
It also says that additional concerns include children who reportedly haven't been immunized since ISIS seized control of Iraq's second largest city in June 2014.
Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government's peshmerga forces attack Daesh terrorists
People pass money through a fence to a man buying food at the Hasan Sham IDP camp
Smoke could be seen in the distance as the Iraqi and Kurdish forces made their move towards the town
Migrant boats caught in the Mediterranean by EU naval vessels should be sent straight back to North Africa, German officials have demanded.
The German interior ministry has told the EU that the only way migrants should be able to apply for asylum is at processing centres in countries such as Egypt and Tunisia.
The scheme, which is modelled on Australia's hard-line methods, marks a radical departure from Angela Merkel's open-door policy that saw more than a million people arrive in her country last year.
Dangerous journey: German naval staff rescue migrants in the Mediterranean
It comes as record numbers attempt the dangerous journey from Libya to Italy despite the worsening winter weather.
Critics have claimed an EU naval operation in the Mediterranean has descended into a ferry service that has turned the route into a 'magnet for migrants'.
Smugglers are setting off from the North African coast in boats with only enough fuel to get them into international waters.
After reaching the high seas they phone rescuers asking for help knowing they will be picked up by EU ships that will take them to Italy.
The vast majority of those using the route are not entitled to asylum, but once in Europe they are able to travel freely because of the border-free Schengen Zone and can easily reach Calais.
Under the plan drawn up by Germany, migrants picked up in the Mediterranean would be sent to Tunisia, Egypt or other North African countries to apply for asylum.
Only if their applications are accepted will they be transported safely to Europe for distribution among EU countries.
REFUGEES 'PARALYSE' THE COURTS OF BERLIN Berlin's courts have been 'paralysed' by thousands of migrants filing lawsuits using legal aid, it has been claimed. Nearly 7,000 cases have been brought in the German capital already this year, compared with just 2,000 in the whole of 2015. A judge told newspaper Tagesspiegel that the legal claims, mostly related to asylum applications, 'will paralyse us for years'. Cases involving migrants the majority of whom are Syrians are being bundled into groups of 50 and distributed among the city's judges. Officials said the deluge of appeals is creating a backlog that means residents' claims about building permits or their children's schools face long waits. Administrative court spokesman Stephan Groscurth said: 'If it carries on like this the number of unsettled court actions will have doubled by the end of the year.' Advertisement
A ministry spokesman told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper: 'The elimination of the prospect of reaching the European coast could convince migrants to avoid embarking on the life-threatening and costly journey. The goal must be to deprive people-smuggling groups of their business model and to protect migrants from the life-threatening journey.'
Bernd Riexinger, head of the opposition Left party, said it would be 'a humanitarian scandal and a further step toward elimination of the right to asylum,' the paper reported.
He said asylum applications should be filed in Germany to ensure applicants had access to legal help and he called Australia's treatment of migrants 'absolutely unacceptable'.
Under Australia's controversial asylum system, boats carrying migrants from Indonesia are either towed back to where they came from or their passengers are sent to offshore processing centres on Pacific islands.
A record 27,272 arrived from North Africa into Italy last month taking the total so far this year to more than 161,000 easily surpassing the 153,000 in 2015. More than 4,000 migrants have died in the Mediterranean in 2016.
At the same time, doubts are being raised about the EU's 5billion deal with Turkey that has curbed numbers arriving into the continent via the Greek islands.
Austria's foreign minister Sebastian Kurz said alternatives needed to be looked at because of the country's crackdown in the wake of a failed coup earlier this year.
'In Turkey, opposition figures are being arrested, journalists are being persecuted and officials are being fired if they think differently, and the return of the death penalty is being talked about,' he said.
The ministry said there were no concrete plans or discussions at EU-level about the proposal
FAR RIGHT PROTESTERS MARCH IN BERLIN Hundreds of far-right protesters have marched through Berlin calling for Chancellor Angela Merkel to be removed from office. Police accompanied the protest through the German capital's former Jewish district, at one point forcibly removing a blockade staged by far-left counter-demonstrators. The protest began at the city's main train station, where speakers criticized the government's decision to allow large numbers of migrants into Germany. A crowd of up to 500 people chanted slogans such as 'Merkel must go!' Advertisement
Earlier this year, a cross-party Lords report warned that the EU's search-and-rescue operation in the Mediterranean acted as a 'magnet to migrants and eases the task of smugglers, who would only need their vessels to reach the high seas'.
It added: 'The mission does not... in any meaningful way deter the flow of migrants, disrupt the smugglers' networks, or impede the business of people smuggling.'
Mrs Merkel has been under fire for her open-door refugee policy, with her party losing votes to the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party in recent regional elections.
On Saturday night hundreds of far-right protesters marched through Berlin calling for her to be removed from office.
Elsewhere, a group of 30 far-right supporters ambushed and beat up three young Afghan refugees in the town of Heidenau in east Germany on Friday night.
The three Afghanis needed hospital treatment for their injuries but were later released. Two men from the mob which attacked them have been arrested and face charges of causing grievous bodily harm.
Since the beginning of the year there have been 1,800 attacks against asylum seekers and their accommodations in a sign of the tensions in Germany.
There have been nearly 200 incidents of grievous bodily harm against the refugees.
Mrs Merkel has been under fire for her open-door refugee policy, with her party losing votes to the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany in recent elections
In an indication of the simmering racial tensions in the country, a 12ft high barrier is being erected in Munich to protect locals from young refugees who are set to move into the area.
Locals campaigned for the wall, in the suburb of Neuperlach Sud, after authorities decided that some 160 young unaccompanied migrants will move into a large shelter which is less than 100 metres from a residential estate.
Critics claim the wall is further proof of the alienation voters feel with Chancellor Angela Merkel's open refugee policy.
An Omaha, Nebraska couple will be a whole lot jollier today, once a judge approves their request to change their names to Santa and Merry Christmas Claus.
Jeff and Mary Brookstein, both 60, met in 2009 and married two years later. Every Christmas season, the couple dress up as Santa and Mrs. Claus to work in malls and at other events.
But they'd like to be known by their characters' names all year round.
Jeff and Mary Brookstein (pictured) are legally changing their names to Santa and Merry Christmas Claus
According to the Omaha World-Herald, the couple began the process of legally changing their name a few weeks ago. All that's left is for a Douglas County District Court judge to approve the name change on Monday.
'I have more fun as Santa Claus than anything else,' Mr Brookstein said. 'Well go down to the Old Market on a Saturday night, and families are excited to see Santa, so we talk to them. Its just a lot of fun. Its amazing how many people will tell stories about their experiences with Santa when they were children.'
'There are children who want to spend time with Santa and Mrs. Claus year-round,' his wife added. 'When people see us they think of love and goodness and happiness, and thats what we like to bring to them year-round, not just at the holidays.'
Mr Brookstein actually proposed to his Mrs Claus while the two were working a Christmas event in 2010.
In the off-season, Mr Brookstein works as a taxi cab driver while his wife volunteers with several local nonprofit organizations.
At least three other people in the U.S. - in Pennsylvania, New York and Alaska - have changed their name to Santa Claus.
The couple do not have any children and their extended family have no issue with the name change.
In order to change your name in Nebraska, a person must fill out a petition and file the document for $85.
Then they need to publish a legal notice of the name change for $60. Next they have to fill out a decree of the name change form and verify a legal notice affidavit.
Twenty colleges and several high schools have made similar changes
College made changes after it was not reviewed as LGBT-friendly campus
The University of Nebraska has dropped its traditional homecoming king and queen titles because they are insensitive to LGBT students.
The college, in Omaha, decided to bin the titles in an effort to be more inclusive to all students.
UNO Director for Student Involvement, Bill Pickett, said the college decided to make some changes after it received a poor review as an LGBT friendly campus.
The University of Nebraska has dropped its traditional home coming king and queen titles because they are insensitive to LGBT students
The homecoming pair will now be described as 'Royals' and can be a man or a woman or any other combination of gender or sexuality.
This year's seniors were named on Friday night as Sapphire Andersen and Nick Rieschl.
Jessi Hitchins, the founding director of UNO's Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, told CBS News: 'This will benefit people because it doesn't require them to fit into a particular category.
'This is our way of being thoughtful and inclusive of our trans community.'
Student body president at the University of Nebraska, Patrick Davlin, said that on the whole people were open to the changes.
He said: 'Students in general appreciate that we're making changes that accommodate them without having to force anything on them.'
It is believed that around 20 colleges, including Harvard University, the University of Virginia, and the University of California, and a number of high schools have made similar changes.
The homecoming pair will now be described as 'Royals' and can be a man or a woman or any other combination of gender or sexuality
San Diego State University dropped the homecoming king and queen tradition last year.
Christy Nierva Quiogue, director of the Center for Intercultural Relations at the college, said the the decision was made because the school prides itself on creating a welcoming environment for all students.
Nierva Quiogue she told the university's newspaper, the Daily Aztec: 'I think homecoming is a great setting to have meaningful conversations and understanding about gender equality and ensure events on campus are welcoming and inclusive for all students.'
He pleaded guilty in 2011 to attempting to orchestrate a hit on rival mafia member who accused him of being a government informant
He was suffering from congestive heart failure, bowel problems and issues with his back that left him wheelchair-bound
was a captain in the Patriarca crime family and had a long criminal record stretching back to 1961
New England mobster Anthony 'The Saint' St. Laurent died on Monday, just two weeks after being released from federal prison. He was 75.
St. Laurent died at a hospital in Providence of what appears to be natural causes, said Richard Tamburini, police chief in Johnston, where St. Laurent lived.
'He had well-documented illnesses for a long time,' Tamburini said. 'He was very sick when he was released from prison.'
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The departed: In this June 17, 1997 file photo on the left, convicted mobster Anthony 'The Saint' St. Laurent waits to testify in federal court in Boston. St. Laurent, died Monday, two weeks after being released from federal prison (pictured right leaving prison)
Big house: The 75-year-old mafia member left Fort Devens Federal Prison (pictured) on October 26 to begin his three years of probation
Tamburini called him 'one of the old-school wise guys.'
St. Laurent was a captain in the Patriarca crime family and had a long criminal record stretching back to 1961, including convictions for running a multistate gambling operation from a Kentucky prison cell and for conspiring to extort $50,000 from two men by threatening them with physical violence.
He pleaded guilty in 2011 to attempting to orchestrate a hit on rival mafia member Bobby DeLuca after DeLuca accused St. Laurent of being a government informant, which St. Laurent denied.
When he entered his plea, St. Laurent acknowledged trying to hire a person who ended up being an FBI informant to carry out the assassination.
According to court documents in the case, the informant secretly recorded their conversations. A partial transcript showed St. Laurent wanted the hit man to shoot DeLuca in the head on his way home from work at a Providence restaurant but not before delivering a message.
'Say: "This is from The Saint,"' he told him.
Ailing: St Laurent's lawyer said the elderly man, whose criminal record stretched back to 1961, was penniless and suffering from congestive heart failure, bowel problems and issues with his back
The murder-for-hire plot never came to fruition. St. Laurent, who appeared in court in a wheelchair and using an oxygen tank, said he only intended to 'scare' DeLuca.
His lawyer told the judge his client was penniless and the would-be hit was the product of a 'senseless feud' between two older men that never came close to being carried out.
The judge described the plan as 'clownish,' then sentenced St. Laurent to seven years in federal prison, than on top of a five-year sentence in a previous case, reported the station WPRI.
St Laurent, whose rap sheet included more than 17 convictions, concluded his latest 12-year stint late last month. He was released from Fort Devens Federal Prison on October 26 to begin his three-year probation.
The Providence Journal reported that his lawyer said at the time St Laurent was suffering from congestive heart failure, bowel problems and issues with his back.
The mobster's son, Anthony St Laurent Jr, was released from prison earlier this year after serving a sentence in a separate extortion case that also involved his mother, Dorothy St Laurent.
When you logged into AOL in the 1990s, you were greeted with the voice of Elwood Edwards. Last night, Brandee Barker was headed to one of Hillary Clinton's Ohio campaign headquarters for canvassing when she happened to meet Edwards. He was her Uber driver!
OMG OMG my @Uber driver in Ohio was the You've Got Mail voice Elwood Edwards!!! I made him say it in this video #GOTVforHRC pic.twitter.com/Jgcl7v040D
From CNN:
Edwards, a longtime voice actor, recorded the famous famous phrase along with others like "Welcome," "File's Done" and "Goodbye" because of his wife. Back in the late 80s she worked for Quantum Computer Services, the company that would later become AOL, and she overheard the company's CEO saying he wanted a voice to notify people when they receive email.
She told them about her husband, he recorded the phrases on a cassette tape and became the internet's voice. He was paid $200 for the voice over, he told Barker.
In addition to his voice over work, Edwards worked for several years as a news editor at a TV station in Cleveland before recently retiring.
A wheelchair user was left humiliated after he had to be carried onto a plane.
Joshua Gardner, 20, would usually be transported on-board by an ambulift, the airport's lifting equipment vehicle, at Leeds Bradford Airport.
Instead, Mr Gardner had to suffer the embarrassment of being picked up in an airport wheelchair and carried up the stairs to the Jet2 plane by two members of airport staff.
Joshua Gardner, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, was left feeling humiliated after staff at Leeds Bradford Airport carried him up the stairs to put him on a plane
The 20-year-old would usually be transported on-board by an ambulift, the airport's lifting equipment vehicle, but one of the two ambulift vehicles on site was out of operation
'It was humiliating and I felt unsafe about being carried in such away,' said Mr Gardner, who is a freelance journalist.
'It is 2016, I would expect this kind of treatment in maybe the 1970s but no in this day and age. They were lucky that I didn't have a worse disability or do not weight more, as then they really would have struggled.'
Mr Gardner, who has been in a wheelchair for more than 10 years, said he felt unsafe while being carried and because the chair he was put into had no side guards, he could have fallen out.
He was confined to a wheel chair after falling ill from Transverse Myelitis on December 9 in 2005.
Mr Gardner previously took part in a BBC expose on airport security, which saw hide items in his wheelchair through security at Leeds Bradford Airport.
Mr Gardner had to suffer the embarrassment of being picked up in an airport wheelchair and carried up the stairs to the Jet2 plane by two members of airport staff
A Leeds Bradford Airport spokesperson said: 'At the time Mr Gardner was travelling, one of the two ambulift vehicles on site was out of operation. In such circumstances, the procedure is to lift the passenger onto the aircraft.
'This is a safe and standard manoeuvre, which was undertaken after speaking with the passenger and evaluating the lifting procedure. We will take Mr Gardner's feedback into account but would like to reassure him that this is standard practice when an ambulift is unavailable.'
Mr Gardner added: 'If the ambulift's were out of service then fair enough but this is not a safe or dignifying alternative to the ambulifts been out of order.
Mr Gardner was so outraged by the incident that he posted a video of him being carried onto the plane on social media while in Paris.
On his return flight to Leeds Bradford Airport, he claims to have had the most secure transfer from a plane he has ever had.
Up to five members of staff were on scene to securely strap him into an ambulift.
However, he claims that he was approached by two border police officers at passport control who he says tried to 'intimidate him' into deleting his tweet regarding the incident.
Mr Gardner said: 'I was approached by border police officers who I believe had been waiting for me. They even said Josh to call me over. I am still unsure how they knew about the situation or what flight I was on. I just don't understand how they knew which flight I was on and why they were wasting time asking me to delete a tweet.
'I doubt they were just walking around and someone told them that you need to get this person to delete something from Twitter. All it did was make, my mum especially, feel really intimated and it felt like they were going to arrest me. I told them that I did not need to delete the tweet. I have now put in a complaint to the Home Office.'
A police spokesman said: 'Two police officers were approached in Passport Control by an external employee based at Leeds Bradford Airport.
'The person asked if the officers could speak to a member of the public and ask him not to publish images/footage of the external employee that he had taken.
'One of the officers explained that there was no law against taking the images/footage however they would speak to the member of the public to see if an agreement could be made.
'The officer spoke to them and asked if they would consider not using the person's image. The member of the public stated they would use the images but agreed to pixelate the person's face. This was the only police contact in this matter.'
Will be arrested on felony assault charges after released from hospital
Said Abellanosa then tried to pull out gun because he 'had been caught'
Club's security team found his gun during a pat down before he got inside
An Alaska man is facing felony charges after he opened fire in a nightclub and accidentally shot himself twice in the leg.
Andrew Abellanosa, 30, was trying to enter the PlayHouse bar in Anchorage on Sunday around 2.15am when a security guard felt his gun during a pat down.
Abellanosa tried to pull out the gun 'because he had been caught' and accidentally shot himself, PlayHouse said in a statement posted to Facebook.
Andrew Abellanosa, 30, is facing felony charges after he accidentally shot himself at the PlayHouse club (pictured in file photo) in Anchorage, Alaska early Sunday morning
The club's security team then kept him down until police arrived and found him 'bleeding profusely' at the entrance.
Officers at the scene used a tourniquet to stop the bleeding and Abellanosa was taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
Abellanosa will be taken into custody after he is released from the hospital, according to Alaska Dispatch News.
He faces three charges of third-degree felony assault and has also been charged with weapons misconduct and reckless endangerment.
'Thankfully for our security and pat downs we avoided a worse situation,' PlayHouse wrote on Facebook.
'APD complimented us in how we handled everything in the same fashion they would have, except they would have shot the man.'
Nigel Camplin has been convicted of dangerous driver based on footage from his own dashboard camera
A road rage driver was caught by his own car's dashcam after a four-mile chase with a motorist he accused of cutting him up.
Former soldier Nigel Camplin, 55, filmed himself speeding after and tailgating BMW driver Colin Evans, who he then took to a police station.
But a court heard that officers checked Camplin's own dashboard camera in his Seat vehicle and he was arrested for dangerous driving.
A 12-minute video showed him chasing Mr Evans through the roads of Caerphilly, South Wales.
He was recorded on the camera's mircrophone confronting Mr Evans in a foul-mouthed rant - spitting on his car and saying: 'I'm going to kill you.'
Footage of Camplin's driving from his dashcam was played to the court and he was banned for 18 months for dangerous driving.
Prosecutor Jason Howells said: 'Camplin believed Mr Evans had cut him up at a roundabout and he saw red. He was seemingly unaware that the dashcam was also recording his voice.
'He had wanted to sort out the incident but accepted he had been aggressive. He put others in danger.'
The court heard Camplin, of Maesycwmmer, Gwent, was a 20-year veteran of the Royal Corps of Signals and suffered from post traumatic stress disorder.
Camplin chased and screamed at BMW driver Colin Evans, who he said 'cut him up'
Peter Harding-Roberts, defending, said: 'On this occasion he completely snapped. He is a gentleman, but he is clearly very ill.'
Judge Jeremy Jenkins said Camplin had 'an excellent service record'.
After watching a DVD of Camplin's driving, the judge said: 'People who behave in that way deservedly go into prison, and for a considerable length of time.
'This was dangerous driving in the extreme. You were sometimes driving well in excess of the speed limit and tailgating him.
'You completely lost your self-control and were in a dangerous condition yourself. You should not have been behind the wheel of your car.'
He handed him an eight month suspended sentence after he admitted dangerous driving at Cardiff Crown Court.
Germany's public TV broadcaster has been condemned for allowing a Muslim woman in full niqab to praise Islamists who join ISIS in Syria's 'promised land'.
The ARD show hosted by Anne Will featured a man who had lost his daughter to ISIS, a politician, an expert on Islam and an imam discussing the question of 'why young people are being radicalised'.
The fifth guest was Nora Illi, the women's representative of an unofficial group called the Islamic Central Committee of Switzerland, who attended the live show in a niqab.
Illi said she had turned to Islam after dabbling with Buddhism because she was 'fascinated by Islam's diversity' and argued that 'in Islam, women have many rights and possibilities', a statement swiftly challenged by other guests on the show.
Germany's public TV broadcaster has been condemned for allowing a Muslim woman in full niqab (pictured) to praise Islamists who join ISIS in Syria's 'promised land'
Nora Illi, from the Islamic Central Committee of Switzerland, is pictured next to Wolfgang Bosbach, lawmaker from Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union party
But it was her view on radicalised youths heading to Syria - which was detailed on Facebook and shown during the show - that sparked an outcry.
Illi argued that youths who head to Syria to wage jihad should be praised as showing 'civil courage', according to an excerpt of the text on Facebook.
She also told the talkshow that young women 'who feel that they have been shut out by society and want to break away could view Syria as the promised land, as the only way out'.
Islam expert Ahmad Mansour broke in to protest, saying: 'That's propaganda, that's unacceptable on public television'.
The backlash from the public was also swift, with Twitter users condemning ARD for broadcasting such commentary to millions of viewers.
One Twitter user called Konrad Schaefer said: 'Illi justifies Islamic terrorism. That is a scandal. Why was such a rabble-rouser invited?'
Illi argued that youths who head to Syria to wage jihad should be praised as showing 'civil courage. She also told the talkshow that young women 'who feel that they have been shut out by society and want to break away could view Syria as the promised land, as the only way out'
Jakub Santur commented: 'Talkshow guest encouraging holy war on public television, and for that I'm paying television licensing fees - sad.'
Bilkay Oney from the Social Democrats, who was the former integration minister of Baden-Wuerttemberg state, said: 'Approval. Provocation. And ratings. Everyone will talk about it tomorrow. Media crisis at a time of talkshow-overkill'.
Peter Tauber, general secretary of Merkel's CDU party, was also scathing.
'If a woman in a niqab can be presented as a women's representative in a programme on public television, I worry that next we'll see (Syrian president) Mr Assad introduced as a human rights officer on German television,' he said.
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It was a transformation that appeared out of this world.
Commuters and tourists were stunned when they hit the streets of London today to find the City had been turned into a replica of Mars.
The Red planet makeover came complete with a robot, named Bridgette, which British astronaut Tim Peake remotely controlled from space in April.
A team of artists worked overnight to lay a giant 400 square metre canvas of 3D fibre glass rock sculptures which transformed Trafalgar Square.
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Commuters and tourists were stunned when they hit the streets of London to find the iconic landmark had been turned into a replica of Mars
The Red planet makeover came complete with the robot rover British astronaut Tim Peake remotely controlled from space
A team of artists worked overnight to lay a giant 400 square metre canvas over the surface of the capital's landmark
The installation was created by National Geographic to launch the new docu-drama, 'MARS', which airs from Sunday at 9pm.
Kirsty Howell, Head of PR at Fox Networks Group UK, said: 'It's an epic space odyssey, telling the story of mankind's colonisation of the Red Planet.
'What better way to celebrate the launch of the new series than bringing Mars to Earth and sending Londoners out of this world?
'The incredibly realistic landscape unveiled today in Trafalgar Square shows that life on Mars is closer than we think.
'It is no longer a case of 'if' but 'when' we will reach the Red Planet - and this will happen within our lifetime.'
Surface imagery from Mars was used to create the replica rocky landscape which took artists and engineers two months to make.
The robot featured in the replica Mars landscape is the ExoMars Rover prototype known as Brigitte.
Astronaut Tim Peake remotely operated Brigitte while he was on the International Space Station.
Specialist designers created 3D fibreglass rock sculptures to replicate the surface of Mars to complete Trafalgar Square's transformation
The installation was created by National Geographic to launch the new docu-drama, 'MARS', which airs from Sunday at 9pm
Pictured is a boy pretending to stand on the edge of a rock on Mars at the installation at Trafalgar Square in London
Brigitte was created by Airbus, which pioneers the building of the vehicles in the UK, with support from the UK Space Agency
Brigitte was created by Airbus, which pioneers the building of the vehicles in the UK, with support from the UK Space Agency.
Airbus is currently developing the ExoMars rover vehicle for the European Space Agency's 2020 mission to search for life on Mars.
Kirsty Howell added: 'National Geographic is going further, as pioneers committed to pushing boundaries, and our thrilling new docu-drama 'MARS' blurs the line between the future and reality in a gripping way, never before seen on television.
London's Trafalgar Square has been turned into a Martian landscape, featuring the Mars Rover prototype Bridget, to mark the launch of new National Geographic television series MARS
A child plays with an astronaut at the launch of the Mars series at London's Trafalgar Square this afternoon
Passers-by look on as a replica landscape of the planet Mars was unveiled in London's Trafalgar Square to launch thee new National Geographic series
Airbus is currently developing the ExoMars rover vehicle for the European Space Agency's 2020 mission to search for life on Mars. Pictured is an astronaut on the replica Mars in London
Last December, Disney paid 24,000 to hire Trafalgar Square before transforming Nelson's Column into a lightsaber to mark the film's release.
The London landmark was transformed as stars of the movie followed a group of stormtroopers and Darth Vader down the red carpet during last night's European premiere at Leicester Square.
However, the publicity stunt led to accusations that Britain's heritage was 'up for sale', prompting questions over why one of the country's most iconic monuments was being used to promote a Hollywood film.
The 25-year-old said he smoked marijuana several hours before getting in the car and claimed he was no longer high at the time of the crash
, saying he was 'being stupid' and did not intent to kill anyone
White admitted to his role in the fatal
A Colorado man arrested last month in connection to a hit-and-run crash that killed a woman was doing 134mph in a 35mph zone, according to newly released court records.
The suspect in the deadly chain-reaction collision involving four vehicles, identified as 25-year-old Tyler White, was arrested on the night of October 10 after he was found skinny-dipping and dancing in a lake in Denver's City Park.
White was initially arrested on counts of vehicular homicide, driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident. On Friday, he was also charged with first-degree murder.
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Hit-and-run arrest: Tyler White (left), 25, has been charged with first-degree murder, vehicular homicide, DUI and leaving the scene of an accident in connection to the October 10 crash in Denver that killed Ariel Berryman, 28 (right)
Speed racer: White claimed he was doing 90mph at the time of the crash, but data from his Dodge Charger (pictured) showed he was going at 134mph
Horror crash: Police say White slammed into this silver Toyota Prius, killing the driver
According to police, White was speeding along Colorado Boulevard at around 6.40pm on October 10 when he slammed into a silver Toyota Prius at Interstate 70, reported CBS4.
The impact killed the driver of that vehicle, 28-year-old Ariel Berryman. The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner has determined the woman died of blunt force injuries.
Investigators said that after the collision, White fled the scene and resurfaced less than three hours later in City Park, where he was seen swimming naked and dancing on a statue in the middle of a lake.
The 25-year-old was picked up by police and booked into jail. Speaking to a CBS4 reporter following his arrest, White admitted to his role in the deadly crash and said he was just 'being stupid.'
'I killed somebody and I ask for forgiveness,' White said in the jailhouse interview.
The suspect, a recent transplant from Tennessee, claimed that he was going about 90mph at the time of the collision, but data downloaded from his Dodge Charger reportedly showed his rate of speed was 134mph, which is more than four times higher than the legal speed limit on Colorado Boulevard.
Bizarre twist: Fishermen in City Park (pictured) later spotted Tyler White swimming naked in this lake and dancing on a statue
Tyler White demonstrated through his driving actions an attitude of universal malice manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life and knowingly engaged in conduct which creates a grave risk of death to a person, or persons that caused death to Ms. Ariel Berryman, court filings cited by the station KDVR stated.
Police said White slammed into Berryman's southbound Prius, which then ran into an Acura and struck a cement barrier.
His white Dodge then hit a street light and careened into a Volkswagen, which, in turn, slammed into a fence and a parked van.
After his mangled Dodge came to a halt, the 25-year-old driver fled on foot and somehow made his way to City Park, where he was observed by fishermen swimming naked and dancing on top of a statue or a fountain in the middle of the lake.
He then swam ashore, where he collapsed. The eyewitnesses called 911 and summoned police, who arrived on the scene and detained White.
'Sorry:' Speaking to a reporter from jail, White admitted to causing Berryman's (right) death but said he did not intend to killing anyone and was just 'being stupid.' He also apologized to the woman's family
White admitted to the CBS4 reporter that he had smoked marijuana a few hours before the deadly crash, but he contended that he was no longer intoxicated by the time he got behind the wheel.
'It was already out of my system,' he said. 'It wasnt like I was stoned riving.'
When asked how he got to the park and why he stripped naked, the suspect replied: 'I really don't know. Something just took over me, told me to go there.'
He also said he never meant to kill anyone and asked Ariel Berryman's family for forgiveness.
According to her obituary, the University of Colorado Denver gradate worked at her alma mater in human resources and was a passionate animal lover.
White was released from jail on October 23 after posting $25,000 bond. In light of the first-degree murder charge against him, a new warrant has been issued for his arrest, with prosecutors asking to order him held without bond this time.
A mother who is sick and tired of the negativity spread by the presidential election campaign has started her own push to bring the country together.
Amanda Blanc, from Sacramento in California, has designed her own merchandise and played on Donald Trump's slogan in an effort to create some nationwide unity.
The stay-at-home mother has sold 300 lawn signs with her 'Make America Kind Again' message and has now branched out into tote bags.
Amanda Blanc, from Sacramento in California, has designed her own merchandise and played on Donald Trump's infamous slogan in an effort to create some nationwide unity
She told KCRA-TV: 'You have so many people saying, "I'm voting for so and so because it's the lesser of two evils."
'This message is just about dropping that and being nice to each other.'
The slogan is a play on 'Make America Great Again', which Trump has used as the cornerstone of his campaign.
However, Ms Blanc insists that the pun is not intended either to support or ridicule the Republican candidate.
Pictured: Amanda's merchandise includes lawn signs and tote bags bearing her slogan 'Make America Kind Again'
She said: 'I just want to represent kindness, I don't care about the politician.'
She told KCRA: 'It's just about being America, coming together and believing in something, and if you have to believe in kindness over politics, then so be it.'
The election campaign which ends tomorrow has proved divisive to an almost unprecedented degree.
Christie says claims his political career are 'over' have been exaggerated
He also denies the plot cost him his place as Donald Trump's running mate
Christie denies all knowledge of the plot and hasn't been charged despite testimony from Kelly and Baroni that he was aware of it
Pair were found guilty on all nine counts, including closing down lanes at the George Washington Bridge in an act of political retribution
Former aides Bridget Kelly and Bill Baroni were convicted of the plot on Friday in Newark federal court
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has called the Bridgegate plot to punish a Democratic mayor for not endorsing his re-election 'one of the most abjectly stupid things I've ever seen.'
Christie has spoken out for the first time since two of his ex-aides, former deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly and former Port Authority executive Bill Baroni, were charged for closing down lanes at the George Washington Bridge in an act of political retribution.
The most serious charges could see both defendants in jail for as many as 20 years.
Christie, who avoided charges, has always denied knowing about the plot - despite testimonies from Kelly, Baroni and former Port Authority official David Wildstein that he was informed about the lane closure.
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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (pictured last month) called the Bridgegate plot to punish a Democratic mayor for not endorsing his re-election 'one of the most abjectly stupid things I've ever seen'
In an interview with CBS This Morning, the governor said that he could not understand why his aides had carried out the scheme.
'I never could figure it out,' said Christie. 'It was one of the most abjectly stupid things I've ever seen.
'I mean, think about it... I'm up by 25 points in a reelection in a blue state. And they decide they're gonna create a traffic jam in a town that's a Democrat town, that I wound up winning two months later in the election?'
The six-week trial of his closest former aides has served to further tarnish the Christie's damaged public reputation.
Christie had been eyeing a presidential run in 2016, and was later considered as Donald Trump's running mate before the Republican presidential candidate plumped for Mike Pence.
Sources had told the New York Post that while Trump had been keen on Christie, his top aides as well as his two oldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, wanted him to take Pence.
'Trump had wanted Christie but Bridgegate would have been the biggest national story,' a source close to Trump told the Post. 'He'd lose the advantage of not being corrupt.'
Bridget Anne Kelly, former Deputy Chief of Staff for Christie, broke down in tears as she was found guilty on all counts in the George Washington Bridge traffic trial
Bill Baroni, right, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's former top appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Kelly, will both be sentenced on February 21
Yet Christie denies that Bridgegate was the reason why Trump selected Pence over him.
'We all have political baggage. I think he thought Mike was the better choice,' he said, although he admitted it could have had an impact.
'You'd have to ask Donald Trump. But Donald Trump didn't call me and say, "You're not gonna be vice president because of Bridgegate,"' he said.
Job approval ratings for Christie were also down to their lowest point at just 21 per cent, the Washington Post reports, adding that his political career had 'sustained a serious blow'.
A recent Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll found more than half of voters believed there was 'sufficient proof' Christie knew of the lane closures.
Despite the knock-backs in the wake of the scandal, Christie thinks claims his political career are 'over' have been exaggerated.
' Their conclusion is a snapshot in time,' he said of those reports. 'I can't tell you how many times I've been told my political career was over. Here I am.'
The two officials were accused of shutting down access lanes at the George Washington Bridge (stock image, pictured) in September 2013, thereby creating a massive days-long traffic jam to punish a local mayor for declining to endorse Christie's reelection campaign
The New Jersey governor insists that he had been an unfair target of the media for the past three years, and had been unable to defend himself because of the judicial proceedings.
'Now I can talk,' he added.
The plot that led to the convictions Friday of Kelly and Baroni, stemmed from Christie's political team's efforts to build bipartisan support they hoped would eventually help him in this year's presidential election.
CHRIS CHRISTIE STATEMENT ON BRIDGEGATE VERDICT 'On January 9, 2014, I apologized to the people of New Jersey for the conduct exhibited by some members of my Administration who showed a lack of respect for the appropriate role of government and for the people we serve. Those people were terminated by me and today, the jury affirms that decision by also holding them responsible for their own conduct. 'Like so many people in New Jersey, I'm saddened by this case and I'm saddened about the choices made by Bill Baroni, Bridget Kelly and David Wildstein. Today's verdict does not change this for me. 'But let me be clear once again, I had no knowledge prior to or during these lane realignments, and had no role in authorizing them. No believable evidence was presented to contradict that fact. Anything said to the contrary over the past six weeks in court is simply untrue. 'As a former federal prosecutor, I have respected these proceedings and refused to comment on the daily testimony from the trial. I will set the record straight in the coming days regarding the lies that were told by the media and in the courtroom.' Advertisement
The two officials were accused of shutting down access lanes at the George Washington Bridge in September 2013, thereby creating a massive days-long traffic jam to punish a local mayor for declining to endorse Christie's reelection campaign.
The ploy was allegedly retaliation against Democratic Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich who refused to endorse Christie for reelection in 2013.
Instead, the scandal and criminal case that came from the plot has dragged Christie down, helping to keep his own presidential campaign from going anywhere and featuring testimony reinforcing Christie's reputation among his critics as a bully.
The trial also included allegations that he knew more about the lane closings than he's previously claimed.
Christie said again Friday that he had no knowledge of the plot and said he would 'set the record straight' soon about 'the lies told by the media and in the courtroom.'
'I had no knowledge prior to or during these lane realignments and had no role in authorizing them,' Christie said. 'No believable evidence was presented to contradict that fact. Anything said to the contrary over the past six weeks in court is simply untrue.'
Beyond the Trump presidential campaign, the fallout from Friday's verdict included Democrats calling for a new investigation in to the governor's role and calls for impeachment from liberal groups in New Jersey.
Montclair State University political science professor Brigid Callahan Harrison said Christie was damaged by 'the narcissistic way' he was portrayed at the trial.
Christie denies he was dropped from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's (pictured with him in March on the campaign trail) ticket because of the scandal
'These convictions will be an essential defining feature of Christie's legacy in office,' she said, 'and will forever taint how his administration is perceived and will be remembered.'
What comes next for Christie isn't clear, but a Trump win on Tuesday over Democrat Hillary Clinton could give him an exit hatch from the political morass he faces at home, taking the two-term governor to Washington as a Cabinet pick or top aide. Although the fallout from the convictions and questions about what Christie knew could also complicate that.
Even though Trump said last year that he thought Christie 'totally knew' about the lane closing plot, he appointed him to lead his transition team.
Christie has assembled a team led by two close advisers responsible for filling thousands of government jobs if Trump wins.
John Podesta, Clinton's campaign chairman, on Friday called for Trump to ask Christie to resign after the verdict.
Podesta said that 'rather than just ... talking about cleaning up the swamp (Trump) might start by draining his own swamp and asking Mr. Christie to resign as the head of his transition.'
Kelly and Baroni's co-conspirator, the former Port Authority executive and confessed mastermind David Wildstein, pleaded guilty and appeared as the government's star witness, detailing how the three officials schemed to pay back Sokolich, a Democrat.
Christie pictured speaking about his knowledge of a traffic study that snarled traffic at the George Washington Bridge during a news conference on January 9, 2014 at the Statehouse in Trenton, New Jersey
Kelly and Baroni testified during the trial that they were under the impression the lane closures were part of a study by Wildstein.
Wildstein also implicated Christie, saying he and Baroni discussed the lane closures with the governor while they were ongoing.
Christie, Wildstein testified, laughed at the notion that Sokolich was frustrated by the traffic.
The governor insists all he was told was that there was traffic at the George Washington Bridge 'and that the mayor was not getting his phone calls returned.'
Kelly, who took the stand in her defense, testified she had discussed the lane closures with Christie a month beforehand, though she said she thought at the time they were part of a legitimate traffic study.
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Donald Trump ended his historic presidential campaign the way he began it: promising to 'make America great again.'
More than 300 rallies into his 17-month White House quest, the baseball cap slogan had become a speech-ending war whoop.
In the wee hours of Election Day, he made his case one last time.
'I am with you. I will fight for you. And I will win for you. I promise,' he said.
Voting had already begun in a few historic New Hampshire towns with midnight ballot traditions.
But in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the billionaire swashbuckler was still trying to close the ultimate deal.
'The election is now. The election is now. Can you believe it?' he asked. 'It's today. It's today. It's unbelievable.'
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Trump's final rally after New Hampshire was in Grand Rapids, Michigan (pictured), where he promised that his administration would return jobs to America
Trump said he believed that he'd 'hit the mother lode' with the recent email scandal, and FBI director James Comey's remark that there might be more emails out there
Ted Nugent performed in support of Trump in Michigan, saying 'I believe Donald Trump believes in the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Golden Rule, the Ten Commandments'
Nugent caused a stie when he said: '[Michigan has] the hardest-working s**t-kickers mankind has ever known' before grabbing his crotch. 'I've got your blue state right here,' he added. 'Black and blue'
Amid lasers and smoke, Trump promised his Manchester, New Hampshire crowd Monday that 'the American working class will strike back' on Election Day
'Real change,' he said, 'means restoring honesty to government. Let's start by getting rid of Clinton!' The crowd responded with cheers of 'Lock her up!'
The crowd, amassed in New Hampshire's biggest indoor arena, cheered and cried as Trump promised them a better future - starting tomorrow
Trump was backed not just by his VP pick Mike Pence, but also by his entire direct family, including Donald Trump Jr (left)
'You can make every dream you've ever dreamed for your country and your family come true. You have one magnificent chance to beat this corrupt, rigged system and to deliver justice for every forgotten man and forgotten woman and forgotten child in this nation.'
As he heard the roar of applause for the last time as a candidate, he issued one final instruction: 'Go to bed! Go to bed right now! Get up and vote!'
The twin senses of finality and uncertainty hung in the air as Trump worked to add extra flourishes to his stump speech.
Hoping for one last shout of 'Mexico' at a signature moment, he acknowledged the lateness of the hour: 'I just want to ask you one question, if you don't mind, at 1 o'clock in the morning: Who is going to pay for the wall?'
Finishing a favorite anecdote about cars that once were made in Flint and water that no one could drink in Mexico and making his switcheroo he boomed that 'you can't drink the damned water in Flint!'
'What the hell? Unbelievable!' Trump sniped.
Hillary Clinton attracted her usual share of barbs.
'We are finally going to close the books on the Clintons, and their lies, their schemes and corruption,' he said.
Trump called his kids 'the best surrogates of all' in his New Hampshire rally, comparing them to Clinton's own surrogates
Trump also read out support from New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick, saying there was no better job reference he could bring to the Granite State
The crowd cheered as Trump read out Belichick's letter to him: 'Congratulations on a tremendous campaign. You have dealt with an unbelievable, slanted and negative media and have come out beautifully'
Trump's impressive smoke and laser show - and his promise of a better tomorrow - worked some of his supporters up into an emotional frenzy
But in a rust-belt state that has hemorrhaged jobs for decades, the Republican rested on his unconventional partnership with grease monkeys and welders, janitors and mechanics.
'Today is our Independence Day,' he said, forging the last bit of kinship with them.
'Today the American working class is going to strike back, finally.'
Trump's stamina saw him to the finish line in the wee hours of Election Day morning, after 10 rallies in a two-day final campaign push.
His crowd at the Trump train's final stop, however, decided a 34-minute speech that started 90 minutes late was a bridge too far.
About 1 in 10 filed out while he was still talking, although they assured reporters that they were all-in for their hero just cold, tired, and unwilling to miss work.
The first-time candidate cranked up 11,000 New Hampshire voters like the world's loudest political siren on Monday night, as he predicting a victory over Clinton hours before getting to Michigan.
ONE LAST JAB: In the year of 'Lyin' Ted' Cruz, 'Liddle Marco' Rubio and 'Low Energy' Jeb Bush, Donald Trump added a new label to 'Crooked' Hillary Clinton on Monday night saying his Democratic rival is 'the face of failure'. He is pictured above in Scranton
THE FACE OF FAILURE? Trump hopes to upset Clinton, the Democratic Party's presidential nominee, in an election that was hers to lose
CAN HE DO IT? The CNN electoral college prediction after it fell under 270 - with North Carolina, Florida and New Hampshire not just in play but being visited by both candidates at the last minute
Trump built a movement of disaffected peasants with pitchforks this year, on the strength of promising the return of industrial jobs and ending the Obamacare medical insurance experiment.
In New Hampshire, the site of his first primary election victory, he declared that his passionate voting army will send him to the White House.
'Real change,' Trump said, 'means restoring honesty to government. Let's start by getting rid of Clinton!'
'Can you imagine having Hillary Clinton for four years?' he asked as chants of 'Lock her up!' filled the Granite State's largest indoor arena.
'Hillary Clinton's only allegiance is to herself, her donors and her special interests. My only special interest is to you.'
Trump brought his adult children and their spouses, along with running mate Mike Pence and his wife, on stage with him for his grand entrance in Manchester.
'I've been reading about Hillary Clinton having all these surrogates,' Trump said when the laser light show was over and the fog machines were switched off.
'I had the best surrogates of all,' he added, referring to his kids. 'They were all over.'
Manchester, a short drive from Foxboro, Massachusetts, is New England Patriots country. And Trump unveiled endorsements from the team's quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick, saying there was no better job reference he could offer.
Trump said Brady, the Super Bowl MVP signal-caller whom he called a 'great friend of mine' and 'a great champion,' offered his support in a phone call earlier on Monday.
'He called today, and he said, "Donald, I support you, you're my friend, and I voted for you",' the Republican presidential nominee recalled.
CRAZY DAY: Both major party candidates crisscrossed eastern swing states on Monday, with Trump (in red) visiting four states and Clinton three
WAITING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE: These Trump fans got in line hours ahead of Trump's final visit to the Granite State, which will be the penultimate stop of his presidential campaign
The billionaire also read aloud a letter from Belichick: 'Congratulations on a tremendous campaign. You have dealt with an unbelievable, slanted and negative media and have come out beautifully.'
'Hopefully tomorrow's election results will give you the opportunity to make America great again,' the coach wrote.
Trump and his custom Boeing 757 came to New Hampshire from Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he added a new label to 'Crooked' Hillary Clinton saying his Democratic rival is 'the face of failure.'
The startling election-eve pronouncement was an 11th-hour effort to woo 'all of the Democratic voters in our country who are thirsting for change like everybody else' in hardscrabble Scranton.
ONE DAY TO WIN IT: A loose, jovial Donald Trump wowed thousands of supporters in Sarasota, Florida on Monday morning, holding up a Halloween mask that bore his own likeness
Trump, the improbable GOP nominee, launched his campaign more than 16 months ago in what was initially seen as a vanity effort
CULTURE CLASH: Trump told his Florida fans that America will slip into permanent decline if his rival Hillary Clinton becomes president
ONE DAY MORE: Trump revved up Republicans in Raleigh, North Carolina as he predicted winning the Tarheel State and a host of other tight races on Tuesday
Trump had five stops on Monday. He is seen above in Raleigh, North carolina. On Sunday he was in Iowa, Minnesota, southeastern Michigan, western Pennsylvania and Virginia
Calling them 'the middle class, the forgotten people,' Trump told dirt-under-their-fingernails Democrats in search of economic relief that Clinton is a Wall Street banker's marionette, not a working-class champion.
'Everybody is thirsting, thirsting for change,' he said during the third of five rallies scheduled for the final day of the 2016 presidential campaign.
'You're tired of a government that works only for Wall Street and the special interests. You're tired of the reckless foreign policy, the crazy wars that are never won.'
'Hillary Clinton is the last stand for the Wall Street and special-interest donors and to special interests themselves,' he said.
'And Hillary is the face of failure,' he told the Pennsylvanians. 'She's the face of failure! She's the face of failed foreign policy.'
'GOOD JOB, DADDY!' A man in Sarasota held up a baby boy dressed as an elephant which is both the emblem of the GOP and the local symbol of the Ringling Brothers Circus's elephant sanctuary nearby
DEPLORABLES: Trump supporters in Raleigh, North Carolina, made no pretense of liking his presidential race rival
RALLY IN RALEIGH: The Republican candidate filled part of the J.S. Dorton arena as he made his pitch in North Carolina
NOT WITH HER: Women for Trump-sign brandishing backers were in the front row as he spoke in North Carolina
YUGE: This was part of the crowd as Trump campaigned in Raleigh, North Carolina
SWANSONG: One way or another this was Donald Trump's final appearance as a presidential candidate in the Tarheel State
SCENTING BLOOD? The shifting electoral college map puts North Carolina in the toss-up category and Trump is now sensing the possibility of victory
SHOUT FOR SUPPORT: Trump appealed for the backing of the audience in the Tar Heel state
'PRESIDENT TRUMP! PRESIDENT TRUMP' The Donald's rallies were well-attended and loud on Monday, beginning with just 20 hours to go before polls open
READY FOR THE VERDICT: The Republican nominee said Hillary Clinton 'is the most corrupt person ever to seek the presidency of the United States'
Suker has now filed a second lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court stating the DOE has no right to impose ATR as an extra form of punishment
The ATR is a pool of educators without permanent jobs and where Suker spends his time sitting in the
David Suker, 48, was fired from his job in 2012 after five arrests at Occupy Wall Street and failing to inform the DOE within 24 hours
A New York City teacher is protesting about his forced absence from the classroom and challenging the city to make him earn his $94,000 salary
David Suker, 48, was removed from his job in the Bronx after he was arrested at the Occupy Wall Street protests in November 2011.
Suker, who is a GED teacher, was then hit with charges by the Department of Education for not immediately reporting his arrest, and accused of riling up students during a police presentation.
Suker was terminated in August 2012 after the DOE hit him with additional charges of mishandling two unruly students three years earlier, and 11 absences deemed to be excessive.
He was eventually fired in August 2012, but in December last year, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge ruled that Suker could return to work and receive $260,000 in back pay - about three years salary.
'I come to work every day, sit down and do nothing,' said Suker to the New York Post.
Occupy Wall Street demonstrator and teacher David Suker, right, was arrested five times during the 2011 protests
Suker successfully sued the DOE in court and won three-years backpay. He had his benefits and $94,000 salary fully restored after paying a $7,000 fine
Despite being on the payroll, the DOE has not found a classroom suitable for him to teach in
Last year, city has a four-year, $1 million battle to fire Suker after being charged with riling up students during an NYPD presentation at a school town-hall meeting.
The costs were from the DOE having to pay Suker for more than two years to sit idle, hired substitutes, and racked up extensive legal expenses.
Suker was also charged with failing to immediately report one of his five Occupy Wall Street arrests and only notified the Department of Education three days after getting out of jail.
'I'm no angel, but I'm also a great teacher and a loving father who believes in the founding ideals of this country. I've served in the military and I've served in public schools for these beliefs. I deserve justice, and I feel now I've been vindicated,' he told The Post.
Suker has been placed in what the DOE term the Absent Teacher Reserve, a pool of educators without permanent jobs.
There are currently 1,304 mothballed teachers that sit around doing very little, yet still earn their full salary, costing the city an estimated $100 million a year.
After his arrest, firing and subsequent reinstatement, instead of returning to his old job Suker was banished him to the ATR. It's where teachers and guidance counselors who are unable to be rehired end up moving from school to school as substitutes.
Suker is now suing for a second time, He currently spends most of his time in the libraray either reading or napping at the Academy for Language and Technology in The Bronx
At least 200 educators who have been fined or suspended for misconduct or incompetence are currently stuck in the ATR.
The pool was supposed to be for 'excessed' teachers who lost their jobs if their schools downsized or closed, but it is fast filling up with those who which whom the Department fail to terminate.
For most of their days, the teachers simply sit around, occasionally working as a substitute or perform lunch duty.
Suker told The Post that he find being in exile stressful and he is now suing stating that the DOE has no right to impose what he sees as an extra form punishment on him because he cannot earn any overtime.
The FBI has cleared Hillary Clinton over the "new" emails found on disgraced Democratic politician Anthony Weiner's seized computer. The emails, which the FBI thought may be relevant to an earlier investigation of Clinton's inappropriate use of a private email server while in office, turned out to be mostly duplicates of those already covered by the investigation.
FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers Sunday the agency hasn't changed its opinion that Hillary Clinton should not face criminal charges after a review of new emails. "Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July," Comey wrote in the new letter to congressional committee chairmen.
Comey dropped a bombshell on the presidential race last month when he sent a letter to Congress saying the FBI had discovered emails in a separate investigation that could be connected to the now-closed probe of whether Clinton mishandled classified information. The move infuriated Democrats and emboldened Republican nominee Donald Trump.
The announcement brings to an end a week of political chaos triggered by Comey's vague letter insinuatingat least to Republicans and the mediathat Clinton once again risked legal sanction over the personal email account. Comey, in an oddly Comey-centered press event earlier this summer, then described the private email server as inappropriate but not something worthy of indictment.
In the days that followed Comey's letter to congress, sent barely two weeks before election day, even Clinton's foes found themselves discomfited by the FBI's exquisitely-timed involvement in domestic politics. Trump, though, exalted as polls tightened: though Clinton still leads, the possibility of a landslide (or indeed a Democrat Senate) is now deemed less likely by poll trackers.
CERN has denied claims the Large Hadron Collider was responsible for a recent string of earthquakes in Italy.
The BP Earthwatch organisation posted a video on its YouTube page which claimed the massive machine on the French-Swiss border could have prompted the earthquakes.
The conspiracy site claims the LHC could have triggered the earthquakes in August which killed more than 200 people and caused severe shocks last month.
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An internet conspiracy site has claimed the Large Hadron Collider, pictured, on the French - Swiss border, pictured, could have been responsible for the recent Italian earthquakes
The conspiracy site claimed the immense power released by the CERN collider could have triggered the recent string of eathquakes in Italy such as the one which destroyed Castelluccio
Scientists at the Geneva-based European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN), had been trying to discover a new particle - in addition to the 2012 discovering of the Higgs Boson - God particle.
However, after initial excitement of a breakthrough, scientists acknowledged the discovery was a 'statistical burp' rather than a new particle which would have re-written the physics books.
The LRC works by crashing atoms into each other at high speeds to see what happens to them.
Scientists believe such studies can help them understand the universe far more effectively.
But conspiracy theorists claim the LRC is dangerous.
In one test in late June, plasma was fired from the LRC to a lab 250 miles away in Italy.
CERN'S AWAKE EXPERIMENT The Awake experiment is part of CERN's Neutrinos to Gran Sasso experiment. It uses the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS), a much smaller version of the Large Hadron Collider. The SPS is housed in a circular tunnel, 4.3 miles (6.9 km) in circumference, on the border of France and Switzerland near Geneva. The experimental project is part of CERN's R&D activities, looking for new ways to build particle accelerators. This could lead to higher energy particle accelerators, without having to continue constructing larger machines. Instead of being accelerated by high-powered magnets like at the LHC, protons are accelerated using plasma 'wakefields' driven by a beam of protons. When beams of protons are produced in a particular way, it causes a 'wake' or a bubble of charge that moves close to the speed of light. Particles that interact with this wake are accelerated in what is called a secondary beam. The first test beams to test Awake were fired in late June. Advertisement
BP Earthwatch claimed on their YouTube channel 'They have really upped their game. We have been talking about this since the earthquakes started over in Italy. Now Awake is up and running now - for how long we don't know.'
The narrator of the video claims the area of the earthquake is in a direct line with the Italian laboratory.
Fellow conspiracy theorist Scott C Waring wrote on his blog: 'In the video BP Earthwatch states that there is a link between the current earthquakes in Italy and the CERN collider activiity. I personally believe this to be true.
'It looks like CERN is purposly trying to create a stargaze, but the planet will suffer earthquakes in their failures.
Sure a stargaze would be one way from one planet to another in the blink of an eye. THis kind of technology could allow humans to use it as a portal to gather resources, meet other species and even conquer them, or just populate a new planet.
'It also allows aliens to come in from the other side to conquer us.'
However, officials at CERN have dismissed the mad conspiracy theories.
A spokesman told MailOnline: 'The LHC is safe, and has been running smoothly and continuously day and night since it restarted last spring.
'The strength of the LHC magnets (8.36 teslas) is comparable to the magnetic field found in PET-MRI scanners (up to 9.4 tesla), which are regularly used for brain scans.
'This can not affect earths activity in any way, nor the weather. In addition, if the LHC can achieve particle collisions at an energy that no other particle accelerators have reached before, Nature routinely produces higher energies in cosmic-ray collisions: this happens in the atmosphere at any moment'
He added: ' Earthquakes have always been existing on earth, unfortunately. We are deeply saddened by the terrible events in Italy.'
In a statement on its website, CERN claimed: 'The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) can achieve an energy that no other particle accelerators have reached before, but Nature routinely produces higher energies in cosmic-ray collisions.
'Concerns about the safety of whatever may be created in such high-energy particle collisions have been addressed for many years. In the light of new experimental data and theoretical understanding, the LHC Safety Assessment Group (LSAG) has updated a review of the analysis made in 2003 by the LHC Safety Study Group, a group of independent scientists.
'LSAG reaffirms and extends the conclusions of the 2003 report that LHC collisions present no danger and that there are no reasons for concern.
'Whatever the LHC will do, Nature has already done many times over during the lifetime of the Earth and other astronomical bodies.
'The LSAG report has been reviewed and endorsed by CERNs Scientific Policy Committee, a group of external scientists that advises CERNs governing body, its Council.'
Due to a mistake by Sainsbury's, the wrong kind were
Scottish shoppers may have unwittingly picked up 'English' poppies after a mix-up by Sainsbury's.
The commemorative flowers are made to a different design north of the border, with no green leaf and four petals rather than two on those worn in England and elsewhere.
But a mistake by Sainsbury's has meant batches of the two-petal poppies were delivered to stores around Scotland.
Scottish poppies (left) use a different design to those worn in the rest of the UK (right), as the Scottish appeal believe they can make more money for the cause by not including the leaf
Poppies in Scotland are manufactured separately from those sold in the rest of UK, and have been made in Edinburgh since the 1920s.
But Sainsbury's admitted today that the wrong design of poppy was delivered to a 'handful' of its stores.
PoppyScotland, which merged with The Royal British Legion in 2011, told The Scotsman that funds raised through their sale would still go to the Scottish appeal.
A spokesman added: 'Stores have been issued with replacement stock. Any donations made throughout the Remembrance period at Sainsbury's will still come to Poppyscotland.
'We would like to thank Sainsbury's for their long standing and incredibly generous support to both Poppyscotland and the Royal British Legion.'
Explaining the difference in design, PoppyScotland has previously said: 'Apart from being botanically incorrect it would cost 15,000 to make leaves for all poppies money we feel is better spent on veterans. We might be slightly biased but we think the Scottish poppy looks nicer too.'
On Friday, a lawsuit filed against Donald Trump by 'Katie Johnson' was
The woman who alleged that Donald Trump raped her at age 13 at one of billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's notorious 'sex parties' fabricated the story, DailyMail.com has learned exclusively.
When the civil suit was initially filed last April, Trump's legal team branded the allegations 'disgusting at the highest level' and a 'hoax' clearly framed to 'solicit media attention or, perhaps... simply politically motivated'.
Clinton supporters had seized on the story as a possible knock out blow.
Then, last Wednesday, Katie Johnson suddenly cancelled a packed press conference at which she was set to reveal herself for the first time, saying she was 'too afraid' following a series of 'threats' against her.
On Friday, six months after legal papers were filed, the civil lawsuit was dramatically dropped.
Katie Johnson's shocking allegations first emerged in a lawsuit filed in California in April this year. She claimed she was raped by Donald Trump when she was a 13-year-old in 1994 - but now she has dramatically dropped the case as DailyMail.com learns that her story was not true
Social media erupted with claims that the woman had been paid off by Trump or was so terrified by threats to her life from Trump supporters that she was forced to withdraw her claims.
But DailyMail.com has learned that the real reason the suit was dropped is because the claims were simply NOT true.
The woman first sued Trump and Jeffrey Epstein under the name Katie Johnson - a name we know not to be her real identity - on April 26 in California federal court and filed an amended complaint in New York federal court in October, claiming she was subject to rape, criminal sexual acts, assault, battery and false imprisonment.
The court papers offered no corroborative evidence that her claims were true.
News that the allegations were dropped dismayed Hillary supporters who had hoped the claims would be the knock out blow for Trump's election campaign - already rocked in recent weeks by a string of sex assault claims.
Thousands of loyal Hillary followers had opened a discussion about the rape claims on Twitter and other social media networks hoping to damage Trump's push for the White House.
The Huffington Post jumped on the bandwagon of anti-Trump sentiment after she made her claims, asking: 'Donald Trump Is Accused Of Raping A 13-Year-Old. Why Haven't The Media Covered It?'
When the suit was filed in April, Trump's legal team branded the allegations 'disgusting at the highest level' and a 'hoax' clearly framed to 'solicit media attention or, perhaps... simply politically motivated'
Dropped: Johnson had claimed in court papers that Trump took her virginity, forced her into role-play sex and alleges that he and financier Epstein treated her as a 'sex slave' in the summer in 1994
Johnson had claimed she encountered Trump at parties held by Jeffrey Epstein at his 71st Street townhouse in New York City
Epstein (left in 2008 and right earlier this year) was arrested in 2006 and accused of sexual abuse by 40 different women, with many alleging they were teenagers at the time
But DailyMail.com has been told that elements of what Johnson had claimed crumbled at the last minute.
Her claims can today be exposed as untruthful, the key fact being that Donald Trump was not involved whatsoever.
A source with knowledge of the controversial case told DailyMail.com: 'Katie Johnson's account had been believable and compelling right up until the last minute.
'But new information emerged that suggested she had not been telling the truth.
'Ultimately it was discovered that Donald Trump's name had been inserted into this, he was not involved whatsoever. After that she had no credibility.'
The revelation slaps down any suggestion that Johnson dropped the case thanks to a secret financial settlement with Trump, as has been speculated on social media.
It also clears Trump of any hint of wrong doing in association with the lawsuit.
DailyMail.com interviewed Johnson before the case was dropped.
She had claimed her motivation was to tell her story was to expose Donald Trump to stop him from becoming president.
'We would have a rapist in the White House. I would feel horrified every single day if I stay in this country,' she said, in dramatic terms.
Johnson said her experiences in the summer in 1994 still haunt her today.
'As much as I try to forget about everything that happened, it always affects everything in my life,' she said. 'I mean it affects my relationships, I don't think I've ever had a successful relationship, one that I feel I can trust that person, there's always that mistrust.'
But she also said that in 1994 she had no idea who her attacker was and that it was only when she watched The Apprentice that she came to believe it was Trump, claiming that she could not forget her attacker's face.
DailyMail.com has since learned that Johnson has two DUIs and a felony drug possession on her record and a history of drug abuse.
Johnson has a troubled past, and told DailyMail.com that she believes her experiences as a young girl led to those troubles.
The former real estate worker said recent spinal surgery has meant she is unable to work and claims disability welfare.
In lurid claims Johnson in court papers, she claimed Trump took her virginity, forced her in to role-play sex and alleges that he and financier Epstein treated her as a 'sex slave' during an 'horrific' summer in 1994.
The promise of a modeling career lured teen Katie Johnson to New York, she caimed
Johnson also alleged she was sexually abused by Epstein himself - a convicted pedophile - on two different occasions during the same summer.
Johnson claimed she was forced to perform sex acts on Epstein through threats of 'violence' to her and her family.
She told DailyMail.com about how she first came to jump on a Greyhound bus from small town Oklahoma to New York in a bid to pursue her dream of becoming a model. She was just 13.
She acknowledged in the interview that she had no idea who Donald Trump was at the time.
But she claims that she would never forget his face and it was only years later when Trump starred in The Apprentice that she recognized the man she says sexually assaulted her.
That may be the crucial flaw in her story.
The widow of a man who killed in the 2003 bike shop massacre credits a woman who was chained up in a metal container for months for surviving 'pure hell' after her alleged abductor's arrest led to a confession to the unsolved murders.
Authorities say Todd Kohlhepp, 45, confessed to shooting dead the owner, service manager, mechanic and bookkeeper of Superbike Motorsports in Chesnee, South Carolina, on November 6, 2003.
He faces four counts of murder and a single kidnapping charge.
Melissa Brackman, who was then married to Scott Ponder, the owner of the store, told CBS News: 'I had made peace that it was phone call I was never going to get.'
But on Saturday, she got that phone call and credits Kala Brown, the woman whose rescue on Thursday led to the break in the case, for it.
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Melissa Brackman (left), whose husband was killed in the 2003 bike shop massacre, credits Kala Brown (right) for surviving 'pure hell' after her rescue led to her abductor's arrest and he then confessed to the unsolved quadruple murder
Scott Ponder (pictured) was shot dead inside Superbike Motorsports in Chesnee, South Carolina, on November 6, 2003
'She's the hero. She stayed alive for two months. In a pure hell,' Brackman said.
'And if she had not been found alive, we wouldn't be sitting here having an interview right now.'
She added that detectives told her Kohlhepp was an angry customer who had been in the motorcycle shop several times.
Kohlhepp became a suspect in at least seven deaths in the days after Brown was found on Thursday - chained by her neck and ankle in a metal storage container on his 95-acre property near rural Woodruff.
Following his arrest, he confessed to the 2003 quadruple slaying of Ponder, his mother Beverly Guy, Brian Lucas and Chris Sherbert, investigators said.
A Spartanburg County Sheriff's investigative report says Kohlhepp 'confessed to investigators that he shot and killed' all four victims, giving details only the killer would know.
Kohlhepp (above, in court) was denied bond Sunday during a brief court appearance on four murder charges for the quadruple slaying
He was denied bond Sunday during a brief court appearance on four murder charges for those slayings.
He's also charged with kidnapping Brown, and more criminal counts are expected.
Kohlhepp also showed authorities the grave sites of two more of his victims on Saturday - a day after a body was found in a shallow grave on his property, later identified as Brown's boyfriend Charles Carver.
Todd Kohlhepp faces four counts of murder and a single kidnapping charge
Coroner Rusty Clevenger said he died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Now, investigators have expanded their search for human remains beyond the property where they discovered a woman chained inside a storage container.
Sheriff Chuck Wright, who was first elected about a year after the Superbike Motorsports killings, has a wide-ranging investigation of a crime spree over more than a decade.
The investigation has expanded to other properties that Kohlhepp, a real estate agent, either currently or used to own.
Those properties are not limited to South Carolina, Wright said on Sunday, declining to be more specific. Both the FBI and Homeland Security are involved, he said.
On Saturday, Kohlhepp showed investigators where he says he buried two other victims on the property he bought two years ago.
Human remains were uncovered at one of those sites on Sunday, Wright said.
'We're not even close' on identifying the remains or cause of death, he said. 'We can't tell anything.'
Scott Ponder (right) and his mother Beverly (left) were found dead at the bike shop in 2003
Service manager Brian Lucas (left) and mechanic Chris Sherbert (right) also died in the 2003 massacre
Kohlhepp did not tell investigators who was buried there.
Clevenger said removing the remains to 'preserve every bit of evidence' is a meticulous, time-consuming process,
On Sunday, Kohlhepp appeared in an orange jumpsuit for the brief bond hearing and declined to make a statement. He didn't have an attorney.
After Kohlhepp left the courtroom, Magistrate Judge Jimmy Henson told the family members they would have a chance later to address Kohlhepp in court.
'You have something to say. You've been waiting 13 years to say it,' he said.
County sheriff Chuck Wright (pictured talking to reporters on Sunday) said the investigation has expanded to other properties that Kohlhepp either currently or used to own
The father of Brian Lucas, the 29-year-old slain service manager, thanked the judge.
'Your honor, I appreciate your words to us and your counsel,' Tom Lucas said as two others put their hands on his shoulders. 'We thank you.'
Before the hearing, Lucas said he wanted to be in court to look Kohlhepp in the eye.
'I want to look at him, and I want to try to use that in healing,' he said.
Before Kohlhepp emerged as a suspect, investigators had said all four victims were killed with the same pistol.
They have theorized that the killer came in the back and killed mechanic Chris Sherbert, 26, as he worked.
Bookkeeper Beverly Guy, 52, was found just outside the bathroom in the middle of the showroom.
Thirty-year-old shop owner Scott Ponder was found just outside the door in the parking lot. Brian Lucas was in the doorway of the shop.
Kohlhepp was released from prison in Arizona in 2001.
At the age of 15, he was convicted of raping a 14-year-old neighbor at gunpoint and threatening to kill her siblings if she called police.
While having a Clinton in the White House could seem like a throwback to the '90s, two of Donald Trump's rumored top picks for his cabinet hearken back to that era too.
NBC News is reporting that Trump is eyeing former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for attorney general and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to be secretary of state.
Giuliani, age 72, who helped get New York through 9/11 and Gingrich, 73, who led congressional Republicans through the Bill Clinton years, have resurfaced as major GOP political players after having both run unsuccessfully for president in 2008 and 2012, respectively.
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Donald Trump could be enlisting two of his top surrogates for big jobs in the administration: Newt Gingrich (left) as secretary of state and Rudy Giuliani (right) as attorney general
Donald Trump is reportedly eyeing some of his stop surrogates, including Rudy Giuliani and Newt Gingrich, along with RNC Chairman Reince Priebus for top White House roles
This is, in part, because Trump's unlikely candidacy took many Republicans by surprise and also left alienated some major figures in the party including the trio of Bushes, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Jeb Bush, along with 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney.
Filling that void on cable news show were often Gingrich and Giuliani, who became two of The Donald's most vocal surrogates outside his greater campaign staff.
Other surrogates are reportedly in the running for top Trump administration jobs too.
NBC reported that Trump's team is considering Lt. Gen Michael Flynn for defense secretary.
Flynn's appointment, however, would need a congressional waiver, as Flynn hasn't been out of the military for the mandated seven years.
Additionally, NBC says that Trump is looking at his finance chair, Steve Mnuchin, as a potential treasury secretary, along with the Republican National Committee's finance chair Lew Eisenberg for commerce secretary.
In a show of how closely the RNC was actually working with Trump, RNC chairman Reince Priebus is actually being considered to be Trump's chief of staff.
Priebus has stayed firmly on Trump's side since the billionaire businessman got the nomination and has been instrumental in helping the campaign put together a heavy duty data operation.
If Priebus vacates his RNC role, there's also chatter that Trump's original campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who's now a paid contributor on CNN, could go work over there.
Trump's deputy campaign manager David Bossie is also rumored to be an option to head over to the RNC.
If Trump squeaks out a victory on Tuesday night, two of the media-savvy types who made is possible may not follow along.
Steve Bannon, who took leave from the right-wing media company Breitbart to help lead Trump's team, plans to go back to that gig once this is all said and done.
Kellyanne Conway, the well-respected Republican pollster who was promoted to Trump's campaign manager in August, is also not likely to join Trump's White House team, NBC reported.
When spokeswoman Hope Hicks was asked about these names being floated, she told NBC that 'none of this is accurate.'
A depraved ex-pat Brit who travelled hundreds of miles to the UK from his home in The Provence in the sick hope of sexually abusing twin girls aged eight has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.
Married 52-year-old Richard Chapman was caught in a police sting.
He engaged in online communications with a female officer in the false belief she was the youngsters mother and told her they were the "perfect age" for his sordid plan.
Married 52-year-old Richard Chapman was caught in a police sting after he engaged in an online chat trying to arrange a meeting with eight-year-old twin girls through who he thought was their mother
Chapman also described himself as a "terrible pervert" and said children were "a forbidden thing but a massive turn-on" for him.
Even more shockingly, he told the undercover officer he knew as Jen it was "a shame" his wife could not have children as it would have given him "more opportunities".
Chapman was arrested in July after he arranged to travel from his home in Molleges, in Bouches-du-Rhone, in the South of France and met Jen in a pub in Wimbledon, London.
At Maidstone Crown Court in Kent on Friday a judge said Chapman was dangerous in the legal sense and that an extended sentence of imprisonment was necessary to protect the public.
Chapman must serve two-thirds of the jail term before becoming eligible for parole. Upon release, he will serve the remainder of that sentence on licence, plus a further five-and-a-half years on licence.
Chapman admitted two offences of arranging or facilitating a child sex offence and four of distributing indecent images of children.
At Maidstone Crown Court in Kent on Friday (pictured) a judge said Chapman was dangerous in the legal sense and that an extended sentence of imprisonment was necessary to protect the public
He also asked for two charges in relation to possessing and making child pornography to be taken into consideration.
The court heard he became embroiled in sick internet chatroom conversations after moving to France and finding it difficult to make friends.
A lack of interest in sex with his wife also led to him indulging in the depraved virtual world, where his barrister said he became desensitised to the harmful reality of child abuse and traded indecent images.
These depicted abuse categorised by police as covering all three levels of seriousness and were also sent to the undercover officer.
Jailing Chapman, Judge Philip St.John-Stevens said he had a clear intention of meeting the twin girls, albeit they were fictional, and performing sex acts with them.
He added that Chapman also used the pornographic images as currency with others and as part of the build-up in his plan to abuse the girls.
Prosecutor Donna East said Chapman began communicating with the covert police operation in June and continued until his arrest a month later.
She told the court he revealed his sexual interest in children spanned many years, starting when he was about 20.
'He described previous attempts to abuse children and indicated that he preferred young children between the ages of three and seven but also liked children between seven and 12.
'He also solicited images of the eight-year-old twins and requested details of Jens sexual activity with her daughters and said how great it was to involve her daughters in her sex life which he described as great and very healthy.'
Chapman also told Jen his wife worked away and was unaware of his perverted desires.
The court heard he said he had never physically met anyone who shared his hobby and suggested meeting Jen so they could flirt, giggle and find common ground.
In other online chats Chapman claimed to have French kissed a teenage girl, performed a sex act on an 11-year-old and wished to go a little further, said Miss East.
Kent Police caught Chapman as part of an online sting where officers posed as other people
He also expressed his plan with Jens daughters.
'He referred to them as being the perfect age,' added the prosecutor.
Chapman sent the officer 19 child abuse images, including one movie clip, before meeting in the pub on July 12.
Their conversation was recorded and Miss East told the court he claimed he first began abusing children after a trip to an open-air swimming pool.
'He stated he had done some crazy things, including masturbating near young girls, and that he would tell Jen more about it when he knew her well.
'He also said his wife couldnt have children which was a shame because it would have given him more opportunities.
'He described himself as a terrible pervert, always looking up skirts and down tops of young girls and trying to take photographs but this was too risky.
'He said children were a forbidden thing but a massive turn on for him.'
After his arrest, Chapman claimed a lot of what he had told Jen was "fabricated".
Police later found a total of 1,855 still and movie clips of child abuse on his computer at his home in France. Again, they covered all levels of seriousness.
The court heard Chapmans "solitary" life after moving to France led to him becoming embroiled in an activity which "escalated out of his control".
As part of his sentence Chapman must sign on the sex offenders register indefinitely and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order.
Detective Constable Jo-Anne Gordon from Kent Polices paedophile online investigation team said: 'We will use a variety of methods to proactively target people who view indecent images of children, abuse children, or use the internet to seek out opportunities to commit offences against children.
David Buchler is accused of punching a shopper after getting into a dispute with his wife at the till
The former vice-chair of Tottenham broke a fellow shopper's nose in Harrods after a row over two croissants, a court heard.
David Buchler, who ran Spurs in the early 90s and oversaw Sir Alan Sugar's takeover of the north-London club, is accused of punching a shopper after getting into a dispute with his wife at the till.
The spat, On New Year's Eve, kicked off after Buchler pushed to the front of the queue to pay for two croissants in the top store's food hall, the court was told.
Buchler, 54 claims that either James Birrane or his wife Rosaria, called him a 'dirty Jew'.
But Isleworth Crown Court heard that he pushed to the front of the queue and when Mrs Birrane remonstrated he told her to 'f*** off' before punching her husband who stepped in.
Buchler, who was celebrating his birthday on the same day, then struck Mr Birrane with a 'single punch that destroyed his life', the jury heard.
Buchler said he cannot recall exactly who called him a 'dirty Jew', but maintains that someone did.
Giving evidence at Isleworth Crown Court on Monday, Mrs Birrane denied using racist language insisting, 'my husband is Jewish: his father is Irish. His mother is a Jew'.
She said that Buchler was being rude to the woman behind the till, saying 'I've only got two f***ing croissants and I'm in a f***ing hurry. Get on with it'.
Prosecutor Tim Naik said: 'The three main parties were all in the food hall at Harrods when Mr Birrane is assaulted at the end of the incident while queueing for items to pay at the till.
'The defendant comes to the front of the counter, and it is the Crown's contention that he pushed to the front.
'This leads to a confrontation between him and those near him, in particular with Mrs Birrane. He told her to f**k off.
'Mr Birrane said he heard that, saw how Mr Buchler was behaving, told him not to talk to his wife like that and moved forward to protect her.
Buchler, who was celebrating his birthday on the same day, struck Mr Birrane with a 'single punch that destroyed his life', the jury heard
'Mr Birrane said that he was then struck by the defendant to the nose, but he cannot say whether is was a closed fist.
'There's no dispute that there's an injury - he was bleeding from the nose. There was a little scuffle.'
The jury heard that when Buchler was arrested, he told police: 'I have never been arrested and I am sorry that I had hurt this man.
'But he came up behind me, I turned around, and he was much bigger than me.'
The jury were shown a video, in which Buchler can be seen in the queue before Mrs Birrane joined.
An argument then began, with both parties wagging fingers at each other before Buchler disappeared from the shot.
Speaking from the witness box, Mr Birrane asked the clerk to help him read the affirmation as he had 'double vision because of this incident'.
The spat, On New Year's Eve, kicked off after Buchler pushed to the front of the queue to pay for two croissants in the top store's food hall, the court was told
He said: 'She was in the queue and I was back a bit. After a while, I thought she finished so I stepped towards her and I was punched, completely unprovoked, out of the blue.
'I felt a crunching smash in my face, but I didn't see where it came from.'
Mr Birrane told the court that in his statement to the police he was 'gabbling like a starling'.
Jonathan Goldberg QC, defending, told the jury that Mr Birrane had been an actor, and had starred in a couple of plays before asking him: 'Are you acting now?'
'No absolutely not,' Mr Birrane replied.
Mr Goldberg also suggested that Mrs Birrane was the 'strong personality in the marriage' and that she had a temper because she was Sicilian.
Buchler said he cannot recall exactly who called him a 'dirty Jew', but maintains that someone did
But Mr Birrane said she had a 'normal temper' and 'sometimes used the f-word'.
Mr Goldberg also suggested that the couple had concocted the story, and pointed out that in each their statements to police, they had incorrectly said the incident happened at 1.50pm.
Mr Birrane remained silent, and reiterated that he 'gabbled' to the police following the alleged attack.
Mrs Birrane told the court that she was 'a bit miffed' that Buchler had joined the queue.
She said: 'He was having a go at the girl behind the counter. He said, 'I've only got two ***ing croissants and I'm in a f***ing hurry. Get on with it'.
'So I said, 'can you please f*** off' - actually, I said bugger off.'
Mr Goldberg asked why she had not told police that she had sworn at Buchler, but Mrs Birrane said the officer told her to omit the comment.
It also emerged that comment on a news article which mentioned Buchler in September in which she wrote: 'He was charged with ABH and will appear in court in November.
'We are going to do everything we can to make sure he is convicted.'
But defending those comments this afternoon she said: 'We want justice for what he did with a single punch and destroyed a man's life'.
When Mrs Goldberg suggested that she had called Buchler a 'dirty Jew', she said: 'I would never say that. My husband is Jewish. Shame on you. I knew you were going to play that card.'
Buchler, of Mayfair, central London, denies one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
A 17-year-old Georgia teen is dead after he accidentally shot himself in the upper torso on Sunday night.
The shooting happened around 10.15pm at a house in southeast Atlanta.
Atlanta police said a preliminary investigation indicates that the incident is 'consistent with a negligent, self-inflicted (gunshot wound) resulting in death'.
A 17-year-old Georgia teen is dead after he accidentally shot himself in the upper torso on Sunday night at a home in Atlanta. Pictured are authorities at the scene after the shooting
Officer Kim Jones said the final cause and manner of death is pending the completion of an autopsy, she told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The boy was taken to a local hospital after the shooting and was pronounced dead. His name has not been released.
Other people were inside the home at the time of the shooting, but police have not revealed who or how many people were there.
Jones said witnesses 'had remained' at the scene and 'cooperated with the investigation', providing statements to police.
Investigators currently do not believe a fight was involved and are working to identify the owner of the gun that was used, according to WTVM.
This is the second accidental shooting to happen in Atlanta in one weekend.
On Saturday a 12-year-old boy was accidentally shot by his 11-year-old brother.
Authorities said witnesses 'had remained' at the scene and cooperated with the investigation', providing statements to police
The two had been playing with a 10-year-old when they found a gun inside the home.
Authorities said the gun discharged when the 11-year-old tried to put it back where the boys found it, according to WXIA.
The 12-year-old was struck at least once and is now in serious condition.
Authorities said an adult family member was in another room of the house when the shooting occurred.
New York Times bestselling author Ed Klein has just published his fourth book about the Clintons since 2005, Guilty as Sin. Klein has told how Bill Clinton enjoyed foot rubs, massages and romps in his presidential library with female interns and has described new details about Hillary's medical crises. Guilty as Sin is available in bookstores and for order from Amazon.
After persistent prodding by senior adviser Valerie Jarrett to remove James Comey from his job as director of the FBI, President Obama has agreed the time has come to fire America's top cop.
Comey has been under fire by both Democrats and Republicans for his recent actions
According to a White House source familiar with Obama's decision, Jarrett and the president held lengthy discussions over the past several days about the political and legal ramifications of firing the FBI director.
The president was furious with Comey for reopening the FBI's investigation of Hillary's emails 11 days before the election, then admitting two days before the election that he couldn't find any cause for taking action against the Democratic nominee.
But the president was reluctant to move against Comey for fear that it would open him to charges of obstruction of justice.
Senior adviser Valerie Jarrett has convinced President Obama to remove James Comey from his job as director of the FBI
However, according to the White House source, Jarrett convinced the president that it was within his power to remove the FBI director for his ill-conceived and erratic interference in the presidential election.
She also argued that there would be bipartisan support in Congress for such a move against Comey, who has alienated both Democrats and Republicans
After the White House legal counsel agreed with Jarrett, Obama ordered his top advisers to draw up a plan for getting rid of the troublesome FBi director.
It has yet to be decided who will wield the hatchetthe president, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, or someone elseand exactly when Comey will be forced to go. So far, the only firm decision is that Comey will not be fired until after the election.
New York Times bestselling author Ed Klein lays bare Clinton secrets in Guilty as Sin
Other sources within the FBI report that Comey may be gone before the president has a chance to act. According to these sources, there is a mounting consensus in the FBI that Comey has inflicted permanent damage on the institution and that he no longer has the confidence of his staff.
According to these sources, Comey has lost the good will of his agents and some of his deputies, and more and more of them are clamoring for his resignation.
'I met with friends from the FBI and Justice,' said a retired Justice Department official, 'and they were all in agreement that Comey's jerky decisionsopening the case against Hillary without definite cause, then closing it without consulting with his top deputieswas flabbergasting and deeply disturbing for career law enforcement and prosecutors.
'Whatever support and goodwill Jim had until recently has been destroyed,' this source continued. 'He has injured the bureau and it will take a miracle for him to survive this.'
Apple has banned the Rich Kids app from all of its devices to stop swaggering socialites from using it to boast about their lifestyles.
The app was created by Juraj Ivan and Michal Harustiak in October and members were charged just under 1,000 a month to post their photos exclusively.
Mr Ivan and Mr Harustiak admitted they were inspired by the Rich Kids of Instagram who showed off to the world their private jets, yachts in the Caribbean and the champagne-fuelled best parties.
Apple has removed an app from all of its devices that was was created by Juraj Ivan and Michal Harustiak in October. Mysterious blonde Roxie Conrad Gaut (pictured), believed to be in her 20s, was one of the first 11 people to be invited to use the Rich Kids app free of charge
Members of the Rich Kids App pay just under 1,000 a month to post their pictures. Pictured: Joey Bissell, who claims to invest in gold
Ukraine-born Julia Stakhiva (pictured), 24, is another one of the Rich Kids members. Julia, pictured in a 180,000 Ferrari 488 in Chelsea, London, wants to be a reality TV star
But after the Instagram blog was accused of broadcasting millionaire fakes, they pair decided to flush out the fakes from the millionaires with their app.
Rubbishing suggestions the app is a PR stunt, Mr Ivan previously told MailOnline: 'I was surprised that there is no service or social network for Rich people that is not private.
'All of the social networks for the rich are closed to the eye of a random user.
The App was inspired by a popular Instagram page of the same name. Pictured: Ukrainian food empire heiress Julia Stakhiva, 23, a member
With 236,000 Instagram followers, Robert Cavalli (pictured), son of fashion icon Ricardo, is another super rich 20-something invited to use the exclusive Rich Kids app
Turkish real estate 'prince' Emir Bahadir, 24, who says he grew knowing the best in 'cars, clothing, dining, art, and travelling' is also on it. Pictured: Bahadir heading 'back to reality' on a helicopter following his holiday in St Tropez
'We think that being rich is boring when nobody sees you.'
Members who were invited in the beginning to join the app for free to tempt others included Ukrainian socialite Julia Stakhiva, who boasts she is too beautiful to work - and claims to fly her hairstylist from Moscow to London just so she looks 'perfect'.
Turkish real estate 'prince' Emir Bahadir, 24, who says he grew knowing the best in 'cars, clothing, dining, art, and travelling' is also on it along with Robert Cavalli, son of fashion icon Roberto, who parties with Naomi Campbell and Kendall Jenner.
Emir Bahadir, 24, is the heir to a Turkish real estate empire and recently spent 2.8m on an apartment in New York's West upmarket Village area
Member Roxie Conrad Gaut boasts more than 10,000 Instagram followers and posts pictures from lavish destinations around the world but very little is known about the glamourous blonde. Pictured: An Instagram post from the island of Great Guana Cay
Julia Stakhiva angered This Morning viewers when she said she was too beautiful to work
Also on the site is Israeli skincare king Dor Bukobza, 25, who brags that his shoes cost more than his friends' cars.
They claimed the price to join was fair as if it was too much, it just isnt for you.
After the apps launch it was not a surprise it generated much criticism.
According to The Times, a source close to Apple has said it was removed because it violated terms and conditions.
Pictured: Instagram post showing Roxie next to a private jet in California
Pictured: Turkish real estaet magnate Emir Bahadir relaxing at a villa at the Principe Leopoldo resort in Lugano, Switzerland
Pictured: Bahadir on a yacht off the coast of Mykonos, Greece
But members can still use it on Android devices and its website version.
It is claimed only six members post frequently, but around 25,000 people downloaded the app as non-paying members to follow and like the posts.
According to the Rich Kids app website: Apple has removed Rich Kids from the App Store. Rich Kids didn't break any App Store guideline or rule and it was purely a decision of Apple's App Store Review Team which found the app inappropriate. Rather than let people decide if they like Rich Kids app or not, Apple made this decision for all iPhone users.
Pictured: Robert Cavalli, son of fashion icon Robert, who is one of the first super rich 20-somethings to use the app
Julia Stakhiva says she runs a team of five full-time employees - from fashion stylist to photographer - who travel the world with her, promoting her image
Plastic surgery fanatic Rodrigo Alves (pictured) says being on the Rich Kids app will help him get into the most exclusive night clubs and bars
We are trying to bring Rich Kids back to the App Store. Meanwhile, you can access Rich Kids with our web app optimized for iPhone.
According to The Times, member Rodgrigo Alves, known for his obsession with plastic surgery, defended the App, saying; Its a way to network and meet other people with the same sense of style who can show each other the best shops, restaurants and night clubs.
The final major ad buy of millionaire Donald Trump's presidential campaign? A sinister affair featuring financial elites, piles of money, (((global special interests))), international entities, oh and lets make sure there are plenty of actual Jews in there in case people don't get the message.
As he talks about the "levers of power in Washington" and the "global special interests," images of billionaire George Soros, a Jewish hedge fund tycoon, philanthropist, and a major backer of liberal causes, and Janet Yellen, the Jewish chairman of the Federal Reserve, appear on the video.
In addition, an image of the Jewish CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, also appears when Trump talks about the "global power structure that is responsible for the economic decisions that have robbed our working class, stripped our country of its wealth and put that money into the pockets of a handful of large corporations and political entities."
The speech from which the two-minute ad was excerpted, and which Trump is shown delivering as the ad winds to a close, was given at a rally last month in West Palm Beach, Florida. That speech had already been condemned for what critics described as drawing on anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about the global control of Jewish bankers and its echoes of the 19th century anti-Semitic tract "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion."
A 30-year-old who has been charged with murder for pushing a woman in front of a moving subway train in New York reportedly told police that she was responsible for another subway death in October.
Witnesses said suspect Melanie Liverpool-Turner, 30, had been arguing with Connie Watton, 49, at the Times Square-42nd Street station on Monday. The two did not know each other, police said.
They were both standing on the downtown platform of the 1 train when Watton was shoved onto the tracks at around 1.20pm. She was pronounced dead on the scene shortly afterward, a police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Online.
A Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker said Liverpool-Turner looked 'proud' as she was led away by police officers moments later.
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The suspect Melanie Liverpool-Turner, 30, (pictured in pink top) was taken into custody. She has been charged with murder for pushing Connie Watton, 49, in front of a moving train
Watton was pronounced dead at the scene, and a MTA worker said Liverpool-Turner looked 'proud' as she was led away by police officers moments later
The two women were both standing on the downtown platform of the 1 train at the Times Square-42nd Street station at 1.20pm on Monday
A motive has not been established, but Liverpool-Turner told authorities she also pushed a German college student to her death last month at Union Square Station, the New York Post reported.
However officers think she is lying as the student is believed to have committed suicide after a breakup.
Witnesses at the time said they saw the 19-year-old jump in front of the train - however NBC reported that police are now revisiting the case.
Liverpool-Turner underwent a psychiatric exam at Bellevue Hospital after her claims, and police sources told the Post she has a history of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Liverpool-Turner (pictured) told authorities she pushed a German college student to her death in October
Liverpool-Turner underwent a psychiatric exam at Bellevue Hospital after her claims, and police sources told the Post she has a history of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia
Liverpool-Turner is seen above in a photo she posted to Facebook. She had been on her way to Brooklyn to go shopping on Monday
The suspect's boyfriend, Olief Wilson, said Liverpool-Turner was taking the train on Monday to go shopping in Brooklyn.
It remains unclear whether Liverpool-Turner and Watton had been riding the same train, but police said they did not know each other.
Bystanders notified police officers on the platform after Watton was struck by the train, and Liverpool-Turner was led out of the station by several cops.
The suspect, left, with boyfriend Olief Wilson, is said to have a history of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Wilson said she was headed to some shops in Brooklyn on Monday
William Aubry, the police department's chief of Manhattan detectives, said investigators are still reviewing surveillance video and interviewing witnesses.
Aubry said: 'We have a lot of work to do...We are looking at video now and we're trying to capture the perpetrator and also the victim as they're entering into the train station.'
Liverpool-Turner had uploaded a passage on her Facebook page of 'The dangers of the Last Days' on September 11.
It says: 'In the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money.'
Liverpool-Turner shared this passage on her Facebook profile. She uploaded it on September 11
The suspect is pictured in the back of an NYPD police cruiser after being arrested on Monday
Emergency responders work at the scene to remove the victim's body from the tracks
NYPD police work at the scene after a commuter was pushed in front of a subway train
Many of those who saw the attack were visibly shaken.
'What happened here today is tragic,' Joseph Fox, chief of transit for the New York City Police Department, told reporters at the station.
One MTA worker told the Post: 'About five minutes ago, 20 police officers escorted her out. Her head was up kinda proud of what she did.'
Another subway passenger Lindsey Ramirez wrote on Facebook that she 'saw a woman getting handcuffed, who looked like she didn't give a damn'.
Larissa Diaz, who works at a clothing store above the station, told AM New York she realized something had happened because 'there were so many people outside screaming.'
An investigation is ongoing.
Many of those who saw the attack were visibly shaken, and people immediately notified police officers on the platform
About three dozen police and other emergency officials responded to the incident
About three dozen police and other emergency officials responded to the incident at the station in midtown Manhattan.
The station, at the intersection of Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street, is one of New York's busiest transit stops.
Two hours after the incident, emergency responders were still working to remove the victim's body from the tracks.
The 1, 2 and 3 trains were delayed but service returned to its usual operation by Monday night.
'What happened here today is tragic,' Joseph Fox (center), chief of transit for the New York City Police Department, told reporters at the station
Dozens of people are hit by New York City subway trains each year, although most of the incidents are accidental
Dozens of people are hit by New York City subway trains each year, although most of the incidents are accidental, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the system.
Last year, a woman was convicted and sentenced to 24 years imprisonment for fatally pushing a man into the path of an oncoming New York subway train in 2012.
The Times Square-42nd St station is New York's busiest, serving more than 66million riders every year, and on average 200,000 every day.
Ten subway lines converge on the station, as well as the shuttle to Grand Central Station.
Germany's Federal police has blamed the influx of migrants for increasing crime rates.
In 2015 436,387 crimes were recorded - a 31.6 per cent increase on 2014.
Police say the increase is mostly due to violations of immigration rules, with nearly 40 percent of all crimes relating to residency, asylum and freedom of movement laws.
The statistics emerged against a backdrop of rising tensions over Merkel's liberal refugee policies
The figures only account for crimes recorded by Federal police who secure borders and transit hubs - and not crimes record by local police, reports the Local.
Thefts increased by 12 per cent last year and fare-dodging by two per cent, while assault and property damage decreased.
The police also revealed 865,374 illegal immigrants entered Germany in 2015, with 14,000 entering in September alone.
A total of 74,000 of those entering illegally were from Syria - and authorities only managed to deport 22,369, although this was more than the 13,851 deported in 2014.
The news comes after police figures revealed migrants in Germany have committed 142,500 crimes in the first six months of 2016.
This was the equivalent of 780 crimes a day - an increase of nearly 40 percent over 2015, according to data from Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office.
Right-wing activists gather in front of Hauptbahnhof main railway station before marching through the city center
It comes as German chancellor Angela Merkel remains under pressure over her open-door policy on immigration amid concerns over how to integrate 900,000 newcomers who arrived last year.
The statistics emerged against a backdrop of rising tensions over Merkel's liberal refugee policies.
The rightwing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) harnessed a wave of anger over the refugee influx to claim around 14 percent of the vote in Berlin state in September.
In October, thou sands of protesters massed in the eastern German city of Dresden to mark the second anniversary of the anti-migrant and Islamophobic movement Pegida.
German chancellor Angela Merkel remains under pressure over her open-door policy on immigration
Carrying flags bearing slogans like 'Refugees not welcome', the crowd chanted 'Merkel must go'.
Earlier in the month, Pegida supporters sparked outrage when they heckled Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck during German reunification celebrations in Dresden.
No violence had broken out so far at the rally, police said, while independent research group Durchgezaehlt estimated turnout at between 6,500 and 8,500 people - far less than the 20,000 who joined the anniversary rally a year ago.
Pegida was forced to hold its anniversary gathering this year on Sunday rather than Monday - when it usually holds its rallies, because two public events aimed at countering the Islamophobia group had already reserved the space in Dresden's old town.
Employers often like to talk up the most menial of roles in adverts - but Ryanair has stuck to it's usual no frills approach by advertising for 'the worst job in Ireland'.
And the job is not as a 'lavatory engineer' or a 'microwave technician', it's actually for a personal assistant to their controversial chief executive Mike O'Leary.
The hilariously honest advert on the company's website insists applicants have a 'thick skin', 'saint-like patience' and an aversion to 'bol***ology'.
This hilariously honest advert on Ryanair's website insists applicants have a 'thick skin', 'saint-like patience' and an aversion to 'bol***ology' to work with CEO Michael I'Leary
It requests '(ego) massage qualifications' from the applicant, who will work with the famously outspoken CEO Michael O'Leary, who has previously called the airline and himself 'nasty'.
It requests '(ego) massage qualifications' from the applicant, who will work with the famously outspoken CEO, who has previously called the airline and himself 'nasty'.
If hired, the successful applicant can enjoy carrying out 'general drudgery' and must have the 'ability to operate without sleep or contact with the outside world'.
The advert might seem unusual for most companies but it seems to fit right in with Me O'Leary's no-nonsense approach, openly abusing his own customers at times.
After complaints over the company's no refunds policy, he famously said: 'We don't want to hear your sob stories. What part of 'no refund' don't you understand?'
Asked about a refund on another occasion, he simply replied: 'You're not getting a refund so f*** off.'
He has also admitted he is not popular, saying: 'I don't give a ***** if no-one likes me. I am not a cloud bunny, I am not an aerosexual.
'I don't like aeroplanes. I never wanted to be a pilot like those other platoons of goons who populate the airline industry.'
The successful candidate can get a glimpse of what to expect from Mr O'Leary from when he was asked what the best way is to motivate staff and he replied: 'Fear'.
And the successful candidate can get a glimpse of what to expect from Mr O'Leary from his comments on how to motivate staff, when he replied: 'Fear'.
While the successful candidate may have a rough ride ahead, it could be worse for unsuccessful applicants who do not fit the specification, according to the advert.
'Note: Dubs fans, Man U supporters and cyclists will not only be automatically excluded from the process, but will be tracked down, tortured and shot,' it adds at the end.
However, anyone willing to take on the task and work with the 'misunderstood but beloved CEO' could have a promising career, the company claims.
It says: 'This role is a great opportunity for an ambitious, self motivated qualified accountant to work in a demanding and interesting role.
'There will be significant opportunities for the candidate if successful, to further develop their career by promotion into the management team at Ryanair.
A 4-month-baby girl has died after suffering fatal injuries in a three-car pileup in California that was allegedly caused by a drunken driver.
The crash took place on the northbound 110 Freeway in the Elysian Park section of Los Angeles Saturday evening, leaving a total of four people injured.
Jared Silvestri, 26, of Pasadena, was arrested on suspicion of felony drunken driving in connection to the multivehicle wreck.
Crash scene: A 4-month-baby girl has died after suffering fatal injuries in a three-car crash on the northbound 110 Freeway in the Elysian Park section of Los Angeles
Driver Jared Silvestri, 26, of Pasadena, was arrested on suspicion of felony drunken driving in connection to the multivehicle wreck
Police were called to the scene of the crash on the northbound Pasadena Freeway in the tunnels on the Arroyo Seco Parkway south of the Golden State Freeway at around 6.40pm, to find a 4-month-old baby girl lying without a pulse and not breathing.
The child, who has not been named as of Monday afternoon, was rushed to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in grave condition, and she later succumbed to her injuries, reported Fox 11.
LaShawn Stevens, 48, and a 10-year-old girl, both from La Crescenta, were taken to the hospital suffering from moderate injuries.
Silvestri was treated for a minor injury in the same hospital as the other crash victims and then taken into police custody.
A 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old woman who were in the same car as the infant suffered injuries in the collision
According to the California Highway Patrol, LaShawn Stevens, who was driving a 2006 Chrysler with the two children in the car, began slowing down and moving towards the right shoulder as Jared Silvestri's 2001 Chevrolet was speeding in her direction, reported NBC Los Angeles.
As Stevens was slowing down and halfway onto the shoulder, police say Silvestri struck the rear end of her Chrysler at a high rate of speed, according to officials, causing both vehicles to spin out of control and smash into third car.
That vehicle, another 2001 Chevrolet, was driven by a 35-year-old man from Colorado, who escaped unharmed, according to LA Times.
Angry snack fans are boycotting Walkers crisps following a 10 per cent price hike.
The crisp giant, owned by US company PepsiCo, have blamed Brexit for the increase - and claimed 'fluctuating exchange rates' pushed up the price of seasonings, oil and packaging.
Walkers, whose crisps are made at a Leicester factory with British potatoes, has been slammed for the rise - with many angry crisp fans promising to boycott the brand.
Angry snack fans are boycotting Walkers crisps following a 10 per cent price hike
Leicester-based Walkers is increasing the price of crisps by 10 per cent - blaming the rise on the result of the EU referendum
Crisp lovers have taken to Twitter to vent their frustration. @toastofworcesta tweeted: 'Boycott Walkers Crisps, b*****ks to them, putting their prices up, when the potatoes come from Britain and Ireland, w****rs.'
Another user, @uk-disgrace, tweeted: 'Boycott.@walkers-crisps and don't pay them or their liberal scum mascot.@GaryLinekar - in Britain we moan but rarely act.' [sic]
@girlytigerrr tweeted: 'PLEASE!!! Boycott @walkers-crisps !! Not only are they supporting Gary Lineker, they're fear-mongering over Brexit!! WALK PAST THE WALKERS!' [sic]
A standard price 32g bag will rise from 50p to 55p, while a larger grab bag will go from 75p to 80p.
A family pack will still be on offer for 1 - but the weight will be reduced from 100g to 90g, meaning you get fewer crisps for your pound.
A Walkers spokesman said: 'Whilst our potatoes are British, we import a number of different ingredients and materials to produce a finished packet of Walkers crisps.
'In light of this we are taking steps to cover some of these additional costs through selective cost price changes.
'It will be for individual retailers to determine the impact on the price at which they sell our products.'
THE BREXIT PRICE HIKES The plunge in the value of the pound meant the cost of buying wine from the big wine-producing regions including the Americas, Australia and South Africa shot up by 15 to 20 per cent. Tech giant Apple also blamed the fall in the value of the pound since the referendum for hiking the price of its computers by up to 500. The 13-inch MacBook Air the least expensive laptop Apple sells and first introduced in 2015 rose from 849 to 949. The UK boss of Typhoo Tea warned the price of tea would also rise. The company's chief executive said the cost of importing an 80 kilo bag of tea had soared by 50 per cent from 100 up to 150 since the beginning of the year with much of the increase being blamed on the recent fall in the value of sterling. Advertisement
Thousands of commuters have been delayed on their journeys home after a man jumped onto a railway line, took off his shirt, and started rapping.
He went onto the tracks at Norwood Junction, south London, at around 6pm and begun blurting out expletive-laden lyrics while station staff urged him to move.
Police with tasers arrived to detain the trespasser, but he ran away down the darkened track towards East Croydon before officers could reach him.
Thousands of commuters have been delayed on their journeys home after a man jumped onto a railway line, took off his shirt, and started rapping
Business Insider editor Lianna Brinded was at the station when the incident happened
Business Insider editor Lianna Brinded, who was at the station, described how the man asked for a cigarette and said he wanted to be 'on YouTube'.
'The guy started taking off his clothes and shouting and then he broke out into an impromptu rap,' she told The Evening Standard.
Lines were re-opened at 7.26pm, and trains are moving at a slow speed through the station.
Southern Rail warned of delays of around an hour, and said disruption will continue until the end of service.
Norwood Junction is used by travellers going to Gatwick Airport, and also hosts Thameslink services to Brighton and Cambridge.
A Southern Rail spokeswoman told MailOnline: 'We found out about the incident at 6.10.
'Since then it has caused severe disruption and we anticipate that to continue for the rest of the evening.'
A Network Rail spokesman told MailOnline: 'At 18.04, we were alerted to a trespass incident at Norwood Junction Station.
Norwood Junction is used by travellers going to Gatwick Airport. It also hosts Thameslink services to Brighton and Cambridge
Southern Rail warned of delays of around an hour, and said disruption will continue until the end of service
'All trains on the lines were stopped to assist British Transport Police and at 19.26 we re-energised the lines and are cautioning trains through the station.'
The British Transport Police said: 'BTP were called to the railway line close to Norwood Junction station following reports of a distressed male on the track.
'Officers from BTP and the Metropolitan Police attended and carried out a search for the male but he was not located. The line was handed back at 7.11pm.
'Officers are conducting enquiries to identify the male.'
Machado also talk about why she is supporting Hillary Clinton, writing: ''I believe in her plan for the future of this country'
Machado also writes that she never had any issues with her weight or body image before Trump shamed her for gaining 15 pounds
When the magazine was released, she sent a copy to Donald Trump, writing: 'This is for you. This is your Miss Piggy'
She writes that posing for Playboy played a large role in her recovery
Alicia Machado has written a first-person essay about her five year battle with anorexia and
Alicia Machado is opening up about her five year struggle with anorexia and bulimia after being publicly mocked by Donald Trump for gaining 15 pounds in the new issue of Women's Health.
In a first-person essay for the magazine, Machado writes that she never had any issues with food or her weight until Trump made her into a spectacle after she won the title of Miss Universe, and invited the press to watch her workout.
She writes that after many years of therapy and support she finally learned to accept her body again, and that her 2005 spread for Playboy was a big help.
'Playboy put me on the cover and I thought it was very nice; I felt beautiful and sexy,' writes Machado.
'So, I decided to send that magazine to Mr. Trump to show him that he had not broken me. I signed it, "This is for you. This is your Miss Piggy. This is your Miss Housekeeping."
'It felt good to do that.'
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Recovery: Alicia Machado has written a first-person essay about her five year battle with anorexia and bulimia after she was shamed by Donald Trump (above in 1997) about her weight
Healing process: Machado writes that posing for Playboy (above) played a large role in her recovery
Machado also writes that she never thought about having plastic surgery growing up, and that she was a very thin size 0 when she won the title of Miss Universe in 1996 while representing Venezuela.
Her weight gain came in the year after she won because of all the travelling involved with her new job explains Machado, which led to less sleep and had her sampling foods from around the world.
But even after putting on 15 pounds she was still only a size 6, well below the average size for most woman.
That was too much weight for Trump however, who ordered her to workout, and had camera crews come film her.
'I dont know why he did it; maybe it was a publicity stunt. But I do know a lot of women have complained about how he treats them,' writes Machado, who was just 18 at the time.
'It was a terrible blow to my self-esteem because his comments were so public and it felt like everyone was pointing fingers at me. Id never faced anything like that before.
'I didnt feel like it was fair for him to call me those names because of 15 pounds.'
Machado writes that now she wants women to lead 'happy and healthy lives' and now have to deal with the 'bullying' like she had to deal with from Trump.
That is why she is supporting Hillary Clinton.
'I believe in her plan for the future of this country,' writes Machado.
'This beautiful country is now my home, and with Hillary as president these women can get the help they need to succeed and be healthy and happy.'
With her: Machado also talk about why she is supporting Hillary Clinton, writing: ''I believe in her plan for the future of this country' (pair above last week in Florida)
In an interview with Today back in September, Machado recounted how Trump called her names like 'Miss Piggy,' 'Miss Housekeeping,' and 'Miss Eating Machine' after she won her title before going on to claim that he also made racist comments about black people.
Machado claimed that Trump used racial slurs that were so offensive when speaking about black people that she would not repeat them during the interview.
'I listened to a few comments from him when he was my boss, but I don't want to talk about it because it's too much rude for the black community, and I respect a lot of things,' said Machado in a clip from her interview.
When NBC host Natalie Morales then asked if those comments were about both Latinos and African-Americans, Machado replied: 'Yes. He don't like that people either. He's trying to make up distractions and now he's in the churches. He's ridiculous.'
She also revealed in that interview that she had no idea that Clinton would be sharing her story during the first presidential debate, and that it was a big 'surprise' to her despite participating in an ad for the Democratic nominee for president earlier this year.
Machado is not being paid or compensated in any way by the Clinton campaign she told Morales.
During that debate Clinton spoke about some of the negative things Trump has said about women in the past, as well as his love of beauty pageants.
'And one of the worst things he said was about a woman in a beauty contest - he loves beauty contests, supporting them, and hanging around them,' said Clinton.
'And he called this woman "Miss Piggy." Then he called her "Miss Housekeeping," because she was Latina.'
Trump then began interrupting Clinton, asking 'Where did you find her? Where did you find her?'
Clinton continued, saying: 'And she has a name, Alicia Machado, and she has become a U.S. citizen .
'And you can bet she's going to vote this November.'
She and her sister Tiffany flew to Hudsonville on Monday to lead a Women in Business roundtable discussion during the campaign stop
But she was still spotted on the trail for him today at a stop in Michigan
Ivanka has decided to try and distance herself from her father's campaign, a report claims
Boycott is against her continued support of Donald Trump following his 'grab them by the p***y' comments and sex assault allegations against him
Move comes in the wake of a growing boycott against her clothing brand
Ivanka asked her father's campaign not to promote an ad she stars in aimed at appealing to female voters, a report claims
Ivanka Trump is trying to distance herself from her father's campaign amidst growing threats to boycott her brand, a new report claims.
The businesswoman recently dismissed the boycott against her line over her support for Donald Trump in the light of his now infamous 'grab them by the p***y' comments and multiple sexual assault allegations against him.
But privately, she has discouraged his campaign from running an ad she starred in, aimed at appealing to female voters, the New York Times reports.
'If it's possible to be famous and yet not really well known, that describes the father who raised me,' Trump says in the ad.
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Ivanka Trump is trying to distance herself from her father's campaign amidst growing threats to boycott her brand, a new report claims (file picture)
Ivanka Trump (pictured today at an event during a campaign stop with sister Tiffany) recently dismissed the boycott against her line over her support for Donald Trump in the light of his now infamous 'grab them by the p***y' comments and multiple sexual assault allegations against him
'My father not only has the strength and ability necessary to be our next president but also the kindness and the greatness of heart that will enable him to be the leader that the country needs.'
The Times reports that Ivanka had asked the campaign not to promote the ad for fear that it would damage her business.
That has not stopped Ivanka hitting the campaign trail for her father again today in Michigan.
She and her sister Tiffany flew to Hudsonville on Monday to lead a Women in Business roundtable discussion during the campaign stop as Michigan has become the focus for both Donald and Hillary Clinton.
Ivanka has discouraged his campaign from running an ad she starred in (pictured) aimed at appealing to female voters, according to new reports
And while the pressure is mounting ahead of Tuesday's election, Ivanka, 35, and Tiffany, 23, still managed to have plenty of fun on the campaign trail as they reached out to female voters.
The sisters also answered questions about how their father's presidency will affect millennials at a public forum held in Hudsonville during one of Ivanka's many campaign stops.
But it appears that Ivanka is painfully aware of the damage that her support for father is having on her business.
'There was a tipping point with Ivanka Trump it was right after the Billy Bush tape came out and she went back on the campaign trail,' said Shannon Coulter, a marketing executive who started the #GrabYourWallet, to boycott retailers that carry her brand.
It was in direct response to Donald's Access Hollywood comments, and Ivanka's support of her father and defense of his misogynistic remarks in the past, even though she did call what he said on Access Hollywood 'offensive.'
A growing group of women are boycotting Ivanka Trump's eponymous line of clothing
Shoppers are boycotting Ivanka's brand ofclothing, jewelry, perfume and accessories sold as part of the Ivanka Trump Collection
'It was a feeling of recoiling. It was emotional, visceral. Then I had a pounding headache for a few days. I was filled with nausea,' said Coulter of hearing Donald's words on the audio from his hot mic.
During a recent conference, Ivanka had attempted to separate her women-centered brands from her father's campaign.
'I've always tried to maintain complete separation between [my brand] and the campaign,' Ivanka said.
But many women feel they can no longer do the same.
As Coulter explained in an interview with Cosmopolitan, '[women] were ready to give Ivanka a pass because shes his [Trump's] daughter and its hard to be objective about your dad.'
However, after the tape, women took particular offense 'to the fact that Ivanka tries to make feminism a part of her brand but is standing by, as an official campaign surrogate, a guy who is an alleged serial sexual assaulter of women,' according to Coulter.
Moving on: Ivanka Trump addressed the boycott of her brands by women upset by her father's misogynistic comments and allegations of sexual assault
Criticism: 'People who are seeking to politicize it because they may disagree with the politics of my father, there's nothing I can do to change that,' said Ivanka
'The disconnect was too big. And they were ready to speak up about it and flex their consumer power about it,' the San Francisco-based brand and digital strategist said.
The boycott campaign also seems to be working as experts say they have reduced search traffic for Ivanka's brand since mid-October - the beginning of the boycott.
Trump broke her silence about the push by some to boycott her brands on Good Morning America last month, revealing she has no desire to try and speak with or communicate with those women.
'The beauty of America is that people can do what they like, but I'd prefer to talk to the millions, tens of millions of American women who are inspired by the brand,' said Ivanka on Thursday morning as she and her siblings appeared on Good Morning America.
'The message that I've created - my advocacy of women, trying to empower them in all aspects of their life - started long before this presidential campaign did. I've never politicized that message.'
That has not stopped Ivanka hitting the campaign trail for her father again today in Michigan (Ivanka, pictured on the campaign trail on Monday)
Ivanka Trump, right, answers a question at a public forum during a campaign stop for her father, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, at the Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville, Michigan
On her way: Ivanka appeared at the Laconia Middle School in New Hampshire early Sunday
Ivanka then added: 'People who are seeking to politicize it because they may disagree with the politics of my father, there's nothing I can do to change that.'
She did not however acknowledge the fact that the boycott is not in response to her father's political beliefs, but rather his alleged sexual assault of over 10 women and the comments he made in a 2005 Access Hollywood interview with Billy Bush.
Ivanka said at the top of the interview how happy she was for her father as they neared the election, saying: 'We are very proud of our father and what he's accomplished. He's amazing.'
She and her brothers Eric and Donald Jr. also said they would stay on at Trump even if their father wins the election.
The talk also turned to the possible problems facing the family's own brand in the wake of this election, with some reports claiming Donald's political views have angered and upset many of his upscale and wealthy customers.
Justin Ross Harris smiled and joked with his defense counsel as 1,150 pieces of evidence were collected, boxed and delivered to a waiting jury as deliberations began in his murder trial Tuesday morning.
Harris, whose emotions have run the gamut during the course of the five-week trial, appeared relaxed and jovial, and even offered a 'fist bump' to one of his attorneys.
Meanwhile, the jury that will decide his fate wanted to know exactly what the word wanton means.
A note to the judge from the jury foreman asked for a legal definition of the word less than an hour into their deliberations.
Wanton appears in the malice murder and criminal negligence charges against Harris, who is standing trial for the death of his son Cooper.
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Justin Ross Harris smiled and joked with his defense counsel as 1,150 pieces of evidence were collected, boxed and delivered to a waiting jury
The red car seat in which Harris' son Cooper died was among the evidence to be assessed by jurors
Cobb County police and prosecutors said the 22-month-old blond boy was allowed to die in a hot car as Harris worked on a June day in 2014.
Harris is charged with malice murder, two counts of felony murder, first-degree cruelty to children, second-degree cruelty to children, sexual exploitation of children and two counts of disseminating harmful material to minors.
Harris, whose emotions have run the gamut during the course of the five-week trial, appeared relaxed and jovial, and even offered a 'fist bump' to one of his attorneys
As defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, wanton means showing no thought or care for the rights, feelings, or safety of others.
Prosecutors argued Harris had a willful and wanton disregard for his sons safety when he left the child strapped into his child-safety seat and locked him in the familys SUV while he worked at his Home Depot job.
Harris called his sons death an accident. His defense attorney said it was due to a memory failure as he drove to work instead of taking Cooper to his daycare facility.
Prosecutors maintained Coopers death was deliberate and intentional, telling the jury Harris lived a double life and was obsessed with sex and sexting with other women.
Harris is charged with malice murder, two counts of felony murder, first-degree cruelty to children, second-degree cruelty to children, sexual exploitation of children and two counts of disseminating harmful material to minors
Chuck Boring, assistant Cobb County prosecutor, reminded the court Monday of the eight counts against Harris, 35, including sexual exploitation of minors as well as felony murder and cruelty to children
Judge Mary Staley Clark declined to provide a definition because the word has no strict legal definition.
The jury asked to view once again the police video of Lt. Phil Stoddard's interview of Harris and will be allowed to see it Wednesday morning.
The jury also asked to see the life-size doll used by the prosecution to scan and measure Cooper's red seat, but Judge Staley denied the request.
Court -- and jury deliberations -- were recessed for the day.
The Justin Ross Harris story is one of sexual obsession and a double life.
Or a 'cockamamie', implausible story cooked up by the police and prosecutors to fit their theory of why Cooper Harris died in his dad's hot car on a hot June day in 2014.
Jurors in the Ross Harris murder trial, in Brunswick, Georgia, heard closing arguments Monday.
They must decide if Ross Harris wanted a life free from children, deliberately abandoning his 22-month-old toddler son to 'burn to death' in his SUV while he worked for seven hours -- or if his death was accidental and the result of a memory lapse that could happen to anyone.
Harris with Cooper and his wife Leanna
The six-men and six-women jury listened as Chuck Boring, assistant Cobb County prosecutor, reminded the court of the eight counts against Harris, 35, including sexual exploitation of minors as well as felony murder and cruelty to children.
''Now that you've heard all the evidence, there is no doubt that Cooper was burned to death in that car,' Boring told the court.
Cooper's death was a matter of a 0.6 mile, four-minute ride and the few inches between Harris and his son in the back seat. The father drove straight to his job after breakfast - instead of dropping the infant at a company-owned daycare center.
He parked his car and 'closed the door to his son's life,' Boring said.
Harris admitted he was responsible for his son's death, and his defense attorney said as much when the trial began in early October, he reminded the court.
The high profile case at first looked like a tragic accident. But investigators cast doubt on Cooper's deaths when they found Harris had researched child deaths inside vehicles before his son perished.
An expert in digital forensics and data recovery, called as a defense witness, said that his research of Harris' computers did not reveal any searches by him about 'hot car deaths' or 'how hot a vehicle must be for a child to die inside it'.
Harris did not testify in his case
Among the witnesses called by both sides have been Harris' ex-wife, computer experts, ex-colleagues, a former prostitute, and several women who were teenagers when they embarked on affairs with Harris.
Harris himself declined to testify.
'Responsibility is guilty in this case. There is no doubt that Harris is guilty of all of the charges,' Boring said in his closing argument Monday.
'This isn't a case about an adult hating a child,' Boring told the jury. 'It's just that he loves himself and his other obsession more than that little boy.'
Boring was referring to court revelations that Harris was obsessed with pornography and conducted a string of affairs with other women while married to his wife Leanna.
'Killing a young child, there is no excuse for it,' Boring said. That Harris was a good dad on other occasions does not excuse what he did, he continued.
Boring called Harris an expert in hot car deaths.
'He thought he was smarter than anybody else. He didn't think anyone was going to call his bluff' and get away with it,' Boring said.
Harris faces life in prison if found guilty. His defense are arguing that his son's death was an accident.
'If it's an accident, it's not a crime,' defense attorney Maddox Kilgore said as he begain his summation.
'If it's an accident, it's not a crime,' said defense attorney Maddox Kilgore
Kilgore said Harris has 'been buried in a mountain of his own sin'
'Ross Harris failed to take Cooper to daycare. He failed. He left him in that car. There was never a question about it. He is responsible. Nobody else.'
'But responsible is not criminal,' he stressed.
Acknowledging his client's history of multiple sexting, encounters with prostitutes and 'hooking up' with other women, Kilgore said, 'if he had a double life, there was a constant in both lives. He loved this little boy.'
'Was this investigation a search for the truth, or was it police wanting to make the facts fit their theory? ' he asked. 'You've been misled throughout this trial.'
The state's case is all about 'demeanor and dirt,' he said. His client has earned the shame.
'He's been buried in a mountain of his own sin,' Kilgore admitted.
'His adultery and sexting is reprehensible. But none of it has anything to do with Cooper's death. The state wants to bury him in filth and dirt,' he said, calling the 'state's desperation' in this case and calling their accusations a 'cockamamie story'.
'To find Ross guilty of murder ignores that he was planning a cruise for a family vacation,' Kilgore said, referring to testimony previously heard in court. 'He had no reason to kill him.'
Video of Ross Harris and his son Cooper were shown to the jury in an often emotionally fraught trial
'There's no doubt he wanted to go on vacation,' Boring countered to Kilgore in his final address to the jury. 'He talked big and he thought big, absolutely.'
When Harris looked into vacations he asked if kids can go on cruises for free, Boring conceded.
But Harris 'didn't search for how awesome cruises are for kids. He was concerned about money and had complained about how expensive kids are,' Boring explained.
'Even if Harris loved Cooper,' he said, 'humans are capable of awful things - especially selfish humans who are obsessed.'
'Many people said Harris was a good dad and loved his son. They didn't know about his double life.'
'He thought all along that he was going to be an advocate for preventing leaving kids in hot cars...He thought this was going to work out just peachy,' Boring said.
'He never thought the police were going to get onto his act.'
'What was most important to him in his life?' Boring asked. 'Do you really think he was going to delete all of the lewd text messages and photos he saved on his phone?'
'Absolutely not,' he said. Those texts 'meant more to him than that child,' he said.
'Harris knew the dangers of leaving a child in a hot car more than anybody. This was no negligence. This was intentional.'
'This case is about justice. Today that little boy would be four years old, maybe learning how to play t-ball. But he's not - because that defendant took his life for his own selfish, obsessed reasons,' Boring said.
Harris may have 'vacillated back and forth until he had the opportunity to kill Cooper,' Boring added.
'What does he stand to gain? He doesn't have to worry about taking care of his child anymore,' Boring concluded.
After an hour-long verbal instruction from Judge Mary Staley Clark, the jury were sent home for the day.
Bill Shorten's satisfaction rate is higher but Mr Turnbull is still preferred PM
A slump in voter support sees Malcolm Turnbull deliver the worst poll results since becoming the prime minister.
Support for the Labor Party is at its highest since Mr Turnbull took control of the Liberal Party in September 2015, with a recent poll indicating the opposition leads the coalition 53 per cent to 47 per cent on a two party preferred basis.
The prime minister's satisfaction rate lifted a single point to 30 per cent, along with his dissatisfaction rate to 58 per cent, while Opposition Leader Bill Shorten delivered a steady result at 56 per cent and 51 per cent, respectively, the Australian reported.
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Support for Bill Shorten and the Labor Party is at its highest since Malcolm Turnbull took office
The survey of 1,846 voters indicates Mr Turnbull is still the preferred Prime Minister, leading Mr Shorten 42 per cent to 32 per cent.
However, Mr Turnbull's support has plunged six per cent since he was re-elected in July.
The results of the survey, which sees support for the opposition 3.3 points higher than at this year's election, came after the government announced its intentions to permanently ban asylum seekers who reach Australian by boat from getting a visa.
The ban would apply to those who entered the country after 2013 and would be enforced if they were found to be genuine asylum seekers or not.
The survey of 1,846 voters indicates Mr Turnbull (middle) is still the preferred Prime Minister, but his support has plunged six per cent since he was re-elected in July
The results of the survey came after the government announced its intentions to permanently ban asylum seekers who reach Australian by boat from getting a visa
The ban would apply to those who entered the country after 2013 and would be enforced if they were found to be genuine asylum seekers or not (Pictured: Federal Government ad)
Those travelling to Australia by boat (pictured) would not be granted a visa of any type, including tourist and business categories, even if they become a citizen of another country
Those travelling to Australia by boat would not be granted a visa of any type, including tourist and business categories, even if they become a citizen of another country.
A yoga class conducted in 39 degree heat turned a lot hotter than expected after a fire broke out below the studio in an underground storage room.
Emergency crews were called to Bikram Yoga at Ascot Vale, Melbourne, before 9pm on Monday, ABC reported.
A session was already underway when the heat in the room began to intensify.
Hot Bikram Yoga in Melbourne was forced to evacuate a class after a fire started beneath the studio
'We were just going down into a backward bend and heard some noises,' a client said.
'The next minute there was a fire. That's hot yoga for you.'
Bikram Yoga took to Facebook to apologise to clients as well as cancel sessions.
'Apologies to those evacuated this evening,' a Facebook post read.
'Everyone is safe and no-one hurt.'
No one was injured during the fire on Monday but some classes were cancelled on Tuesday morning
Was arrested in March last year just as HBO aired final episode of 'The Jinx'
Authorities said Durst wanted to keep Berman from talking to investigators looking into the disappearance of his first wife
He is charged in the death of his friend, writer Susan Berman, 16 years ago
Real estate heir Robert Durst pleaded not guilty Monday to murder in the death of a friend 16 years ago.
Authorities have said Durst wanted to keep writer Susan Berman from talking to investigators looking into the disappearance of his first wife.
The 73-year-old Durst entered the plea Monday during a long-awaited appearance in a Los Angeles courtroom in the death of Berman 16 years ago.
Los Angeles County prosecutors have been seeking to bring Durst to California since shortly after his arrest in March 2015.
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Robert Durst wore a neck brace during a long-awaited court appearance in a Los Angeles courtroom Monday (pictured). He pleaded not guilty in the death of Susan Berman
Before he could be brought to California, Durst (pictured with his neck brace Monday in court) faced a federal weapons charge in New Orleans
Durst (pictured in a wheelchair in court Monday) was recorded making what some have interpreted as a confession during the final episode of six-part documentary 'The Jinx'
'I do want to say here and now though I am not guilty. I did not kill Susan Berman,' Durst (pictured in court Monday) said as he entered a not guilty plea
Durst was pictured in a photo published by NBC Los Angeles wearing a neck brace in court Monday.
He arrived in court in a wheelchair and spoke in a hoarse voice.
'I do want to say here and now though I am not guilty. I did not kill Susan Berman,' he said according to the Los Angeles Times.
The arrest came just as the final episode was airing of 'The Jinx', an HBO documentary that featured Durst and examined his alleged ties to the killing of Berman and several other crimes.
Durst was recorded making what some have interpreted as a confession during the final episode of the six-part documentary.
Authorities said Durst (pictured in March 2015) wanted to keep from talking to investigators looking into the disappearance of his first wife
Berman (pictured with Durst), Durst's confidante, was found fatally shot in 2000 inside her home near Los Angeles. She attended UCLA with Durst in the 1960s
Kathleen A Durst (pictured with Durst), Durst's first wife, disappeared aged 29 in 1982 after a weekend in Westchester County. Durst has never been arrested in the case
'What the hell did I do?' Durst whispered to himself while still wearing a microphone. 'Killed them all, of course.'
'There it is, you're caught. What a disaster,' Durst added.
Durst's confidante was found fatally shot in 2000 inside her home near Los Angeles. Berman, the daughter of a mobster, attended UCLA with Durst in the 1960s.
Police reopened the investigation into Durst's first wife disappearance in November 2000, two months before Berman's death.
Kathleen A Durst disappeared aged 29 in 1982 after a weekend in Westchester County. Durst has never been arrested in the case.
The final episode of HBO's 'The Jinx' (pictured) featured him whispering to himself: 'What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course'
Investigators could never locate her and her family asked a New York judge in April to declare her legally dead.
Before he could be brought to California, Durst faced a federal weapons charge in New Orleans.
He pleaded guilty to that charge in April and has begun serving a seven-year prison sentence. Durst was brought to Los Angeles County jail from a federal prison in Indiana last week.
Durst's attorney has said his client is eager to prove his innocence in Los Angeles.
Australia has been accused of living-out Donald Trump's 'racist and insane' plan to build a wall between the US and Mexico through our hard-line treatment of refugees.
Canadian activist journalist and author Naomi Klein made the comparison on Monday night's ABC QandA program as panellists discussed the impending presidential election and Australia's asylum seeker policy.
'I think that Donald Trump talking about building the wall with Mexico is insane and racist, but I think what Australia is doing on Manus and Nauru is as well,' Ms Klein told the live audience, to applause.
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Canadian activist journalist and author Naomi Klein has accused Australia of being as 'insane and racist' as Donald Trump's plan to build a wall between the US and Mexico
'You're doing it. He's just talking about it.'
Asylum seekers who attempt to flee by boat are turned back or processed offshore at Nauru or Manus Islands and will never be resettled in Australia, according to government and opposition policy.
The Coalition last week announced plans to block any refugee who once attempted to reach Australia by boat from ever visiting the country again, even decades down the track on a tourist or working visa.
Ms Klein's comparison was echoed by a young audience member, who directly asked the panel: 'What is the difference between Australia's operation sovereign borders and Donald Trump's wall?'
'I think that Donald Trump talking about building the wall with Mexico is insane and racist, but I think what Australia is doing on Manus and Nauru is as well. You're doing it, he's just talking about it,' Naomi Klein (pictured) said
Liberal Senator James Paterson (left) said people on Manus and Nauru were able to move through the islands because they live in 'open centres', and was debated by Labor's Anthony Albanese (right)
A young audience member (pictured) directly asked the panel: 'What is the difference between Australia's operation sovereign borders and Donald Trump's wall?'
Liberal Senator James Paterson said people on Manus and Nauru were able to move through the islands because they live in 'open centres', and was debated by Labor's Anthony Albanese.
Ms Klein, author of This Changes Everything, said seeking asylum was a 'core human right'.
'I think this country has to be better than this,' she said.
'I spent the morning as part of the Peace Price festivities at Cabramatta High School, and there were students from 42 countries of origin. And they put on this absolutely beautiful celebration of diversity, cultural diversity, language diversity. And I just think we should put them in charge.'
Ms Klein said both major parties had focussed too heavily on sending a message to people smugglers, which missed the point.
'What message are you sending refugees? What message are you sending about Australia? And the implication that the only way people die is at sea. They die in warzones when they can't flee. That's why we welcome refugees.'
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is pictured. He plans to build a wall between the US and Mexico
The school was put on lockdown and witnesses recounted a bloody scene
A motive has not been established, but Thompson was enrolled at the school in September 2013 although he is not a current student
A former Rutgers University student has been charged with attempted murder after he stabbed two people on campus before turning the knife on himself, authorities said Monday.
Joshua S. Thompson, of Mountainside, New Jersey, stabbed a faculty member and a student at the Livingston campus of Rutgers Business School in Piscataway around 2.30pm on Friday, police said.
Thompson, 25, and the two victims were all taken to the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in critical condition, although two have since stabilized, according to hospital spokeswoman Zenaida Mendez.
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Joshua S. Thompson has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after a stabbing at Rutgers Business School. Above, photos of the scene by a student who was taking cover
Rutgers put the business school on lockdown, and a warning was issued to staff and students to take shelter
Thompson has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon, according to a statement released Monday by Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey.
The 25-year-old had enrolled in the business school in September 2013, but was not a current student, university officials told NJ.com.
On Friday, he entered a university office and attacked the two with a knife before they managed to escape, Rutgers police said.
Thompson reportedly suffered self-inflicted injuries, and all three were taken to the hospital where they still remained on Monday.
One patient is still in critical condition, but Mendez declined to specify which of the three that was.
Rutgers put the business school on lockdown, and a warning was issued to staff and students to take shelter while authorities worked at the scene.
Students claimed afterwards one of the victims was stabbed in the throat. Another had their 'abs ripped open', they said, but the police have not revealed details of the injuries.
Ultan Cullen said he was walking into the business school when the first police officer arrived on the scene.
'He was flooring it through and just like going straight to the other side of the road and just runs right out of the car and into the building,' Cullen said. 'Just cop car after cop car started showing up.'
Cullen said he soon saw an ambulance pull up and paramedics carry a man out on a stretcher.
'There was a lot of blood,' Cullen said. 'He had one of his arms propped up in the air. It was really messy.'
No motive has been released, and an investigation is still ongoing.
Around 66 million years ago an asteroid struck our planet, wiping out the dinosaurs and taking out over 90 per cent of the mammal species on Earth at the time.
Life on Earth began to claw back from this mass extinction and, over millions of years, ecosystems eventually recovered.
Previous research had suggested the extinction was not as bad in Southern Hemisphere, and that it served as a refuge for the species that became extinct in the Northern Hemisphere.
But a new study suggests the extinction was just as bad in both spheres of the world, it was just that life recovered much faster in the Southern Hemisphere.
Michael Donovan, from Pennsylvania State University led the research, by studying thousands of plant fossils. By looking at the markings caused by insects feeding on the leaves, the researchers were able to gauge the state of the ecosystem at the time.
HOW THE STUDY WORKED Mr Donovan and colleagues examined the diversity of insect-caused leaf damage at sites in Patagonia, Argentina, representing a period before and after the extinction event. Contrary to the 'refugium' hypothesis, which said the Southern Hemisphere was a refuge for some speices, they found the extinction event was as severe in South America as in North America, with no evidence of individual insect species surviving it. However, they also find that ecosystem recovery was much faster in South America, with the full diversity of insect plant interactions restored within only four million years, compared with nine million in North America. Advertisement
In the paper, published today in Nature Ecology & Evolution, tested the idea that the Southern Hemisphere provided a refuge for species wiped out in the Northern Hemisphere.
Michael Donovan, from Pennsylvania State University led the research, by studying thousands of plant fossils in Patagonia dating from around a million years before the impact to around four million years after the event.
'By looking at the tiny bite marks on fossil leaves, we found that the diversity of insect feeding damage decreased in Patagonia after the asteroid hit Earth,' Mr Donovan told MailOnline.
'However, the diversity of insect damage increased back to pre-extinction levels in 4 million years.
'This differs from western US, where plant-feeding insects took 9 million years to recover.
'Overall, these results suggest that life on land suffered serious extinctions in southern latitudes but recovered much more quickly after the end Cretaceous impact.'
The study found ecosystems recovered much faster in the South compared to the Northern Hemisphere, taking only four compared to nine million years
A study earlier this year estimated that 93 per cent of mammal species became extinct following the same asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago (illustrated)
The researchers analysed insect-feeding damage on 3,646 fossil leaves from the latest Maastrichtian and three time slices of the Danian in Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina.
The interactions between plants and insects are a crucial component of terrestrial food webs.
'Insects and plants are the most diverse multicellular organisms on Earth, and they are very important components of food webs on land,' Mr Donovan said.
'Research on both modern and fossil plant-insect associations shows that they are very responsive to major environmental changes, such as climate change.
'From learning about the recovery of plant-feeding insects in Patagonia, we can start to hypothesise how other parts of the food web were affected in that area of the world.'
Previous research had suggested the extinction was not as bad in Southern Hemisphere, and that it served as a refuge for the species that became extinct in the Northern Hemisphere. But a new study suggests the extinction was just as bad across the world
An artist's impression of what the landscape looked like during the Danian period, which started just after the Cretaceous period ended with the mass extinction 66 million years ago
Previous research had shown in North America these interactions took nine million years to recover from the extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous period, which was caused by the impact of a large meteor at Chicxulub in Mexico approximately 66 million years ago.
However, it has been suggested the extinction event might have been less severe in the Southern Hemisphere, with it serving as a refuge for species that went extinct in the Northern Hemisphere.
Mr Donovan and colleagues examined the diversity of insect-caused leaf damage at sites in Patagonia, Argentina, representing a period before and after the extinction event.
Contrary to the 'refugium' hypothesis, which said the Southern Hemisphere was a refuge for some species, they found the extinction event was as severe in South America as in North America, with no evidence of individual insect species surviving it.
However, they also found that ecosystem recovery was much faster in South America, with the full diversity of insect plant interactions restored within only four million years, compared with nine million in North America.
But exactly why the Southern Hemisphere was better at recovering is not fully understood.
'I was surprised at how fast insect feeding damage diversity returned to pre-extinction levels in Patagonia,' Mr Donovan told MailOnline.
'Four million years is a long time, but much shorter than the nine million years it took in the western US.
'The overall high diversity of insect feeding in Patagonia both before and after the extinction was also surprising.
'Parts of South America today are home to extremely high numbers of insect species, and plant-feeding insects that recovered in ancient Patagonia in the wake of the mass extinction may be a contributing factor to biodiversity patterns we see on the continent today.'
Mr Donovan and colleagues examined the diversity of insect-caused leaf damage at sites in Patagonia, Argentina, representing a period before and after the extinction event. An example of one of the thousands of specimens they looked at, pictured
Mr Donovan and colleagues examined the diversity of insect-caused leaf damage at sites in the Chubut Province (pictured) in Argentina, representing a period before and after the extinction event
Set to take on Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana, Samsung has said it will launch its own artificial intelligence digital assistant service for its upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone.
The announcement comes shortly after the Galaxy Note 7's collapse, which is expected to hit Samsung's profit by 4.4 billion ($5.4 billion).
It is unclear what types of services will be offered through the AI assistant that will be launched on the Galaxy S8, which is expected to go on sale early next year.
Set to take on Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana, Samsung has said it will launch its own artificial intelligence digital assistant service for its upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone (artist's impression of what the device may look like)
GALAXY S8 RUMOURS New renders of what could be Samsung Galaxy S8 have surfaced and they suggest the device will incorporate a dual-lens camera design and remove the home button for an edge-to-edge screen. It's speculated that Samsung could design a fingerprint-sensing display or place the feature behind the tempered glass. Because levels of concentration will be increased with a 'full screen', pictures and videos should be much clearer and even go so far as to produce a 3D effect. Rumors suggest that pixels of the dual-cameras will support 16 megapixels and 8 megapixels. Another new addition to the Galaxy S8 could also be an upgraded Application process (AP) that corresponds to handset's brain. Sources say Samsung is going to start mas-producing 10-nano Snapdragon 830s, which will be used for Galaxy S8, at the end of this year at the earliest. Advertisement
In October, Samsung announced the acquisition of Viv Labs Inc, a firm run by a co-creator of Apple Inc's Siri voice assistant programme.
Samsung plans to integrate the company's AI platform, called Viv, into the Galaxy smartphones and expand voice-assistant services to home appliances and wearable technology devices.
Samsung is counting on the Galaxy S8 to help revive smartphone momentum after scrapping the fire-prone Galaxy Note 7.
Investors and analysts say the Galaxy S8 must be a strong device in order for Samsung to win back customers and revive earnings momentum.
Samsung did not comment on what types of services would be offered through the AI assistant that will be launched on the Galaxy S8, which is expected to go on sale early next year.
It said the AI assistant would allow customers to use third-party services seamlessly.
'Developers can attach and upload services to our agent,' said Samsung Executive Vice President Rhee Injong during a briefing, referring to its AI assistant.
'Even if Samsung doesn't do anything on its own, the more services that get attached the smarter this agent will get, learn more new services and provide them to end-users with ease.'
Technology firms are locked in an increasingly heated race to make AI good enough to let consumers interact with their devices more naturally, especially by voice.
New renders of what could be Samsung Galaxy S8 have surfaced and they suggest the device will incorporate a dual-lens camera design and remove the home button for an edge-to-edge screen
Investors and analysts say the Galaxy S8 (artist's impression of what the device may look like) must be a strong device in order for Samsung to win back customers and revive earnings momentum
Alphabet's Google is widely considered to be the leader in AI, but others including Amazon.com, Apple and Microsoft Corp have launched their own offerings including voice-powered digital assistants.
Samsung also hopes to differentiate its devices, from phones to fridges, by incorporating AI Competition from Google's new Pixel smartphones, armed with the US firm's voice-powered digital assistant, adds to the urgency.
The South Korean firm has said it plans more acquisitions to bolster its AI and other software capabilities.
It's speculated that Samsung could design a fingerprint-sensing display or place the feature behind the tempered glass
HOW THE SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 7 HAS BEEN PLAGUED BY TROUBLE SINCE ITS LAUNCH IN AUGUST Aug. 2 - Samsung unveils the Galaxy Note 7 at a New York media event. Aug. 19 - Samsung starts Galaxy Note 7 sales in 10 markets including United States and South Korea. Aug. 24 - Report of a Note 7 explosion surfaces in South Korea. Sept. 2 - Samsung announces global recall of 2.5 million Note 7 phones, citing faulty batteries. Sept. 8 - U.S. Federal Aviation Administration advises passengers to not turn on or charge Note 7 smartphones aboard aircraft or stow them in plane cargo. Sept. 9 - U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission urges Galaxy Note 7 users to stop using their phone. Sept. 15 - U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission formally announces recall of about 1 million Note 7 phones. Oct. 6 - A Southwest Airlines plane in the United States evacuated due to smoke from a Note 7 device on board. Oct. 10 - Samsung says it is adjusting Note 7 shipments for inspections, quality control due to more phones catching fire. Oct. 11 - Samsung asks customers to stop using all Note 7 smartphones, halts production, sales and exchanges of the device globally. Advertisement
China has today passed a controversial cybersecurity bill, tightening restrictions on online freedom of speech.
The bill also imposes new rules on online service providers, raising concerns it is further cloistering its heavily controlled internet.
The legislation, passed by China's largely rubber-stamp parliament and set to take effect in June 2017, is an 'objective need' of China as a major internet power, a parliament official said.
Amnesty International, however, said it was 'draconian' measure that violates people's rights to freedom of expression and privacy.
China's new cybersecurity law requires companies to verify a user's identity, effectively making it illegal to go online anonymously
WHAT DOES THE BILL MEAN? The law is largely focused on protecting the country's networks and private user information. But it also bans internet users from publishing a wide variety of information, including anything that damages 'national honour', 'disturbs economic or social order' or is aimed at 'overthrowing the socialist system'. A provision requiring companies to verify a user's identity effectively makes it illegal to go online anonymously. Companies providing online services in the country must provide 'technical support and help' to public security organs investigating 'crimes', which would normally include those related to speech. Advertisement
The ruling Communist Party oversees a vast censorship system, dubbed the Great Firewall, that aggressively blocks sites or snuffs out internet content and commentary on topics considered sensitive, such as Beijing's human rights record and criticism of the government.
It has aggressively blocked major companies such as Google and Facebook from offering their services in its domestic cyber space.
The law, which was approved by the National People's Congress Standing Committee, is largely focused on protecting the country's networks and private user information.
But it also bans internet users from publishing a wide variety of information, including anything that damages 'national honour', 'disturbs economic or social order' or is aimed at 'overthrowing the socialist system'.
A provision requiring companies to verify a user's identity effectively makes it illegal to go online anonymously.
Companies providing online services in the country must provide 'technical support and help' to public security organs investigating 'crimes', which would normally include those related to speech.
The legislation drew a wave of criticism from rights groups and foreign business organisations, who said its vague language and overreaching security requirements would restrict freedom of speech and throw up barriers to global companies hoping to serve China's enormous market of more than 710 million internet users.
'This dangerous law commandeers internet companies to be de facto agents of the state, by requiring them to censor and provide personal data to the authorities at a whim,' said Patrick Poon, China researcher at global rights group Amnesty International.
James Zimmerman, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, said the law risks China 'becoming isolated technologically from the rest of the world'.
China's ruling Communist Party oversees a vast censorship system, dubbed the Great Firewall, that aggressively blocks sites or snuffs out Internet content and commentary on topics it considers sensitive
'Requirements for national security reviews and data sharing will unnecessarily weaken security and potentially expose personal information,' he wrote in a statement, adding that overall the new law 'creates barriers to trade and innovation'.
Concerns about the legislation were overblown, Zhao Zeliang, the director of China's Cyberspace Administration, told reporters.
The law is not intended 'to limit foreign technology or products or to put up trade barriers', he said.
'A few foreign friends, they equate 'security controls, voluntary controls, security trustworthiness' with trade protectionism,' he said, adding 'that's a type of misunderstanding. A type of prejudice.'
China's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said there were 'no significant differences' between the new Chinese laws and laws of other countries', adding the law had involved a lengthy public comment period, making it 'more transparent than other governments in this regard'.
The European Chamber of Commerce disagreed, saying in a statement the 'overall lack of transparency over the last year surrounding this significant and wide-reaching piece of legislation has created a great deal of uncertainty and negativity in the business environment'.
Amnesty's Poon said the law 'goes further than ever before in codifying abusive practices, with a near-total disregard for the rights to freedom of expression and privacy.'
INTERNET CENSORSHIP AROUND THE WORLD The internet has revolutionised communication and promotes free speech across the globe. Consequently, online freedom is a hot topic. Some governments consider the internet to be dangerous and inflammatory so they regulate it. A firm called IVPN recently created a map of internet freedom around the world based on a Freedom House report in 2013. In the report, countries were reviewed on limits placed on online content, obstacles to Internet access, and violations of user rights. They were then graded as free, partly free or not free and marked on a map in white, pink and red respectively. Countries marked in grey were not included in the report. China, Iran and Syria were found to be the top three user rights violators when it comes to online freedom. A firm called IVPN has previously created a map of internet freedom around the world (pictured) based on a Freedom House report in 2013. Regions marked in white have the freedom to roam, as opposed to those marked in red Advertisement
Chinese authorities have long reserved the right to control and censor online content.
The country stepped up controls in 2013, launching a wide-ranging internet crackdown.
Hundreds of Chinese bloggers and journalists were detained as part of the campaign, which has seen influential critics of Beijing paraded on state television.
Under regulations announced at the time, Chinese internet users face three years in prison for writing defamatory messages that are re-posted 500 times or more.
They can also be jailed if offending posts are viewed more than 5,000 times.
Comments posted on social media have been used in the prosecution of various activists, such as human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang.
A fuel-free engine, described as 'impossible' to create, may now be a step closer to reality, according to leaked Nasa documents.
Named the EM Drive, the engine could one day have the potential to get a human crew to Mars in just 10 weeks, without using a conventional rocket fuel or nuclear reactor.
The latest report describes a series of successful tests carried out at Nasas Johnson Space Center in Texas.
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A fuel-free engine, described as 'impossible' to create, may now be a step closer to reality, according to leaked Nasa documents. Pictured is a prototype of the EMDrive that some say power a spacecraft to Mars in just 10 weeks
The experimental propulsion system has caused a stir as, according to the laws of physics, it should not work.
Traditional rocket engines use chemical fuel, which is combusted and ejected from the thrusters.
In the airless vacuum of space, this works by the Newtons third law of motion generating thrust by ejecting mass into the vacuum of space, with no air needed.
But in the case of the EM Drive, there is no fuel to eject.
The tests managed to generate powers of 1.2 millinewtons per kilowatt (mN/Kw), a fraction of the current state of the art Hall ion thruster, which can achieve a massive 60 mN/Kw (illustrated)
The propulsion system may make deep space travel as in Star Trek a possibility. However, Nasa's said earlier this year: 'There are many 'absurd' theories that have become reality over the years of scientific research. 'But for the near future, warp drive remains a dream'
'LEAKED' NASA PAPER A research report, which has appeared online, describes a series of successful tests carried out at Nasas Johnson Space Center in Texas. It outlines a experiments with a 'closed radio frequency cavity'. The paper describes how early tests of the system in a vacuum, recreating the conditions of the engine if were used in space. Engineers carried out controlled bursts at 40, 60 and 80 watts, reporting that the thrust achieved in a vacuum was similar to the performance achieved in air. The tests managed to generate powers of 1.2 millinewtons per kilowatt (mN/Kw), a fraction of the current state of the art Hall thruster, which can achieve a massive 60 mN/Kw. But the researchers say that the lack of fuel consumption could make up for the drop in power. Advertisement
Instead, the design generates thrust by harnessing particles of light and bouncing microwaves around inside a closed chamber, shaped like a cone.
The movement generates thrust at the slim end of the cone, which drives the engine forward.
The paper, was first leaked on a Nasa Spaceflight forum by Australian user Phil Wilson before being taken down by administrators, reports IBTimes.
It was subsequently published by NextBigFuture, and describes how early tests of the system in a vacuum, recreating the conditions of the engine if it were used in space.
Engineers carried out controlled bursts at 40, 60 and 80 watts, reporting the thrust achieved in a vacuum was similar to the performance achieved in air.
The tests managed to generate 1.2 millinewtons per kilowatt (mN/Kw) of power, a fraction of the current state of the art Hall thruster, which can achieve a massive 60 mN/Kw.
But the researchers say the lack of fuel consumption could make up for the drop in power.
In the leaked paper, the researchers explain: for missions with very large delta-v requirements, having a propellant consumption rate of zero could offset the higher power requirements.
Despite Nasas apparent test success, there is no indication the paper has been through peer review a critical part of the scientific process and has not been published in a journal.
MailOnline contacted Nasa for comment.
A number of groups are reported to be working on the technology, including Nasas Eagleworks Laboratories, which is developing advanced propulsion systems and is cited in the recent paper.
If it works, the impossible EM Drive could one day have the potential to get a human crew to Mars in just 10 weeks, without using conventional rocket fuel or a nuclear reactor
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 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
Earlier this year, inventor Roger Shaw filed a patent for an EM drive engine design with a conducting plate to increase the thrust.
A paper published in AIP Advances last month suggested the Em Drive 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 at the time.
'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.'
'Then the two photons will be exactly 180 degrees out phase.
Researchers in China have discovered a fossilised skull of a sabertooth cat, which they say is the biggest ever found.
The skull measures around 40 centimetres long, which translates to an enormous estimated body mass of over 892 pounds, and body length of 3.1 metres - equivalent to a male polar bear.
While the cat has the distinctive fangs, its gape was much smaller than other cats, which suggests it targeted smaller prey.
Researchers in China have discovered a fossilised skull of a sabertooth cat, which they say is the biggest ever found. The skull measures around 40 centimetres long, which translates to an enormous estimated body mass of over 892 pounds
MACHAIRODUS HORRIBILIS The Machairodus horribilis was a menacingly large cat from the Late Miocene period, around 11.6 million to 5.3 million years ago. Like other sabertooth cats, the Machairodus horribilis had long serrate fangs, but its gape was much smaller. The cat would only be open its mouth about 70 degrees comparable to what modern lions can do rather than the huge 120 degrees that the Smilodon, an Ice Age sabertooth cat, could achieve. The researchers suggest that this shows that the Machairodus horribilis may have targeted smaller prey than later cats went for. Advertisement
The researchers, from the Chinese Academy of Science, found the fossil, which is roughly 8.3 million years old, in China's Longjiagou Basin.
Although it was slightly crushed, the researchers were able to identify the cat as a Machairodus horribilis a menacingly large cat from the Late Miocene of northwestern China.
The huge skull is longer than any other known skull of both contemporary sabercats, but also those of the Ice Age.
Tao Deng, who led the study, told MailOnline: 'This sabertooth cat has a shoulder height of 1.3 m and a body length of 2.4 m (3.1 m with its tail).'
For comparison, this is roughly the same size as a male polar bear.
In their paper, published in Vertebrata Palasiatica, the researchers wrote: 'It shares some characteristics with derived sabertooth cats, but also is similar to extant pantherines in some cranial characters.'
Like other sabertooth cats, the Machairodus horribilis had long serrated fangs, but its gape was much smaller.
Overall the researchers believe that the findings could offer an additional mechanism for evolution, leading to functional diversity in sabertooth cats (artist's impression)
Although the skull was slightly crushed, the researchers were able to identify the cat as a Machairodus horribilis a menacingly large cat from the Late Miocene of northwestern China
Like other sabertooth cats, the Machairodus horribilis had long serrated fangs, but its gape was much smaller. The cat would only be open its mouth about 70 degrees, rather than the huge 120 degrees that the Smilodon, an Ice Age sabertooth cat, could achieve
The cat would only be open its mouth about 70 degrees comparable to what modern lions can do.
This is small compared to the 120 degrees that the Smilodon, an Ice Age sabertooth cat, could achieve.
The researchers suggest that this shows that the Machairodus horribilis may have targeted smaller prey than later cats went for.
The researchers write: 'Its anatomical features provide new evidence for the diversity of killing bites even within in the largest saber-toothed carnivorans.'
Overall the researchers believe that the findings could offer an additional mechanism for evolution, leading to functional diversity in sabertooth cats.
The fossilised skull was found in Longjiagou Town, in China's Longjiagou Basin
City slickers could soon have a new way to get about town, thanks to an electric moped you can charge at home.
Called the Motochimp, the electric mini moto which is fully charged by a house plug in less than one hour could revolutionise the inner city commute.
The diminutive bike is an emission-free ride capable of a top speed of more than 20 mph (32 kph) - making it ideal for the ride to work on rush hour roads.
Va va Vroom: The Motochimp aims to inject fun back into the city commute, with a pocket rocket mini-bike capable of speeds of 20 mph
The company behind the design claims it is eco-friendly, fashionable and the antidote to traditional urban transport.
To charge the bike, simply plug the adaptor into any conventional socket. Within one hour, the bike will have a range of almost 40 miles (60km).
The Motochimp has been designed by Singaporean electrics experts, Vanda Electrics, and is being launched at this week's Shenzhen International Industrial Design Fair in China.
It is expected to arrive in the UK, Europe and the US at a later date and will cost around 1,300 ($1,600).
It is one-metre (3 ft 2 in-inch) long, has an aluminium frame and is powered by a 48V, 350 watt electric rear hub motor
The bike has been designed by Singaporean electrics experts, Vanda Electrics, and is being launched at this week's Shenzhen International Industrial Design Fair in China
Larissa Tan, Vanda Electrics CEO, said: 'Motochimp is also all about accessibility.
'With a range of up to 60 km [37 miles] from a 60-minute charge, and all from a standard plug socket, it won't cost the earth to buy or run.
'In designing Motochimp, our original concept was inspired by a sketch from a 10-year old girl.
After charging the bike for just one hour, riders will have a range of almost 40 miles (60 km)
MOTOCHIMP: AN ELECTRIC MINI-BIKE BUILT FOR THE CITY The Motochimp is designed by Singapore's Vanda Electrics. The bike is being launched at this week's Shenzhen International Industrial Design Fair in China. It is expected to arrive in the UK, Europe and USA at a later date and cost around 1,300 ($1,600). It is one-metre (3 ft 2 in-inch) long, has an aluminium frame and is powered by a 48V, 350 watt electric rear hub motor. Riders can charge the bike by plugging the adaptor into any conventional socket. Within one hour, the bike will have a range of almost 40 miles (60 km). The diminutive bike is an emission-free ride capable of a top speed of more than 20 mph (32 kph) - making it ideal for the ride to work on rush hour roads. Born to be wild? The tiny electric bike built in Singapore is built for the city commute Advertisement
The Motochimp, which is one-metre (3 ft 2 in-inch) long, has an aluminium frame and is powered by a 48V, 350 watt electric rear hub motor.
Energy is stored by a lithium-ion battery with the power plug hidden under the rider's seat.
The Motochimp's slim design makes it perfect for weaving in and out of traffic and people
Motochimp is expected to arrive in the UK, Europe and the US after its release in Asia and cost around 1,300 ($1,600)
Motochimp's makers say it is 'ideal for zips around town at your whim and fancy'
Riders kickstart their hogs using a contactless RFID key, with a master key which can be used to code five additional keys.
If racing red doesn't take your fancy then the bikes are also available in blue and yellow.
The bike's makers say: 'Its energy efficient performance blends in with urban schedules and landscapes, making it ideal for zips around town at your whim and fancy.'
Riders kickstart their hogs using a contactless RFID key, with a master key which can be used to code five additional keys
The tiny bikes are designed to fit in with the lack of space in urban environments, making them perfect for getting about the busy city
A small kick stand means the bike can be stood upright, while it is powered by a lithium-ion battery with the power plug hidden under the rider's seat
Aviation giants now say hypersonic flight is an 'inevitable' step that will revolutionize travel, and the US is calling for more commitment and funding to help them lead the way.
At the Forum on American Aeronautics late last month, officials from top aeronautics agencies including NASA, the Air Force, and Lockheed Martin, said we are now on the brink of a new era in air transportation.
According to the experts, however, bringing this technology to practical use over land will require significant reductions in the sonic booms caused by the craft, and numerous firms are now working to tackle this challenge.
Its said that hypersonic flight, which achieves at least five times the speed of sound, could go anywhere in the world in just four hours.
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At the Forum on American Aeronautics, officials from top aeronautics agencies including NASA, the Air Force, and Lockheed Martin, said we are now on the brink of a new era in air transportation. An artists impression of the Lapcat A2 craft flying at Mach 5 is pictured
SPANWISE ADAPTIVE WINGS Nasa engineers are working with Boeing and Area-I to develop a prototype of its folding wing concept. Folding wings have been used for decades as a means of reducing the space aircraft take up on aircraft carriers and in hangers. The approach was also incorporated into a US nuclear bomber in the 1960s, the XB-70 Valkyrie, but only the tips folded during flight. Engineers hope that their spanwise adaptive wing (SAW) concept will bring folding wings into the 21st century with new technology and materials. They believe that by tweaking the shape of the wing by a few degrees in flight, pilots could find the optimal position to cut through the air with less drag and generate more lift - which could prove key to stability in hypersonic flight. Advertisement
Five panellists spoke at the Forum on American Aeronautics at the Mohave Air and Space Port in California to discuss the breakthroughs and challenges in supersonic and hypersonic flight.
The experts say research in the field is now booming after a long lull, bringing these advanced capabilities closer to reality.
Whats exciting about aerospace today is that we are in a point here where suddenly, things are happening all across the board in areas that just havent been happening for quite a while, former US Air Force Maj. Gen. Curtis M. Bedke, said at panel on Oct 27, Space.com reports.
There was a period where engine technology had just sort of stagnated a point where all materials technology was going along at about the same pace.
There wasnt much happening.
'But suddenly, in all sorts of areas that apply to aerospace, things are happening.
NASAs aeronautical program is set to focus on a new line of experimental aircraft, led by House Committee on Science member Steve Knight.
According to Knight, the US has not gone hypersonic in a plane since 1967 and despite two unpiloted hypersonic programs, X-51 and X-43, the work was not continued, Space.com reports.
But, Knight hopes to see the data from these research programs used to push todays developments.
This past February, NASA granted a contract to Lockheed Martin for the design of an experimental plane to test technologies that would reduce the sonic booms.
While supersonic flights are currently banned over land, such an achievement could change this.
The agency also recently revealed it is working with blended wings and other technologies to improve efficiency and reduce the environmental impacts of aircraft.
Nasa engineers are working to develop a prototype folding wing concept. By tweaking the shape of the wing a few degrees in flight, pilots could find the optimal position - which could prove key to stability in hypersonic flight. Pictured is prototype for testing the concept
Challenges Congress and the president have faced in passing budgets has affected researchers' abilities to carry out consistent work, Space.com reports.
And, the experts say theres no time to waste.
It is inevitable that hypersonic technologies are going to happen, Bedke said.
It is not inevitable that we are going to be the country to do it first. But we can be the country to do it first, but were going to have to put our minds to it, and were going to have to stop the history of fits and starts, of throwing money at a big program, achieving a wild success, and then having no follow-up.
Or throwing a lot of money at too big a program, taking too giant a bite, failing miserably and then deciding hypersonics isnt going anywhere. Neither of those must be allowed to happen in the coming years.
NASA'S SHAPE-SHIFTING WINGS Last year Nasa revealed a number of test flights had taken place for craft using a shape-shifting wing technology called Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE). The project is a collaboration between Nasa, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and FlexSys from Ann Arbor Michigan. The wing is able to bend through angles from -2 degrees up to 30 degrees. Test pilots have described it as being very smooth, while it can also deal with hard banking manoeuvres and extreme temperatures. For all the flights so far, the wing has flown in a fixed position on a Gulfstream III jet between these two extremes, to ensure risk is minimal. At the time, engineers said that future flights would enable the wings to change angles while in the air. The breakthrough could also increase fuel efficiency up to 12 per cent, and reduce noise at take-off and landing up to 40 per cent. Advertisement
Just months ago, it was revealed that plans for a revolutionary hypersonic propulsion system have taken a big step toward the construction of a ground demonstrator but at roughly a quarter the size of the original vision.
Reaction Engines Ltd has scaled back its design for the Sabre engine to bring about a demonstrator that is more affordable and better suited to early applications, including a potential X-plane.
The Oxfordshire-based firm has been developing a turbine that combines both jet and rocket technologies to achieve rates five times the speed of sound, to fly anywhere in the world in just four hours.
Rather than aiming for a demonstrator that can achieve more than 150,000 lb thrust, the firm will instead now target an engine size capable of roughly 44,000 lb thrust, according to Aviation Week Network.
Oxfordshire-based Reaction Engines has been developing a turbine that combines both jet and rocket technologies to achieve rates five times the speed of sound, to fly anywhere in the world in just four hours
In the new plans for the Sabre demonstrator, researchers will target a smaller engine similar in size to the F135 engine for the F-35 joint Strike Fighter (pictured)
In the new plans for the Sabre demonstrator, researchers will target a smaller engine similar in size to the F135 engine for the F-35 joint Strike Fighter (JSF).
Such a system, scaled back due to the slowness of funding, could be used in multistage vehicles or hypersonic craft the size of an X-plane.
It is now more affordable, more rapid to execute and will potentially find its first application quicker, Reaction CEO Mark Thomas told Aviation Week Network.
Its a quarter of Sabre, effectively. In an application for something like Skylon, the engine would have four combustion chambers connecting to the single nozzle, a bypass system and the same turbomachinery, intake and heat exchanger.
FUTURE OF FLIGHT? HOW THE SABRE JET ENGINE WORKS A model of the revolutionary Sabre engine is pictured The revolutionary Sabre engine could allow aircraft to take off from a runway and accelerate to five times the speed of sound, before switching to a rocket mode, propelling it into orbit. The Sabre engine works by burning atmospheric air in combustion chambers. It then uses the heat to turbo-charge the engine. At the moment, rockets have to carry liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen to power them and the cost of carrying this heavy fuel is expensive. The new engine creates its own liquid oxygen by cooling air entering the engine from 1,000C to minus 150C in a hundredth of a second six times faster than the blink of an eye without creating ice blockages. The revolutionary Sabre engine could allow aircraft to take off from a runway and accelerate to five times the speed of sound, before switching to a rocket mode, propelling it into orbit. A computer generated image of the ground demonstrator is pictured This new class of aerospace engine is designed to enable aircraft to operate from standstill on the runway to speeds of over five times the speed of sound in the atmosphere. It can then transition to a rocket mode of operation, allowing spaceflight at speeds up to orbital velocity, equivalent to 25 times the speed of sound. Advertisement
There is a view that you could modularize the engine to a far higher degree, so that you could have four compressors and still have a large heat exchanger. From this point onward you could go completely modular, so if you could demonstrate one element, then it is all about integration.
Along with a JSF-sized engine for the ground demonstrator, the firm plans to solve the power gap between air-breathing and rocket engines.
While the engine is still in the design phase, the firm plans to see three main test phases stretching into the 2020s.
Its hoped that the first test will take place within the next 12-15 months, the CEO tells AWN, with a focus on the heat exchanger and the core.
Here, a concept of the Skylon spaceplane using the engine is shown. But now, Reaction Engines Ltd has scaled back its design for the Sabre engine to bring about a demonstrator that is more affordable and better suited to early applications, including a potential X-plane
Then, the team will move on to the integrated engine tests in 2020-2021.
The system will undergo sea-level testing, and researchers will simulate high velocity air by heating the air flow. And, they will run wind tunnel tests to assess flow conditions.
In the third phase, the firm is looking toward concepts of an X-plane or flight demonstration aircraft to put it to the test.
Wind turbines are killing hundreds of bats every year as researchers find the animals are at more risk from their whirling blades than previously thought.
Many of the turbines found to kill the animals have been given a clean bill of health in terms of environmental impact.
But when researchers scoured the areas around the turbines with trained dogs, they found large numbers of dead bats.
All bats in the UK are protected species, but the animals may be attracted to turbines to feast on the insects which gather near them. Pictured is a greater horseshoe bat
The occurrence is of particular significance as all bats in the UK are protected species.
The scientists are now calling for wind farm operators to switch off turbines at night in the summer when bats are at most risk.
Dr Fiona Mathews, a mammalian biologist at Exeter University, said it is possible bats switch off their sonar when flying near wind turbines and fail to detect them.
Other possibilities are that bats are attracted to turbines to feast on insects which gather around wind farms.
There are effective ways of preventing bat deaths. Unfortunately we have found that assessments conducted when wind farms are being planned are very poor at identifying whether a site is likely to be risky,' said Dr Mathews.
'This means that appropriate action is not taken to protect bats.
We therefore call for a switch in emphasis from pre-construction to post-construction assessments, so that any problem can be nipped in the bud early on.
The researchers surveyed 46 wind farms in the UK. They found 29 impact assessments for wind turbine sites.
Biologists claim spinning blades of turbines have killed hundreds of bats and are calling for wind farm operators to turn them off during the night during summer months
In the cases of 18 of these assessments, the findings were that surveys are unnecessary as the development does not affect any features likely to be used by bats.
But the researchers found at the 29 windfarms studied in work published in the journal Current Biology, 194 bats were killed per month.
SECRET OF HOW BATS STAY AIRBORNE AT LOW SPEEDS Bats are among the most manoeuvrable animals on the planet in mid-air, but now scientists may have unravelled how they manage it. Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have found bats change their wingspan to enhance lift at low speeds. The extra lift is mainly generated by increased vortices around the leading-edge of the wing. Dr Guowei He, who led the research at the Institute of Mechanics in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said this mechanism could be used to produce new flapping micro-vehicles. Writing in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, Dr He and his colleagues said: 'Dynamically changing wingspan leads to the higher efficiency in terms of generating lift for a given amount of the mechanical energy consumed in flight.' Advertisement
The numbers are likely to be an underestimate as some bat carcasses may have degraded, some eaten by other animals, and some not found by the dogs.
The main casualties of wind turbines were two common species of bats: the Common Pipstrelle and Soprano Pipistrelle, tiny bats with reddish-brown coats and blackish-brown ears.
Bodies of the Noctule, one of the larger European bat species which sometimes come out before sunset to feed on moths, beetles and other large flying insects, were also found around turbines. A dead Nathusiuss Pipistrelle, which has recently been found to be migratory, was also found, raising concerns about whether onshore and off-shore wind farms could pose a threat to their navigation route.
Dr Mathews said: These animals will be encountering multiple on- and off-shore wind farm sites as they make their way from Eastern Europe along the north coast of continental Europe and across to the UK.
She said there was a danger that huge amounts of money was being spent on pre-construction assessments but almost nothing is done to see whether these assessments are actually useful, or whether any mitigation actually delivers benefits for conservation.
Dr Matthews and colleagues said finding dead bats is difficult as some species are tiny weighing as little as 5 grams: Without [the dogs], locating bat casualties is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Failure to survey adequately is a huge problem and explains why many wind farms apparently have 'no problem.'
She added: We need to remember that bats have been around for at least 30 million years and during that time have been able to fly happily without the risk of colliding with a spinning object.
If bats are actively attracted to turbines, then it might not prove possible to predict this accurately in advance.
Dr Mathews said it's important now to determine whether bats might actually be attracted to wind turbines.
In the UK, regulations state that planning permission should be refused in the last resort if significant harm cannot be avoided to bat populations.
Antarctica was once home to a 33ft (10m) sea monster that hunted the reptilian equivalent of whales at the end of the dinosaur age, scientists have discovered.
The mosasaur, a huge marine lizard with fearsome jaws and paddle-like limbs, lived 66 million years ago when Antarctica was much warmer than it is today.
A four-foot (1.2m) long skull of one of the beasts was unearthed on Seymour Island off the Antarctic peninsular in 2010.
The mosasaur, a huge marine lizard with fearsome jaws and paddle-like limbs, lived 66 million years ago when Antarctica was much warmer than it is today.
THE MOSASAUR Kaikaifilu was the largest southern hemisphere mosasaur discovered to date. Scientists describing the find in the journal Creteacous Research named the creature Kaikaifilu hervei, after a giant sea reptile featured in a native creation myth. In the tradition of the Mapuche people from southern Chile and Argentina, the battle between Kai-Kai filu and his great rival, another demi-god reptile that ruled the land, shaped the world. Advertisement
Scientists describing the find in the journal Creteacous Research named the creature Kaikaifilu hervei, after a giant sea reptile featured in a native creation myth.
In the tradition of the Mapuche people from southern Chile and Argentina, the battle between Kai-Kai filu and his great rival, another demi-god reptile that ruled the land, shaped the world.
Kaikaifilu was the largest southern hemisphere mosasaur discovered to date.
It was about twice the size of the biggest creature of this type previously found in Antarctica, which had a skull 70cm (27.5 ins) long.
The creature's main prey was probably aristonectine plesiosaurs, long-necked marine reptiles that filter-fed in much the same way as present-day baleen whales.
Both Kaikaifilu and dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex lived at the end of the Cretaceous period and vanished in the great extinction event that followed a giant meteor impact off the coast of Mexico.
Study author Rodrigo Otero, from the University of Chile, said: 'Prior to this research, the known mosasaur remains from Antarctica provided no evidence for the presence of very large predators like Kaikaifilu, in an environment where plesiosaurs were especially abundant.
SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said his space launch company is aiming to return its rockets to flight in mid-December following a launch pad accident two months ago.
During an interview with CNBC, Musk said investigators had figured out why a Falcon 9 rocket burst into flames on Sept. 1 as it was being fueled for a routine, preflight test.
The accident destroyed a $200 million Israeli communications satellite and grounded the Falcon 9 fleet for the second time in 14 months.
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On September 1, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket (pictured) exploded as it was being fueled for a routine pre-launch test at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Musk now says this was caused by a fueling system issue that created solid oxygen in the supper stage tank
SATELLITE FIRM CLAIMING DAMAGES FROM SPACEX The Israeli owners of the destroyed AMOS-6 satellite have reportedly been hard hit by the loss. In a press conference last month, Spacecom said it could seek $50m from SpaceX following the explosion on the launch pad last week. AMOS-6 was supposed to provide home internet for Africa and the Middle East. In addition, Facebook had signed a deal with Eutelsat to lease broadband capacity from the satellite as part of its efforts to increase internet connectivity across the African continent. Advertisement
The cause of the accident was a fueling system issue that inadvertently produced solid oxygen inside the rocket's upper stage tank.
The oxygen then reacted with a carbon composite bottle containing liquid helium that sits inside the oxygen tank, triggering an explosion.
'I think we've gotten to the bottom of the problem,' said Musk, who is also chief executive of Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA.O). He added that the issue had never been encountered in the history of rocketry.
Musk did not specify what mission would launch next, nor whether SpaceX would fly from a new launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, or from its West Coast site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
SpaceX's primary launch pad, located just south of Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, was damaged in the Sept. 1 accident.
SpaceX has declined to release details on the extent of damage.
The company has a backlog of about 70 missions, worth more than $10 billion.
Also on Friday, NASA and Orbital ATK Inc (OA.N) said Orbital's next cargo run to the International Space Station would use the heavier-lift Atlas 5 rocket, made by United Launch Alliance, rather than Orbital's Antares booster.
The switch will allow NASA to fly an extra 660 pounds (300 kg) of cargo to the station while SpaceX returns to flight.
SpaceX's primary launch pad, located just south of Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, was damaged in the Sept. 1 accident. The explosion destroyed the rocket and the satellite it was carrying (pictured)
NASA hired Orbital and SpaceX to fly cargo to the station after the shuttles were retired in 2011.
Terms of Orbital's contract with United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and Boeing Co (BA.N), were not released. The launch is targeted for early 2017, NASA said.
But, a proposal by SpaceX to fuel its rockets while astronauts are aboard poses safety risks, a group of space industry experts that advises NASA has told the U.S. space agency.
'This is a hazardous operation,' Space Station Advisory Committee Chairman Thomas Stafford, a former NASA astronaut and retired Air Force general, said during a conference call last Monday.
SpaceX's founder and CEO, Elon Musk (pictured), called the failure 'the most difficult and complex' the company has ever had
Elon Musk took to Twitter on September 9 seeking 'support and advice' as the investigation continues. SpaceX wrote a similar message on its Twitter account as well, which was retweeted by the billionaire SpaceX CEO
Stafford said the group's concerns were heightened after an explosion of an unmanned SpaceX rocket while it was being fueled on Sept. 1.
Members of the eight-member group, including veterans of NASA's Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs, noted that all previous rockets carrying people into space were fueled before astronauts got to the launch pad.
'Everybody there, and particularly the people who had experience over the years, said nobody is ever near the pad when they fuel a booster,' Stafford said, referring to an earlier briefing the group had about SpaceX's proposed fueling procedure.
SpaceX is hoping for a test flight of its souped-up Dragon with two astronauts as early as a year from now
ELON MUSK'S 'INTERPLANETARY TRANSPORT SYSTEM' Last month, Elon Musk unveiled his most ambitious project yet - an 'Interplanetary Transport System' to take mankind to Mars in 80 days and build a sustainable human colony of a million people there. 'What I want to achieve is make Mars seem possible, to show that we can do it in our lifetimes, and you could go,' he said at the International Astronautical Congress in Mexico. However, he warned the trip was likely to be dangerous - and said candidates for the first missions 'must be prepared to die'. The Interplanetary Transport System will use a giant rocket booster with a 39 foot (12m) diameter and 49 engines, and a special shuttle with a 56 foot (17m) diameter, making the entire rocket stack 400 feet (122m) high. They will launch with empty fuel tanks and refuel in orbit. Once on Mars, they would make more methane fuel for the return journey. Advertisement
SpaceX needs NASA approval of its launch system before it can put astronauts into space.
Last month, Elon Musk unveiled his most ambitious project yet - an 'Interplanetary Transport System' to take mankind to Mars in 80 days and build a sustainable human colony of a million people there.
'What I want to achieve is make Mars seem possible, to show that we can do it in our lifetimes, and you could go,' he said at the International Astronautical Congress in Mexico.
The US Navys largest and most advanced destroyer is equipped with two massive guns that can hit targets from 80 miles away but it cant afford the ammunition.
At $800,000 or more per round for each gun, the Navy says the cost is just too high, and is now moving to cancel these projectiles, according to a new report from Defense News.
Bosses have admitted the guns will remain silent when the ship enters service - but have pledged to develop alternative projectiles in the future.
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The US Navys largest destroyer is equipped with two massive guns that can hit targets from 80 miles away but, it cant afford the ammunition. At $800,000 or more per round for each gun, the Navy says the cost is just too high. The USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) is pictured
HOW THE PRICE COMPARES The Long Range Land-Attack Projectile - $800,000 dollars, causing the Navy to push for its cancellation. But, according to The Economist, guided missiles come in a wide range of costs, including: Tomahawk cruise missile - $1.5 million Hellfire - $115,000 Javelin (shoulder-fired) - $147,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System - $28,000 Advertisement
The Long Range Land-Attack Projectile is the only munition designed to be fired from the USS Zumwalts Advanced Gun System.
But, as the number of destroyers in this class dropped from the 28 initially planned to just three, subsequent price increases killed the affordable round.
This comes just weeks after the Navy commissioned the DDG 1000 Zumwalt, which, along with the two other ships in this class, will carry two of the 155mm/62-caliber guns.
These are equipped with an automated magazine and handling system, and use guided precision munitions, the Long Range Land-Attack Projectile.
According to manufacturer Lockheed Martin, the LRLAPs can defeat targets in the urban canyons of coastal cities with minimal collateral damage.
Theyre the largest guns to be used on a warship since World War II and are critical to the Zumwalts mission as land-attack destroyers.
But, citing excessive costs upwards of $800,000 per round, the Navy made a presentation on Nov 2 to the office of the Secretary of Defense to cancel the LRLAP, Defense News reports.
The decision has yet to be signed off on, but comes as a part of the Pentagons annual budget process, the Program Objective Memorandum 2018 effort.
We were going to buy thousands of these rounds, a Navy official familiar with the program told Defense News.
But quantities of ships killed the affordable round.
Officials say there have been no issues with the performance of the LRLAP and the AGS price is the major barrier.
There is no blame on any individual, the official told Defense News.
'The round was working, the way forward was logical. Its just that the cost with a three-ship buy became a very high cost.
THE LONG RANGE LAND-ATTACK PROJECTILE The 155mm Long Range Land-Attack Projectile The USS Zumwalt's Advanced Gun System was designed to use guided precision munitions, the 155mm Long Range Land-Attack Projectile. These are estimated to cost at least $800,000 per round for each gun, and can hit a target from 80 miles away. According to manufacturer Lockheed Martin, they operate with extreme accuracy and can 'defeat targets in the urban canyons of coastal cities with minimal collateral damage.' 'It provides long-range off-shore precision fire support to Marine Corps and Army forces engaged in expeditionary assaults or littoral urban operations,' they say. Its precision and near vertical angle of fall enables the Warfighter to defeat targets in the 'urban canyons' of coastal cities with minimal collateral damage. The LRLAP is designed to provide high-volume fire support at a rate of 10 rounds per minute through the depth of the magazine. I Its precision and near vertical angle of fall enables the Warfighter to defeat targets in the 'urban canyons' of coastal cities with minimal collateral damage. Advertisement
The ship was commissioned Oct 15 in Baltimore, Maryland, and faces another 18 months of shipyard work in San Diego to complete installation of the combat system
The DDG 1000 Zumwalt, along with the two other ships in this class, will carry two of the 155mm/62-caliber guns. These are equipped with an automated magazine and handling system, and use guided precision munitions, the Long Range Land-Attack Projectile
The Long Range Land-Attack Projectile is the only munition designed to be fired from the USS Zumwalts Advanced Gun System, but as the number of destroyers in this class dropped from the 28 initially planned to just three, subsequent price increases killed the affordable round
USS ZUMWALT EQUIPPED TO DOMINATE SEAS FOR DECADES Displacement: 14,564 long tons (14,798 t) Length: 600 ft (180 m) Beam: 80.7 ft (24.6 m) Draft: 27.6 ft (8.4 m) Propulsion: Two Rolls-Royce Marine Trent-30 gas turbines driving Curtiss-Wright generators and emergency diesel generators, 78 MW (105,000 shp); two propellers driven by electric motors Speed: Over 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph) Weapons: 20 MK 57 VLS modules, with a total of 80 launch cells RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM), four per cell Tactical Tomahawk, one per cell Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket (ASROC), one per cell Two 155 mm/62 caliber Advanced Gun System 920 155 mm rounds total; 600 in automated store with Auxiliary store room with up to 320 rounds (non-automatic) as of April 2005 70100 LRLAP rounds planned as of 2005 of total Two Mk 110 57 mm gun (CIGS) According to manufacturer Lockheed Martin, the LRLAPs can defeat targets in the urban canyons of coastal cities with minimal collateral damage. Theyre the largest guns to be used on a warship since World War II Advertisement
And according to the Navy official, the $800,000 price tag may even be the low end on the range of the system's actual cost, though theres no sense of overcharging or anything.
It is now thought that there will not be a replacement for the LRLAP by the time the Zumwalt enters operational service.
In 2018, it will undergo a series of combat Systems Ship Qualifications Trials (CCSQT) to put its sensors and weapons to the test.
And, there are plans to fire the guns during these trials, as the 2015 budget provided $113 million for 150 rounds and other items, Defense News reports.
The AGS is suited to hold 300 LRAPS, and the Navy will have to make both software and, most likely, sizing adjustments to incorporate a different type of ammunition.
The ship was commissioned Oct 15 in Baltimore, Maryland, and faces another 18 months of shipyard work in San Diego to complete installation of the combat system.
While the Navy has not directly commented on the issue, Capt. Thurraya Kent, a spokesperson for the services acquisition directorate told Defense News via email:
The Navy continuously monitors the gun and ammunition industry capability and capacities.
To address evolving threats and mission requirements, the Navy is evaluating industry projectile solutions (including conventional and hyper-velocity projectiles) that can also meet the DDG 1000 deployment schedule and could potentially be used as an alternative to LRAP for DDG 1000.
The ship was commissioned Oct 15 in Baltimore, Maryland, and faces another 18 months of shipyard work in San Diego to complete installation of the combat system.
While the Navy has not directly commented on the issue, Capt. Thurraya Kent, a spokesperson for the services acquisition directorate told Defense News via email: The Navy continuously monitors the gun and ammunition industry capability and capacities.
To address evolving threats and mission requirements, the Navy is evaluating industry projectile solutions (including conventional and hyper-velocity projectiles) that can also meet the DDG 1000 deployment schedule and could potentially be used as an alternative to LRAP for DDG 1000.
In 2018, it will undergo a series of combat Systems Ship Qualifications Trials (CCSQT) to put its sensors and weapons to the test. And, there are plans to fire the guns during these trials, as the 2015 budget provided $113 million for 150 rounds and other items
Military scientists in the US have revealed a series of experiments designs to create 'supersoldiers' with enhanced mental capabilities.
The successful tests used electrical brain stimulators to enhance the mental skills of soldiers.
It is hoped the research could lead to treatments for drone operators, air crews and others in demanding roles.
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The successful tests at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio used electrical brain stimulators to enhance the mental skills of soldiers. It is hoped the research could lead to treatments for drone operators, air crews and others in demanding roles.
'Within the Air Force, various operations such as remotely piloted and manned aircraft operations require a human operator to monitor and respond to multiple events simultaneously over a long period of time,' researchers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio wrote in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
'With the monotonous nature of these tasks, the operator's performance may decline shortly after their work shift commences.'
Brain stimulation kits use five electrodes to send weak electric currents through the skull and into specific parts of the cortex.
HOW BRAIN STIMULATION WORKS Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) kits can be bought online. They include either a head band or a cap that contains electrodes placed on specific parts of the scalp. It is hooked up to the mains and then electrical currents pass through to the areas of the brain. Different parts of the brain signal a different sensation, including feeling more calm or more focused. The kits can be bought for as little as 40 ($55) online. But people are increasingly building their own stimulation kits, with various YouTube videos and forums explaining how to create the circuit from scratch. Suggested methods include using teaspoons, sponges and battery packs to create electrical current. Advertisement
The team used a test developed by Nasa to assess subject, asking them to keep a crosshair inside a moving circle on a computer screen, while constantly monitoring and responding to three other tasks on the screen.
The study consisted of 20 participants from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (16 male and 4 female) with an average age of 31.1.
Half of the volunteers had a constant two milliamp current beamed into the brain for the 36-minute-long test, and the other half formed a control group who only received 30 seconds of stimulation at the start of the test.
Researchers were shocked to find those who had the treatment began to perform better than the control group just four minutes into the test.
'The findings provided new evidence that tDCS has the ability to augment and enhance multitasking capability in a human operator, the team wrote.
'Future research should be conducted to determine the longevity of the enhancement of transcranial direct current stimulation on multitasking performance, which has yet to be accomplished.'
While electrical brain stimulation appears to have no harmful side effects, some experts say its long-term safety is unknown.
Researchers say drone operators are among those who could benefit from the treatment
'We don't know how the stimulation of one brain region affects the surrounding, unstimulated regions," Roy Hamilton, MD, MS, an assistant professor of Neurology and director of the Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation at University of Pennsylvania said.
'Stimulating one region could improve one's ability to perform one task but hurt the ability to perform another.'
In addition, what a person is doing during tDCS - reading a book, watching TV, sleeping - can change its effects, researchers say.
Which activity is best to achieve a certain change in brain function is not yet known.
CONCERNS OVER DIY BRAIN STIMULATION It is not yet known whether the electrical currents, when applied to the scalp, reach further than the parts of the brain being targeted. If the currents do reach further they may alter brain functions that did not need to be changed. 'We don't know how the stimulation of one brain region affects the surrounding, unstimulated regions," Roy Hamilton, MD, MS, an assistant professor of Neurology and director of the Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation at University of Pennsylvania said. 'Stimulating one region could improve one's ability to perform one task but hurt the ability to perform another.' In addition, what a person is doing during tDCS - reading a book, watching TV, sleeping - can change its effects. Which activity is best to achieve a certain change in brain function is not yet known. DIY brain stimulation kits like the one above from Fo.Cus are aimed at boosting children's performance at school, are also being sold online despite scientists warnings that they may not be safe. Professionals have not performed tDCS at the frequency levels some home users experiment with, such as stimulating daily for months or longer. Small changes in the devices settings, including the current amplitude, length of stimulation and placement of electrodes can have unexpected effects, they added. Finally, the group warns that the effects of tDCS vary across different people. Up to 30 per cent of experimental subjects respond with radically different changes in brain activity to the majority. Factors such as gender, handedness, hormones, medication, etc. could impact and potentially reverse a given tDCS effect. Advertisement
Neil Levy, deputy director of the Oxford Centre for Neuroethics, told The Guardian that compared with prescription drugs, electrical brain stimulation could actually be a safer way to boost the performance of those in the armed forces.
'I have more serious worries about the extent to which participants can give informed consent, and whether they can opt out once it is approved for use,' he said.
The emergence of humans accounts for just a blink in the timeline of our planet but in the short period that humans have lived on Earth, populations have risen to staggering numbers.
A new animation from the American Museum of Natural History shows the growth of our species, from less than a million people when modern humans began migrating out of Africa about 100,000 years ago, to more than 7.2 billion alive today.
The most dramatic increase has occurred only recently; while it took humans roughly 200,000 years to reach a population of 1 billion, it took just 200 years beyond that to get to where we are now.
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A new animation from the American Museum of Natural History shows the exponential growth of our species, from less than a million people when modern humans began migrating out of Africa about 100,000 years ago to more than 7.2 billion alive today
WHERE POPULATION HAS SPIKED IN THE LAST 50 YRS From 1960 to 2015, certain regions have experienced a startling rise in inhabitants, data from the World Bank reveals. This includes: Afghanistan - from 8.9m to 32m Bangladesh - 48m to 160m Brazil - 72m to 207m Egypt - 27m to 91m Ethiopia - 22m to 99m Indonesia - 87m to 257m Iraq - 7m to 26m Mexico - 38m to 127m Pakistan - 44.8m to 188m Syria - 4.5m to 18.5m Source: World Bank Advertisement
The animation shared to YouTube by the AMNH cites data from Population Connection, the UN World Population Prospects, Worldometers real-time population counter, and NASA, and raises numerous questions on the future of humanity and our home planet.
As the video points out, human populations likely remained below 1 million people between the evolution of modern humans in Africa about 200,000 years ago and the early migrations across the globe about 100,00 years ago.
Growth then accelerated with the advent of farming, and by AD 1, there were roughly 170 million people on the planet.
The video then moves through the emergence of the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty, totalling about 176 million people before the year 100.
Then came the Silk Road, the Golden Age of India, peak Maya Civilization, and the birth of Islam, bringing the world to 190 million people by 700.
Once the navigational compass was invented, numbers began to pick up, reaching 210 million around the year 1100.
Mid-way between 1300 and 1400, the world experienced a rare population decline the bubonic plague.
Still, by the year 1700, the human population was just 590 million people.
Soon after, however, modern technology and medicine bring faster growth, the video explains, causing the population to skyrocket with the industrial revolution.
Just after the year 1800, the population hit 1 billion.
There are now over 7.2 billion people on Earth, just 200 years after reaching this milestone.
Its thought that the global population will peak at 11 billion people around the year 2100 if the current trends continue.
Human populations likely remained below 1 million people during early migrations across the globe about 100,00 years ago. Growth then accelerated with the advent of farming, and by AD 1, there were roughly 170 million people on the planet
The most dramatic increase has occurred only recently; while it took humans roughly 200,000 years to reach a population of 1 billion, it took just 200 years beyond that to get to where we are now
But, fertility rates are falling in nearly every country, AMNH says, and growth is slowing.
Still, with a projected 11 billion people set to live on Earth in the foreseeable future, there are major implications for the planets dwindling resources, even if the growth rate levels off.
If fertility forecasts are slightly off, our peak population will peak lower or higher, the video explains.
As our population has grown, so has our use of Earths resources.
Choices we make today [including] family planning, reduced consumption, pollution controls, habitat protection, affect the future of our species and all life on Earth.
Over time the objects collided and broke up, forming what are now rings
A new study showed the planets captured smaller objects into their orbit
But 4 billion years ago some planets migrated into this dense region
When the solar system formed the Kuiper Belt was filled with dwarf planets
NASA has revealed a stunning new view of the incredibly detailed detailed structure of Saturn's rings.
Taken by Cassini last week, it shows the mysterious structure of the rings.
Astronomers are still unsure whether they have always appeared this way, or if their appearance has evolved over time.
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HOW IT WAS TAKEN This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 4 degrees above the ring plane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Sept. 24, 2016. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 283,000 miles (456,000 kilometers) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 32 degrees. Image scale is 17 miles (27 kilometers) per pixel. Advertisement
'The rings are made up of many smaller ringlets that blur together when seen from a distance,' said NASA.
But when imaged up close, the rings' structures display quite a bit of variation, astronomers found.
Ring scientists are debating the nature of these features whether they have always appeared this way or if their appearance has evolved over time.
This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 4 degrees above the ring plane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Sept. 24, 2016.
The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 283,000 miles (456,000 kilometers) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 32 degrees. Image scale is 17 miles (27 kilometers) per pixel.
The Cassini mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (the European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado.
It is almost impossible to think of Saturn without picturing its signature rings.
But new research suggests the clumps of rock and ice that make up the rings we consider almost synonymous with the planet now, actually started out life as different planets altogether.
The study suggests the rings of Saturn, along with those surrounding Neptune and Uranus, are made up of pieces of Pluto-like dwarf planets that strayed too close to the giant worlds long ago.
It is almost impossible to think of Saturn (pictured) without picturing its signature rings. But new research suggests the clumps of rock and ice that make up the rings almost synonymous with the planet now, actually started out life as different planets themselves
LATE HEAVY BOMBARDMENT Just after the solar system formed, thousands of dwarf planets the size of Pluto once orbited in the Kuiper Belt. But 4 billion years ago this changed, in a period known as the 'Late Heavy Bombardment', when the giant planets underwent orbital migration. According to the so-called 'Nice model', at the time of the Late Heavy Bombardment, giant planets could have experienced a significant number of close encounters with bodies scattered from the primordial Kuiper Belt. The new study simulated the migration, and found in many cases fragments comprising 0.1-10 per cent of the initial mass of the passing objects were captured into orbits around the planet. Fragments with an initial size of several kilometres are expected to undergo high-speed collisions repeatedly and are gradually shattered into small pieces. These collisions between fragments are also expected to circularize their orbits and lead to the formation of the rings observed today. Advertisement
Researchers at Kobe University, Japan, presented a new model for the origin of Saturns rings based on results of computer simulations.
Their study, published in the journal Icarus, also addressed differences between the composition of the rings of Saturn and Uranus.
'The origin of rings around giant planets remains elusive,' Ryuki Hyodo and co-authors wrote in the paper.
'Saturns rings are massive and made of 9095% of water ice...In contrast, the much less massive rings of Uranus and Neptune are dark and likely to have higher rock fraction.'
Just after the solar system formed, thousands of dwarf planets the size of Pluto once orbited in the Kuiper Belt.
The Kuiper Belt is an icy region of the solar system, far away from the sun in the space beyond Neptune, where Pluto is found.
But 4 billion years ago this changed, in a period known as the 'Late Heavy Bombardment', when the giant planets underwent orbital migration.
In the new study, the researchers simulated this migration to work out the probability of planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune colliding with the dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt.
Results showed that Saturn, Uranus and Neptune experienced close encounters with the large objects multiple times.
Lurking amid Saturns massive rings, Nasas Cassini spacecraft spotted two tiny moons last month. The image (shown) captured roughly 3.4 million miles away from the slower moon, Atlas, reveals the object is being overtaken by Pan, a 17-mile-wide moon with a faster orbit
ARE DARK MOONS HIDING IN URANUS' ICY RINGS? Since 1986 when Nasa's Voyager 2 probe flew past Uranus, we have thought the cold and windy planet has 27 moons. While this is far fewer than the 67 and 62 satellites its neighbours Jupiter and Saturn have, this difference had been put down to the icy blue planet being much smaller than the other giants. But researchers think there could be two extra moons lurking within an icy ring surrounding Uranus, orbiting far closer than any moon seen before. The findings, published last month, open up the idea Uranus is surrounded by far more moons than previously thought, as they might be hiding in this close orbit of the lesser-explored Uranus. Advertisement
'According to the so-called Nice model, at the time of the Late Heavy Bombardment, giant planets could have experienced a significant number of close encounters with bodies scattered from the primordial Kuiper Belt,' the authors said.
The new study simulated the migration, and found in many cases fragments comprising 0.1-10 per cent of the initial mass of the passing objects were captured into orbits around the planet.
Fragments with an initial size of several kilometres are expected to undergo high-speed collisions repeatedly and are gradually shattered into small pieces.
These collisions between fragments are also expected to circularize their orbits and lead to the formation of the rings observed today.
The findings show the rings of giant planets are natural by-products of the formation process of the planets in our solar system.
This implies giant planets discovered around other stars, like some recently, are likely to have rings formed by a similar process.
The authors hope further discoveries of rings and satellites around exoplanets will advance our understanding of their origin.
The new study, published in the journal Icarus, also addressed differences between the composition of the rings of Saturn and Uranus (pictured)
While much of the world is the modern traveller's oyster, there are regions you can't roam freely.
Whether that be the mysterious lands of North Korea, where tourists are restricted solely to guided tours under close supervision, or Syria, currently in the throes of war.
But in many of these places, extraordinary beauty lurks behind the tightly-drawn curtains, along with the promise that some day they'll be free to explore again.
Afghanistan, for example, boasts Band-e Amir, a breathtaking national park brimming with lakes of electric blue, but much of its surroundings are currently deemed by the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office as being unsafe for tourism.
With a few exceptions, all the magnificent destinations showcased here fall under the FOC's red zone - areas where 'all travel' is expressly advised against.
Said notable exceptions include Norway's Domesday Vault, a heavily guarded cavern built under the Arctic snow which contains seeds from almost every nation on earth to be retrieved in the case of an global catastrophe.
Good luck getting a peek in there.
The Paris Museum of Eroticism's closing-down sale brought in almost half a million euros on Sunday, around three times the pre-sale estimate, the auctioneers said.
Everything from a forest of phalluses to South American objects based on female genitalia, to a Thai pipe shaped liked a reclining male member went under the hammer.
Much of the 2,000-item collection, including its oldest object, an 18th-century marble plaque of the Hindu god Vishnu from an Indian tantric temple, comes from Asia.
The Paris Museum of Eroticism's closing-down sale brought in almost half a million euros on Sunday
Everything from a forest of phalluses to South American objects based on female genitalia, to a Thai pipe shaped liked a reclining male member went under the hammer. Pictured are two lithographs by Julian Murphy
Owners Jo Khalifa and Alain Plumey, a former porn star, who founded the museum nearly 18 years ago, said the double whammy of falling tourist numbers and rising rents caused by creeping gentrification had done for the Paris Erotic Museum
The auction also included many drawings and photographs from late 19th-century 'Belle Epoque' Paris, when the city was seen as the world capital of pleasure.
There were also objects taken from France's legal brothels or 'maisons closes', which were shut down after World War II.
One of the highlights of the sale, handled by Paris auctioneers Cornette de Saint Cyr, was an imposing modern steel sculpture showing a woman having sex with a robot. It went for over 38,000 euros (33,000), way over its estimate of 7,000-8,000 euros.
A cover of French satirical magazine Hara-Kiri drawn by French cartoonist Georges Wolinski is pictured among other erotic art pieces
A mechanical chair from 1900 is pictured among erotic art pieces at the Erotic Museum
More than 500 potential buyers were present in the auction hall and a similar number were bidding via the internet.
'Many people came here in the hope of acquiring a souvenir of this unforgettable museum,' said auctioneer Bertrand Cornette.
A work by Salvador Dali, a bas-relief version of his painting entitled Young Virgin Auto-Sodomized by the Horns of Her Own Chastity went for 20,608 euros (18,000), despite its initial estimate of 2,000-3,000 euros.
A picture of a topless Mona Lisa was sold for over 13,000 euros (11,580).
Other lots included drawings by Georges Wolinski, one of the cartoonists killed during the gun attack on the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in January 2015.
France's only erotic museum has been forced to close its doors as the owner of the building has decided not to renew the lease and no suitable premises could be found elsewhere for the entirely private-held museum. Pictured is an art piece called Conseil de Famille (Family Meeting) by Alain Rose
More than 500 potential buyers were present in the auction hall and a similar number were bidding via the internet
The artist, known for his saucy sense of humour, had been a supporter of the museum.
France's only erotic museum has been forced to close its doors as the owner of the building has decided not to renew the lease and no suitable premises could be found elsewhere for the entirely private-held museum.
Just down the street from the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret in Pigalle, the closure hastens the slide of Paris' naughtiest neighbourhood towards respectability.
Owners Jo Khalifa and Alain Plumey, a former porn star, who founded the museum nearly 18 years ago, said the double whammy of falling tourist numbers and rising rents caused by creeping gentrification had done for the Paris Erotic Museum.
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From the publisher Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell, a journalist in Indian country for 40 years. Norrell created Censored News after she was censored and terminated as a staff reporter at Indian Country Today in 2006. She began as a reporter at Navajo Times during the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation. She was a stringer for AP and USA Today and later traveled with the Zapatistas through Mexico. She has been blacklisted by all the mainstream media for 14 years. Contact brendanorrell@gmail.com
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There's a certain small pleasure to be had in examining the first bank note you are handed in a foreign country.
Some of them are so beautifully obscure, perhaps you've bought them home with you and kept them as little paper souvenirs, to accumulate dust as they lie scattered in random dusty drawers.
Here, MailOnline Travel has hunted out some of the most colourful and exotic notes that are - or were once - in distribution around the world.
Some, like the intricate navy seascape found on a 1950s Romanian note, or the stately 1930s lion-embossed Ethiopian currency, are no longer in circulation.
Others, like the latest New Zealand dollar, serve both function and form with their modern, technicolour holograms.
The one thing they all have in common is being hard to part with.
MailOnline has hunted out some of the most colourful and exotic currencies that are, or were once, in distribution around the world - kicking off with this 1991 Costa Rica bank note
A French Polynesian example, decorated with an array of tropical fish found across the cluster of its South Pacific islands
Dating to the 1980s, a blue and pink five shillings banknote from Uganda, depicting a woman harvesting coffee berries
A 1992 Zambian 20 kwacha banknote depicting a large eagle resting on a branch and a dove swooping in from the left
A majestic emerald lion with a crumpled brow gazes out from the wings of this note, the promise of 50 Hong Kong dollars
Dating to 1979, a ceylon grey-hornbill brands the back of this ten rupee note from Sri Lanka - birds being a popular theme
This Ethiopian banknote for 50 thalers dates all the way back to 1932 and features two lions - another beast which makes a regular appearance on currency around the world
New Zealand's latest ten dollar banknote includes, along with a huddle of ducks, new security features thanks to its hologram
Two horses front a rolling mountainous landscape on this Mongolian five tugrik note, which was in circulation between 1990 - 1999
South African rand notes are populated by a colourful array of its 'big five' safari animals - the leopard, water buffalo, lion, elephant and rhino
Stamped 'Cairo 24th January 1945' this note for one Egyptian pound bears the face of King Tut Pharaoh Tutankhamun
Papua New Guinea's ten kina banknote features a bird of paradise with its wings outstretched, in circulation in the 1980s
Iceland's 500 kronas banknote, overwhelmingly pink in colour and bearing the portrait of Jon Sigurosson, the leader of the 19th century Icelandic independence movement
Suriname, a country in South America, showcases a toucan and a logger on its five gulden banknote, this one dating to 1991
An intricate navy seascape illustrates this rather beautiful 1950s Romanian note, equivalent to the sum of one thousand lie
The Iranian Rial banknote for 20,000 rial, branded with the portrait of Ruhollah Khomeini, a Shia Muslim religious leader who founded the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Malaysian five ringgit banknote bears another portrait - this time of Abdul Rahman of Negeri Sembilan - first Supreme Head of State of Malaya, now part of Malaysia
Dirhams banknotes from the United Arab Emirates, isolated on white
You wake up late, grab your luggage and make a dash to the airport.
Its only later when an airport security agent discovers a loaded firearm, gas mask or replica suicide vest in your carry-on bag that you remember its even there.
This baffling scenario happens to more flyers than you might imagine resulting in delays for fellow passengers, according to shocking photos revealed by the Transportation Security Administration, taken at airports across the United States.
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TSA advises passengers not to pack their homemade replica suicide vests. A traveller at Richmond stated this was a prop for a live-action role playing game but explosive experts and police had to race to the airport to confirm it wasn't dangerous
Halloween weaponry? These skull-adorned throwing knives were discovered in a carry-on bag at Chicago O'Hare Airport
Last year, MailOnline Travel reported on the bizarre haul of items seized by TSA at airports across America including a stun gun disguised as lipstick and a variety of weapons inspired by Batman.
Opening the vault once again, TSA officers have shared photos of surprising items such as five-bladed floggers and three skull-adorned throwing knives that travellers have tried to take on planes.
The items were prevented from being taken on board domestic or international flights from the US, leading to citations or even arrest for some of the passengers involved.
With over 506,000 followers on Instagram, TSA regularly shares photographs of weapons that were caught by screeners.
While gas masks are allowed in carry-on bags, this post- apocalyptic example above is adorned with replica bullets, which are not allowed. This was discovered in a bag at Miami International Airport
Five-bladed floggers are not allowed in carry-on bags a flyer at George Bush International Airport discovered when this item was seized
Responsible for 440 federalised airports and screening two million passengers a day its no wonder that officials find such an array of banned items.
In 2015, officers detected approximately 2,653 firearms at airport checkpoints, averaging seven firearms per day, according to the TSA, with many flyers simply forgetting they had packed a loaded gun in their carry-on luggage.
One of the most surprising items a passenger had mistakenly believed they could carry in their hand luggage without causing alarm was a replica suicide vest.
A traveller on his way to a live-action role playing game flying out of Richmond, Virginia, told agents that the vest was a fake but explosive experts and police needed to be called in to investigate.
While agents admit it was determined the vest posed no danger, they captioned the Instagram image with the quip: It has yet to be determined if the officer who searched the bag needed a change of clothing.
Batman boarding? With a simple unsnap and pull this belt becomes a belt knife. It was seized at Detroit Metropolitan Airport
This ornate cane was concealing a sword. It was detected at Bradley International Airport
A loaded hot pink fire-arm was discovered in a passenger's purse at Atlanta. Firearms are only allowed if they are packed in your checked baggage
Among the more unlikely items seized by officials this year was a post-apocalyptic style gas mask discovered in a flyer's hand luggage at Miami International Airport.
A gas mask in itself is not prohibited but as this one was adorned with replica bullets, it did not make it to its final destination.
TSA agents commented on the snap: Maybe he was catching a one way flight to Fury Road.
While some weapons are mistakenly packed into carry-on luggage, others are worn as part of flyers' day-to-day attire.
This powder horn full of black powder was confiscated at Alburquerque
Pie in the sky: A passenger sent TSA a picture of their pizza getting ready to go through an X-ray scanner at Philadelphia. Pizza is allowed to fly
One passengers dangerous sartorial style saw them having to relinquish their belt - as it featured a detachable knife.
Another eccentric traveller sporting an ornate cane was forced to leave the accessory behind as it concealed a sword.
Despite their best efforts, not everyone is a born linguist with the majority of Brits in particular, unable to speak a second language.
Faced with the prospect of a holiday blighted by broken conversation, pointing and blank stares its no surprise some travellers would feel more relaxed visiting a country where English is widely-spoken and understood.
If youd rather leave your phrasebook at home, there are plenty of countries where it is surprisingly easy to strike up a conversation in English.
Lazy linguists should head to Sweden the country with the highest proficiency score in English. Pictured is idyllic Stockholm
Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland are among the world's most proficient English speakers, for instance, according to a ranking of countries by adult English skills, the EF English Proficiency Index.
But beyond Europe, British holidaymakers may be pleasantly surprised to discover that theyll be understood in destinations as far-flung as Malaysia, India and Argentina.
However if youve got your heart set on a rural escape to Cambodia or a city break in Qatar you may be disappointed to find few locals able to point things out in English to you.
Tens of thousands of adults from 70 countries worldwide were tested to create the samples for the 2015 study by EF Education First.
MailOnline Travel has rounded up some of the unexpected destinations youll find refreshingly easy to visit, without your phrasebook.
COUNTRIES WITH TOP ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS VERY HIGH PROFICIENCY HIGH PROFICIENCY MODERATE PROFICIENCY 1. Sweden 70.94% 2. Netherlands 70.58% 3. Denmark 70.05% 4. Norway 67.83% 5. Finland 65.32% 6. Slovenia 64.97% 7. Estonia 63.73% 8. Luxembourg 63.45% 9. Poland 62.95% Source: EF English Proficiency Index 10. Austria 61.97% 11. Germany 61.83% 12. Singapore 61.08% 13. Portugal 60.61% 14. Malaysia 60.30% 15. Argentina 60.26% 16. Romania 59.69% 17. Belgium 59.13% 18. Czech Republic 59.01% 19. Switzerland 58.43% 20. India 58.21 % 21. Hungary 57.90 22. Latvia 57.16 % 23. Spain 56.80% 24. Dominican Republic 56.71 % 25. Slovakia 56.34% 26. Lithuania 55.08% 27. South Korea 54.52% 28. Italy 54.02% 29. Vietnam 53.81% 30. Japan 53.57% 31 Taiwan 53.18% 32. Indonesia 52.91% 33. Hong Kong 52.70% 34. Ukraine 52.61% Advertisement
Sweden
Blessed with stunning mountains, lakes and forests, even if you're out exploring the country's breath-taking wilderness and bump into one of its 9.7million population, there's a high chance they'll understand your apology.
Sweden came top out of 70 countries in the world for its adult population's English skills. It's also one of the few countries where males are slightly better than females at the language.
Slovenia
This picturesque destination may feel remote but it's still been touched by the English-language and is ranked as number 6 in the high proficiency index. Pictured is lake Bled
This eco-friendly country is ideal for getting away from it all on a spa-infused or hiking-filled nature holiday.
This picturesque destination may feel remote but it's still been touched by the English-language and is ranked as number six in the high proficiency category of the index.
India
As one of the most diverse and populated countries in the world, with 1.2billion people living there, you're sure to hear several languages spoken across India but visitors might be surprised to find it ranks as number 20 on the English proficiency index.
Although English speaking-levels may vary across the country, if you're visiting some of the most popular tourist spots such as the Golden Triangle you may be able to get by without any phrase books or apps.
Japan
British holidaymakers would be wrong to assume their requests would be lost in translation when visiting Japan.
Ranked at number 30, with moderate proficiency levels across the country, friendly locals are likely to offer you help should you need directions in Tokyo, menu advice in Kyoto or want to converse country-wide in this culturally rich and exciting destination.
Argentina
In Latin America the country is the destination where you are most likely to be understood when communicating in English. Pictured is a vibrant street in Buenos Aires
Whether you're attracted to the wineries, tango scene or world-leading restaurants, if you're hopeless at Spanish but still want to visit Argentina, don't be deterred.
In Latin America the country is the destination where you are most likely to be understood when communicating in English.
On a global scale, Argentina takes 15th place on the index so expect a lengthy chat with the new friends you make.
Malaysia
It may be far-flung and overwhelmingly different to the UK but Malaysia is a great option for travellers guilty of speaking only one language.
Food is one of the main draws in Malaysia alongside an array of cultural experiences and the country has a high proficiency levels in English, meaning your request for seconds is not likely to fall on deaf ears.
Italy
As one of the most visited tourist hotspots in the world boasting historic sites in Rome and the dreamy Amalfi coast, holidaymakers speaking a variety of languages are well-catered for in Italy.
While Northern Europe holds its own with high proficiency levels of English, Italy still comes in at a respectable number 28 meaning mono-linguists have nothing to fear on their Italian getaway.
Singapore
Ranked at number 12 on the index, Singapore it is the best non-European destination at English proficiency
A slick hub for conferences and a dazzling stop-over for Brits on their way to Asia or Australasia, Singapore is an easy place for English speakers to travel to.
Ranked at number 12 on the index it is the best non-European destination at English proving that tourists who panic about their lack of language skills don't have to holiday close to home.
Vietnam
Holidaymakers in Vietnam might want to pack light and ditch their phrasebook as they visit local markets, temples and travel along the Mekong delta.
A number of adults in the country have a moderate proficiency in English, so you might just get by on your wits alone.
The Netherlands
After Sweden, the Netherlands is the easiest country for English speakers to visit and to be understood.
If anything most locals will be able to shame you with their impressive use of your mother tongue.
More than 100 passengers have been evacuated from a plane in Colombia after it started to smoke.
The men, women and children were seen fleeing from the HK5164 Airbus in Bogota's El Dorado airport on the emergency slides.
The plane, an HK5164 Airbus operating flight number FC315 from Panama had landed in the early afternoon.
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More than 100 passengers have been evacuated from a plane in Bogota's El Dorado airport after it started to smoke
It was just taxiing to the parking bay when the smoke was spotted.
Fortunately there were no injuries among those involved.
According to local media, the smoke was later identified as having come from one of the wheels and was caused by the braking system overheating.
The video shows the plane, operated by the Viva Colombia airline, being evacuated with people sliding down the chute to safety.
Men, women and children were seen fleeing from the HK5164 Airbus on the emergency slides
Once on the ground, they are then seen rushing through a baggage area to safety in the main airport.
She is usually seen looking confident while strutting down red carpets at numerous events.
Now Anna Heinrich has opened up about her past body image demons as she poses naked on the latest cover of Woman's Health magazine.
While flaunting her bare sun-kissed skin, the 29-year-old admitted she hasn't always felt confident in her own skin and use to dislike certain parts of her body.
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Showing a different side: Anna Heinrich has opened up about her past body-image demons as she posed naked on the latest cover of Woman's Health magazine
'There have been times in my life when I havent felt confident, times when Ive been like, "I dont like that part of my body",' the former Bachelor star revealed.
Anna also explained she decided to pose nude for the first time to promote healthy body image and inspire others to love themselves.
'Every year that I get older I become more confident, I love myself more, I love my body more, and I just hope that everyone can kind of get to that stage,' she said.
Confidence: While flaunting her bare skin, she admitted: 'There have been times when I havent felt confident, times when Ive been like, "I dont like that part of my body"'
'For me its not about size, its more about whether or not I feel healthy inside.'
For the magazine cover shoot, Anna strategically lifts her knees to cover her assets.
As she wrapped her arms around her long legs, Anna's long blonde hair fell freely down her back as she wore them out with a natural wave.
She also flaunted her natural beauty through minimal makeup, which included a light brush of black mascara.
Positive: The lawyer explained she decided to pose nude for the first time to promote healthy body image and inspire others to love themselves
In another frame, Anna turned her slender figure to the side and angled her head over her shoulder to glare down the lens of the camera.
She stretched out her right leg while bending her opposite high, angling it to cover her cleavage.
Anna rested her right arm over her shoulder while she posed happily with a shiny white smile.
Reasoning: Anna posted to cover shoot on social media, along with the caption: 'Love YOUR body, but more importantly TREAT it with LOVE'
Anna posted to cover shoot on social media, along with the caption: 'Love YOUR body, but more importantly TREAT it with LOVE.
'My CONFIDENCE has grown the more I do EXACTLY THAT! #stronghealthyyou #DecemberIssue #outnow #WomensHealth @womenshealthaus #honoured.'
Her appearance in the Naked Issue of the glossy magazine comes months after she opened up about her healthy living lifestyle during an interview with Harper's Bazaar Australia.
How she does it: Her appearance in the Naked Issue of the glossy magazine comes months after she admitted she likes to 'mix up' her exercising routines in a bid to keep her motivated
She admitted she likes to 'mix up' her exercising routines in a bid to keep her motivated.
'I believe in being constantly active so I do something every day; whether walking or running,' Anna told.
'Lately, Ive started working out with the rings from The Robards Method. Theyre a great body weighted exercise and perfect for toning any jiggly bits.'
In the midst of her jam-packed schedule, Jennifer Lopez earned a well-deserved night out in NYC on Saturday with her younger sister.
The 47-year-old actress dined with ABC News journalist Lynda Lopez, 45, as the siblings stopped by the Italian eatery, Nello, on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
The Puerto Rican beauty wowed in a partly see-through white turtleneck top, denim jeans, and a long, tan-colored coat.
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Night out: Jennifer Lopez stepped out on Saturday with her younger sister, Lynda Lopez, as the two dined at a NYC Italian restaurant
Jennifer paired her intricately designed coat with matching heels that were adorned with fringe on the front.
She pulled her brunette locks back in a tight bun, showcasing her large hoop earrings and carried a tan and red handbag purse.
The 45-year-old television journalist looked equally stunning in a more casual attire wearing a navy blue sweater, light wash denim jeans, a black pea coat and boots while her bouncy waves were loose and past her shoulders.
Sister, sister! The 45-year-old ABC News journalist spent quality time with her older sister as she looked great in a blue sweater, denim jeans and a pea coat
Fashion statement: The Shades Of Blue star opted for a partly see-through white turtleneck top, blue jeans, a long, tan-colored embroidered jacket and matching fringe heels
Jennifer has always displayed her affection and protectiveness over her younger sister, as proven in her 2013 interview with Cosmopolitan saying: 'I just love and respect her so much.'
'Shes a single mom but not like Im a single mom. I have a lot of help she doesnt,' she added. 'I always ask, "Do you need anything?" And shes like, "Im good." But I know shes exhausted.'
Lynda - who has worked with VH1, NBC, E! News Live and CBS among many others - interviewed her older sister in 2000 in which the two discussed their childhood as well as JLo's rising music career at the time.
Last November, the American Idol judge even enlisted her sibling to interview her about her memoir True Love for Access Hollywood.
Affectionate: Posted in June for her sister's 45th birthday, Jennifer has always displayed her protectiveness and adoration for Lynda
Beauties: The mom-of-two told Cosmopolitan in a 2013 interview how much she loves and respects her sister, including her ability to raise her daughter as a single mom; pictured together at last year's Tony Awards
The two sisters also share their closeness with her children as Jennifer's twins Emme and Max often play with Lynda's eight-year-old daughter Lucie.
Meanwhile, the busy pop star is shooting the second season of her cop drama in NYC, Shades of Blue.
Jennifer is also recording a new Spanish language record with ex husband, Marc Anthony.
The curvy star will also return to her All I Have show in Las Vegas in December and next year will shoot a dance reality show as well as a movie about Griselda Blanco, the notorious Colombian drug lord who was assassinated in 2012.
This summer Jennifer split from dancer Casper Smart after five years together. People reported he had cheated on her, but she has yet to comment on the break up.
Busy beauty: Meanwhile, Jennifer is in NYC filming the second season of NBC's cop drama starring Ray Liotta
Sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning came out to the Other Gallery in Los Angeles on Saturday to honour the late Anton Yelchin.
Anton, 27, died in June when his vehicle rolled backwards and pinned him against his fence.
Also at the event were Demi Moore and Susan Sarandon.
Sister act: On Saturday in LA, sisters Dakota, 22, and Elle, 18, Fanning showed their support when they attended the Anton Yelchin photography exhibit of the Star Trek star
The sisters were dressed appropriately for the evening.
Dakota, 22, tucked in a powder blue top into a pair black trousers. The Ocean's Eight star added edge to her look with an AllSaints Balfern leather jacket.
Sister Elle, 18, wore a feminine, tiered dress over a pair of fishnet stockings.
The blonde actresses were similar in their choice of chunky shoes and pink purses.
Modest ensembles: Dakota, 22, tucked in a powder blue top into a pair black trousers. Sister Elle, 18, wore a feminine, tiered dress over a pair of fishnet stockings
Susan Sarandon, 70, and Demi Moore, 53, also attended the 40-photograph exhibit, which, according to a press release shared with Access Hollywood, was "experimental, provocative and surrealist.'
Anton's former Star Trek co-stars Chris Pine and John Cho, along with director J.J. Abrams, also made an appearance in honour of their late friend.
All sales of the artwork will benefit the Anton Yelchin Foundation, which, according to Extra, empowers children and filmmaking students.
Support: Susan Sarandon, 70, and Demi Moore, 53, also attended the 40-photograph exhibit
For him: Anton's former Star Trek co-stars Chris Pine, 36, and John Cho, 44, along with director J.J. Abrams, 50, also made an appearance in honour of their late friend
In June, Anton passed away at the age of 27, after his vehicle pinned him against a fence.
After his death, it was revealed that his character, Chekov, would be written out of any future films.
In August, his parent's attorney were planning to sue Fiat Chrysler, but the manufacture believed that Anton should be held liable for his death.
The crew: Anton, Chris and John are pictured in a Star Trek still
As the US presidential election enters its final hours, stars are continuing to chime in with their thoughts on the heated battle between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
And as rockers Green Day took to the stage at the MTV European Music Awards on in Rotterdam on Sunday night, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong made his feelings clear about the particularly contentious race to the Oval Office.
After collecting the Global Icon Award from Idris Elba, Billie said: 'It's nice to be out of America just for a second because of this horrendous election that's going on right now. The entire country is about to have one big, collective heart attack.'
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Sweet escape: Green Day rockers (l-r) Tre Cool, Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt expressed their joy at being away from the 'horrendous' US presidential election while attending the MTV EMAs at Rotterdam's Ahoy Arena on Sunday night
Flanked by his bandmates Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool, the star was applauded and cheered by the audience, seemingly in agreement with his statement.
While the rocker's brief mention of the election failed to single out either of the presidential candidates, the band's closing performance certainly did.
As they took to the stage to perform their 2004 protest anthem American Idiot - which slams former President George W. Bush - the they altered their lyrics to contain the words 'Trump America'.
Speaking out: Frontman Billie made the comments on the band's behalf as they accepted the Global Icon Award from Idris Elba, right
Contentious: Donald Trump, left, and Hillary Clinton, right, have been battling it out for the Oval Office in what has been deemed a particularly contentious US presidential election cycle
Swipe: As the rockers closed out the show, they altered the lyrics of their 2004 hit American Idiot to take a swipe at Donald
Billie's comments came a day after music magazine the NME released an interview, in which he blamed Donald Trump's political rise on 'uneducated white working-class people'.
He said: 'Theres this white nationalism thats been brewing under the radar for a long time. But now [Trumps] been able to cause people to lash out and blame minorities and its really confusing. I mean, blatant misogyny going on at the same time.'
'Ive got family members from Oklahoma that are big Trump supporters,' he continued. 'And theres no clear answer on why theyre supporting him because he doesnt even have any policies.
Cutting words: In an interview with the NME, Billie blamed Donald's political rise on 'uneducated white working-class people'
Family: He also revealed that many members of his family were voting for the Republican
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'How can you have an opinion about who you want for the Leader of the Free World when the guy running doesnt have answers to any questions?'
US citizens will head to the polls on Tuesday, with Donald Trump representing the Republican party and Hillary Clinton on the Democrat ticket.
The once-cordial pair have traded a stream of barbs, prompting the current presidential election cycle to be dubbed one of the most contentious yet.
No Trump: Billie is one of a number of celebrities who have spoken out against Donald
Soaring to new heights: Tre was seen climbing rigging during the band's appearance
Australian media and music identity Molly Meldrum has had a number of health scares in recent years and two highly publicised falls.
And now his assistant has revealed to New Idea magazine that the 73-year-old had another secret fall in Thailand, which occurred in between the 2011 and early 2016 accidents.
Yael Cohn told the publication that Molly 'broke his back' when he tripped on his grandson's toys.
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Health woes: According to New Idea, Molly Meldrum had another secret fall in Thailand, which occurred in between the 2011 and early 2016 accidents (seem in November 2014)
'He tripped over one of Jason's toys beside the swimming pool,' Yael said of the incident, revealing that the accident happened when he visited his adopted son and his family overseas.
She added that Molly has been left with numerous 'health issues' after the falls and sometimes struggles to walk.
'He can't do long walks anymore, so I sometimes have to hire him a wheelchair, which he hates, because he's too proud and annoying!' she said.
Struggles: Molly's assistant Yael Cohn told the publication that Molly 'broke his back' when he tripped on his grandson's toys
Meanwhile, Molly joked about his funeral to the publication, saying he wants to be placed in an Egyptian sarcophagus and will open up the coffin to get a drink for the last time.
He added he's feeling okay despite injuries from his falls.
'People keep telling me I've got to make a will, but I reckon there's plenty of time for that,' joking he'll leave it to his pet dog Ziggy.
In July this year, Molly was forced to cut short a 10-day cruise on board a luxury yacht after injuries he suffered after his fall in January and 2011, flared up on the cruise.
Cheeky: Meanwhile, Molly joked about his funeral to the publication, saying he wants to be placed in an Egyptian sarcophagus and will open up the coffin to get a drink for the last time
Dr Brian Pliatsos shared with The Daily Telegraph at the time: 'After struggling with an acute health issues whilst overseas, Molly Meldrum has been safely returned home to Australia for urgent evaluation and treatment.'
Dr Pliatsos continued: 'The decision to manage him in Australia was made to ensure appropriate continuity of care given some ongoing complications following his serious fall in 2011.'
'I want to assure everybody that his prognosis is excellent and ask that his privacy be respected pending a full and proper recovery,' he later added.
The Australian music legend was enlisted as the DJ on board the five-star Seabourn Odyssey - dubbed the 'Love Boat' - but had to leave the ship and fly home to Melbourne.
In January in Thailand, the record producer and entrepreneur dislocated one of his shoulders and fractured several ribs when he slipped while getting out of a taxi in front of his Bangkok hotel.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph following the accident, Molly revealed that he came close to having his arm amputated and turned to alcohol to cope.
He also came dangerously close to being paralysed in the legs.
The former Countdown host also suffered a life-threatening fall when he fell while putting up Christmas decorations in 2011.
It left him in a coma for five weeks and he suffered a brain injury among other injuries.
The cream of the crop are set to be honoured that evening at the Hollywood Film Awards.
And pregnant Natalie Portman didn't take any chances in the fashion department as she arrived to the red carpet event in Los Angeles on Sunday in a seriously chic LBD that hugged her expanding bump.
The 35-year-old sported a classic black frock that had a scoop neckline and clung to her figure.
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Bumping along just nicely! Pregnant Natalie Portman brought her fashion A-game in a seriously chic LBD that hugged her expanding bump at the Hollywood Film Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday evening
Natalie, who is expecting her second child with husband Benjamin Millepied, wore her shoulder length hair in pretty ringlets while mesmerizing passerby with her flawlessly made up face.
The star rocked rosey cheeks, long lashes, and pink lips.
She hit her stride in a sexy pair of black and strappy heels while injecting a pop of colour with her burgundy-hued manicure and pedicure.
Natalie is set to be honoured that evening with the Hollywood actress award for her role in Jackie.
Picture perfect: Natalie, who is expecting her second child with husband Benjamin Millepied, wore her shoulder length hair in pretty ringlets while mesmerizing passerby with her flawlessly made up face
Fashion favourite: The 35-year-old sported a classic black frock that had a scoop neckline and clung to her figure
Seriously chic: She hit her stride in a sexy pair of black and strappy heels while injecting a pop of colour with her burgundy-hued manicure and pedicure
Aside from Portman, the Hollywood Film Awards are set to recognize numerous icons in the industry, including Eddie Murphy, Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, Robert De Niro, and Lily Collins.
And Lily was certain to turn plenty of heads as she arrived in an outfit flashed some skin.
The 27-year-old dazzled in a chic gown that featured a cut-out over the midriff and a long, center split that showed off her legs.
Mesmerizing: The star rocked rosey cheeks, long lashes, and pink lips
Seriously glam: Lily Collins was certain to turn plenty of heads as she arrived in an outfit flashed some skin
Attention to detail! Lily's gorgeous number featured a silver zig-zag design at the center and a low-cut neckline
Lily's gorgeous number featured a silver zig-zag design at the center and a low-cut neckline.
Turning the event into a date night, director Judd Apatow arrived with his stunning wife of nearly 20 years, Leslie Mann.
The couple were practically beaming as they enjoyed a very glamorous night out together.
Night on the town! Turning the event into a date night, director Judd Apatow arrived with his stunning wife of nearly 20 years, Leslie Mann
Red alert! The actress, who has starred in films directed by her husband, looked captivating in a textured frock featuring various shades of red and orange
So elegant: Nicole Kidman wowed in an exquisite, delicate gown with ruffled sleeves and a peep-hole cut out
Co-stars! Kidman was joined on the red carpet by her Lion co-star, Dev Patel
The Knocked Up director had his arm affectionately wrapped around Leslie's waist while leaning in close to his other half.
Judd looked extremely sharp in his dark blue suit, but no doubt every head was turned in the direction of his wife, all thanks to her sublime fashion sense.
The actress, who has starred in films directed by her husband, looked captivating in a textured frock featuring various shades of red and orange.
Look who's here! Hugh Grant grinned from ear to ear as he was joined by his girlfriend, Anna Elisabet Eberstein
Man of style: Lenny Kravitz looked incredible in a glossy black top, vest, and trousers
Wild thing: Bryce Dallas Howard was dressed to impress in her animal print number
The floor length frock featured a slightly sheer skirt, which showed off her strappy silver heels.
Leslie kept things simple for her makeup, opting to bring out her naturally pretty features with a dewy tint of blush, mascara, but going completely glam with her bold shade of burgundy lipstick.
Nicole Kidman wowed in an exquisite, delicate gown with ruffled sleeves and a peep-hole cut out beside the cleavage.
Love is in the air: Mel Gibson had his girlfriend, Rosalind Ross, on his arm
Going for the gold! Loretta Devine shone in silver and gold ensemble complete with cape
Suits you! James Corden cut a dapper figure in his black suit and tie
Hello petal! Kate Hudson sizzled in a striking, low-cut dress with a floral design
The actress was joined on the red carpet by her Lion co-star, Dev Patel.
Hugh Grant grinned from ear to ear as he was joined by his girlfriend, Anna Elisabet Eberstein.
The Nine Months star kept things sharp in his dark blue suit, while his other half was the picture of style in a suede button-up dress teamed with strappy ankle boots.
White hot! Janelle Monae looked divine in a dramatic white number that skimmed the floor
They make a great match: Stylish couple Eddie Murphy and his girlfriend Paige Butcher turned heads
Simply stylish: Andie MacDowell kept it simple yet sophisticated in a black jumpsuit
She's his ray of sunshine! Ben Kingsley was joined by his wife Daniela Lavender, who stood out in her canary yellow frock
Bryce Dallas Howard, meanwhile, was dressed to impress in an animal print number that clung to her figure.
Mel Gibson rocked a full beard and smart dark blue suit as he had his younger girlfriend, Rosalind Ross, on his arm.
James Corden cut an extremely dapper figure as he sported a black suit and tie.
Their love is blossoming: Matthew McConaughey had his gorgeous wife Camila Alves as his date
A family affair! Robert De Niro was accompanied by his daughter, Drena De Niro
Suited and booted! Gibson enjoyed some time on the red carpet with Vince Vaughn
Kate Hudson was a sight to behold in a plunging black dress that featured an elegant floral design beside the neckline.
Janelle Monae was simply divine as she hit the red carpet in a stunning white number that very beautifully skimmed the floor.
Andie MacDowell kept things simple yet sophisticated in a black jumpsuit, while also glamming up the look with a delicate choker necklace.
Putting in an appearance! Sally Kirkland shone in a festive orange jacket teamed with a pink scarf and black trousers
Showing their support! Trolls co-stars Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick put in a stylish appearance as well
Golden girl! Naomie Harris accepted the honour for Hollywood Breakout Performance
They're golden: Tom Ford and Jon Favreau proudly posed with their awards
Eddie Murphy and his girlfriend Paige Butcher put their style prowess on full show as they made a super fashionable joint entrance.
Paige gave birth to her and Eddie's first child together in May, and the star looked amazing in the fitted blue frock that cinched into her incredible figure.
It was a big night for Eddie.
It's a winner: Casey Affleck, who stars in Manchester By The Sea, posed beside the film's screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan, who won the Hollywood Screenwriter Award
Taking the stage: Corden had a smile on his face as he spoke with the crowd
Speaking up: Favreau and Affleck were also among those on stage
Presenting: Warren Beatty presented his Rules Don't Apply co-star with the New Hollywood Award
The actor was set to be feted with the Career Achievement Award.
And he wasn't the only star taking home awards that evening, with some of Hollywood's biggest celebrities honoured.
Sully director Clint Eastwood presented the film's star, Tom Hanks, with the Hollywood Actor Award for his role in the drama.
Thanks a million! Collins grinned widely as she held up her honour
Giving their two cents: Julianne Moore and Beatty also took to the podium
Winning kisses! The Oscar winner greeted Ford with a peck on the cheek as she presented him with the Hollywood Breakthrough Director Award
Lily Collins was presented with the New Hollywood Award for Rules Don't Apply by her co-star, Warren Beatty.
Hugh was recognised with the Hollywood Supporting Actor Award for Florence Foster Jenkins, and Kidman was honoured with the Hollywood Supporting Actress Award for Lion.
De Niro took home the Hollywood Comedy Award for The Comedian, while Naomie Harris was recognised for her roles in both Collateral Beauty and Moonlight with the Hollywood Breakout Performance Award.
Giving her gratitude: The Hidden Figures starlet looked appreciative as she accepted the Spotlight Award
Congratulations: Sully director Clint Eastwood honoured the film's star Tom Hanks with the Hollywood Actor Award
Grateful: The actor was clearly appreciative for the award
He approves! Edgar Ramirez was joined by his Gold co-stars McConaughey and Howard as they accepted the Hollywood Ensemble Award
Julianne Moore presented Tom Ford with the Hollywood Breakthrough Director Award for his film Nocturnal Animals.
Janelle was recognised for her role in Hidden Figures with the Spotlight Award.
Matthew McConaughey, Howard, and Edgar Ramirez were honoured for their roles in Gold with the Hollywood Ensemble Award.
Giving their gratitude: Timberlake and McConaughey expressed their appreciation for the honours
Another award: Leonardo DiCaprio looked dashing as he took home the award for Hollywood Documentary Award for his film, Before The Flood, which he stars and produces
Saying his part: Fisher Stevens, the director of the documentary DiCaprio produced, expressed his gratitude for the award as well
Justin Timberlake, meanwhile, was given an award for his hit song Can't Stop The Feeling, which appears on the soundtrack for Trolls.
He was feted with the Hollywood Song Award.
Leonardo DiCaprio and director Fisher Stevens were also celebrated for their documentary, Before The Flood, with the Hollywood Documentary Award.
Proud presenter! Mann smiled brightly as she held up the award
Looking good! Grant must have had the audience in the palm of his hand as he took home the honour
Come here! DiCaprio warmly embraced De Niro as Jonah Hill watched on
Picture perfect! The stars made time for a snap after Grant accepted his award
Laugh riot! The actress could not contain her laughter
Milestone achievement: Eddie received the Hollywood Career Achievement Award
Taking the stage! Andrew Garfield and Vince Vaughn made some remarks while presenting the Hollywood Director Award to Mel Gibson
Taking five! Moore and Jon mingled as they enjoyed some down time
It's an honour! Susan Sarandon posed beside Natalie, who received the honour for Hollywood Actress Award
They're the reality TV couple set to welcome their first child any moment now.
But it appears Zoe Hendrix and Alex Garner's baby isn't in any rush to make their entrance into the world, with the 26-year-old being over her due date.
In a bid to hurry the imminent birth along, the Ethiopian-born beauty has tried labour-triggering methods, including acupuncture, eating spicy foods, and bouncing on a Swiss ball.
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'Waiting game': 39-weeks pregnant Zoe Hendrix is eagerly awaiting the birth of her first child days after she's due
Taking to Instagram on Sunday night to share a snap of her burgeoning baby bump, Zoe wrote: 'WAITING GAME is getting hard. (sic)'
She added: 'Iv tried acupuncture, castor oil (i don't recommend that) jumping on the fit ball, long walks, spicy food, eating dates but so far no success! this baby is not budging! (sic)'
The former reality star was also seen bouncing on a Swiss ball in her backyard in an Instagram video shared by her husband Alex.
'This baby is not budging': The Married At First Sight star was seen bouncing on a giant Swiss ball in a bid to trigger labour on Sunday
'Get out, baby, get out': Zoe's husband Alex Garner shared the Instagram clip of the Ethiopian-born beauty performing the exercises in their backyard
The 30-year-old plumber could be heard saying: 'Get out, baby, get out,' while filming his wife performing the exercises.
Dressed in a black singlet and red maxi skirt, Zoe was also taking deep breaths as she repeatedly moved up and down on the ball.
It comes just days after Zoe shared a snap of her bare baby belly via Instagram, announcing that she was eagerly awaiting the arrival of her bub.
Waiting: The Victoria-based couple are set to welcome their first child after first meeting on the reality series in 2015
'WATERMELON or baby? Feeling so ready for our Little One to arrive,' she shared.
'Getting those damn Braxton Hicks, awful lower back pain and sleep is a distant memory.'
Earlier, Zoe feared for her unborn child's life, when movement lessened dramatically.
Posting a picture in a monitoring studio, the soon-to-be mother let out a sigh of relief on Instagram when she could hear the heart beat of her child.
Growing: Zoe took to social media to show off her bare baby bump as she reached the 37 week mark
'Bub's sweet heart beat,' she wrote beside an image of herself standing with wires and straps encasing her burgeoning belly.
'By far my favourite sound in the world. This pic is from a few days ago when we had a scare and went in for monitoring.
'I had dramatically lessened movement from baby and after trying the hot shower/cold drink, which always worked but didn't, we decided to go in for monitoring. 'We were terrified,' she added.
Scared: Zoe recently feared for her unborn child's life, when movement lessened dramatically
But the hopeful mother-to-be continued: 'Everything is fine. But I wanted to share and say to all other mums and dads out their, don't hesitate to call your hospital.
'Listen to your body and follow your instinct. I don't like a fuss, but I've learnt that lesson. Baby comes first.
'Maybe our journey as mothers starts way before the birth,' she added.
The couple were 'married' on the show Married At First Sight in 2015 and are 'overjoyed at welcoming their baby', after experiencing a miscarriage last year.
As well as hosting a successful US talkshow, he is father to two young children.
But James Corden and his wife Julia Carey ensured they made time for each other on Sunday, as they enjoyed a sunny day out in Los Angeles.
The Late Late Show host, 38, and his wife looked put on a playful but affectionate display as they ran errands in sunny Santa Monica.
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Loved-up: James Corden and his wife Julia Carey ensured they made time for each other on Sunday, as they enjoyed a sunny day out in Los Angeles
Julia dressed down in a blue and white striped T-shirt and ripped jeans, opting for comfort in trainers.
Accessorising with sunglasses, the blonde mother-of-two looked like she was adapting to the LA lifestyle well.
Meanwhile James coordinated in a blue polo shirt and jeans, sporting dark sunglasses and adding a quirky touch in star-encrusted trainers.
PDA: The Late Late Show host, 38, and his wife looked put on a playful but affectionate display as they ran errands in sunny Santa Monica
Chasing her around the carpark playfully, Julia appeared to play hard-to-get, pretending to ignore his desperate bid to hold her hand.
The happy couple, who are parents to Max, 5, and Carey, two, married four years ago and still appear as loved-up as ever.
A far cry from his humble former life in the UK, James has found huge success and worldwide fame since he replaced Craig Ferguson on the Late Late Show as host in 2014.
The series was an immediate success, and the show has since gone on to win an Emmy this year.
Kiss-chase? Julia dressed down in a blue and white striped T-shirt and ripped jeans, opting for comfort in trainers
Perhaps most famous and popular of all is his iconic Carpool Karaoke segment - which sees James take celebrities out for a spin and sing-a-long in his car.
Stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Obama and Stevie Wonder have all taken part in the skit - as well as Lady Gaga most recently, with James copying her infamous meat dress to give the lift.
More recently however the comedian has begun to create music videos with his guests for the show instead.
He first created a Halloween-themed version of Ginuwine's Pony with Niall Horan of One Direction, and has since created a parody of the Lionel Richie and Diana Ross classic with Zooey Deschanel, entitled Endless Glove.
Keeping up: Meanwhile James coordinated in a blue polo shirt and jeans, sporting dark sunglasses along with star-encrusted trainers
Wait for me! Chasing her around the carpark playfully, Julia appeared to play hard-to-get, pretending to ignore his desperate bid to hold her hand
Talking on ITV's Lorraine earlier this year, James said he owes his success all to wife Julia - who agreed to make the move stateside at a chaotic time.
He said: 'All credit to my wife, who agreed to move when our daughter [Carey] was five weeks old and our son [Max] was three.
'It was a massive undertaking. I work so hard in the week and then at the weekend, you click your fingers and it's like you are in the South Of France.
He then added in his usual witty style: 'Luckily it's our life for the foreseeable future or until I get sacked.'
The One Man, Two Guvnors star proposed to Julia on Christmas day 2010 and the pair welcomed their son Max less than three months later.
They then married in a lavish 250,000 ceremony at Babington House, Somerset in September 2012.
Planet Earth II was a gift from the TV Gods - or rather from the TV God, Sir David Attenborough.
British televisions most legendary, most loved, figure is 90 now. So this was a series we had no right to assume wed ever see, much like everything hes made probably since 2009s Life (a title that makes you wonder if he thought it might have been his farewell).
His recent forays on Sky were innovative and enjoyable enough but this was not Micro Monsters 3D. This was a major Attenborough opus on the BBC, a follow-up to one of his best, most important, works, Planet Earth.
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Gift: Planet Earth 2 was a gift from the TV Gods - or rather from the TV God, Sir David Attenborough
Of course, we take the stunning photography, powerful stories, and close-ups of the incredible creatures captured in Attenboroughs shows for granted. But the use of ultra-high definition in particular made Planet Earth II even more breathtakingly beautiful and epic than usual.
The scale of its ambition certainly put other programmes to shame.
We can now show life on our planet in entirely new ways and reveal new wildlife dramas for the very first time, he promised. This was no idle boast it transpired, as the sequence of amazing images from the shows to come (like a lion launching itself off the ground to try and bring down a galloping passing giraffe) proved.
The theme, broadly, was survival - or the struggle to survive on Planet Earths mountains, jungles, deserts, grasslands, the worlds cities, and (here) its islands.
Coming 10 years after the original Planet Earth, at first glance Episode One looked almost overly familiar - like David Attenboroughs Greatest Hits. Devoted parent penguins, lovelorn albatrosses, terrifying komodo dragons, cuddly lemurs, and iguanas in the Galapagos... they were all there.
But it was testimony to Attenboroughs enduring enthusiasm and astonishing intellect that he still found them and their day-to-day stories and adventures as fascinating as ever.
Here is my Top 10 of the Most Memorable Moments from Episode One.
1. The opening shot of our hero
Attenborough hasnt worked in television making these programmes without knowing how to make an entrance.
Planet Earth II opened with a stunning shot: a white sea of snowy mountain peaks with a black dot floating across it far away like a childs balloon.
This was our hero, flying in a hot air balloon two miles in the air as you do. Or as he does anyway...
Dramatic opening: Planet Earth 2 opened with a stunning shot: a white sea of snowy mountain peaks with a black dot floating across it far away like a childs balloon
Even at the age of 90, he had no hat or scarf, just an ordinary blue anorak as a token concession to the cold, as nonchalant as if he had gone to walk the dog, rather than introduce his new series like a cross between Darwin and the Milk Tray Man.
Looking down from two miles above the surface of the earth its impossible not to be impressed by the sheer grandeur, splendour, and power of the natural world, he announced.
He was still impressed. And thanks to him and Planet Earth II we would be too.
2. A pygmy three-toed sloth swimming
Our first island was Escudo off the coast of Panama, where a pygmy three-toed sloth was feeling frisky. Unfortunately with only a few hundred sloths still in existence, his opportunities were limited which he seemed to know, judging by his reaction to the cry of a female out somewhere on the island.
This, for a sloth, is a quick reaction, Attenborough remarked drily as the green mossy monster headed off to find her.
Frisky: In Escudo, off the coast of Panama, a pygmy three-toed sloth was seen feeling frisky
With the tangled mass of the mangroves and a channel of deep water in the way, the sloth had no choice but to swim: a surprisingly graceful, beautifully buoyant, doggy paddle.
Sadly, it was all in vain. The female he had heard already had a baby. And even for a sloth the six months he would have to wait before she would mate again was too long.
Not exactly spoilt for choice: Unfortunately with only a few hundred sloths still in existence, his opportunities were limited
3. Iguanas deep-sea diving
Volcanically active, the island of Fernandina in the Galapagos is understandably desolate, so it was no surprise to see an iguana hungrily feeding on whatever it could find a mass of bright green moss. On the sea bed...
The iguanas there can swim 30 metres down into the amazing turquoise water and hold their breath for half an hour before going back on land to bask in the sun. All 7,000 of them, packed closely together like tourists on a Bank Holiday in Brighton.
On today's menu...: Iguanas on the island of Fernandina, in the Galapagos, tend to feed on whatever they can find
4. Racer snakes hunting baby iguanas in packs
A marine iguanas most dangerous journey is its first, when it emerges from under the shingle and has to make it to the sea. Normally, youd expect their predators to be seabirds, like turtles. But they were snakes: racer snakes, which sounded scarier and scary enough without the sight of them hunting in packs, like a scene from Indiana Jones. Happily the baby iguanas scarpered, easily out-running their pursuers. Less happily, many were ambushed by more cunning racer snakes not racing at all but lying in wait by the rocks. One chase scene and narrow escape was more thrilling than anything in James Bond and actually not that different.
Treacherous journey: A marine iguanas most dangerous journey is its first, when it emerges from under the shingle and has to make it to the sea
Thrilling: One chase scene and narrow escape between a baby iganua and racer snakes was more thrilling than anything in James Bond and actually not that different
5. Komodo dragons making MMA look mild
No David Attenborough series is complete without the hideous, terrifying, presence of the creatures that have, he said, dominated the islands in Indonesia for four million years: Komodo Dragons.
The missing link between dinosaurs and armoured knights, the dragons were ten feet long, weighed 150lbs, with serrated teeth, tongues like hissing, drooling, lances, and muscular tails that struck with the power of sledgehammers.
Wildlife staple: No David Attenborough series is complete without the hideous, terrifying, presence of Komodo Dragons
Here to stay: The creatures that have, he said, dominated the islands in Indonesia for four million years
As usual it was a female that started the males to embark on a titanic, brutal, battle when one giant chatted up a dragon that another (even bigger) beast already had his eye on. (Given that they females only come into season once a year, admittedly such squabbles are inevitable.)
The MMA cage fights had nothing on these.
In dragon society size is everything, Sir David observed. Not just with komodo dragons either...
6. Penguins in the forest
After so documentaries and films, youd have thought wed seen it all about penguins but the sight of the little chaps and their loved ones as they waddled through the lush forests of sub-Antarctic New Zealand was extraordinary.
Later on, we returned to more familiar footage: the 50-miles journey of a heroic male returning to feed his chick and ward off the Skua trying to snatch it, surfing gigantic waves and trudging across the active volcanic Zavodovski Island in the South Ocean, through the largest penguin colony in the world. It looked like the Glastonbury Festival for penguins, but our heroic penguin found his missus among the 1.5 million other penguins, reuniting with a loving dance and some nose rubbing, followed by regurgitation. You cant beat it.
Extraordinary sight: The sight of the penguins and their loved ones as they waddled through the lush forests of sub-Antarctic New Zealand was extraordinary
7. The albatross waiting for his true love
Even on an island free from predators, where all kinds of birds arrive to mate (like a land of love hotels for birds), theres always one male with no partner and its invariably an albatross. He only saw his mate once every six months and she was late. (Typical female, she was probably doing her plumage.) Happily, she made it in the end and their beak clashing and chin tickling made for romantic foreplay. Presumably...
Deplayed date: One albatross only saw his mate once every six months - and she was late
8. Yellow Crazy Ants versus Red Crabs
The march of the red crabs on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean is said Sir David one of the greatest natural spectacles on earth and who are we to doubt him?
Once a year 50 million of them return to the sea to breed. Not all of them made it though as they were attacked by vast super-colonies of Yellow Crazy Ants. The YCA gang had washed up from visiting ships, expanded without restriction, and now ambushed unfortunate isolated individuals by squirting acid in the crabs eyes and mouths. Ouch !
The crabs have no defence. Blinded and confused, theyre doomed.
The best-named species on earth, the Yellow Crazy Ants had struck again.
Great spectacle: The march of the red crabs on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean is said Sir David one of the greatest natural spectacles on earth
Craziness: A large number of crabs, on their way to the sea to breed, were attacked by vast super-colonies of Yellow Crazy Ants
9. The expression of a baby lemur
Madagascar has 150 types of lemurs and most live the high life (up in the trees) or, like Bamboo Lemurs, eating their fill on the ground.
But this baby Sifaka has a hard life ahead of it, said Attenborough, about a forlorn-looking newborn who could only have been played by Woody Allen in the Pixar film.
Hes been born in the most arid and hostile corner of Madadgascars vast landscape, where it rarely rains making food and water hard to find.
Perhaps his mother should think about moving you thought. In the meantime Ken Loach is going to make his new film about them.
High life: Madagascar has 150 types of lemurs and most live the high life (up in the trees)
10. A poor Fairy Tern trying to hatch her shattered egg
All human life was here, even in the animal kingdom: sex and violence, love and death, happiness and tragedy. In the Seychelles, a Fody bird hopped around eating other birds eggs not even devouring them but puncturing them leaving the insides leaking out.
You could picture everyone on Gogglebox sobbing as they watched the heart-breaking sight of a pretty female Fairy Tern come back to continue hatching her egg, seemingly oblivious to the vandalism that the Fody had just inflicted.
She knows somethings not quite right, Sir David informed us. But her drive to incubate is quite strong - something of an understatement as she gamely, poignantly, sat on the top of the egg with what would have been her baby dripping out of the bottom, down the branch underneath her.
She recently became engaged to new beau Adam Ellis, months after ending her nine year marriage with Olympic Swimmer Michael Klim in February.
And it seems Lindy Klim's family is completely on-board with her decisions, as her mother Frances Parker jumped to her daughter's defence on social media on Sunday.
When mother-of-three Lindy shared a post with her 91,000 Instagram followers pointing towards her tell-all interview about the end of her high-profile marriage, critics lined up to comment on the post.
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Protective mumma bear: Lindy Klim's mother, Frances Parker (right), has taken to Instagram to defend her daughter (left) after the 38-year-old spoke openly about ending her marriage to Michael Klim
The image was perhaps not so cryptically captioned: 'There's time for silence but sometimes it's important to stand and speak up', with Lindy revealing details of her estranged husband Michael's alleged affair in the interview, claims which Michael has previously denied.
After first expressing pride at her daughter's 'resilience' and wishing Lindy and Adam 'every happiness', Frances's comments soon turned defensive.
Under a comment now deleted, Frances adamantly stated her grandchildren - Stella, Rocco and Frankie - were thriving emotionally and physically despite their parents' split.
'I have just spent several weeks with my gorgeous grandchildren and I would like to know why you feel free to comment on their health and emotional well being,' she wrote.
Happy as Larry! The grandmother of the three children (L-R) Stella, Frankie and Rocco said they were 'loved and treasured by all'
Not happy: Frances wasted no time telling off a person who left a negative comment on Lindy's Instagram post
'From my perspective, the children are loved and treasured by all and move comfortably and seamlessly between parents and homes.
'My grandchildren are happy, loved and totally gorgeous in every way.'
It's not the first time Frances has commented below one of Lindy's social media snaps.
They're getting hitched! Lindy and her new beau, British builder Adam Ellis, recently became engaged
Lovebirds: The Balinese princess has not been shy about sharing intimate moments in her relationship online
Happy to have him in the family: Lindy's mum has heaped glowing praise on the newest addition to the family in a series of comments across social media
Nine weeks ago, the proud Australian mother of the model and Balinese Princess told fans what a positive force Lindy's new beau, Adam, has been in the lives of her daughter and three grandchildren.
'Our family has bucket loads of gratitude and love for this man welcome to our family, in our eyes you are a perfect "dad" x,' she wrote.
The comments, both previously made and those more recently, appear to show the matriarch favours her daughter's new man over the Olympian.
In an in-depth interview with Stellar Magazine, published on Sunday the 38-year-old reveals she learned of Michael's relationship with Desiree Devari in mid-2015, which prompted the couple to announce their separation in February this year.
Keyboard warrior: Frances Parker (right) has not been shy about defending her daughter online (pictured with daughter Hannah, left)
She confessed: 'The way I found out about it through social media was quite hurtful. Obviously we'd been struggling for a while, but I thought we were keeping a hold on it and trying really hard to work it out.'
Finding out about Michael's girlfriend online made Lindy feel like she had 'failed' as a wife as her 10-year marriage to the Olympic swimmer fell apart.
However, Michael has always denied claims he was unfaithful, telling News.com earlier this year that he fought to the bitter end to save his relationship.
Broken family: Lindy and Michael announced their split in February this year
He said: 'It's hurtful when there are stories and rumours that aren't true written about you especially when both Lindy and I were making an effort to salvage something.'
And while Michael has given a number of interviews about the demise of their marriage, the mother-of-three said she'd been concentrating on healing herself rather than launching a post-split 'PR campaign'.
'He's been out there in the media from day one,' she said. 'It's been very difficult for me to hold my tongue, because I don't have a level head most of the time.'
She's enjoying some downtime with her two young children, daughter Pixie and son Hunter, on Hayman Island.
And on Monday, PR guru Roxy Jacenko baffled her fans when she shared a shot of her boy, two, on his Instagram account, appearing to have abs.
Making light of the situation, Roxy - who pens her children's social media accounts - captioned the snap: 'She thinks she's the only one with a 4 (sic) pack.'
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'She thinks she's the only one with a 4 (sic) pack': Roxy Jacenko baffled fans when she shared a shot of her son, Hunter, two, who appeared to have abs in a poolside photo as they holidayed on Hayman Island on Monday
Roxy added laughing and crying smiley face emoticons.
In the shot, her tiny tot swims in the water as Roxy looks on.
One fan wrote underneath, writing: 'Abs.'
Roxy also shared another shot of herself holding Hunter in her arms as they posed at the One and Only resort on the island.
Family time: Roxy also shared another shot of herself holding Hunter in his arms as they posed at the One and Only resort on the island
Life's a beach! Her daughter Pixie is seen here swimming in the pool
In the sweet shot she shares a kiss with her son, stunning in a white Melissa Odabash beach dress and brown Hermes sandals.
Roxy recently has been hitting the gym and regularly flashes her abs in various crop tops across social media.
She also recently shared some flashback images of herself at the beach with Hunter and Pixie, where Roxy stuns in a navy one piece.
Working hard: Roxy recently has been hitting the gym and regularly flashes her abs in various crop tops across social media
Apples of her eye! She also recently shared some flashback images of herself at the beach with Hunter and Pixie, in which Roxy stuns in a navy one piece
Family time has become clearly important for the Sweaty Betty PR boss, after husband Oliver Curtis was jailed for two years.
She told 60 Minutes earlier this year her two children were her best friends, and that she often spoke to them about what was going on in her life.
Shortly after Oliver's sentencing, Roxy faced another setback as she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The Bondi-based businesswoman had her last radiation treatment in early October.
He announced he split from his on-screen wife Christie Jordee earlier this after after meeting on Channel Nine's Married At First Sight.
Now, Mark Hughes has moved on and found love with a busty blonde beauty.
The 38-year-old revealed he had settled into a new relationship on social media, after sharing an image of himself cuddling up to his partner, Marie Angeleski.
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Moving on: Married At First Sight's Mark Hughes has revealed his new relationship with blonde beauty Marie Angeleski, following split with his on-screen wife Christie Jordee
Beside the couple's first Instagram photo, the farmer wrote: 'When you meet somebody and they make you want to learn all the words to a Cher song!!'
Marie also shared a picture collage of the love birds dressed in grey jumpers with the caption: 'When couples dress alike #twinning #mylove'.
The blonde has credited herself as a Group Commercial Director who is 'passionate about travel, food,fashion, sport, amazing friends and family'.
Getting close: The 38-year-old revealed he had settled into a new relationship on social media, after sharing an image of himself cuddling up to his partner
Title: The blonde has credited herself as a Group Commercial Director who is 'passionate about travel, food,fashion, sport, amazing friends and family'
Mark's new blossoming romance comes months after he announced his split with his on-screen wife amid rumours of infidelity.
Following the reports, the reality TV star set the record straight and claimed he and Christie remained good friend.
'We're still friends,' the farmer told Mamamia, adding that they're still very much on speaking terms.
He also confirmed reports from New Idea that he's been texting another woman, but specified that it took place after splitting from Christie.
Over so soon: Mark's new blossoming romance comes months after he announced his split with his on-screen wife Christie amid rumours of infidelity
Businesswoman Christie exchanged vows with Mark while filming the popular Channel Nine reality show late last year.
The couple originally intended to spend their time between her home in urban Sydney and Mark's sprawling farm in rural Victoria following filming but after two months they ended their relationship.
Confirming the split, Mark told Woman's Day: 'We couldn't get into the relationship because we'd see each other once a week, but then not the next.
'I felt like we were holding back because we knew we'd get hurt.'
It was recently rumoured that Australia's iconic couple were getting divorced.
But on Monday a stunning flashback photo was posted to Instagram celebrating Bert and Patti Newton's 42nd wedding anniversary.
The Today Show captioned the post: 'Patti Newton met Bert more than 50 years ago. Here at Channel Nine and this week they celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary!!'
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The long haul: On Monday a stunning flashback photo was posted to Instagram celebrating Bert and Patti Newton's 42nd wedding anniversary
'How special!!' the post concluded.
Last month, the couple were forced to act after New Idea implied that their relationship was in crisis.
The publication quoted a source as saying: 'They've faced a lot of turmoil in their lives, but now they're in their 70s, it's just becoming too much to handle.'
Happy couple: Bert and Patti Newton quashed rumours of a split, denying their marriage is on the rocks
A spokesman for Bert clarified the situation, telling news.com that the couple's 42-year marriage was not on the rocks.
He said: 'It's all untrue, especially about the divorce.'
'They are definitely not getting divorced.'
All bets are off: The couple were plagued by rumours that the former TV presenter had returned to gambling earlier this year
Good times: Bert and Patti have been married for 42 years and are the parents of troubled actor Matthew who recently got engaged
Financial troubles were rumoured to be haunting Bert and Patti with the former Gold Logie-winner said to have returned to gambling.
In 1993, the entertainer was forced to rebuild his family's fortune after racking up gambling debts in the region of $1 million.
They play mother and son in their latest film Lion.
And it appeared Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel still share a connection off screen.
The duo shared a sweet moment together on the red carpet as they arrived for the Hollywood Film Awards on Sunday night.
Mother and son! Nicole Kidman shared a sweet moment with her Lion co-star Dev Patel as she was honoured at the Hollywood Film Awards on Sunday night
The 49-year-old wowed in an exquisite, delicate gown with ruffled sleeves along with a velvet clutch by AERIN Accessories.
The thinnest black ribbon belt accentuated the Australian beauty's slim waist, while she wore her famous red hair up in bunched ringlets.
Dev meanwhile, rocking his longer hair, beard and moustache, looked sharp in a navy suit and white button-down shirt, forgoing the tie.
Lion is based on the true story and book A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley.
Gorgeous: The 49-year-old wowed in an exquisite, delicate gown with ruffled sleeves and a peep-hole cut out
Handsome: Dev meanwhile, rocking his longer hair, beard and moustache, looked sharp in a navy suit and white button-down shirt, forgoing the tie
Tender: The star stroked Dev's cheek as the pair cuddled up on the red carpet
Laugh a minute: Nicole was in chirpy spirits as they cosied up together
Two of a kind: The pair were chatting away and laughing
Adorable: The pair put on a very cute display on the red carpet
Hug it out: Dev wrapped his co-star in a warm embrace as he handed over the award
Dazzling duo: Both Nicole and Dev had dressed to impress for the glamorous occasion
Patel plays Brierley, who lost from his birth mother at the age of five and was adopted by an Australian family, searches for his long-lost family using Google Earth.
Kidman plays his adoptive mother Sue Brierley; the movie also stars Rooney Mara as Saroo's girlfriend Lucy.
On Sunday night, Nicole was hounoured with the Hollywood Supporting Actress Award for her performance in the film, which is released on November 25.
Style: The thinnest black ribbon belt accentuated the Australian beauty's slim waist, while she wore her famous red hair up in bunched ringlets
Next up: Lion is based on the true story and book A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley
Best in show: On Sunday night, Nicole was honoured with the Hollywood Supporting Actress Award for her performance in the film, which is released on November 25
Also picking up gongs on the night were Tom Hanks for best actor for Sully, Natalie Portman for best actress for Jackie, Hugh Grant for supporting actor for Florence Foster Jenkins.
Robert De Niro won the Hollywood Comedy Award, Naomie Harris won the breakout actress award, and Lily Collins won the New Hollywood Award.
Eddie Murphy meanwhile was honoured with Hollywood Career Achievement Award.
The award show was presented by Virginia Black.
Future project: Nicole shared a laugh with the CEO DreamWorks Animation, Jeffrey Katzenberg
Hug it out: Nicole was also full of love for Lenny Kravitz as she wrapped him up in a hug
Chatting away: Nicole also carried a velvet clutch by AERIN Accessories
Smiles all round: Nicole also seemed delighted to chat with host James Corden
With three little ones at home, these two make the most of any child free evening, even if it is technically a work event.
Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves could not keep their eyes off each other as they attended the annual Hollywood Film Awards.
The couple made for a striking pair as they made their way down the red carpet in Beverly Hills, California, on Sunday night.
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Date night: Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves could not keep their eyes off each other as they attended the annual Hollywood Film Awards in Beverly Hills on Sunday
Matthew was there to receive the Hollywood Ensemble Award for his film Gold, so the strapping Texan dressed to impress.
The 47-year-old star decided to skip the standard classic black suit in favour of something that popped just that little but more.
For the event, Matthew donned a light blue suit with a white shirt and skinny navy tie.
Obviously really feeling the shade, the Dallas Buyers Club star wore the suit with a pair of blue lace-up leather shoes.
Something different: Matthew was there to receive the Hollywood Ensemble Award for his film Gold, so the strapping Texan dressed to impress
Stood out: The 47-year-old star decided to skip the standard classic black suit in favour of something that popped just that little but more
Got the blues: For the event, Matthew donned a light blue suit with a white shirt and skinny navy tie
While they could not have looked more loved up as they posed on the carpet, clearly the actor did not tell his wife he was wearing blue as she wore black.
For the event, the 34-year-old model wore a black dress featuring embroidered flowers on the short sleeve top.
The dress was cinched in at the star's waist with a vintage-style belt and had a sexy thigh high split.
Going with the flow: For the event, the 34-year-old model wore a black dress featuring embroidered flowers on the short sleeve top
Getting leggy with it: The dress was cinched in at the star's waist with a vintage-style belt and had a sexy thigh high split
Lucky man: The couple posed up with actress Kate Hudson who presented the actor with his award along with his co-star Bryce Dallas Howard
The mother of three - Levi, 8, Vita, 6, and Livingston, 3 - made sure to show off her gorgeous gams as photographers snapped away.
Camila wore her hair curled to one side with a tiny braid keeping her hair close to her head on the other side.
She finished off the look with a tiny black clutch and peep toe strappy black heels.
Swept away: Camila wore her hair curled to one side with a tiny braid keeping her hair close to her head on the other side
Dared to bare: Kate meanwhile wore a very low plunging sequined dress which also had flowers on it
Say cheese ladies: Camila caught up with Nicole Kidman and her husband's co-star Bryce Dallas Howard
The couple posed up with actress Kate Hudson who presented the actor with his award along with his co-star Bryce Dallas Howard.
Gold is not in theatres until next month and tells the story of an unlikely pair venture to the Indonesian jungle in search of gold.
The Hollywood Film Awards, now in its 20th year, marks the star of the awards season and recognizes actors and those behind the camera for their work in films, not all of which are out yet.
Coming soon: Gold is not in theatres until next month and tells the story of an unlikely pair venture to the Indonesian jungle in search of gold
Blac Chyna posted a nude throwback photo on Sunday ahead of welcoming her second child.
The 28-year-old model covered her bare breasts with her folded arms and showed her flat stomach in the selfie.
'Soon,' Chyna wrote in the caption for her more than 9 million followers on Instagram.
Throwback photo: Blac Chyna shared a nude throwback photo on Sunday ahead of welcoming her second child due later this month
Chyna is due to give birth within weeks to her first child with reality star Rob Kardashian and revealed last week that she had gained 72 pounds while pregnant.
She also has a four-year-old son King Cairo from a previous relationship with rapper Tyga.
Chyna and Rob, 29, started dating in January, announced their engagement in April and revealed they were expecting in May.
Tyga, 26, and Chyna were engaged following the birth of their son, but split in 2014.
Doctor visit: The reality star last week shared an Instagram snap from her doctor's office after a late pregnancy check-up
He since has been in a relationship with Rob's half-sister Kylie Jenner, 19.
Chyna and Rob starred in their own E! reality show Rob & Chyna that recently concluded its first season.
The couple revealed on their reality show that they were expecting a baby girl.
Mother and son: Chyna is shown in June with son King Cairo in Los Angeles
Chyna also took to social media on Friday and Saturday to reveal that she had adopted a new puppy.
The new canine addition was joined by another puppy that her friend Paige also adopted.
Chyna and Paige thought they adopted male pups, but after a trip to the veterinarian for shots found out they were female puppies.
John Nicholls has strengthened its position in Oxfordshire and Warwickshire by opening its first Supersite on Telford Road in Bicester.
As the largest single site within the Nicholls Group, the new premises covers 40,000 sq ft, which includes a large building and plumbing merchant, kitchen and bathroom solutions showroom, warehousing, office space and a large yard area.
The site incorporates all the Nicholls core businesses such as building and timber, plumbing and heating, kitchens and bathrooms and some new business ventures including a range of bedroom, flooring and door displays, direct-to-site delivery options, van-size parking spaces and a partnership with a neighbouring cafe.
The Supersite was officially opened on 1st October by Andrew Nicholls, chief executive of the Nicholls Group, and Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham Kb, international businessman and cross bench peer in the House of Lords, who cut the ribbon declaring the buildings open for business.
Lord Jones addressed members of the public and local tradespeople about the importance of towns such as Bicester to the economy, as well as the key role that businesses such as Nicholls play in the local community.
Also in attendance were Councillor Lynn Pratt who is Lead Member for Estates and the Economy within Bicester North and Caversfield Ward and Councillor Les Sibley Deputy Mayor.
Mr Nicholls said: Its fantastic news to have extended our presence within Bicester and Oxfordshire through the opening of our first Supersite. We have been established in Bicester since 1998 and have first-hand experience of how the town is, and will develop in the coming years. Coupled with our local knowledge and the projected growth of the town, which is already widely acknowledged as one of the fastest growing towns in Europe, our new business location offers a massive opportunity to the Nicholls Group, the people of Bicester and the local economy.
The sheer scale of our new site allows us to increase the services we offer including electrical, joinery, roofing, renewable technologies and decorating, while also enhancing our core building and timber, plumbing and heating, and kitchen and bathroom businesses to provide the best possible offering to our customers in Bicester and the surrounding villages.
Throughout the grand opening event visitors were able to speak to leading kitchen and bathroom manufactures, while also browsing the new 5,000 sq ft showroom, and enjoying cooking demonstrations from TV chef Peter Sidwell.
The new showroom offers a free 3-D photorealistic CAD drawing service, free site or home surveys, and a Kids Zone to occupy and entertain children while mum and dad browse the display areas.
She appeared on The Bachelor Australia earlier this year in a quest to find love.
And on Monday, Olena Khamula announced she will be moving into acting in the near future.
The 23-year-old makeup artist told her social media followers she has enrolled in professional acting classes after The Bachelor opened her eyes to the world of filming.
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Career move: Olena Khamula has announced she will be moving into acting
'So excited to be starting classes with @theactorspulse,' she revealed.
'It's such an amazing opportunity having been on the Bachelor it has opened my eyes a lot for the beauty of television.
'But instead of doing reality tv being myself I get to tell someone else's story.'
The beginning: The 23-year-old makeup artist revealed she has enrolled in professional acting classes after The Bachelor opened her eyes to the world of filming
Olena added: 'I have never done acting before & I'm so excited to get started on this new adventure. #excited.'
The Actor's Pulse is an acting school based in Sydney, which trains students in film, television and theatre.
The beauty's best friend and fellow Bachelor contestant Stephanie Dixon was quick to jump on the post and send her congratulations to her.
In character: The beauty added: 'Instead of doing reality tv being myself I get to tell someone else's story'
'Yassss baby cant wait to see you back on the big screen,' she commented underneath the announcement.
Olena's move into acting comes as a surprise as she recently signed with top modelling agency Chadwick.
Since the young age of 16, she has since modelled on the runway for fashion designers and in catalogues while also maintaining her business as a makeup artist.
She many have been in one of Los Angeles' premier neighborhoods, but this star was not taking any chances.
Renee Zellweger clung tightly to her handbag as she left a party in the Hollywood Hills on Sunday.
The 47-year-old left the afternoon bash with a friend and looked very relaxed - sans for her death grip on her bag.
Keeping it close: Renee Zellweger clung tightly to her handbag as she left a party in the Hollywood Hills on Sunday
What was in the overstuffed black bag was not clear, but was abundantly so was the star was not letting it out of her sight.
Tight grip asides, the Bridget Jones star smiled away as she headed back to her car in a casual but sleek all-black look.
For her party, the Texas-born actress wore a black romper with a pair of Gucci black loafers.
Renee finished off her look by throwing on a pair of classic Ray Ban Wayfarers.
Sunday funday: The 47-year-old left the afternoon bash with a friend and looked very relaxed - sans for her death grip on her bag
Lo key: For her party, the Texas-born actress wore a black romper with a pair of Gucci loafer
Shady lady: Renee finished off her look by throwing on a pair of classic Ray Ban Wayfarers
The 47-year-old wore her hair in a messy half up, half down 'do which allowed for her golden locks to stay out of her face but still cascade down her shoulders.
Renee was no doubt enjoying having some time to hang out with friends after a non-stop promotional tour over the last few months for her film Bridget Jones's Baby.
While it was released in September in the US, the international release has been staggered and just two weeks ago the star was in japan spruiking the film.
Cynthia Bailey began divorce proceedings against husband Peter as The Real Housewives Of Atlanta on Sunday kicked off its ninth season.
The 49-year-old reality star revealed that she and Peter had been separated for five months and that her husband had moved to Charlotte, North Carolina while she stayed in Atlanta.
Cynthia visited her attorney Daniel Meachum and told him she was there to start divorce proceedings against Peter.
Season premiere: Cynthia Bailey started divorce proceedings against husband Peter on Sunday's season premiere of The Real Housewives Of Atlanta
'I have been better. I am here to seek legal counsel for filing for a divorce,' she told the lawyer after being greeted in his office.
'Peter and I have been living apart for about five months now, he has been in Charlotte and I am here in Atlanta. We want to get through this, or I am really pushing to get through this with as much integrity and love as possible,' Cynthia revealed.
'The last time we saw each other I expressed my unhappiness in this marriage and my intentions to move forward in a different direction. I just want to move on.
'Peter and I have never painted a picture that our marriage was perfect. My breaking point was last year, I just felt like this was it, there was not going to be any real change,' she confided.
Breaking point: The reality star revealed that she reached her breaking point last year with Peter
Legal counsel: Cynthia saw her lawyer Daniel Meachum about the divorce
Cynthia told her lawyer that there had been 'no infidelity or desertion' in their marriage.
'It is more me than him,' she told the attorney as she said they had a prenuptial agreement in place.
'The only thing I really want is the house, which is in my name,' she said as she was told it would take six month to work out her financial settlement and the dissolution of the marriage.
Prenup agreement: Peter and Cynthia it was revealed had a prenup when they got married
'Not living together is one thing but actually sitting down with a lawyer to discuss permanent option to really not be together for real is scary. S*** just got real,' she said.
Back in her car Cynthia placed her head on the steering wheel of her car as the situation hit home.
The show kicked off with Kandi Burruss and husband Todd getting used to life with five-month old son Ace.
Sinking in: Cynthia put her head on the steering wheel after meeting with her lawyer
'Ace is the coolest, he wakes up smiling, he laughs all the time. Ace has fulfilled my dream of having another baby and if he is the last one then I am okay with that,' a smiling Kandi told the cameras.
Kandi was all over Todd's parenting skills as she told the cameras she did 70 percent of the work for Ace.
'Todd doesn't want to do all the late night responsibilities. He just wants to sleep and snore,' she said.
New addition: Kandi Burruss and husband Todd were enjoying five-month-old son Ace
Cool kid: Ace was called 'the coolest' by his mother Kandi
Construction work continued at Kenya Moore's house and she used that to take a swipe at co-star Porsha Williams.
Kenya told the cameras that when she bought the home it 'was uglier than Porsha without make-up.'
Kenya continued to live in the house as it was renovated - unlike her neighbor Sheree Whitfield.
House work: Kenya Moore was working on home renovations ahead of a housewarming party
'With everything that is going wrong in my life, particularly with me and Matt, I am determined to get this part of my life right,' she said.
'Me and Matt were together a little under a year but it has been at least a month since I have seen Matt in person - we are not together.
'I broke up with him,' she revealed.
Two weeks: The reality star gave her contractors two weeks to make the house presentable
Kenya then said that when the couple had been in Mexico he had checked her phone to find out who she was texting.
'The next thing I know he kicked in the door and just starts grabbing all of my things and throwing them all around the room,' she said.
'Matt lost control and I am not going to be in the presence of someone who cannot control their anger,' Kenya said.
It's over: Kenya revealed that she split with Matt after an incident in Mexico
Up the street, construction at Sheree's so-called Chateau Sheree mansion had finally come to an end after four years of work with just finishing details left.
'I want it jaw dropping. I want b****es coming in here and picking their face up off the floor,' she laughed.
Sheree told the cameras that she and ex-husband Bob remained 'strictly friends.'
Just friends: Sheree Whitfield clarified that she and ex-husband Bob were just friends
'We are doing great co-parenting but romantically he has a long way before he can get into my chateau,' she said.
Sheree then described 19-year-old son Kairo as a 'sex-symbol.'
'If he is considered a sex-symbol then I'm sure he gets it from me,' she said modestly as she insisted she did not care about people mocking the length of time it had taken her to finish the mansion.
At Kenya's, the builders were given just two weeks to finish the home before her housewarming party.
Under construction: Kenya had builders working hard for the housewarming party
Porsha paid a visit to see Phaedra Parks who told the cameras she was still trying to divorce imprisoned husband Apollo Nida.
'I filed for divorce last year but it has been a long and drawn out process because Apollo has not wanted to get the divorce,' she told the cameras.
Porsha asked her pal if she was ready to start dating other men again.
Nice visit: Porsha Williams visited with friend Phaedra Parks
'Well I am waiting for word on my divorce being final,' she said.
'I am just hoping we can get this resolved. When I decide to get back into the dating game I don't know about this online dating stuff,' she admitted as she said she did not want to go out on a date 'with a murderer.'
Porsha told her she would make some calls on her behalf.
Dating game: Porsha said she would make some calls for Phaedra when she's ready to date
When the doorbell rang a white-suited man who arrived on a horse-drawn carriage delivered a tiara invitation to Kenya's housewarming.
Phaedra told uninvited Porsha that she could come as her date.
Porsha took the cameras along to her anger management session.
Anger management: The cameras came along as Porsha sought anger management counseling
'At first I was completely turned off by the idea of going to anger management but after going it is like any other counsellor. You need to open up and figure out why your behavior is what it is and I honestly enjoy it,' she said.
Porsha told her therapist that she had been labelled 'angry' by some of the Housewives and admitted that she had got angry and physical in the past.
She told the therapist she wanted to learn how to walk away from situations and to not let other people phase her.
Self improvement: Porsha was trying to control her anger and better her reputation
Porsha told the therapist that when she was in high school she was 'bullied to no end' about her teeth and eyes.
'The boys used to call me rabbit and beaver,' she told the therapist.
'I seriously dealt with depression as a child, it was really bad actually. One time I felt like I wanted to commit suicide, it was that bad,' she said with tears welling up.
Tough time: The reality star said she was bullied in high school
The therapist told her she had to think about her legacy and job and bigger things than herself when her anger built up.
Kenya called Sheree to personally invite her to her housewarming - but was quick to throw jabs at her friend.
'I would gladly have sent Sheree an invite by horse and carriage but I don't know where she lives, it's not Chateau Sheree. I don't know if it is a tent in the woods or a cardboard box under the freeway or a halfway house, I didn't know where to send it,' she told the cameras mischievously.
Fancy invitation: Kenya sent out invitations to her housewarming party by horse-drawn carriage
Kenya was in the middle of reminding Sheree to mind her manners at the party when her co-star simply hung up.
'The entire call was shady. Shade, shade, shade. You should be happy that I would even grace your housewarming. Kenya Moore, classless,' she told the cameras.
Cynthia back at home started going through financial documents to prepare for her divorce.
Shady talk: Sheree was invited to the housewarming by phone
At home: Cynthia meanwhile was searching for her prenuptial agreement at home
'It took me a long time to get married as I have always been very independent. When I decided to get married to Peter he knew that I am not the type of woman who stays in something just to be in something,' she said.
'Peter is built a little differently. He will stay in the relationship just to be in the relationship and that just doesn't work for me,' Cynthia added.
Cynthia then spoke via video chat with Peter, who was unimpressed to see her.
Video chat: Peter and Cynthia were shown having an awkward video chat
Peter told her that he was at his club and called his business 'my new girlfriend, my new relationship.'
'Okay this is awkward and uncomfortable,' Cynthia told him as she admitted she could not find their prenup.
He sarcastically told her to ask her mother and that it would be in the same place as the marriage license, which his mother-in-law had tried to withhold.
Kind of awkward: Cynthia admitted the conversation was awkward
'Peter has good days and bad days, some days he can be like ''Okay I get it let's do this'' and other days he is like ''You never tried you just gave up'' it has been a lot of back and forth and a lot of ups and downs,' she told the cameras.
Peter told her on the phone that the only thing he ever wanted form Cynthia 'was you.'
'I am looking at your face and I haven't seen it in a long time. I miss that face,' he told her emotionally.
Getting emotional: Peter got emotional as he told Cynthia that he missed her face
Housewarming work was still going on at Kenya's house, but at least her driveway was completed.
'Now the wide-bodied haters can comfortably sit down without their a** cheeks hanging off either side,' she said cheekily.
Kandi got her son ready for the party and told the cameras that times had definitely changed.
Cute baby: Ace was all smiles with Kandi and Todd
Parenting skills: Kandi so far wasn't impressed with Todd's parenting skills
'It is so weird to me. When I first started hanging out with these girls I was the single one and now it seems that I am the only one that is happily in a relationship and married,' she said triumphantly.
'Phaedra and Cynthia are going through a divorce, Porsha and Sheree have been divorced for a few years and Kenya, we don't know the status of her and Matt right now,' Kandi said.
Kenya at her place showed Cynthia a card and balloons from Matt, in which he apologized and told her he loved her.
Stable relationship: Kandi remarked how she's the only one in a happy relationship
She told Cynthia that she bought the house before Matt for her future but that he had been a big part of doing the house up with her.
'I eventually saw us being here together, it really could have been for us,' said Kenya wiping away tears.
Cynthia told the cameras that Matt 'doesn't always do well but he always means well - apart from kicking down the door of the hotel.'
Tears flowing: Kenya wiped away tears talking about her planned future with Matt
She told Kenya to enjoy her dream house and that she should be very proud of herself for what she had achieved.
Sheree arrived and was instantly unimpressed with the steep driveway, changing from heels to flats.
'Hell to the no, this is a rollercoaster right here. This is dangerous,' she said in a strop.
Not impressed: Sheree was not impressed as she arrived at the housewarming
'From the look of the driveway and the outside Kenya still has quite a ways to go,' she said with a smug look on her face..
'She said she is living fabulous but she is clearly living like the Flintstones,' she added.
Kenya told Sheree her house had been a project and instantly took a jab at the five years it had taken her for her own home.
Going at it: Kenya and Sheree exchanged insults about their home renovation projects
Sheree shot back that it had not been five years, but four.
She then told Kenya that her whole house was 'the same size as my master suite.'
'If you are going to throw stones at me at least throw stones from inside your house,' Kenya told the cameras.
Throwing stones: Kenya suggested that Sheree throw stones from inside her house
She told the women that she had not invited Porsha, because even though things were satisfactory between them, she did not feel comfortable having her in the house.
But Phaedra had other ideas as she invited Porsha along as her plus one.
'For me to come to Kenya's housewarming, I feel as if I am in a brand new place and I am here to congratulate her on her home in her home,' said Porsha.
New place: Porsha felt good about going to Kenya's party
As she walked in the other Housewives could not believe their eyes.
'Er Porsha, why are you here? You were not invited,' a confused Cynthia told the cameras as Porsha did the rounds.
And the look on Kenya's face as the episode ended was one of shock.
Making the rounds: Porsha made the rounds as Phaedra's plus one
Not cool: Kenya looked shocked to see Porsha at her party
In scenes from next week, Kenya asked to speak to Porsha alone.
Matt also was seen entering the party.
'I don't know if he is here to make nice or something else,' said Kenya.
Teresa Giudice repeatedly called former friend Jacqueline Laurita a liar on Sunday's RHONJ reunion episode.
The 45-year-old reality star flared up over accusations that her husband Joe cheated on her while she was serving time in a federal prison.
''Do you think I would care? I would go and find the hottest guy ever. I know I am not ugly, thank you very much. Do you think I would stay with Joe? And Joe knows that very well,' Teresa defiantly said.
Reunion special: Teresa Giudice repeatedly called Jacqueline Laurita a liar on Sunday's reunion of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey
Teresa then repeatedly yelled at Jacqueline 'You lie! You lie!'
'You went to jail for lying, 41 counts of felony fraud,,' shot back Jacqueline.
Teresa then accused Jacqueline and former co-star Caroline Manzo of calling the IRS on her and landing her and Joe in prison.
The sensational accusations came at the end of the first part of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey season seven reunion show and left the other Housewives in stunned silence.
Tempers flaring: Jacqueline got a rise out of Teresa by mentioning accusations that Joe cheated on her while she was behind bars for 15 months
Teresa served 15 months behind bars while Joe is currently doing 41 months for mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud.
'I plead guilty, I did my time, you did fraudulent things too. Oh please Jacqueline, you set me up,' said Teresa shockingly as the other Housewives and host Andy Cohen sat with their mouths gaping open.
'In my gut, it was either you, or you and Caroline set me up. You guys were behind everything, calling the government, everything,' Teresa alleged.
Explosive allegation: Show host Andy Cohen could not believe it when Teresa accused Jacqueline of setting her up for prison
Shocked reaction: Siggy Flicker and Dolores Catania also couldn't believe it
Andy did not seem to believe what he was hearing and asked Teresa if she really believed that.
'Definitely her, and I think Caroline, because at the time they were in cahoots,' Teresa told him.
Jacqueline immediately and strongly denied the allegation.
Strong denial: Jacqueline denied informing the feds
'You want to call the government? God bless you,' added Teresa.
'What? You think I called the government on you? Are you kidding? You seriously think I called the government? That is not true,' she said.
But Teresa was having none of it.
Gut feeling: Teresa stood by her allegation when asked again by Andy
'I am so happy I got that off my chest,' she said.
'You are accusing Jacqueline of calling the feds, which lead to you going to jail?' asked Andy incredulously.
'I do believe that. I believe it in my gut, yes I do. I feel it in my gut. You are gross and you set me up,' Teresa said.
Making sure: Andy made sure that he was getting the allegation right
Harsh words: Teresa and Jacqueline hurled insults at each other
'No wonder you are so angry at me,' Jacquline could be heard saying in disbelief as the cameras focused intently on Teresa.
Teresa also accused Jacqueline of selling stories about her prison time to the tabloids.
'Your middle name is toxic. I want nothing to ever do with you. You hurt me and you hurt my family. You should be ashamed,' said Teresa angrily.
Feeling hurt: Andy was in the middle as Teresa and Jacqueline went at it
'You should be ashamed of yourself,' Jacqueline replied.
Dolores Catania kicked off the reunion by revealing that she had butt implants after the show stopped taping.
Andy asked Jacqueline if she was glad to be back.
Work done: Dolores revealed that he had butt implants after the show stopped filming
Up close: Siggy looked on as Dolores showed off her butt implants
She's back: Jacqueline was asked if she was glad to be back
'Oh sure, it is like a second home,' she said dryly.
Andy then asked Teresa how Joe was doing and she told him that her husband was studying to get his GED.
'He said he is going to college when he gets home,' she said.
Fashion show: Teresa stood up to show off her black gown
But Teresa was quick to get her claws out, going straight after Jacqueline.
'It is good to be back but there are certain people on the show that make it ugly,' she said looking at Jacqueline.
'Yeah,' said Jacqueline.
Claws out: Jacqueline reacted as Teresa started in on her
'I am surprised she is even here,' said Teresa.
'Why? I love confrontation,' Jacqueline fired back.
'Oh I know,' said Teresa rolling her eyes.
Reality star: Terea could not hide her contempt for Jacqueline
'You were the coward that wouldn't face me,' said Jacqueline.
'Oh name calling already, here we go,' said Teresa.
Andy asked Teresa about how it looked when she got a Lexus car when she left prison.
Good question: Andy asked Teresa about getting a Lexus straight out of prison
'Would you get a Ford?' she asked.
'We paid back our restitution. If you lease a Lexus its not that much money,' she explained.
Andy then asked why she wanted original Housewife Danielle Staub back, and Jacqueline could not believe it either.
'I wanted her to come back and attack you,' said Teresa smiling.
Cruel intentions: Teresa admitted she wanted Danielle Staub back to attack Jacqueline
Teresa and Jacqueline then got into it over their daughters tweeting, with Andy telling the women 'Stay on your couches and do not push daddy.'
Melissa' husband, Joe Gorga, then appeared on the show and Andy told him that he had rewatched his shower scene.
Andy accused Joe of being sexist for his 'crumbs' comments as Melissa told him he 'was acting like an a**hole' during that part of the series.
Shouting match: Andy made a gesture as the women shouted at each other
'I think he is a little bit of a caveman,' said Andy.
Melissa then admitted she had been arrested in the 1980s for shoplifting a shirt after the death of her father and husband Joe said he lost his virginity at the age of nine.
Teresa was reduced to tears as Andy played highlights of her return home from prison and being reunited with her daughters.
Getting emotional: Teresa got emotional watching her reunion with Joe
'I was away 352 days from my daughters,' said Teresa.
Halfway through the show the thorny old subject of 'Strippergate' reared its ugly head again.
'Let's talk about the facts - stripper,' said a hostile Teresa to Jacqueline.
Family affair: Joe Gorga joined his wife Melissa and sister Teresa on the reunion show
'What was your stripper name?' Teresa continued suggesting it may have been 'Fruit Loops.'
'Oh now I am a stripper?' asked Jacqueline.
'You were a stripper. Come on show us a lap dance. Give Andy a lap dance' said Teresa as Andy watched on bemused.
Stripper talk: Teresa and Jacqueline sparred as Strippergate was revived
'Dolores, you know she was a stripper,' Teresa said.
Dolores told the group she had never been to a strip club and seen Jacqueline dancing.
'No one has any proof of this,' said Siggy Flicker.
Nasty rumor: Melissa was originally accused of having a stripper past
'You were a stripper and you are trying to say that she (Melissa Gorga) was a stripper, which she wasn't,' added Teresa.
'You were a stripper, admit it.'
Jacqueline told Teresa that she had heard the same rumor in a hair salon from a stylist.
Good times: Siggy and Dolores enjoyed a laugh during a rare lighter moment
'Your hands are not clean,' said Jacqueline.
'This is what's gross about you two, this is how you play dirty,' a frustrated Jacqueline told Teresa and Melissa.
Melissa then blamed Kim D for the situation and said she didn't care if Jacqueline had been a stripper.
'I wasn't,' she told the women.
'What's wrong with strippers?' said Joe Gorga plainly as the women continued shouting around him.
They debuted their relationship via Instagram last week.
And Kirralee 'Kiki' Morris was spotted putting on a very steamy display with her new boyfriend Jeremy Banks on the beach in Sydney recently.
The couple couldn't keep their hands off one another as they packed on the PDA during their date.
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Sparks fly! Kirralee 'Kiki' Morris was spotted packing on the PDA with her new boyfriend Jeremy Banks at the beach recently
The 29-year-old model poured her ample assets into a tiny cream swimsuit with tassels under the bust.
Sporting a golden tan and showing off her derriere in the cheeky-cut bikini bottoms, the former Zoo model appeared spritely as she soaked up the sun with her man.
The ex-reality star flashed plenty of side boob as she leaned on top of Jeremy to give him a smooch.
Cosy: The 29-year-old flashed plenty of skin as she enjoyed a sun-soaked outing with her beau
Steamy! Kiki was snapped leaning over Jeremy as he laid on the sand to give him a big smooch
Going strong: The sun-kissed pair made no secret of their passion for each other as they packed on the PDA
Jeremy also couldn't keep his hands off his girlfriend, caressing her tummy as they sunbathed on the Nielsen Park beach.
And the love fest continued after the couple made their way into the water.
Kiki was seen jumping into her shirtless beau's arms as they kept kissing throughout the swim.
Cheeky: The busty blonde flashed her derriere in the tiny swimsuit as she jumped up to kiss her boyfriend
Making memories! The couple made sure to document their love fest by snapping a selfie on Kiki's phone as they locked lips
Getting hands-on: Jeremy also couldn't keep his hands off his girlfriend, caressing her tummy as they laid on the sand
Young love: The pair looked smitten as they continuously shared steamy kisses during their swim
Jeremy rested his hands firmly on his girlfriend's bum as they made out in the ocean.
Making sure to document their racy date, Kiki was seen taking a photo of the pair locking lips on her phone at one point.
The outing comes just days after the couple first featured each other on their Instagram accounts during Halloween celebrations.
They're not shy: The new couple flaunted their bronzed physiques as they soaked up the Sydney sun
Busty beauty: Kiki and her man stayed close as they frolicked around the beach's surrounding rock pools
Going strong: The pair first took their relationship public last week by sharing snaps of each other on Instagram
Kiki's friends, including former Bachelor love rival Rachael Gouvignon, quickly congratulated the blonde on her new romance.
'Ohh, there's the mystery man, so happy for you babe,' Rachael wrote underneath the photo, adding several love heart Emojis.
Jeremy is the first man Kiki has been linked to since being booted off the Channel Ten dating show.
Better luck this time? Kiki's new romance comes after she failed to find love with Richie Strahan on this year's season of The Bachelor
But despite being sent home without a rose quite far into the competition, Kiki insisted she knew there wasn't a romantic connection with Richie Strahan.
'I knew that my relationship with Richie hadn't progressed like the other girls,' the busty model told Popsugar.
'He's not normally my type and personality-wise.
'He's a very light-hearted, jokester kind of person and I look for quite a deep intellectual connection as well as a physical one, as well as a humourous one.'
They were forced to lie, betray, and backstab each other in the ruthless game of Australian Survivor.
But now that the first season is over, several of the show's biggest stars have managed to put the drama behind them to become genuine friends.
Over the weekend, Nick Iadanza, Sue Clarke, Brooke Jowett, and Jenna-Louise Salkeld reunited in Adelaide to attend co-star Matt Tarrant's engagement party.
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BFFs: Australian Survivor's Nick Iadanza, Sue Clarke, Brooke Jowett, and Jenna-Louise Salkeld reunited in Adelaide to attend co-star Matt Tarrant's engagement party over the weekend
The fivesome appeared to be as thick as thieves as they posed for photos and helped 'Magic Matt' celebrate his engagement to the stunning Kiera Blackwood.
With their clean clothes, shampooed hair, and well-fed physiques, the stylish survivors looked light years away from the disheveled, unwashed clan viewers saw on TV.
Noticeably missing from the fun festivities was Felicity 'Flick' Egginton, who spent most of the show in an alliance with Matt and Brooke until she blindsided them both.
True love: The cast members were in Adelaide to celebrate Matt's engagement to his stunning fiancee Kiera Blackwood
'Thank you to everyone for helping to celebrate our engagement last night and for everyone else who has sent their love,' Matt wrote on Instagram
Blonde bombshell Flick previously admitted that both Brooke and Sam Webb stopped speaking to her after she outsmarted them both in Samoa.
However, she recently revealed that things between her and Brooke have started to thaw out in recent weeks, and that the pair have even made plans to meet for a chat soon.
'I was really hurt because I had such a good connection with her and I wanted to continue our friendship in the real world,' the 23-year-old recently told the Aus Survivor Community podcast when asked about getting the cold shoulder from Brooke.
Girl power: Although they didn't see eye to eye in Samoa, Brooke and Jenna-Louise appear to have patched things up
All smiles: Nick and Brooke looked far happier at Matt's engagement party than they did while plotting against each other in Samoa
What feud? Nick and Jenna-Louise put their bitter Survivor feud behind them, posing together in their pajamas and even getting ice cream together
Ageless beauty: At 57, grandmother Sue Clarke looks far younger than her years
She added: 'What I did to her was nothing personal, it was just for my game.'
In addition to his upcoming wedding, Matt is currently preparing to embark on his first major headlining tour as a magician.
The show, titled Matt Tarrant: Honestly Dishonest, is set to tour nationwide next year.
More information is available via the star's official website.
What about Flick and Kristie? Both Flick Eggington and Sole Survivor Kristie Bennett were noticeably absent from the party
The Bachelor reject is not shy about flaunting her hard-earned body.
And Sunday was no different for Kirralee 'Kiki' Morris, who turned heads as she frolicked on the beach in Sydney's affluent suburb of Vaucluse.
The reality television contestant was spotted enjoying the warm weather with her new beau Jeremy Banks.
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Strutting her stuff: The Bachelor's Kirralee 'Kiki' Morris turned heads on Sunday as she frolicked on the beach in Sydney with new beau Jeremy Banks
The business development manager seemed very happy with his lady love's risque display.
Dressed in a very skimpy nude crochet bikini with tassel detail, the 29-year-old's surgically enhanced bust was on full display.
Kiki's sun-kissed skin glowed under the bright springtime sun as she sunbathed and played in the water.
Carefree: The 29-year-old looked confident as she moved around the beach
Busting out: Kiki's skimpy bikini barely covered her surgically enhanced bust
Cheeky! The reality television contestant gave onlookers an eyeful as she bent over to fix her leopard print towel
The former glamour model appeared to move confidently as she flaunted her curvaceous figure, and was seen strutting along the sand.
She put on a very cheeky display in a pair of high-cut bikini bottoms, which showed off her pert buttocks.
Later, she took a dip in the ocean, but despite the warm sun, appeared to find the water uncomfortably cold.
Her beach-blonde locks were tied up in a messy bun for her day at the beach and she appeared to make a conscious effort to keep them dry.
Yikes! As Kiki entered the ocean it appears she found the temperature of the water a bit too cold
Strike a pose: Kiki appeared to almost be modelling for onlookers on the beach as she thrust her chest out while standing in the shallows
Protecting the tresses! The former Playboy model took care to keep her hair dry
She accessorised her fashionable look with a pair of rounded metal sunglasses, which were sitting either on her face or head.
Kiki is often spotted in a bikini, with the former Playboy model more than happy to share a constant stream of the images with her 78,000 Instagram followers.
She recently shared pictures of a photoshoot she did with Bondi Smile, a teeth whitening product that uses the picturesque beach as a key part of its marketing strategy.
The shoot showed the former Bachelor contestant in a bright white bikini paired with an open blue and white kimono. She stood smiling on the beach holding the product.
After weeks of gruelling renovations, grand finale week is finally upon The Block.
And as final room reveals and property auctions near the series' end, insiders from the show have apparently exposed what the Blockheads were really like during filming.
In a recent interview with Woman's Day, alleged producers and tradies from the show have claimed they were the laziest crop yet.
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Block bludgers! Alleged producers and tradies from The Block claim to Woman's Day that this season's contestants were the laziest crop yet and likened them to children on the job site
The producers apparently likened dealing with the five couples to a bunch of children.
'This has by far been the worst bunch of contestants we've ever had on The Block,' one said.
The Melbourne series was labelled as the 'biggest Block yet', but it wasn't only the producers who appeared to welcome the end of the hit Channel Nine program.
Not enough credit! One tradesman alleged the contestants do absolutely nothing on the show and that the tradies deserve more credit
Tradies allegedly reached out to say the pay was the only thing making it worthwhile.
'The contestants do absolutely nothing!' exclaimed one tradesman.
Fights on The Block between contestants and tradies regarding workload and responsibility are all too common, but tradies claim they don't get enough credit.
Are the cameras rolling? Another disgruntled tradie said: 'The only time they pick up a tool is when the cameras are rolling'
'The only time they pick up a tool is when the cameras are rolling. The rest of the time they just tell us what to do,' a disgruntled tradesman revealed.
They also said at times they didn't see the couples, who they were working for, at all during completing jobs on site.
With The Block apartments completed, the winner will be revealed on Sunday.
Registrations do not appear to be open for the next season's intake as yet.
The apple never falls far from the tree, and that's certainly true for Sir Mick Jagger and his lookalike daughter Georgia May Jagger.
The duo displayed their fitness prowess as they headed out on a gruelling hike in the Hollywood Hills on Sunday.
The model, 24, looked stunning in a patterned playsuit as she joined her Rolling Stones rocker father Mick, 73, while tackling Los Angeles' epic Runyon Canyon.
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Model behaviour: Catwalk queen Georgia May Jagger, 24, showed off her killer legs as she joined her rocker father Mick Jagger, 73, on a hike in the Hollywood Hills on Sunday
Proving she is every inch the supermodel, Georgia looked chic in a floaty one piece, which put her toned legs on display.
Georgia, whose mother is catwalk queen Jerry Hall, injected a grungy vibe to her look with black lace-up trainers and ankle socks as she prepared to work up a sweat.
The beauty accessorised with a small black satchel bag and kept the Californian sun at bay with a pair of fun, heart-shaped sunglasses.
Georgia wore her long blonde locks loose and went make-up free to highlight her naturally striking looks.
The London-based starlet clutched her phone and a cup of takeout coffee in her hand as she prepared to tackle the canyon with her rocker relative.
Working up a sweat: The British model, whose mother is catwalk queen Jerry Hall, injected a grungy vibe to her look with black trainers and ankle socks
Looking younger that his years, Mick strutted his stuff in a pair of form-fitting burgundy jeans and a stylish blue patterned shirt.
The father-of-seven - who is expecting his eighth child in a mere matter of weeks - kept things comfortable in white trainers as he oozed low-key cool on the hike.
It's a good job Mick is keeping himself fit, as he will welcome baby number eight with ballerina Melanie Hamrick, 29.
A source told The Sun: 'She's very bright, intelligent, sparky and has her own ideas about how she wants to lead her life.
'She knows what a great relationship Mick has with all of his children and can't wait for him to be a dad again.
Daddy cool! Looking younger that his years, Sir Mick strutted his stuff in a pair of form-fitting burgundy jeans and a stylish blue patterned shirt
'They are taking the news in their stride.'
But the Rolling Stones legend is said to have mixed feelings about the impending arrival.
In September, a source told New York Post newspaper's Page Sixcolumn: 'He hasn't responded to people sending him congratulations.
'Family is extremely important to him, and he is unhappy at the thought that when he should be teaching his kid to play catch, he'll be 80 years old.'
Sir Mick's eldest child, Karis - his daughter with actress Marsha Hunt - is now 46. He also has model daughter Jade, 46, with first wife, Bianca, 71.
As well as Georgia May , the rocker has Lizzy, 32, James, 31, and Gabriel, 18, with supermodel second wife, Jerry Hall, 60.
Sir Mick's seventh child is Lucas, 17, the love child he fathered with Brazilian model Luciana Gimenez.
He's seen several of his relationships fall apart because of his partying ways on Geordie Shore.
And Gaz Beadle has revealed he has doubts whether Marnie Simpson's romance with Lewis Bloor will be able to withstand her time on the MTV series.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, the 28-year-old reality star insisted that you can't star in the show whilst in a relationship, which could see the end of his co-star's new love.
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Party king: He's seen several of his relationships fall apart because of being on Geordie Shore. And Gaz Beadle has revealed he thinks Marnie Simpson's romance could go the same way
Asked whether Marnie could stay faithful to her beau, he sighed: I think she will be... [but] In that environment, you get locked in a house and you never know.'
Marnie - who met TOWIE star Lewis in the Celebrity Big Brother house this summer - herself previously admitted she had some concerns about her ability to stay faithful, explaining: 'You know what I'm like when I'm drunk.'
The Newcastle lass also confessed that she was finding it tough to deal with living so far apart from her Essex beau, recently revealing on Loose Women: 'Its really really tough because we live so far away from each other.'
Soon to split? Gaz insisted that you can't star in the show whilst in a relationship, which could mean the end of his co-star Marnie Simpson's relationship with Lewis Bloor
Meanwhile, Gaz discussed his own experiences with heartbreak, as the star - who is currently dating Emma McVey admitted: 'I don't know what I'll do with a girlfriend, you can't be in Geordie Shore with a girlfriend!'
However, he revealed it may not be too much of an issue for him, as he plans on quitting the series soon.
The star has previously voiced his concerns about being one of the older stars on the show, and has now revealed that it won't be long until he leaves the series that made his name.
Odd one out: Gaz (pictured with co-stars Nathan Henry and Chloe Ferry) voiced his concerns about being the oldest star on the show, and has revealed he will quit soon because of it
Loved-up: Without starring on the show, the star will also have more time to spend with his current girlfriend, Emma McVey who he recently admitted he'd happily settle down with
Discussing the reason for his decision, he quipped: 'I can't be going b***ing 21 year olds when I'm 30 years old!
'[I'll do] a few more then I'm gonna go.'
Without starring on the show, the star will also have more time to spend with his current girlfriend, who he recently admitted he'd happily settle down with.
The notorious lothario made the revelation during a series of drunken games with his co-stars for a Facebook Live chat with The Sun.
During a round of infamous party game Snog, Marry Avoid, Gaz surprised everyone by revealing he'd marry Emma, snog ex Charlotte Crosby and avoid another ex Lillie Lexie Gregg.
On/Off: Gaz recently revealed he'd 'snog' ex-girlfriend Charlotte Crosby who used to star with him on the show before their split turned too messy
News / Africa
by BBC
South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has lodged a complaint with the office of the anti-corruption watchdog over a leaked audio recording of his meeting with its former head, his office has said.A private television station had broadcast the audio of the discussion between Thuli Madonsela, the former Public Protector, and Mr Zuma, when she was investigating allegations that he let a wealthy family influence appointments in his cabinet.Mr Zuma has denied all wrongdoing, and has insisted that he is in charge of government.In a report, Ms Madonsela quoted Deputy Finance Minister Mecebisi Jonas as saying that businessman Ajay Gupta offered him 600m rand ($44.6m; 36.2m) last year, "to be deposited in an account of his choice", if he accepted the post of finance minister.Mr Gupta also asked him if he had "a bag which he could use to receive and carry 600,000 rand in cash immediately", Mr Jonas alleged.Mr Gupta has denied meeting Mr Jonas.
She recently enjoyed a relaxing holiday in the Maldives with her son Damien.
And Elizabeth Hurley seems to be missing the sunshine already after returning to cold Autumn weather of the UK last week.
Taking to her Instagram on Monday, the 51-year-old uploaded a throwback bikini snap for her 431,000 followers - showing off both her enviably slim figure and flawless complexion for all to see.
Reminiscing: Elizabeth Hurley, 51, took to Instagram on Monday to show off her enviably slim figure and flawless complexion in a throwback bikini snap
Draping herself across a sunbed, the British beauty looked completely relaxed as she soaked up the glorious sunshine beside the clear turquoise sea.
Liz looked far younger than her 51 years in the snap as she left her face bare to flaunt her enviable smooth and glowing complexion - which she covered only with a glamorous pair of oversized sunglasses.
The British beauty then showed off her long and slender figure as she lay front on to the camera clad in a skimpy green bikini, and even flashed a saucy hint of her cleavage against the sunbed.
Holiday time! Elizabeth jetted to the idyllic Maldives last month to enjoy a holiday during half term with her teenage son Damien, 14
Sensational: During the exotic getaway, the brunette beauty shared a number of steamy snaps with her 431,000 Instagram followers
Resting her head on her hand, which was pressed against her loose, tousled locks, the star exuded natural beauty as she topped up her tan during the break.
Elizabeth jetted to the idyllic Maldives last month to enjoy a holiday during half term with her teenage son Damien, 14.
During the exotic getaway, the brunette beauty shared a number of steamy snaps with her 431,000 Instagram followers - including in a series of tiny bikinis to show off her impressively toned physique.
Meanwhile another showed her relaxing in a bathtub - with just the bubbles strategically covering her modesty.
Beach ready: She posted a series of snaps in tiny bikinis to show off her impressively toned physique
Complete relaxation: Another showed her relaxing in a bathtub - with just the bubbles strategically covering her modesty
However the star has been a fixture on London's glamorous social circuit since returning to the UK.
Earlier this week she put in an appearance at the London Poppy Day Dinner hosted by the City Veterans' Network at the the Hurlingham Club in London.
The Royals star looked undeniably stunning as she made her way to the event, wearing a sleeveless golden gown, complete with glittering embellishments.
Another night on the town: Elizabeth Hurley attended the 2016 London Poppy Day Dinner hosted by the City Veterans' Network at The Hurlingham Club on Wednesday night
British beauty Liz oozed glamour as she entered the dinner party in the head-turning number, which accentuated her taut curves and glowing tan.
Her lustrous brown locks rested about her shoulders in voluminous waves, while shining chandelier diamond earrings gave her look an extra touch of panache.
The star's choice of natural-looking makeup further accentuated her natural beauty, as she mingled with a host of guests, including Patrick Cox, and members of the military.
Stunning: The star wowed in an enbellished gown as she made her way into the patriotic event
Good cause: She was joined at the annual dinner party by her shoe designer pal Patrick Cox
On Monday night, she proved to be the star attraction once again, when she attended the Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards.
The actress stunned in a pink lace midi dress that effortlessly hugged her lithe figure as she arrived at London's plush Claridge's hotel.
The mother-of-one looked chic in the fuchsia dress which featured a handkerchief hem and a semi-sheer high neckline.
Sticking to a pink theme, she toted a heavily embellished pink clutch with a heart motif on it.
Style squad: They were joined at the event by fashion and make-over advisor Trinny Woodall
Meeting the lads: At the bash, they chatted with veterans and active members of the military
Injecting a dose of sparkle, the Bedazzled actress rocked a pair of metallic barely there sandals that offset her deep tan.
Her glossy chestnut locks were styled in her signature middle parting, with loose waves gently framing her face.
Looking as youthful as ever, Elizabeth opted for a dewy pink blusher to complement her dress and heavy eyeliner.
Beaming as she strode along with designer Patrick Cox, the Austin Powers star seemed to be in high spirits as she made her way to the awards.
Intrigued: Mother-of-one Elizabeth looked intrigued as she inspected some combat gear
Social: On Monday, she attended the Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards in London
He plays magizoologist Newt Scamander in the upcoming J.K. Rowling series, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.
And Eddie Redmayne still had nature on his mind as he attended a photo call for his new movie in New York City on Sunday.
Looking every inch the dapper English gentleman, the 34-year-old actor wore a crisp button-up beneath a blue sweater embroidered with red insects.
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Camera-ready: Eddie Redmayne attended a photo call in New York City for his upcoming film Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them on Sunday
The Oscar-winning star seemed happy and relaxed as he chatted away, even enjoying a cup of tea as he chatted about his latest film offering.
Resting his left arm on a table, he flashed his silver Omega watch with black leather wrist band - a go-to piece that he's worn frequently since the Rio 2016 Olympics, which he attended as an ambassador for the luxury watchmaker.
Eddie's co-star Katherine Waterston, who portrays the down-to-earth and grounded witch Porpentina 'Tina' Goldstein, wore a sleeveless black dress.
Back to black: Katherine Waterston, who portrays the down-to-earth and grounded witch Porpentina 'Tina' Goldstein, wore a sleeveless black dress
Standing tall: The 36-year-old actress - who rose to fame in the 2007 film Michael Clayton - added height to her frame with a pair of pointy black stilettos with metallic silver toe-caps
Radiant: Katherine scraped her hair away from her face, helping showcase her naturally clear complexion
The star's thigh-skimming dress featured a high neckline which, coupled with her stellar posture, gave her a regal quality.
The 36-year-old actress - who rose to fame in the 2007 film Michael Clayton - added height to her frame with a pair of pointy black stilettos with metallic silver toe-caps.
Katherine scraped her hair away from her face, helping showcase her clear complexion to perfection.
Bugging out: Looking every inch the dapper English gentleman, the 34-year-old actor wore a crisp button-up beneath a blue sweater embroidered with red insects
Casual: Low-maintenance Eddie slipped into a pair of grey skinny jeans and lace-up trainers, making for a and looked boyish and charming look
Well-rested: Eddie looked like he had enjoyed a good night's sleep, despite his busy promotional schedule and his responsibilities as the father of five-month-old Iris
Irish actor Colin Farrell also attended the photocall.
He opted for a monochrome ensemble consisting of black skinny jeans, a grey top and a black blazer, which he wore open.
In the film, Colin plays Percival Graves, Director Of Magical Security at the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), who is tasked with finding Eddie's character Newt.
Authority figure: Irish actor Colin Farrell plays Percival Graves, Director Of Magical Security at the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA)
Low-key: The actor attended the phto call in a monochrome ensemble, consisting of black skinny jeans, a grey top and a black blazer
Speaking of his character during a recent Facebook Live event, Colin said: 'I don't know how I identified with him, but he - I would like to think that I have some kind of version of my own sense of justice and injustice.
'I think that's what Graves really carries with him. I think his job is to uphold the safety, first and foremost, of the Wizarding world.'
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them hits screens on November 17.
Common ground: In a recent Facebook Live chat, the Dublin-born star said that he relates to his character because he has his own 'sense of justice and injustice'
He's a Hollywood hunk who sends crowds into a frenzy every time he steps foot in public.
And on Monday night actor Tom Cruise did it again as he attended the South Korean premiere of Jack Reacher: Never Go Back at Lotte World in Seoul.
Looking far younger than his 54 years, the Jerry Maguire star set hearts aflutter as he walked down the red carpet wearing a finely-tailored three-piece suit.
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Mob scene: On Monday night actor Tom Cruise set hearts alight as he attended the South Korean premiere of Jack Reacher: Never Go Back at Lotte World in Seoul
A seasoned pro when it comes to handling the endless mob scenes that he inspires, the Golden Globe winner stayed calm and collected as he made his way toward the theatre.
Happy to oblige his countless fans, he smiled from ear-to-ear as he posed for selfies, signed autographs and greeted screaming women, many of whom carried Jack Reacher posters.
Monday's event marked Tom's eighth visit to Korea, with his first visit coming in 1994 while promoting Interview With The Vampire.
Always on: Looking far younger than his 54 years, the Jerry Maguire star walked down the red carpet wearing a finely-tailored three-piece suit that hugged him in all the right places
Hello! A seasoned pro when it comes to handling the mayhem that he inspires, the Golden Globe winner stayed calm and collected as he made his way toward the theatre
Nice to meet you: Happy to oblige his countless fans, he smiled from ear-to-ear as he signed autographs and greeted his screaming fans, many of whom carried Jack Reacher posters
Welcome back: Monday's event marked Tom's eighth visit to Korea, with his first visit coming in 1994 while promoting Interview With The Vampire
Total chaos: Tom was greeted by thousands of fans and an endless stream of photographers
Meanwhile, Mission: Impossible 6 is set for a July 2018 release. Paramount Pictures have scheduled Cruise's upcoming action movie for July 27 of that year in the US.
Tom's Asian adventure comes amid reports that he has started spending more time with his daughter Suri, 10, and that he has made efforts to fire up his romantic life.
Since divorcing Katie in 2012, he has filmed back-to-back movies, and has had little time to spend with the youngest of his three children.
According to UsWeekly, the Risky Business actor has made an effort to play a bigger part in her life in recent months.
All smiles: Tom, whose films regularly achieve box office success in South Korea, seemed delighted by his reception
Classic: Tom's three-piece suit consisted of finely-tailored trousers, a matching jacket, a snug vest and a shiny blue tie
So honoured: At times Tom appeared to be paying respects to his devoted fans, who showed up with poster boards for him to autograph
Movie moment: Tom took time to take selfies with a member of South Korean boyband Infinite at the cinematic event
Fitting in: Tom looked like he could of been the eight member of the South Korean band
Selfie time! Tom Cruise took a number of pictures with another member of the pop band
Joining the band! Tom and director Edward Zwick pose with South Korean boy band Infinite ahead of the Seoul Premiere of Jack Reacher
At one point InTouch Weekly alleged that he had gone over a year without seeing young Suri.
But in June the Top Gun vet reconnected with his adorable daughter, and had her flown to England to spend five days with him in July.
The two visited the Cotswolds and stayed in the village of Bourton-On-The-Water in Gloucestershire for two days.
Work it! Tom posed with Hwang Gak-Gyu, Lotte Group President and Cha Won-Chun, CEO of Lotte Cinema before at the screening
All smiles: The film star cut a dapper figure alongside Hwang Gak-Gyu, Lotte Group President in Seoul
Close again: Tom spent five days with daughter Suri in England in July, UsWeekly has claimed. Here they are seen in 2011
Quaint town: The two visited the Cotswolds and stayed in the village of Bourton-On-The-Water in Gloucestershire for two days
New life: The actor has at times rented a cottage in the English countryside and has been linked to an unnamed British woman. Here he is seen in London in October
They then headed to London for three days.
Sources claimed that Tom managed to keep the trip under wraps by enlisting the help of his sister Lee Anne DeVette, who made sure that there were no leaks.
'Everything was treated very discreetly,' a source said.
Once so close: The action star started spending less time with Suri after his 2012 split from Holmes, with whom he shared this tender snap in 2011
They used to be a power couple: The two wed in 2006 in a lavish ceremony in Italy. Here they are seen at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in 2012
Suri now: The child with Holmes leaving Starbucks in Calabasas on October 19
Suri's nanny is said to have traveled with her, along with a bodyguard, but Katie appears to have stayed away, allowing Tom reconnect with his daughter without any of their personal baggage clouding the reunion.
The insider added that Suri is 'very important' to Tom and a 'special part of his life.'
The father and daughter were last photographed together in August 2012.
She lives most of the year in the Calabasas neighborhood of Los Angeles with Katie, and the two often visit New York City.
A movie-making machine: The A-lister shot The Mummy in London in July
With his sister: Cruise's sister Lee Anne DeVette helped set up the meeting with Suri. Here she is seen with Tom on October 18 in Hollywood
The report also claimed that Katie, who has been dating Tom's friend Jamie Foxx, 48, for three years, does not have much of a relationship with her ex.
Tom, it was claimed, finally has a new love in his life.
UsWeekly reported that Tom has been seeing a 'very pretty' and 'normal' British woman, whose name remains a secret.
It is unclear how and under what circumstances they met.
His co-stars: The film icon with his Jack Reacher cast mates Cobie Smulders and Danika Yarosh
The two have been together since at least June, when he spent time with her at a rental cottage in Bourton-On-The-Water, the same village where he enjoyed some time with Suri and where he is known to enjoy bike rides in the countryside.
'Tom wanted some companionship,' the source said.
Tom has seen his ups and downs when it comes to romance, having also wed Nicole Kidman (with whom he has two adopted children, Bella, 23, and Connor, 21) and Mimi Rogers.
In 2015 Cruise was linked to personal assistant Emily Thomas, but both denied a romantic relationship.
This comes after Tom commented during a Jack Reacher premiere that Scientology is a 'beautiful religion.'
They're known for not being able to keep a straight face at the best of times on This Morning.
And Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield once again ended up hysterically laughing as they discussed the female orgasm on Monday morning's show.
The TV duo were interviewing Dr Andrea Pennington - a US orgasm doctor - when they suffered a fit of the giggles discussing the pleasurable feeling at the hands of TV chef Gino D'acampo.
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Fit of the giggles: Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield once again ended up hysterically laughing as they discussed the female orgasm on Monday morning's show
Explaining that it works as a stress relief, as well as lowering the risk of depression and anxiety, inquisitive Phil asked through chagrin, how much it depends on the woman being in the mood.
He laughed: 'How much of a womans achieving depends on her mind and how much of her partner finding the right. buttons?'
To which, the author of The Orgasm Prescription answered: 'Orgasm takes place in the brain.'
Trying hard to keep a straight face, Holly hastily continued the questioning, asking: 'So if you were to start thinking about it now then how long would it take to reach that place.'
Learning a lot! The pair attempted to keep straight faces during the link
Interesting: Dr Andrea Pennington - a US orgasm specialist - discussed the female orgasm at length on the show
Awkward: Phil looked at Holly in shock over their very intimate interview
'Are they not sitting on a washing machine?' Phil asked. Before, Holly quipped: 'That shows you just how powerful the mind is.'
At that moment, Holly and Phil erupted into laughter as the camera cut to Gino reading Dr Pennington's orgasm book.
Attempting to keep it together, Phil asked the Italian cook: 'Have you learnt anything?'
Gino quickly answered bemused: 'Sorry guys, come again?'
Taking part: Gino had the hosts in stitches as they caught him off guard reading the book
'Sorry guys, come again': The TV chef was distracted when Phil asked him if he learnt anything
What giggle! The couch erupted into laughter over Gino's comments
Curious: Inquisitive Phil asked through chagrin, how much it depends on the woman being in the mood to the doctor before they descended into giggles
Viewers applauded the pair for keeping a somewhat straight face through the intimate segment.
On Twitter user wrote: 'Well done Holly & Phil for not cracking up with laughter'.
While another said: 'Phil's eyebrows lifting as a professional orgasm doctor says orgasms can occur in 2 minutes is just good tele.'
Before one concluded: '@thismorning cutting to @Ginofantastico after that was top funny. How did @hollywills an @Schofe get through that without laughing.'
Congrats: Fans took to Twitter to congratulate the pair on keeping a straight face during the segment
The American doctor - who first came to light after appearing on Oprah - revealed that 90% of orgasms come from a woman's head.
The medical professional revealed that it's possible to reach an orgasm without touch, which she refers to as 'think off'.
Concluding the racy segment, Dr Andrea said that an orgasm can take up to 21 days to build before foreplay.
While he's always there when contestants need him, host of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette franchises, Osher Gunsberg, has insisted he doesn't give out advice.
The charismatic television personality told Grant Denyer, while appearing on Monday night's All Star Family Feud, when contestants come to him, he tries to help them clarify their feelings, not give his input.
Osher also revealed that apart from helping people fall in love, he occasionally enjoys for his own amusement, dropping classic movie lines into the show.
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'It's an extraordinary role': Osher Gunsberg has revealed, during Monday night's episode of All Star Family Feud, he doesn't give advice to Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants as a host
When asked whether he ever feels like 'chiming in with advice' he revealed it isn't his place to be providing his positions on these matters.
'It's a situation where if someone comes to me for a conversation, I'll just ask them more questions to help them clarify their position,' he started.
'Because, I mean, most of us usually make up our minds straightaway. We just need someone else to tell us that we're also right,' he finished.
'I'll just ask them more questions to help them clarify their position': The TV host explained when it comes to matters of love people already have their own minds made up, they just need someone to agree with them
The 42-year-old likened noted: 'There's an episode of The Bachelorette this year where I got to pull out the Mad Max 3 - Beyond Thunderdome, "Two men enter, one man leaves" line.'
Grant quickly questions his choice of quote saying: 'You're making love sound like a cage match of death.'
Grinning at Grant, Osher quickly replied with a smirk: 'Isn't it?'
'You're making love sound like a cage match of death': The 42-year-old likened love to a cage fighting match while admitting he worked movie lines from Mad Max into his script earlier this year
When talking about what it's like to go into work every day, the former Australian Idol host responded: 'I get to work every day and I get to help people fall in love, which is really nice.'
And when asked about his 'extraordinary role' he said: 'I try as hard as I can on this job to be there for everyone.
'I tried to be there for Richie, I tried to be there for Georgia. Um, that, and I do a lot of rose counting,' he added tongue-in-cheek.
'I get to work every day and I get to help people fall in love': Osher said that he tries to be there for each contestant but has never provided his own thoughts on their decisions
Bachelor boys: Richie Strahan (L) and Sam Wood (R) both sought advice from Osher while on the show, before pairing with Alex Nation and Snezana Markoski respectively
Grant asked whether the popular media personality had ever asked Richie Strahan to 'run for the hills', to which Osher replied, 'Never' before adding jokingly, 'in that voice'.
He also joked about the fact that he had already broken up with everyone there on set, other than Alex Nation and Georgia Love.
Osher has played the host of The Bachelor series from season one, with Tim Robards in 2013 who chose Anna Heinrich.
Spin off: Osher helped Sam Frost (L) over two seasons, one for the Bachelor and then the first Bachelorette, and later helped Georgia Love (R) through the most recent season
He later saw Blake Garvey and Sam Frost match up, before Sam Frost was brutally dumped and acquired a spin-off The Bachelorette where she chose Sasha Mielczarek.
In the third series, Sam Wood was seen choosing Snezana Markoski.
Later Richie Strahan, from Sam Frost's season of The Bachelorette returned to the franchise for a second chance at finding love, chosing Alex Nation.
Georgia Love recently chose Lee Elliott, in the second season of The Bachelorette which finished last month.
Jesinta and Buddy Franklin are enjoying the first days of marriage after tying the knot in one of the most secretive celebrity weddings in Australian history.
And as details of the private ceremony begin to emerge, it has been revealed the newlyweds wrote their own heartwarming vows for their special day.
'It was pretty emotional, there wasn't a dry eye. Everything was so sentimental,' one guest told The Daily Telegraph.
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'There wasn't a dry eye': It has been revealed Buddy and Jesinta Franklin wrote their own vows for their wedding day, as details of the very private ceremony begin to emerge
The intimate ceremony, held at Mount Wilson in the NSW Blue Mountains, was attended by just a small group of friends and family.
'They were both really relaxed and chilled the entire afternoon and night, the smiles never came off their faces,' the guest told the publication.
'They danced all night and into the late hours, it was exactly what they wanted. Small, intimate and full of love.'
'Small, intimate and full of love': The ceremony was attended by just a small group of friends and family
'It was exactly what they wanted': Jesinta and Buddy are enjoying the first days of marriage after tying the knot on Friday
Guests were asked not to post any pictures on social media until the following day, giving the newlyweds the chance to be the first to share the news.
Buddy and Jesinta finally announced their marriage on Instagram shortly after 1am on Saturday morning.
Until then, the pair did a phenomenal job keeping the wedding under wraps.
Old mates: Buddy is pictured with Jesinta and his former Hawthorn teammates Jordan Lewis (left) and Jarryd Roughead (right)
Under wraps: From the outset, Buddy and Jesinta did a great job keeping their wedding a secret
Just a week earlier, Jesinta publicly announced they wouldn't be tying the knot anytime soon, despite being nearly two years since Buddy popped the question.
And leading up to the special day, Jesinta continued taking part in official David Jones duties.
She even opened the annual Christmas window display at the retail giant's Sydney store just hours before the wedding.
Then, guests falsely claimed on social media the ceremony was held in different places across the world in an bid to keep the wedding location private.
Glamour: Jesinta looked stunning in a $20,000 tulle dress by Vera Wang Read on the day
Off the scent: Guests falsely claimed on social media the ceremony was held in different places across the world
Reports began to emerge the ceremony took place in Queenstown, South Australia's Barossa Valley and even Cape Town.
The newlyweds now appear to be heading on an equally elusive honeymoon.
On Monday, Jesinta posted a snap of a car travelling down a tree lined road and captioned the post: 'Let our adventure begin.'
The pair have reportedly signed an exclusive deal with a magazine to publish their wedding photos.
New Zealand, Barossa or the Blue Mountains? Despite conflicting reports, the wedding took place at Mount Wilson's Wildenstein Gardens in the Blue Mountains
'Let our adventure begin': The newlyweds now appear to be heading on an equally elusive honeymoon
She's due to start filming her new movie, Molly's Game, in Canada.
And Jessica Chastain looked bright as a button as she walked though the concourse at Pearson International Airport in Toronto very early on Monday morning.
The 39-year-old flew in overnight on a red eye from Los Angeles but gave no sign of fatigue or tiredness.
Bright and breezy: Jessica Chastain looked ready for action as she walked though the concourse at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada, very early on Monday morning
In fact the Golden Globe award winning actress was all smiles as she showed off her cool travelling style in a knee-length black coat that she wore over a black dress, opaque black tights and black, lace-up ankle boots.
She wore an oversized pair of celebrity-must-have dark glasses and accessorised with a leather handbag in black, of course.
In fact, the only pops of colour in the star's whole ensemble came from her beautiful, flaming red hair. which hung in gentle waves over her shoulders, and her pink lipstick.
Working girl: The 39-year-old took a red-eye from Los Angeles to Toronto where she is due to begin shooting Molly's Game, which also stars Idris Elba, Kevin Costner and Michael Cera
Jessica is in Toronto to begin shooting Molly's Game, which also stars Idris Elba, Kevin Costner and Michael Cera.
She plays the title character, a young skier and former Olympic hopeful who becomes a successful entrepreneur - and a target of an FBI investigation - when she establishes a high-stakes, international poker game.
It has yet to set a release date.
Dark star: Jessica wore black from head to toe with the only pops of colour in her ensemble coming from her beautiful, flaming red hair and her pink lipstick
Meanwhile, Jessica has been busy promoting her next film, Miss Sloane, due out on November 25.
Again she plays the title character, a brilliant but ruthless lobbyist notorious for her desire to win at all costs, even when it puts her own career at risk.
The workaholic also has three more films logged for next year and two for 2018.
Jared Padalecki and wife Genevieve are expecting a third child.
The 34-year-old actor made the announcement during a guest appearance on the Live! with Kelly show on Monday morning.
'I'm a father of two, now about to be a father of three in March,' the Gilmore Girls star revealed.
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'About to be a father of three': Jared Padalecki announced he was expecting a third child during a guest appearance on the Live! with Kelly show on Monday morning
On Saturday Jared took to Twitter and teased his fans, 'Clear your schedules on Monday, Nov. 7th, Im going on @LiveKelly!! And I have somethin SUPER cool to share with yall (sic).'
Jared and Genevieve, 35, began dating after meeting on the set of Supernatural in 2008.
The couple tied the knot in February 2010 in Sun Valley, Idaho and currently reside in Austin, Texas.
Expecting: Jared's wife Genevieve, 35, stood backstage as he broke the exciting news that the couple will welcome their third child in March
They already share their two young sons - Tom, aged four, and Shepherd, two.
Meanwhile the hunky actor is set to reprise his role as Dean Forester in the Netflix series Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
The new mini-series will see the return of several supporting players from the original show which ran from 2000 until 2006.
'Clear your schedules': The hunky actor also visited Extra shortly after breaking the exciting news
Hollywood hunk! Jared looked handsome as ever as he sported a bit of scruff and signature shaggy mane
Growing brood: The Gilmore Girls star already shares his two sons Tom, aged four, and Shepherd, two, with his wife of six years
Jared will play the most devoted boyfriend of Rory, portrayed by the original Alexis Bledel, 35.
Although he will not be the only former flame of Rory's - as Logan (Matt Czuchry) and Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) - will also return to Stars Hollow.
'[Dean is] probably working at Doosey's,' Jared told E! News in June.
Reboot: Meanwhile the hunky actor is set to reprise his role as Dean Forester in the Netflix series Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life which will premiere November 25
'Hopefully he's a manager by now. He's flipping the hot dogs and filling up the Slushee machine, he's probably holding down the fort. Dean was always a pretty low-key guy!'
The four 90-minute episodes of the Netflix series Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life will premiere on November 25.
Paramount Pictures released the first teaser of Scarlett Johansson wearing her Ghost in the Shell character's 'nude' thermoptic suit on Monday.
The 31-year-old actress - who plays existential robo-cop The Major/Motoko Kusanagi - emerged from water clad in her invisible armor after punching an unidentified man.
The 14-second teaser is just another tiny glimpse at the live-action adaptation of Mamoru Oshii's 1995 anime feature and Masamune Shirow's 1989 manga series.
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Not really naked: Paramount Pictures released the first teaser of Scarlett Johansson wearing her Ghost in the Shell character's 'nude' thermoptic suit on Monday
Existential robo-cop: The 31-year-old actress - who plays The Major/Motoko Kusanagi - emerged from water clad in her invisible armor after punching an unidentified man
Sneak peek: The 14-second teaser is just another tiny glimpse at the live-action adaptation of Mamoru Oshii's 1995 anime feature and Masamune Shirow's 1989 manga series
The 2070-set reimagining - hitting UK/US theaters March 31 - centers on 'what it means to be human' and it's being directed by philandering filmmaker Rupert Sanders.
Upon news of Scarlett's casting in January of 2015, fans and media action groups accused producers of 'whitewashing' the iconically Japanese character.
The whole point of mass-producing this particular 'full-body prosthesis' as a normal Niihama woman was in order to make her 'inconspicuous.'
'Oh gosh, now you're going to bring in all of my insecurities! I don't know if I was the right person,' Johansson - whose ancestors were Danish and Polish - admitted to Collider last week.
'What are you?' The 2070-set reimagining - hitting UK/US theaters March 31 - centers on 'what it means to be human' and it's being directed by philandering filmmaker Rupert Sanders
Outrage: Upon news of Scarlett's casting in January of 2015, fans and media action groups accused producers of 'whitewashing' the iconically Japanese character
'But I think Rupert and I shared the same vision for the character. So I think early on, having the same conversation, it'll be up to the audience to judge if I'm the right person to play this part.'
Ghost in the Shell's Caucasian-heavy ensemble also includes Michael Pitt, Juliette Binoche, Michael Wincott, and Pilou Asbk.
Hollywood studios are notorious for misappropriating Asian culture, characters, and stories and replacing them with white actors as with Tilda Swinton playing Tibetan mystic in Doctor Strange.
Oops! The whole point of mass-producing this particular 'full-body prosthesis' as a normal Niihama woman was in order to make her 'inconspicuous'
Johansson - whose ancestors were Danish and Polish - admitted to Collider last week: 'Oh gosh, now you're going to bring in all of my insecurities! I don't know if I was the right person...it'll be up to the audience to judge'
Japanese lives matter: Ghost in the Shell's Caucasian-heavy ensemble also includes Michael Pitt, Juliette Binoche, and Michael Wincott
Next year's $135M-budget medieval Chinese epic The Great Wall selected Matt Damon to star as a 'European mercenary.'
Tacky cinematic whitewashing has also occurred in Cameron Crowe's Aloha, the Wachowski's Cloud Atlas, and it ruined Breakfast at Tiffany's back in 1961.
Meanwhile, the four-time Golden Globe nominee is excited for her two-year-old daughter Rose (with husband Romain Dauriac) to see her next film, Sing.
The Ancient One: Hollywood studios are notorious for misappropriating Asian culture, characters, and stories and replacing them with white actors as with Tilda Swinton playing a Tibetan mystic in Doctor Strange
Ponytailing: Next year's $135M-budget medieval Chinese epic The Great Wall selected Matt Damon to star as a 'European mercenary'
Lame: Tacky cinematic whitewashing has also occurred in Cameron Crowe's Aloha with Emma Stone (L) and the Wachowski's Cloud Atlas with Halle Berry (R)
'I think it would blow her mind,' the Captain America star told E! News in September.
'I imagine everything in her mind is a little bit sort of trippy to begin with, so I think just seeing my voice coming out of a porcupine like that, especially a punk rock porcupine, it might be a little overwhelming for her.'
Scarlett covers Carly Rae Jespen's Call Me Maybe as Ash in Universal Studios' animated musical, which hits US theaters December 21 and UK theaters January 27.
'I think it would blow her mind!' Meanwhile, the four-time Golden Globe nominee is excited for her two-year-old daughter Rose (with husband Romain Dauriac) to see her next film, Sing
He arrived in the US over the weekend to cover the 2016 presidential election.
And on Monday, Karl Stefanovic looked pleased he had escaped Sydney, days after his estranged wife Cassandra Thorburn confirmed their split.
While filming the Today show in Central Park in New York City, the 42-year-old showed off a wide smile as he posed for photos with a group of female fans.
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Something to smile about? Karl Stefanovic showed off a wide smile as he posed for photos with a group of female fans while filming the Today show in New York City on Monday
Despite happily saying cheese to the camera with the unknown women, Karl situated both his hands in front of him as he clutched tightly onto a clipboard.
The Today show host rugged up for the cross-over, dressing in a pair of denim jeans, a white shirt and a deep navy coat, which he buttoned tightly.
He accessorised with a chequered brown scarf that fell around his neck
Hands to himself: Despite happily saying cheese to the camera with the unknown women, Karl situated both his hands in front of him as he clutched tightly onto a clipboard
Keeping warm: The Today show host rugged up for the cross-over, dressing in a pair of denim jeans, a white shirt
Layers: He also added a deep navy coat, which he buttoned tightly
The TV presenter finished off his on-camera look with brown faded ankle boots.
After greeting fans, Karl continued researching for his cross-over and was later pictured practising his lines in front of the camera.
On Monday, a New Idea insider commented Karl was going 'to make the most of his new single status' while in the Big Apple.
'This is the first time he has been overseas as a bachelor in years and he has made it clear he means to make the most of his new single status,' a source told the magazine.
Stylish: The father-of-three accessorised with a chequered brown scarf that fell around his neck
Final touches: The TV presenter finished off his on-camera look with brown faded ankle boots
Head deep in work: After greeting fans, Karl continued researching for his cross-over back to the Sydney studio
New York is 2000km from the key battleground state of Florida, widely considered a must-win for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump to move into the White House.
Both Trump, 70, and Clinton, 69, will make their way to New York on election day Wednesday, but will spend the last crucial 48 hours drumming up votes in key states like Ohio and Minnesota.
New Idea reported that international correspondent Tom Steinfort and crew members Sam Reynolds and Michael Barrett have joined Karl on the work trip, and the boys were planning on a 'big boozy night' to celebrate him being single.
Practice: He was later pictured practising his lines in front of the camera
Scenery: The Channel Nine crew broadcast the cross from the corner of the busy intersection
In the middle: Karl arrived in New York City over the weekend to cover the 2016 presidential election and it is not known when he will return to Sydney
'There were plenty of mates for Karl to party with,' the insider told the publication.
The source added Karl's old pals, US-based Australian duo Jessica and Ashley Hart, might even join him in 'partying.'
Karl and Cassandra's recent split after 21 years of marriage has been in the headlines for weeks.
The mother-of-three confirmed the end of their relationship last week, telling Mum Central: 'I'm grieving the loss of my relationship. The loss of my best friend and life partner.'
News / National
by Staff reporter
Zimbabwe has rejected embracing homosexuality that some European countries wanted the country to take up at the United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group meeting, but accepted 142 other recommendations that are not in contradiction with the national Constitution.Spain and Canada are some of the countries that recommended that Zimbabwe decriminalises same sex marriage for consenting adults.In some poor African countries, the West has gone to the extent of dangling aid and budgetary support in exchange for embracing gay rights in their statutes.But in an interview with our Harare Bureau shortly after the meeting last Friday, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, said the country had shot down the recommendation on homosexuality."With regards to areas that we felt we would not accept, it is issues of gays and homosexuality, which is unlawful in our country," said VP Mnangagwa."We rejected all those. There are a few countries from Europe, which recommended that we re-consider our position with regard adults of same sex marrying each other, that we have rejected."Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Mrs Virginia Mabhiza added:"We have rejected two broad categories of recommendation that is the one to do with marriage between people of the same sex and another one to do with the Rome Statutes. Those are the two that we have outrightly rejected."In his remarks at the adoption of the 142 recommendations, VP Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe was committed to promoting and protecting human rights."Regarding the recommendations proposed by the estimated member states to assist us improve our human rights protection mechanisms and obligations, I hereby re-affirm the position enunciated by the chair-Rapporteur of the Troika, His Excellency, Ljupcho Jivan Gjorgjinski, Charge d'affaires of the Permanent Mission of Macedonia to the United Nations, World Trade Organisation and other international organisations in Geneva," said VP Mnangagwa."Indeed, out of the 260 recommendations tabled, my delegation has supported 142 and noted 18, while the rest have been deferred for further consideration."I would like to state that the Government of Zimbabwe will work tirelessly to scrutinise the deferred recommendations in order to come up with a concrete position. We will communicate our position to the council through the normal diplomatic channels and in the next session of the Human Rights Council."Finally, I wish to reiterate Zimbabwe's commitment to upholding human rights and fundamental freedoms of its people and fulfilling its international human rights obligations."VP Mnangagwa expressed Government's gratitude to the United Nations human rights machinery, the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Zimbabwe and other development partners for helping Zimbabwe in the implementation of its human rights obligations.
The Bachelor alum AshLee Frazier finally found her match.
According to TMZ, the 36-year-old television star recently got engaged to her hometown beau, Aaron Williams, on top of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The proposal reportedly occurred on Saturday in the middle of a group of tourists who were visiting the iconic landmark in New York City.
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It's a match! AshLee Frazier recently got engaged to her hometown beau, Aaron Williams, in NYC on Saturday, according to TMZ; here she is seen in 2015
As for the ring, the news site quoted her fiance gifted AshLee with an oval cut, three carat diamond and treated them to dinner at New York hot spot, Scarpetta.
TMZ reported that the lovebirds have known one another for years as Aaron is a real estate developer in AshLee's hometown of Houston.
She moved back to Texas earlier in the year, and the couple hit it off romantically.
Bridge of romance: The 36-year-old television star shared a video of her walking on the bridge where the question was popped with the caption: 'Best walk. Best view. Forever in my heart!'
Hint? Although the newly engaged star has yet to confirm on social media, her tweet from Monday hinted at the proposal as she wrote: 'Last day in NYC. I'd say it was a successful trip'
The ring? TMZ reported her fiance gifted AshLee with an oval cut, three carat diamond and treated them to dinner at New York hot spot, Scarpetta
After coming into third place on Season 17 of the Bachelor competing for Sean Lowe's love and starring in Bachelor In Paradise, it has finally paid off for the blonde beauty.
Meanwhile, Sean has been happily married to his wife, Catherine Giudici, since 2014. They welcomed a child this year.
AshLee was reportedly spotted with tax practitioner Cody Manuel last year and before that was Bachelor vet Brad Womack, Michael Garofola and Graham Bunn in 2013 and 2014.
Long time coming: The former reality star competed on The Bachelor and Bachelor In Paradise before finding love
A moment: The blonde beauty was reportedly spotted with tax practitioner Cody Manuel last year and before that was Bachelor vet Brad Womack, Michael Garofola and Graham Bunn in 2013 and 2014
Taking a break from reality television, AshLee has been keeping busy with her booming lifestyle site.
The Houston-born beauty posts fashion, fitness and beauty tips and tricks.
Her latest post talked about Shea Moisture shampoo and conditioner.
She's known to have friends in high places.
So it came as no surprise to see Cheyenne Tozzi taking to Instagram on Monday to share a throwback snap, with none other than Paris Hilton, 35.
The 27-year-old flaunted her ample assets in a busty selfie alongside the heiress, as she gushed over the American socialite returning to Australia for a DJ set later this month.
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That's hot! Cheyenne Tozzi (right), 27, took to Instagram on Monday to share a busty throwback snap with Paris Hilton (left), 35. The heiress is set to hit the Australian DJ decks later this month
'Can't wait for this one to hit Australia @parishilton wooo hoo,' the model captioned the snap shared with her 132,000 Instagram fans.
The throwback snap saw a blonde Cheyenne pouting and flaunting her ample assets in a revealing black frock, alongside Paris who also left little to the imagination in an ensemble with a plunging neckline.
Both personalities sported a glamorous makeup palette of a flawless complexion, defined brows, lashings of mascara and a coat of pink lipstick, with their fair-haired locks falling effortlessly around their face and shoulders.
Gold Rush Tour: The American socialite is set to perform three DJ sets Down Under, kicking off at Brisbane nightclub Fluffy on November 20
Hype: Promoters claimed rather enthusiastically that Aussie fans can expect one of the 'renowned icons of our time' to grace our shores
The post comes just weeks prior to Paris Hilton's Australian Gold Rush Tour.
The American socialite is set to perform three DJ sets Down Under, kicking off at Brisbane nightclub Fluffy on November 20.
Paris will then travel to Melbourne and Sydney for following dates.
Promoters claimed rather enthusiastically that Aussie fans can expect one of the 'renowned icons of our time' to grace our shores.
Close: The high profile stars have been friends for years, often appearing on one another's Instagram account
Familiar faces: A previous snap shared to Cheyenne's Instagram account saw the model cozying up to Paris, Naomi Campbell (second left) and a female friend
Family ties: Cheyenne is also close pals with Paris' sister Nicky Hilton Rothschild (left), 33
'This is MASSIVE. Fluffy is gearing up to play host to one of the world-renowned icons of our time as part of her international Gold Rush Tour,' read the announcement.
'Straight from Beverly Hills and the top clubs in Ibiza, you don't want to miss Paris Hilton's headlining DJ set as she takes over the Fluffy basement to party all night long!'
This isn't the first time Cheyenne has been pictured alongside Paris.
Numerous snaps on the Australia's Next Top Model mentor's Instagram, sees the two embracing one other for playful snaps.
Cheyenne is also close pals with Paris' sister, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, 33.
He's a man of many checked suits.
And Ollie Proudlock continued his patterned legacy as he attended the School of Rock performance in aid of the Miles Frost Fund with girlfriend Emma Louise Connolly at The New London Theatre on Monday night.
The Made In Chelsea star, 28, and his model flame turned heads in coordinating green trouser suits.
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Standing out: Ollie Proudlock continued his patterned legacy as he attended the School of Rock performance in aid of the Miles Frost fund with girlfriend Emma Louise Connolly
Ollie went for his usual checked theme, this time opting for a dark green and yellow slim fitting suit.
Coordinating it with a crisp white shirt and shiny loafers, he accessorised with a delicate gold chain and his trademark black glasses.
With his hair a-quiff and cross earring in-tact, he held onto Emma proudly.
Quirky: Emma showed off her model stats in a velvet moss-green loose-fitting trouser suit
She showed off her model stats in a velvet moss-green loose-fitting trouser suit.
In tune with her beau, she matched the piece with a white frilly-sleeved shirt and accessorised with a velvet clutch and shaggy stole.
Leaving her blonde hair in loose waves, she showed off her natural beauty under minimal make-up.
Green with envy: The Made In Chelsea star, 28, and his model flame turned heads in coordinating green trouser suits
Feeling wintry? Cressida Bonas also attended, wearing a demure long black coat and a loose-fitting white top, accentuating her stature in high wedge ankle boots
Cressida Bonas also attended, wearing a demure long black coat and a loose-fitting white top, accentuating her stature in high wedge ankle boots.
Putting in a Royal display was Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, who went biker chic in a matching leather jacket and dress.
And musical theatre impresario Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber added to the high brow crowd, donning an appropriate guitar-embellished shirt for the occasion.
Royal edge: Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson went biker chic in a matching leather jacket and dress
Creative: Musical theatre impresario Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber added to the high brow crowd, donning an appropriate guitar-embellished shirt for the occasion
Proudlock previously gushed about his girlfriend, telling Reveal magazine they had celebrated their first anniversary in August of last year.
At the time he tweeted: 'A year ago today I met my soulmate, the most beautiful person inside and out. It's safe to say it has been the best year of my life. @emmalouiseconnolly I love you to the moon and back, and cannot wait for the times ahead.'
Speaking about how they met, he explained: 'It's a long story, but we met in Scotland a few years back. We didn't see each other for a long period of time, but when I got back from a trip to New York we hooked up, we met up and hung out. She's great.
'[Emma] is hands down, without a doubt, the most amazing person I have ever met, and I've never loved anyone as much as I have loved her.'
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Chris Hemsworth is ready to splash out more than $8 million on the renovation of his Byron Bay estate.
A development application for alterations and additions to the Seven Mile Beach Road property, which he owns with wife Elsa Pataky, was lodged to Byron Shire Council on 2 November, according to the Gold Coast Bulletin.
Chris and his wife Elsa live in their East Coast residence with their three children, daughter, India Rose and twin sons, Tristan and Sasha.
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Time for an upgrade! Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky are reportedly ready to splash out more than $8 million on the renovation of their Byron Bay estate
Oasis: Chris and his wife Elsa live in their East Coast residence with their three children, daughter, India Rose and twin sons, Tristan and Sasha
The publication reports that the application, which has yet to be assessed, prices the renovation at $8.778 million.
Plans for the work outline the demolition of the existing house and structures, and the building of a new swimming pool.
The Hollywood heartthrob and his Spanish-born wife purchased the Broken Head mansion in September 2014 for $7 million.
Byron build: The planning application submitted to Byron Shire Council outlined plans to demolish the existing house and building a new swimming pool
Family home: Chris and Elsa purchased the Broken Head home for $7 million in September 2014 after moving to Australia from America
In its current state, the house - which is spread over 4.2ha - has eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.
The couple moved back to Australia from America less than a year after snapping up a Malibu mansion for USD $4.8 million.
Chris and his spouse made a handsome profit on the LA estate, having listed it for USD $6.5 million in February.
Back home: The Melbourne native was living in Malibu before deciding to relocate to northern New South Wales
The Parisian-inspired residence sold for USD $665,000 more than its asking price just two months after hitting the market.
But it seems the rugged actor is keen to hold onto the Hollywood lifestyle after he and Elsa spent USD $3.45 million on another LA pad in April.
It also means he'll be in the neighbourhood of baby brother Liam and his girlfriend Miley Cyrus, who both own properties in LA.
Chris has recently wrapped up filming for the third Thor film, Ragnarok, which was filmed in locations across Queensland.
For most people, Sundays are the one day of the week to unwind and relax.
However, for Emma Roberts, the busy actress was headed to work on her Sunday afternoon, first making a pit stop at the popular Los Angeles restaurant, Joan's On Third.
The 25-year-old niece of Julia Roberts looked effortlessly fabulous in an off-white ruffle top, cropped blue jeans and trendy red flats as she grabbed some food for the road.
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Always on the go: Emma Roberts stopped by popular LA restaurant on Sunday, Joan's On Third, as she donned a casual and chic ensemble
The Scream Queens star ditched her alter ego of villainous sorority president Chanel Oberlin and went back to basics.
Emma looked stylish nonetheless with her top tucked in, showcasing her leopard-printed belt, and donned her black leather purse.
The Nerve star pulled her blonde locks back in a loose ponytail and covered her make-up free face with black designer shades as she headed to her car.
Effortless: The 25-year-old star opted for a cream-colored ruffle top, tucked into a pair of cropped denim jeans and topped it off with red flats
Cool and casual: The Scream Queens star pulled her blonde locks back in a ponytail, paired with black shades and a matching leather purse
Food for the road: The niece of Julia Roberts made a pit stop for food before heading to work
Shortly after, the actress shared a photo to her Instagram posing with Suki Waterhouse and Scream Queens co-star Billie Lourd who will be appearing in the upcoming film with her, Billionaire Boys Club.
Emma captioned the photo: 'The only people who could make me excited for work on a Sunday @sukiwaterhouse @praisethelourd #billionaireboysclub.'
The film - based on the real-life Billionaire Boys Club in Southern California during the 1980s- also stars Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Judd Nelson. It is directed by James Cox and co-written with Captain Mauzner.
Girls club: Emma shared this photo to her Instagram on Sunday with the caption: 'The only people who could make me excited for work on a Sunday @sukiwaterhouse @praisethelourd #billionaireboysclub'
Meanwhile, Emma has been keeping busy also filming her FOX show and spending time with her now on boyfriend, Evan Peters.
The two attended Kate Hudson's Halloween bash together; Emma dressed as a ghoulish skeleton while The American Horror Story actor donned a pregnant woman costume.
The two have broken up, gotten engaged, broken up again, and have just recently rekindled their roller-coaster romance again in early October.
Co-star beauties: Lea Michele, Jamie Lee Curtis and Emma cozy up for a photo at last week's Entertainment Weekly's Popfest
Moroccan king reaches out to African leaders in Senegal
Moroccan King Mohammed VI offered a conditional olive branch to African leaders Sunday in a speech in Senegal declaring his country wanted to "take back its natural position in Africa".
Morocco is seeking to rejoin the African Union, 32 years after quitting the bloc in protest at its decision to accept Western Sahara as a member.
In a gesture of African solidarity, Mohammed VI delivered an annual speech usually given at home in Dakar to "show the great interest we take in our continent", while still firmly maintaining the "unshakeable Moroccan identity of the Western Sahara".
Moroccan King Mohammed VI (C) waves to the crowd eyed by Senegalese president Macky Sall upon his arrival at Dakar's airport on November 6, 2016 Seyllou (AFP)
Morocco has occupied the sparsely populated Western Sahara area since 1975 in a move that was not recognised by the international community.
Mohammed VI emphasised his nation would "ask no one's permission to take our legitimate rights," as "nothing" would change regarding its position on the Western Sahara.
The king arrived late Sunday from Gabon on a three-day trip to Senegal following an east African charm offensive in Rwanda and Tanzania.
He declared that Morocco has "a staggering level of support to take up a seat in the heart of the institutional family of Africans," referring to the AU.
He is due to meet Senegalese officials on Monday including President Macky Sall.
Morocco maintains that Western Sahara is an integral part of the kingdom even though local Sahrawi people have long campaigned for the right to self-determination.
In 1991, the United Nations brokered a ceasefire between Moroccan troops and Sahrawi rebels of the Algerian-backed Polisario Front but a promised referendum to settle the status of the desert territory is yet to materialise.
Hong Kong backs China bid to bar rebel lawmakers
Beijing effectively barred two pro-independence lawmakers from Hong Kong's legislature Monday, prompting one legislator to pronounce that the city's rule of law was "dead".
It is the latest chapter of political turmoil for the semi-autonomous city as fears grow that China is tightening its grip, and comes just over two years since Beijing issued an edict which plunged Hong Kong into months of protests.
That ruling in 2014, which said candidates for city leader must be vetted by a pro-Beijing committee, sparked massive rallies known as the "Umbrella Movement".
Baggio Leung (L) and Yau Wai-ching of the Youngspirations organisation march during a protest in Hong Kong, on November 6, 2016 Isaac Lawrence (AFP)
Now the city is bracing for another backlash as Beijing said it will not allow the two lawmakers to be sworn into office.
Beijing's ruling was met with fury and dismay by pro-democracy lawmakers and commentators.
"The rule of law in Hong Kong is dead," pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo told AFP.
"It's rule by decree. Hong Kong may need to live under fear from now on."
Other lawmakers questioned where Beijing would draw the line and voiced concern that freedom of expression in politics would be further curtailed.
Political analyst Joseph Cheng said Beijing's decision showed political considerations had taken precedence "over the long-term value of the preservation of the effective functioning of the rule of law" in the city.
The crisis came after rebel lawmakers Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching deliberately misread their oaths of office last month, inserting expletives and derogatory terms, and draping themselves with "Hong Kong is not China" flags.
They were initially granted a second chance at swearing in but authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing have stepped in to prevent that.
Beijing's intervention pre-empts a decision by Hong Kong's High Court into whether Baggio and Yau should be disqualified from taking up their seats. That court decision is still pending.
Pro-independence protesters clashed with police Sunday night in anticipation of Beijing's ruling, with riot officers firing pepper spray on the crowds.
In a rare interpretation of Hong Kong's constitution Monday, Beijing said any oath taker who does not follow the prescribed wording of oath, "or takes the oath in a manner which is not sincere or not solemn", should be disqualified.
Beijing's foreign ministry said Monday the move would "cap pro-independence forces" and safeguard Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.
City leader Leung Chun-ying said he would "fully implement" Beijing's ruling.
Leung also said the emergence of the pro-independence movement had put a controversial anti-subversion security law, Article 23, back on the table.
That was previously shelved after massive public protests in 2003 which feared it would lead to suppression.
- 'Splitting the country' -
But the US and Britain both voiced concern over Beijing's intervention.
In comments echoed by London, a spokesman for the State Department said Washington was "disappointed" and urged Beijing and Hong Kong to "refrain from any actions that fuel concerns or undermine confidence in the one country two systems principle".
Hong Kong is a former British colony which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a promise of "one country, two systems" for 50 years.
But there are deep concerns those liberties, enshrined in the city's constitution known as the Basic Law, are at risk.
As frustrations build, an independence movement demanding a split from Beijing has emerged.
Yau and Baggio are among several newly elected lawmakers advocating self-determination or independence who won seats in citywide polls in September.
Beijing sees any talk of independence as treasonous.
Li Fei, the chairman of the Basic Law Committee of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, told reporters: "These Hong Kong independence figures are going against the country and splitting the country. How can they uphold Hong Kong's Basic Law?" he said.
Both those promoting independence and those arguing for self-determination were supporting separatism, he said -- anathema to China's ruling party.
Monday's announcement was the fifth time since the 1997 handover that China has interpreted the Basic Law.
Yau and Baggio have yet to be sworn into Hong Kong's main lawmaking body, the Legislative Council (Legco), after their first oath attempt last month was declared invalid.
When asked if there would now be a by-election for their seats, Legco president Andrew Leung said Monday that the legislature would await the High Court's decision before taking any further action.
Hong Kong's parliament -, - (AFP Graphic)
Pro-Beijing legislators including Priscilla Leung (front 3rd L) hold up placards in support of a ruling by Beijing on two elected pro-independence lawmakers from the city's legislature on November 7, 2016 Anthony Wallace (AFP)
Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying arrives for a press conference on November 7, 2016, following a ruling by Beijing on two elected pro-independence lawmakers from the city's legislature Anthony Wallace (AFP)
British teacher fled Myanmar after colleague death: govt
A British teacher wanted by police after a colleague was found dead in his Yangon apartment has fled the country, the Myanmar government said on Monday.
Police said the 47-year-old victim, named as Briton Peter Gary Ferguson, was found dead on Sunday with wounds to his head and chest.
His wife reportedly discovered the body inside an apartment belonging to his 25-year-old colleague and compatriot, Harris Binotti.
A British teacher at Horizon International School in Yangon has fled the country after his colleague was found dead in his apartment, the Myanmar government says Ye Aung Thu (AFP)
Police said the pair, who worked at Horizon International School, had been out drinking on Friday night.
Myanmar's Ministry of Information said Binotti had left the country on Sunday but gave no further details on his whereabouts.
"The defendant of the case left from Yangon International Airport by Thai Airways on the evening on 5 November," it said in a statement.
Binotti's whereabouts were not immediately clear, with police in Thailand unwilling to comment on the possibility that he may have entered the kingdom or used it as a tranist point.
Captain Koe Myo, head of police in the Yangon township where Ferguson's body was found, said Interpol would be called in to aid the manhunt.
"Now it becomes a cross-border case and it is formally up to the Interpol to deal with the process," he told AFP.
Police have taken statements from Ferguson's wife, a Thai woman with whom he has a young child, and Binotti's partner.
At the weathered, three-block building in downtown Yangon where Binotti lived, neighbours recalled hearing two men fighting early Saturday.
"I heard their cries, saying: 'Go, go,' but I can't understand the rest as it was in English," Myint Myint, an elderly woman who lives on the ground floor, told AFP.
"I heard them throwing things. I think it happened around 4:00 am (on Saturday). Then they became silent."
Another resident, who asked to remain nameless, added: "The neighbours could hear them fight... but they were not sure what to do as they did not know them."
Horizon International's director of studies said the school had heard the news of Ferguson's death after he suffered a "hard blow to his chest and his head".
But "we have absolutely no idea why this happened", Shahriyor Turgunov added in an email to AFP.
"We haven't heard from Harris, even."
Violent crimes against foreigners are rare in former junta-run Myanmar, whose expatriate population remains small compared to other Southeast Asian countries but is growing fast.
The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Yangon is offering "support to the family of a British national following a death", a spokesman said, adding the embassy is "in touch with the local authorities".
Jakarta leader faces marathon grilling after protest
The Indonesian capital's Christian governor faced a marathon police grilling Monday for allegedly insulting Islam, after the accusations sparked a violent mass protest by hardliners in the Muslim-majority country.
Friday's demonstration started peacefully but descended into chaos as night fell with protesters torching police cars and hurling rocks and bottles in the heart of Jakarta, as they demanded the leader be jailed for blasphemy.
Scores of police officers were injured and one man died in the clashes close to the presidential palace, reportedly after tear gas fired by authorities triggered an asthma attack.
Indonesian Muslim hardliners, holding banners that read 'put Ahok in jail', march towards the presidential palace during a protest against Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, over an alleged blasphemy, on November 4, 2016 Adek Berry (AFP/File)
The protest involving tens of thousands of hardliners was sparked by accusations governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian and a member of Indonesia's ethnic Chinese minority, insulted the Koran while campaigning in elections for the Jakarta governorship.
He said his opponents were using a Koranic verse, which suggests Muslims should not choose non-Muslims as leaders, in order to trick people into voting against him.
Police had already launched the investigation into Purnama, known by his nickname Ahok, before Friday's protest after Muslim groups accused him of breaking the country's tough blasphemy laws.
On Monday the governor was questioned as a witness at national police headquarters in Jakarta, emerging after nine hours and making his way through a media scrum.
Purnama dodged questions about the case, only telling reporters: "I want to go home, I'm hungry."
Police said they plan to finish questioning about 30 witnesses over the case this week and will decide next week whether any crime had been committed.
If found guilty Purnama -- who is favourite to win the February elections against two Muslim opponents -- could be jailed for up to five years.
Purnama has apologised for his remarks, claiming that he was criticising his political rivals who were using the verse rather than the Koran itself. But this has done little to appease his opponents.
Thousands of police and soldiers were deployed before the rally in the capital of the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, but it still took officers hours to quell the violence with tear gas and water cannons.
The protest also forced President Joko Widodo to cancel an official visit to Australia due to start at the weekend.
Protesters attend to an injured friend outside the presidential palace in Jakarta after clashes that marred an otherwise peaceful rally against governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian accused of insulting Islam, on November 4, 2016 Adek Berry (AFP/File)
German sailor abducted, another killed, in Philippines: military
Islamic militants who specialise in kidnapping for ransom have reported killing a German sailor and abducting her elderly male companion from their yacht off the southern Philippines, the military said Monday.
A commander from the Abu Sayyaf group, which has earned millions of dollars by kidnapping foreigners and killed others after ransom demands were not met, claimed responsibility for the latest incidents, regional military spokesman Filemon Tan told AFP.
It appeared the victims were the same as those abducted by Somali pirates off the Gulf of Aden and held hostage for 52 days in 2008. The husband and wife were released at that time after a ransom was paid.
Philippine navy personnel stand onboard the yatch Rockall, where the body of a naked white woman who had been shot was found aboard, after it was in Sulu province
Tan said the military had recovered the couple's yacht, named the Rockall, and the body of a naked white woman who had been shot was aboard.
He said the military had listened to an audio recording of a known Abu Sayyaf leader claiming responsibility for the raid on the yacht, and the abducted German man also spoke on the phone call.
The abducted man identified himself as Jurgen Kantner, aged 70, and his companion as Sabine, according to Tan.
Tan said the passports of Kantner and Sabine Merz were found on the Rockall.
He said the photo in Merz's passport appeared to match the body of the dead woman aboard, although her identity still needed to be confirmed.
In Berlin the German government said it had yet to verify the media reports.
"We are trying right now together with Filipino authorities to determine (what happened)," foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schafer told reporters.
"We have to see what the facts are, to see if what the media are saying is actually true."
AFP interviewed Kantner in 2009 about being kidnapped along with Merz, identified then as his wife, by Somali pirates. He was subjected to a mock execution during the ordeal.
Speaking from Somalia where he had returned to retrieve their boat, Kantner said the threat of another kidnapping would not stop him from sailing.
"My boat is my life and I don't want to lose her, nothing more. I don't care about pirates and governments," Kantner told AFP from Berbera.
Kantner said then that he could not afford another kidnapping, after the ransom was paid to the Somali pirates.
"I really hope the pirates don't catch me because this time no one will pay and everybody will tell the pirates: 'Keep him'," he said.
- Growing threat -
The Abu Sayyaf, a loose network of militants based on remote islands in the southern Philippines, has defied more than a decade of US-backed military offensives and has been on a lucrative kidnapping spree in recent years.
In 2014 the militants abducted another German couple off a yacht in the southern Philippines. They released the pair six months later after receiving what they said was the full ransom demand of 250 million pesos ($5.1 million).
The Abu Sayyaf beheaded two Canadian men this year after demands for millions of dollars were not met.
The Abu Sayyaf is also blamed for kidnapping dozens of Indonesian and Malaysian sailors off the southern Philippines near where the Rockall was raided.
Most of those sailors were released after ransoms were reportedly paid.
However some are still being held and another two Indonesian fishermen were abducted off Malaysia's eastern state of Sabah at the weekend.
The Philippine military launched an offensive against the Abu Sayyaf after President Rodrigo Duterte vowed in August to eliminate the group.
But the Abu Sayyaf has continued to carry out raids apparently without hindrance, with the poorly equipped troops unable to secure the remote and mountainous southern islands or surrounding waters.
Foreigners typically stay away from that area because of the kidnapping threat.
However Islamic militants are also planning to kidnap foreigners in tourist hotspots of the central Philippines, the US government warned last week.
Philippines
News / National
by Staff reporter
A DARING Masvingo man allegedly shot his girlfriend's husband in the chest after he had caught him being intimate with the woman in his car.Wayne Matema of Mucheke allegedly shot Mr Joseph Ushe, a soldier at 4 Infantry Brigade in Masvingo, in the chest leaving him seriously injured.Ushe had allegedly found Matema being intimate with his wife, Tariro Mpofu, in a car near her workplace on Wednesday around 2AM.It is alleged that Matema, who is said to be running a tombstone and coffin-making business in Mucheke suburb in Masvingo, allegedly drove to Utsinda Primary School where his married girlfriend is attached as a student teacher.The two then decided to have quality time in Matema's car, near the school gate but outside the premises.Allegations are that Mr Ushe, who had been tipped about his wife's philandering with Matema, laid a trap.Before getting into the school yard just near the gate, he saw Matema's car that had been described to him by a whistleblower. A curious Mr Ushe moved closer only to find the two having sex in the car.An enraged Mr Ushe allegedly smashed the vehicle's windows thereby disturbing the two lovebirds, leading to a fierce fight.It was during the fight that the undressed Matema reached for his clothes before pulling a pistol and allegedly shooting Mr Ushe in the chest.After realising that he had harmed him, Matema allegedly rushed Mr Ushe in his car to Chivi District Hospital where he was transferred to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospital in Harare due to his deteriorating condition.After seeing that his victim was badly injured, Matema rushed Mr Ushe to Chivi District Hospital where he was transferred to Harare. Mpofu disappeared into the darkness.Matema surrendered himself to the police leading to his arrest on attempted murder charges.Masvingo police spokesperson Inspector Charity Mazula confirmed the incident which occurred at Utsinda Primary School in Chivi but said she could not give details as the matter was now before the courts.
First female US attorney general Janet Reno dies
Janet Reno, the first female US attorney general and a lightning rod for Republican attacks during Bill Clinton's presidency, has died in Florida, US media reported. She was 78.
Reno died early Monday at her Miami home due to complications from Parkinson's disease, her sister Maggy Hurchalla told CNN.
"Janet Reno was an American original, a public servant whose intellect, integrity, and fierce commitment to justice helped shape our nation's legal landscape," wrote the White House in a statement.
Former US Attorney General Janet Reno speaks in Washington, DC in April 2009 Alex Wong (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File)
"Her legacy lives on in a generation of lawyers she inspired, the ordinary lives she touched, and a nation that is more just."
Former President Bill Clinton took to Twitter to pay homage to his former cabinet member: "Janet Reno was an extraordinary public servant who never forgot about the lives of real people."
The top US law enforcement officer throughout Clinton's 1993-2001 presidency, Reno came under fire barely one month after becoming attorney general for her handling of a botched April 1993 FBI raid on an armed religious cult in Waco, Texas.
Some 80 people died when the Branch Davidian cult's compound went up in flames.
Her other actions included ordering the Miami relatives of six-year-old Cuban shipwreck survivor Elian Gonzalez in 2000 to surrender the boy to federal authorities.
US immigration officials determined that Gonzalez's father had the right to take his son from his estranged exile Cuban Miami relatives, who had cared for the boy since his rescue at sea months earlier attempting to immigrate to the United States.
US agents burst into the home and retrieved the boy at gunpoint, then returned Gonzalez to his father in communist Cuba.
One of the longest-serving US attorney generals, her Department of Justice handled prosecutions in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and two cases of domestic terrorism, the 1995 Oklahoma City federal building bombing and the "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski.
Other cases included an anti-trust lawsuit against Microsoft, and suing the tobacco industry along with several states to recover health care money spent on people who suffered the effects of smoking.
- Harvard Law graduate -
Reno was born in Miami on July 21, 1938, the daughter of Henry and Jane Reno, two newspaper reporters.
Reno enrolled at Cornell University in New York in 1956 and became president of the university's Women's Self Government Association.
She was one of only 16 women in the 500-strong 1960 class at Harvard Law School, where she received her degree three years later.
Her experience prior to working in public service ranged from waitressing and working as a dormitory supervisor during college, to being a partner at the Miami law firm Steel, Hector and Davis from 1976 to 1978.
Reno chaired the Florida Governor's Council for the Prosecution of Organized Crime in 1979-80.
As state attorney in Florida, she was responsible for nearly 1,000 employees, an annual budget of $30 million and a yearly docket of 120,000 cases, ranging from homicide and child abuse to drug trafficking and white-collar crime.
Reno helped reform the state's juvenile justice system and pursued defaulting fathers for child support payments. She also helped establish the Miami Drug Court, which provides alternative punishment for non-violent offenders suffering from addiction.
Upon leaving office Reno, who was six foot, two inches (1.9 meters) tall, saw her bid to run for governor in 2002 thwarted when she narrowly lost in the Democratic party primary.
Her post-government work included a 2013 appearance as a guest character on the animated show "The Simpsons."
Firebrand Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday he would cancel an order for about 27,000 American-made assault rifles, in his latest display of defiance against the United States.
The rifles were due to be provided to the Philippine police but Duterte said he would look for cheaper alternatives.
"The (rifles) that were ordered already, I am ordering the police to cancel it. We'll just have to look for another source that is cheaper and maybe as durable and as good," Duterte said.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gives a speech in Manila on November 3, 2016 Noel Celis (AFP/File)
The status of the order had become cloudy over the past week after the Philippine media reported the US government would not deliver the weapons because of concerns about Duterte's war on drugs and other crime, which has claimed more than 4,100 lives in four months.
Duterte's spokesman said last week those reports were not accurate, and the US arms would be delivered as promised. But the president also made comments last week which appeared to indicate he believed the Americans had cancelled the planned delivery.
Since taking office on June 30 Duterte has launched repeated tirades against the United States for criticising his drug war and said he wants to loosen the Philippines' dependence on its former colonial ruler.
The United States and the Philippines are bound by a mutual defence pact, but Duterte has said he wants to kick out American forces.
On a state visit to Beijing last month he announced the Philippines' "separation" from the United States and declared he was in China's "ideological flow".
Duterte walked back from those remarks after returning to the Philippines, saying he would not sever ties with the United States.
Palestinian teens sentenced to jail over knife attacks
An Israeli court sentenced three Palestinian teenagers to more than a decade in prison Monday for stabbing Israelis, including a 14-year-old involved in one of the most high-profile attacks.
The sentences drew criticism from the Palestinian Authority and rights activists who said the youths should not be given such long jail terms.
Ahmed Manasra, 14, was sentenced to 12 years after having earlier been found guilty of the attempted murder of two Israelis, a 20-year-old and a 12-year-old boy.
Ahmed Manasra (C), a 14-year old Palestinian boy, leaves a Jerusalem District Court after being convicted of the attempted murder of two Israelis, on November 7, 2016 Ahmad Gharabli (AFP)
He was 13 at the time of the October 2015 attack in the Jewish settlement neighbourhood of Pisgat Zeev in annexed east Jerusalem.
The stabbings led to a propaganda war between Palestinians and Israelis, sparked by surveillance footage later released of the incident.
Manasra carried out the attack along with his 15-year-old cousin Hassan, who was shot dead by security forces.
The two Israelis were seriously wounded.
In addition to the jail term, the Jerusalem district court ordered Manasra to pay 80,000 shekels ($21,000, 19,000 euros) in compensation to the adult victim and 100,000 to the boy, the ruling said.
His lawyer Lea Tsemel said she planned to appeal the sentence.
The sentencing and trial were closed to journalists because Manasra is a minor. Prosecutors had requested 12 years.
- 'Not-possible fine' -
"Although the accused was a minor, he tried to harm human life and there is no other option than to give him jail time," prosecutor Yuval Keidar told journalists after the sentencing.
Manasra had earlier pleaded not guilty, saying he had not personally stabbed either of the victims and had only intended to frighten them.
The teenager appeared calm as he entered and left the courtroom in east Jerusalem in handcuffs. His father refused to comment, asking journalists to leave him alone.
"Our defeat, of the legal team, is a very small defeat compared to the wide and deep defeat of both the Israeli society and the court," said defence lawyer Tsemel.
She said that "everyone talked about the full rehabilitation he is going through. Everyone talked about a kid who's not dangerous at all.
"And despite this, the court approved the prosecution's claim and gave him the full sentence, plus an unimaginable and not-possible fine."
The Palestinian Authority said in a statement that the court's ruling "goes against international law and conventions which call for the protection of children".
It said the sentences "constitute an attempt by the Israeli side to frighten children".
In a separate case, the court sentenced a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old to 11 years in prison for stabbing a Jew in Jerusalem's Old City in January.
"International standards are clear that all efforts should be directed towards rehabilitation of the child," Sari Bashi of Human Rights Watch told AFP.
"Such long sentences raise questions regarding Israel's commitment to work towards rehabilitating the children."
- Video prompts controversy -
The incident involving Manasra came at the beginning of a months-long wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks.
Footage released by Israeli authorities in the wake of the attack purported to show the cousins -- knives in hand -- following the Israeli victims.
It also showed Manasra, who was hit by a car as they fled, lying bleeding on the ground in the aftermath of the attack as Israeli onlookers shouted abuse.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas later claimed he had been "executed", while Israel scrambled to release footage of him sitting up and eating in a Jerusalem hospital bed.
Since October 2015, violence has claimed the lives of 238 Palestinians, 36 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count.
Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Others were shot dead during protests and clashes, while some were killed in air strikes in the Gaza Strip.
Most of the attacks were by lone-wolf assailants, many of them young people including teenagers.
Many analysts say Palestinian frustration with the Israeli occupation and settlement-building in the West Bank, comatose peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have helped feed the unrest.
Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a leading cause.
In a third case on Monday, a 32-year-old Palestinian woman was sentenced to 11 years in prison for wanting to carry out a suicide attack with a car bomb.
An Israeli, stabbed by two Palestinian boys is wheeled on a stretcher in the settler neighbourhood of Pisgat Zeev on November 10, 2015 Ahmad Gharabli (AFP/File)
Russia says still holding off on Aleppo strikes
Russia on Monday said its air force was continuing to hold off on strikes against war-ravaged Aleppo, after rebels snubbed Moscow's offer to quit Syria's second city.
"The ceasefire in the operation of the Russian air force is continuing," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.
Russia has halted air strikes on rebel-held eastern Aleppo since October 18, after international condemnation over its ferocious bombardment of the city.
Russia has halted air strikes on rebel-held eastern Aleppo since October 18, after international condemnation over its ferocious bombardment of the city Karam Al-Masri (AFP)
President Vladimir Putin ordered an additional 10-hour "humanitarian pause" on Friday that saw Syrian forces on the ground halt fire to allow rebels and civilians to quit Aleppo.
But rebels scorned the offer to leave with their weapons, and civilians stayed put in the devastated eastern part of the city.
Peskov said that the decision by Putin to keep holding fire remained dependent on rebels in the city refraining from any concerted attacks on government-held territory.
"If the rebels don't resort to offensive actions, to a campaign of aggression, then the president considered it expedient for now to continue the regime, under which the Russian air force does not strike eastern Aleppo," he said.
Myanmar press under pressure as paper bans Rakhine reports
A leading English-language newspaper in Myanmar has suspended its reporting on restive Rakhine state, according to an internal memo, as pressure mounts on media to curtail critical coverage of army operations in the area.
The northern part of the state, close to the Bangladesh border and home to the repressed Muslim Rohingya minority, has been under military lockdown for almost a month after deadly raids on three police border posts.
The violence has posed the biggest challenge so far to Aung San Suu Kyi's young government and raised questions over the balance of power between the army and the civilian administration.
The northen part of Myanmar's Rakhine state has been under military lockdown for almost a month after deadly raids on three police border posts
The Myanmar Times, the country's oldest independent English-language daily, stopped covering the crisis after one of its senior staff, Fiona McGregor, was fired over an article alleging troops gang-raped Rohingya women.
In an internal memo seen by AFP, management ordered editors "not to analyse, comment, report or have opinion pieces on the following subjects until further notice: Rakhine State; Rohingya; and military actions in Rakhine state".
That prompted staff to post a notice in Tuesday's print edition saying the paper's "editorial policies are in the process of being clarified by management."
"Until then you may notice some gaps in our coverage."
The paper's management could not immediately be reached for comment.
Foreign journalists have been banned from the area, but allegations have emerged of troops killing Rohingya civilians, raping women and torching villages.
The government has vehemently denied the accusations and the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on what it said were "fabricated" stories.
The media was strictly controlled by the junta that ruled the country for half a century, and while freedoms have increased under Suu Kyi monitors say many outlets still exercise self-censorship.
One Myanmar Times editor has already resigned in protest, and sources inside the newspaper said several other staff were considering leaving.
"The paper withstood the pre-publication censorship of the junta era," said one of them, requesting anonymity.
"There are major concerns about backsliding in the commendable gains made on press freedom in recent years."
McGregor's dismissal came after presidential spokesman Zaw Htay complained in a Facebook post about her article.
He has denied having a hand in her firing, telling AFP the government has "no reasons to hide".
The stateless Muslim Rohingya are maligned by many Myanmar Buddhists who say they are illegal migrants from Bangladesh and undeserving of citizenship.
Scores have been killed since bouts of religious violence in Rakhine since 2012, which drove tens of thousands into squalid displacement camps.
Indian cross-border fire kills three: Pakistan
Pakistan accused India of killing three people including a policeman and wounding four others in cross-border firing Monday, at a time of heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals.
The incidents occurred near the border dividing Indian-held Kashmir from the Pakistani sector of the territory.
"A policeman, a man and a woman were killed when Indian troops opened fire across the border in Nakyal sector," local official Zeeshan Nisar told AFP, adding four were wounded.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from Britain in 1947 Issam Ahmed (AFP/File)
Nakyal lies on the Line of Control, the de facto border dividing the disputed Himalayan state between India and Pakistan, where firing which started early Monday was still continuing.
Nisar said three people were also wounded in the Neelum Valley by Indian troops.
Adnan Khursheed, another local official, confirmed the firing and casualties.
Separately, six people including two women were wounded in overnight cross-border firing in the Madarpur sector which also damaged 25 houses and three vehicles, local government official Chaudhry Altaf told AFP.
Officials in Nakyal sector say thousands of people have fled their homes due to the firing, though they were unable to confirm precise figures. More than 70 schools have also been closed in Nakyal and Goi sectors, authorities said.
Last week authorities on both sides closed hundreds of schools along frontier areas in the south of the territory when cross-border firing killed 14 residents.
Relations between the two countries have plummeted in recent months, with India blaming Pakistani militants for a raid on an army base in its part of Kashmir in September that killed 19 soldiers.
India said it responded by carrying out strikes across the heavily-militarised border, although Islamabad denies these took place.
The neighbours have been engaged in a diplomatic tit-for-tat ever since.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from Britain in 1947. Both claim the territory in full and have fought two wars over the mountainous region.
At least 25 soldiers dead in Somalia fighting
At least 25 soldiers died in weekend fighting between rival Puntland and Galmudug regional forces in the divided Somali town of Galkayo, military officials on both sides said Monday.
"We have lost 12 men and there are more than 10 wounded," said Puntland commander Jumale Jama Takar, while his Galmudug counterpart Abdirahman Qoje said: "We have lost 13 soldiers and nearly 20 others wounded."
The commanders blamed each other for starting the fight.
Clashes between rival Puntland and Galmudug regional forces took place in the Somali town of Galkayo Mohamed Abdiwahab (AFP/File)
The disputed town, about 700 kilometres (440 miles) northeast of the capital Mogadishu, has seen repeated clashes in recent weeks.
However Sunday's fighting is the deadliest yet and marked the collapse of a short-lived peace agreement between the two semi-autonomous Somali states.
The northern quarters of Galkayo are controlled by Puntland authorities while the south is under the authority of the Galmudug regional state.
It is the capital of Somalia's divided Mudug region, the scene of frequent fighting between the Puntland and Galmudug forces over contested areas.
The town, one of the most developed in the region, is also divided along ethnic lines with the northern part populated mainly by the Majeerteen, a Darod clan, and the south primarily by the Sa'ad Habar Gidir, a Hawiye clan.
In September, the US was drawn into the rivalry when Galmudug authorities accused Puntland of duping US forces into carrying out an air strike on its soldiers, killing 13.
Residents said the toll from the weekend clashes may be higher than the rival parties admit and included civilians as well as soldiers.
- 'Dead bodies strewn around' -
"We are asking both sides to show restraint and stop the war," said Mohamed Farah, a traditional elder in the city.
"Yesterday alone 35 people have been killed and more than 100 others wounded. Most of those killed are the combatants but there (are) also civilian casualties on both sides of Galkayo."
Another resident, Bile Abdulahi, said there was no fighting on Monday but added that Galkayo remained tense.
"There are still some dead bodies strewn around the contested area. Fighting can resume anytime," he said.
In December 2015, at least 20 people were killed and 120 wounded in Galkayo in violence between rival militia groups from Puntland and Galmudug that forced more than 90,000 people to flee.
Somalia is in the process of selecting a new parliament, upper house and president in a limited franchise election that involves 14,000 delegates from all regional states -- including Galmudug and Puntland.
Political tensions have been rising and threats from the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab militants have increased in the run-up to the delayed vote, originally due in August.
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.
But the UN last week warned that the Shabaab were still capable of launching large-scale attacks despite claims that they were weakening after the deaths of at least three senior leaders in a series of drone strikes.
Israel tells France it opposes its peace initiative
Israel on Monday reiterated its firm opposition to a French plan to hold an international conference before the end of the year to restart long-stalled peace efforts with the Palestinians.
France's envoy for the plan, Pierre Vimont, met in the morning with Israeli acting national security adviser Jacob Nagel and diplomatic envoy Yitzhak Molcho before holding talks with the Palestinians.
The Israeli officials called for "direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority" and said "any other initiative only pushes the region further away from this process," according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin (R) meets with his French counterpart Francois Hollande at the presidential compound in Jerusalem on September 30, 2016 Gali Tibbon (POOL/AFP/File)
"It was made clear to the French envoy that Israel will not participate in any international conference convened contrary to its position."
The statement added that "promoting such a conference will make the possibility of advancing the peace process much less likely since it will allow Abu Mazen (Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas) and the Palestinian Authority to continue avoiding the decision to enter into direct negotiations without preconditions."
The Palestinians strongly support France's international approach, saying years of negotiations with the Israelis have not ended the occupation.
On Monday afternoon, Abbas asked Vimont to issue invitations to the conference, senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said after the meeting.
Erekat said the Israeli government had opted for "dictation rather than negotiation".
"They want to continue with their settlement activities, torpedoing the two state solution, believing they can replace the two state solution with what we call one state, two systems.
"Status quo means apartheid and that (is) what exists out there," he said.
Peace efforts have been at a complete standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in April 2014.
Netanyahu has spoken out against "international diktats" and repeatedly called for direct negotiations.
South of Mosul, reconciliation gets off to a false start
It was supposed to be a step towards reconciliation: Friday prayers bringing Sunni and Shiite Muslims together in a small town notorious as a historical jihadist bastion.
But shortly before midday, the verdict landed: "Everything is cancelled."
Long before the Islamic State group took over swathes of Iraq in 2014, Al-Shura had a reputation as a purveyor of die-hard jihadists, including when Al-Qaeda led the insurgency.
Iraqi army soldiers drive back from Mosul to the town of Qaraqosh (also known as Hamdaniya), on November 6, 2016 Odd Andersen (AFP)
Iraqi forces retook the town, which lies about 35 kilometres (20 kilometres) south of Mosul, late last month.
"Al-Shura was only defended by around 40 fighters, we destroyed three car bombs driven by suicide attackers and the rest fled," said an officer from the interior ministry's Rapid Response forces.
Since then Al-Shura, which used to be home to around 1,000 families, had been a ghost town.
But on Friday morning, the silence was disrupted by the rumble of dozens of armoured police vehicles rimming the Abrar mosque, above which the Iraqi flag recently replaced IS's black banner.
"We came here to attend a joint prayer, one which will unite Sunnis and Shiite, side by side, under the protection of the police," said General Shaalan Ali Sadr, an Iraqi police commander.
"This will be the first prayer since the town was retaken. It used to be the terrorists' capital here," he said.
Moments later he had to cancel the event for lack of an available Sunni cleric to lead the prayer.
Beyond the immediate military goal of liberating Mosul from the jihadists' yoke, the wider stake is a reconciliation between the communities.
One of the reasons IS was able to take over the country's second city in a few hours was the deep resentment among its Sunni majority towards Shiite-dominated security forces.
- Distrust -
But the only Shiite Iraqis who could be seen near the mosque ahead of the joint Friday prayer were security forces flying religious flags on their vehicles in the distance.
The handful of Sunni Muslims who showed up, including some community leaders in full tribal attire, did so on a misunderstanding.
"The security forces came to fetch us from the villages we fled because of the fighting. We thought they were going to tell us we could go home," said one man who gave his name as Ahmed.
"We still haven't received any help from anybody and we're having to drink polluted water," he said.
Access to the village is controlled by the police and forces from the Hashed al-Shaabi, a paramilitary umbrella dominated by Shiite militias loyal to Tehran.
"The real problem here is the burnt houses. Not burnt during the fighting, but now," said another man in the group, who gave his as Ali.
"I don't know yet whether my own house is still standing or has been burnt down," he said.
Most of the residents dodged questions on the identity of the alleged arsonists but one of them stepped aside from the group to point a finger at the Hashed al-Shaabi.
"It's men from the militias, they come at night, with the complicity of some policemen who let them through," he said.
"The worst thing about this is that the houses they burn do not belong to IS members but to innocent people," the man said, refusing to give his name out of fear for his security.
AFP reporters saw burnt houses in the area but it was not possible to establish how recent the damage was.
Iraq's federal police commander, Raed Shaker Jawdat, denied the allegation.
"The high command has given very clear instructions banning any act against civilians. It is the enemy (IS) which has routinely torched its own positions before fleeing," he said.
"It must be understood that Al-Shura was always a hub for extremists backed by Saudi Arabia, even in the time of (former president) Saddam Hussein," Jawdat said.
"We want to free them from his radical mentality."
Iraqi families, who fled their homes in Hamam al-Alil, gather on the outskirts of their town, on November 6, 2016 during an operation against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists to regain control of the city of Mosul Ahmad Al-Rubaye (AFP)
Members of Iraqi forces flash the sign of victory on their vehicle as they advance towards Hammam al-Alil area south of Mosul, on November 6, 2016 Ahmad Al-Rubaye (AFP)
S.Africa's opposition leader in fresh call for land grab
South Africa's defiant opposition leader Julius Malema made a fresh push on Monday for the seizure of white-owned land by blacks, despite charges against him over similar calls.
Just after appearing in court over land grab claims he made in June, Malema again urged supporters to take any ground they wanted.
"When a state has failed to give you the land for the past 22 years, it will be irresponsible for me to say continue waiting, that's why I say occupy the land," Malema told around 300 supporters outside the court.
South African opposition leader Julius Malema arrives to give a press briefing in Johannesburg, South Africa John Wessels (AFP/File)
Malema's leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party has garnered growing public support by campaigning for South Africa's deep inequality to be tackled through land expropriation.
He said on Monday that whites had "been too comfortable for too long" and it was time to take action in a country where much of the wealth remains in white hands, more than 20 years after the end of apartheid.
"They have been living peacefully. They have been swimming in a pool of privilege, they have been enjoying themselves because they always owned our land.
"We are here unashamedly to disturb the white men's peace because we have not known peace, we don't know what peace looks like," he said outside court in the southeastern town in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
In June Malema told his supporters: "If you see a piece of land and you like it, don't apologise, go and occupy that land. That land belongs to us."
He has been charged with contravening anti-riot laws and incitement to trespass.
Malema also faces prosecution for similar statements on land appropriation made in 2014, but has yet to appear in court on that case.
"We will take our land, it doesn't matter how. It's becoming unavoidable, it's becoming inevitable -- the land will be taken by whatever means necessary," he said on Monday.
"We are the rightful owners, our peace was disturbed by white men's arrival."
The fiery Malema said was not fazed by the prospects of being jailed for telling black people to illegally occupy land.
"If it means going to prison for telling you to take the land, so be it. I am not scared of prison because of the land question."
News / National
by Staff reporter
MDC-T spokesperson, Obert Gutu, on Friday turned down an invitation by prophet Water Magaya to attend a Friday night crusade.Prophetic Healing Deliverance ministries (PHD) leader was holding a crusade which the stylish cleric said was going to be "life changing not only to Zimbabwe as a nation but for the region".Magaya invited Gutu to attend the crusade at the PHD church's Water Falls head offices which he (Magaya) claimed was going to be attended by over 500 000 congregates."The purpose of this prayer meeting is to change the spiritual and physical aspect of human lives as this shall be a night of turn around, witnessing God's intervention and the demonstration of God's power," reads part of the invitation which Magaya wrote, signed and sent to Gutu.Responding to the invitation, Gutu used his Facebook page, Friday, to seek the public's opinion on whether he should attend the Magaya crusade."I recently received this invitation letter. I was born and bred in the then Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) now known as the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe (RCZ)," wrote Gutu.He added, "I have got no intention, what so ever, to abandon the only church that I have been a member of since I was born. Your thoughts?"
Military and political obstacles in fight for IS's Raqa
The Islamic State group will fight ferociously for its Syrian bastion Raqa, but the battle will also be complicated by complex relations between Washington and its allies on the ground.
Both US officials and the Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces alliance leading the battle have already said it will be lengthy.
"As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead," US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said in a statement after the assault began.
Smoke billows in the background as a member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) looks on in the village of Abu al-Ilaj, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Raqa, on November 7, 2016 Delil Souleiman (AFP)
SDF spokesman Talal Sello echoed that warning, saying the operation, dubbed "Wrath of the Euphrates", "will not be easy".
"IS will defend its bastion knowing that the loss of Raqa will mean it is finished in Syria."
Two years after it declared its self-styled "caliphate", IS is facing a moment of truth, under unprecedented pressure as US-backed forces try to oust it from its two largest population centres: Raqa and Mosul in neighbouring Iraq.
The group has already lost large swathes of territory in both countries, but the two battles now under way are set to be the hardest yet.
Romain Caillet, a specialist on jihadist movements, said Raqa was home to a "large group of foreign fighters with their backs against the wall".
With the main routes to Turkey severed, IS fighters have no way to evacuate their families, and nowhere else to go, he said.
"Because of that, they will probably fight until the end."
- Coordinating two battles -
Since the Syria operation began late Saturday, SDF forces said they had advanced around a dozen kilometres from the town of Ain Issa, previously their closest position to Raqa, some 50 kilometres south.
But the jihadists were already fighting back with a favourite tactic: suicide car bombs, dispatching five in a single day in the north of Raqa province.
The US-led coalition has some 50 advisers on the ground helping the SDF, but may find itself spread increasingly thin and struggling to coordinate as it wages two major battles across the Syria-Iraq border.
American officials have acknowledged the challenges involved in coordinating and synchronising the disparate forces involved in the two offensives, as well as deciding how to deploy its air power.
The fight for Raqa is also complicated by a major challenge: politics.
The SDF has become the US-led coalition's key partner in the campaign against IS in Syria, but neighbouring Turkey considers the SDF's main component a "terrorist" group.
Ankara says the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) that dominates the SDF is an affiliate of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency inside Turkey.
In August, Turkey launched its own operation inside Syria, targeting both IS but also the YPG, in a bid to prevent Kurdish forces from expanding the semi-autonomous territory already under their control.
- Mutual suspicion among allies -
In launching the assault, the SDF said it had a deal with Washington ensuring that Turkey would not be involved in the battle.
But US officials say they are in "close contact" with Ankara about the operation, while also acknowledging the delicacy of the situation.
"We want this to be as coordinated as possible, recognising that there will be a mix of forces on the field and that many of those forces of course do not see eye to eye," said Brett McGurk, the US president's envoy to the anti-IS coalition.
For the Kurds, leading the Raqa operation is a chance to cement their territory and bolster their reputation, said Mutlu Civiroglu, a Kurdish affairs analyst.
"The Kurds agreed to lead the operation to protect the territory under their control," he told AFP, adding that they "want to show to the world that they are the main power to defeat IS".
"They are hoping that in return... the US will politically recognise their political, administrative system on the ground."
Syria's main opposition group also regards the Kurds with suspicion, accusing them of displacing Arab civilians as they capture territory and pursuing a "separatist" agenda.
"It should be the rebels, backed by Turkey and the US-led coalition, that liberate Raqa," said Ahmed Ramadan, a spokesman for the opposition National Coalition.
A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stands in the village of Abu al-Ilaj, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Raqa Delil Souleiman (AFP)
Algerian president in France for medical checks
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika flew to the southern French city of Grenoble on Monday for what the presidency said were "periodic" medical checks.
The 79-year-old had a stroke in 2013 which weakened his mobility and ability to speak. He now uses a wheelchair and works from his residence in Zeralda, west of Algiers.
Bouteflika went to Grenoble "for a private visit during which he will undergo periodic medical checks", a statement said.
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has led the country for the past 17 years. In 2014, his decision to seek a fourth mandate sparked criticism from those who questioned his ability to rule Eric Feferberg (AFP/File)
No further details were available about where he will undergo the checks in the city where he was also treated in November 2014 and December last year.
In April this year, he also underwent "routine medical checks" in Switzerland, the APS news agency reported at the time, again citing a presidency statement.
There are regular rumours in Algeria about the state of the president's health, with opposition leaders quick to evoke the idea of a "power vacuum".
Bouteflika has led Algeria for the past 17 years. In 2014, his decision to seek a fourth mandate sparked criticism from those who questioned his ability to rule.
Vatican rejects Chinese priest's self-ordination as bishop
The Vatican on Monday denounced the self-ordination of a bishop from China's underground church without papal approval, in a sign some view as an attempt to improve ties with Beijing.
The Holy See and Beijing have not had diplomatic relations since 1951.
Millions of Chinese Catholics are outside the fold of the Communist Party's Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. The Vatican has named some bishops from the group but they are not recognised by Beijing.
Millions of Chinese Catholics, like these in Donglu, are outside the fold of the Communist Party's Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association Mark Ralston (AFP/File)
Catholic media sites said several priests from the underground church had named themselves bishop without the Vatican's blessings, including Paul Dong Guanhu, who also declared he could ordain others.
According to a news agency specialising in Asian churches, up to 10 such ordinations could have happened in the past years.
"In recent weeks, there has been a series of reports regarding some episcopal ordinations conferred without papal mandate of priests of the unofficial community of the Catholic Church in Continental China," the director of the Vatican's press office, Greg Burke, said.
"The Holy See has not authorised any ordination, nor has it been officially informed of such events," it said.
"Should such episcopal ordinations have occurred, they would constitute a grave violation of canonical norms," Burke added.
He said it was not "licit to proceed with any episcopal ordination without the necessary papal mandate, even by appealing to particular personal beliefs."
Since his election in early 2013, Pope Francis has sought to mend fences with China and informed sources say a pact in the
A Chinese delegation is expected in Rome in November "for a last round of negotiations," Belgian priest Jeroom Heyndrickx, who is an expert on China's Catholic Church and has close links with the Vatican, told AFP recently.
According to the terms of the agreement being drawn up, the pope will recognise four of the eight bishops it has refused to consecrate.
Tunisia adopts strategy to fight 'terrorism'
Tunisia's national security council on Monday adopted a strategy to fight "terrorism and extremism", two days after the Islamic State group said it had killed a soldier.
The North African country has experienced a rise in religious extremism since the 2011 revolution that ousted longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Its security forces have been battling a jihadist movement responsible for killing dozens of soldiers and police officers as well as civilians including 59 foreign tourists.
Tunisia has experienced a rise in religious extremism since the 2011 revolution that ousted longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Fethi Belaid (AFP/File)
The presidency, in a statement, said the "national strategy to fight against extremism and terrorism" is built around the four main axes of "prevention, protection, judicial proceedings and retaliation".
It gave no further details about the plan, but said it had been discussed with members of civil society during its preparation and by government ministers and security top brass.
The national security council is headed by President Beji Caid Essebsi.
On Sunday IS, which has claimed three major attacks on Tunisian soil last year alone that claimed the lives of more than 70 people, said it was behind Saturday's murder of a soldier.
Charleston shooter trial opens, jury selection delayed
The trial of Dylann Roof, a young man accused of gunning down nine African American churchgoers in South Carolina, opened Monday, with the suspected white supremacist facing the death penalty.
Roof, 22, allegedly used a .45 caliber Glock handgun to mow down the black victims in the June 17, 2015, massacre in a Bible study group at a traditionally black church in Charleston.
Six decades after a federal law banned racial discrimination, racism remains particularly sensitive issue in the South, the country's former bastion of slavery, where lynchings and killings of blacks were common.
Suspect Dylann Roof is accused of killing nine people during a Bible study at the traditionally black Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, seen in 2015, in Charleston, South Carolina in June 2015 John Moore (Getty/AFP/File)
The opening days of the trial at the federal court in Charleston are expected to be devoted to the selection of the 12-member jury.
Judge Richard Gergel unexpectedly postponed the jury selection Monday morning, explaining in a statement that he needed to hold a hearing, citing "the defendant's right to a fair and impartial jury and a fair trial."
The mass murder that shocked US and international publics occurred at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church after Roof participated in an evening Bible study class.
Also known as "Mother Emanuel," the church is one of the oldest black congregations in the American South, with strong links to the fight against slavery and segregation.
"You rape our women!" victims' relatives reported Roof as saying during the attack. "You're trying to take over the country! You've got to go!"
Police swiftly identified him from a surveillance video and arrested him the next day.
The authorities found chilling evidence of Roof's apparent neo-Nazi leanings on a website believed to be his. He espoused racist views toward African Americans and posed for photos with firearms and the Confederate battle flag.
Speculation over Roof's case is focused on whether he will receive a sentence of life in prison or death.
In addition to the federal charges that could result in a death sentence, Roof is facing South Carolina charges that could also result in capital punishment. The separate state trial is expected to begin in January.
Roof's defense team has signaled that he was ready to plead guilty in exchange for being spared execution. A negotiated deal remains possible.
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which has long opposed capital punishment, said Monday that despite the Charleston killings it "opposes the death penalty for Mr. Roof."
Morocco still lacks government a month after election
A month since winning Morocco's parliamentary elections, Islamist Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane is still haggling over his future governing coalition.
The October 7 poll dealt a resounding victory to Benkirane's Justice and Development Party (PJD) -- but not large enough to form the majority needed to form a government alone.
At the head of a coalition government for five years, Benkirane was reappointed and charged with forming a new government after winning 125 out of 395 seats in the lower house.
Moroccan Prime Minister and Secretary General of the ruling Islamist Justice and Development Party, Abdelilah Benkirane, speaks during a conference in Sale on October 22, 2016 Fadel Senna (AFP/File)
He has since been haggling with potential coalition partners -- but excluding his party's arch-rival, the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), which came second in the election with 102 seats.
Analysts say the election, in which all other parties made net losses, established a bipartisan system.
However, the PJD still needs to work with other parties to form a working majority.
After a month of talks, Benkirane has won the support of third-placed Istiqlal (45 seats), which in 2013 withdrew from Benkirane's first government.
The formerly communist Party of Progress and Socialism has also said it would join the coalition.
But the National Rally of Independents (RNI) has proved harder to win over, imposing preconditions, according to press reports.
Late Sunday, King Mohammed VI urged the parties to come to an agreement.
"The formation of the next government should not be a matter of arithmetic... or sharing electoral booty," he said.
In an annual speech, delivered this year from Dakar where he was seeking support for Morocco's bid to rejoin the African Union, he said government should have a clear agenda and a "smooth and efficient structure".
California Chrome still favorite for Horse of the Year honor
ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) California Chrome lost the Breeders' Cup Classic by a half-length, but the 5-year-old remains the favorite to win Horse of the Year honors despite his lone defeat in seven races this year.
Had he won, California Chrome likely would have been a unanimous choice for the same title he won in 2014, when he captured the Kentucky Derby and Preakness as a 3-year-old.
Arrogate's upset victory Saturday in the $6 million race inserted the late-developing colt into consideration for 3-year-old honors, proving that his 13 1/2-length win in the Travers at Saratoga in August wasn't a fluke.
Arrogate, left, with Mike Smith aboard, charges to the finish line to win the Breeders' Cup Classic horse race against California Chrome ridden by Victor Espinoza at Santa Anita Park, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, in Arcadia, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Besides California Chrome, Arrogate beat fellow Grade 1 winners Effinex, Frosted, Hoppertunity, Keen Ice and Melatonin in the Classic.
"(Arrogate) wasn't even blowing when he came back," trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday. "It was like, 'When are we going to do this again?'"
Garrett O'Rourke, racing manager for Juddmonte Farms, said Arrogate "will definitely race next year." But no future plans were announced.
California Chrome is likely to run once more before being retired. Trainer Art Sherman has indicated that would be in the inaugural Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream in Florida on Jan. 28.
"Maybe we'll get another chance (against Arrogate) before Chrome retires," Sherman said. "I hope we'd be able to run him at least one more time before then. We'll have to wait and see."
Sherman is a former jockey who indicated he would have ridden California Chrome differently than Victor Espinoza, who had the horse cruising along on the lead for much of the 1 1/4-mile race. Sherman said he would have urged on California Chrome at the quarter pole to try and make his lead even larger.
"I know he rides this horse with great confidence and we might have been caught anyway, but I think you've just got to go for it and open up as much as you can and make them try to catch you," Sherman said. "You hope the finish line just comes up first. I know he had plenty of horse at the top of the stretch, so that tells you how good the winner was."
Espinoza appeared to second-guess himself immediately after the race.
"Maybe I should have opened it up a little bit early," he said.
Mike Smith had Arrogate in third place, directly behind Melatonin, when they took aim on California Chrome. Espinoza kept peeking behind him to track his rivals as he led on the final turn.
Anticipating a challenge, Espinoza looked to his left, then right, and back again just as Smith took Arrogate to the outside.
"Mike said that when he went outside, he could hear Victor say 'Damn it,'" Baffert said. "Then when Mike went to the right hand (whip), Arrogate got on his right lead and took off like a rocket."
Sherman said California Chrome came out of the race well and that his loss only proved it's difficult to win every race.
"You can't cry over what happens," the 79-year-old trainer said.
Notes: Beholder's nose victory over Songbird in the Distaff made her the second horse to win three Cup races, joining Goldikova who won the Mile from 2008-10. Beholder won the 2012 Juvenile Fillies and 2013 Distaff. ... Obviously in the Turf Sprint was the lone favorite to win in the 13 races over two days. Six other favorites finished second and two were third. The highest-priced winner was 30-1 shot Champagne Room, who paid $69.20 in the Juvenile Fillies. ... It wasn't a good year for defending champions, with four of them losing. Tepin was second in the Mile, Wavell Avenue was second in the Filly & Mare Sprint, Found was third in the Turf and Mongolian Saturday was ninth in the Turf Sprint. ... Horses based in Southern California and New York combined to win 10 of the 13 races. Europe-based horses won two. ... Baffert's victories in the Sprint and Classic allowed him to overtake D. Wayne Lukas as the leading trainer in money won with $24,770,000. Lukas, who didn't participate this year, is second at $22,580,520. ... Next year's event will stay on the West Coast with Del Mar hosting for the first time at the seaside track north of San Diego.
Arrogate with jockey Mike Smith, left, wins the Breeders' Cup Classic horse race over California Chrome, center, with Victor Espinoza at Santa Anita, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, in Arcadia, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
California Chrome with Victor Espinoza rides back after taking second in the Breeders' Cup Classic horse race at Santa Anita, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, in Arcadia, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Police: Officer fatally shoots man in 2-state chase
PHENIX CITY, Ala. (AP) Police say a west Georgia police officer fatally shot a man in a car chase that ended in eastern Alabama.
Columbus Police Chief Ricky Boren tells multiple news outlets that the chase started around 4 a.m. Sunday in Columbus, Georgia, and ended in Phenix City, Alabama, where the shooting occurred.
Russell County District Attorney Kenneth Davis tells the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer that the officer believed the vehicle was stolen and was being used as a weapon.
Davis says the officer fatally shot the driver of the vehicle, which also carried another man and woman. The two suspects were injured and taken to Midtown Medical Center in Columbus.
The names of the suspects have not been released.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting.
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Abu Sayyaf claims to have kidnapped German, killed woman
MANILA, Philippines (AP) The Philippine military is trying to verify a claim by Abu Sayyaf militants that they have kidnapped a German man from a yacht and shot and killed his girlfriend in the southern Philippines, a military spokesman said Monday.
Regional military spokesman Maj. Filemon Tan said Abu Sayyaf spokesman Muamar Askali had claimed the militants kidnapped Juegen Kantner and killed his companion while the couple were cruising off neighboring Malaysia.
It's not clear why the woman was purportedly killed but it's possible she may have fought back or tried to escape, Tan and another military official said.
Villagers reported finding a dead woman lying beside a shotgun on board a blue yacht with the German flag and marked "Rock All" off Laparan Island in Sulu province, Tan said. The southern province is where the ransom-seeking militants hold their hostages in tropical jungle encampments.
Marines were deployed to verify the villagers' report and have been ordered "to be careful in approaching the vessel because it might be rigged with explosives."
If the attack on the couple is confirmed, it would be the latest in a wave of attacks at sea by the Abu Sayyaf and allied gunmen despite efforts by the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia to jointly shore up security in their busy sea border, where Indonesians and Malaysians have been kidnapped from tugboats and fishing boats in recent months.
The kidnappings have continued despite one of the largest military offensives against the Abu Sayyaf mainly in Sulu and the nearby island province of Basilan that involves more than 6,000 troops, navy gunboats and rocket-firing air force aircraft.
Without a known foreign source of funds, the Abu Sayyaf has survived mostly on ransom kidnappings, extortion and other acts of banditry.
A confidential Philippine government threat assessment report seen by The Associated Press said the militants have pocketed at least 353 million pesos ($7.3 million) from ransom kidnappings in the first six months of the year and have turned to abductions of foreign tugboat crewmen as military offensives restricted their mobility.
President Rodrigo Duterte, who took office in June, has ordered troops to destroy Abu Sayyaf, known for its brutality and ties to some foreign militants, and he has ruled out the possibility of any peace talks with them. He has pursued talks with two other larger Muslim insurgent groups.
Duterte intends to discuss with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak possible solutions to end the Abu Sayyaf kidnapping menace in the region when he makes an overnight visit to Malaysia starting on Wednesday.
The government report said the Abu Sayyaf had 481 fighters with 438 firearms in the first half of the year but the military reported last week that it had killed 70 of the militants and captured 32 others since July.
PICTURED: Editor selections from the past week in Asia
In an extraordinary display of abject apology during a moment of supreme crisis, South Korean President Park Geun-hye took sole blame last week for a "heartbreaking" scandal amid rising suspicion that she allowed a mysterious confidante to manipulate power from the shadows.
The confidante, Choi Soon-sil, a cult leader's daughter with a decades-long connection to Park, was formally arrested earlier last week, and the president's nominee for prime minister, the country's No. 2 job, has suggested that Park can be directly investigated, despite her immunity from prosecution.
In other images from the Asia-Pacific region last week, Indonesian police said one person died and seven were injured in clashes in Jakarta that followed a protest by hard-line Muslims demanding the arrest of the capital's minority-Christian governor for alleged blasphemy.
In this Monday, Oct. 31, 2016 photo, Choi Soon-sil, center, a cult leader's daughter with a decades-long connection to President Park Geun-hye, is surrounded by prosecutor's officers and media as protesters hold signs reading "Arrest, Choi Soon-sil and Step down Park Geun-hye" at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea is hoping for answers Monday about its biggest scandal in years. At the center is Choi Soon-sil. Media speculation claims that Choi, who has no official ties to the administration, may have had a major role in government affairs by pulling strings from the shadows while exploiting her relationship with Park for money and favors. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)
Two newly elected pro-democracy Hong Kong lawmakers barred from the legislature for insulting China in their swearing-in ceremony set off another round of disorder in the chamber by scuffling with guards as they tried again to take their oaths.
A new report from UNICEF says about a third of the 2 billion children in the world who are breathing toxic air live in northern India and neighboring countries, risking serious health effects, including damage to their lungs, brains and other organs. Of that global total, 300 million kids are exposed to pollution levels more than six times higher than standards set by the World Health Organization, including 220 million in South Asia.
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This gallery was curated by Associated Press photo editor Masayo Yoshida in Tokyo.
In this Friday, Nov. 4, 2016 photo, protesters throw sticks and mineral water bottles during a clash with the police outside the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia. Police in the Indonesian capital clashed with hard-line Muslim protesters refusing to disperse after a massive protest Friday to demand the arrest of the city's minority-Christian governor for alleged blasphemy. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana, File)
In this Friday, Nov. 4, 2016 photo, people watch TV screens showing the live broadcast of South Korean President Park Geun-hye's addressing to the nation at the Yongsan Electronic store in Seoul, South Korea. Park took sole blame Friday for a "heartbreaking" scandal that threatens her government and vowed she will accept a direct investigation into her actions amid rising suspicion that she allowed a mysterious confidante to manipulate power from the shadows. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)
In this Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016 photo, South Korean protesters stage a rally calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down in downtown Seoul, South Korea. Police had anticipated that about 40,000 people would turn out Saturday for the largest anti-government protest in the capital in nearly a year. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)
In this Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016 photo, Lady Gaga gives her autographs to fans upon her arrival at Narita international airport in Narita, east of Tokyo. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)
In this Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016 photo, thousands of crosses are lit with candles to pay tribute to the departed soldiers in observance of All Saints Day at the Heroes Cemetery in suburban Taguig city, east of Manila, Philippines. Families bring flowers. Relatives seek out graves of departed soldiers. Tombs across the Philippines get cleaned up. And prayers prayers with candles, silent prayers, group prayers, prayers for loved ones now gone echo across the land. On All Saints Day in the Philippines, the cemetery takes center stage and not at all in the way Halloween does it. This is a time for remembrance and, for many, a time for contemplation. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File)
In this Monday, Oct. 31, 2016 photo, members of an honor guard march past their comrades holding flags as they prepare for a welcome ceremony for visiting Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
In this Monday, Oct. 31, 2016 photo, a man covers his face with a scarf as he rides in front of the landmark India Gate, enveloped by smoke and smog, on the morning following Diwali festival in New Delhi, India. As Indians wake Monday to smoke-filled skies from a weekend of festival fireworks for the Hindu holiday of Diwali, New Delhi's worst season for air pollution begins, with dire consequences. A new report from UNICEF says about a third of the 2 billion children in the world who are breathing toxic air live in northern India and neighboring countries, risking serious health effects including damage to their lungs, brains and other organs. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)
In this Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016 photo, newly elected Hong Kong lawmaker Sixtus Leung, center with glasses, is blocked by security guards wearing gray suits, as he tries to retake oath at legislature council in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016. Two newly elected pro-democracy Hong Kong lawmakers barred for insulting China in their swearing-in ceremony have set off another round of disorder by scuffling with guards as they tried to retake their oaths in the chamber. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)
In this Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016 photo, artists perform as a model presents a creation by Aimer on stage during the Mercedes-Benz China Fashion Week in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
In this Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016 photo, newly elected Hong Kong lawmakers Yau Wai-ching, center left, and Sixtus Leung, center right, are surrounded by photographers outside the legislature council in Hong Kong. The newly elected pro-democracy Hong Kong lawmakers barred for insulting China in their swearing-in ceremony have set off another round of disorder by scuffling with guards as they tried to retake their oaths in the chamber. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)
Opinion / Columnist
The meeting between Mugabe and Zuma in Harare on Thursday was a surreal encounter between the doomed and the damned.'His Excellency President Zuma brings with him a cloud of hope and integrity' gushed Zanu PF, adding that Zuma was walking in Mugabe's footsteps. They ignored the dark cloud of hopelessness in South Africa over the rampant corruption which has damned his presidency. And as far as 'integrity' goes, the Vigil supposes that Zanu PF must have its own definition of this word. Just ask Jonathan Moyo, who didn't even bother to go to court on Friday to answer for his defrauding of state funds even though he had given an undertaking to be there.As for the doomed Mugabe, he is already booked in next month for more monkey gland injections in Singapore. In the meantime, state television was banned from showing him tottering to the lectern at the Zuma meeting.The Daily News quotes Zanu PF insiders as saying it could be 'mene, mene, tekel and parsim' time for Mugabe (the words appearing on the wall during Belshazzar's feast). They were interpreted by the Prophet Daniel to mean 'God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end . . .'Angry South Africans must hope that Zanu PF is right that Zuma really is 'walking in Mugabe's footsteps' and that his banquet too is about to end.In any event, few South Africans are likely to take up Zanu PF's invitation to abandon their university courses to get a 'decolonised' education in Zimbabwe, even if they were offered a three-month doctorate such as Dr Grace's.
King celebrating latest work at his alma mater, UMaine
ORONO, Maine (AP) Stephen King is launching his latest work, "Hearts in Suspension," with a reading of the book at his alma mater, the University of Maine.
The book's publication on Monday marks the 50th anniversary of King's entrance into UMaine in 1966.
Monday evening, King plans to discuss his student days during the turbulent Vietnam War era at the Collins Center for the Arts.
FILE - In this Nov. 13, 2013 file photo, author Stephen King poses for the cameras, during a promotional tour in Paris. King is launching his latest work, "Hearts in Suspension," with a reading of the book at his alma mater, the University of Maine. The books publication on Monday, Nov. 7, 2016, marks the 50th anniversary of King's entrance into UMaine in 1966. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
Recent developments surrounding the South China Sea
BANGKOK (AP) A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves:
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EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a weekly look at the latest key developments in the South China Sea, home to several territorial conflicts that have raised tensions in the region.
In this Nov. 2, 2016 photo, Dinh Hoang Thang, a former Vietnamese diplomat, gestures while speaking during a press conference in Tokyo. Thang says he and his country agree with Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes policy shift toward China and the disputes in the South China Sea. The former Vietnamese diplomat said that it made sense for the Philippines to take a hard-line approach at first by seeking arbitration of its disputes with China, and then adjust its stance after it won the case in July. (AP Photo/Ken Moritsugu)
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EX-VIETNAM DIPLOMAT BACKS PHILIPPINES' POLICY SHIFT
A former Vietnamese diplomat says he and his country agree with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's policy shift toward China and the disputes in the South China Sea.
Dinh Hoang Thang, Vietnam's former ambassador to the Netherlands, said in Tokyo last week that it made sense for the Philippines to take a hard-line approach at first by seeking arbitration of its disputes with China, and then adjust its stance after it won the case in July.
Duterte has adopted a more cooperative position toward China than his predecessor, while also saying he would end joint military drills with the U.S. that have angered China.
Asked if Vietnam might also change its approach, Thang said, "For a country like Vietnam and the Philippines, the most challenging issue is how to construct and maintain the balance among the big powers. And here I don't see the big differences between the approach of the Philippines and Vietnam."
Philippine Rep. Harry Roque noted that China's coast guard has stopped blocking Filipino fishermen from the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
Roque, a lawyer who represents the fishermen, said the move means China is abiding by one aspect of the arbitration ruling, even if it officially rejects the court's jurisdiction. "That would indicate that they still recognize the binding decision ... even if verbally they say the contrary," he said.
He noted, though, that there was no formal agreement on this issue, because China wanted to "allow" or "permit" Filipinos while the Philippines maintained that permission is not needed since the binding ruling found they were traditional fishing grounds of the Philippines, China and Vietnam.
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MALAYSIA TONES DOWN DISPUTE WITH CHINA
China scored another diplomatic victory in trying to co-opt rival South China Sea claimants when Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak signed a defense deal with Beijing and agreed to cooperate on maritime affairs.
Najib became the third Southeast Asian leader after the Philippines and Vietnam to travel to Beijing recently in an outreach that has blunted moves in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to more aggressively confront China's actions in the disputed waters, including fortification of man-made islands.
In a jab at the U.S., China and Malaysia said in a joint statement that the involvement of parties "not directly concerned" with the maritime dispute "could be counterproductive." They also called for self-restraint in the South China Sea.
In an editorial published in the state-run China Daily, Najib lashed out at "former colonial powers," saying it was not "for them to lecture countries they once exploited on how to conduct their own internal affairs today."
Malaysia has been a less vocal claimant compared to the Philippines and Vietnam, although it has occasionally expressed concern over China's actions, particularly a Chinese coast guard vessel that has been anchored near Luconia Shoals within Malaysia's exclusive economic zone.
Malaysia agreed to buy four Chinese naval vessels for coastal patrols, two of which will be built in China and the other two in Malaysia. Najib also witnessed the signing of a memorandum on defense cooperation, the details of which were not released.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said that the two countries were "focusing on naval cooperation," and that the deal "marks a big event in our bilateral ties," the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.
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U.S. DOWNPLAYS COUNTRIES' U-TURN ON CHINA
Even as the Philippines and Malaysia appear to be cozying up to China in a departure from a more confrontational approach in their territorial disputes with Beijing, the United States publicly, at least sees no reason for alarm.
"This idea that there's some sort of landslide movement towards China and away from the United States is simply not borne out by the facts, especially in so many of those countries where we too have strong and improving bilateral relationships," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters. "They don't have to be binary choices."
He said that the U.S. would remain relevant in the Asia-Pacific region, even as he acknowledged that Washington was not "blind" to China's advancing its military capabilities, and that "two or three, four" ASEAN countries have become friendlier to Beijing.
Deputy U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said during a visit to China that the U.S. would continue to conduct freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea that challenge Beijing's territorial claims.
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INDONESIA, AUSTRALIA CONSIDER JOINT PATROLS
Australia and Indonesia have announced they're considering joint patrols in the contested South China Sea.
Indonesia and China have ratcheted up tensions around the Natuna Islands in the southernmost reaches of the South China Sea, where Indonesian vessels have fired at Chinese fishing boats. The waters in question are claimed by China, but Indonesia considers them part of its exclusive economic zone, which gives it the right to resources including fish.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said after meeting Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu that they agreed to "explore options to increase maritime cooperation, and of course that would include coordinated activities in the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea."
"This is all consistent with our policy of exercising our right of freedom of navigation," she said.
Australia has been supportive of U.S. freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea, and has regularly sent its own air force patrols over the region, drawing anger from Beijing.
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Associated Press writers Ken Moritsugu in Tokyo, Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, and Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report.
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In this Nov. 2, 2016 photo, Harry Roque, a member of Philippines' House of Representatives, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo. Philippine lawmaker Roque, who joined former Vietnamese Dinh Hoang Thang at the conference, noted that Chinas coast guard has stopped trying to keep Philippine fishermen out of the waters around the disputed Scarborough Shoal. Roque, a lawyer who represents the fishermen, said the move means China is abiding by one aspect of the arbitration ruling, even if it officially rejects the courts jurisdiction. (AP Photo/Ken Moritsugu)
FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2016 file photo, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, left, poses with Chinese President Xi Jinping for a photo prior to their meeting at Diaoyutai state guesthouse in Beijing. Najib became the third Southeast Asian leader after the Philippines and Vietnam to travel to Beijing recently in an outreach that has blunted moves in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to more aggressively confront Chinas actions in the disputed waters, including fortification of man-made islands. (Jason Lee/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Pakistan detains Shiite, Sunni leaders over Karachi attacks
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) Pakistani police detained several Sunni and Shiite Muslim leaders in a probe over recent sectarian attacks in the southern port city of Karachi, prompting protests and clashes Monday, police said.
Faisal Raza Abidi, an outspoken former anti-Taliban Shiite lawmaker from Pakistan's liberal People's Party, is among those facing questioning, said counter-terrorism police officer Junaid Sheikh.
The police and Pakistan's paramilitary forces have raided both Sunni and Shiite religious seminaries over the last two days, detaining an unspecified number of people, Sheikh said.
Pakistani Shiite Muslims attend a sit in protest, in Karachi, Pakistan, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. A Pakistani counter-terrorism police officer says several Sunni and Shiite Muslim leaders have been detained in a probe over recent sectarian attacks in the southern port city of Karachi. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)
Sunni and Shiite activists have rallied in Karachi, protesting against the raids. One of the rallies by the Shiites blocked a highway for eight hours, which the police dispersed with tear gas. Police officer Razaq Khan said protesters clashed with police and pelted them with stones.
Pakistan's Sunni militants, many affiliated with the Taliban and al-Qaida, have long targeted minority Shiites, considering them to be heretics. The police suspect some of Karachi's recent sectarian killings of Sunnis could be the work of Shiite militants.
The raids also arrested two militants from the Taliban-linked sectarian group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, who were allegedly involved in several killings, provincial chief minister Murad Ali Shah said. The police raids also sealed religious seminaries, he said, but he wouldn't say how many.
Pakistan has been fighting the Islamic militants and their sectarian allies for over a decade; the militants have a strong presence in urban areas and ties with Taliban and al-Qaida linked foreign militants in tribal regions along Afghan border.
Pakistan's military has launched several offensives in the tribal regions, which serve as safe havens for the militants.
Pakistani army chief on Monday confirmed the death sentences of nine Islamic militants after they were convicted by a military court. The militants were involved in the killings of army and police officers, a Pakistani army statement said.
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Janet Reno, former US attorney general, dies at age 78
MIAMI (AP) Shy and admittedly awkward, Janet Reno became a blunt prosecutor and the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and was also the epicenter of a relentless series of political storms, from the deadly raid on the Branch Davidian compound at Waco, Texas, to the seizure of 5-year-old Cuban immigrant Elian Gonzalez.
Reno, 78, died early Monday of complications from Parkinson's disease, her goddaughter Gabrielle D'Alemberte told The Associated Press. D'Alemberte said Reno spent her final days at home in Miami surrounded by family and friends.
Reno, a former Miami prosecutor who famously told reporters "I don't do spin," served nearly eight years as attorney general under President Bill Clinton, the longest stint in a century.
FILE- In this Tuesday, April 13, 2004, file photo, former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno testifies before the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File)
Her sister, Maggy Reno Hurchalla, told The Associated Press that Clinton called over the weekend said to "tell Janet I love her" and that many others from her career visited or called, including former Florida governor and Sen. Bob Graham.
"When I tucked her in at night, I said 'I love you,'" Hurchalla said. "She looked like she was asleep and raised one eyebrow and said, 'I love you too very much.' She was surrounded this weekend by people who love her."
One of the Clinton administration's most recognizable and polarizing figures, Reno faced criticism early in her tenure for the deadly raid on the Branch Davidian compound at Waco, Texas, where sect leader David Koresh and some 80 followers perished.
She was known for deliberating slowly, publicly and in a typically blunt manner. Reno frequently told the public "the buck stops with me," borrowing the mantra from President Harry S. Truman.
After Waco, Reno figured into some of the controversies and scandals that marked the Clinton administration, including Whitewater, Filegate, bungling at the FBI laboratory, Monica Lewinsky, alleged Chinese nuclear spying and questionable campaign financing in the 1996 Clinton-Gore re-election.
In the spring of 2000, Reno enraged her hometown's Cuban-American community when she authorized the armed seizure of young Elian. The boy was taken from the Little Havana home of his Miami relatives so he could be returned to his father in Cuba.
During her tenure, the Justice Department prosecuted the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing case, captured the "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski that same year and investigated the 1993 terrorist attack on New York's World Trade Center. The department also filed a major antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft Corp. and Reno was a strong advocate for protecting abortion clinics from violence.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch praised Reno's integrity and status as a female trailblazer, calling Reno in a statement "one of the most effective, decisive and well-respected leaders" in Justice Department history.
Reno, added Lynch, approached challenges "guided by one simple test: to do what the law and the facts required. She accepted the results of that test regardless of which way the political winds were blowing."
Miami U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer, who worked for Reno in Washington from 1995-2000, recalled her compassion for the nation's dispossessed, her warm relationship with employees and her practical approach to problems.
"Even if you agreed or disagreed with her, you knew she was coming from a place of integrity," Ferrer said in an interview. ""Through her work, through her decisions, she exhibited a lot of strength and a lot of courage. And that is also inspiring."
After leaving Washington, Reno returned to Florida to run for governor in 2002 but lost in a Democratic primary marred by voting problems.
The campaign ended a public career that started amid humble beginnings. Born July 21, 1938, Janet Wood Reno was the daughter of two newspaper reporters and the eldest of four siblings. She grew up on the edge of the Everglades in a cypress and brick homestead built by her mother and returned there after leaving Washington. Her late brother Robert Reno was a longtime columnist for Newsday on Long Island.
After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in chemistry, Reno became one of 16 women in Harvard Law School's Class of 1963. Reno, who stood over 6 feet tall, later said she wanted to become a lawyer "because I didn't want people to tell me what to do."
In 1993, Clinton tapped her to become the first woman to lead the Justice Department after his first two choices also women were withdrawn because both had hired illegal immigrants as nannies. Reno was 54.
"It's an extraordinary experience, and I hope I do the women of America proud," Reno said after she won confirmation.
Clinton said the vote might be "the only vote I carry 98-0 this year."
A little more than a month after taking office, however, Reno became embroiled in controversy with the raid on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco.
The standoff had started even before Reno was confirmed as attorney general. On Feb. 28, 1993, agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms made a surprise raid on the compound, trying to execute a search warrant. But during the raid gunfire erupted, killing four agents and six members of the religious sect.
That led to a 51-day standoff, ending April 19, 1993, when the complex caught fire and burned to the ground. The government claimed the Davidians committed suicide, shooting themselves and setting the fire. Survivors said the blaze was started by tear gas rounds fired into the compound by government tanks, and that agents shot at some who tried to flee. Reno had authorized the use of the tear gas to end the standoff and later called the day the worst of her life.
"It was a dangerous situation," Reno said of the incident during a 2005 lecture at Duke University. "The tragedy is that we will never know what was the right thing to do."
Things got no easier after Waco. In 1995 Reno was diagnosed with Parkinson's after noticing a trembling in her left hand. She said from the beginning that the diagnosis, which she announced during a weekly news conference, would not impair her job performance. And critics both Republicans and Democrats did not give her a pass because of it.
Republicans argued she should have sought appointment of an independent counsel to investigate allegations of Clinton-Gore fundraising violations. Democrats, meanwhile, grumbled that she failed to act as a team player.
In early 2000, Reno tried to negotiate the return to Cuba of young Elian, who had been rescued after his mother and others had drowned trying to boat from Cuba to Florida. He had been placed in the care of a Miami uncle, but his father, who lived in Cuba, wanted him returned to the island.
When Reno decided talks had broken down that April, she ordered an early morning raid by federal agents who seized the boy, provoking the ire of Miami's Cuban-American community. Reno insisted that Elian should be with his father she even kept a snapshot of a smiling Elian in his father's arms near her home computer.
Reno said later that federal officials tried up until the last minute to negotiate a voluntary handover and avoid the raid where Elian was found hiding in a closet and confronted by an agent with a gun.
"We have been to great lengths to resolve this case in the least disruptive manner possible," she said at a news conference following the raid.
As attorney general, Reno often was teased by late night talk show hosts for her unassuming appearance and no-nonsense attitude. Comedian Will Ferrell memorialized her in a recurring "Saturday Night Live" skit called "Janet Reno's Dance Party" and Reno visited the skit the night she left the Justice Department in January 2001.
Reno began her career in Miami in the mid-1960s and had her first encounter with the "glass ceiling," getting passed over for a job at a law firm because she was a woman. She later made partner. In 1972, she lost a race for a Miami-area legislative seat but learned the importance of sticking to her principles from mentor John Orr, a former state lawmaker.
"Don't equivocate, don't pussyfoot, don't talk out of both sides of your mouth and you'll wake up the next morning feeling good about yourself," he told Reno. It became one of her favorite sayings.
After losing that election, Reno was hired by the Dade State Attorney's office, where she established herself as an organized and competent lawyer. In 1978, when State Attorney Richard Gerstein decided to step down, Reno was named his successor.
As prosecutor, Reno built programs to help reform drug dealers and combat domestic violence. Another program strong-armed deadbeat dads into paying child support, inspiring a rap song named after her.
It included the line: "All the money you get, all the checks you make; Janet Reno will make sure and take."
She also weathered a 1980 riot after an all-white jury acquitted five police officers for the beating death of a black insurance salesman. Eighteen people were killed in the rioting and crowds chanted Reno's name, accusing her of being a racist and demanding her resignation. Reno refused.
"To resign was to give into anarchy," she said.
Reno eventually won the support of the city's black community, attending countless community meetings, church services and parades.
Her last foray into politics was the race for Florida governor. Known for being down-to-earth her home number was listed in a city directory both before and after Washington and even folksy, she crisscrossed the state to campaign in a red Ford Ranger pickup truck. But Reno lost the primary to Tampa lawyer Bill McBride despite her name recognition. Republican Gov. Jeb Bush defeated McBride to win a second term.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder, who also worked for Reno at main Justice in the 1990s, marveled at the twists and turns in her journey.
"Hers was a great and uniquely American life and was well lived," Holder said in a statement. "All who truly knew Janet loved her and all in this nation were made better by her service and by her sacrifice. I will miss her."
After retiring from politics she served on the boards or as an adviser to several organizations. In 2004 she joined the board of the New York-based Innocence Project, which works to free prisoners who can be proven innocent through DNA testing.
She also spent more time with her family. Reno never married but remained extremely close to her tight-knit family.
Asked to describe her legacy after ending her gubernatorial campaign, Reno quoted George Washington: "If I were to write all that down I might be reduced to tears. I would prefer to drift on down the stream of life and let history make the judgment."
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Associated Press writers Ken Thomas and Jessica Gresko in Washington and AP video journalist Joshua Replogle in Miami contributed to this report.
FILE - In this April 13, 2004, file photo, former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno testifies before the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File)
FILE - In this April 16, 1997 file photo, Attorney General Janet Reno testifies on Capitol Hill, before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on a proposed Constitutional amendment to protect victims's rights. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/Joe Marquette, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 12, 1993 file photo, U.S. President Bill Clinton names Janet Reno the nation's first female attorney general at a ceremony in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)
FILE - In this Monday Sept. 16, 1996, file photo, U.S. President Bill Clinton, accompanied by Attorney General Janet Reno, speaks in the Oval Office of the White House after receiving a progress report from the anti-violence initiative. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)
FILE - In this Tuesday, March 9, 1993, file photo, U.S. Attorney General-designate Janet Reno is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2007, file photo, former U.S. attorney general Janet Reno is shown in New York. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/ Jim Cooper, File)
FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2002, file photo, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Janet Reno gestures during her concession speech at her Miami Lakes, Fla., campaign headquarters saying she told Bill McBride "he was going to be a great governor." Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
FILE - In this March 17, 1999, file photo, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno testifies before the Senate Governmental Committee in Washington. The committee is considering whether to renew the Independent Counsel Statute. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File)
FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 28, 1998, file photo, Attorney General Janet Reno is shown back at work at her office in the Justice Department in Washington. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
FILE -This 1993, file photo shows Attorney General Janet Reno. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)
FILE - In this May 27, 2001, file photo, former Attorney General Janet Reno smiles as she attends George Washington University Law School graduation in Washington. Reno is considering running for governor of Florida. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/Kenneth Lambert, File)
FILE - In this Wednesday, April 16, 1997, file photo, Attorney General Janet Reno, left, is greeted by, from right: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., prior to testifying before the committee's hearing on a proposed Constitutional amendment to protect victims' rights on Capitol Hill. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/Joe Marquette, File)
FILE - In this Tuesday, Feb. 28, 1995, file photo, Attorney General Janet Reno, accompanied by President Bill Clinton and James Brady, speaks at the White House during a ceremony marking the one-year anniversary of the Brady handgun control law. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2001, file photo, former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno speaks with members of the media from the backyard of her home, in Miami, after announcing that she would be running for Governor of Florida. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
FILE - In this April 17, 2009, file photo, former Attorney General Janet Reno, center, is presented with the American Judicature Society 2009 Justice Award by Attorney General Eric Holder, left, during a ceremony at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. On the right is Kirk Noble Bloodsworth from the Justice Project. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
Police hunt for 60 escaped drug addicts in Vietnam
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) Police in southern Vietnam are searching for 60 drug addicts who escaped from a rehabilitation center, an official said Monday.
Ho Van Loc, deputy director of the labor department in Dong Nai province, said 133 inmates burned their clothes and other belongings before escaping from the center Sunday. Authorities have so far recaptured 73 of them.
Loc said the inmates continued to pressure authorities Monday to allow them to get out, throwing rocks, pans and pots at police who had been stationed around the center since Sunday trying to keep order.
State media said police had to use tear gas to bring them under control.
Loc said several inmates who were suspected of starting the unrest have been detained for questioning.
Last month, 562 inmates from the same center, which holds 1,481 inmates, escaped.
Officials have said that rehabilitation programs in Vietnam which combine education, communist ideology and physical labor for one to two years have a high failure rate, with more than 90 percent of the addicts relapsing within five years.
Luxembourg FM: Turkish crackdown reminiscent of Nazi methods
BERLIN (AP) Luxembourg's foreign minister accused Turkish authorities on Monday of using methods reminiscent of those employed by Nazis in a crackdown following July's coup attempt.
In a German radio interview, Jean Asselborn suggested that Turkey's strong economic ties with the European Union could be used to exert pressure on Ankara over human rights issues.
Turkey brushed off the accusation, arguing that the movement led by a U.S.-based cleric whom the government accuses of masterminding the failed coup is worse than the Nazis. It insisted it would not be deterred from its efforts to go after cleric Fethullah Gulen's network of followers.
FILE - In this Sept. 2, 2016 file photo Jean Asselborn, Foreign Minister of Luxembourg, answers questions to media upon his arrival for the Informal Meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Bratislava, Slovakia. Asselborn accused Turkish authorities on Monday, Nov. 7, 2016, of using methods reminiscent of those employed by Nazis in a crackdown following Julys coup attempt. (AP Photo/Hans Punz, file)
Opposition parties in Turkey and human rights groups accuse the government of clamping down on all critics, not just alleged coup plotters.
Asselborn told Germany's Deutschlandfunk radio that people who've been fired have their names published, have their passports destroyed, have no chance of finding another job and no income, and risk hunger.
"These are methods, one must say this bluntly, that were used during Nazi rule," said Asselborn, who has a record of making outspoken comments. "And there has been a really, really bad evolution in Turkey since July that we as the European Union cannot simply accept."
Turkey's EU affairs minister, Omer Celik, retorted that "the issue does not resemble Nazi-era practices, rather the struggle against the Nazis after they were chased from power."
"Compared to the (Gulen movement) Nazis would resemble apprentices. They would appear like schoolchildren next to the (Gulen movement)," he said.
"No one should think that we would step back from our struggle against an organization that used warplanes, tanks, battleships and helicopters against its own people."
Asselborn said that Turkey's strong economic ties with the EU are "absolutely a means of pressure."
"At a certain moment we will not be able to get around using this means of pressure to counteract the unspeakable state of human rights," he added.
Germany, the EU's most populous country, sounded unenthusiastic about that idea.
"The German government is not participating now in a debate about sanctions," said Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert.
He said Europe needs to make clear to Turkey "what effects the repression of the press and the repression of the opposition have on relations ... and for that it is important to keep open channels of communication."
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Japanese journalist detained in Iraq released
TOKYO (AP) A Japanese freelance journalist detained by local authorities in Iraq was released Monday after being suspected of being a member of the Islamic State group.
Kosuke Tsuneoka was handed over by the authorities in the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq to the Japanese Embassy, Japan's Foreign Ministry said.
The 47-year-old journalist, who specializes in the Middle East, was captured last month while reporting on the battle to retake Mosul from IS. He was taken into custody by Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed forces.
FILE - In this Jan. 22, 2015, file photo, Kosuke Tsuneoka, a Japanese freelance journalist, speaks about the two hostages held by the Islamic State group, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo. Tsuneoka detained by local authorities in Iraq was released Monday, Nov. 7, 2016, after being suspected of being a member of the Islamic State group. Tsuneoka was handed over by the authorities in the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq to the Japanese Embassy, Japan's Foreign Ministry said. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
Japan had been negotiating with the Iraqi side to allow local Japanese diplomats to meet Tsuneoka for an eventual release.
Tsuneoka tweeted: "Freed now. Will return home tomorrow evening ... Thanks everyone."
He said he had been investigated after being arrested because he was carrying a key chain with an IS logo he obtained on an earlier reporting trip. He said he was carrying the key chain as reporting "material."
"But this became a problem at a security check for a presidential press conference. I was suspected as an IS member and arrested and interrogated. I had explained this to the authorities, and I do hope they believe my innocence," Tsuneoka said on Twitter.
Kurdish officials said an investigation showed that Tsuneoka, who also goes by his Muslim name Shamil Tsuneoka, had contacted IS members through his smartphone.
The Kurdistan Region Security Council said in a statement that he was detained near Mount Zerdk, east of Mosul, on Oct. 27 and left on a flight out of Irbil on Monday.
Tsuneoka denied a media report that said he served as a translator for IS militants and received a medal.
"That's terrible. I don't understand Arabic at all," he tweeted.
Japan's Foreign Ministry said Tsuneoka was in good health and was expected to return to Japan on Tuesday.
Tsuneoka has been taken into custody several times in the past, and was kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2010.
His arrest was a reminder in Japan of the abduction and beheading of two Japanese nationals last year by IS extremists in Syria. Another Japanese freelance journalist, Jumpei Yasuda, has been missing for nearly a year and is believed to have been in captivity in Syria.
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Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at twitter.com/mariyamaguchi
Cambodian opposition senator sentenced to 7 years in jail
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) A Cambodian court on Monday sentenced an opposition senator to seven years in prison over comments he posted on Facebook criticizing a 36-year-old border agreement with neighboring Vietnam.
Judge Ros Piseth of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court found senator Hong Sok Hour, a member of country's main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, guilty of falsifying public documents, using fake documents and inciting chaos.
Hong Sok Hour and his defense lawyer did not appear before the court, but Son Chhay, an opposition lawmaker who attended the hearing, told reporters that the conviction reflected the court's lack of independence. "For me, I am already aware that this case is political motivated," Son Chhay said.
Hong Sok Hour was arrested in August 2015 after Prime Minister Hun Sen accused him of treason for the online posting, which included the purported text of a 1979 treaty with Vietnam that declared that their mutual border would be dissolved. Hun Sen who was foreign minister at the time in a government installed by a Vietnamese occupation force that invaded Cambodia to oust the murderous Khmer Rouge regime insisted the treaty was forged.
Hong Sok Hour is the latest opposition figure to run afoul of the law in what activists say is the willful use of the courts to suppress government critics.
The case is one of several hanging over opposition leaders in what is generally seen as an attempt to disrupt their organizing efforts ahead of local elections next June. The next general election is not until the middle of 2018, but holding power at the local level is an advantage when national polls are held.
On Friday, an appeals court upheld a five-month prison term for opposition leader Kem Sokha's refusal to twice answer a court summons, in a case involving his alleged mistress, but which his supporters say is politically motivated.
Lawyers make final case to jury in hot-car murder trial
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) Prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed on one thing Monday in final arguments to a Georgia jury: When Justin Ross Harris arrived at work more than two years ago and locked his car, his toddler son was left behind in the back seat and suffered a slow and agonizing death.
Now jurors must decide why that happened. Harris' defense attorney argued Monday that his client was "clueless" and forgetful. But a prosecutor called Harris a murderer with a "malignant heart" who killed his child to escape his family commitments as he sank deeper into a double life of sexual flirting and affairs with women he met online.
"It's not a case of an adult hating his child," prosecutor Chuck Boring told jurors. "It's just that he loved himself and his other obsessions more than that little boy."
Harris left his 22-month-old son, Cooper, strapped into his car seat in the back of his SUV on June 18, 2014. The boy was dead when his father pulled him from the vehicle more than seven hours later. He told police he took Cooper to breakfast that morning and then drove straight to work, forgetting to take the child to day care.
Defense attorney Maddox Kilgore told jurors that police rushed to judgment in concluding a crime had been committed and then used evidence of Harris' affairs outside his marriage "to essentially bury him in a mountain of his own sexual sins." He insisted the child's death was unrelated.
"If it's an accident, it's not a crime," Kilgore said. "He is responsible. Only him. Nobody else. And he has acknowledged that from day one. But responsible is not the same thing as criminal."
The jurors heard nearly five hours of closing arguments altogether. After giving them legal instructions, the judge sent jurors home Monday evening. They were to begin deliberations Tuesday morning.
The arguments capped more than a month of courtroom testimony in coastal Brunswick, where Harris' trial was moved from the Atlanta suburb of Cobb County because of pretrial publicity. A native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Harris moved to Georgia in 2012.
Boring told the jury it's impossible to believe Harris forgot about his son. The drive from the Chick-fil-A restaurant where they ate breakfast to the Home Depot office where Harris worked as a web developer was less than a mile. Cooper's car seat faced backward, but was secured in the middle of the SUV's back seats just a few inches from where Harris sat.
Evidence showed Harris returned to his car after lunch to toss a bag of lightbulbs inside. He closed the door within seconds and walked away. And five days before Cooper's death, Harris had watched an online video in which a veterinarian swelters inside a hot car to show the danger to animals.
"As much as we may not want to believe people are capable of this kind of evil, that's what the facts show in this case," Boring said.
Kilgore said police and prosecutors ignored evidence that Cooper's death was a terrible accident and Harris had been planning for a future with his wife and son. Gene Brewer, an Arizona State University psychology professor who specializes in memory and attention, testified it would have been possible for Harris to forget about Cooper in a matter of seconds.
Emails and trial testimony showed Harris had been talking with a real estate agent about finding a home in a good school district. And he had taken initial steps to plan a cruise with his wife and Cooper along with the family of Harris' brother.
Leanna Taylor, who divorced Harris in March after a decade of marriage, testified that despite their marital problems, Harris was always a loving and enthusiastic father. Text messages showed Harris even bragged about Cooper to the women he was messaging outside his marriage.
The jury doesn't have to choose one side's version or their other. While Harris is charged with malice murder, which requires prosecutors to prove he intended to kill his son, he's also charged with felony murder. To convict Harris of that, the jury only must find that Harris caused his son cruel suffering by an act of criminal negligence.
Prosecutors also charged Harris with sending sexual text messages and photos to a teenage girl, including during the hours Cooper sat dying in the car. Kilgore said nothing Monday to dispute those charges.
Instead, he argued Harris never let fatherhood prevent him from carrying out his secret sexual escapades, which ranged from flirting online to meeting a prostitute for sex.
Syrian Kurds make small advances in push toward Raqqa
BEIRUT (AP) Kurdish-led Syrian fighters pushed ahead Monday with an offensive aimed at isolating and encircling the Islamic State group's stronghold of Raqqa, making small advances in villages north of the extremists' de facto capital.
Warplanes from a U.S.-led coalition provided air cover for the fighters from the Syria Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters formed last year with the aim of incorporating non-Kurdish elements into the mainly Kurdish militia fighting IS in Syria.
The SDF announced the start of the campaign to liberate Raqqa at a news conference Sunday in northern Syria, and the United States, France and Britain said they would provide air support for the offensive, dubbed "Eurphrates Rage."
This frame grab from video provided by Qasioun a Syrian opposition media outlet, shows U.S.-backed fighters taking a rest during fighting with the Islamic State group near Ein Issa, north of Raqqa, Syria. Backed by U.S. airstrikes, Kurdish-led Syrian fighters clashed on Monday with Islamic State militants north of the city of Raqqa in Syria as they pushed ahead in their offensive aiming to liberate the city that has been the de facto capital of the extremist group since 2014. (Qasioun a Syrian Opposition Media Outlet, via AP)
But the battle for the Syrian city, home to nearly 200,000 mostly Sunni Arabs and an estimated 5,000 IS militants including many foreigners, could be long and costly.
IS fighters are expected to fight until the end, considering that losing Raqqa would mean the extremist group would not fully control any large cities in Syria, where a civil war has been raging for more than five years.
At the same time, Iraqi forces are pushing forward against Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city and the militants' biggest urban stronghold in that country.
SDF fighters needed more than two months earlier this year to capture the Syrian town of Manbij, which is far smaller than Raqqa.
Raqqa has been under IS control since early 2014 and is home to some of the group's top leaders. It has been the extremists' self-styled capital since they declared a caliphate in areas they captured that year in Iraq and Syria.
The U.S. commander of coalition forces fighting IS said the Raqqa operation is aimed at eventually cutting off the extremists from Mosul, where U.S.-backed Iraqi forces have entered the city's eastern outskirts amid fierce resistance.
Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend said the Arab element of the SDF is "indigenous to the area" and will help establish "regional support" for SDF operations. His comments appeared to be aimed at soothing concerns that Kurdish forces would take over the predominantly Sunni Arab city.
A spokeswoman for the Raqqa campaign said the SDF as a whole is half-Arab and half-Kurdish, but the 30,000 troops fighting in the Raqqa campaign are 80 percent Arab. Many in Syria are wary of those figures, and they fear that the Kurds are aiming to carve out an autonomous state in Syria.
The activist media group that calls itself Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, which was originally formed to smuggle information out of Islamic State territory, says the SDF is 80 percent Kurdish.
Unlike other successful military efforts to drive Islamic State out of cities in Iraq, the Raqqa offensive faces several political obstacles.
In Iraq, the U.S.-led coalition is working with the government in Baghdad, but Washington and its partners in Syria rely on a mixture of Arab and Kurdish opposition groups, some of which are bitter rivals. Tensions are exacerbated by Russian and Syrian forces on one side and Turkish-backed forces on another.
On Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Turkey's opposition to the use of Syrian Kurdish fighters against the Islamic State group. Turkey views the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia, the People's Protection Units, or YPG, and its political wing as terrorist organizations.
Erdogan did not make a direct reference to the Raqqa operation but said "no one in the world will buy this naive attitude (of attacking) Daesh with another terror organization," using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.
In Moscow, Stanislav Ivanov of the Institute of the World Economy and International Relations, a government-funded think-tank, said the Kurdish-led offensive on Raqqa reflects the Kurds' push for creating their own state and winning a stake in future peace talks.
"The 40 million Kurdish people would never abandon their push for creating their own state," Ivanov said in remarks carried by the state news agency Tass.
He said the Kurds would probably refrain from entering the city and would limit themselves to controlling access to it.
"It's not part of the Kurds' plan to engage in fighting with the Sunni Arab majority of Raqqa," he said. "Their goal in Syria is to protect their enclaves in the north."
A Kurdish official with the Raqqa campaign said the SDF had so far liberated a stretch of 15 kilometers (about 9 miles) south of the Kurdish-controlled town of Ein Issa. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said heavy fighting was underway north of Raqqa.
The U.S. Central Command said coalition aircraft conducted 16 airstrikes Sunday north of Raqqa, mostly near the area of Ein Issa, where the fighting appeared to be concentrated.
The SDF is made up of Arab, Kurdish and Turkmen groups that have captured wide areas of northern Syria from IS in the past year. The largest and most powerful groups in the coalition are the main Kurdish militias known as the People's Protection Units, or YPG, and the Women's Protection Units, or YPJ.
Fayad al-Ghanem, the commander of the small Arab Raqqa Hawks Brigade group, said in an online video that their aim is to besiege Raqqa and liberate villages and towns around it.
"We want to rescue the people from the injustice of Daesh," al-Ghanem said.
SDF said its fighters destroyed a vehicle rigged with explosives on a farm north of Raqqa.
The IS-linked Aamaq news agency said IS militants hit an SDF armored vehicle with a missile, killing everyone inside. It later reported that IS fighters destroyed six SUVs for the SDF with missiles, killing seven fighters.
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Associated Press writers Philip Issa in Beirut, Susan Frazer in Ankara, Turkey, and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed.
This frame grab from video provided by Qasioun a Syrian opposition media outlet, shows smoke rising as a result of clashes between U.S.-backed forces and the Islamic State group, near Ein Issa, north of Raqqa, Syria. Backed by U.S. airstrikes, Kurdish-led Syrian fighters clashed on Monday with Islamic State militants north of the city of Raqqa in Syria as they pushed ahead in their offensive aiming to liberate the city that has been the de facto capital of the extremist group since 2014. (Qasioun a Syrian Opposition Media Outlet, via AP)
This frame grab from a video provided by Qasioun a Syrian opposition media outlet, shows U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighters stationed near Ein Issa, north of Raqqa, Syria. Backed by U.S. airstrikes, Kurdish-led Syrian fighters clashed on Monday with Islamic State militants north of the city of Raqqa in Syria as they pushed ahead in their offensive aiming to liberate the city that has been the de facto capital of the extremist group since 2014. (Qasioun a Syrian Opposition Media Outlet, via AP)
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan waves as he addresses an energy meeting in his palace in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. Erdogan has reiterated the country's opposition to the use of Syrian Kurdish fighters in the fight against the Islamic State group. Turkey considers U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia, the People's Protection Units, or YPG, and its political wing as terror organizations.(Kayhan Ozer, Presidential Press Service/Pool photo via AP)
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses an energy meeting flanked by Energy Minister and his son-in-law Berat Albayrak, left, and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, right, in his palace in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. Erdogan has reiterated the country's opposition to the use of Syrian Kurdish fighters in the fight against the Islamic State group. Turkey considers U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia, the People's Protection Units, or YPG, and its political wing as terror organizations.(Kayhan Ozer, Presidential Press Service/Pool photo via AP)
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses an energy meeting in his palace in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. Erdogan has reiterated the country's opposition to the use of Syrian Kurdish fighters in the fight against the Islamic State group. Turkey considers U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia, the People's Protection Units, or YPG, and its political wing as terror organizations.(Kayhan Ozer, Presidential Press Service/Pool photo via AP)
Opinion / Columnist
Yes, that is correct, electoral reform starts with us - you and me - and that is a fact. In addition, voter registration cannot be stopped because the government says it has no money. While the government and ZANU PF have the obligation to level the playing field, they are not the determining factor. We are!Since inception, ZUNDE has had a consistent view and message on the need for coalition. Our message has reached every corner of the political arena. Now, we turn our focus to a critical aspect of the electoral process: voter registration.We have allowed ourselves to be crippled by this idea that electoral reform must come from the government or ZEC. We have tried to push them but the answer we got from loonies like Jonathan Moyo is that ZANU PF will not reform itself out of power. What a painful thing to tell a suffering, dying nation! But it is true. They will not do that so what do we do? We are the people, we are Zimbabwe, and we have the power to do anything including getting rid of ZANU PF from power, if only we do it right.For the 2018 election, the right thing to do is to ensure that we turn out in full force to the polls and vote. And to vote, everyone must register and ensure that their names are on the voters' roll. We have less than two years to do this and time is not on our side.While it is honourable for Pastor Evan Mawarire and other activists to be leading running battles with the police protesting against corruption, injustice and poverty, we should also be having running battles with ZEC demanding that we be registered as voters. Come on Tajamuka!! Jamukai in the right direction. #This Flag, you took away all our fear. We are no longer afraid! Let us all go to the relevant offices and demand to register as voters. The constitution guarantees our right to register and to vote. ZEC must not hide behind costs. If they don't have the resources to register voters, then they don't have the capacity to run any election, simple.Let us overwhelm their rigging machinery by registering and turning out to vote in large numbers. We cautiously applaud the people of Norton and Temba Mliswa for doing just that now we must follow their example.In the past, only a paltry three million of us have turned out to the polls. Why not seven or ten million? Where are the rest of the people and why do they not go to vote? Voter apathy is a big enemy of electoral reform. Opposition parties must unite in campaigning for Zimbabweans to register and vote. MDC, you are the biggest; why are you not shouting loudest? NERA has been your fight from the word go, so what are you doing to get people to register and vote?Of course, ZANU PF uses different methods to rig elections but ballot box stuffing will become a nightmare for them if voters turn out in large numbers. For example, let us say an electorate has 10 000 voters and 9 000 turn out to cast their vote of which 6 000 vote for one opposition candidate. ZANU PF can only stuff ballot boxes with 1 000 but they will still lose. If the total number of votes exceeds 10 000, how will they explain the excess numbers? This will need more than just six weeks of "meticulous verification".Am I missing something here and are we not our own worst enemies? Where are our leaders to guide us and to motivate us? Why are all these opposition political parties not urging their supporters to register? What is NERA doing for its people other than shouting in the dark to ZANU PF who will never listen anyway? Has NERA been highjacked by ZANU PF functionaries as has happened in ZEC?ZUNDE will not be silent until everyone has registered and voted. We do not care who you vote for. In the end it is your choice that matters. Every vote counts and Morgan Tsvangirai, Welshman Ncube, Tendai Biti, Elton Mangoma, Maxwell Shumba, Dumiso Dabengwa, Simba Makoni, Joice Mujuru and others, please tell your people to go out there and register to vote. That is the best thing you can do for electoral reform. ZANU PF will not reform the security sector. Forget it. But we can defeat the system by reforming ourselves first. So ngatijamuke in the right direction!Constitutional Law experts will agree with me that the right to vote by every citizen above a certain age is and forms part of the inalienable bundle of rights that are enshrined in the Zimbabwe constitution. No one who is allowed by the constitution to vote should for any reason whatsoever be prevented from casting their ballot. Any attempt by anyone, including government, or anything that stands in the way of anyone who is entitled to vote that bars them from exercising their right to vote should be removed because it is a fundamental breach of a citizen's rights under the Constitution. Any failure to do so is inexcusable. This is what should be guiding our colleagues fighting for electoral reforms under NERA.An expert legal colleague recently sent me the following on this subject. He has given me permission to quote his well-articulated communication and I reproduce without any alteration. This is what he says:Constitutional Interpretation radically differs from legislative interpretation. And without going into the reasons, my concern as stated above has been prompted by whether the NERA parties are addressing the entirety of the Zimbabwe Electoral Law which requires surgery.(1) The meaning of the Right to Vote and Its full Constitutional MeaningTo start with, rights are interdependent, equal and complementary to each other and reading one right at the exclusion of others amounts to a defective and misleading understanding of what human rights are (this applies to all classes/clusters of rights, political rights, socio-economic rights and group rights and others currently in vogue) and why they are so important.You correctly pointed to the political rights in Chapter 4. Without going into details, it is important why Sections 45-47 are couched in the manner they are and why they are so important to any discourse on human rights. Of these important aspects, I merely choose to focus on one aspect so that it broadens NERA's thrust and quest in having an overhaul of the Electoral Law.In the seminal South African case of August v IEC & Ors, the important point was made by the SA Constitutional Court in that country brought on the basis to extend voting rights to prisoners. The point was made therein that prisoners are people, they do not shed their person hood and their fundamental rights at the prison gates. The vote should be extended to them and logistical difficulties should not be allowed to attenuate or deny them their right to vote. More importantly, the point was made therein that the right to vote is a badge of honour.It affirms that one is a person and therefore implicates the right to dignity, a right at the core of person hood. To that extent, this right cannot be denied under the excuse of logistical difficulties nor the fact that one has committed an offence. This right cannot be denied on the basis that they have committed an offence. They are still people. No justifiable reason therefore exists for denying them their rights. The right to dignity is an inviolable one that cannot therefore be proscribed under Section 86(3) Put differently, the limitation of that right cannot be denied under the limitation clause under Section 86 of our Constitution(2) The Right to Vote for Citizens Who Are Non ResidentsNon-residents of Zimbabwe who are citizens equally have inviolable rights to vote and logistical, practical and cost implication excuses are nothing but that, they are not reasons and are squarely covered by Section 86(3). Put differently, dignity is non violable and any such limitation on it falls short of the Section 86(1)and Section 86 (2) limitation clause as being an unjustifiable limitation in a democratic state based on openness, justice , human dignity, equality and freedom taking into account the nature of the right, , the purpose of the limitation, in particular whether is necessary in the interests of defence, public safety, public morality, public health, regional or town planning or the general public interest.Effectively, NERA should insist on this right being extended to diasporas who are Zimbabwean non-resident but citizens unless the State chooses to throw its own rule book (The Supreme Law) out of the window and into the sewage. Whilst not exhaustive of the issues that NERA should rally around, I thought this is an important rallying point.I could not have put it any better. It is a clear notification to my colleagues in the opposition movement that we can remove these ZANU PF crooks and get back our country that they have taken from us. We have the power to do it if we do the right things register to vote and turn out in large numbers on polling day. Zimbabwe belongs to us not to them. Now is the time to stop the national plunder and rebuild Zimbabwe.
The Latest: Philadelphia transit on track for Election Day
PHILADELPHIA (AP) The Latest on a tentative agreement to end the Philadelphia transit strike (all times local):
5:30 p.m.
Philadelphia's main transit agency says it's on track to restore full service for Election Day after a contract disagreement with its union shut down buses, trolleys and subway trains for a week.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority says trains were operating every 6 minutes on the Market-Frankford line and every 10 minutes on the Broad Street line for the Monday evening commute.
Limited service was restored on all bus routes by midafternoon. Limited trolley service also resumed.
SEPTA and the union representing about 4,700 transit workers announced a tentative contract agreement early Monday.
Transit officials say it usually takes 24 hours to have all its buses, trolleys and subway trains running after a shutdown.
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9:40 a.m.
Subways are running again with limited service in Philadelphia after a tentative contract agreement was reached between the city's transit agency and its union.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority says trains are operating every 15 minutes on the Market-Frankford line and every 20 minutes on the Broad Street line. They started moving again at 9 a.m. Monday.
SEPTA reached a tentative-five year deal with the union representing about 4,700 workers earlier Monday morning. Workers have been on strike since Tuesday.
However, service will be gradually phased in throughout the day Monday.
Heavy traffic still clogged streets during the morning rush and commuters faced regional rail delays despite the settlement.
SEPTA expects to have service on subways, buses, and trolleys fully restored in time for Tuesday's election.
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8 a.m.
Heavy traffic is clogging streets and commuters are facing delays despite a tentative contract ending Philadelphia's weeklong transit strike.
Terms of the five-year deal reached early Monday between the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority with the union representing about 4,700 workers have not been released.
SEPTA plans to gradually phase in service Monday, starting with subways, buses and trolleys.
SEPTA's Fox Chase and Chestnut Hill West Lines are operating with delays of up to 60 minutes due to earlier switch and power problems.
All other SEPTA Regional Rail lines are operating with delays of up to 30 minutes due to signal problems.
SEPTA expects to have service on subways, buses, trolleys fully restored in time for Tuesday's election.
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7 a.m.
A tentative deal ending Philadelphia's weeklong transit strike is not easing the ride to work.
Commuters are facing heavy traffic Monday even though the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority reached a tentative-five year deal with the union representing about 4,700 workers early Monday morning.
SEPTA plans to gradually phase in service Monday, starting with subways, buses and trolleys. But that can't happen until it checks equipment that has sat idle since workers walked out Nov. 1 over issues including pension benefits and the amount of time off given to drivers between shifts.
All SEPTA Regional Rail lines are operating with delays of up to 30 minutes due to signal problems.
SEPTA expects to have service fully restored in time for Election Day on Tuesday.
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6:15 a.m.
Philadelphia's mayor is thankful a transit strike that has choked the city's streets with traffic over six days is ending.
Mayor Jim Kenney on Monday issued a statement thanking residents and commuters for their patience.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority reached a tentative-five year deal with the union representing about 4,700 workers early Monday morning.
The mayor urged union members and the SEPTA board to approve it.
SEPTA says service will be restored gradually Monday and full service is expected for Tuesday, Election Day.
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5:40 a.m.
Philadelphia's transit strike has ended in its seventh day.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority says it has reached a tentative-five year deal with the union representing about 4,700 workers early Monday morning.
SEPTA Board Chairman Pasquale Deon is a fair deal that provides "wage increases, pension improvements, and maintains health care coverage levels while addressing rising costs." The deal is still subject to ratification by union members and must be approved by the SEPTA board.
Some officials were concerned that the strike could dampen voter turnout if it continued through Election Day.
SEPTA says service will be restored gradually Monday. Full service is expected for Tuesday.
SEPTA workers walked out after midnight Nov. 1 over issues including pension benefits and the amount of time off given to drivers between shifts.
The result has been traffic gridlock at morning and evening rush hours; jammed and delayed regional rail service and higher absenteeism at the city's high schools.
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12:30 a.m.
The city of Philadelphia has filed a motion in state court seeking an injunction to temporarily halt the city's transit strike for Election Day.
The court is expected to hear the city's motion Monday morning.
A union representing about 4,700 workers went on strike just after midnight last Monday after it was unable to reach a contract agreement with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. Buses, trolleys and subways were shut down.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf says he intends to file a legal document in support of an injunction request filed by SEPTA last week, saying the strike has been devastating for many.
A judge is to hear more arguments Monday after declining to issue an injunction Friday.
Lung was taken to hospital where his condition is currently unknown
Another officer opened fire on the car, hitting the suspect multiple times
When officers arrived, he sped into reverse nearly hitting one of the cops
Police responded to reports of a nude male trying to lure kids into
Police have shot and injured a naked man they say they found trying to lure kids into his car.
Charles Albert Lung, 55, was shot multiple times in incident yesterday, and was rushed to hospital where his condition is unknown.
Officers has been responding to reports of a 'nude white male occupying a white Toyota vehicle', in south Jackson, Mississippi at around 3.30pm.
Charles Albert Lung, 55, (left and right) was shot multiple times in incident yesterday, and was rushed to hospital where his condition is unknown
Jackson Police Department say that he was also trying to 'lure kids into his vehicle in this area.'
Police spokesman Tyree Jones said in a news release that when officials arrived, they noted a car and man matching the description of the suspect and attempted to speak to him.
But as soon as he noticed the police, the suspect put his vehicle in reserve and sped backward to try to hit the cops.
Officers has been responding to reports of a 'nude white male occupying a white Toyota vehicle', in south Jackson, Mississippi at Valley Street and Utica Street (pictured)
One of the responding officers, who is not being named, fired his weapon at the car several times, hitting the suspect.
The cop who shot the fleeing suspect will be placed on administrative leave with pay during an investigation into the incident, the results of which will be handed up to the Hinds County Grand Jury.
Former EU judge in Kosovo cleared of corruption allegations
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) Prosecutors representing the European Union have cleared a former judge for the EU mission that monitors the criminal justice system in Kosovo of corruption allegations.
A statement Monday from Kosovo's prosecutor-general's office said former EULEX Judge Francesco Florit did not solicit or accept bribes from the defendants in two cases overseen by the agency.
The same probe also cleared three Albanian lawyers in Kosovo who were alleged to have tried to bribe the judge.
Florit was suspected of accepting a bribe of 300,000 euros ($373,000 at the time) to secure the release of Kosovo criminals. Suspicion was raised in 2012 when transcripts of intercepted phone calls between a jailed Kosovo minister and intermediaries suggested Florit was willing to secure the release of three suspected killers.
In response, the United Nations partially lifted the Italian judge's immunity, clearing the way for a corruption investigation.
Florit, who since has left the mission, denied the claims.
The EULEX mission has supported Kosovo on its path to European integration in the areas of rule of law and fighting corruption since 2008, when Pristina declared independence from Serbia.
In Nepal, health warnings cover 90 percent of cigarette packs, while Australia requires those packets be wrapped in drab, plain paper.
Indonesia's new ban on outdoor advertising brought down tobacco billboards depicting smiling, smoking youths.
And India wants scary photos of rotting lungs and mouth tumors covering packets sold in the country.
Still, national drives to discourage smoking and cut back tobacco sales haven't done enough, campaigners say.
Smoking-related deaths are still rising worldwide, with 80 percent of them expected to occur in developing country populations by 2030.
'Most people in the United States think tobacco is over and done with, but it's still the largest preventable cause of disease on the planet' killing six million people a year or one person every six seconds, said John Stewart, deputy campaigns director at the Boston-based lobbying group Corporate Accountability International.
Despite harsh laws passed more than a decade ago banning smoking in public and sales to children, smoking is still common across India. A government survey in 2010 showed nearly 35 percent of adults were either smoking or chewing tobacco
SIX MILLION DEATHS Smoking kills six million people a year worldwide and, if current trends continue, the World Health Organization predicts more than 1 billion tobacco-related deaths this century. Advertisement
Starting Monday, representatives from at least 178 countries are meeting for five days in the Indian capital to discuss how they can further the fight against smoking and push back against tobacco company lobbyists.
Since they set down stiff regulations and guidelines in a landmark 2003 treaty called the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control the first and only global treaty dealing with public health most of the 180 signatories have ratified it and passed laws restricting tobacco advertising or sales.
Still, many governments remain entangled with powerful tobacco companies, while industry lobbyists continue attempts to stymie efforts to implement anti-smoking laws through bribery, misinformation and even suing national governments for lost profits, campaigners say.
'The tobacco industry is definitely feeling the heat,' Stewart said.
'They've got their back against the wall.'
Indian courts are currently grappling with 62 lawsuits filed by tobacco companies or cigarette makers challenging laws requiring that 85 percent of all cigarette packets be covered with photos of medical horrors.
In Japan, a 10-percent hike in taxes on cigarettes has led to a 30-percent decline in smoking.
India wants scary photos of rotting lungs and mouth tumors covering cigarette packets sold in the country in an attempt to educate people about the risks of smoking
But the country still has some of the lowest tax rates on cigarettes among industrialized nations, while its finance ministry owns 33 percent in Japan Tobacco.
The anti-tobacco campaign has had some success. It is widely accepted, at least among national leaders, that smoking causes cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, along with a host of other harmful health impacts.
That awareness still has not trickled down to national populations, though. And campaigners say tobacco interests have shifted their focus to poorer, less educated populations in the developing world.
An anti-tobacco warning is erected on a road divider on the outskirts of New Delhi, India
150 DNA MUTATIONS A YEAR Smoking a pack a day of cigarettes can cause 150 damaging changes to a smoker's lung cells each year, scientists claim. Mutations in the DNA of a cell are known to cause cancer and could explain why smokers are at such high risk of the disease in their lung. But experts discovered a whole host of mutations caused by tobacco throughout various organs in the body. Despite the lungs being the primary location, the bladder, liver and throat also suffered smoking-related damage - possibly explaining the risk of other forms of cancer. Advertisement
India among the first to ratify the anti-tobacco treaty in 2004 is still considered one of the biggest battlegrounds in the fight against the tobacco industry, public health specialists say.
Despite harsh laws passed more than a decade ago banning smoking in public and sales to children, smoking is still common across the country. A government survey in 2010 showed nearly 35 percent of adults were either smoking or chewing tobacco.
Meanwhile, more than 1 million Indians die each year from tobacco-related diseases that cost the country some $16 billion annually, according to the World Health Organization.
'The revenues that the government earns from tobacco taxes are far less than the billions that are spent on health care,' said Bhavna Mukhopadhyay of the Voluntary Health Association of India, a public health organization.
'Public health and the health of the tobacco industry cannot go hand in hand,' she said, noting that campaigners are now pushing for countries to make tobacco companies and their shareholders civilly and criminally liable for the harm done by tobacco.
Part of the trouble in India is 'the Indian consumer is spoilt for choice,' she said, with cigarettes sold alongside chewing tobacco and cheap, hand-rolled smokes known as bidis.
The easy availability and wide choice means many smokers get hooked at a young age. Some are initiated early through the common, cultural practice of chewing something called gutka, which combines tobacco with spices, lime and betel nut and is widely sold as a mouth freshener.
In this Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016 photo, packets of various tobacco products hang from a kiosk in New Delhi, India. India wants scary photos of rotting lungs and mouth tumors covering packets sold in the country. Putting pictorial warnings on cigarette packets is an attempt to educate people about the risks. Still, national drives to discourage smoking and cut back tobacco sales haven't done enough, campaigners say. Smoking-related deaths are still rising worldwide, with 80 percent of them expected to occur in developing country populations by 2030. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Putting pictorial warnings on cigarette packets is an attempt to educate people about the risks.
Officials: South Carolina deputy shoots, kills armed suspect
BEECH ISLAND, S.C. (AP) A South Carolina deputy shot and killed a suspect who had threatened to kill someone over the weekend, authorities said.
Deputies were called shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday to a gas station in Beech Island about a man with a gun who was threatening to shoot someone pumping gas, an Aiken County sheriff's report said.
By the time deputies arrived, the suspect had left in a recreational vehicle, Capt. Eric Abdullah said in a news release.
A short time later, a homeowner in Beech Island called about a man in an RV with a handgun who threatened to shoot him.
Deputies arrived and found "the suspect in the driveway brandishing weapons," Abdullah said.
Deputy Sylvester Young reported that the suspect had two guns and refused several times to drop the weapons. When the man raised the guns, Young fired one shot, hitting the suspect in the chest.
Coroner Tim Carlton said in a statement Monday morning that the suspect was Joel B. Keenan, 43, of New Ellenton. An autopsy was planned Monday in Newberry, the coroner said.
Young has been placed on leave while the State Law Enforcement Division investigates the shooting, Abdullah said. Young has been with the department since December 2014.
Keenan was white and the deputy is black, Abdullah and SLED spokesman Thom Berry said.
UN climate chief: No doubt world will shift to low emissions
MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) Climate negotiators started work Monday on implementing the Paris Agreement on global warming amid uncertainty over how the U.S. election will impact the landmark deal as temperatures and greenhouse gases soar to new heights.
U.N. climate chief Patricia Espinosa told delegates in the rain-soaked Moroccan city of Marrakech that "no politician or citizen, no business manager or investor" can doubt that the world is determined to shift toward a "low-emission, resilient society."
So far, 100 countries have formally joined the agreement adopted last year in Paris, including top polluters China, the United States, the European Union and India.
U.N. climate chief Patricia Espinosa delivers her speech during the opening session of the Climate Conference in Marrakech, Morocco, Monday Nov. 7, 2016. Climate negotiators have started work on implementing the Paris pact on global warming amid uncertainty over how the U.S. election will impact the landmark deal as temperatures and greenhouse gases soar to new heights. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
However, U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said he would "cancel" the deal if he wins the election this week. His opponent, Hillary Clinton, backs the climate policies of President Barack Obama's government.
The upcoming election seemed to be on everyone's mind at the start of the two-week conference in Marrakech, where even security guards at the sprawling conference center were overheard discussing the potential implications for the world and efforts to fight climate change in particular.
"Trump becoming President? I personally don't have problem with it. But what does the guy want to do?" said Adjo Bokon, a delegate from the West African nation of Togo. "Is he conscious of what is going on with climate change?"
Gabriela Fischerova, a Slovak official representing the European Union, said the 28-nation bloc is "open to any result. We will continue our discussions with any administration that will be in place."
The Paris Agreement marks the first time all countries have pledged to fight global warming by curbing the rise in greenhouse gas emissions, primarily carbon dioxide from fossil fuels.
The U.N. says global emissions rise every year, reaching 52.7 billion tons in 2014, primarily driven by the rapid expansion of China, India and other Asian economies.
Meanwhile, global average temperatures keep hitting new records. Last year was the hottest since reliable record-keeping began in the 19th century and this year is expected to be even hotter.
On a per-capita basis, rich countries like the United States, Australia and oil-rich Gulf nations, have the highest emissions.
"The wealthiest countries live as if there were three planets," said French Environment Minister Segolene Royal. Meanwhile, poor countries in Africa who have contributed very little to the problem are suffering the consequences with fertile land turning into desert, she said.
Delegates will meet for two weeks in the Moroccan city to work on the rules for implementing the Paris deal, including how to measure and report emissions so that countries can be held accountable.
The goal of the agreement is to keep the global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) compared with pre-industrial times, and "pursue efforts" to try to hold it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The lower threshold was introduced on demand from vulnerable countries such as low-lying island nations who fear they will be washed away by rising seas as global warming melts glaciers and ice sheets.
Temperatures have already risen about 1 degree C (1.8 degrees F) since the industrial revolution and analyses of the emissions cuts that countries have pledged so far show they put the world on a path to about 3 degrees C (5.4 degrees F) of warming.
"Decisions made in the next few years will largely determine if we're able to achieve the 1.5 C warming threshold agreed in Paris," said Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Peru's former environment minister who now leads environmental group WWF International's work on climate change. "Or if we take the unthinkable option of blowing right past it."
Bosnian police arrest suspect related to Vucic investigation
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) Bosnian Serb police say they have arrested a man suspected of being linked to weapons found recently near the home of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic's parents.
Police said Monday they arrested the suspect in Banjaluka, on request of the Serbian police. He is suspected of owning and trading in illegal weapons and explosives.
The suspect was handed over to the Bosnian state prosecution for extradition.
Serbian police last month found a large cache of weapons near the parents' house outside Belgrade.
Israel sentences Palestinian teen attacker to 12 years
JERUSALEM (AP) An Israeli court has sentenced a Palestinian teen to 12 years in prison for stabbing two Israelis last year.
The teen, whose name is barred from publication, was 13 at the time. The Israelis were 20 and 13. The sentence was delivered Monday.
The attack was among the most sensational during the current wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Security camera footage appeared to show the teen and his 15-year-old cousin wielding knives and chasing a man, and later stabbing an Israeli boy as he got on his bicycle outside a candy shop. Police then fatally shot the cousin and a passing car ran over the teen.
Prince Charles sees remote UAE island by dune buggy, boat
BU TINAH ISLAND, United Arab Emirates (AP) Britain's Prince Charles crisscrossed the United Arab Emirates on Monday, traveling to both a remote island in the Persian Gulf and a historic fort in the country's east for a night of classical music.
The Prince of Wales first flew by helicopter to Bu Tinah island, an archipelago 150 kilometers (90 miles) off of Abu Dhabi's west coast. While there, he rode in a dune buggy, examined pearls in oysters and took a boat ride to look at the native wildlife.
Returning later to Abu Dhabi, the prince visited Masdar City, a government-backed clean energy campus on the capital's outskirts. Meanwhile, his wife Camilla visited the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital.
Britain's Prince Charles sits in front of a dune buggy during a visit to Bu Tinah Island, at the center of the UNESCO Marawah Protected Marine Area on the Persian Gulf, about 105 miles, (170 km) west of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
After sunset, the royal couple reunited for a trip to Al Ain's historic Al Jahili Fort, built in 1891 to defend the city's palm groves.
There, they met Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Sheikh Mohammed is one the seven-sheikhdom nation's most-important rulers. Abu Dhabi's ruler and the UAE's president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has been rarely seen since suffering a stroke in 2014.
While at the fort, all those gathered listened to a performance from students from the UAE's Center for Musical Arts along with two musicians from the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Prince Charles and Camilla will travel to Bahrain on Tuesday, the last leg of their weeklong three-nation tour of the Gulf after earlier visiting Oman.
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Britain's Prince Charles sits in front of a dune buggy as he visits Bu Tinah Island, at the center of the UNESCO Marawah Protected Marine Area on the Persian Gulf, about 105 miles, (170 km) west of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Britain's Prince Charles looks through a telescope as he visits Bu Tinah Island, at the center of the UNESCO Marawah Protected Marine Area on the Persian Gulf, about 105 miles, (170 km) west of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Britain's Prince Charles looks through a telescope as he visits Bu Tinah Island, at the center of the UNESCO Marawah Protected Marine Area on the Persian Gulf, about 105 miles, (170 km) west of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Britain's Prince Charles sits in the back of a boat during a visit to Bu Tinah Island, at the center of the UNESCO Marawah Protected Marine Area on the Persian Gulf, about 105 miles, (170 km) west of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Britain's Prince Charles shakes hands with rangers after he arrives at the Bu Tinah Island, at the center of the UNESCO Marawah Protected Marine Area on the Persian Gulf, about 105 miles, (170 km) west of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
A boat carrying Britain's Prince Charles approaches a group of birds during his visit to Bu Tinah Island, at the center of the UNESCO Marawah Protected Marine Area on the Persian Gulf, about 105 miles, (170 km) west of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Britain's Prince Charles arrives to Masdar City in an electric car, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Britain's Prince Charles talks to Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and a member of the UAE Federal Cabinet, after his arrival Britain's Prince Charles visits Masdar City, a planned project which relies on sustainable energy, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Britain's Prince Charles visits Masdar City, a planned project which relies on sustainable energy, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Britain's Prince Charles is briefed by a staff member at the UNESCO Marawah Protected Marine Area on the Persian Gulf, on Bu Tinah Island, about 105 miles, (170 km) west of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Philippines says it has resumed patrols at disputed shoal
MANILA, Philippines (AP) The Philippine coast guard said Monday it has resumed patrols at a shoal at the center of a territorial dispute with China using two vessels, including one supplied by Japan.
Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said the patrol boats were deployed to Scarborough Shoal last week. The Philippines plans to conduct regular patrols of those waters off the country's northwest, he said.
Balilo refused to provide other details, including how close the Philippine vessels got to Scarborough, a rich fishing area where Chinese coast guard ships continue to keep watch.
One of the Philippine patrol boats was a 40-meter (132-foot) multipurpose vessel from Japan that was officially commissioned by the coast guard last month. Japan is to provide nine more vessels in the next two years.
China took control of the shoal in 2012 after a tense standoff with Philippine government ships, which withdrew in compliance with a U.S.-brokered arrangement that Filipino officials say China then reneged on. China blocked Filipinos from fishing at the shoal, prompting then President Benigno Aquino III to take the dispute to international arbitration.
Filipino fishermen regained access to the shoal after Aquino's successor, Rodrigo Duterte, began to mend strained relations and met Chinese officials in Beijing last month.
Philippine militants say they abducted German, killed woman
MANILA, Philippines (AP) A German kidnapped by Somali pirates eight years ago may now be held captive by Islamic militants in the southern Philippines, the country's military said Monday after finding the man's yacht and a woman's body inside.
Regional military spokesman Maj. Filemon Tan said Abu Sayyaf spokesman Muamar Askali claimed the militants kidnapped Jurgen Gustav Kantner and killed his female companion while the couple were cruising off neighboring Malaysia's Sabah state.
It's not clear why the woman was purportedly killed, but it's possible she may have fought back or tried to escape, Tan and another military official said.
In this photo provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command (WESMINCOM) and authorized for distribution by Army Maj. Filemon Tan Jr. Monday, Nov. 7, 2016, Philippine Navy board the yacht marked "Rockall" after being found abandoned off the Sulu Sea in southern Philippines over the weekend. The Philippine military is verifying a claim by Abu Sayyaf militants that they have kidnapped a German man from the yacht and shot and killed his female companion, whose suspected body was found on the abandoned boat, military officials said Monday. Regional military spokesman Maj. Filemon Tan said Abu Sayyaf spokesman Muamar Askali had claimed the militants kidnapped Juegen Kantner and killed his companion while the couple were cruising off neighboring Malaysia's Sabah state. (WESMINCOM via AP)
Villagers reported finding a dead woman lying beside a shotgun on board a light blue yacht with the German flag and marked "Rockall" off Laparan Island in Sulu province, Tan said. The southern province is where ransom-seeking militants have held many hostages in jungle camps.
Kantner, 69, and his wife were reportedly kidnapped off Somalia on board the Rockall in 2008 and later freed by Somali pirates, Tan said. Authorities did not know whether the woman kidnapped in Somalia is the same woman who was killed.
Troops took custody of the woman's body and the yacht Monday. Both were being examined by police investigators in Tawi Tawi province near Sulu, the military's Western Mindanao Command said in a statement.
"Alarming is that the body found was naked and had several contusions to the face and was possibly raped," the military said.
In Berlin, Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said German authorities were working with their Philippine counterparts to learn what happened.
"We can and will confirm such reports ... only when German consular employees have really established without doubt, with their own eyes and ears or by other means, that they are correct," Schaefer said. "We're not there yet."
The Abu Sayyaf, which is blacklisted by the U.S. and the Philippines as a terrorist organization, holds more than a dozen foreign and local hostages.
Abu Sayyaf and allied gunmen have committed many attacks at sea despite efforts by the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia to jointly shore up security along their busy sea border. Indonesians and Malaysians have been kidnapped from tugboats and fishing boats in recent months.
Indonesia's Foreign Ministry confirmed receiving information about the separate kidnappings of two Indonesian skippers of vessels off Sabah over the weekend, saying it was in touch with Malaysian and Philippine government officials about the latest abductions.
Indonesia's government has urged Indonesian crewmen in Sabah to avoid sailing in the risky waters until security has improved, the ministry said.
The kidnappings have continued despite one of the largest military offensives against Abu Sayyaf, mainly in Sulu and the nearby island province of Basilan, involving more than 6,000 troops, navy gunboats and rocket-firing air force aircraft.
Without a known foreign source of funds, Abu Sayyaf has survived mostly on ransom kidnappings, extortion and other acts of banditry.
A confidential Philippine government threat assessment report seen by The Associated Press said the militants pocketed at least 353 million pesos ($7.3 million) from ransom kidnappings in the first six months of the year and have turned to abductions of foreign tugboat crewmen as military offensives restricted their mobility.
Anticipating that the Abu Sayyaf may soon demand ransom for the German, Tan appealed for people to follow the Philippine government's no-ransom policy.
"If we give in to ransom, a greater damage will be done. They can use the money to buy arms and to feed their bandits and that will fuel again the tendency for them to kidnap," Tan said. "It becomes a lucrative business."
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who took office June 30, has ordered troops to destroy the Abu Sayyaf and has ruled out the possibility of any peace talks with them. He has pursued talks with two other larger Muslim insurgent groups.
The government report said the Abu Sayyaf had 481 fighters with 438 firearms in the first half of the year, but the military reported last week that it had killed 70 of the militants and captured 32 others since July in Basilan and Sulu, a Muslim province about 950 kilometers (590 miles) south of Manila.
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AP writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
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This story has been corrected to show the man allegedly kidnapped is Jurgen Gustav Kantner, not Juegen Kantner.
In this photo provided by Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command (WESMINCOM) and authorized for distribution by Army Maj. Filemon Tan Jr. Monday, Nov. 7, 2016, Philippine Navy crew board a yacht named "Rockall" after being found abandoned off the Sulu Sea in southern Philippines over the weekend. The Philippine military is verifying a claim by Abu Sayyaf militants that they have kidnapped a German man from the yacht and shot and killed his female companion, whose suspected body was found in the abandoned boat in the southern Philippines, military officials said Monday. Regional military spokesman Maj. Filemon Tan said Abu Sayyaf spokesman Muamar Askali had claimed the militants kidnapped Juegen Kantner and killed his companion while the couple were cruising off neighboring Malaysia's Sabah state. (WESMINCOM via AP)
Israel to miss French peace conference, wants direct talks
JERUSALEM (AP) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel will not attend an international French-sponsored conference aimed at resolving the conflict with the Palestinians reiterating his position that direct talks should resume between the sides.
Netanyahu's emissaries stated his position on peace talks to French Envoy Pierre Vimont on Monday, his office said in a statement.
It said they told Vimont "true progress in the peace process ... will come only through direct negotiations ... any other initiative only pushes the region further away from this process."
Vimont was told that Israel will not participate in the French conference scheduled for the end of the year, it said.
U.S.-mediated peace talks collapsed in 2014.
Netanyahu has repeatedly called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to meet for direct negotiations.
Abbas has refused unless Israel ends settlement construction and conducts a prisoner release that Netanyahu canceled.
The Palestinians have welcomed the French proposal.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat met with Vimont later in the day.
Islamic extremists attack near Mali capital, no dead
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) An official in Malia says that Islamic extremists attacked a town about 150 kilometers (93 miles) north of Bamako, the closest attack to the capital since March.
Amadou Sangho, spokesman for the interior security ministry, said Monday that no one was killed in the attack by assailants who entered and escaped Banamba in three vehicles Sunday.
A Malian soldier says the Macina Liberation Front was responsible for the attack on the national guard and gendarmerie posts. The soldier, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not permitted to speak to press, says jihadis also broke into a bank and a jail.
AUA flight to Kosovo makes unscheduled landing in Belgrade
VIENNA (AP) An Austrian Airlines spokesman says that a flight from Vienna to Kosovo made an unscheduled landing in Belgrade after the crew noticed vibrations in one of the two engines.
Wilhelm Baldia says the Fokker 100, flight OS769 to Pristina, landed in the Serbian capital instead on Sunday.
Judge accepts charges against Neymar over Barcelona transfer
MADRID (AP) Neymar could be back in court, this time on corruption charges.
A Spanish judge on Monday accepted charges against Neymar for irregularities regarding his transfer to Barcelona, opening the way for a trial involving the Brazilian forward and his parents.
Barcelona club president Josep Maria Bartomeu and former president Sandro Rosell are also set to stand trial after a complaint brought by Brazilian investment group DIS, which was entitled to 40 percent of Neymar's transfer from Brazilian club Santos in 2013 but said it received a smaller compensation because part of the transfer fee was concealed.
Barcelona's Neymar sits on the pitch during their La Liga soccer match between Sevilla and Barcelona at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, in Seville, Spain on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Miguel Morenatti)
Fraud charges were accepted against Barcelona, Santos and a former president of the Brazilian club.
With Monday's ruling by National Court judge Jose de la Mata, prosecutors will have 10 days to formalize their request for a trial.
The ruling was expected after prosecutors won an appeal to keep the case alive two months ago. De la Mata had shelved the complaint by DIS earlier this year, but a group of judges ruled that there was enough evidence to reopen the case.
Neymar and his father, who acts as the player's agent, appeared in a Madrid court in February to defend themselves. All other parties being accused by prosecutors also have denied wrongdoing.
In June, Barcelona paid a fine of 5.5 million euros ($6.1 million) to settle a separate case brought by Spain's tax authorities. In that agreement, the club acknowledged it made "an error in the fiscal planning of the player's transfer."
Barcelona said the price of Neymar's transfer was 57.1 million euros ($63.6 million), with Santos receiving 17.1 million euros ($19 million). Prosecutors said the total amount paid by the Spanish club to Santos was 25.1 million euros ($27.9 million), meaning DIS would be entitled to an additional 3.2 million euros ($3.5 million).
Prosecutors said the difference comes from payments made by Barcelona for the future acquisitions of other players, as well as partnerships for friendly matches between the clubs.
According to court documents, DIS paid 5 million reals (1.4 million euros; $1.5 million) for its 40 percent of Neymar's rights in 2009.
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PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe signs new contract until 2012
PARIS (AP) Paris Saint-Germain defender Presnel Kimpembe has signed a three-year contract extension until 2021.
The 21-year-old center back has progressed through the youth ranks at PSG and has made seven league appearances so far this season.
His impressive performances also earned him a call up to the France squad, although he has yet to win his first cap.
NATO official: Alliance seeks dialogue, deterrence on Crimea
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) A top NATO official says the alliance wants to engage Russia in dialogue despite concern about Moscow's military buildup in Crimea.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller said Monday the alliance was "very concerned" that Russia has "clearly been refurbishing military capabilities" since it annexed the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
The foreign ministers of NATO's eastern flank members are scheduled to meet in Bucharest on Tuesday to discuss regional security.
Gottemoeller says NATO is "ready for dialogue with Russia in a serious way," but favors a dual strategy that also provides for "deterrence and defense."
Bucket list trip to Bora Bora: It's not just for celebrities
BORA BORA, French Polynesia (AP) Somehow I convinced my husband that the fifth wedding anniversary is the Tahitian anniversary. The traditional gift, actually, is wood.
For years, I had dreamed of going to Bora Bora in French Polynesia. The lagoon's glimmering turquoise, jade and cobalt blue waters, the overwater bungalows, the seclusion for me, it was the ultimate bucket list destination.
Some of the world's most famous celebrities vacation in Bora Bora. Jennifer Aniston honeymooned there. Pictures of Justin Bieber swimming naked in Bora Bora circulated far and wide online last year. Usain Bolt celebrated his Olympic victories there in September.
In this Nov. 4, 2015 photo, kayakers head out on the water from Le Meridien resort in Bora Bora. Bora Bora offers celebrity-style seclusion and has been a vacation destination for the likes of Justin Bieber, Jennifer Aniston and Usain Bolt. It's located 160 miles from Tahiti with a balmy and relatively consistent temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. (AP Photo/Jennifer McDermott)
That doesn't mean normal couples can't go too if they can afford it, of course. Our trip for a week, including flights and our hotel stay (with breakfast), cost just under $10,000.
My husband and I spent a week lounging on the deck of our bungalow at Le Meridien Bora Bora. We woke early to catch brilliant orange and pink sunrises. We got up close and personal with sea creatures, from moray eels and trumpetfish to sea turtles, sharks and stingrays. We discovered that the saying heard in pearl shops, "You don't choose the pearl, the pearl chooses you" is surprisingly true. Most of all, we tried to relax and take it all in.
Bora Bora, located about 160 miles (260 kilometers) northwest of Tahiti, was formed by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. Mount Otemanu, a remnant of the volcano, rises nearly 2,400 feet (730 meters) on the island and serves as the backdrop of many photos.
About 9,000 people live in Bora Bora. The temperature is a relatively consistent 80 F (27 C).
The island is set in a lagoon and surrounded by a string of motus, or small islets, where luxury resorts are located. The colors are stunning. A friend said my photo looked like a watercolor painting.
We flew to Los Angeles, where many U.S. flights to Tahiti converge. From Los Angeles, it's about an eight-hour overnight flight to Papeete, Tahiti. It's less than an hour by plane from there to Bora Bora. Then it's a short boat ride to the main city, Vaitape, or to one of the luxury resorts. We didn't need vaccinations or a visa.
Our overwater bungalow faced outward to the lagoon, which we requested when booking. Others are turned in, toward the resort. It featured a glass floor for fish watching and a spiral staircase for climbing into the lagoon.
We splurged on massages early in the week, before our pale skin turned a reddish hue, and we fed baby sea turtles at the Turtle Center established at Le Meridien. We took the hotel's boat to The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort to dine at the exclusive Lagoon restaurant by acclaimed French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and to check out the lavish bungalows with private swimming pools over the lagoon.
We tried paddle boarding. Then we tried snorkeling to find the sunglasses we lost while paddle boarding. Adventurous couples buzzed around the island on jet skis.
Feeling adventurous ourselves, we signed up for a snorkeling trip to swim with stingrays and sharks. There are so many stingrays there, you feel their slick, rubbery bodies hitting your legs. One is an older, docile stingray the guides call "grandma." Our guide from Teiva Tours lifted grandma and kissed it on the mouth!
But when the guides started "chumming" the waters with fish parts to draw blacktip sharks, we climbed back into the boat. The sharks were much more interested in the fish than in us, but we weren't taking any chances of a misdirected chomp. In deeper waters, we snorkeled at the surface as 9-foot (3-meter) lemon sharks glided along the bottom.
We also spent a day in Vaitape. There's a center where locals sell their crafts, a small marketplace to stock up on sunscreen, juice and inexpensive French wine, and a cafe. The mountainside is home to cannons left behind by U.S. forces during World War II.
The main thing we did though, was shop for Tahitian pearls. We were leaving one of the stores when I caught a glimpse of a pair of green pearl earrings. I walked away but no other pearl could compare, so we returned at the end of the day to buy the pearl that chose me.
There's a must-visit spot along the coastline, about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the city center: Bloody Mary's, a funky restaurant known for its seafood and celebrity visits. I enjoyed the restaurant's signature plate of teriyaki wahoo and the house drink, a Bloody Mary of course, while my husband loved trying meka, a broadbill swordfish found in the South Pacific. By the entrance there's a long list of famous people who have dined there.
At the hotel, we ended the week as we began. We lounged on the deck, telling each other how unbelievable it was that we got to see such beauty in person and check Bora Bora off the bucket list.
This Oct. 31, 2016 photo shows a view of the lagoon and bungalows at Le Meridien resort in Bora Bora. Bora Bora offers celebrity-style seclusion and has been a vacation destination for the likes of Justin Bieber, Jennifer Aniston and Usain Bolt. It's located 160 miles from Tahiti with a balmy and relatively consistent temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. (AP Photo/Jennifer McDermott)
In this Nov. 3, 2015 photo, a moray eel and a variety of fish are pictured at the Turtle Center at Le Meridien resort in Bora Bora. Bora Bora offers celebrity-style seclusion and has been a vacation destination for the likes of Justin Bieber, Jennifer Aniston and Usain Bolt. It's located 160 miles from Tahiti with a balmy and relatively consistent temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. (AP Photo/Jennifer McDermott)
In this Oct. 30, 2015 photo, the sun rises over the lagoon in Bora Bora, as a kayaker passes by. Bora Bora offers celebrity-style seclusion and has been a vacation destination for the likes of Justin Bieber, Jennifer Aniston and Usain Bolt. It's located 160 miles from Tahiti with a balmy and relatively consistent temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. (AP Photo/Jennifer McDermott)
This Nov. 2, 2016 photo shows tourists snorkeling in the lagoon in Bora Bora as part of a tour. Bora Bora offers celebrity-style seclusion and has been a vacation destination for the likes of Justin Bieber, Jennifer Aniston and Usain Bolt. It's located 160 miles from Tahiti with a balmy and relatively consistent temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. (AP Photo/Jennifer McDermott)
This Oct. 30, 2016 photo shows a view of the beach, lagoon and bungalows at Le Meridien resort in Bora Bora. Bora Bora offers celebrity-style seclusion and has been a vacation destination for the likes of Justin Bieber, Jennifer Aniston and Usain Bolt. It's located 160 miles from Tahiti with a balmy and relatively consistent temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. (AP Photo/Jennifer McDermott)
In this Nov. 1, 2016 photo a couple strolls along the sidewalk next to the beach at Le Meridien resort in Bora Bora. Bora Bora offers celebrity-style seclusion and has been a vacation destination for the likes of Justin Bieber, Jennifer Aniston and Usain Bolt. It's located 160 miles from Tahiti with a balmy and relatively consistent temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. (AP Photo/Jennifer McDermott)
Justice Dept. to dispatch more than 500 staffers to polls
WASHINGTON (AP) The Justice Department said Monday it will send more than 500 staffers to 28 states on Election Day to monitor the polls, a 35 percent reduction in personnel from the number four years ago.
The staffers will be dispatched to 67 jurisdictions to watch for potential civil rights violations, such as discrimination on the basis of race.
The announcement comes amid rising concerns about voter intimidation, particularly aimed at minorities.
A line of early voters waits outside the Franklin County Board of Elections, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. Heavy turnout has caused long lines as voters take advantage of their last opportunity to vote before election day. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
The number of personnel is fewer than the roughly 780 monitors and observers who were dispatched during the 2012 presidential election. The Justice Department has said its poll-watching presence has been curtailed by a 2013 Supreme Court opinion that gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Acts. That decision has led to a reduction in trained observers, who enjoy unfettered access to the polls and cannot be removed from the sites.
Even so, the Justice Department said it was still sending staffers to five more states than it did during the 2012 election.
Most of the more than 500 staffers will be monitors, who rely on the cooperation of local officials to do their jobs. Observers in this election are limited to a handful of jurisdictions around the country where federal court orders are in place that authorize their presence.
Justice Department officials say they hope voters will not detect any difference in the federal presence.
"In most cases, voters on the ground will see very little practical difference between monitors and observers," Vanita Gupta, head of the department's Civil Rights Division, said in a statement. "We work closely and cooperatively with jurisdictions around the country to ensure that trained personnel are able to keep an eye on the proceedings from an immediate vantage point."
Among the states receiving federal monitors are those that have changed their voting rights laws since the last general election, or that are seen as more likely to experience problems on Tuesday. The Justice Department listed five counties each in North Carolina and Florida where staff will be sent.
"The department is deeply committed to the fair and unbiased application of our voting rights laws and we will work tirelessly to ensure that every eligible person that wants to do so is able to cast a ballot," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement.
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Mosul Today: Iraqi Kurdish forces advance, mass grave found
BAGHDAD (AP) Iraqi Kurdish fighters exchanged heavy fire with militants early on Monday as they advanced from two directions into a town held by the Islamic State group east of the city of Mosul. Meanwhile, troops advancing south of Mosul discovered a mass grave with some 100 decapitated bodies.
Here is a look at the main developments on the 21st day of the Mosul Offensive:
PUSH FROM THE EAST
Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers fire artillery at Islamic State positions in Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. Iraqi Kurdish fighters exchanged heavy fire with IS militants early on Monday as they advanced from two directions on a town held by the Islamic State group east of the city of Mosul. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
The offensive to reclaim the town of Bashiqa is part of the broader push to drive IS out of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city and the militants' last major urban stronghold in the country.
Combat began at dawn with a Kurdish barrage of heavy artillery, Katyusha rockets and mortar rounds slamming into IS positions, providing cover for the advance of armored columns.
Smoke rose from town throughout the day, with large explosions sending dark clouds into the sky.
MASS GRAVE FOUND
On Mosul's southern front, Iraqi soldiers were advancing into Hamam al-Alil, some 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the city center. Private broadcaster Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen showed images of soldiers hoisting the Iraqi flag on a rooftop in the town.
Army spokesman Brig. Firas Bashar said the city had been retaken, although fighting still continued and other reports said that IS fighters remained in several areas.
IN MOSUL, TROOPS QUESTION CIVILIANS
As Iraqi forces struggle to solidify gains in neighborhoods in eastern Mosul, more and more civilians are fleeing the city. At a checkpoint on the edge of Gogjali, Mosul's easternmost neighborhood, civilians fleeing Mosul were screened to catch any IS fighters who may be hiding among them. Since Iraqi forces first pushed into the eastern edge of the city last Tuesday, dozens of people have been arrested.
At the checkpoint, men were waiting for their names to be screened by a pair of informants from the area and multiple Iraqi government databases. Women and children waited further back from the road in the shade of an abandoned building.
U.N. SENDING EMERGENCY AID TEAMS
Meanwhile, the U.N. health agency said it has set up 82 "rapid response teams" to manage risks of epidemics, chemical exposure and other health worries among people fleeing Mosul.
The World Health Organization says that water and sanitation in camps for displaced people could "face disruptions" as the numbers of those who fled Mosul is growing, raising the risk of food- and water-borne diseases such as cholera. It also says that additional concerns include children who reportedly haven't been immunized since the radical Islamic State group seized control of Mosul in June 2014.
Algerian president in France for 'periodic medical care'
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has returned to a clinic in France for a routine checkup.
The president's office said that Bouteflika, 79, traveled on Monday to a clinic in Grenoble, where he was treated nearly a year ago, for "periodic medical care."
Bouteflika suffered a stroke in 2013 that has left him wheelchair-bound. His five-day stay in a Geneva clinic in April fed rumors about a new health setback.
He spent time in a Grenoble clinic, in southeast France, last December.
Jennifer Aniston says she's not 'a sad, childless human'
Jennifer Aniston says she spoke out against tabloid culture because she "has worked too hard in this life and this career to be whittled down to a sad, childless human."
The 47-year-old actress explained in an interview with Marie Claire her reasons for writing an op-ed in July, saying her marital status, divorce status and lack of a mate have all been "shamed." She questioned, "Why are we only looking at women through this particular lens of picking us apart?"
Aniston is now married to actor Justin Theroux.
FILE - In this April 13, 2016, file photo, Jennifer Aniston arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Mother's Day." In an interview for the Dec. 2016 issue of Marie Claire magazine, Aniston said says she spoke out on shaming in a Huffington Post op-ed in July 2016 because she has worked too hard in this life and this career to be whittled down to a sad, childless human." (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
Lebanese President receives Iranian Foreign Minister
BEIRUT (AP) Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday became the first foreign minister to visit newly appointed Lebanese President Michel Aoun, underscoring the ties between Iran and Aoun's Hezbollah-backed presidency. The Shiite militant group and predominantly Shiite Iran are close allies.
Speaking alongside his Lebanese counterpart, Zarif said recent political developments in Lebanon can be the key to breaking the deadlock in wars in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
Aoun's appointment by Lebanon's parliament broke a 29-month impasse that saw the country's two main political blocs, one backed by Saudi Arabia and the other by its regional rival Iran, sabotaging 45 successive attempts to select a president.
Lebanon's newly elected President Michel Aoun, right, meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Iran's local allies are arrayed against Saudi Arabia's allies in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq.
"We believe that this unique Lebanese experience can be the key to break the political deadlock in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, in conjunction with the fight against terrorism," said Zarif.
Aoun also received Syrian state minister Mansour Azzam on Monday. Hezbollah is fighting alongside Syrian president Bashar Assad's forces in the neighboring country's civil war.
Zarif is accompanied on his visit by an economic delegation as Lebanon and Iran hope to broaden their markets together. Iran is emerging from international economic sanctions regime after a landmark nuclear agreement with world powers was reached in 2015, while Lebanon is looking to revitalize its own lagging economy following two and a half years of political crisis.
Zarif meets with Saudi-backed Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri Tuesday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, background, listens to his Lebanese counterpart Gibran Bassil, foreground, during a joint press conference, in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. Zarif is in Beirut for two visit to congratulate newly elected president Michel Aoun and to meet with other Lebanese officials. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Lebanese Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil, right, speaks during a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, left, in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. Zarif is in Beirut for two visit to congratulate newly elected president Michel Aoun and to meet with other Lebanese officials. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Lebanese Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil, left, meets with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. Zarif is in Beirut for two visit to congratulate newly elected president Michel Aoun and to meet with other Lebanese officials. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, left, shakes hands with his Lebanese counterpart Gibran Bassil, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. Zarif is in Beirut for two visit to congratulate newly elected president Michel Aoun and to meet with other Lebanese officials. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Election Day looms, but voters already heading to the polls
When voter Betsy Winsett cast an early ballot for Hillary Clinton, she did so with as much exhaustion as exhilaration. "I am so ready for this to be over," Winsett, a semi-retired business owner in Del Mar, California, said.
And though John Barnes, an Albuquerque, New Mexico, retiree, would disagree vehemently with her politics, he seconds the sentiment. Regardless of what happens Tuesday, Barnes, who voted early for Donald Trump, said that he'll stay mad at a neighbor who's a Clinton supporter for just one day.
"Then, we all have to move on," he said.
A line of early voters waits outside the Franklin County Board of Elections, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. Heavy turnout has caused long lines as voters take advantage of their last opportunity to vote before election day. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
The campaign for the White House seemingly interminable and bitterly divisive has at last reached the eve of decision-making. But across the country, Winsett, Barnes and millions of other Americans continue to arrive at early polling sites, determined to play their part, despite misgivings about the outcome.
In Wakarusa, Kansas, machine operator Edwin Sedam said his experience as a Marine in Afghanistan was central to his decision Monday to vote for Trump.
"I've seen good men killed..., maimed. I've seen young kids come home completely screwed up," and some candidates, he said without naming them, have allowed service personnel to "die needlessly... That's greatly influenced how I'm going to vote because it hits home for me."
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, though, Russell Allen, a 22-year veteran of the Navy, said he voted for Clinton because he believes she would be better at keeping the country safe and working with U.S. allies.
"I feel like she has the background, she has the experience, she has the ability to reach across to our allies in Europe and around the world to keep our country safe, and I don't believe that the other candidate has that ability, nor do I trust him to create those kinds of unions," Allen said.
By Monday, at least 43.2 million people had cast early ballots by mail or at polling stations, according to Associated Press data, with records in 23 states and the District of Columbia.
The heavy turnout was evident Monday in a number of places, including Bismarck, North Dakota, where waits of an hour or more at the county's only early polling precinct convinced some voters to give up and make plans to return Tuesday.
"I thought I could come today and save time," said Natalie Krein, 42, a retail manager who was willing to wait. "I'm really surprised by the turnout."
Many early voters explained choices based not just on support for one candidate, but rejection of the other.
"I was anti-Trump because I can't support someone who has promoted hate," said Roz Booker, 56, a Clinton backer in Tallahassee, Florida who joined members of her church Sunday at a "Souls to the Polls" event to promote turnout.
Danessa Decosta, 20, of Albuquerque, said she voted for Trump "just because I don't agree with Hillary's (position on) abortion and her lies."
The split in public opinion, and the animosity the campaign has fueled, won't be easily resolved, said Michelle Broadnax, 48, a teacher and entrepreneur in Sacramento.
"The division is real. And so I'm really curious to see what and how America's going to get past this," said Broadnax who voted early for Clinton last week. "How do we come back together again, and how do we heal after so much?"
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Associated Press writers Russell Contreras in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jonathan Cooper in Sacramento, Gary Fineout in Tallahassee, Florida, John Hanna in Wakarusa, Kansas, James MacPherson in Bismarck, North Dakota and Julie Watson in Del Mar, California contributed to this story.
A line of early voters wait in queue at the Franklin County Board of Elections, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. Heavy turnout has caused long lines as voters take advantage of their last opportunity to vote before election day. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Edwin Sedam of Wakarusa, Kansas poses for a photo Monday, Nov. 7, 2016 inTopeka, Kan. Sedam said his experience as a Marine in Afghanistan was central to his decision to vote for Trump. (AP Photo/John Hanna)
Review: In Verhoeven's 'Elle,' an inferno of lust
"Inverted flame combustion." That's the kind of heat generated by a self-made furnace that makes a late cameo in Paul Verhoeven's highly flammable "Elle," a violently dark comedy in which passion and cruelty burn together in the same perverted, masochistic fire.
It begins startlingly, to say the least, with the muffled screams of rape. The noises have ceased when Verhoeven's camera first reveals a masked man, clad in black, standing up from the woman he has just assaulted on her floor. A cat quietly watches.
Other films might follow such an abrasive starting point with tears, revenge or justice. But the woman, Michele Leblanc (Isabelle Huppert) we later learn is her name, catches her breath once her assailant has fled. She sweeps up the broken glass (with her heels still on), makes herself a bath and calmly orders in sushi before a visit from her son, Vincent (Jonas Bloquet).
This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Isabelle Huppert in a scene from, "Elle." (Guy Ferrandis/Sony Pictures Classics via AP)
That Michele isn't shattered by the encounter will lose some who understandably refuse to tolerate any imagining of rape that eludes devastation. Verhoeven, rebuffed by Hollywood, took to France to tell the story, adapted by David Birke from Philippe Dijan's novel "Oh ..." The Dutch-born director of "Basic Instinct" and "RoboCop," here making his French language debut and his first feature in 10 years, has long blurred misogynist exploitation with feminist empowerment.
"I supposed I was raped," Michele later tells her friends over dinner. Everyone's jaws drop. She's ready to hear the dinner specials.
Michele is too dispassionate for victimhood or, it turns out, many other emotions. As Verhoeven coolly, masterfully unspools the pulpy, dense layers of "Elle," her character comes into relief. With her longtime best friend Anna (Anne Consigny) she runs a successful literary-minded video game company in Paris. She lords over a small army of young, nebbish men. Not days after the rape, she's lecturing them that "the orgasmic convulsions" of a demon character are "way too timid."
There is much, much more. Michele is sleeping with her best friend's husband, despite loathing him; caressing her married neighbor's crotch under the dinner table; watching in vain as her son devotes himself to his attractive but vile girlfriend; growing jealous of her ex-husband's fling; and disapproving of her botoxed mother's affair with a young man. Her mother, wounded by Michele's disgust, retorts, "You always wanted a sanitized version of life."
Sex is everywhere around Michele, and nowhere is it aroused by anything like love. "Good in bed," she says, is a phrase she never understood.
On top of all this, Michele is the daughter of a mass murderer who, when Michele was 10, slaughtered everyone in their neighborhood. With her father locked away, she too remains a figure of public hate, slandered at the time of the massacre (which culminated in setting fire to their home) by the police and press as a possible collaborator.
The twists and turns are enough to fill an especially daring season, or three, of a soap opera. And Huppert, her chin out, blazes through them all. Steely and impervious, the great French actress commands the film; no amount of kink can slow her down and perhaps it gets her going. "Elle" will make quite a double bill one day with Michael Haneke's "The Piano Teacher," another of her standouts. (She's also very good in another upcoming film, Mia Hanson-Love's "Things to Come.")
Few could pull off the unapologetically demented nature of "Elle" like Verhoeven. Where other directors would pump the breaks, Verhoeven more at home in genre than art house speeds ahead, pausing only rarely to note, dryly, the mounting absurdity. The song that plays twice in Verhoeven's film is Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life." In "Elle," the more accurate phrase might be "Lust is life."
"Elle," a Sony Pictures Classics release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for "violence involving sexual assault, disturbing sexual content, some grisly images, brief graphic nudity, and language." Running time: 130 minutes. Three stars out of four.
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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Isabelle Huppert, left, and Arthur Mazet in a scene from, "Elle." (Guy Ferrandis/Sony Pictures Classics via AP)
This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Isabelle Huppert in a scene from, "Elle." (Guy Ferrandis/Sony Pictures Classics via AP)
UN chief alarmed at 'weakening taboo' on Syria chemical use
UNITED NATIONS (AP) U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed alarm at "the weakening taboo" against using chemical weapons in Syria where the international watchdog said it is studying several recent cases of alleged use of the banned agents, according to a letter circulated Monday.
The U.N. chief said in a letter to the Security Council transmitting the monthly report from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons that he is gravely concerned that the use of chemical weapons could become "normalized in this or any conflict, present or future."
"It is imperative that those responsible for the use of chemical weapons should be held accountable," Ban told the council in the letter.
The OPCW said in its report covering the period from Sept. 23 to Oct. 22 that its fact-finding mission is studying four widely reported allegations of chemical weapons use, and is investigating the alleged use of a chemical agent in Aleppo on Aug. 2 at the request of the Syrian government.
OPCW Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu said the organization's fact-finding mission continues studying all available information of alleged chemical weapons use "with a particular focus on widely reported incidents" in the Saraqib in Idlib governorate, and three incidents in the Aleppo governorate in Aleppo city, Zubdiya, and Al Sukkari.
He did not provide details but said "the intensity of the ongoing conflict in Aleppo is a major challenge" to the mission's work.
Uzumcu said an OPCW team was sent to Damascus from Oct. 12-19 in response to the Syrian government's request to investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons on Aug. 2 in the area of Al-Awamid in Aleppo. He said it will continue to work with Syrian authorities to gather more information.
The OPCW has a mandate to carry out fact-finding missions to determine whether chemical attacks occurred in Syria, but not to determine responsibility. In September 2014, the Security Council established an international body to assign blame for chemical attacks.
That body, the Joint Investigative Mechanism, or JIM, has already determined that the Syrian government was behind three attacks involving chlorine gas and the Islamic State extremist group was responsible for one involving mustard gas.
Syria's government has been repeatedly accused by the United States and other Western countries of using chemical weapons on its own people, even after the Security Council in 2013 ordered the elimination of its chemical weapons program following an attack on a Damascus suburb that killed hundreds of civilians.
The council last year also condemned the use of toxic chemicals like chlorine after growing reports of barrel bombs filled with chlorine gas being dropped on opposition-held areas. Chlorine is widely available and not officially considered a warfare agent, but its use as a weapon is illegal.
Uzumcu said poor security has prevented the destruction of Syria's remaining declared chemical weapons production facilities. He said questions also remain over its initial declaration of its chemical holdings.
Minute by minute: The last day of the 2016 campaign
It's go time.
With hours left in the punishing 2016 presidential race, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump were in a flat-out sprint on Monday, powering through battleground states with rallies, retail stops and special guests along for the ride.
Here's a minute-by-minute look at the candidates in the final stretch (all times EST):
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton arrive at Raleigh Durham International Airport in Morrisville, N.C., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, to attend a rally. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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10:27 a.m. Clinton's plane is wheels up from White Plains, New York, en route to Pittsburgh. On the tarmac, she tells reporters, "We're just going to work until the last vote is counted."
11:05 a.m. Trump takes the stage at a rally in Sarasota, Florida. He tells the cheering crowd, "In one day we are going to win the great state of Florida, and we are going to take back the White House."
11:27 a.m. Clinton lands in Pittsburgh.
12:25 p.m. Trump's press plane is wheels up from Florida to North Carolina. (Exact departure times for Trump are unknown because he does not let the media on his plane. The press travels on a plane that typically takes off and lands either just before or just after.)
12:28 p.m. Clinton kicks off a rally in Pittsburgh where she says to voters, "Tomorrow you can vote for a hopeful, inclusive, bighearted America."
1:56 p.m. Trump's press plane is wheels down in Raleigh, North Carolina.
2:13 p.m. Clinton's plane is wheels up from Pittsburgh to Grand Rapids, Michigan.
2:55 p.m. Trump starts rally in Raleigh at an arena on the state fairgrounds. "I think it's going to be Brexit plus, plus, plus," he says.
3:03 p.m. Clinton lands in Grand Rapids, gets off the plane nearly 20 minutes later and leaves for Grand Valley State University.
3:42 p.m. Trump finishes up Raleigh rally.
4:11 p.m. Clinton takes stage in Allendale, Michigan, where she told voters she hopes that in the future they will be able to say that "you voted for a better stronger, fairer America."
4:20 p.m. Trump press plane wheels up from Raleigh to Scranton, Pennsylvania.
4:46 p.m. Clinton concludes remarks in Allendale with her rallying cry "Love Trumps hate."
5:20 p.m. Trump press plane lands in Scranton.
6:19 p.m. Trump takes stage at rally in Scranton, telling a roaring crowd, "I think we're going to blow 'em out tomorrow."
7:26 p.m. Trump press plane leaves Scranton for Manchester, New Hampshire.
7:27 p.m. Clinton plane lands in Philadelphia.
8:15 p.m. Trump press plane lands in Manchester.
8:54 p.m. Trump takes stage before a packed crowd. He's got fog machines and strobe lights. "It all began for me in New Hampshire," he says.
9:10 p.m. After musical performances by Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen and speeches by President Bill Clinton, first lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama, Clinton comes out on stage in Philadelphia. She is greeted by tens of thousands of people. "I regret deeply how angry the tone of the campaign became," Clinton says.
9:29 p.m. Clinton concludes remarks, waves at voters with her family and the Obamas.
9:36 p.m. Trump wraps up Manchester rally.
10:16 p.m. Trump press plane leaves Manchester for his final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
10:32 p.m. Clinton plane takes off from Philadelphia for Raleigh, North Carolina.
11:32 p.m. Clinton plane arrives in Raleigh.
11:44 p.m. Trump press plane arrives in Grand Rapids.
12:30 a.m. Trump takes the stage for his very last rally.
12:51 a.m. Clinton goes onstage in Raleigh after a performance by Lady Gaga.
1:05 a.m. Trump finishes his final rally of the campaign, in Grand Rapids, Michigan
1:09 a.m. Clinton finishes her final rally of the campaign, in Raleigh, North Carolina
1:50 a.m. Trump's campaign plane heads back to New York City
2:08 a.m. Clinton's plane wheels up from Raleigh en rout e to Westchester New York
3:40 a.m. Clinton is greeted by well-wishers as she lands at Westchester, walks along a rope line
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, in Grand Rapids, Mich. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton takes the stage and waves with President Barack Obama during a campaign event at Independence Mall on Monday, Nov. 7, 2016 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pumps his fist as he arrives to speak during a campaign rally, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. From back left are Eric Trump, Vanessa Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Republican vice presidential candidate Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind., Karen Pence, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Tiffany Trump. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at Lackawanna College, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016, in Scranton, Pa. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
Australian Senate rejects public vote on gay marriage
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Australia's Senate on Monday rejected a government plan to hold a public vote on recognizing gay marriage.
The Senate voted by a margin of 33 to 29 against holding the non-binding public plebiscite on same-sex marriage which Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's conservative government had planned for Feb. 11.
Marriage equality opponents had supported the plan while most gay marriage advocates had opposed it, warning it would spark a divisive public debate.
A lesbian opposition senator Penny Wong had argued against holding the plebiscite, telling parliament it would denigrate her family.
Most marriage equality advocates want Parliament to decide the issue without a public vote. The government has yet to say whether it will allow lawmakers to decide whether same-sex marriages will be recognized.
BallieBallerson Is Londons First (And Only?) Grown-Up Ball Pit Bar
Trending News: London's BallieBallerson Is A Bar With A Ball Pit -- For Adults
Long Story Short
A pop-up bar in Londons Dalston is offering adults the chance to swim around in a massive ball pit while drinking cocktails and eating all-you-can-eat portions of spaghetti and meatballs for a limited time only.
Long Story
At any childs birthday party with a ball pit, youll always catch the adults watching with scarcely hidden jealousy.
While these days its socially unacceptable to dive right in and start pelting other adults with plastic balls, none of us have truly matured beyond wanting to.
But a new pop-up bar in Dalston, London has opened to allow adults to live that guilty pleasure while getting drunk at the same time.
The excellently named BallieBallerson opened on November 4 and will run until New Years Eve, and it combines a restaurant with ball-related food like spaghetti and meatballs (or deep-fried cheese balls for vegetarians) with a mammoth ball pit of over 200,000 balls.
For the time being, customers will be allowed to drink in the pit. Retro cocktails, wine and prosecco will be served, although it remains to be seen how long it is before that policy comes to a sticky end.
Entrance to the pit is just 5 (or $6.20) and for 35 ($43) you can go the whole hog and enjoy unlimited prosecco, punch, spaghetti and meatballs on top. A recipe for childlike pleasure and (almost certain vomiting)!
The hygiene conscious can rest assured that the balls in the pit are serviced by a cleaning machine called the Gobble Muffin, which disinfects at a rate of 18,000 balls per hour.
There are also plans for weekly DJ residencies and the upstairs bar will be decorated by street artists. The concept was dreamed up by the same people who opened a pop-up bar called Django Bango in London a wild-west themed bar based on Django Unchained.
Tickets can be purchased through the website, which instead of an "About Us" section simply has a tab for "WTF," which explains: 200k balls. Funk. Techno. Bass. Throwback Cocktails.
Lets be honest, you had us at balls.
Own The Conversation
Ask The Big Question
Is drinking and a ball pit a recipe for disaster?
Drop This Fact
The first recorded ball pit was opened in Toronto in 1972 and was introduced to the United States at Sea World Ohio in 1975.
Colorado surgery tech gets 6 1/2 years for stealing drug
DENVER (AP) A surgery technician who jumped from hospital to hospital around the West after getting hooked on fentanyl while serving as a medic in Afghanistan was sentenced to 6 years in federal prison on Monday for stealing a syringe with the powerful painkiller from an operating room in suburban Denver.
Rocky Allen pleaded guilty in July to taking the syringe and leaving behind one with saline to be used on an elderly woman about to undergo surgery at Swedish Medical Center in January. The syringe wasn't used on the patient, who had already gotten a dosage of fentanyl before Allen entered the room. But the discovery of the missing drug raised fears that patients who underwent surgery at the hospital while Allen, who is HIV positive, worked there may have contracted the disease through potentially dirty needles he may have left behind.
To date, about 2,400 patients were tested, but no transmission of HIV has been found.
Allen, who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after serving a Navy medic at a hospital in Kandahar, read from a letter to U.S. District Judge Raymond Moore, apologizing for the suffering he has caused and thanking the hospital for reporting his theft to authorities, leading him to get help.
"I believed this saved my life," he said.
Allen was eligible to receive up to 14 years in prison, but federal prosecutors had asked for 10 years, partly because of his guilty plea. Allen's public defender, Timothy O'Hara, had asked for 2 years, noting that other addicts with longer criminal histories had been treated more leniently than that around the country. He also said there was only one other case where Allen was accused of leaving behind a needle for patient use at Scripps Green Hospital in San Diego, California, where he worked for 20 days in 2013.
Moore said Allen's punishment had to account for the fear of hundreds of patients confronted with the possibility of contracting HIV as well as for a pattern of concealing his previous firings amid allegations of drug thefts once back in the United States after being shown leniency for stealing drugs at the Kandahar hospital. He also noted that Swedish had to spend $800,000 to pay for patients to be tested because of Allen's theft.
The Latest: Police: Tulsa man held in California killings
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) The Latest on an arrest in the shooting deaths of a mother and her 4-year-old daughter (all times local):
1:50 p.m.
Southern California authorities say a 22-year-old man from Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been arrested in the murders of a Long Beach mother and her 4-year-old daughter.
Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna announced the arrest of Brandon Colbert at a press conference Monday afternoon.
Luna said Colbert was identified as a suspect after being matched to DNA submitted by detectives.
Investigators believe Colbert boarded a Greyhound bus from Tulsa to Los Angeles three days before the shooting on Aug. 6.
Twenty-six-year-old Carina Mancera and her daughter, Jennabel Anaya, were shot to death while walking home from grocery shopping.
No motive has been established and Luna says the investigation remains active.
Colbert has been booked into jail and police plan to present their case to Los Angeles County prosecutors on Tuesday.
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11:55 a.m.
Long Beach police say a suspect has been arrested in the shooting deaths of a mother and her 4-year-old daughter.
Spokeswoman Nancy Pratt says officials will release details at a Monday afternoon press conference.
A $40,000 reward was offered to catch the killer of 26-year-old Carina Mancera and her daughter, Jennabel Anaya.
The mother, daughter and the girl's father had been grocery shopping and were walking home Aug. 6 when a man walked up and opened fire.
May offers India more UK visas in return for deal on overstayers
Theresa May has offered a deal with India which could see more visas for the country's nationals to come to the UK in return for increased co-operation in taking back migrants who overstay their permission to remain.
But the Prime Minister gave no ground on Indian concerns over the eligibility criteria for British visas, with aides stressing that any reforms would relate to the speed, convenience and cost of the application process only.
Indian PM Narendra Modi has heaped pressure on Mrs May on the issue during her first visit to the country as Prime Minister, publicly voicing unease over restrictions on access to the UK for students and skilled workers.
Prime Minister Theresa May and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi walk through the gardens of Hyderabad House in New Delhi
And British entrepreneur Sir James Dyson also told a business summit in New Delhi he wanted to see liberalisation of visa rules.
Indian concerns revolve around new minimum salary requirements on workers hoping to relocate to the UK, as well as Mrs May's removal as home secretary of a right for students to work for two years in Britain after graduation.
The issue has overshadowed a three-day trip devoted to paving the way for a free trade deal following the UK's withdrawal from the EU, as well as the removal of existing barriers to commerce.
Mrs May - who arrived at the head of a 33-strong trade delegation - said deals worth 1 billion had been sealed during the visit, creating more than 1,300 jobs in the UK.
Memorandums of understanding were signed on intellectual property rights and the ease of doing business in India, and the two premiers agreed to co-operate on cyber-security and tackling violent extremists online.
As part of a new "strategic dialogue" on home affairs issues, Mrs May said the UK "will consider further improvements to our visa offer if at the same time we can step up the speed and volume of returns of Indians with no right to remain in the UK".
"And the UK will continue to welcome the brightest and best Indian students, with the latest figures showing that nine out of 10 applications are granted."
Aides stressed that the improvements to the visa system on offer did not include any relaxation of eligibility criteria. And no estimates are being made of the number of extra visitors that might result.
Instead, the UK is ready to consider changes such as cutting the cost of visas, speeding up the process or increasing the number of locations where applications can be submitted - something which could increase the number of visas requested and approved.
In return, it was hoped that India will agree to accept back overstayers on the basis of biometric information - such as fingerprints - gathered by UK migration authorities, rather than insisting on documentation which may have been destroyed or lost.
Indian nationals are among the most frequent visa overstayers in the UK, and it is thought that thousands may be covered by a deal of the kind being considered.
Speaking alongside Mrs May at a tech sector summit ahead of their working lunch, Mr Modi made clear his concern about visa changes which have almost halved numbers of Indian students at UK universities over the past five years.
"Education is vital for our students and will define our engagement in a shared future," he said.
"We must therefore encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in education and research opportunities."
Following the lunch, he signalled he was also concerned about restrictions on visas for skilled workers.
Welcoming the establishment of a UK-India joint working group on trade, he said: "We believe that such a group should not only focus on trade in goods but also the expansion of services trade, including greater mobility of skilled professionals."
Mrs May has already announced moves to speed the way for Indian executives through UK airports as well as helping a handful of top business figures with visa applications.
UK officials were delighted that Mr Modi granted Mrs May an unusually lengthy 90-minute one-on-one private discussion in talks which formed the centrepiece of her first bilateral visit as PM outside Europe.
Cobra beer founder Lord Bilimoria said Indians were getting a raw deal on visas, compared to China, which was given two-year multiple entry visa for less than 100 following President Xi Jinping's state visit last year.
The crossbench peer told BBC2's Daily Politics: "Prime Minister Modi came within a month after that - no such concession for India.
"And now here we are - this was an ideal opportunity for the Prime Minister to say: 'Here in India, you can have exactly the same as we're offering China.' Because we know that many Indian visitors we lose out from in the UK, and the UK economy loses out on, because they go as far as Paris and do not come to the UK."
Lord Bilimoria was backed by Conservative peer and leading Brexiter Jacob Rees-Mogg, who told the programme: "I'm entirely with Lord Bilimoria that we should give at least as good terms to India as we give to China. It's quite wrong that we should give preferential terms to China rather than one of our closest allies."
Sir James told the BBC: "We should let more people from India in on visas and people who study here should be allowed to stay here and they should be told they can stay before they come.
"The Government needs to change its mind on this one because we are going to be one million engineers short in the coming years. We only have a quarter of the engineers we actually need."
Theresa May and her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, attend a UK-India Tech Summit in New Delhi
Theresa May visits the Gandhi Smriti memorial in New Delhi
A British teacher fled Burma hours after his UK colleague was found dead in his apartment following a boozy night out, police say.
The body of Gary Ferguson, 47, was discovered by his wife in Harris Binotti's Rangoon apartment on Sunday morning.
Binotti, 25, has not been seen since the pair had been drinking together in the commercial capital of the country, also known as Myanmar.
Gary Ferguson (left), 47, was discovered dead by his wife in the flat of his colleague Harris Binotti (right), 25, in Rangoon, Burma on Sunday morning
The apartment complex in which a British teacher was found dead with chest and head wounds
Police say he left the country on Sunday having caught a Thai Airways flight from Yangon International Airport.
He is wanted on suspicion of carrying out the attack, according to an officer in Rangoon.
The officer said: 'At the time they were together drinking. They were talking and fighting.'
Mr Ferguson was found with head and chest wounds in the suspect's flat on Sunday morning after he failed to return home.
Police said the 47-year-old victim, named as Briton Peter Ferguson, was found dead on November 6 with wounds to his head and chest
Police said the victim and defendant are school teachers from Horizon International School and they are friends (file photo)
He and the suspect both taught English at the Horizon International School in Rangoon, which is also known as Yangon.
Myanmar's ministry of information said Binotti had left the country on Sunday, but gave no further details on his whereabouts.
'The defendant of the case left from Yangon International Airport by Thai Airways on the evening on 5 November,' it said in a statement.
Elderly neighbour Myint Myint, who lives on the ground floor of the building where the body was found, said she had heard people arguing.
'I heard their cries, saying: "Go, go," but I can't understand the rest as it was in English,' she told AFP.
Mr Fergusin was found dead inside his co-worker's apartment with wounds on his head and chest in 39th Street in Yangon (file photo)
'I heard them throwing things. I think it happened around 4am (on Saturday). Then they became silent.'
Horizon International's director of studies said the school had heard the news of Ferguson's death after he suffered a 'hard blow to his chest and his head'.
But 'we have absolutely no idea why this happened,' Shahriyor Turgunov added in an email to AFP.
'We haven't heard from Harris, even.'
British teacher sought after colleague's Burma death 'has left the country'
A British teacher whose colleague died after they spent the night drinking together in Burma is understood to have left the country.
Gary Ferguson, 47, also from the UK, was found dead in his colleague's apartment in Rangoon, police said.
His wife reportedly discovered him with head and chest wounds in the suspect's flat on Sunday morning after he failed to return home.
Harris Binotti, 25, is understood to be wanted for questioning by police in Burma (Facebook/PA Wire)
Burmese police said Harris Binotti has not been seen since he and Mr Ferguson had been drinking together in the commercial capital of the country.
The 25-year-old is wanted on suspicion of carrying out the attack, and is understood to have left the country, also known as Myanmar, on Sunday without informing anyone.
A police officer in Rangoon said: "At the time they were together drinking. They were talking and fighting."
Mr Ferguson and the suspect both taught English at the Horizon International School in the city, which is also known as Yangon.
The victim had worked there for a year while the suspect had been there for around three months, a school spokesman said.
He said: "We don't know exactly what happened.
"They were together and they had been drinking and enjoying the night and after that he (Mr Ferguson) was found dead on Sunday morning.
"They were friends but they had been drinking.
"He (Mr Binotti) is now missing and there is an investigation.
"We send our condolences to Mr Ferguson's family."
Mr Ferguson's wife is thought to be Thai.
A school secretary, who gave her name as Yamin, said: "We are very shocked about the news. These two teachers were very close friends so everyone is shocked."
Mr Binotti is thought to be from Dumfries but also lived in Aberdeen.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We are providing help and support to the family of a British national following a death in Rangoon, Burma, and are in touch with the local authorities."
A Facebook page for Harris Binotti shows that he had a number of different jobs before taking up a post as an English teacher in Rangoon.
On-the-run Pentonville prisoners 'cut through cell bars'
A convicted attempted murderer is one of two men who broke out of HMP Pentonville after reportedly using diamond-tipped cutting equipment to break through cell bars, Scotland Yard said.
Matthew Baker, 28, was on remand awaiting sentencing after being convicted two weeks ago of stabbing a man during a dispute in Dagenham, the Metropolitan Police said.
The other man who fled the Victorian Category B prison in London on Monday was named as James Whitlock, 31, who was also being held on remand after being charged with conspiracy to burgle over 19 alleged ATM thefts.
Matthew Baker is on the run after escaping from Pentonville Prison in north London (Metropolitan Police)
A Metropolitan Police spokesman warned that the public should not approach them "as they could become violent".
Pictures of the two men were released by Scotland Yard as the investigation into how they managed to get out of the prison continued.
The pair - understood to be cell mates - reportedly using diamond-tipped cutting equipment to break through cell bars and are said to have scaled the perimeter wall of the prison.
There were suggestions that the escape was uncovered when staff found the inmates' beds stuffed with pillows in the shape of bodies.
Police launched a manhunt after the escape was reported shortly before noon on Monday.
Following the break-out the head of the Victorian-built Category B prison's independent inspection watchdog said Pentonville was "a soft target" because of the "dilapidated" state of its windows.
Whitlock was described by police as being white, with a slim build and the word "Tracy" tattooed on his torso. Baker, described as white and ginger-haired, was due to be sentenced on November 11, a Met spokesman added.
It is not known what clothing either man was wearing during the escape.
A woman who visited the prison said an inmate had told her the two prisoners escaped through a cell window on the fifth floor. She said it was rumoured that they used bed sheets to lower themselves down.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "They cut one of the bars and then they came down through the window. They are assuming that it was probably bed sheets and it was at night."
A male visitor, who also wished to remain anonymous, said he was told the escapees folded bed sheets in the shape of a body to fool staff into believing they were asleep.
The episode came hours after a major disturbance at another prison, HMP Bedford, and will spark fresh questions about the state of jails in England and Wales.
Camilla Poulton, chairwoman of Pentonville's independent monitoring board, said one of its members had been to the prison on Monday.
Ms Poulton said: "Clearly this is a regrettable incident. As we reported in the summer to the Secretary of State for Justice, HMP Pentonville will remain a soft target for contraband and other security breaches as long as its dilapidated windows are in place, notwithstanding the efforts of management and staff."
HMP Pentonville opened in 1842 and holds more than 1,200 adult men.
The prison was last year singled out by former justice secretary Michael Gove as "the most dramatic example of failure" in the estate.
Inmate Jamal Mahmoud, 21, died after being stabbed at the jail on October 18 in an attack which left two others injured.
In 2012 convicted murderer John Massey spent 48-hours on the run after he escaped from Pentonville by climbing over a wall using a makeshift rope made from bed sheets.
Figures showed that in 2015/16 there were two escapes from prisons, and the number has not exceeded two in any financial year since 2007/08.
A report published by the Ministry of Justice earlier this year said escapes were "rare" and "taken very seriously". None of those who escaped were still at large by the end of April, it added.
A Prison Service spokeswoman said: "We are working closely with the police and are urgently investigating the matter. Two prisoners at HMP Pentonville were found to be missing on Monday 7 November."
Last week Justice Secretary Liz Truss unveiled a package of measures aimed at reforming prisons after a slew of warnings about violence and safety behind bars.
The strategy includes a recruitment drive to add 2,500 new officers to the front line and "no-fly zones" to stop drones dropping drugs and other contraband into prisons.
The incident at HMP Bedford on Sunday had already sparked fresh scrutiny of the prisons system, with the Prison Governors Association renewing calls for a public inquiry.
It said the Government's white paper on prisons will see the introduction of a "much-welcomed shift from the bureaucratic centre back to governors, but it will not recruit staff needed immediately".
The PGA added: "Consequently, what happened at HMP Bedford this weekend may indicate the start of similar disturbances or worse to come - there is, in short, a real risk to the core security function of prisons - keeping prisoners within its walls."
Nicola Sturgeon urges Chancellor to slow pace of deficit reduction
Nicola Sturgeon has urged the UK Government to further slow the pace of deficit reduction in the forthcoming Autumn Statement.
Scotland's First Minister called on Chancellor Philip Hammond to take steps on November 23 to reverse cuts she said are hurting low income households and damaging public services.
Ms Sturgeon said the UK Government's austerity agenda has failed "categorically and comprehensively", and accused the Conservative Government of not offering people grounds for hope - a factor she suggested was one of the underlying reasons for the vote to leave the EU.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has urged the Chancellor to call a halt to austerity
The SNP leader acknowledged that while Scotland voted to remain in the EU she is "acutely aware" that a million people had also voted to Leave, and said pursuing inclusive growth is "increasingly a political imperative".
Mr Hammond has already abandoned his predecessor George Osborne's plan to eliminate the deficit and achieve a surplus by 2020, and has indicated he will prioritise investment in infrastructure and housing through borrowing.
Speaking to an audience of 1,200 at the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute, Ms Sturgeon said that while the Brexit vote had many causes, people on low incomes were more likely to have voted Leave.
She said: "UK economic policy, arguably over several decades but particularly in recent years, has not given enough people enough grounds for hope.
"The current Government has already abandoned the deficit reduction targets it was elected on in 2015 - just as the previous government abandoned, in 2012, the deficit reduction targets it set itself in 2010.
"There's a good reason for that. The severity of government cuts has permanently reduced the productive capacity of the economy. As a result, cuts hindered, rather than helped, attempts to reduce Government debt.
"Austerity is a policy which has failed, categorically and comprehensively, on its own terms. It has also imposed needless hardship on individuals and families across the UK.
"Austerity hasn't just harmed our economy; it has damaged our society."
She added: " The Chancellor of the Exchequer has already made one welcome change by abandoning the Government's balanced budget target.
"In two weeks' time, in the Autumn budget Statement, he should go further in slowing the pace of deficit reduction, allowing for the reversal of cuts which are hurting low-income households and damaging public services."
The speech follows a court ruling last week that the British P arliament must vote on the decision to trigger Article 50 and begin the process of taking Britain out of the EU.
The First Minister, who has called for the UK to retain its membership of the single market, said she does not believe there is a parliamentary majority for hard Brexit, adding: " In those circumstances - surely - single market membership is the obvious consensus position. That is a point which may well be made forcibly in Parliament, following last week's court judgment.
"Although a hard Brexit might appease some members of the UK Cabinet, it would damage trade, reduce employment and cause unnecessary hardship in communities across the country. It is economically undesirable and democratically unjustifiable."
Bristling with hardware, China airshow targets arms exports
By Tim Hepher
ZHUHAI, China, Nov 4 (Reuters) - China's extravagant display of military might at its largest airshow this week, overlooking the disputed South China Sea, comes as Beijing seeks to leverage that clout on world markets.
And the throngs of foreign delegations at Airshow China in the southern resort of Zhuhai indicate China is succeeding - even as tensions ratchet up in the region.
Better technology, more reliable weaponry, and diplomatic rapprochements with countries like the Philippines are cranking up the appeal of Chinese military kit in its own back yard.
The biennial event, a showcase for Chinese and some foreign defence equipment, captured global attention with a debut flypast of the J-20, China's newest stealth jet, though this is not thought to be for export.
"In 2014, our display was 5,300 square metres (more than 57,000 square feet) and it was crowded; this time it's 8,000 square metres, and it feels just as crowded," said Wei Lin, deputy director of research and development at China North Industries Corp (Norinco).
China's biggest arms maker unveiled a new VT-5 lightweight main battle tank, targeting developing countries lacking infrastructure such as bridges able to support heavier vehicles.
IN TO AFRICA
Such a strategy has seen China emerge as Africa's dominant supplier, with arms sales primarily "in conjunction with economic aid and development assistance" to support foreign policy goals such as securing access to resources, a Pentagon report said in April.
"They are clearly targeting Africa ... with near-Western quality equipment at a fraction of the price," said Sash Tusa, aerospace and defence analyst at UK-based Agency Partners.
Aircraft giant AVIC displayed a map ticking off sales in Africa, reflecting broader diplomatic efforts to strike partnerships there and secure access to raw materials.
China's export drive comes after it invested billions of dollars in developing its homegrown weapons industry to support ambitions in the South China Sea and conquer foreign markets.
Its weapons remain relatively cheap and have fewer political strings attached, the Pentagon study noted.
They also fit a gap between suppliers unable to sign deals for political or legal reasons: drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are a prime example.
"China in the last 36 months has done really well exporting tactical UAVs," said Ben Moores, a senior analyst at IHS Markit.
That market is dominated by Israel followed by the United States. But Israel can't export to the rest of the Middle East, and U.S. products are subject to tight export restrictions.
"There's a gap in the market for someone with off-the-shelf equipment ... for urgent operational requirements," Moores said.
AT A COST
But China's expansion comes at a price.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which monitors the arms trade, has called some of China's sales to authoritarian states in Africa "questionable". And after targeting countries that the West refuses to do business with, China has large unpaid bills in Venezuela.
Many countries want a stake in assembling the equipment, which China doesn't traditionally provide, depressing the return it gets on its $8 billion research bill, Moores said.
The annual value of China's defence equipment exports has risen 10 percent in the past five years, to $1.6 billion. But it fell as a proportion of a rising R&D budget to 19 percent from 24 percent, according to IHS Markit data.
At the same time, China's exporters are trying to shed a reputation for poor reliability or cloning weapons. Wei said it was an "unfair comparison" with technology imports decades ago, adding Chinese kit was recognised as reliable.
Among smaller companies touting for business, Chengdu-based Seekon Microwave displayed an anti-UAV system designed to jam and confuse drones, competing with a similar-looking UK product built by Blighter Surveillance Systems.
"We don't copy. Some designs may seem similar, but we have our own designs to detect targets and intervene," said deputy marketing director Xiao Luang Li, adding Seekon had received interest from Pakistan and Egypt.
Still, delegates said many items shown in Zhuhai looked very much like foreign kit. European and U.S. firms banned from selling arms to China, but lured by the fast-growing civil sector, are said to be more wary about transferring technology.
SECRECY REMAINS
One thing changing only slowly is secrecy surrounding Chinese systems and its military-controlled arms industry.
Wei declined to give even broad figures, such as revenue, on Norinco's arms exports. Others presented the outlines of their products, but gave little away when it came to specifications.
One reason is that such shows are a rare opportunity for gathering information on what Chinese firms are doing.
Some of the many visitors to Beijing Sifang Automation , showing off intelligence-gathering unmanned boats, were Americans asking questions, an employee said.
Belgium's bpost makes improved offer for PostNL
AMSTERDAM, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Belgian postal company bpost made an improved bid for Dutch rival PostNL on Sunday, offering to assume its pension liabilities in a deal that it said would strengthen both companies' positions.
The offer, which confirmed media reports last week, would be a mix of shares and cash and would value PostNL at about 2.5 billion euros ($2.8 billion), bpost said in a statement.
The offer, equivalent to 5.65 euros per share, represented a 31.6 percent premium over PostNL's share price at the end of October.
Earlier talks between the two companies foundered in late May, with media reports suggesting concerns over PostNL's pension liabilities had been a key sticking point.
PostNL shareholders would own some 21 percent of the combined company if the transaction took place, bpost said, while the Belgian state's stake would fall from 51 percent to about 40 percent.
Australian woman kidnapped in Afghanistan's capital Kabul
KABUL, Nov 6 (Reuters) - An Australian working for a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Afghanistan was reported kidnapped in the capital Kabul on Saturday, officials said.
"The Australian Embassy in Kabul is making urgent enquiries into reports an Australian has been kidnapped in Kabul," a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra said in an emailed statement on Sunday. "Due to the nature of the incident we will not be commenting further."
Afghan television station Tolo News said on Sunday the Australian woman was abducted at gunpoint in the Qala-i-Fatullah area in the centre of the city.
Kidnapping has long been a major problem in Afghanistan, affecting Afghans more often than foreigners, with ransom often the motive.
However, there have been several abductions of foreign aid workers, including at least two Australians this year alone.
Elon Musk Calls For Universal Fixed Income After Robots Take Our Jobs
Trending News: Here's Elon Musk's Plan For When Robots Take Our Jobs
Why Is This Important?
Because A.I. is coming, so we better be prepared.
Long Story Short
Elon Musk says with artificial intelligence taking up more and more jobs previously done by humans, the best thing we could do would be to implement universal fixed income. Essentially, that means you'll get paid a wage without doing any work.
Long Story
Sorry truck drivers of the world, but robots are coming for your jobs. And it's not just truck drivers. Taxi drivers, factory employees and even sex workers in cafes are soon going to be completely performed by robots and that means fewer jobs for you and me.
But Elon Musk's got a plan. Well, he's got a lot of plans including saving the human race, providing internet for Earth and Mars, making your home run on solar energy and building cool cars that drive you, but yeah, another plan. Musk told CNBC in an interview that when artificial intelligence takes our jobs, we'll need to hand out money to everyone, so they can afford to live without having to work.
"There is a pretty good chance we end up with a universal basic income, or something like that, due to automation," Musk said. "Yeah, I am not sure what else one would do. I think that is what would happen."
The genius entrepreneur is far from the first one to call for universal fixed or basic income. Switzerland voted on providing citizens with $2,600 of guaranteed income every month, but it didn't pass. It's also a popular belief in places like Silicon Valley and even the White House.
"Now, whether a universal income is the right modelis it gonna be accepted by a broad base of people?thats a debate that well be having over the next 10 or 20 years," President Barack Obama said to Wired. "Youre also right that the jobs that are going be displaced by A.I. are not just low-skill service jobs; they might be high-skill jobs but ones that are repeatable and that computers can do."
So, would we just sit around and twiddle our thumbs all day without work?
Musk says that in lieu of a job to slave over, "people will have time to do other things, more complex things, more interesting things," like "more leisure time."
The problem I have with this whole universal fixed income thing is not that we need to work we don't it's that if we can't even get people to fund healthcare, how can we expect them to pay for our breakfast cereal? Also, where will the money come from? Will we rely on these tech companies and the few who still have jobs to give the rest of us money? It's just hard to see it happening. Although, we may have no other choice.
Own The Conversation
Ask The Big Question
Should we implement universal fixed income?
Disrupt Your Feed
Being able to truly do what you want to with your time doesn't sound bad at all.
Drop This Fact
The average employed American with children works about nine hours a day, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's nine hours a day you could have to invent something, spend time with your kids or learn something new.
U.S. citizen held in Yemen for more than 18 months freed
WASHINGTON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - A U.S. citizen who was detained for more than a year and a half by the Houthi faction in Yemen has been released, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday.
Wallead Yusuf Pitts Luqman was freed with assistance from Oman, Kerry said in a statement, adding that he and his aides had been focused on the case since Luqman was detained.
"We also recognize this positive gesture by the Houthis," Kerry said.
The Houthis, a Shiite Muslim group, and forces loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh are fighting a civil war against ousted, but internationally recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.
Luqman is the third American held by the Houthis to be released since mid-October. The government of Oman, a U.S. ally in the Gulf, mediated in each case.
News reports have described Luqman as a former U.S. Marine who was abducted in April 2015 while trying to leave Yemen, where he had been teaching English.
Following the release of two U.S. citizens from Yemen on Oct. 15, a woman who identified herself as Luqman's wife urged his release.
"While other Americans continue to be released, Wallead is left behind. Wallead has missed too much, his children need him in their life, he needs to come home now," she wrote on Facebook.
A senior State Department official said Kerry was personally involved in securing Luqman's release, working closely with Omani officials and meeting with Luqman's family a few weeks ago to update them on his efforts.
Kerry called the family today to make sure they knew he was getting released, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Stronger dollar pressures London copper, but Shanghai firms
SYDNEY, Nov 7 (Reuters) - London copper eased in early trading on Monday on a stronger U.S. dollar and a shift into U.S. equities, but the Shanghai futures contract started firmer.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange had dropped 0.24 percent to $4,979 a tonne by 0100 GMT.
* The most-traded copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange rose 0.48 percent to 39,380 yuan ($5,831) a tonne.
* Financial technology firm essDOCS has launched an electronic system for tracking material stored in warehouses similar to one being tested by the London Metal Exchange, aiming to build take up by users of its other products, its chief executive said.
* Brazil's federal environmental agency IBAMA said on Friday it was fining Samarco Mineracao 500,000 reais ($154,693) per day for not complying with directives related to a 2015 tailings dam spill.
* Japan's Mitsubishi Corp raised its full-year net profit forecast by 32 percent as it expects this year's spike in coking coal prices and cost cuts at mines to boost its earnings, but it also warned of a sharp drop in coal prices by end-March.
* POSCO Capital, a venture capital arm of South Korean steelmaker POSCO, has put in a bid to acquire Australia's Arrium Ltd steelworks, a spokesman at POSCO told Reuters.
* For the top stories in metals and other news, click or
MARKETS NEWS
* U.S. stocks jumped and the U.S. dollar and the Mexican peso soared early on Monday after the FBI said it stood by its earlier recommendation that no criminal charges were warranted against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
* The news boosted U.S. S&P 500 Index futures 1.2 percent.
DATA/EVENTS 0700 Germany Industrial orders Sep 0930 Euro zone Sentix index Nov 1000 Euro zone Retail sales Sep 1500 U.S. Employment trends Oct
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South Africa beat Australia by 177 runs at the WACA
PERTH, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Paceman Kagiso Rabada took 5-92 as South Africa beat Australia by 177 runs in the first test at the WACA on Monday after dismissing the hosts for 361 just before tea on the final day.
The tourists claimed a third successive victory at the WACA after 2008 and 2012 triumphs and a 1-0 lead in the series, which continues in Hobart on Saturday and concludes with a day-nighter at Adelaide Oval.
Australia's batsmen were unable to cope with Rabada's pace and swing as the 21-year-old took his fourth five-wicket haul in his ninth test, making light of the absence of South Africa's injured pace spearhead Dale Steyn.
South Africa declared on 540-8 after lunch on Sunday, leaving Australia with an imposing 539-run victory target or more realistically almost five sessions to bat out for a draw.
Philippines' Duterte says canceling U.S. police rifle deal
MANILA, Nov 7 (Reuters) - President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the cancellation on Monday of Philippine's purchase of police rifles from the United States, after U.S. senatorial aides said last month that Washington was halting the sale due to concerns about human rights violations.
"We will not insist on buying expensive arms from the United States. We can always get them somewhere else. I am ordering the police to cancel it. We don't need them," Duterte said in a televised speech at a event attended by Muslim rebel leaders.
"We will just have to look for another source that is cheaper and maybe as durable and as good as those made in the place we are ordering them," Duterte said.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters it was his understanding "we (the United States) have not received any notification ... on the cancellation."
The relationship between the United States and the Philippines, a long-time ally, has been complicated lately by Duterte's angry reaction to criticism from Washington of his violent battle to rid the country of illegal drugs.
More than 2,300 people have been killed in police operations or by suspected vigilantes as part of government's anti-narcotics efforts, which was the linchpin of his election campaign.
Last month, Senate aides told Reuters that the U.S. State Department halted the planned sale of some 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippines' national police after Senator Ben Cardin said he would oppose it because of concerns about human rights violations.
Maori welcome for Dutch royals at start of New Zealand visit
WELLINGTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima received a traditional Maori powhiri welcome as they started their three-day visit to New Zealand in a wet Wellington on Monday.
The royal couple were sheltered with umbrellas as they watched the ceremony, involving singing and dancing, and were greeted at Government House by the country's Governor General Patsy Reddy.
The Dutch monarchs also met New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and went on to lay a wreath at the city's Pukeahu National War Memorial.
Philippines' Duterte relents on Paris pact position, agrees to ratify
MANILA, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte agreed on Monday to sign the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, backtracking from his previous stance that he would not support a deal he believed would hurt the country's industrialisation hopes.
"After so much debate, the climate change (agreement) will be signed," he told journalists at the presidential palace.
"It was a cabinet decision, I'll go along with it and sign it."
Duterte had previously said he "will not honor" the proposed restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions, arguing that such "limitations" could stymie the country's industrialisation.
Duterte has been criticised for saying he would not recognize the country's commitments to the Paris pact, which came before his big victory in the May election.
His biggest critics include his mentor and former president Fidel Ramos.
Ramos, who has quit his job in the Duterte administration as special envoy to China, is a supporter of Duterte but has recently turned critical of the maverick leader, including over his position on the Paris accord.
Ramos was most upset about Duterte's hostility toward old ally the United States, which he lashes out at almost daily, mostly over its concerns about his bloody war on drugs.
Washington was not spared of Duterte's diatribes on Monday either, even in comments about the climate pact.
He said industrial countries were known not to honor obligations to contribute to a United Nations Green Climate Fund "especially America", which he said "has not paid its dues".
Nearly 200 countries, including the Philippines, adopted the Paris agreement in December last year to combat climate change, aiming to transform the world's fossil-fuel-driven economy within decades and slow the pace of temperature rise to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius.
The deal formally came into effect on Nov. 4 but has yet to be ratified by the Philippines.
Manila has committed to reduce its emissions by 70 percent by 2030, but it will need technical and financial support to achieve it.
Rich states urged to dig deeper to help poor respond to 'climate crisis'
By Megan Rowling
BARCELONA, Nov 7 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - From hurricane-ravaged Haiti to drought-parched southern Africa, the world's poorest countries are battling increasingly extreme weather being thrown their way as the planet warms. But the aid on offer globally to help them cope is still a pittance compared with what they need, experts say.
When ministers gather at the two-week U.N. climate change talks in Morocco, which start on Monday, one of their focuses will be finding ways to boost funding for developing countries to adapt to the effects of climate change.
Ahead of the Marrakesh conference, a grouping of the poorest countries warned they are especially vulnerable, with rising seas, worsening drought and floods, and the spread of tropical diseases threatening public health and food security.
"We lack the resources and capacity to adequately protect our communities from the devastating impacts of climate change," said the group's chair, Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu.
In Marrakesh, the 48 least-developed countries will seek greater commitment from wealthy nations to help them with money, technology and other support to respond to the "climate crisis", the veteran Congolese negotiator said in a statement.
Last month, donor governments promised to make efforts to significantly boost funding for adaptation to climate change as part of a roadmap charting a path to the annual $100 billion rich nations have pledged to mobilise for poorer states by 2020. The money aims to help them deal with climate shifts and develop cleanly.
To date, public funding provided exclusively for adaptation has barely reached $10 billion a year. The roadmap, based on analysis by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, projects the amount of international funding for adaptation will at least double in volume by 2020.
That would still fall well short of achieving the "balance" in funding between adaptation measures and emissions-cutting steps recommended in the Paris Agreement, which took effect on Nov. 4.
Earlier this year, the U.N. environment agency UNEP said the true cost of adapting to climate change in the developing world could range from $140 billion to $300 billion per year in 2030. That suggests aid will need to rise far more sharply than it is now.
Adaptation includes a diverse set of activities, from providing farmers with hardier seeds and more accurate weather forecasts, to raising the height of roads and homes in flood-prone areas and training women to run savings co-operatives.
Joe Thwaites, a research associate with the U.S.-based World Resources Institute (WRI), said a high-level dialogue between ministers at the climate talks on Nov. 16 presented a good opportunity for new commitments on scaling up adaptation finance.
Qaiser Arafat, a campaigner with Oxfam Asia, called for "a meaningful mechanism to increase adaptation finance... so that developing countries do not have to divert much-needed resources intended for essential services in development and poverty alleviation to addressing climate impacts".
Aid agencies, including CARE International, are lobbying for international funding for adaptation, in the form of grants not loans, to be increased to at least $35 billion per year by 2020.
"This amount lags far behind estimated costs, and many of the donor countries still support investments that generate harmful fossil fuels every year, thereby undoing some of the benefits," said Sven Harmeling, head of CARE's team at the climate talks.
TRANSPARENCY CALL
In Marrakesh, governments will also work to polish procedures and guidelines for accounting and reporting climate finance.
"Getting this right is key for tracking progress towards funding targets and ensuring that money is used effectively," said WRI's Thwaites.
Working out the amount of private finance leveraged by government spending - which counts towards the $100 billion target - remains tricky, for example.
In a study released ahead of the Morocco conference, researchers from 13 organisations around the world found the average compliance of donor governments with U.N. climate finance transparency requirements had declined from 58 percent per country report filed in 2014 to 52 percent in 2016.
They urged the talks to create a clear, universal accounting system for climate finance, adding that the most fundamental task is to decide what counts as adaptation and mitigation.
Harjeet Singh, global lead on climate change for the charity ActionAid, said effort was needed on both sides. Developing states must strive to coordinate their various adaptation policies, he said.
They also need to come up with clearer estimates of how much they will require to fund the climate action plans they submitted for the Paris Agreement, before a major review of those plans due in 2018, he added.
Ryanair lifts passenger growth forecast as price war hits rivals
By Conor Humphries
DUBLIN, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Budget airline Ryanair raised its long-term passenger growth forecast by 10 percent on Monday to 200 million travellers a year by 2024, saying it planned to take advantage as intense fare competition forces higher-cost rivals to retrench.
It also announced it would return an additional 550 million euros to shareholders by February in a share buyback, a move that helped lift its share price by 6 percent.
Ryanair cut its profit forecast last month by 5 percent for the year to March due to sterling weakness and lower average fares, but it still expects to outperform most rivals by increasing profits by 7 percent in the year to the end of March.
With the lowest cost base in the industry and a strategy of filling planes irrespective of air fares, it says it is uniquely positioned to take advantage of current low fares to boost market share.
"We have EU incumbents retrenching, restructuring...creating more and more opportunities for Ryanair, particularly in primary airports," Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said in a video presentation.
"The second half of the year will be difficult in a weaker pricing environment, but we expect that with a huge cost advantage over every other carrier in Europe, Ryanair is well positioned to continue to grow strongly."
Ryanair said it plans to grow capacity by 13 percent this winter compared to an industry average increase of around 9 percent - the highest level of capacity growth in the industry in a decade.
Already Europe's largest carrier by passenger numbers, Ryanair said it hopes to lift its share of the European short-haul market from 15 percent to over 20 percent by 2024. It will defer the retirement of around 40 planes to boost capacity to 585 Boeing Co 737 airliners by 2024.
Ryanair shares have outperformed many of their peers in recent months as the sector struggled to come to terms with Britain's vote to leave the European Union and a flood of capacity that has driven down prices.
Its share price of 13.42 euros at 0956 GMT was 2 percent below its level before Britain's vote to leave the European Union was announced, compared to a fall of around 20 percent in the European airline sector as a whole.
Profit after tax for the six months to the end of September was 1.17 billion euros ($1.30 billion), in line with analyst forecasts.
British Airways owner IAG stuck to its main long-term earnings and margin growth targets on Friday but scaled back its plans to expand capacity.
Budget rival easyJet warned in October that annual profit had fallen by more than a quarter and hinted that trading would remain tough.
While a sharp fall in fuel prices in the past two years has allowed airlines to cut prices, Ryanair managed to cut non-fuel per-passenger costs by 5 percent compared to last year, in part by cutting the number of empty seats on flights.
O'Leary said Ryanair was also benefiting from cheaper financing and lower plane costs thanks to its size.
While Ryanair built its business by striking low-cost deals with small airports far from city centres, by the end of this year it will for the first time be flying mainly to primary airports.
Last week it announced plans to fly from Lufthansa's home hub of Frankfurt.
WIDER IMAGE-Along the U.S.- Mexico border fence
By Mike Blake and Lisa Baertlein
Nov 7 (Reuters) - Building a wall along the U.S.- Mexico border has been a contentious subject in this year's U.S. presidential election.
In parts of California and Arizona, a wall already exists.
It runs across rocky deserts, flowing sand dunes and miles of agricultural land. The wall splits towns and families, marking a boundary between two countries that used to be one. Busy land ports of entry and signs written in both Spanish and English attest to an interdependence that still exists in the bifurcated cities, faded mining towns and eccentric art outposts that punctuate the arid landscape.
The border between Mexico and the United States spans some 2,000 miles between San Diego, California and Brownsville, Texas.
Monitored around the clock with ground sensors, cameras and hundreds of customs and border patrol officers, the wall is composed of a mash-up of materials: formidable cement slabs, steel mesh, rusty corrugated metal.
There are oddities along the fence: a home surrounded by life-sized space alien mannequins and toy UFOs; the statue of a cow mounted high above the ground near a cattle ranch; and gaps in the fence occur sporadically without explanation.
A man rode a tricycle in a small California border town past a grocery store with a one percent sign hanging on the wall.
In Nogales, Arizona's largest international border community, the wall neatly divides the city. Little else distinguishes the hillside homes stacked on either side. Drivers entering Mexico are warned by a sign that firearms and ammunition are prohibited. At night, a bright neon yellow McDonald's sign stands out.
Some who live near the border in California and Arizona agree with U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his demand that Mexico pay the cost for construction of a wall on the border between the two countries. Others are deeply disturbed by it, like Mexico's government.
"It's been stigmatized pretty bad," said Jaime Alvarez, a retired Army auditor running for Arizona Senate. He works out of the Democratic party office in the city of Douglas.
Alvarez said residents are worried that too much talk about border control will distract people from having other important discussions about education, poverty and healthcare.
Click on http://reut.rs/2e4OGmf to see a related photo essay.
Nissan expects sales growth to slow in China, U.S. in near term
By Naomi Tajitsu
YOKOHAMA, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co Ltd on Monday said its sales growth in the world's two biggest auto markets is likely slow in the near term as consumer tax breaks end in China while U.S. tastes move away from the automaker's main area of focus.
Japan's second-biggest automaker by sales, which earlier blamed a strong yen for a 19 percent drop in second-quarter profit, made the comments after growth in Chinese and North American retail vehicle sales outperformed many markets in April-September.
Sales in China in the six-month period grew 3.8 percent from a year prior, and Nissan's head of operations in the country, Jun Seki, expects double-digit sales growth for calendar 2016, aided by economic incentives aimed at stimulating demand.
"But as the government's small-car subsidies wind down at the end of the year, we're expecting to see a slowdown in sales early next year, and see single digit growth for the year," Seki told reporters at Nissan's Yokohama headquarters via telephone.
Nissan also said recent growth in China's auto market was due mainly to rising demand for local brands. In response, the automaker said it would further promote its China-only Venucia brand.
The automaker sells almost a quarter of its output in China, and around 40 percent in North America.
Its North American retail vehicle sales rose 5.4 percent in April-September. But it said demand growth was peaking and that any additional growth had been limited by its dependence on sales of sedans, at a time when low fuel prices had boosted demand for petrol-guzzling sport utility vehicles.
Aggressive buying incentives for its sedans had also crimped profit margins, Nissan said.
The automaker on Monday nevertheless kept its operating profit forecast at 710.0 billion yen ($6.80 billion) for the year through March, down 10.5 percent from a year prior, and said it continues to expect sales of 5.6 million vehicles.
It also said it still expects the domestic currency to average 105 yen to the U.S. dollar and 120 yen to the euro.
Earlier, Nissan said yen strength was responsible for July-September operating profit falling 19 percent to 163.9 billion yen - a result that still beat the 154.5 billion yen average of 10 estimates from analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S/. For April-September, profit fell 14 percent.
Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blog spot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work.
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..CAMERA Snapshots..03 November '16..A Palestinian Authority (PA) police officer attacked and wounded three Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers on Oct. 31, 2016. The terrorist assault, by PA security forces officer Muhammed Turkeman, went ignored by major U.S. news media outlets.According to, Turkeman approached an IDF checkpoint called Focus that is outside of the Jewish community of Beit El, and opened fire with an AK-47 assault rifle at the troops stationed there (Palestinian cop wounds 3 IDF soldiers in a shooting attack, Oct. 31, 2016). Turkeman was shot and killed by IDF forces, but not before he had managed to wound three of them, one seriously.A Lexis-Nexis search of U.S. print news media, includingand, showed not a single mention of the terrorist attack.Fatah, the movement that dominates the PA and is often labeled moderate by many in the Western press, celebrated the terror attack. In a Nov. 1, 2016 report , Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), a non-profit organization which monitors Arab media in eastern Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), pointed out that on their Facebook page Fatah praised Turkeman as a heroic martyr and a martyr police officer.PMW noted that Fatah also shared an image on social media of Turkeman in his police uniform and carrying an AK-47. Additionally, A picture of the Al-Aqsa Mosque appeared together with photos of the terrorist in one of the posts. This connects the terrorist and his attack to the defense and protection of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, perpetuating the Palestinian Authority's libel that the al-Aqsa Mosque is in danger from an Israeli attack.Hamas, the U.S.-designated terrorist group that rules the Gaza Strip, also lauded Turkemans assault. Further, Hamas encouraged members of the Palestinian security services to carry out similar attacks,reported.This is not the first instance of PA security forces perpetrating a terrorist attack.As CAMERA noted , a PA intelligence officer named Mazen Hassan, attempted to murder IDF soldiers at the Hizma checkpoint on Dec. 3, 2015 (Wheres the Coverage? Palestinian Official Shoots Israeli Soldier) before he was shot and killed. That incident also received scant media coverage.The United States, other Western countries and the European Union have supported PA security forces with money, training and equipment as a result of the 1990s Olso accords that led to the establishment of the authority and limited self-ruleprovided that Palestinian leaders recognized and sought to make peace with Israel.According to a March 18, 2016 United States Congressional Research Service (CRS) report , U.S. Foreign Aid to Palestinians, that security aid is aimed at countering U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad and establishing the rule of law for an expected Palestinian state.What that Palestinian state might look like can perhaps be discerned from its institutions and apparent values and those tasked with upholding them.
Copper hits highest in nearly eight months after Clinton boost
By Zandi Shabalala
LONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Copper reached its highest price since March on Monday after the FBI cleared U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton of wrongdoing after further investigation of her email practices, boosting global markets before Tuesday's election.
Clinton is viewed by markets as a status quo candidate with more predictable policies than her Republican rival Donald Trump, meaning that news favouring Clinton's presidential bid generally boosts global risk appetite.
Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange closed up 2 percent to $5,098 a tonne, the highest since March 18.
"That has provided the market with a bit of relief," ETF Securities commodity strategist Nitesh Shah said of the latest election developments, though he cautioned that prices could remain volatile as more opinion polls come through before election results are in.
Markets are attempting to strike a balance between a Clinton win and the possibility of a sell-off in commodities if Trump is elected.
Reflecting on last week's annual London Metals Exchange gathering, Macquarie said in a note that the 2016 meeting had seen the first year-on-year improvement in market sentiment since 2010.
"Even copper, this year's laggard, has begun to show some price risk to the upside, with fundamentals improving and physical market terms turning more bullish lately," the Australian bank said.
Supporting copper are moves in China to lift power investments by 83 percent over the 2016-2020 Five-Year Plan, according to Argonaut analyst Helen Lau.
Elsewhere, nickel jumped by the most since October 2011, up 6.4 percent to $11,125 per tonne. This was also its highest level since August 2015 as traders covered short positions, underpinned by a shortage in supply.
"Nickel has not appreciated as much as zinc has on a percentage basis so far this year and many are banking on the metal to make a more substantial move in 2017," INTL Stone analyst Edward Meir said.
He cautioned against too much optimism over the metal as the "supply picture remains cloudy" as supply from the world's biggest producer, the Philippines, next year may not be as tight as it was this year.
Zinc hit a fresh five-year high of $2,503.50 a tonne to close 0.9 percent up at $2,468 on expected supply deficits.
Tin added 0.8 percent to $21,845, its highest since Aug. 2014. Lead rose 0.3 percent to $2,087 and aluminium was barely changed at $1,727.
PRICES
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Hedge funds pare bullishness on oil, wait for OPEC: Kemp
By John Kemp
LONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Hedge funds and other money managers have reduced bullish bets on crude oil amid reported differences among OPEC members about how to implement their recently agreed output ceiling.
Hedge funds cut their net long position in crude futures and options by 72 million barrels to 574 million barrels in the week to Nov. 1, according to an analysis of regulatory and exchange records.
Most of the adjustment in West Texas Intermediate (WTI) came from the liquidation of previously established bullish long positions, with money managers' long positions cut by 33 million barrels.
In Brent, by contrast, most adjustment came in the form of fresh short selling, with 25 million barrels of short positions added (http://tmsnrt.rs/2fvta7W).
Hedge funds ramped up their net long position by 218 million barrels in the two weeks following the surprise accord reached at the end of OPEC's meeting on Sept. 28.
The deal sparked a furious short-covering rally, but more than half of those extra bullish positions have been unwound and prices are now back to where they were before the deal.
The production accord left crucial details unresolved, including how the output ceiling of 32.5-33.0 million barrels per day (bpd) would be shared among OPEC members.
Concerns about the deal have grown amid disputes among OPEC members about their current production baselines and willingness to freeze or cut production in 2017.
The failure of OPEC members to agree on allocations during a technical meeting of a special high-level committee in Vienna on Oct. 28-29 has intensified doubts about the process.
In the meantime, many OPEC countries have continued to raise production, pushing actual output further above the ceiling provisionally agreed in September.
FOCUS ON SAUDI CUTS
In practice, the technical committee is not empowered to make the political compromises that will be required from all OPEC members to reach a final deal.
Only ministers have the authority to strike a binding deal on output, so the failure to reach a final agreement in allocations is not surprising and does not mean an eventual deal is in trouble.
There is no incentive for any member of OPEC or cooperating countries such as Russia to reach an agreement before the next scheduled OPEC ministerial meeting at the end of November.
No member will agree to a production allocation until all members are ready to do so (the normal diplomatic principle of "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed").
So at the moment, members are engaged in shadow bargaining about allocations, some of which is being played out in the media.
The deal comes down to Saudi Arabia's willingness to cut production, together with allies Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, and the readiness of others to provide diplomatic cover by pledging not to raise their own output.
The market assumes, correctly, the real cuts will all come from the Saudis and their allies, and other OPEC members will attempt to produce as much as they are technically able.
To have a significant impact on the predicted supply-demand balance for 2017, Saudi Arabia and its allies will need to cut their output from current levels by at least 750,000 bpd and more likely 1 million bpd and pledge to hold that output level for at least 12 months.
For the Saudis to swallow that deal, they need at least some agreement from the rest of the organisation not to raise output (beyond the already promised flexibility for Libya, Nigeria and Iran).
OPEC HUNTS FOR DEAL
There is plenty of flexibility and creativity to do a deal by adjusting output baselines, and perhaps by announcing changes in output but no levels (allocating cuts and freezes but not actual production levels).
The likelihood of a deal has always come down to whether Saudi Arabia wants one, and recent indications suggest Riyadh is keen on an agreement that will boost revenues in 2017.
Having perhaps appeared too eager and ready for a deal in September, encouraging other OPEC members to hold out, Saudi Arabia is now trying to underscore a deal is conditional on at least minimal cooperation.
The fundamentals of an agreement have not changed, however, in recent weeks, and nor have the problems in making an agreement effective.
The big risks are not from holdouts Iraq and Iran, which probably cannot increase their output much next year in any event.
The potential threats come from a resumption in exports from Nigeria and Libya, an acceleration in U.S. oil drilling, and a slowdown in the global economy and oil demand.
Any of those risk factors could push back oil market rebalancing by six to 12 months or more. Any OPEC deal will not directly address them.
Sniper's deadly cat-and-mouse game holds up Kurds in Iraqi town
By Michael Georgy
BASHIQA, Iraq, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Kurdish peshmerga forces who stormed an Islamic State-held town in northern Iraq were confident they would take control quickly.
Then a jihadist sniper started shooting from a red building.
Every five minutes or so, he opened fire at the Kurdish forces and the American special forces accompanying them, holding up any advance by their convoy of 40 vehicles.
What unfolded for hours spoke volumes about the difficulties that Iraqi forces will face in the battle for the major city of Mosul, about 15 km (10 miles) to the southwest.
Senior Kurdish intelligence officials say that Islamic State, which sent waves of suicide car bombers to slow the army's advance on the city outskirts, will prove just as formidable in the tight urban alleyways where it has deployed a large number of snipers.
On the streets of Bashiqa on Monday the Kurdish fighters and their American support could call on an impressive collection of firepower. American MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles with computer-operated 50 calibre machine guns were lined up on the street near the sniper.
American special forces clutching sophisticated sniper rifles, with advanced technology at their disposal, carefully studied the situation as the bullets whizzed by and ricocheted off buildings.
Across the street from them was a peshmerga fighter, holding a machine gun, with 1,000 bullets strapped around his waist.
"I have told my men to advance to get those dogs," peshmerga officer Rasheed Haji Rosta said. But no solution was in sight, despite the bravado.
Every 10 minutes or so the sniper fired several rounds of bullets in their direction. At one stage, an Islamic State fighter could be seen in the distance, running between houses carrying an AK-47 assault rifle.
The Americans hit back by firing bullets from their MRAP machine gun. The bullets could be seen hitting the balcony of the red building. The sniper hit back in return, each bullet bearing a message: 'You haven't got me'.
A red flash appeared from the muzzle of the sniper's rifle every time he opened fire. At one point three U.S. special forces jumped out of the way as the bullets flew near them.
CAR BOMBS
Kurdish guerrillas had been planning the assault on Bashiqa for weeks. In that time, Islamic State militants carried out nighttime suicide bomb attacks against their makeshift base nearby.
Early on Monday, after days of clearing bombs from nearby areas, Kurdish peshmerga forces entered Bashiqa. One hour after they moved into the town, which stands on a plain at the foot of a mountain, two car bombs exploded near their convoy, sending up plumes of white smoke just 50 feet (15 metres) away.
No one was wounded by the bombs, but any sense of relief was soon eroded by the growing tension caused by the sniper.
Aside from the barrage of bullets from the MRAP vehicles, wire-guided missiles were also fired at the sniper's building. Adjacent buildings were also targeted after gunfire was seen coming from them.
It was not clear whether the sniper had comrades with him nearby or was moving from one building to the other in underground tunnels that Kurdish officials say are used by the militants when they come under serious pressure.
Islamic State militants swept through northern Iraq in 2014, seizing Mosul and swallowing up towns and villages like Bashiqa, where their radical ideology was imposed through brute force.
Iraqi forces put up virtually no resistance at the time but have recently, along with the Kurds, recaptured dozens of villages from Islamic State.
A victory in Mosul would weaken the jihadists and give Iraqi forces much needed credibility. In order to do that, they will have to patiently eliminate a far greater number of Islamic State snipers than the ones that were deployed in Bashiqa.
Kurdish and Iraqi officials say the militants have brought in highly skilled snipers from conflict zones like Chechnya.
At one point it seemed as if the sniper had been silenced.
Then gunshots came from another direction, prompting one of the American special forces snipers to yell: "It's coming from the green building." Nearby one of his comrades said: "Tell Steve we need the missiles."
While the Americans showed a sense of urgency, crouching near buildings to try to find a direct line of fire to the sniper, two Kurdish fighters calmly sat on the street that had come under fire and ate rice and beans from a styrofoam plate.
Another Kurdish fighter nearby focused on his black tea kettle, oblivious to the explosions of artillery that were fired towards the sniper.
As water dries up, West Bank village thirsts for a less precarious supply
By Fabiola Ortiz
AL JAB'A, West Bank, Nov 7 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A mountainous Palestinian community in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Al Jab'a differs in many ways from surrounding Israeli settlements but it shares one worry with its neighbours - a shortage of water.
In the last few decades the West Bank has seen rainfall decrease and groundwater levels fall with drought expected to become "more frequent (and) more intense", according to a 2012 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report.
Residents of Al Jab'a, who once had to walk for hours daily to fetch water, do have limited access to Israeli water supplies in their concrete homes due to a reservoir, pipeline and a pump built in 2013 by an Italian non-governmental organisation.
But the water provided is not enough, according to families in Al Jab'a, a village of about 150 houses 12 km (7 miles) southwest of Bethlehem. They also fear their system could be demolished as it was not officially approved.
"Before, we had to walk many times a day to the nearby springs to fill our bottles and buckets," said Omar Musa, 18, who lives with his parents and five siblings near the reservoir in a house atop a hill.
"I was happy when I knew I would have water at home."
He estimated that his family saves about six hours a day by not having to fetch water for their use, crops and livestock.
WATER RESTRICTIONS
But numerous rural and Bedouin communities in the West Bank are not connected to a network supplying water in the Israeli-occupied territory that has, since the mid-1990s Oslo peace accords, fallen under the responsibility of the Israeli-Palestinian Joint Water Committee (JWC).
A statement from the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a branch of the Israeli defence ministry tasked with dealing with Israeli-Palestinian issues in the disputed territories, said the failure of the JWC to meet for nearly six years had left many water projects on hold.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon earlier told Reuters that the Palestinians had refused to take part in talks over water while the Palestinian Water Authority said it stopped taking part in discussions because of Israel's failure to freeze settlement building.
In Al Jab'a, only 10 percent of homes were part of this water distribution system until the pipes and reservoir completed in 2013 extended the network to the remaining households. Water is pumped up hill to a reservoir.
But this has not completely resolved the community's water problems. Residents say the system supplies water only intermittently and at low pressure. When supplies flow, families must hurry to store as much as they can.
Residents like Musa and his family also fear the reservoir could be demolished by the Israeli authorities because, like many of their homes, the structure was built without an official permit.
Construction by Palestinians is forbidden in Area C, a designation covering about 60 percent of the West Bank, including Al Jab'a. Between 2010 and 2014 only 1.5 percent of requests for building permits in Area C were approved, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
An application for a permit for the Al Jab'a reservoir by GVC, the Italian development organisation that built it in partnership with UNICEF, was turned down, GVC said.
According to Israeli authorities, issuing demolition orders for structures built without permission is a legitimate measure, a 2015 OCHA report notes.
Although only one-fifth of the 14,000 demolition orders issued in Area C since 1988 have been carried out, according to OCHA, the uncertainty leaves residents worried for the safety of their homes and their water supply.
CALL TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
A letter from COGAT to the international community last week said it was hard to improve water to settlements without cooperation of the Palestinian Authority .
"We would like to warn the international community that if (there is) no immediate change in the situation, we are likely to experience a water crisis this summer," COGAT's Major General Yoav Mordechai said in the letter.
"We call on the international community to support the renewal (of) cooperation and promoting water."
The dispute over water on the West Bank is a long-running issue.
After the 1967 war in which Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan, Israel imposed restrictions on well drilling and constructing distribution networks, which has left a quarter of Palestinians without piped water, according to a report by the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs.
An assessment by UNICEF in 2015 showed that 400,000 Palestinians from 2.7 million living in the West Bank were in need of improved water, sanitation and hygiene services.
The U.N. Environment Programme said in a report that Israel uses the majority of the water resources available in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israel, however, points out that it provides the Palestinians with double the 30 million cubic metres of water annually that was agreed to in the 1995 Oslo accords.
BRING BACK CISTERNS?
Gregor von Medeazza, chief of the water, sanitation and hygiene programme at UNICEF in East Jerusalem, said water remains a persistent sore point between Israel and Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
"Water should be a source of collaboration and should bring people together," he said. "At the end of the day, they all share the same water resources."
Von Medeazza said that UNICEF is concerned about ensuring measures are in place to use water carefully and help communities adapt in the face of growing scarcity.
"It means having rational use of (the) water available and making sure there is no wasting of water," he said. With climate change bringing more variable rainfall, "it is also important to emphasise that there is a question of accessibility and human right to a minimum amount of water", he said.
Apart from building reservoirs, Von Medeazza suggests rehabilitating around 300 ancient cisterns - underground storage tanks dating from Roman times that once collected water in the rainy season. These have the potential to be used today and would be a cost-effective measure, he said.
Around 80 such cisterns have been restored so far by a coalition of non-governmental organisations.
"The long-term vision is to increase the current access (to water) of people living in remote places," Von Medeazza said. "We have the technical solutions to extend services and connect communities. What we need is further support from all parties (Israelis and Palestinians) for this to happen."
For his part, Musa in Al Jab'a remains worried but resolute.
Ivory Coast cocoa farmers welcome rain and sun
ABIDJAN, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Plentiful sun and rain last week in Ivory Coast's main cocoa growing regions will improve the quality and size of the main crop, farmers said on Monday.
Harvesting and marketing of the October to March main crop is underway in the world's top cocoa producer, with large quantities of beans being harvested and delivered to port.
"The rainfall was good this week. We'll have lots of cocoa this year because the trees are full of fruit," said Etienne Yao, who farms in the southern region of Aboisso.
"The weather is good for fermentation," he added, saying that the beans are of very good quality.
Similar growing conditions were reported in the southern regions of Agboville and Divo.
The dry season starts in mid-November. However, farmers in the centre-western region of Daloa, which produces a quarter of Ivory Coast's national output, said they were expecting a bumper crop compared to last year if the dry season is mild.
Koffi Konan who farms near Daloa said that he expects the harvest to peak in December. But if the dry season is not too harsh there could be lots of beans in January and February, he said.
In the western region of Soubre, at the heart of the cocoa belt, farmers said the weather was adequate for the development of the main crop.
BRDC in talks with investor for Silverstone circuit after JLR pulls out
Nov 7 (Reuters) - Owners of the British Grand Prix track said it had granted exclusivity to an overseas investor on future investment in the Silverstone Circuit, after talks with carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) were terminated.
In April, the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) said it was in talks to lease the circuit's property to JLR, which had been considering turning the site into a "heritage centre" to show off its luxury cars.
BRDC said it could not disclose the identity of the investor due to a confidentiality agreement, and said the investor had long-established interests in the UK.
On Friday, Jaguar Land rover walked away from discussions, dealing a blow to the plans of the owners of Silverstone to boost the site's finances.
HSBC investors fear timetable to find new bosses is slipping
By Sinead Cruise and Simon Jessop
LONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Some major shareholders in HSBC want the bank to give greater reassurance on succession-planning for its chairman and chief executive, concerned that a timetable for replacing veterans Douglas Flint and Stuart Gulliver may be slipping.
Three of four top-20 shareholders interviewed by Reuters said they were worried a revamp of the bank's long-serving leadership had been knocked off course by several competing demands, denting hopes for a speedy refresh of HSBC's culture and strategy.
Europe's biggest bank said in March that it had begun searching for a new chairman and pledged to nominate a successor to 61-year old Douglas Flint during 2017. The new chairman would oversee selection of a successor to 57-year-old CEO Stuart Gulliver, who is expected to leave in 2018, it said.
But six months on, the investors said the lack of a progress update had started to cause concern, with some suggesting the board had been tied up with navigating the economic slowdown in Asia, investor consultations on its 2017 executive pay plans and the recent appointment of Clara Furse to chair its UK retail business.
They also said they felt that it was looking less likely that former Axa boss Henri de Castries -- widely regarded as frontrunner for the chairman role when he joined HSBC's board in March -- would take the job.
They cited speculation among investors and market players that de Castries is keen to take up a role in French politics after the presidential election in the spring.
The three shareholders who expressed concern about the succession process declined to be named because they are in continuing dialogue with the company.
Their views suggest the bank's challenging task of finding a chairman and CEO within two years has become a source of concern among some of its biggest investors.
'GET IT RIGHT'
Yet James Laing, fund manager at top-10 investor Aberdeen Asset Management, said his firm believes that Gulliver and his team are doing a good job and patience is needed.
Aberdeen would ideally like Gulliver to remain at the helm, said Laing. But if he is to leave, Laing said that an internal candidate would be preferable.
"I accept that there are some investors who want to have an external CEO candidate. Fine, but it had better be the right external candidate and with banking experience, because if he or she doesn't, that's not acceptable," Laing said.
"He or she would need to be an outstanding candidate as, currently, for us it makes sense for HSBC to look for an internal candidate."
In an interview with Reuters on Monday, Gulliver said the bank remained on course to appoint a successor to Flint "at some point during 2017".
When asked about investor concerns about the succession process, he said he hoped to update shareholders early in the new year, without giving further details.
He was speaking after the bank reported a rise in profit but warned of a dim outlook for its British business next year because of slowing economic growth as a result of the vote to leave the European Union. It gave little detail on how its chairman search was progressing.
De Castries did not respond to requests for comment via his personal secretary.
LONG-SERVING
The replacement of Flint and Gulliver represents a big shift for HSBC. The pair have more than 55 years of service between them and held several management roles with the company before rising to their current positions about six years ago.
Roiled by swelling costs, spiralling pay packets and a number of regulatory and strategic missteps, investors have hoped for fresh blood for several years, concerned that the duo were too entrenched to address some long-standing problems.
They include a long-awaited cultural revamp to move from higher-risk banking to more measured and sustainable lending, as well as the group's high costs and uncertain position in the United States.
The three investors with concerns about the succession said that the planned process could deter candidates for chairman because the new person would have to make the crucial decision of choosing a new CEO while learning the ropes.
After a meeting with Sam Laidlaw, chairman of HSBC's Group Remuneration Committee and Nomination Committee, one shareholder raised the subject of switching the order of the new appointments so that Flint could lead the CEO selection process.
While HSBC has pledged to break from tradition and appoint an external candidate as chairman, investors and sources within the bank broadly expect the new CEO to come from within.
With this in mind, appointing a new CEO might be an easier and faster process if led by someone more familiar with the skills and abilities of the top executives, the shareholder said.
From left Mr Rajeeve Kulatunge Chief Executive Officer of Centrepoint Homes with Mr Harald Blessing , Export Director LEICHT Kitchens Germany.
Germanys most innovative premium kitchen brand is finally in Sri Lanka. LEICHT Kitchens Germany recently signed a memorandum appointing Centrepoint Homes as the sole authorized agents for their premium range of kitchens in Sri Lanka.
For more than 80 years LEICHT Germany has been causing a stir with design innovation with their premium kitchens. The winner of numerous global awards in the past 5 years for innovative design, LEICHT is well known for combining quality material with brilliant color architecture and light. Many trend-setting developments for the whole kitchen industry originated at LEICHT, such as the grid system of shelving.
LEICHT offers a huge range of contemporary kitchens in many finishes, textures and colors, and varying budgets allowing architects and developers ideal choice to suite their new developments or upgrades. LEICHT can also undertake projects of any scale, with many completed projects to their credit all over the globe.
LEICHT is a highly modern industrial manufacturer, producing some 280,000 kitchens a year from two plants in Southern Germany. Every LEICHT kitchen is made for each customer, based on individual requirements rather than mass-market flat packs.
We develop exclusive kitchens oriented to the market and to our customers desires. Lovers of beautifully designed kitchens can surpass themselves with LEICHT kitchens as there are no limits when it comes to individual kitchen planning, said Mr. Harald Blessing Export Director LEICHT kitchens Germany.
Centrepoint Homes is proud to be a leader in the Home Interior solutions business for over a decade. The collaboration with LEICHT Kitchens Germany will enhance our ability to broaden the product offering to our customers, who will appreciate the design ,quality and value of such a globally acclaimed brand, stated Mr. Rajeeve Kulatunge CEO of Centrepoint Homes.
Centrepoint Homes is a fully owned subsidiary of Fairway Holdings, one of the most diversified business conglomerates in Sri Lanka.
With over 77 years of steadfast record uplifting the business community in the country, Bank of Ceylon (BOC) is the No. 1 financial solution provider for businesses in Sri Lanka. With the knack of understanding the true needs of the Sri Lankan businesses, BOC caters them with the intention of helping them to grow their businesses further.
BOCs business loan has been catering every possible segment ranging from small-scale retail businesses including product and service providers to manufacturers (food and agriculture, garments), export and import businesses, etc.
With the current favourable economic and general lifestyle condition, innovative entrepreneurs have a wider array of opportunities to grow and diversify their businesses with novel and creative ideas. The bank wishes to offer its service to entrepreneurs who have good business proposition and know-how in the field and wish to start their own business and those who wish to expand or revitalize their current businesses.
As BOC maintains a 627 branch network around the country with seven regional loan centres that have in-house expertise in handling these products, customers can fulfil their precise loan requirements in a matter of days on receipt of the complete set of most necessary documents presented, stated Deputy General Manager Retail Banking
C. Amarasinghe.
Sri Lankas premier trade chamber, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), yesterday in a strongly-worded statement slammed the governments move towards introducing price controls for certain medicinal drugs saying it limits the customer choice and distorts the market place. To the much surprise of the countrys pharmaceutical sector stakeholders, the Health Ministry through a gazette notification hastily introduced price controls on 48 high-demand drugs, presumably with the good intention of creating public access to medicinal drugs at affordable prices.
Though the intentions may have been good, the CCC noted that such ad-hoc moves, distorting the market, could have a lot of negative unintended consequences to the consumer, market place as well as to the overall countrys economy.
It severely impacts private sector decision making, harms Sri Lankas international standing as an open economy, restricts consumers/patients ability to make free choices based on their individual affordability, and creates overall distortionary effects that hamper a smooth functioning of markets, CCC said. And added, The CCC strongly urges the government to refrain from introducing ad-hoc, poorly designed and unviable regulations, that cause undesirable market distortions and undermines the countrys overall socio-economic goals.
As the trade chamber points out, Sri Lanka has a strong and accessible public healthcare system, complemented by a quality private healthcare system that is catering to evolving needs of the Sri Lankan people.
While all Sri Lankans, regardless of socio-economic conditions, have access to free public healthcare, patients have the freedom to seek private healthcare as well, particularly medicinal drugs from private providers. In this context, the CCC argues that the new pricing rules are hurting the efficient operation of the private healthcare market and are hurting consumer choice.
While Sri Lanka has a small local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, it accounts for approximately less than 10 percent of the private sector supply and 90 percent is supplied by private firms who are the designated local agents for pharmaceuticals imported from international principals. It is these private providers who largely import generics or branded generics and originators.
According to the CCC the new pricing system that has been announced is one derived from the Indian model, suitable for a large domestic market with a substantial domestic drug-manufacturing base and not for Sri Lanka.
This pricing mechanism uses the median price of any drug that commands a 2 percent or more market share (by volume). In most instances, the median price is a branded Indian generic due to the large volumes of such drugs sold in the Sri Lankan market. As a result, most originator brands are faced with an unviable ceiling price, that is neither reflective of cost nor of quality.
This also means that prices of such drugs would be well below regional ceiling prices, which international providers operate on the basis of. The international firms would not want to subject their products to the possibility of unofficial arbitrage trade in the region, originating from Sri Lanka, the CCC pointed out. The trade chamber said it was aware of incidents over the past week of authorities having to seize drugs being brought illegally, as baggage goods by travellers, and all of these are items coming under the new price controls.
This is a clear indication of how economic actors will attempt to circumvent unviable controls, CCC stressed.
Meanwhile, with the majority of Sri Lankas pharmaceutical drug requirements depend on imports, where costs vary with every shipment due to exchange rate variability, fixed prices become highly infeasible, CCC pointed out.
Echoing recent statement by the country pharma chamber, Sri Lanka Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI), the CCC said branded generic and originator drugs are strongly impacted by the new pricing rules, and can result in shortages as well as restrict patients choice.
Early reports indicate that several originator drug companies have signaled they would discontinue supplying to the Sri Lankan market, CCC noted.
In this backdrop, the trade chamber urged the pharma regulator to consider an automatic pass through for exchange rate volatilities, where a quarterly revision of prices is linked to Central Bank approved exchange rate.
In the absence of such a mechanism, a devaluation for instance would result in each pharma importer requiring NMRA pricing committee approval for price increases on all products stemming from a change over which the importer has no control.
Point out another possible dangerous scenario, the CCC warned that the recent gazette could prevent higher quality drugs developed with innovation in the originator countries coming into Sri Lanka
This affects not only individual choice of consumers, but also affects the countrys ability to continually access the newest medication. Moreover, price controls can lead to the proliferation of lower quality and counterfeit drugs, which is dangerous to public health, CCC cautioned.
Meanwhile, CCC said industry representatives, affiliated to the chamber, had pointed out that changes were made in an ad hoc manner and without full consultation with key industry stakeholders.
Moreover, the suggestion made by industry bodies of implementing a verifiable CIF (like in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Singapore) where it can be ensured that the CIF offered to Sri Lanka is not higher than the region, had not been given full consideration.
While the industry had clearly indicated support for a rational pricing mechanism, the process under which the new price controls were implemented is far from desirable, CCC said.
As Sri Lanka reads this today, America will be in silent slumber. A Monday night usually is not the day Americans indulge in late nights, especially not so when many across the country expect to stay up the next night. The election cycle which commenced over a year ago, has culminated in two candidates vying for the top slot in the self-described Free World. Who would be at the helm of it would be known within the next few hours. Hillary Rodham Clinton, former Secretary of State is the Democratic partys choice, while maverick-turned juggernaut movement head Donald J. Trump is the nominee for the Republicans. The political divide is apparent. One candidate represents the establishment, and the other, Donald Trump, represents a vote that is completely at odds with the establishment. It explains why, the media, the corporates, the usually conservative Republicans have all but opposed his candidacy. Clinton on the other hand is viewed by the Democrats as a safe candidate. A candidate with a proven track record, with a history of progressive values, a seasoned politician both in domestic and foreign policy. That is as far as the two narratives go.
However, this election is beyond all of this.
When Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the Congress said the two bases of support - Clintons and Trumps - lived in two different dimensions he was right. While what is considered a liberal and more progressive polity supports Clinton and predicts a Clinton victory, the movement that is Trump is certain of an overthrow of the traditional system. The Clinton support base, mainly draws upon the feminist and more conservative establishment (to be read together) voter while Trump draws the enraged, the dejected and the disappointed. Every independent pollster therefore has been proven wrong in the run up to the nominations, but if we are to use them as a yardstick this election is going to be as close, if not closer than the infamous Al Gore, George W. Bush election in 2000.
Even in what is considered more progressive New York, Trump draws a massive voter base. Bernie Sanders and Trump represent the same enraged citizen. The middle and lower classes who were alienated by their governments, and who were sick and tired of a foreign policy that caused death and destruction across the globe. While Sanders was, as expected shot down by his establishment, he shot down his movement by betraying everything he symbolised. As famed Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek notes the move to support Hillary Clinton was akin to an occupy Wall Street protestor joining the Lehman Brothers. The two are noted as symbols because political movements are never individualist. The individuals best suited provide leadership. Yes. But the undercurrents that propel the movements are not dependent on individuals. If one is to understand Trump the person, he is everything any polity would despise. Crude, crass and a demagogue in his own right. But the movement that is Trump is different. During a recent subway ride, I met a few Trump supporters. They are silent, and in full knowledge of how, the man, that is Trump is despised. But as soon as I identified myself as a journalist, who wasnt writing for an American publication, they opened up. This system has always been the cradle of the rich and powerful lobbyists. We want someone without any of that. The irony, being that Trump himself is a product of the system is lost among them. However, Trumps rhetoric of not being sold out to the lobbyists and corporations has struck a chord. A very strong one. Mainly because it is the movement and not the individual that has cemented their conviction: No evangelical Christian believes Donald Trump is a committed Christian, but he draws their support. Many of his supporters are from the lower and middle class populace; mainly white, and had it not been for Trumps initial supremacist rants, there was potential of other ethnic groups siding with him too. What needs to be understood however, is that this movement that Trump symbolizes, has turned the Republican party on its head.
His recent shouting out of Paul Ryan, the highest elected Republican representative was telling. The movement is in full swing despite the continual alienation by the Republicans who were formerly considered to be strong voices of the party. He has galvanized a force that shook the very core of the party and therein the American establishment. The most interesting fact in this movement though is the unification of the Bernie Sanders support base with either Trump, a third party or the no vote populace. Many former staunch Sanders supporters resigned themselves to either vote for Jill Stein the third party candidate or stay at home. Most importantly though there is a section that intends voting for the devil himself - Donald. J. Trump.
For anyone who has been following this election and United States politics in general they will be aware that- the threat of pressing the nuclear buttons, or banning the Muslims from entering the country, or building a wall- all issues which the liberal media seem to harp on, is as naive a promise as that of Obamas campaign promises. To have believed that the First Black Man to be elected President would have solved all ills of the African American population, the closing of Guantanamo Bay (not as big an issue as the rest of the promises - but he promised to close it in the first 100 days), or the heralding of world peace among many others-is as naive as to think that Trump would do the exact opposite. What is interesting however, is the galvanizing of a largely dejected, apathetic, and enraged polity who have never been heard before, resonating with someone who they believe would lead them to salvation. The key being that he is fighting the establishment. The traditional mode in which things were done before- with a smile, is what he seems to be fighting. The smile, which over the last few decades cost Americans lives, money and financial security, and internationally caused death and destruction across regions. The smile which was the smokescreen to all ills that was America, is what he purports to be fighting, and his supporters are convinced he is. The rhetoric of liberal America, has not paid its dividends and the supporters of the Trump movement understand it. That remains the significance of the movement. The emboldening of fascist tendencies has and would be a cause for concern but the underlying ideal behind both- the Trump and Sanders base is complete dejection.
The polls, as I write this have predicted a close election with a victory for Hillary. During the primaries, however, these same polls predicted many a victory over Bernie Sanders - Michigan being the most glaring example - for Hillary Clinton. The main issue with Clinton is that her supporters dont wholeheartedly believe her rhetoric. Her shifting on domestic policy issues such as equality marriage, and her vote for the Iraq war has resulted in the campaign continuously being scuttled. The recent Wikileaks email scandal were no revelation to the average Clinton supporter. They understand that she is flawed. But they are motivated by factors above policy. Rather, as stated before the support is based on notions. She is the first woman to be President, she knows what she is doing, she has been doing this all along, if nothing else she will appoint liberal judges to the Supreme Court etc are the stock justifications of any Clinton supporter - as opposed to comprehensive and solid justification of the position. However and most importantly, most Clinton supporters are terrified by the image of President Trump. This also includes former Sanders supporters - who although unenthusiastic about a Clinton presidency would vote for her. They rather leave all prejudice aside and vote for her, if not for any reason, the only one who has been thwarting Trump. The run up to the election did no good for her cause, with Bernie Sanders continually striking a chord by bringing up her close ties to the corporates. Therefore she has failed in creating a movement akin to that of Trump. Many of the Clinton supporters are aware of her follies in foreign policy, mainly her role in the Libyan crisis and her alleged instigation of the Honduran coup and her vote in favour of the invasion of Iraq - the single most catastrophic decision of recent history which left millions dead and an entire region destabilised, among others. For an observer it is only natural that she would have her judgments called into question given her long reign within the establishment, a burden her opponent does not carry. However, despite these, the African- American and the minority voter base which includes Muslims who have been vociferous supporters of Clinton could tilt the race in favour of her, if they get to the polling booth.
Many of the States have already been decided in favour of either candidate and the most crucial decision making will be that of what is known as the swing States, the States in which both parties have an equal footing. Again, these are traditional methods of polling, which can be rendered to naught in such a non-traditional election. Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin have been identified to be the most crucial swing States and any candidate who tilts the scale in favour of his/her candidacy is assumed will notch the Presidency. What is clear is that this election has not been based on policy, or politics, rather it is an election that has been based on either preserving the status quo- or getting rid of it. The preservers are intent on full scale reform, while the rest- the Trumpsters intend on dismantling it entirely.
A look back at history, however, would inform the reader that both are not possible, given the strong institutional structures of the establishment that is America. However, there is hope either way, and it is hope which I am told, was not evident prior to the current election cycle. There has not been such fervour directed against the system, viewed by the larger polity which include both sides of the spectrum, within the political realms of America. The Clinton supporter and the Trump supporter and the apathetic voter all understand that there is something wrong. It is unfortunate that the system prevailed and brought these two candidates to the fore. However the fact that there is such understanding is progress. It should give us hope. That the superpower will face its demons, and the American people will rise at some point in the future and take control of a government which was intended to be theirs. It wont be this time, but the zeal created, would hopefully last, for a true leader of the people to emerge in the near future. A leader who the rest of the world would be convinced, was in fact the leader of the free world.
Hilary Clinton will be, and should be, the next President of the United States of America. This is not an astute political analysis made at the last moment after painstaking study during the past few months. Nor is it an astrological prophecy, since I am neither a political analyst nor an astrologer. Nor is this a sudden decision made just two days before the election after much wrangling. Its simply that historically, the time has come when the US should elect a woman as President, and that was the way I felt six months ago when her campaign looked quite shaky.
There are such historic moments in every country. The US, along with Russia, Japan and China among the worlds leading nations is lagging behind the rest of the world in this context. Five American women have tried for the top job before Clinton. None of them even got close to winning. Their details are given at the end of this article. Like African-American Barack Obama becoming US President, Clintons win would answer a historical need. If she fails, it would be a long, long time before any other American woman would have a chance, just as we have to wait for quite a long time to see another African-American as the head of the US after Obama.
A moment in history is not the same as a historic opportunity. That Hilary Clinton stands now prominently at a decisive moment in history does not mean her victory is inevitable. But it will give the US a chance to try and catch up with the rest of the world. Voters would go the polls with other issues in mind, but the votes they cast cant be considered as just Clinton vs Trump or Democrat vs Republican trivia. They will be voting unconsciously for a less misogynistic society which made possible the creation of a strong presidential contender who obviously enjoys groping attractive women and has been able to get away with it so far. A New York Times women journalist who reported on the high incidence of rape in New Delhi said that Indians have a misogynistic society. She can call her own society that in the same breath considering the rate of sexual abuse in American campuses and the military.
Electing Clinton as President would not change the US overnight. But it would lay the basis for change, which would be slow and difficult. Electing women as national leaders doesnt automatically improve the lot of women, but the psychological impact is profound.
Elsewhere in the world, women presidents and prime ministers are a common sight. Europe can boast of nine such women in power now or during the past decade. Asia currently has or has had women Presidents or Prime Ministers in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea and the Philippines (including Aung Sang Syu Ki who effectively runs the government though legally prevented from the top job). Liberia, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, the Central African Republic and Jamaica too, have women handling the top job. The US considers itself a world leader in this regard but lags behind pathetically in this context. But now the time has finally come.
Since 1872, five women have run for the presidency. In 1872, Victory Woodhull of the Equal Rights Party campaigned on a platform of universal suffrage, political reform, civil rights and social welfare, and she did so nearly 50 years before women were allowed to vote in presidential elections. Her running mate was Frederick Douglas who became the first Afro-American to be nominated for the vice presidency. She won few votes and was arrested shortly before the election on obscenity charges for exposing an affair between a powerful minister and a parishioner.
Next, Gracie Allen ran on behalf of the Surprise Party. The third candidate, Shirley Chisholm, was an experienced politician who made history as the first African-American woman elected
to Congress.
Also running in the same year was Linda Jenness of the Socialist Workers Party, a Secretary from Atlanta, sharing the nomination with Evelyn Reed. Jenness predicted her own defeat.
In 2012, Jill Stein of the Green Party ran what is the considered to be the most successful campaign by a woman candidate till then on a platform of green jobs and environmental protection.
Hilary Clinton, a former Secretary of State and wife of a very successful former President Bill, is better poised than any of the above mentioned to win the presidency, and she should because the time for that is now right.
EMP co-founders, Chairman Chandranandana Diyunuge exchanging agreement with S.J. Park (GM- Overseas Sales Dpt. Power Distribution Business Group). EMP Managing Director Suresh Thenuwara, T.S. Song (GM - PM for Manner Project), Global Power Solution 1 Director W. Y. Han and Project Manager J.H. Maeng were also present
Electro Metal Pressings (Pvt) Ltd (EMP), Sri Lankas industry leading electro mechanical engineering solutions provider has signed an agreement with LSIS Co. Ltd., a global leader in the field of power solutions, for knowledge transfer and technological collaboration to locally manufacture Medium Voltage (MV) panel boards.
EMP, a company that has demonstrated progressive growth during the past decade of operation, is trailblazing ahead in the industry by leveraging on timely investment in state-of-the-art technology. Operating from an ultramodern facility located at Templeburg Industrial Estate, Panagoda, the company was the first to introduce CNC machines in the history of metal pressings in Sri Lanka, followed by a Research & Development unit focused on transforming the industry. EMP has already ventured into a mutually beneficial partnership with LSIS for Low Voltage (LV) products, and is now building on this brand identity by expanding the partnership to sign the agreement covering the manufacture of MV panel boards.
Head quartered in Korea, LSIS, formerly operating as LG Industrial Systems, is a local pioneer in the field of power solutions, and is today a global super power with over three decades of accumulated knowledge and experience in the industry. The company develops, produces and supplies a whole range of products and equipment related to power transmission and distribution, with a year-on-year sales increase of 30-40% across the global market. LSIS is now investing in Smart Energy, and was the first company in the world to develop a hybrid super conducting fault current limiter.
We are partnering with LSIS knowing fully well the companys focus on creating next-generation technologies, Mr. Diyunuge stated. With their R&D capacity to explore innovative products, we believe EMPs partnership with LSIS will greatly strengthen our product and service offering across the region, along with added brand value and recognition.
EMP specializes in the design and fabrication of LV & MV panel boards for all types of projects ranging from residential to commercial, from factory premises to mega constructions, adhering to the latest international standards. Leveraging on this strategic partnership with LSIS, EMP now uses LSIS switchgear to manufacture MV Panel Boards locally, another first in Sri Lanka. Prior to EMPs initiative, there were no dedicated manufacturers of MV panel boards in Sri Lanka, with the country relying on imports to curb the requirements.
Through this partnership, EMPs highly qualified and experienced engineering team will be gaining additional knowledge to up-skill themselves in the ever-evolving industry, to keep up with todays rapid pace of innovation. LSIS will be providing specific customized training to the EMP staff, transferring knowledge and competencies as per the agreement.
We have come to understand our formidable strength across the region as a high quality brand, and we are aggressively expanding to cater to the demands of our growing customer base, Mr. Thenuwara commented. Now we can explore the potential of foreign markets by introducing EMP branded MV products and we are discovering limitless possibilities with our own market reach.
EMP demonstrated their capabilities and product portfolio at the Techno 2016, the national engineering and technology exhibition held early October, and introduced these novel bleeding-edge technologies to industry stakeholders in a joint effort with LSIS representatives, Mr. H.S. Lee (Senior Manager - Technical Coordination Team - Power Distribution Business Group), Mr.C.W. Kim (Assistant - Technical Coordination Team) from Korea. The LSIS representative then went on to deliver a technical session at the Techno 2016 exhibition, sharing informative insights and new knowledge of transformational findings in the industry with all those present.
We are constantly challenging ourselves, the industry and all stakeholders by introducing new ideas, backed by the latest technologies to realize them, Mr. Diyunuge said. This agreement with LSIS is also an investment in strengthening our corporate vision of becoming one of the most reliable and trusted total solutions providers to the engineering and construction industry.
The Hayleys group knitted fabric manufacturing unit, Hayleys Fabric PLC, saw its September quarter net profit falling as much as 70 percent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs.30.5 million as the top line fell and costs rose, the interim results showed.
The earnings per share deteriorated to 15 cents from 49 cents a year ago.
This is the second quarter in a row the company has seen its profits declining since it recorded a net profit after the continuous losses made during the recent past.
The top line fell 6 percent YoY to Rs.2.21 billion and the cost of sales fell 5 percent YoY to Rs.1.94 billion. The gross profit declined 12 percent YoY to Rs.275.18 million.
The company, formerly known as Hayleys MGT Knitting Mills PLC, was rebranded in July 2015 as Hayleys Fabric PLC to align the business with the brand value of its parent, Hayleys.
The company offers end-to-end solutions from design, development, printing, brushing and sueding of pure and blended polyester and cotton fabrics and delivers 2.5 million metres of fabric each month to apparel manufacturers from the factory located in Narthupana Estate, Neboda in the Western Province.
The company launched its own branded fabric Inno in February 2014 moving up in the value chain through innovation.
During the financial year ended March 31, 2016, the company made a net profit of Rs.261.6 million, up 190 percent YoY, marking a year of recovery for the firm. Hayleys Fabrics PLC is an indirect exporter as it supplies to the local garment manufacturers. Meanwhile, the administrative costs during the quarter rose 45 percent YoY to Rs.181.6 million. The net finance cost rose 55 percent YoY to Rs.42.6 million during the quarter. During the six months ended September 30, 2016, the company had retired US $ 4.2 million worth of loans but has taken US $ 5.5 million worth of new long-term loans. US dollar is the companys reporting currency.
Meanwhile, for the six months, the company made a net profit of Rs.63.2 million or 30 cents a share, which is a 54 percent contraction YoY on revenue of Rs.4.26 billion, down 3 percent YoY.
As of September 30, 2016, Hayleys PLC held a 58.96 percent stake in the company followed by a 5.42 percent stake by Ceylon Investment PLC and 5.24 percent by Ceylon Guardian Investment Trust PLC.
The state-controlled private sector pension fund, the Employees Provident Fund, had a 2.67 percent stake in the company being the fourth largest shareholder.
Public Administration Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara said Sri Lanka is plagued with a bizarre political situation where even defeated candidates could enter Parliament and that he was opposed to such as these taking place.
He expressed these views at a function held to launch road construction work in Moneragala.
Minister Bandara was apparently taking a swipe at Irrigation Minister Gamini Vijith Wijeyamuni Zoysa who was defeated at the election but nominated as an MP on the national list.
This is not good for the country. Mr. Zoysa entered Parliament under the bizarre political situation that prevails here. Making matters worse he was even appointed Irrigation Minister and is now planning to develop the Katugalla Weva. It is a good move. It is a task left undone for the past 20 years. Although the tank is being constructed under our government, Mr. Zoysa has given it a political colouring. This is a UNP government. MPs like Mr. Zoysa were able to become ministers because UNPers elected President Maithripala Sirisena to office, Mr. Bandara said.
He said this government could not be toppled before it completes its full term. (KB)
Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne today refused to issue a stay order request by the Police prohibiting the protest march organized by the disabled soldiers opposite the Presidential Secretariat.
The Judge informed the police to take necessary action if the protestors disturbed the public.
S.B.R Niluka Nilmini Jayathilaka (38), a mother of two, returned to Sri Lanka in a coffin on Oct. 25 after she died of a so called gas tank explosion in her work place in Kuwait. Her kidneys were removed and sold at Aden hospital in Kuwait for Rs.1,500,000 with her Saudi-employed, estranged husband Udaya Kumaras agreement.
According to reports and autopsy done in Sri Lanka, she died on October 4. Her corpse was flown to Sri Lanka on October 25 after a long struggle by her family and relatives. She was buried at the Gallewa public cemetery in Nagollagama on October 27.
A reliable source said though it was agreed to remove only her kidneys; the eyes, kidneys, the aorta and the ureters had also been removed.
We asked about this from the Kurunegala specialist Judicial Medical Officer Ajith Jayasena, who performed the autopsy.
The autopsy examination revealed that Niluka Nilmini Jayathilaka had died from a primary brain injury following a bad head injury. Most probably her head was badly damaged in some kind of explosion. She was brain dead on October 4 and remained connected to machines until Oct.07, the date of the organ retrieval. (Normally, after a brain death, the body is connected to machines if any organs are to be removed). We released the body after the postmortem at aound 12.30 on Oct. 25.
Her kidneys and eyes were removed after her death, with the consent of her husband - (Nihal Udaya Kumara) and two brothers (Ananda Karunathilaka and Lakshman Karunathilaka). It is said that she was hospitalized after an explosion at her work place and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. Aden hospital in Kuwait classified her death as an accident.
Story - before and after
We communicated with the brother of the deceased, Ananda Karunathilaka, who explained the whole incident and clarified issues.
We have doubts over our sisters death. At the Aden hospital in Kuwait, the doctor-in-charge said a gas tank explosion killed her. But we have reason to suspect a planned murder he commented. Evidently in grief over his sisters death and showing anger towards those he thinks are responsible.
Our sister had two children (daughter and son) from an unsuccessful marriage. She separated from her husband 4 years ago due to ill treatment, negligence, domestic violence and extra-marital affairs. She filed a complaint at the Ambanpola police station on Oct. 14, 2015 and returned to our mother. She migrated to Kuwait after placing her two children under our custody, and left to work as a housemaid, to earn money for the well being of her children. (This was the second time she went for foreign employment, as she had gone to Saudi Arabia in 2012 and returned to SL in 2014.) Sometime later, she complained about difficulties at the work place to Raja Abdeen, the person who arranged her travelling. She had no choice but to leave her first employer and join another. It was on Sept. 19 we heard from her last. Her phone didnt work since that day. Out mother was informed on Sept. 27 that she was the victim of an accidental gas tank explosion at her work place in which another Sri Lankan woman also died. He clarified the background to us.
On Oct. 05 we heard that our sister was admitted to Aden hospital ICU for treatment. A relatives daughter in Kuwait had gone to the hospital to visit her, but she was not allowed. They have only shown her a recorded video and told that she had suffered burns. We wanted to bring her body home, therefore we went to the Bureau of Foreign Employment. They checked her passport number and advised us to go to Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was only then that we got to know she was sent to Kuwait without registering with the Bureau of Foreign Employment.. Then I filed a complaint at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sept. 30 and they told me they would arrange the transportation of her body.Ananda described the difficulties they faced.
When our cousins daughter visited Aden hospital on Oct. 04, she was told that Niluka was dead and was asked to inform home. Then we began to make arrangements to bring her corpse home. First we contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but they replied that they were not informed yet. They asked us to prepare the necessary documents confirming her death. We prepared documents and went there on Oct. 05, and handed over the documents to the consular section. Then they asked for a letter from the husband declaring his consent for the body to be brought here, he said.
Niluka and her husband Nihal had not been in contact with each other for months. The family heard he was in Saudi and informed the Ministry of Foreign Employment, and produced a copy of the sisters complaint of separation. The SLBFE have also tried to contact him. They have given Nihals number to the Saudi Embassy, and explained the situation. The Saudi embassy also had tried to contact him. On the morning of Oct. 06 my brother was called by Nihal from Saudi Arabia. My brother (Lakshman Jayathilaka) told him: she is dead, please give us a letter to bring her corpse here, but he replied: She is not dead. How can I sign letters when she is alive?
Marital rights misused
We were helpless and we told the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about our plight. They replied they were unable to take the responsibility as she hadnt registered at the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment. They advised us to contact the Kuwait Embassy and we did. In less than 30 minutes, Nihal called us and said our sister was dead, but her body was still plugged to life-support machines and he had agreed to donate her kidneys. He asked us to confirm his agreement. We had no choice as we needed to bring her body here and the only way to do that was to agree with Nihal. Our family members and sisters daughter agreed saying it would be a meritorious act on her behalf. He explained the emotional turmoil they had to go through.
Meanwhile they had been called by Aden hospital and asked about their decision on kidney removal. He added: It was a Sri Lankan nurse who translated between the doctor and us. She also said that if we agreed to do so, the body would be sent here within three days free of charge. After we told her to tell the truth, she confirmed the death and said Niluka was still connected to machines because her husband was awaiting our consent on kidney removal. At that moment we explained to her the situation saying that the husband was acting upon his marital rights because they were not divorced.
Everything was arranged with the signing to be done via email. Within half an hour they had received the email signed by Nihal. But while they were discussing whether to sign or not, (because it was in English and they needed to clarify the content further) they had been called from the hospital and forced to hurry up, Ananda said: They told us that the kidneys were the only organs to be removed as the other organs were dead. Then my brother and I signed the form and sent it.
After two days, they had again called the hospital, with the help of a cousin who translated, only to hear that body was not yet ready for transportation. The doctor said that the body cannot be sent as no documents had reached hospital. We then questioned angrily: why have you broken your promise?
The doctor replied, We did that agreeing to pay Rs 1 million five hundred thousand to the husband!
We were shocked to hear of that deal because we hadnt thought of selling our sisters kidneys. We didnt know about that dirty business. Then the doctor said they would transfer the money to the husbands account in two days. Our cousin who did the translating worked in the house of a powerful lady. She asked for her help and the lady then called the doctor and convinced him to deposit the money to Nilukas childrens accounts, and the doctor agreed. The amount was divided likewise among the children.Ananda said.
We conveyed all this to the Foreign Affairs Ministry and accused the ministry of causing all this delay, because they requested the letter from her husband. We sent them copies of every letter, every email and everything that had been exchanged regarding this incident. I handed over three letters requesting for our sisters body immediately. We pleaded several times asking the body to be sent here. Finally, four of us went there on Oct. 15 and an officer there tried to contact Nihal. The ministry was at last able to find his details and contacted his employer and threatened Nihal saying if he didnt sign the letter to release her body to SL, he would be arrested. It was only then that he contacted us and agreed to do so.
On Oct. 16, we had a call from the Kuwait embassy asking why we were not sending money to collect the body. They told us that money was the reason behind the delays and if we paid, the body could be sent here right away. Then we mortgaged the jewellery of our daughters and wives, collected the necessary sum of Rs one hundred forty-one thousand, seven hundred and paid that to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
But the body didnt reach Sri Lanka as expected on that day.
Returned to motherland in a coffin
Then we were informed that the corpse was at the airport. The airport public health inspector requested us to sign a letter stating we had no suspicions about her death. We insisted on an investigation. It never happened, and we accompanied the corpse to Polpithigama funeral parlour. It was said that she died in a gas explosion but there were burns on her body. There was a slightly visible scar on her forehead. She was wrapped only in a bed sheet. There was a long cut from her throat to abdomen. But the JMO told me no signs of an autopsy were evident. The cause of her death was written on a paper which said: Failure of vital centres in the brain with complicated inhalation of invalid gases which is not valid for breath,Ananda further added.
We filed a complaint at the Mahawa police station stating her death as suspicious. As we werent given an investigation we obtained a judicial order for an autopsy, which took place on Oct. 25. We inquired from the Kurunegala specialist JMO about our sisters death and we were told that no sign of burning or heat was visible on her. But her head was injured internally, causing death of neurons, he clarified.
Niluka had sent a picture message on Sept. 19 and talked to her daughter. Nilukas daughter said: mother advised me to study well.
Human trafficking
A person called Raja Abdeen in Ambanpola arranged her travel to Kuwait. He claimed that she was sent through an agency.
Our mother said that even though they had asked him to show the documents, he did not. He had accompanied her saying she had to be insured; we got to know only after all this happened. We called him and accused of wrong-doing, but he doesnt admit anything. Nilukas brother lamented.
Raja Abdeen also had migrated to the same place 6 months after her arrival there, as it was a place known to his brother.
Its at that time that our sister complained of difficulties at work and moved to some other place. As we heard, Nilukas first employer had given seven hundred thousand rupees to Raja for sending her and had even kept her passport with him after she left him. Our suspicion is mainly on Raja and his two brothers (Mujiber Abdeen and Rafai Abdeen) on our sisters death, as our sisters fleeing had caused a loss to them and her initial employer was asking for a refund from them. We think that is why they had planned to murder our sister and take their revenge. We believe that if one of these brothers is caught, we would be able to find the truth.
Nilukas relatives have checked Shaan Agencies and Communications in Daladagama, which had sent Niluka as claimed by Raja Abdeen. But the agency had declared: Though the documents were here, those were taken away to another agency. However, Ananda has found a copy of her passport there.
Further investigations on Nilukas death for human trafficking and crime investigation are expected to proceed, as her family filed a complaint at the Battaramulla Bureau of Foreign Employment.
contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the issue, but was unable to get a comment from the Consular section, and was directed to Sathya Rodrigo, the Director General of Public Communication Division. He commented: It takes some time for the sending process, as it depends on the country. In this case, we were informed about her death and there was a problem in contacting her husband and having his consent which he rejected. We couldnt intervene on such legal matters because the husband has the legal authority to decide. He gave his consent on Oct. 16. She was not registered with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), and they hadnt paid the cost needed to make arrangements to send the corpse here. Those were the major issues causing the delay.
When he was asked if he thought there was considerable co-ordination between the Kuwaiti and Saudi embassies and our Foreign Ministry in this case, he stated: They have done their duty.
Organs for cash
The organs trade has become a serious issue in most of the Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, and China and even in Kuwait and Indonesia. Iran is the only country where the kidney trade has been legalized. Saudi Arabia is one of the countries to import kidneys. Kidneys are the most commonly transplanted organs. As there is a vicious cycle of high demand and high payments for healthy kidneys, the very poor tend to sell their kidneys to wealthy kidney patients. The World Health Organization has recorded that every hour, kidneys are being illegally traded somewhere in the world.
These are outlined in a WHO document called the Declaration of Istanbul, which sets out the circumstances and principles that should guide organ donation and transplantation.
Organ trafficking definition by Istanbul Declaration
Organ trafficking is the recruitment, transport, transfer, harbouring or receipt of living or deceased persons or their organs by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability, or of the giving to, or the receiving by, a third party of payments or benefits to achieve the transfer of control over the potential donor, for the purpose of exploitation by the removal of organs for transplantation.
(https://www.edqm.eu/medias/fichiers/The_Declaration_of_Istanbul.pdf)
WHO website on international organ trade
..Even in developed countries, where rates of deceased organ donation tend to be higher than in other countries, organs from this source fail to meet the increasing demand. The use of live donors for kidney and liver transplantation is also practised, but the purchase and sale of transplant organs from live donors are prohibited in many countries
(http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/85/12/06-039370/en/)
Untold truths
Sri Lankan women employed in Middle East are the largest source of foreign exchange to Sri Lanka. As we all know, there is a huge demand for housemaids in many Middle East countries and those employed are excessively abused by their house owners. Violence and cruelty faced by Sri Lankans are heard of nearly every month and many who suffered extreme violence are sent back with serious health issues and without any compensation or even a salary.
We have to ask why people go for foreign employment under such deplorable conditions. Why do men send their women to work in these countries? Why wont our government do something about it?
Government ministries should be more flexible in handling these issues. Many Sri Lankans face difficulties in communication with foreign officials and a responsible government institution must help them, being a co-ordinator between Sri Lankans and foreigners.
Immediate need of action
Niluka Nilminis death teaches us several lessons. In comparison with money, life always has a higher value. The other point is, women should always take great care when they are risking their lives for money, and they should be very careful in choosing travel agencies.
Though they leave as healthy women, they are sent back in sealed coffins, with nuts and screws in their body parts and victims of serious crimes and abuse.
How many Sri Lankan mothers and daughters will have to face violence in the Middle East? When will this be stopped? What can we do to minimize the harm to our women? We should not turn a blind eye and not provide victims to organized human trafficking.
The Obama administrations rebalance to Asia has sought to energise US partnerships in the region, stabilise relations with an increasingly assertive China and embed the United States in the economic prosperity of the region.
But as Obamas time in office comes to an end, the rebalance has been found wanting. And his successors efforts will be gravely hampered by the challenges revealed during the 2016 presidential election.
Some of the challenges stem from the political complexities within Asian nations. Allies in the region like Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte seem to have momentarily jumped ship. Others, such as Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, have simply become more cautious.
Chinas influence is growing, and Beijing has become far less interested in compromise on some of the more difficult issues in the SinoUS relationship, most obviously maritime disputes with its neighbours and human rights.
Trump shocked the region
But it is the United States own commitment to the region that seems the most fragile.
Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have come out strongly against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), signalling a precarious future for the 12-nation trade pact that was to crown the Obama rebalance to Asia.
Beyond the TPP, Trump shocked the region by arguing that US alliances in Asia, like those with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, no longer serve US interests.
Japan and South Korea, he argued, should be left to fend for themselves against a nuclear North Korea. Trump views these longstanding security arrangements not as part of a broader strategy, but as a transaction to be renegotiated at Washingtons whim.
Clinton has been and continues to be a strong supporter of US alliances. She was there at the creation, so to speak, of the Obama rebalance to Asia. Yet while her election may reassure allies that a break is not imminent, a Clinton presidency will need to contend with the damage caused by the threat of alliance abandonment.
Trumps characterisation of US interests may be inordinately parochial and his calculus of cost-benefit crude, but these questions about free trade and alliances are not completely new in US politics. There has always been a clamouring for greater market access abroad and anger at the manufacturing jobs that have been taken from Americans and given to overseas workers.
The call for greater allied burden-sharing too has ebbed and flowed. Frustrations emerged first with the United States recovered European allies in the 1960s, and again in the 1980s when Japan became the worlds first economic superpower. Now Trump wants to resurrect that call for renegotiating alliance equities.
Assertive maritime claims
His claims come at a time of increasing pressure on the United States to demonstrate its resolve as China, Russia and an ever more pugnacious North Korea put pressure on US allies and their neighbours. US allies today are concerned about Beijings intrusions into their airspace and waters, and are looking to Washington to lead in defending freedom of navigation and peaceful commerce in the region. And for those that confront Chinas growing use of military force in assertive maritime claims in the East and South China Seas, their ability to defend their nations depends heavily on a strong and sustained US military presence in Asia.
Washington will need to bolster not reduce its forces in the region, and provide steady leadership over the collective effort to police Asian waters. Leaders in Tokyo, Seoul, Canberra and Manila must also respond to their publics, and persuade them that collective action is the best remedy to maintaining the norms that have governed the peaceful use of Asias maritime commons. Moreover, if the Korean peninsula becomes embroiled in a conflict, UN forces led by the United States are committed through the Korean War Armistice Agreement to maintain the peace.
Taxing US allies for the use of US forces would destroy the United States close network of partnerships in Asia, the very strategic assets that successive US administrations have laboured to build over the last half century. It would erode the global commitment to the UN and to collective security.
Future USAsia policy challenges will all require partners. The next president will be tasked with containing Pyongyangs ambition to create a viable nuclear force, and they must build a coalition of strategic partners to ensure the maritime security of the Asia Pacific, especially in Southeast Asia where maritime capacities are weak. Assisting in creating barriers to cyber-intrusions, advocating for and assisting in the peaceful transition to democracy for the people of the Asia Pacific, and building an open and free trade regime through the TPP are all on the agenda.
May be to retreat
And finally, perhaps most difficult of all, they must attempt to persuade the Chinese people that their future prosperity and security will depend upon a shared set of rules and norms for all of the people of the
Asia Pacific.
Ironically it is the American people that perhaps need to be persuaded
the most.
American identity debates have long had an isolationist thread. But for US allies and partners in Asia, the Trump variant sounds like heresy. And for many here in the United States, his prescriptions for US policy sound downright dangerous.
The security of the United States Asian allies depends on a steady America. While their impulse may be to retreat in the face of this new American conversation about its interests and values, a wiser course may be to take on yet again the mantle of advocacy. After the election, US regional allies may need to remind the United States of what is at stake if the United States loses its way in Asia. (East Asia Forum)
(Sheila A. Smith is senior fellow for Japan studies at the Council on Foreign Relations)
The police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse a group of monks, who are members of the Ravana Balaya, who attempted to forcefully enter the Presidential Secretariat today.
The monks were present at a protest march organized by the disabled soldiers demanding for a pension.
Several disabled soldiers in the vicinity were also affected by the tear gas.
The Lotus Road from Galle Face in Colombo is closed temporarily because of a protest march.
Video by Buddhi, Chamilka, Indika Sri Aravinda
Video by Chamilka and Danushka
We have a history of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) money being blatantly and rampantly abused by governments to buy shares, buy bonds in the secondary market including bailing out of various ailing government-linked companies. The government has said many times that steps will be taken to secure the funds in the EPF and Employees Trust Fund (ETF). Furthermore, they have said both these funds will be amalgamated to create a new national pension plan and the combined worth of the new fund will be around Rs.1.7 trillion.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has plainly held that the EPF governance structure needs changing. The IMF has said many times the EPF must develop a sound, robust and independent governance structure with the clear objective of seeking the best investment returns for members, while taking into account reasonable levels of risk tolerance and the individual preferences and circumstances of workers.
The prime minister has also said we will not leave room for politicians and officials to waste money of this new fund. Despite that assurance, the opposition politicians and trade unionists have expressed their strong opposition to a government move to set up a common fund by merging the EPF and ETF under the cover of introducing a pension scheme for the private sector employees. We cannot blame them, given the track record of the EPF, where the Central Bank administration has been accused of getting involved in pump and
dump deals.
There are many examples of such transactions that have still not been properly investigated by the current administration. For example Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) North Central Provincial Council member and Inter Company Employees Union Chairman Wasantha Samarasinghe has told many times that the workers would take to the streets if the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government laid its hands on the EPF and ETF like the previous Rajapaksa government.
He accused the Rajapaksa government of having invested huge sums from the two funds in the stock market in an irresponsible manner. Ceylon Teachers Union General Secretary Joseph Stalin said the government had no right to dip into the EPF and ETF according to its whims and fancies as they belonged to the workers and the government was only its custodian.
However, given that the EPF is not a social and welfare financial institution and thus should not be obligated to any political pressure, a public wealth trust comprising trade union and employer representatives, Treasury and Central Bank nominees, two members nominated by the Constitutional Council, two others chosen jointly by the prime minister and leader of the opposition and a chairman and an executive officer could be a good option, given the way it is managed now.
Provident Fund
The EPF, which is under full state control, is the largest retirement fund of private sector workers. The EPF has invested about 92 percent of its funds in government securities, 6 percent in stocks and 2 percent in corporate debt and short-term government securities. Today, what often concerns contributors to the fund is the limited benefits the EPF offers them during their working life, when compared with some of the well-managed superannuation funds globally that fund skills development, healthcare and provide effective housing benefits.
Take the CPF of Singapore, the whole scheme is tied to housing, health and a host of benefits for workers. It is also not out of place to point out that the NTUC (the only trade union recognized in Singapore) has the prime minister as ex-officio president and that the type of tripartism practiced is unique and not much different to a communist form although the economic policy is strictly market driven.
The CPF has never been accused of mismanagement and for investing in junk bonds and stocks. The concern for many workers is how safe their contribution would be by the time they retire and in addition, the real value of their balance that will be available to use as retirement income. That is where the real problem lies, which needs to be addressed in consultation with all the stakeholders. The prime minister is the best person to do this.
Need to restructure
What the unions must realize is that what the prime minister is attempting to do is a good thing; he is effectively taking the control of the fund away from the Central Bank to an independent body where all stakeholder representatives can sit together and decide how the funds should be managed based on defined policy guidelines. The members can also be given two options: either to continue with the current way of doing things under a credible body to expand the services of the EPF or to create a new mechanism to pay a lump sum at retirement and retain an amount to deliver a pension for life. Or even move beyond that to create a hybrid system consisting of both options.
According to the EPF Act, an employee is required to contribute a minimum of 8 percent and the employer a minimum of 12 percent of the total salary of the employee monthly, to the EPF. During the course of employment, the worker derives little benefit and the benefit is fully for the state in the short term. Given the significant changes in the workplace as a result of new and advanced technology, a vehicle for skills training would also help employees to remain employable during their working life and also help to grow our nations skills base.
On the other hand, the ETF board unlike the EPF has private sector and trade union representatives on the board and the institution was set up to assist workers during their working life, unlike the EPF, which was set up to benefit an employee when they retire at 55 years or 60 years.
Furthermore, it may be also prudent for the government to study its current and long-term funding options and the risks associated with managing the EPF in consultation with the private sector because any change that is proposed should not fundamentally alter the rights of workers over their current benefits (gratuity and EFT) or the long-term benefit of receiving a lump sum at 55 years or 60 years.
The private sector could also benefit substantially through a form of an unemployment benefit scheme, which a new system can fund if properly merged. That would help companies to restructure and become more competitive and for the economy to improve its competitiveness. In the final analysis, the EPF should not continue to be a lender of last resort for the state; the fund must be committed to preserving and growing the savings of its members in a prudent manner in accordance with best practices in investments and corporate governance.
(Dinesh Weerakkody was a former Chairman of ETF)
The Negombo Chief Magistrate today released Sarath Kumara Gunaratne, who was a former deputy minister, on a cash bail of Rs.50, 000 with two sureties of Rs.5 lakhs each and banned him from travelling abroad.
He was remanded after he surrendered to the Negombo Police in connection with an accident in 2002, in which one person was killed. (Hubert Fernando)
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)s committee working on the Central Bank bond issue, would consult legal and financial experts this week to decide on steps to be taken in this regard, a Minister said yesterday .
The Central Committee of the party appointed this committee on October 31 to study the report submitted by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) on the controversial bond issue that took place on February 27, 2015.
It is expected to submit a report to President Maitripala Sirisena recommending steps to be taken regarding the issue.
Asked about the latest position, committee member Labour and Labour Relations Minister John Seneviratne told the Daily Mirror legal and financial experts would be consulted this week.
We will have a series of discussions. We will meet hopefully this week again for consulting all the experts concerned, he said.
The Minister said the committee could not act upon merely what was in the COPE report only.
The COPE, chaired by JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti, submitted its report holding former Central Bank Governor Arjun Mahendran responsible for the bond sale.
The United National Party (UNP), as the main constituent of the government, said the report would be referred to the Attorney General for further of action.(Kelum Bandara)
Perhaps the Foreign Ministry is barking up the wrong tree.
This time, it is China. All that began with certain remarks made by the Chinese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Yi Xianliang at a press conference last week. The Chinese envoy, responding to a question contradicted Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake over the latters claim that the Chinese loans were expensive.
I talked with Ravi (Karunanayake) Minister of Finance. Ravi criticised this many times publicly. I asked him if you dont like this one, why do you again talked to me about another one. Because all the Chinese business people complain to the government, why the Chinese Government grants loans at two per cent, but for them, at least five per cent. That is really unfair. I talked with some close friends in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka people and Government should have some attitude to the Chinese Government, he is quoted as saying in the transcript of the media briefing published in the Sunday Times.
He then went on to add, in an answer to a second question: If you have any comparison. I checked with Ravi. Last year you got some money from the European countries I think 50 million dollars at 5.8 per cent. Some people say this is a cheap loan, but they say two per cent is expensive. Do you think this is fair or unfair?
He also alluded to internal political differences in the country, and added, That is not my issue. We insist on no intervention into the internal affairs of any country, particularly Sri Lanka as our friend.
None of that sounds like a major affront, except only that the Chinese diplomats in the past had not been plain talking (Even this much) in public.
However, we have shut up and listened to a fair bit of condescending talk from the Americans, EU and even morally highflying and otherwise insignificant Scandinavians.
That makes me wonder about this overly enthusiastic diplomatic censure of the Chinese envoy The Sunday Times reports that the foreign ministry will summon this week the Chinese envoy to express deep displeasure of the government.
In terms of diplomatic protocols, that may be fair enough; host Governments summon the diplomats of foreign countries to express concerns about things they are at odds with.
However, diplomacy is also reciprocal. The Chinese diplomacy is a fusion of post Westphalian principles of sovereignty and Chinas ingrained values of Confucianism.
The latter places a high premium on interpersonal relationships, and makes the Chinese go an extra mile to make sure their counterparts do not lose face even in the most difficult circumstances.
That may explain why Beijing had been mute, when politics in Colombo went haywire during previous elections, bashing the Chinese for all real and imaginary sins of the former regime, and when Colombo suspended the flagship port city project, mainly on party-political considerations.
Beijing did not summon the Sri Lankan envoy there or go public with its disagreements on any of those occasions. But, that did not mean there had not been a fair bit of strains on the bilateral relationship. Now the latest rhetoric, if put into action would make things worse. More fractures on the relationship would mean we have even lesser chance to secure investment. Protocols apart, there has to be commonsense; we instead have overblown egos.
This Government committed a major foreign policy miscalculation; fair enough, partly due to our historical, even somewhat healthy obsession with the friendship with the West. We thought after the ouster of the Rajapaksa regime, good Samaritans from America and Europe would arrive in with bags full of cash, pumping money into development projects.
We even went to the extent of suspending, under the pretext of review, the Chinese funded projects, hoping Americans would take them over. But they did not.
All we have received from the US and the EU is good behaviour certificates, and photoshoots of some beaming US or EU big-shot with Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera.
Nice. But, that goodwill has not translated into our economic growth. Our economic growth plummeted from 7 percent in the Rajapaksa presidency (Save his last year) to below 5 per cent.
Last year the economy grew at just 4.8 percent and was projected to remain unchanged this year according to the World Bank. (The second quarter growth was meagre 2.6 per cent).
The only country in the Western bloc that has pledged any worthwhile investment aid is Japan, which has however been a regular donor for decades.
There was a time when a host of countries in East and South East Asia climbed up the economic ladder with the help of American investments and technology transfer, for the simple merit of them being a bulwark against communism.
There are reasons (not just the defeat of communism) that it would not happen again. The economic power of the international system has steadily been shifting to Asia.
China is the second largest economy in GDP market value (And the largest in PPP).
India is the fastest growing large economy. That was why David Cameron went to China with a horde of trade delegates and signed up to the Asian Infrastructure Bank, against the wishes of the USA, and his successor Theresa May is now in New Delhi in her first post-Brexit foreign visit, seeking trade and investment.
Growing economic heft of China is such that its two State owned banks, China Development Bank (CDB) and the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank) lend more money annually to developing countries than the World Bank.
Also, Chinas Outward Foreign Direct Investment has grown over 10 per cent annual in recent years; In 2014, it was US $ 102.9 billion, a 14 per cent increase from the previous year.
Set against those numbers, what Sri Lanka has got is a drop in the ocean of the Chinese investments, and whether we like it or not, it is where now the money is. Second, technological and economic changes of globalization have created major internal contradictions in the West. Millions of factory jobs lost to Asia and Mexico have created a disgruntled working class, mainly of those lacking college education and have their job mobility impaired.
In any democratic society, politicians are susceptible to societal pressure and even Hilary Clinton who earlier supported the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) has gone back on her word.
Thirdly, even despite their best intentions, Western democracies and even the Indian Central Government have limited control over their multi-national corporations, whereas most of Chinas large companies are State owned, whose bosses are beholden to the political dictates from the government.
That explains the efficiency in getting Chinese projects in Sri Lanka off the ground. Efficiency of the infrastructure development of the Rajapaksa regime (Which, albeit many unsavory elements of the former regime was a refreshing change from the monumental indecisiveness of his predecessor Chandrika Kumaratunga administration) was partly attributed to the efficiency of his Chinese lenders and constructors. If Sri Lanka is to leapfrog its development, that efficiency matters.
Fourth, the Chinese model of State led infrastructure development as the driver of economic growth has its limits; even China is rebalancing from investment to consumption. However, for a country like ours, which has squandered much of its economic wealth on bloated welfare programs, at the same time actively discouraging local and foreign investment during the first three decades of independence, there is a lot to build before we reach that point.
Sri Lanka is after all is not a large country, big cities in China easily have more than half of our population. A few large investment projects such as Western Region Megapolis, Port City, Hambantota industrial park and the proposed export zone in Trincomalee could decisively change the destiny of the country for better.
However, to get them off the ground, one needs money and we should not antagonize those with deep pockets.
The simple logic in international relations is that countries take decisions driven by their self-interest, mindful of their placement in the international system, and existing and unfolding power configurations within the system.
However, the tragedy in foreign policy in this country has been that it has been a victim of egoistic grand ambitions of political leaders, who went to build larger than life-size persona among equally incompetent third world leaders at the expense of our economic misery.
For decades, we subscribed to a grandiloquent illusion called non-alignment, anti-imperialism and a middle way of economic development, which was proved to be a road to nowhere.
Countries, which had more realistic assumptions of power configurations in the then international system, bandwagonned with the US.
Paradoxically the successful economic managers at that time were pro-growth autocrats from South Korea to Chile, who did not give two hoots about moralistic dogmas, but, made sure their people in millions would be lifted from poverty.
All we got out of Non-Alignment and holding a summit here in Colombo in 1976 was offers to send our women to toil in the Middle East as maids. J.R. Jayewardene parted from that myth, but he overdid it when he antagonized India. He reportedly called Indira Gandhi a sacred old cow and the vindictive old lady in return armed and trained Tamil militants. We lost the next three decades for terrorism.
Mahinda Rajapaksa did not have many international friends, however his cosines with China did not go unrewarded, without which we would not have those highways . Allegations of corruption in his regime may be true, however, sometimes, as some economists have argued corruption could serve as efficient grease in the economic wheel, cutting down transaction cost, though that is often to dispute.
This government should restore the strained ties with China and try to exploit Beijings new found economic heft to our advantage. It will be sad if it squanders that opportunity.
Follow RangaJayasuriya @RangaJayasuriya on Twitter
The Paris Agreement on climate change came into force on November 4, 2016. Following the decision for the adoption of the Agreement taken at the 21st session of the Conference of Parties (COP21) by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris last year, Sri Lanka signed the Agreement alongside 170 plus countries in April 2016.
Having ratified the Agreement in September, Sri Lanka is among the 94 Parties to the UNFCCC representing 66 percent of global emissions. As per Article 21 of the Paris Agreement, the agreement enters into force on the thirtieth day after the date on which at least 55 Parties to the Convention accounting in total for at least an estimated 55 percent of the total global greenhouse gas emissions have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.
We are fortunate to have a president who has taken personal interest in the environment. As Minister of Environment, not only has he initiated Sri Lanka NEXT, but has also set out the Blue-Green economic pathways available. Sri Lanka is among the many countries that have ratified the Paris Agreement.
However, this ratification was made only following a four-day parliamentary debate. Despite the arduous process, we are also pleased to know that there are so many opinions on climate change because of the knowledge and discussion generated around it, said Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya addressing the closing ceremony of the Sri Lanka NEXT Conference and Exhibition held from October 17-19 at the BMICH.
The tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka grew a healthy 13.7 percent year-on-year (YoY) to 150,419 in October, the data released by the state tourism office showed.
The tourist arrivals in the first 10 months of the year now stand at 1.66 million, appearing to be short of the 2.2 million arrivals target set by the government for the year. Growth in tourism for the month picked up with arrivals resuming from India, after remaining flat in September.
Arrivals from India rose 19.3 percent YoY to 36,471 at the start of a holiday season for Indians in late October.
With the exception of Bangladesh, arrivals from the rest of South Asia declined, but the growth from India pushed the total South Asian arrivals up to 46,579, up 14.4 percent YoY. After observing a slight slowdown in arrivals during the preceding months, arrivals from Sri Lankas second largest tourism market, China increased 19.8 percent YoY, bringing in 20,566 tourists.
Tourist arrivals from Japan increased 2.7 percent YoY to 2,845.
The East Asian market as a whole expanded 14.8 percent YoY, with 31,597 tourists.
Arrivals from Western Europe, Sri Lankas largest source market as a region, increased 16.4 percent YoY to 42,790, with German arrivals increasing 26.5 percent YoY to 12,246.
British arrivals increased 10 percent YoY to 10,964, while arrivals from France increased 10.1 percent YoY to 5,849, mainly due to the annual conference of the French travel agents association held in Sri Lanka, which brought in over 300 French professionals.
Arrivals from Eastern Europe increased 10.1 percent YoY to 12,109. The Russian market recorded its second instance of positive growth this year after the 2.5 percent YoY growth this February. Russian arrivals for October increased 3.3 percent YoY to 4,726.
The Ukrainian market grew 9.1 percent YoY to 2,782 tourists as well.
Arrivals from North America grew 9.6 percent YoY to 5,777, with the US market growing at 14.6 percent YoY with 3,432, while the Canadian market grew 34 percent YoY to 2,345 tourists.
Arrivals from the Middle East (ME) increased only 4.8 percent YoY, while arrivals from Israel rose 322.7 percent YoY to 1,585.
Australasian arrivals increased 9 percent YoY to 4,714, with nearly 90 percent of the total coming from Australia.
For the first 10 months of the year, 1.66 million tourists have arrived in the country, signifying a 14.6 percent YoY growth.
If the governments targets are to be reached, 541,176 tourists have to arrive in Sri Lanka in the coming two months with a YoY growth rate of 54.50 percent.
For the year so far, South Asian arrivals have grown 12.7 percent YoY to 407,644 tourists while Indian arrivals have increased 14.8 percent YoY to 288,636 tourists.
Arrivals from East Asia have increased 18.2 percent YoY to 357,230, with Chinese arrivals increasing 28.3 percent YoY to 233,669.
The Western European market has expanded 17.4 percent YoY to 528,413 tourists with the British arrivals increasing 16.7 percent YoY to 154,376 tourists, German arrivals increasing 16.6 percent YoY to 110,109 tourists and arrivals from France increasing 12.7 percent YoY to 82,724 tourists.
The Indian government's announcement that His Holiness the Dalai Lama will travel to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh in March 2017 has infuriated Beijing. This will not be the Dalai Lama's first visit to Tawang which China claims as its territory. What is different this time is the timing of the announcement.
India and China are locked in a dispute over designating Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. The two countries' NSAs met last week to discuss a way forward on this and the other contentious issue of India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) that China has blocked as well.
China's 90-day block in the United Nations on Azhar comes to an end shortly. Beijing knows that being seen on the same side as a designated terrorist in order to protect Pakistan diminishes its international reputation. Beyond a point, such grandstanding becomes counter-productive. Beijing, with superpower ambitions, is keenly aware of this.
Beijing is gradually replacing the United States as Islamabad's principal rent-payer. Credit: Reuters
The Dalai Lama's Arunachal visit therefore comes at an awkward time for the Chinese. Tibet is one of the most sensitive international problems that Beijing wants to put a lid on. It has pressurised global leaders like former British prime minister David Cameron to boycott a meeting with the Dalai Lama by threatening to hold back Chinese investments in the UK.
US President Barack Obama though has shown courage in hosting the Dalai Lama more than once in Washington. Most other world leaders have succumbed to Chinese pressure.
India enraged China in 1959 when it granted asylum to the Dalai Lama who set up a government-in-exile in Dharamsala, now called the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)). Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's brave decision ended India's entente cordiale with China. Nehru's subsequent aggressive "forward policy" on the India-China border, however, was an unnecessary provocation which led to the 1962 war.
New China policy
It is time to refashion India's China policy. Beijing has a self-centred image as the Middle Kingdom. When Indians were succumbing to rapacious colonial invasions by first the Mughals and then the British, China remained fiercely independent despite the shortlived Japanese invasion of Manchuria. It took the brutal opium wars by the British against nineteenth-century China to colonise tiny Hong Kong in 1842.
Despite its growing economic and military strength, China today has several weaknesses which Indian policymakers can exploit. Tibet is one of the biggest. The Dalai Lama makes no political statements on Indian soil but there is a vibrant community of Free Tibet Chinese activists in India. Give them untrammelled freedom to press their case with seminars and peaceful protests. Global celebrities will join the cause. Many have expressed open support for the Free Tibet movement.
As a democracy, India cannot, and should not, curtail such peaceful demonstrations against China's depredations in Tibet.
Tibet has a long history as an independent nation. In 1950, the People's Republic of China assumed sovereignty over Tibet. It granted the 14th and current Dalai Lama limited autonomy. The Dalai Lama fled to India nine years later, rejecting the sovereignty agreement with China.
An oppressive state
China is a totalitarian and oppressive state. It blocks Facebook, Twitter, Google and other internet sites. Its citizens have few freedoms. Its economy is slowing, its population ageing. Many "wonder towns" built during the boom years are ghost cities with empty buildings and empty roads.
In the northwest province of Xinjiang, China has ruthlessly changed its Muslim-majority demographics over the years by resettling ethnic Hans. Islamist terror attacks - ironically originating in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) - have become common.
The Chinese media, which is strictly censored, not only blocks such news but disallows foreign journalists from independent visits to the province. Newspapers like Global Times and the Xinhua news network are shoddily-produced government mouthpieces.
In many ways China's totalitarian government is akin to Pakistan's. The close links between the two countries are therefore not surprising. With the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and One Belt, One Road (OBOR) projects, Pakistan has become China's vassal state. Beijing is gradually replacing the United States as Islamabad's principal rent-payer.
Will India's robust stand on Tibet aggravate matters? When China brazenly (and illegally) builds infrastructure in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan for the CPEC despite Indian protests, New Delhi should certainly not worry about upsetting Beijing. The Chinese government has the mindset of a hegemon: stand up to it and it will back down. Appease it and it will climb all over you.
India and China have not exchanged a single bullet along the Line of Actual Control (LOAC) since 1987. Beijing does not send terrorists to kill Indians as Pakistan does. But by shielding Pakistani terrorists like Azhar, it is complicit in encouraging terrorism on Indian soil.
The prime minister has embarked on a calibrated policy on China. It is time to ratchet it up. The Dalai Lama's forthcoming visit to Tawang should be widely hailed. The recent visit to Tawang by US ambassador to India Richard Verma was another pointed signal to Beijing.
Free Tibet activists should be allowed to voice their protests around the country in greater numbers even as trade and diplomatic channels with China remain open and robust.
India has good trading links with Taiwan as well. Expand them. Bilateral India-Taiwan trade is now over $6 billion. A visit by Taiwan's first woman prime minister, Tsai ing-Wen, is not untenable despite the lack of official diplomatic relations.
Closer links with Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines and South Korea, all of whom have disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea, should form part of India's new China strategy.
Japan especially wants India to be more assertive with China. "We are encouraging India to speak up on issues related to the South China Sea because maritime security is important," says Yuki Tamura, deputy director of Japan foreign ministry's regional policy division which handles the South China Sea.
According to Christian belief, there is an afterlife. But first you have to die. That is roughly what Donald J Trump, Republican presidential nominee, tells his audiences.
"The system is rigged. It works against you. You are the fall guy, victim of big finance, international trade, unchecked immigration, violent crime... you name it. I can fix it."
But first you have to vote for him. Just as most people wouldnt kill themselves to test the afterlife proposition, not many American are buying into Trumps airy-fairy promises.
In the waning hours of the most bizarre presidential campaign in US political history, Latino and African American voters are rallying to vote against him; its pretty much the same for women. These are the major groups the Republican candidate has insulted with racist and misogynist remarks on the campaign trail.
One of the main reasons Trump was able to come so far also has to do with the systematic weakening of the liberal hold on the American imagination. It began in the 1960s, when Senator Barry Goldwater first hoisted the conservative standard, embracing a hawkish foreign policy and challenging the liberal agenda of social welfare and civil rights.
The Goldwater 1964 campaign was met with an aggressive response by the Democratic Party, the mainstay being a commercial that preyed on growing American paranoia about nuclear Armageddon and effectively destroyed the Goldwater candidacy.
In the following 1968 presidential election, Richard Nixon became only the second Republican elected to the Presidency since 1932; the first was Dwight D Eisenhower in 1952. Eisenhower, the war hero, won the Republican nomination as a moderate, vanquishing Ohio Senator Robert Taft, who was supported by the partys conservative wing.
During his six years in office, Nixon did not do much to further the conservative cause, first getting embroiled in the divisive Vietnam War, and later, in the Watergate scandal.
It wasnt until 1980 that the conservative agenda was revived by Ronald Reagan and persisted through the decade. The single-term presidency of George H W Bush got caught up in the war for the liberation of Kuwait that had been invaded by Iraqs Saddam Hussein. It paved the way for Bill Clinton, whose two terms were marred by impeachment proceedings in Congress, having to do with an alleged dalliance with an intern, Monica Lewinsky.
The two terms that George W Bush served in office were eight years of intense ideological polarisation, which saw the rise of an extreme neoconservative movement, the religious Right and the populist Tea Party.
The liberal agenda receded on the domestic front, while on the international front, a militant, shock-and-awe nationalism in response to the attacks of 9/11 dragged the US into messy wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
During the two terms of Barack Obama, though there were important initiatives, both globally and at home, the liberal agenda continued to flounder under the onslaught of uncompromising Republican partisanship. An immensely popular president, Obama could not get his nominee to the Supreme Court to be heard, leave alone confirmed, by Congress.
As such, the solid liberal base got eroded in the Democratic Party, leading to the emergence of Bernie Sanders as a major challenger for the party nomination in 2016.
Bernie Sanders divided the Democratic Party into true believers (his adoring faction) and workaday supporters of Hillary Clinton. (Photo: Reuters)
With an avowedly socialist agenda, Sanders divided the party into true believers (his adoring faction) and workaday supporters of Hillary Clinton.
By the time Clinton sealed the nomination, doubts had arisen that the loyalty of Sanders supporters may not be necessarily transferred to Clinton. This left a gaping hole in her campaign.
On the Republican side, the Bush inheritance saw the party fall into the clutches of extremists, replacing mainstream conservative themes of fiscal rectitude and globalisation with dubious themes of bigotry and isolationism.
Trump fell upon the riven party and launched a campaign that plumbed the depths of abuse and violence. Yet, miraculously, he convinced voters he was capable of winning.
When Trump is finally defeated, Republicans will be staring at a massive overhaul of the partys organisation and reputation. What happens to country-club suburban membership that is typical of the party and to the "lock her up" less educated, poor and blue-collar whites that have emerged, egged on by Trumps reckless exhortations?
What will be the new mainstream? Is the party doomed to fall into the hands of bigots and nativists?
On the Democratic side, will Hillarys win bring the Sanders radicals to her side? Or will she have to contend with incessant sniping from the left of the party spectrum?
Will Hillary Clintons win bring the Sanders radicals to her side? (Photo: Reuters)
If she wins handsomely, she may have some breathing room before the ideological sniping begin. The question is whether the new normal will be considerably left of center under the influence of Sanders.
Either way, there is no doubt that American politics has been shaken up like never before and it will take time for new majorities to be established in both parties.
Is there a lesson for India in the US political maelstrom? Actually, there are striking similarities.
Modi captured the BJP at the Goa conclave in May 2013, leaving the old guard agape and soon after, installed his comrade-in-arms Amit Shah as BJP chief.
Just as they did in Gujarat, they sidelined just about every power center in the saffron party. In the process of elevating themselves to such rarefied heights, they appear to have lost touch with political reality and appear to be lurching around to find solid ground while using the sovereign power of government to stifle dissent and opposition.
On the opposite end, just as there is Hillary Clinton in the US, there is in India as well a member of a famous family thats been around since the freedom struggle.
The Modi-Shah duo played a huge role in discrediting the Gandhis but now must face a sustained challenge from them. This is largely because Modis personality cult helped win a parliamentary majority but is clearly of no use in running a government.
Their panic is palpable, their actions condemnable and their prospects dim.
Hillary Clinton
Date of birth: 26-10- 1947; time: 8pm; place: Chicago
Lucky number-8; destiny number-3; name number-8
According to numerology, the lucky number 8 is connected with planet Saturn, which rewards hard work with success. The destiny number 3 points to planet Jupiter, which makes people fine orators, teachers and leaders. The letters in Hillary Clinton's name total to 8, so the double effect of Saturn may yield delayed results.
According to astrological principles, Hillary Clinton's chart reflects the moon in Mahadash and Saturn in Antar Dasha. The moon is placed in 10th house and the lord of second house. Saturn is the lord of 8th house and the 9th house and Mars is placed in the 2nd house.
The Sun, meanwhile, is placed in the 5th house - which is a house of planning and looking to the 11thhouse. Mercury is in 5th house and facing the 11th house, it is the lagna lord and the 4th house lord finds himself in the friend's house Venus. This shows that she will have to work immensely hard to realise her election dreams.
Donald J Trump
Date of birth- 14-06-1946; time- 10:54M; place- Jamaica
Lucky number-5; destiny number-4; name number-4
According to numerology, the lucky number 5 (Mercury-5) empowers one to lead a large number of people. It can certainly help an individual become a minister. The destiny number 4 is connected with Rahu, which is called the dragon head and instrumental in helping one achieve success in politics in a very short period. The letters of Donald J Trump's name total to 4 so there is the double impact of Rahu, which helps to win election.
Coeur Mining, Inc. explores for precious metals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The company primarily explores for gold, silver, zinc, and lead properties. It holds 100% interests in the Palmarejo gold and silver mine covering an area of approximately 67,296 net acres located in the State of Chihuahua in Northern Mexico; the Rochester silver and gold mine that covers an area of approximately 43,441net acres situated in northwestern Nevada; the Kensington gold mine comprising 3,972 net acres located to the north of Juneau, Alaska; the Wharf gold mine covering an area of approximately 3,243 net acres situated in the northern Black Hills of western South Dakota; and the Silvertip silver-zinc-lead mine comprising 97,298 net acres located in northern British Columbia, Canada. In addition, the company owns interests in the Crown and Sterling projects located in southern Nevada; and the La Preciosa project located in Mexico. Further, it markets and sells its concentrates to third-party customers, smelters, under off-take agreements. The company was formerly known as Coeur d'Alene Mines Corporation and changed its name to Coeur Mining, Inc. in May 2013.Coeur Mining, Inc. was incorporated in 1928 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is the 5th largest bank in the world and the largest in the U.S. The current company is the result of a series of mergers that began in the earliest days of American banking history and include more than 1,200 original banks. The oldest predecessor is The Bank Of The Manhattan Company which was founded in 1799 by Aaron Burr. At the time, The Bank Of The Manhattan Company was the 3rd oldest bank in the U.S. and the 31st oldest in the world. The Chase Manhattan Bank, a precursor to JPMorgan Chase, was later formed when The Bank Of Manhattan Company purchased Chase Bank which was established in 1877.
JPMorgan & Co came to life in 1895 in order to finance the United States Steel Corporation. Itself a result of merger, the company also financed other early American businesses as well as aided the federal government by backing a bond offering. It wasnt until the year 2000 and after several more mergers that JPMorgan Chase & Co was born. It will be four more years before the merger with Bank One which is notable because it brings CEO Jamie Dimon into the picture.
JPMorgan Chase & Co was instrumental in aiding the US government during the 2008 financial crisis. It backed the accounts of several major banks including Bear Stearns and eventually took over their operations. Today, JPMorgan Chase & Co operates as a financial services company worldwide with operations on every continent and in more than 60 countries.
JPMorgan Chase & Co operates through four segments that are Consumer & Community Banking (CCB), Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB), Commercial Banking (CB), and Asset & Wealth Management (AWM). Services are available in branches in 48 of the 50 US states and around the world. Services are available via ATM, online, mobile, and telephone.
The CCB segment offers traditional banking services to consumers that include but are not limited to deposits, loans, mortgages, and lines of credit. The CIB segment provides investment banking products and services to businesses, institutions, and governments that range from prime brokerage, insurance, corporate strategy, and access to capital markets, to lending, cross-border financing, and derivative instruments. The CB segment provides financial services for small, medium, and large businesses including commercial real estate banking of all types.
The AWM segment provides investment management solutions to institutional and retail investors. This segment also provides retirement products, brokerage, trusts and estates, and investment management products.
The following companies are subsidiares of WPP: 24/7 Real Media UK Ltd., 41?29! Media Internet, AD Venture Worldwide Inc, AKQA, AKQA Denmark A/S, AKQA GmbH, AKQA Inc., AKQA Limited, AQuest, Acceleration, Acceleration eMarketing Inc, All Global, Always (Shanghai) Marketing Services Co Ltd, Arctouch LLC, BCW LLC, BWR PR, Beijing Benpao Century Technology Development Co. Ltd., Benenson Strategy Group LLC, Black and Deen, Blast Radius, Blast Radius Inc., Bomtempo Anahory e Ralha, Bottle Rocket, Bottle Rocket LLC, Brindfors Design AB, CB Associes S.A., CMI Media, CMI Media LLC, CONEXANCE MD, CT Finances SA, Catalyst Online LLC, Cavendish Square Holding BV, Center Partners, Cerebra, Cockpit Holdings Limited, Cognifide, Commarco, Commarco GmbH 120274, Cordiant Communications Group Limited, Dawson Integrated Marketing Communications, DeepLocal Inc., Design Bridge, Design Bridge Limited, Dewey Square Group, Ecommera, EffectiveUI, Enduring Organisation, Entreprise de Communications Tank Inc., Essence, Essence Global Group Limited, Essence Global LLC, Eurosem Belgium SA/NV, F.biz, FAST - Financial Administration Solutions & Technologies Srl, Finecast Limited, Finsbury LLC, Forward Limited, GREY Dusseldorf GmbH, GTB Agency LLC, GTB Shanghai Advertising Co. Ltd, GTB Stat LLC, GWE LLC, Geometry Global Japan GK, Geometry Global LLC, Geometry Global Limited, Glendinning Management Consultants, Go Direct Marketing Inc., Gorilla LLC, Grey, Grey Advertising Limited, Grey Global Group LLC, Group M France SAS, Group M Worldwide LLC, Group SJR LLC, GroupM (Shanghai) Advertising Co. Ltd, GroupM Argentina Trading S.A., GroupM B.V., GroupM Chile SAC, GroupM Competence Center GmbH, GroupM Denmark A/S, GroupM Japan KK, GroupM Limited, GroupM Market Advertising Co. Ltd., GroupM Media India Pvt Ltd, GroupM Pakistan (Private) Ltd, GroupM Singapore Pte Ltd, GroupM Srl, GroupM UK Digital Limited, Guangzhou Dawson Marketing Communication Co. Ltd, H-ART, HERING SCHUPPENER Consulting Strategieberatung fur Kommunikation GmbH, HeathWallace, Hill & Knowlton Limited, Hill and Knowlton Strategies LLC, Hirschen Group GmbH, Hogarth California LLC, Hogarth Worldwide Inc., Hogarth Worldwide Limited, Icon Brand Navigation Group, IntelliQuest Information Group Inc, International Meetings & Science LLC, J Walter Thompson Middle East and North Africa E.C., J Walter Thompson Publicidade Ltda, J.Walter Thompson Bridge Advertising Co. Ltd., John Street Inc., KBM Group LLC, KR Media UK Limited, KR Wavemaker SAS, Kantar TNS, Kinetic Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Kinetic Worldwide Limited, LLC GroupM, LLC Wavemaker, Landor LLC, M Media Group Pty Ltd, M2 Digital Inc., Marketeers Vietnam, Marketing Direct LLC, Marketing Perspectives Limited, Mather Direct GmbH, Maxus Communications (UK) Limited, Media Club SpA, Media Insight SNC, MediaCom - Warszawa Sp.z.o.o., MediaCom AS (Norway), MediaCom Agentur fur Media-Beratung GmbH, MediaCom Communications Pvt Ltd, MediaCom Danmark A/S, MediaCom Group Limited, MediaCom Istanbul Medya Hizmetleri A.S., MediaCom TWENTYFIVE GmbH, Mediacom AG, Mediacom Australia Pty Limited, Mediacom Canada, Mediacom Iberia SA, Mediacom Italia Srl, Mediacom LLC, Mediacom Middle East & North Africa Holding W.L.L., Mediacom North Limited, Mediacom Paris SA, Mediacom Worldwide LLC, Mediaedge:CIA Worldwide Limited, Mediaedge:cia India Pvt Ltd, Medialets, Memac Ogilvy & Mather Holding Inc, Mind Share Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., MindShare Canada, MindShare GmbH, MindShare Hong Kong Limited, MindShare Polska Sp. z.o.o., Mindshare Media UK Limited, Mindshare SA, Mindshare South Africa (Gauteng) (Proprietary) Limited, Mindshare SpA, Mindshare Spain SA, Mindshare USA LLC, Mirum LLC, Mirum S.A. de C.V., Motion Content Group Limited, OPR AGENCY PTY LIMITED, Ogilvy & Mather Brasil Comunicacao Ltda, Ogilvy & Mather Group (Holdings) Limited, Ogilvy & Mather Pvt Ltd, Ogilvy & Mather S.A.S, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide LLC, Ogilvy Australia Pty Ltd, Ogilvy Commonhealth Worldwide LLC, Ogilvy Public Relations GmbH, Ogilvy Singapore Pte. Ltd., Ootworld, OpenMindWorld LLC, P Four Consultancy, PTR Comunicacoes Ltda, Penn Schoen & Berland Associates LLC, Penn Schoen Berland, Pep LLC, Plano.Trio Comunicacao, Potato London Ltd, Premiere Group Holdings Limited, Prism Sport + Entertainment, Promotion Execution Partners LLC, Public Strategies Inc., Quasar Media Private, Quinn Gillespie & Associates, Quirk, RLM Finsbury, Rasor Holdings LLC, Ray + Keshavan Design Associates, Real Media, Red Fuse New York LLC, Regional Management Group SAS, Russell Square Holding BV, Salmon Limited, Salmon Ltd, Sandtable, Scangroup, Set Management LLC, Shanghai Easycom Advertising Co. Ltd., Shanghai Linjie Marketing Services Co. Ltd., Shanghai Ogilvy & Mather Advertising Ltd, Shire Hall Group, Spafax Airline Network Limited, Spafax Networks LLC, Stickleback Limited, Sudler & Hennessey LLC, Superunion Limited, Swift + POSSIBLE LLC, Syzygy AG, TMARC, Taxi, Taxi Inc., Team Garage LLC, The Brand Union, The Cocktail Global S.L., The Finsbury Group Limited, The Glover Park Group, The Glover Park Group LLC, The GroupM ESP Clever Company S.R.L. de C.V., The Lacek Group LLC, The Marketing & Communication Agency, The Ogilvy Group LLC, The Performers Group, The Young & Rubicam Group of Companies ULC, Triad Digital Media LLC, Twist Image, Two Circles, VML LLC, VMLY&R, WPP (Thailand) Ltd, WPP 2005 Limited, WPP AMC Holdings, WPP AUNZ, WPP Beans Limited, WPP Brands (UK) Limited, WPP Brands Development Holdings (UK) Limited, WPP Brands Holdings (UK) Limited, WPP Deutschland Holding GmbH & Co. KG, WPP Finance 2013, WPP Finance 2015 Limited, WPP Finance Co. Limited, WPP Finance SA, WPP Group (UK) Ltd, WPP Group Canada Finance Inc., WPP Group U.S. Finance LLC, WPP Group USA Inc., WPP Health Limited, WPP Holdings Spain S.L., WPP Jubilee Limited, WPP Luxembourg Gamma Three Sarl, WPP Luxembourg Sarl, WPP Luxembourg Turris S.a r.l., WPP Marketing Communications (Hong Kong) Limited, WPP Marketing Communications Germany GmbH, WPP Media Ltd, WPP Montagu Square LLC, WPP Mexico S.R.L. de C.V., WPP Ottawa Ltd, WPP Samson Limited, WPP Sigma Limited, WPP Sphinx Limited, WPP Square one B.V, WPP UK Germany Holdings, WPP Unicorn Limited, WPPIH 2001 Inc., Warwicks, Wavemaker A/S, Wavemaker Australia Pty Ltd, Wavemaker BV, Wavemaker Canada ULC, Wavemaker Czech s.r.o., Wavemaker Global LLC, Wavemaker Global Limited, Wavemaker GmbH, Wavemaker Hong Kong Limited, Wavemaker Hungary Kft, Wavemaker Italia S.r.l., Wavemaker Limited, Wavemaker MENA FZ LLC, Wavemaker Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Wavemaker Publicidad Spain S.L., Wavemaker Sp.z.o.o, Wavemaker Taiwan Ltd, Wavemaker Servicos Publicitarios Ltda, Who Digital, Witgoud Investments B.V., Worldwide Mediacom Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., Wunderman A/S, Wunderman Thompson (UK) Limited, Wunderman Thompson LLC, XMKT Group, Xaxis LLC, Xaxis US LLC, Y&R Propaganda Ltda, Young & Rubicam, Young & Rubicam LLC, clarus digital, dBOD, groupm Germany GmbH & Co. KG, mPlatform LLC, plista GmbH, thjnk, and thjnk AG.
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Brookdale Senior Living Inc. owns, manages, and operates senior living communities in the United States. It operates in three segments: Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care, and Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). The Independent Living segment owns or leases communities comprising independent and assisted living units in a single community that are primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors. The Assisted Living and Memory Care segment owns or leases communities consisting of freestanding multi-story communities and freestanding single-story communities, which offer housing and 24-hour assistance with activities of daily living for the Company's residents. This segment also operates memory care communities for residents with Alzheimer's and other dementias. The CCRCs segment owns or leases communities that provides various living arrangements, such as independent and assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing; and services to accommodate various levels of physical ability and healthcare needs. It also manages communities on behalf of others. As of December 31, 2021, the company owned 347 communities, leased 299 communities, and managed 33 communities on behalf of others. Brookdale Senior Living Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.
This is a current list of the top 250 companies by market capitalization on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). Learn more .
Many investors understand the reasons for having a diversified portfolio. One way to accomplish this is to diversify within an asset class. For equity investors in the United States this can mean investing in both growth and value stocks.
It can also mean investing in international stocks. And when investors want to do this, they need look no further than our neighbor to the north. Canada has a range of stocks for investors to consider. This article will focus on strategies that investors can use when looking to invest in Canadian stocks.
Why Buy Canadian Stocks?
There are a few reasons for investors to consider Canadian stocks as part of their diversification strategy:
A Large Natural Resources Sector The sheer size of the country and its location lets investors know that it is an area rich in natural resources. This also means that the country has a source of current and future wealth.
An Advanced Skills-Based Economy In this regard, Canada is similar to other western nations. The difference is that it is not as common to find these skill-based professions in a country with so many natural resources.
Stability Canada is not exempt from any problems that impact the global economy. However, the country is known for stable financial and business policies that have kept the economy relatively stable. This Goldilocks economy has meant that many Canadian stocks havent enjoyed the outsized growth of some U.S. equities. However, it also comes with a bit of protection against downside risk.
How Have Canadian Stocks Performed?
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, there was a time when U.S. stocks and Canadian stocks performed nearly identically. Heres a graph that shows the performance of the S&P 500 Index vs. the TSX Index
Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence
You can see that with a couple of exceptions, the two indexes performed remarkably similar. That all changed around 2012 and Canadian stocks became less attractive.
Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence
This disparity is widely due to one sector, technology. However, Canadian technology stocks have been on the rise. And in 2022, the country is benefiting from renewed interest in materials stocks as well as a spike in commodity prices.
What Are the Best Sectors of Canadian Stocks?
For different reasons finance, materials, and energy stocks are among the best performing stocks as of September 2022. Heres a brief overview of each sector and some of the top names for investors to consider.
Financial Similar to the United States, Canada has a strong banking industry. Many Canadian banks have a track record of solid performance that can provide long-term value to a portfolio. And several of these stocks pay dividends with attractive yields for investors.
This sector makes up the largest percentage of the TSX at roughly 30%. And the Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY)is the top-weighted constituent in the TSX. Beyond the Royal Bank of Canada some of the other top-performing Canadian financial stocks include:
Materials and Mining Canadian stocks can be an ideal choice for investors looking to diversify into gold and precious metals without owning the physical metal. Canada has a large natural resources sector. So, its not surprising that there are a number of gold mining companies with Canadian origins. This sector also gives investors exposure to other components in the mining and agriculture sectors. This sector makes up approximately 11.5% of the TSX. Some of the top Canadian materials and mining stocks include:
Energy Canadian stocks offer both traditional fossil fuel-based energy stocks as well as some renewable energy stocks. This sector makes up approximately 18.5% of the TSX. Some of the top Canadian energy stocks include:
Technology As mentioned earlier, technology stocks have largely been the domain of the United States. As evidence of this, information technology stocks make up only about 5.5% of the TSX. However, there are a few Canadian companies that have become stars in the new economy being created. Some of the more popular names include:
What Are the Risks of Investing in Canadian Stocks?
One concern about investing in Canadian stocks is that they can be heavily weighted towards cyclical industries. For example, as of February 2022 financials (33.5%), energy (14.8%) and industrials (11.7%) made up nearly 60% of the index. That may be too much for some investors particularly because those sectors all tend to correlate roughly the same way as the economic cycle. But as a long-term play, Canadian stocks are worth considering with a small part of your portfolio.
How to Buy Canadian Stocks
Buy Individual Stocks on a Stock Exchange
Hundreds of Canadian stocks have dual listings on either the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or the NASDAQ. This is the most convenient way to get exposure to Canadian stocks because there are no barriers to stock ownership. These shares can be purchased in U.S. dollars directly from the exchange just like purchasing a U.S. stock.
However, for a full list of the best Canadian stocks, investors should look at the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). The TSX is one of the oldest stock exchanges having been founded in 1852. Its also the third largest stock exchange in North America in terms of market capitalization.
The Toronto Stock Exchange includes approximately 1,500 companies. It allows investors to trade stocks, investment trusts, exchange-traded products, bonds, commodities, futures, options, and other derivative products. All transactions on the TSX are executed in Canadian dollars.
Invest in a Mutual Fund or ETF
There are many mutual funds and exchange-traded funds that supply exposure to Canadian stocks. Some funds supply exposure to both U.S. and Canadian stocks. Other funds hold just Canadian stocks. Some examples of those include:
BMO S&P/TSX Capped Composite Index ETF
Horizons S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF
Vanguard FTSE Canada All Cap ETF
As with investing in any asset class, investors need to consider their investment objective, time horizon and risk tolerance before choosing a fund that fits their needs. Investors will also want to pay attention to the funds fee structure to ensure youre making the most efficient use of your capital.
The Final Word on Investing in Canadian Stocks
Investing in Canadian stocks is one way for investors to add diversification to their portfolio. MarketBeat provides a list of the top Canadian stocks that trade on the TSX. This is Canadas version of the NYSE or NASDAQ in the United States and includes many of the same stocks.
Thats one advantage of investing in Canadian stocks is that many have a dual listing which removes many of the obstacles that can come with investing in international stocks.
However, investors should be aware that many of the best Canadian stocks are in highly cyclical industries which can lead to underperformance when those sectors are out of favor. Still, due to their relative stability and in some cases an impressive dividend, Canadian stocks may have a place in an investors portfolio.
The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. manufactures, markets, and sells skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products worldwide. It offers a range of skin care products, including moisturizers, serums, cleansers, toners, body care, exfoliators, acne care and oil correctors, facial masks, cleansing devices, and sun care products; and makeup products, such as lipsticks, lip glosses, mascaras, foundations, eyeshadows, nail polishes, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools. The company also provides fragrance products in various forms comprising eau de parfum sprays and colognes, as well as lotions, powders, creams, candles, and soaps; and hair care products that include shampoos, conditioners, styling products, treatment, finishing sprays, and hair color products, as well as sells ancillary products and services. It offers its products under the Estee Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, MAC, Bobbi Brown, La Mer, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Darphin, Smashbox, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle, GLAMGLOW, Kilian Paris, Too Faced, Dr. Jart+, DECIEM, and The Ordinary brands. The company sells its products through department stores, specialty-multi retailers, upscale perfumeries and pharmacies, and salons and spas; freestanding stores; its own and authorized retailer websites; third-party online malls; stores in airports; and duty-free shops. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
On Tuesday, both the Democrats and Republicans will be watching the polls closely in Florida.
For Donald Trump, the surprise presidential nominee for the Republicans, Floridas 29 electoral votes are a big building block for most scenarios that end with him reaching the White House.
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For Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State, a win in Florida holds a possible knockout blow that would all but ensure Trump will not win enough electoral votes to win the election.
Florida holds a number of issues that have been reshaping the electorate across the nation. Will Trump be able to get a big turn out from the disaffected white voters that helped power him to the nomination in the GOP in number that will win the general national election?
Will the African American voters stay energized following the electing of the countrys first black president? Will the growing Hispanic population in the country use the line policies on immigration of Trump against him in the election?
All that has caused both of the two major party campaigns to invest a great deal of time and money in Florida, both to persuade voters and of recent to get them turned out to vote.
Clinton, Trump and current President Barack Obama, one of the most effective Clinton surrogates, have come and gone repeatedly in the sunshine state during the last few weeks of the campaign.
That has created a race where both the candidates are in a virtual tie at the polls and the prospect of another recount looms big.
One political professor with the University of South Florida said that the race is a 1% election. The winner will win be no more than 1%.
If the idea of so many visits to Florida was to push the voters to vote, it likely has worked. Close to 4.9 million people in Florida, have already cast their ballots in the state, either in person or by mail as of last Thursday.
Both parties have returned about 1.95 million ballots and many more were cast over the weekend. The remaining has come from those Floridians who are registered with a third party or no party affiliation.
For the Democrats, some supporters of Clinton had been concerned the black voters were not appearing in the numbers they had in 2008 possibly eating into the advantage of the Democrats that they believe they hold in presidential elections in Florida.
Banc of California, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Banc of California, National Association that provides banking products and services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, retirement, and interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing demand accounts, as well as certificate of deposits. It also provides various commercial and consumer loan products, such as commercial and industrial loans; commercial real estate and multifamily loans; construction loans; single family residential mortgage loans; warehouse and indirect/direct leveraged lending; home equity lines of credit; small business administration loans; and other consumer loans. In addition, the company offers automated bill payment, cash and treasury management, foreign exchange, card payment, remote and mobile deposit capture, automated clearing house origination, wire transfer, direct deposit, and internet banking services; and master demand accounts, interest rate swaps, and safe deposit boxes. Further, it invests in collateralized loan obligations, agency securities, municipal bonds, agency residential mortgage-backed securities, and corporate debt securities. As of December 31, 2020, the company operated 29 full-service branches in Southern California. The company was formerly known as First PacTrust Bancorp, Inc. and changed its name to Banc of California, Inc. in July 2013. Banc of California, Inc. was founded in 1941 and is headquartered in Santa Ana, California.
State Street Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides a range of financial products and services to institutional investors worldwide. The company offers investment servicing products and services, including custody; product accounting; daily pricing and administration; master trust and master custody; depotbank services; record-keeping; cash management; foreign exchange, brokerage and other trading services; securities finance and enhanced custody products; deposit and short-term investment facilities; loans and lease financing; investment manager and alternative investment manager operations outsourcing; performance, risk, and compliance analytics; and financial data management to support institutional investors. It also engages in the provision of portfolio management and risk analytics, as well as trading and post-trade settlement services with integrated compliance and managed data. In addition, the company offers investment management strategies and products, such as core and enhanced indexing, multi-asset strategies, active quantitative and fundamental active capabilities, and alternative investment strategies. Further, it provides services and solutions, including environmental, social, and governance investing; defined benefit and defined contribution; and global fiduciary solutions, as well as exchange-traded fund under the SPDR ETF brand. The company provides its products and services to mutual funds, collective investment funds and other investment pools, corporate and public retirement plans, insurance companies, foundations, endowments, and investment managers. State Street Corporation was founded in 1792 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
OPKO Health, Inc., a healthcare company, engages in the diagnostics and pharmaceuticals businesses in the United States, Ireland, Chile, Spain, Israel, Mexico, and internationally. The company's Diagnostics segment operates BioReference Laboratories that offers laboratory testing services for the detection, diagnosis, evaluation, monitoring, and treatment of diseases, including esoteric testing, molecular diagnostics, anatomical pathology, genetics, women's health, and correctional healthcare to physician offices, clinics, hospitals, employers and governmental units; and a novel diagnostic instrument system to provide blood test results in the point-of-care setting, as well as 4Kscore prostate cancer testing services. Its Pharmaceutical segment offers Rayaldee to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism in adults with stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease, and vitamin D insufficiency; OPK88004, an orally administered selective androgen receptor modulator; OPK88003, a once-weekly administered peptide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and associated obesity that is in Phase IIb trials; and hGH-CTP, a once-weekly human growth hormone injection that completed Phase III clinical trial in partnership with Pfizer, Inc. This segment develops and commercializes longer-acting proprietary versions of already approved therapeutic proteins. The company also offers specialty APIs; develops, manufactures, markets, and sells pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, veterinary, and ophthalmic products; commercializes food supplements and over the counter products; manufactures and sells products primarily in the generics market; and imports, markets, distributes, and sells pharmaceutical products in a range of indications, including cardiovascular products, vaccines, antibiotics, gastro-intestinal products, hormones, and others. In addition, it operates pharmaceutical platforms in Ireland, Chile, Spain, and Mexico. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.
Quotient Technology Inc. operates as a digital media and promotions technology company that offers power integrated digital media and promotions programs for brands and retailers. The company's Quotient Promotions platform offers digital paperless, print promotion, and cash back rebates, including Coupons.com website and mobile applications; brand and retailer websites and mobile applications; and third-party publishing websites and mobile applications. It also provides Quotient Retailer Promotions Platform that uses consumer data and insights to distribute personalized and targeted media and promotions for retailers of grocery, drug, mass merchant, dollar, club, and convenience merchandise; and Quotient Media Platform, which provides targeted advertising solutions that enables brands to reach shoppers before, during, and after their shopping cycles with digital media campaigns. It also provides Quotient Retailer Performance Media Platform that uses retailer's consumer data to drive sales and enhances the shopper experience; Quotient Analytics provides campaign analytics and measured sales results to brands and retailers; Quotient Consumer Properties; and Quotient Retailer Media Services. It serves approximately 900 consumer packed goods, representing approximately 2,500 brands, including various food, beverage, personal care, and household product manufacturers; retail partners representing various classes of trade, such as grocery retailers, drug, mass merchant, dollar, club, and convenience merchandise channels; and consumers visiting its websites, mobile properties, and social channels. The company was formerly known as Coupons.com Incorporated and changed its name to Quotient Technology Inc. in October 2015. Quotient Technology Inc. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.
WASHINGTON A bold experiment is giving some patients a chance at cutting years off their wait for a kidney transplant if they agree to a drastic-sounding option getting an organ almost sure to infect them with hepatitis C.
Betting on new medications that promise to cure hepatitis C, two leading transplant centers aim to use organs that today go to waste, a bid to put a dent in the nations long transplant waiting list.
Pilot studies are underway at the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University to test transplanting kidneys from deceased donors with hepatitis C into recipients who dont already have that virus. If the groundbreaking research eventually pans out, hundreds more kidneys and maybe some hearts and lungs, too could be transplanted every year.
We always dreaded hepatitis C, said Dr. Peter Reese, a Penn kidney specialist who is helping lead the research. But now hepatitis C is just a different disease enough to consider what he calls the trade-off of getting a new kidney years faster, but one that comes with a hopefully treatable infection.
Its a trade-off prompted by an organ shortage. More than 99,000 people are on the national kidney waiting list, but only about 17,000 people a year get a transplant and 4 percent a year die waiting, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).
If we had enough organs, we wouldnt do this, said Dr. Niraj Desai, who is leading the Hopkins study. But, Desai said, most patients are pretty open to the idea once they hear what the alternatives are.
Doctors had told 66-year-old Irma Hendricks of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, to expect at least a five-year wait for a kidney transplant. Dialysis three times a week was keeping her alive, but leaving her with no energy for even routine activities. I call it the zombie syndrome, she said.
She jumped at the chance to enroll in Penns study, even though doctors made clear they hoped for but couldnt guarantee a hepatitis cure.
My son said, Mom, this is a no-brainer. Just do it, Hendricks said.
She swallowed an anti-hepatitis pill daily for three months, in addition to the usual post-transplant medications. Testing showed the drugs rapidly cleared hepatitis C out of her bloodstream. With her new kidney functioning well, she now has enough energy to play with her toddler grandson.
This is giving people in my situation new hope, Hendricks said.
Kidney transplant specialists are closely watching the research.
It makes sense to me, said Dr. Matthew Cooper, a transplant surgeon at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital who is not involved in the research. He cautioned that the studies should use only kidneys that are young and otherwise high-quality, and that patients must understand the risks.
They need to know you place their safety as the highest priority, Cooper said. But at the same time, recognize that we have these obstacles. We dont want people to die on dialysis, and there are not enough organs available for everybody.
Hepatitis C is a simmering infection that, if untreated, over two to three decades can quietly destroy someones liver.
At least 2.7 million people in the United States have chronic hepatitis C. Until a few years ago, it was treatable only by medications with grueling side effects and poor cure rates. Now, breakthrough drugs promise to cure 95 percent of hepatitis C cases with fewer side effects for people who can afford them. Treatment costs tens of thousands of dollars.
Normally, hepatitis C-infected organs are transplanted only into patients who already have hepatitis C themselves, so as not to further spread the virus.
Giving hepatitis C-positive organs to hepatitis C-negative recipients is allowed if the patient agrees, but its rare, said Dr. David Klassen, UNOS chief medical officer. UNOS statistics show a few dozen such transplants, mostly kidneys, last year, presumably when doctors feared their patients wouldnt survive the wait for a healthier organ.
More often, hospitals discard hepatitis C-infected organs.
Reese and fellow Penn physician Dr. David Goldberg found only 37 percent of hepatitis C-positive kidney donations between 2005 and 2014 were transplanted. The discards could have helped more than 4,000 patients during that time period, they reported in the New England Journal of Medicine last year.
The opioid epidemic is prompting a jump in donations from people who died of drug overdoses typically young organs that, absent an infection risk, would be sought after.
The small Penn and Hopkins trials are a first step. Much larger studies are needed to prove whether more routine use of these organs in immune-suppressed transplant recipients really works.
Cost also is a question. Merck & Co. is helping to fund the pilot trials, donating its medication Zepatier, which costs $54,000 for a round of treatment. Thats still cheaper than a lifetime of a dialysis, which costs about $75,000 a year, UNOS Klassen noted.
While the studies began with kidneys because of their demand, I dont think theres any reason, if it proves safe and effective in kidneys, that we wouldnt want to try it in other organs, Penns Goldberg noted.
Even if the hepatitis C-infected organs prove useful, the nation still is desperate for more donors, cautioned Hopkins Desai. Its a practical solution to help some of the people. It wont solve the problem.
Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund hosts Thomas Linzey and Derrick Jensen discussing the Rights of Nature movement at 8 p.m. Sunday at Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church Unitarian Universalist at 717 Rugby Road, and again at 7 p.m. Monday at Rockfish Valley Community Center at 190 Rockfish School Lane in Afton. (717) 498-0054.
Jefferson School African American Heritage Center hosts William Ferraro, associate professor and managing editor of papers of George Washington at UVa, presenting Revealing the Concealed: Editors Confront Slavery in George Washingtons Diaries from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at 233 Fourth St. NW. (434) 260-8720.
The Lodge at Old Trail is accepting reservations for its Third Thursday lecture series with Nat Howell, former U.S. ambassador to Kuwait, speaking about his experiences during the 1990 Iraqi invasion at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at 330 Claremont Lane in Crozet. (434) 823-9100.
Miller Center holds the American Forum with Matt Kibbe presenting Whats the Future of the Tea Party After 2016? from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Wednesday. Thomas Sugrue presents Barack Obama and the 2008 Election from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Monday. 2201 Old Ivy Road. (434) 924-7236.
More Than the Score Lecture Series hosts John Ragosta presenting Thomas Jeffersons Battle for Religious Freedom from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Alumni Hall at 211 Emmet St. South. (434) 924-4491.
Piedmont Group of the Sierra Club hosts national park rangers Sally Hurlbert, Jeff Koenig and Andy Ruth speaking about the Rocky Mountain Fire in the Shenandoah National Park in the spring of 2016 at 7 p.m. Wednesday at St. Mark Lutheran Church at 100 Alderman Road. (434) 973-0373.
Reading Summit, examining ways that Greene County can support and sustain a reading culture, features a panel of speakers and question and discussion session from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday in the meeting room of Greene County Library at 222 Main St. in Stanardsville. (434) 985-5227.
Senior Statesmen of Virginia hosts Albemarle County Police Chief Ron Lantz and Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas Jr. addressing current policing issues, including traffic concerns, staffing levels/shortages and gangs, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Senior Center at 1180 Pepsi Place. (434) 974-7756.
TEDxCharlottesville, themed The Power of One, will be Friday at the Paramount Theater on the Downtown Mall. A complete list of speakers and ticket information are available at tedxcharlottesville.com. (434) 979-1333.
University of Virginia Departments of Physics and Astronomy and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory will host Nobel laureate Adam Reiss presenting The Accelerating Universe at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Paramount Theater. Free. (434) 296-0314.
University of Virginia Department of Religion hosts Larry Echo Hawk, former governor of Idaho and representative of Native American tribes and nations, presenting A Native Americans Perspective on the Book of Mormon 7 p.m. Friday in Room 101 of Nau Hall. (434) 973-8407.
University of Virginia School of Architecture hosts architectural historian Christine Madrid-French presenting Modernism as Frame and Character in Alfred Hitchcocks Cinematic Spaces at 5 p.m. Monday in Room 153 of Campbell Hall on UVa Grounds. (434) 924-1428.
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities presents Going Down Slow: The Long, Strange Lie and Threatened Demise of Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay from noon to 1 p.m. Nov. 15 at 145 Ednam Drive. (434) 924-6562.
Virginia Native Plant Society hosts Lori Chamberlain of the Virginia Department of Forestry speaking about the departments forestry health program from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at Ivy Creek Natural Area at 1780 Earlysville Road. (434) 973-7772.
Wild Virginia hosts Travis Hammill of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance speaking about the status of the Utah wilderness movement following a multimedia presentation at 6 p.m. Sunday at Ivy Creek Natural Area at 1780 Earlysville Road. (434) 973-7772.
This page may be updated if the event is repeated
Past Event - Saturday, December 3, 2016 This page may be updated if the event is repeated
Free Event
Join in a fun family Christmas festival celebration and bazaar for the whole community.
The annual Incarnation Christmas Festival will be December 2, 7-9, and December 3, 9:30-2, at the Incarnation Parish Center (behind the main church). We offer activities for all ages, and it's always a great time!
Bring the whole family, and enjoy:
Kids' games, like a snowball toss and Plinko
Crafts, like ornament painting, making snow globes, and making reindeer food
A raffle to test your luck
A cafe
Visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus
A craft fair
A bouncy house
And more!
Come and get into the Christmas spirit at Incarnation!
New Delhi: Concerned over the Tata-Mistry feud impacting stock valuations, foreign investors are approaching Sebi as well as the independent directors and management of Tata Group companies to ensure that interests of minority shareholders in the listed entities are protected.
More than two dozen Tata group companies, including software bellwether TCS, are listed on the bourses, and most of them have substantial holdings by foreign investors. Their market valuations have taken a hit after the sacking of Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry on October 24 and ensuing spat between him and the group being played out in the public.
Sources said that Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) and other overseas entities are approaching markets regulator Sebi in the wake of the ongoing board room battle at Tata group.
The aim is to ensure that interests of minority shareholders are well protected and foreign investors hope that the issues within the Tata group -- which commands market valuation of about USD 120 billion -- are sorted out at the earliest and in an amicable manner, sources added.
According to them, foreign investors are also reaching out to the independent directors and the management of respective listed Tata group companies. These investors are looking to ensure more clarity against the backdrop of persisting uncertainties which have negatively impacted the market valuation of various listed Tata companies, they added.
Mistry was removed by the board of Tata Sons -- the holding company of most group entities -- but he continues to remain the Chairman in some of the listed Tata companies. Mistry is still a director at Tata Sons.
At the end of September, FPIs held 17.02 per cent stake in TCS, 26.01 per cent in Tata Power and 13.07 per cent in Tata Steel, among other firms.
On November 4, board of Indian Hotels Co Ltd, the group's hospitality arm, unanimously supported Mistry's leadership and continuance as Chairman of the company. Sebi is also keeping a close watch on the developments at Tata group and would look into any possible breach of corporate governance norms and listing regulations.
Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry has asked financial institutions, including LIC and banks, to keep a watch on developments at Tata group to safeguard investors' interest. State-owned insurer LIC and various banks have significant exposure to Tata group in terms of their investments in various companies.
Life Insurance Corporation of India alone has an exposure of about Rs 37,500 crore to different Tata group companies. Following his ouster, Mistry has accused Tata Sons of cornering him into being a "lame-duck" chairman in the near four-year tenure and also hiding USD 18 billion of potential write-downs across five group firms, including Tata Motors and Tata Steel Europe.
He has also alleged potential financial issues at the various companies.
Mumbai: The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) today said the government's four-tier structure in Good and Services Tax (GST), in which the service sector will be taxed at 18 per cent, will cause the tourism sector a major setback.
In the recently concluded meet on GST, the government has declared a four tier structure of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent of which the service sector will be taxed at 18 per cent.
"It is estimated that the lower GST rate of 5 per cent will contribute to a decrease in our Current Account Deficit, increase in the GDP, doubling up of both foreign and domestic travel and also doubling up of tourism induced employment, across each state and nationally," HRAWI President Dilip Datwani said.
India's tourism competitors in South East Asia (excluding Japan and China) earn among themselves over USD 150 billion in foreign exchange and attract almost 100 million tourists annually, he said.
According to estimates, a GST rate of 5 per cent will more than double both foreign travel coming to India to 20 million tourists and domestic travel within India to 2.5 billion.
"We welcome the 5 per cent tax slab on food, which is a positive outcome of subsumed taxes for hotels and restaurants. However, the 18 per cent levy on services or room revenue in our case, compared to our neighbouring countries which charge a Tourism tax between 4 to 7 per cent, rules out fair competition," HRAWI former President Kamlesh Barot said.
Overseas, he said, GST can have least slabs as they have minimum exclusions unlike ours. "A foreign tourist planning a trip across Asia may entirely skip India or spend fewer days in our country on account of these perceived high room rates because we also don't refund taxes to foreigners like many countries do," added Barot.
Decision on GST for gold has been put on hold.
Mumbai: A jewellers body today demanded that the GST rate on the jewellery sector should be 1.25 per cent if the government wants the industry to be "compliant and organised".
"We are now gearing up for GST and have proposed that the GST rate for the gems and jewellery sector should be 1.25 per cent if the government expects the industry to be compliant and organised," All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation (GJF) Chairman Sreedhar G V said in a release.
A delegation of the jewellers' body today met Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar at Nagpur and submitted its representation on Goods and Services Tax (GST).
GJF, he said, will send the representation to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on GST, highlighting various concerns of the sector.
"We have been constantly highlighting various contentious issues such as smuggling of gold and increasing PAN card limit for purchases, lack of hallmarking infrastructure and high Customs duties on raw material gold," he added.
GJF, he said, is closely evaluating the implications of Model GST Law and has already started mapping the business practises of the sector with the Model GST Law and Draft GST Rules.
GJF Director and Member-High Level Committee (HLC) Ashok Minawala said, "The HLC Report, which was unanimously accepted by the government, was prepared after taking the suggestions and recommendations from over 60 associations of India into consideration."
"Keeping in mind, the unique characteristics of the gems and jewellery sector, the kaarighars and small jewellers were kept out of purview of the Excise Duty. Therefore, while we welcome GST we request the GST Council to recognise the practical issues faced by the sector as highlighted in the HLC report," Minawala added.
The mention of the Tata Group by the UK comes amid the on-going boardroom battle at the Tata Group, whose UK businesses include IT, automobiles and steel among others.
New Delhi: As the bitter boardroom battle in the Indian salt-to-software conglomerate continues, the Tata Group today found a mention in the UK Prime Minister Theresa May's first address to Indian businesses here.
Addressing the inaugural session of the India-UK Tech Summit organised by the CII, May said that over 800 Indian businesses have presence in the UK, with "Jaguar Land Rover's owner, Tata, our largest manufacturing employer."
The mention of the Tata Group by the UK PM during her visit to India marking her first bilateral visit outside Europe and her first ever trade mission comes amid the on-going boardroom battle at the Tata Group, whose UK businesses include IT, automobiles and steel among others.
May is in India on a two-day visit here. Earlier this year in January, JLR became the UK's largest car maker eight years after it was acquired by Tata Motors for USD 2.3 billion from Ford.
Last month, in a sudden and dramatic turn of events, Cyrus Mistry was unceremoniously removed as the Chairman of Tata Sons and replaced by his predecessor Ratan Tata in the interim, triggering a confrontation between the single-largest shareholder and the company's founding family.
In the high-decibel corporate drama that followed, Mistry accused Tata Sons of cornering him into being a "lame-duck" chairman in the near four-year tenure, and also hiding USD 18 billion of potential write-downs across five group firms, including Tata Motors and Tata Steel Europe.
He also alleged that there were potential financial issues at the various companies and violations of securities regulations. Hitting back, Tata Sons said its former chairman was fully empowered to lead the group and its companies but had "overwhelmingly" lost the confidence of board members. Ratan Tata had also lashed out at him saying Mistry's removal was 'absolute necessary' for group's future success.
New Delhi: The auto industry today discussed with Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia, the rate of cess and definition of luxury cars under the GST regime, which is likely to kick in from April next.
In the pre-budget meeting with the revenue department, the auto industry had sought clarity from the revenue department on the transitional issues before GST roll out. "We have talked about the cess rate that will apply on luxury cars and its definition. We have given our views," M&M Executive Director Pawan Goenka told reporters here.
The GST Council, in its meeting last week, had decided on a four-tier GST tax structure of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent. Besides, luxury items like high-end cars and demerit goods including tobacco and aerated drinks, will be taxed at the highest rate and would also attract a cess in a way that the total incidence of tax remains at almost the current level.
Asked what concerns the auto industry have in the new tax regime, Goenka said there is a need for clarity on the definition, cess rate, how the transitional issues will be taken care of and clarity on incentives that were given by the central and state governments, especially by hilly states.
"It appears to us that the definition of luxury cars will remain the same and the tax incidence will be similar to what it is today. There may be some differential 2-3 per cent up or down, but it will not be a major change," he said.
Maruti Suzuki MD and CEO Kenichi Ayukawa said implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) is good for the country but it has to be implemented smoothly. "We are expecting the definition (of luxury cars) to be as it is," he said.
The GST Council, which is chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, and has state finance ministers as members is likely to decide on the definition of luxury cars and the incidence of cess at its next meeting later this month.
Chennai: The latest ranking of Indian States on Implementation of Business Reforms (2016), by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the World Bank Group (WBG) that says Tamil Nadu has slipped to the 18th slot from its 12th rank last year seems only a nominal figure.
A closer look at the reports though the PIB press release says that the full report of the assessment of all the States and Union Territories (UT) will be published later in November shows that Tamil Nadu has not done badly after all in the larger context of some of the methodological issues the new set of DIPP-WBG criteria have raised for all.
First, let us take a look at the facts vis-a-vis Tamil Nadu. The idea of a new index of Ease of Doing Business and the criteria for the same originated at a conference of Chief Secretaries of all States / UTs the Make In India workshop - convened by the Central government in New Delhi in December 2014, when a broad consensus was reached on a 98-point-action plan, with a provision to revise it later. The Centre had sought WBGs help to Indias efforts to enhance competitiveness and increase manufactured exports.
Broadly, 8 areas of reforms by the States were then identified. They included reforms needed in setting up a business, allotment of land and obtaining construction permits, complying with environment procedures, complying with labour regulations, obtaining infrastructure related utilities, registering and complying with tax procedures, carrying out inspections and the legal system to enforce contracts.
While the first DIPP-WBG report took stock of reforms implemented by all States/UTs during January 1 to June 30, 2015 Tamil Nadu as per that ranking based on its responses to queries on the 98-point-action plan, was said to have scored 44.58 per cent in a scorecard of 1-100 and ranked 12th.
Now, for the 2016 assessment, the DIPP-WBGs Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) has swelled to a 340-points agenda, which requires action by the states to accelerate reforms. It is on this larger base, that the 2016 assessment of States has ranked Tamil Nadu in the 18th slot, giving it a score of 62.80 per cent. So, even on a quick comparative read, the State has only done better carrying the burden of a bigger basket, if not worse.
Secondly, the 2016 report has re-classified the scores attributed to the four categories - namely States which are Leaders (90-100 per cent), States which are Aspiring Leaders (70-90 per cent), States which come under the category of Acceleration Required (40-70 per cent), and States / UTs at the bottom which come under the category, Jump Start Needed (0-40 per cent).
The corresponding scores under each category respectively given in the 2015 assessment were 75 per cent, 50-75 per cent, 25-50 per cent and 0-25 per cent. These facts show that bar has been considerably raised for all States / UTs.
While this straight points to the futility of applying the logic of one-size-fits-all, as each State post 1947, and subsequently after 1956 since the linguistic reorganisation of States took place, has developed in differing speeds under varying styles of political leadership, the period covered for the assessment in the second report is given as from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016.
Tamil Nadu, during a major part of that period, was in a general election mode and so were some other States like West Bengal and Kerala, when understandably the political focus is away from issues of procedural reforms to carry forward the economic liberalisation process. Also, Chennai faced an unprecedented deluge in December 2015. Despite these factors, Tamil Nadu has scored a higher percentage in the total implementation of reforms and successfully conducted a Global Investors Meet in Chennai, belying impressions that it retarded in attracting new industrial investments.
In fact, two issues of concern are the civic infrastructure vulnerability after the great floods and the farm distress this year in the Cauvery delta districts. Thus, the slide in Tamil Nadus ranking in ease of doing business in 2016 seems only nominal and not real.
A run through the latest 340-point BRAP agenda, on the basis of which this ranking has taken place is simply mind-boggling. They require a new order of E-services in processes and outcomes with hardly any individual discretion. It shows the Centre wishes to have both cooperative federalism and competitive federalism among States simultaneously.
This raises another methodological issue, particularly in the context of the larger, unified Goods and Services Tax (GST) to soon come into place. States, which have laboured to establish a good manufacturing and services base over the past few decades need to be recognised for their individual sagacity, which a uniform BARP tends to ignore. When taking worlds best practices, the reform agenda also raises key issues of Centre-State relations, which a pluralistic polity like ours can ignore only at its peril.
As Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, former deputy chairman of the erstwhile Planning Commission, pointed out in a recent article on GST, the GST Council is an important new institution of governance in our federal system. But unless the GST Council is supported by an independent secretariat with technical expertise that can inform the Council on the peculiarities and strengths of each State, Dr Montek implied that the new GST Council as a federal connect of all States, the Inter-State Councils new de-politicised avatar so to say, will not be effective.
And just one word on the new 340-point agenda for reforms: It reminds me of the then French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceaus quip, when the then American President Woodrow Wilson presented The Fourteen Points peace plan to end World War-I in January 1918, even the Good Lord has only Ten (the Ten Commandments)!
New Delhi: Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain would become the ultimate free trade champion as she laid the groundwork Monday for a potential post-Brexit deal with India, the world's fastest growing major economy.
In her first bilateral trip outside Europe since taking office in July, May said Britain would not "turn its back on the world" once it has left the EU but wanted new economic relationships that would benefit all sides.
"We want Britain to become the most committed and most passionate advocate of free trade in the world," May said in a speech to industrialists in the Indian capital.
"That is because free trade creates a rising tide that lifts all boats, it makes all richer, it creates jobs, it increases investment, it improves productivity, it transforms living standards and creates opportunities for all our citizens."
Accompanied by a delegation of around three dozen business leaders, May arrived in the smog-bound capital New Delhi late Sunday and will travel to the southern tech hub of Bangalore on Tuesday.
Although Britain cannot sign any bilateral trade deals until it has left the European Union -- most likely in 2019 -- May's visit is seen as signalling a desire to get the ball rolling as early as possible.
Liam Fox, in charge of a new department for international trade, is travelling with her and due to hold detailed talks with his Indian opposite number Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday.
May said that "no country owes another country a living" but there were plenty of areas where Britain and India could work more closely together.
"Identifying ... (areas of common interest) does not need to wait for us to leave the European Union."
While the benefits of a deal to Britain are evident, sealing one will be no easy task in a country which has been negotiating with the EU as a whole on a free trade agreement for the best part of a decade.
India still has a rigorous regime of tariffs and red tape which have traditionally made it one of the most complex places to do business, even if the potential market is huge.
Britain's need to cut deals quickly once it leaves the EU gives Modi's government added bargaining power.The Hindustan Times wrote on Monday with Britain's looming departure from the EU, "the UK needs trade with India more than ever".
Despite their historical ties from the colonial era, bilateral trade is relatively low at $14 billion last year -- smaller than the volume of trade between India and Germany.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is due to hold talks with May later in the day, said the two governments faced similar challenges.
"It is vital that India and the United Kingdom, two countries linked by history, work together to define the knowledge economy of the 21st century," Modi said.
"In the current global environment, our two countries face several economic challenges which directly affect trade and commerce. But I am confident that together we can leverage our scientific strengths and technological prowess to create new opportunities."
New Delhi : British Prime Minister Theresa May won't meet any executives from Tata Steel Ltd during her two-day trip to India but talks about the future of its British steel operations are still going on, she said.
In March, Tata Steel put its British steel operations on sale following heavy losses linked to a flood of cheap Chinese imports and low demand in the region. The process was suspended in July because of uncertainty following the June Brexit vote.
The company has since said it is exploring opportunities for a partnership for its entire European steel business, and Germany 's biggest steelmaker Thyssenkrupp has said it is in talks with Tata.
"I had hoped to be able to meet the key people from Tata while I was in India, sadly the schedules don't allow for me to do that on this particular visit but there are regular contacts between the government and Tata Steel," May told reporters on the plane to India on Sunday, her first bilateral visit outside the EU since she took office in July.
"There continue to be those regular contacts to ensure that we maintain, as has been maintained so far, that steel production in the UK ."
Tata's former chairman Cyrus Mistry, who was ousted in a boardroom coup last month, is due to take part in a CEO forum with May during her visit.
New Delhi: UK India Business Council (UKIBC)has called for a comprehensive free-trade-agreement between India and Britain to boost trade and investment ties.
"What we at the UKIBC would advocate is a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that covers trade in goods and services and bilateral investment," the council's chair Patricia Hewitt told PTI.
She is here as part of a delegation led by UK Prime Minister Theresa May. Hewitt said that this agreement should be forward-looking, considering the economic drivers of the future rather than the current or past.
But she added that the formal discussions on FTA "won't and can't" begin until the UK has left the European Union. On areas where businesses of both the countries can enhance their cooperation, Hewitt said that for the UK companies, India is increasingly open to FDI and it is moving up in the 'ease of doing business' rankings.
"Just as importantly, there is a rising interest demand for the UK goods, services, technology and know-how to help achieve the goals set out in programmes such as Make in India, Digital India, Skill India and Swachh Bharat.
And there are several areas where more bilateral trade and investment can bring near term benefits to both countries," she said. She added that time waits for no-one and it is important that companies do not wait for the Brexit dust to settle and a comprehensive bilateral economic agreement to be inked to do business the opportunity is now.
Under Make in India, there are several manufacturing sectors that offer substantial scope for UK-India innovation collaborations particularly in defence and aerospace.The opportunities are multiple for the UK and Indian businesses to buy and sell right now, Patricia said.
UKIBC which supports UK businesses with insights, networks, policy advocacy, services, and facilities needed to succeed in India. The bilateral trade in goods between the countries stood at USD 14 billion in 2015-16. India has received USD 23.10 billion FDI from Britain during April 2000 and March 2016.
According to reports, India and the UK are expected to ink business deals worth more than 1 billion (Rs 83,00 crore) during Ms May's three-day visit.
New Delhi: In a move to woo wealthy Indian businessmen to a post-Brexit Britain, Prime Minister Theresa May announced two major visa schemes for Indian business travellers, even as India on Monday flagged serious concerns over the UKs stringent visa norms.
The Indian side, in turn, conveyed that it will follow international practice and a proper verification process. Ms May, who had as Britain's home secretary earned a reputation for being tough on immigration, is understood to have stuck to her guns against a more liberal visa system for other Indians, including students wanting to study there or professionals wanting to work, there by linking the issue with illegal immigration from India.
Under the second visa programme announced by the UK, the British PM said the Indian government will be the first one in the world to be invited to nominate business executives to the Great Club, a visa and immigration service that will also result in expediting visa and passage through British airports.
According to reports, India and the UK are expected to ink business deals worth more than 1 billion (Rs 83,00 crore) during Ms May's three-day visit.
The two countries inked two business pacts on Monday, including one that will ease transfer of British expertise to India, and the other dealing with intellectual property.
On the City of London financing Indian infrastructure growth, the India-UK joint statement said, "Over $1.1 billion (Rs 7,500 crore or 900 million) of rupee-denominated bonds have been issued in London since July 2016 establishing London as the leading global centre for offshore rupee finance.
The two Prime Ministers commended the pioneering and highly successful bond issuances by HDFC (Rs 3,000 crore or 366 million) and NTPC (`2,000 crore or 244 million), which will pave the way for Indian corporates to raise significant quantities of finance in London. They welcomed the intention of NHAI and Indian Railway Finance Corporation to issue rupee-denominated bonds in the next few months.
COAI, along with Reliance Jio has been asked to appear before the Standing Committee on Information Technology scheduled to be held on Thursday to address the issue of quality of service and call drops.
New Delhi: Cellular Operators Association of India on Monday urged the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT to also hear out operators including Airtel, Idea and Vodafone for a fairer assessment of call drop situation in the country.
COAI, along with Reliance Jio has been asked to appear before the Standing Committee on Information Technology scheduled to be held on Thursday to address the issue of quality of service and call drops.
We respectfully suggest that in order to assist the Committee in this important exercise, the other members of COAI namely, Airtel, Idea, Vodafone, Aircel and Telenor and the members of AUSPI be also called to depose before the committee and furnish all relevant information and data for the consideration of the committee, said COAI in a letter to Anurag Singh Thakur, chairman of Standing Committee on IT.
COAI said that many of the issues pertaining to the subject are best explained by individual member companies, who are also licensees, as these issues lie within the ambit of bi-lateral commercial agreements between members.Additionally, networks and technologies vary among members and they are best situated to explain some of the nuances involved.
Hence, we would respectfully request that with the objective of obtaining a full, complete and fair understanding of the matter under discussion, all member companies of COAI and AUSPI be called to present before the Standing Committee on IT, said COAI.
Meanwhile after Trai suggested a hefty penalty on incumbent operators over interconnect issue, telecom ministry has sought Attorney-Generals opinion on whether it has the authority to impose penalty for breach.
It needs to be seen how well the Farah-Sania episode turns out!
Mumbai: Farah Khan might not have directed a film since the uber-successful 'Happy New Year,' but she still is a circuit regular thanks to her innumerous friend circles. Sania Mirza is currently No.1 in her profession and has continued to be the personification of glamour, outside of it.
What happens when the two are brought together?
Well Karan Johar seems to have pulled a coup, as he's managed to get the two to come onto his 'Koffee couch'.
And turns out, Farah even managed to win the hamper. Those must have been some bold rapid-fire answers!
'Koffee With Karan' kickstarted its fifth season with a bang last night, with Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt. The director, whose 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' is still running to packed houses, also managed to get childhood friend Twinkle on the couch along with her superstar husband Akshay Kumar.
Twinkle, who was her witty self, reportedly had some crazily explosive ripostes up her sleeve, managing to embarrass Akshay and Karan, both.
It needs to be seen how well the Farah-Sania episode turns out!
Mumbai: Anupam Kher said groups involved in burning down of schools in Kashmir do not wish their children to educate themselves.
According to him, the ongoing violence will eventually lead the perpetrators to pollute the minds of young Kashmiris and trick them into terrorism.
'People who are burning schools are anti-children, they just want our students to remain illiterate and adopt terrorism," the veteran actor was quoted as saying.
Due to the ongoing tension, schools in Kashmir have been closed since July 9.
"They want them (students) to remain illiterate so that they can pollute their mind and radicalize them. Instead of becoming a good citizen of this country and make their life better, they will go and follow a certain path which is not good for them and not good for us,' he was reported as saying.
The pictures that were shared on Instagram by Varun and Alia.
The team of Badrinath Ki Dulhanias had been shooting in Singapore and Varun Dhawan has kept his fans entertained by posting numerous pictures and videos.
He and his leading lady Alia Bhatt had returned to Mumbai for a few days, but have landed again in Singapore for the remaining of the shoot.
The pair will now also shoot at the popular Universal Studios. The roller coaster at the studio is a popular attraction and the pair is all set to shoot at the location.
Both Varun and Alia shared pictures having the roller coaster in the background and they did seem to be very excited for the shoot.
Previously Varun had also posted a video interacting with some of the Indian fans who had waited to catch a glimpse of the star.
Badrinath Ki Dulhania also stars Gauahar Khan, Gaurav Pandey, Sahil Vaid, Aakansha Singh among others and the film is directed by Shashank Khaitan.
Mumbai: Anubhav Sinha is readying up with the sequel to his 2001 sleeper hit, 'Tum Bin,' and his soundtrack seems to be bang on target.
The film, that's been releasing romantic ballads, one after the other, has ditched the mood and upped the adrenaline with a cracker of dance number in 'Ki Kariye Nachna Aunda Ni,' which has the lead cast Neha Sharma, Aditya Sharma and Aashim Gulati, with a cluster of collaborators.
The song composed by Gourov Roshin, has Raftaar, Hardy Sandhu and Neha Kakkar crooning excitable lyrics to groovy music.
But it's Mouni Roy who absolutely steals the show with her sizzling act, making it difficult for one to take their eyes of her.
While the rest of the tracks composed by Ankit Tiwari have already caught on with young, love-struck millennials, this one's sure to be a club requisite.
'Tum Bin II', produced by Bhushan Kumar, is slated to release on November 18, 2016.
Watch the video here:
Mumbai: He's amongst the best in the country, he's 56 and when one might have settled to think there's nothing left for him to do, he pulls up a Pulimurugan.
Mohanlal's highly anticipated and immensely delayed Pulimurugan set the cash registers on fire, so much so that, a month after its release, the film is still running to packed houses across the state.
And now, the film has done what once must have seemed unachievable by grossing over rupees hundred crores globally, within 34 days of its release. By doing so, the Vyshakh directorial became the first Malayalam film to enter the coveted 100-crore club. This comes just a few days after it displaced Mohanlal's own 'Drishyam' as the highest grossing Malayalam film of all time.
Mohanlal, who shocked everyone with his phenomenal action, plays a village hunter who kills aggressive tigers with a vengeance, in the film. The film, made at a budget of 25 crore rupees, had action choreography done by Hollywood veteran Peter Hein. Mohanlal, reportedly did all his stunts himself, even the ones with the tiger.
The actor, who's been having a phenomenal year, with his Telugu film alongside Jr. NTR, 'Janata Garage,' grossing over rupees 135 crore rupees approximately and becoming the highest grossing Telugu movie of the year, and his own 'Oppam' with Priyadarshan grossing over 58 crore rupees approximately, is deservedly elated, and took to Facebook to express his joy.
Well, with nothing left to conquer for the two time national award winning actor, it's just Mohanlal vs Mohanlal at the Kerala box-office, now!
Mahesh Babu is concentrating completely on his latest film, directed by AR Murugadoss. The film is presently being shot in the city and the actor has been working during the nights, for the last couple of days.
There are a few key scenes being picturised on Mahesh Babu at a building near Hitec City during the nights. The shooting went on till 3 am, says a source.
Once they are done with the shoot here, the unit will leave for Ahmedabad for a long schedule of nearly a month. With this, a major portion of the film will be completed, leaving time for post-production.
The film also needs a bit of graphic work and Murugadoss wants to take his time. Even Mahesh Babu is not in a hurry, adds the source.
KOZHIKODE: The focus is back on the usage of the rotten low-quality meat in shawarmas after six people who consumed it from a nearby eatery got admitted to the Medical College Hospital here on Monday. Food Safety authorities started massive raids in the district following it. They say there are more than 120 shawarma stalls here. They inspected a few of them where meat was seen kept in unhygienic conditions.
Food Safety Standards Authority of India assistant commissioner Sankaran Unni said the bakery unit near the MCH alone used to sell nearly 300 shawarmas a day. "We have found rotten meat there. Similar is the condition with other stalls here. Arabian cuisine is much in demand in Kozhikode and shawarma is the favourite, he said. "People try every trick to meet the high demand, and they stuff the shawarma with rotten meat mixed with fresh one. When asked about the rotten meat stocked there, the employees revealed the truth.
Last month, two migrant labourers were taken into custody by Kuttiady police on suspicion of keeping rotten meat with ingredients of shawarma for nearby eateries," he said. They destroyed the seized food. They would send samples to the state's food safety commissioner. If the products lack the required quality, he said, the owner can be penalised or even imprisoned.
Washington: A study says that using prominent, graphic picture on cigarette packs warning against smoking could avert more than 652,000 deaths, up to 92,000 low birth weight infants, up to 145,000 preterm births, and about 1,000 cases of sudden infant deaths in the U.S. over the next 50 years.
The researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, is the first to estimate the effects of pictorial warnings on cigarette packs on the health of both adults and infants in the U.S.
Although more than 70 nations have adopted or are considering adopting the World Health Organization's Framework Convention for Tobacco Control to use such front and back of-the-pack pictorial warnings, an example is a Brazilian photo of a father with a tracheotomy, they have not been implemented in the US. Pictorial warnings have been required by law, but an industry lawsuit stalled implementation of this requirement. Currently, a text-only warning appears on the side of cigarette packs in the U.S.
The study used a tobacco control policy model, SimSmoke, developed by Georgetown Lombardi's David T. Levy, which looks at the effects of past smoking policies as well as future policies. SimSmoke is peer-reviewed, and has been used and validated in more than 20 countries.
In this study, Levy and his colleagues, who included investigators at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, and the University of South Carolina, looked at changes in smoking rates in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, which have already implement prominent pictorial warning labels (PWLs). For example, eight years after PWLs were implemented in Canada, there was an estimated 12 percent -- 20 percent relative reduction in smoking prevalence. After PWLs began to be used in Australia in 2006, adult smoking prevalence fell from 21.3 percent in 2007 to 19 percent in 2008. After implementation in the UK in 2008, smoking prevalence fell 10 percent in the following year.
The researchers used these and other studies and, employing the SimSmoke model, estimated that implementing PWLs in the U.S. would directly reduce smoking prevalence in relative terms by 5 percent in the near term, increasing to 10 percent over the long-term. If implemented in 2016, PWLs are estimated to reduce the number of smoking attributable deaths (heart disease, lung cancer and COPD) by an estimated 652,800 by 2065 and to prevent more than 46,600 cases of low-birth weights, 73,600 cases of preterm birth, and 1,000 SIDS deaths.
"The bottom line is that requiring large pictorial warnings would help protect the public health of people in the United States," said researcher Levy. "There is a direct association between these warnings and increased smoking cessation and reduced smoking initiation and prevalence. That would lead to significant reduction of death and morbidity, as well as medical cost."
The study has been published in the journal Tobacco Control.
Washington: Women who give birth to at least one child may be biologically older than those who do not have any babies, a new study suggests. Researchers analysed blood samples from 1,556 US women aged 20 to 44 who took part in a survey from 1999 to 2002.
They looked at the genetic material inside the womens cells, specifically the length of their telomeres. Telomeres naturally shorten as people age, but the structures do not shorten at the same rate in every person. The longer a persons telomeres are, the more times their cells could hypothetically still divide, research has shown.
Women in the survey who had given birth to at least one child had telomeres that were about 4 per cent shorter than those of women who had never given birth. The findings held even after the researchers took into account other factors that could affect telomere length, including the womens chronological age, body mass index and smoking habits.
These findings suggest that a history of live birth may be associated with shorter telomeres, researchers said.
Although the reason behind the link is not known, scientists hypothesise that having children increases stress levels, which is associated with shorter telomeres. It is possible that pregnancy, birth and child-rearing can induce chronic stress, leading to shorter telomere length perhaps through an inflammatory pathway, Anna Pollack, of George Mason University in the US was quoted as saying by the Live Science.
However, because the survey was conducted at a single point in time, the researchers cannot determine which came first in the womens lives giving birth or having shorter telomeres, Pollack said.
It is also possible that for some yet-unknown reason, women with shorter telomeres are more likely than women with longer ones to have children, she said.
Kochi: The Haemophilia Treatment Centre (HTC) attached to District Hospital, Aluva, is redefining itself by extending its arm to all patients with rare blood and bleeding disorders apart from hemophilia, by providing treatment to them.
Efforts are also on for twinning with overseas centres of excellence to improve the lot of patients with blood and bleeding disorders. "The centres at Detroit, USA and New Castle upon Tyne (UK) have expressed interest in this regard during our deliberations at World Haemophilia Congress, Orlando, in July 2016 and later," said Dr. Vijayakumar, the medical officer in charge of the centre who attended the Congress.
The all out support given by the only NABH accredited Regional Blood Transfusion Centre at the hospital is the mainstay of the treatment with patients getting free blood transfusions without replacement.
Dr. Vijayakumar recently did his clinical associateship under Prof. Dr. Man chiu Poon for two months at the Department of Haematology, University of Calgary, Canada, and got trained in the management of these rare disorders.
"As the human body has no mechanism to excrete iron, the excess iron that accumulates due to repeated transfusions in thalassemia patients affects vital organs. Complications of chronic iron overload in thalassemia patients include cardiac disease (including heart dysfunction and arrhythmias), pulmonary hypertension, bone disease (including osteoporosis), endocrine diseases (including hypothyroidism and hypogonadism), liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Chelating agent desferrioxamine binds and helps in the excretion of excess iron. However its cost is prohibitive for average patients," says Dr Vijayakumar.
He said that now the State Government-owned Kerala Medical Service Corporation Ltd (KMSCL) has agreed to provide the costly iron chelating agent to the Thalassemia patients.
"As in the case of Haemophilia, the HTC plans to work in cooperation with the Thalassemia Society to improve the lot of the patients with better infrastructure facilities in the diagnosis and treatment," Dr Vijayakumar added.
Kathamandu: A Nepali 'tarkariwali' has shot to fame for her good looks with her photographs carrying vegetables going viral on the internet, days after a handsome Pakistani chai-wala made global headlines.
18-year-old Kusum Shrestha, of Gorkha district, was photographed carrying vegetables at a local market during her vacation. She is a grade 11 student and her father is a vegetable seller. When the photographer posted the shots online, the hashtags #Tarkariwali and #Sabjiwali - "vegetable seller" - quickly started trending on social media as admirers praised her looks.
Shrestha told BBC Nepali that she is a student in the nearby district of Chitwan, and was helping her parents during college holidays when the snaps were taken.
In one picture, the teenager smiles as she carries crates of tomatoes over a bridge. In another, she is talking on a mobile phone while selling tomatoes at a market.
Photographer RupChandra Maharjan told a Nepalese blog, the Gundruk Post, that he photographed Shrestha at the Fishling suspension bridge between Gorkha and Chitwan. The young woman said she had found out about the pictures from a friend. "First my friend asked me if I am the same girl whose
photos became viral on Facebook. But I didn't know," Shrestha said.
"Then she sent me the pictures and when I saw them, I found it was me. On that day, I came to sell the vegetables to help my parents. When I was on my way to sell the vegetables, RupChandra (the photographer) took my picture - but at that
point of time, I didn't know that I was being photographed," she said.
Her father Narayan Shrestha, 43, told myrepublica.com,"I hear that her photos have become popular on the internet. Who had imagined that she would get such publicity? My daughter has always been a shy girl; she is a girl of very few words."
Shrestha said his daughter was studying management, although she really wants to train as a nurse. Her photographs came just days after a Pakistani tea- seller named Arshad Khan broke the internet thanks to his intense blue eyes. He also bagged a modelling deal with a fashion portal.
Retail site fitin.pk has signed on Arshad as a model for an undisclosed amount.
He had become an internet sensation after a local photographer posted his picture on social media and the story was picked up by several media organisations across the globe.
Recently, the Head of Communication at the University of Hyderabad, Professor Vinod Pavarala was invited as a key speaker for one of the conferences at the worlds largest Radio Art festival in Germany. The festival Radio Revolten had radio enthusiasts from over 40 countries, so I was truly gratified by the invitation, says Vinod, who is also the UNESCO chair on community media at the university.
Community Radio is a medium that enables the marginalised population get their voice heard. It is not permitted to broadcast news or stories that are political in nature, and it only addresses issues of development, social change and to some extent, even culture. The mainstream media has its own compulsions due to which some voices go unheard. Community radio strives to counter this, explains Vinod.
Being one of the pioneers of community radio in India, the professor says that this medium is not only empowering, but also necessary. People I met at the conference were pleasantly surprised that there are as many as 200 community radio stations in India, he says and adds, Even though that is a more than what most countries have, it is still not enough for the population of India. There is a possibility for up to 4000 stations here.
The recent development is only another feather to Vinods cap. The man is not new to such laurels, and deservingly so. He, along with his colleague, Kanchan K. Malik, have authored Other Voices, a book that is considered as the bible of community radio.
The UNESCO chair is the only one of its kind in the world that does participatory research, teaching, outreach and knowledge sharing. The tool kit for proper functioning community radio stations that was developed by the Chair has been translated in various languages and is also used in Germany, Bangladesh, and a few African Countries.
Vinod was introduced to the idea of community radio when he was doing his PhD in the University of Pittsburgh. I was working on something completely unrelated to it at the time, but when I joined University of Hyderabad in 1995, I was trying to carve out a research area for myself, and the Supreme Court declared that Airways would now be public. That sealed the deal for me, he says.
About the festival, Vinod says, It was a wonderful experience. Radio Art is a concept that is unknown in India and very few people call themselves radio artistes. This festival was an unconventional form of appreciating art where you can listen to the installations and not just view them. For example, one artiste tried to play with the concept of time and space by displaying many different kinds of radios. From each one of them, voices saying Radio Shanghai and Radio Berlin could be heard, enabling people to experiences radio stations from all across the world.
Chennai: In a state-wide operation, sleuths from DRI arrested 8 persons who had been smuggling gold bars concealed in the handles of cutting pliers and seized 5.9 kg gold worth nearly Rs 1.8 crore from them in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu.
The smugglers were found carrying cutting pliers with handles made of gold bars, finished gold etc.
In simultaneous operations in different cities in Tamil Nadu, we busted a gold smuggling syndicate and recovered 5.9 kg gold. Smugglers were bringing in bars and jewellery smuggled in from Dubai and Singapore. Four persons have been arrested in Chennai, DRI said in a statement.
Based on intelligence, special teams of DRI officers were deployed at airports in Chennai, Tiruchy and Madurai, besides on a highway, DRI said. On Friday morning, officials intercepted a car at Chengalpet near here whose occupants revealed that gold bars were concealed under the front seat of the vehicle.
The two persons who were travelling in a Swift Dzire car told the investigators that the gold bars were smuggled via Tiruchy airport and that they had received the gold from various passengers who had arrived from Singapore and Dubai, DRI said.
Further, when officials conducted a detailed search of the car, they found brand new cutting pliers, raising their suspicion. When the covers of the handles were removed, eight specially moulded rods of gold were found sheathed in the two plastic grips of each of the cutting pliers, DRI said. The officers also found some jewels neatly packed in packets.
As a follow-up action, searches were conducted at a house in Chennai and crude gold bars / gold jewellery of foreign origin were also seized and two others were apprehended in this connection, DRI said.
Further, DRI also seized another pair of cutting pliers with gold handle from a passenger who arrived from Dubai. The DRI said that 8 persons were arrested across the state and smuggled gold articles were recovered from them.
Thrissur gangrape victim along with her husband holding a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram. (Photo: PTI)
Thiruvananthapuram: A police officer, who allegedly posed indecent questions when a gangrape victim approached him to register a complaint, was suspended on Monday, even as opposition UDF demanded action against a CPI-M functionary for "disclosing" the name of the woman.
Circle Inspector of Peramangalam police station in Thrissur district M V Manikantan was suspended by IGP M R Ajit Kumar pending inquiry, police said.
Kumar conducted a preliminary probe into the allegation levelled by the victim that the police officer had asked her "indecent questions" about the crime.
CPI(M) has suspended its Wadakancherry Municipal Councillor Jayanthan and another party worker in connection with the gangrape allegations made by the 33-year-old woman, who had along with her husband narrated the trauma she underwent two years ago to the media here.
Actor and social activitst Bhagyalakshmi, who was instrumental in bringing the crime to light in her Facebook post, criticised the police officer for posing such questions.
Meanwhile, Congress-led UDF today demanded that a case be registered against CPI(M)'s Thrissur District Secretary K Radhakrishnan for allegedly disclosing to the media the name of the gangrape victim.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Ramesh Chennithala wrote to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, demanding that a case be registered against Radhakrishnan, a former minister and Speaker, as he had "deliberately" named the victim.
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the party had promptly acted when the allegations were levelled.
"We will make sure such things which are not correct are not allowed," he told reporters here.
He also said the Thrissur District Secretary should not have revealed the victim's name. CPI(M) Politbureau member Brinda Karat said that naming the victim was a "mistake".
"We are not supposed to name the victim. So it was a mistake to name the victim," she said in Delhi.
Police have recorded the statements of the woman and her husband.
In another related development, Wadakancherry MLA Anil Akkara complained to the DGP that the victim's statement had been leaked.
He said the phones of woman police officers who took the victim's statement should be verified.
The woman had appeared before media here, alleging that she had been gang raped by four persons, including by the CPI(M) councillor, two years ago and was being harassed.
As per the official list of Ministry of External Affairs Overseas Employment Division, only 44 consultancies are authorised in Hyderabad as of November, 2016. (Representational image)
Hyderabad: Dozens of fake overseas manpower consultancies are active in Telangana's capital. They cheat gullible people who are desperate to go abroad take up employment.
Though official sources say that over 48 overseas manpower/job consultancies based in Hyderabad have been blacklisted by the Protector of Emigrants (POE), many more thrive in the city, preying on young people who want jobs, and evading enforcement agencies for years.
In the last six months Hyderabad city police have raided and busted 10 such fake consultancies and have arrested 12 people. More raids are likely in coming days.
No manpower agency can operate without a licence from the Union Ministry of Labour.
A licence from the Ministry of Labour is mandatory for manpower consultancies and according to the official list of the Ministry of External Affairs Overseas Employment Division, only 44 consultancies are authorised and legal in Hyderabad as of November, 2016.
Hundreds of young people have fallen prey to the phoney promises of unauthorised agencies and have lost lakhs of rupees.
The scamsters convince victims that their head offices located in other cities have POE certificates.
They charge for processing the visa, service charge, refundable security and medical tests. The visa will never be delivered and the money will never be paid back.
The crooks evade enforcement agencies successfully even if their consultancies are blacklisted by the POE or Ministry of External Affairs Overseas Employment Division (MEA-OED).
Once they come to know that they have been blacklisted by the POE or MEAOED, they change the firms name and relocate. Most of the fake agents never open a permanent office and do not have a permanent name for their consultancies, said B. Limba Reddy, DCP of Commissioners Task Force.
The trick to get more money is taking it in instalments. They convince the victims by showing fake progress in the application. Once the victim pays a huge amount, the scammer says that the process is getting delayed. The visa will never be delivered, said West Zone Task Force inspector L. Raja Venkat Reddy.
When victims demand their money back the scammers threaten them or just disappear. Another psychological trick is to pay a small amount back and settle the matter. A victim, who has waited for many months, will be satisfied to get at least a small part of the money back, said another police officer.
Agents target mainly villagers because the people are ignorant about the tricks of these consultancies, are easily intimidated and do not have the resources to initiate legal action, said a police officer.
Hyderabad: A majority of the victims of the fake manpower consultancies are from places like Karimnagar, Adilabad, Warangal, Mahbubnagar and Nizamabad. Villagers are easier to dupe and intimidate as they are reluctant to complain to the police.
In the cases we have come across around 60 per cent of the victims are from districts other than Hyderabad. They are uneducated and seek jobs mainly in West Asian countries, said DCP B. Limba Reddy.
Agents target mainly villagers because the people are ignorant about the tricks of these consultancies, are easily intimidated and do not have the resources to initiate legal action, said a police officer. This is borne out by the fact that a majority of the complainants are from Hyderabad and not from other districts, though most of the victims are from other districts.
There are many websites and consumer complaint forums online. The credentials of recruitment firms can be checked using them. But scammers know that uneducated people will never check such websites.
The fake agents advertise by distributing pamphlets in mosques and other places. They offer jobs of drivers, construction workers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, etc, the police officer added. There are also local agents who create word of mouth publicity for consultancies.
The desperation of the poor is what allows unscrupulous recruiting agencies to exploit them.
According to the police the incident occurred after 9.30 pm when the couple came to their relatives house to discuss property matters.
Hyderabad: A woman was killed and her husband sustained critical injuries after they were pushed down from the second floor of a building by their relatives following a property dispute on Monday night at IDH Colony in Bansilalpet near Gandhinagar.
Jayashree, 35, and her husband N. Chandu, 40, were rushed to Gandhi Hospital by locals. Jayashree succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment.
According to the police the incident occurred after 9.30 pm when the couple came to their relatives house to discuss property matters.
We have identified four suspects so far. All of them, Meerabai, Keerthi, Bablu and another person, are close kin of victims," said Gandhinagar police inspector S. Sanjeeva Rao. Police said that there has been a dispute among the sisters and brothers about the ownership of two flats in the colony.
We are still verifying if the property has been partitioned and who is the legal owner, said the Inspector. Police has booked a case for murder and attempt-to-murder against the four people, who have been taken into custody. Locals said they saw the two parties squabbling loudly before the four residents pushed down the couple.
The commissioners task force teams simultaneously raided Air Zone Tours and Travels in Chandrayangutta, Shine Advertising Agency in Santhoshnagar, and Al Ain Groups Consultancy Agency in Kacheguda following a tip off. (Representational image)
Hyderabad: The police raided three more fake manpower consultancies in the city and arrested three agents for running establishments illegally. The suspects had also taken money from several youths promising them jobs in GCC countries and had cheated them. Hundreds of documents were also recovered by the police.
The commissioners task force teams simultaneously raided Air Zone Tours and Travels in Chandrayangutta, Shine Advertising Agency in Santhoshnagar, and Al Ain Groups Consultancy Agency in Kacheguda following a tip off.
Police said the arrested suspects Md Omer, Md Hameeduddin and Md Imad Siddiqui had been running their firms for years without permission from the Protector General of Emigration.
They had been cheating unemployed youths by posing as licenced agents and collecting Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000 from each candidate. They promised to provide jobs of plumbers, mechanics, cook, helpers and labourers in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and other West Asian countries. They used to conduct interviews and collect the victims passports and academic certificates to convince victims that their applications were being processed. However, they never deliver the visa, said N. Koti Reddy, additional DCP, commissioner's task force.
Dead bodies of Maoists killed in a joint police encounter by Odisha and Andhra police at a forest in Malkangiri. (Photo: PTI)
Vijayawada: After having dealt a body blow to the outlawed CPI(Maoist) by killing 28 of its cadre in an encounter on the Andhra-Odisha border recently, Andhra Pradesh Police have now opened its doors to the ultras for "talks" with the only rider that they first shun arms.
Unlike in 2004, when the political leadership of then united Andhra Pradesh under Y S Rajasekhara Reddy took the initiative and engaged the Maoists in peace talks, which though bore no fruit, the current offer has come only from police.
"Basically, we see it as a major internal security problem. So it is in our interest that we engage them in talks," Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (in charge) Nanduri Sambasiva Rao said today.
"We are always ready for talks. But they should first give up arms. This has been our consistent position," he said, adding if the Maoists lay down arms, police will welcome it.
Replying to a query, the DGP said police's combing operation in the AOB area ceased on October 28, four days after the major encounter.
Rao said that he had briefed Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi about the encounter and its aftermath a couple of days ago.
"All along, we maintained that Maoist top leader Ramakrishna alias RK is not in our custody and their admission that he is safe only vindicated us," he said.
In a dramatic announcement on November 3, the Revolutionary Writers Association (RWA) had said that Akkiraju Haragopal alias Ramakrishna alias RK was "safe". The top Maoist leader was reported missing since the encounter took place on October 24.
The DGP said he took up with the Union Home Minister the issue of establishing the Greyhounds Training Centre in the state as per the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.
"We had the best training institute for our Greyhounds (the elite anti-Naxal force) but we lost it (to Telangana) in the bifurcation. No we have to build it from scratch," he said.
The DGP said, "We submitted a proposal for setting up the training centre at a cost of Rs 850 crore. The Home Minister agreed to fund the project in phases and accordingly we will take up the first phase at a cost of Rs 400 crore. It will come up in Visakhapatnam district."
He said the Centre has also agreed to release Rs 153 crore as its share for establishing the state-of-the-art Forensic Science Laboratory in the state capital region. The state government would bear the rest Rs 100 crore.
"This will be developed as a Centre of Excellence in forensics and DNA fingerprinting," Sambasiva Rao said.
New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday rushed to Mayapuri police station, where the mother of the missing JNU student was taken, and camped there till she reached the university after release.
Kejriwal also met the students of the university who were detained. Earlier, he also met President Pranab Mukherjee and expressed concern over the tense situation in JNU.
The Chief Minister tweeted that he was going to Mayapuri Police station as soon as news spread that Najeeb Ahmed's mother Fatima Nafees was detained there.
"Reached Mayapuri police stn. Police saying she has been sent home in a police van. Will wait here till she reaches home.
"Najeeb's mother reached home. Spoke to her on phone. She is fine. Am leaving the police stn now. Urge police to quickly find Najeeb," Kejriwal said in a series of tweets.
He also vented his ire against Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying "It is obvious police doesn't act it own, it follows its bosses. Earlier Congress tortured people taking shelter behind police now Modi is doing the same. Hay lagegi apko (you will be cursed)".
The rapes came to light when one of the girls complained of pain in her stomach during Diwali, and was found to be pregnant. (Photo: Pixabay)
Mumbai: The 12 tribal girls who were raped at a school in Hivarkheda village of Buldhana district have all refused to return to school following the incident. Moreover, some other students have also declined to attend the school.
According to a report in DNA, some students have even threatened to kill themselves, if their parents forced them to go back to the residential school.
The school, which has a strength of nearly 50 students, has been in the news as 11 people have been arrested for raping one of the tribal girls, who became pregnant following the rape.
If my parents force me, I will end my life. Ending life is better than studying in a school where our sisters get molested and raped, a Class 6 student was quoted as saying by DNA.
Residents of the village said their daughters were now afraid to go to school. They have refused to rejoin the school out of fear.
"My girl's generation was the first in our family to go to school. We are illiterate and dreamed that our girls will study and get government jobs... that one day, they will become teacher, doctor or collector. Now, all our hopes are dashed. The incident has devastated our lives. We don't know how to deal with these girls and convince them of the importance of studies, a landless labourer was quoted as saying.
Deputy Sarpanch of Halkheda said that the parents also do not feel comfortable to send their daughters to school any more.
The villagers feel the state government should start a school in their village itself.
Worse, a student claimed that some teachers always came drunk to school and passed out before class. There were frequent power cuts and no compound wall, forcing students to sleep out in the open.
She claimed that intruders knocked on the doors at night and threw stones inside if the doors were not opened.
Once, when I complained to a teacher about the horrid state of affairs at the hostel, he badly slapped me. It left one of my cheeks swollen for 10 days. When my father came to meet me, I told him everything and left the school for good, she added.
The girls father said that his daughter fell ill frequently due to the bad food served at the school.
The rapes came to light when one of the girls complained of pain in her stomach during Diwali, and was found to be pregnant. Police have so far arrested 11 in connection with the crimes.
New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi's appointment as Congress president today appeared imminent with members of the Congress Working Committee, its highest decision making body, unanimously voicing "strong sentiment" for his elevation for the first time at a meeting which Sonia Gandhi gave a miss.
It was party veteran A K Antony who set the ball rolling at the meeting, which lasted for four hours, when he spoke about the need for Rahul to take over the mantle of the 130-year-old party from her mother and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. All other members, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh followed suit.
"Members unanimously expressed their strong sentiment that accepting the wishes of crores of Congress workers and well wishers, Rahul Gandhi take over as the president of the Congress party", Antony told reporters while briefing on the deliberations.
Antony said all members including Manmohan Singh, insisted it was "high time" Rahul took over as party chief and the Congress mobilised "all forces" to take on "anti-people and dictatorial" policies of the Modi government.
Rahul, who presided over the meeting as Sonia Gandhi was reportedly indisposed, said he was ready to accept whatever responsibility is bestowed upon him by the Congress president and the CWC, in "fighting for the idea of India."
At the briefing, both Antony and chief party spokesman Randeep Surjewala evaded questions as to when exactly Rahul would take over the reins of the party from his mother and whether it would happen on November 19, the day the AICC has organised a grand celebration on the birth centenary of Indira Gandhi.
"We are very hopeful", a senior party leader said when asked whether the elevation would happen before UP assembly polls.
Sonia Gandhi has created a record by being at the helm of the 130-year-old organisation since early 1998 succeeding the late Sitaram Kesri who was ousted by the CWC.
"It is for the first time that the CWC is making such a recommendation. We are sure that the Congress President would give it proper care and attention", Antony said replying to a volley of questions on the issue.
Surjewala said senior CWC members would personally meet the party chief as a "follow up" action regarding their recommendation for Rahul's elevation. After Sonia takes a decision, the CWC would meet again to formally ratify it.
Rahul was appointed party vice-president in January 2013 at Congress's brainstorming session in Jaipur.
The talk about his elevation has been going on for quite some time now. Leaders like Jairam Ramesh had even insisted that Rahul was the "de facto" (in fact) leader who has to become "de jure" (in law).
Antony said Sonia Gandhi will not nominate her successor as Congress President. "It is not her decision. She is not nominating the Congress president," he said.
"This is the first time the CWC has recommended (Rahul's elevation). The Congress president will not nominate the Congress president. The Congress Working Committee of AICC has to take the decision. (It is) the first time the entire CWC met today and unanimously recommended that Rahul Gandhi should take over."
He said, "For the first time, the entire CWC, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, expressed strong sentiment of crores of Congress workers and sympathisers that Rahul Gandhi must take over the presidency and mobilise other forces in its fight against the communal forces, dictatorial forces of the government, RSS and the Sangh Parivar."
"The unanimous sentiment of the CWC has been noted and will be conveyed by senior members of Congress Working Committee to the Congress president," Surjewala said.
It is high time the Congress mobilised all the forces to fight against the anti-people and dictatorial policy of the Modi Government and also the RSS, Sangh Parivar and BJP's policy of communal polarization and destruction of peace and social harmony in the country, Antony said.
On what Rahul told the CWC members after being urged to take over the reins of the party, Surjwala said, "For him, the issue is to fight for the idea of India to ensure that decisive fight, including (protecting) the rights of media is carried to a logical conclusion and any responsibility that helps him realise that objective, he is always willing to more than take on that mantle and fulfil that responsibility."
The CWC also decided to seek another extension for a year from the Election Commission for completing its organisational elections. The current extension expires on December 31.
Antony, however, said delaying the organisational polls had no connection with elevating Rahul Gandhi to the party president's post, apparently hinting at the possibility of Sonia stepping down to clear the way for her son even before the party elections have been wrapped up.
"We will cross the bridge when we come to it", Surjewala merely said when asked whether the CWC meeting saw any demand being raised for a larger role for Priyanka Gandhi in the party.
In his opening remarks, Rahul Gandhi made a scathing attack on the Modi government, saying democracy is going through "one of its darkest hours" with the ruling dispensation "obsessed with power and seeking to silence" all those who disagree.
Rahul alleged that "hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated (by the government) for asking questions."
Alluding to the one-day ban on Hindi channel NDTV India, Gandhi said, "TV channels are being punished and asked to shut down. The opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account".
"Democracy under the present dispensation is going through one of the darkest hours," he said, adding that all attempts by the government to suppress fundamental freedom by "abusing" state power would only strengthen the Congress' resolve to defeat such "dangerous designs".
Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave on Monday said Delhi is responsible for the 80 per cent of the worsening air in the city. (Photo: AP)
New Delhi: Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave on Monday said Delhi is responsible for the 80 per cent of the worsening air in the city and that there is a need for ending the blame game over the issue.
At a meeting of the environment ministers of Delhi-NCR states to find a solution to combat the problem, he said crop stubble burning contributed just 20 per cent of the pollutants.
Neighbouring states of Haryana and Punjab also put the blame on Delhi.
"Stubble burning is 20 per cent of the problem. Delhi's responsibility is 80 per cent. Burning of petrol/diesel, coal, wood, dry leaves and of garbage at a waste disposal ground led to pollution in Delhi. Burning of crackers can be added to that as well," Dave said.
Dave stressed the need to end the blame game and focus on resolving the problem at hand.
"I always make an attempt to put an end to blame game. Sensationalism and blame game have become a strategy. People get affected by this. They are having trouble breathing. Deal with that first. I want that the states carry out their responsibilities," he said.
The minister said an "Environment Protection Calendar", listing measures to be adopted by all states on a monthly basis, will be prepared in January.
Haryana Environment Minister Vipul Goel said vehicular emission was the root cause of the problem.
"It is definitely not due to stubble burning. Moreover, its rate has dropped to extremely low levels. There is neither wind nor pollution in the areas where the stubble is being burned.
"Pollution in Delhi is due to traffic in the NCR region. On our part, we have banned construction activities in Gurgaon and Faridabad, and intensified drive against old vehicles," Goel said.
He enumerated steps the Haryana government is taking, including a ban on vehicles causing pollution and added it was contemplating shifting thermal power plants.
Punjab Agriculture Minister Tota Singh said, "This is aimed at tarnishing the image of Punjab and Haryana. We have statistics to prove that the situation in Delhi is its own doing. Pollution in Delhi affects other states. Crop burning is not a reason at all.
Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave will chair the meeting to chalk out an action plan to control the rising pollution levels. (Photo: File
New Delhi: The possibility of implementing the odd-even scheme in the pollution-choked national capital for a third time will be discussed by the Delhi Government on Friday.
Speaking to the media in Delhi, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said that the state government will review the situation until Friday and then take a call over the scheme intended to curb traffic emissions.
"We announced 10 measures yesterday to combat the problem of pollution and if needed, will announce more firm steps. Artificial rain is a possible solution, but we need the Centre's assistance in that. Right now we are trying to wash the dust off the roads," Jain said.
Meanwhile, asserting that the alarming air pollution has become an epidemic in Delhi, Indian Medical Association (IMA) president K.K. Aggarwal called on Delhiites to stay indoors while adding that the particulate matter 10 (pm) and 2.5 has crossed 600 which is hazardous for the people.
"We are now calling this as a pollution epidemic. Our advisory to people is to stay at home, if possible work from home and avoid stepping outside the house," he told ANI.
The Centre will on Monday convene an emergency meeting of Environment Ministers of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to tackle the alarming level of pollution in Delhi.
Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave will chair the meeting to chalk out an action plan to control the rising pollution levels.
Talking to media in New Delhi on Sunday, Dave said that no one should indulge in a political blame-game to fight pollution in the national capital.
He appealed for a united response to tackle the problem. He said that the ISRO images show that the role of neighbouring states and their contribution is only 20 percent and blaming them would not work.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Government has decided to close all schools for the next three days and shut down all constructions and demolitions for five days.
The Delhi Government has announced several emergency measures to tackle the unprecedented level of pollution plaguing Delhi and the NCR.
Water sprinkling on roads will begin tomorrow and vacuum cleaning measures to deal with dust pollution will start next week.
Badarpur thermal power plant will be closed for ten days from Monday. Landfill sites fire will be extinguished and transportation of fly ash will be stopped for 10 days. City government is also planning to bring back Odd Even scheme soon and preparations are already on.
The MeT department has forecast little improvement in the current weather condition for the next three days.
New Delhi: Asserting that the alarming air pollution has become an epidemic in Delhi, Indian Medical Association (IMA) president KK Aggarwal on Monday called on Delhiites to stay indoors while adding that the particulate matter 10 (pm) and 2.5 has crossed 600 which is hazardous for the people.
"We are now calling this as a pollution epidemic. Our advisory to people is to stay at home, if possible work from home and avoid stepping outside the house,"
Aggarwal pointed out that the Delhi Government should need to step in and cap pollution masks which are now selling like hot cakes among.
"These masks which used to sell at Rs. 30 are now selling at Rs.1000, so there needs to be capping, At best it can be sold at Rs.40 but not at Rs.2500. Hence the Delhi government should act immediately.
Aggarwal further called on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to take concrete steps on vehicular pollution.
"They have not taken any concrete action on vehicular pollution. Benzene and Carbon Monoxide are all time high this. Hence we need to check vehicular pollution," Aggarwal added.
The Centre will today convene an emergency meeting of Environment Ministers of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to tackle the alarming level of pollution in Delhi .
Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave will chair the meeting to chalk out an action plan to control the rising pollution levels.
Talking to media in New Delhi yesterday, Dave said that no one should indulge in a political blame-game to fight pollution in the national capital.
He appealed for a united response to tackle the problem. He said that the ISRO images show that the role of neighbouring states and their contribution is only 20 percent and blaming them would not work.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Government has decided to close all schools for the next three days and shut down all constructions and demolitions for five days.
Addressing media after holding a Cabinet meeting to discuss the issue yesterday afternoon, the Delhi Chief Minister said that he won't point fingers at anyone and stressed on the need to sit down and come out with a solution.
New Delhi: The Election Commission on Monday came out in support of a demand for immediate disqualification of lawmakers once they are convicted in criminal cases, but told the Supreme Court that the provisions in the poll law were a roadblock in taking such a measure.
The Election Commission said the convicted lawmakers enjoyed their status as MPs and MLAs till the time the Principal Secretary of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha and of the concerned assemblies issued notifications of disqualification and the consequential vacancy.
"It is at this stage that the Election Commission (EC) steps in with the announcement of poll schedule for the particular vacant seat," senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, appearing for the EC, submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur.
The bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao, wanted to know about the situation when there would be a stay or suspension of the trial court order.
Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, whose assistance was sought by the bench, said the lawmaker can get relief if the superior court stays or suspends the conviction but mere suspension of sentence will not come to the aid of the convicted MPs or MLAs.
Arora submitted that the prevailing procedure directly came in the way of the apex court judgement which had held that there should be immediate disqualification of the convicted lawmaker.
She told the bench that there is no provision that the order of the trial court is automatically conveyed to the EC, which has been the prayer in the two petitions being heard by the apex court.
Arora said the EC comes into action once it is conveyed to it by the Secretariat of Parliament or Assembly by declaration of a vacancy.
The apex court posted the matter after four weeks asking the EC to file an affidavit and the ASG to take instruction from the concerned department.
The court was hearing petitions filed by an NGO 'Lok Prahari' through its Secretary S N Shukla and a public spirited person from Maharashtra Sanjay Narayanrao Meshram, who had sought a direction that immediately after conviction of lawmakers, a copy of the trial court order be sent to the EC for taking subsequent action. The apex court, on July 22 this year, had sought response
from the EC on the NGO's petition alleging that though the law has been settled by the Supreme Court in its 2013 judgement that a lawmaker stands disqualified on conviction, but due to delay in the notification on the part of legislative secretariat, the convicted legislator keeps enjoying the fruits of office.
The plea sought a direction to the registry of all the high courts that certified copy of the judgements convicting lawmakers, be made available to Legislative Secretariat within 24 hours so that a disqualification notice can be issued at the earliest.
In a landmark judgment, passed on a PIL filed by the same NGO, the apex court had held that chargesheeted MPs and MLAs on conviction for offences, will be immediately disqualified from holding membership of the House without being given three months' time for appeal, as was the case before.
Prior to 2013, a lawmaker could continue as an MP or MLA on filing of an appeal against conviction in higher courts.
The apex court had struck down section 8(4) of Representation of People Act leading to immediate disqualification of MPs and MLAs upon conviction in an offence.
Police investigate the encounter site at the hillocks of Acharpura village after the STF killed 8 Students of Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). (Photo: PTI)
Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh state government has ordered a probe into the escape of 8 Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) terror accused from Bhopal Central Jail, and it seems it may have good reasons for doing so.
According to a report in the Indian Express, senior police officers in Madhya Pradesh have admitted that the jailbreak was not the result of lax policing, but an insider job because of several discoveries that have alarmed investigators.
A senior police officer was quoted as saying by the paper that the extent of insider help for the escape of the SIMI men was staggering.
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh also said that it was impossible to escape without inside collusion and alleged that the jailbreak was facilitated by funding from outside.
So what is the evidence that it was an inside job? The first indicator of foul play is the non-functioning of the three CCTV cameras. Out of the 50-odd CCTV cameras in the jail, only these three were turned off, which is suspicious. Moreover, they had been switched off for over a week, said the report.
In fact, a police officer was quoted as saying that one of the cameras was brand new, and had been specifically installed in the inmates cell because they were regarded as dangerous accused under UAPA.
What also points to complicity are the key moulds found by officers, which were used by the SIMI activists to break out of the barracks. The keys were fashioned out of hard plastic toothbrushes, the kind which are used by jail inmates.
Somebody seems to have made the moulds for the keys outside, and given it to them inside, a police officer was quoted as saying.
Also, government officials who visited the jail found a knife lying next to a drain, near a wall the prisoners scaled.
The knife that was found near the drain was a long, standard one. No prisoner is allowed these kinds of knives, said a police officer.
The officer said that after the activists attacked and killed head constable Ramashankar Yadav and gagged the other, Chandan Ahirwar, there were no other personnel in their way, added the officer. The security guards were all asleep, which also raises suspicions.
There has been a political outcry over the encounter of the SIMI activists, with the Congress and other opposition parties demanding a probe. Three videos and two audios of the incident have emerged so far, which belie the police claim that the accused were carrying weapons and were killed in an encounter. The ATS chief and Madhya Pradesh government also seem to be speaking in different tones on the issue.
However, the government has finally ordered an enquiry into both the jailbreak and the encounter, under pressure from the Opposition.
Indian tobacco farmers staged a demonstration at the venue of a global conference organised by the WHO in Greater Noida. (Photo: PTI/Representational)
Greater Noida: Indian tobacco farmers staged a demonstration at the venue of a global conference organised by the World Health Organisation in Greater Noida to protest against the "non-democratic" way of framing "one-sided" policies on tobacco.
India is hosting the Seventh Session of the Conference of Parties (COP7) to World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) for the first time.
The farmers also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to institute an investigation and expose the opaque working of WHO-FCTC and NGO operations in India who orchestrated atrocities against farmers.
They said that WHO's FCTC global conference, which decided to keep farmers away from the critical decision-making about their future despite repeated appeals, is expected to severely impact the lives and livelihoods of 4.6 crore Indians associated with the tobacco industry.
"We pledge to fight against the non-transparent machinery of WHO FCTC. We appeal to the policy makers to investigate the hidden agenda of global organisations that, under the garb of development and welfare, are silently working towards destroying local markets and livelihoods in developing economies, which is against their own guiding principles.
"They are creating an environment that facilitates the entry of global corporations to manipulate and earn profits from the lucrative Indian market," said B. V. Javare Gowda, President of the Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA).
Murali Babu, General Secretary of FAIFA, appealed to the Prime Minister to recognise the hardships that confront crores of Indian farmers as global representatives get together to "destroy their future".
"Tobacco control measures need to be more inclusive and should not be decided only by health officials and activists, but should allow participation from tobacco growers and realistically acknowledge the problems they face," he said.
Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Monday ruled out the possibility of the state getting a special category status.
"Special status cannot be given to Goa as the state tops in all the fronts," Parsekar said addressing the party's women's convention here.
"Special status is given to those states which have remained backwards," he said.
Notably, the BJP had in its 2012 election manifesto promised special status to the state.
Goa has been demanding a special status to preserve its culture and heritage as against the financial powers (through special status) sought by other states.
Earlier, the then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had even decided to lead an all-party delegation to Delhi demanding special status to the state.
Meanwhile, Parsekar on Monday rubbished the allegations against his government of harbouring the casino culture.
"All the six casinos in river Mandovi are a gift to Goa from the erstwhile Congress government. Our government has not given any permission to casinos," he said.
A young married woman in Hyderabad allegedly committed suicide on Monday over alleged harassment by her owner and his wife. (Photo: PTI/Representational)
Hyderabad: A young married woman allegedly committed suicide on Monday at her rented house in Hyderabad after blaming her house owner and his wife of harassing and trying to manhandle her, police said.
Sujatha, in her late 20s, was found hanging to the ceiling fan by her husband Rama Krishna on Monday morning at their home in Kukatpally area. She had purportedly written on the room's wall and door that the house owner was responsible for her death, police inspector K Purushotham said.
The police inspector, who visited the scene, based on preliminary investigation said Rama Krishna and Sujatha had been staying on the first-floor of the building since past two-and-half years while the house owner Prasanna Kumar and his wife Snehalatha were staying on the ground floor.
"Through the writing on the wall and the door of the room, the deceased alleged that Prasanna Kumar and Snehalatha threatened her and attempted to manhandle her in the absence of her husband claiming that her children created some noise yesterday," the police officer said.
Before resorting to the extreme step, the woman last night called up her husband, who was out of station, and informed him about the alleged misbehaviour caused by their house owner following which she felt "hurt" and unable to bear the "insult" she hanged herself, he said based on a complaint.
Following the complaint lodged by Rama Krishna, police registered a case under IPC section 306 (abetment of suicide) and were in the process of questioning the house owner and his wife.
The woman got married to Rama Krishna around four-and-half years ago and they have two children, police said adding that further probe is on.
Besides blocking India's admission into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), China had put a second technical hold on India's move to bring about a UN ban on Masood Azhar this year. (Photo: Representational Image/AFP)
New Delhi: Even as China continues to block Indias entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), India has remained neutral over Chinas claims to the South China Sea. However, this may no longer be the case.
According to a report, the Indian government is now attempting to squeeze China by making its position clear on Chinas claims to the Sea.
India proposed to Singapore last month that the two countries make a specific mention in a joint statement of the international tribunal order in July dismissing China's "historical" rights as claimed by Beijing over almost all of South China Sea waters.
However, this proposal was eventually shot down by Singapore, said the report.
Singapore is not a claimant state in South China Sea and has avoided taking sides in territorial disputes in the region. But India has now approached Japan over the issue, said the report.
India is now discussing including an acknowledgement of the tribunal ruling, which China dismissed as naturally null and void, in a joint statement with Japan which will be issued after the meeting next week between PM Narendra Modi and his counterpart Shinzo Abe.
A joint statement with Vietnam has already been issued during Modis visit to Hanoi, and India would like this to serve as a template for similar documents with countries in the region.
Moreover, Japan seems more open to Indias concerns. Japan has said that it encourages India to speak its mind on South China Sea dispute.
Japans role in the conflict is important because it seeks to counter Chinas assertiveness in the East China Sea where Beijing is challenging Japan's sovereignty over Senkaku islands.
China had strongly protested Japans proposed move to reduce the price of US-2i aircraft to revive the negotiations with India earlier, saying this would be "disgraceful" if it was aimed at applying pressure on China over issues related to South China Sea.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK Prime Minister Theresa May shake hands during the joint statement at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi: India and the UK on Monday agreed to start a strategic dialogue on home affairs issues covering areas like visas and organised crime even as they voiced concern over terrorism, which they saw as threat that was not a "limited security challenge" and whose arc spread "across nations and regions".
After holding extensive talks which covered a wide range issues including trade, investment, security and defence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May called for Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the November 2008 terrorist strike in Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot attack to justice.
Addressing a joint press event with May, Modi said they discussed ways to purposefully work together to combat the growing forces of radicalisation and terrorism. "We agreed that it is not a limited security challenge. Its arc of threat spreads across nations and regions. Terrorists move across borders with ease and endanger the entire humanity.
"I conveyed our deep concern to Prime Minister May regarding cross-border terrorism and the need for the international community to take strong action against States that support and sponsor terrorism," he said.
On her part, May said the two countries face the shared threat of terrorism as individual countries, as partners, and global powers, and have agreed to strengthen cooperation, in particular by sharing best practices to tackle use of internet by violent extremists.
"We have also agreed to establish a strategic dialogue on Home affairs issues covering visas, returns and organised crime. As part of this we will step up speed and return of those Indians who have no right to be in the UK," May said.
The joint statement issued after the talks said May strongly condemned the September terrorist attack on the Indian Army Brigade headquarters in Uri and offered condolences to the victims and their families.
In an obvious reference to Pakistan hailing slain Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani as "martyr", the joint statement said, "There should be no glorification of terrorists or efforts to make a distinction between good and bad terrorists. They agreed that South Asia should be stable, prosperous and free from terror and called on all countries to work towards that goal."
Strongly affirming that terrorism is a serious threat to humanity, the leaders reiterated their strong commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and stressed that there can be no justification for acts of terror on any grounds. They shared the view that there should be zero tolerance to terrorism, the statement said.
Acknowledging that terrorism and violent extremism posed one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, Modi and May called for concerted global action against them "without selectivity". They pitched for urgent measures to counter and prevent the spread of terrorism, violent extremism and radicalisation.
The two Prime Ministers affirmed that the fight against terrorism should not only seek to disrupt and bring to justice terrorists, terror organisations and networks, but should also identify, hold accountable and take strong measures against all those who encourage, support and finance terrorism, provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups, and falsely extol their virtues.
The statement also noted that both India and the UK had suffered the human cost of terrorism and now worked in partnership to tackle the threat terrorism and violent extremism posed.
Our two countries understand the increasingly transnational challenge of terrorism that demands multilateral as well as bilateral cooperation. International cooperation to combat terrorism is at the core of successfully denying terrorists the space to radicalise, recruit and conduct attacks, they said.
The leaders also noted the two countries continued to build upon 2015 Defence and International Security Partnership to deepen cooperation, including on countering terrorism, radicalisation, violent extremism and cyber security.
"We will jointly set out areas on defence and security which make clear our future ambitions to design, make, exercise, train and co-operate together. And we will continue to consult and co-ordinate, across a range of global policy security challenges, in pursuit of our shared goal of a more secure world," the joint document said.
The leaders welcomed the recent UK-initiated joint statement on Preventing Violent Extremism launched at the Global Counter Terrorism Forum in New York. The two leaders also called for strengthening the existing international counter terrorism legal framework including through the adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT).
India and United Kingdom on Monday signed two Memorandums of Understanding during UK PM Theresa Mays visit to New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi: India and United Kingdom on Monday signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for cooperation in the field of intellectual property and ease of doing business as part of efforts to improve ties between the two countries.
The MoUs were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May in New Delhi.
The Agreement/ Memorandum of Understanding to be entered between India and United Kingdom are as follows:
1. MoU on Ease of Doing Business between the Government of India and the Government of UK
The MoU intends to make expertise from different departments of the UK Government which have led the ease of doing business drive in the UK available to the relevant departments and agencies of the Government of India. It includes exchange between the officials, sharing of best practices and technical assistance for effective implementation of the initiatives of GOI to improve its ranking in the ease of doing business.
Important areas of cooperation include support to businesses and startups, tax administration, regulatory regimes, competition economics, etc.
2. MoU between the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India and the Intellectual Property Office of the United Kingdom (UK IPO) for cooperation in the field of intellectual property
This MoU envisages establishing a mechanism for furthering cooperation between the Intellectual Property Offices of India and the UK in the field of IP and related information technology services. It will include exchange of best practices, experience and knowledge of IP awareness among the public, businesses, industry, R&D organizations and educational institutions, as well as on processes for disposal of applications for patents, trademarks, industrial designs and geographical indications.
Earlier, after the delegation-level talks, both Prime Minister May with Prime Minister Modi pledged to extend and share best practices in tackling the threat of terrorism as individual countries, partners and as global powers.
Prime Minister May said that Prime Minister Modi and she have agreed to step up cooperation by negotiating a cyber framework between the two countries.
"Both UK and India face an increasing threat of cyber attack from other states, terrorists and criminals operating in cyber space. We both face the shared threat of terrorism as individual countries, as partners, and as global powers. We have agreed to strengthen our cooperation in particular by sharing best practice to tackle use of internet by violent extremists," she added
The British Prime Minister also said that UK will continue to welcome brightest and best students from India to UK to study.
"Prime Minister Modi and I are personally dedicated to invest in UK-India relationship," she added.
Asserting that terrorism is not a limited security challenge and its arc of threat spreads across nations and regions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged his UK counterpart Theresa May to take strong action against states that support and sponsor terrorism.
Indian army soldiers take positions in a trench during their patrol near the Line of Control in Nowshera sector, about 90 kilometers from Jammu. (Photo: AP)
Srinagar: 1 terrorist belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen was killed and 2 army men injured after a gunfight broke out in Wangam area of Shopian in Jammu and Kashmir early on Monday morning.
The injured soldiers have been evacuated from the scene of the encounter and are now stable, said an ANI report.
Meanwhile, Pakistan engaged in heavy firing from across the LoC in Mendhar sector of Poonch district, said a PTI report.
This is the 101st incident of ceasefire violation by Pakistan, following India's surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC) on September 29.
Pakistan opened fire at 9:15 a.m. using 120 mm mortars, 82 mm mortars, automatics and small arms.
No casualties have been reported on the Indian side till last reports came in.
There have been several instances of terrorists attempting to sneak into India over the past month, following Indias surgical strikes against terror camps across the LoC.
On Sunday itself, the security forces foiled two infiltration bids by terrorists under cover of a Pakistani ceasefire violation. Two soldiers died in the operation while five were injured.
But the army has also inflicted heavy damage to several Pakistani posts across the Line of Control in Poonch sector on Sunday.
Indian security agencies have also apprehended Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists attempting to cross into India several times over the past few weeks.
Certain customs and traditions, including restriction imposed on women between the age group of 10 and 50 from trekking the holy hills of Sabarimala and offering worship at the temple, have to be followed while visiting the shrine. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi: In a U-turn, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of Kerala on Monday informed the Supreme Court that it favoured the entry of women of all age groups in the historic Sabarimala temple in the state.
The counsel for the state government, which had earlier supported the ban on women's entry in the temple in its additional affidavit filed in July this year, told the apex court it will now go by its original response filed in 2007 favouring entry of women in the temple premises.
Initially, the LDF government had taken a progressive stand in 2007 by favouring women's entry in the temple, which was over-turned by the Congress-led United Democratic Front dispensation later.
However, the UDF, before losing power to the LDF this year, had taken a view that it was against the entry of women of the age group of 10-to-50 years into the temple as such a practice was being followed since time immemorial.
"On being asked as to what is the stand of the state, senior advocate Gupta states that the state intends to place reliance on its original affidavit (2007) and not on additional affidavit...women of any age group should not be debarred from entry into the temple to worship the deity," a bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan said.
The bench also recorded the submission of senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for the Travancore Devaswom Board which manages the hill-top shrine, that the state cannot afford to alter its stand as per their convenience.
The bench, which has now fixed the matter for hearing on February 13 next year, said the stand of the government is not the final one as it will take a decision after deliberating upon various aspects including the constitutional provisions with regard to gender equality.
"Can a woman, because of the biological phenomenon, be debarred from entring into the temple. Can there be a prohibition in law...she may or may not go to the temple, it is her choice," the bench observed.
The apex court had on July 11 indicated that it may refer to a five-judge constitution bench the issue of the centuries-old practice of barring entry of women between 10 and 50 years of age in the historic Sabarimala temple, saying it pertains to violation of fundamental rights.
The apex court had observed that women are conferred rights under the Constitution and it would pass a detailed order in case the matter is referred to a five-judge constitution bench.
It had remarked: "a temple is a public religious place. You cannot refuse entry to a woman who comes there ... It violates the rights of women. We understand the seriousness of issue. Every right needs to be balanced but every balancing has its own limitations...".
The apex court had earlier questioned the practice of barring entry of women to Sabarimala temple, saying it would test whether "faith and belief" can differentiate among persons of same denomination.
The management of the Sabarimala temple, located on a hilltop in the Western Ghats of Pathanamthitta district, had earlier told the court that the ban on entry of women aged between 10 and 50 years was because they cannot maintain "purity" on account of menstruation.
British Prime Minister Theresa May, left, and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, attend the India-U.K Tech Summit in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi: UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the UK-India Tech Summit in Delhi.
Speaking on the occasion, May said that India and UK share a special bond, and that there was huge potential for developing the relationship between the two countries.
Theresa May said Britain would become the ultimate free trade champion as she laid the groundwork for a potential post-Brexit deal with India, the world's fastest growing major economy.
In her first bilateral trip outside Europe since taking office in July, May said Britain would not "turn its back on the world" once it has left the EU but wanted new economic relationships that would benefit all sides.
"We want Britain to become the most committed and most passionate advocate of free trade in the world," May said in a speech to industrialists in the Indian capital.
"That is because free trade creates a rising tide that lifts all boats, it makes all richer, it creates jobs, it increases investment, it improves productivity, it transforms living standards and creates opportunities for all our citizens."
Although Britain cannot sign any bilateral trade deals until it has left the European Union -- most likely in 2019 -- May's visit is seen as signalling a desire to get the ball rolling as early as possible.
May said that "no country owes another country a living" but there were plenty of areas where Britain and India could work more closely together.
"Identifying ... (areas of common interest) does not need to wait for us to leave the European Union."
Highlighting the importance of technology which plays a significant part in forging strong ties between New Delhi and London, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it is vital for India and the United Kingdom, two countries linked by history, to work together to define the knowledge economy of the 21st century.
"A natural collaboration emerges in India's rapidly developing financial services sector. 'Fintech' is emerging as the next big transformation for India as we bring 220 million new households into the umbrella of the 'Jan Dhan Yojana'. This financial inclusion scheme is being melded with mobile technology and the unique identification card to form the largest social security program in the world," he said.
Speaking at the Tech Summit held at the national capital which aims to reinforce friendship between India and the UK, Prime Minister Modi said, "In the current global environment, our two countries face several economic challenges which directly affect trade and commerce. But I am confident that together we can leverage our scientific strengths and technological prowess to create new opportunities."
He said there is an opportunity for India and UK to collaborate in the 'Digital India' Program and expand information convergence and people centric e-governance.
"The convergence of my government's flagship development missions, our technology achievements and aspirations, and our strong bilateral relations offer huge new growth avenues for Indian and British industries," Prime Minister Modi said.
The Prime Minister said that with UK's leadership in financial technology and international finance, promising opportunities can be harnessed by Indian enterprises in this mission.
"India will soon have over a billion phone connections with an urban tele-density of around 154%. We have 350 million internet users. We are bringing in last mile connectivity to nearly 100,000 villages across the country. Such rapid growth offers new digital highways and new markets for UK and Indian companies to address," he said.
Prime Minister Modi further pointed out that 'Make in India' can be a key sector of bilateral engagement with U.K.
"Advanced manufacturing is a special endeavour under this program. UK as a leading player and can benefit from our liberal FDI policies in defense manufacturing, aerospace and electronics engineering," he said.
The Prime Minster also highlighted UK's robust participation in helping India's aim to achieve Smart City' mission and encouraged Brittan's participation in other fields as well.
"I am glad that there is already a high level of interest from the UK in projects in Pune, Amaravati and Indore. I understand that UK companies have already signed deals worth 9 billion pounds and I encourage more participation," he said.
Prime Minister Modi said India and UK have emerged amongst the top three largest startup hubs in the world with an exciting ecosystem of investors and innovators.
"Startup India' program aims at converging innovation and technology with entrepreneurship for our tech-savvy youth. Together, we can create a vibrant and thriving environment for new commercial applications with breakthrough technologies," he said.
"I believe that India and the UK must continue to nurture and support an ecosystem of high quality fundamental research to pave the way for joint technology development that can address global challenges," he added.
Lucknow: Any decision on a grand alliance for Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls will be taken by Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today said and stressed that he would give his suggestions only at party platform.
"I will give my suggestions only at party platform. Elections are near, who will be benefited, who will lose (in alliance) is to be taken note of. The decision is to be taken by party's national president," Akhilesh told reporters, refusing to publicly state his stand on the issue.
He was speaking outside Gayatri Prajapati's official residence where he had gone to condole death of his cabinet colleague's father.
When asked specifically about the possibility of SP joining hand with Congress, Akhilesh parried a direct reply, saying, "If SP and Congress want alliance, will you (media) stop it...?"
He did not elaborate on the query made against the backdrop of Congress' poll strategist Prashant Kishor meeting Mulayam here, triggering speculation of a 'maha-gathbandhan' (grand alliance) similar to the one in Bihar.
Kishor held prolonged discussion spread over two sessions yesterday just a day after top leaders of socialist- leaning parties attended SP's silver jubilee meet - a move seen as an attempt by Mulayam to forge an alliance for the crucial polls hardly a few months away.
This was for the second time in six days that Kishor met Mulayam, who is trying to cobble together an alliance of like-minded parties.
The first meeting had taken place at Mulayam's Delhi residence on November 1.
On the possibility of a grand alliance, state SP President Shivpal Yadav said, "When it materialises, I will tell you."
Samajwadi Party, which was initially part of Bihar's grand alliance, had walked out of it after it was offered only a handful of seats to contest the assembly elections there. The grand alliance of JD(U), RJD and Congress had, however, scripted a major electoral victory, defeating the BJP-led NDA.
"We now update that NDTV Ltd and others have filed a writ petition before the Hon'ble Supreme Court challenging the said order.
New Delhi: NDTV India on Monday moved the Supreme Court against the government's order banning its telecast for a day on November 9 for its coverage of the Pathankot terror attack.
The petition challenges the Constitutional validity of the government order, the channel said in filing to the stock exchanges.
In the filing, NDTV said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had directed stopping of transmission or re-transmission of its Hindi news channel, NDTV India for a day from 00.01 hrs of November 9, 2016 till 00.01 hrs of November 10, 2016.
"We now update that NDTV Ltd and others have filed a writ petition before the Hon'ble Supreme Court challenging the said order, inter-alia, challenging the constitutional validity of the said order and the provisions of law pursuant to which the said order has purportedly been passed," the company said.
Sources said a senior advocate is likely to mention the matter tomorrow, a day before the channel has been asked to keep away from broadcasting.
On its website, NDTV has mentioned that it has challenged the government's one-day ban.
NDTV has refuted the allegations and pointed out that other channels and newspapers reported the same information.
The ban has been widely condemned by journalists and editors with all press councils drawing parallels to the Emergency of the 1970s when basic constitutional rights including the freedom of the press were blatantly violated,
the channel said on its website.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea seeking review of its decision upholding the clean chit given by subordinate courts to BJP President Amit Shah in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.
The apex court rejected the plea of activist Harsh Mander challenging the order by which it had dismissed the appeal against the discharge of the BJP leader in the case by the Bombay High Court upholding the trial court order.
"We have perused the review petition and the connected papers. We do not find any error in the order impugned, much less an apparent error on the face of the record so as to call for its review.
"The review petition is accordingly dismissed," a bench of Justices S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan said in its order of October 19.
The apex court had on August 1 upheld the clean chit given by the High Court and the trial court to the BJP President in the encounter case and rejected the plea for its revival.
While rejecting the appeal, the bench had questioned the locus standi of Mander, a former bureaucrat and social activist, in pursuing the case in which the victim's brother Rubabuddin Sheikh had preferred to withdraw the petition.
Mander had challenged the Bombay High Court order which had upheld the discharge of the BJP president by the trial court.
Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Shah, had cited various judgments of the apex court to support the contention that the former bureaucrat, as a third party, did not have the locus in the instant case.
In the appeal, Mander had sought quashing of December 30, 2014 order of a Mumbai sessions court giving a clean chit to Shah in the case.
The petitioner had questioned the findings of the sessions court which was endorsed by the high court while exonerating Shah in the Tulsiram Prajapati killing case, holding that there existed "no case" against him and that he had been implicated for "political reasons".
Mander had petitioned the high court against the sessions court order which was dismissed by the Bombay High Court in March this year.
Sohrabuddin, a gangster, was allegedly abducted with his wife Kausar Bi by Gujarat police when they were on way from Hyderabad to Sangli in Maharashtra in 2005 and later killed.
Tulsiram, an aide of the gangster and an eyewitness to the encounter, was also killed allegedly by the police in 2006.
Shiv Sena on Monday called for human rights violation case against the Karnataka police for the inhuman treatment meted out to Marathi-speaking people who participated in Black Day' protest rally in Belgaum. (Photo: PTI/Representational)
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Monday called for human rights violation case to be filed against the Karnataka police, for the "inhuman" treatment meted out to those taking part in a 'Black Day' protest rally in Belgaum on 'Karnataka Rajyotsava Day' on November 1.
"Karnataka police and political goons in the state have been terrorising Marathi people staying at the border. Like every other year, the inhuman treatment meted out to those observing 'Black Day' by the police cannot just be condemned. A Human Rights violation case needs to be filed against the police," the Sena said in an editorial in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
It said that Maharashtra government should take the lead in filing the case.
In a veiled dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Sena said that those vying for an Independent Balochistan do not see the 60-year struggle of the people living at the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
"Where is Anna Hazare now? If he would have fasted for justice to the Marathi speaking people, he would have earned the respect of the martyred," it said.
It questioned under which law is Karnataka police committing atrocities against those who want to be a part of Maharashtra .
Youths and activists of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), a regional outfit in Karnataka, were arrested for taking part in a 'Black Day' protest rally in Belgaum on Karnataka Rajyotsava Day on November 1.
MES leaders have alleged their activists are being beaten and tortured by Karnataka Police. MES observes Black Day on November 1, which is celebrated across Karnataka as Kannada Rajyotsava Day, the day on which the state was formed.
The MES wants 814 villages, where the Marathi-speaking population is dominant, to be integrated with Maharashtra . In its report 50 years ago, the Centre-appointed Mahajan Commission (under former Chief Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan) had recommended that these villages remain in Karnataka.
A view of Rajpath covered in smog in New Delhi on Friday. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on Tuesday a fresh plea seeking proper monitoring of the pollution level in the national capital and adjoining areas.
A bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justices D Y Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao said it wll hear the application of the apex court-appointed Environmental Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) at 3.30 PM on Tuesday.
The EPCA, in its fresh plea, has said that it does not seek any fresh direction to curb the pollution level in the national capital and rather it seeks proper implementation of the directions already issued.
The apex court had on December 16, 2015 ordered not to register diesel-run sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and high-end private cars with engine capacity of 2000 CC and above in Delhi and National Capital Region along with a slew of measures to curb the alarming rise in pollution levels in the national capital.
The court had also directed 100 per cent hike of Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) being levied on light and heavy commercial vehicles entering Delhi.
It had also asked city government to "issueadvertisements to inform commercial traffic of the bypass routes and the imposition of the ECC imposed by this court for entry of the vehicles into Delhi."
Later on August 12 the apex court had vacated the embargo on registration of luxurious vehicles having engine capacity of 2000cc and above in Delhi and NCR, after taking on record, the affidavits of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and others, offering to deposit one per cent of the price of the vehicles as Environment Protection Charge (EPC) before the registration.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that Centre and states need to join hands to join the pollution crisis in Delhi instead of pointing fingers and playing politics.
Calling for emergency measures, Kejriwal, following a Delhi Cabinet meeting, said that all the constructions and demolitions will be shut down, including metro constructions, for the next 5 days.
The Delhi CM announced that landfill sites would also be bulldozed.
Asking people to stay indoors, the CM stated that all schools would remain closed for the next 3 days.
No DG will be used in Delhi for next 10 days except in hospitals and emergency places, Kejriwal said, adding that the Badarpur power plant would also be shut down.
Stating that his government was considering reimplementation of the odd-even scheme, Kejriwal also announced that streets would be watered every day and that vacuum cleaning of roads would begin from November 10.
Kejriwal also said that the idea of causing artificial rain was discussed in the meeting. However, he claimed that not much relief could be expected soon as crop burning in other states would continue.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal is scheduled to meet President Pranab Mukherjee at 1:30 pm to discuss the issue of missing Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmad.
The Centre on Sunday slammed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, stating that only 20% of pollution in Delhi was due to activities in other states.
The AAP government including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier blamed crop burning in Delhis neighbouring states for the heavy smog and pollution in Delhi which is causing breathing problems and has led to schools shutting down.
Central Environment Minister Anil Dave said that 80 per cent of Delhis pollution was the result of garbage burning in the city. He claimed that by blaming other states, AAP was politicising the issue.
Dave called on AAP to come out of the 'blame game mindset'.
"What help do they need? Tell us. We have provided help time to time. But implementation is state's responsibility," Dave said.
The Centre itself is set to hold a meeting with state environment ministers of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on Monday on the issue of pollution in the capital.
Speaking to reporters, Kerala DGP said that a probe has been ordered to look into the allegations made by the rape survivor. (Photo: Video grab)
Kochi: Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja on Monday defended a senior leader from ruling party CPI(M), stating that he did no wrong in revealing the name of the Thrissur gangrape survivor.
The survivor had alleged that four friends of her husband, including a CPI(M) leader had raped her.
In a shocking statement, Shailaja said former Speaker Radhakrishnans act of taking the rape survivors name was no big deal.
"If former Speaker Radhakrishnan has taken the victim's name, you may want to make a big deal out of it, I don't think there is anything wrong with it. Victims, their parents usually want to hide their names because of the shame associated, but they are not the ones who have done anything wrong, the minister was quoted as saying.
Naming a rape survivor carries a punishment of two years in prison.
CPI(M) district secretary Radhakrishnan had said that if the survivor can name people who have not been proved guilty, she can also be named. This had led to protests from the Opposition, which called for action against Radhakrishnan.
Radhakrishnan is not above the law. Revealing the victim's name can entail two years of imprisonment. Action should be taken against him, Kerala Congress chief VM Sudheeran said.
State BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan said there had been a "criminal lapse" by the CPI(M) leader.
Last week, the 32-year-old woman addressed a press conference with her face covered, with her husband and activists by her side. She had claimed that when she went to the police to lodge a complaint, they had humiliated her by asking which of the four men she had enjoyed the most.
The politician she has named, a councillor, has accused the woman of lying and getting back at him for demanding money he had loaned to the couple.
The politician has been suspended by his party after CM Pinarayi Vijayan stepped in, and a probe is underway.
Speaking to reporters, Kerala DGP said that a probe has been ordered to look into the allegations made by the rape survivor. (Photo: Video grab)
Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition Congress-led UDF on Monday demanded that a case be registered against CPI(M)'s Thrissur district secretary K Radhakrishnan for allegedly disclosing the name of a gangrape victim before the media.
Opposition leader in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala on Monday wrote to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, demanding that a case be registered against Radhakrishnan, a former minister and Speaker.
Action should be launched against Radhakrishnan, who had "deliberately" named the victim publicly, Chennithala said.
While talking to media in Thrissur two days ago, Radhakrishnan had named the victim while announcing the suspension of the two party workers involved in the gang rape.
Chennithala said that revealing the name of the rape victim was a "serious" offence.
As per Section 228(A) of IPC, disclosing the name of the rape victim would invite two years imprisonment and fine.
In the Nirbhaya case of Delhi, the victim's name had not been revealed, he said.
Senior CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat said it was a 'mistake' to name the victim.
"We are not supposed to name the victim. So it was a mistake to name the victim', she said in Delhi.
The Chief Minister himself has initiated an enquiry. The Party has also suspended the men who have been named by the victim, she said.
Meanwhile, police has completed taking the statement of the victim and her husband's statement was being recorded on Monday, sources said.
The 33-year-old victim had appeared before media in Thiruvananthapuram, alleging that she had been gang raped by four persons, including a CPI(M) councillor of Wadakancherry two years ago and she was being harassed even now.
Hyderabad: Telangana Congress leaders met Governor E S L Narasimhan on Monday and submitted him a memorandum opposing the TRS government's move to construct a new Secretariat demolishing the existing buildings.
"We have conveyed our opposition to the Governor about the construction of a new Secretariat by demolishing the present buildings. We urged him to tell the government that it is not a correct decision to demolish the building and construct a new one. We also told him that it will be a waste of Rs 350 crore (for construction of new building)," Telangana Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy told reporters after a meeting with the Governor.
The TRS government is planning to build a new Secretariat, reportedly after demolishing the existing buildings.
The state Congress president had earlier written a letter to the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao conveying his party's opposition to the construction of new Secretariat after bringing down the existing structures.
"As President of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Party, I wish to convey that your government decision to demolish the present Secretariat complex and construct a new complex at a huge cost of hundreds of crores of rupees is not a judicious decision and is a mere waste of hundreds of crores of precious tax payers money," Reddy had said in a letter to KCR last week.
Several blocks in the present Secretariat have been constructed in recent times, he had said.
He had found fault with the state government allegedly citing 'vaastu' defects as the reason for allegedly deciding to demolish the buildings.
Reddy said it is astonishing that the Advocate General has submitted to the High Court that the present Secretariat complex doesn't meet fire safety regulation.
How come Rao and the Chief Ministers in undivided Andhra Pradesh had functioned from the same Secretariat if the buildings did not meet fire safety standards, he asked.
Telangana State Public Service Commission expressed confidence it would be filling one lakh openings by itself before its six-year term ends. (Representational Image)
Hyderabad: The large number of vacancies in government departments might give jobseekers reasons to rejoice, but unexpected bottlenecks hit the process. There were 1.07 lakh vacancies at the time of formation of the state that has crossed 1.4 lakh with the retirement of some staff members. Recruitment, however, is still on with some being at different stages of exam. Just around 40,000 have been finalised.
TSPSC has so far given job notifications for 6,000 posts including those under the upcoming Group-2 exams. Electricity department and Singareni Collieries filled 6,000 posts. Police Recruitment Board is in the process of filling over 10,000 constable posts while notification to fill nearly 6,000 school teachers for residential schools is set to be released within weeks.
TNGO honorary president G. Deviprasad pointed out that regularisation of nearly 30,000 contract staff has run into legal tangles while inordinate delay in staff bifurcation by the Centre-appointed Kamalanathan panel has also dealt a blow to recruitment process. Nearly 10,000 employees lodged objections over allocations. It is not certain which state they would go to eventually, he said.
Telangana State Public Service Commission expressed confidence it would be filling one lakh openings by itself before its six-year term ends.
New Delhi: In a clear signal to Pakistan without naming it, visiting British Prime Minister, Theresa May, condemned the Uri terror attack, with a joint statement by the two countries asking Pakistan bring to justice the perpetrators of the November 2008 and 2016 terrorist attacks in Mumbai and Pathankot.
The reference to Pathankot is significant as it shows that Britain too agrees that even the Pathankot attack was planned in Pakistan.
In another clear indication towards Islamabad, the joint statement also said there should be no glorification of terrorists or efforts to make a distinction between good and bad terrorists.
The British Prime Minister on Monday affirmed support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in demanding strong action against those who support terrorism and provide sanctuary to its perpetrators after he voiced deep concern over cross-border terrorism. Terrorism was one of the key subjects at the talks between the two Prime Ministers.
TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy addresses media after submitting a memorandum to the Governor at Raj Bhavan as other senior Congress leaders look on. (Photo: DC)
Hyderabad: The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) on Monday took the issue of demolition of the Secretariat building and construction of a new one to Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan.
TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy led the Congress delegation to the Governor and submitted a memorandum seeking an urgent intervention and to stop demolition of the building to avoid waste of public funds.
The Governor promised to look into the matter. The Chief Minister has been repeatedly saying that the Secretariat building is not as per vastu. If its true, how can Telang-ana be the richest state in the country, a revenue surplus state and investment destination? How did the state grow to this level? Telangana society should ponder over this, he said after meeting the Governor.
Construction of new buildings by spending hundreds of crores is against democratic norms in a country like ours. This is not a correct decision we feel, he remarked.
Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy added that it was intriguing that while the Chief Minister was saying that the existing Secretariat was being demolished due to bad vastu, the state advocate-general had claimed in the High Court that the building did not meet fire safety regulations.
We have doubts over these reasons. How can the government function in a building for two and half years without fire safety? The CM and his Cabinet colleagues functioned from this building. When there are no funds for public purposes, why should the government waste money? he asked.
Besides Mr Reddy, the delegation included Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Mr Mohd Ali Shabbir, CLP leader Mr K. Jana Reddy, Rajya Sabha MP Mr M.A. Khan, Mr T. Jeevan Reddy, MLA and former minister Mr Danam Nagender, Ex MP Mr Anjan Kumar Yadav and others.
Hyderabad: The Telangana state government is planning to mortgage prime properties belonging to the Backward Classes department with banks to mobilise funds to clear its fee reimbursement arrears.
BC department officials are thus busy listing out properties owned by it in Hyderabad and in district headquarters. The TRS government is facing a backlash from Opposition parties and student organisations over the Rs 3,000-crore fee arrears of last two years. Of this, more than 60 per cent arrears are for BCs.
While the finance department does not have adequate funds to clear the arrears, the BC department owns prime properties in the city and districts, and the government is planning to mortgage them with banks to raise about Rs 2,000 crore.
Former CM N. Kiran Kumar Reddy had made an attempt in this rega-rd earlier in 2012 but had backtracked after stiff opposition from BC organisations. For 2014-15, out of the 13.84 lakh students who had applied for fee reimbursement in the state, BCs accounted for 7.57 lakh and EBCs 1.01 lakh. For 2015-16, out of the total 14.15 lakh students, BCs comprised 7.79 lakh and EBCs one lakh.
Despite the government imposing several restrictions on fee rei-mbursement by tightening the eligibility norms to reduce its financial burden, it still owes Rs 3,000 crore in arrears. This year (2016-17), 5.23 lakh students have already applied. Of this, BCs comprise 2.87 lakh and EBCs 49,000.
The due date to submit applications have been extended till November-end and the government expects the applications to touch 14.50 lakh, for which it needs another Rs 3,000 crore. The Congress meanwhile has launched a signature campaign to highlight delay in fee reimbursement.
Thrissur: The CPM has suspended P.N. Jayanthan, councillor of Wadakkanchery municipality, and Bineesh, branch committee member, who are facing allegations of gang-raping a woman along with two others, from the primary membership of the party. District secretary K. Radhakrishnan told reporters after the CPM district secretariat meeting here on Friday that Jayanthan, who was suspended in the light of the allegations, will continue as the councillor.
Mr Radhakrishnan revealed the name of the alleged victim and said that he was doing it as she had named the accused. The allegations need to be probed in detail and the party will do it. If Jayanthan and his friends have done anything wrong, the party will not support him. We are hearing different views about the allegations and we also have to support them if they are innocent, he added.
Protests in Wadakkanchery The Congress and the BJP held protest marches in front of the municipal office in Wadakkanchery demanding the resignation of Jayanathan and two other party councillors Madhu Ambalapuram (CPM independent) and P.R. Aravindakshan for allegedly trying to hush up the gang-rape with the support of the police. The Congress has called a dawn-to-dusk hartal for their resignation in Wadakkanchery municipality on Saturday.
Chennai: A sexual assault or offence, which is a traumatic experience for a woman, is also an invasion of the Right of Privacy of a woman. It undoubtedly affects her dignity and self-esteem. In the offence of rape, when a woman is ravished, a deathless shame would haunt her during her lifespan, said the Madras high court.
The offence of rape is violation of a victims cherished fundamental rights and in reality, Right to Life is mentioned in Article 21 of the Constitution of India. It is by now well settled that non-examination of a doctor or non-production of a medical report would not be fatal in a given prosecution case, if the evidence of the prosecutrix/ victim and other witnesses is quite worthy of credence, and inspires subjective confidence of a court of law, said Justice M. Venugopal while upholding an order of a lower court, which convicted an accused on charges of rape.
The prosecution case was that the accused was in acquaintance with the 19-year-old victim for over two years and on December 14, 2012, he invited her over the phone to a bush situated at Arakonam taluk in Vellore district where he abducted her while also assuring her on a false promise that he would marry her. Although she had refused, the accused enticed her to have sexual intercourse and ravished her. He had also threatened her not to reveal the same to anyone.
The Mahila Court in Vellore district convicted and sentenced him to undergo 7-years RI. Aggrieved, the accused filed the present appeal.
The judge said the unimpeachable evidence of the victim girl was that she had refused to have sexual intercourse prior to her marriage with the accused but, despite her refusal, it appears the accused had ravished her. The court came to an inevitable conclusion that the offence under section 376 (1) of IPC was made out against the accused by the prosecution.
"The defence taken on behalf of the accused before the trial court that he was in no way connected with any of the offences, as claimed by the victim girl cannot be accepted by this court because of the simple reason that the evidence of the victim girl was cogent, coherent and convincing one and the same is accepted by this court", the judge added.
Partly allowing the appeal, the judge however, keeping in mind of a prime fact that both the accused and the victim had got married subsequently and they were living separately with their own families and also, bearing in mind the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case, exercising his judicial discretion, modified the sentence of 7 years and reduced the same to that of 5 years.
Lucknow: Stung by unrelenting barbs of BJP chief Amit Shah, BSP supremo Mayawati today hit back saying the saffron party has "notorious goondas" and everyone was aware of Shah's history as well.
She also trained guns at the Samajwadi Party government, saying in the interest of the state, the chief minister should rise above one-upmanship and family feud and look after law- and-order situation of the state.
She also said any move by SP to enter into a grand alliance proved that it had accepted defeat even before the polls. "BJP mein itney nami-girami goonday hain...main naam ginaney lag jaoon...aur iski shuruwat Gujarat sey hoti hai...Amit Shah ka kya itihas raha hai yeh aapko pata hai (BJP has a number of notorious criminals...If I started counting names...The list starts with Gujarat...You already know Amit Shah's history)," she told newspersons here.
"Not only in UP, in the country also BJP has goondas, mafia and criminal elements...you all know about it well," she said in response to the allegations made by Shah during his party's Parivatran Yatras.
Shah had alleged that BSP like the ruling SP had goondas and criminal elements.
Making light of BJP's promise to bring a change in the state in the upcoming Assembly polls, Mayawati said it will meet the same fate in Uttar Pradesh as in Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal and southern states.
"I have convened the press conference especially to expose BJP and its national leaders who are going about making tall claims and to give them a befitting reply so that common people do not fall prey to their Lok Sabha-like promises," she said.
Dubbing the Narendra Modi government as anti-farmer, she said his claims of clearing sugarcane dues of farmers in the state were far from truth.
"He is telling a lie, neither the PM nor the SP government has given a single paisa," she alleged.
Mayawati alleged that BJP had started Parivartan Yatras to hide the shortcomings of the central government and its failure to fulfil even one-third of its poll promises. They are going about saying that no development took place during BSP rule which is baseless, she claimed.
BSP, during all its four times in power, did not help capitalists like BJP but worked for 'Sarv Samaj' (all the society), she said, citing various projects undertaken by her government.
Mayawati said the works started by her government were either stopped altogether by the present SP government or renamed but they did not have the same momentum.
Hitting out at Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, she said, "The head of the SP government should find some time out of his family one-upmanship and fight for survival and mend the dismal law and order of the state as well as the bad state of environment in the districts adjoining national capital..."
To questions, she said any move by SP to enter into a grand alliance proved that it had already accepted defeat. "In these elections, the camps of Akhilesh and Shivpal will ensure the defeat of each other. Everyone, especially Muslims, have come to know about it and the amount of drama," she said, adding that had SP really worked and taken care of the law and order, they would not have to rely on others.
Mayawati exuded confidence that her party will get absolute majority in the coming polls and ruled out any alliance, saying, "Only the weak look for support."
Leavening public diplomacy with private interest, it isnt easy to choose between the two White House aspirants. Richard F. Celeste, the former Ohio governor, told me that when Bill Clinton appointed him US ambassador to India in 1997, Hillary asked him to arrange a presidential visit without delay. Promise me, Dick, she insisted, you will take him to India. She regretted it couldnt be the very next month. Donald Trump, of course, is the first presidential candidate with a personal stake in Indias stability and prosperity. I have big jobs going up in India India is doing great, the 70-year-old real estate billionaire was quoted saying with his eye on Pune, Mumbai and other Indian cities long before the Republican Hindu Coalition latched on to him.
Remembering the historical blunder of the Dewey Defeats Truman banner headline on the front page of the Chicago Daily Tribune of November 3, 1948, it is hazardous to make a guess even on polling day. Conventional wisdom, supported by polls, was almost unanimous in 1948 that Thomas E. Dewey, the Republican governor of New York, would defeat the incumbent Democrat President, Harry S. Truman. After his victory was confirmed, President Truman was famously photographed holding up the infamous issue of the Tribune. That aint the way I heard it! he mocked. Upsets cant be ruled out in a complex situation where a candidate can get more votes and yet lose the election. This happened for the fourth time in 2000 when the Supreme Courts 5-4 decision after the recount in Florida gave the victory to George W. Bush over Mr Clintons vice-president, Al Gore. Each American state has as many votes as members of Congress, and its winner-take-all in 48 states. Whoever amasses at least 270 votes moves into the White House.
Its been suggested that Mr Trump might meet Mr Gores fate. His Make America Great Again slogan appeals to frustrated nationalists in much the same way as Nigel Farage does in Britain and Marine Le Pen in France. That encourages the supplementary threat that the right may not take it lying down if it wins the popular vote but not the electoral college. Mr Trumps refusal to give a categorical undertaking to accept the verdict if Ms Clinton wins seems ominous. The outlook could be bleak for Americas poor, blacks, Hispanics, Indians and other minority groups if Ms Clinton loses. Either way, a period of strife seems inevitable no matter which way the cat jumps. The course of the campaign seems to have been a prelude to unrest. Instead of presenting competing programmes, the two candidates often appeared to be bent on destroying each other on both personal and political grounds. The best that can be said of this kind of ruthless canvassing is that it strips the rulers of the future bare of all camouflage. Perhaps that is in the interests of an open society.
We are used in India to drawing a discreet veil over the intimate actions of politicians. That results in even known criminals being presented as responsible members of society. The now-concluded US presidential campaign showed that such dissimulation is not possible in the home of the brave and the land of the free. India will have to make the best of whoever is elected. Ms Clinton is far better known here and appears to be an empathetic person. While her husbands first term was definitely not tilted in Indias favour, his more positive second term is attributed to Hillary who had visited with her daughter. Mr Celeste certainly gave her the credit. I suspect she said something like, You must visit India. You must get a feel for this diverse, exciting, challenging country. Ever since that moment, President Clinton has had a particular desire to come to India.
But there are two reasons for being cautious about a Clinton presidency. First, she might not be able (or willing) to resist the state departments pursuit of a superpower role in the Asia-Pacific region that would not necessarily further Indias interests. Second, if she continues her predecessors policies and Barack Obamas enthusiastic campaigning suggested her presidency would be a continuation of his we neednt expect any of the special understanding of Indias aspirations or of its sufferings from Pakistan-sponsored terrorists that distinguished George W. Bush. Perhaps she wont be able to devote particular attention to India since she must create more jobs and restore the economy at home.
Recognising the responsibility that goes with size, population, democratic stability and economic potential, Mr Trump sees India as a stabilising force in Asia. India is the check to Pakistan which he calls probably the most dangerous country in the world. But the main reason why Indians might welcome Mr Trump is that he is a stakeholder in our prosperity. It has been my desire for many years to be involved in a great project in Mumbai, and it is my honour to bring the Trump lifestyles to the citizens of this truly global metropolis, he said. The 23-storey Trump Towers Pune and Lodha Groups 75-storey Trump Tower Mumbai bear out this commitment. Americans dont share the Indian affectation of looking down on wealth. They do weave myths about democracy, but Republicans less so than Democrats. On the whole, Republicans are realistic enough to admit that the power of money more than idealism fashions policy. It could be a healthy sign that Tribeca Developers, representing Mr Trump here, claim he and his sons are extremely bullish on India and plan to expand to many more cities. He may not make it but if he does and despite the many defects and eccentricities that Americans point out, Ab ki baar, Trump sarkar might suit India nicely.
Diwali, otherwise the festival of lights, happiness and good cheer, has been several shades darker this year, with an extensive stretch of the international India-Pakistan border as well as the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir ablaze, not with the traditional diyas, but trans-border machinegun and mortar fire. Pathankot to Jammu and beyond are now war zones, where the population on the Indian side spent their Diwali either sheltering from Pakistani mortar and small arms fire in ad hoc bunkers in their villages, or as refugees under the open skies in depth areas outside the range of Pakistani mortar fire, 82mm of the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers periodically intermixed with heavier 120mm mortar bombs, unmistakably of the Pakistan Army, the latter an unmistakable indication of the active involvement of the Pakistan Army.
The Indian forces are responding in kind, and in progress now is a linear, middle-intensity, standoff exchange of fire in J&K, along the international border as well as the LoC, involving the paramilitary Border Security Force on the Jammu border and the Indian Army on the LoC. There are reports that the Indian Army has also stepped in and destroyed four Pakistani border outposts in a fire assault after an infantry patrol of 17 Sikh clashed with fidayeen infiltrators in the area, and lost one of its members, injured and mutilated (in this particular instance beheaded), after capture by intruders fleeing back to sanctuaries inside Pakistan. The whole incident, particularly the cold-blooded savagery of beheading a wounded prisoner, was typical of the Pakistan Army.
Conceptually, these attacks with their emphasis on ferocious brutality towards a kafir opponent are in consonance with the basic philosophy of the Quranic Concept of War enunciated by Brigadier S.K. Malik of the Pakistan Army, in his book of the same name, which prescribes frightfulness to terrorise the enemy, and is said to be recommended reading encouraged in the armed forces of Pakistan. The civil population in the border areas of J&K are experiencing this frightfulness at first hand, which at last count has killed and wounded over 100 Indian inhabitants of border villages in the Jammu region, including women and children. Indiscriminate violence against non-combatant civilians on the Indian side of the border will remain a feature of the hot peace in J&K, and has become a permanent feature of India-Pakistan relations. This seems unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, as Chanakya, national security adviser to first Mauryan emperor Chandragupta, might have mused 2,000 years ago when faced by attacks of barbarian tribes coming out of Central Asia Atah Kim? (What now)?
The answer visualised at that time in the distant past would perhaps have been the same one which remains applicable and operative even today immediate and vigorous punitive retaliation, a policy which must remain unchanged in todays age. Active confrontation with Pakistan along the LoC in Kashmir during the hot peace is neither new nor unprecedented, and dates right back to Independence and the Partition. But what has been a new feature in J&K this time has been the extension of the free-fire zone hitherto restricted to the LoC held by the Indian Army to a belt along the international border in the Jammu-Sialkot region held by the BSF. Under normal circumstances, the international borders are held by border-guarding forces and not the military, but circumstances in Kashmir are far from normal now after the killing of terror poster boy Burhan Wani of the Hizbul Mujahideen, and the accelerating cascade of events thereafter from the Pakistani ingress at Uri and the surgical counter-strike by Indian Special Forces across the LoC.
From experience and long-term institutional memory, India is aware that this has always been the correct policy to deal with a Pakistan controlled by a radicalised amalgam of military-jihadi forces. Every attempted fidayeen infiltration, or hit-and-run raid by Pakistani composite border action teams, has to be hit and hammered hard, whether on Indian territory, or, by Indias hot pursuit actions into Pakistan, so that the terror of war is injected into that country in equal measure. But, as matters stand, India lacks the appropriate fire and forget type of irregular forces with which to carry out reverse fidayeen strikes from India into Pakistan, a revealing commentary on a socio-political culture that appears hesitant to ruthlessly stamp out pro-Pakistan terrorist movements inside this country like the Indian Mujahideen or Students Islamic Movement of India, but lacks the will and the motivation to create an Indian fidayeen, if necessary by ideological reverse engineering, to give Pakistan a dose of its own medicine by turning the knife-edge of death by a thousand cuts onto its originator.
The fidayeen concept of religion-crazed zealots embracing martyrdom as suicide-bomber or active shooters resonates throughout the history of political Islam, from drug-crazed Hashishin whose targeted killings held the Islamic world to political ransom in the 11th century. However, this presents complex philosophical and ideological contradictions in the secular Indian socio-religious environment. The philosophy of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in his The Hindu view of life diverges entirely from the kafir centric exposition of The Quranic Concept of War of Brigadier Malik. Developing the ideological software for information warfare against a fanatical enemy radicalised almost since childhood by rigid adherence to the scriptures of his faith requires appropriate ideological moorings. Many of these are already enshrined in the Bhagavad Gita, and many more in the shabads of the Guru Granth Sahib. India requires to formulate its own ideological pathway to paradise for motivation of its own fidayeen on missions to Pakistan.
The world is well aware of Chinas huge cash reserves, and how its deep pockets enable it to be not only a big-ticket foreign investor, but the financial saviour of the distressed economies of small Asian and African nations and beyond, transcending all barriers. Understandably, therefore, the world has seen the impressive growth and influence of the Chinese economic engine in key sectors in South Asia; such as in Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar and Afghanistan. But these dont appear to impress the West very much these days. The West has grown wary of the speed of Chinese acquisitions of Western assets and investment. In reality, stiff Western resistance to Chinas galloping ambition to penetrate its finances, capital and industrial production has begun, as seen in the recent blocking of $39 billion of European and Australia-centric acquisitions.
Understandably, both Brussels and Berlin began to thwart Beijings bid to take over high-profile Western assets worth $39 billion since mid-2015. Most of these are learnt to have fallen foul of competition and security concerns due to the assets proximity to sensitive military facilities. Matters have come to such a pass that some Western governments are considering enactment of new rules and regulations to tackle Chinese deals and acquisitions. From Bern to Berlin, Brisbane to Boston, the world is learning afresh how to handle the China factor. The Swiss are apprehensive about their agri-business Syngenta; the Germans about semiconductor giant Aixtron; the United States about insurer Genworth Financials purchase by the conglomerate China Oceanwide for $2.7 billion, and San Diegos landmark Hotel del Coronado, that is located next to a sensitive American naval base.
The Germans, in particular, are openly hardening their line on Chinese investors. Berlin is trying to block company takeovers by Beijing-based investors, fearing its prized technologies will end up in Chinese hands. Berlin is also pushing for new EU rules to let member states protect companies in strategic sectors from Chinese approaches linked to the Chinese state. While some European experts dont approve of this protectionist backlash by the Germans against a wave of Beijing deal-making, that peaked in 2016 with the 4.5-billion euro acquisition by Chinese appliance maker Midea of robot maker Kuka, one of Germanys most innovative firms, Berlin remains unconvinced. It feels this is a Chinese state-directed bid to gain access to German technology, rather than being about Germany as an investment destination. The red line seems to have been drawn by the West: this far and no further.
This stiff opposition by the West to the Chinese spree for assets has, therefore, compelled Beijing to abort 11 big-ticket acquisitions in the last 16 months, thereby resulting in a foiled deals worth approximately $39 billion. In other words, this is equivalent to 14 per cent of Chinas overall overseas investment in the corresponding period July 2015 to October 2016. A few questions come to mind. Did the Chinese have a premonition of the impending opposition to their bids to take over Western assets and sustained offshore investment enterprises? One cannot of course say it for sure, but the timing of the announcement of the proposed $46-billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor in April 2015 gives rise to such thoughts. Why? One has to understand the fundamentals of economics: idle excess/surplus liquidity of the state is bad economics.
It has to be invested and/or recycled. Money circulation is the need, not stagnation, which in turn leads to prosperity and generates cash. Therefore, if thwarted in the West, why not invest and clinch and try inch forward elsewhere and why not in Asia itself, in the confluence of South Asia, West Asia and Central Asia? Why not explore the hitherto unexplored landscape passing through a perennial landlocked war zone, adjacent to raw material sources of Afghanistan, an enchanting strategic geography of Pakistan and the wealth-generating, consumer goods-purchasing magnetic market of India? Indeed, is not the destructive reality of war and the creation of wealth been traditionally the two sides of the same coin since time immemorial? Thus, if the West stymies a $39-billion bid for a Chinese takeover of its assets, the investment-starved East may welcome a $46 billion capital infusion by Beijing. That is exactly what seems to be emerging.
The proposed $46 billion Chinese investment that will pass through the badlands of Pakistan, and Indian territory that falls within Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, is unlikely to be without its trials, turbulence and tribulations. That may be why the de facto ruler of our neighbouring state on the west, the Pakistan Army, has taken the lead CPEC role, virtually compelling its de jure civilian administration to play second fiddle to the generals. China too, after being thwarted by the West, is not complaining. China has, in fact, no reason not to rejoice. The Pakistan Armys business-minded generals have smelt cash, commerce and profits as a new vista of opportunity opens up for them rather than for the Pakistani state, that falls underneath. The generals have stepped up to guarantee the successful implementation of Beijings $46 billion investment in infrastructure development.
After the rebuffs by the West, is it any surprise that the Pakistani generals rock-solid endorsement of CPEC has made them the absolute linchpin holding the project together. For the generals, the list of Chinese inventory is too good to be missed. This includes $34 billion for power generation and allied ventures; with the other $12 billion for highways, rail tracks, oil and gas pipelines and port development this could be the biggest boost that the Pakistani economy has ever seen. For the Chinese, there is a lurking danger. Its investments in, and takeover bids of, Western assets were aborted on security grounds. Why then is Beijing ignoring Indias security? This all the more so after the recent Sino-Indian (joint) military drills in Ladakh, when Chinese spokesman Col. Wu Qian clarified Kashmir was a disputed territory and Chinas position has not changed. Why is China ready to get into a bilateral disputed territory to invest its money? What if things flare up that would result in Chinese losses in the perennial hot terrain of Indias Northeast?
The images also revealed that the Black and White variants of Nokia D1C will have a metal frame and polycarbonate back cover, while the Gold Nokia D1C will feature all metal-unibody design. (Photo: ithome.com)
Nokia is reportedly working on two new smartphones slated to be launched in 2017. According to the reports, HMD Global who bought the rights to launch Nokia phones has selected Mother as its global agency to carry the big launch campaign next year.
Nokia D1C leaked image (Photo:ithome.com)
A set of leaked images of the alleged Nokia D1C, presumably one of the Nokias upcoming smartphones, have surfaced online. According to the render images leaked online, the smartphone will be available in three colour variants, including Gold, Black and White.
Nokia D1C leaked image (Photo:ithome.com)
However, rumour suggests that Gold coloured variant will be high-end and will come with a fingerprint sensor in the home button, while the restBlack and White models will not sport fingerprint sensor in the home button.
The images also revealed that the Black and White variants of Nokia D1C will have a metal frame and polycarbonate back cover, while the Gold Nokia D1C will feature all metal-unibody design.
However, Nokia has not confirmed any of the rumours mentioned above. More information is expected to be released gradually in the coming days.
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In September the US was drawn into the rivalry when Galmudug authorities accused Puntland of duping US forces into carrying out an air strike on its soldiers, killing 13. (Photo: Representational Image/AP)
Mogadishu: At least 25 soldiers were killed in weekend fighting between rival Puntland and Galmudug regional forces in the Somali town of Galkayo, military officials on both sides said Monday.
"We have lost 12 men and there are more than 10 wounded," said Puntland commander Jumale Jama Takar, while his Galmudug counterpart Abdirahman Qoje said: "We have lost 13 soldiers and nearly 20 others wounded."
The commanders blamed each other for starting the fight.
The divided city of Galkayo, about 700 kilometres (440 miles) northeast of the capital Mogadishu, has seen repeated clashes in recent weeks but Sunday's fighting is the deadliest yet and marked the collapse of a short-lived peace agreement between the two semi-autonomous Somali states.
In September the US was drawn into the rivalry when Galmudug authorities accused Puntland of duping US forces into carrying out an air strike on its soldiers, killing 13.
Residents said the toll may be higher than the rival parties admit and included civilians as well as soldiers.
"We are asking both sides to show restraint and stop the war," said Mohamed Farah, a traditional elder in the city. "Yesterday alone 35 people have been killed and more than 100 others wounded. Most of those killed are the combatants but there also civilian casualties on the both sides of Galkayo."
Another resident, Bile Abdulahi, said there was no fighting on Monday but that the city remained tense. "There are still some dead bodies strewn around the contested area. Fighting can resume anytime," he said.
Somalia is in the process of selecting a new parliament, upper house and president in a limited franchise election that involves 14,000 delegates from all regional states, including Galmudug and Puntland.
Political tensions have been rising and threats from the al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab militants have increased in the run-up to the delayed vote, originally due in August.
As of Friday, some $140 million has been put into play on markets ranging from who will win the popular vote to how many states each party will carry. (Photo: Representational Image/AP)
New York: The raucous, passionate and unpredictable 2016 US presidential election is on track to notch another distinction: the most wagered-upon political event ever.
With many opinion polls showing a tight race just one day before Tuesday's election, record numbers of bettors are pouring millions into online platforms from Ireland to Iowa in the hope of capturing a financial windfall from a victory by Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump.
UK-based internet betting exchange Betfair said on Sunday its "Next President" market was set to become the most traded it had ever seen and expected to surpass even Brexit, the contentious UK referendum to leave the European Union.
By Sunday, roughly $130 million had been traded on who will become the next U.S. president, compared with $159 million on the Brexit referendum, Betfair spokeswoman Naomi Totten said. The amount bet so far on the 2016 contest dwarfs the roughly $50 million laid on the 2012 race.
"We think it is because (of) how raw the Brexit (vote) is in people's minds - they're not convinced yet that it's a done deal," Totten said.
Most polls leading into Britain's June 23 referendum predicted Britons would choose to remain in the EU. Instead, they voted to leave by a 52 percent to 48 percent margin.
Betfair's "Next President" market was by far the largest of more than 70 markets on the site related to the U.S. election. As of Friday, some $140 million has been put into play on markets ranging from who will win the popular vote to how many states each party will carry.
On Ireland's Paddy Power, which merged with Betfair earlier this year, the U.S. presidential election "is definitely on course to be the biggest political event," said spokesman Feilim Mac An Iomaire. The site has had about $4.38 million bet on the race so far.
For Paddy Power, sporting events remain the site's "bread and butter," with politics more of a "niche market," Mac An Iomaire said. Nonetheless, he expects the 2016 race to be among the top 10-most-traded events on the site.
Even people with no knowledge of politics know who Trump is, said Mac An Iomaire said, explaining the runaway popularity of the U.S. election in betting markets. "Trump is such a huge celebrity."
Ladbrokes, a UK-based gambling company, said about 5 million pounds, or a little over $6 million, had been bet on the 2016 presidential election since its markets on the race opened four years ago. A Ladbrokes spokesman said that amount was "at least double" the amount wagered on the 2012 election.
The three sites all reported an 83 percent probability of a Clinton victory on Tuesday. Her probability shot up a few percentage points on Sunday after the FBI stood by its earlier recommendation that no criminal charges were warranted against Clinton in her use of a private email server.
Back in the USA
The vast majority of big-dollar political betting occurs outside America. Wagering on elections in the United States is limited by law to relatively small trading platforms connected to universities, which use data from the markets for academic research.
Still, the sites are abuzz with activity as the election nears, albeit in small amounts.
On PredictIt, launched in 2014 and jointly run by Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, and Washington, D.C.-based political consulting firm Aristotle International Inc, the five most-active markets all related to the presidential election.
PredictIt is not legally permitted to disclose the amount of money traded, but its top three markets have all reached the maximum number of participants.
Trading on the older Iowa Electronic Markets, launched by the University of Iowa in 1988, has also been brisk, although a spokeswoman said she could not say if 2016 was seeing substantially more volume than in 2012, when President Barack Obama won re-election against Republican Mitt Romney.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Clinton with a 5 percentage point lead over Trump in the national survey - 44 percent to 39 percent - while races in the swing states of Florida, North Carolina had shifted from Clinton's control to being too close to call.
The PredictIt market gave Clinton an 81 percent probability of winning the White House. IEM's "Winner Takes All" market showed her with a 71 percent chance.
She will win in a landslide
Betfair said on Friday that Trump was emerging as the clear favorite among one group of players in particular - Brexit backers. Two-thirds of its customers who had supported a Brexit outcome were also backing Trump on Betfair.
Paul Krishnamurty, a professional gambler for 15 years who works as an analyst at Betfair and a columnist at Politico, is not one of them. He told Reuters he stood to lose $28,000 if Trump wins on Tuesday.
Krishnamurty, who said he had earned roughly half a million dollars during his betting career, has laid money on several election-related markets this year. He took a winning position on Trump's selection of Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate and bet against Jeb Bush during the Republican nominating contests.
He said he believed Clinton would likely to win both North Carolina and Florida and that a Trump victory was unlikely.
"I personally believe she will win in a landslide," Krishnamurty said.
Trump, the 70-year-old property tycoon and Republican flag-bearer, seized on the opening, condemning Clinton's "criminal scheme" and arguing that she was unfit to be president. (Photo: PTI)
Washington, United States: The FBI on Sunday lifted the threat that Hillary Clinton might face charges over her private email server -- another campaign bombshell just 36 hours before her White House showdown with Donald Trump.
The Democrat's camp welcomed the news that FBI Director James Comey had decided not to change his July recommendation that she not be prosecuted for putting US secrets at risk while serving as secretary of state.
But, as both candidates criss-crossed swing states in a last desperate scramble for votes, the 11th hour decision by the Federal Bureau of Investigation refocused attention on an issue that has damaged her campaign.
"We're glad that this matter is resolved," Clinton's campaign director Jennifer Palmieri told reporters aboard the 69-year-old's campaign plane.
Late last month, with Clinton seemingly on a glide path to victory, Comey sent shockwaves through both campaigns by announcing a renewed FBI investigation in Clinton's email use.
In July, the Justice Department, acting on the FBI's recommendation, had decided not to prosecute Clinton over her decision to use a private server for official emails while she was Washington's top diplomat.
But, after a previously undiscovered batch of mails was found on a laptop belonging to the husband of one of Clinton's key aides, Comey warned lawmakers he was revisiting the case.
Trump, the 70-year-old property tycoon and Republican flag-bearer, seized on the opening, condemning Clinton's "criminal scheme" and arguing that she was unfit to be president.
Opinion polls tightened as Trump began to recover ground he lost after several women accused him of sexual assault, and the race looked headed for a photo finish.
But on Sunday, Comey wrote another letter to Congress to say that FBI agents had been working around the clock to review the "large volume of emails" found on the laptop.
"During that process, we reviewed all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state," Comey wrote.
"Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Hillary Clinton," he concluded.
'She's protected'
It was not immediately clear how the news would affect what has been one of the most bruising campaigns in modern US history, one that has the world on tenterhooks.
But there was relief among Clinton aides as they planned a huge rally in Philadelphia on Monday, the night before Election Day, starring President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle -- and Bruce Springsteen.
"We are glad to see, as we were confident we would, that (Comey) has confirmed the conclusions that he really reached in July," Palmieri said.
Trump, who has hammered away at the email issue in stump speeches three to four times a day for the last few weeks of the campaign, had no immediate reaction to Comey's decision.
But at a rally in Minnesota, a state won comfortably by Obama in 2012, he returned to his familiar theme of the corruption of the Washington elite.
"Hillary Clinton will be under investigation for a long, long time, for her many crimes against our nation, our people, our democracy," he declared.
It was not clear as he spoke if he was aware of Comey's letter as he predicted that these investigations would likely conclude in a criminal trial.
But he warned voters: "You have to understand, it's a rigged system and she's protected."
Campaign sprint
Last-minute campaign events -- including a midnight rally Monday night by Clinton -- have already been planned in the most contested states that will ultimately determine victory.
If Clinton wins, America's first female president will seek to build on Obama's cautious but progressive legacy, including his controversial health insurance reforms.
Trump, an unapologetic populist, has vowed to tear up the reform along with America's free trade agreements, to "rebuild" what he says is a depleted US military and review its alliances.
On Sunday, Clinton attended services at a majority-black church in Philadelphia, a traditionally liberal city where getting out the vote is crucial for Clinton to win Pennsylvania.
"Every hour and every minute counts," Clinton told congregants at the Mount Airy Church of God in Christ.
"We cannot get this wrong. The stakes are too high," she said, warning that electing Trump could signal "a return of some of our worst moments."
With an army of volunteers knocking on millions of doors and making phone calls in key states, Clinton is banking on star power to lock in her narrow poll lead.
She hosted back-to-back weekend pop concerts, with Beyonce and Jay Z in Cleveland and Katy Perry in Philadelphia.
She has also recruited Springsteen to join her rally with Obama in Philadelphia Monday night, hours after the president campaigns in the small but pivotal state of New Hampshire, where Trump has edged ahead in polling.
Trump has embarked on a cross-country odyssey through key battlegrounds Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
He is also planning stops to poach once-reliably Democratic states as he treads a narrow path toward winning a majority of the 538 votes in the Electoral College.
'Last chance, folks'
Polls give Clinton a narrow national lead.
NBC/Wall Street Journal's final election poll showed Clinton with a four-point lead over Trump, 44 percent to 40 percent.
An ABC/Washington Post tracker Sunday put Clinton five points ahead. Polling averages are closer.
Respected FiveThirtyEight.com election forecaster Nate Silver has Clinton as a two-to-one favorite against Trump, but said her lead appears "less solid" than Obama's did in 2012.
"Rather be in her shoes than Donald Trump, but it's not a terribly safe position," Silver told ABC.
Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook dismissed suggestions that Clinton is trying to shore up her crumbling northern firewall.
"Donald Trump has to win all of these battleground races," he said. "If we win Pennsylvania and Florida, he just has no path."
Mook pointed to signs of strong early voting in Florida, Nevada and North Carolina among Hispanic Americans, who overwhelmingly favor Clinton.
Washington: Around 120 million Americans are expected to go to polls on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 (Wednesday, November 9, 2016 in India) when Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald J Trump will battle it out to become the 45th President of the United States.
Polls will open across 50 states in USA and Washington DC from 6 am GMT (11:30 am IST) to 7 am GMT (12: 30 pm IST) and close by 07:00 pm GMT (12: 30 am IST) to 8 pm GMT (1: 30 am IST). However, in Iowa and North Dakota, the polls are open up to 9 pm GMT (2: 30 am IST).
The winner is expected to be announced by 4 am GMT (9: 30 am IST). The formal announcement of the winner would not be revealed until January 2, 2017 when Vice-president Joe Biden will announce the Electoral College vote.
Those who win a state's popular vote are apportioned the state's electors, the number of which is roughly in line to the size of its population.
Florida is the mother of all swing states, with 29 electoral votes. It can make or break a candidate, as in 2000, when a few hundred votes separated eventual President George W. Bush and Democratic contender Al Gore.
Pennsylvania, with 20 electoral votes, and Ohio, with 18, are also key, along with North Carolina, Colorado and Arizona.
Potentially, candidates could also forge a path to 270 by winning enough small states such as Nevada, Iowa and New Hampshire -- or by winning a state that's historically voted for the opposing camp.
Here's a list of major swing states according to AFP, the number of electoral votes and the averages of recent polls through November 4 in a four-way race -- including the outsiders, Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green candidate Jill Stein, and who won the state in the last two elections:
Florida: 29 electoral votes
Clinton has 47.4 percent support, Trump 46.2 percent
2008 and 2012: Barack Obama (D)
Pennsylvania: 20 electoral votes
Clinton at 46.8 percent, Trump at 43.8 percent
2008 and 2012: Obama (D)
Ohio: 18 electoral votes
Trump at 46.3 percent, Clinton at 43 percent
2008 and 2012: Obama (D)
Georgia: 16 electoral votes
Trump at 48.3 percent, Clinton at 42.7 percent
2008: John McCain (R)
2012: Mitt Romney (R)
Michigan: 16 electoral votes
Clinton at 46 percent, Trump at 40.3 percent
2008 and 2012: Obama (D)
North Carolina: 15 electoral votes
Trump at 46.8 percent, Clinton at 46 percent
2008: Obama (D)
2012: Romney (R)
Virginia: 13 electoral votes
Clinton at 46.6 percent, Trump at 41.4 percent
2008 and 2012: Obama (D)
Arizona: 11 electoral votes
Trump at 46.3 percent, Clinton at 42.3 percent
2008: McCain (R)
2012: Romney (R)
Colorado: Nine electoral votes
Clinton at 42.8 percent, Trump at 40.2 percent
2008 and 2012: Obama (D)
Iowa: Six electoral votes
Trump at 41.7 percent, Clinton at 40.3 percent
2008 and 2012: Obama (D)
Nevada: Six electoral votes
Trump at 46 percent, Clinton at 44 percent
2008 and 2012: Obama (D)
New Hampshire: Four electoral votes
Trump at 43.5 percent, Clinton at 42 percent
2008 and 2012: Obama (D)
To become the next US President, the candidate must get 270 Electoral College votes. Following the counting of votes and the declaration of results, the new President will assume office on January 20, 2017 and ill take Oath of Office at around noon on the inauguration day.
A total of 538 electoral votes are in play, corresponding to the total number of elected representatives in Congress (435 members of the House and 100 senators) plus three for the US capital Washington, DC.
Washington: Observing that the electoral college map is less solid for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton than it was four years ago for outgoing president Barack Obama, a top American pollster on Monday said the former Secretary of State is one state away from potentially losing the electoral college.
"The electoral college map is actually less solid for Clinton than it was for Obama four years ago where four years ago we had Obama ahead in states totalling 320 some electoral votes," forecasting guru Nate Silver told ABC New Sunday.
"Clinton has about 270, so she's one state away from potentially losing the electoral college. You'd rather be in her shoes than Donald Trump's but it's not a terribly safe position," he said.
Silver is considered the foremost pollster in the US having correctly predicted the 2008 and 2012 elections. The former Secretary of State and First Lady, Silver argued, is a lot weaker in the Midwest where four years ago Obama was leading in Ohio by four points.
"Clinton's probably a couple of points behind there. Iowa, maybe the best poll in the country, the Des Moines Register Poll showed her down seven points in Iowa, a state she'll probably lose," he said.
"So the demographics for Clinton don't actually work as well when you underperform among white non college voters; but it's contesting the electoral college. Her electoral college polling in the swing states is a little bit weaker than Obama's. So in some sense, it's a deceptively large or small lead for Clinton in some ways whereas Obama had a bigger lead electorally than you'd thing," Silver said.
"The other thing is that we see lots of polls that show numbers like Clinton 44 per cent, Trump 40 per cent. If you only have 44 per cent of the vote that means you're vulnerable if most of the undecideds break in certain way whereas four years ago it was like Obama 49, Romney 46. So, in that sense both candidates still need a good turnout on election day and still have their work cut out for them," he argued.
If Clinton were to beat her polls by three points and you see something we call a borderline landslide, but if it goes the other way, and all of a sudden Trump could very easily win the electoral college, he stressed.
Turnout of voters, in particular that of the African American community matters a lot to in the final results.
"It is true that Democrats have a larger base, and so if Clinton gets her voters to turn out and the weakest part of that might be African-Americans who turned out in very big numbers for President Obama four ago and eight years ago, maybe millennial voters. If they turn out in big numbers, and there are better signs for Democrats in states like Florida and North Carolina recently, then she's in a pretty safe position," he said.
"If they don't, though, and if there is a big white working class vote for Trump, if you see some suburban Republicans convert back to Trump at the last minute because he's been relatively quiet on the campaign trail, that's a case in which she could lose potentially", he added.
Clinton's maid Marina Santos, lacked the security clearance to handle such material, was called on so frequently to receive e-mails that she may hold the secrets to E-mailgate. (Photo: AP)
New York: Hillary Clinton routinely asked her Filipino maid to print out sensitive government e-mails and classified documents when she was the secretary of state, according to a media report.
Clinton's maid Marina Santos, lacked the security clearance to handle such material, was called on so frequently to receive e-mails that she may hold the secrets to E-mailgate, the New York Post reported.
Clinton entrusted far more than the care of her Washington DC residence, known as Whitehaven, to Santos.
She expected the Filipino immigrant to handle state secrets, further opening the 69-year-old former Democratic presidential nominee to criticism that she played fast and loose with national security, the report said.
The report came just before the FBI gave a clean chit to Clinton, saying she should not face criminal charges after a review of new emails, an 11th-hour respite for her.
Trump lashed out at the FBI for the clean chit, saying, "Right now, she is being protected by a rigged system." According to the report, Clinton would first receive highly sensitive e-mails from top aides at the State Department and then request that they, in turn, forward the messages and any attached documents to Santos to print out for her at the home.
Among other things, Clinton requested Santos print out drafts of her speeches, confidential memos and 'call sheets' background information and talking points prepared for the secretary of state in advance of a phone call with a foreign head of state.
"Pls ask Marina to print for me," Clinton e-mailed top aide Huma Abedin regarding a redacted 2011 message marked sensitive but unclassified.
In a classified 2012 e-mail dealing with the new president of Malawi, another Clinton aide, Monica Hanley, advised Clinton, "We can ask Marina to print this".
"Revisions to the Iran points" was the subject line of a classified April 2012 e-mail to Clinton from Hanley. In it, the text reads, "Marina is trying to print for you".
Both classified e-mails were marked 'confidential' the tier below 'secret' or 'top secret'.
Santos also had access to a highly secure room called an SCIF (sensitive compartmented information facility) that diplomatic security agents set up at Whitehaven, according to FBI notes from an interview with Abedin.
From within the SCIF, Santos who had no clearance "collected documents from the secure facsimile machine for Clinton," the FBI notes revealed.
A 2012 'sensitive' but unclassified e-mail from Hanley to Clinton refers to a fax the staff wanted Clinton "to see before your Netanyahu mtg. Marina will grab for you".
Last year, around 250 Indian-Americans took part in this festival of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. (Photo: Representational Image/PTI)
Washington: Over 600 Indian-Americans gathered on the banks of the historic Potomac River in the suburbs in Washington to celebrate the festival of Chhath, making it the largest gathering in the last nine years.
Indian-Americans from the area attended the three-daylong annual festival organised in Washington on Sunday.
"This was the largest gathering for Chhath Puja," said Kripa Singh, an eminent Indian American community leader in Virginia, who has been solely organising the event for the past nine years now.
This year, people came from as far as Chicago, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey in addition to those from Maryland and Virginia.
Last year, around 250 Indian-Americans took part in this festival of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Recounting how it all began, Singh - who hails from Bihar's capital Patna - said, in 2007 his mother asked his wife Anita to take care of Chhath Puja to keep alive the family tradition of generations.
When he inquired among his friends and other Indian-American community leaders if anyone here performed the Chhath Puja, he found that people did it inside their homes or at the most in a makeshift plastic tub full of water following which the idea of organising the ceremony on the banks of Potomac River in Loudon County struck his mind when he saw concrete boat ramp on a picnic trip with his friends there.
He found the place good for performing the rare Puja in the real way with all the traditional and religious rituals.
He, then, approached the Loudon County Parks and Recreation Department with the details and sought permission to do the ceremony which was granted.
He said that the Loudon county is enthusiastic about supporting the Indian-Americans in organising this rare festival outside India.
Chhath Puja entails worship of Sun God, embodied in cosmic energy, and is observed mainly by people from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Khizr Khan, whose son Army Captain Humayun Khan was killed in Iraq saving his fellow soldiers, speaks during a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. (Photo: AP)
New York: The father of a fallen Pakistani-American Muslim soldier, whose public spat with Donald Trump won him a lot of support, has attacked the Republican presidential nominee for his divisive rhetoric but expressed satisfaction that "thankfully, this isn't your America".
Khizr Khan, 66, father of Army Capt. Humayun Khan, hit the campaign trail for the first time along with Hillary Clinton to make an emotional endorsement of the Democratic nominee.
"Donald Trump, would my son, Capt. Humayun Khan, have a place in your America? Would Muslims have a place in your America? Would Latinos have a place in your America? Would African Americans have a place in your America? Would anyone who isn't like you have a place in your America?" he asked.
"Thankfully, Donald Trump, this isn't your America," he added as the crowd in Manchester, New Hampshire roared and applauded in response.
"And on Tuesday we are going to prove America belongs toall of us," said Khan, who has emerged as a national hero particularly among Muslim Americans after his July speech in the Democratic National Convention.
While posthumously receiving a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his son after he was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004, Khan had stunned a national audience when he directly confronted the controversial real estate tycoon, saying Trump "has sacrificed nothing and no one".
He had also campaigned for Clinton in his home state in Virginia and made a passionate plea in a one-minute campaign ad for Clinton, fighting back tears and asking in a heavy voice if his deceased son have a place in Trump's America.
In Manchester, he introduced Clinton - who has lashed out on several occasions against Trump for insulting Khan and his family as someone who would?"preserve fundamental American values".
He said that in Clinton, people see a leader who is fighting for the true values of this country, which are "under attack" by Trump in this election.
Khan added that the general election tomorrow will "decide the future of America and the world".
When Clinton took the podium, she thanked Khan for his support and made a nod toward the difficult task of mending fences after a divisive presidential campaign.
"We will have some work to do to bring about healing and reconciliation after this election," she said.
Vowing to be a president for all Americans, Clinton said the idea that the US is "hopeful, inclusive, big-hearted, united" is one of the most fundamental values.
"We must make sure it remains a place, where everyone is included, where people who are willing to work hard can get ahead and stay ahead, where we recognize the importance of the
American dream and we believe and we will ensure it is big enough for everyone, not just a few," she said and thanked Khan and his family for their sacrifice, their strength and commitment to the nation's ideals.
Khan said: "On one hand, we have Donald Trump and his policies of hate, exclusion, intimidation and division. He challenges the impartiality of our justice system. His shameful disrespect of women has been embarrassing for America to watch.
"His angry, unstable temperament proves him unsuitable for the office of commander-in-chief of our armed forces unsuitable unsuitable for the office of commander-in-chief of our armed forces and consumption of the nuclear arsenal/ nuclear asset of this country.
"On the other hand, we have Hillary Rodham Clinton, with her lifelong public service to this country. She is the strongest, most qualified representative of the fundamental values which have made this country a symbol of hope and dignity for all throughout the world."
Clinton also reiterated her commitment to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, to help all kids get the chance to thrive with good schools and good teachers.
"Our country needs to serve as a Commander-in-Chief that understands the sacred responsibility of sending our troops into battle," she said.
Identified as Aliayah Lunsford, the three-year-old went missing from her bed at her home in in Weston, West Virginia, in 2011. (Photo: YouTube Screengrab)
Weston, West Virginia: Police authorities say a West Virginia girl missing since 2011, had died after her mother hit her in the head with a blunt object five years ago.
Identified as Aliayah Lunsford, the three-year-old went missing from her bed at her home in in Weston, West Virginia, in 2011.
Her mother Lena Lunsford, who had filed a missing complaint, told police officials that her daughter had been vomiting the night before.
However, investigators said in a criminal complaint that Lena herself killed her daughter and refused to let anyone help the 3-year-old. They also alleged that the mother of six refused to call in paramedics after hitting the child and even watched her die. She later hid the dead body and reported that her child was missing.
Lena, 34, was charged with death of a child by abuse. She did not enter a plea when she was arraigned Friday following her extradition from St Petersburg, Florida.
The accused's parental rights have been terminated by the West Virginia court and her six other children have been taken into custody.
Sheriff Adam Gissy says investigators believe the only one who knows the location of Aliayah Lunsford's body - the mother - is now in custody. He declined to answer further questions.
Court officials said a defence lawyer has not yet been assigned to the case.
The accused identified as Vladimir Sidorov, pulled out a knife and stabbed his wife multiple times, leaving her dead. (Representational Image)
Moscow: A Russian man has been accused of murdering his wife for having sex with his best friend and later castrating the other with a knife. The incident took place in Shama village in the Republic of Tatarstan, where the accused worked as a vet.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, the accused identified as Vladimir Sidorov, pulled out a knife and stabbed his wife multiple times, leaving her dead. He then turned towards her lover and castrated him, inflicting serious injuries upon him, leading to his death.
Sidorov then called up the police to confess his crime and was detained shortly after.
He told police that he had been home all day looking after his children when his wife left the house to meet a female friend. He also told the officials that his best friend was supposed to drive his wife to her friend's house. However, his wife did not reach her friend's house.
Instead she accompanied her lover to his house where the two engaged in sex.
"Sidorov walked to the house of his friend who was supposed to have driven his wife - and there he found both of them in an intimate situation," said police.
On seeing his wife and her lover in a compromising position, the accused, in a fit of rage, took a knife and attacked the victims, said police. He then cut off his friend's genitals.
Both the victims died on the spot.
Dubai police have registered a case of negligence against a woman for forgetting her 18-month-old baby inside her car, locking it and walking away. (Representational image)
Dubai: Dubai police have registered a case of negligence against a woman for forgetting her 18-month-old baby inside her car, locking the car and walking away. They said that the woman was talking to a friend over the phone when the incident took place.
According to a report in the Khaleej Times, the police said that the woman walked into a building after parking her car.
They said that they were informed about the incident by a bystander who spotted the wailing baby inside the locked car. Police officials immediately rushed to the spot and forcefully opened the door within five minutes.
After searching for a while, the managed to contact the child's mother and hand over the baby to her.
Major Ahmed bu Roqaiba, the deputy director of General Department of Transport and Rescue of the Dubai Police said that the department often receives such complaints of children locked in cars. "In some cases, parents call the police and some times the public report it when they see children locked inside cars."
Further, he also warned that parents will bear the responsibility if such incidents lead to any accidents.
Washington: US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter warned on Sunday that the fight to wrest control of Raqa, the ISIS group stronghold in Syria, "will not be easy."
"The effort to isolate, and ultimately liberate, Raqa marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan," Carter said in a statement.
"As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction of ISIL's caliphate and disrupt the group's ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners," he said, using an alternative name for the jihadist group.
"The international coalition will continue to do what we can to enable local forces in both Iraq and Syria to deliver ISIL the lasting defeat it deserves," the US defence chief added.
Carter issued his remarks as US-backed Kurdish-Arab forces launched an offensive on the ISIS group's de facto Syrian capital Raqa, increasing pressure on the jihadists who are already battling Iraqi troops in Mosul.
The offensive's "first phase will be to isolate Raqa," the US Central Command told AFP, adding that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were vital to the mission.
"We believe the inclusion of fighters from the local population is an important advantage to the SDF."
A US official source told AFP that recruitment of local forces is ongoing, adding that "it will likely be Arab forces forces that largely mirror the population of the city that will have to go into the city."
The start of the assault by the SDF came as Iraqi forces fought inside Mosul for the third day running, with the jihadists putting up fierce resistance.
The two cities are the last major urban centers under ISIS control after the jihadists suffered a string of territorial losses in Iraq and Syria over the past year.
The US-led coalition battling ISIS is backing both assaults, hoping to deal a knockout blow to the self-styled "caliphate" the group declared in mid-2014.
The operation, dubbed "Wrath of the Euphrates", involves some 30,000 fighters and began late Saturday.
Jerusalem: Israel on Monday formally rejected France's invitation to take part in a Middle East peace conference in Paris later this year, saying it was a distraction from the goal of direct negotiations with the Palestinians.
At a meeting in Jerusalem with Israel's acting national security adviser and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's diplomatic adviser, French envoy Pierre Vimont was informed that Israel wanted nothing to do with the effort to revive talks that last broke down in 2014.
"(They) told the French envoy in a clear and unequivocal manner that Israel's position to promote the peace process and reach an agreement will only come through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
There was no immediate comment from Vimont but the French foreign ministry said it still planned to hold the conference before the end of the year.
France has repeatedly tried to breathe new life into the peace process this year, holding a preliminary conference in June where the United Nations, European Union, United States and major Arab countries gathered to discuss proposals without the Israelis or Palestinians present.
The plan was to hold a follow-up conference before year-end with the Israelis and Palestinians involved and see whether the two sides could be brought back to negotiations. The last, US-backed talks ended in failure in April 2014.
The Palestinians have said they will attend the Paris conference if it goes ahead.
Israel, which regards the United States as the chief broker in the Middle East, has long maintained that only direct negotiations with the Palestinians can lead to peace and sees France's efforts as a diversion.
"Any other initiative, including this one, will only distance peace from the region," Netanyahu's office said, adding that it expected France "not to promote a conference or a process that is contrary to (our) official position."
Israel says an international conference will also give Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a platform on which to grandstand, rather than engaging directly with the Israelis.
The Palestinians say they cannot resume talks with Israel until it suspends the building of settlements on occupied land the Palestinians seek for an independent state and meets previous commitments, including the release of prisoners.
Despite two US attempts to resolve the conflict during Barack Obama's presidency, talks have stalled over issues including settlements and Palestinian political divisions.
While most of the so-called "final status" issues are clear to both sides, critics say there will be little chance of a breakthrough without genuine US pressure on Israel to halt settlement building and without the Palestinians overcoming the internal splits between Hamas and the Fatah party.
Many analysts believe the prospect of a two-state solution to the conflict is now beyond reach, with no signs of Israel ending its nearly 50-year occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want for their own capital.
Assad said that the death of hundreds of civilians is "the fault of terrorists", adding that "we are talking about war, not charity". (Photo: AP/ Facebook)
Damascus: Even as Syrians struggle with the war situation in the country, President Bashar al-Assad was questioned during an interview about innocent children being killed everyday, to which he laughed off and said that he sleeps fine.
The incident comes at a time when Syrians are dealing with Russia-backed cluster bombs and US-led coalition air strikes that are claiming several lives, including children.
According to a report in the Independent, Assad said that the death of hundreds of civilians is "the fault of terrorists", adding that "we are talking about war, not charity".
While being interviewed, he was asked if he slept well at night when dozens of children were being killed everyday, to which he reportedly laughed and said, "I know the meaning of that question. I sleep regular, I sleep and work and eat normal and do sports.
One man carried out the lifeless body of a baby no bigger than his forearm. (Photo: AMC/Facebook)
When asked about the how he felt when air strikes hit civilians, he said, "Its the fault of terrorists and we are talking about war, not charity."
"In war you always have innocents hurt or killed. What do you do? You do your best. Terrorists are still in Aleppo and use civilians as human shields," he explained further.
"We cant just stand still and say, dont destroy the city. More important than the city are the people, so we have to do the best for them," he added.
A rescue worker tries to pull out the dead body of a child buried by air strikes. (Photo: AMC/ Facebook)
Two months ago, opposition parties in Syria claimed that civilians were targeted with deadly 'napalm bombing' ordered by President Assad that killed 25 people including six children.
Government warplanes had hit the Syrian province of Hama killing several people and leaving many others with severe burns and injuries. Shocking photos of the victims of 'napalm bombing' in Syria showed children with severe burns being carried to hospital. One of the images showed a boy sitting on the hospital bed in shock with horrifying burns.
Although Syrian government did not verify the claims of 'napalm bombs' being used in the air strikes, it has been proven that the government forces do use some kind of chemical weapons.
Supporters of the victims have until now bitterly criticised the slowness of the investigation into the attack, which further raised tensions between the authorities and the Kurdish minority. (Photo: AP)
Ankara: Turkey on Monday put 36 suspects on trial over a double suicide bombing last year blamed on Islamic State jihadists that killed over 100 people in the country's deadliest attack.
The bombing on October 10, 2015 outside Ankara's main train station targeted mainly young people attending a peace rally of pro-Kurdish activists that was to start later that day.
Supporters of the victims have until now bitterly criticised the slowness of the investigation into the attack, which further raised tensions between the authorities and the Kurdish minority.
The trial got underway at the Ankara criminal court in the presence of opposition MPs and families of the victims, several of whom shouted "murderers" at the suspects, reports said.
Thirty-five of the suspects are Turkish while one named as Valentina Slobodjanjuk is a Kazakh citizen, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.
Several of the suspects face multiple sentences of up to 11,750 years in prison each on charges of murder and seeking to change the constitutional order. Others have lesser charges of being a member of IS and face up to 22.5 years in prison, Anadolu said.
The hearing was taking place under the highest security, with security forces in body armour and helmets standing guard inside the courtroom, images showed.
The authorities have identified one of the suicide bombers as Turkish citizen Yunus Emre Alagoz. The other was a Syrian citizen who has yet to be identified, Anadolu said.
Turkey has in the last year been hit by a string of major suicide bombings blamed on IS including a triple attack at Istanbul's main airport in June that left 47 dead and an August blast at a Kurdish wedding in the southeastern city of Gaziantep that killed 57 people, 34 of them children.
IS, which is believed to operate sleeper cells in major Turkish cities, never claimed these attacks.
A news agency affiliated to IS jihadists said they staged a bombing on the southeastern city of Diyarbakir last week that killed 11. If confirmed, it would be the first claim by IS for an attack in Turkey.
But on Sunday, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), seen as an splinter group of the better-known Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), said it had carried out the attack.
Jiddah, Saudi Arabia: When Souad al-Shammary posted a series of tweets about the thick beards worn by Saudi clerics, she never imagined she would land in jail.
She put up images of several men with beards: An Orthodox Jew, a hipster, a communist, an Ottoman Caliph, a Sikh, and a Muslim. She wrote that having a beard was not what made a man holy or a Muslim. And she pointed out that one of Islam's staunchest critics during the time of Prophet Muhammad had an even longer beard than him.
The frank comments are typical of this twice-divorced mother of six and graduate of Islamic law. Raised a devout girl in a large tribe where she tended sheep, al-Shammary is now a 42-year-old liberal feminist who roots her arguments in Islam, taking on Saudi Arabia's powerful religious establishment.
She has paid a price for her opinions. She spent three months in prison without charge for "agitating public opinion." She has been barred by the government from traveling abroad. Her co-founder of the online forum Free Saudi Liberals Network, blogger Raif Badawi, is serving a 10-year prison sentence and was publicly lashed 50 times. Her father disowned her in public.
None of it was enough to keep her quiet.
"I have rights that I don't view as against my religion," says al-Shammary. "I want to ask for these rights, and I want those who make decisions to hear me and act."
Across the Arab world, female Islamic scholars and activists have long been pushing for interpretations of Shariah law that consider men and women as equals before God. Al-Shammary is one of the most vocal and high-profile religious and women's rights activists within Saudi Arabia.
"She's very sure of what she's saying - she doesn't hesitate," says Sahar Nassief, a friend and fellow Saudi activist. "She literally comes from a Bedouin environment, a desert environment. She's very proud of her background, but this makes her a bit blunt with everyone and very blunt in what she says."
Al-Shammary grew up the daughter of a peasant farmer in Ha'il, a landlocked province. As the eldest of 12 children, she was in charge of the sheep. She was not just religious but a practicing Salafi, a Muslim who adheres to a literalist interpretation of Islamic law.
She graduated from the University of Ha'il with a degree in Islamic studies and became a public school teacher. At 17, she married a man twice her age from the same tribe. She had a girl, Yara, was divorced at 20 and then re-married, this time to the chief judge in Ha'il who'd overseen her divorce proceedings.
Al-Shammary's journey to activism began on the day her daughter was taken from her.
Almost as soon as Yara turned seven, her ex-husband gained custody. Since al-Shammary had remarried, the court ruled that the girl should live with her father rather than in a house with another man.
"When they took her and said, 'this is Allah's will' and 'this is Islam', this is when my internal rebellion was sparked," says al-Shammary. "There is no way that there is a God in this universe that would accept this injustice and this pain on the basis that I am a woman."
For eight years, she fought her parents, her community and anyone who stood between her and Yara, whom she wasn't able to see.
"I became crazy, but in front of my parents and my husband the judge, and the tribal community around him, and because of my position in the community and my name, I was expected to just sit like this and be a hero," she says, making an expressionless face and clasping her hands.
She had five children from her second marriage, but it wasn't long before she was divorced again.
When Yara's father fell ill and the grandmother passed away, he finally allowed her, then 16, to live with her mother again. Al-Shammary relocated to the more liberal city of Jiddah with all her children finally under one roof.
She used her knowledge of Shariah as a legal adviser for women in need. Sometimes her advice was more Machiavellian than pious. Once she told a friend to wear some make-up, find out which judge was slated to oversee her case, and then cry in front of him and plead for her court date to be moved up. It worked.
She shared her thoughts online on how Islam sees people, including women, as born free and equal, ideas she found in line with liberalism. So began a war of words - and of images.
After she posted the pictures of men with beards, top clerics and other conservatives in the kingdom called her a hypocrite, a disbeliever, wicked and evil. Her outspokenness and her appearances on television talk shows without a face veil were not easy on her family in Ha'il. Her younger brother, Fayez, recalls being told by a community elder: "You aren't a man. How can you allow your sister to behave like this?"
Fayez says he left Ha'il for about seven years because the comments became unbearable. His marriage proposal to a girl from another tribe was rejected because of his sister's reputation. He also came to blows with one of his younger brothers who cursed her flagrant disregard for social norms, with the two ending up in the hospital.
Even Yara opposed her at first. And kids at school would taunt her sons. In turn, they sometimes lashed out against their mother, Fayez says.
Al-Shammary was detained at the women's section of Jiddah's Briman prison on October 28, 2014. She was accused of agitating public opinion. She was never tried or convicted.
In prison, al-Shammary continued her advocacy behind bars, telling women that music is permissible and explaining their legal rights. She says female Muslim missionaries began appearing in prison more often, telling women their time there was the will of God. The television was always turned onto the religious Majd channel.
She was released from detention on January 29, 2015. She had to sign a pledge to reduce her activism. And a male relative, Fayez, had to sign for her release. She continues to tweet to her more than 207,000 followers, though she says she weighs her words more carefully than before.
Yara supports her mother's activism, although she still wishes al-Shammary would not argue against the hijab or with influential religious figures.
"She is so encouraging to me," Yara says. "She survived stuff that you can't survive."
Beijing: Ahead of this week's NSG meet in Vienna, China on Monday stuck to its guns saying there was "no change" in its stand on India's membership bid which it has indicated would be considered only after rules for entry of non-NPT countries are finalised by the elite group.
"This Friday in Vienna a plenary session of the NSG will be held. Our position is subject to no change as of date," Lu Kang, Spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a media briefing in Beijing.
Referring to the November 4 meeting of the National Security Advisors (NSAs) of India and China in Hyderabad, Lu said China is in close contact with relevant parties including India and have been having constructive dialogue and coordination on this issue.
NSA Ajit Doval had held talks with Chinese counterpart and State Councillor Yang Jiechi in Hyderabad during which the issue had reportedly figured.
The talks were held ahead of the meeting of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in Vienna on November 11-12, where according to media reports the group could discuss the two-stage process to admit new members who have not signed nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).
India and Pakistan which have applied for NSG membership have not signed the NPT.
Last week, China, after the second round talks with India on its entry into the NSG, had said that it will first seek a solution to admit all countries who have not signed NPT and then discuss India's specific application.
"On India's accession to the NSG, I can tell you that China's position is very clear and consistent" Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying had said.
"We will seek a solution that applies to all Non-NPT countries and then we will discuss the specific application of relevant non-NPT country," she had said.
The issue had also been discussed in the talks here between? Joint Secretary (Disarmament and International Security) Amandeep Singh Gill and his Chinese counterpart Wang Qun on October 31. That meeting was held ahead of Doval and Yang meeting in Hyderabad.
China has also been holding simultaneous talks with Pakistan on its admission into the NSG.
Officials say that the focus now shifts on the kind of modalities being worked out by NSG which can accommodate India, whose non-proliferation record is regarded positive by a majority of the group's members contrary to Pakistan's record in nuclear proliferation.
About the outcome of Doval and Yang meeting at Hyderabad, Kang said the two officials exchanged views on bilateral as well as regional and international issues of common interest.
Asked whether India's concerns over China blocking UN ban on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar, Lu said they discussed issues that have "cropped up" in bilateral relations.
They agreed to maintain contact, and control and manage relevant issues to ensure steady development of bilateral relations, he said.
Dhaka: Bangladesh on Monday freed a top aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim on the expiry of his jail term for cross-border intrusion, sparking speculations about his extradition to India where he was convicted for killing Bollywood music baron Gulshan Kumar in 1997.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said Daud Merchant was released as his jail term expired but did not clarify whether he was handed over to India, where he is to stand trial.
"He (Merchant) has been released. His prison term for illegal trespass into Bangladesh ended some time ago," he said.
Merchant walked out of the Dhaka Central Jail in the afternoon.
Known to be close to Mumbai mafia don Dawood Ibrahim, Merchant was jailed by a Bangladeshi court for five years which expired in December 2014. He was briefly released, but was immediately rearrested and prison official said he was detained under a law meant for people accused of "suspicious movement" for the past three years.
Allegedly a contract killer, he was sentenced to life term in India in 2002 for killing Kumar who headed the music company T-Series in 1997.
Kumar was shot while he was coming out of a temple on August 12, 1997. Merchant, however, filed an appeal against his conviction. He absconded after being released on parole in April, 2009 to visit his family in Mumbai.
The same year, detectives arrested him from Brahmanbarhias Mourail, with two associates, while he was hiding in the residence of one Kamal Mian. He was then sentenced to five years in prison for intruding and illegally staying in Bangladesh.
Merchant's release came 11 months after Bangladesh authorities said that they decided to extradite Merchant. In January, the home minister had said that Dhaka was working to extradite him.
Lahore: Jammat-ud-Dawah chief and Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed has threatened India with a "surgical strike" by Kashmiri militants in Jammu and Kashmir that will long be remembered.
"(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi had done what he had to. Now it is the turn of Mujahideen to carry out a surgical strike in Kashmir," Saeed threatened while addressing a rally yesterday in Mirpur, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
"The surgical strike Mujahideen are going to carry out will long be remembered. Such a strike will not be like that of India's one which is not even acknowledged by the world," Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, said in an aggressive tone amid chants of 'jihad...jihad' by his supporters.
Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba who carries a USD 10-million bounty on his head, last week criticised the Nawaz Sharif government for giving a "cool" response to India over alleged atrocities in Kashmir, saying people in the Valley need Pakistan's "full practical support".
Soon after India's surgical strikes Saeed had warned the Modi government to get ready to face a surgical strike from the Pakistan army. He was criticised here for issuing the statement on behalf of the army.
Islamabad: Pakistan's powerful army chief General Raheel Sharif on Monday confirmed the death sentence of nine more "hardcore terrorists" convicted by the military courts for involvement in various crimes including firing on a plane and cutting off hands of four police officials.
The death sentences were handed down by the speedy trial courts set up in the aftermath of Peshawar school terror attack of December 16, 2014, which killed over 150 people, mostly school children, to expedite punishments against people convicted under terror charges.
The army said in a statement said that "nine hardcore terrorists" whose death sentence was confirmed were involved in several acts of violence.
"They were involved in heinous offences related to terrorism including, killing of innocent civilians, slaughtering of levies officials and attacking armed forces personnel," it said.
"These terrorist also include those who fired at a PIA plane landing at Peshawar Airport which resulted in death of a lady and injuries to two other passengers.
"They were also involved in cutting off hands of four police officials," the statement added.
Fire-arms and explosives were also recovered from their possession.
Army said that these convicts were tried by military courts but the date of conviction or venue of trial was not revealed due to security reasons.
In September, Sharif has approved death sentences for seven terrorists. Earlier in August, the army chief approved the death sentences of 11 "hardcore" Taliban terrorists.
Two Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) militants have been arrested for killing Pakistan's Qawwali star Amjad Sabri. (Photo: PTI/File)
Karachi: Two Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) militants have been arrested for killing Amjad Sabri, one of Pakistan's finest Sufi Qawwals, in a sectarian attack, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Monday.
Sabri, 45, and an associate were travelling in a car in Karachi's congested Liquatabad 10 area in June when two motorcycle-borne gunmen fired at their vehicle, killing them.
The victims were apparently heading for the studio of a private TV channel when they were attacked.
"The Counter-Terrorism Department headed by Raja Umar Khattab made a major breakthrough and arrested two people from Liaquatabad called Ishaq alias Bobby and Asim alias Capri. Their weapons were also recovered," he said.
The men are affiliated with the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Naeem Bukhari group, the chief minister said.
"Asim alias Capri was Sabri's neighbour. We have not found any motive (behind the murder) as yet, but it seems sectarian to us because Sabri used to frequent majalis (religious congregation of minority Shia community)," the Dawn quoted him as saying.
Shah said there was 'conclusive proof' that the two were part of a gang involved in nine 'major incidents'.
"After a probe and forensic investigation, we found proof of (their) involvement in 28 cases," he said.
"We will try to follow the lead through the arrested ones and apprehend rest of the gang," he added.
The weapons were matched using empty bullet casings collected from crime scenes and bullets retrieved during post mortems, he added.
Amjad Sabri was the son of renowned Qawwal Ghulam Farid Sabri whose family is famous in the subcontinent for their contribution to this sufi art and mystic poetry.
Sabri was one of Pakistan's finest qawwals, known for his soul-stirring renditions of mystic poetry.
Some of the most memorable and famous qawwalis of the Sabris were 'Bhar Do Jholi Meri', 'Tajdar-i-Haram' and 'Mera Koi Nahin Hai Teray Siwa'.
Sabri, who travelled widely to Europe and the US for his concerts, was known as the "rockstar" of Qawali due to his modern style of rendition.
The two LeJ men were also involved in various instances of target killing of 12 police personnel and seven Shias, Shah said, adding that a large quantity of weapons were recovered from the suspects, including three SMGs, two MP5 rifles stolen from police, 27 pistols, and lots of hand grenades and IEDs.
The LeJ has roots in Punjab province and has a history of carrying out sectarian attacks in Balochistan, particularly against the minority Shias.
The group recently claimed that it killed 61 people, mostly young cadets, during an attack on a police training centre in Quetta, the capital of the restive Balochistan province, in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Pakistan.
Muzaffarabad: Pakistani officials say Indian troops have opened fire across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), killing three civilians and wounding six others as Indian and Pakistani troops continue to trade heavy fire.
Adnan Khurshid, a local administrator, said Monday that Indian troops targeted civilian population in three villages in Pakistani Kashmir. He said three civilians were wounded.
Waheed Khan, administrator of Neelum district, said an Indian shell exploded near a house in the Hatmuqam area, wounding three.
An Indian army spokesman, Col. Nitin Joshi, blamed Pakistani troops for "unprovoked" firing into the Indian side but said there were no casualties. Joshi said Indian soldiers retaliated with "massive fire assaults."
Islamabad: Dissatisfied with the replies submitted by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's three children in the Panama Papers scandal, the Supreme Court on Monday gave them a week's time to furnish relevant documents aboutthe money invested by the family in foreign businesses.
The court last week had ordered Maryam, Hassan and Hussain to respond the charges by opposition that they bought assets abroad with illegal money.
The five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali took up five identical petition by Imran Khan and other on November 1, demanding probe into the assets of those mentioned in the Panama Leaks.
Sharif had submitted his response last week through his counsel, Salman Aslam Butt, in which he denied any financial wrongdoing.
On Monday, his counsel representing Sharif's children, told the court that Hassan Nawaz has been doing a lawful business for the last 22 years and Hussain for 16 years.
Butt said that Maryam Nawaz is not dependent on the prime minister and lives an independent life as a married person. All three children denied allegations levelled against them.
The court asked about the money trail which was invested in the foreign businesses of Sharifs family and gave seven days period to furnish relevant documents.
The court adjourned till November 15.
It also directed all parties to submit documentary evidence about their claims and charges or denials.
The case is being billed as make or break for the Prime Minister as Imran Khan and others have alleged that foreign assets of three children managed by offshore companies were purchased through corruption and money laundering.
The court initially refused to hear the case but took up the proceeding after Imran Khan announced to lockdown capital Islamabad on November 2.
The court has indicated that it would set up one-man probe commission to thoroughly probe the charges. But it needed detailed Terms of Reference (ToR).
In the past no headway was made in the probe as both government and opposition have different ToRs.
Now the court has asked the parties to submit their ToRs and announced to go ahead with its own ToRs for the probe if difference continue. It is believed that a negative judgment in the case would seal Sharif's fate.
Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs children Maryam, Hassan and Hussain Nawaz submitted their written replies in the apex court on Monday in connection with the Panama leaks scandal. On Thursday, a five-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali had given the premiers children a last chance to submit their own statements to the court. In their written reply submitted by PMs lawyer Salman Aslam Butt, Maryam, Hassan and Hussain Nawaz denied holding any offshore companies. They are not public office-bearers. They are only trusties, the lawyer said.
He said Maryam Nawaz has revealed details of all the assets and she regularly pays taxes. She is only trustee of British Virgin Islands-based firms Nielsen Enterprises Limited and Nescoll Limited and she has not been a beneficiary of any offshore company. He said all the allegations levelled against Maryam Nawaz are baseless. Salman Butt further argued that no money was transferred to London to purchase properties.
Meanwhile, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed asked about the date of purchase of London properties. The lawyer said all the details would be provided as per law. During the case proceeding, Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali said position of a ruler is always different from others. He said it was now up to Hussain Nawaz to prove that London properties were purchased legally. Subsequently, the Supreme Court ordered the lawyer to submit property documents till November 15. The bench will review all the documents itself before forming the commission to probe the matter.
Apparently it seems that the commission might not be needed for this issue. The apex court could choose an independent and neutral path, the CJ remarked. Chairman Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan and Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed also attended the hearing. Minister of state for information and broadcasting Maryam Aurangzeb has expressed confidence that PM will get a clean chit in the Panama paper leak case.
British Prime Minister Theresa May flew in here yesterday on a three-day visit aimed at enhancing Indo-UK ties in the key areas of trade, investment, defence and security.
On her first bilateral trip outside Europe since taking office in July in the aftermath of Britain voting to exit the European Union, May will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi tomorrow. She will also inaugurate jointly with him the India-UK Tech Summit.
Before leaving London, she described India as the UK's "most important and closest" friend and a leading power in the world, adding "We will be promoting the best of Britain, sending out the message that we are open for business, and making the most of the opportunities offered by Brexit as the world's foremost champion of free trade".
"I will be using this visit to reaffirm the importance of the strategic partnership we already have, which delivers huge benefits for both our countries, and to work with Prime Minister Modi to agree concrete steps to realise our shared vision of going even further in our cooperation across trade, investment, defence and security," she added.
May, who is accompanied by senior British ministers and a big trade delegation, will also travel to Bengaluru on Tuesday where she will attend some business events and will meet the Karnataka Chief Minister.
May, 60, is accompanied by a business delegation drawn from regions across the UK, including Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox and Trade Minister Greg Hands.
The November 6-8 visit comes in the backdrop of the historic June referendum favouring Brexit and as part of the new May-led government to step up engagement with countries outside the 28-nation European Union.
"She will deliver on her ambitious vision for Britain after Brexit, forging a new global role for the UK beyond the continent of Europe. She will also deliver on her pledge for an economy that works for all, by introducing new and emerging enterprises, as well as more established players, to the key Indian market," an official statement in London said.
According to the statement, a number of commercial deals are expected to be signed during the visit, creating and securing jobs at home and demonstrating market confidence in the strength of the British economy.
She will meet with Modi tomorrow to discuss developing the bilateral strategic partnership, building on the deep links and existing co-operation. Alongside Modi, she will inaugurate the India-UK TECH Summit, South Asia's largest technology conference.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump today accused US tech giant IBM of laying off 500 workers in Minneapolis and shifting their jobs to India and other countries as he warned of levying a 35 per cent tax on companies doing so if he is elected.
"IBM laid off 500 workers in Minneapolis and moved their jobs to India and other countries. A Trump administration will stop the jobs from leaving America, and we will stop the jobs from leaving Minnesota," Trump said in his speech yesterday in Minneapolis, as part of efforts to woo voters in Minnesota state which has been a Democrat stronghold.
"If a company wants to leave Minnesota, fire their workers and move to another country and then ship their products back into the United States, we will make them pay a 35 per cent tax. We will also unleash American energy including shale oil, natural gas and clean coal," he said.
Trump said he will cancel all "harmful" Obama regulations that hurt Minnesota farmers, workers and small businesses. "We will become a rich nation once again. But to be a rich nation, we must also be a safe nation," he said. He claimed that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wants a 550 per cent increase in Syrian refugees pouring into the US, wants virtually unlimited immigration and refugee admissions from the most dangerous regions of the world.
"Her plan will import generations of terrorism, extremism and radicalism into your schools and communities. When I'm elected President, we will suspend the Syrian Refugee Programme and we will keep radical Islamic terrorists out of our country," Trump said.
"Here, in Minnesota, you've seen firsthand the problems caused with faulty refugee vetting, with large numbers of Somali Refugees coming into your state without your knowledge, support or approval and with some then joining ISIS and spreading their extremist views," he added.
He asserted that a Trump administration will not admit any refugees without the support of the local community where they are being placed. "And we will pause admissions from terror-prone regions until a full security assessment has been performed, and until proven vetting mechanisms have been established," he said.
A Trump administration will also secure and defend the borders of the US, he said, reiterating that he will build a wall along the Mexico border. "Hillary supports totally open borders, and strongly supports Sanctuary Cities like San Francisco where Kate Steinle was murdered by an illegal immigrant deported 5 times. Thousands of Americans would be alive today if not for the open border policies of Obama-Clinton," Trump said.
Underlining economic challenges in the current global environment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said India and the UK can leverage technological prowess to create new opportunities, while seeking investments in defence, manufacturing and aerospace sectors.
Speaking at the India-UK Tech Summit, Modi showcased his government's initiatives in sectors like smart cities, startups and digital economy as he sought enhanced engagement with Britain.
"Together, we can create a vibrant and thriving environment for new commercial applications with breakthrough technologies," he said at the event, also attended by visiting UK Prime Minister Theresa May.
Modi further said that both countries face numerous economic challenges in the current global environment which directly affect trade and commerce.
"But I am confident that together we can leverage our scientific strengths and technological prowess to create new opportunities," he added.
India, he said, is now the fastest growing large economy with the most open investment climate.
"We also expect 'Make in India' to be a key sector of bilateral engagement. Advanced manufacturing is a special endeavor under this programme. The UK as a leading player can benefit from our liberal FDI policies in defence manufacturing, aerospace and electronics engineering," the Prime Minister said.
He said India's vast traditional knowledge base can be coupled with UK's modern scientific investigation to provide a holistic approach to preventive healthcare. "This can help address some of the modern lifestyle diseases that we face."
The Prime Minister said even though the quantum of bilateral trade has remained at the same level for the past five years, investments in both directions have been robust.
India, he said, is the third largest investor in the UK, and Britain is the largest G20 investor in India. Both countries support large numbers of jobs in each other's economies.
Modi said the 'Smart City' mission aims to integrate digital technology into rapidly urbanising environment and there is already a high level of interest from the UK in projects in Pune, Amaravati and Indore.
"I understand that UK companies have already signed deals worth 9 billion pounds and I encourage more participation," the Prime Minister said.
The 'Start-up India' programme aims at converging innovation and technology with entrepreneurship for tech-savvy youth. "Today, India and the UK have emerged amongst the top three largest startup hubs in the world with an exciting ecosystem of investors and innovators," he said.
"I believe that India and the UK must continue to nurture and support an ecosystem of high quality fundamental research to pave the way for joint technology development that can address global challenges," Modi said.
Stating that the India-UK Tech Summit focuses on higher education, he said it is vital for Indian students and will define the bilateral engagement in a shared future.
"We must therefore encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in educational and research opportunities," he said. Science, technology and innovation, the PM said, are immense growth forces and will play a very significant role in India-UK relationship.
"I have always said that science is universal but technology has to be local," he said, adding the summit like India-UK Tech Summit throws an opportunity to understand each other's requirements and forge a future relationship.
He said the convergence of his government's flagship development missions, technology achievements and aspirations, and strong bilateral relations offer huge new growth avenues for Indian and UK companies.
"There is an opportunity for India and the UK to collaborate in the 'Digital India' and expand information convergence and people centric e-governance," he added. India, he said, will soon have over a billion phone connections with an urban tele-density of around 154 per cent.
The country has 350 million internet users and the government is bringing in last mile connectivity to nearly 100,000 villages across the country. "Such rapid growth offers new digital highways and new markets for the UK and Indian companies to address," Modi said.
Also, there is a scope for natural collaboration in India's rapidly developing financial services sector, he said, adding 'Fintech' is emerging as the next big transformation for India as 220 million new households are brought into the umbrella of the financial inclusion scheme, Jan Dhan Yojana.
"With UK's leadership in financial technology and international finance, promising opportunities can be harnessed by our enterprises in this mission," he said.
India's Defence Ministry will agree on Monday to purchase 12 amphibious rescue aircraft from Japanese manufacturer ShinMaywa Industries worth $1.5 billion-$1.6 billion, the Nikkei news paper reported on Sunday.
Japan and India have been holding talks on the purchase for more than two years. It would one of Japan's first sales of military equipment since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted a 50-year ban on arms exports and it reflects growing defence ties between the two countries.
India's Defence Ministry will approve the purchase of 12 US-2 aircraft at a Defense Acquisitions Council meeting scheduled for Monday, the Nikkei reporting, citing senior ministry officials it did not name.
The deal will be included in a memorandum of understanding to be signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan from Thursday to Saturday, the Nikkei said, citing the officials.
During the visit, Abe will also urge Modi to expand its usage of Japan's high-speed train technology, the Nikkei reported.
Eyeing India as a key trade partner after exiting from the European Union, the UK today announced a first-ever easier visa regime for Indian businessmen that will come with swifter passage through British airports and access to EU.
India had in past also sought easier visa regime for its nationals and Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked his counterpart Theresa May to provide "greater mobility" for its students and researchers.
Speaking at the India-UK Tech Summit, May said: "So we will offer, for the first time to any country that needs visas to enter Britain, what we called 'Registered Traveller Scheme'.
"That means the Indian nationals who frequently come to the UK and to fuel growth in both our countries, the entry process will become significantly easier," she said at the event organised by CII that was also attended by Modi.
She said the businesses will have to fill fewer forms, and they would get access to the EU-EEA (European Economic Area) passport control and swifter passage through British airports.
"In short, more opportunities for Britain and India and a clear message that Britain is very much open for business," she added.
May said it is not just the legal framework that are essential for effective trade and investment, it is about people too.
"It is crucial that those who do need to travel between our countries for business can do so, that is the reason why when I was Home Secretary, I made visa process for Indians much easier," May said.
She further said India now has one of the best UK visa services in the world with more application points than any other country and is the only place where it is possible to get a same day visa.
"...that happened because we listened to our businesses. And we are still listening. Listening to the fact that there are many people from India who are to bring their skill, ideas, businesses to Britain for the good of your economy and ours," May added.
Talking about removing trade and investment barriers, the UK Prime Minister said Britain is working side by side with India to make it easier to do business here.
"We can break down barriers and make it easier to do business...That is why the UK is working side by side with Prime Minister Modi to make it easier to do business in India, for example by strengthening intellectual property rights, and paving the way for world's leading services sector to operate in Indian market benefiting India and UK alike, But I am determined that we will go further," she said.
The UK Prime Minister said, "I will be discussing with Prime Minister Modi how we can increase the detail and depth of our trade and investment discussions, and identify what more we can do, now, to unleash our businesses, industries, exporters and investors." She added "this does not need to wait for us to leave the EU".
"As countries, we both need to ensure we take advantages of the opportunities for the century ahead and we can do so together," she said.
May further said that as Prime Minister Modi pursues his ambition for smart cities, 'Make in India' and 'Digital India', in Britain "we are focused on the economic reform and social reform and building the country that works for everyone".
"I believe we should throw our entire weight behind each other's efforts. In fact, Prime Minister Modi and I are going even further and announcing a new India-UK urban partnership focusing on smart cities," she added.
This is demonstration of long-term relationship, not just trading but sharing skills, technology expertise, she said.
Emphasising on the importance of India, the UK Prime Minister said that outside Europe, this is her first bilateral visit and "first ever trade mission".
"We listen to each other's music and eat each other's food and share a passionate rivalry with each other on cricket," she said, adding "I want to talk about the importance of the relationship today and the limitless possibilities that I believe would be open to us in the future".
Talking about importance of free trade, May said it creates rising tides that lifts all boats, it creates jobs, improves productivity, and improves living standards.
"We have a strong starting point with Britain investing in India more than any other G20 country and India investing in Britain that it does in all EU countries put together," she added.
May said that right now, British businesses are exporting everything from engines to insurance to India.
"...those things are happening despite the continuous existence of barriers to trade and barriers to cooperation," she said while stressing on the needs to exchange ideas and technology.
The UK Prime Minister said that huge opportunities for tech companies exists in India as every second three Indians are experiencing internet for the first time, there is a billion plus people with so many graduates and startups. "I am looking forward to visiting Bengaluru tomorrow to see the startup capital in India," she said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked Britain to relax student visa rules saying greater mobility of young people must be encouraged, even as Prime Minister Theresa May has said her country has a "good system" for applications.
Addressing India-UK Tech Summit with May in attendance, Modi said education is vital for Indian students and will define the country's engagement in a shared future.
"We must therefore encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in education and research opportunities," he said.
May, who arrived here yesterday to pave way for UK's first post-Brexit trade deal, however has said the UK has a "good system" for applications.
UK was already able to attract "the brightest and the best" from outside the EU, she was quoted by BBC as saying. "Nine out of 10 visa applications from India are already accepted."
Bloomberg quoted her as telling reporters on flight to New Delhi that Britain has "a visa system for countries outside the European Union which ensures that the brightest and the best are able to come to the United Kingdom."
"The figures show that we issued more work visas to India than I think the US, Australia, Canada and China put together," she was quoted as saying.
UK's new policy requires students to return home after their courses end, a move that has led to fall in Indian students enrolling in British universities by 50 per cent.
The number of study visas issued to Indian nationals fell from 68,238 in 2010 to 11,864 this year, official UK figures show.
At the Summit, May however announced easier visa regime for the businessmen coming to UK.
"So we will offer, for the first time to any country that needs visas to enter Britain, what we called 'Registered Traveller Scheme'.
"That means the Indian nationals who frequently come to the UK and to fuel growth in both our countries, the entry process will become significantly easier," she said.
High net worth individuals and their families will be offered to the Great Club - a bespoke visa and immigration service - to make visa applications smoother.
Also, Indians on work visas would be able to join the Registered Travellers Scheme which will mean they can get through UK border controls more quickly.
"We want to attract more Indian businesses to the UK, which is why it's right to offer Indian business executives a world-class visa service tailored to their needs," Bloomberg quoted May as saying in a statement to journalists traveling with her.
The four-day Chhath festival is being used by politicians of all hues to strike a chord with the citys Poorvanchali voters in what appears to be their last chance to woo them ahead of the civic polls early next year.
Be it Yamuna Ghats, India Gate lakes or other waterbodies, the politicians of the ruling AAP and the rival BJP and Congress on Sunday visited every possible spot where Poorvanchali devotees gathered to celebrate Chhath to remind them about their efforts for ensuring smooth prayers.
The 40-lakh strong Poorvanchali community comprising of migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar holds sway in nearly two dozen out of the 70 Assembly constituencies and 100 wards out of the 272 wards in civic agencies.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited Wazirpur area to greet devotees while Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia visited ITO and West Vinod Nagar area where devotees gathered in large numbers.
Kejriwal has repeatedly tried to take credit this year for increasing the number of ghats for Chhath devotees from 180 to 300. He has also announced permanent structures for devotees on all banks of Yamuna by the next year. The AAP government struck a chord with Poorvanchalis last year by announcing a gazetted holiday on Chhath.
To interact with devotees and to ensure proper facilities at the waterbodies on Sunday, the ruling AAP prepared a schedule for visits by all the Cabinet ministers.
Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra rode a boat to inspect the Sonia Vihar ghats. Development Minister Gopal Rai and Health Minister Satyendar Jain and Environment Minister Imran Hussain took rounds in Wazirabad, Sonia Vihar, Babarpur, Rani Bagh, Meera Bagh, Shakurbasti and Kudasia Ghat till 8-9 in the evening.
In Kirari, the stakes seemed so high for appeasing the Poorvanchali community that the local AAP legislator Rituraj Govind ended up enraging other villagers and landed in custody.
Rituraj was arrested on Saturday night by police in his attempt to arrange Chhath prayers in a community pond in Nithari village. The villagers objected to the attempt to conduct prayers in the pond, forcing the authorities to issue prohibitory orders in the area.
The four-day Chhath festival would end on Monday. On the last two days, people throng the ghats to make offering to the rising and the setting sun.
The BJP-ruled civic agencies also made special monetary arrangements for sprucing up facilities at Chhath ghats. The South Corporation sanctioned Rs 15,000 for each Chhath ghat managing committee in south Delhi.
Mayor Shyam Sharma said over Rs 4 crore were released for development and decoration of the ghats so that the puja can be performed in a good ambience.
Mayor of North Corporation Sanjeev Nayyar and Standing Committee Chairman Pravesh Wahi visited the Kudasia ghat, Wazirabad ghat and Bhalsawa lake and Western Yamuna Canal on Friday to ensure proper facilities for the devotees and oversee anti-mosquito fogging near the water bodies.
Civic officials said they would be accompanying the two leaders to many spots on Sunday and Monday. The Congress, which ruled the city for 15 years with the support of a sizeable chunk of Poorvanchali voters, was not far behind in raising issues close to the devotees.
Former MLA Mukesh Sharma earlier requested the Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung clean and fill fresh water in the 50-odd unused small irrigation canals in West Delhi for Chhath Puja.
Sharma wrote to Jung that work should be speeded up for holding Chhat Pujas at Yamuna-Balaswa Lake and Hindon Cut Canal by the Government like in the past years, otherwise devotees would be put to great inconvenience. Sharma represented the Uttam Nagar constitutency with close to 40% concentration.
Rahul Gandhi's appointment as Congress president today appeared imminent with members of the Congress Working Committee, its highest decision making body, unanimously voicing "strong sentiment" for his elevation for the first time at a meeting which Sonia Gandhi gave a miss.
It was party veteran A K Antony who set the ball rolling at the meeting, which lasted for four hours, when he spoke about the need for Rahul to take over the mantle of the 130-year-old party from her mother and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. All other members, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh followed suit.
"Members unanimously expressed their strong sentiment that accepting the wishes of crores of Congress workers and well wishers, Rahul Gandhi take over as the president of the Congress party", Antony told reporters while briefing on the deliberations.
Antony said all members including Manmohan Singh, insisted it was "high time" Rahul took over as party chief and the Congress mobilised "all forces" to take on "anti-people and dictatorial" policies of the Modi government.
Rahul, who presided over the meeting as Sonia Gandhi was reportedly indisposed, said he was ready to accept whatever responsibility is bestowed upon him by the Congress president and the CWC, in "fighting for the idea of India."
At the briefing, both Antony and chief party spokesman Randeep Surjewala evaded questions as to when exactly Rahul would take over the reins of the party from his mother and whether it would happen on November 19, the day the AICC has organised a grand celebration on the birth centenary of Indira Gandhi.
"We are very hopeful", a senior party leader said when asked whether the elevation would happen before UP assembly polls.
Sonia Gandhi has created a record by being at the helm of the 130-year-old organisation since early 1998 succeeding the late Sitaram Kesri who was ousted by the CWC.
"It is for the first time that the CWC is making such a recommendation. We are sure that the Congress President would give it proper care and attention", Antony said replying to a volley of questions on the issue.
Surjewala said senior CWC members would personally meet the party chief as a "follow up" action regarding their recommendation for Rahul's elevation. After Sonia takes a decision, the CWC would meet again to formally ratify it.
Rahul was appointed party vice-president in January 2013 at Congress's brainstorming session in Jaipur.
The talk about his elevation has been going on for quite some time now. Leaders like Jairam Ramesh had even insisted that Rahul was the "de facto" (in fact) leader who has to become "de jure" (in law).
Hillary Clinton routinely asked her Filipino maid to print out sensitive government e-mails and classified documents when she was the secretary of state, according to a media report.
Clinton's maid Marina Santos, lacked the security clearance to handle such material, was called on so frequently to receive e-mails that she may hold the secrets to E-mailgate, the New York Post reported.
Clinton entrusted far more than the care of her Washington DC residence, known as Whitehaven, to Santos.
She expected the Filipino immigrant to handle state secrets, further opening the 69-year-old former Democratic presidential nominee to criticism that she played fast and loose with national security, the report said.
The report came just before the FBI gave a clean chit to Clinton, saying she should not face criminal charges after a review of new emails, an 11th-hour respite for her.
Trump lashed out at the FBI for the clean chit, saying, "Right now, she is being protected by a rigged system."
According to the report, Clinton would first receive highly sensitive e-mails from top aides at the State Department and then request that they, in turn, forward the messages and any attached documents to Santos to print out for her at the home.
Among other things, Clinton requested Santos print out drafts of her speeches, confidential memos and 'call sheets' -- background information and talking points prepared for the secretary of state in advance of a phone call with a foreign head of state.
"Pls ask Marina to print for me...," Clinton e-mailed top aide Huma Abedin regarding a redacted 2011 message marked sensitive but unclassified.
In a classified 2012 e-mail dealing with the new president of Malawi, another Clinton aide, Monica Hanley, advised Clinton, "We can ask Marina to print this".
"Revisions to the Iran points" was the subject line of a classified April 2012 e-mail to Clinton from Hanley. In it, the text reads, "Marina is trying to print for you". Both classified e-mails were marked 'confidential' the tier below 'secret' or 'top secret'.
Santos also had access to a highly secure room called an SCIF (sensitive compartmented information facility) that diplomatic security agents set up at Whitehaven, according to FBI notes from an interview with Abedin.
From within the SCIF, Santos -- who had no clearance -- "collected documents from the secure facsimile machine for Clinton," the FBI notes revealed.
A 2012 'sensitive' but unclassified e-mail from Hanley to Clinton refers to a fax the staff wanted Clinton "to see before your Netanyahu mtg. Marina will grab for you".
A Nepali 'tarkariwali' has shot to fame for her good looks with her photographs carrying vegetables going viral on the internet, days after a handsome Pakistani chai-wala made global headlines.
18-year-old Kusum Shrestha, of Gorkha district, was photographed carrying vegetables at a local market during her vacation. She is a grade 11 student and her father is a vegetable seller.
When the photographer posted the shots online, the hashtags #Tarkariwali and #Sabjiwali - "vegetable seller" - quickly started trending on social media as admirers praised her looks.
Shrestha told BBC Nepali that she is a student in the nearby district of Chitwan, and was helping her parents during college holidays when the snaps were taken.
In one picture, the teenager smiles as she carries crates of tomatoes over a bridge. In another, she is talking on a mobile phone while selling tomatoes at a market.
Photographer RupChandra Maharjan told a Nepalese blog, the Gundruk Post, that he photographed Shrestha at the Fishling suspension bridge between Gorkha and Chitwan.
The young woman said she had found out about the pictures from a friend. "First my friend asked me if I am the same girl whose photos became viral on Facebook. But I didn't know," Shrestha said.
"Then she sent me the pictures and when I saw them, I found it was me. On that day, I came to sell the vegetables to help my parents. When I was on my way to sell the vegetables, RupChandra (the photographer) took my picture - but at that point of time, I didn't know that I was being photographed," she said.
Her father Narayan Shrestha, 43, told myrepublica.com,"I hear that her photos have become popular on the internet. Who had imagined that she would get such publicity? My daughter has always been a shy girl; she is a girl of very few words."
Shrestha said his daughter was studying management, although she really wants to train as a nurse.
Her photographs came just days after a Pakistani tea- seller named Arshad Khan broke the internet thanks to his intense blue eyes. He also bagged a modelling deal with a fashion portal.
Retail site fitin.pk has signed on Arshad as a model for an undisclosed amount. He had become an internet sensation after a local photographer posted his picture on social media and the story was picked up by several media organisations across the globe.
Two Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LeJ) militants have been arrested for killing Amjad Sabri, one of Pakistan's finest Sufi Qawwals, in a sectarian attack, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said today.
Sabri, 45, and an associate were travelling in a car in Karachi's congested Liquatabad 10 area in June when two motorcycle-borne gunmen fired at their vehicle, killing them.
The victims were apparently heading for the studio of a private TV channel when they were attacked.
"The Counter-Terrorism Department headed by Raja Umar Khattab made a major breakthrough and arrested two people from Liaquatabad called Ishaq alias Bobby and Asim alias Capri. Their weapons were also recovered," he said.
The men are affiliated with the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi Naeem Bukhari group, the chief minister said.
"Asim alias Capri was Sabri's neighbour. We have not found any motive (behind the murder) as yet, but it seems sectarian to us because Sabri used to frequent majalis (religious congregation of minority Shia community)," the Dawn quoted him as saying.
Shah said there was 'conclusive proof' that the two were part of a gang involved in nine 'major incidents'.
"After a probe and forensic investigation, we found proof of (their) involvement in 28 cases," he said.
"We will try to follow the lead through the arrested ones and apprehend rest of the gang," he added.
The weapons were matched using empty bullet casings collected from crime scenes and bullets retrieved during post mortems, he added.
Amjad Sabri was the son of renowned Qawwal Ghulam Farid Sabri whose family is famous in the subcontinent for their contribution to this sufi art and mystic poetry.
Sabri was one of Pakistan's finest qawwals, known for his soul-stirring renditions of mystic poetry.
Some of the most memorable and famous qawwalis of the Sabris were 'Bhar Do Jholi Meri', 'Tajdar-i-Haram' and 'Mera Koi Nahin Hai Teray Siwa'.
Sabri, who travelled widely to Europe and the US for his concerts, was known as the "rockstar" of Qawali due to his modern style of rendition.
The two LeJ men were also involved in various instances of target killing of 12 police personnel and seven Shias, Shah said, adding that a large quantity of weapons were recovered from the suspects, including three SMGs, two MP5 rifles stolen from police, 27 pistols, and lots of hand grenades and IEDs.
The LeJ has roots in Punjab province and has a history of carrying out sectarian attacks in Balochistan, particularly against the minority Shias.
The group recently claimed that it killed 61 people, mostly young cadets, during an attack on a police training centre in Quetta, the capital of the restive Balochistan province, in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Pakistan.
Delegates from 24 countries and the European Union have agreed that the Ross Sea in Antarctica will become the worlds largest marine protected area (MPA). Some 1.57 metre sq km (6,00,000 sq miles) of the Southern Ocean will gain protection from commercial fishing for 35 years. Environmentalists have welcomed the move to protect whats said to be the Earths most pristine marine ecosystem. They hope it will be the first of many such zones in international waters.
At a meeting in Hobart, Australia, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) agreed unanimously to designate the Ross Sea as an MPA, after years of protracted negotiations, New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully announced. The Ross Sea, its shelf and slope only comprise 2% of the Southern Ocean but they are home to 38% of the worlds Adelie penguins, 30% of the worlds Antarctic petrels and around 6% of the worlds population of Antarctic minke whales. The region is important to the rest of the planet as the upwelling of nutrients from the deep waters are carried on currents around the world.
The Ross Sea is also home to huge numbers of krill, a staple food for species including whales and seals. Their oil is critical for salmon farming. However, there are concerns that overfishing and climate change are having significant impacts on their numbers. The proposal, introduced by New Zealand and the US, and accepted by all the other nations, will see a general protection no-take zone where nothing can be removed including marine life and minerals. As part of the compromise that emerged in negotiations, there will be special zones where fishing from krill and toothfish will be allowed for research purposes.
Speedo diplomacy
Im absolutely overjoyed, said Lewis Pugh, the UN Patron for the Oceans, and someone who has campaigned for years in support of this new MPA. This is the biggest protected area on the land or the sea, this is the first large scale MPA on the high seas.
The ocean advocate and swimmer drew attention to the Ross Sea with a series of swims in the icy waters and for two years he has engaged in a series of meetings, dubbed as speedo diplomacy, with Russian officials to convince them of the value of the MPA. At the end of negotiations last year, Russia was the one country holding out against a consensus on the Ross Sea. But this year there has been what Lewis describes as an environmental glasnost.
Russias President Vladimir Putin has designated 2017 as the Year of Ecology and the country has recently expanded an MPA around Franz Josef Land in the Arctic. Sergei Ivanov, President Putins special representative for ecology, welcomed the new deal. Russia has a proud history of exploration and science in Antarctica. In this time of political turbulence in so many parts of the world, we are pleased to be part of this collaborative international effort to safeguard the Ross Sea, he said.
One of the key questions in the negotiations was how long the MPA should last. China is on the record as stating it believes that 20 years is long enough for a designation. Many conservationists say this is far too short, given the lifespan of creatures that life in the Ross Sea, such as whales. Ultimately, the parties agreed on 35 years.
Big concerns
The designation was welcomed not just by campaigners but also by those with close links to the Ross Sea. The Ross family are euphoric that our family legacy has been honoured in the 175th anniversary year since James first discovered the Ross Sea, said Phillipa Ross, great, great, great granddaughter to Sir James Clark Ross, after whom the Ross Sea is named.
One of the other big concerns that delayed the proposal was the fact that it could set a precedent for other high seas negotiations around the world, such as in the Arctic and in attempts by the UN to develop a new marine biodiversity treaty. Lewis is very hopeful that this will be the case. And he is willing to keep swimming until it happens.
This to me represents a first step, I am heading back down to the Antarctic peninsula to carry on swimming, I want to see a series of MPAs around this continent that I feel so much about, he explained. For me this is an issue about justice justice between generations. There seems to be something fundamentally wrong with us destroying our oceans so our children and grandchildren have absolutely nothing.
Kermit the Frog is Jim Hensons well-known Muppet protagonist. It also has a biography in its name titled Before You Leap: A Frogs-Eye View of Lifes Greatest Lessons, ghost authored by Jim Lewis as a self-help book. Frogs have definitely leaped great heights to find a special place in our life.
Frogs and toads, together with salamanders and caecilians, are called amphibians. They are called so because they go through two stages in their lives and not because they live in both water and on land. The first stage is the tadpole stage, also called larvae or pollywog, when they are fish-like and generally live in water. Over a period, tadpoles metamorphose to the second stage of adults and live on varied habitats. The tadpoles feed on algae, zooplankton and sometimes on other tadpoles, while the adults prefer insects as food.
Globally, there are about 7,551 species of amphibians, which is the fourth largest category among vertebrates. In India, there are 412 species of amphibians, of which 370 are frogs and toads, 40 caecilians and 2 salamanders. The Western Ghats alone harbours about 225 species of amphibians, of which 200 are endemic. In the last 17 years, nearly 170 species have been discovered in India, indicating the enormous species diversity that still exists in our country.
Problems galore
Marvellous as they may be, unfortunately nearly one-third of the global amphibian species are on the verge of extinction. It is estimated that as many as 200 amphibian species may have been wiped out of this planet in the last three decades. Amphibians require a suitable habitat, both in water and land, for their survival and are very sensitive to changes in their environment.
Rapid urbanisation, degradation of habitats, climate change, usage of chemical pesticides and fertilisers, invasive species and infectious diseases are some of the prominent reasons for global amphibian decline. In some cases, the decline can be pointed to a single reason, whereas in some enigmatic declines, the drivers of decline act synergistically. Scientists all over the world are now working towards conservation of amphibians and to check and/or reverse the global decline of amphibians. This scenario is no different in the Western Ghats.
Take a look at some of the many frog species endemic to this biodiverse region.
n Ponmudi Bush frog (Raorchestes ponmudi): It is an arboreal frog that inhabits high evergreen tree canopies and is endemic to the Western Ghats. It is a critically endangered species and has direct development, which means that there is very little difference between larval and adult forms. The tadpoles develop into tiny frogs within the egg.
n Waynad Bush frog (Psuedophilautus wynaadensis): It is an arboreal frog, endemic to the Western Ghats and is generally found in the bushes. It is an endangered species too.
n Coorg Yellow Bush frog (Raorchestes luteolus): It is an arboreal frog, endemic to the Western Ghats and found in the bushes.
n Ochlandra Reed-bush frog (Raorchestes ochlandrae): It is an arboreal frog, endemic to the Western Ghats and found inside Ochlandra reed bushes. It also has a direct development in its life stage.
n Kottigehara Dancing frog (Micrixalus kottigeharensis): It is an aquatic frog endemic to the Western Ghats and found along the torrential streams. A diurnal species with unique foot flagging behaviour, it lays eggs inside streams and has sand-burrowing tadpoles. It is a critically endangered species.
n Gundia Leaping frog (Indirana gundia): It is a semi-aquatic frog, endemic to the Western Ghats and found along streams and stream edges. It has a unique, semi-aquatic tadpole stage and primitive inguinal amplexus. It is a critically endangered species.
n Small Tree frog (Rhacophorus lateralis): It is an arboreal frog endemic to the Western Ghats. It has a unique breeding behaviour wherein individuals build purse nests to protect eggs from desiccation. It is an endangered species.
n Sholigas Narrow-Mouthed frog (Microhyla sholigari): It is a small, semi-aquatic frog endemic to the Western Ghats. It is an endangered species.
In last few decades, problems seem to plague this region and its amphibian inhabitants. Due to the perceived concept of perennial river systems, dams are proposed and constructed. This has resulted in the submergence of vast tracts of pristine forest habitats and reduction of habitats for the amphibians. In addition, new developmental projects like expanding existing road and railway networks, thermal power plants and others are underway which are detrimental to the Kermits and their habitats in the Western Ghats. If this pace of destruction continues, the croaks may be silenced very soon.
The Western Ghats has been facing severe pressures of development. On one hand, the land cover changes with expanding plantations and crop lands are posing a threat to these habitats. On the other hand, intensive farming practices with the usage of fertilisers and other inputs are also posing severe challenges to aquatic beings. For the frogs and toads, any disturbance on land and/or water is difficult. But since they have two life stages, they make for good bio-indicators to ascertain the ecological status of the habitat.
Yet, the current trends with respect to their populations are not very encouraging. As per the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List assessment, among the amphibians of the Western Ghats, 17 are critically endangered, 31 are endangered, 17 are vulnerable, 5 are near threatened and 33 are least concern species. It is a matter of grave concern that the status of the remaining 122 species, forming about 55%, is still unknown either due to deficient data or the data has not been evaluated yet.
But, there is hope. It has been proved time and again that peoples participation is the best solution to the conservation of endangered species and the same works wonders for amphibians too. For example, an initiative called Citizen Science (CS) trains citizens and helps them understand and report the amphibians found in their place. Community-focused conservation initiatives in the Western Ghats have already started showing results.
Bisle Frog Watch, started in 2012, is one such example. Every year, a team of 20 enthusiastic and passionate conservationists from all over India gather at Bisle near Sakleshpur for a two-day training in basic taxonomy and ecology of amphibians. They use Frog Find, a free android app that helps in identifying frogs and toads. After the training, they start reporting species from their region. They post their finding on Frog Watch India, an online user group under the India Biodiversity Portal. This curated information will help scientists understand the distribution and ecology of the species, ultimately leading to the conservation of amphibians. Efforts such as these and others all around the world are the only hope to get these magnificent frogs jump back from the brink of extinction and leap with life again.
(The author is with Gubbi Labs, a Bengaluru-based research collective)
Beneath a rocky slope in central Jordan lie the remains of a 10,000-year-old village called Ain Ghazal, whose inhabitants lived in stone houses with timber roof beams, the walls and floors gleaming with white plaster. Hundreds of people living there worshipped in circular shrines and made haunting, wide-eyed sculptures that stood three feet high. They buried their cherished dead under the floors of their houses, decapitating the bodies in order to decorate the skulls.
But as fascinating as this culture was, something else about Ain Ghazal intrigues archaeologists more: it was one of the first farming villages to have emerged after the dawn of agriculture. Around the settlement, Ain Ghazal farmers raised barley, wheat, chickpeas and lentils. Other villagers would leave for months at a time to herd sheep and goats in the surrounding hills. Sites like Ain Ghazal provide a glimpse of one of the most important transitions in human history: the moment that people domesticated plants and animals, settled down, and began to produce the kind of society in which most of us live today. But for all that sites like Ain Ghazal have taught archaeologists, they are still grappling with enormous questions. Who exactly were the first farmers? How did agriculture, a cornerstone of civilisation itself, spread to other parts of the world?
Some answers are now emerging from a surprising source: DNA extracted from skeletons at Ain Ghazal and other early settlements in the Near East. These findings have challenged long-held ideas about how agriculture and domestication arose. Whats more, the new data are showing that early farmers would leave a tremendous mark. People from Ireland to India trace some of their ancestry to people who began growing barley and wheat in the Near East thousands of years ago. Its a part of the story of civilisation that were just beginning to understand, said Iosif Lazaridis, a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School.
Altering false impressions
Agriculture originated in a few small hubs around the world, but probably first in the Fertile Crescent, a region of the Near East including parts of modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan. The evidence for full-blown agriculture there crops, livestock, tools for food preparation, and villages dates back about 11,000 years. In the 1990s, archaeologists largely concluded that farming in the Fertile Crescent began in Jordan and Israel, a region known as the southern Levant.
The model was that everything started there, and then everything spread out from there, including maybe the people, said Melinda A Zeder, a senior research scientist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington D C, USA. But in recent years, Melinda and other archaeologists have overturned that consensus. Their research suggests that people were inventing farming at several sites in the Fertile Crescent at roughly the same time. In the Zagros Mountains of Iran, for example, Melinda and her colleagues have found evidence of the gradual domestication of wild goats over many centuries around 10,000 years ago.
People may have been cultivating plants earlier than believed, too. In the late 1980s, Ofer Bar-Yosef of Harvard and his colleagues began excavating a 23,000-year-old site on the shores of the Sea of Galilee known as Ohalo II. It consisted of half a dozen brush huts. Last year, Ofer and his colleagues reported that one of the huts contained 150,000 charred seeds and fruits.
DNA breakthroughs
Ancient genetic material can survive in skeletons for thousands of years, sometimes even hundreds of thousands of years. Scientists have been able to reconstruct entire genomes of ancient humans and extinct relatives like Neanderthals. But a number of attempts to get DNA out of skeletons in the Near East failed. It looked as if the conditions in the region were too harsh for ancient DNA to survive.
Genetically, the Near East was terra incognita, said David Reich, a geneticist at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. It isnt any longer. In two recent studies, geneticists including David used new methods to fish out enough DNA from the bones of the first farmers to figure out their relationship to other people. A team of researchers based at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, reconstructed the genomes of four early farmers from the Zagros Mountains whose bones date back as much as 10,000 years. David and his colleagues recovered genetic material from 44 sets of remains around the Near East. Their haul included DNA from early farmers in Iran, as well as from bones from another site in the Southern Levant like Ain Ghazal.
Davids group discovered even older genetic material from hunter-gatherers in the region, from as far back as 14,000 years ago. The new results all point to the same overall conclusion: the first farmers in each region were the descendants of the earlier hunter-gatherers. Whats more, each population had its own distinct ancestry, going back tens of thousands of years. They were as different from one another genetically as the Europeans and Chinese.
And these groups remained distinct through the agricultural revolution as they changed from hunter-gatherers to full-blown farmers. It was quite surprising to see how different these groups were from each other, Iosif said. David and others argue that the findings show that people around the fertile crescent became farmers independently. Its not like you had one Near Eastern population that developed farming that expands and overruns all the others, he said.
The Tata Sons succession crisis that shook India Inc could be due to Cyrus Mistry's lack of clarity on "degree of freedom" to take decisions, according to an expert on family business.
K Ramachandran, executive director of Thomas Schmidheiny Centre for Family Enterprise and faculty of IIM-A and ISB, felt that it appeared that Cyrus Mistry lacked clarity of freedom to take decisions.
"My feeling, I don't know.. they had clarity on degree of freedom the new chairman had like on this area you can take decisions and on these you cannot...or criteria for taking decisions...it appears they didn't have it," he said on the sidelines of the FICCI FLO's discussion on family business.
He also apprehended that there could have been a mismatch between what the board of trustees or predominant shareholders 'expected' of Mistry and what actually the ousted chairman did.
Reacting to the issue indirectly, Apollo Hospitals vice-chairperson Preetha Reddy emphasised on importance of the board than individual.
"The board governance has to play an important role. When you have banks and shareholders you need to empower the board. As we move along, the board governance has to become more and more important for shareholders' rights," she said.
Ramachandran also suggested that he (Cyrus) could have assumed certain things but the board of directors thought differently.
The professor thinks that an institutional process was lacking in the affair. Ramachandran does not think only a member of the family owning a company is required for the succession.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your music.
I was born in Russia to pianist parents. My mother was actually my fathers pupil at a music school. So it was very natural for me to take to the piano because everyone around me was playing the instrument. I took my initial lessons in Russia, where I lived till I was 7 years old. Then we moved to the Netherlands, after which I went to a music school in Amsterdam. Soon after, I became a professional performer.
What are your thoughts while performing?
It is best not to have too many thoughts. Your mind and ears should be focussed on the music you are playing and what you are about to play. There is also one part of you that is trying to listen to the music from the audiences perception. I know that sounds kind of Schizophrenic but it is true.
What has the audience response in India been like?
I think there is a growing audience for piano music in India. People have been quite warm and enthusiastic in all places that I have performed at. I think their interest is developing and I hope more concert venues will come up to promote this.
What is the best compliment you have got so far?
Oh wow... I dont know. I am always touched when people come up to me and say that they cried during the performance or that they were emotionally touched. Two days ago I played in Delhi where a woman came and told me she went into something like a meditative trance during the recital. But I think what I really love is when someone comes to me and says, Oh, I had never heard of this composer but what you played was very nice. I feel happy when some composer gets the attention he so richly deserves. It is not just about me.
What are your thoughts about Indian musicI think it is amazing. I feel the classical music I play is actually behind Indian music because your musical rhythmical structure is so much more developed.
Any particular instrument you really like in Indian music?
I know too little of it but I really like all the percussion instruments. I feel the percussion instruments in Western Orchestra are never that melodic.
Thoughts about India..
I love India. This is my third visit. This country just breathes so much history and culture and I always have a great time here.So much so that I never want to go back home. I always feel sad at the airport.
If not a musician, then?
Hmm...I am not sure. I find many things very interesting. I would love to study arts, history or philosophy. I studied psychology for one year so I would like to take that further too. Or something along the lines of disaster management; that would be interesting. If I can not help people with my music, then I would like to something else that would comfort them. Like building a house and so on.
Hobbies other than music?
I love spending time with friends. I also used to go for concerts a lot but these days, because I am playing a lot, I dont want to go to an event during my free time also. I love yoga, dancing and travelling. But I wish I could have more time for my hobbies.
What do you listen to in your spare time?
Oh oh! (laughs) I listen to completely different music. I love hiphop music; something along the lines of the music of the 90s bands. I was listening to Drake yesterday (laughs). I love Beyonce. I also like going to Techno parties, jazz concerts or places with electronic music.
Any instrument you want to play?
Cello. On a piano, once you have played a note, you can not influence it any more. But on a Cello, I can go high or low or soft with the existing note.
Three things about you that no one knows.
Oh! My boyfriend will read this and he will be like what..? (laughs). Not many people know that If I am alone in my room, I like to put on loud Beyonce songs and dance. When I was small and I won my first piano competition, there was an interview and they asked me what I wanted to become. I said a hairdresser for dogs. I really cant think of a third thing.
Helena Basilova spent all her childhood thinking that everyone in the world played the piano and was quite surprised to learn later that it was not true. Born to pianist parents, Helena took to the instrument herself at a very young age and has created quite a name for herself in the world of instrumental music. Though her repertoire consists of music from all periods and styles, she finds herself going back to Russian composers time and again. In the city to present a piano concert at ITC Windsor, the artiste shared her experiences with Rajitha Menon.
According to sources familiar with the development, May will interact with startup companies during her visit to Bengaluru. The British High Commission is scheduling the meeting with startups along with other companies during a luncheon meeting hosted by the Prime Minister.
When contacted, Nasscom Product Council Chairman Ravi Gururaj said a few startups are attending a roundtable that is being hosted during Mays visit. A few startups are invited by the British officials. We do not have any programme from the Nasscom side, he said. May is visiting the city with healthcare and life sciences delegation and will also hold a business to business meeting, besides a panel discussion on Next Gen Healthcare. The government officials are expecting that the meeting will explore tie-ups in aerospace and IT.
A source familiar with the development said British Trade Minister Greg Hands, who is accompanying the PM, is hosting a roundtable where startups and other technology companies are invited. Talking to DH, former Karnataka Additional Chief Secretary and India Electronics & Semiconductor Association President Vidyashankar said May chose Bengaluru over Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, and Ahmedabad. This is due to strategic investment reasons. Bengalurus talent pool is known for its new-age technologies and the UK wants to build a solid relation with them, he said.
The visit comes at a time when Karnataka, especially Bengaluru with its poor infrastructure, ranks very low in the latest Ease of Doing Business report. It is also marred by the UK government decision to make visas more expensive.
But the naysayers are pointing out that May is setting a wrong precedent by not visiting the campus of IT behemoths like Infosys and Wipro. The 60-year-old British leader is arriving here after her two-day stay in New Delhi. May is the fourth PM to visit the city after John Major on January 9, 1997, Tony Blair on January 4, 2002, and David Cameron on July 28, 2010.
British Prime Minister Theresa Mays visit to Bengaluru and her readiness to interface with startups has reinforced the importance of Indias Silicon Valley in the newly evolving global tech environment.
May, who is currently on a visit to New Delhi, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the signing of the two Memorandums of Understanding one on intellectual property (IP) and another for bilateral cooperation on raising ease of doing business.
This is Mays maiden visit to India after taking over as British Prime Minister in July. She chose New Delhi to be her first foreign destination beyond the European Union as Prime Minister. The first MoU inked on Monday envisages establishing a mechanism for furthering cooperation between the Intellectual Property Offices of India and the UK in the field of intellectual property and related information technology services. The second MoU intends to make expertise from different British government departments, which have led the ease of doing business drive in the UK, available to the relevant departments and agencies of the Government of India.
It includes exchange between the officials, sharing of best practices and technical assistance for effective implementation of the initiatives of Government of India to improve its ranking in the ease of doing business. Important areas of cooperation include support to businesses and startups, tax administration, regulatory regimes and competition economics.
We both are firm supporters of free trade. We both want to be great exporting nations, said May, addressing mediapersons jointly with Modi after the two Prime Ministers led respective delegations in the bilateral parleys in Hyderabad House here.
And so we should work together, for the long haul, to break down the barriers to trade and investment. Britain invests more in India than any other G20 country, and India invests more in Britain than it does in all other EU countries put together. May and Modi on Monday explored ways to increase the detail and depth of the bilateral trade and investment and on what more the two governments could do to unleash businesses, industries, exporters and investors. This does not need to wait for us to leave the EU, said May.
Modi said that New Delhi expected Make in India to be a key sector of bilateral engagement. Advanced manufacturing is a special endeavor under this programme. UK as a leading player can benefit from our liberal FDI policies in defence manufacturing, aerospace and electronics engineering, Prime Minister said after inaugurating the India-UK Tech Summit. The Smart City mission aimed at integrating digital technology into rapidly urbanising environment of India, said Prime Minister. I am glad that there is already a high level of interest from the UK in projects in Pune, Amaravati and Indore. I understand that UK companies have already signed deals worth 9 billion pounds and I encourage more participation, he added.
Modi noted that India and UK had emerged amongst the top three largest startup hubs in the world with an exciting ecosystem of investors and innovators.
India and the UK on Monday inked two pacts with British Prime Minister Theresa May arguing for a bilateral free trade arrangement, distinct from New Delhis proposed deal with the European Union.
India and the United Kingdom on Monday agreed to step up counter-terrorism cooperation, particularly on sharing of intelligence and countering radicalisation through the Internet.
We agreed that it is not a limited security challenge. Its arc of threat spreads across nations and regions. Terrorists move across borders with ease, and endanger entire humanity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after his meeting with his British counterpart Theresa May here.
Modi conveyed his deep concerns to Theresa over cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan and targeting India. He stressed the need for the international community to take strong action against states that support and sponsor terrorism.
Theresa strongly condemned the September 18 terrorist attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in north Kashmir. As many as 19 soldiers were killed in the incident.
We both face a shared threat of terrorism as individual countries, as partners and as global powers whose interests lie in a stable world, said the British prime minister. We have agreed to strengthen our co-operation, in particular, by sharing the best practice to tackle the use of the Internet by violent extremists and reduce radicalisation and recruitment attempts online, Theresa said.
The two prime ministers agreed that international cooperation to combat terrorism was at the core of successfully denying terrorists the space to radicalise, recruit and conduct attacks. They noted the ongoing bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation and called for greater sharing of information between the two sides.
Kumaraswamy told reporters in Bengaluru on Monday that the Congress and the BJP were jointly trying to hush up the cash seizure issue and to divert attention from it, he was being framed in a case which dates back to the 1980s. Recently, activist S R Hiremath charged Kumaraswamy with having encroached upon 200 acres of land in Ketaganahalli in Bidadi.
Dismissing the charges, Kumaraswamy said the government was so keen on protecting BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa that senior government officers themselves had handed over documents pertaining to the land issue to Hiremath. Challenging Hiremath, Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa and divisional commissioner Jayanti for a debate on the subject, he said that he was confident of proving that he had done no wrong. He also wondered why the government had not issued any orders for his arrest if the authorities were so certain about the illegality.
Both the Congress and the BJP have an internal understanding. Though such a large sum of money was seized in Vidhana Soudha, the government has taken no action, he said.
He said that he had purchased 46.27 acres of land in Ketaganahalli through his hard-earned cash, and that there was no need for him to pledge the land. The sole rights over the land were with his son Nikhil, he added.
Though the Lokayukta and the Ramanagaram assistant commissioner had dropped charges against him, he was being targeted because he highlighted corrupt practices by the government. In 2010-11 too, the land grab issue was raked up because he levelled corruption charges against Yeddyurappa, who was the chief minister at the time, he added. As I have realised that there is no point talking about corruption, I have decided not to highlight anymore issues. It is impossible to take them to a logical conclusion, he added.
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy said land grab charges against him were being raked up again in a bid up to cover up the issue of seizure of Rs 2.5 crore by the Vidhana Soudha police recently.
A Hizbul Mujahideen militant was killed and two army soldiers injured in an encounter in south Kashmirs Shopian district on Monday.
Sources said the gunfight broke out after security forces cordoned off Wangam area in Shopian, 60 km from here, early morning following information about the presence of militants. The militants fired at the security forces search party. In the ensuing gun battle, one local militant was killed, while two army soldiers were injured, sources said. The police identified the slain militant as Sadam Hussain Mir of Chatripora, Shopian. One assault rifle, five AK 47 magazines and one hand grenade were recovered from Mir.
Following the encounter, hundreds of people took to the streets and staged anti-India demonstrations in the area.
Charge has lowered imageHe said that the false allegation made by her was being published in the print media and aired in the electronic media. The baseless allegation has lowered his image in the eyes of his supporters, the petition said. Karandlaje has said that she has documents to substantiate the charges against Baig, however she has failed to produce them till date, the petition says.
Baig has said that Karandlaje is indulging in character assassination and damaging his public image, without ascertaining the facts. Baig, on Monday, personally appeared before the court, which admitted the case and adjourned the hearing to November 14.
Urban Development Minister Roshan Baig has filed a Rs 10-crore defamation case against former minister Shobha Karandlaje. The case has been filed in the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, charging her with making a baseless allegation against him. Baig, in the petition, said that Karandlaje had unnecessarily dragged his name in the RSS worker R Rudreshs murder case.
Political temperatures are bound to soar in the coming days as the BJP is planning to declare November 10, the day the government celebrates Tipu Jayanti, a black day. Another issue the party is taking to the people is the recent tweet by Dinesh Amin Mattu, the media advisor to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
What is the need to celebrate Tipu Jayanti? It has affected communal harmony in the state. Besides, youths affiliated to the RSS and Sangh Parivar are being killed mercilessly. We will register our protest, BJP state general secretary Ravi Kumar said. The BJP has charged the state government with the killings.
In Bengaluru, BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa will lead the protest to be held in front of Gandhi statue, Maurya Circle. A party delegation will submit a memorandum to Governor Vajubhai Vala. Simultaneously, protests will be organised at all district headquarters on Tuesday, Kumar said.
The protesters will also seek the resignation of Urban Development Minister Roshan Baig. BJP MP and former minister Shobha Karandlaje had recently charged Baig with giving supari to get RSS worker Rudresh killed. Ravi Kumar said the party leaders will meet later in the day to decide on the action they will take against the government.
Case filed The BJP Yuva Morcha on Tuesday filed a complaint against Mattu for a Facebook post in which he questions the Centres decision for a one-day ban on NDTV India. The complaint is about Mattus reply to a comment to his post. The comment states, This is nothing compared to Indira Gandhis emergency. Have you forgotten what happened during the Emergency? In response, Mattu states, We all know what happened to Indira Gandhi at the end of Emergency, do you want that to happen to Modi too?
Mattu has clarified that his statement has deliberately been misinterpreted. Despite that, the BJP went ahead with its complaint. BJP MLA B N Vijay Kumar, who was part of the delegation which filed this complaint, said Mattus post could provoke one community against another and incite riots.
The complaint states that a case should be booked under section 506 of the IPC (criminal intimidation) and Section 505 (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) and other sections.
The state BJP will hold protests across the state on Tuesday over the Siddaramaiahs governments decision to go ahead with Tipu Jayanti and the recent murders of RSS and Sangh Parivar workers in the state.
Nine women are set to receive wombs from live donors in Bengaluru early next year in what will be the first batch of uterus transplants in India.
The first few surgeries will be performed by a team of doctors from Sweden who will be assisted by specialists from Bengaluru-based Milann - The Fertility Centre and HCG Hospitals. The later surgeries will be conducted by the Indian doctors.
Dr Kamini A Rao, who runs Milann, said they hoped to obtain all the necessary approvals from the Union and state governments by December. The surgeries could happen in January, she said.
Women suffering from a medical condition called Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome will be chosen during clinical trials to undergo the surgeries. The MRKH syndrome is a condition whereby women are either born without uteruses or lose them at a young age in certain medical procedures. Women with any co-morbid condition will not be chosen initially, but could be considered later, Dr Rao said.
Women could receive the organ from their mothers or sisters who have had successful childbirth. The team has already obtained approval from the Indian Council of Medical Researchs (ICMR) technical committee. It is now awaiting approval from the ICMRs ethical committee, Dr Rao said.
Jet Airways will launch a daily direct flight from Bengaluru to Singapore starting December 14 this year. Currently, the airline has daily flights from Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai to Singapore.
In a press release, Jet Airways said it would deploy Boeing 737-800 Next Generation (NG) aircraft on the Bengaluru-Singapore route. The new flight would offer Singapore connectivity to passengers from Hyderabad, Mangaluru, Coimbatore and Thiruvananthapuram. This service has been introduced in response to growing demand on this sector, particularly from business and corporate travellers, it added.
Jet Airways Chief Commercial Officer Jayaraj Shanmugam said introduction of the service was in keeping with the growing popularity among the airlines guests for seamless connectivity between the ASEAN region and India.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump launched into the final day of their historic fight for the White House on Monday, with frenzied rallies in the handful of swing states that will decide who leads the United States.
As the day began, Hillary held just a 2.2% lead over Trump in a four way race, including third party candidates, according to a RealClearPolitics average of national polls.
The US media, however, predicted substantial to big wins for the 69-year-old Democrat when electoral votes are counted.
Trump, the billionaire Republican nominee, was setting out from must-win Florida on a five state swing, the culmination of a dramatic run for the presidency as a right-wing nationalist vowing radical change in Americas relationship with the world.
Trumps last best hope of winning on Tuesday may be to break through a wall of Democratic support in industrial northern states like Michigan, and Trump, Hillary and Obama all focused precious final efforts campaigning there.
As she boarded her campaign plane in White Plains, New York, for the flight to Pennsylvania, Hillary acknowledged the deep divisions in the country, and admitted that bringing it together again will require some work.
I really do want to be the president for everybody - people who vote for me, people who vote against me, she told reporters. Under the cloud of an FBI investigation, Hillary got good news Sunday when James Comey, the agencys director, cleared her again of criminal wrongdoing.
The principal bench of the National Green Tribunal on Monday stayed the cutting of trees in 13.93 hectares of the Yettinahole drinking water project area till further order.
The project area is located in Sakleshpur taluk, Hassan district.
The bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar, which took up the matter for hearing, asked the Karnataka government to file its reply and posted the next hearing on Friday.
Earlier, the Ministry of Environment and Forests had permitted cutting of 4,900 trees in the project area. However, petitioner K N Somshekar filed an application before the tribunal seeking a stay on the forests ministry order, saying the permission was not granted as per the norms.
Though the Karnataka government said it had the required permission to cut the trees, the NGT asked it to file its reply by Friday.
Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung ordered several stringent steps, including the immediate deregistration of over two lakh diesel vehicles older than 15 years, on Monday, when air quality in the city showed some improvement.
The order on old diesel vehicles is in line with a direction by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in July.
The NGT had initially ordered the removal of all diesel vehicles older than 10 years from Delhi roads, but it later agreed to a phased plan, beginning with the removal of diesel vehicles older than 15 years.
The Delhi government has urged the Centre to conduct a fresh inquiry into the sources of pollution in Delhi.
The smog, said to be the worst in Delhi in 17 years, showed signs of thinning on Monday and the pollution meters reflected that.
But the air quality remained bad. Many schools will remain closed till the end of this week.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia, Delhis Environment Minister Imran Hussain, senior police and municipal officers, and green experts took part in the meeting called by Jung on Monday.
The environmental experts included Sunita Narain and Anumita Roychowdhury from the Centre for Science and Environment and Manju Mohan from IIT-Delhi.
Jung also ordered a ban on the burning of firecrackers at weddings and other events. Crackers will, however, be allowed on religious occasions.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government urged the Centre to order a fresh inquiry by the Central Pollution Control Board to identify sources of emission.
Is it November or March session? asks KEA on exams
UNI, Srinagar | Published : 5th November, 2016
Alleging that the government decision on holding board examinations for class 10th and 12th this month and March next year has exposed the "plot to politicise education", Kashmir Economic Alliance chairman Haji Muhammad Yasin Khan today said. He said the Peoples Democratic Party-led coalition is ruining the career of Kashmiri students through two examinations.
In a statement here this afternoon, he said as if the ongoing killings and other atrocities are not enough, the government is now destroying the future of Kashmiri children in the garb of examinations.
Mr Khan, who also heads the Kashmir Traders and Manufactures Federation (KTMF), said can Education Minister Naeem Akhtar who has converted the J&K Board of School Education into his puppet, explain one simple logic to the people of Kashmir that whether it is supposed to be November session or March session?
''If examinations are to be held in March again then why examinations this time? This is being done only out of ego and those who appear in examinations this time will enjoy benefits of having upheld the government ego whereas its quite obvious that those who wait till March will bear the brunt,'' Mr Khan alleged, adding "this is not any space technology but commonsense.''
He said the dilemma of two exams will leave poor students with no options but to appear in examinations this time because government is offering ''50 percent rebate on syllabus'' as if examination is about online sale of merchandise, where offers keep flickering as per the needs of the sellers.
''The mood swings of the government have simply exposed that PDP-led coalition is holding exams in November only to give a rosy picture of the worst-ever humanitarian crises in Kashmir through conduction of so called exams which will exploit the future prospects of our children,'' Mr Khan said.
He said students of class 10th and 12th have to appear in examinations which will decide their prospects of future education in various streams like medicine, engineering, law, commerce, human sciences and arts. ''A marginal change in percentage achieved can leave their career ruined. Moreover the point is that when the situation is just not viable for examinations why to enforce it?'' he asked. He said cutting across individual or political ideologies, people must rise to the occasion and say no to dual exams as it is the future of Kashmiri students which is at stake.
Mr Khan asked the civil society in Kashmir and elsewhere in New Delhi to play its role in getting the untimely exams postponed so that the future of Kashmiri students is saved. Meanwhile Mr Khan also condemned the use of force on mourners who were carrying body of teenager in Eidgah locality.
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A bicyclist who crashed and fell off his bike in Carmel Valley Nov. 5 was rescued by firefighters and taken to a hospital, according to authorities.
Rescuers were dispatched to the open space behind Torrey Pines High School near the intersection of Del Mar Heights Road and Lansdale Drive at about 10:45 a.m., according to San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Lee Swanson.
The man, who was believed to be in his 70s, complained of neck pain. Firefighters were able to carry the man, whose identity was not released, without the help of a rescue helicopter, Swanson said.
He was taken by paramedics to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla.
The British Fashion Council announced that Bruce Weber will receive the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator at The Fashion Awards 2016 in partnership with Swarovski. At this years ceremony on Monday 5th December at the Royal Albert Hall, Bruce Weber will be honoured for his incredible creative achievements within the global fashion industry.
Bruce Webers notable photography initially graced the pages of GQ Magazine in the 1970s, and he soon rose to conspicuousness with the Calvin Klein campaign featuring Tom Hintnaus in Greece. Webers signature stripped-back black and white photography captured the spirit of the moment, and he has continued as a standout amongst the most notable and commended photographers of his age. Webers work on campaigns for Pirelli, Ralph Lauren and Versace and for magazines, such as, Elle, Interview, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and numerous Vogues has brought about the absolute most innovative and iconoclastic fashion imagery to date.
Read more after the jump:
Johnny Depp for Interview by Bruce Weber
Bruces endurance is testament to his pure talent, his undeniable creativity and his singular warmth and generosity. His expansive body of work in photography and film is iconic, and he himself is rightly an icon of the creative fashion community. He is one of the foremost photographers and creative talents of our age who has helped shape the fashion industry we know today and I have a great deal of admiration for him. Dame Natalie Massenet, British Fashion Council Chairman
Versace Fall Winter 2016 Campaign by Bruce Weber
Previous winners of the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator include: Nick Knight OBE (2015), Edward Enninful OBE (2014), Lady Amanda Harlech (2013) and Professor Louise Wilson OBE (2012).
Sponsors of the event are SWAROVSKI, American Express, MAC and TONI&GUY. Official Sponsors are Ciroc, Marks & Spencer, Mercedes-Benz and SHOWstudio.
Ban ki Moon acklamasnda ne soyledi?
Oshan Sabrl Mont Pelerin'den bildiriyor
NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
--
REMARKS FOR PRESS
Mont Pelerin, 7 November 2016
Good morning. I am pleased to be in Mont Pelerin. I thank the Government of Switzerland for their generosity in hosting us.
I am here to open this week of intensive negotiations between the Greek Cypriot leader, His Excellency Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, His Excellency Mr. Mustafa Aknc.
The talks will be conducted under the auspices of the United Nations Special Adviser, Mr. Espen Barth Eide, and will concentrate on the chapter of territory as well as all other outstanding issues interdependently.
The two leaders have expressed their hope that this meeting will pave the way for the last phase of the talks in line with their shared commitment to do their utmost in order to reach a settlement within 2016.
I highly commend their Excellencies Mr. Aknc and Mr. Anastasiades for their efforts. Significant progress has been made in this leader-led process over the past eighteen months
At the same time, a number of sensitive and difficult issues still remain. I know the two leaders are here with a strong commitment and determination to work towards solving all these issues.
The two leaders have reached a critical juncture in their talks. I encourage them to make the most of the moment and the momentum. It will be crucial as they tackle the outstanding issues across chapters, during this week in Switzerland and beyond.
I commend the leaders for their vision, courage and leadership for advancing their talks further than ever before. The prospect of a solution in Cyprus is within their reach. Expectations in both communities are high.
Cyprus offers tremendous hope to people around the world that long-standing conflicts can be resolved peacefully through negotiations.
I am here to assure the two leaders of my full support and the commitment of the United Nations to assist them in whatever way to reach their shared goal, while respecting that the future of Cyprus will be determined by Cypriots, for all Cypriots.
I call on all interested parties -- especially the guarantor powers Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom -- as well as the wider international community, to support the leaders in their efforts to finally overcome the division of their island.
Thank you.
Ban: Kbrsn gelecegini Kbrsllar belirleyecek
Birlesmis Milletler Genel Sekreteri Ban Ki Moon, liderlerle gorusmesinin ardndan basna acklamalarda bulundu.
Ban Ki Moon, Isvicre'de bir haftalk yogun muzakerelerin acls icin bulundugunu, liderlerin Toprak baslgna ve diger tum konulara birbiriyle baglantl sekilde odaklanacaklarn soyledi. Ban, Isvicre Hukumeti'ne gorusmelere ev sahipligi yaptg icin tesekkur etti.
Ban acklamasnda 2016 yl icinde Kbrs sorununa bir cozum bulunmas icin liderlerin elinden geleni yapacaklarna duydugu inanc belirterek, son 18 ayda onemli ilerlemeler kaydedildiginin altn cizdi
Ban, bir takm zor ve hassas konularn henuz cozume kavusturulmadgn da belirterek, liderlerin surece olan bagllklarna guvendigini kaydetti.
Kritik bir donemecte oldugumuzu da ifade eden Ban, momentumun korunmas ve frsatn degerlendirilmesi konusunda liderleri cesaretlendirdigini belirtti.
Ban, liderler, cesaret ve liderliklerinden dolay kutladgn da ifade ederek, Kbrsn geleceginin Kbrsllar tarafndan belirlenecegini, BMnin surece olan bagllgn iletmek ve liderlere destek vermek icin Isvicrede oldugunu kaydetti.
Ban, garantorler ve uluslar aras topluma, liderleri destekleme cagrsnda bulunarak sozlerine son verdi.
Ooredoo Group and Ericsson have agreed a five-year contract to implement a new revenue management system across the Groups footprint in the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia.
By deploying the next generation charging and billing solution, Ooredoo will be able to offer customers the products they need more quickly and be able to tailor pricing, packages and services according to customer demand in each market.
Ericsson Revenue Manager is a cloud-ready convergent charging and billing system that redefines the role of business support systems (BSS). It makes innovation fast and efficient, and opens the door to easier digital services creation that spans beyond telecom and integrates partners from different industries. Ooredoo Group companies will enjoy a single, converged platform that enables them to handle all their users and services, regardless of payment option or access method.
The solution will be gradually deployed across all Ooredoo operations and will enable them to bring new offers for telecommunication services to market in minutes, rather than months. Deploying Ericsson's software and cloud technologies will also support Ooredoos ongoing Digital Business Transformation.
As a result, Ooredoo will realise significant cost savings from replacing its existing systems and local agreements with a pioneering new group-wide licence model and the latest evolution of Ericssons charging and billing solution across its operations.
Waleed Al Sayed, Deputy CEO, Ooredoo Group, said: Through this agreement with Ericsson, we will enable every Ooredoo operation to deliver fast, customer-oriented offers and launch new data products and services that support our growing portfolio of digital services and enables the growth of the Internet of Things.
Rafiah Ibrahim, Head of Ericsson Region Middle East and East Africa, said: "This collaboration recognises the innovative Ericsson Revenue Manager product and its capabilities to deliver a differentiated customer experience.
The cloud-ready Ericsson Revenue Manager will provide Ooredoo with a number of advantages as it updates its product portfolio and drives the development of digital innovation across its markets. The simple configuration reduces dependency on technical departments, makes it easier and faster to launch new services, and helps future-proof operations against changing demands from customers and technological disruption.
Ooredoo will begin rolling out the solution for Indosat Ooredoo, its largest operation, over the next month, before deploying across its other operations in 2016 and 2017.
Having an increased amount of a waxy substance called ceramides in the body increases the risk of developing insulin resistance, the hallmark of type 2 diabetes, research has revealed.
Scientists at the University of Utah College of Health joined forces with an international team of scientists to research how obesity affects the development of type 2 diabetes.
The study, published in Cell Metabolism online, revealed that the accumulation of ceramides may increase peoples chances of having type 2 diabetes. This occurs when a build-up of ceramides prevents the normal function of adipose (fat) tissue.
Dr Scott Summer, the senior author of the study and chairman of the University of Utah Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, said: Ceramides impact the way the body handles nutrients. They impair the way the body responds to insulin, and also how it burns calories.
When people eat, fatty acids are produced, which are then either stored in the body as triglycerides or burned for energy. In some people, excess fatty acids become ceramides.
When this happens the ceramides increase and the adipose tissue stops working appropriately and fat spills out into the vasculature or heart and damages other peripheral tissues.
This three-year project involved excess ceramides being added to human fat cells, or mice. This caused the cells to become unresponsive to insulin and develop difficulties in their ability to burn calories.
The mice were also more liable to develop type 2 diabetes as well as fatty liver disease and those with fewer ceramides in their adipose tissue were protected from insulin resistance.
Using genetic engineering, researchers deleted the gene that converts saturated fats into ceramides.
The findings indicate that having high levels of ceramides may increase a persons risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while low levels could prevent it. Furthermore, the research suggests that further studies are needed to understand what factors lead some people to develop more ceramides than is healthy.
The Nokia D1C is tipped to offer Android Nougat, Snapdragon 430 SoC and 3GB RAM
The appearance of leaked images of the Nokia D1C on Chinese social networking website Weibo and has put the spotlight back on Nokia's upcoming smartphone. The D1C will be Nokias first major release since the company signed a non-compete clause with Microsoft that is slated to end in Q4, 2016.
The images show a handset with a shiny metal frame and a matte finish on the back. The primary camera module and the LED flash are placed one top of the other. The images show the device in three different colours - Gold, Black and Silver white. However, only the Gold variant seems to have the physical home button. This has fuelled speculation that the phone will be released in two variants.
According to Antutu listings, the Nokia D1C will have a full HD display. The device is also tipped to run on an Android 7.0 Nougat based operating system with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor and 3GB of RAM. The phone has 32GB of internal storage and Nokia will probably give the users the option to expand storage through a microSD card. The phone is expected to offer a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera.
The incident came to light when the device owner posted images of the burnt Reliance Lyf smartphone, on Twitter.
A Reliance Lyf smartphone exploded recently, thankfully without hurting the owner. The incident came to light when owner Tariq Sadiq posted pictures of his burnt device on Twitter. Accompanying the images was a tweet where Sadiq stated that at his family had a narrow escaped after the device erupted into flames. The images show the remains of a phone's rear panel, with the Lyf logo clearly visible. The exact model name is however unclear.
My family had a narrow escape today after @reliancejio 's @Reliance_LYF phone exploded & burst into flames. pic.twitter.com/NggIGMc8Zw Tanvir Sadiq (@tanvirsadiq) November 6, 2016
Reliance Lyfs Twitter handle soon responded to Sadiqs tweets. Lyfs social media team wrote, As discussed we are investigating on this. We will get back to you with further updates.
Speaking about the incident a company spokesperson told IndianExpress.com, LYF range of phones are designed and manufactured with global standards by some of the worlds leading manufacturers of mobile phones. Each phone goes through a stringent quality control process. We are concerned about the incident reported in social media and are taking the matter seriously. We are assessing the cause and will conduct a thorough investigation in the matter. Customer safety is paramount to us and, based on our findings, we will take appropriate action.
This is not the first time that a Lyf device has exploded. In September 2016, Gizbot reported that a Reliance Lyf Water 1 had exploded causing injuries to the user.
Over the last year, smartphones from a number of reputed manufacturers have been at the centre of reports where the devices inexplicably erupted into flames. A few days ago an Apple iPhone 7 belonging to an Australian surfing instructor erupted into flames gutting the interior of his car. South Korean tech major Samsung became an object of censure as multiple reports emerged about the companys flagship the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 spontaneously exploding. The company had to halt production and eventually ordered a recall of the device.
Cambium Global Timberland has agreed to sell all of the standing timber on its property in Tocantins state to Suzano Papel e Celulose, a Brazilian pulp and paper company.
This sale is part of planned realisation of all the AIM-listed company's assets.
The deal to sell the timber of the company's 3R property in the state of Tocantins in central Brazil is expected to generate an income equalling the current book value of the trees, before legal and financial advisory costs.
A deposit is payable within 15 days of the agreement which is expected to be about 20% of the total purchase price, which will be determined after a pre-harvest inventory in early 2017.
About 60% is due after the pre-harvest inventory and the balance before the end of 2017 once all the wood has been removed.
Shares in Cambium Global Timberland were up 13.48% to 7.09p at 0821 GMT.
Revenue for the financial year ended on 31 October 2016 is expected to be below guidance between 14m to 14.5m.
The company is however confident it will turn the business around due to the significant growth in orders. The total contracted bookings was 60% higher at over 21m than in 2015.
Costs are expected to be in line with expectations at around 19.5m, down from 23,8m in 2015 due to focused management and restructuring.
The cash balance at the end of 2016 is expected at around 6.4m.
The company has signed its first major channel partnership, showing market support for the redesigned software platform PayMobile 3. The partner operates in areas of Africa which the company has historically struggled to penetrate. The group expects significant growth in regional opportunities in these areas over the next five years as a result of the deal.
The group is also pleased with its continuing progress of the joint venture with Mastercard. HomeSend, a global payment network, has continued to increase its send and receive footprint globally through the Mastercard Send digital platform. The venture is on track for breakeven in 2017.
The board has also appointed the former head of finance at Hurricane Energy Andrew Hayward as their new chief financial officer.
Looking ahead to 2017, the core business is positioned to grow sales significantly following the increased order flow. Costs will be 1m below the current 18.5m.
Executive chairman John Conoley said: I am proud of the achievements of the company in its core business in FY16 after its poor start. Although we did not fully recover from that start by the end of the financial year and reach our target of cashflow breakeven, we have embarked on FY17 with justified optimism in the core business.
The share price fell 2.04% to 6p at 1303 GMT on Monday.
Minds + Machines Group , which owns and operates internet domains, reported that it has made progress with its domains in Europe, China and the US, while it remains upbeat about the outlook for the rest of the year.
The company said that 24 of its top-level domains have now been transferred onto the Nominet internet platform on schedule and on budget, with the final two domains to transfer on 8 November.
For Europe the first UK registrar to introduce a marketing initiative saw a threefold increase in .london registrations.
In China, where a branch office is due to open in Xiamen to complement the existing presence in Beijing, the company registrations in .vip, the domain which was launched in May, have passed 500,000 and was achieved without the use of freemium sales models in marketing.
In the US, the transfer of .boston has completed the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) processes, which allows the company, the Boston Globe and the city of Boston to begin planning for a 2017 launch. Geographical top-level domain assets are an important segment of its portfolio.
There has been higher than expected renewal rates across its US facing vertical top-level domain assets as the company continues to test-market initiatives in North America.
Chief executive Toby Hall said: "We are continuing to both rationalise our historic business and invest in our partners and portfolio to ensure we build on this momentum in 2017 across each of our key markets. After a period of significant internal heavy lifting, we are now beginning to see the advantages that our portfolio of top-level domains can deliver."
Shares in Minds + Machines Group were down 0.44% to 11.32p at 0927 GMT.
Sovereign Mines of Africa (SMA) has agreed to farm-out its 75% interest in the Mandiana Gold Project, in Republic of Guinea, to Volcanic Metals Corp.
It said the farm-out would be effected by the sale of all the outstanding share capital of Sovereign Mines of Africa Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company and 75% owner of a series of mining permits associated with the Mandiana Gold Project.
The deal remained subject to a number of conditions. In consideration, SMA would receive common shares in Volcanic Metals Corp representing 9.9% of its issued share capital.
The farm-out constituted a cessation of all of the company's existing trading business under AIM rules, and on completion it would become a cash shell.
As a cash shell it must make an acquisition or acquisitions that constitute a reverse takeover within six months, or be suspended.
SMA said it had entered into an exclusivity agreement to acquire new assets in the mining industry, and was carrying out detailed due diligence on these.
Further announcements will be made in due course.
At about 16:26 GMT, shares in SMA were down 20.69% to 0.58p.
Shares in stricken Italian lender Banca Monte Dei Paschi di Siena snapped higher, with some market commentary attributing the move to speculation that a roadshow for the lender's upcoming 5bn capital increase might have succeeded in attracting some investors.
Italian newspaper Milano Finanza reported that Qatar's sovereign wealth fund had expressed preliminary interest, with a formal deal possible in the next few days.
Local press reports also indicated that bidders were expected to present binding offers on Monday for 28bn-worth of bad loans and its platform to manage bad debt.
As of 1625 GMT shares in Monte Paschi were up by 20.14% to 0.25.
The European Commission has asked Britain about the assurances it gave to Nissan that prompted the carmaker to commit to building two new models at its Sunderland factory.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said on Wednesday that the EU executive has asked for details regarding the nature of the deal and how Nissan would not suffer when the Britain leaves the trading block.
The Commission said it is in contact with the UK.
"The UK authorities have not notified any support to Nissan for assessment under our state aid rules and we've therefore not taken any formal view of this matter."
We follow events, we read newspapers and press reports and if we see something interesting, then we ask questions.
As Britain is still a member, it is still governed by EU state aid rules, meaning it cannot favour certain companies.
Nissans decision to invest in the plant, which safeguarded about 7,000 jobs and 28,000 from the supply chain, was made after its chief executive Carlos Ghosn lobbied for guarantees to protect the carmaker from the impact of the Brexit vote and was given assurances by Prime Minister Theresa May.
In October, Ghosn said he welcomed May's "commitment to the automotive industry in Britain and to the development of an overall industrial strategy.
The support and assurances of the UK government enabled us to decide that the next generation Qashqai and X-Trail will be produced at Sunderland.
What assurances the government had given to Ghosn are yet to be revealed.
Shares in Nissan Motor were up 0.39% to 8.82 cents at 1004 GMT.
As the hype surrounding the US presidential election reaches fever pitch, bookmakers are seeing record numbers of flutters for a political event, according to Betfair .
National opinion polls show a tight race ahead of Tuesday's final polling day, with results set to come out late into the night on Tuesday.
Hillary Clinton appears to have a marginal lead over Donald Trump in the major national surveys, and bookmakers are backing the Democrat to come out on top when all is said and done.
Internet betting exchange Betfair said on Sunday that its "Next President" market was set to surpass Brexit as the most traded political event, with roughly $130m being put on the line already.
$159m was bet on the UK's referendum on whether to leave the European Union in June.
"We think it is because (of) how raw the Brexit (vote) is in people's minds - they're not convinced yet that it's a done deal," said Betfair spokesperson Naomi Totten.
Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has said that the election is "definitely on course to be the biggest political event" for them, despite admitting that political betting is still a "niche market".
"Trump is such a huge celebrity," said Feilim Mac An Iomaire, explaining the popularity of the US election market.
Who will win the 2016 US Presidential Election?
1/5 Hillary Clinton
4/1 Donald Trump
Betting: https://t.co/lIbW99xCew Paddy Power Politics (@pppolitics) November 7, 2016
UK-based Ladbrokes said that double the amount of money had been wagered on the 2016 election compared with its predecessor in 2012, when Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney.
All three bookmakers reported Clinton to have an 83% chance of winning on Tuesday, but analyst Adam Jepsen from Financial Spreads has said there is a discrepancy between the betting odds and how financial markets see the outcome.
Referring to the news which emerged over the weekend of the FBI's clearing of Clinton after a further probe into her private email server, Jepsen said both bookies and markets reacted.
"The betting markets reacted immediately to the news and Trump is back to 5/1 to be the President, i.e. the price he was on Thursday 27 October and before the email saga reappeared," he said.
"For once though, the financial markets might be taking a more sensible and cautious approach. With such a tight election it makes sense that the markets don't get too getting carried away with the news."
Lawmakers in China have passed new legislation which has been criticised by political activists and foreign companies for placing further political control on citizens in the country.
China is well-known for its tight control over internet content in the country, with many websites being blocked due to being "subversive" or "obscene".
The web is promoted as an environment for business and education purposes primarily, and the new laws approved by the National People's Congress obliges companies to enforce censorship and collaborate with state investigations into individual cases.
China has the highest number of internet users in the world, with 710m people currently online.
Representatives from rights group Amnesty International have condemned the legislation, saying that the internet is one of the few places where individuals can express their dissent towards a large audience.
"The new cyber-security law tightens the authorities' repressive grip on the internet," said Amnesty spokesperson Patrick Poon. "It goes further than ever before in codifying abusive practices, with a near total disregard for the rights to freedom of expression and privacy."
Business leaders have also criticised the move from the ruling Communist Party, which comes as it receives increasing challenges to its monopoly.
"We believe this is a step backwards for innovation in China that won't do much to improve security," chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China James Zimmerman told CNBC.
Two polls released on Monday show Hillary Clinton maintaining her lead over Donald Trump in the US presidential election, by as much as four percentage points.
The Democratic candidate saw a significant lead disintegrate after she was the subject of a further probe into her use of a private email server as secretary of state, of which she was cleared at the weekend.
National polls conducted by Bloomberg and The Washington Post/ABC News both show Clinton with a small lead over Trump, the former by three points (44-41) and the latter by four points (44-40).
Both national polls are the last the respective publications will post before - it is hoped - the results will become clear early on Wednesday morning.
As the race to become the next US president enters its final few hours, the Republican has once again reiterated his belief that the system is "rigged" against him, following news that Hillary Clinton was cleared by the FBI.
The former secretary of state was cleared of any wrongdoing after a second probe from the FBI's James Comey into her private email server while in office.
"Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it, the FBI knows it, the people know," Trump said at a rally in Detroit. "And now it's up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on November 8th."
Elon Musk , chief executive officer of car-maker Tesla Motors , has predicted that governments will eventually have to pay a universal basic income, in order to offset jobs lost to automation.
Computers and other intelligent machines are increasingly becoming a force in the labour market as companies look to technology as a cheaper alternative to employees.
The founder of Tesla, SolarCity and SpaceX said there will be few options left for governments who will face mass unemployment.
"There is a pretty good chance we end up with a universal basic income, or something like that, due to automation," Musk told CNBC in an interview. "Yeah, I am not sure what else one would do. I think that is what would happen."
Musk added that eventually people will be required to do more complex tasks, and machines will take up the role of performing more monotonous, administrative tasks.
"People will have time to do other things, more complex things, more interesting things," he added.
"Certainly more leisure time. And then we've got to figure out how we integrate with a world and future with advanced AI."
Switzerland flirted with the idea of a UBS earlier this year, but a referendum on the proposal was eventually defeated. The figure quoted was 2,500 Swiss Francs, or $2,578.
Stocks in London rose in early trade as investors breathed a sigh of relief after the FBI cleared Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton of any wrongdoing over the weekend and following some well-received corporate releases.
At 0820 GMT, the FTSE 100 was up 1.3% to 6,780.10. Meanwhile, oil prices pushed higher, with West Texas Intermediate up 1.3% to $44.66 a barrel and Brent crude up 1.1% to $46.08.
The FBI said over the weekend that a fresh inquiry into Clintons communications found nothing to change the conclusion it had come to over the summer and that there had been no evidence of criminal wrongdoing after she used a private email server for government work.
Henry Croft, research analyst at Accendo Markets, said: A positive open comes as Hillary Clinton is given the all clear from the FBI for a second time, Director Comey telling Congress the bureau has not changed its conclusions reached in July based on fresh evidence.
Polls are indicating Clinton pulling away slightly, although her lead remains well below the levels pre-FBI investigation. The election will be the driving force for markets before Wednesday morning, whilst in the meantime the final few third-quarter earnings releases are likely to take a back seat.
In corporate news, HSBC gained ground as it said profits in the third quarter fell 86% compared to last year due to a disposal of its Brazilian bank, but underlying profits were higher in all four of its businesses.
Ryanair flew higher after the budget airline reported a rise in first-half profit as revenue and customer numbers grew despite difficult market conditions, and upped its long-term traffic forecast.
Informa was in the black after the business intelligence group said it was on track to meet full-year expectations.
Hammerson edged up after it exchanged contracts for the disposal of Westmorland Retail Park in Northumberland to Arch Commercial Enterprise for 36m.
Technology company Smiths Group ticked higher as it sold its IVF product to US-based multinational CooperSurgical for 140m.
FTSE 250 funeral services provider Dignity rose as its results for the 39 weeks ending 23 September came in slightly ahead of its expectations, driven by a higher number of deaths in the second and third quarters of the year, and the company said it expects results for the full year to be ahead of market views.
Hiscox advanced after reporting a 14.3% jump in gross written premiums for the first nine months of the year.
Inmarsat rallied after Barclays upgraded its stance on the satellite company to equalweight from underweight.
Drinks company Fever-Tree fizzed higher after saying it expects its full-year results to be ahead of market views following a solid performance in the second half.
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David Davis, the Secretary of State in charge of exiting the EU, was questioned by members of Parliament on Monday over the High Courts ruling on the implementation of Article 50.
The governments priority at every stage following the European Union referendum was to respect the outcome of that referendum and to ensure its delivered on.
To leave the European Union was the decision of the British people it was taken after a six to one vote in this house to put that decision in their hands.
As the government told the voters this is your decision, the government will implement what you decide. No ifs no buts, said Davis in his opening statement.
With Prime Minister Theresa May having made clear that she would not invoke Article 50 this year, Davis said there was ample time to develop a detailed negotiating position before invoking Article 50 by the end of March.
The court has come to the decision that Parliament does not have the prerogative power to invoke Article 50 without the legislation to do so. We believe in and value the independence of our judiciary and the foundation upon which our rule of law, we also value the freedom of our press both these things underpin our democracy.
The government disagrees with the courts judgement. The country voted to leave the European in a referendum approved by Parliament. As a result we will appeal the high courts judgement in the supreme court.
Questions were raised over the details of the governments negotiating strategy by Andrew Tyrie, chair of the treasury select committee.
He asked whether the government would give some indication of when they will set out its negotiating position on the core objectives of whether we will remain in the customs union, whether we are attempting to maintain full access to the single market and whether we intend to retain passporting for our financial services.
Davis responded that the government would have to make a judgement for what is best for Britain both in terms of access to the European market and to the rest of the world and well make that judgement in due course and well make it public in due course.
Conservative MP Nick Herbert argued that ahead of the Lisbon treaty the government issued a white paper setting out its objectives but will not set out a similar document for the exit from the EU.
We have our broad aims: control of laws, control of borders, maintenance of our security, aim to get the maximum possible access to free markets in Europe and elsewhere. In terms of detail we will be as open as possible as is consistent with maintaining our negotiating stance.
Davis said revealing the governments negotiating points would only compromise their ability to reach a good deal for the British public, effectively tying the hands of the negotiator.
As for giving members of parliament a say, David indicated that a repeal bill will be released that will allow members of parliament to amend the final plan after it has been laid out.
Some MPs advocated for Parliament to use its sovereignty to act before the High Court ruling is decided in January, which Davis disagreed with saying the government is going to abide by the law and wait for the outcome before making any moves.
Public Investment Corporation Africas largest pension fund has reportedly sought approval from the country's central bank to up its stake in Barclays Africa.
Reuters cited two sources with knowledge of the matter as saying that Barclays wants to cut its holding to less than 20%, which would make Barclays Africa an equity investment rather than a subsidiary.
It is understood the plan is part of Barclays broader sale of its African assets as it looks to focus more on the US and Britain.
PIC currently has a stake of about 7% in Barclays Africa, making it the second-biggest shareholder, but could buy an additional 31% stake, according to Reuters sources, who did not provide any exact details on the size or timing of a purchase.
"PIC has always looked at Barclays Plc's retreat as an opportunity to create a black-owned bank, but there aren't many people with deep pockets to make that happen," one of the sources told Reuters.
"But PIC on its own can buy to a level where Barclays will be able to deconsolidate it and has approached the Reserve Bank for ways to go about it."
Barclays new chief executive Jes Staley announced back in March a set of strategic initiatives that included plans to divest part of the group's 62% shareholding in Barclays Africa over the next two to three years to allow it to de-consolidate the subsidiary from an accounting perspective and, eventually, a regulatory perspective.
At 1250 GMT, shares in the bank were up 0.9% to 183.05p.
It may be hard for TSMC to generate profits from its new advanced wafer fab in Arizona when the facility becomes operational, if the US government fails to carry out its commitment...
Ex-Columbus cop Adam Coy trial for Andre Hill shooting postponed again
Former Columbus police officer Adam Coy is facing trial on murder and other charges in the 2020 shooting death of Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man.
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THE DALLES, Wasco County (AP) An Oregon county has tentatively denied Union Pacific Railroad's plan to add a second mainline track along the Columbia River Gorge where an oil-train derailed in June.
Wasco County commissioners voted Wednesday to reverse its planning commission and deny the 4-mile expansion project proposed in and around Mosier, Oregon.
. . .
REIT sells 14 ski resorts to Och-Ziff for $830M
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A Florida-based real estate investment trust has reached an agreement to sell more than a dozen major ski resorts and other properties from Maine to California.
Under the deal, New York hedge fund manager Och-Ziff will assume ownership of 14 properties currently held by CNL Lifestyle Properties, including Sunday River and Sugarloaf in Maine, Crested Butte in Colorado, Brighton in Utah and Sierra-at-Tahoe in California.
Missouri-based EPR Properties will retain the rest of CNL's holdings, including Northstar California ski resort and 15 waterparks and amusement parks.
CNL will receive about $830 million in cash and stock under the purchase and sale agreement. When the deal closes, it will be the largest ski resort transaction in the history of the sport.
Skiers won't see a big impact. Long-term leases will remain in place, so mountain operators will remain unchanged after the properties change hands.
CNL and EPR are real estate investment trusts, which are investment vehicles for a variety of properties including hotels, office buildings and malls. They own the property and make money through leases with other companies that manage and operate them.
CNL Lifestyle Properties was valued at as much as $3 billion in 2012 with ownership of more than 100 water parks, ski resorts, marinas and senior housing developments. As part of its anticipated exit strategy, CNL has been selling off assets in the real estate investment trust.
Under the deal, an Och-Ziff subsidiary will assume ownership of its share through cash and a $244 million loan.
Steve Kircher, an executive from Michigan-based Boyne Resorts, which has leases to operate seven of the ski resorts, said it's his understanding that Och-Ziff was brought into the transaction to diversify EPR's exposure to ski holdings.
Other ski resorts are Cypress Mountain in British Columbia; Jiminy Peak in Massachusetts; Loon Mountain and Mount Sunapee in New Hampshire; Okemo Mountain in Vermont; Mountain High in California; and Summit-at-Snoqualmie and Stevens Pass in Washington state along with Gatlinburg Sky Lift in Tennessee.
Kircher said skiers shouldn't be alarmed. Current lease holders will continue to operate the resorts as they have in the past, he said.
From a skier's perspective, it's akin to a home mortgage being sold between banks, he said.
It's not an event from a skier's perspective, he said.
China has unveiled its most powerful drone bomber, the CH-5 unmanned aerial vehicle, which can fly for two days without refuelling within a range of 15,000 miles (24140 km).
The drone, which made its first flight last year, was displayed to public for the first time at a military air show in the southern city of Zhuhai.
According to The Daily Star, the CH-5 drone is capable of carrying smart bombs, missiles and high-tech radar jammers.
The drone, according to observers, is similar to the US MQ-9 reaper.
China, however, claims that the CH-5 has superior tech specs to equivalent US models and in fact ''can perform whatever operations the MQ-9 Reaper can, and is even better than the US vehicle when it comes to flight duration and operational efficiency.''
The drone has a wingspan of 21 meters and can stay in the air for 60 hours. It has a maximum range of 6,500 km.
China is planning to expand its range to 10,000 km and 120 hours of flight, giving it the longest range of all hunter-killer drones. It will also carry about 1,000 kg of equipment and up to 24 missiles.
The US MQ-9 Reaper, which has been in service since 2007, can fly for 27 hours, and has a wingspan of 20 meters.
According to Shi Wen, chief designer of the CH series at China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics, CH-5 can make a joint strike with its predecessors, the CH-3 and CH-4, because they can share the same data link and control system.
The development of CH-5 is clear sign of China's military technology getting sophisticated with every passing year.
China can easily use these drones in spying missions over large territories in its neighbourhood, including India.
India, on the other hand, has a fleet of over 200 drones bought from Israel and they are deployed on both eastern front with China and western front with Pakistan.
China now says that it is ready not only to export the drone, but also to license the technology to make it.
Wealthy Sheikhs from Qatar and Saudi Arabia who donated money to Hillary Clinton's charitable foundation also provided financial support to the dreaded jihadi group Isis, media reports quoted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as saying.
He believes this ''is the most significant email in the whole collection'' of an email exchange between Clinton and her campaign manager, leaked by his organisation last month. In an extended interview at the Ecuadorian embassy in London with documentary maker John Pilger for RT, the WikiLeaks founder said the same Saudi and Qatari are supporting both the Clinton Foundation - founded by Clinton's husband Bill - and funding the activities of Isis. Asked if Assange believed that "this notorious jihadist group, called Isil or Isis, is created largely with money from people who are giving money to the Clinton Foundation", Assange said, ''Yes." In the email sent on 17 August 2014, Clinton asked Podesta, who at that time worked under president Barack Obama, to help put "pressure" on Qatar and Saudi Arabia regarding the countries' alleged support for the terrorist group Isis. "We need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to Isil and other radical Sunni groups in the region," Clinton wrote. Assange noted the US government had never acknowledged governments of Middle East nations had financially supported Isis, instead arguing such support was isolated to "some rogue princes using their cut of the oil money to do whatever they like, although the government disapproves", according to the WikiLeaks founder. According to the Clinton Foundation, the Saudi Arabian government has donated between $10m (8m) and $25million since the foundation was set up in 1997. Last month it was reported the government of Qatar offered to donate $1m to the foundation in celebration of Bill Clinton's birthday. Representatives from the Clinton Foundation have repeatedly denied accusations Clinton has solicited funds and used donations to boost her campaign. There were no donations from Saudi Arabia while she was acting as secretary of state between 2009 and 2013. Assange also used the interview to dismiss the prospect of a Donald Trump victory in next week's election, which the polls show will be close. "My analysis is that Trump will not be permitted to win. Why do I say that? Because he has had every establishment against him. Trump does not have one establishment, maybe with the exception of the Evangelicals, if you can call them an establishment. Assange unequivocally states that Trump will never be allowed to be President since pretty much everybody is ganged up against him. "Banks, intelligence, arms companies, foreign money, etc are all united behind Hillary Clinton. And the media as well. Media owners, and the journalists themselves." In October, Ecuador's government confirmed it had "temporarily restricted" Assange's internet access at its London embassy, to prevent him "meddling in the election process" in the US.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country grew over 30 per cent to $21.62 billion during the first half of 2016-17, against FDI worth $16.63 billion in April-September of 2015-16, official sources said.
"Ease of doing business and relaxation in the FDI policy are helping attract more and more FDI. The recent easing in sectors like civil aviation and construction will help in attracting more overseas funds," he added.
Much of the FDI, however, came from the main sources such as Mauritius, Singapore, the Netherlands and Japan, the official pointed out.
The sectors that receive maximum inflows include computer hardware and software, trading business, automobile industry and chemicals.
For the financial year 2015-16, FDI went up 29 per cent to $40 billion as against $30.93 billion in the previous fiscal.
Foreign investments is crucial for investment in India, which nurses a perennial balance of payments and guard the rupee against further collapse.
India needs around $1 trillion to build its infrastructure such as ports, airports and highways and push growth to a higher trajectory.
The government, meanwhile, is considering easing sectoral restrictions in segments like retail trading for foreign players to facilitate greater FDI in the country. The commerce and industry ministry is expected to discuss the sector specific issues with the departments and ministries concerned, sources said.
In June this year, it lifted certain restrictions in over a dozen sectors, including civil aviation, food processing, defence and pharmaceuticals. DIPP secretary Ramesh Abhishek recently stated that the government is trying to address specific policy issues in various sectors.
''We are also trying to address specific policy issues in various sectors. We have identified a number of them that remain despite liberalisation in FDI (policy). There could be issues in various sectors,'' he had said.
China's $45-billion infrastructure investment in the proposed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will not boost Pakistan's domestic economy, rather it will push Islamabad towards bankruptcy and subservience to Chinese economic and political interest, says studies by twp international think-tanks. The studies come after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently said that the Beijing-funded China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has raised Pakistan capital account deficit to seriously high levels. The IMF has raised serious concerns saying that the project will push up Pakistan's current account deficit to 1.5 per cent of GDP next year. Medium-to-long term issues like increasing capital outflows "could arise from CPEC-related repayment obligations and profit repatriation," the IMF said in its final review of its three-year loan to the country. The $45-billion spending and its accompanying costs will push Pakistan into a major debt trap and make Pakistanis refugees in their own land, says the reports. The CPEC, which talks of linking Pakistan's remote interiors to the Gwadar port, actually only links China to the western seafront and serves no purpose for Pakistan and its interiors, the studies point out. "In conclusion, the CPEC is unlikely to be a game changer for Pakistan's economy," London-based Capital Economics said in a recent report. "Given the poor prospects of reforms in the rest of the economy, we expect growth will average around 4.5 per cent over the next decade, which is little changed from its performance over the past 10 years." Meanwhile, the Washington-based Peterson Institute of International Economics says China is taking the major risk by alienating India, which is uneasy about the project. It said India might also try to create problems for the project, but did not explain how it will do that. "China risks upsetting India with CPEC for several reasons, the most prominent being that some infrastructure projects will run through Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, the land India claims as its own. Moreover, CPEC's upgrades of the Gwadar port have created fears the facilities may one day be used to serve the Chinese navy. For these reasons, India could try to place roadblocks in CPEC's path". The project, however, is a bail-out for Pakistan's prime Minister Nawaz Shariff from a difficult situation last year when he faced growing criticism over power outages across the country. Nearly 80 per cent of the project funds have been allocated for electricity generation with the promise of producing a colossal $16,000 MW by 2030.. With enough power and no industries to draw power for production, the amazing turnaround that Pakistani officials promise almost every day, will be hard to realize, say the reports. Some Pakistani experts and politicians have also raised doubts as to whether the project was worth all the money being invested. Pakistan will bear heavy cost for machinery used in the project as most of it would be imported from overseas sources, Capital Economics said. CPEC has 8,000 Chinese workers who are likely to remit a major part of their incomes back home. "What's more, since it will be Chinese companies running many of the new power stations, the income from selling the electricity generated will flow out of Pakistan," Oliver Jones, the researcher for Capital Economics said. Though newspaper headlines in Pakistan proclaim the short-term benefits out of construction activity in the project, Jones is pessimistic about it. "The short-term boost from construction is unlikely to be as much as the headline figures imply, and in any case there are big doubts the projects will be delivered on the scale that is planned," he said.
As the presidential election comes to a close, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and its director, James Comey, have been especially busy investigating the email practices of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Now, the bureau has a new target for investigation: itself. The FBI's inspection division is looking into @FBIRecordsVault, a verified FBI Twitter account. The account had been silent for a year until 30 October, when it tweeted out files on Donald Trump's father, Fred, calling him a philanthropist. But Fred Trump has been dead for years, and the FBI had released the same information weeks before the account tweeted it out. It tweeted several more times that day before announcing the bureau had published files from its investigation into Bill Clinton's pardon of Democratic donor Marc Rich. That case was closed in 2005. The released files are so heavily redacted, there's not much we can learn from them. The FBI said in a statement the files were released due to Freedom of Information Act requests, but publicising documents about the Clintons so close to the election struck many as odd. Federal law prohibits the FBI from using its sway to influence an election, but the bureau's impartiality has been called into question lately. Comey has faced criticism for announcing an investigation into newly discovered emails that could be relevant to the past case involving Hillary Clinton's private email server. The emails were found during a separate investigation into Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of Clinton staffer Huma Abedin. Comey made the announcement before determining whether any of the emails were relevant to the past case. On Sunday, the FBI officially announced that the Democratic presidential candidate should face no criminal charges for her email practices. Several FBI agents told The Guardian "the FBI is Trumpland" and that many within the bureau are operating with an anti-Clinton bias. Lending credence to those claims, Trump surrogate Rudy Giuliani practically admitted Friday that the FBI leaked information to him about reopening Hillary Clinton's email probe. "I did nothing to get it out; I had no role in it. Did I hear about it? You're darn right I heard about it," Giuliani said on Fox News regarding the latest Clinton email scandal.
The End Is Nigh | NYTimes.com: "... the first day of her Senate confirmation hearings for secretary of state is the day she registered her server domain name: clintonemail.com. It was a reckless and entitled move that drew the F.B.I. into the election and set off a frenzy among House Republicans ... In the hacked emails, the candidates advisers Neera Tanden and John Podesta recoil from the Hillary henchmen. When Brock attacked Bernie Sanders about his health during the primaries, Tanden worried about Hillarys trust in the kind of a nut bar Brock: Hillary. God. Her instincts are suboptimal. About Blumenthal, the Hillary consigliere who helped smear Monica Lewinsky and was part of the ethically blurry Clinton Inc., Podesta said to Tanden: It always amazes me that people like Sid either completely lack self-awareness or self-respect. Maybe both. Will you promise to shoot me if I ever end up like that?... even Chelsea was concerned about the foundations ethical morass. The problem with Donald Trump is: We dont know which of the characters he has created he would bring to the Oval Office. The trouble with Hillary Clinton is: We do know. Nobody gets less paranoid in the White House."--by Maureen Dowd (emphasis added)
MacroView Feature
is
"... retreat of the stock market ahead of the 2016 election continued Friday, with the market falling for a ninth straight day. Wall Street is now in its longest period of decline in more than three decades [since 1980 when Ronald Reagan won over Jimmy Carter]. Investors continue to focus on the U.S. presidential election, which has become too close for comfort for some investors ... " Translation: Wall Street thought the fix was in and this year's election would be a Hillary Clinton Coronation. A proven stock market metric (86% accuracy since 1928), the S&P 500 index, is signaling Donald Trump will win the election."
not
Click the map to create your own at 270toWin.com
The millions of people who vote for Trump are not doing it because of the worst things he said or did, Mr. Thiel said. Thats ridiculous. The Americans who are voting for Trump are doing it because they judge the situation of the country to be urgent. Were at such a crucial point that you have to overlook personal characteristics ... San Francisco, Manhattan and Washington, D.C., are doing well, but the presidential campaign has laid bare the angst of many other places. Feelings of decline are rampant. Most of the millennials have lower expectations than their baby boomer parents, Mr. Thiel said. Where I differ from others in Silicon Valley is in thinking that you cant fence yourself off. If it continues, it will ultimately be bad for everybody. And if Clinton wins? There will be a very big need to push back on the sort of happy but misleading consensus about things, Mr. Thiel said. There will be an important role for me and others to somehow play in speaking truth to power.--NYTimes.com
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No matter where you live or whether you can vote in the U.S. Presidential Election which concludes Tuesday, November 8th, this coming week's macro economic eventthe outcome of that election. As reported just 2 days ago:, and Many expect a Brexit-like selloff in the stock market, which like Brexit, may be a buying opportunity. The "Bond King", who still thinks Trump is going to win , is predicting a Trump administration will provide fiscal stimulus in the form of infrastructure spending which should be a positive for the economy. However, unlike others, Gundlach doesbelieve the election outcome to be particularly important, in terms of the market, since in his view a Clinton administration would also engage in fiscal stimulus spending.Watch below thevideo interview of Stephen Moore, Donald Trump's senior economic advisor, about the Republican candidate's trade and tax policies.Here's one scenario (of many):Map above: Clinton 213 vs Trump 230 electoral votes, with 95 electoral votes in "toss up" states (shown in gray). Remember the Presidential Election is determined by Electoral College votes which total 538, not the popular vote totals. The winner needs at least 270 electoral votes. If the above map holds true when results come in Tuesday evening, Trump can win by gaining 40 additional electoral votes,Florida + Pennsylvania would put him over the top at 279 electoral votes. To create your own map click on the link above or go to: Create Your Own President Map | RealClearPolitics.com . For more on the Electoral College, see video at the bottom of this post. Trump's schedule for the last 2 days of the campaign (Sunday and Monday), indicates he's hitting most of the swing statesplus more: Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan (2 stops), Pennsylvania (2 stops), Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, and New Hampshire. Even if Trump doesn't win, the issues he raised are not going away and have already had an impact. See,(IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde:-- Bloomberg.com Likewise, Trump's supporters are not just going to go away. For example, entrepreneur and venture capitalistdefends his most contrarian move yet--, remember after voting, that the actual outcome is beyond your control. What you can control is your own behavior, and how you respond to events, which in the final analysis, may matter much more than the event itself. So don't fear events that are outside of your own control. Instead, pay attention to your own responses and behavior.--How the U.S. elects its President:
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In September, the Nexus center network opened its first two new water kiosks in Nepal, each producing 9,000 liter of water for 4,000 beneficiaries. One centre is in Gochada, Chitwan and the other in Basanthapur.
Nexus centers are water and energy hubs for remote areas in Southern Nepal, providing necessities and creating economic growth for the community itself. The centers are operated and maintained by entrepreneurs, being local families, cooperatives, women groups or communities.
The project is sponsored by Dutch-based foundation Aqua for All, and Swiss-based foundations Dropforlife and Repic.
Nexus center in Gochada.
Local entrepreneur
The first water kiosk was opened in Gochada, Chitwan on 1 September. The kiosk is operated by 20-year-old Muna Mahato, together with the support of local entrepreneur Guneshwar Mahato. In addition, Dutch team member Marit Mathijsen is overseeing the operations for Nexus in Nepal.
Clean water from the Nexus Center is delivered in disinfected jars or bottles to ensure that the water remains uncontaminated.
It is essential that locals first buy their own jars and jerry cans before they can use them daily, by trading them in for clean full water jars or jerry cans.
Initiator of the concept, Lars Willi of Weconnex opens second Nexus Ccenter in Basanthapur.
Second centre
Ten days later the second Nexus Center was opened in Basanthapur. Here Kamala Bhattari is responsible for operating the water kiosk. Besides being able to deliver clean water, she will also open a fancy clothes shop shortly.
Kamala is solely responsible for raising her 7-year-old son since her husband has been working in Qatar for the past years. Reuniting them as a family could very well be the catalyst that NEXUS Center can provide for Kamala.
A Hindu priest officially blessed the center Basanthapur and the festive event attracted at least 150 to 200 visitors.
About Nexus
Dutch-based Water Tech Trading and Swiss-based Weconnex have developed an innovative, entrepreneurial business concept for the BoP markets in the form of Nexus Centers. Nexus Centers are a network of water and energy hubs for remote areas, providing necessities and creating economic independence/growth for the community itself.
Main focus of the network is Terai, in Southern Nepal where the ground water is contaminated with arsenic and bacteria and there is limited access to reliable electricity.
This news item was originally published on the website of Aqua for All and Weconnex.
Read also on this website
Cordaid and Parivartan Patra build large hazard-proof water tank in Itpare, Nepal, 4 August 2016
Akvo Caddisfly extended with mobile water quality testing on arsenic and coliform, 21 April 2016
aQysta builds six new river-powered low-cost Barsha pumps for farmers in Nepal, 23 December 2014
Country: Nepal
More information
Nexus center
Rotterdam, the Netherlands
+31 6 531 85 737
www.nexuscenter.nl
Aqua for all
The Hague, the Netherlands
+31 70 7200 870
www.aquaforall.org
A managing director arrives at her desk to a bottle of wine and a thank you note from her team. Theyre expressing gratitude for a fun afternoon away from the office celebrating the Melbourne Cup as a team. No leave time was recorded the out-of-office activity was a gesture of goodwill. The managing director understands the importance of developing a culture of team-ship in the office with down time for her team. Critically, the morning after the festivities, the team are in, on time, at their desks raring to go.
Its a rare scenario in many companies and an ideal one. It is not usual to be offered time out just to have fun, it is rare for the boss to be thanked and it is pretty special when people dont take advantage.
While not condoning entire workforces clearing out of the office for Melbourne Cup, the story above conveys an important lesson; namely, acknowledgement, trust and reward lead to commitment, respect, and a workplace culture that is likely to maintain productivity and a contented staff.
It doesnt always work of course and I long gave away the job of Chief Happiness Officer at my own company. It is simply impossible to keep everyone happy all the time. Business owners are not in business to make people happy.
But we are in business to keep people employed, paid appropriately, acknowledged, content and successful.
When creating a team culture, it is important to explain that business is about being profitable, and if a business isnt profitable it will die. For the business to work, those in it have to be united to that end, so the priority is that teams need to work for the health of each other AND the business. Creating a great culture is a contributing factor to success.
One of the most important things to find out is what success means to each individual so you can do your best to match individuals to the right program and encouragement. This takes time and requires honesty from both parties. You cannot mentor someone who is not straight with you.
On the whole, experience shows that if you work with people you like, with shared values, for a company or product you believe in, it is very likely you wont want to let each other down. You will help to make the business, department, and team morale all it can be. You will also be all the more forgiving when each other gets it wrong, needs help or falls sick.
The golden rule is to hire on core values and teach skills. If you do the reverse, you could hire great skills in someone who is toxic or not a good culture fit and watch while the business and those associated with it, suffer. A bad hire has long lasting consequences and can spread multiple ripples with long lasting consequences. For example, do your team talk about the nice people who left your business or the problem people they worked with. I rest my case. Bad hires create bad vibes, bad conversations and bad outcomes. Remove them quickly!
Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh says, Your culture is your brand and he has designed an on-boarding regime which identifies if potential hires match of core values to culture fit over and above technical skills. His book is worth a read.
In my experience, the following mechanisms help build a solid culture with both employees and clients it is the absolute measure of a company when past staff AND clients return. Here are my ten tips for ensuring a great work culture in your business:
Create a culture of constructive and regular feedback and hold reviews over and above a yearly appraisal Dont be afraid to let people know when behaviour is unacceptable Give clear instructions and delegate carefully to eliminate misunderstandings Provide coaching and/or mentoring, even by your own in-house staff Create an environment of honesty and integrity Understand each others motivators including the boss Ensure standards of delivery or service are equitable from each team member and no-one is carried more than necessary Take time to phrase emails so they are not misunderstood or worse, cause offence Create clear job descriptions with clear KPIs to always refer to and watch for fatigue and stress Move people out of the business promptly and gracefully when they are not a good fit
About the author:
Sharon is a pioneer in the Australian marketing and public relations agency industry. She is a CEO, Fellow of the PRIA, international speaker, personal brand expert, entrepreneur, mentor, marketer, media commentator and frequent mainstream editorial contributor. Under Sharons leadership and entrepreneurial flair, Taurus is now recognised as one of Australias highest profile agencies, offering unparalleled levels of service to global corporations including Advance, UTS:INSEARCH, Appster, Napoleon Perdis and Clean Up Australia.
Disruption, particularly the rise of exponential technologies, is one of the greatest commercial and cultural threats all organisations will face in business over the next 5 years. In fact, it has been estimated that 47% of jobs will be lost due to new technologies.
The Creative Innovation 2016 (Ci2016) Asia Pacific: The Exponential Shift: Making Transformation Happen conference commenced in Melbourne yesterday (7 November), sharing bold ideas, strategies and sustainable growth solutions for transformation across all business sectors.
As part of a deep conversation in the Sofitels ballroom, Ci2016 international authorities including disruption, artificial intelligence and robotic experts who shared their perspectives on managing the dramatic changes that will be wrought by technology in coming years.
A world authority on disruption Martin Ford suggests that widespread change will be driven by artificial intelligence and robotics. Ford suggest the threat that technology will pose to employment is not just for unskilled workers we have a conventional view that automation impacts low wage workers, but it is increasingly coming for skilled workers. Ford impresses that there may be a difficult transition to a new economy which eventually people will be able to adapt to jobs they seek greater fulfilment from.
Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro a leading robotics expert described how in Japan innovation through robotics is occurring in hospitality, retail and tourism areas through commercial and industrial partnerships. We can not ignore the impact of robots in the three dimensions of our world, Professor Hiroshi said. Interaction of robots in service-based industries such as customer and retail opportunities will likely create a significant impact in the next several years. Professor Hiroshi also described how robots are extending to medical fields.
A discussion about unlocking great ideas in the university sector offered an Australian perspective. Creating cultures that can cross boundaries is the key to transformation, remarked Professor Tanya Monro, Deputy Vice Chancellor ,Research and Innovation from the University of South Australia. Where new cultures untangle bureaucracy to unlock institutional ideas, this will be an important step forward for the sector, which is on the cusp of massive disruption, Professor Monro added.
Human capital will remain the greatest asset of any organisations, both large and small, including the intellectual property that they develop. Embracing cultural change is the key to unlocking the creative and innovative ideas of tomorrow and the key for university, government and the private sector alike. I believe the greatest untapped source of energy in the world is not the sun, it is what sits inside todays organisations, the moderator Scott Anthony suggested.
About the author:
The status of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange grew a bit murky on Tuesday after the group accused the U.S. State Department of pressuring Ecuadorian officials to block him from posting additional emails linked to presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
The Ecuadorian foreign ministry on Tuesday acknowledged placing temporary restrictions on Assanges access, saying in a statement that it did not wish to interfere in a foreign election. It also said that it was acting on its own and not in response to any outside pressures.
Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012 to shield himself from two outstanding sex assault charges stemming from a 2010 trip he made to Sweden. He has continued to lead the WikiLeaks organization from there.
WikiLeaks earlier on Tuesday had accused U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry of pressuring his counterparts in Ecuador to crack down on the email leaks during a round of peace negotiations to end the decades-old conflict between Marxist FARC rebels and the Columbian military.
Kerry held private meetings with Ecuador during a sideline period in negotiations with Columbia that began on Sept. 26, WikiLeaks claimed.
The John Kerry private meeting with Ecuador was made on the sidelines of the negotiations which took place pricipally on Sep 26 in Colombia.
WikiLeaks (@WikiLeaks) October 18, 2016
Assange lost his Internet connection at the Embassy at 5 p.m. on Saturday GMT, shortly after the group published Clintons Goldman Sachs speech, WikiLeaks said in an earlier tweet.
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
Code Blue
WikiLeaks initially claimed that a state party intentionally severed Assanges Internet link and that it had activated the appropriate contingency plans.
WikiLeaks also released three tweets called pre-commitment 1: John Kerry, pre-commitment 2: Ecuador and pre-commitment 3: UK FCO. Each tweet included what appeared to be alpha-numeric cryptokeys, more than 60 characters long.
The tweets set off a frenzy of speculation, including rumors that Assange had died. However, that rumor was quickly shot down.
Assange had warned for several months that he would release information that was damaging to Clinton before the November presidential election.
Method and Madness
The method and motivation of the various actors in this most recent drama left Troy Hunt, a Microsoft regional director and MVP, at a loss as to exactly what happened this weekend.
Seems a bit weird to me Ecuador has granted him asylum, he told the E-Commerce Times. Why pull his Internet? And how was the U.S. able to do it when hes holed up in a building in London? Or was it political pressure rather than technical means used by the U.S.?
Kerry had nothing to do with Assanges loss of Internet access, according to State Department spokesperson John Kirby.
While our concerns about WikiLeaks are longstanding, any suggestion that Secretary Kerry or the State Department were involved in shutting down WikiLeaks is false, he said. Reports that Secretary Kerry had conversations with Ecuadorian officials about this are simply untrue. Period.
US Will Strike Back
Assange made headlines earlier this year when WikiLeaks was connected to suspected Russian hacks of emails belonging to Hillary Clinton and her associates, as well as network intrusions of several Democratic Party organizations.
The leaked emails are part of the Russian governments targeted campaign to undermine the confidence in the U.S. presidential election and possibly influence the outcome, according to U.S. government officials and cybersecurity experts.
The Obama administration earlier this month officially accused the Russian government of orchestrating the cyberattacks and promised to deliver a proportional response.
Officials at Ecuadors U.S. embassy referred us to the countrys Foreign Ministry, which did not respond to our request to comment on this story.
WikiLeaks recently released a new batch of emails belonging to longtime Clinton associate John Podesta, who is the current chairman of the Clinton presidential campaign and was chief of staff under President Bill Clinton and counselor to President Barack Obama.
Not that it isnt scary enough but if you look at both candidates, who have had their images destroyed largely by technology (tapes and emails) there is a huge warning inherent in the process.
Email really wasnt a big thing until the late 1990s and even having your own email server wouldnt have been likely before 2005, let alone thinking through the security aspects. The Trump tape, which wasnt indexed based on the off-air segment, would have been nearly impossible to find before it was digitized and indexed.
Its likely neither of these issues would have come up before Obama first ran for office, because you couldnt have found the footage in a reasonable amount of time and linking a third-party server into the government system would have been far more difficult. (Yes, you did have folks using personal email services like Hotmail but not their own server.)
Increasingly, videos like Trumps are being indexed, digitized and archived in a way that makes them easier to be found, and now take a breath your social media, email, and increasingly videos of you (often recorded by people you dont know) are going through an even more robust process.
As you watch Billy Bush lose his job and likely his career, he could be the canary in a coal mine. What Im suggesting is that theres an increasing likelihood that what happened to him, as well as to Trump and Clinton, could happen to you or your kids in the not-too-distant future.
Ill share some thoughts and close with my product of the week: an app that actually could make your IoT stuff work as promised.
A Digitized World
We talk a lot about digitizing our life, and weve had several attempts at life cameras. What many people dont realize, though, is that our lives already are being digitized on a massive scale. Weve recently learned about the government program that was scanning and indexing correspondence on Yahoos email service, and you have to know there is virtually no chance this is an isolated instance, and that there have been a number of initiatives to capture, digitize and index our cellphone calls.
Social Media already starts out being public, and there is already an initiative in place to make scanning social media accounts a requirement for entry into the U.S. It is certain that social media is being scanned regularly and with vast improvements in facial recognition, pictures and videos taken by our friends, family and strangers are being scanned and, increasingly, connected to us.
What many do not realize is that it isnt only new stuff that is being digitized it is old stuff as well. So there is an increasing chance that as in Trumps case something you did years ago eventually will be connected to your name.
It kind of makes me wonder what will happen in the next major election, because we are just at the tip of the iceberg now. It is very likely that in the next eight years, and certainly in the next 18, much of our past lives will be available to anyone who wants to do the research whether we like it or not.
The End of Politics as We Know It
One of the questions really struck me in the last presidential debate: whether it was OK for a politician to have conflicting public and private opinions. While Clinton drifted into some screwy Abraham Lincoln response, she never really answered the question. However, in the new world that we are getting a glimpse of, there may be no private for most of us, and certainly not for politicians.
As we saw four years ago with the smartphone leak of a Romney talk, the idea that anyone will be able to say something in an event, even a private one, that wont be on some social network within hours increasingly will be obsolete.
So, regardless of whether it is right, it likely will be untenable for folks running for office to have two opposing opinions (with the private opinion being the real one) because this common dishonesty simply wont remain private. Email really never has been secure. I was auditing it back when it was first created in the 1980s, which suggests there always are eyes on email, and what you write could and likely will be used against you.
Given the lack of honesty, almost to an extreme level, it is also clear that this election is fueling ever-more-powerful real time fact checking. Given that the fact checkers currently have no controls placed on them, I expect some abuse. However, the ability to maintain lies for even a few minutes soon may be obsolete, as more and more folks learn to live-search information on candidates comments during their speeches and debates.
It wouldnt surprise me if in future debates, some streaming services run fact-checked responses in real time right next to video of the candidate talking.
I wonder if we also shouldnt apply a qualitative metric, though. For instance, lets say you have two politicians one lies 80 percent of the time but the 20 percent that is truthful is on issues where your life is at risk, and you have another politician who is honest 80 percent of the time but the 20 percent that is false is on those same life-threatening issues.
Its not just the amount of dishonesty but how much damage it does that is important. By the way, there is no subtle reference to Trump or Clinton here, as I clearly havent done the qualitative analysis on either that would allow me to drive this point home. (That would be more than a full time job this year.)
Wrapping Up: Final Thoughts
We likely should be looking more at what happened to Billy Bush and what is happening to Hillary Clinton than to Donald Trump. Billy effectively was fired for something he did 11 years ago, as a result of a process that largely didnt exist when Obama was first elected.
All three cases also should represent a warning to everyone that what you say or write will have legs that could last your lifetime, and come back to haunt your career decades in the future. It is likely time that we all started acting like we are always on stage, because we actually are. Privacy effectively died last decade.
There are a couple of good things that I think came out of this event. Suddenly, people all over the country are taking an interest in the physical abuse of women, something that has been ignored too long. The connected male behavior is being called out, not as status-building guy thing, but as the reprehensible behavior it is.
Though unintentionally, Trump and Billy Bush may have made a good chunk of the world much safer or at least accelerated the process of making it safer for women. Millions of women now are speaking up about their own abuse, making many of us realize we hadnt been aware of how big this problem was.
This could go a long way toward making men change this unacceptable behavior. If you have kids, this likely should be and for many it already is a topic of discussion, and that too is a good thing.
So, Donald Trump may have made the country greater, but sadly it was unintentional. It strikes me that if he took this issue and owned it, pivoting to offer massive support for womens issues like this, and if he were believably contrite, he then might turn the leak into an asset (and he has distanced himself from the party platform). Apparently he isnt that guy, which is why I expect hell lose.
Ive been pretty unimpressed with the IoT efforts to date. Most of this connected crap simply doesnt interoperate, and the point was never to just turn things off and on with your cellphone but to connect them so theyd act automatically.
For instance, it would be nice if they were capable of changing the settings on your home heating and cooling system, turning off your lights, and arming your alarm when everyone is away from home. It would be great if you could give your Amazon Echo a command like Alexa Good Night and have it adjust all of your electronics alarm systems, sensors, and appliances (like firing up your dishwasher) for what you want done while you sleep.
Right now, doing that automatically should be possible but for the most part it isnt, because few things talk to each other.
Well, Stringify, which unfortunately only works on iOS (theyll have Android by year end), is effectively the Rosetta Stone for IoT devices.The Rosetta Stone was kind of a universal translator for ancient languages, and Stringify is a platform created to connect simply the huge diversity of devices that are out there.
It can connect your Alexa to things that Alexa cant yet address directly, and it actually works better with Insteon that Insteons own controller software, along with 600-plus other IoT platforms like Nest.
Sadly it doesnt yet work with all of the tech in my own house, like ADT Pulse Security, the advanced Emme home heating and cooling solution or Blossom smart sprinkler controller. (This is my subtle way to get these on Stringifys to do list.)
Still, of all the solutions currently in market, it is the most comprehensive. If you are building a solution in your own home, starting with this and picking from its supported list should give you an integrated solution that early IoT adopters will envy for years.
Stringify fixes a massive problem with IoT at the moment, and if you are on iOS, this would be an excellent place to start. These folks currently are my gold standard with regard to IoT implementation, and thus Stringify is my product of the week.
Internet bots have many useful online purposes, but they have a dark side, too, as three researchers demonstrated in their analysis of Twitter traffic during the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Bots are used to automate functions on the Net. For example, if you belong to several social networks, you could use a bot to post a photo to all of them at once, saving the time of logging onto each network and posting the pic individually.
What the researchers found was that bots also can be used to amplify support on Twitter.
Manufactured Support
The researchers tracked how automated accounts were tweeting messages with hashtags associated with the candidates. For example, #makeamericagreatagain or #draintheswamp for Trump; #imwithher for Clinton. They found that one-third of all tweets using pro-Trump hashtags were created by bots and one-fifth of all Clinton hashtags were generated by automated accounts.
How might that affect public opinion?
They act as a prosthesis for small groups of people to affect conversation on social media, said Samuel Woolley, director of research at Political Bots, a project to assess the effect of automated advocacy on public life. Woolley coauthored the report on debate bots with Bence Kollanyi of Corvinus University and Philip N. Howard of Oxford University
The effect of that prosthesis can be multiplied by news media.
A lot of conversations on social media, especially those followed by journalists, are about whats trending and what candidate has a lot of support online, Woolley told TechNewsWorld, but what we found was that a lot of traffic surrounding Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton is actually manufactured.
The researchers do not know who is behind the bots, but the practice isnt new.
We know that in the past, Republican and Democratic candidates in the United States have been connected to either social media management or content management firms or astroturf activists that have built bots for the candidates, Woolley said.
Gravy for Nation-States
Such bots were used in the 2008 special election to fill Ted Kennedys Massachuetts Senate seat in 2008, according to a 2010 study by two researchers at Wellesley College, Panagiotis Takis Metaxas and Eni Mustafaraj.
A conservative group in Iowa, the American Future Fund, set up nine Twitter accounts that sent 929 tweets and reached more than 60,000 people with messages accusing the Democratic candidate in the race, Martha Coakley, of being anti-Catholic, the researchers found.
Nation-states arent above using such tactics either.
Political actors and governments worldwide have begun using bots to manipulate public opinion, choke off debate, and muddy political issues. Political bots tend to be developed and deployed in sensitive political moments when public opinion is polarized, Woolley and his colleagues wrote in their report.
We know for a fact that Russia, as a state, has sponsored the use of bots for attacking transnational targets, Wooley pointed out.
Other governments do it, too. Weve had cases in Mexico, Turkey, South Korea and Australia, he added. The problem is that a lot of people dont know bots exist, and that trends on social media or even online polls can be gamed by bots very easily.
Distorting Democracy
Bots arent just a Twitter problem theyre an Internet problem.
The proportion of bots to humans on the Internet is about 50-50, said Tim Matthews, vice president of marketing at Imperva.
Any task that is repetitive or mundane or can be simply automated is a likely candidate for a bot to take over, he told TechNewsWorld, so its not surprising to see more and more bots being used in social media for that reason.
Bots have many good uses. For example, Web spiders are bots used by search engines to keep their indexes current. However, in a political context, they can have undesirable effects.
These sorts things can distort democracy if used for purposes of propaganda, but they can be used to support democracy if theyre used for beneficial reasons, Woolley said.
That said, there has to be some kind of regulation of this whether by the platforms themselves or government or advertisers, he added. At the moment, theres a lot of fake political speech online, and it can definitely affect the way that people perceive politics and democracy.
Tech-Support Scams
Tech support scammers raked in US$1.5 billion in 2015, based on Microsofts estimates, and the problem is getting worse, suggests a recent report from Malwarebytes.
Once carried out by telemarketers making cold calls, these scams now operate through tech support lines listed on websites, or they use pop-ups to get victims to call, the report notes. Instead of receiving help, users find their computers held for ransom.
These tech support scams arent easy to spot, the report notes. Their tactics have become so advanced that almost anyone could fall for their tricks.
Further, getting on a tech support scammers call list can be a descent into cold call hell for a consumer.
It got so bad, I canceled my landline, said Jean-Philippe Taggart, a senior security researcher with Malwarebytes Labs.
I wasnt getting any more phone calls except those from people pretending to be from Microsoft telling me that my computer was infected, he told TechNewsWorld.
From Cold Calls to Ransomware
When consumers began hanging up on the scammers cold callers, they changed their tactics. They moved to targeted advertising that masquerades as error messages, Taggart explained.
When consumers browsed certain websites, a pop-up ad resembling an error message appeared on the screen with instructions for calling support. Once contact was established, the scammers used social engineering to wring money from the consumers.
Now some tech support scammers have gone beyond pop-ups.
Theyre starting to use malicious software, Taggart said.
Theyll buy a spot in a software bundle to have their software installed with legitimate offerings in the package.
The software will lock up your computer, so the victims are no longer people who lack computer savvy, Taggart explained. If you get one of these attacks as a vector, youre stuck. You cant use your computer until you call fictitious tech support.
Breach Diary
Oct. 17. StartPage, a European meta search engine, announces its dropping Yahoo search from its website because of Yahoos lack of openess about privacy and a massive data breach in 2014.
Oct. 17. Katy Independent School District in Texas warns 78,000 students and staff members their personal data is at risk due to a data breach.
Oct. 19. Czech police announce they have arrested a Russian citizen in Prague wanted by the FBI in connection to 2012 data theft of 117 million passwords at LinkedIn.
Oct. 18. Redbus, an Indian online travel ticketing platform, confirms data breach that may have compromised more than 4 million accounts. Company advises all its users to reset their passwords.
Oct. 18. Veracode releases State of Software Security report, which includes finding that about 97 percent of Java applications contained at least one component with a known vulnerability.
Oct. 19. Federal Reserve, FDIC and OCC issue notice of proposed rulemaking seeking comments on a set of enforceable cybersecurity standards for banks with more than US$50 billion in assets.
Oct. 20. National Payments Corporation of India reports some 3.2 million payment cards have been compromised in massive ATM security breach.
Oct. 20. Weebly, a San Francisco-based website creation company, starts notifying more than 43 million customers their personal information is at risk due to data breach that occurred in February.
Oct. 21. Kenya Commercial Bank dismisses reports earlier in the week that it was the victim of a data breach. It says the reports were based on malicious information aimed at upsetting its customers.
Oct. 21. Baystate Health in Springfield, Massachusetts, announces personal data of 13,000 patients is at risk from data breach in August.
Oct. 21. John McAfee tells CSO Online that his sources on the Dark Web lead him to believe that Iran was behind the hack of the Democratic National Committee in July.
Upcoming Security Events
Vladimir Putin is now generally recognised as an opportunist rather than a strategist. His movements are dictated by what his opponents by design or by accident allow him to do. His principle opponent is the United States, whose President Obama is not an opportunist, but a strategist whose strategy throughout two presidencies has been more than controversial. It consisted essentially in the liquidation of the two wars, one in Afghanistan since 2001 and the other in Iraq since 2003, that his predecessor George W. Bush had left him to finish. His preoccupation with how to finish these ill-fated wars brought him to an almost permanent conflict with the leadership of the U.S. armed forces. It is now fairly widely recognised that the haste to finish armed conflict has brought the United States to a worse position than it could have had with more patience. For more on these topics, see the Library of Economics and Liberty articles Russia Fails Once Again: Putin Must Punch Above His Weight, by Anthony de Jasay, February 2, 2015; For an Ever Closer Union, by Anthony de Jasay, October 3, 2016; and Russias Economy: Putin and the KGB State, by Paul Gregory, September 5, 2011. Vladimir Putin made his first opportunistic foreign policy move in 2014 by annexing the Crimea, which was hardly at all defended by the Ukrainian Army. He then organised an uprising in the mostly Russian speaking population of Eastern Ukraine, the Donbass. The uprising was armed and supported by the Russian army, although its key role was never openly avowed by Moscow. The Ukrainian government in Kiev was manifestly unable to defend Eastern Ukraine and would have been only able to defend Kiev. Vladimir Putin has, however, preferred to leave the remaining Ukrainian state in a precarious independence because its occupation by Russia, restoring the status quo that has existed since 1954, may seem to him to have created too much of a risk coming from United States and Europe. As part of the Arab Spring that ran from North Africa to the Middle East from 2001 onwards the majority population of Sunni Arabs in Syria has tried to emancipate itself from the minority Shiite government and its Alawite dynasty with Bashar el Assad as its dictator. The Sunni uprising was given an apparently modest military equipment by Saudi Arabia, some French light artillery, and even more modest US equipment which was politely called command and control equipment, and impolitely walkie-talkies. The Syrian government could rely on the Alawite militia, its mainly Shiite army, its helping hand in the Lebanese Hezbollah, and the united front of the Iranian army. Very soon it was also able to count on the Russian air force as well. The Red Line
By mid-2012, the Sunni uprising had a clear upper hand and the government of Bashar el Assad was near collapse. Some of the suburbs of the Syrian capital of Damascus were in Sunni hands. The government forces attacked them with a nasty kind of nerve gas, with no regard for the civilian population. At this point, President Obama publicly declared that he was considering this as a red line. Vladimir Putin no doubt understood this declaration as something that he need not take seriously. Both in the Pentagon and the State Department, there was an expectation of some penalty, some military action to punish Bashar el Assad, but as the uncontroversial evidence of nerve gas attacks became available, the White House apparently considered that red line as little more than a sign of disapproval. President Obama became a laughing stock among Arabs and perhaps also among Russians, who thought crossing a red line that you yourself have drawn deserved more action than speeches at the United Nations. Vladimir Putin has clearly understood the opportunities that the resigned apathy of President Obama has offered him. The military balance in Syria was therefore gradually tilted back in favour of the Shiite forces and particularly by the increasing offensives of the Russian air force as it bombarded the Sunni occupied areas. Russian forces have understood a new doctrine, according to which cities were most economically subdued, not by bombing housing, but by destroying all the hospitals above everything else. This the Russian air force has done meticulously in many Syrian towns. The latest and most spectacular victim of this economical tragedy was the destruction of practically all medical facilities in Aleppo, which is nearing its end phase right now. Vladimir Putin, clearly understanding the lesson he learnt from what became of the red line, had nothing much to fear from America when completing the conquest of Syria, or rather a condominium that he will from now on exercise jointly with Iran, maintaining Bashar el Assad at his head. Russia is without any doubt gaining some prestige from terminating this long war, but its tangible advantage seems to be limited to the use of a naval base on the Syrian cost at Latakia, which is hardly of great importance for a navy which is itself of second class value. A probably more important gain Vladimir Putin is about to reap has really been handed to him by none other than German chancellor Angela Merkel. The Syrian war has uprooted 4.79 million refugees, of which about 3.6 million have currently found some shelter in refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. With an overflow above the official data that gave the total number as 1.19 as of September 30, 2016, there were 1.5 million refugees trying to reach shelter and a new life in Europe- the greater part landed in Germany, with the balance in Sweden, Austria, Greece, and Italy. Germany was in no way prepared to accept this influx either morally or materially; a serious effort was made to stand up to the task that was imposed on the German people by its own government, which did not have a previous mandate for doing so. The flood of refugees and the expectation of what may be many more to come has brought serious consequences. It was probably the cause of Brexit, a serious weakening of the European Union by a referendum in Great Britain whose narrow outcome could hardly be expected if it had not been for the menace of Syrian and other refugee arrivals. There were also populist upheavals in Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Sweden, with a demand to recover national sovereignty that has slipped to Brussels as well as a very serious national movement in the so called Visegrad countries of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, where they came closer to a wish to follow the English example and reassert their national independence from ever closer union. Moscow, which has always regarded the European Union as a rival and a menace while it was expanding from 6 to 28 countries has now the perspective of facing individual countries, each of which are smaller than Russia, instead of a European Union three time as large. The Rule of Law and the Cult of Lies
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A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck Oklahoma Sunday night, damaging buildings in the heart of the oil hub town of Cushing. Schools are closed and parts of the downtown area are cordoned off, as the latest in a string of 19 quakes were recorded in Oklahoma last week, an area where such events were virtually unknown prior to the fracking boom.
Bricks and concrete crashed down as windows shattered and residents were rattled at 7:44 p.m. local time. At least one senior living complex was evacuated. Cushing city officials have told people to stay out of the downtown area.
Bloomberg reported this morning that some gas leaks have occurred, but they have been contained. As a precaution, All companies that run intra-state pipelines that fall under the jurisdiction of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission have shut down operations.
The quake was felt as far as Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas.
Oklahoma has become the world capital of earthquakes. In neighboring Kansas, injection of wastewater from fracking was determined as the cause of the states largest-ever earthquake in 2014. A study published in Science determined a link between wastewater injection and earthquakes in Texas. And earlier this year, a study confirmed a causal relationship not only between wastewater injection and fracking, but to the process of hydraulic fracturing itself.
Cushing, a town of 7,900 that calls itself the Pipeline Crossroads of the World, is home to one of the largest oil storage terminals on the planet, and reported 58.4 million barrels of oil in its tanks as of last month. As of this morning, no damage has been reported to either pipelines or the oil storage facility.
But damaged pipelines as a result of earthquakes have happened. In December 2013, an earthquake ruptured a gas pipeline in the Russian city of Sochi, site of the 2014 Winter Olympic games. The 1971 San Fernando earthquake in California damaged water, gas and sewage pipelines. Other earthquakes have caused failures in pipelines in China, Japan and the U.S.
In a paper by Teoman Ariman of the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma, he wrote, The type of severity of pipeline damage in earthquakes are directly related to the patterns of ground movements which can be due to faulting, soil liquefaction, landslides and compaction. Ariman also noted that steel pipelines withstood ground shaking but were unable to resist the large permanent ground deformations generated by faulting and ground failures.
As daylight broke, the full extent of the damage in Cushing was being evaluated.
https://twitter.com/petrolgasnews/statuses/795605668304748544
A 5.0-magnitude earthquake has struck near a major oil hub in Oklahoma https://t.co/a5PRLlLZ7D by #SkyNews via @c0nvey Anton steyn (@GoggaAnton) November 7, 2016
The air pollution in several Indian cities is getting so bad that government officials have initiated drastic measures to protect its citizens from the eye-stinging levels of smog. In fact, the nations capital of New Delhi currently holds the ominous title of worlds most polluted city,
CNN reported.
New Delhi is the most polluted city on Earth right now https://t.co/54SuYq9trR pic.twitter.com/xTQoeUmwas CNN (@CNN) November 7, 2016
On Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal
declared the intense smog levels an emergency situation, and ordered the shut down of 5,000 schools for the next three days and the halting of construction operations for the next five days. A coal-fired power plant will also be closed for 10 days and roads will be doused with water to suppress dust. If the situation does not improve, Kejriwal might impose odd-even vehicle restrictions that would only permit driving every other day.
Pollution has increased to an extent that (the) outdoors in Delhi are resembling a gas chamber, Kejriwal
said, adding that the smog blanketing the capital is due to crop burning in the neighboring agricultural states of Punjab and Haryana.
The ongoing pollution sparked a protest on Sunday outside of Parliament in the city center. Hundreds of protesters showed up in pollution masks, demanding the government to protect its citizens right to breathe clean air.
Many people initially blamed the smog on Sundays Diwali
festivities, but Kejriwal said that fireworks during Diwali marginally added to the pollution But other things inside Delhi did not drastically change. So the smog is mainly due to smoke from farm fires.
Still, the air pollution in Delhi has notably worsened over the years from several factors including its growing population of 25 million, rapid urbanization, an increase in traffic and emissions from diesel-burning cars, coal-fired power plants and other industrial emissions. This winters weather patterns also means less wind to circulate the air, the Associated Press explained.
Delhi comes together at Jantar Mantar for its right to clean and pollution-free air. Support the movement. Tweet using #MyRightToBreathe! pic.twitter.com/R0JcmwXkc8 My Right To (@MyRightTo_) November 6, 2016
Following in New Delhis footsteps, officials in the city of Lucknow, the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh, have also been forced to close schools on Monday and Tuesday due to ghastly pollution levels.
According to the Associated Press,
New Delhi and Lucknow have registered the levels of PM2.5 (fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers, one of the deadliest and most dangerous forms of air pollution) above 400 micrograms per cubic meter on Monday. Thats more than 40 times the safety limit set by the World Health Organization, and more than six times the limit set by Indian law. For comparison, Los Angelesone of the most polluted cities in the U.S.has a PM2.5 reading of 74 as of Monday morning.
Air is safe to breathe at 150, but the Air Quality Index from the US Embassy in Delhi reported that the citys terrible air quality is literally off the charts at a hazardous 999.
A lot has been written about electronic waste. In 2012, 50 million tons of e-waste was generated worldwide, and with the proliferation of smartphones, smart watches and other tech gear, that number will only increase. United Nations officials estimate that the volume of e-waste generated worldwide is expected to climb by 33 percent by 2017 to 65 million tons.
Those cold, hard numbers say a lot, but sometimes the pictures say much more.
People burning electronic scraps at the Agbogbloshie e-waste dump in Accra, Ghana.
The Guardian described the fumes as head-pounding. Photo Credit: Bit Rot Project
If unused electronic goods arent gathering dust in the garage, they are either recycled (about 30 percent of the time) or simply thrown awayout of sight, out of mind. But as you scroll through this post on your smartphone or computer, its important to remember that modern luxuries have a price.
While e-waste in the U.S. only makes up 2 percent of the countrys municipal solid waste stream, its a much more prevalent and devastating problem to less affluent countries, as demonstrated by these haunting images from Italian photographer Valentino Bellinis ongoing Bit Rot Project.
About 80 percent of the e-waste produced in developed countries (North America and Europe on the top of the list) is not disposed of in situ, but shipped, most of the time illegally, to developing countries on cargo ships, where it is illegally disposed of, Bit Rot said.
A boy in New Delhi, India boils old transistors in metal pots. Boiling the transistors melts away the plastic so the metal parts can be sold. Photo Credit: Bit Rot Project
As the latest products come along and desktop computers, MP3 players and landlines become obsolete, this gadget-driven fervor has generated mountains of toxic trash that poison people and the planet. (And its not just old Blackberrys and MacBooks, its everything from old refrigerators, televisions, toys and more.)
Especially in countries like India, China and some African regions where the technology industry is growing fast, Bit Rot said. It is hazardous waste, containing dozens of substances dangerous to human health and the environment; it is hard to be sustainably disposed of and it needs a costly processing technique to make it recyclable.
A woman in Lahore, Pakistan takes apart imported electronic devices. Photo Credit: Bit Rot Project
While illegal electronic waste dumping also occurs in the U.S., the appeal of sending e-waste overseas comes down to lower labor costs and fewer regulations. According to a 2013 United Nations report, China is grappling with the reality of an estimated 20 percent annual rise in domestically generated e-waste combined with a role as one of the planets primary dumping grounds for global e-wastea massive environmental, social and economic burden.
The southeastern town of Guiyu, China is a major e-wastebasket. CNN reported that Guiyu workers burn or process tech gear with hydrochloric acid to recover valuable metals like copper and steel. In the process, it releases toxic heavy metals like lead, beryllium and cadmium into the environment. Hydrocarbon ashes have also polluted the air, water and soil.
A man rips up electronic equipment in his backyard in Yaocuowei, China. He lives by the town of Guiyu, home to thousands of businesses that process e-waste, causing devastating toxic pollution. Photo Credit: Bit Rot Project
Where does all this salvaged tech junk go? Well, back into many homes. We sell this plastic to Foxconn, a e-waste worker in Guiyu told CNN. As it turns out, Foxconn is a Taiwanese company that manufactures products for many global electronics companies such as Apple, Dell and Hewlett-Packard.
The commercialization process and the capitalistic valorization created a true waste economy,' Bit Rot observed. This extends the logic behind profit and exploitation even to those scraps that it had produced, creating a never ending cycle that profits from its own death.
The Odaw River in Accra, Ghana is one of the most polluted in the world. Much of the waste comes from the Agbogbloshie e-waste landfill. Photo Credit: Bit Rot Project
We can change our nasty modern habits, but its very likely a long uphill battle. Strengthening and enforcing insufficient international laws would thwart massive profits, Bit Rot wrote soberly. Disposing of a PC by sending it to a dumpster in Africa costs $2, while it would cost $20 to sustainably recycle it.
So what can be done? The UNs Step initiative is tackling the worlds behemoth e-waste crisis. The Obama administration also has serious concerns about unsafe handling of used electronics, especially discarded electronics or e-waste, both domestically and overseas, that results in harm to human health and the environment, EPA spokeswoman Liz Purchia told U.S. News.
The Global E-Waste Management and Services in Tamil Nadu, India is one of the few companies authorized to treat electric and electronic waste in the country. Photo Credit: Bit Rot Project
It also looks like Americans are becoming more conscious of their own e-waste footprint. Case in point, according to recent data from Recon Analytics, in 2014, the average American replaced their mobile phone every 26.5 months, a vast improvement from every 18 months in 2007.
If youd like to responsibly dispose of your old tech gear, check out this link to find a e-cycling center near you.
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Dear District 3 Voter,
In this election, every vote will truly matter as District 3 residents will elect a new County Commissioner. I entered this race because I believe District 3 needs an advocate in county government that not only understands the needs and values of our community but has a record of service and accomplishments inside Hixson.
Many Hixson residents already know me and trust me. . The Aquaponics Program at Hixson High School, a new roof at Loftis Middle School and the new Middle Valley Elementary school were the results of working with others to better our community. Others know me through my involvement and leadership roles in various civic groups, including the Friends of Hixson, Hixson Kiwanis, Hixson Council of the Chamber of Commerce and the North River Civic Center. I have worked to make Hixson a better community for everyone.
As your County Commissioner, I pledge to:
1. Work closely with Sheriffs Department and Dallas Bay Volunteer Fire Department to ensure our First Responders have the tools and resources they need to do their job and return home safe.
2. Fight to prevent a property tax increase by advocating for changes in county government that will make it more accountable and responsive to taxpayer needs.
3. Advocate for a senior tax freeze that will protect our seniors from a property tax increase.
4. Focus on working with School Board and the incoming Superintendent on ways the business community and parents can partner together to improve the quality of education in our public schools.
With your support, we can make a difference in county government. This is why I am asking for your vote and support on November 8th.
Warmest Regards,
Greg Martin
Given the important role technology will play in the jobs of the future, it is no wonder that the Federal Government, schools and private industries are collaborating in a push to upskill students and educators alike.Central to this initiative are the four disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). However, while the goal is the same to increase STEM engagement with the intent of inspiring greater learning the methods used to achieve it vary wildly.Enter the Creators Wanted campaign.Samsung Electronics Australia recently partnered with Questacon and popular Australian personalities in the release of video content which has captured the attention of over 14 million viewers worldwide.The videos feature Charlotte Caslick (an Australian Rugby Sevens player) testing out a self-retrieving ball; Jane Lu (Founder of ShowPo) revealing a colour changing dress, and Reynold Poernomo (2015 Masterchef contestant), who cooks up an edible 3D printed croquembouche.Theres just one thingthese videos arent actually real.To coincide with the launch of Samsungs educational campaign, these videos were developed to grab the attention of students and show them how STEM skills are becoming increasingly relevant across all industries and future career paths.In June, the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) released a report, titled: Australias Future Workforce which revealed that nearly 40% of Australian jobs will be automated in 10-15 years.The report, as well as subsequent studies, showed that STEM education was lacking across Australian schools particularly in terms of female engagement.Tess Ariotti, Samsung corporate social responsibility manager, told The Educator about the ways in which the tech giants campaign hopes to turn this slump around and provide support to schools looking to boost STEM engagement.Creators Wanted aims to get more young Australians choosing STEM subjects in senior high school and tertiary study by making an intangible future feel relevant now and get students excited about what is just around the corner,We hope that this supports the work that many educators are doing to increase participation and engagement in STEM education.Ariotti added that the campaigns website is a great resource for teachers who are interested in driving improved STEM outcomes for their students.Its a compilation of different activities and articles all designed to be appealing to students to help them understand the opportunities and benefits of studying STEM subjects, she said.Ariotti said the campaign is trying a different approach as it is not promoting a program or course, but trying to start a conversation about where a STEM education can lead in a way that is relevant and exciting to students.The benefit of this approach is that there is the potential to support all programs and courses in Australia that provide students with the skills we know will be needed in the workplaces of the future, she said.From the comments already coming through on social media, Im getting the sense that a conversation is starting. We hope students as well as parents and teachers can check out the campaign as a way of continuing the discussion.Recently, Federal Education Minister, Simon Birmingham , announced that schools across the country can now apply for grants from the Federal Government to help deliver digital literacy programs to students.The 2016 Digital Literacy School Grants program will support projects that demonstrate new methods for enhancing digital literacy in schools.Schools need to think creatively about how they teach digital literacy to ensure that students dont fall behind or find it difficult to engage. We need all children to be digitally literate to ensure they are ready for a future full of technology, Birmingham said in a statement.Around $4m has already been allocated to the program as part of the Federal Governments $50.6m commitment to assist Australian teachers and students to embrace the digital age. This program is a key part of the $1.1bn National Innovation and Science Agenda Ariotti pointed out that the lack of STEM uptake is something that affects individuals, communities and the broader economy in Australia.We believe it is an area that needs to be addressed by different sectors, she said.With this campaign, our approach has been to make a contribution where Samsung is best placed to do so, in a manner appropriate to corporate community investment and which complements the work other organisations and educators are already undertaking.
Readers of Ron Chernows masterful biography of Alexander Hamilton will recall the bitter partisanship and personal smearing of that era, and the effectiveness of mediatwo centuries before Twitterin arousing and diffusing contempt for political leaders. Still, the 2016 presidential campaign has sunk us to a new low. I dont have the hard data, but my hunch is that we have rarely been victimized by as many outright lies, shady half-truths, and devious distortions of common rhetorical decency. Americans are accustomed to extravagant rhetoriccompanies spend billions of dollars in advertising campaigns claiming their products are the bestbut our capacity for contained cynicism is being tested.
As Stanford University professor Nathaniel Persily and SurveyMonkey research chief Jon Cohen wrote in a Washington Post op-ed essay last month about their recent findings: Large numbers of Americans across party lines have lost faith in their democracy, and many will not accept the legitimacy of this election .
Fortunately, our bedrock belief in American constitutional principles seems sturdy. These researchers noted that 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. Still, the idea that Donald Trump should cause us to wonder if America is close to the brink of fascism is chilling.
This erosion of trust has a flip side. Not only is the general public suspicious of what they hear from candidates and incumbents, but government leaders also increasingly have trouble trusting the information they themselves rely on. Granted, many policymakers, in education and other areas, surround themselves with vetted advisers whose recommendations predictably reinforce partisan dogma; if the information they receive is untrustworthy, thats in part a self-inflicted wound.
At the same time, though, we hadand still havehonest and dedicated leaders who approach the challenges of governance with grace, dignity, and a genuine willingness to treat complex questions with an objective and inquiring openness. Daniel Patrick Moynihan comes to mind. Among his distinctions as a professor, ambassador, presidential adviser, and senator, perhaps the most significant was his commitment to the infusion of social science evidence into political discourse. A lovely turn of phrase is commonly attributed to him: Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.
See Also To read more opinion on what this election means for K-12 schools, please visit:
As Yogi Berra might have said, if Pat Moynihan were alive today, he would surely be turning over in his grave.
Can the healthy appetite for reliable information be satisfied in todays partisan environment? Fortunately, there is a brighter side to what appears to be a grand, national celebration of ignorance: Our policymaking infrastructure thrives on a unique and unprecedented demand for objective evidence. By conservative estimates, we spend upwards of $5 billion a year on data collection and research aimed at infusing empirical knowledge into even the most highly charged and value-laden decisions.
Here I am referring to the funds allocated to independent research organizations, such as the American Institutes for Research, the RAND Corp., SRI International, the Urban Institute, and the National Academies. If you include the sizable federal budget that supports science in American universities and the corporate sector, that estimate explodes into the hundreds of billions of dollars. Ideology and religion are ever present in big policy debatesthink of climate change and reproductive rightsbut scientific evidence fills news stories and congressional testimony. It seems, indeed, that while Americans occasionally flirt with stupidity, they prefer to purchase knowledge.
Can the healthy appetite for reliable information be satisfied in today's partisan environment?"
Our reliance on independent expertise to inform government has deep cultural and historical roots, with the founding of organizations such as the American Philosophical Society in 1743, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1780, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1848. These were inventions of statesmen who believed that science was essential to the public good. With the 1863 chartering of the National Academy of Sciences, the idea that improved policymaking could benefit from nonpartisan, scientific input gained congressional and presidential affirmation. The National Academy of Education, founded in 1965, was inspired by the ideals and products of the National Academy of Sciences.
Our advice industry has blossomed, and by recent estimates we now have close to 2,000 think tanks in the United States, providing analyses and interpretations of data on just about every imaginable policy issue. (There are more than 6,000 such organizations worldwide .) In education, research organizations play a significant role in the policy discourse. Complaints about the quality of education research notwithstanding, debates over school reform, teacher quality, standards, assessment, early learning, class size, achievement, inequality, workforce development, college affordability, and much more all involve arguments about empirical evidence supplied by our robust research and evaluation infrastructure. Useful evidence is a core aspiration of education research.
Especially in an era of high anxiety about the trustworthiness of political rhetoric, the protection of the ideals of independent, objective, nonpartisan evidence to inform policy should be a high priority. Ironically, the growth in the size and complexity of the evidence and advice sector poses risks to its sustainability. Competition for public and private financial support , for example, may create incentives for researchers and their organizations to tailor their programs and spin their results to suit perceived preferences of their funders.
In education, the combined pressures of increasingly strategic and ideologically oriented philanthropy, coupled with flat or shrinking public funding for basic and applied research, threaten the credibility of education research as a guide to policy and practice. Acknowledging these dangers is the first step toward devising remedies. Fortunately, two centuries of experimentation with institutions and arrangements aimed at challenging dogma and partisanship with objective evidence provides a sturdy foundation upon which to explore innovative strategies.
We will survive this extraordinary campaign and, hopefully, elect a new administration and legislators committed to democracy and good government. Partisanship will surely continueits what democracy is all aboutand though ideologues and fanatics will always be looking for data to support their preconceived beliefs, the idea that objective information will play a role in our future must remain one of our greatest aspirations. Let us commit to reopening the discussion about how to ensure a safe place for evidence in the next round of education policy.
EU signs FTA with 3rd-largest pork exporter Canada
A much-delayed free trade agreement between the EU and Canada has finally been signed.
The signing of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was a result of one-week intensive negotiation between Canada and the 28-nation bloc, AHDB Pork reported.
Days earlier, the deal looked headed for trouble after the French-speaking Belgian region of Wallonia rejected the deal, leaving Belgium unable to ratify it. However, following intense negotiations, an addendum to the deal addressed regional concerns. "This allowed the deal to be signed on Sunday (Oct. 30) by Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and top EU officials", the pork division of the UK Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board said.
It said the revised deal still needs to be approved by the EU parliament, 28 EU member states and by Canada, and "subject to this, the agreement should enter into force next year".
Canada is the third-largest exporter of pork in the world after the EU and the US, but shipments to the EU have been negligible in recent years. Under CETA, pork has been classified as a sensitive product. AHDB Pork said that while a zero duty will apply to Canadian pork exported to the EU, it will be limited by tariff rate quotas (TRQs) to around 67,000 tonnes (product weight). This will be phased in over six years, with the existing TRQ of 4,625 tonnes rising to around 15,000 tonnes in the first year.
AHDB Pork said some technical barriers may need to be addressed before large-scale shipments can begin, though. "The eventual Canadian TRQ equates to just 0.4% of total EU consumption of pork but, in reality, Canadian exporters will target cuts that offer the best returns, especially hams, so the impact on the EU market could be greater".
Its almost more than a soul should have to bear. Over half-a-million Americans are suffering right now from Seasonal Affective Disorder, which comes when the shorter days and longer nights seem to give us the blues. Add the switch back to Eastern Standard Time, when darkness seems to last even longer, and Louisa Sylvia, the director of psychology as Massachusetts General Hospital, says a lack of light can impact our biological functioning.
But this particular week in November there is more: A 2016 survey just out by the American Psychological Association affirms what all of us have been thinking over half of those who live in the United States right now (52 percent) are experiencing a very real case of election distress. Those who are responsible the Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and Independents have us on a collision path with tomorrows election and I dont care who you are, the results will not be pretty regardless of who wins.
While I am hardly a psychiatrist, it pays to be ready. Seriously, if some evil is to befall us, the best defense is a good offense and a game plan. Dr. Deborah Serani, a foremost authority on depression, tells us what to do in a column she published on the Psychology Today website: Many individuals can experience a letdown of enormous proportions if their candidate doesn't win the election. Research tells us the more invested you are in a nominee, the more crushing their defeat can be to your own well-being.
One way to prevent the negative after effects of an election is to be realistic about government - and realistic about change. I remind myself that change takes time and that governing is a slow process, she added. I don't worry too much because I know there are many checks and balances - and I can find ways to get my voice heard if things move in an undesirable election. More important than anything else, and I accept what I can change in my immediate world and what I can't change.
But why are so many so passionate? This presidential election has been the worst spectacle of human behavior I can ever remember and Dr. Serani tells us why Emotions win elections. She presents outstanding evidence that once again we have been skillfully manipulated. An excerpt from her article tell us how it has been done:
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As the election process intensifies, nominees bombard us with negative campaigns, fear-based rhetoric and constant press conferences. Candidate speeches are generally scripted to persuade and influence -- and are often peppered with an underlying message of danger.
Other political groups find ways to jostle the campaign trail by leaking videos or launching negative stories for their own interests. And then there's news media, broadcast television, social media and internet websites that perpetuate the negative atmosphere by telling sensational stories, challenging the opinion of others in heated guest segments or poking at issues that challenge us as a country: unemployment, immigration, money, health, education. Before long, the general public splinters into polarizing groups, where anger or anxiety abound.
The negativity from Election Stress keeps rolling on - and research tells us it's not going to get any better anytime soon. You see, emotions win elections. Though positive campaigning can heighten your feelings of enthusiasm and hope, it is fear, anger and anxiety that gets you in the voting booth. You're more likely to make sure to get out and vote if you worry that you'll lose things in election times.
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Of course she is right! This is why we actually vote against a candidate instead of for a politician.
Think of how your body reacts. Just as extra darkness decreases our melatonin levels which regulates our hormones Dr. Serani says that when your body is faced with stress, particularly fear-based stress, the adrenal glands secrete glucocorticoid hormones to help you cope. Specifically, your body launches cortisol to help you get away from danger, where your heart rate increases, and blood flow goes to everything you need to run away or fight.
This fight-flight response is meant for short term stress - and becomes wearisome if it's elongated. You'll eventually get irritable, anxious, and even depressed because you're in a prolonged state of emergency.
That makes some among us say cuss words as we study election results but for an expert like Dr. Serani, who is an adjunct professor at Adelphi University as well as a practicing psychologist for the last quarter of a century, there are better ways to cope. She offers these five tips for handling whatever tomorrow brings:
1. LIMIT YOUR EXPOSURE TO THE MEDIA -- Turn off the television, power down from the internet. Give yourself a break from the onslaught of negative campaigning watch news shows that give an overview of the day's highlights. Stay informed yet stay away from drama.
2. CHOSE PRINT MEDIA -- Grabbing the local paper or a weekly magazine will reduce the likelihood that you'll get exposed to emotionally triggering material.
3. TAKE CHARGE -- You have the power to turn off the remote, link out of a website or change the radio station. You can always put down the newspaper or turn the page. Don't let yourself be passive when you feel negative campaigning is overwhelming you.
4. KNOW YOUR LIMITS -- Other people will have a different tolerance for election issues than you. If you've reached a saturation point, where you don't want to talk about politics, make your feelings known, walk away or change the subject. Avoid getting into political debates or wasting your passion about issues with a person who doesn't share your beliefs.
5. FEED YOUR SENSES -- Consider having an electronic-free day. Unplug from the phone, the computer, don't watch television or linger on social media. Let your senses take in the simpler things in life. (The Weather Channel will have soothing music and pictures all day tomorrow.)
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THE SERENITY PRAYER
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Amen.
royexum@aol.com
Secret Service agents rushed Donald Trump offstage on Saturday evening during a rally in Reno, Nevada after they determined a protester in the audience might pose a threat to the Republican presidential candidate.
'Go! Go!' agents shouted as they whisked Trump away and a combination of local police and private security wrestled Austyn Crites, 33, to the ground in the front of the crowd.
A 51-year-old woman who has not had a valid drivers license since 2001 charged last year with deliberately and repeatedly ramming the patrol car of an officer trying to take her into custody on 11 outstanding Hamilton County warrants has pleaded guilty to felony evading and habitual traffic offender charges.
Velma Jeanette Davis, whose lengthy criminal history crisscrosses Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia, entered the plea in Sequatchie County, where she has been in jail since she was arrested on Jack Smith Road on Aug.
The fleeing woman had just dodged Hamilton County officers pursuing her on 11 warrants, Sequatchie records indicate.
Not only should she not have been fleeing from officers, she should not have been driving at all, according to prosecutors.
Velma J. Davis . . . did unlawfully and knowingly operate a motor vehicle in this state while an Order from the Court prohibiting said operation remained in effect, with the said Velma J. Davis having been declared an habitual traffic offender in Hamilton County Criminal Court, Case No. 235297, on March 16, 2001, according to one of the five indictments grand jurors handed down against her in September.
Assistant District Attorney Steve Strain had notified the court about a month before the grand jury met that prosecutors intended to treat Ms. Davis as a multiple offender and ask she be sentenced to the upper range of possible penalties.
Prior to the Aug. 6, 2015, incident, Assistant DA Strain explained in that letter that Ms. Davis was convicted of possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana in Georgia in 2010, and felony failure to appear in Hamilton County in 2008.
Sequatchie patrol officers detailed laborious efforts to force Ms. Davis vehicle to a stop during the lengthy chase, which they reported crossed into Bledsoe County at one point.
(A)t 2:04 a.m. we had a bolo (be on lookout) for white Mitsubishi Eclipse on Mowbray Road that Hamilton County lost . . . the driver Velma J. Davis . . . is heading into our county on Henson Pike, Deputy Danny Hall said in his written report on the incident. Sgt. Gary Craft made contact with the vehicle on Hwy. 111 northbound, and he activated lights and sirens.
According to reports by Deputy Hall and other officers involved in the chase and eventual apprehension, Ms. Davis refused to stop. She ran multiple stop signs, (used) excessive speed, (and drove) on the wrong side of road, he wrote. Stuff did fly out of her car multiple times.
Dunlap Patrolman Thomas Mahoney, in his written reports, said when the chase reached Mt. Airy he was able to position his patrol car in front of Ms. Davis Mitsubishi in an attempt to slow her down and to warn oncoming drivers. The suspect responded by ramming the rear of his vehicle twice, he said.
According to both officers, the pursuit ended when Ms. Davis stopped at the end of Jack Smith Road, got out of her car and ran into the woods.
She was tased by Officer Mahoney as she resisted arrest, Deputy Hall wrote. I cuffed her and transported her to jail to be booked.
During that process, he noted, officers found a drug paraphernalia smoking pipe in her purse that she told me was for crack and cocaine.
Following that incident, Ms. Davis was charged with felony evading arrest, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, habitual traffic offender and evading arrest, Sequatchie records show.
She will be sentenced during coming weeks, court personnel said.
Meanwhile, back in Chattanooga the warrants that Ms. Davis was facing in 2015 remain in effect.
They are for multiple alleged violations including two counts each of felonious operation of a motor vehicle and evading arrest, leaving the scene of an accident with damage to the vehicle and reckless endangerment.
I am going to make this short and sweet.
Vote No to Bebe Heiskell on Tuesday.
Vote Yes to Shannon Whitfield to be the next Walker County Commissioner.
The future of Walker County's health depends on it.
Greg Turner
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Everyone please get out and vote for change in Walker County November 8th. We cannot elect Bebe Heiskell again. She has had almost 16 years in office and look where Walker County is now.
It is in the news negatively almost every week. Erlanger, tremendous debt, rundown eyesore areas, borrowing money from the water company just to make payroll, businesses don't want to be here, but we've got Mountain Cove Farms.
Vote for the candidate that can lead us to better days. Vote for Shannon Whitfield.
Steve Webb
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My family and I proudly cast our votes for Shannon Whitfield for Walker County Commissioner last week. Mr. Whitfield has been the only candidate that has demonstrated he has the knowledge, passion, business sense and a solid plan to try to get Walker County out of the mess we are currently in.
We recognize that it has taken many years under the current commissioner's watch to get the county in debt so badly that all Walker County residents will be paying for years to come. Maybe our children too. And that Rossville has become such an eyesore that people do not want to live there nor do businesses want to locate there.
Shannon Whitfield is the man who can and will start the healing. He will also make the Rossville area a priority and he recognizes all of its potential. It will not happen overnight and we should all know it will take time. But 16 years of the present commissioner has taken its toll on our county. Mr. Whitfield can turn our beautiful county around.
Please cast you vote for him Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Nancy Alford
Weeks after Angelina Jolie filed for divorce; Brad Pitt has filed his response for the first time. His response involves the custody of their six children.
According to News, Pitt is fighting to have joint custody of their children. Jolie first filed for sole physical custody of their children Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and 8-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, giving Pitt visitation rights.
The divorce and sole physical custody decision came after an alleged incident where Pitt physically hurt their eldest son Maddox during a flight on their private jet. Pitt was then investigated for child abuse, but the actor strongly denies this allegation. His response to Jolie's petition may intensity their divorce and custody battle.
Meanwhile, International Business Times reported that in the middle of his divorce and custody battle, Pitt pulled out of all his promotional commitments for his new movie "Allied." The 52-year-old actor cancelled all interview and chat show appearances. He will also not participate in the press junkets scheduled for the film.
A source claimed that the film was supposed to be a start for Pitt's campaign to finally win an Oscar. However, the controversy he is in risks any publicity. The source also claimed that the press was briefed not to ask anything involving Pitt's personal life to his co-stars.
With that, the actor is also expected not to be present in the red carpet premiere of the film in Los Angeles. Although Pitt's camp is yet to confirm this, a source said that the movie's cast and production understands the predicament he is in now, but in case he decides to appear, he will not say a word to the media and may sneak in a side door.
Pitt plays the role of Max Vatan in the movie and he stars alongside Marion Cottilard who was rumored to be the third party in his relationship with Jolie. Cottilard already denied this allegation.
How Democrats promote poverty and inequality
By Dr. Peter Morici
Hillary Clinton has made addressing inequality a central theme of her campaign, but the remedies she proposes are often worse than the disease.
Since Ronald Reagan, successive presidents have built out the social safety net, and made it more susceptible to abuse. For example, about one in five working age adults receive social security disability benefits, more than double the 1990 rate, even though we now live healthier, longer lives.
As government transfer payments as a share of household income have increased, growth and jobs creation over successive economic expansions have slowed and the middle class is shrinking.
Anemic growth has many sourcesdeclining trade competitiveness vis-a-vis China and chronic shortages of skilled labor, which make implementing the latest technologies difficult for business. However, government policies contribute importantly too.
Poorly crafted and enforced trade agreements that Mrs. Clinton and Donald Trump both rail against have permitted China to snatch important segments of industrial supply chains that benefit little from its cheap labor. The resulting trade deficit depresses demand for American made products, employment and wages.
Greater emphasis on income support and health care programs in federal and state budgets to placate frustrated voters have curtailed public support for basic research at private and university laboratories, and squeezed funding for colleges of engineering and technical training at community colleges and high schools.
Businesses are increasingly establishing their own training programs or subsidizing those at community colleges but public schools place too much emphasis on diversity and social issues in the curriculum. Consequently, about 40 percent of high graduates lack math and other skills needed to succeed in these programs.
Too many high school graduates and college graduates, who often lack the basic problem solving skills for even entry level administrative and managerial positions, often end up in dead-end, low-paying jobs.
All contribute to income inequality and poverty, but state and local governments are doing even more damage without any prodding from Washington.
Tough land use regulations intended to gentrify and preserve the charm of prosperous cities like San Francisco and New York severely limit new residential construction and discourage migration of workers from less prosperous areas by jacking up land values and rents.
Local government efforts to disperse the working poor to the suburbs often leave them underserved by public transportation and unable to fill jobs that require traveling from one suburb to another, and leave middle class workers unable to afford urban apartments suitable for raising families.
Similarly, state and local governments require licenses for one in four jobs todayup from one in twenty in the 1950s. Often these requirements do little to protect public health and safetyfor example, hanging a single painting in a Florida office, school or restaurant requires an interior decorator's licensebut do much to discourage migration from states where incomes and professional opportunities are less plentiful.
In 2014, after the Congressional Budget Office estimated President Obama's proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 would kill about 500,000 jobs, states like New York and California pushed those up even further.
No small wonder, even as the recovery has continued to limp along, new jobs created are down in 2015 and 2016.
All serve to depress wages and make poverty more difficult to escape these days, even for many who attended college, and income inequality is worse today than before the financial crisis.
To compensate, Mrs. Clinton proposes new subsidies for child care, to finance health insurance premiums and other social programs but just the entitlements currently in place discourage working families from improving their lot by accessing training or seeking additional employment.
Programs like the earned income tax credit, Medicaid, food stamps and Obamacare assistance for purchasing health insurance are means tested and phase out as income rises, imposing on many lower and middle income families effective marginal tax rates as high as 50 to 80 percent. Adding to these benefits, as Mrs. Clinton prescribes, would only worsen the problem.
Genuine tax reformfor example, replacing the income tax with a value added tax and providing each adult and child a fixed federal payment to eliminate the spider's web of entitlementswould fix the problem. No one would be penalized for improving their skills, working harder and smarter and increasing their incomes.
Mrs. Clinton is uninterested in such solutions. Those would break the chains of dependency between struggling low and middle income voters and Democratic politicians who champion the opium we call the welfare state.
Peter Morici is an economist and business professor at the University of Maryland, and a national columnist. He tweets @pmorici1
A thick smoke hung over downtown Chattanooga on Monday from surrounding forest fires after a long period of no rain.
Air quality officials said a temperature inversion occurred Monday morning creating a layer of smoke that has not dissipated. Officials said they expected the air quality to improve later in the day as the inversion lifts.
The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau encourages residents to take precautions if they smell smoke or are in an area near the wildfires. Residents are encouraged to: Stay indoors with the windows and doors closed. Avoid running the air conditioner if possible. If it cannot be avoided, run the air conditioner in your home or car with the fresh air intake closed.
Minimize or avoid outdoor activities, especially physical exertion during smoky conditions. Monitor air quality conditions. People in high-risk groups, including children, pregnant women, older adults, those with lung disease, including COPD or asthma, should limit outside activities. Additionally, small pets can also be impacted by unhealthy air and should be brought indoors if possible.
For current and forecast particulate matter AQI information go to the website at apcb.org or visit airnow.gov.
Meanwhile, an Air Quality Alert was issued because of all the woodland fires.
The alert says: THE TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION HAS ISSUED AN AIR QUALITY ACTION DAY FOR THE KNOXVILLE...GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS...AND CHATTANOOGA AREAS...IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EST WEDNESDAY. A CODE RED AIR QUALITY ALERT FOR OZONE HAS BEEN ISSUED. GROUND LEVEL OZONE CONCENTRATIONS WITHIN THE REGION MAY APPROACH OR EXCEED UNHEALTHY STANDARDS. EVERYONE MAY EXPERIENCE HEALTH EFFECTS. MEMBERS OF SENSITIVE GROUPS MAY EXPERIENCE MORE SERIOUS HEALTH EFFECTS. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...PLEASE VISIT THE TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION FACEBOOK PAGE @TN AIR QUALITY.
Trump triumph to dream the impossible dream By Dr. Robert Owens
According to Albert Einstein, Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If We the People want to restore the Republic we will have to rise above the shop worn politics presented by the two-headed party of power and as described by the Corporations Once Known as the Mainstream Media. We cannot be diverted into the channels of thought and discussion that inevitably lead to the same conclusions. We debate where and when we should intervene in overseas adventures not if we should intervene. We debate how much money the Fed should create not if the Fed should create money or if there should be a central bank at all. We debate how big the deficit should be instead of should we run deficits at all. As long as we allow the advocates of big government to dictate the debate we lose before the first words are spoken because the answers are prescribed by the questions. In an article as short as this I cannot cover all the many schemes, swindles, and boondoggles that have led us to the precipice. Let me examine one that is rarely thought about, barely understood, and never mentioned in political campaigns. Fractional Reserve Banking is the prescription that causes the disease. The attempt to create prosperity by inflating bubbles leads inevitably to the bursting of bubbles. This bubble blowing is a result of the so-called multiplier effect. According to Investopedia: The multiplier effect is the expansion of a country's money supply that results from banks being able to lend. The size of the multiplier effect depends on the percentage of deposits that banks are required to hold as reserves. In other words, it is the money used to create more money and is calculated by dividing total bank deposits by the reserve requirement. BREAKING DOWN 'Multiplier Effect' To calculate the effect of the multiplier effect on the money supply, start with the amount banks initially take in through deposits, and divide this by the reserve ratio. If, for example, the reserve requirement is 20%, for every $100 a customer deposits into a bank, $20 must be kept in reserve. However, the remaining $80 can be loaned out to other bank customers. This $80 is then deposited by these customers into another bank, which in turn must also keep 20%, or $16, in reserve but can lend out the remaining $64. This cycle continues as more people deposit money and more banks continue lending it until finally the $100 initially deposited creates a total of $500 ($100/0.2) in deposits. This creation of deposits is the multiplier effect. Required Reserves The reserve requirement is set by the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System, and it varies based on the total amount of liabilities held by a particular depository institution. For example, as of 2016, institutions with more than $110.2 million in deposits are required to hold 10% of their total liabilities in reserve. Ten percent! That is all the banks are required to keep out of every dollar deposited. No wonder there are so many balls in the air at once, and no wonder they periodically come crashing down. For every one hundred dollars deposited the banks make another 609 dollars appear as if by magic. How could this ever go wrong? When the music stops there never seems to be a chair for everyone, and as the dominos tumble they always take down the next in line. Enter the government which legalized Fractional Reserve Banking to begin with to solve the problems caused by Fractional Reserve Banking. After George Bush II declared, "I've abandoned free market principles to save the free market system" and went on to bail out the main perpetrators of the government mandated sub-prime loans, for some reason the 99% became upset. All the little people who pay the bills burned out on bail outs. It was time for the next dog and pony show, so the government steps in to fix the situation they caused by trying to fix the situation they caused passing the Dodd-Frank Bill. In classic government cure the disease by amplifying the infection mode Dodd-Frank actually enshrines too big to fail and sets the stage for the next big bail out of the crony capitalists who are one of the three legs of the Washington fascist economy. A classic case of doing what feels good instead of doing what is good. Some may think that my use of the word fascist to describe the current American economy is hyperbole. It is not. A fascist economic system, also known as Corporatism, is a union of the government, crony capitalists, and big unions. Sound familiar? From a rigged economic system to a rigged political system our once proud Republic has devolved from a nation of the people by the people and for the people to a dysfunctional oligarchy masquerading as a functional democracy. If you listen to the Corporations Once Known as the Mainstream Media and their cable network step sisters we are poised to elect the most corrupt person to have ever run, the head of a crime family, and the wife of the defiler of the oval office. No matter what the next scandal, no matter the prospect of a failed presidency racked by serial investigations these bought and paid for pundits act as if her victory is inevitable. I dont think so. As I have predicted since January 31 I believe the Donald will win in the greatest landslide since Reagan in 1984. After decades of Progressives who have sold us down the river and regaled us with lies such as If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor we finally have a man who inspires us with his dream of making America great again. In a recent speech Mr. Trump said we should dream big. He said that if we will unlock the potential of the American people no dream will be beyond our reach. I have always been a dreamer and now like someone waking up from the fever dream of the Obamapocalypse I am joining with Donald Trump to dream the impossible dream: to make America great again. To dream the impossible dream To fight the unbeatable foe To bear with unbearable sorrow To run where the brave dare not go To right the unrightable wrong To be better far than you are To try when your arms are too weary To reach the unreachable star This is my quest, to follow that star No matter how hopeless, no matter how far To be willing to give when there's no more to give To be willing to die so that honor and justice may live And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest And the world will be better for this That one man scorned and covered with scars Still strove with his last ounce of courage To reach the unreachable star Let us join together on November 8th to elect Donald J. Trump as the next president of the United States. Let us dream the impossible dream. Let us stop doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. Let us make that impossible dream possible once again. Let us make America great again. Dr. Robert Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion. He is the Historian of the Future @ http://drrobertowens.com 2016 Contact Dr. Owens drrobertowens@hotmail.com Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Facebook or Twitter @ Drrobertowens / Edited by Dr. Rosalie Owens Home
How Obamacare intimidates young adults By Richard E. Ralston
By order of the President of the United States, young adults who opted out of Obamacare will soon receive one of those friendly letters that we all love from the IRS. An inspection of their income tax returns put these individuals on a list of those who chose not to sign up for Obamacare and instead paid, along with their taxes, the "individual responsibility penalty." Where, you may ask, did they come up with such an Orwellian phrase? Where did the government get the idea that they had the power to impose such a penalty? Do not spend too much time on that question, as wherever they got it, U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts ruled that the penalty is really a tax, you see, even though the government calls it a penalty. The Orwellian twist is certainly appropriate, because the IRS rats out these young adults to the Department of Health and Human Services not because they failed to pay this tax, but because they did pay it. Now President Obama wants these citizens to receive his parting gift as he leaves office: an intimidating letter from the IRS pressuring them to submit to Obamacare insurance coverage. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) refers to all of this as "strengthening the marketplace by outreach to families that pay the penalty." In English, that means Obamacare is not doing well financially, so more young adults must be coerced into paying excessive insurance premiums to subsidize older participants. That was the plan. But young people have been unwilling to throw themselves on that sacrificial fire, preferring to pay a penalty rather than outrageous premiums.
Millions of letters from CMS--who will, "in partnership with the IRS conduct outreach to families that paid the tax"--will soon arrive in the mailboxes of young people. After scouring tax returns, CMS will add the personal touch of "asking" individuals to pay for Obamacare premiums, which are more than the tax. That is how the IRS and the rest of the government define outreach: obey and pay up. We are seeing the unique combination of three characteristics of the Obama
presidency: 1. The unprecedented use of the IRS for blatant political purposes: to punish individuals and organizations that do not follow the administration line. 2. Government by presidential decree, without congressional authorization, enforced by intimidation or threats. 3. The arbitrary sacrifice of large groups of citizens to other groups. In this case, younger Americans are forced to pay artificially high insurance premiums to subsidize premiums for older Americans--not because older Americans necessarily need subsidies (most have higher income than young people) but because of the political difficulty of letting them pay what the insurance actually costs. Young people must be made to pay more than what their insurance costs. Or else. The loving hand of government-controlled medical care will always come to this:
brute force, setting some groups of citizens against others, and medical care subordinated to the demands of a political spoils system. Rather than tolerate this intimidation tactic by the president in a vain attempt to prop up Obamacare, we should tell him to take it all with him. Richard E. Ralston is executive director of Americans for Free Choice in Medicine, Newport Beach, California. Copyright 2016 Americans for Free Choice in Medicine. All rights reserved. Home
Can oil markets survive an OPEC implosion?
By Nick Cunningham
A technical meeting that was supposed to iron out some wrinkles for a deal to cut oil production ended in acrimony late last month, and OPEC's effort at coordination could be at yet another impasse.
Following the Algiers agreement at the end of September, a tentative deal that called for a collective reduction in oil output in the range of 200,000 to 700,000 barrels per day, OPEC scheduled a meeting on October 28-29 in Vienna to put some meat on the bones of the pact so that it could be officially sealed at the end of November.
But after weeks of papering over differences between its members and trying to put some positive spin on the prospects for a deal, OPEC not only failed to agree on individual production quotas, but its members also bickered over data and even which countries are supposed to participate. The group spent two days negotiating, and came away with nothing more than a statement that said they would continue talking.
The biggest hang up at this point is Iraq, which has two fundamental complaints. First, Iraqi officials dispute the data being used to calculate its oil production levels, arguing that the sources OPEC is using for its official estimates are underestimating Iraq's output. That would hamstring Iraq more than it feels is fair, forcing it to cut deeper under the deal.
More importantly, Iraq is demanding an exemption from the deal entirely, arguing that it should be allowed to produce as much as possible because of its costly war against the Islamic State. Iran, Nigeria and Libya have been granted exemptions, due to the effect of sanctions (Iran) and disrupted supply because of security issues (Nigeria and Libya) Iraq wants the same treatment.
That resulted in some friction at the Oct. 28 gathering in Vienna, a meeting that reportedly stretched on for 12 hours. As the WSJ noted, the success of this type of agreement at the end of November tends to require a consensus from lower-level officials ahead of time, something that did not occur this past weekend. That casts some serious doubt on the viability of the overall deal. On Oct. 29, another meeting with non-OPEC producers such as Brazil, Russia, Azerbaijan, Mexico, Oman and Kazakhstan, also ended with very little progress and zero commitments. Moreover, non-OPEC countries will have little impetus to offer any concessions if OPEC itself cannot come to terms. Russia said upfront that it would not cut its production, and it would only freeze if OPEC agreed to cut first.
The challenges standing in the way of the deal were evident right after the Algiers announcement at the end of September. Getting all members on board for a production cut was always going to be an uphill battle. But after this weekend, the odds of a deal look increasingly grim. "It's more likely that OPEC will come away with no decision in November than that they'll reach an agreement," Fabio Scacciavillani, chief economist at the Oman Investment Fund, told Bloomberg on Oct 30. "If they are able to agree, it will likely be a wishy-washy deal that's hobbled by too many exemptions."
With competing interests, the discord seen in Vienna was somewhat predictable. And the results of the fallout are predictable too: oil prices dropped more than 1 percent the following Monday during early trading, with both WTI and Brent dipping below $50 per barrel and dropping close to one-month lows. Hedge funds and other money managers cut their long positions on oil futures and increased short bets for the week ending on October 25, a sign that the markets are losing confidence in a deal. "The price balloon is deflating in response to increasing doubts that OPEC will deliver a credible agreement on production control, David Hufton, CEO of brokers PVM Group, told Bloomberg. "The combined OPEC and non-OPEC dance rhythm is one step forward followed by two steps back.
In fact, the chances of a deal might deteriorate even further in the remaining days before the official meeting at the end of November. OPEC likely increased oil production in October, which would require even steeper cuts than they previously laid out. That could put a deal of any significance entirely out of reach.
Nick Cunningham is a writer for Oilprice.com where this originally appeared. Home
Missing the connection between politicians and consequences By Michael R. Shannon
Today we have two widely separated instances of voters unable to grasp the connection between the people they elect to office and the policies and taxes that make them angry. In Montgomery County, MD a bastion of Democrat Leftist compassion and social justice incumbent members of the county council are contributing funds from their campaign accounts to defeat a referendum designed to impose term limits. What, you thought they'd use their own money? These are incumbent politicians, they use other people's money to affect social change. Just like vampires use other people's blood for sustenance. The term limit referendum is a voterled response to a council that boosted it's salary to $135,000 a year, for a job that's supposed to be parttime, and increased property taxes 9 percent. The prime mover behind the referendum is a local activist, Republican and, if truth be told, jerk named Robin Ficker. Ficker, on the side of the angels here, calls the incumbents "selfserving tax increase specialists" in coverage by the Washington Post. And he claims "44 percent of the signatures [on the referendum petitions] came from registered Democrats. If passed, the referendum would limit council members to three consecutive terms for a total of 12 years in office. That might be long enough for the government to indoctrinate your child, but for a politician it's barely enough time to settle in at the government trough. Politicians and the interest groups that control them really hate term limits. The politicians because they'll have to find honest work and the interest groups because they'll have to go to the trouble to capture new politicians when the old ones were already house trained. That's why the "No on B" campaign attracted the politician's donations and support of the Montgomery Education Association (putting teachers first since its founding), Casa in Action (an illegal alien, sanctuary city support group), the AfricanAmerican, Latino and Muslim Democrat clubs (racial bean counters) and the Democrat party as a whole. Ficker is unimpressed, "Quite frankly, I hope they all put in a million dollars. I hope they spend all their money fighting this. We need change in Montgomery County." Strangely enough, the situation is somewhat similar in Gaza. There the incumbents are from Hamas and they never tire of talking about their compassion for the Arab people and corresponding hatred for Jews. The difference is in Gaza term limits initiatives are of a more kinetic nature and typically originate in Israel. Since being voted into power in 2007, Hamas has been responsible for starting and losing three wars against the Little Satan. Gaza was in the news when the Post covered an outing of senior citizens allowed to visit Jerusalem: "A few hundred older Palestinians may now exit the coastal strip on Fridays and take the 90-minute bus trip to Jerusalem to pray at alAqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam." Residents of Montgomery County who want to visit a free land have only to get in the car and drive a few miles to Virginia. In Gaza visitors must run a "security" gauntlet. The first stop is the Hamas checkpoint where green-uniformed thugs give travelers the stink eye. The next stop is the Palestinian Authority checkpoint where the thugs Hamas ousted do their own rousting. Here the seniors were arbitrarily told they could not bring food or water into Israel lest it fall into the hands of the Jews. Final stop is the Israeli checkpoint where bags are xrayed for bombs, the PA takes food from travelers, but explosives are waived right through passengers are scanned and papers examined. Once In Israel the Arabs were amazed at how green the country is, how smooth the roads are and how the basic infrastructure functions. Back home they live in squalor because the damage from three wars is mostly unrepaired because Hamas steals construction material to build missilefiring bunkers and more tunnels to invade Israel. Hamas has outsourced any government functions that don't involve explosions to "humanitarian groups" and as a result 70 percent of the population lives on handouts. In the end though, neither population is capable of understanding the type of government they support is responsible for their woes. There's an excellent chance the term limits question will pass in Montgomery. The old sullen Democrats will be forced out of office by an unrelenting calendar only to be replaced by newly elected Democrats that will continue the tax and spend policies that generated the initial outrage. There won't be another election in Gaza anytime soon, but residents will continue to blame the Jews and not Hamas for all their problems. How long until either realizes its the ideology and not the implementors that must change. Michael R. Shannon is a public relations and advertising consultant with corporate, government and political experience around the globe. He is a dynamic and entertaining keynote speaker. He can be reached at mandate.mmpr (at) gmail.com. He is also the author of Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!). Home
Roundup the corrupt fear mongers By Paul Driessen
Do we really need more collusion, corruption and deceit in the service of renegade regulators, organic food interests, anti-chemical activists, and policies that carry harmful or even lethal consequences? Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is one of the most widely used herbicides on Earth. Numerous farmers use it in conjunction with Roundup-Ready seeds, to grow crops that thrive in fields sprayed to eliminate weeds while also being insect-resistant and drought-tolerant, thanks to other traits built into their DNA. Such crops significantly reduce the need to spray pesticides and irrigate fields. They also permit no-till farming, which eliminates mechanical weeding, thereby greatly reducing erosion and enabling soils to retain their stores of carbon, carbon dioxide and other nutrients. Glyphosate is also better, safer and less expensive than "organic" alternatives. On a volume basis, it is much less toxic than salt or vinegar, which are often combined for homemade weed killers. Farmers also have to use far more salt-vinegar concoctions and apply them more often than they would glyphosate, and even then the S-V mix is not nearly as effective. Industrial-strength organic herbicides also exist. However, when ultra-green Sonoma County, California tried one of these "natural alternatives" to glyphosate, the "organic" product cost 17 times more than Monsanto's oft-vilified chemical to cover the same acreage. Moreover, sprayers had to use hazmat suits and respirators when applying the natural chemical mix, because it irritated eyes and nasal passages. Glyphosate/ Roundup requires no protective gear. The "organic" mixture is also toxic to bees and other beneficial insects; Roundup is not. These hard realities force many organic farms to rely on mechanized or hand weeding. But tractors crush closely planted crops, and even full-sized hoes don't offer enough control to avoid damaging sensitive plants. That means poorly paid migrant farm workers must bend over all day, using short-handled hoes. So California banned the little hoes, and then banned "unnecessary hand weeding" since it also causes serious to permanent back problems but exempted organic farms from the ban. With people having safely eaten trillions of servings containing one or more GMO ingredients, and hundreds of scientific organizations having determined that genetically modified foods are perfectly safe, radical anti-technology groups like Greenpeace have increasingly focused on glyphosate as their substitute villain. They've also enlisted a number of regulatory agencies, by helping to get anti-chemical activists in their ranks and launching high-pressure campaigns to secure desired agency decisions. Among them is the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a World Health Organization (WHO) bureau headquartered in France. IARC simply reviews existing research and classifies chemicals as definitely, probably, possibly or not likely to cause cancer in humans at extremely high doses. It does not conduct its own studies or determine which exposure levels do not actually pose cancer risks. Considering that coffee, alcohol, salted fish, and many nutritious fruits and vegetables are carcinogenic in high doses, this is not a very useful approach. In fact, since 1965, IARC has reviewed over 900 chemicals and concluded that only one is "probably not carcinogenic to humans." All too often, IARC uses its classifications to justify chemical bans, without considering other factors. As a 2016 Toxicology and Pharmacology journal paper by ten US and EU toxicology and cancer experts demonstrates, this methodology is outmoded, unworkable and likely to reach erroneous conclusions. Even worse, IARC is now controlled by anti-chemical activists who have multiple conflicts of interest and often collude with other activists in regulatory agencies and extreme environmentalist groups. What is really needed, these experts emphasize, is "risk assessment," which requires evaluating human exposure to a chemical in terms of its avenue (topical, inhalation or ingestion) and the duration, frequency and magnitude of exposure, to assess maximum safe doses. Evaluations must also determine whether substances that cause cancer in animals also do so in humans. For instance, statins and many other pharmaceuticals are carcinogenic for animals, but safe for humans. Only after all this is done can proper risk management and mitigation measures be developed. However, IARC does none of this. The IARC hazard-identification method can lead to crazy results. For instance, it puts processed meat in the same "definitely carcinogenic" category as poisonous mustard gas. The paper's authors ask: Should we treat processed meats the same way we do mustard gas: reduce exposure to zero? Or should we treat mustard gas the way we handle red or processed meat: as part of a healthy lifestyle, in moderation? Addressing these and other considerations, the European Food Safety Authority recently concluded that glyphosate "is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans." IARC labeled glyphosate "a probable human carcinogen" and vigorously lobbied Brussels officials for a ban, threatening its approval in the EU. This unprecedented political activism raises serious questions about collusion, dishonesty and lack of transparency at the IARC, US Environmental Protection Agency and NIH's National Institutes of Environmental Health, which is led by anti-chemical activist Linda Birnbaum. University of Illinois emeritus professor Bruce Chassy, risk evaluation blogger David Zaruk, the US House of Representatives Oversight Committee, the Reuters News Agency and others have documented all of this, and more: IARC cherry-picked both the studies it relied on, and data from within those studies, to support conclusions sought by activists like former NIEH staffer Chris Portier. He drove the IARC review process, influenced who would be on its evaluation panels, and campaigned across Europe for a ban while receiving paychecks from the anti-pesticide pressure group Environmental Defense Fund. IARC hid those connections and failed to disclose similar conflicts of interest by other review panel members. Now IARC is refusing to release data and documents used in reaching its conclusions and advising panelists not to disclose materials requested under FOIA. It claims IARC is the "sole owner" of all such materials, even though they were developed using US and EU tax money, and peer review by independent outside experts is essential for ensuring honest, accurate, scientific decisions that serve the public interest. Meanwhile, IARC insists that its practices are "widely respected for their scientific rigor, standardized and transparent process and freedom from conflicts of interest." You cannot make this stuff up. Meanwhile, EPA has again delayed its final decision on glyphosate safety, removed a supportive memo from its website, and given contradictory and deceptive testimony on the issue to Congress. House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) has sent a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, demanding explanations and corrections. One question involves the relationship between EPA and Chris Portier's brother Ken, who was recently added to EPA's Scientific Advisory Panel on glyphosate. The two served on multiple NIEH and EPA panels and meetings, without disclosing their relationship, even when Ken reviewed Chris's work. The National Institutes of Health has given tens of millions of dollars to IARC. And yet, when the House Oversight Committee questioned its officials about glyphosate decisions and ties to EPA, NIH agreed to appear only if any hearing was off limits to the press and public. What are the agencies trying to hide? Worst of all, this war on GMO food and glyphosate has lethal consequences. As former UK Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has noted, Vitamin A Deficiency causes 500,000 children to go blind and half of them to die every year. VAD also causes nutritionally acquired immune deficiency syndrome, which results in another two million children dying annually from diseases they would otherwise survive. Nutrient-fortified "Golden Rice" could prevent VAD but Greenpeace and other radicals oppose its use. That means their 15-years-long war on Golden Rice alone has killed 30 million children. Tens of millions more have died because the same extremist groups oppose DDT, other pesticides and fossil fuels. They are more worried about far-fetched risks from glyphosate and GMO foods than about this death toll. That is outrageous. This eco-manslaughter, this crime against humanity, can no longer be tolerated. We need to use Roundup on the corruption, collusion, cronyism and callous disregard for human lives. Paul Driessen is senior policy analyst for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (www.CFACT.org), and author of Eco-Imperialism: Green power - Black death and other books on the environment. Home
Sleazy 'scam PACs' hurt GOP candidates again this cycle with fake fundraising By Rachel Alexander
A crop of conservatively named super PACs has arisen in recent years, which serve to do little but pad their own coffers during election season. The moneymakers behind the scam organizations appeal to the conservative base with long-shot candidates who have no chance at toppling powerful Republican incumbents, by disguising their actual chances. And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how troublesome these PACs are. Very little of the money raised goes to help candidates, it is instead diverted to "operational" costs, which disproportionately include inflated fees paid to consultants and vendors. The names of prominent conservatives like Allen West are used to raise money but the money doesn't go to benefit West. These organizations divert money away from tight races where conservatives genuinely need the funds. Grassroots volunteers are getting fed up as well, toiling away for free as a select number of political consultants make millions from their efforts. I previously wrote about these "Scam PACs" in 2014, and unfortunately they reemerged again this election cycle, stronger than ever due to the advances in advertising on the internet. Campaign finance lawyer Paul H. Jossey admitted all of this in an article for Politico this summer entitled, "How We Killed the Tea Party." He wrote, "Greedy super PACs drained the movement with endless pleas for money to support conservative' candidates while instead using the money to enrich themselves. I should know. I worked for one of them." He explains how the organizations took advantage of "mostly older, technologically unsavvy people willing to divulge personal information through petitions' which only made them prey to further attempts to lighten their wallets for what they believed was a good cause." In 2014, Politico found that a mere "$3 million of $43 million raised from 33 analyzed groups did support candidates in 2014. But finding races they positively affected is difficult. They played absolutely no role in that cycle's biggest Tea Party victory, the scalping of Eric Cantor." Arguably the most atrocious Scam PAC effort this year was the effort by long-shot Paul Nehlen to topple incumbent and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in the GOP primary. Whether you like Ryan or not, he decimated Nehlen with 80 percent of the vote; Nehlen never had a chance. According to Right Wisconsin, which closely covered the race, an automated push-poll was conducted in July to make it appear that Nehlen was within striking distance of Ryan, 43 to 32 percent. The conservative news site Breitbart ran with the story, giving the poll more credibility. Right Wisconsin identified political consultant Dan Backer as behind the effort: "Widely recognized inside the Beltway as a leader in the rise of so-called Scam PACs' that raise money and then spend the majority of funds raised on consulting fees' instead of candidates, Backer recently wrapped up a stint as treasurer of Volunteers for Nehlen. That was the campaign committee for Paul Nehlen in Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District." Backer runs PACs with alluring conservative names like Tea Party Leadership Fund, Tea Party Forward, Conservative Action Fund, Constitutional Rights PAC, National Defense PAC, Combat Veterans for Congress and Great America PAC. The Trump campaign disavowed Great America PAC, sending it a letter saying it was not authorized to raise funds on Trump's behalf. Backer's firms have pulled in $1 million since 2013. Tea Party Forward launched "2016 Operation RINO Hunt," which "put more than 80% of its funds into operating expenditures." Recognize the name "Stop Hillary PAC" from the emails currently flooding your inbox? That's Backer's too. Right Wisconsin has broken down the lopsided amounts these PACs have spent on "operations" versus candidates. Compounding the problem is the tight grasp the establishment has on protecting moderate Republicans. Some of the political consultants making millions during election season helped moderates defeat Tea Party challengers. Politico found in 2014 that a mere 10 political consulting firms were paid more than $19.6 million to ensure establishment candidates "survived a tea party assault." Rush Limbaugh said their record isn't even that good. He quoted Democratic strategist Pat Caddell speaking at CPAC in 2013, "[T]he Republican consultant class is taking the party down the tubes, that they're making filthy amounts of money $150 million a campaign whether the candidate wins or loses. It's a closed set,' so to speak. It's a very close-knit, closed group, these consultants, and they trade candidates and candidacies from year to year and they go back and forth. They're all moderates." Caddell compared the effort to racketeering, and explained how congressional candidates are threatened that they will not receive any money from the GOP establishment unless they hire one of these elite political consultants. Caddell also had harsh words for gullible contributors, "'I blame the donors who allow themselves to be played for marks. I blame the people in the grassroots for allowing themselves to be played for suckers." While the compromising GOP establishment needs to be swept out of office and replaced with solid conservatives, it isn't as easy as it looks. Spending millions of dollars on long-shot candidates with no chance of winning and spreading fake push-polls does not represent conservative principles. Conservatives ousted John Boehner as speaker, then forced Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy out of the race to replace him. The grown-ups should have been honest and explained that this was a significant victory for conservatives, and the best that could be accomplished for speaker at this time. As I've previously written, Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) advises the best way to stop abuse by these PACs is for an independent organization to review them similarly to the way charities are scored. Until then, avoid them and instead give directly to conservative candidates. The flashy clickbait ads, petitions and online pseudo-polls are meaningless. Real polls can be found at Real Clear Politics, and some, like Rasmussen, are not tilted to the left. It may sound urgent and exciting to "Stand with us for Benghazi!" Just limit your involvement to mouse clicks, not money, and provide a junk email address that you don't mind being shared with 20 other Scam PACs. Rachel Alexander and her brother Andrew are co-Editors of Intellectual Conservative. She has been published in the American Spectator, Townhall.com, Fox News, NewsMax, Accuracy in Media, The Americano, ParcBench, and other publications. Home
"Third parties" in Canada a reassessment (Part Three) By Mark Wegierski
Western Canada has also been an area where many third parties have arisen. The Green Party, which has contested more recent federal elections, finally elected its first MP in the 2011 election. The leader of the federal Green Party, Elizabeth May, won the British Columbia riding she was running in. She also won again in the 2015 election. The federal Green Party had won about 4 percent of the vote in successive elections. However, under the "first-past-the-post" system in Canada, it is rather difficult for smaller parties whose support is widely scattered, to win any parliamentary seats. The Canadian federal system -- which consists of provinces that are fewer in number, typically territorially larger, and more regionally and culturally delineated between each other than most U.S. states is clearly one factor that has encouraged the arising of "third parties". There are also the northern territories in Canada which are symbolically quite important to Canadian identity but have very small populations relative to the rest of the country. There is a Yukon Party in the Yukon. That party was formerly called the Yukon Progressive Conservative Party. Both the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and Reform Party arose in Western Canada. Preston Manning insisted that the Reform Party exist only at the federal level in order to focus strictly on winning the federal government, and not to be diverted into battles in the particular provinces.
On November 7, 2007, the Saskatchewan Party (a coalition mostly of former provincial Progressive Conservatives, and former provincial Liberals) won a decisive victory over the provincial New Democratic Party which had held the provincial government in Saskatchewan since 1991. In Alberta, the Progressive Conservatives were challenged in the 2012 provincial election by the distinctly more conservative Wildrose Alliance a party which exists only in Alberta. Although it was widely predicted that they would win the 2012 election, the Wildrose Alliance fizzled in the end. Albertans seemed to have been scared to vote for a party that was seen as "extremely" conservative. Indeed, Alison Redford, the P.C. winner, was called by some pundits as "Alberta's first NDP Premier". Ironically, in the May 5, 2015 provincial election, the NDP won a strong majority, with the Wildrose Alliance in second place (with 21 seats), and the P.C.s reduced to only 10 seats. The P.C. leader, Jim Prentice, was seen as arrogant although he did manage to attract most of the previously sitting Wildrose Alliance parliamentary members to the P.C. Party, before the election. It was widely expected that the Wildrose Alliance would simply fold, but they in fact rallied to win more seats than the P.C.s, who fell to the NDP juggernaut. The NDP victory was tied to the worsening economic situation in Alberta (which has now worsened still further, because of the dropping price of oil in world-markets). Speaking of Alberta, one should mention the small "Western separatist" parties of the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the anti-official-bilingualism Confederation of Regions party, which also had a sporadic existence in Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Ontario. Its height of achievement was being the Official Opposition in New Brunswick in 1991-1995 before it disintegrated as a result of factional conflicts that often seem to plague such small, protest parties. There was also a small, libertarian-oriented, Freedom Party of Ontario (which continues to exist today). In 1992, Mel Hurtig, known mainly as the publisher of The Canadian Encyclopedia, tried to form a party called the National Party. Of course, the name was mostly a reference to left-wing, progressive Canadian nationalism, rather than something more right-wing. The somewhat quixotic Paul Hellyer, who in his political life had been both a prominent Liberal and Progressive Conservative, had eventually established a small party of his own, called the Canadian Action Party. In the Canadian Parliamentary system, there have by tradition been no set election dates an election can take place at any point within five years from the previous election, at the discretion of the Prime Minister or Premier. (The leader of the party which holds the majority of seats in the federal or provincial parliament.) In more recent years, there have been experiments with legislating a defined date for the upcoming election shortly after winning office. This is in response to criticisms that the ability of the Prime Minister or Premier to call an election at a most politically propitious time, confers too much of an electoral advantage to his or her party. When there is a minority government (when the ruling party holds less than a majority of seats in the legislature) an election can take place any time a more important bill (termed "a matter of confidence") is voted down by the opposition parties combining against it. Sometimes, the opposition parties may try to form a coalition government without an election being called. In late 2008, there was an attempt to form an anti-Conservative coalition in the federal Parliament (consisting of the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois). However, Stephen Harper's skillful political maneuvering (and the fact that the coalition idea was extremely unpopular among most Canadians) meant that the putative coalition never took power. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home
Max Aufhammer (The Future is at Stake):
The past eight years of the Obama presidency have brought monumental change for the better in the environmental and energy arena. We have made significant progress on fuel economy standards, emissions standards for power plants, the introduction of a real social cost of carbon into federal rulemaking, the rapidly increasing penetration of renewables on peoples roofs and on the peoples plains and in their valleys. President Obama will go into the history books as the first African American president. I would argue that he will be remembered by many future generations as the Greenest president this country has ever had.
Many of the recent regulations are being passed in the form of command and control with significant flexibility built in. Still, these are not the economists preferred choice. Yet, team Obama got it done. He had great counsel during his eight years in office, helping design programs that built in flexibility where possible. Joe Aldy, Ann Wolverton, Nat Keohane, Billy Pizer, Gib Metcalf, Michael Greenstone, Arik Levinson, Matt Kotchen, Glenn Sheriff, Sheila Olmstead, Gilbert Metcalf, and Kenny Gillingham are just a few of the brilliant environmental economists that spent time in the White House and at Treasury helping design and implement smarter and more efficient policies. I do note a curious absence of Berkeley environmental economists, but maybe Secretary Clinton will deck the halls with Berkeley folks if elected. Were here for you Madam Secretary.
Maybe the most significant achievement and point of departure is the signing of the Paris accord. No previous administration has managed to credibly commit the US to meaningful greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Clinton (Bill, President) signed the Kyoto agreement, knowing full well that Congress would never ratify it. Under Obama, we signed an agreement that does not need to be ratified by Congress as the reductions can be achieved through agency actions. ...
British security researcher Kevin Beaumont recently reported that a series of massive cyber attacks using the Mirai DDoS botnet periodically disabled all Internet access throughout the country of Liberia.
Liberia has one Internet cable, installed in 2011, which provides a single point of failure for Internet access. The attacks are extremely worrying because they suggest a Mirai operator who has enough capacity to seriously impact systems in a nation state, Beaumont wrote.
An employee at a Liberian mobile service provider told Network World that the attacks were hurting his business. Its killing our revenue, he said. Our business has been targeted frequently.
Beaumont said it appears that the attacks, which targeted Liberian telecom operators who co-own the single Internet cable, were being used to test denial of service techniques.
Given the volume of traffic, more than 500 Gbps, Beaumont said it appears that the botnet is owned by the same actor who hit the managed DNS provider Dyn on October 21, disabling websites across the U.S.
Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at F-Secure, told VICE News that those actors were probably kids. Kids who have the capability and dont know what to do with it, he said.
Flashpoint director of security research Allison Nixon agreed with that assessment, stating in a blog post, The technical and social indicators of this attack align more closely with attacks from the Hackforums community than the other type of actors that may be involved, such as higher-tier criminal actors, hacktivisits, nation states, and terrorist groups.
Still, NSFOCUS chief research intelligence analyst Stephen Gates told eSecurity Planet by email that attacks like these could have a real impact on tomorrows U.S. presidential election.
While U.S. polling machines arent connected to the Internet, Gates said, some voter identification systems may be. In some states, the voter ID must be checked before a voter can proceed, he said. If those systems are connected to the Internet to gain access to a database of registered voters, and they were taken offline, then would-be voters could not be verified.
What that would mean to the election process is anyones guess, Gates added.
According to Nexusguards Q3 2016 DDoS Threat Report, the number of reflection-based DDoS attacks fell more than 40 percent during the third quarter of the year, while IoT-based botnets reached unprecedented speeds. The U.S. saw the most attack events in the third quarter, followed by China, Russia and the United Kingdom.
Few service providers can sustain the level of malicious traffic we saw in Q3 from IoT botnets, so these DDoS outages are causing companies to completely rethink their cybersecurity strategies, Nexusguard chief scientist Terrence Gareau said in a statement.
Hackers preferences for botnets over reflection attacks are typical of cyclical behavior, where attackers will switch to methods that have fallen out of popularity to test security teams with unexpected vectors, Gareau added.
By Kasper Lindgaard, Secunia Research at Flexera Software
This election season, voting machine security is probably not top of mind. After all, 75 percent of votes cast in the United States use paper ballots, and many electronic machines print a ballot to maintain a paper trail.
However, according to Pamela Smith, president of election integrity organization Verified Voting, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, New Jersey and South Carolina use electronic voting machines. If connected to a network, a voting machine could be yet another device that needs to be secured.
For instance, hackers could likely intercept signals from an electronic voting machine connected to the network, similar to how hackers could intercept a users data when he or she connects to public Wi-Fi.
Earlier this year, the FBI issued an alert requesting that states contact their Board of Elections and determine if any suspicious activity had been detected in their logs, following the hacking of two state election boards, one of which resulted in data being stolen. This led to ongoing speculation as to whether tomorrows election will be hacked.
The government is a hot target for hackers. The Office of Personnel Management thwarted 10 million confirmed intrusion attempts per month in 2015, and that is just one department of the government. Many organizations assume a data breach will occur at some point, and therefore take a proactive approach to security. It would be wise for the government to adopt a similar mindset.
IoT Security Issues
It is more crucial than ever that everyone, including governments around the world, understand how these connected devices are impacting our everyday lives and shifting how we interact and even trust the objects that voters may rely on during election season. When it right comes down to it, the Internet of Things (IoT) is about devices being controlled by software, connected to the internet, armed with sensors for reporting.
When voters enter their assigned polling place tomorrow, they may not consider the vulnerabilities at risk every time they use a connected device, including some electronic voting machines. With internet-connected devices, there will always be a risk from determined hackers that want to exploit vulnerabilities in the device and the applications on the device. It is not just governments that should be concerned.
Businesses fear exposing customers to internet criminals without a way to fix the problem. Indeed, the reputational damage and loss of trust resulting from these break-ins cuts far deeper than the cost of repairing the damage. According to PwCs 2016 Global Economic Crime Survey, executives considered reputational damage the most devastating impact of a breach, followed closely by legal, investment and enforcement costs.
All software can be vulnerable, whether it is powering an electronic voting machine that may be connected to a network, or enterprises. The cost is massive for organizations when a hacker is successful in gaining entry. An organizations first line of defense to minimize criminal threats should be to shrink the attack surface by decreasing the number of vulnerabilities on its devices. Taking this preventative measure will considerably lower the likelihood that a hacker can do any real harm.
Software Vulnerability Management
This is why software vulnerability management is so important; it is preventative. The majority of successful attacks worldwide use known software vulnerabilities to access or escalate privileges. Once hackers have successfully exploited a vulnerability, they have a base to roll out their attack: moving around systems, gathering information and deploying malware (an umbrella term referring to a variety of hostile or intrusive software including computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, ransomware, spyware, adware, scareware and other malicious programs) to steal or terminate critical information or cause disruption.
The problem created by vulnerabilities is more broad-based than most people and government entities realize. Flexera Software published its Annual Vulnerability Review 2016, presenting global data on the prevalence of vulnerabilities and the availability of patches. In 2015 alone, 16,081 vulnerabilities were recorded in 2,484 products from 263 vendors. These findings illustrate the challenge faced daily by security and IT operations teams trying to protect their organizations against security breaches.
However, there are clues in the data that provide insights into how to handle vulnerabilities. Of the 16,081 vulnerabilities discovered, 13.3 percent were rated as highly critical and 0.5 percent as extremely critical. (Secunia Research at Flexera Software gives vulnerabilities a criticality rating based on the analysis of different aspects of the vulnerability. A description of criteria for ratings is available on page 27 of the Vulnerability Review 2016.) Moreover, 84 percent of vulnerabilities in all products had patches available on the day of disclosure.
This means that by implementing a proper software vulnerability management strategy, organizations can significantly minimize their attack surface and the likelihood of a successful breach.
Vulnerability Intelligence
The first element of that strategy is vulnerability intelligence, referring to all research data on vulnerabilities including historical data, attack vector, impact, criticality ratings and fixes. Vulnerability intelligence can be integrated with an organizations security strategy to support risk assessment. It can also be used by software vulnerability management technology to feed and enhance tools.
How is vulnerability intelligence derived? It begins with an investigation to determine whether the numerous vulnerabilities, identified globally from countless sources, actually exist. Once a vulnerabilitys existence is confirmed, evaluation of its criticality is vital so that an organization can determine which ones pose the bigger risk and require more immediate attention.
Vulnerability intelligence feeds into the three critical stages of the software vulnerability management lifecycle.
The lifecycle starts with the assess stage in which the existence of the vulnerability is researched and verified. Next, the organization needs to filter out the known vulnerabilities and focus only on those impacting the organization. That entails comprehensive asset discovery and inventory to determine which systems are potentially threatened by the verified vulnerabilities. Once the universe of known vulnerabilities is winnowed down to only the subset impacting the organization, vulnerability intelligence can be applied to determine which vulnerabilities are most critical and require prioritized attention.
The second stage of the software vulnerability management lifecycle involves mitigation. This is often where a handoff occurs between the corporate security team and the IT operations team. (I do not recommend a siloed approach between security and IT operations, however.)
The IT operations team typically handles patch management and will use its application readiness processes to identify and download the applicable patches. (Remember that 84 percent of vulnerabilities have patches available on the day of disclosure.) The patches then need to be tested (i.e. for dependencies) and packaged up and distributed to the correct machines. This mitigation process must be well managed and automated to avoid system overloads and failures.
The last step of the software vulnerability management lifecycle is verification, whereby the application of the patch or other mitigation technique is verified. Once mitigation is complete, the attack vector for that vulnerability has been eliminated.
Being Reactive and Proactive
Organizations, including the government, must be proactive and reactive in order to fight crime. They must be proactive to make sure it is as difficult as possible for a hacker to break into systems. They must also be reactive, prepared to detect and respond to incidents as they happen.
Many organizations focus on their reactive approaches, only dealing with the attack once it has occurred. However, it is exponentially more difficult to identify and respond to breaches when there are too many holes and cracks for hackers to exploit.
A proactive approach via software vulnerability management means investment in the people, processes and technology to effectively lessen the attack surface and minimize the likelihood that a software vulnerability can be exploited by hackers in the first place.
Whether you are a government entity, or any company that utilizes IoT devices, innovation almost always comes with inherent risks. Having the knowledge of vulnerabilities is paramount to guarantee security and integrity of data and systems. All organizations share the burden of taking reasonable precautions to help ensure their devices do not become easy prey for criminals.
Kasper Lindgaard is director of Research and Security for Secunia Research at Flexera Software. He originally joined Secunia Research as a security specialist in February 2011 and became head of Research in September 2012. He is in charge of developing and managing Secunia Research and responsible for the quality and reliability of Secunia Research, including the Secunia Advisories. He works closely with software vendors and the security community to ensure that Secunia Research is able to deliver the timely and accurate vulnerability intelligence that is the core of Flexera Softwares Software Vulnerability Management business.
on Monday , 5:30 pm at the Administrative Office Building. 423-472-9571, abyerly@clevelandschools.org. Cleveland City Schools Board of Education will meetat the Administrative Office Building. Click here to view the agenda.
on Monday . For more information contact Joel Barnes, jbarnes@clevelandschools.org. Blythe-Bower Elementary hosts Sante Fe Spirit Night. For more information contact Joel Barnes, 423-479-5121
On Election Day this Tuesday , schools will be closed. Teachers and staff will participate in Staff Development training.
on Thursday , 8:15-8:45 am . Students will grab breakfast to go from the cafeteria and join their House friends for fellowship, games, and House chants. For more information contact Lisa Earby, learby@clevelandschools.org. E.L. Ross Elementary students will gather for House Breakfast. Students will grab breakfast to go from the cafeteria and join their House friends for fellowship, games, and House chants. For more information contact Lisa Earby, 423-479-7274
on Thursday for1st, 2nd, and 5th grade families. For more information contact Randy Stephens, rstephens@clevelandschools.org . Mayfield Elementary hosts Thanksgiving Lunchfor1st, 2nd, and 5th grade families. For more information contact Randy Stephens, 423-472-4541
on Friday , 7:40 am . All students and mothers are invited to attend this monthly breakfast program. For more information contact Laura Murray, lmurray@clevelandschools.org. Blythe-Bower Elementary will host the iMom Morning. All students and mothers are invited to attend this monthly breakfast program. For more information contact Laura Murray, 423-479-5121
Cleveland City Schools will honor our veterans on Friday with the following veterans programs:
Blythe-Bower - 2:30 pm
Cleveland Middle School - 2:15 pm
The European Union has condemned the arrest of Kurdish opposition lawyers by Turkey. It has called on Ankara to safeguard its parliamentary democracy including respect for human rights and the rule of law. The EU has also called a meeting of EU national envoys in the Turkish capital following the detention of leaders and lawmakers of the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), which the second-biggest opposition party in the national parliament. The Turkish police also raided the homes of Figen Yuksekdag, HDP co-chairwoman, in Ankara, and Selahattin Demirtas, the other party leader, in Diyarbakir after they had refused to give testimony about alleged crimes linked to terrorist propaganda.
A series of detainments has shocked the EUs leading countries France and Germany whose leaders have condemned the recent developments. Romain Nadal, spokesman of the French Foreign Ministry, said that France calls on Turkey to respect the rule of law and fundamental rights while his German counterpart commented that the overnight arrests of politicians and lawmakers from the Kurdish HDP (Peoples Democratic Party) represent a further drastic intensification of the situation in the eyes of the foreign minister. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier moreover summoned the Turkish charge daffaires on Friday (4 November) to discuss the detainments.
The EU-Turkey relations have been very delicate in recent months due to a series of issues ranging from the refugee crisis, the migrant deal and the fight against the Islamic State. Ankara has been instrumental in helping Brussels tame the influx of refugees arriving in the block via Turkey and Greece. In return, the EU is providing aid for Syrian refugees in Turkey and has promised to revive the EU membership talks and finally make the visa-free travel for Turkish nationals a reality.
Its a pleasing coincidence that in the new documentary Revolutionary we look back to the origins of Michael Behes insights on irreducible complexity, published twenty years ago in Darwins Black Box, just as we look forward to the results of the potentially historic Royal Society meeting in London, underway at this moment.
No one scheduled to speak there is an advocate of intelligent design, but the scientific critique of Darwinism that Dr. Behe was crucial in launching has that meeting, at least in part, as its fruit.
Would such a conference, raising basic questions about the adequacy of neo-Darwinism, be happening now if it werent for Behe, and before him Denton and Johnson? Theres reason to wonder.
In a new brief video, above, Behe discusses the roots of his thinking, including a Science article that warned professors to warn their students against Phil Johnsons book Darwin on Trial, prompting a stinging missive from Behe that Science published in a subsequent issue.
Stephen Meyer and Paul Nelson recall their responses to meeting and working with Behe back in the early Nineties, as the revolution was just getting under way. Not that long ago, but how things have changed! Get your copy of Revolutionary, on DVD or Blu-ray, today.
Im on Twitter. Follow me @d_klinghoffer.
In 2012 at a scientific conference I met a Swedish population geneticist named Ola Hossjer. He and I sat down in the lobby of the hotel where we were staying to discuss what kind of population genetics model might be possible to test whether humanity could have come from a single first pair of humans. The motivation for doing so was the repeated challenge from other population geneticists claiming that we humans had to come from a population of thousands, not just two. He and I both knew the assumptions that had to go into the models such population geneticists constructed, and wondered if different starting assumptions would yield different results.
Population genetics is a field that uses math to model how genes and mutations are distributed in populations and how that distribution changes over time. It can be used to model our ancestry, to reconstruct our genetic history as a population as a whole, or as smaller subgroupings such European, Asian, African, etc., or even tribes within a larger grouping. The standard population genetics models that reconstruct ancestral history work backward by a process of coalescence to a starting point where everything is identical everything starts out the same, with one set of chromosomes, and diverges from there by the accumulation of mutations, and the processes of recombination, genetic drift, and natural selection.
Back in that hotel lobby, Ola and I quickly came up with a list of variables that would need to be accounted for in any model, things that are unknown aspects of the history of our origin, and we talked about the computational problems of any forward-looking model, one that goes from two individuals at the start to something like the present population. To keep track of all the variables and to trace the possible genetic changes quickly becomes computationally too intense to go very far. I personally thought such a model was intractable and beyond anyones ability to build. Was I wrong!
A little over a year ago Ola presented a model to our now co-author Colin Reeves and me that took all those variables we had discussed in Copenhagen into account. It is the most comprehensive population genetics model I have seen anywhere its a brilliant piece of work. Ola found a way to solve the problem of the explosive nature of forward-directed models I mentioned above. He uses the same coalescent technique of the standard models to reconstruct an ancestral tree from a few thousand individuals in the present time, going backward to a starting point of two. His model then reverses the process by going forward in time, using the tree as a framework to keep track of genetic changes.
The model is general enough that it can be of use to any geneticist to test the effects on genetic diversity of processes such as migration, age structure, mating behavior, and other aspects of population dynamics and demography.
The key assumption that distinguishes our model from the standard ones is that we assume that the first pair started out with heterogeneous chromosomes four distinct sets, two sets for each individual. The standard population genetics models work backward assuming everything starts from a single point. We are proposing that things started out different, not the same, with diversity present from the beginning in the genomes of the starting first pair.
We still need to code this model, which is a work in progress being done by Colin Reeves, and we hope others as well, as it is a massive project, and will require time and resources. But when its completed, we will be able to test the hypothesis that we can recreate modern genetic diversity starting from an original pair with original genetic diversity. Should we be able to demonstrate this, there will be two competing models for human origins, one that says we came from a population of thousands, and ours that says we came from a population of two. We will see which best fits the available data and yields the most insight.
The model has now been published in the journal BIO-Complexity, in two parts, the first being a general introduction to population genetics and the rationale for the model, and the second being the model itself. My hope is that this model will be the catalyst for much research and discussion, on both sides.
Photo credit: Lhfage [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons.
Asias first unified online platform for the Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) sector, which allows media buyers to plan and place advertising across thousands of billboards in Asias outdoor media market, and accurately measure target audience viewership, was unveiled today in Singapore. Moving Walls, a data and technology-led media company, said 28 media owners of over 2,000 digital billboards in five Asian countries have already agreed to trade their inventory on the Moving Audiences platform.
Moving Audiences is the first platform in the region to allow media buyers to plan and buy timeslots for DOOH billboards across borders. It uses an advanced algorithm which links the screens to determine which are available at what time and at what price. Media owners will be able to see which of their billboards are taken up at any time.
OOH Advertising Is Only Traditional Media That Is Growing
The platform will be a major catalyst to invigorate the traditional media sector, which has witnessed a decline in advertising in recent years. Worldwide, owners of media content and media assets as well as media buyers have been impacted by the digital onslaught, which has led to lower newspaper subscription and television viewership. Despite this, the OOH media in ASEAN and Asia is expected to continue growing. Based on a 2015 PwC report, the OOH advertising market in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam will rise from US$944 million to US$1.3 billion in 2020. The Indian market will rise from US$349 million to US$545 million. The Moving Audiences platform provides, for the first time, Aggregation, Automation, and Attribution to OOH media. By uniting media owners across the region, it encourages a transparent and efficient outdoor advertising trading system. Increasingly, media buyers and advertisers in Asia seek a simple, single solution to meet their needs across the region. Singapore is the regional hub for many of these players and the natural location to host this platform. In conjunction with its launch today, Moving Audiences announced it is offering US$20 million of billboard space across the region through The Great Outdoor Digital Sale (The G.O.D.S.) next week. Media buyers will enjoy up to 65% discount to rack rates for advertising space booked for 2017.
Audiences Data, The New OOH Standard
Beyond acting as a first-of-its-kind digital media marketplace, Moving Audiences which has already become the largest network of digital billboards in Asia with presence in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand is setting the standard to measure OOH media. There is currently no universally accepted system to measure OOH media. Moving Audiences seeks to unify Asian OOH media owners and embrace a transparent OOH measurement system that reports audience data. It uses proprietary algorithms to crunch Big Data from public and private sources to derive audience insights around OOH media assets. In turn this will become a global standard, in line with a shift which has already happened in the United States.
Driven by the growth of digital displays, the global market for outdoor advertising is poised to reach US$45 billion by 2020, with the Asia Pacific region becoming the largest and fastest growing market (Global Industry Analysts). Our platform brings digital efficiencies and measurement standards to a form of media that has been in the dark for too long. We look forward to leading this OOH revolution in Asia, said Srikanth Ramachandran, CEO of Moving Walls.
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With the US Election Results Incoming, What Direction will USD to AUD, NZD Exchange Rates Take on the Foreign Exchange Markets?
The US Dollars movement continued to be mixed on Tuesday afternoon after Mondays sharp currency movements. While US citizens headed to the polls for the US Presidential election, traders made adjustments on their positions
USD advanced against the Australian Dollar, Swiss Franc and Japanese Yen. However, the New Zealand Dollar strengthened slightly despite RBNZ rate cut bets.
The US Dollar has generally fallen back on Tuesday morning, with investors inclined towards greater caution as the results of the election approach.
Markets are wary of experiencing another political shock, a la the Brexit vote, limiting the strength of the USD exchange rate complex despite high hopes of a Clinton victory.
The US Dollar (USD) continued to perform strongly throughout Monday trade on the foreign exchange rate markets.
US markets opened stronger too in the afternoon, owing to increased optimism for a Clinton win in Tuesdays US election.
Almost falling in line, the perceived market stability of potential Clinton victory also kept AUD and NZD stronger throughout the day, while traditional safe havens like CHF and JPY shed value across the board.
Following the news that the FBI had cleared Hillary Clinton after examining a fresh batch of emails market confidence has increased further.
Even so, while this has seen the US Dollar trending higher many economists are wary of discounting the possibility of a Trump victory after the polls failed to predict the result of the EU referendum in June.
We can expect some major shifts in US Dollar to Australian Dollar (USD AUD), New Zealand Dollar (USD NZD) and Swiss Franc (USD CHF) exchange rates over the next few days.
One risk event overshadows all others this week the US Presidential election. Voting began several weeks ago and analysts suggest that 33 million votes had been cast by last Friday; however the vast majority of votes will be cast when the polls open in earnest on Tuesday morning US time.
Outcome of 2016 US Election to Dictate US Dollar Currency Movement
So who is going to win the US Presidential election? And how is the result going to impact US Dollar (USD) exchange rates?
Opinion poll after opinion poll has been published in recent months, with the majority pointing to a victory for Democrat candidate and Washington veteran Hillary Clinton. Many investors will take these polls with a large pail of salt following the pollsters poor recent track record in accurately forecast events including, but not limited to, the 2015 UK General Election and this summers European Union referendum. Where then do such investors look for a steer on the likely outcome of Tuesdays US Vote? The answer may lie in betting exchanges which see gamblers stake tens of millions of Pounds worth of their hard earned cash on future events.
Current US Dollar Exchange Rates
On Tuesday the Euro to British Pound exchange rate (EUR/GBP) converts at 0.861
The pound conversion rate (against euro) is quoted at 1.162 EUR/GBP.
The pound conversion rate (against swiss franc) is quoted at 1.151 CHF/GBP.
Today finds the pound to australian dollar spot exchange rate priced at 1.793.
Today finds the pound to new zealand dollar spot exchange rate priced at 1.966.
NB: the forex rates mentioned above, revised as of 1st Nov 2022, are inter-bank prices that will require a margin from your bank. Foreign exchange brokers can save up to 5% on international payments in comparison to the banks.
Trump Victory Forecast to Weigh on US Dollar (USD), Australian Dollar (AUD), New Zealand Dollar (NZD) Exchange Rates
Betfair (PPB.L) is Britains leading such exchange and so far over 100m has been staked on the outcome of the US Presidential Election on their site. As recently as two weeks ago, the implied percentage chance of a Clinton victory, according to Betfair, was a hefty 85% but the intervening period has brought the announcement that Americas FBI was re-opening its investigation into Clintons usage of a private email server to send classified mail. The implied percentage chance of a second Clinton in recent decades moving into the White House plunged to 68% a week ago.
As a Clinton victory would see the status quo maintained to a certain extent, the US Dollar (USD) is unlikely to either fall or climb dramatically in the event of that result. However, as risk appetite would improve, Australian Dollar (AUD) and New Zealand Dollar (NZD) exchange rates could jump.
Conversely, a Trump win is likely to see the US Dollar (USD) tumble and significantly reduce demand for higher-risk currencies.
Odds of Clinton Victory Increase, US Dollar (USD) Exchange Rates Firm
However, the weekend currency market shutdown saw the implied likelihood of a Clinton victory spike to back above 80% following early signs that her campaign has been activating its voter base.
This led to US Dollar (USD) exchange rates firming slightly as the European session opened on Monday.
Jon Ralston of KTNV in Nevada reported on Saturday that there had been a surge of Latino voters casting their ballots early - given that Republican candidate Donald Trump has pledged to build a giant wall to prevent any further Latinos without the requisite papers entering the states, it appears likely that a heavy majority of these will have voted Clinton. Ralston went on to estimate that over 10,000 more Democrats than Republicans had voted in one of the States counties.
Analysts predict that the result will be known early on Wednesday UK time. A Trump victory will see a sharp shift to safe haven assets including the Japanese Yen (currency : JPY) and the Swiss Franc (currency : CHF), while given Trumps promise to cancel Americas outstanding debt obligations, (a move which, if ratified, would lead to financial Armageddon), will see the US Dollar (currency : USD) slump in value. Meanwhile, a Clinton victory will bring sustained support for the risk-driven Australian Dollar (currency : AUD), New Zealand Dollar (currency : NZD) and South African Rand (currency : ZAR).
The British Pound to Euro (GBP EUR) Exchange Rate Demand Improves Ahead of UK Industrial Production
The Euro to Pound exchange rate today: +0.09% at 0.89042.
The Euro to Dollar exchange rate today: -0.06% at 1.10116.
Foreign exchange markets were naturally shocked when Donald Trump emerged as the victor of the US presidential election, driving the Euro higher as the US Dollar tanked.
Disappointing UK trade figures weighed heavily on the Pound, meanwhile, allowing the EUR/GBP exchange rate to make some solid gains on Wednesday morning.
The sterling-euro x-rate continued to fluctuate within a narrow range on Tuesday afternoon.
Instead of focusing on Europes currency, the foreign exchange market waited with baited breath for the results of the 2016 US Presidential election.
Regardless of the result, GBP/EUR volatility is expected on Wednesday as investors prioritise moving on USD and risk-correlated currencies. The Euro is more likely to be weakened by a strong US Dollar than the Pound is.
Latest Pound/Euro Exchange Rates
On Tuesday the Pound to British Pound exchange rate (GBP/GBP) converts at 1
Today finds the pound to pound spot exchange rate priced at 1.
Today finds the pound to us dollar spot exchange rate priced at 1.151.
The live inter-bank GBP-AUD spot rate is quoted as 1.793 today.
Please note: the FX rates above, updated 1st Nov 2022, will have a commission applied by your typical high street bank. Currency brokers specialise in these type of foreign currency transactions and can save you up to 5% on international payments compared to the banks.
While German industrial production fell short of forecast in September the Euro was not overly dented by the news, in large part thanks to a marked widening of the domestic trade surplus.
With the days UK data also proving somewhat mixed and markets in a cautious state ahead of the US election results the Euro to Pound conversion nevertheless remained on a narrow trend.
The a title="British Pound To Euro Exchange Rate Forecast: Will We See Best GBP/EUR Conversion On Clinton Win?" target="_blank" href="https://www.exchangerates.org.uk/news/16693/gbp-eur-usd-best-pound-euro-exchange-rate-news-forecast-and-us-dollar-outlook-.html">GBP/EURs movement saw little change throughout the day, ultimately fluctuating within a relatively flat range as markets refocused on the upcoming US election rather than Brexit worries or the Eurozone.
What movement will Tuesday cause for the EUR/GBP?
If Clintons polling numbers remain strong, the Euro could continue to weaken right up until results are posted but some foreign exchange investors hurt by the shock of the Brexit vote may decide against risking it on the US Dollar tomorrow.
Pound Euro currency exchange rate movement has been limited today, with the GBP-EUR exchange rate failing to advance beyond last weeks high of 1.12.
This previous high-point came after the UK High Court ruled that the Government couldnt automatically trigger Article 50 without a parliamentary vote.
The initial enthusiasm generated by this news has since ebbed away, with the Government lodging an appeal and pro-Leave figures calling the decision a betrayal of the public.
Pound Sterling (GBP) Exchange Rate Scenarios for Clinton or Trump Victory
The Pound Euro (GBP EUR) exchange rate could stage a recovery by Wednesday depending on how the US election turns out.
Should Clinton win, GBP and EUR are predicted to decline, due to a potential surge in demand for the US Dollar.
If Trump wins, however, both the Pound and Euro may be pitted against each other in a close contest, owing to a probable USD crash.
In less-impactful domestic news, the Pound may be shifted by Tuesdays industrial and manufacturing production results, which are expected to rise in all fields bar the annual manufacturing one.
Euro (EUR) Exchange Rates Decline as Eurozone Retail Stats Disappoint
Euro (EUR) exchange rates have also performed poorly today as a result of US Dollar strength, although disappointing Eurozone data also contributed to the EUR losses.
The overall retail PMI for October has dropped from 49.6 to 48.6, while annual retail sales in September have also fallen from 1.2% to 1.%; the monthly sales figure has remained in a negative range.
A major negative impact on both the Pound and the Euro today has been the US Dollars strength, which has come from Hillary Clintons chances of winning the US Election increasing since the weekend.
GBP/EUR Exchange Rate Outlook: German Trade Data and ECB Speeches In Focus This Week
Compared to other currencies, the Euro (EUR) seems set to remain fairly rudderless this week, given the limited amount of impactful data on offer. This means Pound Euro (GBP EUR) exchange rate movement is more likely to occur as a result of global economic news.
That being said, this afternoon will bring a speech from European Central Bank (ECB) official Sabine Lautenschlaeger, while Tuesday morning is expected to show a German trade surplus rise in September.
Over the rest of the week, further input may come from remarks by ECB officials Danielle Nouy, Benoit Coeure, Vitor Constancio and Yves Mersch.
UK Focus: Difficult Position for PM as Judges Decision is Respected and Appealed
Highlighting the difficulty that Theresa May faces in implementing Brexit but also avoiding a heavy-handed attitude towards Remainers, the PM has recently stated that;
I believe in and value the independence of our judiciary. I also value the freedom of our press. I think these both underpin our democracy and they are important. Of course the judges will look at the legal arguments. We think we have strong legal arguments and we will be taking those arguments to the Supreme Court [for appeal].
Officials said Monday night that one-third of a wildfire at Flipper's Bend on Walden's Ridge had been contained within fire breaks.
Firefighters were monitoring the woods fire overnight.
There were 20 wildland firefighters from the Tennessee Forestry Division and Tennessee State Parks back in the woods Monday to tie the top of Flipper's Bend fire breaks with the bottom end of Flipper's Bend. Flipper's Bend is in the North Chickamauga Creek Wildlife Management Area.
Ten additional wildland firefighters from Nevada also came in on Monday to assist with fighting the fire. Officials said 230 acres are currently burning. The top of Flipper's Bend is contained within the fire breaks. The bottom end of Flipper's Bend is partially contained within the fire breaks.
Two helicopters from the National Guard flew water drops on Monday afternoon. Also, helicopters are in Sequatchie County dropping water on another wildland fire. There has been no structure endangerment. Wildland firefighters were cutting large fire breaks and removing any loose tree stumps/debris from potentially catching on fire.
Steep terrain and unstable rocks were a challenge on Monday for wildfire personnel. The weather was in their favor, with light winds.
There is a temporary flight restriction with the Federal Aviation Administration over the general area of the Flipper Bend wildfire. This is to include all aircraft including drones in order to protect the helicopters and airplanes fighting fire suppression at Flipper Bend.
Residents will continue to experience heavy smoke, especially on Walden's Ridge, officials said.
For active wildfire information, go to: http://burnsafetn.org/. This includes a list of current fires being fought by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry. Information includes status, date of initial attack, fire name, county location, acreage, cause and containment.
A final reminder has been issued by the Canadian Government that people travelling to the country must have the appropriate documents before getting on a flight as of 10 November.That is when the new Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) will be rigorously enforced as part of a policy to make sure that those who are not allowed entry are prevented from travelling. Under the system those people who do not normally need a visa, this varies according to agreements with different countries around the world, will need to have an eTA to board their flight to Canada.American citizens are exempt and Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, will need a valid Canadian passport to fly to or transit through Canada.The Government has undertaken a major publicity campaign about the changes, but there are concerns that dual citizens are not aware of the requirements and as a result officials have announced that there will be a short term policy for people whose second citizenship is from a visa exempt country to apply for a special authorisation that will let them board a flight using their valid non-Canadian passport.This measure will only be available until 31 January 2017 and will be open to dual citizens who have an imminent flight to Canada leaving in less than 10 days and whose Canadian citizenship can be verified by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).If approved, the authorization will be valid for four days from the date of travel indicated in the application. Those not eligible for the authorization will need to contact the nearest Government of Canada office abroad to obtain the appropriate travel document.Immigration Minister John McCallum said that the eTA improves the safety of Canadians by allowing travellers credentials to be checked before they board a flight, preventing those who are inadmissible from travelling to Canada in the first place.We have been doing everything we can to inform affected travellers about these new requirements, and I am pleased that we can now offer a short term measure to help get some dual Canadian citizens who are not familiar with this new requirement onto their flight to Canada, he added.The eTA entry requirement became mandatory for visa exempt foreign nationals, other than US citizens, travelling to Canada temporarily by air in March 2016. However, a leniency period was put in place from 15 March until 09 November so travellers unfamiliar with the eTA requirement could still board their flight to Canada.Applying for an eTA is a simple online process that costs $7. The Government of Canada website www.Canada.ca/eTA , is the only valid site where travellers can apply for an eTA. More than 2.3 million eTAs have been issued since the application went live in August 2015.Canadian permanent residents cannot apply for an eTA and must show their valid permanent resident card or obtain a permanent resident travel document from the nearest Government of Canada office abroad when returning to Canada by air.Citizens of the United States are exempt from the eTA requirement but lawful permanent residents need an eTA and must present a valid US permanent resident card and a valid passport when they check in for a flight to Canada.
Here is the Planning Commission agenda for Nov. 14:
I. Opening Comments & Announcements (Chairman)
II. Subdivision Plats & Variances
Variances
SD 2016-061 Teresa Burrow 8664 Snow Hill Road-Lot Less than 5 Acres on Easement
(Hamilton County District 9)
STAFF: Approve
SD 2016-062 Herbert C Holder Subdivision Lots 8A and 8B-Minimum Lot Size for Flag Lot
(Hamilton County District 9)
STAFF: Approve
SD 2016-063 Robert Maxwell Subdivision Lots 1 and 2-Minimum Suburban Infill Lot Frontage
(City of Chattanooga District 3, Hamilton County District 3)
STAFF: Approve
Final Plats
SD 2016-060 Skyfall Subdivision a Planned Unit Development Lots 1 thru 35 and Lots C-1 thru C-8
(Hamilton County District 7)
STAFF: Approve with Conditions
SD 2016-064 Robert Maxwell Subdivision Lots 1 and 2
(City of Chattanooga District 3, Hamilton County District 3)
STAFF: Approve with Condition
SD 2016-065 Hamilton Crest Subdivision Lots 1 thru 7
(City of Chattanooga District 2, Hamilton County District 6)
STAFF: Approve with Condition
III. Old Business
1. 2016-146 Chattanooga Construction Company, etal 7408, 7414, 7420 & 7424 Pinewood Drive City of Chattanooga Rezone from R-1 Residential Zone to R-T/Z Residential Townhouse/Zero Lot Line Zone
(City of Chattanooga District 4, Hamilton County District 8)
STAFF: Approve with conditions
IV. New Business
A. Rezonings, Closures/Abandonments, Special Permits, Condition Amendments
1. 2016-156 Sean S.
(City of Chattanooga District 9, Hamilton County District 5)
STAFF: Deny
2. 2016-178 Pratt & Associates, LLC 1521 Ooltewah Ringgold Road Hamilton County Special Exceptions Permit: Abandon Planned Unit Development Resolution #1015-32 of Previous Case 2015-105 to Allow Inclusion in Planned Unit Development of Case 2016-162
(Hamilton County District 7)
STAFF: Approve
3. 2016-162 Pratt & Associates, LLC 1521 Ooltewah Ringgold Road Hamilton County Special Exceptions Permit: Residential Planned Unit Development
(Hamilton County District 7)
STAFF: Approve
4. 2016-163 Legends Holding, LLC c/o Clint Wofford & Hamilton County Department of Education 7453 East Brainerd Road City of Chattanooga Rezone from R-1 Residential Zone to C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone
(City of Chattanooga District 4, Hamilton County District 7)
STAFF: Approve with conditions
5. 2016-164 Charles Penn & Mayse Properties, LLC 4132 & 4136 Caine Lane City of Chattanooga Rezone from R-1 Residential Zone to M-2 Light Industrial Zone
(City of Chattanooga District 5, Hamilton County District 5)
STAFF: Approve
6. 2016-165 Mark A. Ramsey, Attorney & Denise Furland, Executrix of Estate of Barbara Newton 6684 East Brainerd Road City of Chattanooga Rezone from R-1 Residential Zone & C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone to R-4 Special Zone
(City of Chattanooga District 6, Hamilton County District 8)
STAFF: Approve
7. MR-2016-166 Cullon Hoods & Highland Park Commons, Inc. Alley off of the 2000 block of Kirby Avenue City of Chattanooga Mandatory Referral: Alley Closure
(City of Chattanooga District 9, Hamilton County District 4)
STAFF: Approve
8. 2016-167 CLM Developing, LLC & Rebecca Woodson 2333 Ooltewah Ringgold Road Hamilton County Rezone from A-1 Agricultural District & R-2 Residential District to R-1 Single Family Residential District
(Hamilton County District 7)
STAFF: Approve
9. MR-2016-168 RTB Holdings, LLC 336 & 338 Sylvan Street - City of Chattanooga Mandatory Referral: Street Closure
(City of Chattanooga District 2, Hamilton County District 6)
STAFF: Approve
10. 2016-169 David Gardner 1063 Shallowford Road City of Chattanooga Special Exceptions Permit: Residential Planned Unit Development
(City of Chattanooga District 9, Hamilton County District 5)
STAFF: Approve with conditions
11. 2016-170 Flournoy Development Company & Pinnacle Point Partners, LLC 7978 & 8012 Shallowford Road City of Chattanooga Rezone from R-1 Residential Zone to R-4 Special Zone
(City of Chattanooga District 4, Hamilton County District 7)
STAFF: Deny
12. 2016-171 Donavan McLeod 300 West 41st Street City of Chattanooga Rezone from M-1 Manufacturing Zone to R-3 Residential Zone
(City of Chattanooga District 7, Hamilton County District 4)
STAFF: Approve
13. 2016-172 Renew & Randy Johnston/Mr. Ts Tire, Inc. 1155 East Main Street City of Chattanooga Rezone from M-1 Manufacturing Zone to UGC Urban General Commercial Zone
(City of Chattanooga District 8, Hamilton County District 4)
STAFF: Approve
14. 2016-173 Frank Goodwin & Headrick Construction c/o Allen Headrick 1400 & 1420 Hamilton Avenue City of Chattanooga Rezone from R-1 Residential Zone to R-T/Z Residential Townhouse/Zero Lot Lin Zone
(City of Chattanooga District 2, Hamilton County District 6)
STAFF: Approve with conditions
15. 2016-174 Vertical Bridge c/o Carolyn Gould & Shirley and Carroll Martin 6115 Boxelder Lane Hamilton County Special Permit: Cell Tower
(Hamilton County District 9)
STAFF: Approve
16. 2016-175 ASA Engineering c/o Allen Jones & 6401 Shallowford Road Partners, GP 6401 & 6421 Shallowford Road City of Chattanooga Rezone from R-1 Residential Zone, R-2 Residential Zone and R-4 Special Zone to R-4 Special Zone
(City of Chattanooga District 6, Hamilton County District 5)
STAFF: Approve with conditions
17. 2016-176 Craig Kronenberg & Bobby Joe Adamson 4975 Patsy Place & 8210 Apison Pike City of Chattanooga Rezone from R-1 Residential Zone to C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone
(City of Chattanooga District 4, Hamilton County District 5)
STAFF: Approve
18. 2016-177 David Kelly & Estate of George E. Rogers & Valleybrook Presbyterian Church, Inc. 5933 & 6001 Hixson Pike City of Chattanooga Rezone from R-2 Residential Zone to C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone & O-1 Office Zone
(City of Chattanooga District 3, Hamilton County District 3)
STAFF: Approve with conditions
GOVERNMENT MANDATORY REFERRALS
(None)
AMENDMENT RESOLUTIONS
19. A RESOLUTION TO AMEND THE CHATTANOOGA CITY CODE, PART II, CHAPTER 38 ZONING, ARTICLE V, DIVISION 1 R-1 RESIDENTIAL ZONE, RELATIVE TO SIDE BUILDING SETBACKS (Version 1 & 2)
20. RESOLUTION TO AMEND THE HAMILTON COUNTY ZONING REGULATIONS, ARTICLE IV, SECTION 200 R-1 SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT, RELATIVE TO SIDE BUILDING SETBACKS (Version 1 & 2)
V. Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items
VI. Approval of Planning Commission Minutes of October 10, 2016
VII. Adjourn
Free marketing training and support services are available for small businesses and startups by the Chattanooga Marketing Clinic. This training is available to those businesses and startups that are based out of the Gig City and register at least one of their locations within the 25 mile radius of the Chattanoogas Innovation District.
Currently 17 organizations have signed up to become a part of the clinic, including six startups, 10 existing businesses, and one non-profit organization. These organizations represent the following industries: health and wellness, education, manufacturing, e-commerce, public transportation, professional and consulting services, retail and more.
The initiative is organized by Cresco Group, a Chattanooga-based business consulting and marketing firm. The clinics mission is to give small businesses and nonprofit organizations of Chattanooga access to free marketing consultations and basic support services by leveraging local business community and marketing professionals networks. Training sessions are held in small groups of 18-25 people and allow interaction between individuals. During the training sessions, presentations are kept short (up to 15 minutes) while Q&A part taking most of the meetings time. This allows for the needs of attending organizations to be the primary focus of discussions.
When asked about the reason for organizing the clinic, Cresco Groups CEO Anton Demenchuk said, 'Chattanooga has had massive success in attracting larger-size investments, foreign investments in particular. And this is great! However, I believe that success of small businesses and vibrant startup environment are an important part of the Chattanooga economy and its long-term sustainability. Lets not forget that competition is the key prerequisite to innovation.
Chattanooga Marketing Clinic is supported by the following organizations: Tennessee Small Business Development Center of Chattanooga, INCubator, Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, Edney Innovation Center, city of Chattanooga, UTC, American Marketing Association, and others.
The next Chattanooga Marketing Clinic training session will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 16 and will be facilitated by VaynerMedia, one of the largest social media and digital marketing agencies in the U.S. To learn more about the clinic or its upcoming free training sessions, visit ChattanoogaMarketingClinic.org or follow the hashtag #MarketingCha.
Gail Hathaway said Sunday that she does not know why she was placed on administrative leave last week as CEO and executive director of Workforce Solutions Alamo by the agencys board chairman.
The state employment agencys board meets today to consider Hathaways position.
Hathaway said Sunday that she asked board Chairman Rudy Garza on Wednesday why she was being placed on administrative leave.
I asked for a reason but was not told, Hathaway said. He came to my office and put me on administrative leave and left. Since then, she said, she has been cut off from her office email and telephones.
Hathaway said Garza on Friday invited her to attend todays board meeting and to speak to board members.
I intend to be there. I am still considering whether to speak, she said.
The meeting agenda includes, in closed session, personnel issues pertaining to the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal of the CEO/executive director.
The administrative leave came two weeks after the agency received a report from its parent state department, the Texas Workforce Commission, that was critical of the San Antonio agencys handling of some consultant contracts and leases.
The Oct. 19 monitoring report also cited interviews with agency staff that alluded to a culture of fear, suspicion and retaliation.
Hathaway said she believes that her placement on leave may stem from calls to TWC. I dont know the content of those calls. It may be a former employee, who has threatened me. My guess is she is doing this. Hathaway declined to identify the former employee.
Ive never retaliated against anybody, she said. I have done what I could to make (the agency) an efficient organization. Some people dont like change. Some people have left the company. I probably pushed people to work harder than they have worked in the past.
A spokesman for Garza said in an email Sunday that the chairman would not comment. Garza is CPS Energy senior vice president.
Hathaway heads an agency with a staff of 44 direct employees, plus several contractors. Workforce Solutions Alamo has an $83 million annual budget.
In a recent letter to board members obtained by the San Antonio Express-News, Hathaway, a retired Navy captain, summarized her experiences and goals since becoming CEO in October 2014.
The letter states that she arrived then to a demoralized staff who had no recent experience with making or effecting decisions, no welcome note, briefing materials or a hello from anyone; morale was below measurable. Staff hid in their offices, refused to collaborate and were silent at staff meetings. The walls were tall and thick and the silos were real.
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Hathaways letter also says she has recruited 14 new members to the 25-position board and that the board is finally moving in the right direction. Her letter states she also has hired 17 staff members.
In the interview Sunday, Hathaway said the errors related to consulting contracts and leases have been corrected.
The state wants corrections, she said. It doesnt levy fines or punishment.
Workforce Solutions Alamo is one of 28 state regional agencies under the TWC. The San Antonio agency serves 12 counties, including Bexar. The board and staff govern a network of service providers and contractors that match people with jobs.
The agency also provides child care, career counseling, job-search workshops, training, job fairs and labor market information services.
dhendricks@express-news.net
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Pipeline owners near a crucial Oklahoma oil hub reported little damage and resumed normal service after a magnitude 5 earthquake struck late Sunday.
Oklahomas oil and gas regulator reported that all pipelines under its jurisdiction were operating again Monday after shutting down as a precaution because of the temblor, centered less than 2 miles west of the city of Cushing.
Its the second sizable quake in the past two months for the area, which serves as a delivery point for West Texas Intermediate crude and sets the benchmark U.S. oil contract price.
Its definitely a long-term negative development if you are getting earthquakes of that magnitude at such an important site, said Bob Yawger, director of the futures division at Mizuho Securities USA Inc. in New York. It doesnt bode well for the future.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission hasnt ordered the shutdown of any wastewater disposal wells in the area after the earthquake, agency spokesman Matt Skinner said by phone. The regulator is working on an action plan regarding disposal-well operations in the Arbuckle Formation, according to an emailed statement. When a similar magnitude quake hit the state in September, the agency ordered 37 wells shut.
Magellan Midstream Partners, a pipeline operator, resumed normal operations at Cushing late Sunday after a controlled shutdown of its assets after the quake, spokesman Bruce Heine said in emailed statements. Enbridge Inc. spokesman Michael Barnes said by email that there was no effect on the companys facility in Cushing.
Magellan typically discontinues operations to check the integrity of assets if an earthquake over a certain strength occurs, Heine said. Kinder Morgan Inc., another pipe operator, hasnt had any issues affecting its Cushing operations, Richard Wheatley, a Houston-based spokesman for the company, said in an emailed statement.
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Electricity has been restored to almost all of Cushing, about 70 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, Jeremy Frazier, assistant city manager, told reporters at a televised news conference late Sunday. Authorities have been in contact with tank farms in the area and there has been no damage to terminals, he said. While some gas leaks occurred, they have been contained and are no longer a threat, according to Frazier. There was some structural damage to buildings in the citys downtown area, he said.
Several producers, as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are facing lawsuits because of seismic activity allegedly linked to oil field wastewater disposal in Oklahoma and other states. The OCC, which regulates oil and gas activity in the state, has been issuing restrictions for more than a year aimed at cutting down on the amount of wastewater injected into underground wells.
There are about 35,000 active wastewater disposal wells, though only a few dozen have been linked to quakes, according to a Bloomberg Intelligence report in May, citing the USGS. A 5.6 magnitude tremblor had struck Oklahoma in September, which tied a state record set in 2011. Following Sundays earthquake at Cushing, minor tremors occurred at Nicoma Park, east of Oklahoma City, and Fairview, in the western part of the state.
The region, previously not known for intense seismic activity, began having a significant number of earthquakes in 2009, the same year area oil companies began using fracking to shatter deep rock layers to extract oil and gas. Fracked wells produce large quantities of wastewater, which drilling companies inject into ultra-deep disposal wells.
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By their senior year, more than a quarter of high school students in San Antonio will have left school, and the rate for Texas as a whole is only slightly better, according to a new report.
For the first time in 18 years, the statewide attrition rate for Texas has worsened, rising 1 percentage point to 25 percent during the 2015-16 academic year. The rate in Bexar County climbed to 28 percent, up 3 percentage points from two years ago, and it surpassed the rates in the Houston, Dallas and Austin areas.
One of several measures that capture school completion and dropout rates, attrition represents the number of students no longer enrolled during a certain period of time in this case, between freshman and senior years of high school.
The findings were released last week by the Intercultural Development Research Association, a San Antonio-based group that has tracked attrition rates across the state since 1986.
There still needs to be attention placed on getting students equal education opportunities, ensuring that theyre able to graduate and move on to higher education and postsecondary situations, said Roy Johnson, the studys author.
Before this year, the statewide attrition rate had steadily declined, IDRA data shows. But gaps between students of color and white students remain stubbornly high, with African-American and Hispanic students leaving school at almost the same rates as when IDRA began tracking attrition three decades ago.
The findings differ from the Texas Education Agencys most recent report on graduation and dropout rates. The agency reported an annual dropout rate of 2.1 percent for high schoolers and a 6.3 percent dropout rate for the class of 2015, tracked between grades nine and 12. Students who leave school are not counted as dropouts if they are listed as being home-schooled or privately educated or going on to receive a GED.
Because attrition rates do not track individual students and are an estimate, they should not be used as a performance indicator in a high-stakes accountability system, the TEA report states.
Robert Sanborn, president of the Texas nonprofit Children at Risk, said graduation rates do not always tell the whole story. Rather than painting a rosy picture of the number of dropouts in public schools, he said, Texas should embrace this idea that we have a lot of dropouts so we can focus on the problem.
The states methods for calculating graduation and dropout figures have changed over time, whereas IDRA has used the same formula for 31 years, Johnson added.
In Bexar County, the rate has consistently dropped since 2000 but has fluctuated over the past few years. At one point, it was as high as 42 percent. The Center for Public Policy Priorities education scorecard gave Bexar County a D in high school success, citing an 8.7 percent high school dropout rate.
A more diverse population, along with a move toward nontraditional schools, could in part explain the countys high rate, Johnson said.
But the citys renewed emphasis on pre-kindergarten education could help lower attrition rates over time, Sanborn said.
This year, IDRA also identified several school policies that can contribute to higher attrition rates, including holding students back, zero-tolerance policies weak curriculums and poor school funding.
Schools that hire good principals, have longer school days and create a culture of high expectations are more likely to bring down their attrition rates, Sanborn said.
The fact of the matter is that when you look at kids who start high school in Texas and those that finish, the number of those that dont finish is way too high, Sanborn said.
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A new Air Force climate survey suggests that years of Pentagon downsizing and cuts driven by the congressional budget sequester have taken a toll on its military and civilian workers an issue the services leaders have raised repeatedly.
Only 63 percent of officers and enlistees, both active-duty and reserve, think that they have enough people on their teams to do the job, according to the survey, copies of which were released to the San Antonio Express-News and Air Force Times.
They also were asked if they agreed with the statement, I have enough time to accomplish my daily workload during my duty hours. A little over 60 percent of officers agreed, while roughly 75 percent of enlistees did.
Its no surprise that manpower and time are concerns to our airmen, said Gen. Stephen Wilson, the Air Forces vice chief of staff, in a statement sent Wednesday in response to questions about the survey. At the time this survey was administered, our force was the smallest it has ever been in Air Force history.
Despite the challenge this presented, day in and day out airmen carried out the mission without fail, he added. Since then, weve also taken on a number of initiatives to grow the force, save airmen time and focus on revitalizing our squadrons.
More Information Taking the pulse of the Air Force The 2015 Air Force Total Climate Survey asked airmen about a variety of issues. The last survey was done in 2012. Here's a look at how airmen responded when asked about eight primary issues. Subject ......................................................2015 -- 2012 Unit performance ................................................. 85% -- 88% Immediate supervisor support .......................... 85% -- 85% Unit senior leader support ................................. 82% -- 78% Satisfaction..............................................................82% -- 81% Unit Alliance* .........................................................79% -- 76% Resources ...............................................................75% -- 74% Senior leadership support .................................. 73% -- 73% Recognition**........................................................ 69% -- 66% *Measures how airmen feel they identify with their unit. **Extent to which an airman or civilian receives public/private acknowledgment for exceptional performance. See More Collapse
The 2015 Air Force Total Climate Survey asked 132,000 active-duty and reserve airmen and civilian workers last spring about issues ranging from performance and supervisor support to satisfaction with the service. With some exceptions, airmen and civilian workers were generally upbeat.
Eighty-five percent rated their units performance as high, compared with 88 percent in 2012, the last time the survey was taken. More than eight in 10 felt strongly supported by immediate supervisors and senior unit leaders, and the same percentage expressed satisfaction. Those numbers were similar to or slightly better than 2012.
The response about having enough people on teams to do the job was among the lowest-scoring on that question in the history of the survey, and its drop from 65 percent in 2012 could be attributed to the budget sequester, the Air Force Personnel Center said.
It noted that the sequester triggered a cut in flying hours and in training and readiness in the major and combat commands. In the same four-year period, the Air Force reduced the active-duty workforce. But Gen. Mark Welsh, the Air Forces chief of staff until retiring last summer, said sequestration was not the only problem he faced on Capitol Hill.
There just arent enough people in the Air Force to keep all the aging systems they currently have, bring on the new systems that must be fielded to enable success in the future, meet all the services deployment and contingency support requirements, and give airmen a battle rhythm they can sustain over time, he said.
Trying to balance the budget in a way that is responsible for the future and take good care of airmen is always the goal, added Welsh, a San Antonio native and 1971 Reagan High School graduate who is now dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. Unfortunately, when your budget is dissected line item by line item, and virtually everything is protected by someone, its hard to make the adjustments that make sense for the long term.
The nations overseas commitments are another big complication. Welshs successor, Gen. David Goldfein, has warned that the force is under intense stress as wars rage on in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Airmen are constantly rotating from war zones and overseas deployments to home, where the pace rarely slacks, he said in a State of the Air Force briefing last summer.
He referred to the busiest Air Force that I have certainly ever seen in my 35 years of working on defense matters, but they are doing it.
Goldfein also warned at a recent Air Force Association conference in Florida that when we talk about revitalizing squadrons, were not talking about throwing manpower and money at this issue. Quite frankly, we dont have it.
The Air Force has tried to slow the loss of drone pilots with five-year, $35,000 re-enlistment bonuses, and it wants to increase bonuses to retain veteran fighter pilots. But one former Air Force chief of staff, retired Gen. Ronald Fogleman, said in a recent interview that the problem goes well beyond pilots.
When I talk to the troops, I come away with the conviction that the Air Force is facing retention issues across the board and in all segments of the total force, he said.
The effect of Pentagon personnel cuts announced three years ago by then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the sequesters funding squeeze loom large in the survey. Hagel ordered the Army to eliminate 70,000 soldiers, but the 2011 Budget Control Act, called the sequester, went much further, forcing $454 billion in across-the board military spending cuts. If implemented as planned, the Army would eliminate $95 billion from its budget and cut its active-duty force to 420,000 soldiers by 2020.
Goldfein told senators at his confirmation hearing last summer that there are plans to add 4,000 airmen to the 317,800 on active duty to right the force. The Air Force hopes to have 321,000 airmen, possibly within a year, but much will depend on funding.
In his State of the Air Force briefing, Goldfein echoed Deborah Lee James, the services top civilian, in saying Congress had to jettison the sequesters constraints on the military, or we will be unable to execute the defense strategic guidance and perform these missions to the level the nation requires.
The Air Force, meanwhile, has tried to insulate its San Antonio-based training command from sequestration. Col. Sam Milam, deputy director of intelligence, operations and nuclear integration for flying training at the Air Education and Training Command, recently said sequestration has had an effect mostly on the staff but not at the line units.
Pilots in the training command have nonetheless complained about time spent on nonflight-related tasks.
If the Air Force could restore civilian schedulers, pilots would still work 12-hour days, said Capt. Christopher Fiat Umphres, a fighter training officer at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph.
Its just who we are and what were wired for, he said. But were going to get to spend more of that 12 hours training great fighter pilots or being great fighter pilots and less of it on things that make us want to tear our hair out.
sigc@express-news.net
When Julia Garcia Medina arrived at the San Antonio College polling site on Halloween, she was thrilled that she didnt have to stand in line.
An aide helped the 102-year-old widow as she walked with her cane to an electronic voting machine to cast her early voting ballot.
Medina had consulted with her son and son-in-law about the candidates. Of the many times shes voted in past presidential elections, the rancor, she said, was unlike anything she had seen before.
Our family always was interested in who our president was going to be, Medina said, sitting in her living room with her caregiver Alicia Moreno and neighbor Lupita Gonzalez. It thrilled me to vote, but it almost hurts to watch. Some of the things they said were so inappropriate. I hope I made the right decision. I tried my best.
She politely declined to say which candidate received her vote.
Medina is one of 60 centenarians, from 100 to 108 years of age, who had cast early ballots in Bexar County as of Thursday. About half of them voted by mail, but 26 members of that select group had voted in person.
Medina also is one of the scores of female voters who were born before women had the right to vote and are now voting in an election with the first female presidential candidate from a major political party.
After considering the elections she has seen over more than 80 years, she commented that the process today isnt as complex as it once was. Her favorite president, she said, was Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Doris Griffin, executive director of Jefferson Outreach for Older People, said everywhere she goes, older residents are talking about this election.
Griffin said many generations fought hard for the vote and women especially need to get out in force, considering that there are still countries where women are prohibited from voting.
Most of the seniors do vote, believe in voting and will vote, she said. Youre never too old to vote. Every vote counts.
Griffin said there are numerous resources available to help seniors with disabilities exercise their right to vote. While the deadline for requesting a mail ballot has passed, those who are sick, disabled or 65 years or older and have trouble walking or standing for long periods can get curbside service, where a ballot is taken to the voters vehicle at his/her precinct voting site. And elders can have someone assist them at the site itself. For more information, call the Bexar County Elections Department or speak to elections personnel at the precinct voting location.
For Medina, who speaks English and Spanish fluently, participating in the political process has long been a part of her life. She remembers when her mother worked as a volunteer at Herff Elementary, checking poll tax forms. The tax was later eliminated after it was determined that the tax denied the poor, often people of color, the right to vote because they couldnt afford to pay it.
One of nine children, Medina talked in a clear, strong voice about growing up on South Pine and Dakota streets on the East Side. She recalled her second-grade teacher and how her parents taught her there would be stumbling blocks in life and that she should accept God's will. She and her husband of 59 years, Arthur, passed those lessons down to their three children.
The Medinas moved into their neighborhood in 1945. She clearly recalled how the work whistle at Alamo Iron Works sounded at 8 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years; after her children were older, she went to work at a Catholic organization in the King William neighborhood. She later took a job at the San Antonio Housing Authority, where she stayed for 22 years, assisting families dealing with economic struggles. She retired as an assistant manager in 1986 at the age of 72.
I felt I had accomplished something, she said, musing on her career. I had a good job.
These days, Medina spends many evenings in the den of the home she calls her casita, revisiting the chapters of her life. She sits on a carefully tended, decades-old sofa that looks as if it just came from a showroom floor. Her home is a haven of sorts, a throwback to simpler times, in the midst of a digital age of tiny telephones and television screens as big as a small billboard.
While she marvels at many technological advances, Medina said the one thing she could do without in this modern world is the rancor and lack of civility in politics.
Im very disappointed. We must all get along. This is the beauty of being alive, she said. As a leading nation were not setting an example that were working together. It breaks my heart that my beautiful nation is going through a siege of hatred.
vtdavis@express-news.net
The Granfalloon November events will include hosting smashing parties and other events on the southside at 400 East Main St.This Wednesday there will be Rage Yoga. "Come and enjoy a night of an intense version of tradtional yoga. There will be heavier music played, and you are allowed to drink your choice of alcoholic (or non-alcoholic) beverage and release your tension," organizers said. The class costs $10. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; the yoga is from 8-9 p.m. "You can stay, socialize and partake from the bar until 10 p.m.This event does require you to bring your own mat (and ID)." organizers said. Tickets are available at granfalloonchattanooga.com . Tickets may also be available at the door, if the event is not sold out.On Thursday there will be River City Sessions: A Celebration of Female Voices. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show is from 7:30-10 p.m. Admission is $5. "Come celebrate the fourth anniversary of River City Sessions trial run on radio at WUTC and womens voices," organizers said.This Saturday from 11 a.m.- 6 p.m., The Granfalloon will have their friends at Speed Deluxe in the house, showing off 30 vintage motorcycles on the southside. The show will feature a range of bikes including stock, customs, bobbers, cafe racers, choppers, and scooters, as well as local and traveling artists. Food and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks will be available for purchase on site. "Come share an evening of fun," organizers said.Saturday, Nov. 17, there will be a jazz brunch at Adelles Ice Cream Creperie inside The Granfalloon from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., with jazz piano and vocals from Selena Duncan.Monday, Nov. 21, the Granfalloon will host a great Improv Comedy show. The doors will open at 7:30 p.m., and the show will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8 at the door. Credit cards are accepted, however cash is preferred. This show will be PG-13, parental guidance is advised. "This will be one of our signature Long Form improv shows. There will be suggestions from the audience turned into a series of scenes for 15 to 20 minutes. If you've never seen Long Form improv before, you owe it to yourself to check out this show," organizers said. Light snacks and drinks (including adult beverages) will be available during the show.Saturday, Nov. 26 will be the Holiday Market from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. with merchants and vendors from Athens, Ga. "Come enjoy live music and crepes from Adelles Creperie and savory lunch options from Petunias Jalapeno Food truck," organizers said."Every last Monday of the month and the Granfalloon we want to see local and touring musicians with friends and fans come together and share stories and song. Come celebrate Friendsgiving on Monday, Nov. 28 from 7:30-11:30 p.m. This event is free and for all ages. We encourage younger musicians to use our stage as well. Our community deserves a day of network and play every month for supporters of local music. Bring an instrument and sign up for open mic. There will be crepes served as well as beer and coffee for purchase," organizers said.
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A record number of Bexar County voters more than 467,000 people flocked to the polls or mailed in their ballots during early voting.
Many of them had a lot in common with Debra Douglas, a woman in her 50s who lives on the outskirts of San Antonio.
Douglas was one of the first people in Bexar County to cast a ballot when she showed up at the Great Northwest Library on Oct. 24.
Im smart, joked Douglas, who said she wanted to avoid the long lines. Douglas also wanted to make a strong statement in an abnormally contentious presidential race.
It was important for me to go ahead and vote, she said.
Douglas wasnt alone.
Voter data released last week by the Bexar County Elections Department show that the surge of ballots cast during early voting, both in person and via mail, was primarily driven by people living in the outer reaches of the county mostly on the far West and North sides.
Douglas lives outside Loop 1604 near Government Canyon State Natural Area in Precinct 1121, which ranked as one of the busiest precincts during early voting, with 3,048 voters.
More Information Bexar County women surpass men during early voting Total female voters: 250,739, 54 percent Total male voters: 193,901, 42 percent Unknown: 16,324: 4 percent See More Collapse
Like Douglas, many Bexar County voters were in their 50s their average age was 52. About 1 in 5 voters were between 50 and 59.
And most early voters at least 250,000 were women.
The number of total voters is just incredibly larger this time around, said Henry Flores, a political science professor at St. Marys University. And the number of women voters is extraordinarily high. I mean, thats amazing.
Its the clearest sign yet that women are playing a decisive role in choosing the next president in the race between Donald Trump, whose offensive comments about women have sparked widespread condemnation, and Hillary Clinton, the countrys first female presidential nominee.
The choices that women make in the voting booth will also determine the fate of dozens of other candidates running in down-ballot races.
But while the sheer number of female voters is higher than ever, are women turning out in higher percentages when compared with past elections?
It depends on how you crunch the numbers.
The San Antonio Express-News matched records of 461,000 early voters with another county database that documents the sex of each voter.
The analysis shows that more than 250,000 women and nearly 194,000 men cast ballots in the 2016 presidential race during early voting. But the sex of an additional 16,000 voters is listed as unknown in the data.
Including the unknowns in the vote totals means 54 percent of voters were women. That percentage is identical to the female voter turnout in the 2008 presidential race, won by Barack Obama.
Manuel Medina, chairman of the Bexar County Democratic Party, said the party uses a different method when it analyzes election results. It only includes voters whose sexes are known.
Using that method and removing the unknowns results in a higher percentage of women who cast ballots during early voting this year 56 percent.
I dont think you can get much higher than that, Medina said.
It turns out, you can. Using that same method for the 2008 presidential race shows that 57 percent of early voters were women slightly higher than the 2016 race.
Either way, Medina says the robust turnout is a good sign for Democrats in Bexar County.
Our attitude is, the more people who vote, the better it is for Democrats, Medina said.
Robert Stovall, chairman of the Republican Party of Bexar County, said the percentage of women voters hasnt changed dramatically during early voting, making it hard to tell if theres a backlash against Trump that will hurt the GOP in down-ballot races.
We dont think theres anything to read in those tea leaves, Stovall said.
More older voters participated in early voting when compared with 2008, when the average voter age was 50.
The Elections Department released data on 435,058 early voters who cast ballots in person. Thats slightly lower than the official tally of 436,731 early voters because officials remove information about law enforcement officers for privacy reasons.
Officials also released a roster of 32,547 voters who mailed in their ballots as of Nov. 3. The county is still accepting mail-in ballots, so those numbers are expected to rise.
While a majority of Bexar County voters supported Obama in the past two elections, Stovall happily noted that many of the outlying precincts that were the busiest during early voting also happen to lean Republican.
In Bexar County, officials say Republicans tend to be most active during early voting. Democrats turn out in higher numbers on Election Day. But its difficult to say with certainty which party has an edge in early voting because Texas voters dont declare a party affiliation.
More than 205,000 people who cast ballots during early voting also participated in the March primaries. Of that group, 53 percent voted in the Republican primary, and 47 percent voted in the Democratic primary.
But most early voters didnt participate in either primary. And in Texas, theres nothing prohibiting a Republican from voting in the Democratic primary to influence the slate of candidates, and vice versa.
We still have to have a good turnout on Election Day, Stovall said. Its going to be tight.
The Prairie Doc: Men, you can thank women for your good health
Dairy farmers in Northern Ireland are looking to quit the industry as over 700 dairy cows, some owned by one of the richest families in the area, are being sold at auctions.
Farming income has fallen drastically in the country from 312m to 183m between 2014 and 2015, according to figures. Dairy farmers are reporting huge losses around the UK.
One of the herds being put up for sale was owned by the late Lord Ballyedmond who died in a helicopter accident in Norfolk in March 2014.
The current manager of the farm, John Meade, told Belfast Telegraph: "The family have been very passionate about farming and milking cows but have taken the decision to restructure the farm and cease dairying.
The situation mirrors many dairy farms around the UK who are putting their herds up for sale
"It's been a very tough decision for the family and one they have not taken lightly, but they wanted to reduce overall losses. We have a modern dairy milking facility here but, with the current climate regarding milk prices, we felt it is better to concentrate on our other farming activities here, including beef and sheep farming."
The situation mirrors many dairy farms around the UK who are putting their herds up for sale. In May this year, a family owned farming business which went back over 100 years sold 700 dairy cattle and announced their intention to withdraw from the dairy industry.
"Over the years the dairy herds have performed very well producing high milk yields at competitive cost but the downturn in farmgate prices over the past two years coupled with a depressing medium to long term outlook for dairy farming forced the business to look very carefully at the prospects for the sector," a spokesman for the company said.
Company chairman Christopher Wilson said: "My family has been farming in eastern England for four generations, well over 100 years, and for two generations in Wales and it is sad for us that we are leaving Wales but we cannot ignore the market place. Despite our best efforts we have reluctantly concluded that we cannot continue under these circumstances."
Painful decision
John Meade said that their decision to sell was a 'painful' one and he said he cannot imagine the pain any farmer has to go through if facing a foreclosure due to lack of cash flow.
"It must be terrible. There are not too many dairy farmers making money, with prices hovering around the 20 pence per litre mark, and some are really struggling to pay bills."
The FUWs Milk and Dairy Produce Committee Chairman, Rhydian Owen, said the Welsh dairy industry 'continues to reel' under months of continuing low prices and poor profitability and almost half of dairy farmers in Britain have stated an intention to quit the sector.
"The FUW is extremely concerned that any sign of a price recovery may still be some way into the future due to a continuing global supply and demand imbalance. We have now sent a synopsis of the main issues contributing to the current dairy sector crisis to local MPs, MEPs and will be distributing this information further to the newly elected Welsh Assembly members."
Figures released by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) said one in ten dairy farms in England and Wales have closed in the last three years.
The board said 1,002 dairy farms had closed since June 2013, which means the number of producers in England and Wales stands at 9,538. Wales saw a decrease of seven producers on the month and the North and Midlands decreased by five producers each.
NFU dairy board member David Shaw described the current state of UK dairy as 'unsustainable' when many farmers were seeing the prices paid for their milk being cut.
Numerous farming organisations will be taking a 'Back British Farming' message into the heart of the City of London to encourage more people to think about where their food comes from.
The 801st Lord Mayors Show - one of the oldest and most popular historic civic pageants in the world takes place this Saturday November 12, and will see a collection of farming organisations, under the banner of the Worshipful Company of Farmers, to promote all aspects of food and farming and encourage excellence within the industry.
The parade will be the culmination of the farming industrys push to Celebrate Great British Food which during 2016 has included Back British Farming Day, Red Tractor Week and British Food Fortnight.
Taking food and farming to the heart of the City of London (Photo: Lord Mayors Show)
This years entry, that also celebrates international year of pulses, will see 12 young farmers accompany a PMC pea harvester, supplied by the Green Pea Company, and a Massey Ferguson red tractor, both branded to reflect the Back British Farming messages, in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators with millions watching live on the BBC.
The historic three mile long procession through the streets of the City of London includes most of the 110 livery companies along with more than 7,000 participants, 200 horses, 20 marching bands, dancers, performers, armed forces and Modern Livery Companies.
'A great story to tell'
National Farmers Union President Meurig Raymond said: Its wonderful to be supporting the Worshipful Company of Farmers in the Lord Mayors Show for the third year in a row.
We have a great story to tell so the parade is the perfect platform to celebrate and promote British farming an industry strategically important to our country one that grows and produces the raw ingredients for the UKs largest manufacturing industry - food and drink - worth 108 billion to the UK economy. It also provides jobs for nearly four million people.
I know Saturday will be the culmination of months of hard work and a huge team effort from all sides and I wish everyone the best of luck.
Philip Wynn, Master of the Worshipful Company of Farmers, said: Despite farming being an ancient industry, the Worshipful Company of Farmers is among the modern companies, having been established in 1952. A prime part of our role is to raise the profile of food and farming among other livery companies and the City of London in general.
Thanks to industry support we will have a strong presence in the parade this year that is bound to attract interest and highlight the importance of the food and farming industry across the UK.
Northern Ireland has unveiled an action plan aimed at improving animal welfare enforcement and at protecting animals from neglect and abuse.
The plan sets out how 68 recommendations, made in the Review of the Implementation of the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011, will be brought in. It will enable the animal welfare enforcement bodies to work together to ensure that the recommendations are fully implemented.
Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Michelle McIlveen said: Legislation has been amended to substantially increase the maximum penalties available to the courts for the most serious animal welfare offences to five years imprisonment.
In addition, serious animal welfare offences have been added to the Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme. This allows the Director of Public Prosecutions to refer sentences for animal welfare offences, tried in the Crown Court, to the Court of Appeal if he considers them to be unduly lenient. We have also secured access to conviction data for DAERA inspectors, to help with animal welfare investigations. These are important steps in ensuring that the welfare needs of animals are met.
The farming industry has pledged to work closely with the seed potato sector and the government to ensure that the industry maintains a low level of the fungal disease blackleg.
Speaking at the Seed Industry event in St Andrews, Scotland, AHDB Potatoes Strategy Director Rob Clayton said that while there are no easy answers when it comes to blackleg, the key to maintaining the high health status of the industry is collective responsibility.
The event saw a national stocktake of current management practices regarding blackleg which will be used to drive future research and best practice recommendations.
Blackleg is a disease caused by the bacterium Pectobacterium atrosepticum. It is one of the earliest potato diseases to appear, and many growers see symptoms as early as June, especially in wet years.
The disease causes black rotting at the stem base
Mr Clayton also stressed that British seed is still very attractive to foreign markets.
He said: Freedom from key notifiable diseases such as ring rot and brown rot along with excellent low-virus status, continue to make GB-produced seed attractive under the Safe Haven scheme.
Our 2012 plant health strategy has a clear focus on reputation and long term sustainability always trump risky short term commercial gains.
Today we have asked every single delegate to commit to reviewing and improving their management of disease risk and were confident that our reputation as a high health seed producer will be maintained.
AHDB Head of Exports Peter Hardwick, AHDB Head of Crops Export Trade Development Rob Burns and AHDB Potatoes Strategy Director Rob Clayton
'Record levels of UK seed exports'
This was echoed by Head of Crop Exports Trade Development Rob Burns who said that there could be record levels of UK seed exported this year.
Mr Burns said: The harvest looks to have a good seed fraction. This means we could see a higher volume of seed potatoes exported from the UK, up from 80,000 tonnes last export season.
Once more Egypt will be a key market for exports; we are likely to see in excess of 50,000 tonnes sent over there.
AHDB is also exploring other untapped markets interested in UK seed. Rob and his team will be welcoming a delegation from Russia next month to showcase the British sector and increase trade with what is a potentially a very large market.
Rob Burns said: While the Russian market has been open to seed potatoes for the last few years there has been very little British seed exported.
This is partly because there are other markets closer and so transport costs are lower, and partly because there is quite a complicated process to gain access.
However, it is a huge potential market and the fall in the value of the pound could make our seed an even more attractive proposition.
Importance of trade
The importance of trade was also highlighted by AHDBs Head of Exports Peter Hardwick, who spoke to the 200 delegates at the event about Brexit and the threats and opportunities for the seed potato sector.
He noted while only a small proportion of our seed exports go to the EU, its not only EU-based trade relationships which could be impacted by Brexit.
We could find other trade deals interrupted where they rely on EU trade agreements and are based on EU regulations, Peter explained.
For example consider our relationship with Egypt where we export large volumes of seed. We have an Association Agreement there which is based on being within the EU, therefore we need to ensure that something else replaces it when we leave.
This is of course entirely possible but does require focus and resource to make sure it happens. The last thing an industry heavily reliant on exports needs is unexpected obstacles stopping our goods from getting to key markets.
The Seed Industry Event is a biennial event which focuses on the issues that matter for those involved in seed potatoes and the supply chain, from research to marketing.
Opportunities for Scottish companies to maintain their 11.6 billion EU exports market will be jeopardised by Brexit, Europe Minister Alasdair Allan will highlight in Estonia today.
Dr Allan will restate the Scottish governments commitment to safeguarding free movement of labour and access to a single market of 500 million people.
The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon recently unveiled plans to increase Scottish Development International presence in Europe to support Scottish companies.
A permanent hub will be established in Berlin and trade envoys appointed to promote Scottish exports, such as Scotch beef and lamb.
Europe Minister Alasdair Allan said: There is a real risk that Scottish companies face a damaging loss of business if the UK leaves the single market. The priority is to protect Scotlands interests at home and abroad. Single Market membership is a key priority for Scotland with over 40% of our exports going to the EU."
Farming unions have also reiterated that it is essential for the sector to maintain 'full, unfettered' access to the single market while having continued access to a 'flexible, competent and reliable' workforce.
In a joint statement, the four UK union Presidents said: Agriculture supplies the building blocks to the UKs largest manufacturing sector, food and drink.
Worth 108bn and employing 3.9m people spread across every parliamentary constituency, the industry is bigger than the automotive and aerospace sectors combined.
In common with other sectors of the economy, British farmers and food producers need the government to be acutely aware of whats at stake for this vitally important industry and the UK economy as a whole."
Lamb producers are currently facing 'price difficulties', in particular the light lamb sector, due to ongoing economic problems in southern Europe and consumer habit changes.
While overall farmgate lamb prices in Wales are currently higher than in 2014 and 2015, lower prices are paid for lambs below 32kg live weight, or light lambs, a situation which is posing a challenge for some hill farmers.
Representatives of the National Sheep Association (NSA), NFU Cymru and Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) met last week to discuss current market trends. A range of factors were explored, including economic difficulties in traditional markets for light lambs in Mediterranean countries, and long-term industry-wide trends towards dealing in cuts rather than whole carcases.
A range of factors were explored, including economic difficulties in traditional markets for light lambs in Mediterranean countries
Light lamb prices are very concerning at the moment given the favourable exchange rate, said FUW Head of Policy Nick Fenwick. With uncertainty over what trade deals might be in place post-Brexit, it is important to seek solutions to current and possible future problems for all parts of the sheep sector.
Wyn Evans, Chairman of NFU Cymru Livestock Board, said: These current price difficulties in the light lamb sector put in sharp focus the need for all of us involved in the sector to redouble our efforts to build and develop new and existing markets, while also reminding buyers of the availability of great tasting PGI Welsh Lamb in a range of carcase weights.
Fewer and fewer lambs fall into the light categories these days around 15% of the total production in Wales, said Hybu Cig Cymru Meat Promotion Wales Head of Operations Prys Morgan. But the price differential is higher than it was; with the price paid often being around 20p less per kilo liveweight than for standard lambs.
There are a number of long-term factors which make trading conditions difficult for light lambs. Ongoing economic problems in southern Europe have reduced the export demand for this kind of lamb, and the tendency in both overseas and domestic markets towards dealing in cuts rather than whole carcases is also a factor which makes light lambs more costly to process per kilo.
HCC continues to promote PGI Welsh Lamb in traditional markets for this product such as Italy and Spain, and is also focusing on developing potential new light lamb markets in the Middle East and elsewhere, concluded Prys.
Convert 10% of arable land to agroforestry, Woodland Trust says
By Mandy Bish
University of Missouri Extension weed scientists report the first confirmed case of multiple-herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth in Missouri. It likely is the wave of the future.
MU Division of Plant Sciences research specialist Mandy Bish says this has weed scientists concerned because of Palmer amaranths competitive and aggressive nature. As the incidences of herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth increase, producers lose chemical control options, Bish says.
Bish works with MU Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley, who has tracked the spread of Palmer amaranth in Missouri and cautioned producers about the weed for almost a decade.
Southern Illinois University researchers Karla Gage and Ronald Krausz identified the Palmer amaranth population with resistance to glyphosate and group 14 PPO inhibitors. The weed came from Mississippi River bottoms north of St. Louis. Scientists first discovered PPO resistance in Tennessee in 2015 and recently in southern Illinois.
In recent years, agronomists and weed scientists throughout the Midwest have reported PPO-resistant populations of the most common pigweed species, waterhemp, which is a relative of Palmer amaranth. Multiresistant waterhemp is now the rule rather than the exception, Bish says. We assume the same will be true in the future with Palmer amaranth.
Palmer amaranth is much more aggressive than waterhemp. Under optimal conditions, waterhemp typically grows 1 to 1 1/4 inches daily, while Palmer amaranth can grow up to 2 1/2 inches per day. Its fast growth makes it very difficult to effectively treat and control, she says.
While it can be difficult to distinguish waterhemp from Palmer amaranth early on, the leaves of Palmer amaranth are typically wider and distinctively diamond-shaped, and have longer petioles. At harvest, Palmer amaranth can be distinguished from waterhemp by the longer seed head. Additionally, the female seed heads are prickly to the touch. Each plant contains about 500,000 seeds.
Research has shown that Palmer amaranth can reduce yield by as much as 79 percent when there are only five plants per 2 feet of soybean row. With multiple-herbicide-resistant populations of Palmer amaranth confirmed in different regions of the U.S., Bish says it will be important to implement nonchemical methods as part of control.
Both waterhemp and Palmer amaranth seeds are only viable in the soil for four to six years. Research by Bradleys group indicates that one pass of deep tillage in affected areas can reduce both Palmer amaranth and waterhemp densities. Pigweed seeds need sunlight. If buried, they cannot germinate.
Bish urges farmers to actively scout for Palmer amaranth.
Here is the Fort Oglethorpe arrest report Oct. 21-27:
10-20-2016
Michael Adam Kent, 32, of 342 Mahan Avenue, Lafayette arrested on charges of drinking and disorderly and fugitive from justice.
Peyton Douglas Spalding, 19, of 8213 Bay Berry Drive, Chattanooga arrested on charges of reckless driving and operation of red lights without permit X 2.
Anthony Nicholas Alexander, 30, of 553 Winterview Lane, Chattanooga arrested for driving while license suspended/revoked.
10-22-2016
Jamael Antoneo Williams, 22, of 404 Tunnel Blvd, Chattanooga arrested for driving while license suspended/revoked.
Carolyn Denise Ray, 39, of 2205 Milne Street, Chattanooga arrested on an outstanding warrant and for shoplifting.
10-23-2016
Ashley Nicole Nettles, 30, of 1604 Wildwood Trail, Fort Oglethorpe arrested on charges of battery, criminal trespass, obstruction of officers and public drunk.
Wayne Robinson, 47, of 807 Snow Street, Chattanooga arrested for drunk and disorderly.
10-25-2016
Mitchell Lee Smith, 29, of 2606 East 46th Street, Chattanooga arrested for probation violation.
10-26-2016
David Lewis Ford, 47, of 222 S.
Dyllin Michael Lee Hamilton, 24, of 68 Redbelt Road, Chickamauga arrested on charges of possession of schedule II X 2 and possession of schedule VI.
Tiffani Lynn Aaron, 23, of 413 Kristen Drive, Chickamauga arrested on charges of driving while license suspended and speeding.
10-27-2016
Anthony Dewayne Lees, 29, of 717 Flegal Avenue, Rossville arrested on an outstanding warrant.
Latricia Ann Lees, 28, of 717 Flegal Avenue, Rossville arrested on an outstanding warrant.
Jessica Denise Bailey, 48, of 33 Pike Hill Road, Tunnel Hill was arrested on charges of driving while license suspended and speeding.
Citation Statistics:
Speeding.9
Driving while license suspended or revoked3
Required position & methods of turning at intersections..1
Following too closely.3
Failure to move over for emergency vehicles1
Defective/unsafe tires.1
License required.3
Entering or crossing roadway.1
Proof of insurance required.1
Illegal left turn.1
Vehicles approaching or entering intersection2
Aggressive driving.1
Failure to signal turn or lane change2
Safety belt violations1
Operation of vehicle without current plate.5
Failure to obey traffic control device.6
But Mr Lewis, who came to the portfolio seven days before the WA milk over-supply crisis came to a head on September 30 with Brownes Dairy dumping three suppliers, said he did not believe he could do anything immediately to help them.
Mr Lefroy, who is a Merino enthusiast, said the decision to disperse the flock was not a knee jerk reaction to the sheep industry in anyway but rather one that came down to succession planning which they started about seven years ago after he did the Rabobank Executive Development Program in Sydney.
An Ashburn man will spend 10 years in prison for the shooting death of his ex-girlfriend with whom he was in the midst of a heated custody bat
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TWRA is seeking information about an elk that was illegally shot on the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area over the weekend.
On Saturday, about 30 minutes before sunset, a deer hunter was watching a herd of elk grazing in a field when he witnessed a red Polaris RZR drive up and stop near an opening between the roadway and the field. The operator, who was also an apparent hunter, exited the ATV, walked through a small gap in the woods and shot one of the elk standing in the field. The witness stated that he identified himself to the shooter who then got back into his ATV and fled towards the town of Caryville.
The witness contacted TWRA and an investigation ensued. Wildlife officers responded to the area and located a young bull elk that had been shot in the neck lying in a field. The incident occurred in a field on Tower Road, which is on Caryville Mountain above the town of Caryville.
The witness described the shooter as a heavy set white male, approximately 5' 8 and wearing a blaze orange vest and hat. Anyone with any information is encouraged to contact the TWRA Poaching Hotline at 1-800-831-1174.
Where can you get free diapers in Cumberland County?
The Partnership for Children of Cumberland County helps hundreds of families a month, according to the nonprofit's community engagement administrator.
Hamilton County Interim School Superintendent Kirk Kelly on Monday announced he has asked school board members David Testerman and Joe Galloway along with Kathy Lennon to withdraw their motion to name him school superintendent at the Nov. 17, school board meeting.
Mr. Kelly says he is humbled by the board members support for the initiatives and direction he and his leadership team have implemented since being named interim superintendent this past winter. Mr. Kelly added he wishes to continue his innovations as the permanent superintendent, but believes this is not the proper time to bring that motion to a vote.
Mr. Kelly said, "We have made significant progress in charting a new course and direction for the approximately 44,000 students in our Hamilton County Schools. I welcome the opportunity to continue this new direction as the superintendent. However, I respect the wishes of other board members to conduct a search to find the best qualified candidate, which I believe to be myself. I look forward to presenting my vision and plan for the future of our system to the school board, the search committee and the community in the weeks to come.
Mr. Kelly said he has been heartened by the feedback he has received both inside and outside the school system to the new direction he and his staff have implemented. He said, "I look forward to continuing these innovations as the full time superintendent in the very near future, so we can continue to best serve the students of Hamilton County."
As mentioned in my post last week, one way the DOJ determines if a company has performed the required anti-corruption due diligence when acquiring an entity is looking at whether the new entity was promptly incorporated into the acquiring companys internal controls, including its compliance program.
There are three main areas to focus on in order to successfully accomplish this integration, whether it be into your existing anti-corruption program or one that has been newly established.
These are:
Identifying the universe of foreign official touchpoints
Fully identifying the intermediaries among third parties, and
Examining hiring practices as they relate to foreign officials
Most senior executives struggle to understand the term foreign officials. The designation includes not only government officials but employees of state-owned companies and public international organizations like the World Bank or the United Nations.
Further, when companies look at foreign officials, the focus of scrutiny tends to be on customers, while failing to consider the various ways in which companies routinely interact with government agencies at the federal, state and local level and the ways those interactions can be problematic.
It is therefore critically important to perform an exhaustive inventory of all of the ways the organization can come into contact with foreign officials, not just among the companys customer base, but through the various ways in which the company may interact with such persons in connection with meeting regulatory, legal, administrative and licensing obligations as well as any other way there may be contact, official or unofficial.
Mapping these relationships, examining them and then prioritizing them in terms of the potential risk is a critically important step to successfully integrating the acquired entity into the acquiring organization and its compliance program.
In the overwhelming majority of FCPA prosecutions, the bribe payers are business intermediaries acting on behalf of the defendant company. It is not common practice to delve deeply into business intermediaries during pre-acquisition due diligence, and yet most FCPA risk resides within those relationships.
Part of the process of identifying intermediaries is doing something similar to the mapping of foreign official touchpoints discussed above. Understanding the activities of each intermediary and determining whether and to what extent they may be interacting with foreign officials on the companys behalf will make mitigating the potential corruption risk of the newly acquired entity a far less challenging exercise.
Government touchpoints extend to the hiring of employees, interns and consultants. The SEC has charged companies with FCPA violations in connection with hiring employees or interns who would not have otherwise been hired were it not for the fact that their family members were government officials in a position to award business to the defendant companies. Most companies do not include hiring practices in their anti-corruption program risk assessments, nor do they examine how a candidate was sourced and whether a prospective hire poses any added FCPA risk.
While simply hiring a family member of a foreign government official does not violate the FCPA, it is the hiring decision that could eventually come under intense scrutiny. The key is ensuring that the candidate has met or exceeded all of the criteria for the position and there is no indication of a quid pro quo. Since such a hire represents heightened risk, some organizations require additional controls, such as increased levels of approval prior to extending an offer to a family member or associate of a foreign official.
Finally, acquisitive companies should seek to examine the potential FCPA risk of a prospective acquisition within the constraints of the information available to them pre-close and then perform a timely, thorough risk assessment focusing on the three areas above: touchpoints with foreign officials and the acquired entitys intermediaries especially those who are interacting with foreign officials on the companys behalf and the alignment of recruiting and hiring activities with the companys anti-corruption compliance program.
It is not uncommon for a company to get more than you bargain for when buying an entity such as ongoing fraud and bribery schemes. Being able to demonstrate the lengths the company has gone to root them out will make all the difference in the governments determination as to whether to hold it accountable for someone elses sins.
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Scott Moritz is Managing Director and Global Lead of Protiviti Forensic, based in New York. He served as an FBI Special Agent for nearly 10 years where he focused on white collar crime, domestic and international corruption and money laundering investigations. A version of this post previously appeared on Protiviti View.
The BRIT Awards 2017 will see a major shakeup in voting in a bid to make the awards show more gender and ethnicity balanced.
Michael Buble
The organisers have decided to invite 1,200 industry professionals to join the BRITs Voting Academy, which selects the nominees and the winners of most of the prizes.
This year will see 57 per cent of the invites go out to new members in a bid to promote a diverse awards show.
This will include 718 potential new voters to achieve greater gender balance as well as increased BAME (Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic) representation.
The changes have been led by BPI Chairman, Ged Doherty, who earlier this year gave a public undertaking to review the Voting Academy.
Ged said: "I'm really proud that we've taken firm action to refresh the Academy to ensure that it keeps up with trends in music and society at large. I believe that as a result of these changes the BRITs will be better equipped to reflect the diverse nature of Britain and British music. There's been a long-held myth that BRITs winners and nominees are decided by industry executives in a smoke-filled room, but the simple truth is that the awards are voted for each year by a 1000+ strong Voting Academy made up of experts drawn from all areas of music."
The BPI appointed a specialist committee comprising leading Black and Asian figures from music and media to advise on the Academy's voting structure.
The invitation list for the 2017 Awards is made up of 52 per cent male and 48 per cent female members - a significant shift from the 70/30 split for the 2016 Awards.
With 17 per cent of this year's invitees are BAME, Which is 15 per cent more than 2016.
The 2017 BRIT nominations will be announced on January 14 live on a primetime ITV Saturday evening slot - featuring special performances.
The BRIT Awards 2017 take place on Wednesday February 22 at London's The O2, hosted by Canadian superstar Michael Buble, and will broadcast live on ITV.
Meghan Markle is a "diehard romantic".
Meghan Markle
The 34-year-old actress is dating Prince Harry and is said to believe in finding her happy-ever-after and has a fairy-tale approach to love.
A friend of Meghan's told People: "She's a diehard romantic. She loves romance."
The brunette beauty is a food enthusiast and will likely treat the 32-year-old Prince to romantic home-cooked meals when they are together.
The insider added: "She's very passionate about food and cooking and restaurants - she's a secret foodie."
Meanwhile, Prince Harry has similar views on romance and will express his affection through lavish gestures such as sending a bouquet of beautiful flowers to Meghan, who lives in Toronto, Canada.
Royal author Ingrid Seward told the publication: "Harry is quite romantic. He is the sort of man who will send flowers. He really does wear his heart on his sleeve."
News that the flame-haired royal is dating the 'Suits' star has caused much excitement among fans of the royal family.
The couple met in May while the Prince was in Toronto to promote is Invictus Games for disabled servicemen and it's thought they have been official for two months and Harry is "happier" than he's been in years.
A source previously said: "Harry's happier than he's been for many years.
"He's in a very relaxed period of his life and Meghan has come along at the right time."
What's more, Harry is so keen on Meghan, he has reportedly introduced her to his father, Prince Charles.
And when asked about her future, Meghan - who has been married before - has said: "My cup runneth over and I'm the luckiest girl in the world."
'The Grand Tour' will finish filming in Dubai.
James May, Jeremy Clarkson, and Richard Hammond
The Amazon Prime show, hosted by former 'Top Gear' presenters Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, will wrap shooting in the United Arab Emirates city in December with their mobile studio, a giant tent containing a studio audience, placed at the bottom of The Burj Khalifa.
Jay Marine, vice president of Amazon Video Europe, said: "After an epic whirlwind trip around the globe, Dubai will be the final chance for fans to come and join Jeremy, Richard and James for the final studio recording of the first ever series of 'The Grand Tour'.
"Demand for tickets has been incredible, so don't miss out and apply today to join the guys in Dubai for the ultimate adventure and an experience to remember."
Jeremy, James and Richard have visited numerous locations throughout their worldwide jaunt, including Lapland, Nashville, Rotterdam, California, Johannesburg and Whitby.
But filming has not always gone to plan with James - who, along with Richard, quit 'Top Gear' after Jeremy was axed following a fracas with a producer - breaking his arm at one stage.
Producer Andy Wilman recently explained: "James fell over the night before filming, coming out of a pub.
"He rang me up and said, 'I've broken my arm.' His car was automatic so we stuck him on Eurostar, pumped him full of drugs and left him to it.
"[James] did more damage to it because he had to keep on going but he's falling to bits anyway. We are not in Usain Bolt territory with that body."
The TV presenter also nearly died when he thought he was going to drown in Venice, Italy.
He said: "I thought I would drown. I couldn't get out of the slippery thing.
"I had completely run out of strength."
What's more, it was recently revealed the new show will face legal action if it bears any similarities to 'Top Gear'.
Andy said: "They got funnier and funnier. We went to Namibia to make a big film. The lawyers got out a film we had done [for 'Top Gear'] in Botswana. The lawyers go through everything and they said, 'There's a scene in ['Top Gear'] where you're in the middle of the Okavango and you go, "This scenery is beautiful", so watch that you don't do that.'
"So we were in the desert in Namibia and we had to go, 'For legal reasons, this scenery is s**t.' "
'The Grand Tour' will launch on November 18, 2016, and episodes will be released weekly for 12 weeks.
City Colleges To Close Lakeview Learning Center, Hoping For $5M Sale
By Stephen Gossett in News on Nov 7, 2016 3:07PM
Lakeview Learning Center / City Colleges of Chicago / Facebook
While development booms throughout Wrigleyville and Lakeview, students and teachers at one of the areas longtime educational institutions, Lakeview Learning Center, are preparing for a major loss.
Students and personnel at the adult-education facility were recently notified that the City Colleges of Chicago will shutter the center in May 2017. Massive redevelopment in the area has contributed to skyrocketing rents and property price; and the City Colleges appears poised to capitalize, expecting to generate between two and five million dollars for the sale, according to a Q&A sent to teachers.
The property is also located within a transit-oriented development zone, according to Alderman Tom Tunneys office. Lucrative TODs have become hot commodities in the area: one was proposed immediately adjacent to the Belmont CTA stop in July, and the Target Express TOD replaced longtime punk outpost The Alley.
At the same time, the move for revenue will carry its own cost, some students say. Im 21 and from Mexico. Ive been studying here for two and a half years. This school changed my life. Its a gift. You cant put a price on this gift, student Oscar Pina Morales said in a release. Classes after the fall semester next year will be moved to Truman College.
The Centers roots trace to 1972, when it was known as Universidad Popular, a groundbreaking educational program that predates a relationship with CCC, and offered multi-level English instruction, along with assistance in immigration law, local politics and tenants rights for its largely Latino student body.
When asked for comment, a City Colleges spokesperson said in a statement that the proposed sale will generate new efficiencies that will be put back into student programming throughout various campuses, but did not elaborate how those reinvestments would be allocated.
Ald. Tunney (44th Ward) said in a statement that while we will miss these classes, we understand they will still be offered at Trumans main campus just to the north as well as other sites in the CCC system, where students will have access to upgraded facilities and student support services.
CCC told teachers in the closure notification that the shutdown and sale makes sense in light of the state budget crisis, which cut City Colleges state funding by 75 percent last year. But the educators union argues that City Colleges is financially healthy, with $859 million in reported assets.
The union also claims the Center was gifted to City Colleges on the condition that it must be used as an educational outlet. Bennett Lawson, Chief of Staff for Ald. Tunney, told Chicagoist that he had no knowledge of such a stipulation.
Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is releasing a cookbook, titled 'Food, Health, and Happiness: 115 On-Point Recipes for Great Meals and a Better Life'. The 62-year-old has penned the book and will release it on January 3, 2017.
"As long as I can remember, I've been the kind of person who wants to share the things that make life better," Winfrey said.
"When I come upon something useful, something that brings me pleasure or comfort or ease, I want everyone else to know about it and benefit from it, too... And that is how this cookbook came to be. It's my life storythe lessons I've learned, the discoveries I've madetold through food," she added.
Recipes for food items, including Turkey chili, farro with peas, asparagus, pesto and cured olives and sustainable Chilean sea bass with lemon fennel chutney, will be available.
Next Story : Not Your Average Gift: Our Handpicked Thoughtful Diwali Gifts
Kering, a global luxury group that develops an ensemble of luxury houses in fashion, and The New Schools Parsons School of Design, a leader in design education, have launched a design curriculum to measure the environmental impacts of students creations. The course leverages Kerings Environmental Profit and Loss (EP&L) programme pilot and the My EP&L app.
As part of the collaboration, Kering has introduced new modules to Parsons fashion programme and embedded practical lessons in sustainability into the Parsons curriculum. Students will have the opportunity to study the EP&L methodology, which measures and monetises the environmental impacts from business activities across the entire supply chain.
Thesis projects of the students will subsequently be evaluated and scored on both design and sustainability criteria. The top ten students will be given unparalleled exposure for their designs in an exclusive Design Exhibition hosted by Kering and Parsons, following the course.
Kering, a global luxury group that develops an ensemble of luxury houses in fashion, and The New School's Parsons School of Design, a leader in design education, have launched a design curriculum to measure the environmental impacts of students' creations. The course leverages Kering's Environmental Profit and Loss (EP&L) programme pilot and the My EP&L app.#
Students will learn to integrate sustainability from the very start of the design process by evaluating and comparing various materials and understanding how their choices influence the extent of the environmental impacts from sourcing to manufacturing via My EP&L. The app is an easy way for design students and the fashion industry to visualise the environmental impact of a product, right from raw material extraction to sales.
My EP&L illustrates the power of EP&L analysis and will assist fashion designers to easily calculate better options in real time in order to embed sustainability into their products at the very beginning of the design phase. As part of our ongoing commitment to advocate the importance of sustainability with the next generation entering our industry, we are excited to expand our Parsons collaboration with a view to sharing My EP&L with further educational institutions following the pilot, said Marie-Claire Daveu, chief sustainability officer and head of international institutional affairs at Kering.
My EP&L App users can choose raw materials used in jackets, shoes, rings and handbags and find out where these are sourced from and manufactured. In each category, the environmental impacts from carbon emissions, water use, water and air pollution, waste production and land use changes are analysed to calculate a products final impact. The app can also be used to determine comparatively better options to create sustainable designs.
We are excited to collaborate with Kering on this important initiative for our students. Sustainability education is vital for our students, and with Kerings help, Parsons will be educating the next generation of fashion industry leaders who can create powerful change, said Burak Cakmak, dean of fashion at Parsons School of Design.
Parsons will offer the Kering modules to students in three senior Systems & Society thesis sections and two Materiality thesis sections. (KD)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk India
Groz-Beckert, worlds leading supplier of industrial machine needles, precision parts and fine tools, and services for the production and joining of textile fabrics, is upbeat about its success at ITMA Asia 2016 trade fair. It held technical discussions with more than 4,000 visitors during the five days of the trade fair held in China last month.
Most of the visitors to the Groz-Beckert booth were from Asia. Using exhibits and films, Groz-Beckert showed how smart products and services can save resources, while at the same time increasing productivity.
To present the products, the realistic transparent textile machines first introduced at the ITMA 2015 in Milan were used for the segments of knitting, weaving, felting, tufting, carding and sewing. Machines equipped with Groz- Beckert needles and system parts provided the public with direct insight into product uses and their perfectly coordinated interplay.
A highlight in the Knitting segment was the introduction of the new generation of Litespeed needle: the Litespeed Plus. The use of these needles reduces energy consumption by up to 20 per cent over conventional knitting machines. The reason for this is their optimised shaft geometry.
The weaving segment also came up with a new product. In addition to healds, shafts, drop wires and warp stop motions, the segment presented its new jacquard heald. The WarpMaster drawing-in machine and the KnotMaster warp-tying machines were of great interest.
The Felting segment gave a presentation on needle solutions for filtration felts, as well as on the areas of geotextiles, papermaker felts and automotive. The glass needling machine demonstrated the advantages of a combination of GEBECON and EcoStar needles while offering direct insight into the needling process.
The Tufting segment also presented itself with a transparent exhibit. Its centrepoint was the improved gauge part system, consisting of tufting needle, gripping device, reed finger and tufting knife. The recently established Carding segment was represented for the first time at a Groz-Beckert corporate trade-fair booth in Asia. The main focus was on presentation of the synthetic doffer wire D40-30- 52C CBF, which is especially suited to processing abrasive materials such as matted synthetic fibres.
The Sewing segment put its patented quality management INH (Ideal Needle Handling) in the spotlight of its presentation. This new service includes not just process optimisation in coordination with customers, but also supplies the required work equipment by Groz-Beckert. (GK)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk India
Shahrukh Khan celebrated his 51st birthday on November 2, 2016 and threw a grand birthday bash for all his friends, family and collegues from the industry. However, Raees co-producer Farhan Akhtar decided to skip SRK's birthday bash and that raised quite a few eyebrows and people were wondering if the duo are not on talking terms!
A source close to the actor revealed that SRK and Farhan are in good terms and he did not attend the birthday bash as he was busy shooting for a song for the upcoming movie Rock On 2. The source revealed,
"Many felt that Shah Rukh was upset with his Raees co-producer Farhan Akhtar's arrogant statement (he said that he wouldn't pay Rs 5 crore for having a Pakistani actor in his film) and hadn't invited him to his party. But reality is that Farhan was shooting for a new Rock On 2!! song the same day and the bash was happening and since he was shooting with Farah Khan she also couldn't make it."
Who Is Amitabh Bachchan? Asks Hillary Clinton!
It is reported that the song is an important part of the movie and acts as a bridge between the two movies Rock On and Rock On 2. Hence the shoot was very important for Farhan Akhtar and he gave priority to his work rather than attending SRK's birthday bash, which is, of course, the right thing to do.
Salman Khan Supports Hillary Clinton For President!
Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has shown his support for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for President of the United States. Rishi posted a picture of Hillary on his Twitter handle and captioned it as, "POTUS. Go,Hillary Clinton!!! Please elect her as your new President if you want peace, stability and harmony. Donald Duck is no option!"
Who Is Amitabh Bachchan? Asks Hillary Clinton!
It's surprising to see Rishi Kapoor calling Republican nominee Donald Trump "Donald Duck" which is, of course, not graceful in any way. Bollywood celebs have come out in support of Hillary Clinton and none of them have shown their support towards Donald Trump yet. Now will Hillary Clinton be elected as the POTUS? We will have to wait till November 8 for that!
Salman Khan Supports Hillary Clinton For President!
Rishi Kapoor is known to be a troll on Twitter and he absolutely enjoys pulling other people's legs. The fact of the matter is that even Donald Trump is famous for his Twitter rants and if Rishi and Donald are pitted against each other on Twitter, we're sure it would be a helluva fun! Well, Donald doesn't have time for it, that's for sure.
Also, during the Republican Hindu Coalition event, Donald Trump spoke highly about India and praised the country's growth and progress. He even mentioned if he's elected as President, he'll be a good friend to India.
Alphonse Puthren, the Premam director is reportedly all set to team up with Tamil actor Silambarasan. If the reports are to be true, the Alphonse is teaming up with Simbu, for a multilingual.
If the reports are to be true, a popular young Malayalam actor will also appear in a pivotal role in the untitled movie, which will be simultaneously made in four languages.
Director Alphonse Puthren and actor Silambarasan have not confirmed the reports yet. However, the fans of both the actor and director are highly excited about the news and hope the reports are true.
Recently, Alphonse had revealed that he will soon make his Hindi debut and requested his fans to give suggestions for his first venture. He asked whether he should remake Neram/Premam or do a fresh subject first.
Even though he didn't reveal other details, it was confirmed that Alphonse Puthren's next project is not in Malayalam. So, both the industry members and media believe that the rumours regarding the Silambarasan project might be true.
Simbu, on the other hand, is all set to release his upcoming movie Achcham Yenbathu Madamaiyada directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, on November 11. Malayali actress Manjima Mohan makes her Kollywood debut with the movie.
Raman
As we reported earlier, Raman, who is usually seen reassuring Ishita, that she is the best mom in the world, starts blaming her every now and then, and curses her as his daughter Pihu doesn't like her. And feels that he lost a chance to win Pihu's custody case (loses the best lawyer, Kunal), because of Ishita!
Shagun-Pihu
It is known to all, in fact, Raman as well, that Shagun is trying to separate Pihu from Raman and Ishita. But, we wonder, why he fights with Ishita always! Well, it must be the story's requirement for a separation, leap and then reunion!
Ishita
We had earlier reported that Raman and Ishita will have an argument over Pihu's issue. He asks Ishita to leave the house, but the Bhalla family would support Ishita, and rather ask Raman to leave the house.
Raman Leaves The House
An angry Raman would pack his bags and leave the house! This separation leads to a leap. Post leap, the actors will be seen in Australia. The team had already left to Australia.
Shooting In Australia
According to IANS report, "The shoot will take place at shopping hub Rundle Street Mall and the iconic cricket stadium Adelaide Oval in Adelaide city. The couple will also be seen taking a tram across the city, sailing with dolphins and shopping at Adelaide central market."
Divyanka Excited About Australia Shoot
Regarding the Australia shoot, Divyanka was quoted by IANS as saying, "I'm looking forward to shooting at exotic and serene locations in Adelaide. I'm really fond of travelling internationally and exploring diverse cultures and Adelaide in Australia is best known for that."
Post Leap Story....
Apparently, Ishita and Raman will reunite in Adelaide. Ishita, Raman, Pihu, Ruhi and Shagun will be seen shooting in Australia. Well, before the reunion, there should be a lot of drama!
Ishita Gets Makeover!
If we go by the spoiler, Ishita will get a makeover. Ruhi will be seen with Ishita in Australia. We assume, Shagun, Pihu and Raman will be seen together.
Adi, Ruhi & Ishita
It has been almost a year since Raman and Ishita are separated. On the occasion of father's day, Ruhi and Adi will try to make Ishita happy as they do not want their Ishima to look sad.
New Entry In Ishita's Life!
There will also be a new entry in Ishita's life. Ruhi doubts Ishita as she finds flowers and gifts in Ishita's room! Ruhi also confronts his mother over this issue! Stay locked to this space to get the latest updates...
EQS-News / 07/11/2016 / 10:40 UTC+8 To: Business Editor / Reporter [For Immediate Release] / *CW Group Forms a JV Company with Zhejiang Hua Hang* *Leveraging the Opportunities Presented by "Industry 4.0" * *To Strengthen the Presence in the PRC Market* (Hong Kong, 7 November 2016) Leading precision engineering solutions provider, *CW Group Holdings Limited* ("*Company*", together with its subsidiaries, the "*Group*", stock code: 1322) announced that its indirect wholly owned subsidiary CW International (Shanghai) Co., Ltd ("CWISH") and Zhejiang Hua Hang Investment Limited ("Zhejiang Hua Hang") have entered into a letter of intent in relation to the formation of a joint venture company (the "JV Company") in the PRC. The JV Company will be held as to 50% by each of the parties respectively. The JV Company will be formed for the purpose of delivering state of the art industrial design and human-centered process solutions to clients in the PRC, who are seeking to integrate technologies from the Fourth Industrial Revolution ("Industry 4.0"). Tapping on the expertise and resources of its Europe Asia team, the Group will assist the JV Company to undertake and pursue smart factories projects, thus to engineer the capabilities and know-how of innovation and intelligent production for manufacturing industries in the PRC, seizing the huge opportunities offered in the PRC market. *Mr. William Wong, Chairman and CEO of the Group,* stated: "The establishment of the JV Company will enable the Group to introduce state of the art industrial design and innovation to companies in the PRC, which can not only enhance its comprehensive service, but also add further value to its customers. The strategic partnership between the two parties formed under the JV Company will further strengthen the leading position of the Group in the Asia Pacific Region and make significant contributions to the progress of "Industry 4.0" in the PRC." - End - *About CW Group Holdings Limited (stock code: 1322)* CW Group Holdings Limited is a one-stop precision engineering solutions provider and machine tool manufacturer and distributor. Headquartered in Singapore with production facilities in the PRC, the Group serves customers from a wide range of industries, including, precision machine tool engineering, energy, electronic/semi-conductor, automotive, oil and gas, marine and aerospace industries. *About Zhejiang Hua Hang Investment Limited* Zhejiang Hua Hang was established on 18 June 2015 in the PRC with a registered share capital of RMB50 million. It is a wholly owned venture capital firm established by Zhejiang Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, has the key focus to invest in high technology companies. Zhejiang Hua Hang is held as to 35%, 35% and 30% by AVIC Trust Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Zhe Hua Investments Co., Ltd and VisionMax Asset Management (Beijing) Co., Ltd. This press release is released by *PR ASIA Consultants Limited*, on behalf of *CW Group Holdings Limited*. For more information or enquiries, please contact: Lorraine Lam / Dorothy Ying / Janice Cheung Tel: +852 3183 0230 / 3183 0241 / 3183 0252 Fax: +852 2583 9138 Email: cwgroup@prasia.net [1] Document: http://n.eqs.com/c/fncls.ssp?u=SQYHYBBVLD [2] Document title: JV Company with Zhejiang_Hua Hang_Eng 07/11/2016 Dissemination of a Press Release, transmitted by EQS Group. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Media archive at www.todayir.com 517791 07/11/2016 1: mailto:crh@prasia.net 2: http://public-cockpit.eqs.com/cgi-bin/fncls.ssp?fn=redirect&url=30e46c3b211bc8d75c7869cf35959ced&application_id=517791&site_id=vwd&application_name=news
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 06, 2016 21:41 ET (02:41 GMT)
DUBLIN (dpa-AFX) - Irish no-frills airline Ryanair Holdings Plc (RYA.L, RYAAY) reported Monday that its first-half profit after tax declined to 1.17 billion euros from last year's 1.41 billion euros. Earnings per share fell to 91.76 euro cents from 102.66 euro cents a year ago. The prior year results included an exceptional accounting gain of 317.5 million euros on sale of Aer Lingus shareholding. Excluding the item, profit increased 7 percent, and earnings per share grew 15 percent. Total operating revenues - continuing operations grew 2% to 4.13 billion euros from 4.04 billion euros last year. The company noted that lower fares delivered 12% traffic growth to 64.8 million customers and a 2% jump in load factor to 95%. Average fares fell 10% to 50 euros, however first-half unit costs also fell by 10%. The results were achieved amid the difficult market conditions due to repeated ATC strikes, terror events, and the adverse economic impact of the Brexit vote in June which saw Sterling weaken materially over the peak summer period, the company said. Looking ahead, the company said it remains cautious in outlook for fiscal 2017. The company expects fares will continue to fall, and unit costs will fall by approximately 3% this year. The company expects to carry just over 119 million customers in FY17 and this stronger growth requires it to raise long term traffic forecast by over 10% from 180m to over 200m customers p.a. by March 2024. Further, the company said the uncertainty over Brexit, and the final outcome of the UK's departure negotiations with the European Union, will continue to overhang its business for fiscal 2018. The company expects to see weaker Sterling and slower economic growth in both the UK and Europe. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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UNESCO created an international consortium called "TecLin" Linguistic Technologies which brings together international experts in technological innovation in order to prepare the arrival of the internet 3.0: the "Semantic Web". It will be the Internet of computers with the power to contemplate and understand human thinking.
As Web 2.0 generated a technological breakthrough by providing interactivity among people, Web 3.0 will do something similar with machines and software that interpret human behavior.
This will allow, for example, more efficient searches, intelligent applications and real-time conversations in different languages. This will accelerate many aspects of human evolution since international trade (and jobs creation), cure and treatment of diseases, preservation of biodiversity and even colonization of Mars. It will also pass by an increase of efficiency of government services and development of democracy at global level.
The project is called UNESCO Chair on Language Technologies (TecLin). Its aim is to develop new technologies and use them for cultural preservation and heritage of humanity. The TecLin Consortium conducted its annual meeting in Florianopolis (Brazil) from October 25th to 29th, 2016 in order to discuss reports and advances in research, combining internal meetings with public presentation.
The Chair is coordinated and hosted by the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain. It is formed by other three co-founding members: the Catholic University of Temuco (Chile), the i3G Institute (Brazil) and the Private Technological University of Loja (Ecuador). The first phase is focused on the development of technologies for the recovery and preservation of rare languages.
For this purpose the researchers of TecLin's group launched a search engine called Indigenous Language Search ILS that allows simultaneous searches in indigenous languages data bases and translates an expression for six indigenous languages at the same time.
The ILS works with the following languages: Guarani, Maya, Aymara, Kichwua Navajo-Apache and Aztec-Nahuatl. For instance, when the Internet user enters the word "ciudad" the related meanings are presented in the following 6 languages.
Kichwa: llakta
Guarani: tavaguasu
Navajo-Apache: kin lanitsoh
Maya: noh kaah
Azteca-NAHUATL: altepetl
Aymara: marka
The aim of the project is to promote cultural preservation through technical and scientific development, approaching the academy to the business environment. ILS technology is an example provided by the company Synaption. The company released the Multisearch through the Brazilian center of TecLin Consortium, and also funds the maintenance and hosting tool.
For a near future one of the main decisions of TecLin Consortium will be placing on the market the technology called "MultiMail" that allows sending emails in multiple languages.
For this was set up a development nucleus between the companies Dail (Madrid), Synaption (Montevideo) and i3G Institute (Florianopolis).
International experts who have been to Florianopolis:
Jesus Cardenosa, PhD in aerospace engineering and head of the artificial intelligence department of the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the UNESCO Chair international coordinator.
Rosaura del Val Izquierdo, Advisor of the Ministry of Health of Spain.
Arturo Hernandez Salles, PhD, Vice Rector of Extension and International Relations of the Catholic University of Temuco Chile.
Luis Benjamin Irigoin Sanchez, PhD, Professor at the National University of the Andean Amazon Peru.
Maria Laura Spina, Master in Computer Law, Legislative Advisor of the Chamber of Deputies in the Province of Santa Fe and Professor at the Law Faculty of University of Buenos Aires Argentina.
Frankz Carrera, Master in Engineering and Computer Systems and Specialist in Audit Information Systems at University of the Andes UNIANDES Ecuador.
Mario Chauca Saavedra, Phd, Professor at University Ricardo Palma, Director of the Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship Kenshu Kiokay del Peru, General Chair ISIT2016 International Institute of Innovation and Technology Peru.
Paulo de Tarso Mendes Luna, President of CEITEC (microchips manufacturing company), PhD in Production Engineering and Professor at Federal University of Santa Catarina Brazil
Gilvan Muller de Oliveira, PhD in Linguistics, Master in Linguistics by the University of Konstanz, Germany, Executive Secretary of the World Multilingualism Network MAAYA, Professor at Federal University of Santa Catarina Brazil
Roberto Gonzalez Siguero, Aeronautical Engineer Technician by the Polytechnic University of Madrid Spain.
Along with the TecLin Consortium meeting was carried out the VI CONeGOV - eGovernment Conference, which had as its theme "Engineering Linguistics for Governments." The meetings were coordinated by PhD. Tania Bueno, scientist cited in Who'sWho in Science Technology and coordinator of the UNESCO Chair in Brazil. According to Bueno's "is fundamental that research use cutting-edge technology products". The general coordination of TecLin Consortium is conducted by Jesus Cardenosa, PhD from the University of Madrid.
More information:
http://en.teclin.org/
http://www.i3g.org.br/conegov2016/
ILS:
http://www.synaption.com/indigenouslanguages/
Technological Development Companies associated to TecLin:
http://www.dail-software.com/en/
http://www.synaption.net/
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18 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Week
Chance the Rapper hosts a free election concert/rally at Virgin Hotels Chicago on Monday. Photo: Tyler LaRiviere
As Kate McKinnon said on Saturday Night Live this week: "We all get a chance to choose what kind of country we want to live in." So get out and vote on Tuesday, and then check out one of our favorite election parties to watch the results.
Dont worry, there are plenty of non-political things going on this week, too.
MONDAY NOVEMBER 7
CHANCE PARADES TO THE POLLS: Local musician and activist Chance the Rapper with his nonprofit SocialWorks is hosting a concert/rally atop the entrance to Virgin Hotels Chicago at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park from 3 to 7 p.m. to help get out the vote. Hell be joined by fellow Chicago artists like Twin Peaks, Taylor Bennett, Malcolm London and more. Theyll periodically parade to the polls at nearby 15 W. Washington St. so fans can #StayWokeAndVote on the last day of early voting. Free. UPDATE: Due to the response to news of the show, it has been moved to the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park from 3 to 7 p.m.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 8: ELECTION DAY
PADDLE A POLITICIAN @ SPiN: Play a game of ping pong with a special set of Trump and Clinton paddles that will be up for grabs at SPiNs Election Day Party. Theyll be showing the best of Saturday Night Live Presidential skits on their heated outdoor patio. 6 to 11 p.m. Free.
Image via Maria's website.
ELECTION NIGHT BREW HA HA @ MARIAS: Marias Package Goods & Community Bar hosts and Election Night Brew Ha Ha theyre calling The Votes On Us Battle Royale. Theyll be serving drinks named The Chillary and The Trump Screw You Driver. 8 p.m. Free.
ELECTION NIGHT WATCH PARTY @ BAR ON BUENA: Anchor Brewing will be in the house with their own election face-off, pitting the classic Anchor Steam Ale against their newest brew, Anchor Dry-Hopped Steam Ale. Vote for your favorite and get the results at 9 p.m. Begins at 6 p.m. Free.
GRAB EM BY THE PINT @ FOUNTAINHEAD: Fountainhead invites voters to drink and vote on Nov. 8 (not Nov. 28) for the Alarmist beer to occupy one of their taps for the month of November. There are four contenders, but youll have to show up to see the ballot. Free.
Image via Replay's Facebook page.
HILLARY VICTORY VIEWING PARTY @ REPLAY + ELIXIR: These neighboring Andersonville bars are jumping the gun with a planned celebration for Clinton. Sip on The Hillary or The Trump while watching the real results roll in. Free.
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 9
WINE DINNER: Winemakers Jay Boberg and Jean-Nicolas Meo of Domaine Nicolas-Jay and Domaine Meo-Camuzet come to Cherry Circle Room for an intimate discussion and dinner at 7 p.m. The Meo-Cazumet Wine Dinner will feature six different wines and a five course menu from executive chef Pete Coenen. Tickets are $125.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10
Image via MSI's website.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE: Theyre at the Museum of Science and Industry, thats where. Explore the popular works of Maurice Sendak this winter at Where the Wild Things Are. The exhibit will run through February 20, 2017 and contains 50 original drawings from the unforgettable childrens books author and illustrator, many from private collections and friends of Sendak. Access to the exhibit is included with Museum Entry.
CHIRP RADIO FUNDRAISER: CHIRP Radio is about to hit the airwaves, literally. The popular local web channel is about to break ground on their broadcast tower, and theyre holding a fundraising celebration to get them even closer at Revolution Brewing Tap Room. The evening includes open bar, small bites and live music by Gerald Dowd. 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $50.
A (MOSTLY) VEGGIE AFFAIR: Green City Market and Modern Farmer hold their veggie-friendly fall fundraiser at Lakeshore Beverage this year. A (Mostly) Veggie Affair features stationed tasting with local chefs' dishes made with Green City Market produce, and a few meat dishes for those carnivores. Theyll also have drinks from local craft breweries plus regional wine and cocktails. 6:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $55.
Photo courtesy of CHILL.
CHILL WINE + CULINARY EVENT: 50 Chicago chefs and 150 winemakers make up the International wine and culinary event, Chill at Merchandise Marts LuxeHome from 6 to 8:30 p.m. River Roast, Osteria Langhe, Bistronomic and Cafe Spiaggia are among the local restaurants featured. The 10th annual event also supports local charity partners The Lynn Sage Foundation, Saturday Place and Respiratory Health Association. Tickets are $145.
KIT KAT SWEET SIXTEEN PARTY: Kit Kat Lounge celebrates sixteen sweet years in Lakeview with an anniversary party from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Theyll be handing out complimentary champagne, Stoli martinis, hors d'oeuvres and have live performances from Diva Dulce Andrews. RSVP required. Email steven@kitkatchicago.com.
RADIO CINEMA SPECTACULAR: Third Coast and Manual Cinema present an auditory and visual event that will delight the minds eye at Chop Shop at 8 p.m. The film-inspired shadow puppetry collective will show a new work inspired by the winning stories from the ShortDocs Challenge. Tickets are $18.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11
Festival of Barrel Aged Beer. Photo via FOBAB's website.
FESTIVAL OF BARREL AGED BEERS: FOBAB is a celebration of wood and barrel-aged brews that has expanded to two days at the UIC Forum for 2016. Youve got three sessions to choose from where youll be able to enjoy 15 samples, some of which are rare beers not commercially available in our area. Tickets are $55.
VONNEGUT ART: The National Veterans Art Museum presents a new exhibit featuring artwork from famed author Kurt Vonnegut Jr. A WWII veteran himself, Vonneguts service and capture influenced his work, and not just as a writer. Vonneguts Odyssey explores the complex transition veterans face when returning home from war. The museum will be open extended hours on Veterans Day (10 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and the exhibit runs through May 6, 2017.
Photo Credit Heather Scholl: Heather Scholl Photography
DIE HARD THE MUSICAL: Its Bruce McClane live on stage in the holiday classic "Yippee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas: A DIE HARD Christmas Musical." The ol' tale of the Nakatomi Christmas Eve Party gets a comical musical treatment as Hans Solo and his group of German terrorists take everyone at the party hostage, except McClane. Performances run Fridays and Saturdays through Jan. 14, 2017 at MCL Chicago. Tickets are $20.
77 BEATS CONCERT: Join the Old Town School of Folk Music for the culmination of the 77 Beats Series at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Chicagos Logan Center for the Arts. The series explored all 77 of Chicagos diverse neighborhoods and the final concert is a celebration of the endeavor featuring performances from Chicago Children's Choir, University of Chicago Middle East Ensemble and Greater House of Prayer Gospel Choir. There will be local food trucks for nosh. Free.
POWER POP FROM THE NORTH: We have long been fans of Halifax's Sloan, and the group is currently touring behind the 20th anniversary of One Chord to Another, the album that brought the band back from the brink of break-up and broke them into the college rock '90s scene. Since then the group has accomplished the seemingly impossible; releasing a string of solid, hook-laden albums with not a single a dud amidst the bunch. Expect to hear One Chord to Another in its entirety along with a slew of the other bands hits during Friday's set at Bottom Lounge. Tickets are $20.
EQS-News / 07/11/2016 / 16:09 UTC+8 *UEC has validated the trademarks of the helicopter engines' fuel control units in PRC* _Zhuhai, 7 November 2016_ _Press-release_ *The JSC STAR (a part of the United Engine Corporation (UEC), the leading Russian developer and manufacturer of the control systems for the gas turbine engines, has finalized the validation of the trademarks of the fuel control units for the helicopter engines of the TV3-117/VK-2500 family. This will enable the UEC to broaden its package of programs of the aero engines' service maintenance.* The TV3-117/VK-2500 family (developed by the UEC) power the majority of Mi and Ka helicopters. The JSC STAR (based in Perm, Russia) is the developer and serial producer of its NR-3VM-T and NR-3VMA-T fuel control units, which provide for the fuel injection. In the nearest time we will officially inform the PRC authorities that we have protected the intellectual property of the company, - says the JSC STAR managing director *Sergei Ostapenko*. - Thus, only the JSC STAR products will be sold legally in the Chinese territory. For us, the foreign legal protection of NR-3VM-T and NR-3VMA-T is a major step in a fight with the counterfeit products. As the next stage of our cooperation with the Chinese partners we see the organization at the Chinese factories of the licensed repair of the engine systems. In the framework of the Airshow China 2016 (1-6 November, Zhuhai, PRC) the Chinese manufacturers and the repair companies were informed about the validation of the JSC STAR trademarks. Having in China the licensed repair of both engines and engine systems will guarantee the safe exploitation of the helicopter engines in the country. Earlier, in 2014 the UEC has signed the agreement on organizing at the Jinjiang plant (Chengdu, PRC) the licensed repair of the TV3-117/VK-2500 helicopter engines. The UEC in the framework of the Airshow China 2016 is presenting the newest Russian aero engines and is discussing with the Chinese partners the realization of the ongoing cooperation programs and the prospective projects. _The UEC (part of Rostec state corporation) is an integrated structure specializing in the development, serial production and service maintenance of engines for military and civil aviation, space programs and the navy, as well for the oil and gas industry and energetics. One of the priority directions for the UEC is the realization of the complex programs of the engine sector companies development including the introduction of the new technologies corresponding to the international standards._ 07/11/2016 Dissemination of a Press Release, transmitted by EQS Group. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Media archive at www.todayir.com 517819 07/11/2016
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 07, 2016 03:09 ET (08:09 GMT)
PUNE, India, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
According to a new market research report "Cloud-Based Contact Center Market by Solution (Dialers, Reporting, and analytics), Service (Professional and Managed), Application, Deployment Model, Organization size, Industry vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2021", published by MarketsandMarkets, the market size is expected to grow from USD 5.43 Billion in 2016 to USD 15.67 Billion by 2021, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 23.6% during the forecast period.
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Browse 74 market data Tables and 57 Figures spread through 165 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Cloud-Based Contact Center Market"
http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cloud-based-contact-center-market-160166082.html
Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.
The major drivers of this market include the need for disaster recovery, faster deployment and flexibility of cloud solutions, and the need for compliance management.
Dialer is expected to be the most promising solution during the forecast period
On the basis of solutions, the dialer segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Dialers are a part of outbound dialing technology. Various dialers such as preview dialers and progressive dialers systems provide automatic dialing when the agent is ready, along with other benefits such as external table dialing and dynamic filtering. These benefits have led to the high demand for dialers.
Managed services segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period
With increasing deployment of the solutions, the services segment is expected to grow in the coming years. The managed services segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Managed services enable organizations to outsource their entire or a part of the IT infrastructure and operations to focus on their key business goals. Outsourcing helps contact center-based companies to reduce the cost incurred on network and IT spending by eliminating Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operational Expenditure (OPEX).
Consumer goods and retail industry is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period
The cloud-based contact center plays a very important role in the consumer goods and retail industry. The customers touch points in this vertical basically comprise retail stores, web-catalog, and customer call center. The vendors in this industry need a comprehensive cloud environment to offer their respective products and services to the customers. Contact center solutions have become an integral part of the eCommerce industry and are acting as a strong channel for retailers to attain customer loyalty in the highly competitive market.
Presently, North America contributes the maximum market share in the Cloud-Based Contact Center Market
North America is expected to hold the largest market share and dominate the Cloud-Based Contact Center Market in 2016, due to the larger internet penetration rate and quick shift from isolated infrastructure to cloud in the region. Asia-Pacific (APAC) is expected to grow at the highest rate during this forecast period. Growing acceptance of cloud-based solutions, emerging technologies like Internet of Things (IoT) as well as big data and mobility are the major drivers in this region.
Inquiry before Buying @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=160166082
The major vendors covered in the Cloud-Based Contact Center Market for the study are 8X8, Inc. (California, U.S), FIVE9 Inc. (California, U.S), Cisco Systems, Inc. (California, U.S), Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. (California, U.S), Oracle Corporation (California, U.S), NICE Systems ltd. (Raanana, Israel.), NEWVOICEMEDIA (Hampshire, U.K.), 3CLogic (Maryland, U.S), Aspect Software Parent Inc. (Massachusetts, U.S), and Connect First Inc.(Colorado, U.S.)
Browse Related Reports
Cloud Communication Platform Market by Solution and Service (UCC/UCaaS, WebRTC, VoIP, IVR, API, Reporting and Analytics, and Training and Consulting, Support and Maintenance Service, and Managed Service) - Global Forecast to 2021
http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cloud-communication-platform-market-227618526.html
Cloud Collaboration Market by Solution & Service (UCC, Document Management System, Project and Team Management, Enterprise Social Collaboration & Training, Consulting and Integration and Support and Maintenance), by Region - Global Forecast to 2021
http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cloud-collaboration-market-204230770.html
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Regulatory News:
OEM International (STO:OEMB) has today signed an agreement to acquire all shares in RF Partner AB with subsidiary Ranatec Instrument AB. The companies, with head office in Swedish Molndal, develop and market components for radio applications, systems for radar surveillance and test systems for antennas. The companies have a yearly turnover of approximately 18 MSEK.
RF Partner AB with subsidiary Ranatec Instrument AB are well-managed companies with products and solutions that is a supplement to the product portfolio within the current OEM subsidiary Flexitron AB. RF Partner AB will gradually deepen cooperation with Flexitron AB to use synergies and develop the customer offer, says Jorgen Zahlin, Managing Director and CEO for OEM International.
The acquisition is expected to have a marginal impact on OEM's profit for the current year.
This information is of the type that the company is obliged to publish in accordance with the Swedish Securities Market Act. The information was made public on 7th November 2016 at 15.30 CET.
Tranas, 7th November 2016
OEM International AB (publ)
OEM International, with its head office in Tranas, Sweden, comprises 34 operational units in 14 countries. The group trades in industrial components and systems for industrial automation. In simple terms, OEM acts as an alternative for manufacturers to selling through their own companies. Visit our website www.oem.se
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Jorgen Zahlin, Managing Director and CEO
phone number +46(75)-242 40 22
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Australian dollar erased its early slide and advanced against its most major counterparts in early New York trading on Monday, on increasing expectations for Clinton's victory in the U.S. presidential election due tomorrow. Markets heaved a sigh of relief as FBI has once again cleared Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton of criminal charges related to her use of a private email server while Secretary of State. The aussie reversed from an early 5-day low of 79.56 against the Japanese yen, rising back to 6-day high of 80.39. The aussie advanced to a 6-day high of 1.4364 against the euro and near a 2-week high of 0.7698 versus the greenback, off its early lows of 1.4487 and 0.7657, respectively. The aussie edged up to 1.0303 against the loonie, coming off from its early 4-day low of 1.0236. The next possible resistance for the aussie may be found around 0.79 against the greenback, 1.05 against the loonie, 1.38 against the euro and 82.00 against the yen. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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Kevin M. McMullen to step down as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President ofOMNOVA Solutions
Anne P. Noonan named President and Chief Executive Officer
William R. Seelbach named Chairman of the Board of Directors
BEACHWOOD, Ohio, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --OMNOVA Solutions Inc. (NYSE: OMN) today announced that it is moving forward with its CEO succession process, and Kevin M. McMullen is stepping down as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, and as a member of the Board of Directors, effective December 1, 2016, to pursue other interests. In over 16 years leading the Company, McMullen succeeded in repositioning OMNOVA as a leader in specialty chemicals and engineered surfaces including aggressive portfolio actions highlighted by the acquisition of Eliokem International. OMNOVA has experienced significant positive momentum with adjusted earnings per share up nearly 60% year-to-date through the third quarter, following 29% growth for the full year 2015. He is enthused about his future and proud of the Company's progress under his leadership.
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McMullen will be succeeded by Anne P. Noonan as OMNOVA's President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 1, 2016. Ms. Noonan will also be appointed to the Company's Board of Directors. In connection with this leadership transition, the Board of Directors has determined to separate the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer roles, electing William R. Seelbach as the Company's independent, non-executive Chairman, also effective December 1, 2016.
Michael J. Merriman, the Presiding Director of the OMNOVA Board of Directors, commented, "Kevin is a high-integrity leader with strong strategic and business acumen. We are thankful for Kevin's many years of leadership and his dedicated service to OMNOVA, both as Chief Executive Officer and asChairman. He has consistently been aggressive in assessing the market and competitive environment, and taking the necessary actions to make the Company better. He leaves an organization with a well-designed growth strategy and strong leadership team in place. On behalf of the entire OMNOVA Board and the Company, I want to express our gratitude for a job well done and wish Kevin only the best. He will be missed."
McMullen's initiatives over the years ensured OMNOVA's prominence and profitability despite many market-based challenges. A predominately U.S.-based company when he took charge, McMullen led OMNOVA's transformation into a global enterprise. Today, OMNOVA products are sold in over 90 countries around the world, supported by manufacturing and technology centers on three continents. He drove initiatives to dramatically expand the breadth of OMNOVA's technology to significantly enhance its position as a value-added solutions provider. McMullen, 56, joined the Company in 1996 as President of its Decorative and Building Products unit. He took over as Chief Executive Officer of the Company in 2000 and became Chairman of the Board in 2001. Prior to OMNOVA, McMullen worked for GE and McKinsey & Co.
"I feel really good about where OMNOVA is today as a company," McMullen said. "Our specialty businesses are poised for above-market growth, our balance sheet has improved significantly, and we just completed a far-reaching strategic planning process that highlighted many exciting long-term opportunities. The Company is well-positioned to deliver significant long-term shareholder value." He added, "We have a strong and committed team - I will truly miss the people. But I'm relatively young and I want to pursue other interests. I think now is the time to pursue them."
Noonan, 53, is currently the President of OMNOVA's Performance Chemicals business. Under her leadership, the segment has significantly improved financial results. These results were accomplished through aggressive implementation of a manufacturing footprint alignment and business model restructuring, delivering cost reductions in excess of $10 million per year while establishing a cost competitive "blueprint" for future specialty growth. Additionally, through a focus on innovation and commercial excellence, a foundation has been established to accelerate specialty growth with accomplished market-specialized talent and a reinvigorated innovation pipeline.
"We are confident Anne will continue to drive enhanced value for shareholders. Anne is an accomplished executive with deep knowledge of the chemicals industry and OMNOVA," Merriman said. "She has a proven record of transformational change and improving performance through her leadership, customer focus, and emphasis on value creation. We are pleased she has agreed to lead OMNOVA, and we look forward to the contributions she will make to the Company and the Board."
Noonan brings nearly 30 years of experience in the chemicals industry. Prior to joining OMNOVA in 2014, Noonan served as Senior Vice President and President of Chemtura Corporation's Industrial Engineered Products business segment with over $1 billion in revenues. During her 27 years with Chemtura and its predecessor, Great Lakes Chemical Corporation, Noonan served in roles of increasing responsibility in mergers & acquisitions, strategic business development, marketing, sales, and technology. She began her career as an Analytical Research Chemist with McNeil Specialty Chemicals Company and Squibb-Linson, Co. She earned her M.S. in organometallic chemistry and her B.S. Honors degree in chemistry from University College Dublin, Ireland. Since 2015, Noonan has been a member of the Board of Directors of CF Industries (NYSE: CF), as well as the Board of Directors of the American Chemistry Council.
Noonan said, "I am excited to have the opportunity to lead OMNOVA and look forward to working with this dedicated, talented team to position the Company as a premier global, innovative specialty solutions provider. Kevin has provided a solid foundation to build upon, developing and leading an organization that is committed to its customers, employees, communities and shareholders."
William R. Seelbach, 68, will succeed McMullen as OMNOVA's Chairman. Seelbach has been a non-executive member of OMNOVA's Board of Directors since 2002. Seelbach is a Senior Advisor with the Riverside Company, the world's largest private equity firm focused on investing in companies at the smaller end of the middle market, and a Senior Managing Director of Headwaters SC, a consulting firm for privately owned businesses. Previously, he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ohio Aerospace Institute, a technology-focused research organization, from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he was the President of Brush Engineered Materials, Inc., now known as Materion Corporation, a manufacturer of high performance engineered materials, and held various executive roles with Brush Wellman, Inc. from 1998 to 2002. Seelbach was also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Inverness Partners, a limited liability company engaged in acquiring and operating Midwestern manufacturing companies, and a Partner with McKinsey & Co.
About OMNOVA Solutions Inc.
OMNOVA Solutions is a global innovator of performance-enhancing chemistries and surfaces used in products for a variety of commercial, industrial, and residential applications. As a strategic business-to-business supplier, OMNOVA provides The Science in Better Brands, with emulsion polymers, specialty chemicals, and functional and decorative surfaces that deliver critical performance attributes to top brand-name, end-use products sold around the world. OMNOVA's sales for the last twelve months ended August 31, 2016 were $773 million. The Company has a global workforce of approximately 1,950. Visit OMNOVA Solutions on the internet at www.omnova.com .
Notice on Forward Looking Statements.
Statements included in this Press Release that are not historical facts are forward looking statements. These statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to the operations of the Company and other related items that are detailed in risk factors and elsewhere in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2015, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize (or the consequences of such a development worsen), or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those forecasted or expected. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update publicly or revise such statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - The European markets ended the first session of the new trading week with a strong gain. Following the weak performance of the previous week, the markets jumped in early trade and settled into a sideways trend for the rest of the session. Banks stocks turned in a strong performance following a solid earnings report from HSBC. Airlines were also among the gainers after a strong report from Ryanair.
Investors cheered the news that the FBI has once again cleared U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton of criminal charges related to her use of a private email server while Secretary of State.
'Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton,' FBI Director James Comey wrote in a letter sent to members of Congress on Sunday.
Late last month, Comey revealed that the FBI re-opened its probe of Clinton after learning of the existence of new emails on a device obtained in connection with an unrelated investigation.
U.S. officials familiar with the case said told the Washington Post the new emails were either personal or duplicative of those found earlier.
The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index advanced 1.41 percent. The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone bluechip stocks increased 1.85 percent, while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, added 1.45 percent.
The DAX of Germany climbed 1.93 percent and the CAC 40 of France rose 1.91 percent. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. gained 1.70 percent and the SMI of Switzerland finished higher by 1.87 percent.
In Frankfurt, Deutsche Bank climbed 4.82 percent and Commerzbank rose 5.01 percent.
Daimler advanced 2.28 percent and BMW added 2.09 percent.
In Paris, Renault rose 2.96 percent on news that the car maker plans to open a manufacturing plant in Pakistan by 2018. Peugeot also added 2.97 percent.
BNP Paribas increased 3.73 percent and Societe Generale gained 3.49 percent. Credit Agricole also finished higher by 2.23 percent.
In London, HSBC Holding climbed 4.62 percent after the lender reported a third-quarter pre-tax profit that beat analysts' estimates.
Mining giant Rio Tinto gained 3.57 percent after an annual tender of diamonds from its Argyle mine in Western Australia achieved the highest average price per carat since the tender began in 1984.
Irish no-frills airline Ryanair Holdings jumped 4.97 percent after reporting a 7 percent increase in half yearly after tax profits, and lifting its long-term traffic growth forecast by 10 percent.
PostNL rallied 3.80 percent in Amsterdam after the postal company rejected a raised takeover offer from Belgian rival Bpost.
Eurozone investor confidence strengthened to a 11-month high in November, survey data from Sentix showed Monday. The Sentix investor confidence index rose to 13.1 from 8.5 in October. The score was well above the expected level of 8.9.
Eurozone retail sales annual growth slowed for a second straight month in September to mark its weakest pace in two years, preliminary data from Eurostat showed Monday. Retail sales grew a calendar adjusted 1.1 percent year-on-year following 1.2 percent increase in August, revised sharply from 0.6 percent. Economists had forecast a gain of 1.2 percent.
German factory orders contracted unexpectedly in September, largely reflecting weak domestic demand and orders from euro area, figures from Destatis showed Monday. Factory orders fell 0.6 percent in September from August, when they grew by a revised 0.9 percent. This was the first fall in three months and the biggest since April. Orders were forecast to grow 0.2 percent.
Germany's construction sector expanded at the fastest pace in six months in October, driven by solid growth in housing and commercial activity, survey figures from IHS Markit showed Monday. The construction Purchasing Managers' Index, or PMI, rose to 52.9 in October from 52.4 in the previous month.
U.K. house prices increased at a slower pace in October, data published by the mortgage lender Halifax showed Monday.
In three months to October, house prices climbed 5.2 percent from previous year, following a 5.8 percent rise in three months to September. October's 5.2 percent was the lowest yearly growth rate since July 2013.
The U.K. private sector growth picked up in the three months to October, the latest growth indicator from the Confederation of British Industry showed Sunday. The growth indicator rose to +8 percent from +3 percent in three months to September.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --DMS Governance Ltd.(DMS), the world's leading fund governance firm continues to expand its U.S. business with the key legal and fund governance appointment in its New York office of William H. Woolverton, former Senior Managing Director and General Counsel at Gottex Fund Management (Gottex).
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Mr. Woolverton, who will serve as Managing Director - U.S. and Head of U.S. Legal, has exemplary experience working on fund governance and administration issues with a particular emphasis on managing legal and compliance issues for a wide variety of public and private investment funds. He has also worked with boards of directors and CEOs of investment management firms on governance best practices and day to day corporate governance issues. At Gottex, he was responsible for managing fund administration and governance of all onshore and offshore funds and oversaw the management of external legal relationships. Prior to this he spent over 15 years at Putnam Investments where he managed a staff of more than 100 legal and compliance professionals and before that he was a senior lawyer at Alliance Capital Management Corporation. During his career in the investment management industry he led the development of both regulated and alternative asset investment products, and managed acquisitions and strategic investments.
"Bill's strong legal and investment funds background makes him the perfect fit for DMS where he will be a key leadership addition to the New York team. We are delighted to welcome him to our firm," commented Anne Storie, DMS Chief Executive Officer.
As Managing Director - U.S., Mr. Woolverton will have the capacity to serve as an independent director on the boards of investment funds and related structures providing guidance and independent oversight to ensure adherence to governance and compliance requirements. His field of expertise means that he will provide thought leadership to the investment funds industry through DMS roundtables, seminars and industry conferences.
Mr. Woolverton is a magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Amherst College and attended King's College, Cambridge University as a Keasbey Fellow, where he was awarded a B.A. (honours) and M.A. degrees. He earned his law degree at Columbia University School of Law and is a Member of the Massachusetts and New York Bar. He is also a member of the Corporate Governance Committee, Business Law Section, American Bar Association. He is a former member of the Investment Company Institute (Federal Legislation Committee and SEC Rules Committee).
About DMS
DMS Governance Ltd. (DMS) is the worldwide leader in fund governance with more than 225 professionals representing leading investment funds with assets under management exceeding $330 billion. DMS excels in delivering high quality Fund Governance, International Tax Compliance, AIFMD, Banking, Custody, Trust, Corporate and Outsourcing solutions across a diverse range of investment fund structures and strategies.
Media Contact
Alison Sims
Marketing Manager
DMS Governance
(p) +1.345.749.2514 (c) +1.345.325.1776
E: asims@dmsgovernance.com
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/william-h-woolverton-joins-dms-as-managing-director-300358465.html
The Batteroo's reusability greatly enhances consumer convenience and lowers the impact on the environment
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, Jan. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Based on its recent analysis of the alkaline battery market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Batteroo, Inc. with the 2015 North America Frost & Sullivan Award for Price/Performance Value Leadership. Batteroo's reusable energy-optimizing solution, Batteroo Boost, has the potential to be a game changer by accessing untapped energy in disposable batteries (AAA, AA, C, and D types) to extend their lives by a significant amount. In addition to this, it has also emerged as an environment-friendly solution by reducing the volume of toxic landfill caused by batteries.
Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/451576/Batteroo_Award_Logo.jpg
"The Batteroo comprises a stainless steel sleeve that makes contact with the positive and negative ends of an alkaline battery to release unused energy at a highly efficient, regulated voltage," said Frost & Sullivan Research Manager Vishal Sapru. "Batteroo's impressive attributes make it applicable across a range of home and office battery-operated gadgets."
A significant number of batteries are discarded with only 20 percent of their energy used. Batteroo technology employs innovative circuitry to tap the remaining 80 percent that would have otherwise been thrown away. The ultra-thin (less than one-tenth of a millimeter), reusable stainless steel sleeve slips over a battery and easily fits into a device's battery compartment. This solution is designed to be used with most conventional batteries, ranging from AAA and AA to C and D cells.
Batteroo's product can be placed over a battery at any stage of its life cycle. Even a perceived "dead" battery can be revived when the sleeve harnesses its unused energy. No similar product is available in the market, and its price of $2.50 per sleeve demonstrates true value for performance.
"Batteroo's potentially disruptive technology shuns the conventional approach of altering chemical composition to extend battery lives; instead, it devises proprietary circuitry to tap unused energy," noted Sapru. "The Batteroo's reusability offers significant added value to consumers, as it eliminates the expense and effort in constantly replacing batteries."
As the Batteroo is the first of its kind, it is vital for the company to generate awareness of its benefits and simplicity of use. The company has plans to establish a strong online and social media presence to engage with users and build brand recognition.
Batteroo has already distinguished itself with a unique product and plans to build on that foundation with excellent product performance. For its impressive product value and customer focus, Frost & Sullivan is pleased to present Batteroo with the 2015 Frost & Sullivan Award for Price/Performance Value Leadership.
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to a company that has developed a product to suit the market and client needs. The award lauds the price competitiveness, features, ease of use of the product, as well as the service effectiveness of the recipient company.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.
About Batteroo, Inc.
Batteroo Inc. is an innovator of intelligent power management and delivery systems. It is a sleeve that makes contact with the positive and negative ends of a common battery to access its untapped energy at a highly efficient regulated system voltage. Batteroo can either significantly extend the life of disposable batteries (AAA, AA, C, and D types), and or enhance the performance of the device, saving energy by reducing the number of batteries used each year, saving consumers money, and saving landfills from toxic battery waste which would result in soil contamination and a laundry list of negative environmental impacts, as well as offering users the convenience of less trips to purchase batteries. Batteroo has been tested and proven compatible on a variety of battery-operated home and office gadgets, including wireless keyboards, noise-cancelling headphones, Xbox and Wii controllers, TV remote controls, walkie-talkies, digital scales, electric toothbrushes, toys, portable radios, flashlights, and blood pressure monitors. The company was cofounded by Bob Roohparvar Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, who holds more than 20 patents in his 30-year career in power management, semiconductors, and consumer products and Frankie Roohparvar well known executive who holds more than 500 patents. For more information visit www.batteroo.com.
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.
Our "Growth Partnership" supports clients by addressing these opportunities and incorporating two key elements driving visionary innovation: The Integrated Value Proposition and The Partnership Infrastructure.
The Integrated Value Proposition provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation.
provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation. The Partnership Infrastructure is entirely unique as it constructs the foundation upon which visionary innovation becomes possible. This includes our 360 degree research, comprehensive industry coverage, career best practices as well as our global footprint of more than 40 offices.
For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?
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Contact:
Chiara Carella
P: +44 (0) 207.343.8314
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E: chiara.carella@frost.com
FASCO America, the North American distributor of BECK Fastener Group products, is proud to announce its new partnership with MEZGER Heftsysteme GmbH a Signode Industrial Group subsidiary. FASCO America will now be the master distributor of the extensive MEZGER line of modular stapling heads for machine mounting, automated fastening systems for industrial applications, as well as their hand held stapling tools for carton closing in the United States and Mexico.
There is a long history between these two German-based companies which dates back for decades. In fact, the BECK Fastener Group has supplied MEZGER with staples since 1955, demonstrating the excellent fit between BECK's collated fasteners and MEZGER's industrial manufacturing applications.
MEZGER, based in Nuremberg, Germany, is a leading manufacturer of stapling devices and stapling machines, including a full line of hand held tools and modular heads for industrial stapling machines. A technology driven company, they epitomize the German spirit of valuing precision and accuracy across all their products and processes. They are particularly respected for the significant amount of collaboration and up front work they do when approaching a project, allowing them to precisely craft the technology solution that will best meet the needs of their manufacturing clients.
Similarly, the BECK Fastener Group, based in Mauerkirchen, Austria, has been in business since 1904 and boasts a long history of unwavering dedication to producing only the highest quality industrial fasteners and tools. BECK also cares deeply about maintaining their long-standing commitment to saving their users both time and money, which is reflected not only in their new product introductions, but also spans the 112+ years they have been in the industry.
Brett McCutcheon, General Manager of FASCO America, could not be more pleased to begin this partnership. "It's a good fit synergistically. The MEZGER product line fits so well with BECK collated fasteners and FASCO tools for industrial and manufacturing applications. It's an excellent opportunity to combine MEZGER's technical strength and commitment to quality with BECK's technical and quality focus. We have a mutual dedication to helping customers complete quality fastening applications in less time. The US market will reap the benefits from the fine products created by German engineering."
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161107006194/en/
Contacts:
FASCO America
Brett McCutcheon, General Manager, 800-239-8665
sales@fascoamerica.com
www.fascoamerica.com
REDONDO BEACH, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 11/07/16 -- SECFilings.com, a leading financial news and information portal offering free real time public company filing alerts, announces an article taking a closer look at AXIM Biotechnologies' (OTCQB: AXIM) cannabinoid-based clinical trials program.
AXIM is advancing their patented controlled-release cannabinoid gum in studies covering a number of indications. The company's flagship CanChew Plus contains 10mg of cannabidiol (CBD) procured from industrial hemp plants. Since the gum isn't psychoactive, it is available in all 50 states without any prescription. The CanChew Plus Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) study will evaluate the concentration of CBD in the blood following the consumption of 10mg and 30mg CBD gum for thirty minutes. The data from this initial study will determine the appropriate dosing for patients in a subsequent Phase II clinical trial that will evaluate the safety and efficacy of CanChew Plus gum in treating IBS symptoms and pave the way toward regulatory approvals.
The company is also advancing MedChew Rx, a patented controlled-release gum containing both CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in studies for the treatment of spasticity and pain resulting from multiple sclerosis. Other indications being studied include Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease, and inflammatory bowel disease. Here is a look at the company's pipeline.
AXIM Biotechnologies differentiates itself from many competing cannabinoid-focused biotech firms with its efficient capital allocation. While larger companies have spent millions on clinical trials, the company has managed to spend very little to begin clinical trials in the Netherlands with the help of its partners. The data from its European clinical trials could be used to approve the product in the United States and other developed markets around the world, and AXIM recently announced sufficient funding to advance those trials.
Click here to read the full article: http://analysis.secfilings.com/articles/121-axim-initiates-new-studies-pulls-ahead-of-the-competition
About SECFilings.com
Founded in 2004, SECFilings.com provides free real time filing alerts to over 600,000 registered members and offers services to help public companies grow their audience of interested investors.
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 SECFilings.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://secfilings.com/Disclaimer.aspx.
SECFilings.com
Paul Archie
406-862-2242
parchie@secfilings.com
Racial Slurs Hurled At Mt. Greenwood Protesters After Fatal Shooting By Off-Duty Cop
By Stephen Gossett in News on Nov 7, 2016 3:52PM
Protests grew tense on Saturday and Sunday in Mt. Greenwood as anti-police-violence activists and Blue Lives Matter protesters demonstrated opposite one another after an off-duty Chicago police officer fatally shot Indiana man Joshua Beal.
Police said in a release that an off-duty firefighter approached Beals vehicle on Saturday around 3 p.m. because his car was blocking a fire lane. Two nearby off-duty police officers stepped in after a fight broke out, and shots were fired striking the individual multiple times, police said.
But Beals family recalls the situation differently. Cordney Boxley, Beals sister, said an off-duty officer tried to run the car in which Beal was riding from the road. A man appears to point a gun in a video that the Sun-Times surfaced. Family members say Beal had a permit for the weapon and didnt fire it. About a dozen shots can be heard fired in a cellphone video of the incident, but the footage doesn't show where the gunfire originates.
A video posted by Black Lives Matter Chicago shows a white man shouting at a group of protesters who peaceably approached a small group on Saturday, in the wake of the shooting.
Get the fuck out of here! one man yells toward the end of the clip. Go home! We dont want you in our neighborhood!
Pieces of shit, thats what you are These guys are protecting our neighborhood from fuckers like you, he shouted.
Activist JaMal Green organized a rally on Sunday in the 11000 block of South Kedzie Avenue, where protests emerged the night before. The group was met with a large crowd of counter-protesters, which numbered in the hundreds and at points shouted racial slurs, according to DNAinfo. The other group, which was mostly white, chanted Blue Lives Matter and Trump, Trump, Trump, reported WBEZ. They held signs that read Go home animals and You ruined your own communities, Dont ruin ours.
Racist signs befitting 1950's Mississippi carried earlier today by white Mt Greenwood residents in support of #JoshuaBeal's murder by CPD pic.twitter.com/erMk6alhs9 BLMChicago (@BLMChi) November 7, 2016
Mt. Greenwood has a long history of contentious race relations. A New York Times story from 1992 by Isabel Wilkerson that details stark segregation and its effects was heavily re-circulated on social media over the weekend.
Black Lives Matter Chicago is working with the Beal family to cover the costs of funeral services. The Chicago Bond Fund is collecting bail money for Joshua's brother, Michael Beal, who was arrested during the original incident on Saturday.
Update, 12:15 p.m.:
A screenshot of a racist text message, allegedly sent by a student from Marist High School in Mt. Greenwood in the wake of the shooting and protests, prompted a response from the school. The (awful) text message and the school's response are below.
Hmm... White girls at Marist like that? Y can't wait to see the repercussions if they get any. pic.twitter.com/OHP7eN7H5g DirtyBoyFreight (@Robertisaboss32) November 6, 2016
Marist officials responded in a post:
"This evening Marist High School was made aware of a racially charged post on social media involving Marist students. We are devastated by this situation. Disciplinary action is being taken. Marist is a diverse community, made better and stronger by that diversity. As a school community, we continually work so that each student feels welcome, valued, and safe. We have been and will continue to engage with diverse student leaders to give a voice to all students and to focus on shared values. Given the tenuous times we all are living in, and recent events nearby Marist High School, our mission to make Jesus known and loved is more pertinent than ever. As always, the safety of our students is of utmost importance."
[H/T DNA Info]
Update, 12:30 p.m.:
Anthony Guglielmi, CPD Communications Director, said detectives authenticated the referenced video, which appears to show Beal pointing then lowering a gun after another man approaches with his gun drawn.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 11/07/16 -- SPOT COFFEE (CANADA) LTD. (TSX VENTURE: SPP) ("SPoT" or the "Company") announces that its annual and special meeting of shareholders was held on November 4th, 2016 and that all resolutions presented for consideration were approved by the shareholders, including the (re)election of the following individuals as directors of the Company: Anton Ayoub, John Lorenzo, Hassan Dahlawi, Raymond J. Stapell, Glenn Abadir and Khaled Alhamdan.
About SPoT Coffee
SPoT Coffee trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol SPP. SPoT designs, builds, operates and franchises community oriented cafes and express cafes in New York State. SPoT's community cafes provide its customers with the highest quality service, signature made-to-order meals and award winning micro-roasted coffee. Each SPoT cafe is distinctively designed to suit its local neighbourhood, creating a warm and friendly gathering place for the community. SPoT's commercial business focuses on the sale of roasted coffee beans to food service and grocery chains, business offices and third party resellers such as universities and hospitals.
Forward Looking Statements
Except for statements of historical fact relating to the Company, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. In particular, forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to, the potential use of proceeds of the financing that is the subject of this release. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information.
Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
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 the release.
Contacts:
SPoT Coffee (Canada) Ltd.
Anton Ayoub
CEO & President
(416) 368-2220 Ext 228
aayoub@spotcoffee.com
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA -- (Marketwired) -- 11/07/16 -- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)
Minister of Natural Resources Jim Carr, on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister, Lawrence MacAulay, announced funding of up to $2.9 million to the Composites Innovation Centre Manitoba (CIC) for two initiatives. These include the development of quality standards and measurement techniques for Canadian biomass, and research into overcoming technology barriers to the adoption of natural fibres in the composites industry.
The Growing Forward 2 (GF2), AgriMarketing Program, will provide up to $982,075 to identify quality gaps and develop quality standards and measurement techniques to facilitate the commercialization of Canadian biomass in four bioproducts sectors: biomaterials, biochemical, biofuels and bioenergy.
The GF2, AgriInnovation Program, will provide up to $1.9 million for research into how the strength and quality of composites can be affected by farming practices, varieties and weather. The CIC will also develop more robust natural fibre reinforced composites, combining these fibres with plastic resins, to produce parts for buses, cars and farm equipment that have reliable performance characteristics.
These investments help achieve the federal government's goal of creating good jobs by making our resource sector leaders in the use and development of clean and sustainable technologies and processes.
Quick Facts
-- The Composites Innovation Centre Manitoba Inc. (CIC) is a not-for-profit corporation that supports and stimulates economic growth through innovative research, development and the application of composite materials and technologies for manufacturing industries. -- Biomass is derived from organic materials (plant material) that can be used as a renewable energy source. -- Growing Forward 2 is a five-year (2013-2018) policy framework for Canada's agricultural and agri-food sector.
Quotes
"These projects looking into the development of biomass quality standards and real world applications for biocomposites will help strengthen and diversify Canada's agriculture sector. Investments such as these could lead to the development of new crops, manufacturing and production opportunities, enhanced competitiveness, improved environmental sustainability and job creation."
- Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources
"If Canada is going to build a vibrant clean technology economy based, in part, on the conversion of agricultural biomass into reinforcements for vehicle components or parts of bioplastics, then there are several critical factors in the supply chain that need to be dealt with. The deliverables arising from these technology developments will fill some of the gaps thereby accelerating the pace of innovation for the agricultural and composites industries and assist Canada to grow its competitiveness in the global market place".
- Sean McKay, President and CEO, Composites Innovation Centre
Associated Links
Growing Forward 2 (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
Composites Innovation Centre
AgriMarketing (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
AgriInnovation (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
Follow us on Twitter: @AAFC_Canada
Like us on Facebook: CanadianAgriculture
Contacts:
Guy Gallant
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay
613-773-1059
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - November 07, 2016) - Yesterday, in a clear show of the growing international support for Moroccan sovereignty in the Western Sahara as well as the success of the country's African foreign policy, Morocco's King Mohammed VI delivered his annual speech marking the anniversary of the Green March -- when some 350,000 Moroccan citizens peacefully reclaimed the territory from Spanish colonizers in 1975 -- from Dakar, Senegal. It was the first time a Moroccan King had celebrated the anniversary outside of Morocco and came just two months after the country officially applied to rejoin the African Union (AU).
"Today I am addressing you, on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the Green March, from Dakar, the capital city of the sister nation Senegal, and I know that this move will not surprise you," said the King, explaining that "This beloved country has always been at the forefront of advocates of the Kingdom's territorial unity and lofty interests."
While the King acknowledged that Morocco's return to the AU will "enable us to defend our legitimate rights" on the Moroccan Sahara, he described the territory's "potential, in terms of security, stability and infrastructure, to become an integrated development hub... as well as a platform for economic cooperation between Morocco and Africa" as just one of many reasons why Morocco's "returning to its natural place" would benefit the continent.
"As far as the continent's major issues and problems are concerned, the return of my country to its institutional family will enable Morocco to help make the voice of Africa heard in international forums," he said. He noted as an example that "I have made sure that the Climate Conference which opens in Marrakech this week, is a conference for Africa. Accordingly, I have called for an African summit to be held on the sidelines of this conference in order to develop a common vision to uphold our continent's demands, particularly in terms of funding and transfer of technology."
The King also spoke of Morocco's ability to "further contribute to consolidating security and stability in the various war zones and hotspots and to finding peaceful solutions to conflicts." Rejoining the AU, he explained, "will enable Morocco to become more involved in the continent's efforts to fight extremism and terrorism, which compromise the future of Africa." It would also, he continued, be "the culmination of our African policy and the outcome of Morocco's solidarity-based field action in a number of African countries, in terms of economic and human development aimed at serving African citizens."
To this end, the King urged Morocco's newly elected Parliament -- which is in the process of negotiating a governing coalition -- to "adopt a comprehensive, integrated policy towards Africa and deal with the continent as one bloc."
"A government should have a clear program and well-defined priorities, both for home and foreign affairs, particularly as far as Africa is concerned. The government should have the ability to deal with the difficulties inherited from past years, with respect to Morocco's obligations towards its partners."
Since ascending the throne in 1999, King Mohammed VI has made Africa a foreign policy priority, visiting 35 African countries and signing more than 320 bilateral agreements, most recently in Rwanda and Tanzania. Beyond his many trips, in late 2013 the King established a program to train imams from across the continent. In March 2015 in Rabat, he formally opened the Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams, Morchidines, and Morchidates, which has already welcomed students from Mali, Tunisia, and France, among other countries. In April 2015, Morocco signed a memorandum of understanding with the Millennium Challenge Corporation "with the goal of reducing poverty in Africa, including a focus on promoting adoption of new technologies and innovative business models to promote entrepreneurship." Some thirty countries have already voiced their support for Morocco's AU bid, including Benin, Gabon, Liberia, Senegal, Egypt, and Ghana, to name just a few.
The Moroccan American Center for Policy (MACP) is a non-profit organization whose principal mission is to inform opinion makers, government officials, and interested publics in the United States about political and social developments in Morocco and the role being played by the Kingdom of Morocco in broader strategic developments in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East.
This material is distributed by the Moroccan American Center for Policy on behalf of the Government of Morocco. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.
Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/11/7/11G121076/Images/Green_March_speech_closeup-e90abcdc6f188f35b7ae3cfe2c82575c.jpg
CONTACT:
Jordana Merran
202.470.2049
jmerran@moroccanamericancenter.com
EDMONTON, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 11/07/16 -- Department of Canadian Heritage
The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, today hosts the last of six in-person discussions held across the country with representatives from a variety of sectors and members of the general public. This discussion is part of the consultations on Canadian Content in a Digital World.
Edmonton is an important cultural hub in Canada. It is recognized for its dynamic arts scene-including numerous annual festivals-and its renowned hosting venues, such as the Winspear Centre for Music, site of today's consultation. The city's diverse and vibrant cultural community is also emerging as a leader in incorporating technology, new media, digital art and innovative design into traditional performance milieus.
Rapidly changing technological advances are affecting how Canadians produce and consume cultural content; as a result, the cultural sector is facing new challenges and opportunities. These consultations will help the Government of Canada determine the best ways to assist the cultural sector in navigating these changes and seizing opportunities to contribute to the country's economic growth and innovation.
These in-person events contribute to the success of the consultations by making it possible to gather valuable input from a variety of voices in the arts and culture scene.
In order to involve as many Canadians as possible and hear their views on the future of Canadian content in a digital world, we are offering them the opportunity to follow and contribute to this Edmonton in-person event through Facebook Live.
In addition to being invited to the in-person and Facebook Live events, all Canadians are welcome to join the conversation and take part in the discussions until November 25 through the Web portal and social media using the hashtag DigiCanCon. They also have the opportunity to lead in-person discussions in their communities using the consultation kit available online.
Edmonton-born rapper, author and Polaris Music Prize nominee Roland "Rollie" Pemberton, better known as Cadence Weapon, will help open today's session with a performance, inspiring participants in their dialogue on the wealth and diversity of Canadian content in the digital world.
Quotes
"After five successful events held across the country, I am thrilled to be here at the Winspear Centre in Edmonton, one of Canada's finest performance spaces, to host our last official in-person event. I know that these discussions will allow our Government to better understand the needs and expectations regarding Canadian content creation, discovery and promotion in this new environment in which we live. I hope that, in addition to the participants attending the in-person event today, Canadians across the country will join us and contribute through the Facebook Live event. Together, let's be innovative and find new ways to create and promote quality Canadian content that stands out."
-The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage
Quick Facts
-- This consultation process follows a pre-consultation questionnaire completed by close to 10,000 Canadians. -- The Department of Canadian Heritage developed a discussion paper based on the results of the pre-consultations. This document will help guide this phase of the consultations on Canadian Content in a Digital World. -- Throughout this process, the Government of Canada will listen to Canadians to learn how best to strengthen Canadian content creation, discovery and export in a digital world and to examine the federal government's current cultural policy toolkit. -- These discussions will be guided by three key principles. The approach will: -- focus on respecting citizen choice and supporting creators in making great, compelling content; -- reflect Canada's incredible diversity in the content that is produced and support the production of news information and local content that is credible and reliable; and -- drive social and economic innovation by forging strong links between creativity, economic growth and social resilience. -- Canadians have until November 25 to provide their input.
Associated Links
Consultations - Canadian Content in a Digital World
Expert Advisory Group Announced
Stay Connected
Follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr.
Contacts:
Pierre-Olivier Herbert
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
819-997-7788
Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
PCH.media-media.PCH@Canada.ca
HOUSTON, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 11/07/16 -- Vantage Drilling International ("Vantage" or the "Company") today announced that it will host a conference call at 10:00 AM Eastern Time on November 10, 2016 to discuss operating results for the third quarter of 2016 and recent developments. Vantage will release earnings before the market opens on November 10, 2016. Vantage's earnings release will be posted to the Vantage website at www.vantagedrilling.com.
To access the conference call, U.S. callers may dial toll free 877-704-5378 and international callers may dial 913-312-0642. The pass code will be 7263614. Please call ten minutes ahead of time to ensure proper connection. A replay of the conference call will be available for two weeks following the call and can be accessed by dialing 888-203-1112 for U.S. callers and 719-457-0820 for international callers. The access code for the replay is 7263614.
About the Company
Vantage, a Cayman Islands exempted company, is an offshore drilling contractor, with a fleet of three ultra-deepwater drillships and four ultra-premium jackup drilling rigs. Vantage's primary business is to contract drilling units, related equipment and work crews primarily on a dayrate basis to drill oil and natural gas wells. Vantage also provides construction supervision services for, and will operate and manage, drilling units owned by others. Through its fleet of seven drilling units, Vantage is a provider of offshore contract drilling services globally to major, national and large independent oil and natural gas companies.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 11/07/16 -- Lara Exploration Ltd. ("Lara" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: LRA) is pleased to provide an update on progress of its transaction to develop the phosphate and coal interests it holds under alliances with Kiwanda Mines LLC ("Kiwanda") to Phillips River Mining Limited ("Phillips River").
Phillips River has now signed definitive option agreements with the underlying owners of the Bifox phosphate rock mine and processing facilities at Bahia Inglesa in northern Chile and will assume management of the operations. The BiFox mine produces direct application natural fertilizer, with average grades between 18%-20% P2O5. The phosphate rock is mined and processed in a dry processing plant, producing both fine and pelleted products, which are sold primarily into the agricultural markets of southern Chile. Phillips River expects to commence production and phosphate rock sales by year end and is targeting an initial production capacity of 5,000 tons per month, with an aim to gradually expand production to over 100,000 tons per annum within the first 18 months.
Phillips River has engaged MEC Mining Pty Ltd, a Brisbane-based global mining consultancy, to design the initial mine plan. Dr. Ernesto Lima, an engineer with over 20 years of experience in mine management and mine construction, has been engaged as the lead technical consultant to implement the mine plan and commence plant production immediately. Dr. Lima is overseeing the implementation of the work program aimed at delivery a target JORC-compliant resource of at least 40 million tons across all resource categories.
Phillips River will seek to list its shares on the Australian Securities Exchange by the end of Q1 2017, which will also mark the completion of the transaction with Lara for the sale of all its direct project rights under the Kiwanda alliances to Phillips River in exchange for reimbursement of US$570,000 of project expenses, issue to Lara of 50% of the vendor shares by Phillips River and a 2% production royalty on the phosphate assets once production capacity of 50,000 tonnes per annum has been achieved and a 2% production royalty on the coal assets (see Lara news release of October 15, 2014 for more details).
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
info@laraexploration.com
www.laraexploration.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2016) - Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TSX: AVL) (OTCQX: AVLNF) ("Avalon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed a non-brokered private placement today consisting of 4,545,454 flow-through shares at a price of $0.22 per share for gross proceeds of $1,000,000.
In conjunction with this private placement Avalon paid finder's fees of $60,000 and issued 272,727 non-transferrable finder's warrants, with each finder's warrant being exercisable to acquire one common share of the Company at a price of $0.25 for a period of 24 months from today. Pursuant to Canadian securities laws, the securities issuable under this private placement are subject to a hold period which expires on March 8, 2017. The proceeds from this offering will be used primarily to advance exploration work, including drilling, on the Company's Separation Rapids Lithium Project.
This press release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to US persons (as defined in Regulation S under the US Securities Act) absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration.
About Avalon Advanced Materials Inc.
Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (formerly Avalon Rare Metals Inc.) is a Canadian mineral development company specializing in niche market metals and minerals with growing demand in new technology. The Company has three advanced stage projects, all 100%-owned, providing investors with exposure to lithium, tin and indium, as well as rare earth elements, tantalum, niobium, and zirconium. Avalon is currently focusing on its Separation Rapids Lithium Project, Kenora, ON and its East Kemptville Tin-Indium Project, Yarmouth, NS. Social responsibility and environmental stewardship are corporate cornerstones.
For questions and feedback, please e-mail the Company at ir@AvalonAM.com, or phone Don Bubar, President & CEO at 416-364-4938.
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements related to how the Company plans to use the net proceeds from the Private Placement, and that proceeds from this offering will be used primarily to advance exploration work, including drilling, on the Company's Separation Rapids Lithium Project. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "potential", "scheduled", "anticipates", "continues", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "scheduled", "targeted", "planned", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be" or "will not be" taken, reached or result, "will occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Avalon to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made. Although Avalon has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from expected results described in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to market conditions, and the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses as well as those risk factors set out in the Company's current Annual Information Form, Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure documents available under the Company's profile at www.SEDAR.com. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such forward-looking statements have been provided for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Company's plans and objectives and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Avalon does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are contained herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
SAN FRANCISCO (dpa-AFX) - Gap Inc. (GPS) reported that net sales for the four-week period ended October 29, 2016 were $1.20 billion, or flat when compared with the four-week period ended October 31, 2015. Comparable sales for October were down 1 percent. The company estimated that the fire, which occurred in a building on its Fishkill, New York distribution center campus, negatively impacted October comparable sales by approximately 3 percentage points. For the third quarter, net sales were $3.80 billion compared with $3.86 billion for the third quarter of last year. Comparable sales for the third quarter were down 3 percent, including an estimated negative impact from the Fishkill distribution center fire of approximately 2 percentage points. On a reported basis, the company expects its earnings per share for the third quarter of fiscal year 2016 to be in the range of $0.50 to $0.51. Excluding the $0.09 negative impact associated with its previously announced store closure and streamlining measures, the company expects adjusted earnings per share to be in the range of $0.59 to $0.60 for the third quarter of fiscal year 2016. 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.
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - China will on Tuesday release October figures for imports, exports and trade balance, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Imports are expected to fall 1.5 percent on year after slipping 1.9 percent in September. Exports are called lower by an annual 5.8 percent after tumbling 10.0 percent in the previous month. The trade balance is expected to reflect a surplus of $52.25 billion, up from $41.99 billion a month earlier. Japan will see preliminary September figures for its leading and coincident indexes. The leading index is expected to show a score of 100.2, down from 100.9 in August. The coincident is pegged at 112.1, up from 112.0 a month earlier. Australia will see October results for the indexes for business confidence and conditions from NAB; in September, their scores were +6 and +8, respectively. 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.
Lucapa Diamond Company Limitedhas announced a record diamond sale for a parcel of 1,864 carats from its diamond project in Angola.The parcel sold for US$8.3 million, representing an average price per carat of US$4,452.The latest sale takes total Lulo diamond sales for 2016 to $61 million Australian dollars.The company is scheduling one more sale for the year, with the possibility of an additional being held pending production results.Lucapa Diamond Company Limited posted a net profit of $4.4 million at 30 June 2016.
"Miniature art is interesting because it allows someone to put his feelings into such a small place," said Hannah Ramey, an American university student working as an intern on a farm in Lincang County, Yunnan Province. Ramey is one of the many visitors to an international miniature art show held in Lincang, which opened on November 6 and will last two months.
Palm-sized artworks at an international miniature art show held in Lincang County, Yunnan Province. [Photo by Guo Xiaohong/China.org.cn]
Art pieces put together by a country unit at the show offer insights into the relationship between an individual and society. One can understand and tell whether there is a war going on in the country or it is at peace, said Ramey.
Initiated by Italy's Benetton Foundation for Study and Research and China's Kingsight Culture & Art Co., Ltd, the show, Contemporary China: Contemporary Miniature Art Exhibition of China, presents more than 4,000 miniature art pieces, not only from China's ethnic minorities but from 21 countries in Europe, America and Africa, including Italy, Denmark, the United States, Kenya, Japan, India, North Korea and Afghanistan.
Paintings created on such small-sized canvases, miniature etchings, sculptures, engravings or other forms of art at the show are like windows wide open on the contemporary art scene, said Zhu Ping, a professor of art history at Yunnan Normal University, who attended the launch ceremony of the show. Zhu was amazed to see artists express their subject and feeling in such small sizes and with such novel techniques.
Breaking the traditional art exhibition model, which focuses more on larger-sized works, this show opens a new art world, said Zhu.
It's the subject not the size that weighs in the quality of art works, said Luciano Benetton, president of the Benetton Foundation for Study and Research. "Through this exhibition we bring together artworks of established artists and emerging talents of different countries, every background and age."
The show gathered 500 art pieces from over 200 artists from Yunnan and elsewhere in China.
Benetton and Yan Zhijie, president of the Beijing Kingsight Culture & Art Co., Ltd, jointly launched a Sino-Italian project in May 2016 to recruit contemporary art pieces from China's 56 ethnic peoples, aiming to promote Chinese culture and ethnic arts on a global scale. The 3-year project will collect 5,000 10x12 cm miniature arts from China and stage a world tour together with Benetton's Imago Mundi collection, which includes 18,000 artworks from more than 40 countries.
Digarc, a Lakeland, Florida-based provider of e-catalog and curriculum management solutions for higher education institutions in the U.S., received an investment of undisclosed amount from Serent Capital.
The company intends to use the funds to scale operations and drive future growth opportunities.
Owned by Ken Blais and Chet Jordan, who will remain with the company as investors and board members, and led by newly joined CEO Angela Selden, Digarc created Acalog in 2001, an e-catalog system, which includes features such as the My Portfolio tool for capturing course preferences, a printable Degree Planner, and social media integration with Facebook and Twitter. In 2012, the company introduced the Curriculog curriculum management system for the higher ed market. Curriculog is a centralized workflow platform that allows faculty and administrators to collaborate on the curriculum design, change, and approval process.
Digarc now serves more than 450 academic institutions.
FinSMEs
07/11/2016
GoOpti, a European shuttle platform available via web or mobile platform, raised 2.9m in Series A funding and a further 1.5m in EU grant funding (Horizon 2020).
Investors in the Series A included EBRD, Point Nine Capital and RTA. The EU grant funding was provided in the framework of Horizon 2020 program.
The funds will be used to expand further across several European locations.
Launched in 2011 by Marko Gucek and Tomaz Lorenzetti, GoOpti connects passengers travelling from smaller towns to big airports. Today, the company has 700,000 passengers across Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia, 500 shuttles, 723 partnerships (with shuttle companies, agencies and airlines including SkyScanner, Emirates and Costa cruises).
It is based in Zagreb, Croatia, Verona, Italy, and Slovenia, Ljubljana.
FinSMEs
07/11/2016
Scottish Equity Partners (SEP), a London, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, UK-based venture capital firm, raised 260m for a new tech fund.
Investors in previous SEP funds account for almost 90% of commitments to SEP V. UK investors account for approximately 40% of the fund, with the remaining 60% contributed by investors based in Europe and the United States.
SEP V will be invested in high growth technology and technology-enabled companies based mainly in the UK and Ireland, although investments in companies in other European countries will also be considered. It will make single investments of up to 20m.
Led by Managing Partner Calum Paterson, Scottish Equity Partners operates a portfolio of companies employing more than 5,500 people and aggregate revenues of over 1 billion.
Backed companies include:
Edinburgh-based travel search company Skyscanner,
London-headquartered high-end fashion business Matchesfashion,
Manchester-based online car finance specialist Zuto,
Berlin-based online eyewear company Mr Spex,
Berlin-based language learning company Babbel, and
Dublin-based e-commerce analytics company Clavis Insight.
The firm, which has 45 partners and employees across its London, Glasgow and Edinburgh offices, has over 1 billion in total funds under management.
FinSMEs
07/11/2016
Synaptive Medical, a Toronto, Canada-based medical device and technology company, received an investment from global growth equity firm General Atlantic.
The amount of the deal was not disclosed. In conjunction with the investment, David Caluori, Principal at General Atlantic, will join Synaptives board of directors, along with Alex Crisses, Managing Director at General Atlantic, who will join as an observer.
The company intends to use the funds to accelerate the commercialization of its existing solutions across worldwide markets and invest in new research and product development.
Founded in 2012 and led by Cameron Piron, President, Synaptive has developed BrightMatter, a suite of products that provides visual and information tools allowing surgeons to focus on patient outcomes within a global healthcare industry. The companys surgical technology, which combines informatics, imaging, surgical planning, navigation and advanced optics, has been installed at healthcare facilities across the United States, including recent installations at Emory University Hospital, the Gates Vascular Institute, Grady Health, Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital and Mount Sinai.
FinSMEs
07/11/2016
Victory Park Capital (VPC), a Chicago, IL-based investment firm focused on middle-market debt and equity investments, has added Zhengyuan Lu to its investment team.
Lu will be based in VPCs New York City office. As a principal, he will be primarily responsible for sourcing, analyzing, executing and management of direct private debt and equity investments within the specialty finance sector. He brings more than 20 years of industry experience to VPC.
Lu was previously a senior vice president and head of Capital Markets and Treasury at OnDeck (ONDK), where he spearheaded all capital markets and fund raising activities. This also included the management of OnDeck Marketplace, the crowdfunding platform of OnDeck and Treasury and Cash Management.
As a member of OnDecks Executive and Management Committee, Lu was involved in all aspects of its strategic and operational initiatives.
Prior to OnDeck, he was a managing director and head of the Asset Financing Group at Gleacher & Company, where he was responsible for the origination and financing of esoteric assets.
Before joining Gleacher, Lu was a managing director and head of Structured Products Group at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (now Stifel Financial), where he ran all banking and trading activities for structured products.
He was a senior vice president/executive director with Fortis Bank and WestLB AG.
Lu was also a portfolio manager at PPM America (asset management arm of Prudential U.K.), where he built and managed a $3.0 billion portfolio. He started his career in the investment banking group of Credit Suisse.
Lu holds a B.A. in economics and computer science from Middlebury College, and was elected Phi Beta Kappa. He is a native of Shanghai, China.
Founded in 2007 by Richard Levy, CEO, Victory Park Capital Advisors provides privately negotiated debt and equity capital solutions to small and middle market companies across a wide range of industries. It targets sound businesses in need of liquidity and/or capital structure transformation and often take a leadership role in the financial restructuring process.
FinSMEs
07/11/2016
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An American action comedy film, 'Keeping Up with the Joneses' is due for release in Chinese cinemas on Tuesday, November 8th.
A still of Israeli actress Gal Gadot in American action comedy film, 'Keeping Up with the Joneses' which is due for release in Chinese cinemas on Tuesday, Nov 8, 2016.[Photo: agencies]
The film is about an average suburban couple becoming embroiled in an international espionage plot when they discover that their new neighbors are actually government spies.
Israeli actress Gal Gadot, known for her role as Gisele Yashar in The Fast and the Furious film series, plays the female lead. She even has a part in flaunting her seductive body in underwear.
Also starring Zach Galifianakis, Jon Hamm and Isla Fisher, the 20th Century Fox's film has a scene taking place in a Chinese restaurant which introduces the Chinese tradition of integrating snakes in food and in wine.
This is seen a move to make this film relatable to a Chinese audience.
Mumbai: Ending its five-session losing run, BSE benchmark Sensex today recouped nearly 185 points on positive global sentiments as chances of Hillary Clinton in the US election brightened following a relief from FBI in personal email server probe.
The US elections and outcome speculation caused nervousness in global markets last week but the news of a reprieve, mere two days ahead of polls, for Clinton from FBI
brought cheers for investors as the investigative agency did not find any material evidence for potential criminal charges. Besides, domestic equities got a major push from covering-up by speculators, who had been creating short positions.
Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services Ltd, said, "Market reacted positively to the outcome of US FBI's clean chit to the Democratic
presidential candidate. Investors expressed an interim relief in the midst of escalating worry in the final lap of election battle. Further, short covering on pharma, bank stocks has also supported the rally."
The Sensex opened gap-up at 27,552.27 and hovered between 27,591.15 and 27,398.72 before closing at 27,458.99, showing a gain of 184.84 points, or 0.68 per cent.
The gauge had lost 667.36 points in the previous five sessions.
The Nifty after shuttling between 8,535.85 and 8,481.45 ended higher by 63.30 points, or 0.75 per cent, at 8,497.05.
Buying activity was so strong that all the sectoral indices, except capital goods, ended in the green, rising by up to l.94 per cent.
Tracking overall trends, broader markets were also in better shape with the small-cap surging 1.19 per cent and the mid-cap index rising 0.59 per cent.
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 343.30 crore on Friday, as per provisional data. Globally, in the Asian region, Japan's Nikkei moved up
1.61 per cent, Shanghai Composite was higher 0.26 per cent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng up 0.70 per cent.
European markets also joined Asian markets as Frankfurt's DAX climbed 1.71 per cent, while the Paris CAC rose 1.81 per cent in their initial deals. London's FTSE too surged 1.37 per cent. The US stocks futures too were trading in positive terrain ahead of Monday's market opening.
In the domestic market, 21 scrips out of 30 ended higher while only nine scrips closed lower.
Top gainer was Lupin with 6.93 per cent rise to Rs 1,519. The company has announced it received a notification that the inspection carried out by USFDA in March 2016 at its Goa facility is now closed and the agency has issued an Establishment Inspection Report (EIR). This closes all outstanding US FDA inspections at Lupin's Goa facility.
Other gainers were: SBI 4.06 per cent, ICICI Bank 3.36 per cent, ITC 3.05 per cent, Tata Steel 2.10 per cent, Hero Motoco 2.05 per cent, Adani Ports 1.77 per cent, NTPC 1.40 per cent, Axis Bank 1.32 per cent and Coal India 1.03 per cent. Among the laggards were: TCS 2.18 per cent, L&T 1.34 per cent, HUL 1.09 per cent, Tata Motors 0.94 per cent and ONGC 0.85 per cent.
Sector-sise, metal rose 1.94 per cent followed by healthcare 1.89 per cent, bankex 1.70 per cent, realty 1.50 per cent, FMCG 1.15 per cent, finance 1.05 per cent and oil & gas 0.83 per cent.
While, telecom fell by 0.53 per cent and capital goods 0.09 per cent.
The market breadth turned positive as 2,020 stocks ended higher, 861 finished in red while 142 ruled steady. Total turnover on BSE amounted to Rs 3,203.53 crore,
lower than turnover of Rs 4,545.34 crore registered during the previous trading session.
By Jibran Ahmad
| PESHAWAR, Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan Pakistan on Monday delayed the planned deportation of Sharbat Gula, the green-eyed "Afghan Girl" whose 1985 photo in National Geographic became a symbol of her country's wars, an Afghan official said.Now in her 40s with four children, Gula has been hospitalised for most of the time since her arrest last month on charges of living illegally in Pakistan. A judge sentenced her last week to be deported.Waheedullah, a spokesman for the Afghan consulate in Peshawar, said Afghan diplomats had convinced Pakistani authorities to allow her to stay in hospital until Wednesday.
She then would be delivered to the Afghan border authorities at Torkham on Wednesday and from there she would be flown to Kabul where Afghan President Ashraf Ghani would host a function in her honour."The Afghan president has also announced a house for her in Kabul where she will live with her children," said Waheedullah, who like many Afghans uses only one name.
A senior Pakistani official on condition of anonymity confirmed her deportation, planned for Monday, had been delayed until Wednesday.Sharbat Gula became a symbol of Afghanistan's long wars when a photo of her as a young refugee was published in National Geographic magazine in 1985.
She had been living in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar city for years with her husband and children. Her family has said her Afghan husband died a few years ago. (Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Rajnandgaon: A police official was shot dead by suspected Naxals on Sunday evening in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-affected Rajnandgaon district, police said.
Assistant sub-inspector Narbad Boga (54) was killed at around 6 pm near Chirchari village under Baghnadi police station limits on Raipur-Nagpur national highway, a senior police official said.
Boga and two other policemen had been sent there from Baghnadi after a report of road accident on the highway was received.
Two motorcycle-borne men fired on them and fled inside the forest. "While Boga sustained two bullet injuries in the incident, other two jawans escaped unhurt," the police officer said.
Security forces were rushed to the spot. Boga was taken to Rajnandgaon district headquarters where he succumbed during treatment.
"Prima facie it appears to be the handiwork of Maoists as the area borders on Maoist-affected region. However it would be too early to come to conclusion," the official said.
A combing operation was launched to nab the assailants, he added.
'It's not the crackers, the farmers are burning crops is an argument that's doing the rounds in the national capital. Union Environment Minister Anil Dave called a meeting of all environment ministers of NCR states and concluded that crop burning in Delhis neighbouring states amounts to 20 percent of its pollution. Eleven farmers of Bathinda and Barnala districts of Punjab have recently been booked for burning paddy stubble against the orders of the district magistrate. Last week, in Dosanjh, the police booked a farmer under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant). Penalty has also been imposed in 1,406 cases of stubble burning in Haryana. The crops are no longer harvested by hand, so the plant was cut from its base. In the era of machine harvesting, the plant is only cut from the spike and cannot be consumed by animals. The farmers are only given 15 days to sow the next plant (wheat), and market and thresh the first one. Does multiple harvesting leave them with any other option but to burn the spike? No.
Had this been the prime cause of smog, wouldnt Chandigarh, the capital of Haryana and Punjab, also been affected by smog? As per the Haerbin Air Pollution: Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) on 7 November, Chandigarh was 162 (Unhealthy: Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects) and some regions in Delhi were as high as 999 (Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects). On the same index, Rohtaks air quality was 47 (Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk).
Instead of monitoring the trend of multiple harvesting, compensation amounts for farmers are being fixed. A farm on less than 2 acres is liable to pay Rs 2,500; for a five-acre farm, the amount is Rs 5,000, and farms more than five acres are liable to pay Rs 15,000. In Punjab, these penalties were decided after the keen interest shown by the National Green Tribunal in the states affairs. Farmers, especially the ones who consider this a right, wanted to go on protest (dharnas, a practice the Delhi government is familiar with) but werent allowed to.
But thats not the only thing choking a farmers life. On 2 September, a note with action taken and many other proposed measures, titled 'Farmer centric issues in agriculture and allied sectors' was prepared by top Secretaries to the government of India. The note accessed by Firstpost revealed a huge gap in financial demand and allocation for drought-proofing agriculture.
It revealed that the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) is suffering due to severe inadequacy of resources for large projects. Against a requirement of Rs 29,000 crore for completion of 46 projects that are near completion, the annual budgetary allocation is a mere Rs 3,000 crore under AIBP. The note said that an upfront provision of financial resources through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) financing mechanism can help in creating an additional 1.1 million hectare irrigation in one year and an additional 3.4 million hectares over the next three years.
Commenting on the note, Devender Sharma, agricultural scientist and senior food and trade policy analyst, gives the example of Vidarbha and Marathwada. "Economists say there is only 18 percent irrigation in these areas and talk about making large-scale investments on new international techniques. Punjab has 98 percent irrigation cover (America has 14 percent) and its paddy yield is 60 quintals per hectare (it is 67 percent in China), then why are three to four farmers committing suicide in Punjab every day?" he asks. Between 1 April and 12 May, a total of 73 farmers have died in Punjab despite the fact that the production rate of cereals (wheat, rice and maize) in the state is higher than America, France, Italy and Japan. The government must focus on micro-irrigation and revive ponds and tanks instead of spending crores on massive irrigation plans, says Sharma.
As per the economic survey of 2016, the average income of a farming household of five people across 17 states of India is Rs 20,000 a year.
What will the farmers do with access to credit, when they dont have income? ask experts.
The note highlights the problem of the growing dark regions of depleting water reserves and suggested the solution that without any additional budgetary resources, five lakh farm ponds and dug wells can be constructed under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) every year. This will also make it possible to maintain two lakh solar pumps with micro-irrigation. This is expected to cost Rs 8,000 crore that can come from the current budgetary allocations under the programme. By convergently utilising 30 percent subsidy from Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and 65 percent loan from the power company, a meagre 5 percent farmer contribution can provide access to sustainable water for enhancing productivity, it states.
Ramesh Chand, agriculture expert at the NITI Aayog, says the two important issues of the farmers are market risk and production risk, and are being addressed. The government has taken several initiatives to raise the income of the farmers and secondly, to cover risk in prices and risk in production. Aside from the Krishi Sinchai Yojana, Fasal Bima Yojana and Enam, an electronic trading platform for the national agriculture market, the government is coming out with timely measures but their effectiveness depends on the cooperation from the state governments, he adds.
Experts point to a link between pesticides and farmer suicides. Umendra Dutt, Executive Director, Kheti Virasat Mission a movement for natural farming and ecological restoration of Punjab says farmers of intensive agriculture are more prone to suicide. Pesticides cause nervous breakdowns. In Punjab, in the regions of Muktsar, Bhatinda and Mansa and Sangrur, high suicide rate is tied to high pesticide consumption. Why are there no facts to show how much farmers spend on medical care? he asks. Experts believe it is time for a model of agriculture that doesnt require taking a loan and tech-intensive and market-oriented agriculture stand in the way of that.
Post-harvest losses range from 4 percent to 16 percent resulting in annual loss of about Rs 92,651 crore. The government plans to augment the cold-chain infrastructure scheme by taking up around 500 cold chain projects with an additional allocation of Rs 4,000 crore to create capacity of 2.5 million MT in the next 5 years. Sharma feels that the country must evaluate what has happened to cold storage structures in the past. Most, he says, have been turned into cinema halls and those who claimed money for building them, never constructed them in the first place. Encouraging food processing adds to crop losses. We do need cold storage but first we need to provide a sanitary and well-lit space for mandis where vegetables are bought. Big corporates will benefit from cold chains and that shouldnt be the reason for developing them, highlights Sharma.
In the next three years, the note proposes to form 10,000 clusters covering 5 lakh acre of area; every farmer in a cluster will be provided an assistance of Rs 20,000 per acre. On the one hand, you are promoting organic farming. And on the other hand, you want to endorse genetically-modified mustard. Today, green house emission from agriculture is 41 percent and non-chemical agriculture is the way forward. But if we take a decision to bring in modified mustard, it'll open up the floodgates for 71 more crops, says Sharma.
In 1970, the procurement price of wheat was 76 rupees per quintal. In 2015, the procurement price jumped 19 times to Rs 1,450. In the same period, the basic pay of a government employee has gone up 120 to 150 times, that of college professors has gone up 150 170 times, that of corporates has gone up 300 times and that of the corporate senior management has gone up 300 times. The peasants salary has gone up 19 times. Agriculture experts believe the price of wheat should be Rs 7,600 per quintal.
Other than that, agrarian experts stress on three factors that never find space in any policy: One is the social stigma attached to taking a loan. Why is a farmers photograph displayed in the local courts when he fails to repay a loan? Secondly, nearly 40 percent of the suicides are by khet mazdoors. Where are their rights?
Thirdly, in the 12th Five Year Plan, the total budget for agriculture was Rs 1.5 lakh crore for five years. This years MNGERA budget is more than the budget of agriculture, why is the sector that involves 60 percent being ignored in the first place?
As per the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), what is required is inter-state cooperation and intervention of the Central government to control farm fires in Punjab and Haryana. This includes the action directed by the Supreme Court as well as the National Green Tribunal related to subsidy for farmers to buy appropriate technology that will prevent burning of straw as well as the infrastructure for reuse of straw. This needs financial support from the Central as well as state governments. For Delhi, their suggested emergency plan to cut pollution levels involves reducing vehicle numbers, shutting down the Badarpur power plant, taking very stringent action on waste burning and construction activities, and banning fireworks in all social events during winter.
If the average Delhite is dying little by little out of breathlessness, the poverty and helplessness of farmers is forcing them to commit suicide; a more immediate and effective end. Either way, death is inevitable.
As New Delhi suffers from the worst smog it has seen in 17 years, the people in the national capital can actually take action against the state and central government for denying them a basic right.
Environmental activist MC Mehta told News18 that the citizens could exercise the basic right to life given to them by the Constitution. "Patients in Delhi hospitals suffering from various environment-related ailments should come out and file a petition in the Supreme Court claiming inhaling such polluted air violates their fundamental right to life as enshrined in our Constitution," he was quoted as saying in the report.
In the 1985 judgment in 'Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra vs State of Uttar Pradesh', a court had held that "air and water are the most indispensable gifts of nature for preservation of life."
Mehta further said in the report that the state and central governments were responsible for the crisis and that it was high time the pollution financiers in Delhi were punished. He also talked about the 'polluter pays' principle and said that agencies providing loans for vehicles or governments which did not pay attention to the road-carrying of Delhi.
Nearly 17,000 schools running under the three municipal corporations of Delhi were closed on Saturday in view of the heavy smog.
"All municipal schools under the three corporations were closed due to the heavy smog and pollution. The order for closure is only for today as of now. As per the situation, we may decide to close them later as well," Leader of Opposition in SDMC, Subhash Arya had said.
About 10 lakh students are enrolled in the schools administered by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC).
The decision was taken on Friday at a meeting of civic officials held in the wake of severe pollution Delhiites are reeling under.
Recently, the National Green Tribunal had pulled up the Centre and AAP government for "shifting blame" and not taking steps to tackle the alarming air pollution level in Delhi, saying what a "terrible" future are we giving to our children.
The national capital was facing the worst smog in 17 years, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had said on Thursday, while asking the Delhi government to issue health alerts and convey that children should stay indoors as there was a state of health emergency due to peaking air pollution.
Peak level of respirable pollutants PM 2.5 and PM 10 had also violated the safe limits by over 15 times at places like RK Puram. The prescribed standard of PM 2.5 is 60 micrograms per cubic metre, but it touched 955 in real-time during early morning hours.
Admitting that the enforcement of rules for tackling air pollution was "weak", the Environment Ministry on Friday had asked states to "strictly" implement a host of measures, including checking spread of fly ash from Delhi's Badarpur plant and shutting down of old brick kilns.
With inputs from PTI
Night of 2-3 December, 1984: Worlds worst industrial disaster the Bhopal gas tragedy occurred after deadly Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked out of the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal. Thousands died on a single night and the air got so poisonous that many more died thereafter and thousands had to be evacuated from the city.
November 2016: Unfortunately, Delhis air quality this winter has almost reached its nadir. It might sound as an exaggeration but the Delhiites are witnessing symptoms quite similar to the Bhopal gas tragedy coughing, severe eye irritation, sore throat, irritation in the respiratory tract, nausea, salt-bitter taste in mouth, uneasiness, etc. Children are the worst victims. According to the environmental experts, its a stage, where evacuating the city seems to be an alternative option.
And, why not?
The Air Quality Index (AQI) has crossed the hazardous mark of 500+. The level of particulate matter PM10 on Sunday reached at 1690 umg/m3 at 8 am in Anand Vihar and 1,300 umg/m3 at 6 pm in central government employees residential colony RK Puram. Its multiple times higher than the permissible limits (50-100).
The air pollution level in Delhi has reached a stage where people should evacuate the city. The AQI has crossed the hazardous level of 500 and now touching almost 1,000. Its unimaginable, said Ravi Agarwal, director, Toxics Link, an environmental NGO.
Will it eventually help the city to breathe easy?
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a slew of measures to combat the emergency situation like closing of schools for three days, ban on construction work for five days, shutting down Badarpur power plant for 10 days, etc. The meteorological department has predicted that weather condition will improve after three days.
Despite these measures, will the residents of the national capital be able to breathe easy?
No, say experts.
No, its not possible. Following the measures announced by the Delhi government and weather condition getting better after three to five days, the air quality in Delhi may come down to around 500, which has now become an average for Delhi, from 900+ mark. Everyone will be happy and the situation will continue to be as usual, quipped Agarwal.
The measures taken are fine, but unless theres restraint on the numbers of vehicles, including trucks, it wont be helpful. Toxic emissions from vehicles contribute to Delhis air pollution in a big way and impact peoples health, said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
Delhiites want to know:
- Do the politicians irrespective of political ideologies and parties not live in Delhi?
- If they do, why the pollution issue has been politicised?
- Why both the central and Delhi governments have failed to act?
Its not a political issue. Environment is a concurrent subject. Both the Ministry of Environment and Delhi government should work in coordination to combat this menace. The Central Pollution Control Board has the authority to exercise its power on Delhi. After all, the citizens including the leaders cutting across political spectrum are suffering and Delhi is getting a bad name, Agarwal observed.
A big question: Why did the government ignore the IIT Kanpur study?
Its still unclear why the government failed to act on the measures suggested by the government-commissioned study of IIT Kanpur?
The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), Delhi sponsored a project 'Comprehensive Study on Air Pollution and Green House Gases in Delhi' to IIT Kanpur last year to effectively address the air pollution problem in Delhi.
The study recommended a comprehensive year-wise action plan (2016 to 2023) to check all the sources of air pollution. Despite recommending implementation of the plan from 2016 (precisely July) so as to deal with the crisis during winter, the government failed to initiate any action, barring introduction of the odd-even scheme, which eventually stopped.
The IIT Kanpur report mentioned a wide range of short-term and long-term measures. Despite, the study being commissioned by the government, why did it fail to initiate any action is questionable. Right from the central government agencies to Delhi government all have the data but why theres lack of coordination? questioned Agarwal.
Roychowdhury added, Delhi government got one full year to plan and act, but we failed to hear anything from them. Its a lost opportunity. Delhi has reached an alarming stage and it has become a regular practice in Delhi every winter and citizens, especially the children have to face the brunt.
Back in the eighties, the Mayfair building in Hazratganj of Lucknow was the ultimate destination for aspiring Lucknowites. It housed a movie theatre, known only as Mayfair talkies, the Kwality restaurant, that brought with it a touch of elitism, and a classy book-shop known as Ram Advani Booksellers.
These three destinations put together gave an impression of Lucknow aptly summarised in the Urdu verse: Lucknow hum par fida hai, hum fida-e Lucknow (Lucknow is as much in love with me as I am with Lucknow). Ram Advani Booksellers was the last surviving bastion of this imagery, that finally fell on Sunday. The legendary book shop now stands closed.
In my student days, I was a regular visitor to the book store to buy magazines like Yojna and Seminar. Ram Advani, the owner of the store, used to sit silently in a corner, often guiding the customers to find the right titles and magazines. His encyclopaedic knowledge about Lucknow and the Oudh culture helped many a scholar get access to the correct resources.
One of the more interesting interactions I had with Advani was back in the nineties, at the peak of the Ram Janma Bhoomi/Babri mosque agitation. As a reporter with the Times of India, I had filed a story that unravelled the legal aspects of the imbroglio. The next morning, I received a call from Advani, requesting me to come to his book store for a chat. Upon arriving at the store, I saw Advani engaging with a foreign scholar on Ayodhya, explaining to him the legal ramifications of unlocking the gates to the disputed site.
In the course of the conversation, I realised that Advanis understanding of contemporary social and political issues was far more profound than many scholars on the subject. My last meeting with him was equally interesting. I visited his book store about six years back and was pleasantly surprised to see him still his usual vivacious self.
Initially, I was hesitant to approach him, for the belief that he would not recognise me. But Advani, recognising my diffidence, walked up to me and asked me if he could help me in selecting the titles. If you are in Lucknow tomorrow, come over for Lunch, he asked benignly, on being reminded of my old association with him and the store.
In fact, Advanis presence in the Mayfair building of late remained the worth of a relic which triggered nostalgia about Lucknows old grandeur and its legendary fame of nazakat and nafasat" (culture and etiquette). The bookshop was a treasure trove for people on a scholarly pursuit of the syncretic culture of Oudh.
Since the nineties, Lucknow and Oudh have undergone a complete transformation. The cultural elitism of Lucknow has been replaced by the ever increasing political lumpenisation, in the wake of the mandir/mandal agitation.
Old timers from Lucknow would recall strolling around Hazratganj, a favourite pastime of theirs known as ganjing. Within one square kilometre of the Hazratganj market, one could come across noted Hindi litterateurs like Bhagwati Charan Varma, Amritlal Nagar, Yashpal or erudite professors of Lucknow University and King George Medical College. Till the eighties, chief ministers of the countrys most populous state could be seen rubbing shoulders with friends and journalists at the India Coffee House, in a casual manner.
But all these memories lie deeply buried in the resurrection of a new political culture, that has radically changed Lucknows ethos. Now, a highly social and political elite of Lucknow is as lumpenised, vacuous and cantankerous as his or her counterpart in any other metropolis. In such a setting, the existence of the Ram Advani Booksellers stood as a mute symbol of what Lucknow once was.
With its closure on Sunday, an important page of the city's history is now in danger of being permanently erased.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang addresses the Sixth China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) Countries Economic and Trade Forum in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said here Saturday that China will surmount all difficulties confronting the Chinese economy, maintain steady growth, and speed up economic transformation.
While addressing the Sixth China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) Countries Economic and Trade Forum in Riga, Latvia, Li updated his audience on the latest developments of the Chinese economy.
China's confidence in its economic development comes from the country's vigorous efforts to adapt to the economic new normal and pursue supply-side structural reform while appropriately expanding aggregate demand, he said, adding that this has bolstered the internal development momentum of the Chinese economy.
He said China has consistently followed proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy, and adopted new ways of macroeconomic regulation.
The premier noted that his country has also endeavored to advance economic restructuring and foster new growth drivers through energetic reform, opening-up and innovation.
Moreover, he said, China sought to apply market-oriented and rules-based methods to forestall and defuse risks.
Li added that looking ahead, the Chinese economy enjoys great potential, solid strength and ample room for maneuver, saying it is well-positioned to sustain medium-high growth rate and move to medium-high level of development.
China has every confidence in achieving this goal, said the premier.
China's development offers the world an opportunity thanks to the ever more open Chinese market, which will surely bring huge business opportunities to global companies including those from the CEE countries, he said, calling for concerted efforts from all sides to build a new type of partnership featuring inclusiveness and reciprocity for a bright future of China-CEE business cooperation.
Li is currently in the Baltic country for an official visit and a leaders' meeting within what is known as the "16+1" framework, which groups China and 16 CEE nations.
His trip marks the first time for a Chinese premier to visit Latvia since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Baltic country is the third stop of his ongoing eight-day Eurasia tour, which has already taken him to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and will conclude in Russia.
Former Supreme Court (SC) judge Markanday Katju, in a Facebook post on Monday, urged the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students protesting the inaction following the disappearance of fellow student Najeeb Ahmed, to file a petition before the SC to further the investigation.
Katju asked the students to file a petition under Article 32 of the Constitution, thereby forcing the Delhi Police, that falls under the jurisdiction of the Central government, into action. Najeeb has been missing for the past 24 days, following an alleged quarrel between two student groups in the university.
One of the writ petitions available to citizens under Article 32, for enforcement of their fundamental rights, is Habeas Corpus. Under this right, the court can issue appropriate directives to the police authorities to make serious efforts in finding the missing student.
The protest, led by the JNU Student Union (JNUSU), has been not been effective enough, owing to the insensitive approach employed by the Delhi police. On Monday morning, pictures of the police dragging Fatima Nafees, Najeeb's mother, into a bus along with other protesting students were splashed on the front page of many national dailies.
It is truly perplexing how the Delhi Police, which was so efficient in curbing these protests, has failed to find the missing student till now.
In an interview with Firstpost, former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, while responding to a question on why this issue had not received the same support from the student community as his arrest had.
This time around, there are many versions of the issue. My arrest was seen as a crackdown and an attack on the university, and that united the students. On this particular issue, the current student union has not been able to forge a unity, Kanhaiya said.
Responding to the protestors' allegations that Najeeb had been abducted and harmed' by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members, Kumar said, I dont think so. This is not the culture of JNU. There is a difference between ABVP of JNU and ABVP of other campuses."
He added, The fact that some outsiders were also involved in the alleged scuffle is an important aspect and if some untoward incident took place because of their involvement, I cannot say.
Saurabh Sharma, former member of JNUSU, said, We too are concerned about Najeeb's safety but what is happening here is politics. I am not condoning the police action against Najeebs mother but the police has to maintain the law and order. She is being misled by the Left parties. What is the need to drag her in these protests? She should rather meet the Delhi Police Commissioner and people like Katju, who are trying to help her.
The JNU administration has been persistently making appeals to the protesting students to maintain peace but 24 days is too long a period for just appeals to work. This has led to a growing discontent that can easily be felt in the campus.
Since Najeeb's disappearance, all stakeholders have acted irresponsibly, overlooking options that would have actually borne results. On 19 October, JNU vice-chancellor M Jagdeesh Kumar and other top university officials were confined in their office for an entire day by the protesting students. Following that, the Delhi Police has stopped every protest by the students, creating even more discontent.
Adding to this, the JNU administration, on 26 October 26, issued a 25-point bulletin detailing the timeline of the case and the actions taken which was quickly marked as biased by the students and teachers alike.
According to an Indian Express report, the varsitys teachers association criticised the administration for selectively omitting the fact that he was attacked during a brawl, the night before he went missing.
Ayesha Kidwai, a professor at JNU, wrote in a Facebook post, At the heart of the matter is who committed the violence on 14 October. By the warden's report on 15 October, it was only Najeeb, who is said to have admitted his mistake of striking a fellow student without any provocation,"
"Just yesterday, 83 teachers of JNU had pointed that out in a context that Najeeb had been allegedly beaten (as per several eyewitnesses who have also lodged a complaint)...such an admission of culpability cannot be said to have been made in free and fair conditions, Kidwai said in her post.
She added, This bulletin clearly indicates that the JNU administration is still proceeding with the 'Najeeb-as-accused' narrative. It has completely suppressed all reference to the contents of the wardens' letter of 16 October and takes no cognisance of the fact that eyewitnesses have clearly named the alleged perpetrators of violence and abuse against Najeeb. However, there is no mention at all of the counter allegations throughout the report; indeed if anything, the aim of the whole exercise seems to be to avoid naming them. Indeed, even the terms of reference of its own proctorial enquiry have been vaguely worded.
While the ABVP is being accused of hurting Najeeb, its supporters are stressing that he has been hidden by some professors and students, who want to take political advantage of this incident.
While such claims cannot be verified, it just hints at the intense polarisation of the discourse in the campus, where the question that who did it to Najeeb has become more important than what actually happened to him.
The Mumbai police is investigating the disappearance of a VS Gaitonde painting from Nirlon House in Worli on Monday, according to a Mumbai Mirror report.
A written complaint by Janak Mathuradas, who is an important shareholder in Nirlon Ltd, said that this 1960 painting, valued at Rs 50 crore, could be stolen, as he feared that he saw a similar painting in an exhibition in New York. The complaint also said that all shareholders have a right on the company's assets and need to know the status of such prized company owned art.
It also stated that it was Poonam Bhagat, a socialite art connoisseur, who had suggested that the company purchase the painting, alleged the same report by Mumbai Mirror.
However, according to a report by Hindustan Times, the police deems it a case of misappropriation, and not theft. Thus, a thorough enquiry shall be conducted before criminal proceedings are initiated. A senior inspector at Worli police station, Virag Parkar, is quoted as saying that only after the verification of facts will a case be registered.
Known for its trademark serenity, Vasudeo S Gaitonde's untitled painting fetched the top price of Rs 29.3 crore at an auction held in Christie's in December last year, according to another Hindustan Times report, and set a record for highest selling Indian work in modern and contemporary art.
At another auction at Christie's, two other paintings of his was sold for 2,213,000 in London in May 2016. Gaitonde was described as an "uncompromising artist of great integrity" to buyers at the auction house, before the sale, according to a report by The Telegraph.
In a flurry of Twitter activity on Sunday, Essel Group chairman and Rajya Sabha member Subhash Chandra weighed in on the day-long ban imposed by the Centre on NDTV India.
Actually, 'weighed in' might be a tad tame, so let's try that again.
Chandra laid into NDTV with all the daintiness of a sledgehammer being brought down on a five-foot-tall stack of wine glasses.
The head of the Zee Media Corporation began his flurry by calling for a permanent ban on the Hindi news channel, stating that a day was an insufficient time frame for a ban. He went on to add that in his opinion, NDTV would get no relief from the courts either.
Next, training his guns on the Editors Guild that had come out in NDTV's defence, he claimed that it was during the UPA regime that there was talk of banning Zee, however, the guild maintained a conspicuous silence back then. Questioning the legimitacy of referring to the government's actions as a reminder of the Emergency, Chandra put his unstinting support behind the government's move.
See his tweets here:
NDTV 1 , ! (1/5) Dr. Subhash Chandra (@subhashchandra) November 6, 2016
NDTV (2/5) Dr. Subhash Chandra (@subhashchandra) November 6, 2016
UPA Zee NDTV, , Editors Guild (3/5) Dr. Subhash Chandra (@subhashchandra) November 6, 2016
, ! ? (4/5) Dr. Subhash Chandra (@subhashchandra) November 6, 2016
NDTV ! (5/5) Dr. Subhash Chandra (@subhashchandra) November 6, 2016
Fortunately for NDTV, the matter will not be decided on by Chandra, but the Supreme Court.
Jammu: Pakistani troops on Monday fired mortar shells at Indian posts and civilian areas in Mendhar sector of Poonch district along the Line of Control (LoC), leading to retaliation from Indian security forces.
"Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation in Mendhar sector of Poonch district from 0915 hours," defence spokesman said.
He said that they fired 120 mm mortars, 82 mm mortars and automatic weapons targeting Indian posts and civilian areas.
Troops guarding the border line gave a befitting reply resulting in exchange which was still going on when reports last came in.
On Sunday, two army jawans were killed and five others two soldiers, a BSF officer and two women were injured as Pakistani army opened fire in an attempt to facilitate two infiltration bids along the LoC in Krishna Ghati and Poonch sectors of Poonch district.
There have been over 100 ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after the surgical strike.
The worst-ever Pakistani shelling targeting civil population took place on 1 November when eight persons, including two children and four women, were killed and 22 others injured along the IB and the LoC in five sectors of J&K, forcing Indian troops to give befitting reply by destroying 14 Pakistani posts and killing two of their troopers.
The state government had closed over 400 schools along the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu region in wake of the ongoing heavy cross-border firing.
A total of 18 people, including 12 civilians, have been killed and more than 83 injured in Pakistani shelling and firing along IB and LoC in Jammu.
New Delhi: British Prime Minister Theresa May flew arrived in Delhi on Sunday evening on a three-day visit aimed at enhancing Indo-UK ties in the key areas of trade, investment, defence and security.
On her first bilateral trip outside Europe since taking office in July in the aftermath of Britain voting to exit the European Union, May will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. She will also inaugurate jointly with him the India-UK Tech Summit.
Before leaving London, she described India as the UK's "most important and closest" friend and a leading power in the world, adding, "We will be promoting the best of Britain, sending out the message that we are open for business, and making the most of the opportunities offered by Brexit as the world's foremost champion of free trade".
"I will be using this visit to reaffirm the importance of the strategic partnership we already have, which delivers huge benefits for both our countries, and to work with Modi to agree concrete steps to realise our shared vision of going even further in our cooperation across trade, investment, defence and security," she added.
May, who is accompanied by senior British ministers and a big trade delegation, will also travel to Bengluru on Tuesday where she will attend some business events and will meet the Karnataka Chief Minister.
May, 60, is accompanied by a business delegation drawn from regions across the UK, including Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox and Trade Minister Greg Hands.
The 6-8 November visit comes in the backdrop of the historic June referendum favouring Brexit and as part of the new May-led government to step up engagement with countries outside the 28-nation European Union.
"She will deliver on her ambitious vision for Britain after Brexit, forging a new global role for the UK beyond the continent of Europe. She will also deliver on her pledge for an economy that works for all, by introducing new and emerging enterprises, as well as more established players, to the key Indian market," an official statement in London said.
According to the statement, a number of commercial deals are expected to be signed during the visit, creating and securing jobs at home and demonstrating market confidence in the strength of the British economy. She will meet with Modi tomorrow to discuss developing the bilateral strategic partnership, building on the deep links and existing co-operation. Alongside Modi, she will inaugurate the India-UK TECH Summit, South Asia's largest technology conference.
New Delhi: Underlining economic challenges in the current global environment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday India and the UK can leverage technological prowess to create new opportunities, while seeking investments in defence, manufacturing and aerospace sectors.
Speaking at the India-UK Tech Summit, Modi showcased his government's initiatives in sectors like smart cities, startups and digital economy as he sought enhanced engagement with Britain.
"Together, we can create a vibrant and thriving environment for new commercial applications with breakthrough technologies," he said at the event, also attended by visiting UK Prime Minister Theresa May.
Modi further said that both countries face numerous economic challenges in the current global environment which directly affect trade and commerce. "But I am confident that together we can leverage our scientific strengths and technological prowess to create new opportunities," he added. India, he said, is now the fastest growing large economy with the most open investment climate.
"We also expect 'Make in India' to be a key sector of bilateral engagement. Advanced manufacturing is a special endeavor under this programme. The UK as a leading player can benefit from our liberal FDI policies in defence manufacturing, aerospace and electronics engineering," the Prime Minister said.
He said India's vast traditional knowledge base can be coupled with UK's modern scientific investigation to provide a holistic approach to preventive healthcare. "This can help address some of the modern lifestyle diseases that we face."
The Prime Minister said even though the quantum of bilateral trade has remained at the same level for the past five years, investments in both directions have been robust. India, he said, is the third largest investor in the UK, and Britain is the largest G20 investor in India. Both countries support large numbers of jobs in each other's economies.
Modi said the 'Smart City' mission aims to integrate digital technology into rapidly urbanising environment and there is already a high level of interest from the UK in projects in Pune, Amaravati and Indore.
"I understand that UK companies have already signed deals worth 9 billion pounds and I encourage more participation," the Prime Minister said. The 'Start-up India' programme aims at converging
innovation and technology with entrepreneurship for tech-savvy youth. "Today, India and the UK have emerged amongst the top three largest startup hubs in the world with an exciting ecosystem of investors and innovators," he said.
"I believe that India and the UK must continue to nurture and support an ecosystem of high quality fundamental research to pave the way for joint technology development that can address global challenges," Modi said.
Stating that the India-UK Tech Summit focuses on higher education, he said it is vital for Indian students and will define the bilateral engagement in a shared future. "We must therefore encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in educational and research opportunities," he said.
Science, technology and innovation, the PM said, are immense growth forces and will play a very significant role in India-UK relationship. "I have always said that science is universal but
technology has to be local," he said, adding the summit like India-UK Tech Summit throws an opportunity to understand each other's requirements and forge a future relationship.
He said the convergence of his government's flagship development missions, technology achievements and aspirations, and strong bilateral relations offer huge new growth avenues for Indian and UK companies.
"There is an opportunity for India and the UK to collaborate in the 'Digital India' and expand information convergence and people centric e-governance," he added. India, he said, will soon have over a billion phone connections with an urban tele-density of around 154 per cent. The country has 350 million internet users and the government is bringing in last mile connectivity to nearly 100,000 villages across the country. "Such rapid growth offers new digital highways and new markets for the UK and Indian companies to address," Modi said.
Also, there is a scope for natural collaboration in India's rapidly developing financial services sector, he said, adding 'Fintech' is emerging as the next big transformation for India as 220 million new households are brought into the umbrella of the financial inclusion scheme, Jan Dhan Yojana.
"With UK's leadership in financial technology and international finance, promising opportunities can be harnessed by our enterprises in this mission," he said.
Stating that India's partnership with UK in industrial research has been one of the most exciting programmes, Modi said the Global Innovation & Technology Alliance or GITA platform of CII and Department of Science and Technology along with Innovate-UK supports industry led R&D projects in affordable healthcare, clean technology, manufacturing and information and communications and technology (ICT).
These sectors open new potential for Indian and UK businesses to convert the scientific knowledge into technology based enterprises. He said Indian innovative entrepreneurs, talented work
force and R&D capabilities combined with large markets, demographic dividend and increasing economic competitiveness offer new growth sources for the world economy.
"Today, the world is at an inflection point where technology advancement is transformational. It is vital that India and the UK, two countries linked by history, work together to define the knowledge economy of the 21st Century," he said.
The present India-UK cooperation in science and technology is driven by 'high quality' and 'high impact' research partnerships. "I am glad to mention that in less than two years' time under the 'Newton-Bhabha' programme, we have started wide ranging collaborations covering basic science to solution science aimed at addressing societal challenges," he said.
Also, scientific communities of the two countries are working on new vaccines for infectious diseases, inventing new smart materials, providing solutions for clean energy and climate change mitigation, and improving crop productivity including agriculture and food security.
"We have agreed to establish India-UK Clean Energy R&D Centre on solar energy with joint investment of 10 million pounds. A new 'Anti-Microbial Resistance' initiative with joint investment of 15 million pounds is also being launched," Modi said.
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May is on her first bilateral visit to India since she assumed office in July after the tumultuous post-Brexit vote period. She chose India because both the nations are natural partners and the potential in Indo-UK ties is tremendous.
On Monday, May and Prime Minister Narendra Modi jointly addressed the India-Britain Tech Summit. While May applauded Indias help in diversifying Britains economy through investment, Modi mentioned sectors where London can help New Delhi affordable healthcare, technology and academic quests.
Both the nations are likely to issue a joint statement later on Monday and going by the last four statements that India and Britain have released, cooperation and more focus on education, trade and technology are likely to feature in the statement.
May and Modi are expected to talk more on boosting trade and investment. While some reports claim that Brexit has created a challenging period of uncertainty and adjustment, others claim that Britains economy is booming.
According to a report by Sky News, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the UK economy grew by 0.5 percent in the three months after the Brexit vote.
Nevertheless, economic and strategic ties have been at the centre of talks since 2004 when the two sides underscored their commitment to the strategic partnership. Both the nations have been cooperating on multiple fields like education, research, science and technology, climate change among others.
May and Modis meeting and joint statement is expected to revolve around similar topics with a particular focus on trade. Britain has been looking towards the opportunities that Brexit has presented and delivering an economy that works for all, not just a select few.
After the divorce with the European Union, Britain can break certain trade and investment barriers to secure agreements once the UK has officially left the EU. Post-Brexit, Britain will also have to diversify its trade partners and unilaterally forge stronger relationships with countries around the world.
India is just the first step in that direction. May might have chosen India for her first bilateral visit because India invests more in the UK than in the rest of the EU combined, and the UK is the largest G20 investor in India.
Both the sides noted in 2008 about the need to improve market access through liberalisation and facilitating movement of professionals. The then Britain Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh had also welcomed the progress made in the negotiations between India and the EU for a broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement.
India and Britain have continually agreed on seeking a substantial increase in trade and investment. The largest British delegation visited India in 2013.
In 2010 and 2011, trade grew an average of 23 percent. India became the fifth largest investor in the UK and Britain became the third largest investor in India in 2013. A protocol of the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC) was modified to simulate the flow of investment, technology and services between India and the UK.
This remains the focus of the India-Britain statement on Monday because the significant decrease in trade since 2011. The total trade between India and Britain was $1,074 million for 2011-12 but it has reduced to $855 million in 2015-16. May and Modi might address this significant decline in trade between the two countries during the meeting.
May also announced a first-ever easier visa regime for Indian businessmen that will come with swifter passage through British airports and access to EU. She said the businesses will have to fill fewer forms, and they would get access to the EU-EEA (European Economic Area) passport control and swifter passage through British airports.
Education
Apart from trade and investment, Indian students are hoping for a positive outcome of the discussion in terms of post-study stay. According to the Ministry of External Affairs data, the number of Indian students going to the UK has dwindled from 29,900 in 2011-12 to 18,320 in 2014-15. This is partly because of stringent visa norms and strict rules on post study work permit.
The post-study work, abolished in 2012, allowed students to work in the UK for two years after completing their course and earn some money before returning to their home country.
The UK now only allows a maximum stay of four additional months at the end of courses of duration of one year or more. The students can still work after their course if they have a specific job offer and follow tough rules on the salary criteria. Students are looking forward to a positive outcome of May-Modi talks. While inaugurating the summit on Monday, Modi said Education is vital for our students. We must encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in education and research opportunities.
International relations
Both India and Britain have reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the Afghan government in the stabilisation and rebuilding of Afghanistan. They have also recognised that the main threat to Afghanistans security and stability is terrorism, which also endangers regional and global peace and security.
With the growing threat of terrorism, specifically from Islamic State, it is pertinent for Britain to look for partners after separating from the European Union. In this vulnerable state, it must attempt to establish ties with countries around the world.
The movement of migrants from France to the UK has also posed a major challenge for the country. France has been rattled by terrorist attacks in recent months and this movement of migrants invokes fear of a spill over in Britain. It might even make Britain more vulnerable to attacks.
Cooperating with India, a country itself battling terrorist attacks, might benefit UK at a hostile time. Both the countries have always recognised terrorism as a global threat requiring a global response. Britain has called upon Pakistan to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks.
Britain might just lend that extra support to isolate Pakistan even more and help India.
Both the nations have a lot to gain from each other. The talks between Modi and May on Monday might open new avenues in various sectors, which will further deepen the relationship between India and Britain.
Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Monday ruled out the possibility of the state getting a special category status.
"Special status cannot be given to Goa as the state tops in all the fronts," Parsekar said addressing the party's women's convention in Panaji.
"Special status is given to those states which have remained backwards," he said.
Notably, the BJP had in its 2012 election manifesto promised special status to the state.
Goa has been demanding a special status to preserve its culture and heritage as against the financial powers (through special status) sought by other states.
Earlier, the then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had even decided to lead an all-party delegation to Delhi demanding special status to the state.
Meanwhile, Parsekar on Monday rubbished the allegations against his government of harbouring the casino culture.
"All the six casinos in river Mandovi are a gift to Goa from the erstwhile Congress government. Our government has not given any permission to casinos," he said.
He left as a boy, but after two years in the army Zhao Songqing returned to college as a man.
In an attempt to add vigor and diversity to the military, China's armed forces have conscripted undergraduates since 2001, and an increasing number of highly-educated students are joining up.
Zhao, 23, an undergraduate, has now returned to Beijing-based Beihang University to complete his studies, one of 150,000 college army recruits in 2014.
In an attempt to add vigor and diversity to the military, China's armed forces have conscripted undergraduates since 2001, and an increasing number of highly-educated students are joining up.
The army lets them express their patriotism in the most direct way possible: by putting down pens and picking up guns.
"It's a great honor for a soldier to make contributions to the nation and its people," Zhao said.
The most difficult but memorable period of Zhao's service was fighting severe floods with his fellow soldiers as China experienced freak weather this summer.
It was July 6, just before he finished his service, when Zhao's company was put on "first-degree combat alert." They needed to stand ready to hit flood-ravaged areas floods that went on to kill hundreds across China.
They received the order in the afternoon. Hours later, more than 20 soldiers and a lot of supplies crammed into the back of the truck to begin a grueling 30-hour journey.
"It was too hot to sleep, and I could only focus on two things," he said. "I must keep myself safe for my parents' sake, and more importantly, I had to do my best for those flood victims."
Zhao went into the danger zone, not even telling his parents what mission he was on.
Honghu, where Zhao's company was stationed, is a small riverside city in Hubei Province and was one of the areas worst-hit by the flooding.
Every day, the soldiers reinforced the dams with sandbags. Sometimes, they had to jump straight into the river to rebuild the dams.
"The military uniform bestowed us with a sense of honor, so we were willing to work hard and take risks," Zhao said.
Two years ago, just before becoming a senior, Zhao's classmates were busy applying for jobs or graduate school, but he was set to join the army instead.
"I'd always wanted to do something for the nation," he said. "I saw two years in the army as an opportunity to harden myself."
The army is keenly aware of the bravery it takes for young undergraduates to enlist.
"It requires great courage for college students to make the decision," said Qi Jianli from the military office of Beihang University.
FRAUENKIRCHEN, Austria Austria said on Monday it will meet with its Balkan neighbours to discuss what action they might take if a deal with Turkey aimed at restricting the flow of illegal migrants into the European Union collapses.Turkey has threatened to walk away from the deal agreed in March if Turks are not granted visa-free travel to the bloc, while a crackdown by President Tayyip Erdogan since a failed coup attempt in July has discomfited European leaders."Very significant cracks are apparent in this deal between Europe and Turkey and we simply have to prepare for what will happen if this deal no longer holds," Austrian Defence Minister Hans Peter Doskozil told a news conference after a meeting of his counterparts and other defence officials from the region. Austria, Macedonia, Serbia, and other countries coordinated the imposition in February of border restrictions that largely shut down what was then the main migrant route into Europe, causing a logjam in Greece before the deal with Turkey.After hundreds of thousands of migrants crossed their territories in a wave of arrivals that began last year, Austria and its allies fear a collapse of the deal with Turkey will lead to another surge, playing into the hands of populist parties.
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 EU membership talks.But there has been deadlock over the plan to grant Turks visa-free access to Europe, with Brussels first wanting Turkey to change its anti-terrorism laws, which it deems too broad.
Ankara's possible reintroduction of the death penalty, which Erdogan has said he would sign if parliament approves it, could further jeopardise the agreement. European countries have also criticised Turkey's detention last week of leaders of the main pro-Kurdish opposition party. "It is the unanimous opinion of all those present that all means, all available forces must be combined, that we must prepare ourselves for what will actually happen the next day if this deal between Turkey and the European Union collapses," Doskozil said, without specifying what measures would be needed.
The meeting of defence officials from 10 countries in central, eastern and southeastern Europe included Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia, all of which lie between Greece and Austria, the main migrant conduit into Germany.Doskozil said he would seek to arrange a meeting of defence and interior ministers from the same countries in the coming weeks. He said it might be expanded to include Romania and Bulgaria but not Greece, which recalled its ambassador to Austria when it was similarly snubbed in February. (Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Catherine Evans)
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BEIRUT Iran's Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday became the first foreign minister to meet Lebanon's new president, underscoring Tehran's struggle with its regional arch-rival Saudi Arabia for influence in Beirut. He met Michel Aoun, a Christian leader who was elected president last week. Aoun is a close ally of Lebanon's Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim group, and Iran welcomed Aoun's election as a victory for Hezbollah.Speaking at a joint press conference with Lebanese Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil, Zarif said Lebanon's presidential election should serve as an example to other politically troubled countries in the region. "The Lebanese people showed it is possible to reach a solution acceptable to all, or what we call a win-win situation," Zarif said.Aoun also met an envoy sent by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier in the day. Iran is a political and military ally of Assad in the Syrian civil war, where his troops are supported by Iran-backed militias and Hezbollah fighters from neighbouring Lebanon. Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran also back opposing factions in Yemen, Iraq and Bahrain. They broke diplomatic ties earlier this year after Riyadh's execution of a Shi'ite cleric and a subsequent attack by protesters on its embassy in Tehran."We hope others also come to this understanding: that there can only be a political solution to the crises in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, but while continuing the fight against terrorism," Zarif said.
Zarif, who was accompanied on the two-day visit by a high- profile political and economic delegation, said he hoped to expand ties with Lebanon.Former army commander Aoun was elected by the Lebanese parliament as president last Monday, ending a 29-month presidential vacuum. Aoun then asked Sunni Muslim leader Saad al-Hariri to start consultations to form a new government, of which Hariri would be prime minister.The empty presidency was a symptom of an underlying political struggle between rival factions in Lebanon, which has been made worse by the war in neighbouring Syria. It has paralysed decision-making, economic development and basic services, and raised fears for the country's stability. The deal to appoint Aoun as president and Hariri as prime minister has underscored Hezbollah's dominant role in Lebanon. It has also demonstrated a diminished position for Saudi Arabia, Hariri's main regional backer, which seems more focused on confronting Iranian influence elsewhere in the region.
Zarif said he would meet Hariri on Tuesday. "In my meeting with Saad al-Hariri tomorrow I will emphasise Iran's determination to cooperate with all Lebanese people, from any group or ethnicity," he said at the joint press conference. Under Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, worked out upon independence and confirmed after a bitter 15-year civil war, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni and the speaker of parliament a Shi'ite.
Syrian envoy Mansour Azzam, who is head of presidential affairs, greeted Aoun on behalf of Syria's Assad, saying he hoped Aoun's election would contribute to stability in Lebanon and in the region. Azzam said there would be "no new page" in Syria-Lebanon relations and they would continue in a balanced way.Aoun's meetings with Iranian and Syrian dignitaries came on the same day that Prime Minister-designate Hariri said Lebanon's new administration was a chance to revive ties with the Gulf Arab countries."The formation of the government is a chance to renew the emphasis on Lebanon's Arab identity and return momentum and heat to Lebanon's relations with its brethren in the Gulf Cooperation Council," Hariri said after meeting council ambassadors to Lebanon. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin.; Editing by Angus McDowall and Larry King)
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By Michael Georgy
| BASHIQA, Iraq
BASHIQA, Iraq Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces stormed an Islamic State-held town northeast of Mosul on Monday, trying to clear a pocket of militants outside the city while Iraqi troops wage a fierce urban war with the jihadists in its eastern neighbourhoods.As the operation against Islamic State's Iraqi stronghold entered its fourth week, fighters across the border launched an offensive in the Syrian half of the jihadist group's self-declared caliphate, targeting its base in the city of Raqqa.An alliance of U.S.-backed Kurdish and Arab groups launched the campaign for Raqqa, where Islamic State has been dug in for nearly three years, with an assault on territory about 50 km (30 miles) to the north which they have dubbed Euphrates Anger. The battle for Raqqa will be every bit as challenging as the one for Mosul, with both cities carrying huge strategic and symbolic value to the jihadists and their self-declared caliphate covering territory in both Syria and Iraq.The Iraqi operation, involving a 100,000-strong alliance of troops, security forces, Kurdish peshmerga and Shi'ite militias, backed by U.S.-led air strikes and a global consensus against the jihadis, has so far gained just a small foothold in Mosul.The Raqqa campaign, launched amid a complex civil war in Syria which has divided world powers, is not coordinated with President Bashar al-Assad or the Syrian army. The Kurdish element of SDF groups fighting towards Raqqa also makes them an unlikely force to recapture the Arab city."It is difficult to put a time frame on the operation at present. The battle will not be easy," a Syrian Kurdish source said.BATTLE FOR BASHIQA
In Bashiqa, some 15 km (10 miles) from Mosul, the first waves of a 2,000-strong peshmerga force entered the town on foot and in armoured vehicles or Humvees.Artillery earlier pounded the town, which lies on the Nineveh plains at the foot of a mountain.
"Our aim is to take control and clear out all the Daesh (Islamic State) militants," Lieutenant-Colonel Safeen Rasoul told Reuters. "Our estimates are there are about 100 still left and 10 suicide cars."Islamic State fighters have sought to slow the offensive on their Mosul stronghold with waves of suicide car bomb attacks. Iraqi commanders say there have been 100 on the eastern front and 140 in the south.A top Kurdish official told Reuters on Sunday the jihadists had also deployed drones strapped with explosives, long-range artillery shells filled with chlorine gas and mustard gas and trained snipers.As a peshmerga column moved into Bashiqa on Monday, a loud explosion rocked the convoy, and two large plumes of white smoke could be seen just 50 feet (15 metres) away. A peshmerga officer said two suicide car bombs had tried to hit the advancing force."They are surrounded... If they want to surrender, OK. If they don't, they will be killed," said Lieutenant-Colonel Qandeel Mahmoud, standing next to a Humvee, supported by a cane he said he has needed since he was wounded in the leg by two suicide car bombers four months ago.Armed U.S. soldiers, part of a 5,000 strong force Washington says is advising and supporting the Iraqi offensive, were accompanying the peshmerga in Bashiqa through streets lined by rows of damaged houses, some with entire floors collapsed.
Fighting was intense and at one stage a convoy of 40 vehicles was held up by a single Islamic State sniper. In eastern districts of Mosul, which Iraqi special forces broke into last week, officers say jihadists melted into the population, ambushing and isolating troops in what the special forces spokesman called the world's "toughest urban warfare".TWIN OFFENSIVES
Mosul, the largest Islamic State-controlled city in either Iraq or Syria, has been held by the group since its fighters drove the army out of northern Iraq in June 2014. The campaign to retake it is the most complex military operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S. invasion which toppled Saddam Hussein.Twin offensives on Raqqa and Mosul could bring to an end the self-styled caliphate declared by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque in 2014.
Baghdadi, whose whereabouts are unknown but who is believed to be in northern Iraq close to the Syrian border, has told his followers there can be no retreat in a "total war" with their enemies.The militants in Mosul have been waging a fierce and brutal defence, although they have lost ground on all fronts outside the city itself.To the south of Mosul, security forces said they had recaptured and secured the town of Hammam al-Alil from Islamic State fighters, who they said had kept thousands of residents as human shields as well as marching many others alongside retreating militants towards Mosul as cover from air strikes.The United Nations has warned of a possible exodus of hundreds of thousands of refugees from a city which is still home to up to 1.5 million people. So far 34,000 have been displaced, the International Organization for Migration said.Many of those still in Mosul feel trapped, including those in districts which the army entered last week."We still can't go out of our houses.... mortars are falling continuously on the quarter," a resident of the Quds neighbourhood on the eastern edge of the city told Reuters by telephone on Sunday.Security forces on the southern front have continued their advance, reaching within 4 km (2-1/2 miles) of Mosul's airport, on the southern edge of the city and on the western bank of the Tigris River which runs through its centre.To the north, a military statement said the army's Sixteenth Infantry Division had also recaptured the village of Bawiza and entered another area, Sada, on the city's northern limits, further tightening the circle of forces around Islamic State.Shi'ite militias known as Popular Mobilisation forces are also fighting to the west of Mosul to seal the routes to the Islamic State-held town of Tal Afar and its territory in neighbouring Syria, to prevent any retreat or reinforcement. (Additional reporting by Tom Perry; Writing by Dominic Evans; editing by John Stonestreet and Anna Willard)
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Paris: The Islamic State group has been eroded by international efforts to crush the jihadist group but its ability to mount devastating attacks on the West remains very real, defence and security experts say.
As France prepares to mark the first anniversary of the Paris attacks by the group on 13 November, analysts say military defeats in its strongholds in Iraq and Syria will almost certainly not make its Western targets any safer.
"Depriving ISIS of control over population centres and sanctuary to raise funds and train fighters, and breaking it up as key organisation, matters," said Anthony Cordesman of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), using another name for the group.
"Defeating it in any practical sense, however, will not begin to deal with the lasting threat," he added.
It was in June 2014 that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghadi proclaimed the creation of a caliphate in land the group had seized in Iraq and Syria and urged Muslims who shared the group's vision to join them.
Thousands of foreigners answered his call, among them several French and Belgian men who would go on to slaughter 130 people in a Paris concert hall and at bars and restaurants.
The bloodshed in Paris contributed to strengthening the resolve of the West to fight IS.
A year on, Iraqi forces backed by the air power of the United States and countries including France are locked in fierce fighting to re-take Iraq's second city of Mosul from the jihadist group.
On Sunday, a US-backed Kurdish and Arab force said it had begun an assault on the city of Raqqa, IS's stronghold in Syria.
Recruits drying up
These military efforts have led to a sharp reduction in the number of foreigners making the trek to join IS forces in Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon says from 2,000 a month in early 2015, the figure is now just 200.
Tighter controls on the Turkish border the main gateway to Syria and improved surveillance by European intelligence have also helped stem the flow of foreign recruits.
The military onslaught on IS has also slowed the production of the slick, blood-drenched propaganda which has played a prominent role in attracting recruits.
The number of articles or videos posted online by the jihadists' official media outlets dropped by 70 percent, from 700 items in August 2015 to 200 a year later, according to a report by the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at the elite US West Point military academy.
The author of the report, Daniel Milton, said while IS's main selling point was the creation of its self-proclaimed caliphate, it was now "struggling to maintain the appearance of a functioning state".
Most experts agree, however, that crushing IS's hopes of establishing the caliphate will not diminish its ability to launch attacks against the West.
'Powerful magnet'
"In the minds of supporters in the US, EU, North Africa, and elsewhere, the appeal of the Islamic State has not dissipated with its territorial losses. For some, the group remains a powerful magnet that attracts violence and a sense of belonging," the US-based Soufan security analysis group said recently.
It is possible that the group's losses in Mosul and elsewhere "could lead to an increase in external support, and a corresponding increase in the threat of terrorism around the world," it added.
While IS may now find it harder to launch complex operations such as the Paris attacks, Western governments fear an increase in attacks by individuals who are merely inspired by the group.
"We are probably in a phase with fewer spectacular operations but more individual acts, with inspiration coming through from the Internet," said Didier Le Bret, who was France's national intelligence coordinator until September this year.
French authorities, for example, suspect a French-born IS propagandist, Rachid Kassim, guided an attack in July in which an elderly priest was murdered. Kassim, who is thought to be based in Syria, used the encrypted message system Telegram.
Another growing threat is the return of foreign fighters to their countries of origin as IS's territory shrinks.
Joby Warrick, the American journalist who won the Pulitzer Prize this year for his book Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS, believes 40,000 foreigners have gone to Iraq and Syria to fight.
He told AFP some will come home and try to resume normal lives. "Others will be, perhaps, these Trojan horse-type figures, ones that will be interested in carrying out terrorist attacks," he said.
The challenge for law enforcement and for intelligence agencies would be "to separate those that have terrorist ambitions from the ones who just want to get on with regular lives, and perhaps be helpful, in the sense that they can counter the ISIS message," Warrick said.
Le Bret meanwhile said regardless of its military defeats "IS retains its main strength weakening our society from the inside".
The group has proven adept at exploiting social divisions in France, where both the Paris attacks and the assault on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in January 2015 hardened attitudes in some quarters towards the Muslim community.
And the jihadists have also sought to destabilise North African countries such as Tunisia, believing that weakening their economies is the best way to create new supporters.
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China and Romania eyed further cooperation on nuclear energy and thermal power in a meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries in Riga, capital of Latvia, on Saturday evening.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said China attaches high importance to the cooperation with Romania, and is ready to strengthen the integration of the two countries' development strategies, enhance cooperation on nuclear energy, thermal power, deep processing of agricultural products, and promote a balanced growth of the bilateral trade.
He also called for stronger tourism cooperation between the two countries.
Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said his country is committed to the friendly cooperation with China.
Romania welcomes Chinese firms to invest in local infrastructure like the ports, cooperate on agriculture and tourism, and promote major cooperation projects on nuclear energy and thermal power, he added.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Fifth Summit of China and Central and Eastern European Countries.
By Ori Lewis
| JERUSALEM
JERUSALEM An Israeli court sentenced a 14-year-old Palestinian boy to 12 years in prison on Monday for his part in a stabbing attack that wounded two Israelis in October last year.The boy, named by Palestinian officials as Ahmed Manasra, carried out the attack in an Israeli settlement north of Jerusalem along with his 15-year-old cousin. The cousin was shot and killed by an Israeli passerby, while Manasra was wounded.It was one of the first stabbings in a months-long wave of violence that caused alarm across Israel. The attack seriously wounded a 12-year-old Israeli boy who was riding on his bicycle and lightly injured a man. Both have recovered. At the time, the incident caused widespread controversy because the Palestinian authorities accused Israel of killing both attackers. They subsequently discovered that the younger boy, sentenced on Monday, was still alive and being treated for his injuries in an Israeli hospital.In passing sentence, the Jerusalem District Court barred the naming of the boy because he is a minor. But his identity has already been exposed by Israeli authorities and the Palestinian Prisoners' Association issued a press release naming him.
Over the past year, Palestinians, many acting alone and often using rudimentary weapons, have killed at least 35 Israelis and two visiting Americans in similar attacks.During the same period, at least 226 Palestinians have died in violent incidents in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Of those, Israel has identified 154 as assailants, while others were killed during clashes and protests.
Palestinians have accused Israeli police and soldiers of using excessive force in many cases, saying the assailants could have been stopped or detained without being shot and killed. Israel has opened investigations into several incidents.Palestinian leaders say the assailants are acting out of desperation over the collapse in 2014 of peace talks and the expansion of Israeli settlements on occupied land that Palestinians seek for an independent state.In other sentences handed down by the same court on Monday, a Palestinian woman who suffered severe burns when she tried to attack Israeli security officers at a West Bank checkpoint by blowing up a gas canister was sentenced to 11 years in jail.
Two other minors, aged 15 and 17, were handed 11-year sentences for attacking a group of Jewish worshippers at Damascus Gate, a central entrance for Palestinians to Jerusalem's Old City and the scene of many attacks. One person was lightly hurt in that attack.The court verdicts, delivered by the same three judges, laid out in detail personal issues and family strife afflicting the assailants, offering those conditions as part of the reason why they may have carried out the attacks. (Writing by Ori Lewis, Editing by Luke Baker and Toby Chopra)
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Kano, Nigeria; Nigerias nearly 40 million girls are part of the national generation set to change the future of the country. However there are several discriminations carried against girl children on a daily basis. Recently, Intel Corporation partnered with Girl Rising Nigeria as part of activities to mark the International Day of the Girl Child at the Film House Cinema, Ado Bayero Mall in Kano.
This years theme of the International Day of the Girl Child is: Girls Progress = Goals Progress: What Counts for Girls. The ceremony was organized in the framework of encouraging girls to see education as a MUST HAVE with a goal to highlight the role of technology and the Internet as essential tools needed for leveraging all aspects of human endeavor in the current competitive dispensation. The occasion brought together over 500 girls from schools across Kano, government officials, NGOs and partners working for the protection of child rights.
Convener of the event who doubles as the Country Manager of Girl Rising Nigeria, Maryam Tafida Bello, described the event as an avenue for girls in Kano and beyond to realize that they can achieve their dreams. She further encouraged people to bring meaningful change to Kano and the world by empowering girls through education. There are over 5 million girls out of school in Nigeria and most of these girls are in the northern part of the country. We cannot sit back and watch, we must do something. We must take the baton to lead the fight in ensuring that all girls, all children are educated. That is why we are here today, Maryam stated.
Speaking at the event, Corporate Affairs Manager, Intel Corporation, Babatunde Akinola mentioned how Intel is making efforts in several ways to encourage women and young girls to be technologically motivated, especially through the Companys She Will Connect initiative. He added, Women do 60% of worlds work, produce 50% of food, and yet earn 10% of income and own only 1% asset, Intel will continue to work with NGOs and other well-meaning organizations under the She Will Connect umbrella to enable, empower and connect girls and women to opportunities and consequently put an end to such gender gap.
Speaking about the partnership with Girl Rising Nigeria, Babatunde Akinola reiterated Intels commitment to the development of the girl child. He stressed that the company elected to partner with Girl Rising to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child to further demonstrate Intels commitment to helping the girl child realize her potentials and improve their opportunities for employment and income generation while embracing technology and the Internet.
To drive home the message with storytelling, over 500 girls and young women including, government functionaries, NGO partners watched the Girl Rising video series Da Bazar Mu which literally means Dancing to Womens Tune. The key message of the video series was centered on encouraging and motivating the girl child to see education as a necessary step towards the accomplishment of their dreams. Representatives of the girls including two beneficiaries of Intel She will Connect initiative gave presentations to affirm their commitment to acquiring education and relevant technology skills that would ensure they achieve their dreams.
The International Day of the Girl Child Event echoes the need for more opportunities for girls, and increases awareness on the inequalities faced by girls worldwide.
For all the bloody history of the 20th century, and even with great strides toward concepts of international justice such as the Nuremberg trials, no one had ever been tried for, let alone convicted of, genocide. An idealistic group of young lawyers, activists, and journalists wanted to change that after the nightmare of the mass killings of the Tutsi people in Rwanda in 1994, which saw up to a million people slaughtered, and many more subjected to brutal systemic rape. And though rape had been considered a war crime since 1919, no one had ever been tried for, let alone convicted of, rape as a war crime, either, but these driven crusaders for justice thought, What the hell, lets convince a court that wartime rape is an element of genocide, since its use as a weapon is intended to destroy a culture, not just individuals, and prosecute rape, too.
The Uncondemned is a documentary retelling of how those idealistic young people women and men, black and white, Americans and Europeans and Rwandans succeeded. (American lawyer Pierre-Richard Prosper, a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles before he went to Rwanda, is pictured above.) They were so young in their 20s and very early 30s, and some of the rape survivors who testified then were only in their teens that today, 20 years later, they still seem too young to have achieved such a milestone. The challenges they faced, as they relate here, ranged from minimal practical resources the office-supply situation was really really bleak, one lawyer notes to the sensitive difficulties of getting rape victims to speak publicly about their experiences when the very nature of the crime was to kill them on the inside. They were the living dead, one local activist says of the women who survived; their stories were so horrific that another lawyer describes being traumatized just listening to them. (We get thirdhand descriptions of what these women suffered. It is truly inhuman.)
Filmmakers Nick Louvel and Michele Mitchell their previous film, the 2013 TV documentary Haiti: Where Did the Money Go?, won numerous awards do not shy away from the horrors of Rwanda in 1994: photos from the aftermath, of piles of bloody clothes, of mounds of human skulls, could well be from 1940s Germany and Poland. And they can not pretend that success here has signaled any sort of paradigm shift in how rape cases anywhere are prosecuted: what we learn here about how the Rwandan wartime rapes were minimized even by other seekers of justice sounds a lot like how rape anywhere is still treated today (as not that big a deal). But they do find lots of reasons for hope and optimism, too: in how the women survivors found healing in the prosecution, and in how, sometimes, legal and social advocacy that gets ignored or even derided at first can be laying necessary groundwork for future attempts to find justice. This is not just a movie about terrible crimes but about the ways we cope with those crimes , as victims, as those helping victims, and as a society. This is about law and civilization triumphing over cruelty and war.
And almost flying under the radar here is this fact: there is now legal precedent for future prosecutions. Only one mayor of one small Rwandan town was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity, and is now serving a life sentence in prison, for abetting and inciting murder and rape to serve political ends. He wasnt the Rwandan Hitler, nowhere near, but he was in a position of power, and he abused it dreadfully. These kinds of mass crimes happen because those with the power to commit have always believed they would get away with it and thats mostly been true. Perhaps it will not be true anymore.
Flash
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (L to R) attend a joint press conference after the Fifth Meeting of Heads of Government of Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) and China in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday held conversations respectively with Lithuanian and Slovakian prime ministers, calling for joint efforts to promote bilateral cooperation and relations.
Li made the remarks on the sidelines of the fifth summit of China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries (16+1).
Talking to Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius, Li said China appreciates Lithuania' s positive attitude on developing relations with China.
China stands ready to strengthen its practical cooperation with Lithuania, so as to realize mutual benefit and win-win results and bring more benefits to the two peoples, said the premier.
Hailing the important role of the "16+1" mechanism, Butkevicius said Lithuania is greatly satisfied with the development of its ties with China.
Lithuania expects to further expand bilateral trade and investment cooperation with China and is willing to play an active role in promoting the "16+1" cooperation for more achievements, said the prime minister.
During his conversation with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, Li said the two sides should respect each other' s core interest and major concerns, meet each other half way and promote the development of bilateral ties in a healthy and stable manner.
For his part, Fico said his government attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties, reaffirming its fixed adherence to the one-China policy.
Slovakia stands ready to make joint efforts with China to enhance the development of bilateral ties along the right direction with a healthy manner, said Fico.
Li arrived in Riga Friday for an official visit and the China-CEEC summit, marking the first time for a Chinese premier to visit Latvia since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Ford Motor Company (F 0.22%) and its Canadian workers have a new deal. The union representing Ford's hourly workers in Canada said on Sunday that its members have ratified a new four-year contract with the Blue Oval.
How the vote went down
The deal covers the hourly workers at three Ford factories and two office locations in Canada that are represented by the Unifor labor union. The factories include two engine plants in Windsor, Ontario, and an important assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario:
Windsor Engine employs about 600 workers and builds V8 and V10 engines for Ford's trucks.
Essex Engine, also in Windsor, employs about 800 workers and builds 5.0-liter V8 engines for Ford trucks and the Mustang.
Oakville Assembly employs about 5,000 workers, the majority of Ford's Canadian workforce. It builds the Ford Edge, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKX, and Lincoln MKT crossover SUVs.
Workers at the two engine plants voted to approve the deal by wide margins, but a slight majority of workers at Oakville voted against the new contract.
What Ford gave up in the new deal
Like its rivals General Motors (GM 0.26%) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCAU), both of which recently completed new four-year deals with Unifor, Ford agreed to modest wage increases for veteran workers, and a schedule of pay increases for workers over a 10-year "grow-in" period. (The "grow-in" period was controversial; workers at Oakville wanted it shortened.)
According to the union, Ford promised to invest 713 million Canadian dollars ($533 million) in wage increases, new jobs, and new-product programs, including:
Windsor Engine will be the "sole global manufacturing source" for a new high-volume engine program, and will also build a new 4.8-liter V8 engine for Ford F-150 pickups.
Ford will spend about $100 million on updates to some of the crossovers made at Oakville, and it will keep the slow-selling Flex in production until 2020.
What Ford got in the new deal
First and foremost, Ford secured four years of labor peace at a price it could afford. That often goes overlooked, but it's extremely important.
As with the deals with GM and FCA, Ford's deal includes a significant concession that could save it considerable money over time: While current employees participate in a defined-benefit pension plan, new hires will be enrolled in a defined-contribution plan similar to a U.S. 401(k) plan.
The upshot: All of the Detroit Three escaped relatively unscathed
Ford, GM, and FCA all operate important factories in Canada. New-contract negotiations always bring a risk of production disruptions if negotiators can't come to terms; in all three cases, a strike could have quickly become a costly mess.
Fortunately for all concerned, that didn't happen. New deals were secured that give workers some incremental improvements, at prices that didn't materially impact the automakers' cost bases in North America. I think everyone gets to declare victory here.
The OPEC nations have agreed to a proposed crude oil production cut of about 4%; however, this week, Iraq argued that it should be exempted from that cut due to its ongoing civil war.
In this clip from Industry Focus: Energy, Motley Fool analysts Sean O'Reilly and Taylor Muckerman look at the reasoning behind Iraq's opting out of the production reduction, and how other OPEC members might respond.
A full transcript follows the video.
This podcast was recorded on Oct. 27, 2016.
Sean OReilly: We have to check in on how OPEC is doing over there with their supposed cut negotiations.
Taylor Muckerman: Yeah, they said they were going to cut about 4%. That's what they told Russia, trying to get them on board. But then Iraq was like, "We don't really feel like we should comply."
O'Reilly: Yeah. They said, "We have a civil war going on," which has kind of been the story for a while. What do you think about that? They're basically saying, "No, we really need this money to fight these people."
Muckerman: Yeah, they're fighting ISIS. They have that war going on. They compare themselves to Iran and Nigeria -- they are granted amnesty from these cuts because civil war and sanctions have been impacting their ability to produce oil for the last several years, at least. So Iraq is trying to put itself in that same boat and say, "You know, we've been dealing with this, we need the funding from oil, and we're finally really ramping up again, so we're not going to cut." But they said they will go to the meeting, and they will address this cordially, but kind of an opening shot across the bow before the meeting even begins.
O'Reilly: I'm interested to see what happens, and then we're going to move on. It's going to be interesting, because it's going to be: How badly does Saudi Arabia want to do this cut? Because they're obviously going to pick up a lot of the slack.
Muckerman: Yeah, they're the biggest producers.
O'Reilly: I do wonder if they pull Iraq to the side and be like, "Hey, we'll write you a $50 billion check if you cut."
Muckerman: It would definitely help support oil markets if they did cut. I would imagine, if they don't agree to this after suggesting it earlier this month ...
O'Reilly: And teasing all of us for months.
Muckerman: Yeah, the oil markets probably have the idea of the cut baked in, so that if they don't cut, prices could fall out again.
O'Reilly: It will not be pretty.
Muckerman: Well, you would imagine it would be. Can't make any promise. But you would imagine that if OPEC backs out from another agreement, people would just stop taking them seriously altogether.
Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have two very different tax plans. Clinton wants to raise taxes on the rich while keeping everything the same for lower- and middle-class Americans, and Trump wants to cut taxes for everyone, including the rich. According to the recent Tax Fairness Survey by WalletHub, more than two-thirds of Americans agree on whose tax plan is better.
Americans are not happy with the current tax system
More than 75% of survey respondents said that the current tax code is either "complex" or "extremely complex," and fewer than 6% say that it's "simple" or "very simple." There are simply too many potential deductions and other complications for most Americans to keep track of. Trump's plan would arguably do the most to simplify the tax code, but there are many details we don't know, such as which deductions will stay and which will be eliminated.
One specific area where many Americans are frustrated is preferential capital-gains tax rates on investments held for over one year, which clearly favor the wealthy. An overwhelming majority of Americans, 90%, say that investment income should be taxed at least as heavily as income from wages. Clinton's plan calls for increasing short- and intermediate-term investment income taxes on the wealthiest Americans, while leaving the current capital-gains rates unchanged for most people.
Additionally, the majority of Americans say that corporations should have to pay higher tax rates than consumers, not lower rates as Donald Trump is proposing. In fact, just over 6% of survey respondents said that consumer tax rates should be the higher of the two.
In a nutshell, Americans want a fair tax system. In fact, the survey found that tax fairness was more important to more Americans than "tax equality" and "doing what's best for the economy" combined.
The candidates' tax plans, in a nutshell
Donald Trump's tax plan essentially calls for cutting taxes on corporations and most Americans. He wants to consolidate the seven tax brackets we have now into just three, with rates of 12%, 25%, and 33%, and wants to repeal the 3.8% Obamacare tax on certain investment income as well as the alternative minimum tax.
In addition, Trump wants to more than double the standard deduction, repeal the estate tax, and offer better tax breaks for child care. For corporations, Trump wants to dramatically reduce the business tax rate from a maximum of 35% to just 15%, and wants to provide incentives for U.S. corporations to repatriate foreign profits.
On the other side, Hillary Clinton's plan is focused on increasing taxes on the rich. Clinton is a strong proponent of the "Buffett rule," which would ensure that nobody who makes more than $1 million per year pays an effective tax rate of less than 30%. Clinton plans to charge an additional 4% tax on the wealthiest Americans, and wants to raise the top estate-tax rate to 65% on billionaires.
In addition, Clinton wants to close tax loopholes, and instead of lowering the corporate tax rate, she wants to make it financially difficult for U.S. corporations to move jobs overseas. However, Clinton has pledged to simplify and reduce taxes on small businesses.
More than two-thirds of Americans side with Clinton
Since Hillary Clinton's tax plan does more to address the perceived tax unfairness of the current system, particularly when it comes to taxing the wealthy, it should be no surprise that more Americans prefer her plan. In fact, when both tax plans were presented to the survey participants without the candidates' names attached to them, Clinton's plan was favored by just over 70%.
An even larger majority of 71.5% said that Clinton's corporate tax plan to leave the rate at 35% is preferable to Trump's plan to cut the rate to 15%. And 72.5% preferred Clinton's plan to tax the wealthy.
Just one piece of the puzzle
To be perfectly clear, I'm not saying that one candidate's plan is better than the other, just that the majority of the American people feel this way.
Additionally, it's worth noting that many experts disagree with the American public on certain tax issues. For example, James Maule, professor of law at Villanova University, says that sales tax is the least fair form of taxation because of its regressive nature, while the majority of Americans say the opposite.
It's also important to point out that taxes are just one piece of the puzzle, and should be considered along with the candidates' plans for foreign policy, immigration, Social Security, Medicare, and all the other issues.
Having said that, speaking from a tax perspective, Hillary Clinton's plan seems to more closely align with the American public's idea of a fair tax system. Whose plan do you prefer?
Zander has more than 25 years of motorsport experience, including F1 positions with Toyota, BAR-Honda, Williams and Brawn, and has been with Audi since 2010.
I am delighted to return to the Sauber F1 Team in my adopted home country of Switzerland, said the 52-year-old German. After many years at the top level in endurance motorsport, I am very pleased to become technical director and to undertake the challenge with Monisha Kaltenborn, the team, all the outstanding engineers and mechanics in the new era of Formula One.
Zanders signing follows the takeover of Sauber earlier this year by new owners and comes ahead of major changes to the F1 rules for next season, which the team hope will help them climb back up the grid after a thus far pointless 2016 campaign.
The new Formula One regulations offer a great opportunity to point the way with innovations and technical creativity, added Zander. One of my tasks will be to define a stable and efficient technical organisation that evolves the potential of creativity and, therefore, the basis for the development of successful Formula One cars. Initially we obviously want to improve and establish ourselves as a team in the mid-field. Overall it is a challenge which I await with excitement and enthusiasm.
Commenting on Zanders appointment, Sauber CEO and team principal Monisha Kaltenborn said: We are honoured that we have convinced such a renowned and experienced technical leader to be part of our team and plans for the future. This is a very important step for the implementation of our strategic goals, in order to guide the team into a new and successful era.
Zander fits well into our team, he has a lot of know-how in Formula One, as well as in motorsport in general. As technical director he will have the overview as well as the responsibility for all technical departments. In our factory in Hinwil he will have the possibilities to work technically at a very high level. We are convinced we will make progress with him.
Flash
Team CIEI-BJ was organized by China-based International Teenager Competition and Communication Center (ITCCC) in July.
A Chinese team comprised of senior high students won a silver medal at the 2016 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) held in Boston, the United States from Oct. 27 to 31.
The contest attracted 46 high school teams, 234 university teams and four community laboratories from across the world. Receiving a silver medal was a major achievement for the Chinese team, CIEI-BJ.
The iGEM Competition is the premiere student competition in synthetic biology. Since 2004, participants of the competition experience education, teamwork, knowledge-sharing and more in a unique competition setting, as stated on its website.
Team CIEI-BJ was organized by China-based International Teenager Competition and Communication Center (ITCCC) in July this year. Student contestants attended a summer camp in Beijing where they received tuition on genetic engineering and biology by professors from Tsinghua University, China Agricultural University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. After training, CIEI-BJ finalized their subjects and the supporting research plans.
This process ignited the young contestants' interests in biology. Du Chenghao, from Beijing Huijia Private School said, "I turned from a person who doesn't show any interest in biology to one who wishes to take it as my college major. It is a huge change for me."
List of CIEI-BJ members
Song Jialin, Shanghai Shixi High School
Du Chenghao, Beijing Huijia Private School
Li Xinning, Zhengzhou Foreign Language School
Cui Jiatai, Dalian No. 2 Senior High School
Fu Haoyan, Beijing No. 2 Middle School
Xiao Bowen, High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China
Ma Shunzhe, Shangdong Experimental School
Zhao Meiqi, High School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal University
Xu Ke, Nanjing Foreign Language School
Zhang Tian'ai, High School Affiliated to Peking University
An Austrian Airlines spokesman says that a flight from Vienna to Kosovo made an unscheduled landing in Belgrade after the crew noticed vibrations in one of the two engines.
Wilhelm Baldia says the Fokker 100, flight OS769 to Pristina, landed in the Serbian capital instead on Sunday.
He says the landing was "without problems," and some of the 79 passengers continued on to their destinations directly on other flights. Those who couldn't be rebooked were flown back to Vienna Monday after spending the night in Belgrade.
Image source: Yelp.
For the second quarter in a row, we findYelp (NYSE: YELP)posting a quarterly profit when analysts were expecting a small deficit, and that once again led to shares of the venue reviews website operator moving nicely higher. Yelp stock rose 11.9% last week following the better-than-expected financials. The stock soared 19% for the week when it posted blowout financial results for the second quarter three months earlier.
The third quarter itself was another winner. Revenue soared 30% to $186.2 million, fueled mostly by a 41% in local revenue (representing 89% of Yelp's top line) and a 33% uptick in transaction revenue. Yelp continues to make inroads with local venue operators as restaurants, retailers, and service providers shell out money to stand out on the Yelp site and app. There are now 130,000 local advertising accounts, 30% ahead of where that count was a year earlier.
Local business operators flock to Yelp as a lead generator because it's where the people are going. The last time someone suggested going to a restaurant that was new to you, there's a fair chance you consulted Yelp to see what others were saying. You're not alone. There are now roughly 115 million reviews across Yelp's platform, a 29% spike over the past year.
Yelp isn't a hit everywhere, and it's staging a retreat outside of North America. It will be taking a $2 million to $4 million charge during the current quarter to wind down its sales and marketing activities outside the U.S. and Canada, laying off as many as 175 of its 4,350 employees.
Revenue rose 29.5% to $173.4 million. That would be impressive growth for most companies, but it's actually Yelp's weakest top-line growth as a public company. Year-over-year gains have been decelerating these days, with the company posting seven consecutive quarters of declines, according toS&P Global Market Intelligencedata. The streak began with Yelp posting67.5% growth.
Coming back for seconds
Wall Street naturally liked the report.RBC Capital analyst Mark Mahaney stuck to his bullish outperform rating, boosting his price target on the stock to $55 following the strong report. Analysts were starting to warm up to Yelp even before the financial results were announced.
MKM Partners' Rob Sanderson chimed in with a bullish note just days before Yelp's financials results. He was rightfully predicting a solid report, and he saw the stock's weakness ahead of the earnings call as a buying opportunity. He reiterated his buy rating and $48 price target. A month earlier, it was SunTrust and Maxim analysts pushing their price goals higher -- in Maxim's case, tethered in part to Yelp's prospects as a buyout candidate, something that was also echoed in a bullish note out by CantorFitzgerald's Youssef Squali.
Yelp's stock may be trading 25% higher so far in 2016, but it's had its share of ups and downs in its four-year tenure as a public company. The stock fell sharply in 2014 and 2015 on competitive fears that never truly materialized. Yelp stock has still gone on to more than double sincegoing public at $15in 2012.
Growth at Yelp is slowing. The$191 million to $195 million in revenue it's targeting for the holiday quarter represents growth of roughly 26% at the midpoint. If that's where it lands, it would be the weakest year-over-year growth at Yelp since it became a public company. However, with Yelp still taking steps in the right direction, and its relevance only continuing to grow, it's hard to fight against the recent bullish momentum.
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.
Rick Munarriz has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Yelp. 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: Oxitec.
On Tuesday, ballots in the Florida Keys will include the question of whether or not to release genetically modified mosquitoes there that could control the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as Zika virus and yellow fever.
The two non-binding referendums will help to set the course for engineered biology conglomerate Intrexon (NYSE: XON) and its subsidiary Oxitec, determining whether or not they gain approval and can launch their innovative tool in Florida. The vote has big implications for the company, investors, and public health.
The technology
Similar to a presidential campaign, Intrexon and Oxitec have been executing a carefully planned ground game in Florida in recent years: working closely with local government, answering questions at town hall meetings, and taking their message directly to the public to explain the benefits of their approach to controlling wild mosquito populations. Their self-limiting mosquito technology works relatively simply. Mosquitoes that have been genetically modified with a lethal gene are released. They mate with wild mosquitoes, and produce offspring bearing the lethal gene, which ensures that the next generation of mosquitoes don't survive to adulthood (and that the gene doesn't persist in the wild). And since only non-biting male mosquitoes are released, the technology has earned the nickname the "Friendly Mosquito."
It's a markedly better approach than the standard control methods used today, which mostly rely on spraying insecticides over wide areas. While the status quo approach kills mosquitoes, it also kills insects that aren't being targeted, including beneficial ones such as honeybees, and it can harm other organisms in the environment. Insecticides are also not very efficient, since they need to be applied repeatedly to control mosquito populations.
Intrexon's self-limiting technology, on the other hand, only targets one specific species of mosquito -- Aedes aegpyti, which lives throughout the United States and is responsible for spreading Zika and other diseases -- without affecting other organisms. It can also be used to control wild populations indefinitely with an efficiency that improves over time: As wild populations decline, fewer genetically modified mosquitoes need to be released to keep them in check.
Habitat range of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the United States. Image source: CDC.
The companies are already protecting up to 60,000 residents in the city of Piracicaba, Brazil (more if you factor in individuals passing through those regions of the city on their daily commute). A factory opened near the city last month will have the capacity to produce enoughmosquitoes to protect all 1.4 million people in the metropolitan area, and perhaps up to double that amount. That represents a sizable product revenue stream for Intrexon, especially at the contracted rate of $8 to $10 in revenue per protected individual.
Why does the referendum matter?
Thisgenetically modified mosquito technology still needs to obtain regulatory approval in the United States. There are a few moving parts within the approval process, which has several parallels to a drug trial for a pharmaceutical company. (The mosquitoes will in fact be regulated as an animal drug.)
First, the Food and Drug Administration needed to determine whether the genetically engineered mosquitoes are safe to use, much like a phase 1 clinical trial tests a pharmaceutical drug candidate for safety. Since the mosquitoes will be released into the environment, this requirement considers the potential effects on humans and natural ecosystems. This step was completed when the FDA finalized its finding that self-limiting insects will have no significant impact on the environment.
Next, Intrexon and Oxitec need to conduct open field trials to determine the efficacy of releasing their self-limiting mosquitoes to control wild mosquito populations. The field trials, which will take four to six months to complete, are akin to a phase 2 and phase 3 trial for a human drug. The data collected from these studies will be compared to the companies' claims and sent to the FDA. Potential approval would apply at the national level, although individual states could decide to require additional testing.
There's just one thing: The field trials need the approval of the local government to proceed. But rather than make a unilateral decision on the matter, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control Board -- one of the largest and most active in the world -- is allowing residents in Key Haven and Monroe County to weigh in with a non-binding referendum on Nov. 8. Thus, the importance of Election Day to Intrexon and its investors.The longer the process of getting approval drags out in the United States, the longer it will take to begin generating revenue in places desperate for more effective mosquito control tools.
What does it mean for investors?
Investors will note that the vote will take place as part of a non-binding referendum. That means voters could reject the measure and the local government could still decide to allow Intrexon and Oxitec to proceed with open field trials. But I suspect that extra procedures would be added in that scenario, which would further delay the regulatory and approval processes. Without a positive outcome in the referendum, investors might not see the technology platform begin generating revenue in North America until mid- to late-2018 or later.
The simple fact is that the easiest path forward for bringing the mosquito-control technology to the market is for residents in the Florida Keys to approve the measure. If that occurs, then Intrexon and Oxitec could obtain FDA approval by mid-2017. That would set the stage for revenue generation in a large new market, and could forever change the way we combat disease-carrying mosquitoes. It's one more reason to keep your eyes on the battleground state of Florida.
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.
Maxx Chatsko has no position in any stocks mentioned. Follow him on Twitterto keep up with developments in engineered biology and materials science.
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.
In Nepal, health warnings cover 90 percent of cigarette packs, while Australia requires those packets be wrapped in drab, plain paper. Indonesia's new ban on outdoor advertising brought down tobacco billboards depicting smiling, smoking youths. And India wants scary photos of rotting lungs and mouth tumors covering packets sold in the country.
Still, national drives to discourage smoking and cut back tobacco sales haven't done enough, campaigners say. Smoking-related deaths are still rising worldwide, with 80 percent of them expected to occur in developing country populations by 2030.
"Most people in the United States think tobacco is over and done with, but it's still the largest preventable cause of disease on the planet" killing 6 million people a year or one person every six seconds, said John Stewart, deputy campaigns director at the Boston-based lobbying group Corporate Accountability International.
Starting Monday, representatives from at least 178 countries are meeting for five days in the Indian capital to discuss how they can further the fight against smoking and push back against tobacco company lobbyists.
Since they set down stiff regulations and guidelines in a landmark 2003 treaty called the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control the first and only global treaty dealing with public health most of the 180 signatories have ratified it and passed laws restricting tobacco advertising or sales.
Still, many governments remain entangled with powerful tobacco companies, while industry lobbyists continue attempts to stymie efforts to implement anti-smoking laws through bribery, misinformation and even suing national governments for lost profits, campaigners say.
"The tobacco industry is definitely feeling the heat," Stewart said. "They've got their back against the wall."
Indian courts are currently grappling with 62 lawsuits filed by tobacco companies or cigarette makers challenging laws requiring that 85 percent of all cigarette packets be covered with photos of medical horrors.
In Japan, a 10-percent hike in taxes on cigarettes has led to a 30-percent decline in smoking. But the country still has some of the lowest tax rates on cigarettes among industrialized nations, while its finance ministry owns 33 percent in Japan Tobacco.
The anti-tobacco campaign has had some success. It is widely accepted, at least among national leaders, that smoking causes cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, along with a host of other harmful health impacts.
That awareness still has not trickled down to national populations, though. And campaigners say tobacco interests have shifted their focus to poorer, less educated populations in the developing world.
India among the first to ratify the anti-tobacco treaty in 2004 is still considered one of the biggest battlegrounds in the fight against the tobacco industry, public health specialists say.
Despite harsh laws passed more than a decade ago banning smoking in public and sales to children, smoking is still common across the country. A government survey in 2010 showed nearly 35 percent of adults were either smoking or chewing tobacco.
Meanwhile, more than 1 million Indians die each year from tobacco-related diseases that cost the country some $16 billion annually, according to the World Health Organization.
"The revenues that the government earns from tobacco taxes are far less than the billions that are spent on health care," said Bhavna Mukhopadhyay of the Voluntary Health Association of India, a public health organization.
"Public health and the health of the tobacco industry cannot go hand in hand," she said, noting that campaigners are now pushing for countries to make tobacco companies and their shareholders civilly and criminally liable for the harm done by tobacco.
Part of the trouble in India is "the Indian consumer is spoilt for choice," she said, with cigarettes sold alongside chewing tobacco and cheap, hand-rolled smokes known as bidis.
The easy availability and wide choice means many smokers get hooked at a young age. Some are initiated early through the common, cultural practice of chewing something called gutka, which combines tobacco with spices, lime and betel nut and is widely sold as a mouth freshener.
Putting pictorial warnings on cigarette packets is an attempt to educate people about the risks.
"The idea was that even an illiterate person, or a child, would understand the message about the health risks from smoking," said Monika Arora of the Public Health Foundation of India, who runs an anti-smoking campaign aimed at young Indians.
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Follow Nirmala George: www.twitter.com/NirmalaGeorge1
For critics of the United States much-maligned infrastructure system, the deadly commuter train crash at a Hoboken, New Jersey station in September was just the latest indication that the next president of the United States should make it a priority to overhaul the nations transportation hubs.
In a rare case of bipartisanship, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have emphasized the need for an influx in infrastructure investment to address Americas crumbling roads, airports and railways. Clintons plan calls for $250 billion in direct investment and the creation of a $25 billion infrastructure bank that would purportedly raise an additional $225 billion. Trump has vowed to at least double the spending laid out in Clintons plan, with $1 trillion raised primarily through private funding.
Industry advocates argue that a failure to rebuild key transportation systems wouldnt just be an issue of safety or aesthetics it would have a direct impact on an already shaky economy. In its 2015 Failure To Act report, the American Society of Civil Engineers predicts subpar spending on infrastructure would cost the country 2.5 million jobs, $3.9 trillion toward the GDP and $7 trillion in lost business sales by 2025, due to inefficiency and repairs.
Its a drag on the economy. Its so drip-drip-drip and imperceptible, people dont even notice it, Casey Dinges, managing director of the American Society of Civil Engineers, told FOXBusiness.com.
Given the complex balance of public and private partnerships that compose Americas aging transportation systems, increased funding is only part of the solution. The American infrastructure system as a whole received a grade of D across 16 categories according to the ASCEs 2013 report, the most recent.
If a kid came home with grades like that, no parents going to be happy, Dinges said.
Trump has been particularly critical of the state of the countrys airports, while praising foreign aviation hubs.
Our airports are like from a Third World country. You land at LaGuardia, you land at Kennedy, you land at LAX, you land at Newark and you come in from Dubai and Qatar and you see these incredible -- you come in from China -- you see these incredible airports and you land... we become a Third World country, Trump said during the first presidential debate.
The Federal Aviation Administration may agree. It estimated that congestion and delays in the nations airports would cost the country $34 billion by 2020, according to a 2013 report.
The ASCE estimates that the country needs to spend $1.4 trillion on infrastructure by 2025 to address lingering issues, including $1.1 trillion toward surface transportation systems alone. But just $42 billion a fraction of the countrys GDP would be sufficient to fix the nations airports.
The funding gap is manageable, doable. It should be something, over 10 years, the nation should be able to address, given the size of the GDP of the United States and the importance of airports, Dinges said.
However, addressing the U.S. rail system is more complicated. The victorious candidate will have to navigate interlocking public and private partnerships and secure funding for key safety features like positive train control, an expensive but life-saving technology. Critics argue that installation of PTC and similar systems could have prevented the accident in Hoboken and the 2015 Amtrak derailment outside Philadelphia that killed eight and injured dozens.
As a nonprofit organization, the ASCE does not take a stance in presidential elections and does not endorse candidates.
Trumps plan, constructed by economic advisors Peter Navarro and Wilbur Ross, would rely mostly on private funding and offer tax credits to incentivize outside firms to invest in public works. During an interview with FOX Business Network, Ross said the plan will put one million experts to work.
Clintons plan, laid out in detail on her campaign website, would rely primarily on taxes to fund federal investment. The Democratic nominee has vowed to pass a comprehensive plan for reform within her first 100 days in office.
In August, Clinton identified infrastructure as a national emergency.
We are going to have an investment in infrastructureour roads, our bridges, our tunnels, our ports, our airports, Clinton at a rally in Las Vegas, according to the Wall Street Journal. But its not only what you can see. Its also under the groundthe water systems, the sewer systems and, yes, we need a new modern electric grid.
Dinges acknowledged that Clinton is seasoned in relation to infrastructure policy, having worked on the Senates Environment and Public Works Committee during her time in Congress. But Trumps plan if it proves to be actionable comes closer to the ASCEs spending projections.
The mere fact that you have two finalists for the U.S. presidency talking about infrastructure is definitely a bit of a sea change for this issue and a good thing, Dinges said. Presidential leadership would be key on this.
Chinese youth delegates arrive in Vietnam on Nov. 7. [Photo: China.org.cn]
The 3rd China-Vietnam Youth Festival opened in the Friendship Pass near the national border in Chinas southwestern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Nov. 7 to cement friendship and mutual understanding between the two neighbors.
The 4-day event, co-organized by the Central Committee of Communist Youth League of China and Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, echoes the initiative of high-ranking leaders from the two countries to deepen a comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership between China and Vietnam.
Chinese delegates from a wide range of industries like politics, economy, education, media and medicine will visit government agencies, companies, schools and youth organizations in Vietnam from Nov. 7 to 10, and attend local forums to discuss issues like environment protection, cultural identity and the economy.
The CPC Central Committee and the Chinese government attach much importance to youth exchanges and hope to create friendship between the two countries, said Wang Hongyan, secretary of secretariat of the Central Committee of Communist Youth League of China, during her speech at the launch of the festival.
The Chinese youth delegates will have an opportunity to see rich history and booming socio-economic development during their stay in Vietnam, said Nguyen Manh Dung, permanent secretary of the Central Committee of Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union. He hoped that the in-depth exchange will pave a solid foundation for further cooperation between the two neighbors.
The main activities will take place in Hanoi and 6 northern provinces including Quang Ninh, Lao Cai, Lang Son, Phu Tho, Bac Ninh and Ninh Binh, according to the schedule.
The first two youth festivals were held in Guangxi in 2010 and 2013, during which about 6,000 Vietnamese delegates attended the events.
FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers on Sunday Hillary Clinton would not face criminal charges over her handling of classified information following a re-opening of the investigation. However former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft cautions asheas not been cleared of wrongdoing.a
aIn other circumstances, it has been said that they did not recommend prosecuting her, but the clear finding of Director Comey was that the law had been violated. He just said the he didnat think it was appropriate to prosecute her and thatas a prosecutorial discretion,a he said during an interview on the FOX Business Networks Mornings with Maria.
Ashcroft questioned Comeyas decision to make an announcement on Sunday afternoon and asserted a major cynicism within the justice community.
aIf youare supposed to believe that this is business as usual. Itas not business as usual fora announcements to be made on Sunday afternoon... Maybe this is mandated and required by the circumstances but I believe weave found ourselves in a situation where the people at the bottom of the social order in the United States donat believe the justice community can protect them and they believe that the people at the top of the social order are not subject to prosecution,a he said.
The justice system, in Ashcroftas opinion, has been badly damaged.
aThe restoration and the construction of trust is always more difficult than the destruction of trust. You can burn a house down in 20 minutes that takes 20 years to build. So itas a very important thing we have integrity in the system,a he said.
With less than 24 hours before American voters head to the polling stations, Hillary Clinton held a 4-point lead over Donald Trump, according to the latest Fox News poll.
aIf sheas elected, we will have a very serious circumstance where a person who will be in charge of the precession, the President is ultimately in charge of the Justice Department, can hire and fire the Attorney General, hire and fire all the prosecutors in the country. [The] President also has the power to pardon people,a he said.
As Americans prepare to head to voting booths across the country on Tuesday, key issues impacting their wallets, small businesses and the future of U.S. economic growth are in focus. Minimum wage increases are on the ballot in four states including Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Washington. Former McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) USA CEO Ed Rensi weighed in on the potential economic impact of these minimum wage hikes.
Small businesses are what drive the economy and create the jobs in this country. You cant double the size of a monolithic, giant corporation, but you can double the size of small businesses pretty quickly, double the jobs, Rensi told the FOX Business Networks Maria Bartiromo.
According to Rensi, though, current small business growth is being blocked by minimum wage hikes, Obamacare costs and numerous other regulations.
But with these regulations, both state, county and federal that are being pushed on to these small businesses, health care costs, minimum wage, its stifling growth everywhere you look. And I know so many people in the restaurant industry whove said, I give up, Im done, Im getting out, Im working for the federal government, the unions, he said.
Rensi then pointed to restaurants in New York City as a tangible example of how minimum wage increases are having a negative effect on small business.
Look at the number of restaurants that are closing in New York right now, in New York City, because of this minimum wage business.
There have been no shortage of hacking events during the 2016 presidential election cycle. From Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails published on WikiLeaks, to foreign hackers infiltrating election databases in Arizona and Illinois, digital efforts to manipulate the political landscape have many wondering if Americas voting system will be compromised on Election Day.
Forty-two states will be using voting machines that are at least 10 years old, according to information from the Brennan Center for Justice, a non-partisan public policy institute at New York Universitys School of Law. Many of those machines run on software like Windows XP and 2000 that no longer receive updates, leaving them vulnerable to wrongdoers.
Bottom line: The software is hackable, said Vincent Troia, CEO of information security consulting firm Night Lion Security. But how such an act would happen is more complicated than hacking a user login. The only way individual machines can theoretically be tampered with is if someone broke into a polling place ahead of November 8 and dissected how one works.
Because of the difficulty in doing so, there is a consensus that widespread hacking of voting machines is highly unlikely as systems are implemented at the state level, meaning they are not networked together, and the majority of machines are not connected to the Internet. More than that, the Brennan Center for Justice notes that most voting systems leave a paper trail so software totals can be independently verified.
Still though, the Department of Homeland Security offered cyber protection services leading up to Election Day including hygiene scans on Internet-facing systems, as well as risk and vulnerability assessments." Thirty-three states have taken up the DHS on its offer, though the agency notes it would extremely difficult for someone to alter the election results.
At the very least, technologically out-of-date machines are susceptible to glitches, which could diminish voter confidence and create long lines on Election Day. Because of that, the U.S. needs to be more proactive in upgrading its voting infrastructure, said Michael Balboni, former New York State Senator and first chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
Were really antiquated in terms of our perspective; were very reaction-oriented as a society. We wait for things to go bad and for data to be taken, and then we respond and we need to change our footing, he told FOXBusiness.com.
The Brennan Center for Justice estimates that replacing out-of-date machines over the next few years could exceed $1 billion. But its not completely out of the question. Democratic Congressman Hank Johnson from Georgia attempted to tackle the issue two months ago when he introduced two bills addressing long-term voting infrastructure.
The Election Infrastructure and Security Promotion Act of 2016 would designate voting systems as critical infrastructure, paving the way for more resources to be allocated to the DHS. The Election Integrity Act meanwhile would limit the kinds of voting machines states can purchase, specifically prohibiting those that do not provide durable voter-verified paper ballots.
But Night Lion Securitys Troia said red tape will bog down this legislation from being passed anytime soon.
Government agencies get so wrapped into this bureaucratic process that nothing ever moves forward or they just dont have the resources to actually do the work. Securing the systems at the end of the day really isnt all that complicated, it just takes manpower to do it and thats really kind of where were slacking, Troia said.
He pointed to the DNC breach this summer as a prime example, noting hackers were pulling emails for over a year before releasing it to WikiLeaks, which means there was clear oversight on the part of the agency in monitoring its database.
If anyone was even reviewing that stuff on a somewhat regular basis, they wouldve caught it, he said.
Former Senator Balboni adds that while constant innovation is needed to stay ahead of cyber attackers, there are currently no governmental standards in place.
If you go to the Library of Congress and you look for a book on cyber security, you wont find one. You wont find the standard for what constitutes cyber security. And this is a huge issue, Ballboni said.
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Chopped and House Hunters super fans wont be able to catch their favorite shows on Netflix in the near future.
Scripps Network Interactive -- the company behind HGTV, Food Network, DIY, the Cooking Channel and the Travel Channel -- is opting not to renew a current partnership deal with the streaming service.
In an earnings conference call on Monday, Chief Operating Officer Buton Jablin announced the company was parting ways with Netflix at the close of 2016.
We assessed and analyzed the S-VOD [streaming video-on-demand] universe and have made the strategic decision not to extend our S-VOD agreement with Netflix past the end of this year, Jablin said. In the end, it is really not the kind of dual revenue model that best monetizes our content over the long-term.
A source told FOX411 the move means no new episodes of Scripps shows will be added to Netflix and shows currently on the streaming service will no longer be available.
Since Oct. 2014 shows like Food Network Star, Worst Cooks in America, Fixer Upper, Flip or Flop and Property Brothers have been available for streaming on Netflix.
Chief Operating Officer Ken Lowe explained later in the conference call that frankly, Scripps Network Interactive is big enough, and it doesnt want to limit itself with a streaming partnership.
If you look at where the industry is going we just see a lot of opportunities We have such compelling content for advertisers we dont want to cut ourselves off, Lowe said.
The companys execs said the popular lifestyle channels will continue to expand internationally and focus on their short-form videos and recipes that have seen viral success, such as the Food Networks square deviled eggs sensation.
Earlier Monday morning, Scripps reported better-than-expected third-quarter earnings. Ratings are also up on five of the companys six U.S. channels.
In early October, 3-year-old Madyson began suffering from seizures and hallucinations after coming off of a prescription anti-psychotic medication that was being used to treat a history of seizures. Her mother, Kelsey Osborne, made her a smoothie with marijuana butter to relieve her symptoms, and has now lost custody of her two children and is facing criminal charges.
Osborne of Gooding, Idaho, was charged with a misdemeanor count of injury to a child and is now protesting Child Protective Services to regain custody rights of Madyson and two-year-old son Ryker, from her ex-husband, Jerome, Fox 42 reported.
On Thursday, she and the Idaho Moms for Marijuana group rallied outside of the Department of Health and Welfare in Boise in favor of medical marijuana reform. Idaho is the only state from the surrounding states in which all forms of marijuana use, medical or otherwise, are illegal. However, the Food and Drug Administration has a program in Boise that uses cannabidiol oil (CBD) as an experimental treatment for 34 children with severe epilepsy, KTVB reported.
The [CBD] they use for epilepsy doesnt have THC, it doesnt appear to have any kind of brain development issues. Recreational marijuana does cause that so its not safe for these children, Tom Shanahan, spokesman for the Department of Health and Welfare told Fox 42.
According to Idaho Statesman, Osborne made the marijuana butter herself and the substance did contain THC, as CBD oil is not available in the state.
Osborne told Fox 42 that she did what she thought was right as a mother.
"It's something that I'm going to fight for and I'm not going to give up until I have them back home where they have been begging me to be," Osborne told the news channel. "I'm not going to stop. I won't stop. If it takes me two years, then it's going to take me two years."
FBI director James B. Comey has just delivered a November surprise. In an apparent effort to undo political damage inflicted by an earlier declaration, Comey informed Congress on Sunday that no new evidence has been uncovered to warrant charges against Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified information.
In Sundays letter to Congress, Comey said that the Bureau was standing by its earlier decision last July not to recommend charges against Clinton or her top aides in the investigation of her unprecedented use of a private email server while in government.
In this new letter, Director Comey is clearly attempting to retract the impression he created 10 days ago that Mrs. Clinton may have violated the law. In his earlier, vague letter to Congress, Comey suggested that he was renewing an inquiry into Hillary Clintons emails after 650,000 emails were found on the laptop of the estranged husband of one of her closest aides, Huma Abedin.
While Mrs. Clintons campaign spokesman quickly praised Comeys latest letter on Sunday -- a clarification issued just 36 hours before polls open on Election Day across the nation Comeys action has reinforced the perception that the FBI, indeed, the Justice Department, are two government agencies in chaos. Both letters also suggest that Comey has yielded to intense criticism of his earlier conduct, which many critics excoriated as a dangerous departure from Justice Department tradition and procedure.
As a journalist who spent three months in jail protecting confidential sources after becoming enmeshed in a criminal prosecution which never should have been pursued, I am particularly concerned about the growing power of law enforcement and what some have called judicial overreach.
Prominent Republican and Democrat jurists savaged his letter to Congress in late October suggesting that he was renewing his inquiry into Hillary Clintons emails, viewing his action, charitably, as a profound mistake, and at worst, as gross interference in politics which could alter the outcome of Tuesdays presidential race.
Comey, however, was not the only culprit in "Lettergate." His partner in judicial, or public relations crime, was Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, who could have ordered Comey not to send that letter, but chose not to do so.
Despite their last-minute effort to undo the suspicion and political damage to Mrs. Clinton, their conduct can be seen as political cowardice, or over-zealousness on the part of law enforcement that should worry Americans concerned about judicial overreach and due process.
As a journalist who spent three months in jail protecting confidential sources after becoming enmeshed in a criminal prosecution which never should have been pursued, I am particularly concerned about the growing power of law enforcement and what some have called judicial overreach.
Examples abound. Consider, for example, the reprehensible indictment 100 days before the 2008 election of former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Senate Republican in history, who was later exonerated, or the 2006 Duke lacrosse case, in which three team players were falsely accused of raping a stripper, although two of them had solid alibis and the prosecutor failed to pursue glaring contradictions in the alleged victims story.
In my own case, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, Mr. Comeys close friend, pursued a case against Lewis Scooter Libby, Vice President Dick Cheneys chief of staff involving a leak of classified information despite knowing that the source of the leak was not Mr. Libby, but an aide to Secretary of State Colin Powell who was never punished for releasing classified information -- the name of a CIA agent.
Comey, of course, recommended last July that no one be indicted in the Clinton email investigation. But what he has done -- three times in four months -- still shocks.
For the FBI director is supposed to be the nations chief investigator, not our chief prosecutor, and certainly not a grand inquisitor opining on the nature of the conduct, or motive, or lack of such on the part of an individual he has just legally exonerated.
As former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, a conservative, recently wrote, Comeys authority extends only to supervising the gathering of facts to be presented to Justice Department lawyers and not to any decision of whether or not charges should be brought.
Normally, such a momentous decision would have been made by Attorney General Lynch. But as we know now, Ms. Lynch was compromised by Bill Clintons tete-a-tete with her on an airport tarmac shortly before Comeys referral.
Then there was Hillary Clintons own hint that if elected, she might ask Ms. Lynch to stay on as Attorney General.
Yet Lynch still did not recuse herself in this case -- as she should have.
Lets review the facts. Last July, director Comey asserted at a press conference that no reasonable prosecutor would bring charges against Mrs. Clinton for having a personal server (a mistake, as she called it for which she has apologized) which contained 110 classified emails among a total of 30,000 emails.
His assertion was soon challenged by several former prosecutors who said they might, in fact, have come to a different conclusion. But having usurped a prosecutors role by concluding that Ms. Clinton should not be indicted because he had found no evidence that she and her key aides intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information (a decision the attorney general should have made) Comey went on to indict her in the perception of many Americans by saying that her handling of classified information was exceedingly careless. (Im not a lawyer and can only speculate about how that differed from the gross negligence standard in the classified information law.)
The campaigns moved on, but not, apparently, some FBI agents and Justice Department officials said to be furious about Comeys findings and/or his presentation. Subsequent press reports this fall asserted that Justice Department officials effectively shut down two other election-related investigations -- an inquiry into the Clinton Foundation and another into relations between powerful Russians and Donald Trumps campaign. (U.S. intelligence agencies have accused Russia of hacking into Democratic officials emails).
News accounts reported that the Justice Department wanted the inquiries closed due to the lack of convincing evidence -- despite months of investigation -- and because the inquiries might influence the outcome of the election. Which brings us to director Comeys astonishing letter to Capitol Hill sent against Ms. Lynchs alleged advice.
I do not believe that director Comey acted because he secretly supports one candidate over another, or that he intended to influence the outcome of the election.
His defenders argue that he had to send notice to Congress to avoid being accused of covering up the discovery on Anthony Wieners lap top of some 650,000 emails that may, or may not be duplicates of Clinton emails the FBI has already examined. A leak about his having covered up such a discovery might have had an even greater impact on the election than his letter, Comeys friends say. But his letter compounded political damage to Hillary Clinton by failing to explain what that discovery meant. And if he could not offer such a description, he should have adhered to Justice Department tradition -- which precludes action within 60 days of an election that is likely to impact a races outcome and said nothing.
For her part, Attorney General Lynch has mostly avoided public scrutiny in this affair, but she, too, is culpable. As Jack Goldsmith and Ben Wittes argue in their well-informed blog Lawfare, Lynch could have ordered Comey not to send the October letter, but dodged accountability by merely advising him not to do so.
The Attorney General was fence-riding, Goldsmith and Wittes write. She didnt want Comey to send the letter, but she also didnt want the responsibility for ordering him not to send it.
Whether or not the election is affected by Comeys succession of assertions, counter-assertions, clarifications and flip flops, damage has been done.
As Eric Holder, President Obamas former attorney general charged in a stunning rebuke to Mr. Comey (and in my view, to his successor), Comeys conduct unintentionally and negatively affected public trust in both the Justice Department and the FBI.
Can one blame Americans for concluding, as Donald Trump has self-servingly claimed, that the system is rigged?
There are three simple facts about Hillary Clintons presidential candidacy that should not be disputable even by supporters of Donald Trump.
There are undisputed facts about Trump as well that he has used bigoted words about Mexicans, questioned the integrity of a federal judge because of his Mexican heritage, mocked a disabled reporter, used misogynistic words while bragging on tape about conduct that is the functional equivalent of criminal sexual assault and recommended the spread of nuclear weapons but these are for another column.
First, Hillary Clinton has spent her life involved in public service and has a public record and voting record that is progressive.
I first met Hillary at Yale when I was in my third year at Yale Law School in September 1969, and she was an incoming first-year student. I was standing in line to register for classes, and I turned around and saw her right behind me. I recognized her from her photo in a national news magazine that I had seen the night before about a highly regarded speech she had given at her Wellesley College commencement the previous June.
I introduced myself and asked her whether there was any advice I could offer her about Yale Law School what courses to take, what professors were best, how to read cases and study, etc. Her response: You could help me where is the nearest legal services clinic that I could volunteer for?
When I questioned whether she would have the time, she responded:
The reason I came to law school is to help me do public service.
Wow, I thought. This person is unusual she is going places. The more I got to know her that year, the more I thought she would someday be president. I kid you not.
Hillarys lifes work has been devoted to public service and helping others, especially helping children and healthcare policy that is a fact. Through the years as first lady of Arkansas and in the White House, as well as her eight years in the U.S. Senate, her position on all the major issues has been as a progressive Democrat with a reputation of working well with Republicans.
Her one mistake shared by 26 other progressive U.S. Democratic senators and many others was supporting the Iraq War resolution in October 2003. She has since said she made a mistake - as she also said she made a mistake and apologized for using a server for her emails while Secretary of State. This contrasts with Trump, who never admits to a mistake even when he challenged the sincerity of a Gold Star Muslim mother.
Fact two is Hillarys unquestioned superior experience and qualifications to be president. As President Obama said at the Democratic National Convention and has reiterated many times since then, there is no one who has ever ever been as qualified to be president of the United States in the history of our country, and he included himself and President Clinton on that list. Trump says his lack of experience in government and his experience as a businessman including bankrupting four companies in two years is an advantage.
Fact three is her compassion and empathy for those who are less fortunate than she. Hillary is a person who has spent her life helping children, the poor, those less fortunate, and those who are the object of discrimination suffering an absence of equal opportunity. In other words, she meets the definition of a moral leader eloquently defined by former Senator and Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey:
It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.
That is the Hillary Clinton I have known for 47 years. That is the Hillary Clinton who I know who I am certain will make a great president of the United States.
Below are three untruths about Tuesday's election:
1. THE ELECTION WAS ABOUT THE OUTSIDER
Not really. It was about culture. We know this for a fact: if you replaced Trump with Rubio, Kasich or Cruz, you'd still get the SAME attacks from Funny or Die, Bill Maher, Jay Z, Lady Gaga, and so on.
The culture enveloped within the liberal industrial complex deems any opposition to be evil. So really, the rebellion wasn't about insiders vs. outsiders -- it was about a rejection of decades of liberal fascism expressed through identity politics, balkanized grievances, racial politics, attacks on traditional institutions and anti-exceptionalism.
The Trump phenomenon was a thumb in the eye of liberal complacency. It was the first time in my memory that a Republican gave the same treatment back to the Democrats. That caused this new fretting over polarization. There was no polarization when only one side (the Dems) was the bully.
No one spoke of polarization when the left demonized a decent man like Mitt Romney. But when you have a candidate like Trump hit back, now you have polarization. This should have been a gift for Republicans -- but it wasn't.
Where Trump and his mouthpieces went wrong was turning this into an attack not on leftism, but on the establishment -- which lumped real Republicans, ideological conservatives, hard working grass roots activists, and even noted military heroes into the same box as Hillary, Obama, Hollywood and the Harvard faculty.
Sorry Trumpets -- those people who were winning Republican state seats and governorships for decades -- they weren't the enemy. They were on your side -- and they were slandered by simpleminded shouters.
The fallout: a lower, less enthusiastic turnout among Republicans.
And a last point about this non-establishment vs. establishment myth: it gave a phony path for opportunists to abandon the principles they had previously pretended to cherish. A so-called conservative who demonized you for not being religious or right wing enough now dropped to his knees for the perfect RINO. Suddenly principles didn't matter!
The best example of this charlatanism: any evangelical leader who spent decades chastising his flock (and non-flock alike) for immorality was suddenly out stumping for Trump.
2. THE MEDIA'S IN THE TANK FOR (FILL IN NAME OF CANDIDATE)
No, the media is in the tank for ratings. Remember, Trump got more free media than all the candidates combined.
Every network loved him, because he made them money by getting them eyeballs -- which helped pave the way for his nomination.
So as you complain about the unfairness of the coverage against Trump now remember that without the media, you wouldn't even be having that conversation. Instead you'd be wondering about how big the margin will be in the Rubio win.
And yes, there were reporters who tried to curry favor with the Clinton campaign in hopes of gaining access. But is that any worse than a newspaper spending hundreds of thousands of dollars purchasing stories in order to kill them?
The Wall Street Journal reported that the National Enquirer paid a Playboy Playmate six figures for her story of her affair with Trump (while he was already married to Melania). In a practice called, "catch and kill, the paper, its alleged, bought the story to protect Trump by buying and burying it. When we bring up media collusion there's one hell of an example.
We covered another, flimsier example of "fixing" that implicated Hillary -- involving a guy named Jeff Rovin. But what of this Playmate story by our own beloved Wall Street Journal? This "catch and kill explains one glaring oddity: as the Enquirer generated salacious stories about Trump opponents like Hillary and Ted Cruz, it seems to have missed the big stories on Trump. For a paper that prides itself on scoops, the Enquirer was absent on the Trump front.
We talk about the candidates flaws -- but what of ours? Team sport ideology has compromised principles -- as we accept certain actions that would have repulsed us before. Loyalty these days seems a replacement for principle. This operates on the analogy that people consider a political party a "home." I don't. My home is my actual home.
There are lots of people whose jobs depend on Trump winning on Tuesday. There are a lot of people whose jobs depend on Hillary winning. This is why you have to take any opinion not tethered to facts with a grain of poop. The exceptions to this amorality: the people who were honest to a fault, and were willing to lose a paycheck. Think Jonah Goldberg. Kevin Williamson. Ben Shapiro. Think of everyone of who didn't sacrifice principles for more appearances on TV.
But look -- theres a bright side for breathless TV chatter boxes: you will benefit from your adversary winning!
If Trump wins, the left will do great. If Hillary wins, so will the right. Fact is it's just easier to scream at the enemy than it is to support your own embarrassment.
3. THE WORLD IS ENDING
It's not. Or if is ending, it has nothing to do with this election.
If Hillary wins, or if Trump wins -- it's not as big a deal as the people say it is.
When JFK was assassinated? Yes, that was a BIG deal. When Nixon resigned? That was a BIG deal. But despite the horror and shock from those events -- we all got on with life. We still went to work. We fed the kids. We mowed the lawn. So lighten up with the apocalyptical BS. No one is going to change your life as much as the people around you who love you and care about you.
And remember, the easiest thing to stoke, is anger. And if you're a conservative, and you get off on anger, then you're not a conservative at all.
Conservatives by nature reject the easy lure of emotion. We decry impulsiveness -- it's why we're seen as stiff and humorless. When in fact, we're full of wisdom brought on from life experience.
It's a good thing when we let a little emotion in but to let it govern your decisions is wrong.
And remember, liberals: Trump is a centrist. Cruz was way more to the right. And he got rejected!
Trump also thrives on acceptance. He needs love -- and will likely abandon his most rightwing talking points (because he already has those guys), to court YOU, the respected liberal.
So if Trump wins, all you leftists will be in the driver's seat. You'll get more from him than from Hillary.
And remember, conservatives: Hillary is hawkish. She's also she's out of steam -- hobbled by scandal, distrust and dislike. She might be of little impact at all -- just happy to sit in meetings, nod a lot, then watch Madame Secretary on Netflix through the early evening. She won't care who hates her, because it's a forgone conclusion.
So if Trump wins, he becomes more liberal, and if Hillary wins, she becomes more conservative. Trump ran to the right of his internal vision; Hillary ran toward Bernie Sanders to save herself. Once they take the oath, they will change.
And we'll read about it online. Then walk the dog.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton barnstormed the country on election eve Monday to deliver their respective closing arguments before the raucous 2016 presidential race goes to the voters, with Trump vowing to make America safe and prosperous again and Clinton vowing to unite a divided nation.
Anger is not a plan, the Democratic presidential nominee said in Pittsburgh, Pa.
President Obama said Monday night that voters don't have to settle for just voting against Donald Trump. He told a crowd of over 20,000 in front of Independence Hall they "have somebody extraordinary to vote for" in Clinton.
Obama delivered his closing pitch for Clinton during a star-studded rally in Philadelphia while trying to combat the notion that voters have to settle for Clinton because they're so turned off by Trump.
While Obama said he's had to "bite my tongue" throughout the "nonsense" of the campaign, he hit back at "vicious, crazy" attacks against Clinton and said she's been held to double-standards.
As Clinton spent the day blasting what she called her opponents divisive vision for America, Trump blamed her and her husbands policies for manufacturing job losses and vowed a change if hes elected.
We are going to bring back jobs that have been stolen from you. Were going to bring back wealth taken from this country, Trump, the Republican nominee, said in battleground state North Carolina, the second of his five stops Monday.
Trump began his day in Florida before heading to North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Michigan.
He pulled out all the stops at the second to last rally of his campaign in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Trump appeared with his running mate Mike Pence and many members of his family at the SNHU Arena, the same arena where he held his final rally before the New Hampshire primary. His win in that race paved his way to the party's nomination.
"It all began for me in New Hampshire," Trump said after taking the stage.
The race remains tight hours before voting gets underway. The latest Fox News Electoral Scorecard shows Trumps prospects improving in four key states -- Arizona, Iowa, Utah and North Carolina though Clinton still has the advantage on the electoral map.
Clinton returned to the campaign trail Monday, less than 24 hours after the FBI concluded a revived probe into her personal email use as secretary of state, lifting a cloud off her campaign in the final hours as she seeks to become the first woman elected president in U.S. history.
Tomorrow we face the test of our time, Clinton said at her first rally, in Pittsburgh. Will we come together as a nation or split further apart? We dont have to accept a dark and divisive vision for America. Tomorrow you can vote for a hopeful, inclusive big-hearted America.
Before embarking on her three-state campaign swing, Clinton told reporters that she has "some work to do to bring the country together" and that she wants to be president for those who vote for her and those who don't.
Clinton after Pennsylvania went to battleground state Michigan before planning to return for an event in Philadelphia, then a midnight rally in Raleigh, N.C.
Trump on Monday resumed his breakneck race through the country to make a final appeal to voters to help him "drain the swamp" in Washington. In the wake of the FBI announcement, he urged voters to "deliver justice at the ballot box."
On Sunday, Trump and running mate Mike Pence held events in seven states, with the last starting after midnight in Virginia.
She wants to fight ISIS? Trump said Monday in North Carolina about Clinton, who has essentially led for the entire 2016 election cycle. She wants to fight nobody. Shes got no chance.
Trump is aiming for an upset victory Tuesday, which is still possible if he is able to win key toss-up states and pick off one or more strategic states considered Democratic territory.
The former reality TV star shocked the countrys political class this spring when he defeated 16 major candidates in the Republican primaries, among them several senators and governors.
While seeking victories in the so-called battleground states, which have a mix of voters who could go for either major party candidate, Pennsylvania is considered critical for Trump.
The state has not elected a GOP presidential nominee since 1988 in the candidates race to get 270 Electoral College votes.
Trump still expressed optimism Monday about winning Pennsylvania. Are you watching whats happening in Philadelphia? Trump asked. We are going to win.
The public transit system in liberal-leaning Philadelphia will be running in time for Election Day, after a weeklong strike, which is good news for Clinton and other Democratic candidates on Tuesday's ballots.
City officials were worried that the strike could affect turnout at the polls. Pennsylvania does not offer early voting, so Election Day turnout is key.
Early voting in other battleground states suggests Clinton is leading among Hispanics, a key voting bloc. However, the African-American vote does not appear as strong for her as it was in 2008 and 2012 when black voters helped elect and re-elect Barack Obama.
The Justice Department said Monday that it will send more than 500 staffers to 28 states on Election Day to monitor the polls. That's a 35 percent reduction from the number four years ago, amid Trumps persistent warning about potential voter fraud at polling stations.
Department officials say personnel will be sent to 67 jurisdictions to watch for potential civil rights violations. The announcement also came amid rising concerns about voter intimidation, particularly aimed at minorities.
The Department has said its poll-watching presence has been curtailed by a 2013 Supreme Court opinion that gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.
Kellyanne Conway, Trump's campaign manager, said Monday on NBCs Today show that the staff has not stopped Trump from tweeting despite a report suggesting otherwise.
Many of Trumps most inflammatory comments during the campaign were made on Twitter. But he has exhibited unusual restraint on social media in the final days of the campaign.
After days of attacks on Trump's qualifications and temperament, Clinton this past weekend cast herself as the candidate of "healing and reconciliation," despite being one of the most divisive figures in American politics.
Overshadowing the flurry of last-minute campaigning was FBI Director James Comey's latest letter to Congress, informing lawmakers the bureau had found no evidence in its hurried review of newly discovered emails to warrant criminal charges against Clinton.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From a bed inside his Florida hospice, Thomas Korinko -- whose health is in rapid decline -- was determined to cast his vote in the presidential election.
But 76-year-old Korinko -- who has terminal cancer -- had his mail-in ballot discounted when officials ruled his frail signature did not match that on his voter registration.
Korinko's family told Fox affiliate WOFL that officials with the Lake County Supervisor of Elections Office wouldn't budge when told the man was dying and too weak to cast his vote in person. The family is hoping officials change their mind.
"This is not voter fraud. He's a registered, lawful, Florida voter," his son, Jeff Korinko, told the station. "This is his ballot, you have it, please count it. I was told, 'No.'"
Thomas was diagnosed with liver cancer seven months ago and has days to live, according to his family. The man opted to vote by mail last week from his hospice in Tavares.
In Florida, the signature on every mail-in ballot is compared to the voter registration signature on file to prevent fraud. But Jeff Korinko, an attorney, told WOFL, "To be disenfranchised in that manner, that can't be what's in the best interest of the law."
Florida officials reportedly did send Korinko a subsequent affidavit to sign. Korinko, however, was unable to sign the document because of deteriorating health, WOFL reported.
"I'm all cried out ... This was really important to my father," Jeff Korinko told the station.
Click here for more from Fox 35
The final countdown to tomorrows election has become a cacophony, with just about everyone joining in the craziness.
Ann Coulter, the conservative provocateur, writes: My Final Argument for Trump: Humiliate the Media!
Susan Sarandon, the Bernie supporter who once flirted with backing Trump, denounced the DNC as completely corrupt and told CNN shes supporting Jill Stein.
Mike Huckabee tweeted that Trump may be a car wreck, but at least his car is pointed in right direction. Hillary is a drunk-driver going the wrong way on the freeway. Ringing endorsement, huh?
Actress Ali Wentworth, the wife of George Stephanopoulos, told the Hollywood Reporter that if Trump wins, well start looking at real estate in Sydney, Australia. No crime, no guns. No word on whether George has signed off.
Former White House chief of staff John Sununu said at a Trump rally: "Bill was referring to Hillary when he said, 'I did not have sex with that woman.'"
Seriously.
Some conservatives tweeted a Wikileaks disclosure following this Drudge headline: WIKI WICCAN: PODESTA PRACTICES OCCULT MAGIC.
Turns out John Podesta was invited to a dinner last year with performance artist Marina Abramovic, who sometimes does weird occult stuff, but she says it was a normal dinner with no blood, no anything else, and Podesta wasnt there, only his brother Tony. So no Satanic rituals for Clintons campaign chief.
Meanwhile, as the candidates race to their final rallies and the pundits stand at their color-coded maps, you can sense the relief that this polarizing campaign is finally coming to a close.
I dont fault all the prognosticators who are looking at red and blue states, early voting, turnout operations, demographic groups, past trends and a plethora of polls to figure out who has the best path to 270. Theyre smart people, and this is what they do. This is the pregame chatter on Cubs vs. Indians, and theyre expected to pick winners and losers.
But sometimes it can seem a bit comical. On Friday, CNN put up a breaking news barrier that Clinton had dropped below 270 electoral votes. Meaning that CNNs analysts were projecting she no longer had a lock on the election.
Brian Williams appeared to scold MSNBC and Bloomberg anchor Mark Halperin on the air, saying: I think youve gone out of your way find the path, argue for the path, forge the path for him in an argumentative way with your co-host to the nomination. Tonight, I thought you were interestingly optimistic. Where are you getting the path of positivity you laid out on your broadcast tonight?
Halperin responded that he wasnt being optimistic, he was looking at the data.
But Politico says theres a theory bouncing around on Clinton that if she takes Nevada, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Virginia -- all states where she seems to have a lead, or is building one through early voting -- Donald Trump can win Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado and New Hampshire and still lose.
Assuming he wins Wisconsin.
And then there are the bettors: Traders on the website are now paying 68 cents for a Clinton win share that would pay $1 if Clinton is elected. Just last week the same share on PredictIt cost 81 cents, says USA Today.
Im not sure whos going to winand thats a very different situation than 10 days ago, when we were awash in reports on who was in the running to be Clintons interior secretary.
The momentum seems to have broken Trumps way. In a whole slew of states, including New Hampshire, Colorado, Nevada and Florida, Trump has gone from trailing to significantly ahead or virtually tied, at least according to some polls. And that makes me think that if undecided voters havent broken for Hillary by now, theyre not going tonot if this is a change election.
At the same time, Trump is in a position where he has to win every one of a half-dozen or so contested states plus grab a state that Mitt Romney lost. And he has to do this with less money and far less of a ground game than the Clinton operation. So he has less margin for error.
A conventional wisdom has emerged that Trump drops when the news is about him, and Clinton drops when the news is about her. But theres been a split-screen focus on both of them in recent days.
Its a funny thing about elections. After all the ads and the attacks, the conventions and the debates, there is still one day where voters have to be motivated enoughperhaps with a nudge from volunteersto turn out to vote for a candidate. (Yes, thats been diluted by weeks of early voting, but Nov. 8 will still decide the election.) And thats where such random factors as bad weather and even a Philadelphia transit strike can be factors.
Starting Wednesday morning, well be up to our eyeballs in exploring why Trump or Clinton won (or lost), the outlook for the new administration, the medias role in the race, and why the campaign often seemed longer on insults than issues. But right now, its a heckuva horse race.
If you want to know what people are thinking, go where they are eating.
Fox News Channel's morning show, "Fox & Friends" is staking out four of the best diners in key battleground states on Tuesday, when Americans go to the polls to choose between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Over bacon, eggs and coffee, everyday folks will tell Fox who should get the job - and who should be toast.
"In what has been a historic election, "Fox & Friends" feels there is no better way to cover election day than to have breakfast and talk with the folks responsible for putting the next president in the White House, the American people," said Lauren Petterson, vice president of morning programming for Fox News.
- Abby Huntsman will be in Florida, staking out Mels Diner in Fort Myers as the electoral vote-rich Sunshine State once again expects to play a pivotal role in the election.
- Clayton Morris will be at Macs Route 8 Cafe, in Butler, Penn. The Keystone State has not voted Republican since 1988, but Trump is hoping to flip it in his favor and polls show it could happen.
- Heather Nauert will be in Wisconsin, enjoying breakfast with new pals at George Webb Restaurant, in Wauwatosa.
- Pete Hegseth will be found at Fitzys Old Fashioned Diner in Dublin, Ohio. Buckeye State voters always find themselves in a critical position on Election Day, and this year appears to be no different.
Tune in at 5 a.m. ET to find Americans talking politics over breakfast, and keep it on Fox News Channel all day for up-to-the-minute Election Day coverage.
EXCLUSIVE: Two State Department contractors, with decades of experience protecting the United States' most sensitive secrets, are speaking out for the first time about Hillary Clintons tenure as secretary of state and how the rules for government security clearance holders did not seem to apply to Clinton and her team.
The State Department was her oyster and it was great for the [Clinton] foundation and great for the Clintons to be able to have such a great position," Dave Whitnah told Fox News.
Whitnah said he worked within the State Department's Office of Security Technology which is responsible for cameras and alarms and sweeping for bugs. Whitnah said everyone understood the secretary of state is the primary target of foreign intelligence services.
The number one person would be the secretary of state and their communications," Whitnah explained. "You can think of the Iran negotiations, nuclear negotiation, negotiations with Russia, talks with Russia. You know, anything to do with foreign policy."
Whitnah emphasized that tens of millions of dollars were spent on technical security for Clinton that apparently was disregarded as her team traveled around the world on official U.S. government business.
"It was unfathomable that [her BlackBerry] would be used for anything other than just unclassified communication," Whitnah said. Clintons devices were not certified as secure by the State Department. As for her use of a non-secure BlackBerry, Whitnah stressed that email can be intercepted and, Even if turned off, its still a listening device so thats why you take out the batteries.
As Clinton was sworn in as secretary in January 2009, government contractor Amel Smith said he was also working at the department and: "State Department rules are clear. I helped write those rules."
Smith says his 30 years of experience includes serving in the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne, before becoming a counter-intelligence and counter-espionage investigator at State tracking down breaches of classified materials. He reviewed some of the FBI witness interviews from the Clinton email investigation with Fox News, and questioned those who claimed not to have the proper training in handling sensitive information.
"I hear things like, well, I forgot, um, I don't know that I was trained, I don't know this. You know -- every single person that had access to that information when it was sent is in violation," Smith emphasized.
The FBI witness interviews also show secure facilities for classified information -- known as SCIFs -- were specially built for Clinton in her in Washington, D.C., and Chappaqua, N.Y., homes. Doors that were supposed to be locked were left open.
"If you've got an uncleared person in there, it's automatically a compromise," Smith said.
Another FBI interview summary said there were personally owned desktop computers in the secure facilities at Clinton's homes, yet she told the FBI that she did not have a computer of any kind in these facilities.
"If somebody said they're there, then they probably were there, and you know, the reason you would deny it was because you probably didn't have approval," Smith said.
Having unapproved computers in a SCIF would automatically call for a security investigation.
Asked for his reaction to Clinton's claim that nothing she sent or received was marked classified, Whitnah called that assertion a misrepresentation. Fox News was first to report in June that at least one of the emails contained a classified information portion marking for "c" which is confidential. FBI Director James Comey later said in July when he recommended against criminal charges that a handful of Clinton emails contained classified markings.
But more than 2,100 emails with classified information, and at least 22 at the top secret level, passed through Clinton's unsecured private server. Asked how it happened, Smith said, "Personally, there had to have been somebody moving classified information from C-LAN, C-LAN again is Secret, Confidential only, and JWICS. JWICS is where all top secret information is."
After new emails were found in the Anthony Weiner sexting case belonging to his estranged wife Clinton aide Huma Abedin, the FBI reopened the Clinton email investigation. On Sunday, Comey said the emails did not change his recommendation against criminal charges because his investigators did not find intent to move classified materials outside secure government channels
"Whether it's the private email server, whether it's this private laptop. If there's classified -- one document on there -- that's classified, it's a violation. Somebody violated [the] law," Smith said. "Throw all the politics out the window, what we're talking about is the defense of this nation."
Asked about Smith and Whitnah, who filed a complaint against the State Department, a department spokesman said they were not direct hires -- adding that the head of diplomatic security told the FBI that Clinton was "very responsive to security issues."
The Amish could be trading their buggies for rides in cars Tuesday, as a political action committee is seeking drivers to get them to the polls.
A pro-Trump poliitical action committee has been trying to mobilize the reclusive group for the election, and in a battleground state like Pennsylvania, they could form a legitimate voting bloc. Amish PAC is hoping some of the state's 69,000 adherents will cast ballots - if they can get to the polls.
"I wanted to let you know that Amish PAC has 200 (non-Amish) volunteers scheduled to door-knock every single Amish registered voter in Pennsylvania's Amish country (Lancaster) tomorrow and offer rides to polling places," said Ben Walters, of the Super PAC. "That has never been done before."
Fox News previously reported on the move to get the Amish involved in the presidential race, which has so far featured billboards and newspaper ads.
The new wrinkle is a get-out-the-Amish-vote effort, with a call for motorists to help.
Amish PAC needs volunteers to help drive Amish voters to the polls in Pennsylvania, reads the top of the volunteer section of the PACs website. In addition, if you have any Amish friends or neighbors and would like to give them a ride to the polls on Election Day, Amish PAC will provide you with a prepaid gas card until we run out.
The political action group, which was started by a former fundraiser for a Ben Carson super PAC, has gone the traditional route, raising a modest $100,000 and spending it on billboards and newspaper ads in a time when most money is being spent on social media and online ads.
Newspaper ads and billboards in the middle of farmland dont cost very much, Walters recently told USA Today.
Many conservative activists believe that the Amish vote is enough to swing the pendulum towards a Trump win.
A similar grassroots push to the Amish communities of Pennsylvania and Ohio in 2004 provided a bump in registered Amish voters from 2000. One such example was in Lancaster County, where only 960 Amish and Mennonites were registered and just over 500 voted. Four years later, more than 2,000 were registered and a record number for the county voted with 1,674 ballots casted.
Amish PAC is hoping that there will be an even bigger bump that will help sway electoral votes in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Many assume that the Amish are not allowed to vote, and while they are exempt from paying some taxes and do not receive government benefits like disability or social security, they can vote.
With Clinton and Trump close in the polls in both Pennsylvania and Ohio, Walters believes that the Amish vote is crucial, according to a recent interview with the BBC.
"These two states being the most important, crucial swing states. We realize that a couple thousand votes could truly make a difference, especially if we have a situation like we did in 2000 where it comes down to a few polling places in one swing state," Walters said to the website, referring to the election recount in Florida back in 2000.
"The Amish could, in theory, swing the presidential election of 2016."
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel used personal email accounts and a personal email domain to communicate with government officials and political figures, according to a published report based on hacked emails posted by WikiLeaks.
Emanuel's personal account information turned up among the thousands of emails from John Podesta, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, the Chicago Tribune reported. Clinton has come under fire for her use of a private email server because doing so potentially jeopardized classified information.
Emanuel registered his personal email domain, "rahmemail.com," on May 16, 2011, the day he was sworn into office. The hacked emails also turned up evidence of Emanuel's personal Gmail account.
Adam Collins, a spokesman for the mayor, said Emanuel's use of a customized email domain, or name, is common, and that it was created to ensure the mayor was not using a government email for personal or political purposes. He added that Emanuel has not and does not use a private email server like the one Clinton used to transfer emails.
Collins did not say whether Emanuel has used either of the personal email accounts to conduct government business.
The messages included in the Wikileaks leaks were among the first direct evidence that Emanuel has used personal email accounts as mayor beyond official city government accounts.
Emanuel was sued by the Chicago Tribune last year in a still-pending case seeking access to his emails under the state's open record laws. Under Illinois law, government business conducted over email by a public official is subject to the state's open records law, but Emanuel's office argued that the emails sought by the Tribune are not public records.
The newspaper's Freedom of Information Act requests filed since Emanuel took office have turned up little to no email communications from the mayor on his government email accounts.
"After the mayor's election in 2011, the campaign fund set up a new email to ensure the mayor was not using government email for private or political use, which could violate city ordinance or state law,'" Emanuel spokesman Adam Collins told the newspaper. "A dedicated Gmail domain allowed for better security given the growing threat of cyberattacks."
Federal records show that since taking office, Emanuel used his custom email domain to send at least seven messages on two different strings to Clinton while she was secretary of state, the newspaper reported. One involved an invitation for a joint appearance in Chicago.
"Sorry, but I'm scheduled to be in the Balkans so would love a rain check for next time. All the best, Mayor," Clinton wrote back.
In June 2014, Clinton made good on her rain check, participating in a special Ideas Week interview.
The hacked emails WikiLeaks released also showed Emanuel using his rahmemail.com domain to contact Podesta. The day after Emanuel was forced into a runoff in his re-election bid, Podesta used a Gmail address for Emanuel instead of the rahmemail.com account.
Inside the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research a few miles outside the city, in an unassuming building that smells like cleaning supplies, is the Frozen Zoo.
It's an ark, really"an ark in a freezer!" as Zach Baron writes in a feature article for GQcomprising 10,000 samples that represent roughly 1,000 species and sub-species.
It's something to hold onto as our planet loses everything from "vital little soldiers like bees" to the "big charismatic mega-fauna like elephants." And what a sweet irony, if a man-made creation like a freezer of vials turns out to restore some of the man-made catastrophes of modern time, from over-hunting to pollution to climate change.
Some of the animals in the Frozen Zoo still roam the Earth, while others, like the Hawaiian bird po'ouli, are already extinct, and still more are inching ever closer toward extinction.
Baron reports that the "ark" is part museum, to catalog the diversity of life on our planet, and part resource for those who need samples for research.
But a third reason quietly lives on, too: reanimation, or the possibility therein. The technology already exists, for example, to clone. Technological advances suggest that there is at least the possibility to someday renew lost ecosystems.
Some notable scientists call it "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic," as Paul Ehrlich told the Washington Post last year. Saving cells isn't, after all, saving species.
Yet. (A quarter of all mammals are now at risk of extinction.)
This article originally appeared on Newser: Could an 'Ark in a Freezer' Bring Back Lost Animals?
You can now toast to the Iron Age with a 2,500-year-old brew.
A team of researchers worked with a brewery in Milwaukee to recreate an ancient beer from remnants of the alcoholic beverage that were found at an Iron Age burial site in Germany, reported Milwaukee Public Radio (WUWM). Though the acidic soil had dissolved the skeleton, archaeologists found metal weapons and a cauldron at the burial site.
The cauldron, which dates back to between 400 B.C. to 450 B.C., was full of an ancient mead when it was buried, according to study leader Bettina Arnold, an archaeologist and anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. [Raise Your Glass: 10 Intoxicating Beer Facts]
"The dead man in Tumulus 17 Grave 6 had been sent into the afterlife not only with his weapons but with about 14 liters of an alcoholic beverage that he could have used to establish himself as an important person in the next world as he had been in this one," Arnold, who uncovered the cauldron back in 2000, explained in a blog post.
Arnold and her team worked with a paleobotanist to analyze the alcoholic remnants and derive a recipe for the ancient brew. The alcoholic drink was probably a type of mead known as braggot, Arnold told WUWM. The brew, made from a blend of barley and honey, also contained meadow sweet (often found in prehistoric mead) and mint, the researchers said.
Milwaukee's Lakefront Brewery then worked with the researchers' recipe to re-create the brew, which was available to taste during the 6th Annual Wisconsin Science Festival on Oct. 22, where the research was presented.
Original article on Live Science.
Donald Trump is ranking higher than Hillary Clinton in Google searches on the eve of the U.S. election, as voters hunt for information on the Republican presidential nominee.
Data released by Google show Trump dominating search in 38 states early afternoon Monday, including the battleground states of Florida and Michigan.
Google data also show that immigration is the top Trump-related search topic, followed by abortion and race issues.
If you take a deeper look at the information, youll see that the top five related searches to Mr. Trump are immigration, race, abortion, ISIS, and the economy - all hot button issues throughout this campaign, said social media expert and President of JRM Comm Jason Mollica, in an email to FoxNews.com. When it comes to Mr. Trump, people still want to know more. It also means that potential voters want to read what he said in the last 24-48 hours.
SNAPPING A SELFIE WITH YOUR BALLOT COULD GET YOUR VOTE TOSSED OUT
Mollica noted, however, that the search data from Google should not be seen as a surge of voting for Trump. It does mean that people are actively gathering and reading information in the last hours before Election Day, he added.
The hotly contested battle between Trump and Clinton is clearly generating huge interest in the U.S. electorate. Google has seen an incredible 233 percent increase in how to vote searches compared to the period before the 2012 presidential election. People are also actively searching for where to vote, particularly in battleground states.
TRUMP, CLINTON, TIE IN GOOGLE DEBATE SEARCHES
Additionally, Google has launched a new election Doodle that shows the letters holding signs with the word vote in different languages. When users click on the Doodle and type in their address, Google generates information on their nearest polling station, along with voting requirements and ballot details.
Twitter is also encouraging people to vote. The social media giant is promoting the #ElectionDay and #Election2016 hashtag and emoji, as well as providing information to voters via its @Gov Twitter Government account. Voters, for example, can direct message @Gov to find their polling place and ballot information.
#ElectionDay is almost here! Remember: you cannot vote via text or Tweet. Direct Message @Gov to find your polling place and ballot info. pic.twitter.com/vS5YXN0uXp Twitter Government (@gov) November 7, 2016
#ElectionFinalThoughts and Trump White House are top trending Twitter topics Monday.
PENCE DOMINATED TWITTER DURING VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
Facebook has a Get Ready for Election Day that lets voters preview their ballot and provides information on the candidates, from presidential through to the local level.
Technology is being widely used to provide information for voters in the run-up to Tuesdays election. Analytics software specialist Rhiza, for example, has launched My Pundit, a free tool for Amazon Alexa-powered devices that compiles voter registration, polling and fact checking data.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
When California single mother of six Mariza Ruelas joined the Facebook group 209 Food Spot a few years ago, she and other members would exchange recipes, meet for potlucks, and sometimes swap or sell their dishes among members.
So Ruelas said yes when a member of the group asked to buy her signature ceviche dish last December, not knowing it was an undercover investigator from San Joaquin County who, according to court documents, was on a sting because most members didn't have permits to sell food.
"Food prepared in a facility that does not inspect it creates a risk to the public," the county deputy district attorney tells FOX40. Ruelas maintains this wasn't a business venture, just a harmless hobby among like-minded folks.
COPS: SC MAN SUSPECTED OF CHAINING WOMAN ADMITS 7 KILLINGS
She was one of several members to be cited for misdemeanors in the sting, but while everyone else accepted a plea deal, she has refusedher proposed plea bargain carried three years of probation, 80 hours of community service, and a $235 fine, reports the New York Daily News.
Now she faces up to a year in jail and is worried about what will happen to her kids. Ruelas, who called the sting a "waste of time and resources" in a Facebook post Friday, is due in court Wednesday.
Facebook, meanwhile, prohibits using the site to sell guns, ammunition, and drugs, but it doesn't mention food on its "Community Standards" page. (See why another single mom dressed up like a dad for a day.)
This article originally appeared on Newser: Single Mom Faces Jail for Selling Food on Facebook
Voters on Tuesday may want to think twice before snapping a photo of themselves with their vote -- snapping a photo of a ballot is illegal in 18 states, with 13 additional states having unclear guidelines on polling place photography.
According to the Associated Press, more than half the states have either strict or mixed guidelines on whether or not it's OK to take a picture of a ballot, or even a picture inside a polling location at all, with penalties ranging from forfeiting that vote to even jail time.
Related: 'Professional' selfie-stick photographer helps New Yorkers take self portraits
The issue has popped up in recent years with the rise of social media, as some voters have wanted to share the fact that they are exercising their right to vote. Poll place photography, however, rises privacy issues, with some voters feeling uncomfortable about casting their vote with cameras nearby.
The issue has even sparked a few lawsuits. In September, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Michigan voter who had no idea taking a picture of his own ballot was illegal. The case is challenging the Michigan law that could land ballot photographers in jail for 90 days, along with a $500 fine and forfeiture of their vote.
Earlier this year, Snapchat took sides in a lawsuit, working to appeal a New Hampshire ban on ballot selfies. The social media platform was successful -- the ban on ballot selfies was declared unconstitutional in September, for New Hampshire voters, that is.
While lawsuits are challenging the issue of whether such bans are lawful, under current state laws, voters in several states should avoid polling place photography, including Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
According to the Associated Press, residents of Connecticut, Washington DC, Hawaii, Idaho, Indian, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming won't find themselves in any legal trouble if they decide to photograph their vote.
In the remaining states, it's unclear if voters are okay to photograph their ballot, with several states holding a policy or recommendation against it but extending no actual legal repercussions.
For now, most voters will likely be better off taking a selfie afterward -- while wearing that "I voted" sticker -- and waiting until outside the polling location to snap it.
Vincent van Gogh purportedly regarded the pastoral scene of wheat, cypress trees and mountains as one of his best landscapes but a journalist insists the Metropolitan Museum of Arts $95 million masterpiece is a fake.
James Grundvigs new book, Breaking van Gogh, claims the painting titled Wheat Field with Cypresses was really made in the late 1800s by Emile Schuffenecker, a third-level impressionist painter and suspected forger.
Look carefully at the canvas in Gallery 822 on the Mets second floor, and you can see some of the signs of a forgery, Grundvig says. One is a discordant blob of blue paint on the mountain in the background. That is not the kind of mistake van Gogh would make, said Grundvig. The blue blob is very egregious. Van Gogh never did a blue blob.
Compare the dark-colored cypress in the alleged fake to the lighter van Gogh cypress in Gallery 825 next door, which Grundvig believes is genuine. See the marked difference in the colors, brushstrokes, etc., Grundvig said. The two paintings of the same kind of tree look completely different. Grundvig a construction manager turned author who spent three years researching the van Gogh book says the paintings history supports his theory.
Van Gogh famed for chopping off his ear in an insane rage committed himself to an asylum in Saint Remy, France, in May 1889. The artist produced many paintings during his year there, supposedly including The Mets. In letters to his brother Theo later in 1889, van Gogh mentions two cypress paintings. Grundvig says that reference to two paintings somehow has come to justify the provenance of three cypress paintings the fake at the Met, and genuine van Goghs at the National Gallery in London and in a museum in Switzerland.
Van Gogh rolled up paintings before he shipped them from southern France to Theo, a Paris art dealer. This cracked the canvasses thick paint. Grundvig says theres no cracking on the painting consistent with having been rolled up. But the Met disagrees. It says the painting has weave impressions that show it was rolled up.
This story originally ran on NYPost.com.
It was a moment that would make even Samuel L. Jackson shriek in fear.
Passengers on a commercial flight in Mexico were given an unexpected shock when a serpent slithered into the cabin in a scene straight out of the Hollywood thriller "Snakes on a Plane."
Carrier Aeromexico confirmed that a live snake was found on board a flight Sunday afternoon in a statement released to Publimetro. Flight 231, which makes the two-hour trip once a day from Torreon, Coahuila, to Mexico City was forced to make an expedited landing so animal control could come aboard to collect the reptile.
La vibora voladora...ja ja ja. Una experiencia unica en el Vuelo Torreon-Mexico, vuelo 231 de Aeromexico. Eso si...Prioridad en aterrizaje. pic.twitter.com/qwDk6Wtszw Indalecio Medina (@Inda_medina) November 6, 2016
A brief video posted to Twitter shows a greenish snake emerging from the ceiling behind an overhead luggage compartment and then partially dropping down into the cabin.
Animal smuggler caught sneaking reptiles in his pants
Aeromexico said that the plane was given priority landing in Mexico City, where workers "secured the reptile." No passengers reported any injuries due to the incident but flier Indalecio Medina wrote on Facebook that he and another passenger caught the snake using a blanket and magazines before emergency personnel arrived.
The airline says it's investigating how the snake got into the airplane and is taking measures to avoid it happening in the future.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cruise lines say safety is their top priority, and their staffs and crew do everything they can to ensure guests are healthy and secure at all times. But how do travelers know theyre really protected at sea?
Medical experts say guests, to some degree, need to protect themselves, and they should be mindful that there are some medical limitations when theyre onboard a ship.
Medical insurance: A must
The first thing to consider before taking a cruise is your health insurance, says Dr. John Bradberry, former cruise ship physician and medical director for Carnival Cruise Line. If your policy doesnt cover travel outside the U.S., then its crucial to purchase travel insurance specific to your trip.
Kathy Lunceford, a Cruise Planners franchise owner, couldnt agree more. I had a client who fell on the ship, while in Panama, and literally poked a hole in his forehead, she said. They took him off the ship and he was hospitalized for about a week in Panama, and then he and his wife flew home. They called me and said, Thank you so much for making us buy travel insurance! If you ever need a referral, don't hesitate to call us. The insurance company handled everything for them.
Lawsuit alleges Royal Caribbean made no attempt to save man who died after falling overboard
Insurances have cost caps, however, and its important to have enough coverage that applies to both preexisting conditions as well as anything new that might come up like a heart attack onboard or even a motor vehicle accident injury ashore, which may prompt a pricey medical air evacuation. From the Caribbean to the U.S., such services can run upwards of $20,000 to $30,000 in addition to, say, $40,000 to $60,000 in hospital charges.
But being insured cant stop you from getting sick, so cruise lines try to do everything they can to keep passengers healthy. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) member companies, including most mainstream brands from Royal Caribbean International to Silversea Cruises, have passengers fill out a health questionnaire before they board to prevent the spread of communicable diseases like norovirus, which is now declining at sea.
Is Norovirus still a big issue?
Perceptions that cruise ships can be luxury breeding grounds for acute gastroenteritis outbreaks dont hold water, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported this year. A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report showed that from 2008 to 2014, only 0.18 percent of more than 73 million cruise passengers and 0.15 percent of some 28 million crew members reported symptoms of the illness.
As to the exaggeration of norovirus aboard cruises, another CDC release said, Norovirus often gets a lot of attention for outbreaks on cruise ships, but those account for only about 1 percent of all reported norovirus outbreaks. Truth is the virus is more likely to be contracted at a restaurant than onboard a cruise ship, and even the frequency there is on the decline, acute gastroenteritis dropping from 27.2 cases per 100,000 travel days in 2008 to 22.3 in 2014, according to the latest CDC study.
Thats not to say that outbreaks never occur, but cruise ships are highly scrutinized and present more tools for passengers to avoid them these days. Each ship that enters the U.S. is subject to unannounced United States Public Health inspections twice annually as part of the Vessel Sanitation Program, and scores are publicly made available by the CDC.
Whats more, even though Dr. Bradberry admits norovirus outbreaks are Seldom the fault of cruise line, ships, which have improved their equipment over the years, encourage frequent hand washing, which the doctor says is the best form of prevention, by presenting plenty of sanitation stations and sink basins.
If you do get sick
For more serious medical incidents, CLIA companies have agreed to meet or exceed the requirements of the American College of Emergency Physicians Health Care Guidelines for Cruise Ships, which were last revised in 2014. According to the guidelines, onboard medical facilities should have at least one examination room and one intensive care unit, and staffers must be licensed and certified in advanced life support.
5 Zika free cruises you should book right now
Onboard medical centers are not intended to be full service hospitals, nor is it reasonable to expect them to be, Bradberry said. But the medical facilities are equipped and the medical staff qualified to provide initial stabilizing care for medical emergencies.
In the meantime, pharmacies are available on cruise ships, and in most cases, patients are actually treated onboard faster than they would be on land thanks to much closer and timelier proximity to medical staff and facilities without the need for an ambulance to reach them, for instance.
Emergencies can even include births, though theyre very rare because women who have reached their 24th week of pregnancy are generally not allowed to sail. But that doesnt always stop them. In one case, Bradberry recalled, the mother-to-be successfully concealed her late-stage pregnancy and falsified a questionnaire asking if she was pregnant. She gave birth on board at sea in the ships medical center.
Mother and baby did well. She named the baby after the Carnival ship she was sailing on.
Miracle baby born on cruise ship: What pregnant passengers need to know
In extreme cases, some emergencies require aforementioned medical evacuations. If a ship cant immediately dock and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter is within range, they will do what is in the best interest of the patient, Bradberry said. But if the Coast Guard is out of range, the onboard medical team must provide the comprehensive and definitive medical care for patients.
Overall, cruise ships offer an extremely safe and enjoyable environment, Bradberry said. As always, use common sense. In the unlikely event you or a loved one experience a medical emergency, have the peace of mind of knowing that cruise ship medicine has come a long way, and that excellent medical care is typically available today on cruise ships.
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Stephen King is launching his latest work, "Hearts in Suspension," with a reading of the book at his alma mater, the University of Maine.
The book's publication on Monday marks the 50th anniversary of King's entrance into UMaine in 1966.
Monday evening, King plans to discuss his student days during the turbulent Vietnam War era at the Collins Center for the Arts.
The book is being published by the University of Maine Press. It's accompanied by a novella in which King reflects on his undergraduate years; four installments of King's student newspaper column, "King's Garbage Truck;" and essays by 12 of King's classmates and friends.
Police say an east Georgia police officer fatally shot a man in a car chase that ended in western Alabama.
Columbus Police Chief Ricky Boren tells multiple news outlets that the chase started around 4 a.m. Sunday in Columbus, Georgia, and ended in Phenix City, Alabama, where the shooting occurred.
Russell County District Attorney Kenneth Davis tells the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer that the officer believed the vehicle was stolen and was being used as a weapon.
Davis says the officer fatally shot the driver of the vehicle, which also carried another man and woman. The two suspects were injured and taken to Midtown Medical Center in Columbus.
The names of the suspects have not been released.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting.
A former teacher who faked his own attack at Bothell High School in Washington earlier this year has pleaded guilty to two criminal charges.
Calvin Pygott pleaded guilty to making a false or misleading statement and obstructing public officers, according to the city of Bothell. He will serve 20 days of home detention and pay $17,000 in court-ordered fines including restitution to the Bothell Police Department.
Pygott resigned as of Oct. 6, the school district said. He also notified the district he was surrendering his teaching license.
Back in May, Pygott was found bleeding with a zip tie around his neck. Pygott said he was attacked from behind while in his classroom. Bothell police locked down the school and opened an investigation that kept turning up inconsistencies with Pygotts statement.
Police said Pygott finally admitted that he tied the zip tie around his neck and hurt himself with a hammer. Pygott said he did it because he was in debt.
Click for more from Q13 Fox.
A shooting that erupted southeast of Atlanta killed a deputy and wounded another, as investigators revealed Monday it all started with a gunman angry about his neighbors riding four-wheelers around the area.
Deputy Patrick Sondron served with the Peach County Sheriff's Office for over 12 years pic.twitter.com/vX3me44bod 13WMAZ News (@13wmaznews) November 7, 2016
Peach County Sgt. Patrick Sondron, 41, was pronounced dead at 6:40 p.m. Sunday at Peach County Medical Center, coroner Kerry Rooks told Fox 5. His partner, Del Smallwood, was critically wounded.
The suspect, identified as Ralph Elrod, confronted his neighbors who were riding an ATV and a motorcycle in Byron on Sunday evening, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported. The bureau said Elrod threatened the neighbors with a gun.
The neighbors went home and called 911, Fox 5 added. The deputies had walked only 10 to 15 yards from their patrol vehicles when the suspect opened fire, GBI Special Agent in Charge J.T. Ricketson told WSB.
"These guys came out here to help people. That's what's troubling to me," Ricketson said at a news conference.
Other officers fired back and ultimately took the suspect into custody. He reportedly was shot in the abdomen.
"Sgt. Sondron has been with us a long time. He was one of our shift supervisors, family man," Sheriff Terry Deese told WSB.
Click for more from Fox 5 Atlanta.
Jury selection was halted before it began Monday in the federal case of a white man accused of fatally shooting nine black parishioners, with the judge holding a hearing closed to everyone but the defendant and his own lawyers.
CLOSING ARGUMENTS BEGIN IN TRIAL OF DAD ACCUSED OF LEAVING SON TO DIE IN HOT SUV
U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel opened the scheduled jury selection phase by saying he had received a request from the lawyers for Dylann Roof, 22, that required the judge's immediate attention. Gergel did not say specifically what the attorneys wanted to discuss, saying only the request had to do with Roof's right to a fair and impartial jury and trial.
Monday was to be the first day in what could be a multi-week process of whittling down a jury pool for Roof, who faces 33 federal charges including hate crimes and obstruction of religion, for the June 2015 shooting deaths at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. The courthouse was teeming with news media, members of the public, and dozens of relatives of the shooting victims.
ROBERT DURST TO APPEAR IN LOS ANGELES COURT ON MURDER CHARGE
But at 9 a.m., as the first panel of 10 juror candidates was set to be called in, Gergel said he had received a last-minute request for a hearing from Roof's defense team. Saying juror selection for the day would be called off, Gergel read from the bench a statement saying he'd be holding a hearing from which prosecutors, reporters and the public would be excluded.
"The closing of the hearing is necessary to protect the attorney-client privilege and the defendant's right to a fair and impartial jury," Gergel said.
Several news media organizations argued that the hearing should be open or, at the very least, a recording or transcript of portions not related to attorney-client privilege should be made available. Gergel said he would consider releasing a redacted transcript but didn't say when.
"Circumstances sometimes take over," Gergel said. "If I had an alternative choice, I would have done it, believe me. ... I cannot, at this point, imagine any reasonable alternative."
Gergel said jury selection would resume on Wednesday. Court already had been canceled for Tuesday and Friday because of Election Day and Veterans Day, respectively.
The process is expected to take several weeks, with opening statements perhaps not coming until after Thanksgiving. The trial itself is expected to run into the new year and will be in two phases: to decide Roof's guilt or innocence and, if he is convicted, to determine if he should be sentenced to life in prison or death. Roof faces a second death-penalty trial in state court next year.
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The Latest in the trial of a former South Carolina police officer charged with the murder of an unarmed black man (all times local):
12:10 p.m.
The scene minutes after the fatal shooting of a black motorist has become the focus of testimony in the trial of a white former South Carolina police officer charged in the death.
North Charleston police Lt. Daniel Bowman is on the stand in murder trial of Michael Slager, who shot and killed Walter Scott as he ran from a traffic stop in April 2015.
Bowman testified that after he responded to the scene, Slager told him the shooting occurred as Scott held the officer's Taser and pointed it at Slager. That is contradicted by dramatic cellphone video of Slager shooting Scott in the back from yards away as Scott fled the officer.
The trial entered its second week Monday. Slager could be sentenced to 30 years to life if convicted.
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10:30 a.m.
The first officer to reach the scene after Officer Michael Slager shot and killed a black motorist in South Carolina testifies that no police backup was available for Slager on the morning of the April 2015 shooting.
The defense continued it cross-examination of Clarence Habersham on Monday as the murder trial of Slager entered a second week in Charleston.
Slager, who is white, faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted in the shooting death of 50-year-old Walter Scott in North Charleston. A bystander recorded video of the shooting on his cellphone.
Scott was shot as he ran from a traffic stop after being pulled over by Slager, who was alone in his patrol car at the time.
Habersham says two other officers assigned to the district where Slager was patrolling were serving warrants at the time of the incident. He also agreed with the defense that people who are stopped tend to be more compliant if there is a second officer at the scene.
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3:30 a.m.
The murder trial resumes Monday for a former South Carolina police officer who fatally shot a black man in the back during a traffic stop.
Michael Slager, who's white, is accused of shooting Walter Scott in North Charleston in April 2015. Cellphone video of the shooting has been seen millions of times on the internet.
Jurors also have seen the video and heard from 11 witnesses called by the state, including the bystander who took the video.
Prosecutors will resume their case Monday. Slager faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted of murder.
The jury includes 11 whites and one black. Attorneys for Scott's family say they're not concerned about the jury's racial makeup and believe any jury seeing the video would render a just verdict.
Authorities in New Jersey took the person of interest in a deadly stabbing attack into custody Sunday night after a standoff.
Newark police arrested 26-year-old Jeremy Arrington after he barricaded himself inside a home in the city. Arrington was being sought in connection to the deadly knife attack that left two children and a woman dead as well as three others injured.
According to WABC, Arrington was considered to be armed and dangerous and SWAT teams converged on his home. Arrington gave himself up without incident after about 30 minutes negotiating with police.
A possible motive for the attack has not been disclosed.
Arrington has not been charged in the stabbings, but is also wanted on charges of sexual assault and aggravated assault for an unrelated incident on Oct. 9, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray said at a news conference Saturday.
Prosecutors on Sunday released the names of the three who were killed. They said 8-year-old Aerial Little Whitehurst and 11-year-old Al-Jahon Whitehurst both died at a hospital shortly after the attack. A county spokesman said the two Newark children are related, but he declined further comment.
The three injured a 29-year-old woman, a 13-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl remained hospitalized in critical but stable condition.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on Saturday called the attack "one of the most tragic and savage" he's seen. The mayor pleaded for anyone with information to come forward, NJ.com reported.
"We have to get him immediately before he hurts someone else," he said. "As long as he's on the street, nobody is safe."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Investigators will continue Monday combing for human remains and other clues on the South Carolina property of a man accused of a grisly crime spree stretching more than a decade.
Todd Kohlhepp became a suspect in at least seven deaths after a woman was found Thursday chained by her neck and ankle in a metal storage container on his 95-acre property near rural Woodruff.
His arrest in that case led to his confession in a notorious quadruple slaying at a motorcycle shop from 2003 in the small town of Chesnee, investigators said. He was denied bond Sunday during a brief court appearance on four murder charges for those slayings.
He's also charged with kidnapping the woman, and more criminal counts are expected. Authorities suspect he killed at least three people other than the motorcycle shop victims.
A Spartanburg County Sheriff's investigative report says Kohlhepp "confessed to investigators that he shot and killed" the motorcycle shop's owner, service manager, mechanic and bookkeeper, giving details only the killer would know.
Now, Sheriff Chuck Wright, who was first elected about a year after the Superbike Motorsports killings, has a wide-ranging investigation of a crime spree over more than a decade.
The investigation has expanded to other properties Kohlhepp, a real estate agent, either currently or used to own. Those properties are not limited to South Carolina, Wright said Sunday, declining to be more specific.
Both the FBI and Homeland Security are involved, he said.
Kohlhepp showed investigators Saturday where he says he buried two other victims on the property he bought two years ago. Human remains were uncovered Sunday at one of those sites, Wright said.
"We're not even close" on identifying the remains or cause of death, he said. "We can't tell anything."
Kohlhepp did not tell investigators who was buried there. Removing the remains to "preserve every bit of evidence" is a meticulous, time-consuming process, said Coroner Rusty Clevenger.
The gravesites Kohlhepp pointed to are in addition to the body found Friday in a shallow grave at the site. Authorities identified that victim as the boyfriend of the woman found Thursday. Clevenger said he died of multiple gunshot wounds.
The Associated Press is not naming the woman because the suspect is a sex offender, though authorities have not said whether she was sexually assaulted.
On Sunday, Kohlhepp appeared in an orange jumpsuit for the brief bond hearing and declined to make a statement. He didn't have an attorney.
After Kohlhepp left the courtroom, Magistrate Judge Jimmy Henson told the family members they would have a chance later to address Kohlhepp in court.
"You have something to say. You've been waiting 13 years to say it," he said.
The father of Brian Lucas, the 29-year-old slain service manager, thanked the judge.
"Your honor, I appreciate your words to us and your counsel," Tom Lucas said as two others put their hands on his shoulders. "We thank you."
Before the hearing, Lucas said he wanted to be in court to look Kohlhepp in the eye.
"I want to look at him, and I want to try to use that in healing," he said.
Before Kohlhepp emerged as a suspect, investigators had said all four victims were killed with the same pistol. They have theorized that the killer came in the back and killed mechanic Chris Sherbert, 26, as he worked. Bookkeeper Beverly Guy, 52, was found just outside the bathroom in the middle of the showroom.
Thirty-year-old shop owner Scott Ponder was found just outside the door in the parking lot. He was Guy's son. Brian Lucas was in the doorway of the shop.
Melissa Ponder, who was married to Scott Ponder, said detectives told her Kohlhepp was an angry customer who had been in the motorcycle shop several times.
"It isn't closure, but it is an answer," Ponder said by phone. "And I am thankful for that."
Kohlhepp was released from prison in Arizona in 2001. As a teenager, he was convicted of raping a 14-year-old neighbor at gunpoint and threatening to kill her siblings if she called police.
Kohlhepp had to register as a sex offender. But that didn't stop him from getting a South Carolina real estate license in 2006, building a firm and maintaining the appearance of normalcy.
In Woodruff on Sunday, scores of people congregated outside the chain link fence that surrounds the wooded property.
"Things like this don't happen at home," said Tina Gowan, who lives in Pauline but grew up in Moore, where Kohlhepp lived. "He looked like your everyday Joe."
She was among those who prayed at the fence.
Frances Bradley, who lives near the 95-acre site, said God answered prayers in solving the 2003 cold case.
"I was so awe-struck by the revelation," she said, she felt a need to pray at the fence before going to church. "I thanked God for giving us good out of this."
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Kinnard reported from Spartanburg, South Carolina.
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Associated Press writers Jonathan Drew in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
A woman was shoved to her death in front of a moving train at Times Square station Monday afternoon, authorities said.
The 49-year-old victim was standing on the platform waiting for the 1 train when a 30-year-old woman wearing a pink shirt and scarf shoved her onto the tracks around 1:20 p.m., authorities said.
She was struck by an oncoming train and died at the scene, police said. The suspect, who has a history of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, was taken into custody, according to police.
The women were seen arguing on the train platform before the deadly push, cops said.
The suspect looked proud after she shoved the victim onto the tracks, according to an MTA worker.
About 5 minutes ago 20 police officers escorted her outHer head was up kinda proud of what she did, the MTA worker said.
He added, When I first arrived the train was out of service. And the NYPD and FDNY were evacuating people from the 2 train.
Police were reviewing surveillance footage of the fatal push, Manhattan Chief of Detectives William Aubry said at a press conference.
Click for more from The New York Post.
The Defense Department has identified three soldiers killed in a shooting this week outside a military base in Jordan.
The department said Sunday that 27-year-old Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen, of Lawrence, Kansas; 30-year-old Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe of Tucson, Arizona; and 27-year-old Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty of Kerrville, Texas, died Friday after the convoy they were in came under fire as it entered a Jordanian military base.
The Defense Department is investigating.
The department says the soldiers were assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Lewellen's family said in a statement to The Kirksville Daily Express he was raised in Kirksville, Missouri, and was a "born leader, a true American." They said his military awards included the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal.
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has returned to a clinic in France for a routine checkup.
The president's office said that Bouteflika, 79, traveled on Monday to a clinic in Grenoble, where he was treated nearly a year ago, for "periodic medical care."
Bouteflika suffered a stroke in 2013 that has left him wheelchair-bound. His five-day stay in a Geneva clinic in April fed rumors about a new health setback.
He spent time in a Grenoble clinic, in southeast France, last December.
Bouteflika took office in 1999 and has been re-elected three times, with the constitution modified to do away with a limit on presidential mandates.
Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, will be interviewed over sexual assault allegations, a Swedish prosecutor has said.
He will be interviewed at the Ecuadorian embassy in London on Monday, November 14.
ASSANGE SAYS HACKED CLINTON EMAILS DIDN'T COME FROM RUSSIA GOVERNMENT
An Ecuadorean prosecutor and the Swedish deputy prosecutor in the case against him will conduct the interview.
A Swedish police investigator will be allowed to attend.
If Mr Assange agrees, a DNA sample will also be taken, and the results of the interview will be reported to Swedish prosecutors in a statement.
The Swedish Prosecution Authority released a statement today, which said: After this report, the prosecutors will take a view on the continuation of the investigation.
Mr Assange is under investigation for an alleged rape in Sweden in 2010. He denies the allegation.
He has been holed up inside the Ecuadorean embassy for more than four years to avoid being extradited to face justice.
CYBERSECURITY THREAT TO ELECTION DAY IS SLIM, EXPERTS SAY
Earlier this month he claimed Hillary Clinton and ISIS are both being funded by the same shadowy groups operating in the Middle East.
The website owner says they have both received money from unnamed groups operating in countries including Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
A statement issued in Ecuador in August said: In the coming weeks a date will be established for the proceedings to be held at the Embassy of Ecuador in the United Kingdom.
For more than four years, the government of Ecuador has offered to co-operate in facilitating the questioning of Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, as well as proposing other political and legal measures, in order to reach a satisfactory solution for all parties involved in the legal case against Julian Assange, to end the unnecessary delays in the process and to ensure full and effective legal protection.
In line with this position, Ecuador proposed to Sweden the negotiation of an Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, which was signed last December and which provides the legal framework for the questioning.
This story first appeared in The Sun.
An obscure private firm hired by the State Department over internal objections to protect U.S. diplomats in Benghazi just months before the American ambassador and three others were killed was staffed with hastily recruited locals with terror ties who helped carry out the attack, multiple sources told Fox News.
The explosive charge against Wales-based Blue Mountain Group comes from several sources, including an independent security specialist who has implemented training programs at U.S. Consulates around the world, including in Benghazi, where he trained a local militia that preceded Blue Mountain. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Blue Mountain used local newspaper ads to assemble a team of 20 guards, many of whom had terror ties, after securing a $9.2 million annual contract.
The guards who were hired were locals who were part of the Ansar al-Sharia and Al Qaeda groups operating in Benghazi, said the source, whose assignment in Benghazi had ended in November 2011. Whoever approved contracts at the State Department hired Blue Mountain Group and then allowed Blue Mountain Group to hire local Libyans who were not vetted.
TIMELINE OF CLINTON'S BENGHAZI STATEMENTS
Many were members of the Libyan government-financed February 17th Martyrs Brigade, an Islamist militia that had previously guarded Americans before being replaced by Blue Mountain.
John Tig Tiegen, one of the CIA contractors that responded to the Sept. 11, 2012 attack and co-author of 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi, confirmed to Fox News that the local Libyans who attacked the consulate that night included guards working for Blue Mountain.
"Many of the local Libyans who attacked the consulate on the night of Sept. 11, 2012, were the actual guards that the State Department under Hillary Clinton hired to protect the Consulate in Benghazi, Tiegen told Fox News. The guards were unvetted and were locals with basically no background at all in providing security. Most of them never had held a job in security in the past.
Blue Mountain Libya, at the time of being awarded the contract by our State Department, had no employees so they quickly had to find people to work, regardless of their backgrounds, he said.
One former guard who witnessed the attack, Weeam Mohamed, confirmed in an email sent to the Citizens Commission on Benghazi and obtained by Fox News, that at least four of the guards hired by Blue Mountain took part in the attack after opening doors to allow their confederates in.
In the U.S. Mission, there were four people [who] belonged to the battalion February 17, Mohamed wrote to the Commission, an independent body formed with Accuracy in Media to investigate the attack and the administration's handling of it.
Always armed. And they are free to move anywhere inside a building mission.
And therefore, they had a chance to do an attack on the mission's headquarters. They have all the details about the place. At the same time they have given the United States a painful blow, Mohamed wrote.
Blue Mountain officials did not return multiple requests for comment. The State Department acknowledged in internal emails obtained by FoxNews.com the local recruits fell short of their duty, but discounted the claim any took an active role in the attack that resulted in the deaths of Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Foreign Service Information Officer Sean Smith and CIA contractors and former Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.
While the Accountability Review Board report and other reports were critical of our local guards performance, we are not aware of any evidence that they participated in the attacks themselves, said State Department spokesman John Kirby.
Blue Mountain was hired in February 2012, following an uprising that ended Col. Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule and plunged Libya into violent chaos. Congressional testimony in the wake of the attack on a consular office in Benghazi revealed that Stevens and his staff had made hundreds of requests for security upgrades but had been ignored by officials in Washington.
We kept asking for additional support, including a 50-caliber mounted machine gun, but the State Department would not give it to us, because they said it would upset the locals, the source told Fox News. Instead, the State Department hired a company that doesnt have employees, which then hired terrorists.
Clare Lopez, a member of Citizens' Commission on Benghazi, said the Clinton State Department bears blame for the security situation.
Think about it: Hillary Clinton's State Department actually hired the very people who, along with their jihadist allies in Benghazi, attacked us and killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and Sean Smith as well as CIA contractors Glen Doherty and Ty Woods, Lopez said.
According to government records obtained by the Washington-based Judicial Watch, the State Department was in a rush to hire Blue Mountain UK, and its affiliate, Blue Mountain Libya, which together formed The Blue Mountain Group to secure the Benghazi contract.
I understand there was a tremendous rush to get the original contract awarded, and the Service level agreement was most likely overlooked in the rush, wrote State Department contracting officer Jan Visintainer, in a June 6, 2012, email. Emails obtained from [missing word] after the attack showed Visintainer urged Blue Mountain officials not to talk to the media.
Blue Mountain UK was formed in 2008 by David Nigel Thomas, a former Special Air Service official. Charles Tiefer, a commissioner at the Commission on Wartime Contracting, told Reuters the company was not well known.
"Blue Mountain was virtually unknown to the circles that studied private security contractors working for the United States, before the events in Benghazi," Tiefer said.
Despite the size of the operation, and having no staff or track record with the State Department, Blue Mountain Group landed the $767,767-per-month contract to protect the Benghazi consular office, beginning on Feb. 17, 2012.
The company solicited applications in local newspapers and on websites, and very little, if any, screening of guards was done, the security specialist told Fox News. The lack of vetting led to several potentially dangerous hires beginning in March of 2012, he said.
One of those guards hired by Blue Mountain was the younger brother of the leader of Al Qaeda of Benghazi, he said.
In an email obtained by Judicial Watch, Jairo Saravia of the Regional Security office for the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, told his superiors in Washington that Blue Mountain had held and lost security contracts in Tripoli, with the Corinthian Hotel and Palm City complex.
The latest information is Blue Mountain is not licensed by the GOL (Government of Libya) to provide security services in Libya, Saravia wrote. I would advise not to use their services to provide security for any of our annexes and/or offices due to the sensitivity this issue has with the current GOL.
Prior to Blue Mountain, security for Americans in Benghazi had been provided by the February 17th Martyrs Brigade under a direct agreement with the State Department. Despite its Islamist orientation, the militia included dozens of locals who had been carefully cultivated and trained by the U.S., according to the source. The majority of the February 17 Militia guards were fired without warning when Blue Mountain was hired, leading some members to turn against the Americans, he said. The State Department kept on at least three February 17 employees for patrol.
Eric Nordstrom, the regional security officer in Libya who has vast, first-hand knowledge of some 600 security requests denied to the U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya, testified on May 8, 2013, before the Congressional Committee On Oversight & Government Reform that he was aware that employees with both February 17 Martyrs Brigade and Blue Mountain had ties to Islamist terrorists.
I had met with some of my agents and then also with some annex personnel. We discussed that, Nordstrom told lawmakers.
Nordstrom testified that the ferocity and intensity of the 13-hour, four-phase attack, on the 11th anniversary of 9/11, was nothing that they had seen in Libya, or that he had seen in his time in the Diplomatic Security Service, with as many as 60 attackers in the consulate.
I am stunned that the State Department was relying on [locals] with extremist ties to protect American diplomats, U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, told Fox News. That doesnt make any sense. How does that happen?
Fox News was able to verify through a former Libyan guard the identities of several February 17 employees hired despite terrorist ties, who he said participated in the attack. While their identities have been provided to federal authorizes, none have been prosecuted.
The Iraqi military reported Monday it found some 100 decapitated bodies in a mass grave south of the Islamic State-held city of Mosul.
Soldiers found the bodies near an agricultural college in the town of Hamam al-Alil, according to the spokesman for the Joint Military Command, Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool. Most were reduced to skeletons.
PENTAGON-BACKED KURDISH FORCES MAKE GAINS ON ISIS OUTSIDE MOSUL
A forensics team from Baghdad was set to investigate the site. Rasool said the state of the bodies made it difficult to tell by their clothes whether they were soldiers or civilians.
ISIS has carried out several massacres since it swept into northern and central Iraq in the summer of 2014, often documenting them with photos and videos circulated online.
KURDISH-LED REBELS ANNOUNCE CAMPAIGN AGAINST ISIS 'CAPITAL' OF RAQQA, SYRIA
Iraqi forces launched a massive operation last month to drive the extremists from Mosul and surrounding areas.
The terror group and related fighting has forced more than 3 million Iraqis to escape since 2014. As many as 33,000 have left Mosul, senior Obama administration officials said Monday, adding that the figure was lower than expected.
Baghdad officials said separate attacks in different suburbs of the capital have killed at least 14 people and wounded 43 others. Police said the deadliest among Monday's attacks unfolded in Arab Jabour in southern Baghdad when two mortar rounds landed in a residential area, killing four civilians and wounding 11 others.
In the western suburb of Abu Ghraib, three roadside bombs hit an Iraqi army patrol, killing an officer and two soldiers and wounding eight troops, police added. Other attacks targeted anti-ISIS Sunni tribal fighters, a checkpoint and two outdoor markets.
Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.
Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A German court has sentenced a far-right politician to eight months in prison for displaying a Nazi-style tattoo, stiffening the suspended term he originally received after prosecutors appealed.
The news agency dpa reported that the state court in Neuruppin, north of Berlin, on Monday upheld the defendant's conviction for incitement.
The case against Marcel Zech involves a tattoo that appeared to combine an image of the Auschwitz death camp with the slogan from the Buchenwald concentration camp's gate, "Jedem das Seine" "to each his own."
The 28-year-old admitted displaying the tattoo while visiting a swimming pool. In December, a district court in Oranienburg gave him a six-month suspended sentence.
Zech, a member of the far-right National Democratic Party, also appealed that verdict and had sought an acquittal.
The often foul-mouthed, combative president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, lashed out again at the United States by announcing he wanted to cancel a purchase of 26,000 American assault rifles meant to go to Filipino police.
The (rifles) that were ordered already. I am ordering the police to cancel it. Well just have to look for another source that is cheaper and maybe as durable and as good, Duterte said.
The outspoken leader has faced backlash from around the world since he took office June 30th, much of it focused on his threats to kill drug suspects on a massive scale. The drug war has killed as many as 4,100 people in just four months, AFP reported.
Critics including Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have claimed the U.S. should reconsider its aid to the Philippines. The senators staff signaled that he was opposed to the deal, a Senate aide told The Wall Street Journal.
The weapons were intended for a law enforcement assistance program aimed at improving policing in foreign countries, specifically related to human rights, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina said.
This is not the first time Duterte has spoken out against the U.S. Just last month, he announced his countrys separation from the United States while on a state visit to China and used a derogatory term to describe Obama, prompting the U.S. president to cancel a planned meeting with Duterte.
The U.S. and Philippines have an important military alliance, a union which is becoming more and more important as disputes in the Asian-Pacific region become more pronounced. While Duterte routinely announces his disdain over Western influence, he does still rely on advice from his top military brass, most whom who have strong ties to the United States.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An equal rights group is urging women across France to stop work at 4:34 p.m. (0340 GMT) on Monday to protest gender inequalities in the workplace.
According to the feminist group Les Glorieuses, which used a 2010 study from the statistical office of the European Union to make its calculations, salaries for men were 15.1 percent higher than for women.
The group says "if women were earning as much as men, they could stop working on Nov. 7 at 4:34 p.m." each year and be no worse off than they are now.
Les Glorieuses' protest was inspired by a similar action staged in Iceland last month.
Mikhail Saakashvili, the former Georgian president who became governor of Ukraine's Odessa region, announced Monday that he is resigning in frustration at what he characterized as obstruction in efforts to root out corruption.
Saakashvili was appointed governor of the corruption-riddled Black Sea region in May 2015 by President Petro Poroshenko. But in his resignation announcement in Odessa, Saakashvili accused Poroshenko of supporting the criminal clans in Odessa.
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT FALLS VICTIM OF PHONE HOAX
Saakashvili announced his resignation in a video posted on his Facebook page, saying he felt "cheated and tired."
"We are witnessing retrograde forces attacking everything progressive," he said. "We are seeing all new beginnings being nipped in the bud."
Poroshenko has made Ukraine's integration with the European Union a priority, but endemic corruption throughout the country impedes that policy.
UKRAINIAN MAN CHANGES HIS NAME TO IPHONE 7 TO WIN A FREE DEVICE
During Saakashvili's 2004-2013 tenure as Georgian president, one of his main achievements was a significant reduction in corruption as well as a crackdown on organized crime. He reformed the Georgian police force, ending its long history of bribe-taking.
Hot-tempered and uncompromising, Saakashvili was a divisive figure. He left Georgia after his party lost the 2012 parliamentary election and was stripped of his Georgian citizenship after becoming Odessa governor.
His efforts in Odessa, Ukraine's main Black Sea port, have met stiff resistance. He accused local elites of thwarting his efforts, especially Odessa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov, a member of the party once headed by Viktor Yanukovych, the former Ukrainian president who fled in 2014 to Russia following massive protests.
Saakashvili has likened Odessa, known for its exquisite theaters and museums but also for its organized crime, to Chicago at the time of Al Capone.
Last December, a video was made public of Saakashvili lambasting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov over alleged corruption during the national Reforms Council. Avakov in turn mocked Saakashvili's stutter and threw a glass of water at him.
In the summer, Saakashvili took the dramatic step of setting up his office in a tent alongside a main highway that is in poor condition despite government promises to fix it.
In a video of his resignation announcement, Saakashvili said he would begin "a new step in the fight," but it was not immediately clear what that would entail. He has founded a new political movement, which staged anti-corruption rallies that attracted thousands across Ukraine.
"Saakashvili's resignation deals a powerful blow to reformist forces in Ukraine and gives a bad signal to the West," said Vadim Karasyov, a Kiev-based political analyst. "The charismatic Saakashvili now has just one option: to join the opposition. And that may herald a new wave of massive protests in Ukraine."
A wall that will tower more than 12 feet is being built in Munich after locals raised fears young refugees would be moving into the area.
#Germany: 4 meter high wall to protect the citizens of #Munich (Neuperlach) before the unaccompanied minors migrants. pic.twitter.com/5692AmNICq Onlinemagazin (@OnlineMagazin) November 7, 2016
The barrier which is higher than the Berlin Wall is being built in Neuperlach Sud to separate the current community from the 160 unaccompanied young migrants moving to a nearby shelter.
Locals who campaigned for the wall argued that the values of their home would decrease if the refugees remained in the area for an extended period of time.
PAKISTAN TO DEPORT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S 'AFGHAN GIRL'
They also raised concerns about the noise and behavior of the refugees.
The Berlin Wall, which stood at 11.8 feet, is smaller than the new wall.
A local judge of the Administrative Court in Munich permitted the wall, saying the new arrivals should not be able to use the wall for ball throwing games or other leisure use, local news Merkur reported.
DISPLACED SYRIANS FEAR RETURN, MARKING A DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFT
While the wall has been used as an example of how Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkels refugee policy is not working, the structure is not supported by the entire community.
Deputy District chairman Guido Bucholtz said: I was frightened when I saw this monster of a wall.
The wall will reportedly be covered in vines after it is completed.
One couple told local medai: Donald Trump wants to build a wall for Mexico, and we in Munich Neuperlach build one to keep us safe from refugees.
Merkel recently admitted that Germany may have failed with its open-door immigration policy, saying: If I could, I would go back in time to be better prepared for the refugee crisis in 2015, for which we were rather unprepared.
Concerns also have been raised that some asylum seekers who escaped their war-torn countries were returning to their homes for a holiday, despite claiming they needed to flee persecution.
Germany has accepted more than 1.3 million asylum seekers, but has sought to reconsider its policy around migration.
This story first appeared in The Sun.
An official in Malia says that Islamic extremists attacked a town about 150 kilometers (93 miles) north of Bamako, the closest attack to the capital since March.
Amadou Sangho, spokesman for the interior security ministry, said Monday that no one was killed in the attack by assailants who entered and escaped Banamba in three vehicles Sunday.
A Malian soldier says the Macina Liberation Front was responsible for the attack on the national guard and gendarmerie posts. The soldier, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not permitted to speak to press, says jihadis also broke into a bank and a jail.
Jihadists in March attacked the European Union military training mission's headquarters in Bamako, killing one person. In November 2015 they attacked Bamako's Radisson Blu hotel, killing 20 people.
An American citizen detained by Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen for more than a year and a half has been released, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday.
In a statement, Kerry welcomed reports of the release of Wallead Yusuf Pitts Luqman, recognizing it as a "positive gesture by the Houthis."
UNITED NATIONS AGENCY: YEMEN WAR HAS TAKEN OUT HALF OF HEALTH FACILITIES
Last month, in a Facebook posting, Luqman's wife Jihan Mohamed appealed for her husband's release, saying he was being "held unjustly" without charges by the Houthis' political security organization in the capital Sanaa. She said her husband had been in Yemen teaching English and was detained in April 2015 while trying to leave the country by bus.
Kerry expressed his appreciation to Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said and his government for their help in securing Luqman's "safe return."
YEMENI REBELS SHOW ALLEGED SAUDI CAPTIVES ON TV
The Houthis had earlier released several other Americans who were detained after the Shiite rebels took control of Sanaa.
Yemen, on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has been in the midst of a civil war since September 2014 when the Houthi rebels swept into Sanaa and overthrew the government of President Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi. In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition of Arab countries began a military campaign against Houthi forces.
The Saudi-led campaign initially had the logistical and intelligence support of the U.S., but mounting civilian casualties from its airstrikes led to America pulling back.
A human rights group in Yemen said in a report Sunday that violations by the warring parties in the southern city of Taiz, Yemen's third largest city, have killed or wounded hundreds of civilians.
The Houthis have besieged Taiz since March. Taiz residents say more than 1,600 civilians have been killed.
Radhya al-Mutawakel, the head of the Mwatana Organization for Human Rights, said the violations in Taiz "amount to war crimes."
When Souad al-Shammary posted a series of tweets about the thick beards worn by Saudi clerics, she never imagined she would land in jail.
She put up images of several men with beards: An Orthodox Jew, a hipster, a communist, an Ottoman Caliph, a Sikh, and a Muslim. She wrote that having a beard was not what made a man holy or a Muslim. And she pointed out that one of Islam's staunchest critics during the time of Prophet Muhammad had an even longer beard than him.
The frank comments are typical of this twice-divorced mother of six and graduate of Islamic law. Raised a devout girl in a large tribe where she tended sheep, al-Shammary is now a 42-year-old liberal feminist who roots her arguments in Islam, taking on Saudi Arabia's powerful religious establishment.
She has paid a price for her opinions. She spent three months in prison without charge for "agitating public opinion." She has been barred by the government from traveling abroad. Her co-founder of the online forum Free Saudi Liberals Network, blogger Raif Badawi, is serving a 10-year prison sentence and was publicly lashed 50 times. Her father disowned her in public.
None of it was enough to keep her quiet.
"I have rights that I don't view as against my religion," says al-Shammary. "I want to ask for these rights, and I want those who make decisions to hear me and act."
Across the Arab world, female Islamic scholars and activists have long been pushing for interpretations of Shariah law that consider men and women as equals before God. Al-Shammary is one of the most vocal and high-profile religious and women's rights activists within Saudi Arabia.
"She's very sure of what she's saying she doesn't hesitate," says Sahar Nassief, a friend and fellow Saudi activist. "She literally comes from a Bedouin environment, a desert environment. She's very proud of her background, but this makes her a bit blunt with everyone and very blunt in what she says."
Al-Shammary grew up the daughter of a peasant farmer in Ha'il, a landlocked province. As the eldest of 12 children, she was in charge of the sheep. She was not just religious but a practicing Salafi, a Muslim who adheres to a literalist interpretation of Islamic law.
She graduated from the University of Ha'il with a degree in Islamic studies and became a public school teacher. At 17, she married a man twice her age from the same tribe. She had a girl, Yara, was divorced at 20 and then re-married, this time to the chief judge in Ha'il who'd overseen her divorce proceedings.
Al-Shammary's journey to activism began on the day her daughter was taken from her.
Almost as soon as Yara turned seven, her ex-husband gained custody. Since al-Shammary had remarried, the court ruled that the girl should live with her father rather than in a house with another man.
"When they took her and said, 'this is Allah's will' and 'this is Islam', this is when my internal rebellion was sparked," says al-Shammary. "There is no way that there is a God in this universe that would accept this injustice and this pain on the basis that I am a woman."
For eight years, she fought her parents, her community and anyone who stood between her and Yara, whom she wasn't able to see.
"I became crazy, but in front of my parents and my husband the judge, and the tribal community around him, and because of my position in the community and my name, I was expected to just sit like this and be a hero," she says, making an expressionless face and clasping her hands.
She had five children from her second marriage, but it wasn't long before she was divorced again.
When Yara's father fell ill and the grandmother passed away, he finally allowed her, then 16, to live with her mother again. Al-Shammary relocated to the more liberal city of Jiddah with all her children finally under one roof.
She used her knowledge of Shariah as a legal adviser for women in need. Sometimes her advice was more Machiavellian than pious. Once she told a friend to wear some make-up, find out which judge was slated to oversee her case, and then cry in front of him and plead for her court date to be moved up. It worked.
She shared her thoughts online on how Islam sees people, including women, as born free and equal, ideas she found in line with liberalism. So began a war of words and of images.
After she posted the pictures of men with beards, top clerics and other conservatives in the kingdom called her a hypocrite, a disbeliever, wicked and evil. Her outspokenness and her appearances on television talk shows without a face veil were not easy on her family in Ha'il. Her younger brother, Fayez, recalls being told by a community elder: "You aren't a man. How can you allow your sister to behave like this?"
Fayez says he left Ha'il for about seven years because the comments became unbearable. His marriage proposal to a girl from another tribe was rejected because of his sister's reputation. He also came to blows with one of his younger brothers who cursed her flagrant disregard for social norms, with the two ending up in the hospital.
Even Yara opposed her at first. And kids at school would taunt her sons. In turn, they sometimes lashed out against their mother, Fayez says.
Al-Shammary was detained at the women's section of Jiddah's Briman prison on October 28, 2014. She was accused of agitating public opinion. She was never tried or convicted.
In prison, al-Shammary continued her advocacy behind bars, telling women that music is permissible and explaining their legal rights. She says female Muslim missionaries began appearing in prison more often, telling women their time there was the will of God. The television was always turned onto the religious Majd channel.
She was released from detention on January 29, 2015. She had to sign a pledge to reduce her activism. And a male relative, Fayez, had to sign for her release. She continues to tweet to her more than 207,000 followers, though she says she weighs her words more carefully than before.
Yara supports her mother's activism, although she still wishes al-Shammary would not argue against the hijab or with influential religious figures.
"She is so encouraging to me," Yara says. "She survived stuff that you can't survive."
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Follow Aya Batrawy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ayaelb
Montenegrin lawmakers have convened for the first time since last month's election with opposition parties boycotting the inaugural session amid tensions over alleged foiled coup attempt orchestrated by Russian nationalists.
The session Monday in the historic capital of Cetinje was attended by 42 lawmakers in the 81-seat parliament, including members of the ruling pro-Western DPS party and allied groups.
It was held a day after a Montenegrin prosecutor said unidentified Russian nationalists were behind the election day plot to assassinate the country's prime minister and take over power because of his government's NATO membership bid.
The Kremlin has denied involvement.
Opposition parties have rejected the result of the Oct. 16 vote, claiming it was rigged. The DPS won 36 seats, followed by opposition Democratic Front with 18 seats.
Palestinians will soon get a chance to glimpse the small bedroom where their longtime leader Yasser Arafat spent his final years.
The 54-square-foot room is the centerpiece of the new Arafat Museum, which opens to the public on Thursday to coincide with the 12th anniversary of Arafat's death.
The room has only a single bed and small closet that barely holds four suits, a few checkered headscarves and shirts. There is also a nightstand and lamp, a prayer carpet and a painting by his then-young daughter Zahwa.
Arafat spent most of the last three years of his life in this bedroom on the ground floor of his Ramallah headquarters, known as the Muqata.
Israel confined him to the building on Dec. 8, 2001, accusing him of masterminding a violent uprising at the time. He remained holed up there until Oct. 29, 2004, when Israel allowed him to travel to France for emergency medical care. He died from a mysterious illness at the age of 75 two weeks later.
The bedroom, left largely untouched since Arafat's death, is housed in a vacant wing of the Muqata that is connected to the new $7 million, 28,000 square foot museum by a bridge.
"Arafat's story is the story of the Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom and independence," said Nasser Kidwa, Arafat's nephew and head of the Arafat Foundation.
The museum tracks Arafat's life, saying he was born on Aug. 4, 1929, in the Old City of Jerusalem, though other accounts have said he was born in either Gaza or Cairo.
It displays many of his famous belongings: the old radio he used when he was working underground in the West Bank after Israel captured the territory in 1967, his last pair of eyeglasses, pens, handwritten papers and a gun he kept on his office desk.
It also traces the history of the Palestinians, including the "naqba," or catastrophe, the term they use to describe the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who either fled or were forced from their homes in the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948; the 1993 Oslo peace accord with Israel; the Israeli siege on his headquarters; his illness and death and burial in Ramallah.
Revered at home as the father of the Palestinian national struggle and seen in parts of the world as a symbol of liberation, he was reviled by many in Israel and the West as promoting violence. The museum portrays some periods, such as plane hijackings in the 1970s and the second Palestinian uprising, as part of the national struggle and avoids mention of some attacks carried out by the Palestine Liberation Organization under his watch, such as a deadly attack on Israeli Olympic athletes in Munich, in the years before the Oslo accord.
The museum displays photos of Arafat in the main stations of his life, including the Nobel Peace Prize Medal he shared in 1994 with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.
The medal was among many of Arafat's belongings that were looted when the rival Hamas militant group seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. Hamas recently returned the medal at the request of the museum.
The museum tour ends with images of Israeli bulldozers razing buildings at his headquarters and reaching the walls of his bedroom. In his office, Arafat kept posters of two foreign activists killed in clashes with the Israeli military, American Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall of the U.K. The guards' room includes two beds and their Kalashnikov rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
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A German kidnapped by Somali pirates eight years ago may now be held captive by Islamic militants in the southern Philippines, the country's military said Monday after finding the man's yacht and a woman's body inside.
Regional military spokesman Maj. Filemon Tan said Abu Sayyaf spokesman Muamar Askali claimed the militants kidnapped Jurgen Gustav Kantner and killed his female companion while the couple were cruising off neighboring Malaysia's Sabah state.
It's not clear why the woman was purportedly killed, but it's possible she may have fought back or tried to escape, Tan and another military official said.
Villagers reported finding a dead woman lying beside a shotgun on board a light blue yacht with the German flag and marked "Rockall" off Laparan Island in Sulu province, Tan said. The southern province is where ransom-seeking militants have held many hostages in jungle camps.
Kantner, 69, and his wife were reportedly kidnapped off Somalia on board the Rockall in 2008 and later freed by Somali pirates, Tan said. Authorities did not know whether the woman kidnapped in Somalia is the same woman who was killed.
Troops took custody of the woman's body and the yacht Monday. Both were being examined by police investigators in Tawi Tawi province near Sulu, the military's Western Mindanao Command said in a statement.
"Alarming is that the body found was naked and had several contusions to the face and was possibly raped," the military said.
In Berlin, Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said German authorities were working with their Philippine counterparts to learn what happened.
"We can and will confirm such reports ... only when German consular employees have really established without doubt, with their own eyes and ears or by other means, that they are correct," Schaefer said. "We're not there yet."
The Abu Sayyaf, which is blacklisted by the U.S. and the Philippines as a terrorist organization, holds more than a dozen foreign and local hostages.
Abu Sayyaf and allied gunmen have committed many attacks at sea despite efforts by the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia to jointly shore up security along their busy sea border. Indonesians and Malaysians have been kidnapped from tugboats and fishing boats in recent months.
Indonesia's Foreign Ministry confirmed receiving information about the separate kidnappings of two Indonesian skippers of vessels off Sabah over the weekend, saying it was in touch with Malaysian and Philippine government officials about the latest abductions.
Indonesia's government has urged Indonesian crewmen in Sabah to avoid sailing in the risky waters until security has improved, the ministry said.
The kidnappings have continued despite one of the largest military offensives against Abu Sayyaf, mainly in Sulu and the nearby island province of Basilan, involving more than 6,000 troops, navy gunboats and rocket-firing air force aircraft.
Without a known foreign source of funds, Abu Sayyaf has survived mostly on ransom kidnappings, extortion and other acts of banditry.
A confidential Philippine government threat assessment report seen by The Associated Press said the militants pocketed at least 353 million pesos ($7.3 million) from ransom kidnappings in the first six months of the year and have turned to abductions of foreign tugboat crewmen as military offensives restricted their mobility.
Anticipating that the Abu Sayyaf may soon demand ransom for the German, Tan appealed for people to follow the Philippine government's no-ransom policy.
"If we give in to ransom, a greater damage will be done. They can use the money to buy arms and to feed their bandits and that will fuel again the tendency for them to kidnap," Tan said. "It becomes a lucrative business."
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who took office June 30, has ordered troops to destroy the Abu Sayyaf and has ruled out the possibility of any peace talks with them. He has pursued talks with two other larger Muslim insurgent groups.
The government report said the Abu Sayyaf had 481 fighters with 438 firearms in the first half of the year, but the military reported last week that it had killed 70 of the militants and captured 32 others since July in Basilan and Sulu, a Muslim province about 950 kilometers (590 miles) south of Manila.
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AP writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
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This story has been corrected to show the man allegedly kidnapped is Jurgen Gustav Kantner, not Juegen Kantner.
The Pentagon on Sunday identified three Green Berets killed in a shooting outside a military base in Jordan.
The Defense Dept. reported that 27-year-old Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen, of Lawrence, Kansas; 30-year-old Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe of Tucson, Arizona; and 27-year-old Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty of Kerrville, Texas, died Friday after their convoy came under fire as it entered a Jordanian military base in Jafr.
The Defense Department is investigating.
IRAQI KURDISH FORCES ADVANCE ON ISIS-HELD TOWN EAST OF MOSUL
The soldiers were assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.
Lewellen's family said in a statement to The Kirksville Daily Express he was raised in Kirksville, Missouri, and was a "born leader, a true American." They said his military awards included the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal.
GREG PALKOT REPORTS: AVENGING THE ISIS TERROR MONSTER
Jordan is a key U.S. ally and member of a U.S-led military coalition fighting the Islamic State terror group, which controls parts of neighboring Iraq and Syria.
Shots were fired as a car carrying the Americans tried to enter the al-Jafr base at about noon local time on Friday, military officials in the U.S. and Jordan said.
A Jordanian officer was also wounded, Jordanian officials said. It was not clear what prompted the shooting.
Jordan faces a significant homegrown terror threat, with hundreds of Jordanians fighting alongside ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria and several thousand more supporting the extremist group in the kingdom.
Last November, a Jordanian police captain opened fire in an international police training facility, killing two Americans and three others. The government subsequently portrayed the police captain as troubled.
The United States has spent millions of dollars to help the kingdom fortify its borders.
Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The British government plans to spell out in Parliament its response to a court setback to its Brexit plans.
Brexit Secretary David Davis is making a statement Monday in the House of Commons to explain how the government plans to proceed.
Prime Minister Theresa May's plan to start formally separating Britain from the European Union by April has been thrown into disarray by a High Court ruling last week that requires her to seek Parliament's approval first. Davis has said this means an Act of Parliament is required. Others have said a simple resolution in Parliament would suffice.
Opposition figures are demanding that May tell Parliament what her negotiating strategy will be during talks with the 28-nation bloc.
British voters in a June 23 referendum chose to withdraw from the EU.
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The United Nations chief is urging the rival leaders of ethnically divided Cyprus to seize the opportunity for a reunification deal that he says is within their reach.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the two leaders are at a "critical juncture" in talks now taking place in Mont Pelerin, Switzerland, and that they must make the most of the moment. Ban on Monday offered his full support to Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and called on Greece, Britain and Turkey to give their backing.
Anastasiades and Akinci will concentrate over five days of talks on how much territory each side will administer under an envisioned federation.
Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup aiming at union with Greece.
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Climate negotiators have started work on implementing the Paris pact on global warming amid uncertainty over how the U.S. election will impact the landmark deal as temperatures and greenhouse gases soar to new heights.
U.N. climate chief Patricia Espinosa told delegates in rain-soaked Marrakech on Monday that "no politician or citizen, no business manager or investor" can doubt that the world is determined to shift toward a "low-emission, resilient society."
In all, 100 countries have formally joined the agreement adopted last year in Paris, including top polluters China, the United States, the European Union and India.
However, U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said he would "cancel" the deal if he wins the election this week. His opponent, Hillary Clinton, backs the climate policies of President Barack Obama's government.
The United Nations Security Council has condemned an attack that left two Malian citizens and one Togolese peacekeeper dead.
In a press statement issued on Monday, the council called on the government of Mali to swiftly investigate the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice. The statement says that attacks on peacekeepers may be considered a war crime.
The statement also expressed concern about the security situation in Mali and recent reports of ceasefire violations and called on all parties to fully implement the agreement.
Mali authorities blamed Islamic militants for the attack on a U.N. peacekeeping convoy on Sunday.
Northern Mali was occupied in 2012 by al-Qaida-linked groups before being forced from power by a French-led military operation the following year.
The Vatican has denounced the decision of a priest in China's underground Catholic Church to ordain himself bishop without the pope's approval.
The statement is an apparent move by the Vatican to defuse tensions with China as negotiations proceed on reaching an overall agreement on such nominations.
The Rev. Dong Guanhua announced his ordination in September and offered to ordain others without the pope's mandate.
On Monday, the Vatican press office said the Holy See hasn't authorized any such ordinations, and if true, they would constitute a "grave" crime in church law.
While saying it had no confirmation of Dong's decision, the Vatican stressed that any such ordination without papal mandate is illegal even when done for "particular personal beliefs."
Fazoli's Names 2016 Franchisee of the Year
America's Largest Fast Casual Italian Chain Recognizes Corporate and Franchise General Managers of the Year
November 07, 2016 // Franchising.com // LEXINGTON, Ky. - Fazoli's, America's largest fast casual Italian chain, announced this year's Franchisee of the Year during its annual conference held in Cancun, Mexico on October 24-25, 2016. In addition, the company named its General Managers of the Year from two of its top-performing corporate and franchised restaurants.
This year's Franchisee of the Year recipient, Bob Sirkis, who owns the Fazoli's of Valdosta, Georgia, was honored for achieving sales growth of 7.8 percent, including an annual guest increase of 8.4 percent. For the last 15 years, he and his wife Kendall have been franchise partners of Fazoli's. Prior to becoming a franchisee, Sirkis was vice president of new concept development at Fazoli's founding parent company in the late 1980s. Over the last five years, Sirkis has increased his restaurant's sales by 52 percent and will open an additional location in Dothan, Alabama in 2017. Earlier this year, he was named one of CNBC's 50 Big Franchise Success Stories.
"We are proud to honor Bob Sirkis for his strong restaurant performance and commitment to the Fazoli's brand," said Carl Howard, president and chief executive officer of Fazoli's. "Bob and his team's passion for operational excellence is a shining example of the strength of the Fazoli's business model. As our network continues to expand, we are focused on partnering with likeminded entrepreneurs who want to be successful in carrying out our company mission and reaching their fullest potential."
At the conference, Fazoli's also named its corporate and franchise General Managers of the Year. Kim Fraser, senior general manager and longtime employee of the corporate owned Fazoli's in Edwardsville, Illinois, was honored for her consistency in delivering strong sales results. At the franchise level, Jonathan Earl of FazWest, LLC, in Springfield, Missouri, was recognized for his contributions to one of the company's top-performing franchised locations and building lucrative revenue streams through drive-thru and off-premise catering sales. Furthermore, Fazoli's named Tyson Foods its Supplier of the Year for its significant impact on enhancing the brand's operations and providing excellent customer service for more than 20 years.
In 2011, Fazoli's underwent a major brand overhaul with the introduction of real plateware and silverware in lieu of foam plates and plastic cutlery. As part of the brand refresh, earlier this year, Fazoli's began remodeling some of its locations with a new, contemporary look and feel. In addition, the company introduced an upgraded menu using premium ingredients, which has been well received by guests. This, coupled with the company's strong performance, continues to drive its expansion. To further catapult the brand's development nationwide, Fazoli's is targeting new markets for expansion including Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Knoxville, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and several other cities.
With nearly 220 restaurants in 24 states, Fazoli's is America's largest Italian fast casual chain, serving freshly prepared entrees, Submarinos sandwiches, salads and pizza. Fazoli's franchisees are experiencing record sales growth, and the company is currently seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join the brand's rapid expansion. For more information about franchise opportunities, connect with Fazoli's online at www.fazolis.com, www.ownafazolis.com, @Fazolis, and https://www.facebook.com/Fazolis.
About Fazoli's
With approximately 220 restaurants, Fazoli's is America's largest Italian fast-casual chain, serving freshly prepared entrees, Submarinos sandwiches, salads and pizza. One of the New York Post's five breakout fast-casual restaurants and a Fast Casual.com Brand of the Year, Fazoli's franchisees are experiencing record sales growth. Visit www.ownafazolis.com for details on development opportunities.
SOURCE Fazoli's
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Jeff and Rick Schafer, who were the driving forces behind the rapid expansion of Gordy's Market into communities throughout western Wisconsin, have retired from the grocery business.
Their joint retirement was announced Monday by their parents, Gordy and Donna Schafer, who founded the business a half-century ago with a single store in Chippewa Falls. Now, there are more than two dozen Gordy's Market stores.
Jeff was Gordy's president and Rick vice president of facilities. Combined they worked for more than 80 years for the family owned-and-operated business.
Their brother, David Schafer, who has served as Gordy's chief financial officer, is taking over the role of chief executive officer, while their sister, Jenna Schafer, is moving from vice president of information technology and human resources to serve as chief information officer.
In another promotion announced Monday, Joel Jacobson will be chief operating officer of Gordy's Market. Jacobson, who has been with the business for nearly 25 years, had been vice president of sales.
VIRGINIA BEACH
Police have released the name of a man who died after being shot while walking Saturday morning in the 200 block of 34th St.
Shortly before 3 a.m., police received a report of a large fight inside the Oceans Beach Club at 3401 Atlantic Ave., police wrote in a news release. Brijan Mekyel Brown, 25, had left the club and was walking when he was shot.
Brown, of Norfolk, died at a hospital.
Police wrote that they havent determined whether the fight and the shooting are related.
Police are asking anyone with information to call Virginia Beach Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or to text VBTIP and information to 274637.
2016 The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)
Visit The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) at pilotonline.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
E-Report on GCE O Level English Paper 1 Situational Writing Formats Launched
"This will be your road map to success in the GCE O Level English Paper 1 exam," Singapore English tuition teacher reveals.
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An e-report on the situational writing component of the GCE O Level English exams has been launched, and it is promising to be a road map to success in the O Level Paper 1 exam.
According to Lee Lin Cher - lead contributor to the information website The Cher - the e-report will clear the fog of confusion surrounding Section B of the English Paper 1 exam.
"Singapore students taking the GCE O Level exams have no problems understanding what they will be tested in subjects such as Physics, Chemistry and Additional Mathematics. However, when it comes to English, they are somewhat clueless about what they will be tested in the exams," Lee explained.
"This is unacceptable," Lee added.
To address this problem, Lee has produced an e-report detailing the different situational writing formats they need to familiarise themselves with in order to ace Paper 1 of the Singapore version of the GCE O Level English examinations.
To download the e-report, click here.
The 44-year-old tutor who conducts group tuition classes on the weekends attributes the confusion to a general misunderstanding of the English language as an examinable subject.
To him, the problem only arises because students believe that they cannot reasonably "study" for the English language, since there is "no fixed content" for the subject.
"Nothing can be further from the truth," Lee refuted.
"A syllabus and structure - together with accompanying content - must exist if you are going to be tested for the exams. The examiners can't just set the paper based on their whims and fancies. Knowing what will be tested is a good step towards excellence in the GCE O Level English exams."
The e-report that Lee has authored will take the first step in orienting Secondary 4 students to what they will be tested in the O Level English exams.
The report, entitled 'P1 Situational Writing Formats: The Report' is available for download at http://www.thecher.xyz/gce-o-level-english/different-situational-writing-formats....
About TheCher.Xyz
TheCher.Xyz is the brainchild of Mr Lee Lin Cher, an ex-teacher who currently teaches the English language on the weekends. An avid reader and a prolific writer, TheCher.Xyz is a personal effort on his end to inform, educate and perhaps entertain.
The website covers topics on health, wealth and education, and promotes items that appeal to specific segments of the market. Readers will find TheCher.Xyz to be refreshing, weird and downright irreverent.
For more information, please visit http://www.thecher.xyz.
For more information, please visit http://www.thecher.xyz
Contact Info:
Name: Lee Lin Cher
Email: llc@gmspl.xyz
Organization: TheCher.Xyz by GMSPL Pte Ltd
Address: 3422 SW 15 Street Suite #9412
Phone: (954) 283-7571
Release ID: 143527
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Nickis.com Launches International Online Business
The company has joined the digital revolution and is now entering the U.S. market, reports www.nickis.com/en.
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Nickis.com, a premier Bavaria, Germany-based retailer providing fashionable and high-quality children's clothing, recently announced the launch of their international online store. The company has decided to join the digital revolution in an effort to make their clothing available to customers in the United States and other countries around the world. Those who would like to get a glimpse of what the Nickis online store has to offer should visit http://www.nickis.com/.
Maria Sottor, a spokesperson for Nickis.com, stated "We started our concept store as a family business in the Tegernsee area back in 1985. Although we still offer the same high-quality children's fashion, a lot has changed in the market since then. The world is a lot more connected in this day and age, and it only makes sense for Nickis to follow suit. In an effort to create worldwide reach with our brand, we're pursuing a presence in markets both near and far through our Nickis.com website."
Nickis has been one of Bavaria's most trusted businesses for nearly three decades. Both the online and the concept store carry 180 exclusive brands for kids and babies, including designers like Woolrich, Moncler, Moschino, and Dolce & Gabbana. At http://www.nickis.com/, international shoppers can look forward to free worldwide shipping and a generous 14-day return policy.
As Sottor continued, "For more than 30 years, our customers have trusted us to bring them only the best. As we continue to expand the Nickis.com concept and brand to a global audience, we want them to know that they'll still be able to look forward to the same top-notch service they have come to expect from us. Our whole team is excited about our digital transformation this year and welcoming more customers as we build our international online business."
Those who would like to learn more about Nickis and check out their high-quality affordable children's fashion can log on to http://www.nickis.com/ for more information.
About Nickis.com:
The Nickis.com family business was founded in 1985. Ever since, the store has offered their customers exclusive designer children's fashion. The Nickis.com range consists of babies', children's and teen fashion tailored by designers from all over the world. At times, Nickis.com offers the corresponding women's and men's collection complementing their range of childrens outfits. Whether their young customers have outgrown the "kid's stuff" and want a grown-up look or they still can't resist wearing matching outfits, Nickis.com has something they will love.
For more information, please visit http://www.nickis.com/en
Contact Info:
Name: Laura Schafferschick
Organization: Nickis.com
Phone: 49 8022 26969
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/nickis-com-launches-international-online-business/143851
Release ID: 143851
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Small Irish Company Nesta Receives Major European Self-Storage Charity Award
2015 event for Dublin's LauraLynn Charity Hospice raised EUR27,570 and earned FEDESSA "Charity Initiative of the Year" award against much larger companies, Nesta reports
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Family-run Nesta won the "Charity Initiative of the Year" award at the recent Federation of European Self Storage Associations (FEDESSA) 2016 awards dinner in Barcelona. With the simple realities of scale meaning that far larger companies typically take home the award, the locally oriented Irish company's international victory was a highlight of the night for many. Nesta's honor came in recognition of its "Ball for Life" event that raised EUR27,570 for LauraLynn Children's Hospice, Ireland's only facility of its kind.
As a company that has for over twenty-five years consistently sought to give back to its community, Nesta is not resting on its laurels. Plans are to make the award-winning Ball for Life an annual event, and Nesta will on February 11, 2017 host a Valentine's Day Ball at Dublin's Shelbourne Hotel to raise money for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC). An in-depth report on last year's LauraLynn Ball for Life event is available at the Nesta website at https://www.nesta.ie/, where details about the upcoming Valentine's Day Ball will also be made available.
"Part of what makes our work so rewarding is how it enables us to work so closely with people and groups in our community," Nesta Managing Director Brian Hefferon said, "Last year's charity ball and auction for LauraLynn Children's Hospice was a tremendous success, and we were truly honored to be able to help out a group that means so much to us. Taking home our recent Charity Initiative of the Year award was incredibly special as well, particularly with so many companies of much larger size from all across Europe competing. All this deepens our commitment to contributing back to the community and country that are so generous to us. We think our upcoming Valentine's Day ball at the Shelbourne Hotel is going to be another great success."
With four conveniently located facilities spread across Dublin, homegrown Nesta has been one of the city's self-storage leaders for over a quarter of a century. Providing secure, affordable self-storage options to individuals, families, and businesses, Nesta consistently delivers the kind of personal, thoughtful service that clients appreciate, as reviews at https://www.nesta.ie/ show.
That same caring approach is evident in the company's regular charity events and similar work. The results of last year's charity ball and auction for the LauraLynn Children's Hospice greatly exceeded all expectations, with 270 people attending and contributing over EUR27,000 to the group. With far larger self-storage companies from all over Europe competing for the FEDESSA prize, Nesta's receipt of the 2016 Charity Initiative of the Year award surprised and impressed many in attendance.
That outsized drive to give back to Dublin and Ireland will continue unabated, as with the Valentine's Day Ball fundraising event for the ISPCC to be held on February 11 at the Sherbourne Hotel in Dublin. Details about the event will be available at https://www.nesta.ie/ soon, where visitors can also read about last year's LauraLynn fundraiser and Nesta's full range of self-storage options and related services.
About Nesta:
With four great locations, 24-hour security, and 14 sizes to choose from, family-run Nesta has been one of Dublin's leading self-storage companies for over twenty-five years.
For more information, please visit https://www.nesta.ie/
Contact Info:
Name: Brian Hefferon
Organization: Nesta
Address: 53 Parkwest Road Dublin 8, Ireland
Phone: 1850 772234
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/small-irish-company-nesta-receives-major-european-self-storage-charity-award/143853
Release ID: 143853
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A Website Is Not Just A Digital Poster Says New Digital Marketing Agency
Many local businesses today offer excellent products and services, but find marketing their Achilles heel. One can't be an expert in everything, a fact that has inspired Boom My Biz to launch its new website and customised online marketing services.
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Boom My Biz help local businesses in Glasgow and worldwide to flourish online through well planned email and video marketing, web design, SEO and Google My Business presence.
Boom My Biz knows that successful marketing is where local and small businesses struggle due to lack of expertise, finances or time. It thus designs solutions that are more effective than traditional ways of spreading the word out, in less time and expenditure. Many aspects of a business website or its marketing initiatives are not optimized to yield the greatest benefit. Boom My Biz wishes to change all this for the better.
Email marketing can work wonders if the target list is well sourced and its content received ready to be used. Boom My Biz collects contacts of local target audience who are relevant for a business, and then engages with subscribers with readymade newsletters, special offers and product features. This service is ideal for businesses such as retailers, spas and restaurants.
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Andrew Smith at Boom My Biz says, "a business website shouldn't just be a digital poster, but a marketing magnet to pull in new customers. Many small and medium sized businesses don't have this expertise on their staff and so this is where we can help."
Based near Paisley just outside of Glasgow, Boom My Biz invites local businesses in Glasgow as well as regional and global companies to join in for a marketing treat that is designed exclusively for them.
http://boommybiz.co.uk/
For more information, please visit http://boommybiz.co.uk
Contact Info:
Name: Andrew Smith
Organization: Boom My Biz
Address: 127 Park Gate, Erskine, PA8 7HG
Phone: 07758603374
Video URL: https://youtu.be/6jS19Hy4r3I
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/a-website-is-not-just-a-digital-poster-says-new-digital-marketing-agency/143885
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Powder7.com Ski Shop Unveils New 2017 Inventory
The highly-anticipated DPS Wailer 112 RP2 Pure3 Skis are now on sale at the shop, reports www.powder7.com.
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Powder7, historic Golden, Colorado's premier family-owned ski shop, recently announced the expansion of their store inventory with the 2017 DPS Wailer 112 Skis. This highly-anticipated item is now available both in their retail shop as well as the online store. Customers who are headed to the slopes this season and would like to get a glimpse of the new skis can do so by heading to the Powder7.com website and using the "Shop By Brand" feature to browse through the available DPS products.
Jay Thibault, a spokesperson for Powder7.com Ski Shop, commented "DPS skis are known for their relentless innovation and consistent performance, and the 2017 Wailer Pure3 is no exception. Combining precision engineering with superior materials, DPS's Pure3 construction is simply unmatched. It's a classic option that provides maximum versatility in just about any snow condition, which makes it a customer favorite and an award-winning design year upon year. We are confident the same will be true for the 2017 model."
The DPS Wailer 112 RP2 Pure3 Skis combine materials like Aspen wood, textured polyamide, and aerospace carbon with nanotechnology to create what enthusiasts may call some of the most advanced skis on the market today. The skis also feature wide profile Rockwell 48 steel edges and a Paddle Tech tapered sidecut. The new 2017 DPS Wailer Pure3 skis come in two lengths, including 190cm and 184cm, and free shipping is available to customers around the country through Powder7's online shop.
As Thibault further commented, "Ski season is upon us, and we want those who will be heading out for fun or sport to know that we've got all of the gear they need from some of the most acclaimed brands in the world. The DPS brand has never disappointed us, and we are confident that our customers will love the 2017 DPS Wailer112 RP2 Pure3 Skis as much as we do once they see how they perform on the mountain."
About Powder7.com Ski Shop:
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For more information, please visit http://www.powder7.com
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Now its up to you.
You will decide one of the toughest presidential campaigns in history. Its your vote that will send either an incumbent U.S. senator or a former U.S. senator back to Washington. And its you who will decide, depending on where you live, a local Assembly race along with perhaps a congressional seat and as many as three referendums.
Voting in the 2016 presidential election on Tuesday will be held throughout Chippewa County, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Chippewa County Clerk Sandi Frion is expecting an 80-85 percent voter turnout, so you will likely have company at the polls. That figure, however, does include those who have already cast their ballots.
Here are some of the races you will decide:
Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson faces a challenger from the man he defeated six years ago, Democrat and former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold. Also on the ballot is Libertarian candidate Phillip N. Anderson.
U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, a Republican from Wausau, is being challenged for the 7th Congressional District seat by Democrat Mary Hoeft of Rice Lake. The 7th District covers the northern two-thirds of Chippewa County, including Cornell and Bloomer.
Chippewa County voters will cast ballots in two Assembly races. In the 67th District, which also includes portions of Dunn County, Republican Rob Summerfield of Bloomer is taking on Democrat Dennis Hunt of Chippewa Falls. Incumbent Republican state Rep. Tom Larson is not seeking re-election.
And in the 68th District, incumbent Republican state Rep. Kathy Bernier of Lake Hallie is facing challenger Democrat Howard White, an attorney from Altoona.
Voters in the Chippewa Falls School District will decide two referendums. Question 1, for $61.2 million, would pay for several projects including replacing Stillson Elementary. Question 2, for $98 million, would pay for a new high school along with other projects.
Lake Hallie voters will be asked to approve an $85,000 referendum to pay for a detectives position with the villages police department.
There are also many positions that are unopposed, including: District Attorney Steve Gibbs; Frion as Chippewa County clerk; Treasurer Patricia Schimmel; and Register of Deeds Marge Geissler.
In the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Chippewa Falls, incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Kind of La Crosse is unopposed.
Plus there is a presidential race to decide, between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.
MADISON Wisconsin stands to play a pivotal role Tuesday in determining both control of the U.S. Senate and who wins the most contentious presidential election in modern history.
The political drama is playing out in a state that has voted Democratic for president since 1984, but has been controlled by a Republican governor and Legislature the last six years. Candidates from both parties are hoping to ride top-of-the-ticket coattails to win legislative races that have already seen record spending by outside interest groups on both sides.
More than 685,000 early absentee ballots a state record set after a federal judge rejected Republican-imposed restrictions on early voting have already been returned, according to the Wisconsin Election Commission.
An estimated 3.1 million people or just shy of 70 percent of eligible voters are expected to cast a ballot, with many of them experiencing the states new voter ID requirement for the first time.
The state is one of a handful that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is strongly contesting to reach the needed 270 electoral votes despite polls showing voters leaning toward Democrat Hillary Clinton. However, he canceled a rally scheduled for Sunday in West Allis, raising questions about his commitment to the state.
Its clear that Wisconsin could be one of the three or four states that decide the presidential election, said Iowa-based Republican strategist Steve Grubbs. In every scenario that Trump wins, Wisconsin seems to be a pivotal state.
National political experts give Clinton the edge, but agree Wisconsins 10 electoral votes are crucial for Trump to eke out a victory.
Things have definitely closed, said Nathan Gonzales, editor of the Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report. You could lump Wisconsin in a group of traditionally blue states that Trump needs to crack in order to get over the top in the race.
Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said everything that people see publicly and privately in the tracking suggest Clintons blue wall in the rust belt is holding, and that includes Wisconsin.
When candidates are hopscotching around and visiting loads of states that might turn their way, theyre probably losing, Sabato said, referring to Trumps weekend travel schedule, which now includes a stop on Sunday in Minneapolis, a Democratic stronghold.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate rematch between Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and Democratic challenger Russ Feingold has tightened during the final sprint to Election Day. With Democrats needing four seats held by Republicans to reclaim the majority, Wisconsin could determine which party controls the Senate.
Cook Political Report senior editor Jennifer Duffy said she moved the race from leaning Democrat to a toss-up even before the latest Marquette Law School Poll showed Feingolds lead whittled to one point. Thats because of more than $4 million in political ads from both sides flowing into the race in the last week.
If Johnson gets re-elected, it is very hard to see how Democrats get the majority, Duffy said.
GOP claims momentum
Wisconsin Republicans were claiming momentum heading into the final weekend of the campaign. Trump had planned to make his sixth and final appearance in the state Sunday at the Wisconsin Fairgrounds, a half hour before the Green Bay Packers kicked off. However, the event was canceled Saturday.
I never thought at the beginning of the year that this was going to be a Republican year, but it appears to me that this is going to be a Republican year, said former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson. Wisconsin is going to be the state that puts (Trump) over the top with electoral votes.
The Marquette poll found Clinton leading by six points, but Republican Party of Wisconsin executive director Mike Duffey said internal polling was showing a closer race before the FBI disclosed it was reviewing emails that might relate to its investigation into Clintons private email server when she was Secretary of State.
Duffey said Republicans are confident they can win both Wisconsin races because Clinton is viewed unfavorably, voters are seeking change and the party has rolled out its largest get-out-the-vote effort ever. That includes knocking on more than 710,000 doors in the past four weeks, compared with more than 415,000 doors knocked in the final five weeks of the 2012 campaign.
Our office count, staff and contacts are all above 2012, Duffey said. We will have the superior effort to get every Republican out to the polls.
The Marquette poll showed a 10-point gap in Trumps support among Republican men and Republican women. The state party released an ad Thursday featuring Republican women, including Sens. Alberta Darling, of River Hills, and Leah Vukmir, of Wauwatosa, supporting Trump because of his positions opposing abortion and Obamacare and pledge to appoint conservative Supreme Court justices.
The poll also showed Trump tied in southeast Wisconsin outside of Milwaukee. Republican nominee Mitt Romney led by 10 points in that region at this point in the 2012 election.
Former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle dismissed Republican talk of momentum as something one side says when it is behind.
I think youre going to see a very solid Democratic turnout, Doyle said. And if that happens, particularly with Trumps problems with independents and women, I think youll see a fairly substantial Clinton victory here.
Clinton has not visited Wisconsin since the April primary. Barring a last-minute campaign stop, she would become the first major party candidate to skip the state since 1972, though she has sent plenty of surrogates in the closing weeks of the election, including Vice President Joe Biden last week. Running mate Tim Kaine, the Virginia senator, planned to campaign in three Wisconsin cities, including La Crosse, on Sunday.
Doyle interpreted Clintons absence from Wisconsin as a sign of strength, noting its much better theyre fighting over North Carolina than theyre fighting over Wisconsin.
Milwaukee-based Democratic strategist Patrick Guarasci said Democrats are expecting huge turnout by minority voters, especially because of Trumps comments throughout the campaign, including saying that a judge couldnt impartially hear a lawsuit against Trump University because of his Mexican heritage which even Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan decried as textbook racism.
I believe well see a huge increase of Hispanic voters, which will be the sleeping giant, Guarasci said.
Early voting totals through Friday are 78 percent higher in the Democratic strongholds of Dane and Milwaukee counties than in the Republican strongholds of Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties.
Senate race tight
The last Marquette poll showed Feingold up by one point, though others have showed a slightly larger lead. Feingold led by as much as 11 points in a Marquette poll from early August and 12 points in other polling as recently as a month ago.
Republican strategist Mark Graul noted that Johnson is trying to do something that Republicans havent done since 1980 win a Wisconsin Senate race in a presidential election year.
Graul predicted some ticket-splitting particularly among conservatives in the Milwaukee suburbs who wont vote for Trump, but will still come through for Johnson. The Marquette poll found 85 percent of Trump supporters backing Johnson and 6 percent for Feingold, and 84 percent of Clinton supporters backing Feingold, and 9 percent supporting Johnson.
One of the best stories has been the fantastic job of the Johnson campaign of really making this a close race, Graul said. Even two months ago, there werent too many people who believed wed be talking here the Friday before the election and talking about this as a toss-up race.
State Democratic Party chairwoman Martha Laning said she expects voters will elect Feingold because of his support for raising the minimum wage and helping reduce student loan debt.
Weve had over 100 staff members working all over the state. We have volunteers coming in, in record numbers Our early voting turnout is breaking records, Laning said. They want to see Russ win with a big margin. They want to see Hillary Clinton become our next president.
Other races
There are other races to watch on Tuesday.
Voters in the 8th Congressional District in the Green Bay area will elect either Republican Mike Gallagher or Democrat Tom Nelson as their new Congressman. And Republican control of the state Senate could narrow as the two most closely watched races have been held this past session by Republicans.
As the results roll in Tuesday night, national attention will continue to focus on Rep. Paul Ryan of Janesville, who said Friday he will run again for House Speaker. He has faced criticism from tea party Republicans for not embracing Trump more fully. Though on Saturday Ryan said that he would campaign with Trump in Wisconsin on Sunday just before Trump announced he was canceling his visit to the state.
The latest Marquette poll found division among Republicans over whether Trump or Ryan should lead the party regardless of the outcome of the election.
NOTE: this is an archived page and the content is likely to be out of date.
Fujitsu Limited and PT. Fujitsu Indonesia today announced that they will hold a trial of an education support system using tablets at the SMA Negeri 74 Jakarta high school from November7 through December 23.
In this trial, teachers and students will make use of the FUJITSU Tablet ARROWS Tab Q704/H tablets in classes, as well as the Fujitsu Education Solution K-12 Learning Information Utilization System V1 Chietama. Using the Chietama solution, teachers can easily prepare materials for lessons using ICT, and can also use such information as automatically stored lesson records and student learning records to further improve students' academic abilities. In addition, because students can share their various answers and creations on the tablet screens, the system improves students' active participation in lessons and their teamwork when working in groups. The companies will validate the effectiveness of this education solution, which has already produced results in Japan and Thailand, through this trial in the front lines of education in Indonesia.
This initiative was launched by Fujitsu Indonesia with the cooperation of the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Indonesia, which is a non-governmental organization (NGO) aimed at improving the capabilities of students in Indonesia.
Background
Indonesia has the largest population in Southeast Asia at over 250 million people, and about 40% of that population is under the age of 18. In order to improve the capabilities and educational standards of these young people, the Jakarta Department of Education and the GPF launched a program called the Character & Creativity Initiative (CCI) at 12 high schools, including SMA Negeri 74, in August of 2015. Under this program, a variety of initiatives have been undertaken, such as work experience programs, in order to improve the students' "character", relating to their initiative, teamwork, and communication ability, and their "creativity," relating to their innovative sensibility and problem solving ability.
Since 2014, Fujitsu has provided the Chietama solution in Japan, and in 2015 began offering it in Thailand. Now, through this first trial of Chietama solution in Indonesia, after demonstrating the effectiveness of education using ICT, Fujitsu will contribute to increasing academic ability in Indonesia, which has about 50 million students from elementary school through high school, and about three million teachers.
Photo: Students taking part in the field trial at SMA Negeri 74 Jakarta high school
Trial Summary
1. Trial Location
SMA Negeri 74 Jakarta High School (number of students: 737)
2. Trial Period
November 7 , 2016 - December 23, 2016
3. System Structure
ARROWS Tab Q704/H enterprise tablets - two for teachers, 18 for students
"Chietama solution" learning information utilization system for tablet
4. System Summary
1) Improving lesson experience and achieving collaborative learning
Teachers can easily prepare lessons using ICT by just dragging and dropping the data for the materials they plan to use on a schedule in the Chietama solution. In addition, because information on the teaching materials used and video of the writing on the blackboard are automatically stored, and information such as the date and subject being taught are automatically attached, teachers can use this lesson record data to analyze their lessons. Moreover, because teachers can search each student's records from beginning school till graduation, and visualize their growth process, it can also be useful in education customized to the individual student.
In addition, by having bi-directional communication with teachers on the tablet screens, students can not only participate in lessons as though being taught in a one-on-one teaching environment, they can also share other students' answers and work, which can lead to education from a more multifaceted viewpoint and improvements in teamwork in group learning.
2) Training for ICT support staff
Based on the knowledge gained from the Learning Project of Tomorrow(1), Fujitsu also carried out training for the school's ICT support staff. By having the ICT support staff help students and teachers learn how to use the system, they are supporting the digitalization of lessons, such that the school can hope to achieve ongoing utilization of ICT going forward.
Related Websites
Fujitsu Supports Thailand's Chulalongkorn University Demonstration Primary and Secondary Schools' Efforts to Implement Education Support System with Tablets (February 2, 2015 press release)
Fujitsu Initiates "Learning Project of Tomorrow" for an Era in Which Every Student Has a Tablet (October 16, 2014 press release)
Bible Stories from the Heart Releases 'Christmas Joy: An Adult Coloring Bible Study'
ATLANTA, Nov. 7, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- Bible Stories from the Heart, the leading innovator in Adult Coloring Bible Studies, has released "Christmas Joy: An Adult Coloring Bible Study."
Christian coloring books for adults are one of the fastest growing categories among faith based consumers. Bible Stories from the Heart takes the reader beyond the activity of coloring by integrating scripture based devotions that inspire and encourage individuals as they take time to read and reflect on God's word.
"Christmas Joy" is the seventh book from Bible Stories from the Heart and is a four-week study that centers around the amazing events leading up to the birth of Christ. Each lesson begins with scripture from the book of Luke and includes a meaningful examination of the context behind those verses. Also included are focus words and ways for the reader to connect the scripture to their daily lives. The lessons conclude with discussion questions, a personal reflection activity and a meditative coloring page specific to a key theme from the lesson. There are also bonus coloring pages, Christmas poems and a fun craft activity.
Author and founder, Leslie Eaton who has been a professional educator for twenty years, will be leading an online study of "Christmas Joy" through the 9,000+ member Bible Stories from the Heart group on Facebook beginning on November 28th. Readers and participants will be encouraged to share their own pictures of the coloring pages they create on the Facebook page as well.
Leslie says, "Our Adult Coloring Bible Studies seem to be resonating with women all over the country. Thousands of women have discovered Bible Stories from the Heart and we are hearing such wonderful feedback from those who are using our studies with small groups, special church events, individual study and with their families. My prayer is that "Christmas Joy" will help readers focus on and experience the True Joy of Christmas this year."
(minus = favorite/up) Florida: Clinton -2.5, Ohio: Trump -2, NC: Clinton -1, Nevada: Clinton -6, NH: Clinton -3, MI: Clinton -5, PA: Clinton -5, Utah: Trump -4.5, Arizona: Trump -2.5, Iowa: Trump -4, Colorado: Clinton -5, Virginia: Clinton -7, Wisconsin: Clinton -7, Alaska: Trump -5.5, Minnesota: Clinton -8, Georgia: Trump -6.
AD: Get Up to $1000 in Free Bets Bet on Every State Election Results at BetOnline
The Gambling911.com Betting Market Report for the 2016 US Presidential Election between GOP nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton shows Trump leading by a comfortable margin (outside the margin of error) in Iowa (-4) but his leads in Ohio (-2) and Arizona (-2.5) remain fragile. These numbers were available as of Monday morning November 7, one day before Election Day.
Clinton leads in most critical swing states but she also is in fragile territory in Florida (-2.5), North Carolina (-1) and New Hampshire (-3).
There were some fairly significant differences between the betting market numbers and recent poll averages. Nevada (-6), in particular, was overwhelmingly favored for Clinton in the betting markets by an even greater margin than those states that were not even considered close just over a week ago including Michigan and Pennsylvania. Some polls coming into the weekend had Trump leading in the Silver State.
Likewise, the betting markets, while still holding Clinton within the margin of error, had the former Secretary of State up 2.5 points in the state of Florida compared to most polls that had this one a virtual tie.
A state widely ignored by political pundits, Utah, was still very much in play according to the betting markets. It fell just outside the margin of error at -4 but this is a three-way race that includes former CIA operations officer and independent candidate Evan McMullin, who is clearly chipping away at the Republican base. The Rasmussen poll had McMullin within 1 percentage point of Trump just two weeks ago. Most recent polls do have the real estate magnate up 5 to 6 points but any shift in voting for either McMullin or Clinton could close that gap. From a betting perspective in terms of strategy, a small bet on Clinton should be considered in Utah as she would pay out US$160 on a US$10 bet in a state with a formidable three-way race where Clinton could tip the scales even if she were to get just over 30 percent of the vote.
New Mexico has been mentioned in the mix but was up -10.5 points in the betting markets. Texas at times has been designated as Republican Leaning due to its changing demographics but was up over 11 points in the betting markets and appeared to be well out of play.
On Sunday, FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers the agency still believes Hillary Clinton should not face criminal charges following a review of new emails.
William Hill spokesperson Graham Sharpe revealed to our own Thomas Somach that a spike in Clinton bets had come in following the Comey Sunday statement.
"The news has sparked a run of bets for Hillary, so we have taken rapid evasive action in case the heavy hitters come in to place more five- and six-figure bets like the ones we already have for her to win," Sharpe said. "That includes bets of 550,000 euros, 183,200 pounds, 50,000 pounds and a couple of 30,000-pound wagers," Sharpe said.
By Monday morning, the betting markets had Clinton at -5 or with odds of 1-5 to become the next US President.
The US Presidential Elections is the single most wagered on non-sporting event in the world and this one was expected to shatter all previous records.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Latest News & Update: Confirmed New Update For Samsung Galaxy Note 7 To Prevent Exploding; Details Here!
In solving the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 dilemma, Samsung has issued a roll out for the said handheld device. In the U.S., Samsung is rolling out exchanges of Note 7s for new ones.
Techradar reports that there has been 85% recalled Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in the U.S as part of the refund and exchange program in the country. Samsung has ordered this recall on Samsung Galaxy Note 7 products due to battery problems that would cause the handset to explode and mean serious harm to users.
The news outlet further reports that Samsung will develop an update that would allow the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 a safe charge, preventing the variant to charge only to 60%. The said update also has a pop-up notification system that will appear whenever a user charges, restarts or turns on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 patch will be released in the coming days to come by the tech giant company. However, Samsung hasn't released any officially statement with regards to why it is safer to charge the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 at 60%.
According to Engadget, the update was first introduced in Korea in September, before T-Mobile listed its availability in the U.S. Recently, more U.S. owners have already opted for a replacement Samsung Galaxy Note 7 device and with the updated software, may work a little more like the ones that users previously owned.
For others who have not yet turned over their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to their respective carriers, please follow the company's advice to turn off the device and hand it over to Samsung. For more Samsung Galaxy Note 7 news and update stay tuned to Gamenguide!
WWE Latest News & Updates: Shield Reunion Finally Happening? Roman Reigns Getting a Shot At Universal Title?
Mick Foley couldnt hide his disgust at what went down at Hell in a Cell where Universal champion Kevin Owens was able to retain his title against Seth Rollins thanks to Chris Jerichos assist. With Survivor Series coming up, Foley admitted he needed both Owen and Jericho to lead team Raw.
With three slots open, one was given to the United States champion Roman Reigns and the fourth slot copped by Braun Strowman after winning a Battle Royal. It seems like an odd mix to consider with one more slot open. Before that fifth member is named, Jericho and Reigns went at it for the US title.
Reigns won but thanks again to some help from Owens. Rollins came out to even the odds and at some point, the two former stablemates stared down. It doesnt take a genius that these two may eventually end up reuniting as a unit, likely against Jeri-KO, Forbes reported.
The belief is that at some point, it may be a champion vs. champion match between Reigns and Owens which technically means the Big Dog is back in the main cards. WWE fans are of course against it as usual but it is surely shaping up.
So where does this leave the speculated showdown between Jericho and Owens? It is believed that Y2J would get a title-shot so it will be interesting which angle comes first.
Assuming Reigns and Owens do clash, the latter could either stand as a double champion or someone without a title to show. Jericho could take the blame for meddling (or not) and there goes the celebrated breakup.
As for Rollins? Triple H will come out at some point and start that mentor vs. student storyline. Right now, the Architect is afloat but it will happen, Bleacher Report reported.
It could take place at Survivor Series seeing Rollins wasnt included in the five-man team representing WWE Raw, just in case many failed to notice it. Adding more fuel to the fire is a belief that the fifth member is Sami Zayn. What gives?
Microsoft Surface Pro 5 vs MacBook Pro 2016: Rechargeable Stylus of Microsoft to Battle with Apple's Touch Bar; Features and Price Details
After the unveiling of the MacBook Pro 2016, laptop fans are now looking forward to the release of the Microsoft Surface Pro 5. The device was not announced during the October event of Microsoft so fans are anticipating in the spring of 2017.
Though there is still a few information on how the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 will look and function, many are already wondering how it will fair with the MacBook Pro 2016. Here is a comparison of the two devices:
Display and processor
The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is expected to come with a 4K display and Kaby Lake processors from Intel. The latter was just released earlier in August.
On the other hand, the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro 2016 models feature a 2.9 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor. It is also equipped with Turbo Boost speeds with a memory of 8GB and 256GB of flash storage.
Microsoft Surface Pro 5 stylus
The Surface Pen is one of the possible major highlights of the Microsoft Surface Pro 5. It is expected to have a magnetic charging dock which is made exclusively for the stylus. This will make navigating and doing things easier using the stylus and the Surface Pro 5.
MacBook Pro 2016 Touch Bar
This new technology of the MacBook Pro 2016 Touch bar is the strip of touchscreen keys on top of the actual keyboard which was designed to take the place of the function keys found in old Apple laptop models. The buttons that will reflect on the Touch Bar will depend on the software being used on the MacBook Pro 2016.
Its main functions include editing photos, working on Microsoft documents, adding emojis and using the Touch ID. A simple swipe and touch of the hand increases the productivity of the Apple laptop.
Price
The newly released MacBook Pro 2016 is sold for $1,499. These laptops will be released two to three weeks after Apple's announcement of the device.
As for the Microsoft Surface Pro 5, it is expected to cost almost the same as the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 which is $899. Additional features and memory could cost one around $1000.
'Virtual Reality' News and Updates: Should It Be Considered Gaming?
Questions have been leading whether VR (Virtual Reality) can ever be considered gaming. Broadcaster and panel host Nic Healey went at PAX Australia on Friday and asked, "When am I going to get my virtual reality Skyrim?"
There were five local voices in VR development at PAX Australia in Melbourne who talked about the VR "hype train," according to Mashable. The VR industry has been one of the top considerations in gaming and has been coming to light in today's gaming industry.
More often than not, popular video games have engrossed gamers; having them get lost for days but as what Nic Healey pointed out, "most VR experiences so far last in minutes not hours". Being sensible of getting a gamer's body experience the challenges that used to maneuvre on a screen with just the thumbs must be taken into consideration as well.
Emre Deniz, a developer at Opaque Media also highlighted: "None of you can swing an axe for eight hours straight." For Virtual Reality's sake, gamers must remember that "extreme length does not always indicate value".
The senior VR audio designer for Zero Latency Sally Kellaway who works at a Melbourne free-roam VR startup said that the team's immersive zombie experience can last at least 40 minutes but they are also venturing into shorter pieces.
"We have just made a couple that are 12-minutes long, and it's so we can offer a range of different genres and different experiences. I feel like bite sized content is quite good. It means you can jump in and then jump out again. Try something new," said Kellaway.
Still, the shortness of VR experiences must not be considered a gaming breakdown but a sort of experimentation since there's a lot to learn from video games -- to leave mistakes behind and learn again somehow. Game designer Jennifer Scheurle commented that developers should make technology easier for new gamers -- therefore, short content must be a success.
"We have to let go of the traditional railroad experiences that we're used to in traditional games. How do I actually move around in VR without vomiting into a bucket? We see that we move, but our body doesn't feel the same sensation," explained Scheurle. "That's definitely an issue that comes from traditional game development," she added.
'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 2 Episode 4 Recap; Who Turns into Zombie? Watch Episode 5 Promo
"Legends of Tomorrow" Season 2 episode 4 brought viewers in 1863 with a bunch of zombies. Guess who got infected?
On Thursday, Nov. 3, "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" promo for episode 5 has become available online, according to Den of Geek. Apparently, the team travels back to the 1980's. In this episode, expect Reverse-Flash to appear.
A time pirate who got infected by a virus crashed in Mississippi in 1863. It turned that the virus made him a zombie, infecting other soldiers who tried to capture him.
The Legends got the message of the time pirate asking for help. So they need to go to Mississippi in 1863. Martin Stein (Victor Garber) was worried about Jax (Franz Drameh) because 1863, slavery was legal.
Mick Rory or Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell) was bitten by a zombie during the encounter with bunches of zombies. After learning that Rory has been bitten, Martin was too paranoid because he has a phobia of zombies.
Ray Palmer a.k.a The Atom (Brandon Routh) felt pressure because he needed to find a cure for Rory. He found himself useless because his suit got broken so he's trying to help the team at any way.
Although Ray injected a vaccine, Rory still became a zombie. So he and Martin teamed up to find a cure for it despite Martin's fear of zombies.
Meanwhile, Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) and Dr. Nate Heywood were captured by Ulysses S. Grant's soldiers, leading them to the camp. It was not easy to convince about the zombie threat until Sara showed the decapitated head of a zombie.
As Ray was still working to find a cure, he realized he may be able to disperse vaccine in a different way, which via fire extinguisher. Instead of Palmer, Martin was the one who used the fire extinguisher to cure Rory.
Jax and Amaya Jiwe or Vixen faced racism and slavery of the Confederate South. Jax and Amaya helped freed the slaves after they were able to get a document they need. For more "Legends of Tomorrow" news and update, keep reading Gamenguide!
Samsung Gear S3 Release Date, Preorders and Updates: Smartwatch Releasing this Months; Specs and Price Details
One of the much-awaited smartwatches of the year, the Samsung Gear S3, has been scheduled for preorders and shipping. The wait is over for many Samsung fans who are now excited to get hold of the device.
Releasing this month
Set to release this month, the Samsung Gear S3 preorders will start on Nov. 6. However, AT&T is reportedly accepting orders earlier than the scheduled date on Nov. 4. With preorders scheduled this early, it is projected that the smartwatch will be out by Nov. 18.
Its two variants: the Classic and Frontier will be sold for $349.99 for most carriers. Some, however, could offer it for a different price on installment basis like AT&T's $49.99 offer for two years.
Difference between Classic and Frontier
The Classic version of the phone is the elegant variant while the Frontier is the rugged type which comes with LTE capability. The latter is a device targeted for people who love the outdoors.
Aside from these features, the smartwatch is also equipped with a 1.3-inch AMOLED display, Tizen OS 2.3.2, dual-core 1 GHz Samsung Exynos chip, 4GB of internal storage and dust resistance, among others. It also comes with Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities.
Downloadable apps
Even though a user of the Samsung Gear S3 will not be able to access Google Play Store, the Tizen OS gives fans of the smartwatch the chance to download tons of applications from its own Tizen Store. They can also customize how the Samsung Gear S3 would look like especially with the changeable straps of the watch.
Samsung smartwatch fans surely have a lot to look forward to when the device launches this month. Tech aficionados will also see how it will fair with Apple's smartwatch offering. Are you excited for the launch of the Samsung Gear S3?
Ian Somerhalder, Nikki Reed Divorce: Nina Dobrevs Ex Regrets Marrying Twilight Actress? The Vampire Diaries Actor Wants Reunion With Tim Tebows Ex?
Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed are reportedly considering to file a divorce soon. Now, new reports are claiming that "The Vampire Diaries" Season 8 actor is blaming the "Twilight" actress for his dying career.
Ian Somerhalder, Nikki Reed Divorce: 'The Vampire Diaries' Season 8 Actor Regrets Dumping Nina Dobrev? 'The Anomaly' Star Confirmed Splitting With Wife?
Rumors are rife that Ian Somerhalder is currently in regrets for dumping Nina Dobrev and marrying Nikki Reed. Sources have claimed that "The Vampire Diaries" Season 8 actor is currently in depression right now because of his dimming showbiz career.
According to reports, Ian Somerhalder has been getting lesser endorsements and projects since he got married with Nikki Reed. Informants have claimed that some projects and endorsements lined up for "The Vampire Diaries" Season 8 after he decided to dump Nina Dobrev.
Most fans know that "The Vampire Diaries" Season 8 star Ian Somerhalder has hit headlines when he started dating Nina Dobrev. There are even claims saying that, without Tim Tebow's former girlfriend, the name of Nikki Reed's husband will remain unknown up until now.
As a matter of fact, Ian Somerhalder has failed the people behind "The Vampire Diaries" Season 8 for failing to redeem the show following Nina Dobrev's departure. Fans of Nikki Reed's husband then concluded that "The Anomaly" actor should really be reuniting with the "Let's Be Cops" actress to save his failing showbiz career.
Though these reports could possibly be true, neither Ian Somerhalder nor Nikki Reed has confirmed anything as of yet. So, fans of the Nina Dobrev's ex-boyfriend and the "Twilight" actress should take everything with a grain of salt until it has been proven true and correct.
Ian Somerhalder, Nikki Reed Divorce: 'The Vampire Diaries' Season 8 Actor, 'Twilight' Actress Now Expecting First Baby? Impending Split Canceled?
Meanwhile, GamenGuide has previously reported that Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed are now expecting their first baby together. Sources have claimed that the former beau of Nina Dobrev and the "Twilight" actress are very desperate to save their marriage.
According to rumors, Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed think that having a baby will change things. Now, the former boyfriend of Nina Dobrev and the "Twilight" actress are reportedly three weeks pregnant already.
Both Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed are yet to comment on these reports. Stay tuned to GamenGuide for the latest news and updates about the alleged Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed divorce!
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Latest News & Update: Korean Company In Crisis Mode After Device Disaster; New Zealand Block Samsung Variant; Exploding Washing Machines & More
After the major release of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, the handheld device has been having trouble lately with its battery that cause the device to explode. With that said, Samsung is trying its best to have a solution to the problem, but with all that has happen, the Korean company may never bounce back from its former glory.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Block From New Zealand
New Zealand just recently issued a network block for Samsung Galaxy Note 7 from the country's wireless carriers starting November 18. According to Engadget, users can use WIFI for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, but New Zealand uses the same IMEI hardware identifier that blocks cellular function from stolen phones, making Samsung Galaxy Note 7 useless.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's telecommunications Forum states that there is now a small number of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 holdouts left in the country. The local providers in the country also don't want to take any more chances if a consumer has an accident due to the device exploding.
Exploding Washing Machines From Samsung
Other than that, Samsung also faces another problem from one of their products in the market that includes washing machines. It seems that it's not just the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 having a problem exploding, but also with the company's washing machines.
Recent reports state that Samsung Electronics washing machines reportedly exploded and several people had claimed to be injured as a result. Samsung has dealt with the users and the company will be giving the consumers free in-house repairs, an extension in the warranty and a rebate in purchasing another Samsung brand.
In other news, Steve Kocach from Samsung talked to Business Insider about the recurring problems that the company has faced today. Kocach stated in the publication that if Samsung doesn't change, the company will not survive.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Latest News & Update: Banners of Empire & Rebel Alliance Released; New X-Wing Footage Revealed
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is Lucasfilm and Disney's last live-action film for 2016. As its media blitz has officially commenced, banners of the film's empire and rebel alliance has been released. Another trailer of the film spread online that exposes new X-wing action.
'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' Latest News: Banners Posted On Star Wars UK Twitter Account; Pictured At Scarif
According to Comicbook, two new banners for "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" were released on the official Twitter account of Star Wars UK. One of the banner focuses on the Empire while the other one focuses on the Rebel Alliance. These banners seem to have taken on Scarif that is the tropical paradise planet seen in many trailers.
The Empire banner features a new class of Stormtrooper: the Shoretrooper while it shows Death Star in the background. The Rebel Alliance banner features the film's core crew that is charging into the battle. This includes Captain Cassian Andor, Jyn Erso, Bodhi Rook, Chirrut Imwe, K-2SO and Baze Malbus.
'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' Release Date & Update: Storyline & New X-Wing Footage Revealed
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" that is directed by Gareth Edwards takes place outside the core of "Skywalker Saga." It depicts the story of a small group of rebels that is tasked to steal the plans of Death Star, Empire's armored space station, and ultimate weapon. As this weapon has the ability to destroy the entire planets, the fate of the galaxy depends on the rebel group.
As the release of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is fast approaching, its marketing is its high gear. They unveiled more details through releasing new film footage. The new footage is just a quick 30-second video. It reveals a new X-wing action as Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso rallies the troops. The video shows the mercenary team defeating some Stormtroopers. It also shows famous Star Wars vehicle and shots of Erso with Death Star in the background.
'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' Latest News, Release Date & Update: Releases For UK & the US
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" will be released on December 15 for the United Kingdom. It will hit United States Cinemas the day after.
home Tech iOS 10 jailbreak release date news: iOS 10 jailbreak tool released for iPad, iPhone, iPod
A jailbreak tool for iOS 10 has been released and is already working on iPads, iPhones and some iPods.
According to a report by Neurogadget, this jailbreak tool, which was not developed by Pangu, comes, instead, from the Unlock-Jailbreak Team. The outlet notes that the jailbreak tool offers numerous benefits, including access to Cydia and the ability to use SIM cards from any network. The tool also comes with lifetime updates and money-back guarantees.
The Unlock-Jailbreak Team claims that the iOS 10 jailbreak tool does not harm the devices on which it is installed. The team also guarantees that all the functions and features of whatever Apple device the jailbreak tool will be installed in will be retained and will function normally.
Nonetheless, the tech blog warns users about possible security issues that may arise as a result of installing the iOS 10 jailbreak tool. According to Neurogadget, users should back up their Apple devices before downloading and installing the jailbreak tool.
Meanwhile, Pangu, one of the leading jailbreak developers in recent years, has released several jailbreak methods and jailbreak alternatives for iOS 10, iOS 10.01, iOS 10.0.2 and iOS 10.0.3. It has not, however, come up with a jailbreak tool for the recently unveiled iOS 10.2 beta 1 for iOS developers.
According to the Chinese programming team, there is currently no jailbreak solution for the iOS 10.2 beta 1, but hackers and developers are already working to remedy this problem. On its website, Pangu lists the new features made available by the iOS 10.2 beta and what Apple users can do to get the same in the absence of an official Pangu jailbreak tool.
Pangu says that it currently has no jailbreak tweaks that can give Apple users the new video widget, emojis and Messages screen effect offered by the iOS 10.2 beta 1. However, users can use the iWidgets Jailbreak app for a similar widget experience on iOS. Meanwhile, the QuickShoot Pro, Grabby and FrontFlash jailbreak tweaks can offer the same camera setting functions offered by the iOS 10.2 beta.
Nokia Android Phone Release Date, Features, Specs & Update: New Leaked Images From China Surfaced Showing Three Available Colors
New alleged leaked images of the upcoming Nokia Android Phone surfaced from China. According to the source of the renders, these were based on claimed sightings of the Nokia Android Phone prototypes.
Nokia Android Phone Design: Low-End, High-End Variants Coming?
NokiaPowerUser revealed that the designs for the low-end and higher range models of the Nokia Android Phone do not differ much. The low-end variants will reportedly feature a metal frame and polycarbonate back, while the high-end models will showcase an all-metal body.
The available colors for the Nokia Android are black, white and gold, for the high-end variant. The high-end model will include a fingerprint sensor in the home button, but the low-end models will not have one.
Nokia Android Phone Latest Update: Leaked Images Surface
Digiworthy featured some of the new leaked images of the Nokia Android Phone from China, with the premium metallic design and Nokia logo on the back. Rumors suggest that there will initially be two Nokia Android Phones. The first will have a 5.2-inch display, while the second will have a 5.5-inch screen.
One of the phones is believed to have QHD resolution. Both Nokia Android Phones may include a Snapdragon 820 chipset, IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. The camera, internal memory and price details of the Nokia Android Phones have yet to be announced.
Previously, Microsoft purchased the Devices & Services division of Nokia. Subsequently, Microsoft Mobile sold the right to use the Nokia brand to HMD Global, a Finnish company. HMD Global recently hired Mother, the largest independent advertising company in the United Kingdom, to market the upcoming Nokia Android Phones.
Pekka Rantala, chief marketing officer of HMD Global, stated that their partnership with Mother allows them to move toward their goal of introducing a new product range to the market. As a result, Mother will focus on a global launch campaign to showcase the new Nokia Android Phones, which are expected to begin rolling out early in 2017.
Some of the first models may appear at the MWC 2017 expo in February. Recently, what is believed to be one of the upcoming Nokia Android Phones was spotted, featuring a Snapdragon 430 chipset and 3GB of RAM and running on Android 7.0 Nougat.
SpaceX News & Updates: Is Aerospace Refueling Practices Dangerous To Manned Missions?
SpaceX has been paving the way for the future of human space travel since 2002 and the vision of its founder Elon Musk has been matched by very few in the business. However, its maverick ways can also be as potentially dangerous as they are groundbreaking.
The Wall Street Journal cites that NASA had actually sent SpaceX a letter back in December 2015, expressing concern about how the company refuels its Falcon 9 rockets. The Falcon 9 requires that its supercooled fuel is filled in the rocket half an hour before it launches, meaning the refueling has to be done while the crew is onboard, waiting for launch.
If anything goes wrong while the SpaceX rocket is refueling, it means that the crew will be in harm's way. This method apparently opposes half a century of approved refueling and safety practices in space agencies around the world and fears had gotten worse after their launchpad explosion back in September.
For its part, however, SpaceX claims that it has been working closely with NASA to make sure that all their practices are safe, reports Engadget. NASA claims that its review process for all of SpaceX's Falcon rockets is very rigorous, but the agency still has a lot of doubters of SpaceX's methods. The company claims that their refueling process is reliable and is able to minimize many risks and dangers to people, such as the Crew Dragon abort system that flies the crew away in an emergency.
The publication notes that what SpaceX needs to do now is to keep convincing the right agencies and committees that their method of refueling isn't necessarily dangerous, just different. The future of commercial, private spaceflight rests on SpaceX's reputation right now and they need to do all they can to assuage the population's fears.
SpaceX News & Update: Passenger Spaceship Launches 2018; Elon Musk, First To Aboard; NASA Rejects SpaceX Human-Launch Operations After Falcon 9 Explosion?
After the explosion of Falcon 9 last September 1, SpaceX has caught the attention of NASA, and other concerned institutions on the fuelling procedure of the Aero Space Company. Although SpaceX has already made numerous progress with the investigation, NASA is still apprehensive with future launches.
CEO Elon Musk recently proposed on fuelling its rockets while astronauts are on board. This proposal has greatly alarmed NASA, noting that the operation is very hazardous. SpaceX is confident that the company has moved on with the September 1 incident, and is confident to execute human launch operation.
In the previous report by Gamenguide, SpaceX diligently worked with NASA, Federal Aviation Association, and the US Air Force in investigating the explosion, which pointed to the failure of the helium tank as the main cause.
NASA pointed out that there has never been a rocket that was fuelled before its launch, and astronauts were not aboard during the fuelling procedure, Reuters reports. The fuelling process has to be done before astronauts aboard the ship. Having astronauts aboard is very alarming especially when considering the previous incident.
While SpaceX has already schedule its first passenger spaceship launch in 2018, it has first to obtain approval from NASA. There are speculations that NASA is rejecting SpaceX's fuelling procedure with astronauts aboard.
To eliminate such stigma, it is reported that Elon Musk is the first volunteer to aboard the passenger spaceship in 2018. However, Musk has not confirmed any statement yet, since he is more focused on getting his spaceship ready for the 2018 launch.
A second route, which will service downtown to Alamitos Beach, will launch on Nov. 10.
Some businesses grow faster than others, and Joe Holmberg is thinking long-term.
Decades from now, well after hes gone, 25,000 trees hes planted on his Lebanon-area spread will be ready for harvest. The trees have to start sometime, and I guess Ill be the one to plant them, Holmberg said.
He isnt sure what will happen with the 50-acre farm, but hes hopeful. We have a grandson who thinks this is a really great place, he added.
Holmberg, 75, and his wife Shirley Holmberg, have been honored as the 2016 tree farmers of the year by the Linn County chapter of the Oregon Small Woodlands Association.
They will vie for the Oregon tree farmer of the year award, which will be announced at a banquet on Nov. 21.
Linn County has produced two of Oregons five national winners Bert and Betty Udell of Lebanon in 1982 and Ron and Barbara Bentz of Scio in 2002.
For the time being, the Holmbergs' tree farm business has plenty of expenses and little income. But its also a bit of a science experiment.
Most of what Ive planted is the Willamette Valley strain of ponderosa pine, Holmberg said.
That type of tree is found naturally along the perimeter of the Willamette Valley, and it can grow well in a variety of conditions that would prove marginal for other species, including in the mucky, wet soil on Holmbergs property.
Willamette ponderosa pine used to thrive in the valley, but since Oregons statehood, its range declined due to urban growth, according a news release from Oregon State University.
The tree hasnt been used much in the timber industry, and little is known about proper planting practices, growth rates, yield and other factors. Do you clear-cut or selectively harvest? Holmberg asked.
Hes keeping detailed records regarding his farm.
Holmberg is on the board of directors for the Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pine Conservation Association, which is trying to reintroduce the tree here.
In the past 15 years, hes also helped about 70 fellow tree farmers develop management plans for their properties.
Holmberg knows he cant compete with giant companies in terms of quantity, so hes focusing on quality clear wood, free of knots.
Pine wood generally is great for windows and trim, and Holmberg thinks that Willamette ponderosa pine will fit the bill.
Some of his neighbors have planted Willamette ponderosa pine on their properties, as well.
When the Holmbergs bought their spread in 2000, more than half of the farm was producing hay and Holmberg quickly learned he is allergic to hay.
Now, at least 49 acres are forested.
Holmberg also planted ash trees and Christmas trees. The Christmas trees have proven to be far less sturdy than the Willamette ponderosa pine.
Deer and other critters have eaten the lower branches of Nordmann firs, and many Christmas trees died in drought conditions in recent summers, Holmberg said.
Holmberg grew up in California, and when he was 11, a 50-mile trek through the Sierra Nevada mountains convinced him to work in the outdoors.
Holmberg earned a forestry degree from Oregon State University, then worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and at OSU in the College of Forestry
Though hes retired, he spends about 400 to 500 hours a year on the farm, trimming branches and doing other tasks.
Hes outside every minute, Shirley Holmberg said.
Holmberg recommended that rural property owners with acreage plant timber, even if they dont have experience with trees. Residents could learn critical skills through OSUs master woodland manager program, he added.
Holmberg also received a National Leadership Award for Oregon from the American Tree Farm System this year.
Some businesses grow faster than others, and Joe Holmberg is thinking long-term.
Decades from now, well after hes gone, 25,000 trees hes planted on his Lebanon-area spread will be ready for harvest. The trees have to start sometime, and I guess Ill be the one to plant them, Holmberg said.
He isnt sure what will happen with the 50-acre farm, but hes hopeful. We have a grandson who thinks this is a really great place, he added.
Holmberg, 75, and his wife Shirley Holmberg, have been honored as the 2016 tree farmers of the year by the Linn County chapter of the Oregon Small Woodlands Association.
They will vie for the Oregon tree farmer of the year award, which will be announced at a banquet on Nov. 21.
For the time being, the Holmbergs' tree farm business has plenty of expenses and little income. But its also a bit of a science experiment.
Most of what Ive planted is the Willamette Valley strain of ponderosa pine, Holmberg said.
That type of tree is found naturally along the perimeter of the Willamette Valley, and it can grow well in a variety of conditions that would prove marginal for other species, including in the mucky, wet soil on Holmbergs property.
Willamette ponderosa pine used to thrive in the valley, but since Oregons statehood, its range declined due to urban growth, according a news release from Oregon State University.
The tree hasnt been used much in the timber industry, and little is known about proper planting practices, growth rates, yield and other factors. Do you clear-cut or selectively harvest? Holmberg asked.
Holmberg is on the board of directors for the Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pine Conservation Association, which is trying to reintroduce the tree here.
People on the Move
Heidi May-Stoulil has been promoted to director of mental health operations for Samaritan Health Services.
In her new role, May-Stoulil oversees the operations of mental health services for outpatient and psychiatry consulting services, and manages the evolving nature of mental health care to develop new services as needed.
May-Stoulil has worked for Samaritan since 2002, and joined the Samaritan Mental Health team a decade ago. Since then, she has assumed roles of increasing responsibility.
Reinvestments
The Thursday Rotary Club of Corvallis recently donated $7,700 to several local organizations.
These organizations are Quilts for Caring Hands; Community Outreach, Inc.; Jackson Street Youth Center; and Vina Moses Center.
Take a Bow
RE/MAX Integrity ranks among the 20 most productive brokerages in the United States, based on home sales data in the 2016 REAL Trends 500 survey.
RE/MAX Integrity placed 20 out of 50, with an average 23.4 transaction sides per agent.
When measured by the number of transaction sides per agent, RE/MAX Integrity also was one of only two Oregon real estate brokerages included among the top 50 brokerages.
The 2016 REAL Trends 500 survey ranked the largest U.S. brokerages by total 2015 residential transaction sides, with each required to have a minimum of 500 transactions sides last year to qualify. Based on the surveys top 500 participating brokerages, RE/MAX calculated the highest-ranking 50 who averaged the most transaction sides per agent. Of those top 50 brokerages, an impressive 39 were affiliated with RE/MAX.
RE/MAX Integrity has four offices in Oregon, including one in Corvallis. Further information is available at 541-766-2000 or www.integritycorvallis.com.
David Maddison, integrative biology professor at Oregon State University and director of the Oregon State Arthropod Collection and his twin brother, Wayne Maddison, recently were honored with the Society of Systematics Biology Presidents Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Wayne Maddison is a professor in the departments of zoology and botany at the University of British Columbia. This honor recognizes outstanding and sustained contributions to the field over the course of many years. It has been awarded only four times since 1998. David Maddison received the award at Evolution2016 held last June in Austin, Texas.
The Society of Systematic Biologists seeks to advance the science of systematic biology, including the aspects of theory, principles, methodology, and practice, for both living and fossil organisms. The society also publishes the journal Systematic Biology.
David Maddison was recognized for his excellence in research, which has had an impact on the field of systematics, including phylogenetics and taxonomy.
The final test of the students filters was fairly simple: They poured muddy, leaf-filled water through them. As the water, filtered by layers of sand and rock, emerged it was, well, not completely clear.
But it was a lot clearer.
And more importantly, the biosand filters being built and tested by members of the Oregon State University Engineers Without Borders club can, when properly implemented, significantly reduce dangerous bacteria from water. Students in the club built smaller, but functional versions of the filters in a workshop Thursday night.
The lesson began with the student leading the workshop explaining the principles behind the water filters. They use fine sand to trap bacteria, and a layer of bacteria that consume the harmful microorganisms builds up in the filters top layer over time, making the filters more effective at removing bacteria from water after theyve been used a few weeks. They also have an advantage because they can be built with local materials in the nations where the club members do their projects.
The next step was for the students break into teams to build miniature versions of the filters in two-liter soda bottles. They were given $15 in fake dollars to buy materials from the workshops organizer, so that they would be forced to think about how to build not just an effective filter, but how to do it at a low cost.
When you are making real life biosand filters, you want to be as cost effective as possible, said Rachel Yonamine, a third-year civil engineering student who ran the workshop,
She added that the workshop is one of the clubs more popular workshops, and they typically do it every year.
Everyone seems to really like this one, and its really hands on, she said.
The lesson was important for club members because since they were founded in 2006, most of their overseas projects have involved providing communities with safe water, either through building filters, building rainwater catchment systems or drilling wells.
The club has both general workshops like these ones for all members, but also committee work focused on their projects overseas.
Julianne Robinson, a third-year ecological engineering student and the clubs vice president, said the club is mostly undergraduates with a few graduate students involved.
According to club officers, they typically do projects in a single location over about five years, with the early visits to a site being focused on trying to understand the communities needs through talking to locals and doing survey work to prepare for future trips. The club members have in the past done projects in El Salvador and Kenya, and they have ongoing projects in Nicaragua and Cambodia. They also do some domestic work, including a current project developing an irrigation system at a small Albany farm.
Robinson said having a longer term relationship with the communities they work with ensures that what they do is sustainable and what the community really needs.
You develop a relationship with the community, and you can start by not going in with ideas about what they need, said Robinson, who was part of one of the clubs initial visits to Los Potrerillos, Nicaragua, in her freshman year.
Robinson said club members get practical experience with a variety of engineering skills, such as design, drilling wells, setting up pipe networks, mapping topography and doing water quality tests.
As a student, its really cool to work on something thats implemented, she said. You get design experience but also to see the human side of what we do.
John Ren, the clubs treasurer and a fourth-year student in industrial engineering, said his involvement in the club has influenced him to change career paths.
I really believe engineering is not just about engineering high rises or bridges, its about engineering for empowerment, he said.
A lot of the 30 to 50 students involved year to year want to see their knowledge and experience make a difference, he said.
Robinson said the club members devote a lot of time to writing grants and doing fundraising to cover the costs of the projects they do; the club pays for all the expenses of their projects.
Ren said the club typically has a budget of around $20,000 to $30,000 for a year.
Judy Jiang, an international program coordinator with the club and a fourth- year student in mechanical engineering, said she works with the club because she wants what she does to be useful.
What we do is in a context where its really needed, rather than spending thousands of hours designing a single part that is never seen, said Jiang, who went to Kenya in 2014.
Genevieve Schutzius, a first-year masters student in environmental engineering, attended Thursdays workshop and said it was the first time she had been to a meeting of the OSU chapter of Engineers Without Borders. She said she liked that the water filter workshop was hands on.
As a brand new student, its exciting to see a strong EWB community here, she said.
Joel Hirsch is seeking his fifth term on the Corvallis City Council in Ward 6 in the northeast section of town. He is being challenged by inde
April 17, 1931 Oct. 31, 2016
Elvin Todd Allen, 85, left us on Monday, Oct. 31, 2016, with his spouse and friends at his side at The Regency in Albany.
Todd was born April 17, 1931, in Seattle to Edna Augusta Hepler and William Walter Allen. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Long Beach, California, where he lived until the age of 4. He then moved to Wenatchee, Washington, with his mother and siblings. In 1948 he graduated from Wenatchee High School.
After graduation, Elvin was sworn into the United States Air Force; he served overseas in Germany and then was recalled during the Korean conflict. He also served in the U.S. Reserve Corps following his discharge.
Todd began a long career in sales that included insurance, advertising, wholesale foods, office supplies, appliances, correspondence courses and many more. He was top salesman for many years because of his wittiness and charming smile. In the late 1970s, Todd owned and operated Furniture Village in Corvallis until he sold the business and then worked for Bensons and Midvalley Carpet and Interiors. In addition, he founded Todd Travel and Cruise.
After retiring from the sales industry, he traveled to Guatemala, Costa Rica and Mexico City to become versatile in the Spanish language. In 2002, he met and married Esmeralda Reyes in Corvallis, and they began their life of community service together.
He served as an officer and master Mason until his illness in 2011, as well as the Shriners, Order of the Eastern Star, the NAACP, AOW State Area Conference of the NAACP, Veterans for Peace and the Corvallis MLK Commission and MidValley Healthcare Advocates. In 1995, Todd became a life member of MENSA; he was also a Noble in the Imperial Council of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine of NA at the Al Kader Temple, as well as a member of BPO Elks .
Todd is survived by his wife, Esmeralda; sister Darlene Allen Thompson; nieces Tammy Waddington and Susan Allen; and grandchildren David Younger, Todd McJunkin and Sara Allen Webb.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Deana Constance Pappas; daughter Nancy; and sons Todd Jr. and Steven.
A graveside of cremated remains will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, at Locke Cemetery in Corvallis. A celebration of life will be at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, at First United Methodist Church in Corvallis.
AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home is handling arrangements (www.aasum-dufour.com).
The Bonneville Power Administration wants to upgrade its communications equipment on the top of Marys Peak, but some of the mountains more ardent supporters want it gone entirely along with the rest of the electronic gear that bristles from a fenced compound on the highest point in the Oregon Coast Range.
The BPA, which markets electricity from federal hydropower plants throughout the Northwest, is one of many entities that use the peak southwest of Corvallis as a relay point for radio transmissions.
Before it can replace any of its aging communications equipment, it has to prepare an environmental assessment that requires a public review process and must ultimately get approval from the U.S. Forest Service, which owns the communications site. The next step will be a public meeting at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Philomath High School (See box on Page A3).
In the meantime, however, the BPA proposal has opened the door for citizens groups such as the nonprofit Marys Peak Alliance, which sees it as an opportunity to revisit the question of whether a cluster of radio towers is really the best and highest use for the mountains scenic summit.
Leaders of the group met in July with BPA representatives and local Forest Service officials to deliver a proposal of their own: Move the BPA communications facilities to another location with less conservation and recreational value and start looking for ways to get the other radio towers off the summit as well.
They came out of that meeting without any doubt that there are a lot of people and organizations in Corvallis that care about what happens on Marys Peak, said alliance member Phil Hays. Basically, we told them: Its our mountain, not yours.
Rising to an altitude of 4,097 feet above sea level, Marys Peak stands head and shoulders above the surrounding ridgelines, providing views of the High Cascades to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Its summit meadows, dotted with subalpine wildflowers in the summer and covered with snow in the winter, are a popular outdoor recreation destination for mid-valley residents.
The mountain is managed for multiple uses by multiple owners. Private timber companies control much of the lower elevations except on the east slope, where the 10,000-acre Rock Creek watershed provides about 30 percent of the municipal water supply for the city of Corvallis.
Overlaying the area is a portion of the O&C lands, a checkerboard of federal real estate managed for timber production and wildlife habitat by the Bureau of Land Management.
Most of the mountains upper slopes lie within the Siuslaw National Forest, including the 924-acre Marys Peak Scenic-Botanical Special Interest Area, created to preserve the mountains sensitive plant communities and sweeping vistas.
It really is special, Hays said. We have plants up there that exist in the Coast Range only on the top 200 feet of Marys Peak.
Theres even an insect, the Marys Peak ice crawler, that is believed to be unique to the mountains upper slopes.
On the summit itself, in the middle of the special interest area, is the Marys Peak Communications Site, a half-acre enclave surrounded by a heavy-duty chain-link fence.
Inside the fence are a number of structures, including a 16-foot-by-20-foot concrete block building full of communications equipment owned by the BPA. The agency also has two radio towers that stand roughly 27 feet tall.
The Forest Service has a 14-by-40-foot concrete block communications building on the site, flanked by a 40-foot radio tower. Nearby is a 20-foot radio tower that belongs to the Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon State Police.
Theres also a propane generator and two 1,000-gallon propane tanks to provide emergency power.
The BPA says it needs to replace one of its radio towers, a single wooden pole holding a UHF dish that gets blown around and misaligned during winter storms. Sensitive equipment in the concrete block building can be damaged by high summer temperatures, the agency says, and it also needs a more reliable backup power source.
One of the possible alternatives being promoted by the Marys Peak Alliance is to relocate the BPA equipment a half-mile down the slope to a secondary site called West Ridge, a quarter-acre cluster of radio towers serving the communications needs of various entities including the city of Corvallis, the Federal Aviation Administration, Consumers Power Inc. and the Union Pacific Railroad.
Ultimately, Hays said, the group would like to see all communications equipment moved off the summit and replaced with an observation deck. That would restore the 360-degree views from the top, provide an attractive destination for hikers and picnickers, and keep foot traffic off the sensitive wildflower meadows.
All these agencies that have stuff up there probably have an alternative (communications option). All thats stopping them is inertia and dollars, he said. Theres no other place I know of where the public can drive to the highest point around and have an unimpeded view.
Try to use a strong password
Using a strong password for your online accounts is a good place to start at. When we say strong, it doesn't necessarily has to be something very difficult for you to remember. Try using passwords with phrases that are significant to you. For instance "eating a banana is the first thing I'd do in the morning when I was 10" is your phrase, your password could be something like "eabitftiditmwiw10".
Obviously, you don't have to use the above password, but something similar, something more significant to you.
Use two-factor authorisation
Using a strong password which is not easily guessable can secure your online accounts, for the most part, you can further opt for two-factor authorization to up the security to a next level.
Instead of just entering the username and password, if two-factor authorization is activated, you'd have to draw a unique pattern or make use of OTPs (One Time Password) along with the password. What this essentially means is that, if a hacker somehow gets hold of your credentials, he or she would still need that unique pattern or the OTP to get access to your account.
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Secure your online shopping
For the lazy/busy human beings we are, we like to shop online rather than visiting a brick and mortar store to purchase goods. While this saves a lot of time and effort besides offering a large collection of goods we wouldn't get otherwise, online shopping can prove out to be a disaster if proper care is not taken when paying the bills.
Cyber criminals are spying with their eyes wide open to get whatever information then can from online shopping websites. So, whenever you're purchasing a product from the online store make sure that the website is secure and encrypted. You can check this by looking for the "https" prefix on the website's URL.
Protect your email from getting hacked
Of late, the way we communicate with people has changed largely, thanks to the IM apps like WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, and more. But still, a good number of people rely on email to communicate.
So, try not to download any attachments from the emails you've received from unknown sources for they may install harmful programs on your computer thereby making it vulnerable.
Update your computer regularly
Make sure that the software on your computer is up to date. Most of the updates pushed by your computer's manufacturer bring along vulnerability patches that'll make it difficult for hackers to get access to your computer. So, keeping up to date with software is definitely a good idea if you're planning to stay away from cyber attacks.
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Motorola Moto M to Launch Tomorrow: Heres What We Know So Far News oi -Chakri Kudikala Motorola is all geared up to launch another mid-range smartphone- the Moto M in tomorrow. The smartphone has been leaked various times and we have already seen the complete specs of the device.
After selling off themselves to Lenovo, Motorola is doing a great job. The company, this year already launched an array of devices including the semi-modular Moto Z family. Last month itself, the Moto Z and Moto Z Play reached Indian shores.
Speaking about the leaked specifications of the phone, the Motorola Moto M is expected to come with a 5.5-inch display, which is a 1080p panel with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 technology. Also, if the rumors were believed to be true, the Motorola Moto M will be the company's first smartphone to feature a fingerprint sensor on the rear.
SEE ALSO: Amid LYF Phone Explosion, Reliance Launches LYF F8 Smartphone with 4G VoLTE
According to the certification site TENAA, the Moto M will be powered by an Helio P15 chipset with all the cores clocked at 2.2GHz. Accompanied to the chipset will be 4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB internal storage.
All said and done, there might be a 16MP camera on the rear with dual-tone LED flash and PDAF technology for faster focus lock. Up front, we might see an 8MP camera, which will be used to capture selfies.
SEE ALSO: How to Make Free Conference Calls Using Reliance Jio SIM to Any Network
Other specifications of the smartphone include a 3050mAh battery, which might be the confirmed and final battery capacity the phone will be getting. The phone runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. Interestingly, the leaked press renders show that the smartphone with a launcher without app drawer and the app icons are pretty much similar to the Lenovo's Vibe UI.
In terms of pricing, the Moto M is already listed in one of the United States official site with a price tag of $294 (approx. Rs. 20,000). Also, there are no words on when the smartphone will launch in India.
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Best Mobiles in India
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'Feels Like Home Season 2' offers something real and tangible to think about; takes home a pertinent point - if your intentions are good, there is nothing in life that isn't achievable.
RADM Gene R. La Rocque
Gene R. La Rocque, a retired Navy rear admiral who irritated many former colleagues with his outspoken criticism of Pentagon practices, died 31 October 2016 at a hospital in Washington. He was 98.
Admiral La Rocque began his naval service in 1940 and was commissioned as Ensign early in 1941. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 he was serving on the USS MACDONOUGH there. Throughout the four years of World War II, Admiral La Rocque served aboard destroyers in the Pacific and participated in thirteen major naval battles for which he received several medals and citations.
During his 31 years of active duty, Admiral La Rocque spent sixteen years at sea in important staff positions and in command of a variety of warships and Task Forces in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean Areas. During his naval service ashore, Admiral La Rocque served in the Pentagon for seven years in strategic planning for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Chief of Naval Operations. He is a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. His last active duty post was as Director of the Inter-American Defense College in Washington, DC.
His strategic planning for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Navy included plans for use of both conventional and nuclear weapons in limited and general nuclear war. For his work as a strategic planner in the Pentagon, he was award the Legion of Merit. He received honorary doctorate degrees from Hanyang University, Seoul Korea and Haverford College.
In 1972 Rear Admiral Gene R. La Rocque founded the Center for Defense Information as an independent monitor of the military. He served as the Director of the Center for Defense Information for 21 years.
He was the Executive Producer of CDI's very successful weekly television program, "America's Defense Monitor." Admiral La Rocque traveled to 105 countries including: Israel, Japan, North and South Korea, Sweden, the former Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, Hungary, the Netherlands, South Africa, Cuba, all of Central and South America, and other nations to analyze the military situation in the world. Admiral La Rocque wrote many magazine articles and edited the book Nuclear War in Europe and frequently contributed to the op-ed pages of newspapers throughout the US. He was a frequent guest on TV programs as a military analyst.
Founded in 1972 as an independent monitor of the military, the Center for Defense Information was a private, nongovernmental, research organization. Its directors and staff believed that strong social, economic, political, and military components and a healthy environment contribute equally to the nation's security. CDI sought realistic and cost effective military spending without excess expenditures for weapons and policies that increase the danger of war. CDI supports adequate defense by evaluating defense needs and how best to meet them without wasteful spending or compromising national security.
Funded exclusively by public donations and foundation support, CDI neither sought nor accepted government money or military industrial funding. CDI operated as one of the foremost research organization in the country analyzing military spending, policies, and weapons systems. Retired military officers and experienced civilians worked together to analyze military and security issues and inform the public with unbiased facts and valid alternatives. CDI's reputation as an authoritative and impartial monitor of the military fulfilled the public's increasing demand for information and independent ideas, free from the influence of the military-industrial-political establishment. Congress, the media, and the public accessed CDI's military analysis through publications, television and radio programs, and media support.
Most recently, veteran Capitol Hill staffer and GAO assistant director Winslow Wheeler has directed CDIs Straus Military Reform Project, conducting research and providing analysis that speaks, even if occasionally disrespectfully, truth to power. In May 2012, the Project On Government Oversight was proud to welcome Winslow and the CDI legacy.
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Cross-border firing kills two Indian soldiers: Army
Iran Press TV
Sun Nov 6, 2016 4:43PM
At least two Indian soldiers have been killed during an exchange of fire with Pakistani troops along the de facto border dividing the disputed region of Kashmir.
The Indian army said in a statement that two of its soldiers were killed on Sunday in the latest exchange of cross-border fire with Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC).
Separately, one soldier was killed in a firefight as Indian troops pushed back against "infiltrators" from the Pakistani side, Indian army spokesman, Colonel N. N. Joshi, said. Another soldier died in a separate incident in the disputed region, but military sources did not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Indian and Pakistani forces have been engaged in similar clashes in the disputed region over the past months. Each side accuses the other of provocation.
Last week, authorities on both sides closed hundreds of schools along frontier areas when cross-border firing killed 14 residents.
Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained in the recent months, with New Delhi blaming Islamabad for a raid on an army base in Indian-controlled Kashmir in September, which killed 19 soldiers.
The Indian army blamed Pakistan-based militants for the assault. Islamabad denies any role in the deadly assault.
Diplomatic tensions generated between the two sides in late October, when India ordered one employee of the Pakistani High Commission out of the country, saying he was a suspected spy. Islamabad expelled an Indian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move.
In addition to that, Pakistan has recently accused eight Indian diplomats of conducting acts of "espionage and terrorism" against Islamabad.
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Bulgarians heading to polls in presidential election
Iran Press TV
Sun Nov 6, 2016 10:58AM
People in Bulgaria are heading to the polls to cast their ballots in a presidential election set to decide the future of the Balkan country.
Voting began at 7:00 am local time (0500 GMT) and will end at 8:00 pm (1700 GMT) on Sunday, with some 6.83 million Bulgarians eligible to vote and nearly 12,500 polling stations set up by election authorities.
The presidential race is mainly expected to be between the 58-year-old Tsetska Tsacheva, the center-right candidate for the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) Party, and Rumen Radev, 53, the opposition candidate of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).
Recent opinion polls show that Tsacheva, who is the current speaker of the parliament, will come atop among a total of 21 candidates with around 30 percent of support. Radev, who has come second in opinion polls, is expected to win 23 percent of the votes.
"The vote on Sunday will show whether we have the right to rule the country in the next two years," Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, the GERB's leader, said during a campaign rally.
According to observers, if no one wins an overall majority in the Sunday vote, there will be a runoff on November 13, which has to be held between the two top contenders from the first round.
The BSP candidate is seen by Bulgarian voters as pro-Russia.
Bulgaria, once a staunch ally of Moscow, has been tilting toward the West, becoming a NATO member in 2004.
The Balkan country is almost entirely dependent on Russian energy supplies, and many Bulgarians feel a deep affinity with their sprawling neighbor across the Black Sea.
Moscow and Brussels will be watching closely to see who would win the presidential elections.
Tensions have recently risen between Russia and NATO traditional adversaries since the time of the Cold War particularly since the Ukraine crisis. NATO has said it plans its biggest build-up in the region since the Cold War.
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Duterte's Words Point to 'Serious Shift' in Foreign Policy Toward Russia, China
Sputnik News
14:51 06.11.2016(updated 17:44 06.11.2016)
Stung by the US State Department's decision to cancel the sale of 26,000 assault rifles for the Philippine police, the country's President Rodrigo Duterte called those responsible for the decision "monkeys" and "fools."
"Look at these monkeys, the 26,000 firearms we wanted to buy, they don't want to sell," Duterte said during a televised speech on Wednesday.
The Philippine leader never minces words when referring to US politicians. Earlier he called President Barack Obama "a son of a b*tch" and the US ambassador in Manila "an annoying homosexual."
In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said that despite Duterte's swipe, the US remained committed to developing a good working relationship with the Philippines and its President.
The question is whether the Philippines and its President are equally committed to having good relations with Washington.
Rodrigo Duterte earlier said that he was preparing a dramatic change in its foreign policy and that he planned to cancel a defense cooperation deal with the US.
"I will break up with America," Duterte declared in a speech earlier this year, adding that he would rather "go to Russia and to China."
Even though some of these statements were later disavowed by top members of his administration and by Duterte himself, it looks like the Philippine President is really committed to the idea of forging closer ties with China and Russia.
"If [Duterte] really means what he says, we may see a serious shift towards a more balanced foreign policy which has in mind not only the US but Russia and China as well," Vladimir Svedentsov, a political analyst at the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies told Sputnik.
According to the president, the Philippines may well find other sources to buy weapons if the US refuses to cooperate.
"Russia and China are ready to supply us arms. Russian diplomats told me: 'Come to Russia, we have everything you need,'" Duterte said.
According to Pyotr Tsvetayev, a Moscow-based political scientist, Russian arms supplies to the Philippines have the potential of becoming a major area of mutually-beneficial cooperation between the two countries.
"We have already showed them our warplanes, helicopters and Igla MANPADS, but until now they had been bound by their defense cooperation pact with the Americans," Tsvetov said.
Time will show whether the Philippine President's plans to buy Russian arms are sheer rhetoric or a well-thought out program.
The US State Department halted the sale of the M4 assault rifles to Philippines police over concerns about reported human rights violations in the bloody war on drugs initiated by Duterte earlier this year.
Sputnik
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Chinese Ships Conduct Patrol Mission Close to Disputed Islands in East China Sea
Sputnik News
14:12 06.11.2016
China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) has confirmed that Chinese Coast Guard ships carried out a patrol mission in the East China Sea on Sunday, sailing close to the disputed islands, known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan.
"On November 6, Chinese Coast Guard ships with serial numbers 2401, 2101, 2502 and 35115 have went on a patrol in the waters of the Diaoyu islands that belong to China," SOA said in a statement published on its website.
The incident took place at approximately 10:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT), when Chinese vessels entered what Japan says are its territorial waters. The ships were gone less than two hours later.
Japan's Foreign Ministry filed a protest through its embassy located in Beijing, saying that the uninhabited islets are "an inherent territory of Japan." Tokyo is said to have filed at least 32 protests this year over similar incidents.
The territorial dispute over the East China Sea islands, involving China, Japan and Taiwan, has lasted for decades, with Beijing claiming that the islets had been part of its territory since the 14th century. Chinese officials have also pointed out that Japanese maps issued in 1783 and 1785 marked the islands as Chinese.
For its part, Tokyo has emphasized that the islands were part of Japan from 1895 until 1945. Following the end of World War II, they were administered by the United States. Washington handed them over to Tokyo in 1972.
China and Taiwan maintain that Japan has no rights to these territories.
Sputnik
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Poland to Acquire Additional Naval Strike Missiles, Submarines
Sputnik News
03:26 06.11.2016(updated 03:27 06.11.2016)
Polish Deputy Defence Minister Bartosz Kownacki announced that Warsaw may soon purchase more submarines and naval strike missiles (NSMs) for the country's navy.
Poland has already set up two NSM squadrons on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Kownacki told local daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna that the Defence Ministry is considering the acquisition of more missiles from the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace (KDA) for an additional squadron.
He noted, however, that the squadron would not be effective until certain issues were solved, such as Poland's insufficient reconnaissance capability.
"This is a significant issue. Such a squadron has a strike range of about 200 [kilometers], but our radars have a range that is considerably shorter," he stressed, adding that the problem could likely be solved by more efficient use of drones, and in the future, through merging the NSM with the Wisla medium-range air defense system.
The minister also said there were plans to order the delivery of three additional submarines for the Polish Navy late next year. The vessels will most likely be purchased jointly with another ally, possibly Norway, he said. By uniting with another state, Poland can cut costs, and "the profitability of establishing maintenance and service capacities" will be higher.
Last month, the Nasz Dziennik daily was informed by sources close to the submarine program that the ministry will probably purchase three A26-class subs from Sweden's Saab. Other forerunners include Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, which offers its HDW-class subs, and France's DCNS, which pitched its Scorpene-class subs.
Poland prompted a modernization program of its military after Russia's reunification with the Crimean Peninsula caused great concern among NATO members in Eastern Europe.
Sputnik
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More than 20 Killed in Renewed Fighting in Central Somalia
By Abdulaziz Osman November 06, 2016
At least 24 people were killed and more than 80 others were wounded in a renewed fighting between Puntland and Galmudug state forces in the central Somali town of Galkayo, days after the two states agreed a cease-fire.
Witnesses say a fierce battle erupted early Sunday morning with heavy gunfire and mortar exchange in the west side of the town and later spread out to different suburbs surrounding the town.
Medical officials in the town confirmed to VOA at least 24 people were killed, including 18 soldiers and 6 civilians.
VOA reporter in the town, Abdiwahid Moalim Isak said he saw at least 9 dead bodies.
The latest fighting came after Puntland and Galmudug presidents have reached a cease-fire agreement in Abu Dhabi mediated by UAE late last week. The two presidents agreed to halt the armed conflicts and continue discussing their differences in a bid to reach a final deal.
Most of Galkayo residents had fled the town since onset of the fighting. UN and other NGO organization estimated more than 80, 000 people have been displaced in the recent clashes.
Galkayo is the provincial capital of the divided Mudug region of Somalia. The northern part of the town is controlled by Puntland regional state, while the south is controlled by Galmudug regional state.
Disputed land in the town often creates tensions over the control of the town.
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THAAD Decision Derails Seoul-Beijing Military Talks
Sputnik News
21:46 06.11.2016(updated 22:30 06.11.2016)
Seoul and Beijing have suspended their high-level defense talks as a result of South Korea's decision to deploy a controversial American anti-missile system in the country.
Sources reported November 6 that the planned visit of South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo to China for negotiations with Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan had stalled, and that the countries' annual vice-ministerial level military strategy talks were now not likely to take place. China and South Korea have held these defense talks every year since 2011.
South Korea decided in July to station the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on its territory, and recent reports say it will be deployed within the next eight to 10 months. The system is one of many new aggressive defense measures Seoul is taking as North Korea, amid international condemnation, continues to test nuclear devices and ballistic missiles.
China has consistently opposed the THAAD deployment, saying it undermines China's national interests and destabilizes the region's balance of power. THAAD is capable of detecting and intercepting Chinese missiles.
Russia also opposes the deployment of the missile system.
"China has not extended an invitation to Han, and our government has not asked," a defense ministry source told Qatar News Agency. Chinese officials have consistently warned that THAAD would cool the heretofore expanding relations between the two nations.
"We are reviewing the situation to decide on whether to push for [Han's] visit and ministerial talks," a military source said, the Korea Daily reports.
The annual vice-ministerial meeting provided the neighbors the opportunity to discuss military personnel exchanges, crisis communication plans and the management of each country's air defense identification zones. South Korea has suggested holding the talks in Seoul this year; China has yet to respond.
Sputnik
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Chinese premier proposes four principles guiding "16+1" cooperation
People's Daily Online
(Xinhua) 04:04, November 06, 2016
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday put forward four principles guiding the "16+1" cooperation mechanism with central and eastern European (CEE) countries.
During his keynote speech at the Sixth China and Central and Eastern European Countries Economic and Trade Forum in the Latvian capital of Riga, Li said that over the past five years, the "16+1" cooperation has become more mature and productive, making new progress and achievements every year.
The principles that contributed to its success should be reaffirmed and upheld, he noted.
First, he said, based on the principle of equal consultation, mutual respect and mutual assistance, China and CEE countries should extend understanding and support to each other and refrain from imposing one's own will on the other side.
Second, Li called on China and CEE countries to seek mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, saying they should bring into full play their respective advantages, complement and learn from each other.
The Chinese premier pointed out openness and inclusiveness as the third principle for the "16+1" cooperation mechanism.
The "16+1" cooperation is a component and useful supplement to cooperation between China and the European Union, he said, adding that it does not exclude any third party.
Fourth, China and CEE countries should stick to the principle of interconnected development, joint contribution and shared benefits, he said.
The "16+1" cooperation requires the participation of each country, and as a group, China and CEE countries should seek to create synergies among their development strategies and pursue innovation-driven development, Li said.
Li is currently in the Baltic country for an official visit and a leaders' meeting within what is known as the "16+1" framework, which groups China and 16 CEE nations.
Li's trip marks the first time for a Chinese premier to visit Latvia since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Baltic country is the third leg of his ongoing eight-day Eurasia tour, which has already taken him to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and will conclude in Russia.
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Iraqi Forces Fighting Islamic State Surge Toward Mosul Airport
RFE/RL November 05, 2016
Iraqi security forces converging on Mosul from the south have driven Islamic State (IS) fighters from the center of a town just several kilometers from the large northern city's airport.
Lieutenant-General Raid Shakir Jawdat said security forces were in control of the center of Hammam al-Alil, about 15 kilometers south of Mosul.
He told Al-Hurra television that another Iraqi unit had advanced further up the western bank of the Tigris River and was just 4 kilometers from the airport.
Mosul, the last IS stronghold in Iraq, is being besieged by Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces seeking to recapture it as they continue to retake Iraqi territory from the Sunni extremists in the northern and western parts of the country.
Jawdat added that his forces had destroyed 17 bomb-laden cars, which had targeted them as they advanced north.
"[The battle for Hamman al-Alil] is very important -- it's the last town for us before Mosul," Jawdat told reporters.
Iraqi helicopters were supporting the army, he said, backed also by jets from the U.S.-led air coalition.
The security forces' advance from the south comes days after Iraqi special forces punched their way into the eastern part of Mosul, with Peshmerga forces blocking the northern access to the city.
The Reuters news agency reported seeing smoke rising from Mosul's eastern districts as artillery, gunfire, and air strikes by the U.S.-led coalition could be heard on November 5.
The special forces have reportedly secured six neighborhoods in eastern Mosul and established a base of operations in the city.
But the advance of the Iraqi forces was slowed by IS-erected fortifications, which include trenches and berms that have turned the streets and alleys of some neighborhoods into hazardous mazes.
Snipers also fired from rooftops at each other and civilians emerged from the front lines waving white flags in a bid to receive safe passage.
There were indications other residents were being held by IS fighters in an effort to use them as human shields, the Associated Press reported.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said on November 5 during a visit to the eastern front in Mosul that he had brought a message to Mosul residents "who are hostages in the hands of [Islamic State] -- we will liberate you soon."
Abadi said the progress to liberate Mosul has gone faster than previously expected.
"Our heroic forces will not retreat and will not be broken," he said. "Maybe in the face of terrorist acts, criminal acts, there will be some delay."
So far, the army controls only a small part of Mosul -- which was home to 2 million people before the IS fighters took control of it in 2014.
There are reported to be more than 1 million people still living in the city, though there has been a steady stream of people leaving it since the operation to retake Mosul began three and half weeks ago.
The UN is worried that hundreds of thousands of refugees may flee Mosul due to the fighting, though thus far the International Organization for Migration reports only 31,000 have left.
A man described as a senior IS figure, Ammar Salih Ahmad Abu Bakr, was reportedly killed by federal police in Hammam al-Alil as he tried to escape by car.
With reporting by Reuters and AP
Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/iraq-forces-surge- mosul-islamic-state-airport/28099058.html
Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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Terrorist attack in Iraq kills 7 Iranian pilgrims, injures 61 others
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Baghdad, Nov 6, IRNA -- A terrorist suicide attack in the holy city of Samarra, north of the Iraqi capital, killed at least 7 Iranian pilgrims and injured 61 others Sunday morning, an Iranian official told IRNA.
Mussa Esmaeili, who is in charge of the reconstruction operations of holy shrines in Samara, told IRNA that two suicide bombers blown up themselves near buses of the Iranian pilgrims in a parking lot in Samarra.
Two women and five men were killed in the attack. The Iranian pilgrims had come from different parts of Iran, including Sistan and Baluchestan and Isfahan provinces, the official said.
A number of the injured Iranian pilgrims have been heli boarded to Baghdad hospitals to receive medical treatment.
The number of casualties is expected to be on rise as some of the injured Iranian pilgrims are in grave health conditions.
A team of Iran's Embassy in Baghdad was present the site of the incident immediately to follow up the incident and help transport the Iranian wounded.
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KRG has no choice but to deal with Baghdad: Kurdish lawmaker
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Erbil, Nov 6, IRNA -- Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has no choice but to reach agreement with the Iraqi government, Kurdish Lawmaker Amin Bakr has said.
Speaking to IRNA in a recent interview, he said that making agreement is the best way to secure interests of both Baghdad and Erbil.
The Iraqi government has set the country's budget for 2017 noting that the share of the Kurdistan Region would be included based on the terms which would be agreed by Baghdad and Erbil, said the lawmaker.
He added that Baghdad and Erbil succeeded to make a deal recently after President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzabi visited the Iraqi capital in September putting an end to several years of disputes between the two sides. Baghdad and Erbil officials have successfully reached agreements on issues of mutual interests including the military operation in Mosul and the issue of how to trade oil and spend its incomes.
Bakr stressed that officials of the Kurdistan Region have to respect the agreement they made by Baghdad.
Based on the agreement, Erbil can receive its budget from Baghdad on a regular basis if it completely observes provisions of the agreement including those related to the mechanism of purchasing oil and being transparent about its revenues.
9191**1394
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Iraqi government forces push deeper into southern Mosul
Iran Press TV
Sun Nov 6, 2016 4:12PM
Iraqi army soldiers have managed to liberate two villages south of the strategic northern city of Mosul as government soldiers, backed by fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, are trying to expel Daesh terrorists from the area.
The commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, said in a press statement on Sunday that the 9th armored division of the army had recaptured the village of al-Razaqiyah, and raised the national Iraqi flag over a number of buildings there.
Yarallah added that Iraqi government forces inflicted heavy losses on the Daesh forces during heavy clashes with the Takfiri militants.
Iraqi soldiers also established control over the village of Hawijah al-Hassan south of Mosul, located some 400 kilometers north of the capital, Baghdad.
Additionally, Daesh terrorists executed seven fellow extremists in central Mosul on charges of fleeing the battlefield. An informed source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network on Sunday that the Daesh terrorists were decapitated with blunt knives as their hands and legs were cuffed.
The source added that the slain militants were accused of escaping clashes with Iraqi army soldiers and allied fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units in Kokajli district, which lies east of Mosul.
Iraq's Joint Operations Command also announced in a statement that Daesh official in charge of military affairs, identified as Mohannad Hamed al-Makani but better known by the nom de guerre, Abu Aisha al-Bilawi, and a number of his foreign aides have been killed in an Iraqi Air Force strike against Yaramjah neighborhood of Mosul.
Moreover, Iraqi army soldiers destroyed three cars rigged with explosives in Awizah village, and cut Daesh supply lines in the al-Sadah district north of Mosul.
The developments came a day after five high-ranking commanders of the Daesh terror network stole millions of dollars from the group and fled to neighboring Syria.
Al-Sumaria television channel reported that the quintet, among them a militant identified as Abu Bara Kakhtani and responsible for the group's treasury affairs, has left Mosul for the city of Tal Afar, situated 63 kilometers west of Mosul, and are planning to take refuge in the small town of Ba'aj next and Syria eventually.
The Daesh leadership has ordered a search operation to find the commanders and execute them.
Iraqi forces to face fiercer Daesh resistance in Mosul
Meanwhile, Masrour Barzani, the head of the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Security Council and son of KRG President Massoud Barzani, has warned that Iraqi army soldiers and pro-government forces will face "fierce and vicious resistance" from Daesh militants in the next phase of the operation to retake Mosul.
Barzani stated that Daesh terrorists would most likely resort to bomb attacks and booby traps to compensate for huge losses in their battles with army troops and volunteer fighters seeking to drive out the militants from their last stronghold in Iraq.
The top KRG security official underlined that Daesh would not be totally eliminated following Mosul liberation since the group's school of insurgency will stay behind.
He added the campaign against Daesh has economic and ideological dimensions besides the military aspect, noting that the battle will take several years to succeed.
After months of preparation, Iraqi army soldiers, backed by volunteer fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, launched an operation on October 17 to retake the strategic northern city of Mosul from Daesh terrorists.
So far, a large number of villages and districts around the city, located 400 kilometers north of Baghdad, have been purged of the extremists.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed that Mosul, once Iraq's second largest city before Daesh militants overran it in June 2014, will be fully recaptured by year-end.
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Multiple deadly bombings rip through Iraqi cities
Iran Press TV
Sun Nov 6, 2016 8:26AM
Nearly two dozen people have been killed in a string of attacks that rocked Iraq's northern Salahuddin province as well as the capital, Baghdad, security sources say.
On Sunday, a bomber set off his explosives at a checkpoint in the south of the city of Tikrit, Salahuddin's provincial capital, the Arabic-language al-Sumaria TV network reported.
Some reports said the attacker had been riding a bomb-laced ambulance during the morning rush hour and that Iraqi forces had imposed a curfew in the area after the incident.
Meanwhile, another car bomb went off at a car park for Shia pilgrims visiting al-Askari Mosque in the vicinity of a hospital in the province's city of Samarra, located some 50 kilometers south of Tikrit, Kurdish-language NRT News television said.
At least 21 people were killed in the two explosions.
Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization said there were 10 Iranian pilgrims among the victims in Samarra, which is home to the holy shrine of Imam Ali al-Hadi (PBUH), the tenth Shia Imam.
Separately, two booby traps went off in two neighborhoods in the Iraqi capital, killing three people and injuring 13 others.
'Terrorists struggling to live on'
Following the Iran's Foreign Ministry roundly condemned the deadly bomb attacks in Iraq.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi offered condolences to the families of the victims, calling on the international community to shoulder its responsibility in stopping the spread of terror threats.
He said the "brutal act of terror" is due to the failure of terror groups in pursuit of their "sinister goals" in Iraq, saying the Islamic Republic "will stand by the Iraqi nation and government until the total defeat of terrorism" across the Arab country.
The new wave of terror attacks comes amid a surge in terror activities by Daesh, which has been taking severe blows from Iraqi forces in the areas under its control.
The Iraqi army and allied forces have launched an ultimate push to retake the northern city of Mosul, the last stronghold of the Takfiri Daesh terror group.
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Iraqi forces standing firm against terror: PM Abadi
Iran Press TV
Sun Nov 6, 2016 7:34AM
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed the elimination of the Daesh terror group in the near future amid advances on the ground by the army and allied fighters as part of the operation to liberate the city of Mosul.
Abadi made the remarks on Saturday during a visit to Mar Kurkis (St. George) Monastery in northeastern periphery of Mosul.
The Iraqi leader said that he brought "a message to the residents inside Mosul who are hostages in the hands of Daesh - we will liberate you soon."
Mosul fell to Daesh in 2014, the year the terror group began its campaign of death and destruction in northern and western Iraq.
On October 17, the Iraqi army, volunteer Shia and Sunni fighters as well as Kurdish Peshmerga forces launched a long-awaited offensive to retake Mosul.
Abadi further stressed that the camping's progress and the advance into Mosul had been faster than expected.
However, he signaled that the advance may be intermittent in the face of resistance by the extremists and their bombings and sniper fire.
"Our heroic forces will not retreat and will not be broken. Maybe in the face of terrorist acts, criminal acts, there will be some delay," Abadi said.
He further noted that the scale of the destruction caused by Daesh in the country is much more than the one left behind by the Mongolian invasion.
Also on Saturday, the Iraqi premier visited Erbil, where he met with senior officials of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
He also sat down for closed-door talks with KRG leader Masoud Barzani.
The Kurdish leader's chief of staff Fuad Hussein said that the two officials discussed more coordination between Iraqi troops and Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the Mosul operation.
Based on agreements between Baghdad and Erbil, Peshmerga forces will not enter Mosul, Hussein added.
Iraqi army gains
Separately, the Iraqi Defense Ministry announced that 30 terrorists were killed and an arms depot was destroyed in airstrikes in the village of al-Zawiyah, south of Mosul.
Two ringleaders of the terrorist group were among those slain.
The liberation of the strategic town of Hammam al-Alil in southern Mosul was among major gains by the Iraqi forces on Saturday.
Footage released by Iraqi media showed Hammam al-Alil residents celebrating army victories against Daesh.
According to reports, 11 villages were recaptured in the area while the Iraqi flag was hoisted over buildings.
Some 35 other Takfiri elements were also killed, 17 car bombs were set off and 15 improvised explosive devices (IED) were defused as part of the operation on Saturday.
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Five Daesh Warlords Leave Iraq's Nineveh Province With Several Million Dollars
Sputnik News
09:14 06.11.2016(updated 11:15 06.11.2016)
Five Daesh high-ranking commanders stole group money and fled the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh, local media reported.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Five high-ranking commanders of the Daesh terror organization stole several million dollars from the group and fled the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh, local media reported.
The stolen money was intended to be paid to fighting terrorists, Al Sumaria broadcaster reported, citing its sources.
"Five high-ranking Daesh commanders including a militant known as Abu Bara Kakhtani responsible for the group's treasury fled, which coincided with the disappearance of money," the TV channel's source said.
The Daesh leadership ordered to find the commanders and execute them. According to the source, they left for another Nineveh city of Tal Afar, then for the town of Baa'j and further for Syria.
The incident happened amid the ongoing operation of the Iraqi army supported by the Kurdish Peshmerga units and US-led coalition's airstrikes aimed at the liberation of the Nineveh's capital of Mosul.
Sputnik
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Iraqi Forces Slow Advance on Mosul's Eastern Side
By VOA News November 06, 2016
Iraqi troops inside the embattled city of Mosul slowed their advance Sunday on the city's eastern front where Islamic State militants have taken over neighborhoods.
"There are a lot of civilians, and we are trying to protect them," said Lieutenant Colonel Muhanad al-Timimi. "This is one of the hardest battles that we've faced till now."
On Saturday, an Iraqi general said his forces trying to encircle the city had driven Islamic State extremists out of a key town on the city's southern front, and Kurdish forces confirmed that Iraqi flags are now flying from buildings there, near Mosul's airport.
Heavy fighting
The advance on Hamam al-Alil, 15 kilometers south of Mosul's center, followed an advance by Iraqi special forces against Mosul's eastern perimeter. The Iraqis have gained a foothold in the Gogjali district of Mosul, overcoming heavy fortifications by IS militants in control of the area for the past two years.
A reporter from The Associated Press near Gogjali reported heavy combat Saturday as Islamic State fighters tried to regain territory they lost to the Iraqis Tuesday.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi recently visited his troops on Mosul's eastern front, carrying what he described as a message to civilians in Mosul who have been "hostages in the hands of Daesh" (the Islamic State group).
"We will liberate you soon," Abadi vowed, but he said the push to retake all of Mosul could come in spurts, because Iraqi forces are facing stiff resistance from IS, including roadside bombs, sniper fire and suicide car bombings.
"Our heroic forces will not retreat and will not be broken," Abadi said.
Kurdish news reports say Abadi later flew by helicopter to Irbil, the regional capital of Kurdish Iraq, where he conferred with Kurdish President Masoud Barzani and other top Kurdish officials.
In a televised statement from Irbil, Abadi said: "Our forces [at Mosul] are advancing on all fronts and there is no retreat. There is no delay in military operations, which are going as planned."
Number of displaced
He also said the number of civilians who have been displaced from their homes in or near Mosul has been lower than anticipated, but he did not give precise estimates of how many Mosul residents have escaped from the area.
The United Nations has warned that the offensive could force hundreds of thousands people from the once vibrant city.
The long-awaited Mosul offensive was launched Tuesday, two weeks after a coalition of Iraqi and Kurdish forces, backed by Shi'ite militia, Sunni Arab tribesmen and U.S.-led airstrikes began the largest military operation in the country since 2003.
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Former Secretary of South Korean President Arrested Amid Political Scandal
Sputnik News
10:15 06.11.2016(updated 10:19 06.11.2016)
An Chong-bum, a former secretary of South Korean President Park Geun-hye, was arrested on Sunday over his alleged involvement in the political scandal around informal presidential aide, local media reported.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) An, who resigned on October 30, was arrested in accordance with a warrant issued by the Seoul Central District Court, the Yonhap news agency reported. He has been in custody since late Wednesday after having been questioned by prosecutors.
The former secretary is accused of having pressured local companies to donate about $70 billion to two non-profit organizations. This money was allegedly illegally funneled to Park's informal aide Choi Soon-sil.
An is also accused of an attempt to force a local company to give shares of another company it possessed to a third party.
According to other media reports, private secretary Jung Ho-sung was also arrested on Sunday.
On October 24, the JTBC television network reported that Choi allegedly received drafts of Park's speeches before they were publicly delivered, despite not holding a public post. The following day, Park officially admitted asking Choi for advice on speeches and public relations issues, and apologized for "causing public concern."
The revelation has led to a massive anti-government protest in the country, with people calling on the president to step down. The scandal has also resulted in a cabinet reshuffle which opposition parties rejected.
Sputnik
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Western powers growing 'much weaker' in Syria, Assad says
Iran Press TV
Sun Nov 6, 2016 1:46PM
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says Western powers are "becoming much weaker" in his conflict-ridden country as government forces, backed by fighters from allied popular defense groups, are gaining more ground in battles against foreign-backed terrorists.
"In the past, if I said anything, people would say the Syrian president is disconnected from reality. Now it is different. The West is becoming much weaker," Assad said in an interview with the British weekly The Sunday Times, which was published on Sunday.
The 51-year-old Syrian leader further questioned the role that the so-called US-led military coalition is playing in the fight against Daesh extremists, saying, "They don't have a leg to stand on explaining to people what's going on. Daesh was smuggling oil and using Iraqi oil fields under American satellites and drones to make money, and the West was not saying anything."
He then praised Russian airstrikes on the positions of Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria.
"What made the difference, of course, was firepower. They have firepower we don't have. At the end, we were fighting an unlimited reserve of terrorists coming to Syria and we struggled, so Russian firepower and Iranian support has compensated," Assad pointed out.
The Syrian president underlined that Russia is not interfering in Syria's internal affairs, and that Moscow is not looking for political deals with the Damascus government.
"They never try to interfere because they don't want anything from us. They don't ask us to be a puppet president," Assad commented.
He also expressed determination that Syrian forces will eventually retake Aleppo, once Syria's largest city and the country's industrial and financial center, from Takfiri terrorists.
"Aleppo is an issue where terrorists have occupied part of the city, and we need to get rid of them," the Syrian president said.
Also on Sunday, Syrian army soldiers killed scores of militants as they attacked their hideouts in the Dara'a al-Balad district of Dara'a, located about 90 kilometers south of the capital Damascus, as well as al-Ghariya al-Gharbia village northeast of Dara'a.
Syrian troopers thwarted an assault by Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, previously known as al-Nusra Front, militants on a military camp outside the town of Khirbet Ghazaleh, located roughly 17 kilometers northeast of Dara'a, killing and injuring a large number of terrorists.
The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which started in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 400,000 people, according to an estimate by United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.
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U.S.-Backed Syrian Kurds Announce Start Of Campaign To Retake Raqqa
RFE/RL November 06, 2016
U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish-Arab forces have announced the start of a campaign to retake the Islamic State (IS) militant group's de facto capital of Raqqa, Syria.
The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), a multi-ethnic opposition alliance led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), made the announcement in the Syrian town of Ain Issa, north of Raqqa.
"The general command of the Syria Democratic Forces announces the blessed start of its major military campaign to liberate the city of Raqqa," Jehan Sheikh Amad, an SDF spokeswoman, said on November 6.
The SDF called on Raqqa's civilians to avoid areas where IS militants are present and to go to "liberated territory."
There was no immediate reaction from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government about the SDF announcement.
The announcement comes as Iraqi government forces -- backed by U.S.-led coalition air strikes, Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga, Sunni Arab tribal fighters, and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia -- battle to retake the northern Iraqi city of Mosul from IS extremists.
The United States considers the YPG militias the most effective force against IS militants in Syria.
Unease In Ankara
But Turkey is dismayed at the prominent role played in the SDF by the Kurdish YPG militia. It also accuses those Syrian Kurdish fighters of having links with Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) -- which has been designated by both Washington and Ankara as a terrorist organization that has waged a three-decade insurgency within Turkey.
Turkey also has launched an offensive into northern Syria where Turkish forces have clashed with SDF fighters who have seized large swaths of territory from IS along the Syria-Turkey border.
Brett McGurk, U.S. President Barack Obama's envoy to the U.S.-led coalition that is fighting against the IS militants, said in Amman on November 6 that U.S. military officials are "in close contact" with Turkish military leaders about the operation.
He also said that the United States is providing close air support for the attack on Raqqa.
British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon, meanwhile, said the Royal Air Force is providing aerial surveillance to help the offensive and "will support the Raqqa operation as it develops."
McGurk told reporters in the Jordanian capital that Washington wants the offensive against Raqqa "to be as coordinated as possible, recognizing that there will be a mix of forces on the field and that many of those forces, of course, do not see eye-to-eye -- but they do share a very common and still very lethal enemy."
McGurk also announced that General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Ankara on November 6 for a previously unannounced visit that includes talks with his counterpart in Turkey's army, General Hulusi Akar.
Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have said that they will not accept a role for Syrian Kurds in the liberation of the city of Raqqa itself.
Turkey's defense minister last week suggested that instead of the Syrian Kurds, a Turkish-backed force could present an "alternative."
In a speech on November 6, Erdogan did not comment on the SDF announcement but said allied Syrian opposition fighters were fast approaching the Syrian town of Al-Bab, the last stronghold of the IS group in Aleppo Province.
Breaking Islamic State's 'Barbaric Grip'
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on November 6 welcomed the announcement on the SDF operation to liberate Raqqa from what he called the "barbaric grip" of the so-called Islamic State.
Carter said. "The effort to isolate, and ultimately liberate, Raqqa marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan. As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction" of an Islamic State caliphate and to "disrupt the group's ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies, and our partners."
On November 2, Carter had said that YPG militia fighters would be part of the force charged with surrounding and isolating IS militants in Raqqa.
But U.S. officials say Arab forces in the SDF were expected to go into the city of Raqqa itself in order to avoid potential ethnic conflicts.
A similar strategy has been proposed in the operation to retake Mosul from IS militants to avoid igniting ethnic and sectarian conflicts.
Carter's November 2 comments suggested that Washington may try to involve Turkey in the final takeover of the city after Kurdish YPG forces have helped to surround and isolate it.
An attack on Raqqa has long been expected, with Carter saying on October 25 that the battle to retake it would "overlap" with the campaign in Mosul.
The top U.S. military commander in Iraq, Army Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, said in October that the U.S.-led coalition fighting IS militants wanted to move urgently to isolate Raqqa because of concerns about the group using the city as a base to plan and launch attacks against targets abroad.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and dpa
Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/syria-kurds-retake- raqqa-islamic-state/28099773.html
Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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US-Backed Syrian Democratic Forces Announce Start of Raqqa Offensive
Sputnik News
13:49 06.11.2016(updated 19:11 06.11.2016)
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) rebel fighters have announced on Sunday the start of an offensive on Daesh's de facto capital of Raqqa.
The Kurdish-led SDF group said that the United States would coordinate actions with it to "provide air cover" during the Raqqa offensive.
The ground operation in Raqqa would be carried out only by the Syrian Democratic Forces, the SDF said during a press conference in Ain Issa near Raqqa.
The operation to retake Raqqa was dubbed 'Euphrates Rage'. The SDF said that they have created a command center for the Raqqa operation. The Syrian Democratic Forces also called on civilians in Raqqa to leave areas where Daesh terrorists are present, the statement said.
Some 30,000 fighters are to take part in the operation.
"We in the general command of the Syrian Democratic Forces give you the good news of the launch of our big military offensive to liberate the city of Raqqa and its suburbs from the clutches of the terror forces of the dark world, represented by Daesh which made the city the capital of its self-styled caliphate," a female SDF commander said in a TV statement, as quoted by the Rudaw media outlet.
The Syrian Democratic Forces are a rebel group predominantly consisting of Kurdish fighters, as well as of Arabic and Turkmen forces, who are jointly fighting against Daesh terrorist group. The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) are the main force of the SDF group.
Earlier in the day, the defense minister of France, which is part of the US-led coalition against Daesh, said that the Raqqa operation should be begin amid the Mosul offensive in Iraq. "I believe it will be necessary," Jean-Yves Le Drian told Europe 1 radio.
In October, the US Department of Defense said the operation to isolate Raqqa would begin in the near future.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said that the US continued to discuss Turkey's role in the operation aimed at liberating Raqqa, but added that the campaign will proceed according to plan regardless of the outcome of these talks. On the same day, the US defense chief also indicated that local forces will be the ones tasked with the operation in order to make the victory over Daesh "lasting."
Last week, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that Ankara is not going to participate in the military operation aimed to liberate Raqqa of Kurdish units take part in it.
Earlier, Turkey suggested the partipation of the Free Syrian Army's (FSA) rebel fighters instead of the self-defense forces of the Syrian Kurds in the Raqqa offensive. Ankara opposes SDF's involvement since the force includes People's Protection Units (YPG), which Turkey considers to be an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), outlawed in the country.
Sputnik
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Daesh 'Started to Shrink' Only After Russia Launched Operation in Syria - Assad
Sputnik News
12:52 06.11.2016(updated 12:56 06.11.2016)
The West is losing its positions in Syria as it cannot "explain to people what is going on," while Russia's involvement has significantly weakened Daesh terrorist group, Syrian President Bashar Assad said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Assad said that Daesh used to smuggle oil in Iraq under US' satellites and drones, however, the US-led coalition failed to do anything to stop it.
"In the past if I said anything, people would say the Syrian president is disconnected from reality. Now it's different. The West is becoming much weaker. They don't have a leg to stand on explaining to people what's going on ISIS [Daesh] was smuggling oil and using Iraqi oilfields under American satellites and drones to make money, and the West was not saying anything. Whereas here the Russians interfered and ISIS started to shrink in every sense of the word," Assad told The Sunday Times in an interview issued on Sunday.
Assad called the Syrian conflict a world war against his country.
"We call it a world war, but it's a world war against Syria, tens of countries against us, sending those terrorists money and logistics, whereas our army is only Syrian, so we struggled At the end we were fighting an unlimited reserve of terrorists coming to Syria and we struggled, so Russian firepower and Iranian support has compensated," he said.
The president noted that Western countries were waging an information campaign against him.
"Demonisation has reached its peak. This is a dictator, this is killing his people, dropping barrel bombs there's nothing more they can say about me," Assad said.
He also denied the accusations of the alleged use of chemical weapons.
"We never used it. Chemical weapons is mass destruction and would have killed thousands in a few minutes or an hour. We never had such an incident," the Syrian president said.
Sputnik
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Offensive Begins to Retake IS 'Capital' in Syria
By VOA News November 06, 2016
U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian forces launched an offensive Sunday to gain control of Raqqa, the Syrian city that has become the de facto capital for Islamic State militants.
A commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the start of the campaign Sunday.
The U.S. envoy in charge of anti-IS efforts confirmed the SDF, a Kurdish-led group that also includes Arab fighters, is receiving American air support in the operation.
"The Raqqa campaign will proceed in phases," Brett McGurk said from the U.S. embassy in Amman. "There's an isolation phase, which began today, and there will be subsequent phases to make sure that we kick Daesh out of Raqqa," he added, using an alternate name for the armed extremist group.
Islamic State militants overran the city in northern central Syria in early 2014.
At the same time, a separate group supported by the U.S. and other countries is attempting to regain control of the IS-controlled Iraqi city of Mosul.
"The international coalition will continue to do what we can to enable local forces in both Iraq and Syria to deliver [Islamic State] the lasting defeat it deserves," U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Sunday.
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Gulf Bridge International (GBI) has updated the North Route of its subsea cable through Iraq, improving route diversification and enhancing the resilience of internet connectivity to and from the region.
German English
Actelion will host an investor conference call and webcast to discuss the MERIT results and provide an update on its cardiovascular pipeline at 14:00 hrs CET
ALLSCHWIL/BASEL, SWITZERLAND - 07 November 2016 - Actelion Ltd (SIX: ATLN) today announced that the MERIT study to assess the efficacy, safety and tolerability of macitentan in patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH; Pulmonary hypertension group 4) has met its primary endpoint.
In MERIT, 80 inoperable CTEPH patients were randomized 1:1 to receive either macitentan 10 mg once daily or placebo. After 16 weeks the treatment effect was a significant 16% reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) with macitentan compared with placebo (95% CL: -30%, -1%; p=0.04 intention-to-treat (ITT)). The efficacy observed was consistent across all sub-groups, included patients receiving background PH specific therapy at baseline (61%), including PDE-5 inhibitors (59%). Mean PVR decreased from baseline in both macitentan and placebo groups (geometric mean percent ratios of Week 16/baseline 73.0% and 87.2%, respectively).
The study also showed a significant positive effect of macitentan compared to placebo on exercise capacity. After 24 weeks of treatment, the mean change in 6-minute walk distance (6-MWD) from baseline was an increase of 35 meters (m) in macitentan and 1 m in placebo. The 6-MWD least-squares mean difference at Week 24 was 34.0 meters between macitentan and placebo (95% CL: 2.9, 65.2 m; p=0.03).
Guy Braunstein, Head of Global Clinical Development at Actelion, commented: "Inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is associated with a poor prognosis if left untreated, and additional therapeutic options are needed for these patients who are not candidates for surgery. I am very pleased that the study has shown a significant decrease in PVR with macitentan and by the significant improvement in exercise capacity. I would like to thank everyone who has participated in this study. The company will now fully analyze the data and discuss the findings with health authorities."
The MERIT safety set comprised 80 patients, who received at least one dose of study treatment, 40 patients in each macitentan and placebo groups. All 40 patients in the macitentan group and 34 patients in the placebo group completed the protocol-defined treatment period of 24 weeks. Macitentan was well tolerated in this patient population and safety was in general consistent with the known safety profile for macitentan from previous clinical studies. The most frequently reported adverse events that occurred with higher frequency on macitentan vs. placebo were peripheral edema (22.5% vs. 10.0%) and events related to anemia (17.5% vs. 2.5%). Hemoglobin decreases were observed in both macitentan and placebo groups and in only one subject in each group hemoglobin values decreased below 100 g/L during the study. Three (7.5%) patients on macitentan experienced a serious adverse event compared with seven (17.5%) patients on placebo. No elevations of liver aminotransferases greater than three times the upper limit of normal were observed in the study. All treatment discontinuations occurred in the placebo group. During the course of the study, there were two deaths reported, both in patients receiving placebo.
Full data from this study will be made available through scientific disclosure at an upcoming congress and peer-reviewed publication.
ABOUT CHRONIC THROMBOEMBOLIC PULMONARY HYPERTENSION (CTEPH)
CTEPH is a unique form of pulmonary hypertension caused by chronic obstruction of the pulmonary arteries. The obstructions can result from blood clots that become stuck to the walls of the pulmonary arteries. The lining of the pulmonary arteries then begins to form excess tissue around the clots, transforming them into fibrous scar tissue that is attached to the artery wall. This creates a blockage that restricts the blood flow and increases the blood pressure, causing pulmonary hypertension and chronic stress to the right side of the heart - the heart risks going into failure over time.
Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) remains the preferred treatment for CTEPH. However, certain CTEPH patients are not operative candidates due to the nature of the disease, location of the thrombi or multiple co-morbid conditions. New medical treatment options are therefore needed for the effective management of this patient group.
###
Notes to the Editor
ABOUT THE MERIT STUDY
MERIT (Macitentan in thE tReatment of Inoperable chronic Thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension) was a Phase II prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multi-center, parallel-group study to assess the efficacy, safety and tolerability of 10 mg macitentan in patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).
In MERIT, 80 inoperable patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio into 2 treatment groups (macitentan 10 mg or placebo) over a 24 week treatment period. The study started in August 2014 and was completed in September 2016. Patients with symptomatic PH in WHO Functional Class (FC) III or IV at baseline were allowed to receive PH background therapy throughout the study, including PDE-5 inhibitors or oral/inhaled prostanoids. All patients included into the study underwent independent operability assessment based on local or central adjudication committees.
After 16 weeks the treatment effect was a significant 16% reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) with macitentan compared with placebo (95% CL: -30%, -1%; p=0.04 intention-to-treat (ITT)). The efficacy observed was consistent across all sub-groups, included patients receiving background PH specific therapy at baseline (61%), including PDE-5 inhibitors (59%). Mean PVR decreased from baseline in both macitentan and placebo groups (geometric mean percent ratios of Week 16/baseline 73.0% and 87.2%, respectively).
The study also showed a significant positive effect of macitentan compared to placebo on exercise capacity. After 24 weeks of treatment, the mean change in 6-minute walk distance (6-MWD) from baseline was an increase of 35 meters (m) in macitentan and 1 m in placebo. The 6-MWD least-squares mean difference at Week 24 was 34.0 meters between macitentan and placebo (95% CL: 2.9, 65.2 m; p=0.03).
Macitentan was well tolerated in this patient population and safety was in general consistent with the known safety profile for macitentan from previous clinical studies. The most frequently reported adverse events that occurred with higher frequency on macitentan vs. placebo were peripheral edema (22.5% vs. 10.0%) and events related to anemia (17.5% vs. 2.5%). Hemoglobin decreases were observed in both macitentan and placebo groups and in only one subject in each group hemoglobin values decreased below 100 g/L during the study.
ABOUT OPSUMIT (MACITENTAN)
Opsumit (macitentan), an orally available endothelin receptor antagonist, resulted from a tailored drug discovery process in Actelion's laboratories.
In the US, Opsumit is indicated for the treatment of PAH, WHO Group I to delay disease progression. Disease progression included: death, initiation of intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous prostanoids, or clinical worsening of PAH (decreased 6-minute walk distance, worsened PAH symptoms and need for additional PAH treatment). Opsumit also reduced hospitalization for PAH.
Effectiveness was established in a long-term study in PAH patients with predominantly WHO FC II-III symptoms treated for an average of 2 years. Patients were treated with Opsumit monotherapy or in combination with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors or inhaled prostanoids. Patients had idiopathic and heritable PAH (57%), PAH caused by connective tissue disorders (31%), and PAH caused by congenital heart disease with repaired shunts (8%).
In Europe, Opsumit is indicated, as monotherapy or in combination, for the long-term treatment of PAH in adult patients of WHO Functional Class (FC) II to III. Efficacy has been shown in a PAH population including idiopathic and heritable PAH, PAH associated with connective tissue disorders, and PAH associated with corrected simple congenital heart disease.
Opsumit is very likely to cause major birth defects. It is contraindicated for use in pregnancy. In the US, Opsumit is distributed under a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy.
AVAILABLE CLINICAL DATA
SERAPHIN, a global, pivotal Phase III study, was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of macitentan in patients with symptomatic PAH, through the primary endpoint of time to first morbidity and all-cause mortality event.
A total of 742 patients were randomized to placebo (n=250), macitentan 3 mg (n=250), or macitentan 10 mg (n=242). The primary endpoint occurred in 46.4%, 38.0%, and 31.4% of the patients in these groups, respectively. The hazard ratio for macitentan 3 mg versus placebo was 0.70 (97.5% CI, 0.52 to 0.96; p=0.0108) and the hazard ratio for macitentan 10 mg versus placebo was 0.55 (97.5% CI, 0.39 to 0.76; p<0.0001). Worsening of pulmonary arterial hypertension was the most frequent primary endpoint event. Patients were allowed to receive PAH background therapy throughout the study, either PDE-5 inhibitors or oral/inhaled prostanoids. The effect of macitentan on the endpoint was observed irrespective of background therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension. The most commonly reported adverse drug reactions with Opsumit were nasopharyngitis (14.0%), headache (13.6%) and anemia (13.2%).
PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION (PAH)
PAH is a chronic, life-threatening disorder characterized by abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries between the heart and lungs of an affected individual. The symptoms of PAH are non-specific and can range from mild breathlessness and fatigue during normal daily activity to symptoms of right heart failure and severe restrictions on exercise capacity and ultimately reduced life expectancy. PAH is one group within the classification of pulmonary hypertension (PH). This group includes idiopathic PAH, heritable PAH and PAH caused by factors which include connective tissue disease, HIV infection and congenital heart disease.
The last decade has seen significant advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of PAH, which has been paralleled with developments of treatment guidelines and new therapies. Drugs targeting the three pathways that have been established in the pathogenesis of PAH are endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs), prostacyclin receptor agonists, and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. PAH treatments have transformed the prognosis for PAH patients from symptomatic improvements in exercise tolerance 10 years ago to delayed disease progression today. Improved disease awareness and evidence-based guidelines developed from randomized controlled clinical trial data have highlighted the need for early intervention, goal-oriented treatment and combination therapy. Learn more at http://www.pahuman.com/
References
Marius M. Hoeper. Pharmacological therapy for patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. European Respiratory Review 2015 24: 272-282 Galie N, et al. 2015 ESC/ERS Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension: The Joint Task Force for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS): Endorsed by: Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC), International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT).Eur Heart J. 2016 Jan 1;37(1):67-119. Gatzoulis MA, Beghetti M, Landzberg MJ, Galie N. Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease: recent advances and future directions. Int J Cardiol 2014;177:340-7. Pulido T et al. Macitentan and Morbidity and Mortality in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. N Engl J Med 2013;369:809-18. Simonneau G, et al. Incident and prevalent cohorts with pulmonary arterial hypertension: insight from SERAPHIN. Eur Respir J. 2015;46:1711-20 Channick RN, et al. Effect of macitentan on hospitalizations: results from the SERAPHIN trial. JACC Heart Fail. 2015;3:1-8 Youssef P, et al. Vachiery JL, Adir Y, Barbera JA et al. Pulmonary hypertension due to left heart diseases. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2013;62:D100-8. Proceedings of the 5th world symposium on pulmonary hypertension J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013;62(Suppl)
INVESTOR CONFERENCE CALL / WEBCAST
Date/Time
07 November 2016 14:00 hrs - 15:00 hrs Basel 13:00 hrs - 14:00 hrs London 08:00 hrs - 09:00 hrs New York
Conference Call Connect #: Dial-in participants should start calling the number below 10-15 minutes before the conference is due to start.
Dial: Europe: +41 (0)44 583 18 01 UK: +44 (0)203 009 24 60 US: +1 855 228 38 74
Participant's mode : Listen-Only with possibility to open individual lines during Q&A session. Participants will be asked for their name and company.
Webcast Access : Webcast participants should go to the Actelion website http://www.actelion.com 10-15 minutes before the conference is due to start.
Webcast Replay : The archived Investor Webcast will be available for replay through http://www.actelion.com/ approximately 60 minutes after the call has ended.
Actelion Ltd.
Actelion Ltd. is a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative drugs for diseases with significant unmet medical needs.
Actelion is a leader in the field of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Our portfolio of PAH treatments covers the spectrum of disease, from WHO Functional Class (FC) II through to FC IV, with oral, inhaled and intravenous medications. Although not available in all countries, Actelion has treatments approved by health authorities for a number of specialist diseases including Type 1 Gaucher disease, Niemann-Pick type C disease, Digital Ulcers in patients suffering from systemic sclerosis, and mycosis fungoides type cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
Founded in late 1997, with now over 2,500 dedicated professionals covering all key markets around the world including Europe, the US, Japan, China, Russia and Mexico, Actelion has its corporate headquarters in Allschwil / Basel, Switzerland.
Actelion shares are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: ATLN) as part of the Swiss blue-chip index SMI (Swiss Market Index SMI). All trademarks are legally protected.
For further information please contact:
Andrew Weiss
Senior Vice President, Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Gewerbestrasse 16, CH-4123 Allschwil
+41 61 565 62 62
www.actelion.com
The above information contains certain "forward-looking statements", relating to the company's business, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "estimates", "believes", "expects", "may", "are expected to", "will", "will continue", "should", "would be", "seeks", "pending" or "anticipates" or similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. Such statements include descriptions of the company's investment and research and development programs and anticipated expenditures in connection therewith, descriptions of new products expected to be introduced by the company and anticipated customer demand for such products and products in the company's existing portfolio. Such statements reflect the current views of the company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.
Attachments:
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When Moriah Davis worked for a small company that did not offer direct deposit of her paychecks, she was stunned to learn that her traditional bank was charging her $10 a month because she actually deposited her checks in person at a teller window.
Davis said she was familiar with Piedmont Credit Union, knew it had been converted from a strictly teacher-only membership to one open to the community and checked on what it offered.
Finding it had the same services without any of the fees her bank charged her Davis moved her account to the credit union, and has never looked back.
Then I got my first auto loan here and it was so simple, Davis said.
Now, Davis works for Piedmont Credit Union as a member services representative.
Dan Veasey, of member solutions at Piedmont, said the main difference between banks and credit unions is that banks make profits that are distributed to its shareholders while credit unions are non-profit, with any profits used to improve services for the members, including paying dividends to its members in the form of interest paid on their checking, savings and other accounts.
URW and Piedmont Credit Union have been in Danville the longest Piedmont opened in 1970 and URW in 1971 but the newest credit union in the city has an even longer history.
ValleyStar Credit Union opened in Martinsville in 1953 to serve the employees of the DuPont plant, but embraced the idea of opening to the community as it became obvious that the plant might close.
The Danville branch opened last month and its manager, Tammy Turner, said there are about 1,300 members in Danville, Pittsylvania County and Halifax County former DuPont employees who commuted to Martinsville. The Danville branch gives them a closer location.
We are excited to be in Danville and look forward to serving the community here, Turner said.
Asked whether he felt more credit unions seem to be being created, Veasey laughed and said there were many more credit unions at one time There was even one for the newspaper, he noted but that small credit unions struggled with the increasing number of regulations and had to make decisions to close or combine with others and open their doors to the community to survive.
There are a lot of compliance issues and bigger credit unions can handle them, Veasey said. It breathed new life into credit unions that were able to become community credit unions.
Veasey is happy to talk about the history of credit unions, from the first one opened in the United States by Alphonse Desjardins in 1909 to present day.
While many things have changed over the years from small savings accounts and loans in the beginning to full-service accounts now, including online banking services, debit cards usable at thousands of ATMs across the country without fees Veasey said the main goal of credit unions remains the same and follow Desjardins belief that credit unions should be about people rather than dollars.
Banks, Veasey said, rarely make small, personal loans; in fact, he said, many banks simply wont make a loan for less than $5,000. At Piedmont Credit Union a member facing the breakdown of something as simple as a refrigerator can borrow as little as $500.
We work with our members to find the best, most affordable solutions, Veasey said.
Chris Simmons, the lending manager at URW Community Federal Credit Union, said credit unions are growing in membership.
Members of credit unions all have an equal vote in what happens at the bank, including the election of its board of directors who are all members of the credit union and serve voluntarily, unlike at most banks where the board members are paid.
Simmons pointed out the teller stations at the branch on Lowes Drive.
Instead of having traditional teller windows that separate clients from the teller, URW has teller pods freestanding counters where members can stand next to the teller and watch their transactions being processed.
What we do here is all about the level of service we provide members, Simmons said. We take care of people when banks wont.
Simmons said members are quickly greeted by name.
We like to think personalized service helps us, Simmons said.
One difference between credit unions and many large banks is the ability to process loans quickly, Simmons said. Loan applications do not have to be approved at a corporate office or other off-site location.
We make lending decisions right here, Simmons said, adding an answer is available in a day or sometimes in a matter of hours.
Credit unions are also active in their communities, both Simmons and Veasey said, sponsoring events their members are interested in, supporting local charities and even providing college scholarships.
We provide 10 scholarships of $500 each year to our members, Simmons said.
URW has credit union branches in all three of Danvilles high schools.
A lot of kids work there; they are our employees, Simmons said. We teach them about money and being financially responsible.
Piedmont Credit Union also works in the schools, providing curriculum books or online access to materials to teachers so they can teach students about money. They also go to the schools to participate in those classes, Davis said.
Veasey said that while there is rivalry between credit unions as in any type of business, the ones in Danville do have a good relationship with each other.
We all belong to the Virginia Credit Union League and we meet to talk about different issues and new legislation, Veasey said.
In the same way that banks are insured and overseen by the FDIC, the National Credit Union Administration insures the deposits of credit union members and monitors credit unions, so credit unions have the same protections in place as traditional banks.
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov 7, 2016) - Romios Gold Resources Inc. ("Romios" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:RG)(OTC PINK:RMIOF)(FRANKFURT:D4R) is pleased to announce assay results from its recently completed four hole diamond drilling program at its Lundmark-Akow Lake copper-gold project in northwestern Ontario, approximately 18 km (11.2 miles) NNW of Goldcorp's Musselwhite gold mine. As reported previously (Romios News Release October 13, 2016), a total of 1,826 m (5,990 ft.) of NQ drilling was completed with individual hole lengths ranging from 399 m (1,309 ft.) to 528 m (1,732 ft.). Three of these holes, #RGR-16-1, RGR-16-2 and RGR-16-4, tested a series of parallel north-northwest trending geophysical anomalies over a strike length of approximately 1,500 m (4,920 ft.). The copper-gold bearing stratigraphic horizon (mineralized zone), identified by Romios in earlier drilling on the property, was expanded significantly by the recent drill program. The mineralized zone was shown to continue to the north for approximately 450 m (1,475 ft.), to the south for 100 m (330 ft.) and to depth of about 120 m (393 ft.) beyond that outlined in the earlier drilling carried out in 1998 and 1999. The projection of the copper-gold zone discovered by Romios in those drill programs was targeted at depths of approximately 200 to 300 m (656 to 984 ft.) in this most recent drilling.
The three recent holes noted above each intersected a package of hydrothermally altered metasedimentary and volcaniclastic rocks including various staurolite-garnet-biotite-sericite schists which hosted intermittent zones of copper-(gold) mineralization. The alteration is commonly pervasive over tens of metres and is evidenced by a pronounced coarsening in minerals such as garnet and staurolite as well as cross-cutting veins of massive biotite with very coarse-grained garnets and/or staurolite. Both the pervasive and vein-type alteration contain chalcopyrite +/- pyrrhotite mineralisation in the form of thin seams along the foliation, semi-massive veinlets, and as fracture fillings in the coarse-grained garnets. Gold values up to 1.4 g/t and copper values up to 2.51% were returned from this program.
The most notable zone of mineralization encountered in hole RGR-16-1 was from 274.7 m to 289.5 m (899 ft. to 950 ft.) (a core length of 14.8 m or 48.6 ft.) which assayed 0.22% copper and 0.1 g/t gold. This intersection is approximately 120 m (393 ft.) vertically below a comparable intersection 12 m (39 ft.) of 0.20% copper and 0.1 g/t gold) that was encountered in hole DDH-99-3 drilled in 1999. The most notable mineralization encountered in Hole RGR-16-2 included two zones, one averaging 0.21% copper and 0.08 g/t gold over a core length of 14.35 m (47.1 ft.) and the other, 0.31% copper and 0.12 g/t gold over a core length of 6.55 m (21.5 ft.) which included a core length of 2.95 m (9.7 ft.) that assayed 0.59% copper and 0.22 g/t gold, Hole RGR-16-4 intersected four zones of mineralization which ranged between 5.3 m (17.4 ft.) and 10.75 m (35.3 ft.) and assayed between 0.13% copper and 0.07 g/t gold and 0.32% copper and 0.18 g/t gold. Drill hole RGR-16-3 tested a partially defined electromagnetic conductor and weak magnetic high about 400 m (1,312 ft.) west of the copper-(gold) zone and did not intersect any significant mineralisation. Drill hole locations are indicated on the map previously posted with the October 13, 2016 news release on the Romios website, www.romios.com.
Drill Hole From (m) To (m) Core length (m) Core length (ft.) Copper % Gold g/t RGR-16-1 274.70 289.50 14.80 48.56 0.22 0.10 RGR-16-2 365.60 379.95 14.35 47.08 0.21 0.08 RGR-16-2 434.70 441.25 6.55 21.49 0.31 0.12 Including* 434.70 437.65 2.95 9.68 0.59 0.22 RGR-16-4 178.70 185.50 6.80 22.31 0.23 0.07 RGR-16-4 204.00 209.30 5.30 17.39 0.13 0.08 RGR-16-4 297.20 303.95 6.75 22.15 0.16 0.11 RGR-16-4 316.30 327.05 10.75 35.27 0.32 0.18
*Tourmalinite-rich zone
Based on an analysis of core angles within the hydrothermally altered zones, it is believed that the true width of the various mineralized zones described in this press release is approximately 75% of the core lengths shown.
In addition to the altered and mineralized schists described above, drill hole RGR-16-2 also intersected three metres of tourmalinite-bearing sericite schists and tourmalinite veins with abundant chalcopyrite veinlets. The presence of tourmalinite and the overall style and continuity of the alteration and mineralization in the schists suggests that this copper-(gold) zone is part of an extensive hydrothermal system, similar to those found associated with some economic, massive sulphide systems. Lithogeochemical analysis of the altered rocks is underway in an effort to better understand this system, its geological setting and its potential. A more in-depth analysis of the results from the various geophysical programs that have been conducted over the property will also be carried out.
Tom Drivas, President and CEO of Romios, comments: "The recent drilling carried out on Romios' property at Lundmark-Akow Lake to test the significance of a series of parallel north-northwest trending geophysical anomalies over a strike length of approximately 1,500 m (4,920 ft.) encountered extensive disseminated and stringer-type copper mineralization accompanied by a highly anomalous gold component. The results reinforce management's belief that the discovery is one that exhibits considerable potential and may represent a halo of mineralization around a more massive copper sulphide body within an extensive hydrothermal system, one that is worthy of a further comprehensive exploration program which should include considerable diamond drilling."
The drill has been left on-site for potential additional drilling.
All samples were submitted to Activation Laboratories Ltd. in Thunder Bay, Ontario for assay. As a matter of procedure, a rigorous quality assurance and quality control program was implemented to ensure reliable assay results. The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by John Biczok, P. Geo., Consulting Geologist for Romios and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
About Romios Gold Resources Inc.
Romios Gold Resources Inc., a progressive Canadian mineral exploration company established in 1995, is engaged in precious and base metal exploration primarily focused on gold, silver and copper in its properties in British Columbia centrally located between Galore Creek Mining Corporation's large copper-gold-silver deposit and Barrick's high grade gold mine at Eskay Creek. In addition to the Lundmark-Akow Lake and Hislop properties in Ontario, Romios has other property interests in Quebec and Nevada.
This News Release contains forward-looking statements which are typically preceded by, followed by or including the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance as they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward- looking statements and shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such statements.
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.
Updated PFS Confirms KSM Reserves Economic at Current Metal Prices
PEA Including New Discoveries Substantially Improves Estimated Profitability
TORONTO, Nov. 07, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Seabridge Gold Inc. (TSX:SEA) (NYSE:SA) announced today that it has filed a NI 43-101 Technical Report at www.sedar.com for its 100%-owned KSM project located in northern British Columbia, Canada. The Technical Report includes previously announced results from an updated Preliminary Feasibility Study (the PFS) and a new Preliminary Economic Assessment (the PEA). The 2016 PFS was prepared by Tetra Tech, Inc. and the PEA was prepared by Amec Foster Wheeler Americas Limited. Both studies estimate operating and total costs for KSM that are well below industry averages for producing mines.
The 2016 PFS incorporates KSMs Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources into mine plans generating Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves of 2.2 billion tonnes grading 0.55 grams per tonne gold, 0.21% copper and 2.6 grams per tonne silver (38.8 million ounces of gold, 10.2 billion pounds of copper and 183 million ounces of silver). (For details see http://seabridgegold.net/News/Article/626/) The 2016 PFS does not include the higher grade resources delineated at Deep Kerr and the Iron Cap Lower Zone as they are in the Inferred Mineral Resources category which cannot be considered as Mineral Reserves required for inclusion in a PFS.
The project design in the PEA includes the higher grade resources from Deep Kerr and the Iron Cap Lower Zone, enabling the mining method to shift from predominantly open pit in the PFS to primarily low cost block cave mining. This design significantly reduces the number and size of the open pits and the projects environmental impact. The net result is a substantial improvement in estimated economic returns. (For details see http://seabridgegold.net/News/Article/630/). Note that Inferred Mineral Resources 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 the results of the PEA will be realized. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.
Seabridge Chairman and CEO Rudi Fronk commented that the PFS remains a viable option for developing the KSM Project. However, the PEA is a creative response to our recent higher-grade discoveries and the industrys successful development of more efficient and cost-effective underground mining technologies. Although the PEA is more conceptual in nature than the PFS and includes Inferred Mineral Resources, we believe its approach is an important step forward for KSM, offering greater rewards both economically and environmentally.
To compare the economic projections of the 2016 PFS and the PEA, three cases were presented. A Base Case economic evaluation was undertaken incorporating historical three-year trailing averages for metal prices as of July 31, 2016. This approach adheres to United States Securities and Exchange Commission policy and is consistent with industry practice. Two alternate cases were constructed: (i) a Recent Spot Case incorporating recent spot prices for gold, copper, silver and the US$/Cdn$ exchange rate; and (ii) an Alternate Case that incorporates higher metal prices to demonstrate the projects sensitivity to rising prices.
The pre-tax and post-tax estimated economic results in U.S. dollars for all three cases are as follows:
Projected Economic Results (US$)
Base Case Recent Spot Alternate 2016 PEA 2016 PFS 2016 PEA
2016 PFS 2016 PEA 2016 PFS Metal Prices: Gold ($/ounce) 1,230 1,350 1,500 Copper ($/pound) 2.75 2.20 3.00 Silver ($/ounce) 17.75 20.00 25.00 US$/Cdn$ Exchange Rate: 0.80 0.77 0.80 Cost Summary: Operating Costs Per Oz of Gold (life of mine) -$ 179 $ 277 $ 32 $ 404 -$ 319 $ 183 Total Cost Per Ounce of Gold Produced $ 358 $ 673 $ 553 $ 787 $ 218 $ 580 Copper Credits Per Oz Gold Included in Costs -$ 1,328 -$ 795 -$ 1,104 -$ 636 -$ 1,449 -$ 868 Silver Credits per Oz Gold Included in Costs -$ 83 -$ 71 -$ 97 -$ 80 -$ 117 -$ 100 Initial Capital (includes pre-production mining) $5.5 billion $5.0 billion $5.3 billion $4.8 billion $5.5 billion $5.0 billion Sustaining Capital $10.0 billion $5.5 billion $9.7 billion $5.3 billion $10.0 billion $5.5 billion Unit Operating Cost On-site (US$/tonne) $ 11.61 $ 12.36 $ 11.17 $ 12.09 $ 11.61 $ 12.36 Pre-Tax Results: Net Cash Flow $26.3 billion $15.9 billion $24.1 billion $16.1 billion $38.7 billion $26.3 billion NPV @ 5% Discount Rate $6.1 billion $3.3 billion $5.7 billion $3.5 billion $10.2 billion $6.5 billion Internal Rate of Return 12.7 % 10.4 % 12.9 % 11.1 % 16.9 % 14.6 % Payback Period (years) 5.6 6.0 5.3 5.6 3.9 4.1 Post-Tax Results: Net Cash Flow $16.7 billion $10.0 billion $15.3 billion $10.1 billion $24.7 billion $16.7 billion NPV @ 5% Discount Rate $3.4 billion $1.5 billion $3.2 billion $1.7 billion $6.0 billion $3.7 billion Internal Rate of Return 10.0 % 8.0 % 10.1 % 8.5 % 13.4 % 11.4 % Payback Period (years) 6.4 6.8 6.1 6.4 4.7 4.9
Note: Operating and total cost per ounce of gold are after copper and silver credits. Total cost per ounce includes all start-up capital, sustaining capital and reclamation/closure costs. The post-tax results include the B.C. Mineral Tax and corporate provincial and federal taxes. The projected economic results do not give effect to a third party option to acquire a 2% royalty on gold and silver production for a payment to Seabridge of $160 million nor the expenses associated with agreements which have been or in future may be concluded with aboriginal groups in the vicinity of the Project.
The NI 43-101 Technical Report includes sensitivity analyses illustrating the impact on project economics from positive and negative changes to metal prices, capital costs and operating costs.
National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure The KSM 2016 PFS update was prepared by Tetra Tech, and the KSM 2016 PEA was prepared by Amec Foster Wheeler as principal consultants for their respective studies. Both studies incorporate the work of a number of industry-leading consulting firms as identified in the news releases of September 19 and October 6, 2016. This news release has been reviewed and approved by Qualified Persons from the principal consultants. Qualified Persons (as defined under National Instrument 43-101) are independent of Seabridge. The principal consultants, and their Qualified Persons are listed below:
Tetra Tech, under the direction of Hassan Ghaffari P. Eng. (PFS content)
Amec Foster Wheeler, under the direction of Simon Allard P.Eng. (PEA content)
Seabridge Gold holds a 100% interest in several North American gold resource projects. The Companys principal assets are the KSM property located near Stewart, British Columbia, Canada and the Courageous Lake gold project located in Canadas Northwest Territories. For a breakdown of Seabridge Golds mineral reserves and resources by project and category please visit the Companys website at http://www.seabridgegold.net/resources.php.
All Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resources estimates reported by the Corporation were estimated in accordance with the Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. These standards differ significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.
This document contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This information and these statements, referred to herein as forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this document. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect current estimates, predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: (i) the estimated amount and grade of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves; (ii) both the PFS and the PEA representing viable development options for the Project and the PEA being an important step forward for KSM, offering greater rewards both economically and environmentally; (iii) estimates of the capital costs of constructing mine facilities and bringing a mine into production, of sustaining capital and the duration of financing payback periods; (iv) the estimated amount of future production, both tonnes and grade produced and metal recovered; and (v) estimates of operating costs and total costs, net cash flow, net present value and economic returns from an operating mine; and (vi) estimated operating and total costs for KSM being well below industry averages for producing mines. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as expects, anticipates, plans, projects, estimates, envisages, assumes, intends, strategy, goals, objectives or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.
All forward-looking statements are based on Seabridge's or its consultants' current beliefs as well as various assumptions made by them and information currently available to them. The most significant assumptions are set forth above, but generally these assumptions include: (i) the presence of and continuity of metals at the Project at estimated grades; (ii) the geotechnical and metallurgical characteristics of rock conforming to sampled results; (iii) the quantities of water and the quality of the water that must be diverted or treated during mining operations; (iv) the capacities, efficiencies and durability of various machinery and equipment, including the rates at which drawpoints can be established and mucked; (v) the availability of personnel, machinery and equipment at estimated prices and within the estimated delivery times; (vi) currency exchange rates; (vii) metals sales prices and exchange rate assumed; (viii) appropriate discount rates applied to the cash flows in the economic analysis; (ix) tax rates and royalty rates applicable to the proposed mining operation; (x) the availability of acceptable financing under assumed structure and costs; (xi) anticipated mining losses and dilution; (xii) metallurgical performance; (xiii) reasonable contingency requirements; (xiv) success in realizing proposed operations; (xv) receipt of permits and other regulatory approvals on acceptable terms; and (xvi) the negotiation of satisfactory terms with impacted Treaty and First Nations groups. Although management considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect. Many forward-looking statements are made assuming the correctness of other forward looking statements, such as statements of net present value and internal rates of return, which are based on most of the other forward-looking statements and assumptions herein. The cost information is also prepared using current values, but the time for incurring the costs will be in the future and it is assumed costs will remain stable over the relevant period.
By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that estimates, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved or that assumptions do not reflect future experience. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from the beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations, anticipations, estimates assumptions and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements. These risk factors may be generally stated as the risk that the assumptions and estimates expressed above do not occur as forecast, but specifically include, without limitation: risks relating to variations in the mineral content within the material identified as Mineral Resources from that predicted; variations in rates of recovery and extraction; the geotechnical characteristics of the rock mined or through which infrastructure is built differing from that predicted, the quantity of water that will need to be diverted or treated during mining operations being different from what is expected to be encountered during mining operations or post closure, or the rate of flow of the water being different; developments in world metals markets; risks relating to fluctuations in the Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar; increases in the estimated capital and operating costs or unanticipated costs; difficulties attracting the necessary work force; increases in financing costs or adverse changes to the terms of available financing, if any; tax rates or royalties being greater than assumed; changes in development or mining plans due to changes in logistical, technical or other factors; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; risks relating to receipt of regulatory approvals or settlement of an agreement with impacted First Nations groups; changes in regulations applying to the development, operation, and closure of mining operations from what currently exists; the effects of competition in the markets in which Seabridge operates; operational and infrastructure risks and the additional risks described in Seabridge's Annual Information Form filed with SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com) for the year ended December 31, 2015 and in the Corporations Annual Report Form 40-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR (available at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml). Seabridge cautions that the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive.
When relying on our forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to Seabridge, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Seabridge does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by Seabridge or on our behalf, except as required by law.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
"Rudi Fronk"
Chairman and C.E.O.
For further information, please contact:
Rudi P. Fronk, Chairman and C.E.O.
Tel: (416) 367-9292 Fax: (416) 367-2711
Email: info@seabridgegold.net
Vancouver, November 7 2016 - Wealth Minerals Ltd. (the "Company" or "Wealth") (TSXV: WML; OTCQB: WMLLF; SSE: WMLCL; Frankfurt: EJZ), announces that, on November 4, 2016,it closed the final tranche of its non-brokered private placement announced October 20, 2016 (the "Placement") issuing a total of 4,089,845 shares (the "Shares") of the Company at a price of $1.10 per Share for gross proceeds of $4,498,829.50. The financing closed in three tranches. On October 26, 2016, the first tranche closed issuing 1,185,000 Shares @ $1.10 for proceeds of $1,303,500 and paying cash finder's fees of $53,900.00 to Haywood Securities Inc. The second tranche closed November 2, 2016 issuing 2,519,845 Shares @ $1.10 for proceeds of $2,771,829.50 and paid cash finder's fees totaling $160,545.00 to Haywood Securities Inc., Canaccord Genuity Corp. and RBC Dominion Securities Inc. The final tranche closed today, issuing 385,000 Shares @ $1.10 for proceeds of $423,500 and paid cash finder's fees totaling $29,645.00 to Haywood Securities Inc.
The net proceeds from the Placement are intended to be used to fund the initial option payment on the Atacama Lithium Project, the costs for the review and assessment of additional potential lithium mineral property acquisitions in South America, and for general and administrative expenses and working capital.
Wealth continues to assess additional potential lithium mineral property acquisitions in South America on which the Company is actively negotiating.
Completion of the Placement is subject to the acceptance for filing thereof by the TSX Venture Exchange.
This press release does not constitute an offer of sale of any of the foregoing securities in the United States. None of the foregoing securities have been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
About Wealth Minerals Ltd.
Wealth is a mineral resource company with interests in Canada, Mexico, Peru and Chile. The Company's main focus is the acquisition of lithium projects in South America. To date the Company has positioned itself to develop the Aguas Caliente Norte, Pujsa and Quisquiro Salars in Chile (the Trinity Project), as well as to work alongside existing producers in the prolific Atacama Salar. The Company continues to aggressively pursue new acquisitions in the region. Lithium market dynamics and a rapidly increasing metal price are the result of profound structural issues with the industry meeting anticipated future demand. Wealth is positioning itself to be a major beneficiary of this future mismatch of supply and demand. The Company also maintains and continues to evaluate a portfolio of precious and base metal exploration-stage projects.
For further details on the Company readers are referred to the Company's web site (www.wealthminerals.com) and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors of
Wealth Minerals Ltd.
"Tim McCutcheon"
Tim McCuthceon
President
For further information, please contact: Marla Ritchie or Tim McCutcheon
Phone: 604-331-0096 / E-mail: info@wealthminerals.com
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 press release, which has been prepared by management.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press 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 anticipated content, commencement, timing and cost of exploration programs; anticipated exploration program results; the proposed closing of the Placement; the proposed use of the proceeds from the Placement; the Company's expectation that it will be able to enter into agreements to acquire interests in additional lithium or other mineral projects; the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves; and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. 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 or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the state of the financial markets for the Company's equity securities; the state of the commodity markets generally; variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located; variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce; the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including TSXV acceptance, for its planned activities; the inability of the Company to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies; and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis filed with certain securities commissions in Canada. 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.
This press release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States.
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Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
VANCOUVER, Nov. 7, 2016 - Leagold Mining Corp. (TSXV:LMC.H) has a focused corporate strategy on identifying and acquiring gold mines and attractive development projects within Latin America. This corporate strategy is leveraging the extensive and proven track-record of Leagold's management team in acquiring, operating and building gold mines with the strong Latin American relationships of the Company's Directors.Leagold is pleased to announce its Board of Directors appointed Frank Giustra as Non-executive Chairman. Leagold is also pleased to announce the appointment of Doug Bowlby to the role of Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, Doug Reddy to the role of Senior Vice President, Technical Services and Harpreet Dhaliwal to the role of Vice President, Finance and CFO. Both Mr. Bowlby and Mr. Reddy were senior executives with Endeavour Mining, and bring extensive experience in sourcing and evaluating gold mines and development projects, along with implementing corporate growth and financing initiatives. Ms. Dhaliwal is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CA) with over 9 years' experience in the resource sector, most recently with Fiore Management & Advisory Corp. and previously with Endeavour Mining.Neil Woodyer, CEO commented "Leagold is actively developing and evaluating gold acquisition opportunities of both operating gold mines and advance-stage development projects within Latin America. We are continuing to build our senior executive team with the recent additions of Doug Bowlby, Doug Reddy and Harpreet Dhaliwal. With US$25.4 million of cash and equivalents, Leagold has a solid balance sheet to support its in-depth technical and financial due diligence, and the ability to develop multiple opportunities."Leagold has filed its unaudited quarterly Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the period ended September 30, 2016 under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. These documents and additional information on the Leagold's corporate strategy and governance policies are also available on Leagold's newly launched website at www.leagold.com.Board of Directors and Management TeamLeagold has built a high performance board with a mix of skills, expertise and relationships that will help achieve the strategic goals of the Company. The Board of Directors consists of six members, as follows:
Frank Giustra, Non-executive Chairman and Director, is a successful company financier with a track record of building natural resource companies. Mr. Giustra has had an active role in the launch and growth of several major natural resource companies, many with operations in Latin America. Mr. Giustra is CEO of Fiore Financial, a private firm managing a broad portfolio of equity investments. Mr. Giustra was a director of Endeavour Mining from September 2013 until July 2016.
Gen. Wesley Clark, Director, is a retired 4-star U.S. Army General. General Clark spent 34 years in the U.S. Army and held several Commands including Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO and, earlier in his career, Commander, U.S. Southern Command, which covers activities in South America and Central America. Currently, General Clark heads a strategic advisory and consulting firm.
Bernadette D'Silva, Director, is a consultant in the natural resource industry with an extensive background in Corporate Finance spanning over 20 years. For the past 12 years, Ms. D'Silva has been advising and assisting Canadian public companies with their continuous disclosure obligations, regulatory compliance requirements, and corporate governance practices. Ms. D'Silva has worked on the successful launch of UrAsia Energy Ltd. (acquired by Uranium One), Silver Wheaton and Pacific Rubiales and has worked with Endeavour Mining through its various acquisitions while it transitioned from an investment banking firm to a mining company in 2010.
Miguel Rodriguez, Director, has extensive experience in the private, public and academic sectors. Previously, Mr. Rodriguez was a director of Endeavour Mining from September 2013 until July 2016. He was the Economic Minister and Chief of the Economic Cabinet of the Republic of Venezuela from 1989 to 1992. He was the President of the Central Bank of Venezuela, and was a Governor to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank. Subsequently he was Senior Advisor to the World Bank. He was also a Professor of Economics at IESA in Caracas until 2008.
Jay Sujir, Director, is a lawyer and Partner in Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP's Mining and Securities practice groups and has over 30 years experience acting for mining and other natural resource companies.
Neil Woodyer, CEO and Director, has extensive history in the mining sector creating growth strategies, implementing financing plans and leading management teams. In 1988, Mr. Woodyer was a founder of Endeavour Financial, a successful mining merchant banking and advisory business. In 2009, Mr. Woodyer, then Endeavour's CEO, and Mr. Giustra devised Endeavour's gold growth strategy and in 2010, Mr. Woodyer led the transition of a financial company (Endeavour Financial) into a mine operations and development company (Endeavour Mining). Endeavour Mining successfully grew into one of the largest gold producers in West Africa through a series of acquisitions, successful expansion and optimization projects, and new mine construction. Mr. Woodyer left Endeavour Mining in June 2016.
The senior executive team now includes:
Neil Woodyer Chief Executive Officer Doug Bowlby, CFA SVP Corporate Development Doug Reddy, P.Geo. SVP Technical Services Harpreet Dhaliwal, CPA, CA VP Finance & Chief Financial Officer Jeff Leung, CFA VP Corporate Development
Corporate Strategy
Leagold aims to build a new mid-tier gold producer with a focus on opportunities in Latin America. Leagold is leveraging the extensive and proven track-record of its management team with the strategic expertise and strong Latin American relationships of the Company's Directors. Leagold's management were involved in the successful growth of Endeavour Mining into a leading West African gold producer, and in identifying and acquiring gold mines and attractive development projects. With Leagold, the team intends to replicate the 'buy and build' strategy and repeat its success.
Leagold is well-positioned to achieve its plans with a strong shareholder base, a motivated management team, and deep relationships in the gold mining sector.
Corporate Governance
The Management Team and Board of Directors have a strong commitment to Leagold's long-term success which includes this group owning approximately 32% of the shares of the company. Leagold has established transparent and progressive governance and policies that encourage wealth creation from share price performance. These policies, which are available at www.leagold.com, center around two key pillars: Board Structure and Executive Compensation.
Board Structure
Strong, independent board with experience in the mining sector, public company governance, and Latin America
Transparency with Board Charters and Policies published on website. Recently, the Board of Directors adopted a series of new policies including Corporate Disclosure and Trading, Whistleblower, Majority Voting and Diversity
Executive Compensation and Alignment with Shareholders
Board and Management collectively own 32% of the Company
Neil Woodyer, CEO owns 27.6 million shares (20.4%) and does not intend to receive a salary while owning over 10% of the company
Background of the Recent Additions to the Management Team
Doug Bowlby, SVP Corporate Development, has experience building corporate growth strategies and implementing a wide range of corporate finance initiatives, including M&A transactions and debt & equity capital markets financings. He joined Leagold in September 2016, and is responsible for the development and analysis of acquisitions and contributing to the growth of the company. Previously, Mr. Bowlby was the Executive Vice President Corporate Development of Endeavour Mining from 2009 to August 2016, during which time Endeavour Mining evolved into a significant West African gold producer through a series of corporate acquisitions and successful mine construction. Prior to this role, Mr. Bowlby was Managing Director, Research & Analysis at Endeavour Financial, a boutique investment and merchant banking company focused exclusively on the junior to mid-tier global mining industry. Mr. Bowlby is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the CFA Institute.
Doug Reddy, SVP Technical Services, has +30 years' experience in project evaluations, exploration, mine geology, resource development and consulting in base and precious metals. He was with Endeavour Mining for 10 years in executive and senior management roles focused on technical services, business development and investor relations. Mr. Reddy was based in Peru as manager of the Lima office of Amec Americas Limited and also was Technical Director - Geology and Geostatistics based in Vancouver. Mr. Reddy is a registered professional geoscientist (P.Geo. APEGBC) and a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Harpreet Dhaliwal, VP Finance and Chief Financial Officer, is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CA) with over 9 years' experience in the resource sector. She has served as Chief Financial Officer of several junior natural resource companies and previously worked for international operating resource companies including Endeavour Mining Corporation and Uranium One Inc. Ms. Dhaliwal is a graduate of the University of British Columbia where she received a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics).
About Leagold Mining Corporation
Leagold aims to build a new mid-tier gold producer with a focus on opportunities in Latin America. Leagold is based in Vancouver, Canada and is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol "LMC.H".
On behalf of Leagold Mining Corp.
Neil Woodyer, Chief Executive Officer
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 news release.
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" including but not limited to, statements with respect to Leagold's plans and operating performance, the estimation of mineral reserves and resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of future production, future capital expenditures, future financing sources, and the success of exploration activities. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "expected", "budgeted", "forecasts" and "anticipates". Forward-looking statements, while based on management's best estimates and assumptions, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: risks related to the successful integration of acquisitions; risks related to international operations; risks related to general economic conditions and credit availability, actual results of current exploration activities, unanticipated reclamation expenses; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; fluctuations in prices of metals including gold; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, increases in market prices of mining consumables, possible variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry; delays in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations, tax rules and regulations, and political and economic developments in countries in which Leagold operates. Although Leagold has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Please refer to Leagold's most recent Annual Information Form filed under its profile at www.sedar.com for further information respecting the risks affecting Leagold and its business
SOURCE Leagold Mining Corp.
Contact
on Leagold please visit the Company website at www.leagold.com or contact: Doug Reddy, SVP Technical Services, +1-604-609-6114, dreddy@leagold.com
November 7, 2016 - Redstar Gold Corp. (TSX.V: RGC, US: RGCTF, FRA: RGG) ("Redstar" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company completed its 2016 Phase 2 Drill Program on November 4th, 2016, and is awaiting assays results. On October 14th, 2016, the Company announced the commencement of the drill program, which would consist of approximately 1,500 meters of diamond drilling, focused on outlining additional high grade gold mineralization at the Shumagin Gold Zone, along strike and at depth.
"We are excited to report that all drill holes intersected the targeted structure, which included the intersection of multi-generational phreatomagmatic breccias, hydrothermal breccias, and late Shumagin-style breccias and veins that has been documented in previously executed drill programs to host high-grade mineralization," commented Redstar's President & CEO, Peter A. Ball. "Our technical team, led by Jesse Grady, Redstar's VP Exploration, once again were exceptional and completed the program ahead of schedule and on budget. Assays are now pending, and are anticipated to be available in late November or December."
The Company has now completed the drill program, which consisted of seven (7) holes totalling 1,505 meters. The drill holes were spaced over approximately 750 meters of strike length along the approximate 2,000 meter long Shumagin Gold Zone. The Program was designed to test the down-dip and along-strike expansion potential of high-grade vein/breccia mineralization at various structural elevations.
All drill holes intersected multi-generational phreatomagmatic breccias, hydrothermal breccias, and late Shumagin-style breccias & veins with colloform-crustiform to cockade textured quartz-adularia-carbonate (+/-rhodochrosite) +/- green clay that has been documented within previously executed drill programs to host high-grade mineralization:
-The first two (2) holes were drilled to test the expansion potential of high-grade vein/breccia mineralization below and to the southwest of the Main Zone at the Shumagin Gold Zone. Both drill holes, 16SH019 & 16SH020, successfully intercepted the targeted structure at -170 meters and -190 meters below sea level, respectively. Together, the first two expansion holes indicate the potential that high-grade mineralization may continue at depth and more importantly, the vein/breccia system remains open along strike towards the southwest. (Please refer to the Company's press release dated October 27, 2017). -The final five drill holes (16SH021-025) of the program were drilled along two vertical fans separated by approximately 100 meters, that targeted the down-dip extension of exposed breccia bodies along the Bunker Hill Gold Zone, where historic high-grade intercepts within DDH-26 (12 meters above sea level & -10 meters below sea level) document two separate breccia bodies that contain high-grade gold mineralization (e.g. 0.76m @37.7g/t Au and 1.21m @ 11.48g/t Au ). All of the five drill holes intercepted these two breccia veins that exhibit characteristic Shumagin-style textures. The intercepts ranged from -25m below sea level to -140m below sea level and indicate that the down-dip expansion potential exists along Bunker Hill.
All drill holes are currently being logged, sampled with results anticipated to be released in late November or December 2016, based on expected completion from the lab tests.
The Company anticipates a larger expansive drill program in the spring of 2017, after all results from the Phase 2 program are received and modelled. Refer to the November 2016 Corporate Presentation on page 24 for approximate locations of the drill holes (www.redstargold.com/s/presentations.asp).
Quality Assurance/Quality Control
The 2016 Phase 2 Drill Program at the Unga Project included a rigorous Quality Control/Quality Assurance program, overseen by Jesse C. Grady, Redstar's Vice President of Exploration.
Redstar's QA/QC protocol consisted of semi-random insertion of calibration standards for gold and blanks at a rate of 3 per 30 samples. Additional blank samples were inserted after any visible gold or after high-grade standards. Two calibration standards and a single lab duplicate was selected on a random basis for each sample shipment and employed in consecutive order within the sample stream.
Jesse C. Grady, MSc, CPG-11592, is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Grady has prepared and approved the technical information contained within this release.
About The Unga Gold Project
The 100% controlled Unga Gold Project covers key strategic portions of adjacent Unga and Popof Islands, approximately 950 kilometres southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. Redstar controls a 240 square kilometre land package that is host to numerous structurally controlled, volcanic hosted intermediate-sulfidation epithermal high-grade vein, breccia, stockwork and disseminated gold-silver occurrences.
The Unga Project benefits from excellent infrastructure, including direct daily flights from Anchorage, a deep-sea port and a temperate climate. The former Apollo-Sitka gold mine, located on the southern Apollo-Sitka Trend, was Alaska's first underground gold mine and the site of historic high-grade gold production.
About RedStar Gold Corp.
Redstar is well-financed junior exploration company, with a very strong institutional shareholder base, no debt, and is focused on advancing its high-grade Unga Gold Project in Alaska. The 100% controlled Unga Gold Project is known as an intermediate sulfidation epithermal high grade gold project on a district scale, with the property encompassing approximately 240 km2, and containing multiple high grade gold zones drilled or identified at surface. Unga Island also hosted the first underground gold mine in Alaska's history, has extensive infrastructure with daily flights from Anchorage and a deep-water port on neighboring Popof Island, and a moderate climate noting it resides at the 57 degree latitude and next to the ocean. In addition, Redstar recently sold its Nevada portfolio to NV Gold Corp. (TSXV: NVX), in return for two (2) board seats and 29.9% of NV Gold Corp. Redstar also owns 30% of the Newman Todd Gold Project, in Red Lake, Ontario, Canada.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors,
Peter A. Ball, President and CEO
For additional information please contact:
T: +1.604.245.5861
Toll Free: 877.310.3330
E: pball@redstargold.com
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.
Forward-Looking Information This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that Redstar Gold Corp. (the "Company") expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. 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 may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.
Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
VANCOUVER, Nov. 7, 2016 - Tinka Resources Limited ("Tinka" or the "Company") (TSXV: TK) (OTCPK: TKRFF) is pleased to announce that it has closed the first tranche (the "First Tranche") of the previously announced "best efforts" private placement offering of common shares of the Company (the "Shares") which was subsequently upsized for gross proceeds of up to C$11 million (the "Offering"). Under the First Tranche, the Company issued 44,673,250 Shares at an issue price of C$0.20 per share (the "Issue Price") for gross proceeds of C$8,934,650.
The second tranche of the Offering for additional proceeds of up to C$2,065,350 is expected to close on or about November 15, 2016, pursuant to the exercise of pre-existing participation rights by certain other existing shareholders of Tinka (the "Second Tranche").
The Company plans to use the net proceeds from the Offering to fund exploration expenditures at the Company's Ayawilca Project in Peru, as well as for other corporate purposes and general working capital.
Dr. Graham Carman, President and CEO of Tinka states: "We are pleased to close the first tranche of the private placement financing having received strong interest from quality institutional investors such as lead investor JPMorgan Asset Management (UK) Ltd. I wish to also thank the Sentient Group for their continued support of the Company, along with several other existing shareholders."
"The funds raised will enable the Company to execute its exploration objectives in the short to medium term, by drilling 10,000 to 15,000 metres in the upcoming drill campaign at the Ayawilca property in Peru. This drill program will focus on testing the extents of the high grade zinc and tin deposits already discovered at the property, as well as drill testing high priority targets lying in close proximity to our existing resources which have never before been drilled. We look forward to an exciting year ahead."
Participation by Insiders of the Company in the Offering is considered a "related party transaction" pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation or minority shareholder approval in connection with the Insiders' participation in the Offering in reliance of sections 5.5(b) and 5.7(a) of MI 61-101.
As part of the First Tranche, Sentient Global Resources Fund IV, LP ("Sentient IV"), an Insider of the Company, has exercised its pre-existing participation rights in respect of the Offering. Pursuant to the First Tranche, Sentient IV purchased 11,146,920 Shares under the Offering for gross proceeds of C$2,229,384, resulting in Sentient IV owning an aggregate of 43,291,143 common shares of the Company following the closing of the First Tranche or approximately 22.3% of the Company's basic shares outstanding, and approximately 21.8% fully diluted. In addition, certain directors of the Company participated in the Offering and purchased an aggregate of 300,000 Shares under the Offering for aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of C$60,000.
The Offering was carried out by GMP Securities L.P. as sole agent (the "Agent"). As consideration for its participation in the Offering, the Company paid a cash commission of C$362,566 and issued 1,812,829 broker warrants to the Agent. Each such broker warrant will entitle the Agent to purchase one common share of the Company at the Issue Price for a period of 24 months following the closing of the Offering. The Agent was not paid a commission and did not receive any broker warrants in respect of Shares sold to certain investors including Sentient and those purchasing under the Company's president's list. An additional broker fee of C$6,000 cash commission and 30,000 broker warrants was paid to an arm's length finder.
All securities issued pursuant to the Offering on the date hereof are subject to a four-month and one day hold period under applicable securities laws in Canada expiring on March 8, 2017.
This press release is not an offer or a solicitation of an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration.
About Tinka Resources Limited
Tinka is an exploration and development company with projects in Peru. Tinka's focus is on its 100%-owned Ayawilca Property in the highly mineralized zinc-lead-silver belt of central Peru, 200 kilometres north of Lima and 40 kilometres from Peru's largest historic zinc mine at Cerro de Pasco. Ayawilca has two separate Inferred Mineral Resource Zones of 18.8 Mt at 8.2% Zinc Eq, and 5.4 Mt at 0.89% Tin Eq, both open for expansion (news release of May 25, 2016). The Colquipucro silver deposit, located 2km north of the Zinc Zone, has Indicated Mineral Resources of 2.9 Mt at 112g/t Ag for 10.4 Moz Ag and Inferred Mineral Resources of 2.2 Mt at 105g/t Ag for 7.5 Moz Ag in 'higher-grade lenses' within a lower-grade resource envelope of 7.4 Mt at 60g/t Ag for 14.3 Moz Ag (Indicated) and 8.5 Mt at 48g/t Ag for 13.2 Moz Ag (Inferred) (news release of Feb' 26, 2015). Dr. Graham Carman, Tinka's President and CEO is a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this press release.
On behalf of the Board,
"Graham Carman"
Dr. Graham Carman, President & CEO
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
Certain information in this news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively "forward-looking statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs and expectations of Tinka as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to Tinka's management. Such statements reflect the current risks, uncertainties and assumptions related to certain factors including, without limitation, the anticipated use of proceeds of the Offering, successful closing of the Second Tranche, the Company's expectations regarding mineral resource calculations, the successful completion of the Company's proposed drilling program, capital and other costs varying significantly from estimates, production rates varying from estimates, changes in world metal markets, changes in equity markets, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, equipment failure, unexpected geological conditions, imprecision in resource estimates or metal recoveries, success of future development initiatives, competition, operating performance, environmental and safety risks, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals from local authorities, community relations, and other development and operating risks. Should any one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein. Although Tinka believes that assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Tinka disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement
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 news release.
/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES/
SOURCE Tinka Resources Ltd.
Contact
Investor Information: www.tinkaresources.com; Rob Bruggeman, 1.416.884.3556, rbruggeman@tinkaresources.com; Company Contact: Mariana Bermudez, 1.604.699.0202, info@tinkaresources.com
VANCOUVER, Nov. 7, 2016 - Ely Gold & Minerals Inc. ("Ely Gold" or the "Company") (TSX-V: ELY, OTC: ELYGF) is pleased to announce that it has completed a property exchange (the "Exchange") with Columbus Gold Corp. (TSX: CGT, OTCQX: CBDGF) and its wholly owned subsidiary Columbus Gold (USA) Corp. (collectively "Columbus"). Ely Gold, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Nevada Select Royalty, Inc. ("Nevada Select") has acquired a 100% interest in 66 unpatented mining claims in Esmeralda County, Nevada (the "Claims"). The Claims are contiguous to claims currently held by Ely Gold known as the Weepah Project ("Weepah") Columbus has done significant exploration on the Claims, including multiple drill campaigns. Columbus acquired the Claims in 2011 from Cordex Exploration Company ("Cordex"). The Claims will be subject to a 2% net smelter returns royalty to Cordex. Ely Gold will also acquire all the data from Columbus' exploration programs.
In the Exchange, Nevada Select has conveyed, to Columbus, a royalty on the Bolo/Wood property in Nye County, Nevada which was acquired by Nevada Select in a transaction with Till Capital and press released by Ely Gold on August 12, 2016. Columbus acquired the Bolo/Wood property from Cordex in 2012.
The Weepah Project is located 20 miles southwest of Tonapah. Historic production occurred from 1904-1935 from the Weepah Pit and underground mining from the high-grade Weepah Vein. Subsequent production in 1986 and 1987, by Sunshine Mining Company ("Sunshine"), was from the Weepah Pit. Ely Gold filed a NI 43-101 report on SEDAR on May 4, 2016. The report identifies two high priority targets based on historic drill data and highlights the drill programs conducted by Columbus and it partners. The report is available on the Company's website at www.elygoldinc.com.
Trey Wasser, President and CEO of Ely Gold commented on the Exchange, "We are very pleased to complete this transaction with Columbus. The consolidation of the Weepah property creates one of the best under-explored projects in Nevada. Once the consolidation of the data is completed, this will be a very important focus property in the Nevada Select portfolio".
"According to a report published by the US Geological Survey1, the Weepah Project was the largest primary gold producer in Nevada during production in 1937" stated Jerry Baughman, President of Nevada Select. "Historic reports also indicate that Sunshine successfully tested the down-dip extension of the high-grade Weepah Vein. The results confirm that this area remains a high priority target. The addition of the Columbus Claims will allow this target to be expanded over one half mile on strike."
Stephen Kenwood, P. Geo, is director of the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Kenwood has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.
About Ely Gold
Ely Gold is focused on developing recurring cash flow streams through the acquisition, consolidation, enhancement, and resale of highly prospective, un-encumbered North American precious metals properties. Ely's property development efforts maximize each property's potential for acquisition, while reserving significant royalty interests. Additional information about Ely Gold is available at the Company's website, at www.elygoldinc.com.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Signed "Trey Wasser"
Trey Wasser, President & CEO
1 Shamberger, H.A. Weepah. Early History, Development and Water Supply. Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and U.S. Geological Survey. 1975.
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 including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
Contact: trey@elygoldinc.com, 972-803-3087; ir@elygoldinc.com, 604-488-1104
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Nov 7, 2016) - Northern Vertex Mining Corp. (TSX VENTURE:NEE) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has signed a senior secured credit facility with Sprott Private Resource Lending (Collector), LP ("Sprott"), an affiliate of Sprott Resource Lending Corp., pursuant to which Sprott will advance up to US$20,000,000 (the "Sprott Facility") to fund development costs of the Company's 100% owned Moss Gold/Silver Project in north-west Arizona (the "Project"). The Sprott Facility is available to be drawn in four tranches, and the first tranche of US$5,000,000 has been advanced to the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Golden Vertex Corp. (the "Borrower").
Kenneth Berry, the Company's President and CEO, states: "We are delighted to have signed the Sprott Facility that will allow us to fast-track the development of the Moss Mine Gold-Silver project to commercial production. The initial capital expenditure to build the Moss Mine is US$33 million. With a US$20 million facility from Sprott that contemplates an additional US$8.5 million equipment finance facility, in combination with our recently completed $7.35 million convertible debenture offering, we are now ideally positioned to capitalize on the robust economics the Moss Mine offers, as we begin the transition into a fully operating gold-silver entity. We are equally pleased to report strategic development and detailed engineering is officially underway on the project and reclamation and earthworks at site will begin shortly. We look forward to keeping our shareholders and host-communities in and around Bullhead City, Arizona updated with our progress."
The Sprott Facility contains various terms and conditions, including:
Hedging - None.
Warrants - None.
Initial Tranche - US$5,000,000 (drawn).
Further Tranches - an aggregate of up to US$15,000,000 in up to three additional tranches, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions precedent, including the receipt of all key permits.Maturity Date - November 4, 2019.
Prepayment - At any time without penalty, subject to a minimum of 6 months interest having been paid on prepaid amounts.
Interest Rate - 12-month USD LIBOR plus 8%, to be paid monthly.
Costs and Fees:
Structuring Fee - US$300,000, which was deducted from the initial draw.
Fee Shares - The Company has issued 1,498,202 common shares to Sprott for value of US$375,000, being the number of shares at a 10% discount to the five trading day volume weighted average trading price of the shares (the "Discounted VWAP").
Gold Options - The Borrower has issued to Sprott gold call options to purchase up to 6,000 ounces of gold at a strike price of US$1,350, for a period of five years, which may be settled by a cash payment based on the difference between the strike price and the prevailing market price of gold at the time of settlement. If the Sprott Facility remains outstanding and not in default at the time of exercise of the Gold Options, at the Borrower's election the payment of amounts in settlement of the Gold Options may be deferred and added to the principal amount of the Sprott Facility and repaid in accordance with the terms thereof.
Anniversary Fee - On each anniversary date of the Sprott Facility, the Borrower will pay Sprott an amount equal to 3% of the principal amount of the Sprott Facility then outstanding, which, at the option of Sprott, may be paid in cash or the Company's shares issued at the Discounted VWAP at the time of issuance.
Covenants - The Sprott Facility contains customary covenants for the Company and the Borrower, including restrictions on incurring further debt and the requirement to meet certain working capital requirements.
Security - Includes a first charge over assets held by both the Company and the Borrower, as well as a guarantee from the Company.
Security Carve-Out for Equipment Finance Facility - The security package for the Sprott Facility provides for a carve-out of up to US$8,500,000 in equipment financing.
There is no guarantee the Company will satisfy any or all of the conditions of further drawdowns under the Sprott Facility or the Equipment Finance Facility. The Company looks forward to updating shareholders on successful milestones over the near term.
As a result of signing the Sprott Facility, the Company will pay a US$175,000 break fee to Macquarie Bank in connection with the engagement letter and credit approved term sheet with Macquarie Bank announced on July 7, 2016.
Qualified Person:
The foregoing technical information contained in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 (Standards for Disclosure for Minerals Projects) and reviewed and approved on behalf the Company by James McDonald, P.Geo & Director for Northern Vertex, a Qualified Person.
About Northern Vertex:
Northern Vertex Mining Corp. is an exploration and mining company focused on the reactivation of its 100% owned Moss Mine Gold/Silver Project located in NW Arizona, USA. The Moss Mine Gold-Silver Project is an epithermal, brecciated, low sulphidation quartz-calcite vein and stockwork system which extends over a strike length of 1,400 meters and has been drill tested to depths of 370 meters vertically. It is a potential heap leach, open pit project that has been advanced to the Feasibility Study stage to ensure that technical, economic, permitting and funding requirements are met prior to proceeding with the development of the mine. The Company's management comprises an experienced management team with a strong background in all aspects of acquisition, exploration, development, operations and financing of mining projects worldwide. The Company is focused on working effectively and respectfully with our stakeholders in the vicinity of the historical Moss Mine and enhancing the capacity of the local communities in the area.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF NORTHERN VERTEX
Kenneth Berry, President & CEO
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.
Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains statements about our future business and planned activities. These are "forward-looking" because we have used what we know and expect today to make a statement about the future. Forward-looking statements including but are not limited to comments regarding the advancement of further tranches under the Sprott Credit Facility, receipt of key permits for the Project, and the Company's plans for repayment of the Sprott Facility. Forward-looking statements usually include words such as may, intend, plan, expect, anticipate, believe or other similar words. We believe the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable. However, actual events and results could be substantially different because of the risks and uncertainties associated with our business or events that happen after the date of this news release. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. As a general policy, we do not update forward-looking statements except as required by securities laws and regulations.
Cautionary Note to US Investors: This news release may contain information about adjacent properties on which we have no right to explore or mine. We advise U.S. investors that the SEC's mining guidelines strictly prohibit information of this type in documents filed with the SEC. U.S. investors are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on our properties. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the advancement of further tranches under the Sprott Credit Facility, receipt of key permits for the Project, and the Company's plans for repayment of the Sprott Facility. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. This press release uses the terms "Measured", "Indicated", and "Inferred" resources. United States investors are advised that while such terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission does not recognize them. "Inferred Mineral Resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an Inferred Mineral Resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of Inferred Mineral Resources may not form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies. United States investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of Measured or Indicated Mineral Resources will ever be converted into Mineral Reserves. United States investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of a Mineral Resource is economically or legally mineable.
2016 number 24
Sheldon Adelson, the Las Vegas casino magnate and Republican megadonor, doesnt often agree with U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, the outgoing Democratic majority leader. But this year, they teamed up in an attempt to break up Nevadas electric monopoly and secured an initial victory.The two are part of a larger effort to amend Nevada's constitution to force legislators to rewrite the states policies for electric utilities, giving customers the choice of which company they want to provide their power. The arrangement would make electric companies compete for business, rather than simply operating as monopolies in their area and charging rates set by state regulators.The first step in that amendment process cameTuesday, when 72 percent of voters backed the plan. But it would still be a while before any changes could take effect: In order for the amendment to pass, voters would have to approve it again in 2018. Lawmakers would then have five years to overhaul the electric utility law.Whatever the long-term ramifications, the constitutional amendment is an outlet for pent-up frustration with NV Energy, which is owned by Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway and has a monopoly in the state. The company says it's neutral on the proposal. Big-time customers like Adelsons Las Vegas Sands Corporation and data-center operator Switch want to buy electricity from sources other than NV Energy but have been stymied by state regulators.Solar companies, meanwhile, are still chafing from decisions last year by lawmakers and regulators favoring the utility over solar providers, which set off an exodus of solar companies from the state. Reid, according to Nevada journalist Jon Ralston, orchestrated the amendment after repeated run-ins with NV Energy over clean energy.The only way were going to effectively change policy is by resetting the table, said Matt Griffin, an attorney for Nevadans for Affordable Clean Energy Choices, which drafted the amendment. Were stuck in a rut with our energy policy, and theres no way out of it unless we get everybody together and say: What does our energy future look like?Amendment 3 hadnt received a lot of attention this year because Nevada also has competitive elections for president, U.S. Senate, several members of Congress and other ballot measures on guns and marijuana.Switch and Sands spent a combined total of $2.4 million to promote the electric deregulation amendment. Tesla, MGM Resorts, Patagonia and Walmart have also voiced support, and the solar industry has gotten on board as well.The only organized opposition to the amendment has come from unions, who worry that removing price controls could lead to big cost fluctuations that would hurt lower-income and middle-class electric customers."Theyre not spending millions of dollars each to make sure that the consumers are taken care of in this. Its about the economic well-being and the bottom line of their companies, said Dan Hart, a strategist for the No Handouts to Billionaires campaign thats working against the measure and is largely funded by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.The idea of deregulating an electric market certainly isn't new: 15 states and the District of Columbia, which together have roughly a third of the countrys population, use deregulated markets. But the idea lost much of its luster following the rolling blackouts in California and the bankruptcy of the energy speculating company Enron in 2001. Nevada officials had pulled the plug on an earlier attempt to deregulate its electricity market in light of those developments.Opponents of the current measure point to those failures as reason to stay away from further deregulation. But Griffin, the amendments author, says federal regulators are much better equipped to oversee electricity markets now than they were when the concept of allowing customers to choose the company that provides them power was still new.The two sides differ over which approach is more environmentally friendly. The opponents say that an open market for electricity will encourage customers to buy cheaper but dirtier power. The proponents say the freedom to choose your own provider will let customers get an even higher percentage of their power from renewable energy than is available now through NV Energy. Plus, the amendment would specify that people have the right to sell the energy they generate on their own, such as from solar panels.There's also considerable dispute over whether deregulation actually lowers customers bills. A 2015 study by the American Public Power Association, which opposes deregulation, concluded that, between 1997 and 2014, retail electric price increases were higher in states with deregulated electric markets than in regulated states. In 2014, for example, customers in deregulated states paid an average of 12.7 cents per kilowatt hour, compared with 9.4 cents for customers in regulated states. But proponents of the Nevada measure say that it could lead to average savings of 20 percent on electric bills.Finally, the two sides disagree over whether this issue belongs in the state constitution in the first place. Why arent we having a discussion at the legislature? asked Hart from No Handouts for Billionaires. If they feel its obvious that this should happen, then they should be able to make that argument to the legislature.Griffin, the proponent, sees nothing wrong with adding electric deregulation to the state charter, especially because, he says, advocates for change have tried for years to get the legislature to look at the issue with no success. The Nevada constitution already includes provisions on marijuana, mining taxes and lotteries, he noted.I dont know what the heartburn is with putting economic freedom and economic liberty in the state constitution. In fact, half of the original 13 colonies put economic freedom in their constitutions, said Griffin. This is nothing foreign to the United States Constitution or the state of Nevadas constitution.
Polls may have shifted in the GOP's favor in the closing days of this year's election, but Democrats remain likely to post gains at the legislative level.In part, that's because they have practically nowhere to go but up. Republicans control two-thirds of the nation's legislative chambers, many by supermajorities."Democrats have lost more than 900 seats since President Obama took office, giving the party a lot of room to grow at the state level," said Steven Rogers, a political scientist at St. Louis University.In a presidential year, Democratic turnout should be higher overall, lifting the party's chances at the legislative level, especially in an era when ticket-splitting has become less common. The "unconventional nature" of the Trump campaign and its relative lack of organization should also help Democrats, said Robert Hogan, a Louisiana State University political scientist.Nevertheless, the picture at the legislative level is complicated, he said, by Trump's appeal to less-educated, blue-collar white voters who may have traditionally voted Democratic.Trump's campaign has devoted far less attention and resources to field work and data analytics than typical presidential campaigns. In some places, it doesn't appear to have coordinated its efforts closely with state parties on the ground.By contrast, Obama has endorsed more than 100 Democrats seeking legislative office, recording robocalls for some of them -- an unprecedented effort from a president in recent years."Between this and the likely superior Democratic turnout machine this cycle, the question is how many seats will Democrats take back," said Rogers, the St. Louis University professor.Democrats have been confident all year about regaining ground they'd lost, particularly in 2014. Two years ago, the GOP took over 11 chambers, many of them in typically blue states."We expect to evict Republican majorities from several of the chambers theyve essentially been 'renting' since the 2014 GOP wave, like those in New Mexico, Nevada, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Maine and Washington, for example," said Carolyn Fiddler, communications director for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.Fiddler said that "Donald Trump's toxic candidacy" has put more difficult-to-reach chambers in play as well, including the Arizona Senate. Trump's pre-election numbers in Arizona remain lower than those rung up by recent GOP presidential nominees.Still, with reluctant Republican voters appearing to return to their party in recent polling, taking over chambers such as the Michigan House will be more of a stretch for Democrats."The GOP has been favored all cycle to maintain control, even though all of the major tossup seats are in Republican hands," said Susan Demas, editor of. "At this point, the only thing that could save Democrats is a wave, as many of their targeted races have faded from the map."Republican officials express confidence that they'll be able to hold onto chambers where the party has a narrow majority, including the state senates in Nevada, New York and West Virginia.On offense, an expected strong showing from Trump in Kentucky could help the GOP take over the state House -- perhaps unseating Speaker Greg Stumbo himself in the process."In Kentucky, Republicans are closer than theyve been in 100 years to winning the majority back from Democrats in the last chamber in the South under their control," said Ellie Hockenbury, communications director for the Republican State Leadership Committee. "We have several paths to the majority with GOP candidates running in 25 Democrat-held districts carried by Gov. [Matt] Bevin last year."Republicans have their eye on another elusive target, the Iowa Senate, which Democrats have held with a 26-24 majority since 2010. Polls at the presidential level show Trump carrying Iowa."Republicans have a very good chance of flipping the two seats needed to take control of the Senate and complete the trifecta in Iowa, with both legislative chamber majorities and the governor and lieutenant governor seats," said Hockenbury.Even in states where Hillary Clinton is favored, the legislative map may be scrambled by Trump's candidacy. He may be unpopular in cities and affluent suburbs, but his appeal to white working class voters has put some more rural and traditionally Democratic areas in play, such as the northeastern Iron Range in Minnesota. When Republicans took over the Minnesota House two years ago, nearly all their gains were outside the metropolitan Twin Cities area.Conversely, Trump's poll ratings among Hispanics remain terrible, and they'll grow as a share of the electorate this year. Early voting suggests Hispanics will turn out in increased numbers, including in some key legislative battlegrounds.In states such as Colorado and Nevada, where Democrats only have to net a few seats to win chambers, their task shouldn't be too daunting, predicts Jaclyn Kettler, a political scientist at Boise State University.Given the uncertainty at the top of the ticket, the parties may end up regretting their failure to recruit candidates in many districts that are usually not competitive. More than 40 percent of the nearly 6,000 seats up for grab won't be contested by one of the major parties."There may be a lot of potential state legislative candidates kicking themselves for not getting in the race," Hogan said.
The Supreme Court cleared the way for Arizona Republican leaders to enforce a new state law that makes it felony for anyone other than family members and caregivers to deliver mail-in ballots to polling places.The court in a brief order with no listed dissents blocked a ruling of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which stopped enforcement of the law Friday.It is not clear what will happen now. County election officials had said they did not plan to vigorously enforce the new law. However, the Arizona Republican Party said it was training volunteers to watch and report ineligible people who were seen dropping off ballots.In April, soon after the restriction was adopted on a party-line vote in the state Legislature, lawyers for the Democratic National Committee sued, arguing the restriction could prevent thousands of legal voters, particularly those on Indian reservations and on the Mexican border, from having their ballots counted. They said many of these people do not have post offices nearby and rely on others to collect and deliver their ballots.The law makes a crime out of the "long-standing practice pursuant to which thousands of voters have relied on friends, neighbors, advocacy and political organizations and campaigns to collect and deliver their early ballots to ensure they arrive by 7 p.m, Election Day deadline," they said.Before 2013, Arizona was under the close scrutiny under the Voting Rights Act and could not change its election laws without approval from the Justice Department. But the Supreme Court struck down that provision of the 1965 law on a 5-4 vote and said it was no longer needed to protect the rights of minorities.Free from federal oversight, Arizona lawmakers passed the new restriction in March. Republicans said that allowing community groups to collect and deliver mail-in ballots could result in fraud.Friday evening, Arizona's attorney general and the Arizona Republican Party filed a joint emergency appeal with Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who oversees the 9th Circuit. They said 26 states, including California, have similar laws on the books. They asked for a stay of the appeals court's decision and argued the last-minute order from the 9th Circuit was disruptive and could cause confusion."The application for stay presented to Justice Kennedy and by him referred to the Court is granted," the court said in a Saturday order.The handling of the matter suggests the justices did not delve into the merits of the dispute but agreed with Arizona's claim that the federal courts should not interfere on the eve of the election.
A federal judge Friday ordered three North Carolina to restore names to voter rolls that were part of a recent mass purge.The ruling from U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs came in a lawsuit filed Monday by the state NAACP. In the lawsuit, seeking an emergency halt to voter-roll purges in Beaufort, Moore and Cumberland counties, NAACP representatives and several voters affected described the practice as an effort to suppress the African-American vote.At issue was whether the North Carolina law that allows individual voters in this state to challenge anyone's registration violates the National Voter Registration Act, which "prohibits the mass removal of voters from the rolls within the 90 days prior to the election."The organization also contended that county election boards did not follow proper notification or hearing procedures for the challenges."There is little question that the County Boards' process of allowing third parties to challenge hundreds and, in Cumberland County, thousands of voters within 90 days before the 2016 General Election constitutes the type of 'systematic' removal prohibited by the (National Voter Registration Act)," Biggs wrote in her ruling.State Board of Elections officials, who have been required to change directions many times this year after court rulings in state and federal courts, said they intended to do what they could to meet the order by Tuesday."We are working quickly to establish the procedures necessary to comply with the court order between now and Election Day," Kim Strach, executive director of the state elections board, said Friday.The cases of some of the voters have been the subject of national attention, drawing an invitation to one of the affected voters from the nation's first black president.President Barack Obama discussed the experience of Grace Bell Hardison, a 100-year-old Belhaven resident in his speech in Chapel Hill Wednesday. He invited her to join him in Fayetteville Friday, but her family said she was unable though she was thrilled to be mentioned.Hardison, who has lived in Beaufort County her entire life and rarely missed an opportunity to vote, learned from her nephew recently that her name was one of dozens that had been targeted for purging from the county's voter rolls before the elections.Though Hardison voted in the 2015 municipal elections in her Beaufort County town, a Republican named Shane Hubers challenged her eligibility because a mailing sent out to Hardison by a mayoral candidate last year was returned. Hardison gets her mail at a post office box, not her house, and has for years.Though Hardison's nephew successfully defeated the challenge, she feared she would be turned away from the polls on Election Day, as have others from Beaufort, Moore and Cumberland counties.James L. Cox, another lifelong Belhaven resident, learned from a friend that he was one of 138 names on the Beaufort County voter rolls that had been challenged. Of the 138 challenges, 92 of the people were black and registered Democrats, 17 were Republicans, 28 were unaffiliated and one was Libertarian.Cox voted in the 2016 primary elections and never heard from the Beaufort County Board of Elections that his registration was among those being challenged.Similar cases were reported by James Edward Arthur Sr., an African-American from who registered to vote in Beaufort County in 2011 and only recently found out that his registration was under challenge based solely on undeliverable mass mailings. Arthur moved into a nursing home in 2013 because of an injury, but he remained in Beaufort County.James Michael Brower, a black voter from Robbins, learned recently that his registration had been challenged because of a change of address. Though he successfully had his name removed from the challenge list after going to the Moore County Board of Elections to let them know he remains a county resident, Brower also worries that there will be more efforts to prevent him from voting on Nov. 8.The Moore County challenges were prompted by N. Carol Wheeldon, secretary of the Moore County Republican Party and a volunteer with The Voter Integrity Project, whose director Jay Delancy says he wants to reduce the potential for voter fraud and show that voter rolls across the state are not purged as often as he would like to remove people who have moved or died.Similar mass mailings sent out in Cumberland County also led to nearly 4,000 challenges there.After calling an emergency hearing on Wednesday in federal court in Winston-Salem and hearing some of the evidence in the case, Biggs told county attorneys who appeared before her that she was "horrified" by the "insane" process by which voters could be removed from the rolls without their knowledge, according to The Associated Press."It almost looks like a cattle call, the way people are being purged," Biggs said. "This sounds like something that was put together in 1901," when the state used Jim Crow laws to prevent black citizens from voting.In June 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling that broke down along ideological lines, freed nine mostly Southern states from having to get advance approval from the federal government before changing election laws.After that decision, North Carolina enacted broad changes to its election law, which has since been struck down by the federal courts as designed with "almost surgical precision" to weaken the black vote.
A federal judge has rejected a bid by the Pennsylvania Republican Party to legalize a call from presidential nominee Donald Trump for supporters to serve as itinerant Election Day poll watchers.U.S. District Judge Gerald Pappert, a Republican and former state attorney general, took a dim view of his party's request to rewrite the state's 79-year-old Election Code just days before Tuesday's general election."There is no need for this judicial fire drill and (the Republican Party) offers no reasonable explanation or justification for the harried process they created," Pappert wrote in a ruling released Thursday.Pappert, as he did during a hearing on the matter last week, noted that legislation to amend the Election Code was introduced in the state House in January 2015. The Republican-controlled House did not bring that measure up for a full vote.The Election Code requires poll watchers, appointed by candidates or political parties, to serve in the county where they are registered to vote.Trump, in rallies in Pennsylvania and other states, has repeatedly claimed _ absent evidence _ that the election is "rigged."He has called on supporters in rural and exurban parts of Pennsylvania to travel to Philadelphia and other urban areas on Election Day to serve as poll watchers, claiming voter fraud is a prevalent problem in those places.Nine people have been prosecuted in Philadelphia since 2013 for voter fraud. Democratic and Republican officials in the city have soundly rejected the claim that voter fraud is a widespread problem.Pappert, in his ruling, said the Republican Party's "preoccupation with the role of poll watchers to deter purported voter fraud disregards other aspects of the regulatory framework" such as election board workers from the Democratic and Republican Parties who oversee polling place operations and have more authority than poll watchers.And he said the Republican Party's claims of voter fraud are "based on speculation ... and the unproven assumption" that traveling poll watchers would be able to stop that crime.Megan Sweeney, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Republican Party, called Pappert's ruling "a blow to openness and transparency in our electoral system.""We will continue to advocate for an open and fair electoral process and we will review our legal options going forward," Sweeney said.Testimony from last Friday's hearing showed the Republican Party in Philadelphia could fully staff all of the city's 1,686 voting divisions if just 4.1 percent of the party's registered voters volunteered.Pappert noted the party was "reticent to admit the extent to which suspected voter fraud in Philadelphia motivates their request for an injunction."That may be because the Democratic National Committee, in a federal claim filed in New Jersey last week, asked a judge to hold the Republican National Committee in contempt for allegedly violating a 1982 consent decree that still blocks the GOP from intimidating voters in predominantly black polling places.The DNC cited as proof Trump's exhortations for his supporters to travel to places like Philadelphia to watch for voter fraud.Pappert's ruling does not cite the RNC consent decree or the DNC call for a finding of contempt.Pappert ultimately ruled in favor of the Pennsylvania Department of State, which contended during last Friday's hearing that the GOP's legal gambit was "inviting chaos to the process" for Election Day."There is good reason to avoid last-minute intervention in a state's election process," Pappert wrote. "Any intervention at this point risks practical concerns, including disruption, confusion or other unforeseen deleterious effects."
On Sunday, in the morning, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey attended morning service at St Thomas Anglican Church, Toowong.
Description
GIS - 07 November, 2016: The Corporate and Business Registration Department (CBRD), which operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, will shortly implement the Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) project, a new technology, as the standard for online financial reporting to support and improve the accessibility of financial information. The Corporate and Business Registration Department (CBRD), which operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, will shortly implement the Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) project, a new technology, as the standard for online financial reporting to support and improve the accessibility of financial information.
In this context, a workshop was held on 04 November 2016 at the Voila Hotel, Bagatelle at the initiative of the CBRD to showcase the project and acquaint stakeholders with the new system. It also served as platform for the CBRD to demonstrate the various features of the online service.
The XBRL project which will be put in place by mid-November with the assistance of the IRIS Business Service Limited in collaboration with the State Informatics Limited, is in line with the modernisation programme of the CBRD in view of transforming the Department to an e-Service organisation and towards a paperless registry.
Some 80 participants namely representatives from both the Private and Public sectors as well as Management Companies, Regulators, Audit companies, the Financial Services Commission, the Financial Intelligence Unit, and the Financial Reporting Council among others attended the workshop.
In her address, the Registrar of Companies, Mrs P. Chinien, stressed on the importance of the system to ease access to financial information. According to her, several benefits are to be derived with the application of the XBRL such as the quick and easy retrieval of financial data and information. The application will also facilitate the submission and processing of financial information online.
She further pointed out that the project will enable the stakeholders to harness the latest technologies that can provide integrated options for businesses to access information and conduct transactions in a faster way.
The XBRL Project
The Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) which can be compared to a barcode for reporting, is an open, international standard for electronic communication of business and financial data. It provides an identifying tag for each individual item of data on the financial statements and enables automated processing of the information, cutting out manual re-entry and comparison.
The project will be supported by the IRIS Business Service Limited as the XBRL domain expert for its filing platform that will enable collection of company financial statements. XBRL technology has been adopted by 60 countries and 100 Regulators across the world.
IRIS Business Services Limited is one of the first provider of full professional XBRL products and solutions to organisations globally and is a leading structured data solutions company in regulatory and compliance reporting software. The company headquarters is based in India with international offices in United States, Singapore, United Kingdom, and the UAE.
Description
GIS - 07 November, 2016: The octopus yield for the year 2016, after the implementation of the octopus fishing closure pilot project, has tripled compared to that of the previous year, in which 453 kg was recorded. This announcement was made on 4 November 2016 by the Minister of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries, Shipping and Outer Islands, Mr Premdut Koonjoo, during a press conference in Port Louis on the outcome of the project of closure of octopus fishing from 15 August to 15 October 2016.
Mr Konjoo termed this project a success after nearly two tonnes of octopus were fished in only one week, from 13 fisheries posts, after the two months closure. The region with the largest catch recorded is Bambous Virieux with 385 kg. In fishing regions such as Mahebourg, Case Noyale and Grand Riviere Sud Est, 280 kg, 240 kg and 201 kg of fish were caught respectively.
There was even a case of a fisherman who caught an octopus weighing around 6 kg at Bambous Virieux during a competition organised, after the two months closure, by the Ministry of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries, Shipping and Outer Islands in collaboration with the UNDP, NNS and various NGOs. The winner received a cash prize of RS 10, 000. An octopus weighing around 9 kg was caught at La Preneuse after the competition.
The project will be maintained next year during the same period of time but in different areas. The average weight of octopus will also be compared.
This project comes after the success of a similar one in Rodrigues. It is estimated that the quantity of octopus that may be caught in 2017 will exceed 50 tonnes compared to 2014 and 2015 during which a catch of 29 tonnes and 34 tonnes was recorded respectively.
Click to register
Offline, for now
Utah fail
Polling online polling
Automatic
(TNS) -- Quaneia Murphy, a University of Akron marketing and management major, voted for the first time this March. The St. Vincent-St. Mary graduate knows precisely which Akron polling location will accept her second ballot on Tuesday.Destinee Long, a study buddy who grew up in Columbus, doesnt.Long is both undecided on her major and where or how she should vote.Yeah, Im registered, Long said. But I dont know where to go. Im just confused about the whole process. Really.The two 18-year-olds are part of a generation that could use cell phones and tablets before they could walk. So, as the digital natives become civic-minded adults, it only feels natural that voting from registering to casting ballots should move online with them.Its more up-to-date. And it might be a little easier, too, said Murphy, who keeps a search engine handy when completing class assignments. If young people dont understand the issues that theyre voting for, other than the presidential race, they can look it up as opposed to just checking a box.On various fronts, technology is creeping into the democratic process.Ohio is ahead of the curve. Starting in January, residents here may register online to vote.By this time next year, every Ohio board of elections is expected to adopt digitized polling books, substituting hefty three-ring binders for electronic tablets that make checking whether a voter is in the right place a cinch. In some states, digitized polling books are making it possible for voters to cast ballots anywhere in their respective counties, eliminating the right church, wrong pew problem on polling day.A Democrat-backed bill in the Ohio House would automatically register voters and update their status each time they renew their drivers license. Dead on arrival in the Republican-held statehouse, the automatic registration bill still fairs a better chance of passage than online voting.Early experiments in internet voting have gone badly. And there is bipartisan consensus that to do it right would require perhaps decades of planning.Ohio Sen. Frank LaRose, R-Hudson, is happy to announce that a bipartisan bill he introduced last year will allow residents to log onto the secretary of states website and register to vote starting next year.Today, voter registration must be done by hand. Forms are requested by mail, printed online or picked up at BMVs and libraries then returned to boards of elections, sometimes bouncing back only days before deadlines.Im glad that were getting on board with [online voter registration], said Ada Staley, a fashion design student at UA who turned 18 in July but has been too preoccupied to register.?I think convenience was a big issue for me, said Staley, who splits her time between a weekly job search, a pretty heavy college class schedule, a childhood hobby of horseback riding and generally becoming an independent adult.Staley debated too long whether to register in Summit County, where she now lives, or Stark County, where she grew up. Im pretty disappointed that I didnt register in time because I feel so strongly about this election, said Staley, who is concerned about what Republican Donald Trump has said about women but has no vote, at least this year.Andrea Felicelli and Oliver Lake, another pair of millennials attending UA, figure its high time for online voting as an option, not a mandate.It would be more convenient, said Lake, who voted early by mail this year. He said he trusts the internet more than the post office to deliver his vote on time.Felicelli, a frequent online shopper, has become accustomed to uploading her personal address and credit card number.I feel pretty safe. Not 100 percent. But its a risk, Felicelli said of online banking, shopping and the prospect of voting.While young Americans and Democrats are more likely to push for online voting, there is broad, bipartisan consensus that any system of internet polling should be ironclad, impervious to hackers and free from glitches.Voting is a unique transaction because its secret and anonymous and its a one-time event that cannot be done over if something massive and widespread goes wrong, said state Rep. Katheen Clyde, a Kent Democrat who previously worked in the secretary of states office and keeps a close eye on election law. Its not like banking online. Its not like ordering takeout online. If something goes wrong in those financial transactions, they can be reviewed and fixed. Voting and elections are not like that.The fear which Clyde and LaRose share is that foreign or domestic hackers might undermine an election and more alarming than the theft of a single identity public confidence in the democratic process.Before tackling security, though, election officials must work out the bugs.In the presidential primary this year, Republicans in Utah took online voting for a bumpy test drive.According to the The Salt Lake Tribune , 40,000 Republicans participated but 10,000 votes were denied or discounted.Voters mistakenly thought they had registered in time. Others misplaced PIN numbers needed to vote online. Some emails carrying the codes were treated as junk mail by spam filters.Ultimately, such mistakes can further erode confidence in an election system already considered rigged by Trump and some of his supporters. More than a third of Americans already have little or no confidence the election will be fair and open, according to public opinion polling from the Pew Research Center. This includes 56 percent of Trump supporters.This is something where we need to be very careful because people need to be confident that their vote counts and that the process is done in a stately and organized way. I dont think that voters have confidence in online voting yet. And I dont think they will until those technological questions are answered, said LaRose, who will consider online voting but, like Clyde, thinks Ohio is many elections away from implementation.The case for online voting is gaining steam, even if older voters continue to reject it.Driving reform are digital natives in the youngest generation of eligible voters: millennials.In a September poll commissioned by Digital Third Coast, a tech agency, 80 percent of respondents said online voting would make them at least somewhat more likely to vote. More than 90 percent said voting online would save time, and 75 percent said it should be another option for the public.But the poll, conducted online by Soliant Consulting, is admittedly skewed toward millennials, women and as young voters more often are Democrats. America, however, is split much more evenly by gender and party affiliation than the online polls 60 percent female respondents and nearly twice as many Democrats as Republicans.In a more representative sampling of America, a 2015 Rasmussen poll found that a national majority still rejects moving voting online and thinks that doing so would invite fraud.Still, the poll of reform-minded Americans illustrates the attitudes of the future. Again out of whack with national demographics, 52 percent of respondents are 33 years old or younger. This generation is the least likely to vote and, apparently, the most likely to say theyd do so if given the chance to do so online.Telling is the generational and partisan support for online voting. The poll found 75 percent said online voting should be an option. The naysayers were twice as likely to be Republican. By age, 35 percent of respondents over 50 and 22 percent below 34 rejected online voting.The next showdown on the election front will be automatic registration.Automatic registration provides that on voters 18th birthdays, when they renew drivers licenses or otherwise interact with the government, the information they provide would be used to register or update their voting status.Here, as with other changes to Ohios voting system, Clyde and LaRose split.Its not something that we should be pursuing in Ohio now, LaRose said.Freedom to vote also includes freedom to not vote, and that means to not register or be part of the process, said LaRose, citing religious or other personal beliefs that would force some groups, like the Amish, to participate.LaRose also questions whether legislation pushing for automatic registration would supersede the state constitution, which in the Republicans opinion requires residents to register, not for the state to register them.But a bill to automate the registration process is exactly what Clyde has introduced in the Republican-controlled legislature, which makes a habit of letting Democratic laws languish on a shelf.[Automatic registration] is the next wave of voter friendly efforts happening nationally, Clyde said.In the past year, California, Connecticut, Oregon, Vermont and West Virginia have become the first in the nation to add residents to voter rolls automatically, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.Ohio would join them with the passage of Clydes House Bill 181 , which hasnt received a hearing since it was introduced 19 months ago.
(TNS) -- Republican Donald Trump wants to #LockHerUp. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons supporters are standing their ground days before the election, declaring #ImWithHer.More than in any previous presidential election, experts say, social media are playing a key role in the fight for voters hearts and minds.Town halls and rallies are still important, but the front lines in the battle for the White House are shifting as more people get their news on social media.Social media is more of a doorway to the rest of the campaign. You get your hard-core supporters to follow you on Twitter and Facebook, and the goal from that point is to get them to share your stuff with their friends, said Laura Olin, who was the social media director for President Barack Obamas 2012 re-election campaign and is now a marketing consultant for Precision Strategies. A message they get from their friend is more compelling than a message they would get from a campaign.From January to October, 109 million Americans on Facebook generated 5.3 billion likes, posts, comments and shares about the election, according to the company. Campaigns are also tapping into the audiences on Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn and other sites.But voters are skeptical about the information they read on social media, and some political scientists question how effective the flurries of text, photos and videos are at attracting swaying undecided voters. When discussing politics with people share their views, about 59 percent of social media users found it stressful and frustrating, while only 35 percent found it interesting and informative, a recent Pew survey found.Some voters, such actress Kristina Teves of San Ramon, Calif., try to stay away from sharing their political thoughts on Facebook because the conversations get too heated, especially among family and friends.I feel like weve turned our democracy into some sort of sporting event, where you pick your team and even if theyre losing, you want to support them, said Teves, who grew up in a conservative family but is voting for Clinton.After seeing a clip of Michelle Obamas speech at the Democratic National Convention on Facebook, though, Teves couldnt stay silent any longer. When they go low, we go high, Obama said, after referencing hateful language from public figures on television.The remarks resonated with how Teves felt about all the partisan bickering, so she posted publicly about how voters should check your sources, keep an open mind before you angrily shout into the void and remember to respect everyone regardless of their opinion.Some voters say theyre taking social media posts with a grain of salt, raising questions about whether candidates messages are getting lost in the din.I feel like theres a little bit of disillusionment that has crept in, said Steven Weber, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Information and Department of Political Science. We expect people to spend too much time reading what they already agree with. We expect crazy tweet storms that very few people pay serious attention to other than when theyre absurd and make people angry.Nonetheless, Trumps barrage of late-night tweets has shaped the campaign in ways previously unseen in a U.S. presidential election. His controversial post suggesting former Miss Universe Alicia Machado appeared in a sex video was brought up during the second presidential debate, where Trump was asked if the tweet demonstrated the discipline of a good leader.Tweeting happens to be a modern-day form of communication, Trump said. I mean, you can like it or not like it.But its not just words that are grabbing voters attention. More social media users have been watching recorded and live video on websites, giving candidates opportunities to interact with voters in ways they havent in previous election cycles. Twitter and Facebook live-streamed the presidential debates.Don Seymour, Facebooks U.S. politics and government outreach manager, said campaigns are doing a lot more on social media than in the past.Today, the people who use Facebook successfully or see the best results are folks who use it as a platform to connect with voters and actually have more of a two-way conversation, said Seymour, who was a communications director for House Speaker John Boehner.Candidates have used Facebook to broadcast rallies live, show behind-the-scenes video, showcase endorsements from other politicians, conduct Q&As and raise money. Trumps campaign recently launched a nightly news program on Facebook Live, including a link to donate money.Twitter and Facebook have been trying to boost voter turnout. Twitter users who sent a direct message to (at)gov with their ZIP codes got their states voter registration deadline and a link to register. Facebook also started reminding U.S. users 18 years and older to register to vote, which helped more than 2 million users do so, the company said.Social media have cast the public spotlight on the opinion of some voters, such as photographer Brandon Stanton who wrote one of the most shared posts in Facebooks history when he posted a letter to Trump and Ken Bone, the undecided voter who became an internet sensation after asking a question on energy policy during the second presidential debate.Still, stories like Bones and Stantons are rare, and some local voters choose to keep quiet while others cant resist giving their two cents.San Jose resident Landon Kupfer hasnt decided who hes going to vote for but is leaning toward Trump after learning about his policies. Kupfer, who refrains from talking politics on Facebook, watches live videos of the candidates rallies but chooses not to comment.With all the thousands of comments they have posted every second I dont feel like my voice will be heard until I cast my vote, he said.Kevin Seal of Castro Valley resident, a Clinton supporter, is active on Twitter and Facebook. There are times when Ill try to bite my lip and not say anything, but I have a difficult time restraining myself, he said.Seal also admits hes probably not swaying any votes with his social media comments.I honestly dont think Im convincing anyone of anything, he said. I dont think its really my intent. I think its searching for community and fellowship in a way.
(TNS) -- Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton arent the only ones looking to get as many people as possible to vote on Tuesday. Tech companies from coast to coast are launching a promotional blitz aimed at directing people to their local polling locations and making sure they have what they need to vote.Boston-based Zipcar which lets its members reserve cars for a few hours is making all of its reservations free between 6 and 8 p.m. on Election Day in the hopes of helping people who need to make their way to the polls at the end of the day. About 7,000 cars will be available nationwide, including more than 1,000 in the Hub.Regardless of political affiliation or sentiment, we believe that voting is a civic duty, and we want to ensure that access to transportation isnt a barrier to casting a ballot, said Andrew Daley, vice president of marketing.The popular ride-for-hire app Lyft is also looking to help out by taking 45 percent off all rides on Election Day as part of an effort to get people to the polls.Finding affordable, convenient transportation options has traditionally been an obstacle to voting, Lyft said.Meanwhile, Lyfts arch-rival Uber is partnering with Google to make it easy for people to find out exactly where they should cast their ballot.David Gerzof, president of BIGfish Communications and a marketing and social media professor at Emerson College, said companies finding unique ways to encourage their younger customers to vote is nothing new but technology is making it easier than ever before.Many of these platforms are heavily used by millennials, who may have only had the opportunity to vote once or twice, if ever, Gerzof said. A generation ago, MTVs highly successful Rock the Vote voter education and registration campaign, which was run through the cable network and street teams, set the precedent for these newer platforms to get into the voter facilitation game.Although many companies are trying to physically get people to the polls, other companies are trying to inform their users of other ways to vote.Facebook, for example, has been sending push notifications to users in states that offer early voting with a link to find early voting locations.Cambridge-based marketing software company HubSpot will hold its blowout yearly conference this week that is expected to draw about 15,000 attendees from around the world. The dates were locked in when the company signed a multi-year deal with the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in 2012, but when the company saw a conflict with Election Day, they built an online tool to help attendees request absentee ballots.We wanted to make sure we were sharing with our attendees all the information and resources they need to vote and attend Inbound with as much convenience as possible, said Kim Darling, HubSpots director of events.Darling said the company is unsure how many absentee ballots have been requested, but the site they set up has seen more than 5,000 visitors since it was created.
Lance Stroll is a timely shot of good news for the embattled Canadian grand prix.
That is the view of Montreal race promoter Francois Dumontier, who is currently in talks with Bernie Ecclestone about the event's mere provisional status on the 2017 calendar.
The 2017 race is reportedly uncertain due to delays in circuit improvements, but the debut next year of young Canadian Stroll is a shot of good news, Dumontier told La Presse newspaper.
"It's in the same year that we celebrate 50 years of formula one in Canada," he said, "so we see it as a wonderful birthday present."
In fact, so important is young Stroll to the Canadian grand prix that Dumontier actually travelled to the UK last week for Williams' announcement.
"Of course it's positive, and I would be lying if I said it does not make any different to the tickets," he said.
However, tickets for the 2017 race are in fact not yet even on sale, as Ecclestone and the FIA are yet to remove Montreal's asterisk.
But Dumontier does admit that talks with F1 supremo Ecclestone are taking place.
Asked if the Stroll news has now changed Ecclestone's tone somewhat, he laughed: "I cannot reveal the content of the discussions we are having at the moment, but it is a nice coincidence.
"The announcement was made while we are having these kinds of discussions, but I remain optimistic that in the coming days, I think the asterisk will disappear."
As for those 2017 race tickets, Dumontier added: "It has not been announced yet, but it is something that is imminent.
"I have no specific date, but it will be in the coming days."
(GMM)
Jacques Villeneuve has warned countryman Lance Stroll that his toughest challenges lie ahead in F1.
Just like Villeneuve in 1996, Stroll is a young Canadian with a famous father who is set to break into formula one with the British team Williams.
But Villeneuve, now 45, is in fact a regular critic of 'pay drivers', amid reports Stroll is perhaps the most lucrative example of that in F1 history.
"I did say that money does not buy talent and I stand by that statement," the 1997 world champion told the Journal de Montreal.
"But money doesn't mean you don't have talent," Villeneuve insisted.
In that way, he said Stroll cannot be blamed for being born the son of a billionaire.
"Money allows you to enter through the front door," said the former Williams driver.
Villeneuve also warned that just because Stroll has dominated this year's highly competitive European F3 series doesn't mean he will automatically shine in F1.
"Winning F3 doesn't mean anything," he said. "There are so many drivers who have won in F3 but nothing afterwards. And others who did nothing in F1 and exploded in F1."
Still, he praised Stroll's father, the fashion mogul Lawrence, for backing his son so comprehensively.
"He made the right choices and was able to prepare his son, who in turn delivered the goods," said Villeneuve.
But F1, the 11-time GP winner warned, will be Stroll's ultimate test.
"It remains to be seen how Lance will evolve psychologically in F1," he said. "He will no longer be protected by your father but instead left rather to himself.
"He is very quick and has talent, but he has not yet learned to suffer. Lance has fought to win races, but he has not fought to survive in motor sport.
"He has not finished learning, and I'm anxious to see how he will react."
(GMM)
Guess things worked out in the end. Photo: KitKat
Freshman college student Hunter Jobbins recently left his car unlocked while it was parked outside of the Kansas State dorms, and, boy, did he pay the price. He returned to find some delinquent had opened the door and stolen his prized possession:
Left my car for maybe 15 minutes in front of the dorms and I come back to this. College man pic.twitter.com/KlDx5BtXLX Hunter Jobbins (@jabbins) October 30, 2016
The Kit Kat was apparently just sitting loose in the cupholder. His sadness from the discovery didnt last long, though. Hershey was eager to ride the coattails of a tweet that was accumulating hundreds of thousands of likes, so it mailed Jobbins a box of free Kit Kats with a card saying, Saw your Kit Kat got stolen, hopefully this makes up for it. Then the company showed up at Kansas State and crammed his Toyota Camry full of 6,500 more bars effectively a Kit Kat a day for the next 18 years.
Ever the gentleman, Jobbins decided to distribute his motherlode to students on campus. I honestly didnt think any students would show up, he tells USA Today, but in a testament to the hunger and desperation of being a college student, he says he ended up passing out around 4,000 to 5,000 Kit Kats. He isnt sure how to manage the newfound fame, and neither, apparently, is his school:
Give 'em a break! Now everyone can have their very own #KitKat from @jabbins car! pic.twitter.com/PBPSfETz2C K-State Alumni Assoc (@KStateAlumni) November 3, 2016
As he figures it, the 1,500 to 2,500 he has left over should get him through the rest of the year.
Get your turkey and sides from Daily Provisions, the new cafe from Danny Meyer. Photo: Liz Clayman
Yes, its nice to be chef for the day and make everything for Thanksgiving from scratch. But, also, its hard. Thats a lot of food, and sometimes you need a helping hand or dont feel like cooking at all but still want a great meal at home. Or maybe you just need a good turkey, and, oh, a few sides wont hurt. Whatever, Grub is not here to judge. Also, youre in luck as a New Yorker: Excellent markets and restaurants around town make it their mission to make your holiday easier by smoking turkeys, baking pies, whipping up sides, and taking care of the whole meal for you.
Turkey, Sides, and More
Marlow & Daughters
Price: Turkey: $7-$10 per pound (10 to 25 pounds); side packages a la carte (each serves 4)
At Andrew Tarlows general store and butcher, theyre selling pastured turkeys (organic and not organic) for you to roast yourself. If you dont want to cook anything else, theres also poultry gravy, potato gratin, sausage stuffing, brown-sugar-roasted sweet potatoes, and cornbread stuffing. Order by November 19, and pick up between November 20 and 24.
MP Taverna
Prices: $270 (serves 8 to 10)
If youd prefer to eat at home, MP Taverna will prepare its menu to go for eight to ten people. Youll get dishes including turkey with gravy, grandmas meatballs with tzatziki, Greek salad, and Greek sausage stuffing. Order by November 14, and pick up on November 24 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Brooklyn Fare
Prices: $199 (serves 6), $299 (serves 12)
Hit up the gourmet grocer for your roasted turkey, butternut squash, root vegetables, homemade stuffing, Parker House rolls, pumpkin or apple pie, and more. Order by November 21 at 2 p.m., and pick up at November 24 at noon.
Bklyn Larder
Price: $15 to $135
Get your turkey from Bklyn Larder, where they brine it, roll it, and stuff it before cooking for you. Theres also a ton of sides, like olive-oil crushed potatoes and cauliflower gratin, platters of cheeses and dips, three kinds of traditional pies, and much more.
Mile End
Price: Meats $20-$30 a pound, sides $8-$20
If its smoked meats youre after, look no further. The Montreal deli is offering smoked turkey breast and drumsticks, along with braised brisket, plus sides like green beans and chermoula topped with fried onion and conflict garlic mashed potatoes.
Fosters Sundry
Price: Ham is $16 a pound, turkey is $6 a pound, and sides are still being priced out.
The Bushwick market will sell housemade hams, whey-fed pork, and turkeys for preorder, as well as sides like mac and cheese and squash puree. There will be special cheeses in, too, like Comte Sagesse, Rush Creek Reserve, and Vacherin Mont DOr. Preorders will be accepted either until they sell out or a week before Thanksgiving.
Related Story Where to Eat in NYC on Thanksgiving
Blue Smoke
Prices: $175 (serves 6 to 8), $292 (serves 12 to 16)
Danny Meyers barbecue spot will make you sweet-potato mash, green beans, biscuits, pie, and turkey breast. Order by November 21, and pick up through November 24 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Ssam Bar
Prices: $375 (serves 8 to 10)
At David Changs second restaurant, they happen to know a thing or two about large-format meals. So put your trust in them, and get a whole-roasted pork shoulder with bibb sauce, napa kimchee, and pork gravy, plus sweet-potato puree with BLiS maple syrup and roasted marshmallow, turkey buns, apple pie, and more. Order by November 20, and pick up on November 24 between noon and 3 p.m.
Harolds Meat + Three
Price: $100 for every two people; additional $10 for pecan pie or $25 for pumpkin-spice layer cake
The southern restaurant will offer its family-style Thanksgiving dinner both in house and to go. Your haul will include turkey and gravy or country ham, traditional or oyster stuffing, green-bean casserole, cream onions, and roasted sausage. Sweet-potato pie is the default dessert, but you can pay a little extra to get pecan pie or pumpkin-spice layer cake.
Daily Provisions
Prices: $140 for 4, $275 for 8, $395 for 12
Check out the new cafe attached to the relocated Union Square Cafe, and still eat at home. Youll get rotisserie turkey and pan gravy, rosemary-walnut oil, cranberry mostarda, turkey-giblet-mushroom stuffing, whipped potatoes, and more. Order by November 21, and pick up on November 24 between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.
This could be your turkey. Photo: courtesy of Marlow & Daughters
Court Street Grocers
Price: $8 to $15
The sandwich masters at Court Street are preparing a whole slew of dishes to help beef up your Thanksgiving spread. Theres Martins bread and Edwards and Sons sausage stuffing, turkey-giblet gravy and pressed-turkey-thigh confit, cranberry-apple relish, and much more.
The Meat Hook
Price: $75 for a 10-to-12-pound smoked turkey, or $50 for 4-to-6-pound house ham
Along with fresh capon, duck, and turkey, the Williamsburg meat freaks will sell smoked turkeys, available for pickup on November 23, and their house ham, available for pickup starting November 19.
White Gold
Price: Uncooked turkey $7 to $12 a pound, cooked $12 a pound, sides $6 to $10
April Bloomfields brand-new butcher shop and restaurant will celebrate its first-ever holiday with turkeys and much more. Sides include pan-jus gravy, pumpkin with sage and candied seeds, mashed potatoes with nutmeg, and cranberry sauce with citrus.
RedFarm
Price: $98 for an 8-to-10-pound bird
The modern Chinese-American restaurant will offer its Peking turkey, sold only for Thanksgiving, for pickup. The bird comes with condiments, crepes, and sweet-potato tempura. Order by November 21, and pick up at 2 p.m. on November 24.
Desserts Only
The Blue Stove
Price: $32 to $37
One of New Yorks best pie spots, the Williamsburg shop will stick to its mostly classic routine. Flavors include traditional apple and apple-cardamom crumb, as well as pumpkin, molasses-rum pecan, and more.
Marlow & Sons
Prices: $41 to $44
If you have your hands full with the savory side of dinner and need dessert covered, Marlow & Sons can lend a helping hand. Theyre making spiced pumpkin-and-squash pie, thyme-and-apple pie with streusel, bourbon-pecan pie, and a malted-milk-chocolate tart. Order by November 17, and pick up on November 23 or 24.
Four & Twenty Blackbirds
Price: $40 for whole pie
The Gowanus pie fiends are offering their classic salted-caramel apple pie, as well as salty-honey, bittersweet-chocolate pecan, and brown-butter pumpkin pies. Orders taken until supplies run out; pick up on November 22 through 24.
Ample Hills
Price: $58, serves 8 to 12
Introduced last year, this Ample Hills collaboration with Four & Twenty Blackbirds unites ice cream and pie in one dessert. Frozen salty honey custard pie is topped with fudge, sea salt, and Nonna Ds Oatmeal Lace ice cream, then extra fudge and pieces of crack cookies. Pick up at any Ample Hills location from November 18 through 23.
Chrome for Android is about to get much easier to use with one hand. Google is currently beta-testing moving the URL bar and controls from the top to the bottom in the developer-centric Chrome Dev for Android and Canary.
The feature is a no-brainer - it puts all of Chrome for Android's controls at the bottom, near your thumb if you're holding the phone in your right hand. Safari for iOS has its controls at the bottom while Internet Explorer mobile has always been ahead of its time with a bottom-placed URL.
The new control scheme is pretty much still in its infancy as there's a blank bar on the top where the URL bar used to be. You can still have a go at the feature if you download Chrome Dev and enabling the Chrome Home flag by entering this command in the URL bar - chrome://flags/#enable-chrome-home.
Source | Via
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Haiti - Politic : Privert concerned by recent floods
Sunday, the de facto President Jocelerme Privert, expressed concern about the recent floods in 4 departments, caused by torrential rains in the night from Saturday 5 to Sunday, November 6, 2016 and particularly in the city of Cap-Haitien where most streets of downtown and surrounding areas are under water. Furthermore he regrets the loss of life and enormous damage in plantations https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19150-haiti-flash-new-floods-10-victims-4-departments-affected.html
In order to provide assistance as soon as possible to the people of the Great North, the Ministry of Public Works is working to restore circulation while the Civil Protection Directorate (DPC) continues damage assessment in the various affected regions.
Moreover, according Jocelerme Privert funds to meet the initial emergency is available at the Departmental Directorate of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The Head of State took the opportunity to invite local residents to be cautious, urging them to evacuate areas at risk, to suspend maritime activities, avoid crossing rivers and especially stay tuned for safety instructions.
For his part, Francois Anick Joseph, Minister of Interior and Territorial Communities, presents its sympathies to the relatives and friends of the victims and all those affected by these painful events. The Ministry called the Departmental Delegates and Mayors to accompany members of the DPC in its relief efforts and needs. They are asked to redouble their commitment with the population and to use all the administrative mechanisms available to them, including emergency funds, in order to properly assist the victims.
See also :
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19150-haiti-flash-new-floods-10-victims-4-departments-affected.html
HL/ SL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - Religion : Closing of Jubilee of Mercy 2016
Sunday at the Stade Sylvio Cator, the de facto President Jocelerme Privert, attended the Eucharistic ceremony of closing of Jubilee of Mercy 2016, organized at the initiative of the Episcopal Conference of Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16170-haiti-religion-pastoral-message-of-the-episcopal-conference-of-haiti.html
The religious event was attended by many other political figures including among others Cholzer Chancy, President of the Chamber of Deputies, of Leopold Berlanger Jr., President of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), as well as parliamentarians, members of the CEP, the government and the private office of the Head of State.
Cardinal Chibly Langlois, along with the high dignitaries of the Catholic Church in Haiti, served as the main celebrant at this great mass. In his homily for the occasion, the prelate, while welcoming the presence of Jocelerme Privert, preached unity and mercy among the Catholic faithful and all Haitians in general.
See also :
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16170-haiti-religion-pastoral-message-of-the-episcopal-conference-of-haiti.html
HL/ HaitiLibre
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DJOU PLEDGES COMMITMENT TO ALL PARKS; NOT JUST A FEW
News Release from www.Djou.com
(November 6, 2016, Honolulu, HI) - The city has 290 parks but Caldwell has focused primarily on the parks in the center core. Last year he spent $1.2 million for a New York consultant to redesign Ala Moana Beach Park -- our major "people's park". Over 350 people spoke at the consultant's community meeting; they said nothing was wrong with the park design. They thought the money should have been spent fixing the bathrooms and watering the grass to restore it.
But the money should be spent on all our parks. Here, Ala Wai Park -- just a mile or so away from Ala Moana Park -- is also in need of bathroom repairs, so essential for park users.
Parks in rural areas are even more severely neglected. I have heard the cries of residents from:
Kahuku , their park has been without lights for 4 years; ignored by Caldwell even though the City Council appropriated funds for it.
Mililani Mauka District Park has been less than halfway completed for over a decade.
Beach parks on the North Shore are in constant disrepair.
Pupukea Beach Park, where residents could not wait for the City, raised the money themselves to repair the park and its basketball and volleyball courts.
I promise that will never happen in the Djou Administration!
Our parks were designed and set aside on 5,200 acres for the people of Honolulu. It is the one reasonable pleasure we can provide for everyone. And we should. I find it disgraceful that the current administration favors a select few "pet projects" to the detriment of so many other parks used by our residents.
As Mayor, I will direct the Department of Parks and Recreation to evaluate the condition of all our parks and make sure they have the support they need to provide our residents with the open green recreational space to truly achieve the Departments motto to "add quality to life.
Full Trolley Tour Schedule
9:00am - Djou HQ Start
9:20am - Manoa Marketplace, Sign-Waving
10:00am - Ala Wai Community Park, Sign-Waving and Press Conference
10:45am Longs Drugs Aina Haina, Sign-Waving
11:25am Hawaii Kai Towne Center, Sign-Waving
12:15pm Windward Mall, Sign-Waving
1:15pm Kahuku, Sign-Waving
1:45pm Kawaipuna St. (Meet by Reynolds Recycling), Sign-Waving
2:20pm Kahuku Golf Course, Drive Through and Sign-Waving (Corner of Puulana St. and Kamehameha Hwy.)
2:50pm Foodland Pupukea, Sign-Waving
3:30pm Dole Plantation, Sign-Waving
4:10pm Mililani Town Center, Sign-Waving
5:00pm Djou HQ End
# # #
WHY KIRK CALDWELL IS NOT FIT OR QUALIFIED TO BE MAYOR OF HONOLULU MISMANAGEMENT OF RAIL PROJECT: POOR PLANNING DERELICTION INCOMPETENCE From SaveHonolulu.org, October 9, 2016 From before HART even existed, as former Mayor Mufi Hannemans Managing Director, Kirk Caldwell was the self-described primary point person on Rail. As the primary point person, he sugar coated rail costs, allowed construction contracts to be signed before the City was ready to build, and set grossly unrealistic cost projections and construction timetables for political reasons. House Finance Chairwoman Sylvia Luke accused Caldwell of misrepresenting key numbers.(1) As Mayor, Kirk Caldwell failed miserably in his 2012 campaign promise to BUILD RAIL BETTER. Under his watch, the cost of rail has risen $3.34 billion over budget to $8.6 billion, and more than 7 years behind schedule. A recent federal upper bound estimate puts the cost at $10.79 billion (more than double the original budget of $5.26 billion) and the completion date at 2027.(2) Many people living on the West side will have spent their entire childhood commuting through the traffic congestion caused by construction of the Rail System. In addition to all of the above, Caldwell has yet to inform the public how he plans to fund more than $100 million in annual operating subsidies. Other Key Missteps: He started the project in Kapolei instead of some place closer to Ala Moana Center, like Waipahu. Waipahu is 8.4 miles closer to Ala Moana Center than Kapolei. If he had started from Waipahu, the segment from Waipahu to Ala Moana Center could be operational, servicing Pearl City and Aiea along the way, while the final 8.4 mile segment to Kapolei is being completed (Note: the entire rail line is only 20 miles long). Terminating the project at Middle Street, 4.1 miles from Ala Moana Center, at least $3.34 billion over budget to date and 7 years behind schedule, thereby tarnishing Senator Inouyes legacy in the process. Wasted nearly $1.0 billion by building an elevated guide way through 8.4 miles of uninhabited cane fields instead of simply running the tracks on grade from Kapolei to Waipahu. e general belief is that tracks or guide ways are usually run on grade for cost considerations except where they have to cross rivers, deep valleys or other obstacles. No reason to build costly concrete guide ways through open fields except for political show. Caldwell is derelict in his fiduciary responsibility to run the City probably because he campaigns almost full time and MOONLIGHTS at Territorial Bancorp Inc. (see below). He was oblivious to the rail boondoggle until shortly before announcing that he decided to terminate the rail system at Middle Street. He was unaware that the project was way over budget in spite of the fact that two (2) of his City Directors sit on the HART Board and that his former Director of Design & Construction, Chris Takashige, is now the Deputy Director of Design & Construction for HART.(3) HART CFO Diane Arakaki is also from Caldwells Administration. The makeup of the HART BOARD (and other boards) suggests that Caldwell primarily selected people who could help him politically. Although the Rail Project is by far the largest ENGINEERING and CONSTRUCTION project in the history of Hawaii, there is not a single ENGINEER or CONTRACTOR appointed to the Board by Caldwell. Inability of the Board members to recognize inaccurate cost estimates BEFORE projects are let out to bid is contributing to bid opening surprises and thus massive cost overruns. ALASKA HAS A BRIDGE THAT LEADS TO NOWHERE. KIRK CALDWELL HAS GIVEN THE RESIDENTS OF HONOLULU A TRAIN THAT ENDS AT MIDDLE STREET. DOUGLAS TILDEN, InfraConsults Chief Architect for the Rail, sums it best when he concluded in an interview with Tina Yuen of PBN: I THINK HONOLULU WILL BE A POSTER CHILD FOR HOW NOT TO PUT A TRANSIT SYSTEM IN THE CITYTHEY COULDNT BE DOING IT ANY WORSE, ITS MISTAKE AFTER MISTAKE.(4) MOONLIGHTING AT TERRITORIAL BANCORP INC. In spite of receiving $164,000 in salary from the City, Mayor Caldwell MOONLIGHTS at Territorial Bancorp Inc. (TBNK) as Director and Compensation Committee Chairman.(5) Kirk Caldwell ran unopposed and was re-elected to the TBNK Board of Directors on 8/17/10. Kiewit, the main Rail Contractor, was TBNK shareholder and voted withhold on Proxy.(6) As TBNK Compensation Committee Chairman, Kirk Caldwell compensated himself with 87,355 shares of stock and stock options worth $1,732,560 (based on $28.03/ share on 8/18/15) between 2010 and 2015 (FOR FREE).(7) He also received Directors Fees of almost $250,000 during this same period. Kirk Caldwell earned approximately $2,000,000 from TBNK between 2010 and 2015, for an average of $400,000/year which is 2.5 times greater than his mayoral salary of $164,000/year. QUESTION: Which is Caldwells MOONLIGHTING job? His Mayoral job for which he makes $164,000/year or his Bank job from which he receives $400,000/year??? Could it be that the reason why Caldwell is so derelict in managing the Rail Project and other City issues is because he spends too much time at Territorial Bancorp Inc. to justify his $400,000 annual compensation??? EVASION OF FAIR PROPERTY TAX PAYMENTS: Kirk Caldwell has an annual household income of over $1.35 million but was paying only $100 per year in property tax on his historic mansion at 2726 Hillside Avenue, Manoa until deciding to run for Mayor. His estate is assessed at $2,342,400(8) but is probably worth close to $4,000,000 in market value, and is so large that it has two (2) trash bins, two (2) blue recycle bins, and two (2) green plants/cuttings bins, all with Caldwell campaign stickers. Its incomprehensible to me to see how a civic leader like Kirk Caldwell can take advantage of a tax loophole that can benefit only the wealthy elite. He seems to be oblivious to the plight of many seniors who at times may have to choose between food or medicine in order to pay their taxes. HONOLULU IS SHORT $1.4 BILLION TO COVER RETIREES PENSION BENEFITS(9) Based upon 2014 calculations, Honolulu is short $1.4 billion to cover its future public employee retirement benefit. is figure is expected to climb another $100 million when the 2016 report is released. For years, Kirk Caldwell has failed to contribute enough to cover the Citys actual pension expense. Last fiscal year, he paid in $139 million in pension contributions, $24 million less than was required to meet the basic annual payment on the unfunded balance. In addition to the pension fund, annual payment to other unfunded liabilities called Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) which covers health, dental, and vision care for retirees and their families were not paid in full. During 2015, the City and HART contributed a total of $111.9 million to OPEB, some $35.7 million less than required to meet its full annual payment. It is not known if Caldwell has a plan to catch up with these accumulating delinquent payments. MAYOR CALDWELLS CAMPAIGN AND ADMINISTRATION RUN BY A CONVICTED CRIMINAL, HARRY MATTSON Harry Mattson first achieved notoriety with Jeremy Harris campaign in 2002. See savehonolulu.org. His current criminal history(10) includes the following: 2005: On July 18, 2005, Mattson was arrested on five (5) counts of Willful Failure to File (HRS-231-35). He was given a Deferred Acceptance Plea. 2007: Mattson did not meet requirements of the plea and was found guilty on all five (5) counts on October 19, 2007. 2010: On May 13, 2010, Mattson was re-sentenced to the following: 30 days in JAIL, one (1) year probation, $63,384 restitution, $1,800 ne, 200 hours community service, $50 criminal injury compensation fee. 2012: On July 13, 2012 the Prosecutors office requested that Mattsons probation be revoked because he still had fines and restitution owed. It is well known that HARRY MATTSON, a convicted criminal, is Caldwells $10,000 per month campaign manager and was even offered a Chief of Staff position (created especially for Harry) in the Administration, which was later rescinded when the media exposed his criminal convictions. Since he could not be paid from the City, Caldwell paid him $10,000 per month from proceeds from the inauguration luau (which normally goes to charity). It is not clear exactly what Mattson did, but according to news articles, the Mayors Office has said that Mattson accompanied the Mayor to meetings at the State Capitol and attended Cabinet meetings.(11) It is incomprehensible how Kirk Caldwell can DISGRACE the office of the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu by selecting a person with a criminal history like HARRY MATTSON to chair his campaign and allow him to attend cabinet meetings and to accompany him to meetings at the State Capitol. is all reflects upon Kirk Caldwells character and level of morality. It also says something about Caldwells insecurity to need a person like HARRY MATTSON to hang around him. Kirk Caldwell is not capable of resolving the problems he created with the Rail Project. He is OVERWHELMED!! He is too occupied moonlighting at Territorial Bancorp Inc. to concentrate on the many problems engulfing our City. He is unfit and unqualified to be Mayor. He will say and do anything to get re-elected in order to continue enriching himself. Hes not a good person. We must vote him out of office. LINK: Footnotes
Even though organisations have differing methods to handle leave requests dependent on the nature of the work, an honour system of unlimited leave is becoming more popular in US organisations.
Unlimited leave is used as a catch-all term for heavily relaxed leave policies, although in practice these still often involve structure to some degree, such as an individuals leave having to be approved by their team.
Katie Burke, Vice president of culture and experience at Hubspot, said their company has had an unlimited vacation policy since 2010.
Since weve started it, weve added five new offices (including Sydney) and over one thousand people, she said.
Hubspot have almost 1,500 employees who have logged countless airline miles, enjoyed flexible time with their children and significant others, and taken up or expanded upon their hobbies.
We believe that your work should fit into your life rather than your life fitting in to your job, she said.
We hire remarkable people and give them a considerable amount of responsibility and autonomy.
Instead of reduced productivity, we believe people are more engaged and focused because they can spend less time on permissions slips and more time on work they love doing.
However, Rebecca Nash, Group executive people & culture, Perpetual, added that there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Its important for employees to work with their employers to determine how, where and when they work, to cultivate a culture that encourages and promotes flexibility, said Nash.
Flexibility is about empowering your people to be the best they can be, and there are many different ways to achieve that.
If unlimited annual leave is part of the toolkit if an organisation feels they are ready to offer it as an option to their employees then absolutely it is something that should be explored.
Indeed, when you have a fundamentally healthy culture, unlimited leave is more likely to be effective, added Amantha Imber, founder, at Inventium.
Just keep an eye on the impact of social norms and how these can impact the success of such a policy, she said.
For example, if the norm in your company is one of people not wanting to take leave for fear of being seen as slacking off, then unlimited leave will probably not fix this.
There is no one law in Australia that says thou shalt mediate, said Dr. Leigh Hodder, senior workplace relations adviser at iHR.
However, when done properly mediation is a legally binding alternate dispute resolution process that is well established within Australian courts and tribunals, and is supported by legislation.
One example is the Family Law Act, where parties are encouraged to access mediation rather than go to court.
The Fair Work and Human Rights Commission, the Federal Circuit Court/Federal Court, as well as all levels of State Courts and Tribunals, insist on attempts at settlement before the matter is heard.
In the NSW Supreme Court, for instance, the settlement rate is now 46% - and this is only for matters that were actually commenced in the court.
The figure is even more impressive when one extrapolates the number of matters that were settled before they got that far.
Australian industrial relations legislation recognises the efficiency of mediation and conciliation, rather than proceeding to costly arbitration in the first instance, says Hodder.
Indeed, in most circumstances a court or tribunal will be required to certify that mediation and conciliation is unlikely to resolve the matter before exercising its arbitrary powers.
An example is section 576(2)(ca) of the Fair Work Act 2009 in relation to the powers of the FWC which reads:
(ca) mediating any proceedings, part of proceedings or matter arising out of any proceedings that, under section 53A of the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 or section 34 of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia Act 1999, have been referred by the Fair Work Division of the Federal Court or Federal Circuit Court to the FWC for mediation.
Hodder said the mediation process itself is structured and quite simple, usually consisting of three stages.
Pre-session
The first step is to prepare the parties to mediate to set their expectations about possible outcomes at a realistic level, to start them thinking about the desired behaviours and identify the issues they wish to raise.
The mediator talks with HR about alternative outcomes should the mediation not result in agreement. The mediator meets with each party individually to understand the issues, provide further education about the process and assess the persons capacity to participate in the mediation. The mediator synthesises this information and plans the session strategies.
The session
The second step is to conduct the mediation session. This, in Hodders experience, averages from 24 hours. The mediator follows these steps:
By Bob Garver
Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is the latest superhero to be added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Prior to becoming a superhero, hes a lot like Tony Stark: an arrogant genius who coasts through life on incredible talent without really pushing himself beyond his comfort zone. Strange is a surgeon who gets in a car accident and loses use of his hands. Hes lucky thats all he loses after his car went over a steep cliff, but as a surgeon, hes still devastated. He plunges into a downward spiral where he goes broke and turns away his caring girlfriend (Rachel McAdams).
No doctors in the Western Hemisphere will help Strange, so he travels to Nepal to be treated by a mysterious Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). She introduces him to a form of magic and subjects him to things he never thought possible, like separating his spirit from his body and sending him hurling through the multiverse. He becomes her student, with her training him for what he thinks is his own benefit, but is actually to make him a defender of the planet. A dangerous former student (Mads Mikkelsen) is trying to steal all of the Earths time and is planning to turn it over to an evil outer space cloud monster who will use it to achieve world domination.
I might not have gotten that last part quite right, but that part of the movie doesnt make a lot of sense. Actually, a great deal about this movie doesnt make a lot of sense. This movie cant turn around without introducing us to something incredible. In a very short span of time, Strange learns about out-of-body experiences, the outer reaches of the universe, the creation of matter with his mind, the culling of resources from parallel dimensions, a protective cloak with a mind of its own, a portable prison of sorts, all manner of manipulating time and space, and a librarian who has apparently never heard of Beyonce. Maybe a wunderkind like Strange can keep track of it all, but I couldnt. And frankly the movie cant either. These concepts are thrown around haphazardly so we can get about five minutes of cool visuals, but they dont seem to have any long-term effects on our world.
Thats not to say that theres not a lot about to like about this movie. Cumberbatch has finally found a blockbuster leading role that suits him, and he has excellent chemistry with everybody. The humor mostly hits, outside of tired Mister/Doctor confusion. And the aforementioned cool visuals are extraordinarily cool. The movie has a somewhat dull color palate until that multiverse sequence and then wham! youre hit with the full spectrum. One of these parallel universes sees Stranges hand grow new hands out of his fingers, and then those hands grow hands, and those hands grow hands. You might not think youre freaked out by fingers, but trust me, you are. Then theres a chase/fight scene where the gravity is altered, so the characters run and fight up, down, all around, side to side, and many other directions. I got nauseated by this disorienting sequence, but I appreciate the effort.
With pun absolutely intended, Doctor Strange is one of Marvels stranger movies. The films ambition knows no bounds. Unfortunately, the films running time should have been a bound(ary). The film comes up with amazing ideas faster than it can handle them, maybe a few should have been cut. I hate to ask a film to ease up on the creativity, but taking more time to develop some of its higher concepts would have given this film some much-needed coherence. Still, when this movie works, it works beautifully. I loved this movie when I could wrap my head around it. Doctor Strange could probably use some kind of magic to literally wrap his head around it.
Two and a Half Stars out of Five
Doctor Strange is rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action throughout, and an intense crash sequence. Its running time is 115 minutes.
Contact Bob Garver at [email protected].
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By Jesse Wood
Awards are certainly nice, but affirmation from the community is even better.
After the Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives announced that the Blowing Rock Chamber was named the Outstanding Chamber of the Year for North Carolina and South Carolina at its annual management conference on Oct. 20, the phones at the Blowing Rock Chamber office rang off the hook.
We were overwhelmed by the number of emails and phone calls that weve gotten from the community to congratulate us on this award, said Blowing Rock Chamber Events Director Billie Rogers. Not only is the award special but acknowledgement from the community just furthers that We think we are doing a good job, but more than that the community thinks we are doing a good job and thats even better.
According to the CACCE, the award recognizes organization excellence and significant achievements or accomplishments initiated or led during the past 18 months.
In a two-page nomination letter submitted to the CACCE, the Blowing Rock Chamber was lauded for enticing 50,000 visitors to the village for events such Art in the Park, Blowing Rock Winterfest, Savor Blowing Rock and Symphony by the Lake.
Our events are very successful financially and have longevity, the nomination reads, noting that Art in the Park is 54 years old; Symphony by the Lake nearly 30 years old; Savor Blowing Rock, a wine/beer and food festival, 12 years old; and the Blowing Rock Winterfest, 18 years old.
The nomination letters mentions that most of these events have received special recognition as a Top 20 event by the Southeast Tourism Association, among other awards or recognitions for both the town and chamber events.
The nomination letter also cites a five-star review online: A group of seriously hard working folks who do their best to help make Blowing Rock as successful, fun and hospitable as it is beautiful! Doing all they can to make your experience as fabulous as your memories.
The Chambers Village Foundation, a nonprofit that can accept different kinds of donations, has contributed to community projects such as the festive winter lighting and the Laurel Lane improvement project.
Blowing Rock Chamber was chosen as the top chamber from among 100-plus chambers in the two-state region, but that wasnt the only award or recognition that Executive Director Charles Hardin and staff came away with.
Hardin was named Carolinas Certified Chamber Executive and the Blowing Rock Chamber was recognized as a Carolinas Accredited Chamber. Hardin noted that these certifications took a lot of hard work.
Only 24 chambers in North Carolina and South Carolina have received this prestigious designation, as the association described the certification. Blowing Rock was given this award this fall along side Boone and Greater Smithfield-Selma Area chambers in N.C. and the North Augusta Chamber in S.C.
The CACCE awarded the Outstanding Chamber of the Year Award to multiple chambers in different classifications: under 700 members and more than 700 members.
Both Hardin and Rogers praised the small staff of paid employees and dozens of volunteers that have contributed to a successful chamber.
Well, we are extremely honored to be the Chamber of the Year for North Carolina and South Carolina and it shows the depth of professionalism of our team and all the hard work theyve put in to get that award. We are all excited about that, Hardin said.
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HedgeCo.Net) The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged the co-founder of a Minnesota-based energy company with manipulating its stock price and concealing his control of the company to attain lucrative financial payouts.
The companys other co-founder agreed to pay nearly $8 million to settle separate charges against him. Three others also are charged in the case.
The SEC filed a complaint against Ryan Gilbertson, who allegedly hatched and orchestrated the elaborate scheme to secretly siphon millions of dollars from Dakota Plains Holdings, which operates an oil-shipping rail facility in North Dakota. Gilbertson founded the company with Michael Reger.
According to the SECs complaint, Gilbertson and Reger installed their fathers as figurehead executives so they could secretly wield control of the company and issue millions of shares of stock to themselves, family, and friends. They later hired one of their friends as CEO. They allegedly caused the company to enter into an agreement to borrow money from them under generous terms that included extra bonus payments to Gilbertson, Reger, and other lenders based on the price of Dakota Plains stock after 20 days of trading following a reverse merger into a company with publicly-traded shares.
According to the SECs complaint, Gilbertson enlisted friends and associates including Douglas Hoskins and Thomas Howells to choreograph extensive sales and purchases of Dakota Plains stock and cause the price to skyrocket from 30 cents to more than $11 per share during that 20-day period. The inflated stock price obligated Dakota Plains to make bonus payments totaling $32 million to Gilbertson, Reger, and others. After meeting his target to receive the bonus payments, Gilbertson ceased his alleged manipulation efforts. The stock price then steadily declined to pennies per share and was delisted a few months ago.
Hoskins and Howells are charged in the SECs complaint along with Gilbertson for allegedly participating in his stock manipulation activities.
As alleged in our complaint, Gilbertson enriched himself by more than $16 million through his secret control of the company while he and his associates defrauded shareholders and manipulated the stock price, said David Glockner, Director of the SECs Chicago Regional Office. Corporate insiders must fully disclose their stock ownership and trading activities and cannot abuse their power in order to secretly reward themselves.
Reger consented to an SEC order finding that he obtained illicit payments and skirted public disclosure requirements by spreading his Dakota Plains stock holdings among 10 accounts in different names to conceal that he owned more than one-fifth of the companys shares and reaped millions of dollars in bonus payments. Without admitting or denying the findings, Reger agreed to pay $6.5 million in disgorgement, $669,365.85 in interest, and a $750,000 penalty.
Minnesota-based stockbroker Nicholas Shermeta also consented to an SEC order finding that he solicited investors for Dakota Plains and recommended the stock to his clients at the registered brokerage firm where he worked, but improperly brokered the sales through his unregistered firm Napa Properties rather than through his employer. Without admitting or denying the findings, Shermeta and Napa Properties agreed to pay $75,000 in disgorgement, $11,075.49 in interest, and a $50,000 penalty. Shermeta also agreed to be barred from the securities industry with a right to apply for reinstatement after three years.
Finnish Customs reported last week that the value of exports to Russia increased by two per cent year-on-year driven by an up-tick in the exports of equipment and machinery, oil products, and paper and paperboard. The previous increase in the monthly value of exports to the country was recorded in December, 2013.
Finnish exports to Russia grew for the first time for almost three years in August.
The value of exports to all countries, however, dropped by roughly two per cent from the corresponding period last year to 3.9 billion euros in August, following a decline in exports to a number of important markets, such as Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. China, France, Great Britain and the United States, on the other hand, were among the important markets to which exports increased in August.
The volume of exports rose by 2.1 per cent year-on-year in August, while the unit value of exports recovered by 0.6 per cent after dipping in July, reports Finnish Customs.
Between January and August, the value of exports decreased by one per cent from the corresponding period in 2015.
Finland reduced its imports from Germany, Sweden, Great Britain and France but increased those from the United States, the Netherlands and China, according to Finnish Customs. The total value of imports rose by four per cent from the previous year to 4.4 billion euros in August but fell by one per cent between January and August.
The trade balance consequently showed a deficit of 462 million euros in August and 1.7 billion euros in JanuaryAugust. One year earlier, the balance showed a deficit of 226 million euros in August and a surplus of 36 million euros in JanuaryAugust.
Aleksi Teivainen HT
Photo: Markku Ulander Lehtikuva
Finland's place on the map depends greatly on the willingness of the United States to act as a guarantor of security in Europe. A lot is at stake, he tweeted on Saturday.
This year's presidential elections in the United States could prove more momentous than ever for Finland, gauges Mika Aaltola, a programme director at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.
Russia, he estimated, is perceived as an ally in the geopolitical strategy of Donald Trump, the presidential candidate of the Republican Party, who would likely be willing to make concessions to the country in its adjoining territories in the event that he takes the White House. The concessions would especially concern Finland, Ukraine, Belarus and to some extent Sweden, says Aaltola.
Russia has its say especially on the position of non-members of Nato, according to Aaltola.
The security policy landscape in Finland and the Nordics was also the topic of a report published last week by the US News & World Report, according to which Finland, Sweden and Norway are in the cold in the face of increasing aggression by Moscow.
Deborah James, the US Secretary of the Air Force, said in an interview with the web-based news outlet that an accident or incident with the potential to spiral out of control is most likely to occur in the Baltic Sea Region.
Rear Admiral Jonas Haggren, the director of policy and planning at the Swedish Armed Forces, estimated that while the risk of an armed attack by Russia is very low, that of an incident remains real due to the continuing military activity of Russia. Russia has clearly shown [that] they are prepared to move borders in Europe, that they are prepared to use violence to achieve political aims, he said to the US News & World Report.
Aleksi Teivainen HT
Photo: Jay Laprete and Saul Loeb AFP / Lehtikuva
Source: Uusi Suomi
Anthony Guildea clenched his fists and gritted his teeth
A motorist who told a garda he would "punch the head off you and put you in a cell" after he was stopped has been given a two-month suspended sentence.
Anthony Guildea (33) has also been ordered to take a course in anger management as a result of his aggressive reaction.
Guildea reacted the way he did because he believed he was being cautioned over a driving offence he claimed he did not commit, according to his solicitor, Fiona Brennan.
Gda Quinn Hanley told Blanchardstown District Court that he signalled for Guildea to stop at Wellview Avenue in Mulhuddart.
"He became very aggressive, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth," Gda Hanley told the hearing.
He added that Guildea said he would "punch the head off me and put me in a cell".
Excuse
Guildea, of Hayworth Terrace, Ongar Park, Dublin 15, pleaded guilty to using threatening and abusive behaviour last April 18 at Wellview Avenue.
A charge of having no driving licence was struck out.
Guildea has five previous public order convictions, the court heard.
Ms Brennan said Guildea has "no excuse" for the way he reacted.
"His licence was taken for examination but he believed he was being cautioned over a driving offence and reacted that way. He apologises for his behaviour," she said.
She said queries had arisen over his driving licence, which was valid, and if he had behaved in a compliant way he would not be before the court.
Judge David McHugh said Guildea has "anger management difficulties".
He ordered him to complete an anger management course and handed down the two-month suspended sentence.
He fixed recognisances in the event of an appeal.
A drug addict who passed a small package containing 10 diazepam tablets to a prisoner in a courthouse could avoid a jail sentence if he is deemed suitable for community service.
Ciaran Casey (33), who has 107 previous convictions, including nine for being in unlawful possession of drugs, was sitting in the rear of the courtroom at Swords District Court on September 15 last year.
While the court was in session, Casey was caught by Gda David Smith passing a "small plastic package" to a prisoner, who was appearing before the court.
Gda Smith said the package contained 17 tablets including 10 of diazepam. He agreed with Casey's defence barrister Patrick Jackson that the defendant was "clearly using drugs heavily at the time".
He agreed with Mr Jackson that, since the offence, Casey's appearance has changed significantly to being more healthy looking.
Different
Casey, of Moatview Court, Priorswood, Coolock, pleaded guilty to being in unlawful possession of diazepam at Swords District Court.
Gda Smith agreed with Mr Jackson that it was a situation of "one drug addict pass- ing drugs to another drug addict".
Mr Jackson handed Judge Dermot Dempsey evidence that Casey has since been attending Narcotics Anonymous and gave him a urine analysis report.
"Gda Smith confirms the defendant seems to be a different person than he was when he committed the offence," Mr Jackson told Judge Dempsey.
He added that the tablets were anti-anxiety medication.
"He is an addict and has one son," Mr Jackson said.
Judge Dempsey ordered a probation report to see if Casey is suitable to complete 240 hours of community service work in lieu of two months in prison.
"He better comply with the probation services," warned Judge Dempsey.
"I won't take any excuses in December."
Muslim leaders here have condemned the actions of Islamic State (IS) fighter Terry "Khalid" Kelly, with one revealing he tried to get him to see the error of his ways.
Dublin-born Kelly was killed as he carried out a suicide attack near Mosul in Iraq.
The terrorist group claimed Kelly - also known as Abu Usama Al-Irlandi - killed and wounded "dozens" of Iraqi forces soldiers on Friday.
However, it has since been confirmed that nobody died when the DIY armoured vehicle rigged with explosives was driven at Iraqi forces.
Kelly, who was radicalised while serving a jail sentence in Saudi Arabia, was previously questioned by Garda Special Branch officers in 2015.
Bombing
Gardai were concerned that Kelly was plotting an attack on Prince Charles during his May 2015 visit to Mullaghmore in Sligo.
The Imam at the Dublin Mosque, on the South Circular Road, condemned the actions of the Irish extremist.
Yahya Al-Hussein said Kelly had "strong opinions" on religion.
"Of course we disagree with the actions of the Islamic State, and in our view, in our society, bombing or anything like that is prohibited," he told the Herald.
He said Kelly often attended his mosque and took part in services, but that he was often in the UK, where Mr Al-Hussein believed he was involved with extremist factions of Islam.
He believes Kelly was involved with the terrorist organisation Al-Muhajiroun in Britain.
"I didn't know that he was in Iraq actually but I thought he might be somewhere in the UK. I had no idea he was in Iraq until I heard that [he had died]," he added.
Imam of Galway Ibrahim Noonan said he tried to warn Kelly that his ideology was wrong.
Medieval
"We met a number of times in Dublin over the years and my last discussion was about four years ago, where he was trying to convince me of his medieval interpretation of jihad and how he felt we should be fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I honestly tried to show him that this was wrong and such teachings were not to be found in the Koran or the Sunnah of the Prophet," Mr Noonan said.
The Imam said Kelly was brainwashed by extremists in the UK and Ireland.
"I feel sombre at such a waste of a life and Irish life," he added.
"As I have said so many times, until all the Imams in Ireland, around the country, stand up and explicitly say to their congregations in their mosques 'we do not support IS, radicals', this extremism will continue to seed in Ireland."
Questions have been raised about the apparent ease with which Kelly was able to travel to Iraq to join up with IS, despite for years being Ireland's highest-profile jihadist sympathiser.
However, it appears that, while intelligence services knew he had left the country, they were unsure of his whereabouts until the announcement of his suicide bombing mission.
Martyrdom
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was not in a position to comment when contacted by the Herald yesterday.
Kelly was radicalised in 2000 after being jailed for illegally selling alcohol while working in Saudi Arabia.
In 2003, he appeared on The Late Late Show, where he defended the 9/11 attacks as a "martyrdom operation".
He was accompanied that night by Anjem Choudary, one of the leaders of the banned Al-Muhajiroun organisation. Choudary is now serving a five-and-a-half year jail term for inciting support for IS.
An act of incredible bravery by a lorry driver 33 years ago will finally be honoured this week.
Despite being unable to swim, Hugh Long entered the fast-flowing Liffey in Dublin city centre to save the life of a woman in danger of drowning.
After a wait of 33 years, the father-of-four will be presented with an Irish Water Safety Award for bravery at Dublin Castle tomorrow.
Hugh, now 73, was 39 when he was driving along Ellis Quay in February 1983 and a passer-by banged on his window.
She shouted that a woman had gone into the Liffey and urged Hugh to save her.
"I saw a woman in the water and she was floating downriver with the current," Hugh told the Herald.
"I can't swim, but I climbed down a ladder attached to the wall and into the Liffey.
"I waded about 20 feet towards the middle of the river. The water came up to my chest. It was freezing, and the current was very strong.
"I could see the woman floating towards me. I reached out and grabbed her."
Hugh managed to drag her to the ladder and a number of men, including a garda, helped get her up the ladder with a rope to a waiting ambulance.
The woman, a Dubliner who was in her 50s, had been in a highly confused state, said Hugh.
"I visited her later at the hospital in Grangegorman to see how she was. She didn't recognise me and I told her we met in the Liffey," said Hugh.
"She was a very nice woman and she insisted on giving me a present.
"She gave me a small black purse and there was one penny inside it. She told me it would bring me luck. I still have that penny."
The heroic rescue by Hugh was reported in the Herald, with a photo of Hugh helping the woman to safety.
Archives
Recently, he asked Irish Water Safety if it had any record of the rescue in its archives.
The association invited Hugh to its headquarters and, shortly afterwards, issued an invitation to him and his wife, Patricia, to attend tomorrow's awards ceremony.
"Patricia should be the person getting an award for putting up with me for 50 years," said Hugh.
Roger Sweeney, the deputy chief executive of Irish Water Safety, said: "We are delighted to honour Hugh's courageous act with a Rescue Appreciation Award."
A man has slammed Dublin City Council for ignoring his pleas to rid his house of rats, which he believes are putting his family at risk.
Barman Noel Sheehan (45) said he fears for the health of his six-year-old granddaughter Alanna and his daughter Stacey (27), who is seven months' pregnant.
Droppings
Mr Sheehan said he first found rats in his home six months after he moved into the terraced council house on Comeragh Road, Drimnagh, in December 2011.
He discovered rat droppings when he went to get a suitcase from the press under the stairs and found a doll's face eaten away.
Mr Sheehan also found rat droppings in a box full of toys and immediately alerted the council.
An exterminator was sent to the house, but Mr Sheehan said all he did was put down poison, which was ineffective.
"I could hear them scuttering around up in the attic," he said.
He put down traps which killed a few rats, but the problem persisted. He then pulled up the wooden floor in the sitting room following a water leak and discovered a dead rat in a wall.
Sewer
He found a sewer under the floorboards that was not blocked off from the house, as well as another sewer opening underneath the kitchen floor, where he found a dozen dead rats.
Mr Sheehan again alerted the council and an engineer was sent to close off the sewer opening in the kitchen.
The worried granddad said, however, that they never closed off the opening in the sitting room. He then hired a builder to close it off, but still found rat droppings in the kitchen.
"Every time I call they keep passing the buck," he told the Herald.
"They keep saying there's nothing they can do.
"I called the council back yesterday, but I was told they couldn't do any more."
In the meantime, his family is "living a nightmare", said Mr Sheehan, who fears someone will be bitten by a rat or contract Weil's disease.
That is a potentially deadly bacterial infection which can be picked up if a person comes into contact with the blood, urine or tissue of infected rodents.
"We're afraid to go to the toilet at night," said Mr Sheehan.
"My daughter and wife are in bits. They don't want to live here, while my daughter is terrified of getting Weil's."
A spokesperson for Dublin City Council said it was unable to comment until later in the week.
Gardai at the scene of the fatal attack off Cork Street in Dublin
A Dublin man and wheelchair was stabbed to death in a violent attack at his home.
The victim, named locally as Tony Rodgers, who was in his 60s, was assaulted in his home in Robinson's Court, off Cork Street yesterday.
He was left bleeding to death in his hallway, according to a witness who ran to his aid.
It is not believed the attack was random and gardai are searching for a motive.
"It would appear the victim was deliberately targeted and gardai will have to investigate if there is anything from his past or more recently that would make him vulnerable to such an attack," said one source.
Gardai say the attack happened at 2.30pm in the small secluded estate populated mainly by elderly people.
"I got a panicked phone call from a friend who was shouting 'it's Tony, he's in a bad way', and so I ran down the stairs and into his hall," said local man David McGuinness, who was one of the first on the scene.
He said Mr Rodgers was wheelchair-bound after having a leg amputated because he suffered from diabetes.
"The blood was pumping out of him. It was very traumatic," Mr McGuinness said.
"He was there in the hall, lying on his side. I tried to help him. I got down beside him but he couldn't speak."
Rushed
Asked if there was any sign of forced entry, Mr McGuinness said Mr Rodgers would sometimes leave his door open.
An ambulance was called and Mr Rodgers was rushed to St James's Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Neighbours in the quiet cul de sac said they were shocked at Mr Rodgers' violent death.
"He was a lovely man. A quiet man. I can't believe what I'm hearing. It's too awful," said Sarah Cullen, who lived a few doors away from Mr Rodgers.
Gardai at Kevin Street in Dublin are appealing to witnesses who may have been in the Robinson's Court area yesterday afternoon to contact them at the incident room on 01 666 9400,
This is the second murder to happen in the complex which mainly provides accommodation for the elderly.
Who were the top Washington County football performers in Week 9?
Big plays and turnovers were plenty as the winners overwhelmed the losers in the final week of Washington County's regular season.
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A funny thing happened on the night of November 4, 2008. If America was not quite terrified, it was tense. Opinion polls were tight. Barack Obama went into the day of the election with a lead of less than 10 points over John McCain and Sarah Palin. The past two presidential races had ended with unpredictable and painfully close results.
As the evening wore on and votes in the eastern time zone were tallied, TV anchors soldiered through hours of anxious air time. Sober faces took turns reviewing the salient features of the campaigns: How Obamas opposition to the invasion of Iraq had helped him beat Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary; how he stood for access to health insurance whereas McCain preferred talk about the public debt; how no one could settle on an immigration policy; or how George W Bush made himself scarce. Most of all, what a monster of a financial crisis the next president would have on his hands. That week a quarter-million Americans lost their jobs.
Read | Days before US election, FBI clears Hillary Clinton in email server case again
And then something miraculous happened. At different minutes on different channels, somewhere between the moment at which Pennsylvania was called for Obama and when he officially won Ohios electoral votes. Pairs of anchors did the maths, turned to face one another silent for a split-second with a new gleam in their eyes. America elected a black man president! A black man, in the White House! Nothing else mattered. At a grim time, and by far too narrow a margin, democracy triumphed, the better man won, and America found reason to fall back in love with itself.
This week the night of November 8 just might bring a true catastrophe upon America, the likes of which it has never faced. More likely, Hillary Clinton will be elected as the first Madam President-Elect in the history of the United States. In which case the past year, with its immensely dispiriting revelations, can be buried under another roar of self-congratulation. The loud proud message will be: The American ideal of equality has prevailed again. A woman has won.
Read | Election night in America: Everything you need to know
Thankfully, however, that is no longer a great rarity in most regions of the world: Outside the Arab nations, North America stands alone in having thus far failed to elect a woman as head of government. Does it matter to the lives of ordinary women whether their countries are led by women? American political scientists find that female legislators there have earned a better record of passing Bills, a stronger proportion of them concerning womens rights, and bringing spending to their districts. That is hardly the same thing, but then there is no better data, if our attention is restricted to America.
Look to Bangladesh however and find that, indeed, by standard indicators of health and education, womens lot has been improving markedly under female leadership. Likewise in Tamil Nadu, one of several Indian states to elect women as chief ministers. On the other hand, Kerala has done even better in the same indexes, without any women at the top, and Uttar Pradesh does among the worst, despite Mayawati having won the job four times. The less said about Pakistan, despite Benazir Bhutto, the better. These problems are deep and solutions slow; the symbolic value of having a woman at the head of government, South Asia would seem to prove, is less than transformative.
Read | Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton: The choice is obvious for Indians
Of course, it has been mentioned often with condescension that these women symbolise more than their own womanhood. It was 50 years ago that Indira Gandhi became prime minister, as scion to a dynasty that is running still. An awkward fact about the female heads of government in this part of the world is that they often come to power via the men with whom they are personally associated. When this is noted in the Western press, it is cited as a social failing. A defining feature of patriarchal society ensures that any womans status is a reflection of the men who stand above her in the family. And so the careers of these remarkable women can be counted, or discounted, as evidence of a societys being retrograde. That is not to claim that the example of an Indira or a Benazir is less than inspiring to the girls, women and men who look up to them. But they fall far short of the gold standard, met nowadays by democracies in Europe, East Asia, Africa and South America, which manage to elect women who lack family connections into high office. Within India, Mamata Banerjee may claim such distinction.
Hillary Clinton with Mamata Banerjee, Kolkata, May 7, 2012. (REUTERS)
Instead, America will be playing catch-up with South Asia. Like hereditary leaders here, Hillary Clinton came equipped with the advantages of her previous stint in the White House, as First Spouse. Bill Clinton has saddled her with plenty of disadvantages too. Many of the attacks she weathered this year have borne marks of sexism, both subtle (her awful voice) and not-so-subtle (the deplorables slogan of Trump that bitch). It is a shame on America that sexual depredations have played such a prominent role in this years campaign, ranging from boorishness to casual misogyny and worse.
Read | Understanding the US presidential election: A guide to the election process
At times the unfair hurdles put in Hillarys way have been overstated. Accepting defeat in the Democrats primary of 2008, she thrilled some supporters by claiming that they had helped her put 19m cracks in the glass ceiling. With its implication that sexism was all that kept her from taking the candidacy from Barack Obama, this sounded like Americas least gracious concession of the new century. If the country has any luck left, it will get to watch Donald Trump rant and whine with infinitely less grace on Wednesday.
Alex Travelli is an India correspondent and the Asia news editor for The Economist
The views expressed are personal
Prohibition, a knee jerk reaction to the problem of alcoholism, has been in general counterproductive and a boost to crime, be it in the United States, Pakistan or India. The reason prohibition fails is that in the absence of legitimate alcohol, locally-produced illegal alcohol that does not contribute to the states coffers through taxes takes its place.
The effective solution, which several countries in the West, most notably the US, have realised after failing with prohibition, is education, regulation, and intervention. India has yet to learn what the US learnt in the 1920s. It also has to make a choice whether it wants to implement things the way they are done in West Asia or in mature Western democracies prohibitions or informed choice and regulation. It is a shame to see that India, a land of origin for so many alcoholic beverages, and cultural richness linked to alcohol now takes the draconian route of prohibition for political gain.
Read | Larger warning on liquor bottles: Delhi HC seeks Centre, AAP govts reply
A brief look at international and national efforts at prohibition should be enough to never go down that path again. During the prohibition era in the US, alcohol consumption went up, as did the crimes associated with bootlegging. Not surprisingly, it turned out that the bootlegging mafia was buying politicians to impose prohibition. The mafia controlled several politicians and eliminated competition, both through violence and political clout. In India, Morarji Desais likely well-intentioned but unwise decision to ban alcohol in the Bombay Presidency in the early 1950s was the chief cause of the growth of the smuggling syndicates and the likes of Haji Mastan, Vardarajan Mudaliar , Karim Lala, etc, who were the founding fathers of the Mumbai underworld.
Besides loss of revenues, as is evident in the case of Bihar, banning alcohol promotes an influx of illegal alcohol from neighbouring states and locally produced illegal brews. By putting citizens in the line of needing to break the rules, the government is nurturing a culture of disrespect towards the law. Also, deaths due to alcohol poisoning are common in India. Methanol contamination in distilled alcohol is the chief cause of alcohol poisoning and this avoidable tragedy is largely a gift of the policies of prohibition and high taxation.
Read | What happens to your body when your state bans alcohol?
With the lack of education, healthcare professionals being unaware of remedies and the police force that often misuses its powers, every few years, especially in dry states or on dry days or in places where taxes on regulated alcohol is high, a few hundred people die due to adulterated alcohol. The government would be better served by teaching various strata of population and healthcare professionals about alcohol poisoning, its prevention, and cures, instead of implementing prohibition.
India has a long history of prohibition failure and one only hopes that the days of prohibition are behind us. Prohibition is an outdated weapon that can do more harm than good.
Sukant Khurana is a neuroscientist and author
The views expressed are personal
Frances only erotic museum is closing its doors, its owners said Thursday, after passions flagged in the city of love for its titillating though surprisingly tasteful collection of artefacts.
Just down the street from the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret in Pigalle, the closure hastens the slide of Paris naughtiest neighbourhood towards respectability.
Owners Jo Khalifa and Alain Plumey, a former porn star, who founded the museum nearly 18 years ago, said the double whammy of falling tourist numbers and rising rents caused by creeping gentrification had done for the Paris Erotic Museum.
We never got any support from either the state nor the city of Paris, Khalifa told AFP. Although it has to be said, I could never imagine politicians supporting us.
He said its whole collection, including its love chairs and a notorious 18th-century French musical automaton of a couple in flagrante, will be sold off when the doors close on Sunday.
Auctioneer Bertrand Cornette described the sale as exceptional saying the museums collection was a world tour of erotic art, a unique panorama of customs and cultures through their sexual proclivities and fetishes.
Everything from a forest of phalluses to South American objects based on female genitalia, to a Thai pipe shaped liked a reclining male member will go under the hammer.
Much of the 2,000-item collection, including its oldest object, an 18th-century marble plaque of the Hindu god Vishnu from an Indian tantric temple, comes from Asia. (Wikimedia Commons)
Erotic representations in art are very rare, Cornette insisted, and it would be very hard to put together this collection which has been amassed over three decades.
The auction also includes many drawings and photographs from late 19th-century Belle Epoque Paris, when the city was seen as the world capital of pleasure.
There are also objects taken from Frances legal brothels or maisons closes which were shut down after World War II.
But the most expensive object is expected to be a modern bronze sculpture of a woman making love to a robot, which is estimated to fetch 8,000 euros ($8,800).
Khalifa said like almost all tourist attractions in France, visitor numbers had fallen sharply because of the wave of terrorist attacks over the past 18 months.
(Wikimedia Commons)
There is no reason we should be spared that... leaving us no choice but to sell our collection, he said.
In a touching footnote, several drawings by Georges Wolinski, one of the cartoonists killed during the gun attack on the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in January 2015, will also be sold. The artist, known for his saucy sense of humour, had been a supporter of the museum.
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When theatre director-actor Jyoti Dogra visited the University of Panjab (Chandigarh) recently, a few theatre students from the university approached her to put together playwright Girish Karnads acclaimed drama, Agni Aur Barkha (Agni Mattu Male in Kannada; The Fire And The Rain in English).
Dogra agreed to direct the piece. However, due to the unavailability of a rehearsal space and the lack of financial resources, the team decided to relocate to Indri, a small village in Haryana, which was home to one of the actors.
The panchayat, the local school principal, and the friends and families of the actors agreed to host the group, thus giving birth to Dogras latest work Toye, which has been produced by the Shaheed Somnath Smarak Samiti.
Whats interesting is that the actors came together for the play. Mostly, its the director who has to bring together a team. With a little [amount of] money in place and the goodwill of the village folks, we all proceeded to Indri and began working on the piece, says Dogra.
The power of body language
Toye, which means water in Sanskrit, is based on the retelling of a small incident that is mentioned in the Mahabharata. The incident was adapted for the stage by Karnad in the 90s. In her version, Dogra employs the [Jerzy] Grotowski process of physical theatre. This method harnesses the actors instincts. It uses the actors primal responses to the plays text, to the sound of word, etc., says Dogra.
Thus, the play and the set have materialised based on how the actors initially perceived scenes. Everything is driven by the actors process. The idea was to give them direction and find out what it is in the text that draws them. It could be a singular word, the sound of a word, or large chunks [of the play]. The focus is not so much on making meaning out of the text, but on making meaning out of the world, adds the director.
A still from the play.
Sticking to the original
After Karnads play was first performed in 1996 at the National School of Drama, Delhi, he vehemently objected to the drama being edited in any manner. So, does Dogra feel a sense of responsibility towards the original script? There are these inherent ideas in the play that appealed to me. But when I started working on the production, I realised that different actors were getting moved by different ideas in the text.
As a matter of fact, I wrote to Girish Karnad, and he wrote back saying that nobody had ever done the play using the Grotowski process. So, it has become more stylised and there are abstract bits in it. I dont feel a dogged faithfulness is necessary. But, at the same time, I do think there should be a strong reason for picking up a play, and that reason should guide you through the process of performing it, explains Dogra.
Vedic elements
Interestingly, the director has also incorporated Vedic chants in the play, for which scholars were consulted. For instance, in a lovemaking scene, the Vedic word angaha has been used.
Were using the sound of the word to signify lovemaking. The sound sort of pushes ones body towards a particular aesthetic. I dont expect the audience to understand it completely, but the sound kind of creates something that is subliminal; something that is sexual and ritualistic, says Dogra.
Caste and class
The play revolves around a power play between Brahminical characters and a love affair between a Brahmin boy and a tribal girl. Dogra also clarifies that the idea of caste is part of the production, but that she has not worked very elaborately with it.
Its interesting that the hero of the play comes from a Brahmin family and wants to marry a tribal girl. Eventually, its their love story that forces the gods to bring down the rain. But I have worked more on the sexual politics of the play, she adds.
Another still from the play.
Synopsis of the play
In a drought-ridden kingdom, Paravasu, who belongs to a Brahmin family, is selected to perform a yajna to invoke the rain gods. He leaves his wife, Vishakha, who was in love with Paravasus cousin, Yavakri, behind. Vishakha meets Yavakri after her husband leaves, and their love is rekindled.
Meanwhile, Paravasus brother, Aravasu, falls in love with a tribal girl, Nittilai, and he is also interested in theatre. In the end, it is the sacrifice of two innocent lovers, Aravasu and Nittlai, which restores order, convincing the gods to send the rain.
Upcoming shows
Prithvi Theatre, Juhu, on November 11, at 6pm and 9pm
G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture, Mahalaxmi, on November 12, at 7.30pm and on November 13, at 4.30pm and 7.30pm
St Joseph School, Bandra (W), on November 18, at 8pm
Sitara Studio, Lower Parel, on November 19th, at 8pm and on November 20, at 5pm and 8pm
The author tweets @literarystew
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Jails are abode of reforms. But, when an undertrial slits a persons throat and manages to mastermind a jailbreak, there is something wrong with his reformation.
There have been rounds of discussions over what might be the level of frustration and agony that the eight alleged SIMI operatives decided to murder an elderly warder at the Bhopal Central Jail in a barbaric manner.
Its not for the first time, anything like this has happened. But it is in our hands to curb these incidents. Concepts like psychoanalysis have been existing for decades in countries like the USA. In India, we are talking about skill development programmes, sports, yoga and meditation but little do we realise that they are mere distractions. These things can keep prisoners engaged for some time but not change their thought-process, says Dr Vinay Mishra, senior psychologist.
What might be the SIMI men thinking while they were escaping? They had blood on their minds, says Dr Mishra.
They had broken laws before and they knew they are doing wrong again. But there is no one to correct them. Everybody knows how jailors and policemen deal with prisoners who are already of twisted psychology. May be the escapees also had some grudge against the killed policeman, he says.
The psychologist said training programmes in police department should be taken seriously.
Secondly, regular counselling and psychoanalysis sessions with prisoners should be done in jails and be reviewed, he says.
Dr Vaibhav Dubey, a psychiatrist, is of opinion that there is a social stigma connected to hard-core criminals and people should stop generalising it.
Not all criminals are mentally ill. In fact, criminals are very intelligent and so are escapees. They plan and then execute. The only thing is their brain strength is channelised in a wrong direction. And to control that, we need more therapists dealing with criminals on regular basis, says Dr Dubey.
Irony is that we have one psychiatrist for every 3 lakh people in India, which is not sufficient, he says.
Director general (jail) Sanjay Choudhary said, We will review the prison welfare policy and make immediate amendments as needed.
This issue needs to be addressed on much basic level. Education has a big part to play. Regular brain-storming sessions should be done in schools, said Dr Vaibhav.
At least two staffers, including a high-ranking official of the Bhopal Central Jail, and two convicts are reportedly being investigated for their possible role in the jailbreak staged by eight SIMI operatives in the wee hours of October 31.
Sources privy to the investigations told HT the official, who is still serving in the Bhopal jail, was suspected to be the main facilitator of the SIMI men. He was the sole official, who used to be very friendly with the SIMI inmates, a source involved in the investigations said.
Local police, who are investigating the jailbreak, put the quartet under the radar because of a growing suspicion of an insider hand.
The high-ranking official allegedly prevented other jail guards from acting tough against the operatives. The official concerned, instead of keeping a strict vigil on the SIMI men, used to keep a tab on the jail staffers to stop them from being strict with the operatives, the source said.
The eight activists of the outlawed outfit were gunned down by the police in an alleged encounter at a hillock at Manikhedi on the outskirts of Bhopal, hours after they escaped from the high-security prison killing head constable Ramashankar Yadav.
Preliminary investigations also revealed that the eight made duplicate keys to unlock their cells using toothbrush handles, which they moulded in fire lighted with the help of chapatis they had set aside from their daily feeds and dried them to use as fuel. They reportedly scaled the prison walls using bed sheets knotted together as a ladder.
Role of the jail official came under the scanner of the investigators for never allowing prison guards to check the items SIMI mens visitors used to bring for them, the source said.
Further, the official also allowed operatives to meet their visitors in his office instead of a designated place for such meeting, the source added.
While other inmates were never allowed to meet visitors for more than 15 minutes, the official allowed the SIMI under trials to be with their visitors sometimes for even two hours. During those meetings visitors used to stand inside the office of the jail official, while the inmate stood outside with only a window separating them, the source said.
Another mid-level jail official was also questioned in connection with the jailbreak, another source confided to HT, adding the official was responsible for maintaining the duty register of the jail guards.
HT had earlier reported that the slain head constable was not supposed to be on duty on that fateful night. This was also confirmed by his daughter Sonia Yadav who said she knew her father was on a day shift on that day, but suddenly due to some unknown reasons he was shifted on night duty.
The investigators were also interrogating two convicts who were asked to keep an eye on the SIMI men as their overseers-cum barber according to the source.
The two, serving long jail terms, were well aware of the topography of the jail and used to interact with the operatives while visiting latters cells to give them a haircut or a shave.
Actor Boman Irani finds the portrait of Indian cinema ever-changing and says that senior actors might not be seen in abundance but they are a permanent fixture in Bollywood.
See, there are phases. There are ups and downs. There will be a year where there will be female-oriented films, and then there will be a year when there will be more action films. These things happen. But yes, you cannot do away with the senior actors, said Boman.
Just the way you cannot do away with important character actors or the supporting actors. At the moment, there are some wonderful roles, but not as many and there are some waiting to be made, he added.
After exploring the world of theatre -- with over 40 plays to his credit, Boman forayed into Bollywood in 2001 with Everybody Says Im Fine.
But he got onto the spiral of fame as J.C. Asthana in Rajkumar Hiranis 2003 hit comedy Munnabhai M.B.B.S. He followed it up with Being Cyrus, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Don - The Chase Begins Again, 3 Idiots and Happy New Year.
The 56-year-old said he gravitated towards the film world due to powerful stories like Saaransh and Hera Pheri. There have been a few characters that stood out. When I was very young and saw Anupam Kher in Saaransh, it hit me. And 1990s was not a great time for cinema. And then years later, a wonderfully played comic character by Paresh Rawal in Hera Pheri made everyone sit up and notice - that these are not top characters but form the backbone of the film, Boman said.
I saw Hera Pheri when I was doing theatre and knew that it is a time to start working in cinema because that really kind of pumped me, added Irani.
Boman thinks he was lucky to get Munnabhai M.B.B.S -- which was a huge success and was followed by its sequel Lage Raho Munna Bhai. The third part in the instalment is already in the works.
He feels that senior actors may not necessarily be an antagonist or protagonist, but some movies allow them to be a catalyst to the story.
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Its a known fact that Kangana Ranaut has been shooting for her new film in the US for over a month. Ever since the schedule kicked off in Atlanta, the films crew and her personal team have spotted her listening to a set of brand new songs on her phone regularly.
No one knew what she was listening to. A few days later, it came to light that they were songs from her upcoming movie directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. Kangana had originally learnt the lyrics of the songs during the shoot. Since then the melody stuck with her. In fact, the same tracks are on her playlist and she has been hearing them on loop, says an insider.
Vishal Bhardwaj and Kangana Ranaut are working together for the first time for Rangoon. (HT Photo)
Apparently, during the shoots of the songs, Kangana expressed her love and obsession for Vishals music. Kangana believes that Vishal sir is one of the most-gifted music composers in the film industry. Besides their new film, she also loves the music of his other films such as Maqbool (2004), Omkara (2006) and Haider (2014). Vishal sir has found a new fan in Kangana, adds the insider.
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While Hollywood is rife with franchises and sequels, Bollywood is also following suit. B-Town is soon going to see four sequels releasing within just two months this year Rock On 2, Force 2, Kahaani 2 and Tum Bin 2.
2017 also promises to be a year of sequels with Aankhein 2, Jolly LLB 2 and Golmaal 4, among others, scheduled to hit the theatres.
However, trade analyst Komal Nahta maintains that the Hindi film industry has a long way to go. In Hollywood, they have dedicated writers. In India, the people who work on sequels arent that dedicated, he says.
However, trade analyst Komal Nahta maintains that the Hindi film industry has a long way to go. In Hollywood, they have very dedicated writers. In India, the people working on sequels arent that dedicated, he says.
An easy way out
With consistent casting and a familiar story, it seems shelling out on sequels is an easy way for producers to make money. While film-maker Rakesh Roshan announced Krrish 4 three years after he made Krrish 3 (2013), Aankhein 2 was announced by producer Gaurang Doshi after nearly 14 years.
Gaurang admits that producers are looking to make money through this trend. Of course, sequels are money-churners. Once you make a brand out of a film, you obviously would like to take it to the next level, he says.
Speaking of Krrish 4, Rakesh says that the film is a sequel in its true sense.
Roshan, however, says that his intention is not the same with the latest instalment of the Krrish series. Krrish 4 is a sequel in the true sense. I dont make a movie and then call it a sequel for the sake of it unlike other film-makers.
Watch: Trailer of Kahaani 2
The convenient truth
Trade analyst Amul Vikas Mohan says that though sequels are a convenient way to make films and money, they dont justify the lack of creativity on a film-makers part. Sequels require the same amount of hard work, but its definitely more convenient, as its a hit formula already, adds Amul.
A sill from Vidya Balans upcoming film Kahaani 2, which is a sequel to Kahaani.
Nahta, however, has a different point of view. He maintains that producers look for ways to put in less effort to churn out films. Only 12% to 15% of the films in the industry are successful, and the same applies to sequels. Those interested in making sequels think that their films will be good and others will flop, he says.
Differentiating between sequels and franchises, trade analyst Komal Nahta says that the Munnabhai series can be defined as the latter.
Sequels vs franchises
Amul also says that in India, theres a lot of confusion between the terms sequel and franchise. We tend to term sequels as franchises. If the principal cast of the first film is seen in the second one and the story is taken forward, its essentially a sequel. But if the film has some kind of similarity with the first one, its called a franchise, he clarifies.
Watch: Trailer of Force 2
Nahta agrees, asserting that the practice of confusing the two terms is wrong. We tend to call movies sequels even if it is part of a franchise. The Munnabhai series can be defined as a franchise. But Sarkar 2 was a sequel.
Casting coup
new faces in sequels. For instance, Preity Zinta was the female lead in Koi Mil Gaya (2003), but in its sequel, Krrish (2006), she was replaced with Priyanka Chopra, and Kangana Ranaut was added to the star cast in Krrish 3 (2013).
Watch: Trailer of Rock On 2
Ask casting director Mukesh Chhabra about roping in new faces in sequels, and he says, At times, it depends on the actors availability. Sometimes the actors dont want to be part of a sequel. Producers also look forward to building their films with newer names.
Sidharth Malhotra is taking a break from shooting for his next project, which also stars Jacqueline Fernandez. The movies team recently wrapped one of the shooting schedules, and the actor is all set to take off on a holiday to New Zealand this week.
A source says, His visit to New Zealand last year was a truly memorable one. So, this time around, Sidharth plans to raise the bar. He is going to explore many other places in the country. He will also attempt many activities that will cross out a lot of items from his bucket list.
Happy Diwali to all,love from our set @foxstarhindi @jacquelinef143 @roo_cha #night #shoot #crew A video posted by Sidharth Malhotra (@s1dofficial) on Oct 29, 2016 at 9:27am PDT
The actor is apparently planning a long trip and aims to try out a few adventure sports. Sidharth plans to explore his adventurous side by indulging in thrilling activities. He plans to go kayaking all by himself and he will also be visiting The Hobbiton Movie Set in Matamata. The actor is a big fan of The Lord of the Rings movies and is looking forward to experience the grand set where the movies were shot, the source says.
Good morning ! #selfie en route #lights #camera #action A photo posted by Sidharth Malhotra (@s1dofficial) on Sep 21, 2016 at 7:59pm PDT
Sidharth couldnt be reached for a comment. However, his spokesperson confirmed the news, and said the actor would be taking some time off to unwind in New Zealand.
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If you thought post Pinks super success Amitabh Bachchan would take it easy for a few months, heres more proof of Bollywoods biggest superstars work ethics. Reports suggest that hes already started shooting for Ram Gopal Varmas Sarkar 3. He is reprising his role of Subhash Nagre in the third film of the franchise that started with Sarkar in 2005.
RGV posted some pictures from the sets of the film on his Twitter timeline on Monday.
Sarkar of acting preparing for a scene on the set of Sarkar 3 pic.twitter.com/98jsPlL1i0 Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) November 6, 2016
Sarkar 3 has a stellar star cast that includes the likes of Manoj Bajpayee, Ronit Roy, Jackie Shroff and Yami Gautam.
Trying to tame a lion pic.twitter.com/rUyRWJM8GY Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) November 6, 2016
Varma, who made heads turn with his 1989 Telugu film Siva, soon secured a place for himself in the Hindi film industry as well. Mostly known for his crime genre films, RGV has also directed lovestories like Rangeela and Nishabd.
Sarkar 3 will hit the screens in 2017.
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If you are not interested in a BlackBerry phone, we would not be surprised because the company has lost his recall value.
Its brand recall value also took a hit when it launched the Blackberry Priv earlier this year at a very high price of Rs 62,990 before revising it later in the year.
We have become a software company, Narendra Nayak, managing director at BlackBerry India, said after nearly 10 slides of his presentation which somewhat explained that the DNA of the company had changed from being a hardware-led company. Nayak, who was speaking at the launch event of BlackBerrys Android phones, also said that the software part of the company contributed to more revenue than hardware and this was a proof of the strategy change in the company.
Read more: BlackBerry launches two secureAndroid smartphones starting at Rs 21,990
But why is it launching devices then? And that too Android-based smartphones? Vishal Tripathi, research director at Gartner India, believes that the new smartphones, which are effectively cheaper than Priv and as well as glamourous and productive when compared to Pixel, iPhone 7 and Samsungs S7, is BlackBerrys enterprises sales pitch to companies, government and financial institutions in India.
We are pushing the devices in banks, government institutions and companies who need to have secure communications, Alex Thurber, senior vice president, global device sales, told HT adding that the companies or institutions approached may buy the enterprise suite or devices but an ideal case would be a combo of both. Nayak too seconded his comment and added that there was a price imbalance in the Priv but he hopes the company will make up for it with the new smartphones -- DTEK 50 and DTEK 60 -- priced at Rs 21,990 and Rs 46,990 respectively.
However, Tripathi has his concerns as well. India didnt take up the concept of BYOD (bring your own devices to work) very well and mostly in cases of security, CYOD (choose-your-own-device) under which the device is mostly given by the company, is practiced. Hence, BlackBerry will not find it easy to sell devices to consumers directly, Tripathi explained adding that it has to directly approach the institutions. He also said that mobile device management (MDM) is also not very streamlined in the country and BlackBerry has to ensure that productivity is not hit due to security which is an ongoing problem.
Read more: Indians may not buy BlackBerrys Priv at Rs 62,990
Tripathi is not alone. Blackberrys new devices launch is a desperate attempt to pivot its enterprise software sales model of business. It is trying the same model that Google has tried with the Pixel with the only difference that it is a newly turned software company, Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief analyst at Greyhound Research, said adding that the combination of software, hardware experience is the winning formula for Apple.
He further said that the company has a problem of focus and is acting on too many avenues at the same time. The only reason it is trying its hand in devices is that it is a demonstration unit, which is cheap, and can help institutions to mass adopt the devices in a price-sensitive market like India, Gogia said adding that the hardware approach in an MDM enterprise sales pitch will take two-three financial years to consolidate.
He also said that the company, which has now turned towards software, also needs a continuous flow of investment in Research and Development, to keep its efforts alive.
BlackBerry CEO John Chen is seen in the picture. Experts also claim that, in the consumer segment, where the company is trying to sell secure phones, the brand has lost its recall value. (Reuters)
Experts also claim that, in the consumer segment, where the company is trying to sell secure phones, the brand has lost its recall value. BlackBerry doesnt seem very serious in the segment and doesnt have a diverse portfolio of smartphones to compete with the likes of Lenovo, Samsung, Micromax, Xiaomi or even Reliance Jios LYF brand, Tarun Pathak, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, said.
Read more:New handset is leap of faith for Blackberry
If BlackBerry has to play in the consumer segment with the big dogs, the it would need to create awareness about security and this needs a huge advertising, marketing budget which will appeal to the consumers, he explained adding that the new smartphones are not even manufactured by the company.
However, Thurber believes that the phone is competitive enough. We have now a productivity bar, just like Samsung Edges bar, and a new feature of swiping apps, similar to Pixel and iPhone 7s force touch, along with a great camera, big battery and the new security features of BlackBerry. However, Thurber didnt reveal any details about manufacturing phones in India.
Chinese handset-maker TCL produces phones for BlackBerry and Optiemus will officially distribute the phones in the country.
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New Delhi
Last year, Amazon.co.uk reported that the sales of American footwear brand Crocs jumped 1,500% in the UK after the paparazzi took a picture of Prince William and Kate Middletons son wearing a pair. It seems the firm now wants to build on that success.
Eyeing the Indian market, Crocs plans to set up 55 more company-owned outlets and 450 multi-brand retail points by next year. At present, the firm has about 1,000 outlets, including 35 company owned outlets and e-commerce alliances.
The brand that sells 5.5 crore pairs annually, registering a turnover of approximately 9,750 crore, expects to sell 70 lakh pairs annually against the current 15 lakh in India in the next five years.
The fun footwear brand is targeting a revenue of 670 crore by 2021 in view of the rising sales of casual footwear in the country. Crocs will launch about 400 new products, including 250 new designs and 150 colours, in India.
We will have 100 company-owned retail outlets by the end of next year, said Deepak Chhabra, managing director.
A study by Retailers Association of India said the per capita consumption of footwear in urban India has risen from 1.4 pairs in 2010 to 2.6 in 2015. Moreover,casual wear constitutes 70% of the total footwear sales.
With an annual production of 210 crore pairs, India is the second largest footwear producer in the world, according to industry estimates.
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This is just the beginning we are building the most customer-centric company based on a large selection, low prices and fast delivery, says Amit Agarwal, head of Amazon India.
He sounds rehearsed. His wife, too, thinks so.
Agarwal talks like Jeff Bezos. He has spent 18 years in Amazon, and was one of the eight technical advisors, popularly called shadows, to CEO and founder Bezos.
But what sounded dissimilar was Amazons growth in India it is the fastest-growing market in the companys history.
Read | After Roti and Kapda, Amazon bets on Makaan
It seems like yesterday that Amazon started its marketplace (three years ago) in the country, and its rivals were miles ahead.
Not anymore. In 2016, especially during the festival season in October, Amazon became Indias only The Everything Store online a status it enjoys in its home country, the United States.
Though most of its rivals, including Flipkart and Snapdeal, continued to sell clothes, electronics, large appliances and mobile phones in abundance, Amazon also sold virtual Prime memberships and everyday essentials, including churan and hing, in large quantities 14% of all products sold on Amazon was grocery.
It was an inflection point is e-commerce history Customers bought every kind of thing you can think of, says Agarwal.
Building India
That wasnt easy, and a lot was at stake. If Agarwal failed, Amazon would have paid a price. Apart from China, where Amazon couldnt do much, India was the only high-volume market.
It is also the fastest-growing internet economy, with over 350 million internet users, the second-largest in the world.
You need investments, a long-term outlook, patience to build the infrastructure and selection, and allow the internet to grow, he says.
It already has the largest selection 85 million products and has committed $5 billion in investment, the most by any e-commerce company in India.
Agarwals tone changes, his lines are not rehearsed anymore. Everything we do in developed countries is more critical for a country like India, he says, as it is like a cluster of 29 countries (states), different in culture, language, preferences, buying behaviour and economic status. We are as Indian as any other Indian company, and the shareholding of any company is as foreign as Amazon.
And there are nuanced changes as well cash-on-delivery, special logistics tie-ups and seller programmes. One such programme was Amazon Chai Cart, about which Bezos mentioned in his recent letter to shareholders. We deployed three-wheeled mobile carts to navigate in a citys business districts, serve tea, water, and lemon juice to small business owners and teach them about selling online, he wrote.
In four months, the team travelled 15,280 km across 31 cities, served 37,200 cups of tea, engaged with over 10,000 sellers, and helped them come on board. So, we invented Amazon Tatkal (a studio-on-wheels offering a suite of launch services), which enables small businesses to get online in less than 60 minutes, he added.
Agarwal realised logistics was a pain point, so he launched Easy Ship for sellers to deliver products in over 19,000 pin codes using Amazon Transportation Services, Blue Dart, and India Post. Two years ago, Amazon tied up with the governments postal department to reach the countrys far-flung areas. In October, 97% of all pin codes ordered at least once on Amazon, making it the most penetrated e-commerce platform in the country.
Read | Prime isnt just for faster deliveries, it has got more in store, says Amazon India
For those in small towns who felt awkward to buy online, there was Udaan a shop with television screens, where the shop owner would help people in the locality place their orders.
He then turned dying STD booths and internet cafes into warehouses and shopkeepers into sellers. The Indian entrepreneur is very flexible... We just have to provide self-service, mobile accessible products... Whether it is a seller, a pick-up point, a delivery point, or a cataloguing point, it is a great way for us to scale, says Agarwal.
In the US, Amazon has lockers from where a buyer can come and pick his product. Agarwal feared if he had lockers in India, they would get stolen. So, he asked neighbourhood kirana stores to keep delivered the products. He calls them human lockers.
According to industry experts, Agarwals strategy of tackling one problem at a time paid off for the company in India. E-commerce is so fast you cannot afford to make too many mistakes. Competition is right behind you, and Amazon did all the right things and stuck to its core strategy, says Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief analyst and CEO of Greyhound Research.
Read | Amazon sells 50 kinds of churan and we are proud of it, says Agarwal
Amazon also allowed sellers to become proxy stockists it has over 100 seller fulfilment centres, and around 27 warehouses. The company stocks over 2 million products in those warehouses, which it can deliver within 48 hours.
Buying loyalty
The Prime membership ensures faster and prioritised delivery. It was the largest-selling product during the festival season at Rs 499 for a years subscription.
People wont buy membership for faster delivery of mobiles, but if I tell them that you buy anything and we will deliver it fast and free, then it makes sense, says Agarwal.
Any platform needs to have a wide enough selection to make it a habit... The real game is revenue per customer and not a product or GMV game, says Alok Kshirsagar, senior partner, McKinsey & Co.
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Thick smog has enveloped New Delhi since the Diwali festival, as the Capital witnessed the worst spell of smog in a season on Sunday.
The air quality has been severe as pollution levels touched a new high. Levels of particulate matter finer than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) crossed the 900 mark in some areas, recording almost 15 times the safety limit.
Environmentalists said Delhi is facing an emergency situation and the AAP government has introduced a set of measures that include closing down schools for 3 days and shutting down the Badarpur power plant for 10 days.
Heres all you need to know about Delhi air pollution:
What is smog?
A weather expert said that for a cloud causing low visibility to qualify as smog, there should be enough pollution, smoke, and moisture in the air. The smoke and other particulate matters combine with fog when there is high humidity and low temperatures to form smog.
What is causing this pollution?
The smog, since Diwali, has been relentless due to certain weather conditions such as low wind speed, lack of vertical wind and lower temperatures. Winds usually blow the pollutants and particulate matter away, helping to clear up some of the smog. But with no winds, the pollutants remain stagnant in the air. This was exacerbated by a unique wind phenomenon that blew most of the smoke emanating from various parts of northern India towards New Delhi.
The spike in pollutants during the festival season has primarily been attributed to vehicular traffic, smoke from firecrackers, and the burning of post-harvest paddy stalks in neighbouring states.
This is visibly the worst pollution spell that we have witnessed in the city so far. We will have to wait for the weather conditions to play up. The temperature is dipping and the mixing height, which means the dispersion of pollution particles in the air, is low. This is making the pollutant particles float in the air, said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
What is the impact of air pollution on health?
Many people said that the thick smog left bitter taste in the mouth and eyes watering. Hospitals have reported a rise in cases of respiratory distress, with elderly and children the worst hit.
There have been a large number of people in our pulmonary out-patient department with cough and breathlessness, without previous history of respiratory illness, said professor GC Khilnani of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
Particulate matter are tiny dust particles that can be absorbed in lungs and blood tissues, and trigger respiratory and cardiac problems.
What can you do to stay safe?
As the government mulls over ways to curb pollution, Delhi residents are being forces to find ways to safeguard themselves.
Wear masks. Masks -- available at prices ranging from Rs 90 to up to Rs 2,200 -- can be meant for one-time use and the high-priced ones with air filters claim to stop over 99 per cent of the pollutants from entering the users nostrils.
Install air purifiers. Air purifiers are expensive but an Assocham survey has said that there has been a jump of nearly 50% in the demand for air purifiers in Delhi-NCR in last four days.
What are the measures proposed by the government?
The urgent measures announced by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday include shutting all schools private and public till Wednesday, a move that the Aam Aadmi Party government was forced to take after saying it was not necessary earlier in the week.
Other steps include:
Another round of odd-even initiative
Shutting down Badarpur coal plant for 10 days
Five day ban on all construction and demolition in the city
Water sprinkling of roads
Five-day ban on diesel generators, except at places such as hospitals and cellphone towers
The Delhi government has also asked the Centre to consider cloud seeding, a process that induces artificial rain that can help settle pollutants and clear the smog. The efficacy of the process is, however, debatable.
Are the measures enough?
A look at the pollution control measures taken by the Delhi government last year suggests that a number of steps, which otherwise should have continued at regular intervals, have only been reintroduced or re-packaged.
Environmentalists too are unimpressed with the directives, saying they believed the steps are a repetition of last years action plan.
Bhargav Krishna from the Public Health Foundation of India asked why the government did not act earlier, when the situation could have been controlled.
Moreover, none of the measures introduced by the government are considered viable long-term options.
What can we learn from other cities around the world?
Chinas capital Beijing too reels under heavy winter smog as the country switches to coal-fuelled central heating and releases more pollutants in the air. But a newspaper said China has launched a crackdown on heavy vehicles that failed to meet emission standards.
Beijing also plans to create ventilation corridors by connecting the citys parks, rivers and lakes, highways with green belts and low building blocks that will allow the air to flow and blow away smog.
Delhi can also learn from cities such as London and Los Angeles that have battled deadly smogs in the past, but have taken measures to combat the situation.
A bag containing a pistol and live cartridges was found on JNU campus on Sunday night, which is witnessing an agitation by a section of students over the disappearance of Najeeb Ahmed, a MSc Biotechnology student.
A black coloured bag was noticed by a security guard at around 2am, which contained a 7.65 pistol, seven cartridges and a screw driver, a senior police officer said.
Read | Missing JNU student: Cops question four ABVP leaders
A case under Arms Act has been registered against unknown persons and an investigation is ongoing, said the officer.
A section of JNU students has been agitating over the disappearance of Najeeb, whose mother and sister have also joined the protests on campus.
The 27-year-old student, a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing on October 15 following an on-campus scuffle with alleged members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.
Also read | Police detain protesting JNU students, their missing colleagues mother
Indians have watched the US election season with more than the usual interest. In part, this is because of the slow-motion-car-crash like aspect of this particular campaign, which has plumbed new depths of democratic dysfunction. But in larger part, it is because of a growing awareness that the US is now Indias most important partner. Trade between the two countries has more than quintupled in that period, to exceed $100 billion. The US is Indias second-largest supplier, after Russia, of defence equipment. In broader strategic terms, there is no more vital relationship for New Delhi. So as Americans prepare to exercise their choice on Tuesday, Indians will have a sizeable stake in the outcome. Who, between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, would be better for India?
Read | Election night in America: Everything you need to know
There is a meme in New Delhis political circles that Republican presidents are generally better for India than Democrats. There is some empirical evidence for this, especially in recent years: From Indias point of view, Mr Bush was certainly better than Mr Obama. But it doesnt automatically follow that Indians should be rooting for Mr Trump over Ms Clinton. For one thing, Mr Trump is hardly a typical Republican. He has used the partys platform to pursue an inchoate agenda, taking up (or making up) positions that conflict with the Republican ethos, especially in the realm of foreign policy. He has surrounded himself with foreign-policy advisers who can charitably be described as non-professionals. This means a President Trump would likely struggle to fill key positions in his Cabinet with the kind of talent that would reassure India, and the world, that American foreign policy is in safe hands. There is a larger, philosophical question, too. How can a man who boasts about being a sexual predator, routinely lies about his wealth, and espouses racist, xenophobic views, be good for India?
Read | Understanding the US presidential election: A guide to the election process
Ms Clintons political positions are, at best, slippery: Consider, for example, how she has defended some dictators, like Egypts Hosni Mubarak, while cheering the downfall of others, like Libyas Muammar Gaddafi. As Mr Obamas secretary of state, she was unable to make the most of the global goodwill his election generated. But she has demonstrated a pragmatic streak, one that allows hope for a grown-up assessment of American interests. And those interests dictate the continuation of good relations with India. This makes her, rather than him, the obvious choice for Indians.
Another Emergency it isnt, but the decision by the government to make Hindi news channel NDTV India go off air for a day does set an unhealthy precedent.
The media does need regulation, especially in an era of breaking news and click-bait journalism, where responsible and fair coverage is usually the first victim of the pursuit of ratings and traffic. In democracies, this should take the form of self-regulation. If that doesnt work, as it sometimes hasnt in India, regulation should be the domain of a quasi-judicial independent body.
Read | Democracys darkest hour to well deserved: Who said what about NDTV India ban
One of journalisms original objectives and ideals is to speak truth to power. By giving itself the powers to force news channels to go off air, the government is laying itself wide open to accusations of trying to, at worst, muzzle or, at best, influence, the news. And clearly, the right response to that argument does not begin with what about... and go on to detail previous instances where this has been done by the government of the day.
While the change in rules, prohibiting live coverage of terror attacks and anti-terror operations, was effected by the current government, much of the law as it is now, was drafted and passed by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). Indeed, the UPA did force several channels temporarily off air as a punishment for alleged crimes that usually involved obscenity. Much like the current governments crackdown on a news channel, all of these go against the tenet of freedom of expression.
Read | After calls to uphold press freedom, one-day ban on NDTV India put on hold
In India, the media derives its freedom from an article (19.1) of the Constitution that promises freedom of speech and expression. It sees this freedom limited by a subsequent article (19.2) that restricts this in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence.
India is also one of the few democracies in the world where defamation can be a criminal offence (in addition to being a civil one). Both traditionally offered adequate legal recourse to penalise the media. In recent times, there has been a demand from several quarters for more regulation.
An independent regulator would serve that purpose. This is not the governments job nor is it, in any right-minded society, the governments remit. From that perspective, the law is a draconian one.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday declared the results of Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) 2016 on CTETs official website.
The examination was conducted at 851 centres in 91 cities in India and abroad on September 18. A total of 6,53,156 candidates registered for the exam.
The mark sheet of the candidates who had appeared and certificate of those candidates who have qualified will be dispatched shortly.
Steps to check CTET 2016 results:
1) Go to CTETs official website
2) Click on link for Result of CTET -Sep 2016 at the bottom
3) Enter roll number on the login page that opens and submit
4) Result will be displayed on screen
5) Take a print-out for future reference
Or click here to directly go to the login page
CTET scores apply to schools of the central government ( Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Central Tibetan Schools, etc) and those under the administrative control of Union territories of Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
Read more: IBPS PO prelims 2016 results declared, check them here
These scores may also apply to unaided private schools that may exercise the option of considering the CTET marks.
Schools owned and managed by the state government/local bodies and aided schools shall consider the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) conducted by the state government. However, if a state government decides not to conduct the state TET, it can also consider the CTET scores.
Read more: SSC CGL Tier-I exam 2016 results to be declared tomorrow
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Minutes after chief minister Akhilesh Yadavs Vikas se Vijay ki Ore yatra passed them on the Lucknow-Kanpur highway, a group of people began an animated discussion on the states politics at the busy Yadav market here.
All were Yadavs, young and old.
Sixty-year-old Sahaj Ram Yadav summed up their conclusions. The upcoming 2017 elections will be a direct contest between the Samajwadi Party and the Bhartiya Janata Party though no party may emerge a clear winner, he says.
A majority of them were admirers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well.
Our vote is for Akhilesh in UP and Narendra Modi for Delhi, he says while lauding the work done by both CM and PM.
Read | The one holding the trump card will win UP elections: CM Akhilesh Yadav
This should come as a warning for the divided first family of the state as voters belonging to their traditional vote banks do consider the BJP as a viable option for the 2019 general elections.
According to political expert AK Verma, there was erosion in Mulayams OBC vote bank ahead of the 2014 general elections also. About 27% Yadavs had shifted to the BJP.
However, Raju, a young Muslim boy, says that for his community, the first option is Mulayam, followed by Mayawati. The Congress is largely dismissed as redundant in state politics.
About 20 kms away in Mohan assembly constituency - won twice by the BSP - Feroze Khan, who runs a welding shop is certain that the ongoing feud within the family has weakened the party. Muslims have limited options, he said and despite their liking for Netaji Mulayam, many feel forced to turn to the BSP.
However if the SP divides into two , then the Muslim youth will go with Akhilesh, Feroze says.
The family feud has disturbed both the main vote banks of the Samajwadi Party. While some like Ramesh Yadav of Ambarpur village hopes the ongoing strife will be settled in few days time, others like Sahaj Ram rues, SP would have won the election with a clear majority had outsiders not created the rift between Shivpal and Akhilesh.
Some dismiss the feud as ghar ghar ki kahani(its a tale of every home)
On the question regarding who the Yadavs will support if the party splits, it seems support will be divided between Mulayam and Akhilesh. Many believe that while the elders will vote for Mulayam Singh, the young will support Akhilesh.
Read | No alternative? SP seniors know Mulayam Singh Yadav wont disown Akhilesh
In the caste-based identity political landscape of the state, the Muslim and Yadav communities had become the fulcrum of the Samajwadi Partys support base since the early 1990s. This was a time when the saffron brigade had accelerated the Ram Temple movement. Mulayams decision then to order firing on the kar sewaks in Ayodhya in October-November 1990 to protect the Babri Mosque earned him the sobriquet of Maulana Mulayam.
Muslims had deserted the Congress after the 1992 demolition of the Babri Mosque. They held the Congress government at the Centre as responsible for the BJP government in the state razing the disputed structure. And they have not returned to them since.
Yadavs form about 10% of the states population with a concentration in the districts of central and eastern UP while Muslims account for 18%. Both have, by and large, remained loyal to the Samajwadi Party, barring the constituencies where the BSP has carved out a loyal following.
Now, the family feud has disillusioned both vote banks of the SP.
Why cant seasoned politicians like them rein in their ambitions in the larger interest of the party. Even if the party does not split, it would be a huge challenge for Mulayam and Shivpal to ensure a united push to get Akhilesh back in power, Rambabu Yadav, a civil services aspirant says.
Lawyer Hiralal Yadav in Allahabad is, however, confident that the partys vote base will remain intact. They will soon close ranks as they have to face a big challenge in the next few months, he says. Farmer Mukund Lal Yadav from Tharwai in Allahabad feels the time has come for the old guard to take the back seat or else the SP would lose the election.
Read | In this UP village, meet the Yadav SP chief Mulayam and family listen to
Top army officers on Monday briefed the defence and military attaches of various countries posted in Delhi about the global and regional security scenario and Indias security concerns, amid rising tensions along the border with Pakistan.
The Annual Foreign Service Attaches (FSAs) briefing on military subjects of common interest was conducted by the Indian army at Manekshaw Centre.
Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag and senior military officers were present. No representative from Pakistan was invited to the meet.
Lt Gen Bipin Rawat, Vice Chief of the Army Staff, spoke about global and regional security scenario and Indias security concerns. Later, during an interaction, the attaches also shared their views on the security issues and how they have been impacted.
India is host to a large number of FSAs from defence forces of friendly foreign countries.
Defence diplomacy has emerged as a powerful tool in the present environment where the armed forces of the world stand united fighting common enemies and challenges, a statement by the army said.
Indian Army thanked the FSA community for their contribution in strengthening defence ties between India and their respective nations, it added.
A police personnel posted in insurgency hit Chhattisgarhs Rajnandgaon district was shot dead by suspected Maoists.
Assistant sub-inspector Narbad Boga, 54, who was posted at the Bagh Nadi police station in the area, was killed on Sunday when he was investigating an accident, police said.
It was a Naxal (Maoist) attack on the police on Sunday evening. We have recovered empty cartridges of AK-47 rifle and other evidences, which suggest that they were Maoists, additional superintendent of police Rajnandgaon Sashimohan Singh told Hindustan Times.
We have launched a manhunt for the accused Maoists and combing the jungles, Singh added.
At around 5 pm on Sunday, Boga and assistant sub-inspector Ghamshyam Kureti went to Chirchari area, where a truck had overturned, to investigate. As the officers were recording statements of eyewitnesses, about half a dozen suspected Maoists opened fire with country made pistols.
The group robbed Bogas rifle and police belt before fleeing.
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Visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday pitched for stronger trade ties with India but offered little to address New Delhi concerns over the recent tightening of visa regime.
Addressing an India-UK tech summit in New Delhi at the start of her two-day visit, May said she wanted Britain to become a global standard bearer of free trade, saying more investment and fewer barriers to trade between Britain and India would boost prosperity.
We want Britain to be the most committed and passionate advocate of free trade in the world, said May, who is on her first bilateral trip outside the European Union since taking office in July.
Read | On the agenda: 5 things to expect from Britain PM Theresa Mays India visit
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi backed May, saying it was vital that the two countries worked together to define the economy of the 21st century.
Im confident together we can leverage our scientific strengths to create new opportunities, Modi said, as he talked about economic challenges prevailing in the present global climate.
Bilateral trade between the two countries stood at $14 billion last year. India and the UK are the third largest investor in each others countries.
Seeking to lay the groundwork for a post-Brexit trade, May said India was full of opportunities and the two sides should build on shared partnership to grow together.
Read | May comes calling: Post-Brexit Britain will need trade with India more than ever
There is so much potential when it comes to India-Britain relationship, we have a special bond.
The 60-year-old May took over as the Prime Minister from David Cameron in July who resigned his position after Britons in a shock vote opted out of the European Union.
Though Britain cannot sign any bilateral trade deals until it has left the EU, May said it was vital to identify ways to deepen trade with India before her country exited the European Union.
Read | Visa cloud over trade ties as British PM Theresa May arrives in India
Modi said the two countries could collaborate and expand people centric e-governance as May sought a role for British firms in his governments ambitious Digital India and smart city programmes.
The two leaders are to meet later in the day.
On visa front, May, who as the home secretary tightened immigration rules, said Britain would offer expedited clearance at the UK borders under a registered traveller scheme to business travellers from India.
(With agency inputs)
Also read | India is Britains closest friend, a leading world power: Theresa May
The governments one-day ban order on NDTV India, for its coverage of the Pathankot attacks, has come under fire from opposition parties and media groups.
A flurry of reactions followed in the wake of the ban. A look at who said what in support of or against the NDTV ban:
Rahul Gandhi, Congress vice president
In his opening remarks at the Congress partys working committee meeting, Rahul Gandhi sharply criticised the central government. The Modi government is obsessed with power, it seeks to silence all those who disagree..., said Gandhi.
Gandhi said that TV channels were being punished under the present government and declared that democracy was going through one of its darkest hours. Earlier, Gandhi had tweeted that he was shocked by the NDTV ban.
Detaining opposition leaders, blacking out tv channels- all in a day's work in Modiji's India. #NDTVBanned-shocking & unprecedented https://t.co/PXR7c2x20y Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) 4 November 2016
Venkaiah Naidu, Union minister of Information and Broadcasting
Naidu publicly defended the ban on Saturday, calling it a a culmination of the larger security concerns.
He hit back at those criticising the ban: The belated criticism is clearly ill informed and politically inspired. Such reactions that came a day after the governments decision was in public domain on November 3, 2016 was clearly an after thought, suggesting a motivated design to create a controversy where none existed.
Omar Abdullah, former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister
NDTV India ordered off the air, opposition leaders detained for wanting to show solidarity with family of dead solider. Ache din anyone? Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) 4 November 2016
Digvijaya Singh, Congress general secretary
It is only a beginning of BJP Model of Good Governance and their expertise of Media Control. digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) 4 November 2016
Kavita Krishnan, CPI(ML) leader and activist
Modi said don't repeat Emergency. His Min says asking questions is anti national. NDTV banned for a day. If this isnt Emergency what is?! Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) 3 November 2016
Indira Jaising, senior lawyer
An Emergency is declared by law, a Super Emergency is undeclared ,can the Ministery explain by what authority of law NDTV is being banned ? indira jaising (@IJaising) 4 November 2016
Rajdeep Sardesai, senior journalist
One of India's most sober and responsible channels NDTV India to be banned for a day by I and B ministry. NDTV today, who tomorrow? Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) 3 November 2016
Shekhar Gupta, senior journalist
Vineet Jain, managing director, Times of India group
Gov should impose financial penalties but never take channel off air if laws are broken-against press freedom. https://t.co/nBEHLj0PvU Vineet jain (@vineetjaintimes) 5 November 2016
Subhash Chandra, Member of Parliament and chairman, Essel Group
NDTV ! (5/5) Dr. Subhash Chandra (@subhashchandra) 6 November 2016
Kashmiri separatist leaders have called a meeting of all stakeholders on Tuesday to decide the course of the agitation in the Valley, with sources saying they give relief to education and trade in the next protest calendar.
The Valley has been in the grip of violent street protests -- the spread and the intensity has gone down in recent weeks -- for four months, throwing normal life out of gear. As many as 90 people, most of them civilians, have been killed and thousands injured.
The violence broke out after a militant was killed in a gunfight with security forces on July 8. Rolling curfew, which was lifted, and shutdown calls by the separatists have hit businesses and schools. Vehicles, too, have remained off roads.
The Hurriyat Conference leaders will meet at the house of Syed Ali Geelani, the leader of a hardline faction of the separatist conglomerate. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who heads a moderate faction, and Yasin Malik met Geelani on Sunday.
Read | Pakistan a friend, India occupying force: Kashmir separatist leader Geelani
Traders, educationists, transporters, civil society members, religious, social and political organisations, bar association and people from other walks of life were called for Tuesdays meeting, a statement issued by the three leaders said.
Separatists have been issuing a weekly shutdown calendar but there are growing calls to look for alternative ways of protest.
Though schools have remained shut for most of the four months, Class 10 and 12 board examinations begin on November 14. The students have been given the option to sit the examination next week and be tested for half the syllabus or complete the course and take the exams in March.
Condemning the state education board for relaxing syllabus norms, the leaders said the bumper sale would tell upon the educational standards and potential of the students and such shameful acts can only be termed as intellectual bankruptcy of the so-called educationists.
(with agency inputs)
Also read | Voices from Kashmir: Unconditional talks, compassion the way forward
Britain can show more flexibility in offering visas to Indians if it becomes possible to send back those who have outstayed their welcome, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday, underlining continuing discontent over access to UK visas.
On a visit to boost trade and investment with India after Brexit, May held open to wealthy Indians the door to her country but not wide enough for more students to access British universities or professionals to find jobs there.
The UK will consider further improvements to our visa offer if at the same time we can step up the speed and volume of returns of Indians with no right to remain, May told reporters in New Delhi, referring to the launch of a separate strategic dialogue on home affairs.
Earlier, May unveiled what her office called a bespoke fast-track visa service for rich Indians and their families and promised smoother border checks for all business travellers from India.
She made the pledge after talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who pushed for greater mobility and participation of young people in education and research. The two also agreed to set up a working group to explore deeper trade and investment.
But her reluctance to offer a more liberal visa system for students and professionals seeking work in Britain could wreck a trade deal with the European Union which has stalled because of failure to agree on freer movement of Indians abroad and other issues.
Indian officials said the tightening of visa rules was responsible for a sharp decline in the number of Indian students enrolling in British universities.
We will continue to raise our concerns regarding mobility with the UK, said Vikas Swarup, spokesman of ministry of external affairs. Mobility of people is closely linked to free flow of finance, goods and services.
Free-trade deal
Earlier on Monday, Modi and May inaugurated a technology summit to boost trade in advanced scientific and technology businesses.
The talks between the two leaders focused on bringing down trade barriers and preparing the ground for a free-trade deal after Britain leaves the EU.
Britain is open for business, May told delegates at the India-UK Tech Summit, billed as South Asias biggest technology conference.
Modi told the technology summit that greater mobility for young Indians was important for India.
Education is vital for our students and will define our engagement in a shared future, Modi said. We must therefore encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in education and research opportunities.
With concerns over economic stagnation and uncertainty as Britain exits the EU, May said her government wanted to ensure that the UK remains one of the most attractive countries in the world to do business and invest.
She said the UK and India were natural partners.
As the UK leaves the EU and India continues its rise in the world, we should seize the opportunities ahead, May said in a statement at the end of her talks with Modi.
The two leaders discussed defense cooperation and cyber security and agreed to work together to safeguard their countries from emerging security threats, she said.
At the end of the talks, officials from the two countries signed agreements on the ease of doing business and protecting intellectual property rights. They also set up a joint panel to promote trade.
In recent years, India has emerged as the third-biggest investor in Britain.
According to Britains trade office, India is the second-largest international job creator in the country, with Indian companies currently employing more than 100,000 people.
(with inputs from agencies)
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The Press Club of India (PCI) and the Indian Womens Press Corps will march in Delhi on Monday afternoon in protest against the one-day ban on Hindi news channel NDTV India.
We had initially planned only a protest meeting but many members have said they also want to carry out a protest march. We will go with the popular sentiment, PCI president Gautam Lahiri said.
The PCI had earlier planned a protest march on November 9, the day the channel has been ordered to go off air for a day by the ministry of information and broadcasting for allegedly violating the programme code under the Indian broadcast law.
Read | MP Youth Congress protests one-day ban on NDTV India
An inter-ministerial group said the channels coverage of the Pathankot air base attack in January flouted the rules by giving out sensitive information.
The Press Club of India and the Indian Womens Press Corps strongly condemn the decision of the inter-ministerial committee, the two journalists bodies said in a joint statement. We demand that the I&B Ministry should immediately quash the order as it is arbitrary and violates the fundamental principles of freedom of expression as enshrined in our Constitution.
Earlier, the Editors Guild of India and the Broadcast Editors Association too had condemned the ban seeking its reversal. The guild had likened the ban to the days of the Emergency.
Read | NDTV moves Supreme Court against govt order to go off air on November 9
With PAVA shells proving ineffective in crowd control in Jammu and Kashmir, security agencies have prepared a new list of gadgets to quell protests such as bunker periscopes, ear-deafening acoustic devices and electro-magnetic shock-delivering sticks.
Officials said the list was prepared following a series of high-level meetings and approvals of various agencies such as the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Border Security Force (BSF), J&K Police, central security agencies and the Union Home Ministry.
The most powerful but non-lethal device the forces desire to procure is the Long Range Acoustic Device (LARD) which produces a deafening 140-decibel sound to keep protesters away from its screaming range.
Read | Military picks holes in non-lethal PAVA shells, wants their efficacy improved
An LARD immobilises targets immediately and the state of shock remains for a while.
Keeping in mind the situation in the Kashmir Valley where protesters hurl bricks and shrapnels from narrow lanes and by-lanes, security agencies wish to procure a tactical periscope which stealthily monitors the activities of unruly mobs by jutting out of a bunker or from behind a wall, without exposing the location of the forces.
Another device on the list is a shock shield stick which delivers a high-voltage, non-lethal but effective electrostatic shock conduction to the target which, in this case, are protesting mobs.
The stick, when triggered, emits visible sparks (to act as an additional deterrent) and temporarily paralyses the target, but does not result in a permanent neuro-muscular damage.
The specifications have been finalised and circulated. The forces want to procure these items as soon as possible, a senior official said, quoting the qualitative requirements, which PTI has access to.
A set of disposable handcuffs, made of nylon, as compared to the regular ones made of iron, is also on the list of the security forces.
These devices have been finalised after studying the recommendations of a special committee, constituted by the Union Home Ministry, to suggest alternatives to pellet guns.
The Centre is reconsidering the use of PAVA shells, recently introduced in Kashmir for crowd control as an alternative to pellet guns, as these proved to be less effective due to a number of anomalies.
The security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the CRPF, have come up with an on-ground assessment report, saying the chilli-based shells were not able to fully deter the protesting mobs, sources had said.
PAVA was introduced following the recommendations of the panel constituted by the Union Home Ministry to find an alternative to pellet guns for crowd control, following an uproar in Kashmir after the usage of the latter led to fatalities.
The Kerala government told the Supreme Court on Monday it was in favour of allowing all women inside the Sabarimala temple, reversing its earlier stand that defended the entry ban.
Women aged between 10 and 50 (menstrual age) are not allowed in the famous Sabarimala Ayyappa temple because the deity is celibate (Naisthik Brahmachari).
The Travancore Devaswom Board that manages the temple is defending the practice of keeping out women in that age group as part of its age-old tradition.
Read | Bombay HC verdict on women at Haji Ali Dargah reignites Sabarimala debate
The Kerala government, too, had filed an affidavit in the court on July 11 favouring the ban. The ruling CPI(M), however, took a U-turn the next day, saying it would submit a fresh affidavit seeking entry for women of all ages.
We want women of all ages to be allowed in Sabarimala... If there is a difficulty in allowing women of all ages, the Travancore Devaswom Board should bring it to the notice of the court, party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said.
The case, which will be heard on February 20, is being watched closely as the court in earlier hearings had said tradition cant trump the Constitution and discriminatory customs pose a danger to gender equality.
Can a biological phenomenon be ground for discrimination? a bench headed by justice Dipak Misra had earlier asked temple management that contended the ban on entry of women was because they cannot maintain purity for 41 days the duration of the pilgrimage. You are making distinction based on purity... Now the question is whether the Constitutional principles allow this? the bench had said. It told the board that the tests of austere applied for men should be the same for women.
In Hindu religion, there is no denomination of a Hindu male or female. A Hindu is a Hindu, the special three-judge bench headed by justice Misra had said, stressing on gender equality.
Read | Haji Ali verdict: Victory of constitutional principles over religious dogmas
The court is hearing a public interest litigation challenging the decades-old tradition of keeping women out of one of the holiest Hindu shrines, which even allows in non-Hindus.
Late last year, scores of women took to social media joining #happytobleed campaign after the temple head said he would allow women if there was a machine to check if they were menstruating.
The ban violated her clients right to practise religion that included right of entry and worshipping the Lord, the petitioner contended.
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Political strategist Prashant Kishor met Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav at his official home on Monday, triggering speculation about the Congress exploring possibilities of joining a Bihar-type grand alliance for next years state elections.
But his moves came in for serious questioning at Mondays meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) in New Delhi. Ghulam Nabi Azad, the partys state general secretary in-charge, and Raj Babbar demanded a ban on Kishors activities and favoured the cancellation of the contract with him, a source said.
State Congress chief Babbar has consistently denied any talks on a possible alliance with the SP.
Kishor has already met Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, the chief ministers father, in New Delhi and Lucknow apparently to discuss a potential partnership.
Mulayam has proposed a mahagathbandhan, or grand alliance, for the UP polls, although he had walked out of a similar coalition between the Janata Dal (United) of Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasads Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress in Bihar ahead of elections there in 2015.
Kishor, who was poll strategist for Kumar and Prasad in Bihar, is now helping the Congress in UP.
His meeting with Akhilesh lasted more than an hour a surprise because the chief minister reportedly turned down an audience with him on Sunday.
We are willing to take a few steps backwards to save the secular and socialist fabric of the state, Akhilesh said and clarified that his father would take a final call on the alliance.
Read | Congress Prashant Kishor meets Mulayam again, triggers alliance rumours
Kishor, who is camping in Lucknow for the past week, couldnt be contacted for his response.
Later a tweet from his organisation, Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), said: Meeting b/w PK & SP leadership was a courtesy call; discussion was about general political scenario in UP & not about alliance b/w SP & INC.
Meeting b/w PK & SP leadership was a courtesy call; discussion was about general political scenario in UP & not about alliance b/w SP & INC I-PAC (@IndianPAC) November 7, 2016
Regional party leaders are reluctant to rush into Mulayams unity proposal as his family is embroiled in a bitter power struggle.
Meetings to discuss seat-sharing and common campaign plans have not been planned. Prospects of a grand alliance in UP appear dim, a senior JD(U) leader said.
Bihar chief minister Kumar has sought the inclusion of Mayawatis BSP into the platform, but factions within the SP are opposed to the proposal. For her part, Mayawati ruled out any alliance.
Read | Why UP is Prashant Kishors biggest challenge
A 51-year-old Malaysian citizen died of a suspected heart attack at the airport here on Monday, minutes before boarding a flight to his country, police said.
M Dakshinamorrthy, his wife and their three children had visited India on a pilgrimage and were on their way back to Malaysia when he suffered chest pains and collapsed.
A team of doctors at the airport immediately attended to him, but to no avail and he passed away, police said, adding they were probing the matter.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday termed the ceasefire violations along the India-Pakistan border as unfortunate, saying the two countries should work together for peace.
Mufti said the cross-border firing came at a time when the Kashmir Valley was rocked by unrest, compounding the problems for the border state.
For the last one month, the situation has again turned grave on the borders. Hundreds have been rendered homeless; we had to close down schools in areas along the borders and it is affecting the education (system), she said on the sidelines of the opening of Civil Secretariat in Jammu.
Read | Militant killed in encounter with security forces in Kashmirs Shopian
At least 20 people, including children, have been killed in a month since Pakistan started pounding border villages and posts with mortar and heavy machine guns, violating a 13-year ceasefire agreement between the two neighbours.
You can change your friends, but you cant change your neighbours. We have to adopt the ideas of Atal Bihari Vajpayee to tackle Pakistan, she said.
It was during Vajpayees tenure in 2003 that the ceasefire was reached, bringing calm to areas along the border and Line of Control, the de facto border.
Read | Pakistan Army opens fire in Mendhar sector of J&K
We have a very powerful leadership at the Centre, and with power comes the capacity to take bold decisions. I am hopeful that the ongoing hostilities will soon end and the initiative taken by Vajpayee of holding ceasefire on the borders will be restored again, she said.
Pakistan has stepped up the offensive after Indian soldiers crossed the Line of Control on September 29 and targeted militants preparing to cross into India from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Mufti also expressed concern over the burning of schools in the Valley.
The government has already taken into custody some miscreants who burned schools. I hope there should be some good news for us in the next one week, she said.
Read | Kashmir: Police identify 7 stone pelters for burning of schools, arrest 5
More than 25 schools have been burnt in various parts of the Valley during the past four months of violent street protests that broke out after a militant leader was killed in a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmir. At least 90 people, most of them civilians, have been killed and thousands injured.
The biggest casualties of the unrest were schools and children, with education coming to standstill, she said. The state is to conduct board examination for Class 10 and 12 students from November 14. As schools remained closed for four months, students have the option to sit for the exams from next week or in March.
Mufti inspected a guard of honour at the civil secretariat in the heart of the city. The secretariat opened in Jammu after functioning out of Srinagar during the past six months as part of the Darbar move.
The Darbar move is a biannual feature in which the civil secretariat stays for six months of winter (from November to April) in Jammu, the winter capital, and returns to the Kashmir Valley for the summer months (May to October).
Also Read | Like the Taliban, separatists in Kashmir dont want children to go to schools
With agency inputs
A militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmirs Shopian district, the army said on Monday.
Two soldiers were injured in the encounter that was launched in south Kashmir on Sunday night after the army received information about the militants. The injured soldiers were evacuated to a hospital for treatment and are now stable, the army said.
One AK rifle and other ammunition was recovered from the operation that concluded on the intervening night of November 6-7.
A Hizbul Mujahedeen militant, who had snatched a rifle from the residence of a politician in September, was killed in an encounter in Shopian district on Saturday.
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News network NDTV has approached the Supreme Court against a controversial central government notice ordering its Hindi channel, NDTV India, off the air for a day, one of the groups top directors tweeted on Monday.
#NDTVBanned - @NDTV moves Supreme Court against Wednesday ban on @ndtvindia, tweeted Suparna Singh, director of strategy at NDTV and managing editor of NDTV.com.
NDTV India was asked to go off the air on November 9 after the government said the channel revealed sensitive details during its coverage of a militant attack on the Pathankot airbase in January.
This crucial information could have been readily picked up by the militants handlers and jeopardised national security, the information and broadcasting ministry said.
Read | Why was NDTV India banned and what does the law say?
This was the first time a channel was asked to stop broadcasting over concerns about national security.
But the order has been widely panned with activists, journalists and opposition politicians accusing the BJP-led government of singling out NDTV and muzzling free speech. Many of them have also dubbed the order a return of the Emergency-era curbs on the press .
But the government has defended the action, saying many other channels were banned in the past and that free speech couldnt be absolute or override national security.
Read | NDTV India ban: Theres a rise in number of cases where media is the target
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A police officer, who asked a gang rape victim, which one of her rapists gave her the most pleasure, was suspended on Monday.
M V Manikantan, circle Inspector of Peramangalam police station in Thrissur district of Kerala, was suspended pending enquiry.
Among the four, who gave you the most pleasure?, Manikantan had allegedly asked the 32-year-old rape victim when she came to register a complaint.
The woman, who was allegedly raped by her husbands friends, was forced to withdraw her complaint as she couldnt put up with the humiliating questions asked by him.
IGP M R Ajit Kumar said he has initiated a probe into the allegation levelled by the victim against Manikantan.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) has suspended its Wadakancherry Municipal Councillor Jayanthan and another party worker in connection with the gangrape.
Actor and social activitst Bhagyalakshmi, who was instrumental in bringing the crime to light, criticised the police officer for posing such questions.
Meanwhile, Congress-led UDF on Monday demanded that a case be registered against CPI(M)s Thrissur District Secretary K Radhakrishnan for allegedly disclosing to the media the name of the gangrape victim.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Ramesh Chennithala wrote to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, demanding that a case be registered against Radhakrishnan, a former minister and Speaker, as he had deliberately named the victim.
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the party had promptly acted when the allegations were levelled. We will make sure such things which are not correct are not allowed, he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.
CPI(M) Politbureau member Brinda Karat said that naming the victim was a mistake. We are not supposed to name the victim. So it was a mistake to name the victim, she said in Delhi.
Police have recorded the statements of the woman and her husband.
The woman had appeared before media, alleging that she had been gang raped by four persons, including by the CPI(M) councillor, two years ago and was being harassed.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is on a three-day visit to India on her first official trip outside Europe after coming to power in July. She will visit both Delhi and Bengaluru.
India and UK have robust trade and investment partnership. Bilateral trade in goods stood at US$ 14 billion in 2015-16. India and the United Kingdom are the third-largest investors in each others countries.
One of our most important and closest friends has to be India -- a leading power in the world, with whom we share so much history, culture and so may values, and which is led by a Prime Minister who is undertaking a far-reaching programme of reform, May had said before flying to New Delhi.
Here are five things you need to know about the visit
Immigration
India is concerned about restrictions on immigration and recent changes to visa rules across categories. The scrapping of post-study work provision is cited as the main reason for halving of Indian students studying in UK from 40,000 to 20000 in the past five years. The recent changes to immigration rules including higher salary thresholds will affect Indian professionals and IT companies, particularly those using the Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) visa.
Read | Visa cloud over trade ties as British PM Theresa May arrives in India
Indian IT workers account for nearly 90% of UK visas granted under the ICT route. Changes related to the Tier 2 visa category -- increasing the general salary threshold for experienced workers to 25,000, with some exemptions; increasing the ICT salary threshold for short term staff to 30,000 and closing the ICT skills transfer sub-category.
Greater focus on SME sector
What May will be doing in Bengaluru on Tuesday is an interesting change from what her predecessors did when they visited the southern city. May is not focusing on Indian IT firms, instead she is interacting with business leaders in the small and medium sectors. The visiting PM will visit Dynamatics Technologies, an aerospace and hydraulic pumps manufacturer that has three factories in the UK. The fact that this firm generates jobs in the UK needs to be stressed. In her own words, May is accompanied by a range of top British businesses, including some of our brightest small and medium enterprises.
Preparing ground for life after post-Brexit
There wont be any talks for a Free Trade Agreement before the Brexit, (Britain leaving European Union) process gets over. But groundwork for business ties post Brexit is on the agenda. UK was a gateway for Indian firms for all of Europe. That will now depend on how UK negotiates its trade ties with other countries, which would be a lengthy process. There are 800 Indian businesses in UK.
Read | May comes calling: Post-Brexit Britain will need trade with India more than ever
Indias pharmaceutical industry, might struggle to make large investments in the UK after Brexit. So is the case with car maker Jaguar-Land Rover owned by Tata that will probably stare at a steeper duty for importing their vehicles to other countries.
Tech summit to boost cooperation in science and technology
PM Modi along with May will inaugurate India-UK technology summit on November 7. Under the umbrella of India-UK Technology Summit, four other summits are being organised:
1) India-UK Higher Education Summit
2) India - UK Innovation & Entrepreneurship Summit
3) India - UK Design Summit
4) India - UK Intellectual Property Rights Summit. These meets are expected to chart a new course in the ties in the filed of science and technology.
Defence and security ties
India, a top importer of defence equipment in the world, is an important customer of Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers. UK would is keen on taking part in the make in India flagship in the defence sector.
Read | Bogged down by Brexit, Britain PM Theresa May turns to India for good news
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News Time Assam, the channel ordered by the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry to go off the air for a day on November 9, has welcomed the move, saying the 24-hour ban gives them free publicity.
I&B ministrys punitive measures against three channels NDTV India, News Time Assam and Cable World TV has kicked up a nationwide storm with media organizations denouncing the move as a crackdown on free speech and media.
Read more| After NDTV India, Assam channel to be taken off air for a day over violations
But the current operator of News Time Assam, which is commercially ailing, say the ban will in fact be good as it will get the channel some free publicity and hopefully will bring in investors.
We have decided to remain off air on November 9 for things that didnt happen during our watch. But the ministrys order is good news for us, said Utpal Baruah, content producer New Time Assam.
The channel has been ordered to go off the air after it was found guilty on three counts several years ago, including revealing the identity of a minor domestic abuse victim, showing images of dead bodies and airing content derogatory towards women.
The assets of the channel, launched in 2010 by Kolkata-based Brand Value Communications, were acquired last year by Pratidin Group, which launched its own news channel called Pratidin Time.
But the license, which still remained with Brand Value Communications, was taken on lease by Baruah.
According to Baruah, the I&B punishment pertains to the period when the channels content was being produced by Pratidin.
Read more| NDTV India ban put on hold because of governments liberal ethos: Naidu
We are being punished for content aired when the channel was not being run by us. But we hope the free publicity will help revive the channel, which is not doing very well, and get us some investors, said Baruah.
This is not the first time I&B ministry has stopped transmission of News Times Assam for violating provisions of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.
In July 2014, another inter-ministerial committee had ordered the channel to go off air for a day on July 30 for telecasting reports in October 2013 on two girls using the official car of an MLA.
The channel in its reports had tried to show, without any evidence, that the two girls who were using the legislators car could have been sex workers.
The intention of the channel to chase the girls and to expose their faces on TV was perverted and against all ethics of journalism, the committee noted.
Television news channels in Assam routinely act as moral police, telecasting programmes on dress codes of girls or commenting on women who drink in bars.
Read more| NDTV India ban: Who watches the watchmen?
In 2012, the editor-in-chief of News Live, owned by powerful Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, was forced to resign after the channel showed molestation of a girl outside a bar on a busy Guwahati road.
A reporter of the channel was accused of instigating a mob to target the girl. Though a court later acquitted the reporter due to lack of evidence, 11 others were held guilty.
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Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday attacked the Modi government for being obsessed with power and silencing critics, saying the Indian democracy was passing through one of its darkest hours under the present dispensation.
Rahul was speaking at a meeting of the Congress working committee, the partys highest decision-making body. He had to chair the meeting after party president Sonia Gandhi called in sick.
They will exploit caste and religious fault lines. We must anticipate and neutralise such devious strategies, he said, indicating the party was getting ready to take on the government when Parliament opens for the winter session on November 16.
Rahuls remarks on silencing critics comes within days of the government asking three channels to go off air for a period varying from at a day to a week, for violating broadcast laws. Journalists, activists and opposition have said the one-day ban on NDTV India amounted to suppressing free speech.
The Modi government is obsessed with power, it seeks to silence all those who disagree. Hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions. Television channels are being punished and asked to shut down, said Gandhi.
NDTV, which challenged the punishment in the Supreme Court during the day, was docked to revealing sensitive details during its coverage of a militant attack on the Pathankot airbase in January.
Asking questions is what discomforts this government the most, for they have no answers, Rahul told senior Congress leaders at the meeting in which the CWC will discuss organisational polls, the deadline for which ends on December 31.
Read | Congress committee to meet today over party polls, key decisions likely
The CWC is also expected to extend Sonias tenure by another year. But it will be done in her absence. She skipped the meeting for health reasons, Congress sources said. News agency IANS quoted sources as saying that the 69-year-old leader complained of a bad throat.
Sonia already holds the record of being the Congress chief for 18 consecutive years after taking over from Sitaram Kesri in 1998. The upcoming assembly elections would also be discussed at the meeting.
Party sources ruled out internal polls at this moment in view of the elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur in early 2017.
Party leaders, however, insisted that extension of Sonias term to December 2017 wouldnt necessarily mean that Rahul would have to wait another year to take over as the party chief.
The timing of the change would be decided by Sonia and Rahul, a Congress leader said on condition of anonymity. The CWC resolution on Sonias extension was a technical requirement that would have no bearing on Rahuls elevation, he said.
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When Manohar Lal Khattar, a one-time pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), became the chief minister of Haryana two years ago, his regime was expected to carry the parivar imprint.
But few had envisaged a government packed with men owing allegiance to RSS the ideological mentor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at all levels. Be it the chief ministers office (CMO) and important positions in government institutions or organisations, the first-time chief minister has appointed persons having strong connections with RSS or affiliated saffron outfits.
The all-powerful CMO is teeming with non-officials appointed as advisers and officers on special duty (OSDs). Most of them are associated with the Sangh Parivar, and enjoy unhindered access and clout. The chief minister seeks their counsel on regular basis. Whenever he is in Chandigarh, Khattar meets these trusted aides daily, first early in the morning and then before calling it a day, said a top-ranking IAS officer.
Read | Haryana completes 50 years: Why the states success is self-limiting
While Capt Bhupinder Singh, OSD to chief minister, is the son of RSS prant sanghchalak Major Kartar Singh (retired), another OSD Raj Kumar Bhardwaj is a former journalist with long association with RSS. Khattars media adviser Amit Arya, a former television journalist, political aides Jagdish Chopra and Deepak Mangla and private assistant Abhimanyu also have RSS ties.
Agriculture minister OP Dhankar says it is a government of those associated with RSS. The CM is from RSS. I am from there. People have given the mandate, knowing full well that we are from RSS. We are not going to appoint people belonging to Congress or Sewa Dal, he told Hindustan Times.
Haryana agricultural minister OP Dhankar at Haryana Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh on November 04. (HT Photo)
RSS agenda top priority
But thats not all. Several key appointments in government organisations have also been made with RSS blessings in line with its agenda beef ban, cow conservation, Gita, search for the lost river Saraswati, saffronisation of education, etc. RSS ideologue Dinanath Batra, president of the Shiksa Sanskriti Utthan Nyas, was given an important role in formulation of education policy and development of books in the state just days after Khattar took charge while a one-time swayamsevak Jagbir Singh, was appointed chairman of Board of School Education, Haryana in April this year.
Another Sangh loyalist Bhani Ram Mangla heads the Gau Seva Aayog and most members of the commission have either held some position or participated in activities of RSS, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal or related outfits. Another pracharak, Rishi Prakash Sharma has been appointed chairman of Haryana Livestock Development Board two months ago. He was vice-chairman of Gau Seva Aayog earlier.
A one-time Khattar aide said that the names of 200-odd trusted people were shortlisted in a meeting of RSS leaders about six months ago and given to the political brass of the state for appointment in different positions. Dont be surprised if there are more appointments in the coming months, said the official with strong parivar connections.
Read | Haryana completes 50 years: Why the states success is self-limiting
There are also groups like Global Village Foundation, a think-tank of professionals set up by Balram Nandwani of RSS last year, that are active in the state, signing pacts with government organisations in areas education, training, skill upgradation etc. Besides Nandwani, some other GVF members economist Mukul G Asher, Aniruddha Rajput and Bajrang Lal Bagra have been given important roles by the state government. SP Gupta, director general, Haryana Institute of Public Administration (HIPA), said there is nothing unusual in such appointments.
Whenever there is a change in government, every new CM appoints his own people. Those appointed by the government are highly qualified persons. People should object only if there is some doubt about their integrity or if such appointees lack experience or requisite qualifications, said the retired IAS officer.
These appointments apart, IAS, IPS and other officers have been doing the rounds of parivar leaders for their blessings. An RSS functionary had last year asked me to suggest the names of some retired officers for appointment in a government organisation. When I suggested the name of a retired bureaucrat, his only query was whether the officer has any Sangh leanings, recalled a government official, requesting anonymity.
Rivals, officials see design
Though the BJP has been in power in Haryana in coalition with other parties in the past, this is the first time it has formed its own government. The RSS has never had it so good. And its imprint is getting deeper by the day, irking the state bureaucracy and the opposition parties. Congress spokesperson Ran Singh Maan said the Khattar government has become hostage to RSS.
The appointments have been made at the instance of RSS and many of those appointed do not belong to the state or not know enough about it. As a result, governance is suffering, he said.
But Haryana Housing Board chairman Jawahar Yadav, who often speaks on behalf of Khattar, dismissed the talk of RSS calling the shots, accusing the Congress of raking up non-issues to divert attention from its failures and bankruptcy of ideas. We are all from RSS. Is it a crime to be associated with it? It is obvious that we will induct people with Sangh background and not those from the Congress, he said.
While other opposition parties such as INLD and AAP are also critical of such appointments, the state bureaucracy also seems to be bearing the brunt of the political top brass dependence on non-officials and frequent transfers of officials. Over the past two years, the government has ordered over 200 transfers of IAS officers. Not surprisingly, the trust quotient between bureaucrats and the political bosses is not high.
Read | Now, Khattar govt chargesheets Khemka over unsold wheat seeds
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Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has come in for criticism from several quarters for hastily felicitating policemen involved in the controversial killing of eight SIMI activists, hours after they reportedly broke out of a jail.
Legal experts say Chouhans announcement of cash awards for the policemen goes against the Supreme Court guidelines in respect to police encounters. Rights groups say the CMs public show of appreciation for the encounter will compromise an independent inquiry that the government later ordered.
Chouhan felicitated the policemen a day after the encounter, currently shrouded in controversy after the emergence of several incriminating video and audio clips that seem to suggest the fugitives were shot in cold blood.
Kill them all, a police officer was purportedly heard saying in one of the audio clips.
Chauhan announced Rs 2 lakh for each policeman involved in the encounter and `1 lakh each for others involved in tracking down the fugitives.
The cash awards were however kept in abeyance after the government was forced to order a judicial probe to dispel public doubts over the encounter.
Read | Deaths of SIMI operatives spark curiosity about banned outfit in Bhopal
Any recommendation for reward before it is established that the encounter was not a fake one, those who were killed were not killed in cold blood and the police personnel were cleared by SIT, is a violation of the Apex Court guidelines. Felicitation of police personnel too is violation the guidelines, advocate Raghvendra Kumar told HT.
He pointed out that the Supreme Court in one of its rulings had discouraged out-of-turn promotion and cash awards for unverified encounters since policemen could construe them as incentives for staged killings.
Opposition leaders in the state are also questioning what purpose the judicial inquiry will serve, now that the chief minister has patted the policemen on their backs.
State Congress spokesperson JP Dhanopiya said Chouhan gave the police clean chit even before any inquiry commission looked into the encounter.
Retired police officer Arun Gurtoo said the government seemed to be in a hurry to take credit for the encounter for political reasons. It did so despite several glaring questions over the killings, he said.
Former chief secretary Nirmala Buch also pointed out that certain process and formalities had to be followed before cash awards for encounters could be announced.
Several rights groups are pressing the government to disclose what procedures were followed.
Home minister Bhupendra Singh, however, defended Chouhan and said the chief minister did nothing wrong.
There was no written order on the reward. We have already put it on hold. We will decide about the same after the inquiry is over and when we find that there is nothing adverse against the police personnel and others, he said.
Read | Khandwa: The SIMI hotspot at the centre of MP prisoners encounter
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The Supreme Court will hear on Tuesday petitions on the air pollution crisis in Delhi amid mounting concern over a thick blanket of haze enveloping the city for a week.
The top court asked the advocates of the central and state government to be present when the public interest litigations are heard on Tuesday.
The courts decision comes on a day the Centre and city lieutenant governor have called emergency meetings to tackle the pollution, which holds out the threat of a massive public health hazard for the Capitals 18 million citizens.
Read | Curbing Delhi smog: Heres all you need to know about cloud seeding
The city government has already unveiled a raft of measures, including a temporary ban on construction and demolition work, a three-day shutting of all schools and vacuum cleaning of roads.
But many experts fear the measures may be too little, too late. On Monday, Hindustan Times air quality monitoring system showed the maximum severe warning across all but two spots in the Capital at 11am. Anand Vihar in east Delhi and Connaught Place were among the most polluted spots with levels of the most-toxic PM 2.5 at 12 to 15 times times above the safety limit.
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India needs to curb the huge economic burden caused by tobacco and diseases related to it, which claim at least 1 million lives every year in the country, Union health minister JP Nadda said on Monday.
Nadda made the comments while inaugurating the seventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) meet, worlds biggest convention on tobacco control policies.
Known as COP7, the meeting brings together the 180 parties to the FCTC, which represent nearly 90% of the worlds population. Several non-party countries and international and non-government organisations are also attending the meet. The meet is held every two years.
WHO FCTC is our strongest tool to combat tobacco-related problems as challenges faced by India are formidable both in number and complexity, Nadda said.
An estimated 275 million people in the country are tobacco users.
The economic burden owing to tobacco is $22 billion, which is why we have to take measures to control its growing use. However, 2016 has been a landmark year for tobacco control in India as we implemented 85% pictorial health warnings on packages in April, he said.
The five-day conference that India is hosting for the first time has measures to tackle new tobacco-related threats and challenges, including electronic delivery of tobacco products, on its agenda this year.
Electronic delivery system of tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and tobacco pipes are fast gaining popularity among smokers, especially the youth, which is a cause for concern and needs to be addressed, Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena, who was a special addressee at the inaugural session, said.
Sri Lanka has a National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol in place that was set up to control the use of tobacco products and alcohol in the island nation.
The senior most official of the ministry said that smokeless tobacco is a bigger worry in India and the government aims to push for its control in the meet.
Our struggle, unlike other countries where cigarettes are a norm, is with smokeless tobacco, and we will bring international communities attention on the subject, CK Mishra, health secretary, said.
The Union health ministry wrote to the Uttar Pradesh government to try and ensure that workforce deployed at the venue in Greater Noida does not consume tobacco in any form to ensure the government does not face any embarrassment before the delegates from different countries.
It would have been embarrassing to find empty pouches or packets of tobacco products in and around the venue of the conference that is essentially about tobacco control, which is why we wrote to the UP government, a health ministry official said requesting anonymity.
The sale of tobacco products is banned at the venue and in surrounding areas, but people can always sneak in the stuff and that will be difficult to check, he added.
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Jammat-ud-Dawah chief and 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed has threatened India with a surgical strike in Jammu and Kashmir.
(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi had done what he had to. Now it is the turn of Mujahideen to carry out a surgical strike in Kashmir, Saeed threatened while addressing a rally on Sunday in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The surgical strike Mujahideen are going to carry out will be remembered for long. Such a strike will not be like that of Indias which is not even acknowledged by the world, Saeed said amid chants of jihad...jihad by his supporters.
Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, who carries a $10mn bounty on his head, criticised the Nawaz Sharif government last week for giving a cool response to India over alleged atrocities in Kashmir, saying people in the Valley need Pakistans full practical support.
Soon after Indias surgical strikes across the LoC on September 29, Saeed had warned the Modi government, to get ready for a surgical strike from the Pakistan army.
Indias green court came down heavily on the central government, Delhi and neighbouring states on Monday for doing little to tackle mounting air pollution in the Capital that touched alarming levels this season.
The National Green Tribunal blamed the Centre, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab for not following guidelines prescribed by the green body resulting in the thick layer of smog that has engulfed the Capital for a week, ANI reported.
What have you done till now to curb pollution, the NGT asked, according to ANI.
The green court was especially harsh with the city administration, asking why it hadnt started water sprinkling on roads to reduce dust.
Isnt it your responsibility to curb pollution? What are municipalities doing, they were asked to use machines for cleaning purposes earlier, the court said.
The tribunals intervention comes amid mounting concerns over Delhis worsening air quality.
The city government has unveiled an emergency list of measures including temporary closure of schools and halting of construction work while the Centre and city lieutenant governor have called separate meetings on Monday.
But many fear the steps are too fragmented to tackle the billowing clouds of particulate matter pollutants that choke Delhi and are a public health hazard for the citys 18 million residents.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has blamed stubble burning in Punjab for the spike in pollution.
What action have you taken against those violating NGT orders? 70% land in Punjab is used for crop burning, what is Delhi government doing? NGT was quoted as asking by ANI.
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Until recently, Kannan (name changed to protect identity), a Dalit, was the leading gynaecologist in his town near Pudukottai district, Tamil Nadu. He was the person the village leaders and the poor sent their wives to for delivery. His practice was booming and people from other castes would call him thambi (younger brother in Tamil). The entire town was proud of him or so he thought. All this changed one fateful day, around three months ago.
The 45-year-old doctor was asked to perform an abortion and hysterectomy for a young widow belonging to the Thevar (OBC) caste. The case was very risky and I was tempted not to take it up, but the family convinced me that the girls life would be ruined if people found out she was pregnant, so I went ahead, he said. During the surgery, there were a few complications, and the patient had to be taken to Madurai for intensive care. Once she got back home, however, things changed. The girl convinced her family that Dr Kannan had removed her kidney during the operation. This was when everything went haywire.
His clinic and house were mobbed by hundreds of people. They were all yelling casteist slurs while pelting his house with stones. My family was under threat, and the people attacking us were saying I stole her kidney because I was a Dalit and the entire caste should not be trusted. My staff, wife and children were injured in the violence, he says. The police intervened, and the crowd was calmed. Only then did anyone think of taking an ultrasound of the girl to check if the girl had really lost a kidney, he says. By the time they determined both kidneys were intact, the damage had already been done. Dr Kannan is determined never to practice medicine again, and he is now contemplating leaving town and hiding his caste identity.
If I were a non-Dalit doctor, things would have been different. If I belonged to the same caste as the girl, I wouldnt have been harassed in this way and my family wouldnt have had to face this kind of violence, the doctor says.
According to another Dalit doctor, N Periyasamy, an anaesthesiologist at the Government Hospital in Trichy, there are a number of people who are hesitant to be treated by a Dalit doctor, even if they know that the doctor is extremely competent.
N Jayaraman, a dental surgeon from Pudukkottai, talks about his experience as a Dalit student at Madras Medical College in 1983. I had a professor who would deliberately undervalue my papers and even failed me once, he says. He took the matter to court and passed. In the last 30-odd years, there has been little change in the mindset of people, he says. When it comes to a Dalit doctor, there is discrimination, whether it is in a government hospital or in private practice, he adds.
Read | The great Dalit cauldron and why it matters
G Naveen Kumars father is a Dalit, while his mother is Brahmin. I barely had any family support when it came to my education, but I thought I could overcome all of that, he says. He studied medicine at the Dharmapuri Government Medical College and says that even though there was no real discrimination when it came to academics, his extracurricular activities were another issue altogether. While students and professors never openly discriminated against me, I could see subtle opposition. Initially, I thought it was because my ideas were not getting across to my peers, but it was only later when people would make derogatory remarks about my caste that I realised that that was the issue, he says.
When he then set up a private practice near his village of Villianur in Villupuram district, he began to face discrimination openly. My village has a majority Dalit population and I have seen patients faces change when they realise I am from this village, he says. There have been a number of patients who have not come back for a second consultation once they find out his caste, he adds.
For a young doctor to lose patients because of his/her caste is extremely disheartening. Sometimes I wonder if I should give up the medical profession. If this is the case in 2016, I cannot imagine the kind of discrimination that happened earlier, he says.
Ezhilan Naganathan, a general physician from Chennai and social activist who did not want his caste mentioned, however, says there is not much discrimination in bigger cities. I have heard of patients who only prefer to go to doctors of their own caste, but I have not seen that kind of discrimination in Chennai, he says. He also adds that caste-based discrimination happens mainly with elective procedures. When there are emergencies, patients do not care what caste their doctors are but when they have a knee replacement, for example, they will make sure they only see doctors of their own caste, he says.
This discrimination is not just in the case of choosing a doctor. N Prabhu, who operates the Uyirthuli blood donation group and did not wish to specify his caste, maintains a register of blood donors for this kind of emergencies. When we get requests for a rare blood group donor, often patients relatives will ask us to determine the caste of the donor before bringing him or her to the doctor. These cases are often emergency cases, and although we deny such requests to determine the caste, there have been a couple of cases where the donor has been sent away by the patients family, he says.
Has conversion helped?
While caste discrimination continues to be a problem in the medical field, doctors, nurses and other medical professionals are trying their best to avoid this discrimination.
While many Dalit doctors continue to work despite the caste bias, many others are trying to find a way out. Earlier this month, the Makkal Medical Team, a group of around 400 Dalit doctors from the state who are trying to overcome the oppression brought about through Hinduism, conducted a mass conversion function. Over 40 Dalit doctors from different districts in Tamil Nadu converted from Hinduism to Buddhism. We are all followers of Ambedkar and have decided to embrace the form of Buddhism propagated by him, Dr Periyasamy says. This is the first round of conversions and the team is planning to conduct more such events in the future.
Read | Dalit capitalisms moment has arrived
According to Adhavan, a Dalit rights activist from Hosur, Dalit conversions to Buddhism have happened for several decades now, but it is now gaining popularity, especially among followers of Ambedkar. BR Ambedkar is famous for saying that he was born a Hindu, but he would not die a Hindu, Adhavan explains. After years of research into various religions, he finally settled on Buddhism. The Buddhism Ambedkar embraced does not follow the Mahayana or Hinayana schools of thought, and is often called Neo-Buddhism, which believes that there is no caste or karma. The first mass conversion to Buddhism happened in 1956 in Nagpur where Ambedkar and his followers embraced Neo-Buddhism. Every year on Buddha Poornima, a number of Dalits from across the country travel to Nagpur to convert to Buddhism. Similar functions are held across the country. It is estimated that there are over 20 lakh Neo-Buddhists in the country, Adhavan says.
The discrimination that many Dalits face is very subtle. It is the kind where only the offender and the victim realise that anything is amiss, Adhavan says. It is this kind of subtle discrimination that has driven many people to convert from Hinduism so they are offered the protection of their new religion.
Dr Jayaraman has made a choice not to convert from Hinduism, so he says hiding his caste is a lot more difficult. Many Christian and Muslim Dalit doctors hide their caste because of the protection their religion offers them. Despite this, they often find people enquiring whether they are Dalit or not, he says.
James (name changed on request), a general physician from Puducherry, says he has tried to hide his caste for years. I am originally from Tamil Nadu, but I moved to Puducherry because the caste bias is a little less here. Most people do not know I am a Dalit, and I would like to keep it that way, he says.
There are a number of doctors like James, including several prominent hospital owners. An owner of a prominent hospital in Chennai speaks of how he spent years trying to bury his caste identity. It is not because I am shy of being a Dalit, it is because many things like acquiring land, hiring doctors and other medical staff, and even hiring contractors to build the hospital become much more difficult when people know you are a Dalit, he says.
For many of the doctors, however, this tactic does not really help either, Dr Jayaraman says. His organisation, the Ambedkar Periyar Karl Marx Cultural Association has been fighting against oppression for several decades now. For every doctor who has tried to hide their caste, there are around 20 patients who make it their job to determine their caste identity. I have known of at least four Dalit doctors who are forced to pack up their practice and move every few years because someone finds out they are Dalit and then they start losing patients, he says.
Conversions and why there arent protection enough
As per the 2011 Census, Scheduled Castes make up around 21% of the states population, and the socio-economic and caste census has found that in rural Tamil Nadu, 25.55%of the households are Dalit.
Around 65% of the Christian population in the state is Dalit. According to Patrick Felix of the Dalit Christian Peoples Federation, in many villages, the Nadars, Vellallars (both OBC castes) and Dalits have separate churches, because non-Dalits cannot imagine praying in the same church as Dalits. Even Dalit priests are treated much worse than non-Dalit priests, Felix says. Among the 110 Roman Catholic churches in the Madras Diocese, there are only around 20 Dalit priests, even though the majority of the congregation is Dalit, he says.
Read | Hope and caution in Dalit leader Jignesh Mevanis rise
For Dalits who have converted to Islam, too, the discrimination continues. The most famous example is from Meenakshipuram, a village in Tirunelveli, where a group of 300 Dalit families converted to Islam in 1980 to escape oppression. These families, too, say that there is not much change in the way people view them, even though they are no longer Hindus.
According to Adhavan, Dalit Buddhists have a different set of problems. Unlike Christianity or Islam, people following Neo-Buddhism are able to keep their Scheduled Caste reservation. Unlike with Christianity and Islam, however, there is no real count of how many people have converted in the last 60 years, and no studies to show whether there is any progress, or if they are able to shed their caste identities through Buddhism.
Dr Ezhilan, who founded IlaignarIyakkam, a youth organisation that believes in educating school children about caste oppression and other social issues says that conversion may work to temporarily resolve the issue. Unless there is a deep-rooted social change, it will be difficult to bring about a change in this caste-based oppression, he says.
(Published in arrangement with GRIST Media)
Union information and broadcasting minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday defended the governments decision to take off air two news channels for a day while pointing out that 21 channels were barred from broadcasting during the Congress-led UPA regime.
Surprised by the criticism of PM by Congress VP... These sermons are coming from a party that imposed emergency for 19.5 months and put the opposition behind bars, Naidu said.
Read | Why was NDTV India banned and what does the law say?
The Union minister was reacting to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis comments that the Modi government was obsessed with power and silencing critics and the Indian democracy was passing through one of its darkest hours under the present dispensation.
The Modi government is obsessed with power, it seeks to silence all those who disagree. Hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions. Television channels are being punished and asked to shut down, Gandhi said earlier in the day.
The government has been under fire for asking three channels to go off air for a period varying from at a day to a week, for violating broadcast laws. Journalists, activists and opposition have said the one-day ban on Hindi news channel NDTV India amounted to suppressing free speech.
NDTV, which challenged the punishment in the Supreme Court during the day, was banned for revealing sensitive details during its coverage of a militant attack on the Pathankot airbase in January.
This crucial information could have been readily picked up by the militants handlers and jeopardised national security, the information and broadcasting ministry said.
Naidu said the outburst against the PM was out of frustration and depression. There is a growing intolerance in the country, our opponents are growing intolerant and trying to create problems, he said.
We are all victims of Emergency. Our leaders were out behind bars. We will never do anything that will hurt the freedom of the press.
This is the first time that a news channel has been barred from broadcasting for breaching national security laws in the country.
Read | Journalists to march in protest against ban on NDTV India today
In what speaks volumes on the deteriorating law and order situation in SAS Nagar, two groups of bouncers comprising around 30 men each fired more than 70 rounds of bullets at each other from a .32 calibre weapon and .12-bore double-barrel gun at an open ground in the heart of city in Phase-8 on Sunday about 5.30pm.
The clash between, what was essentially two mobs, was planned and left behind a terrorised city that will have an anxious night as the gun-fighters are still on the loose.
The clash spot is a mere 100m from the Phase-8 police station and is right opposite the SAS Nagar bus stand. The shower of bullets went on for around 5 minutes.
The police, now claim, that they had advance knowledge of the clash that has left two injured. However, the departments defence is that the shootout was earlier planned in Industrial Area, Chandigarh, and Mullanpur.
Old rivalry cause; Each group used 10 SUVs
Sources said the two groups one led by a bouncer Amit Sharma (also known as Meet) of Manimajra and the second led by Sonu Shah of Burail in Chandigarh have been fierce rivals for long. On Saturday, the group of Meet had allegedly thrashed a member of the Sonu Shah group at a club in Chandigarh.
Later, the two groups fixed the Phase-8 ground near the bus stand as their war venue.
Sources said Meet group was the first to open fire that was returned by the Sonu Shah group with the mayhem lasting around five minutes. The firing stopped when the Sonu group realised that two of their members were injured and needed medical attention.
One of the injured has been identified as Babloo, who received bullet wounds on his thigh and an unidentified man was injured on the chest. Both have been admitted in Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32.
A bullet recovered from the scene. (HT Photo)
Witnesses said there were 10 cars on each side and the sound of gunfire was deafening. SAS Nagar SSP Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said, We were aware that the groups had clashed in Chandigarh on Saturday and were tracking them. A case has been registered and teams have been formed to arrest the accused.
He added that the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) had prior knowledge about the groups.
The UT administration has turned down the demand of the judges of the Punjab and Haryana high court to make additions in their houses in Sector 24. UT chief architect, Kapil Setia, in his communique to the high courts registrar general on October 13 has said the proposed changes were not desirable. In August, the registrar general had sought these changes in six houses in Sector 24 occupied by the judges.
The judges wanted some value-additions which would increase the livability of the house so that occupants face no difficulty regarding shortage of space which is now being faced. The said additions could be sanctioned for all the six houses which are situated in one lane and are of same design.
The chief architect said that these changes would affect the natural light and ventilation and also would have structural and other implications. The HCs building committee had taken up the issue of these changes over two months ago. Earlier in August, the chief architect was in news for allegedly being rude with the high court.
Then, the registrar general had written a scathing letter to UT adviser Parimal Rai referring to the chief architect discourteous language. He had told the UT adviser to instruct his officers not to use impolite language.
The administration had accordingly advised the chief architect not to use impolite language while communicating with the high court.
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The inauguration of much-hyped Jang-e-Azadi memorial at Kartarpur gave some embarrassing moments for the government when the kin of freedom fighters started raising anti-Badal slogans minutes after they were honoured by the chief minister. Family members of more than 400 freedom fighters had been invited for the event.
The protesters said the government was wasting money on memorials whereas nothing was being done for their welfare. Badals had been scoring points by presenting shawls at such functions. They have not fulfilled our demands. On November 2, we met the CM in Chandigarh and put before him our demands, including free bus-pass for wards, 2% quota in government jobs and toll tax waiver. The CM assured that he will make an announcement in this regard at this function. But he did not do that, said HS Khalsa, state president of freedom fighters and successors organisation.
Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal during the inaugural ceremony of Jang-e-Azadi memorial near Kartarpur on Sunday. (Pardeep Pandit/HT Photo)
As the protestors were raising slogans against the CM and the deputy CM next to the stage, many guests, including Akali leaders, were seen leaving the venue with their faces hanging.
Jalandhar deputy commissioner KK Yadav tried to calm down the protesters, however, the protesters refused to budge and boycotted the special lunch arranged by the organisers. Some even threw away the shawls presented to them. The police then cordoned off the protesters for nearly 20 minutes and did not allow them to come out of the venue till all VIPs had left.
Punjabis can make any sacrifice for countrys unity, says CM
Recalling the sacrifices made by the Punjabis in the freedom struggle, the CM said Punjabis were ever-ready to do anything to safeguard the unity and sovereignty of the country. Addressing the gathering, Badal said despite Punjab constituting only 2.5% of the countrys population, 80% of people who were executed or incarcerated were from the state. Badal said that it was a humble effort made by the state government to set up Jang-e-Azadi memorial to perpetuate the supreme sacrifices made by our freedom fighters. Shedding light on Punjabs contribution in the freedom struggle, Sukhbir said Punjab and its people had faced maximum loss of life and property. This monument will keep reminding us of our rich history, he said. He said Shiromani Akali Dal was nobodys personal property. Neither I nor Badal sahab is the owner, SAD is a party of Punjabis meant to serve Punjab, he said. State BJP chief Vijay Sampla cautioned the public against getting trapped into the false promises being made by the Congress and the AAP
.
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Punjab Congress senior vice-president Lal Singh on Monday said if the party comes to power in Punjab it will eradicate the menace of drugs, unemployment and corruption in the first six months of it forming government.
The Congress party will finish these problems in the first six months of coming to power in 2017, he claimed after flagging off the second phase of Jawani Sambhal Yatra here in poll-bound Punjab.
The yatra will be covering 22 constituencies and will end on November 11 in Amritsar, Lal informed.
The youth of Punjab have suffered the most in the last 10 years. Drugs have entered every house and are easily
available because of the police-politico nexus being run under the SAD-BJP government, he alleged.
The wealth of the first family of Punjab has multiplied while the state has deteriorated in every sector. Corruption has engulfed every sphere of life, Lal said.
Meanwhile, Indian Youth Congress president Raja Amrinder Warring said this time the youth will bring revolution in
Punjab and strengthen the Congress party by forming government in 2017.
The youth will play a major role in the ousting of this corrupt and visionless government of SAD-BJP which has ruined the state in last 10 years, he said.
Punjab Congress legislature party chief Charanjit Singh Channi expressed shock over the insult heaped upon family members of freedom fighters during the inauguration of an incomplete Jang-e-Azadi memorial at Jalandhar on Sunday.
Demanding regularization of jobs, Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) teachers union members resumed its protest near the deputy commissioners office on Sunday. They sat outside deputy commissioners office and raised slogans against the Punjab government.
Activists from another teachers body also protested at the same site and climbed a water tank here on Sunday.
The two unions are demanding to hold a meeting for fresh talks with chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to regularise their jobs.
At present, the EGS teachers receive a salary of `5,000 per month. Many of them are single handedly managing primary schools.
They have been demanding to regularise their jobs since 2011.
We will continue to protest till the chief minister agrees to hold talks with us and fulfill our demands, EGS teachers body co-convener Gagan Abohar said. Deputy commissioner Basant Garg on Sunday evening held a meeting with the protesters to chalk out a schedule for their talks with the chief minister.
Gearing up for the upcoming assembly polls in Punjab, the BJP has planned a rally to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December, besides a programme where party chief Amit Shah will address booth-level workers in the state.
With the Congress and AAP accusing the SAD-BJP government of having failed on all fronts, the BJP has decided to contest the polls on the plank of development work carried out by the current regime in last 10 years, while highlighting the failures of the opposition parties.
We have planned a big rally in the middle of December which will be addressed by PM Narendra Modi, said Punjab BJP president Vijay Sampla. The venue for the rally has not been finalised yet.
The saffron party has also planned to hold a booth sammelan which will be addressed by partys chief Amit Shah.
A booth sammelan will be held in which Amit Shah will be present. The date is yet to be finalised for this event, Sampla said.
In this sammelan, the BJP chief will address booth-level workers of 23 assembly constituencies in which there are 4,000 booths, he said. The party has also planned to hold four more rallies which will witness participation of various Union ministers and senior leaders of the party.
Plans are afoot to invite Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, and other senior leaders for the rallies.
The four big rallies will be organised for Scheduled Castes (SC), farmers, women and youth at Jalandhar, Fazilka, Patiala and Amritsar. Developmental works carried out by the Akali-BJP regime during the last 10 years and the progress made under Narendra Modi-led Centre will be our agenda for the upcoming state polls, said Sampla.
Cant fight like Trump, Hillary: Capt
Punjab politicians are busy preparing for their own electoral battle. But the war of words between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in the US presidential election has caught the attention of at least one of them. I am not like Trump or Hillary who are fighting so bitterly. I have to do lots of work, said Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh at a press briefing last week. The former chief minister, who is leading his partys campaign in the assembly polls due early next year, made the remark after a series of queries on the rival parties. But, then, the campaign here is just hotting up.
Retd babu in Cong fold
Retired IAS officer TR Sarangal last week joined the Congress in the presence of former chief minister and state unit chief Capt Amarinder Singh. Sarangal, who retired as financial commissioner in 2013, had worked in important assignment during Amarinders tenure from 2002 to 2007. It is time to pay back, he told the gathering at the joining ceremony with Amarinder sitting beside him. He (Amarinder) gave me opportunities to work. Now when elections are approaching, it is time to be on his side, he said.
SAD halqa in-charges to reap dividends
The system of halqa in-charges adopted by the Shiromani Akali Dal had not gone down well with coalition partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A BJP panel headed by veteran leader Balramji Das Tandon, who is now the governor of Chhattisgarh, had in its report on the below-par performance of the alliance in the 2014 parliamentary polls cited the halqa in-charge system as one of the reasons for poor results.
Madan Mohan Mittal (HT Photo)
But not everyone in the BJP is opposed to it. Industries minister Madan Mohan Mittal last week said his son Arvind Mittal is halqa in-charge of Anandpur Sahib and has a strong chance of getting the party ticket in forthcoming assembly polls.
Chinese suitcases: Congmen take on Khattar govt
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Haryana has faced flak from a legislator of the opposition Congress for its hypocrisy. When China extended support to Pakistan in the aftermath of the Uri attack and blocked Indias bid for a ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, several state BJP leaders, including health minister Anil Vij, had openly backed the call for boycott of Chinese goods. On November 3, the state government gifted Made-in-China suitcases to MLAs and MPs at a convention held in Panchkula as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the state.But Congress MLAs Kuldip Sharma and Jai Tirath Dahiya were not happy with the Made in China tag. They accused the government of dohra charitra (duplicity). The ministers called for boycott of Chinese goods on social media and advocated swadeshi, but the government is promoting Chinese goods. The duality in their politics has been exposed, Sharma and Dahiya told a reporter of this newspaper.
Khattars largesse to prisoners
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced special remission of sentence for prisoners on the occasion of states golden jubilee celebrations. Before he made the announcement at a press conference on Monday, he discussed the remission move and other incentives at a meeting. When the proposal to grant special remission to prisoners came up, several officers expressed reservations about it.
Manohar Lal Khattar (HT Photo)
The relaxation in sentence, according to them, is given on Independence Day and Republic Day. There were also those who disagreed with them. The chief minister appeared keen to grant the relaxation on the special occasion. Aadmi khushi mein hi deta hai (One gives when one is happy, he said, making the decision.
OROP suicide and political drama
All prominent leaders of the Congress in Haryana thronged the village of ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal in Bhiwani after party vice-president Rahul Gandhi decided to attend the funeral ceremony. The rival factions locked in a bitter game of one-upmanship tried to show their influence in the state. Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda and Tosham MLA Kiran Choudhry reached the ex-soldiers village before 6 am on Thursday and rest of the Congress gang joined soon after.
But things turned ugly when some leaders made the family delay the cremation rituals till Rahuls arrival. More sycophancy followed after the Congress VP arrived, with several leaders of both camps pushing around mourners to guard him. While some party workers got a chance to click selfies with Rahul, a Tanwar loyalist said he managed to fix a personal meeting with him for next week.
Shanta okay with Kangra trifurcation
Before the 2012 assembly elections, when the BJP mooted the idea of dividing Kangra into three districts, former Union minister Shanta Kumar was the first to object. The Kangra MP opposed the idea tooth and nail, while his supporters went a step further, saying the division will be over their dead bodies. The octogenarian leader appears to have had a change of heart. When asked about his stand on the issue expected to crop up in the run to the assembly elections due next year, Shanta politely said: If all the political parties in the state decide so, I will support.
Virbhadras well-wishers only on paper!
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh was admitted to the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Shimla due to chest infection and congestion. His supporters rushed to the hospital in droves within hours.
Virbhadra Singh (HT Photo)
Barring the family members, the doctors did not allow anyone to meet the CM, but placed a visitors book outside his room. Though not many visitors put their signatures, there were some who did not visit the ailing chief minister but their names were recorded at three or four places.
Naddas professional and personal sides
Union health minister Jagat Parkash Nadda, who is seen by many as the BJPs face for the 2017 assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh, has cordial relations with chief minister Virbhadra Singh. When he was in Shimla for a meet the press programme, Nadda slammed Virbhadra over slackness of his government to send detailed project reports of centrally aided projects.
Jagat Parkash Nadda (HT Photo)
But soon after targeting the CM, the central minister, along with his supporters, visited the hospital to enquire about his health.
(Contributed by Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Navneet Sharma, Hardik Anand, Gaurav Bisht, Naresh K Thakur)
Taking note of alleged embezzlement of post-matric scholarships meant for Scheduled Caste (SC) students, the Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission will summon authorities of VMS College, Batala, owned by local Congress MLA Ashwani Sekhri. The college is under scanner for misappropriation scholarship funds for SC students who took admission in the 2010-2011 academic session.
Talking to HT, Punjab SC Commission chairman Rajesh Bagha said: Taking a suo motu cognisance of media reports, the commission will summon the college authorities and action will be taken if the scholarship funds have been misused.
Meanwhile, Sekhri held a press conference on Saturday and produced six SC students of the 2010-2011 batch, who said they got the scholarship and other benefits from the college administration.
SC students Inderjit Singh, Gagandeep Singh and Lovepreet Singh of the medical laboratory technology course and Lakhwinder Singh, Suman Bala and Rajni Bala of the information technology department, said they had done their diplomas from the college under SC category and had never been asked to pay fee or other expenses. The college authorities also helped them to open bank accounts through which they got scholarship, they claimed.
Terming the misappropriation allegations politically motivated, Sekhri said the college was abiding by the government rules. Over 25,000 students have completed their courses from the college in the past 15 years. We would not have been able to run the college if we had violated rules, he said.
Contrary to this, some SC students accused the college administration of depriving them of scholarship. In an affidavit, a copy of which is with HT, a student from Amritsar said he got admission to the VMS College for diploma in electrical in 2011 under SC category for which he was charged `15,000. He alleged that the college charged `2,000 as transportation fee for three months and `850 examination fee per semester.
The college authorities asked us to open an account in Allahabad Bank and took our signatures on a blank document and cheque books after which they withdrew the scholarship funds from our accounts, alleged the student.
I even approached the college chairman Ashwani Sekhri for scholarship amount, but to no avail, he alleged in the affidavit.
Another Amritsar student said she took admission for the general nursing and midwifery course in 2011 and was charged the entire fee for the four-year course. I and my friend not even got a single penny from the scholarship account, she alleged.
Retired government principal DK Verma, who worked in the VMS College as an English lecturer during the same period blamed the college administration for misappropriating SC scholarship funds. When I was a principal in a government school, the college authorities used to contact me for information regarding SC students. But when I joined the college, I came to know how the authorities used to deprive eligible students of government funds, he said.
The college authorities threatened me with dire consequences when I lodged a complaint with ministry of social justice and empowerment in 2012, he added.
Drones and closed-circuit television cameras will keep a close watch at crowded water bodies of Ranchi on the last two days of the four-day of Chhath festival, officials said on Saturday.
National Disaster Response Force personnel and rescue boats will be deployed at major water bodies in the district, including the Kanke dam, Dhurwa dam and Ranchi Lake on Sunday and Monday for the safety of devotees, said Manoj Kumar, Ranchi deputy commissioner.
The 34 major water bodies in the city have been divided into five zones with a magistrate designated for each zone. Responsibility has also been allotted to volunteers of different puja committees, he said.
CCTV cameras will be installed in five to six major water bodies in the city, including the Ranchi Lake, Kanke dam and Dhurwa dam for better security management. This apart, drones will also be used in strategic locations for aerial surveillance, Manoj told Hindustan Times.
The four-day festivalworship of the Sun Godbegan with Nahai Khai ritual on Friday and0 will conclude on Monday morning with offering Argha to the Sun God.
Chhath Puja is the biggest festival of Bihar and Jharkhand but is also celebrated with equal fervour in other states like Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and some parts of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
Hundreds of thousands of devotees throng different water bodies across Jharkhand to pay obeisance to the Sun God.
A 40-member team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is also being deployed in different water bodies, said Ashok Kumar Sharma, district disaster management officer.
More than 100 civil defense members will be deployed to assist NDRF personnel to manage the crowds in case of any untoward incident, he said.
He further said fishermen, trained as profession divers, will also be stationed at the water bodies in the city.
Tight security arrangement has also been made in the other major cities of the state, including Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, Bokaro and Hazaribag, where lakhs of devotees throng water bodies to perform Chhath rituals.
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Saturday Night Live has announced that Dave Chappelle will to host an episode of the long-running sketch and news series for the first time in his career on November 12, which will also be the first episode after the US election.
The 43-year-old actor and comedian will be hosting SNL in what is sure to be an emotionally charged episode, regardless of the outcome of Tuesdays election.
His musical guests will be legendary hip-hop act A Tribe Called Quest, who will be releasing their first album in 18 years the day before the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Chappelle has rarely made any television or other public appearances in over a decade, ever since he left his own Chappelles Show suddenly in 2005, with that series ending the following year.
However, more recently he has returned to stand-up comedy, playing 10 nights at Radio City Music Hall in the summer of 2014, plus a cameo in Spike Lees Chi-Raq.
He made his film debut in Mel Brooks Robin Hood: Men In Tights and went on to co-write and star in the 1998 classic Half-Baked. He also produced and starred in the documentary Dave Chappelles Block Party.
Follow @htshowbiz for more
Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, wants no part in it as he is superstitious about getting ahead of events, but he cant stop others, even his own campaign, from speculating who his cabinet members will be should he win.
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who emerged as an early and vociferous supporter, appears to be on the shortlist for the all-powerful position as the countrys top diplomat, the secretary of state, according to an NBC news report.
That should be good news for India, if it happens. Gingrich has been an outspoken supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and told reporters on the sidelines of the Republican party convention in July that Modi and Trump are a natural fit.
Gingrich is also honorary chairman of the Hindu Republican Coalition, a pressure group that its founding chairman Shalabh Kumar, a Chicago businessman, says was inspired and blessed by the powerful Jewish Republican Coalition.
Some Indian Americans are trying to promote former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal for the position of secretary of state. But campaign insiders averred that was a dead-on-arrival idea, given Jindals desire to not be associated with the community.
Gingrich has much more going for him he was on Trumps shortlist for running mate, with governor Chris Christie. They lost to Indiana governor Mike Pence, but remain close to Trump, and often find themselves in the role of truth-tellers.
Christie also heads Trumps transition team, which will select nearly 3,000 political appointees that come and go with the president, but has shunned the limelight lately because of a controversy regarding his New Jersey administration.
Former US general Michael Flynn, who took early retirement from the government some say he was pushed out and has been a harsh critic of President Barack Obama, will likely be Trumps defence secretary, according to the same report.
Flynn has been Trumps top surrogate on defence and national security issues, of which the nominee has displayed little or no understanding. He has also been speculated about as the National Security Adviser, a powerful White House position.
Rudy Giuliani, who became known across the world as mayor of New York city at the time of the September 11 attacks, could be Trumps attorney general. He is a former prosecutor and has emerged as Trumps top dirty-tricks man.
The campaign has banked on Giuliani to reprise right-wing conspiracies, completely bereft of facts, from Hillary Clintons health to her impending indictment. He has also played the role of a travelling baby-sitter to Trump, keeping him focussed.
Trump campaign finance committee chairman Steve Munchin could land the position of treasury secretary, with the task of implementing his leading campaign promise to go after China for currency manipulation.
Reince Priebus, the Republican national committee chairman who is said to have gained the trust of Trump, was cited as a contender for the position of chief of staff, a powerful White House position controlling access to the president.
Asked for comments, campaign spokesperson Hope Hicks told NBC none of it was accurate, and that Trump had not given cabinet formation much thought as he is entirely focused on the campaign and the American people.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told crowds in Michigan and Minnesota on Sunday his administration would not admit refugees without local support, using appearances in states with growing Muslim communities to criticise Democrat Hillary Clintons support for accepting people fleeing Syria.
Trump said in Minneapolis that people there had already seen the results of faulty vetting with Minnesotas community of Somali Muslims. He said what was happening in Michigan, home to several cities with Muslim communities, was disgraceful.
Trump held rallies in both states as part of his final push toward Tuesdays presidential election, even though Michigan and Minnesota traditionally support Democrats in White House races.
Here in Michigan, youve seen firsthand the problems caused with the refugee program ... it puts your security at risk and it puts enormous pressure on your schools and your community resources, Trump told an outdoor rally in Sterling Heights.
A Trump administration will not admit any refugees without the support of the local community.
Muslim American groups have criticised Trump for comments such as endorsing police profiling as an anti-terrorism tactic. He initially called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States, later changing it to bar immigration from what he called terror-prone regions until extensive vetting measures were in place.
Clinton has praised Democratic President Barack Obamas plan to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees in 2016 and said the United States could do more.
Trump said her plan to admit refugees from Syria would import generations of terrorism, extremism and radicalism.
His vow to block people fleeing Islamic State violence in Syria and instead form safe zones in the Middle East has been a theme of his campaign.
On Sunday, Trump framed the issue in local terms. What was happening in Minnesota was a disaster, he told the crowd at a Minneapolis airplane hangar.
Some of them, theyre joining ISIS, theyre spreading their extremist views all over the country, he said of refugees there, citing a September stabbing attack in St. Cloud, Minnesota, as justification for his proposals.
Somalis began arriving in Minnesota in the late 1980s and early 1990s, fleeing a civil war in their Horn of Africa nation. There are about 39,000 living in the state, according to US census data from 2014.
Somali-Americans have expressed concern about how they are perceived after a trial earlier this year where three young men from the community were convicted of trying to join Islamic State.
Three Indian movies will be part of the Cairo International Film Festival, running from November 15 to 24. What is most remarkable is that one of them, The Narrow Path (Ottayaal Paatha in Malayalam) by brothers Satish and Santosh Babusenan, has been included in the main International Competition. The film will compete for the festivals top honours along with 15 other titles from several countries like Egypt, Poland, France, Spain and China.
Shockingly, Babusenans work has not been selected by the International Film Festival of India (IFFI, to be held in Panaji from November 20) for its Indian Panorama. Lauded as a section that showcases the cream of Indian cinema, the Panorama this year is conspicuous by two other misses. And mind you, these movies have been helmed by masters: Adoor Gopalakrishnans Malayalam work, Pinneyum (Once Again), and Buddhadeb Dasguptas Bengali creation, Tope (The Bait). While any major film festival -- like Cannes, Venice or Berlin -- will always programme the work of a master if it is submitted (and let the critics and audience decide how good or bad it is), IFFI appears to have ignored this cardinal rule.
A scene from The Narrow Path (Ottayaal Paatha in Malayalam) by brothers Satish and Santosh Babusenan. (Cairo International Film Festival)
The Narrow Path is a fascinating study of guilt and sacrifice, supreme sacrifice. Narrated through sparse frames and economy of words, the movie tells us the tragic story of how a grown-up son, Akhil (played by Sarath Sabha), is caught between the love for his girlfriend, Nina (Krishnapriya), and his affection for his old father, Vikraman (K Kaladharan). The elderly man is practically bed-ridden with complications arising out of diabetes severely restricting his mobility. When out of bed, he has to hop on to a wheelchair, and he needs constant care. And when Nina, hailing from an upper class family, suggests to Akhil that the two go away to Bengaluru, the invitation is tantalisingly tempting. For him the new city will be like a breath of much-needed oxygen, but the son is wracked by dilemma. Could he possibly leave his infirm father behind to be taken care of by paid employees?
Half Ticket is the Marathi remake of Tamil hit, Kaaka Muttai. (Cairo International Film Festival)
The second Indian film, Half Ticket (in Marathi by Samit Kakkad), is a remake of the riveting Tamil work, Kaaka Muttai. Kakkad, whose first feature was Aayna Ka Bayna, told this writer some months ago that he would not touch the soul of the original, but would merely carry out some cosmetic changes to include certain nuances of the Marathi language. The setting would be Mumbai, not Chennai as it was in Kaaka Muttai, whose music director, GV Prakash Kumar, had been roped in for the Marathi edition as well.
Kaaka Muttai was a delightful movie about two little boys from the slums who go to the quirkiest of extent to earn that Rs 300 needed to buy themselves a pizza from an outlet which opens next to their shanty. It is both novel and hilarious when the two get a makeshift pull-cart to transport sozzled men from the roadside bar to their homes -- in order to earn a few rupees. At other times, the children pick coal that drops from passing steam engines to feed their family of a mother (played with extraordinary ease by Iyshwarya Rajesh) and a grandmother. The father is in jail, and the wife is struggling to get him out on bail -- grappling as she is with crooked lawyers.
Konkona Sen Sharma from a scene in Lipstick Under My Burkha. (Cairo International Film Festival)
The third Indian entry, Alankrita Shrivastavas Lipstick Under My Burkha (Lipstick Waale Sapne in Hindi), which won a prize at the recent Tokyo International Film Festival, paints the painful lives of four women in Bhopal bearing the brunt of societal prejudices. Despite being unfulfilled and unhappy, they are gutsy enough to dream. With an excellent star cast that includes Ratna Shah Pathak and Konkana Sen Sharma, Shrivastavas work was a hit in Tokyo -- and may well prove as popular in the historic city by the Nile.
(Gautaman Bhaskaran will cover the Cairo International Film Festival.)
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A US citizen who was detained for more than a year and a half by the Houthi faction in Yemen has been released, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday.
Wallead Yusuf Pitts Luqman was freed with assistance from Oman, Kerry said in a statement, adding that he and his aides had been focused on the case since Luqman was detained.
We also recognize this positive gesture by the Houthis, Kerry said.
The Houthis, a Shiite Muslim group, and forces loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh are fighting a civil war against ousted, but internationally recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.
Luqman is the third American held by the Houthis to be released since mid-October. The government of Oman, a US ally in the Gulf, mediated in each case.
News reports have described Luqman as a former US Marine who was abducted in April 2015 while trying to leave Yemen, where he had been teaching English.
Following the release of two US citizens from Yemen on October 15, a woman who identified herself as Luqmans wife urged his release.
While other Americans continue to be released, Wallead is left behind. Wallead has missed too much, his children need him in their life, he needs to come home now, she wrote on Facebook.
A senior State Department official said Kerry was personally involved in securing Luqmans release, working closely with Omani officials and meeting with Luqmans family a few weeks ago to update them on his efforts.
Kerry called the family on Sunday to make sure they knew he was getting released, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Omans state news agency ONA reported earlier on Sunday that an American held in Yemen, whom it did not identify, was released in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital of Sanaa and flown to Oman aboard an Omani royal air force jet.
The campaign for the 2016 US presidential elections began against a backdrop of already rising Islamophobia with hundreds of incidents of anti-Muslim violence and vandalism being reported in the country.
Republican candidate Donald Trumps rhetorics on Islam and Muslims have raised concerns among American Muslims and added to the anti-Muslim sentiments.
With barely a few hours remaining to the polling, Hindustan Times contacted some prominent American Muslims through email asking them about their views on Trump and the elections this year.
Heres what they had to say:
Wajahat Ali is a writer and former journalist at Al Jazeera America. The 36-year-old is also the director of Affinis Labs, an award-winning social entrepreneurial hub in Virginia. He lives in Washington DC.
Growing up a Muslim in America, my life, for the most part, has been privileged, safe and Ive lived and thrived with diverse community members. I never thought wed live to see a day where a Republican presidential candidate will advocate a ban of 1.6 billion Muslims and promise to have the rest of us undergo extreme vetting. It is sad, discouraging and bit frightening - especially with the rise in anti-Muslim incidents, assaults, violent, vandalism against mosques and harassment and bullying of Muslim kids.
Read| Trump proposes extreme vetting of immigrants in anti-IS plan
Shadi Hamid, 33, is a senior fellow in the Project on US Relations with the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution and author of Islamic Exceptionalism: How the Struggle Over Islam Is Reshaping the World. He lives in Washington DC.
To be a Muslim in the era of Trump has, sadly, become a more fraught thing. We have become an object of concern and fear. I remember walking into a cafe in a rural part of Florida after Trump announced his ban on Muslim immigration. There was something almost surreal about it and Im not sure I ever felt anything quite like that before. I wasnt me. I was part of this inchoate collective - a collective that was apparently a threat to the country I loved.
Read| Donald Trump calls for complete shutdown on Muslims entering US
Murtuza Husain, 29, is a New York-based journalist and political commentator. His work focuses on human rights, foreign policy and cultural affairs.
It is uncomfortable to witness the rise of anti-Muslim populism in the country as exemplified by Trump. We are hoping he will lose in the election ... He has unleashed negative passions in the society that are going to be with us for a long time. As Muslims, I think that most of us feel relatively secure and confident, but things can change quite quickly particularly when an economic downturn happens. His candidacy is a wake-up call for our activism and advocacy for the future.
Omer Aziz, 26, lives in New Haven. He is a student at Yale Law School and a writer who publishes in various magazines. He formerly worked for the United Nations.
In one awful respect, I am glad for Trump because he has brought the racism and xenophobia underlying our society to the forefront. Trump is not this foreign monster who has come out of nowhere; he is a representative of a large part of the American people; he is the winner of 14 million votes in the Republican primaries the largest victory ever. Donald Trump is to America what the RSS is to India - a chauvinist and nationalist who exploits peoples worries by scapegoating others.
Ambarien AlQadar is an award-winning Indian filmmaker teaching at The Rochester Institute of Technology Film Program. She lives in Rochester.
At a local church event, the morning speaker sometimes asks the question: Why are Muslims so violent? It is a deeply discomforting moment because it forces me to speak as a Muslim in a moment when I am trying to find my new bearings. I am aware that Mr Trump might be the next president. If thats the verdict of the American people, then I respect it. In the same moment, I feel the need for a grassroots movement lead by peace loving Muslims who can spread love in times of hate.
American Muslim, Khizr Khan electrified the Democratic convention with a tribute to his fallen son that ended with a steely rebuke that Trump had "sacrificed nothing" for his country.. (AFP File Photo)
Dr Sayed Ammar Nakshawani, 35, is from London now settled in Washington DC. He is a professor and the Imam Ali Chair of Shia studies at Hartford Seminary as well as an Islamic subject matter expert, scholar and author. He is listed as one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World.
It is an honour to be an American Muslim. There is more free thought in the United States of America than in many Muslim majority countries in Asia and Middle East and we live either as brethren in faiths or equals in humanity. Yes, naturally there may be some politically motivated people with prejudices or bigotry but the Muslims are not the first to face this in the United States, this period will pass and we shall overcome to live in peace.
Abbas Kadhim, 48, is a senior foreign policy fellow, FPI-SAIS, Johns Hopkins University. He lives in Washington.
The fears about Donald Trumps America are exaggerated. We are going to elect a president, not an emperor. There are institutions and the constitution of the United States of America guarantees that it will preserve the rights of Muslim Americans no matter who the president will be, whether Hillary or Trump. Both candidates have merits and shortcomings in all political, social and economic fields. The election should focus on these and balance them on all aspects, not just the issue of their views on Muslims and Islam.
Read| Trump or Clinton: Poor choices for America in this presidential election
Dr Zaineb Hussain is a clinical pharmacist and a member of Baqee Organization, a coalition of American Muslim citizens. She is in her 40s and lives in Chicago.
Im deeply concerned about my sisters in faith who have had their hijabs snatched due to religious discrimination in current times. Although I say as a Muslim woman I always take the opportunity to point out the difference between Wahhabism and Islam and hopefully more Muslims will jump on this bandwagon to seize this opportunity. I uphold the optimistic torch that maybe Mr Donald Trumps racial discrimination will force the world to realise that there is no such thing as Islamic terrorism, rather the correct term is Wahhabi terrorism.
Zahra Khan, 58, is an accountant and lives in San Francisco. Her name has been changed on her request.
America is a multi-cultural country where everyone loves each other, cultures are respected, people respect each others faith, and most importantly for Muslims Americans, for Hijab wearing Muslim American women, the workspaces here have always been welcoming and with great warmth and respect. When Trump says, Make American Great Again, he actually means Make America White Again. Let us remind him that America was and is already a great country. It does not need people like Trump to add to its greatness.
Also read| Its election night in America tomorrow, heres all you need to know
The author tweets at @rizviuzair
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Chinas parliament adopted a controversial cybersecurity law on Monday, the official Xinhua news agency said, a move likely to trigger concern from foreign governments, business communities and rights groups.
Xinhua did not give further details.
Overseas critics of the law say it threatens to shut foreign technology companies out of various sectors deemed critical, and includes contentious requirements for data to be stored on servers located in China.
Chinas rubber-stamp Parliament ruled on Monday that two elected lawmakers in Hong Kong will not be allowed to hold office because they refused to take the official oath as a show of defiance against Beijing.
Beijings rare intervention in semi-autonomous Hong Kongs politics is being seen as the latest sign of the mainlands attempt to tighten its grip on the city, ruled under the one country, two systems protocol.
Pro-independence legislators Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung had refused to swear allegiance to Beijing last month.
The intervention by the National Peoples Congress (NPC) was done according to the interpretation of a Hong Kong law that says legislators must take swear allegiance to the mainland.
Chinas top legislature on Monday adopted an interpretation of Article 104 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) by a unanimous vote, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Article 104 states: When assuming office, the chief executive, principal officials, members of the executive council and of the legislative council, judges of courts at all levels and other members of the judiciary in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region must, in accordance with law, swear to uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China and swear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China.
The report explained the decision was taken under the Basic Law, which has governed Hong Kong since the former British territory returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
It amounted to the Chinas most direct intervention since the handover. The one country, two systems formula gives Hong Kong considerable autonomy, including judicial freedom.
Leung Chun-ying, the Beijing-backed chief executive of Hong Kong, was quoted by news agencies as saying: What is a constitutional fact is that Hong Kong has been part of China, is part of China and will be part of China.
But Kevin Yam, convener of the Progressive Lawyers Group, told Bloomberg: This is a disaster for the standing of the judiciary in Hong Kong, but it goes beyond the judiciaryWe are essentially seeing an encroachment into Hong Kongs legislative autonomy.
According to Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post newspaper, there was a tense standoff overnight between police and protesters outside the central governments liaison office in Sai Wan on Sunday night.
The clash between officers and the 4,000-strong crowd gathered in the area to protest against Beijings intervention in the oath-taking saga saw the use of pepper spray by police, while one officer was allegedly injured by protesters hurling bricks, the report said. At least four people were arrested.
Beijing said on Monday there was no change in its stand on blocking New Delhis bid to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), days before members of the elite club gather in Vienna for a crucial meeting.
China is among the countries that stopped India from becoming a member of the 48-member NSG, which controls trade in nuclear technology, saying countries that havent signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) cannot be allowed into the group not at least till the rules are amended through consensus.
This Friday in Vienna, a plenary session of the NSG will be held. Our position is subject to no change as of date, foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told a regular news briefing on Monday.
China and a few other countries such as Austria, South Africa and New Zealand had blocked Indias entry to the NSG at its Seoul meeting in June.
Referring to a meeting between National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and state councillor Yang Jiechi in Hyderabad last Friday, Lu said China was in close contact with relevant parties, including India, and has been having constructive dialogue and coordination on the issue.
They also discussed issues that have cropped up in bilateral relations. They agreed to maintain contact and control and manage relevant issues to ensure steady development of bilateral relations, Lu said.
Last week, Beijing had again proposed a two-step approach first find a universal way to allow non-NPT countries to become NSG members, and then discuss country-specific applications.
That was after the second round of talks on the NSG issue between Amandeep Singh Gill, joint secretary for disarmament and international security in the external affairs ministry, and Wang Qun, director general of the department of arms control, in Beijing on October 31. The first round of discussions was held in New Delhi in September.
The talks were substantive and constructive. The engagement will continue as per the directive of the leadership, a source said after last weeks talks.
A statement issued by Beijing on September 13 had said that China supports the notion of two-step approach within the (NSG) to address the above question, ie, at the first stage, to explore and reach agreement on a non-discriminatory formula applicable to all the non-NPT states, and to proceed to take up country-specific membership issues at the second stage.
Pakistani officials said Indian troops have opened fire across the Line of Control, killing three civilians and wounding six others as both the nations troops continued to trade heavy fire.
Adnan Khurshid, a local administrator, said Monday that Indian troops targeted civilian population in three villages. He said three civilians were wounded.
Waheed Khan, administrator of Neelum district, said an Indian shell exploded near a house in the Hatmuqam area, wounding three.
An army spokesman, Col Nitin Joshi, blamed Pakistani troops for unprovoked firing into the Indian side but said there were no casualties. Joshi said Indian soldiers retaliated with massive fire assaults.
In a move both welcomed and slammed as too late by some critics, the FBI told US congress Sunday it had found nothing new on Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons use of a private email server to change its earlier conclusion to not recommend charges against her.
Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusion that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton, FBI director James Comey wrote to congressional leaders, effectively ending a probe that has dogged Clintons presidential campaign since the beginning.
Comey said no reasonable prosecutor would recommend Clinton face criminal charges for using a private email system while at the state department.
Clinton had not commented on the development till the writing of this report but campaign spokesperson Brian Fallon welcomed it in a Twitter post: We were always confident nothing would cause the July decision to be revisited. Now Director Comey has confirmed it.
But surrogates and pundits sympathetic to the Clinton campaign grumbled that the announcement came too late to undo the damage over the nine days since Comeys first letter, which was used by Republican nominee Donald Trump and his allies to go on the offensive and catch up with Clinton in polls.
Trump, campaigning in Michigan, challenged the FBIs ability to review the newly discovered emails so quickly and argued that Clinton was being protected by a rigged system.
Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it, the FBI knows it, the people know it, Trump declared. Now its up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on November 8.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump points to the audience at a campaign rally in Sterling Heights, Michigan. (AP Photo)
Read more| Hillary and Trump scramble to win hearts in battleground states
Comey had closed in July the investigation into Clintons use of a private email server as secretary of state, saying while she had been extremely careless, the agency had not found any evidence to recommend her prosecution.
But in a stunning development nine days ago, Comey wrote to congress that the agency had found new evidence that could be pertinent to that investigation emails on a laptop seized from Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin, who was being investigated for texting explicit pictures of himself to a minor girl.
While Comey gave no details of the review on Sunday, multiple US news media outlets reported that nearly all the emails on the laptop were either duplicates already investigated by the agency or purely personal.
That being the case, many critics of the FBI director asked why was he in such a hurry to announce them even before ascertaining how serious they were?
Dianne Feinstein, a senior Democratic senator, said in a statement that the new letter made Comeys earlier action even more troubling There is no doubt it created a false impression about the nature of the agencys enquiry. She went on to seek measures to prevent similar actions that could influence future elections.
Read | Leaked emails show Hillary Clinton asked about Amitabh Bachchan
As a shell-shocked Clinton campaign had tried to deal with the earlier letter that came just 11 days before elections cautiously at first and then more aggressively attacking Comey for being irresponsible, even President Barack Obama weighed in her poll numbers began tanking.
In RealClearPolitics average of polls, Clintons lead over Trump dropped from nearly six points before Comeys first letter to under two, and in FiveThirtyEights forecast of chances she was down from 81% to 65%.
Worse, and something that could not be immediately measured, was the impact that the first letter may have had on people who voted early, especially in critical battleground states such as Florida, North Carolina, Colorado and Nevada. More than 37 million Americans of the 146 million registered voters had cast their votes till Saturday. As many as 218 million Americans are eligible to vote.
(With inputs from agencies)
Click here for full coverage on US presidential election
Hundreds of families have been driven out of the Iraqi city of Kirkuk in apparent retaliation for a recent attack by the Islamic State group, Amnesty International said on Monday.
Authorities in the Kurdish-controlled city demolished the homes of hundreds of Arab residents and ordered them to leave Kirkuk in the wake of the attack on October 21, the London-based rights group said.
Those displaced include an estimated 250 families who had fled to Kirkuk, which lies in an oil-rich area around 240 kilometres north of Baghdad, from other areas in Iraq.
An additional 190 families were said to have been displaced from nearby villages by Kurdish Peshmerga and Asayesh forces.
Read | Bomb blast kills 12 displaced Iraqi civilians fleeing Hawijah: Officials
Amnesty said those forced from their homes were told to return to their places of origin or moved to camps, after being suspected of helping IS coordinate its attack.
Three days of clashes left at least 46 people dead, mostly members of the security forces.
The governor of Kirkuk province, Najmeddin Karim, told AFP at least 81 jihadists were killed while several others were detained.
Read | 18 killed in Iraq suicide bombings claimed by Islamic State
Amnestys report quoted residents as saying homes were demolished on October 25, a day after Karim announced the attack was over.
Lynn Maalouf, Amnestys deputy director for research in Beirut, said destroying homes without military necessity amounts to a war crime.
Forcibly evicting and displacing Sunni Arab residents of Kirkuk is unlawful and cruel.
Kurdish authorities must immediately put an end to unlawful destruction of civilian property and forced displacement, Maalouf said.
The brazen raid on Kirkuk appeared to be an attempt by IS to divert attention from Mosul, where a major offensive is under way to retake the city from the jihadists.
Read | Iraqi forces evacuate 1,000 civilians from Mosul front lines
An Indian man who triggered a bomb scare at Geneva airport to avoid missing his flight has been jailed and hit with a massive bill to compensate police for time wasted, media reported Monday.
Geneva police have told a 39-year-old Indian man to pay 50,000 Swiss francs (Rs 34 lakh, $ 51, 200) after he told an airline employee at Genevas Cointrin airport there was a bomb on a plane he was rushing to catch last month, the Le Matin daily reported.
The man, whose name was not given, reportedly made the claim to an Aeroflot employee on October 13 in a bid to cause a delay on the Moscow-bound plane and avoid missing the flight, as well as his planned connection on to India.
The man, who lives in the Swiss town of Montreux, was arrested at the airport and sentenced to six months prison, Le Matin reported.
Geneva police chief Francois Waridel told Le Matin that the amount billed would be enough to pay the 101 police officers and six public security agents who were called in to respond to the alert, pointing out that the 116 passengers had been disembarked to allow a thorough search of the plane.
Considering the times we are living in, we have to take a maximum of security precautions, he explained.
This marks the second time in as many months that Geneva police have showed they will make hoaxsters pay dearly for fake bomb scares.
In September, Geneva police slapped a Frenchwoman with an even steeper bill after she triggered a bomb scare at the Cointrin airport on July 26 to exact revenge on her husbands mistress.
The 41-year-old mother-of-four, whose name has not been given, was asked to dish out 90,000 Swiss francs to pay for the police deployment after she called the airport to say the woman travelling with her husband was carrying a bomb in her luggage.
The woman, who lives in Annecy, was also sentenced in France to six months in prison over the fake bomb alert.
A UN peacekeeper from Togo and two Malian civilians were killed Sunday in an attack on a military convoy as it passed through central Mali, the UN said.
At around 10:30 am (1030 GMT) a MINUSMA logistics convoy was the target of a complex attack 45 kilometres (30 miles) north of Douentza, in the Mopti region, the peacekeeping mission said in a statement.
More than 11,000 UN police and military are currently serving in Mali, attempting to guarantee security in lawless swathes of the vast Sahel nation.
Seven other peacekeepers, also from Togo, were wounded in the attack according to the statement.
After a mine or improvised explosive device was detonated, attackers opened fire on the convoy, the statement said, without identifying the assailants.
MINUSMA said Malian police would investigate the presence of the two civilians following the convoy.
An African military source working within the UN mission told AFP the wounded were quickly evacuated to receive medical treatment.
More than 30 MINUSMA troops have been killed this year, more than in any other UN peacekeeping mission.
It has been plagued by logistical failings and the UN has admitted instances of torture and sexual abuse by staff, as well as one instance of causing the death of a detainee.
The Mopti attack took place as Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan held talks with top officials in Bamako ahead of the deployment of 600 Canadian peacekeepers to Africa, and possibly to Mali.
The United Nations has expressed interest in having Canadian tactical helicopters deployed in the region once Dutch aircraft leave in January.
Further underscoring the fragility of Malis security situation on Sunday, armed men ransacked an army base in the restive north, stealing weapons and vehicles as troops fled their positions.
MINUSMA deployed in Mali in 2013, a few months after a French counter-terrorism force deployed in the country.
A French soldier in this force was killed late Friday in a mine blast near the northern town of Kidal in an attack claimed by the Islamist group Ansar Dine, which has ties to Al-Qaeda.
Pakistans continued use of front companies and other deceptive methods to obtain dual-use goods for its nuclear programme means it cannot expect to be welcomed into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), a new report by experts at Kings College of London has said.
The report contends that the scale of Islamabads procurement of sensitive material from Beijing is so substantial that it must be concluded that the Chinese state is either complicit in supplying Pakistans programmes, or negligent in its control over state-owned enterprises.
Pakistans strategic nuclear and missile industries, prepared by Project Alpha of the Centre for Science and Security Studies at Kings College, concluded Pakistan has a deliberate strategy of using deceptive methods to obtain dual-use goods that has been demonstrated by its systematic use of front companies to supply its strategic industries.
Islamabad also maintains a network of at least 20 trading companies in mainland China, Hong Kong, Dubai and Singapore that it uses to covertly funnel dual-use goods to its strategic programmes.
While the full extent of their overseas operations are not clear, these trading companies probably purchase goods from manufacturers in China, Europe, the United States and elsewhere and then arrange their export to Pakistan, the report said.
Read | India responsible with its nuclear technology: US defence secy Ash Carter
The deceptive methods of acquiring dual-use goods undermines Pakistans claim that it is a responsible actor in the non-proliferation domain: Pakistan cannot expect to be welcomed into the NSG when it continues to secretly and systematically undermine NSG members national export control systems by targeting companies through the use of front companies and other deceptive techniques, the report said.
The conclusion is significant as Pakistan recently applied for entry to the NSG, an elite club that controls trade in nuclear technology and materials, soon after Indias bid for membership. However, Pakistans close ally China effectively blocked Indias application.
Project Alpha was established in 2011 with funding from the British government to counter illicit nuclear proliferation-related trade. It is headed by Ian Stewart, who was seconded to Kings College from Britains defence ministry.
The researchers analysed information that was till now fragmented and uncollated, including trade data, academic papers, contractor websites and corporate newsletters, and developed a representation of the organisational structure of Pakistans strategic industries and their procurement entities.
Some of the material is so sensitive that Project Alpha only made public a redacted version of its report.
Read | Pakistan hopeful of non-testing nuclear accord with India
China is the most important supplier of all forms of goods to Pakistans nuclear and missile programmes, and most procurements from China are probably from unwitting private suppliers.
But, on a smaller scale, Chinese state and private entities continue to knowingly supply Pakistans strategic programmes with sensitive equipment, the report said.
Islamabads reliance on Beijing for sensitive technologies is not surprising as Pakistan is a strategic ally of China. However, it does nonetheless raise questions about Chinas commitment to the principles of the export control regimes which it claims to subscribe, the report added.
Pakistan wants to expand its civil nuclear programme with outside assistance and perhaps even to become a nuclear exporter and yet does not want to accept the international rules associated with responsible non-proliferation behaviour, the report said.
Islamabad has rejected the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty and not signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. It continues to keep most of its nuclear fuel cycle off-limits to IAEA inspection. These refusals in themselves make Pakistans push to join the NSG hard to accept, it added.
Pakistans extensive procurements of dual-use goods from abroad suggests its strategic industries are not as self-sufficient as Islamabad has long claimed, the report said. Pakistan has named less than a dozen of the main organisations involved in its nuclear and missile programmes and it has certainly not made reference to the web of clandestine front companies that these organisations use to conduct procurement activity, it said.
Read | Real risk to Pakistani nukes comes from its army, not terrorists, says former NSA
Islamabad continues its forty-year history of covert procurement for its nuclear weapon programme largely unabated and Project Alphas study showed that Pakistan continues to engage in deceptive procurement tactics aimed at defeating national export controls in countries across the world in order to build strategic capabilities at home.
Pakistan has questions to answer about how it will reconcile these activities with its goals of joining the NSG and most NSG members are likely to be sceptical of any response. Islamabad has only a few allies in its quest to build strategic capabilities, albeit ones whose commitment is not wholly known, the report said.
Our analysis shows that China continues to aid Pakistans missile programmes through repeated sales of sensitive dual-use technology. If Beijing has intended for these exports to be clandestine, it has failed in its tradecraft. If Beijing is unaware of the extent that its state-owned enterprises are supplying Pakistans missile industries, then it has failed in its oversight.
Either way, Beijing will need to adjust its sales relationship with Pakistan in order to avoid international criticism.
Pakistan, which is said to have the worlds fastest growing nuclear arsenal, also continues to improve its fissile material production facilities, develop tactical nuclear weapons and work on enhanced nuclear delivery systems, probably including submarine-based second strike capability.
It added, In secret...Pakistan continues to procure dual-use technology from abroad for its nuclear weapon and missile programmes on a vast scale.
Pakistan targets companies worldwide for nuclear and missile-related dual-use equipment, often through layers of middlemen and front companies. Virtually all state-controlled entities in Pakistans strategic programmes maintain front companies, most likely for the purpose of defeating export control efforts in other countries.
Analysis by Project Alpha of Pakistani procurements revealed hundreds of imports over the past five years, with most imports made by front companies not obviously affiliated with strategic industries.
It has been possible to identify these as procurements for nuclear- and missile-related end-users mostly because of poor tradecraft on the part of Pakistani procurers: they use common addresses; common telephone numbers, and repeatedly use the same, limited network of suppliers abroad for dual-use technologies that can be clearly identified as for missile-related or nuclear-related purposes, the report said.
IAEA safeguards too have limited reach in Pakistan, which has an agreement with the UN watchdog whereby only six facilities and specific materials are subject to safeguards.
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An Israeli court sentenced a Palestinian teenager Monday to 12 years in prison for the stabbing of two Israelis, one of the most high-profile attacks in a recent wave of violence.
Ahmed Manasra, 14, was earlier found guilty of the attempted murder of a 20-year-old and a 12-year-old boy in the Jewish settlement neighbourhood of Pisgat Zeev in annexed east Jerusalem.
He was 13 at the time of the October 2015 attack that led to a propaganda war between Palestinians and Israelis, sparked by surveillance footage later released of the incident.
Manasra carried out the attack along with his 15-year-old cousin Hassan, who was shot dead by security forces.
The two Israelis were seriously wounded.
In addition to the jail term, the Jerusalem district court ordered Manasra to pay 80,000 shekels ($21,000, 19,000 euros) in compensation to the adult victim and 100,000 to the boy, the ruling said.
His lawyer Lea Tsemel said she planned to appeal the sentence.
The sentencing and trial were closed to journalists because Manasra is a minor. Prosecutors had requested 12 years.
Although the accused was a minor, he tried to harm human life and there is no other option than to give him jail time, prosecutor Yuval Keidar told journalists after the sentencing.
Manasra had earlier pleaded not guilty, saying he had not personally stabbed either of the victims and had only intended to frighten them.
The teenager appeared calm as he entered and left the courtroom in east Jerusalem on Monday. His father refused comment, asking journalists to leave him alone.
Our defeat, of the legal team, is a very small defeat compared to the wide and deep defeat of both the Israeli society and the court, said defence lawyer Tsemel.
She said that everyone talked about the full rehabilitation he is going through. Everyone talked about a kid whos not dangerous at all.
And despite this, the court approved the prosecutions claim and gave him the full sentence, plus an unimaginable and not-possible fine.
- Video prompts controversy -
The incident came at the beginning of a months-long wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks.
Footage released by Israeli authorities in the wake of the attack purported to show the cousins -- knives in hand -- following the Israeli victims.
It also showed Manasra, who was hit by a car as they fled, lying bleeding on the ground in the aftermath of the attack while Israeli onlookers shouted abuse.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas later claimed he had been executed while Israel scrambled to release video of him sitting up and eating in a Jerusalem hospital bed.
Since October 2015, violence has claimed the lives of 238 Palestinians, 36 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count.
Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Others were shot dead during protests and clashes, while some were killed in air strikes in the Gaza Strip.
Most of the attacks were by lone-wolf assailants, many of them young people including teenagers.
Many analysts say Palestinian frustration with the Israeli occupation and settlement-building in the West Bank, comatose peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have helped feed the unrest.
Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a leading cause.
Firebrand Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday he would cancel an order for about 27,000 American-made assault rifles, in his latest display of defiance against the United States.
The rifles were due to be provided to the Philippine police but Duterte said he would look for cheaper alternatives.
The (rifles) that were ordered already, I am ordering the police to cancel it. Well just have to look for another source that is cheaper and maybe as durable and as good, Duterte said.
The status of the order had become cloudy over the past week after the Philippine media reported the US government would not deliver the weapons because of concerns about Dutertes war on drugs and other crime, which has claimed more than 4,100 lives in four months.
Dutertes spokesman said last week those reports were not accurate, and the US arms would be delivered as promised. But the president also made comments last week which appeared to indicate he believed the Americans had cancelled the planned delivery.
Since taking office on June 30, Duterte has launched repeated tirades against the US for criticising his drug war and said he wants to loosen the Philippines dependence on its former colonial ruler.
The US and the Philippines are bound by a mutual defence pact, but Duterte has said he wants to kick out American forces.
On a state visit to Beijing last month, he announced the Philippines separation from the US and declared he was in Chinas ideological flow. Duterte walked back from those remarks after returning to the Philippines, saying he would not sever ties with the US.
But he has continued to launch near-daily criticisms of US colonial rule of the Philippines from 1898-1946, as well as of current American foreign policy.
The Russian army on Monday denied any children were present in a school in Syrias Idlib province where 28 people were killed in an October airstrike blamed on Moscow.
Russia has denied having any role in air strikes that the UN childrens agency Unicef said killed 22 students and six teachers at the school in the village of Hass in northwest Syria on October 26.
No proof, even indirect, that children were present in the building, army spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said at the time that the attack on the school in the rebel-held province could amount to a war crime and urged a thorough investigation.
On Sunday, Human Rights Watch repeated the war crime accusation, provoking Mondays angry response from the spokesperson who said the groups statement does not hold water.
Moscow has been conducting a bombing campaign in Syria in support of long-time ally Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad since September 2015.
More than 300,000 people have been killed since Syrias war devolved from a widespread protest movement against Assads rule in March 2011 to a multi-front war between rebels, jihadists, Kurds and regime forces.
UN talks to implement the landmark Paris climate pact opened in Marrakesh on Monday, buoyed by gathering momentum but threatened by the spectre of climate change denier Donald Trump in the White House.
Diplomats from 196 nations will flesh out the planet-saving plan inked in the French capital last December.
We have made possible what everyone said was impossible, said French environment minister Segolene Royal at the opening ceremony, in which she handed over stewardship of the climate forum to Moroccan foreign minister Salaheddine Mezouar.
Royal announced that 100 countries have ratified the Paris Agreement, which entered into force last Friday, a record time for an international treaty.
The Eiffel tower is illuminated in green, with the words " Paris Agreement is Done", to celebrate the Paris UN COP21 Climate Change agreement in Paris, France, last week. (Reuters)
Amid growing alarm at the gathering pace of climate change and its impacts -- rising sea, deadly storms, drought and wildfires -- the worlds nations have moved quickly over the last year to tackle the still-growing problem.
But as 15,000 negotiators, CEOs and activists settle in for the 12-day talks, all eyes are on the United States, where voting on Tuesday could thrust Trump into the White House.
When it comes to global warming, the stakes could hardly be higher, President Barack Obama has warned.
All the progress weve made on climate change -- including the Paris pact, decades in the making -- is going to be on the ballot, he told TV talk show host Bill Maher on Friday.
The Republican candidate cannot carry out his threat to cancel the still-fragile accord, but a Trump victory could cripple it, experts here agree.
Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton has vowed to uphold Obamas domestic energy policies and international climate commitments.
In Marrakesh, front-line diplomats must roll up their sleeves and work through scores of procedural issues that will make the difference between success and failure.
They have informally set 2018 as the deadline for laying that groundwork, Royal told journalists the day before the talks opened.
The father of a Muslim US Army soldier killed in Iraq rebuked Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as an embarrassment to the US barely two days ahead of the November 8 election.
Khizr Khan, who came into prominence at the Democratic National Convention earlier, on Sunday campaigning for Clinton in Manchester of New Hampshire retold the story of his son Humayun Khan, the Washington Post reported.
The younger Khan was killed in a 2004 explosion while trying to save his company and inspecting a suspicious car Baqubah in Iraq.
Waving and raising a fist in the air before introducing Clinton, Khan praised her experience and temperament.
He told the supportive crowd at the rally that following his debut convention speech and Trumps attack on him as a Democratic shill, he and his family had received thousands of letters and messages of support.
This election will decide the future of America and the future of the world, Khan said reported the Washington Post.
On one hand, we have Donald Trump and his policies of hate, exclusion, intimidation and division, he said. On the other hand, we have Hillary Rodham Clinton and her lifelong public service to the country.
Khan is an unlikely political star, a middle-aged Pakistani-born lawyer, but his convention speech is one of the most memorable moments of the 2016 campaign. It is seen as turning point, with Trumps angry reaction setting off weeks of disarray.
Trump recovered politically since, but Clintons campaign sought to keep the powerful story of Khan and Trumps willingness to attack the dead soldiers parents at the centre of the political contest.
Clinton on Sunday gave a subdued version of her stump speech focussing largely on the threat she said Trump poses to American values and national security. She pledged to work for healing and reconciliation after the election.
If Donald Trump wins the White House on Tuesday, hell become Americas first billionaire businessman to serve as president. But hell be following in the footsteps of other moguls who have jumped into the political fray elsewhere in the world.
The track record for these businessmen-turned-political leaders is decidedly mixed. Some have translated their private sector acumen into success in government. Others had tenures marked by scandal, and even a military coup.
Americans have elected presidents with business experience before among them, George W. Bush, who ran an oil company, and Herbert Hoover, a mining executive. But all moved into politics before running for the nations highest office. Trump would be the first American president to never have held elected office, or other high-level government or military post.
The real estate magnate has long promoted his business background as a selling point for voters frustrated with career politicians.
We need people in Washington that know how to make a deal, Trump says.
A look at some of the billionaires who blazed a trail from business to politics:
SILVIO BERLUSCONI, ITALY
Trump has drawn more comparisons to the brash Berlusconi, a three-term Italian prime minister, than perhaps any other foreign leader.
Both are irreverent and controversial, and they like to flaunt their lavish lifestyles. Each started his careers in real estate, but made his name in the media world: Berlusconi built a fortune buying up television stations and Trump became a fixture in the New York tabloids and reality TV.
For Trump, thats probably about where hed like the comparisons to end.
Berlusconi was a fixture in Italian politics for two decades, but his time in office was frequently marred by scandal. He was convicted of multiple crimes, including tax fraud and paying for sex with an underage prostitute, though the latter charge was overturned by an appeals court.
PETRO POROSHENKO, UKRAINE
Known as Ukraines Chocolate King, Poroshenko made his fortune in the confectionary industry. Now hes a key Western partner in trying to resolve the heated dispute between Ukraine and Russia.
Poroshenko was elected president in 2014 following the public uprising that led to the ouster of Ukraines pro-Russian leader. The billionaire businessman positioned himself as a friend of Europe and the United States, and indeed speaks and meets regularly with both President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
But Poroshenkos tenure has coincided with more Russian meddling in Ukraine, particularly along the countrys shared border. The U.S. has sent Ukraine tens of millions of dollars in nonlethal aid; Obama has resisted calls to send lethal assistance.
Its unclear what type of support Poroshenko would have from the U.S. under a potential Trump administration. Trump has spoken favorably about Russian President Vladimir Putin an Trump has said he would be looking at whether to recognize Crimea a Ukrainian area annexed by Moscow as Russian territory.
Poroshenkos transition from businessman to political leader also holds warning signs for Trumps financial future. The Ukrainian leader saw his net worth decline significantly after taking office.
THAKSIN SHINAWATRA, THAILAND
A telecommunications billionaire, Thaksin was Thailands prime minister until he was ousted in a military coup in 2006.
During his tenure, Thaksin drew support from poorer voters who backed his reduction in hospital feeds and other populist programs.
But Thaksins wealth would contribute to his political downfall. He faced corruption allegations after his family sold a company for $1.9 billion in a way that enabled them to avoid paying taxes on the sale, sparking a year of political tumult in Thailand that ended in the coup.
Though hes been in exile for several years, Thaksin remains involved in Thai politics from affair. Earlier this year, he weighed in on American elections, saying there was some similarity between himself and Trump.
The cultures are very similar, the culture of being a businessman, Thaksin told the Financial Times. And then when successful businessmen come to politics, they give fresh air to political campaigns.
US-backed Kurdish-Arab forces launched an offensive Sunday on the Islamic State groups de facto Syrian capital Raqqa, upping pressure on the jihadists who are already battling Iraqi troops in Mosul.
The start of the assault by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came as Iraqi forces fought inside Mosul for the third day running amid fierce jihadist resistance.
The two cities are the last major urban centres under IS control after the jihadists suffered a string of territorial losses in Iraq and Syria over the past year.
The US-led coalition battling IS is backing both assaults, hoping to deal a knockout blow to the self-styled caliphate it declared in mid-2014.
SDF commanders announced the start of the Raqqa operation in Ain Issa, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the city.
The major battle to liberate Raqqa and its surroundings has begun, SDF spokeswoman Jihan Sheikh Ahmed said.
Map of northern Syria showing possible routes by Kurdish forces to attack the Islamic State bastion of Raqqa . (AFP Photo)
Operation Wrath of the Euphrates involves some 30,000 fighters and began on Saturday night, Ahmed said.
SDF forces are advancing on three fronts, from Ain Issa and Tal Abyad to the north of Raqqa, and from the village of Makman to the east.
SDF spokesman Talal Sello told AFP forces would first seize areas around Raqqa before taking the city itself.
The fight will not be easy, and will require accurate and careful operations because IS will defend its bastion knowing that the loss of Raqqa will mean it is finished in Syria, Sello said.
Read more| Islamic State hits back in Mosul, but faces new Raqqa front
- SDF gains -
US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter echoed that sentiment.
As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction of ISILs caliphate and disrupt the groups ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners, Carter said, using an alternative name for IS.
An AFP correspondent in Ain Issa Sunday saw dozens of SDF fighters heading for the front line.
SDF spokeswoman Ahmed said that 10 villages and several hamlets had been retaken.
Later the powerful Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) denied an IS report that 14 of its fighters were killed in a car bomb attack the Suluk area.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor reported only wounded in that attack.
Driving IS from Mosul and Raqqa has been the endgame since the US-led coalition launched air strikes against it in summer 2014.
The coalition has also provided training and deployed hundreds of advisers to work with Iraqi forces and select Syrian fighters, including the SDF.
Jihan Sheikh Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), holds a press conference in the town of Ain Issa on Sunday, to announce that the US-backed alliance has began a long-awaited operation to capture Raqqa. (AFP Photo)
Near Ain Issa, the AFP correspondent saw at least one soldier who had US markings on his helmet with SDF fighters.
Sello said the alliance had received new weapons from the coalition for the Raqqa battle, including anti-tank missiles.
Another SDF source said 50 US military advisers would be involved in the operation, particularly to guide air strikes.
- Jihadist atrocities -
After it was seized by IS, Raqqa saw some of the jihadists worst atrocities, from stonings and beheadings to the trading of sex slaves.
Last month, the US defence secretary said the idea of simultaneous operations against Mosul and Raqqa has been part of our planning for quite a while.
But the battle for Raqqa is far more complicated.
After five years of civil war, Syria is divided into a patchwork of fiefdoms, with President Bashar al-Assads regime, IS and a range of opposition forces all holding territory.
Dominated by the Peoples Protection Units, the SDF has in recent months flushed IS out of swathes of territory in northern Syria, including the flashpoint town of Manbij in August.
Washington has promoted the SDF as a key ally in the fight against IS, but the partnership is complicated by Turkeys fierce opposition to the YPG.
Ankara considers the militia a terrorist group, and in August began its own operation inside northern Syria, targeting both IS and the YPG.
Sello said the SDF had agreed with Washington that there will be no role for Turkey or the armed factions allied with it in the operation to capture Raqqa.
In Jordan, however, President Barack Obamas envoy Brett McGurk said Washington was in close contact with Ankara over the assault.
A US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance pushed closer to Raqa in Syria while Iraqi forces seized a key town near Mosul as offensives advanced Monday against the two Islamic State group strongholds.
After announcing the launch of the long-awaited assault on Raqa on Sunday, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance said it had moved south towards the city despite fierce jihadist resistance.
South of Mosul, Iraqi forces retook Hamam al-Alil from IS, a key objective in their three-week advance on the city.
Iraqi forces said they found a mass grave in the area containing around 100 decapitated bodies.
Raqa and Mosul are the last major cities in Syria and Iraq under the jihadists control.
Their capture would deal a knockout blow to the self-styled caliphate IS declared in mid-2014.
The US-led coalition that launched operations against IS two years ago is providing crucial backing to the offensives, with air strikes and special forces advisers on the ground.
SDF spokeswoman Jihan Sheikh Ahmed told AFP that the alliances forces had advanced on two fronts towards Raqa amid heavy fighting.
SDF fighters had pushed at least 10 kilometres (six miles) south towards the city from the towns of Ain Issa and Suluk, she said.
In both cases the SDF was still some distance from Raqa -- on the Ain Issa front at least 30 kilometres away.
The offensive is going according to plan, said Ahmed, adding that the SDF had captured at least 10 villages.
Fight will not be easy
An SDF commander said IS was fighting back with its favourite tactic of sending suicide bombers in explosives-packed vehicles against advancing forces.
IS is sending car bombers but coalition planes and our anti-tank weapons are limiting their effectiveness, the commander said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
After taking Abu Ilaj north of Raqa, SDF fighters dug trenches and piled sandbags at the entrance to the village.
In every area that we advance we are digging trenches with tractors and bulldozers to protect the front line, to prevent the jihadists from getting in and to stop car bombs, one fighter said.
The SDF says some 30,000 of its fighters are taking part in operation Wrath of the Euphrates which aims to surround and isolate IS inside Raqa before assaulting the city itself.
Officials have warned that the battle is likely to be long and difficult.
As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said.
But it is necessary to end the fiction of ISILs caliphate and disrupt the groups ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners, Carter said, using an alternative name for IS.
Driving IS from both cities has been the endgame since the US-led coalition launched air strikes against it in summer 2014, shortly after the jihadists seized large parts of Syria and Iraq.
Some 50 US military advisers are involved in the Raqa operation, particularly to guide air strikes, according to an SDF source.
Near Mosul, federal police, army and elite interior ministry forces established full control over Hamam al-Alil, the last town of note on the way to the city from the south, AFP reporters said.
It lies on the west bank of the Tigris river, about 15 kilometres southeast of the edge of Mosul.
Life quickly resumed in Hamam al-Alil, with some residents reopening shops and others bathing in the towns sulphur springs.
Mass grave found
However, police said they found a mass grave Monday at an agricultural collage west of Hamam al-Alil.
The Joint Operations Command said Iraqi forces found... 100 bodies of citizens with their heads cut off.
Fighting also continued east of Mosul, with Kurdish forces advancing into the town of Bashiqa and the elite Counter Terrorism Service battling IS in the citys suburbs.
Up to seven neighbourhoods are under the control of counter-terrorism forces, and they are now completely securing them and clearing them of pockets of terrorists present inside the houses, CTS spokesman Sabah al-Noman told AFP.
A peshmerga statement said late Monday its forces were in Bashiqa and had begun house-to-house clearances.
The Mosul offensive has advanced faster than expected, but the battle for Raqa is more complicated.
Unlike in Iraq where the coalition has a state-controlled ally in federal forces, in Syria its ground partner is comprised of local militias, including some rebel groups that have battled President Bashar al-Assads regime.
The domination of the SDF by the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) has also raised deep concerns in Turkey, which considers the YPG a terrorist group linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
Aid groups have voiced concerns for civilians trapped in both Mosul and Raqa, warning they may be used as human shields.
More than 34,000 people have been displaced since the Mosul operation began on October 17, the International Organization for Migration said on Monday.
More than a million people are believed to be in Mosul.
Raqa had a population of some 240,000 before 2011 but more than 80,000 people have since fled there from other parts of Syria.
Even if, as most polls predict, he loses Tuesdays US presidential election, Donald Trumps populist charge will leave its mark on the American body politic.
The 70-year-old billionaire tycoon is the Republican flag-bearer even though part of the Grand Old Partys establishment has rejected him, and others are voting for him while holding their noses.
But Trump has managed to craft his own political brand, building a movement among the partys disaffected rank-and-file.
Asked whether Trump or House Speaker Paul Ryan, the highest-ranking Republican elected official, better represent the partys values, 51 percent of members choose Trump and 33 percent favor Ryan.
As the presidential race comes down to the wire, and the right faces the prospect of Democrat Hillary Clinton in the White House, some party leaders are coming back to the fold.
But Trump has divided the party, both with his brash style and by overturning conservative orthodoxy with his opposition to free trade, isolationist foreign policy and flexible stance on welfare and deficits.
The maverick newcomer has even campaigned for paid parental leave, anathema to the small-government conservative right.
Basically, the Republican leadership hates Trump, Robert Shapiro, professor of political science at Columbia University, told AFP.
They would like his supporters, but his supporters are attached to Trump, he warned, predicting that the phenomenon Trump calls his movement will continue after Election Day.
His supporters are still going to be there, and they are going to have their positions on trade and immigration and all these other issues, Shapiro said.
And what will also remain is the hate for the Democrats and Hillary Clinton and also the mainstream Republican Party.
- Aggressive rhetoric -
But it is not just the foregrounding of a different set of issues that will endure. Trumps in-your-face style and aggressive rhetoric will leave a mark on future campaign strategies.
He has changed political campaigning, Jeanne Zaino, a professor at Iona College, told AFP.
We are likely to see more candidates trying to replicate what he has done, trying to work outside the party, to use social media to go over the head of the party, she predicted.
And we are going to see a lot of rough talk out there, because people will think: It worked for Trump, I am going to give it a shot.
And this change in campaigning style may cross the liberal-conservative divide, as Democrats and progressives respond with heightened rhetoric of their own.
There is a strain of enormous populism in both the Republican and the Democratic parties and we are going to see that for a long time, Zaino said.
It is going to be a challenge for these two umbrella parties to recapture this really frustrated base.
- Frustrations -
Trump has played masterfully on frustrations with the Washington and Wall Street elites, vowing to champion blue-collar male white voters concerns about economic exclusion.
But as he has done so, he has insulted or managed to offend women, immigrants, African Americans, Muslims and the handicapped -- deepening Americas divides.
Trump has had no problem filling vast halls with motivated voters, but his 60 percent unfavorable opinion poll rating would have sunk a less shameless campaigner.
And his campaign has energized, at least on social media, the American rights racist and anti-Semitic underbelly -- last week, the Ku Klux Klans newspaper endorsed him.
This toxic coalition may be unique, and mainstream Republicans may be able to distance themselves from the bigoted extremes, but it will not disappear overnight.
- Populist message -
This in itself is a victory for Trumps more ideological supporters, like his political advisor Roger Stone.
The party isnt going to go back to being the country club party of Jeb Bush, Stone told liberal news site Vox.
Its not going to go back to being the Washington establishment party of Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, he warned mainstream conservatives.
The Trump movement is going to be dominant in the party. Its going to be influential and important in the party.
Expert opinion is divided about whether Trump himself will want to remain in frontline politics, or whether he will try to rebuild his business brand.
Some of his supporters appear to be maneuvering to create a Trump-branded media platform that could monetize his populist message in a polarized news landscape.
But at the very least, his team has built an enormous database of supporters and donors that will be of inestimable value to whoever next seeks to up-end the apple cart.
Vivo has released their first-ever Vivo X9 teaser which hints on a dual-camera for upcoming flagship. Vivo also confirmed that the phone will be released officially on November 16 during a special event in China. The press special event will be held in Beijing actually. This news is not a rumor, nor a leak, but it is confirmed via Vivo.
The company also confirmed that the coming dual-camera setup will indeed be a front-facing one that will consist of a 20MP + 8MP duo for selfies and video calling purposes.
According to Playfuldroid, the Vivo X9 to be featuring the latest Snapdragon 653 SoC processor which will be paired with a 4GB of RAM as well as 64GB internal storage. This space will be under its memory compartment. Also, the device will be allegedly feature 20MP front-facing camera to compete with the current selfie expert, Oppo F1S.
The metal construction from the X7 will be having a around the antenna bands and it will also have the ever more popular U-shaped design. In the latest flagship, the front screen comes with extra narrow 1.59mm beels on the sides and Gorilla Glass 5, which is employed to protect the display.
The Vivo X9 will also have choice in the 4GB/ 6GB of RAM and a back camera of 16MP. The phone will be running on the Android 6.0.1 out of the box. For the latest OS update to Nougat, users have to wait until company rolls out the update to the phone.
The Vivo X9 release date was posted by the company's official account on Weibo, the famous Chinese micro-blogging website. The launching date that is confirmed on November 16.
However, the company has still not given any price frame for the upcoming flagship. Also, it is rumoured that the manufacturer wansts to release of Vivo X9 as soon as possible. That is because of the pressure from the release of its competitors, Huawei Mate 9 as well as Xiaomi Mi Mix.
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A brand new Chinese high-tech spy drone has been revealed during a recent military air show. Codenamed CH-5, the drone was dubbed as the "world's most powerful" unmanned aerial vehicle.
The drone was unveiled over the weekend during the International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition event held in Zhuhai, China, as the country displays its technological military advancements to the people.
The fighter drone's capabilities
According to reports, the combat drone is able to fly further and longer than any other drones, incorporated with a lot of fighting abilities that would also include conduct bombing features for up to two days with a flight range of a whopping 20,000 kilometers.
The CH-5 is already on pace for being the most powerful non-pilot combat plane the world has ever seen, as per The Daily Star for local media coverage. They also confirmed that China has been granted an export license for the lethal aerial weapon.
Several countries are already expressing their intentions
The drone's chief designer, Shi-Wen, stated that "Several foreign nations have expressed their interests to purchase the CH-5, and we are currently in talks with them."
The official reveal of the drone came a day after China also unveiled its technological military prowess during the exhibition with an all-new 67-feet long super spy plane that features top speeds of over 1,305 mph.
Codenamed the J-20, this stealth fighter is a twin jet aircraft that has the ability to travel at speeds of up to 1,305 mph and is set to hit production by 2018.
The J-20 will rival the F-22
The aircraft was presented along with the Bayi Aerobatic Team of PLA's (Peoples Liberation Army) Air Force.
The J-20 is also considered as the direct Chinese answer to the infamous US F-22 stealth fighter, and the event was the main opportunity for the general public to witnessed, first hand, these new Chinese military tech hardware.
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The Royal Canadian Navy is dispatching a ship to determine if a "lost nuke" was discovered inadvertently by a diver off the coast of Banks Island in Canada.
The nuke could reportedly be the Mark IV bomb that went missing after a US bomber crashed off the area during the Cold War.
CBC news reported that Sean Smyrichinsky, a diver, discovered the mysterious object during a diving trip near Banks Island. According to the report, Smyrichinsky said that he got a bit far from his boat and he came across the object. He said it bore resemblance to a bagel cut in half, with bolts molded into it.
"I came out from the dive and I started telling my crew, 'My God, I found a UFO,'" said the diver while describing the object to be the strangest thing he has ever seen.
According to nature world news, Smyrichinsky sent an email to the Canadian Department of National Defence after the sighting.
The Navy will reportedly send one of its warships, the HMCS Yellowknife, to inspect the object. Greg Menzies, a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Navy, said that they will also send a team from the Fleet Diving Unit Pacific who are experts in these missions, to check on the object.
According to CBC, Smyrichinsky found out the tale of convair B-36B, a U.S air force bomber that crashed in 1950. The CBC reports that historian Dirk Septer narrated the story of that flight, in a book published this year.
Septer said that on February 13, 1950, engines of the US air force B-36 bomber caught fire over Canada, and the plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean. The wreckage was reportedly found in a remote location in the mountains of British Columbia, after four years, but the United States admitted to losing its first nuclear bomb, the Mark IV.
Smyrichinsky is confident that he has sighted the same bomb after he saw the Google images, said the report.
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First, Apple launches Siri. Microsoft follows with Cortana. Then Google is out to equip all of its smart devices with the Assistant. The trend does not end there.
In yet a new twist, Samsung joins the list of tech groups that have virtual associates in their flagships. It is not surprising if the South Korean manufacturer seeks to come up with new ideas in order to unload its frustrations from the Note 7 fiasco.
Although one disastrous item can motivate an organization to institute a new product, it is also possible that what triggered Samsung's pursuit of a digital fixture can be attributed to Google's exploits.
Just recently, the search engine giant has manufactured its very own smartphone brand. It did not stop there. Instead, the Mountain View-based group invests in a virtual figure that manages its systems across its smart product lines. The move has spearheaded Google to the top. With virtual assistants becoming valuable, it is possible that Samsung realizes that it needs to establish an AI controller across its devices.
Considering that the Seoul-based company has its share of promising upgrades, Samsung hopes to integrate technological intelligence into its products. Of particular interest is the trademark filing of Bixby.
The application reveals that a system that utilizes voice recognition will be incorporated into the tablets, smartphones, laptops and other related devices of the South Korean group. The virtual helper Bixby will make user lives convenient judging from its hands free functionality.
As part of its commitment to build an artificial intelligence software, Samsung has acquired Viv Labs which focuses on virtual technology. It must be revealed that Viv Labs is the same group that produced Apple's Siri. How Bixby will function is of particular interest since observers and experts will surely be looking at comparative details between the two virtual assistants.
With the Galaxy S8 looming to be released very soon, it is highly likely that this unit will introduce Samsung's new digital companion.
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Aleppo will continue to endure attacks from both the Allied coalition and the Russian-backed Syrian government. The rebels' rejection of a ceasefire has only made matters worse.
The moment Russian warships head off to the Mediterranean weeks ago, it is clear that the end of the Syrian conflict is nowhere in sight. More than that, Moscow's deeper involvement paves way towards a far greater danger.
With the US Elections coming up, Washington's focus has been shredded with internal squabbles between the Democrats and the Republicans. It is likely that Russian President Vladimir Putin will capitalize on this development.
However, the Americans intend to counter Russia's mobilizations. As part of US preparations, a no-fly zone directive has been imposed in parts of Montana where nuclear-armed missiles are present.
In addition, the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean is buzzing with activities as maintenance approaches are underway for the B-1 and B-2 bombers. Moreover, Washington has upgraded the DEFCON level to three in response to the Russian threat.
According to The Australian news coverage, controlling Aleppo and putting Syria under greater Russian rein are the Kremlin's immediate priorities.
With the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov in the Mediterranean waters, the Federation will probably pursue an airstrike operation that will put around 250,000 civilian lives at risk.
Michel Clarke, former Director-General of the London-based Royal United Services Institute organization, expects that Putin's impending plans will bring memories of the Grozny attacks back in 1999 and 2000. Around that time, the Chechen capital has been under siege by Russian forces.
Moscow's air firepower, while untested, will be leaning on the carrier's fighter jets. A Russian airbase nearby will be adding 32 more planes. With a high number of aircrafts going into action, the Federation will be in position to hit the enemy within a 400-kilometer radius.
With Putin further igniting the situation, British Defense Secretary Sir Michael Fallon comments that UK is set for a showdown against Moscow in 2018 or 2019. Currently, about 800 British personnel are stationed in Estonia in ward off Russian provocations against the Baltic State.
With 25,400 individuals volunteering to join the local Defense League, weekend drills are being instituted. A former part of the Soviet Union, Estonia parted ways with the fallen superpower in 1991. Aside from military training, Estonians are also taught how to prepare improvised explosives.
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Donald Trump, the Republican candidate was quickly moved out of the stage in the fear of an assassination attempt, which took place during his rally in Reno, Nevada.
Labelled as a frantic Donald Trump convention, the recent political shenanigan took a turn when Donald trump was moved to a safe spot by US Secret Service bodyguards amid gun chaos, which hit the newsstand.
According to the Secret Service, someone yelled "gun" in the crowd, which result in disturbance within the political setup.
Both Donald Trump Jr and the campaign's social media manager Dan Scavino took it to the media and exposed that the turbulent political incident was an assassination attempt, claims IB times.
The fray took a turn when an unidentified man approached the front of the stage and was alleged to be carrying a gun. The two major Republican voices highlighted that their Republican presidential candidate survived an assassination attempt.
Donald Trump Jr pointed fingers towards the Democrats and blamed them for the unprecedented violence that happened at Trump rallies.
After the rally, multiple reports surfaced that the alleged man with a gun was not a Democrat, but a Republican who opposed Trump views. Tables turned when agents found no assassin behind the chaos, rather it was just a protestor - Austyn Crites a 33-year old man who was a dweller of Reno.
Crites told The Guardian that he is anti-Trump, but a Republican who made use of the opportunity to express his resentment towards the current Republican nominee. Supporters of Donald Trump took the matter in their hands when they attacked and punched the man. Crites maintained that he feared he would get killed "right on the spot".
Crites said that the obnoxious and maltreatment of Mexicans, Muslims, and women was the reason he decided to protest against Trump.
The matter was, however, resolved a few moments later. Donald Trump reappeared on the stage and said
"Nobody said it was going to be easy but we will never be stopped. We will never be stopped."
The US Secret Service said that the accused has been released with no charges and that he wasn't accompanied with any gun or other weapon.
Crites, being a Republican for six years protested against Trump by holding a "Republicans against Trump" sign, which was badly misunderstood as a weapon. He said that he is not Clinton's supporter, but she is the only candidate who can stop Trump from reaching the White House.
Crites was badly misidentified as Donald Trump's assassin. Jack Posobiec, who is an activist for "Citizens for Trump" campaign took it to Twitter and posted an image from the rally highlighting it to be "Trump's assassin". He tried his best to develop a connection between him and Hilary Clinton and maintained it to be a part of Democratic conspiracy.
He also
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T he effect a house can have on an artist is shown to startling effect in a new exhibition of the painter James Ensor, who was raised above a souvenir shop full of curiosities and masks, which turned up later in his paintings.
He was born in 1860 to an English father, and poorer Belgian mother, in the fashionable small resort of Ostend. His painting was so far ahead of his time that during his most productive years he was derided. But opinions changed. When he was 69, the King of Belgium made him a baron; a commemorative statue went up.
At 89 he was buried at Our Lady of the Dunes, beside the sand dunes he loved. Now a Belgian national treasure, hes still little known here, which the RAs show of 70 works hopes to address.
James Ensor surrounded by all his paintings
The house he was brought up in was a sort of Dickenss Old Curiosity Shop, for his parents ran their souvenir and bric-a-brac shop from their house. They sold porcelain, rare shells and coral, carnival masks and taxidermy.
Their curious stock came from Singapore to Nassau to Naples. The impressionable boy helped out, but also sketched customers on whatever paper came to hand, including bills. His drawings of people were closely observed, and lively. Later he had a small studio in the attic so cramped that he had to store his paintings rolled up.
Round the corner, in Vlaanderenstraat street, his maternal aunt Mimi ran a similar shop, its living quarters on three floors above. It wasnt a grand house. She sold all manner of things: rare shells, puffer fishes dangling from strings; stuffed swans and many more masks. It must have had a powerful effect on an artistic boy.
When Ensor was 27 his alcoholic father died and Ensor had to run the shop, look after his aunt Mimi, his mother, and his divorced sister. From this point the traditional realism of his earlier works vanished.
In 1917 he inherited his aunts four-storey terrace house and shop and moved there with his canvases finally there was room to spread out, and he stayed put for the rest of his life. A married couple lived in and looked after him.
Though he closed the shop, he kept it, and it is still there, jumbled with curiosities, just as it was.
Up a narrow balustered Victorian stair, the first-floor blue salon is as it was in Ensors day. This large room with two full-height windows was where he entertained and painted. A photo of him there shows its florid flocked blue wallpaper, piano, harmonium, his own paintings all around and lots of bric-a-brac.
Today, the dining room at Ensor's old home is decorated in an orange-red shade / Steven Decroos
Today the room is still decorated in that late Victorian to Edwardian taste, with a heavily patterned Brussels carpet, swagged curtains, a chandelier, and stuffed with solid, scrolled furniture in expensive, heavy woods. At the piano sits a beautiful shell-scrolled stool. Next door, the orange-red dining room also had a figured carpet and orangey patterned walls.
Apart from studying in Brussels, Ensor hardly left Ostend. He visited London just once.
His early traditional style changed dramatically, his mature expressionistic works influenced German painters Emile Nolde and Paul Klee. These works, which feature masks, and skulls so long before Damian Hirst adopted them, can be seen as playful, their often pastel colours appealingly luminous and bright.
James Ensor based his self portrait on Rubenss famous painting
His self-portrait at 23 show a handsome man with an amused face. He based it on Rubenss famous self-portrait, adding a daft flowered hat and twirling moustache five years later. At 38 he started the Bal du Rat Mort the Dead Rat Ball still a big annual event in Ostend.
In later life, on his daily strolls along the esplanade, Baron Ensor was a popular, avuncular bearded figure. Einstein was photographed having tea with him.
One great picture in the exhibition is a still life that shows a detail from the local bustling fish market, which Ensor would have visited on his walks. A skate lolls on its back, looking distinctly human, as if exhausted. As with all Ensors work, with its mix of fantasy and reality, such a strange fish never quite existed out of water.
Intrigue: James Ensor by Luc Tuymans opens 29 August at the Royal Academy, Piccadilly, W1. Visit royalacademy.org.uk
For details of the Ensor House, Ostend, visit muzee.be/en/ensor
M idtown Manhattan is filled with iconic buildings: the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station and the Rockefeller Plaza all cluster within the 25 prime streets heading south from Central Park.
Now there is a new standout landmark to add to that list: 432 Park Avenue is the tallest residential tower in the western hemisphere, soaring 96 floors and 1,396 feet above 57th Street. The first residents moved in this year, enjoying some of the most exhilarating views of the city that never sleeps.
From its location bang in the middle of Manhattan, homes in the tower provide an unrivalled aspect of New York. On a clear day from the top floors, residents can see for 60 miles - even giving them a view of the curvature of the Earth.
Central Park is to the north, neatly edged with landmark buildings and ruler-straight grand avenues, while the Empire State Building, new Freedom Tower and Statue of Liberty are to the south. On the Hudson and East rivers, boats and cruise ships are clearly visible while helicopters buzz soundlessly, well below the top of the building.
Sky-high and super-sized
432 Park Avenue was designed by Rafael Vinoly, the architect of Londons "walkie talkie" building and who has produced something quite different to New Yorks more usual glass-fronted modern skyscrapers. The super-sized square windows and pure, geometric exterior echo Manhattans grid system.
432 Park Lane: Super tall and super slim, striking 10 feet square windows perfectly frame those wonderful views. (Macklowe Properties & CIM Group) / Macklowe Properties & CIM Group
There are 106 apartments, starting on the 35th floor and served by two lifts that will deliver penthouse residents to the 96th floor in less than a minute. Most apartments take up half of each floor, a very generous 4,000 square feet.
Designer living
Interiors are elegant, featuring 12ft 6in ceilings, private lift landings and generous living rooms with uncluttered focus on the windows.
Finishings include pale oak floors, Italian marble and predominantly white kitchens and bathrooms. Two lavishly decorated show apartments by Robert Couturier and Deborah Berke highlight the top-end furnishings that buyers at this level demand.
Facilities shared between the residents include a 75ft swimming pool, extensive gym and spa, a restaurant and private dining room with a Michelin-starred chef and a 5,000sq ft terrace and a library, screening room and billiards room. In all, 40 full-time members of staff will work at 432 Park Avenue.
Richard Wallgren, of co-developers Macklowe Properties, says that 75 per cent of apartments have sold, over half to Americans, but also to buyers from South America, Europe and Asia.
Prices for the remaining homes start from 14.5 million for a three-bedroom apartment on the 36th floor, rising to 36.5 million for four bedrooms on the 80th floor.
Midtown has become more residential and 432 Park Avenue continues that march south from Central Park, says Wallgren. Park Avenue has always been home to affluent people. It resonates with power, success and wealth.
Welcome to Manhattan's 'Billionaire's Row'
432 Park Avenue is the latest of several super-luxury towers along 57th Street, Manhattans so-called Billionaires Row, attracting interest from international high-rolling property buyers.
New York is seen as a safe haven for investors and is benefiting from increasing international interest, says Alasdair Pritchard, of Knight Frank, who focuses on the super prime market.
432 is an iconic building with unrivalled views and we are seeing a diverse range of nationalities choosing to buy there, he comments.
Many of my international clients look at New York as an alternative to London. They feel comfortable investing there. Also, compared to prime central London, New York is cheaper and property transfer tax is significantly lower, at one per cent against a top rate of 15 per cent in London.
For more details, visit: 432 Park Avenue.
T here could barely be a worse time to be appointed Londons deputy mayor with a brief to tackle housing. The gulf between property prices and wages has never been wider, deposit requirements are gigantic, Generation Rent is understandably fed up, and house building is too slow.
At 33, James Murray might seem a little young to take on such a poisoned chalice. But in many ways this is the job he has been rehearsing for since he was a teenager heading off to Oxford University to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics, the go-to degree for wannabe politicians, attained by David Cameron and David Miliband.
After university and a brief spell as a management consultant, Murray was an aide to Islington South and Finsbury MP Emily Thornberry, and was elected to Islington council in 2006. He quickly rose to become the councils full-time spokesman on housing and planning, and met Sadiq Khan on the Labour Party circuit.
Last year he volunteered to assist in Khans campaign for London Mayor, gravitating naturally towards housing issues. Khan was clearly impressed. As new Mayor in May, he gave Murray then little known outside Islington the city housing job.
Perhaps the biggest problem is that no one seems to know just how many homes, affordable and otherwise, the capital actually needs. Most estimates suggest that 40,000 to 50,000 new homes need to be built in London each year just to meet rising demand, and Murray says officials are in the process of calculating how many of those should be affordable.
What we do know is that we need to be building a lot more homes of different tenures and levels of affordability
However, the Mayor has neither the powers nor the cash to make a serious impact on housing supply.
There is a housing budget, and between 2015 and 2018 Boris Johnson committed to spending 1.25 billion on building 42,000 affordable homes. But not even the former Mayor suggested this would be anything like enough.
Nevertheless, Murray is determined to continue building shared-ownership property, and later this month will publish new planning rules which will include an offer that developers who voluntarily agree to designate 35 per cent of homes in new schemes as affordable can fast track their planning applications. Few developers currently offer more than 25 per cent affordable housing in a project, and many provide far less. On this basis it is hard to imagine many taking up the offer.
Developers are keener on an alternative process: for them to hire accountants to establish how many affordable homes a project can feasibly support without making a loss a viability assessment then arguing the case with the relevant planning authority.
Some councils do an excellent job of rebutting developers routinely low offers of affordable homes, Murray asserts, but others appear easily bamboozled by endless spreadsheets and complicated financial reports.
Murray is clearly concerned about this because he is setting up a viability team which will support the councils that risk letting developers get away with too much.
Whatever their number, another issue is where exactly these new homes will be. Murray himself bought a flat in Islington in 2008, assisted by his parents. But record property prices today mean the shared-ownership concept simply doesnt stack up in swathes of central London, where even the 90,000 maximum income cap for shared ownership isnt enough to buy a share of a flat.
Shared ownership is very hard to make work in Zone 1 and a lot of Zone 2, says Murray. We want to make sure we are going to help people on middle incomes shared ownership works better in the outer boroughs.
But while young Londoners on middling salaries will almost certainly never get a chance to buy a property in the centre of the city, Murray does think they could live in homes inspired by the architecture of 18th-century London the era when neighbourhoods such as Kensington were laid out.
With developers jostling to build ever-higher skyscrapers, intent on cramming as many homes as the law will allow on to their land, Murray thinks a proper debate is needed on how high-density housing is designed for the future. This could mean hiring an architecture czar Boris Johnson had Lord Rogers but Murray says such decisions are not his to make.
Personally he believes that the answer is to be found in some of the citys grander streets.
Towers and high rises are not the only answer, he says. We need to decide what high-density accommodation will look like. At the moment we tend to think about towers but you can actually get very high density with six, eight, 10 storeys like the terraces you see in Kensington.
News, events, history, and other mid-week tidbits.
Tuesday, October 25, 4:30 7 p.m.
Orr Area EMS Open House
Brats and burgers will be served. Event includes a new ambulance tour and blood pressure screenings. For more info: 218-780-3798.
Orr Fire Hall
4540 Lake St., Orr
Tuesday, October 25, 12 6 p.m.
Essentia Health Job Fair
Talent recruiters and department managers will be on-site at Essentia Health-Virginia. Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to attendnurses, nursing and clinical assistants, surgery technicians, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, human resource professionals, and those interested in environmental services or nutrition services. Essentia staff will greet candidates, conduct an initial screening and filter them to appropriate hiring managers for interviews. Select candidates will be verbally offered a position before leaving. Candidates are asked to bring a resume, but its not required. Attire is business casual. For more info: www.essentiacareers.org.
901 9th St. N., Virginia
Whats a road trip
without music? The right tunes can make the miles fly by and turn a
stressful commute into a more pleasant experience. Your horse might
agree.
Research out of
Universite de Caen-Basse Normandie in France suggests that playing
classical music has a stress-reducing effect on horses in some
situations. According to an abstract published in the Journal of
Veterinary Behavior, the relaxing effect of music has been shown in
several other animal species, and the researchers sought to determine
if it would work on horses.
Get Our Free Weekly Enewsletter About Horses
The 24 horses used
for the study were tested in two common and potentially stressful
situations for horses: short-term transport in a trailer and farrier
work. Each horse was tested three different ways: with classical
music diffusion playing through an in-ear device; sound
attenuation, where ear plugs were used to reduce all sound; and a
control test with no sound alteration.
There was no
significant difference on stress indicators between the tests during
the farrier visits. However, in the trailering tests, the horses
heart rates recovered more quickly when they were given the classical
music diffusion. The researchers say this knowledge could be used to
help reduce the risk of dangerous behavior that sometimes occurs when
horses are stressed, as well as the effects of chronic stress on
horses.
Worth noting: The
researchers did not test genres of music other than classical in this
study. Youll have to do your own observation to determine what
type of music soothes your horses soul.
Classical music reduces acute stress of domestic horses
Neveux, C. et al.
Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research , Volume 15 , 81
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2016.08.019
Leslie Potter is a writer and photographer based in Lexington, Kentucky. www.lesliepotterphoto.com
It's interesting how novelties can become commonplace quicker than we expect.
No more than 15 years ago we were watching sci-fi films that boggled the mind and tested the limits of our imagination. Facial recognition technology, fingerprint biometrics, intelligent phones and computers that talked to people, functional artificial intelligence; all of this seemed worlds away.
How things have changed.
The technology dreamed up for those blockbuster productions is the same as what we see entering our reality today. Seemingly, it's taken no more time than the transition from child to adult. To the average person, it still feels unimaginable that innovation like artificial intelligence (AI) is at our doorstep.
Apple's 'Siri', the intelligent computer program that also happens to be a personal assistant, has already been around for five years. She's now being joined and, in some cases, surpassed by developments like chatbots and actual robots.
This technology is applicable to almost every industry thanks to customer interaction a prime area for smart tech to be implemented. The travel industry is a massive target for newer, smarter, more automated, personalized and predictive processes. In fact, as progress continues, tourism could be a world leader for cutting-edge technology and advanced AI.
Let's take a look at how this technology is infiltrating the hotel industry
THE COMPUTERIZED HOSPITALITY WORLD
Messenger applications
The popularity of apps has now been on the rise for a while and will only continue as developers introduce slicker platforms. Apps have already been appropriated by many companies to provide intelligent real-time customer service without the need to place a human in position.
Facebook has 'M', Amazon has 'Alexa', Apple has created 'Viv' in addition to Siri, and Google has announced its 'Assistant' service. There are some specific to travel, too, like 'Lola' and 'Pana'.
All of these apps are designed to deliver an instant concierge-style chat service to help customers plan and manage their everyday needs. They're smart enough to handle even some complex requests and they're constantly being refined to deal with more scenarios.
Parts of the travel industry are embracing them with open arms. Edwardian Hotels London employs the aptly-named virtual host Edward who can take amenities requests, give directory and review information, facilitate complaints and connect guests to an immediate call-back if they need human assistance. He's designed to respond within a few seconds.
Dutch airline KLM is using a Facebook messenger chat service to send passengers booking confirmations, notifications, and boarding pasess. This process is easily transferable to hoteliers who can maintain an ongoing dialogue with guests from the booking to check-out stages, and everything in between.
Chatbots as a service
Kayak CEO Steve Hafner believes voice and physical interaction are the only way forward, saying we'll see an increase in travelers being helped by spoken word and chatbots:
"There's a whole generation who are more familiar with text messaging and voice via Siri looking for a different interaction with an online travel agency. We've got a Facebook Messenger chatbot for example. We have voice interaction with Alexa, where you can actually talk to Kayak and say, 'Hey Kayak, what's the status of my flight to Denver later today? Where can I go this weekend for $300?'"
Chatbots are meant to engage customers in a 'live' scenario without the need to trade communication back and forth via email or phone. Facebook aims to use this technology to enhance its personal assistant, 'M', which will be able to purchase items, have gifts delivered, and make various bookings and appointments.
Yahoo's Enrique Munoz Torres urges all companies to embrace this new opportunity: "Users are increasingly more comfortable with conversational interfaces, and they expect that systems will be able to handle complex requests."
In June, Booking.com launched a chatbot to connect hotels and travelers in two-way communication, which can be used from any device, including iOS and Android. The conversation is more natural, having been freed from templates or automated script. However, specific templates are provided to translate frequently asked questions into 42 different languages.
Robots yes, actual robots
Here comes the fun part. Yes, real robots already exist in the travel industry.
Marriott has 'Mario' welcoming guests, Hilton has 'Connie' the concierge, and InterContinental has 'Dash' transporting items between guests and staff.
On Mario, Ghent Marriott General Manager Roger Langhout says: "As soon as we saw Mario interacting with our guests we saw a smile. Nobody has seen it before."
Mario spends his time at the front desk and can help guests check-in, give speeches, inspect rooms, discuss the menu, and give presentations. Most intriguing is the effect Mario has on audience attentiveness when he is delivering speeches.
"We've found that content retention by participants is increased when Mario makes the presentation," says Langhout.
Another interesting example comes from where else but Japan. The Henn-na Hotel has over 100 rooms and features multilingual robots (one human woman, one dinosaur) at the front desk, a robot-arm locker service, a robot porter to transport your luggage, and facial recognition software so you don't have to worry about carrying a key.
Inside the room, air-conditioning analyses your body temperature and adjusts accordingly, while you can control the other in-room facilities from a tablet device. If anything else is required you can ask the robot concierge named Tuly, who will impart a range of knowledge.
In the future, there are plans for drones to deliver room service, too.
The best part? Rooms start from $80 a night, making the experience available for budget travelers. Those robots clearly don't demand any wages!
HOW COULD SMART TECHNOLOGY IMPACT THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY?
Any influx of mass change will naturally have mixed reviews. Tour guides, in particular, may be worried about their jobs becoming automated. For instance, it's easy to imagine a robot at the front of a bus giving a history lecture and probably without the need for a microphone.
But what about travelers? Will they still want to stay at your hotel if a human isn't there to greet them? Apparently, the answer is yes. Travelzoo conducted research and almost two-thirds of the survey respondents said they'd be comfortable being looked after by machines on their trips.
Even though AI is still in its infancy in the hotel sector, it's potential is broad. With that in mind, let's look at the six major effects we think it could have
A diversified booking method
Chatbots and conversational messaging will add yet another dimension to a customer's path-to-purchase. Imagine a traveler making a booking via their TV during an ad break, or on their hands-free mobile while driving. From a customer's perspective it could seem like an easier method for booking a trip, especially at the last-minute. An improved pre-arrival experience
Gone will be the days of email back and forth and multiple phone calls. With a chatbot the hotel or customer need only make a conversation request and any requirements, such as booking additional services, can be finalized in an instant. More on-site guest interaction
Virtual assistants will be able to fulfil any rudimentary requests from guests including food and beverage orders, amenity needs, basic complaints, and tour/directory information. Sustainable teams of hotel staff
This will free up other staff to concentrate on optimizing the guest experience even further and perhaps provide more luxurious features. Saving man hours will either mean increased profit or unbind money to spend on guest experience, leading to increased bookings and revenue. In seasonal lows, it may reduce the need to cut staff entirely. Increased personalized data collection
If an AI is taking a traveler through the whole customer journey it will gather a raft of valuable data in the one place that can be used to incorporate more personalized services based on the preferences the guests have shown which in turn increases the rate of return business and direct bookings. Seamlessly integrated customer journeys
Messenger apps and chatbots will remove many pain points because the connection between online and offline services will become seamless. However, if it's something hotels want to take advantage of it's even more important that they have an optimized and mobile responsive website, as well as an integrated Internet booking engine that can move with the guest throughout their complete customer journey.
The speed and innovation of technology, such as robots and AI, present hotels with a fantastic opportunity to become cutting-edge accommodation providers, giving guests an enhanced experience driven by forward-thinking service. Question is: are you ready for the robot revolution?
I look forward to seeing many of you at WTM London this week, where I will be speaking on 'Unbreak the fragmentation: The hotelier movement toward the single screen' from 11.30am 12.15pm on Tuesday. I hope to see you there and continue this conversation at the SiteMinder stand, TT560.
About SiteMinder
SiteMinder Limited (ASX:SDR) is the world's leading open hotel commerce platform, ranked among technology pioneers for opening up every hotel's access to online commerce. It's this central role that has earned SiteMinder the trust of tens of thousands of hotels, across 150 countries, to sell, market, manage and grow their business. The global company, headquartered in Sydney with offices in Bangkok, Berlin, Dallas, Galway, London and Manila, generated more than 100 million reservations worth over US$35 billion in revenue for hotels in the last year prior to the start of the pandemic. For more information, visit siteminder.com.
Maria Cricchiola
Director of Brand Communications & PR
+61 2 8031 1287
SiteMinder
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Scandic takes over operation of the venerable Ambassadeur Hotel and the Globus Hotel with almost 300 rooms
Scandic Hotels (STO:SHOT) has signed a long-term agreement with Norwegian Utstillingsplassen Eiendeom A/S to take over the Ambassadeur Hotel and the Globus Hotel in Drammen, Norway from January 2017.
The Ambassadeur Hotel, which dates from the late 1800s, and the Globus Hotel are located on Strms square, just 50m from Drammens train station. Following the takeover, the two hotels, which today are independent hotels, will undergo a complete renovation to be integrated into one hotel that will offer close to 300 rooms as well as 13 conference rooms along with restaurant and bar facilities.
- Drammen is one of Norways fastest growing hotel markets. And the Ambassadeur Hotel is a classic hotel and a well-known element in the city. This takeover will further strengthen our position in the market, says Frank Fiskars, President and CEO of Scandic Hotels Group.
- With the Ambassadeur Hotel and the Globus Hotel, we will more than double our current room capacity in Drammen. The new hotel will be a valuable addition to our hotel portfolio, says Svein Arild Steen-Mevold, Head of Norway.
Drammen, which is Norways fifth largest city, is 40km east of Oslo. It has a population of 63,000 people and 150,000 people in the region as a whole. Drammen is also the terminal station on the railway line to Oslo Airport.
Scandic will take over the operation of the hotel on January 1, 2017 and it will remain open during the renovation.
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Sells Manhattan NYC Hotel for $217.5 million
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE: PEB) today announced that it has executed a purchase and sale agreement to sell the 618-room, upper upscale, full-service Manhattan NYC in New York, New York for $217.5 million to a third party. The sale of the Manhattan NYC is subject to normal closing conditions, and the Company offers no assurances that this sale will be completed. The Company is targeting to complete the sale in the next 90 days.
Proceeds from the sale of Manhattan NYC will be utilized for general business purposes which may include reducing the Companys outstanding debt or repurchasing the Companys common shares.
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) organized to opportunistically acquire and invest primarily in upper upscale, full-service hotels located in urban markets in major gateway cities. The Company owns 30 hotels, with a total of 7,837 guest rooms. The Company owns hotels located in 10 states and the District of Columbia, including: Los Angeles, California (Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and West Hollywood); San Diego, California; San Francisco, California; Washington, DC; Coral Gables, Florida; Naples, Florida; Buckhead, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; Minneapolis, Minnesota; New York, New York; Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Nashville, Tennessee; Columbia River Gorge, Washington; and Seattle, Washington.
Remember Yung LA? Known for his 2008 smash single Aint I, the Atlanta sauce pioneer slipped into relative obscurity after a dramatic fallout with Grand Hustle. Hes now working on getting back into the spotlight and showing his city that his best music is still ahead of him. Last year, he changed his name to Da Boi Lay, signed to Zaytovens Zaytown USA, and released four mixtapes, Expensive Language, 3Way: 80Lay Mafia (with 808 Mafia), 3Way: Dripset (with Zaytoven and Cassius Jay), and 3Way: Foreign Water. Each of the 3Way tapes dropped on the same day. He then went on hiatus to start prepping for a similar run in 2016, which officially began in September with Expensive Language 2. Hes already back with another project, Tryna Tell Ya, which he hopes will finally impel people to stop sleeping on the man who started using much of todays trendiest lingo several years ago especially as hes now going by Yung LA once again. LA is intent that Tryna Tell Ya is one of his best projects to date.
Tryna Tell Ya is hosted by DJ P Exclusivez, DJ Pretty Boy Tank, and DJ Plugg. The whole tape is produced by Swif, and there are no features. Yung LA has also been camping out in the Trench Werk studios with Nard & B, and its likely that hell have another project to show for it before the years up.
Why not have a laugh before the American nation chooses between two evils
Trump's advisers have shut down his Twitter account just days before the election, perhaps in the hopes that it will prevent him from saying anything more to mess up his chances. What more harm can be done?
The other day, Obama jokes, "Now, if somebody can't handle a Twitter account, they can't handle the nuclear codes. If someone starts Tweeting at 3AM in the morning because SNL make fun of you, then you can't handle the nuclear codes." But seriously, can that kind of man be trusted?
After first sharing a digital passport on their website, the Foo Fighters announced their first tour date of 2017 the NOS Alive festival in Portugal.
The Foo Fighters have excited their fans by sharing a photo of Europe from space with Portugal illuminated - teasing an announcement for a European tour.
Many fans were waiting for the Foo Fighters to return to Europe. During their last tour, the Sonic Highways World Tour in 2015, many of the European tour dates had to be cancelled due to vocalist Dave Grohls unfortunate leg fracture.
Now finally it is confirmed. The Foo Fighters will join the previously announced headliner Depeche Mode at the festival.
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First playing on NOS Alive in 2011, the Foo Fighters return to Portugal. Theyll be performing as a headliner on Friday, July 7. The NOS Alive festival is a music and arts festival taking place in Alges, Portugal. It first took place in 2007 with famous headliners like Linkin Park, Metallica or Calvin Harris, over the years.
Now, after confirming their concert at NOS Alive, Foo Fighters fans are left wondering if this could be the first of more European tour dates.
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With her new album Secular Hymns already receiving rave reviews, Madeleine Peyroux plans to make her way to Dublin for a show at the Olympia early next year on February 9. It's been 20 years since her first album, Dreamland, and Secular Hymns is her next journey of self-expression. Music has been our spiritual life, she says. So I think of these as hymns, secular hymnssongs that are very individual, personal, introverted.
What makes this album unique is the story behind how it was recorded. Last year when Peyroux and her band were invited to perform for the guests of French chef Raymond Blanc at a 12-century church near his house, she was struck by the unique acoustics of the building. At the sound check, I was singing Randy Newmans song Guilty, and it was amazing the way my voice sounded in the cavernous room, Peyroux says. It has a wood ceiling that gave my voice a reverb. My live engineer Doug Dawson told me I should make a record there.
And so the band found their new studio. They were able to book the church for three days- one for soundcheck, one for a show for the locals that was recorded, and a third to do a recut of some of the show recordings. The experience was productive for both Peyroux and her band. We had all become very close, and we were stretching to come up with new sounds, she says. They took the opportunity to add a guilele (an acoustic, nylon-stringed tenor ukulele) to the band. Jon (guitarist) became very versatile on the guitar and Barak (bassist) was good with the bow. Plus they both like to sing.
Tickets for the February show are 36.50 and go on sale this Friday, November 11 on Ticketmaster.
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For two months of the year, Houston aircraft mechanic Lance McLean trades in his coveralls at the end of the day for a red Santa suit.
This year, McLean will don the suit 49 times, beginning Saturday. Twenty-nine of those events will be held at Houston public libraries.
"My ex-wife thought I'd make a good Santa Claus, so she started researching it back in 2007," McLean, 57, said. "I'd played Santa for a friend at his church, so I knew what to expect."
Internet research led to Lone Star Santas, a local nonprofit based in Cypress. The group includes some 350 Santa Clauses, Mrs. Clauses and elves who work throughout Texas. Members network, socialize and organize special events for disaster-stricken areas.
"Once you play Santa Claus, you fall in love with it," said Jim Fletcher, who co-founded the group in 2007. "Not many people can walk into a room and brighten it up like Santa Claus."
McLean's first paid appearance occurred at a holiday party for ChemLawn, the precursor to TruGreen.
More Information On the Web houstonsrealsanta.com See More Collapse
"I got an 86-year-old grandma to get out of her sit-down stroller and come sit on my lap," McLean said. "All of her grandkids freaked out. They freaked out even more when I gave her a 'reindeer ride' and bounced her on my knee."
McLean made eight appearances that first year and earned about $1,000. This year he expects to earn 10 times that amount. He charges between $125 and $175 per event, based on the location. He mainly works in communities from Conroe, north of Houston, down to Galveston.
McLean tries to limit his appearances to 30 or 35 a year, on top of his 40-hour workweek. When disaster strikes, he also volunteers his time through Lone Star Santas.
Portraying the world's most famous figure can be costly. McLean buys a new custom-made wool Santa suit every few years. His current suit cost $2,000.
"I'm on my fourth one," McLean said. "When kids slide off my lap, it pulls the wool, and it'll get threadbare."
Santa's costume also includes leather boots, to the tune of $500. McLean doesn't have to worry about a fake beard, since he stopped shaving in 1975. He dyes his beard white come the holidays.
To hone his Santa skills, McLean also attended "Santa school." The two-day program included information on everything from filing income taxes to buying insurance. He carries a $2 million insurance policy, in case a tot takes a tumble from his lap.
One of McLean's favorite gigs is a volunteer appearance at Texas Children's Hospital each year.
"I visited a girl in the ICU who asked if I could make her better for Christmas," McLean said, his eyes welling with tears. "I said that wasn't up to me, but I'd pray with her. The nurse told me later that she finally smiled after I left."
The No. 1 question McLean hears from children is more a quiz than a question. They ask him where they live, to test whether he's really Santa Claus.
"I'll say something silly like '123 ABC,' " McLean said. "When they disagree, I'll say, 'But that's your rooftop address. I can't drive my sleigh down your street, so I have to check the address on your roof. One mom told me her son actually got the ladder out to see if there was a number on his roof."
This week, Comcast subscribers who use the company's X1 platform will be able to watch Netflix just like any other cable channel.
Announced this summer, the integration finally appears to be rolling out and will allow cable viewers to browse and watch shows like "Orange Is the New Black" straight from their Comcast boxes. Of Comcast's 22.4 million TV subscribers, the deal will affect the roughly half who are (or will soon be) on the X1 platform.
For two companies that not long ago were at each other's throats, the deal may come as a surprise. But circumstances are forcing Comcast and Netflix to work together.
Netflix is facing particular pressure from investors to show it can attract and keep users in the face of rising content costs. In July, analysts widely downgraded the company's stock after Netflix missed its new-subscriber targets by more than 30 percent. Although the streaming service has been expanding rapidly overseas, even that growth has slowed somewhat, and the company has encountered difficulties breaking into China.
5 million subscribers
Partnering with Comcast could help Netflix sign up an additional 5 million subscribers in the United States, according to John Blackledge, an industry analyst at Cowen and Company. Although most Comcast X1 users are already Netflix customers, even slight growth around the edges is going to bolster Netflix's bottom line.
But the biggest benefit for Netflix, analysts say, may actually be in keeping its existing users tied to the service rather than letting them walk out the door. By deepening the ways in which users can interact with its content, Netflix is looking to stop the bleeding that began when it recently started to raise prices.
This is "more about increasing usage of existing (subscribers)," said Rich Greenfield, a media analyst at BTIG.
On an investor call last month, Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings said the Comcast deal would make Netflix easier for customers to use. "That increases word of mouth," he said.
Helping each other
Netflix isn't the only internet video service that's being hit by departures; its churn rate is among the lowest of its competitors, according to an April survey. But for a company facing such steep expectations as Netflix, demonstrating staying power isn't just a matter of corporate well-being - it's a sign of how healthy the market is for online streaming overall.
In comparison, Comcast has to make the opposite calculation: that the rising popularity of online streaming, however niche, could potentially threaten its traditional video business. With hit shows like "Narcos" and "House of Cards" being available only on Netflix, Comcast is at risk of losing customer loyalty to the streaming video company. If people grow to love Netflix's shows too much, what's to stop them from canceling their Comcast TV subscription?
By putting Netflix on Comcast directly, the cable firm gets to keep consumers more within its own ecosystem. Users will be able to switch on Netflix, for instance, by saying "Netflix" into their voice-activated remote. And they'll be exposed to traditional cable content right alongside the Netflix content.
"Our incredible teams of engineers and designers have come together to create an experience that is seamless and intuitive," said Neil Smit, Comcast Cable's chief executive.
One of the most interesting variables to watch throughout the general election season has been the value of the peso, which now moves in the opposite direction of Donald Trump's poll numbers: Up when he's doing badly, and down when he's doing well. Clearly, the Mexican financial markets care quite a bit who becomes president of the United States, in a way they haven't really ever before (as do the U.S.'). The question is: Why?
Here's a hint: It's probably not about the wall.
Sure, Mexico's leaders aren't thrilled about the prospect of extending the existing 650 miles of border fence, and certainly isn't interested in paying for it as Trump has declared they will. But the peso's jitters have more to do with the movement of goods, not people: Renegotiating or ripping up the North American Free Trade Agreement, one of Trump's primary campaign promises, would be economically devastating for Mexico.
Currently, the U.S. buys about 81 percent of the stuff Mexico exports. Although that proportion hasn't changed much since before NAFTA went into effect in 1994, the absolute value of that trade has gone from about $40 billion to almost $300 billion, as Mexico's economy has grown more dependent on producing for other countries. For perspective, that's more than a quarter of Mexico's gross domestic product.
Of course, the legacy of NAFTA is mixed for Mexico, just as it is for the United States. Most studies show that it had a moderately positive impact on both countries overall, with sometimes painful disruptions for those in industries suddenly subject to import competition, as well as environmental damage as a consequence of skyrocketing exports of crops like avocados.
Going backwards, however, would likely cause even more pain. The manufacturing and agricultural sectors of both countries are so intertwined that untangling them would be hugely disruptive.
Fully 40 percent of the stuff the U.S. imports from Mexico is originally produced in the United States.
"What Mexico produces and exports, the U.S. is also producing and exporting," says Kenneth Smith Ramos, the head of trade at Mexico's embassy to the United States. "Within North America, there is no outsourcing. We have to look at the region as a bloc. It's actually spreading out parts of production, and increasing the employment."
Take auto production. The U.S. and Mexico traded $80 billion worth of auto parts between each other, both while dramatically increasing their production of finished vehicles, according to the Center for Automotive Research, a nonprofit in Ann Arbor, Mich. If tariffs were reimposed to the tune that Trump has suggested, Ramos says, a $26,000 Ford Fusion could cost as much as $35,000 in the U.S. market. And if production were to move to the United States to avoid tariffs?
"It's hard to model the cost, but you would have to modify the entire structure of your suppliers," Smith says.
And then, it might make more sense for Ford to just produce the car in Asia, where labor costs are even lower.
There are other goods up higher on the value chain not just cheap textiles, which Mexico has lost to China just as the United States has that NAFTA allowed Mexico to successfully export. Television sets, for example, are now produced in Mexicali. The aerospace sector has also been bolstered by liberalized rules on cross-border investment.
Mexico's dependence on the U.S. is part of the reason why it's also pushing for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 12-nation Pacific Rim trade deal that was finished last year and has yet to be signed. Building relationships with countries like Japan, Malaysia, and Vietnam would insulate it against any potential falloff in trade with the U.S.
However, that trade deal is on its last legs, with both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump having campaigned on their opposition to it. Even if either of them tried to pass it after modifications, Smith says that would cause the agreement to collapse, as painstakingly negotiated tradeoffs disappear.
"All countries in the TPP space have been clear that there is no room for renegotiation, because an agreement between 12 parties is already complex enough," Smith says. "So you can affect the balance of the negotiations in a way that can be a slippery slope."
Even if they don't get TPP, however, Mexico's markets have made clear that protecting the status quo is important enough.
A book by Alexander Masters is always two books: one a fascinating biography of an ordinary yet extraordinary and damaged person, the other Masters' meta-chronicle of how he came to understand the subject and write the book.
In the remarkable "Stuart: A Life Backwards" (2006), Masters explored the life of a charming, cheeky, self-destructive, alcoholic homeless man, trying to understand how he became that way. In "Simon: The Genius in My Basement" (2012), Masters probed the life of his landlord, a math genius who did revolutionary work in group theory but went on to spend much of his time riding buses and trains and fighting against public transportation cuts.
In "A Life Discarded: 148 Diaries Found in the Trash," Masters delves into his most ordinary yet mysterious subject yet: the author of 148 handwritten diaries discovered in a dumpster in Cambridge, England, spanning 50 years of the diarist's life and amounting to millions of words.
Academic friends who rescued the diaries gave them to Masters, who spends several years reading them semi-randomly while trying to piece together the biography of the diarist. From dreamy teen years, with a strong desire to create great art, the diarist struggles through adulthood, emotionally preoccupied with a mocking, critical person:
More Information 'A Life Discarded: 148 Diaries Found in the Trash' By Alexander Masters Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 272 pp., $26 See More Collapse
"E said I have no common sense.
"E said I must overcome my allergy to people.
"E said I don't learn by my mistakes like others, because I always return to them, like my posture."
In later years, the diarist feels trapped, occasionally contemplating suicide, but is manic enough to crank out torrents of words about ordinary daily activities and television programs.
Masters bumps into several opportunities to uncover the diarist's identity more quickly, such as a private detective's suggestion to check the electoral register. But Masters backs away from these potential shortcuts. He clearly doesn't want to solve this mystery too soon.
He prefers to guess as he goes along, and nearly every guess is wrong. He thinks the diarist a man until he reads about her spells of painful menstruation. E, the diarist's piano teacher and critical crush, also turns out to be a woman.
For the longest time, Masters resists organizing the diaries in chronological order, until his girlfriend insists on it. Doing so leads to his biggest discovery and reversal: The woman behind the diaries is alive. He arranges to meet her, and seeks her permission to publish his biography. That meeting confirms his early guess that the woman, nearly 5 feet 11 inches, was a tall person. But it makes him rethink other assumptions about her.
"A Life Discarded" also serves as Masters' tribute to his friend Dido Davies, who went into the Dumpster to rescue the diaries. A biographer, academic, exotic-animal keeper and pseudonymous sex-manual author, she died during the making of this book. She sounds like a fascinating soul. If we're lucky, perhaps Masters will write more about her one day.
Americans believe in fresh starts and new beginnings, cleaning out and starting over, living free and unburdened by the weight of the past. But it's never that simple or complete; no one can simply shed a former self like a too-tight sweater or slough it off like a layer of skin. How much of the past - even the ugly parts - can we leave behind without losing who we are?
Author Kelly Luce tangles with this question in "Pull Me Under," a novel that straddles the line between two countries, two cultures and a woman with two lives and two names.
Rio Silvestri has a husband, a daughter and a rewarding career as a nurse. She grew up in Japan, where her father was a famous violinist - but since she attended college in Colorado, she has wanted nothing more than an average American life.
The past, though, won't stay in place. After all, Rio Silvestri is only one of her names. Until she was 20, Rio was Chizuru Akatani, the girl who used a letter opener to murder her sixth-grade classmate.
" 'Mixed-race child of Living National Treasure snaps and kills her bully!' - it was all over the news." At the age of 12, Chizuru committed a sensational crime, one she remembers only in flashes.
More Information Author appearance Kelly Luce will discuss and sign "Pull Me Under," 7 p.m. Monday, Brazos Bookstore. 'Pull Me Under' By Kelly Luce Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 272 pp., $26 See More Collapse
From the age of 4 or 5, she'd sensed "a dark presence" in her chest, "a blackness, clinging to the back of my heart." Usually it lay dormant inside her, but when she got angry or hurt, "it swelled like an infected gland."
That's what happened when Tomoya Yu, a boy in her class, started calling her "Fatty Potato" and putting tacks in her chair. He showed no mercy to Chizuru, who was still reeling from her mother's suicide. Pushed to her limit one afternoon, Chizuru snapped and grabbed the first sharp object she could find. When she walked out of the classroom, Tomoya was dead and she was covered in blood.
Chizuru served eight years in a "juvenile recovery center," where her father visited her exactly once and never returned. When she turned 20 and was free, she moved to the United States, changed her name to Rio and tried to cut all ties with her past. The "black organ" inside her went quiet, pushed down deep by the comforts of American life.
Now, when her own daughter is 12, Rio's father dies, and she returns to Japan alone to attend the funeral.
Most of the novel's action happens here, on Rio's solo journey to a home that never felt like home. She begins to piece together the puzzle of her childhood - and to realize that her secret could never have stayed secret forever.
This is Luce's first novel, though she has previously published a collection of short stories. She has said that with "Pull Me Under," she wanted to explore the phenomenon of kireru, a Japanese word meaning "to cut or snap" that is used to describe children and teens who commit sudden, unexplained violent crimes. When Luce spent a handful of years living in Japan, she was mystified by a rash of kireru crimes.
But "Pull Me Under," like its protagonist, is about more than kireru. Luce offers a thoughtful look at the struggle to bridge two cultures, not belonging entirely to one or the other. And she presents a solid portrait of a damaged, imperfect character struggling to reconcile the woman she is with the girl she used to be.
On Dec. 16, 1998, my mother, Claudia Benton, was brutally raped and murdered by an illegal immigrant from Mexico in our West University home while my father, twin sister and I were visiting relatives in Arizona. She was 39 years old.
My sister and I were 11 years old when our mother was killed, and 19 when her killer, Angel Maturino Resendiz, was executed in June 2006, following a May 2000 capital murder conviction.
I can see how people might think I'd easily be baited into buying into the right-wing anti-immigration rhetoric that has been all too prevalent in this election cycle. Yes, I do often still feel anger and grief when I think about my mother every single day. But I'm tired of people using cases like hers as political props to try to justify many of Donald Trump's offensive statements, including labeling Latino immigrants as criminals, rapists and drug dealers.
It's dangerous to simply tie one's immigration status to an act of violence, and it's safe to say we have just as much to fear from our fellow citizens. My mother was killed by a man with no conscience or respect for human life; one who also happened to be an undocumented immigrant.
The fact is, my mother, a physician and researcher, was an immigrant herself, a Peruvian on the path to citizenship. If she were here today, I think she would agree that our immigration system is broken and does need an overhaul. But I also believe she wouldn't want her daughters to buy into a belief system fueled by ignorance and hate. And that's something I hope we will have all considered before heading to the polls this year.
Emilia Benton is a scientific editor and freelance writer in Houston.
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The preacher told the woman that her 15-year-old girl should stay with him for a while, that she "needed more supervision," according to the criminal complaint.
So the teen moved in to the preacher's big house on a wooded lot in semi-rural Magnolia, a quiet community located about 45 miles northwest of downtown Houston.
Then, a few days before last Thanksgiving, Montgomery County sheriff's investigators allege, the preacher fondled the girl for the first time. About two weeks later, the complaint alleges, he first had sexual intercourse with her in a dimly lit room.
Authorities allege the preacher - 56-year-old Ronald Wayne Mitchell, leader of the Body of Christ Ministry - spent much of the past year sexually abusing the girl. They say he told the teen that God would strike her dead if she told anyone about the abuse, which allegedly continued as he took her on trips to Galveston, San Antonio and Las Vegas.
Sheriff's deputies allege that the preacher's wife took the girl to a Conroe health clinic, posing as her mother to authorize birth-control injections. Clinic records subpoenaed by investigators show Sandra Mitchell was listed as the girl's "mother" on at least two visits; clinic files included copies of her driver's license. Sandra Mitchell has not been charged.
The teen and other church members lived at the Mitchells' large home, which was monitored by surveillance cameras and stocked with a "large cache of weapons and ammunition" that police found in an early morning raid last week.
Ronald Mitchell now faces four felony charges of sexual assault of a child, Montgomery County prosecutor Nancy Hebert said Monday. If convicted, he would face decades in prison. Under Texas law, prosecutors could seek enhancements that would open the possibility of life in prison.
His defense lawyer, Joseph LaBella, had no comment Monday but said prosecutors might be leaking details from grand jury deliberations.
Sandra Mitchell could not be reached for comment. Multiple calls to known phone listings for the Mitchells were not returned.
$250,000 bail posted
The preacher, who was arrested Nov. 1, remained in the Montgomery County jail Monday. His family posted $250,000 cash bail last week, but he will not be released until he meets conditions that include surrendering his passport and wearing a GPS ankle bracelet, said sheriff's Capt. Ronnie Silvio. An emergency protective order bars him from having contact with the minor who has accused him.
A 9-year-old girl who also was interviewed by police said the preacher would slap her after saying he saw a "spirit" on her face, according to the Oct. 31 criminal complaint.
A 35-year-old woman told deputies that Mitchell beat church members for being too close to family members and said he once yanked her by the hair when she fell asleep while listening to him.
Silvio said deputies are looking for more possible victims since Mitchell moved his small church - which some have described as a cult - around the region, with locations including Tomball, South Houston and Montgomery County.
A relative of some church members told the Chronicle last week that Mitchell would order church members to cut off contact with their biological families, a separation that could last for years.
Mitchell collected money from the church members, all of whom were struggling financially, said the relative, who asked not to be identified to avoid straining family relationships.
A neighbor who would not give his name said Mitchell drove a Lexus while visitors to his home usually traveled in beat-up vehicles. A Mercedes sedan was visible at the home Monday.
"A lot of people have referred to it like a cult," the relative said.
The preacher forbade dating and instead set up church members to marry, the relative added.
"He's just always been a weird guy," the relative said. "It's like he has control over them."
Another neighbor said he only knew of Mitchell, his wife and their niece living at the house, which has tall fences that hide a small pasture where cattle were once raised. The neighbor, Hugh Fullerton, said they traded greetings occasionally and were good neighbors.
'Spiritual warfare'
A website for the Body of Christ Ministry focuses on "spiritual welfare," dream interpretation and miraculous cure of addictions. The welcome page says "Apostle R.W. Mitchell was visited by an angel of the Lord in a night vision who told him that Pure Revival can come only through a single seed. Apostle Mitchell knew that the Lord JESUS had chosen him to bring Pure Revival which is the qualification to be Raptured."
A biography of Mitchell on the church website says Mitchell hosted Christian radio talk shows for KWWJ, KGOL and KYOK. It says he "received his credentials from Infinite Way Church of Christ and was ordained by Bishop Richard L. Finney, Sr." Finney, now deceased, led Grace Congregational Church in south Houston. There is no claim of theological education or denominational ordination.
The church, which apparently lost its Tomball-area building a few years after getting a half-million-dollar loan, met at the Mitchells' home.
Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to contact the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office at 936-760-5876 or Montgomery County Crime Stoppers at 800-392-STOP (7867).
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After months of grass-roots activity, the payoff is in sight for political activists who have been organizing their parties' so-called ground game.
These volunteers for weeks have been running phone banks, knocking on doors and driving voters to the polls - efforts that have already yielded a record early voting turnout.
"There comes a time when you quit trying to change people's minds and you just activate the people you know are going to be your base," said Texas GOP vice chair Amy Clark of Three Rivers. "That's what everybody, universally, is doing right now."
Ben McPhaul, executive director of the Harris County Republican Party, said his party spent all weekend phone banking, adding to the roughly 1 million calls volunteers have made since August.
"It's never too late to make a difference," he said. "We will be working our tails off until 6:59 on Nov. 8."
The Harris County Democratic Party estimates they've made about 700,000 calls this cycle.
The Democratic Party also hosted a "tele-town hall" conference call Wednesday evening with former presidential candidate Howard Dean, who encouraged a telephone audience to vote. In Harris County, the party targeted 120,000 people for invitations via robocall. A cohort of Democrats also will hold a breakfast Monday in Houston's East End to ask voters to make a plan to vote on Tuesday, despite possible long lines.
Record early voting
In Bexar County and Congressional District 23, basic campaign efforts are augmented by an unprecedented air war - political ads on TV and social media. A record $14 million has been poured into ads for the contest between U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-San Antonio, and former Rep. Pete Gallego in the state's most competitive and expensive congressional race and one of five targeted nationally by the political parties.
But door knocking remains the purveyance of campaigns. "It's amazing to me that in 2016, with all the social media and all the technological advances, still the best way to make voter contact is in person, and that hasn't changed since (Abraham) Lincoln," Clark said.
Clark, serving a second term as the GOP's state vice chair, said new volunteers continue to emerge as people show up at party offices and say "put me to work."
"We have to find more phones. We have to find more chairs. It's a good problem to have," she said.
Across Texas this weekend, campaigns have been reaching out to any remaining potential voters. Through Friday, 4.5 million Texans had voted early or by mail in the state's 15 largest counties, including nearly 1 million in Harris County, a record.
Targeting all voters
On a sunny afternoon in Pharr last week, Mary Gow knocked on doors, urging people to vote and checking them off her list of registered voters. When no one answered the door, Gow, the get-out-the-vote coordinator for ARISE, a community-based organization in the Rio Grande Valley, leaves fliers with voter information, including the nearest polling locations.
"We don't tell them who to vote for, but we do encourage them to vote," Gow said. "Compared to the last election, we've had a lot of people calling us to ask about getting registered and where to vote."
Not everyone is engaged by this election, though.
"I won't vote," Elias Santoyo, 23, told Gow. "I'm not really for either candidate. They tell me if I don't vote I don't have a voice, but I really don't like either of the candidates."
Santoyo voted for President Barack Obama in 2012.
"I'll vote," said Alberto De La Cruz, 57, after speaking with Gow and her team of community organizers. "I'm going to vote for Hillary (Clinton), because the other guy is a little crazy, and he's against Hispanics."
The door-knocking phase of the campaign was winding down over the weekend, as preparations were underway for Election Day mobilization. In San Antonio, political activist Lourdes Galvan was lining up more elderly voters to deliver to polling sites on Tuesday.
"At the street level, there's a lot of excitement. A lot of people are upset with (Donald) Trump. They are really upset and they call him all kinds of names," said Galvan, a former councilwoman who serves as LULAC's national vice-president for women.
"You've got to be on the ground. You've got to do the grass roots. They don't want to hear you on the phone. They want you to go knock on their door and tell them" about the candidates, Galvan said.
Bexar Democratic Chairman Manuel Medina said the party's efforts have improved since the last presidential contest.
"The big difference between this and past elections is we're not only targeting likely voters, we're targeting all voters. We're knocking on all their doors. We're pushing straight-ticket Democrat. That's one reason we have turnout as high as it is this time around," Medina said. The county's early voting set a record, surpassing high marks set in 2008 and 2012.
"We have an army ready to go for Election Day," he said. About 500 volunteers will be in the field, offering rides to the polls and promoting candidates at the county's 303 polling sites.
Valley more competitive
Medina's counterpart in Hidalgo County has been enthused by the turnout in the Rio Grande Valley.
"At last count we're up close to 44 percent compared to 2012, and we're actually a little higher than 2008 numbers, so I suspect we're going to break records. Right now I think you're seeing a lot of conservative and middle-of-the-road people vote in the first few days, and then we'll see more of the Democratic base coming out," said Hidalgo Democratic Chairman Ricardo "Ric" Godinez.
High-profile Democrats such as U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, have swooped through the Valley to help the party's effort.
"Most of the campaigns are safe, with the exception of the biggest race, (Texas House) District 41," he said, where state Rep. Bobby Guerra, D-Mission, is in a close race with GOP candidate Hilda DeShazo.
In Cameron County, Democratic Chairwoman Amber Medina said the traditional campaign efforts continue, and while turnout has improved since four years ago, it could be better.
"What we've tried to do this time around is focus on those people who haven't voted every single time in every election. We're reminding them what's at stake in this election, that we're here if they need anything," the Cameron chair said.
"I think this year more than any year people are saying 'Wait a minute, this is going to affect me and my family. If I don't do something about it then maybe something bad is going to happen,' " Amber Medina said.
But Republicans in the Valley see much at stake as well, and they're pushing hard to challenge the area's legacy of Democratic dominance.
"Here in South Texas, you've got some Democrat candidates who are pushing their people, their politicqueras are pushing," said Hidalgo GOP Chairman Sergio Sanchez. "But now that we're building our party, we've created a buzz on the ballot. The big race for us is the District 41 race (between Guerra and DeShazo)," Sanchez said.
"We need some political competition, that's the battle cry from our office," he added.
Hurd 'strike force'
Republicans from San Antonio to El Paso were busily working on Hurd's behalf. Volunteers including members of the state GOP's Mighty Texas Strike Force, were in the 23rd District to encourage them to vote Tuesday, when polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Gov. Greg Abbott will campaign for Hurd in Bexar County on Monday evening.
In Fair Oaks Ranch on Saturday, 20 GOP volunteers including college students from around Texas went door-knocking for their party. The group included strike force member Beryl Dowd of North Richland Hills, who was advocating for Hurd.
"It's extremely important. I'm worried about what may or may not happen Tuesday," she said.
Bexar GOP Chairman Robert Stovall also block walked for Hurd in Fair Oaks, buoyed by the high turnout so far.
"There's always more to do. We need everyone to come out on Election Day," he said.
The South Texas campaigning was just part of the strategies of the two major parties. Throughout the state, Democrats and Republicans were working the traditional get-out-the vote tactics. Volunteers last week made thousands of phone calls, offered rides to the polls, reached out and battled on social media.
They also dispatched homegrown stars around the state to fire up the troops.
While Democrats including HUD Secretary Julian Castro have been courting Texas voters for months, Republican luminaries including Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Land Commissioner George P. Bush have campaigned actively for the GOP.
Republican Party of Texas spokesman Mike Joyce said, "Basically, just every day until the election happens on Nov. 8, when polls close, we are going to be on the phones and walking all over the state" to elect Republicans "from the White House to the courthouse. That includes Donald Trump, and that includes the last Republican that you find on the end of your ballot, all the way at the bottom."
Thousands of calls were being made daily from each of 20-plus offices in the state Victory 2016 effort that are doing phone banking, Joyce said, and county parties also have phone-bank operations. Bush, who chairs the GOP victory effort, joined volunteers phone banking for Hurd and Republican state Reps. John Lujan and Rick Galindo in Bexar County.
Under Bush, "Victory 2016 is hitting all its marks," said Bush campaign spokesman Kasey S. Pipes.
"Victory has secured significant resources to help down-ballot candidates across the state. Victory has activated thousands of grass-roots volunteers around the state who will make 500,000 voter contacts in the last week of the campaign alone," Pipes said.
"Victory is also implementing an in-state Texas strike force (through Tuesday) to help out in targeted races. And on Election Day, Commissioner Bush will be personally getting out the vote in several locations around the state," Pipes added.
Abbott's efforts, said spokesman John Wittman, include get-out-the-vote events such as one on Oct. 24 in Harris County and Monday in Bexar County. Abbott has led events and fundraisers in competitive districts around Texas along with his wife, Cecilia; a tele-town hall that he said would call 750,000 voters; digital (video) ads for more than a dozen state representatives; and a radio ad that will run more than 3,000 times in markets across the state.
Democrats, meanwhile, said they have a coordinated effort that includes the county and state parties and the Clinton campaign. They tout work they've put into building a voter database, sophisticated modeling of voter data and ensuring local leaders have the tools to mobilize their voters.
Appearances by Democratic draws like the Castros are tied to events aimed at voter contact, whether phone calls or knocking on doors, said Cliff Walker, campaign services and candidate recruitment director for the Texas Democratic Party. "We grind it out on the streets," he said.
Groups including Planned Parenthood, labor organizations and Battleground Texas are involved in organizing events.
The Clinton campaign in Texas planned at least 150,000 calls in the last week of the race "that I know about," said former state land commissioner Garry Mauro, Texas for Hillary chairman, with two-thirds of the calls being made to turn out Texas voters and the rest to other targeted states. Those are solely Clinton campaign calls and don't include those made under the auspices of the party, said Manny Garcia, deputy executive director of the Texas Democratic Party.
"The biggest difference between us and the Republican Party right now is we can push for straight ticket and folks are proud to be pushing for straight ticket. Folks want to vote straight ticket. And the other party's got a significant problem with that," Garcia said.
Aaron Nelsen reported from the Rio Grande Valley and Dylan Baddour reported from Houston.
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A year before a string of campus shootings killed two men and injured several others in 2015, Texas Southern University police pleaded with then-President John Rudley for more resources to handle increasing violence and active shooters.
Their letter citing multiple safety concerns and Rudley's authoritarian response were revealed in lawsuits filed by the mother of a man killed at TSU and by a visitor injured by gunfire.
Lakeytrick Quinn, 24, died after being shot Aug. 25, 2015 in the parking lot of a dormitory on Blodgett. His mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Nov. 3. That same day, a negligence claim asserting "serious bodily injuries" was entered into the Harris County District Court by Jordan Schott, now 24. The aspiring firefighter was shot in the abdomen while attending a poetry reading with his girlfriend on Oct. 6, 2015.
Both lawsuits allege the rank-and-file police letter gave Rudley and other TSU leaders "actual or constructive knowledge" of campus conditions that "posed an unreasonable risk of harm" and that officials "did not exercise reasonable care to reduce or eliminate the risk."
Taft Foley, a graduate of TSU's Thurgood Marshall School of Law and one of the lawyers representing the families, said he believes the university should be held responsible for not providing proper security. "The lawsuits were filed to force Texas Southern University to do a better job of protecting the campus that I love and the students of my alma mater," Foley said. "Someone has to take a stand or a change will not be made."
A statement issued by the university declined to comment on pending legal matters, which also include an additional lawsuit filed in January by the mother of TSU freshman Brent Randall, an 18-year-old who was shot and killed outside the same Blodgett dorm complex three days after Schott was shot.
'Insurmountable' stress
Rudley - who became president in 2008 and stepped down earlier this year - is not named individually in the lawsuits. Efforts last week to reach him for a statement were unsuccessful.
In an August 2014 letter to Rudley from unnamed individuals who collectively described themselves as TSU Police Department officers, sergeants and at least one 911 dispatcher said the group had "no confidence" in then-Police Chief Roger Byars and requested his removal. They accused Byars of failing to provide updated equipment and training. The letter also said the department's poor reputation accounted for low retention rates, no applicants for openings and the prospect of facing the 2014-2015 academic year understaffed - particularly as security for student housing.
"As the university's first responders, training is as important to officers as being properly equipped. The threat of an active shooter on campus is feared nationally," the letter, which exceeded three pages, said. "The level of stress and responsibility placed on the officers remaining with the department is insurmountable. We are set up to fail."
In a two-page response dated Oct. 1, 2014, Rudley thanked the letter-writers for their service to the university, then called them a "disgruntled group" who sought the police chief's resignation for "petty" reasons that did not comport with the campus security plan. The president continued by reminding the group that the university had a $7 million shortfall because of federal grant cuts and student loan restrictions. Rudley also wrote that he believed the police department had been "thoroughly improved" under Byars.
'Deliberate indifference'
His response exuded the tone of a frustrated president who felt under-resourced, unappreciated and undermined in his seventh year of leading the university. He also enumerated security improvements completed prior to the budget crisis.
"We hired officers to man the security outpost at the dorms because when we arrived, the gangbangers had open access to every dorm," Rudley's letter said. "We closed streets and fenced in the campus; we invested in cameras throughout the campus; we invested in lighting; we even invested in uniforms and training to send an officer to the FBI training facility."
Foley said the letters were cited in the lawsuit because they show Rudley had an opportunity to provide safety remedies a year before ongoing campus gunfire started.
"As a result of President Rudley's deliberate indifference to the concerns expressed by campus police, a rash of shootings happened on that campus," Foley said. "I believe that had President Rudley, campus officials and the Texas Southern University Board of Regents acted appropriately in responding to the letter written by police officers, these deaths and injuries could have been prevented."
The university did respond to requests about campus safety changes since the fatal shootings.
TSU increased patrols around student housing. The university started a social media campaign to encourage crime reporting and launched a free personal safety mobile app for students, faculty and staff members to communicate discreetly with TSU safety officials, a statement said. Security officers now have Segways, the two-wheeled electric personal vehicles, to quickly travel the campus and there also are new signs identifying various gun-free zones.
Remon Green, the police department's deputy chief who became the interim leader in November 2015, was appointed chief in late January.
New leadership
TSU President Austin Lane, who assumed campus leadership in June, released a statement that expressed sympathy about the deaths.
"We do ... want the public to know that we have made significant improvements in the area of campus safety and we will remain steadfast in our commitment to keep Texas Southern University a safe and secure environment for our students, faculty, staff and visitors," he said.
Foley is hopeful that Lane will respond positively to current and future safety pleas from the TSU community.
"I am confident that he will do a much better job and he will listen to the concerns of his campus police officers," the lawyer said.
As of Friday, the university had not filed responses to the newest lawsuits.
BRIDGEVILLE, Del. - A 39-year-old woman suffered critical injuries Sunday after an apparatus used to launch pumpkins into the air exploded at a large outdoor competition, Delaware State Police said.
A 56-year-old man was also hurt with non-life threatening injuries. Both had been struck by debris from the explosion.
The incident occurred at the Punkin Chunkin Contest in Bridgeville, which is about 30 miles south of Dover. The competition involves dozens of contestants launching pumpkins from homemade contraptions, many of which are air-powered with long cannons and hauled on the back of trucks.
Spectator Daivd Aronson, 52, of Falls Church, Va., said he was about 25 yards behind the cannon when it exploded. He said it had just fired a pumpkin when a piece blew off the launcher that was the size of a car door.
"It arcs down on this woman who is running away as it hits her," he said.
Aronson said the woman appeared motionless as people gathered around her. A short time later, the competition's announcer asked the crowd to pray as she was flown to a hospital. The announcer then said the contest was over, Aronson said.
Aronson said organizers tried to take precautions by using nets and placing spectators 25 yards away from the launchers.
Master Cpl. Jeffrey Hale of the Delaware State Police said the woman and man who were injured were among the launchers. He said they were observing the event but declined to elaborate. Hale said the incident remains under investigation.
Punkin Chunkin dates back to 1986. It had been canceled for the past two years because of problems finding insurance.
In the waning days of a bitter, exhausting, enervating election season, President Barack Obama often seemed to be the only person in America who was still having fun.
On each of his stops for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, he has been greeted by screaming crowds and a palpable nostalgia embodied by the same largely improvised exchange.
"I love you," a voice from the crowd inevitably calls.
"Love you, too," Obama always replies.
The exchange captures one of the striking paradoxes of this election season: At a moment defined by anger at Washington, voter cynicism and two historically unpopular presidential candidates, Obama's approval ratings are the highest they have been since his first days in office. For the first time in decades - dating back to Ronald Reagan - a lame-duck incumbent is in high demand on the campaign trail.
The good feelings, meanwhile, extend beyond the president himself. First lady Michelle Obama has been perhaps Clinton's most effective surrogate, campaigning alongside her in North Carolina last month. In crucial swing states such as Florida and Pennsylvania, Vice President Joe Biden's popularity surpasses even that of the president at his eight-year peak. Nearly two-thirds of voters in Pennsylvania, for example, have a favorable view of the vice president and first lady, according to a recent Bloomberg Politics poll.
Some key factors have worked to the president's advantage. Respectable job growth and declining unemployment have helped the public mood and, for the most part, this White House has not been hobbled by any significant scandals in the second term.
But the biggest reason for the late term surge in presidential popularity may be the election itself. "I know a lot of you are cynical about politics," Obama told a crowd in Miami last week. "There's a lot about this election that gives you reason to be."
Presidential elections often are, at least in part, a referendum on the incumbent. But for months, Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump have been blasting away at each other in what amounts to a contest about character between two highly-polarizing figures. Even a recent surge in premiums associated with the Affordable Care Act, Obama's signature domestic policy accomplishment, has left the president largely unscathed, and broader Republican attacks on him have not been particularly effective.
"We should have been able to say, 'We're ready for a change,' " Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said. "That has not been done successfully by the Trump campaign."
Typically, Obama is Trump's third or fourth target, behind Clinton, the GOP establishment and the news media.
Last week, as Trump's plane was taxiing for takeoff in Miami, he spotted Air Force One on the tarmac. "He's down here campaigning for Crooked Hillary," Trump said at a rally later that afternoon. "Why isn't he back in the White House bringing our jobs back? And helping our veterans? Why? Why isn't he back working?"
Trump, however, has been either unwilling or unable to go after Obama for his handling of foreign affairs, the area where support for the president's policies is weakest. Since 2012, nearly 400,000 Syrians have died in that country's civil war, while nearly 5 million have fled as refugees.
Amid that worsening humanitarian catastrophe, the toughest critiques of Obama's approach have come from Clinton, who has questioned the president's unwillingness to arm Syrian rebels early in the conflict or establish no-fly zones to protect American allies from Russian and Syrian bombs.
Trump, channeling the electorate's fatalism regarding the Middle East, has broken with Republican Party orthodoxy and suggested outsourcing the crisis to the Russian and Syrian regime forces. "Things are not going well in Syria or Iraq," said Michael Singh, a former top foreign policy official in George W. Bush's White House. "But there is no heated partisan debate on how to handle it."
As the rhetoric has grown louder and meaner, Obama also has benefited from a White House message machine built, over the past eight years, for the digital age. Both the president and the first lady have been in heavy rotation on the TV talk-show circuit. Michelle Obama's "Carpool Karaoke" appearance with "Late Late Show" host James Corden has garnered more than 46 million views since it first aired in July - an audience that dwarfs any for campaign advertising in the current election cycle.
Obama, meanwhile, has gone from being a relative newcomer to national politics when he won the presidency in 2008 to a more practiced and confident politician.
"I know what I'm doing and I'm fearless," Obama said in a podcast interview last year.
Jennifer Psaki, the White House communications director and a longtime Obama aide, recently made a similar point in an interview: "What people are seeing is that he feels liberated, and he's able to be the wonky, optimistic, slightly nerdy president that people elected."
In the final months of his presidency, Obama has played on that public nostalgia, returning repeatedly to the broader themes of the 2004 Democratic National Convention speech that made him a political star and his 2008 inaugural address. "I'm asking you the same thing I asked of you eight years ago," he said in Miami. "I'm asking you to believe - not in my ability to change things or one person's ability change things . . . I'm asking you to believe in your ability to change things."
Obama's campaign audiences are often full of young, college-age voters, many of whom were still in elementary school when he was elected. The message, however, is the same Obama message. "You can draw a straight line between that speech in 2004 and the speeches" he is giving on the campaign trail, said David Simas, White House political director.
The question is whether that loyalty and good feeling will transfer over to Clinton.
Obama will spend the hours leading up to Election Day trying to rally the vote in swing states where support for Clinton, particularly among young people and African Americans, looks shaky.
Several of the president's former campaign aides have started sharing their own video, titled "Do It for Obama," where they recount war stories and explain why Clinton deserves support.
Liz Jaff, who worked on both of Obama's presidential campaigns and helped create the video, has spent more than a week turning out voters in Ohio. As she walked around a parking lot in Columbus near Clinton's campaign office, she worried that a Trump victory would essentially be a repudiation of Obama's presidency.
"If we elected the first African American president and it just opened up more racism in our society, it's just really hard," she said, her voice cracking as she started to cry.
"We did everything for him," she said. "It should be the same for her."
Greg Jaffe covers the White House for The Washington Post, where he has been since March 2009. Juliet Eilperin is The Washington Post's White House bureau chief, covering domestic and foreign policy as well as the culture of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. She is the author of two booksone on sharks, and another on Congress, not to be confused with each otherand has worked for the Post since 1998.
City challenges
Regarding "Wrong about the 'Creative class" (Page B5, Oct. 30), the story about the "new urban crisis" underscores the city of Houston's daunting long-term challenge - chronic inequality (23 percent poverty rate) and economic segregation, third worse in the U.S. behind Los Angeles and New York City. It's punctuated by the dearth of affordable housing, the flight of the middle-class to the suburbs, and the absence of mixed-income neighborhoods. It's a tough challenge for our mayor who grew up in one of our many areas faced with chronic social and economic decline - which represents some 60 percent of the land area of the city.
We are an extremely diverse but a city of "haves" and "have-nots." This debilitating economic segregation will likely persist until we decide to upgrade our weak urban planning and development regulations. The creation of special districts with customized development standards and enforceable, adopted plans - even without zoning - would be a good start.
Peter Brown, Houston
ACA fix?
Regarding "Where is Obamacare's replacement?" (Page A2, Thursday), Chris Tomlinson managed to pull back the curtain on Obamacare. Those in the know and the few congressmen who took the time to read its policy (not House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.) have known all along we were headed toward a single-payer system, code for "socialized medicine." My 93-year-old, retired-physician father predicted this 45 years ago.
Tomlinson seems to be accepting of the "successful" system. That is unless he runs out of patience after waiting several years for a doctor's appointment.
Patti Miller, Houston
School funding
Regarding "Building owners say they'll be voting yes" (Page B1, Oct. 27), for years many "property wealthy" school districts have been paying local property taxes to the state, and even former state legislator Scott Hochberg admitted in his recent essay that the provision in state law known as "Robin Hood" or "recapture" has done nothing to move the needle for school funding reform in Texas. Clearly school systems fighting alone are having no impact.
But commercial property owners and large corporations who own their own property in city limits will be impacted by a "no" vote. And in this article, those business interests implied that that is not a position in which they want to find themselves.
Sometimes you have to drag a big dog into the fight with you if you want to have at least a shot at surviving. So far, school districts lobbying or suing on their own have not been successful for Texas public school kids, already among the lowest funded in the country. Paying recapture funds doesn't even guarantee the money goes to Texas education.
Elaine Mut, Houston
Animal cruelty
Regarding "2 charged in 'heartbreaking' dog cruelty case" (Page A4, Tuesday), no companion animal should suffer in a manner that causes unjustified pain or suffering. Cruelty to animals needs to be taken more seriously and the laws need to provide sufficient and memorable punishment that fits the many types of criminal behavior toward animals.
Neglect, abuse, or cruelty in any form against a helpless animal should be ranked higher than a misdemeanor to help ensure that the perpetrator thinks before he acts.
Elaine Hutzelman, Houston
Donald Trump maligned undocumented immigrants as murderers and rapists. Hillary Clinton hired a woman who had been one for many years as her national director of Latino outreach.
Clinton organizers rolled through the streets of Orlando, Florida, blasting reggaeton music from their cars, calling out to Puerto Rican residents to vote for the woman many of them know as "La Hillary."
And in Arizona, a grass-roots group released an online video game that rewards players with points every time they smack Trump and the Maricopa County sheriff, Joe Arpaio, in the face with a flip-flop, but that also tells those who play where to vote.
The votes have yet to be counted, but this much is already clear: Hispanic America has been mobilized like never before in the 2016 election, and is emerging as a formidable force with the power to elect a president.
Energized by anger at Trump and an aggressive Democratic campaign to get them to the polls, Latinos are turning out in record numbers and could make the difference in the outcome in several highly contested states.
And with African-American turnout so far failing to match the historic levels of 2008 and 2012, Hispanics could make up the difference. In fact, they could turn out to be Clinton's firewall.
In Florida, a state that is likely to be decided by the thinnest of margins, about 1 million of the nearly 6.2 million early votes counted as of early Sunday had been cast by Hispanics, an increase of almost 75 percent over 2012. In Clark County, Nevada, home to Las Vegas and the state's largest Hispanic population, a record 57,000 people voted on Friday alone.
Eight years ago, President Barack Obama inspired a wave of African-American turnout, with black voters hopeful and deeply moved by his candidacy. This time, it is not an admired figure but a disliked one Trump who is driving the surge among Hispanics.
Motivated by fear about what a Trump presidency would mean for their families, many Hispanics say they cannot afford to stay home.
"I'm scared for my country's future," said Cinthia Estela, 30, who is helping to organize Latinos for the Arizona Democratic Party. Sometimes, Estela brings along her mother and two young daughters, who are 8 and 9, to help in the effort.
"This is breaking us apart," she said of the election. "This is taking us back many years."
Crucially, many of the Latinos casting ballots are new voters. According to an analysis of early vote returns in Florida by Daniel A. Smith of the University of Florida, more than one-third of Hispanics who have cast ballots so far did not vote in November 2012.
"It is truly historic," Smith said. "Donald Trump has done more to energize Hispanics in Florida than any Democratic candidate."
But the Democrats were laying the groundwork even before Trump emerged as the Republican nominee, with years of organizational planning and tens of millions of dollars in investment by pro-immigration groups, state Democratic Party organizations and the Clinton campaign itself.
From the beginning of her campaign, Clinton and her team saw untapped potential in the 27 million Hispanics who would be eligible to vote in 2016, a 26 percent increase since 2012.
But voter turnout among Hispanics was stubbornly low. In the 2012 presidential campaign, 48 percent of eligible Hispanics voted, compared with 64 percent of eligible white voters, according to Pew.
So they set out to reach them in their communities, talking to them in their language, with the belief that touching them in the most personal way possible, at churches, bodegas, bus stops and nail salons, was also the most persuasive. And the effort was focused on more than registering potential voters. Democrats sought to make electoral politics part of the daily conversation for a demographic that had until now largely sat on the sidelines.
Starting in Nevada, the campaign convened groups of women to discuss issues that were important to them, like health care and education. After each meeting, the women were asked to write down the names and contacts of five other women who might support Clinton. The program, called Mujeres in Politics, was deemed such a success that the campaign replicated it in Colorado and other states with large Hispanic populations.
"We understand this community. We know culturally what are the strongest messages that work for them," said Lorella Praeli, Clinton's national director of Latino Outreach, who had lived undocumented for years after coming to this country from Peru but is now a U.S. citizen. "This wasn't created in an office. This was built on the ground."
Clinton also had to grapple with the fact that many Latino voters were disappointed with Obama, who had increased deportations and failed to bring about an overhaul of the country's immigration laws. Clinton knew she would need to tell Latino voters at the start of her presidential campaign that she would go further than Obama in extending a path to citizenship, even if it meant upsetting the president.
Clinton and her Democratic allies now have a presence in every state with a large Hispanic population with customized strategies for each.
In Florida, the campaign identified early on the influx of Puerto Ricans who had fled the island amid its economic crisis as a potential bloc of new Democratic voters. Both Bill Clinton and Amanda Renteria, the campaign's political director, were dispatched to Puerto Rico. And the campaign issued bilingual messages of support for funding to combat the spread of the Zika virus and to encourage legislation to address the debt crisis in Puerto Rico.
In Arizona, a state Democrats believe they have a chance of winning for the first time since former President Bill Clinton carried it in 1996, Clinton and her allies have focused much of their efforts on the restrictive immigration policies that have been approved by the Republican-led state government.
Ian Danley, executive director of One Arizona, a coalition of 14 organizations that lead voter mobilization efforts, said the group was sending 350,000 text reminders to Latinos, urging them to vote.
While Hispanic turnout this year is largely driven by on-the-ground voter outreach, Clinton has also paid careful attention to select the right issues.
And there are few issues that have bonded her as closely to Latinos as immigration. On the polarizing questions surrounding what to do with undocumented immigrants, Clinton has taken a more sympathetic posture than many in her party have, including the president, whom she has criticized as acting too aggressively on deportations.
She has embraced undocumented immigrants in a way that would have been practically unthinkable when her husband ran for president in 1992. And she has pledged to make the politically combustible issue of immigration reform a priority of her first 100 days in office if elected.
The Democrats have especially leaned on Hispanic women for their campaign. Similar to how black women became an influential engine of support for Obama, Hispanic women have been central to the organizing efforts of Democrats.
Latinas have been working phones and knocking on doors, often in mother-daughter pairs. And they say they are hearing the same story again and again from the neighbors they have persuaded to go to the polls: They have never voted before, but feel they must now because they cannot stomach the thought of Trump in the White House.
Asked if there was anything in particular that drove him to the polls in West Tampa, Florida, on Sunday, Oscar Diaz, 44, a maintenance worker with Puerto Rican roots, said simply, "Trump's big mouth."
StrikeForce, a federal initiative that is expanding to Missouri was highlighted last week during a regional meeting in Houston before area leaders.
StrikeForce will target 46 counties, including Texas County, to increase rural growth and opportunity in areas with high poverty. Brad McCord, state outreach coordinator for Natural Resource Conservation Service, said the goal is to decrease poverty, invest in rural communities, increase opportunities for families and assist underserved farmers and ranchers.
Representatives of other USDA agencies who highlighted more about the program and the opportunities to help rural communities joined McCord.
Launched by USDA in 2010, the program has worked with selected states to bring targeted assistance to rural areas. More than $23.5 billion has been used to create jobs, build houses, feed kids, assist farmers and conserve natural resources across more than 20 states. This year, Missouri joins Florida, Montana and Ohio in inclusion in the program.
If we can do something to improve the community, then thats what we want to do, said Mark Cadle, executive director of Farm Service Agency in Missouri. Lets race to improve the quality of life.
Houston was among five communities in southwest Missouri to learn more about the program. Other rollouts were at St. Genevieve, Sikeston, Mount Vernon and Springfield.
Greg Batson, Missouri Rural Developments program support director, highlighted the opportunities for brick and mortar investment, along with help targeted to businesses, communities and housing.
State leaders have held several regional meetings in Missouri to receive input on community needs. A common topic, they said, was the need for better Internet broadband service in rural areas that are underserved or dont have access.
Opportunities also exist for healthcare, community efforts to increase food production to help generate income for farmers and initiatives to better the agriculture community.
Applications to federal agencies for assistance gain 10 extra points if located in a StrikeForce county, Batson said.
A local success story also was highlighted, as Amy Hamilton of Elk Creek shared about Grazing Diverse Native Grasslands, a project that was conducted through a grant from Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Missouri Department of Conservation. The multiyear effort resulted in additional grass production and heavier cows and calves with higher conception rates. The end result shows more profitability for farmers.
More information is available online at https://www.hamiltonnativeoutpost.com/blog.php?post_id=7.
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bal biopharmaceutical company Abbvie recently opened its first manufacturing facility in Singapore.In a press statement, they said the facility will support the growth of Abbvies oncology and womens health pipeline and is the only facility in their network that covers active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and biologics manufacturing.They further stated that they are looking to hire 250 new employees, the majority of whom will be hired locally in Singapore, including skilled positions across manufacturing, technical operations, administration, quality, information technology and supply chain.The recent report from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on the tight labour market might seem bleak but Ai Lan Ng, Abbvie Operations site HR director, said there are three ways HR can continue to attract top talent in Singapore:1) A strong brand;2) Foster an innovative environment;3) Have a strong leadership team from the start.Highlight the facts that make your employer brand stand out from the rest of the market, she said.At Abbvie, for example, new hires can take pride knowing they are working for a brand thats well-known for its strong financial performance and expertise in key areas such as oncology and virology, she cited.Ng also said they just launched a culture carnival involving games to demonstrate the Ways We Work at AbbVie in a fun, interactive way.This helps to create awareness of our cultural behaviours through experiential learning.Gamifying the recruitment process is also an innovative way employers can show potential candidates whats unique about your company and the culture within while a strong leadership team will instil confidence in the company, attracting and retaining top performers, she added.Competition for good talent has been tight over the last decade, she said, because the growth of the pharmaceutical industry created demand for skilled personnel with relevant experience.With this demand and competition, other factors like location and shift work, become part of the consideration for potential employees. Hence, we ensure we have a strong value proposition for joining AbbVie, she said.People, passion, possibilities is what AbbVie stands for so we look for team players with a mindset that is open to possibilities and a passion for making things happen.Related stories:
rgency services staff in the UK are set to receive a unique type of workplace training which will see employees educated on how to support colleagues who may be going through the menopause.
The classes which will be run by self-styled Menopause Doctor Louise Newson come as bosses try to stem to flood of older women who are leaving the services.
There is a problem with policewomen working through the menopause and policemen not understanding them, said Solihull-based Newson.
Menopause is taken as a bit of a joke, she added. The attitude is; Youre a bit moody, but it can affect women very seriously and its time we destigmatised it.
The 46-year-old said around 10 per cent of menopausal women consider giving up their job because of symptoms such as hot flushes, which can make working in a uniform particularly difficult.
She also said managers both male and female could be unsympathetic to employees as the symptoms of menopause can vary greatly between different women.
The West Midlands Police and West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service are among the early adopters and Newson says the sessions will include tips on how to help those they suspect are going through the menopause.
Having a culture at work where it is possible to talk about the menopause will help, she stressed.
Newsons words echo that of Dr Heather Currie, chairman of the British Menopause Society, who said: In the past, menopause has been a bit of a taboo. Anything that can change that would be excellent.
The initiative comes after Dame Sally Davies, Englands chief medical officer, urged employers to make their workplaces more menopause-friendly.
aikato company has been ordered to pay more than $140,000 in reparations after one of its employees was killed in a workplace accident late last year.Terence James Milne suffered fatal injuries in November 2015 when a bitumen emulsion tank he was working with exploded.The emulsion was being transferred under pressure from a transport tank known as an emulsion pig to a heating tank. However, a blockage in the transfer line caused a build-up of pressure which caused the rear plate welds of the emulsion pig to fail. The rear plate was forced open, swinging and striking the victim.The issue here, and what industry needs to be very aware of, is that the emulsion pig was not constructed to take pressure and nor was there an over-pressure safety device fitted to it," said WorkSafe chief inspector Keith Stewart.The company, Corboy Earthmovers, had previously used pumps to transfer the emulsion a method Stewart said was far safer but started using compressed air in 2007.When Corboy started using compressed air it did not identify pressure build-up as a risk and it should have used a properly designed and constructed pressure vessel that would have avoided this tragedy, said Stewart."Using pressure to transfer materials between containers has inherent risks which must be identified and managed no matter what the circumstances are, and under no circumstances should containers which are not pressure-rated vessels be used.Corboy Earthmovers was charged under the Health and Safety in Employment Act with failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of its employee while at work.Yesterday, the company was ordered to pay reparations of $140,319.80 by the Hamilton District Court. The charge carries a maximum fine of $250,000.The judge also suggested an appropriate fine would have been $73,800 but declined to impose the additional sanction, noting that the company is in liquidation.
Global animal welfare leader, Humane Society International (HSI), today announced the launch of its #ScienceWithoutSuffering (# in Korean) campaign to promote the advancement of non-animal safety science and health research in South Korea. Korean TV celebrity Sam Hammington and National Assembly Member Ms. Okju Song and Ms. Jeongae Han joined HSI to support the launch of this campaign.
#ScienceWithoutSuffering is the latest in a series of campaigns HSI is launching in various countries to replace cruel and outdated animal tests with modern alternatives that better protect human health. The campaigns aim at convincing government regulators of chemicals, pesticides and other products to adopt and use all available alternative methods, and encouraging increased investment in the development of non-animal test methods using 21st century science.
According to government statistics, animal use in Korea has increased by a stunning 37 percent over the past four years. This rise in animal use is expected to increase further as hundreds of pre-existing chemicals undergo new testing in accordance with Koreas Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K-REACH). The country also plans to open a primate research centre housing up to 3,000 monkeys by 2017. HSI is urging the government to make an immediate commitment to switch to existing validated non-animal testing methods and provide dedicated research funding to further develop modern non-animal safety testing tools such as in-vitro and computational models, and robotic high-throughput testing, which rely on a proper understanding of human biology involved (known as adverse outcome pathways).
Sam Hammington said: After becoming a father recently, the issue of animal testing has become more important than ever. I want my son to live in a society where we give animals the respect they deserve while our safety from harmful environment is not compromised. Its 2016 and we have made so many advances in science, yet we continue with animal testing. For our further development there needs to be investment in modern non-animal testing tools, so that we can move away from animal testing.
Borami Seo, policy advisor for HSI, said: We are thrilled to launch #ScienceWithoutSuffering in Korea and thank Sam Hammington and Congresswoman Song for their support to end cruel animal testing. By advancing science with modern non-animal approaches we can provide better safety and protection for humans and the environment at a fraction of the time and cost per chemical required for animal testing. This is a great opportunity for Korea to move away from out-dated animal testing and become a world leader in humane science.
Ms. Okju Song said: I am delighted to support HSIs #ScienceWithoutSuffering campaign. Non-animal testing is not only about saving animals but it is expanding worldwide for improved toxicity prediction with cutting edge science. This will also contribute in supporting emerging industries developing non-animal test methods. The Korean government is therefore expected to encourage the development of these methods by increasing investment in infrastructure.
HSI is working to engage Korean consumers, scientists, companies, politicians and other government authorities. Citizens can support the campaign by signing the petition at hsi.org/koreascience (in Korean only) and sharing a picture holding the campaign message board with the hashtag #ScienceWithoutSuffering on social media. The printable version of the campaign board can be downloaded here.
Media contact:
Borami Seo, bseo@hsi.org +82.2.6376.1405
A koala shall not suffer for the sins of his mother.
At least thats what Australian police decided Sunday night, when they arrested a woman on outstanding matters and found she had a baby koala in her purse.
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Officers in South Brisbane asked the 50-year-old if she had anything to declare before they brought her to the station, the force said on its website. She handed over a zipped bag and said there was a baby koala inside.
Not quite believing their ears the officers cautiously un-zipped the bag and found this gorgeous boy, police said. There are many firsts in our job and last night was one of those.
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Police officers in South Brisbane, Australia found themselves caring for a koala Sunday night after finding him in a suspect's bag.
The woman told officers that she found the critter the night before and was caring for him. Hes in good health, police said, but was a bit dehydrated.
He weighs 1.5 kg and weve called him Alfred, police said.
Alfred has been given fluids and will be transferred to a carer shortly.
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One Canadian Armed Forces regiment decided to break with tradition this year and hold its Remembrance Day service at a Toronto-area Sikh gurdwara.
Approximately 200 soldiers and 500 Sikh community members took part in Sundays service at the Gursikh Sabha Canada in Scarborough, Ont.
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Everybody was just so happy. We were thanking them, they were thanking us, said Pardeep Singh Nagra, executive director of the Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada and one of the events organizers.
Nagra told The Huffington Post Canada that the 7th Toronto Regiment, Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery wanted to change its annual church service and approached the museum for help.
Working with the Gursikh Sabha Canada, the goal was to host a service and curate an exhibit showing the public the Sikh communitys involvement in World War I and II.
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The Nov. 6 event marks the first time the 32 Canadian Brigade Group has moved its ceremony from a church to a Sikh gurdwara. But units in Western Canada have previously held Remembrance Day services at a Sikh place of worship.
According to a Canadian Armed Forces spokesperson, similar services have been held in Surrey, B.C. since 2010.
Nagra called the service a proud Canadian moment. It continues the whole spirit of equality and inclusiveness, he said.
Attendees ended the day with a langar a free communal meal served to everyone who came.
Also on HuffPost
What Are Canadians Remembering On Remembrance Day? See Gallery
World, meet Wang Deshun the 80-year-old grandfather who is proving high fashion runways do not have an age limit.
Commonly referred to as China's "hottest grandpa," Deshun is out to subvert China's image of what it means to be old. Described by the New York Times as an "actor, model and artist," the silver-haired gentleman became a national sensation after walking his first runway show last year at Chinese Fashion Week at the age of 79.
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"Many people started noticing me after a catwalk show," he said. "Some people call me 'the hottest grandpa'. Some also said that I'm an instant Internet sensation. But do you know what? To prepare for this day, I've been getting ready for 60 years."
And Deshun was a natural when it came to conquering the catwalk. In the early '80s, he taught runway modelling at a Beijing fashion school and staged what he believes was the first modelling show.
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So, what's his secret? Books, news, exercise, not too much alcohol and whatever he wants to eat.
"I am not picky at all about what I eat. I eat whatever I want," he told the New York Times in a recent interview.
Deshun believes you can change your life as many times as you wish, as long as you always keep your goals in mind.
"One way to tell if youre old or not is to ask yourself, 'Do you dare try something youve never done before?'" he said in a recent interview at a hotel in Beijing, according to the New York Times.
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To hear more of China's "hottest grandpa" and his incredible story, check out the video above!
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Soaring house prices in some Canadian cities have homeowners feeling like theyve won a jackpot.
But the flipside of rising home equity is that many people simply can't afford to buy a place.
Housing affordability in Canada has seen its worst decline in 16 years, falling for five straight quarters, National Bank Financial said in a recent report.
And thats before the federal Liberals tougher new mortgage rules took effect, instituting a stress test for borrowers of Canadas most common type of mortgage, the five-year fixed-rate.
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The portion of an average income needed to make a monthly payment on a representative home rose to 35.6 per cent in the third quarter of this year, compared to 32.4 per cent a year earlier.
Things are much, much worse in Toronto and Vancouver.
It now takes 77.5 per cent of an average income to make a monthly payment on a median home in Vancouver. Just a year ago, it required 62.8 per cent. In Toronto, it takes 53.5 per cent of an average income today, compared to 47.2 per cent a year ago.
This state of affairs, together with various measures adopted to cool the market, leads us to see current prices as unsustainable, NBF economists Matthieu Arseneau and Kyle Dahms wrote.
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Calls are growing for politicians to address the issue beyond tightening mortgage rules, with activists asking the government to pour billions into affordable housing.
Dan Barnabic, author of the Condo Bible for Canadians, warned recently that if house prices continue to spiral out of control, many of us would likely be forced to become renters.
He urged the government to institute an outright ban on foreign buyers of residential real estate, and called for government-owned lands to be released to developers so that more affordable mid-rise homes could be built.
Toronto, Vancouver more vulnerable after mortgage rule changes
Arseneau and Dahms say the federal Liberals changes to mortgage rules particularly the increase in down payments for insured mortgages, announced last year further deteriorate affordability in Toronto and Vancouver.
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Moreover, markets where homebuyers are more heavily indebted are more vulnerable, since mortgagers must now qualify at the posted rate [about two percentage points higher than offered rates] to be eligible for an insured mortgage, they noted.
But some economists predict the new mortgage rules the federal Liberals announced last month could cause house prices to decline. If that were to happen, it would help with affordability, and would help to slow rising household debt loads as well.
Canadian household debt is now the highest in the G7.
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For many moms in North America, incontinence of varying degrees is simply our reality. Post pregnancy, we pee a little when we laugh, when we sneeze and pretty much whenever we take part in a jarring activity (hello, jogging). We've largely accepted our fate and rely on liners or incontinence pads to avoid embarrassing situations.
But a recent post in The Guardian revealed that we don't have to live this way. In fact, women in France largely don't suffer from incontinence like their North American sisters.
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What is their miracle cure? French women are prescribed physio for their pelvic floor post-childbirth.
All this leaking is actually called "stress incontinence." And it affects nearly one in seven women worldwide.
According to Baby Center: "Normally, your nerves, ligaments, and pelvic floor muscles work together to support your bladder and keep the urethra closed so urine doesn't leak out. Overstretching or injury to these areas during pregnancy or childbirth can cause them to stop working properly."
The Canadian Continence Foundation says about "3.3 million Canadians nearly 10 per cent of the population experience some form of urinary incontinence." However, we don't talk about it. And women with stress incontinence largely don't seek treatment.
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"Shame and embarrassment are the key deterrents of seeking help," says the foundation. "In fact, more than half of women with [stress urinary incontinence] do not seek help from a healthcare professional." And this can result in "embarrassment, psychological distress, social isolation and loneliness."
Yikes!
In The Guardian article "French mothers dont suffer from bladder incontinence. And nor should you," UK writer Gillian Harvey reveals her own experience under medical care in France after giving birth (vaginally) to FOUR children (including a set of twins, one of which was breech.)
She says, "At each of my eight-week checks following the birth of my children I have been prescribed 20 sessions of physio to 're-educate' my pelvic floor."
Harvey describes these sessions in humorous detail. And after just a couple of sessions of the first stage of her treatment, she noticed a difference. "I no longer felt the worrying bounce of a threatened prolapse when I went jogging; I developed a cold and hacked to my hearts content without fear of urinary feedback."
The second stage involved electrical stimulation of the pelvic floor. And following her treatment: "while my stomach might have seen better days, my pelvic floor is as reliable as a Dyson."
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According to The Canadian Continence Foundation these therapies are also available in Canada. But the onus is on us to seek treatment.
"Be sure to talk to your doctor if you have this problem," suggests The College of Family Physicians of Canada. "If you hide your incontinence, you risk getting rashes, sores, and skin and urinary tract (bladder) infections. Also, you may find yourself avoiding social situations because of fears about your urine leaking and embarrassment."
Ah-choo!
Oops.
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A diver may have discovered a nuke that's been missing off the coast of B.C. since the Cold War.
Sean Smyrichinsky was diving for sea cucumbers off Pitt Island, near Haida Gwaii, earlier this month when he stumbled on something unusual.
I came up telling all my buddies on the boat Hey, I found a UFO. Its really bizarre. And I drew a picture of it, because I didnt have a camera," the diver told the Calgary Sun.
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Shortly after, Smyrichinsky was chatting with fishermen in town and told them what he'd found.
Some old-timer said Oh, you might have found that bomb,'" he said, according to the Ottawa Citizen.
"That bomb" refers to a Mark IV nuclear bomb that was lost when an American B-36 warplane crashed off the northern coast of B.C. in 1950. It was on its way from Alaska to Texas during a training mission, carrying the inactive weapon filled with lead and TNT rather than plutonium on board.
The crew was forced to ditch the plane after three of its six engines caught fire, B.C. historian Dirk Septer wrote. Five of 17 airmen were killed, and the bomb was said to be detonated over the ocean to keep it out of Soviet hands.
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Canadian authorities investigating
The wreckage was discovered inland a few years later, but the nuke was never found despite the U.S. government's search efforts.
Smyrichinsky googled the Mark IV bomb after learning about the story, and told CBC News he believes he found the device.
The Royal Canadian Navy is sending a ship to investigate Smyrichinsky's find. Maj. Steve Neta of the Canadian Armed Forces told the outlet the discovery does coincide with the area where the plane went down.
However, Septer said the location isn't even close.
"Whatever he found, it's not the nuke," the historian told the BBC.
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Getting incarcerated affects the whole family.
A Nightline segment has been making rounds online again, reminding viewers how bad it gets for kids when their parent is locked up.
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Correctional Service Canada estimates that three-quarters of federal U.S. inmates are fathers.
Parents serving time in prison rarely see their kids; a study from the University of South Florida finds that most inmates only get two visits during their entire sentence. It also found that the more family visits those incarcerated received, the less likely they would be back in prison after their time behind bars.
About one in 14 U.S. children have an incarcerated parent. Amaya Matthews, 9, is one of those kids.
In the Nightline segment, she's excited to see her father, in spite of him breaking promises to come back home.
"Having your dad behind bars is a really big deal," Matthews says. "This is the one time you can sit in his lap, let him hug you."
By airing special day-long visits between incarcerated fathers and their kids, Nightline shows that parenting doesn't end when you're serving time.
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Dads embraced their children, who tackle hugged their long-absent parents.
Fathers pose at a "One Day With God" event in North Carolina. (Photo: Alamance-Orange Prison Ministry)
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A hug from an incarcerated man in Mountain City, Tennessee. (Photo: Youtube)
A mother in Huron Valley Correctional Facility, a prison in Michigan, spends time with her children. (Photo: Robin Buckson/AP)
A similar organization exists in Canada. Foster, Empowering and Advocating Together (FEAT) is a non-profit that runs summer camps, mentorship, and empowerment opportunities for children with incarcerated parents.
FEAT funds bus rides to prisons in southeast Ontario. These family trips include free food, drinks, and games to keep kids entertained, while connecting with other youth who know exactly what they're going through.
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Ontarios provincial real estate oversight agency is investigating allegations that some realtors in Torontos red-hot housing market may have rigged home sales deals, or at least offered to do so.
The investigation comes after a CBC Marketplace hidden-camera investigation found realtors widely willing to break a number of ethics rules.
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Some promised buyers that they would land a house no matter what other offers are made; others promised to block competing offers; and fully six in 10 Toronto agents contacted by Marketplace offered to give the buyer an advantage if the realtor was hired to represent both sides in a transaction.
This practice of representing both sides in a deal known in the industry as multiple representation or double-ending is allowed under Ontarios rules, but only with the written consent of buyer and seller.
But promising to give the buyer an advantage is a clear violation of ethics rules, the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) said in a statement issued last week.
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"There is no excuse for the behaviour displayed in the report and Ontario's realtors want to see swift action to crack down on those who break the rules or violate the industry Code of Ethics," said Tim Hudak, the incoming CEO of OREA and former leader of Ontarios Progressive Conservative party.
Its evidence of at least the intent to break the law. Kevin Kulcey of RECO, speaking about CBC's investigation
Kevin Kulcey, the deputy compliance registrar at the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), the provinces real estate watchdog, told the Globe and Mail the council may take the matter to the courts. Kulcey said he has asked CBC for copies of the video they shot in the investigation.
The videos are evidence of at least the intent to break the law, he said.
Toronto house prices have soared by more than 21 per cent in just the past year, with some parts of the region seeing house prices nearly double in a year (see slideshow below).
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Some observers blame murky bidding wars and investors many of whom are realtors themselves for at least part of the rapid run-up in prices.
Local investors as opposed to foreign ones, which have been a source of controversy in the Vancouver housing market now buy up 25 per cent of the homes placed on the Toronto market.
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Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes closing remarks to the Fifth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria in Montreal, Quebec, Canada September 17, 2016. Photo by REUTERS/Christinne Muschi.
By Charlie Baran
The following is adapted from an article that originally appeared in the Global Fund Observer on October 19, 2016.
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I had the privilege of attending my first Global Fund Replenishment meeting last month in Montreal. The overall feel was of celebration and optimism. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised the Global Fund and its track record of saving lives and averting new infections, and backed up his talk with a US$720 million pledge to kick things off. The various other heads of state, health ministers, and private sector leaders all commended praised the Fund as well. The meeting closed with a heartwarming visual: Trudeau on stage, with a rainbow of people behind him, proclaiming, "We have reached our goal! Together, we have raised almost US$13 billion, and in doing so we have saved eight million lives."
Theatrics aside, this is fantastic. Over the next three years, the Global Fund is on track to save eight million lives because thirty-five some odd countries came together to do the right thing. It is a truly remarkable achievement. The countries that contributed should be commended.
But honestly, they could do better. Donor governments should be doing everything they can to end the epidemics of HIV, TB, and malaria. These epidemics, and the poverty that drives them, are part of the legacy of colonialism and the continued pillaging of African and other "developing" countries' wealth and resources by rich nations. The donor countries are doing something, but not enough. And no one country could be doing more than it is now than China.
China should be ashamed of its contribution. In a room where countries with significantly smaller economies were pledging hundreds of millions of dollars, the Chinese came "with empty hands." After the meeting China did announce an US$18 million pledge. Paltry is a generous description. For comparison, Italy contributes an amount, relative to its economy, 80 times larger than China does. But this isn't about numbers, it's about doing the right thing.
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One cynical argument to be made -- and one that I would ordinarily entertain -- is that the European powers contribute to the Global Fund, among other aid programs, out of a sense of guilt over, or in rectification of, colonialism. It's a form of atonement for Europe's past sins, past sins that China simply didn't commit.
Past sins, maybe not. But the level of current Chinese economic activity in Africa is significant and visible. It too is deriving massive wealth from Africa, at Africa's expense. Where China's hands were empty in Montreal, they are certainly full in Africa.
About a week after the Replenishment meeting in Montreal, I visited Malawi (another great privilege). According to the World Bank, Malawi is the fourth poorest country on Earth, with a per capita GDP of around US$380 per year. That's about the cost of three nights at the Chinese hotel in Lilongwe. That's right, among the two or three large business hotels in Lilongwe one specifically targets a Chinese clientele. What this suggests to me is that there are significant Chinese economic interests in Malawi. So significant that they might account for half of all business visitors to the capital.
China needs to do better, in Malawi and everywhere. It should take every opportunity to give back to those countries, and those people, from whom it is extracting vast wealth. The Global Fund is as important and impactful of an opportunity that they will find. Moving the Chinese contribution towards numbers more like Italy's would be a great way to begin embracing that opportunity wholeheartedly.
The Global Fund, too, is present in Malawi in a big way. The Fund has disbursed nearly US$900 million in Malawi since 2003. Therefore the Malawian response to the three diseases is profoundly dependent on the Fund and other donors. Nonetheless, the leaders of the Fund often talk about country ownership and having "countries take the lead in determining where and how best to fight diseases." That approach is right and good. But coming out of Montreal, where there was lots of this talk, it was striking to find that there are very few local Malawian civil society organizations receiving Global Fund money to do programs. Rather, international NGOs are dominating the community space.
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It's hard to reconcile the marginalization of Malawian civil society with the mantra of country ownership. It should be everyone's priority to empower local communities to take on the leadership and management of their response. But the current arrangement doesn't look like "country ownership;" It looks like foreign ownership, which is what colonialism looks like.
Which brings me back to Montreal. The process that unfolded there is essential to the Fund: it is how the money is raised to then be sent to the countries who need it. The Replenishment meeting was mostly about dollars. But it was also about replenishing the commitment of donors to the cause of ending HIV, TB, and malaria. But I wonder if all the praise and affirmation for donors wasn't a bit off the mark. As donors, they, quite literally, just sign the checks (however large or puny they may be). It is the people in recipient countries who are living the realities of these epidemics and doing everything they can to end them who should really be celebrated.
So just as we replenish the Fund and the resolve of its donors, we should also replenish the spirits and resolve of those who bear the biggest burden in all of this: the women, men, transgender people, children, advocates, outreach workers, and health-care providers without whom none of the great achievements of the Global Fund would be possible. They make the most valuable contributions of anyone. The money is simply the gas in their tank. And with the miles they're putting on, they can always use more of that. China, would you like to start the pump?
Charlie Baran has been an independent consultant since 2012, leading and supporting advocacy projects aimed at strengthening civil society and advancing key populations across the global AIDS response.
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).
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog series are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ICAD.
vchal via Getty Images Businessman has crossed fingers behind his back. Good luck or dishonesty concept.
In hidden camera footage recently captured by CBC's Marketplace, a real estate agent, her face blurred, assures prospective buyers a home is practically theirs. "I control both sides," she says. "And before any other offer comes in to make it a multiple offer situation, I'll try to close the deal for you. I'll use my power in order to get you the house."
If these promises seem too good to be true, especially in Toronto's blisteringly competitive housing market, that's because they are. The agent in question is blatantly breaching the code of ethics established by the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act (REBBA), which states real estate professionals can't use confidential information to give their clients an advantage, or manipulate a transaction.
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According to the CBC's report, these agents are "double-ending" their commissions by representing both the buyer and the seller. While this is a fairly normal practice and can be handled ethically, what is in these videos demonstrates a breach of fiduciary duty to their seller clients, and a breach of the code of ethics between realtors. These are blatant examples of the agents working in their sole best interest, to the potential detriment of their client's outcomes.
In these situations, it is the home seller who has the most to lose.
As the broker of record for Zoocasa Realty, I am disheartened, but not surprised, by this footage. Part of the issue is the Canadian real estate market's meteoric growth over the past decade, and the number of real estate professionals; there were 20,000 TREB realtors a decade ago -- now there are roughly 48,000, and competition is truly fierce.
Consider the 101,299 Toronto Real Estate Board MLS home sales in 2015; split evenly among the workforce, that's about 2.1 sales per agent. You know the saying -- desperate times call for desperate measures.
In a multiple offer situation, attempting to fairly represent both your buyer and seller fairly is incredibly challenging for the most ethical salespeople. In these situations, it is the home seller who has the most to lose. When you've contractually agreed to represent your seller clients, you must do everything in your power to represent their best interest.
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In today's market that means attracting and working with as many great offers as possible. In order to effectively represent your seller's interests requires working with every potential buyer -- including those represented by other agents. Controlling the situation in order to ensure both side's commissions risks ostracizing the buyer who was actually willing to pay the most for the property.
The frequency of these incidences reflects poorly on our real estate industry as a whole.
It is quite easy -- far too easy -- to get, and keep a real estate license. The annual fees to remain licensed are low, making it easy for many agents to work on a part-time basis. They may only handle one listing for the whole year, and by representing both ends of the transaction, they are effectively doubling their annual income. Add to this that they dabble infrequently in the market, making them less concerned about the long-term implications for their reputation.
The frequency of these incidences reflects poorly on our real estate industry as a whole. This practice is indicative of agents treating each other unethically, and is harmful to our entire profession. Agents who choose to cut others out for the sake of greater commission aren't just cheating their seller, but essentially training the market to bypass buyer representation. I see this as a short-sighted race to the bottom, and a practice that harms us all as real estate professionals.
What I do hope comes from recent media scrutiny is increased consequences for those engaging in the practice. It appears that the Real Estate Council of Ontario is listening; in a recent webinar for brokers, they admonished member agents of the importance of ethics in the business, and outlined the potential consequences. What would be most effective, I believe, is an improved complaint process for those who wish to report unethical behaviour on behalf of a real estate agent. If the powers that be choose to hammer down on the practice, we will all truly be better off.
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Mari via Getty Images Vote button pin on flag
The U.S. Election is just hours away and after more than 600 days of campaigning, I think it's fair to say that we're all ready, Canadians included, for this thing to be over.
As Canadians we are concerned about our neighbours and the outcome of this election. A recent study found that 81 per cent of Canadians are very worried about the election and what the results could mean for our neighbours and Canadians. The challenge, in these next days and months pre- and post-election, is to share our views appropriately and support our neighbours as best we can. To help tackle this tricky situation I've put together my list of the dos and don'ts of U.S. election etiquette for Canadians.
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1. Do Focus on the Facts
If you do feel you want to share a vote of support for a certain candidate -- or if you disagree with someone else's perspective on a candidate -- focus on the facts. As emotional as this topic is for all of us, keeping focused on the facts allows us to have a conversation around the issues and keeps our emotions in check so we don't overreact and say something we might regret.
2. Do Keep it Positive
There are many horrible things that have happened during this campaign process -- even the words people use to describe the two presidential candidates are by and large negative. By keeping it positive as Canadians, which we've shown we can clearly do with our "Tell America It's Great" campaign, we can support our neighbours and show them there is a way forward after November 8.
3. Don't TROLL
As tempting as it is to respond with anger to an irrational post on social media -- to borrow a quote from one of my favourite first ladies ever -- "When they go low, we go high." It is a powerful message and truly a mantra to live by. Do not engage with negativity, FULL STOP.
4. Don't Judge
An election is a democratic process and that means that everyone is entitled to an opinion. None of us can know how a person came to form that opinion, and so no matter how much it conflicts with your own views please don't judge or label that person. Judgment does not bring people together or change minds and hearts. Empathy and kindness will be the most powerful tools we can use to support our American friends.
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5. Don't Gloat
Whatever the result is on Tuesday night, on November 9 we will all have to live with the results and with each other. Celebration is one thing, but do not gloat if your candidate wins. Instead focus on how we can support our neighbours as they move forward from this. An election is only the first step; once elected what will really matter is how the next president of the United States leads her country and truly lives her message that Americans are "Stronger Together!"
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Rhiannon Archer was excited about having her first baby -- until she found out about the high cost of child care in Canada.
Her son, Jude, was born in December 2015. Now, the downtown Toronto mom says she can't go back to her administrative job in the television industry because daycare is simply too pricey for her family to handle. "I made $40,000 a year after taxes and stuff -- it was pretty minimal -- and the cheapest daycare we found was $1800 a month," she says.
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The situation is a "huge source of anxiety and stress," Archer adds. And she's just one of many Canadian parents coping with similar frustrations.
The cost of child care
Two-parent Canadian families spend nearly a quarter of their income on child care, according to a 2016 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development report. That puts Canada among the most expensive countries for child care within this group of 35 wealthy countries.
Single parents in Canada face an even tougher situation, spending nearly a third of their income on child care.
But the costs vary greatly across the country, and even between nearby cities.
"In Ottawa you pay $987 month (for a preschool space,) but then you cross the bridge a kilometre away and pay $174 a month in Gatineau," says David Macdonald, senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
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Toronto has the highest fees in Canada for infants, toddlers, or preschoolers, according to Macdonald's 2015 CCPA report. A couple in the city with a toddler and preschooler pays roughly $28,000 in annual child care fees, or nearly half of the median family after-tax income for Toronto families, the report notes.
And Ontario is actually home to the seven most expensive cities for preschooler care in the country -- Toronto, Markham, Ottawa, Vaughan, Mississauga, Brampton, and London -- according to the report.
In contrast, Quebec, Manitoba, and PEI all cap child care fees and make up the difference for families through core transfers to services. The CCPA report finds Winnipeg, Manitoba, parents typically pay $451 a month for a preschool child care space. In Charlottetown, PEI, they pay $586, and in Quebec cities such as Montreal, Laval, and Quebec City they pay just $174.
"The fees are high in all the provinces -- except the three that are regulated," Macdonald says.
A federal fix?
Could the federal government step in to help fix this mess? Macdonald hopes so.
"The federal role could be to set up a national system whereby fees have a maximum across the country, but then (child care) centres are subsidized so they don't go bankrupt," he says.
Some other countries already take that approach. Denmark operates a system in which municipalities are obliged to offer all children older than six months a place in publicly-subsidized childcare, according to the OECD. And in Sweden, municipalities must provide at least 15 hours of childcare every week to children over one, which rises to full-time hours in cases where both parents are employed or in education.
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As the Toronto Star reported earlier this year, Ottawa is "drafting an early learning and child-care framework with the provinces to set the template for the first federal infusion of new money for daycare in a decade." But Macdonald says families will have to wait and see if the plan addresses the high costs here in Canada.
In the meantime, many parents like Archer are left coping with the costs on their own.
"The sad thing is, for a lot of parents -- well off or not -- the whole idea of child care puts a dark shadow over parenting," she says. "I know a lot of people who say they can't have a second or third child because they can't afford it."
Written by Lauren Pelley
Lauren Pelley is a Toronto writer and journalist. She has written for the Toronto Star, Chatelaine, Best Health, ParentsCanada, the London Free Press, and the CBC.
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What a mess, the twists and turns of Brexit must seem bewildering to those outside Britain. "Brexit means Brexit" has been The Prime Minister's catchphrase. As catchphrases go, it is not a bad one. However, now the judges have told her that Brexit means what the British parliament says it means.
The High Court has ruled that article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, the process by which Britain leaves the European Union, cannot be triggered without Parliament's approval. The leave campaigners have made "taking control" the slogan that resonated with the remainers, how can they complain now that a British court has said the British parliament must be consulted, and the terms of Brexit must be approved by it.
It is useful to recap on this Brexit, the story so far: A British Prime Minister, David Cameron, in his attempt to silence the Europhobic wing of his party, and to spike the rhetoric from UKIP, decided to hold a referendum on whether Britain should remain in, or leave the EU. He himself and his chancellor and other senior members of the government believed Britain should remain; otherwise the consequences would be dire for the future prosperity of Britain. He thought he would easily win the argument, but he lost.
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He resigned and Theresa May was selected by 199 Tory MPs to become the leader and the Prime Minister. She has no mandate from the electorate in the country; when people voted in the general election they assumed David Cameron would be the Prime Minister for the duration of parliament. Yet she says she has the mandate to decide the course of negotiations, and the terms of Brexit. Now the high court has said no you don't, parliament has the final say.
So how are the negotiations with the rest of the EU to be conducted? Let us not forget that Britain is not a member of the Eurozone; it has its own currency. It is the straightjacket of the Euro that is crippling the economies of Greece, Spain, Italy...etc. causing great hardship to the ordinary citizens of Europe.
Britain already has a good deal. Any Brexit deal negotiated will almost certainly be worse than what we have. What do we do then? Do we say, right, let us put these terms to the people in another referendum, or do we say let us call the whole thing off? Whatever we do, we are going to be in a worse situation within the EU. Our influence will diminish whether we are in or out.
As an ex-sex worker I can say from first hand experience that it's extremely risky and unsafe in this country to operate in the industry.
It's one of the oldest job roles in the world, yet receives an almost unpatrolled amount of stigma due to the morality of others. It's because of this morality that sex workers today are forced to operate in the shadows, taking on unsafe bookings with clients, and place themselves in danger because the institutions that preach this morality force them to do so.
There is a movement in the UK to amend our out-dated legislation towards sex workers. It's widely recognised by, not just governmental bodies, but charities and sex workers themselves that the current system doesn't work. However, none of these groups can decide on how.
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What's more unsurprising is that a conservative view of morality is rearing its ugly head and proposing to place sex workers in further danger. They recite studies and quote facts that make little to no sense - and most don't even consult sex workers about what they really want.
Like most of ex and current sex workers; I'm for full decriminalisation of sex work (not to be confused with legalisation). However instead of preaching at you about my view, I thought the best way to show you why it's the best option is to show you the other options proposed and just how dangerous they are:
Criminalisation - (Russia, South Africa, Most of United States).
This is the full criminalisation of sex work. You will be arrested and fined for let alone being a seller, but also the buyer and/or being the third party (IE Pimp or "Madame"). The aim behind this aggressive law is to deter you from selling or wanting to purchase sex all together - however it doesn't work.
Criminalisation has not reduced the rate of sex workers in the US or other countries. However it has increased violence, rapes and assaults over the years. Even when you're caught as a seller, the fine and criminal record disables these workers from getting other jobs - so the system actively forces these victims to do more sex work to pay off the fine.
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In New York, for example, carrying a condom can be used as evidence that you are soliciting for sex work. This means that sex workers are being forced to also not carry protection in case they are arrested. In Los Angeles, officers have been previously caught trying to force bribes on workers so workers will get off the fine.
Ultimately Criminalisation is the most dangerous, does not solve any problems and only increases risk of abuse of power, assaults and actually increases sex work. However conservative groups continue to say it's the best way to go.
Partial Criminalisation - (UK & France)
This is the current law in the UK - selling sex is completely legal, however soliciting & brothel keeping is illegal. Sounds good on paper however this, in my opinion, is just as dangerous for workers as criminalisation.
The definition of a brothel in UK law is "two or more workers working in the same residence or venue". This doesn't include a pimp or Madame, but even workers self managing and working in groups. This means if workers want to work together for safety they can't - the system forces them to take on clients alone. If the client becomes aggressive no one is there to stop it and without a witness the aggressor gets away with it. To be safe workers will break the law and work in pairs or more - however the client can still get away with it by blackmailing the workers with phrases such as "You won't tell, you'll get arrested too!".
If workers break the law they're fined like in the US. This has the same affect as before - workers are then forced to remain in sex work to work off the fine but then are made to do it unsafely. The case of Mariana Popa in 2013 proves this; the London Met's policy forced her to work alone that led to her murder.
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Nordic Model - (Sweden, Norway & Canada)
Now, lets look at one of the newest legislations. This policy would legalise the seller but criminalise the buyer - also known as the "End demand approach". This one is a favourite of "so-called" women's rights groups, as they believe it liberates women sellers and will help persecute male buyers.
Recently even Bristol West MP, Thangam Debbonaire, came out in favour of this and has actively thrown her support for the policy via her Twitter to concerned constituents. But, there are a few things she disregards in favour of her morality. Women's rights groups also take the same opinion - believing that ending the "demand" for sex work will protect women.
Thangam Debbonaire MP on Twitter to constiuent concerned about her stance.
Let alone would this approach continue to increase stigma for those that want to work in sex work. It'll also increase the dangers of acquiring clients significantly. It would force workers to drop their prices in order to make the risk for the client more appealing.
It also forces workers to take on untraceable clients - when I worked around London I would make sure I had the names and contact details of clients before I met with them. If I had an out-call I would make sure I had as much details of the place I was meeting. In Sweden, sex workers struggle to get any of these counter-measures from their clients and often the details they do get are Alias' or fake.
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The Nordic Model also has little to no evidence it has decreased the rate of prostitution and sex work in Sweden (it's origin country). It's troubling that Thangam Debbonaire MP is proposing this even though it's the policy that scares sex works the most! However, I guess it looks good for women's groups who falsely believe it increases female liberty - when in fact in just places them in more danger. Also worth noting to Thangam that she should also look out for the significant proportion of sex workers that are male and buyers that are female that her comments ignore.
Legalisation - (Germany, Nevada & parts of Australia).
Also known in Sex Worker Rights groups as "Back Door Criminalisation" - this should not be confused with decriminalisation. This policy is designed to let sex workers operate as long as they do so in certain conditions and abide by certain regulations. However, legalisation does not remove previous laws just makes them redundant.
Sex workers can only operate in particular venues that hold such licenses. Each sex worker must be registered, periodic medical exams are law and certain solicitation techniques are still illegal - which makes working in a brothel the only option and impossible for workers to be independent.
These regulations are purposely made difficult, expensive and hard to comply with in order to deter those from entering the industry - it only forces those not to comply and to put themselves in danger. Non-compliance is an offence and leads to fines and criminal records (see Criminalisation).
This has the image of being the most liberal approach that works for everyone - it has just as many flaws as any previous option I've mentioned. Not a way to go if you want sex workers to be safe above making a policy seem good to the public.
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Decriminalisation - (New Zealand)
In 2003 New Zealand did something else - they fully decriminalised sex work. Sellers and buyers are free to operate as any other business or consumer. Decriminalisation means "removal of laws which penalise the sex industry - treating sex work like any other work within New Zealand". This is now called the New Zealand Model.
The came to this decision by doing something a little more radical - they asked sex workers how they would feel safer. They removed the tainted morality of pressure groups, took the politics out of the decisions made and put the safety of the workers first.
This allows sex workers work collectively for safety. Made pimps, madams and brothels accountable to the state like any other employer and workers rights were protected with entitlements. Research from the New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective shows 96% of sex workers believed this new legislation made them feel safer.
It's my view, and that of the organisation I work for, that decriminalisation of sex workers is the most viable, safe and liberating for not just women but all genders that work within the industry. Sex worker rights campaigner Toni Mac, in her Ted talk on the topic, gave a perfect closing statement that I couldn't ignore. She said instead of adopting the attitudes of "Would you want your daughter doing it?" approach to new legislation, you should be asking "What if your daughter is doing it? How safe is she working tonight? Why isn't she safer?"
Anthony L. Solis via Getty Images
In 2008, the blasphemy laws were abolished in England and Wales. They protected the tender sympathies of the Anglican God against any insults whether spoken in public or written. Relics of a more theocratic age, their eventual abolition may have seemed inevitable, but in practice many organisations and individuals had to campaign hard for it for many decades. Real change was anything but a foregone conclusion: at the same time as the case was being made for progressive reforms, there were those pushing not for the abolition of blasphemy laws, but for their extension.
These calls went back to 1989 when the then Archbishop of Canterbury had called for the blasphemy laws be extended to criminalise offences against Islam. This was in the context of the violent street reaction to Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses, stoked by the incendiary rhetoric of the Ayatollah Khomeini, which left many dead around the world. He didn't get his way, but perhaps the Archbishop needn't have bothered, as it seems that criticism or mockery of religion is now being censured by many public bodies of their own free will, and a social climate prevails which allows this to happen.
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The last few years have seen many examples of religion being made immune from criticism or mockery in our public spaces, especially in universities, where student union authorities have played the role of heavy-handed thought police. In University College London, the humanist society was sanctioned by the authorities for using a cartoon of Jesus and Mohammed at a bar to advertise their sociable events. That same week, a humanist society talk at Queen Mary's was cancelled due to death threats. A week later, at LSE, students were censured over 'Jesus and Mo' cartoons, and excluded from their own fresher's fair a year later over T-shirts. At London South Bank, it was for using Christian imagery of the creation of Adam the advertise their drinks. And at Warwick, it was for using a cartoon of a stick man throwing religious symbols like crosses into a bin. Similar incidents, ranging from the troublingly absurd to the decidedly threatening, have taken place at Goldsmiths, Reading, and on many other campuses around England.
The latest victim of course is four-time Olympic medallist Louis Smith, forced to apologise and banned by British Gymnastics for enjoying a silly joke at the expense of religious practices which many people find ridiculous, and, in the course of doing so, offending those who would prefer to see religious ideas protected from scrutiny. Conceding to those demands sets us on a worrying course.
Absurd though we may think them, religions are big and powerful ideas. Many people think they are not just absurd but malign: barriers to human intellectual and moral progress. Whatever we think of them, in the history of Europe almost all social progress has come from criticising - yes, and ridiculing - their ideas and practices. All the benefits of free thought and free speech that we enjoy in Britain today come as a result of overturning their control.
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In 2016, close to 70 countries have real blasphemy laws in statute. 43 of these treat it as an imprisonable offence, and in six others it is a crime punished with torture or the death sentence. The countries that actually enforce these rules are not places where you would want to live. The laws create a totalitarian atmosphere where people are so unfree that many live out the entirety of their lives never speaking their true thoughts, even to their closest friends and family. I have met many emigrants from Saudi Arabia in particular for whom this was true, but it is a pattern true of any country where the price of freedom is mortally high. Conform, be silent, never speak your mind. The alternative is pay with your freedom, your health, or even your life.
In our liberal democratic society, public authorities have a duty to protect and advance human rights, including our right to freedom of expression. They should not be victimising individuals for lawful actions, however offensive. Individuals, of course, have other obligations, and will keep their own conscience. We may exercise self-restraint in our own expressions out of politeness or respect. We may even urge others to do the same. But we should never call on the law to enforce our personal values or tastes, however deeply held these may be.
Last week's protest held at UCL against the visit of an ex member of the Israeli Defence Forces, generated a flurry of headlines with mutual allegations of violence and intimidation. If any act of physical violence did take place, on either side of the protest, then this is of course to be condemned. But loud and rowdy protests at universities are nothing new. I can recall in my student days pickets against the visit of a member of the South African Government and against a talk at the Student Union by David Irving the holocaust denying historian. In both cases the events generated heartfelt debates about the right of free expression against the principle of no platforming for those advocating racist views or representing regimes with a history of human rights violation.
However, the narrative about the events at UCL has quickly moved from this terrain to an argument that the protest was inherently anti-semitic. A letter to the Provost of UCL from a pro Israel advocacy organisation called the Campaign Against Antisemitism defines the protest as anti-semitic not simply on the basis of how it was conducted but on the grounds that it was directed against an Israeli. The key paragraph reads ".It seems clear from footage of the protest that the protesters would have protested in the way that they did against any talk by an Israeli...... demanding that Jewish students at UCL sever all ties with Jews from Israel is de facto anti-semitic."
Wind back a few weeks to September and we saw a similar line of argument used to protest against an event held at Hinde St Methodist church in London where, commemorating an annual world week of peace for Palestine and Israel, the church erected a mock checkpoint to illustrate the daily restrictions on freedom of movement experienced by Palestinians living under occupation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. A range of pro Israel organisations, many of whom were represented at the UCL counter protest called for the event to be cancelled with claims that it was anti-semitic because it was one sided and was holding Israel to a standard to which other nations were not held
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Wind back further to April 2015 when a conference scheduled to take place at the University of Southampton debating Israel and its legitimacy within international law was cancelled after a high profile lobbying campaign by amongst others, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Zionist Federation, Eric Pickles Communities Secretary , Michael Gove then Chief Whip . Michael Gove in calling for the event to be cancelled described it as being less a conference then an anti Israel hate fest. The university eventually cancelled the conference on the grounds that they could not guarantee the safety of participants given the severe volume of protest.
The connecting thread in all of these events is that a definition of anti-semitism was being drawn upon which specifically equates criticism of Israel with racism. The definition being employed has a controversial history. It originally emerged in 2005 as a draft working definition drawn up by a now defunct body called the European Union monitoring group on racism and xenophobia. Despite efforts by pro Israel lobbying groups to have it adopted it fell into disuse having been subjected to significant criticism by a range of academics with expertise in the field of anti-semitism. Central to the critique was that the definition by explicitly incorporating various types of criticism of Israel into its terms, threatened free expression but also drained the concept of all meaning. As Dr Brian Klug, fellow of the Parkes institute on Jewish and non Jewish relations said "... when every anti-Zionist is an anti-semite, we no longer know how to recognize the real thing-the concept of anti-semitism loses its significance".
However in response to a further lobbying campaign, the Home Affairs Select Committee in its recent report on anti-semitism now advises the widespread adoption by Government bodies and law enforcement agencies of a slightly moderated version of this definition. The Government has not formally responded to this recommendation. If it is adopted it will have a chilling effect on the right to protest and to exercise freedom of expression when campaigning for Palestinian rights.
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As evidenced above public institutions have always been subject to a strong lobby to disallow advocacy for Palestinian rights. The effect of a wholesale adoption of this new definition of anti- Semitism will be to render events such as the UCL protest, Hinde St exhibition and Southampton Conference potentially criminal acts.
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Dear Holy Father,
Like every true Catholic in the world, I love you and respect your authority as the Successor of St Peter.
Like a great many people in the world, well beyond the Catholic Church, I recognise the beautiful message you, as Pope Francis, bring to the world.
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And as a new Catholic who came into the Church little over ten days after your election to the papacy, my Catholic faith is inspired and intertwined with your pontificate.
I became a Catholic on Palm Sunday, 2013, received into the Church by Burma's first-ever Cardinal Charles Maung Bo. Although I am British, I became a Catholic in an Asian country emerging from dictatorship, inspired by a Church that has endured decades of persecution. I have also lived in China and Hong Kong, and have come to know and love Cardinal Joseph Zen, whose story is told, along with my other heroes, in my book From Burma to Rome, which I had the privilege of presenting to you when we met in August.
For all these reasons - because I love you, Holy Father, because I love the Church, because I love the people of China and Asia, because I love Cardinal Zen, and most of all because I love God and our Lord Jesus Christ - I humbly appeal to you to reconsider your proposed agreement with the Communist regime in China: before it is too late.
Over the past three years, the human rights situation in China has deteriorated dramatically. Hundreds of human rights lawyers, many of them Christians, have been detained, simply for defending freedom of religion and freedom of conscience cases. Thousands of Christian crosses have been destroyed. Many Christian clergy, Catholic and Protestant, remain in jail or harassed. Tibetan Buddhists, Uighur Muslims and Falun Gong practitioners continue to be persecuted. Allegations of forced organ harvesting - targeting prisoners of conscience - persist. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo remains in jail. Hong Kong's freedoms are now in at tatters.
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Earlier this year, the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission in the United Kingdom published an in-depth report, The Darkest Moment: The Crackdown on Human Rights in China 2013-2016. It was launched by the former Governor of Hong Kong Lord Patten, himself a Catholic, in June, and includes testimonies from Hong Kong democrats Martin Lee and Anson Chan, both Catholics.
Holy Father, you will be well aware of the arguments made by Cardinal Zen, which I need not repeat. I simply say that at this time, human rights are deteriorating drastically in China and I don't believe it is the time to compromise. At a time when religious freedom overall in China is being further restricted, when other religions are being severely persecuted, when organs may be being harvested, when lawyers are being harassed, when freedom of expression is being denied, now is not the time to seek a special arrangement for the Catholic Church. Now is not the time to kowtow.
Furthermore, while I am a very new Catholic, and so I write with all appropriate humility, two of the things that attracted me into the Church are the Church's commitment to justice and human rights, as set out in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, and the Apostolic Succession. That means the Church must take a stand against Xi Jinping's brutality as it did against Caesar's, Stalin's and Hitler's. And it means that it cannot settle for anything less than complete Papal authority over episcopal and priestly appointments in China. I don't know what deal might be about to be agreed, but I find it hard to imagine Beijing agreeing to this. If it does, then I welcome it. But if not, I urge you to reject the deal. How can bishops appointed by a communist, corrupt, cruel and brutal regime be acceptable to the Church founded by Jesus Christ?
Instead of compromise with Beijing, I urge you - Holy Father - to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles, and lead a revolution for peaceful change in China.
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With humble, sincere prayers from a relatively new Catholic,
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On Thursday, the High Court ruled that Parliament must vote on whether Article 50 should be triggered, much to the dismay of the government and many leave campaigners. Newspapers have been full of sensationalised claims calling the ruling a disgrace and 'elitist', yet what most journalists fail to understand is that this was not a judgment on Brexit, but a ruling on Parliamentary Sovereignty.
There are thousands of people taking about Parliamentary Sovereignty today, most of them do not have a clue what it means - especially journalists.
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According to the government's website, Parliamentary Sovereignty is outlined as:
"A principle of the UK constitution. It makes Parliament the supreme legal authority in the UK, which can create or end any law. The courts cannot overrule its legislation, and no Parliament can pass laws that future Parliaments cannot change. Parliamentary sovereignty is the most important part of the UK constitution."
In a nutshell, the High Court has decided that the triggering of Article 50 and repealing the European Communities Act should be decided by a Parliamentary majority, so the government cannot begin EU exit negotiations on its own accord.
Some of the key figures in the Leave Campaign have remerged, yet again. It is a shame even five months on they haven't got a clue what they are talking about. Wasn't their whole campaign about regaining our sovereignty from the EU? As this ruling shows, sovereignty never left the UK Parliament in the first place! When Boris & Gove et al were all complaining that the reason they wanted to leave the EU was because of they wanted to get their sovereignty back, well quelle surprise, they are now throwing their dummies out of the pram because Parliament is getting a say on matters.
Brexiteers, June: BRING BACK PARLIAMENTARY SOVEREIGNTY Brexiteers, November: NO NOT LIKE THAT Gary Dunion (@garydunion) November 3, 2016
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Unfortunately, as with the referendum itself, the court's ruling will make its lasting impression on the public via the media. For the whole EU campaign, it has been journalists who have been in charge of the Brexit narrative. One would imagine that when trying to convince people that the courts have made the wrong decision, they would formulate an intelligent argument. However, some newspapers such as the Daily Mail have just launched personal & distasteful attacks on the judges - stating that one is a gay ex-Olympic fencer. He may well be a gay ex-Olympic fencer, but I highly doubt that is why the High Court made this ruling. As for the other two judges, Daily Mail logic infers that they were obviously corrupt.
One thing I would be curious to know is whether anybody believes that this ruling will stop Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty being triggered. I highly doubt over half of the MPs would go against the British public's wishes (even if they were lied to). Then again if we truly are a democracy and our Members of Parliament represent the people in their constituencies, they should vote how the people who they represent want them to vote.
At the end of the day, the events on Thursday was not about leave or remain - it was about Parliamentary Sovereignty. Parliament should get the ultimate decision over what terms we should trigger Article 50, and it should not just be left to the few people who happen to be in Theresa May's Cabinet.
It is for Parliament, not the Executive, to repeal legislation. Theresa May might think she rules over the UK like an absolute monarch, but that is far from the case. Mrs May is one of 650 Members of Parliament. She will get one vote as do the other 649.
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The fact that the (unelected) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom thinks she can repeal one of the largest and most significant pieces of legislation single handily is nothing short of a disgrace! What kind of precedent would that set? One where the Prime Minister can repeal and amend any law that she doesn't like? If the Prime Minister and her jesters do not like democracy, might I politely suggest they are in the wrong job?
It is probably the most important and controversial constitutional court cases in recent history and will cause a headache for Mrs May. The government unsuccessfully tried to argue that their prerogative powers should be legitimate enough to trigger Article 50 without Parliament's approval.
But Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, said: "The government does not have power under the Crown's prerogative to give notice pursuant to Article 50 for the UK to withdraw from the European Union." - Quite right too!
What will happen in the Supreme Court? Who knows, I for one will be watching the case very carefully. Hopefully, the judges will make the right (and only) decision and won't bow down to the pressure presented by the press. But there is one thing we can be certain of - we are in the midst of a constitutional crisis, and a General Election suddenly doesn't seem that far away.
Photo credit: Tomoya Nitoube
Morocco sounds like an exotic, faraway destination. And although it's undeniably exotic, it's not exactly faraway. Just a few hours on a plane can take you from the U.K., to the markets and palaces of Marrakech or the shores of Casablanca. You don't have to travel halfway around the world to experience the history, culture, unique eats, and stunning natural wonders of a fascinating travel destination. These five reasons to book your tickets to the Kingdom of Morocco will assure you that exotic escapes don't have to involve long-haul flights.
You Can Visit Every Landscape
Morocco is home to picturesque coastlines, desert villages, green valleys, towering mountains, and countless other landscapes in between. It's a hiker and photographer's paradise, offering everything from grueling hikes in the High Atlas Mountains to mellow day trips to Berber villages -- all of which are equally as photogenic. If you're looking for a destination that makes you feel like you've traveled around the world in a single week, there's no better place than Morocco.
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Spices Make Every Meal
Photo credit: colin houston
Morocco is known for its spices, and the best dishes are carefully infused with so many that you'll find them impossible to recreate at home. The Berber villages are known for providing some of the most authentic Moroccan dishes, but you also can't go wrong by sampling street foods in Marrakech or taking a culinary tour in Fes. Wherever you sit down to eat, you're guaranteed to smell the spices long before you taste them.
You Won't Believe the Beaches
Morocco is famous for its elegant mosques, Jemaa el-Fnaa marketplace, and snow-capped Atlas Mountains, but its postcard-worthy beaches often go unmentioned. Beaches line the country's Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, offering everything from rugged, rocky shores to blue-green bays, and surfing waves often featured in magazines. Whether you're into snapping photos, extreme watersports (the windsurfing scene in Essaouira is world-famous), or soaking in some rays on the sand, you'll find the beach of your dreams in Morocco.
The Cities You'll Never Want to Leave
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Photo credit: Global Panorama
Morocco is home to every kind of city, from laid-back Essaouira to bustling Casablanca, Marrakech at the foot of the Atlas Mountains, the capital Rabat, and ancient Fes. Whether you're searching for historic mosques, museums, and palaces, or marketplaces, world-renowned eateries, and stunning natural scenery, there's more than one city in Morocco that you'll never want to leave.
You're Always Welcome
At the beginning of the month, the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, made reference to an ongoing crisis in global healthcare. In a speech to the Conservative Party Conference, he asked "is it right to import doctors from poorer countries that need them?" In an increasingly globalised world, it is vital that this question is carefully considered.
The medical profession faces many challenges, but one of the biggest - from the largest hospital in London to a community clinic in rural Kenya - is a shortage of skilled staff. A study earlier this year by the Association of American Medical Colleges, predicts that the US will have a shortfall of between 61,700-94,700 physicians affecting both primary and specialty care by 2025.
For developing nations, the problem is exacerbated by the allure of high-income countries, with greater income potential, better working conditions, bigger budgets for equipment, and more effective resourcing. Put simply, doctors from low- and middle-income countries are flocking to the US and UK, with disastrous consequences for their own healthcare systems.
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To put the problem into perspective, while the UK's skills shortage leaves 270 doctors per 100,000 people, Kenya must make do with just 203.
The one-way flow of clinical practitioners from developing nations needs to stop, and there are measures that can be put in place now to benefit the entire healthcare community.
One of the realities of the medical profession is that the majority of trainee doctors come from affluent families; a fact as true in Kenya as in the UK. We need a system that increases economic diversity among medical students. Not only does this widen the net of available talent, but it will also help address the issue of doctor migration. Doctors recruited from rural areas in developing countries are more likely to want to work in these environments to begin with.
Research also suggests that doctors tend to practice where they complete the final stages of their medical training. With this in mind, I'd like to see postgraduate education and residency training programmes either enhanced or set up in countries like Kenya and The Philippines - as well as enhancing exchange programmes in places like Russia, South Africa, and Cuba. This could be done in conjunction with postgraduate courses in high-income countries, providing opportunities for collaboration between medical institutions.
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Exchange programmes can result in a steady flow of talented students from countries like the US and UK working and training in the developing world. At the same time, students from these countries could train in world-leading healthcare systems before returning home to complete their education. Programmes that encourage them to do so must be part of the solution.
The brain drain problem is made all the worse by the fact that it is predominantly financed by low- and middle-income countries. The Philippines is still the world's biggest 'exporter' of nurses; however, a recent OECD report shows that large numbers are also coming from Zimbabwe, Vietnam, Ghana, and Kenya. Russia is also suffering an exodus of trained medical staff; the number of nurses leaving the country has quadrupled in 10 years to nearly 40,000. These health professionals have their training entirely subsidized by their government and if they immigrate to the US or UK that investment is lost.
There are possible solutions to this with medical schools, governmental agencies, and interested parties working together towards the same end. In the US, medical graduates can have their debt burden lessened or even forgiven after a certain time period if they work in an underserved area or in public service.
At St. George's University, with a medical school devoted to training students from around the world, we have worked with various governments who pay for their citizens to attend the MD programme to help ensure that students return home upon graduation. We encourage fourth-year (elective) training in hospitals in the home country, work with the ministries in charge of students to track success and to advise accordingly, and even, in certain cases, holding graduation ceremonies in the home country. The more the student trains in and is bonded to the home country, the more likely he or she will return to practice medicine.
It is unfair that developing nations should invest large sums of money into training doctors, only for them to vanish into more developed healthcare systems on the other side of the world. Recovered money could be used by governments to fund the training of more medical students, or be reinvested into their health infrastructure.
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To this end, we have a CityDoctors Scholarship Programme where students receive full- or partial-tuition awards in the name of a hospital or hospital system. They commit to work at that hospital for the number of years an award was granted. The University has agreed to convert the scholarship into a loan that must be repaid - to the hospital - if the student does not return to the hospital after postgraduate training. This kind of partnership solution can be used between medical schools and governments in countries with great medical need.
Dear Theresa --
I hate to say it, but I told you so! In a blog published here on12 July 2016, I told you that the Brexit referendum result is purely advisory because of the fundamental constitutional principle of the Sovereignty of Parliament. And now a three-judge panel of the High Court has come to the same conclusion, on the basis of which it has ruled that you can't trigger Article 50 to leave the EU without Parliamentary approval.
Parliamentary Sovereignty
The Court's ruling rests squarely on the fundamental constitutional principle of the sovereignty of Parliament. In the words of the Lord Chief Justice for the court: "The most fundamental rule of the UK's constitution is that Parliament is sovereign and can make and unmake any law it chooses."
1,054 Barristers Got it Wrong
This is exactly the point I made in my Huffington Post blog of 12 July 2016 attacking the open letter to David Cameron by 1,054 barristers. My blog was titled: "The Brexit Referendum - Joke letter from 1,054 Barristers." In my blog I made the point that the referendum result is purely advisory: "This is based on a fundamental principle of the British Constitution: the Sovereignty of Parliament." The 1.054 barristers understood the purely advisory nature of the referendum result but gave the wrong explanation for it. Their letter did not even mention the Sovereignty of Parliament. And your government seems to have missed this crucial principle as well.
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Your Appeal to the Supreme Court
You seem confident of success in your appeal to the Supreme Court. On what basis? If the Supreme Court decides to reverse the decision just handed down, it will be making a serious error in law. Here (without charge) are all the possible arguments that you could possibly muster in your appeal, together with brief reasons why not one of them has any validity:
The Government can use the royal prerogative to trigger Article 50. This was your main argument before the High Court. It's wrong because the royal prerogative can't be used to change domestic law, which Brexit would require. And the original 1972 European Communities Act cannot be repealed or amended except by another Act of Parliament.
The people decided on Brexit in the referendum - so can we not just act on that? No. The UK doesn't have a system of direct democracy but of representative democracy, through Parliament.
Parliament set up the referendum in the first place, on the understanding that the result would be respected and implemented. The European Referendum Act 2015, passed by Parliament, went into a lot of detail on peripheral matters but did not say what was to happen in the event of a Brexit victory.
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The government gave verbal assurances that the referendum result would be respected and implemented. Maybe so, but without such assurances in the legislation itself, the referendum result is purely advisory - it advises Parliament, which can either accept or reject that advice.
It's not possible to give an assurance like that in the legislation. Yes it is. The 1979 devolution referenda in Scotland and Wales were preceded by legislation actually establishing devolution in both countries. As neither referendum achieved enough support, that legislation was later repealed.
If Parliament is sovereign, can't Parliament delegate its power to the people in a referendum? Yes it could, but the only way Parliament could do this is by passing legislation to that effect - which it didn't do on this occasion.
Parliament has already been consulted on Brexit on numerous occasions. Yes, but it hasn't had the opportunity of voting on it, which is what is required.
Surely just a quick vote in Parliament is all that is required, not necessarily legislation. No, because of Parliamentary sovereignty, what is needed is actual legislation, passed by the Commons and the Lords and with the royal assent.
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But couldn't Parliament just be asked to say Yes or No to Brexit? No, there will have to be a proper debate on precisely what Brexit means and on how it is to be negotiated, and possibly on the role of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland governments in the negotiations. Even if Brexit is agreed to, which is probable, there will undoubtedly be some amendments to the government Bill.
This could create a constitutional crisis. It certainly could, and if your Bill is defeated in Parliament there will probably have to be another general election within a few months. You have no one to blame for this mess but your predecessor and yourself. Why did you not read my blog of 12 July?
Best of luck (you'll need it!)
It may be hard to believe, but there was a time when our MPs spoke out in favour of animal cruelty. During a debate in 1823, Sir Matthew Ridley said that he had attended dog fights as a young man, seemed to quite enjoy them, and that subjects such as these he "considered far below the dignity of the House". Most MPs didn't agree, Sir Matthew's views lost out, and in 1835 the Cruelty to Animals Act was passed, banning dog fighting.
181 years later, and I would hope there are no MPs or Peers who would be willing to stand up and defend dog fighting, much less admit to having attended one! Despite this, and all the animal welfare legislation that has happened since, we know dog fighting still occurs in many parts of the UK. What's more, we know people are getting away with it.
Under the current legislation, the maximum sentence for animal cruelty is six months imprisonment. This puts us embarrassingly far behind other countries - in France, the current maximum sentence is two years; in Germany, it is three years; while in the US, it's a felony offence in all 50 states...
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At the League Against Cruel Sports, we've been working to uncover dog fighting across the country. The cruelty we've seen inflicted on helpless dogs is simply heart-breaking. Bait dogs that have had their teeth ground down, limbs broken, and suffered horrendous wounds; and hidden but always present is the psychological trauma that the dogs have suffered.
The injustice done to these creatures, and the failure of the law to respond appropriately, is why we are so pleased to see Anna Turley, MP for Redcar, lead a debate on animal cruelty sentencing on Tuesday, November 8th.
Earlier this year, the two men responsible for an appalling case of animal cruelty in Anna's constituency were given suspended sentences. The public were rightly outraged. With two pieces of legislation, one tabled by Anna and another from Conservative MP Kevin Foster, due before Parliament early next year, it's clear the momentum for tougher sentences is building.
We don't need to look too far to see how these individual cases can highlight broader injustices, sparking politicians into action. In Northern Ireland last year, four men were convicted of keeping animals for fighting, as well as related offences. An investigation found mobile phone footage which showed cats and badgers being torn apart by dogs as onlookers laughed. The four men were given suspended sentences. Such was the outcry, the Northern Ireland Assembly increased the maximum sentence for animal cruelty to five years.
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What does a "peace dividend" look like and who gets to enjoy a piece of it?
Clearly, the Colombian people will be the prime beneficiaries, once the still-provisional return to peace and security becomes definitive.
In September a Peace Accord was reached with the rebel group Farc. In October the result of the referendum delivered a slight majority to reject the Accord. President Santos immediately initiated a frank dialogue with all sectors of society and all political factions.
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Although Farc leaders agreed to adjust the agreement to keep the goal of peace alive, President Santos acknowledges the environment remains unstable and demands restraint on both sides. Nevertheless we are all confident that Colombia will ultimately find its way to stable and lasting peace.
The State Visit (Nov 1st -3rd) to the UK by President Santos (the first by a Colombian head of state) confirms his administration's commitment to build an open and vibrant economy based upon transparent markets with clear rules for foreign investors, while guaranteeing security for all.
The recent award of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Santos is a fitting symbol of the international community's admiration, respect, and growing recognition that the nation is today living a moment of historical importance.
While the era of peace and optimism opens up large swathes of the country to development for the first time in two generations, "peace dividend" has other meanings too. These signify progress, jobs and opportunities for investors.
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Great Britain is already Colombia's second largest investor, with over $7 billion invested in sectors such as hotels, IT, financial services and biofuels.
There are very solid reasons for such investor optimism. Despite the global downturn, Colombia has over the last 15 years grown at an average annual rate of 4.3%, making it the market with the second best outlook for GDP growth in Latam for 2016 and 2017, according to the IMF. It is an attractive marketplace, where the spending power of an increasingly well-educated population is growing rapidly. In the first six months of 2016, foreign investment (FDI) grew 16.5% to $8.3 billion.
The World Bank's latest Doing Business 2017 report notes improvements including reduced corporate taxes and lower business licence taxes, as well as streamlined registration procedures for new businesses. Colombia now hosts business operations from over 700 international companies that generate revenues of $25.5 billion.
Investors, both domestic and foreign, are now eyeing Colombia's newly-pacified areas for their potential for a range of industrial and service activities. Regions such as these are certainly rich in minerals and natural resources. But a recent feature of Colombia's development has been that investment in non-commodity sectors has grown five times faster than the extractive sector in a nation straddling the Andes with borders on the Pacific, the Caribbean, and the Amazon basin.
In the hotels sector, for instance, there has been $7.1 billion worth of foreign investment since 2010, with the tourism sector growing at 12% yearly - almost four times the world average. During the first half of 2016 international visitor numbers were up 10.3% and tourism is now Colombia's second largest revenue earner.
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Newly opened up districts including Choco, Cauca, Putumayo, Caqueta, Guaviare, Vaupes, Meta, Vichada and Arauca, offer significant opportunities. Many of these areas contain pristine forest and natural habitat, making them suited to niche travel activities. So Colombia is looking to adventure tourism, ecotourism, and travel or gourmet hospitality related to high-end production of premium regional foods such as cacao, coffee, quinoa and local specialties.
Projects to revive agricultural production of these commodities will generate thousands of rural jobs. For instance, one cacao project will benefit 50,000 families, while another handicraft related project will benefit 35,000 families.
Of course, more urban industrial and service sectors expect to share their "peace dividend" too.
To enable such progress, the Santos government is overseeing the region's most ambitious infrastructure development programme, with projects such as the 4G toll roads, rail, ports and airport construction already delivering counter-cyclical benefits to diverse economic sectors.
Colombia's film and TV sector is firmly on the radar of international producers, offering generous rebates and incentives as well as prime local talent. In the apparel industry, Medellin is now recognised as the fashion capital of Latin America.
In the IT sector, foreign investors have put more than US$7 billion into dozens of software and outsourcing projects, while the startup scene is buzzing. In fact between 2012 and 2014 the IT sector trebled in size, accounting for 2% of GDP. There are now almost 700 Colombian IT companies exporting know-how, supported by initiatives like the Colombia Bring IT On campaign.
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From the perspective of a UK government now actively seeking new international trade pacts, Colombia must be a highly attractive partner. With open access both to Latin America's most vibrant regional economies and to markets in Asia, Colombia's location on the Pacific seaboard offers major strategic benefits to British companies.
So, as President Santos noted in his recent address to the UN General Assembly, Colombia has very good reasons to be optimistic. The nation is making decisive steps along the growth path, with a clear policy framework and above all, dialogue based upon desire for peace.
This, we firmly believe, is Colombia's moment, in which the country is stepping into of the most important periods in its history. This is the time to come and join us.
Earlier this month, The Daily Mail reported that Jon Holmes had been 'sacked' from the Now Show because he was 'a white man'. He has since come out and said that those were not his words although this tweet definitely was his: "Sad to announce I've been axed from @BBCNowShow as 'we want to recast with more women and diversity.' Tsk. And I didn't even punch a producer."
Now I must put a disclaimer before the rest of the article: this has nothing to do with the Now Show. I don't listen to and it never have, because I've always thought it's probably a bit shit. I'm not a 'boor' - I read the New Statesman, I just find radio satire quite twee and a bit lame. My tastes/ subjective/ blah blah. Anyway, that's not what this is about. What the BBC actually said to him is unclear, but in their statement about the decision they do not mention diversity. But I can totally believe that is what a producer told Jon Holmes privately, because TV producers have told me that at least five times. I got told it in a phone call last week.
So. Like drunk daddy Trump who thinks it's his business to sit the groom down and talk about what he would do to Ivanka on her wedding night if this punk hadn't gotten in the way and ruined Donald's dream family wedding, I, a white man, am going to wade into this cesspit uninvited.
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Firstly though, I'm going to call out producers to stop saying this, because most of the time, I think it's bullshit. I don't think that anyone is getting TV work because they are not brilliant but they happen to be not white or a woman. There are white guys who I started with who are brilliant and are starting to get breaks on the box. There are still nowhere near enough women on comedy panel shows. I know there are less women who do comedy but there's a fuck of a lot good enough for there to be an equal gender split on panel and stand-up shows. Ok sure you'd have some repeat bookings, until more funny women had done their time on the circuit and were ready. But like I said- no one gets there because they're not brilliant.
But TV and Radio producers have got very comfortable saying this to white male comedians. They say it because it makes their job easier. They have to put up with comedians who, off the back of a good Edinburgh (guilty), feel entitled (as per) to step up a level in terms of profile and their pushy agents are fighting tooth and nail to help that. And it is the perfect reason to accompany a rejection of broadcast work because the comedian and their agent cannot negotiate or push back or complain. Because as social liberals we all believe in diversity. But like anything, it's just a belief. Something you say, you put on social media. It's a belief that you never have to enact. Until you start to feel like you are a victim of it. Because when you think about it for a second, producers saying "in the name of diversity we cannot give you work" is just a middle-class liberal way of saying "immigrants are stealing your jobs".
So producers, please actually take a minute and articulate why you don't think a white male comedian is right for a show rather than just using the easy way out.
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But let's say it was true. Let's say that diversity was the reason I didn't get on such and such. Let's say that white male comedians are being denied profile-boosting work, not on merit but because of their race and gender. I should say here I am also a limp-dick liberal/ Petulant Remoaner and so are you who's reading this probably. But in order to try and speak beyond the echo chamber I'm going to speak as if diversity was the most mad, confusing conspiracy that papers such as the Mail like to imply it is.
Society needs to include everyone to work. If you take away the lack of humanity, and outright wrongness of enforced racial segregation, on a purely economic level, society does not function as well when segregated. The schools on both side of the racial divide will not be as good as they could be, which means kids won't be as clever, which means poor job opportunities, people earn less, so society has a low tax base which means less stuff works.
Psychologically, exclusion and neglect breeds isolation and disillusionment and no sense of belonging. People will not have a stake in society's success. Coupled with poverty, this will inevitably lead to violence, which costs the society money to deal with.
(You can read more about this here http://www.umich.edu/~lawrace/consequences.htm)
Culture is a massive part of that. Take for example you are a black woman born in Britain. TV is yours. You will pay a license fee so you can own it. That is your TV, your culture. If you see no one on it that is the same race or sex as you, you might feel like your experience is not the same as the country you live in. It will feel less like your TV. It might feel less like your country. TV & the media has been dominated by men, especially white men since it's inception. So in order to avoid the problems outlined above, diversity is necessary.
Now what that means is that a 'transfer of power' for want of a better phrase, has to happen from white people to non-white people, and men to women. Now there is a fascinating sociological debate to be had about the effect of a previously 'powerful' group losing its unfair advantage and how that impacts on members of that group who live through that change. But to be honest, in this time of internet hypersensitivity on left & right, i do not feel like i have the skills to set off this debate. Also the thing I'm writing this to plug is next week.
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As someone who has been told they have been denied TV opportunities because of the need for diversity, and if i was not strong enough in my conviction that the diversity excuse is a card lazy producers play to avoid the ickiness of rejecting people, I would say this.
Accepting that I might not get work because of diversity is putting my belief that such a policy is necessary into practice. My acceptance is my activism. My 'ok no worries' answer to that phone call is me with a placard on a march. Except that I do not have to take to the streets and demand change because the generation before mine did that. What my generation have to do is accept that change and let society re-calibrate itself. We have to deal with the shifts in power that will happen. And it might make us feel weird and wronged and victimised. I saw a line somewhere on the internet, I don't know where it came from but I think it had something to do with Sofie Hagen. "When you're used to privilege, equality feels like oppression." There's undoubtedly something in that. But if we rationalise those hurt feelings then the generation after ours won't have to deal with any of this. Through our passive activism, representation in the media will be a non-issue.
This ended up being more sincere than is ideal to sell a stand-up show, but I'm on at Soho Theatre with my show about White Privilege from the 9th-12th November 2016. Tickets from
Anton Chalakov via Getty Images
No child should drown - certainly not sunk in a fake lifejacket peddled by unscrupulous opportunists, while the world averts its eyes. This is my answer when asked whether migration is encouraged by Save the Children's new rescue ship in the Mediterranean, the Vos Hestia.
Last year was full of final straws, with a capsizing killing more than 800 people off Libya in April and drowned toddler Alan Kurdi found face-down on a Turkish beach in September. But in 2016, the Mediterranean is a deadlier grave that ever; engulfing 4,100 people already; more than last year's grim total and double the death toll of the Titanic.
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In this increasingly globalised and connected world, supply inevitably reacts to demand. People-smuggling is a modern-day gold rush, attracting the good, bad and ugly. What refugees and migrants initially perceived as a helpful service, delivering them from hell, is now a ruthless and complex dystopia, a dark web where hope is traded for life.
Operation Sophia, the EU's anti-smuggling initiative, operates in the busy stretch of water off Northern Africa where most are rescued. Sophia was named after a baby girl born on board a vessel involved in an initial patrol. This unconventional arrival of a baby starkly reminds us that children, the most utterly vulnerable of all, are the real epicentre of this crisis.
When temperatures drop further and sea conditions worsen, sleeping on our ship will be like trying to meditate on a roller coaster. Winter crossings on unseaworthy boats increase the likelihood of dying during this crossing to one death to every 47 arrivals.
Earlier this week, Save the Children rescued 100 people in one day, including two young children whose mother hadn't made it. These orphans are now under the care of our child protection team, who work closely with the Italian authorities. Prayers were said on board for their mother. The rescue came within 24 hours of two rubber dinghies capsizing and 240 people are believed to have drowned. Our team spotted two women who had been out at sea for hours and brought them aboard the safety of our ship - the lucky few.
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The area we search is three times the size of Great Britain and contains oil fields, their jutting flames often the only navigation reference point for migrants and refugees who steer the dinghies themselves, usually at night without enough fuel. Overwhelmingly packed with non-swimmers, these rafts take in water quickly and panic sets in, people pray, confessing as if it's their last day. No-one takes this risk unless what's behind them is more terrifying that what's in front.
The Save the Children crew take turns doing 'the watch', throughout the whole day and night. Standing with binoculars, we squint at the horizon and check whether what we see is debris or potentially a person clinging to a raft. The pre-dawn watch is busiest, where we receive the most SOS calls and find boats packed with people that have spent the night adrift. We make sure they have food, water, blankets - they're exhausted and hunker down to sleep immediately. Then in the morning, our first task is to make the tea. A round of tea for 400 people takes four hours.
Syrians understandably elicit the most public sympathy - children are being bombed in their beds in Aleppo so of course their families have to flee. Whereas stories of migration, people fleeing extreme and desperate poverty, remain largely unheard across Europe. But in Sicily, where our rescue ship docks, migrant children's tales are ubiquitous. Just chatting to a Gambian boy over gelato, he spoke of his younger brother, shot by smugglers en route. On arrival he called his mother but learned she too was dead, having succumbed to a long standing illness.
Save the Children's free helpline will give him practical, legal and medical advice to protect him. We also run drop in centres and night shelters for children continuing their perilous journey across Europe. In Italy, every child has the right to protection, no matter where they're from. Italy doesn't perpetuate a narrative that it's possible to distinguish a child as deserving or undeserving. Like the relentless humanity shown by the Italian Coast Guard under Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's government, Italy leads by example, while too many European states' prefer to pull up the draw-bridge, despite the failure of walls and fences to contain the desperate flow. Like a half inflated balloon, you press one side and the other expands. Human instinct is to survive.
Our post-Brexit country needs a system that can implement a policy we have already agreed: to grant asylum to those in danger of abuse or persecution; a proud decision taken after World War Two.
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No, Europe doesn't have enough space for the population of the world. A million arrivals in a remarkable year may alarm Europe's 500 million residents. But most refugees long for a speedy return to whatever shattered remains of their homes remain standing, when, inshallah, peace is finally agreed. But until the driving forces of migration - conflict and extreme poverty - are traced back to the cause and dealt with, peace and development will remain strangled. And progress has been made: we've halved child deaths in a generation.
And we can go further, by ensuring that children don't drown in our shores. When I was on board Save the Children's rescue ship, we helped save nearly 400 people in one day, including a one month old baby and a woman who was nine months pregnant and staggered on board helped by three of our rescue team.
The ghost of Brexit hangs over the US election as it nears its close. Political pundits, newspaper columnists, even entertainers like the TV chef Anthony Bourdain regularly bring it up.
A New York Times columnist John Cassidy wrote recently that in Britain the 'Leave' campaign put virtually nothing into the box on their side, leaving it occupied only by the Union Jack and voters' fantasies. Brexit voters didn't feel they were voting for specific people or policies. America's saving grace may be, he argues, that people are voting not just to make America great again or for the flag, but also for Donald J Trump.
In the same paper, an insightful essay "Behind 2016's Turmoil, a Crisis of White Identity" by Amanda Taub put the Brexit vote, like Trump's popularity, down to a loss of status for white natives. The main predictor of voting for 'Leave' was, she notes, a low level of education rather than of income and this tends to be true too of Donald Trump's supporters.
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She links both movements to a decline in status and opportunities for the skilled working class in both countries. And on immigration, she argues that rather than the degree of ethnic mix within an area, which in many 'Leave' areas of the UK was low, it is the pace of change that causes concern.
Alan Dershowitz, author of "Electile Dysfunction: A Guide for the Unaroused Voter" told CNN audiences this week that like Brexit, Trump's populism meant his vote is likely to be underestimated by the polls. Clinton's lead, he warned, could be narrower than predicted. Trump agrees, promising Tuesday will be "Brexit times ten".
The Washington Post found a resonance between Trump's warnings of electoral fraud and similar claims made by the "Leave" campaign - Brexit voters, warned to bring pens instead of pencils in case their votes were rubbed out and changed, on occasion apparently lobbed them at the civic-minded senior citizens who staff Britain's polling stations.
Filmmaker Michael Moore unveiled a new film, Micahel Moore in TrumpLand shot in front of a live audience in Wilmington in October, a rather rambling paem of praise to Hillary Clinton in which he confesses to being a little in love with her. He mocks Donald Trump, and has Mexican audience members penned in behind a cardboard wall. One of the biggest laughs from the audience is for Moore's lines on Brexit. He casts the vote in terms of the angry voters seeing a chance to get back 'at the establishment'. But now, he roars, as the audience chortles with Schadenfreude, they find that "if you vote to leave Europe you actually have to to leave Europe". "And four million of them have signed a petition calling for another referendum."
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Favorite Sunday night viewing here is the traveling chef Anthony Bourdain. He is a silver-haired bohemian with an easy charm and an ability to eat or drink pretty much everything that is put in front of him with every evidence of delight. Each episode features a shaky-camera montage of him getting drunk with his hosts in different parts of the globe, sometimes for days.
His show from a trip to London just after the Brexit vote first aired in mid-October. In a trailer for it, which I saw on CNN several times, where Bourdain is interviewed by the network's other silver-haired charmer Anderson Cooper, Bourdain is asked if London greeted the Brexit vote with "a stiff upper lip.' He shakes his head: "No, it was ankle-deep in tears and vomit".
The Brexit vote, he explains at the start of the show, was swung by "the rubes, the country people... the people who felt out of step with an increasingly non-white London". In between meals of bone marrow, pig's trotters and fish and chips, Bourdain sinks a few pints with musician Jamie Hince who says of the Brexit vote: "It almost makes me not believe in democracy any more. They go on about a central government in Brussels and say we don't have anything in common with people from Bulgaria or Romania. Well I don't have anything in common with people from Sunderland or Wales." He suggests as an extension of the referendum principle getting old people in one part of the UK to take care of the budget and in another to sort out foreign policy.
NIgella Lawson cooks Bourdain a hangover breakfast and chef Margot Henderson wails of Brexit; "It's so selfish." She doesn't blame the people, she adds, who have been lied to.
At the close of the show, in a clear appeal to voters heading to the polls in the US to be warned by the UK's experience, Bourdain sums up. "These are frightening times for many. The world is changing and there is no stopping those changes. But in such times there are always two ways to go. We can run and hide, build walls, cower in fear, point the finger at our neighbours, and look, as frightened people often do, for someone to blame.
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Gary Cameron / Reuters
If the Democrats win the US election convincingly, they should learn the lessons of the Scottish Independence Referendum of 2014.
It seems to me now, looking back, that the Brexit campaign was lost on the morning of September 19, 2014. That was the morning of victory for the side which fought to keep Scotland within the UK. It was the morning when triumphant Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron and his Chancellor George Osborne walked onto the steps of Downing Street - and stabbed the Labour Party who had fought alongside them in the back.
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The 'No' campaign was fought and won largely by the Labour Party. The Tories, who had little support in Scotland, largely stayed out of it. The party political speech that Cameron gave that morning with an eye on the next General Election was the start of the unravelling of the coalition that could have swung the 'Remain' vote.
The SNP and the Labour Party are like the Romulus and Remus of Scottish politics, locked in a fierce rivalry like the mythical brothers struggling over Rome. For almost two years approaching the referendum on Independence , Scottish public life was dominated by the independence referendum. During that time, the big beasts of Scottish politics, people like the former Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling, devoted much of their time to campaigning against independence. Darling fronted the cross party Better Together movement. He and others put their party interests aside in order to travel up and down the country talking at town halls, energising volunteers, canvassing. Over the course of the campaign they became more and more seen as apologists for their political opponents in power in Westminster, who were associated with unpopular austerity.The label that was given to them by the SNP "Red Tory" was repeated endlessly. It stuck.
There were some in the Labour Party such as former Prime Minister Gordon Brown who had been concerned that this would happen and had argued for a separate Labour Party campaign against independence. But this didn't happen.
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In the last weeks, the polls showed the "Yes" campaign surging ahead. At one point it looked as if they could win it. The SNP-led campaign had become associated not with the pretty nativism of Brexiteers but with a move towards creating a more progressive country. They were able to argue that Scotland had not been well-governed by London, that it needed more of the levers of power in its own hands to build a better future for all citizens.
In the dying moment of the campaign, Gordon Brown became associated with a cross-party last-ditch pledge to bring wavering voters to the "No" side. Known as "the Vow" it was a promise to deliver "devo max' which would make Scotland more like a state in the federal USA . This pledge and the barnstorming speech that Brown delivered in the eve of the vote were important factors in the solid "No' that was turned in at the ballot box on September 18.
Also in the last months, the Labour Party provided feet on the ground both Scottish and English; activists from England poured across the border, worked the phones, knocked doors.
At the Labour party conference which happened just after this a friend told me that everyone was exhausted, by the effort they had made but also chastened and worried by the reception they had found on the doorsteps, by the "red Tory' insult and by the anger the voters had expressed towards the Labour Party, doors slammed in their faces in places they had been sure of solid support over generations.
That was when leader Ed Miliband stumbled in his speech and didn't deliver parts of the text that had been handed to journalists. At this gloomy conference, the Labour party began to count the bridges they had burned, tale stock of the political capital they had expended, of the extent to which they had suffered politically because of their decision to put party before country and to keep Scotland in the UK. Slowly it sank in how little recognition they were going to get for it. It was sad. A lot of good people worked hard, put their country first and got burned for it. When the Tories came back to ask for more for more, because they needed a strong Labour Party to get out the Remain vote in parts of the country where they had no traction, there was virtually no answer.
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That morning on September 19, Osborne and Cameron stepped out and instead of delivering a speech that was aimed at unifying a fractured country, or reaching out to their opponents, or even recognising the personal sacrifice that Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling and many other had made by putting their own personal political capital into the service of Better Together, Cameron put the boot into Brown. He made a speech in which he said basically, now we have won the referendum, it is time to think about English Votes for English laws. This was code for diminishing the role of Scots MPs in the Mother of Parliaments and altering the Scottish settlement. He indicated with vague words that he was kicking Brown's famous "Vow' into the long grass, where it has remained.
In Scotland that morning, the old war horse Alex Salmond's head went up. He wrote in his memoir that he couldn't believe the opportunity Cameron had just handed him. For Salmond, the referendum was just one skirmish in a long war.
Recently, reading Craig Oliver's book on the inside story of the Brexit campaign "Unleashing Demons", I had to throw it away a couple of times. At one point in the campaign, they are reaching out to Gordon Brown as if this whole thing never happened as if they never stabbed him in the back. It was as if someone were to borrow their neighbor's savings, spent them, and then a year later insouciantly asked to borrow some money again. The political capital that he had went up in smoke that day.
Cheese is not exactly something you would expect from a Chinese menu, but in Yunnan, a province of China located near the Burmese border, it's a staple. Made from goat's milk, the dense cheese tastes most like halloumi. This cheese can now be sampled at A Wong in London's Pimlico, a restaurant that is far removed from the cliched establishment serving sweet and sour pork. Other specialities include Beijing stir fried egg and Sichuanese aubergines. A Wong is popular. Getting a table there is a waiting game and the wait is long.
A Wong is not alone in serving regional cuisine in London and to such a strong reception. In today's city, what's now on the menu is an appreciation for China's rich gastronomy.
Want food from Xinjiang, the far-western province of China, head to Silk Road in Camberwell. Fan of Sichuanese? Take your pick from a variety of restaurants across town. Delicate tastes of Shanghai can be savoured at Bright Courtyard; traditional Beijing duck in Kensington. There's even a restaurant devoted to dumplings and one where a conveyor belt serves hotpot.
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More Chinese living in London is partly driving this trend. Once it was mostly Cantonese who came to London as a result of Hong Kong being a former British colony. Now it's people from all across China. According to the Chinese Ministry of Education, more than half a million Chinese studied abroad in 2015, with many choosing the UK. They now make up the largest body of international students here. This new group want food that more closely reflects what they would get back home.
Take Qinzi Huang. Huang was born in Jiangxi Province, in southeast China, and was raised in Beijing. She has been living in London for five years. Huang and her friends often eat out at Chinese restaurants. Her favourite is Shu Xiangge, a hotpot place on New Oxford Street.
Huang gets lots of her tips for new places via a Chinese blog called Red Scarf, which is dedicated to introducing the latest restaurants to London's Chinese community.
"I bet every single Chinese student in the UK knows them. They usually recommend activities, good places, and they recommend good restaurants as well. At the beginning, we know restaurants from them," says Huang.
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"It used to be Cantonese cooking for Brits. Now is it non-Cantonese cooking for Chinese. It's a completely different dynamic," says Fuchsia Dunlop, the leading authority on Chinese cuisine in the UK, whose recently published book explores the cuisine of the Jiangnan region near Shanghai.
This new dynamic is made easier by Britain's ever evolving larder.
"The range of ingredients available in the UK for Chinese food is so much better than it was," says Dunlop.
In addition to Asian supermarkets, big supermarkets now have aisles dedicated to foreign food and we are starting to grow food essential for these recipes, such as chillies.
"Chinese food in China is evolving too. Now you get the super-rich in China who want to see their dining evolve. They want the same experience of Western food culture back home," adds Andrew Wong, chef and owner of A Wong, of another dynamic impacting the evolution of Chinese cooking.
This is certainly evident in China's leading cities. While in the past regional food might have stayed in the regions, places like Shanghai and Beijing are now full of restaurants catering to a varied, more daring palette.
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There are many factors driving this change. Plenty are internal, but some are external - as Wong highlights, the evolution of Chinese food within China didn't happen in a vacuum. An increase in Chinese travelling and living abroad has meant an increase in those who have returned. These people have brought with them new tastes and styles.
Huang talks of a friend who now lives in Zhongshan, a city in southern Guangdong province. He runs a Chinese restaurant with Chinese chefs, who all studied in France before.
"So the dishes are quite delicate, but still taste Chinese."
And of course it's not just the way food is eaten that has changed; it's the food itself.
"One ingredient I never saw 20 years ago was okra and now this is appearing on menus in China," says Dunlop.
She adds:
"China is a place obsessed with food, with a particular gastronomic culture. Food is a culture and it changes."
These new trends in China are then re-imported back to the UK.
Of course it's not just Chinese people who are enjoying the regional restaurants in London - we all are. This is partly because we are travelling to China now more than ever. Since it has opened up, China has become a top travel destination. It is currently the fourth most visited country in the world, with predictions that it could become number one shortly. We go, we discover, then we return. Suddenly the local Chinese serving up lemon chicken doesn't feel quite as exciting.
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Dunlop labels what has been going on in London as a revolution. She says that not only are we more interested in Chinese cooking, Chinese cooking is more compatible with our daily lives, not least the food of Jiangnan.
"It's healthy, balanced and seasonal, so it resonates with the way people want to eat today," says Dunlop.
Wong adds:
"Customers now are very, very open to my ideas. For example, we have on the menu Anhui province red braised fermented fish belly. The reception to it has been fantastic!"
scarletsails via Getty Images
The 2016 US Presidential election campaign has really been all about gender. There have been endless discussions of what the campaign means for women and for men, whether Hillary Clinton can win over male voters and whether Donald Trump can appeal to female voters, and what the electoral map would look like if one group or the other decided to boycott the whole process. There is even a website (Presidential Gender Watch) set up to help keep track of all the work that gender has been doing in this campaign and to provide expert analysis.
Much of this analysis has focussed on masculinity; more specifically, on deconstructing Donald Trump's masculinity. The explicitly sexist and sexualised language Trump has used on a daily basis has provoked strong responses, as have the crude ways that he has referred to women, to his rivals for the presidency, to those he blames for America's problems and of course to his critics. Trump's masculinity has been widely condemned, with some describing it as toxic or amoral.
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But while Trump attracts our attention with his displays of classic alpha male behaviour, he combines this with behaviour that has long been associated with femininity. Students of gender know that the ways we understand what it means to be 'masculine' or 'feminine' change according to time, place and circumstance. Nevertheless, one of the most consistent links that we make between gender and behaviour in the West is the way that masculinity is equated with rationality, logic and cool calculation while femininity is associated with emotion, irrationality and impulse. By this measure, Donald Trump's behaviour is frequently distinctly feminine. And this feminine behaviour is what Trump's supporters love most about him.
To the extent that Trump has a clearly defined set of policies, there is little about them that is rational or logical. Far from being grounded in the real world of the possible, his best-known policy pronouncements have more to do with feelings, perceptions and fantasy than reasoned argument and objective political or material conditions. Building a wall along the southern border of the United States and getting Mexico to pay for it is a prime example. Banning Muslims from entering the country is another. Reversing the tide of the globalised economy and returning millions of manufacturing jobs to America is yet another. His policy prescriptions fly in the face of conventional wisdom. But this is precisely the point: articulating these kinds of policies is actually crucial for Trump to position himself as the anti-establishment candidate. Anything less extreme would have risked looking like just more of the same old politics. And he would not have been able to stake out such extreme positions so effectively without embracing (feminine) emotion and rejecting (masculine) rationality.
Trump's reliance on emotion-based appeals at the expense of conventional notions of logic and reason also allow him to part company with facts on a regular basis, and to do so without embarrassment or apology. This is another part of his appeal. His willingness to say outrageous things is taken by Trump's supporters as a sign of his authenticity, and the opposite of the professional politician's regular resort to half-truths and compromise.
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A woman candidate for high political office (or perhaps any political office) would struggle to gain support using similar methods. She would have to work very hard to overcome the suspicion that her emotion-based appeals were just a sign of women's weakness and unsuitability for such roles. Trump, however, is able to demonstrate daily through his extremely masculinised behaviour and language that there is a real man in charge of all this emotion.
For the first time in four years, nine-year-old Aysha is attending school and dreaming of becoming a doctor, but it was not long ago that the young Syrian refugee was out on the streets going from home to home selling bread to support her family - a little girl with no happy ending in sight.
"I had no choice," says Aysha. "My father had no work. I had to sell bread to help my family."
In 2012, Aysha and her family fled Aleppo after the death of one of her brothers - his heart pierced by a piece of shrapnel. Aysha was the only girl of five siblings.
Yahya, a member of International Medical Corps' Hygiene and Health Promotion team in Turkey, first met the then seven-year-old when Aysha was already working long hours. After a few months Yahya was able to meet with Aysha's family and talk to them about their situation. They spoke to Aysha's mother about the risks of gender-based violence, the threats that a vulnerable child can face on the streets and the importance of self-protection, hand-washing and most importantly education.
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After months of conversations to allay the concerns of her parents around the little girl's safety, Aysha attended an activity organised by International Medical Corps to raise awareness about the impact of child labour. She also attended follow-up sessions on nutrition, health and hygiene practices as well as the importance of education.
Yahya said: "For girls like Aysha - and there are many - it is incredibly difficult to continue their studies.
"After speaking to her family a few times, we were able to convince them to send Aysha to the social centre near their home set up through United Nations High Commission for Refugees funding for refugees to learn soft vocational skills - a centre in which she is now attending English, Turkish and computer classes.
"She has now stopped working as her father and older brother have been able to find regular work."
The ongoing war, and the family's subsequent flight to Turkey, has denied Aysha valuable years of education, but she is now attending school. Although the local school only offers half-day lessons, she is bursting with excitement to have an opportunity to be back in the classroom with her peers.
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Her family too have a new found excitement, having moved into a new home paid for through the wages earned by her father and eldest brother as plasterers on construction sites. Her mother struggles to hide her radiant smile as she talks of how happy she is to have moved into their new house - far removed from their previous home, a dank basement.
Despite her age, Aysha is tough and has great ambitions for the future. She says that she wants to be a doctor so she can help people. "If I was a doctor I could help people like my brother who needed medical care but didn't get it in time."
Seeing Aysha's eagerness and her passion to learn, her mother is now enthusiastic for her daughter to study. "Aysha gets upset if she can't go to school. She works so hard. After seeing how enthusiastic she is I understood how important an education is to her future. I hope she can make it."
In addition to her usual classes Aysha attends drawing lessons - one of her favourite activities. "I like Cinderella very much; she is very beautiful and clean. I like drawing her pictures."
Much like her hero Cinderella, Aysha has remained smart, irrepressible and considerate of others through it all. Finding herself in a vulnerable situation due to the horrors of the ongoing war, the young girl never gave up hope.
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The leader of Turkey's opposition HDP party was arrested last week and with it renewed concerns from European countries about the nature of the arrest and Turkey's democratic development. It's fair to say that those democratic ambitions are edging ever closer towards the new model; a presidential dictatorship where one man leads the way, revered by his followers and feared by his opposition. Yet, we as Europeans are still watching on as this spectacle unfolds on our doorstep, powerless to prevent the erosion of Turkey's democratic culture.
The man handing out orders is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who infamously said when he was Istanbul mayor in the 90s, 'Democracy is like a train, you get off once you reach the station.' Has he decided that he has reached his station? And could that be the presidential palace he built that reportedly cost in excess of $500 million. He topped this off on Sunday in Istanbul when he told a gathering, 'I don't care if they call me a dictator or whatever else. It goes in one ear, out the other. What matters is what my people call me.'
Turkey says the reason for the arrest of Selahattin Demirtas, a moderate Kurdish politician, is because he failed to cooperate with counter-terrorism operations. Turkey also cites Demirtas as failing to distance his political party from the Kurdish militant group the PKK, a group that has been fighting for an independent Kurdish homeland since the 1980s.
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And although Demirtas started his career in a Kurdish party with close ties to the PKK, the accusations couldn't be further from the truth in today's Turkey. With the creation of the HDP party, the Kurds have been able to incorporate a medley of identities from pious Muslims to secular democrats and has become increasingly popular as a result. The party includes liberals, transgenders, socialists, leftists all of who came together under one banner; Social-Democrats. It's wrong to call the HDP a pro-Kurdish party these days, for it is not monolithic in its outlook, something that fails to be addressed repeatedly by the Western media. It is a rare voice that can mention the HDP without describing it as pro-Kurdish. It's too easy not to.
So why now? Why has Erdogan decided to arrest Demirtas when the warrants were prepared months ago? Because with Erdogan, as with any savvy politician, timing is critical. He is an adept career politician who can roll with the punches and adapt quickly as demonstrated by the attempted military 'coup' this summer. Rumour has it that Erdogan knew what was coming having been informed by the Turkish intelligence services but let it play out because it was to his own advantage. It is no secret that he has high hopes of changing Turkey to a presidential system firming up his reign ahead of the centenary celebrations of the republic in 2023, a date that has significant resonance with Turkish Islamists for it was that year which brought an end to the great Islamic Ottoman empire and pretty much turned Turkey into a secular republic over night.
Ironically, Erdogan is behaving not unlike the man whose reign he wishes to overturn, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the secular state. Ataturk ruled by force to transform Turkey into a secular democracy modelled on its European neighbours. Erdogan's era is one in which the world is watching so he can't be quite as radical as Ataturk was. Yet, he can be just as mindful. Ataturk left no detail untouched in his vision, even changing the alphabet from Ottoman script to a Western European one. So it is that Erdogan can and is transforming Turkey in his own vision under the watch of liberal Europe and more importantly Turkey's number one NATO ally, the US.
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The timing for these arrests couldn't be better. The UK is consumed with Brexit, the US with its own elections, Europe with the migrant crisis which demands a certain amount of cooperation from Turkey - the strain on European countries is already palpable with social ideals changing, Brexit is a symptom of it. Europe was just as shocked as many Brits were to wake up to a world in which immigrants had become a political hot potato in a Western liberal democracy. The second half of the twentieth century was largely defined by our openness to welcome foreigners to our shores. It's why we should be taking note of what is happening in Turkey.
The latest arrests and ongoing crackdown against any kind of opposition is extremely serious and isn't something we should be tolerating as European, yet it is something that we have absolutely no leverage on apparently. We are witnessing the destruction of a moderate Islamic democracy in favour of a more pious one. A country in which its journalists are now seeking refuge in other countries, becoming refugees of a war being waged against their intellectual and critical thinking. A country in which the education system has introduced much more religious doctrine to the shock of many parents. A country in which the Ministry of Religious Affairs is gaining more power with larger budgets. Erdogan stood on the steps of Ataturk airport the night of the attempted 'coup' and he told us loud and clear that, 'This was a gift from God'. If that doesn't explain to us what his aim is, then what will?
Turkey is becoming a country that will one day soon, and very soon, cease to be a democracy. The purge against tens of thousands of civil servants is just one aspect of what will be the collapse of its democratic institutions. The renaming of the Bosphorus Bridge - a gem of world cultural heritage connecting European shores to Asia - to The July 15 Martyr's Bridge, should be a warning that we should be taking seriously. Totalitarianism needs symbols of bloodshed to remind people
of the fear of attack by the enemy - the bridge is where the bloody battle on that night took place between soldiers and civilians who were called to the streets by the president himself. Symbol's are a well documented political tool. This is what we should be paying attention to.
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The continued attack on any opposition which is now reaching critical mass is approaching the absurd for any democracy. The end is much nearer than we think. The problem we all face is how to prevent yet another religious zealot from enforcing his own doctrine on a peoples as diverse as Europe itself. It's a worrying time for pro-democracy Turks living in Turkey. The violence is not subsiding and it is now being supported by a man at the helm of the state who feels he was gifted by God to rule with the greatest moral authority. But alas, only God it seems can save moderate Turkey from this man.
Humanitarian aid is usually most needed in some of the most difficult places on the planet. These are places that lack what we take for granted such as water, food and safety but instead have plenty of conflict, food insecurity and disease. If you are a child in a place like that life is difficult, often far too short and full of terrible choices.
The West-African country Mali is one such place, where your choices as a child were recently described to humanitarian workers as "becoming a terrorist, a bandit, a robber or a victim". This is a place where aid is desperately needed, but also very difficult to provide. In places like Mali, where many have already felt compelled to become bandits to save their lives, aid organisations continue to work where violence is both commonplace and unpredictable.
To work effectively in these places, World Vision and many other agencies have long been convinced that good aid requires good context analysis. A good understanding of a context enables the right operations to take place when needed and in a way that is appropriate for that area. We have also found that the closer to local communities this analysis takes place, the more closely the results will reflect the realities of the people we seek to help.
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World Vision and Mercy Corps recently deployed an inter-agency Good Enough Context Analysis for Rapid Response (GECARR) in Mali. This tool has been developed and tested over the last few years by World Vision in some of the most challenging operating environments such as Burundi, the DRC and the Central African Republic and is designed to allow flexibility and agility in order to produce a snapshot of the current and imminent humanitarian situation in a fragile context.
By consulting local communities, our operational staff in the area, partner agencies and a rapid triangulation with secondary data, GECARR creates a big-picture understanding of an area during or in anticipation of a possible crisis or important change in context. By directly involving both the communities affected by the situation and the aid agency staff likely to respond,, GECARR seeks to minimise the gap between analysis and action.
In addition to understanding the current situation,, looking ahead to possible future scenarios is a critical component of context analysis. This helps guide humanitarian assistance towards meeting anticipated needs as seen by local communities. It also provides a solid foundation to share the story of what reality looks like for communities in a place like Mali with the world.
While in Mali, another powerful observation we heard is that Mali can be understood as the "Afghanistan of West Africa". It is a huge country, with rich history and a history of being a nexus for trade across the continent. But while commercial trade has often brought profit, an illicit drug and arms trade also flourishes. The illegal trades, political volatility in recent years and the many armed groups have in turn triggered the deployment of international forces to Mali.
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The resulting insecurity, combined with a lack of food and poor basic services like sanitation and education means many communities are worried about the future and what will happen to their children. It also poses a real question for aid organisations as Mali is neither a safe country where development work can take place unimpeded but nor is it one of the world's largest conflict crises nor a major disaster- and so it often falls through the cracks of international attention and resources.
As a result, Mali is one of the "protracted" crises that is likely to remain of real humanitarian concern for many years. It is also a context that is likely to see many changes that will impact the needs that families and children will have, as well as the operational realities that aid agencies will face. In this environment, World Vision, Mercy Corps and many other agencies are determined to keep working and keep seeking to understand the local context to be best able to ensure that the coming generations can live in a country of peace.
Condemned at the time, President Gerald Ford used a similar phrase believing that it was his duty to comfort a troubled nation by pardoning Richard Nixon.
Although some strongly criticized his decision at that time, others believed that Ford's courage and dedication to his country made it possible for America to begin the process of healing by putting the tragedy of Watergate behind us.
In fact on May 21, 2001 Ford was honored for that very act by the John F. Kennedy Library with it's Profile in Courage award.
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Besides becoming president upon Richard Nixon's departure on August 9, 1974, Ford was the first and only person to have served as both Vice President and President of the United States without being elected to either office.
Forty-two years later we hear the word "Watergate" bandied around by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump who is comparing the "Watergate" crisis to the current FBI Director Comey-Hillary Clinton Email Investigation.
We may not know for some time - perhaps until way after this election is over and a new president is sitting behind the Oval Office desk - what exactly has surfaced in this latest treasure trove of emails.
According to some who may know a thing or two about "Watergate" including Carl Bernstein, who told Anderson Cooper on CNN's "AC360."
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"It's not Watergate. Watergate was about a criminal President of the United States (Nixon) who presided over a criminal administration from the day he took office to the day he left."
However Bernstein did not brush off the latest controversy, and continued.
"This is nonetheless about a hugely serious event in which a secretary of state was clearly reckless, endangered national security by her handling of emails."
So, now the questions for those who have not already early voted - approaching thirty million by last count - What have we learned so far? Will it affect our choice for president? And where do we go from here as a Nation?
The question for all of us - With some state polls so very close can we hope and pray that on the evening of November 8 or at the latest the morning of November 9 that this 2016 "Presidential Election National Campaign Nightmare" will finally come to an end?
If the results are very close some states actually require automatic recounts, so here's hoping for a decisive and clear result on election night with no Florida 2000 "hanging chads" recount or a U.S. Supreme Court halted recount.
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No matter who wins on November 8, hopefully this election cycle will have taught us some valuable lessons about ourselves and our system.
Maybe it will have also taught us something about measuring up to what our Founders had in mind 240 years ago in Philadelphia.
This October which has been full of surprises has shown us the unpleasant underbelly of our current political process in so many ways.
As mentioned, we know that Hillary was irresponsible when handling her email accounts...this continues to be her Albatross and if elected may plague her and the Nation throughout her term in office.
Not as serious, however related and a bit more revolting, we continue to be sickened as we are confronted daily by visions of a certain former Congressman from Queens, New York whose face, etc., seem to be on display everywhere - and who was married to Hillary' s closest aide.
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In addition to her own email woes and those exposed by Wikileaks, Hillary got another unpleasant surprise about the cost of Obamacare - a program she hopes to build upon.
We also learned that Donald Trump the GOP's choice may not have paid any taxes in about 20 years. Trump clearly knows how to "work" all the weaknesses of our system so well because he is part of the group of the rich and influential that "purchased" these special tax breaks for themselves.
Trump may also be eager to become a post election "Right Wing Media Don" or perhaps Vladimir's latest "Putintate."
All this while Trump used the "rigged system" for his personal advantage - knocking off 16 of his GOP Primary rivals like an arrogant teenager at a Rockaway Playland shooting gallery.
And of course, the "sleaze factor" in this election cycle is bipartisan. Trump's braggadocious description of what he is entitled to do to women is enough to make the news itself x-rated and not acceptable for a young viewing audience.
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Whatever happened to the President as an inspirational role model?
As one clever commentator put it "The voters are faced with a choice between a bad person and a person with bad judgment."
As an optimist at heart, I hope there may be some good news. Perhaps this "unique" election cycle may have energized some new voters.
On the not so good news side, the question is...Have we made the process of becoming president so overwhelmingly unappealing that anyone with new ideas, enthusiasm, energy, actual real life experience and a balanced ego and integrated personality would actually ever want to pursue this job?
Who needs it? Unless of course, you are a billionaire celebrity like Donald Trump then you can buy the nomination with a combination of your own money and free media drowning out all the other voices. Although no one can ever accuse Hillary of allowing anyone to drown her out.
In addition, it seems clear that although the system is not rigged, the two dominant political parties have devised their own systems to ensure that the establishment choices have a much better chance of winning the nomination of either party than any insurgent candidate... just ask Bernie Sanders and his myriad youthful followers - who believed Senator Sanders offered their generation what we so called "boomers" falsely thought was ours alone.
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The other thing that this election cycle has taught us is that this process is no longer the best vetting process for the most important job in America - a land of over 300 million citizens.
Despite evidence to the contrary this is not a "reality TV contest", it is supposed to be an interview with the American People about who will make them proud as their leader.
So it is clear this has now become a damaged process that has given us two candidates with the lowest favorability ratings in our election history.
As we stumble towards Election Day, one thing seems clearer than ever, both of these candidates are so flawed and so damaged from this vicious and hateful campaign that neither seems likely to be the person who can actually bring the very divided American people together - a task even Abraham Lincoln would find challenging.
If we are to remain a great Republic, the challenge for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump when taking that oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States on January 20 will be to dig real deep down to their core to a place we Americans have not seen yet from either of them and enlist their better angels as Abraham Lincoln did at his First Inaugural address 155 years ago!
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There's something in the air, it seems. As I write, electoral reformers in Canada and the US have a real chance of securing a fairer voting system.
As US voters prepare to pick their next President, there's another interesting vote happening which deserves keeping a close eye on.
In the state of Maine, voters are heading to the ballot box in five days to decide whether to adopt 'ranked voting' (the Alternative Vote) for ALL of their state representatives.
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While it's hard to predict the outcome, the signs look fairly positive so far. All three of the polls done on the initiative show a majority of voters in favour - with an average of 52% supporting, 30% against (roughly a fifth are undecided). Our friends at FairVote - the US equivalent of the ERS - are campaigning hard alongside many others and the ERS have our fingers firmly crossed for them.
Success there would be a breakthrough for electoral reform in the US - and could get the ball rolling for fair votes across the country.
That's not all though - Katie Ghose and Darren Hughes just come back from Canada, where they made the case for real PR that puts citizens at the centre of their democracy
The Special Committee on Electoral Reform will be making a recommendation to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government on what voting system to use, and the ERS were invited to give evidence to the committee.
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Watch Chief Executive Katie Ghose and Deputy Chief Executive Darren Hughes speak to the MPs here:
The movement is building at a local level too. In Prince Edward Island, Canada, citizens are currently voting in a (non-binding) plebiscite on whether to adopt a proportional voting system for the island. And better still - they're ranking them by preference!
There are five options, including Mixed Member Proportional, the Additional Member System used for the Scottish Parliament as well as the Welsh and London Assemblies.
And in Ontario, municipalities now have the power to move to 'ranked ballots', with campaigns up and running in Toronto, London, Ottawa, Whitby, Windsor, Guelph, Barrie, Hamilton and Sudbury.
It's exciting to see the campaign for fair votes build across the few democracies that still use First Past the Post.
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If you're on Twitter, make sure to follow the groups at the forefront of these vital campaigns, which include @FairVote, @rcvMaine and @FairVoteCanada.
Securing electoral reform in Canada and the US would send a huge message to politicians here - that the time is now for PR.
As an Iraqi watching the fall of Mosul, it's hard to escape the feeling that it's all happening again. The conflict in Mosul has triggered yet another humanitarian crisis and an estimated one million people are expected to flee from Iraq's second biggest city.
The takeover of Mosul feels as though we're at the end of a journey. Now there is a chance for peace. While insecurity remains a daily part of life, so too, does our resilience and determination to put the country on track to a more prosperous and secure future.
As the Country Director for Muslim Aid in Iraq, one of the UK's largest Muslim charities, my team is determined to help build a more secure future for our fellow Iraqis. In order to achieve this goal, it is most important for me that we see Iraqis working together, and helping each other to build a better life.
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In the past few days alone, my team has met hundreds of families who have made the dangerous and perilous journey from the battleground of Mosul to the safety of Jeddah camp in the South Of Mosul.
Hussein is one of the new arrivals.
"We cheated death to get here."
Carrying only a few belongings, Hussein and his young children, walked for four days without food or water to seek refuge. Exhausted and traumatized from the horrors they witnessed, their eyes tell of the unspeakable suffering they left behind. Hussein looks at his temporary canvas shelter and asks; "how will we rebuild our homes, our lives, our community?"
Leading by example
We must look to Iraqis first and foremost to help Hussein and others to rebuild their lives. In Jeddah Camp, Muslim Aid is helping Hussein and others to feed their families. Together with our partners, we have been handing out food parcels, which consist of basic staples such as flour, sugar and rice, to provide enough meals to last each family for up to one month. Over the coming days and weeks, we plan to scale up our emergency assistance to reach more than 60, 000 people who have fled the conflict in Mosul. For families like Hussein, this emergency assistance is a lifeline and the first step on the long road to recovery.
Across Iraq, we are continuing to support Iraqis. Muslim Aid has been working in Iraq for the past 14 years to help people rebuild and recover from the conflict. In Al Qayyarah we are continuing to deliver food assistance to families who were under siege for more than two years. Elsewhere, we are supporting Iraqis to sow the seeds of opportunity, from starting their own agricultural businesses to taking vocational courses in embroidery. By supporting the most vulnerable people we are trying to prevent a slide back into turmoil, and ensure the country flourishes again.
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(Photo: Nordiska Museet)
Unless you've been living under a rock or are categorically immune to lifestyle blogs and candle company advertorials, you've definitely heard of 'hygge' by now - the mysterious, magical, wonderful Danish concept, which allegedly doesn't translate into English but is Britain's newest national obsession.
In its basic form, hygge is about making yourself comfortable at home, burning candles, drinking coffee and chilling with your mates when it's dark all day and the weather is crap. Rather standard stuff, some might say, since about the Stone Age in most countries north enough from the equator.
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Or, as 'The Little Book of Hygge', one of many new titles this autumn about this remarkable societal phenomenon, says: "cosiness of the soul", "taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things" or "cocoa by candlelight". Bear with me.
(Photo: Maria Kivimaa)
However you describe it, hygge is currently all the rage in the UK: the BBC reported about it (again) last week, and there's even a university course dedicated to it.
Why are open fire and warm clothes and netflixing in Danish all of a sudden 'the thing'?
Here are a few reasons behind it.
1. Remember 'wellness', 'clean eating' and 'fitness'? This hashtag genus has come to the end of its natural cycle, the social currency of kale has plummeted and nearly 90% of all stock imagery of acai bowls has been used. It's simply time to move on. The only potential drama comes from the fact that Danes love their beer, cigarettes and red meat, thus the transition from #cleaneating to #hygge requires a swift change in your social media strategy. Nothing that lighting a candle won't take care of, though.
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(Photo: "Hygge pa Bodega" by Jacob Btter)
2. 2016 hasn't exactly been a joyride. Bowie, Prince, Trump, Syria... The end of this bleak year clearly calls for something indeed soothing - something that'll make you feel lovely, safe and forget that your dad voted leave. Enter hygge. It allows you to curl up on a sofa in your own hypernormal bubble, light a candle and pretend the world will be fixed one day.
3. The self-deprecation of all things British is alive and well. If I told you to picture a typical British family in their living room eating dinner in candlelight, you'd see something resembling the Royle family, stuffing their horsey faces with chicken nuggets out of a plastic box, not having paid their electricity bills.
(Photo: BBC)
4. Now, picture the same but with a Danish family instead of British...as you can see, the admiration (read: fetishisation) of all things Nordic is also alive and well. As a Nordic immigrant in the UK I'm reaping some benefits of this, so I'm not going unfold any truths here. Let's just light a candle and move on.
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(Photo: VisitDenmark)
5. It's Christmas exactly in 51 days. Those aphorism books, weekend trips to Copenhagen, cosy pyjamas, woolly socks and cedarwood candles aren't just going to sell themselves. Well, they probably would, but this year you're not just buying a pair of thick socks for uncle Jim - you're a connoisseur of Nordic living and spreading the art, or 'cocoa by candlelight', to your loved ones. Makes you feel fuzzy and Pinterest-worthy inside, doesn't it?
Hygge is already, unsurprisingly, getting mocked by cruel, sarcastic haters. Disregard them and practice your hygge with pride. It's harmless, it keeps you warm, and the candlelight makes your tired other half or average Tinder date look ten times better.
(Photo: VisitDenmark)
Oh, just one thing: please stop calling it hygge. Even the Danes sound silly when pronouncing their own language, so imagine your Anglo-Saxon vocal cords trying to get away with it.
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Peter Hermus via Getty Images
Like 48% of the British people who voted in the referendum on European Union (EU) membership last June, I wanted the UK to remain in the EU. However, 52% of those who voted wanted to leave. I respect the democracy that exists in our nation and so I was prepared to watch as the UK left the European project.
I do think that the EU is outdated and wasteful. It was designed in an earlier time, before the Internet allowed services to easily flow untraced across borders. The world is a different place today and requires a leaner, smarter, union. At one point during the referendum process I even considered the idea that the UK should leave so that EU reform can be stimulated - possibly followed by the UK rejoining. Although as I thought further on this I realised that many EU members would probably be happy to see the pesky UK out of the union and for me to advocate leaving would also align me with the little-England brigade who fail to see how the world has changed in recent decades. And the racists too. Who would want to be agreeing with them?
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The High Court judgement yesterday was a shock to many, but it should have been expected. The government says that they will appeal to the Supreme Court, yet this appears to be a waste of time given the existing legal judgement. It is unlikely that a new set of judges will consider that the government can act without the consent of parliament.
Years ago the government acted without the consent of parliament all the time. Prime Ministers, such as Churchill, could make decisions without needing the approval of every MP, yet modern democracy has moved on. Does nobody remember the intention of the government to bomb Syria in 2013?
The government wanted to align itself with the USA in their war efforts, but parliament voted against bombing. It was close, but it was enough for the Prime Minister to say that parliament has spoken and there will be no bombing. The judgement of the entire parliament overruled an action the Prime Minister wanted to undertake.
The situation today is exactly the same. It was the former Prime Minister David Cameron who called for a referendum on leaving the EU. The outcome of the referendum is advisory (not legally binding) and intended to show the government how the people of the nation feel on a single issue. The people indicated that they want to leave the EU and, thanks to this result, Cameron's political career was destroyed.
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The incoming Prime Minister, Theresa May, announced that the UK would leave the EU, based on the referendum result, but she never asked parliament if they approved her actions. The entire process was triggered by a Prime Minister worried about the rise of UKIP. It wasn't strategic or considered policy-making.
It could be argued that the referendum overrules what the MPs think, because they are sent there by the people to act as representatives, but this isn't how parliament works. Perhaps a future democratic system in Westminster will involve more Swiss-style direct decision-making by the people, but we are not there yet. The laws of the nation are created and improved by the representatives that are elected to serve in the Palace of Westminster.
For the Prime Minister to ignore parliament and just announce such an important action was itself constitutionally dangerous - and foolish. It was almost certainly driven by a fear of allowing parliament to muddy the process - too many pesky questions and interventions.
Although I wanted to remain in the EU, I don't believe that the people's voice can just be ignored. Many remain supporters are elated at the High Court judgement, believing that this is a reprieve. I don't believe that this is the case at all, it is just the government being forced to follow the correct steps rather than just charging ahead and ignoring parliamentary process. Brexit will probably still happen, but at least there will now be a close scrutiny over the process by MPs from all sides of the house.
I do believe that the public was deceived during the referendum process. Ridiculous claims were made, but then this is often the case in any election. The remain supporters failed to get their message across as effectively as the leave campaign because it's easy to shout about 'taking back our country' and hard to engage people in the realities of a globally networked society. The UK cannot cut itself off from the rest of the world without shrinking to be a significantly smaller economy than it is today. If the British people want to be poorer and less significant, but independent of Europe, then so be it.
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The High Court judgement will at least ensure that questions can be asked, rather than leaving the government to run the process from shadowy backrooms. Brexit supporters are outraged at the delay, yet the irony is that British courts ruling on British government decisions is exactly what they wanted.
The real question here is whether we should allow an unelected Prime Minister to undertake actions that affect everyone in the nation or whether those actions need to be checked and approved by parliament first. I don't believe the UK is a dictatorship yet, so of course parliament needs to be consulted for major decisions.
Mohana-AntonMeryl via Getty Images
So it's November and the beginning of November has always been synonymous for me with the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal. Normally I am working and the appeal just drifts around me. I buy my poppy and I might watch the Remembrance service from the Royal Albert Hall or the Cenotaph if I'm free.
But this year I'm not working and I've been paying a bit more attention to the news and have been quite surprised by the levels of vitriol associated with an appeal which, for me, has always been about showing respect.
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I read an interesting blog by Symon Hill on the Huffington Post UK site entitled "The Red Poppy Insults Victims of War" which seemed to sum up many of the issues that people have. Mr Hill's view seemed to be that the Royal British Legion weren't inclusive enough in their remembrance, trying to focus too much on Veterans. But since the RBL is a charity for military veterans and their families and the Poppy Appeal is meant to support those same people I was a bit puzzled by his article.
His comment that today 90% of people killed in war are civilians is misleading. Throughout history civilians are almost always the most affected by war. You couldn't say that civilians weren't the majority of casualties in World War 2 could you? Think about the atomic bombs and the Holocaust.
Some of the comments on social media seem to show a lack of understanding of what this festival is about. In fact Mr Hill suggests that people wear the White Poppy in order to remember all victims of wars.
I actually don't disagree with Mr Hill that the White Poppy is a great way of remembering War Victims, but let's have a festival to remember all of the victims of war on a different date because 11 November is not about all of the victims of war. It's about honouring those who died or were injured serving our country or our Commonwealth and it's about raising money for those who have served.
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Many people seem to blame the Armed Forces for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, The Falklands and for wars generally. There seems to be a common view that since our Armed Forces are volunteer-only then they must have volunteered to go to war because otherwise they could avoid it. But this is really simplistic because anyone that attempts even a cursory bit of research on the military knows that you can't just pick and choose what you want to do in the Armed Forces. The military works because people follow the orders of their superiors.
But in the case of war their ultimate superiors are not some warmongering generals. Wars come about because of political failure. In 1982 a bunch of Generals and Admirals didn't decide to just go on a jaunt to the South Atlantic. They were ordered to go there by the Government. They were ordered to mount an expedition with limited logistics support, in horrific weather conditions and with the bare minimum of personnel and equipment. But they went because the politicians told them to do so.
Our troops didn't just decide to invade Iraq. They were ordered there by Tony Blair. I'm sure many didn't want to go, many thought the war unnecessary, but in the military you don't pick and choose which orders to follow.
If someone falls asleep at the wheel of their car and drives into a tree, do we blame the car? No, because it wasn't the car's fault. The car was simply a tool of the driver. Just as the military is a tool of politicians.
And those that rail against the military seem to forget the humanitarian work that the military do. They forget that our military deployed to Sierra Leone to help with the Ebola outbreak, that our military were peace keepers in Sierra Leone and Kosovo. That the military stepped in to help victims of the UK floods. And those people seem to miraculously forget that non-war deployments can be as tough for people in the military as war deployments. They seem not to be aware that many who served in Kosovo or Sierra Leone have horrendous post-traumatic stress disorder and need support long after they have left the military.
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And therein is the real reason behind the Poppy Appeal. Because our country doesn't provide proper support for military veterans once they've left the military. The charitable sector has to do that. So the politicians who send our people to war in the first place aren't prepared to support them after they've done their duty for our country. I, personally, find that pretty disgusting and embarrassing.
I have great respect for anybody that serves in the Armed Forces, because they are all taking the chance that at some point they may have to put themselves in harm's way. Many have done so over the past 50-60 years of deployments around the world. Some died, others returned with horrendous physical wounds. Many returned with mental wounds that you can't see but are just as severe.
The Royal British Legion and other military charities are often their only lifeline and support mechanism.
vchal via Getty Images
On June 23rd this year, almost 17.5 million people voted for the UK to 'Leave' the European Union. More people voted 'Leave' than have ever voted for any political party in any UK general election. The mandate is therefore undeniable - the majority of voters want the UK to leave the EU.
Voters believe the UK should have control over its laws, borders and money. Any suggestion the UK simply had a vague idea of wanting to leave and didn't necessarily vote for control is ludicrous. The only logic for voting for Brexit was to regain control, therefore don't listen to 'Remain' campaigners who say "The vote to 'Leave' was simply a vote for leaving the EU, not about control".
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A failure to regain control would destroy the logic of voting 'Leave'. As a result, remaining a member of the Single Market is not compatible with the vote, because the UK will continue to cede control to the EU.
Unfortunately, Remainers have not accepted the result in any sense. This has taken two forms. Some argue for a second referendum, and others argue for Single Market membership.
As I argued earlier, remaining inside the Single Market is incompatible with the logic of voting 'Leave' and should be rejected.
A second referendum is an outrageous suggestion which should be treated with the contempt it deserves. It is a display of extreme elitism, predicated on a view of politicians knowing best and any view which they disagree with ought to be ignored. Remainers will argue for more and more referendums until they get a result agreeable to them.
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The point of having a referendum is for politicians to understand and listen to the will of the people regarding specific issues. If they don't agree with this, then they should not have voted for a referendum in the first place. Parliament voted for a referendum on EU membership to be held - by 544 votes to 53 - transferring the decision back to the people. It is too late now to cry foul.
We have even heard suggestions from some who claim the referendum was simply "advisory" and it is for politicians to now decide whether or not the Brexit vote should be fulfilled. They defend this by saying "The UK is a parliamentary democracy, and parliamentary sovereignty means parliament is supreme". This fundamentally misunderstands what parliamentary sovereignty means.
Parliamentary sovereignty is convenient shorthand for the ability of the UK Parliament to make laws binding on all, and the principle that previous parliaments cannot force a later parliament to do something. This is misinterpreted to suggest the UK Parliament is supreme. It is not. Parliament is not sovereign. The people are sovereign. Parliament gets its legitimacy from the people and can only exist due to the consent of the governed. As we the people voted for Brexit, the Government must ensure our wishes are fulfilled.
A.V. Dicey is still considered to be the authority regarding the UK's constitution. He called for a referendum on Irish Home Rule, arguing a referendum should be given to the people on matters of constitutional importance. He described a referendum as "the people's veto", curiously the judges in the recent Article 50 court case quoted Dicey but omitted his writings on the nature of a referendum. EU membership is clearly a matter of constitutional importance, therefore it was right to have a referendum and the people's will must be respected. A failure to respect the result will destroy our social contract by tearing up the UK's constitution.
This is true of the Article 50 court case in which the Government has been told a vote in the UK Parliament is necessary to trigger EU withdrawal. The decision was entirely predicated on this view of the UK Parliament's supremacy over the people. This view is incorrect. If the UK Parliament is supreme, then why can MPs be removed from office by voters?
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However, the main offender of this contemptuous attitude to the people is unquestionably Anna Soubry MP. She wants the UK to remain inside the EU, or failing this, remain a member of the Single Market. Thankfully, it seems her colleagues at Westminster have had enough. They declined to elect her to the Brexit Select Committee, and she has been given short shrift by the Prime Minister.
An MP is the people's employee - the bin man to the banker is an MP's employer. One would have thought Soubry would be acutely aware of this. There are enough UKIP voters in her seat of Broxtowe to swing the seat back to Labour if they so wished. Her constituency even voted 'Leave' (by 54.6% - however the boundaries are not exactly the same as in an election).
In recent weeks, the 1689 Bill of Rights has often been invoked in political discussion. As a historian of the long eighteenth century, I have found it fascinating to see how the constitutional settlements of this distant period still have relevance today.
The ruling in the High Court yesterday confirmed that Parliament will have to vote in order to trigger Article 50, which would begin the process of leaving the EU. The judges rejected the government's case that it could use its existing executive powers to do this, and therefore start the negotiations with the EU without a parliamentary vote.
Pro-EU campaigners are claiming this as a victory, not least because most MPs are thought to favour remaining in the EU and this presents an obstacle in the way of the government's Brexit strategy. For these same reasons, pro-Brexit campaigners and newspapers have condemned the decision, suggesting that this ignores the will of the people as expressed in the referendum.
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Wherever you stand on the EU, however, the case hinges on some fundamental constitutional issues. Is parliament sovereign? What is the extent of the government's executive powers? Can decisions that affect the rights of Britons be taken without parliamentary approval? Can the courts over-rule the government?
This is where the Bill of Rights is so crucial. Unlike most other countries, Britain has no single written constitution that sets out its citizens' rights and its political processes. The British constitution is instead the sum total of centuries of legal precedents, political practice and constitutional settlements, such as the Magna Carta or the Act of Settlement. Precisely how you interpret all these is up for debate - which is why it took a court case to decide the present issue (and why it will doubtless be appealed).
Constitutional precedents were repeatedly invoked in the court case. In particular, the judgement cited section 1 of the Bill of Rights: 'That the pretended power of suspending of laws or the execution of laws by regall authority without consent of Parlyament is illegall.' This essentially means that the government cannot alter laws by using its prerogative powers, and that it requires the consent of parliament to do so.
To understand where this principle comes from, we have to look at the political context of 1688-89. James II had been on the throne but his Catholicism posed a threat to the Protestant establishment. The Whig Party in parliament therefore negotiated with William of Orange to replace him. In this situation, parliament asserted its authority, and the Bill of Rights placed new restrictions on the power of the monarch, protecting the rights of parliament and the citizenry. This ensured that prerogative power could not be used in the way that James II had sought to use it.
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Throughout the century that followed, this 'Glorious Revolution' was revered by Englishmen as the settlement that secured their liberties. When John Wilkes challenged the government to defend civil liberties and election rights in the 1760s, he was financially supported by the Society for the Supporters of the Bill of Rights. (Indeed, there are many parallels between Wilkes's landmark court cases and the present one: not least as the SSBR supported him on the crowd-funding model, not unlike the People's Challenge.)
However you feel about yesterday's verdict with respect to Brexit, it is important to recognise that wider political issues are at stake here. Pro-Brexit campaigners cannot claim to uphold the primacy of UK law and the UK's parliament, yet complain when they are inconvenient to their cause. Due process has to be followed, since the constitution protects the very rights that they are keen to preserve.
Mental Illness, particularly in the workplace, remains a stigma. It is time for attitudes toward mental illness to change, and we cannot ignore the doctors who suffer.
A push for mental health
Earlier this year, former prime minister David Cameron pledged a mental health revolution of almost a billion pounds. Whilst this proposed outlay is welcome, it must be matched by a proactive change to the stigma attached to mental health in media, the workplace, and at home.
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Mental health and doctors
Photo:REX/Monkey Business
Professor Debbie Cohen of Cardiff surveyed almost 2000 doctors this year and found that 60% had experienced mental illness in the UK (82% in England alone). In the general population, the rate is 28%. Doctors experience the same range of problems as everyone else, but the cocktail of work, exams, academia, family and relationships lowers the threshold for illness. Many have perfectionist traits which lead to doubt and self-criticism when things go wrong, leading to a self-perpetuating cycle.
Worryingly, more young doctors are being diagnosed with mental health problems. There may not be a pre-existing illness: After 25-year old junior doctor Rose Polge tragically committed suicide in February 2016, her family described a young lady with an infectious enthusiasm for life and no previous mental health problems, but long hours and work-related anxiety contributed to her decision to end her life.
Extreme stress early on
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Photo: Getty Images
Doctors are as susceptible to mental problems as the general population. However, particularly early on in their careers, they face a unique combination of challenges. These include the need to develop countless skills within a short period (for which university education can never fully prepare) and service burdens in a chronically under-resourced environment, only more challenging for those with family or caring roles. Early junior doctors shifts are usually incompatible with outside interests, and losing day-to-day balance can unearth mental health struggles.
Doctors face a societal and professional weight compelling them to ignore difficulties. A cultural idiosyncracy of willing martyrdom exists, in which doctors feel it their role to attend work regardless of fitness. This is less prevalent in other countries, for example Australia and New Zealand, where attitudes towards sickness are more rational.
The stigma
Photo: iStock
Fewer professions stigmatise mental health disorders more prominently than medicine. In the Cardiff study, 41% of doctors with mental illness said that they would not disclose it. Doctors are not supposed to get ill, and seeking help is weakness which imperils trust in the practitioner's ability to do his/her job. This featured in the heartbreaking suicide of GP Wendy Potts in November 2015 after a patient read her blog on living with Bipolar Disorder and complained to the surgery.
Some doctors find changing roles from helper to patient unnatural, others find treatment from a colleague embarrassing. Often the prevailing fear is of a career-threatening "black mark" on a permanent record: Doctors must labour through appraisals and assessments, and competition for jobs and training posts can be ferocious.
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A culture of fear
Photo: Daily Signal
A 2008 Department of Health report said:
"Doctors may fear that acknowledging the need for help will damage their career prospects or lead to scrutiny of their fitness to practise"
This happened in the case of Dr Dakhsha Emson, who killed herself and her baby during a relapse of bipolar disorder in 2000. A stirring tribute from her husband reflected a talented doctor and a successful medical career. However, worry of colleagues and patients finding out when she was applying for consultant posts led to a lack of treatment. The report highlighted a:
"Widespread stigma against mental illness in the NHS"
This stigma can arise as early as medical school, fostered by a triad of competitiveness, fear and uncertainty. Students sometimes receive conflicting information about mental health, and may fear disclosing illness. Pastoral care can be arbitrary, often with little demarcation between disciplinary roles and support roles. Some universities have introduced "fitness to practice" hearings to monitor student behaviour, fostering a culture of castigation.
For some doctors, this culture is epitomised by the General Medical Council (GMC), whose role is to protect the health and safety of the public. All doctors with mental health issues are required to notify regarding their problems, which are investigated under the same procedures as misconduct and poor performance. Subsequent fitness to practise processes are required to be declared on application forms for jobs. These can sometimes be beneficial, for example recommending support. However, often they are described as harrowing experiences, and the duress of investigation affects doctors personally and professionally.
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The toll can sometimes be too much, between 2005 and 2013 there were 28 reported cases of suicides following investigation. One of those was GP Belinda Brewe, describing the process:
"threatening and isolating", eroding "self-confidence and self-belief".
What's needed
Photo: BMA
The NHS needs continued active campaigns to encourage openness, tackle stigma and promote healthy working practice.
Medical schools should be proactive in support and awareness: counselling services, pastoral care positions and peer support.
The insight that doctors with mental health problems have when treating their patients should be valued.
A doctor who has a mental health disorder might put his patient at risk, but a doctor hiding or in denial because of a culture of fear will put his patient at risk.
Support
BMA Counselling Service: http://www.bma.org.uk/doctorsfordoctors 24 hour confidential support line with trained counsellors.
http://www.php.nhs.uk NHS Practitioner Health Programme, free and confidential health service allowing doctors to self-refer.
http://www.dsn.org.uk/ - Doctors Support Network: A confidential peer support group for doctors
http://www.support4doctors.org/ - Support 4 Doctors
http://sick-doctors-trust.co.uk/ Support for doctors affected by drugs or alcohol
Four years ago, I wrote about how Yemen was in the midst of a food crisis which would devastate the country for generations if left unrestrained. Today, Yemen is firmly at the center of a hunger catastrophe which has led the United Nations to conclude that an entire generation is being crippled by hunger. In 2012, the UN reported that nearly half of Yemen's 26 million strong population was food insecure (meaning they were unsure as to where their next meal would come from). Today, the World Food Programme reports that at least 1 in 5 people are "severely food insecure", which in simple terms means that without assistance, 1 in 5 Yemenis not have any food to eat.
Yemen's food problems have been compounded, if not caused in part, by the brutal civil war which has ravaged the country's basic infrastructure, crippled its previously barely functional healthcare services and blocked vital sea and air passages for imports. Collectively, these factors have resulted in the country facing a man-made famine, which is incomparable to any other catastrophe to take place on the Arabian Peninsula in modern times.
Despite being located in a region of relative wealth and neighbouring the world's largest oil producer, Yemen has always been the poorer sibling in the Arabian Peninsula. Even prior to the outbreak of the hostilities, Yemen had one of the highest rates of child malnutrition in the world. The conflict has meant this has risen further, with approximately half of the country's under-5s now stunted. Indeed, the true of cost of the conflict is being borne by Yemen's children. Media reports state that sick children in Yemen's fourth-largest city of al-Hudaydah, sleep three to a bed in the city's main hospital and are without the most basic of medicines. Elsewhere in the country, Amnesty International has reported how Saudi military aircraft pounded a Medecins Sans Frontieres hospital in Yemen's northwestern province of Hajjah with a US-built bomb.
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Although relatively deprived prior to the war, Yemenis have generally managed to get by. Primarily, this was achieved by means of a wide diaspora network spread across the world, a vibrant informal economy and access to cheap imports. However, underlying the conflict is the complete shutdown of airport and seaports in the country by the Saudi Coalition which has acted as a major catalyst in Yemen's man-made famine. The blockage has prevented imports of basic supplies at a time when the country depends on imports for approximately 90% of its food. The remaining 10% which comes from inside of the country has been significantly hampered by the Coalition which has bombed over 357 different agricultural sites inside of the country . This is particularly stark considering that only 2.8% of Yemen's total land is cultivated for food.
However, even more pressing is the international blockade of money transfers and the collapse of the domestic banking system in Yemen, which has meant the tradition life-line afforded to Yemenis by money transfers from the large diaspora community outside of the country, is no longer operational. Together, these factors culminating in a strategic assault on the Yemeni people has changed the social fabric of the country, whereby more than 80% of Yemenis now rely on aid to survive with illness and malnutrition is now widespread among all demographic groups.
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Yemenis across the economic spectrum face the full brunt of the war in both physical and economic terms. Over 10,000 Yemenis have been killed since the start of the war, of which at least half are civilians. While those who have manage to surrive have already started to report psychological problems stemming the trauma of war. Though 18 months has passed since the start of the conflict between the Houthi rebel (allied with the ousted former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and allegedly supported by the Iranians) and the "legitimate" Government of Yemen, there appears to be no end in sight.
Abdu-rabbu Mansour Hadi, the controversial "President" in exile continues to nominally lead a Coalition force of Arab states headed by Saudi Arabia. Despite a long-drawn effort by the Saudis and their Coalition partners, Houthi strongholds such as the vital cities of Sanaa and Taiz remain firmly under their control. Although the port-city of Aden in the south of the country was "liberated" by the Coalition in July 2015, there is little progress to show for the victors as the city, led by a rag-tag resistance group is largely lawless and its only economy is that of war. Indeed, Hadi has proven himself to be an ineffective leader with a force of little to none of his own and arguably limited popular support among Yemenis. This begs the question of whether the Saudis were ill-informed when choosing their front-man for this conflict.
For outsiders, Yemen has always been a complicated country to understand. This reality has become even more aggravated since the outbreak of the conflict, partly due to the fluidity of war and the sheer amount of misinformation propagated by both sides. Often relegated by Western governments as a "Saudi issue", successive American and British governments have adopted a hands-off policy when it came to Yemen, largely delegating all Yemen issues (with the exception of terrorism) to the Saudis. The immediate consequence of the 2011 Arab Spring in Yemen and now, the long-drawn-out conflict, have proven this policy to be disastrous. The Saudis have demonstrated that they know as much about Yemen as they do about their own British or American manufactured weapons (that is very little).
Indeed, in the last 18 months alone, the Obama Administration has authorized weapon sales worth more than $22bn alone . While in the face of growing criticism among the British public, the Saudi Foreign Minister visited London to plead with the British Government not to suspend arms sales, as recently as last month. The Saudis and their Coalition partners are unwilling to walk away without a victory. The victory being the annulation of the Iranian-allied Houthi rebels and the return of Yemen firmly into the Saudi (Sunni) sphere of control, no matter the human consequences. Saudi Arabia has proven that it will go to virtually any length to prevent the establishment of a proxy-Iranian, Shia state on its southern border. Such lengths include accusations of war crimes in the targeting of civilian sites such as October's funeral attack in which, Saudi bombing killed at least 140 people in a single incident. Britain has recently increased its total Yemeni aid budget to 100 million but this drop in the ocean compared to 3.3 billion in arms Britain sells to the Saudis to enable such attacks.
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A key concern is that the Saudis are unable to separate the Houthis from civilians and in the process, are destroying the essential infrastructure for Yemen's reconstruction post-conflict. Indeed, even lawyers for the US Government have expressed similar concerns regarding the use of American weapons by the Saudis in Yemen. This highlights the two overarching realities which apply to this conflict. The first being that without Western-made weapons, Saudi Arabia will be unable to continue with its bombing campaign in Yemen - preventing further civilian deaths. While the second, is that bombs generally do not achieve long-lasting peace - without negotiation and peaceful reconciliation, there will be no real victory for either side.
The last set of peace negotiations in Kuwait failed because the Saudis (represented through Hadi) had no real impetus for peaceful negotiation, favouring all out military dominance over a Yemen with some Houthi representation in its ruling establishment. It is in this regard that the West possesses a unique position to influence the Saudis, leveraging America and Britain's weapon sales to the Kingdom for lasting peace in its poorer neighbour. However, for this to occur both countries need to perceive Yemen as more than just a "Saudi-backwater" and ensure it becomes a foreign policy priority. This is a tough ask considering the crowded foreign policy space and Saudi's existing suspicion of America caused the Iran deal.
Part 5: Ashtanga Nirvrta
Sunrise on the first day of the retreat was upon us and Mahesh's father appeared in a dazzling white dhoti, to offer puja to our magnificent hand-carved stone Ganesha statue. We laid down beautiful jamkhana rugs in the yoga shala and the aroma of sandalwood incense infused the air. After several hours of chanting soothing Sanskrit mantras and thoughtfully offering flowers and puja to our idol, Ashtanga Nirvrta was ready for the arrival of our guests.
One of the things that I am most proud of as an Ashtanga yoga teacher, is the students who choose to study with me. So far I have been blessed with wonderful, easy-going, receptive, fun, intelligent, hard working and unassuming adults, who are a joy to work with. The guests at our launch retreat were no exception. We had delightful visitors from North and South India, Europe, North Africa and North America, all of whom Saroja happily welcomed with a garland of flowers.
The concept of a homestay yoga retreat is quite different from the big commercial retreats, where heaps of practitioners receive little personal attention. Guests stay in our home and treat it as their home. I like to teach small groups and give students as much individual guidance as possible (similar to how Guruji worked with us, at the old Laxmipuram Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute). Being in stunning nature means that guests can feel truly connected and free themselves from the clutches of urban living. It is an idyllic way to practise yoga.
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Every morning Saroja would create rangoli patterns outside the main doors and put colourful flowers on the Ganesha statue in the yoga shala. The group would leisurely arrive (often with fresh coffee in hand), ready for asana class. Afternoon workshops would afford us the opportunity to indulge in asana technique and enjoy long walks when we would discuss yoga philosophy, history and have 'conference'. Following Guruji's tradition of taking Saturday (the day of Saturn) as a holiday, we embarked on a spot of sight-seeing. The 12th Century Hoysala stone temples of Belur and Halebid, are not only enthralling but demonstrate a feat of architectural and sculptural magnificence. Exquisite and intricate carvings of Hindu gods, entwined bodies, emblems, creatures and symbols, cover every inch of the temples which took over one hundred years to complete. Our journey back to the retreat was rather memorable too. One of the guests wasn't quite ready to leave the restaurant where we were devouring delicious chats, so we didn't depart until dark. A huge storm blew up and the howling winds, rain and thunder bolts caused a tree to fall across the main road back to Sakleshpur. Traffic was diverted via a small country lane (which had no street lighting) and of course a tree had fallen there too. We would have been stuck for hours, had the driver of our jeep not known about a farmland short cut. We arrived back at Nirvrta Estate later than expected and ravenous.
One of the reasons that I was so upset that the cook from Mysore couldn't come, was that I thought the guests would want Western food (which he could create). I couldn't have been more wrong. "You're a homestay retreat. We want to eat what you eat" the guests told me. This was music to my ears as we feasted on mangoes, papayas, bananas, pomelos, melons, pineapples and granola after practice each morning and delved into a spectacular offering of South Indian breakfasts every lunchtime. Avi charmed the ladies who prepared food for us, into creating delectable treats reminiscent of his mother's cooking. After dark we indulged in South Indian vegetarian thali-style dishes such as local vegetable curries, thoran, salads, red rice, akki rotis, dal, channa, rajma, sambar and papad. I can't pretend that our secret stash of beer wasn't discovered by our razor-sharp guests and enjoyed by all, with roasted ground nuts and banana chips on Friday evenings!
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I have come to expect the unexpected in India and have surrendered to the fact that yes usually means no, nothing is as it seems and if there is a complicated way of doing something, it will be embraced (often with no outcome at all). I do not claim to understand Incredible India, or the logic which determines many people's actions, but the light, the colours, the exotic aromas, the smiles, the delicious fruit, cuisine, stunning nature and constant assault on the senses, perpetually captivate me and make the Magical Motherland a place to behold.
Carlo Allegri / Reuters
I interviewed Donald Trump about sixteen years ago. He invited me to go with him to judge an emergency beauty contest in Atlantic City. It was crucial because there were so many succulent women hanging off the vines in that part of the world, they needed picking and who better to pick than world expert of womanhood (Donald Trump). He allowed me to film him for my show "Ruby's American Pie" on BBC One.
He wanted to do the interview on his private jet because he didn't have a lot of time to stand still so we agreed. After waiting for him to have his makeup done (agent orange) we sat down and at about 33,000 feet he announced his candidacy to become the next President of the United States, I laughed heartily as he told us to shut off the camera. After some persuasion he let us turn it on again. He told me if he became president he wouldn't have to charge the country to buy another Air Force One jet because he already had one like it. I said, trying to stay neutral, that I thought it would be easier to find women to date once he was actually in the White House (a fair point). He seemed irked. Eventually, because of my in-depth interview style he told me he had had enough of me, got up and locked himself in the cockpit. Eventually the plane landed, primarily, I thought, to get rid of us.
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At that point he gave me a lift in his limo and the regret of my life is I didn't have my sound equipment switched on or a camera. In the car he got down and dirty, trying to shock me by giving me detailed accounts of what he likes to do with his many many women. The one thing I am is unshockable - I was utterly revolted though. Roger Stone (his political consultant) was in the car and laughed like a drain at Donald's hilarious carnal tales.
When my crew and I finally got to Atlantic City, via some of the most bizarre sights to be seen in the US (you can see this on the first half of the show), we hunted him down at the beauty contest in Atlantic City. There we watched him charm his people telling them dirty jokes. One is about someone who went to the toilet and didn't wash his hands. I forget the punch line. I spent a lot of time with Roger Stone discussing how he gets his hair that way.
Later, I met his future wife, Melania Trump super model/something and perhaps future First Lady. She shared with me his incredible sexual mastery and when I asked if he puts his money where his mouth is, she gave me a big proud "yes" (class), try to eat your lunch again people. The crowds also ate him up and I met some very excited women who were supporters of his future presidency. One elderly woman (has to be seen in this video because words fail me) with just a few missing teeth God bless her, somehow managed to get her hands on a million dollars to donate to Donald's campaign. He gave her back a ring as thanks.
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I beg you to watch this show and pass it to others to have a reality check on the potential next President of the United States. Then be scared, be very scared. If you want to get to the Donald interview quicker, jump to around the second half of the show (about 12 minutes in); the beginning is just the introduction explaining why I was in the middle of nowhere as I had been thrown off his jet. Giving you the link to this program is all I can do now to try and save the world. At least I can say I tried to do my patriotic duty. If you have the right, please do your patriotic duty and vote on or before Tuesday.
Fredex8 via Getty Images
On a Thursday evening in London this past July I took the tube from my mum's flat in Belsize Park to the Everyman Cinema on Baker Street, the sort of evening I look forward to on visits home: big velvet seats, a box of chocolate raisins, and a film. In this case, Ghostbusters. Before the film began so did the thoughts: if there was an attack here, where could I hide?
I had these questions every time I left the house.
In my defense, it had been a difficult couple of weeks. I was visiting San Francisco the day of Orlando and flew home to London a mere 24 hours before the Brexit announcement. The shootings in Dallas followed. Then Nice, on the same boardwalk I watched my best friend kiss a rugby star on our infamous "French exchange."
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By 10:00 the film was over and I walked outside with my mum, keen to grab a bite nearby. I pulled open my phone. Six texts, an Instagram like and a BBC news alert: Turkey coup attempt: State of emergency announced. I asked my mum if we could take a cab home.
I am, I admit, a very sensitive person. In the days that followed the Paris attacks I found it difficult to leave my bed, booking a flight home in the most illogical fashion so as to avoid any targeted routes (drinks in Reykjavik, anyone?) I scoffed at my mother's phone calls, assuring me all was fine and repeating the neighborhood slogan of "keep calm and carry on." I told her no tube and avoid any concert halls.
July was a sad month. I spent most of it walking Primrose Hill with my field spaniel, lamenting over the state of the country with my old friends from school: Do you even know anyone who voted to leave? That guy? Really? We drank a lot, we ate a lot of chocolates.
My mum's friends were moving, the Polish embassy received over 1,000 applicants for new visas a day. I overheard more racial slandering in my North London village than ever before. Perhaps because I was listening harder, perhaps because the news said this was okay - you weren't alone for resenting foreigners. In fact, you were the majority.
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By the time I flew to LA, I told my boyfriend how relieved I was to be back in the States.
But what had I left? Landing at LAX, it was clear the same fear had followed me. With Trump's face looming over every TV and a shooting on every news stand, I arrived at a party in no better spirits than the one I left behind.
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About 10 days into my new job at a Hollywood production company, my boss invited me to meet with two writers. "It's something with Ubers and Donald Trump," he said, forwarding on the script. For a moment, I imagined James Corden driving up Capitol Hill.
Who I met looked nothing like James Corden.
They were instead, Anna and Jamel.
A married couple living in East LA, Anna Jones and J.S. Davall (Jamel) are two Yale-Drama alums who've worked together for the last 10 years. Anna is a Cambridge-educated, East London born theater director. Jamel is a Brooklyn-born actor, writer, and Uber-driver. They've worked together on projects such as the premiere of Tarell McCraney's In the Red and Brown Water at Yale (the playwright responsible for Moonlight), Alena Smith's Plucker at Southwark Playhouse with Emily Bevan (BBC/HBO's The Casual Vacancy) and The Hackney Volpone at The Rose Lipman with Amara Karan (HBO's The Night Of).
After Jamel's family member was accidentally shot in New York, the couple moved from Dalston to LA, keen to be back in America. A year in, they began to have cravings. Public transport, walking outside, the 10pm BBC news. All that and the sort of responsive theatre they'd made a name for in London and New York. Hence, "My America."
A testament to the diversity of their upbringings, the show covers six Uber rides leading up to Election Day, the protagonists, a young black artist/Uber driver and a white ex-cop that gets in his car. They fight and go their separate ways, each interacting with new characters in their rides. By the sixth episode, they find themselves thrown back together.
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And what's marvelous, what's really, truly, incredible about the piece is that no opinion is cast aside. Yes, there is a pro-Trump character. Yes, there's a Chinese mother who refuses to vote and a pro-Hillary woman who can't stand to discuss Trump. My America isn't about how disastrous this election is. It's instead about how experience shapes our opinions, our votes, and in turn, our countries.
As a producer on the project, I myself have grown more empathetic of differing opinions. I even understand the ex-cop pro-Trump grandfather! He's lost his marriage, his job and would like to know why there are other people in his Uber. He feels totally and utterly out of control.
And don't we all? The lack of control I felt in London over Brexit and my community's safety followed me to LA. I feel totally and utterly out of control.
Gareth Fuller/PA Wire
The fourth industrial revolution will transform our world. Driverless cars, delivery droids and robots doctors that can diagnose illnesses are already a reality. But we are only just beginning to understand how new technology will affect the world of work. Old certainties are being destroyed as rapidly as new jobs and new industries are being created.
So if you are worried about the future, you are not alone. New polling carried out exclusively for the Labour Party by YouGov found that 34% of workers think increased automation will decrease their job security, compared to 6% who think it will increase. Only 6% of workers think their wages will increase as a result of increased automation, while 22% think they will decrease.
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That's why I announced the creation of a Future of Work Commission at the Labour Party conference this year, which meets for the first time today. It will seek to analyse and understand these emerging trends, and come up with thoughtful, evidence-based policy that addresses the challenges and opportunities they bring.
The pace of change can be dizzying. My first job was as a trainee assistant librarian in the Labour Party's Head Office in South East London. Today librarians are an endangered species in a world of Google searches and Twitter feeds. The sharing economy and online platforms provide mini-jobs for millions. And what we actually do is different. Social media managers, neuro-implant technicians and user experience designers are all 21st Century creations. Then there's the jobs that we just don't do at all - robots are drafting contracts and drafting articles as well as driving cars.
These are welcome advances. Automation could lead to better hospital care - a recently invented robot radiographer, for example, uses deep learning to read an x-ray over 50% more accurately than its most accomplished human counterpart. Mushrooming clusters of tech start-ups are revitalising parts of Aberdeen, Liverpool and Cardiff. Apps like Uber, Task Rabbit and Upwork are providing valuable flexibility for people who choose not to work the formerly standard nine to five.
Technology is changing lives and transforming communities. But, as we've seen with Uber, online job platforms can also mean that workers can end up with none of the traditional workers' rights that Labour has fought so hard over the years to establish. No sick pay, no pension, no protection against unfair dismissal and no ability to organise for better conditions.
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The tech industry is creating some high paid, high skilled jobs, but we're not producing enough jobs to replace the ones we lost in traditional industries in the 20th Century - never mind those that will disappear in the future, as automation increases. Much of the new employment we are seeing is low paid, low skilled and temporary. Job satisfaction and job security are falling. Inequality is rising.
We risk creating a winner takes all economy, where the benefits of automation accrue to those who are fortunate enough to own or control the new technologies that make it possible. We need to ensure the wealth they create is shared more equally and that everyone benefits from the explosion of entrepreneurial energy they have unleashed.
The pace of technological change is increasing. Which means some paradigm shift might be accelerating towards us, about to transform our lives in even more dramatic ways. To unexpectedly (mis)quote Donald Rumsfeld, right now, we don't know what we don't know.
But that doesn't mean we can't shape our own future or control our own destinies. The Tories will leave all this to chance because they are ideologically wedded to outdated orthodoxies about the primacy of the market. But that isn't an adequate response to the tidal wave of change that is about to wash over us.
Labour's YouGov poll found that most people welcome the change in technology, but 50% of people feel they haven't been given enough information about the impact of automation on their job by the Government or by their employer (40%). Less than one if five respondents said they had enough information from their employer and just over one in ten said the same was true of Government.
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They also don't feel confident the Government will support them to adjust to the new world. As the Select Committee for Science and Technology recently noted, Government leadership in this area has been 'noticeably lacking'.
There are choices to be made here about what we want work to be, how we want it to be rewarded and how we deal with the fact that new technologies tend to increase inequality by concentrating wealth in the hands of the lucky few who own or control them.
The Future of Work Commission will provide us with the information we need to make those choices.My esteemed co-chair Helen Mountfield QC is a lawyer and mediator specialising in the field of public and employment law. Our other commissioners include Naomi Climer (President of the Institute of Engineering and Technology), Prof Michael Sandel (Harvard University) and Prof Michael Osbourne (Dyson Associate Professor in Machine Learning, Oxford University). They bring a tremendous wealth of experience and expertise to bear on the issue.
We'll be facilitating new research. There's just not enough being done in this area. We need to know how many people's jobs might be affected, where, and to what extent.
Nothing's going to be off the table. So we'll be looking at cutting edge theories, talking to political philosophers about the big questions. About whether work has moral value in itself, about what gives us purpose if we don't work, about new ideas like community ownership and universal income.
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We'll be working with universities, taking advantage of their resources and personnel. We've already established relationships with the London School of Economics, Oxford University, and Leicester University's Centre for Employment Futures. We'll also be working in partnership with the Centre for Research and Innovation, Royal College of Arts on their 'Place in the World' challenge, a project that aims to seek out and invest in innovative solutions to make work 'smarter, not harder'.
And we want to introduce these academic institutions to those with practical knowledge - to use the commission as a platform to connect these academic institutions to trade unions, business owners, and workers, to talk about how they're being affected and how we find the best way forward. We'll hold a public call for evidence, including a digital consultation, that anyone can respond to.
We hope the Commission will publish its report before the next Labour party conference in 2017 and it will inform Shadow Business Secretary Clive Lewis' Industrial Strategy and Labour's Workplace 2020 initiative.
It is vital the Labour Party does this. We are the party of work. We're the party of working people. These seismic changes go to the heart of who we are and they will shape our economy and our country for decades to come.
Stanford academic Jerry Kaplan has said that automation is 'blind to the colour of your collar' - professionals like architects and lawyers are at much at risk of redundancy by algorithms as factory workers are from production line robots.
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Automation will affect us all. It poses profound questions for political parties, employers, schools and universities and for the trade union movement. We saw earlier this month how the GMB supported the Uber workers who want to reassert their collective rights in their fight against exploitation - a neat practical demonstration of what the Left can offer the new service sector workers.
It's essential for Britain's workers that Labour is the dominant voice in this conversation, that we fill the huge gap in research, analysis and policy that there is on this issue. That we lead the agenda, even in opposition. The Labour Party can't afford the Tories to lead the way in this debate. And nor can the working people of Britain.
I wish I could take you all by the hand and give you a guided tour of this show. If I could, honestly I would because, simply, I can't remember the last time I was so inspired by a photography show. At every point in this impressive exhibition, I felt galvanized and emboldened. If, like me, you are a tired feminist, wounded and depressed from years of battle, this is a show that will put the fire back into your veins.
The exhibition itself is vast in content - there are over two hundred works of art on display here from forty-eight artists. It's of such a size that it takes over two floors in the Gallery. But more than this, the works tackle big themes. It's all here, from representation of the female form, ownership, domesticity and sexuality, to violence and female identity.
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And don't for a second think that somehow because these are female artists directly tackling cultural issues that, in some way, these are lesser works. No way. We'll have none of that casual misogyny here, thank you. This was a period of creation and innovation, as well as protest, and that is ably represented here.
There are big names, of course. I knew I was going to love seeing more photographs from Francesca Woodman; I could immerse myself in her haunting works for hours. And the likes of Cindy Sherman, ORLAN and Hannah Wilke are well represented with some of their more iconic images. And there's one of the most famous feminist works on display too with Martha Rosler's masterful A-Z of domesticity and violence, Semiotics of the Kitchen, running on loop. And after seeing some of Alexis Hunter's work at Tate Britain, it's great to see more of her 'burn it all down' style here.
But one of the real pleasures in the show is seeing more from less familiar names.
I was particularly drawn to video footage of performance art pieces from Suzanne Lacy and Leslie Labowitz. In the last few years of the 1970s, these two women collaborated on a series of large-scale public actions in LA addressing violence against women, and the sensationalism and sexualisation of many of the victims of the Hillside Strangler, a serial killer who raped and murdered many women in the city at the time.
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Male violence against women remains prolific today - as does the media frenzy in sexualising and eroticising these crimes - and as I watched the footage of these powerful performances where performance meets protest - a stream of anonymous women shrouded in black parading through public squares - I thought, where are these protests today? Is it time to bring back feminist performance art? Is this a way to relight those fires?
In fact, for all the impressive photography on show, it is the film in this exhibition which is its most surprising highlight. Lydia Schouten's Sexobject is another example of this. Here, Lydia has strapped herself into a web of bondage ropes; in front of her a wall with 'how does it feel to be a sex object' graffitied across it. And Lydia whips this wall again and again, tiring noticeably with every single strike.
That these artists should seek to include so much of themselves in their works should not be a surprise. Just showing yourself and your body as it really is is, for women, a mighty political act. And there is nothing in this world more politicised than the female body - men seek both to desire and control it, legislation exists to restrict the autonomy women have over it. It is both a means for creating new life and a prison that it is impossible to escape.
It would be possible to write a piece about each work, such is the depth of quality in this display. However, not only would no one ever read all those articles I would write (and I'm not sure where I would find the time to do it!) but I would much rather you visited the show, explored it and connected with those pieces that resonate the strongest with you.
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Suffice to say that The Photographers' Gallery has curated a terrific show that demonstrates how fertile this era was for female artists and their willingness and ability to use their work to engage on gender roles and sexual politics. It was a ground-breaking time but it also ably demonstrates the power that art can have, and the role it can play in not just tackling issues but shaping the discourse around them too. Provocative stuff? Absolutely. Pioneering works? Unquestionably. Could we do another wave of this for the 21st century? Hell, yes.
The Photographers' Gallery, London, to January 15, 2017
Admission 4 (free before 12 noon)
Image credits:
1 Hannah Wilke S.O.S. Starification Object Series. One of 36 playing cards from mastication box, 1975 Post card Hannah Wilke Collection & Archive, Los Angeles. Marsie, Emanuelle, Damon, and Andrew Scharlatt /Bildrecht, Vienna, 2015 / SAMMLUNG VERBUND,Vienna
2 Renate Eisenegger Hochhaus (Nr.1), 1974 Renate Eisenegger / SAMMLUNG VERBUND, Vienna
Devonyu via Getty Images
A.You don't.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AHDH) is nothing more than a professional opinion, it is not a fact. Even in the "Diagnostic and Statical Manual of Mental Disorders; Fifth Edition" (DSM-5) is says, and I quote:
"No biological marker is diagnostic for ADHD."
This is a complex way to say, there is no sure way ADHD can be proven.
Working in the prison system with high risk young offenders, it will be no surprise to you that most of those I come in contact with have been labelled with ADHD. My problem with this, is that the exact same young people who have been labelled with ADHD, have histories of extreme trauma from childhood.
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The symptoms of those suffering from complex trauma are almost completely identical to the symptoms of ADHD.
DSM-5 goes on to stat:
"Informant symptom ratings may be influenced by cultural group of the child and the informant, suggesting that culturally appropriate practices are relevant in assessing ADHD."
This means that if a professional is going to assess and diagnose a person with ADHD they need to have a understanding of the cultural experience of that person to determine whether the behaviour difficulties stem from the person's life experience and cultural perception of the world, or not.
For example; a young black man who was born in the UK, raised in Uganda, then grew up in the middle of Angel Town and considered 'gang associated', should be assessed and diagnosed by a practitioner who has a full understanding of the impact of these circumstances. The same goes for a young white British man who has grown up in the middle of a poor and violent council estate.
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My professional opinion for both young men, would be that they have both suffered complex traumas, therefore neither would qualify in fitting the official clinical diagnostics for ADHD. The same can be said for other labels we love to give adolescents, "Personality Disorder" is quickly becoming a new favourite with forensic psychologists who work with 'gang associated' young men.
As someone who specialising in violence and trauma, specifically with adolescence involved in the Criminal Justice System, I cannot stress enough how important it is we begin to focus more on the root causes of behavioural issues. Labels like ADHD and Personality Disorder within these settings are not helping because they beginning to group young people rather than looking at each individual with care, we also negatively affect the young person by giving him or her this label on top of the many others they have already received.
When we work from a trauma informed perspective and start to really understand why lil' Bobby cannot focus or sit still in class, we help him a lot more than when we label him and give him medication (PS the medication for ADHD is basically speed anyway).
I have a young man I work with in prison, he is inside for violence and was previously one of the most violent prisoners in this particular YOI. He had been diagnosed with ADHD from childhood, a childhood that was extremely traumatic for him, within 4 months of working with him from a trauma informed perspective he was no longer violent. In fact, he is now in education, a peer rep and can sit for hours on end in silence playing chess.
For me this is not a unique case, there are many young people suffering in silence, especially within our prison estates, who need our support to heal rather than our judgements and opinions on what to call their suffering.
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The French mission in the Central African Republic is over. The official ceremony marking its end took place earlier this week. I have been investigating the on-goings of the recent crisis in the country since its inception in late 2012.
Sectarian conflict in the country has left families without fathers, mothers without their children and neighbourhoods emptied. The conflict in the Central African Republic led to an exodus of communities and what the United Nations called "ethno-religious cleansing". Recent security concerns over renewed violence have led to the suspension of some humanitarian activities with tens of thousands of people fleeing to displacement camps over the weekend. But the dusty streets of Bangui today, are not filled with militia as they had been over the last few years. Relative stability has allowed for protestors to present their anger towards MINUSCA peacekeepers, the integrated UN and AU operation for what they deem to be ineffectiveness in keeping them safe.
The election of President Faustino Archange Touadera early this year put to bed many international concerns of a potential "failed state" though the reality of the country cannot be escaped. The cyclical nature of events in the Central African Republic reminds us that this isn't the first time peacekeepers were called in and is one among many hastily held elections. His election, inauguration and the international announcements that came thereafter have a feeling of a train arriving at a platform that's not yet ready to receive it.
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In March, following the inauguration of President Touadera, French defence Minister Jean-Yves Ledrian announced that operation Sangaris would be preparing to make its way home with President Francois Hollande re-affirming the end of the mission whilst speaking in the capital, Bangui. Around two hundred and fifty French soldiers currently remain in the country, a force which at its peak consisted of two thousand five hundred. An operation leaving behind a juxtaposed legacy of assistance in quelling violence in the country alongside costly mistakes, and allegations of sexual abuse for which there are on-going investigations.
"The French troops are some of the world's best and they have armour and air support, their departure will have a huge impact on the ground. With the Sangaris gone there is a higher chance for renewed insecurity. However, Operation Sangaris may be remembered not for their peacekeeping efforts but for the string of sex abuse scandals of which they stand accused. These allegations, which broke last year but continue to emerge have seriously damaged the credibility of the mission in the country." Lewis Mudge, Africa Researcher, Human Rights Watch
French soldiers have been accused of sexually abusing women and children alongside further cases against the MINUSCA. The high profile revelations led to a resolution from the UN and investigations into the cases. The former head of the mission Senegalese Babacar Gaye was effectively removed for the mishandling of allegations.
"Currently there is around 13 cases of allegation against French soldiers of such crimes in Bangui those allegations are currently under investigations by CAR and the French for about a year". Florent Geel, International Federation for Human Rights
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The office of Jean-Yves Ledrian declined to comment on the allegations of sexual abuse laid against them, though they reiterated the forces impact in quelling violence in the country. The Ministry of Defence said "The people who say the situation is not stable do not remember the situation before, Operation Sangaris was a real success, in December 2013 the country was about to face civil war."
French intervention in the Central African Republic was vital to controlling some of the violence taking place in the country. Operation Sangaris was deployed in 2013 to restore stability and help end violence following the Seleka rebel imposed military coup and violence towards Christian communities. But the French oversight in the rise of the Christian Anti-Balaka militia has left great resentment within some Muslim communities.
The Anti-Balaka militia group began as a vigilante movement to protect Christian communities but indiscriminate violence from the group saw an unprecedented level of conflict unfold. Attacks on Muslim communities became widespread; leaving thousands killed, maimed and lynched. The Seleka rebels became the de-facto protectors of the Muslim minority.
"French soldiers underestimated the Anti-balaka. At the really beginning of the operation, they started to disarm only the Seleka combatants... this first disarmament of the Seleka soldiers by the international forces in the streets of Bangui was followed by heavy massacres of Muslims perpetrated by the Anti-balaka."Thibaud Lesueur, International Crisis Group
The Central African Republic's minority Muslim community no longer have a visible presence in the country, with many communities driven out of the country. Mosques throughout the country were torn down, with remaining Muslims forced to abandon the religion. The minority traditionally made up about fifteen per cent of the countries six point six million population with over one hundred thousand residing in the capital, but now the majority of the four hundred and fifty thousand refugees outside the country are Muslim. Violence in the shape of ethno-religious genocide took place in the presence of international peacekeepers. Communities left helpless to attack, having to flee for their lives.
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But regardless of problems faced by the Sangaris, Human Rights organisations have expressed deep concern over the French departure.
"The withdrawal of French troops is not good news for several reasons. Even though several mistakes were made at the beginning of the intervention (they certainly underestimated the Anti-balaka for instance), French troops still became a safety net for the capital and were also able to impose some "red lines" and ultimatums to armed groups."Thibaud Lesaur, International Crisis Group
Three years on from the worst instances of violence, development has been made in the war torn country though the lack of institutions is seen as an incremental problem.
"With the absence of effective state institutions (police, courts, civil administration), it is hard to see how this stability will be maintained. Moreover, following the very serious inter-religious and inter-ethnic spates of violence throughout much of the country since 2012, there will undoubtedly be many people who still have scores to settle or who will be looking to profit from an unstable situation."Professor Phillip Burnham, Director of the International African Institute
In a nation and peoples ravaged by years of violence and sexual crimes by armed groups and peacekeepers with a mandate to protect them, little hope of reconciliation and peace between communities exists. The mounting allegations of abuse in the Central African Republic has fragmented the trust of peacekeeping forces be they the French or the UN with victims still receiving little or no support. Revelations of abuse continue to mount, with the most recent leak made public by Aids Free World, the advocacy organisation behind similar revelations last year. The report was released the day after President Faustin-Archange Touadera's inauguration including the following incident.
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"A French military commander allegedly had four girls tied up and forced them to have sex with a dog". AIDS-Free World told me "These allegations are unassailable proof that Sangaris soldiers ran wild in Central African Republic"
In an opinion essay on Sunday, New York Times columnist David Leonhardt continued the newspaper's campaign "shilling" for charter schools. Leonhardt, is certainly not an expert on public education. As a boy he attended the prestigious and expensive Horace Mann School in Riverdale, New York and then went to Yale. The article, which pretended to be a scientific report based on the latest data, was bad reporting and an embarrassment for both the author and the newspaper. Unfortunately, the Times, which is constantly shilling for charter schools, does not seem to care.
Leonhardt opened with a touching anecdote about an African American family from Boston. "Alanna Clark still remembers the stress of third-grade reading time." Her mother sought learning support from her school without "success." We learn Alanna's older sister passed through school until, unprepared, she entered a community college where she dropped out. But wonder of wonder, Alanna won a charter school lottery and " today is a poised, soft-spoken 10th grader at a charter school called Match."
Next Leonhardt switches gears to explain how "social scientists have quietly spent years analyzing the outcomes of students who attend charter schools" and have discovered that while "many charter schools fail to live up to their promise," "one type," schools like Boston Match, repeatedly show "impressive results."
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Leonhardt must have been sleeping the past dozen years if he missed the exaggerated claims made by the parade of consults, experts, and researchers working for charter school groups. Not only does the New York Times continually hype charter schools and parade out any data that seems to support them, but the charter crowd has powerful support from hedge fund financiers, so-called philanthropists, and politicians like New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and even President Barack Obama.
Now wide awake, Leonhardt interviewed the principal of Match to learn that the school is successful because it has "high expectations" for students and offers "high support." He concludes that Match and similar charter schools are great because of that mantra, "High expectations, high support." However Leonhardt should have done a google search. "High expectations, high support" seems to be the mantra of virtually every charter school in the United States, including the "many charter schools [that] fail to live up to their promise."
The "high expectations, high support" formula means devoting more resources to classroom teaching and less to almost everything else. Students are in class more hours. Schools set high standards and try to instill students with confidence in them. They also invest in helping teachers become better at teaching. But of course, what Leonhardt discovered has nothing to do with charter schools. This is about a community and a society investing in the education of its children.
Leonhardt next reports on the "rigorous" studies and scientific data that support what he found at Match. The "latest batch" of evidence was produced by professors at prestigious universities that have "tracked thousands of charter-school applicants, through high school and beyond, in Boston, where most charters fit the 'high expectations, high support' model."
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But when I looked at the study by the professors at the prestigious universities, their conclusions were much more tentative than those suggested by Leonhardt.
1. Charter schools are often test prep academies rather than places were students learn.
"Charter schools may be particularly likely to 'teach to the test,' since they are at risk of closure if their students score poorly." In addition, "Charter students have somewhat higher baseline test scores than other Boston students," which means they scored better on the tests before they went to the charter schools.
2. Charter school student test scores may be skewed by cheating.
"Although encouraging, gains on state-mandated standardized tests provide an inconclusive gauge of the benefits of charter attendance. Like other American public schools, charters are evaluated in part by the performance of their students on these tests. A growing literature suggests that educators respond strategically to the incentive to boost test scores . . . The potentially distortionary effect of test-based accountability may be especially large in the charter sector, where schools whose students do poorly on state assessments can be closed. In our Massachusetts setting, for example, 14 out of 96 charters granted through 2013 have been lost. Charter schools would appear to have a particularly strong incentive to teach to the test, at the expense, perhaps, of a focus on the development of skills with a longer-term payoff."
3. Charter school success may be because they weed out poor academic performers and potentially disruptive students and ship them back to traditional public schools.
"A defining feature of Massachusetts' successful urban charter schools appears to be adherence to No Excuses pedagogy, an approach to urban education described in a book of the same name (Thernstrom and Thernstrom 2003). No Excuses schools emphasize discipline and comportment, traditional reading and math skills, extended instruction time, and selective teacher hiring." The distinguished researchers added, "it is worth noting that our results apply to charter lottery applicants, a group that may differ from nonapplicants." In other words, charter schools start out pulling better performing students from more organized families that can complete the application process.
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4. Charter school "success" claims are exaggerated.
"Charter attendance has no clear effect on high school graduation, though charter students take slightly longer to complete their degrees. Charter attendance also has no statistically significant effect on the overall likelihood of college enrollment."
After misrepresenting the results of the scientific studies, Leonhardt cites "two recent analyses of multiple studies" that "concluded that charters do not hurt outcomes at other schools -- and may even help improve them, by creating competition." But he doesn't say who did these analyses or where they were published. However if you hit on the link you come to a website, Education Next, that promotes charter schools, opposes teacher unions, promotes testing, and advocates for free market solutions to education. It is hardly an unbiased source, or even a source that I suspect Leonhardt would agree with on most issues.
At the end of his column, Leonhardt asks, "So why isn't there a national consensus to create more of these schools?" He answers, "Because the politics of education are messy."
But in the next line he concedes that it is not just about messy politics. Leonhardt acknowledges, "no school can cure poverty on its own." But more than that, despite "high expectations, high support" Match is not a miracle after all. "Only about 55 percent of students go on to graduate from a four-year college."
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Suspiciously, this op-ed piece was published days before Massachusetts is scheduled to vote on a binding referendum that would lift the state cap on charter schools, currently set at 120. The referendum is being pushed by a business-backed coalition that is spending tens of millions of dollars on the campaign. Much of the money comes from out-of-state groups, including the Walmart Foundation, about $700,000, and something called Education Reform Now Advocacy (ERNA), whose Board of Directors has close ties to Wall Street financiers. According to filings with the state agency that monitors election spending, ERNA contributed over half a million dollars to Great Schools Massachusetts, the group pushing for passage of the charter referendum. Two other hedge-fund-connected organizations, Families for Excellent Schools and Families for Excellent Schools Advocacy kicked in more than $6 million in combined donations.
On Friday a judge in Uganda ruled in support of the Ministry of Education's decision to close a network of private schools supported by the Gates Foundation, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, and Pearson Education. That story was covered by The Guardian and the BBC, but not the New York Times. Maybe the Times should change its motto from "All the News That's Fit to Print" to "We Shill for Charter Schools."
This is a heartfelt appeal to the readers of my articles in the Huffington Post who have not yet voted.
I have known Hillary for over 37 years (I happened to have married - and still am - to a fine lady from Arkansas who introduced me to Hillary and Bill Clinton in 1978). Although I served as Bill Clinton's Deputy Press Secretary in his 1992 presidential campaign and later as his envoy to Morocco, it was never lost on me throughout nearly four decades of friendship with the Clintons how much I respected Hillary's commitment of every ounce of her energy -- truly and deeply -- to the causes that make America as great as it is. Delivering justice is her virtue, and she is a virtuous person!
Hillary is a true patriot on behalf of forging a more perfect union. Inside that steely exterior resides the soul of a woman determined to do right by the nation and the world.
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Sure, you can google her untiring work for the Children's Defense Fund and in the cause of bringing universal health care to all Americans. You may have also heard about the almost superhuman dedication she brought to so many other causes, including an unyielding commitment to protecting voting rights and expanding civil rights to less fortunate Americans.
But did you know that she donated endless hours of pro bono work at her law firm in Arkansas serving clients who could not afford a lawyer? Or that she paid for the health care for random people who could not afford their own medical bills? Did you know that as First Lady of the United States she dedicated countless hours to the cause of women's rights around the world? Are you even aware that Hillary brought to the White House a new generation of aspiring Americans to forge new public-private partnerships in the cause of environmental safety, greater consumer regulation, and equal opportunity in the marketplace? Many of those Americans are iconic leaders in their own right today.
When did she ever catch some shut-eye was anyone's guess.
I recall coming back to the White House to visit her in 1995 from Morocco after Ken Starr had launched his despicable and endless investigation into what was then infamously deemed "White Water." We met in her West Wing 2nd floor office, and we talked and hugged as she bemoaned how much time the investigation was taking away from her duties and important causes. Hillary was no mere First Lady. Not at all. This was a woman determined to help forge a new social compact between her husband's administration and the American people. Her penchant for privacy was forced on her by a belligerent Special Prosecutor who was determined to hurt her reputation in every conceivable way... demanding all of her private correspondence and telephone records. No excuse for private servers, but you get the drift where her concerns about prying bureaucrats understandably first originated. Remember, too, that all of those investigations were not on the merits, but witch hunts.
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For all of the biographical information out there about Hillary, what most stands out for me was her unyielding compassion for the victims of conflict. As Secretary of State, she committed countless trips to the cause of human rights and journalistic freedoms -- in China, in Russia, in the Arab world. And when the Syrian people urgently needed humanitarian relief and a more effective U.S. policy to prevent the Syrian civil war from consuming the Middle East, she showed the true grit and leadership to act, and through no fault of her own it was a short-sighted, callow White House national security staff that thwarted her efforts to forge an effective humanitarian response to the Syrian catastrophe. But despite every obstacle she encountered by the White House she was determined to mobilize U.S. public and private resources, as well as the support of international relief organizations, to bring as much relief as possible to the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.
Surely, I cannot do adequate justice to all she has achieved so far, and all she is determined to achieve for the country in the months and years ahead. For those who fear more gridlock if she elected, let me remind you that within months of arriving in the U.S. Senate as a freshman senator from New York she beat the odds and the partisan reputation that preceded her and began to effectively reach across the aisle to earn the respect and admiration of many of her Senate Republican colleagues. I am certain she will bring the same honest and effective outreach as president to transform the resisters and the hesitators to find common ground. The country cannot afford anything less.
I don't know what anyone would gain by throwing away their vote for a third party candidate, or worse, staying home and not voting at all when so much is at stake. As divided as we may be, America can ill-afford to turn the Oval Office over to an unstable, ignorant, and unqualified Donald Trump (I could say a lot worse, but won't).
Yes, Mrs. Clinton has made her share of unforced errors both before and during her campaign and I have not been silent about them. But in comparison to what and to whom?
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Think long and hard what your personal vote will mean, first, to our men and women serving abroad who need a cool, collected, and respected Commander-in-Chief; second, to the millions of immigrants whose families may be torn apart by Mr. Trump, and third, to the tens of thousands loyal, patriotic American Muslims, whose sons and daughters are essential in our war against jihadism. The list goes on and on.
I implore you to think about how important the Affordable Care Act has been to those who could not afford health care for pre-existing conditions or catastrophic diseases, and what it would mean to them if she were to lose. Your vote will make a difference to those who depend on a government that works for the disadvantaged AND the disaffected.
We Americans have been through a bruising campaign. It is easy to sit this one out, or worse, to vote for a third party candidate (a vote that could bring Mr. Trump to the White House).
The Hillary I know is the Hillary that is going to make you proud of your vote for her -- it's a worthy investment in your future, the future of your friends, neighbors, family, and in the future of our country. As President Obama just said in New Hampshire, all Americans are depending on you to protect and propel us forward -- our nation's fate is really in your hands. Your vote really, truly matters, now, more than ever before!
My mother came to New York from El Salvador to stay safe from the civil war that had been going on for 12 years. I was born in New York, and shortly after my birth the El Salvador peace agreements were signed. We returned to our country, to San Salvador, where my mother raised me while finishing her medical degree from the National University in El Salvador.
When it came time for me to go to college, I knew I wanted to return to New York to study economic development. My hope was that I could one day help developing countries like El Salvador. But my parents didn't have the means--my mother had been working for many years in impoverished and rural areas, providing medical attention and health campaigns. I came any way, on my own. I lived with relatives for a short time and got a scholarship to attend Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), before transferring to Baruch in my sophomore year.
At first, I wasn't sure how I could pay for school. I thought I might have to take a few semesters off to save the money, which would delay graduating. But the Baruch Financial Aid Office helped connect me with the London Family Scholarship, which I received for two years. It meant a lot to me: I don't even know the London family, yet somehow they believed in me and saw my potential. It helped me not only with school, but also with being able to find housing and to live on my own.
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The scholarship gave me more confidence in the reasons that I came to study economic development in the first place, and it allowed me to focus on school. I got to work as a research assistant to Professor Sean Crockett, who is conducting a study of behavioral economics. I was also able to work through the Admissions Office as an admissions ambassador at the Welcome Center, helping students and their families at events such as Open House.
Now, as a graduate, I am currently working on my Master's in economics. To do research for international organizations and nonprofits, to bring new ideas to developing countries, such as El Salvador--that is still my goal. The London scholarship helped to make this possible, giving me the important financial and emotional support to make it this far. I'm so grateful.
Without philanthropy, students like Ana would not be able to obtain an outstanding affordable education. This November 29, the City University of New York (CUNY) is participating in its first-ever global day of giving, #CUNYTuesday. 24 Hours. 24 Colleges. 1 CUNY.
What do you picture when you think about innovation? If you're a tech fan, maybe you picture someone taking an Uber to the Apple store. If you work in international development, maybe you see someone in sub-Saharan Africa using mobile money to pay for solar electricity. But there's much more to innovation than cool new inventions that transform lives (though we love those too).
That's why USAID created the U.S. Global Development Lab. Part of our mission is to find the next generation of breakthrough innovations to reduce poverty. But we also test new ideas to change the way we do international development. You can't hold these innovations in your hand, but they are just as important.
Assembling a Tiger Team
The Lab is a small innovation hub within a big organization with an even bigger mission--ending extreme poverty. We are a catalyst for change, which means we can make a big difference even though we're pretty small--like a spoonful of yeast in a big batch of dough.
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When we first got started in 2014, we created a dedicated team within the Lab to find ways to streamline processes so that USAID can be more agile and impactful. The team is made up of seven people from across USAID, including three people who wear two hats -- one for the Lab, and one for a bureau in another part of USAID. Together, the team paves new pathways within USAID to help us accelerate development impact. This set-up helps the Lab coordinate closely with other parts of USAID that are responsible for HR, legal, procurement, and IT functions.
Bringing in New Voices
USAID has a long tradition of partnership, and the Lab is testing new ways to collaborate through highly interactive multi-stakeholder workshops and design sprints. One tool that enables this practice is the Broad Agency Announcement, or BAA, which allows us to collaborate with potential partners before we award funding, working together to define a problem and design a solution for challenges that don't yet have clear answers.
Rarely used before 2014, the Lab's advocacy for collaborative design and the BAA has made an impact on how USAID does business. In the last two years, USAID has used the tool more than 50 times, resulting in more than 100 awards. In Indonesia, for example, USAID issued a BAA focused on inclusive workforce development. More than 300 local and international companies and organizations responded to the call, including Volvo, Intel, and BP. Over the course of three days, they explored the challenge and developed new solutions together. The practice of co-creation enables USAID to bring these diverse problem-solvers together to design and test new solutions that are appropriate to a unique context.
Adapt or Perish
The Lab is a strong supporter of Adaptive Management--a dynamic approach to managing programs. We use feedback loops to iterate and improve our performance, and to adapt to changing conditions on the ground. We've worked with USAID's policy office to integrate adaptive management into our official policies, changing the way we do business.
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We are also supporting innovations and technologies that make adaptive management possible, like real-time data solutions that enable rapid, two-way feedback. These digital tools ensure decision makers have the right data at the right time. They can also allow for faster course corrections and continuous improvements.
Real-time data can be very powerful. For example, when USAID partner PSI switched from paper-based to mobile tools in Zambia, it helped them battle HIV more effectively. By collecting data in real time, they were able to take a more agile approach to counselling and testing services. When they used paper systems, the process of collecting, processing, and aggregating data took a month. That timeline dropped to a week when they switched to mobile tablets. They were able to make faster decisions, stretch their resources to diagnose more people, and connect people with preventative services more effectively.
Natalia Palacios, maize nutrition quality specialist, oversees the harvest of maize lines. Photo credit: CIMMYT.
Tapping the Best Talent
When USAID established the Lab, we knew we needed to find the smartest, most creative scientists and innovators to join us. We needed to pull from beyond the usual suspects, to bring in people from tech companies and universities and research labs who might not realize there was a place for them in international development. So, we used new hiring models, targeted recruiting, and fellowships to bring in the expertise we needed, an approach that is now becoming more and more common at USAID.
For example, the Lab brought in people like Dr. P. V. Sundareshwar--a tenured professor focused on climate change and ecosystem restoration--to be our Science Policy Advisor. And we recruited people like Danielle Cass--a Silicon Valley-based "Innovation Evangelist" and expert in mobile technology--to be our Tech Sector Liaison. In her words:
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"Like many people with zero global development experience, I am embarrassed to admit that I had only limited familiarity at the time of USAID, most likely through its humanitarian response work. I definitely never would have found USAID if I hadn't been recruited by the U.S. Global Development Lab - but I am really glad they reached out and found me."
This is the eighth in my series of "Letters to a Trump Supporter," from correspondence with a family friend who supports Mr. Trump.
With two days left in this election season, I will dedicate my last two letters to the issue that has attracted the most attention in the race: the character of the candidates. Today, I will begin with Hillary Clinton.
My interlocutor sent me a series of "debate questions" that Rush Limbaugh wanted to ask Secretary Clinton, along with a couple other conspiracy theories that are floating around the Internet.
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Below is my response.
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Dear Mr. ----,
Thanks for sending this list of questions. Obviously, I don't know how Hillary Clinton would answer them, but I can tell you what I would say if I were her:
(1.) When you were Secretary of State, why did you let a Russian company purchase half of the United States uranium reserves?
The Secretary of State cannot veto foreign purchases of American companies. Only the President has that power.
The deal you're referring to, I assume, is when the Russian company JSC Atomoredzoloto purchased Uranium One, a Canadian firm. Their U.S. reserves account for 20 percent of America's uranium production capacity, not "half."
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If you're worried that Russia will somehow use that uranium to build bombs, they can't. They're not allowed to export it. It stays here, and we continue to regulate it as before. That's why nine government agencies and two independent regulatory agencies approved the deal.
(2.) How much money was donated by Russian companies to your Foundation?
How much money has Donald Trump made in Russia? I'll answer yours when he answers mine. All he has to do is release his tax records like I've done...
If you're implying that Russian donations were bribes, you'll be relieved to learn that my Foundation has been thoroughly investigated by the press, and there has been no evidence of corruption.
The Trump Foundation, in contrast, actually has engaged in corrupt behavior. Donald Trump used $250,000 from his Foundation for personal business disputes. They conveniently forgot to register with the State of New York, leading to an investigation by the Attorney General. And the Trump Organization is actively expanding into the Middle East, Ukraine, and...surprise, surprise: Russia.
Somehow no one ever asks Donald Trump about all the profits he's planning to reap in Russia. All they care about is the money I raised to help sick kids in Africa.
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Maybe that explains why Mr. Trump has professed his admiration for Vladimir Putin, why he hired a campaign manager who advised the top Putin ally in Ukraine, why his foreign policy advisor on Russia has spent a career working with their oil and gas companies, and why Mr. Putin's media outlets are actively supporting Mr. Trump.
Given all those facts, maybe you can identify the author of this quote: "Russians make up a disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia."
You think it was me? Or maybe my husband? Or my daughter?
Nope. It was Donald Trump Jr.
(3.) When you worked for the State Department, how did you conduct Secret Classified business without using a secure email server?
Because I was careless. Out of tens of thousands of emails that the FBI investigated, they only found three with classification markers. They concluded that there's no evidence that I intentionally mishandled the information.
In hindsight, it was a mistake to follow Colin Powell's advice to use a private email account. I assume Donald Trump plans to thoroughly investigate Secretary Powell's private emails if he is elected president.
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(4.) What kind of assault weapons were you funneling through Benghazi to ISIS in Syria before Ambassador Stevens was murdered?
We didn't funnel arms through Benghazi to ISIS. We funneled them through our ally Qatar to Libyan rebels to overthrow the murderous dictator Muammar el-Qaddafi, the exact same strategy that Republican administrations have been using for decades. Perhaps you recall the Iran-Contra scandal orchestrated by Ronald Reagan?
But I digress. We eventually learned that Qatar was giving some of the arms to Islamic militants, and we urged them not to do so.
It's basically impossible to prevent this from happening, though, since there are Islamic militants on both sides of most fights.
Either you work with them to defeat your enemies, or you retreat from the Middle East entirely. Donald Trump would face the exact same problem if he wanted to, in his words, "utterly destroy ISIS."
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(5.) When you left the White House after your husband's last term as president, why did you steal $200,000 worth of furniture, China, and artwork that you were forced to return?
We didn't steal anything. We returned some gifts when the National Park Service decided that they were gifts to the government, not to us, although they were donated during my husband's administration.
(6.) When you were Secretary of State, why did you solicit contributions from foreign governments for the Clinton Foundation after you promised President Obama you would not?
I never made such a promise, and there's no evidence that I solicited contributions from foreign governments while I was Secretary of State. The Foundation did receive foreign contributions at the time, but I was not involved.
(8.) Why do you and your husband claim to contribute millions of dollars to charity for a tax write-off when it goes to your family foundation that gives out less than 15% of the funds you collect, and you use the balance to support yourself tax-free?
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Unlike Donald Trump, I don't use my charity to "support myself." So, you just made that up.
And my family foundation does not give "out less than 15% of the funds" it collects. That's a lie too.
You really want to talk about who runs their foundation better? Alright, you asked for it...
Charity Navigator, which evaluates charities based on financial health and accountability/transparency, gives the Clinton Foundation their highest rating. Charity Watch, a similar organization that uses an A-F scale, gives the Clinton Foundation an "A." Guidestar, yet another nonprofit watchdog, awarded the Clinton Foundation with its "transparency seal."
The Trump Foundation, on the other hand, doesn't even qualify for such ratings. Why? Because, as Guidestar says, "the Trump Foundation's approach would certainly not meet the standard of focused, proactive grant making."
Oh, and for what it's worth, Guidestar also says, "the Clinton family has -- at least over the last several years -- donated more money (and at a far higher proportion of their wealth) than the Trump family."
(9.) Why are you unable to account for $6 billion of State Department funds that seem to have disappeared while you were Secretary of State?
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We were not "unable to account for $6 billion." The Inspector General found that the contract files were incomplete. He specifically wrote a letter to the editor of the Washington Post to clarify the misconception. None of the money is missing. Some of the paperwork was just inadequate, a problem that happens in every large organization in the world.
(10.) Why did you say you were broke when you left the White House, but you purchased a $2 million home, built an addition for the Secret Service, and charge the taxpayers of the United States rent in an amount equal to the entire mortgage?
I should not have said "dead broke." That was a regrettable phrase, though not as offensive as when Donald Trump bragged about profiting from American families losing their homes in the last recession.
What I meant was that our liabilities exceeded our assets, meaning we were technically insolvent because we were deeply in debt. The only reason we got a mortgage was because the bank knew we would earn more income after we left the White House.
We have never charged the taxpayers any rent. That's a ridiculous lie. On the contrary, the Secret Service offered to pay rent, as is customary in these situations, and we refused to take it.
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(11.) How is it that your daughter, Chelsea, can afford to buy a $10.5 million apartment in New York City shortly after you left the White House?
Chelsea and her husband bought the apartment thirteen years after we left the White House, not "shortly after." She has earned a six-figure salary at NBC News, as have George W. Bush's daughter Jenna (at NBC News) and John McCain's daughter Megan (at MSNBC and Fox News). But most of their $15 million net worth comes from her husband, who is a successful investment banker.
In other words, they didn't get any of that money from us...unlike Donald Trump's children, who are each worth about $150 million thanks to their father's company.
(12.) Speaking of Chelsea, how is it that her first paying job, in her late 20s, was for more than the salary of the President of the United States? Was there a quid pro quo of any sort involved?
I'm glad you mentioned the salary of the President of the United States. The President earns $400,000. The average Fortune 500 CEO earns $16 million. Since Republicans are always complaining that public workers are overpaid, they should be very proud of the fact that our Presidents have been paid so little compared to their peers, despite managing an organization that is far larger than any Fortune 500 company.
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But, to your point, if there was a quid pro quo, it wasn't a very good one. Harvard's media experts scoured all the major news reports and found that I received far more negative coverage than any of the other candidates, and Donald Trump's coverage was unusually positive.
(13.) Why did you lose your law license? Why did your husband lose his?
I didn't lose my law license. That's a complete lie. I stopped practicing because I was busy being a U.S. Senator.
My husband's law license was suspended for lying under oath about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
Of course, Donald Trump has also committed infidelity, and he has lied more than any other presidential candidate in modern history, according to expert fact-checkers.
(14.) Why did you lie to the American people about the terrorist attack in Benghazi but managed to tell the truth to your daughter the same night it happened?
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I never lied to the American people about the terrorist attack in Benghazi. You can read the transcripts. I announced the attack that night. I did not confirm who perpetrated the attack. I speculated in an email to my daughter that it might be "an al Qaeda-like group," but I didn't have enough information to confirm that speculation to the public until later. This is standard protocol, as well as just being good sense and good morals not to accuse people without solid evidence.
(15.) Why were multiple commando teams given the order to "stand down" when the diplomatic compound was attacked in Benghazi?
There was no "stand down" order. The CIA annex, which was a mile away from the compound, told the security team to wait a half hour until they figured out who was attacking the compound. They didn't want to accidentally get into a fight with friendly militia, which is a real possibility in these situations. They were not told to "stand down." That's a completely different kind of order, where they're not on alert anymore. They were on alert, they just waited for confirmation that it was an enemy attack. It's standard protocol.
And to be very clear: It was the CIA annex that made this call, not the White House or the State Department. Neither Barack Obama nor I had been alerted yet. When they did finally call us, we ordered them to do everything in their power to save the Ambassador and his team.
(16.) Why did you ignore pleas from Benghazi for more security? Why did you send Ambassador Chris Stevens into harm's way?
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Why did Ronald Reagan send 800 Marines into harm's way in Lebanon in 1982? Why did he leave them there after militants bombed the embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people? Why did a Congressional investigation find that "very serious errors in judgment" led to the death of 241 Americans six months later?
Why did George W. Bush ignore multiple warnings that Osama bin Laden was going to attack the United States before 9/11?
And why didn't Republicans investigate those mistakes as relentlessly as they have investigated Benghazi?
Kevin McCarthy, the Republican House majority leader, gave one answer: "Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping."
If you actually want to know the facts, here they are:
First, we actually did make security improvements in the year before the attack.
Second, I didn't send Ambassador Stevens to Benghazi. According to two former ambassadors, "In-country travel is solely at the discretion of the ambassador, and he did not need to seek Department of State approval."
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And third, the chief counsel of the Republican-led investigation committee said "nothing could have affected what occurred in Benghazi." He told my counterpart Leon Panetta, the Defense Secretary at the time, "I think you ordered the right forces... I don't disagree with the actions you took, the recommendations you made, and the decisions you directed."
~~~~~~~~~~
I don't think there's any doubt that Hillary Clinton has made mistakes in her career. (Who hasn't?) But the evidence points in a completely different direction than these lies and character attacks suggest.
That, of course, is how conspiracies get started. They begin with one little grain of truth, especially if it's a grain of truth that upsets a lot of people, and then they draw ridiculous, false conclusions that people will believe because they want to believe it.
The trick is not to let our beliefs about a person get in the way of judging them fairly based on the facts.
Over this weekend, before Election Day, I have received several calls and emails from friends and colleagues.
Some support Trump, others support Clinton. Each used the word "fear" or "worried" in their message.
I tried to calm them by reminding them that those who wrote the U.S. Constitution baked in a healthy dose of counterbalance to alleviate their fear of despots.
Then, it was King George III of England -- a stubborn, self-absorbed monarch who didn't simply reject America's demand for independence; he wanted to punish the colonies with a prolonged war to break the will of the new country.
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The drafters of the Constitution didn't just have King George III in mind. They also addressed the flaws and dangers of all men and women who assume power.
"Ambition must be made to counteract ambition," wrote Benjamin Franklin.
In their wisdom, they anticipated a President Hillary Clinton and President Donald Trump.
So let's look at the primal fears of the supporters of each candidate in light of the balance of power created by the Constitution.
First those who fear a President Donald Trump. If he wants to propose new treaties or terminate existing treaties, he will need the advice and consent of two-thirds vote of the Senate. This applies to trade and security treaties, including the Brussels Treaty of 1948, which was the first step in the creation of NATO. If he wants to change refugee immigration quotas, it will require consultation with Congress. If he wants to build the Southern border wall, it will require appropriations and the approval of both the House and Senate. And, if Mexico refuses to pay for the wall, there will be no wall.
For those who fear a President Hillary Clinton. Fear of her Supreme Court appointees is at the top of their list. She will need a majority vote of the Senate to confirm a nominee. However, a successful filibuster threat can add the requirement of a supermajority of 60 needed in favor of cloture, which would allow debate to end and force a final vote on confirmation. If she wants to replace Obamacare with a single-payer system she will need the approval of both houses of Congress -- Republicans will likely maintain control of the House of Representatives. If she proposes severe restrictions on the purchase of arms and ammunition, she will face challenges from both Congress and the Supreme Court.
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These are examples of how the rhetoric of each candidate will be tempered by the balance of power in Washington.
To my friends, be assured the country will survive. Once the votes are counted - and that may be a prolonged event -- Clinton and Trump supporters must decompress and refocus.
The country has more to fear than the despotic proclivities of each candidate.
There will be no tyrant in the White House. But there are tyrants outside the borders of our country -- violent, ambitious, and powerful.
The people we admire influence our choices in ways that may surprise us. When I first discussed how art might support the text for my upcoming book, Leaving Shore: Making the Choice to Live in Discovery, I mentioned to my collaborators that I would like to look at the art of Sister Corita Kent.
Living in discovery means making a commitment to choose our words carefully and to reframe the outdated stories and beliefs that direct our lives. It means allowing creativity and compassion for ourselves and others to guide and inspire us. Because Sister Corita's art exemplifies all of these concepts beautifully, it made sense that her approach could be a model for the book project.
Sister Corita (1918-1986) was an artist I discovered several decades ago in my teenage years. A Catholic nun who became renowned for her serigraph prints, Corita Kent was a woman who presented a new perspective on words and ideas for a generation in turmoil in the late 1960s and early '70s. Her innovative take on language and her graphic, bold style of art spoke to me as a young girl. It reflected her deep commitment to social justice, her own spirituality, her belief in the human race, and her hope for peace. She may be best known for creating the LOVE stamp.
Donald Trump scares the daylights out of me. He's the 21st-century version of the 1950s 3-D monster movie, "The Creature from the Black Lagoon." If Donald is the monster, what would be the lagoon? I say it's the current gloomy state of the American psyche.
No, I'm not voting for Donald Trump. I'm a knee-jerk moderate who values an orderly transfer of government from competent Democrats to competent Republicans and then hopefully back to competent Democrats.
Trump Has Got Me Where He Wants Me
Nonetheless, in recent months I have found myself in Donald Trump's thrall. He's got me where he wants me. He has soaked up disproportionate quantities of my time and mental energy. He has inhabited the front of my brain, his antics plastered to the inside of my forehead.
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For the past many months I've been waking up every morning wondering, "What the heck is The Donald going to do today?" My attention races to Trump, not fondly, but with a head-clearing frisson of anticipation.
Donald Trump: Thinking bigger than ever.
How will the Republican nominee for president raise my hackles today? How will he again make me feel oh-so-superior to this venal lummox with the fake suntan whose name glitters on edifices from Las Vegas to Pennsylvania Avenue?
You know the history. Here's a review of just some of it: In June Trump claimed the U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel had "an absolute conflict" in presiding over Trump University litigation because Curiel was "of Mexican heritage." In July he insulted the family of Humayun Khan, an American Muslim soldier who died in combat in Iraq. In September he was overheard boasting on an "Access Hollywood" videotape that he was in the habit of grabbing women's crotches and thrusting pouty-mouthed kisses on unsuspecting females.
Trump's Dangerous Game
These past weeks my fascination turned to horror, however, as Trump upped the ante. He's now playing an even more dangerous game, one that seeks to undercut Americans' (and its friends' and foes') faith in American representative government: he's telling everybody that the American election system is rigged.
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I have to wonder. What is it about Trump -- no, what is it about me -- that makes me want to lavish so much of my attention, my chi, on a flimflam man? On a showman who's turned this election season into a bawdy, reckless, long-running, grade-B narrative about -- himself?
Trump has played me. He has manipulated me into giving him what he wants most - not my vote, but my attention. How did he pull it off? What button of mine has he been pushing?
Is Trump Smart - Or Just Shrewd?
Donald Trump is not smart. His vocabulary is minimal, his attention span even more so. As the first presidential debate with Hillary Clinton approached, Trump's team could barely get him to focus long enough to prep for the debate, with ludicrous results for the candidate.
But he is shrewd. He knows how to get and hold people's attention. He holds the attention of his supporters by playing on their outrage at being left out of the national conversation. He holds the attention of knee-jerk moderates like me by locating and tweaking my -- usually quiescent -- capacity for outrage.
What is it then that outrages me?
People who don't play fair, that's who. People who violate other people's trust. And this election cycle, it's Donald Trump who outrages me. He is a man with a monumental disregard for fair play. He shows little respect for constructive give-and-take between competing points of view. His attitude seems to be that it's OK to run rampant over the trust of others - and brag about it.
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For a while I could laugh at Trump along with Scott Dikkers. Today, not so much.
Over the years, Trump has refused to pay countless suppliers and business associates. He has reneged on deals, violating his colleagues' trust. He admits to sexually assaulting numerous women and getting away with it -- betraying women's trust.
In other words, Donald Trump does not believe in that most basic building block of civilization -- trust. American society and institutions have survived for 240 years on something that, with the help of folks like Donald Trump, could evaporate in a heartbeat: Americans' ability to trust their fellow citizens.
That not-very-bright brain of Trump's has glommed onto something scary. He has figured out how to disrupt the fragile web of mutual trust that holds societies together. He's also figured out that messing with that trust gets him the one thing he wants more than anything else (including the presidency?) and that is -- attention. Lots of it.
Are We All a Bunch of Losers?
Trump's assaults on trust scare the heck out of people like me, people whose world view is predicated on mutual respect - people that Trump likes to write off as losers.
And that, I think, is how Trump has been holding my attention all these months. He's been pushing my "Am I a Loser?" button. He's the Creature from the Black Lagoon. And the Black Lagoon is a place where people have decided not to trust each other.
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If Hillary Clinton loses the close election with Donald Trump, the primary reason will be the October 29th announcement by FBI Director James Comey that the agency was, in effect, reopening their investigation into Hillary's email server. It was evidence of an orchestrated coup planned by the Trump campaign. Whatever his motives, career-public-servant Comey served as a Trump foot soldier.
James Comey became FBI director on September 4, 2013, and is scheduled to serve another 7 years. (Given adequate cause, the director can be removed by the president.)
On October 29th, Comey sent a letter to Congress that -- according to the New York Times -- reported that although the FBI had closed the investigation on Hillary Clinton's email server,
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"Emails had surfaced in an unrelated case, which law enforcement officials said was an F.B.I. investigation into illicit text messages from Mr. Weiner to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. (Mr. Weiner, a former Democratic congressman from New York, is married to Huma Abedin, [Clinton's] top aide.) The F.B.I. would review the [newly discovered] emails to determine if they improperly contained classified information, which is tightly controlled by the government. Senior law enforcement officials said that it was unclear if any of the emails were from Mrs. Clinton's private server."
Subsequently, we learned that the suspect 650,000 emails were on a laptop belonging to Huma Abedin's ex-husband, Anthony Weiner.
During the previous Clinton email investigation, Huma Abedin gave the FBI all of her digital devices so they could examine them for incriminating emails. She did not give them Anthony Weiner's laptop because she did not think that any of her emails were on it. Now the FBI has reason to believe that some of Huma Abedin emails are on Anthony's laptop.
How would Huma Abedin's emails get on Anthony's laptop without her knowledge? Most likely, someone set up Anthony's laptop to be the backup device for their in-home wireless network. If this turns out to be the case, then most times Huma Abedin accessed her email a "backup copy" was sent to Anthony's laptop.
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Before getting a search warrant (on October 31) the FBI presumably examined metadata -- that is, email routing information (as distinct from email content) -- for the emails and determined that some of them had an address that corresponded to Clinton's email server. For example, this could mean that among the 650,000 emails are personal messages sent by Huma Abedin (who had an email address on Clinton's server) to Anthony Weiner.
What the FBI are looking for are emails between Clinton and Abedin that occurred during the period when Hillary was Secretary of State (2009-2013). Within this subset, the FBI will be searching for previously undisclosed emails that contain classified information.
How long will the FBI investigation take? Theoretically, it could be done in a week or two but it will undoubtedly take longer.
News outlets report that Director Comey knew about Anthony Weiner's email trove at the beginning of October. Why did Comey wait four weeks to make his announcement? There are three possible explanations:
1. A technical explanation is that it took FBI programmers several weeks to sift through the email metadata and discover that some emails belonged to Huma Abedin (or had the address for Clinton's email server). If this is true, then the slow process suggests the FBI are not going to discover anything else before November 8th. The technical explanation casts Comey in the best light. But it still does not answer the question of why he chose to reveal this information before the election.
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2. A sociological explanation of the October 29th announcement is that Comey responded to a threat of mutiny within the FBI. A November 3rd Washington Post article indicated that Comey's action was the result of a long-standing feud between New York FBI agents and their bosses in Washington. The article indicated that some rogue agents were about to leak information about the Weiner email trove and, therefore, Comey's announcement was forced. (News reports indicated that Comey acted against the advice of the top leaders of the Justice Department and, perhaps, a violation of the "Hatch Act.")
In a November 5th interview, Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate Tim Kaine suggested that, "there were people within the FBI actively working... to try to help the Trump campaign." Kaine tied these FBI agents to Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York and a Trump-lieutenant.
3. A political explanation is that Comey deliberately tried to affect the presidential election. There is a connection between Comey and the Trump campaign and the conduit is Rudy Giuliani. In 1983, Giuliani was appointed U.S. Attorney for the southern district of New York. In 1987, Giuliani hired Comey as his assistant. Comey worked directly with Giuliani for three years. (From 2002-2003, Comey served in Giuliani's former position as U.S. Attorney for the southern district of New York.)
On October 25th, when discussing the state of the Trump campaign on Fox & Friends, Giuliani said, "We got a couple of surprises left." On November 4th, once again speaking on Fox News, Giuliani confirmed that he knew about the FBI investigation into Anthony Weiner's email trove -- "Did I hear about it? You're darn right I heard about it."
Whatever the reason for FBI Director Comey's October 29th announcement there is no doubt that it impacted the election. According to the 538 website, on October 29th Hillary Clinton had an 80 percent chance of winning the election; on November 6th she had a 66 percent chance. (During the same period her margin in the polls diminished by roughly two percentage points.) Comey's announcement not only impacted the Clinton-Trump race but also down-ballot races for control of the Senate and House.
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Santorini's buildings are white and blue, the colors of the Greek flag.
The island's snow-capped peaks come into sight from your cruise ship about an hour before docking at Santorini. Snow capped? Closer in, the peaks turn out to be hillsides full of whitewashed homes, shops and churches, accented here and there in blue. But chances are you'll be oohing and aahing at something else during your stay on Santorini.
Think of a mountainous, moon-shaped island about 8 miles wide. Then imagine the island re-shaped like a crescent, with its whole left side gone. Some 3,600 years ago, that's what happened to the Minoan island of Thera when a giant volcano blew its lid right through that dot in the Aegean Sea.
Guests tender ashore from a 148-passenger Windstar Cruises luxury sailing ship.
Seawater filled the gap left by the blast, creating a lagoon about twice the size of the Las Vegas strip. Sheared off by the explosion, cliffs a thousand feet high were left edging three sides of the lagoon.
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The island's hillsides are a labyrinth of pathways.
Geologists say the eruption created a tsunami wave that was so big - perhaps the height of a 16-story building - that it wiped out large areas of Crete (70 miles away) and went on to tear up the beaches at spots as far away as the Israeli coast.
Fast forward to today, and the island of Thera, now Santorini, is again triggering tsunamis. Only now they're headed the other way, bringing tidal waves of tourists to the island on planes, cruise ships and water ferries.
A cable car near the dock area whisks visitors up the cliffs to the island's main city at Fira in just a few minutes. Or you can walk up 588 steep, zig-zagging steps. Or ride up the steps on donkeys. A tip: Take the cable car.
Santorini's shops specialize in locally made jewelry.
During the summer it's not unusual to see cruise ships anchored all over the lagoon while regularly scheduled jet flights from Athens (about a 40-minute hop) zip overhead to the Santorini airport. On peak travel days the scheduled flights are joined by charter jets from all over Europe.
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Little did the ancient Minoans know that their big blast would someday create big-time tourism.
Today, looking down at the lagoon's bluer-than-blue waters from atop the cliffs at Fira, you get the feeling you're on another planet - if you can ignore the mobs of tourists meandering around.
Tour guides say Santorini could have been Plato's legendary island of Atlantis.
Winding through the city are narrow lanes lined by wall-to-wall shops offering exquisite jewelry, classic Greek pottery and hand-woven clothing. You'll also find plenty of bars and outdoor restaurants up there, typically with views of the 8-mile-long lagoon. The better the view, the steeper the prices. There's one time of the day when patrons are willing to pay just about anything for an outside seat at Fira or the nearby town of Oia: at sunset, when spectacular, sherbet-colored skies fill the heavens over the lagoon and as far as you can see beyond that.
History buffs can opt for a tour of the 40-mile-long island on buses leaving from the dock area. Along the way, guides point out remains of the days when Santorini was a colony of the Minoans, then of the Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Franks, Venetians (who named the island Santorini after Saint Irene) and the Turks. Santorini hooked up with Greece again in 1912.
The bus tours end in a hair-raising drive up the narrow, winding mountain roads to Fira (from which most tourists take the cable car back down to the docks).
Iconic Santorini is built on the highest rim of the island's caldera. Photo courtesy of Iconic Santorini.
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Staying there: Visitors have a choice of 150 or so places to bed down around the island. They range from upscale hotels with stunning views of the lagoon such as the award-winning Iconic Santorini featuring 22 cave-like guest rooms to older, view-less inns for as little as $50 a night.
More information: Visit the Cyclade Islands at the Greek National Tourism Organisation.
Washington's pre-election buzz is swirling with rumors about who might get what job in the new administration. Vice President Joe Biden is widely tipped to become the new Secretary of State if there's another Clinton presidency.
My favorite? Elizabeth McCord, Secretary of State played by Tea Leoni in the popular CBS Madam Secretary series. She asks the right questions about Washington's repressive friends in Bahrain. Last month in the Sea Change episode she asked why the dictatorship is a U.S. ally, wondering aloud why the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet is based there, saying the "location of the base is further evidence that we're stuck in old thinking. Why are we still in Bahrain at all? Why should the U.S. spend its blood and treasure in the Persian Gulf, aiding and defending states with atrocious human rights records, while countries like Tunisia--who actually share our values--go unaided?"
Good on ya, Dr. McCord. Sadly only a TV character, she said the sorts of things real-life Secretary Kerry ought to be proposing. Kerry's not short of a good lines on human rights rhetoric, including the staggering claim made during his January 2013 nomination hearing in the Senate when he declared, "People all over the world are looking to the United States for leadership. We are known as the indispensable nation for good reason. No nation has more opportunity to advance the cause of democracy and no nation is as committed to the cause of human rights as we are."
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It's quite a statement, that no country is as committed to human rights as the United States. It was made without exceptions or conditions--Kerry didn't say "we're mostly committed but not in Bahrain or Egypt or Ethiopia or the other difficult places."
But Kerry's State Department has consistently failed when it comes to standing up to the repression of its allies. State Department officials' fingers are sore from hand-wringing about the jailing of dissidents in Bahrain but that's not helping much, and U.S. strategy on Bahrain is the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 of the foreign policy world--shockingly dangerous and in drastic need of a recall.
Yes, Bahrain hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet and there is a long-standing military relationship between the Pentagon and Manama. Yes, this is a hard test of the values the Obama Administration claims to promote. But that's all the more reason why the human rights and democracy talk shouldn't be junked in favor of short-term military co-operation.
Intense targeting of human rights activists and peaceful opposition leaders over the last five months has prompted some protests from the State Department but hasn't led to any real consequences for the cozy relationship with the monarchy's ruling family. Leading human rights defenders have now been forced into exile or prison, with virtually no room now left for peaceful dissent.
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It would be great if life imitated art on U.S. foreign policy, because Madam Secretary's scriptwriters seem to have a much better grasp of what's needed than the Obama Administration does, raising the right issues and posing the right questions about what America thinks it stands for.
McCord nailed in it the episode aired October 2, insisting "Bahrain has nothing to do with our strategy to fight terrorism. And we need to be honest with ourselves about the real challenges we face, or we are going to face a future with more and more American lives sacrificed, and for what? ... I mean, exactly when did the United States start making every decision based on strategic and politically expedient reasons?"
By Kica Matos and Whitney Shepard
As the pollsters read their tea leaves and reassure us that we will likely escape a Trump presidency, notwithstanding the partisan political shenanigans of FBI Director James Comey, those of us who have been holding our breath find their words less comforting than we would have anticipated. There are many reasons why. Some of us are wary of the polls, and won't fully exhale until after November 8.
Others worry that even if we escape a Trump presidency, the damage that he has caused may have longstanding effects, setting back the clock and potentially undoing some of the progress that we have made on issues impacting women, immigrants and people of color in our country.
It may well be that Trump is just the poster-boy of the problem and the wave that gave him fame will come crashing down. But even if it does, one thing is clear: there will be consequences, potentially deadly ones from Trump's Alt-Right parade. Already we have seen an emboldened right wing faction of the GOP; the heralding of white supremacist views, and an increase in the number of Americans joining white supremacist organizations. The acts of violence and harassment directed at people of color and women by Trump fanatics are indicators of just how deeply woven these problems are in our nation's fabric, and we need to prepare and commit ourselves to fighting against the mainstreaming of hate in our country championed by a Trump candidacy.
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We know that racism in this country did not come with the rise of Trump, nor will it go with his demise. The danger of Trump however, has been the relentless marketing and normalizing of hate speech that play upon played-out racial tropes and myths that demonize and dehumanize people of color. He has blown air into white supremacist narratives while inciting further violence and discrimination against non-whites. He has upped the ante, encouraging the alt-right trolls that formerly operated in the confines of extreme right wing websites and comment fields to come out and spread the gospel of hate.
Former KKK grand wizard David Duke, who has repeatedly elevated Trump and his views while campaigning for a Senate seat, has gone as far as to say that he is "overjoyed to see Donald Trump and most Americans embrace most of the issues I've championed for years."
Trump is a business man, and he has chosen the strategy of unapologetically pandering to the more radical arms of his base and excluding moderate voters in a faulty calculation that will surely cost him the election. The populism he has spurred has exposed a national fault line, but as we know, with every crisis comes an opportunity to rebuild stronger and smarter than the last time. When the wave of Trumpism crashes, we in the progressive sphere need to think strategically on where we can channel the displaced energy and hunger for change that he's unintentionally riled up. After all, many of Trump's supporters are frustrated with the political process and the GOP in general, and do not trust them to represent their needs; a critique that's not far from those who feel marginalized within the Democratic Party, such as young black millennials.
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To achieve this capturing of defeated energy from Trump's base and the antipathy of black millennials and channel it into positive change will require robust organizing and a shifting of the narrative with a strong racial and economic analysis around key issues. To be clear, this is a long-term process. But in the meantime, it is not enough to roll our eyes at the incendiary nonsense that spews out of Trump's mouth, or shudder at the hatred that seems to ooze from his pores. We must take seriously the dangerous lynch mob mentality that he ignites and supports, as our communities know far too well the harmful consequences.
As part of a short and long term strategy, we must continue to expose the violence and hatred that Trump has catalyzed, not only to guarantee he stays out of office, but to make sure that we eradicate it. Between now and the elections, we must continue to tirelessly knock on doors, aggressively pushing our get out the vote efforts. We must do this on behalf of individuals like seven-year-old Abdul Usmani who was assaulted by five of his class mates for being Muslim. We must do this with and for the African-
American woman who was harassed while waiting for a taxi being told "Trump is going to win and if you don't like it, I'm going to beat your ass". And as we vote, we must think of the homeless Latino man in Boston who was beaten and urinated on by Trump supporters as they made pro Trump and anti-immigrant comments.
And after the elections, we must be prepared to defend against policies that will likely emerge in Congress and state legislatures around the country aimed at curbing the rights of women, Muslims, immigrants and people of color. The fight will and must continue.
We do not have a magic crystal ball that can tell us how, when, and where the Trump Wave will crash. But this much we know: in the new post-election America, we must work hard to make the man and his views a regrettable part of history and move more powerfully together towards a brighter future for all.
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So, times are contentious right now....true enough. But I have heard some say that tensions and divisions have never been higher in U.S. history...and that is patently false. After all, during the US Civil War (1861-1865) some 620,000 to 750,000 soldiers died (that's a combined estimated total of the Union and Confederate soldiers), with so many civilians also caught in the cross-fire. Therefore, there have been much tougher times in the history of our country, with our own Civil War being the showcase example of that.
But it is an act of great *civility* and *humanity* which is portrayed via a Bronze Statue in Fredericksburg, Virginia that models something important for us to remember...and to replicate...in the immediate wake of the 2016 Presidential election, and in the days, weeks, and months that shall follow. Depicted in that bronze is Sergeant Richard R. Kirkland and a fellow soldier, his enemy.
The Battle of Fredericksburg (1862) was a terribly bloody battle, with the Confederates holding Marye's Heights and the Union attempting to ascend the great hill and take it. It was a bloodbath. Confederate sharpshooters decimated the Union soldiers, with dead and wounded covering much of the ground around the hill. For two days following the battle, Union soldiers, caught between the lines, were calling out for water. But none could be brought to them, as it would have been suicide for a Union soldier to attempt to do this.
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And then something beautiful, kind, and almost miraculous happened.....Sergeant Richard Kirkland, a South Carolinian, filled up several canteens with water, stepped over the stone wall separating the Union and Confederate soldiers, and for two hours he brought water to his enemies, the wounded Union soldiers. It was an act of great civility, courage (for at first he was shot at by Union soldiers), and utter humanity. Sergeant Kirkland has since been known (even immediately, by soldiers on both sides) as 'The Angel of Marye's Heights.' Rightfully so. An angel he was and shall ever be. This Michigander, now living in Virginia, is very grateful to the blessed Sergeant.
As fate would have it, Sergeant Kirkland died in battle at Chickamauga, Georgia, in September 1863. Some might suggest that he was foolish for helping his enemies in Fredericksburg. I think not. Rather, I believe that because of his great humanity, he has established a high water mark for courage, kindness, civility, and humanity...during even the most difficult of times.
I voted. You voted. Perhaps you and I voted for the same candidate. Perhaps we didn't. Perhaps you think I'm wrong. Perhaps I think you're wrong. That's the nature of democracy. But in these difficult times, I believe the model of Sergeant Kirkland is instructive. I believe we can learn from him. Indeed, at the end of the day, I believe that the 'Angel of Marye's Heights,' Richard Kirkland, is a model of grace, dignity, and humanity.
This is a type of monthly "calendar" post, with thoughts about some events--some widely-known, some less so--that took place in our world during the month that passed and which could be factors in how the world continues to evolve.
MEET THE "NEW FUNNY GUYS" OF ASIA
Rodrigo Duterte, the new president of Philippines for the next six years, is already known to most of us. He became known around the world for his extreme statements about President Obama--that resembled street language more than official comment--but also more formal ones about rejecting the EDCA (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement) that, according to him, makes his country looks like an American colony or, as he described it, a "chained dog". His words were clear enough: "I look forward to the time when I no longer see any military troops or soldier in my country except the Filipino soldiers. "
Only time will tell what this hostile attitude towards the U.S. and its interests might mean. And it may turn out to be significant in an area where the Philippines has a "gatekeeper"-type role for the Malacca straits--a very crucial sea path on commercial and military level for US interests.
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With this being the case in the Philippines, the emerging need for inspired leaders who will contribute on preserving the stability in the region is understandable.
In this frame of thought, the of royal succesion in Thailand sounds like a bad joke. No one can predict what can we expect from the heir to the Thai throne, Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. Apart from his poor taste and fashion choices, there are a lot of incidents that lead to the conclusion that we may be dealing with a disturbed and dysfunctional personality.
One of the most characteristic, and at the same time most ridiculous, case, involves a sweet poodle by the name Foo Foo. That poodle belonged to the heir and he appointed it an Air Marshall (!). A video of that poodle that went viral included the Prince's third wife topless sharing her birthday cake with Foo Foo. Foo Foo died last year and a four-day funeral organized to pay last respects.
The dog is dead. Long live the dog!!
THE BOB DYLAN CASE
The Swedish Academy's decision to award Bob Dylan with the Nobel Prize for Literature gave a lot of music industry people and fans great pleasure. But there were also negative reactions.
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The Academy stated "Bob Dylan created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."
Some this was criticized from a caste of people who harbor illusions of having a de facto sense of what art is about and who is or isn't a genuine artists with the ability to express it. For those people, the award that Bob Dylan received-- - along with the popularity of this decision--was a red flag. Obviously, the critics ignoring a basic unwritten law for all expressions of art: its mission to express and elevate the human spirit. And Bob Dylan has been doing that for decades.
Their rationale that there are other artists who are at least Dylan's equals and who deserved the Nobel doesn't stand. I guess that the same is true of all Nobels in their respective fields.
There is other negative criticism, too, but this is from people focused on Dylan's anti-Palestinian attitude for the support he gave to Israel with songs like "The Neighborhood Bully"
Yet in the face of all the criticism and these people, including ones who found his silence after the award's announcement as arrogant, Bob Dylan has maintained a pretty cool and calm attitude. Indeed, he may even be humming some of his lyrics:
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"I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes, and just for that one moment I could be you. Yes, I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes, you'd know what a drag it is to see you"
WHEN PEOPLE REJECT (WHAT WE LEARNED FROM FARC PEACE DEAL FAILURE)
The biggest lesson we learned this month came from the people of Colombia and their rejection of the peace treaty between FARC-EP and the Colombian government. It was that the wounds of a war that's ongoing for years are not healed easily.
The international community welcomed the peace treaty warmly, but the people of Colombia did not share this enthusiasm.
A careful reading of the results of the referendum on the peace treaty suggests that the regions that had the greatest impact on the final result are mostly areas like Casanare where the members of FARC-EP were extorting and blackmailing the local farmers and landowners for decades. These areas, along with regions where former president Uribe--one of the opponents of the peace treaty--still enjoys high popularity, turned out to be significant factors for the rejection of the treaty.
Co-authored with Jonathan D. Greenberg
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In his First Inaugural address, Abraham Lincoln implored us to be guided by "the better angels of our nature." Following them, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. But Reconstruction was followed by a hundred years of black codes, Jim Crow, and KKK terror across the former Confederate states.
On February 12 1958, in an address launching the Southern Christian Leadership Conference "Crusade for Citizenship" on the anniversary of Lincoln's birth, Martin Luther King, Jr. honored the memory of those he called "the sacred martyrs": "The Reverend George Washington Lee shot and killed in Mississippi; Mr. and Mrs. Harry Moore, bombed and murdered here in Florida; Emmett Till, a mere boy, unqualified to vote, but seemingly used as a victim to terrorize Negro citizens and keep them from the polls."
On a brilliant Wednesday, August 28, 1963 - one century after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued - hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered at at the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington. Echoing Lincoln's inaugural address, King emphasized the stark choice before the American people. "It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment," King said.
He meant it literally.
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Just weeks before, Medgar Evers had been shot in the back by a KKK assassin outside his home. On September 15, three weeks after Dr. King shared his dream, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley were killed in the KKK bombing of Birmingham's Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Virgil Lamar Ware, riding on the handlebars of his brother's bike, was murdered by Birmingham segregationists that same afternoon.
In 1964 and 1965 when the SCLC, SNCC and CORE launched major voter registration campaigns throughout the south, the killings escalated. The names of those who died in the struggle for voting rights and racial justice, inscribed at the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, https://www.splcenter.org/what-we-do/civil-rights-memorial/civil-rights-martyrs, include:
Louis Allen, shot in Liberty, Mississippi on January 31, 1964. Johnnie Mae Chappell, shot in Jacksonville Florida, on March 23. "Her killers were white men looking for a black person to shoot following a day of racial unrest."
Reverend Bruce Klunder, a civil rights activist, crushed to death in Cleveland, Ohio on April 7.
Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, murdered by Klansmen in Meadville, Mississippi, on May 2.
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James Earl Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, murdered by Klansmen
outside Philadelphia, Mississippi on June 21.
Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn, murdered by Klansmen in Colbert, Georgia, on July 11.
Jimmie Lee Jackson, "beaten and shot by state troopers as he tried to protect his grandfather and mother from a trooper attack on civil rights marchers," Marion, Alabama, February 26, 1965.
Reverend James Reeb, beaten to death after marching in Selma, Alabama on March 11.
Viola Liuzzo, "ferrying marchers between Selma and Montgomery when she was shot and killed by a Klansmen in a passing car" on March 25.
Oneal Moore, one of the first black deputies hired in a white police force in Bogalusa, Louisiana. "Moore and his partner, Creed Rogers, were on patrol when they were blasted with gunfire from a passing car." Moore was killed, and Rogers wounded, on June 2.
Willie Brewster, killed in Anniston, Alabama by members of the neo-Nazi National States Rights Party on July 18.
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Jonathan Myrick Daniels, a voting rights worker, murdered in Hayneville Alabama by a deputy sheriff who'd held him in custody, on August 20.
Samuel Leamon Younge Jr., a student civil rights activist shot in the head by a gas station owner following an argument about the station's "whites only" restroom, in Tuskegee Alabama, on January 3, 1966.
Vernon Ferdinand Dahmer, a businessman in Hattiesburg, Mississippi had "offered to pay poll taxes for those who couldn't afford the fee required to vote." Dahmer was burned to death on January 10, when his house was firebombed after his efforts on behalf of black voters were publicized on a local radio station.
Ben Chester White "was murdered by Klansmen who thought they could divert attention from a civil rights march by killing a black person," in Natchez, Mississippi on June 10.
Clarence Triggs was a bricklayer who had attended civil rights meetings sponsored by the Congress of Racial Equality. "He was found dead on a roadside, shot through the head," in Bogalusa, Louisiana on July 30.
Wharlest Jackson, the treasurer of his local NAACP chapter, targeted by the Klan. Jackson was murdered by a bomb planted in his car, in Natchez, Mississippi, on February 27.
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Benjamin Brown, a former civil rights organizer in Jackson, Mississippi, was killed when police fired into a crowd assembled to support a student protest, on May 12.
Samuel Ephesians Hammond Jr., Delano Herman Middleton and Henry Ezekial Smith were killed by police who fired on student civil rights demonstrators at the South Carolina State College campus in Orangeburg, South Carolina on February 8, 1968.
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968.
Our sacred martyrs include countless others, named and unnamed in our nation's history books, including four thousand souls who had been lynched by the KKK and other white supremacist groups.
We remember them. We honor them. Their deaths occurred at different times during the 20th Century. Today, in this, our 21st Century, after the election and reelection of Barack Hussein Obama, as the 47th and first African American President of the United States, we are confronted with a resurgence of wide spread gun violence. This has occurred and persists, acutely within, but not just solely, African American communities in addition to the continued exercise of lethal force, as the the first option by police, in seeking to arrest an African American or other person of color.
Accordingly, as this tormented election season draws to a close, we believe it would be immoral and for us to overlook the special urgency of this moment. In the words of one of the stanza's from "LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING, (W)e have come over a way with tears have been watered. We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered."
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Decency and morality, therefore, require us to acknowledged in reverence and respect those who died seeking justice before this week's national presidential election:
We remember the black and brown men, women and children who died by means of excessive police force, or while in police custody, including Jonathan Ferrell, John Crawford, Ezell Ford, Laquan McDonald, Akai Gurley, Tamir Rice, Eric Harris, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, Samuel DuBose, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and many others whose names we do not know.
We remember Rafael Ramos, Wenjian Liu, Lorne Ahrens, Wenjian Liu, Michael Krol, Rafael Ramos, Michael Smith, Brent Thompson, Patrick Zamarripa, Anthony Beminio and Justin Martin, police officers killed in New York City, Dallas and Des Moines, Iowa, respectively, during the months of this election campaign, by gunmen who had scorned Dr. King's call to nonviolence, negotiation and dialogue.
Martin Luther King, Jr. urged Americans to renounce violence. Forsake the bullet, he preached. Fight for the ballot -- and secure political representation and human rights by its exercise.
He regarded voting as the political and moral obligation of all citizens. Not voting was an anathema to him.
In a radio address before the 1964 presidential election, for example, King implored all citizens to register and vote, reminding Americans that "[i]t is a part of the history of democracies that men have fought and bled and died to win the right to vote."
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As we approach Tuesday's immensely consequential election, again, at the risk of redundancy, we call everyone' attention to the historically important crossroad confronting our nation when the opportunity is again presented to us to choose our next President of the United States.
Donald Trump represents the antithesis of Martin Luther King, Jr. Trump's campaign has energized white nationalists hate groups throughout our country. Neglecting to vote, or voting for a third party, marginally increases the chance that Donald Trump will become President, turning Martin Luther King's dream into a nightmare of suffering. Tuesday is our last chance to prevent the immeasurable catastrophe of a Trump presidency.
At this fateful juncture in our history, complacency and nihilism are poison. Curses upon both houses, so-called protest votes -- these are self- indulgences. The fate of our nation, and the world, depends on your vote.
A decision not to cast a ballot this year at all would dishonor the memory of our sacred martyrs, Americans who fought and bled and died to win the right to vote, including Dr. King himself.
Now is the time to honor the better angels that Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. called us to follow.
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Regardless who wins the Presidential race, the one issue that is still the most important to all Americans is the economy. In a new study by Gallup, Americans cited "the Economy in general" as the most important problem facing our country today and they've responded the same way since at least the year 2000. Millions of Americans are still unemployed after the recession of 2008, while others are either unemployed or have given up completely for searching for a job because they have been out of a job for months. When you're unemployed, you lose confidence, power in the employment market and you become depressed, which impacts your personal life. In some cities, such as New York and San Francisco, unemployment means you can't afford to live in the city anymore. While these cities have an abundance of jobs, there's also a monetary barrier that people can't break through so it limits their ability to make affordable wages.
Those that are unemployed are much more likely to vote on the basis of which presidential candidate is better for the economy, than who is more likeable, because they are feeling the pain everyday of not having a job. In a recent PRRI/Brookings survey, they found that 65 percent of Americans are at least somewhat worried that they or a family member will become unemployed and 70 percent still believe we are in a recession. These views, much like with the Gallup study, have been consistent over the past four years, yet our candidates haven't focused enough on American economic concerns. The economy is such a big issue because it's connected to several other issues that Americans care about and that have been at the forefront of both campaigns, including immigration, trade and income inequality.
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Despite Americans believe we are still in a recession, it's hard to argue that the economy is healthier than it was before Obama became president. The unemployment rate back after the recession in 2009 was 9.8 percent and it has shrunk to 5 percent in the same month in 2016. While this number indicates that we have seen an improvement in our economy, not all American's have felt that progress. Millennials are making 11 percent less than their counterparts back in 1980, which is the equivalent of $3,131 less on average. By coincidence, Millennials have more voting power in the 2016 elections and are yet the most misunderstood and have suffered the most. This is why you see politicians trying to win them over and they need to not just for this election, but for all future ones as they age.
Immigration became the biggest issue of this presidential race after Donald Trump pronounced that he would "build a wall" to keep illegal immigrants out of the country. While many Americans fear immigrants taking our jobs, the reality is that they are taking jobs we no longer want. The PRRI/Brookings survey found that 68 percent of Americans say new immigrants mostly take jobs they don't want, while only 25 percent that they take jobs they want. Think about all the construction workers, or the secretaries at hospitals, who are all immigrants that do hard work for little pay but improve our lives. Many successful entrepreneurs who have created jobs are also immigrants, including the founder of Google, Intel and eBay. In fact, immigrants or their children have founded 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies. Immigration is good for our economy because it enables our companies be competitive and creates more jobs that American's actually want.
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Globalization is another topic that concerns Americans because they fear they will lose jobs to other countries. For instance, the American goods trade deficit with countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement cost us two million jobs last year. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump have come out against the TPP, while Hilary Clinton moved her position from calling it the "gold standard" to saying that she's against it. Sanders, for one, believes that the TPP will create more outsourcing of jobs and drive down wages and benefits. It's predicted that America will lose nearly half a million jobs in the next nine years. Americans will continue to care about the ramifications of the TPP as it relates to their employment situation and the pressure to compete in a world that's becoming more connected.
The other major economic issue that has really surfaced during this election, especially with the Bernie Sanders campaign, is income inequality. "A nation will not survive morally or economically when so few have so much, while so many have so little," said Sanders. Just because the unemployment rate has improved doesn't mean that people feel that they are being compensated fairly. Part of why Mitt Romney lost the last election was because of his comments to donors about how 47 percent of Americans are dependent on government and that he would "never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives". Furthermore, the CEO-to-worker pay is currently 354-to-1, up from 20-to-1 fifty years ago and the wealth gap continues to increase in American households.
As technology continues to advance and more companies become competent at using it to market their product or services, it becomes more critical to have a website that really performs. Consumers are not only looking to company websites for information, but utilizing online sites to schedule appointments, make decisions about where they will work and do business, buy products, and more.
What used to be the benchmark has become the norm. This means it is time to establish a new goal post; what can you do to set the bar high in your industry?
The Downsides of a Dull Website
Because consumers are using a company's website to make decisions about who they work with, a dull website can be detrimental to the success of your company. According to a survey conducted by BrightLocal.com, 66% of consumers believe that credible companies have a good website and are more likely to trust and do business with vendors that have a quality website. According to these survey results, then, your web presence is a direct reflection of your credibility. This is perhaps the most personal hit you take when your website is dull. Other downsides of a boring website include:
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Subpar lead generation results. A dull website will drive your customers right into the arms of your competitors (especially if your competitors' websites are up to par where yours is lacking). The fastest way to lose leads is to fail to provide a quick, simple way for potential clients to contact you.
A dull website will drive your customers right into the arms of your competitors (especially if your competitors' websites are up to par where yours is lacking). The fastest way to lose leads is to fail to provide a quick, simple way for potential clients to contact you. Decreased exposure. Your website has to be both informative, relevant, and credible in order to show up on the first or second page of Google's search results when potential customers run related queries. If your website does not have enough quality content paired with a preferred domain and other important factors, potential customers may never see it in the first place.
Your website has to be both informative, relevant, and credible in order to show up on the first or second page of Google's search results when potential customers run related queries. If your website does not have enough quality content paired with a preferred domain and other important factors, potential customers may never see it in the first place. A bad reputation. If the news on your web page is outdated, consumers assume your company is behind the times and lacking innovation and growth. If your website is difficult to navigate, confusing, and not user-friendly, buyers assume your company is inefficient and perhaps even not interested in or focused on the needs of new consumers. If your website fails to provide easy means of communication, customers may believe you will be unresponsive in a business relationship as well.
There is a direct correlation between the quality of your website's presentation and its impact on sales. Typically, the opportunity cost of having a boring website outweighs the actual cost of a full website facelift. In other words, businesses simply cannot afford to keep their dull, outdated website. Instead, they are better off investing their money in creative and original web design that will bring them the right customers.
How to Identify a Dull and Lackluster Website
Because many business owners and marketing managers feel a sense of pride and accomplishment associated with their website design, it is easy to become miss major issues with your site that can have a negative impact on your company. These tips can help you identify an outdated, dull, or lackluster website so you can begin strategizing for improvement and resulting business growth.
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Compare your website against competitors. Is your web design clean, sleek, simple, and relevant in comparison to theirs? Does yours provide similar high-level content (perhaps whitepapers, if industry appropriate)? Is yours as easy to navigate? Does it provide the same level of transparency and information for client reference? If you notice a significant difference between the overall attractiveness and user-friendliness of their site and yours, it is a strong indication that you need to invest in an upgrade and update.
Keep a close eye on Google Analytics. A regular audit of activity on your website can help you identify which pages are showing up the most frequently in search results and which pages get the most web traffic. Data within your Google Analytics dashboard can also show which pages are not attracting visitors and which pages visitors view before they leave. Carefully review this data; it can provide you with invaluable insight regarding the quality and attractiveness of your website as a whole as well as each individual page. Evaluate differences between high-performing pages and low-performing pages to identify design tactics that are working.
Do a test run. Consider the questions most consumers are looking to answer when they visit a website:
Where are you located?
What do you do?
Who will I be working with?
Are you credible?
How much does it cost?
How do I get a hold of you?
In some industries, customers may also visit your website in search of quality, informative content and an expert opinion. Customize the list of questions for your industry and take another look at your website. How many of these questions can be answered with one click or less? How thorough are the answers? Ask a friend to do the same; they may be able to identify inconveniences that you miss due to your comfort and familiarity with the site. They can also provide you with helpful feedback regarding design and layout.
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Check for brand identity. Does every page on your website reflect your core brand identity? When you move from one page to the next, can you tell that you are on the same website? Is there continuity throughout? In order to have the most impact, the content should change but the overall visual impact the page has on its viewers should not.
In-House Web Design & Development vs. Outsourcing
Now that you have identified that your website needs to be updated -- both initially and consistently going forward -- in order to stay competitive in a tight and quickly moving environment, you are tasked with deciding whether to establish an in-house web design and development team or outsource your website management needs. Both options have pros and cons.
The Pros and Cons of an In-House Web Design Team
The primary pros associated with developing your own in-house team include the team's brand knowledge and the assumed cost savings over outsourcing a full rebuild. However, consider the following factors:
What does the talent pool in your region look like? How competitive are area employers? This may impact your ability to recruit and maintain talent as well as the expense involved in both.
What is the total annual cost of the team when you calculate things such as benefits, training, and office space? In many cases, maintaining your own team may not prove to be a cost savings in the long run when you consider the overall financial liability.
What long-term investment will be required to keep your in-house team current on changing trends and technologies? Because technology is always changing, it is important to factor in the cost and feasibility of ongoing training.
Who should you hire? It is unlikely that any single hire could handle all aspects of your rebuild; they might do well with design but not code or vice versa. Even small companies may need to budget for at least two hires if they are not ready to outsource.
The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Web Design and Development
Companies flirting with the idea of outsourcing often worry about two primary factors: 1) the cost, and 2) that your vendor may not understand your brand or accurately demonstrate its core values. While these concerns are well-founded, consider the following factors when you think about outsourcing:
When you choose a web design and development company, you gain instant access to an entire team of professionals, which means expert coders, web designers, branding experts, and more, so you do not have to choose which to go without or how to make up for lack of knowledge or experience in one important discipline.
When you outsource, "firing" a company that is not working out is much easier and less risky than firing an employee who is not working out. Additionally, you only pay when services are needed.
Outsourcing companies invest in the best technology available. The benefits of advanced technology are passed directly onto you, and your platform may be updated and upgraded automatically when changes occur. By outsourcing, you gain access to world-class technological capabilities.
The cost of outsourcing is often less expensive than hiring, especially when you factor in the hidden costs of hiring and retaining employees. When you outsource, you pay only when you have a project, but when you hire, you pay indefinitely regardless of need or output.
One factor that can help you choose between establishing an in-house team and outsourcing your web development is the size of your company. For many small to mid-sized companies, outsourcing is the best option hands down. Large companies might find that the cost and maintenance of an in-house team are more feasible if there are sufficient management resources to oversee the team too.
What Your Website Should Communicate to Customers
We already discussed some of the basic items consumers are looking for when they visit your website, including address, prices, and contact information. However, a truly engaging website communicates much more.
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By including company values on your website, you communicate your commitment to excellence, one crucial component at a time. A central place should share your company values and your web content should consistently support and demonstrate your commitment to those values. For example, if social good is a core priority, a blog post about your sponsorship of a local non-profit might be a great way to show that there is action behind each value.
Sharing the company mission and vision on your website communicates what you do, how you do it, and why you do it. It helps your customers understand the driving factors behind your business and may improve their perception of your credibility.
Publishing industry-specific knowledge establishes you as an expert in the industry and attracts new sales leads. By publishing articles, blog posts, and whitepapers frequently, you increase your odds of showing up in search results and exposing a larger audience to the product or service you sell.
When Christine Delvecchio of All American Screen Printing, a small business based out of Sterling Heights, Michigan with 15 employees, decided it was time to overhaul her business' web presence, she turned to our team at Big Drop Inc. to design a website that would "reflect a local business where we welcome and want our customers to 'Come See Us' face to face, tour our factory, and meet the crew. We build relationships with our customers (old school and we like it that way)." Before committing to working with us though, Delvecchio was concerned about cost. But she reasoned, ""The Web is essentially the front door to your business these days so it must be great. What's the cost of an excellent website versus the cost of losing potential customers within a few seconds of them visiting your site?" Together, we worked with Delvecchio to build a website experience that mirrored exactly what customers could see and feel when they visited the All American Screen Printing facility. And because of that, there are no surprises. Customers are fully informed about the company's offerings and how their orders would be fulfilled.
How a Better Website Attracts Higher-Value Clients
The final component that many marketers and web designers neglect to consider is who your website is designed to attract. If you craft a compelling-enough website, you can target higher-value clients and grow your business exponentially.
Most websites are designed to attract all sorts of customers, however they are not particularly good at weeding out bad-fit clients. Although, if you hire an expert to design your website to target more desirable prospects, you can find better buyers who are easy to work with, who understand the value of the services you provide, are willing to pay a premium price for your services, and want to partner with you long-term.
These clients are often looking for a professionally designed website that shares expertise and extensive knowledge on niche topics. They also want to see live examples of deliverables you have created for other clients, which can help your buyer envision the potential outcomes from an engagement with your company too. The right web development company knows what high-end audiences want and how to provide it with solid web design.
For instance, when we, at Big Drop Inc., helped Delvecchio of All American Screen Printing relaunch her company's website, her business quickly began inbounding better customers. Delvecchio explains, "What we noticed within one week of the launch of our new website was that we were attracting a more elite client base. This is based on the immediate influx of quote inquiries and the particular area code that we wished we could serve but up to this point had not been able to reach. These are people who formerly were not willing to venture out of their particular area code that were impressed enough with our website to contact us. We literally celebrated here! Those curious few have since become customers -- and from there are making referrals."
Also, a quality web presence designs and packages your business' services in a visually appealing way. Video and audio clips that help clients visualize the partnership process and eventual outcome are often utilized to attract the right clients too.
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Key takeaways on bringing your boring website to life include:
A dull website directly impacts your reputation and bottom line. Customers will compare and contrast your website against that of competitors, and with your website offering the world a window into your business, along with a first impression of your products and services, you should make room in your budget for at least one annual website rebuild. Outsourcing for web design and development can be cost effective and give you access to the most current knowledge and technology. Your website should include your address, pricing information, a simple contact form, your mission statement, vision, and values. By investing in your website, you can change the kind of clients you attract and take your company and sales to new heights.
*****
It's November 6th. I'm sitting in my apartment. As I gaze out the window my view is filled with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Turning my eyes to the left I see the Freedom Tower.
In the background I hear CNN proclaiming the Republican presidential candidate's electoral path is getting easier.
Suddenly my stomach tightens, my fear heightens and my anger and disappointment grow. How can half the nation consider voting for the Republican candidate? I don't mention his name just as key republicans endorse him by saying they support their candidate -- yet refuse to use his name.
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As I look at Ellis Island, I think of it's amazing history that includes stops by my great grandparents and grandparents. How overjoyed they must have been to arrive in America -- the land of opportunity. The country where hard work and education would ensure their children of a better life.
I was lucky to come from an educated and socially responsible family that imbued me with the values I hold today.
I was always taught to respect others point of view. But now, in the 21st Century I am faced with a presidential candidate who defies, denigrates and virtually denies all the great progress this country has made economically, socially and in so many other ways. He and his party want to turn back the clock.
Despite his personal unpopularity he has a good chance of becoming the 45th president of the United States of America.
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Don't be fooled by polls that show Hillary Clinton with a very modest lead. Polls are not infallible and there exists an entire category of college educated individuals who won't admit they are voting for the Republican candidate. Anything can happen on election night.
Do you want a country that doesn't embrace diversity?
We are a country of immigrants. Yet his plan is to break up families and send hard working illegal aliens home by the millions! No path to citizenship for people who have lived here and contributed to the diverse mosaic that makes America the beacon of democracy and social justice.
A leader with a foul mouth and such thin skin that he tweets nasty insults at 3 a.m. in the morning.
A person who not only disrespects women but would work to take away control over their own bodies.
A man whose lack of knowledge pales compared to George W. Bush and is virtually non-existent when compared to Hillary Clinton a past Secretary of State, and two term New York Senator who was praised for her willingness to work across the aisle to pass vital legislation.
A man whose sole claim to the Presidency is that he is a successful business man and is from outside the system. Yet despite starting out with a million dollars he built an empire, much of it on the backs of small businessmen, many who he didn't pay or insisted they take less than what was promised them.
A man who boasts he used the system by declaring business bankruptcy four times -- just one more than his marriages.
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An alleged billionaire who is proud he legally paid no taxes for years.
A man who believes women should be punished for having abortions.
A man who believes what's the point in having nuclear weapons if you don't use them.
A man who wants to abolish the Affordable Care Act without a plan for replacing it.
A man who the Russian government hopes will become our president while it actively engages in hacking our computers and trying to derail the Clinton candidacy.
A man who personifies values that you deplore.
Finally a man who represents a party with a platform that if enacted would literally bring this nation and women's rights back to the nineteen fifties.
I've only listed a few of the deficits of this narcissistic individual who if elected president would plunge our nation into disarray and far worse.
I glance again at both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and remember all they stand for. I look left at the Freedom Tower and think of all the lives that were lost because of years of misguided foreign policies that encouraged terrorism.
If it's your desire to preserve a country where your children and all those you love will be encouraged to live their lives freely, and with the opportunity to learn and grow with their individual liberties intact, then it's time to act.
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If you want America to once again become a beacon of hope for all those who want a better life for their children. Then you must take action.
If you think the republican candidate will create the kind of country you want for your children vote for him.
On the other hand if Hillary Clinton embraces most of your values and you believe the Democrat platform will ensure growth and liberty for all -- get busy.
If you were one of the many Baby Boomer Bernie supporters like me and are considering sitting the election out -- don't. It will ensure a Republican victory. We will continue to push Bernie's agenda and Hillary will pay attention!
Our generation has not done a great job in stewarding the nation's political system. Sure many of us protested in the 1960's and 70's but then we stopped paying attention and our government became more and more unresponsive, polarized and special interests took over.
Let's get busy again. What kind of legacy do we want to leave? Time is running out!
Call everyone you know, particularly Bernie Sander's millennials who may feel disenfranchised and not vote. Make the case that all candidates are flawed but the Republican one is also dangerous to this nation.
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Call, vote and protect our liberty. Spread the word. The Republican is gaining ground. Don't let him win by default.
Vote early or on election day. Help keep America strong, progressive and humane!
Photo: 123rfm.com/Carsten Reisinger
Have You Done Everything You Can?
By Don C. Reed
As the frantic final hours tick away, here are some last-minute recommendations.
In addition to Hillary (of course!!!) I have seven SENATE suggestions: if you like any of them, please consider supporting him or her.
Missouri? Help Jason Kander, memorable as the man who can disassemble his rifle and then put it back together -- blindfolded -- plus he is a strong stem cell research supporter!
Also in Missouri, , I recommend Chris Koster for Governor: he respects the potential for stem cell research so much that he gave up being a Republican for it. That takes courage in red-state Missouri!
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Nevada: Catherine Cortez Masto is famous for fighting the big banks, winning (for Nevada) a $1.9 billion court settlement "in relief for struggling homeowners"!
Florida -- Patrick Murphy has been fighting a terrific battle against uphill odds. His opponent is Marco Rubio, the man Republicans will almost certainly run for President in 2020, so you can imagine the amount of money that has been thrown against Murphy's campaign! Patrick Murphy used science to rally the state against the Zika virus, recognizing that standing pools of water are breeding places for mosquitos which carry the virus.
Illinois: both candidates are strong stem cell supporters, so I have not taken a position -- but I can tell you I have sent $25 to Tammy Duckworth. Who could not honor the sacrifice of a woman who lost both her legs fighting for her country? Like Franklin D. Roosevelt, she will lead the country from a wheelchair -- and do it well.
New Hampshire: Maggie Hassan's race is crucial both for the Senate and the Presidency. The current governor of NH, Maggie Hassan is famous for being able to reach across the aisle for progress. Our new President will need that ability to overcome political opposition, and get things done.
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Pennsylvania: The daughter of a police officer and a restaurant waitress, Katie McGinty is a down to earth person; she also believes strongly in protecting the environment.
Wisconsin: Russ Feingold is not only one of the earliest supporters of stem cell research, but also a fighter for union rights. If you remember how unions brought about the minimum wage, over time pay, the 40-hour week and a lot more, you know why it is vital to have Russ Feingold in the Senate.
Folks, we are up against it now. The actions of these last few hours may swing the race. I ask you to do more of what you are already doing: to work beyond exhaustion. There will be time enough for rest when we have our President Hillary safe in the White House where she belongs.
So do everything you can; donate more than you can afford; drive your neighbors to the polls; and as you do, remember that great sentence in Shakespeare's HAMLET, the immortal "to be or not to be" speech, when he asks:
"...whether (it is) nobler in the mind to endure the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, end them."
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Let us end the Trump troubles before they take hold.
Photo: Maria Cannon, Adobe
We are just days away from the U.S. presidential election and I have mailed my ballot for the very first time since becoming a citizen. There could not be two more different candidates, but the one issue they do agree on is paid family leave - and that's encouraging.
It's hard to believe that the U.S. is the only country among 41 nations that does not mandate any paid leave for new parents, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The fact this issue is more front and center is due in part to companies taking initiative and spurring change with their own policies. I am proud Adobe was among the first tech companies to expand leave policies last year. We put this change in motion to help us attract and retain female employees, support working families, and ultimately to contribute to making our workforce more diverse. It went into effect last November, and we're already seeing positive results in the form of heartfelt appreciation from new parents and, most importantly, data that shows we're retaining more women after leave.
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Early returns
In fact, nearly 90 percent of women who took maternity leave in the U.S. over the past year returned to Adobe. That's up from 81 percent in 2014. I'd like to see that turn into 100 percent, but I am happy to see we're starting to see improvement.
Beyond the data, our leave program has been an important way to showcase commitment to and support for our employees. It is heartwarming to receive emails sharing how the extra time has been beneficial from a personal and professional perspective.
When Vanessa Schuet, a legal specialist at Adobe, emailed us with news about her new arrival she said, "The extra bonding time with my baby actually made it easier to come back to work since it gave me the extra time to understand my baby's needs and develop a routine. While I had a lot to worry about as a first time mom, I was really happy that I didn't have to worry about my income while bonding with my child."
Her note reinforces that when you can be your best at home, you will be your best at work. Improving family leave is the right thing to do for employees and the business, and we're eager to build on this early progress.
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Plans to expand
We've rolled enhanced leave in four countries so far (U.S., India, Australia, Japan) and will be expanding to eight additional countries by year-end. We are targeting locations where we have our largest population of employees, including China, France, Romania, UK, Switzerland, Germany and others. Many of these countries offer partial pay for family leave, but Adobe will work to ensure employees are paid 100 percent while out caring for their family.
Enhancing leave programs is just the start, though. Coming back to work can be challenging and our business moves fast. We're developing a program for returning employees to help with that change and welcome them back. This would enable flexible scheduling options for our employees as they re-enter the work environment.
We all can play a role
Foreign policy is traditionally not a focal issue of interest for the mass of American voters, and this campaign is no exception, with a Republican candidate whose interest in and knowledge of foreign affairs, including the Middle East is sub-zero, and a Democratic candidate, a former Secretary Of State, whose ideas about the Middle East, as were presented in the Presidential debates indicate deep detachment from realities. It is a sorry state of affairs, as regional issues will pile up on the desk at the Oval Office, not waiting to the formal inauguration on January 20 2017, and very prominent among them will be the Middle East with its myriad of conflicts. When dealing with the Middle East during the debates, there was no mention of Egypt,and this was a stark omission considering Egypt's centrality in Middle East politics.
It is the size of the population [90 million and counting], it is the role of Egypt in modern Arab politics, including being the birthplace of the Muslim Brotherhood, the mother of all the current Jihadist movements and in the rise of Pan-Arabism,the turn to the Soviet Union in the 1950's, and last, but surely not least, the Peace Treaty and on-going peace relations with Israel. Egypt is the most important Arab country in the Middle East, and consequently Egypt's near- falling to the Muslim Brotherhood in 2011-2013, could be the ONE most significant development turning the Arab Spring into an unstoppable Islamist tidal wave. Not that the early manifestations of the Arab Spring lived up to the initial talks about a new dawn of democracy in the Middle East, far from it, but Egypt being Islamist could have been an apocalypse now. This was averted through a coup d'etat, led by the Egyptian Army under then General, current President Al-Sisi Coup d'etat is not something to be cherished, but the one plus year of Muslim Brotherhood Presidency, under Muhammad Mursi was by far a less cherished situation. Ask the Christian Copts, for example, but not just them. Let us be blatantly honest here -the Egyptian Army intervened with an iron fist in order to save Egypt from complete chaos, and while it was not the stated aim of Al-Sisi and his colleagues, they saved the Middle East from a complete regional chaos. Anyone who thinks that we are witnessing now the pinnacle of mayhem in the Middle East, then think again. It could be far worse and can still be. Egypt is in bad economic shape, in fact, on the verge of an economic collapse, and this situation presents President Al-Sisi with a mortal threat. His regime can be the victim of popular discontent, and if it happens, the Middle East will be in big trouble with the reverberations strongly felt in Washington, DC.
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President Al-Sisi was deemed a great Egyptian reformer, in the tradition of earlier great Egyptian leaders, such as Muhammad Ali, Gamal Abd Al Nasser and Anwar Sadat, and the expectations were predicated on solid ground. He dared speak in public about the Jihadist Islam in a way unheard of before, he greatly and publicly improved the relations with Israel, he spoke about the need for economic liberalization, and altogether seemed to be focussed on solving domestic issues which seemed to be in the basis of the popular protest against both Mubarrak and Mursi, but things went wrong. The economy is fast deteriorating, with dramatic devaluation of the Egyptian currency, shortages of foodstuffs, major decline in tourism, as a result of the continuing terror campaign in the Sinai Peninsula, the core of the very vital tourist industry. The downing of the Russian plane and the on-going battles with Jihadists distance tourists from Egypt. These are immediate problems, which Al-Sisi seems unable to resolve. a To add up to this, the fundamentally structural economic problems, emanating from the population growth the massive urbanization and lack of employment opportunities for educated young professionals, and we get a very grim picture. Egypt needs international support, and the sooner the better.
The much-talked about agreement with the International Monetary Fund has to be signed quickly, and under conditions which will not compromise political stability in Egypt. The EU has to get engaged, and surely the US. The Obama Administration showed the cold shoulder to Al-Sisi, somehow being fascinated with the Muslim Brotherhood Al Mursi. The new administration, most likely, the Hillary Clinton Administration, should arrange emergency assistance to Egypt, and alongside them Saudi -Arabia and the other Gulf States should open their pockets. The survival of Al-Sisi is their utmost interest, and the price to pay for that, cannot be too cheap. Also Israel can assist in ways, which by necessity should remain discreet, but it is its supreme national security interest to do it, and when there is an interest and a will, there will be found the way.
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Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during a rally outside the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning November 7, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. / AFP / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
GOP presidential contender Donald Trump giddily and predictably wasted no time when FBI Director James Comey announced that the agency was looking at more Clinton emails. For the umpteenth time, Trump branded her a criminal and demanded that Americans not let her "criminal enterprise" into the Oval Office. No matter that Comey made it clear that there is no evidence at the moment that there was anything improper, let alone illegal, in the emails. But the revelation that the Feds were looking at them coming in the stretch run to the White House was more than enough to set off talk of the perennially mentioned October surprise that could derail a presidential candidate's presidential bid; in this case the candidate being Clinton.
Even if there is something amiss in the emails, it won't change the race's outcome. Trump's path to an electoral vote win was always dicey at best, but more likely, impossible. The big electoral states such as California, New York, Illinois, Maryland, Washington, and a handful of other less electoral rich states are solid lock down Democratic states. The six or seven key swing states that are crucial, either trend Democratic. In nearly all cases, they voted for President Obama in his election and re-election bids, and are almost certain to stay that way through Election Day.
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Having said that, the email flap just won't go away. This does pose something else that could be problematic for Clinton in the White House. That's turning the GOP into an even more ferocious, obstructionist, take-no-prisoners party that will wage open war against her administration. Trump and the GOP have hammered home the line that Clinton is shady, untrustworthy and, less charitably, a serial liar. It's had an effect. Her approval and popularity ratings have hovered just slightly above those of Trump. In some pithy polls, voters vote "neither" for and not for either her or Trump. The race to the bottom in the presidential campaign has been fed by the near fetish focus by much of the mainstream media and far too many pundits on the sex and corruption allegations against respectively Trump and Clinton.
The FBI's announcement of more email probes means that Clinton will have to take precious time out from her campaign focus on the issues that should and do really matter to again answer questions about what she did and why she did it with her emails. Reporters will shout this at her no matter what point she's trying to make about jobs, health care, or a foreign policy matter.
Once in the Oval office, this fetish isn't likely to end, Trump and the GOP will see to that. The opening salvo came from Arizona Senator John McCain when he saber rattled Clinton by calling for the rejection of any Clinton SCOTUS pick. Even if the Democrats take back the Senate, that threat is still not just hot air. The GOP will still have enough Senate votes to delay, foot drag, obstruct, harass, pick and probe endlessly at, and ultimately filibuster a Clinton pick. The hope being that this will force Clinton to withdraw the pick, and send the message that the choice for the High Court must pass the hard-nosed conservative ideological litmus test that's the GOP set piece for a SCOTUS judge.
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The warfare will be even worse in the House which the GOP almost certainly will control. House Speaker Paul Ryan gave a huge signal just how fierce that warfare against her will be. He was barely a step behind Trump in climbing all over the Comey announcement about the emails to lambaste Clinton.
If Clinton moves quickly as she's promised with her plan to ramp up spending on jobs and economic reconstruction to the tune of $300 billion, this will send the GOP scurrying even faster to the barricades. It will try and toss every barrier it can in her way, making all kinds of wild charges that the spending is nothing more than a pork barrel, gravy leaden, pay out to the urban poor, and disadvantaged, at the expense of the long suffering, high tax paying white middle-class.
Clinton takes office with the GOP manufactured and Trump fed cloud of suspicion hanging heavily over her. The great danger is that this will plant the seed even deeper in the public that the Clintons are the personification of sleaze. This in turn would blur, ignore and flat out dodge any real talk about tax reform job growth and the economy, health care, wealth and income inequality, civil rights, environmental concerns and criminal justice reforms.
Clinton's continuing email problems can't make Trump into what he isn't and never was. And that's a credible, qualified choice to occupy the Oval Office. It just makes it that much easier for the GOP to do even more to make it harder for Clinton who is that choice to do the job that she will be elected to do.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His latest book is "What We Can Expect from President Clinton" (Amazon Kindle) He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on Radio One. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles and the Pacifica Network.
ST GEORGE, UT - NOVEMBER 05: U.S. independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin, talks to supporters at a rally on November 5, 2016 in St. George, Utah. McMullin held campaign rallies in five small towns throughout southern Utah today. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
This election season, there has rightfully been widespread condemnation of the vile stream of bigoted comments directed at Muslims, Latinos, Blacks, and women by the Trump campaign's operatives and supporters. The same goes for vicious anti-Semitic attacks, including those directed at me personally because of my office's legal pursuits of Trump University and the Trump Foundation. Last week, Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League put it best stating,"This needs to stop."
Unfortunately, the liberal defenders of religious liberty seem to have left one group undefended in the onslaught of intolerance: the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (LDS), or Mormons. Maybe it's because many in the media got much of their information about the LDS community from a Broadway musical.
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The Trumpist assault on Mormons appears to be motivated by the success of Evan McMullin, a Mormon former CIA agent running a surprisingly strong campaign to beat both Trump and Hillary Clinton in Utah. While Mormons traditionally vote Republican, McMullin is drawing the support of many Mormons who are turned off by Trump's attacks on other religious groups. Recent polls have McMullin in striking distance of an unprecedented victory.
Most Americans are unaware of the shameful history of violence against Mormons in the United States.
As McMullin has gained traction, so, too, have the bigoted attacks against him. McMullin has been called a member of the "Mormon Mafia" and, in a horrifying development, some have even called for a "Mormocaust" - or a Mormon Holocaust - if McMullin wins. One prominent Trump supporter actually tweeted, "America hasn't boasted a popular movement favoring genocide of Mormons for well over a century but @Evan_McMullin is working to change that."
Most Americans are unaware of the shameful history of violence against Mormons in the United States. They were driven from western New York, where the religion's founder Joseph Smith lived, to Utah, facing state-sanctioned violence in many states along the way. In 1838, the governor of Missouri issued an executive order legalizing the extermination of Mormons. Days later, 17 Mormons and one friendly non-Mormon were massacred by members of the Missouri militia in what has come to be called "The Haun's Mill Massacre."
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As Bethany Mandel of The Federalist put it, "The media and the public has been sensitive to Team Trump's attacks against one religious group, but has barely batted an eye at another." She's right: Prejudice against all religions is pernicious, and those who would be defenders of religious liberty must apply one standard to all faiths.
When I became Attorney General in 2011, I was surprised to find that there was no unit in my office focused specifically on protecting New Yorkers who were discriminated against because of their religious practices. So, I created one. My office's Religious Rights Initiative works to ensure that every New Yorker has the right to worship as they wish, without fear of attack or persecution.
As we set up this new initiative, my office reached out to and developed relationships with members of many different faiths and congregations, including New York's vibrant community of Latter Day Saints. Over time, I've had the opportunity to learn about not just the Mormon faith, but also about the history of anti-Mormon discrimination and violence.
Joseph Smith, the New York-raised founder of the Church of Latter Day Saints, warned of the consequences if society doesn't stand up for marginalized religions. "The same principle which would trample upon the rights of the Latter Day Saints," Smith said, "would trample upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination who may be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves."
As the voices of intolerance and hatred grow, Smith's words should echo across the nation.
While some have chosen to exploit fear and anger by targeting religious minorities, I want to emphasize in the strongest possible terms that my office--and all those who stand with me in the fight to protect religious liberty--can and must make it clear that there are no acceptable targets for religious demagoguery.
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By Elisabeth Weisswange, Sciences Po
During the last week of October, about 5,500 refugees were evicted from the refugee camp on the outskirts of Calais known as the Jungle. Over the course of the demolition, access to the camp was restricted to 500 journalists and 500 aid workers - the numbers alone indicate - from humanitarian perspective - a rather questionable approach to the eviction.
The demolition of the camp lasted from Monday to Friday, and could be accurately described as a chaos, lacking an over-arching structure, any semblance of organisation and most of all a sense of humanity, on the part of the French authorities, and on the part of the international press who swarmed to Calais from across the world.
It soon turned out that the only objective was to tear down the jungle - humans did not play any role in the pursuit of this aim. Indeed, human rights were ignored from beginning to end; towards the end of the week hundreds of minors where forced to sleep outside without a roof above their heads, as by this point most of the Jungle had already been burned down. Volunteers and aid workers were left alone to provide food, drinks and basic supplies such as blankets and socks, receiving no support from the French state or the EU.
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On the spot age assessment and the threat of/actual use of violence are only some illustrations of the atrocious scenes that occurred right in the heart of Europe. Calais suddenly became a sad example of 'Fortress Europe', seemingly inaccessible to thousands of people who had fled their homes. Europe, working hard to promote human rights and democracy abroad, showed little signs of humanity and democracy within its own borders.
Unfortunately, these circumstances were reported only when it became impossible to ignore. Those who should have been reporting on what was occurring were in fact contributing to the inhumane situations, filming minors when they were crying, and indicating that they did not want to be caught on camera and telling volunteers helping refugees with their luggage to "get out of the way" because they were "working on their story". Worse still, they stood idle, filming the huge fires when help was needed to rescue remaining refugees.
Luckily, many journalists who had hoped for more dramatic scenes of unrest left after a couple of days, leaving some rather more committed journalists on the ground, who were finally able to report on what was actually happening during the last two days of the eviction.
Nonetheless, it is a disgrace that hundreds of minors were left unaccompanied in an area threatened by recurring fires and people traffickers over the course of two days and nights. It is a disgrace that people were treated like animals, forced to sit on the cold, wet ground for several hours. It is a disgrace that force was used when all was needed was some good organisation and a degree of structure. It is a disgrace that all of this is happening in the heart of Europe and nobody seems to want to talk about it. Indeed, those who were hoping for a response on behalf of the EU are still waiting...
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It is time the EU acted in accordance to its own standards regarding human rights and the protection of refugees, so diligently imposed elsewhere but somehow found lacking in its own back yard. A simple start would be the distribution of food. Another action to directly improve the situation is the provision of social workers as contact persons for the refugees and translators to facilitate communication between authorities and refugees.
Otherwise, the EU will face criticism of hypocrisy and double-standards, and refugees inside its territory will continue to suffer.
Sadly, the eviction of Calais remains no exception in France. In Paris, thousands of refugees are camping on the sidewalks, without any sanitary facilities or food. Similar scenes as in Calais are visible when police once again try to end the situation by means of force. Unsurprisingly, the focus is not on humanity, it is rather the image of the city of Paris that needs to be protected.
Instead of waiting for the EU to take action, France should finally take responsibility and treat the refugees arriving in their country like humans by providing appropriate accommodation, sanitary facilities and access to food. Indeed, the equipment of some of the so-called 'welcome centres' where refugees are brought to after the evictions seem questionable. Reports about a lack of beds, showers, translators and no provision of halal food in several centres are more than worrying.
By Emily Young, University of Michigan
If change in international legal bodies is something we've asked for this week, the United Nations has responded promptly as Russia's standing invitation to the Human Rights Council, a table of forty-seven, has been rescinded. It's the first time a permanent Security Council member has been removed from the Human Rights Council, and you don't need to be a student in International Studies to see why. Although their removal has been widely attributed to the aerial bombings of Aleppo and their affairs in Syria's civil war, Russia's involvement in the heightened number of refugees and human rights violations in Crimea alone should kick them off their seat as a permanent Security Council member.
While the U.S media gives a lot of airtime to the refugees displaced from civil war and conflict in Syria, very little is given to another victim of Russian's neglectful practices: the Crimean Tatars. Although the Tatars are a pro-Ukrainian ethnic Muslim group with roots in Crimea, their Russian occupiers have denied their legitimacy as an indigenous population. Despite the lengthy history of Tatars in Russia dating back to their Khanate in the 1400's, under Russian law the people group must exceed '50,000' in accordance with 'Russian Ethnologists,' (and I'm sure one of them is named Vladimir Putin).
The annexation of Crimea has forced 24,000 Tatars to leave the country and those who are left behind face a "hybrid deportation," as explained by Greta Uehling in her lecture on Crimean Tatars at the University of Michigan. This deportation is hybrid because the Tatars do not always move countries, but are internally displaced in Crimea and Ukraine and face malicious conditions. How is it that Tatars face the same conditions as Russians who were forced to evacuate under Bolshevik rule, become stateless, and lose the protection of a nation? The USSR's decree denying soviet citizenship to all former imperial Russians abroad in 1921 must have served as a starting point for the Kremlin's policy on Crimean Tatars.
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Putin's claim to "protect indigenous people" was and remains a bald-faced lie as Tatar's existence is threatened daily. Within the first months of Russian occupation, disappearances of Tatars, psychiatric imprisonments and deportations of leaders had begun. Common to Tatar communities today are the searches of homes, finger printing in mosques and perhaps most severe are the denial of voting rights, identity documents, ability to open a bank account in all of Ukraine, and recognition of diplomas. Putin's roll in Crimea has caused immense fear among the Tatars, as they believe it unsafe to even hold open conversation in their homes and their children are taught in schools that their parents are 'bad people.'
In Ukrainian and Russian communities, the word Tatar is made out to be synonymous with treasonous. This stems from a small number of Tatars migration to Nazi occupied territories during WWII, as they believed that they would encounter better living conditions under the Nazi regime than in Russia. The conditions imposed on the Tatars in Ukraine now are rooted in similar motives to the conditions imposed by Nazi Germans in the establishment of their homogenous nation state. Just as Nazi Germans were motivated in the founding of a policy of 'one state one people', Putin's dialogue with the Russian people and content spread by the media conveyed messages of mass approval and desire for a united Russian nation. Putin assured the Russian people of the 'solidarity' Crimea and Russia felt and how there would be a return to a "natural state of affairs;" as if the denial of self-determination and persecution of an indigenous peoples group was anything but inhumane.
Maybe it isn't as important for some voters to worry about, or even want to know the facts in this presidential campaign. That is, what are the truths behind all the accusations and allegations being hurled at both candidates? Maybe the issues are just too complex, and events too fast-moving to catch who is really riding in the speeding train of this election?
But that doesn't have to be so. We know those of the mass media are almost as buffaloed as much of the American public about the issues. Donald Trump, for instance, says he will bring many of those jobs lost to trade agreements home, and create "prosperity for all".
Yet we are already at a 4.9 percent unemployment rate and 11 million have found jobs over the last 8 years--the lowest unemployment rate in 9 years since the end of the Great Recession. Though it's true many millions have stopped looking for work--many of them white, disgruntled Trump supporters.
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Hillary Clinton says she will expand social security, Medicare, and Obamacare benefits, as well as bring about tuition-free public colleges and universities, but at tremendous cost that will be covered by having the wealthiest "pay their fair share" of taxes.
This is a legitimate conservative concern. But then we have foreign and domestic intelligence agents almost unanimously warning that Putin's Russia has hacked Democratic Party emails for the benefit of presidential candidate Trump.
Actually, forget about the hacking, if some don't want to believe Trump's Russian connections. Trump was directly quoted as far back as 2007 on CNN that Russian President Vladimir Putin was doing a "great job." In 2013, Trump tweeted: "Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow - if so, will he become my new best friend?"
There has always been a thin line between truth and propaganda of any kind that seeks to push an agenda. Millions of Germans apparently believed Hitler and Goebbels hatred of Jews was based on the fact of Jews' racial inferiority, for instance.
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Trumps basis for his "crooked Hillary" claims are her neglect or misuse of private email servers while a federal official. But the FBI has finally cleared her of any crime, in part because her assistants, Jake Sullivan in the State Department, and Huma Abedin, her reputed most trusted advisor and friend, were actually the ones being investigated for this misuse.
And what about those boasts by Trump that his economic policies would bring back jobs? A group of 370 economists, including eight Nobel laureates in economics, have signed a letter warning against the election of Republican nominee Donald Trump, calling him a "dangerous, destructive choice" for the country, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Signatories include economists Angus Deaton of Princeton University, who won the economics Nobel last year, and Oliver Hart of Harvard University, who was one of the two Nobel winners this year.
Why are economists so concerned with the supposedly successful billionaire? "He misinforms the electorate, degrades trust in public institutions with conspiracy theories and promotes willful delusion over engagement with reality," said the signatories, which also include Paul Romer, the new chief economist at the World Bank, and Kenneth Arrow, the 1972 Nobel winner.
This is while a separate group of 19 winners of the Nobel Prize in economics endorsed Hillary Clinton in a letter posted online late Monday.
"I don't normally engage in politics, but I decided to sign this one because I think that the destruction that Trump's campaign tactics have done to the institutions of this nation is a great moral issue," said Robert Shiller, the Yale University economist. "It isn't Republican versus Democrat. It isn't a normal political statement. It is a feeling of outrage against a demagogue."
There are other indications that the U.S. economy could enter another recession, if Donald Trump were elected. He supports House Republican Speaker Paul Ryan, whose economic plans have consistently supported trickle-down economics--dropping tax rates mainly at the top, repealing Obamacare, while privatizing social security and Medicare.
Doesn't this look like the failed policies of GW Bush that led to the Great Recession?
Harlan Green 2016
The importance of the Nigerian Military and the Police in maintaining sovereignty, law and order in the country cannot be over emphasized. A breakdown of law and order in places like the Niger Delta and the North East and how they have affected oil, agriculture and other revenue streams of the country are indications of how important law and order is for economic activity.
On Tuesday in Abuja, Nigeria, the Nigerian Minister of Defence, Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali launched a biometric pension card that would serve as a form of identification, verification, means of payment, rewards and discounts for members of the Army, the Airforce and the Navy at a press briefing which also kicked off events for the 2017 Armed forces remembrance day celebration.
Yes, that's me looking at the Photographer like "Didn't I warn you not to take my picture"
I attended the press briefing and got an opportunity to observe members of the Nigerian military in a more "relaxed" setting.
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This wasn't the first time I was hearing about the card, but the statement by Valentine Obi, CEO of Etranzact, a pan African mobile banking and payment services company, responsible for powering the biometric pension card in partnership with MasterCard and Access Bank of Nigeria got me thinking.
His statement: "We are happy to be key partners in this great and commendable project in support of our courageous ex-service personnel and military pensioners. The resilience and courage of the Nigerian military is a source of joy to everyone and we hope that this pension card project not only solves identification and verification issues for the military but also gives the private sector an opportunity to offer special rewards and discounts."
The card offers immense benefits to its recipients as it can be tied to a bank account, attached to a mobile money wallet or operated as a stand-alone reloadable card. Other benefits like a 5% discount on airtime top-up, discounts on airline tickets, restaurant discounts, etc., are other benefits that are possible with the card.
eTranzact Founder and CEO, Mr Valentine Obi launching the Military Pensions card with the Nigerian Minister of Defence, Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali
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Focus for me in the statement was how the cards would give the private sector an opportunity to offer special rewards and discounts. The question that popped in my head was; can the private sector do more for the Nigerian Military?
In America and most developed nations, members of the military experience an economic and social security that isn't comparable to working class Americans. Apart from the basic guarantees of clothing, food, shelter, and medical care, family members of serving Americans are also taken care of, making joining the military a lot more attractive. Members of the military also enjoy free bus rides, special post service or veteran discounts and other life time service benefits. America even has a GI Bill and enlistment bonuses. The GI bill addresses education and training. Under this bill, the military will pay for your schooling, and might also provide housing and study material stipends.
In Nigeria, the case isn't the same and it gets worse as you go down the ladder. Ignore the picture painted by the corruption stories we hear from the top of the line which have increased in recent times, but take your minds to daily interaction, stories and leaked interviews with the military in different parts of Nigeria. Take your mind to your daily experience with the Nigerian Police and the number of N20 or N100 nairas you have parted with to avoid delays even when you had all your complete car documents and permits.
Google "benefits of being a Nigeria soldier" and "benefits of being an American Soldier" and the appearance of an official page run by the American army versus all the tales of woe for the Nigerian search will give you some indication of the situation.
The government is certainly doing a lot to improve the service and post service conditions of the Military and I was impressed by a lot of the things the Minister said. However I will like to focus on 4 ways I think the private sector can do more for the Nigerian military;
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i.Group discounts on air fares, bus rides, shopping at super markets, ecommerce stores, etc: The launched military pensions card Is a very good initiative that members of the private sector can participate in. The card is a MasterCard so enjoys the global acceptability of MasterCard. Beyond airtime discounts which they enjoy, airlines, bus companies, super markets, etc. can have permanent military and veteran discounts that they write off as yearly CSR. Ecommerce companies like Konga, Jumia can also come on board with special discounts for veterans that shop online with the cards.
ii.Government- private sector collaboration: Arguments against point 1 will be that businesses are not here for charity but I will point out that without protection there may be no business like we are learning the hard way in the North east and Niger delta. This second point involves some form of legislation that allows companies get tax rebates based on the volume of discounts they give veterans and the military every year.
iii.Participation in the Armed Forces Remembrance day: In the US, Veteran day or Armed Forces Remembrance Day is November 11 and it honors veterans who have served in the US military. It is a federal holiday. In Nigeria, Armed forces Remembrance Day is January 15 in commemoration of the surrender of Biafran troops to the Federal troops on 15 January 1970 thus signaling the end of the Nigerian Civil War. The private sector can participate more on this day by sponsoring different activities on the grand scale or even with increased discounts on that day, Companies like Uber can give free rides to military personnel and veterans with their ID cards or to civilians that have contributed to the celebration by wearing the military emblems.
Emblem for 2016
iv.Private sector training and aptitude discovery: One of the biggest problems ex-military personnel face is finding employment post service. The major reason for this is the difficulty employers have with understanding how military experience can be translated to civilian employment. The private sector can help reduce the amount of military personnel that resort to violent professions or use their skills as hired goons, by providing training and special consideration for ex-military personnel
There are other things like providing opportunities for loans, low cost housing, etc., that the private sector can offer as incentives for exemplary service in the military.
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Not consequences for the gropers; of course not.
After being groped and kissed (uninvited and unwanted) by my married boss, I did what Donald Trump and his supporters are criticizing his accusers for not doing: I spoke up at the time. And the unfortunate consequences to me for doing so were monumental.
I spoke up to my boss. After he grabbed my breasts and kissed me, he invited me to his hotel room. Stunned, I somehow managed to politely decline. I was a regional sales rep in New England and he was the East Coast general manger located in New York. The next morning, as I was giving him a ride to the airport, I brought up what had happened the night before, hoping to save my job. I was young and naive - obviously. I said I really liked my job, was doing well, and didn't want to compromise that in anyway. What happened next was the classic definition of sexual harassment. After I refused his advances, he judged, criticized, yelled at, and verbally abused me every day. He withheld commissions, gave leads to other sales reps, gave me a negative performance evaluation, and transformed what had been a wonderful job into unbearable misery.
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I spoke up to my friends, all of whom were older, successful business women. They encouraged me to talk with a lawyer. One friend suggested that I contact her on again/off again lawyer boyfriend as a place to start. I called him, and to spare me a fee, he offered to come to my apartment to discuss this. After I told him about the groping and the kiss and the subsequent harassment, he told me to let it go, adding, "You have precious few rights in a situation like this." As he was leaving, he gave me a hug at the door, and then, to my shock, a serious kiss on the lips. I never told my friend.
I spoke up to the company. After the kiss by the male lawyer, I managed to find a female labor lawyer. She took my case and advised me to notify my company's personnel department. I did. The personnel department "investigated." They listened to me and my boss, and looked over the documents I had collected supporting my allegations of harassment. Their conclusion was that I had misinterpreted my boss' actions. Oh, I knew that wasn't right. My lawyer advised me to file a complaint with the EEOC. I did.
I spoke up to my female co-workers in New York. It seemed that there was a culture of employee sexual assault in this company. One co-worker confessed to me that she had been at an industry conference out of town, and the general manager from the Chicago office kissed her, groped her, and nearly raped her before she escaped. He was the son-in-law of the company owner...she obviously didn't complain to HR. Although all of the female employees knew about the groping that was going on, and many had experienced it, none of them would share their experiences with the EEOC to support my claim.
I spoke up to my mom who lived in a small town in Iowa. I was so beaten down by my boss' abuse, the company's support of him, and the stressful consequences of speaking up, I couldn't continue in my job. I was planning to quit. I told Mom what happened, and asked if I could borrow some money until I got another job. She was furious with me, and said, "Boys will be boys. Do NOT rock this boat." I hung up the phone, sat alone in the dark, and sobbed. An hour later, the phone rang. It was Mom calling back. She surprised me by saying that she had thought things over, and did have an insurance policy for $1000 that she could cash in, and she would send this money to me. As I was choking on tears of gratitude, the shocking motivation for Mom's change of heart was revealed. She told me that when she was in her twenties and working as the receptionist for an Eye, Ear Nose and Throat doctor, he molested her in the office. He would back her up against the wall in the examining room, and take his penis out and play with it in front of her. She was mortified and traumatized by this. She disclosed that he had done this to all the women who worked for him. "But," she said, "In the 1930s and 1940s, there was nothing we could do about it. So, you make him accountable - for all of us."
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I spoke up to the Unemployment office. After I quit my job, I applied for unemployment, and my claim was denied. They determined that I quit my job voluntarily without just cause, concluding that I had experienced a personality conflict with my boss. I had no job, and no money saved for such a rainy day, and was afraid I might soon be sleeping in my car. I did appeal this determination, which was reversed in my favor several months later.
I spoke up to the National Organization of Women. The company had offered me a very small settlement in the $5000 range. NOW advised me to accept the offer, saying that these cases were not being won in the courts. It was 1980. My lawyer also advised me to accept the offer, since she feared that I was precariously on the edge of a nervous breakdown. I feared it, too.
I spoke up to the IRS. I had to. I accepted the settlement, and following legal advice I did not report this in my tax filing as income. According to the law, any money received in lieu of prosecution was not considered taxable. The company, however, either didn't know this or didn't care, so they included the settlement amount in my W-2 and called it income. It was like this harassment wouldn't end. Almost two years later I started receiving threatening letters from the IRS, demanding payment of tax and interest that had been accruing from the filing date, and would continue until I paid up! So, I had to go to tax court, which was another very stressful experience, believe me. Again, months later, the determination was in my favor.
I don't know how I survived this speaking up, and the consequences of doing so. As the accusers of Donald Trump and victims of other perpetrators of sexual abuse will attest, in some ways, it's an easier choice to say nothing and try to bury it; try to forget it. But as my mom's story enlightened me, these experiences are not forgotten. Some of us will have the opportunity to speak - when the time is right for us to do so - and some of us will have the good fortune to be heard, believed, and supported.
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But the message I hope to impart by sharing my story, is that even one brief instance of groping is not harmless to the victims. We do experience consequences, whether we keep quiet or speak up. These experiences and our emotional reactions of disgust, despair, fear, confusion, humiliation, and helplessness are etched into our minds, hearts, and bodies forever. The only solution to the harm from groping that has been inflicted upon us for generations is for our abusers to be held accountable, and for future groping to stop.
After the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings, Gloria Steinem said that what we had learned from this process is that it takes more than the word of one woman to equal the word of one man. And after a dozen women came forward to accuse Donald Trump of sexual assault, I wonder, just how many women need to speak up to equal the denial of one man?
~~~~~~~
Like many Americans I was unenthusiastic about having to pick between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. It isn't that I don't see Trump as a menace to everything decent about America--he is a menace.
But, I can't be enthusiastic about Clinton. In particular, I find her hawkish foreign policy problematic--I don't think her foreign interventionism leads to the results we want, but exacerbates existing problems.
There is no alternative in "bomb the shit out of them" Trump. I know Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a disorder, not a mental illness, but he's so extreme when it comes to the symptoms I have no confidence he wouldn't be a malignant narcissist, if he isn't already one. Trump is the worst presidential candidate in modern history, perhaps all of history.
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But, I can't stomach voting for a military hawk either and then there's that other war--the war on drugs. Hillary is drug warrior as well. When a Black Lives Matter activist noted the drug war's racist tendencies Clinton defended the war on drugs and insisted it is what African-Americans wanted. As New Republic reported:
"Hillary Clinton's response to the activists was telling. She attributed the policies of mass incarceration and the War on Drugs to "the very real concerns" of communities of color and poor people, who faced a crime wave in the 1980s and 1990s. Echoing an argument that is gaining greater purchase in certain elite circles as the movement against racialized state violence and incarceration sweeps across the US, Clinton deflected the charge of anti-black animus back onto African Americans themselves. It is hard to interpret her explanation as anything more than self-serving revisionism. As I demonstrate in this essay, the rush to incarcerate was fueled by much less generous motives than the ones Clinton presents. With the Clintons at the helm of the 'New Democrats,' their strident anti-crime policies, like their assault on welfare, reflected a cynical attempt to win back centrist white voters, especially those from Dixie and the South Central United States."
At his Saturday Chicago rally Gov. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate said, "We have to end the war on drugs." Clinton WILL NOT say that. Yet, you can't say you support the African-American community if you support the war on drugs. The war on drugs is a blatantly racist war.
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Sixty-two percent of drug offenders sent to state prison are black. An African-American is 13 times more likely to get a prison sentence for drugs than will a white man facing the same charges. Police target the drug trade in the Black community while often turning a blind eye to the trade in the white suburbs.
When it comes to federal drug offenses African-Americans are 57 times more likely to be sent to federal prison than whites.
Well over 8 million Black Americans have been arrested on drug charges, that's one third of all arrests, yet they comprise 12% of the population. A large number of African-Americans victims of police killings were targeted over the drug war.
Millions of Blacks have been disenfranchised because they were charged with drug offenses. Yet Clinton is worried about Republican disenfranchise measures, but won't talk about the millions disenfranchised a policy she supports--drug prohibition!
Nixon adviser John Ehrlichman said the Nixon administration started the war on drugs to target the anti-war left and Blacks.
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"The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I'm saying. We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did."
The results for American Blacks are NO accident. It was intentional.
Clinton wants to keep that policy in place.
Read The Political Garbage Chute for more daily fake news.
FORD BEACH, FLORIDA -- Bill Ricci describes himself as a "white nationalist" and a "race realist." He admits that many others who do not share his views have referred to him more simply as a white supremacist. Ricci says, however, that it's not just the different races he's pragmatic about.
"I know Donald Trump probably ain't gonna win," Ricci told our reporter, "and that sure does take the wind out of my white sheets."
As sad as Ricci is about Trump's likely impending electoral doom, he says he's choosing to remain positive and "focus on the beautiful, bright white future" Trump has inspired within the white nationalist movement.
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"Before Trump came along," Mr. Ricci said, "Republicans worked for our votes, but they did in much subtler ways. It kinda makes you feel like maybe your particularly bleached world view isn't all that welcome when you can't be loud and proud about your sincerely held belief that your skin color somehow makes you a superior human being."
The Trump campaign has inspired Ricci and several of his racist friends to take to Twitter and other social media platforms with pride and a pseudonym that contains the word "Deplorable" to harass and stalk anti-Trump voters. Ricci said that pride has now grown to the point that he feels confident vetting candidates for the 2020 election. He says that it will be extremely important to keep Hillary Clinton a one-term president.
"I'm not exactly sure who we're going to pick," Ricci said, "because we had no idea the Good White Racist Lord would drop the Orange One in our laps like we did. But I have some ideas."
Ricci said that the whoever he supports in 2020 must meet at least a handful of the most vital criteria he has in mind.
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"Firstly," Ricci told us, "I want to hear him swear a blood oath the Constitution but also to the Holy Bible that inspired it, and the one, true, White American God who gave permission for it to be written."
Secondly, Ricci says, he wants his 2020 candidate to "be just as dumb, if not dumber" than Trump.
"We can't have no elitist intellectual like George W. Bush no more," Ricci said, "we need a leader who understands just how pointless and downright dangerous education can be. I want my president to know his rightful place in our planet's 6,000 year history."
Also of note, Ricci says that he wants a presidential candidate who can "inspire other people to try out racism."
"For a long time now," Mr. Ricci said, "racists have had to get quieter and quieter. All of a sudden we had to stop telling people blacks are just more violent because of their DNA and we had to use other nonsensical excuses for our racist beliefs like the breakdown of the nuclear family in black America -- even though white divorce rates are tremendously high for instance. Donald Trump, even if he loses, has inspired us to make America great and unabashedly racist again."
Before ending the interview, Ricci gave us a shortlist of his most favored candidates this early in the process.
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There are many people from my community, who would say "I, Jamira Burley had made it". That despite the odds and with the support of mentors, I had become more than my zip code, more than the expectations society deemed people from my community deserved. That although my father is serving life for murder and my mother is watching yet another one of her sons get swallowed up by the criminal justice system. That this black girl from west Philly had arrived. But I knew differently, I knew that any success I have or will achieve, dimmed in comparison to the destitute position communities like mine are still in. That violence still plagues streets where children play, that my neighbors are still cut off from resources and that schools like Overbrook High School have graduation rates that we all should be ashamed of.
Everyday I'm forced to face those realities because my family still live in the community where, just thirteen years ago, my 20 year old brother Andre was murdered. There were no hashtags then; no marches in his name and since then, more people have lost their lives to this growing epidemic of gun violence. At 15, when no one else would, I became an advocate for Andre and in the years that have followed, even I, started to believe that violence could no longer touch those I love. Oh, how I was wrong.
Four months ago, when I decided to leave my job as the Manager for Gun Violence Prevention and Criminal Justice Reform at Amnesty International USA. I did so, a week after protesting against police violence in Baton Rouge and I did so because I knew American needed a president who wasn't afraid to fight for communities like mine. Communities that sit at the margins of our society and often intentionally forgotten, I see that in Hillary Clinton. She's a leader, who see the intersections of our identities and is ready to create solutions, that won't just make my life better ... safer but also the lives of communities around the country, all who are worthy.
Since joining the campaign, my job has been to create a pipeline for young people to become authentically engaged in the political process and see the benefits of a Hillary Clinton presidency. A presidency, that believes in racial justice, that wants to rebuild the middle class, create pathways to better education and reform our criminal justice system. So last month, I left our campaign headquarters in Brooklyn and returned, to get out the vote in Philadelphia, where for me -- it all started. Philly, the city that raised me but little did I know, that I would be reminded why this campaign is life or death for so many.
Today (November 2nd), I sat surrounded by family members as we celebrated the life of my cousin Kyle, who was shot and killed just weeks after I returned home. I sat, tears falling -- holding the hand of some unknown relative, as looked into a casket that held the body of a man I grew up thinking was larger than life. A man my whole family considered to be a "gentle giant" but even he wasn't bulletproof and he's not the only one.
In Philadelphia, eighthly-five percent of homicide victims are African American and nationally African Americans are victims of nearly half of all homicides, despite representing only 13% of the population. So although, much progress has been made to reduce gun violence nation-wide, unfortunately, 30,000 Americans are still murdered by them yearly. So when asked, why I support Hillary Clinton for President, I do so because I never want another person to lose someone to the barrel of a gun. To be forced to bury a loved one prematurely and to live with the knowledge that it was preventable.
We can help end gun violence, we can build communities we can all be proud of and it starts with electing Hillary Clinton for President.
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during a rally at the Cleveland Public Auditorium November 6, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio.Donald Trump barnstorms five states Sunday while Hillary Clinton implores her most fervent supporters to get to the polls, in a frenetic final 48-hour dash to the US presidential election. / AFP / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
As a U.S. Ambassador four years ago, I did not make any partisan statements or announce who I supported in the 2012 presidential race. I refrained out of respect for my country and its traditions. Today, out of respect for my country and its traditions, I am declaring my vote. I'm voting for Hillary Clinton. I write this in the hope that friends and colleagues -- particularly those who share my feelings about America -- will either vote with me, or at least not vote for Donald Trump.
First, I want to be clear about what is not affecting my vote. It is not simply because I'm a Democrat. I've worked with -- and been appointed by -- as many Republicans as Democrats. I don't think either party has a monopoly on good people or good ideas. I'm also not angling for a position with President Clinton. I've already had two of the best jobs in the federal government. I haven't been promised anything and I don't have designs on anything. Finally, I'm not motivated by gender. I'd be very proud to see our nation elect a woman president, but I would not support a candidate based solely on gender or race or any other factor. Finally, I'm not even electing President Clinton based on a particular set of policy choices. Policy matters, but in any presidency, circumstances and events change and reshape the agenda. So choosing a president because they agree with you on a handful of current issues is not enough for me either.
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I'm voting for Hillary Clinton for reasons that, to me, are much more important than party, or position, or identity, or even policy. They go to the essence of what it means to be an American. For all of our differences, Americans share three things -- our Constitution, our territory, and our ideals. And they are the three measures by which I choose Hillary Clinton.
The Constitution
The Constitution is a pact that we've made with each other. Every citizen takes an oath under the Constitution, that -- no matter how tempting it might be -- we would never permit our government to do certain things. We'd never allow the Government to punish the media for criticizing the President. We'd never resort to random searches and seizures, cruel and unusual punishments, intimidating judges, or denying natural-born Americans their citizenship. We particularly would not be a nation where leaders lock people up without due process and a fair trial. These are our commitments to ourselves and each other. The fact that Hillary Clinton respects and defends these principles of our Constitution is not surprising. It is what we should expect from every candidate for President of the United States. But Donald Trump has challenged every one of those Constitutional prohibitions. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-bleich/the-america-donald-trump-_b_10307514.html He would give the government unprecedented powers. For 240 years, we have been a nation of limited government. So for my conservative friends who fear big government, Donald Trump is not your choice.
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National Security
What makes the U.S. secure is not our numbers. Our armed services account for only one-half of one percent of the U.S. population, and yet, we are the most powerful and effective defense force on the planet. It is not the number of guns, and bullets, and brick walls that keep us secure. What makes us safe is the smart use of our power, the trust we have developed with our partners and allies, and the robust economy we've established around the globe. At home, we've developed an extraordinary system for training and promoting the best military thinkers and leaders in the world. To command this group, you need to at the very least understand and appreciate their training and expertise. Over three decades, Secretary Clinton has learned what our military is -- and is not -- capable of doing, sometimes through hard experience. By contrast, Donald Trump has ridiculed our generals as a "disgrace" and announced that he knows a lot more about ISIS than they do. He also said "no one knows" who is hacking U.S. systems to influence the Presidential election -- despite the heads of 17 different intelligence agencies independently confirming for him that it was Russia. No one can lead an effort that they don't listen to or understand.
Our strength also comes from alliances we've formed around the world. Allies multiply our forces, offer new insights and intelligence, give us bases for operations far beyond our borders, and keep our adversaries at bay. Secretary Clinton has worked effectively with all of our allies. By contrast, Donald Trump has proposed abandoning these alliances unless those nations paid more -- regardless of the value of the alliance. Fracturing these alliances in this way, would be Vladimir Putin's dream, and would make us all less safe.
Finally, our national security depends on our economy. We have the best developed defense force in the world partly because we have the greatest economy in the world. That economy funds our defense, and extends our reach around the world, giving us leverage everywhere we trade. Secretary Clinton's plans call for careful stewardship of the economy and fair trade agreements where they are in the U.S.'s interests. By contrast, Donald Trump's plans would cost our economy $1 Trillion, create trade barriers, and diminish our weight in the world.
In short, Donald Trump puts our fighting force, our alliances, and our economy in jeopardy, and makes us less safe. Again, for my friends who care about national security, the choice is clear. Regardless of whatever other feelings you may have about Hillary Clinton, she is qualified to be Commander-in-Chief, and Donald Trump is not.
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Ideals
Finally, some ideals are fundamentally American. They concern what we imagine as our more perfect union. Our founders believed in sacrificing for a greater good. At various times in my life, I have walked away from opportunities that would have made me wealthier, sacrificed time with those I've loved, and gone to dangerous places -- areas riddled with gang violence or war zones like Afghanistan -- out of a sense of duty to my Country. The character of our nation was built by many people before me who did this -- who sacrificed everything, including their lives and their fortunes -- for our liberty. It is a debt that I owe them, and that I and millions of others gladly pay to the next generation. Whatever complaints my conservative friends may have about Hillary Clinton, her life has been devoted to the service of others -- whether it was assisting children and families as a lawyer, promoting healthcare and family services as a First Lady, fighting terrorism and rebuilding New York as a Senator, or helping negotiate a cease-fire in Gaza as Secretary of State. She has taken every type of criticism and abuse that a human being could endure, and she kept fighting -- not for herself, but for others.
This is perhaps the sharpest contrast to Donald Trump. Rather than aspiring to our best ideals -- humility, sacrifice, and devotion to others -- he reflects our basest instincts. Rather than sacrifice, he free-rides. Rather than create opportunities, he hoards wealth and fails to pay debts. Rather than study and learn, he bluffs. Sacrifice is hard, and it takes leaders who model that behavior and have the moral authority to inspire it in others. America won't be made greater by a man who avoided all of his taxes, so that the rest of us could pay for the police and firemen that protect his buildings, and the roads that carry his limousines, and the airports that receive his private jets. America will not be made greater by a man who treats half of my fellow citizens -- women and girls -- as if they are simply there to attract and entertain him, rather than as full-fledged American citizens entitled to our respect and equal dignity. America cannot be made greater by a man who uses the bully pulpit to mock a disabled man, to condemn the grieving mother of a fallen soldier, and to call people names and humiliate them and us with his behavior. We are better than that as a people. We aspire to more than that as a people. Of all the telling moments in this campaign, the one that stands out for me is this. After Khizr Khan called out Donald Trump for failing to sacrifice, Trump was asked if he had ever sacrificed anything for anyone in his life. He said that he had built a business that employed others. But employing people who make you wealthier is not a sacrifice. An investment, or a bargain, or a transaction is not a sacrifice. Sacrifice is giving up something yourself to benefit another. It just proved, that he doesn't even know the meaning of the word.
To serve us all, we need at the very minimum a president who will be faithful to our Constitution, keep our nation secure, and represent the best ideals of our people. I was able to witness Hillary Clinton first hand when she was Secretary of State, advocate for civil and human rights around the world, work with our armed services to secure peace, and receive the respect and admiration of world leaders in every land. In meetings of foreign leaders, there was never any question she was the most informed, experienced, and commanding figure in that room. I would be proud to have her as our president. So I'm with her. I only ask my Republican and Independent friends who share these values to look into their hearts and sacrifice something -- whether it be party, position, identity, or policy -- and join with me.
The hope and change we voted for 8 years ago goes on: don't stop now!
The hope and change that Obama wrought is definitely still a "work in progress." That's where Hillary Clinton comes in. Hillary is the ultimate policy wonk, the superstar of nuts and bolts, "make it work" government. But make no mistake: although she may not duplicate Obama's soaring rhetoric, her vision is his vision. Meanwhile, her extreme competence, her very capacity to see through implementation of the very hardest things, will continue to build on the structures that Obama has put into place.
And that is why this is uniquely Hillary's time--Hillary's moment in history.
Beginning almost exactly a year ago, this author has been writing a series of columns debunking a variety of myths--and outright lies--that have been spun about Hillary Clinton: about Iraq, about Libya, about State Department email practices and protocols, about what "classification" really means, about the extraordinary, and uncorrupted, work of the Clinton Foundation. You can see, and read, them all right here:
But what bothers this writer more profoundly than any of the above is the bizarre claim that Donald Trump is the voice of "change" in this election. If he does represent change, it is that of a regressive mutiny: change that would take us back to a time of greater inequality, of alienated communities, and of unfair access to government services, self-improvement, and the ladder of opportunity. Not to mention change to a coarser, more divided polity.
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I'll let you in on a little secret: remember that "hope and change" thing many of us voted for eight years ago? About a Presidential candidate who would deliver more peace, more prosperity, more equality, and more respect around the world? Despite what you have heard from all the naysayers, Barack Obama--against harsh foes and terrible odds--has kept his word.
Clawing us out from under the Great Recession, Obama passed a stimulus and saved an iconic American industry (among a myriad of other actions) so that we now have under 5% unemployment and we're gaining the same number of jobs each month that we were losing when he first came into office. Overseas, we have no major ground forces committed to combat anywhere on the planet. (And can there be any doubt that, working with our allies, we will ultimately defeat ISIS, along with any other iterations of radical jihadism?) In the last eight years, we have made important strides in regaining the respect and cooperation of our allies that had previously been lost.
Domestically, the President's brokering of Dodd-Frank (bringing the most significant changes to U.S. financial regulation since the Great Depression), creating the first-ever Consumer Protection Bureau, and affording all comers access to health care, has helped to foster basic economic equality. And we have become a more perfect union in other ways, due to big strides this President has made to improve equality for women, LGBT people and other minorities.
Given the vitriol and obstructionist tactics of his political enemies, it is a wonder that our President has been so successful--but the hope and change that Obama wrought is definitely still a "work in progress." That's where Hillary Clinton comes in. Hillary is the ultimate policy wonk, the superstar of nuts and bolts, "make it work" government. But make no mistake: although she may not duplicate Obama's soaring rhetoric, her vision is his vision. Meanwhile, her extreme competence, her very capacity to see through implementation of the very hardest things, will continue to build on the structures that Obama has put into place.
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And that is why this is uniquely Hillary's time--Hillary's moment in history.
Domestically and on the economy: Hillary has a "first 100 day" plan to boldly invest in real, solid jobs in a way we haven't seen since World War II. First and foremost, this means infrastructure, such as fixing the crumbling roads, bridges and airports Americans have to navigate on a daily basis. But it also means investing in research and technology, small businesses and clean energy in ways that will keep the country growing for years to come. Hillary also has solid, real plans to make college debt free (and help those already carrying student debt), raise the minimum wage, strengthen Wall Street reforms, ensure that the wealthiest Americans and biggest companies pay their fair share in taxes, and introduce long-overdue family-friendly labor rules such as ensuring equal pay, paid leave, and helping with the spiraling costs of child care and elder care.
Speaking of health care, Hillary will improve on Obamacare. Are there flaws in the President's signature health care system? You bet there are. When new, history-making systems are introduced into America's complex political and social ecosystem (think Social Security or the Great Society legislation of the 1960s), further legislative amendments and tweaks are always required to make that new system run well, and work for everyone. But instead of applying the needed fixes, one of our houses of Congress has merely voted to repeal it--dozens of times, year after year. Based on her track record in the Senate, Hillary is well-positioned to repair Obamacare in real and meaningful ways.
Both overseas and at home, Hillary will call on her deep reservoir of knowledge, experience and the talent around her to keep our nation--and world--safe from terrorism and other bad actors, wherever they are found. She will continue the effort to remove ISIS's strongholds in Iraq and Syria. (This writer predicts that one year from today, we will not even be talking about ISIS as an ongoing threat.) Hillary will work with our allies to dismantle terror networks and alleviate cross-border threats, while also hardening our defenses for home-grown terrorism. She gets into "the weeds" on this stuff, exemplified by her determination to work with our tech companies to fight jihadist propaganda online and intercept ISIS communications and Russian hackers alike.
It is true that Hillary may display a more muscular foreign policy than has our current President; she will strongly consider options such as setting up safe-zones in Syria and doing everything she can to take out the ISIS leadership. This is because our war on terrorism is personal to her: as a New York Senator, she set foot on Ground Zero on September 12, 2001 and has worked tirelessly to get lower Manhattan, and countless victims, the relief they needed. Overseas, she has witnessed, almost first-hand, the genocides in Rwanda and Yugoslavia; so she will be tough when needed to stop such atrocities, wherever they may occur.
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Finally, she will pick up and carry the ball, as close to the finish line as humanly possible, to bring this country together--and to help make for a more perfect union. Equal pay for women, employment non-discrimination for the LGBT community, and guaranteed citizenship for "dreamers" (the U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants) are just a few of the things she will achieve to bring this country together.
If all of the above doesn't count as a "vision," then I simply don't know what would.
In sum, for those who care, and for progressives everywhere, Hillary Clinton is the guarantor of continuing the forward-looking path that has been blazed by the likes of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy--and immortalized by the words of that most recent of change-makers, Ted Kennedy:
For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.
You can see all that Hillary Clinton has to offer our country at: https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/
Jeffrey Marburg-Goodman served as a senior legal counsel in the Obama Administration. The opinions expressed here are his own.
U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign rally with musician Pharrell Williams and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders at a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. November 3, 2016. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
I am a doctor who has dedicated her career to helping woman. If abortion is what matters to you in this election, I'd like to put rhetoric aside and focus on the facts.
There are approximately 700,000 abortions per year in the United States. The four main reasons women seek abortion are unplanned/mistimed pregnancy, rape, health of the mother, and birth defects (fetal anomalies). Approximately 16,000 of these abortions are the result of rape, or 2.3 percent. Exact data on health of mother and birth defects is unknown.
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About 45 percent of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned.
These are the pregnancies most likely to end in abortion, in fact 42 percent of unplanned pregnancies end in abortion and 58 percent end in a live birth (this statistic excludes miscarriages). If you want to reduce abortion, you have to work on unplanned pregnancies.
Most pregnancies are unplanned because of issues with access to highly reliable contraception, but some will be rape and some will be health of the mother, i.e., women who hadn't planned on getting pregnant and are happy they are pregnant, but their health is deteriorating. For example, a 21-year-old woman who had post partum cardiomyopathy (heart failure) after her last pregnancy and survived (the mortality is at least 50 percent). She had limited access to health care after delivery and didn't really understand the risks her doctor mentioned about a next pregnancy. She thought she was tired because she was a new mom and not sleeping well. She shows up in the emergency department short of breath. She finds out she is 7 weeks pregnant and that the strain of this second pregnancy is causing her damaged heart to fail. She is admitted to the intensive care unit.
Pregnancy is a huge strain on the heart and most of that impact occurs early on in the pregnancy. She didn't plan on being pregnant and would not choose an abortion, except her pregnancy is killing her and unless the pregnancy ends she will die leaving her 5-month-old motherless. She is so ill that she cannot be transported to the operating room for an abortion, so it is done on her bed in the intensive care unit. These cases are fortunately uncommon, but they happen.
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Two-thirds of abortions (66 percent) happen before eight weeks. It is unlikely any of these are for birth defects as the earliest tests cannot be done until 10 weeks and it takes a week to get the results back. A small percentage will be rape and health of the mother (like the case described above), but the majority are unplanned pregnancies and thus preventable.
Birth control prevents abortion by preventing unplanned pregnancies
Only 5 percent of women who have an abortion were using contraception correctly and consistently.
Studies tell us that access to long acting reversible contraception dramatically reduces the abortion rate.
In Colorado, a program that provided free long acting reversible contraception (the kind that is impossible to use inconsistently) resulted in a 42 percent reduction in abortions for teens and an 18 percent reduction for women ages 20-24.
In 2014, government-funded family planning helped women avoid two million unintended pregnancies, approximately 700,000 abortions would have ended in abortion.
Laws do not reduce abortion. They reduce safe abortions.
In the 1950s and the 1960s there were an estimated 200,000 to 1.2 million illegal abortions. There are currently around 700,000 abortions/year in the United States.
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The abortion rate is similar in countries where it is illegal and where it is widely available, legal and safe. According to the most recent data, approximately 7 million women in developing countries are treated for complications from unsafe abortions annually and at least 22,000 die.
In Texas, where the abortion laws have become more restrictive and access has dropped more than 100,000 women and possibly up to 240,000 have attempted home or illegal abortions.
I trained with men who were OB/GYNs in the 1960s and the 1970s and they saw the women who survived when they came to the emergency room.
"Every night we admitted a woman. Every night. Sometimes three. And we were one hospital." Those are the words of one of my mentors.
Think about that. Every night, one or more women with a pelvis abscess or an injured bowel. At every hospital.
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If you really want to reduce abortion, you must vote for the candidate who will improve access to highly reliable contraception
Every woman, no matter where she works, deserves birth control coverage. This shouldn't be a question. #SCOTUS -H Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 16, 2016
This is what Donald Trump said about birth control to Dr. Oz:
I think what we have in birth control is, you know, when you have to get a prescription, that's a pretty tough something to climb. And I would say it should not be a prescription, it should not be done by prescription.
Making birth control over the counter does not help women access the forms of birth control that are most effective at preventing pregnancy: IUDs and implants. Taking away health plan contraceptive coverage makes the birth control that reduces abortion unaffordable for many women. The cash price for the implant is $825.74 and you still have to pay for insertion. IUDs are in the $600-1,000 range for the device and the insertion (depending on where you go).
If your candidate focuses on restrictive laws, you will drive women underground, which will increase their financial hardship and many will risk their health and lives, but you will not reduce abortions.
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If your candidate wants to lift the birth control mandate from the Affordable Care Act or repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with health care that does not cover birth control you, will not reduce abortions.
If your candidate wants to get rid of Planned Parenthood, a source of subsidized highly-reliable contraception that would otherwise be unaffordable, you will increase abortions.
If your candidate focuses on maintaining and even expanding government and employer funding of highly reliable contraception, your vote will reduce abortions.
It really is that simple.
While I waited in line to vote early, I tried to summon a sense of awe for the gravity of my circumstance. If I'm honest, the moment seemed a lot smaller. My shoes squeaked on the high school gym floor as I shuffled along a line of strangers. I felt more like a teenager trying to duck out of P.E. class than a link in the 240-year chain of civic ritual that will elect the next president of the United States.
When we think of the history of our nation, it is easier to see a river than the countless tiny streams that feed it. But the incredible truth is that the trajectory of the United States is not a singular thrust or continuous narrative; it is shaped and reshaped by millions of little moments like my afternoon in a high school gym. By weighing the issues that matter to us, using our small moment of leverage to shift the course of our own lives, we direct the course of history.
When we take up that responsibility, we are joined to the generations who did so before us. Their decisions shaped our choices now, just as our decisions will for the generations to come.
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But one decision we have to make sets us markedly apart from our earliest predecessors. The responsibility of choosing the most powerful executive authority of the country is a heavy enough burden. In the nuclear age, we must choose an executive authority who can single-handedly destroy human civilization.
The president of the United States inherits a bristling arsenal of over 4,500 nuclear weapons. He or she has unlimited authority to launch those weapons, requiring neither reason nor explanation. Minutes after the president issues the command, missiles will leave their silos -- wiping entire cities off the map, irreparably damaging global climate, and creating a humanitarian disaster on a scale beyond imagination.
This reality is anathema to the most fundamental principles of our democracy. The United States was founded to uphold the value that no person or institution should wield absolute power. However, the creators of our political system could not have anticipated that a single human being would be capable of delivering death to millions in a matter of minutes.
Nuclear war was never intended to be on the ballot.
But unfortunately for us, it is. We get one opportunity to weigh in on which human being to entrust with inhuman power. That opportunity ends on November 8. There are no other checks or balances to constrain the nuclear dictator who will reign for the next four years.
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Nuclear weapons deserve a place of utmost primacy in your mind as you vote this election. Who we intrust with the nuclear arsenal is a matter of life and death, not just for you and your family but for every person on this planet. The ability to influence that choice is a tremendous privilege and a terrible burden.
It is imperative to choose steady hands tomorrow, because someone's finger will inevitably hover over the red button.
But the madness of the system itself cannot be tolerated. We must choose leaders who will respect the horrific brutality of nuclear weapons and work ceaselessly to end the threat they pose to humanity. Before our vibrant democracy can begin to tackle the challenges of our future, we must first dismantle our nuclear autocracy.
The pain of rejection in a romantic relationship is never as painful as when it comes as a surprise. One minute you believe everything is fine, in the next you are blindsided.
As Mari put it: "I was excited to go out to dinner with my boyfriend, I chose a nice outfit and looked forward to a romantic evening. Over dessert he told me the relationship is not working and he is breaking up with me. I was like really? What is this, my last supper before the end? I felt physically ill."
If you have been blindsided by your partner, you know the feelings all too well. Heart leaps from your chest, brain freezes, skin sweats; you have no idea how to respond or how to take in this new reality. And the worse part is ahead--when you beat yourself up, wondering how it is you could not have known that your partner was so unhappy. How could you miss that the one you loved most was spending time calculating how to break it off?
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But keep in mind, the blindsider sets the stage for you to think everything is fine and then, pushes you off a cliff. As Mike put it: "I was working on fixing my girlfriend's front porch. I had just placed the last piece of wood and painted it and then she told me that we were through. Like could you have told me before the porch?"
The partner who is blindsided is left feeling used, confused and betrayed. Most breakups come after a series of conversations. With the blindside, one stunned person is left suddenly alone in trying to figure out what happened. As I discuss in my workbook Breaking Up and Divorce 5 Steps, making your own sort of closure after a divorce or breakup accelerates the letting go and getting better process. Consider these four points as you come to terms with your breakup blindside:
1.Did your partner ever talk about the negative aspects of your relationship? Healthy relationships have ups and downs. It's important every now and again to be able to openly discuss the pitfalls in your relationship. It's equally important to recognize there will always be some frustration and disillusionment. Working through these conflicts builds up intimacy in the relationship and also helps you to know exactly where you stand with your partner. Blindsiders tend to avoid negative emotion. If they feel you getting upset, they work to remove the upset immediately with little to no verbal problem solving or communication. In addition, maybe you get a hint every now again if they are displeased with you, but rarely do they ever directly communicate such displeasure. As a result you may carry a lingering sense of insecurity in the relationship and sometimes wonder if everything is okay. You don't bring this topic up with your partner because you know it won't go anywhere.
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2.Is your blindsider a people pleaser in general? Blindsiders typically are compulsive people pleasers. They don't want anyone to be upset with them or critical of them. If they are upset, they internalize their feelings and avoid you. They never bring conflict to the table and work hard to get along and be pleasant. The negative side of this is blindsiders never know how they really feel about stuff and suppress their true emotions. Eventually, like a pressure cooker, their upset piles up and becomes overwhelming. By the time they realize they are unhappy, they leave. They don't give you a chance to work on things or to respond to their upset, because they have no experience of successfully working through conflict. Take an objective look at how your partner deals with conflict in his/her life. Do they ever argue with their mother, father, brother, sister, friend(s)? Can they directly disagree with people or say "no" when they don't want to do something? Or, do they tend to avoid conflict at all costs?
3.Do you avoid your emotions? Were you taking your own feelings seriously and letting yourself say whatever needed to be said or did you also repress and push away upset? The one who is left blindsided often has difficulty cueing into the important data in a relationship. Start working on becoming more in touch with your emotions--how do you feel in the presence of certain people, what types of personalities light you up and what types bring you down? Start making a special effort to directly communicate your emotions to people. Feelings are data; they measure the temperature of life and our relationships. If you consistently turn down the heat on your feelings, then you won't really know what is going on in your relationships. The more self-aware you are, the easier it will be to understand the motives of others.
Craig Wendel dresses as Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump and his wife Jill Wendel wears a Hillary Clinton mask as they support Trump at a campaign rally in Naples, Florida, U.S. October 23, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Election Day will be the culmination of a long painful presidential campaign that has pitted two unpopular candidates against each other in one the most offensive races in this nation's history. The beacon of democracy has been soiled by scurrilous rhetoric that has blemished the character and stature of the United States. No matter the outcome, the healing process is sure to be long and difficult.
Republican Donald Trump fought like a pit bull to win his party's nomination. He insulted all of his primary opponents, using demeaning language and derogatory terms to describe his foes. He succeeded to play on the anger of many citizens who feel left behind, who believe the government is not functioning properly, who are frustrated with illegal immigrants, who fear a terrorist attack, who are worried their guns will be taken away, and who are fed up with foreign wars.
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Trump is a severely flawed candidate. He has been recorded on video making offensive remarks about women, even saying he would be sexually abusive to them. Now a dozen women have come forward to claim Trump made unwanted sexual advances to them, claims he has denied. This follows his long history of using degrading and slanderous insults against women.
Trump began his campaign insulting Mexicans immigrants as rapists and drug dealers, and promised to build a wall along the southern border that Mexico would pay for. He announced a ban on Muslims entering the U.S., and called for monitors to watch over mosques. He insulted Senator John McCain, saying the former POW was not a war hero. He insulted a disabled reporter, and has consistently attacked reporters covering his campaign as dishonest, which created an unsafe environment for journalists assigned to his events.
Recent news reports have revealed that Trump cut corners and used shady tax provisions for decades to keep his companies afloat. Trump used bankruptcy laws to leave several contractors and their employees high and dry, as well as investors and would-be homeowners. Trump brags that he gives money to charities, but recent news reports have revealed he often promises a lot, and then later reneges on his promises. The now defunct Trump University is currently facing three civil suits, and the biggest lesson its students learned is not to trust Trump. Trump claims he cannot release his tax returns because he says he is being audited. There is no proof he is being audited, but an audit is not a valid a reason for him to withhold his returns from the American public in an election year. It is likely he knows if he released them he would be exposed. Regretfully, he has gotten away with his lack of transparency.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has endorsed Trump, and Trump has said kind words about Putin. Since Trump has questioned the role of NATO, a vital national security organization for the U.S., of course Putin supports Trump because he wants a weakened NATO too. Russian hackers are doing their part to tip the election Trump's way, while Putin is supporting the rise of nationalist movements throughout Europe in an effort to undermine that region's stability. So it should be no surprise that those with nationalist sentiments in this country, and even the Ku Klux Klan, are supporting Trump.
Trump has no military or foreign policy experience, yet we are at a time when the world is in tremendous transition, and American forces are engaged in several conflicts. For decades efforts have been made to limit existing nuclear stockpiles and stop the spread of these massively destructive weapons to other countries, as well as to terrorists. But Trump has said he would not be opposed to using these weapons, and suggested that Japan and Saudi Arabia should be allowed to have them. His lack of understanding on this issue is scary -- and may have profound consequences should he be elected. The president doesn't need Congressional approval to launch a nuclear war.
On the campaign trail Trump has been the consummate showman and entertainer. He makes outrageous comments to fire up his supporters. He has dubbed his opponent "crooked" Hillary Clinton, yet he has lied hundreds of times according to every fact-checker. This man actually had the chutzpah to announce in a debate he would launch an investigation into Clinton if he were elected president, and even said she should be in jail.
Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, has a serious trust issue with the American electorate dating back to her time as Arkansas First Lady. There have been many investigations into both Hillary and her husband, former President Bill Clinton. She has never been charged on convicted with a crime. Yet her use of a private Email server while U.S. Secretary of State has been the scandal that simply won't go away. While she apologized, the fact that she had thousands of personal Emails destroyed that may have been relevant to an investigation into her handling of classified material has further undermined her credibility.
Clinton has enemies within the FBI. Last July, FBI chief James Comey cleared her of wrong doing but declared her handling of Emails as reckless. Republican members of Congress were sharply critical of Comey's decision. Ten days ago former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is also a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, appeared on Fox News and predicted something big was about to come out that would hurt Clinton. Two days later Comey sent a letter to members of Congress informing them that the FBI would expand its investigation into Emails found on the laptop of former Congressman Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of Clinton's right-hand aide, Huma Abedin. Did disgruntled FBI agents tip off Giuliani? He says no. Even worse, Fox News anchor Brett Baier, quoting FBI sources, reported that an indictment was likely against the Clinton Foundation. Later he had to retract his story and apologize, but the damage was done.
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The Comey letter roiled the presidential race, and now Trump is within striking distance of being elected. The stock market suffered losses Friday, and many world leaders are on edge. Despite her problems, Clinton is considered one of the most experienced, knowledgeable, and hard working candidates to ever run for president. Her time as first lady of the United States, as a U.S. Senator from New York, and as U.S. Secretary of State, have given her a deep background and extensive connections to draw upon if she is elected president.
And on Sunday, James Comey sent a new letter to members of Congress regarding the Email's on Weiner's laptop. Comey wrote, "based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton." This apparently ended any further investigation, according to The New York Times. Comey's latest letter comes at a time when Clinton appears to be holding on to a slim lead over Trump in the final hours before Election Day. Not surprisingly, Clinton has the support of most women, as well as most Latinos, African Americans, Asians and younger Americans. If they turnout in massive numbers Clinton will make history as the first woman to be elected U.S. president.
No matter the final outcome, most Americans will be relieved the presidential election is finally over. However, the country will remain deeply divided, and it will be difficult for the winner to govern the country. Meanwhile, books will be written about what went wrong with the 2016 presidential election. There will be plenty of blame to mete out, to Trump, to Clinton, to the political parties, to the presidential campaigns, to the FBI, to the media, and even to the Russians.
An Open Letter to My Trump-Supporting Friends
On this day before the election I am saddened and stunned, as I have been for months, that such a large fraction of Americans could be so easily suckered by Donald Trump. I probably shouldn't be, since I've read enough memoirs by former cult members to have a feel for the phenomenon, but it's frightening that we as a nation have come this close to embracing fascism. So here, I hope, are my closing thoughts on the subject.
To all my Trump-supporting friends, especially the Christian conservatives among you: What would it take to persuade you that you have been mistaken in your devotion to Trump? What evidence of moral turpitude, bigotry, cruelty, dishonesty, selfishness, impulsiveness, intemperance, ignorance, and incompetence on his part would convince you that he is unfit to be president? If your answer is "nothing would change my mind", then you are a cult member, not a truth seeker.
The first step in honest truth seeking is to admit to yourself that your current views may be mistaken and that you may need to discard some cherished and comforting beliefs if the evidence compels it. That hurts. It's the reason that truth seeking takes courage.
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I won't recount the evidence against Trump, because you've already heard it. You dismiss each revelation with rationalization, or you conjure a new conspiracy theory that lets you sweep it under the rug. Only yesterday I saw Trumpsters on Facebook denying the reality of the KKK's endorsement of Trump, insisting that the KKK had made huge donations to Hillary, or that Bill Clinton was a Klan member. A good Christian Facebook friend of mine -- a sweet little old lady of my generation who shares charming cat videos -- invites Trump to grope her any time he wants. Others openly liken him to God himself.
The Reverend Jim Jones at a protest in front of the International Hotel in San Francisco,1977. Image credit: Wikimedia: Nancy Wong.
Back in the 1970s, some fine church-going folks in my home state of California did much the same as their charismatic preacher gradually became more extreme in his sermons and in the way he treated his flock. Like the proverbial frog in the pot of slowly heating water, they never hopped out. Each act of heresy, physical cruelty, sexual abuse, financial exploitation, and pathological self-aggrandizement could be rationalized away. Follow that path far enough and you can end up serving cyanide-laced Kool-Aid to your own children, or showering starving, naked people of all ages with pellets of Zyklon B.
If we're lucky, reason will win out over alt-right group-think tomorrow, and I can go back to boring you with my vacation pictures.
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Love and peace to all.
(The above originally materialized on impulse as a Facebook post.)
LinkedIn, the professional social network, is rapidly approaching a half billion users. While the site is known for helping professionals to stay connected with peers, or to seek out new careers, it is a tremendous resource for businesses as well. In fact, if you are not using LinkedIn as a tool at work, your company is probably missing out. Here are six ways that you can use LinkedIn right now, and help your business reach greater heights.
Hunt for customers
Remember, there are over 400 million people on LinkedIn; surely a few of them might be interested in your products or services! Your company's presence on LinkedIn will open new doors; a LinkedIn presence can help attract people to company's profile, and ultimately generate new customers interested in doing business with you. You can also do searches for people interested in your particular market niche, and use your presence on the site to find and secure new leads. Finally, it is easy to create sponsored posts on LinkedIn, which can further your company's exposure on the site.
Build your network
Once you are a member on LinkedIn, you can connect with like-minded professionals, experts, industry and academic leaders, and potential customers. You can seek out their expertise when you need it, and provide it to others in return. Ultimately, your network, if built correctly, will help you solve problems, generate ideas, and attract customers. There is tremendous power in networking, and few platforms offer businesses the opportunities to build effective networks like LinkedIn does.
Post great content
Like most other social media websites, posting great content is a must. Maintaining an active presence on the site with meaningful posts will draw people in to see what you have to say; it will lead people to share your posts, potentially enabling them to go viral. All of this
can translate to more leads, and potential sales. Meaningful content can also establish you as a
in your industry as well, and create even more interest in your company.
Empower your employees
Consider encouraging your employees to join LinkedIn when you hire them. Getting your employees on the site can substantially increase the benefits your company gets from using the social networking platform. Recent studies indicate that employees' LinkedIn connections have a
, less than ten percent. This means that your employees have the potential to dramatically expand the number of people aware of your company, and thus help bring in more potential customers. Additionally, if you hire quality people, their affiliation with your company will help build capital for you on the website as well.
Scout new talent
LinkedIn is also a great place to search for your next employee, or even to seek out managers or business partners. In a
, 89 percent of recruiters reported that they had recently hired someone they had found while searching through profiles on LinkedIn. The website allows you to set search parameters to locate employees with the exact experience and skillsets you require. It will also let you
, and provide automatic alerts when someone with the required specifications is located.
Locate a third party vendor or contractor
No matter how good your business is, sooner or later it is going to need outside support to get something important done. When you need to outsource a particular job for your company -- such as preparing a professional booklet, or custom designing software for a new piece of industrial machinery you have purchased - LinkedIn can help you find someone to do the job faster than word of mouth or an Internet search ever could. You can read profiles, view endorsements, and request advice on vendors or contractors on the site; once you feel armed with enough information, you can choose someone to accomplish what needs to be done.
UNITED STATES - APRIL 11: Democracy Spring protesters calling for the end of big money in politics stage a sit-in on the Capitol steps and on the East Plaza of the Capitol on Monday April 11, 2016. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
After one of the most anti-establishment elections ever, Hillary Clinton remains the odds on favorite while Donald Trump lags, and Bernie Sanders' remarkable candidacy feels like a distant memory. For those 70 percent of voters frustrated with the 2016 election, another Clinton presidency is another reminder that our political system is built to preserve the status quo.
But in 16 states, counties, and cities across America, citizens are bypassing politicians to put ballot initiatives in front of voters on Tuesday that would fix our broken elections and stop special interests from continuing to dominate our political system. This should be welcome news to every American, 89 percent of whom have only some or hardly any confidence in our nation's political system.
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Flawed campaign finance laws allow billionaires and special interests to have massive influence over who gets elected and which laws they pass. Broken redistricting laws enable politicians to choose their voters, blocking competition in 86 percent of U.S. House districts. Outdated voting laws prevent independent and third party candidates from running without fear of "spoiling" the vote.
The sweeping-but-commonsense reforms on the ballot in South Dakota, Washington State, and fourteen other places this Election Day would make great strides toward fixing these problems.
For example, South Dakota is the only state in the nation where lobbyists can still give secret unlimited secret gifts to politicians. The South Dakota Anti-Corruption Act, Measure 22, would make that kind of legalized bribery illegal. It would stem the flow of unaccountable political money by requiring greater transparency and disclosure from donors. It would strengthen the state's ethics enforcement by establishing an independent commission, and it would crate a small donor system that enables every voter to direct $100 of their tax money to support political candidates who represent their values and beliefs.
Washington State's Initiative 1464 would bring far greater transparency to a state overwhelmed by secretive big-money groups with absurdly vague names like "Don't Invest In More Excuses PAC." It would force PACs to disclose their top donors -- and if those donors are other oddly-named groups, they'd have to dig even deeper until they disclose a real person's name. The initiative would prohibit big campaign contributions from lobbyists and public contractors and close the revolving door so that politicians cannot quickly cash in to become lobbyists after leaving office. And it would create a small donor system similar to the one in South Dakota.
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These are only two of 16 citizen-led reforms on the ballot this November led by a diverse range of organizations and local leaders. They are designed to make America's political system what it should be: a system that serves citizens, not special interests. A government that, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, is of, by, and for the people.
The benefits to voters are clear: more say over government and less waste, fraud, and abuse. More competition and more diverse candidates. The less-obvious beneficiaries of these anti-establishment initiatives are the many qualified, independent-minded Americans who might consider running for public office, were the current system not so distasteful and expensive. By making it illegal for special interests to exert undue control over politicians, we can elect a new, better generation of public servants.
Of course, not everyone likes this plan. The billionaire Koch Brothers are funding 97 percent of the opposition spending in South Dakota while special interests spend millions to defeat this year's ballot initiatives and protect the status quo. Opposition to democracy reform comes from establishment players on both the right and the left, and from both major parties. This issue not about liberals versus conservative. It is about those who have power versus those who don't.
That's fitting, because the grassroots movement to fix politics is truly nonpartisan -- an almost shocking revelation in this era of unprecedented polarization and partisan bickering. In both South Dakota and Washington State, conservatives and liberals have set aside their ideological differences to work together to pass powerful anti-establishment reforms.
Some critics complain that ballot initiatives are overdone and counterproductive. Let politicians do their jobs and pass these reforms the old-fashioned way, they say. But when it comes to fixing our democracy, our elected leaders face a conflict of interest. They came to power under the current rules and have little incentive to change them. If there's one issue that merits reform via ballot initiative, it's the laws that govern the politicians themselves.
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The fight to fix our government is an extension of our nation's 240-year fight for a more perfect union. It is the continuation of a proud history of democratic upheaval, innovation and self-improvement. When things are broken, Americans don't give up. We honor our nation by leading the way toward a new and better future.
How Denmark and other small nations can help the rest of the world to deliver on the climate promises made in Paris last year.
Denmark has long been committed to stem climate change. That, perhaps, is not surprising, being a small, coastal, low-lying country vulnerable to rising sea levels, and enthusiastically engaged in international affairs.
But no single nation - not even the United States of America - can stop climate change single-handedly. Doing so requires increased international collaboration, more climate finance and continued development of renewable energy technology.
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The good news is that prices on renewable energy have dropped dramatically in recent years. As well, we now have an international agreement that can put us on the path to limit climate change. But how do we get to a greener energy sector? How do we keep focus on climate change in a world beset by a multitude of other pressing challenges?
The Paris agreement was a milestone in the fight against climate change. Firstly, it pushed all nations to deliver national goals to mitigate climate change by lowering emissions. Secondly, it created an "ambition mechanism" which will allow nations to increase their national goals over time. The latter is of particular importance as the collated national goals fall short of preventing a 2 degree global temperature increase, which would cause irrevocable and disastrous climatic changes.
In the United States, Superstorm Sandy was a shocking reminder of the havoc that climate change can cause. But as New York City is one of the richest cities in the world, it recovered and is currently working with the Danish capital Copenhagen, as well as Danish businesses to create a more resilient city. In many developing countries however, there simply isn't the funding or capacity to adapt to climate change. In turn this is expected to create waves of climate refugees, fleeing drought, superstorms and rising sea levels.
While the consequences of climate change are worrying, it is important to remember that the Paris agreement has given the world a window of opportunity. So how do we move forward? How do countries, both rich and poor, not only implement their current goals, but also increase them over time?
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At the moment, COP22 is in full swing in Marrakech, Morocco and diplomats from all nations are gathered to discuss these issues. But the question of "implementation", that is how to deploy renewable energy, is on everybody's lips.
Denmark was a first mover in deploying wind energy. And for decades we have worked to collaborate with other countries to share the know-how and get the technology to market. In the US, the impact has been particularly powerful and wind farms are now cheaper to build than coal, nuclear and most gas plants. In other words, technology that was originally developed in Denmark has been improved by American ingenuity and competition in the market.
Furthermore, the drop in prices has made Texas - hardly a state run by environmentalists - the US leader in wind energy, with more than three times the capacity of California. The fact of the matter is that renewable energy has become good business, and is creating jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.
But while wind energy on land has succeeded, it requires the right wind conditions and areas with low population density. In some places, it will only be possible to build wind farms offshore. Earlier this year, Denmark signed an agreement of cooperation with the US on offshore wind. The agreement will create a unique platform to share our three decades of technology and regulation experiences with our American friends. And even though there are several offshore wind projects in the pipeline in Massachusetts, there remains ample scope to improve the technology and push down prices.
President Obama has argued that Denmark and the other Nordic countries "punch above our weight" in the fight against climate change. Domestically, Denmark has transformed its energy sector since the oil crisis, working towards becoming fossil fuel independent by 2050. We are on track to meet that goal, as wind energy provided 42 percent of our electricity consumption last year.
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Furthermore, Denmark is a global leader on other technologies that are relatively unknown in the US, but have tremendous potential to decrease emissions. We have developed a national system of district heating , which secures a stable supply of heating based on incineration of trash. Further still, we have deployed wastewater treatment solutions (which traditionally are very energy intensive) that are in fact producing energy.
Denmark is also working with the US and 18 other countries to increase research in clean energy through the "Mission Innovation" initiative launched by President Obama last year. The fruit of Mission Innovation's labor holds great potential for developing countries, as it includes China, India and Brazil, countries that are both emerging economies and major emitters.
But to prevent the irrevocable and disastrous consequences from climate change, all nations need to increase collaboration on all levels and focus on a wide host of clean technologies. Having witnessed the remarkable development in renewable energy over the last decade, I am convinced we can accomplish it.
by Adrian D. Pantoja, Ph.D.
Latino voters are about to play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. The latest Latino Decisions polls show that Republican presidential nominee Trump is losing the Latino vote across the country, including in the battleground states of Nevada (where 17.2 percent of the eligible electorate is Latino), Colorado (14.5 percent) and Florida (18 percent). High turnout rates among Latinos, coupled with a strong preference toward Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, ensures that those states stay blue.
Trump's likely failure to win states with large Latino populations is not surprising to long-time observers of Latino politics. For many months, we have warned Republicans that Trump's vitriolic attacks against immigrants will activate Latinos to turn out and vote against him and the GOP in record numbers. We witnessed a similar phenomenon in the mid-1990s in California with the anti-immigrant campaigns of Republican Governor Pete Wilson and Proposition 187. For the past eight weeks, the National Association of Latino Elected Officials Education Fund and Latino Decisions national tracking poll has documented the coming surge in Latino turnout and its rejection of the GOP.
Record numbers of Latinos will vote in this election. How do we know this?
Aside from our statistical models, over the course of the tracking poll we have observed an increase in the number of Latinos saying they will vote. Figure 1 above is an example of one of several questions we used in the tracking poll to determine the degree to which individuals were likely to vote. What is evident is the seven-point increase from Week 1 to Week 8 in the number of respondents who said it was "very important" that they and people in their community vote in November.
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We anticipated that the mobilization effects of Trump's xenophobic rhetoric would be most pronounced among immigrant Latino voters and consumers of Spanish-language media. Thus, while Latino turnout overall would be historically high, it would be unsurpassed among immigrants and Spanish-dominant Hispanics. That phenomenon was confirmed by the tracking poll.
In another question, respondents were asked whether voting in the 2016 election felt more important than voting in 2012 or vice-verse. In the final week, 76 percent of respondents said that the 2016 election felt more important. Among consumers of English-language media, 74 percent said that this election was more important; Spanish-language media consumers said this election was more important by a rate of 90 percent--a difference of 16 points. This question and others in the poll conclusively demonstrate that immigrant Latinos are particularly energized to vote.
The tracking poll affirms the existence of an energized Latino electorate. The key question is: Who will benefit most from that energy?
In Week 1 of the tracking poll (see Figure 2, above), 71 percent of Latinos said they were voting for Clinton, while 18 percent supported Trump, a gap of 53 points. By that point, Trump's standing among Latinos was severely compromised as a result of his ongoing attacks against immigrants and promises to build a wall across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Yet, there were still opportunities for change. Perhaps an eleventh hour pivot and appeal to Latinos could have forestalled the Latino surge against him. Rather than take that course, Trump doubled-down on his appeals to conservative whites. This proved to be a strategic failure. In the last week of the tracking poll the gap between Clinton and Trump among Latino voters widened to 62 points.
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Donald Trump set the tone for his campaign in June 2015 when he called undocumented Mexican immigrants rapists and drug dealers. Experts at Latino Decisions have warned that an anti-immigrant campaign strategy would end in failure. In a number of key battleground states, the Latino electorate is sizable and attacking them would be politically foolish. Those warnings have fallen on deaf ears.
Trump launched his campaign promising to build a wall to keep Americans safe from dangerous immigrants--a promise that was completely unfeasible to all but his supporters. Ironically, Trump has built a wall. It is a wall between him and the Latino electorate. In the end, that wall will block Trump's path to the White House.
The year 2001, when I became president of the United Steelworkers union and Hillary Clinton took office as a U.S. Senator for New York, was a desperate, terrible time for steelworkers and the steel industry in this country.
I turned to her, among many others, for help. Something had to be done. Within a half dozen years, 50,000 steelworkers would lose their jobs and 30 steel companies would go bankrupt. The primary culprit was unfair trade, as it is now.
As I fought to save jobs, I found that some lawmakers were true to their word, and Sen. Hillary Clinton was one of them. When she promised me she would co-sign a bill or testify in front of the International Trade Commission, she did it. She never let workers down. American steel and aluminum producers are in crisis again. I want a President I know I can trust based on past experience to help these workers. That is Hillary Clinton.
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Leo Gerard and Hillary Clinton at rally in Pittsburgh
Let me take you back to 1997. Thats when the steel disaster began with a financial crisis in Thailand. It spread across Asia and later to Russia and even Brazil. These countries maintained steel production and employment with government subsidies then dumped the excess metal at below-market costs in the United States. This created a massive global oversupply of steel, further sinking the price.
The result was a near record level of steel imports into the United States in 1997, followed by a one-third increase over that in 1998. And the numbers worsened year after year.
American steel companies collapsed. Tens of thousands of U.S. steelworkers lost their jobs. More than 100,000 retired steelworkers lost health care benefits that had been funded by steel companies that liquidated. Many more steelworkers lost pension benefits. Companies that supplied the steel industry went bankrupt and their workers lost jobs. Communities dependent on steel were devastated.
The steel industry and the USW filed literally dozens of individual trade cases asking for relief from imports of specific kinds of steel products and won them all. They also sought special, broader relief called Section 201 from then-President George W. Bush. And thats where Hillary Clinton was particularly helpful.
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I asked the freshman senator to testify for us. And she did it twice, even though she was dealing with the horrible consequences of the 9/11 attack in her home state. She got up to speed on the complicated trade issues, and by the time she spoke for us, she understood clearly how unfair trade affected steelworkers in New York and workers across the country. Here is some of her testimony to the International Trade Commission (ITC) in 2003 asking for an extension of the Section 201 intervention:
As our country faces difficult economic and international challenges, a vital, healthy domestic steel industry is important not only for the economic health of our nation, but for our national security as well. . .
Yet New York, which was once a major steel producer, has seen mill after mill close as a result of dumped and subsidized imports. . .
The Presidents Section 201 decision was based on the idea that by limiting the ability of illegally traded imports to pour freely into the U.S. market, temporary import relief would make it possible for the domestic industry to attract the investment it desperately needed to fund consolidation and modernization. And, indeed, this is exactly what happened. . .
The steel industrys workers have also invested heavily in the industry. As you can see, many steelworkers are attending todays hearing, a testament to their commitment to the future of the steel industry. In fact, in terms of the sacrifices they have made, their investment dwarfs that of Wall Street. . . Americas steelworkers have agreed to dramatic changes in work rules and compensation, all to make the American steel industry more competitive. . .
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With worldwide steelmaking overcapacity expected to continue for the near future, it is critically important that the Section 201 measures be allowed to run the full three years.
Frankly, I couldnt have asked for better testimony. And I really appreciated that she acknowledged that workers had given up so much to make mills profitable. She also noted that untold numbers of workers and retirees had lost health and pension benefits. Workers, she told the ITC, participated in steels recovery.
As a result, American steel and aluminum jobs are being lost again. Right now, 13,500 steelworkers are laid off. Thousands of aluminum workers have been furloughed in the past three years as record numbers of smelters have closed. Twenty-three smelters operated in the United States in 2000. That number was down to 10 in 2013. Now, three years later, only five remain.
Look, I know from experience that steelworkers cant solve this problem by ourselves. So we partner with our employers on trade cases. And we are working with U.S. Steel on its effort to have China barred from exporting steel to the United States altogether because of its egregious violations of international law, including hacking into the corporation's computers and stealing trade secrets.
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We do those things because we believe we are stronger together. We believe in Hillary Clintons slogan: Stronger Together. It sounds like a union slogan to us. We believe that when we all stand together, when we all have each others backs, we can do anything. We would like to have Hillary Clinton on our team.
***
Why do young people, including girls and women, turn radical and what role does the Internet play in their radicalization?
Lebanese sociologist Mona Fayyad said students of violence mechanisms should consider ties between the environment and violent behavior, including contextual hereditary and biological factors, systemic psychological elements from depression to character to personality to an individual's learning capacity, to political, social, and cultural elements.
Screen shot of Syrian refugees in Lebanon map
"High crime rates in crowded urban areas, notably poverty belts surrounding major cities, often go undetected by social monitoring and supervision, leading to an increased possibility of crimes and violence alongside a collapse of traditional structures," she said in a study of Syrian refugees and migrants in Lebanon and their exposure to untold horrors and injustices possibly leading to deviant behavior.
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Lebanon hosts upwards of 1.5 million Syrian refugees and migrants who escaped the war in their country, depending on whose figures one believes.
Pre-existing pockets of extremism in Lebanon, from which women and girls are not immune, compound the Syrians' possible radicalization.
A BBC Arabic Service episode of "Dunyana" (Our World) in August focused on "Women in Extremism," or the carrying of extremist ideology by females, as recruits and victims.
The show also highlighted whether women have a role as peace builders.
BBC show "Dunyana" on female radicalization (Abu-Fadil)
According to women experts on the show, many of the recruits fighting in Arab countries come from abroad. While home grown female jihadists in Iraq exist, for example, many others hail from Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt, Europe and Russia.
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One researcher said women recruits exhibited character weakness, a proclivity to violence, a need for escape (from their reality), and were in search of alternatives.
Al Qaeda, said one expert, realized that women were half of society and had a strategic importance in it, hence the need to recruit them to perform military duties as well.
The concept of social reproduction was key to recruitment efforts, she added. So if women are trained and indoctrinated in extremist thoughts, usually through the Internet, they'll create like-minded generations, and guarantee continuity for various roles in such a radical environment.
This online picture purportedly of Saudi women wearing the "niqab" (full face cover) has one holding up a yellow sign that says: "From besieged Mecca we support and pay homage to the Islamic State."
Screen shot of female online calls to cleanse Mecca
The blue sign the other woman is holding is fuzzy but seems to indicate they're waiting for ISIS to clean up Mecca following its "great military accomplishments in Iraq."
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Sadly, authorities in many countries treat the symptom, not the cause, of radicalization.
What draws women and girls to extremist organizations?
There's no shortage of females joining ISIS ranks to follow boyfriends, husbands, siblings or other family members.
In most cases, it's under the false pretense of a better, holier and more exciting life. To their horror, they discover it's all a hoax.
The World Bank's Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region department conducted research that focused on "Economic and Social Inclusion to Prevent Violent Extremism."
Screen shot of World Bank study
Its study released in October 2016 said:
Bringing an end to civil wars and countering violent extremism are the highest priority for the MENA region. While much of the effort involves the security sector, an economic perspective can shed light on the underlying causes of violent extremism. In particular, as we show in this section, among the factors that lead people to leave their country and join radicalized groups is the lack of economic and social inclusion in their country of residence.
In the "Data on Daesh (ISIS) Foreign Recruits" segment, the study points to Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco, Turkey and Egypt as the top five countries supplying recruits who travelled to Syria to join the organization.
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Among the non-Muslim-majority countries, Russia, France, and Germany supply the largest numbers of ISIS' foreign workforce, it said.
Laura Passoni, a Jihadi bride, was convicted in Belgium for joining ISIS a day after members of the group struck the Brussels airport and metro.
Screen shot of jihadi bride who fled Syria
She spends her time on probation trying to persuade young people her decision to go to Syria in June 2014 was the worst mistake of her life.
Asked why females were such an attractive commodity, she replied: "Why women? Because we make babies and especially boys, the future cubs of the caliphate as they say. They need descendants."
Media reports said Passoni was a convert to Islam, met a man online who persuaded her to marry and travel to Syria with her young child. She was apparently persuaded after reading what recruiters on Facebook had said that Belgium would never be home to a good Muslim.
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She eventually returned, after much difficulty and realizing it was the wrong move.
Franco-Iranian sociologist, researcher and author Farhad Khosrokhavar said "jihadism" is an act of identity recovery in a Western society in which jihadists are misfits.
"It's a form of brutal and savage - even excessive and pathological - revolt that allows jihadists to self-affirm and not submit," he said. "While Western life focuses on the pleasures of life, jihadism seduces by focusing on death."
Asked what made increasingly large numbers of young girls go to Syria, he said it was the most unsettling and paradoxical phenomenon. He referred to British studies that said the girls go to get married and rear children.
Screen shot of Farhad Khosrokhavar
He attributed it to these girls' disenchantment with feminism in Western society and their disinterest as second-generation females in their mothers' feminist struggles.
In their eyes the classical patriarchal family provides a feeling of security and belonging, he explained. "The girls think the (ISIS) fighters are serious boys while those of France appear as cheats and immature."
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He added there's a "disconnect" between parents and children who spend an inordinate amount of time in the virtual world.
Parents must take charge and become aware of the emptiness their children feel without reverting to a regressive form of vertical and patriarchal authority, he noted.
On August 6, The Economist headlined an article: "Look forward in anger: By treating the young as a threat, Arab rulers are stoking the next revolt."
The article referred to Arab countries full of young people frustrated by a lack of jobs; questioning traditional authority; bittersweet about the West, its liberties and its power; and plugged-in enough to know that their lot is worse than that of many of their peers around the world.
"Many factors led to the Arab uprisings of 2011, which overthrew old rulers in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, and rattled many other regimes. But there is little doubt that the Arab world's large youth bulge, and its rulers' failure to harness it for economic development, was central," it said.
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The worst affected are the women and girls, by many accounts.
"These days life for young Arabs is often a miserable choice between a struggle against poverty at home, emigration or, in extreme cases, jihad. Indeed, in places such as Syria, the best-paid jobs involve picking up a gun," it said.
Enter the matter of media and information literacy (MIL).
The need for MIL is crucial in the Middle East/North Africa region to help mitigate the adverse effects of youth radicalization via the Internet.
MENA MIL book (Abu-Fadil)
I'm the lead editor and co-author of a just-published book aimed at creating awareness on the subject.
I started on this MIL road in 1999 with a colleague from the University of Missouri's School of Journalism, followed by many other projects.
In 2007 I presented a paper for a UNESCO world literacy conference in Doha, Qatar entitled "Media Literacy: A Tool to Combat Stereotypes and Promote Intercultural Understanding."
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Last month I trained Lebanese, Jordanian and Iraqi journalists on how to cover religion and sensitive matters.
The media play a key role in informing and misinforming sometimes naive audiences on religion, sectarianism, cultural differences, etc. They often contribute to hate speech and sedition and could use proper guidance.
There's a need for better engagement with girls and women through
- Education, revised curricula
- Media and information literacy
- Relevant gender studies
- Cross-cultural and interreligious initiatives
- Buy-in from, and involvement of, the media
- Violence-free projects in schools
- Creation of useful apps and games for disaffected youth
- Capitalizing on social media to benefit and protect women and girls.
Remember: Media are a double-edged sword. They cut both ways.
Mainstream media may have intensely ingrained the perception that women in the Gulf region are obliged to be covered from head to toe with the traditional black gown, known as Abaya and a headscarf. This is true, if you were residing in Saudi Arabia, but for the other five GCC countries, women do have the freedom to express their fashionable side. It may be still modest, but certainly very Vogue. Here are five things you may have overlooked regarding women's fashion in the Gulf States.
1-Abayas are stylish and do not come in black only
The loose, full length robe has come a long way. More women in the Middle East are opting for the diverse variety of abayas coming in different cuts, colors, styles and fabrics. In fact, high-end fashion retailer, Dolce and Gabana has released a clothing line with a range of abayas and hijabs earlier this year to woo their Middle Eastern customers. The designs are revolutionary; the abayas are jazzed up with some lace, embroidery and prints for a trendier look. Most women would combine the enriched traditional wear with an elegant bag, pair of designer high-heels and sunglasses. Of course, full make-up and perfect hair (because, many Khaleeji women only cover half of their scalps, which means a great deal of hair is exposed) is likely to go with their fashionable ensemble. And voila- this is the real image of women, who hail from the Arabian Peninsula.
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2-Underneath the "Black Robes" is Pure Posh
Many women from the Gulf region come from royal or rich industrial families, so it is not surprising that there is a world of Gucci, Dior and other affluent designer clothes underneath their flowy garments. It may be bewildering though for foreigners to see the locals spend a fortune on an outfit that won't be visible to the public eye. But for most women, it is a matter of feeling good from the inside as in from the outside. Also fears of windy conditions or having your abaya get caught up in the escalator is another excuse to go on a shopping spree to spare potential embarrassment.
3-Regular Trips to the Fashion Capitals
Trips to fashion capitals such as Paris, London, Milan and New York, spending long hours in the store trying on the finest Haute Couture and heading back home with a suitcase packed with outfits for every occasion is the typical shopping experience of many families from these oil-rich states. But what a crime would it be, if the salesperson makes the unforgiving mistake of selling a dress that has been sold to another customer going to the exact same party. Gulf women would dread to invest in a dress, only to see it worn by a fellow guest at the same event. This translates to a painstaking process for the designer shops to keep a detailed record of the person they sold a certain item to.
For royal families, they are just a phone call away for their ultimate shopping endeavor. Representatives from fashion retailers come over to their lavish mansions with a wide range of designs and clothes and are very willing to make major adjustments to cater to their preferences.
4-A Busy Social Calendar
The average Middle Eastern female has a dozens of weddings and private parties to attend annually, and all the invited female guests are on a mission to be the best-dressed to impress a potential mother-in-law (Yes, weddings and parties in the Gulf region are gender segregated). Another reason, couture is essential for Middle Eastern women is because it presents a symbol of social status and success. With a busy social calendar and such immense competitive pressure, it is no wonder designer shops in Europe are packed with wealthy tourists from the Arab world getting ready for the year in-style.
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The vast majority of Americans are at least aware of the biggest social media platforms with the five biggest based strictly on consumer awareness being: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest. According to statistics based on actual user traffic, all of those are in the top 20 of all U.S. websites with the exception of Snapchat. This clearly shows how popular social media currently is but also the potential for future growth within the field.
As the popularity of connecting with other people on digital platforms continues to grow, social media becomes an increasingly important marketing resource. However, unlike other advertising tactics, social media requires the establishment of a personal connection in order to be most effective. So how does one make that personal connection? Read on.
Provide Value
Many companies look at social media as simply another avenue of promotion. While it is possible to discriminate new information on social media platforms, consumers recognize ads and many find it invasive to receive propaganda from accounts they are following. What they respond well to are those things that provide a sense of value that don't feel like a marketing ploy.
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Facebook Live is one of the newest innovations that creates an opportunity to engage users via an immensely popular social media site and provide substantial user value. Companies large and small are able to being streaming a live video with nothing more than a phone or a computer. Those being filmed are able to interact with users who are watching as they speak. This gives unprecedented consumer access to a company, organization, or entrepreneur. Viewers are able to see that user questions and opinions are important and they gain a sense of familiarity with the speaker.
Twitter is not only a popular platform; it offers one of the easiest ways to create a personal connection with consumers. There are a variety of strategies to increase engagement, including hashtag campaigns, retweeting users who mention relevant topics, and specifically tweeting to people who are discussing something relevant to your brand. Twitter is essentially a worldwide chat room where a company has the opportunity to jump into the daily conversation of millions of customers. To give consumers a reason to follow along with your conversation offer regular coupons, industry specific tips, and free resources.
Facilitate Participation
It isn't enough to simply provide resources for consumers. It is equally important to give them a way to actively participate in the conversation by engaging their own social networks. This can be done in a variety of ways including sharing information with their personal network, participating in surveys, or entering contests.
A lot of people initially discover a business through their official website or blog. There are several ways to immediately take advantage of their visit. A landing page that offers users something of value if they join an email list, social media sharing buttons on images and at the end of posts, and social login. Some of the newest trends as noted by Social Login, involve creating a sense of authenticity and personalization. All of the above methods utilize this trend by encouraging the exchange of personal information between the company and the user. Instead of anonymously viewing a website they are providing their contact information, sharing what they find to their social network, or authenticating themselves with a universal login.
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Once a company has this information, they are able to easily facilitate participation with those users. Email interest can be monitored and data collected for a variety of data points. This makes it possible to determine which methods are most effective. Social media shares are follows can be tracked in a similar way, as can the number of referred users from those sites. Make it easy for visitors to engage and share your content and then collect the data to discover how well it is working and what needs to be improved upon.
A sign indicates an early voting polling place at the Potomac Community Recreation Center on October 28, 2016 in Potomac, Maryland. / AFP / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
As Election Day approaches, the call to vote is loud and persistent. Latino voters especially feel the urgency to vote in a presidential race where immigrants have been demonized, and their contributions to the economy have been vehemently discussed as part of this long, contentious election cycle. News reports indicate that early voter turnout for Latinos is exceeding rates from past elections.
However, there is one population of voters that is largely barred from participating and has actually swelled through the decades: people with felony convictions.
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Criminal laws are complex and vary from state to state, making the path to voter registration a very tough one for Latinos who have had contact with the criminal legal system. Other than in the states of Vermont and Maine, people with felony convictions are stripped of their right to vote.
Currently, there are 6.1 million voters who are disenfranchised because of a felony conviction. That number is more than five times greater than in the 1970s and almost twice as great as the number of disenfranchised voters in the late 1990s. The significant increase in disenfranchised voters is a side effect of mass incarceration, which spiraled to its highest rates in the 21st century. Thus, populations with high incarceration rates, like black Americans and Latino Americans, also experience high rates of voter disenfranchisement.
About half of disenfranchised voters have served their sentences, with the remaining either still serving time in prison or under parole or probation. While most states allow a person to regain their voting rights after serving their sentence, the process to restore one's rights can be cumbersome. One reason is that applications to restore voting rights often require documentation, such as identification cards, birth certificates, or social security cards that formerly incarcerated people may not have or are unable to afford. Another hurdle is that many people who leave prison are too preoccupied with reentry and survival, like finding jobs, housing, and reconnecting with loved ones. Registering to vote and voting is often a low priority.
People who leave the criminal legal system may also wrongly believe that they are barred from voting. For instance, the state of New York -- which has one of the country's highest Latino incarceration rates -- allows people who have completed their sentences to apply to have their rights restored without special documentation. There is much confusion by both state administrators and the public. A 2006 Brennan Center survey found that over a third of the state's officials responded that New Yorkers on probation are not allowed to vote. That is false. Moreover, nearly a third of local election boards illegally requested documentation from New Yorkers with convictions who were seeking to register to vote. Indeed, misinformation about the voter registration process is rampant.
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Most troubling is the fact that four states still have blanket bans preventing people with convictions from voting. One such state is Florida -- another state with a high Latino incarceration rate -- where people must first apply for clemency before having their rights restored.
The result of tough voter disenfranchisement laws in this important battleground state means that about 1.5 million Florida residents cannot vote, or one in ten Floridians of voting age are disenfranchised.
Early voting in Florida has already seen a 150% uptick in Latino voter turnout compared to 2012, and it is not hard to imagine how much more power and strength the Latino vote could garner if felon disenfranchisement were a relic of the past. In fact, if voting rights were restored just for people who have already completed their sentences, 4.7 of the 6.1 million disenfranchised voters--a whopping 77 percent of all disenfranchised voters--would be eligible to vote.
Ultimately, felon disenfranchisement is undemocratic in a society where voter participation is fundamental to our political system and where civic engagement propels ideas to the forefront.
Restoring voting rights is an essential part of reentry and important in helping prevent recidivism. People want to--and need to--feel that they belong to a community and that society accepts them. Restoring the vote is also how we restore dignity and full citizenship. A person who serves his or her time for a crime should not be confined to another sentence: a lifetime of voter deprivation.
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Unfortunately, Latinos in America face many barriers to voter registration and engagement, with felon disenfranchisement being just one of many. Nonetheless, we can surely cast our vote in honor of those who cannot and keep ourselves informed on this important civil rights issue to spur change. To find out if you are eligible to vote in your state, please visit this site.
Maritza Perez, Soros Justice Fellow at MALDEF
Anthony Papa, Manager of Media and Artist Relations for Drug Policy Action
The Vatican's participation in the mediation effort in Venezuela poses an unusual challenge to US policy in Venezuela and the region. On Sunday, October 30, three of the four major opposition parties and other prominent opposition leaders met with the government, with mediators from the Vatican and UNASUR (the Union of South American Nations). Some progress was made. The government released four people who the opposition considers political prisoners, and the opposition called off a political trial against President Maduro and a planned demonstration that most observers believed ran a high risk of violence.
Thomas Shannon, the number three official in the US State Department, also went to Venezuela this week, met with President Maduro and opposition leaders, and supported the dialogue. I wish I could say that this represents an actual change in US policy in the region, but all evidence still points to the contrary.
The US government is not looking at Venezuela in terms of dialogue or compromise. The Obama administration has economic sanctions against Venezuela, which President Obama renewed last March. In renewing these sanctions, the executive order again declared that Venezuela presented "an unusual and extraordinary threat to US security." The world knows what happens to countries that the US deems to be "an unusual and extraordinary" security threat. Look what happened to Iraq. Look what happened to Nicaragua in the 1980s. It doesn't matter how many people are directly affected by the specific sanctions against Venezuela. The threat is what matters, and it is ugly and belligerent enough to keep many investors from investing in Venezuela and to raise the country's cost of borrowing. (Not to mention that the whole premise of Venezuela as a "security threat" is absurd.) And the US government has also directly pressured financial institutions not to do business with Venezuela.
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For all of these reasons, it is clear that Washington's goal in Venezuela is currently the same as it has been for almost all of the past 15 years. Shannon's support for dialogue is almost certain to turn out the same as previous diplomatic thaws in the past: a brief and insincere interlude. President Obama initiated the longest period (about five months) of calm US-Venezuela relations since the US-backed military coup of 2002 between March and July last year. It soon became clear that this was only because the Cubans with support from the rest of the region made it a condition of progress in their own negotiations for opening relations with the US. This was something that Obama wanted for his legacy. But as Venezuela's National Assembly elections approached, the Obama administration went back to its regime change strategy, supporting an international campaign to delegitimize Venezuela's elections. (This turned out to be unnecessary, since the opposition won in a landslide.)
The Venezuelan opposition pursued a "strategy of military takeover" for the first four years of the Chavez government, including the 2002 military coup. But since 2004, they have been divided on whether to pursue change through legal means. Whenever they had people in the streets supporting a violent or extralegal overthrow as in 2002-03, 2013, or 2014 the US government has taken their side. Washington has also led various campaigns to delegitimize the Venezuelan government, a vital part of any extralegal "regime change" strategy.
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No analysis of the race for Illinois comptroller is complete without the term "proxy war."
It's a term Illinois voters have heard and experienced many times over the decades, as Republican and Democratic party leaders of the Illinois House and Senate pour money into the campaigns of their members to fend off challenges from the other party. Sometimes a candidate's legislative leader funds 90 percent or more of his or her campaign. This is a practice that good-government types, like me, don't like because it creates officeholders who know that their election depends on keeping the boss happy.
But in legislative races, "proxy war" is a bit of an abstract concept. There's no guarantee that a lawmaker will be completely compliant with his or her party leader once elected. And sometimes those party leaders know that forcing candidate A to vote a certain way will doom him/her back home in the next election.
At the moment, there are 110 Democrats and 67 Republicans in the Illinois General Assembly. That's a lot of cats for the four legislative leaders to herd, and the process can be chaotic.
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When we use the term "proxy war" in the race for Illinois comptroller between Republican incumbent Leslie Geissler Munger and Democratic challenger Susana Mendoza, however, it's a precise description of what we're getting. Make no mistake: The result of this race will have a direct effect on how effective Bruce Rauner will be as governor for the next two years and how effective House Speaker Michael Madigan will be in blunting Rauner's agenda.
To understand why, you have to look back to the summer of 2015, when Rauner and Madigan were just getting warmed up in what soon would become an intractable standoff over how to address the state's many financial woes. And you have to look to the Illinois State Constitution of 1970, which was written to ensure that a prolonged budget crisis like the one we've had for 16 months now never would happen.
The state constitution is explicit that no taxpayer dollars can be spent without the General Assembly and the governor signing off on spending them. This way, the lawmakers we elect locally in the legislative branch and the governor we elect statewide to lead the executive branch both must have a hand in spending tax money.
Thus, when Budget Year 2015 ended on July 1, 2015, and there was no state budget in place, we braced for a government "shutdown." That's because the greatest and most immediate effect of having no state budget is the halt of paychecks for most state employees. If government really did shut down, public pressure would be immense on the governor and Legislature to reach agreement on a budget.
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Within a week of the end of FY 2015, Attorney General Lisa Madigan successfully sued in Cook County Circuit Court to halt the comptroller's office from issuing paychecks without authorization from a state budget.
"I absolutely want State employees to be paid their full wages. But the Illinois Constitution and case law are clear: The State cannot pay employees without a budget. The judge's order reaffirms this. It remains up to the Governor and the Legislature to enact a state budget to allow for necessary government operations and programs to continue," Madigan said in a statement issued July 7, 2015.
But a day later, a lawsuit in St. Clair County brought by the state's largest union of state employees, AFSCME Council 31, argued that the comptroller's office would violate labor contracts if it did not issue paychecks. Though the comptroller's office was the defendant in this case -- and represented by Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office -- representatives of Comptroller Munger argued on the plaintiffs' side. The governor's office, too, was on the union's side.
Ultimately, the St. Clair County judge ruled in the union's favor. Madigan tried to get an expedited appeal from the Illinois Supreme Court on both cases, but the court refused. Madigan's office opted against what would have been a lengthy appeals process through the lower courts, so state employees have been paid ever since.
So even as higher education funding has crumbled and the sick, elderly and disabled have seen vital services disappear, most of state government functions as normal. In a recent survey by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, two-thirds of Illinoisans said they felt no effect of the budget crisis.
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(Of course, they're going to feel it eventually, as the state is racking up historically high debt because there is no budget to control spending. All sides concede that taxes eventually will have to go up to pay for it. But that's another chapter.)
This broad appearance of normalcy in state government operation is essential for Rauner. It has allowed him to hold firm on his position that he won't negotiate on the budget -- and the tax increases he says must come with it -- until Democrats pass parts of his reform agenda.
Now, back to the comptroller's race.
If Munger is re-elected, she'll continue the deft job of prioritizing the state's bill-paying that her office has been doing for the last 16 months. Thus, those Illinoisans reflected in the Simon Poll probably will continue to perceive the budget crisis as no crisis at all. And Rauner, without the immense pressure of, for example, drivers enraged because drivers license facilities are closed, can continue to hold fast on his "no reforms, no budget negotiations" stance.
If Mendoza is elected, it'll be another story. She's unlikely to facilitate Rauner's strategy. If you've followed this campaign, you know that Mendoza has criticized Rauner for not doing his job by failing to enact a budget. She's labeled Munger as Rauner's enabler.
Munger has been vocal in publicizing the state's deteriorating fiscal position. But her criticism consistently has been framed to promote Rauner's call for business and political reforms in the process of passing a complete state budget.
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And here's another twist: In a decision last March in a union lawsuit over unpaid raises by the state, the Illinois Supreme Court made a statement that affirmed the attorney general's stance from the previous summer that state employees should not be paid without authorization from a state budget.
The court cites "a well-defined and dominant public policy under which multiyear collective bargaining agreements are subject to the appropriation power of the State, a power which may only be exercised by the General Assembly." That means the union's argument in the St. Clair County lawsuit in July 2015 was invalid. The comptroller would not violate union employment contracts because they're governed by the state constitution's appropriations clause (defined in Section 2(b) at this link.)
Essentially, that decision vindicates the attorney general's arguments in the Cook County and St. Clair County lawsuits from July 2015. Now, however, the attorney general's office doesn't appear eager to reopen the matter and seek to halt state employee paychecks.
In April, the office told me the matter was "under review." When I asked again last week, the status remained the same.
When I asked Mendoza's campaign if as comptroller she would use the new case to seek a halt to state paychecks, the campaign sent this statement: "
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The Comptroller is obliged to follow the Constitution and any court orders entered by federal or state judges, but the Comptroller does not have the authority to go to court to enforce those laws. The Illinois Constitution gives that power to the Attorney General. To be clear, the Attorney General, not the Comptroller, has the constitutional authority to serve as the legal officer of the State of Illinois.
It should be noted that the last time the the attorney general attempted to represent the comptroller, the comptroller testified against the attorney general.
From the minute she stepped into The Bailey Agency several seasons ago, Kenya Moore breathed a brand new life into "The Real Housewives of Atlanta". As the new season kicks off (Sunday November 6th at 9:00 8/7c), Moore is poised for her hottest season yet. She sat down with me to chat about her new home, Moore Manor, how she's quite possibly found love with a new man, her time with a certain Presidential candidate on "The Celebrity Apprentice", and what alliances may have shifted with her fellow Atlanta Housewives.
Well right off the bat Kenya, you are back at the forefront of the drama on this season of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta". Moore Manor definitely has taken some significant steps towards completion since we last saw it.
Oh thank you. I never felt like I would be finished with everything but now that I am, looking at it from the first episode until now, it looks iike a completely different house.
It looks like you definitely won the bet with returning cast member Sheree Whitfield about whether or not her "Chateau Sheree" or your "Moore Manor" would be completed first, correct?
Oh, I mean, I've been in my house four or five months now and she still hasn't moved into her house. It's pretty safe to say that I won that competition.
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Other than not having Nene Leakes as a cast member this season, what is different about this season for "The Real Housewives of Atlanta"?
For me, there is obviously other dynamics on the show, like having Sheree back full-time, that has been very interesting, she has been definitely getting her hands dirty in the process. What's interesting for me is my relationship being a big part of my life this season. Trying to figure it out, I mean, we're a year and a half into it. Is there going to be marriage, are we going to work on our issues or are we going to part ways? That's real different for me this season.
Based on what we've seen in the trailer, it looks like you and fellow cast member Phaedra Parks are in a very good place especially.
Yeah, you know sometimes in life, time heals wounds. We both hurt each other in various ways but I am a person that never, if you watch the show, likes living in the past. I don't like people that harp on old things and I know I've made mistakes, but at the core, it wasn't anything that I planned to do. I never did anything inappropriate with Apollo, while there were friendly texts that I answered, we discussed that in lengthy detail. I never really crossed a line that could not be uncrossed. For me, it was not anything that was unforgivable. I just feel that if a person wants to make amends and move forward, I'm willing to do that as long as they accept their responsiblity. In just made sense for us to move forward.
The ladies in Atlanta always seem to have some of the most volailtsle of the relationships, with physical altercations taking place during a reunion with you and castmate Porsha Stewarty and then last year with Cynthia Bailey and Stewart. You however, seem to be able to move forward with the ladies you have disagreements with in a very smooth way, arguably with more ease that other Housewives may be able to.
You know, my focus is always a laser focus in moving forward. I was raised to be very forgiving, because i want people to forgive me if I have done something horribly. I definitey have had my challenges in terms of physical altercations, because I feel like that is the ultimate violation. We are at work. At the end of the day, this is a job. You can feel a certain way to walk away, you always have a choice to use your words I feel that when you cross the line and do something like that,it can be very, very challenging. But then to see it happen with the same person two more times, it's like I said, I was not the problem. Clearly there was something else going on. With me, I just don't like the heaviness of hate in my heart. I can't hate people for past injustices. I just have to always move forward. Life is too short; I just want to be happy and everyone else figure it out for themselves, that's the only way I can deal with it.
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Speaking of hate and business, you were on "The Celebrity Apprentice" which Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump hosted at the time. Is the person that you see running for President that same person you saw in the boardroom?
Are you trying to get me in trouble? (laughs). Honestly when Donald was in the boardroom, he was judging us on our performances. There wasn't any locker room talk or anything like assaulting women or bragging about it. In that regard, it's not the same person. Is it the same person that offended Alicia Machado for being overweight-yes. Is it the same person that called Rosie O'Donnell a pig-yes. Clearly, that is something that has occurred and he makes no apologies for it. For me, he was tough on me, but he was fair in the end. I can only appreciate that from Mr. Trump.
Speaking of men, you have had your trials finding a partner during your time on the show, While we saw you with Matt last season, could there be trouble in paradise this season? We have gotten to know your best friend Brandon during your time on the show, and it seems that a perfect partner would be another Brandon, but straight of course!
You're right I definitely need a straight Brandon (laughs) thats my baby! Matt is a good guy though .Walter had it out for me that moment we started filmng and that was what it was. Matt is a good person and I haven't seen that in a long time. He is Team Kenya all the way. He is just young and immatture, not only trying to figure himself out, but life in general out. That is one of the challenges of dating someone that is sixteen years younger than you who isn;t even thirty years old yet. HIs intentions are in the right place, but the immaturity and the lack of experience and dealing with someone like me only magnifies that he is the age that he is. He definitely is a solid person though, his heart is definitely the heart of a man that you would want to marry.
You definitely came onto the show and staked your claim as a prominent cast member. Both on your show and on "Celebrity Apprentice" you had your run in with other ladies. What is it that you think makes other women really want to mix it up with you.
In terms of other "Housewives" that have come for me, it was only (former "Real Housewife of Beverly Hills) Brandi Glanville. I think Brandi's reason for targeting me was to come for me. We were sitting at a dinner after the NBC Upfronts and she all of a sudden starts talking out of the side of her neck and crazy, and I'm looking at her like "what happened"? I had never met her before and she made it a point to target me. I think that sometimes when you are trying to make a name for yourself, you go for the biggest name you can go for. I'm going to go for the biggest target for my own fame and my own notoriery; I think that was Brandi's idea from the beginning, and to an extent it worked for her, especially on "Celebrity Apprentice". Her whole storyline was attacking me the entire time.
The gay men, without a doubt, absolutely love you, that goes without saying. Why do you think that the gay men absolutely gravitate towards you?
I love them too honey! I think gay men love fabulous and fierce women. I'm a former model, and former Miss U.S.A. an I own it, I own who I am. I've never been ashamed to speak up, I've never been a victim of someone bullying me, and I've just owned who I am. I love the skin that I'm in; whatever it is, I am honest and straightforward. You can either like me or love me, I really give zero____. I think that a lot of the time, gay men identify iike that and want to be fierce and fabulous also. I think we just identity with each other too. I grew up being non judgmental and never had anyone in my family judge or criticize anyone for being gay. I came up in the modeling agency and so many of my best friends are gay. It's a part of who I am and I think they know that too.
If you looked back on the girl who first walked onto "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" many seasons ago and could tell that new Housewife something now, as almost a veteran, what would you tell her?
Bitch you better bring it! I'm not stepping off my throne, you're gonna have to take me off this one!
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A TV Ad, Racial Gerrymanders and Racial Quotas
By Michael Kent Curtis
The North Carolina Republican Party chairman is yelling foul over an independent TV ad currently airing in the state. The ad criticizes North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Bob Edmunds for his decision upholding the way the North Carolina legislature used race in legislative districting. Federal courts have now upheld challenges to 28 of the legislature's state house and senate districts and to two congressional districts--because court found the legislature's gerrymandered use of race violated the 14th Amendment's guarantee of Equal Protection of the laws. These are the same districts that Justice Edmunds approved in his opinion for the North Carolina high court.
As summarized by the News and Observer, the ad says Justice Edmunds, a Republican, wrote the decision upholding his party's discrimination. Notably, a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision also struck changes in voting laws in North Carolina, changes that the judges found surgically targeted to disadvantage black voters.
Republican leaders responded to that federal decision with an attack on the federal judges. The response to the anti-Edmunds ad takes a different route: "This racially charged and explosive ad has no place in our state," N.C. GOP Chairman Robin Hayes said in a news release.
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In light of Mr. Hayes outrage, it is worth looking at the facts.
After their 2010 victories in North Carolina, Republican legislators enacted a breath-taking gerrymander, one designed to protect and enhance their new legislative and congressional majority for the foreseeable future.
The gerrymander was starkly racial. Republican leaders in the state house and senate announced and enforced two racial quotas (my term, not the legislature's) for redistricting the state's legislative seats. They said that they would consider changes to their plan, but none to their two racial quotas (or "targets").
The legislature's districting czars mandated creating as many as possible black-majority, voting-age population legislative districts (quota 1) and for the state senate and house, having black representatives in the state legislature in proportion to the state's black voting-age population (quota 2). The effect of the quotas was to pack extra black voters into new majority black districts and, as needed, to expel whites.
The defense by Republicans in the legislature was that these racial quotas were justified by the Voting Rights Act or to protect the state against a Voting Rights Act lawsuit. If valid, the Voting Rights Act defense also let the legislature overcome, for state legislative districts, the anti-gerrymander whole county provision of our state constitution.
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For their reconstructive surgery, Republican legislators revised legislative districts in areas where, thanks to a multi-racial coalition, candidates preferred by black voters already had been winning by large margins, even though blacks of were not a majority of the voting-age population of the district. Then they applied quota 1 to these districts. The hyper-racial districting wasted black votes and helped disrupt multi-racial coalitions.
A later decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in a case from Alabama strongly indicated that racial districting must be viewed district by district and that rigid numerical targets had to be shown to be needed to protect the equal opportunity of black voters to elect candidates of their choice in that district.
This should be so if only if, in the newly constructed district, racially polarized voting was shown to frustrate an equal opportunity of blacks to elect candidates of their choice. Since in the prior districts in these areas candidates preferred by black voters were typically winning by large margins, that was a stretch.
The first racial quota (50 percent-plus black voting-age population districts) also relocated blacks -- who mostly vote Democratic -- from other districts where they had helped to elect their white Democratic allies. The result was a few more blacks in the legislature, and many fewer white Democrats and even whiter Republican districts. Racial gerrymandering left blacks and the few surviving white Democrats a long-term impotent minority in the legislature.
The second racial quota required that the number of blacks in the state legislature be proportional to the black voting-age population of the state. Pursuing its second racial proportional-representation quota, the Republican majority drew white state Sen. Linda Garrou (D-Forsyth) out of her prior district, although she had been the preferred candidate of black voters. Sen. Robert Rucho (R-Mecklenburg), the senate re-districting czar, admitted that Sen. Garrou would not have been removed from her district if she had been a black incumbent. From the perspective of the racial quota, Sen. Garrou -- though preferred by most black voters in her district -- was a Democrat of the wrong color. The proportional racial quota required a black, not a white Democrat.
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The North Carolina Supreme Court, by a divided vote, has (twice) upheld the gerrymander by racial quotas (a word the court avoids) -- the second time after a remand from the U.S. Supreme Court that cited the case from Alabama. The deeply divided North Carolina Supreme Court majority treated the U.S. Supreme Court's Alabama decision as of little importance.
The Voting Rights Act, an act on which the legislature and North Carolina court relied, rejects a requirement of proportionality. The quotas have now been held in violation of the equal protection of the laws by the federal court.
The legislature and the N.C. Supreme Court majority could not easily defend the systematic destruction of multiple, multi-racial coalition districts on the grounds that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act requires that black voters have an "equal" opportunity to elect their preferred candidates. That's because in the areas of these new racially designed districts, black voters had already been electing their preferred candidates by large majorities in the multi-racial, coalition districts the legislature systematically destroyed. Of course, population shifts required some adjustment of district lines.
So the legislature and the North Carolina high court defended the rigid racial quotas by a different approach -- having destroyed the old apparently Voting Rights Act-compliant districts, the legislature claimed and a slim majority of our North Carolina high court found, that the legislature might need the two numerical quotas to protect against a possibly successful Voting Rights Act lawsuit -- defending by establishing its newly created quota districts.
Sometimes, defenders of racial packing and sorting and voting rules that depress the votes of blacks and poor voters, claim that these methods are OK since they are motivated by permissible political motives, not racial ones. The quotas operate to disrupt a white-black political coalition. But, as the argument goes, black voters are not packed and gerrymandered because they are black, but because they mostly vote Democratic. To target and disadvantage voters of a certain race because of how they vote should still be seen as racial discrimination.
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At one time, U.S. Supreme Court precedent seemed to see bans on interracial marriage as permissible -- because, while blacks could not marry whites, whites also could not marry blacks. Finally, the high court saw the discrimination for what it was -- discrimination against interracial marriage and in favor of single-race couples. Systematic attacks on multi-racial political coalitions should fare no better.
Racial quotas and devices (by whatever name), when not justified by any compelling need, are deeply troubling, especially when their obvious effect is isolate blacks, and to diminish their political influence, and systematically to disrupt multi-racial political coalitions.
Did you know that McDonald`s started out as an innovative restaurant with good food, locally-sourced potatoes and fresh milkshakes made from scratch? And that no female employees were allowed for years, lest they distract the customers? Lisa Napoli`s fabulous new book Ray & Joan: The Man Who Made the McDonald`s Fortune and the Woman Who Gave it All Away (Dutton, November 17, 2016) is full of surprises. Acclaimed KRCW- and New York Times-reporter Lisa Napoli not only researched how the salesman Ray Kroc turned a San Bernardino burger stand into one of the largest international brands, but focuses on his unconventional third wife, Joan Mansfield. The entertaining book chronicles the two sides of Ray & Joan's private life--from glamour and wealth to Ray's drinking problem and strong temper, which led to Joan's first philanthropic endeavor--the founding of the alcoholism education program, Operation Cork. Ray & Joan is a moving, extremely well-written story of big business, big love, and big giving.
Michaela Haas: What sparked your interest in the life story of Joan Kroc?
Lisa Napoli: The Paul Conrad peace sculpture, Chain Reaction, a fixture in front of the Santa Monica Civic Center since 1991. I went to cover its fate (it was in disrepair) and activist Jerry Rubin told me Joan Kroc had anonymously funded it years before. That piqued my interest...since you hear Joan's name recited on public radio every day. There was no biography, so I found myself writing one. Suddenly, the history of McDonald's is everywhere! Michael Keaton is starring as Ray Kroc in the movie The Founder, which focuses on the first five years of McDonald's and how he wrested control of the burger stand from the brothers who created it. And Ray & Joan looks at that story as a way into the complicated relationship between the founding chairman and his much-younger, philanthropist wife...
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When Ray Kroc met the blonde beauty Joan Mansfield, she was the wife of one of his franchisers. How did he win her over during their tumultuous twelve-year courtship?
Actually, Joan wasn't the wife of the franchisee when they met. Her husband became a manager of McDonald's #93, likely as a result of Ray's admiration of Joan. Later, Joan and her husband became franchisees, but they had to move to Rapid City South Dakota for the right to open their own store. Ray won Joan over, in part, because of their mutual love of piano--and his larger-than-life personality. Joan had big ambitions for her life, and Rapid City didn't quite square with that....
The most fascinating part of your book is when Joan Kroc comes into her own after Ray passes away. She seems simultaneously altruistic and extravagant, elegant and bawdy, a devoted wife and a self-reliant feminist. How would you describe her personality?
You just did it perfectly! That's exactly why I was drawn to Joan, all the contradictions. She wasn't the pampered spouse of a rich man who sat on her tuffet, no way; and after he died, she really emerged as a force of nature.
She did a lot of very unconventional things her husband would have disdained, including supporting unpopular causes early on, such as AIDS treatment, hospice care, alcohol addiction, and the no-nukes movement. What, do you think, truly motivated her?
She felt responsible for caretaking this fortune she'd inherited, and she also had the sense many of us do when we are confronted with the ills of the world: How can I help? We can all help, but most of us are not billionaires--and she chose to apply her fortune to address some of the ills in society she witnessed. That began, in large part, with the program she launched in response to Ray's alcoholism. It was called Operation Cork--Kroc spelled backwards--and she made films and published books and did all sorts of outreach to educate people about the perils of drinking, particularly on the family, at a time when that wasn't widely discussed or acknowledged.
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Joan Kroc gave away around 2.8 billion dollars and seems to have written enormous checks almost randomly, sometimes to causes she knew little about, just because she liked somebody. She gave a million dollars to Ethiopian famine relief; a million dollars to the Democrats; and of course a spectacular 2 billion dollars to the Salvation Army and 250 million dollars to NPR. What has become of her donations?
It's hard to track donation by donation, but the Salvation Army has built 26 recreation centers in low-income neighborhoods around the country, which was Joan's wish. NPR has a nice fat endowment thanks to Joan's gift, as well as other training programs. The Hospice in San Diego has dissolved, but that had nothing to do with Joan, and the San Diego Opera almost imploded a few years back and was saved. It's like having many children and giving them all a slice of pie: Some eat it up zealously, some push the crust aside on the plate, maybe a few dig into it for a bite or two.
If you had 3 billion dollars to give away, like Joan did, what would you do with them?
Right this minute if I had that kind of dough, I'd hope to find a way to transform the American electoral system in a radical way, including shortening the election cycle and fixing the antiquated way we vote. But since that's even less realistic than my having a sudden, enormous windfall, my second answer would be to build affordable housing for low-income people in Los Angeles. Three billion is probably the sum you'd need to help make a dent in this enormous problem.
Everybody knows if you start a high dollar, high fashion business you need serious capital, serious experience, and serious name recognition.
Turns out those assumptions are seriously wrong.
Let me tell you about Josefinas, a three-year-old Portuguese women's shoe company that started with none of those things.
"When we opened the business," says co-founder, Sofia Oliveria, "we had no money. We had no connections. We just had a dream of creating a business that would empower women in Portugal, in Africa, all over the world. And that's exactly what happened."
Co-founded by Sofia Olivera, Filipa Julio, and Maria Cunha, Josefinas.com is the first enterprise begun by Portuguese women to open its own store in New York.
"We are also the first business really to respect the hard-working Portuguese women who are artisans and shoe craftswomen," Sofia says. "Each and every pair is hand-made. We work with master shoemakers, Portuguese artisans who really, really love what they do.
"Until now, they were never respected or paid properly. We're changing all that."
The change isn't just happening in Portugal; Josefinas, which has the support of "the mother of feminism" Gloria Steinem, in Sofia's words, also supports an entrepreneurial vision for women in Rwanda.
"Our long term dream is to be able to open a school in Rwanda to teach business skills to women in order for them to achieve economic independence. Until that happens, we help women in need through Women for Women International, a global organization," Sofia says. "Gloria Steinem lent her name to an edition we have called Women for Women. For each 10 pairs of shoes sold, we help another woman in need. Our clients also get involved in this dream and purpose.
Josefinas products, some of which take as long as 16 hours to make, aren't cheap. If you're heading down to the Josefinas store in Manhattan, at 252 Elizabeth Street, which the founders describe as "the flagship of our dreams," bring money and plenty of it.
The Nolita location was designed by Christian Lahoude, the architect who created stores for Jimmy Choo, Tiffany and Co., and Gucci. The founders are clearly trying to do things first-class.
A pair of Josefinas could easily set you back $500.
And don't expect to see Josefinas stores popping up in every suburban mall from here to the San Fernando Valley, however. The founders have set their sights on just two more locations -- one in Asia and one in Europe, to keep the brand unique and alluring.
Josefinas is absolutely a product of the Internet age.
"Our ballet flats were a big hit in Portugal," Sofia says. "After that, I have to give credit to Instagram, fashion bloggers, and Fashion Week for getting out word about our shoes.
"Everybody fell in love with them. We've been able to grow like crazy.
"We all work 16-hour days, and I always have a nervous feeling in my stomach because I'm thinking of all the things I haven't done.
Technology has reduced the need for seed capital when starting new ventures, Sofia says.
"But more than that," she adds, "creating a business in the Internet age means that you're trying to make more than money. For us doing business, it must have a meaning. It needs to make money and everything, of course. But if things don't have a meaning for us, they're just things.
"We need an emotional connection to what we do, just like Toms. We love Toms. We really admire what they do. I personally admire their CEO, Blake Mycoskie, he's just wonderful.
"That's what we really want to do -- be a brand with a meaning that will change the world."
The founders weren't thinking about charity when they started off; they wanted to create a shoe that would be "practical, elegant, and present in every moment for a modern woman," Sofia says. "We knew our shoe had to mean something to the women who wore them. They needed to feel they could conquer the world with flats feeling comfortable, beautiful, and elegant."
The doubters dominated.
"As we went along constructing our brand," she says, "people would tell us, 'You three girls just can't do this. You don't know what you're doing. This is impossible.'
"We felt that just because we were women, we weren't taken seriously. It's like, 'Oh, these three girls are just doing something because they need to fill their time.'
"Women need to know that they can do anything, because people will easily say, 'Oh, no, you can't.'
"It's not true, and if you don't believe me, step into our beautiful New York store and see what three women can do."
US Paper Money Flying out of Man's Hand
Newly-formed Truth PAC posted this anti-Trump ad on its website. Because of filing schedules, it won't need to disclose its donors until after the election.
By: ASHLEY BALCERZAK
For those trying to secretly influence the election as the clock winds down, Oct. 20 was an important milestone.
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If a super PAC waited until then to register, it doesn't need to file any information about its donors with the FEC until 30 days after the election. Pretty smooth, eh?
"The problem with these last-minute pop-up super PACs is that they could allow one individual, corporation or union to enter the campaign at the last minute with an overwhelming amount of money that could change the outcome of an individual race," said Brett Kappel, a campaign finance attorney and partner at Akerman LLP, "and the public would have no idea who was funding the effort when they go into the voting booth."
About 28 such committees have cropped up so far since Oct. 20. (You can check them out for yourself by visiting the FEC's new committee registration page.) Around 27 of these PACs appeared up until Election Day in 2014, and 33 in 2012.
Of the last-minute PACs we did count this year, only seven have filed independent spending reports so far, with a total of $220,000 in outlays.
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"I don't find that surprising," Kappel said. "If someone wanted to use a super PAC for really nefarious purposes, the PAC would make its expenditures as late as possible - like this weekend - and then would not have to report them until Sunday or even Monday, the day before the election."
Of the committees that have filed expenditure reports, Truth PAC has spent the most so far. Dick Brass, a former executive at Microsoft and Oracle, created the Seattle-based super PAC. The group turned in a 24-hour filing on Nov. 5, reporting $92,000 spent against Donald Trump, and is planning on spending into the six digits.
"Why is Trump acting like a traitor?" reads the text of the group's ads above Trump and Putin's faces overlaid on six Russian nesting dolls. "Because a puppet obeys his master."
The PAC used footage of Trump reading a news story about his complete ban of Muslims into the United States, but overlaid "the Jews" and "Mormons" over the word "Muslims." The ad ended with the text, "We changed one word...No one is safe unless everyone is safe." FCC filings show the group bought time in West Palm Beach in the days right before the election, including Nov. 7.
Another group lists as its treasurer a name we've seen before: Nancy Watkins, a go-to FEC accountant in Republican circles. She's affiliated with at least 20 PACs this cycle--all conservative--such as Ending Spending Action Fund, which is run by the Ricketts family and has spent $7.8 million so far this cycle, and Conservative Solutions PAC, a super PAC that spent $60 million supporting Marco Rubio's presidential run. Her newest venture is The Liberty and Justice Fund, registered Nov. 2. The group hasn't yet filed an independent expenditure report or any filings with the FCC, but we'll be keeping an eye on this one. Watkins didn't return a request for comment by the time we went to press.
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Of the additional groups that have reported spending so far, Missouri Right to Life Victory Fund has spent the second-most. We know it's a branch of Missouri Right to Life Committee, a pro-life grassroots organization, and lists its address as a P.O. box in Jefferson City, Mo., but not its donors. The group has spent almost $60,000 since it was formed on Oct. 24, mostly for Trump and Roy Blunt, the incumbent Republican trying to keep his Missouri Senate seat.
The group poured about $42,000 into supporting Blunt and bashing his Democratic opponent, Jason Kander, which seems like a drop in the bucket compared to the almost $40 million in total spent by outside groups in that Senate race. A representative did not respond to requests for comment.
"A huge ad buy the three days before the election could affect the outcome of a House race," Kappell said. "Obviously it's less likely to have a definitive impact on a Senate or Presidential race unless it's a multi-million dollar ad buy - but that could be done by one of these last-minute pop-up super PACs."
The other newly-formed PACs spending some last minute cash includes the Golden State Leadership Fund PAC, a Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based group that has spent $36,000 supporting Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) in his race against fellow Democrat Ro Khanna to keep his District 17 seat.
The Phoenix PAC Make Arizona Strong poured $14,000 into backing Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) as she tries to hang on to her seat. And Chinese Americans for Keeping America Great spent $5,600 opposing Donald Trump with Facebook and print ads. None of these groups returned requests seeking comment.
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This is not to say that creating a committee late means the founder has secretive intentions.
"Sure, nothing about what we're doing is intended to be secret," said Alexander Sanchez, the treasurer for A Fair & Just Virginia PAC, which has spent $10,700 opposing Rep. Barbara Comstock, the GOP incumbent seeking re-election. "I've never done this before so I'm not particularly immersed in what has to be done in terms of deadlines and filings."
Sanchez agreed to send OpenSecrets Blog a list of the group's donors, but has not yet done so.
And Concerned Citizens of Indian River County, which spent all $3,637 of its donations on pro-Trump messaging, actually filed an October quarterly report with the FEC that includes its donors who gave more than $200, despite not being required to do so until later on.
"We did call the FEC regarding the regulations and they told us it would be fine to file everything now," said Rosemarie Frigerio, the PAC's treasurer.
There's a whole other category of sneakiness we didn't include here: Super PACs have to file a pre-general report on Oct. 20 only if they make expenditures from Oct. 1-19. So if they do nothing but raise money during that time, and spend the day after, their donors, too, can also be shrouded until Dec. 8.
With the loooong election season finally coming to an end tomorrow, it's nice to have something to look forward to.
The Trump narration immediately preceding Soros and Yellin proceeds as follows: "The establishment has trillions of dollars at stake in this election. For those who control the levers of power in Washington [start Soros] and for the global [start Yellen] special interests [stop Yellen]. They partner with these people [start Clinton] who don't have your good in mind."
For Blankfein: "It's a global power structure that is responsible for the economic decisions that have robbed our working class, stripped our country of its wealth and put that money into the [start Blankein] pockets of a handful of large corporations [stop Blankfein] and political entities."
These are standard anti-Semitic themes and storylines, using established anti-Semitic vocabulary lined up with high profile Jews as the only Americans other than Clinton who are apparently relevant to the story. As you can see by my transcription, the Jews come up to punctuate specific key phrases. Soros: "those who control the levers of power in Washington"; Yellen "global special interests"; Blankfein "put money into the pockets of handful of large corporations."
If you think a police state will make America great again a.) you're wrong, and b.) you've got your candidate -- Donald Trump and the Deplorables are your self-evident choice.
In a national forum, Trump promises to lock up his opponent if he wins. And there are the Chants: "lock her up," "execute her." And the blind rage at his rallies against foreigners and immigrants and women and Jews and Muslims and reporters and anyone else who does not toe the Trump line ... wherever it is that day. And the contempt for due process, laws they don't like, the government, anyone who disagrees with them. And the claim that anything that doesn't turn out as they want is "rigged." And the refusal to accept results they don't like, e.g., the expressed preference of American voters. And the willingness to try to intimidate those voters who might not vote as they want, voters who might be women or Hispanics or Blacks or the poor or foreign-born Americans or ... democrats. And, always, the threat, implicit and explicit, of violence.
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To date, just a nasty little incipient sociopathic mob. Surely responsible adults will, when necessary, step forward and prevent blatantly illegal acts. Except that the FBI (effectively our national police agency) has a history of manipulating the law to support its view of what is good and right and proper. Last week's imbroglio over emails suggest that the FBI has not fully accepted that its role is to enforce laws not overlook, bend or break them.
Another sample of failure at the federal level: during the last Bush administration, the Justice Department found ways to allow blatantly illegal, ineffective and appallingly immoral torture.
States rightists may argue that surely we can rely on our state agencies. Not really. It was Alabama's state troopers who tried to kill John Lewis on the Edmond Pettus bridge. It is state legislatures across the nation which have gerrymandered state and national legislative districts in ways designed to undermine the sanctity of our votes. For decades in many jurisdictions lynchings were, de facto, legal.
Law enforcement personnel at all levels work for us. They are directly responsible to our elected and appointed GOVERNMENT (you know, the thing that makes civilization possible) officials. We have serious work to do as citizens to improve their performance and reestablish trust and respect between us and them. The current political campaign/climate has made that task more difficult and more essential.
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At every level of government, prosecutors have immense powers to choose which laws to enforce and against whom, who gets indicted and who gets a pass. Justice in not reliably well-served.
For most of us the first line of protection is our local police and sheriffs. Yet, if you've made even a modest effort in the last year to keep informed about anything other than this seemingly interminable presidential campaign, you will know that there are serious problems in law enforcement departments around the country.
Militarization is a significant part of the problem. Former deputy director of the FBI Danny Colson told us years ago that the roles of a policeman and of a soldier are almost diametrically opposite: police protect, soldiers kill. A good policeman/woman is an all day, every day hero. Bad or inadequate police are a serious cultural and political problem, a threat to justice and to our freedoms. Correcting these failings will take extraordinary will and many years of diligent engagement.
If you think a police state will make America great again c.) do you really want the alt-right running your life? and d.) do not think it cannot happen here.
Just two days before the final presidential debate, when Donald Trump shocked the country by refusing to accept the outcome of the vote in advance, he offered a preview of this corrosive rhetoric in our home state. At a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the Republican nominee decried a "rigged election," alleged that "tremendous voter fraud" was occurring, and said "illegal immigrants are voting all over the country"--claims with no basis in fact.
But there's a real threat to fair elections, one that bears no relation to Trump's imagination. Ironically, it owes to new voting restrictions pushed by his own party in 14 states, including Wisconsin. These cynical Republican tactics, coupled with Trump's apparent encouragements of voter intimidation, have led us to call upon the Department of Justice to oversee election monitoring in our state and provide us with federal observers before November 8th.
It's almost hard to recall, but before Wisconsin's recent assault on voting rights, our state was a national leader in broad civic engagement. In 2012, while Wisconsin's discriminatory 2011 voter ID law was blocked by courts on constitutional grounds, our state boasted the second-highest turnout for the presidential elections in the country--73 percent--and policies like same-day registration contributed to nationwide recognition of our democratic values.
This election season, Wisconsin has been thrust into the national spotlight for less-flattering reasons. Republican lawmakers' renewed efforts to dismantle early voting, reduce the number of voting sites, and impose discriminatory voter ID laws led comedian John Oliver to point out that Wisconsin, along with Alabama and Mississippi, kept fewer than half of its voter ID-issuing offices open five days a week. Oliver even created an expletive-filled mnemonic device for voters in Sauk City, whose ID office, shockingly, was only open on the fifth Wednesday of every month.
And for what? In signing the voter ID measure into law in 2011, Governor Scott Walker claimed that it "protects the integrity of every single vote." Yet as in every state pursuing new voting restrictions, Republican officials "could not point to a single instance of known voter impersonation occurring in Wisconsin at any time in the recent past," a federal judge noted in 2014.
In fact, prior to 2011, "Wisconsin had an exemplary election system that produced high levels of voter participation without significant irregularities," confirmed U.S. District Judge James Peterson in July. The state's "preoccupation with mostly phantom election fraud" actually led to "real incidents of disenfranchisement." Judge Peterson declared Wisconsin's ID Petition Process an unconstitutional, "wretched failure" that deprived the rights of "citizens who are unquestionably qualified to vote, and these disenfranchised citizens are overwhelmingly African American and Latino."
Yet months after his ruling and just days before the election, groundbreaking reporting from The Nation and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, using evidence collected by the advocacy group VoteRiders, revealed that state employees were still providing false information to those seeking voter ID cards. Voters with valid credentials were being turned away without recourse. "I'm very disappointed to see that the state really did nothing in response to my order," replied Judge Peterson.
This is a terrifying new climate, reminiscent of the Jim Crow era, in which state lawmakers feel emboldened to ignore federal directives to protect voters. Indeed, the GOP's attachment to voter suppression has become so shameless that several of its leaders have publicly acknowledged what was once quietly understood: it yields electoral benefits for their candidates.
If the past is any guide, however, attempts to suppress the vote of the growing number of Americans who refuse to tolerate bigotry and prejudice will not succeed. Today, our electorate is more forward-looking than ever before. Changing demographics, an evolving culture, and creative organizing have led Blacks, Latinos, women, working people, and LGBTQ members to achieve a greater voice in shaping the direction of our country. Rather than adapt to this political landscape, however, Republicans seem to prefer curtailing voting rights as a way to cling to power.
In advance of Election Day, we will use the full weight of our roles as U.S. Representatives to fight for the constitutional rights of Wisconsin voters--particularly people of color, young people, low-income individuals, and senior citizens most at risk of disenfranchisement. We are urging the Department of Justice to send monitors to closely observe voting conditions as Wisconsin Republicans continue foot-dragging on reforming a voter ID law that targets hundreds of thousands of voters.
And as we prepare to go to the polls on November 8th, we ask all Wisconsinites to reject the poisonous atmosphere being created by the Republican front-runner, who recently told a nearly all-white audience that it was "so important that you watch other communities, because we don't want this election stolen from us." Don't be deterred by this intimidation: register to vote. The stakes in this election are just too high to let bigoted rhetoric and policies undermine our democracy.
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
A friend of mine called this week, a black male, a pastor, charged with inspiring and encouraging his huge congregation even in the midst of this election.
He was weeping.
"It is so hard," he said. "Who do the ministers talk to for encouragement? The hatred, the name-calling, the outright racism ...it is too much."
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"And," he said between stifled sobs, "Trump may well win. What then? How do we keep our people going?"
The sentiment of my friend is one that I have heard repeatedly. That, and cries from young African Americans, despondent over the unabashed racism of Donald Trump and his millions of followers. What I hear all of the time is, "Trump isn't really the problem. He is who he is. What the problem is all of the people who follow him. How can they do that?" The young African Americans, many of whom have been in the streets fighting for justice in cases of police shootings of unarmed black people, and who have been working to find a way to curb mass incarceration of black people, wonder what will become of their work. And repeatedly, I hear them say, "I cannot even think about bringing a child into this world. I don't want to bring a baby into this world when I am not sure at all that it would be treated fairly and with justice."
Another friend called and voiced concern that if Trump gets into office, the corporations that are behind him will fund efforts to use people who are in prison, mostly African American, to fund projects to fix America's infrastructure. Yes, there will be jobs, he said, but jobs for people who will never be free... and rich, white corporations will continue to get rich off the backs of black people."
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Though African Americans hold onto hope, it is by a thin thread. The African Americans with whom I have talked have looked with dismay at the way the end days of this campaign is going. They are not overjoyed with Hillary Clinton; many hold a grudge against her husband not for his fling with Monica Lewinsky, but for his pushing through his 1994 anti-crime bill. One friend, also a Christian minister, said resolutely, "I don't like Trump but I cannot vote for Clinton. My baby brother is in prison because of Bill Clinton's crime bill. I can't forget that."
African Americans who are pulling for a Clinton victory also recall and remember that she called a segment of African American young people "superpredators with no conscience."
But these Clinton supporters believe that she is better, maybe safer, than is Trump. While Trump supporters say they want him because he "is not a politician," many say they want Clinton because she is a politician, skilled in talking with foreign heads of state, skilled at the art of compromise, skilled in the workings of America's government, such as it is.
There is a theological crisis for some African Americans, however. Since being in this country, held under the nailed coffin of white supremacy, African Americans have had to call on God in a different way than have their white counterparts. Though the God of the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament called for justice, mercy and love, what African Americans often felt from white America was just the opposite. African Americans had to wrestle between what they heard about as being God, and what they were dealing with. White Christians seemed unable and unwilling to see them as human beings, precious in the sight of God. Theologian James Cone said that Reinhhold Niebuhr, a respected "progressive" white theologian, was a prime example of how white progressives fell short of understanding the plight of African Americans. African Americans, said Cone, had to "trust and cultivate their own theological imagination" because the prevalent theology, white theology, left the cause of justice and equality for black people on the periphery of theological discourse. Niebuhr, notes Cone in his book The Cross and the Lynching Tree, lifted up the founding fathers as being "virtuous and honorable men, and certainly no villains." (p. 38) Cone also quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, who criticized the "tranquilizing drug of gradualism" and said, "It is hardly a moral act to encourage others patiently to accept injustice which he himself does not endure." (p. 39)
It feels like, with the creeping possibility of a Trump victory, that African Americans will again have to endure injustice, to wait more years for the dripping poison of white supremacy to run out. In that waiting, African Americans will have to call on their God, a God that is different from the God of white supremacists, who certainly seems all right with racism (and sexism), and seems to sanction it. Absent of the presence of their God, African Americans would have evaporated under the strain of the racial injustice which has been a bellwether of this country for generations.
African Americans, many of us, find ourselves asking of God, "How long?" In this election, we also ask God to answer us, as did many of the psalmists in the Hebrew scriptures. This God seems to be the God of the ruling class, not the God of the underclasses, whom God says matter. Even if Clinton wins, the prayer and spiritual journey of African Americans will continue its tortuous course; Clinton will still have to work with a Congress which has not been interested in the rights of African American and promises not to change much should she win. Many in the Republican-dominated Congress are much more interested in the lives of unborn fetuses than they are in the lives of people who live and work among them on a daily basis. But should Trump win, or even if he loses, the masses of "good, Christian people, certainly not villains" will be on the loose, spewing their hatred and flexing their muscles fueled and strengthened by white supremacy.
MANCHESTER, NH - NOVEMBER 06: Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton looks on during a campaign rally at The Armory on November 6, 2016 in Manchester, New Hampshire. With two days to go until election day, Hillary Clinton is campaigning in Florida and Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
What kind of country do you want?
That is the question each of us must answer tomorrow. Many millions of our fellow Americans will answer "Donald Trump." This column is for everyone else.
First, reality. The only way to defeat Trump is by voting for Hillary Clinton. One can no longer assume that she will win -- James Comey's unprecedented and unwarranted intrusion in the election, though belatedly exposed as worse than pointless, may nonetheless alter its outcome.
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Indeed, millions of Americans have already voted under the influence of Comey's misjudgment -- his letter of correction, stating that the Huma Abedin emails contain nothing new, came ten days too late. For voters to stay home tomorrow , or cast a protest vote, may well enable the most unstable and unqualified presidential candidate in American history. With respect, that is not a rational choice.
I appreciate that many voters wish their choice was different. Some question Clinton's honesty and candor. Some wish she were more progressive or less tied to established institutions. Some want a political party which embraces their political beliefs without compromise or ambiguity. Some on the right think her too reliant on centralized solutions. Some object to the dynastic implications of electing a former first lady. And some flat-out just don't like the Clintons.
Fine. But then what?
One's moral purity is not on the ballot tomorrow. Nor is one's personal vision of a perfect world. The stakes are far more profound -- in an imperfect world, what choice is best for us, our children, and the future all of us share.
In that light, only one choice makes sense.
For progressives, the issues are enough. Only a President Clinton will work to combat climate change, reduce gun violence, reform the immigration system, and fight terrorism with reason instead of xenophobia. Only Clinton supports pay equity for women, raising the minimum wage, making public colleges and universities tuition free for all but affluent students, and reducing the crushing burden of college debt. Only Clinton will appoint progressives to the Supreme Court.
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Only Clinton proposes to lower the price of prescription drugs. Only Clinton promises to rebuild our infrastructure. Only Clinton supports LGBT rights. And only Clinton pledges to secure our fiscal future by taxing those who can most afford it, rather than plunge us into further staggering debt through tax giveaways to the wealthy.
One's moral purity is not on the ballot tomorrow. Nor is one's personal vision of a perfect world. The stakes are far more profound.
For progressives, this may not be perfection, but it is surely a down payment. And achieving a meaningful part of this agenda will require all the support she can get.
Moderates may view that agenda with misgivings. And some traditional Republicans, including principled conservatives, may believe that it cedes too much to government, and grants too little credence to local and individual initiative.
Let me simply suggest that your recourse is to congenial candidates in down-ballot races -- not to President Donald Trump.
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Because of Trump, this is no ordinary year. He is certainly no moderate or, by any reasonable definition, a conservative. On issues, he is an ignorant creature of impulse who calls climate change a hoax; embraces an economic plan which would explode the deficit and, in the opinion of experts, throw us into a recession; lacks even a primitive understanding of counter-terrorism or the uses and limits of military power; and speaks cavalierly about nuclear proliferation and nuclear weapons. Pick any issue -- all are potentially existential.
But as disqualifying as these positions are, they are mere signposts of a personal and psychological unfitness so profound that he would do the country that all of us care about -- regardless of our philosophical preferences -- terrible harm.
A frequent rejoinder from those who oppose Clinton is "she's no better." The basis for this flat assertion may involve careless handling of emails; or an overlap between the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton's personal finances; or a supposed absence of candor regarding Benghazi; or a general belief that she is calculating, above the rules and, when it serves her, untruthful. Or all the above.
For critics, these are more than sufficient grounds for objecting to Clinton as a candidate. But what then? For to assert a moral equivalence between Clinton and Trump is to substitute emotion for a mature comparison of what we know about both.
First, Clinton. Over 25 years she has been so battered by partisan charges that one tends to forget that the charges themselves came to little or nothing. This creates a remarkable dynamic -- each new charge creates a presumption of guilt unjustified by the underlying facts.
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The Abedin emails are but the latest example. One can deplore Clinton's use of a private server, or conclude that the Clinton Foundation -- whose many good works are indubitable -- is too closely linked to the Clintons' private business activities. But there is no evidence of "pay to play"; no sign that she subordinated her work as Secretary of State to personal interests; no objective evidence that the Republican FBI Director, Comey, failed in his duties when, in July, he called her email practices careless, not criminal.
Here Comey's reckless and precipitous letter of October 28 is the perfect illustration. Having enabled Trump to cite his letter as evidence of Clinton's criminality without a shred of proof, Comey now reports that the actual contents of the Abedin emails were innocuous -- as logic always suggested they were.
In casting their vote, Americans are left to sort all this out. But, in doing so, it is well to consider a few other things. A record of service to the underprivileged well before Clinton rose to prominence. Her deep preparation for the presidency. The skill, stamina and knowledge she displayed in debate. Her steadiness under pressure. Her ability to surmount adversity. Her record of bipartisan cooperation as a senator. And, unlike Trump, a general disinclination to complain about criticism.
All that adds up to the inner resources and emotional balance one would want in a president. And Trump?
Abysmally ignorant. Chronically narcissistic. Emotionally unbalanced. Temperamentally unstable. Indifferent to our political traditions and institutions. To his core, morally repellent.
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Any sane consideration recitation of his disabilities places this election in a category all its own. This is not a choice between philosophies or parties. It is a profoundly moral choice for every voter -- whether to enable, or oppose, the election of a president who will endanger and degrade us in every conceivable way.
He is a risk to our national security. He is a demagogue who divides us by race, religion and ethnicity, turning Americans against each other. He traffics in scapegoating and xenophobia. He is misogynist who, by his own account, revels in groping and abusing women. He slanders those who displease him, and threatens to turn the power of the presidency on his critics. He has no regard for the rule of law.
He lies incessantly. He concocts bizarre conspiracy theories. He plucks his information from the darker recesses of the Internet. He advocates torture. He refuses to commit to respecting our election results. He tells his followers that American democracy is rigged against him. He tried to delegitimize our first black president with racist lies. He bragged about conversations with Vladimir Putin that never occurred.
His inner world is barren of any concern but self. He cares nothing for others -- not family, party, or country. He judges people based on whether they satisfy "Trump's"need for adulation. He is so susceptible to manipulation that an antagonistic foreign power -- Putin's Russia -- has siphoned thousands of hacked emails through Wikileaks in order to elect him.
Despite all this, polling suggests that a significant, perhaps critical, number of Americans -- including millennials -- will stay home or cast a protest vote. This deserves the most serious consideration: in a close election votes which are effectively cast aside may decide the winner by default. And so a word for potential third-party voters or non-voters, particularly in closely-contested states.
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In themselves, their sentiments are easy to grasp. Some are disappointed that Bernie Sanders fell short; some are drawn to Gary Johnson or Jill Stein; some believe that America is stacked against social justice in favor of the wealthy; some distrust our societal institutions. Some feel all that at once.
Understandable, surely. But should one allow such frustrations, however deep, to impel what amounts to casting half a vote for Donald Trump? When the future of our country is at stake, does conscientious objection at the polls suffice?
Consider Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who are working hard to elect Hillary Clinton. The path of reason, they argue, lies with electing the best -- and only real -- alternative to Trump, in order to advance the policies they believe in. This is not the year, Sanders says, for third-party voting. As Warren puts it, "I understand the frustration, but channel that frustration into making government work, not into throwing away your vote... [T]he answer is to seize the system and make it work for the people, not to just turn it over to the bigots and billionaires."
They are right. A vote for Johnson or Stein may best express one's core beliefs. But, in the worst case, casting such votes in battleground states could elect Donald Trump.
For what purpose, in this year, does one take such a risk? And, in addition, the reality that third party candidates will lose may insulate some protest voters from considering in depth who, or what, they are voting for. So it is well to ask what abstract moral principles such voting represents.
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Start with Gary Johnson. By now, it is widely known that Johnson has little grasp of foreign policy. Less known is his disinterest in climate change, his call for abolishing the Department of Education, his plan to phase out the progressive income tax, and his opposition to gun control.
If one is going to vote on principle alone, best to find better principles -- unless these are the principles one thinks America needs more of. In which case, one must ask oneself whether they are worthy enough to risk electing Donald Trump.
When the future of our country is at stake, does conscientious objection at the polls suffice?
Which brings us to Jill Stein, whose candidacy is more likely than Johnson's to help Trump by siphoning votes from Clinton -- particularly crucial in states where the outcome is in doubt. For there is no doubt that the Green Party has a consistency of vision which results in a consistent level of support: just enough, among many other factors at work in 2000, to give George W. Bush the state of Florida and, as a result, the presidency.
My Green Party friends argue they should not be blamed for a system which, in their view, revolves around choosing the lesser of two evils. I respect this feeling, and their point is fair enough if stated in a vacuum. But what if one of the two electable choices in 2016 -- Trump -- is monstrous? So let us pause to consider whether, despite this, those drawn to the Green Party must feel morally compelled to cast a vote for Jill Stein which effectively helps Donald Trump.
For those to whom the answer is not clear, Stein herself deserves the scrutiny one applies to the remaining candidates. To start, she's a bit of a political eccentric who encourages vaccine skeptics, and opposes the Green Party's call for universal broadband on the theory that wireless signals could damage kids' brains. More broadly, her appeal rests on a call to political and moral clarity in the service of progressive principles.
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As a candidate, she denounces without compromise the banking industry, Wall Street, defense contractors, the pharmaceutical industry, big tobacco and energy companies which contribute to global warming -- and, in her narrative, the major parties for representing them. As she puts it, "I've long since thrown in the towel on the Democratic and Republican parties because they are really a front group for the 1 percent, predatory banks, fossil fuel giants, and war profiteers."
As a private citizen, however, she invests in those very same industries. As The Daily Beast reported, her financial disclosure statements reveal that much of her considerable wealth is invested -- directly or through mutual funds -- in big oil, the financial industry, major pharmaceutical companies, the tobacco industry, and defense contractors. In extenuation, she says, "Like many Americans... my finances are largely held in index funds or mutual funds... Sadly, most of these broad investments are as compromised as the American economy -- degraded as it is by the fossil-fuel, defense and finance industries."
It is true that the mutual funds, not Stein, direct her wealth to the industries she attacks. It is also true that she could put her money in other investments -- such as socially responsible index funds, or clean energy funds -- more consistent with the moral stance through which she seeks our votes. Despite this, she asserts that "I've not yet found the mutual funds that represent my goals of advancing the cause of people, planet and peace."
God save Hillary Clinton should she ever say such a thing.
My point here is not to single out Stein. Candidates are people, not saints, and inconsistency between their public positions and private conduct is hardly unknown in politics. But when Stein's political reason for being is uncompromising moral clarity, her personal contradictions make the protest vote she asks for less morally meaningful than she suggests -- even in the abstract.
But the moral and practical consequences of this election are far from abstract. Yet Stein argues that it makes no difference who we actually elect -- and, therefore, that she represents our only chance to vote against the corporate malefactors she invests her wealth in. Says she,"I will have trouble sleeping at night if Donald Trump is elected. I will also have trouble sleeping at night if Hillary Clinton is elected."
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This pat assertion of equivalency is not an adequate response to the threat posed by Donald Trump -- or even to his claim, anathema to all that Stein espouses, that climate change is a "hoax" concocted by the Chinese. Nor, I respectfully suggest, is voting for Jill Stein a practical or morally adequate response -- at least in battleground states -- to an excruciatingly close election where the wrong choice could have devastating consequences for our country.
Beyond all this, there are additional matters of moral principle which impel a vote for Hillary Clinton -- and against Donald Trump. One is to defeat his bogus claims of vote-rigging and his embrace of voter suppression, whether through intimidation or laws crafted to keep minorities from voting. The right of all Americans to vote is too essential to allow Trump to succeed.
Another is the damage he is doing to our social fabric by stereotyping blacks, and scapegoating Latinos and Muslims. For them -- and for our collective sense of decency -- countenancing the election of Donald Trump would be nothing short of tragic. All of us owe them better.
Still another is to consider the difference between electing a self-styled sexual predator and our first female president. What, one must ask, is this country saying to women -- including the next generations -- if we choose Trump over Hillary Clinton? Electing a woman empowers women; electing Trump rewards a man for treating women with contempt. Regardless of one's politics or misgivings about Clinton, that alone makes enabling Trump close to inexcusable.
In its simplest terms, this election presents a binary choice. It is not a simply a choice between competing policies, and it is certainly not one between aspirants whose qualities are comparable. In 2016 our choice is between a candidate who is qualified to be president, and an ignorant and unstable demagogue who endangers our institutions, our compassion for each other and, beyond that, our common future.
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This is an existential and moral choice. It may not be, for many of us, the ideal choice of candidates. But, far beyond any election in memory, the only sane choice is clear.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump attends a campaign event in Hershey, Pennsylvania, U.S. November 4, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
And the men of the towns and of the soft suburban country gathered to defend themselves; and they reassured themselves that they were good and the invaders bad, as a man must do before he fights.
Fear and hatred of the stranger is nothing new, here in this nation of strangers. "Mr. Trump," asked the father of a fallen Muslim American captain, "Would my son have had a place in your America?"
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Would any of us have a place in Donald Trump's America?
The voters who helped propel Trump to primary wins across the South seem to have forgotten: There was a time when white Southerners were the strangers, the refugees, the outsiders, the despised immigrants from a dusty and impoverished land.
The name of that land was Oklahoma.
Other states were struck by the dust storms too. But the name they gave the refugees was "Okies," and it stuck. "Good people" in the Western states once hated Okies with the same ferocity Trump's worst supporters have for darker-skinned people today.
In the 1930s, Trump would probably have hated Okies too.
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best." Those are Trump's now-famous words. "They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists."
They said, These goddamned Okies are dirty and ignorant. They're degenerate, sexual maniacs. These goddamned Okies are thieves. They'll steal anything.
- "The Grapes of Wrath," John Steinbeck (1939)
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After the dust storms hit, 2.5 million people left their ravaged homes to seek better lives in greener places. By 1940, 200,000 of them had emigrated to California alone.
After just six years, the refugees were nearly 3.5 percent of California's population. They settled in some parts of the state in large numbers, triggering a hate-filled backlash. As Steinbeck wrote:
The local people whipped themselves into a mold of cruelty. Then they formed units, squads, and armed them - armed them with clubs, with gas, with guns. We own the country. We can't let these Okies get out of hand. And the men who were armed did not own the land, but they thought they did.
And now, old patterns are made new again. From a Vice News report about border vigilantes:
"Some of them are retired veterans, they're construction workers, they're plumbers," Rogers said. "We've had a retired pastor from the Army call the hotline -- they're just regular Joes and Janes from across the United States who want to close the border and bring America back to the place it used to be."
Then, as now, a position of authority can be an invitation to abuse others. In the Dust Bowl days the Los Angeles police chief sent 125 officers "to act as bouncers at the state border," in the words of PBS' American Experience website.
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Sheriff Joe Arpaio isn't the first of his kind.
Trump's brand of bigotry goes back a long way in this country. Baptists were marginalized and brutalized by Anglicans in colonial Virginia, and the attacks read like a listing of recent anti-Muslim hate crimes. Baptists were "pelted with apples and stones," and "commanded to take a dram" - of alcohol - "or be whipped." Their services were "broken up by a mob," and they were "pulled down and hauled about by (the) hair."
In an eerie echo of recent anti-Muslim bomb plots, at least one colonial Baptist was even the target of an attempted bombing.
What about Trump's own paternal background? Prejudice against German Americans is as old as the nation itself. Benjamin Franklin wrote these words in 1751:
"Why should Pennsylvania ... become a Colony of aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us, instead of our Anglifying them, and will never adopt our language or customs, any more than they can acquire our complexion?" (emphasis ours)
The fear of "Germanization" is echoed in present-day remarks about "creeping Sharia law." As for complexions: Whiteness is an evolving concept that at times has marginalized Italians, the Irish, Jews, and people of German ancestry like Trump himself.
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Nor did the hatred of Trump's ancestry die with Benjamin Franklin. The Alien Enemy Act was used against people of German background during World War I, and they became the objects of national hatred.
The National Archives tell the story: German-language newspapers were shut down or forced out of business. Bilingual churches were pressured to stop conducting services in German, in a foreshadowing of Trump's proposal to monitor and close mosques. German-language societies and even choral groups were disbanded as "volunteer watchdog societies reported on such German American gatherings and activities to federal authorities."
"German Americans became the 'face of the enemy,'" the National Archives article adds, "as their businesses were boycotted and many people of German heritage were physically and verbally attacked."
In a Flag Day Speech in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson said this about people of Donald Trump's ethnicity: "The military masters of Germany . . . have filled our unsuspecting communities with vicious spies and conspirators."
Wilson didn't say he saw thousands of German Americans cheering on New Jersey rooftops as Germany invaded Belgium. But he might just as well have. Bigotry never changes.
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Trump's brand of hate is nothing new. We have had demagogues before. We will have them again.
... And the defending people said, They bring disease, they're filthy. We can't have them in the schools. They're strangers. ("The Grapes of Wrath")
We were all strangers here once, all except the first people of this land. Some people can't remember that, because they're too consumed with hate, or fear, or anger, or ambition. Some see themselves as different from the black, the brown, the LGBT, the differently gendered, the Muslim, the Jew. But it's true. We were all strangers once.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump poses with children on stage at a campaign rally in Sterling Heights, Mich., Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
If Donald Trump is elected president, we are at severe risk of ceasing to be a constitutional democracy.
Ever since World War II, the executive branch has steadily gained power at the expense of Congress. But despite a variety of incursions, especially in the name of national security, even the worst of our presidents have had some basic respect for our institutions.
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When the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the press in the Pentagon Papers case, or when Richard Nixon was ordered to turn over the Watergate tapes, he complied. When Congress finally turned against the Vietnam War, the escalations ceased. Ronald Reagan complied with Congressional investigations of the Iran-Contra affair.
But Donald Trump would make Nixon look like Thomas Jefferson. The idea that separation of powers would somehow restrain Trump is a fantasy. After some early defections, the Republic Party has decided to be Trump's enablers.
Threat Number One: Defining Political Opposition as Treason. If Trump wins, the retribution against Hillary Clinton will only intensify. Congress, far from restraining Trump's excesses, will only pile on. If Trump controls all three branches of government, the Senate filibuster rule will soon be gone.
Threat Number Two: Selective Prosecutions. Imagine a rogue Justice Department being used to settle Trump's scores. Trump gets to appoint U.S. Attorneys, as well as sub-cabinet officials.
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His idea of great federal prosecutors are former U.S. Attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Chris Christie. And there are even worse people out there. The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division would be flipped into a Division of Voter Suppression. The elections of 2018 and 2020 will probably be held on schedule, but they are likely to be, well, rigged.
Trump's pal, Vladimir Putin, can explain the fine points of how you keep the form of a constitutional democracy but destroy the substance.
Threat Number Three: A Police State. If you think the NSA and the FBI are menacing civil liberties and equal justice now, just wait until we see Trump's appointees. He may not build that wall, but he does have the power to order mass deportations. Imagine how that will play out in our cities.
Threat Number Four: A Politicized IRS. Nixon tried that. Trying to use the IRS to punish political enemies was one of the items in the impeachment of Nixon. He was mostly foiled by principled conservative IRS commissioners and career officials.
But Trump would appoint a commissioner who will be a complete toady. And the messy stew of tax-exempt organizations getting involved in politics -- 501 c 3s and 501 c 4s and 527s and the rest -- are an invitation for selective investigations. Likewise businesses who take advantage of creative accounting.
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Threat Number Five: The Courts. At least we have the independent judiciary, right? Well, far right. President Trump will get to appoint at least two Supreme Court justices, one of them likely replacing a liberal, Ruth Bader Ginsberg.
Okay, in the past couple of days, the polls suggest that the election is trending slightly back in the direction of Clinton. It now looks like about a three- or four-point race in the popular vote in her favor.
Except for Ohio, the blue firewall in the upper Midwest, and in Pennsylvania and Virginia, seems to be holding. Trump's demonizing of Latinos has produced a mobilization that could well save Clinton. Of four states in close contention -- Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Nevada, she needs to win only one for a likely electoral majority.
But this only means we may be spared the worst. November 9 looks almost as scary for constitutional government even if Clinton wins.
Threat Number Six: Trump will challenge every close state and try to create a repeat of Bush v. Gore in 2000. The election will not be decided until the Electoral College meets in December, and maybe not even then.
Threat Number Seven: Congress escalates the harassment of President-Elect Clinton. Imagine trying to build an administration when you are being subject to subpoenas and threatened with contempt of Congress prosecutions. Imagine facing impeachment proceedings on your first day in office.
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Threat Number Eight: Violence. Trump's campaign has had aspects of a lynch mob. The people who are certain that the election was stolen from them are not likely to go quietly.
Threat Number Nine: Wall-to-wall blockage of Clinton's efforts to govern, undermining her ability to remedy the very frustrations that have produced Trumpism.
Threat Number Ten: A stunted Supreme Court. The Republicans seem to be dead serious about preventing a President Clinton from adding a single justice to the High Court for the next four years. This is unprecedented in the entire American experience. Over time, depending on who dies first, the court will swing back and forth between liberal and conservative, as it dwindles from eight, to seven, to maybe six justices.
Bottom Line: The Trump threat to destroy constitutional democracy doesn't just come from one wild and crazy guy. It is a slightly cruder version of the strategy of the whole Republican Party. One of our two major parties is hell bent on destroying our system.
Result: Deepening loss of legitimacy for democratic constitutional government itself.
Regardless of who wins, decent Americans need a mass movement to reclaim our democracy.
--
Robert Kuttner is co-editor of The American Prospect and professor at Brandeis University's Heller School. In his spare time, he writes musicals. His latest book is Debtors' Prison: The Politics of Austerity Versus Possibility.
Like Robert Kuttner on Facebook.
On September 16th, Independence Day, the Mexican Air Force symbolically retired its few remaining F-5 fighters after over three decades of front-line service. The F-5 was a Vietnam-era budget aircraft, designed for export to US client states in the third world to compete with cheap Soviet models, and was already obsolete in 1982 when it entered service with the Mexican Air Force, let alone in 2016. The fact that Mexico is currently without a single combat aircraft as the US election nears is a microcosm of the country's general unpreparedness towards a possible Donald Trump presidency, the consequences which could be economically devastating and politically humiliating.
Bad neighbor
A Trump presidency north of the border would result in the most hostile US administration towards Mexican interests in a century. Not only has Trump campaigned on a platform of xenophobia towards Mexicans and Hispanics in general, he has vowed to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which since the 1990s has been the centerpiece of the US-Mexican economic relationship - the US accounts for about 80% of Mexican exports and half of its imports, and in recent years Mexico has overtaken China as the US's second largest trade partner after Canada. Additionally, one of Trump's most outlandish policies has been to build a border wall with Mexico, with the expectation that Mexico would pay for it. Trump has hinted that he would be willing to use military force to make Mexico do so ("when I rejuvenate our military, Mexico's not going to be playing with us with war").
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The US-Mexican relationship has had a turbulent history. Until Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) implemented a "good neighbor" policy towards Latin America in the context of the Great Depression and World War II, the threat of conflict with the US had been ever present. A disastrous war in 1846-48 resulted in Mexico ceding half its territory; the US also briefly occupied Veracruz and Tampico during the Mexican Revolution in the 1910s. The last invasion came in 1916, after the US launched an expeditionary force to find and capture revolutionary Pancho Villa following a border raid into the US (the last time a foreign army has stepped on US territory). The expedition failed, but highlighted Mexico's embarrassing weakness against its northern neighbor. After Roosevelt, however, a more pragmatic relationship emerged. The threat of armed conflict dissipated and although Mexico never fully sided with the US during the Cold War, it began receiving the benefits of proximity to the world's largest economy through increased trade and investment, both of which skyrocketed after NAFTA was implemented in 1994. Another benefit to Mexico is that is has largely escaped criticism from the US over its less than stellar record on the rule of law, human rights, and good governance. Good neighbors rarely point out their flaws.
Mutually assured recession?
If the prospect of a return to pre-Roosevelt hostility appears inconceivable, it is because we have now become so accustomed to a constructive and increasingly inter-dependent relationship between the two countries. But make no mistake: Trump's threats are potentially real, and Mexico would be powerless to prevent them. By far the worst would be the implementation of protectionist trade measures. Although NAFTA has effective dispute resolution mechanisms and allows for retaliatory actions, the resulting trade war would damage both economies but Mexico would be hit harder given its greater economic dependency on the US; a recession would be almost inevitable. The hope in this situation would be that the consequences to the US economy would be severe enough that the Trump administration realizes its mistake and backtracks on his trade policies. Backtracking is not something Trump is prone to so it's possible that Mexico would have to wait until 2020 before expecting a return to the economic status quo. Admittedly, this is still a worst case scenario within a worst case scenario; the US still retains strong checks and balances that we believe will prevent him from going through with his most extreme proposals. But it should not be a comforting thought to Mexico's government that it will have so little leverage over how much damage Trump could inflict.
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More humiliating to the Mexican government would be that it be coerced into building the wall (if built). Even without resorting to military force, the US has numerous ways in which it could arm twist the Mexican government into acceding to such a demand, and the most effective could possibly be the threat of revealing the dirty laundry of Mexico's political establishment that US intelligence agencies are highly likely to possess, such as links to drug cartels or corruption (Mexico strongly depends on US intelligence for its drug war, conceivably the US only shares what it needs to share). The administration of Enrique Pena Nieto itself has already been hit by near chronic scandals since the "Casa Blanca" real estate case of 2014 and Pena Nieto currently has the lowest popularity of any standing Mexican president in recent memory, mostly because of his lax attitude towards corruption and the rule of law. The government and the ruling PRI can ill afford further scandals and a Trump administration would be keen on exploiting this. Whether Pena Nieto could survive the embarrassment of financing a border wall (after openly claiming he wouldn't) is another question; if the public outcry over his submission to Trump becomes so overwhelming, it is not far-fetched to imagine that he could go down as the first modern Mexican president to be forced out of office.
Soul searching
Although the polls have tightened, conventional wisdom suggests that Trump will not win (Hillary Clinton retains key advantages in the electoral college race). However, US politics will continue to suffer the fallout from the Trump campaign for years to come. Although Mexico's political establishment will breathe a huge sigh of relief on November 8th if the election goes Clinton's way, it cannot remain unprepared at the possibility of a hostile, populist right-wing government taking power in the US in the future. This could include rethinking the country's security strategy beyond police duties (which is essentially what the war against the drug cartels is) to taking territorial defense seriously, maximizing its ability to directly influence the huge Mexican-American community in the US (there are over 30 million people of Mexican descent in the US), and gradually diversifying its economy into other markets to reduce the damage of any threat to NAFTA.
These are long-term goals, beyond the scope of what Mexican administrations typically plan for (rarely beyond their six years in office). The risk is that even if Trump loses next Tuesday (still the most likely outcome), the country will remain equally passive and equally unprepared if radicalism ever takes root north of the Rio Grande.
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PORTLAND, ME - NOVEMBER 3: A long line of early voters stretches past sample ballots posted at City Hall. (Photo by Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
The so-called "ballot selfie" is testing the boundaries of modern voting regulations, the legal limits on social media and the First Amendment.
As the country limps into Election Day, a federal court in New York City will be the latest court to weigh in on the question of whether a voter can take a selfie in the voting booth and then disseminate that photo on social media. This controversy has been brewing over the past few years and spilled into the national spotlight recently when Justin Timberlake took his ballot selfie, and likely broke Tennessee's election laws by showing his completed ballot to millions of his followers on social media.
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This modern conundrum was likely not envisioned when states drafted election laws, some more than 100 years old. The First Amendment implications of laws banning the ballot selfie have been argued in federal courts in New Hampshire, Indiana and Michigan in recent months.
A similar challenge by three voters in New York City is currently in the hands of District Court Judge P. Kevin Castel following a hearing Tuesday. Those voters are asking the court to protect their First Amendment rights by freezing New York's election laws which criminalizes showing others a completed ballot.
While the New York law written in 1978 and amended in 1991, does not expressly speak of selfies or social media, its application could attach criminal penalties to the photographic craze under the provision barring voters from showing a completed ballot to another person. This misdemeanor could result in up to a year in prison and up to a $1,000 fine.
It is not clear how aggressively this law is enforced or whether anyone has even been prosecuted.
Election laws, the purview of the states, do have a valid purpose. They are intended to maintain the integrity of our elections, preventing voter fraud, corruption, outside or undue influence, intimidation or chicanery at polling places. These laws legitimately prohibit certain behavior in and around polling places. Polling places are hallowed ground, safe spaces where politicking ends while voters engage in their democratic right.
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While these bedrock policies help maintain the integrity of the system and ensure our elections are not "rigged," these laws are now running head on into modern forms of self-expression.
Thus, we have a significant conflict.
Political speech is perhaps our most valued and protected form of speech in our democracy and the ballot selfie is simply a modern extension of these cherished rights. The selfie craze is a modern form of speech, expression and self-fulfillment.
In September, in Rideout v. Gardner, the First Circuit Court of Appeals, affirmed that a state law was unconstitutional under the First Amendment because it intruded on a modern form of self-expression. The court analyzed the purpose of polling place laws, tracing the origin of New Hampshire's initial laws back to 1891 with its intent to prevent vote buying or coercion. The court also noted these concerns were somewhat nebulous, if not outright questionable.
"New Hampshire may not impose such a broad restriction on speech by banning ballot selfies in order to combat an unsubstantiated and hypothetical danger. We repeat the old adage: 'a picture is worth a thousand words,'" the court wrote.
Whether the district court in New York follows this rationale, will remain an open question. I look forward to reading the court's opinion. Or, we will just find out on social media.
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Muslim Doctor and Rapper takes on The Donald
In his latest song called Fearless, Lazarus expresses his anger intelligently towards the current state of affairs in the country of his birth and how he feels about what Donald Trump is doing and what he represents.
If Trump does somehow pull off the impossible a couple of days from now then Lazarus AKA Kamran Rashid Khan has made himself a big target going forward by openly challenging someone who could be the leader of the "free world" within 48 hours.
Normally, speaking out against a presidential candidate would not be considered such an act of fearlessness in a country like America but the title of his latest song is fitting because The Donald is not your usual candidate. Trump has already threatened to have his opponent imprisoned if he wins!
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Given Trump's nature and how he has such thin skin when it comes to criticism and him even saying they should cancel Saturday Night Live because he didn't like how Alec Baldwin was portraying him, can you imagine what he would do if he got his hands on the power that the presidency allows a person?!
If the past is any indicator, given his vindictive nature, it's not a stretch to think that Trump could make a list of his detractors right away after getting into office and someone like Lazarus being Muslim and so outspoken the way he is, would be on that list I'm sure.
Here below at this link is what current President, Barrack Obama had to say about Trump's reaction to the Saturday Night Live skits. Obama also states that Trump is not someone 'you want in charge of nuclear weapons' given his nature. https://www.facebook.com/cnn/videos/10155551774211509/?pnref=story
I remember watching videos and reading interviews about Hip Hop artist Lazarus AKA Kamran Rashid Khan a few years ago and have followed his work ever since. Khan was studying medicine at the time in Detroit and releasing music simultaneously.
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Today he is a practicing physician in Las Vegas, where he lives with his wife. He is a very unique and multi-talented individual and his life's work thus far is very impressive and he has a bright future..........that is if The Donald doesn't get elected and makes that list! You never know what Muslims will face if a Trump presidency becomes a reality. It is sad to think that in a country like America such discussions are even being had in this day and age with all of supposed evolution our species has gone through.
Lazarus' current song includes this verse: "Donald wants my arm embedded, Muslims cannot stay here. Now I'm feeling like a mutant but am I Magnus or Xavier?" When asked for his thoughts about that verse in an interview with the Examiner, Lazarus stated that: "It's like the comic book "X-Men." As silly as it may sound, Muslims are the new mutants of today's society. Senator Kelly in the "X-Men" and Donald Trump are basically saying the same thing. There is supposed violence taking place by Muslims somewhere, now we must propose a ban on them all."
Kamran Rashid Khan which the name given to him at birth, originally started rapping without a stage name but later changed his name to Lazarus due to hate crimes and racial stereotyping he saw around him and personally experienced. He stated in an interview with The Source magazine that after 9/11 he felt that his chances of becoming a rapper were finished and that his stage name metaphors the biblical character that resurrected from the dead.
Fast forward some fifteen plus years later, he is now using this resurrection to educate people through his music and share his own personal outrage at what is going on in America.
Today's expressions of freedom of speech could turn into tomorrow's prison sentences the way things are trending in North America and I know from personal experience that all of this could happen in a first world country. Trump has openly stated that he would try and change some of the laws when it comes to freedom of speech, if he is elected.
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When I spoke to Lazarus recently, I asked him about how he felt about the possibility of a Trump presidency, he stated that he "believes it won't actually happen and that a lot of good might actually come out of it all after the election is over because Trump has opened up a dialogue that was necessary to begin the work needed to heal the major divides that still exist in America today".
(COMBO)This combination of pictures created on November 04, 2016 showsUS Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in Sanford, Florida, on November 1, 2016 and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in Wilmington, Ohio on November 4, 2016.With less than one week to go until election day, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were barnstorming battleground states. / AFP / JEWEL SAMAD AND MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD,MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Translating, or trans-adapting a foreign name into Chinese poses unique challenges tied to the structure of the Chinese language. Unlike almost all other languages in the world, written Chinese is non-alphabetic, and is composed exclusively of pictographs (commonly referred to as 'characters') which, when learned, need to be memorized one-by-one for their written structures, associated meanings, and spoken, mono-syllabic pronunciations. Furthermore, many individual characters with a single pronunciation can convey a wide range of disparate meanings -- either as individual characters, or in combination with other characters when forming multi-syllabic words. Unlike in alphabet-based languages where names can be quite easily read and pronounced without any regard for, or understanding of, the name's etymology and current meaning, each Chinese character in a given name always simultaneously conveys both an inherent pronunciation, and one or more meanings for each syllable within the name, and for the name as a whole.
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When rendering a non-Chinese name into Chinese, a successful translation often requires a delicate 'balancing act' that includes choosing characters whose pronunciations maintain some observable vestige of the foreign name's phonetics while, at the same time, conveying an 'auspicious' or 'good' meaning. At the very least, a name translated into Chinese should not allow for any possible 'negative' or 'strange' interpretation of meaning. While this approach should guide the translation of any individual's name in Chinese, it is all the more crucial for famous people's names -- people whose personas and behavior are widely and constantly scrutinized and reported.
Which brings us to "Donald" and "Hillary" in Chinese.
The name, "Donald," has a standard translation in Chinese -- (pronounced "Tang Na De") that is largely derived from the phonetics of the English name. Say it fast, and it will start to approximate the sound of of the name "Donald." On the surface, the meaning of each of the characters in this Chinese name is also not only not controversial, but can be interpreted as quite positive. The first character (pronounced "Tang") is #26 on a list of China's 100 most ubiquitous surnames. It is also the name of the China's most revered dynasty -- the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) - a key period when China was at the zenith of it's power and cultural influence in Asia. The subsequent two characters of the name can similarly reflect good meanings. The second character ("Na") has a variety of definitions including "receive," "admit," or "accept." The third character ("De") most often references "virtue," "moral character," or "kindness."
Nevertheless, given the heightened global attention to, and media controversies surrounding "The Donald," one can't help but acknowledge the other ironic meanings that these very same characters can convey in Chinese.
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The first character ("Tang") in the name "Donald" can also mean "offensive," "rude," or "brusque," as used in the bi-syllabic adjective, ("Tang Tu"). The second character ("Na") is the first syllable in the Chinese translation for the infamous political party name, "Nazi" (). And, the third character, in addition to its meaning of "virtue," is also the first character for the word "Germany" or "German" ()To be sure, the construct of the standard Chinese translation of the name "Donald" pre-dated, by far, the rise of Donald Trump. -- which, for some voters, would only make such underlying alternate meanings of the name's Chinese characters that much more "retrospectively prescient."
Of course, one must note that despite the above standard translation of "Donald" in Chinese, Chinese media rarely references Donald Trump using this translation for "Donald" (). Rather, in China, and in Chinese language media outside of Asia, he is often referred to as ("Chuan Pu"), and a few other Chinese translated nicknames reflecting the phonetics of the surname, "Trump." Yet, even the characters of these widely used names do not offer any positive semantic references. To the contrary, as reported by Louise Liu, in a September 27, 2016 online post on the website, Business Insider, titled "These Are The Nicknames That Chinese People Gave to Donald Trump," the most ubiquitous names for Donald Trump that are used in Chinese media were created when Trump first announced his candidacy, and "all sound funny with a disrespectful tone in Mandarin, mostly because, at the time, they (the Chinese) believed Trump was just a joke and had no chance of winning the White House." The most widely-used name, (Chuan Pu), while adhering to the phonetics of "Trump," means "Mandarin with a Sichuan (provincial) accent" -- a term often used to mock Chinese from China's Sichuan province who cannot speak standard Mandarin -- in other words, someone who speaks poorly. Per the Business Insider report, another less widely-used nickname for "Trump" is (Chuang Po) -- a bi-syllabic phrase which means "Breaking Bed," and is both a very strange and awkward semantic construct in Chinese. Neither of these nicknames pass muster as well adapted Chinese names with positive meanings.
By contrast, the standard Chinese translation for "Hillary" which is widely used by Chinese media both in and outside of China -- (Xi La Li) -- is unequivocally imbued with positive meaning. The first character (Xi) means "Hope," with only the possible alternate meanings of "rare," "scarce," or "uncommon." The second character, (La) most commonly means "to pull," but can also mean "draw in," "win over," or "canvass." The third character, (Li) means "inside." Taken has a whole, the Chinese name for Hillary means "Hope pulled (or drawn in) inside," with no obvious, alternate negative interpretations.
Non-Chinese often believe that Chinese culture and perspective is imbued with wisdom and far-reaching vision. Time will now tell whether the winner of the US election will live up to the possible meanings of his or her Chinese name.
It's not like we haven't visited NYC every chance we got over the past 8 years, because we have- many times. It's just that we always ended up in a different part of the city, staying with friends or at a friend's apt who was traveling elsewhere or at some great hotel where the price was too good to pass up.
This trip was different. This time we made a decision to go back to our old neighborhood of Tribeca, stay at our favorite neighborhood hotel (even though the name had changed) and eat and drink at the places that had been our regular hangouts. We were coming home.
As we headed into our 8th year of living away from New York City, and back to our old stomping ground, we wondered how many of our favorite places would still be open and what new surprises we would find.
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Turns out many fondly remembered spots were as great as always, some special joints closed and some amazing newbies opened!
Here's the thing, we LOVE NYC. The chaos, the noise, the lights, the millions of options, the diversity, the old and decrepit, the modern and redone, the never ending construction. Even the honking taxis seem to make sense in the Big Apple.
So we filled our week with plays, museums and visits with dear friends. And lots of great meals. We made reservations and went to some of our old neighborhood favorites; Nobu for sushi- still superbly fresh and served as elegant as ever, Odeon and Bubby's for breakfast- two classic Tribeca institutions that seemed frozen in time in all the best ways possible. We couldn't resist one night at Da Umberto's in Chelsea for that Old World Italian meal you can only find in NYC or Italy. And to relive some of our favorite evenings, we wandered very late into the Brandy Library for drinks and sweets. We settled on an Highland Scotch tasting- thoughtfully poured, even at 1:00 AM, by the very knowledgeable Genevieve.
But the foodie highlight definitely was coming back to our local Tribeca Landmarc restaurant. It had us reminiscing about all those after-work meals -- we would slip into this quiet little place, grab a great dinner and catch up with one another after a long day. This spot hasn't changed. It still felt intimate and relaxed. Landmarc was where we fell in love with wines from all over the world. Their bottle prices were always the best and they still are. So we waltzed into Landmarc on a Monday night, and met the current general manager, Jules Bianciardi, who treated us more like family than guests. Every item we ordered exceeded our expectation; the Italian wine, the calamari, the pasta, the burger (still my all-time favorite) and the awesome desserts. We enjoyed the evening so much we went back again with friends for our final night in town!
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We also found a few new places we liked a lot too - Grand Banks, housed on a boat at Pier 25, is a good spot for oysters and a glorious sunset view; or Sunday brunch at Tiny's and the Bar Upstairs that serves a great Bloody Mary complete with a slice of salami skewered with the olive.
And then there's the Roxy Hotel bar and lounge. We stayed at the Roxy Hotel, (formerly the Tribeca Grand) for 8 nights and live jazz was happening almost every night.
The Roxy had a big hotel memory to live up to for us. We had spent our 2007 wedding night in their ritziest suite and threw some great parties there on more than one occasion. But our week at the Roxy did not disappoint. The staff was lovely, the standard room was comfy and quiet and luxurious feeling and the location was absolutely perfect. This new version with it's the remodeled bar, pool table and live jazz drew us in almost every night.
Is it a province? Is it a country? It's a peninsula, it has a large rock - and it's definitely a geographical and political oddity, to say the least.
Gibraltar is anchored in the Mediterranean Sea, riding alongside the coast of Spain. The warm body of water is also hosting France, Monaco, Malta, Slovenia, Montenegro, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Albania, Cyprus, Greece, a bit of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Turkey, Syria, and Israel + Palestine.
On the westernmost side of the Mediterranean Sea, we find the opening to the vastness of water leading to the East coast of the USA, via the North Atlantic Ocean.
You could say that the basin has a large representation of styles, cultures, languages, and terrain. The neck of the sea is at its easternmost entrance, where Gibraltar stands guard. Its name is Arabic ( , or Djebel Tariq), its location is at the bottom of Spain, but its nationality is British. And it has the Rock.
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In Roman antiquity, the Rock was considered to be one of the two Hercules Columns, baptized The Pillars of Hercules (In Latin: Columnae Herculis; in Greek: ; in Arabic: ; in Spanish: Columnas de Hercules) and were believed to be flanking the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar - the other one being the Djebel Musa, on the African coast.
Yes, this is Great Britain. Odd, isn't it?
Gibraltar is a "possession" of the Great Britain Kingdom since 1704. The British armed forces keep a strong presence there. Spain is claiming proprietary rights, even though its population is mostly against it.
The delicate situation of Gibraltar is a major cause of strain in the Spanish-British diplomatic relationship. Gibraltar is in the European Union.
Its physical border with Spain is the shortest one on the planet, at just 1,200 meters. Gibraltar has 12 kilometers of coastline, on two sides. The highest point is the famed Rock, at 426 meters of height.
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The Rock is a natural reserve where Barbary monkeys roam free - the only place in Europe they do so. Without any exploitation of natural resources of any kind, the Rock of Gibraltar relies on a desalination plant inside it.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen of England (I wonder if she speaks Spanish) is the head of state and a symbolic governor holds the fort, so to speak.
The currency of Gibraltar is the Gibraltar Pound, equal in value to the British Sterling Pound. Many stores also take Euros, it's good for tourism. Ironically, the Gibraltar Pound cannot be used in England - go figure!
Gibraltar is looking with some anxiety to the Brexit happening, which may or may not take place. They say that would be bad for the financial situation of Gibraltar.
There are about 32,000 inhabitants on the speck of land, mostly Spaniards and Brits, with a few other Mediterranean nationals thrown in the mix.
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The official language is English, used for governmental purposes and for business. A lot of people also speak Llanito, a unique tongue derived from, you guessed it, Spanish and English, and definitely only spoken there.
The official motto of Gibraltar is "Nulli expugnabilis hosti" , which in Latin means "No enemy shall expel us". It says it all.
Tourism is key.
Only British airlines use the tiny airport, and entering Gibraltar is a strange experience. Barely checking passports, the customs officer waves you along, and you suddenly find yourself directly on the tarmac.
The road to the "city" crosses the airport runway. And so, you must wait for the green light to cross over to the country. In no time at all, you walk from Andalusia (Spain) to England.
And yes, they do sell fish & chips - albeit no longer wrapped in newspaper, but with cleaner white crispy paper, served with British ale.
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Grottos and monkeys are the two main attractions for the wandering pedestrian tourists. The animals often pose for photos, but also often expect some treat in return, and can become agitated if they don't get any.
You can get to the top of the Rock via a small funicular, or you can hike it and discover the wonderful views from your walking path.
It's tempting to hop to the African continent from here - you can see it in the distance. A ferry joins the two countries of Gibraltar and Morocco in about 90 minutes.
Note: British trendy and dandy fashion designer/couturier John Galliano is from Gibraltar.
More info here and here.
The small business proceedings of a local marijuana dispensary in Portland, Oregon.
For the past four years, all the way up through last week's episode of 60 Minutes, the public and the media have associated marijuana legalization with the state of Colorado. From jokes on late night television to reality shows on cable networks, the two have been inextricably linked.
As a lead drafter of Colorado's 2012 Amendment 64 ballot measure and the campaign manager for that campaign, this is a source of pride. It is also a testament to dozens of individuals who worked tirelessly -- and strategically -- to put the state in the position to lead the nation in this area.
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It must be understood that "leading the nation" in this context is not referring to the simple fact that Colorado adults were the first, along with adults in Washington state, to be able to use marijuana without the threat of penalty. What has made Colorado special is the manner in which it has regulated a system that had never been regulated before.
Immediately following passage of the initiative, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper established the Task Force on the Implementation of Amendment 64. Stakeholders on all sides of the debate worked together to address the broad range of issues associated with creating a legal marijuana market for adults. The Task Force covered issues from THC content and packaging requirements to whether the supply chain should be vertically-integrated. They produced recommendations that were then considered and largely enacted by the legislature and regulators.
As a result of all of this work, Colorado produced a regulated, free market system with local control, so that localities could determine the extent to which adult-use marijuana facilities could operate in their jurisdictions. This system, including both medical and adult-use products, produced $1 billion in sales in 2015 and will likely top $1.2 billion in 2016. At the same time, teen use has remained flat in the state and overall problems associated with the legal market appear to be quite limited.
Of course, there are some people who believe that marijuana legalization has not been good for Colorado or for the other states that have already moved in that direction. But this column isn't the place for that debate. Rather, the purpose here is to address the fact that we are on the verge of moving well beyond "Colorado."
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This week, the people of Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada will vote on measures to regulate the cultivation and sale of marijuana for all adults. If current polling proves true, more than 20 percent of adults in the U.S. will soon live in states where marijuana is legal, including the entire west coast.
For many people, especially members of minority groups who have been targeted through the use of marijuana laws, this break in the dam of marijuana prohibition is a cause for celebration. But for those of us who have been fighting for decades to end marijuana prohibition, it is a time for preparation.
We must prepare for the era of legal marijuana. This is a massive undertaking, involving the development of a new $30-$50 billion dollar industry in the U.S. Similar to the philosophy of the task force in Colorado, it will require cooperative action and thoughtful participation from a broad range of groups.
In particular, we hope that the federal government will look to advocates who have helped build the cannabis industry up to this point, as well as cannabis industry leaders themselves, as partners in the process of developing federal laws and regulations. Our experience can help government officials understand the nature of this young industry and what policies can enhance consumer safety while allowing for efficiency in operations.
To turn an old phrase, we are not in Colorado any more. But we should take a lesson from Colorado and dedicate ourselves to working together to shape the most responsible cannabis industry possible.
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With just six words, "We have not changed our conclusions," FBI Director James Comey may have ensured a perilous victory for Hillary Clinton. The hotly contentious review of newly discovered State Department-related e-mails, this time unaccountably on the laptop of one of the ultimate security risks, repeatedly disgraced ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner, ended as it began. With the Clinton operation's handling of sensitive e-mails viewed as extremely careless but not criminally liable, and with plenty of unanswered questions.
Hillary had already been in trouble with Wikileaks revelations of how former President Bill Clinton used the Clinton Foundation during her tenure as U.S. secretary of stated to amass stunning amounts of personal income.
Clearly, neither story is over. But with no big new revelation coming from Wikileaks and its likely source in Russian intelligence, and if most of the polling is accurate, the Democratic turnout machine executes efficiently, and the Clintons and President Barack Obama prove compelling in their personal campaigning to stave off a closing Donald Trump in states previously supposed to be locked down such as Michigan and Pennsylvania, Hillary has a quite decent chance of hanging on to a victory that many had repeatedly imagined to be an absolute slam dunk.
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Hillary Clinton, in a moment of unalloyed triumph after the death of longtime Libyan dictator Moammar Gadaffi, paraphrased Julius Caesar: "We came, we saw, he died!" She probably won't be so exultant Tuesday night, even in victory.
Though the new FBI letter is big, the biggest news is probably the dog that did not bark.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said in September that his group -- which, contrary to some claims from the Clinton camp, has never released fakes -- would provide material leading to her defeat and criminal indictment. Well, barring something really huge on Monday, when it may be too late anyway, that's not happening.
That is probably because Assange did not receive what he'd anticipated in his likely role as cut-out, however attenuated for the sake of his ego, for Russian intelligence. (Which we might as well call the KGB, since career KGB officer Vladimir Putin is in the process of consolidating Russian intelligence into its latter-day equivalent, the MGB, more to follow on that.) Long-time readers know my theory that Moscow has been out to delegitimize rather than defeat the Clintons in this election. Which is what has occurred.
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Yes, there was more damaging intel on the Clintons Sunday. A Wikileaks tranche, summarized fastest of all the media outlets by, as usual, RT (the Russia Today news channel controlled by the Kremlin, which has also employed Assange as a talk show host), the release did reveal word from an intimate Clinton source of big financial perks from the Clinton Foundation for First Daughter Chelsea Clinton. But that is all of a piece with lowered public expectations for the Clinton family.
The most interesting revelation came not from Wikileaks/KGB but from FBI notes leaked to the New York Post. It seems that Hillary had Filipina immigrant maid use a SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) and print out classified e-mails for her. That is pretty alarming, but again of a piece with what was previously known and not kill shot material per se.
Though it did lead a friend of mine, who also has long believed that Moscow is out to delegitimize rather than defeat, to gleefully point out the similarity to 'The Clock,' an early episode of 'The Americans,' the much-acclaimed show about deep-cover KGB agents in Reagan-era Washington. In that episode, the trusted maid of Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger is ruthlessly coerced into placing a bugged clock in the SecDef's study, where he holds very sensitive discussions.
On an early episode of the much-acclaimed series 'The Americans' about deep-cover KGB operatives in Reagan-era Washington, the agents coerce a maid for Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger to place a bugged clock in the study of his home where he holds high-level discussions.
As dispiriting on several levels as so much of the Wikileaks material has been, it's important to keep in mind that there are major policy differences between Hillary and Trump. So no one, especially in progressive ranks, should simply throw up their hands and imagine it makes no difference who is elected.
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I wrote at the end of October about my experience with Ralph Nader in 2000 and his expressed belief just a few months before the general election that Al Gore would win handily over George W. Bush and thus he could not spoil the election in the conservative Republican's favor. We know all too well how that turned out.
And I remember in 1980 being at the Campaign for Economic Democracy steering committee at Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden's Laurel Springs Ranch above Santa Barbara where many leaders of the organization saw no difference between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. At the request of Hayden and some of his older advisors, I had to bang out a one-page memo laying out the very stark differences between the two before the organization voted to support Carter. Does anyone today imagine it made no difference that Reagan was elected?
Even if one believes that Trump is something of a real populist rather than a neo-fascist posing behind a populist masquerade, the differences between Clinton and Trump on climate change and renewable energy, not to mention fundamental questions of science, racism, sexism, you name it, are so vast as to make anything but a vote for Clinton the height of irresponsibility. If Trump wanted to convince anyone that he was not the most aggressive know-nothing to run in the last century or so, he has had plenty of opportunities to do so.
Besides, if for no other reason than the following, Team Trump should be defeated for its sheer intellectual ineptitude in presidential politics.
It once again allowed General Michael Hayden, who served as Bush's CIA director, to pair himself with a Democrat (once again ex-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright) as part of a bipartisan pose of paired op-eds attacking Trump. Trump has gone this entire time without ever pointing out that Hayden was an obscure Air Force two-star until someone plucked him up and made him director of the National Security Agency, a much larger and arguably more powerful agency than the CIA, if far more secret.
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Who was that certain someone who made Hayden the director of the NSA? Bill Clinton.
Trump also somehow failed all this time to note the name of Hillary's house in Washington. "Whitehaven." For someone always knocked for his own big ego, that is an awfully big bet to miss.
I mention such things now when it is too late for the Trump campaign. There will be more after the election.
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Entrepreneurs working at computer in creative office space
As a Chinese American business woman, TV producer and host, I am honored and excited to be speaking next month at the first Simmons International Women's Leadership Conference in Berlin, Germany. I will share my personal story in the hope of inspiring other women to take risks and follow their dreams.
My journey as a young Chinese girl who started my career in America with $150 in my pocket to an international business woman able to bridge these two cultures, was challenging to say the least. It has also been rewarding: I founded a production company that made some of the most watched TV series in modern Chinese history. I also launched Yue-Sai Cosmetics, which became China's top cosmetics company by creating products specifically for Asian women's skin. For the first time in years, Chinese women wore lipstick, used make-up and felt beautiful! I'm proud to say that Yue-Sai Cosmetics really spurred the emergence of modern Chinese women!
I once spoke to the late tenor Luciano Pavarotti about performing for the public. He said he would rather die if he could not sing anymore. Wow. He would rather die than not sing for the public! I believe that an entrepreneur must have that same kind of irrepressible drive.
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Entrepreneurs, I've learned, are a special breed of people; they put their heart, soul and body in a place they may not have gone before. They are the ones willing to step to the edge and are ready to sacrifice everything to achieve their business success. Yes, being an entrepreneur means taking risks! If you're not willing to take those risks, you will not be a successful. Clearly entrepreneurship isn't for everybody and many people would rather be in a steady and safe job. So before you begin any new enterprise, ask yourself, "Do I really have the passion to succeed?"
Let's say you have the guts to be an entrepreneur, then what else will the job demand?
1. You have to understand your customers. Do they need what you offer? I have talked to very passionate people who want to start businesses or sell products that no one really needs. Be realistic.
2. Be frugal with your expenses when you start out. I have seen too many people renting expensive offices and driving fancy cars to keep up appearances in front of their clients. But that really is not smart or necessary. Many big and successful businesses started were started from small and inexpensive "offices". Jack Ma started Alibaba in his living room. For five years, I did all of my TV production work, including recording, filming and editing from a one-bedroom apartment in New York City. My advice is this: take on more expenses only as you expand your business.
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3. Don't focus on how you can surely make big money, but think instead about how you can fail. There is a difference. For example, I continue to ask myself why would my customers stop buying my products.
In the next twenty-four hours Donald Trump could become the next President of the United States. Trump has built a campaign that has worked against the ideals of free press, due process, and political opposition.
In a recent speech at Gettysburg, Trump said he would sue all of the women who accused him of sexual assault. This is a man who is approaching women with a toupee and a spray tan, and thinks he's the one getting the raw deal. But make no mistake, Donald Trump runs the risk of being the first President to stand trial for sexual assault during his first 100 days in office.
It seems this behaviour is motivated by a particularly sexist understanding of women's rights. Even that might be a generous statement as Trump doesn't fully acknowledge that women have rights to begin with. It begs the question, how could a woman ever support Trump?
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Luckily, the team at The Social Renaissance Project have created an informative video to answer just that question. Check it out above and remember to vote tomorrow.
Local officials discussed, rejected law enforcement consolidation in past
Voters are being asked to consider a constitutional amendment on the Nov. 8 ballot that would enshrine the election of sheriffs into constitution .
American International Group ( AIG ) is attempting to reach out to Asian Americans by launching an office which makes them its focus.The city of San Mateo, in California, is now home to an office that is built around Asian citizens living in the USA according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle. The office will enforce a strict rule that all salespeople must be bilingual in both English and an Asian language it is reported that 95% of its staff are Asian American.In addition, the office boasts signs in English and Chinese; meeting spaces that are meant to look like tea rooms; and there was even a lion dance as part of its opening ceremony.The office will sell insurance to anyone but it has been specifically designed to serve Asian American consumers according to a release.Of course targeting a specific ethnic group is nothing new but boasting such an extensive in-house staff with an ethnic workforce is taking things a step further than most. However, perhaps such a move should be expected from AIG which can trace its roots back to Shanghai in 1919, before it moved its central office to New York in 1939.In addition, Asian Americans are seen as the fastest growing racial group in the USA thanks to large levels of immigration. The San Francisco Chronicle report highlights that they have the highest median income of any ethnic group and are also the most likely to boast a degree.However, John Deremo, AIG Financial Distributors executive vice president, told the publication they are underserved, especially in the area of life insurance highlighting that whereas 30% of the US population lacks life insurance, this number is even higher among Asian Americans reaching 45%.While the office will focus on Chinese customers, it will target all Asian consumers with materials available across nine languages.Deremo is hopeful that that office will grow quickly it already boasts 50 employees with an additional 10 located in San Jose.What do you think of insurers targeting specific ethnic groups in this fashion? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.
Dan Flatch of Bon Tricycle and Hot Tomatoes owner Matthew England teamed up to create Crisp.
Hot Tomatoes Pizza Now Served At Bright Ideas Brewery
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. Crisp by Hot Tomatoes Pizza is now served at Bright Ideas Brewery.
They are good with beer we are good with food, Hot Tomatoes owner Matthew England said. Its pizza and beer; what more could you ask for?
Dan Flatch of Bon Tricycle previously manned the food cart at Bright Ideas Brewery, however, he needed a little help so he teamed up England and created Crisp, which features an abbreviated Hot Tomatoes menu and some of Bon Tricycles signature dishes.
It is a fun casual idea and it is just a kind of a play off the menu but a little more fun, England said. We pre-make all of our crust, have it delivered and people can order a signature dish or customize.
England pointed to a cart with standard pizza toppings such as cherry tomatoes and pepperoni but also more exotic toppings such as roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto to enhance the many craft beers Bright Ideas offers.
England said the magic of Crisp comes from their special oven that can cook a pizza quickly and in some instances 90 seconds.
Bright Ideas owner Orion Howard said he hopes that having a larger menu in the brewery will bring more people in, especially locals.
Anything we bring in here that will bring in people from the city is a welcome thing, and we want this to be a community melting pot, Howard said. We want to get people from the city in here and keep people that are leaving the museum in town. You can do it with beer but you cant do it for everybody with beer and having pizza in here is going to help.
Howard said Bright Ideas wants visitors to explore the city and not just visit the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts and go back to their hotel.
Anything that keeps visitors here in town is good for everybody, he said.
England said he hopes to have a grand opening next week and plans to use this weekend as a soft opening.
We just want to get our feet in the door and figure out the feng shui of all of this, England said.
Ioka Valley Farm won first place in the Maple Cream category, and further beat out all other entries to claim Best of Show among all Maple Products.
Biz Briefs: Massachusetts Maple Producer Wins Top Honors
How sweet it is: Melissa Leab of Hancock took a top honor for her product and another was recognized for his decades of dedication to the industry at the North American Maple Syrup Councils annual competition in Burlington, Vt.
Leab won first place in the Maple Cream category, and further beat out all other entries to claim Best of Show among all Maple Products. Sugarmakers from the United States and Canada submitted 170 entries into the contest, making for very tough competition in each category. Leab and her husband Rob own and run Ioka Valley Farm, and she is also president of the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association.
There are more than 250 maple sugaring operations in Massachusetts, many of which sell their products directly to consumers at farmstands and farmers markets. A directory of sugarmakers who sell maple products to the public can be found at www.massmaple.org.
Toys for Tots: Walter Lother, the local Edward Jones financial advisor, is supporting the Marines of Westover Toys for Tots program by using his office as a drop-off location for this year's toy drive.
Local residents may help needy children in the area by bringing in a new, unwrapped toy to the office, 71 Main St., North Adams, during regular business hours from Nov. 1 through Dec. 11.
The 28 graduates represent 18 fire departments: Amherst, Cheshire, Chesterfield, Chesterfield, Dalton, East Longmeadow, Great Barrington, Hampden, Lee, Leverett, Monterey, New Marlborough, Palmer, Richmond, South Hadley-District 1, South Hadley-District 2, Southampton, and Tolland.
Local Call/Volunteer Firefighters Graduate State Training Program
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. Massachusetts Firefighting Academy Deputy Director Joseph Klucznik presented certificates of completion to members of the Call/Volunteer Recruit Firefighter Training Class 60 on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the Department of Fire Services' Springfield campus.
The 28 graduates, 25 men and three women, represent the 18 fire departments. Berkshire County firefighters graduating and their departments are Andrew Heath and Quinn Whitney (Cheshire); Matthew McNulty and Joshua Thomas (Dalton); Jessica Dezieck, Mohamed Morell and Mike Powell (Great Barrington); Tyler Collins (Lee); Cody Funk and Kyle Hutson (Monterey); David Smith (New Marlborough); and Michael Renton (Richmond).
The program delivers a standard recruit training curriculum, meeting national standards, on nights and weekends to accommodate the schedule of firefighters in suburban and rural areas. Bringing the training closer to the firefighters often means more firefighters can participate. In 2014, an online eBlended format was implemented that has students doing more work outside of class and taking quizzes online. This allows students more time to practice training skills with instructors and to better control their own workloads and time commitments.
Today's firefighters do far more than fight fires. They are the first ones called to respond to chemical and environmental emergencies, ranging from the suspected presence of carbon monoxide to a gas leak. They may be called to rescue a child who has fallen through the ice or who has locked himself in a bathroom. They rescue people from stalled elevators and those who are trapped in vehicle crashes. They test and maintain their equipment, ranging from self-contained breathing apparatus to hydrants, hoses, power tools, and vehicles.
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
International Organization Recognizes High-Resolution Color-Accurate Pro Monitor
BenQ, internationally renowned provider of digital lifestyle devices, proudly announced today that SW2700PT photographer monitor was selected as 2016 Best Photo Monitor by the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA), the only display device to be recognized by the prestigious international industry advocate. Representing 30 top photography publications in 15 countries spanning five continents, the TIPA Award is the highest accolade for any photo and imaging product in the world.
A true color-critical professional display with integrated hardware calibration, shading hood, and 350-lux high luminance, BenQ SW2700PT was awarded for its precise 99% coverage of Adobe RGB color space, vivid high-contrast rendering of deep black levels, and comprehensive connectivity including Displayport, DVI, HDMI, USB 3.0, and even memory card reader and OSD controller.
We are honored to be named Best Photo Monitor, as the one and only display awarded by TIPA said Conway Lee, President of BenQ Corporation. It validates our continuing effort to lead the professional markets with purpose-engineered visual devices tailored for specific vertical applications.
Professional-Grade Image Quality
BenQ SW2700PT delivers 2560 x 1440 WQHD 3.7 megapixel high resolution with wide viewing angle IPS technology. Its 14-bit 3D lookup table (LUT) with Delta E 2, as determined by Comission Internationale de lEclairge (CIE) to designate pure color fidelity exceeding the limits of human vision, provides accurate 99% replication of the Adobe RGB color space. With over one billion discrete colors precisely on-line hardware-calibrated and protected by a detachable shading hood specifically designed to prevent glare and ambient light obstruction, SW2700PT produces the most realistic, natural, and reliable colors with the silkiest smooth gradations.
About Technical Image Press Association (TIPA)
Our independent voting procedure ensures that only products that truly benefit serious photographers, enthusiasts, photo retouchers, and graphic designers are recognized, said TIPA representative. A TIPA Award is something that the industry as a whole can celebrate and be proud of.
In its 26th year, TIPA holds a yearly General Assembly comprised of the top editors from 30 member publications leading the photography and imaging industries to elect TIPA Awards, renowned as the most influential product awards in global photo and imaging markets. Products endorsed by the TIPA Awards logo pass the most rigorous evaluations by the organizations technical committee and publication editors, and an annual TIPA Award Winner indicates the very best product introduced to the market in the preceding 12 months.
2016 TIPA General Assembly voting took place in San Francisco in April, and trophies for the winning companies was presented at photokina, Cologne, Germany on September 20.
The SW2700PT is available in the Philippines through authorized distributor JT Photoworld.
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U.S. Citizen who had been detained in Yemen released
Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "On behalf of everyone at the State Department, I welcome the reports of the release of Wallead Yusuf Pitts Luqman, a U.S. citizen, who had been detained in Yemen for more than a year and a half.
"My team and I have been focused on Wallead's detention since the beginning, working closely with our partners in the region, and I have also been in direct contact with his family. I want to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said and the Government of Oman for their leadership and assistance in securing Mr. Luqman's safe return. We also recognize this positive gesture by the Houthis.
"The protection of U.S. citizens around the world is among the highest priorities of the Department of State, and today's release is testament to the diligence and seriousness with which we all pursue that goal. I'm proud of everyone on our team who worked so hard to achieve this outcome.
"As President Obama has said, we will be relentless in our efforts to secure the release of Americans unjustly detained overseas, and we continue to call for the release of individuals unjustly held in Yemen."
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!
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With themes including growing up mixed-race in 1980s north-west London and celebrity volunteerism in modern-day Africa, Zadie Smiths first novel since 2012 centres on female friendship, fame and the burden of being our parents children
Its 1982 in north London, and two brown girls are taking dance lessons. Tracey has a instinctive talent for movement, freedom and survival; our unnamed narrator, for observing the world, its ideas, and its contradictions. They are drawn to each other in a turbulent friendship that lasts, on and off, into their music video and pop culture-dominated adolescent years. They grow up on neighbouring council estates, but subtle class and racial nuances separate them. Traceys unstable home has an absent black father and an obese white mother who aspires to get on the disability. Our narrators intellectually dissatisfied, ambitious Jamaican mother and besotted but brow-beaten East-Ender are little better at parenting.
The novel follows the narrator through familiar adolescent agonies and into adulthood, as she increasingly distances herself from her parents, envies yet also pities the wilder trajectory of Traceys life, and lets work take over her life when she becomes personal assistant to a global pop star, Aimee.
The childhood episodes are more compelling, where we witness the young narrator and Tracy negotiate bi-racial, working class London. Tracey - at eighteen, already expert at the older womans art of fermenting rage masks her low self-esteem with a fierce personality and fervent dance pursuits, but she often compares the brownness of her arms to the narrators and belittles the latters love of old Hollywood musicals.
Meanwhile, our narrator quietly rebels against her mother who is on an unrelenting quest to educate all of Kilburn in class consciousness and racial injustice by disappointing with her chosen university, her PA job, and her more colour-blind, but perhaps also more naive, understanding of identity. When our narrator travels to West Africa on Aimees latest humanitarian project, she juggles feelings of alienation, a diminishing definition of herself beyond her work, and a growing distaste for the PR machine. Her story eventually arcs back to London and the opening scene of the novel, where we found her hiding from the paparazzi in a hotel, having just betrayed the two seminal female friendships of her life.
Zadie Smiths first novel White Teeth (2000) was full of energy, humour and wit; a bestseller that shot her to literary fame at the age of 25 with good reason. In Swing Time, a mature Smith uses a newfound artistic control to take on race, class and a cosmopolitan modernity that doesnt quite let everyone in. Weaving a contemporary, pensive story that gives us more of her vivid characterisation, she drives home the persistence of origins and the fragility of relationships in a media-hungry age.
Swing Time by Zadie Smith is published on 15 Nov by Penguin, hardback 18.99
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There is one question about Ewan McGregors directorial debut American Pastoral that McGregor get asked all the time and that cant help but make the Trainspotting star bristle. Did he, as a Scottish actor and filmmaker, feel he was in any way trespassing by making a movie based on such quintessentially American material? The film is adapted from Philip Roths Pulitzer Prize-winning 1997 novel about a seemingly happy and sucessful all-American family man, whose daughter turns into a terrorist.
Ewan McGregor and Jennifer Connelly play a married couple in American Pastoral
I dont think it has ever been asked of me as an actor before. Of all my acting roles, how many of those are Scots? McGregor protests at the idea that nationality should have any bearing at all on artistic choice. We are in the creative business. Were in the business of imagination and comment and storytelling. Our nationality doesnt really have anything to do with it. If youre tackling any story that you dont understand something about that story, then you learn about it. That is your job and your responsibility.
Before beginning production on American Pastoral, McGregor (who also plays the lead role) researched extensively such events as the Newark riots of 1967 and the thousands of bombings that took place in America during the 1960s.
I am very proud this is my first Jewish story, McGregor continues. He points out that he did play Jesus once before (in Rodrigo Garcias Last Days In The Desert) but that the Swede", as the father in American Pastoral is nicknamed, is his first properly Jewish role.
I am married to a Jew. My children are Jews. For me, that was a really beautiful part of it [making the film] that I am very proud of. I was able to bring all my experience of that faith onto screen at last.
McGregor is giving me an interview a fortnight or so after a London screening of American Pastoral, which his parents attended and after which he did a Q&A on stage with Danny Boyle (who has just directed him in T2, the Trainspotting sequel). Boyle was very moved by McGregors film, which he had seen twice. In particular, Boyle drew attention to McGregors delicate direction of the female cast members Dakota Fanning as the troubled daughter, Jennifer Connelly as the Swedes beautiful but tormented wife. I cried at the end, Boyle confessed.
McGregor with Dakota Fanning who plays his troubled daughter, Mary
What was striking about the Q&A was the admiration and warmth that Boyle and McGregor clearly felt for one another. It hasnt always been thus. Back in 2000, when Leonardo DiCaprio was cast as the lead in The Beach, McGregor was very peeved indeed. He had given brilliant performances for Boyle in Shallow Grave (1994), Trainspotting (1996) and A Life Less Ordinary (1997) and felt he was core part of the creative team that also included producer Andrew Macdonald and doctor-turned-writer, John Hodge. Nonetheless, on their biggest budget movie, they went for DiCaprio instead of him. I ask if his grievance against the old team is now in the past.
Yeah but it took a long time for it to be in the past. It wasnt just about The Beach. Its deeper than that in the way it was handled, McGregor reflects. I felt very much like his [Boyles] actor and I felt very involved: part of this new piece of British cinema. I felt we stood for something. I felt part of something bigger than just my acting career, part of something important. I thought what Shallow Grave and Trainspotting did in British cinema was big and had left its mark. I felt the loss of more than just an acting role in The Beach. The way it was handled cost us our friendship for years. It was a lot to put behind us and it has taken 20 years to do it! Its a great shame we didnt work together for all these years.
McGregor, Connelly and Hannah Nordberg, who plays the young Mary
Now, McGregor is back in the fold. He went off to play Renton again in the Trainspotting sequel the very day after he finished the sound mix on American Pastoral. I loved it! he enthuses of T2. It was great after having this directing experience to go back and work with one of my favourite ever directors [Boyle]. I loved it, I really did love it. It was a wonderful experience to be back with those guys: Kelly [Macdonald], Jonny Lee Miller, Bobby Carlyle and Ewen Bremner and to be speaking John Hodges words again. I havent worked on a John Hodge script since A Life Less Ordinary. It has been a very long time and I like the way he writes. Ive always enjoyed the style of his writing.
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As for Boyle, McGregor rhapsodies about his gentle but strong leadership and absolute artistic sensibility the quiet confidence he has about what he is doing and that encourages really good work across the board.
The first Trainspotting was famous for its madcap energy. It may have been about drug-taking skaggies from Leith but it moved at the frenetic pace of the Iggy Pop music that accompanied McGregors delirious dashes through the Edinburgh streets. The actor warns his fans that the new film is going to have a tempo in keeping with the more advanced age of its protagonists. We didn't try to remake Trainspotting. Youll see. It has its own rhythm and unique pace and energy but which is not the energy of 20-year-old people. The characters are no longer 20-year-old people.
Even so, McGregor makes shooting T2 sound like the perfect pick-me-up after American Pastoral. He relished his experiences on the Philip Roth adaptation but acknowledges that it was exhausting. He is in almost every scene of the film but, as the films director, he also had multiple other demands on his time.
McGregor in his role as Mark Renton who tries to quit drugs in Trainspotting
There is a responsibility to it that I didnt take lightly. I am serious about my work. I took it [directing American Pastoral] very seriously. There was a lot of money at stake. There was reputation at stake, my own. I was going to be standing in front of a professional film crew and professional actors, all of whom I admire. I didnt want to fail to mess it up and make a crap film. I woke up to that responsibility heavily every morning.
In his own mind, the star sees American Pastoral as the kind of feature he might have been expected to make second. It had a biggish budget and established stars. Now, he wants to direct again but to make what would normally be considered a debut feature a low-budget feature with unknown actors, one that he can make in Scotland.
Id like to find a very contemporary story with young people. Id like not to be in it. Id like to have less money and a shorter space of time. I dunno, I think maybe it should be a young urban romance.
McGregor ranks with Sean Connery as one of Scotland's most famous actors (Getty)
McGregor ranks with Sean Connery as one of Scotlands most famous film stars. In recent years, the country has struggled to compete with others parts of Britain in attracting film production. One major drawback is the country doesnt yet have its own fully-fledged, purpose-built film studios. Ask McGregor about this and he strikes a determinedly diplomatic note.
In terms of encouraging filmmaking into Scotland, weve got really great technicians in Scotland, on a par with anywhere else in the world Ive worked. Also, weve got extraordinary scenery and cities an awful lot to offer, he says. I cant see that it would be anything other than a benefit to have a film studio in Scotland. We end working in old factories. For filmmaking, its not ideal. If its raining you have to stop shooting. If a plane goes overhead or a lorry goes by, you have to stop. At the same time, hed be reluctant to argue for public money to be spent on a film studio rather than on, say, the NHS.
American Pastoral may have been shot in the US but the Scot still sees it as a personal project. I have all this experience with girls. I have four daughters. I know intimately that relationship. I know what it feels like to be the father of a girl. It made me empathise with The Swede a lot when I read the script for the first time.
His wife Eva, to whom he has been married for 21 years, told him that he should take the chance to go behind the cameras himself when the original director left the project. Two of his daughters have now seen the film and given it the thumbs up. So, to his huge relief, has Philip Roth himself. He [Roth] sent a very nice email to his agent and in the email, he asked for it to be shared with us, the filmmakers. He passed on his thoughts. They were very positive. It meant a great, great deal to me if he hadnt liked it, I would have felt I had failed a little bit.
American Pastoral is released on 11 November. T2: Trainspotting is released on 27 January 2017
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Zack Snyders Justice League cast has grown once more, adding Ciaran Hinds - best known for playing Mance Rayder in Game of Thrones - to its already stellar line-up.
According to The Wrap, the prolific Irish actor will play the CGI villain Steppenwolf, a character hinted at in a deleted scene from this years Batman v Superman in which Jesse Eisenbergs Lex Luthor communicates with an intergalactic being through the downed Kryptonian ship.
Also seen in the scene are three mysterious floating boxes which fans of the comics will instantly recognise as Mother Boxes, all three of which are located on earth.
The aforementioned publication confirms the villain will hunt down all three in the film: one is located in Atlantis (Aquamans home), one in Themyscira (Wonder Womans home), and one is now a part of Justice League member Cyborg.
33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 Show all 34 1 /34 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 1. Captain America: Civil War Release date: 6 May 2016. Iron Man and Captain America are set to face off in this superhero blockbuster that will feature nearly all the Avengers but wont be an Avengers film. It will also mark the first time Spider-Man will feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Sony having made a deal with Marvel Studios. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 2. X-Men: Apocalypse Release date: 27 May 2016. Following the success of Days of Future Past, Apocalypse will follow the young X-Men team as the battle against Oscar Isaacs titular villain as he gathers his four horsemen; Magneto (Fassbender), Angel (Hardy), Storm (Shipp), and Psylocke (Munn). Expect carnage and no Wolverine. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 3. Suicide Squad Release date: 5 August 2016. The first supervillain film, Suicide Squad is also based in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe, where Batman and Superman live) and will introduce the world to Margot Robbies Harley Quinn and Jared Letos Joker. One of the more exciting upcoming DC films thats for sure. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 4. Doctor Strange Release date: 4 November 2016. Benedict Cumberbatch will debut in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe, where Captain America and Iron Man live) as the Sorcerer Supreme. The film already has an incredible cast, including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachael McAdams and Tilda Swinton. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 5. Untitled Lego Batman film Release date: 20 February 2017. Kicking off 2017 is the Lego version of Batman, who will lead his own spin-off, having already featured in the amazing Lego Movie. Will Arnett voices the titular character, while Zach Garfianakis - from the Hangover - will voice The Joker. But will he better than Leto? 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 6. Untitled Wolverine film Release date: 3 March 2017. Having not starred in X-Men: Apocalypse, Wolverine will return to the big screen in a solo film which was recently made R-Rated following the success of Deadpool. It is expected to be Hugh Jackmans last outing as the titular character. Fox 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Release date: 5 May 2017. Chris Pratt and the crew are returning to space in the sequel to the surprisingly successful Guardians of the Galaxy. According to director James Gunn, the film will not feature Thanos, even though he will to play a major role in phase MCU Phase 3. Cast includes newcomers Kurt Russell and Pom Klementieff, as well as, rumour has it, Sylvester Stallone. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 8. Wonder Woman Release date: 23 June 2017. Gal Gadot is returning to the DCEU in her very own film, marking the first female-led superhero film on this list. Chris Pine is on board to play Wonder Womans love interest. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 9. Untitled Spider-Man reboot Release date: 7 July 2017. Yes, it is another Spider-Man reboot, having previously been redone with Andrew Garfield as the lead. However, this time it is part of the MCU, with Tom Holland as the titular character, and a heavily rumoured cameo by Iron Man could be in the pipeline. We can dream. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 10. Untitled Fox film Release date: 6 October 2017. In a strange announcement, Fox decided to withhold the release of Gambit until a future, as-yet unannounced date, which could be here, or this could be a completely separate project. Many suspect Deadpool 2 could nicely fit here, Fox capitalising on the success of the first film. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 11. Thor: Ragnarok Release date: 3 November 2017. Chris Hemsworth will be returning as the Norse God in his third solo MCU film. Flight of the Conchords Taika Waititi is on board to direct, and promises a fun adventure that will likely lead into Marvels next project, Infinity War. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 12. Justice League Part One Release date: 17 November 2017. Hot on the heals of Thor comes Justice League Part One, the first DCEU team-up flick which will see Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg work together to fight bad guys. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 13: Untitled Fox film Release date: 12 January 2018. Kicking off 2018 will likely be the second Deadpool film, but then again, this could very well be another X-Men team-up. Theres also talk of an X-Force film, with Deadpool and other mutants teaming up to fight evil. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 14. Black Panther Release date: 16 February 2018. The first non-white male-led superhero film in the MCU comes in the form of Black Panther, with Chadwick Boseman reprising the titular role, having also starred as the Panther in Civil War. Creeds Ryan Coogler is on to direct what could be a very exciting film. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 15. The Flash Release date: 16 March 2018. The Flash will be the first DCEU film since Justice League, and sees Ezra Miller take the lead. Phil Lord and Chris Miller were supposed to pen the film before Disney snapped them up for the Han Solo-film, leaving Seth Grahame-Smith to take charge. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 16. Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 Release date: 4 May 2018. And so, we finally get to the point of all these Infinity Stones! Thanos will be the big bad, with the Avengers needing to team up to defeat their biggest foe yet. It has previously been described as the end of the Avengers as we know it. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 17. Ant-Man and The Wasp Release date: 6 July 2018. Peyton Reed will be back to direct this surprise sequel to one of the better received MCU films. While the name is ridiculous, at least Marvel are finally having a leading female superhero. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 18. Untitled Fox film Release date: 13 July 2018. Again, not much word on this one except it is thought to be X-Men spin-off New Mutants, something Josh Boone has been hit up to write. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 19. Animated Spider-Man Film Release date: 20 July 2018. Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Amy Pascal - the team behind the live-action Spider-Man films - are producing this unrelated animated adaptation of the hero. Because you can never have too much Spider-Man, right? 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 20. Aquaman Release date: 27 July 2018. Another Justice League spin-off, Jason Momoa plays the leading man. Furious 7s James Wan is on to direct, but little else is known about the film. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 21. Captain Marvel Release date: 8 March 2019. Weve hit 2019, and the first confirmed superhero film will be the first proper female-led MCU film. No-one is confirmed to be in the titular role of Carol Danvers just yet. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 22. Shazam Release date: 5 April 2019. Dwayne Johnson stars as the villain in this DCEU film which will be somewhat separate to the other DC films. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 23. Avengers: Infinity War Part 2. Release date: 3 May 2019. The conclusion to the long drawn MCU saga. Expect a big finish with at least a few planets being destroyed. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 24. Justice League Part Two Release date: 14 June 2019. Soon after the Infinity War story reaches its conclusion, so will the Justice Leagues. Not much is known, except Darkseid will likely be the villain for at least one of the parts. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 25. Inhumans Release date: 12 July 2019. The concept of Inhumans (or Marvels mutants) has already been introduced in TV, through Marvels Agents of Shield, yet the film is expected to introduce the Royal Family who have yet to be seen in the show. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 26. Cyborg Release date: 3 April 2020. Having debuted in Justice League Part One three years previously, Cyborg will finally be making his own outing, with Ray Fisher as the titular character. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 27. Untitled MCU film Release date: 1 May 2020. The first of three untitled Marvel films. There are a couple of contenders, the first is a likely sequel to Spider-Man with Sony, or a third Guardians of the Galaxy film, thus finishing the trilogy. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 28. Green Lantern Corps. Release date: 19 June 2020. Before you start to worry, this has nothing to do with the Ryan Reynolds-starring flick that hit cinemas a little while ago. Instead, this will be another DCEU film that will likely spin-off from Justice League after the Green Lantern Corps cameo in one of the parts. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 29. Untitled MCU film Release date: 10 July 2020. As well as Spider-Man or Guardians of the Galaxy sequels, a Doctor Strange or Black Panther one could fit in nicely here. Or perhaps Black Widow may finally get the solo-film she deserves. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 30. Untitled MCU film Release date: 6 November 2020. Some speculators also think a Blade film could fit in here, marking over 20 years since the first Blade. But many believe the character may be better suited to a Netflix series, as with Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Theres also talk of a Runaways film reaching cinemas at some stage. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 31. Untitled Ben Affleck Batman film Release date: TBA. Now were onto the TBA release dates, the first of which is a Batman solo film, written and directed by Ben Affleck. When this is due, no one is quite sure but expect it sooner rather than later if Batman v Superman is a success. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 32. Suicide Squad 2 Release date: TBA (rumoured 2017). A sequel to Suicide Squad is expected to come in 2017 according to recent reports, but nothing has been confirmed. If the first is successful, it should come as no surprise for Warner Bros to rearrange their schedule to fit in this surefire hit. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 33. Venom Release date: TBA. This is an odd one, as it has been confirmed Sony are wanting to release a Venom film completely unrelated to the upcoming Spider-Man reboot. Venom, as you may know, is a Spider-Man villain, intrinsically linked to Spider-Man, so it seems odd they would release a film unrelated to the rebooted project and not linked to the MCU. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 Anything else? Well, now you mention it, theres also that sequel to Fantastic Four that has seemingly been dropped by Fox. Plus, theres the Gambit film which has been put on hold (but will likely fill an untitled Fox slot so we havent added it extra). Then again, it could be shoehorned in somehow Marvel
[Back] before there was a history mankind, the Atlanteans before they were under water the Amazonians and, actually, the old gods, teamed together and decided that based on an event that happened these mother boxes were going to be placed in the care of, as I say, the Amazonians, mankind and the Atlanteans, producer Charles Roven said. So that allows us to get into some of those environments.
While featuring these locations for the first time, the packed film will also serve to introduce Jason Momoas Aquaman, Ray Fishers Cyborg, Ezra Millers The Flash (to a certain extent), J. K. Simmonss James Gordon, Willem Dafoes Nuidis Vulko, Amber Heards Mera and Julian Lewis Joness unnamed character.
If that wasnt enough for you the film also sees the return of Ben Afflecks Batman, Gal Gadots Wonder Woman, Amy Adamss Lois Lane, Jeremy Ironss Alfred, and Jesse Eisenbergs Lex Luthor. Oh, and Snyder needs to resurrect Henry Cavils Superman. Phew.
Meanwhile, Ben Afflecks solo Batman film, now titled The Batman, is seemingly in trouble: Bret Easton Ellis inadvertently started a rumour that Warner Bros. executives dont care about the film, something the Less Than Zero author has since attempted to diffuse.
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
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The prospect of the global warming conspiracy theorist Donald Trump becoming the next US president cast a shadow over the start of talks at the United Nations climate summit in Morocco on Monday, with claims his election could result in planetary disaster.
The conference is seen as one which must turn the promises made at Paris last year into concrete action if the world is to avoid a shift to a particularly dangerous new climate.
However Mr Trump has described the Paris Agreement as unbelievable, promising to remove the US from its signatories, and also bizarrely claimed global warming is a hoax perpetrated by China. China faced criticism in the past for its reliance on coal, but has recently become the world leader for investment in renewable energy.
Khalid Pitts, national political director of the US environmental group the Sierra Club, said in a statement: World leaders change, but Donald Trumps total ignorance of science remains the same.
Electing a climate science conspiracy theorist like Trump would make America a global laughingstock and embarrassment, all while relinquishing our leadership role in the world.
The ice caps dont negotiate, and neither do rising seas. Donald Trumps moral failure to acknowledge the climate crisis might very well mean planetary disaster if he is elected.
However Segolene Royal, the French environment minister, pointed out that the United States swift ratification of the Paris treaty announced at a joint ceremony with China meant Mr Trump would not be able to scrap it immediately.
The Paris agreement prohibits any exit for a period of three years, plus a year-long notice period, so there will be four stable years, she said.
Last week China took the highly unusual step of criticising Mr Trumps stance on the issue.
Asked how Beijing would work with a Trump administration in Washington, Chinas chief climate change negotiator Xie Zhenhua said: If they resist this trend [the acceptance of climate science], I dont think theyll win the support of their people, and their countrys economic and social progress will also be affected.
I believe a wise political leader should take policy stances that conform with global trends.
Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "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." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY
Speaking at a campaign rally in North Dakota in May, Mr Trump made clear his opposition to the Paris Agreement, which was hailed as a breakthrough across the world.
Were going to cancel the Paris climate agreement unbelievable and stop all payments of the United States tax dollars to UN global warming programs, he told supporters.
The Republican candidate has made repeated comments on Twitter spelling out his view that climate change is a massive conspiracy.
The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive, he wrote in 2012.
Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Show all 16 1 /16 Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump E Jean Carroll Author Carroll alleges that Trump pinned her against a wall and forced himself upon her in the changing rooms of a Manhattan department store in the mid-90s Getty Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Kristin Anderson Anderson alleges that Mr Trump touched her genitals while at a club in the early 1990s Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Jessica Leeds Leeds told the New York Times that Mr Trump groped her on an airplane in the 1980s BBC Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Natasha Stoynoff Stoynoff alleged that Mr Trump forcefully kissed her before an interview at his Mar-A-Lago estate in 2005 Everipedia Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Karena Virginia Virginia alleges Mr Trump groped her in 1998 outside of the US Open tennis tournament BBC News Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Temple Taggart Taggart claims Mr Trump gave her a kiss without consent during a rehearsal for a 1997 Miss USA pageant Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Summer Zervos The former Apprentice contestant alleged that Mr Trump kissed and groped her at a Beverly Hills hotel in 2007 Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Alva Johnson A former staffer for Trump's campaign, Johnson alleges that Trump forcibly tried to kiss her after a rally in August 2016 MSNBC Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Jennifer Murphy The former Apprentice contestant said Mr Trump "surprise kissed" her - but she said it did not bother her Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Jill Harth The makeup artist accused Mr Trump of "attempted rape" while in his daughter's room in 1997 Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Mindy McGillivray McGillivray alleges Mr Trump groped her at Mar-A-Lago in 2013 AP Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Rachel Crooks Crooks says that kissed her on the cheeks and mouth when she introduced herself to him in 2005 Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Mindy McGillivray McGillivray claims that Trump grabbed her backside at Mar-a-Lago in 2006 CNN Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Cassandra Searles The former Miss Washington alleges that Trump repeatedly grabbed her backside and invited her to his hotel room Getty Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Jessica Drake Drake claims that when she and two other women arrived to Trump's hotel room at his invitation, he arrived at the door in pyjamas and tightly hugged and kissed each of the woman without permission Getty Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Ninni Laaksonen The former Miss Finland claims that Trump squeezed her behind before they appeared together on the Late Show with David Letterman in 2006 EPA
He also claimed China was so happy that the US was spending money to fight mythical global warming.
And, in 2013, he wrote: The problem w/ the concept of global warming is that the US is spending a fortune on fixing it while China & others do nothing!
We should be focusing on beautiful, clean air & not on wasteful & very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bullshit! China & others are hurting our air.
Despite this, Mr Trump denied holding such views when they were raised by Hillary Clinton during the presidential candidate debates.
'Dangerous' climate change could arrive as early as 2050
However Professor Michael Mann, the US scientist whose work showing how humans had caused the Earths temperature to rise at an unprecedented rate helped the International Panel on Climate Change win the Nobel Peace Prize, has warned that Mr Trumps election would be a threat to the planet.
It is not mere hyperbole to assert that we are facing a make-or-break election as far as climate change is concerned, he wrote in an article.
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
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The record-breaking heat of 2015 could become the new normal in the next few years, according to new research.
Last year was the warmest on record and is set to be surpassed by 2016, with the effects of climate change boosted by El Nino weather system.
But a new study by scientists in Australia found the extreme temperatures of last year could soon become the average.
Dr Sophie Lewis, a climatologist at the Australian National University who took part in the research, told science news website Phys.org: If we continue with business-as-usual [fossil fuel] emissions, extreme seasons will inevitably become the norm within decades and Australia will be the canary in the coal mine that will experience this change first.
That means the record hot summer of 2013 in Australia when we saw temperatures approaching 50C in parts of Australia, bushfires striking the Blue Mountains in October, major impacts to our health and infrastructure and a summer that was so hot it became known as the angry summer could be just another average summer season by 2035.
She said it should give people hope to know that acting quickly to reduce greenhouse gases would have a significant effect.
But if we don't act quickly Australias angry summer of 2013 may soon be regarded as mild, Dr Lewis said.
Imagine for a moment, if a summer season like 2013 became average. The likely impacts of an extremely hot year in 2035 would beyond anything our society has experienced.
Writing in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, the researchers suggested 2015 could potentially become the new normal in just five years, depending on different levels of emissions.
The time of emergence of a new normal is explored using individual model realisations for the [greenhouse gas concentration] scenarios, which demonstrates that 2015 emerges as the new normal in all [these] scenarios for more than 90 per cent of models by 2040.
The median time of emergence of 2015 as the new norm occurs between 2020 and 2030 under all emissions trajectories.
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
We show 2015 global annual-mean temperature anomalies will emerge as the new normal by 2040 at the latest and is unavoidable even in emissions scenarios representing aggressive greenhouse gas cuts.
In contrast, a new normal in local- and regional-scale temperatures can be delayed in low emissions scenarios, suggesting that if greenhouse gas emissions were to fall, the majority of places would benefit, as the extremes of the world today would not become the new normal in the future.
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Nearly all the ivory seized in large shipments comes from elephants who had been killed recently, rather than historic stockpiles or antiques, according to a study that used radioactive particles from open-air nuclear bomb tests to date tusks.
The researchers said they were shocked by the small size of some of the tusks found, which is believed to be evidence of the poachers practise of shooting young animals to attract their more valuable parents.
The study also found that the time taken to send shipments from Africa to Asia was increasing in a possible sign that it is getting more difficult to fill shipping containers because it is harder to find elephants to shoot.
According to a recent survey, elephant numbers in Africa fell by 30 per cent between 2007 and 2014 from about 496,000 to 352,000 primarily due to poaching.
The researchers found more than 90 per cent of the ivory seized from large shipments came from animals who had been killed less than three years before.
Researcher Lesley Chesson, president of Isoforensics, a firm based in Salt Lake City that uses radioactive isotopes as a dating technique, said: This work demonstrates that little or no old ivory, like that held in government stockpiles, is ending up on the black market, which is good news for the security and monitoring of those stockpiles.
She added that it also provided the first actionable intelligence on how long its taking illegal ivory to reach the marketplace.
The answer: not long at all, which suggests there are very well developed and large networks for moving ivory across Africa and out of the continent, Ms Chesson said.
Recommended Read more African Elephant Coalition meets to fight poaching crisis
It also shows a common excuse used by ivory traders that their supplies date from before the trade was banned is likely to be untrue.
The study involved measuring the amount of the carbon-14 isotope in the tusks. This was released into the atmosphere all over the world by the open-air atomic bomb tests in the mid-20th century.
It is taken up by plants and eaten by animals, but levels have gradually been declining. This decrease in levels can be used to date material like bone, tusks and teeth to within a year.
Professor Thure Cerling, of Utah University, who was lead author of a paper about the research in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said the data could be used to help catch poachers.
If all of the seizures are really recent, within the past two to three years, we can use that to determine the overall killing rate of elephants is in Africa, he said.
The extinction of elephants and other wildlife due to demand for illegal wildlife products is a major problem. I'm glad we can apply the latest science to that.
Animals in decline Show all 8 1 /8 Animals in decline Animals in decline Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) Where: Orkney Islands. What: Between 2001-2006, numbers in Orkney declined by 40 per cent. Why: epidemics of the phocine distemper virus are thought to have caused major declines, but the killing of seals in the Moray Firth to protect salmon farms may have an impact. Alamy Animals in decline African lion (Panthera leo) Where: Ghana. What: In Ghanas Mole National Park, lion numbers have declined by more than 90 per cent in 40 years. Why: local conflicts are thought to have contributed to the slaughter of lions and are a worrying example of the status of the animal in Western and Central Africa. Animals in decline Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) Where: Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Costa Rica. What: Numbers are down in both the Atlantic and Pacific. It declined by 95 per cent between 1989-2002 in Costa Rica. Why: mainly due to them being caught as bycatch, but theyve also been affected by local developments. Alamy Animals in decline Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) Where: South Atlantic. What: A rapid decline. One population, from Bird Island, South Georgia, declined by 50 per cent between 1972-2010, according to the British Antarctic Survey. Why: being caught in various commercial longline fisheries. Alamy Animals in decline Saiga Antelope (Saiga tatarica) Where: Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. What: fall in populations has been dramatic. In the early 1990s numbers were over a million, but are now estimated to be around 50,000. Why: the break up of the former USSR led to uncontrolled hunting. Increased rural poverty means the species is hunted for its meat Animals in decline Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) Where: found worldwide in tropical, subtropical and temperate seas. Why: at risk from overfishing and as a target in recreational fishing. A significant number of swordfish are also caught by illegal driftnet fisheries in the Mediterranean Animals in decline Argali Sheep (Ovis mammon) Where: Central and Southern Asian mountains,usually at 3,000-5,000 metres altitude. Why: domesticated herds of sheep competing for grazing grounds. Over-hunting and poaching. Animals in decline Humphead Wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) Where: the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to South Africa and to the Tuamoto Islands (Polynesia), north to the Ryukyu Islands (south-west Japan), and south to New Caledonia. Why: Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing and trading of the species
While most of the ivory was from animals killed within three years, some of the killings had taken place much more recently.
Study co-author Professor Kevin Uno, a geochemist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, said ivory was oving through the system fast.
Some of the elephants were killed just before their tusks were thrown in the shipping container, he said. That has huge implications for our estimates of the number of elephants being taken.
But despite this, the average time lag between killing and seizure has been going up since 2011.
Professor Uno said this might be a sign that smugglers are waiting longer before sending a shipment because the supply from poachers has started to slow down because there are fewer elephants left to kill.
Dr Samuel Wasser, of Washington University, helped collect samples of ivory seized by police in various African countries between 2002 and 2014 for the study.
He said seeing so many tusks in one place had been distressing, particularly the tusks of young elephants shot by poachers as a tactic to attract adults.
Sometimes, many of the tusks are so small that you cant understand why the animal was even killed, he said. Tusks can weigh less than one pound, with almost no carvable ivory on them.
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With an almost limitless number of clothing brands offering to help us fill our virtual shopping baskets to the brim, its now second nature to buy the majority of our clothes online. One such success story is Mr Porter, the go-to destination for the discerning gentleman; albeit a gentleman with very deep pockets. With a virtual store that is packed full of the latest designer labels, shopping here doesn't come cheap. In fact, so eye-wateringly high can certain price tags be, that for many a visit here is typically saved for high days and holidays only.
Which means it's always a pleasant surprise to log on and discover that right now this high end retailer has joined forces with the high street Swedish brand Cos, designing a collection that is both affordable and high-spec.
Cos x Mr Porter Show all 5 1 /5 Cos x Mr Porter Cos x Mr Porter Grandad-Collar Cotton-Poplin Shirt, 69 mrporter.com Cos x Mr Porter Wool Rollneck Sweater, 55 mrporter.com Cos x Mr Porter Boiled Wool Cardigan, 89 mrporter.com Cos x Mr Porter Rib Crew Knit, 79 Available at Mr Porter and selected Cos stores Cos x Mr Porter Rib Cashmere Knit, 99 Available at Mr Porter and selected Cos stores
It's a 35 piece capsule wardrobe entitled The Art Of The Everyday, promising to provide all of your sartorial requirements for the oncoming winter. And because this isn't either brands first time at the rodeo - last year their inaugural collaboration sold like the proverbial hot cake - you know that this is a promise they're going to be able to keep.
What we're offered the second time around are classic staples that, as its name suggests, will indeed slip seamlessly into your everyday wardrobe. And although there's nothing ground breaking here - cotton shirts, woollen knits, blazers and the now inescapable bomber jackets form its backbone - its confident about its ability to provide understated luxury with a price tag that won't make you wince. And that's certainly always something to shout about.
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Twitters users in Japan and across the US reported that the service was down on Monday morning, shortly after WikiLeaks claimed to have been the subject of a cyber-attack.
According to a Twitter status monitor, the outage began at around 6.45am GMT and continued for around half an hour, though reports suggested the impact varied from user to user.
Reports of the outage peaked at almost 14,000, according to Downdetector.com, which also suggested that many users were still experiencing problems in Japan more than a couple of hours later.
Outage reports peaked at around 7am UK time (Downdetector)
Twitter outages reported in Japan and across the US (Downdetector)
Twitter is yet to comment on the loss of service, and it has not been acknowledged via @twitter or @support.
5 ways to protect yourself from a hack
But the incident came shortly after WikiLeaks posted a message to its Facebook account claiming an ongoing denial-of-service attack on its servers following reports of a brief outage.
It said: "We are still under a DoS attack on our e-mail publication servers and it appears that Twitter is down as well, we are unable to confirm if this is an attack on twitter at this time."
Once they were able to get back on Twitter, some users were quick to link the two outages and the WikiLeaks release of a new set of hacked emails from the Democrat National Convention.
Those emails allege that Chelsea Clinton may have used Clinton Foundation funds to help pay for her wedding, according to a leaked email sent by Doug Band, a former top aide to Bill Clinton, to John Podesta, chairman of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.
Earlier this year, FBI agents argued the Clinton Foundation should be investigated for potentially giving donors special political access and favours.
Yesterday, the agency cleared Hillary Clinton of any criminal wrongdoing after a review of the latest tranche of her official emails.
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The eurozone made an error by not creating an exit strategy from the bloc, putting the future of the project at risk, the man widely regarded as the architect of the euro has warned.
Professo Otmar Issing, the European Central Banks first chief economist who helped create the single currency at the turn of the century, recently became more suspicious of the euro project, warning last month that it could collapse without reform.
Speaking to the BBC on Monday, he said the EU's single currency was performing much better than expected but the same could not be said about the bloc itself.
Prof Issing said there were mistakes in the construction of the whole arrangement that once a member, you remain a member for eternity.
It meant that countries not complying with the EUs economic and budgetary rules can blackmail the others.
He argued that allowing a temporary exit would have helped Greece to reform its economy, giving the country the opportunity to return in better financial health later.
Prof Issing, a former adviser to Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, added that countries such as Greece, Portugal and Italy were holding back the EU and were still struggling to find their feet after the financial collapse in 2007.
Asked about Brexit, the economist said it was too early to comment on the impact the UK vote to leave the EU will have on the eurozone. However, he warned that Londons position as a financial centre would be under threat once Article 50 is triggered, arguing that the capital financial centre will not be able to keep the same benefits outside of the EU.
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
Last month, Prof Issing said the ECB had become dangerously overextended as it tries to manage the 19 economies using the single currency. He warned that one day, the house of cards will collapse.
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Theresa May faces a grilling from EU officials over whether assurances the Government gave to stop Nissan leaving the UK have breached European state aid rules
The European Commission has confirmed it has made contact with the UK government regarding the Nissan deal, after media reports last month indicated that the government promised the Japanese car maker that trading conditions for its Sunderland car plant would not be affected by the Brexit vote.
Brussels announcement comes amid speculation among UK opposition politicians that the company may have been offered a sweetheart deal.
Depending on the terms of its divorce from the EU, the UK may no longer be bound by EU state aide rules. However, until Theresa May triggers Article 50 in March next year the UK remains a member of the bloc and it would not be able to favour particular companies.
We have seen the press reports regarding Nissan and as a result the Commission is in contact with the UK authorities, an EU spokesman said on Monday.
The spokesman added that such exchanges of information were common and in this specific case, the UK authorities have not notified any support to Nissan for assessment under EU state aid rules.
He said the Commission had not taken any formal views on the matter yet.
owning Street has denied that any carmaker has been given specific reassurances on issues such as tariffs or visas.
Business Secretary Greg Clark, disclosed that the Government had told Nissan it would seek a tariff-free deal with the European Union for the car sector in Britain.
The assurance followed a warning from Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of Nissan, that his company could stop investing at Sunderland unless the government guaranteed compensation for costs related to any new trade tariffs resulting from Brexit.
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
The plant in Sunderland, which produces about a third of the UKs car output and employs 7,000 people, is heavily dependent on exports to the single market.
Nissan later announced it will build its next Qashqai SUV in Sunderland in one of the first major investment decisions in the car industry since the UK voted to leave the EU.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT), warned the British car industry could face death by a thousand cuts if foreign carmakers chose to take their investment elsewhere in the EU.
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The father of a Muslim soldier killed in service has attacked Donald Trumps vision of America and questioned which ethnic minorities would have a place in a country governed by the Republican.
Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father of Humayun Khan, an American soldier who died to protect his unit in Iraq, was propelled into the limelight after his convention speech last June. In his speech, which became a critical moment in the presidential campaign, Mr Khan urged Mr Trump not to smear Muslims characters and to read the US constitution. The billionaire property magnate responded to the speech by attacking Mr Khan and his wife Ghazala.
Speaking at a rally in New Hampshire for Hillary Clinton on Sunday, Mr Khan condemned Mr Trump's rhetoric.
So today, I have a few questions for Donald Trump. Donald Trump, would my son have a place in your America? he asked.
Would Muslims have a place in your America? Would Latinos have a place in your America? Would African-Americans have a place in your America, Donald Trump?
Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "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." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY
Thankfully, Donald Trump, this isnt your America," Mr Khan concluded, prompting the crowd to erupt into applause.
Mr Trump called for a Muslim ban in December. He has since adjusted the plan to prohibit entry for people from countries with heavy terrorist activity however he has yet to clarify which countries would be included in that list of territories.
Also speaking at the rally, Hillary Clinton said Mr Khan and his family exemplify the values that make America great and that all American citizens would be grateful that this remarkable family decided to make American their home.
Last month, Mr Khan appeared in a new television campaign advert for Clinton which questioned Mr Trumps stance on American Muslims. The emotionally charged one-minute video shows Khan in his home relaying the story of his son while holding his former military cap and the American flag that swathed his son's coffin when he was brought home from Iraq.
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Not content with admonishing Jay Z over his bad language whilst apparently forgetting how he likes to pepper his own rhetoric with expletives, Donald Trump is also unhappy with Beyonce and the other high-profile figures who have endorsed Hillary Clinton.
The Republican nominee was speaking at a rally in Reno, Nevada, after Beyonce and Jay Z publicly endorsed his Democratic rival at an event in Cleveland.
Mr Trump hasnt quite managed to muster the same level of celebrity backing during his campaign.
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
Announcing her support, Beyonce, who became one of the leading proponents of the Black Lives Matter movement in recent months, told the crowd: Now, we have the opportunity to create more change. I want my daughter to grow up seeing a woman lead our country and know that her possibilities are limitless.
I dont have any ill will toward him, but his conversation is divisive, Jay Z said while expressing his own support. He cannot be my president. He cannot be our president.
Mr Trump made a pointed dig at this eleventh-hour endorsement while speaking to his supporters on Saturday, suggesting Ms Clinton was cheating by having so many people use their platforms to back her. He has made repeated, unsubstantiated suggestions the election is being rigged, seemingly hedging his bets should he lose the election.
On quick notice, we didnt bring any so-called stars along we didnt need them, he said. The reason Hillary has to do that is, nobody comes for her. She cant fill a room.
Thats almost like a form of cheating, right?
Not quite.
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Elon Musk has said a universal income will eventually need to be adopted as human workers are replaced by robots.
"I think there's a pretty good chance we end up with a universal basic income, or something like that, due to automation," the founder of Tesla and SpaceX said in an interview with CNBC. "I'm not sure what else one would do.
"People will have time to do other things, more complex things, more interesting things," he added.
"Certainly more leisure time. And then we've got to figure out how we integrate with a world and future with advanced AI."
In pictures: Artificial intelligence through history Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: Artificial intelligence through history In pictures: Artificial intelligence through history Boston Dynamics Boston Dynamics describes itself as 'building dynamic robots and software for human simulation'. It has created robots for DARPA, the US' military research company In pictures: Artificial intelligence through history Google's self-driving cars Google has been using similar technology to build self-driving cars, and has been pushing for legislation to allow them on the roads In pictures: Artificial intelligence through history DARPA Urban Challenge The DARPA Urban Challenge, set up by the US Department of Defense, challenges driverless cars to navigate a 60 mile course in an urban environment that simulates guerilla warfare In pictures: Artificial intelligence through history Deep Blue beats Kasparov Deep Blue, a computer created by IBM, won a match against world champion Garry Kasparov in 1997. The computer could evaluate 200 million positions per second, and Kasparov accused it of cheating after the match was finished In pictures: Artificial intelligence through history Watson wins Jeopardy Another computer created by IBM, Watson, beat two champions of US TV series Jeopardy at their own game in 2011 In pictures: Artificial intelligence through history Apple's Siri Apple's virtual assistant for iPhone, Siri, uses artificial intelligence technology to anticipate users' needs and give cheeky reactions In pictures: Artificial intelligence through history Kinect Xbox's Kinect uses artificial intelligence to predict where players are likely to go, an track their movement more accurately
"Ultimately," he said," it would need to be some kind of improved symbiosis with digital super-intelligence."
Mr Musk has donated huge amounts of money to research the dangers of artificial intelligence and AI research group has opened a "gym" for robots to ensure they can be properly tested.
Two thirds of the British public support the introduction of a universal basic income, a poll found in May.
Such an income would replace other social security payments nad be high enough "to cover all basic needs," the opinion study explained.
However, the Government rejected plans to bring in the universal basic income in September, arguing the policy would be too expensive and not effective.
Even the most modest of universal basic income systems would necessitate higher taxes," Damian Hinds, Employment Minister at the Department for Work and Pensions, said during the debate.
"At the same time it would cause a significant decrease in the motivation to work amongst citizens with unforeseen consequences for the national economy."
Swiss voters 'reject basic income grant for all'
In 2017, Finland will experiment in giving 2,000 randomly selected welfare recipients a basic income.
In Britain, the RSA think-tank has proposed an ambitious basic income system to replace the welfare system. The Fabian Society has meanwhile proposed a basic income-like payment to complement existing benefits.
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Julian Assange will be interviewed at the Ecuadorean embassy in London on Monday 14 November, the Swedish prosecutor has said.
The interview will be conducted by an Ecuadorean prosecutor and the Swedish deputy prosecutor in the case against the WikiLeaks founder and a Swedish police investigator will be allowed to attend the hearing.
A DNA sample will also be taken if Mr Assange agrees to give his consent.
Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Show all 12 1 /12 Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Edward Snowden NSA leak Articles in The Guardian revealed that the US and the UK spied on foreign leaders and diplomats at the 2009 G20 summit. Reuters Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade WikiLeaks' US diplomatic cables leak In 2009, former US soldier Chelsea Manning, downloaded hundreds of thousands of classified US Government documents, and passed them on to Jullian Assange's whistleblowing website WikiLeaks. Among the documents were 250,000 State Department diplomatic cables. One disclosed the close relationship between Russian President Vladimir Putin and then-Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, the Guardian reported. Allegations included "lavish gifts", lucrative energy contracts and the use by Berlusconi of a "shadowy" Russian-speaking Italiango-between. Getty Images Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade WikiLeaks' US diplomatic cables leak WikiLeaks' US diplomatic cables leak: In a revelation which bruised the UK's 'special relationship' with the US, WikiLeaks published conversations by US commanders criticising Britain's military operations in Afghanistan. Getty Images Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade WikiLeaks' US diplomatic cables leak WikiLeaks' US diplomatic cables leak: One document disclosed startling levels of corruption in Afghanistan, including an incident involving the then vice-president, Ahmad Zia Massoud, who was reportedly stopped and questioned in Dubai when he flew into the emirate with $52m in cash. Getty Images Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade WikiLeaks' US diplomatic cables leak Another cable documented fears in Washington over Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme, in a volatile country with a strategic position in the Middle East. PA Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade WikiLeaks' US diplomatic cables leak Day four of the gradual drip of leaks exposed allegations that Russia and its intelligence agencies are using mafia bosses to carry out criminal operations, with one cable reporting that the relationship is so close that the country has become a "virtual mafia state". Getty Images Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Edward Snowden NSA leak In 2013, The Guardian published classified US National Security Agency (NSA) documents, from a then anonymous whistleblower. Four days later he was exposed as former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. A month after the initial leak, the New York Times allegeded that the NSA received emails, video clips, photos, voice and video calls, social networking details, logins and other data held by a range of US internet firms. Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Edward Snowden NSA leak Since Snowden revealed that the US had eavesdropped on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone, German-US relations have been strained. In May 2014, Mrs Merkel said still had significant differences with the United States over surveillance practices and that it was too soon to return to business as usual," according to the New York Times. Getty Images Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Edward Snowden NSA leak On 7 June, The Guardian published the Presidential Policy Directive 20, whcih included a list of potential targets for cyber-attacks by the US Government. Rex Features Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Samy Kamkar iPhone and Android expose In April 2014, hacker and researcher Samy Kamkar revealed that Android phones collect user location data every few seconds. Files are then transited to Google several times an hour. Getty Images Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Samy Kamkar iPhone and Android expose It is believed Apple and Google are using the data to better target adverts to smartphone users, according to The Guardian. Getty Images Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Samy Kamkar iPhone and Android expose The two companies have since justified the collection of data. In a letter to the US congress Apple confirmed it collected the data and said that, in order to be useful, "the databases [of tower and network locations] must be updated continuously". A Google spokesman told the Guardian Android phones explicitly asked to collect anonymous location data when users turned them on. Getty Images
The results of the interview will later be reported from Ecuador to the Swedish prosecutors in a written statement," a statement from the Swedish Prosecution Authority said.
"After this report, the prosecutors will take a view on the continuation of the investigation."
It adds: "As the investigation is ongoing, it is subject to confidentiality."
"Therefore, the prosecutors cannot provide information concerning details of the investigation after the interview."
Mr Assange is under investigation by prosecutors for an alleged rape during his visit to Sweden in 2010.
He denies the rape allegation and has challenged Sweden's detention order several times.
Trump vs Clinton Like 'Cholera vs Gonorrhoea' - Assange at Green Party Convention
His request to leave the Ecuadorean embassy to attend the funeral of his friend and mentor Gavin MacFayden was recently blocked.
The Swedish prosecutors office announced it would not suspend the warrant as it does not allow exemptions to a court decision.
Mr Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy since June 2012, after exhausting all legal options in his battle against extradition to Sweden.
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Another award ceremony, another covert dig at Donald Trump. With the ugliest presidential race in recent memory just one day away from drawing to a close, it is only natural that talk turned towards the election at the Hollywood Film Awards.
Leonardo DiCaprio was just one actor who decided to voice his opinion on the race, urging the electorate to vote for a candidate who believes in climate change. The 41-year-old did not say Hillary Clintons name but made it clear she had his vote.
Mr Trump has previously called climate change a hoax which he claimed was invented by the Chinese, although he later insisted the comment was intended as a joke. The billionaire property developer has also pledged to withdraw the US from the Paris climate deal, resuscitate the coal industry and expand oil and gas drilling.
Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "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." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY
While receiving a documentary award alongside Fisher Stevens for his climate change documentary Before the Flood, DiCaprio attacked the lack of emphasis on global warming in the presidential race.
Let's all use our power as citizens to do the right thing, DiCaprio told the audience. Please vote this Tuesday November 8 and vote for people who believe in the science of climate change.
It has been an issue which has been wilfully ignored and disputed for the sake of corporate profits, political capital and short-term personal gains, he added. Even in our own presidential and vice presidential debates - our most widely viewed stages for the issues that define our future - not one question on climate change was asked. Not one. That is completely unacceptable.
If you dont believe in the science of manmade climate change, you might as well not believe in gravity There is no more time for arguing or fighting the facts or spreading campaigns with misinformation.
The anticipation of Mr Trump becoming the next president has cast a shadow over the beginning of the United Nations climate summit in Morocco on Monday.
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Two prisoners are on the run after escaping from HMP Pentonville prison in north London.
The pair have been named as James Whitclock, 31 and Matthew Baker, 28, with police warning members of the public not to approach them.
Baker is a convicted attempted murderer while Whitlock was being held on remand charged with conspiracy to burgle, Metropolitan Police have said.
James Whitlock, 31, was being held on remand charged with conspiracy to burgle (Metropolitan Police)
Officers are said to have discovered the escape from the prison on Monday morning when they found mannequins in the inmates beds. The prisoners reportedly escaped their cells by using diamond-tipped cutting equipment to cut through the bars.
They are said to have scaled the perimeter wall at the category B prison on north Londons Caledonian Road.
A Prison Service spokesperson confirmed the two prisoners at Pentonville prison were found to be missing on Monday 7 November.
Public protection is our top priority and we take escapees from custody very seriously. We are working closely with the police and are urgently investigating this matter.
Scotland Yard said police were called to the prison shortly before midday on Monday following reports of two escaped prisoners. A spokesperson said officers attended and established with prison staff that two male prisoners, aged 28 and 31, had escaped from prison and enquiries are ongoing to locate them.
The BBC's Danny Shaw reported that one of the men who escaped is serving a very long sentence for a serious crime.
The incident comes a day after a major disturbance at HMP Bedford on Sunday.
Watch: Scores of prisoners run amok in six-hour riot at Bedford jail
Inmates at the prison staged a 200-strong riot lasting six hours, in which they allegedly took batons, raided safes and containing phones and drugs, and locked prisoners inside cells.
Last month a 21-year-old inmate, Jamal Mahmoud, was killed in a stabbing attack in the prison while two others were left in a critical condition, prompting calls for an inquiry into the state of prisons in England and Wales.
The Prison Governors Association (PGA) said that the cuts to the staff and resources carried out by the Government had meant the tragedy of the young fathers death was no massive suprise.
The pair reportedly used pillows to make mannequins (Getty)
John Attard, national officer at the PGA told The Independent that the news of the escape marked a new low in prison safety.
The issues around safety, violenece and an absolute decline in decency have been what the PGA tried to bring to attention three weeks ago when we were called in for an independent inquiry into those issues.
Since then we've had two riots in prisons, a prisoner killed and somebody charged with his murder, an escape in a north west prison, increases in self harm and on assaults on staff. And now we are marking a new low with this double escape from Pentonville prison, he said.
Last week, justice secretary Liz Truss unveiled a package of measures aimed at reforming prisons after a slew of warnings about violence and safety behind bars. The strategy includes a recruitment drive to add 2,500 new officers to the frontline and no fly zones to stop drones from dropping drugs and other contraband into prison.
Pentonville is a Victorian prison that opened in 1842 and holds more than 1,200 adult men. In 2012 convicted murderer John Massey escaped from the prison by climbing over a wall using a makeshift rope made from bedsheets. He was recaptured after 48 hours.
Last year Pentonville was named by then justice secretary Michael Gove as the most dramatic example of failure within the HMP prison estate.
Figures show that in 2015/16 there were two escapes from prisons and that the number has not exceeded two escapees in any financial year since 2007/8. A report published by the MoJ earlier this year said escapes are rare and taken very seriously, and that none of those who escaped were still at large by the end of April.
Additional reporting by PA
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Last December was the warmest since records began in 1910 but the UK's run of mild winters could be about to end.
An icy polar vortex could descend from the Arctic in the coming months and cause temperatures to plummet, the Met Office has warned.
There is an "increased risk of cold snaps between now and Christmas, the forecaster said in a recent blog post.
Several factors could make the possibility of a cold start to winter more likely, from tropical rainfall conditions to disruption to air flow over the equator, it said.
But there is a higher chance this year that "weak stratospheric circulation" caused by a polar vortex could bring icy winds and freezing weather to the country.
What is a polar vortex?
A polar vortex is a mass of very cold air which sits above the Earths north and south poles.
This dense, cold air is controlled by a large pocket of low pressure, which rotates in an anti-clockwise direction at the north pole and clockwise at the south pole.
A pedestrian makes their way along a snow packed street in Indianapolis (Michael Conroy/AP)
Why does it move south from the poles?
The strength of a polar vortex varies from year to year. When it is strong, the vortex is concentrated over the Arctic or Antarctic area.
But when it is weak which is more frequent it can split into two or more freezing vortices.
These cover a larger area and can move south to Canada, the USA and Europe, increasing the risk of air temperatures decreasing to potentially dangerous levels.
Timelapse shows mist clearing from the London skyline
When is it coming to the UK?
The polar vortex in the northern hemisphere is weaker than usual this year.
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Theres a higher chance of cold being able to sink southwards, whereas if it was fast, it would stay on its normal track around the poles, Met Office forecaster Emma Sharples told The Independent.
Although polar vortex winds are many kilometers above the ground, they can influence the strength and position of the jet stream, according to the Met Office. This is helping to increase the risk of cold snaps in the UK.
Ms Sharples said the arrival of a polar vortex could help the jet stream become more north-south orientated rather than west-east like last winter."
When there are more kinks in [the jet stream], that means more areas of cold air coming south across the UK, she said. But thats only one thing of many that can affect what kind of weather we can have.
When is the last time this happened?
A polar vortex made headlines in 2014 when much of the United States was hit by an extended period of cold weather, causing transport chaos and bringing some parts of the country to a halt.
The weather conditions sparked by the vortex were so severe that even the polar bears at Lincoln Park zoo in Chicago had to be brought inside.
In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast Show all 30 1 /30 In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA An AAA emergency technician assists a motorist on Bidwell Avenue in Buffalo, New York In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Ice forms on the shore of the East River due to unusually low temperatures caused by a Polar Vortex in New York In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A man braves the cold and walks along the shore of Lake Michigan as temperatures remain in the negative digits in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A 'polar vortex' of frigid air centered on the North Pole dropped temperatures to the negative double digits at its worst In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Snow is piled high along the street outside the front of a home in Indianapolis, Indiana. A deadly blast of arctic air shattered decades-old temperature records as it enveloped the eastern United States, canceling thousands of flights, driving energy prices higher and overwhelming shelters for homeless people In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Jennifer Berry watches the sunset from a lifeguard chair at a beach on Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. Shortly after daybreak in the Twin Cities, thermometers had inched their way up to anywhere from 8 to 13 below zero In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Ice builds up along Lake Michigan at North Avenue Beach in Chicago, Illinois In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Chicago hit a record low of -16 degree Fahrenheit this morning as a polar air mass brought the coldest temperatures in about two decades into the city In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Ice builds up along Lake Michigan as temperatures dipped well below zero in Chicago, Illinois In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Clouds of steam rise from the Mississippi river during -14 Degrees Fahrenheit (-25 degrees Celsius) weather, in Minneapolis, Minnesota In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A view of the War Memorial in Indianapolis, Indiana. According to news reports, Indianapolis received about 30 centimeters of snow and the morning temperature was -9 degrees Celsius In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A horse drinks water from a hole in a frozen water tank in Enid, Oklahoma. Record low temperatures were set in at least two Oklahoma cities as a frigid front moved into the state In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Ron, a bison at Brookfield Zoo, is covered in snow and doesn't seemed phased by the frigid temperatures or snow blowing through the Chicago area. The zoo was closed due to the snowstorm and sub-zero temperatures In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A woman walks through a gust of blowing snow in frigid cold temperatures though downtown Chicago, Illinois. A blast of Arctic air gripped the mid-section of the United States, bringing the coldest temperatures in two decades In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Washburn High School's information board reads -14 Degrees Fahrenheit (-25 degrees Celsius), in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Schools in the area were closed due to the severe weather In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Patrick O'Brien dressed up in a Spiderman superhero outfit goes for a run in -25 degrees Celsius weather, in Minneapolis, Minnesota In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Snow is piled up high in front of Home Depot in the South Bay shopping center after a two day winter storm in Boston, Massachusetts In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A man wears a face mask and heavy clothes while walking through downtown Springfield, in blowing and falling snow as a strong winter storm moves through the Midwest. Temperatures not seen in years are likely to set records in the coming days across the Midwest, Northeast and South, creating dangerous travel conditions and prompting church and school closures In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A city snow plow clears a street of snow in an almost deserted downtown as strong winds and snow move through the Midwest in Springfield In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A man prepares to remove his plow stuck in a snow bank as snow and wind swirls in St. Louis In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A Delta airlines plane is seen taking off while the fleets other planes sit on the tarmac at JFK Airport, New York In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Four homeless men warm themselves on a steam grate by the Federal Trade Commission, blocks from the Capitol, during frigid temperatures in Washington. A winter storm that swept across the Midwest this week blew through the Northeast, leaving bone-chilling cold in its wake In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Nicholas Simmons warms himself on a steam grate with three homeless men by the Federal Trade Commission, just blocks from the Capitol, during frigid temperatures in Washington In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA New York City Department of Parks & Recreation employees clear out snow from Carl Schurz Park after an overnight storm dropped up to 7 inches of snow in New York City. The Northeast and Midwest regions of the United States were hit with a large amount of snowfall accompanied by blizzard-like winds and plummeting temperatures this week In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A man falls while slipping on ice during freezing rain on Roosevelt Island, a borough of Manhattan in New York In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A couple walks through the winter white-out on Swan Avenue in Webster Groves In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Few cars drive on Interstate 44 in Fenton. Snow-covered roads and high winds were creating dangerous driving conditions from Missouri to Delaware ahead of a 'polar vortex' that'll bring below-zero temperatures not seen in years to much of the nation in the coming days In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA People carry bundles of warm weather wraps as they arrive outside Lambeau Field before the start of the NFL Wild Card playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wisconsin In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Joe (R) and Rick (L) Pecki wait for the gates to open outside Lambeau Field before the start of the NFL Wild Card playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Temperatures are around 5 degrees (-15 C) and are expected to go lower throughout the next few days In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA An icy tennis ball was no deterrent for Laura Jorgensen's dog Wilber while they played in a dog park in sub-zero weather as the midwest braces for the coldest temperatures in nearly twenty years to arrive in later today in Minneapolis, Minnesota In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA James Schlafer and his wife Diana Schlafer of Minneapolis went for their daily four to five mile walk in sub-zero temps as the midwest braces for the coldest temperatures in nearly twenty years to arrive in later today in Minneapolis, Minnesota
In the UK, extreme conditions were experienced in the winter of 2010, when the normal pattern of Arctic winds broke down causing a weakened polar vortex to allow a frigid body of air to move south.
This brought record snow conditions to northern Europe, eastern Asia and eastern North America.
How long could the cold spell last?
Met Office scientist Jeff Knight told The Independent the polar vortex effect on the UK's atmosphere tends to affect the weather "with a few weeks' lag".
Dr Knight emphasised that the vortex was an "external factor" that could influence the weather, rather than being "intimitely linked" with weather conditions.
"You can view the weather as rolling a dice. But something like a weak stratosphere is like loading the dice," he said.
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"Because its weak, theres a higher chance well see colder weather with less of the Atlantic storms that bring moisture and warmth to these shores."
He said the weak polar vortex could affect the whole North Atlantic region, meaning the risk of cold snaps is greater for North America as well as Europe.
"Its important to say that its only an increased risk," he said. "Theres still a good chance well have an ordinary winter. We dont tend to get cold and snowy winters often in the UK, but its slightly more likely than usual."
What are the risks?
According to the Office for National Statistics, there were nearly 44,000 extra winter deaths in 2014-15. A particularly cold winter puts elderly and vulnerable people at risk.
The government is encouraging those over 65 and people with health problems to eat hot meals and keep active as part of their Stay Well This Winter campaign.
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The Government must "get a grip" on air pollution and not pass the buck to local leaders any longer, Sadiq Khan has said.
The London Mayor called for a diesel scrappage scheme and for reform of taxes that currently incentivise 'dirty' vehicles, as he reiterated his plea for a new Clean Air Act to replace the existing half-century-old legislation.
Mr Khan added the Government must accept that building a third runway at Heathrow was not compatible with meeting its legal obligations on air quality.
His remarks followed a High Court ruling that found the Governments Air Quality Plan was illegal, said it must be quashed and ordered Ministers to come up with a better scheme.
It was the second time the Governments proposals had been defeated, and they were accused of using pollution modelling that ministers knew was overly optimistic and criticised for placing an emphasis on cost rather than peoples health.
Mr Khan called for the capital to have additional powers to manage pollutants from construction sites and river traffic, such as being able to implement a low-emissions zone on the Thames similar to those in place on roads.
City Hall and London boroughs should get greater funding to tackle air pollution, he said, warning that the 3m from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) air quality grants programme for schemes across the UK was woefully insufficient.
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Mr Khan also renewed his call for a national scrappage scheme to increase the speed with which diesel vehicles the biggest source of harmful nitrogen oxides are phased out.
And he warned that vehicle excise duty (VED) continued to make the purchase of diesel vehicles attractive and called for reform of the scheme to ensure national legislation was pulling in the same direction.
Mr Khan said: "After years of failure we now need the Government to get a grip and face up to their responsibilities rather than pass the buck to me and boroughs.
"Let's be clear, filthy air is causing 9,400 deaths every year in London alone. And that's before you look at all the other health problems caused to Londoners.
"We need action now to protect Londoners and people all across the UK from breathing in toxic fumes.
"The Government has been seriously complacent about this health emergency for the last six years and now is the time for them to stop gambling with our health and show real leadership."
Julian Bell, chairman of London Councils Transport and Environment Committee, said: "Tackling air quality requires immediate attention.
"With over 9,400 Londoners dying prematurely each year as a result of air pollution, it's vital that Government takes urgent action now.
"They also need to properly equip the Mayor and London boroughs with the funding and resources needed to really make an impact and tackle toxic pollution. All Londoners deserve a healthier future."
Air pollution causes 50,000 early deaths and costs 27.5bn every year, according to the governments own estimates, and was named as a public health emergency" by MPs in April.
The Press Association contributed to this report
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Wind turbines in Scotland provided enough electricity to supply the average needs of almost all Scotland's homes last month, according to a report.
Data from WeatherEnergy showed turbines generated 792,717MWh of electricity to the National Grid in October, up more than a quarter on the same month last year.
The amount is enough to supply the average needs of 87% of Scottish households, WWF Scotland said.
'Dangerous' climate change could arrive as early as 2050
However, the figures show Scotland's total electricity consumption - including homes, business and industry - in October was 2,080,065MWh, with wind power generating just 38% of Scotland's power needs for the month.
WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said: Thanks to a combination of increased capacity and stronger winds, output from turbines surged by more than a quarter compared to the same period last year - supplying power equivalent to the electrical needs of over two million homes.
As well as helping to power our homes and businesses, wind power is helping Scotland to avoid over a million tonnes of polluting carbon emissions every month.
As delegates gather in Morocco to discuss continued international action on climate change, I hope Scotland's success in cutting carbon emissions using renewable electricity inspires other countries to follow our lead.
Karen Robinson of WeatherEnergy said: According to the Met Office, Scotland had the sunniest and one of the driest Octobers since records began.
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However, the month also witnessed some powerful winds leading to a significant increase in wind power output when compared to last year. All this additional renewable electricity is good news in the battle to address global climate change.
The figures come as the Scottish Conservatives accused the Scottish Government of overturning two-thirds of windfarm applications rejected by local authorities this year.
Scottish Conservative energy spokesman Alexander Burnett said: The SNP's obsession with onshore wind energy is damaging Scotland's countryside and ruining local democracy.
Too often, when these applications are lodged, the people say no, council planners say no and local elected representatives say no.
You'd think the Scottish Government would respect this, yet still we see ministers in Edinburgh pulling rank and acting like they know what's best for rural Scotland.
Of course wind energy has a place in Scotland's energy mix, but only when the turbines are not ruining local scenery and upsetting those who have to see them every day.
SNP MSP Gillian Martin, who sits on Holyrood's Economy Committee, said the latest wind power figures showed the Tories approach to energy is misguided.
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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 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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
Just last week, we saw the confusion at the heart of Conservative energy policy, as their energy spokesperson Alexander Burnett suggested subsidies should only support emerging technologies whilst tying himself in knots trying to defend the UK government's subsidising of the white elephant Hinkley Point project, Ms Martin said.
The people of Scotland are well aware of the need for an effective energy policy fit for the challenges of the future - and it is wonderful to see the Scottish Government's efforts to achieve this continue to pay off.
Press Association
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Women use the F-word more than men, according to a survey that looked at the swearing habits of both genders over the past two decades.
The study, which assessed a total of 376 people, analysed recordings of up to three hours of their daily conversations half of which have been transcribed so far.
So far the findings show that women use the F-word 546 times per million words and men use it 540 times. The full results are set to be published in 2018.
This is a dramatic change from the 1990s, where men used the F-word 1,000 times per million words and women only 167, according to The Times.
The survey, which was administered by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which sponsored the survey in conjunction with Lancaster University and Cambridge University Press, is the first time changes in speech have been studied over a period of 20 years.
Professor Tony McEnery, who is a director at the ESRC, suggested swearing was losing its masculine image and becoming more gender neutral.
It looks like there were a set of men who said it a lot in the early Nineties, and they influenced the women to do it, and then it levelled down, Professor McEnery told The Times.
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
As equality drives on, the idea that there is male and female language, that there are things which men and women should or should not say, is going to be eroded . . . gentlemanly behaviour and ladylike language should become something of the past.
These data sets are very rare. The British are the first to achieve this, to see how English has changed over the years."
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Labour has toughened its stance on Brexit after days of confusion, siding with the SNP by demanding a special deal for Scotland.
Sir Keir Starmer, the partys spokesman on leaving the EU, also said Britain must stay in the customs union which would rule out any separate trade deals with non-EU countries.
However, Sir Keir also went further in insisting Labour will not block the triggering of the Article 50 notice, even if the Government refuses its demands.
Labour has been under fire after Jeremy Corbyns announcement of Brexit bottom lines apparently threatening to hold up Article 50 - was contradicted by his deputy, Tom Watson, within 24 hours.
The party leader said he wanted tariff-free access to the single market, no watering down of workers' rights, protections for consumers and the environment, and a pledge to match lost EU funding.
Amid alarm that Mr Corbyn had gone too far, Mr Watson then insisted: We are not going to hold this up. The British people have spoken and Article 50 will be triggered when it comes to Westminster."
Nevertheless, Sir Keir has gone further in setting out Labours demands, in the Bill that is likely to follow the High Court ruling that Theresa May cannot bypass Parliament when she triggers withdrawal.
Corbyn insists parliament should not vote on Article 50
He told the BBCs Victoria Derbyshire programme: If it is legislation, then of course there might be amendments put down.
We are clear that we need the fullest possible access to the single market, that we should be in the customs union, and that there should be special arrangements for Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
Most business leaders are desperate to remain within the customs union, which allows exporters to sell into the single market without having to fill in forms or go through customs checks.
But, while staying in would cut costs and red tape, it would prevent Britain striking separate trade deals such as the one the Prime Minister is pursuing in India this week.
The stance on the customs union opens the door for a future alliance with Conservative MPs who favour a soft Brexit, by pushing an amendment in the Commons.
The SNP Labours traditional enemies in Scotland have, under Nicola Sturgeon, led demands for a special Brexit deal, after a big majority of Scots voted Remain.
Ms May has promised to involve Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in regular formal talks on the Brexit process - but she has ruled out allowing special deals for the devolved nations.
However attempting to draw a line under the confusion about Labours position Sir Keir said there were no circumstances in which it would vote against invoking Article 50.
He said: We are not going to frustrate the process. Asked if that mean no circumstances in which Labour would block it, he replied: Yes.
In the interview, Sir Keir said he accepted changes to the way freedom of movement rules operate have to be part of the negotiation.
But he insisted: What I want is for the government to aim high, to put the economy and jobs first.
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Brexit Secretary David Davis has urged backbench MPs to stage their own pre-Christmas vote to bind the Commons into supporting Britains exit from the EU.
Making a statement, Mr Davis rejected calls from angry Tory MPs to fast-track the triggering of the Article 50 notice, despite last weeks High Court ruling that the Government cannot act alone.
However, he made clear there was nothing to stop Parliament taking that step immediately hinting the Government would be delighted if it did.
Such a vote could force Labour to come off the fence and back the invoking of Article 50, despite Jeremy Corbyns weekend threat to block it, unless his bottom lines were satisfied.
Although a vote staged by backbenchers would not be binding technically, it could make it impossible for Labour to change it stance next year, even if it opposed Theresa Mays exit proposals.
Repeatedly, Mr Davis was asked if there was any legal reason to delay a vote on Article 50 despite the Government's Supreme Court challenge to try to overturn the ruling that Parliament must give its consent, a verdict due in early January.
He replied: Its within the power of the House, if it so chooses, to make such resolutions. Asked if a Bill could be passed straightaway, he replied: Yes
Later, Mr Davis added: I have stated my view on what is the proper approach for the Government. That does not constrain Parliament at all.
He also rejected calls from several Conservative backbenchers to abandon next months Supreme Court challenge altogether, after the Governments case was savaged in the High Court.
During the two hour statement, Mr Davis also:
* Insisted the Government had yet to decide whether to remain in the EUs customs union despite suggestions that the promises made to Nissan mean Britain must.
* Said he did not recognise a report that the Government is seeking a transitional deal to prevent Britain tumbling out of the single market without a trade deal in 2019 but did not deny it.
* Refused to say whether the Government is already drawing up an Article 50 Bill, to comply with the High Court ruling .despite the Supreme Court appeal.
* Claimed calls for a second referendum on the deal to be offered at the end of the Article 50 process would allow the EU to get British people to change their minds.
* Did not repeat the claim made by Theresa May's spokesman's that the Government is confident of success in Supreme Court.
* Condemned the abuse received by businesswoman Gina Miller over her High Court action as possibly criminal but refused to condemn tabloid vilification of the judges.
Despite legal wrangling, Mr Davis insisted the Government remained on track to begin leaving the EU by the end of March just 11 weeks after the likely Supreme Court verdict.
For Labour, Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Davis of again failing to answer basic questions about Brexit, including what will happen if the challenge is lost.
He protested: There's only so many times you can say 'is that it?'"
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The Government has cast yet more uncertainty over whether workers will lose key employment rights after Brexit including rules that protect employees during the takeover of British firms by foreign companies.
Ministers this week refused to say whether the Acquired Rights Directive 2001/23/EC would be incorporated into British law after Britain leaves the bloc. The EU directive requires that companies bought out by other firms safeguard jobs of the workers in the taken over firm during takeovers.
The directive is particularly relevant because foreign firms can now get knock-down price bargains on British companies because of the newly weak value of the Pound.
In July, as Sterling fell following the EUY referendum, Japans SoftBank announced a surprise takeover of ARM, the formerly British-owned iPhone chip maker with more major British firms expected to be snapped up by foreign buyers.
Tens of thousands of jobs could potentially be at risk if the directive falls off the statute books after Britain leaves the EU.
The lack of a commitment from the Government is particularly important because of suggestions by some Conservative MPs that a so-called sunset clause should be included in the Great Repeal Bill meaning EU laws expire unless explicitly endorsed by the Government.
'If you think you voted for Brexit in possession of truth, honesty and fact then you're a banana'
Relatedly, Labour MP Melanie Onn has tried to pass a private members bill that would incorporate workers right into EU law but the Government has so far resisted backing it.
Asked whether the directive would be incorporated into EU law Brexit minister David Jones said EU law would only be incorporated wherever practical and that it would set out specifics in due course.
ARM, which designs chips used in iPhones, was taken over after the referendum (Getty Images) (Getty)
The Government will bring forward legislation in the next session that, when enacted, will repeal the European Communities Act 1972 and ensure a functioning statute book on the day we leave the EU, the minister said in a written response.
This Great Repeal Bill will end the authority of EU law and return power to the UK. The Bill will convert existing European Union law into domestic law, wherever practical. The Government will set out the content of the Bill and its implications in due course.
Tim Roache, GMB General Secretary called on the Prime Minister to give a cast-iron guarantee to workers whose job are threatened by the discarding of the legislation.
Tim Roache of the GMB called on ministers not to take away workers' rights (Getty Images)
We've consistently raised concerns that Brexit could be used by the Conservatives as a means to further erode workers' rights and this ambiguous, non-committal response from the Minister offers little comfort to GMB members, workers or the British people, he said.
The Prime Minister needs to give a cast-iron guarantee that workers' rights will be protected during the negotiations.
Matthew Pennycook, Labours Brexit Minister, said the Government should set out Brexits effect on workers rights precisely.
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
The Ministers response will do nothing to allay the concerns of British workers who suspect that the Governments stated commitment to preserving their rights at work is merely cosmetic.
The Government owes it to the working people of Britain to set out precisely how all of their existing legal rights at work will be guaranteed in law once we have left the EU.
A Government spokesperson said: This Governments commitment to building a country that works for everyone means we will maintain and enhance workers rights as we leave the EU.
The process is straightforward: at the point of exit we will transfer the body of EU law into domestic legislation including all the protection provided for workers. The prime minister and secretary of state for leaving the EU have been absolutely clear about that.
The fact that Labour is spending its time trying to pretend something different shows it is just trying to find excuses to undermine and thwart the referendum result. Only the Conservatives can be trusted to respect the result and work to make a success of it for workers and businesses.
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Number 10 wished "good luck" to Donald Trump today despite the presidential candidate suffering a series of allegations of lewd behaviour towards women.
The good wishes were delivered to both Mr Trump and Hilary Clinton at a briefing by Downing Street officials, while Theresa May is away on a trade trip to India.
Asked if the Prime Minister had any message for the candidates, a Downing Street spokesman said: "I think the Prime Minister would wish them both good luck. "
Pressed on whether the PM would back Mr Trump despite the allegations against him, the spokesman said: "It is a matter for the American electorate who wins the American election, not us."
Only this morning Theresa May personally delivered a veiled attack on Mr Trump, saying: "I take a simple view about the way in which I like to see campaigns being conducted.
"I like them to be conducted in a calm and measured way with proper consideration of the issues.
"As for the result of the election, it's up to the American people and we will know that very soon."
Trump v Clinton: US Election forecast - November 7
Mr Trumps bid for the White House has suffered damage from a slow trickle of women coming forward claiming to have been victimised by him in a sexual manner. Perhaps the most harmful, however, was the emergence of an Access Hollywood tape in early October from 2005 on which he could be heard boasting of making unsolicited advances on women including a reference to "grabbing" their genitalia.
Liberal Democrat Leader Tim Farron said: "Donald Trump is not just mad and bad but hes also dangerous. Why would you wish him luck?
"I have never seen anyone so unworthy of the office of the Presidency in history. He is a nasty misogynist and woefully under prepared for the immense responsibility that comes with sitting in the Oval Office."
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Theresa May has launched a veiled criticism of Donald Trump, a day before Americans go to the polls to pick their next president.
The Prime Minister suggested that she disapproved of the way Mr Trump, the Republican candidate for president, had conducted his election campaign
Mr Trump has stood for election on a far-right political platform, initially pledging to ban Muslims from entering the United States in conjunction with a programme of mass deportations.
US election night: Everything you need to know
His stock and trade during the campaign has been making baseless accusations about his rival and critics on a scale not seen before in recent American politics.
During a trade mission to India this weekend Ms May was asked whether she approved of people burning effigies of Mr Trump at bonfire night celebrations on 5 November.
She replied: I take a simple view about the way I like to see campaigns being conducted.
I like them to be conducted in a calm and measured way with proper consideration of the issues.
Theresa May at 10 Downing Street (REUTERS)
Despite the apparent criticism of Mr Trumps modus operandi the Prime Minister however said that the result of the election was up to the American people.
Ms Mays subtle intervention comes just weeks after Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, refused to condemn Mr Trump for saying that he used his fame to get away with groping womens genitalia.
We have to be very careful not to comment on other peoples elections, because we have to respect democracy and we have to work with whoever wins. Im not going to intervene in the US election, Mr Fallon said when asked to criticise Mr Trump at the start of October.
Despite Ms Mays implicit criticism and Mr Fallons warning to keep their distance, some Conservatives have been unable to resist apparently endorsing Mr Trump.
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said in June that the candidate was a very decent man and did not rule out voting for him.
Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "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." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY
Philip Davies, the MP for Shipley, also said he would vote for Mr Trump in a heartbeat because Hillary Clinton, his rival kept going on about the fact shes a woman.
Polls suggest British voters would overwhelmingly back Ms Clinton for the US presidential job as would the voters of nearly all countries outside the United States.
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The government should narrow its definition of political Islam and recognise that many Islamic political movements share the same values as Britain, according to a report by an influential committee of MPs.
The report criticises th Foreign Office for using the term to describe both groups that embrace democratic principles and liberal values and others that instead hold intolerant, extremist views.
It was also heavily critical of the FCOs recent report into Egypts Muslim Brotherhood, which was conducted by Sir John Jenkins, while serving as British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, which gave the impression that it could have been influenced by a foreign state.
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Crispin Blunt, said: "We absolutely agree with the FCO on the need for a nuanced approach to the broad phenomenon of 'political Islam'. We only regret that this approach does not appear to have been applied to the Muslim Brotherhood Review, which failed to mention some of what we saw as the most elementary factors that determine the group's current behaviour."
The committee said the FCO had "hindered" its inquiries by refusing to give it a full, or redacted copy of the review, or allow Sir John Jenkins to give oral evidence.
The watchdog criticised the Government's handling of the Review as there was a delay of 18 months between its completion and the release of its main findings last December on the last day the Commons sat before the Christmas recess.
The committee warned the handling of the Muslim Brotherhood review threw up wider concerns about the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) attitude to what constitutes "political Islam".
The body found the "political Islam" tag used by the FCO was too "vague" as the Government uses it to describe groups that embrace democratic principles and liberal values and groups that hold intolerant, extremist views.
Mr Blunt said: "Through its counter-extremism and counter-terrorism strategies, it is clear what values the UK opposes.
"But the UK's standing in the world also depends on it clearly articulating, through the FCO, the values that this country supports and therefore the groups with which we will engage.
"We have suggested three values that can be a basis for the FCO to assess, on equal terms, groups and movements around the world.
"They apply to 'political Islamists' and their opponents, as well as other political philosophies."
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Theresa May is refusing to give way to pressure from India to relax visa restrictions on students coming from the country to the UK.
Ms May claimed the current system was already generous enough despite plummeting numbers of young Indians now enrolling in British universities.
Her resistance comes as she visits India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is urging her to open Britain's doors to more students.
But as she embarked on her three-day trip, she said: "The figures show that we issue more work visas to India than [to] the US, Australia and China put together.
"Nine out of 10 visa applications from India are already accepted. So we have, I believe, a good system."
Indian officials have blamed visa changes, introduced by Ms May as Home Secretary to prevent students from working in Britain after graduation, for a decline from 40,000 to 20,000 in young Indians enrolling in UK universities.
Mr Modi is expected to use talks on Monday to press her for liberalisation of the system, with government sources calling for Britain to be "responsive".
Theresa May on immigration in conference speech
The Indian Prime Minister said: "Education is vital for our students and will define our engagement in a shared future. We must therefore encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in education and research opportunities."
Speaking to a technology summit in New Delhi, Ms May said that efforts to bring down barriers to trade must not wait until Britain leaves the EU.
She issued a warning that countries which fail to take advantage of opportunities to trade with like-minded partners will "stagnate" and make their citizens worse off.
Ms May also announced a new schemes to help wealthy Indian businessmen travel to the UK. Tycoons and their families will gain access to the Great Club programme which provides assistance with visa-processing, while an estimated 10,000 executives will benefit from a Registered Traveller Scheme to speed their way past queues at UK airports.
Heading to south Asia with a 33-strong UK business delegation, Ms May announced a new India-UK Urban Partnership to develop "smart cities" in the sub-continent.
Downing Street estimates the number of new jobs created by Indian investment in the UK in 2015/16 at 7,105, and officials said a further 1,370 are expected to be created by commercial deals due to be sealed during the PM's three-day trip.
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Ukip leadership candidate Suzanne Evans has been accused of advocating fascism after she repeated her claim, in the wake of last weeks High Court ruling, that judges should be brought under democratic control.
Ms Evans told the Today programme: I think there is a debate to be had about whether or not judges should be subject to some kind of democratic control.
Following on from Nigel Farages comments on Sunday, that one of the judges in question should have absented himself from the case on the basis of his work for a European law group, Ms Evans said she was, Questioning the legitimacy of this particular case.
The Conservative pro-Remain MP Anna Soubry said: Heaven help us! Suzanne Evans talking dangerous nonsense. "Democratic control" of judges. It's the way of fascism.
Responding to the comments, Labours shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer, said: Some of us have worked in countries where judges do as governments tell them and we know that is highly corrosive of the rule of law and democracy.
Many countries, including the USA, have judicial systems that are partially elected. But Ms Evans said she had not been talking about judges being subject to elections, but instead pre-appointment and confirmation hearings and scrutiny by select committees.
I think there is a debate to be had about whether or not judges should be subject to some kind of democratic control, she told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.
Evans said she was not saying we should get rid of judges but suggested the judges allowed their pro-EU views to influence their decision. I am questioning the legitimacy of this particular case, she said.
Her comments were branded irresponsible. by Labours shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer. Some of us have worked in countries where judges do as governments tell them and we know that is highly corrosive of the rule of law and democracy, he told Today
Ukip leadership candidate Suzanne Evans has been accused of advocating fascism after she called for judges to be subject to democratic control."
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Islamist militants have killed a German sailor and abducted her elderly husband from a yacht in the southern Philippines, according to the military.
The victims, who have not been formally identified, are believed to be Sabine Merz and 70-year-old Jurgen Kantner, the same couple who were abducted by Somali pirates and held hostage for 58 days off the Gulf of Aden in 2008.
A Commander from Abu Sayyaf, a group known for kidnapping foreigners and beheading them when ransom demands are not met, has claimed responsibility for the most recent incident.
Military spokesman Filemon Tan said the military had found the couples yacht with the body of a naked woman aboard matching Ms Merz's description, who had been shot.
In an audio recording heard by the military, the abducted man identified himself as Mr Kantner, and named his companion as Sabine.
In a 2009 interview with news agency AFP, Mr Kantner said he would never stop sailing despite having been subjected to a mock execution during the pair's first kidnapping ordeal in 2008.
"My boat is my life and I don't want to lose her, nothing more. I don't care about pirates and governments," he said from Berbera, the main port in Somaliland.
The Philippine military released a photo on Monday of the Rockall yacht and said it had a German flag on it.
Philippine military released a photo of the couple's yacht, Rockall (Philippine military)
Mr Tan confirmed the passports of both Ms Merz and Mr Kantner were found aboard and the photo in Ms Merzs passport appeared to match the body of the woman found dead.
Abu Sayyaf has defied more than a decade of US-backed military offensives to diminish its capacity to carry out lucrative kidnappings in the region.
In 2014, the group abducted another German couple from a yacht in the southern Philippines. The pair were released six months later after receiving what they said was the full ransom demand of 250 million pesos ($5.1 million).
Last week, the US government warned vigilance after it emerged Islamic militants were planning to kidnap foreigners in tourist hotspots of the central Philippines.
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UK holidaymakers would prefer to sit next to Hillary Clinton on a flight than Donald Trump, a survey has found.
Mrs Clinton was chosen by 17% of travellers as the politician they would most like to make small talk with at 30,000 feet, compared with her US presidential rival who was selected by just 3% of those polled.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson topped the list of political travel companions with 23% of the vote, as holidaymakers perhaps hope to grill him over his thoughts on Brexit.
Prime Minister Theresa May was in second place at 20%.
Some 13% of the 1,000 British holidaymakers surveyed said they would like to sit next to Ukip leader Nigel Farage on a flight.
The research was commissioned by World Travel Market (WTM), a travel trade exhibition opening at the ExCeL convention centre in east London on Monday.
The event's senior director, Simon Press, said: Whatever one thinks of his politics, Boris Johnson comes across as an affable type who would be fun to talk to on a flight.
For those interested in a more serious conversation, Theresa May or Hillary Clinton gets the nod.
The study also suggested that travel bosses fear victory for Mr Trump on Tuesday could be bad for their businesses.
A survey of 2,044 senior industry professionals found that just 7% believe him winning the election would be better for the sector, compared with 60% who selected Mrs Clinton.
US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump shakes hands with Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at the conclusion of their first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York Reuters US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures President Barack Obama embraces Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on stage at the party's convention in Philadelphia US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Donald Trump's wife Melania delivered a speech at the GOP convention in Cleveland that was later found to have been cribbed in part from Michelle Obama's 2008 convention address AP US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Hillary Clinton talks to reporters aboard her new campaign plane on Labour Day, 5 September, her first 'press conference' since 2015 (Getty Images) US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Donald Trump held a joint press conference with Mexican leader Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico City in August, hours before reiterating his harsh immigration plans at a campaign rally in Arizona Reuters US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Bernie Sanders officially endorsed Hillary Clinton, saying his progressive vision for a transformed America would be best served by the defeat of Donald Trump Reuters US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Khizr and Gazala Khan appeared at the DNC to slam Trump for his stance on Muslim immigration, citing the case of their son Humayun Khan, who was killed in combat while serving as a Captain in the US Army in Iraq US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson is doing better in polls than any third party candidate since Ross Perot, 20 years ago Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Green Party candidate Jill Stein (centre) marches with supporters in Colorado AP US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Hillary Clinton and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine at a rally in Kaine's home state in July, days before Ms Clinton tapped him to be her running mate Getty US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Trump on the campaign trail with his vice presidential pick, Indiana governor Mike Pence AP US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage appears at a Trump rally in Mississippi in August, where he told the crowd that he 'wouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton if you paid me'.
Almost one in three (33%) felt neither candidate would be good for business.
Press Association
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It appeared meticulous and planned.
Police in Wyoming, Michigan, have recovered and released surveillance footage inside the home of man who kidnapped pregnant woman and tortured her for five days before she was killed.
Details of the ends to which 31-year-old Brady Oestrike went in the days before he killed 25-year-old Charles Oppenneer and Brooke Slocum in July 2014 were revealed in a report more than hundreds of pages long that police have released.
Brooke Slocum found strangled after undergoing at least five days of torture (Facebook)
The Detroit Free Press said that as a result of multiple interviews, police uncovered many bizarre and disturbing details about Oestrike, including what one person described as a fetish for guns. Police found many guns after he killed himself following a police chase on July 17
Until this point, it was never clear how long Oestrike had held Ms Slocum captive.
The police report into the killings reaches to hundreds of pages (Wyoming Police Department ) (Wyoming Police Department)
She was kidnapped after going with her boyfriend, Mr Oppenneer, to meet a man at Gezon Park to exchange sex for cash. The three had corresponded via Craigslist.
Mr Oppenneers decapitated body was found in woods near the park just before noon on July 16. Police used computer records to quickly develop leads and identify Oestrike.
Wyoming Police Chief James Carmody revealed that Oestrike, who he described as a gun fetishist, had hoarded whips, swords and bondage tools inside his home.
Police recovered a sex slave contract, stuffed toys tied with handcuffs and blood-covered underwear.
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Despite a slew of sexual assault allegations, lewd comments, jokes and feuds with women, the Donald Trump train has insisted that he has more support among women than the polls suggest.
"Women are very enthusiastic about voting for Donald Trump. I know that there are polls out there that suggest otherwise, but Ill tell you, Im on the ground. I see it every single day," Lara Trump, wife of the candidates son, Eric, told Fox News.
"Women are coming up to me and saying, every woman I know is voting for Donald Trump. Women are highly offended that a candidate like Hillary Clinton thinks that she gets our vote simply because we are the same gender she is," she added.
Recommended Donald Trump says he will sue women who accused him of sexual assault
A Fox News poll showed that 51 per cent of women voters prefer Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, compared to just 38 per cent for Mr Trump.
His eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, has consistently denied claims that her father mistreated women, or her, saying that he had always promoted women within the real estate industry and he was not a groper.
A leaked video from 2005 showed the real estate mogul bragging about how he could do anything he wanted with women as he was a star, including grabbing them by the genitals.
Adult film actress Jessica Drake becomes 11th woman to accuse Donald Trump of sexual misconduct
Mr Trump has denied all allegations of assault. A lawsuit alleging the Republican of child rape was dropped last week, but the speculation and legal battles have haunted his campaign.
He said that "no one respects women more than I do" at the third presidential debate.
The Republican promised to sue his accusers, plus publications that printed the allegations, once the election was over.
Lara Trump, who put her job as producer on hold as she campaigned for her father in law, told Fox that it was incredible that he was "neck and neck" with Ms Clinton in many states.
Yet the latest poll from NBC and The Wall Street Journal showed Ms Clinton to have a four-point lead over her rival, chiefly thanks to the women's vote.
Mr Trump is flying around the country on the last day before the election, persuading his supporters to cast their ballots for him.
Starting his day in Florida, he will travel to North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Michigan before holding what he describes as a "victory party" in New York on Tuesday.
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In Charleston, South Carolina, two white men are on trial - and the outcome of the cases could bring the local community to "boiling point", according to one black community leader.
Self-proclaimed white supremacist, Dylann Roof, who shot dead nine black churchgoers on 21 July 2015, faces the death penalty and 33 federal charges in federal court.
His case is entering final jury selection, with candidates being whittled down from more than 3,000 to just 12 jurors and six alternates. Starting Monday, groups of 10 people will be questioned in a court room and chosen by lawyers.
US district judge Richard Gergel said opening statements from prosecutors and defense lawyers might start later this month or in early December, and the trial could carry on until 2017 due to holidays.
Across the road in the municipal court, former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager is on trial for murder in the death of Walter Scott, an unarmed black man who was shot in the back in April 2015 as he ran away.
Scott reportedly ran away as he was worried about being jailed for not paying child support.
Due to the racial tensions surrounding both cases, local faith leaders, officials and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have pleaded for peace during the trials.
Walter Scott shooting video
Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg told the Post and Courier: "I hope and believe we will be an inspiration to everyone not in just how to conduct a trial but in how we can constructively move forward and treat everyone with love and respect rather than hate."
But leaders among the black community were not convinced.
Dot Scott, president of the NAACP Charleston branch, told The Independent that the 11 jurors in the Slager case are white, and there is one African American man who claimed under questioning he had not even heard of the victim and had not seen the video of police shooting him in the back.
"These two cases were totally different in terms of number of deaths, but not so different in terms of the intensity of feeling - here was one person, Dylann, who took away nine lives, but in the Slager case, it was our own government."
She said the case of Slager was equally important to the trial of Roof, as one, to some extent, influenced the other.
"Young people like Dylann get the message that those black dont lives dont matter, there is a perception of inferiority and racial bating and the continuous message that their lives dont mean anything," she said.
Referring to ineffective policing and government, she said: Youve been feeding them monsters, youve grown us to this level of distrust and built up anxiety and frustration, and it comes to boiling point."
Roof said he had been inspired by the police killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and wrote a "racist manifesto", which will be used against him in his trial.
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One day before the 2016 presidential election, both candidates have everything to win - or everything to lose.
For all the barbs, insults, policy proposals and scandals, the result will only be known once the voters have cast their ballots and all state polls have closed.
Below is a round-up of the most commonly asked questions regarding the exit polls on Tuesday evening.
Are all Americans heading to the voting booths tomorrow?
No. More than 21 million people have already voted.
US Presidential election: key moments in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 US Presidential election: key moments in pictures US Presidential election: key moments in pictures The 2005 Access Hollywood video which showed Mr Trump bragging to Billy Bush Getty US Presidential election: key moments in pictures Hillary Clinton and her health concerns Getty US Presidential election: key moments in pictures Hillary Clinton and her health concerns Getty US Presidential election: key moments in pictures Mr Trump suggests gun-supporters could kill Hillary Clinton to prevent her from picking the supreme court justices Reuters US Presidential election: key moments in pictures Melania Trump plagiarises Michelle Obamas speech Getty US Presidential election: key moments in pictures Mr Trump said that judge Gonzalo Curiel would not be able to rule fairly, as he was of Mexican heritage United States Federal Court/AP US Presidential election: key moments in pictures Donald Trump anxious over securing black vote Reuters US Presidential election: key moments in pictures Hillary Clinton and concerns about securing black vote Getty US Presidential election: key moments in pictures Pope Francis Questions Donald Trump's Christianity Getty US Presidential election: key moments in pictures Donald Trump and his relentless remarks against Mexican people Getty US Presidential election: key moments in pictures Donald Trump and the sexual assault allegations Getty US Presidential election: key moments in pictures FBI director announced that there would be no charges for Hillary Clinton amid email scandal Getty
Do all state results come out at the same time?
No. Timings vary state to state. Results start at 6pm ET, and the last result in Alaska at midnight.
Which are the first exit polls to be released?
Out of 50 states, the first two to close their polls at 6pm Eastern Time are Indiana and Kentucky. The results might not be instant as voting in parts of each state end an hour later.
After that, the next batch of exit polls will be released after 7pm ET in the battleground state of Florida, as well as Vermont and southern states like Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia.
For swing states, depending how close the result is, the votes could take hours longer to count.
When is the busiest time for poll results?
Around 8pm ET will be chock-a-block with 20 states, including key states of Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Texas.
Who releases the exit poll information?
The Associated Press has more than 4,000 political reporters - known as stringers - who will be collecting voting data across the US. The AP has its own guidelines as to how they determine who wins in each state.
How does the AP determine the winner?
The responsibility comes down to experienced staff in each state, armed with on the ground knowledge, information on absentee and voting history, demographics and political issues that could affect the outcome. Their colleagues in Washington examine exit poll numbers on the night and the votes as they are counted. The decision desk in the Washington office makes the final sign-off for each result.
Will television and news networks start to call the result before it has been announced?
Networks receive information on each state and have their own analysts who may call to choose the results before it has been officially announced. Their result could be wrong, so it will be at their own risk. The official result will not be known until all states exit polls have been released.
If the margin is within the number of absentee ballots in a state, for example Florida has a 50,000-vote difference and they have the same nmber of absentee ballots, then the network would not call the ultimate result.
So when will we actually know who is president?
That remains anyones guess. If all goes smoothly, the result will be clear by midnight when the last state of Alaska releases the exit poll. If it does not go smoothly, expect the result to be announced in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
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A Muslim police chaplain has faced criticism after he reportedly said women commit a major sin if they refuse to have sex with their husbands.
Musleh Khan, the Toronto Police Forces new chaplain, held a web seminar entitled The Heart of The Home: The Rights and Responsibilities of A Wife, in which he also implied getting married to 9-year-old girl is permitted in Islam.
Mr Khans comments have provoked anger in Canada and the Canadian Council of Muslim Women said his appalling words really set us back.
The wife should make herself available to her husband, after the marriage has taken place, Mr Khan said while disussing marital sexual relations during the seminar, first held in March 2013.
She should not withhold this right from her husband without a valid excuse, sickness for example. If she refuses without a valid reason then she has committed a major sin.
The wife must beautify herself for her husband and not deny him the right to children.
Sisters, its part of your act of worship towards Allah that you try to respond to this as best you can as part of your duties as the wife.
What marriage would be like if we followed the bible
Discussing the nature of marriage, Mr Khan highlighted Mohammad's relationship with his 9-year-old wife Aisha as an example of how to act during a union.
The husband has got to be somebody thats very tolerant and hes got to have wisdom. Hes got to know how to speak to a person like this, a 9-year-old wife. How to build a relationship with someone like this, he added.
During a Q&A session following a separate lecture in 2015 in Ontario, Mr Khan was asked why marriage to 9-year-olds is allowed. What is the real age to get married if its so different everywhere you go? he was asked.
Mr Khan answered: "The maturity level [of 9-year-olds] is completely different to how it used to be. If the prophet did it, you have to believe that it was permissible. It has its time and place.
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 statement after the details of the seminars came to light, Mr Khan admitted his comments were inappropriate if used out of context. He also said there nuances were lost in the translation of Aarbic into English over the word 'obey'.
Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack agreed Mr Khan needs to clarify his comment and said a lot of our members have an issue with that type of issue.
Alia Hogben, executive director at the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, told CBC News: I think its appalling. Weve been fighting for Muslim womens rights and something like this really sets us back.
It is not the Muslim view. Some people, as in any other religion or any other religious communities, think women should be quiet and all the rest of it but that is not the general view within Islam."
Mr Khan recently met with Toronto police chief Mark Saunders to discuss the issue, and CBC News reported he will remain in the role pending a full investigation.
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As UK prime minister Theresa May has finally given a hint of her disapproval of Donald Trump, her words have given voters a clear sign that she believes Hillary Clinton will win the presidency.
Speaking during a trade mission to India at the weekend, Ms May said she took "a simple view about the way [she] likes to see campaigns being conducted."
"I like them to be conducted in a calm and measured way with proper consideration of the issues," she said.
Recommended Theresa May launches veiled criticism of Donald Trump
She added that the election was "up to the American people".
Leslie Vinjamuri, associate fellow, US and the Americas Programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House, told The Independent that Ms May was "hedging her bets a little bit" with her veiled language.
"Nonetheless, polls have come in today stronger than over the past several days so shes getting ready to embrace what she hopes will be a Hillary Clinton presidency, as is hoped for by so many European leaders," she said.
Ms Mays refusal to speak more bluntly about the real estate mogul-turned-Republican nominee is two-fold: he might still win the election, and both Mr Trump and Ms May share an anti-immigration stance, Ms Vinjamuri said.
"Its difficult in the context of very pernicious politics on immigration to launch a full-fronted attack on Trump," she said.
Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "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." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY
Mr Trump has spoken against Nato, and said he expects allies to be more self-sufficient instead of relying on "US aid".
He has also not suggested that a relationship with the UK would be a priority.
"Both Clinton and Trump have opposed free trade deals, but there is still a sense that Clinton will be a much more obvious partner in terms of trade," she said.
"May is focused on Brexit but one of her concerns is Russia, and Clinton is a surer bet when it comes to countering an aggressive set of polices undertaken by Putin, whereas Trump is casting himself as a friend of Putin."
Mr Trump has praised Mr Putin as a "strong leader" but has recently said he never met the Russian president and that he has no business connections with the country.
Trump v Clinton: US Election forecast - November 7
National polls have given Ms Clinton a four-point lead over Mr Trump, as the Republican candidate is lagging with women and ethnic minorities.
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New voting laws could have led to people not being able to vote and might swing the result of the election.
Leaders on both sides of the election have called for people to watch for voter fraud and disruption of the voting. Some of that stems from worries that new legislation could cause problems for people who cant vote because they dont have ID; other is more direct and obvious intimidation, including fears that hackers might hit systems and stop people from casting their votes.
Donald Trump in particular has cautioned that people should monitor the polls for voter fraud and other concerns. But the issues face voters supporting both of the main candidates.
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
Much of the US is being monitored for problems as the US heads to the polls. Here is a run down of the issue affecting some of the most controversial states.
ALABAMA
This is the first presidential election in Alabama in which voters will be asked for photo identification. A lawsuit challenging the voter ID law is pending, with trial set for next year. The plaintiffs have argued the law disenfranchises voters who are unable to obtain a state-issued ID. Last year, 31 state driver's license offices many in poor, minority communities were closed because of budget concerns. Most were open one day a week and now they are open one to two days a month, with critics complaining the reduced hours remain a barrier.
ARIZONA
Long lines led to frustration during Arizona's March primary, when some voters in the Phoenix area waited hours to cast ballots after county election officials opened 60 polling stations fewer than half what is typical. On Tuesday, Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, plans on having more than 700 sites. Meanwhile, state Democrats filed a lawsuit alleging some Republicans are planning to intimidate voters at the polls. Arizona also was one of two states in which hackers over the summer attempted to breach voter registration systems.
FLORIDA
During the 2012 presidential election, Florida had the longest average wait time among all states 45 minutes, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. Some of the most populous counties have since expanded early voting hours in the hopes of reducing long lines on Election Day.
Meanwhile, legal battles continue over voter registration. After Hurricane Matthew raked Florida's eastern coastline, Democrats sued to extend the deadline for voters to register. After a court order, about 107,000 people registered during the extension, but there was a concern that not all those applications would be processed before early voting began. A federal judge declined a request by Democrats to force election officials to allow those affected to vote even if their registration had yet to be verified, saying those affected could cast a provisional ballot that may be counted once their eligibility is confirmed.
GEORGIA
The state's process for handling voter registrations and maintaining its voter lists has been the subject of lawsuits this year. One pending lawsuit was filed against Secretary of State Brian Kemp over a policy allowing for people to be removed from state voter rolls for failing to vote in recent elections. Lawyers in the Georgia case said roughly 372,000 voters were purged between 2012 and 2014.
Civil rights groups also sued Kemp's office over a policy they said had prevented tens of thousands of residents from registering to vote and violated the federal Voting Rights Act. The policy rejected applicants whose identifying information did not exactly match state or federal databases. Kemp's office informed the court in September that it had changed the policy. Meanwhile, long lines have been reported in some places since early voting began Oct. 17, including a four-hour wait in one metro Atlanta county on the first day.
INDIANA
Indiana State Police have said they are investigating some voter registration applications submitted by Patriot Majority USA, a Washington, D.C.-based voter mobilization group with ties to the Democratic Party. The probe is examining whether some applications contained forged signatures or other possible elements of fraud. Attorneys for Patriot Majority have asked the Justice Department's Civil Rights division to look into whether the investigation is an attempt to suppress the votes of black residents. The group has run voter registration drives in 11 states in previous years.
US election night: Everything you need to know
Separately, Secretary of State Connie Lawson, a Republican, warned recently of widespread voter registration fraud after her office found a heavier than usual number of changes to voter registration records. She later tempered those remarks to say that many of the thousands of changes simply could be residents rushing to correct their names or birth dates online ahead of the election.
KANSAS
A Kansas court fight focused on whether a group of as many as 50,000 residents could vote even though they did not submit citizenship documents, as required under state law, when registering at motor vehicle offices or with a federal form. Federal courts had previously ordered the state to count their votes in federal elections. The secretary of state's office had sought to toss out their votes in state and local races, something a state judge has since blocked.
NEW YORK
The state's 2016 primary was marred by widespread reports of people in Brooklyn saying they were unable to vote. This happened after about 126,000 Brooklyn voters were removed from voter registration lists or deemed inactive between November 2015 and April of this year. Just days before the presidential election, a lawsuit was filed claiming the New York City Board of Elections had improperly removed voters from the rolls.
NORTH CAROLINA
In 2013, Republican lawmakers in North Carolina passed a package of measures that required voters to show photo ID, reduced early voting and eliminated same-day registration during the early voting period. In July, a federal appeals court struck down several parts of the law, saying they "target African Americans with almost surgical precision." Republican officials have said discrimination was not their intent. A divided U.S. Supreme Court declined in August to take up the case.
After the ruling, Democrats raised alarm when the executive director of the state Republican Party emailed GOP activists suggesting each county election board's Republicans work to limit early voting hours, curtail Sunday voting and avoid placing voting sites on college campuses. This set up a battle over early voting plans in a third of the state's counties.
The dispute ultimately was resolved by the state Board of Elections, which restored Sunday voting in a few counties where local officials had sought to eliminate it and expanded hours in counties where the proposals seemed too limiting. But civil rights groups remained concerned that reductions in some places along with confusion over the photo ID law could affect turnout among black voters.
A week before Tuesday's election, the state chapter of the NAACP filed a lawsuit alleging thousands of people, many of them black, had been removed improperly from voter rolls after being challenged by private citizens. A judge ordered those registrations restored, citing a federal law that prohibits such removals too close to an election.
Separately, state Democrats have filed a late lawsuit alleging plans by Republicans to intimidate voters at the polls. A hearing was scheduled for Monday.
OHIO
A federal judge ruled in October that voters who were wrongfully removed from Ohio's registration lists can cast ballots in Tuesday's election. The number of voters covered by the ruling is not known, although some have estimated it to be in the tens of thousands. That decision follows an earlier ruling that found Ohio's process for maintaining its voter rolls wrongfully removed eligible people based on their failure to vote in recent elections.
In a separate case, the state Democratic Party has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in its voter intimidation lawsuit. The party filed an emergency request for the nation's high court to lift an order from the Cincinnati-based federal appeals court. That ruling on Sunday granted a request from Trump's campaign to block a federal judge's restraining order. Democrats said the restraining order was needed to prevent voter intimidation.
A three-judge panel for 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Ohio Democrats failed to show "a likelihood of success" on their case's merits. The party told the U.S. Supreme Court the appellate judges ruled without reviewing "critical evidence" that a lower court judge had relied on. That judge ruled anyone engaging in intimidation or harassment inside or near polling places would face contempt of court charges.
In yet another effort, Democrats' attempts to restore "golden week," when people could register and cast ballots at the same time, failed after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene. Democrats had claimed the reduction, along with other voting changes, disproportionately burdened black voters and those who lean Democratic. But the state's attorneys argued the reduction alleviates administrative burdens for local election officials while reducing costs and the potential for fraud.
PENNSYLVANIA
Trump has warned for weeks of a "rigged" election, asking supporters to head to the polls to watch for voter fraud, and mentions Philadelphia as a place that could have problems on Election Day.
Days before Tuesday's election, state Democrats filed a lawsuit alleging some Republicans were planning to intimidate voters at the polls. Meanwhile, a judge rejected a lawsuit by Republicans challenging a state law that requires poll watchers to be registered in the county where they want to monitor the vote.
TEXAS
A federal appeals court ruled this summer that the state's 2011 voter ID law discriminated against minorities and the poor, ordering officials to relax the ID requirements for the November election. Experts had said the law was among the toughest in the nation, requiring voters to show one of seven acceptable forms of photo identification that included a concealed handgun license but not a college student ID.
It was estimated that more than 600,000 registered voters in Texas lacked an acceptable ID under the law. And there were early signs that confusion surrounding the law has persisted, with reports during early voting of at least seven counties with outdated posters and poll workers saying photo IDs were required to vote.
A federal judge in September had said Texas officials must change the voter outreach efforts after the Justice Department accused the state of still giving the impression that some voters cannot cast a ballot.
WISCONSIN
This is the first presidential election in Wisconsin in which voters will be asked for photo identification. The voter ID law was initially blocked by the courts, and then went into effect for the presidential primary in April. In July, a federal judge left the voter ID requirement in place but struck down more than a dozen other election changes, including limits on early voting hours and locations.
As many as 300,000 Wisconsin voters may not have the required photo ID. In recent weeks, recordings by voter advocacy groups have shown state DMV workers giving people inaccurate information about what they can do to obtain alternative voting credentials if they lack a photo ID. A federal judge in October ordered the state to clarify the process and produce a simple, one-page handout that can be distributed in person and online.
OTHER STATES
Civil rights groups are also monitoring a group of other states with new voting restrictions or requirements in place for the first time. Those states are Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
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It was a surreal moment of levity amid the breackneck final leg of Donald Trump's bumptious presidential campaign: on stage in Sarasota, Florida on Monday morning, the Republican nominee borrowed a rubber mask of his own face from a supporter and brandished it at the podium. "Nice head of hair," he declared, before tossing the mask back to its owner.
The Sarasota rally was the first stop on the Trump campaign's furious scrample across five states in the last 24 hours of this epic and exhausting election: Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Michigan.
Despite the urgency of the moment, Mr Trump appeared as easily distracted as ever from his campaign's core issues. In Raleigh, North Carolina, he continued on a theme that has pre-occupied him at rallies in recent days: the bad language used by Beyonce and Jay-Z during their performance at a Hillary Clinton event last week. "Those words were disgusting," he complained, before claiming that he draws "bigger crowds" than the musical couple.
Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "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." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY
The first two states on his Monday schedule are must-wins for the property developer, and polls suggest the race remains on a knife-edge in Florida and North Carolina. The margins appear to be tight in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, too, though a new survey released on Monday by the University of New Hampshire put Ms Clinton 11 points ahead in the Granite State.
If nothing else, the wild poll swings of recent days and weeks are an indication of just how uncertain this race has become in its closing act, even as Ms Clinton apparently maintains her modest national lead.
Mr Trump began his zig-zagging cross-country dash over the weekend, in hopes of convincing voters of the Democrat's alleged disqualifying corruption in time to snatch a few key swing states from her grasp. This in spite of FBI director James Comeys Sunday announcement that his agency would not, after all, change its previous conclusion that Ms Clinton's email furore merited no criminal prosecution.
Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt person ever to seek the office of the presidency of the United States, Mr Trump told a crowd of supporters in Virginia in the early hours of Monday morning, after appearing nearly three hours late for the 9.30pm event.
Shes being protected by a totally rigged system, real estate mogul-turned reality television star-turned presidential contender added, amid the shouts to jail his opponent. Hillary Clinton knows it. She knows it. The FBI knows it.
Its up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box.
Many Republican leaders had withdrawn their support for Mr Trump early last month, following the leak of a 2005 tape that featured the candidate boasting about forcefully kissing women and grabbing them by the genitals without their consent. But the 28 October letter from Mr Comey, announcing the discovery of fresh Clinton-related emails, appeared to have reinvigorated the Trump campaign.
As early voting commenced, however, the Republican's hopes took another dive with early voting numbers in Nevada indicating a major surge in Latino voters. Polling firm Latino Decisions found that some 76 per cent of likely Latino voters planned to cast their ballot for the former Secretary of State, while only 14 per cent will choose Mr Trump.
Latino voters are expected to make an historic turnout across the US, due in part to Mr Trumps hardline anti-immigrant platform, heralded at his campaign launch some 17 months ago, when he characterised incoming, undocumented Mexicans as criminals and rapists. That claim is likely to reverberate now, as his campaign comes to a close in critical states like Nevada and Florida, which both have substantial Latino populations.
The story of this election may be the mobilisation of the Hispanic vote, Republican Sen Lindsey Graham told the New York Times. So Trump deserves the award for the Hispanic turnout. He did more to get them out than any Democrat has ever done."
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For Democrats, Tuesday night will be a nail-biter for reasons beyond Hillary Clinton and her quest to repel Donald Trump at the polls. They are also deeply anxious about the other very big prize they must also capture to become the viable party of government in Washington DC.
How much of the territory lost over recent years in the US Congress can they reclaim?
If the outlook seemed encouraging for Ms Clinton, the story is more nuanced when it comes to Capitol Hill. Making at least some inroads into the Republican majority in the House of Representatives is a near certainty, but probably not to the point of overturning it.
But Democrats have been pouring resources and energy into seizing control of the upper chamber, which will be crucial for a President Clinton if she is to successfully enact her agenda and have her nominees for top positions confirmed, especially when it comes to filling the seat that his now empty in the Supreme Court and others that may be vacated in the next four years.
It should have been doable. The Republicans must defend no fewer than 24 of the 100 Senate seats while the Democrats have had to fortify only 10. Moreover, many of those GOP seats are in states that are purple, with voters roughly split in their allegiances to the two parties.
Yet nothing is certain according to the final batch of surveys released on Monday. The Democrats may have a slightly better than even chance of making the net gain of four seats they will need to seize control of the chamber, but slight is the right word. A four-seat gain would leave both parties with 50 seats, but the sitting vice president has the tie-breaking vote.
The Upshot in The New York Times puts their chances of pulling it off at 53 per cent, hardly a comfortable margin. Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight data site says its 50-50, while the poll of polls at RealClearPolitics has the Democrats picking up only three seats, one short of what they need.
The Republican are evincing confidence they will see off disaster. We are going to keep the majority, declared Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, a vice chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Democrats have been banking on the toxic presence of Mr Trump at the top of the Republican ticket to help dent the chances of the most vulnerable sitting Republicans, notably Ron Johnson in Wisconsin, Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire and Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania.
But the presidential race appears to have tightened in recent days. And Republicans hope that the Trump effect, if it is negative, has been overstated. I dont think the presidential race will be a major factor [voters] distinguish between the presidential race on the one hand and the Senate races, Senator Cotton added. It will also have helped that the Senate Leadership Fund has stoked their candidates chances with $37m (30m) spent on adverts in the most vulnerable seats.
Florida is among the contested seats where the Republicans have confidence, thanks in part to the superior name-recognition and deeper pockets of their candidate, Senator Marco Rubio, who also ran for the presidential nomination this year before dropping out. His Democrat rival, Patrick Murphy, is shown several points behind going into voting on Tuesday.
As ever, Florida is likely to be a thriller on Tuesday night in the presidential race, with Ms Clinton possibly having the slightest of edges over Mr Trump. If she indeed prevails in the state, it is likely to be thanks in part to voters splitting allegiances on their ballots, marking her name for president and Mr Rubios for senator.
If you dont think elections in Florida can be close, I encourage you to go to Google and look up 2000 presidential election Florida, Mr Rubio told supporters in Pensacola at the weekend, in a reference to the Bush-Gore presidential race of that year that was only settled after it was determined that George W Bush had won the Sunshine State by just 537 votes.
The Republicans are increasingly bullish about the chances that former Senator Evan Bayh who is trying to win back his seat in Indiana can be seen off, which would be a missed opportunity for the Democrats who had thought he would sail to victory in the state.
In trouble, however, is Joe Heck, a Republican Congressman, who seemed fairly well placed to steal the US Senate seat in Nevada from the retiring minority leader, Harry Reid. His Democrat opponent, however, Catherine Cortez Masto, looks set to overwhelm him partly because of what appears to have been a surge of Hispanic early voting in the battleground state.
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With one day to go until election day, two final polls have given Hillary Clinton a lead of up to 5 per cent over Republican rival Donald Trump.
The candidates have been making their final pleas to the American people on the eve of the big day with last-minute tours of the country, holding rallies in battleground state and urging their supporters to get out and vote.
Ms Clinton was holding rallies in Michigan, Pennsylvania where she was to campaign with Bruce Springsteen and the Obamas and North Carolina. Mr Trump meanwhile, was hitting Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.
Mr Trump campaigned in five states - including Minnesota (AP)
As they tore across the country, a final tracking poll by the Washington Post/ABC News scored it 47 per cent to 43 per cent in the Democrat's favour. Meanwhile, the final poll by CBS News gave Ms Clinton a lead of four points, scoring it 45 per cent to 41 per cent. Very few people interviewed said they were likely to change their minds.
The poll found that the 70-year-old New York tycoon was leading among white men, whites without a college degree, and elderly citizens. Ms Clinton leads among women, African Americans and younger voters, and she has an edge among whites with a college degree. Meanwhile, RealClearPolitics, which collates all polls, says that the lead is more modest just 1.8 per cent.
Trump: Beyonce backing Clinton is 'cheating'
Professor Jeanne Zaino, a political scientist from Iona College, said that she believed Ms Clinton would win, though there remains a narrow chance of Mr Trump coming good. She said the three most important factors have been Mr Trump's unruly temperament, Ms Clinton's better organisation skills and the fact that the economy was doing better than many people acknowledged.
"My guess is that she will take it. There's a 20-30 per cent chance of that Trump could do it, but I think she will take it," she told The Independent.
CBS said that early voting and battleground geography spell different fortunes for Ms Clinton and and Trumps chances on Tuesday, with the Democrat garnering majority support among those who have cast ballots but Mr Trump faring better among likely voters in key states in the electoral college.
Despite Mr Trumps hesitance to say he will accept the elections outcome, nearly eight in 10 likely voters say they are prepared to accept the result regardless of who wins, including about seven in 10 Trump supporters and about nine in 10 Clinton backers.
On Sunday, Mr Trumps running mate, Mike Pence, said the campaign would accept a clear result but would retain the right to challenge in cases where their were discrepancies.
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Financial markets have already reacted to the latest US election polls with renewed confidence that Hillary Clinton is set for the White House, and it now looks like regular political betters are following suit.
Sporting Index, a UK-based spread betting company, says it has received more money backing the Democrat in the past 24 hours than it did in all of October.
Ms Clinton lost a lot of ground in the polls to Donald Trump after the FBI revealed it was reviewing a new set of her emails 10 days ago.
But she has since rallied, particularly after the FBI said there was nothing in the emails to worry about, and most major pollsters are giving her a four- or five-point lead.
Sporting Index said in a release that its own projections are that Mr Trump will take 24 states bringing him 213 electoral college votes far short of the 270 required to win.
Ed Fulton, political trading spokesman for Sporting Index, said: There has been little sign of significant Clinton support over the past month, but weve seen a torrent of bets come in the past 24 hours backing Hillary.
The better-than-Obama early voting results in Nevada, combined with the FBI statement clearing Clinton, has removed doubt in many observers minds about the chance of another Clinton presidency.
If Trump is going to win, hell need to turn out millions of disaffected voters to the ballot boxes or the polls need to be wrong. Clinton would be wise to not count her chickens just yet though, as neither of those scenarios is out of the question.
PaddyPower paid out on a Clinton victory in mid-October, while all betting sites appear to agree on one thing this election has been a record-breaker in terms of the amounts people are willing to wager. Betfair, another UK-based bookie, told CNBC that by Sunday, roughly $130m (105m) had been traded on who will become the next US president.
The market is expected to surpass Brexit voting, which reached $159m, spokeswoman Naomi Totten said. And it dwarfs the roughly $50m laid on the 2012 race.
Ladbrokes said a little over $6m had been bet on its 2016 presidential election markets. A spokesman said that was "at least double" what was wagered in 2012.
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Isis has called on its supporters to slaughter Americans voting in the presidential election and urged that US Muslims do not take part in the apostasy of democratic voting.
A seven-page document released by its media centre, the group said in its standard tone the blood of Crusader voters is even more deserving of being spilled than the blood of Crusader combatants.
Isis called on its followers to tell US voters: We have come to slaughter you and smash your ballot boxes." The essay concluded: May Allah make this years US presidential election a dreadful calamity like no other to have struck America throughout its pathetic history.
Isis 'teaching children how to kill and make bombs'
It comes as the FBI investigates reports suggesting a major terrorist attack was being planned.
Intelligence gathered by US authorities reportedly suggested al-Qaeda may be planning attacks in the states of New York, Texas and Virginia to coincide with the election. Reports in US media said authorities in the three states had been placed on alert.
The new Isis threats were published by Al Hayat, the groups media outlet. They were reported by the SITE monitoring group, a US-based organisation that tracks terrorist communications.
The document, which was published in English, began by condemning recent US presidents and their foreign policies. It claimed Democrats and Republicans were the same in their policies against Islam and Muslims and raged against US interventions in the Middle East, support for Israel, drone strikes and the ongoing use of Guantanamo Bay.
The writers praised "the blessed September 11th operations and condemned Muslims who supported former President George W Bush, suggesting they were responsible for him winning the presidency and therefore share in the crimes committed by Bush against Islam and the Muslims.
NYPD responds to terror threat 11/4/16 Show all 6 1 /6 NYPD responds to terror threat 11/4/16 NYPD responds to terror threat 11/4/16 Officers from the NYPD anti-terror unit patrol Times Square, Friday Nov. 4, 2016, in New York. The FBI and New York Police Department say they are assessing the credibility of information they received of a possible al-Qaida terror attack against the U.S. on the eve of Election Day. Officials say Friday that counterterrorism investigators are reviewing the information that mentioned New York, Texas and Virginia as potential targets. An NYPD spokesman says in a statement the information "lacks specificity. Bebeto Matthews/AP NYPD responds to terror threat 11/4/16 NYPD install police security camera near the Hilton hotel in New York, Friday Nov. 4, 2016, where Donald Trump organizers will gather on election night. The FBI and New York Police Department say they are assessing the credibility of information they received of a possible al-Qaida terror attack against the U.S. on the eve of Election Day. Officials say Friday that counterterrorism investigators are reviewing the information that mentioned New York, Texas and Virginia as potential targets. An NYPD spokesman says in a statement the information "lacks specificity." Bebeto Matthews/AP NYPD responds to terror threat 11/4/16 NYPD install police security camera near the Hilton hotel in New York, Friday Nov. 4, 2016, where Donald Trump organizers will gather on election night. The FBI and New York Police Department say they are assessing the credibility of information they received of a possible al-Qaida terror attack against the U.S. on the eve of Election Day. Officials say Friday that counterterrorism investigators are reviewing the information that mentioned New York, Texas and Virginia as potential targets. An NYPD spokesman says in a statement the information "lacks specificity." Bebeto Matthews/AP NYPD responds to terror threat 11/4/16 NYPD install police security camera near the Hilton hotel in New York, Friday Nov. 4, 2016, where Donald Trump organizers will gather on election night. The FBI and New York Police Department say they are assessing the credibility of information they received of a possible al-Qaida terror attack against the U.S. on the eve of Election Day. Officials say Friday that counterterrorism investigators are reviewing the information that mentioned New York, Texas and Virginia as potential targets. An NYPD spokesman says in a statement the information "lacks specificity." Bebeto Matthews/AP NYPD responds to terror threat 11/4/16 Officers from the NYPD anti-terror unit patrol Times Square, Friday Nov. 4, 2016, in New York. The FBI and New York Police Department say they are assessing the credibility of information they received of a possible al-Qaida terror attack against the U.S. on the eve of Election Day. Officials say Friday that counterterrorism investigators are reviewing the information that mentioned New York, Texas and Virginia as potential targets. An NYPD spokesman says in a statement the information "lacks specificity." Bebeto Matthews/AP NYPD responds to terror threat 11/4/16 Officers from the NYPD anti-terror unit patrol Times Square, Friday Nov. 4, 2016, in New York. The FBI and New York Police Department say they are assessing the credibility of information they received of a possible al-Qaida terror attack against the U.S. on the eve of Election Day. Officials say Friday that counterterrorism investigators are reviewing the information that mentioned New York, Texas and Virginia as potential targets. An NYPD spokesman says in a statement the information "lacks specificity." Bebeto Matthews/AP
In discussing the current presidential candidates, the group wrote: The only differences between Trump and Clinton are that Clinton is more skilled in political correctness, that she is a female feminist and the Prophet said Never shall a people who give their leadership to a woman be successful' and that Trump is impulsive and unpredictable."
They said Mr Trump was yet to learn that what he refers to as radical Islamic terrorist is nothing but the teachings of Islam, plain and simple.
The essay invoked numerous religious arguments and quoted from Islamic scriptures in an attempt to persuade followers that voting in the pagan festivals of US democracy was a sin.
The document, titled The Murtadd [Apostate] Vote contained images of Donald Trump, which it said was courting Jews; Hillary Clintons running mate Tim Kaine meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; and Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim US soldier killed in combat, who delivered a powerful speech in support of Ms Clinton at the Democratic convention in July.
The militant group believes the only legitimate law is the word of Allah, and that democracy is a sin because it results in a national law that is separate to Islamic sharia teachings.
Therefore one who votes in the democratic system is an apostate, Isis said.
Isis was founded in 2014 and has since gained control of large swathes of land in Syria and Iraq.
However, it is now in retreat across much of its territory, with a Western-backed coalition of forces attacking it in northern Iraq and Syria.
The Iraqi city of Mosul, one the groups last remaining strongholds, is currently under siege by Iraqi forces attempting to recapture it from the militants.
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China's parliament has effectively barred two pro-independence politicians from taking office Beijing's most direct intervention in the territory's political system since 1997.
Sixtus Leung and Yau Wai-ching, who were elected to Hong Kongs legislative council in September, were told they had been blocked from their new roles after refusing to swear allegiance to Beijing, leaving Hong Kong to grapple with a severe legislative crisis.
The pair carried flags reading Hong Kong is not China at the swearing-in ceremony for new council members in October, leading the Chinese government to make the unprecedented move.
The National People's Congress in Beijing said a section of Hong Kong mini-constitution known as the Basic Law meant the pairs swearing-in oaths could be rendered invalid, due to the fact that they had not allied themselves to China.
The prospect of the ruling sparked protests in Hong Kong, and it is now on high alert for any repeat of the weekend clashes. Members of the city's legal profession are planning a rare silent march on Tuesday night amid pressure for them to take even stronger action.
Last months ceremony descended into chaos as legislators used the event to protest against restrictive Chinese rule and raise the prospect of independence.
The Chinese government said the two politicians will only be excused if they offer a sincere and solemn declaration of allegiance to Beijing. The incident has been seen as Chinas most direct intervention in Hong Kongs political system since 1997, when the territory was returned to Chinese control the British under a deal which was intended to give Hong Kong wide-ranging autonomy.
The nature of Hong Kong independence is to split the country. It seriously violates the one country, two systems policy, said Li Fei, chairman of Chinas Basic Law Committee told a press conference. We are determined to firmly confront the pro-independence forces without ambiguity.
"The central government is highly concerned about the grave dangers the Hong Kong independence forces are bringing to the country and to Hong Kong. The interpretation today will help to defend national unity and sovereignty."
Hong Kongs Basic Law does not explicitly forbid discussion of independence and is intended to grant freedom of expression to protestors and politicians alike.
Every time Beijing tries to use legal instruments to stop Hong Kong people seeking democracy, the opposite will happen, Eddie Chu, a prominent pro-democracy politician, told The Guardian.
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. 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Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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More people, in particular young people, will be more determined to break restrictions set by Beijing.
The thoughts of the young people have changed a lot in these few years and I dont think this interpretation will deter them from seeking self-determination. Quite the opposite.
The British Foreign Office meanwhile said it was concerned by the decision and urged the leaders of China and Hong Kong to co-operate to prevent further unrest.
We urge the Chinese and Hong Kong (special administrative region) governments, and all elected politicians in Hong Kong to refrain from any actions that fuel concerns or undermine confidence in the one country, two systems principle," it said in a statement.
Immediately after the council election in September, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office controlled by Beijing said it resolutely opposed any form of independence.
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Police in Australia have found a dehydrated koala squashed in a woman's bag after arresting her on an entirely different matter.
Officers said they stopped a 50-year-old woman in Wishart, in south Brisbane, at around 8.55pm, and when asked if she had anything else to declare, she handed over the canvas satchel.
Police are investigating claims by the woman that she found the joey on a street nearby and was caring for it.
Recommended Read more Wet koala bear becomes face of South Australian floods
A police statement said: The woman handed over a zipped green canvas bag telling officers it contained a baby koala.
Not quite believing their ears, the officers cautiously unzipped the bag and found this gorgeous boy.
An RSPCA worker has christened the rare bear, believed to be six months old, Alfred.
Hes been on fluids but is doing well and will shortly be going out to a carer, said RSPCA Queensland spokesman Michael Beatty.
Koalas are protected by conservation laws in Australia Police South Brisbane (Police South Brisbane)
He weighs 1.5kg and weve called him Alfred.
The RSPCA is also urging Australians not to attempt handling koalas.
Adorable koala enjoys a belly rub
The fluffy marsupials are protected under the countrys Nature Conservation Act 1992.
The spokesman added: Often the animal may have no obvious signs of injury but it can have internal injuries that need immediate attention.
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A suburban town in Germany is building a 13ft-high stone wall to separate residents from refugees living at a nearby migrant accomodation facility.
Officials from Neuperlach Sud, outside Munich, said the prospect of a wall was raised after locals complained about 160 unaccompanied young refugees moving into the area.
The residents argued the values of their houses would decrease due to the proximity of the refugee centre and the noise issuing from it.
The nearest houses to the shelter are located 25 meters away and are separated by a road.
When finished, the barrier will stand taller than the Berlin Wall. A judge in Munich approved the construction of the wall, according to local newspaper Merkur.
Deputy district chairman Guido Bucholtz said: This is absolute madness, I was frightened when I saw this monster of a wall.
When we talk about integration of refugees, I imagined something different. It just makes me feel bad.
Construction of the wall is due to be completed in spring next year.
In October, more than 17,000 refugees successfully sued the German government for not giving them full refugee status.
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
It followed a major backlash towards Chancellor Angela Merkels open door policy which saw 1.1m refugees arriving in the country in 2015.
The German Interior Ministry wants to stop migrants reaching Europe's Mediterranean coast by picking them up at sea and returning them to Africa, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported on Sunday.
More than a million refugees were accepted into Germany in 2015, making it the main European destination for people feeling the conflicts in Syria and Africa.
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An Italian priest has said the recent earthquakes that have shaken the country, killing hundreds and leaving tens of thousands homeless, were "divine punishment" for gay civil unions.
Father Giovanni Cavalcoli, a theologian known for his hardline views, made the comments on October 30, the day central Italy was struck by a 6.6-magnitude quake - the most powerful to hit the country in 36 years - according to Italian media.
Cavalcoli said on Radio Maria that the seismic shocks were "divine punishment" for "the offence to the family and the dignity of marriage, in particular through civil unions".
Legislation allowing gay civil unions in Italy only took effect last month, making it the last country in Western Europe to legally recognise same-sex relationships.
Recommended Pope Francis says Catholic Church will ban women priests forever
The radio station distanced itself from the priests views and late on Friday the Vatican issued a stinging rebuke, saying the idea of a vengeful God was "a pagan vision" dating from "the pre-Christian era".
Archbishop Angelo Becciu, number two in the Vatican's powerful Secretariat of State, said Cavalcoli's comments were "offensive to believers and disgraceful for non-believers", in remarks reported by Italian media.
Becciu asked for forgiveness from victims of the earthquake and reminded them they had the "solidarity and support" of Pope Francis.
But Cavalcoli has refused to back down, insisting to another radio station that earthquakes are indeed caused by "the sins of man" and telling the Vatican to "read their catechism".
The priest is far from being the first 21st Century Christian leader to think homosexuality somehow causes natural disasters.
In 2012, during that years presidential election, the right-wing American chaplain John McTernan linked Hurricane Sandy to gay marriage, Barack Obamas backing of it, and his Republican rival Mitt Romney being he claimed - a big-time homosexual supporter.
This monster storm aimed at America is not a coincidence, wrote the founder of Defend and Proclaim the Faith ministries. What a sign from the holy God of Israel that American politics is an abomination to Him.
A pro-homosexual Mormon along with a pro-abortion/homosexual, Muslim Brotherhood promoter, Hard Left Fascist are running for president. And there is no cry of repentance from Gods people! I see this storm as a warning from the LORD to call His church to repentance.
In 2015 the American Christian lobbyist Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council was quoted as saying he agreed that Hurricane Joaquin, which devastated parts of the Bahamas last year, was a sign of Gods wrath.
God is trying to end us a message, Mr Perkins was quoted as saying.
In 2016 a flood destroyed Mr Perkins Louisiana home. He told the Family Research Councils radio station, without any apparent awareness of the potential irony: This is a flood, I would have to say, of near Biblical proportions.
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Up to 300,000 Nato troops have been put on alert amid rising tensions between Russia and the Baltic states.
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of Nato, said the alliance hoped to speed up the response time of thousands of its troops to allow it to react to a combat situation more effectively.
In October, it was reported Nato was preparing to station 4,000 troops on the Russian border with the Baltic states in its biggest military build-up since the Cold War. The troops will be summoned from nations across the alliance, including the UK.
We have seen Russia being much more active in many different ways, Mr Stoltenberg told The Times.
We have seen a more assertive Russia implementing a substantial military build-up over many years tripling defence spending since 2000 in real terms; developing new military capabilities; exercising their forces and using military force against neighbours.
We have also seen Russia using propaganda in Europe among Nato allies and that is exactly the reason why Nato is responding. We are responding with the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War.
Russia conducts military drill
Mr Stoltenberg refused to be drawn on the specific number of troops being put on alert, but Britains outgoing Nato representative Sir Adam Thomson said it was likely to be around 300,000.
Sir Adam said the aim was to find a way to mobilise the troops within two months, instead of the typical time of around six months.
The proposition was discussed by Nato defence ministers at a conference in October. There are a large number of people in the armed forces of Nato allies, we are looking into how more of them can be ready at shorter notice, Mr Stoltenberg added.
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
Nato is also responding to an increase in espionage, hybrid warfare and cyberattacks by Russia and other non-Nato states, according to Sir Adam.
The alliances response is in part a result of Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014, as well as a bid to reassure ex-Soviet states, like Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, all Nato members, who fear Moscow could try a similar tactic again.
A US think-tank has said it believes Russia could overrun Natos current military force in the Baltic states in a matter of hours, if a conflict began.
Nearly half of Russians fear Moscow's intervention in the Syrian conflict could lead to World War III, a recent poll found.
Last week, it was reported Russian troops were planning to conduct military training exercises in Serbia involving 150 paratroopers, while Nato holds an emergency exercise drill in neighbouring Montenegro.
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The Bourbon Argos has been sailing for 40 hours to carry almost 900 refugees rescued from the Mediterranean to Italy and it arrives just in time.
One of the eight pregnant women on board the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) rescue ship has gone into labour and doctors must get her to hospital as quickly as possible.
She hadnt told anyone, says a Hungarian midwife who discovered the expectant mothers contractions during a routine check as the boat prepared to dock.
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The pregnant women we have on board just want to survive the boat journey and get to Italy, they dont complain.
The mother-to-be is one of the first passengers to be disembarked from the Bourbon Argos in the Sicilian port city of Catania, being rushed into an ambulance by waiting Red Cross medics.
She is not the only person needing urgent medical attention. One man is stretchered away with a gunshot wound in his leg, suffered six days before he was rescued as he tried to escape a prison controlled by an armed gang in Libya.
Another was so badly tortured in the country he is severely traumatised and unable to walk, being wheeled into a waiting ambulance, and one man almost drowned after falling overboard when an overloaded rubber boat started to deflate as it was rescued on Friday.
A man being taken to hospital from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily (Lizzie Dearden)
Amid the pain and distress is a sense of elation, with the wounded followed by a stream of families carrying babies, toddlers and small children in their arms, then unaccompanied minors and women travelling alone.
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Some fall to their knees and throw themselves face down on the ground, kissing the tarmac before standing back with wide smiles, ecstatic to be in Europe and on dry land.
Thank you, thank you, say men as they walk down the gangway to disembark, some high fiving aid workers as they go and saying swift goodbyes to new friends.
But the scene awaiting them is not the idyll they might have imagined. Medics wearing face masks and infection suits line up to examine the new arrivals, handing them regulation flip flops before checking their temperatures and looking into their mouths.
Next are the security checks. Police take children out of their parents arms for a photographer with a cigarette dangling from to take a photo, while an officer holds number cards next to each persons face.
Refugees and migrants being fingerprinted after disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily (Lizzie Dearden)
The asylum seekers then pass through medical checks in a network of tents, have their bodies and bags searched and join a long queue for fingerprinting and identification, where police may ask to look through their phones for numbers and photos to identify smuggling networks.
They are finally crowded into metal holding pens in the ports car park, waiting for buses to take them to reception centres where they must apply for the right to stay.
The whole process is agonisingly slow, with refugees who have taken several months or even years to reach Europe sitting or standing in tightly-packed rows on the Bourbon Argos for hours waiting to disembark.
One man refuses to sit down, walking around picking up litter despite the crews assurance that they will clean the ship. No, you are heroes, he insists. We clean.
Groups of 10 migrants are sent across the gangway at a time, with the vessel emptying row by row into the night. The process started at 9am and continues as The Independent departs at 8pm.
In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A baby being taken on to MSF's Bourbon Argos ship from a boat carrying 130 migrants and refugees Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A refugee boat carrying 101 people being rescued by MSF's Bourbon Argos Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A refugee boat carrying 101 people being rescued by MSF's Bourbon Argos all images by Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A baby among refugees on a boat carrying 185 people off the coast of Libya Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea Migrants and refugees sleeping after being rescued by MSF's Bourbon Argos ship Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A crew from MSF's Bourbon Argos ship rescuing a boat carrying 130 migrants and refugees off the coast of Libya, at sunrise Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A woman in a stretcher being lifted onto MSF's Bourbon Argos ship from a boat carrying 130 migrants and refugees off the coast of Libya Lizzie Dearden
Exhausted MSF staff have been working almost non-stop since getting a call from Italian commanders to a boat in distress at 3.30am on Friday morning.
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The overloaded dinghy, spotted off the coast of Libya, was the first of many on a hectic day of lifesaving operations, which ended with 868 refugees tessellated across the Bourbon Argos decks, bow and gangways as it set sail back to Italy.
Those on board include a Syrian man whose baby was killed in bombing, a Libyan engineer whose city was taken over by Isis, a Nigerian woman kidnapped by Boko Haram, girls trafficked for prostitution and many others with stories of violence and hardship.
They are among more than 332,000 migrants to have arrived by sea in Europe so far this year, with the dominant route currently from Libya to Italy after the controversial EU-Turkey deal came into effect in March.
More than 4,200 have died attempting the treacherous crossings in 2016, now the deadliest year on record, as smugglers use ever smaller and less seaworthy boats in an attempt to evade detection.
Refugees and migrants disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily (Lizzie Dearden)
Just over a quarter of those who make it are Syrian, followed by Afghans, Iraqis, Nigerians, Eritreans and numerous other nationalities from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
They may have reached safety in Europe, but their problems are far from over as they enter Italys complex reception system to claim asylum, while borders and barriers continue to strengthen across an increasingly hostile continent.
Elisa Compagnone, a psychological first aid officer, says repeated transfers and interrogations worsen the trauma already suffered by victims of torture and violence, sexually abused women and children travelling alone.
In general the [African migrants] leave their countries for economic reasons, thats true, the 31-year-old Italian says.
They go to other places in Africa to try and work there and then they hear that in Libya they can get a good job.
And after that they face a terrible situation. They are put in ghettos, they are continually abused, especially the women. They are beaten, detained in prisons, kidnapped and sold on. This is what they tell me all the time.
Refugees and migrants undergoing security checks after disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily (Lizzie Dearden)
They dont always want to come to Europe but they want to leave Libya and there is no other way, they cannot go back to their countries.
Tommaso Fabri, MSFs head of mission in Italy, says the countrys reception system is completely saturated, housing an estimated 165,000 people as its European neighbours refuse to share the load by resettling refugees according to a quota system.
What the government has done so far is put in emergency structures with basic services, he explains.
For us its quite astonishing because what is going on right now isnt an emergency. Its nothing completely new, its been several years with an average of 150,000, 160,000, 170,000 people arriving in Italy.
They are scared of what will happen to them and sometimes they really do not know that in Italy they have the right to ask for asylum and have a place to stay.
We understand its difficult and its quite a lot of people but come on. Look at Lebanon, and in Europe we are still at this level.
Refugees and migrants undergoing health checks after disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily (Lizzie Dearden)
Alongside other humanitarian groups, MSF is campaigning for Italy to invest in long-term accommodation to afford refugees dignity and access to proper services and protections in line with the Geneva Convention.
But investment is sorely lacking and repeated calls for those fleeing conflict and persecution to be given safe and legal passage to Europe have gone unanswered.
As the weather worsens, the boats from Libya are not stopping, and monitors expect many more deaths at sea before the year is out as humanitarian ships pull out of the Mediterranean one by one for winter.
European member states are not taking responsibility for the situation, says Mr Fabri.
They are responsible with the policies they make, bilateral agreements and the EU-Turkey deal, for instance.
It merely externalises the problem. You put your problem in Libya, Sudan or Turkey or places like that and you let them manage. Then you put obstacles for migrants seeking protection.
I dont know how long we have to wait, how many deaths at sea do there need to be to make European leaders do something?
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Russian nationalists were behind a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister of Montenegro, the countrys chief special prosecutor has claimed.
Milivoje Katnic told reporters a criminal group organised by nationalists from Russia planned to break into Montenegros Parliament during elections held on 16 October.
They aimed to kill Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic who is leading the country towards Nato membership and bring a pro-Russian coalition to power, he said.
Mr Katnic, the Balkan countrys special prosecutor for organised crime and corruption, said the alleged coup plot was for 500 people to enter Montenegro on election night to cause violence [] and hire professional sharpshooters to kill the Prime Minister.
The organisers are Russian nationalists. The aim was to stop Montenegro on its Euro-Atlantic path and in particular joining Nato, Mr Katnic said.
We don't have any evidence that the state of Russia is involved in any sense [...] but we have evidence that two nationalists from Russia were organisers, he said.
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Mr Katnic said two Russian nationals allegedly involved in the attempted coup were still at large and that Montenegro would continue co-operating with Russia in its investigation.
Montenegro has been invited to join Nato despite strong opposition from its traditional Slavic ally Russia.
If Montenegro joins the Western military alliance, Russia would lose strategic access to the Adriatic Sea and Serbia would remain its only ally in the region.
Recommended Read more Russia holds military drills in the Balkans opposite Nato
Nato's Deputy Secretary-General Rose Gottemoeller, who visited Montenegro last week, said she expects the country to become a member next spring after all 28 Nato member states ratify the agreement in their respective parliaments.
Some 20 Serbian and Montenegrin citizens, including a former commander of Serbia's special police forces, were arrested in Montenegro during last months election.
Fourteen of them remain in custody, including some who have fought for pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Russian officials have denied any involvement, but have openly supported the patriotic parties that are against Montenegro's Nato membership bid.
Serbian authorities reportedly deported an unspecified number of Russian operatives who were monitoring Mr Djukanovic's movements from Serbian territory.
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
Special prosecution of Serbia had those persons under its supervision [...] and prevented them from realizing their plan, Mr Katnic said.
Those persons are not on the territory of Serbia any more. I don't know where they are now, in Russia or somewhere else.
Mr Djukanovic's party topped the polls in October but he himself is stepping down and his deputy Dusko Markovic has been chosen to form the new government.
Additional reporting from agencies
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Thousands of massive snowballs have been found on a beach in north-west Siberia.
An 11 mile stretch of coastline in the Arctic Circle has been covered with clumps of snow which are as large as three feet across.
The snowballs were a result of ice being rolled by wind and water and turning the crystals into giant snowballs.
Locals from the village of Nyda, have said they have never seen anything like it.
A village administrator told The Siberian Times the snowballs formed when the Gulf of Ob, a bay of the Arctic Ocean, rose onto land and covered the beach in ice, the Daily Mail reported.
As the water retreated the remaining ice chunks continued to grow as they rolled over until they formed massive snowballs.
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 news comes as the Met Office warned of an icy polar vortex descending from the Arctic and causing temperatures to plummet in the UK.
There is an "increased risk of cold snaps between now and Christmas, the forecaster said in a recent blog post.
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Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he doesn't care if European leaders call him a dictator.
Speaking after international condemnation following the arrest of two leaders of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) and 11 other MPs from the group on Friday, Mr Erdogan accused Europe of aiding terrorism by supporting Kurdish militants.
"Europe, as a whole, is abetting terrorism. Even though they declared the PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party] a terrorist organisation, this is clear," he said in a televised speech on Sunday, Hurriyet Daily News reports.
"I don't care if they [the West] call me a dictator or whatever else. It goes in one ear, out the other."
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
He said the West should not hope to "bring Turkey into line" with "newspapers, caricatures, calling us a dictator, and so on, expecting that we would take a step back".
Relations between the EU and membership candidate Turkey are going through a "fragile" period, Turkish EU affairs minister Omer Celik said on Monday. He accused those who would call for a freeze in talks with Ankara of racism.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said she was extremely worried over the detention of HDP leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksek, while US State Department spokesman John Kirby said there was a worrisome trend of limiting freedom of expression in Turkey.
Turkish police had used tear gas and plastic bullets on Saturday to disperse a demonstration in Istanbul against the arrests.
Turkey in largest-ever offensive against Kurdish fighters
Turkish authorities sparked further controversy on Friday by restricting social media and messaging services such as WhatsApp following the arrests.
The country remains under a state of emergency imposed after the failed coup in July, which allows Mr Erdogan and his government to bypass parliament when drafting new laws and to restrict or suspect citizens' rights and freedoms.
European officials have been increasingly critical of Turkey's crackdown on those it suspects of involvement in the attempted coup. More than 110,000 judges, teachers, police and civil servants have been detained or suspended in a response that critics say is quashing legitimate opposition.
Some 170 newspapers, magazines, TV stations and news agencies have been closed, leaving 2,500 journalists unemployed, Turkey's association of journalists says.
In October the government announced it would soon submit proposals to parliament for constitutional changes that would make Mr Erdogan "executive president", expanding his powers further.
Additional reporting by agencies
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In the half-burned church of St Mary al-Tahira in Qaraqosh, several dozen Syriac Catholics are holding a mass in Aramaic amid the wreckage left by Isis. The upper part of the stone columns and the nave are scorched black by fire and the only artificial light comes from three or four candles flickering on an improvised altar. Isis fighters used the courtyard outside as a firing range and metal targets set at one end of it are riddled with bullets.
In his sermon, the Syriac Catholic Bishop of Baghdad Yusuf Abba calls for the congregation to show cooperation and goodwill to all. But the people of Qaraqosh, an overwhelmingly Christian town 20 miles south east of Mosul, wonder just how much goodwill and cooperation they can expect in return. .
The Christians are still traumatised by the disasters of the last two-and-a-half years. When Isis took Qaraqosh on 8 August 2014 it had a population of 44,000, almost all Syriac Catholics, who fled for their lives to Irbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Some 40 per cent of these have since migrated further to countries like Australia and France or, within the Middle East, to Istanbul and Lebanon.
But the 28,000 people from Qaraqosh who stayed inside Iraq have understandable doubts about going home, even if Isis is fully defeated and loses Mosul. There is no security while Isis is still in Mosul, says Yohanna Towara, a farmer, teacher and community leader in the town, but even when Isis is gone the Christians will be vulnerable. He says that the priority is for us to control our local affairs and to know who will rule the area in which we live. He adds that the need for permanent security outweighs the need to repair the destruction wrought primarily by Isis but also by US-led air strikes.
This destruction is bad enough, though it is not total. Isis fighters set fire to many ordinary houses in addition to the churches in the days before they left, but possibly because there was no furniture left to burn since it all had been looted most of these houses look as if they could be made habitable after extensive repairs. It will take time because not only has the furniture gone, but cookers and fridges so, even if light fittings or taps are still in place, there is no water or electricity.
In pictures: Mosul offensive Show all 40 1 /40 In pictures: Mosul offensive In pictures: Mosul offensive A doctor carries an Iraqi newborn baby at a hospital in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi girls play at a yard of a school in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017alal Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A woman on crutches who is a relative of men accused of being Islamic State militants is seen at a camp in Bartella, east of Mosul, Iraq July 15, 2017. Picture taken July 15, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A displaced girl, who fled from home carries a doll at Hamam al-Alil camp south of Mosul, Iraq July 13, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi federal police members and civilians celebrate in the Old City of Mosul on 9 July 2017 after the government's announcement of the "liberation" of the embattled city. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said he was in "liberated" Mosul to congratulate "the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory" AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken on 9 July 2017, shows a general view of the destruction in Mosul's Old City. Iraq will announce imminently a final victory in the nearly nine-month offensive to retake Mosul from jihadists, a US general said Saturday, as celebrations broke out among police forces in the city. AFP In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of the Iraqi federal police raise the victory gesture as they ride on a humvee while advancing through the Old City of Mosul on 28 June 2017, as the offensive continues to retake the last district held by Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Smoke billows as Iraqi forces advance through the Old City of Mosul on 26 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district held by the Islamic State (IS) group. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi man wearing the green scarf of the Shi'ite faith kisses an Iraqi Army soldier on safely reaching the Iraqi forces position as Iraqi civilians flee the Old City of west Mosul where heavy fighting continues on 23 June 2017. Iraqi forces continue to encounter stiff resistance with improvised explosive devices, car bombs, heavy mortar fire and snipers hampering their advance. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken from the inside of an Iraqi forces armoured vehicle shows residents walking through a damaged street as troops advance towards Mosul's Old City on 18 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State (IS) group. Military commanders told AFP the assault had begun at dawn after overnight air strikes by the US-led coalition backing Iraqi forces. They said the jihadists were putting up fierce resistance. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi Army soldiers advance in a destroyed street after an Iraqi forces airstrike targeted an Islamic State sniper position 17 June 2017 in al-Shifa, the last district of west Mosul under Islamic State control. IS snipers, as well as car and suicide bomb attacks continue to hinder the Iraqi forces efforts to retake the final district. A series of airstrikes by Iraqi helicopter gunships attempted to hit multiple Islamic State sniper positions in al-Shifa. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier frisks a displaced Iraqi man at a temporary camp in the compound of the closed Nineveh International Hotel in Mosul on 16 June 2017 which was recovered by Iraqi troops from Islamic State group fighters earlier in the year. A screening centre set up in the compound's fairgrounds sees a constant stream of Iraqis fleeing the battle for Mosul, awaiting their turn to be checked by the Iraqi forces who are searching for suspected Islamic State (IS) group members. The small fairground lies at the end of a pontoon bridge across the Tigris recently opened to civilians that is the only physical link between the two banks of the river. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis staying at the al-Khazir camp swim in a river near the camp for internally displaced people, located between Arbil and Mosul on 11 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi government forces drive on a road leading to Tal Afar on 9 June 2017, during ongoing battles to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi policeman carries a poster bearing an image of Mosul's iconic leaning minaret, known as the "Hadba" (Hunchback), on 22 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis stand in line to receive food aid in western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood on 7 June 2017, during ongoing battles as Iraqi forces try to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. Living conditions in Mosul have again deteriorated since the start of the Iraqi government's offensive on the city in October in which they retook a large part of the west of the city. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced Iraqis carry lightbulbs and sacks as they evacuate from western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood as government forces advance in the area during their ongoing battle against Islamic State (IS) group fighters on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) flashes the victory gesture as he patrols in western Mosul's al-Islah al-Zaraye neighbourhood on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi army soldiers from the 9th armoured division on a truck flash the sign of victory as they drive back from Mosul to the town of Qaraqosh (also known as Hamdaniya) Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of Iraqi forces flash the sign of victory on their vehicle as they advance towards Hammam al-Alil area south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi security forces gestures in Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi children, one flashing the sign of victory, greet Iraqi army's soldiers from the 9th armoured division in the area of Ali Rash, adjacent to the eastern Al-Intissar neighbourhood of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Peshmerga forces look at a tunnel used by Islamic State militants near the town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul, during an operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier takes a photograph with his phone as his comrade stands next to a detained man, whom the Iraqi army soldiers accused of being an Islamic State fighter, who was fleeing with his family in the Intisar disrict of eastern Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iranian Kurdish female members of the Freedom Party of Kurdistan (PAK) hold a position in an area near the town of Bashiqa, some 25 kilometres north east of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families, who fled their homes in Hamam al-Alil, gather on the outskirts of their town Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced people walk past a checkpoint near Qayara, south of Mosul, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families who were displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces against jihadists of the Islamic State group to retake the city of Mosul, are seen gathering in an area near Qayyarah In pictures: Mosul offensive A boy who just fled Abu Jarbuah village is seen with his family at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi child eats a pomegranate upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive People who just fled Abu Jarbuah village sit as they eat at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A couple who just fled Abu Jarbuah village are escorted by Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Women carry a boy over a wall as civilians flee their houses in the village of Tob Zawa, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier and a civilian ride a motorbike as smoke rises behind them, on the road between Qayyarah and Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces, wearing a skull mask, waits at a checkpoint for people fleeing the main hub city of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier sits at a checkpoint in an area near Qayyarah Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi men prepare food portions for Iraqi forces deployed in areas south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi forces celebrate upon the arrival of vehicles bringing food to them Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi childen smoke cigarettes upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces distributes drinks to children in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty
Isis did not fight for Qaraqosh and there are no booby traps or improvised explosive devices. But they must at one time have thought of doing so because they dug networks of tunnels in the nearby Christian village of Karemlash as if they intended to wage an underground guerrilla war against the Iraqi army. In the event, there are few signs of Isis resistance, except the rather pathetic remains of burned out tyres which they set fire to in order to create a smoke haze to impede the visibility of the aircraft of the US-led coalition. There were not many air strikes, but where they did take place the results devastated whole buildings reducing them to heaps of rubble.
Visiting Qaraqosh from Irbil 40 miles away, it is easy to understand why people displaced from Qaraqosh and in the rest of the Nineveh Plain feel insecure and dubious about returning to their old homes, even where they are still standing. They know that if they do they will be at the mercy of Arab and Kurdish authorities eager to fill the vacuum left by the fall of Isis and wishing to stake new claims to territory and power.
Isis turns towns into smoke-filled hell as fleeing jihadis set oil wells ablaze
Arriving at a Kurdish Peshmerga checkpoint on the main road from the Kurdish region to Mosul at 9am, we make our way through crowds of people originally from Qaraqosh waiting to pass through. See how they are treating people, says a critical Christian observer. People have been waiting here since 5 or 6am, but the Peshmerga say they need a senior officer to give permission for them to pass.
After another two Peshmerga checkpoints, we reach an Iraqi army checkpoint with whom the Christians have better relations. The Nineveh Plain east of Mosul was home to a mosaic of minorities and its abandoned villages show various levels of destruction, depending on their sectarian and ethnic complexion. For instance, some had once contained Sunni and Shia Shabak (a heterodox sect speaking a dialect of Kurdish), but Isis had destroyed the houses of the Shia but left the Sunni.
Archbishop Yohanna Petros Mouche of Mosul inspects the damage at the Saint Barbara church in Qaraqosh last month (Getty)
Closer to Qaraqosh the checkpoints are manned by soldiers of the Iraqi Army and local Christian members of the Nineveh Protection Units (NPU) with their multi-coloured red, white and blue flags. Relations between the NPU and the army appear good, but the soldiers are Shia and at one checkpoint they had laid out a table and were serving sweet tea and biscuits as part of the Shia Arbaeen commemoration. The diversity of officially-sanctioned armed groups appears never-ending: at some checkpoints there were also visible the dark uniforms of federal police, whom locals say are recruited from the Shabak and Turkmen communities.
Fear of Isis had united diverse groupings and communities, but that unity is showing signs of fraying. The Peshmerga are excluded from fighting inside Mosul city, but are building a rampart and ditch to denote their front line. The Kurds may be pleased to see Isis defeated in Mosul, but if it is defeated by a reconstituted and effective Iraqi army very different from the large but ill-commanded and corrupt army that fled from Isis in 2014 then the balance of power in northern Iraq will change against the Kurds.
The outcome of the war all over Iraq and Syria has ensured that minorities that were once spread throughout the two countries, now only feel secure if they can rule their own territory. But in Iraq the Christians do not have the numbers to defend themselves.
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Approximately one million children living under Isis in Iraq have been forced to learn from an extremist curriculum that teaches how to make bombs and cut off heads or else been kept home from school by parents afraid their children will be recruited as fighters, estimates say.
Thousands of people are fleeing Isis-held territory in and around the city of Mosul, bringing with them stories of horrific abuses in the so-called caliphate - but even as their villages are cleared of militants as the three-week-old US-backed offensive presses on, many families are worried about the long term effects two years of Isis will have had on their children.
The number of displaced people has doubled over the weekend to 34,000 as fighting reached Mosuls built-up suburbs, the International Organisation for Migration says. Between 200,000 - 700,000 people in total are expected to flee their homes as the Iraqi coalition pushes deeper into the heart of the city, Iraqs second largest and home to two million people before Isis took over in 2014.
Parents now based at Jadah, a camp for displaced people south of the city, have expressed their frustration that their families futures have been so drastically altered. Karim, a father of four, said his kids lived in fear of being recruited to fight like their classmates.
Its difficult for my girls, they were very scared, crying all the time, shaking I want my children to get educated, and get a job. The most important thing for them is to read and to write.
While the girls were no longer allowed to get an education, he was under pressure to send his sons to school, which he resisted, Karim told Save the Children.
Some children told me that Isis used to take them to their base for 40 days to train them and to tell them that its halal [permissible] to kill army people, he said.
They used to take about 50-100 children for each programme. A lot of children obeyed Isis and then they were killed in fighting.
Children living under Isis rule are regularly forced to watch gory propaganda videos and guides on killing and making bombs, father of five Hamid said.
Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Show all 10 1 /10 Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis An Iraqi Christian prepares for the first Sunday Mass at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi priests hold the first Sunday mass Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christian soldiers attend the first Sunday mass at the Grand Immaculate Church since it was recaptured from Islamic State in Qaraqosh Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis An Iraqi Christian soldier holds his weapon during the first Sunday mass Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis An Iraqi Christian soldier lights a candle Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi priests hold the first Sunday mass at the Grand Immaculate Church since it was recaptured from Islamic State Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi priests hold the first Sunday mass Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Reuters
We told them you should not believe it. This is not the right Islam. We were guiding our children to make sure they didnt believe everything they were taught.
Hamid and Karims families are lucky - they are now back in school at Jadah, where temporary classrooms are easing children back into learning before they attempt to pick up the national curriculum again.
Getting children back into a positive school environment was critical to starting the recovery process and giving them hope for their future, Save the Childrens Iraq country director Maurizio Crivellaro said.
As soon as we set the classrooms up, [children] were already gathering outside and peering in curiously. Judging by the big smiles on their faces, they knew this is how school should be and they were excited to get back to normal.
Up to 1.5million people are thought to still be trapped in Mosul, where Isis has used a favourite tactic - shepherding civilians into strategic buildings and areas - for use as human shields.
The UNs humanitarian agency and several other aid organisations have called on the Iraqi army to ensure safe corridors are set up to allow residents to escape what is likely to be a long and bloody fight.
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The Syrian Kurdish and Arab militia coalition offensive to take back Raqqa, the capital of Isis caliphate in northern Syria, will not be completed before US President Barack Obama leaves office early next year, officials have said.
The mainly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced Operation Euphrates Wrath to seal off the city on Sunday - but the process is expected to take at least two months, denying Mr Obama the opportunity to claim he ended the groups caliphate, and leaving the fate of a highly complex operation to his political successor.
Either Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton or Republican candidate Donald Trump will take control of The White House on January 20 following the result of this weeks general election.
US Marine General Joseph Dunford said that taking back Raqqa was never going to be a quick or easy job. We always advertised that the isolation phase is going to take months, he was quoted as saying on Sunday by a US defense department reporter traveling with him in Turkey.
Other sources echoed General Dunfords sentiments. There is no available force capable of taking Raqqa in the near future, one US official said on the condition of anonymity. Other sources quoted by Reuters said that a sufficient number of Arab fighters have not yet been recruited or are still in training.
Around 30,000 US-backed Kurdish peshmerga, Sunni tribal fighters, Shiite militias and Iraqi army soldiers are currently advancing on the Iraqi city of Mosul, Isis last stronghold in the country. Progress has slowed as fighting has reached the outskirts of the city proper and turned into urban warfare.
In pictures: Mosul offensive Show all 40 1 /40 In pictures: Mosul offensive In pictures: Mosul offensive A doctor carries an Iraqi newborn baby at a hospital in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi girls play at a yard of a school in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017alal Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A woman on crutches who is a relative of men accused of being Islamic State militants is seen at a camp in Bartella, east of Mosul, Iraq July 15, 2017. Picture taken July 15, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A displaced girl, who fled from home carries a doll at Hamam al-Alil camp south of Mosul, Iraq July 13, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi federal police members and civilians celebrate in the Old City of Mosul on 9 July 2017 after the government's announcement of the "liberation" of the embattled city. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said he was in "liberated" Mosul to congratulate "the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory" AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken on 9 July 2017, shows a general view of the destruction in Mosul's Old City. Iraq will announce imminently a final victory in the nearly nine-month offensive to retake Mosul from jihadists, a US general said Saturday, as celebrations broke out among police forces in the city. AFP In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of the Iraqi federal police raise the victory gesture as they ride on a humvee while advancing through the Old City of Mosul on 28 June 2017, as the offensive continues to retake the last district held by Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Smoke billows as Iraqi forces advance through the Old City of Mosul on 26 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district held by the Islamic State (IS) group. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi man wearing the green scarf of the Shi'ite faith kisses an Iraqi Army soldier on safely reaching the Iraqi forces position as Iraqi civilians flee the Old City of west Mosul where heavy fighting continues on 23 June 2017. Iraqi forces continue to encounter stiff resistance with improvised explosive devices, car bombs, heavy mortar fire and snipers hampering their advance. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken from the inside of an Iraqi forces armoured vehicle shows residents walking through a damaged street as troops advance towards Mosul's Old City on 18 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State (IS) group. Military commanders told AFP the assault had begun at dawn after overnight air strikes by the US-led coalition backing Iraqi forces. They said the jihadists were putting up fierce resistance. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi Army soldiers advance in a destroyed street after an Iraqi forces airstrike targeted an Islamic State sniper position 17 June 2017 in al-Shifa, the last district of west Mosul under Islamic State control. IS snipers, as well as car and suicide bomb attacks continue to hinder the Iraqi forces efforts to retake the final district. A series of airstrikes by Iraqi helicopter gunships attempted to hit multiple Islamic State sniper positions in al-Shifa. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier frisks a displaced Iraqi man at a temporary camp in the compound of the closed Nineveh International Hotel in Mosul on 16 June 2017 which was recovered by Iraqi troops from Islamic State group fighters earlier in the year. A screening centre set up in the compound's fairgrounds sees a constant stream of Iraqis fleeing the battle for Mosul, awaiting their turn to be checked by the Iraqi forces who are searching for suspected Islamic State (IS) group members. The small fairground lies at the end of a pontoon bridge across the Tigris recently opened to civilians that is the only physical link between the two banks of the river. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis staying at the al-Khazir camp swim in a river near the camp for internally displaced people, located between Arbil and Mosul on 11 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi government forces drive on a road leading to Tal Afar on 9 June 2017, during ongoing battles to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi policeman carries a poster bearing an image of Mosul's iconic leaning minaret, known as the "Hadba" (Hunchback), on 22 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis stand in line to receive food aid in western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood on 7 June 2017, during ongoing battles as Iraqi forces try to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. Living conditions in Mosul have again deteriorated since the start of the Iraqi government's offensive on the city in October in which they retook a large part of the west of the city. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced Iraqis carry lightbulbs and sacks as they evacuate from western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood as government forces advance in the area during their ongoing battle against Islamic State (IS) group fighters on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) flashes the victory gesture as he patrols in western Mosul's al-Islah al-Zaraye neighbourhood on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi army soldiers from the 9th armoured division on a truck flash the sign of victory as they drive back from Mosul to the town of Qaraqosh (also known as Hamdaniya) Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of Iraqi forces flash the sign of victory on their vehicle as they advance towards Hammam al-Alil area south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi security forces gestures in Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi children, one flashing the sign of victory, greet Iraqi army's soldiers from the 9th armoured division in the area of Ali Rash, adjacent to the eastern Al-Intissar neighbourhood of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Peshmerga forces look at a tunnel used by Islamic State militants near the town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul, during an operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier takes a photograph with his phone as his comrade stands next to a detained man, whom the Iraqi army soldiers accused of being an Islamic State fighter, who was fleeing with his family in the Intisar disrict of eastern Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iranian Kurdish female members of the Freedom Party of Kurdistan (PAK) hold a position in an area near the town of Bashiqa, some 25 kilometres north east of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families, who fled their homes in Hamam al-Alil, gather on the outskirts of their town Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced people walk past a checkpoint near Qayara, south of Mosul, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families who were displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces against jihadists of the Islamic State group to retake the city of Mosul, are seen gathering in an area near Qayyarah In pictures: Mosul offensive A boy who just fled Abu Jarbuah village is seen with his family at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi child eats a pomegranate upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive People who just fled Abu Jarbuah village sit as they eat at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A couple who just fled Abu Jarbuah village are escorted by Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Women carry a boy over a wall as civilians flee their houses in the village of Tob Zawa, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier and a civilian ride a motorbike as smoke rises behind them, on the road between Qayyarah and Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces, wearing a skull mask, waits at a checkpoint for people fleeing the main hub city of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier sits at a checkpoint in an area near Qayyarah Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi men prepare food portions for Iraqi forces deployed in areas south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi forces celebrate upon the arrival of vehicles bringing food to them Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi childen smoke cigarettes upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces distributes drinks to children in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty
The approximately 5,000 fighters inside are well-prepared for battle with landmines, boobytraps, snipers and suicide bombers.
Officials hope to dovetail the Mosul and Raqqa campaigns in order to prevent fighters fleeing Mosul being given time to prepare to defend their last stronghold in battle - but to do so will require at least as many troops as were mobilised to liberate the Iraqi city.
Raqqa is every bit as infested as Mosul, perhaps even more so, said Thomas Lynch, a National Defense University fellow and retired Army officer. But there is an enormous investment by this administration in terms of going after Raqqa before it leaves office.
The Raqqa offensive is also complicated by the nearby Turkish-backed operation to seize the town of al-Bab. Turkey views the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Defense Units (YPG) as an extension of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party), which has fought an insurgency against the Turkish state for decades.
Syrian army 'crosses into Raqqa province'
The idea of Kurdish forces administrating Syrian territory and managing to consolidate their power in northern Syria is a far higher priority for Turkey than defeating Isis. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly stressed that the YPG should not be involved in the fight for Raqqa, and Kurdish forces have threatened not to fight for Raqqa if Turkey is involved.
The end of Isis as a land-holding force could also create a buffer zone which Syrian rebels could eventually use to try and break the Russian-backed Syrian regimes siege of opposition neighbourhoods of Aleppo.
Moscow has warned Ankara not to advance any further into Syrian territory, but an eventual reopening of the Aleppo city front is an inevitability, Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute in Washington said. The opposition [fighters] will go whether the Turks want it or not.
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The US and Turkey have managed to agree on how to recapture and hold Isis de facto capital of Raqqa in northern Syria despite a long-standing dispute over the role of Kurdish troops in the fighting, the US Department of Defence has said.
Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mar Gen Joseph Dunford has been in Ankara for meetings aimed at soothing Turkish concerns over the prominent role of Syrian Kurdish Peoples Defense Units (YPG) fighters in the new operation to encircle Raqqa, announced over the weekend.
The new assault - known as Operation Euphrates Wrath - has been complicated by Turkish objections to the idea of Kurdish forces cementing their territory in Syria. Ankara views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), outlawed in Turkey as a terror organisation, and has repeatedly pointed out that a Kurdish adminstration controlling the Sunni city of Raqqa could be a recipe for further unrest.
The coalition and Turkey will work together on the long-term plan for seizing, holding and governing Raqqa, Gen. Dunford said after meeting his Turkish counterpart Army Gen. Hulusi on Monday.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), made of of YPG units and Arab militias, says it was targeted by at least five car bombs to the north of the city on Monday as the lengthy and complex operation got underway.
The SDF said its fighters destroyed a vehicle rigged with explosives at a farm, while Syrian activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently reported that SDF fighters had shelled the village of Tweila'a, forcing its residents to flee.
Isis news agency claimed a missile hit on a SDF armoured vehicle killed several soldiers.
The front line is still some 30 miles (50 kilometres) away from the city - and while Kurdish media official Rania Mohammed said several farms and villages have been captured since Sunday, she did not provide further details. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights did not report any substantial gains in the first 24 hours of fighting.
Women secretly capture life inside Raqqa
The SDFs efforts are being aided by air strikes by US, British and French warplanes. At least 16 strikes have hit Isis targets including 12 tactical units since the SDF mobilised for the latest offensive late on Saturday, US Central Command said.
A Kurdish military source speaking on condition of anonymity said that while the US-led coalition was providing excellent air support, It is difficult to ... put a time frame on the operation at present. The battle will not be easy.
US-backed forces are also currently battling for control of Mosul, the largest city under Isis control and its last stronghold in neighbouring Iraq.
A coalition led by elite Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service forces has managed to enter the citys suburbs as the operation enters its fourth week, but progress has slowed as the Iraqi forces attempt to minimise civilian casualties.
The urban battlefield - littered with Isis roadside bombs, boobytraps and snipers - could mean the city has to be retaken as slowly as building by building. Although Raqqa is much smaller, Isis have spent almost three years digging into the city, and the battle is likely to follow a similar pattern.
Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Show all 10 1 /10 Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis An Iraqi Christian prepares for the first Sunday Mass at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi priests hold the first Sunday mass Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christian soldiers attend the first Sunday mass at the Grand Immaculate Church since it was recaptured from Islamic State in Qaraqosh Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis An Iraqi Christian soldier holds his weapon during the first Sunday mass Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis An Iraqi Christian soldier lights a candle Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi priests hold the first Sunday mass at the Grand Immaculate Church since it was recaptured from Islamic State Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi priests hold the first Sunday mass Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Reuters
Iran-backed Iraqi Shiite militias have managed to cut off Isis supplies lines to the east of Mosul, effectively sealing off the escape route to Raqqa.
Officials hope that the dovetailing of the two campaigns will maximise the military pressure on Isis, preventing the extremists from regrouping or planning terror attacks elsewhere.
While the world would breath a sigh of relief at the end of Isis as a land-holding force, the vacuum created could exacerbate the situation elsewhere in Syria, experts have warned.
A buffer zone filled with Turkish-backed Syrian rebels - operating against the wishes of the Russian-backed Syrian government - could be strengthened sufficiently to attempt to break the regimes current siege of opposition neighbourhoods in Aleppo.
Moscow has previously warned Ankara that its operations against the YPG and Isis in Syria - launched in August - should not extend deeper into Syrian territory.
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Israel has turned down an invitation to take part in a Middle East peace conference in Paris, saying it will distract from the goal of direct negotiations with the Palestinians.
Israel's acting national security adviser and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's diplomatic advisor told French envoy Pierre Vimont Israel wanted nothing to do with the effort to revive peace talks.
"[They] told the French envoy in a clear and unequivocal manner that Israel's position to promote the peace process and reach an agreement will only come through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority," Mr Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
There was no immediate comment from Mr Vimont, but the French foreign ministry said it still plans to hold the conference before the end of the year.
The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Show all 10 1 /10 The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Medics evacuate a wounded man from the scene of an attack in Jerusalem. A Palestinian rammed a vehicle into a bus stop then got out and started stabbing people before he was shot dead AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Israeli ZAKA emergency response members carry the body of an Israeli at the scene of a shooting attack in Jerusalem. A pair of Palestinian men boarded a bus in Jerusalem and began shooting and stabbing passengers, while another assailant rammed a car into a bus station before stabbing bystanders, in near-simultaneous attacks that escalated a month long wave of violence AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Getty Images The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians throw molotov cocktail during clashes with Israeli troops near Ramallah, West Bank. Recent days have seen a series of stabbing attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have wounded several Israelis AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Women cry during the funeral of Palestinian teenager Ahmad Sharaka, 13, who was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes at a checkpoint near Ramallah, at the family house in the Palestinian West Bank refugee camp of Jalazoun, Ramallah AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A wounded Palestinian boy and his father hold hands at a hospital after their house was brought down by an Israeli air strike in Gaza Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians look on after a protester is shot by Israelis soldiers during clashes at the Howara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus EPA The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A lawyer wearing his official robes kicks a tear gas canister back toward Israeli soldiers during a demonstration by scores of Palestinian lawyers called for by the Palestinian Bar Association in solidarity with protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, near Ramallah, West Bank AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Undercover Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian in Ramallah Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinian youth burn tyres during clashes with Israeli soldiers close to the Jewish settlement of Bet El, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Israel barred Palestinians from Jerusalem's Old City as tensions mounted following attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded a child
France has repeatedly tried to revive the peace process this year, holding a preliminary conference in June which saw the United Nations, European Union, United States and major Arab countries gather to discuss proposals without the Israelis or Palestinians present.
The original plan was to hold a follow-up conference before the year's end with the Israelis and Palestinians, to see whether the two sides could be brought back to negotiations.
The last talks, backed by the US, broke down in April 2014.
The Palestinians have said they will still attend the Paris conference if it goes ahead.
Gaza marks 10 years of Israeli blockade
Israel, which regards the US as the chief broker in the Middle East, has long maintained only direct negotiations with the Palestinians can lead to peace and sees France's efforts as a diversion.
"Any other initiative, including this one, will only distance peace from the region," Mr Netanyahu's office said. It urged France "not to promote a conference or a process that is contrary to [our] official position".
Israel said an international conference will also give Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a platform to grandstand, rather than engage directly with the Israelis.
The Palestinians have said they cannot resume talks with Israel until it stops building settlements on occupied land the Palestinians seek for an independent state and meets previous commitments, including the release of prisoners.
Despite two US attempts to resolve the conflict during Barack Obama's presidency, talks stalled over issues including settlements and Palestinian political divisions.
While most of the so-called "final status" issues are clear to both sides, critics have argued there will be little chance of a breakthrough without genuine US pressure on Israel to halt settlement building and without the Palestinians overcoming the internal splits between Hamas and the Fatah party.
Many analysts believe the prospect of a two-state solution is now beyond reach, with no signs of Israel ending its nearly 50-year occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want for their own capital.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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A mass grave has been discovered near Mosul containing the remains of around 100 beheaded bodies, according to the Iraqi military.
The grave was discovered in the grounds of the School of Agriculture on the outskirts of Hammam al-Alil, according to CNN.
The town has only just been liberated from Isis control, Iraq's Joint Military Command have said.
The statement said: "Gangs of ISIS militants continue to commit crimes against our people."
Hammam al-Alibi is around 30 miles south of Mosul, the last important settlement along the River Tigris before Mosul.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, Isis fighters were informing the town's residents to hand over any boy aged nine and over.
It is thought the boys were to be forced to fight for the terror group.
On 17 October, a large offensive by coalition of Iraqi military and pro-government militia was launched on the Isis-controlled city of Mosul and the surrounding area.
Isis 'teaching children how to kill and make bombs'
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, at least 480 Syrian Isis fighters have died during the offensive including more than 300 child soldiers.
The watchdog said: "This will raise the death toll to at least 480 Syrian fighters killed in the ranks of the Islamic State since the start of the battles in the Mosul area, among them more than 300 child soldiers from the lion cubs of the caliphate."
Isis has been orcibly moving up to 25,000 people into Mosul to act as human shields against Iraqi coalition forces, an UN spokesperson has said.
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After Rebecca Hall finished shooting the final scene of Christine, her new film about the American newsreader Christine Chubbuck who blew her brains out on live television in 1974 she got into a car. The movie, a small, independent production financed with money Hall helped raise, couldnt afford on-set trailers and, still caked in fake blood, Hall couldnt shower till she got home. I just remember really shaking for a long time as I washed the blood off, she says. Being rigged to a machine that pumps blood, and holding a gun and putting it to your head its like your body doesnt actually know its fake. Because, if Im doing my job correctly, Ive convinced my brain that its real. The adrenaline response is sort of nuts. You sit under the shower for a bit going What the hell is going on?
She laughs as we sit eating salad in a cafe in Brooklyn Heights in New York, not far from where she lives. Hall doesnt want to seem melodramatic, but theres no doubting her commitment to Chubbucks story. I want to champion this film more than Ive ever wanted to champion anything, she says. Tall, beautiful, with sad eyes and a Modigliani face, Hall has a manner that combines boldness with introspection a mixture key to all her performances, particularly the rawness and fragility she displays in Christine, which is on in selected cinemas now.
Chubbucks death has become a gruesome internet meme the holy grail of online snuff ghouls. But contrary to rumour, there are no videos of her broadcast on 15 July, 1974, when, a few weeks before her 30th birthday, she read a statement on air. In keeping with Channel 40s policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living color, she said, you are going to see another first: attempted suicide. Then she pulled a revolver from below the desk, placed it behind her right ear and pulled the trigger. Why would she describe it as an attempted suicide, I ask was it a sign that she didnt want it to succeed?
Christine Official Trailer
I dont know. I was curious about that too, says Hall. I will never know. No one will. But my hunch is that she was just being a good journalist because she might not have been successful.
The film, which could have been either depressing or lurid, is in fact neither. Instead, its a tender, broken-hearted character study of an intelligent misfit struggling to keep it together. All of Chubbucks woundedness and panic are visible on Halls face, frequently within the same scene, sometimes within the same frame if only her co-workers could see it. Shes drowning in plain sight. Chubbucks mental health problems went undiagnosed. Hall read up on depression and borderline personality disorder in preparation for the role, but her portrayal resists easy categorization.
On air: Hall as news anchor Chubbuck in the film Christine
I feel very proud to be in a film that has a woman at its centre who is a misfit, but who is not made to look cool, or weird or edgy, says Hall. There is a deep, deep discomfort with women who are unlikable on screen. Were still in a state where we box it up shes wild, shes crazy, shes drunk, shes this, shes that. Robert De Niro has made a career out of playing these characters, and we love them big, big characters that do terrible things. But when its a woman, its like, Shes making me feel uncomfortable. Where is she in the mans game? The whole film just felt driven, not by the way Christine died, but by an overwhelming compassion for her will to live.
Drowning in plain sight: Christine Chubbuck on television in the 1970s
The parallels with Hall are obvious. Hollywood hasnt known quite what to do with her, foxed perhaps by her brains or her impeccable British theatrical pedigree although she says it is a relief most Americans dont know that her father, Sir Peter Hall, founded the Royal Shakespeare Company. She took the sulky-cool girlfriend role in Ron Howards 2008 film Frost/Nixon, and she moved on to, mostly the cutting-room floor of, Iron Man 3, before finding her place in small independent dramas such as Woody Allens 2008 film Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Nicole Holofceners Please Give in 2010, in which she played wallflowers in bloom against fierce competition from Scarlett Johansson and Amanda Peet respectively. Both roles played to her intelligence, diffidence and love of nuance; they were watercolor portraits.
Until Christine, to see what Hall was really capable of you had to be in a theatre. There was real eruption, real abandon. Shes a risky performer, says Antonio Campos, who directed Christine. Campos approached Hall after seeing her make her Broadway debut two years ago in Machinal, Sophie Treadwells play about a woman who has murdered her husband and is on death row. Her film work hasnt given her the space to do what she can as an actress. [Machinal] was one of those all-consuming performances where you feel like the actor has given every bit of their body and mind over to this thing, to the point where it becomes more like a possession than a performance. Shes willing to go to the extreme.
Still relevant: Chubbucks story offers lessons on the media today
She has just finished work on Oren Moverman film The Dinner, playing the younger, trophy wife of a politician played by Richard Gere. The plot centres on a dinner Geres character shares with his brother and sister-in-law (Steve Coogan and Laura Linney), during which dark secrets and family crimes are spilled. It sounds like one of those long, dark journeys into a single night, beloved of playwrights Richard Geres hence the shoot, which was crammed into three weeks in Yonkers, working through the night. I have quite a weird memory of this one, Hall says. As in no memory. I was sleepwalking. I have no idea what the quality of this film is, what the tone is, what the acting is like, because we were all delirious.
For now, though, shes happy championing Christine and Chubbuck. Shes a harbinger for lots of things that it feels very uncomfortable to talk about suicide, mental health, women in the workplace, all of that, says Hall. The notion that if it bleeds, it leads feeds straight into the clickbait mentality. Also this idea that fear is a way to manipulate and control people, it is something, right now, were not entirely unfamiliar with. She feels very relevant.
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Donald Trump has achieved the unique feat in the history of US presidential elections of being backed by the KKK, the KGB and the FBI.
The quip doing the rounds was not, in fact, that far from reality in this extraordinary campaign. Trump, after some hesitation, disowned the KKK endorsement, but will undoubtedly secure a good proportion of the racist vote: The hacking of Democratic Party emails, with the Kremlin the prime suspect, helped the Republican candidate significantly, while the revelation by FBI director James Comey ten days ago of a new investigation into Hillary Clintons emails wiped out her comfortable lead in the polls.
Comeys latest dramatic intervention in the campaign - saying on Sunday that Clinton does not face criminal charges after all - has reinforced his reputation as the most controversial FBI chief since J Edgar Hoover. It has done nothing to end the bitter recriminations over the issue: The Democrats can say their candidate has been vindicated, but Trumps supporters will follow his lead in going back to accusations that the election has been rigged.
Trump v Clinton: US Election forecast - November 7
Following the FBIs reopening of the investigation Trump had declared We have fantastic people at the Justice Department, fantastic people at the FBI. During most of the campaign, however, relations between him and the security establishment have been anything but fantastic. Such was Trumps level of suspicion that he had been taking a retired Lieutenant General, Michael Flynn, to classified briefings he has been entitled to as a candidate, in case he was being hoodwinked.
Senior security and intelligence officers have, in turn, been worried about Trumps statements on nuclear weapons, his admiration for Vladimir Putin, his acceptance of the Russian annexation of Crimea and hiring of men with commercial ties to Moscow. Fifty Republican national security experts warned in a letter that Trump would be the most reckless president in US history.
But Trump has benefited from the activities of a small group of FBI agents who are said to be visceral in their hatred of Hillary Clinton. They are convinced of her dishonesty and are incensed that Comey cleared her of criminal culpability, in his first statement on the email investigation. This group played a key role, according to security sources, on Comey writing the letter to Congress ten days ago stating the enquiry has been reopened. They are now angry that, as they see it, the Director has caved in to political pressure and given Hillary, once more, a clean judicial bill of health.
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Justice Department and FBI officials point out that a lot of the anti-Clinton cabals evidence against her comes from a book called Clinton Cash by Peter Schweizer who is the president of Government Accountability Institute, a conservative think-tank chaired by Steve Bannon, the CEO of the Trump election campaign. The book, published by HarperCollins, part of Rupert Murdochs News Corporation, was a bestseller, but it was criticized over inaccuracies which led to corrections.
The rogue agents, as the Democrats describe them, have been accused of being behind a series of damaging leaks about Clinton. One of the latest was to Fox News, also part of the Murdoch empire, which claimed that emerging fresh information pointed towards Hillary being indicted over the activities of the Clinton Foundation. A presenter declared we have at least two sources for this in the FBI. Fox News later withdrew the claim and apologized for its mistake.
But there are prominent Republicans who are openly saying that Hillary Clinton may be impeached if she becomes president. They include Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and Ron Johnson and Peter King, senior figures in Congress. One of the most vocal proponents of lock her up is Rudy Giuliani, who is an advisor of Trump. Democrats in Congress are demanding an investigation into claims by the former New York mayor that he knew the content of Comeys letter to Congress last week before it was sent.
The news website Daily Beast has published details of links between Giuliani and current and former FBI agents. Two days before the Comey letter was made public Giuliani talked about a surprise or two youre going to hear about in the next few days. Weve got a couple of things up our sleeve that should turn things around. After the letter was published he claimed he had heard from current and former agents that theres a kind of revolution going on inside the FBI over the original decision not to charge Clinton and that Comey had been forced by some of his agents to announce the reinvestigation.
Comey may, in the future, give his own version of the turbulent events. He may well face an inquiry into his conduct and, having alienated both the Republicans and Democrats, will find allies in short supply in the Capitol. Investigations of Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, are unlikely to end whatever the result of the election with an alliance of vengeful Republicans and mutinous FBI agents in place.
The Grand Canal, pictured, and the Royal Canal have both been closed
The Royal Canal, pictured, and the Grand Canal were shut indefinitely
Two of the country's premier waterways have been shut down with authorities blaming indiscriminate attacks on boaters and barges.
The Grand Canal and Royal Canal were closed indefinitely in Dublin at the end of September despite up to 50 million euro being spent in recent years to encourage more traffic to flow.
Waterways Ireland blamed anti-social behaviour and warned of safety fears for its staff and boaters after cataloguing 28 incidents in four years including assault, intimidation, theft, vandalism and arson.
The shutdown was ordered after a gang of youths pelted a couple on a boat with rocks as they were being guided through the lock in Inchicore and blocked the boat from passing through.
The agency claimed its staff have been harassed and threatened elsewhere as they escort up to 70 boats a year through the capital.
Mick Kinahan, of the Dublin branch of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland and an experienced guide on the Dublin canals, accused authorities of over-reacting.
"I would hate to see that because of a few incidents, some of them minor, that this approach is taken," he said.
"It's totally and utterly over the top. I would question the agenda."
Waterways Ireland began formally guiding boats in and out of Dublin on the canals in 2007 in order to keep users safe. Anyone wanting to use the routes has to give two days notice.
It said the worst incidents of anti-social behaviour generally occur between the first and sixth locks on the Grand Canal and during spells of good weather.
The incident in August, which is said to have sparked the closure order, involved a couple who wished to travel across Ireland by water, including passing through Dublin.
"The recently reported incident has been the most serious and required an appropriate response," a spokeswoman said.
"Presently a review is being conducted of the movement of boat in the area identified and the procedures in place.
"Waterways Ireland is taking this opportunity to undertake a review of the wider process, and when it is completed any appropriate updates will be put in place, aimed again at the safety of boaters and staff."
Waterways Ireland apologised for the closure of the canals but said it expected disruption to be limited as it does not have any current bookings for boats to be guided through the city.
Up to 70 barges and boats travel the route every year.
Mr Kinahan questioned whether Waterways Ireland were attempting to stop boats and barges getting access to the Grand Canal Basin amid concerns over permits and overcrowding at the city centre berths.
"Things are not as bad. These things happen in isolated areas," he said.
"Anti-social behaviour is going to take place anywhere in the country.
"I would speculate that they have used this to close the canals. They tried to stop people coming into Dublin and they can't. Maybe that was their way of saying the canals are closed and they could justify it. But I can't see how it is for health and safety grounds for these minimum number of incidents."
Ryanair raised its long-term traffic forecasts by more than 10 per cent
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has said the airline's fares are expected to fall by up to 15% this winter amid continuing uncertainty over Brexit negotiations.
But he warned that once the UK leaves the European Union there will be a reduction in the number of flights operating from the country, leading to price rises.
Chief executive Mr O'Leary also criticised the confusion over any changes to the rules on airline ownership, and what routes can be operated to and from the UK.
The airline said profits jumped 7% in the first half of the year as it increased the number of passengers it expects to carry by 2024.
It said half-year profits after tax reached 1.168 billion euro to the end of September, up from 1.088 billion euro over the same period last year.
The trading update comes after Ryanair slashed its earnings forecasts last month as it grapples with the impact of the Brexit-hit pound.
The airline expects full-year earnings of between 1.30 billion euro and 1.35 billion euro, down from the previous range of 1.38 billion euro to 1.43 billion euro.
Average air fares fell by 10% to 50 euro in the year from September 2015.
Mr O'Leary described this as "good news for customers, not so good news for shareholders", but added that the latter would have to "learn to live with it for the foreseeable future".
He went on: "For passengers what is inevitable is in the next 12 to 18 months you benefit by having lower fares.
"But over the medium term if there is a hard Brexit there will be less capacity here in the UK and less capacity means higher prices, once the hell we know what Brexit looks like."
Mr O'Leary said uncertainty over Brexit has led the airline to reduce its planned growth in the UK next year from 12% to 5%.
The airline boss, who campaigned for Remain in the referendum, described the politicians negotiating Brexit as "puddings" and claimed the UK economy is in "real trouble".
He said: "It's hard to believe that the UK Government could be more uncertain or it's going to get any less certain as to what the hell they're doing about Brexit. Given that they haven't an idea what the hell they're doing about Brexit in the first place.
"Mrs May is out in India about to give free movement to Indian citizens now. But at least you're controlling your borders here.
"You're going to prevent the Europeans coming here but at the cost of giving the Indians free visas and God knows what else. It's a shambles but long may it continue to be such a shambles until they realise they're better off staying in the single market."
He went on: "It looks like these puddings are heading for a hard Brexit simply because of their own incompetence. The UK has no negotiating position."
Mr O'Leary warned that the aviation industry faces uncertainty over what ownership restrictions would be in place after a hard Bexit and what routes could be flown if the UK leaves the EU's Open Skies aviation free market.
He claimed this could lead to the break-up of British Airways' parent company IAG, as it also owns three European airlines, and UK holidaymakers having to travel by boat to Spain.
"There are a whole series of potential outcomes here that are fantastical and unimaginable," he said.
Nigel Farage and Gina Miller appear on The Andrew Marr Show. Photo by Jeff Overs/BBC via Getty Images
UKIP politician Nigel Farage has cited Ireland as an example of where the EU has ignored the results of a referendum.
The interim leader of the party was speaking on the BBC after the UK's High Court ruled that Prime Minister Theresa May cannot start the Brexit process without parliament's approval.
Expand Close Ms May said she would resist any attempt to reverse the decision taken by UK voters in the referendum. Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA Wire / Facebook
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Whatsapp Ms May said she would resist any attempt to reverse the decision taken by UK voters in the referendum. Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA Wire
Mr Farage warned that the ruling might result in a disturbance on the streets.
"If the people of this country think they're going to be cheated, we will see political anger the like of which we have never seen in this country in our lifetime," he said on the Andrew Marr show.
Mr Farage said that he could see a situation where Britain would be "forced to vote again".
"I've been the European Parliament for years so I've seen this happen all over Europe," he said.
"I've seen the Danes forced to vote again, I've seen the Irish forced to vote again, the Dutch and French ignored. There is a political and wealthy ruling elite that are not prepared to accept the democratic result of referendums."
Meanwhile, Theresa May has vowed to deliver a full exit from the EU, in her first public comments since last week's court verdict.
Writing for the 'Sunday Telegraph', Ms May said she would resist any attempt to reverse the decision taken by UK voters.
"The people made their choice, and did so decisively. It is the responsibility of the government to get on with the job and to carry out their instruction in full," she said.
Ms May said revealing her strategy for talks would weaken Britain's position and that members of parliament who regretted the referendum result "need to accept what the people decided".
There were lots of reasons why the British did as they did in June and voted to leave the EU. Disapproving commentators on this side of the Irish Sea have blamed a British delusion of global importance, when, even after 40-odd years in Europe, the UK still can't see itself on a par with nations like the French or the Germans.
But whether we like it or not, Brexit needs managing. As Commissioner Phil Hogan said recently, it offers a headache for the EU, a full-blown crisis for the UK and high risk of collateral damage for Ireland.
One thing is certain, however, it is going to throw up winners and losers, and one victor could be the recruiting company Hays plc. Though fundamentally British, Hays has weaned itself off heavy dependence on the British market and even if the recruitment game in the UK goes through the horrors, the Hays book is widely spread so as not to damage the bottom line.
Hays is an asset light FTSE 250 company, focused on providing specialist recruitment and human resource services for clients and candidates.
It provides permanent and temporary employment for professional and technical staff. It operates in 33 countries, including Ireland, with 250 offices, concentrating on 20 specialist sectors. Last year, Hays received an enormous 10 million CVs; placed 67,000 in permanent jobs and 220,000 in temporary assignments. All in all it has 9,000 employees and is valued at 2bn (2.24bn).
Like many large international corporations, Hays has been through many guises in its long existence. In the 19th century, it was a wharf and warehouse operation called Hays Wharf. Over time it developed a significant property business, which became attractive enough for the fabulously wealthy Kuwait Investment Office to buy out the company on the strength of its property portfolio.
In 1987, Hays purchased a recruitment business called Career Care and within a few years it offloaded all of the other businesses to focus on recruitment. Now its big focus is on hiring staff for the IT sector as well as for accounting, finance and construction. Hays is also well diversified geographically. While 10 years ago the UK accounted for 80pc of its business, today it is less than one-third. The remaining two-thirds from Europe, USA and Asia-Pacific.
Last year, the group saw strong growth in Europe with double-digit growth in Germany, France, Spain and the USA. This softened the slowdown in the UK and Asia-Pacific.
Turnover for 2016 is 4.3bn, the highest in the last five years. Global net fees rose 7pc to 810m and operating profits were 180m and are projected to be 250m by 2018. Pre-tax profits were also up to 173m.
Investors should be pleased that the company has paid down all its debt and are now hoping for a special dividend.
After the Brexit referendum, Hays shares fell by almost one-third to 90pence; since then they have bounced back to 1.38, but are still off its yearly high of 1.50. The company trades at 15 times historic earnings and dividends are well covered.
Analysts have been looking carefully at Hays because of all the political fuss and commotion and have concluded that profit margins next year at recruitment companies might decline as the employment sector moves into a cyclical downturn.
However, the Hays exposure across many countries and many sectors could offer some resistance to the cyclical trend. The company also has low capital requirements; it is highly cash generative and expects a positive cash balance next year.
Meanwhile, the dividend is safe and it expects full-year profits to beat expectations.
Finally, if Brexit is bad news, it will be felt mainly in the UK and Ireland and Hays earnings would seem to be well cushioned. Few like Brexit and the secret is to have an earnings base that's as far away from it as possible. Hays shares are worth considering; but we are in uncertain times.
Nothing in this section should be taken as a recommendation, either explicit or implicit, to buy any of the shares mentioned
Members of the Sinn Fein delegation Kathleen Funchion TD, President of Sinn Fein Gerry Adams TD , Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Martin McGuinness during the All-Island Civic Dialogue on Brexit at Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins
A Sinn Fein MEP has insisted the party has "no intention" of changing its policy of abstaining from Westminster - despite the North's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness signalling a possible review.
Sinn Fein's long-held policy of its MPs not taking their seats in Westminster has come under enormous scrutiny.
Expand Close Lynn Boylan has rejected Mr McGuinnesss kite-flying. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins / Facebook
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Whatsapp Lynn Boylan has rejected Mr McGuinnesss kite-flying. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins
Last week's ruling by London's High Court means the UK parliament must ratify the decision to leave the EU.
Questioned about the ruling on Friday, Mr McGuinness refused to rule out a change of policy, saying "who knows where all of this could end up?"
But Mr McGuinness's own party colleague, Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan, has now completed ruled out such a scenario.
"Sinn Fein's abstentionist policy regarding Westminster is based on our republican politics," Ms Boylan said.
"We put that proposition to the people in the North during elections and people vote for us with that position included in our policy manifesto.
"Sinn Fein MPs will not be taking seats in Westminster as they stood on that clear abstentionist platform and they are therefore mandated by our voters not to attend. We have no intention of reviewing that position."
Fine Gael MEP Brian Hayes said Sinn Fein "cannot have its cake and eat it".
"How can Irish voters, especially those who voted to remain, have their voice heard and defended when Sinn Fein choose not to show up?
"Running away at this time when our interest, both North and South, is so connected to what happens in the UK represents a complete betrayal to Irish voters," Mr Hayes told the Irish Independent.
"Sinn Fein would be better advised to get over themselves and realise that their voice at Westminster, especially when working with others such as the SNP, could actually help Ireland deal with Brexit."
Ms Boylan said Mr Hayes "doesn't understand the concept of a democratic mandate".
Bord Bia Amsterdam is driving Irish beef sales in the Netherlands by exploiting the Dutch appetite for stews during the harsh winter months and is encouraging them to explore Ierse stoofpotjes (Irish Stew) with recipes and cooking tips on a unique website - irishbeef.nl - as well as with digital and in-store promotions.
The Dutch market provides a solid consumer base for 80% of Ireland`s forequarter beef exports, in addition to being our fourth largest beef market overall.
Exports to the Netherlands for the first six months of 2016 amounted to over 27,000 tonnes valued in excess of 120 million, a 5% rise in volume compared to the same period in 2015. Over 65% of this product is made up of forequarters and visual lean meat.
Irish beef is sold as a premium product in the major retail outlets and the environmentally aware Dutch consumer recognises the efforts of the Irish producers and processors in meeting the animal welfare and sustainability targets of our Beef Quality Assurance Scheme and Origin Green programme.
The current consumer campaign Irish Stew worth the wait! launched recently with radio, print and digital advertising on food and lifestyle sites, to be followed by further advertising in December including in-store brochures of Dutch supermarket groups.
An on-pack promotion is currently underway, and a social media competition will run next week for followers of Irish Beef in the Netherlands.
The prize is a Chef Masterclass organised by Bord Bia where a top chef will show how to prepare various stews with Irish beef and a butcher will advise on how to buy the right Irish beef cuts in the supermarket.
The Irishbeef.nl site provides instruction videos on how to prepare Irish beef in a stew. Visitors to the site are also shown how the cattle are reared and cookery tips from well -respected chefs.
Mr Lyons was fined a total of 3,500 and given a 2 month prison sentence
A farmer in Northern Ireland has been handed a suspended sentence and hit with a fine of almost 4,000 for water pollution offences.
Mr John Lyons of Ballyrashane Road, Coleraine, Co. Derry, on Friday last convicted at Coleraine Magistrates Court.
Former Farming Independent editor Declan O'Brien won best print feature article at the Guild of Agricultural Journalists biennial awards and black tie dinner in Dublins Castleknock Hotel and Country Club recently.
The judges commended the category O'Brien's article, Cowtown revisited, as a well researched and well written account of a landmark institution, the Dublin cattle market, which reminded people of its importance not only to the beef trade but also to the life and economy of the city centre.
Supported by FBD Insurance, the awards aim to encourage excellence in the coverage by media of farming, food and rural life on the island of Ireland.
'Big Week on the Farm, an Independent Pictures production, broadcast live over five nights by RTE television during April 2016, was the overall winner of the Agricultural Journalism Awards for 2016.
John Cummins, Independent Pictures, collected the coveted Bull prize, a once-off John Behan sculpture commissioned in the 1960s by the Irish Dairy Board (now Ornua), which was donated to the Guild of Agricultural Journalism for the awards.
The judging panel, Chaired by Alan Dukes, commended Big Week on the Farm, as a top-class portrayal of farming life, throbbing with the energy of live television, interspersed with colourful scenes and high levels of practical involvement that made educational and entertaining viewing. And all of this was exemplified by the enthusiasm and personality of the host farmer, John Fagan.
Speaking at the Awards Ceremony Oonagh OMahony, Chair of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists (IFP Media) said that the biennial Agricultural Journalism Awards are a special occasion for the agri-media.
The agri-food industry has an important place in the country's economic and social fabric, which we, as an industry are committed to covering, said Ms. OMahony. These awards honour the hard work and dedication of our peers to delivering quality reporting; and are an opportunity for us to celebrate excellence in a specialist market.
She congratulated all those who made the shortlist for the Agricultural Journalism Awards.
In particular I wish to congratulate the winners of The Bull. Big Week on the Farm took the nation by storm this year. It was a tremendous endeavour and is a very deserving recipient.
The Department of Agriculture has to date approved over 1,100 discussion groups under the new Knowledge Transfer programme.
The Knowledge Transfer Programme is included in Ireland's Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020.
According to the Department, while the RDP envisages the training of 27,000 farmers over the period to 2020, no specific target was set in relation to the number of groups to be formed.
It says to date 20,252 farmer applications have now been registered for the scheme.
Applications to Knowledge Transfer Scheme
Beef - 10,072
Dairy - 4,258
Sheep - 4,310
Tillage - 885
Poultry - 248
Equine - 479
According to latest Department of Agriculture figures to date, 1,112 Knowledge Transfer Groups have been approved with a small number deemed ineligible.
Staff in the Department are currently liaising with facilitators to finalise outstanding groups and to process a number of query and appeal cases.
Groups will run for a 3 year period from June, 2016. In common with other measures under the RDP, monitoring of targets and associated budgets is ongoing over the life of the Programme, in conjunction with the annual estimates process.
The deadline for registration was extended to July 14 in order to allow further time for facilitators to finalise arrangements for their groups.
With the strengthening of euro against sterling in recent months there has been an increase in the proportion of Northern Ireland origin lambs exported to Republic of Ireland for direct slaughter.
Exports during the six weeks ending 29 October 2016 totalled 48,798 head, accounting for 44pc of total lamb output from Northern producers.
Pre-tax profits at the main Northern Ireland and UK arm of Dunnes Stores last year surged 17pc.
The firm sustained the increase in profits in spite of revenues decreasing by 7pc from 136.9m (153.84) to 127.56m in the 12 months to the end of January last, according to accounts just lodged by Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Ltd to Companies House in the UK.
Pre-tax profits hit 13.19m (14.8m).
The accounts offer the only insight into the finances of the family-owned business as Dunnes Stores has unlimited status in the Republic and is not required to file annual accounts to the Companies Office.
Revenues at the firm in 2012 had totalled 157m and the dip in revenues at the company since then comes against the background of reports last year that Dunnes was planning a major UK expansion, eyeing the opening of up to 40 new stores.
The figures show the firm paid dividends of 310,000 last year to Irish-based parent company Dunnes Stores (Henry Street) and this followed a dividend payout of 760,000 in the prior year.
The Newry-registered firm's revenues are generated in the UK and Northern Ireland, with Dunnes Stores operating 29 stores in the UK and the North, broken down between 20 in Northern Ireland and nine in England and Scotland.
Numbers employed by the UK arm last year reduced by 118 to 1,474 and across the group, Dunnes Stores employs around 14,000 people in total in Ireland and the UK. Staff costs at the Northern-Ireland based company last year increased from 17.42m to 18.47m.
Dunnes is one of the largest employers in Ireland, operating 116 stores here and the group has annual estimated revenues of 2.5bn.
Dunnes Stores' fortunes in the Republic are on the rise with the latest Kantar Worldpanel recording that the retailer increased its sales by 6.2pc to a market share of 22pc, to rise to second position overall in the most recent three month period.
Recently, Dunnes awarded its workforce a fresh 3pc pay increase, making it a cumulative 12pc pay increase in the last four years.
The directors of the Northern Ireland firm, Frank Dunne and Margaret Heffernan, are the driving forces behind the Dunnes Stores success story of the modern era.
Tax The first Dunnes Stores was opened by company founder, the late Ben Dunne, on Cork's Patrick Street in 1944.
The accounts for the firm show its operating profits increased by 13.5pc from 10.5m to 11.9m.
The firm's profits were boosted last year by 1.2m in interest receivable and other income of 4.4m.
Last year, the company paid corporation tax of 3m.
'We would be a laughing stock if this was lost at this stage Galway would be and Ireland would be nationally and internationally.' Photo: Andrew Downes
A government junior minister said that Ireland would be "a laughing stock" if the green light was not given to develop an 850m Apple data centre in Co Galway.
More than 2,000 people staged a march in Athenry yesterday to support the development.
Sean Kyne, Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs, said there was cross-party support and the majority of local people were also behind it.
"We would be a laughing stock if this was lost at this stage - Galway would be and Ireland would be nationally and internationally," he said.
Local residents were joined by people from Galway city and surrounding towns in a show of support for the development on lands owned by Coillte at Derrydonnell.
An Bord Pleanala turned down an appeal against the plan to build eight data centres on the 500-acre site, giving the green light to the scheme. However, two locals along with a Wicklow landowner have since applied to the High Court for a judicial review on environmental grounds.
Fine Gael Councillor Peter Feeney said there was a danger an impression would form that there was widespread objection to the building of the facility.
"That is not the case and the vast majority of people in the area are whole-heartedly behind this," he said.
"For the last year I have been working in Dublin, travelling up Monday and coming down on Friday because there is no high-end IT work in Galway," said David Johnston, an IT worker and father-of-four who lives in nearby Craughwell.
Supermarket owner Pat Joyce said: "It's very important for Athenry and the greater community that Apple get the go-ahead."
The report claims ISIF is investing in more carbon efficient stocks relative to peers, but also tends to invest more overall in high carbon sectors.
The State-backed Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF)would have made around 22m more than it did at the end of last year had it sold off its fossil fuel stocks and invested in clean energy, a report has claimed.
The paper, commissioned by Trocaire, argues retaining fossil fuel investments cost ISIF around 100m in the past three years.
Trocaire is due to present the report, which was carried out by Canadian-based research firm Corporate Knights, to TDs in the coming days.
The report claims ISIF is investing in more carbon efficient stocks relative to peers, but also tends to invest more overall in high carbon sectors.
"The ISIF had investments in about 50pc more 'green' companies than the MSCI ACWI (Morgan Stanley Capital International All Country World Index) benchmark," the report states. "It also appears to tend to pick more carbon efficient stocks particularly in the utility sector, demonstrating awareness around climate change.
"However, the ISIF has higher than average exposure to high carbon sectors.
"It has investments in 50pc more fossil fuel companies and has a 50pc higher carbon footprint than the MSCI ACWI benchmark."
The paper claims that had ISIF sold its fossil fuel stocks at the start of last year in favour of clean energy shares, it is estimated ISIF would have accumulated 22m more at the end of 2015, while lowering the portfolio's carbon footprint by 48pc.
"It is estimated that retaining fossil fuel investments cost the ISIF 100m over the past three years," the report notes.
"Unwinding existing fossil fuel investments in favour of increasing investments in green companies would further align the ISIF with Ireland's sustainability objectives."
In a submission to the Public Accounts Committee in September, ISIF, the successor to the National Pension Reserve Fund (NPRF), said it commits to a review of its carbon exposure .
"As a sovereign fund the ISIF aims to invest in a manner that is aligned with government policy and as a responsible investor the fund is focused on Ireland's commitments across a variety of policy initiatives."
An ISIF spokesman told the Irish Independent its holdings in fossil fuel companies are legacy investments from the NPRF and are being reduced on a phased basis.
"The ISIF's energy allocation of 800m includes a significant element of renewables investment as the fund is committed to investing in the energy sector in a manner that is consistent with the State's commitment to make the transition to a low carbon, climate resilient and sustainable economy," he said.
Ryanair has raised its long-term forecast for passenger numbers by 10pc, and now expects to carry 200 million people a year by 2024.
By the end of 2016, for the first time, Ryanair will operate to a majority of primary (105) rather than secondary (95) airports, the company said this morning.
It is muscling its way into main airports in the likes of Frankfurt and Milan and Brussels as competitors close bases and routes, the airline said.
Ryanair is already Europes reckons biggest, and reckons it will secure a market share of more than 20pc in Europe's short-haul market as rivals struggle.
Ryanair, reported a 7pc increase in first half profits to 1,168m published this morning, on the back of 12pc traffic growth to 65m customers.
Pressure in the sector is now intense, average fares fell 10pc to 50 in the first half, and three weeks ago Ryanair cut its profit forecast for the year by 5 percent due to sterling weakness and competition.
The company still plans to return 550 million to shareholders by February in a share buyback, it said today.
Women have always been avid readers of crime and mystery, and in the Golden Age of detective fiction the field was dominated by female authors such as Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham and Dorothy L Sayers.
The contemporary crime scene is equally rich in quality, and there too, women are increasingly in the ascendancy. That's reflected in the shortlist for the Books Are My Bag Crime Fiction Book of the Year, a prize available to any writer who is Irish, either by birth, citizenship or long-term residency who has also published an original crime novel in the last 12 months.
For the second year in a row, only one male author has made it on to the six-title shortlist. That man is William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier.
His book also happens to be the only historical novel on the list, being set in the dying days of World War II, as Paul Brandt returns from the Eastern Front to his village in Germany to find that it's now home to a concentration camp.
He takes a job there in the hope of saving one of the female prisoners, a woman with whom he fell in love years earlier and for whose arrest he blames himself.
This is the third time that Ryan has made the shortlist, having previously received recognition for entries in his ongoing series featuring Captain Alexei Dimitrevich Korolev of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Stalinist era Moscow Militia; but if he does win, The Constant Soldier may prove controversial, because, whilst Ryan is certainly a crime novelist of distinction, there is an argument over whether his latest book is, strictly speaking, a crime novel. Either way, it's an intense, gripping, emotionally charged read.
The other books on the shortlist fit much more comfortably into the crime category. Two come from debut authors. In Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard, a struggling writer finally on the verge of making it big tries to discover what happened to his girlfriend, who has disappeared whilst on a cruise in the Mediterranean, and soon discovers that another woman went missing in similar circumstances a year earlier. In a crowded field, this debut really stood out for its genuinely original premise which explored to great effect the policing and jurisdictional nightmares that can arise when a crime is committed in international waters.
The other debut is by Sam Blake - pseudonym of Vanessa Fox O'Loughlin, literary consultant extraordinaire and founder of writing.ie, the hugely popular and influential online books magazine.
Little Bones is the first in a new series featuring Detective Garda Cathy Connolly, who, at the scene of a routine break-in, discovers the bones of the title sewn inside an old wedding dress. They belong to a baby, but the owner of the house, an upcoming artist, has no idea how they got there.
Connolly, for whom the word "gutsy" might have been invented, is a terrific character, but what's more remarkable is that she has to share the narrative with two other equally intriguing women.
How these three stories tie together makes for a compelling debut; the author keeps her complex storyline going all the way to its incredible ending.
Alex Barclay's latest release The Drowning Child - the sixth in the West Cork-based author's disturbingly dark series about FBI special agent Ren Bryce - has also made it on to the Books Are My Bag crime novel of the year shortlist.
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This time, Ren and her team are sent from their base in Denver to the back roads of Oregon, where a 12-year-old boy has gone missing. Surprise, surprise, it turns out that small town America has some big secrets it wants to keep hidden.
No such luck when Bryce is around. Her head may be "a little all over the place", as she admits with considerable understatement at one point, but this is a woman who doesn't know the meaning of giving up.
Lying In Wait by Liz Nugent is the follow- up to her breakthrough psychological thriller, Unravelling Oliver, which won this prestigious prize two years ago.
That was a hard act to follow, but readers of Nugent's second novel knew they were in safe hands from the very first sentence: "My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it." This is an author who specialises in portraying damaged people with few redeeming features.
Crime readers are used to plots that twist, but Nugent gives them characters every bit as twisted.
Finally, there's The Trespasser by Tana French, also the sixth in an ongoing series about the Dublin Murder Squad, though, unusually, each instalment centres on a character who played a minor role in a previous book.This time it's Detective Antoinette Conway, here investigating the death of a woman whose body was found in her home.
It looks like her boyfriend has killed her, but, as the only woman in a male-dominated team, Conway can't help being paranoid that there's something suspicious in her colleagues' eagerness for her to arrest the prime suspect and close the case. She's also sure she knows the victim from somewhere, but where?
The reader can't really be sure whether the policewoman's paranoia is justified, because everything that happens is seen through her eyes, and she distrusts everyone anyway. That uncertainty adds tension to a long, involving, richly structured book.
Now all that's left is to pick a winner. Readers can vote online at www.bgeirishbookawards.ie for their favourite title until midnight on November 11, days before the winner is announced at the Bord Gais Energy Irish Books Awards in Dublin.
The remains of Kitty and Tom Fitzgerald are carried from the Church of the holy family in Irishtown, Co. Mayo after their funeral mass. Photo: Damien Eagers
A community where a pensioner killed his wife and left his son critically injured before taking his own life will never be the same again, the family priest said today.
Fr Martin OConnor was speaking at the double funerals of Tom Fitzgerald (75) and his wife Kitty at the Church of the Holy Family and St Oliver in Irishtown, Co Mayo this afternoon.
The couples son Paul (37) is being treated for his injuries at Dublins Beaumont Hospital.
All three were found at their rural cottage outside Irishtown last Tuesday.
Expand Close Main: A hearse drives up a sealed-off road towards the Fitzgeralds home in Knockadoon, Co Mayo. Photo: Steve Humphreys; Insets: Tom Fitzgerald and his wife Kitty / Facebook
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Whatsapp Main: A hearse drives up a sealed-off road towards the Fitzgeralds home in Knockadoon, Co Mayo. Photo: Steve Humphreys; Insets: Tom Fitzgerald and his wife Kitty
Gardai investigating the murder-suicide incident joined hundreds of mourners for todays funeral, with many sitting and standing outside the chapel.
A silence fell across this parish on Tuesday last, the Feast of All Saints, when news spread of the tragic events in Fitzgeralds home in Knockadoon, said Fr OConner who con-celebrated the Requiem Mass with eight other priests, all friends of the couple.
On hearing the news everything changed, nothing I expect will ever be quite the same again. Many felt a knot in their stomach including myself, as we try to digest the sad news our friends Kitty and Tom were dead and Paul critically injured.
It was one of those moments in life when we remember exactly where we were when we heard it. So the news left us speechless and empty like orphans looking for a hand to hold or a voice to tell us all will be well.
Expand Close Flowers left by relatives at the sealed off road in Knockadoon outside Tom and Kitty Fitzgerald's home. Pic Steve Humphreys / Facebook
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Whatsapp Flowers left by relatives at the sealed off road in Knockadoon outside Tom and Kitty Fitzgerald's home. Pic Steve Humphreys
Fr OConnor said the deaths of Kitty and Tom was a shattering experience for you their family and the wider community.
The circumstances and nature of their going seems to empty the future of happiness and meaning, said the parish priest.
No wonder we fell silent and I think it is very appropriate today, prayer moves into that silence. It is all we have left to do and say.
Fr OConnor said the tragic nature of their deaths might lead us to forget the gift they were to you their family and to us their friends - the goodness of their lives and the contribution they made to our Parish community.
He added: We all have special memories of Kitty and Tom, these memories are the bridge between earth and heaven, memories that will continue to connect us to them into the future.
Memories of their love, generosity and wholesomeness. It is these memories we need to turn to so that you their family, and we their community, can pick up the shattered pieces of this past week and make something good and holy out of them.
Our tribute to them will be, with the help of God, to draw consolation and hope from the good we witnessed in their lives and reflect it in our own life.
Prayers were said for the recovery of Paul from his injuries.
Relatives from the USA and England led prayers for the family.
The couple were being laid to rest side-by-side in the village cemetery, a few hundred metres from the church where Kitty had sung in the choir.
Gangland figure 'Fat' Freddie Thompson will appear in court this morning charged in relation to the feud murder of David 'Daithi' Douglas.
The gun victim was shot dead outside his wife's shop on July 1 this year by a two-man hit team.
Thompson (35) will formally be charged with murder in Dublin District Court at 10.30am today in relation to the killing.
An extensive investigation carried out by detectives at Kevin Street Garda Station and the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) led to sufficient evidence being gathered to bring a charge on the direction of the DPP.
It is understood that Thompson was captured on CCTV near the scene of the killing and had a direct involvement, but it is not believed that the Kinahan associate was the triggerman.
Gardai also seized a number of mobile phones as part of their investigation, which they believe were used by people involved in the shooting before and after the murder. Thompson was arrested on Tuesday afternoon in north County Dublin and was questioned under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act at Kilmainham garda station - where he was cautioned on Saturday evening.
David Douglas (55), a father-of-one, was shot six times outside the Shoestown shop which is run by his wife.
A former solicitor who was 6.5 million in debt stole 260,000 from her clients after she made a series of catastrophic investments during the property boom, a court has heard.
Jacqueline Durcan (47) previously from Co Mayo but with an address in Rue Laubespin, Brussels, Belgium, pleaded guilty to one count of stealing 260,000 between February 21, 2008 and January 27, 2011.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard today, that Durcan, a mother-of-five, was running the family business, Durcan Solicitors in Castlebar, Co Mayo, at the time of the offence. She had taken over the practice, which was set up by her grandfather, from her father after he had a stroke, the court heard.
Garda Noel Brown told Sean Gillane SC, prosecuting, that between 2008 and 2011, Durcan made five withdrawals of sums of up to 100,000 from mixed client deposit accounts.
The court heard Durcan and her husband owed 6.5 million to the banks at the time. Some of the money was spent on office expenditure and professional indemnity insurance, Gda Brown said. However, in September 2010, Durcan used 51,500 of the money to pay for the purchase of her own home, the court heard.
Upon hearing her practice was due to be audited in early 2011, Durcan contacted the Law Society and told them there would be a deficit in the accounts. The garda bureau of fraud investigation was informed in 2013 and Durcan was interviewed by gardai in 2014.
The court heard it was extremely difficult to ascertain which clients had money stolen from them, as the funds were taken from mixed accounts. In 2014, the Law Society paid out 206,184 in compensation claims, which Durcan has since repaid.
Durcan was struck off in 2011 and moved to Belgium with her family, where she now teaches English as a foreign language. She has no previous convictions.
Defence barrister, Patrick Gageby SC, said his client and her husband were in the difficult position of owing 6.5 million to the banks at the time of the offence.
This young couple overreached themselves during the property bubble, he said. They made a series a ventures which brought catastrophic circumstances on themselves and their family.
The couple now live in egregious financial circumstances in Belgium and struggle to support themselves and their five young children who are all aged under 14, Mr Gageby said.
This is not a case in which anybody set out to enrich themselves, he said. It's not a case where she set out to defraud her clients.
The thefts took place at a time when Durcan had a young family and was trying to run a practise with two full-time and four part-time workers, Mr Gageby added.
He said Durcan was extremely remorseful and has had to close the family practice that was at the forefront of Mayo legal circles for 90 years.
My client is aware of what she has brought on herself and her husband and her family, Mr Gageby said, adding Durcan's mother was in court to support her. She was extremely unlikely to re-offend, he added.
Judge Melanie Greally said she would need some time to consider sentence. She adjourned the matter to November 21.
Mick Wallace TD leaving a High Court Bankruptcy Court following an application which was heard to have Mick Wallace adjudicated a bankrupt. Photo: Steve Humphreys
US vulture fund Cerberus has petitioned the High Court to adjudicate TD Mick Wallace bankrupt.
The petition comes ten months after the fund secured a 2m judgment against the Wexford politician arising out of debts it bought from Ulster Bank.
The application was made this morning to Ms Justice Caroline Costello by barrister Eddie Farrelly, representing Cerberuss Irish subsidiary Promontoria (Aran) Ltd.
The proceedings were adjourned until December 5 following an application from Mr Wallace's barrister Keith Farry.
Mr Wallace was present in court for the application. Wearing blue jeans and a dark blue shirt, he stood at the back of the courtroom as he waited for the application to be made.
"I'll deal with it the best I can. Life is too short to be worrying," said Mr Wallace after the brief hearing.
He was accompanied by David Hall, chief executive of the Irish Mortgage Holders Organisation.
The Independents4Change TD has been a vociferous critic of the 1.6bn deal under which Cerberus bought Namas Northern Ireland loan portfolio, Project Eagle, in 2014.
He has consistently questioned the sale price and raised concerns about alleged kickback payments. Cerberus has denied any wrongdoing.
Even if he is adjudicated a bankrupt Mr Wallace will be able to hold onto his Dail seat.
A change in the law two years ago removed the prohibition on bankrupts being members of the Dail.
Last January, Mr Justice Brian McGovern ruled that Promontoria (Aran) Ltd was entitled to summary judgment after finding Mr Wallace had raised no arguable defence to the claim.
He entered judgment for 2m, the maximum amount of Mr Wallace's liability under his guarantee of the debt of his construction company, M & J Wallace Ltd, and also awarded costs against Mr Wallace.
The judge granted a stay for three months on execution of the judgment order at the time.
Mr Wallace has been one of the fiercest critics of Cerberus's purchase of Project Eagle.
Claims of political kickbacks on the margins of that purchase are being investigated by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) and the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Mr Wallace used Dail privilege to reveal around Stg7m linked to the deal had been deposited in an account in the Isle of Man. He alleged this was intended for a Northern Ireland politician or political party.
A former Nama official and a former Nama advisor have both been questioned by the NCA as part of its investigation.
Mr Wallace also spoke out in opposition to the sale of another Nama asset portfolio, known as Project Arrow, to Cerberus for around 800m, calling on Finance Minister Michael Noonan to suspend the sale until the NCA investigation was complete.
Earlier this year the TD set up a website called namaleaks.com, seeking to uncover possible injustice and poor practice related to Nama and financial institutions in Ireland.
He said last week that the website had received information about events in the North before 2013 relating to the sale and planned to outline details in the Dail.
A report by the Comptroller & Auditor General Seamus McCarthy found Nama made a probable loss of around 220m on the sale, a finding rejected by Nama.
Todays application is the latest in a series of financial setbacks for the TD, who also had a judgment for 19.1m registered against him and M&J Wallace Ltd by ACC in 2011.
The company was placed in receivership by ACC in May 2011.
Its assets included the Italian Quarter on Ormond Quay in Dublin and the Behan Square apartment complex on Russell Street near Croke Park.
The ACC debts arose out of five loans granted to M&J Wallace Ltd between 2004 and 2008, for which personal guarantees were given by Mr Wallace.
The construction firm also made a 2.1m settlement with the Revenue Commissioners in 2012, arising out of a failure to make full tax returns on apartment sales over a two-year period.
Gardai at Robinsons Court, where Mr Rodgers was found in his hallway. Photo: Mark Condren
A disabled Dublin man stabbed in his city home was left bleeding to death in his hallway, according to a witness who ran to his aid.
The victim of the attack, named locally as Tony Rodgers, who was in his 60s, was attacked in his home in Robinson's Court, off Cork Street in the capital yesterday.
Gardai say the attack happened at around 2.30pm in the small, secluded estate populated mainly by elderly people.
A source said they do not believe the attack was random and that Mr Rodgers may have been deliberately targeted.
"It would appear the victim was deliberately targeted and gardai will have to investigate if there is anything from his past or more recently that would make him vulnerable to such an attack," said one source.
Gardai said they are following a line of inquiry in relation to the murder.
One of the first on the scene was local man David McGuinness.
"I got a panicked phone call from a friend who was shouting 'it's Tony, he's in a bad way', and so I ran down the stairs and into his hall," Mr McGuinness said.
He said Mr Rogers was in a wheelchair after having a leg amputated because he suffered from diabetes.
"The blood was pumping out of him. He was barely conscious. It was very traumatic," said Mr McGuinness. "He was there in the hall, lying on his side. I tried to help him. I got down beside him, but he couldn't speak.
"I've lived here around two years, and he was here all that time. I don't know why anyone would want to kill him."
An ambulance was called and Mr Rogers was rushed to St James's Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
A Garda spokesman said that at approximately 2.30pm, officers were alerted that a male in his 60s had received serious stab wounds in the complex.
"The scene was preserved for a technical examination and the offices of the State Pathologist have been notified," he said.
The Garda Technical Bureau carried out a forensic examination at the scene as light faded yesterday evening.
Neighbours in the quiet cul-de-sac said they were shocked at Mr Rodgers''s violent death.
"He was a lovely man. A quiet man. I can't believe what I'm hearing," said Sarah Cullen, who lived a few doors away from Mr Rogers. "It's too awful."
Gardai at Kevin Street in Dublin are appealing to witnesses who may have been in the Robinson's Court area yesterday afternoon to contact them at the incident room on 01 666 9400, the Garda confidential telephone line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station. This is the second murder to happen in the complex, which mainly provides accommodation for the elderly.
In August 2006, Vincent Plunkett (80) was found with his throat cut in a ground-floor flat at the same complex. He was discovered by a home help who called to the apartment.
A post mortem found the pensioner suffered a violent death. Gerard Cullen Brady, then 22 and originally of Clondalkin, was later charged with the murder. He was later found dead in his prison cell while serving a 15-month sentence for theft.
With no sign of a breakthrough in the row involving the 17,500-strong ASTI, parents and students in about 400 schools have no idea when schools will reopen. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
About 200,000 teenage pupils are locked out of school indefinitely from today as the teachers' pay dispute brings the second-level education system to its knees.
With no sign of a breakthrough in the row involving the 17,500-strong Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), parents and students in about 400 schools have no idea when schools will reopen.
Expand Close Mr Bruton said he was 'very disappointed' that ASTI has decided to proceed with its action. Photo: Tom Burke / Facebook
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Whatsapp Mr Bruton said he was 'very disappointed' that ASTI has decided to proceed with its action. Photo: Tom Burke
At the moment, there is nothing to suggest that the schools will be in a position to reopen before the end of this week.
The closure of more than half of second-level schools, on health and safety grounds, arises from the refusal of the ASTI to continue doing supervision and substitution work.
Confusion will be compounded tomorrow when even more second-level schools - about 500 - will be shut by a separate one-day strike by the ASTI.
As well as disrupting students' education, activities such as sporting fixtures and rehearsals for school musicals, which take teachers' away from the classroom, are being cancelled.
The closures and uncertainty is also causing major headaches for working parents, who have to make alternative arrangements for their children's care.
Today's action went ahead after talks between senior Education Department officials and ASTI leaders ended last night, with no progress reported.
Education Minister Richard Bruton accused ASTI of closing "hundreds of schools indefinitely, as a result of a dispute, which essentially relates to one hour a week of additional duties".
The ASTI move to embark on two separate forms of action has caused confusion. Tomorrow's one-day stoppage is linked to a demand for pay equality for new entrant teachers.
The withdrawal from supervision and substitution arises from the union's rejection of the Lansdowne Road Agreement (LRA) and a consequent decision to stop working the 33 Croke Park hours. ASTI members are alone among public service workers in not continuing to do this extra productivity which, in the case of teachers, amounts to one hour a week.
Because of this, ASTI members are not getting the benefits of the LRA, including payment for supervision and substitution, which triggered the union's move to withdraw from these duties from today.
Mr Bruton said he was "very disappointed" that ASTI has decided to proceed with its action, which would "cause huge disruption for 200,000 students, and their parents, with particular stress caused for those in exam years".
Government sources draw a distinction between the dispute involving gardai and the ASTI, as the teachers' union is the only group trying to negotiate a better deal having repudiated the LRA, by not working the Croke Park hours.
However, ASTI hardliners may feel bolstered by the concessions won by gardai last week. Schools in the voluntary secondary sector - generally those traditionally run by the religious - are most affected by today's action, with almost 370 of the 380 schools closing.
John Curtis the general secretary of the Joint Managerial Body (JMB), which represents school management in that sector, expressed concern that the "unsettling period of industrial action is taking its toll on students and on families".
Eileen Salmon, general secretary of the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools (ACCS), said it was "very unfortunate that we are in a situation where schools are closing on account of the Croke Park hours, which amount to an hour a week of professional and planning time. It seems to be an extreme reaction".
Of the 97 community and comprehensive schools, 25 are closing today, five are opening on a partial basis with about 60 opening fully. Most schools in the education and training boards sector are unaffected, although some will close and some open on a partial basis.
The ASTI has told its members to turn up for work today and, if the school is closed, to remain until the end of the first class period.
Where schools are forced to close, ASTI members will not be paid. If a school manages to stay open, members will be paid, even without doing supervision and substitution work.
The employers' organisation Ibec acknowledged the difficulties facing parents whose children are locked out of school and said both parties needed to consider all options.
Hundreds of teachers across the capital were locked out of their schools as industrial relations within the education sector came to a head.
Teachers who are members of the ASTI union withdrew from working supervision and substitution hours - amounting to one hour per week - with a number of schools in Ireland now closed for health and safety reasons.
The union rejected the Landsdowne Road agreement, and because of this are not getting paid for supervision and substitution.
Despite the schools closing, teachers turned up in time for class and stayed for the duration of the first class outside of the school grounds.
English and special needs teacher at Colaiste Choilm boys school in Swords, Sinead Farrell said teachers are "disheartened" having turned up to teach.
"We're ready to work and the gates aren't open so it's essentially a lock out," she said.
Well I'm in, like all my colleagues, reporting for our teaching duties as normal but no students present @astiunion @A_Fightback pic.twitter.com/gAjVrE9RLm PresWex English (@PresWexEng) November 7, 2016
Staff at Colaiste Mhichil CBS Sexton Street Limerick available to work, no students, locked out#Asti #Limerick @astiunion @RichardbrutonTD pic.twitter.com/cHYxBuEzHi Julie McCarthy (@JulieMc64010519) November 7, 2016
"Teachers don't want to be standing outside their school with a lock on their gate but this is what we are reduced to now, this is what we have to do," she added.
Her colleague, Joan Parsons - an English and religion teacher - said "we'd all rather be inside".
"Every single one of us would rather be in school than standing out here," she said.
"There's a full compliment of staff, we've 21 classes at any given time so there's at least 21 teachers here," she added.
As many as 10 students arrived outside the school only to be turned away because it was closed.
Meanwhile, up the road at Loreto College, Deirdre Scully, who teaches English, Drama and has been a teacher there for 30 years, said her colleagues are "very unhappy" at the situation.
"We're not outside the door today over one hour at all, we've been locked out," she said.
"Tomorrow there will be a picket - it's about equal pay for equal work," she added.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has taken a swipe at industrial action by teachers from the ASTI saying it "doesn't help" as the country tries to respond to Brexit.
He said that while Ireland is in "a position of some strength" the country "cannot be in anyway complacent about this."
Mr Kenny made the remarks at an Irish Times conference on Brexit this morning.
Minister for Education Richard Bruton told Newstalk Breakfast that the dispute is "absolutely unnecessary".
"The cause of the dispute is the withdrawal unilaterally of the ASTI of working one hour per week over the 33 weeks and that they work on activities that facilitate parents and children," he said.
"It is extraordinary that the union would close the schools indefinitely over their refusal to work those hours. Every other public servants works such hours - indeed they work many more hours.
"The disruption that is occurring for children, especially at this time when people are concentrating on exam preparation and trying to make their final choices after their mid term break, it is particularly disruptive."
Minister Bruton said that the impact on children is "devastating" and the notion of closing the schools is disproportionate.
"We made very effort to facilitate the schools staying open but the ASTI decided that they would not allow the principals to operate with the deployment of alternative staff."
When will the schools re-open?
At the moment, there is nothing to suggest that the schools will be in a position to reopen before the end of this week.
The closure of more than half of second-level schools, on health and safety grounds, arises from the refusal of the ASTI to continue doing supervision and substitution work.
Read More
What will happen when the schools close?
As well as disrupting students' education, activities such as sporting fixtures and rehearsals for school musicals, which take teachers' away from the classroom, are being cancelled.
The closures and uncertainty is also causing major headaches for working parents, who have to make alternative arrangements for their children's care.
Why is ASTI striking?
The withdrawal from supervision and substitution arises from the union's rejection of the Lansdowne Road Agreement (LRA) and a consequent decision to stop working the 33 Croke Park hours. ASTI members are alone among public service workers in not continuing to do this extra productivity which, in the case of teachers, amounts to one hour a week.
Because of this, ASTI members are not getting the benefits of the LRA, including payment for supervision and substitution, which triggered the union's move to withdraw from these duties from today.
Read More
Which school are closed?
Of the 97 community and comprehensive schools, 25 are closing today, five are opening on a partial basis with about 60 opening fully. Most schools in the education and training boards sector are unaffected, although some will close and some open on a partial basis.
The ASTI has told its members to turn up for work today and, if the school is closed, to remain until the end of the first class period.
A JOCKEY at the centre of a 'gang rape' allegation has "denied doing any wrong" and "wants to get his career back on track", according to his family.
Brendan Powell Sr, whose son Brendan Jr (21) was arrested by police in England following an alleged rape of an 18-year-old, said his son denies the accusations.
"All I can say is that I like to think I brought my children up well. He denies doing any wrong and I think when he gets proved innocent he just wants to get his career back on track again, Mr Powell told Independent.ie
"I dont think there is a lot more to be said about it at the moment."
Mr Powell Sr, who is from Ireland, is well-known in horse racing circles and won the Grand National in 1998 as a jockey and is now established as a trainer in the UK.
Meanwhile, his son has been making his name as a jockey in recent years and has been riding professionally since he was 16.
His son was arrested by Wiltshire Police alongside two other men, aged 20, on Saturday following an allegation of rape of an 18 year old woman at a residential address in Chiseldon, Swindon on 3 November.
A statement from the police said the trio have been bailed to return on a date in late December.
The imam of the Galway Mosque said he tried to warn the Dublin Isil fighter who carried out a suicide attack in Iraq that his ideology was wrong.
Dubliner Terry 'Khalid' Kelly was reportedly killed as he carried out the attack near Mosul on Friday.
Terror group Isil claimed that Kelly - also known as Abu Usama Al-Irlandi - killed "dozens" of Iraqi soldiers. However, it has since been confirmed that nobody else was killed when the DIY armoured vehicle rigged with explosives was driven at Iraqi forces.
Kelly, who was radicalised while serving a jail sentence in Saudi Arabia, was previously arrested and questioned by Garda Special Branch officers in 2015 over concerns about a plot to attack Prince Charles during his May 2015 visit to Mullaghmore in Sligo.
Read more: Reported Irish ISIS suicide bomber appeared on the Late Late Show in 2003
The imam of Galway, Ibrahim Noonan, said that he knew Khalid Kelly and met him in London with notorious Islamist extremist Anjem Choudary.
"At that time, I was the national president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association UK, where Khalid was taught this medieval ideology from Shaykh Umar Bukhari and Anjum Choudary. Ironically, we both ended back up in Ireland 2003," said Mr Noonan.
"We met a number of times in Dublin over the years and our last discussion was about four years ago where he was trying to convince me of his medieval interpretation of jihad and how he felt we should be fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I honestly tried to show him that this ideology was wrong and such teachings were not to be found in the Qur'an or the Sunnah of the Prophet (practice).
"I feel sombre at such a waste of a life, an Irish life, who was brainwashed by extremists in UK and Ireland."
In a letter to the Irish Independent, Mr Noonan said that Khalid Kelly "won't be the last Irishman to fight for Isil".
"And as I have said so many times, until all the imams stand up and explicitly say to their congregations in their mosques 'We do not support Isil, radicals or extremists . . . this extremism will continue to seed in Ireland.
"Again, I call on all imams to come out and say we do not support extremism from any part of the Islamic world until they are brave and say this, this won't be the last Irish man who might go and fight alongside Isil," he said.
"But you find Irish Ahmadi Muslim converts, men and women spreading the message of true Islam and the message of peace. When will the media call them to hear voices?"
Condemned
Meanwhile, the imam at a Dublin Mosque on the South Circular Road, Dublin, has condemned the Kelly's actions.
Mr Yahya Al-Hussein said that Kelly had "strong opinions" on religion. "Of course, we disagree with the actions of the Islamic State, and in our view, in our society, bombing or anything like that is prohibited," he told the Irish Independent.
The imam said that Kelly often attended his mosque and took part in services, but that he was often in the UK, where he believed he was involved with extremist factions of Islam.
He believes he was involved with the terrorist organisation Al-Muhajiroun in Britain.
"I didn't know that he was in Iraq, actually, but I thought he might be somewhere in the UK.
"I had no idea he was in Iraq until I heard that [he had died]," he added.
Two men have been arrested in relation to the murder of a 27-year-old man in September 2012.
Gardai in Laois investigating the murder of Gerard Eglington arrested the two men, aged 21 and 34, this morning.
The two men are being detained at Portlaoise Garda station.
Mr Eglington was shot dead in the Kilnacourt Woods housing estate at approximately 8.30am on the morning of September 24.
Gardai have been appealing for witnesses since the incident.
They asked anyone who may have seen unusual or suspicious activity in or around the Kilnacourt Housing estate between 7.30am and 8.30am to contact them.
Gardai said the nature of their investigation into head injuries sustained by an elderly man in Cork will be guided by the findings of a post mortem examination.
The man, in his 60s, died in Cork University Hospital (CUH) a fortnight after he was rushed to hospital following an alleged altercation outside a pub in Kanturk, Co Cork.
The elderly man had sustained serious head injuries in the incident which occurred in the early hours of October 24.
While the man initially appeared to be making a good recovery from his injuries, his condition deteriorated over the past week and he died yesterday.
Gardai have now requested the assistance of Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster.
The findings of the post mortem examination, which will be conducted today, will now dictate the nature of the garda investigation.
Detectives want to determine whether the man's death is directly linked to the injuries he sustained on October 24.
Gardai also want to clarify whether the serious head injury sustained by the man was consistent with hitting his head off the pavement or whether it might have been suffered from a blow.
Statements have been taken from a number of people who were on Kanturk's main street at the time of the incident.
A file on the matter will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The deceased is from the north Cork area and had apparently been socialising in Kanturk when the incident occurred and he suffered serious head injuries.
Junior doctors in the Irish Medical Organisation are the latest group to get a mandate to ballot for industrial action if they fail to secure a return of a 3,182 accommodation allowance. (stock photo)
Hospitals are braced for a chaotic winter of industrial unrest as doctors and nurses embark on campaigns to improve their pay and conditions.
Junior doctors in the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) are the latest group to get a mandate to ballot for industrial action if they fail to secure a return of a 3,182 accommodation allowance. This was removed from medical graduates working since 2012.
The allowance was designed to help support the rent of trainee doctors who must move hospitals every six months.
Talks between the doctors' union and the HSE on the demand for a return of the allowance are due to begin tomorrow following legal action by the IMO.
IMO President Dr John Duddy said that the union's council had given the go ahead to begin a ballot for industrial action if the talks are not successful in the coming weeks.
Around 3,000 junior doctors currently working in the health service who graduated since 2012 would benefit.
It means the HSE may have to find over 6.3m to pay the allowances from its budget next year to stop industrial action up to and including strike by the vital medical staff.
They are also demanding retrospection, which would add another 10m to the bill, but this is unlikely to be paid.
"The pay policy of this Government has led directly to the inability to retain or recruit doctors," said Dr Duddy.
"If you breach contracts and deliberately create a policy that disrespects and devalues doctors they will simply choose to work for countries that value them."
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation also begins two days of deliberation today on pay restoration, staffing levels, working hours and nurse workloads.
It is expected to see a ballot for industrial action that will trigger if hospital beds are not reduced, where there are not enough nurses to staff them.
Irish woman Lynne Cahill (29) was blown away when her local community arranged for her to visit her sick mother in hospital by helicopter on her wedding day.
Lynne was heartbroken when she found out that her sick mother could not attend her wedding in Wexford, as she was ill in St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin.
Expand Close Sean Nolan gives Lynne a kiss. Photo;Mary Browne / Facebook
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Whatsapp Sean Nolan gives Lynne a kiss. Photo;Mary Browne
Padraic Donohoe of Alcast Motor Factors sponsored the trip when local priest Fr Paddy Banville called and told him about Lynne's situation.
"It was absolutely and utterly amazing," Lynne told the Irish Independent.
"It was incredibly emotional. There were a lot of puffy eyes and all the help from the make up-artist to sort that out," Lynne said.
"I just stuck my head around the corner and all hell broke loose.
Expand Close The wedding party and the helicopter. Photo;Mary Browne / Facebook
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Whatsapp The wedding party and the helicopter. Photo;Mary Browne
"We were there for about half an hour and we got some photos done, had a little chat, a bit of a cuddle and a bit of a cry," she said.
Collision between a car and a Garda vehicle on the junction of Queen Street and Benburb Street
Collision between a car and a Garda vehicle on the junction of Queen Street and Benburb Street
Collision between a car and a Garda vehicle on the junction of Queen Street and Benburb Street
The Luas is experiencing lengthy delays in the city centre tonight due to a car collision.
The collision occurred between a car and a Garda car on the Queen Street and Benburb Street junction near Smithfield in Dublin city centre.
The incident occurred shortly after 9pm and Dublin Fire Brigade attended the scene just minutes afterwards.
There are no injuries reported from the scene.
#Luas Red Line running with delays of 40 mins due to NON #Luas RTA. Luas (@Luas) November 7, 2016
The Luas Red Line is now running with delays of up to 40 minutes as a result of the collision.
Delays are expected until 10.30pm.
The official Luas Twitter account wrote online; "#Luas Red Line running with delays of 40 mins due to NON #Luas RTA."
A man in his sixties was stabbed
A man in his 60s has been stabbed to death in Dublin city centre.
The incident happened at around 2pm in the Robinson's Court area off Cork Street in the south of the city.
The victim was rushed to St James's Hospital but pronounced dead a short time later.
The man was named locally as Tony Rogers.
Investigations are continuing.
Gardai wish to appeal to witnesses who may have been in the Robinsons Court area this afternoon to contact them at the incident room at Kevin St Garda Station on 01 666 9400, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
Members of a marine rescue team wound up being rescued themselves while trying to free a cow in distress on Monday afternoon.
The five-person volunteer team from the Ballybunion Community Rescue Boats Ireland (CRBI) was en route to investigate a cow that reportedly got stuck inside a sea cave.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) chief executive Michael Nolan has a clear set of priorities.
The first is to maintain the 5,300km national road network - which carries some 45pc of all traffic - in good, safe repair. The second is to invest in upgrade projects. The problem with delivering on both these aims is a lack of funding.
"There is ordinary maintenance like picking up litter and fixing barriers, and capital maintenance including resurfacing and pavement works," he said. "We're about 120m a year behind in terms of investment. The current budget is around 180m to 200m - we need about 300m to keep it in a state of good repair. We spend around 50m on renewal of pavement (road surface), but need to bring it up to around 100m a year.
"We are behind in what we are investing in terms of the inter-urban motorways. We're at the lower end. There is a perception that it looks fine, but we're under-investing by a significant amount. It will cost us more to bring it up to a good state later on. The longer it goes on, the less safe the network becomes.
"It's not a secret, and the Department of Transport is working with us on this."
Appointed in June last year, Mr Nolan was head of major projects with the National Roads Authority before it was merged with the Railway Procurement Agency to create TII.
He said that while a lot of the national motorways built in the last 15 years are in good repair, the national secondary roads comprising around 2,000km of non-engineered carriageway require major works, both due to wear and tear and following major flooding and extreme weather events.
Read more: M50: Motorway or carpark? How Ireland's busiest route is at 'breakdown point'
Many of these roads will be need to be replaced. It is understood around 50 major schemes, and 100 smaller roads, are needed.
While the Government has committed to funding eight projects which are ready to go under the six-year capital plan, and has allocated funding to bring another five through the planning process, there is no money for others.
The danger is that unless TII begins planning now, it will not be able to get to work when money does become available.
"We don't have enough in the preparation pool and we should be running schemes through the planning process," Mr Nolan said. "The worst thing that could happen to us is in five years, to have no schemes.
"It can take up to 10 years for a major project to be delivered. The design process takes around three years, followed by another two years for planning and public consultation."
For a big scheme like the M20 between Limerick and Cork, these works can cost up to 15m.
Between hiring contractors, and construction timelines, another five years is added. Even smaller schemes costing between 5m and 15m could take seven or eight years to deliver, and that assumed there was no legal challenge and the planning process went smoothly, he said.
Works totalling 1.6bn are currently on the ground, including the Gort to Tuam PPP costing 600m - which will provide the final leg of the motorway between Galway and Limerick and should open in a year - coupled with the M11 Gorey and New Ross bypass, costed at 500m and due for completion in 2019.
The 370m Luas Cross City scheme will be completed next year, and there are also 20 smaller schemes under construction, removing dangerous bends.
Read more: Calls to treble road investment as M50 traffic problems now at 'breaking point'
Big projects under way are set out in the capital investment plan, totalling 730m, and advance works are under way.
The Naas Road widening scheme and Dunkettle interchange in Cork are the priorities and will get under way first.
However, there is one glaring omission from the plan - the M20 Cork to Limerick motorway, which would connect the country's second and third largest cities. This, Mr Nolan said, was a key project.
"The last major connection is Cork to Limerick, which will cost 700m to 800m," Mr Nolan said. "This is required for balanced regional development, and would act as a counterpoint to Dublin."
One of four donkeys rescued in Louth was so badly emaciated that bones were protruding out of his body.
Abandoned animals Pacino, Oakley, Scamper and Oreo were discovered by the county council.
The donkeys are currently recovering in the Donkey Sanctuary.
While three of them are in relatively good health, 30-year-old Oreo is touch and go.
Along with being emaciated, Oreos teeth were in very poor condition due to neglect and he was suffering from a worm condition.
All donkeys needed attention, particularly Scamper who had approximately 4 inches of growth as a result of not being treated by a farrier.
The Donkey Sanctuary, Louth County Council and the equine pound in Louth all came together to rescue the animals.
They are currently being treated by the veterinary team, a farrier and the Equine Dental Technician (EDT).
Triona OMahony, PR Officer with the Donkey Sanctuary says she hopes they all get their fairy-tale ending.
Theyre getting used to being in a safe environment and having a warm bed. We dont know exactly how long they had been in the mountains, she told Independent.ie.
Oreo hasnt stopped eating since he came in. It is nice to see them rehabilitating.
The three younger ones are in reasonably good health, but poor Oreo is a bit touch-and-go, we will have to see how he gets on. It will be a fairy-tale ending if they all find their own homes.
You can make a donation towards the care of Oreo, Scamper, Pacino and Oakley here: www.thedonkeysanctuary.ie/donate
It is understood as many as 50 major new roads are required across the network. Stock Image
Large parts of the national road network will be overloaded and operating above safe limits by 2030 if traffic volumes continue to grow.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has also warned it needs an additional 120m a year just to keep the network in working order, and that it will cost more in the long term to complete necessary repairs unless extra funding is allocated.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, TII chief executive Michael Nolan said upgrades ranging from small schemes costing between 5m and 15m, coupled with larger projects linking major towns and cities, were needed.
It is understood as many as 50 major new roads are required across the network, including the M20 linking Cork to Limerick, as well as up to 100 smaller projects. Mr Nolan also warned the pipeline of projects was "drying up".
TII, which replaced the National Roads Authority, currently has 20 small schemes under construction and, once completed, there will be no replacement projects.
The Government has committed to 13 schemes in the Building on Recovery capital investment plan, with eight approved and shovel-ready. Five more, including the Galway City bypass, have funding to complete the planning process.
However, work has not yet started on designing or planning 150 schemes that TII says are needed.
"What's on the ground this year and when they finish next year, is probably it. It will come to a grinding halt. We just don't have the funding (to bring projects through planning)," he said. "Most of these schemes would be schemes with poor alignments. If we had a blank cheque, we'd like to do another 100 (smaller schemes) up to 2020 at a cost of around 750m.
"We have a number of projects listed for construction in the seven-year capital plan, and funding of 730m is there.
"On the downside, 90pc of the money is in the last three years of the plan, from 2019.
"The worst thing that could happen to us is in five years, to have no schemes."
TII said that by 2030, most unfinished segments of the network would be more than 20pc over capacity. On the national primary routes, large sections of road in Cork, Kerry, Mayo and Donegal need upgrading, while on the national secondary network works are required across large swathes of the Midlands, the south-west, Galway and the north-east.
At the upper end of the scale is the 700m M20 Cork to Limerick motorway. This would provide a counterpoint to Dublin in terms of attracting foreign direct investment, Mr Nolan said. This is because the motorway would complete a link with Cork, Limerick and Galway, offer access to Shannon Airport and allow for sustained development in the south and west of the country.
Flowers left by relatives at the sealed off road in Knockadoon outside Tom and Kitty Fitzgerald's home. Pic Steve Humphreys
An elderly couple whose bodies were found in a suspected murder/suicide will be buried together following a joint funeral service.
The remains of Tom and Kitty Fitzgerald were found at around 3pm last Tuesday by a local person who called at the family home in Knockadoon, just outside Irishtown, Co Mayo.
Their son Paul (35), who was discovered on the scene with head injuries, is currently in a critical but stable condition in Beaumont Hospital, Co Dublin.
It is believed that he was restrained by gardai who initially suspected he was involved in the attack. However, it has since been established that he was a victim in the violent assault.
Friends and family of Tom (75) and Kitty (72) paid tribute at their removal last night.
The community centre where the elderly couple were waked was attended by dozens of people from local community.
Dignified
It is understood that Tom's brother made the journey from the United States for the service, as did Kitty's sister who has been living in North America for the last number of years.
Read more: Deaths in rural Mayo: murder and suicide suspected in deaths of elderly couple
One local said: "If you weren't aware of the tragic circumstances behind the deaths you would think it was any other removal service. Quiet and dignified."
Their funeral Mass will take place at noon today at the Church of the Holy Family and St Oliver, Irishtown, followed by burial in the cemetery.
A post-mortem carried out by State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy was concluded over the weekend, with gardai stating that they were not looking for anybody else in relation to the violent death.
Gardai are now treating the discovery of the two bodies as a murder/suicide.
The body of Tom Fitzgerald was found in the farmyard outside the family home, while his wife Kitty was discovered in a pool of blood inside the property.
The Garda Technical Bureau have completed their forensic examination of the scene, and a metal bar covered in blood recovered at the property is currently being examined. It is understood that Paul wasn't living in the family home at the time and had accommodation in Co Galway.
The tragedy has left the whole area of Irishtown in a state of shock.
Read more: 'She was bubbly and vibrant and always brought a smile to all her friends' - Community shocked as bodies of married couple discovered in home
The Irishtown Community Development group, of which Tom was a director, held a members' meeting on Wednesday night in order to come up with a plan for how the community can come together.
Local councillor Richard Finn, who lives nearby, said the whole situation was difficult for anyone to contemplate.
"It's a tragic, tragic situation," he said.
In a statement, gardai thanked the local community for their assistance and made a further appeal for anyone with information to come forward.
'I mean you wouldn't give her back now would you? I always find the high-flying mothers are the worst at it," declared the public health nurse after I told her how hard I was finding the first few days after leaving the sanctuary of maternity hospital. I was on my own now.
The words, uttered just minutes after she entered my home, hit me hard. I really was that delicate in the days after I came home with my bundle of joy.
I had been so relieved to see the nurse pulling up outside, now I was floored. Was she referring to me? Was I, this complete mess in a maternity nightie, desperately weak and bleary-eyed from the lack of sleep, a "high-flying mum?" I certainly didn't feel it.
When you're pregnant everyone says 'you'll never sleep again' but I chose to blank it out. This sleeping through the night thing is a farce too - babies sleep in 45-minute sleep cycles, five hours in a row is a full night's sleep in their book.
But I did cry buckets of tears to the point where my partner had to remind me that I was the adult not the new baby! Crying more than a newborn was not my finest hour.
Hands up... Yes, I can be quite dramatic. The midwives in Holles Street sent me to the psychiatric nurse to assess whether I had post-natal depression. Turns out I'm just a natural crier, but for some this curse of the "baby blues" is a reality: a cutesy description of a debilitating and wretched condition.
In Ireland we like to brush it under the carpet, kudos to pop chanteuse Adele for destigmatising post-partum depression in a candid interview last week.
All the pregnancy yoga and my active birth workshops went out the window as I ended up being induced for 12 hours followed by an emergency C-section. A third of us mums end up undergoing surgery. It begs the question why aren't we having more natural births in Ireland?
The public health nurse told me to mark six weeks from Erin's birth date in my calendar, advising me that - like for all mothers - the haze would lift at around this point. She was right, but I wish someone had told me how vulnerable you feel as a new mother, how utterly useless you feel at the beginning and how you should trust your instincts.
I wanted to exclusively breastfeed but I think the system is failing us. The reason so many mothers stop once they get home is, in my mind, due to a lack of encouragement. Free lactation consultants should be provided.
This sentiment is backed by the members of my 'boob group' - new moms who all choose to breastfeed and share their experiences over coffee every week. Those chats are a godsend and I will always be grateful for the network.
Nobody told me how obsessed the nurses are with their weighing scales. One suggested Erin's slow weight gain was due to my "poor quality milk". If I heard them chant "tummy to mummy", one more time I was going to scream! I was feeding my baby on demand - so what more could I do?
Looking back now, I wish I had been stronger, but I succumbed and gave Erin top ups of formula as advised. I wasn't happy, so I hired a lactation consultant at Milkyway.ie - it was the best 90 I ever spent. Along with the team in the breastfeeding clinic in Holles Street I trusted my gut, stopped panicking about her weight and binned the formula. I was soon back breastfeeding.
As I write this my daughter Erin is on my right boob having her dinner, sucking away. It's easier to get things done while she's feeding. My nickname is Daisy the Cow because it's all about milking. I'm either feeding or pumping to increase supply.
As for my body I don't recognise it anymore! Day one after getting out of Holles Street I was straight back into my maternity clothes. Three months later and I still look pregnant.
I didn't give a damn about my mini bump until an acquaintance, who I hadn't seen in a year, congratulated me and asked when I was due! I cry some days - but it's futile, and I need to accept my body.
Having a baby is also the greatest test of your relationship. Sometimes it can be highly stressful when you don't know why your angel is crying. It's easier to have her beside me in the bed, so my poor man has moved to the spare room for now. But they're only small for such a short time.
The one thing I'm glad nobody told me about is just how much you fall in love with this little person. A little bit more each day. Yes motherhood is relentless, but we wouldn't have it any other way, would we?
Former world champion racing driver Damon Hill has a book out for Christmas. And when you publish a new book these days, it's not enough just to write it. You have to 'do publicity' and let the world and its grandmother sift through things like the skeletons in your family's medicine cupboard.
Damon has been letting out grandma's secrets. A strong woman by all accounts - small and round, she was surrounded by similar-looking sisters who he says resembled something from an episode of Miss Marple. According to Damon, his grandma's obsession in life was bowel movements. Everything was to do with whether or not you'd done a number two. This is by no means an unusual preoccupation. Irish doctors were trained to believe that it was a peculiarly English phenomenon. Americans believed it to be a disease in itself and coined the acronym BOS on medical notes, which stands for 'bowel obsession syndrome'.
* Doctors take some of the blame for having patients so concerned about the regularity of their bowels. Following major surgery, one of the first questions that a surgeon wants answered is whether the patient's bowels have opened. They are on the lookout for an adynamic or paralytic ileus, which means that the normal wriggling motion and gravitational push of the bowels has not resumed. Alarm bells ring after three days. Doctors also like their patients to inform them of a change in bowel habit. This doesn't mean that your bowels need to open with all the predictability of an Angelus bell. But when a long-established pattern of regularity becomes something else entirely, it may be time to plug the long cameras in.
* The elevation of Bob Dylan to status of Nobel laureate in literature has been interesting. One of these cold nights, I am going to settle down by the fire with a nice glass of fortified wine and read Blowin' in the Wind from cover to cover. It's nice to see juries do the unexpected sometimes. If only for the predictable reactions that are provoked. Irvine Welsh, a real writer and playwright from Scotland, said that Dylan's win was "an ill-conceived nostalgia award wrenched from the rancid prostates of senile, gibbering hippies". Now that's as good an anatomical description of a peculiarly troublesome male gland as I have heard in years. Let's hope Irvine wins next year's Nobel prize for medicine.
* A new cancer institute is going to be built at St James's in Dublin. It's a joint venture between the hospital and Trinity College, and follows a trend in Europe to create these kinds of excellence centres where cancer doctors, patients and researchers can all work together. One of its focuses will be on the genetics of cancer, which will be a very good thing. Far too much of today's health promotion on cancer seeks to blame lifestyle for contracting it. Cancer is not the simple equation that moralising pontificators would have us believe. One of the terms used to promote the new Institute is 'survivorship'. I don't care for it that much. Once you are diagnosed with cancer, survivorship will be the new label that attaches to you until the end of your life. Your family members, friends and caregivers will be considered part of your survivorship experience. It encompasses how you do physically, emotionally, financially, and all sorts of other things. The concept is interesting, but the term puts me in mind of clinging on to the Titanic. Let's hope lucky survivors are given a option of opting out of the experience. Some patients will choose to put their treatment behind them and might prefer not to be tagged, defined or studied until the end of their days.
* It's a year-and-a-half now since we heard that rules banning people who lived in Northern Ireland or Britain from donating blood in the Republic were going to be reviewed. Many thousands of potential donors who might have stayed in the UK during the BSE years of 1980 to 1996, are routinely being refused by blood transfusion clinics here. Many Irish doctors would have worked across the Border, or in hospitals across the Irish Sea, and would be more than happy to donate if the rule was scrapped. With our national blood supply in a critical state in recent weeks, somebody needs to bring these rules up to date.
* Recently, I told you about a Munster reader who was concerned about the number of ordinary domestic vacuum cleaners he sees being used to blow dust and bugs around our hospital wards. Well, another reader once worked as an environmental manager in Australian hospitals. He writes to tell me that such machines were all banned from wards, corridors, theatres and special care units by the Federal Health Department in Oz many years ago. There was a concerted move to use only special double-Hepa-filter units in all public areas. Patient areas had to use electrostatically charged mops that attracted dirt as they glided dust, plume free, along the floor. During his time in Oz, he championed contemporary state-of-the-art cleaning systems all the time. When he once tried to dispense with mops and buckets for mobile steam-cleaning systems with built-in vacuums, the measures were vociferously challenged and blocked by the hospital-cleaners' union. In his time back in Ireland he has watched with horror what he terms so-called cleaning systems utilised in hospitals and nursing homes. I think the minister for health should invite this learned gentleman of experience to peer into some very dark corners.
Dr Maurice Gueret is editor of the 'Irish Medical Directory'
drmauricegueret.com
The best things come in small packages this week, as our beauty boffin gives us her beauty news and views.
Triona's trends
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Will says when he puts Mini, our one-year-old, on his lap, it's like he has his own personal ventriloquist! She sits up, poker-straight, on his knee, and opens and closes her mouth while Will waffles away. I'm thinking of putting them on the next Ireland's Got Talent!
With her pale skin and greeny-blue eyes, she really is a mini Will, which in no way at all leads me on to this week's topic: mini beauty products.
I love to use mini versions of products when I'm travelling. Lidl have a super range of mini mouthwashes, toothpastes, hand creams and more for next to nothing - I always stock up on them.
Somebody else who likes a little mini action is the new Irish brand, Moxi Loves, by Pamela Laird. Moxi Loves Eye Catcher Cleansing & Correcting Buds, 5.95. These are clever cotton buds which have just the right amount of Vitamin E, aloe and coconut oil to remove any eye-make-up mistakes gently.
In Boots, I grab a Gillette Venus Snap Razor with Embrace, 9.95. It's the first portable razor from the brand. Just wet the razor and you are ready to go!
You know the invisibobble, the hair ring that is so kind to your hair? Well, they now have a mini versh, the invisibobble Nano styling hair ring, 3, which is designed to secure braids and pigtails.
Now, my Armani Luminous Silk Powder compact, above, 45, is not strictly a mini. It's definitely the slimmest compact I've ever used, though - it fits into the teeniest of bags and the formula, as you'd expect, is oh-so fabulous.
Triona's trick
Now that my children are in bed by eight, I suddenly have time in the evenings to do things like sort out my wardrobe! It's a glam life here in Trilliam Towers! I'd nearly forgotten my old trick of using shaving cream to remove foundation from collars. Mix in a bit of alcohol if it's an oil-based foundation. If all else fails, try washing-up liquid.
Oh s**t kit
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Nooooo!
Not again.
White wine, your old nemesis, strikes once more.
Last night, in the dim light of the bar, it looked like a friend. But this morning, when you woke, 10 minutes late for work, with a rip-roaring hangover and your 'good' coat gone, you knew you'd been fooled. Again.
If this regularly happens to you, then you might need to carry in your bag what I call an 'Oh Sh*t Kit', with all the essentials, such as Dioralyte and Solpadeine.
Or maybe you could try the Touch of Ginger Hangover Kit, above, 11, from debenhams.ie, which promises to do the trick.
This kit contains all the right stuff to "comfort, soothe and refresh the parts the alcohol reached last night". So you have a toothbrush, toothpaste, mints, a cotton eye mask, a refreshing wipe, a sachet of coffee and tissues.
So: back to the future. You swear that you'll never drink again . . . until the next time, that is!
Ice Ice Baby
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If you're a Kardashian fan, then you'll remember when Khloe, above, had her first laser hair-removal sesh on KUTK. Well, you don't need to be a sleb to have this done. Nor do you have to be a sadomasochist, because Therapie Clinic now has the painless laser hair-removal system, Soprano Ice.
It also claims to be faster than all other laser hair-removal treatments, as well as being more effective. Unlike most laser hair-removal treatments, it works on almost all skin types, even tanned skin.
It minimises risk of burns by using cooling technology. Treatments start from 29.
See therapieclinic.com
Triona's most wanted
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Come on now, we all do it. Don't we? You're at a dinner party at, say, your boss's house, or maybe a workmate's apartment, or better again, at a new boyfriend's pad . . .
You go to the bathroom to do your business, and there it is: the bathroom cabinet! Just begging for a snoop!
Let's see now, your boss is using an ovulation kit, but is perma single! Huh? Your workmate, who reckons she's a dupe for a Victoria's Secret Angel, has eleven different anti-cellulite creams!
And the new boyf uses haemorrhoid cream? WTF?
Holy god almighty!
Now if you'd spotted Bryt Boys Shave Shaving Oil, above, 20.60, in there, you'd have known you were onto a good thing, as this oil is what Will, my own good thing, uses.
Bryt skincare is new to Ireland, and also has wonderful women's products, but this oil is the hero product for me. It's unisex, you see.
Ladies can use it on their legs and wherever else, while men can use it on their faces, as it softens the hair while nourishing the skin, making it easier to shave.
Will's face is left clean, closely shaved, nourished and refreshed, thanks to the mix of almond oil, olive oil, and essential oils of bergamot, lemon and organic pepper.
Perfect for puckering up to.
That's puckering, I said.
Cult product
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S&X. The name first drew me to this fab new fragrance by the famous fashion snapper Rankin, under the award-winning fragrance designer Azzi Glasser's label, The Perfumer's Story By Azzi. The unisex scent, above, 110.55, for 30ml eau de parfum, from harveynichols.com, is intoxicating, with notes of leather and white musk that make it stand out in a sea of sameness.
Ryanair have called out for applicants, who will work closely with CEO Michael O'Leary.
Those with 'saint-like patience', an 'aversion to bolloxology' and a 'thick skin' have been invited to send in an application for Irelands worst job, an assistant to Ryanair CEO Michael OLeary.
In a job listing posted on the airlines website this morning, the company have urged talented accountants to apply for the role to work directly with Ryanairs misunderstood but beloved CEO, outlining that an ability to operate without sleep and social interaction will be taken as a big plus at the interview stage.
The advertisement openly states that Manchester United fans, Dubliners and cyclists need not apply, and those who do enter the recruitment process despite the warning will be tracked down, tortured and shot.
The new role in Ryanair headquarters also calls for applicants to be good with their hands, as OLeary is on the lookout for an accountant that doubles as a masseuse at the end of the day.
The tongue-in-cheek advertisement received much attention on Monday, when it was shared on the Ryanairs social channels.
Do you think you have what it takes to land ' the worst job in Ireland'?
Critics of this minority Government were quiet after the passing of the Budget. With an increased number of actors having a significant say over the Budget's make-up, its passing fuelled a new sense of optimism within Government circles that this limp and unstable administration may just last the course.
Fine Gael's Paschal Donohoe illustrated why he was the ideal appointment as Public Expenditure Minister.
His ability to rein in his colleagues - who at one point had submitted 3bn in spending demands - is reassuring from the public's perspective.
But Mr Donohoe and his colleagues have now found themselves in stand-off with public-sector unions that could have catastrophic consequences for the administration.
Fianna Fail too has an integral role to play in ensuring the State is steered firmly away from entering a period of industrial chaos.
The public has already been given an insight in what such a scenario looks like, through the dramatically averted Garda strike and the fact that we today don't know when our secondary schools will once again re-open.
Trade unions undoubtedly smell blood as a result of the Labour Court's decision on Thursday in relation to Garda pay. It now appears inevitable that the Lansdowne Road Agreement will be confined to history.
But one thing both the Government and Fianna Fail cannot allow happen is an unravelling of Budget 2017, simply to appease public servants' demands.
Leo Varadkar's insistence that he will resist any scenario whereby his social protection budget is compromised should be seen as more than just a warning to public-sector unions.
It is also a sign of a Government minister defending groups in society that don't have the time or ability to defend themselves: the blind, the disabled, the carers, the sick. These are groups who don't go on strike - they don't enjoy that luxury.
And so, to row back or delay measures contained in October's Budget, be them in social welfare or other departments, would represent a departure not seen since the recession.
It would represent a slap in the face to tens of thousands of workers in the private sector, many of whom won't see so-called pay restoration for many years to come. So, what needs to happen next?
Firstly, we must replicate the approach taken in relation to Brexit, whereby the majority of political parties are playing a responsible and constructive role with the aim of protecting both our economy and communities.
It is essential that unrealistic demands from trade unions do not pile up like old cars stacked in a scrapyard. This is not something that can be left to Fine Gael and the Independent Alliance to fend off. Micheal Martin and others cannot shirk responsibility.
Secondly, a serious conversation is also required about whether it is now time to revisit social partnership.
While it had many critics, it could be the only viable option to ensuring the country avoids a decade of industrial unrest.
One of the most worrying aspects of Khalid Kelly's death is the apparent ease with which he was able to travel to Iraq to join up with Isil. For many years he was Ireland's highest-profile jihadist sympathiser.
Yet it appears that while intelligence services knew he had left the country in recent months, they were unsure of his whereabouts until the announcement of his suicide bombing mission near Mosul.
His ability to travel to the frontline with relative ease will raise some uncomfortable questions for the intelligence community here and abroad.
It will also serve as a compelling reminder that even countries like Ireland, which have not experienced Islamic terror attacks, need to be extremely vigilant.
Kelly's extremist views were no secret. Indeed he was unique in Ireland for publicly expressing his support for a radical interpretation of Islam and defending al-Qaeda.
He became radicalised in 2000 after being jailed for illegally selling alcohol while working in Saudi Arabia.
Three years later he appeared on the 'Late Late Show', where he defending the 9/11 attacks as a "martyrdom operation".
He was accompanied that night by Anjem Choudary, one of the leaders of banned UK-based jihadist organisation Al-Muhajiroun. Choudary is current serving a five-and-a-half year jail term for inciting support for Isil.
There is a feeling Kelly may have been underestimated. In certain quarters he was written off as little more than a mouthpiece. One source told the Irish Independent he was "quite shocked" when reports of his death emerged.
"Whatever opinions he would express, I never really thought he would ever actually do anything like this," the source said.
But there were signs he was capable of something serious.
Kelly participated in a documentary in 2010, in which he was filmed handing out fliers on the streets of London claiming Sharia law was coming, and berating a Muslim woman for not covering her head.
During the film he travelled to Pakistan and tried to join the Taliban. He was filmed being shown by a former Taliban fighter how to fire an AK47. Kelly was last seen publicly in Dublin in March, when he was in the High Court to support a Jordanian man fighting deportation.
The Jordanian was considered by gardai to be the foremost Irish-based facilitator of foreign fighters travelling to fight for Isil. He lost the case and was deported in July.
Despite Kelly's presence in court, there was no apparent additional security in place and it did not appear that he was under overt surveillance.
Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has said in recent months that Ireland is "not likely" to face an Islamic terror attack, although a "lone wolf" attack is always a possibility.
It is doubtful Kelly's death will change this assessment.
But it does point to the need for increased vigilance.
The X Factor faces an investigation after a contestant swore on air
The X Factor is to be investigated following complaints by viewers after a contestant swore on air before the 9pm watershed.
Broadcast regulator Ofcom has opened a new investigation into the incident which saw one of the X Factor hopefuls say: "I f*****g told you so".
An Ofcom spokesperson said: "Ofcom is investigating this programme, which included the most offensive language before the 9pm watershed."
Viewer complaints about the welfare of a crocodile killed for food on Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls have been assessed, but will not be further investigated, the media watchdog also confirmed.
A total of 150 viewers complained about the episode of the Channel 4 show which was part of the broadcaster's Stand Up To Cancer programming special.
The episode saw 10 celebrities, including Made In Chelsea star Ollie Locke, braving the elements in the name of charity.
After the celebrity contestants catch a crocodile, Locke is seen straddling the reptile, before killing it humanely with a knife.
An Ofcom spokesperson said: "We assessed several complaints about a crocodile being killed for food in this well-established, post-watershed programme."
"We accepted the scene had the potential to upset viewers. However, given the survival theme of the programme, we found it to be in keeping with viewers' expectations.
"Channel 4 confirmed to us that participants had received training on how to hunt and kill the crocodile humanely, and the programme's survival and safety team observed the killing, and were content that appropriate steps were followed."
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Following the episode, Channel 4 said: "The premise of the series is to see if celebrities, when stripped of all the conveniences of modern life, have what it takes to survive and feeding themselves is a fundamental part of this.
"Those on the island all received training on how to kill animals humanely and this was utilised properly in each instance."
An incident on BBC Radio 1, which saw two uses of offensive language, namely the use of the word 'f****d', has been resolved.
During the show Dance Anthems, a song was featured using the swear word during a live broadcast from Ibiza on a Saturday afternoon.
"While this material was broadcast at a time when children were likely to be listening, this version of the song was played in error and the BBC had warned the DJs before the broadcast against using offensive language," Ofcom explained.
"The presenter also apologised immediately. As a result, we consider the matter resolved."
While Avril, from Waterford, was studying at Coventry University, she never expected to meet the love of her life on a night out.
Avril requested a song at the DJ box of the nightclub Rakesh managed and, because of her Irish accent, he didn't have a clue what she had said. Avril and Rakesh, from Warwickshire, soon had their first date and their romance grew. After several years together, Rakesh plucked up the courage to propose to his love and found the perfect opportunity in the back of a tuk-tuk while they visited Thailand.
Avril and Rakesh decided to celebrate their wedding in Ireland with a spiritualist ceremony which infused both of their cultural backgrounds and included lighting a unity candle as well as the Indian wedding tradition of exchanging garlands - the couple made their own flower garlands.
Wanting a classic black-tie wedding but with an Indian twist, the pair discovered Lyrath Estate, in Kilkenny, was the perfect venue for them."Lyrath Estate is an exquisite venue set on beautiful grounds and surroundings," says Avril, adding, "they also accommodated some of Rakesh's family who are vegans by making bespoke Indian vegetarian cuisine, which was a lovely touch."
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The bride's dress was an Alfred Angelo design and the bridesmaids wore champagne dresses from Coast.
Avril and Rakesh jetted off to honeymoon in Vietnam, Singapore and Bali, Indonesia for three weeks after their big day.
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Words by Dee Finnerty. Photography by Tanya at Bronte Photography, visit brontephotography.blogspot.ie. If you would like your wedding featured here, email weddings@independent.ie
Australian police found a baby koala while searching the bag of a woman who was being arrested.
Police in Brisbane said that when they asked the 50-year-old woman if she had anything to declare on Sunday night, she handed over a zipped canvas bag that she said contained a baby koala.
The woman, who was arrested on "outstanding matters", said she found the male koala on Saturday night and had been caring for it since.
The woman was taken to a police station, while the koala - believed to be about six months old - was taken to a wildlife hospital in good health, though slightly dehydrated.
The baby koala weighs about 1.5 kilograms and has been named Alfred.
AP
Boris Johnson heads the list of political travel companions who holidaymakers would like to sit next to on a flight
UK holidaymakers would prefer to sit next to Hillary Clinton on a flight than Donald Trump, a survey has found.
Mrs Clinton was chosen by 17% of travellers as the politician they would most like to make small talk with at 30,000 feet, compared with her US presidential rival who was selected by just 3% of those polled.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson topped the list of political travel companions with 23% of the vote, as holidaymakers perhaps hope to grill him over his thoughts on Brexit.
Prime Minister Theresa May was in second place at 20%.
Some 13% of the 1,000 British holidaymakers surveyed said they would like to sit next to Ukip leader Nigel Farage on a flight.
The research was commissioned by World Travel Market (WTM), a travel trade exhibition opening at the ExCeL convention centre in east London on Monday.
The event's senior director, Simon Press, said: "Whatever one thinks of his politics, Boris Johnson comes across as an affable type who would be fun to talk to on a flight.
"For those interested in a more serious conversation, Theresa May or Hillary Clinton gets the nod."
The study also suggested that travel bosses fear v ictory for Mr Trump on Tuesday could be bad for their businesses.
A survey of 2,044 senior industry professionals found that just 7% believe him winning the election would be better for the sector, compared with 60% who selected Mrs Clinton.
Almost one in three (33%) felt neither candidate would be good for business.
A Hong Kong judge ordered the jury in British banker Rurik Jutting's double murder trial not to allow its verdict to be influenced by "passion or disgust" over the torture, rape and killings but to weigh the evidence intellectually.
Jutting has pleaded not guilty to murdering two Indonesian women in his Hong Kong apartment in 2014 on grounds of diminished responsibility due to alcohol and drug abuse and sexual disorders. He has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
The jury of four women and five men is due to start considering its verdict on Tuesday. Murder carries a mandatory life sentence, while the lesser charge of manslaughter carries a maximum of life.
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Jutting, a former vice president and head of Structured Equity Finance and Trading (Asia) at Bank of America Corp, is charged with murdering Sumarti Ningsih (23) and Seneng Mujiasih (26) in his luxury high-rise apartment.
The trial, in its third week, has attracted global attention due the 31-year-old Cambridge graduate's profile and the brutal nature of the killings in a city where serious crime is rare.
The jury has viewed graphic video taken by Jutting on his iPhone of him torturing Ningsih before he cut her throat. Her mutilated body was found in a suitcase on the balcony, while Mujiasih's was found inside the apartment with wounds to her neck and buttocks.
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He has not faced separate charges connected to the rape and torture.
Deputy High Court Judge Michael Stuart-Moore told the jury to consider whether Jutting was of "abnormal mind" at the time of the killings which diminished his responsibility.
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The jury should approach its verdict intellectually, rather than be "coloured by passion or disgust that you feel at the dreadful acts which the defendant has admitted he carried out", said Stuart-Moore.
The defence has argued that Jutting suffers from cocaine and alcohol abuse and personality disorders of sexual sadism and narcissism which impaired his ability to control his behaviour.
The prosecution has rejected this, stating Jutting was able to form judgments and exercise self control before and after the killings, filming Ningsih's torture and shooting hours of footage where he discussed the killings, binging on cocaine and his graphic sexual fantasies.
Stuart-Moore, speaking in a packed courtroom stacked with international media, law students and members of the public, said the fact that Jutting "has an appalling private life is neither here nor there". The fact that Jutting has not testified himself during the trial doesn't prove one thing or another, he added.
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He said the defence needed to prove whether it was more likely than not that Jutting's mental responsibility for his actions was "substantially impaired", taking into consideration factors including whether his "perception, understanding, judgment and self-control" were abnormal and whether there was an "inherent cause or induced by disease or injury".
Stuart-Moore summarised both sides for the jury, including evidence from Jutting's own filmed transcripts and the evidence from a series of qualified psychiatrists and experts.
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"Yes he was impaired, everyone agrees, but was he substantially impaired?" he said, trying to focus the jury on the nuance they would be deciding.
He quoted Jutting in one of his filmed monologues where he discussed going to jail.
"How many life sentences can one serve?" he said.
Parents of at least 12 girls from the school in Buldhana district of Maharashtra state have filed complaints (Stock photo)
Officials in western India have set up a special investigation team to look into allegations of sexual abuse of girls at a boarding school for indigenous children after a 10-year-old was reported to be pregnant.
Parents of at least 12 girls from the school in Buldhana district of Maharashtra state have filed complaints with the police, while 11 staff, including the headmaster, were arrested last week, said district police superintendent Sanjiv Baviskar.
"Women police officers have been sent to talk to the victims and record their statements. We are looking for two more suspects who have absconded," Baviskar said.
Tribal development minister Vishnu Savara said the school's registration has been cancelled and charges will be filed within a month.
The allegations come on the heels of reports of the deaths of hundreds of indigenous children in state-run schools over the past decade. The National Human Rights Commission has accused Maharashtra state of negligence and asked for a report.
Maharashtra, one of the wealthiest states in the country, has about 550 boarding schools for children from poor tribal areas. Run by the state, they are meant to improve literacy levels and provide basic healthcare for the children.
The schools were set up more than two decades ago across India and are the only option for many living in remote areas.
But they are badly run, with inadequate staff and poor facilities for the students, said Vivek Pandit, founder of Shramjivi Sanghatana, which works with vulnerable people in Maharashtra.
"Officials have turned a blind eye to the appalling conditions in the schools and the routine abuse of children for years," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"If they cannot run them in a proper manner, they should shut these schools down. They should not be entrusted with the lives of vulnerable children."
Donald Trump reacted with fury to the news that the FBI had cleared Hillary Clinton of criminal wrongdoing over her email use (AP)
Hillary Clinton is concentrating on a message of unity in the closing hours of her presidential campaign (AP)
Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump blitzed through battleground states on Monday in a final bid to energise supporters as they raced towards the election finish line.
Mrs Clinton urged voters to embrace a "hopeful, inclusive, bighearted America," while Mr Trump called for support to "beat the corrupt system."
The candidates planned to campaign late into the night, a frenzied end to a bitter election year that has laid bare the nation's deep economic and cultural divides.
Mrs Clinton opened the day buoyed by FBI Director James Comey's announcement on Sunday that he would not recommend criminal charges against her following a new email review.
The inquiry had sapped a surging Clinton momentum at a crucial moment in the race, though she still heads into election day with multiple paths to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to become the nation's first female president.
"I think I have some work to do to bring the country together," she acknowledged as she boarded her plane for her last battleground tour. "I really do want to be the president for everybody."
As she took the stage in Pittsburgh, supporters yelled out, "We love you" - an unusual occurrence for the Democratic presidential candidate who has sometimes struggled to connect with voters.
"I love you all, too. Absolutely," Mrs Clinton said with a chuckle.
Mr Trump was aggressive to the end, repeatedly attacking his rival at his first event of the day in Sarasota, Florida. Having made the new FBI review a centerpiece of his closing case to voters, he argued that Mrs Clinton was being protected by a "totally rigged system".
"You have one magnificent chance to beat the corrupt system and deliver justice," Mr Trump said. "Do not let this opportunity slip away."
At his second stop of the day in battleground North Carolina, he told a Raleigh audience: "You've got a half a day to make every dream you've ever dreamed for your country and for your family to come true."
He has been predicting victory, but said if he doesn't win, he'll consider it "the single greatest waste of time, energy and money".
Across the country, nearly 24 million early ballots were cast under the shadow of Mr Comey's initial announcement of a new email review. That number represents more than half of the roughly 42.5 million people who had cast votes by Monday afternoon, according to Associated Press data.
The inquiry involved material found on a computer belonging to Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman and estranged husband of Huma Abedin, a long-time Clinton aide. Mr Comey said on Sunday the FBI reviewed communications "to or from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state".
Mrs Clinton tried to fly above the controversy on Monday and was not expected to address the matter during stops in Michigan and North Carolina. She was also headlining an evening rally in Philadelphia with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, along with rock stars Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi.
Nearing the end of his two terms in the White House, Mr Obama was nostalgic as he launched his own busy day of events, noting that he was probably making his last campaign swing for the foreseeable future.
"Whatever credibility I have earned after eight years as president, I am asking you to trust me on this. I am voting for Hillary Clinton," Mr Obama said.
Mrs Clinton is banking in part on high turnout - particularly among Mr Obama's young, diverse coalition of voters - to carry her over the finish line on Tuesday. Roughly half the states with advance voting have reported record turnout, including Florida and Nevada, which have booming Hispanic populations, a possible good sign for her.
In Florida alone, Hispanic participation is up by more than 453,000 votes, nearly doubling the 2012 level. Black turnout is up compared to 2012, but that share of the total vote is lower due to bigger jumps among Latinos and whites, according to University of Florida professor Daniel Smith
In Nevada, where more than three-fourths of expected ballots have been cast, Democrats also lead, 42% to 36%.
Without victories in Florida and Nevada, Mr Trump's path to 270 electoral votes would be exceedingly narrow. He already must win nearly all of the roughly dozen battleground states.
AP
Police and specialist guards have been called to a prison following reports of a riot involving up to 200 inmates.
Emergency services were called to Category B HMP Bedford in the town centre at around 5pm.
The Prison Officers Association (POA) said some guards at the prison had retreated to "safe place" and national teams of riot-trained officers had been deployed.
Steve Gillan, POA general secretary, said: "We do know there's concerted ill-discipline if not a riot situation going on in Bedford.
"There could be anything up to 200 prisoners involved. We don't know how many are out of the cells, some are still locked up.
"Prison officers on the landings have withdrawn to a safe place, so prisoners are out in large numbers.
"We don't know if it will turn into a full scale riot as these things can turn very quickly."
It comes after the head of the POA Mike Rolfe last week warned British jails have been engulfed by a "bloodbath".
Mr Gillan said: "The POA has been warning about this situation of violence in our prisons - it would appear it's coming to fruition.
"I just hope there's no prisoners or indeed prison officers injured in the violence."
A police spokeswoman said: "Bedfordshire Police is currently assisting HMP Bedford following reports of unrest within the prison.
"We were called shortly before 5pm and have a number of officers at the scene working with prison staff to resolve the issue."
It was reported that prisoners started a riot and have taken over parts of the category B prison.
A Prison Service spokesman said: "Specially trained staff are working with the emergency services to resolve an ongoing incident involving a number of prisoners at HMP Bedford.
"We are absolutely clear that prisoners who behave in this way will be punished and could spend significantly longer behind bars."
Ambulance and fire services are also on standby outside the prison.
A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: "We are at the scene on standby at this stage. It's an on-going incident. We are not in the prison."
HMP Bedford, which has been on its current site since 1801, currently holds around 500 inmates, according to a HM Inspectorate of Prisons report in September.
The watchdog's report found inmates claimed it was easier to get drugs than clothes or bedsheets at a prison where standards have deteriorated to "unacceptable levels".
A survey found the number of prisoners saying it was easy or very easy to get drugs had almost doubled since the last inspection of the jail in February 2014.
The number saying they had developed a drug problem while at the prison increased from 4% to 14%.
The HMP inspection in May also found that the physical condition of the prison was poor, with many inmates living in cramped conditions. The report detailed damaged furniture, graffiti, shortages of clothing and dirty, unscreened showers.
The report also said: "Arrangements for managing violent and bullying behaviour and supporting victims were weak."
Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon said on Twitter: "More troubling news concerning our prisons. The Justice Secretary needs to do more urgently to tackle crisis."
Mobile phone footage apparently from inside the prison - but which cannot be verified - was posted on social media.
Videos revealed chaotic scenes with scores of prisoners out of their cells and in the prison's gangways, shouting and bellowing.
One video showed what appeared to be paper and furniture strewn across an atrium floor.
Sources told the Press Association the riot had spread to more than one wing of the prison.
The Ministry of Justice said it had no reports of any prison officers being injured in the disturbance.
A spokesman said: "Specialist staff are on site trying to resolve the situation as quickly and safely as possible.
"This is very much an ongoing incident."
There were also reports of loud bangs or explosions coming from inside the prison
Three jockeys have been arrested after an 18-year-old girl alleged that she was gang raped at a house party.
The men were all arrested following the alleged incident on suspicion of rape.
The girl - who has reportedly been left badly injured in the attack - claims the incident occurred at the home of one of the men last Thursday.
She told the police about the alleged incident on Friday morning.
The three men are said to be at a party at the home when the alleged attack took place.
A Wiltshire Police spokeswoman told independent.ie that detectives are investigating an allegation of rape of an 18-year-old woman on November 3 in Chiseldon, Swindon
"Two men, aged 21 and 20, were arrested on November 4 and a third man, aged 20, was arrested on November 5. They have been bailed to December."
"We do not expect to be releasing further statements on this matter."
Julian Assange will be interviewed at Ecuador's London embassy on Nov. 14, Swedish prosecutors have said.
The move that could end a long diplomatic deadlock that has seen the WikiLeaks founder holed up in the London residence since 2012.
"Ecuador has granted the Swedish request for legal assistance in criminal matters and the interview will be conducted by an Ecuadorian prosecutor," the Swedish Prosecution Authority said in a statement.
The Swedish assistant prosecutor, Chief Prosecutor Ingrid Isgren, and a Swedish police investigator have been allowed to be present at the interview.
They will report the findings to Sweden.
Swedish authorities want to question Assange over allegations that he committed rape in 2010. Assange denies the allegations.
Georgia's former president, Mikhail Saakashvili, who became governor of Ukraine's Odessa region, has announced he is resigning in frustration at what he characterised as obstruction in efforts to root out corruption.
Mr Saakashvili was appointed governor of the corruption-riddled Black Sea region in May 2015 by President Petro Poroshenko. But in his resignation announcement in Odessa, he accused Mr Poroshenko of supporting criminal clans in Odessa.
Mr Poroshenko has made integration with the European Union a priority, but endemic corruption throughout the country impedes that policy.
During Mr Saakashvili's 2004-2013 tenure as Georgian president, one of his main achievements was a significant reduction in corruption as well as a crackdown on organised crime. He reformed the Georgian police force, ending its long history of bribe-taking.
His efforts in Odessa, which is Ukraine's main Black Sea port, met less success. He accused local elites of resisting his efforts, especially Odessa city mayor Gennady Tykhanov, a member of the party once headed by Viktor Yanukovych, the former Ukrainian president who fled the country in 2014 following massive protests.
Last December, a video was made public of Mr Saakashvili lambasting interior minister Arsen Avakov over alleged corruption during a session of the national Reforms Council. Mr Avakov in turn mocked Mr Saakashvili's stutter and then threw a glass of water at him.
In the summer, Mr Saakashvili took the dramatic step of setting up his office in a tent alongside a main highway that is in poor condition despite government promises to pour money into it.
In a video of his resignation announcement posted on his Facebook page, Mr Saakashvili said he would begin "a new step in the fight". He was stripped of his Georgian citizenship after becoming Odessa governor.
AP
Janet Reno, the first woman to serve as US attorney general and the epicentre of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died aged 78.
Ms Reno died early on Monday from complications of Parkinson's disease, her goddaughter, Gabrielle D'Alemberte, said.
Ms D'Alemberte said Ms Reno spent her final days at home in Miami surrounded by family and friends.
Ms Reno, a former Miami prosecutor who famously told reporters "I don't do spin", served nearly eight years as attorney general under President Bill Clinton, the longest stint in a century.
One of the administration's most recognisable and polarising figures, she faced criticism early in her tenure for the raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, where sect leader David Koresh and some 80 followers died.
She was known for deliberating slowly, publicly and in a typically blunt manner. She frequently told the public: "The buck stops with me", borrowing the mantra from President Harry S Truman.
After Waco, Ms Reno figured in some of the controversies and scandals which marked the Clinton administration, including Whitewater, Filegate, bungling at the FBI laboratory, Monica Lewinsky, alleged Chinese nuclear spying and questionable campaign financing in the 1996 Clinton-Gore re-election.
In the spring of 2000, she enraged her hometown's Cuban-American community when she authorised the armed seizure of five-year-old Elian Gonzalez. The boy was taken from the Little Havana home of his Miami relatives so he could be returned to his father in Cuba.
After leaving Washington, Ms Reno returned to Florida and made an unsuccessful bid to be the state's governor in 2002 but lost in a Democratic primary marred by voting problems.
The campaign ended a public career which started amid humble beginnings.
Born on July 21 1938, Janet Wood Reno was the daughter of two newspaper reporters and the eldest of four siblings. She grew up on the edge of the Everglades in a cypress and brick homestead built by her mother and returned there after leaving Washington. Her late brother, Robert Reno, was a longtime columnist for Newsday on Long Island.
After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in chemistry, she became one of 16 women in Harvard Law School's Class of 1963. Ms Reno, who stood over 6ft tall, later said she wanted to become a lawyer "because I didn't want people to tell me what to do".
In 1993, Mr Clinton tapped her to become the first woman to lead the Justice Department after his first two choices - also women - were withdrawn because both had hired illegal immigrants as nannies. Ms Reno was 54.
"It's an extraordinary experience, and I hope I do the women of America proud," she said after she won confirmation.
President Clinton said the vote might be "the only vote I carry 98-0 this year".
A little more than a month after taking office, however, Ms Reno became embroiled in controversy with the raid on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco.
The stand-off had started even before she was confirmed as attorney general. On February 28 1993, agents from the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms made a surprise raid on the compound, trying to execute a search warrant. But during the swoop, gunfire erupted, killing four agents and six members of the religious sect.
That led to a 51-day stand-off, which ended on April 19 1993, when the complex caught fire and burned to the ground.
The government claimed the Davidians committed suicide, shooting themselves and setting the fire. Survivors said the blaze was started by tear gas rounds fired into the compound by government tanks, and that agents shot at some who tried to flee.
Ms Reno had authorised the use of the tear gas to end the stand-off and later called the day the worst of her life.
"It was a dangerous situation," she said of the incident during a 2005 lecture at Duke University. "The tragedy is that we will never know what was the right thing to do."
Things got no easier after Waco. In 1995 Ms Reno was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease after noticing a trembling in her left hand. She said from the beginning that the diagnosis, which she announced during a weekly news conference, would not impair her job performance. And critics - both Republicans and Democrats - did not give her a pass because of it.
AP
An Iraqi soldier sits atop an armoured vehicle on the outskirts of Hamam al-Alil, south of Mosul (AP)
The Iraqi military says it has found some 100 decapitated bodies in a mass grave south of the Islamic State-held city of Mosul.
The spokesman for the Joint Military Command, Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, said the bodies were discovered on Monday near the agricultural college in the town of Hamam al-Alil. Most were reduced to skeletons.
A forensics team from Baghdad will investigate the site on Tuesday. The state of the bodies made it difficult to tell by their clothes if they were soldiers or civilians.
IS has carried out several massacres since it swept into northern and central Iraq in the summer of 2014, often documenting them with photos and videos circulated online.
Iraqi forces launched a massive operation last month to drive the extremists from Mosul and surrounding areas.
Iraqi Kurdish fighters exchanged heavy fire with militants earlier in the day as they advanced from two directions into a town held by the IS east of Mosul.
The offensive to reclaim the town of Bashiqa is part of the broader push to drive IS out of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city and the militants' last major urban stronghold in the country.
Combat began at dawn with a Kurdish barrage of heavy artillery, Katyusha rockets and mortar rounds striking IS positions, providing cover for the advance of armoured vehicles.
Smoke rose from the town throughout the day, with large explosions sending dark clouds into the sky.
"We have the coordinates of their bases and tunnels, and we are targeting them from here in order to weaken them so that our forces can reach their targets more easily," said Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga commander Brigadier General Iskander Khalil Gardi.
Bashiqa, which is believed to be largely deserted except for dozens of IS fighters, is located about 8 miles north-east of the edge of Mosul and about 13 miles from the city centre.
Iraqi government and Kurdish forces, backed by a US-led coalition and joined by government-sanctioned militias, are fighting to drive IS out of those surrounding areas and open additional fronts to attack Mosul itself.
Bashiqa has been surrounded by Kurdish forces, known as peshmerga, for weeks but Monday's push appears to be the most serious yet to drive IS from the town.
Kurdish forces launched mortar rounds and fired heavy artillery into the town on Sunday in advance of the offensive. More artillery and air strikes hit the town on Monday as the Kurdish forces' advance got under way.
Iraqi special forces entered Mosul last week and have made some progress in gaining a foothold on the city's eastern edges. But progress inside the city has been slowed as troops push into more densely populated areas.
The troops are suffering casualties as the militants have bogged them down with suicide car bombs, booby traps and close-quarters fighting along narrow streets. IS still holds territory to the north, south and west of Mosul.
As Iraqi forces struggle to solidify gains in neighbourhoods in eastern Mosul, more and more civilians are fleeing the city, according to special forces Lieutenant Colonel Hussein Aziz.
"Daesh is trying to draw a line," he said of the heavy fighting in Mosul's easternmost neighbourhoods, referring to IS under its Arabic acronym. "They have a lot of fighters there and they forced families to stay."
Civilians fleeing Mosul are screened at a small checkpoint on the edge of Gogjali, Mosul's easternmost neighbourhood, to catch any IS fighters who may be hiding among them. Since Iraqi forces first pushed into the eastern edge of the city last Tuesday, dozens of people have been arrested.
At the checkpoint, men were waiting for their names to be screened by a pair of informants from the area and multiple Iraqi government databases. Women and children waited further back from the road near an abandoned building.
Gayda, a 42-year-old woman from Mosul, said she fled the Samah neighbourhood in the city's east just hours earlier, after a car bomb exploded next to her home.
When they reached the checkpoint, her husband and son were separated from her and her daughter, and held for questioning a few yards away.
"How can he be from Daesh, he's so young," she said of the 18-year old son. "We are good people, we don't have any enemies."
AP
Fierce clashes were reported after US-backed forces in Syria began a long-awaited offensive to liberate Raqqa, the de-facto capital of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced Operation Euphrates Wrath, a "massive military campaign to liberate the city and its countryside from the clutches of Isil", in a statement yesterday.
The SDF called on Raqqa's civilians to avoid areas where Isil militants are present and to go to "liberated territory".
Commanders said the operation will involve 30,000 troops from the SDF, a coalition spearheaded by Syrian Kurdish militias but including Arab and Turkmen groups. They will be backed by US support and coalition air cover.
Isil detonated two car bombs as SDF forces backed by intensive coalition air strikes seized control of six small villages and farms in the north Raqqa countryside yesterday evening, the Syrian Observatory for Human rights said.
Isil has controlled Raqqa, which it declared the capital of its self-styled caliphate, since January 2014. It captured Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, in June the same year.
A Western-coalition-backed alliance including Iraqi security forces, Kurdish Peshmerga, and allied militias launched an offensive to liberate Mosul three weeks ago.
The timing of the announcement of the assault on Raqqa appears to confirm rumours that coalition battle planners hope to engage Isil in both cities at the same time.
In late October, Ash Carter, the US defence secretary, said he wanted to attack both strongholds at the same time in order to deny Isil militants the opportunity to regroup between battles.
Mr Carter warned yesterday that the fight to wrest control of Raqqa "will not be easy".
"The effort to isolate, and ultimately liberate, Raqqa marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan," Mr Carter said in a statement. "As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction of Isil's caliphate and disrupt the group's ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners," he said.
One major challenge will be managing the tensions between the SDF and Turkey, the key American allies in the area. Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish YPG and YPJ groups that spearhead the SDF to be linked to Kurdish terrorist groups operating inside Turkey. Tensions between the two sides erupted into open conflict after Ankara sent troops into northern Syria in August. SDF commanders yesterday explicitly requested Turkey stay out of the battle for Raqqa. ( Daily Telegraph London)
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
An injured girl rests in a field hospital after an air strike on a nursery in the rebel-held besieged city of Harasta, in the eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria, 6 November, 2016. Reuters
At least six children have been killed in Syrian government shelling on a nursery in a rebel-held suburb in the capital of Damascus, a monitoring group has said.
The activist-run Unified Medical Bureau of Eastern Ghouta reported the death toll and said medical facilities in the suburb of Harasta received tens of wounded children and adults following the attack.
The locally run Education Directorate blamed government forces for the shelling, which happened around 10am local time, during the first recess of the day.
It said more than 25 children were wounded in addition to the six killed.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also blamed the Syrian regime for the attack. An AFP photographer said they saw the body of one a girl lying on a bed at a makeshift hospital, her face bloodied and her clothes torn.
At the nursery, smears of blood were left on the tiled floor, underneath a small red slide propped against a wall painted with children's drawings.
Harasta is in the rebel stronghold of Eastern Ghouta, outside Damascus. The region is regularly targeted by government air strikes and shelling.
More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
Earlier, US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian forces announced the start of a campaign to retake Raqqa, the de facto capital of Isis in Syria.
The announcement by the Syria Democratic Forces comes more than two weeks after US-backed Iraqi forces began a campaign to clear Isis militants from their stronghold in Mosul, Iraq.
Additional reporting by agencies
Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega has been re-elected, setting the stage for his third consecutive term - but this time accompanied by his wife as vice president.
Supreme Electoral Council president Roberto Rivas, said Mr Ortega had more than 71% of the votes with about a fifth of the ballots counted.
Mr Ortega, who ran with his wife Rosario Murillo as his vice presidential candidate, faced five other lesser-known candidates in an election that critics of the government had called unfairly tilted against the opposition.
Emerging with her husband after casting their ballots shortly before the polls closed, Ms Murillo called the vote "an exemplary, historic election".
Ninety-two congressional seats were also contested on Sunday.
Mr Rivas said 65% of Nicaragua's 3.8 million registered voters participated in the election. But the opposition, which had urged people to boycott the election, disputed that, contending turnout was low.
But opponents condemned the election as a farce, with the main opposition movement, the Broad Front for Democracy, saying its checks indicated that more than 70% of voters did not cast ballots.
Mr Ortega and his leftist Sandinista National Liberation Front have benefited from the Central American country's steady economic growth and low levels of violence compared with neighbouring Honduras and El Salvador. Many Nicaraguans also cite the first lady's social programmes as a major reason for the governing party's popularity.
But critics accused Mr Ortega and his allies of manipulating the political system to guarantee he stayed in power for a new five-year term by dominating all branches of government, allowing indefinite presidential re-election and delegitimising the only opposition force seen as capable of challenging him. They said he wanted to form a political dynasty together with his wife.
"I don't think it's worth voting and wasting time, because it's already fixed," said Glenda Bendana, an appliance sales executive in a Managua shopping mall.
"Here they have taken away not our right to vote, but to choose. Ortega wants to die in power and leave his wife to take his place."
Eva Duarte Castillo, did not say how she voted but declared: "I came to vote because it is not only my right as a citizen, it is also my duty. It is a responsibility and I exercised it. I'm happy."
In July, the Supreme Electoral Council effectively decimated the opposition by ousting almost all its members from congress - 28 active and alternate legislators from the Liberal Independent Party and the allied Sandinista Renovation Movement - for refusing to recognise Pedro Reyes as their leader.
Mr Reyes was named head of the opposition by the Supreme Court but is seen by many as a tool of Mr Ortega. The ousted legislators supported former opposition leader Eduardo Montealegre.
The most powerful opposition forces moved to the sidelines of the nation's politics, urging Nicaraguans to boycott the election, which they called a "farce."
Many Nicaraguans, including political analyst Carlos Tunnerman, believed the five other presidential candidates were not true opponents, but were placed on the ballot to make it seem that Ortega had legitimate competition.
"The only thing they are looking to do is play along with Ortega, permitting him to get additional small bits of power in the National Assembly," Mr Tunnerman said.
Candidate Maximino Rodriguez of the Liberal Constitutional Party rejected that idea, saying: "I only collaborate with the Nicaraguan people."
Mr Ortega, who helped topple the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza as a Sandinista guerrilla leader, ruled Nicaragua in 1979-1990. After losing power in a shock electoral defeat, he later returned to the presidency through the ballot box in 2007.
Re-election leaves him in power but facing an increasingly difficult regional landscape.
Leftist ally Venezuela is overwhelmed by an economic crisis and Cuba is normalising relations with the US.
The US House of Representatives has moved to punish Nicaragua since the opposition was gutted, passing a bill to require the United States to oppose loans to Nicaragua from international lending institutions unless the country takes "effective steps to hold free, fair and transparent elections". A companion bill was introduced in the US Senate.
"The lack of Venezuelan support, the international price of oil, the price of our exports and the possibility that (US legislation passes) makes it a more complicated outlook for the Ortega in the next term," said Oscar Rene Vargas, a sociologist and economist at Central American University.
AP
Hillary Clinton received a remarkable and unexpected boost to her campaign with just hours left before the US presidential election last night as the FBI announced it had found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing in her use of a private email server.
James Comey, the FBI director, took the nation by surprise when he released a second letter in which he said the FBI had not changed its conclusions from its first report on Mrs Clinton in July.
The announcement, made as Americans prepare to go to the polls tomorrow morning, lifted a shadow hanging over the Democrat candidate for weeks.
It followed a surge of support from Hispanic voters in the latest polls.
The announcement will raise further questions about the role of the FBI in the campaign, its impact on the democratic process and the timing of its statements.
The agency had already been plunged into controversy when the inquiry into the latest tranche of emails was announced during the course of the campaign.
Donald Trump, her Republican rival, immediately reacted, stating that Mrs Clinton was being protected by a "rigged" system.
Mrs Clinton's campaign said last night they were "glad" the issue had been "resolved".
Mr Comey said in his new letter: "Since my letter, the FBI investigative team has been working around the clock to process and review a large volume of emails from a device obtained in connection with an unrelated criminal investigation.
"During that process we reviewed all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State. Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton.
"I am very grateful to the professionals at the FBI for doing an extraordinary amount of high-quality work in a short period of time."
Mr Comey had announced nine days ago that new emails were being investigated. They had been found on the laptop of Anthony Weiner, the disgraced estranged husband of Huma Abedin, a top Clinton aide. He is under a separate investigation for allegedly sexting an underage girl.
The Clinton campaign immediately responded, welcoming the move.
"We are glad to see that he has found, as we were confident that he would, that he's confirmed the conclusions that he reached in July," said Jennifer Palmieri, the campaign's communication manager. "And we're glad that this matter is resolved."
Despite the re-emergence of the email scandal, Mrs Clinton maintained a five-point lead in the most recent opinion polls, and last night's announcement is expected to help her even further.
Kellyanne Conway, Mr Trump's campaign manager, said Mr Comey had "mishandled the investigation from the beginning" and questioned the idea that the FBI could have done a thorough investigation in such a short period of time, but told MSNBC that the announcement would have no effect on the race.
Speaking to a rally in Minnesota yesterday, Mr Trump said: "She's the most corrupt person ever to seek the presidency of the US. Clinton will be under investigation for a long time for the many crimes against her. It's a rigged system and she's protected."
The FBI was already under huge pressure from Democrats to explain why it took the unprecedented decision to make public so close to an election that it was investigating a new batch of emails related to Mrs Clinton.
There were dramatic scenes on Saturday night as Mr Trump was rushed off stage by the Security Service officers during a campaign appearance in Reno, Nevada. There were reports of a gun in the crowd, although officials later clarified that no weapon had been involved in the incident.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Theresa May last night said that elections should be "calm and measured" and focused on issues as she spoke about the tone of the US presidential election.
Asked if she would repeat criticism of Mr Trump, voiced when she was Home Secretary, Mrs May said: "I take a simple view about the way in which I like to see campaigns being conducted; I like them to be conducted in a calm and measured way with proper consideration of the issues."
It also emerged that Britain is seeking reassurances from Mr Trump over Russia after he dismissed intelligence about a series of devastating cyber-attacks. ( Daily Telegraph London)
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
I am sitting in a cheap motel room in North Carolina, the kind of place where drug deals go horribly wrong, and a boasting, brash voice comes over the radio. Donald Trump.
It is still hard to believe that the Republicans ever nominated him. It is even harder to believe that Trump could actually win the White House. But a week on the campaign trail has convinced me that he can. And that the world shouldn't panic unduly.
This election has been intensely personal for me. I'm a historian of the United States, specialising in politics, and have argued for years that Britons are wrong to characterise American statesmen as vulgar charlatans. So imagine my disappointment when the Republicans nominated the most vulgar charlatan they could find.
For a long time, I and many other so-called experts wrote off the billionaire's candidacy as a marketing gimmick that wouldn't last much longer. We were wrong. He proved cleverer than us. He was certainly more relevant. On Thursday night, I watched him tell an audience of 3,000 in a North Carolina field about national security, the loss of jobs - he claimed that America has haemorrhaged "700,000 factories" since the 90s - and, crucially, immigration. Sometimes it's fun to listen to his speeches and reflect on how almost every sentence would end a career in a normal election. "Hillary supports totally open borders," he said. "There goes your country." He meant to say: "Here come the Mexicans."
The crowd cheered "Lock her up!", in reference to Hillary, and "Build that wall! Build that wall!" But were they representative of the wider population? Can he actually win?
Yes, but it will be hard. In his favour, the national polls this week have narrowed slightly - to the point where either he's tied with Clinton or not far behind. Both sides know their constituencies and will win or lose depending upon their ability to get them to the polls. Clinton attracts ethnic minorities and enjoys a double-digit lead among women. Trump, like all Republican candidates since the 60s, is comfortably ahead among whites and has a double-digit advantage among men. The problem for him is that women tend to vote more than men: in 2012, they were 52pc of the electorate.
Then there's the electoral vote problem. It's possible to win the popular vote, but not win enough individual states to take the White House. Think of electoral votes like stepping stones that get wider apart the further one goes. It's easy for Trump to walk from, say, Wyoming to Alabama. But it's a jump to get to Ohio and a distant leap to Pennsylvania. There is no state that he can afford to lose: he has to win a couple of states that usually vote Democrat. Acknowledging this, he has poured resources into Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.
Certain factors, however, make the slimmest of possibilities hard to dismiss. One is the state of the country. The sleeper issue in the US is Obamacare, the president's signature healthcare reform. On Tuesday, many consumers going online to renew their health insurance found that the monthly costs of premiums affected by Obamacare had suddenly jumped by an average of 25pc. People can get help through tax subsidies and deductibles, but it still came as a huge shock. In Arizona, the cost of premiums jumped 100pc. In Alaska, they now go for as much as $760 a month. Obama promised more choice and affordability. Many feel they've been betrayed - and voters keep bringing this up in my conversations with them.
Enthusiastic
Distrust of Clinton is also a factor. One poll (taken before last night's announcement by the FBI that she will not be charged after a fresh probe into her emails) said that voters actually trust her less than Trump, thanks to two decades of scandals. It's not that she has no fans: Democrat rallies are enthusiastic and large, usually bolstered by celebrities such as James Taylor and Katy Perry. But Trump is counting on a revolution that's hidden in the polls. Brexit is mentioned a lot at his rallies. It's a powerful example of the pollsters getting it wrong - and while there are huge differences between Brexit and Trump, it's hard to deny that they are part of a global picture. The world is shifting away from social and economic liberalism. Trump is a repudiation of the consensus that Tony Blair and Bill Clinton established in the 90s.
So, if he did win, would his administration truly be as radical or disastrous as his critics fear? It depends on your point of view. His business career has been full of risks and failure. But also single-mindedness, achievement and an emphasis upon hiring talent. Talented people who suck up to him, of course. Expect a presidential cabinet that is heavy on rich, powerful men who bet early on Trump's rise and praise him mightily. Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. African-American surgeon Dr Ben Carson.
New Jersey's governor, Chris Christie, will be critically important - perhaps in finance or foreign affairs. It's rumoured that Trump wanted him for his vice president - but that Trump's children vetoed it because they, sensibly, calculated that Christie would bring the ticket no extra votes. We can expect the Trump clan to exert a largely benign influence. Wife Melania will be a traditional First Lady, focusing on charity work. Daughter Ivanka and her businessman husband Jared Kuschner will continue to operate a kind of royal court. Their decisions have been smart and, crucially, moderating.
In some areas of policy, Trump is surprisingly moderate. Don't expect any of the old Republican war on gay marriage from this New York businessman. That said, wherever Trump has shown no interest in policy, his instinct has been to let the party make decisions for him. His response to the rising costs of Obamacare has been Republican boilerplate: get government out of health, increase consumer options, etc. These policies are probably being written for him. Choosing Mike Pence as his running mate sent a signal that Trump understands he is mistrusted by conservative ideologues and that he's happy to accommodate them. Should anything happen to him in office and Pence takes over, America will actually get a far more right-wing president. Pence introduces himself to rallies thus: "I am a Christian, a conservative and a Republican - in that order."
Trump will find that it's harder to get things done in Washington than on Wall Street. He may be anti-interventionist in foreign policy, but he will inherit a war with Isil that he will have to see through to the end - and he will quickly find that the Russians are difficult to work with. If he tries to reduce the import of Chinese goods, he will land himself in a trade war that he'll lose. And he may well build his precious wall across the Mexican border, but the Mexicans won't pay for it and the price at home will probably be accepting that many illegal immi-grants can stay. For it's likely that Trump will be governing alongside a Democrat senate, which will curb his powers. Even a Republican-dominated Congress would be a nuisance.
The republic is bigger than its politicians. If Trump did ever try to do the more radical things that he has threatened - in the authoritarian manner he exudes - then he would be opposed by Congress, the Supreme Court and the Constitution. Gridlock in Washington is annoying but, sometimes, necessary.
Which begs the question, why are Democrats so apocalyptic in tone? The answer is that Trump's victory would represent a rejection of their worldview. Obama often talks about the "arc of history", which he thinks bends towards liberal progress. But Trump's support exposes the fact that millions of Americans believe their best days are actually behind them, and they want to turn the clock back. Back to an age when a job was for life, America was respected, cops ruled the streets and politicians talked a language the people could understand.
Trump is running not so much to make America great again as simpler again. Those who believe that life is more complicated than that - that it is full of nuance and the need for tolerance - find his pitch terrifying. ( Daily Telegraph London)
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
US voters will make their choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on Tuesday Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar/Carlos Barria/Files
FINALLY America decides.
After months of bluster, name calling and very little policy debate 120 million people across the United States will go to the polls Tuesday to decide whether they want Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton to become the 45th President.
Expand Close Hillary Clinton boards her plane in Philadelphia Picture: AFP/Getty / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Hillary Clinton boards her plane in Philadelphia Picture: AFP/Getty
While there are other names on the ballot paper these are the two that matter and ultimately one of them will win.
Much like the campaign, reaching an outcome will be tricky - but by Wednesday morning well know the answer.
Heres how it works:
The voting is nothing like the system in Ireland
Expand Close Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Sioux City, Iowa on Sunday Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images / Facebook
Twitter
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Whatsapp Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Sioux City, Iowa on Sunday Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
All 50 US states and Washington DC have a set number of "electors" in the electoral college - roughly proportionate to the size of each state.
California, the largest state, has 55 electoral votes, while sparsely-populated Wyoming and tiny Washington DC only get only three each.
There are 538 electors and to win a majority and become president either candidate needs to accumulate 270 electors - half the total plus one.
The number of electors each state gets is also equal to the number of seats it has in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
All but two states - Maine and Nebraska - use a winner-takes-all system, so if you win the most votes in a state you take its entire haul of electoral college votes.
This means its possible to win the popular vote but not the election.
What are swing states?
The major swing states in 2016 are Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Other important states include Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, Colorado, and North Carolina. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have been working their way through these States in the last few days.
1. The crown jewels
In recent cycles, the presidency has been won in Florida and Ohio. America's 3rd and 7th largest states, with 29 and 18 electoral votes respectively, they are constantly swinging back and forth between parties.
The two states also have near-perfect records of picking the president over the past five decades. The result in Ohio has mirrored the national outcome in every election since 1960, while Florida has diverged from the nation at large just once over that period.
2. Trump's must-holds
Because of demographic shifts in the US, paired with Mr Trump's unpopularity, states that were once solidly Republican are now within reach for the Democrats in 2016.
When Barack Obama won North Carolina in 2008, he was the first Democrat to do so since Jimmy Carter. Mitt Romney won the Southern state back in 2012, and it now appears to be a toss-up between Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump.
The Democratic nominee hopes to expand the map with wins in Arizona, Georgia and Missouri, all of which have consistently voted Republican for nearly two decades.
Because of the realities elsewhere on the map, Mr Trump cannot afford to let those states change hands in 2016.
3. 'Obama coalition' holdovers
Mr Obama won the electoral college by wide margins both in 2008 and 2012, and he did so by taking traditional swing states like Iowa and Pennsylvania.
He also helped bring ethnically diverse states like Colorado and Nevada into the Democratic fold.
Mrs Clinton looks likely to hold on to Colorado, Pennyslvania and Virginia, with Iowa and Nevada still hanging in the balance.
She is also facing a stronger-than-expected challenge in New Hampshire, which has voted for the Democrat in every recent election except 2000.
Is there even a contest anymore?
Most of the polls suggest theres still a lot to play for but Mrs Clinton is still the frontrunner.
It could even be a tie, with both candidates stuck at 269, in which case the House of Representatives would vote to choose the next president.
Are voters just casting ballots for the presidential election?
No. As well as voting for president, Americans are also electing all 435 members of Congress's lower house, the House of Representatives, and one-third of the Senate. Plus, they are voting for a medley of local and state officials.
Whats the link between the Pope and the way America votes?
When America's founding fathers created the electoral college system in 1787, there was no way a presidential candidate could mount a national campaign - and there was little in the way of national identity.
Election of the president by Congress was rejected as it was thought to be too divisive. Likewise, electing a president by state legislatures was discounted as it could have eroded federal authority.
Electing the president by direct popular vote was also vetoed over fears that people would vote for their favourite local candidate and no president would emerge with a popular majority sufficient to govern the whole country.
The system of electors, based loosely on the Roman Catholic College of Cardinals selecting the Pope, was chosen with the theory that the most knowledgeable and informed individuals from each State would select a president on merit, disregarding state loyalties.
Will there be exit polls?
As soon as polls close, there will be a projection for that state based on opinion polls carried out throughout the day. These should give a good indication of who has won that state, although as we have saw during the Brexit referendum, they are not to be relied upon.
We will get our first projections from east coast states. There may be a dozen states where it's too close to call based on exit polls, and in those states the TV networks will make no projection and we will have to wait for the actual results.
Timeline for how events will unfold
Polls open as early as 6am Tuesday in the US. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are both expected to cast their votes in New York.
Around midnight (Irish time) polling stations start to close and first state projections made based on exit polls
Everybody, including the candidates, will be glued to the main TV networks who are usually the first to call it. The earliest possible time to have a serious projection is around 4am Wednesday
Both candidates have booked New York venues for a victory party. Mrs Clinton has a convention centre capable of facilities tens of thousands, whereas Mr Trump is being more low-key with a room in the Midtown Hilton Hotel.
US voters will make their choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on Tuesday Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar/Carlos Barria/Files
In April 2015, Hillary Clinton announced via a YouTube video that she would be contesting the next US presidential election. Two months later, Donald Trump followed suit.
Much has happened in the race to be Barrack Obamas successor, with some people dubbing the campaign a fiasco.
Controversies and blooper videos aside, here are ten important things you need to know about the actual election on Tuesday:
1. What are the main differences between the Republican and Democrat parties?
Republicans are perceived to be conservative on social issues. While they oppose the right to have an abortion, they promote the right to own a gun.
Democrats, on the other hand, are more open in their views on issues such as gay marriage and abortion. They also believe strict gun laws should be implemented.
Republicans also tend to believe in harsher penalties when it comes to crimes, while Democrats would be opposed to capital punishment.
2. What are the swing states everyone keeps talking about?
Certain states are guaranteed to either vote Democrat or Republican during an election.
However, there are in and around 11 swing states which could vote either way.
Some include Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and North Carolina.
These states see the vast majority of campaigning and money, whereas states that are notably blue or red see very little campaigning or advertising as they are considered a sure bet.
They have been key in deciding elections in the past and their vote is often considered the most instrumental.
3. When will all the votes be in?
The results that come through on the TV network news throughout the night are compiled jointly by the networks.
The first states on the East Coast polling will close at about 12:30am Irish time on Wednesday morning. If it as tight as expected, the final and decisive results will be in at about 04.00am.
4. If Hillary Clinton gets elected, history will be made for two reasons what are they?
First of all, she will be the first ever female US president.
Secondly, Hillary and Bill Clinton would be the first spouses to both serve as president.
Bill Clinton served as president from 1993 until 2001.
5. When will the new president get to work?
Despite the election taking place on Tuesday, the new president will not take office until their inauguration on January 20 2017. They will be referred to as President Elect and the Sitting President. Who remains as president is often referred to as a lame duck because their successor is known and despite having all the same powers, their position is now viewed as diminished
6. What is the Electoral College?
Each state has a certain number of representatives that vote on behalf of the people.
Both candidates designate certain individuals who will serve as his or her electors if that candidate wins the popular vote in that state.
When that happens, the winner sends all the electors to the states capital to record their votes for that candidate.
The number of representatives each state has is proportionate to the population but it doesnt mean that whoever wins the popular vote will win the presidency, as happened in 2000 with George Bush.
7. Why are endorsements so important?
Endorsements may be more important this year than ever before.
Candidates generally can expect the endorsement from their partys hierarchy once confirmed as candidate.
However, this years divisive election has been the exception; leading figures in the Republican Party have refused to endorse Donald Trump due to his behaviour and rhetoric.
These include former Republican candidates John McCain, Mitt Romney and Presidents George Bush Junior & Senior.
8. Why may the peaceful transition of power be affected this year?
The US has a history of peaceful transition of power, meaning that the President or party hand over power to another in a peaceful manner. The first transition occurred in 1801 when John Adams handed over power to Thomas Jefferson.
There have been worries that Donald Trump might upset this tradition and that he would refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of the US election result.
9. Who pays for all their campaigning?
Its almost impossible to imagine running for office without funding. To date, Hillary Clinton has raised almost $700m and Donald Trump just $250m. These are raised through a mixture of super PACs and individual donations.
A super PAC is a political committee that solicits and spends unlimited sums of money. They cannot contribute directly to a politician or party, but can spend money on campaigning for them.
10. How long can someone be president for?
The 22nd Amendment limits a presidents number of terms to two, which is eight years.
In some cases, if a vice president takes over for a president with less than two years of his term remaining, that vice president will then end up serving ten years as president.
The countdown to the US election is on...
The 2016 US election takes place on Tuesday Nov 8 2016, after which the world's most powerful nation will have a new leader. Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will become the 45th President of the United States.
What happens on election day itself?
Polling booths will open in all 50 states and in Washington DC across six time zones.
Timings vary for each state - voting either opens between 6am and 7am and closes between 7pm and 8pm (in Iowa and North Dakota polls are open till 9pm). More than 120 million Americans are expected to cast votes.
Expand Close US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan. Photo: Reuters / Facebook
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US election day and night: Timeline
00:01 ET (05:01 GMT)
The first results are announced - possibly in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire
06:00 ET (11:00 GMT)
Polling stations open in east coast states and election day proper underway
TBC:
Expand Close Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump holds a campaign event at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center in Jacksonville, Florida. Photo: Reuters / Facebook
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Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton cast their votes, most likely in New York
19:00 ET (00:00 GMT)
Polling stations start to close and first state projections made based on exit polls
23:00 ET (04:00 GMT)
Earliest possible time the election will be "called" for either candidate by US TV networks
TBC:
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Victory or concession speeches from both Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump
Will there be exit polls?
As soon as polls close, there will be a projection for that state based on opinion polls carried out throughout the day. These should give a good indication of who has won that state, although as we have seen in recent UK elections, they are not to be relied upon.
We will get our first projections from east coast states. There may be a dozen states where it's too close to call based on exit polls, and in those states the TV networks will make no projection and we will have to wait for the actual results.
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Where will the first results be announced?
Dixville Notch, New Hampshire is the Sunderland of America. The village, just 20 miles from the Canadian border, is known for being one of the first places to declare its results - often up to 24 hours before the rest of the country.
The village has a longstanding tradition of middle-of-the-night voting, whereby all the eligible voters in Dixville Notch gather at midnight in the ballroom of a ski resort, hours before most polling stations officially open.
When all registered voters have voted, sometimes one minute later, the result is announced.
Dixville Notch competes with several other towns and villages in New Hampshire for the honour of first to declare, including Hart's Location.
When will we know who has won?
Usually by around 11pm on the East Coast (4am GMT) it has become clear that one side has prevailed. The magic number is 270 electoral college votes - each state, plus Washington DC, is awarded a certain number of electoral votes based roughly on size.
When the winner is beyond doubt, the losing candidate calls the winner to concede. Both Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump will give a speech: one to claim victory and the other admit defeat. But there is always the possibility - as happened in 2000 - that at the end of Election Day we may still not know who has won.
The result could either be too close to call without counting every vote or else legal battles over election procedures may delay the result or force a recount. It could even be a tie, with both candidates stuck at 269, in which case the House of Representatives would vote choose the next president.
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Why is the election on Tuesday November 8?
The election is in November because America was a predominantly agrarian society and November was the quietest for rural workers.
It is always traditionally on a Tuesday to allow people living in rural areas time to travel to towns and cities to vote, removing the need to travel on a Sunday.
It is always the first Tuesday after the first Monday to avoid the election falling on November 1st. This was to avoid clashing with All Saints Day and the day when businessmen traditionally did their accounting from the previous month.
What are the new voting laws?
Voting rules vary widely by state and sometimes by county, meaning some Americans can register the same day they vote, while others must do so weeks in advance.
Some can mail in a ballot, while others must stand in line at a polling place that might be miles from home. Some who forget photo identification can simply sign an affidavit and have their ballot count, while others must return with their ID within a few days or their vote doesn't matter.
Fourteen states have new voting and registration rules in place for this election, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law. Legal challenges have led to a multitude of recent court rulings that have blocked or struck down some provisions and upheld or reinstated others, scrambling the picture further.
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Brett McGurk, the White House envoy to the US-led military coalition against IS, pledges American air support for the offensive to retake Raqqa (AP)
Kurdish-led Syrian fighters have clashed with Islamic State militants north of the Syrian city of Raqqa.
Members of a coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters known as the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) have been on the offensive in the area since Saturday, aiming to isolate and encircle the city which has been the de facto capital of Islamic State since 2014.
The United States, France and the UK said they would provide air support for the offensive, which was announced at a news conference on Sunday in Ein Issa, north of Raqqa.
But the announcement lacked details on how the SDF, dominated by Kurds, plans to oust the militants from the city, home to nearly 200,000 mostly Sunni Arabs and an estimated 5,000 IS fighters.
The US commander of coalition forces fighting the Islamic State group said the operation to liberate Raqqa aims at eventually cutting off the extremists from the Iraqi city of Mosul, where IS militants are already under attack by US-backed Iraqi forces.
Lieutenant General Townsend said in a statement the Arab element of the SDF is "indigenous to the area" and will help establish "regional support" for SDF operations. His comments appeared to be aimed at soothing concerns that Kurdish forces would take over Raqqa, a predominantly Sunni Arab city.
The fighting in northern Syria is taking place under the cover of air strikes by the US-led coalition that played an instrumental role in the past in battles between SDF and the extremists.
The US Central Command said coalition aircraft conducted 16 air strikes in northern Syria, mostly near the area of Ein Isssa, north of Raqqa, where the fighting appeared to be concentrated.
It said that they engaged 12 IS tactical units and destroyed six fighting positions, five vehicles and two vehicles rigged with explosives. The command said the air strikes were conducted on Sunday.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said heavy fighting was under way on Monday north of Raqqa between IS and SDF fighters. A Kurdish media official in the area, Rania Mohammed, said several farms and villages have been captured since Sunday, without providing further details.
SDF said its fighters destroyed a vehicle rigged with explosives in a farm north of Raqqa.
The IS-linked Aamaq news agency said IS militants hit an SDF armoured vehicle north of Raqqa with a missile, killing everyone inside.
The Raqqa-based Syrian activist group known as Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently reported that SDF fighters shelled the village of Tweila'a north of Raqqa forcing its residents to flee.
AP
Are you inspired by this election; feeling as though youre a part of history as never before; confident that the democracy will emerge reinvigorated; and reminded yet again that we, all of us, are blessed with our place in this shining city on a hill? No? Me neither.
I awoke to a nightmare this morning. I dreamed that the Nations political parties met on some desolate hillside and jointly decided to push the election date back a month. No, seriously, the Demlicans and Republicrats had come to the conclusion that we havent yet gotten to know, really know, the candidates; and what the electorate needs more than anything is another four weeks of this inspiring, elevated dialogue and media saturation.
I dont want to say that I lack enthusiasm for the idea, but really folks, I think Id rather light myself on fire, and blow it out with a howitzer.
I voted a week ago. I could have voted a year ago with no change in my choices - even down ballot. Do our elections drag on for eighteen months for some purpose? Are we collectively trying to see how much we can take? The Canadians complete the process in six weeks. Period. Canada seems like a nice place, if a little chilly. Somehow they manage to pick their national leaders in a campaign that lasts one tenth the duration of ours.
Naw, surely weve got it right. It makes sense, doesnt it, to fight it out, spending hundreds of millions of dollars, running negative advertising until every candidate is revealed as the Jeffrey Dalmer Ted Bundy Lee Harvey Oswald Lizzy Borden he or she truly is. If half the criminality and moral turpitude of which vying candidates accuse each other had some basis in fact, we wouldnt be staging inaugurations so much as witnessing perp walks. When it finally ends, well deport all these sociopathic office-seekers to Venezuela. The rest of us will muddle on somehow in a quiet, soothing anarchy.
Unfortunately, having the election decided and behind us doesnt always make the dust settle. Immediately following his assassination, Abe Lincoln was succeeded by the man whom most historians regard as one of the worst two or three presidents in the history of the republic, Andrew Johnson. Johnson was a racist who, in finishing out Lincolns second term, sought to undo every measure in his predecessor's plan for a soft landing of the Confederate States back into the embrace of the Union. He used his veto to obstruct those plans as the new laws crossed his desk. The Congress, determined to see Lincolns plan through as much as possible, overrode those vetoes.
Johnson was furious about the overrides; so ticked off in fact that he undertook an unprecedented effort to unseat those members of Congress who resisted his hideously racist policies. So, Johnson went on tour around the Country in a district-by-district attempt to discredit all those evil Congressmen who led the overrides to his vetoes. And in district after district, Johnson revealed to all with eyes to see what an utter creep he was.
Not only was he a lout, he was a drunken lout. So bad was his behavior that, when it came time for his Party, the Democrats, to nominate their candidate early in the election of 1868, Johnson, the incumbent President mind you, was impeached by Congress and never seriously considered as his Partys nominee. After twenty-two ballets, the Democrats chose the hapless governor of New York, Horatio Seymour. The Republicans nominated their hero of the Civil War on the first ballot, Ulysses S. Grant, who went on the bury Seymour.
So, this is what we need right now - a war hero. My son-in-law fought in Iraq. I nominate him.
Gerry Dionne is a New Hampshire native who has lived in the Concord area for nearly 50 years.
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Getting out the Native vote on the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation in North Dakota. Photo by North Segment of the Three Affiliated Tribes
#NativeVote16 Driving turnout, early votes from Alaska to North Dakota
By Mark TrahantTrahant Reports
Across Indian Country there are rallies, phone banks, forums, and social media pitches that are repeating one message, vote. Native American voters can make the difference in key states from the presidential race to county commissions.
And what does it matter? In a paragraph: One presidential candidate, Donald Trump, favors completion of the the Dakota Access Pipeline as well as resurrecting the Keystone XL Pipeline. He would support legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a law that includes increased funding for the Indian Health System as well as the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. Clinton, on the other hand, would be more of the same. She generally supports President Obamas policies on energy, climate, and on federal-tribal relations. (Previous: Native Vote tips the Electoral College
And this election there are so many talented Native American candidates whose very presence makes this country better. This is why we need to vote. This is why we vote.
In Montana, Democrats, including congressional candidate Denise Juneau, include tribal nations in that last minute push. The five-day, statewide tour stretched from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Nation to across the state to Wolf Point and the Fort Peck Assiniboine Sioux Tribes.
Denise Juneau visited the Blackfeet Nation on November 2, 2016, as part of a five-day, tour of tribal communities in Montana. Photo from Facebook
Juneau told Montana Public Radio : We are on this swing around the state, 17 communities well be hitting all across Montana to talk to voters to know that what we stand for and know our records and that we are going to really talk about the future of this state and what it looks like and draw the stark contrasts that are necessary. I plan to hold my opponent accountable to his lack of a non-record of looking out for Montana, and win over the voters of Montana, and thats really the excitement around this last push across the state with all these statewide candidates. Were going to work really hard to get out the vote and make sure that when we wake up after election day the headlines read that we win.
Juneau also picked up another newspaper endorsement, The Missoulian . Montanans need a strong voice in the U.S. House who is focused on serving her constituents, the paper said. Lets see what Denise Juneau can do for Montana for our economy, our public lands and our access to health care as our U.S. representative.
Elections were once about turnout on at the polls. But in this era most people will vote early and that changes the focus. Juneau said she already voted and is encouraging everyone in the state to vote early. You never know whats going to be happening on Election Day.
Juneau, of course, is a member of the Mandan Hidatsa Tribes (and Blackfeet). The Three Affiliated Tribes have a lot going on this election with candidates running across the country. Another tribal member, Laurel Deegan-Fricke , is in a tight state senate race in North Carolina. And closer to home, citizens Ruth Buffalo is on the ballot for State Insurance Commissioner and Cesar Alvarez is a candidate for the state House of Representatives.
Rappers Lil Mike & FunnyBone were in Fairbanks, Alaska, on November 4, 2016, for an event hosted by Get Out The Native Vote-Interior Alaska. Photo by Facebook
A Thursday rally in New Town included Buffalo, Alvarez, and a broad section of North Dakota candidates, including Chase Iron Eyes Marlo Hunte-Beaubrun , as well as other candidates for state, regional and tribal offices.
The outreach to Native Voters in North Dakota also included stops at the United Tribes Technical College and Fort Yates. Iron Eyes and Hunte-Beaubrun are Standing Rock Sioux tribal members.
Iron Eyes posted on Facebook : I feel good about our campaign. I love being the underdog. North Dakota is about underdogs. We are all looked over and counted out. We all meet challenges head on. We all #FaceTheStorm. Only the strong survive. I ask for the strength to Walk Without Fear. We dont win unless you vote! Its that simple.
The Native Vote is critical in Arizona both in the presidential race and in the U.S. Senate race. Jamescita Peshlakai, who is running for the Arizona state Senate, posted on Facebook that our next US Senator, Ann Kirkpatrick, is talking Navajo on KTNN. Wow. 2 years ago President Obama ended his campaign commercial with Ahehee! Our language can be learned by non-Navajos. If there is a will, there is a way.
On Saturday the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona is doing a phone bank with the goal of reaching 10,000 Native voters before the election.
There is also a Native Vote rally scheduled for Election Day starting at 11:30 am in Tempe on the campus of Arizona State University.
And in Alaska the early vote is breaking records. The Alaska Dispatch News reports that 22,114 early votes have already been cast, five days before Election Day. Early in-person votes go right into the ballot box and are counted on Tuesday, along with ones turned in at the polls, the Alaska Dispatch News said.Since the ballots arent tallied until Tuesday, theres no real way to tell how people are voting. And its not entirely clear whats driving the increased early turnout.
On the Facebook page, Get Out the Native Vote-Interior Alaska , there is this remarkable story posted by Wilmina Daisy Stevens: When it comes to voting, I always have to think of my mother, Hannah Paul Solomon. On the very last day that she was with us, my sister told her that she had received her GwichyaaZhee Corporation ballot. She wanted to vote it and she did. She never told anyone how she voted but she knew how important it was to vote. My sister sealed the envelope and we watched for the mailman. Once the mailman came, I said The mailman just picked up your ballot, Mom. Your vote is counted. She had a smile on her face. Three hours later, my mom passed away. I vote because my Mom showed me how important it is to vote whether its Tribal, Corporations, City, Village, School Boards, or National: Please exercise your rights to vote. Its the only way to voice your opinion. Mahsi Mahsi Choo Shalak Nai.
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Nick Tilsen, the executive director of Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, and Lenny Lone Hill, construction trainer at Thunder Valley, assist youth as they break ground on 34-acre community adn economic development project on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota in June 2015.
A case of perverted news reporting
Notes from Indian CountryBy Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji Stands Up For Them)
Al Jazeera, an Arabic news network, is based in Doha, Qatar in the Middle East.
It began with the good intentions of providing a news and television network to cover issues often disregarded by the American national media. Its Al Jazeera America network recently closed its doors because we suppose that most Americans were not interested in the news it was providing. But more than likely it closed because it failed to provide its prospective viewers with sites that were easily accessible.
The network did make an effort to cover Native American news, but soon discovered something Native Americans have known for a hundred or more years: Most Americans just are not interested in news about Native Americans. I found that out when I started writing for the Huffington Post.
Al Jazeeras most recent sojourn into covering Indian country was at best pathetic. I am reminded of the white reporters who come out to the Pine Ridge Reservation with an eye on writing the epic Indian story and in the end resort to covering ground that has been plowed a hundred times over. They are the typical reporters who come to Pine Ridge wearing blinders with the intent of only seeing and hearing horrific stories and they are able to find sources that are more than willing to show them only the dark side of things thus complying with the very reason they came out here in the first place.
Whiteclay, Nebraska, the town where the liquor stores sell a billion cans of beer every year to the poor Indians of Pine Ridge is always a prominent part of any outsider news story. One Pine Ridge alcoholism counselor said, No one put a gun to the heads of those people heading for Whiteclay said go buy some beer or Ill shoot you. He said they went there of their own free will.
And that is a point my newspapers have been driving for more than 30 years. The problems with alcohol begin on our side of the border, not in Whiteclay. We have written over and over that the Pine Ridge Reservation needs a first class drug and alcohol treatment center. When I was in school at the Holy Rosary Indian Mission (now Red Cloud Indian School) way back when, one month we had an art contest to come up with a drawing to go with the saying, An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And that is what it will take to even begin to solve the horrendous problems of alcohol and drug abuse on the Pine Ridge Reservation. With the right leadership they are preventable and curable.
We need the federal government to take some of the billions of dollars it spends on foreign-aid and bring some of the money back home to help its own indigenous people. Eighty percent of the problems of abuse of all kinds began with the badly planned experiments practiced and carried out upon the innocent Indian children in the name of assimilation and acculturation.
While Al Jazeera was interviewing people about how bad their lives are they also could have found many more who thought their lives were pretty good. Why didnt they visit Oglala Lakota College and the campuses it provides in all nine districts of the reservation? Why didnt they interview people like the college president Tom Shortbull? Would it have taken away from their intent on doom and gloom?
The author, Patrick Strickland, said that President John Yellowbird Steele did not respond when he tried to reach him. Well guess what Mr. Strickland, Steele has seen a hundred reporters just like you come and go over the six terms he has served as President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and he knows full well the methods of your reporting and the negative turn your story will take after it is published. A good example of very, very bad reporting was that done by Sam Vargo of the Daily Kos. He violated every decent rule of acceptable journalism in an article he wrote about me. He did the entire bundle of tripe without ever speaking to me and by taking the perverted words of a chronic liar named James Swan. This was a classic example of reporting at its worst.
Kevin Wooster, one of South Dakotas most respected journalists, came into my newspaper office many years ago at Pine Ridge and began his conversation with, Pardon my ignorance but . . . . . . . . . My response was, No, I will not pardon your ignorance. If want to come here and do stories on the people of Pine Ridge, youd better damned well do your research beforehand. Wooster learned a valuable lesson that day and when he lectures a journalism class even to this day, he points out this lesson he learned when he was just a cub reporter.
And this is the same advice I would have given Mr. Strickland if he had come to me. Any good reporter can travel to any city be it Philadelphia, New Orleans or Los Angeles and find the depth of depression, suicide, drug and alcohol abuse and the poverty that seems to be systemic in many portions of this country. But in every one of those communities there are also good people doing good things to advance their people and to bring about positive change. They can be found in the elementary and high schools and in the community colleges, and yes, even in the tribal government. One just has to do a little research.
Nick Tilsen is trying to build a model community near Porcupine and has some pretty great ideas about what he would like to see in the future for Pine Ridge. Why were his and the efforts of so many other good people not a part of the horrific story on Pine Ridge?
As a child I lived at Kyle and I lived at Wounded Knee and those were some of the happiest years of my life. When Strickland writes about the lawn of one of the people he interviews , to him it is not just a lawn, it is a desolate lawn. If that is how one sees the Pine Ridge Reservation that is how one will write about it.
There is an old story about a man traveling to a town where he might want to build a home. He asks a man he meets at the edge of the town, What kind of town is this? The man responds, What kind of town do you come from? The traveler says, The town I come from is terrible; it is dirty and filled with drunks and crime. The man responds, Well, you will find that this is the same kind of town.
It boils down to what it is you want to find in a story you are about to write and when you come to do a story on Pine Ridge with pre-conceived ideas, that is the way you will write the story. The next time you come, also look for the good.
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1. Alia Bhatts Reaction To Romantic Couples After A Breakup In Dear Zindagis Take 3 Is All Of Us!
After playing Kabbadi with the sea in the first teaser and then showing their cute banter in the second, Kaira and Jug are back with yet another take of Dear Zindagi. In this teaser, Alia Bhatt can be seen taking advice from mentor SRK post her breakup. She even reacts bitterly towards the romantic couples around and we cannot help but relate to it.
2. Twinkle-Akshay's Episode Promo Of Koffee With Karan Hints That It's Going To Be All Kinds Of Crazy!
In the promo, Twinkle reveals that she told Akshay, I wont have a second child if he doesn't start doing sensible movies. To which Akshay in his full husband mode says, I cannot tell you what I go through.
3. Earlier They Failed To Recognise Her, Now This Website Calls Deepika A Bollywood Blunder!
Popular UK Daily DailyMail seemed to be disappointed with her unflattering fashion sense at the EMAs. They were so unhappy with her style that they featured her in their Worst Dressed category. It didnt end at that, they even tagged her as a Bollywood Blunder!
4. After Underworld, RGV's Next Film Is A World War 3 Drama With A Whopping Budget Of Rs 340 Cr!
The director who has a lot of gems like Satya, Rangeela and Company to his credit, is soon going to direct a World War 3 drama. He took to twitter to announce this project. He wrote, My first international film to be made at a cost of 340 crore is NUCLEAR." He further added that the film will be shot in America, China, Russia, Yemen and India with American, Chinese, Russian and Indian actors."
5. Anupam Kher Calls Out Burning Of Schools In Kashmir, Says People Doing It Are Anti-Children
People who are burning schools are anti-children, they just want our students to remain illiterate and adopt terrorism, he said at an event.
On Sunday, a Reliance Lyf customer, Tanvir Sadiq posted on Twitter about how his Reliance Lyf phone burst into flames.
His post said- 'My family had a narrow escape today after @Reliancejios @Reliance_Lyf phone exploded and burst into flames. He also wrote that this was a serious issue and how the company needs to look into it and recall the handsets . A Reliance Lyf team member reached out to the consumer asking for Sadiq's contact details .
Twitter
Lyf is Reliance Retail brands smartphones that were rolled out this year. Mukesh Ambani opened 4G services called Reliance Jio have free simcards along with Lyf phones and preloaded Jio apps.
To an email sent by ET, a spokesperson from Lyf stated - LYF range of phones are designed and manufactured with global standards by some of the worlds leading manufacturers of mobile phones. Each phone goes through a stringent quality control process.
My family had a narrow escape today after @reliancejio 's @Reliance_LYF phone exploded & burst into flames. pic.twitter.com/NggIGMc8Zw Tanvir Sadiq (@tanvirsadiq) 6 November 2016
We are concerned about the incident reported in social media and are taking the matter seriously. We are assessing the cause and will conduct a thorough investigation in the matter. Customer safety is paramount to us and, based on our findings, we will take appropriate action, the statement added, it added.
Since the last few months , electronic major Samsung too has been engulfed with consumer complaints of its Galaxy Note 7 bursting into flames. In airlines , including Indian flights the phone has been banned.
In a bizarre incident from Kerala, a 12-year-old boy was booked by Kalamassery Police after an 18-year-old girl gave birth to a baby.
The accused was booked under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act for allegedly impregnating a girl two months before she turned 18.
The hospital was also charged for breaching the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
AFP/Representational Image
However, hospital authorities have denied doing anything wrong as the girl was 18 and hence couldn't be deemed as minor when she approached them and went into labour pain.
Hospital also clarified that it had informed the Childline once the young mother's relatives informed that a 12-year-old boy had fathered the newborn girl. Besides reporting the case, all files regarding the girl was handed over to the Childline soon after she was discharged on November 4, hospital sources told TOI.
Childline volunteers, meanwhile, were suspecting that whether the 12-year-old had impregnated the girl.
The hospital authorities had followed the protocol and informed us about the incident on the morning of November 2. We alerted Thrikakara ACP about the incident, said Father Tomy SDB, director of Childline, Kochi.
Though Jayakrishnan, Kalamassery circle inspector, said that case against hospital has been lodged because they failed to inform us immediately about the case and the girl had given birth in the hospital the night before they were informed. As per Section 18 of the POCSO Act the hospital was supposed to inform us immediately . The case was registered against the hospital for failing to do so, he said.
Meanwhile, Childline and child welfare commission officials said it was not mandatory to inform the police. The information could be passed on to any agency listed under the Juvenile Justice Act.
The grandparents of the young mother later attended a sitting of the child welfare commission and handed over the newborn to the panel, saying they were not ready to bring her up. The panel sent the infant to its care centre.
Responding to a Right to Information (RTI) filed in September, the Indian army said over 4,500 soldiers had lost their lives to ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC).
The RTI was filed by Vadodara-based activist Pankaj Darve.
The reply to the RTI application, filed on September 22, is dated October 26 and signed by CPIO (Central Public Information Officer). After the Kargil conflict, 4675 soldiers died along the LoC due to ceasefire violations by Pakistan.
India has faced 7,908 terror "instances", which have killed 1714 army personnel
Darve told the Indian Express about his motive for the RTI: "I filed the RTI to understand what the armed forces have faced in the last few years since Kargil (conflict). The figures are shocking and indicate that we lose our jawans more frequently in ceasefire violations than we are told. I plan to write to the government to make all these instances known to the people."
In the past, Darve has filed RTIs about procuring historical memorabilia smuggled out of India and the cost of a butterfly park in Vododara, Gujarat.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh has recently asked government officials to respond to all kinds of RTI queries, irrespective of the information demanded.
Mumbai Man Files RTI Asking The Ministry Of Home Affairs If We Can Survive A Zombie Attack!
Unfazed by the ' sit-in ' by the Chinese border guards at Demchok in Ladakh that led to a face-off with Indian troops earlier this week, Army engineers have finished the work for laying a water pipeline for irrigation purpose for local villagers in Ladakh division.
Reuters/Representational Image
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops had entered the area near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and stopped the construction work. The Chinese troops took positions on the perceived LAC and demanded that work is stopped as both sides need to seek permission before undertaking any such activity. This claim was disputed by the Indian side which said that the terms of the agreement between the two countries state that information about construction needs to be shared only if meant for defence purposes.
tradearabia.com//Representational Image
The sources said that while the face-off between the two sides continued for three days ending Saturday evening, the Army engineers, ignored the warnings by PLA personnel and continued laying pipeline for nearly a kilometre for irrigation purpose of the villagers in Demchok, located 250km east of Leh.
According to the sources, the formula of 'active patrolling' adopted by the ITBP and Army ever since 2013's fortnight-long stand-off near Daulat Beig Oldie has been reaping rich dividends and Chinese have been cautious in carrying out incursion especially in Ladakh sector.
China Daily/Representational Image
This time also, the sources said, army and ITBP personnel did not allow the PLA guards to erect the hut and they were forced to take the material back to their base camp located a kilometre away at Demqog from the place of the face-off.
Reuters/Representational Image
Both sides pulled out banners and have been stationed on the ground, the sources said, adding the Army and ITBP troopers were not allowing the Chinese "to move an inch" ahead despite the PLA claiming that the area belonged to China.
The area had witnessed a similar incident in 2014 after it was decided to construct a small irrigation canal at Nilung Nalla under the MNREGA scheme which had been a sore point with the Chinese. The PLA had mobilised villagers from Tashigong to pitch Rebos (tents) at Charding-Ninglung Nallah (CNN) Track Junction to protest Indian action.
We all know that Indian Army knows no boundaries. After jolting all the foes at the frontier, the force is all ready to conquer the magnanimous Japanese marching festival.
The Japanese Self Defence Forces (SDF) marching festival has been happening for the past 60 years, ever since their band came in form.
It is one of Japans best-known wind ensembles.
Wiki
The bands main activities comprise of concerts at the Tokyo metropolitan area, chamber music concerts, national tour concerts or promenade concerts.
This time, the Indian Military band will join them and is supposed to perform in front of 50,000 people.
telegraph
All this will happen during the Prime Ministers visit to Japan.
According to the sources, the PMs big agenda this time is to talk about expanding security cooperation.
The Indian contingent will have on board 32 Army bandsmen, 3 major officers, and 1 drum Major.
Our team will be there from November 8 to 14. The invite was extended by Japan, said an officer from defence.
thecityguide
The band will perform at their main festival which will be held in Tokyo, around 11th- 13th November.
There are some dummy runs before that and the team has to get adjusted there, the source added.
This is not the first time that an Indian contingent will perform in a foreign country.
YouTube
In May last year, 75 officers from the grenadier regiment marched at the Victory Day parade in Russia.
Indian television is getting a new show tonight that promises to offer a breather from the saas-bahu sagas we see playing on loop from one channel to the other.
koimoi
P.O.W.- Bandi Yuddh Ke, a much-awaited show of 2016, premieres tonight on Star Plus. With a narrative that journeys through the lives of two couples, Harleen-Sartaj and Nazneen-Imaan, the show is based on the aftermath of the 1999 Kargil war. It picks up when the two soldiers, Sartaj and Imaan return home after 17 years of imprisonment and having been declared as 'Missing in Action'.
A journey which will surely be marked as a milestone in my life can't wait for you guys to see this tonight:) https://t.co/RXN3q2P8zS Purab Kohli (@Purab_Kohli) November 7, 2016
The show is a desi version of the hit American series, Homeland - where CIA operative Carrie Mathison is on the hunt for American prisoner, Marine Nicholas Brody, who was released as a hostage after eight years and who may have joined alliances with Al-Qaeda.
P.O.W. stars four actors in these primary roles.
Purab Kohli as Naib Subedar Sartaj Singh
YouTube
Amrita Puri as Harleen Kaur
YouTube
Satyadeep Mishra as Squadron leader Imaan Khan
YouTube
Sandhya Mridul as Nazneen Khan
YouTube
The show was also recently played at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival - making it the first Indian television show to be screened at such a prestigious platform.
The excitement is already building up.
Congratulations & Best wishes @nikkhiladvani @aseem_arora @AniGuha for #POWonStarPlus . We'll all be glued to our TV sets tonite. So excited Shikha Swaroop (@ShikhaSwaroop06) November 7, 2016
P.O.W. will air at 10.30PM on Star Plus from Monday-Saturday.
Since Republican candidate, Donanld Trump, has taken an unassailable lead against Hillary Clinton, there is a need to look at what he has to offer to India. Rhetorically, he has been supportive of India and 'Hindus', but a deeper look into his style of working tells a different story altogether.
BCCL
This campaign has been marked by scandals that just wont go away (any mention of emails or tax returns will most likely elicit a tired groan from any American); Trumps refusal to recognize the outcome of the election (unless of course he wins) alleging election fraud; Trumps threat to put Clinton in jail and inviting Russia to interfere in the election; and even acts of violence, such as an African-American church in Mississippi being burned and spray painted with the phrase Vote Trump, a Republican office in North Carolina firebombed, or physical attacks on Trump protestors at his political rallies.
As Americans are already lining up for early voting around the country, many are eagerly anticipating the final outcome on November 8Election Day. Many, though, are just looking forward to the election to finally being over.
Also Read: Meanwhile Hindu-Mahasabha Compares Trump To Nathuram Godse, Conducts Havan For His Victory
But the ramifications of this election will shape the future political climate of the United States, regardless of who wins, and will impact the relationship between the United States and India.
Would a Clinton or Trump Presidency be Better for India?
Reuters
If there is one word that can best describe Hillary Clinton, it is steady.
Her performances in the presidential debates, her speeches and rhetoric, and her detailed policy positions are all evidence of a seasoned politician and stateswoman accustomed to and understanding of the demands of Executive Office. This steadiness extends to her positions on India.
Hillary Clintons relationship with India dates back to a 12-day trip in 1995 as First Lady that laid the foundation for persuading President Bill Clinton to revive the US-India relationship following its 1998 nuclear tests. When a US Senator from New York State, Hillary Clinton served as the co-founder and co-chair of the Senate India Caucus and supported the US-India Civil Nuclear Agreement. She even jokingly described herself as the senator from Punjab given her high level of support from Indian-Americans, especially Sikhs. Her popularity among Indian-Americans is evident in an October 2016 survey that shows she has 67% support from Indian-American voters while Donald Trump only garnered 7%.
As US Secretary of State, she made multiple visits to India and stressed that India should not just look east, but engage east and act east and take its position as a major Asian power, one that the US would continue to work very closely with. She played a pivotal role in expanding US-India relations. It is expected that a Clinton presidency will continue to grow and strengthen the economic and security relationship between the US and India.
Reuters
If we were to select one word to best describe Donald Trump, it would be erratic.
Other than a few business deals, such as the Trump Tower in Mumbai, Donald Trump has had very little dealings with India and no record of public service to draw upon to predict what his positions on India would be as president. He has, instead, made a series of ambiguous and contradictory statements over the past decade.
While he has commented that the Indian economy is doing well, Trump has also stated that he intends to bring back jobs to the US from India. He has placed India in the same category as China, an economic competitor and a threat to the USs well-being. Trump wants to put into place immigration controls that would make it far more difficult for Indians to come to the US, even calling for a ban of all Muslims. Trump has also said that he wants to attract Indian entrepreneurs and students to come to the US.
Many of his positive comments about India and the Indian-American community have been largely through the prism of Hinduism. He announced at a recent event with the Indian-American community, featured in a political ad celebrating Diwali, I am a big fan of HinduI love Hindu (And that is not a typo). Perhaps he is unaware that Hindus comprise only 51% of the Indian-American community and not sophisticated enough to understand the great multicultural and multi-religious history and culture of the Indian Subcontinent. While he attacks Muslims today, it may be another group tomorrow. Indeed, Trump has a long list of different groups he has attacked or offended.
While Trump has made positive statements recently about India and strengthening the US-India relationship, though with very little specifics, one unfortunately never knows which Trump youre going to get. He is unpredictable and has proven to say whatever comes to mind, even contradicting previous statements made by his campaign or even himself. These are all poor qualities for a president, particularly when dealing with matters of foreign policy.
The International Reverberations of a Trump Presidency
The unpredictability of Trump combined with his appeals to populism and unquestioning nationalism make him a dangerous person to fill the office of President. The impact of a Trump presidency will be felt far beyond the borders of the United States.
Reuters
Besides India, Trumps flippant comments and contradictions throughout his campaign have caused US allies to question his commitment to alliances. He has lambasted NATO, stating in July 2016 that he may not come to the defence of a NATO member state (though in one of the presidential debates he said he was all for NATO) and argued for the further proliferation of nuclear weapons. Trumps erratic behaviour would make it difficult for any nations to be able to trust and anticipate his commitment to any future alliances.
Equally worrisome is his apparent comfort level with authoritarian dictators around the world. He has praised the strong leadership styles of no less than Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Bashar al-Assad, Muammar Gaddafi, and Saddam Hussein.
We are increasingly seeing in places like Russia, Poland, Hungary, and Turkey the rise of authoritarian dictators, nationalist parties, and other ideologues that have or are beginning to seriously undermine democracy and human rights, especially against minority communities. In many ways, their ideologies, light on reason and facts but heavy on emotion and hatred, are the natural allies of Trump and his supporters. Having the support of President Trump could bolster their international legitimacy and further empower their regimes domestically to continue to chip away at the foundations of democracy and good governance.
While many people want the election to simply be over, the outcome of this important election will reverberate around the globe for years to come. We will see what world we wake up to on November 9.
Harrison Akins is a Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Tennessees Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy.
Also Read: Trumps On A Mission To Woo Indian-Americans. After 'Trump Sarkar' Ads And Speeches, Now Donald's Son Attends An Aarti
The Kerala government has now approved the entry of women into the hilltop Sabarimala temple, a U-turn from their strong critique of allowing women to enter. The temple, which is managed by the Travancore Devaswom Board defends the practice - which was earlier supported by the government.
The Hindu
The CPI (M) has said it will file a fresh affidavit seeking entry for women of all ages, Hindustan Times reported: "We want women of all ages to be allowed in Sabarimala... If there is a difficulty in allowing women of all ages, the Travancore Devaswom Board that manages the temple affairs should bring it to the notice of the court," party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had said.
The Travancore Devaswom Board bans women between 10 and 50 years into Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala in Kerala
The practice was critiqued while responding to a 2006 petition by women lawyers questioning why only women between 10 and 50 - menstruating women - were banned from the temple. The Left Democratic Front government in 2008 had filed an affidavit supporting the PIL filed by women lawyers and said banning entry of women between 10 and 50 years was discriminatory and should be discontinued.
According to tradition, a Sabarimala temple deity is believed to be celibate and in the posture of meditation.
It was a religious custom not to allow women in menstruating age to enter the temple as that could disturb the deity, he added.
The women lawyers had quoted news reports on the practice and challenged the validity of provisions of the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorization of Entry) Rules, 1965 giving legality to the ban.
Terming the practice a "socio-religious malady", they expressed surprise that it was perpetuated by Kerala through a statutory board and related to a place of worship partially funded by public money as the "state gave Rs 8 lakh to the temple board per annum".
Cecilia will soon be a free animal. After spending years in a solitary enclosure at the Mendoza zoo in Argentina, the chimpanzee will walk free.
In a historic ruling, a judge ordered for Cecilia's freedom after finding that the animal had "non-human rights".
PROYECTO GRAN SIMIO
After the death of two of her chimp friends, Charlie and Xuxa, Cecilia became lonely and spent all her time in her enclosure where she lay on the floor with just one blanket. It was a scene that broke many hearts.
PROYECTO GRAN SIMIO
Aged around 30, she is one of the zoo's most favourite residents. However, these pictures show an entirely different story that revealed Cecilia's dismal conditions at the zoo.
FLICKR/MARIO GONZALEZ
The Mendoza zoo has previously made headlines for the conditions it keeps its animals in. Remember Arturo - the world's saddest polar bear? Yes, he was a resident of this same zoo.
AP
The judge said that Cecilia wasn't a "thing" but an actual "being" who deserved to be free. He, therefore, ordered her to be sent to a sanctuary in Brazil where she would now live among her own kind.
Cecilia will now be moving to this plush, spacious sanctuary where she will finally get to enjoy her freedom.
PROYECTO GRAN SIMIO
The Association of Officials and Lawyers for Animal Rights (AFADA) and the Great Ape Projects now have something huge to celebrate after two years worth of hard work where they championed for her cause.
In what is described as a 'landmark judgement', the ruling will set the course for future rulings that take into consideration animal rights.
Good on the judge who decided to rescue Cecilia from her solitary confinement.
You might no longer see 3am tweets from Donald Trump because his party (The Republicans) staff has banned him from tweeting. But America goes to vote tomorrow so we wonder if it might be too little too late?
Reuters
This presidential campaign has been slightly unique in terms of social media because no candidate before Trump has been so brash on the Internet.
Barack Obama has taunted Donald Trump after reports that Republican staff have forced him off Twitter because he keeps scuppering his own campaign.
Speaking at a campaign rally for Hillary Clinton in Kissimmee, Florida, Sunday, Obama told the crowd about the alleged time-out enforced by campaign aides.
Reuters
Current American President, Barack Obama, couldnt help but take a dig at Donald because of this and said, In the last two days, they [Republicans] had so little confidence in his self-control, they said: "Were just going to take away his Twitter.
He was speaking at a rally in Florida on Sunday when he added:
Now, if somebody cant handle a Twitter account, they cant handle the nuclear codes. If somebody starts tweeting at three in the morning because [someones] made fun of you, then you cant handle the nuclear codes.
The President said that though Trump was asked to back off from Tweeting two days ago, he believes he actually hasnt tweeted independently since October 20. Apparently, his last independent tweet was, Why didn't Hillary Clinton announce that she was inappropriately given the debate questions - she secretly used them! Crooked Hillary.
ALSO READ: Barack Obama Gave The Most Epic Response To Donald Trump's Mean Tweet On A TV Show!
On October 16 Donald tweeted, The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary but also at many polling places SAD.
His tweets are now filtered by others or written by his staff (till he wins/loses at least). Till then, enjoy these unfiltered tweets from Donald Trump himself:
Obama is, without question, the WORST EVER president. I predict he will now do something really bad and totally stupid to show manhood! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2014
This election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a democracy! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2012
President Assad of Syria met with The Times Correspondent, Christina Lamb for an interview mainly about Russias involvement.
He reportedly laughed when asked, if he sleeps at night with all the children being killed every day in Aleppo and elsewhere?.
I know the meaning of that question. I sleep regular, I sleep, eat normal and do sports, " he replied.
Reuters
According to I am Syrias death toll, so far in the five-year-long civil war, 50,000 children have perished amongst the 450,000 death count.
And UNICEF research tells us that more than 80% of Syrias child population, that is, 8.4 million children, have been affected by the conflict either in Syria or as refugees in neighbouring countries.
In 2015, UNICEF noted nearly 1,500 grave violations against children which included killing or injury from the explosive weapons.
Reuters
ALSO READ: These Heartbreaking Images Of Syria's Children Expose The Gruesome Reality Of Terrorism
Also, out of the 6.5 million people that have been displaced from Syria, 2.8 million are children.
Children are not only dying from bullets, but also from a lack of basic needs like food, water and medical care. Since the civil war began in 2011, there have been more than 4,000 recorded attacks on schools.
According to the Syrian Centre for Policy Research, an estimated 50% of children of school-going age were not registered in school in 2014-2015. As recently as on October 27, 2016, an estimated 22 children died after an airstrike on a school complex in northwestern Syria.
Reuters
ALSO READ: In A Heartbreaking Video, A Terrified Syrian Girl Cries For Her Lost Father After Airstrikes
After the attack, Executive Director of UNICEF, Tony Lake said, It's a tragedy. It's an outrage. And if deliberate, it's a war crime. This latest atrocity may be the deadliest attack on a school since the war began more than five years ago.
ALSO READ: 22 Children Were Bombed To Death Inside A School Complex As Massive Air Strikes Continue In Syria
The world stood up and took notice of the plight of Syrias children in two big instances:
1. On August 19, the picture of a very young boy aged five covered in dust and blood sitting on an ambulance chair, looking utterly lost went viral and he was hailed as the symbol of Syrias war. So many innocent children had already died but it took this photo for the world to take notice of how cheap the lives of Syrias children seem to be.
Indiatimes
ALSO READ: This Chilling Photo Of A 5-Year-Old Syrian Boy Has Become The Face Of The Aleppo Airstrikes
ALSO READ: 5-YO Syrian Boy Whose Picture Shocked The World Breaks Into Tears After Reuniting With His Parents
2. The image of a young Syrian boy washed up on Turkeys shore shook the world to sadness and tears. He drowned in his familys attempt to reach Greece from Syria. Since then his family has gained asylum in Canada.
boredpanda
ALSO READ: Syrian Kids Are Posing With Pokemon In The Hope That The World Would Pay Some Attention To Them!
Children are dying every day in Syria. A whole generation of young people in Syria potentially faces a future of sadness and destitution. Omar became the symbol of Syrias children but that didnt change anything even schools are bombed and children are killed.
War is never the answer.
A lot of news organizations have latched on to a story about Germany building a wall higher than the Berlin Wall to separate locals and migrants in the city of Munich.
This raised an eyebrow or two at Indiatimes when we read many internationally known organisations run with the story because in 2015 Germany opened its doors as wide as possible and welcomed 1 million refugees.
So it seemed odd that they would build a wall out of the blue to shun them out.
SpeigelOnline
We turned to German media to find out the legitimacy of this story Germanys public international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle wasnt carrying it even though the story had surfaced 18 hours ago. This surely raised doubts. So we turned to analyse those who were carrying the story - most of them are essentially right-wing news organisations.
Rightwingnews ran the story with the headline, 12ft-high wall built to protect German City from Obamas Criminal refugees with subheading, to protect citizens from Islamic immigrants. It is meant to separate a housing estate from 160 Islamists.
MOPO, a Hamburg tabloid paper wrote, Does integration look like this? A Munich district is now making headlines with a strange construction project. A four-meter high wall shields the residents from a refugee camp in the neighborhood.
BarenakedIslam ran with, Bigger than the Berlin Wall, the 12-foot-high Munich Wall is being constructed to protect local residents from illegal alien Muslim invaders.
SpeigelOnline
What is the real story?
The real story is somewhat peculiar a wall is being built in Munichs Neuperlach District coincidentally alongside a refugee shelter. Spiegel Online, one of the most widely read widely read German-language news websites wrote, In a Munich district, a four meter high noise protection wall is being built alongside a refugee shelter. It is the result of a compromise - but now it will be famous in other ways.
Reuters/representational image
According to Berliner Zeitung, Germany daily newspaper based in Berlin, in 2015 seven neighbours protested against the design for a refugee shelter for 160 adults. When built, unaccompanied underage refugees will be relocated there. The neighbours plaintiff in June 2015 insisted on their need for recreation evening and weekends.
The German Bavarian daily subscription newspaper, Merkur said that first decision was in favour of the city but they went further to higher authorities. And on June 27, the administrative court ruled that the four-meter-high wall would be built to protect the inhabitants from noise. A sound protection certificate was issued suggesting the wall should be built at four meters tall.
Finally, a compromise was reached and the Administrative Court of Munich Judge tightening his judgement said, The wall should not be available for recreational use such as climbing, or designed to be not suitable for ball throwing games.
The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) will submit its proposals for short-term debt relief measures for Greece at an upcoming EuroWorking Group meeting in late November and during a Eurogroup meeting on Dec. 5, ESM head Klaus Regling said on Monday, after a meeting of EZ finance ministers in Brussels
Georg Diez / Spiegel
WASHINGTON D.C., 6 de noviembre de 2016.- Apenas puedo creerlo y mis dedos se estremecen mientras escribo esto, pero me temo que Donald Trump sera elegido proximo Presidente de los Estados Unidos.
Y sucedio.
Fue como un choque de trenes que durante meses la multitud estuvo viendo venir con asombro, miedo e indignacion; y ahora, justo antes de que los trenes se estrellen, se abre paso algo parecido a la comprension.
Probablemente fue un error mirar siempre y solo a estos trenes; la verdadera historia es la historia de este pais, que esta tan profunda y traumaticamente dividido, que ha atravesado tantas conmociones y cambios, que ha sido presa de tanto temor, que apenas puede uno reconocerlo.
La verdadera historia es que en los ultimos 35 anos han prevalecido los dictados de la economia, el egoismo y la ley del mas fuerte, porque desde la revolucion de Reagan de 1980, una Camorra conservadora ha trabajado sistematicamente para destruir las bases de la democracia liberal.
Foto emblematica de Donald Trump con la bandera de EE. UU., de hace meses. (Reuters)
La verdadera historia es que en los ultimos 25 anos, desde que Bill Clinton gano la presidencia en 1992, los democratas, las fuerzas de izquierda y liberales (al igual que el New Labour en Inglaterra y el SPD en Alemania) aceptaron la globalizacion como una ley de la naturaleza y paso a paso traicionaron a una parte esencial de su electorado: los trabajadores y la clase media baja.
La verdadera historia es que los ultimos ocho anos, en los que Barack Obama ha gobernado, son para muchos estadounidenses todavia una ignominia y una verguenza, porque el racismo esta arraigado tan profundamente en la historia estadounidense y para muchos blancos parece vital hoy. Parece a veces que es todo lo que tienen.
La eleccion de Donald Trump por el voto blanco seria la reaccion directa a estos ocho anos del hombre nuevo, Barack Obama, quien encarna, en casi todo, el futuro y la oportunidad de esta nacion. Trump representa, en la antigua tradicion reaccionaria, un mundo pasado, de color de rosa, al que ya no hay regreso, ni siquiera con el poder o la violencia.
Batalla defensiva del perdedor (aunque gane)
Seria tragico si Trump resulta elegido, pero tendria una cierta logica historica brutal, debido a que el pendulo oscila, y fuerte. Lo que sucede en Estados Unidos, comparable a lo que pasa en Europa, es una lucha por la "identidad blanca"; como el New York Times describe, es un combate de la mayoria blanca en disminucion.
Trump fue evacuado anoche por el Servicio Secreto en mitad de un mitin en Reno, Nevada, debido a una falsa alarma. Trump hizo un paron en su discurso por algo que sucedia entre el publico cuando dos agentes subieron al escenario y lo sacaron corriendo hacia la parte trasera. Una parte del publico tambien salio corriendo en direccion opuesta al escenario, mientras que otras personas rodearon a un hombre, quien fue detenido por los agentes. Fuentes del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional confirmaron despues que el hombre detenido no iba armado y que la muchedumbre entro en panico cuando este trato de levantar un cartel. (ABC / Foto AP)
Beso a Melania el sabado en Wilmington, Carolina del Norte. (Reuters)
Donald Trump tuvo un mitin ayer en Denver, Colorado. (AP)
Behind 2016s Turmoil, a Crisis of White Identity
Amanda Taub / 1-XI-16 / The New York Times
Call it the crisis of whiteness.
White anxiety has fueled this years political tumult in the West: Britains surprising vote to exit the European Union, Donald J. Trumps unexpected capture of the Republican presidential nomination in the United States, the rise of right-wing nationalism in Norway, Hungary, Austria and Greece.
Whiteness, in this context, is more than just skin color. You could define it as membership in the ethno-national majority, but thats a mouthful. What it really means is the privilege of not being defined as other.
Whiteness means being part of the group whose appearance, traditions, religion and even food are the default norm. Its being a person who, by unspoken rules, was long entitled as part of us instead of them.
Las ultimas encuestas a dos dias de las elecciones del proximo martes dan a la candidata presidencial democrata, Hillary Clinton, una ventaja de entre 3 y 5 puntos sobre el republicano Donald Trump. (Reuters)
La campana de Clinton recurrio a una serie de conciertos gratuitos para atraer a los votantes jovenes y de minorias no necesariamente motivados a votar por ella. En Cleveland, participo en un recital de Beyonce y Jay-Z. (Reuters)
Hillary Clinton con partidarias en un cafe de Filadelfia. (Reuters)
But national and racial identity were often conflated for the white majority. That identity felt to many white people like one of the most important pillars holding up their world and now it seems under threat.
There are, of course, complicated contours to 2016s unusual politics. In Britain, immigrants from South Asia voted heavily to leave the European Union, citing hopes that curtailing European migration might open space for more people from Asia. In the United States, frustration with and alienation from status quo politics have helped drive Mr. Trumps rise.
There has also always been a certain fluidity to this concept of whiteness. Irish and Italian immigrants to the United States, and Jews in Britain, were once seen as separate from the white national majority, and are now generally considered part of it, benefiting from racial privilege. At the same time, Jews white skin did not protect them from being cast as outsiders by some of Mr. Trumps supporters who have circulated anti-Semitic memes on social media.
Still, experts see a crisis of white identity underlying much of the Wests current turmoil.
Its fundamentally about who are we? said Eric Kaufmann, a professor of politics at Birkbeck College, University of London. What does it mean to be part of this nation? Is it not our nation anymore, our meaning the ethnic majority?
These kinds of questions are really front and center, even though theyre not necessarily verbalized.
Esta no deberia ser una competencia tan cerrada, pero lo sera. Va a ser muy cerrada especialmente aqui en Carolina del Norte, dijo el presidente Obama durante su discurso el viernes ante mas de 8,500 personas en el anfiteatro PMC Pavillion, en Charlotte. (Enlace a video) (Veanlo, gane quien gane, van a extranar al gran orador). (Foto AP)
The questions can seem like a sudden reversal after decades of rising multiculturalism, through the civil rights movement in the United States and the European Unions opening up of borders.
In fact, academic research suggests that other economic and social transformations unfolding at the same time have led many people to anchor themselves more fully in their whiteness even as whiteness itself has lost currency.
When I look at the data, I keep coming back to this issue that its really about identity politics, said Elisabeth Ivarsflaten, a professor at Norways University of Bergen who studies Europes far-right parties. This is the most powerful predictor of support for the populists.
Gains and losses in a changing world
Identity, as academics define it, falls into two broad categories: achieved identity derived from personal effort, and ascribed identity based on innate characteristics.
El viernes 4 de noviembre, en Fayetteville, Carolina del Norte, un seguidor de Trump interrumpio el discurso de Obama. Cuando los democratas comenzaron a abuchear al hombre, que vestia una prenda militar, Obama, visiblemente molesto, intento calmar a la multitud, diciendo: En primer lugar, en este pais respetamos la libertad de expresion. En segundo lugar, este hombre luce como si hubiera servido a nuestro ejercito y eso lo debemos respetar... (Foto Chuck Liddy / newsobserver.com) Everyone has both, but people tend to be most attached to their best identity the one that offers the most social status or privileges. Successful professionals, for example, often define their identities primarily through their careers.
"...En tercer lugar, es un hombre mayor, y nosotros respetamos a nuestros mayores. Y en cuarto lugar, no abucheen A lo que las personas que se encontraban alli respondieron: Voten!. Eso es, no abucheen, voten!, concluyo. (enlace a nota en ingles con video) (Foto AP)
For generations, working-class whites were doubly blessed: They enjoyed privileged status based on race, as well as the fruits of broad economic growth.
White peoples officially privileged status waned over the latter half of the 20th century with the demise of discriminatory practices in, say, university admissions. But rising wages, an expanding social safety net and new educational opportunities helped offset that. Most white adults were wealthier and more successful than their parents, and confident that their children would do better still.
That feeling of success may have provided a sort of identity in itself.
But as Western manufacturing and industry have declined, taking many working-class towns with them, parents and grandparents have found that the opportunities they once had are unavailable to the next generation.
That creates an identity vacuum to be filled.
For someone who is lower income or lower class, Professor Kaufmann explained, youre going to get more self-esteem out of a communal identity such as ethnicity or the nation than you would out of any sort of achieved identity.
Focusing on lost identities rather than lost livelihoods helps answer one of the most puzzling questions about the link between economic stress and the rise of nationalist politics: why it is flowing from the middle and working classes, and not the very poor.
While globalization and free trade have widened economic inequality and deeply wounded many working-class communities, data suggests that this years political turmoil is not merely a backlash to that real pain.
In Britains referendum on membership in the European Union, low education was a much stronger predictor of people voting leave than low income, according to an analysis by Zsolt Darvas, a senior fellow at the Bruegel research group.
A recent Gallup study found that Mr. Trumps supporters tend to earn above-average incomes for their communities, but also tend to live in majority-white areas where children are likely to be worse off than their parents.
Arlie Russell Hochschild, the author of Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right, describes a feeling of lost opportunity as the deep story of the rural Louisiana communities she spent four years studying.
Her subjects felt like they were waiting in a long line to reach the top of a hill where the American dream was waiting for them. But the lines uphill progress had slowed, even stopped. And immigrants, black people and other outsiders seemed to be cutting the line.
For many Western whites, opportunities for achieved identity the top of the hill seem unattainable. So their ascribed identity their whiteness feels more important than ever.
Whiteness is becoming less valuable
Michael Ignatieff, a historian and former Liberal Party leader in Canada, said that in much of the West, what defined the political community for many years was the unstated premise that it was white.
The formal rejection of racial discrimination in those societies has, by extension, constructed a new, broader national identity. The United States has a black president; London has a Muslim mayor of Pakistani descent.
But that broadening can, to some, feel like a painful loss, articulated in the demand voiced over and over at Trump rallies, pro-Brexit events and gatherings for populist parties throughout Europe: I want my country back.
The mantra is not all about bigotry. Rather, being part of a culture designed around peoples own community and customs is a constant background hum of reassurance, of belonging.
The loss of that comforting hum has accelerated a phenomenon that Robin DiAngelo, a lecturer and author, calls white fragility the stress white people feel when they confront the knowledge that they are neither special nor the default; that whiteness is just a race like any other.
Fragility leads to feelings of insecurity, defensiveness, even threat. And it can trigger a backlash against those who are perceived as outsiders.
Even some conservative analysts who support a multiethnic melting pot national identity, such as the editor of National Review, Reihan Salam, worry that unassimilated immigrants could threaten core national values and cultural cohesion.
The effect of rapid change
Social scientists, after crunching data from both sides of the Atlantic, have discovered something surprising: Its not the amount of racial or ethnic diversity in a community that predicts white resentment and support of anti-immigrant policies, but the pace of change.
Denmark, for instance, is 88 percent white Danish today hardly a majority in jeopardy. But a generation ago, in 1980, it was 97 percent white. The anti-immigrant Danish Peoples Party is now the second-largest party in the Danish Parliament. In Germany, where the foreign-born population shot up by approximately 75 percent between 2011 and 2015, the anti-immigrant, populist Alternative for Germany party is now drawing record support.
Britain saw a 66 percent increase in its foreign-born population between 2004 and 2014. Voters who chose leave in the recent referendum overwhelmingly cited immigration as their main concern.
Professor Kaufmann and a colleague, Gareth Harris, found that white Britons who lived in areas that are rapidly diversifying became more likely to vote for the right-wing British National Party. Daniel Hopkins, a professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, found a similar pattern of ethnic change leading to anti-immigrant politics in the United States.
Immigrant populations in Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee have more than tripled since 1990, noted Lee Drutman, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, in an analysis for Vox. Anxiety over those changes may explain why the Republican Party became so much more focused on limiting immigration over that period and why white voters in those states overwhelmingly support Mr. Trump.
The whiteness taboo
For decades, the language of white identity has only existed in the context of white supremacy. When that became taboo, it left white identity politics without a vocabulary.
If you are a working-class white person and you fear that the new, cosmopolitan world will destroy or diminish an identity you cherish, you have no culturally acceptable way to articulate what you perceive as a crisis.
Some of these people have instead reached for issues that feel close to their concerns: trade, crime, the war on drugs, controlling the borders, fear of Islamist terrorism. All are significant in their own right, and create very real fears for many people, but they have also become a means to have a public conversation about what societys changes mean for white majorities.
Professor Ivarsflaten cited the U.K. Independence Party, whose official platform focused on Brexit but whose pitch to voters emphasized immigrants effects on the economy and culture, as an example of an effective hybrid populist pitch.
The approach has in some cases moved from the political fringes into the mainstream. Some leaders from Britains center-right, governing Conservative Party, for example, helped push a British exit, and since the referendum the new Conservative prime minister, Theresa May, has signaled sympathy with white identity politics.
Mrs. Mays government proposed a rule that would publicly shame employers who hired foreign workers. And her first major speech was full of barbs directed against multiculturalism, including a jab against people who claimed to be citizens of the world, whom she called citizens of nowhere.
But the struggle for white identity is not just a political problem; it is about the deep story of feeling stuck while others move forward.
There will not likely be a return to the whiteness of social dominance and exclusive national identity. Immigration cannot be halted without damaging Western nations economies; immigrants who have already arrived cannot be expelled en masse without causing social and moral damage. And the other groups who seem to be cutting in line are in fact getting a chance at progress that was long denied them.
Western whites have a place within their nations new, broader national identities. But unless they accept it, the crisis of whiteness seems likely to continue.
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A former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, has decried the way he was treated during the 10th coronation anniversary of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III.
The former governor was conspicuously absent during the events marking the 10th anniversary of the Sultan, who was appointed under the Bafarawa administration in 2006.
Explaining the reason behind his no-show at the events, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, who is the Garkuwan Sokoto, said it was because no invitation was extended to him.
In a statement issued on his behalf by the State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Yusuf Dingyadi, the ex-governor said he held hopes of being invited to the events in light of the role he played in single-handedly selecting and bestowing the throne of Sultan of Sokoto to Alhaji Abubakar III.
Up till the D-day of the event, there was no formal or personal invitation given to HE Attahiru Bafarawa to attend. He left Abuja almost a week before the event and arrived Sokoto, thinking he would be communicated or called upon for his service as Garkuwan Sokoto or someone who in spite of pressure and intimidating threats, single-handedly selected and bestowed the throne to His Eminence, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, the Sokoto PDP spokesman said.
He alleged that it was deliberate on the part of the organisers not to have honoured Bafarawa with any role, and that he kept out to avoid any embarrassment that his attendance might cause.
Dingyadi, however, noted that despite the treatment, the former governor remained committed to the development and success of the Sultan and the Caliphate.
During 41 years of beating my brains out as a teacher in the British Columbia education system, I often despaired. But you can't lose them all. Via The Globe and Mail, a case in point: Gender-neutral bathroom sign at B.C. high school draws smiles.
A gender-neutral bathroom in a British Columbia high school is providing some chuckles with a lesson in hygiene.
A large blue sticker on the washroom door has an image of a person wearing both pants and a dress standing next to a person in a wheelchair.
Underneath it reads: Whatever. Just wash your hands.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, has said that the renewed high profile attacks of the dreaded Boko Haram terrorists in the northeast is as a result of the secret support the insurgent group is getting from some individuals.
Buratai who stated this at the sideline of a meeting with a security delegation from the Atlantic Council, African Centre in the United States of America, added that there is an urgent need for a renewed local and international support to end terrorism in the country and globally.
He said, We have some elements who are within this society and are still supporting them clandestinely.
So the support of every Nigerian is very key to the end of this terrorism, he stated.
General Buratai noted that the role of the Nigerian Army in prosecuting the counter-terrorism crusade in the northeast has been misinterpreted by some people.
There have been many misgivings on the role of the Nigerian Army as it relates to human rights abuses, rules of engagement (as well as) treatment of civilians and Internally Displaced Persons.
Hence, the need to conduct an assessment on the threats of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria with emphasis on roles of (the) Nigeria Army has become imperative, he said.
A coalition of anti-corruption groups have urged the Senate to expedite action on the confirmation of Ibrahim Magu, as substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
President Muhammadu Buharis letter for Magu to be confirmed as EFCC Chairman, is presently before the Senate.
According to the groups, Magus confirmation will give the anti-corruption fight the much-needed boost to sustain the Buhari administrations agenda to curtail impunity in governance.
Having a substantive chairman for EFCC will be in compliance with Article 6(2) of the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) of which Nigeria is a signatory, they added.
The groups, in a statement authorized by Debo Adeniran (Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders); Lanre Suraju (Civil Society Network Against Corruption); Adetokunbo Mumuni (Social-Economic Rights and Accountability Project); David Ugolor (Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice); Okey Nwanguma (Network on Police Reform in Nigeria); Faith Nwadishi (Publish What You Pay) and Oluajo Babatunde (Centre for Transparency Advocacy), argued that the independence of the EFCC was under threat with each passing day that Magus confirmation is delayed by the Senate.
The groups said: This delay by the Senate sends a wrong signal of deliberate attempt by the Senate to frustrate the anti-corruption fight or at best, exert political pressure on the EFCC and force it into some compromise with the Senate.
Having reconvened from recess almost two months ago, the group therefore calls on the Senate to treat Mr. Magus confirmation as substantive executive chairman of the EFCC as a matter of top priority and of urgent national interest.
We also call on President Buhari to use the ongoing second review mechanism of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), which Nigeria is undergoing to send a strong message to the international community that Nigeria is genuinely committed to the fight against corruption.
They said Magu is qualified to lead the anti-graft commission.
They said: Section 2 of the EFCC Act says there shall be a chairman who shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the commission, and who shall not be below the rank of an Assistant Commissioner of police. He is to be saddled with the responsibility of running the anti-crime commission.
The groups verily believe that Mr. Magu, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, meets and exceeds this requirement, and therefore his confirmation as EFCC Chairman without further delay will give the anti-corruption fight the boost it needs to end the culture of impunity and systemic corruption in Nigeria.
The groups also explained why the confirmation of Magu was necessary at this critical time.
The statement added: The security of tenure for the leadership of the anti-corruption agencies saddled with the task of tackling the debilitating effects of corruption is a globally recognized principle for guaranteeing the independence of anti-corruption agencies.
Fighting corruption without the basic guarantee of security of tenure for the head of anti-corruption agencies as has become the trend in the recent past in Nigeria is one of the major limitations of the fight against the scourge of corruption in Nigeria and the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has a duty to reverse this trend.
The guarantee of security of tenure of anti-corruption agencies officials is at the root of the independence, effective functioning and freedom from undue influence of anti-corruption agencies as prescribed by Article 6(2) of the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) of which Nigeria is a signatory.
Anything short of such a guarantee renders the fight against corruption ineffectual, susceptible to political manipulation and compromises the independence of the anti-corruption agencies.
They said Magu deserves to be confirmed because he has changed the face of anti-graft war in the country.
The statement added: The EFCC has of late stepped up the fight against acts of corruption and abuse of public trust as exemplified in the tracking of those remotely and directly connected with the misapplication of monies meant to fight Boko Haram insurgency.
The commission has also ensured the confiscation of the properties suspected to have been acquired from proceeds of crime linked to politically-exposed persons as well as the investigation and prosecution of alleged owners.
Lack of a substantive head with a secured tenure has been a major setback in all these efforts.
The National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja, on Monday ordered the management of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to pay N2.6 billion to 110 staff whose appointments were illegally terminated in 1996.
The court has also ordered the university to immediately reinstate all the 110 staff.
Justice Peter Lifu, gave the order in his judgment delivered in a suit filed by the disengaged staff against the university.
The disengaged staff of the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria should be paid the sum of (N2, 585,130,678.21) as their entitlements from the date of disengagement till June 2016, he ruled.
Lifu held that the purported termination was illegal, null, void and of no effect whatsoever.
The judge therefore directed the university to immediately reinstate the claimants as bonafide staff of the institution.
He held that the university should comply with all the recommendations of the 2004 and 2010 Presidential Visitation panel of the university and ordered it to take the recommendations as binding on it.
The 110 claimants, in 2013, instituted the suit to challenge the alleged illegal termination of their appointments by the university authority.
The claimants, who are both academic and non-academic staff of the university, averred that they have variously served the institution for over 20 years without blemish before the unlawful termination.
The claimants joined the Minister of Education, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice as defendants in the suit.
Counsel to the claimants, Mr Femi Adedeji, expressed satisfaction with the courts judgment.
The judgment is very fair; they deserve their entitlements, he said.
Mr Aliemeke Ewere, cousel to the university, however, refused to react to the courts judgment.
The Nigerian Police Force has been ordered by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, to pay N200 million to the family of late Waheed Kabiru, who was allegedly killed about a year ago by the men of Igbogbo Police Division in Ikorodu, Lagos.
The court on Friday, presided by Justice Mohammed Idris, also ordered the Police to release a statement of apology in three national dailies to the victims family for the unlawful killing of their son and released his corpse for decent burial.
In his judgement, Justice Idris declared that the sudden disappearance, killing and extra-judicial murder of the deceased Waheed Kabiru by the men of Igbogbo Police Division was Illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional and gross violation of his constitutional rights as enshrined under Sections 33 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the African Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
He further declared that the arrest, torture, and detention of the deceaseds brother, Ibrahim Kabiru, at Igbogbo Police Station, since November 20, 2015, was wrongful, illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional and gross violation of his constitutional rights as enshrined under Sections 33, 34, 35 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The judge also made a perpetual injunction restraining the police from harassing, intimidating, inviting, arresting or detaining the deceased brother and his family members in connection with the matter.
The order was sequel to Ibrahim Kabirus fundamental rights suit filed before the court against the Inspector-General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, by Yaqub Eleto and Sanni Saidi, over the alleged unlawful killing of his brother, Waheed Kabiru, who was allegedly tortured to death by men of Igbogbo Police Division.
Another respondent in the suit is the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Igbogbo Police Station, Ikorodu, Lagos. In the affidavit in support of the suit, Ibrahim Kabiru had stated that on November 20, 2015, eight armed policemen from Igbogbo Police Division, on the order of their DPO, Mr. Remilekun Adesoye, arrested his late brother.
The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Timi Frank, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint the National Chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun, an ambassador.
The appointment, he stressed, would save the governing party from Mr. Odigie-Oyeguns destructive tendencies.
He also warned that the APC will go into oblivion by 2019 if President Buhari continues to remain aloof to the internal wrangling in the party.
Mr. Frank, who was suspended last Friday by the partys South-South National Vice Chairman, Prince Hilliard Eta, asked the president not to overlook the recent call by a national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, that Mr. Odigie-Oyegun should resign from office.
Mr. Frank stated this at a press conference on Sunday in Abuja.
It is because I love this party, that is why I want it rescued, he said of his motive. This party needs help. Otherwise, if this party continues like this, we would suffer in 2019. We can only win 2019 (elections) when we are united, not a divided house.
And if the President wants to appreciate the support of Oyegun, the president has so many ways to compensate him. I will appeal to the President if it is possible, to appoint Oyegun as an ambassador, as a former career civil servant, he will do better as an ambassador not as national chairman.
This is a personal appeal from me to you Mr. President. It is time for you to intervene in the crisis rocking this party, he pleaded.
Mr. Frank also described his suspension by the South South zone of the party as a joke.
It is not possible to suspend me because the zonal level lacks the mandate, he said.
Mr. Frank said as a national official, only the National executive Committee, NEC, can suspend him from the party.
A five-man disciplinary committee constituted by the South-South zonal leadership of the APC last Thursday recommended the suspension and subsequent expulsion of Frank.
I also want to make it very clear to you that I still remain in charge as the acting publicity secretary of the APC, he asserted.
Mr. Frank also said any attack on him by the leadership of the APC is an attack on all Nigerian youth. He said the APC stands to risk a lot if it goes ahead with its threat to suspend or expel him from its fold.
APC should learn from the ANC of South Africa on its action on Julius Malema. The party has not remain the same since he was suspended, he said.
Mr. Frank said he is not just fighting for himself but all the young persons in Nigeria.
The Zone 2 Police Command has arrested two suspected fraudsters in the Ijebu Igbo area of Ogun State for allegedly using a live snake and other fetish items to defraud a man of N5m.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the suspects, Ahmed Fatai and Olufemi Adaramola, were arrested on Friday by the Zonal Intervention Squad.
The victim, whose name was not disclosed, reported the case after the suspects had allegedly collected N5m from him.
According to the police, the suspects had asked the victim to pay N75m for a concoction in order to have good luck.
The suspects were said to have collected N5m from him, after which the victim claimed he regained consciousness.
A police source told our correspondent that one of the suspects, Fatai, dressed like an aged man to deceive the victim.
He said, The man was asked to buy some concoction in the Ikeja area of Lagos State, where they met him.
They said they were herbalists from the Ijebu Igbo area, and they could also prepare a concoction for him for good luck.
The victim was thereafter taken to Ijebu Igbo for special prayers for good luck. After the prayers, they asked him to pay N75m. He had paid them N5m before he regained his consciousness and reported the matter to the police.
It was discovered that the duo usually changed their dressing at every point to deceive unsuspecting people. Fatai had dressed like an old man when he met the man in Ikeja. The victim said he did not know how he gave the money to them.
The Zone 2 police spokesperson, SP Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the arrest, adding that the suspects would be charged to court at the end of investigation.
He said, The suspects were arrested with a live snake and some fetish items which they used for their dirty and criminal deals.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Abdulmajid Ali, has directed that they be charged to court. We want Nigerians to be careful and report suspicious individuals, who do not have a legitimate means of livelihood.
Source: Punch
Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State has been hailed by the state chapter of the Committee for Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) for ordering the immediate release of a woman accused of stealing cocoyam worth N400.
The woman and her children had been in Abakaliki prisons for an unspecified period of time following her inability to fulfill stringent bail conditions for her freedom.
However, relief came the way of the woman when the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, during a visit to Governor Umahi, briefed him on her situation.
The governor immediately gave order for the womans release from prison following the briefing by the NHRC.
In its reaction, the Ebonyi CDHR Chairman, Emeka Anosike, said Mr. Umahis action portrayed him as a lover of human rights.
The Governor has shown that he is a human right activist and we wish to commend him for his benevolence in directing the release of the indigent woman. There are many similar cases of this nature in the prisons today. We are appealing to his Excellency to also look into their plights, he said.
We also appeal to his Excellency to further direct the committee for prerogative of mercy in the state to look at the cases of prison inmates who are mentally deranged and lunatics, the release stated.
Some gunmen have kidnapped a prominent politician and businessman, Obong Akpan-Ntuk, from the Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Akpan-Ntuk was reportedly abducted along with his wife around 7pm on Saturday, on his way home from Ibom International Airport.
Although details of the kidnap were still sketchy as of press time, it was learnt that the incident occurred at a village in the Mkpat Enin LGA, near Ikot Abasi.
The victims, it was also gathered, were returning home after attending the inauguration of the new Managing Director of the Niger-Delta Development Commission, Obong Ekere, at Abuja, on Friday.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Akwa Ibom State Police Command, Cordelia Nwawe, confirmed the incident, but declined to give further details of the kidnap.
His name is Obong Akpan-Ntuk. Investigation is in progress, Nwawe said.
She did not confirm if the wife of the politician was also kidnapped by the assailants.
Akpan-Ntuk was a former chairman of Ikot Abasi LGA in 1990, under the National Republican Convention.
Source: Punch
The underpants of the wife of late leader of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, has been sold off at an auction in England.
BBC reports that Eva Brauns knickers which were expected to sell for about 400 sold for a reported 2,900 at an auction at the Philip Serrell auction house in Malvern.
The sold item among a gold ring, a silver mirrored box and a silver holder still containing Brauns lipstick were part of a collection sold to a private collector based in the UK at the auction.
The gold ring, set with an opal surrounded by six rubies, sold for 1,250, while the silver lipstick case engraved with Brauns initials EB sold for 360.
Also, a collection of early 20th century black and white photographs showing Braun, some with Hitler, sold for 100.
Sophie Jones, auctioneer and valuer at Philip Serrell, said an array of people, whom were mostly private collectors bid on the items.
It is generally people fascinated with that period of history, she said. I think people who were bidding on them were private collectors more than dealers.
She also added that many of the items at the auction, including the underwear, had certificates of authenticity from the relevant seller, she added.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has faulted the Kano State Government for calling off the prosecution of the suspected killers of a 74-year-old woman in Kano.
The National Coordinator of HURIWA, Mr Emmanuel Onwubiko, said in a statement in Abuja on Monday that there was need to carry out diligent investigation on the killing of the woman.
He demanded that the killers of the woman must be brought to book.
Last week Thursday, five key suspects in the killing of Mrs Bridget Agbahime, a trader at the Kofar Wambai market in Kano, were set free on the orders of a Kano Magistrates Court.
The HURIWA Coordinator said that the case should be properly re-filed at a proper court and given accelerated hearing.
The killers of this Nigerian citizen should be charged and punished for the murder, rather than letting them go unpunished.
He also faulted the Kano Magistrates Court, presided over by Jibrin Muhammad, for setting the suspects free.
Mrs. Agbahime from Imo, was killed on June 2, 2016 at the Kofar Wambai Market by a mob over alleged blasphemy against Islam.
Onwubiko said that Muhammads decision was based on the directive of the Kano State attorney-general and commissioner for justice.
The freed suspects are Dauda Ahmed, Abdulmumeen Mustafa, Zubairu Abubakar, Abdullahi Abubakar and Musa Abdullahi.
They were earlier charged with a four-count charge of allegedly inciting disturbance, culpable homicide, joint act and mischief. (NAN)
The National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja on Monday ordered the management of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to pay N2.6bn to 110 staff whose appointments were illegally terminated in 1996.
The court has also ordered the the university to immediately reinstate all the 110 staff.
Justice Peter Lifu gave the order in his judgment delivered in a suit filed by the disengaged staff against the university.
The disengaged staff of the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria should be paid the sum of (N2,585,130,678.21) as their entitlements from the date of disengagement till June 2016, he ruled.
Lifu held that the purported termination was illegal, null, void and of no effect whatsoever.
The judge therefore directed the university to immediately reinstate the claimants as bonafide staff of the institution.
He held that the university should comply with all the recommendations of the 2004 and 2010 Presidential Visitation panel of the university and ordered it to take the recommendations as binding on it.
The 110 claimants, in 2013, instituted the suit to challenge the alleged illegal termination of their appointments by the university authority.
The claimants, who are both academic and non-academic staff of the university, averred that they have variously served the institution for over 20 years without blemish before the unlawful termination.
The claimants joined the Minister of Education, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice as defendants in the suit.
The counsel to the claimants, Mr. Femi Adedeji, expressed satisfaction with the courts judgment.
The judgment is very fair; they deserve their entitlements, he said.
The counsel to the university, Mr. Aliemeke Ewere, however, refused to react to the courts judgment.
Source: Punch
A Indian man born with four legs has appealed to doctors to amputate his two extra limbs after living with the bizarre condition all his life.
22 year-old Arun Kumar has two limbs on his lower back one underdeveloped and the other permanently bent at the knee.
After living without any treatment, Arun, appealed through social media for medical help.
A team of specialists responded to Aruns plea for help and organised a series of tests.
Arun said: If I get an operation and doctors take off my two extra legs, then I can also live a normal life.
I may be able to move and walk properly like others.
When I go back to hospital, I will meet doctors. If they are willing to do an operation, then Im ready.
Despite not being able to move his extra legs, the man from Uttar Pradesh does have feeling in them.
Daily Star reports that when Arun was born his parents sought treatment in cities across India.
Aruns mother Kokila Devi said: During childbirth he got stuck and didnt come out without pain. And when he came out, all his limbs were the same size.
When my father-in-law saw Arun he took his bullock cart and took me to Farrukhabad.
The doctors at Farrukhabad deemed Aruns extra legs too risky to operate on especially on such a young baby and the family were sent home.
The family were forced to return to their village and learn to live with his condition.
Aruns father Ram Singh, said: We went to Fatehgarh, then Delhi, also Jalandhar. The doctors said an operation couldnt be performed.
Then we got disheartened and came back to our village and everyone here said, its okay just live like this.
Arun, after his appeal on social media, was contacted by specialists at Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Delhi for an assessment.
Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Hermant Sharma, who examined Arun, discovered he also has a second pelvis.
Dr Sharma arranged a series of tests to find out how the extra legs are connected and how they are affecting his body.
He said: Since he has four legs we will be keen to know where is the blood supply coming from, and where is it going into his legs, and also we need to find out has he got extra kidneys, extra urethras, extra bladder?
Nigerian newspaper headlines November 7, 2016.
Vanguard
To forestall clashes between host communities and herdsmen in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, Chairman, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Abia State chapter, Alhaji Hassan Buba, has called on communities to demand the telephone numbers of herdsmen, who come into their areas to graze their cattle.
Guardian
The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, says the recent N4 increase in price of petrol in Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) filling stations, is wrong.
The Sun
As part of strategies to halt hostilities and promote genuine indigenous participation in oil and gas contracts, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) says it has concluded plans to develop a policy on community content.
Thisday
With less than a week left for the incumbent Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed to retire, the time to appoint a successor is fast running out for President Muhammadu Buhari.
Leadership
The Presidency yesterday responded to calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack some allegedly corrupt leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and members of his cabinet, saying no evidence had been put forward indicting them of being involved in corrupt practices.
Punch
There was anxiety in Kogi State on Sunday following the non-appearance of Governor Yahaya Bello in public in the last two weeks.
The Nation
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has traced suspicious funds to more Supreme Court Justices.
The Nigeria Labour Congress has warned the Federal Government against any further increase in the pump price of petroleum products, especially Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise called petrol.
The warning is coming as the retail stations of the Nigerian Petroleum Corporations in the Federal Capital Territory and its environs have increased the pump price of the PMS to N145 from the initial N141.
Similarly, some private marketers of petroleum products are now selling petrol in their outlets at N150 per litre.
One of our correspondents reported that some filling stations in Lagos and Ogun states had refrained from selling the product.
For instance, the Oando filling stations at Alapere and Berger as well as the Mobil filling station opposite the Magodo Estate gate did not dispense the product to members of the public since Friday.
Similarly, the Ascon and NNPC stations between Arepo and Magboro, off the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, did not sell the product on Sunday, raising fears of another round of fuel scarcity.
The General Secretary, NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, told one of our correspondents on the telephone on Sunday that it would be insensitive on the part of the government to increase fuel price in view of the current hardship in the land.
Ozo-Eson added, Well, we have been clear on this matter from the beginning that once you submit the determination of the prices of the products to the market, the way they are doing it in an import regime, that will devalue the naira. Therefore, they will come back and tell you the prices are not realistic. We knew that from the beginning and we said so.
The fact of the matter is that any attempt to increase the price of fuel now, given the level of hardship and the level of suffering Nigerians are going through, will be regarded as extremely insensitive.
The NLC secretary pointed out that while the NLC was opposed to any further adjustment in the price of fuel, it was up to Nigerians to also decide how to live with such an adjustment.
He stated, We do hope that Nigerians will realise that this has no end, and what the government is doing will continue to impose extreme hardship on them, and they need to tell the government that enough is enough.
Other than that, we oppose any adjustment in the pump price. If the government goes ahead to do it, it will indicate what we hinted right from the beginning that the policy adopted was wrong, and it remains wrong.
It is up to Nigerians to oppose it. We provided the necessary leadership based on our understanding of the issues and the reality is coming home to roost and it is never too late. Nigerians will have to take the decision as to how they have to live with it.
While the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency refused to confirm or deny any plan to adjust the price of petrol, one of our correspondents quoted officials of marketing firms as blaming the increase in the pump price on the high cost of the commodity at depots.
The pricing template of the PPPRA for PMS was last updated on May 24, 2016 and it had the pump price at a band of N135 to N145 per litre.
When asked to comment on whether the PPPRA was on the verge of hiking petrol price, the agencys Acting Executive Secretary, Mrs. Sotonye Iyoyo, stated that forex had remained a challenge and noted that the agency works with the prevalent market fundamentals when determining or fixing petrol price.
Iyoyo said Today as we know there is scarcity of foreign exchange and when we want to fix prices we look at the market fundamentals. We dont just fix prices without looking critically at the fundamentals of the market.
There is a price band that is between N135 and N145. The maximum is N145, and so anyone selling at that price is still within the price band.
A source told one of our correspondents that marketers had stopped importing petrol into the country because the landing cost had gone beyond what the PPPRA stated in the template for the product and the government, through the NNPC, had failed to meet its promise of supplying the importers forex needs.
The source explained that due to the crisis in the Niger Delta, the NNPC was finding it difficult to generate enough forex from crude sale as the nation was losing an average of one million barrels per day to the bombing of crude pipelines and vandalism of critical infrastructure.
According to him, the marketers have resorted to getting the product from the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company at around N132 per litre, whereas the actual landing cost of the product is between N136 and N137 per litre, adding that the NNPC was currently subsidising the cost of petrol.
However, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has faulted the increase in the pump price of petrol by the NNPC mega stations and other private filling stations.
The minister, who said the price increase was done without his knowledge, said he would investigate the development, adding that he would also meet with oil marketers to discuss issues concerning fuel price.
Speaking on the sidelines of an award ceremony and dinner organised by the PPPRA branch of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria on Saturday night, Kachikwu said the instability in the foreign exchange market had been a challenge to the oil importation business.
When asked if the N4 increase in the pump price of petrol by the NNPC stations was a sign of an imminent hike in the rate, the minister said, First, I am not aware that the NNPC has increased the price. I need to look into that; it is a bit of surprise for me because there are processes in doing this. If they have done that, it means they are doing it wrongly. Let me find out what the facts are.
Having said that, the reality is that what we did at the point when we did some liberalisation was to enable the free market to float the price. Obviously, as you look at foreign exchange differentiation and all that, it will impact (on the pump price). The worst thing you can do is to go back to an era where we basically will be fixing prices.
What we ought to be doing is to watch the prices, making sure that they are not taking advantage of the common man, making sure that the template is respected. One of the things I think we had hoped to do, which we should still do before we embark on any price increase, is to work on that template.
Kachikwu stated that despite the harsh reality with respect to forex availability, the government was ready to tweak some of the components making up the price of petrol in order to forestall any increase in price.
He said, There are still areas that are within the governments control like payments to the Ministry of Transportation and the rest, and payments to the Nigerian Ports Authority that are foreign-currency denominated. We are working on the possibility of being able to shift that out so that you still can modulate the prices within where it is right now. But I will hold a conversation with the industry and see how it is going.
However, what is key is that I never want to see fuel queues back. Those who are investing must be able to predict the pricing methodologies, the pricing consequences and the actions to be able to justify their investments. At the end of the day, I think the PPPRA is the one that has the authority to say it is time the template does justify some level of movement, otherwise you have a crisis of individual decisions on pricing.
Source: Punch
The Oyo State Government has announced the immediate slash of salaries and entitlements of all political appointees in the state by 50% owing to the prevailing economic situation in the state especially, and Nigeria in general.
Secretary to the Oyo State Government, Mr. Olalekan Alli, who made the disclosure while addressing journalists at the state secretariat in Ibadan, said the slash takes immediate effect.
The slash in salary is for all political appointees starting from the Governor, Deputy Governor, Commissioners, Special Advisers, Senior Special Adviser, among others. This was approved by the governor along with his cabinet members at the last executive members meeting. This will also include slash in government expense profile, and compensation of political appointees, the SSG said.
Mr. Alli, who noted that even Governor Abiola Ajimobi would not be excluded from the slash, expressed hope that the restructuring exercise and effort of the state government to block all loopholes would impact positively on the state Internally Generated Revenue.
The SSG also disclosed that the state government had almost completed a ten thousand metric tonnes of Silo at Oyo town, with the intention of replicating same across all senatorial districts in the state, to guarantee food security for citizenry.
While pointing out that current verification exercise to restructure the civil service has revealed several anomalies in the system, Alli assured that government would not relent in addressing all systemic anomalies while maintaining cordial relationship with the state labour union.
A 10-year-old girl, who was allegedly imprisoned by her father, has been rescued by the Oyo State Police Command.
The spokesman for the Oyo Police Command, Adekunle Ajisebutu, told journalists that the girl was rescued on Saturday after being locked up in a room for three days without food by her father, who is currently on the run.
Mr. Ajisebutu said the girl was rescued by policemen from the Challenge Police Station.
The police had acted on a tip-off from neighbours. The police responded swiftly and visited the house at Ajeigbe area, Ring Road, Ibadan.
On arrival at the scene, it was discovered that three padlocks were used to lock the room. The locks had to be broken by the police before the little girl could be rescued, he added.
He further stated that the girl had been properly fed and taken to the police clinic for medical attention.
The police spokesman said that the case was under investigation and that efforts had been intensified to apprehend the suspect, who was at large.
An Italian priest has blamed the recent earthquakes that have ravaged the European country in recent times on gay civil unions.
Father Giovanni Cavalcoli said the tremors which killed hundreds and left tens of thousands homeless, were divine punishment for the unions, earning the Vaticans wrath.
The theologian known for his strict views, made the comments on October 30, the day central Italy was struck by a 6.6-magnitude quake the most powerful to hit the country in 36 years according to Italian media.
It was the third major quake in the same region in just over two months.
SEE ALSO: Italy Hit By Two Strong Earthquakes
Cavalcoli said on radio that the seismic shocks were divine punishment for the offence to the family and the dignity of marriage, in particular through civil unions.
The radio station however distanced itself from his views and late yesterday the Vatican issued a stinging rebuke, saying the idea of a vengeful God was a pagan vision dating from the pre-Christian era.
Archbishop Angelo Becciu, the number two in the Vaticans powerful Secretariat of State, said Cavalcolis comments were offensive to believers and disgraceful for non-believers.
Becciu asked for forgiveness from quake victims and reminded them they had the solidarity and support of Pope Francis.
But Cavalcoli has refused to back down, insisting to another radio station that earthquakes are indeed caused by the sins of man and telling the Vatican to read their catechism.
Legislation allowing gay civil unions in Italy only took effect last month, making it the last country in Western Europe to legally recognise same-sex relationships.
Delta State Police Command has arrested two Mobile Police Corporals attached to MOPOL 31, Ogwashi-Uku, over alleged involvement in the kidnap of one Efe Daniel Umukoro.
Vanguard gathered that the suspects were arrested by members of the State Anti-Kidnapping Committee at Abraka.
The states House of Assembly had set up the committee to assist security agencies in tackling issues of kidnapping in the state.
Acting Police Public Relations Officer in the State, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, however, said the two police officers were arrested for misconduct and illegal duty. Identifying the arrested police officers as Oreva and Edom, Aniamaka said the culprits were facing disciplinary action. He said the two officers were being tried by the Command, adding that if found guilty, they would be made to face the consequences of their action.
He said: There is an alleged case of kidnapping, so we swung into action and arrested them and upon investigation, we discovered that it was a case of misconduct and illegal duty on the part of the officers. A disciplinary action, an orderly room trial, is already going on as we speak.
They allegedly left their duty post and went to Abraka to effect an arrest based on complaints by one Edubra, that Umukoro Daniel Efe was owing him N50,000.
The Divisional Police Station at Abraka was not even aware of the matter, which was in its domain. The police authority will not spare any member of the force who goes against the law.
Source: Vanguard
Founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN, Prophet T.B Joshua, has predicted victory for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party Presidential Candidate in the U.S elections scheduled to hold tomorrow, November 8.
The controversial prophet, who predicted that the Democratic Party presidential candidate will have a narrow victory over her Republican counterpart, Donald Trump, however, warned of tough times for the next U.S President.
Prophet T.B Joshua gave the prediction during his church sermon on Sunday, his first appearance at the church over the past several weeks.
Ten days ago, I saw the new President of America with a narrow win, he said in his prophecy. The new President will be facing several challenges over many issues, including passing bills, attempts to possibly pass a vote of no confidence on the new President. The boat of the new President will be rocked.
By the way, in order not to keep you in suspense, what I frankly saw is a woman, the clergyman told his congregation.
Mrs. Clinton, a former U.S First Lady and Secretary of State, is locked in a fierce battle with Mr. Trump, a billionaire entrepreneur, for the White House.
With U.S voters ready to go to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new leader, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal national poll published on Sunday put the Democratic Party candidate narrowly ahead of Trump with 44 percent to the latters 40 per cent.
Prophet T.B Joshua is not new to predicting the outcome of elections in other countries as he was last week accused by a popular Ghanaian cleric, Rev. Isaac Owusu-Bempah, of visiting the country to offer spiritual guidance to the incumbent President John Dramani Mahama, to enable him to win the forthcoming presidential election.
The SCOAN founder, however, denied the allegation, stating that at the time he was accused by Rev. Owusu-Bempah of being in Ghana, he was nowhere near that country.
Come January, Microsoft planned to end support for Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET), taking away a valuable security tool that protected Windows systems from malware attacks and zero-day exploits.
While Microsoft would prefer organizations upgrade all users to Windows 10 to take advantage of its enhanced security, the company has extended support for EMET for another 18 months to give enterprises time to switch.
We have listened to customers feedback regarding the January 27, 2017, end-of-life date for EMET and we are pleased to announce that the end of life date is being extended 18 months, Jeffrey Sutherland, Microsofts principal lead program for OS security, wrote on TechNets Security Research & Defense.
The reprieve gives administrators until July 2018 to get users off Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 and on to Windows 10, at which point EMET will finally enter end-of-life. The timing is close to the Windows 8 end-of-life on January 2018; Windows 7 already ended mainstream support in 2015, and extended support will end in 2020.
Originally introduced in 2009, EMET adds security defenses like address space layout randomization (ASLR) and data execution prevention (DEP) to Windows systems to make it harder for malware to trigger zero-day vulnerabilities, or software flaws that were unknown and have not yet been patched. However, it has serious limits because security is being bolted onto the operating system, Sutherland said. EMETs method for interfacing with Windowshooking into low-level areas of the operating systemisnt part of the original design and has caused performance and reliability issues for some users.
EMET is also showing its age. Researchers have developed complex methods to bypass it, and the fact that a handful of malware strains have succeeded in infecting machines despite the toolkit indicates that it wont be as effective against future zero-day exploits.
Many of EMETs features were not developed as robust security solutions, Sutherland said. As such, while they blocked techniques that exploits used in the past, they were not designed to offer real durable protection against exploits over time.
While the latest version, EMET 5.5, supports Windows 10, the toolkit is primarily intended to beef up security for older versions of Windows, from Vista to 8.1. Many of these features are now baked into Windows 10, so enterprise users on the latest Windows operation system dont get additional security benefits from the toolkit in the way users on older Windows systems do.
Its effectiveness against modern exploit kits has not been demonstrated, Sutherland noted.
Microsoft has been encouraging enterprises to upgrade their users to Windows 10, to take advantage of newer security features such as DEP, ASLR, Control Flow Guard, and other security mitigations to prevent bypasses in User Access Control and exploits targeting the browser. The enhanced security features are currently available in Windows 10 Enterprise or Education.
Microsoft will be providing a detailed guide for administrators on how to move from older versions of Windows using EMET to Windows 10 at a later date. Enterprises who have been dragging their feet about upgrading to Windows 10 will soon have no choice, since Windows 7 Extended Support ends in 2020 and Windows 8.1 Extended Support will end 2023. EMETs looming death knell is another way Microsoft is pushing everyone on to Windows 10.
EMET was one of the best tools available to defenders, and it will be sorely missed. But this is the price to pay to have an operation system which has security baked in.
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Among the deal mementos in Alexander Heckers New York office sits a Gibson Les Paul guitar. For Hecker, co-head of investment bank Lazards consumer and retail practice, the instrument hasnt offered much respite from the pressure of deal making. Actually, Ive had no time to play it, he admits, adding that it needs fixing.
No wonder. For the past year Hecker has been consumed by the second-biggest cross-border merger of all time, advising Belgium-headquartered brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev on its $105 billion takeover of U.K.- and South Africanlisted rival SABMiller. The monster tie-up, announced in October 2015, faced countless regulatory hurdles and had to be recut following Britains June vote to leave the European Union.
In late July, AB InBev raised its offer after the pounds dive in the wake of the Brexit decision threatened to derail the merger. Having won shareholder approval and clearance from regulators, the revised deal closed on October 11, creating the worlds No. 1 brewer.
For asset allocators eyeing the beverage market, the winners of the future will be big global brands that can respond to declining alcohol consumption among younger people in developed countries. Carlos Brito, CEO of AB InBev, told investors in April that no- and low-alcohol is one of the fastest-growing trends in the drinks world.
But as companies in search of growth keep pursuing cross-border unions, they and their investors can expect more pushback from governments. Although AB InBev succeeded, other recent megadeals, such as Pfizers attempted $160 billion purchase of fellow pharmaceutical giant Allergan, have been thwarted.
Companies are more global than they used to be, so deals like this involve regulators from across the world, says Hecker, 42, who has held his current post since 2011. Interaction between regulators in different jurisdictions continues to increase.
Lazard ranked ninth in announced global M&A for the first nine months of 2016, according to Dealogic, working on 167 deals worth a total of $197.7 billion. Thats a drop from seventh place for the same period last year, when it advised on 173 transactions with a collective value of $366.6 billion.
On the AB InBevSABMiller deal, Hecker worked with Lazard chairman and CEO Kenneth Jacobs and U.K. head William Rucker to mobilize Lazards expertise across the world, including a Paris-based team covering Africa. The merger hinged on AB InBev winning over SABMillers two biggest shareholders U.S.-based Altria Group and Colombias Santo Domingo family by giving them a cash-and-share alternative to the all-cash offer for other investors.
Alex has an exceptional ability to navigate through the largest and most complex transactions, which is one of the principal reasons he shows up on so many of the major transactions in the consumer and retail space, says attorney Scott Barshay, a partner at law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison who worked with Hecker on the deal.
Born near Cologne, Germany, Hecker earned a law degree from Goethe University Frankfurt and was the only member of his class not to enter the legal profession. Drawn to Lazard because a friend worked there, he joined in 2000 for a six-month stint working on mergers and acquisitions but decided to stick around.
Thenmanaging director Antonio Weiss, who went on to lead the firms global M&A business before becoming an adviser to the U.S. Treasury Department last year, came to Frankfurt and asked Hecker to work on a pitch to Belgiums Interbrew, a highly acquisitive brewer that was looking to become a global force. Soon Hecker was working on the team that helped Interbrew acquire Germanys Brauerei Beck & Co., a deal that not only kick-started his career but turned into one of Lazards longest and most fruitful relationships.
In 2003, when Weiss asked him to join a Paris team he was building to specialize in cross-border M&A deals, Hecker jumped at the chance. During his six years in France, he was promoted to vice president and began working with other Lazard consumer clients such as food and drink multinationals Danone and Nestle. In 2008 he advised InBev, the product of a merger between Interbrew and Brazilian brewer AmBev, on its $52 billion all-cash acquisition of Anheuser-Busch Cos. before moving to Lazards New York office the next year.
Although the M&A market slumped in 2009 following the global financial crisis, Hecker kept busy by working on eight separate disposals arising from the Anheuser-BuschInBev merger. Then in 2010 he advised 3G Capital, the Brazilian private equity firm established by billionaire Jorge Paulo Lemann, formerly AmBevs biggest single shareholder, on its $4 billion privatization of Burger King Holdings. Three years later Hecker counseled the firm on its $23.5 billion acquisition of U.S. food giant H.J. Heinz Co., the largest-ever buyout in the consumer sector. My clients are among the best investment bankers Ive ever met, he says. They just happen to also sell beer and hamburgers.
Despite growing regulatory scrutiny and the challenges posed by Brexit, Hecker remains bullish on M&A. As uncertainty in Europe and developing countries begins to be resolved over the next year or so, cross-border activity should continue to increase, he says. I expect to see well-managed segment leaders continue to support their equity story through M&A to further distinguish or transform themselves.
Hecker may not have time to get that guitar fixed.
Car insurance premiums are rising, especially for Gen-Xers, leading 15,000 people to come together to fight the increase.Around 15,000 individuals have signed up for the Big Insurance Switch movement under the One Big Switch consumer network. The campaign aims to unite customers for cheaper home and auto cover, and hopes to gather 30,000 members by the end of this month.According to data from financial service analyst Canstar , the price of motor insurance for drivers aged 30-49 has gone up by 13% in NSW and South Australia, 8% in Queensland, and 15% in Victoria. For an average small car, this could mean yearly premium increases of AU$50 to $120.Rookie drivers wont encounter premium increases in Queensland and NSW, and hikes of just 4% in SA and Victoria. However, they still have to pay up to twice as much for coverage.Canstar spokesperson Justine Davies advised drivers to shop around to get their moneys worth for motor insurance. But she warned consumers that not all affordable policies are worth their premiums.Theres a big difference between cheap and good value and cheap and nasty, she told News Corp Australia. Thats a difference you dont want to discover at the time you go to make a claim.Meanwhile, Joel Gibson, One Big Switchs campaign director, said that prices for similar policies can have up to an 80% difference.On home and car insurance its very hard to shop around, he said. The Federal Government has built energy and health insurance comparison websites. Theyve worked very successfully and give consumers the power to make good decisions.We think something similar would give consumers of home and car insurance the ability to know if they are paying hundreds of dollars too much.Senator Nick Xenophon announced that he would relay the proposal to create a comparison website to the Senate Economics Committee for study. The Federal Opposition has expressed agreement to this idea.Labor is open to any sensible reform which improves consumers access to information and which promotes confidence in the insurance industry, said Katy Gallagher , the partys spokesperson for financial services.Financial Services Minister Kelly ODwyer has yet to issue a comment, while major insurers have expressed opposition to the initiative.
The Australian insurance industry, alongside the federal government, is looking to extend a global push to help insure natural disasters.The industry is looking to extend the Insurance Development Forum (IDF), which was set-up by the World Bank and United Nations in April, throughout the Asia Pacific region, The Australian reports.The IDF aims to extend insurance to governments in developing countries in a bid to aid disaster response. Currently aid agencies from the United States and Europe have led the charge with the IDF but the Australian insurance industry could be the next to take up a role.We are identifying areas where the Australian aid program may be able to encourage access to and adoption of affordable disaster risk insurance, said a spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who oversees Australias aid program, told The Australian.The Australian government will continue to consult the insurance industry, including IDF members, on overcoming the specific challenges in the Pacific.According to the report, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) will take part in industry discussions this month with John Anning, ICA general manager of policy regulation, attending a global summit this week.The Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade said that while there had been no contact with IDF, the aid program will focus on a pilot scheme to extend low-cost life insurance to SME employees, the report notes.Shaun Tarbuck, chief executive of the International Cooperative & Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF), the peak body of co-operatives and mutual insurers, told The Australian that the IDF and its approach to mitigation can help developing countries become proactive on natural disasters.Tarbuck noted that every $1 spent before a disaster will save $8 in international aid and praised the insurance industry for its collaborative approach.No other industry has managed to bring its whole industry to meet the senior leaders of the UN and World Bank. The aim is, if we combine forces, collaborate together, we will make a better world to protect lives and livelihoods, Tarbuck said.
Verisk Analytics, Analyze Re
Data firm Verisk Analytics Inc. has acquired Halifax, Novia Scotia-based Analyze Re, a software analytics provider for the reinsurance and insurance industries founded in 2013.
Analyze Re will become part of Boston-based AIR Worldwide, the Verisk Analytics catastrophe risk modeling business, and will enable AIR to provide its clients with additional real-time pricing, exposure management and enterprise portfolio roll-up capabilities.
Bill Churney, president of AIR Worldwide, said Analyze Res advanced analytics will complement AIRs existing software.
Analyze Re says its PRIME product helps reinsurers improve complex reinsurance portfolios and insurers design reinsurance coverage to optimize coverage.
Analyze Re founder and CEO Adrian Bentley co-founded Analyze Re along with Oliver Baltzer and Shivam Rajdev. The three left Flagstone Re after it was acquired by Validus in 2012.
According to crunchbase, Analyze Re raised $1.4 million in November, 2013, with Innovacorp as lead investor.
Northwest Insurance Services, Winans Insurance & Employee Benefits
Northwest Insurance Services has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Winans Insurance & Employee Benefits.
As part of the acquisition, the entire Winans team will continue to operate from its current office. Winans owner, David G. Winans, will become vice president of Northwest Insurance Services, serving Northwestern Pennsylvania and New Yorks Southern tier.
Northwest Insurance Services is a Warren, Pa., headquartered subsidiary of Northwest Bank. Founded in 1896, Northwest Bank is a full-service financial institution offering business and personal banking products, employee benefits and wealth management services, and the fulfillment of business and personal insurance needs.
Winans Insurance & Employees Benefits is a property and casualty insurance and employee benefits firm also located in Warren. Founded in 1927, it has grown through a series of acquisitions to be one of the largest insurance agencies in its area.
Tarpey Insurance Group Inc., TSB Insurance Services
Tarpey Insurance Group Inc. has acquired TSB Insurance Services. TSB Insurance Services will be relocated to Tarpey Insurance Groups home office.
Tarpey Insurance Group is a family owned and operated independent insurance agency headquartered in Wakefield, Mass. The three-generation agency has additional offices in Melrose, Saugus, Newton and Lexington.
The agency represents several national and regional companies offering insurance products to both businesses and individuals.
The Windham Group, Logical IME
The Windham Group has launched Logical IME, an independent medical examination company that serves workers compensation payers.
Based in Manchester, N.H., Logical IME provides independent medical exams (IMEs), as well as peer review, functional capacity examinations, permanency ratings and record review. Operating as a business affiliate of Windham Group, Logical IME has its own separate management team and staff.
Typical IMEs are conducted by physicians who specialize in treating a certain condition and have not previously cared for the injured employee. They involve a comprehensive medical record review and physical examination. IME reports render opinions on diagnosis and treatment, and are often used to determine return-to-work capacity and disability ratings, identify treatment options, and help settle claims.
Logical IME was created to manage and streamline the process and provide pricing transparency to the industry. It seeks to simplify the process by working to identify physician examiners, schedule appointments, arrange transportation and translation services, and manage other details.
It is rolling out services regionally, starting with New England, and plans to provide services nationally in the next six to 12 months.
NSM Insurance Group, Vantage Holdings
NSM Insurance Group has acquired Vantage Holdings. The acquisition is subject to FCA approval.
NSM Insurance Group is a Conshohocken, Pa.-based insurance program administrator. This move marks its first international acquisition and will serve as a platform for expanding NSMs presence in U.K. markets.
Vantage Holdings, which includes Vantage Insurance Services and Classic Insurance Services, is an industry-specific insurance program administrator that was established in 2004 and is based in the U.K. The Classic Insurance Services program, which specializes in insuring classic cars, classic motor trade and high-net-worth collections, is the fourth collector car insurance program to be added to NSMs portfolio. Additionally, Vantage Insurance Services is one of the largest insurers of outdoor leisure and tour operator liability in the U.K.
Going forward, NSM Insurance Group is seeking to acquire additional niche specific insurance businesses and program managers.
The Hilb Group, Fundamental Insurance & Retirement Planning
The Hilb Group LLC (THG) has acquired Indianapolis-based Fundamental Insurance & Retirement Planning Inc. (FIRP).
FIRP provides a range of insurance offerings including property and casualty, life and health for businesses and individuals. All of FIRPs employees, including President Michael Weisemann, are joining THG and will continue to operate out of their four offices located throughout Indiana under their existing name.
With this acquisition, THG expands its footprint into the Midwest and establishes its commitment to building a distinguished network of nationwide agency partners.
THG is headquartered in Richmond, Va., and is a portfolio company of Boston-based ABRY Partners.
Acrisure
Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Acrisure LLC has signed a definitive agreement for a management-led buyout of the company, led by Greg Williams, Acrisures CEO and co-founder, and a consortium of minority investors.
Acrisure management and its operating partners are acquiring control of the company from Genstar Capital. Genstar acquired Acrisure in 2013 and has worked with Williams and the Acrisure management team to expand Acrisures geographic footprint and to broaden its insurance offerings.
Under Genstars ownership, the company acquired more than 138 retail insurance brokerages and generated industry-leading organic growth. Annual revenues today exceed $670 million.
Acrisure is a retail insurance brokerage offering risk management and consulting solutions, including property/casualty, employee benefits, human resource outsourcing, loss and claims management, surety bonding and personal lines coverage.
Confie, Alamo Auto Insurance
Confie, a national provider of personal and commercial lines insurance, has acquired Hulme Corp., dba Alamo Auto Insurance of East Texas.
Founded in 2001 and based in Tyler, Texas, Alamo Auto focuses on providing non-standard auto insurance.
A subway train struck two workers in a tunnel early Thursday, killing one and injuring the other, and investigators are looking at whether theres enough room in the escape alcoves along the tracks.
A federal official briefed on the investigation said it appears two workers tried to jump into one of the recessed alcoves along the tunnel wall but it apparently wasnt big enough to hold them. The official was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to investigate the accident, which happened at 12:05 a.m. as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority employees were setting up a work zone on the southbound tracks near the Fort Hamilton Parkway station in Brooklyn.
Authorities said the train was traveling around a curve when it struck the two workers. A 53-year-old worker was killed, and a 49-year-old worker was hospitalized in serious but stable condition. Their names werent immediately released.
The federal official told the AP the workers had no clue a train was coming until it was on top of them and part of the probe will examine whether there was a lack of communication between train operators and the track crews.
The president of the workers union, John Samuelsen, met with his members after the accident.
This tragedy highlights the extreme danger transit workers are in every time they step on the tracks, Samuelsen said.
New York City Transit halted all non-emergency track work as the investigation continued. The agencys president, Ronnie Hakim, extended condolences to the families of the workers and said the agency was reviewing safety standards with MTA employees.
The safety of all our workers is paramount, and we are in the process of investigating this tragic incident, Hakim said in a statement.
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Topics New York
The mother of a University of Massachusetts Amherst student who died of a heroin overdose has filed a $6 million lawsuit against the school and another student charged with selling her son the drugs.
Francesca Sinacoris suit seeks $5 million from the university for breach of contract, and $1 million from the other student for wrongful death.
Twenty-year-old Eric Sinacori, of Whitehouse Station, N.J., was found dead in his apartment in October 2013. He was an informant for campus police at the time after police agreed not to press drug charges if he cooperated with them.
Francesca Sinacori says in the suit the university violated her right to be informed of her sons illicit drug activity.
The university said it does not comment on pending litigation, but noted that the informant program was discontinued.
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Topics Lawsuits New Jersey Drugs
Tesco Bank, the lending arm of the U.K.s biggest grocer, said it suspended online transactions after about 20,000 customers had money fraudulently taken from their accounts.
About 40,000 of the banks 136,000 checking account holders experienced suspicious transactions over the weekend, Tesco Bank Chief Executive Officer Benny Higgins told BBC Radio 4s Today program. About half of those had money taken from their account, he said. The problem has only affected checking accounts, a representative for the bank said.
Some of the worlds biggest financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase & Co., HSBC Holdings Plc and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, have all been cyber-jacked in some way in the past couple of years. In the second quarter of this year, there was a 50 percent jump in activity by cyber criminals injecting malware programs into financial companies worldwide from the same period in 2015, according to Kaspersky Lab, a global cyber security company.
Banking fraud is unfortunately very prevalent, and has been for a while, said Tom Kirchmaier, researcher at the financial markets group at the London School of Economics. The industry is not very forthcoming with sharing data with the police, and so we only hear about the worst cases, and Tescos can be considered one such instance.
FCA Involvement
Tesco customers complained on the banks website of seeing amounts varying from 20 pounds ($24.80) to 600 pounds missing from their accounts. Tesco Bank has more than 7 million customer accounts in total across a range of products like insurance and mortgages.
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority is aware of the matter and working with the bank on it, a spokeswoman said.
Tesco Bank only started offering current accounts, the British term for checking accounts, in 2014. The declining fortunes of Tescos domestic supermarket business means the bank represented about 17 percent of group operating profit in the last financial year.
Customers can still use their account to withdraw money from cash machines or to pay for goods at a retailer, Higgins said. Any financial loss will be borne by the bank and customers are not at financial risk, he said.
The crime was committed at a time when banks are typically understaffed and will respond more slowly, Cliff Moyce, global head of financial services at consultant DataArt, said by e-mail. Automated fraud detection systems appear to have worked well, but a lack of people at desks will not have helped.
Tesco shares fell as much as 3.3 percent in early London trading. They were down 1.3 percent at 200 pence as of 9:53 a.m.
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Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
Topics Cyber Fraud
Hyperion Insurance Group, the London-based insurance intermediary group, announced that Talbir Bains, CEO and CUO of DUAL Group, the underwriting arm of Hyperion, has decided to step down from his role at the end of January 2017.
Bains joined DUAL in March 2015 and embarked on a series of focused enhancements across central underwriting and operations, and in parallel formed a new executive team in London and re-emphasizing DUALs strategic focus and market position with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and specialist business.
With Bains having finalized DUALs regional structure, following Richard Claphams appointment as CEO, UK and Europe, in September 2016, the regional management board will now lead DUAL, said the company in a statement.
It comprises the heads of the regional hubs, being Richard Clapham (Europe), Justin Tweedie (US), and Damien Coates (Asia Pacific), together with Mark Hudson (CFO), Stephen Manning (COO) and Paul Ferris (head of Capacity Management). Additionally, Richard Clapham will take on the role of group chief underwriting officer. The board will continue to be chaired by Clem Booth as non-executive chairman, with non-executive directors Ralph Snedden, David Ibeson and Luis Munoz-Rojas.
David Howden, CEO of Hyperion, said: The last 12 months have been formative ones for DUAL. Our primary objective has always been to deliver profitable returns to our carriers by focusing on high quality underwriting and operational excellence in order to provide the very best service to capacity providers, brokers and clients.
Bains has implemented and embedded a transformative program of strong portfolio management and operating platform development while finalizing our regional structure and adding significant underwriting and operational bench strength, Howden continued.
As we approach $1 billion in premiums, this regional structure is more relevant to our carriers, brokers and clients, and therefore to the next stage of the journey, he said.
My thanks go to Talbir for agreeing to step up as CEO from his role as group chief underwriting officer and for his outstanding efforts and contribution in delivering these important changes. I know he will bring invaluable expertise to his new role and we wish him every success for the future.
Source: Hyperion
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Topics Underwriting
Randall & Quilter Investment Holdings Ltd. has entered into an arrangement with the Law Society of Ireland in respect of the run-off obligations of the Solicitors Mutual Defence Fund (SMDF).
SMDF was established in 1987 as a mutual fund to provide professional indemnity protection for solicitors practicing in Ireland. The fund ceased trading in 2011 following a series of heavy losses relating to the economic downturn in Ireland.
R&Q is a specialist run-off company that acquires and manages portfolios to their natural extinction.
We are pleased to announce the arrangement with the Law Society of Ireland, further demonstrating R&Qs ability to offer finality solutions in a range of different situations, commented Ken Randall, chairman and chief executive officer of Randall & Quilter Investment Holdings Ltd.
Source: Randall & Quilter Investment Holdings
A man accused of starting two fires in Madison, S.D., has been ordered to serve 34 years in prison.
Authorities say 25-year-old Travis Smith Jr. started fires in the apartment building where he lived and in a convenience store in August. No injuries were reported in the fires.
Smith initially faced seven charges including six felonies. He reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty last month to two counts of reckless burning and one count of aggravated assault.
He was sentenced on Nov. 2 to 20 years in prison on the assault charge and 10 years on each of the reckless burning charges. The judge suspended three years of each 10-year sentence and ordered all of the sentences to run consecutively.
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A state system to track prescription painkillers in Wisconsin to prevent abuse shows a nearly 10 percent drop in the number of opioid prescriptions written and filled compared to this time last year.
Wisconsins Controlled Substance Board recently published its first quarterly report on the prescription drug monitoring database, which was established in 2013, Wisconsin Public Radio reported.
Gov. Scott Walker said the findings are very encouraging.
The report does not say what percentage of doctors, dentists or pharmacists check the database, but officials said its use has steadily increased. Doctors will be required to check it next year.
The Wisconsin Medical Societys chief medical officer, Donn Dexter, said the organization is working to educate physicians on the database and get them ready for the mandates.
A year after the database started in 2014 only 30 percent of pharmacists used the database and 8 percent of doctors. Dexter said with the new database implemented in January that number is sure to go up.
The reason it wasnt used is I think our doctors are already very busy, Dexter said.
He said it is challenging to implement because its difficult to use.
The purpose of the database is to crackdown on patients getting various prescriptions from doctors and filling the same prescription with multiple pharmacists.
One thing that the Medical Society is working hard on is that the pendulum doesnt swing too far; so that patients that need pain control still get pain control, said Dexter.
Law enforcement also uses the database most commonly for stolen prescriptions.
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Topics Wisconsin Drugs
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has settled a 2011 lawsuit claiming the investment bank fraudulently induced a bond insurer to guarantee payments on the doomed Abacus collateralized debt obligation ahead of the financial crisis.
ACA Financial Guaranty Corp. claimed Goldman and the hedge fund headed by John Paulson tricked it into insuring the CDO, which was tied to subprime mortgage securities.
A filing in New York state court on Wednesday discontinued the case with prejudice against Goldman and Paulson & Co. The terms of the settlement were not made public.
In the $120 million lawsuit, ACA claimed it was deceived into believing Paulson & Co would hold Abacus long-term. Instead, the fund helped select the assets and took a short position, betting the underlying mortgages would fail, the lawsuit said.
The insurer claimed Abacus was designed so that Paulson could reap huge profits and Goldman huge fees.
Michael DuVally, a spokesman for Goldman, declined to comment. A spokesman for Paulson & Co. had no immediate comment. ACA Financial did not return a call seeking comment
Goldman Sachs settled with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2010 over claims it misled investors in Abacus, without admitting wrongdoing.
Abacus was featured in a 2011 report by the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The report noted that three major investors together lost about $1 billion from their investments, while Paulsons hedge fund profited by about the same amount.
The case is ACA Financial Guaranty Corp. v Goldman Sachs & Co., 650027/2011, New York state Supreme Court (New York County).
Topics Carriers Claims Fraud New York
Hospitals that implement safe patient handling and moving policies may find these practices associated with fewer injuries among healthcare workers, a small study suggests.
Researchers analyzed data on 1,832 patient care providers at two U.S. hospitals one that started a safety program and one without these policies in place.
At the hospital that implemented safe patient handling policies, the risk of neck and shoulder injuries declined 32 percent in the year after these polices took effect. Over that same period, the odds of lifting and exertion injuries dropped 27 percent and the chances of pain and inflammation decreased 22 percent, the study found.
For the hospital that didnt implement these safety programs, however, there were no significant changes in injury risk over the study period.
Integrating safe patient equipment and procedures into the plan of care for each patient . . . aligns the goal of caring for the patient with the prevention of worker injury, said lead study author Dr. Jack Dennerlein of Northeastern University in Boston.
This approach can easily be transferred to other hospitals, Dennerlein added by email.
For the current study, researchers evaluated a hospital-wide safe patient handling and mobilization program initiated at one academic medical center in the Boston area. The control hospital in the study was similar in size, patient complexity and payer mix but didnt implement a safety program.
Before the teaching hospital started its safety program, both hospitals had limited success in improving safe patient handling and mobilization practices despite investing in things like lifting devices and swings, researchers note in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Researchers surveyed workers with direct patient-care responsibilities at both facilities before these policies were put in place and again one year later.
In the first survey about 80 percent reported experiencing some kind of pain related to their jobs in the previous three months. More than half had lower back pain and about 43 percent had neck or shoulder pain. About a third said the pain interfered with their work.
At the hospital with new safety practices, more equipment was added to many inpatient care areas and rooms to facilitate moving patients this included ceiling lifts, slings, sit-to-stand devices and air-assisted lateral transfer devices.
This equipment was designed to help minimize the risk of injuries when workers move extremely obese patients. Ceiling lifts, for example, could hoist patients weighing up to 625 pounds, while bed-repositioning slings could accommodate patients weighing up to 1,000 pounds.
All nurses, nurse directors and patient care assistants received training on how to use the new equipment and the best ways to safely move patients in different situations.
These efforts were part of a larger program designed to increase patient mobility. Plenty of previous research has found that patients can have a faster recovery and fewer complications when they are able to get out of bed and move around.
To some extent, however, efforts to get patients moving have clashed with the need to protect workers from injuries on the job, particularly as a growing number of U.S. adults are overweight and obese.
One limitation of the study is that researchers relied on hospital employees to accurately recall and report how well they followed new patient handling policies.
Even when policies arent in place or are practically hard to follow, workers can still take steps to be safer when moving patients, said Alexander Dewey, a physical therapist at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento, California who wasnt involved in the study.
Use proper body mechanics at all times whether using a safety equipment or not, Dewey said by email. Ask for assistance when needed.
This is crucial in healthcare because lifting patients is very different from other types of manual labor involving heavy loads, said Kermit Davis, a researcher at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio who wasnt involved in the study.
The loads are usually much higher than those in industry, even where loads are as high as 75 pounds like warehousing, baggage handlers and parcel delivery, Davis said by email.
Patients are four to five times as heavy, Davis added. Weights above 75 pounds or even 35 pounds are not safe to routinely lift manually.
A Lafayette, La., man has been sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison for stealing nearly $1.5 million from an insurance settlement his sister received while she was incapacitated.
News outlets report U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley said a federal judge gave 37-year-old Kevin Ralph Andrus a 57-month sentence on one count of wire fraud.
Andrus, who pleaded guilty in March, stole the settlement funds his sister had gotten from a lawsuit related to an automobile accident that left her incapacitated. Andrus had been appointed as the curator for his sisters estate following the crash.
Andrus sister later discovered that the funds had been transferred to Andrus own personal and business accounts although he promised to spend the money only on approved expenses that benefited his sister.
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Topics Louisiana Fraud
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has approved a $1.01 million settlement with a natural gas utility in connection to a January house explosion.
Authorities said a faulty weld in a plastic natural gas pipeline led to the Jan. 2 explosion in an Oklahoma City neighborhood. One person suffered burns and two people were treated for breathing problems.
The settlement with Oklahoma Natural Gas Co. was approved on Nov.3. The utility agreed to the settlement but didnt admit to guilt, according to the Journal Record.
The commissions pipeline safety division found the company failed to conduct surveillance on eight similar pipeline leaks, failed to investigate the cause of those leaks and failed to perform the proper survey the day before the explosion. The report also found that the pipeline system had leaks dating all the way back to 1983.
As part of the settlement, the utility agreed to examine its entire pipeline network throughout Oklahoma. Commission pipeline safety manager Dennis Fothergill said the utility companys staff found more than 200 locations in Oklahoma that needed to be investigated.
Commission chairman Bob Anthony said in other states when pipeline safety laws were ignored, people had died. ONG operations vice president Kent Shortridge said employees received additional training courses, and that the utility company is committed to the safety of their system.
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Topics Oklahoma
A 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck Oklahoma on the evening of Nov. 6 near the town of Cushing, an area that has experienced increased seismic activity since 2015, the Oklahoma Geological Survey reported. Several aftershocks, the largest of which was magnitude 2.6, followed shortly after the initial 5.0 magnitude temblor, according to the OGS.
Sundays quake, which occurred about two miles west of Cushing, follows a week of high earthquake activity nearly two dozen temblors were recorded in the state, including a 4.5 magnitude quake near Pawnee, where the states largest recorded earthquake struck in September.
The Associated Press reported that around 40 to 50 buildings were damaged by the Cushing quake. According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, a 16-block area in downtown Cushing cordoned off because of danger posed by unstable facades and broken glass. The quake rendered century-old buildings unsafe and raised concerns about key infrastructure, the AP reported.
Cushing, about 50 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, is home to one of the largest oil storage terminals in the world. Federal, state and local safety officials previously have expressed concern over the potential threat to the oil storage facilities from the increase in seismic activity.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin tweeted early on Monday that no damage had been reported at the storage tank farms from the quake. Fallin also said that Cushing schools would be closed on Monday to assess possible damage from the quake.
The number of magnitude 3.0 or greater in Oklahoma has grown a few dozen in 2012 to around 900 in 2015. The Oklahoma Geological Survey has attributed the increase in earthquakes to the injection of wastewater from oil and gas activities into underground disposal wells.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission regulates the oil and gas industry in the state, and has in the past both ordered the shutdown of wastewater wells and asked well owners to voluntarily reduce disposal volumes in areas that have seen a significant increase in injection well-related seismic activity.
In response to the Nov. 7 quake near Cushing, the OCC said its oil and gas division is working on a plan to further modify disposal well operations in the area.
In a note on its website, the OCC said its Pipeline Safety Department reports normal operation has resumed for pipeline operators in the Cushing oil storage terminal under state jurisdiction.
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Topics Energy Oil Gas Property Oklahoma Earthquake
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said on Friday it had opened an investigation into the Colonial Pipeline Co accident in Helena, Alabama, which killed one worker and seriously injured four others.
Colonials gasoline pipeline ruptured on Monday during routine maintenance operations. The company said Friday it expects to restart the pipeline on Sunday afternoon.
A team of five NTSB investigators arrived Thursday and will be in Alabama for several days conducting interviews, documenting the accident site and collecting evidence. Investigators will also visit the Colonial Pipeline offices in Alpharetta, Georgia, to interview operations and engineering staff and collect operating data and documents, the board said.
The 5,500-mile (8,850-km) Colonial Pipeline is the largest U.S. refined products pipeline system and can carry more than 3 million barrels of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel between the U.S. Gulf Coast and the New York Harbor area.
The company said a small fire remaining at the site was extinguished overnight, and operations to remove residual gasoline from the pipeline began earlier on Friday.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Tom Brown, G Crosse)
Topics USA Alabama
Families in four North Carolina counties forced from their homes after flooding from Hurricane Matthew could be moving into mobile homes soon.
Gov. Pat McCrory said Thursday the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved the help for people displaced from their homes in Columbus, Edgecombe, Robeson and Wayne counties. The help could be extended to more counties.
The state signed contracts last month to start providing mobile homes in areas where hotels and rental homes were flooded, or didnt exist before the storm.
About 240 people are living in four shelters and more than 1,700 families are living in temporary housing after Matthew, which drenched the state a month ago.
The McCrory administration also revised the storms death toll back up to 28 with the death of a Pitt County man. The 79-year-old man died Tuesday from injuries he suffered while cleaning up storm debris on his property on Oct. 11, Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Julia Jarema said.
The governors office had reduced its death count earlier this week to 27, saying the previously reported death of a Lenoir County man wasnt storm-related after all.
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Topics Flood Homeowners North Carolina
A federal judge has rejected the U.S. Department of Energys motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Washington state over worker safety issues at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Rice rejected an Energy Department argument that the federal agency was not endangering enough Washington residents to allow the state to sue.
The state has an inherent and fundamental sovereign interest in ensuring that all Washington workers are safe, Rice wrote in his opinion.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed the lawsuit last fall against the Energy Department and its contractor, Washington River Protection Solutions. The lawsuit contends that hazardous tank vapors pose a serious risk to Hanford workers.
This motion was just another example of the federal governments culture of indifference to worker safety at Hanford, Ferguson said.
Fergusons office contends that hundreds of workers have been exposed to vapors escaping from nuclear waste storage tanks since the early 1980s and that those breathing the vapors developed nosebleeds, chest and lung pain, headaches, coughing, sore throats, irritated eyes, and difficulty breathing.
Hanford for decades made plutonium for nuclear weapons, and now is engaged in cleaning up a massive inventory of radioactive and chemical wastes left over from that work.
Much of the waste is stored in 177 giant underground storage tanks at Hanford, which is located near Richland.
After more than 50 workers were exposed to tank vapors earlier this year, Ferguson asked a federal court to immediately order the government to implement enhanced safety measures. That motion is still pending before the court.
Officials for the Energy Department in Richland did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment on.
Lawyers for the Energy Department had argued that the state lacked legal standing to file the lawsuit, in part because it involved about 2,000 workers out of a population of millions of residents. The agency also contended that no evidence has been provided showing that Hanford workers have been harmed by vapors. Symptoms like headaches are common, they have said.
The trial is set for May 22, 2017.
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Topics Lawsuits Legislation Washington
(Editor's Note: Part 2 of 2. The previous installment covered the background for big changes in underwriting. This one focuses on how that could manifest in new roles.)
The underwriter as sales executive
Looking more closely at individual roles reveals specific priorities. Across business segments, sales-focused underwriters can assist in pipeline management, evaluate lead quality and participate in marketing campaigns to increase the cross-sell/up sell opportunities. Thus, carriers plan to direct their technological investments in this direction. Similarly, carriers plan to make data investments around customers and industry as a means to increase premium growth and retention ratios by targeting specific customer and geographic profiles.
The underwriter as data scientist
For the decision scientist role, technology investments will focus on predictive modeling, underwriting workstation/rules automation, while risk exposure, customer and industry top the priority list for data investments.
As underwriters assume these new roles, these investments will help insurers more efficiently and effectively review proposals in the underwriting portal and view premiums, terms and conditions; and leverage analytical capabilities to evaluate their underwriting decisions. Combined focus on rules automation and advanced analytics has the potential to improve loss ratios and overall productivity.
The underwriter as customer advocate
The underwriter as customer advocate is focused on delivering a better experience for agents and customers, coordinating account services and generally seeking opportunities to enhance customer loyalty. As such, carriers will be investing in agent portals on the technology side, with data investments focused on claims, loss control and social media. See figures 8 and 9 Insurers are focused on these areas because they relate to management of losses and increased transparency during claims mitigation. Plus, because of limited investments and capabilities, there is much room for improvement in each of them.
The underwriter as innovator
With respect to innovation, technology investments are likely to focus on business intelligence, predictive modeling and agent portals. Carriers are also interested in investing in data related to risk exposures, customer and industry. Collectively, these investments will help carriers gain insights into industry and buyer preferences and tailor offerings for market niches. Bridging the skills gaps through talent and training
A strong talent pipeline and robust training capabilities are critical if underwritings expanded value proposition is to be sustained. In other words, survey respondents recognize that true transformation of the underwriting function requires more than just data and technology investments. The shifting roles also necessitate considerable training and upskilling in specific areas, such as communication and relationship building.
These so-called soft skills are necessary for underwriters to contribute more value on the customer-facing and human side of he business. But more advanced analytical skills and technological know-how are important, too, especially relative to the increasingly data-driven nature of future underwriting work.
The survey results revealed a number of emerging trends, including:
During the next 12 to 24 months, the top hiring priorities are for generalists, product specialists and segment specialists. Therefore, the majority of training efforts will also focus on these areas.
The majority of hires are expected to be millennials and members of Generation Y.
Carriers expect to hire mainly from college campuses and other insurance companies, though carriers specializing in personal lines are more open to hiring from outside the industry.
Training will be delivered on the job, as well as through a combination of internal classroom settings and internal web-based sessions.
The bottom line
As insurance companies look to upscale their underwriting capabilities and cultivate new skills in their underwriting units, they must recognize the unique transformation challenges they face. Some of these challenges are related to the profound nature and extensive reach of the changes to come. Conventional wisdom has long held that underwriting is at the core of the insurance business. Its evolution to incorporate other critical function from sales and customer advocacy to data science and innovation means that underwriters in the future will be well positioned to contribute greater business value to their companies. In that sense, the future of underwriting looks bright.
Xiao worked under Premier Li Keqiang as vice-secretary at the State Council. Before that, he headed the state tax bureau for six years.
The government decided to appoint Xiao after increasing concerns about Chinese economic growth. Bloomberg said the new minister will be tasked with juggling fiscal stimulus and efforts to rein in excess leverage in the worlds second-largest economy.
The Department of Energy, the 12th Cabinet-level department, was established in 1977 during the Carter administration. The departments mission was to oversee the development and testing of the countrys nuclear weapons and coordinate the various, loosely organized energy programs established by the federal government. Today, the position also manages the nation's energy infrastructure and funds scientific research related to energy production and distribution.
Until the 1970s, the government took a relatively hands-off approach to energy production and policy, but the energy crisis of the mid-1970s changed all of that. The Department of Energy was created to address the problem and develop a comprehensive national energy plan that included nuclear energy technology.
Key Takeaways The Department of Energy is responsible for managing the United States nuclear weapons program and carrying out energy policy.
The Cabinet-level department was first established in 1977 under the Carter administration, in response to the energy crisis of that decade.
The secretary must be appointed by the president and then confirmed by the Senate before being officially sworn in.
The current secretary of energy is Jennifer Granholm.
The Current Secretary of Energy
In December 2020, then-President-elect Joe Biden nominated former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm as the countrys 16th secretary of energy. She was confirmed on Feb. 25, 2021, and sworn into office later that day.
Granholm was preceded by Texas businessman Dan Brouillette as the countrys 15th secretary of energy. He had served since December 2019. Prior to that, he was the deputy secretary of energy from August 2017 to December 2019.
Choosing a Secretary of Energy
As with all Cabinet-level positions, the secretary of energy is appointed by the president, confirmed by the Senate, and serves at the presidents discretion. Each president takes his own approachsome make political appointments, while others choose candidates based on particular knowledge in the fields of science and energy. Some are chosen for their executive experience in managing other government agencies. For example:
James Schlesinger, the first secretary of energy, was an economics Ph.D. who originally served under then-Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford as a budget director, director of central intelligence, and secretary of defense before being appointed secretary of energy by then-President Jimmy Carter.
Federico Pena, then-President Bill Clintons second energy secretary, was the former mayor of Denver before being appointed to lead the Department of Transportation and, ultimately, the Department of Energy under Clinton.
Samuel Bodman, appointed by then-President George W. Bush in 2005, was an MIT-educated doctor of science in chemical engineering who also served as deputy secretary of both Treasury and Commerce before assuming the top job at Energy.
Steven Chu, then-President Barack Obamas first secretary of energy, earned a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, where he went on to teach as a professor of physics and molecular biology before accepting the secretary position in 2009.
Rick Perry, confirmed by then-President Donald Trump, earned a B.S. in animal science from Texas A&M and served as governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015.
Jennifer Granholm, former governor of Michigan, where she promoted pro-green policies for the auto industry, serves as energy secretary in the Biden administration.
The Role of Secretary of Energy
The Department of Energy is a sprawling bureaucracy with a budget in excess of $41 billion for fiscal year (FY) 2021. The departments list of responsibilities includes the nations nuclear weapons programs, the Navys nuclear energy program, energy research and conservation, clean energy technologies, and domestic energy policy. The Energy Department spends more on physical science research than any other federal agency, through the National Laboratories.
The secretary of energy, along with assistants and undersecretaries, oversees the entire Energy apparatus and portfolio. In addition, the departments mission statement is to "ensure Americas security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions."
Perhaps most importantly, the secretary advises the president on matters of energy and nuclear security and advances the presidents agenda and policy objectives.
Secretary of Energy Salary
Like all federal employees, pay for Cabinet secretaries is set by Title 5 of the United States Code. Cabinet officials are designated as Level 1 of the Executive Schedule, which carries an annual salary of $226,300 in 2022.
Cabinet secretaries serve at the request of the president. They are not appointed to set terms like appointees to federal boards such as the National Labor Relations Board, where each member serves a five-year term.
Key Points in Secretary History
The first secretary of energy, James Schlesinger, was a Republican nominated by then-President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat. Schlesinger was the only person ever dismissed from the position. Hazel OLeary, who served as secretary of energy under then-President Bill Clinton, was the first woman to hold the position. She was also the first African American to take on the role. Dan Brouillette was the shortest-serving secretary of energy in recent history, lasting just 14 months in the role in the Trump administration. Steven Chu was the longest, serving under then-President Barack Obama from January 2009 through April 2013.
Defined-Benefit vs. Defined-Contribution Plan: An Overview
Employer-sponsored retirement plans are divided into two major categories: defined-benefit plans and defined-contribution plans. As the names imply, a defined-benefit planalso commonly known as a traditional pension planprovides a specified payment amount in retirement. A defined-contribution plan allows employees and employers (if they choose) to contribute and invest in funds over time to save for retirement.
These key differences determine which partythe employer or employeebears the investment risks and affects the cost of administration for each plan. Both types of retirement accounts are also known as superannuations.
Key Takeaways Employers fund and guarantee a specific retirement benefit amount for each participant of a defined-benefit pension plan.
Defined-contribution plans are funded primarily by the employee, as the participant defers a portion of their gross salary. Employers can match the contributions up to a certain amount if they choose.
A shift to defined-contribution plans has placed the burden of saving and investing for retirement on employees.
The most popular defined-contribution plan is the 401(k).
A steady trend has emerged of companies favoring defined-contribution plans over defined-benefit plans.
Defined-Benefit Plan
Defined-benefit plans provide eligible employees guaranteed income for life when they retire. Employers guarantee a specific retirement benefit amount for each participant that is based on factors such as the employees salary and years of service.
While they are rare in the private sector, defined-benefit pension plans are still somewhat common in the public sectorin particular, in government jobs.
Employees have little control over the funds until they are received in retirement. The company takes responsibility for the investment and for its distribution to the retired employee. That means the employer bears the risk that the returns on the investment will not cover the defined-benefit amount due to a retired employee.
Because of this risk, defined-benefit plans require complex actuarial projections and insurance for guarantees, making the costs of administration very high. As a result, defined-benefit plans in the private sector are rare and have been largely replaced by defined-contribution plans over the last few decades. The shift to defined-contribution plans has placed the burden of saving and investing for retirement on employees.
Defined-benefit plans are broken down into two payment options: annuity and lump-sum payments. In an annuity payment plan, the payment is spread out and paid monthly until death. A lump-sum payment is the entire value of the plan paid at one time.
Opting to take defined payments that pay out until death is the more popular choice, as you will not need to manage a large amount of money, and you're less susceptible to market interference.
1:33 Defined Benefit Pension Plan
Defined-Contribution Plan
Defined-contribution plans are funded primarily by the employee. But many employers make matching contributions to a certain amount.
The most common type of defined-contribution plan is a 401(k). Participants can elect to defer a portion of their gross salary via a pre-tax payroll deduction to the plan, and the company may match the contribution if it chooses, up to a limit it sets.
As the employer has no obligation toward the accounts performance after the funds are deposited, these plans require little work, are low risk to the employer, and cost less to administer. The employee is responsible for making contributions and choosing investments offered by the plan. Contributions are typically invested in select mutual funds, which contain a basket of stocks or securities, and money market funds, but the investment menu can also include annuities and individual stocks.
The investments in a defined-contribution plan grow tax-deferred until funds are withdrawn in retirement. There is a limit to how much employees can contribute each year. For 2021, for example, the most an employee could contribute to a 401(k) in one year is $19,500, or $26,000 if they are 50 or older. For 2022, the maximum amount rose to $20,500, or $27,000 if they're 50 or above.
Those with a define-contribution plan can also contribute to a 403(b). While both the 403(b) and 401(k) are tax-deferred, a 403(b) is much less common as they are restricted to those in non-profit organizations and in government positions. 403(b) plans are often managed by insurance companies and offer fewer investment options when compared to a 401(k). which is often managed by a mutual fund.
Defined-Benefit Plan vs. Defined-Contribution Plan Example
Most private-sector employees are offered and take a defined-contribution plan. They carry less risk for the employer as they are not responsible for managing the account themselves, and offer much more flexibility to the employee.
If John were to contribute to a defined-contribution plan such as the popular 401(k), he would be able to have access to his funds while making his own investment decisions. He could, for example, take an extremely aggressive approach with his investments since he is young and can handle a volatile market. His company offers a 3% match, and he uses it to further invest in his retirement plan.
When John reaches retirement age, he starts making withdrawals from the plan. Over the course of his career, he adjusted the plan to ensure it was relatively stable nearing retirement age.
If John were to take the defined-benefit route, his employer would take his contributions and either hand them to an outside investing firm or manage the contributions themselves. John has no say in what the company invests in, and he has to trust that they will be able to make their payouts from the plan come retirement.
If the company makes a mistake when investing and does not have the amount to pay John when he is ready to receive it, there isn't much John can do. He has saved a lot of time researching investments and making his own investment decisions, but lost the control he would have had with a defined-contribution plan. This lack of control is why most in the private sector prefer a defined-contribution plan.
What Is the Difference Between a 401(k) Plan and a 403(b) Plan? A 401(k) plan is a defined-contribution plan offered to employees. A 403(b) plan is very similar, but it is limited to certain types of employees such as those that work for non-profits and within the government. A 401(k) generally offers many more investing options when compared to a 403(b).
Why Is a Defined-Contribution Plan More Popular With Employers? A defined-contribution plan is more popular with employers for a few reasons. They are no longer responsible for managing their employees' contributions which means they do not need to invest time or money into what they can simply put on the shoulders of the employee to do. Employees also like the option of making their own investment decisions.
Can SEP IRAs Be Combined With a Defined-Benefit Plan? You can combine a SEP IRA with a defined-benefit plan but it depends on if the SEP is a model SEP or a non-model SEP. The type of Sep is determined by The filing of IRS Form 5305, and you would need to confirm which type of SEP you have with your SEP custodian.
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First-time voters or even those who have been going to the polls in Pennsylvania for years may have some questions about the mechanics of this years election.
With the harsh rhetoric of the national contest having seeped down into state and, in some cases, local contests, poll procedures in Pennsylvania are as important as ever.
How close can solicitors get? How aggressive can they be?
Pennsylvanias election law stipulates that canvassers must stay 10 feet or more away from the polling place itself. Only those voting, and election employees and registered poll watchers, can approach closer.
Election staff will enforce this if complaints are received, said Bethany Salzarulo, director of the Cumberland County Bureau of Elections.
We dont regularly police it unless we get complaints from voters that people are blocking their way, Salzarulo said. Typically the issue is the volume of people who come to hand out fliers at some of the locations.
The only past issues with overly aggressive canvassers have come from local elections, Salzarulo said.
Typically the local elections are worse because the candidates themselves are there, she said.
The final recourse for elections staff would be to request police presence, but that has yet to happen, Salzarulo said.
Do I need ID to vote?
If this is the first time you are voting at a given polling place, you must present a form of physical identification. Once your name is accepted into the poll books on your first appearance, you dont need to present ID for future elections at the same polling location just give your name and identifying information.
Can I use my cell phone?
The Cumberland County Board of Elections reminds voters that the use of electronic devices is prohibited in Cumberland County polling places.
A regulation passed by the Board of Elections in 2007 prohibits devices including, but not limited to cell phones, portable computers, cameras, two-way radios, blue tooth devices, blackberry devices and any other electric or electronic device which permits the user to receive, cause, facilitate, create, display or permit any audio or visual signal or message.
The Board of Elections determined that this regulation is important to maintain the privacy of voters in exercising their voting rights. Improper use of electronic devices may violate Pennsylvania Election Code and while detection of these violations would be difficult, they can be harmful to the voting process.
How are absentee ballots tracked?
Voters who requested absentee ballots have their names watermarked in the poll books, Salzarulo said. If a voter shows up to the polls in person, but their name is watermarked as an absentee, the poll worker will then check the list of returned absentee ballots to make sure the voter isnt trying to vote twice.
Do we know dead people arent voting?
Once a month, the PA Department of Health uploads into our system the death certificates of everyone who passed away the previous month, Salzarulo explained. These names are automatically stricken from the rolls.
The last health department system update was Oct. 11, meaning the only way to commit voter fraud this way would be to find someone who passed away in the last month, steal their personal information, and impersonate them at the polls.
While there is a slim possibility that someone could do this, the amount of footwork involved and the limited number of possible identities (since those who died prior to Oct. 11 cant be impersonated at all) eliminates any chance of systematic fraud.
Can I be a poll watcher?
If you arent one already, then no.
A poll watcher is someone selected by a candidate or party to literally watch the poll, Salzarulo said. The traditional role of poll watchers has been to relay information on voter turnout back to their candidate or organization, to determine where enthusiasm is high and where work is needed.
Poll watchers are allowed into the polling place, but must be certified by the county. Pennsylvania law requires poll watchers to be residents of the county in which they are applying to be a poll watcher the subject of a lawsuit that was recently settled, in which the GOP desired to send non-resident poll watchers into urban areas.
Everyone that they have sent to us has been a Cumberland County resident, so thats not an issue here regardless, Salzarulo said.
Who are the poll workers?
All poll attendants are paid employees of the county bureau of elections, Salzarulo said. Additionally, each polling place has three elected positions two election officers and an election judge.
These individuals are elected by the voters of the precinct for four-year terms, and are responsible for certifying the precincts results.
An economic simulation of the economy (by the ESRI and the Department of Finance) shows jobs in exports and imports, such as in the food industry, are not the only ones in the line of fire.
Even the least disruptive outcome for Ireland, in which the British strike the softest of Brexit terms with the EU, would spell bad news for our national finances.
The Finance Minister Michael Noonan has warned that extending the pay deal given to gardai across the public service is simply not affordable.
The Cabinet will discuss the Labour Court ruling tomorrow, and is unlikely to reject it.
However Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald will be told the extra money will have to come from within her existing resources.
The Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donoghue 's to meet trade unions this week to warn them the public finances cannot afford knock-on claims.
Speaking in Brussels at a Eurozone Finance ministers meeting, Michael Noonan said the pay deal given to Gardai was not expected and cannot be replicated across the public service.
"The proposals of the Labour Court were more generous than the Government anticipated," he said, "and even though they are constructed very, very carefully, and are within the Lansdowne Road Agreement, they are still more generous than was anticipated either by the Government or the wider trade union movement."
"It's simply not affordable if that was extended across the board, but there was always provision within Lansdowne Road to tailor settlements towards individual difficulties in different sectors.
"That was what was done here. It was done previously within farming and primary teachers."
The Taoiseach Enda Kenny has also warned he would not be opening the purse strings for the public sector, saying the economy is not strong enough yet to support that.
Climate negotiators have started work on implementing the Paris Agreement on global warming amid uncertainty over how the US election will impact the landmark deal as temperatures and greenhouse gases soar to new heights.
UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa told delegates in the rain-soaked Moroccan city of Marrakech that "no politician or citizen, no business manager or investor" can doubt that the world is determined to shift toward a "low-emission, resilient society".
So far, 100 countries have formally joined the agreement adopted last year in Paris, including top polluters China, the United States, the European Union and India.
However, US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said he would "cancel" the deal if he wins the election this week. His opponent, Hillary Clinton, backs the climate policies of US President Barack Obama's government.
"Achieving the aims and ambitions of the Paris Agreement is not a given," Ms Espinosa said. "The peaking of global emissions is urgent, as is attaining far more climate-resilient societies."
The Paris Agreement marks the first time all countries have pledged to fight global warming by curbing the rise in greenhouse gas emissions, primarily carbon dioxide from fossil fuels.
The UN says global emissions rise every year, reaching 52.7 billion tons in 2014, primarily driven by the rapid expansion of China, India and other Asian economies.
Meanwhile, global average temperatures keep hitting new records. Last year was the hottest since reliable record-keeping began in the 19th century and this year is expected to be even hotter.
On a per-capita basis, rich countries like the United States, Australia and oil-rich Gulf nations, have the highest emissions.
"The wealthiest countries live as if there were three planets," said French environment minister Segolene Royal. Meanwhile, poor countries in Africa are suffering the consequences with fertile land turning into desert, she said.
"Climate change in Africa is the most cruel and the most unfair," Ms Royal said, noting that African countries have contributed very little to the problem.
Delegates will meet for two weeks in the Moroccan city to work on the rules for implementing the Paris deal, including how to measure and report emissions so that countries can be held accountable.
The goal of the agreement is to keep the global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) compared with pre-industrial times, and "pursue efforts" to try to hold it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The lower threshold was introduced on demand from vulnerable countries such as low-lying island nations who fear they will be washed away by rising seas as global warming melts glaciers and ice sheets.
Temperatures have already risen about 1 degree C (1.8 F) since the industrial revolution and analyses of the emissions cuts that countries have pledged so far show they put the world on a path to about 3 degrees C (5.4 F) of warming.
"Decisions made in the next few years will largely determine if we're able to achieve the 1.5 C warming threshold agreed in Paris," said Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Peru's former environment minister who now leads environmental group WWF International's work on climate change. "Or if we take the unthinkable option of blowing right past it."
Furious Donald Trump has accused the FBI of impropriety after the bureau cleared US presidential rival Hillary Clinton of criminal wrongdoing in a new email probe, lifting a cloud hanging over the Democrat as America goes to the polls on Tuesday.
FBI director James Comey told the US Congress on Sunday that the bureau found no evidence to warrant criminal charges against Mrs Clinton in a trove of newly-discovered emails.
But Republican Mr Trump told supporters it would have been impossible for the FBI to review what has been reported to be as many as 650,000 emails in so short a time and said Mrs Clinton was being protected by "a rigged system".
"Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it, The FBI knows it. The people know it," he told a rally in Michigan.
"Now it's up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on November 8."
For her part, Mrs Clinton said the country was facing a "moment of reckoning" on election day and Americans must choose between "division and unity".
"We have to heal this country," she told a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire.
She plans to conclude her election campaign with stops in Pittsburgh, Grand Rapids, Philadelphia and Raleigh, North Carolina, on Monday.
Mr Comey's move capped a stunning chapter in the bitter, deeply divisive contest between Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump.
The director's initial decision to make a renewed inquiry into Mrs Clinton's emails public on October 28 upended the campaign at a crucial moment, sapping a surging Mrs Clinton's momentum and giving Mr Trump fresh ammunition to challenge her trustworthiness.
Mrs Clinton's campaign, furious at Mr Comey's handling of the review, welcomed Sunday's announcement. Communications director Jennifer Palmieri said: "We're glad this matter is resolved".
The new review involved material found on a computer belonging to Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman and estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin. While Mr Comey was vague in his initial description of the inquiry, he said on Sunday that the FBI reviewed communications "to or from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state".
Based on that review, he told politicians the FBI was not changing the conclusion it reached this summer. Then, Mr Comey said, "no reasonable prosecutor" would recommend that Mrs Clinton face criminal charges for using a private email system while at the US State Department.
In financial trading on Sunday evening, Dow Jones index futures jumped about 200 points ahead of Monday's stock market opening on news of Mr Comey's announcement. The stock market, which is allergic to uncertainty close to election day, wilted after Mr Comey's notification to Congress in late October.
The FBI began investigating the handling of classified material on Mrs Clinton's private email server shortly after she announced her bid in April 2015. The issue has dogged her campaign and contributed to the questions a majority of Americans have about her honesty and trustworthiness.
Mrs Clinton appeared to be heading for a sweeping victory before Mr Comey's first letter to Congress, in which he stressed the FBI could not yet assess "whether or not this material may be significant" or how long it might take to run down the new investigative leads.
Since then, national polls and those in battleground states indicated a tightening race for the White House and for several competitive Senate seats. Democrats need to pick up four seats if Mrs Clinton wins to take back control of the chamber.
"The October surprise that came only 11 days before election day has unfairly hurt the campaign of one candidate and changed the tenor of this election," California Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein said.
Mrs Clinton still appears to hold an edge over Mr Trump in the campaign's final stretch. The Republican has a narrow path to victory that requires him to win nearly all of the roughly dozen battleground states up for grabs.
The candidates spent Sunday sprinting across swing states as they sought to lock up support ahead of election day. As the campaign's final weekend drew to a close, more than 41 million Americans had already cast their ballots in early voting.
During remarks at a black church in Philadelphia on Sunday morning, Mrs Clinton urged voters to choose "unity over division" as she sought to close a caustic presidential campaign on an uplifting note. She warned that President Barack Obama's legacy was on the line, part of her strategy to shore up black voters who may be less enthusiastic about her than the president.
"If we come together with the common vision, common faith, we will find common ground," she declared.
Mr Trump opened a furious day of campaigning in Iowa, the battleground state where he appears strongest. He also made stops in Minnesota, Michigan and Pennsylvania, three states that have reliably voted for Democrats in presidential elections, as well as Virginia, a state on which Mrs Clinton's campaign believes it has a solid hold.
Mr Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said Mr Trump planned to keep up the breakneck campaign pace through election day. After voting in New York on Tuesday morning, he is expected to return to Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina and New Hampshire.
The businessman is also facing criticism for a new ad that asserts the "establishment has trillions of dollars at stake in this election" and features photos of billionaire George Soros, Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen and Goldman Sachs chief executive Lloyd Blankfein, all of whom are Jewish.
The National Jewish Democratic Council said the ad's use of anti-Semitic stereotypes was "shocking and dangerous" but Mr Trump's campaign said criticism of the ad was "completely false and uncalled for".
Julian Assange will be interrogated inside the Ecuadorian embassy over sexual assault allegations in Sweden.
The Swedish chief prosecutor, deputy prosecutor and police inspector will be present next week.
CARLISLE Its a way for civilians, active-duty military and veterans to bond and remember our fallen heroes. Several dozen people hit the pavement Saturday for the Wear Blue: Run to Remember Carlisle meet-up.
We get together, and in a circle of remembrance (we) read the names of fallen service members, said U.S. Army Sgt. Loretta Witkowski, who coordinates the event.
The group of people remembered friends, colleagues and strangers never coming home. They then ran or walked two miles at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle.
All of us in blue running with the flag kind of serves as a reminder to the community that there are lots of folks in your neighborhood that paid the ultimate sacrifice, and dont forget them, U.S. Army Col. Christine Stark said.
I run for Staff Sgt. John Linde. I served with him in Fort Carson in the mid 90s, and in 2007, he was killed in Iraq, Witkowski said.
Witkowski learned Linde had died on Facebook. His son was only 2 years old at the time.
Haley Stark and her German Shepherd, Rugar, walked to honor the fallen.
We come out here to remember all of the fallen troops. My husband is a former Army combat engineer. He has Purple Hearts, Stark said. I drag him out here with me because he likes to support his dad.
The Carlisle meet-up happens the first Saturday of each month at 9 a.m. For more information, go to its Facebook page.
With a few choice words or the flick of a pen, politicians and central bankers can determine the Christmas shopping habits of tens of thousands of Irish people, and cause heart palpitations in the Department of Finance.
This festive season will see the biggest break for the border since 2008 the British cabinets strident Brexiteers have made sure of that.
The pound has fared so badly since Theresa Mays hardline address to the Tory party conference, last month, that for many consumers the idea of hitting the M1 northbound is now a no-brainer.
InterTrade Ireland has a treasure trove of statistics on its website, about all things cross-border. It monitors cross-border shopping by counting number plates. Thats simple and effective.
Lads and lassies, decked out in fleece jackets and thermals, wander around shopping centres. They are equipped with clipboards and biros, looking out for Louth, Dublin, Donegal, Cavan, and Monaghan plates.
The odd Cork and Galway one, too. They started doing this eight years ago, during the last big depreciation of the pound, in late 2008. Their data tells a simple story. When the pound suffers, Northern border towns are swamped.
As the British economy began to tank, in the days after the Lehman Brothers collapse, the governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, slashed interest rates.
In the mouth of Christmas, he cut rates by 1.5%. The pound responded accordingly, slumping against the euro.
The cars of southern shoppers then poured into the car parks of Newry and Enniskillen. So many, in fact, that by December they outnumbered northern registered motors by two to one. To be precise, 65.5% were from the Republic.
Pleas that southerners be patriotic and buy their booze and mince pies at home had gone unheeded. The euro held its value and Irish shoppers took note.
The annual expedition to Sainsburys and Asda has occurred, to a certain extent, every Christmas since, but has never surpassed that big rush.
By 2014, with ECB president, Mario Draghi, readying his money-printing bazooka, the numbers heading north had fallen significantly. Christmas 2016 might just give 2008 a run for its money.
The narrative is well-established its bad news for retailers in the border region. Jobs are threatened, while the exchequer is deprived of VAT and excise.
The fact that a weakened pound equates to great savings for hard-pressed consumers wont be emphasised, but they dont need to be told that.
Putting aside the politics of the border, this shopping saga highlights the impracticalities that come with having two divergent currencies on one small island both of which are beyond our control.
In 2008, the falling pound exacerbated the Irish slide into recession and eventual national bankruptcy. The last thing the economy needed was a hard euro.
Instead, we sat around waiting for a few years, until it suited Europe to pursue an aggressive growth strategy. The ECB even put up interest rates briefly, in 2011.
We may find ourselves in a better position, at present but there are parallels with 2008.
Now, we are again lumped with a hardening euro. Jobs have already been lost here, as a result expect more to go in the new year.
Those unpatriotic cross-border shoppers are simply a reminder of how little control the State exerts over the economic forces at play here.
Paul Colgan is economics editor with Ireland Live News, on UTV Ireland.
That is what European Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Phil Hogan declared when he recently addressed two Oireachtas Committees in Dublin.
He told the Agriculture Committee he had no new insight as to what the consequences of Brexit are for Ireland, Britain, cross-border relations or the UKs future relationship with the EU.
Mr Hogan was echoing the views of most experts when he stated that nobody knows what the future holds.
What is accepted however is the importance of the British market to the food industry and the farming community in Ireland Central Statistics Office figures show that in 2015 we exported almost 5.1 billion worth of agricultural products to Britain while imports from the UK were worth 3.8 billion.
Martin Murray and Alan Dukes, Asia Matters; David Meagre, KPMG; Aidan Cotter, Bord Bia;, and Barrie OConnell, KPMG ,at the recent Asia Matters briefing on the post-Brexit opportunity for Irelands agri-food industry to do business in Asia. Bord Bia is playing a lead role in hosting Brexit-focused advisory seminars for Irish business owners. Picture: Maxwell Photography
An ESRI report last year estimated that the potential reduction in bilateral trade flows could be as high as 20%, with an even higher impact on agriculture, food and beverages.
Mr Hogan told the Oireachtas European Affairs Committee it is no exaggeration to suggest that Brexit concerns Ireland almost as much as it concerns the UK.
He said things have begun to clarify since British Prime Minister, Theresa May, announced she will give formal notice of the UK decision to leave by the end of next March.
The pound has weakened and there have been signs of how Brexit will raise food prices in the UK.
The land border is another question. Until 1973 the trade or economic aspect of the Border was an Ireland-UK affair.
Then, when both countries joined the European Economic Community, it became an EU-affair. Now, for the first time in history, the trade or economic aspect of the Border is about to become an EU-UK affair or an EU-Ireland-UK affair.
Mr Hogan urged Committee members should reflect on how important the EU aspect will become if Britain turns again to a cheap food policy as part of its drive to become more competitive in international markets.
North of the Border will be cheap food and a different way of supporting farm incomes, while south of the Border will operate under the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union.
There is not a great deal we can say about it at this stage because no one knows exactly how it is going to finish. However, we must get used to the salient facts, he said.
Commissioner Hogan predicted that conversations between Dublin and Brussels will be almost as significant as those between London and Brussels.
The first public estimates are as high as 40 billion for the UK debt to the EU for past promises. Reflecting EU accounting rules, unpaid promises have built up in recent years and now Brtain must make good its share of this backlog.
How is this going to be resolved? To the extent that the UK escapes this commitment, other member states, including Ireland, will have to stump up extra contributions. This is another reason for Ireland to be wary, he said.
Mr Hogan said he did not intend to speculate further. The position of the European Commission remains as it has been since the referendum.
Until Article 50 notification is received, the negotiations cannot begin, although a great deal of preparatory work is in hand.
The Commissions task force is being led by Michel Barnier, a former French Agriculture Minister and a past European Commissioner. It is no coincidence that one of his first visits was to Dublin.
Mr Hogan said the extent of economic integration on the island of Ireland is unmatched anywhere else in the EU.
Therefore, the level of potential disruption from a so-called hard Brexit will be considerable. This is already acknowledged by the Irish Government in the recent budget.
However, he warned of serious potential negative outcomes. For example, 40% of all Northern Irish milk is processed in the South.
More than 50% of Irish beef and cheese goes to Britain. A total of 40% of Irelands exports goes to the UK. Irelands all-island energy market, cross-Border health care, fisheries and aviation will all be potentially affected by a hard Brexit.
On the other hand, a hard Brexit might bring some opportunities for Ireland. What will happen to Britains financial sector if it loses its all-important passporting provision?
Will inward investment choose Ireland rather than the UK? Although these possibilities do not, for the moment, seem to offer a consolation for the difficulties Ireland is already experiencing due to the decline of sterling, they raise unanswered questions, he said.
Mr Hogan said there are other delicate political issues not least of which is the status of the Good Friday Agreement, which is underpinned by reference to EU law.
There are questions over the future of the common travel area and the status of Irish citizens in Britain as well as British citizens resident in Ireland, of whom there are more than 250,000.
He said Ireland and the United Kingdom are joined together in many ways and that is not going to be changed by Brexit.
However, the fact remains that Brexit is going to throw many old issues into a new light.
Ireland and the EU must be quick to understand this and find ways to deal with it, he said.
Mr Hogan said Ireland must use the days from now to next March to make its case clear and heard and ensure it is taken into account.
He reassured the Committee and the Irish Government that the Commission understands the difficulties Ireland faces.
We are in this together as we fight for the best possible outcome for Ireland and the EU as a whole, he said.
Italy uses its food culture to drive food exports, and France is doing the same thing with wine, said Katsunori Nakazawa, head of the export promotion division at the Agriculture Ministry.
I want this for Japanese food as well. If our farmers dont sell abroad, our agricultural industry wont grow.
The recipe seems pretty simple: better logistics, an advertising blitz and a splash of social media buzz using the tag #japanesefood along with some lobbying of foreign governments.
Japans annual exports fell 6.9% in September, a 12th straight fall, the finance ministry said. Shipments of cars, electronics parts and steel all declined, while exports of food rose 7.6% from a year earlier.
In 2015, Japans food and marine products exports were worth 745.1bn yen (6.6bn) according to Chinas Agriculture Ministry, which is only 1% of total exports of 75.6tn yen.
Car exports were 10.4tn yen or almost 14% of total shipments, while semi- conductor and electronic parts brought in 3.9tn yen, about 5% of total exports.
Hong Kong is the top destination for Japans food exports, and a model of the potential Japan sees in increasing trade.
With just seven million people, the territory takes almost one-quarter of Japans food exports and supermarkets commonly stock wagyu beef, soba buckwheat noodles and scallops from Japan.
I always have confidence in Japanese goods, said Valerie, a 66-year-old retiree in Hong Kong, as she shopped in a Japanese supermarket.
They will not export produce that are fake or harmful, she said, touching on the qualities that Japan intends to leverage to increase its food exports.
The US is Japans second-biggest market for food exports, followed by Taiwan, mainland China and South Korea. The agriculture ministry said the top five destinations accounted for about 70% of food exports last year.
Scallops, salmon and trout are the top exports to China. Japan is to lobby Beijing to accept its beef, pork and dairy, and to lift import bans, in place since the Fukushima nuclear meltdown.
Rice exports to China are growing fast, so Japan plans to increase domestic processing plants authorised to ship to China.
In south-east Asia, Japan will lobby Malaysia to allow beef imports and get halal certification. The government also wants to sell more rice, fruit and green tea in Thailand and Vietnam.
Sales of sake rice wine and green tea to EU are booming; Japan plans a marketing push to raise awareness and to lobby EU countries that restrict beef imports.
The government is investing about 185m in targeted improvements to agriculture trade infrastructure, such as better storage facilities near airports and meat processing plants that will comply with foreign health standards.
Shaykh Umar Al-Qadri made the call following the reported death of Irish IS fighter Terence Khalid Kelly, in Iraq on Friday.
Convert Kelly thought to be the first Irish suicide-bomber was blown up by Iraqi troops as he attempted to drive an armoured vehicle packed with explosives in an attempted suicide attack.
Security experts predict that with the military onslaught against the so-called Islamic State, foreign fighters will be sent back home to carry out attacks.
Irish security estimates put the figure of Irish people who have travelled to the war zone at around 30, but stress that this includes those fighting for non-IS groups, and humanitarian workers.
Khalid Kelly may not be the first Irish person to die for ISIS, but I believe he is the first Irish person who was not born a Muslim and who converted to Islam, to do so, said Shaykh Al-Qadri. And I believe he is the first Irish person to die as a suicide bomber.
Kelly, aged 50 and from Dublins south inner city, moved between Ireland and London, where his wife and children live. He has been a top target of Garda security services for more than a decade. He left Ireland in 2015, but returned in March this year, supporting a Jordanian figure described as Irelands foremost recruiter for Islamic State at his deportation hearing in the High Court.
Shaykh Al-Qadri said Kelly was a notorious figure in Ireland and roundly shunned. He was gravely concerned that people like Kelly were able to freely associate with others. He was able to associate and influence people. I think he may have had an influence of some, although the vast majority of Muslim youths thought he was a lunatic and were making fun of him.
Shaykh Al-Qadri said any fighter returning to Ireland needs to be monitored, and intervention taken. I am very concerned about free movement. Its very dangerous, very problematic.
People with this fundamentalist ideology need to be challenged. If we cant put them in prison because they havent committed a crime yet, force them to take part in a de-radicalisation programme, to try and minimise the threat. This fundamentalist ideology is an illness. It can be treated like an addiction, by using psychiatrists and religious leaders.
Editorial: 10
The scuba diving community in Munster have come together to campaign and fundraise for a hyperbaric chamber.
If decompression sickness is contracted, it is treated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a recompression chamber and, if treated early, there is a significantly higher chance of successful recovery.
The scuba divers need to raise more than 160,000 for the vital piece of equipment and are hoping to locate it on a hospital campus somewhere in Cork. The new fundraiser, Munster Hyperbaric Chamber Project, aims to provide a hyperbaric chamber to be used in case of emergencies for divers in the south-west region.
John Kearney, a well-known diver from Baltimore, Co Cork, is one of the main promoters behind the project. As with all sporting activities, accidents can happen and in scuba diving emergencies a hyperbaric chamber is needed for decompression, Mr Kearney said. At present in Ireland, there is a single hyperbaric chamber located in Galway that caters for all such emergencies for the diving public. There is a private chamber in Dublin as well as the Naval Service in Haulbowline and neither is available in an emergency, he said.
Distance and, consequently, time lost in the event of an emergency are some of the biggest challenges facing divers in the South-West. Thats because the facilities are so far away from those parts of the coast where the diving takes place, it can add to the challenges facing the expansion of this sport.
Mr Kearney said it was hoped to have the hyperbaric chamber purchased and operational by next March, which will coincide with the start of the scuba diving season.
Workers representatives want a new agreement accelerated and are demanding equal benefits after the Government last week caved in to Garda threats of a strike and agreed a 40m package.
Ministers insist that agreements with workers must remain within the agreed terms of the Lansdowne Road public sector deal, which runs until 2018. Unions say the Labour Court-recommended 40m Garda deal was outside of that.
Health Minister Simon Harris reiterated that the Lansdowne Road deal was staying in place. The Government had a limited pot of money, he said, echoing remarks by Taoiseach Enda Kenny last week. The Garda deal would have to come from within existing resources, Mr Harris told RTEs The Week in Politics.
Up to 290m has been set aside for pay adjustments next year under Lansdowne Road. The near-40m deal for gardai, including better rent allowance, a special pre-shift fee, and a leave payment, will be an additional spend.
Government officials, ahead of gardai voting on the deal today, still could not say at the weekend where the extra money would come from. Department of Public Expenditure sources said it would be paid through a whole of Government approach, including from departments other than the Department of Justice.
A Department of Justice source added: Something, somewhere will have to give. Were going to have to find it.
Three developments this week will set the scene as the Government scrambles to respond to the pay demands.
Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe will instruct the Governments Public Service Management section to meet with the Public Services Committee of ICTU, the umbrella group for trade unions. The ICTU committee includes leaders from 15 different unions.
Trade union leader Tom Geraghty, who sits on the committee, yesterday told RTE there was no chance of Lansdowne Road running its full term and the proposed pay deal for gardai was a game-changer.
A meeting between the two sides is expected to take place this week, the ministers spokeswoman said last night.
Separately, the new public sector pay commission will also have its first meeting this week. The commission, set to feed into discussions about what deal succeeds Lansdowne Road, is required to report to Government by the middle of next year.
Fianna Fails Dara Calleary said the commission must address the clamour for pay restoration quickly.
Gardai had to be called to help hospital medical and security staff after the male patient became extremely agitated in the ED on Saturday afternoon.
One security guard suffered a shoulder injury while helping to restrain the patient as doctors tried to administer injections. Two other security staff suffered minor injuries during the incident. Members of the patients family were also called to the hospital.
It is thought that a motion of no-confidence may be entered at the bodys Central Executive Committee in relation to GRA general secretary Pat Ennis.
It stems from a decision last Thursday by the six-member GRA officer board to significantly increase emergency cover for Fridays strike without the consent of the full 31-member CEC. That strike was called off at the last minute by a narrow margin (20 votes to 17) at a particularly tense CEC meeting.
The Irish Examiner has been told a number of people on the committee will support a motion of no-confidence this morning.
Sources said these members will not be willing to discuss the issues of strike deferral or the ballot until the leadership of the association is dealt with.
That will leave Garda management, the Government and the public unsure as to what will happen this Friday and whether or not the 10,330 members of the GRA will be working.
Mr Ennis and other members of the six-member officer board held a press conference at 12.30pm last Thursday at which Mr Ennis announced that a further 14 garda units and areas had been added to the four units they had already exempted from Fridays strike.
The surprise development followed what sources said was a strained meeting with Garda management that morning in which police bosses warned of a catastrophe facing the country if far greater emergency cover was not provided.
There have been claims from numerous sources that Garda management figures had told GRA leaders that martial law could be introduced claims that have been rejected by Garda HQ and the Government.
There are also claims that this longer list of 18 units and areas had previously been presented to the CEC and been rejected.
As part of the decision to hold a ballot, the CEC would have to draw up some kind of briefing document and decide whether or not they should recommend it.
There is considerable dispute within the CEC at the financial benefits of the Labour Court deal and an accountant is due to brief the committee today.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, representing 2,080 mid-ranking officers, decided to defer the three remaining strike days pending their ballot.
Attorney General Bruce Beemer Monday warned residents of scam emails and text messages seeking personal financial information.
The Office of Attorney Generals Bureau of Consumer Protection recently received complaints from the public regarding these types of scams. According to one recent complaint, an unsolicited text message appeared to be from a legitimate financial institution. The text directed the person to a website where she was asked to fill in her bank account information.
Your bank will never ask you to provide personal information in an unsolicited email, text message or phone call, Attorney General Beemer said in a news release. These scams aim to cause confusion and force consumers into a quick decision. It is extremely important to take the time to assess the situation. When in doubt, contact your bank.
Another recent scam reported to the Bureau of Consumer Protection involved a message sent to a person regarding a PayPal order confirmation for a Dell computer purchase. The message said the person would be charged hundreds of dollars unless he canceled the transaction. He was asked to follow a link and log in with his PayPal account information. The office said the link was to a spoof website.
Spoof sites are illegitimate websites made to look like websites for PayPal, banking institutions or other legitimate companies, Beemer said. Scammers use these websites to gain personal information.
The bureau offered advice on those who find themselves in uncertain situations:
Never reply to unsolicited emails, pop-up messages or texts asking for personal or financial information.
Do not call any phone numbers contained in messages. Also, do not open any links or documents contained in these messages they may route you to a bogus website or download a virus onto your computer or mobile phone.
Providing sensitive information to strangers by phone is as dangerous as sending it in an email.
If you are not sure whether your bank or another company is trying to reach you, call the company directly at the telephone number on your card or monthly statement to speak with a representative.
Carefully review your account statements to look for unauthorized transactions.
Consumers can file a complaint regarding scams by calling the Bureau of Consumer Protections toll-free helpline at 1-800-441-2555. Complaints can also be filed online at www.attorneygeneral.gov.
Not all whooper swans (above) migrate, around a thousand birds remain in Iceland for the winter, congregating around geothermal springs.
The Bewicks swan is smaller, dumpier and has less yellow on its beak one writer described the Bewicks as having a pat of butter on its beak while the whooper has a wedge of cheese. In the 1800s, Bewicks outnumbered whoopers as Irish winter visitors but today only a handful arrive here from their Siberian breeding grounds this seems to be a result of climate change and better protection in eastern Europe rather than an overall decline in numbers.
Despite this being the loudest, lewdest, vilest political brawl in living memory, both candidates are largely symbolic: one symbolises business as usual, the other symbolises mass disillusionment with business as usual.
Because the Deplorables cant all be deplorable; they cant all be swivel-eyed KKK-sympathising illiterates. There are simply too many: 40% of the [white] electorate, or 60 million Americans are so fed up with the way their country is run that they are prepared to vote for someone mad as a box of frogs. The election is rigged, he tells them; his opponents most powerful weapon is the corporate media who no longer are interested in journalism but have a total political agenda.
Hes talking about newspapers mostly, who have watched his ascent with the same horror as the rest of us. Grown up media from The Washington Post to The Huffington Post remains appalled, but the op-ed pages are not where most of America forms its opinions.
Twice as many Americans around 30 million a day listen to talk radio as read papers. This is their primary source. And 90% of talk radio hosts are ultra right wing, ever since the abolition in 1987 of the Fairness Doctrine, which required broadcasters to examine each side of a debate fairly and equally.
This means that for the past 30 years, millions and millions of Americans have been listening daily to a conspiracy-laden diet of raving hatred by angry white men. Truth goes out the window, Thomas Patterson, professor of government and press at Harvard, told the BBC.
Allegations fly without any substantiation.
As America continues to fragment and spin apart from itself, its citizens blame their woes not on the real villain late stage turbo capitalism continuing to direct resources towards the corporatocracy but on Mexicans, Muslims, African Americans, Hispanics, and anyone else who isnt white, conservative and suffering from advanced status anxiety as globalisation devours their jobs and communities.
This demographic is not white supremacist trailer trash, but middle-income, college-educated small town America who listen to talk radio and are angry and scared but not particularly well informed.
Enter the mad orange guy, fanning the flames of fear and loathing. Our saviou, thinks the half of the America that is addled from shock jocks and perceived threat from all that is other.
Untethered from any sense of self jobs no longer secure, racial divides more aggravated than ever almost half of America think Trump is a good idea. The other half are moving to Canada.
Right-wing shock jocks influence Americans more than the corporate media
The life and times of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in two interactive graphics
Americans will begin voting shortly to elect Barack Obama's successor as President.
The two people with any hope of victory are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
As the people decide on who will add US President to their list of achievements here's a reminder of the life and times of both candidates to date.
Donald Trump
Hillary Clinton
He has been hailed a martyr for Isis but all right-think people in Ireland Muslims and Christians alike will see his murderous attack as monstrous and wonder how a born and bred Dubliner could have become so radicalised.
It would be easy to dismiss his journey from family man with three children to jihadist as the product of a deranged mind but the reality is that he is not alone and there may be more radical extremists among us.
We on the island of Ireland know more about extremism and terrorism than most of our European neighbours. Thirty years of bloodshed north of the Border has seen to that.
But the difference between IRA and INLA terrorism and what we have come to view as Islamic terrorism is that the overwhelming majority of Irish people, north and south, never wavered in condemning loudly atrocities committed in our name, even while acknowledging discrimination against nationalists in the North.
Successive Irish governments did the same and it was this joint approach, as much as the willingness of moderate Unionists to compromise, that allowed reason to emerge and the Northern Ireland peace process to achieve what it has.
Unless the voice of moderate Islam is heard clearly and unequivocally to condemn the murder of the innocents, these cowardly suicide bombings will continue and it is possible that they could happen in Ireland.
That voice is being quelled in many parts of the Arab world, including US allies like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia where democrats and moderate Muslims are routinely jailed.
What is less understandable is why the voice of moderation is so muted in Ireland, the UK and other European states where peaceful protest is viewed as a civic right, not a crime.
In response to Kellys suicide attack, Shaykh Umar al-Qadrin, an imam who chairs the Irish Muslim Peace and Integration Council, focused on security, saying: I personally cannot understand how someone like him wasnt locked up for openly calling on others to commit atrocities.
He may have felt constrained in uttering outright condemnation of Kelly by his experience when he spoke out against the Brussels attacks in March and suffered online abuse as a result. Nevertheless, it is essential that the voice of moderate Islam is expressed loud and clear not just by religious leaders but by the majority of the 50,000 Muslims living in the Republic. They have a responsibility to ensure that these attacks are not being done in their name. If they do, it will renew respect for their beliefs and stem the growth of Islamophobia.
Even during the height of paramilitary violence in Northern Ireland, it was the voice of peace uttered by ordinary Irish citizens that finally put an end to the bomb and the bullet.
At the end of the day, it is not the pen but the heart that is mightier than the sword even the Sword of Islam.
Burma British Suspect on the Run After Dead Body Found in his Apartment
Apartments in downtown Rangoon. / Tin Htet Paing / The Irrawaddy
RANGOON A 25-year-old British national is wanted by authorities after his colleague was found dead in his apartment in downtown Rangoon on Sunday, police told The Irrawaddy.
Forty-seven-year-old Peter Gary Ferguson, who worked as a teacher at Rangoons Horizon International School, was found dead with bruising on his head and chest at the suspects 39th Street apartment, according to police captain U Soe Myot of the Kyauktada Township police station.
The police captain told The Irrawaddy that an investigation had been opened to find out details of the crime and that the body is currently at the morgue of the Yangon General Hospital for post-mortem examination.
State-media reported on Monday that the suspect Harris John Italo Binotti left the country on Saturday evening and is wanted by police under Article 302 of Burmas Penal Code, which imposes a maximum sentence of life in prison for committing murder.
The report also stated that the two co-workers were last seen together on Friday evening, with their partners at a party in Thaketa Townships Uptown Hotel.
Burma Prominent UK rights activist, fearing for safety, leaves Thailand
British rights activist Andy Hall leaves the Bangkok South Criminal Court in Bangkok on Sept. 20, 2016. / Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters
BANGKOK Prominent British rights activist Andy Hall left Thailand early on Monday, saying he feared for his safety amid legal problems and growing harassment from companies that have been irrational, vindictive and aggressive.
Hall, who has worked on the rights of migrant workers in Thailand for 11 years, has recently faced defamation lawsuits by companies he has accused of labor violations.
The situation is not good right now, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone on Sunday before his flight, speaking from Mahachai, a town near Bangkok and the center of Thailands seafood processing industry.
Its rapidly deteriorating. It doesnt feel safe. There are people who are intent on wearing me down. Ive worked with so many companies in Thailand, and its rare to have a company that is so irrational and so vindictive. Its enough to wear anyone down.
In September, Hall was handed a suspended three-year jail term and fined 150,000 baht ($4,300) for criminally defaming Natural Fruit Company, a pineapple wholesaler that supplies the European Union.
Rights groups called the verdict an alarming precedent in the fight against labor exploitation.
Emboldened by the ruling, a chicken farmer who lost his EU contracts and had to shut down his 1.6 million-chicken operation after Hall exposed alleged labor violations on one of his three farms, said he planned to pursue his own defamation case and has hired the Natural Fruit lawyer.
Supported by Hall, the chicken farm workers had sued the farmer in September, alleging forced overtime, unlawful salary deductions, confiscation of their passports and limited freedom of movement. They demanded $1.3 million in compensation and civil damages.
The chicken farmer countered with defamation lawsuits against 14 of the migrant workers, Hall said, adding that he didnt know if suits had been filed against him or the non-governmental organization he co-founded, the Migrant Worker Rights Network.
Thailand, one of the worlds key food exporters, employs an estimated 3 million migrant workers, mostly from Burma. Many migrants face labor violations, such as unpaid wages, confiscated travel documents and limited freedom of movement.
Halls legal problems began after he conducted research for Helsinki-based Finnwatch for a 2013 report called Cheap has a high price. A company in the report, Natural Fruit, filed four defamation cases against Hall.
One case related to an interview Hall gave to Al Jazeera in Burma in 2013 about the legal fallout of the Finnwatch report. A court in Bangkok dismissed the charges, but Thailands attorney general and Natural Fruit appealed.
The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected that appeal. The verdict had originally been scheduled to be read on Nov. 25, but Hall said he requested the court to move the date forward because of his increasingly precarious situation.
Its time for the good companies, the good actors, to speak to these people. I work with a lot of good companies I fear for my safety because of the unstable situation. I dont want to be here another three weeks, he said.
My work is not productive at the moment. Its like walking on broken glass. I dont feel secure to be working here. Why would you want to put yourself in this situation where youre just being worn down and stuck in the court system?
CORRUPT, MAFIA SYSTEM
Because of the cases, Hall has had his travel restricted since June 2014 and his passport confiscated by two different courts. He was unable to live outside Thailand and had to ask the courts permission each time he left the country.
Youre at the whim of this corrupt, mafia system, and you cant get out of it Ive done everything Im legally obliged to do, and now is the time to step away and see if this will get better.
He said once the chicken farmer filed criminal defamation charges against him, he would be subjected to travel restrictions againanother reason to leave now.
The reason Im leaving is they said in court theyre going to file a new criminal case against me, because it comes with all the restrictionsIm not willing to be subjected to that criminal process again, and Im also leaving because of the security issues.
Meanwhile, he said there had been a clear impact on civil society and freedom of speech, as many watchdogs and activists have warned.
No one dares to say anything about anyone doing anything wrong in Thailand. They just say its a factory, or a company in Thailand, he said.
I want to come back, but its a matter of do I have enough support and encouragement to come back? Now I feel very uncomfortable, he said.
Hall left on a Paris-bound flight that departed from Bangkok shortly after midnight on Monday. He has not specified a return date.
News Burmese Missionaries Allegedly Destroy Naga Cultural Relics
A Naga morung structure in Layshi town. / Naw Aung San / Council of Naga Affairs
Valuable cultural artifacts belonging to the Makury tribepart of the Naga ethnic groupwere allegedly destroyed in northwestern Burmas Naga Self-Administered Zone by missionaries last month, according to the Council of Naga Affairs.
Since Oct. 6, at least two traditional Morung huts and a log drum were destroyed in Wahtaw village of Layshi Township and Makhwarle village in Lahe Township, both in Sagaing Division.
Despite the fact that an estimated 90 percent of Naga have converted to Christianity since missionaries first reached the ethnic group in the 19th century, the presence of the Morung structure is an important social institution in Naga villages, where people congregate for public matters.
Sai Aye, a Burmese Christian missionary, has been blamed for encouraging Makury locals to do away with the buildings and drum.
The Makury villagers abandoned the things that God does not like and that are causing trouble, he wrote in Burmese on social media on Monday, along with a notification that he was not able to be contacted as he is currently traveling through remote territory.
Athong Makury, the head of the Council of Naga Affairs told The Irrawaddy that missionaries led by Sai Aye allegedly told villagers that recent crises afflicting the Naga community could be attributed to the devil.
The mountainous and remote Nagaland faced a two-month-long measles outbreak this year, which was revealed in August and claimed the lives of nearly 70 people, mostly children.
People were threatened and forced to destroy our cultural beliefs and ornaments on the pretext of so-called evil, Athong Makury said.
When the Council of Naga Affairs contacted the missionary to address the issue with their cultural committee, Sai Aye reportedly did not come forward.
Athong Makury said they have requested that the concerned tribal councils send [Sai Aye] back to Layshi [town] as he is reportedly still in rural Nagaland.
Sai Aye was initially brought to the region by the Naga Christian Revival Church (NCRC), which later apologized, and admitted that they did not foresee the alleged destruction of Naga cultural entities.
The Council of Naga Affairs said the missionarys action breached Article 16 of the Protection and Preservation of Antique Objects Law, as well as Article 364 of Burmas 2008 Constitution, which forbids the abuse of religion for political purposes, and Article 365, which protects citizens rights to freely develop literature, culture, art, and traditional customs.
The Makury Tribal Council and the Layshi Township Culture Committee will begin an investigation into the case at the community level, as tribal leaders have not yet filed a legal case with the judiciary.
According to the customary law, the most severe punishment is banishment from the region for those convicted of violating the statutes.
News Media Conference Explores Continued Challenges to Burmas Press Freedom
Information minister U Pe Myint sits between military representatives at the fifth media development conference in Rangoon on Monday. / J Paing / The Irrawaddy
RANGOON At the fifth media development conference in Rangoon on Monday, experts criticized the National League for Democracy (NLD) government over restricted access to information for independent media houses and continued market domination of state-run publicationsthe main competitors for private newspapers.
Around 300 participants, including representatives from Parliament, the military, and local and international media groups are participating in the two-day event, entitled Inclusive Independent Media in a New Democracy and hosted at the Chatrium Hotel. Information minister U Pe Myint was also in attendance.
In his opening speech, Myanmar Journalism Institutes board of directors member U Thiha Saw highlighted the practices of neighboring Bangladeshs media contact mechanisms within government: every ministry has a designated spokesperson, and the administration does not operate its own publications.
Although legal frameworks have been enacted [in Burma], many challenges remain regarding the right to information. I would like to urge the armys representatives and lawmakers to put in more effort to make a change, he said.
Other challenges raised included those faced by ethnic minority media outlets, whose journalists have faced defamation charges from the government, which are met with penalties of prison time and fines.
Financial problems also abound: around five privately printed daily and weekly papers have had to shut down in the last year due to such issues.
State-Run Media
The process of media reform was initiated during the era of ex-president U Thein Seins government. In 2012, Burmas censorship board was abolished and several exiled media organizations were allowed to operate within the country.
Current information minister U Pe Myint served as vice chairman of the Myanmar Press Council during Thein Seins term in office. At that time, he was perceived as a figure supporting local journalists in the face of media restrictions. After the NLD took office earlier in 2016, he was appointed to his current role within governmentthe head of the institution responsible for the operation of state-run media.
At the fourth media conference in 2015, media experts demanded that former information minister U Ye Htut do away with the Ministry of Information (MoI), including its several media enterprises.
He told reporters that the future of the MoI would depend on the new government, adding that he hoped they would consider the careers and livelihoods of the ministrys 7,000 staff members, 3,000 of whom work for state-run newspapers and broadcasters.
U Ye Htut also said that the three primary government mouthpiecesthe Global New Light of Myanmar, The Mirror and Myanmar Radio Television (MRTV)earn US$1 million in profit annually for the MoI.
Seven months into the new NLD governments term, hopes are dimming that such a change will be carried out under their administration. Myanmar Press Council member U Myint Kyaw said that a timeline should be announced for halting the publication of state-run media outlets, which he described as propaganda mechanisms rather than critical news sources.
In recent months, current information minister U Pe Myint has said that the civilian-led government still requires its own newspapers, in order to inform the public of their work.
Myanmar Journalism Network general secretary U Zayar Hlaing pointed out that one paper would be sufficient to release information or statements, and that the presence of multiple publications loses credibility with readers. This was echoed by Myint Kyaw, who said the print publications in particularas opposed to the broadcasterswere unnecessary.
I think they should review whether these actions are effective or not, said U Zayar Hlaing.
Looking Back at Demands
In early May 2016, U Pe Myint attended a commemoration for World Press Freedom Day and made three public promises: to limit state-run dailies to three pages, to collaborate with media representatives to amend relevant laws, and to create communication officers for every government ministry within three months.
Six months later, observers point out that none of these matters have been successfully implemented. State-run dailies did not decrease their advertising content, laws regarding media have not been proposed to Parliament, and journalists continue to face information blackouts even with spokespeople appointed to ministries.
U Zayar Hlaing told The Irrawaddy that one spokesperson per ministry was not sufficient to meet information demands, and that a staff of around 20 was needed in order to collect and consolidate data and to assist the spokesperson. He also pointed out that under the NLD government, ministries which had once stood alone had since been combined or had converged, creating additional challenges for spokespeople in their communication with media.
At Mondays conference session, U Pe Myint admitted that inconveniences remain, but reminded journalists that these things will take time to change.
PEMBROKE PINES, Florida Neither intermittent drizzle nor driving rain seemed to dampen the enthusiasm of a crowd determined to show support for their candidate.
Drenched by the rain and pumping their fists in the air, supporters shouted Hillary in unison when the democratic candidate for the Nov. 8 election took the stage at a rally in Pembroke Pines on Saturday.
Thank you so much Pembroke Pines, Hillary Clinton greeted several hundred supporters, including Hispanic and Caribbean immigrants, who waved placards emblazoned with her campaign slogans Love Trumps Hate and Stronger Together.
I have the stamina to be the President of the United States, she said with a hoarse voicereferring to Republican rival Donald Trumps comments regarding her health during a presidential debate in September, when he said that she doesnt have the stamina to hold the executive role.
He kept saying, what have you done for thirty years? I am thinking to myself: Donald you dont want to go there! Clinton said, attracting cheers from the audience.
She questioned what he had done for the last 10 years before boasting of her achievements as First Lady, senator and Secretary of State.
In her closing lines she told the crowd, My friends, you are a hearty bunch standing out here in the rain. I dont think I need to tell you everything wrong with Donald Trump.
I want to be a President for everybody: people who agree with me, people who dont agree with me, people who vote for me, people who dont vote for me, Clinton said.
The Saturday event was the last of Hilary Clintons rallies in Florida, the Sunshine State, where she spent a total of 13 days campaigning since July. The early voting deadline in the state was the same day.
As a swing state, Florida is important for Hillarys success on Election Day. A victory there would be a huge blow for her Republican rival, Donald Trump.
At the Pembroke Pines rally, Democrat Ansel Davis was there to show his support. The 52-year-old supporter had arrived with a guide dog named Bo.
I support her because I believe she could do a good job; she could take care of the handicapped, women, kids and everything, said the man, who was born blind.
Donald Trump wasnt talking about this, and he doesnt care about the handicapped. Thats why I support Hillary.
"I was terrified," the victim said after the sentencing. "I still am. I have no means to support myself and my children, but I was terrified Id end up dead if he came back ... I cant give up. I just cant. I want to. Trust me I cry every single day. I am scared and heartbroken for my kids. My sons cant grow up watching me be hit. My daughter cant watch me walk around with a black eye and me act like its okay."
Monday, November 7th, 2016 (11:56 am) - Score 825
BT has today tried to show its positive and direct impact on the UK economy, and hopefully fend off some calls for Openreachs separation, by publishing a report which claims that they spend more than 9.3bn a year with UK suppliers and boosted the economy by 23.1bn (GVA) during the past year.
The independent new report Social Study 2016 The Economic Impact of BT across the UK is an annual one that has been produced by Regeneris Consulting and this year it also includes the operators recent 12.5bn merger with EE into its figures, which shows the direct economic contribution to the UK economy of both combined.
The report also reminds readers that BT, via Openreach and EE, intend to invest around 6 billion over the next three years in order to extend fixed line superfast broadband (24Mbps+) and 4G Mobile coverage beyond 95% of the country by 2020.
The above also includes rolling out 300Mbps capable G.fast technology to 10 million premises and Gigabit capable FTTP to 2 million by 2020, with more expected to follow by 2025.
The report further confirms that some 81,400 employees are now directly working for BT and EE, as well as 10,600 contractors (Full Time Equivalent). As a result the combined group is said to directly employ 1 in every 210 employees in the private sector across the UK and the operator boasts that theyre supporting 1 in every 70 of Gross Value Added (GVA) in the UK economy.
Gavin Patterson, CEO of BT Group, said: The acquisition of EE means we can invest even further, enabling people living and working in the UK to get access to the best communications fixed line, mobile and broadband services now and in the future. As well as providing the means for families, homeworkers, companies and other organisations to communicate and do business in new and exciting ways, BT is helping to support other firms and suppliers in the UK with the companys procurement and overall expenditure and the spending of its employees.
Its important to reflect that BT actually publishes a study like this every year, although this time around it obviously has more weight given Ofcoms on-going Strategic Review and the suggestion that Openreach could be separated from the company if they refuse to reach a voluntary agreement with the regulator (here).
On the other hand BTs rivals would no doubt argue that Openreach could deliver more value than today if it were independent, although none of their rivals have actually been willing to make any solid commitment of investment towards such an outcome.
Monday, November 7th, 2016 (12:01 am) - Score 1,093
The Welsh Governments Superfast Cymru project will shortly receive a public funding boost of up to 80 million in order to help roll-out fast reliable broadband to every property in Wales by 2020.
So far the existing contract has already helped Openreach (BT) to make fibre broadband (FTTC/P) services available to around 95% of Wales (614,000 extra premises have benefited), although the proportion that can actually access superfast line speeds of 30Mbps+ is only around 90%. But this figure should rise because a further 100,000 homes and businesses are already set to be reached by the end of 2017.
On the other hand its fair to say that the programme is running someway behind the original 2011 aspiration, which perhaps over optimistically sought to ensure that all residential premises and all businesses in Wales will have access to Next Generation Broadband [defined as 30Mbps+] by 2015, with the ambition that 50 per cent or more have access to 100Mbps (here).
As a result the Welsh Government last week came in for some criticism (here) and today their reply has been to tentatively announce the next phase of the strategy. The announcement clarifies that some 162m of public funding has already been committed to broadband infrastructure in Wales and a further 62m will be invested during the final year. On top of that 12.9m is already being returned from BT (clawback / gainshare) for reinvestment due to high take-up.
However the new 80m scheme has found some additional funding and, when combined with extra money from the private sector (BT are likely to be in the frame again), its hoped that enough investment will be created to bring better broadband coverage to the hardest to reach premises across Wales by 2020 (deployment starting in January 2018).
The New 80m Commitment (Expected Funding Breakdown) 20m committed in the recent Welsh Government budget over the next four years 20m from European structural funds, subject to WEFO approval. 37m from gain-share as a result of take-up of superfast broadband 2m outstanding commitment from UK government towards new superfast broadband project
We should point out that modelling and forecasting by both the Welsh Government and UK Government indicates that clawback / gain share from the Superfast Cymru project will eventually lead to between 30m 50m being returned via BT for reinvestment by 2023 (this reflects a forecast fibre take-up of 35% to 50% over that period). At present take-up is sitting at 26.4% (here), which is where the current 12.9m mentioned earlier has come from.
As a result of all this another Open Market Review (OMR) is due to take place this month to establish, premises-by-premises, where superfast broadband is available and thus where it still needs to be rolled out.
Julie James, Welsh Minister for Skills and Science, said: Superfast Cymru has been a great success, and the rollout is far from over with more premises being connected every day. It is a challenging and ambitious project, but is delivering. Nearly 614,000 premises now have access to high speed broadband as result of the project. To be clear, those premises would have no access at all without our intervention. We know there is more to do. And our commitment in our Programme for Government, Taking Wales Forward, is to offer fast reliable broadband to every property in Wales. That is why we are looking at investing up to 80m in the next stage to bring faster broadband to those final hard to reach areas. The funding package, once more, includes European funding. We are in the early stages of the application process, but remain confident that the funding will be available, subject to WEFO approval, as a result of the UK Treasurys guarantee to honour EU bids approved prior to exit from the EU. The review taking place over the next few months will inform our next steps so that we can begin the next stage in January 2018.
The Minister also announced that the Access Broadband Cymru scheme (more details) is continuing for a further two years with an investment of 1.5m, in parallel with Superfast Cymru, and the successor project with equivalent funding in place to extend for a further two years beyond 2018.
In fairness its perhaps wrong to say that all of the 614,000 premises that have so far been covered would have no access at all without our intervention. Certainly that will be true for a sizeable number of premises, although with time it is highly likely that BT and other ISPs would have eventually upgraded a good chunk through commercial investment too (but it would have taken longer).
Otherwise there are a number of big challenges with the new proposal. Firstly, its well known that rolling out into more remote rural areas tends to be disproportionately more expensive than earlier phases (smaller and sparser communities often dont deliver a good return on the investment) and thus it may be unwise to assume that BT will be happy to take the risk.
As such the Welsh Government should ensure that theyre open to alternative network (AltNet) operators too, much like other BDUK projects in England where FTTH/P providers (e.g. Gigaclear) have won contracts. Weve also seen a few Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) ISPs win contracts too, such as Airbands roll-out across the Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks.
The next issue is with the uncertainty around Brexit. The UK Government has guaranteed EU funding up to around 2020 and a bit beyond for some projects, but thats no guarantee that such money will actually be secured in the first place. Its risky to bank on such an outcome, especially before a contract has even been signed.
The other issue is that todays briefing remains chocked full of references to superfast broadband (defined in Wales as 30Mbps+), but the Welsh Government are notorious for failing to clarify the target performance of their coverage expectations.
For example, its notable that only vague references to fast reliable broadband are used alongside the specific 2020 completion date, which allows plenty of political wriggle room. Heck they could potentially meet such a vague aspiration by simply waiting for the new 10Mbps USO to be implemented.
We should learn the final contract details before the end of 2017, but dont be surprised if the target completion date slips past 2020.
UPDATE 8th Nov 2016
The Welsh Government has informed us that they intend to launch the procurement process for the new contract in February 2017 and that their fast reliable broadband wording does indeed reflect 30Mbps+ capable connectivity, but well have to see whether or not that can be delivered once the contract is signed.
Getting to the final few per cent is going to be challenging and will take time but by starting work now means that we will be in the best possible position when the Superfast Cymru project comes to an end next year, said the WG.
In 1989, long before the widespread adoption of the internet, cyber criminals were using floppy disks to spread ransomware across computers. Todays cyber criminals have evolved their approach using advanced strains of ransomware that encrypt data on an organizations network or lock users out of their devices. These hackers then demand a ransom, typically in the form of Bitcoin, before restoring the data back to normal.
Ransomware is a legitimate threat, with estimates from the U.S. Department of Justice showing that over 4,000 of these attacks have occurred every day since the beginning of the year.
In a recent industry report by BitSight, researchers analyzed the growing trend of ransomware across nearly 20,000 companies to identify common forms of ransomware, and identify which industries are most susceptible to these types of attacks. This slideshow highlights the findings of this recent report.
The Rise of Ransomware
Click through for findings from an industry report on ransomware, conducted by BitSight.
The Set Up
As part of this report, data scientists examined the cybersecurity performance of nearly 20,000 companies. The findings highlight the security posture of different industries over the last 12 months and the growth of ransomware during that time. Before examining ransomware, researchers explored the cybersecurity posture of six major industries: government, health care, finance, retail, education and energy/utilities. Findings revealed that certain industries have seen a steady increase in their ratings, while others have worsened
The security ratings range from 250 to 900, with higher ratings indicating better security postures. Findings revealed that certain industries have seen a steady increase in their ratings, while others have worsened.
Ransomware Gaining Traction
The rate of ransomware has significantly increased for every industry examined over the last 12 months. Cyber criminals are making a lucrative business through ransomware attacks. Hospitals, in particular, may pay a ransom because their patient data is critical in life-or-death situations. This was the case with Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center earlier this year, which chose to pay a $17,000 ransom to hackers who had locked some of the hospitals critical data. MedStar Health, another medical center, reported earlier this year that malware had caused a shutdown of some systems at its hospitals in Baltimore. Methodist Hospital in Henderson, Kentucky even declared an internal state of emergency after its systems were attacked by a strain of ransomware known as Locky.
Education Has Highest Rate of Ransomware
Education has the highest rate of ransomware of all industries examined. In fact, these institutions have over three times the rate of ransomware found in health care and more than 10 times the rate found in finance. With access to social security numbers, medical records, intellectual property, research, and financial data of faculty, staff and students, these institutions are a prime target for cyber attacks.
Governments Ransomware Dilemma
Of the six industries examined, government had the second-highest rate of ransomware. In fact, ransomware in this sector more than tripled over the last 12 months. Sixty-seven different government organizations (e.g., law enforcement groups, federal agencies, etc.) had ransomware on their corporate networks over the past 12 months.
Ransomware Continues to Rapidly Evolve
Most ransomware attacks share a common trait they begin with one seemingly benign email attachment opened by an employee. This action introduces malicious code into the network that encrypts or locks critical data (e.g., patient records, financial information or business documents). One in ten organizations in education has been impacted by Nymaim, while 34 different government groups have been hit with Locky which was discovered less than eight months ago and has already become the second-most common type of ransomware found across the six industries examined. Nymaim, although typically associated with ransomware, is actually a Trojan that can be used to install a variety of malware. Similarly, Matsnu is another type of Trojan malware that can remotely download and execute files. One unique capability of Matsnu is its ability to lock or unlock computers for ransom.
Pay the Ransom or Not?
Organizations need to understand the risks associated with ransomware and weigh their options accordingly to determine which approach is the best one to take. However, experts suggest that paying the ransom in these attacks does not help. According to FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director, James Trainor, paying a ransom not only emboldens current cyber criminals to target more organizations, it also offers an incentive for other criminals to get involved in this type of illegal activity. While the FBI does not support paying a ransom, it does recognize that executives, when faced with interoperability issues, will evaluate all options to protect their shareholders, employees and customers.
Many had made their own storyline of what could happen in the second season of Stranger Things. With all the questions left unanswered in its first season, fans are left hanging with what's next. Creators of the hit series are in real pressure after the huge success of 'Stranger Things' Season 1.
According to some source, the show is already pumped up for the filming of the second season. Fans are much excited with the new characters that would add thrill and dynamics between the characters from its first season. It has already been widespread that three new characters will join the show. One is Billy, a good-looking and attractive student, who would be an added defense against the demagorgon.
On other news, Independent reported that Netflix also joined in celebrating the Halloween by releasing a newscast in relation to the disappearance of Barb Holland, played by Shannon Purser, in Stranger Things Season 1. The preview came from fictional news entitled 'Minute by Minute with Brenda Wood' which talked about Barb in general.
The newscame in like this:
"Barbara Holland, a student at Hawkins High known as Barb to her friends, was last seen at Steve Harrington's home just a few days ago with a number of other Hawkins' area teens,"
The news showed how everyone described Barb as:
"the kind of girl who notices if you're wearing a new bra and can really rock a pair of mom jeans."
The second season of Stranger Things is expected to air next year, 2017. Some believed that the producers of the show will began the production this month. Titles of all episodes are already released by the Duffer Brothers which makes it more exciting to watch. Fans are hopeful that Barb's disappearance will be resolved this season.
Here again are the eight titled episodes for the second season of Stranger Things:
Carlisle Police (243-5252) Gisselle Elizabeth Edwards, 26, of Mechanicsburg, was charged with false identification to law enforcement and public drunkenness after a report of a disturbance at 11:03 p.m. Nov. 3 in the area of North Pitt Street at Dickinson Avenue. Police found that two women had been involved in an altercation, though the victim did not wish to pursue charges. Edwards was found to be intoxicated and to have an outstanding arrest warrant. She provided police with the name, date of birth and address of another person.
Joshua Leo Diehl, 40, of Newville, was charged with two counts each of burglary, criminal trespass and theft by unlawful taking, as well as one count each of receiving stolen property, selling a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Police were dispatched at 1:23 p.m. Nov. 3 to the 400 block of North East Street for a burglary in which a man entered the home, rummaged through the bedroom and left when the resident returned. While police investigated that burglary, another call for a burglary came in at a home in the 200 block of McKnight Street about 30 minutes after the first. Reviewing video footage, police determined the suspect was Diehl, who was arrested on East Pomfret Street a few hours later. A search discovered the stolen items, drug paraphernalia and heroin bags. Diehl is being investigated for numerous burglaries in various jurisdictions. He was placed in prison on $100,000 bail, which he was unable to post.
Shippensburg Police (532-7361)
A punching dummy was stolen from a garage near the alley of East Martin Avenue on or about Nov. 4. Police seek information.
A Next 18-speed mountain bike that is black with red and a gray seat cover was stolen from a residence in the 100 block of West King Street.
Someone slashed four tires on four bicycles and stole a skateboard from a property in the 400 block of East King Street between 2:30 and 2:36 p.m. Nov. 4. The skateboard was described as a Dark Star brand that was brown with red lettering and white wheels.
Upper Allen Township Police (795-2445)
Gregory Todd Floray, 43, of Mechanicsburg, was charged with criminal trespass, defiant trespass and harassment after an incident about 2:30 a.m. Nov. 5 in the 1000 block of Lancaster Boulevard. Police said Floray was in a residence without permission, having forced his way in. He was not allowed inside due to a previous incident at the same address. He fled the scene prior to police arrival, but police took him into custody about 9 p.m. that night with the assistance of the Fairview Township Police Department. Floray was placed in prison on $750,000 cash bail, which he was unable to post.
East Pennsboro Township Police (732-3633)
Chad Daniel Smith, 35, of Enola, was charged with two counts of simple assault and one count of harassment after a domestic incident in the 700 block of Shaffer Street about 5:15 p.m. Oct. 31. Police said Smith assaulted a woman at the residence.
State Police at Carlisle (249-2121)
Between 8 a.m. Oct. 21 and 8 a.m. Oct. 25, a wallet was stolen from a vehicle in the 500 block of Park Drive in South Middleton Township
Three Avon packages were stolen from a home in the 600 block of Doghouse Road in Monroe Township between 3:15 p.m. and 3:40 p.m. Oct. 18.
State Police at Newport (567-3110)
Around 11:45 p.m. Oct. 16, someone attempted to break into a home on Keystone Way in Centre Township.
The US FDA wants to know how much Nutella you eat. Currently, Nutella is classed under the category 'dessert topping' together with cholate syrup, marshmallow Fluff and treacle. Being in this category, the serving size of Nutella must be two tablespoons, which is equal to 200 calories.
After more than 2 years, last May, FDA updated its encompassing serving size policy on all categories of sweets. This is after the long years of collecting and analyzing nutrition data, eating habit surveys and public comments. But after finding of the new policy, Ferrero Rocher, the company of Nutella chocolate spread, asked the government to make a few adjustments.
According to Quartz, because Nutella and other nut-based cocoa spreads are considered dessert toppings by the government, they have to list higher serving sizes on their packaging. But Ferrero argues that Americans no longer primarily use Nutella on ice creams or with cookies, but instead on toast and sandwiches. So its asking the FDA to consider creating a brand new category for nut-based cocoa spreads or at the least categorize it as a honey, jam, and jelly.
The current serving size for Nutella is two tablespoon or equal to 200 calories. But Ferrero thinks a smaller serving size might make people more likely to grab a jar of the product from the store. Ferrero says that changing the guidelines will help people make conscious decisions based on how much Nutella they actually eat, reported by CNN.
"Ferrero's most recent advertising and promotion has advocated the consumption of a balanced breakfast with the inclusion of Nutella as a tasty, complementary spread to add on to nutrient-rich whole grain breads, fruits, and dairy products," the latest petition says. The FDA may finally consider Nutella's claims, but only if the American people agree. That is why the FDA wants to know the amount of Nutella people eat every day.
One of the most awaited episodes for this season is now bound to happen, as Killer Frost will set foot in Central City in the next episode of "The Flash," and this time it will no longer be a doppleganger. Will Dr. Caitlin Snow succumb to her evil powers?
Killer Frost To Take Over The Sweet And Innocent Caitlin Snow In Upcoming Episode Of "The Flash" Season 3
During the last episode, Caitlin Snow has unleashed her inner Killer Frost as she saved Barry from another metahuman. She may have used her powers for good last time but reports have claimed she may be turning tables in the next episode. It has been reported that in the upcoming episode seven of "The Flash," Caitlin's Killer Frost will be taking over her and will go on a riot as she goes looking for Dr. Alchemy.
In addition to that, she will reportedly kidnap Julian and in the end, will be in a battle against Barry and Cisco. It looks like Killer Frost might possibly be full taking over the sweet and innocent Caitlin and will go even as far as fighting her dearest friends. This may catch Barry and Cisco off guard, as they will definitely have difficulty in taking down Killer Frost since they know that it is still Caitlin deep inside.
Will Barry And Cisco Find A Way To Save Caitlin From Being Taken Over By Her Metahuman Abilities?
This episode of "The Flash" season three has long been teased by its director, Kevin Smith. It all started with a post on twitter while covering the episode title. However, the fans were very keen observant to have seen the title on the next page of the script. Thus, the episode is now finally coming and Smith said that it is definitely one of the most exciting and even emotional episodes just yet; even asking the audience to get their tissues ready.
One of the greatest questions now is how far the writers will push having Caitlin as a villain in "The Flash" season three. Even though Killer Frost was already introduced in the previous season, she was an entirely different character and not one that has been loved my many of the fans. The audience will have to wait and see if Barry/The Flash and Cisco/Vibe could find a way to save their friend.
A small fossil which resembles the brain structures of a dinosaur was found in a tidal pool located in the town of Bexhill, in southern England, UK. It was spied by a collector on a beach in the United Kingdom in 2004 and is believed to belonged to a close relative of the Iguanodons, herbivorous dinosaurs that lived about 133 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous Period.
In a study published by the Geological Society of London, researchers found evidence chunk of petrified brain tissue. The roughly 133-million-year-old fossil preserves the brains wrinkled topology, said paleontologist David Norman, who presented the find October 27 at the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.
There are pits and creases and folds, said Norman, of the University of Cambridge. Its a little bit like your bed when you wake up in the morning somewhat crinkled and folded, he added.
According to Phys.Org, in order to visualize very small features of the fossil brain, Professor Martin Brasier, of the University of Oxford who led the early work on this fossil, before his untimely death in 2014, brought in researchers from the University of Western Australia to obtain high resolution images of parts of the brain, revealing its outer layers (meninges) as well as remnants of capillaries (tiny blood vessels) within the cortex of the brain itself. The brain structure and in particular the arrangement of meninges shows a remarkable similarity to modern birds and crocodilians, and likely functioned in fairly similar ways.
Soft tissue is unusual in the fossil record, Norman said. The dinosaur probably tipped head first into a muddy swamp, where acidic water literally pickled the brain, he added. Later, minerals would have petrified the pickled tissue. Soft tissue includes tendons, ligaments, fascia, skin, fibrous tissues, fat, and synovial membranes (which are connective tissue), and muscles, nerves and blood vessels (which are not connective tissue).
Instances like these newfound fossils are particularly rare, which means this discovery can provide a unique insight into a dinosaur's brain. The resulting fossil doesnt offer insight into the mind of dinosaurs, Norman said, but it does provide remarkable preservation of a piece of the brain itself.
Apple just released new MacBooks last month and we can really say that Apple's new MacBook Pro are not cheap and have been criticized for being overpriced and for limiting the amount of RAM to 16GB.
Apple is already planning a MacBook Pro refresh during the second half of 2017 that will include a price reduction and support for 32GB of RAM, noted from a new research by Ming-Chi Kuo, A reputed Analyst.
the new MacBook to be launched in 2H17 may support 32GB DRAM, eventually attracting more core users; this depends on whether or not Intel ships Cannonlake CPU on time in 2017, which features 15-25 percent less power consumption of LPDDR 4, versus the existing LPDDR 3. If Cannonlake doesn't enter mass production as expected, the new models launched in 2017 will adopt Coffee Lake, which continues to adopt LPDDR 3, and maximum DRAM support will also remain unchanged at 16GB, according to BGR.
Kuo also added, If Intel's Cannonlake processors, which promise to offer low-power RAM, debut in the latter half of 2017 as expected, then a more powerful Pro could be on the horizon as soon as next fall without sacrificing battery life. If Intel doesn't come through in time, Apple will upgrade the Pro with Intel's Coffee Lake processor and keep the 16GB maximum RAM.
Another welcome change: a price drop! That wouldn't be a surprising move, given that the Touch Bar-equipped Pro will be a year old next fall. Potential upgraders who are sitting out this round to see how the Touch Bar performs and to evaluate the USB-C market might make the leap once the new Pros come down from their $1,799 starting price, mentioned by Macworld.
Phil Schiller, Apple Executive, recently announced that Apple didn't include 32GB of RAM on the new MacBook Pro models specifically because of power consumption issues. However, the leaks, specs, and features of MacBook 2017 are completely based on rumors and shouldn't be taken with pinch of salt. After all, Apple has no official word yet. Stay tuned for more updates.
iPhone SE users will to wait more months than expected to get the expected upgrade for the device, since it was reported by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that Apple will not apply an annual refresh for this mobile devices, since the company wants to its lifecycle beyond the usual one year rotation, in order to prevent a cannibalization of the iPhone 7.
A Reasonable Strategy
Although this is risky move that might face a bitter reaction from iPhone SE lovers, this strategy will boost sales from the companys premium devices, in order to increase its revenues and solidify its position in the market. In fact, Apple is betting a lot in the iPhone 7 and 8, in order take advantage of Samsungs situation and become the biggest smartphone maker in the world.
According to the International Business Times, Kuo noted that an upgrade might come later next year, since theres not much hopes for a next-gen iPhone SE model to see a launch in the second fiscal quarter of 2017, ending in March. Apparently, it was also known that the companys decision of not refreshing the iPhone SE is because the main goal is to margin guidance for the current fiscal quarter of 2017.
The iPhone SE Has A Huge Following In Many Regions Around The World
Apple said it anticipates gross margins between 38 percent and 38.5 percent for the three.month period ending in December, below consensus of more than 39 percent and down from 40.1 percent last year, as reported by Apple Insider. In fact, the Cupertino tech giant has been putting pressure on component manufacturers to reduce prices, in order to goose profits.
If the company succeeds to achieve these goals, it could mean another great moment for Apple, giving the fact that it could be ahead of its main competitors in the phone business -Samsung and Huawei- who are also having important plans for achieving a higher position in the market next year.
However, it is important for Apple to keep the iPhone SE being something great for its users, and look for an strategy to prevent it sales reduction, since the technology analytics company Kantar, this smartphone has been so well accepted in many countries around the world, that it became the most popular mobile device in the U.K. in the second quarter of 2016, outselling iPhone 6S and Galaxy S7.
Google Ireland just had to pay $53.27 million in corporate tax, although the Dublin-based-subsidiary reported a 23 percent increase revenues last year of $25.19 billion from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Apparently, this low payment was because Google Irelands taxable profits were just $380 million.
According to The Guardian, revenues at Google Ireland Limited rose 23 percent in 2015, to $25.19 billion, which is equivalent to a third of the hi-tech companys global income. Of the Irish income, more than $7.80 billion could have come from transactions with advertisers in the U.K. The search group headcount at its Dublin office rose to 6,000, including almost 3,000 staff and 3,000 contractors.
"As Google grows, Ireland continues to benefit...In 2015 we opened our second data center, bringing total investment in capital assets in Ireland to over 750m," the outgoing head of its Irish operations Ronan Harris told. According to the International Business Times, Google Ireland explained that total salaries paid had increased by about $407 million in 2015, which indicate that the Dublin-based firm primary administrative expenses were made up of cash royalties paid to another Google subsidiary.
The delicate part of this operation is that the incomes eventually makes its way to a business called Google Holdings Ireland, which is the second company in Googles "double Irish" structure. Apparently, this structure is said to be a tax strategy used by some multinationals to lower their corporate tax liability, as reported by The Guardian.
Google Irelands accounts were published after the search company rejected the European Union antitrust charges of unfairly promoting its shopping service and blocking competitors in online search advertising. The companys rebuttal in this case comes six years after the European Commission opened an investigation prompted by complaints from competitors as Microsoft.
Far from being the only tech company that commits this kind of actions, Google Ireland is not alone, since it was known that Apples long-standing tax arrangements in Ireland relied on illegal state aid, as it was reported by the European competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager.
Cybersecurity researchers are raising the specter of a Russian cyber attack on Election Day and many voters are concerned that the presidential election could be hacked after Russia's recent hack of the Democratic National Committee.
Will Russia Hack The Election?
American voters are concerned that the presidential election could become the target of hackers and the outcome could be manipulated. In this troubled context, GOP candidate Donald Trump has also added to the general anxiety by casting doubt on the legitimacy of the presidential election to be cast on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Trump suggested that in case if he loses, he might not accept the results. But is it really possible to hack the election? How really vulnerable is the U.S. presidential election to an eventual Russian hacking?
In a joint statement released last month on DHS' official website, the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence explained that the odds of hacking the election are not very high. The two security agencies said that altering the actual ballot counts or election results by the means of an intrusion or cyber attack would be extremely difficult even for a nation-state actor.
What Protection Measures Are In Place?
According to The Wrap, the confidence shown in the statement by the security agencies credits the number of protections local and state election officials has in place as well as the decentralized nature of the U.S, election system. In the case of targeting by hackers of any election system used across the country, the voting machines would be disconnected of from the internet. Each system is furthermore determined locally by individual counties and states, therefore it would be really difficult for meddlers to change the results of a national election.
Pamela Smith, president of the non-partisan lobbying group Verified Voting, explained for the same publication that the U.S. doesn't have a national voting system but rather local jurisdiction-specific voting systems. On the international scene, there were indeed some elections that have been tampered with over the internet, but that could happen only where there's been a national election system. That's not the case of the U.S.
However, individual local results could still fall victim to tampering. Andrew Appel, a Princeton professor and member of Verified Voting's board of advisors, has declared that hacking electronic voting machines is very easy. In fact, not only the voting machines themselves can be hacked but also the desktop and laptop computers that are used by the election officials to prepare voter registration, electronic poll books, the ballots and the electronic files from the OpScan machines.
In an interview with Politico Magazine, Appel said that the election would be significantly disrupted in case that any of these systems get hacked. Some even wondered if last month's massive DDoS attack may be a mere rehearsal for a destructive Election Day attack. A likely scenario is a voting machine error leading to an incorrect result.
Local officials take precautions to ensure the accuracy of the election results, including a pre-election voting machines check, as well as a post-election audit in most states. But even if a technical error could not affect the outcome of the 2016 presidential election because the voting process is too decentralized, experts warn that the real danger is the uncertainty. It is necessary to maintain a certain level of confidence.
Denise Merrill, the president of the National Association of Secretaries of State and the Secretary of State of Connecticut, told Time that these elections will be fair. But in order to ensure these fair results, there might be more hurdles and it might take longer to count every vote. However, state and local officials have paper-based backup plans in place, in the event that hackers attack voting systems.
The new smartphone from Motorola has yet to be officially announced but some of its details and images have surfaced online. Now, press photos of the Moto M have also been leaked.
A series of photos showing the front and the back of the Moto M's retail box has surfaced along with new photos of the handset itself.
At the back of the box are the phone's specifications. These specs along with press renders and previous leaks give a better understanding on what the Moto M, codenamed Kung-Fu, will be like.
Specifications
According to new press renders and previous leaks, the smartphone will have the Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS under its hood.
The Moto M, to be powered by Mediatek Helio P15 with an octa-core 2.2 GHz CPU and a Mali-T860 GPU, will have a 5.5-inch display that supports full HD 1080 x 1920 resolution. It will have 4GB of RAM and 2GB of internal storage with a possibility to expand up to 128GB thanks to the microSD card slot.
The rear 16-megapixel camera comes with Phase Detection Autofocus. A secondary 8MP camera for selfies and video calls is at the front.
As for its look, press photos published first by Nowherelse.fr, a French publication, indicates that the Moto M will have a metal unibody design. One of the images shows the mounted fingerprint scanner and rear-facing camera. The front of the Moto M, shown in another photo, shows the USB Type-C port and speaker grill which are located at the bottom while the 3.5mm audio port and SIM card slot is at the top of the phone.
The estimated value of the Moto M in Indian Rupees is Rs 20,300 to Rs 24,000. That's equivalent to around $300 to $365.
Details about the new Moto M were first leaked in late October after a flyer containing images of the new device.
The model that will be made available in China will come with pre-installed Skype, Microsoft Office, and OneDrive.
Moto Mods Contest
In related news, Motorola is calling on developers to submit entries for a contest to determine the best ideas for new Moto Mods. Motorola is launching the Moto Mods Developer contest with Indiegogo.
Winning ideas have a chance to be included in the features of Motorola's devices. The ten winning developers will meet with the Moto Mods executive team in the company's Chicago headquarters.
Everyone who submits an idea will get a chance to go to hackathon events in New York and San Francisco next month.
The Moto M is slated to be announced on Nov. 8.
For a long time, people have been looking for ways to produce a better generation. Many families want to have the next one be better in many ways. Usually, this is done by some having marriages arranged between families. Now in some ways, this can be produced through designer babies, and some families are looking for ways how to produce super geniuses.
There are people who would want their children to excel in education. There is much pride in parents who see their children do very well in school. Competition usually starts in schools as children try to vie for academic excellence. This has driven some people to find ways put the competition even higher, by trying to make super geniuses.
Having designer babies would be one way to do that. With genetic manipulation, slowly having the preferred offspring could be achieved. There is a question of ethics about this, though, and whether it would be good for society as a whole.
Michigan State University Professor Stephen Hsu said that within the next five to ten years, scientists would be able to do just that: map out and manipulate the 10,000 genes that make geniuses, as The Age reports. This can potentially have people choose what intelligence level their children will have.
Having designer babies might have some advantages, such as having children that can have a resistance or even immunity from certain diseases. This might be possible now with a tool called CRISPR/Cas9. This is used to move genes around, and it is very much real, according to SingularityHub.
CRISPR is being used to alter DNA by biologists. This is a powerful technology that could redefine how humans are made. Dr. Hsu that the future for designer babies is now much closer to reality than ever. Fears of ethics, as well as a society that might be ruled by the genetically endowed, come to mind with such things, but Dr. Hsu is confident about it.
He said that a world that has higher intelligence could have more people that can think more logically and rationally. A much orderly society could possibly be made. Designer babies would have more people that could possibly be much healthier, as such could be produced with fewer genetic defects.
The issue about ethics and having a stratified society would be there as discussions about designer babies go on. People will be there to know how to produce super geniuses and babies that have fewer diseases, all for a much better family. Such concerns are there, as in the case of the report that obesity is common among teens with autism.
CAMP HILL Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, in a neck-and-neck race to keep his seat in the presidential battleground of Pennsylvania, said Friday he expects Democrat Hillary Clinton will face congressional investigations next year if she becomes president.
However, Toomey didn't go as far as some Republican congressional colleagues in saying Clinton should face impeachment proceedings.
"I'm sure there'll be investigations," Toomey said after touring a plumbing supply warehouse in suburban Harrisburg as part of his pitch as a champion of small businesses. "She absolutely and definitely jeopardized American's security, knowingly, by running her own private email server because she had to keep her emails secret."
But, he said, grounds for impeachment involve constitutional and legal questions he hadn't looked into and couldn't answer.
Still, Toomey said it appeared Clinton had received special treatment from the Department of Justice in avoiding charges related to her use of a private email server while secretary of state.
Toomey was traveling the state Friday and used the opportunity to chide his Democratic challenger, Katie McGinty, as "holed up" and avoiding reporters.
McGinty appeared Friday at a Pittsburgh rally with Clinton and was scheduled to appear Saturday with Vice President Joe Biden in suburban Philadelphia.
The election is Tuesday.
Toomey, who compiled one of Congress' most conservative voting records, is among the Senate's most endangered incumbents and has run at arm's length from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in a state that leans Democratic.
McGinty, who served in Bill Clinton's White House and was recruited to run by national Democrats, has stayed quiet about Hillary Clinton's controversies while piggybacking on rallies headlined by high-profile Democrats visiting Pennsylvania.
The race could help determine control of the Senate as the GOP struggles to hold its 54-46 majority. The state's two largest newspapers have split on the candidates, with The Philadelphia Inquirer endorsing McGinty and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette endorsing Toomey.
With reported spending on the race since the start of 2015 surpassing $155 million, the nonpartisan government transparency think tank the Sunlight Foundation said the election appears to be the most expensive U.S. Senate race ever.
McGinty, speaking before Clinton at a banquet hall at Heinz Field, hammered Toomey over his middle-of-the-road stance on Trump, refusing to endorse him but refusing to disavow him. Toomey also hasn't said for whom he'll vote on the presidential ballot.
Toomey, McGinty suggested, hadn't stood up to Trump.
"In politics, the definition of courage and character is doing the right thing, even though it might cost you some votes," McGinty said, according to a campaign transcript. "Pat Toomey has failed the test of courage and character."
Toomey has sought to use McGinty's closeness to Clinton to his advantage, highlighting his criticism of Trump over Trump's vulgarity and immigration plans as proof of his independence.
Creating space between himself and Trump could be crucial to winning moderates and independents from whom he'll likely need strong support in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 4-3 ratio. But Toomey also risks alienating Republican voters who delivered a 37 percentage-point victory for Trump in Pennsylvania's April 26 primary.
The anti abortion law Poland gets more updated to help families stay away from terminating a pregnancy. According to a new policy, families with disabled newborns will get bonus pay. While Polish lawmakers plan to reduce the number of abortions with the new policy, women rights activists claim the government is not ready to understand the women's perspective.
Families will get $1,000 (4,000 zlotys) right after the birth of a child with disabilities. The one-time pay is applicable for even the children who are born with life-threatening diseases. It takes around 1,300 zlotys to take care of a disabled child for a month.
According to "Save Women" activist Barbara Nowacka, the parliament is not interested in talking about women's rights. She said her organization would continue to fight for it. The current anti abortion law Poland was passed in 1993.
"Parliament doesn't want to talk about women's rights, dignity, a decent life, sex education or birth control, but that doesn't mean that we'll give up," The Guardian quoted her as saying.
The Catholic Church backs the conservative government which plans to ban abortions of sick or deformed fetuses. The government even wants mothers to deliver children who have no chance of survival. The idea is to baptize those children before their proper burial.
According to women rights activists, the government estimate of fewer than 2,000 abortions every year is far from the truth. They claim around 150,000 abortions take place every year. However, those are performed either abroad or illegally.
Polish lawmakers also want to restrict IVF, the in-vitro fertilization. In the procedure, the embryo is fertilized outside a woman's body. After the fertilization, the embryo is implanted in the woman's womb.
The anti abortion law Poland has made it illegal to go for abortion unless the health of the mother is at stake. The exceptions where the government allows a woman to abort her pregnancy also includes those which result from incest and rape. Doctors face prison terms if they perform illegal abortions. For this reason, doctors refuse to perform abortions even when it is legal in the country, Fox News reports.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 13 cases of superbugs in USA. Four of the first seven patients with the superbugs have died. This is the first time that the fungus has been discovered in the United States.
The report comes five months after physicians and hospitals were warned about Candida auris, a fatal antibiotic-resistant fungus. It is easy to misidentify C. auris with a more common yeast infection. The first time the fungus was identified in Japan seven years back. At least a dozen countries have been affected by it since then. It has been found in four continents so far.
The superbugs are resistant to most antibiotics. In some cases, no antibiotic is capable of resisting it. Five cases have been reported in 2016. The CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report says seven patients have been diagnosed with the superbug since 2013. All of them were hospitalized for serious conditions like respiratory failure and even cancer. However, it is not yet clear if C. auris is responsible for the death of four of them.
Five of the first seven cases were resistant to fluconazole, a common antifungal drug. One of them was resistant to echinocandins and another to amphotericin B, which is used for serious infections. Echinocandins is a new antifungal which is believed to be highly effective against Candida. Six more cases about superbugs in USA have been reported since August this year.
"We need to act now to better understand, contain and stop the spread of this drug-resistant fungus," Fox News quoted the CDC's Director Dr. Thomas Frieden. "This is an emerging threat, and we need to protect vulnerable patients and others."
Other countries found C. auris strains to be resistant to three major antifungal drugs. But, this is the first time such thing has happened in the United States. US officials were on high alert to prevent the import of C. auris. But, it is believed that all the cases in the country are domestically contracted.
C. auris infections are generally diagnosed by fungal culture of blood or other body fluids, according to the CDC. But, it is much more difficult to identify than other common Candida infections. It is often confused with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida haemulonii.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons says more American men are going for male plastic surgery makeover. They do it more often these days to keep flaunting younger looks. Even if it is minimally invasive or surgical procedure, men are more concerned about their looks. They pay more attention in their looks, according to experts.
More American men are going for nose jobs, liposuction, Botox injections and facelifts. Between 2009 and 2010, there is a 2 percent increase in the number of American men going for plastic surgery. The tiny difference means 1.1 million more men decided to go under the knife.
The report also says that, in 2010, ear surgeries increased by 11 percent, facelifts by 14 percent and liposuction by 7 percent. Dermabrasion and eyelid surgery got increased by 4 percent each. Breast reduction increased by 6 percent, while Botox injections increased by 9 percent.
There are a number of popular procedures among men. But, it depends on the age. For example, there is an increase of breast reduction by 6 percent. It is most popular among men who are younger than 30.
For those who are in their 50s and 60s, the most popular one is the facelift. Procedures like facelift help a man look younger than his age. Such a male plastic surgery makeover is especially required for those who are on the lookout for work.
According to Dr. Phillip Haeck from the society, there is more awareness among men about plastic surgery and how it can enhance their looks. He calls it a "dirty little secret" for men. Many men told Haeck that they would need to look younger to get a new job.
Ask Dr. Manny reports that other popular procedures include microdermabrasion, chemical peels and nose reshaping. These procedures were performed less often in 2010. Nose reshaping declined by 4 percent, microdermabrasion by 10 percent and chemical peels by 3 percent. However, these are still quite popular.
On the official ASPS website, there are several before and after photographs that show how the look changes after a male plastic surgery makeover. Many male celebs go for plastic surgery and look young for a longer time. According to reports, Twilight star Robert Pattinson went for a nose reshaping early in his career.
Donald Trump has been campaigning strongly against Anthony Weiner. The disgraced former US Congressman has admitted that he is suffering from cybersex addiction. While the Trump campaign is trying to link Weiner with Hillary Clinton, many wonder how serious the addiction Weiner is talking about is.
Weiner's addiction was revealed by his sexting. He exchanged explicit sexual message with a minor. The addiction also includes the use of webcams to perform sexual acts with an online partner. It also includes having sexual conversations with another person online. Sex addiction involves being addicted to online pornography.
Weiner was first caught in 2011. He took paid leave for a couple of weeks to seek treatment for his addiction. He said he would work on becoming a better person. His wife urged him to go for treatment for his addiction for cybersex. His latest encounter involved sending an almost-nude pic to a 15-year-old girl.
According to a 2007 survey, 60.6 percent of the cases did not involve any physical contact and was only limited to cybersex. It was also noted that 22.3 percent of couples held cybersex addiction responsible for their divorce. The brief survey also revealed 52.1 percent of addicts lost interest in their sexual partner due to the addiction. At the same time, 31 percent of addicts continued their preexisting sexual practices online.
According to Ask Dr. Manny, online sex addiction includes compulsive sexual behaviors like masturbation, cybersex, prostitutes, pornography, strip clubs and casual affairs. It also includes exhibitionism and voyeurism. Donald Trump is, meanwhile, trying to cash in the Weiner controversy.
"Crooked Hillary Clinton has been busy living in an alternate reality where her litany of email scandals and FBI investigations don't disqualify her from running for President," CNN quoted Trump's senior communications adviser Jason Miller. It will be interesting to see if Weiner's cybersex addiction helps Trump reach the White House.
Hyundai has already proven itself capable of swimming with the big fishes in the auto industry. The Korean automaker is known to be one of the powerhouse players in the compact car market. Now Hyundai is ready to step up its game by introducing four more SUVs in India for the next two years.
Four More To Look Forward To
The Indian market is already looking forward to the all-new Tucson from Hyundai which will be launched on Nov. 14, 2016. Apparently, this isn't all the Indian market has to look forward to. According to a report from The Economic Times, Hyundai is also working on developing another compact SUV that will be launched in 2018 and will be positioned below the Hyundai Creta. In the same report, senior vice-president for sales and marketing of Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), Rakesh Srivastava, stated that Tucson will bridge the gap between the Creta and Santa Fe SUV. He also added that the company also plans to bring in one new model each year in a segment where its presence has not yet been established.
Hyundai Is Set To Achieve A Milestone In The Indian Market
In a report given by DriveSpark, it has only been two decades since Hyundai entered the Indian market and a milestone of seven million units of cumulative sales is expected to be achieved this month. This is apparently considered to be the fastest milestone to be achieved by any automaker in the Indian market. "We have attained this milestone in 18 years and two months, fastest by any manufacturer in India," said Srivastava.
Hybrid Models?
Drive Spark also reported that in addition to new models, updates on the existing ones will also be made. There will also be hybrid cars that are expected to be introduced to the market in the next two years.
Will It Be The Same For US?
With high demands for SUVs in the U.S. market, it is more than likely that the new models that are going to be launched over the next two years will also be seen in America. In fact, some of the specs of the upcoming 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe, one of those that will be launched in India, along with Tucson and Creta have already been given by The Washington Times.
"American Gigolo," one of the most successful crime drama films of 1980s, is being adapted as a TV drama series. The classic film that starred Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton has been picked up by Showtime for a reboot. Other than the people behind-the-scenes, further details have yet to be revealed including the new stars that will take the place of Gere and Hutton.
Latest reports confirmed that the "American Gigolo" reboot has already been planned and its development has already been underway since 2014. However, it is only now that a TV channel has picked up the project. The TV adaptation comes from Paramount TV and the original film's producer, Jerry Bruckheimer. Neil LaBute is also reportedly signed to pen the script for the reboot.
Bruckheimer is coming back to serve as an executive producer of the "American Gigolo" reboot through his Jerry Bruckheimer TV banner. He is said to work alongside Jonathan Littman. Other people who are confirmed to board the production team are Kristie Anne Reed (co-executive producer), James Oh (producer), and Paul Schrader (executive consultant).
The "American Gigolo" reboot is said to take a more modern Los Angeles set up, but will still take the theme of the original Paramount film. The classic film featured a gigolo (Gere) who unintentionally fell in love with a politician's wife (Hutton). The film, which was the first to feature frontal nudity of a male star and received acclaim for its stellar acting, gained its reputation as one of the most iconic films of its time. Also, it is said to be the turning-point of the careers for the lead stars Gere and Hutton who was only a model then.
"American Gigolo" is the latest TV adaptation project of Paramount. It has recently been mining its library for other reboots including "The Italian Job" (NBC), "School of Rock" (Nickelodeon), and "Shutter Island" (HBO). The upcoming series is currently being produced alongside another Paramount property, "Jack Ryan" (Amazon), which is also currently in the works.
The stars who will lead the "American Gigolo" series are still being decided as well as the pilot date for the show. However, Showtime promised to reveal more concrete details before the year 2016 ends.
"General Hospital" episode for Tuesday, Nov. 8 centers on Sam and Jason as they discover clues that will lead to Morgan's death. Will they finally know the failed scheme of Sonny that led to his son's tragic death? In the meantime, Alexis' actions will lead things to spiral out of control, while Franco will stay beside Liz to console her after she received a disturbing news.
Sam And Jason's Discovery
"General Hospital" spoilers for Tuesday, Nov. 8 tell that Jason (Steve Burton) pursues the clue to Morgan's untimely death. Jason will try to weigh in his findings with Sam (Kelly Monaco) and it will lead them to a discovery. Will they be able to finally pin down Sonny (Maurice Benard)? Sonny planted a bomb in Julian's (William DeVry) car in an attempt to blow it off with him in it. Unfortunately, Morgan (Bryan Craig) stole the car and drove it off killing him instead.
Alexis Imprisoned For Drunk Driving?
Alexis (Nancy Grahn) gets drunk again and this time she will face a consequence for her behavior. Spoilers reveal that Alexis might be imprisoned after being found by authorities drunk driving. Meanwhile, returning character Jasper "Jax" Jacks (Ingo Rademacher) will notice Alexis' alcohol problems. It seems like she is going to rehab soon. Sam has been thinking about her mother's situation.
Franco Consoles Liz
On the other hand, Franco (Roger Howarth) finds the opportunity to comfort Liz (Rebecca Herbst) after she receives some bad news. On Monday's episode, Nov. 7, Liz and Franco had an ugly confrontation.
"General Hospital" Spoilers This Week
"General Hospital" for the rest of the week will reveal Carly's (Laura Wright) move after she finds out about the alterations in Morgan's meds before he died through his journal. Sonny, meanwhile, is on the brink of insanity as he plans out a suicide. Hayden (Rebecca Budig) will find herself in danger but Finn (Michael Easton) and Laura (Genie Francis) are set to rescue her.
"General Hospital" airs Mondays thru Fridays at 12:00 ET on CBS.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 Nougat beta update will soon be released to members who signed up for the Beta Program in the United Kingdom. Users of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge will be able to test out all the new features available in Android 7.0 Nougat.
Last year, Samsung released the Android Marshmallow beta for users for Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge in December, while regular users got the official update in February 2016. This helps users to try out an upcoming software update and provide valuable feedback.
Samsung is usually very late when it comes to providing software updates, so it's nice to see that they have started this program. Google has already released Android 7.1 Nougat with bug fixes and new features for supported Nexus and Pixel devices.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Nougat Update
A Galaxy Beta program app was released to users in the U.K. recently, as reported by SamMobile, but was taken down soon after. Now Samsung, through its website states that the Beta app will be available once again starting Nov. 9.
To register and try out the Galaxy S7 Nougat update, users will have to download the Galaxy Beta Program app from Galaxy Apps. After downloading the app, the user will have to fill out a registration form and submit it through the app. If the user is lucky enough, he/she will get selected for the beta program and will receive the Android 7.0 Nougat software. Selected users will receive OTA updates for new Android 7.0 software and can send feedback using the Galaxy Beta Program app.
The update is only compatible with the unlocked version of Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. Also, the Olympic and the Batman Injustice Edition of the S7 Edge are not compatible with the beta. The beta period will last till December and as of now, only residents in the U.K. can download the app.
Samsung will most likely provide more details about the beta program and Galaxy S7 Nougat update in an official announcement soon. Until then, check out all the new features in Android 7.0 Nougat.
Anti-dumping duty on Metallurgical coke bane to steel industry: ISA
Published: November 7, 2016
The Indian Steel Association (ISA) has asked the Central Government not to impose any anti-dumping duty on Metallurgical Coke (met coke) fearing cost escalation of their products.
A levy of anti-dumping duty on met coke will have a cost-push effect on the steel sector. It will fuel further the cost of steel making, resulting in an increase in the cost of finished steel.
What is Metallurgical Coke?
Metallurgical coke is made from low ash, low sulfur bituminous coal, with special coking properties. It is one of the most important and critical raw materials for the steel industry. The steel industry in India having large blast furnaces requires met coke with high ash content and moisture content of less than 5% to run efficiently. This demand is met through imports from other countries as the domestic met coke has low ash content and high moisture content along high phosphorous and sulpher content.
What is the issue?
The Union Ministry of Commerce had initiated anti-dumping investigation on import of low ash met coke from Australia and China in the year 2015. It had resulted in the sharp increase in the price of this key raw material with no signs of abating. Besides this, domestic steel industry is getting affected by the unbridled steel imports from countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, Russia at predatory prices.
Month: Current Affairs - November, 2016
Topics: Anti-dumping duty Business Economy Metallurgical coke National Steel Industry
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"General Hospital" returning guest star Ingo Rademacher is set to appear in one of this week's episodes as Jasper "Jax" Jacks. Latest reports pointed out that the actor's contract is under negotiation. Will Jax's fans see more of Rademacher on the soap in the coming weeks? Here's what he says about his return.
Jax Attends Morgan's Funeral
Ingo Rademacher is finally returning this week on "General Hospital" as the fan favorite Jax. Rademacher's slated appearance on the noontime soap is already the second time for this year. Jax's comeback scene is at Morgan's (Bryan Craig) funeral. It can be noted that Jax had been Morgan's father figure after Carly (Laura Wright) and Sonny (Maurice Benard) took a break from the show at some point. Jax was last seen in August.
How Long Will Jax Be Staying?
Many Jax fans are apparently rejoicing with the character's comeback at Port Charles as Morgan's funeral would not be complete without him. The question, however, is: how long will Jax be staying on the show? CBS has already outlined Rademacher's reprisal role for this week. Even so, latest reports revealed that fans might be seeing more of Rademacher of "General Hospital." Despite this being unconfirmed by the network and showrunners, there have been hints of Rademacher becoming a regular soon.
Radecmaher Spills Some Details
In his Instagram account, the Australian actor said on Friday, Nov. 4: "Just in love. Drive this bad boy to GH everyday this week J #mercedessprinter #mahikuvan." Rademacher talked about his new van with a caption that seemed to hint that there's more coming for his role.
Just in love. Drive this bad boy to GH everyday this week :-) #mercedessprinter #mahikuvan A photo posted by Ingo Rademacher (@ingorademacher) on Oct 26, 2016 at 4:04pm PDT
In the meantime, Rademacher told Soap Opera Digest: "[Executive Producer] Frank Valentini and I didn't really say anything. It's kind of random. I don't know if this is going to be a continuous thing because I haven't had a conversation with him about it." Currently, Rademacher is busy taping for "Hawaii Five-0" and running his apparel business.
"General Hospital" airs Mondays thru Fridays at 12:00 p.m. ET on CBS.
NASA will run a new mission in Mauna Ulu, Hawaii, to simulate a real life mission to Mars. The mission is called the BASALT Mission (Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains), and it has the objective of creating new protocols to collect and protect biological samples they may find on this other planet.
According to a recent report from West Hawaii today, scientists have taken to the rocky terrain of Hawaiis volcanic landscape to practice collecting rock samples in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Over the course of the coming weeks, researchers will traverse the mountain Mauna Ulu to perfect their collection procedures to ensure they learn as much as possible from the manned trip to the red planet.
Really, the whole reason of going to Mars is to see if theres life there, John Hamilton, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Theres a lot of great geology. But are we alone?
The agencys Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains (BASALT) mission, an international team of scientists, engineers, mission operators, and astronauts who are dedicated to enabling the human-robotic exploration of Mars, is designed to test technologies for future crewed missions to Mars.
The reason behind doing this experiment in the Hawaiian volcanoes is that they are very similar to the superficial structure of Mars. They are rocks mostly of basalt, the same mineral that covers Mars' surface. It is the greatest imitation of the planet inside the Earth.
Project BASALT, which will be administered through the University of Hawaii, will put researchers at Mauna Ulu for two weeks. Geologists and biologists will work in tandem, searching for new ways to prevent the contamination of rocks that might host living bacteria, according to CS Monitor.
The current simulation of NASA's scientists has been the fourth and so far the longest. The volunteers from France, Germany and the US, including the soil scientist, an astronomer, a physicist and an astrobiologist have survived on freeze-dried foods for months. The 8-month mission will start in January.
Ahead of a new presidential administration and the shuffling of political leadership across the executive branch, the federal IT community is bracing for a major upheaval that will likely halt the launch of major new projects and could even derail current initiatives.
Regardless of who wins the White House on Tuesday, the transition from one administration to the next has a chilling effect on IT activity within the agencies, even if those projects are mostly overseen by career, non-political personnel.
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Obviously, it will vary significantly from agency to agency, but generally it is quite disruptive, says Richard Spires, the former CIO of the Department of Homeland Security who now serves as CEO of the IT training firm Learning Tree International.
For starters, many CIOs today are political appointees who will exit the government Jan. 20, 2017. For those who stay on, and their career deputy CIOs and other non-political personnel, the transition process can create a holding pattern where there is little motivation to launch new projects before the incoming leaders assess the agencys operations and formulate their own priorities.
No one wants to be out in front of where the new political leadership wants to go, says Steve Bennett, director of the global government practice at SAS, and analytics software provider, and the former director of the National Biosurveillance Integration Center at DHS.
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Observers point out that the extent to which an agency or a smaller organizational unit is upended by the presidential transition can be the product of how insulated it is from the political element. Bureaus and sub-agencies with few political appointees in their direct leadership can expect to enjoy more continuity than the segments of the government with more political leadership.
IT issues arent political, but election results could cause disruption
And at their core, most IT issues arent especially political matters.
The only partisanship in the IT shop tends to be Android or iPhone, not so much Democrat or Republican, Bennett says.
Experts dont anticipate that the new administration will abandon some of the hallmarks of the Obama teams IT reform efforts sweeping programs like consolidating data centers and moving systems and applications to the cloud. But at a more granular level, it wouldnt be surprising to see new leaders scrutinize and perhaps even scrap particular IT initiatives.
Sometimes new administrations come in and they stop projects that are underway, Bennett says. Often the transition will occur in the middle of the deployment of a project that will get stopped. Operationally that can create a lot of turmoil in an IT organization.
Federal CIO Tony Scott is aiming to ease the transition with a forthcoming assessment of the governments technology reform efforts billed as an IT report card. Scott did not respond to a request for comment on the report, but industry officials familiar with the effort say that it aims to offer a candid assessment of the current state of federal IT that could help orient the incoming CIO and make for a smoother handoff, should Scott opt to exit the government, than he experienced when he took over the job from his predecessor.
I think thats intended to be his sort of parting gift to whatever the new administration is, says Rick Holgate, the former CIO at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, who is now a research director focusing on the federal government at Gartner, which is helping Scotts office prepare the report card. Holgate anticipates that the report will be completed by year end.
Scott has generally been well regarded by industry groups working with the government. MeriTalk, a public-private partnership focused on government IT, has started a petition campaign calling for Scott to stay on as the federal CIO into the next administration. Holgate does not expect that effort to succeed. Unless hes talked into it, Tonys probably likely to step aside in the not-too-distant future, he says.
But whether Scott stays on or not, the CIOs who do continue into the new administration can expect to spend a considerable amount of time educating the new leadership about the operations of the agency.
For them to really understand how it works and how you get things done, thats a long process, Spires says. That lack of continuity really makes it very difficult for CIOs and IT organization in general to carry out longer term IT modernization initiatives.
New administration could be an opportunity for CIO role
Spires is hopeful that, assuming Scott steps down, his successor and the officials who occupy senior spots at the Office of Management and Budget continue to press agencies on implementing the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act, or FITARA, a sweeping overhaul of government technology operations that included provisions aimed at enhancing the role of the agency CIO.
The presidential transition presents a unique opportunity on that front, according to Holgate, who sees the chance for CIOs to introduce themselves to the incoming agency leadership and advocate for the CIO being viewed as a support function or an administrative function to being viewed more strategically as aligned with and in support of the organization mission.
Don't be surprised if hackers make their presence felt on U.S. Election Day. Distributed denial-of-service attacks and high-profile leaks are among the tactics they might use if they try to influence Tuesday's vote.
Cybersecurity experts stress it would be incredibly difficult to hack the U.S. election. The system itself is distributed across the country over thousands of voting jurisdictions, making it hard to tamper with on a wide scale.
But hackers could still attempt to sow chaos on Election Day in other ways. The tools and infrastructure to do so are already in place.
Last month, the U.S. experienced a massive DDoS attack from a malware called Mirai that is freely available on the internet. That attack -- which flooded internet connections with too much traffic -- disrupted access to many popular sites, especially for users on the East Coast.
Hackers could very well try to launch another DDoS attack on Election Day, said Travis Smith a security researcher at Tripwire. This might involve targeting services such as maps or government sites that can tell voters their polling locations.
"A worst-case scenario is the attack that targets a certain county that leans Republican or Democrat and lowers voter turnout," he said.
However, even if the attack occurred, voters could still find ways to cast their ballots. Election jurisdictions, for instance, are known to mail voters the physical address to the polling location before hand, Smith said.
Voters can also search for their polling location on Google, a site built to withstand large-scale DDoS attacks.
Still, polling location websites aren't the only possible target. For instance, carpooling sites that help voters reach their polling destination could also be attacked, said Robert Hamilton, a director of product marketing with security firm Imperva.
"The number one reason voters cite not going to the polls is they couldn't get a ride," he added.
Many of these carpooling sites are run by small business and could be easily taken down by a DDoS attack, Hamilton said. Imperva, however, is offering free DDoS mitigation services to any carpooling and polling place websites during election day.
"You just need to give us a call. It only takes half an hour to set up," he said.
Hackers wanting to influence this year's election have already succeeded to some extent. The U.S. government is concerned that Russia has been allegedly trying to sway voter sentiment by hacking political targets and then leaking sensitive information online.
Both WikiLeaks and a hacker named Guccifer 2.0 have been the source of some of those leaks, which have potentially damaged Democrat Hillary Clinton's election chances.
Security experts are wondering if another high-profile leak -- whether true or false --might drop on Election Day right as many voters cast their ballots.
"I think that's absolutely a possibility," said Justin Fier, director of cyber intelligence and analysis with security firm Dark Trace. "It's really very difficult in these cases to vet that information and to declare it to be authentic."
Last Friday, the hacker Guccifer 2.0 attempted to rally hackers and his supporters to his cause when he warned that Democrats could rig Tuesday's election. He previously leaked files stolen from the Democratic National Committee.
However, Guccifer 2.0 has also been caught faking claims, with him saying he hacked the Clinton Foundation and providing evidence that was later debunked. On Friday, he alleged he had become an "independent election observer" by registering himself with the U.S. Federal Election Commission.
The FEC, however, has nothing to do with casting ballots. Instead, the agency oversees campaign finance rules. It does not register election observers.
To prevent a possible disruption on Tuesday, the U.S. government has been working with local election jurisdictions on security. All 50 states have sought federal assistance with protecting election systems from cyber attack, a Department of Homeland Security official said on Friday.
Nevertheless, that might not be enough to assuage concerns over Election Day hacking. The appearance of any cyberattack on Tuesday might set off doubts that the U.S. voting system has been rigged.
"For people who don't understand botnets or DDoS attacks, they might think the problem is really bigger than it is," Hamilton said.
"This can get wrapped up into a big ball of anxiety," he added. "But we have nothing to fear but fear itself."
Microsoft last week said it will add the Access database application to small business Office 365 subscriptions, two years after plucking the program from a similar plan.
"As businesses of all sizes come to realize the value of data analytics to inform decision-making, many are also discovering the need for database solutions like Microsoft Access," stated an unsigned post to a company blog Friday.
Access, the database application long part of the Office suite, will be added to the Office 365 Business and Office 365 Business Premium plans between Dec. 1 and Jan. 30, 2017, as part of the next regularly-scheduled client application update.
Those plans cost $8.25 per user per month (Business) and $12.50 per user per month (Business Premium), considerably less than the $20 per user per month Enterprise E3 or the $35 per user per month Enterprise E5. Both E3 and E5 -- as well as the now-retired Enterprise E4 -- included rights to run Access.
Microsoft culled Access from its Small Business Premium plan -- the precursor to Business Premium -- in late 2014, requiring companies that had been relying on the database to upgrade to a more expensive Enterprise plan to keep using the application.
Later, when Microsoft discontinued Small Business Premium and replaced it with two plans -- Business and Business Premium -- it continued to omit Access from the new deals. And when the company updated Office 365 last year to include the Office 2016 client applications, it again left out Access.
That didn't make sense to some customers, who pointed out that the database application was handed to consumers who subscribed to Office 365 Home ($10 per month) or Office 365 Personal ($7 per month).
Access is a Windows-only application; unlike Office apps such as Word and Excel, Access has never existed as a Mac program.
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India, Sri Lanka agree to form Joint Working Group on Fisheries to address fishermen issue
Published: November 7, 2016
India and Sri Lanka have agreed to set up a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Fisheries and hotline between their Coast Guards to address long-standing issue of fishermen from Tamil Nadu. These mechanisms aim to help find a permanent solution to the fishermen issues.
The decision in this regard taken during talks between Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera in New Delhi.
The JWG on Fisheries will meet every three months beginning January 2017 while the Ministers of Fisheries on both sides would meet every six months along with Naval representatives and Coast Guard to discuss the protracted issue.
Terms of reference of the JWG
Expediting the transition towards ending the practice of bottom trawling at the earliest.
Framing procedures for returning fishermen arrested by both sides.
Possibility of joint patrolling.
However, both sides failed to resolve the issue of their seized boats which has been an emotive issue in Tamil Nadu. This issue will be discussed at the first JWG meeting.
What is the issue?
The fishermen issue continues to be a major irritant in the India-Lanka ties. This issue has a socio-economic dimensions, livelihood and humanitarian dimension and wants a long term solution to the problem.
Sri Lankas Position: It accuses Indian fishermen of straying into its territorial waters. It wants Indian fishermen to immediately end to bottom trawling, a practice that depletes the oceans resources. It also has refused to return more than 100 trawlers seized since 2014.
It accuses Indian fishermen of straying into its territorial waters. It wants Indian fishermen to immediately end to bottom trawling, a practice that depletes the oceans resources. It also has refused to return more than 100 trawlers seized since 2014. Indias Position: Fishermen from Tamil Nadu are only fishing in their traditional areas, especially around Katchatheevu, an islet ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974.
Month: Current Affairs - November, 2016
Topics: Fishermen Issue India-Sri Lanka National
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PARK HILLS The autumn leaves are falling, and so are the days on the calendar that lead up to the beginning of spring semester at Mineral Area College.
Spring classes start Jan. 17 and, even though that seems like a long way off, registration started Oct. 24 for currently enrolled sophomores and Oct. 26 for currently enrolled freshmen and is open to the public Oct. 31, Registrar Pam Reeder said. Before we know it, well be registering students in March forsummer classes.
Reeder said many potential students will be visiting MACs website at www.MineralArea.edu, to apply for admission, check out the registration guide, view course offerings, register for classes, and reserve text books.
Each year, we try to expand the information available on our website and MyMAC, the student portal; both are great resources where students and the public can find answers to questions regarding classes, financial aid, and the college in general, she said.
Spring semester begins Jan. 17 and ends May 12. The eight-week summer semester begins June 5 and ends July 31. MAC also offers 8-week classes in the spring,and 4- week and 6-week classes in the summer. Many classes are offered evenings, online, by telecourse, interactive television and at MACs four outreach centers.
Personal schedules are as varied as the classes we offer, so we strive to meet a variety of needs when we think about scheduling classes, Dean of Students JeanMerrill-Doss said. Classes are offered to meet the early-morning needs of students who work in the afternoon, and the after-five needs of students who work during the day. Some classes even meet on Saturday mornings and a weekend format.
First-time students can apply online at www.MineralArea.edu or contact the Admissions Office at 573-518-2133 for application information. Once admitted, students will be assigned an advisor with whom they can schedule an appointment to discuss degree and course options.
Returning MAC students can update their application and enroll online or schedule an appointment with an advisor and enroll in person. Appointments are available Monday through Friday between 8 - 4 a.m. and Monday and Wednesday evenings by calling 573-431-4593. All students are encouraged to meet with an adviser to stay on track to graduate.
Students who plan to enroll in English or math courses need to take a placement test if they have not taken the ACT. For a list of on- and off-campus testing dates,call 573-518-2202 or 573-518-2188.
Arrangements for paying tuition and fees must be made at the time of registration, and applications for financial aid should be completed prior to enrolling in classes. For financial aid questions email finaid@mineralarea.edu or call 573-518-2133.
Students can price and reserve textbooks online at www.MineralArea.edu. Spring textbooks will be available online on or about December 1. Spring textbook sales at the campus bookstore, including online and order pick up, will begin Jan. 5.
Anyone interested in attending classes at one of MACs outreach centers may contact the main campus in Park Hills or the appropriate outreach centercoordinator: Farmington, Andrea Richardson at 573-701-1310, Ext. 2139; Fredericktown, Marcy Rehkop at 573-783-7932 or 783-7914; Perryville, Mary Bauwens at 573-547-4143; Potosi, Judy East at 573-436-9841 before 3 p.m. or 573-438-2156, Ext. 1224 after 4 p.m..
Call the Registrars Office at 573-518-2130 or email registrar@mineralarea.edu with registration questions.
Live vote counts sometimes go up or down on election night. But elections officials, research firms and media outlets have safeguards in place
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo officially confirmed that the upcoming "Captain America 4" movie series will no longer be played by Chris Evans. Steve Rogers is going to be portrayed by a different actor in future solo film sequels.
Creators have originally cued Steve Rover's future exit after a fight scene with Iron Man in "Captain America: Civil War". Fortunately, fans would not see the last of Chris Evans' performance as the patriotic super soldier until after "Avengers: Infinity War".
It is revealed that the Captain America directors ultimately regretted spinning a rivalry with Iron Man. According to a substantiated report by University Herald, the creators are creating a more complex twist to Steve Roger's character development following the end of "Captain America: Civil War". There is a strong speculation that Steve Rogers will take on the identity of The Nomad - a disillusioned mercenary who severed ties with his country.
An alternative possibility is also presented by Council & Heal. According to them, the "Captain America" moniker will be succeeded two of Steve Rogers' closest friends. Fans may find the continuity of the principal character either in the form of the Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes) or the Falcon (Sam Wilson). There is even a remote possibility that the future "Captain America" will be depicted as a female protagonist.
Chris Evans' exodus from the "Captain America" series may also possibly herald the end of Steve Rogers' existence in future eponymous titles. Curiously, "Captain America" was not the only Marvel character played by Chris Evans. He also once portrayed The Human Torch in two movie adaptations of "Fantastic 4".
Evans is looking forward to expanding his horizons as an actor in the midst of metaphorically 'dropping his shield'. The upcoming drama titled "Gifted" casts him as a single father raising a child prodigy while plagued by the struggles of fighting for her custody.
Uber has collected quite a lot of lawsuits in the past years, some from dissatisfied customers who had a very bad experience with the online transportation company and some from their own drivers.
The most controversial of cases filed against them is that of the two Jane Does who called foul when they were sexually harassed by the Uber drivers that serviced them. The two ladies were allegedly violated in 2015 and filed a lawsuit against the company in October 2015 for sexual assault. According to the two victims, Uber should be liable for their drivers' actions.
There have been claims that Uber doesn't do enough to ensure the safety of their female passengers. Moreover, the company also has an inadequate driver screening system and they simply do not dig deep enough in the background of those drivers they make contracts with.
In Uber's defense, they argue that their company cannot be held liable for their drivers' actions on the count of these people are not employees of Uber, they are contractors. With this in mind, the California-based hailing company tried to appeal to the court to toss the case in May 2016, but that was slammed as per Engadget.
Furthermore, the lawyers of the two victims argue that the company markets their service to young women who have been drinking. It only follows that the drivers they enlist should have a thorough background check to avoid any chance of sexually assaulting young women under the influence of alcohol.
According to CNET,The strong case against Uber was filed by two women who felt violated after availing the company's hailing service. Jane Doe 1 was assaulted in Boston on February 8, 2015. According to the victim, she and her friends were out partying when they decided to hail a ride via Uber.
The Uber driver dropped the victim's friends off before her, then proceeded to take a detour. Jane Doe 1 was kissed and touched inappropriately by the said driver. Luckily for Jane Doe 1, she was able to unlock the door and make a run for it.
The same luck was not present when Jane Doe 2 had her bad experience with Uber. The second victim was assaulted in Charleston, South Carolina on August 9, 2015. Jane Doe 2 and her friends were having a good time at a bar when they decided to hail a cab the convenient way, which is by the Uber app.
The Uber driver dropped off Jane Doe 2's friends first, then took a detour to take her home next. Eventually, Jane Doe 2 soon found herself in an abandoned parking lot and was raped by the suspected Uber driver.
Upon finding out about this horrible report, Uber said that they barred those drivers immediatly. Uber has already settled their case with the two Jane Does, although the details have yet to be released. There is a report however that the prosecution has requested payment for unspecified damages plus a permanent injunction against Uber to overhaul safety measures.
That being said, Uber must require their drivers to install GPS tracking systems on their vehicles, which should alarm if deactivated. The child lock feature should be removed as well on passenger doors. Lastly, they also requested to do a fingerprint-based background check and face to face interviews with the drivers they hire.
However, it is yet to be revealed if Uber agreed to these terms set by the lawyers of the two Jane Does. Now that the Jane Doe sexual assault case against them has been settled, Uber can now deal with other lawsuits lined up for them. The ride-hailing app is definitely used on a global scale.
Uber has their services used in over 450 cities and 70 countries and there are a lot of sexual assault complaints from all over the world. The service us even banned in India's capital after a horrible rape case took place in 2014. Moreover, there was also a sexual assault case in France whereas the driver was arrested.
"Blue Exorcist" (Ao No Exorcist) is a supernatural-themed action anime based on the manga series written and illustrated by Kazue Kato. The first season aired in Spring 2011 and ended the same year with 25 episodes.
The story follows Rin Okumura, the heir of Satan in his quest to become the Paladin, known as the top ranking Exorcist. Rin aims to defeat his father, Satan who plans to possess his body to walk in the human realm.
In 2017, "Blue Exorcist" will be back with Season 2 and will feature the return of familiar characters and some new ones as well. The plot and arcs of the second season have been revealed in a leak. According to Crunchyroll, it was also confirmed that "Blue Exorcist" Season 2 will feature the Kyoto Impure King Arc!
The synopsis of the second season will still follow the story of Rin Okumura and his exorcist friends in True Cross Academy. The mission is to protect the 'Right Eye of the Impure King' from being stolen by Todo, who has already obtained the 'Left Eye of the Impure King.'
The Right Eye is currently with the Myoda Sect and Rin will help protect them from Todo. It is said that when the two eyes are used together, the Impure king will be resurrected. The vile evil ruler who murdered thousands of people in the 19th century.
Rin will also face a few social dilemmas since his friends' discover that he is in fact, the son of Satan.
A-1 Pictures will still handle the animation of "Blue Exorcist" Season 2 but the directorship will be handed from Tensai Okamura to Koichi Hatsumi. As per Movie News Guide, the production team will consist of Hiroyuki Sawano and Kohta Yamamoto as the Composers. Character Design will be done by Keigo Sasaki and the scriptwriting by TOshiya Ono and Ryota Yamaguchi.
We certainly have a lot of great Animes lined up for 2017, including the confirmed "Blue Exorcist" Season 2. Hopefully, Anime fans will also get confirmation on other anime series for 2017, such as "One Punch Man" Season 2 and possibly "Attack on Titan" Season 2.
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Former President Bill Clinton will return to Greensboro on Monday for a get out the vote rally.
The event at UNC-Greensboro will take place at Kaplan Commons, Elliott University Center lawn, 1200 W. Walker Ave.
Doors open at 11:45 a.m. for the 12:45 p.m. event.
Later that night, Clinton also will join his wife, Hillary, and daughter, Chelsea, for a midnight "get out the vote" rally in Raleigh.
That rally will come hours after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks Monday afternoon at Raleighs Dorton Arena. Doors for Trump's 3 p.m. rally open at noon.
Bill Clinton was in Greensboro on Oct. 30 to rally support for her Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.
WINSTON-SALEM There is a really easy way to get a free doughnut on Election Day just vote.
Krispy Kreme will be giving one free doughnut to every person who shows up at a participating location wearing an I Voted sticker on Nov. 8. Voters can choose from any flavor.
We want to sweeten Election Day by saying thank you to those who participate at the polls, said Krispy Kreme Chief Marketing Officer Jackie Woodward. It has been a long election season, and we think a free treat is the perfect way to reward voters.
Not all Krispy Kreme locations will be participating in the campaign. For more information on the cities where stores are opting out, click here.
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Winston-Salem home destroyed by fire
WINSTON-SALEM Nobody was hurt after a house fire caused by unattended cooking in Winston-Salem on Saturday.
The incident was reported at about 2:30 p.m. on Capistrano Drive near Crestview Drive, according to authorities. Nobody was home at the time.
The Winston-Salem Fire Department and Forsyth County emergency workers responded to the fire. The home is said to be a total loss.
Fox 8/WGHP
Legislative candidate dies, stays on ballot
MANTEO Outer Banks voters choosing who will represent them in the North Carolina House this week could choose a candidate who has died.
The family of Dare County Commissioner Warren Judge said Sunday that hes died. Jessica Tade Twiford at Twiford Funeral Homes in Manteo said the candidate for House District 6 in the General Assembly died Saturday.
The Democrat was running for an open legislative seat against Republican Beverly Boswell, a fellow Dare County commissioner. Boswell issued a statement through the state Republican Party that Judge will be remembered for his honesty, integrity and commitment to public service after 16 years as a county commissioner.
If voters choose Judge in Tuesdays election, the local Democratic Party will determine who fills the legislative seat.
The Associated Press
Greensboro stabbing injures one
GREENSBORO Police are investigating a stabbing Sunday morning that injured a person.
According to a police news release, at 1:48 a.m. officers responded to the 1400 block of East Washington Street. Upon arrival, they found the victim had been stabbed in the chest. The victim was taken to a local hospital and is being treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
The suspect has been apprehended. The investigation is ongoing.
Greensboro News & Record
Home with Trump sign shot at with BB gun
CARY Police are investigating after someone fired shots into a house in Cary and the Donald Trump sign outside Saturday night. Officers said a BB gun was used.
James Powers, the homeowner, spoke to ABC11 saying hes hurt that someone had the audacity to do that to his Trump-Pence sign in front of his home.
You have to think about, thats an evasion of my freedom. Ive done nothing to anybody else. Nothing, he said.
Powers said he discovered what happened after coming from dinner, which included numerous holes and shattered glass. He said hes thankful his children and granddaughter were not home.
It really didnt resonate until this happened that she plays here, he said.
While police search for a suspect, Powers told ABC11 he is keeping his sign up. He said hes already voted and he doesnt want this violence to intimidate voters.
Fox 8/WGHP
At Union Baptist Church on Sunday, churchgoers turned to one another in their pews and said: We better vote.
Turn to your neighbor and say We better vote, instructed the Rev. William Barber, president of the North Carolina NAACP.
The packed sanctuary obliged: We better vote rose up.
Barber, special guest at Unions special pre-election service Sunday morning, didnt stop there. In an hourlong sermon that moved between speaking, shouting and singing, Barber cut to the heart of what he sees at stake Tuesday. Voting, he said, is a moral issue for those who care about the poor, the disenfranchised, the environment, equality and education.
Voting is not just constitutional, he said. Its spiritual.
Barber was invited for Unions Voter Turnout Sunday, where churchgoers were not only encouraged to vote, but also given a chance to hear from local candidates and elected officials.
This was a powerful, powerful Sunday, said Bishop Sir Walter Mack Jr., senior pastor at Union Baptist.
The service was part of a nationwide effort by black clergy to energize black voters ahead of election day, aiming to make a difference in the presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Many expect a drop in black voter participation this year, primarily because Barack Obama, the nations first African-American president, is not on the ballot. His historic candidacy in 2008 and re-election in 2012 helped fuel record black turnout.
Shamus Thomas wasnt going to vote on Tuesday, but said she will now.
Barber, who has become a national figure after delivering a rousing speech at the Democratic National Convention this summer, can be persuasive like that.
I didnt think my vote mattered, Thomas said. He made me realize it does matter.
Sundays service stood in for Souls to the Polls efforts, in which churches would organize congregations to vote early after church. Forsyth County did not have any Sunday hours for early voting this year and had one polling site open in the first week of early voting.
Barber has been an outspoken voice on changes to the states election law that many have said were attempts at voter suppression. In August, a 4-4 ruling from the Supreme Court upheld a lower-court decision that found new state rules that canceled the first week of early voting, ended same-day voter registration and required photo IDs to vote unfairly targeted minority voters and students. Just last week, a judge ruled that thousands of names that had been purged from voter rolls in several North Carolina counties in the weeks leading up to the election had to be reinstated.
Denise Smith said shed been following the fight over voting rights in the state. She and her daughter, voting for the first time, voted early. Smith said she felt it was important to vote early as a show of appreciation for those who fought to have extended early voting reinstated.
I felt it was my responsibility, she said, to show that we appreciate their hard work.
More than 100,000 people voted early in Forsyth County, more than in 2008 or 2012.
The receiver for ZeekRewards.com wants court approval for requiring victims to complete the necessary documentation on their claims by Dec. 31 or forfeit their potential restitution.
Kenneth Bell says on www.zeekrewardsreceivership.com that 38,587 claimants are in that category. The deadline for filing a claim was in 2013.
Bell said in a filing Thursday that he has sent restitution checks on more than 100,000 qualified claims.
Bell has said there is $92.6 million in a reserve account that could be dispersed to victims who complete their requirement release and tax statements. The total money in reserve for the 38,587 claimant group is $42.2 million.
Forfeited funds would be released after Dec. 31 for additional payments to claimants with qualified claims.
Bell said he sent a notice to affected victims on Tuesday and will again for the final time on Dec. 1.
In August 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Rex Venture Group LLC (RVG), Zeekler, ZeekRewards and founder Paul Burks of raising more than $800 million through unregistered securities, also known as penny auctions, and another $96 million in subscription fees.
The Lexington companies raised the money from at least 2.2 million customers, including more than 230,000 in the United States, with 47,000 of those in North Carolina.
In 2016, federal prosecutors raised the amount to $939 million before Burks criminal trial, calling it one of the largest Ponzi schemes in U.S. history.
As of Sept. 30, Bell has recovered $362 million and disbursed $269.8 million to victims. Many victims have received funds accounting for between 60 percent and 70 percent of their losses.
Another $17 million could be dispersed to about 18,000 victims who live outside the United States.
Only 530 victims have completed the process to receive a wire financial transfer.
The total of recognized claims is $494 million, Bell said.
On July 21, a federal jury found Burks guilty of wire and mail-fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, and tax-fraud conspiracy.
The wire and mail-fraud conspiracy charge, the mail-fraud charge and the wire-fraud charge each carry a maximum prison term of 20 years and a $250,000 fine. The tax-fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum prison term of five years and a $250,000 fine.
The U.S. attorneys office said Burks will remain free on bond while a sentencing date is set. It is possible Burks could spend the rest of his life in prison.
In February 2015, Bell gained court permission to certify about 9,400 net winners as defendants in a class-action lawsuit. Bell has defined net winners as those who had a net gain of at least $1,000. The amounts include interest owed by each individual.
The overall net winner list contained 15 individuals from Forsyth County, 105 from the Triad and Northwest N.C., and 390 statewide.
Bell has cautioned that although there is more than $200 million in judgments that could be awarded, the actual amount recovered by the receivership is likely to be substantially lower.
Federal judge Graham Mullen has approved setting a trial date for mid-February on Bells attempt to retrieve a combined $669,365 from six net winners. The requests were filed against Catherine Parker, Leon Killam, Yong Sheng Wang, Brian Fussey, James Macelwain and Mel-Ping Liang. Each was found in default Dec. 19, 2015.
Bell has called pure fiction an attempt by five other participants to keep their net winnings even after Burks was found guilty.
Named in the defendants response are Aaron Andrews, Shara Andrews, Durant Brockett, Rhonda Gates and Innovations Marketing LLC. None are from North Carolina. Brockett was listed as having gained $1.72 million, Gates at $1.42 million, and Aaron and Shara Andrews, doing business as Innovation Marketing LLC, at $1 million.
Bell has been granted permission to pursue up to $13.17 million in assets from three financial institutions Payza, Payment World LLC and VictoriaBank SA of Moldova.
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |
What is unusual about the FBIs intervention in the 2016 election is not the intervention. The FBI tries to shape US politics every day. They actually used hashtags to put supporters of Black Lives Matter under surveillance. It is that they are doing it openly and at the level of a presidential election campaign. That is, Hillary Clinton is being treated like Black Lives Matter members. Even in the 1940s the FBI hated Democrats and saw them as socialists, i.e. crypto-Communists. (FBI director Edgar J. Hoover denied this allegation publicly but the documentation on all this is by now quite clear).
So here are some other heavy duty FBI interventions in US politics:
1. In 1946, the FBI started whisper campaigns in the media against progressive Democrats as being secret Communists, throwing Congress into the hands of the Republicans for the first time since 1930.
2. In the 1950s, Kenneth OReilly argues, the FBI fed secret smears on leftists to the House Un-American Activities Committee and played a big role in McCarthyism. J. Edgar Hoover may not have liked McCarthy and may have felt some of his charges were lacking in evidence, but the agency worked hand in glove with McCarthys committee.
3. In the 1960s the FBI used its covert COINTELPRO program to infiltrate and disrupt Civil Rights organizations such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. They even tried to destroy Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., whom they called the most dangerous Negro, with illegal electronic surveillance.
4. COINTELPRO was also deployed against groups organizing to protest the Vietnam War. Note that the US Constitution gives people the right to protest, so the FBI was acting unconstitutionally. In 1971 activists broke into an FBI office and found the documents on COINTELPRO and began leaking them to the press, which got pressure from Nixon not to publish them. They did anyway. The FBI immediately cancelled COINTELPRO.
5. After the Native American Movement occupied Wounded Knee (site of a late 19th century massacre) for three months in 1973, the protesters were acquitted on the grounds that the FBI manipulated key witnesses.
Given this history, it is extremely irresponsible of the Bush and Obama administrations to have given the FBI vast new powers of secret security letters to by-pass warrants, and vast new unwarranted surveillance tools.
Related video:
CNN: Comey: FBI has not changed conclusions on Clinton
The Australian Senate [official website] on Sunday rejected a proposed plebiscite on same-sex marriage. The bill was defeated 29-33 even though Attorney General George Brandis had warned that the cause of marriage equality will be delayed for years. The bill had proposed a public vote next February to gauge voters thoughts on the issue of same-sex marriage, but would not actually have legalized same-sex marriage, as the issue was considered a matter of public morality [Advocate report].
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull introduced the legislation [JURIST report] in August as the rights of same-sex couples are being debated throughout the globe. Tens of thousands of people marched [JURIST report] in Mexico in protest of same-sex marriage in September, a controversial topic in the country exacerbated by a proposal from embattled President Enrique Pena Nieto to recognize same-sex marriage. The Aruban legislature voted [JURIST report] in September to give official recognition to same-sex couples, giving them the right to register their unions and receive the benefits granted to other married people. The New York Court of Appeals ruled [JURIST report] in August that the definition of parent under a section of the states Domestic Relations Law should be expanded, in a decision that will serve to better accommodate same-sex couples. Also in August, the Belize Supreme Court struck down [JURIST report] a law banning sodomy, declaring it unconstitutional. Section 53 of the Belize Criminal Code banned carnal intercourse against the order of nature.
[JURIST] The European Commission has filed suit [WDR report, in German] against Germany alleging that the country violated the 1991 Directive [text] concerning nitrate levels in water. The EU argues that Germany flouted the directive by failing to reduce levels of nitrate in ground water despite being obligated to address the issue by 2012, and some levels are higher today than they were even four years ago particularly in Berlin. If the EU is successful, Germany could have to pay fines up to six figures.
Water rights have been a major concern over the last year, particularly water contamination. In March Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan was served with a class action lawsuit [JURIST report] over the water contamination in Flint, Michigan. In February BP supervisors were found not guilty [JURIST report] of a Clean Water Act violation after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Also in February the US Supreme Court blocked [JURIST report] the EPAs Clean Power Plan, which meant to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. In December a federal appeals court preserved [JURIST report] the EPAs Mercury regulations that limit mercury and other hazardous pollutants from coal-fired power plants. In October the Sixth Circuit temporarily stayed the EPAs new Clean Water Rule [JURIST report] for the Clean Water Act.
A judge for the US District Court for the District of New Jersey [official website] declined to rule [order, PDF; opinion, PDF] Saturday that the Republican National Committee (RNC) [party website] has engaged in poll intimidation. The decision was spurred by an order [CNN report] late last month for the RNC to provide information in regards to any efforts regarding poll watching or poll observation, showing any potential collusion with Donald Trumps poll monitoring campaign, aimed at intimidating minority votersa violation of an old consent decree. Lawyers for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) [party website] argued that, in regards to potential poll intimidation, Trump and the RNC are inextricably tied together. The RNC argued, and the court agreed, that the DNC has provided insufficient evidence to support their argument. In addition, the court found that the RNC produced documentary evidence showing there is not an agent relationship between the Trump campaign and RNC in regards to these so-called ballot security measures. The judge, while ruling in favor of the RNC, said that the court, following election day, will hear the parties as to additional discovery on this point in order to develop a full record to determine whether an extension is warranted.
Voter rights continue to plague this election cycle. Last month the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit [official website] struck down [JURIST report] a New Hampshire law that banned ballot selfies. Last week the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit [official website] denied an emergency motion [JURIST report] from North Carolina counties to extend the hours of early voting. Earlier this month a district court judge ruled [JURIST report] that Ohio must allow most unlawfully purged voters to vote in November. In September a district court judge granted [JURIST report] a motion blocking Illinois from allowing voter registration on election day in the states most populated counties. Also in September the US Supreme Court [official website] denied a motion to reinstate [JURIST report] North Carolinas recently overturned law that limited early voting to 10 days and required voters to present approved identification cards
A judge for the US District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania [official website] ruled [order, PDF] Friday that Title VIIs protection from employment discrimination based on sex extends to sexual orientation. The ruling came as the court refused to dismiss a case where the plaintiff alleged discrimination based on his LGBT status creating a hostile work environment leading to discharge. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) brought forth the complaint after a manager regularly used gay slurs against an employee and inquired about his sex life. The company filed a motion to dismiss on the grounds that the employee failed to state a legally cognizable claim. The court held that the behavior was a violation of current civil rights legislation because it was rooted in the idea that the plaintiff s sexual orientation was not in line with what the manager believed a mans should be.
That someone can be subjected to a barrage of insults, humiliation, hostility and/or changes to the terms and conditions of their employment, based upon nothing more than the aggressors view of what it means to be a man or a woman, is exactly the evil Title VII was designed to eradicate. Because this Court concludes that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a subset of sexual stereotyping and thus covered by Title VIIs prohibitions on discrimination because of sex, Defendants Motion to Dismiss on the ground that the EEOCs Complaint fails to state a claim for which relief can be granted will be denied.
Discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity has been a controversial issue in the US. In December a federal judge ruled that sexual orientation discrimination is prohibited [JURIST report] under a law that protects against gender-based discrimination. Last November President Barack Obamas expressed support [JURIST report] for legislation that would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity through an amendment to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In July 2014 Obama signed an executive order [text] barring federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity [JURIST report] but, despite pressure, did not include any exemptions for religious organizations. In November 2013 the US Senate approved [JURIST report] the Employment Non-Discrimination Act [text], a bill outlawing workplace discrimination against gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, by a vote of 64 to 32, but it has made no progress in the House of Representatives.
The Palestinian Constitutional Court ruled Sunday that President Mahmoud Abbas can revoke the parliamentary immunity of lawmakers, which will allow him to expel various political opponents. The ruling upheld Abbas 2012 revocation of Mohammad Dahlans immunity; Dahlan is considered Abbas potential successor and lives in self-imposed exile to avoid charges of corruption [Reuters report]. The decision has been condemned by Abbas opponents, who claim that the decision would effectively allow him to cancel the role of the Palestinian legislative council.
The judicial system in Palestine [BBC backgrounder] has given rise to internal criticism. In April Abbas established the controversial constitutional court [JURIST report]. Those that opposed the creation point out that Abbas stacked the court in his favor by appointing justices from his own political party widening the split between the Fatah and Hamas political groups. In August Human Rights Watch released a report [JURIST report] that detailed five cases in Gaza and the West Bank where journalists and activists were arrested or detained by authorities due to their peaceful criticism of authorities. Activists suggested that court proceedings are used as a means to harass them into silence as they are often delayed and rescheduled due to lack of witnesses, which requires their constant presence at the court. In May a UN spokesperson urged Gaza to end the use of the death penalty [JURIST report] as the UN feels that Gazas standard in execution cases is lacking.
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Western Rise: A Colorado Company Steeped in Tradition
This post is sponsored by Western Rise. Thoughts, opinions are my own.
Kelly and Will Watters didnt come to Colorado to found a new outdoor apparel brand. They came to Colorado to chase the fish. The came to nab untracked lines of powder. They came to breathe in the fresh Colorado mountain air that one can only find above 13k feet. But as they say, a single ski season turned into two, and then four. Next thing they both knew, Colorado was home.
But along the way, Kelly and Will also realized how tough it can be to make it in a mountain town {which I definitely remember from my time in Steamboat!} Jobs are scarce, housing is insanely expensive, and most locals struggle to get by with two jobs, let alone three or four. It was no different for this couple, but they made the decision. They were staying. The proverbial juice was worth the squeeze.
And this is how Western Rise came to Colorado.
PC: Dan Sohner
As both ski instructors on the mountain and fly fishing guides on the river, the Watters both realized that it can be tricky to find outdoor gear that is affordable *and* useful *and* stylish. Why, they questioned, cant there be outdoor apparel that checks both the technical and lifestyle boxes? This question haunted them daily as they flitted from their job to home to town and back again. And bit by bit, they did exactly what my parents did when they started their family business: they began piecing it all together.
They gathered bits of information here and saved some money there. As luck would have it, Will comes from a family of fabric makers that extends three generations. His knowledge of the fabric industry combined with the entrepreneurialism running through his veins made Western Rise a no brainer. A new outdoor apparel brand was coming to the market, and Will and Kelly were going to bring it. And in April, 2015, it finally happened. Western Rise opened its doors for business.
Wrapping up its second year, Ive only heard good things about this company. I first heard of the name back in July while on the Wild Womens Project in the San Juans. A few of the women were wearing their shirts and I was shocked that I hadnt heard of the brand. Since then, it has popped up everywhere. Outdoor Retailer. Freelance articles. Western Rise is making a name for themselves, and its largely thanks to the principles they set out to accomplish: quality apparel that blends style with technical needs.
But my favorite part is that the Watters couple hasnt forgotten their roots. Western Rise believes that it is not only their responsibility but their obligation to acknowledge and create a discussion around the negative impact a business can have on the environment. To this end, Western Rise donates 1% of each sale to Western Rivers Conservancy. The way the brand sees it, their mountain lifestyle is made possible by these public lands, so of course they should do their part to protect them. Additionally, Western Rise is hoping to disrupt the system by focusing their sales on a direct-to-consumer model, cutting out the middle men.
Finally, starting in 2017, Western Rise is launching a monthly community-crowd funded clothing line called the Evolution Line. The Evolution series will be developed based on feedback from the Western Rise community. Not only that, but the brand will also be reducing the go-to market time by a huge margin. By offering only pre-sold pieces, Western Rise will shrink the timeframe down to just three months to go from brand to consumer, like you. In fact, their new flannel {the Elkton for the men and the Bailey flannel for the women, $99/89 respectively} dropped last Monday for pre-sales, with shirts set to arrive mid-month. This is the shirt featured in all of these photos, in case you want to check it out. Western Rise is coining this new addition the perfect flannel shirt. I mean, okay!
Id love to hear your thoughts! What do you think of this type of business model?
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The former Portuguese PM and European Commission President, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, emerges as an accomplice of the great atrocities of the war in Iraq and its lingering consequences.
Since mid-September 2016, the Portuguese Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Commission has been trying to contact former Portuguese PM and President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, in order to obtain an official testimony over the Lajes Summit that took place on the Portuguese island of Azores on 16 March 2003, a few days before the US-led coalition invaded Iraq. But the former Portuguese leader Barroso keeps silent.
The former Defense Minister Paulo Portas and former Foreign Affairs Minister Martins da Cruz have also been sought by the commission. Also unsuccessfully. They are allowed to refuse a testimony and the request has no binding force.
The Azores Summit
The emergency Azores Summit took place in a critical time, when Washington and London were still far away from getting the votes they needed to pass the United Nations draft resolution 1441, which demanded Iraqs disarmament and ultimately gave the green light to the invasion. Hence, the diplomatic meeting brought together the three resolutions cosponsors US, UK and Spain to seek a quick strategy for gaining further support.
This forgotten summit, sponsored by Washington, was ultimately successfully, since it kicked off the US-led intervention in Iraq, which counted with ground fighting support from British, Australian and Polish troops. Spain offered non-combat support in the form of medical teams and experts in contamination, while Portugal assisted with political support.
In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and far away from mass protests against the imminent foreign invasion, the four former leaders reached an agreement over what was to become a bloody page in history, triggering a slaughter in the Middle East and left the countries of the region in chaos up until today.
US President George W. Bush, British PM Tony Blair, Spanish PM Jose Maria Aznar and the host Jose Manuel Barroso considered the outline of the intervention under the false premise that former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was in possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Both Bush and Blair have been criticized for their role in the intervention in Iraq. Now, the Portuguese Parliament wants to also hear from the Portuguese officials what exactly had happened during the meeting.
Chilcot Report on the unnecessary war
The official request came from the Portuguese Communist Party two days after the UK published on 6 July 2016 the 2.6-million-words-long Chilcot Report, named after the chairman of the public inquiry, Sir John Chilcot. The report condemned the British governments role in the Iraq war: the very decision to go to war, the deployment on the ground and its non-existent role in post-war support.
In the summary, the bulky inquiry confirmed that Saddam Hussein did not pose a threat to British national security and interests; that intelligence regarding WMD was presented with unwarranted certainty; that peaceful and diplomatic solutions to war had not been exhausted; that the UK and the US undermined the authority of the United Nations Security Council; and above all that the war was unnecessary.
The reports publication sparkled a great deal of indignation amongst the media. Arshad M. Khan couldnt hide his anger when writing for Global Research the article Elite Impunity and Chilcot Report Will Tony Blair Ever Go to Jail? The author is sceptical of any future law enforcement bringing the findings before the courts and indicting those responsible and makes a compelling case against Blair and his partners for the unbelievable mess that is now Iraq.
What stands out in the British Iraq Inquiry report is the sidestepping of the war crime issue. But then it was carefully placed outside its scope. This omission aside, the indictments remain, damning and morally appalling. Thus it confirms the war was launched on a false pretext, wrote Khan. Is a US president immune, or is any sitting president afraid of setting a precedent?
Blair was Bushs loyal serf. Eight months before the war, Blair the hawkish vassal told Bush in a secret memo: I will be with you, whatever comes.
Indeed, Blair blindly pursued the White Houses goal of regime change in Iraq regardless of its tragic outcomes. The topsy-turvy post-9/11 rationalisation for regime change from the chauvinist, parochial and sometimes proudly ignorant George W. Bush White House produced predictably topsy-turvy results, wrote the Guardians editorial. Moreover, the rise of the Islamic State was attributed with high likelihood to Blair jointly decision on intervening in Iraq. Jihadi forces that Saddam Hussein had contained were not discouraged by his ousting, but greatly emboldened. Overall, a country ruined, trust shattered, a reputation trashed, denounced the British paper.
On a similar note, Al Jazeera accused Blair of having underestimated the consequences of the Iraqi invasion noting that his actions were based on flawed intelligence. Mehdi Hasan, a British political journalist argued that even before the Chilcot Report was made public there were clear examples of Blairs deception. In a news video entitled The Iraq war: Did Tony Blair deceive us? Hasan goes on saying that no inquiry was necessary for the general public to know that the Iraq war was a catastrophic disaster and that the UK was lied into it.
Blair misled the public, clinging on the claims that Saddam Hussein had stockpiles of WMD claims that, according to the Chilcot Report, were presented with a certainty that was not justified.
The story gets even more Machiavellian, though. A documentary film produced by Guardian Films in March 2006, Iraqs Missing Billions, conveys a disturbing tale of corruption and fraud. After having pursued the regime change motto and overthrown Saddam Hussein, both the British and the Americans were given a delicate responsibility by the United Nations. They became responsible for guaranteeing that around $20 billion belonging to Iraqs public safes were to be used by and for the Iraqi people. However, this large amount of money simply disappeared.
In the film, Frank Willis, a senior member of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) that governed Iraq after the invasion, headed by US Ambassador Paul Bremer, confessed that as trustees, they did a very poor job: We should have spent the money on Iraqi people, rather than putting it in the pockets of foreign business. Before shooting the documentary, the Guardian had done research on the vanished money, posing the question So, Mr. Bremer, where did all the money go? as early as 2005.
Overall, KPMGs auditors have found that a massive corruption scheme, built on ghost workers, bribes and intimidating practices, was put in place by the very same nations intended to liberate Iraq and its people:
The auditors found that the CPA didnt keep accounts of the hundreds of millions of dollars of cash in its vault, had awarded contracts worth billions of dollars to American firms without tender, and had no idea what was happening to the money from the Development Fund for Iraq, which was being spent by the interim Iraqi government ministries.
The trail of destruction on Iraqi territory was appalling. After the US-led intervention, public services became extremely deficient. Supply of electricity, clean water and oil became intermittent leaving populations in inhumane conditions. Access to and quality of healthcare services were highly compromised with severe shortages of medical devices and supplies. All of this remains a gloomy reality in todays Iraq.
The problems with the wars on terror
The famous war on terror conducted by the Western allies left death, destruction and a power vacuum in Iraq. These military interventions led to the rise of radicalization and, eventually, to the consolidation of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIL), triggering a massive refugee crisis into Europe the biggest humanitarian crisis since World War II.
Indeed, it was a fact that rulers like Saddam Hussein and Muhammad Gadhafi, stood atop violent and repressive autocratic regimes. Nevertheless, they had maintained at least a degree of stability, safety and decent living for their people. No nation should be allowed to meddle in the affairs of another sovereign nation, certainly not in this self-serving, unaccountable and, ultimately, counterproductive fashion.
The Belgian journalist Michel Collon challenged the Wests pretension of assuming a worldwide leadership in global affairs. After all, it is of no coincidence that primarily oil-rich countries, like Iraq and Libya, tend to come into the spotlight of the international community. Collon also claims that the West had hidden reasons for pursuing a military intervention in Libya. He argues that Gadhafis decision to nationalize Libyas oil was not welcomed by the Western coalition.
One must also question the double standards that the US, UK and their NATO allies have with regard to Saudi Arabia. How legitimate is it to condemn the acts of some oppressors, while closing eyes to similarly extreme violations of human rights in different countries? The answer lies in the extent to which the West can count on the precious resources produced by these not-so-different states. While the trade between Saudi Arabia and the US, France and the UK is predictably smooth, both Iraq and Libya needed a regime change to facilitate the trade.
As we see report after report slamming former politicians and their foreign policies, it still seems that the impunity is here to stay. The Bush and Blair warmongers duos connection to the catastrophe in Iraq (and Afghanistan) will go down in history. Yet, they have never been formally accused for crimes against humanity. David Cameron wont be forgotten for his irresponsible and negligent behaviour in Libya.
Barroso too remains their undeclared accomplice, at least by association.
Remember the movie, Groundhog Day, the one where Bill Murray plays a TV weatherman assigned to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, Pa.? Murrays character becomes trapped in a time loop, re-living the same day over and over and over again.
In a world where art often imitates life, the Groundhog Day effect is alive, and farm and ranch families have a front row seat for the Obama Administrations repeated and expansive attempts to regulate farms and ranches.
The administrations latest version of Coming Soon highlights EPAs proposed Waters of the U.S. Rule, a proposal to grant the agency unprecedented authority and control over farmland. Like Murrays Groundhog Day character, agriculture is becoming way too accustomed to a repeating cycle of unfriendly proposals. Few in farm country will forget their plans to prevent children from working on farms, or their initiative to require farmers to get a Commercial Drivers License (CDL) to drive tractors. Nebraskans have also been touched by their efforts to subject grain storage bins to OSHA standards, complying with overzealous fuel storage standards, and the now infamous airplane fly-overs of farms and ranches.
While there are some doozies in their list of credits, the latest is the most heinous. Under the proposal, any land where water flows, pools, collects, or stands during or after a rainfall event would be considered to be Waters of the U.S. While that sounds harmless, theres a catch. Waters of the U.S. are subject to a multitude of federal Clean Water Act (CWA) regulations, including both EPAs pollutant discharge permit requirements and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredge and fill permits.
Farmers and ranchers with land that contains any of these water features and most do will find out quickly that farming practices like applying fertilizer, cutting hay and even building fences would require CWA permits. The real kicker is that EPA has no legal obligation to issue permits to individuals. In simplest terms, EPA would have clear control of what happens on an individuals farm or ranch.
Agriculture needs to take notice. While Groundhog Day was a comedy, the administrations land grab is anything but. The agency is investing heavily in trying to create a positive buzz around its blockbuster, touting the rule as good for farmers and pointing to a series of USDA approved agriculture exemptions to the rule. The move has swooned environmental groups and fooled some in farm country. Those whove studied the proposal, however, understand farmers shouldnt need exemptions from normal farm practices that arent subject to regulation in the first place, something EPA seems to ignore.
Slowing EPAs zest for greater land control wont be easy. At the conclusion of Groundhog Day Murrays character successfully breaks the cycle of re-living the same day over and over by making personal improvements and becoming a better person. In this case, the U.S. Supreme Court has already turned EPA away twice before when questions were raised about how far the agency could reach in controlling land use in the name of protecting water quality. EPAs new straight-forward approach of attempting to regulate everything certainly leaves few hairs to split, but still heads in the wrong direction for agriculture and the environment.
While farmland is squarely in the cross-hairs, the reach of the proposal goes well-beyond agriculture boundaries. Anyone who puts a spade in the ground to turn the soil should take notice. This rule, like so many of its predecessors, needs turned back before the final credits roll.
Steve Nelson is president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation and farms with his son near Axtell, Nebraska.
The Scotia Tide deployment barge is towed into position near Parrsboro, Nova Scotia on Monday Nov. 7, 2016 in this handout image provided by Cape Sharp Tidal. Cape Sharp Tidal had planned to install it over the weekend, but had to put it off while preparation work was being done on the turbine's tail THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Cape Sharp Tidal MANDATORY CREDIT
The Arctic Restaurant and Hotel, seen here on the right in a photo in Whitehorse, Yukon, ca. 1899, was co-owned by Donald Trump's grandfather, a German immigrant named Friedrich Drumpf, who began the family fortune with ventures in the Klondike Gold Rush. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Provincial Archives of Alberta, P7125
Hsu Tzu-chiang (), Taiwan When I was inside, I often dreamed of being out, free. Then I would wake up and still be in prison. When I finally got out, I was reluctant to go to sleep at night, because I was afraid to dream and wake up back inside the prison.
There was a time when Hsu Tzu-chiang () woke up, quietly put on his best suit, and then sat by himself for hours, waiting to be executed. There was a time when Hsu Tzu-chiang () woke up, quietly put on his best suit, and then sat by himself for hours, waiting to be executed.
After the normal period when someone was likely taken to be killed passed, he would return to his cell, slowly remove the clothing, carefully fold it, and put it back under his bed, ready for the next day.
How long exactly? I cant remember, but this lasted for a couple of months, Hsu, 48, told The News Lens International in Taipei.
It was during the early years of a 16-year stretch on death row, when he was numb, when he thought sooner or later he would be executed. And in Taiwan, the condemned are allowed to wear their best clothing on their execution day.
Hsu, along with two others, was sentenced to death for the September 1995 kidnap and murder of businessman Huang Chun-shu (). No material evidence was found connecting Hsu to the murder, but the confession of a codefendant thought by some to be extracted during torture by the police implicated Hsu. Fearing torture, Hsu went into hiding for months before he turned himself in, in June 1996.
Hsu, who has always maintained his innocence, is very lucky his execution was never carried out; more than 150 people were executed in Taiwan during the time he was in prison. While his case was eventually championed by lawyers and activists, and become synonymous with human rights and legal reform in Taiwan, for the first five years of his sentence he was just another man on death row.
The nightmare
Hsu's case, as the Judicial Reform Foundation puts it, repeatedly bounced back and forth between the High Court and Supreme Court. In his first six trials, he was found guilty and given the death sentence.
Hsu says he reached his lowest point after the guilty verdict was first handed down.
One part of me was saying come and kill me now, another was saying, maybe take me tomorrow, maybe I can see my family again, he says.
Throughout the rest of his time behind bars, seeing his family would continue to take him back to that nadir, the most painful part of his experience.
You go to the visiting room with a very happy feeling, but you leave feeling like that might be the last time you will see your family.
Aside from the very real danger of execution, Hsus years in the detention center where Taiwans death row prisoners are held appear to be characterized by waiting, eating, smoking and waiting. He tried to keep fit, running on the spot in his cell. If it was not raining, prisoners were allowed outside for around 30 minutes a day though he notes at one detention center with no outdoor area he was indoors for eight months straight.
For the most part, he just waited; waited to eat and waited for his name to be called a headcount is taken every time a guards take a break or changes shift. Some guards would give inmates cigarettes to smoke in their cell, as long as they did not tell anyone about it.
Who was I going to tell?
Some prisoners had mini portable televisions, but the cost of batteries prohibited most from watching often.
Everything costs money. Toilet paper too; the government did not provide that, he says.
Hsu says during the first few years he was locked up, the guards could beat prisoners with an apparent impunity when asked what they did, to prisoners he replies, The question is, what wouldnt they do?
However, because most of the men in the detention center were without tomorrow, disputes between prisoners or with the guards were rare, he says.
Those people dont really have hope anymore; they dont start fights, they dont argue as often as in a normal prison, he says.
Medical problems, however, were common and very slow to be resolved. Hsu recalls toothaches, in particular, as the worst physical torment he suffered. Prisoners with a health complaint had to first fill out a form and then await treatment. If their pain was obvious, guards dished out a few painkillers, but seeing a health professional could be weeks away Hsu knows of an instance when someone waited two months. Unsurprisingly, prisoners took matters into their own hands. Hsu knocked out two of his own teeth during his incarceration.
More than 10 years of cold showers came to an end after Taiwans former president Chen Shui-bian () charged with corruption upon leaving office joined the men in detention in late 2008.
No light at the end of the tunnel
As the years crawled by waiting, eating, smoking and waiting Hsus case continued to ping-pong in the courts, with appeal after appeal.
A 2001 report from Taiwans ombudsman agency the Control Yuan found flaws in the confessions of his codefendants and in the handling of the case, including the fact authorities had ignored arguments that Hsu was not at the scene of the murder.
In a 2004 interpretation, the countrys constitutional court also known as the Council of Grand Justices ruled the use the confessions of codefendants alone was not strong enough evidence to incriminate a defendant. Despite what could be seen as progress that ruling has had a significant impact on Taiwans legal system Hsu was not confident of ever being freed.
I was always very confident in my own case, but I was always very disappointed with the judges. I didnt have any confidence in the judges, he says.
He was right to be wary. The Supreme Court reopened the case in 2005 and sent it back to the High Court for a sixth retrial. The trial took four years and, again, resulted in the death penalty.
In the early years, Hsu says being inside and innocent, was very difficult, very hard, very painful.
There is no light on the other side of the tunnel. You cannot see hope, he says. [In 1996] I turned myself in to explain the case, because I believed in the courts. Then I went there and realized the reality of the court was not how I imagined.
Watching his family continue to help pay for the costly legal bills was also particularly hard.
I didnt want my family members to pay for something that did not have any hope of succeeding, he says. At that time, I just wanted to end the pain.
Despite the positive ombudsmans findings and the constitutional ruling, Hsu says he did not feel much in the way of hope. He had for a long time been moving one day at a time.
I didnt really look forward to the result, I had already given up, he says. When I went to court the judges would say, You have to prove you didnt do it. But I cant prove something that I didnt do.
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Source: The News Lens International, Olivia Yang, November 6, 2016
Pat Dutcher visited an Albany Area Chamber of Commerce presentation last year featuring Brent Belveal as the speaker. What Belveal had to say made him sit up and take notice.
Belveal, principal of South Albany High School, had just begun a program he called employability grades, or "E-scores."
Issued on a scale of 1 to 5, the E-scores reflect a combined rating on attendance, tardiness, behavioral referrals, task completion and teamwork. The idea is to sum up a student's "soft skills" the good attendance and strong work ethic employers say they want to rate their potential as an employee.
Dutcher, principal at Scio High School, knew immediately it was something he wanted his own district to do.
"If we can help with soft-skill development in any way, I'm all for it," he said.
Scio adopted the E-scores program as of this school year and high school students will receive their first ratings in February.
Other districts are interested, too: Belveal said he has presented to five Salem-area private schools who are putting the program in place. He's also spoken with interested administrators in Lebanon, Sweet Home, Harrisburg, Silverton and Central Linn and is working on getting to Corvallis as well.
This month, he's also taking the message to a national level. Last spring, Belveal took a team to present to the Association for Career and Technical Education Regional Education Conference in San Diego, which representatives from 11 western states attend.
"A person from the national conference saw our presentation and asked us to bring this program to the nation," he said in an email to the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and the Workforce Development Task Force, both of whom helped him craft the program. "We will be presenting at the National ACTE Education Association conference in late November in Las Vegas. This conference will have all 50 states represented and is huge in terms of educational conferences."
Belveal developed the scoring guide based on what local employers told schools they want to see in new hires. He worked with Workforce Development Task Force to get ideas, then shaped them through discussions with teachers and administrators. The Linn-Benton-Lincoln Education Service District helped him pull and average the necessary data.
Here's how it works: Each teacher the student has rates him or her on how well he or she works cooperatively and completes tasks. These ratings are then averaged together with the records the school already keeps on students' attendance, tardiness and behavior referrals to get a single employability number.
The ratings aren't accessible to anyone but students and parents, are separate from academic grades and aren't part of transcripts. The idea, though, is that employers will begin to ask for them.
In Albany, employers with the Workforce Development Task Force heartily approved the effort, but many of them are representatives of manufacturing industries without a lot of entry-level positions.
Belveal's next task is to work with other local businesses to get them talking about the E-scores.
"It will truly have impact when our fast food restaurants and grocery stores and gas stations and other entry level businesses begin to ask for E-scores as part of their hiring practice," he said.
Dutcher agrees, but said he feels the scores have worth on their own right now.
"Even if employers don't ask for it, it's something they can submit with their application and something they can talk about," he said.
Dutcher said he likes the fact that 70 percent of the score is an objective measure that's in the student's control: how often he or she is late to class, for instance, or how many behavior referrals he or she collects.
As for the rest, he likes the averaging formula. Because teachers' scores are averaged together, a student who has a conflict with one can still receive a good overall rating. Teachers also are free to give the ratings they feel honestly represent the student.
The E-score program replaces what used to be known as a citizenship score, so Scio students aren't totally unfamiliar with the concept, Dutcher said. Also, all classes have been briefed on the program and the information is contained in the student handbook.
That said, Dutcher said he thinks students will really take notice at the semester, when the first numbers start to come out.
"Then they'll start to embrace it more," he said.
Neighbors call police out to a house party on Sunday morning, ending with one teen under arrest.
Victor Villarreal, 18, was arrested after police went to the home and found several teenagers between the ages of 15 to 18 years old drinking alcohol.
Police were initially called out due to the loud noise coming from the home.
Villarreal was arrested and charged with Purchasing and Furnishing Alcohol to Minors.
HANOI, Nov 7 (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 0451 GMT.
Nov 7 Nov 4 USD/VND mid-point 22,015 22,012 USD/VND interbank 22,334/22,337 22,328/22,330 USD/VND unofficial 22,340/22,350 22,320/22,350 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.00/36.42 35.90/36.47
Interbank offered rates Overnight 0.5-1.1 0.6-7.0
1 week 0.5-1.2 0.7-7.0
1 month 1.5-1.9 1.5-1.8
3 months 3.5-4.2 3.3-4.2
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)
There will be at least one new face in the Albany City Council after Nov. 8. And there could very well be more.
HONG KONG, Nov 7 (IFR) - Sentiment in Asia credit markets improved on Monday, but trading remained thin, after a statement from the FBI that no criminal charges were warranted against Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Stocks rallied in the region with Japan's benchmark Nikkei average closing up 1.61% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index 0.8% higher at the time of writing.
"Asian credit started this morning stronger than last Friday as FBI's conclusion settled part of the uncertainty surrounding the election race, but, overall, trading remained quiet," said a Singapore-based credit analyst.
Traders said most investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of US election. Bank of China's new 2019s and Huishang Bank's AT1 were spotted hovering around reoffer prices.
In the high-yield segment, Chinese developers' US dollar bonds were little changed on Monday after heavy sell-offs last week.
"Recent issuers particularly took a hit last week due to policy tightening on PRC developers, but they started to stabilise today, " said a Hong Kong-based HY trader.
The iTraxx Asia IG index was about 2bp tighter. China South City's 2021s were quoted at 97.05, according to Tradeweb.
The notes were traded down 0.6pts last week after S&P put the issuer on creditwatch negative due to a potential change in its major shareholder.
(Reporting by Ina Zhou; editing by Dharsan Singh)
Keywords: MARKETS ASIA DEBT/
(Kitco News) - Its too soon to discount gold even as prices fall nearly 2% Monday on abating election jitters, according to some analysts.
Sunday, the FBI came out and said that after reviewing newly discovered emails, it continues to recommend not pursuing charges against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The news provided some relief for the Clinton campaign, which saw its lead against Republican candidate Donald Trump fall sharply when the FBI first announced the discovery of the emails.
Since the FBIs latest disclosure, there has been a pickup in risk-on sentiment that has pushed U.S. equity markets up almost 2% across the board and drove gold prices down, below the key psychological level of $1,300 an ounce.
Although financial markets are pricing in a Clinton victory, some analysts said that there is still plenty of uncertainty that will help gold in the medium term. Analysts are expecting the election to come down to the wire, which could lead to the loser disputing the results.
In a recent interview with Kitco News, Simona Gambarini, commodities economist at Capital Economics, said that a contested election could drive gold prices to $1,350 an ounce, up more than 5% from golds current price.
In an outright Clinton win, Gambarini said that she would expect gold prices to fall to $1,250 an ounce and in the face of a Trump victory, the metal would push to $1,400 an ounce.
Economists at CIBC World Markets also argued that a contested election would ultimately be good for gold.
The analysts at the Canadian bank said,, the world stood still for a month, following the 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, while the election results were eventually challenged in the Supreme Court. The analysts noted that the S&P 500 traded lower and gold pushed higher in the one-month period following the Bush/Gore election.
Given Trumps statements on vote rigging over the past weeks, it is reasonable to assume that legal challenges are a real possibility in anything other than a clear win for Clinton (or Trump), they said in their report released Monday.
Given the bombastic nature of Trumps election campaign, we would expect a period of uncertainty to be more negative for equities and supportive of gold. This could be as unsettling as an outright win for Trump.
By Neils Christensen of Kitco News; nchristensen@kitco.com
Follow @Neils_C
CAIRO, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Egypt will submit within two or three days a letter of intent to the International Monetary Fund for a $12 billion loan, Finance Minister Amr El Garhy was quoted as saying by the Al-Borsa newspaper on Monday.
He said the letter would include the government's economic reform programme.
"The first tranche of the loan will be released within two weeks of IMF board approval, and we hope that will be as soon as possible," Garhy said.
(Reporting by Asma Alsharif; Writing by Andrew Torchia)
SHANGHAI, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Hong Kong stocks joined a global rebound on Monday after the FBI cleared Democrat Hillary Clinton in an email investigation two days before the U.S. presidential election.
But gains were capped by a 5 percent slump in property shares , after the city's government raised stamp duties on property transactions for the first time in three years to rein in soaring real estate prices.
The Hang Seng index ended up 0.7 percent at 22,801.40 points, bouncing from 2-1/2-month lows touched last week while the China Enterprises Index gained 1.2 percent to 9,608.24.
Clinton and Republican Donald Trump will spend the final day of a tight White House race on Monday racing across a handful of key battleground states that could swing Tuesday's election, which polls show is extremely close but tilting toward Clinton.
"The result will weigh on global markets no matter who win the election," said Zhang Yanbin, an analyst at Zheshang Securities, noting that the markets viewed Clinton as a candidate who would maintain the status quo while they are more uncertain over what a Trump victory would mean for U.S. foreign policy, international trade deals and the domestic economy.
(Reporting by Jackie Cai and John Ruwitch; Editing by Kim Coghill)
IMF says it has approved $179 mln loan to Moldova
KIEV, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund said on Monday its board had approved a three-year loan programme for Moldova, worth $178.7 million, that had been frozen after a $1 billion corruption scandal plunged the country into turmoil. Nearly $36 million will be released to the Moldovan authorities immediately and the rest will be disbursed in tranches based on five semi-annual programme reviews, the IMF said in an emailed statement.
(Reporting by Alessandra Prentice; editing by Andrew Roche)
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in precious metal products, commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
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Russia's VTB, China Development Bank sign yuan trade financing agreement
ST PETERSBURG, Russia, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Russia's second largest bank VTB and China Development Bank signed on Monday three-year and five-year agreements on yuan trade financing.
(Reporting by Denis Pinchuk; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Maria Tsvetkova) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in precious metal products, commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication. kitco news
COLOMBO, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The Sri Lankan rupee traded firmer on Monday as dollar selling by exporters and banks outpaced demand for the greenback from importers, dealers said.
Rupee forwards were active, with one-week forwards trading higher at 148.05/10 per dollar, compared with Friday's close of 148.35/45.
"Rupee is trading firmer on dollar sales by exporters and banks," a currency dealer said, asking not to be named.
The rupee has also been hit by selling of government securities by foreign investors, dealers said.
Foreign investors have net sold 24.5 billion rupees ($165.60 million) worth of government securities in the three weeks to Nov. 2, data from the central bank showed.
The Sri Lankan central bank governor said last week that he expected the rupee to stabilise when a stake sale, worth $1 billion, in the southern port of Hambantota to a Chinese investor is completed in four to five months. Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy said that proceeds of the stake sale would be converted into rupees, easing the strain on the currency that has been under pressure since mid-September due to seasonal demand for the U.S. dollar from importers.
Sri Lankan shares were marginally up, with the benchmark Colombo stock index up 0.22 percent at 6,449.29 as of 0630 GMT. Turnover stood at 195.9 million Sri Lankan rupees ($1.33 million). ($1 = 147.6000 Sri Lankan rupees)
(Reporting by Ranga Sirilal and Shihar Aneez; Editing by Vyas Mohan)
(Adds PM quote, background)
CHISINAU, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund said on Monday its board had approved a three-year loan programme for Moldova, worth $178.7 million, that had been frozen after a $1 billion corruption scandal plunged the country into turmoil.
Last year negotiations with the IMF and the European Union on funding were disrupted by the disappearance of the equivalent of one eighth of Moldovan national output from the country's banking system, which plunged it into economic and political crisis.
The tiny former Soviet republic has been counting on IMF and EU loans to fill gaps in its 2016 state budget.
Prime Minister Pavel Filip said the IMF decision was a vote of confidence in Moldova's commitment to emerging from the crisis.
"Our next step is resuming EU financing as well as funding from other development partners, while continuing to reform and modernise the country," he said in an emailed statement.
The IMF said it would release $36 million to the Moldovan authorities immediately and the rest would be disbursed in tranches based on five semi-annual programme reviews.
(Reporting by Matthias Williams; Additional reporting and writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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Judith Mae Wright
Bremerton, WA
aUG. 26, 1937 TO ocT. 23, 2016
Judy Wright passed on October 23, 2016 and was born on August 26, 1937 in Denver, Colorado. Private graveside services will be held at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington on Nov. 4, 2016.
Please visit www.tuellmckeebremerton.com for full obituary and guestbook.
Marilyn Tamsin Murphy
Bainbridge Island, WA
Nov. 18, 1938
to Oct. 30, 2016
Marilyn passed away of complications from Primary Progressive Aphasia. Marilyn, the only child of Floyd and Frances Murphy, was born in Seattle on Nov. 18, 1938. A 1956 graduate of West Seattle High School, she then attended Western Washington State College for two years and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology from the University of Washington. While at the University, she played the saxophone in the Husky Marching Band.
After graduation, she joined the U.S. Public Health Service and served two tours in South Vietnam (1963-65 and 1966-68) with the USPHS Agency for International Development, creating and operating medical laboratories. Subsequently, she worked with medical researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Research Center in Seattle.
A woman of many interests, Marilyn volunteered at the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum and the Bainbridge Island Waterfront Community Center Chuckwagon program.
At her request there will be no service and her ashes will be dispersed in Rich Passage, which she viewed from her Bainbridge Island home of 44 years.
Remembrances can be made to the Bainbridge Island Historical Society or the Bainbridge Island Waterfront Community Center.
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Random thoughts on the passing scene:
There seem to be fewer bumper stickers this year than in previous presidential election years. People may decide to vote for one of these candidates, but apparently they are not proud of their choice.
It is astonishing that some people think that the answer to the problems of Obamacare is to go to a "single payer" system. But "single payer" is just another way of saying "government monopoly." Does anyone pay attention to how government monopolies operate from the local DMV to Veterans Affairs hospitals?
Politics has turned the lofty ideal of equality into the ugly reality of resentments of other people's achievements and a feeling that the world owes you something, while you owe nobody anything, not even common decency.
Why should the fate of the economy depend on the guesswork of the Federal Reserve and the guesswork of the stock market about what the Federal Reserve will guess?
Politicians have learned to call their spending of the taxpayers' money "investment," even when it is just pouring money down a bottomless pit, to win votes from the recipients.
The NAACP's decision to back the teachers' unions, who donate money to them, against charter schools that provide thousands of black children their only hope of a better life, means that the NAACP should no longer be considered part of the civil rights movement, but just another part of the race hustling racket.
In a few months from now, Barack Obama will no longer be President of the United States. But the same gullibility and frivolity of the voters that put him in the White House will still be there to put the fate of America, and of Western civilization, in other fatally unreliable hands in a nuclear age.
Hillary Clinton has performed the verbal magic of turning her years of repeated disastrous decisions in foreign policy into a political asset called "experience."
The political left's hatred of Donald Trump is ironic, because both he and they have the same pattern of automatic demonizing of those who disagree with their views, rather than confronting opposing arguments with hard evidence or convincing logic.
If the media seriously wanted to report the news instead of spinning it they could stop calling rioters "protesters" and stop calling terrorists "militants."
Letter from a reader: "The Socialists want to take the 'sting' out of poverty. They don't understand that it's the 'sting' that got everyone I know out of poverty and not a minimum wage."
Have we reached the ultimate stage of absurdity where some people are held responsible for things that happened before they were born, while other people are not held responsible for what they themselves are doing today?
The plight of Middle East refugees is something that any decent human being can sympathize with. But other refugees have been helped in their own part of the world with money, food, medicine and other things, in settings more compatible with their own way of life, rather than being brought across an ocean to a country that neither fits them nor which they fit in.
Each political party has picked a loser this year. Unfortunately, one of them is going to win, and then the whole country can lose, big time.
I am so old that I can remember when liberals were liberal, and when common decency was actually common.
Have you ever encountered even one human being whether in person, in print or in the broadcast media who denied that climates change? If not, why do you suppose zealots for the catastrophic "global warming" theory want laws passed to punish "climate change deniers"? Is it because they are losing the battle of evidence on "global warming" and need to shut up others?
One of the mysteries of the ages is why the political left has, for centuries, lavished so much attention on the well-being of criminals and paid so little attention to their victims.
The monumental tragedies of the 20th century a worldwide Great Depression, two devastating World Wars, the Holocaust, famines killing millions in the Soviet Union and tens of millions in China should leave us with a sobering sense of the threats to any society. But this generation's ignorance of history leaves them free to be frivolous until the next catastrophe strikes, and catches them completely by surprise.
Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. His website is www.tsowell.com.
Staff at the Linn County Clerks Office were busy all weekend, as election season nears the finish line at 8 p.m. today.
Clerk Steve Druckenmiller said that as of 9:30 a.m. Monday, there was a 54 percent return, 42,097 out of 77,673 ballots that were mailed Oct. 21. On Oct. 28, the return was 18 percent.
We worked all weekend, Druckenmiller said. Its been a lot of fun. We counted ballots on Saturday and we reconciled ballots both days.
Druckenmiller predicted the final return tally will be interesting. We had such a huge rush at the beginning. The ballot drop sites are going great guns. We expect a pretty good rush at the end, as usual.
Druckenmiller said that Monday there has been a real steady stream of ballots coming.
The county has a ways to go to catch up with returns from the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. Druckenmiller said the tally was 82.7 percent in 2008 and 82.23 percent in 2012.
He warned voters to protect their ballots and not give them to anyone else.
Be careful if someone offers to take your ballot to the boxes for you, Druckenmiller said. Do it yourself. Also, if you are a registered voter, but have been inactive, you can update your registration until 8 p.m. Tuesday and vote.
Voters have until 8 p.m. for their ballots to be counted, Druckenmiller said.
Ballots placed at area drop boxes by that time will also count.
Voters can also follow their ballot by going to the Linn County website at www.co.linn.or.us and click on the BallotTrax button. They will be asked to provide first and last names, date of birth and zip code to log into this free service.
Druckenmiller credits Oregons new Motor Voter registration program with his office sending out a record number of ballots. Statewide, the new law is credited with adding more than 250,000 potential voters.
According to the Oregon Secretary of States Office, the statewide return stands at 50.3 percent, with 1.29 million people returning their ballots as of Monday.
I am pleased to see that voters all over the state are turning out to participate in this historic election, Secretary of State Jeanne P. Atkins said. I am confident that we will end up with another record-breaking election, in terms of the number of ballots cast.
By comparison, 1.2 million, or 55 percent, of Oregon voters had cast their ballot at this point in the 2008 general election, and 1.1 million, or 50.6 percent, of Oregon voters had cast their ballot at this point in the 2012 general election.
The tri-county area saw a significant spike over the weekend, with Multnomah County reporting a surge of 58,147 ballots cast.
Grant and Wheeler counties each report the highest proportion of voters who have already cast their ballot, at 62.7 percent and 62 percent, respectively.
Atkins reminded voters it is too late to mail ballots and expect them to be counted.
Teresa Hall had ovarian cancer, and physicians caught it early. Good news? Absolutely. But it was the start of a particularly horrific summer that would change her life.
A routine exam showed slightly enlarged ovaries. After further testing, Hall, a graphic designer at Oregon State University, had the ovaries removed. Later analysis indeed revealed cancerous cells and that surgeons had gotten them all. Rather than subject herself to the uncertainty that cancer might lurk elsewhere, though, she opted for a hysterectomy. It was 2009. She was 48.
Meanwhile, the man who would eventually be her husband, Tim Bertola, was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He had one kidney removed. Tim was 47.
"The ovaries, the hysterectomy and the kidney removal all happened within two months," Hall said. "It was a very hard summer."
But more was to come.
In November 2010, Teresa and Tim were married. In April 2011, Tim was rediagnosed with kidney cancer. Physicians found that it had moved to his lungs, and, later, his bones, Hall said. He died in May 2012 at age 49. Around the same time, she lost one of her two dogs, a Belgian Tervuren named Trek.
Simultaneously dealing with her own cancer and that of a loved one showed Hall the importance of support networks not only for cancer patients but also for their caregivers.
"I had a good support system when my husband was sick," she said. "I realized that while the cancer patient needs a huge amount of support, the primary caretaker also needs support to be the best caretaker they are able to be."
Caregivers such as spouses, friends and family members will be a point of focus on Nov. 12 at an event called Education Day, hosted by The Corvallis Clinic Foundation's Project H.E.R. The acronym stands for help, enlightenment and resources. Among other things, Project H.E.R. provides women in Benton, Linn and Lincoln counties with education and support from the time of cancer diagnosis through survivorship. Once limited to breast cancer, the program now is open to women with different forms of the disease. It also has expanded to include caregivers as well as patients.
"I have been a support for a couple of friends whose significant others have a cancer diagnosis," Hall said. "Sometimes I think we forget about how many people that the cancer journey touches, and I believe that we need to remember all it touches.
Hall worked this sentiment into a logo she designed for Education Day. It's a circle of different colored ribbons behind a rolling banner containing the words "Colors of Care" the theme of this year's event.
"It's about the caregivers," Hall said.
A sense of community
Hall said patients as well as caregivers need community during hard times. Project H.E.R. provides this via connections with others touched by cancer who can serve as guides through what's often a confusing and frightening chain of events.
A way Hall found community was at a dog agility course. Around the time she lost Trek, her other dog was injured and couldn't run the course. But she was able to run her instructor's dogs at class instead, which "allowed me to have the once-a-week contact with the agility/dog community. This was a huge comfort/distraction, not having to worry about medical and cancer" concerns.
It also put her in the right place to provide support to a woman whose husband was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
"She got blindsided," Hall said. "Supporting her was just as important as supporting him."
Hall has also provided this type of support to her boss, OSU Assistant Vice President Melody Oldfield, who was diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer in May 2014 at age 50.
Oldfield had seen Hall through her travails, but getting a diagnosis gave her a jarringly real sense of what Hall had endured.
"It's one of the most overwhelming situations a person can find themselves in," Oldfield said. "It changes the way you understand things."
Oldfield's cancer is what's known as metastatic, which means it has spread to other areas of her body. Oldfield said she has been on a hormonal treatment regimen which has thus far kept the cancer in check.
Hall, who was a student intern under Oldfield and hired full time after graduating in 2006, accompanied her boss to her first support group at Project H.E.R. and has since gone back.
Oldfield sits on the Education Day planning committee, and when the need for a graphic designer arose, she immediately thought of Hall, believing Hall would want to give back by designing the logo.
"She jumped on it," Oldfield said. "She is an extremely strong woman."
Light in the darkness
Hall and Oldfield agreed that although cancer is harsh and unforgiving, the experience can bring good things to patients and caregivers, too. Oldfield cited as an example the network of remarkable women she's now part of through Project H.E.R. She said she also has gained a new perspective on life, partly with the help of a mindfulness course offered by Project H.E.R.
She said the course helps people learn to "be in your moment. Enjoy who you are now." This reflects Project H.E.R.'s emphasis on maintaining good mental and emotional health in addition to physical. This integrative approach is also embodied in Hall's logo design.
As for Hall, she said her husband's death brought her much closer to her goddaughter, Jordan, whom she met through Tim.
"Something drew us together," Hall said, citing Jordan as an example of a "secondary family" that people sometimes marry into, whose members can become just as important as one's biological kin.
In fact, Hall will miss Education Day, but for a good reason: She has planned a visit to Jordan in Florida. Jordan's father recently had a severe stroke, making the visit another example of Hall's support and caregiving.
Hall described a number of serendipitous moments that have occurred since 2009, one involving her dogs, which she described as crucial in helping her through the process.
"They're always there, they're always smiling, they always care," she said.
After the death of Trek and Tim, she said, her cattle dog, Jack, was devastated.
"I've never seen an animal grieve so much," Hall said.
A friend, meanwhile, had a litter of Belgian Tervuren puppies, and she persuaded Hall to come see them even though Hall adamantly maintained she wasn't ready to adopt another dog.
Once there, Hall surrendered to internal speculation, identifying one puppy she'd consider adopting. As it turns out, that's the only dog who hadn't been already designated for a new home, and she had a very fitting name: Rosie.
Hall explained that all the puppies had been named for spices, and that Rosie is short for Rosemary. Rosemary is not only known as an herb of remembrance it also was her late husband's favorite spice.
The campaign for Ann Roe, who is running for Congress against Lyin' Bryan Steil has come out with the best one-liner of this cycle so far: I can't argue...
1 year ago
By Lee Hyo-sik
The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has decided to file a complaint with the prosecution against Doosan Heavy Industries on charges of forcing its subcontractors to supply parts and materials at lower than legally-allowed prices.
The antitrust agency also said Monday that it imposed a 323 million won ($281,000) fine on the flagship unit of Doosan Group, headed by Chairman Park Jeong-won, for the unfair business practice.
Doosan Heavy, which manufactures power generators, engines and desalination equipment, among others, was found to have reaped about 422 million won in undue profits by pressing 82 subcontractors to supply parts and goods at lower prices from January 2011 to October 2013.
In 177 subcontracts, the company held a second bid after the first one to further cut supply prices.
However, the country's Subcontract Law forbids businesses from organizing secondary bids if suppliers are to provide goods and services at prices, lower than the minimum bid in the initial bidding. But Doosan violated the law by holding follow-up bids to force its subcontractors to further slash supply prices without probable causes, according to FTC.
For instance, a subcontractor won a bid for designing a shipping frame at 72 million won, lower than Doosan's minimum bid of 75 million won. Doosan should have signed the contract at 72 million won, but instead decided to hold another competition and slash the price further down to 70 million won, breaching the Subcontract Law.
"Doosan Heavy Industries knew that holding secondary bids was tantamount to violating the Antitrust Act. But it went ahead anyway," an FTC official said. "It had not corrected its illicit practice until FTC launched a probe. In addition to imposing the fine, we decided to refer the case to the prosecution because this unfair subcontracting continued for an extensive period of time and a number of small firms suffered from it."
FTC expects that its harsh punishment against Doosan Heavy will ring an alarm bell, helping to prevent similar abuses from happening again.
"We will continue to monitor whether large companies exploit small subcontractors, as well as take harsh measures against the violator," the official said. "We would like to promote a fair subcontract transaction system to take root."
Doosan Heavy Industries said it has taken various steps to ensure all its employees conduct business in a fair and transparent manner.
"In the past, some employees might have gone too far to accomplish more," a company official said. "But we have put a system in place to have workers abide by the law when sourcing parts and goods from subcontractors."
By Jhoo Dong-chan
CJ Group, which has sought management normalization since group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun was granted a special pardon in August, was hit hard once again by a series of internal and external issues.
Lee was supposed to return to his chairperson post by the beginning of next year, aiming to stabilize the group's management, but concerns about the group's future are mounting over various negative issues, including its alleged involvement in the so-called Choi Soon-sil scandal.
According to business and political circles, Sunday, the group's media affiliate CJ E&M is suspected of receiving preferential treatment from the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, over a 1.4 trillion-won theme park, a part of K-Culture Valley project led by Cha Eun-taek, a music video producer who has close ties to Choi.
The local government allegedly postponed the deadline of the mega culture project for CJ E&M, the then preferred bidder, and offered to rent the construction site at 1 percent of the actual price for up to 50 years, a special clause given only to foreign-invested companies.
A CJ Group official immediately denied the allegation, claiming that the deadline extension was a part of the deal with the government when CJ E&M was selected as the preferred bidder.
"The theme park project was what CJ as a content-focused enterprise had been paying attention to for a long time," a CJ Group official was quoted as saying.
"The opportunity was clear but there was not a single preferential treatment during the course of signing the contract. The company rejected receiving any kind of favors."
CJ Group was also allegedly swayed by political pressure at the same time.
According to cable news network MBN, Thursday, Cheong Wa Dae allegedly demanded CJ Group Vice Chairwoman Lee Mi-kyung resign.
It disclosed an audio file of a recorded conversation between a CJ Group top executive and a former presidential secretary, which took place around the end of 2013.
Back then, the vice chairwoman was in charge of managing CJ Group following imprisonment of her younger brother Jae-hyun on charges of embezzlement and tax evasion.
In the telephone conversation, the then senior Cheong Wa Dae economic adviser Cho Won-dong says that no one could imagine the consequences if Lee refused to resign. He says that it would be better for the chairwoman to quit as soon as possible so that the group could avoid further investigation of her brother. In the taped conversation, when CJ Group co-Chair Sohn Kyung-Shik asked if that was President Park Geun-hye's idea, Cho says "Yes." As Sohn says the vice chairwoman would not succumb to political pressure, Cho continued making pressuring remarks throughout the seven minute phone conversation.
CJ Group Chairman Lee's tragic family affairs are also another setback for the group's management normalization.
CJ Group honorary chairman and Lee's father Maeng-hee passed away in China in August last year when Lee was serving his sentence. His mother Sohn Bok-nam is also reportedly fighting cerebral infarction.
Lee's daughter in law Lee Rae-na was found dead at her home in New Haven, Connecticut, on Friday morning (local time). She was only 20.
The exact cause of her death is unknown, according to CJ officials. She married the chairman's son and the group's heir apparent Lee Sun-ho in Seoul in April.
"A series of suspicions and unfavorable factors embarrassed the group," said a CJ official.
"However, the group's vision for 100 trillion won sales with a 10 trillion won operating profit by 2020 won't be shifted."
President Park's new chief of state held talks with the head of the ruling Saenuri Party and the parliamentary speaker Monday but failed to meet opposition leaders, as the embattled chief executive is calling for a meeting of political leaders to resolve the burgeoning scandal surrounding her confidante.
President Park Geun-hye appointed Han Gwang-ok as her chief secretary Thursday, in line with the personnel shakeup as her office tries to cope with the fallouts caused by allegations that Choi Soon-sil engaged in influence peddling and secured unlawful benefits.
"I would like to request a chance to meet leaders from the ruling and opposition parties amid the challenging times," Han told Lee Jung-hyun, the head of the Saenuri Party. "The parliament plays a crucial role in overcoming the present challenges."
Han's request came after Park delivered her second apology last week, where the president vowed to answer questions on the matter by a special prosecutor, while requesting that leaders of political parties meet to seek solutions to the crisis.
"We can also discuss the issues surrounding the Prime Minister-designate Kim Byong-joon," the chief of staff said. Opposition parties have been protesting against the nomination, adding the parliament should have taken part in the decision-making process related to the designation.
Han added Park's health is not good, and she is severely depressed.
At the meeting, Lee asked the opposition parties to respond to the request for talks, adding if a meeting takes place, discussions on matters, such as establishing a neutral Cabinet, can be held. A Cabinet made up of officials recommended from the ruling and opposition parties could be a solution to Park's current leadership crisis.
Han also met Rep. Park Jie-won, the floor leader of the splinter People's Party, where the party whip said there can be no meeting before the president withdraws the designation of Kim and gives up her membership in the Saenuri Party.
Han said National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyung also promised to make efforts to successfully arrange a meeting among parties and the president.
The main opposition Democratic Party, however, declined to meet Han, adding Park should first promise to hand over power to a prime minister designated by parliament. (Yonhap)
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, second from right, poses with the U.S. ambassadors to South Korea, China and Japan during their meeting at the foreign ministry in central Seoul, Monday. From left are U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus, Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy, Yun and Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert. Baucus and Kennedy visited Seoul to attend an annual meeting of U.S. diplomatic missions in Northeast Asia. / Yonhap
By Yi Whan-woo
With the United States set to elect its new leader, concerns are prevalent here that the Park Geun-hye government, plagued by the Choi Soon-sil scandal, may lose opportunities to discuss crucial issues with the U.S. president-elect.
Politicians and analysts said Monday that the Park administration lacks measures to keep up with possible changes on the Seoul-Washington ties despite speculation that both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump may turn hawkish toward North Korea and advocate protectionism in the U.S-Korea trade.
They also warned that the bilateral relations may become more turbulent due to the leadership crisis here.
"We lack the control tower in foreign policies although we're on the verge of significant change in Seoul-Washington relations, said minor opposition People's Party lawmaker Lee Tae-kyu who is also a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. "The country is apparently in an apparent state of emergency."
He pointed out that President Park is under mounting pressure to step down or be impeached while the opposition parties are against the endorsement of Prime Minister nominee Kim Byeong-joon. Park tapped Kim on Nov. 2 after sacking Hwang Kyo-ahn in a desperate bid to grapple with leadership crisis.
"The government should actively keep in touch with diplomatic and security advisers from both U.S. political camps and continue to do so after the election in order to maximize our national interests," Lee said.
Citing Trump's repeated accusations of South Korea as a "free rider" in defense, Rep. Khang Hyo-sang of the ruling Saenuri Party said bolstering relations with the Trump camp will be critical.
Although Clinton commands a double-digit lead over Trump in several polls, she only led him 48 percent to 43 percent in a survey jointly conducted by The Washington Post and ABC News from Nov. 1 to 4 in the wake of news about the Federal Bureau of Investigation's review of Clinton's e-mails.
"The security alliance between us and the U.S. is more critical than ever amid North Korea's evolving nuclear threats. But I don't see any efforts among government officials to come up with batter logic and strategy to secure such an alliance in a convincing manner," Khang said.
Kwak Jin-o, a senior researcher at the Northeast Asian History Foundation, agreed by saying, "We should open up various dialogue channels with Trump's camp."
"South Korea will be required to understand the aim of Washington's goals on the peninsula qand take relevant measures depending on the results of the U.S election, not the other way around," he said. "In particular, the government should put more efforts to do so if Trump wins considering his foreign policy will be quite different from what President Barack Obama has pursued."
Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong University, speculated that the Seoul-Washington ties will become more complicated if Park singlehandedly handles foreign affairs while allowing the next prime minster to handle domestic affairs.
"The pending issues on bilateral ties, such as planned deployment of U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) can be be resolved if the President deals with domestic and foreign affairs at the same time" he said.
PM nomination remains hurdle to breakthrough
By Kang Seung-woo
Opposition parties turned down President Park Geun-hye's proposal for talks Monday, casting a cloud over her bid to escape her leadership crisis amid the influence-peddling and corruption scandal involving her confidant.
The parties said they would not hold a meeting with President Park unless she withdraws the nomination of Kim Byong-joon as prime minister.
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) reaffirmed that its leader would only meet with Park after she first promises to hand over power to a neutral prime minister recommended by the National Assembly.
DPK leaders refused to even meet new presidential chief of staff Han Gwang-ok who was sent by Park to hold negotiations for the proposed talks.
Park Jie-won, floor leader of the second-largest opposition People's Party, said during a meeting with Han that there can be no meeting before the President withdraws Kim's nomination and gives up her membership in the ruling Saenuri Party.
Park proposed the meeting during Friday's nationally televised address during which she made her second apology for the scandal involving her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil.
But the proposal only received a cold shoulder from the opposition parties even though the presidential office said all the issues including the prime minister nomination can be discussed if the talks between the President and opposition leaders are held.
As the corruption scandal grows, Park is losing her grip on state affairs rapidly, with her approval rating nose-diving to an all-time historic low of 5 percent, according to Gallup Korea, Friday. Park's key aides involved in the scandal as well as Choi have been detained.
"The nomination issue can be discussed at the envisioned dialogue," Han told reporters following his meeting with the ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Lee Jung-hyun, admitting there were procedural problems in the nomination.
Park sent Han and senior secretary for political affairs Hur Won-je to the National Assembly to work out the details.
If realized, the meeting with opposition leaders could have been a watershed moment for Park and her administration.
Opposition parties have been protesting the nomination, adding the Assembly should have taken part in the decision-making process.
At the time, there were ongoing discussions about forming a bipartisan Cabinet, under which she would take a backseat to a powerful prime minister recommended by the Assembly. The opposition bloc has agreed to boycott the confirmation hearing for Kim, who needs Assembly approval before taking office.
The prime minister nominee, who had rejected speculation that he would withdraw his name from consideration, also showed a similar stance with Cheong Wa Dae, saying he will step back if the legislators and the presidential office reach consensus on another nominee.
"If the ruling and opposition parties and Cheong Wa Dae agree on another suitable nominee, I will disappear," Kim said. "There's no need for me to stay as a hurdle to the normalization of state affairs."
According to a recent public poll, 45 percent of Koreans said the President should withdraw the nomination, compared with 21 percent who supported the selection.
The presidential chief of staff even said Park is willing to visit the Assembly for talks.
"If a meeting between the President and party leaders is fixed, she is willing to visit the Assembly to discuss it," he said.
"The legislative role is important in this difficult time, so I ask the Assembly _ the representatives of the people _ to play its role in helping the nation overcome the crisis."
Han added that the presidential office wanted the meeting to be held today or tomorrow, in order to promptly address growing public anger over the scandal.
This Saturday, another massive candlelight rally is scheduled following the previous protest last Saturday, in which about 200,000 people gathered at Gwanghwamun Square according to organizers.
President Park also met with the leaders of the nation's Catholic and Protestant churches to gather opinions on how to deal with the situation, following a meeting with about a dozen civil leaders on Oct. 30.
By Kang Seung-woo
Former Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung asks President Park Geun-hye to leave the ruling party during a press conference at the National Assembly, Monday.
/ Yonhap
Rep. Kim Moo-sung, former chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party, urged President Park Geun-hye to give up her party membership, Monday, claiming she violated the Constitution and is refusing to take responsibility for the corruption scandal involving Choi Soon-sil.
The six-term lawmaker, who is the leader of the party's non-mainstream lawmakers, also demanded that Park withdraw the nomination of Prime Minister nominee Kim Byong-joon and accept the idea of forming a neutral Cabinet that will weaken her presidential power.
"Although the President is the guardian of the Constitution, she has violated it. In addition, her presidential authority, granted by the people, was abused for the private interest of Choi and her family," Kim said in a press conference at the National Assembly, adding that state affairs are not just paralyzed; they are collapsing.
"Taking responsibility for the scandal, Park, as No. 1 party member, must drop her party membership, which will prevent conservative voters from turning against our party."
Kim's call came as Park is faced with emerging calls for her to quit the party within the governing side, out of concerns that the ever expanding scandal may adversely affect the party in next year's presidential election. Park's approval rating plummeted to an all time low of 5 percent, last week.
After the press conference, Kim also said that when Park was the party leader, she strictly canceled the party membership of those who committed irregularities.
In the wake of the scandal, there are growing calls for Park to step down and some even insist that she be impeached.
However, Kim did not buy into the idea of impeaching the President.
"The impeachment of Park could harm the country and the people. For now, we must stabilize state affairs by forming a leadership trusted by the people," he said.
Instead, he advised Park to agree to setting up a bipartisan, neutral Cabinet, under which she will delegate her authority to a prime minister, recommended by the Assembly, and withdraw her premier designation, supported by the opposition side.
The former leader also urged the party leaders to step down for their failure to monitor the presidential office over the political turmoil.
However, the party's Supreme Council made clear its disapproval of Kim's call that Park should quit the party.
Meanwhile, ahead of the press conference, Kim was said to have met current and former opposition leaders over the weekend to discuss solutions to the current crisis.
Those from the opposition side include Moon Jae-in, a former chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, and Ahn Cheol-soo, a former leader of the second-largest People's Party.
Woo Byung-woo, former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, exits the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul after being questioned over his alleged corruption, early Monday morning. In the inset, Woo, left, smiles with his arms crossed casually as he talks with prosecutors during questioning over corruption allegations in the prosecution's office, Sunday. / Yonhap, Courtesy of Chosun Ilbo
Ex-presidential aide Woo banned from traveling overseas
By Kim Se-jeong
The prosecution slapped an overseas travel ban on former Senior Presidential Secretary Woo Byung-woo on Monday, after Prosecutor General Kim Soo-nam ordered an investigation of Woo for possible breach of trust among other allegations.
The prosecution has been under pressure to investigate allegations that Woo had also been involved in the influence-peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye's confidant Choi Soon-sil.
The travel ban came after public uproar erupted over a newspaper's front-page photo showing Woo casually smiling with arms crossed while investigating prosecutors exhibited polite posture.
The photo, shot by Chosun Ilbo on Sunday evening, has Woo sitting across from two prosecutors, in the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul.
It was taken after Woo appeared at the prosecution's office to be questioned over his alleged corruption including abuse of power on behalf of his son and the embezzlement of funds from a family-run company. He is also suspected of having played a role in the influence-peddling scandal involving Choi.
In the photo, two prosecutors in black suits, smiling and folding their hands politely, talk to Woo, who is wearing a casual jacket, with a smile on his face and arms crossed. Woo is a former prosecutor.
It was also reported that Woo was invited to have tea with the interrogation team ahead of the questioning session. The prosecution explained it was part of a courtesy to their former colleague.
Criticism has mounted that Woo still has a grip on power in the judiciary.
Democratic Party of Korea spokesman Youn Kwan-suk said the photo of Woo showed prosecution's unwillingness to thoroughly investigate the former secretary.
"It looked as if Woo was a senior prosecutor who was being briefed by junior prosecutors. He would not have been so arrogant if he felt a tiny bit of responsibility for the current scandal as a senior public servant. It's really deplorable to see such a servile attitude from the prosecutors who should grill Woo over the scandal," Youn said.
It is not first time that Woo has displayed an arrogant and rude attitude. At the time when he arrived at the prosecutors' office in the Sunday morning, he dodged all questions from journalists, only saying that he will tell all during questioning. He reacted to only one question, which was about a corruption allegation involving his family members, by glaring at the journalist for several seconds.
The public anger again went viral.
"Are you (prosecutors) sure that you're investigating Woo? Not that he is investing you?" an internet user with ID piro**** wrote on Naver.
"This is not surprising at all. People have been deceived all along," another with ID piro**** wrote.
Woo was a prosecutor until 2014 when he took a position at Cheong Wa Dae to screen high-profile civil servants. He was promoted to lead the civil affairs team in 2015.
Although the corruption allegations emerged months ago, the prosecution did not question him for nearly two months, with no raids on his office or home to secure evidence as well.
Woo, as a secretary for civil affairs, was responsible for monitoring high-profile civil servants to prevent any corruption.
Considering his duties, prosecutors suspect it would be impossible for him to be unaware what Choi and involved presidential officials were doing.
It is also alleged that Woo may have shared information on the prosecution's investigation of conglomerates with Choi, so she could use the information in pressuring the companies to donate money to her foundations.
Choi Soon-sil, President Park Geun-hye's confidante, is taken to the Seoul Detention Center after being questioned over the influence-peddling and corruption scandal at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul on Nov. 5. / Yonhap
By Rachel Lee
An unprecedented political scandal over President Park Geun-hye's confidant Choi Soon-sil will have serious repercussions for diplomatic and security issues, especially with the Korean Peninsula facing growing tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear testing, experts warn.
Choi, 60, daughter of a religious cult leader, is accused of abusing her close ties with old friend Park by interfering in security and economic policies from speechwriting to nominating officials despite holding no official position or security clearance.
Observers have called for authorities to keep a close eye on every possible scenario, pointing out possible further North Korean provocations to make the most of the chaotic situation in the South.
"There is uncertainty in the country's diplomatic and security situation stemming from the instability of the President," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.
"The policy-making process should become the center of the National Security Council. And sensitive policies such as the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and the execution of the comfort women agreement should be put off for now."
Yang also said talks about a Korea-Japan General Security of Military Information Agreement should also stop in the unstable situation.
He said the country should watch out closely for what North Korean might do.
"It is highly possible that Pyongyang will launch a Musudan missile again in this crisis and also counter the upcoming United Nations Security Council's resolution against North Korea."
Kim Yeol-su, an international politics professor at Sungshin Women's University, said the country's diplomatic status had undoubtedly weakened, which would have unfavorable consequences for Seoul in any negotiations with other nations, including the upcoming trilateral Japan, China and South Korea summit.
"However, such a chaotic situation does not mean the President should stay quiet and do nothing," Kim said. "Park should attend the summit as planned and make more active efforts to help finalize the U.N. resolution to at least minimize the grave national loss."
Regarding further possible Pyongyang provocations, Kim said the North may choose to focus on the U.S. because of the presidential election there on Tuesday.
"The North may fire a Musudan missile ahead of the election with the aim of obtaining what it wants from the new president."
He said that the North could also provoke the South, but because this could "help" Seoul, any provocation is not likely to be on a large large-scale like the deadly shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in 2010.
Choi Chang-ryul, a professor of political science at Yongin University, said the biggest problem in South Korea is the absence of a government "control tower," which means the country lacked diplomatic and security directions.
"President Park has lost authority as a head of state," Choi said. "Amid tens of thousands of citizens calling for Park to resign, it seems she will find it very hard to earn the trust of other heads of state as well."
President Park Geun-hye bows in apology for the corruption scandal involving her and her confidante Choi Soon-sil while delivering a nationally televised address at Cheong Wa Dae, Nov. 4 her second apology in 10 days for the scandal. / Yonhap
Choi said Pyongyang is unlikely to make any aggressive move because Park has been making no provocative remarks.
For now, the focus should not be on the North, but on calming angry citizens and making sure every ministry and official make utmost efforts to resolve the crisis as soon as possible.
Some experts say the only way to solve the crisis is for the President to step down and let the country select the new leadership.
Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong University, said: "President Park's leadership was already lacking before the scandal. Now she has absolutely no power at all, which means it is impossible to communicate with other heads of state regarding sensitive issues like the THAAD deployment with China."
In this urgent situation, the "de-facto" absence of the country's leader should be minimized a new leader should come in and work with ministerial-level officials to work through the necessary, sensitive issues with other nations, he said.
The professor said Park's lack of leadership is also linked with the delay of bringing about the U.N. resolution for North Korea's nuclear threats, enabled by China.
"It is only the President who can deal with getting support from the international community for the country and since Park cannot do anything now, the North Korean threats have become even more extreme."
Park last week apologized for the scandal for the second time in 10 days amid growing public calls for her to step down. Park said she would accept a prosecution investigation into the Choi scandal, and even face an investigation by an independent counsel, if necessary.
A Gallup Korea poll released last week showed Park's approval rating plummeted to a record low of 5 percent, the lowest since she took office in February 2013 and the lowest for any president since the republic was founded in 1948.
A Realmeter survey conducted during the same period as the Gallup poll showed that 70.4 percent of respondents believe the prosecution should examine Park.
She may become the first sitting head of state in modern Korean history to face a prosecution investigation.
Leaders should meet soon to discuss all issues
In a press conference on Monday, Rep. Kim Moo-sung, the former head of the ruling Saenuri Party, accused President Park Geun-hye of violating the Constitution and urged her to drop her party membership. Kim, leader of the governing party's non-mainstream faction, even said the female head of state deserves impeachment, blaming her for the swirling power-abuse and corruption scandal involving Choi Soon-sil. Although the party's mainstreamers expressed opposition to Park's departure from the party, the fact that even Saenuri's senior lawmakers strongly voice the need to kick out the incumbent President testifies to the gravity of the latest political crisis.
Little sympathy for Park was also shown on Saturday when tens of thousands of protestors marched through the streets of Seoul in one of the largest demonstrations in years, demanding she step down.
One might wonder if Park's culpability is serious enough for a large number of citizens to publicly demand the resignation of the incumbent chief executive at the explosion of public anger. Although investigations into the crippling scandal have just begun, what has been revealed so far through news reports makes everyone's jaw drop.
Suspicions against Choi, Park's longtime friend, are allegedly far wider than thought. She is accused of coercing businesses to donate $70 million to two nonprofit foundations she controlled and meddling in state affairs, including appointments and policy decisions. What's more lamentable is that Park allowed Choi to manipulate power from the shadows, causing the public to doubt her judgment and leadership.
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is threatening to push for Park's ouster unless she distances herself from domestic affairs and transfers her duties to a prime minister recommended by the National Assembly. Park still adheres to her nomination last week of Kim Byong-joon as the next prime minister, and presidential aides say Kim would be granted enormous executive power that can be allowed under relevant laws.
The current political logjam arises from Park's unilateral nomination of the former top aide of the late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun and her lingering wish to actively take charge of state affairs. But this will prove to be futile greed, considering her de facto political impeachment as evidenced from Park's latest approval rating of 5 percent.
At this juncture, the most important thing is for President Park and other party leaders to meet as soon as possible to discuss all issues. During the meeting, they could discuss the creation of a neutral cabinet and Park's exit from the Saenuri Party and retreat from domestic affairs. In this case, Park might have to perform the minimum possible role in diplomacy and national security as the commander-in-chief of the military.
An essential prerequisite to this is for Park to withdraw her nomination of Kim Byong-joon or for Kim to give up his nomination. At any rate, it is necessary to give Park a chance to explain her plan to fix the current mess to the political leaders.
To be sure, there is not much time, given another massive rally scheduled for this coming Saturday. Hopefully, the President and political leaders should negotiate a compromise before then.
By Andrew Salmon
Korea is fuming. In fact, the country is hopping mad.
Streets seethe with protests. "Ajumma" tear out their hair and scream at TV screens. An incensed gentleman assaults prosecution headquarters with an excavator. A professor of law (law!) joins demonstrators demanding the president resign, although related legal proceedings have not begun.
Since winning democracy via mass protest in 1987, Korea has been periodically racked by emotive rallies making demands of (or demanding the resignation of), the chief executive: 1990; 2002; 2008; 2016. 2016's crowds are inflamed but (so far) well behaved. Their demands are coherent: President Park Geun-hye must go.
Why? The reasons are twofold.
The first is an (alleged) corruption/ influence-peddling scandal. But with similar scandals being dime-a-dozen in Korea, I am unconvinced that the current furies reflect reduced public tolerance for corruption.
The second is unprecedented and astounding: A political outsider has (allegedly) usurped power to become a (the?) key voice in national governance.
That outsider is Choi Soon-sil. She is not the canny spouse or sibling of the president; she is not a smooth professor with a Ph.D., or a businessman with an MBA; she is an unsophisticated, uneducated matron. This, I suspect, enrages educated Koreans (particularly the ultra-elite, who may have sought to advise Park themselves).
Equally damning is that Choi has background in an (alleged) cult, or wields (allegedly) shamanistic powers. This may compound her sins. Shamans represent the oldest extant strand of Korean culture, but are not considered "respectable." While myriad well-to-do, educated Koreans visit shamans and fortune tellers, they keep it quiet. So, although Korea guarantees freedom of religion, Choi's (alleged) religion invokes prejudice. This, I suspect, explains the erosion of Park's key support base, the Christian right.
Many Koreans are convinced Choi bewitched Park with such profound control psychological, hypnotic or even spiritual - that she, not the president, crafted policies. And not just in the sporting and cultural spheres, but in inter-Korean relations and international diplomacy.
Amid this, Park's woeful judgment in choosing friends ("You can't choose family; you can choose friends") and her constipated communication function ("Madame, where were you during those missing hours of the Sewol sinking?") provoke additional ire.
But Park and Choi are individuals. More critically as witness protest signage asks "Is this a nation?" - Korea's core institutions and sectors are massively tainted. Virtually all have lost public trust.
The Blue House is tainted. Its aides (allegedly) failed to convince their president, leaving Choi to (allegedly) become chief counsel. Historically, it has (certainly) failed to prevent corruption, cronyism, nepotism and influence peddling: Every president becomes mired in scandals. Their fates are grim. One was exiled, two were sentenced to death, three saw family members jailed, one committed suicide. The only president perceived as relatively clean was assassinated.
Surely, a Blue House oversight/audit mechanism is essential to prevent this depressingly endless power abuse? Surely, public patience for presidencies ends at four years - before "lame duck" syndrome creeps in? Reduce the term, please.
The National Assembly is almost equally tainted. Mid-crisis, it plays politics, preventing a new prime minister from assuming his position. Meanwhile, assembly demands for the devolution of presidential powers to the premier hold massive constitutional implications.
The judiciary is tainted. The prosecution falls under the Blue House, so lacks trust. (The late ex-President Roh Moo-hyun valiantly attempted, but failed, to delink the two institutions.) I suspect the Korean street will be satisfied with nothing less than the harshest sentences for Choi, and the disempowerment of Park. (Though, judicial proceedings against Park may have to wait until her presidency concludes.)
Big business is tainted. Chaebol whine that they donated to Choi's cronies because of (alleged) Blue House pressure. But corruption requires corrupters and corruptees. Did they ask their boards or shareholders about the millions they handed to the shysters shaking them down? I doubt it. So, they paint themselves as victims. Which they are victims of poor governance, cowardice and lack of principle.
The winner is media, which is now the de-facto prosecution. But, amid competition to publish ever-more sensational allegations, is media reporting fair and accurate? Given the inaccuracies of past reporting, I am withholding judgment.
I cannot predict this crisis' ending. But given the consistent and endless power abuse among Korea's political and business elites, can similar crises be prevented, going forward?
Massive institutional overhauls are called for. Above all, Korea desperately needs rule of law: A respected, powerful, independent, impartial judiciary that bows to nobody - not chaebol royals, not the president. And although not a universal legal principle, "innocent until proven guilty" is worth adopting.
Meanwhile, the public's institutional distrust means the ongoing trial by media, and proceedings in the court of public opinion will continue along their fiery course, while the rumor mill spins ever more furiously.
Andrew Salmon is a Seoul-based reporter and author. Reach him at andrewcsalmon@yahoo.co.uk.
Denis Noble
By Kim Tae-gyu
World-renowned biologist Denis Noble advised Korean science circles to put creativity on the front burner for the future of the country, in a recent interview with The Korea Times.
"Korean investment in science is impressive. The quality of Korean scientists is high. If universities and research agencies can favor creativity, the future of biology in Korea could be very good," he said.
"Korea has one of the most vibrant societies in the world. Have confidence in yourselves and you will continue to impress the world."
Korea has been touted as one of the world leaders in scientific knowledge but it has failed to make any big breakthroughs in specific areas the country's researchers have yet to win a Nobel Prize.
Noble, who visited Korea to deliver lectures at Oxford T-Talks in Seoul and Daegu last week under the theme "Life is not a Rehearsal; Keep Going," encouraged the audience of mainly young people.
"I felt very inspired by the extraordinary enthusiasm shown by both audiences. Sound advice was accompanied by good humor. T-Talks has had the best possible launch here in Korea," the 79-year-old said.
"Since life is not a rehearsal, you have to be prepared in your mind to deal with the challenges it brings. The advice of keep going' is the central message. Things eventually turn around."
Headed by Kim Sung-hee, a visiting professor at Seoul National University, Oxford T-Talks is an organization designed to bring experts from Oxford University to Korea to share their experience and insights with people here.
Noble has worked at Oxford University for a long time. As one of the pioneers in systems biology, he developed the first mathematical model of cardiac cells in 1960, laying the groundwork for significant advances.
Noble is the author of the first popular book on systems biology, "The Music of Life." He recently published "Dance to the Tune of Life" in order to explore opportunities in 21st century biology.
Asked what he thinks of the ongoing scandal in Korea involving President Park Geun-hye and her aide Choi Soon-sil, who is accused of having illegitimately meddled in state affairs, he said he is "very sad."
But Noble noted that the country would be able to deal with the troubles as its past track record demonstrates.
"I really hope Korean democracy can be robust enough to find a good way forward," he said. "You have done so in the past. It can be done again."
The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary
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The Los Angeles Times building at First and Spring streets downtown. LA Observed photo.
A pre-election memo from managing editor Marc Duvoisin reminded Los Angeles Times reporters and editors to keep their personal opinions about politics out of their stories. And, perhaps especially, their tweets and Facebook posts.
This isn't the first time this election cycle that Times management has felt the need to state the obvious. But it came a day after the LAT broke off its relationship with South Korea-based freelance reporter Steven Borowiec, following a tweet in which he replied to a Time magazine photo gallery of Donald Trump's life with the quip, "I would rather see Donald Trumps life end."
Borowiec quickly deleted the tweet and said it was posted in jest, but it got picked up all over, especially in pro-Trump media outlets.
"Borowiecs tweet was a violation of the organizations professional standards, and The Times has ended its relationship with him," the paper said in a statement. The Times has been using his reports from Asia over the last three years.
Duvoisin's email to the staff came a day later.
From: "Duvoisin, Marc"
Date: November 4, 2016 at 10:52:55 AM PDT
To: yyeditall
Subject: Important message on social media and political opinions Colleagues: As we enter the final days of the presidential campaign, its important for all of us to keep our personal opinions out of our news coverage. That includes social media. When you post or participate in discussions on Facebook, Twitter or other platforms, you are making a public statement as a Los Angeles Times journalist, and what you publish reflects on all of us. If youre not a columnist or an Opinion writer whose job is to express political opinions, please dont do so on social media. Tweeting out news stories about the campaign is fine. Adding commentary or venting your personal feelings is not. Similarly, re-tweeting negative stories about only one of the candidates creates the appearance that you and by extension The Times have an agenda. We dont have an agenda, and we dont want to create an impression to the contrary. If youre in doubt as to whether a particular tweet or Facebook comment would be appropriate, dont post it. Or ask for a second opinion before posting. This is a longstanding policy, not a new one. If you have any questions, please consult your editor or review the newsroom ethics guidelines or the social media guidelines. Thank you. Marc.
Duvoisin sent out a similar email in July, writing then "this is a longstanding policy, not a new one.
PRESS RELEASE
First Chinese Train Arrives in Riga as Premier Li Sits Down with 16 East European Countries To Discuss the Belt and Road
Nov. 5, 2016 (EIRNS)Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang sat down today with the prime ministers of 16 countries from Central and Eastern Europe. Prior to that, he concluded the first visit of a Chinese leader to Latvia since independence was declared in 1991. Also today, the first trans-Eurasia container train arrived in Riga, Latvia, initiating a new track of the Belt and Road. The train departed on Oct. 20 from Yiwu, a vibrant manufacturing hub in east China, and finished a journey of over 11,000 kilometers following the China-Russia-Latvia route. Latvia wishes to bring Chinese investment into their country, with the intention of building a gauge-changing facility for the trains in Riga, and developing two international ports, one in Riga and the other in Ventspils. Riga has also set up its first Confucius Institute.
During the 16+1 meeting, Premier Li said that given the slower than expected global growth, the parties should institute measures scaling up two-way trade, accelerating efforts for greater connectivity, promoting cooperation on production capacity, exploring innovative modalities of financial cooperation, and tapping the potential for tourism cooperation.
Three major projects are already in operation with the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC). In Romania, China, General Nuclear and the Romanian national nuclear company, Nuclearelectrica, signed an agreement last November, in which they agreed to develop, build, and operate units three and four of the Romanian nuclear plant. China is also committed to building a high-speed rail link between Budapest in Hungary and Belgrade in Serbia. And a Chinese company with a loan from the Chinese Development Bank will build a thermal power plant in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
There was an interesting Polish commentary by Anastas Vangeli in Deutsche Welle, on the development of the China-CEEC. He notes that although the Polish antipathies to Russia may not have changed, nevertheless the anti-Communist views which had long been expressed by some of these countries in the aftermath of the break-up of the Soviet Union, have more or less subsided now with their close involvement with the Peoples Republic of China.
PRESS RELEASE
Li Keqiang in RussiaBringing One Belt, One Road Together with the Eurasian Economic Union
Nov. 6, 2016 (EIRNS)Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in St. Petersburg today for the 21st China-Russia Prime Ministers Regular Meeting and an official visit to the northern neighbor. He will be meeting with his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, in St. Petersburg, Medvedevs hometown, and with President Putin in Moscow.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination, Xinhua reports.
On economic and trade cooperation, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui said in late October that thanks to efforts by both sides, the decline in trade between China and Russia was reversed, with trade up 1.8% in the first half of 2016, reaching $31.72 billion.
He also expressed confidence in the prospects of cooperation between the two countries, citing their highly complementary economies and their agreement to synergize the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
A Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin voted early in New Mexico last week, and he left no doubt about his choice: Hes with her.
In a series of posts on his blog (titled Not a Blog) the bestselling novelist tore into Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, writing, In my lifetime, there has never been a presidential candidate more unfit to lead this nation.
Martin believes that Hillary Clintons negative ads targeting Trump are effective because they feature clips of Trumps frequently explosive comments.
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Yes, he mocked a disabled reporter. There he is, doing it, Martin wrote. Yes, he said he wants to ban all Muslims from entering the US. Here, see the clip.
Martins book series A Song of Ice and Fire forms the basis for the HBO series Game of Thrones. The stories have depicted many kinds of leaders: wavering, sadistic, ambitious, valiant, venal, casual, permissive, generous, seditious, unrelenting, bloodthirsty and corrupt. More often than not, people in power act badly, while those on the outside with purer intent behave slightly less badly.
Martin owns the Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe, which is screening the anti-Trump documentary Michael Moore in TrumpLand. He also promised to sweeten the deal.
We want to do our own part in encouraging everyone to get out and vote, so from now until November 9 anyone who turns up at the Jean Cocteau Cinema with one of those stickers will get a FREE POPCORN, Martin wrote. No charge for butter, or the topping of your choice. And we do have the best popcorn in town, so...
In a post on Sunday, Martin confessed that election anxiety had gotten to him.
I am not sleeping well, and I think I check 538 about three dozen times a day, hoping for some good news, he wrote. Come Tuesday night, I will either be relieved or suicidal. I think I speak for a lot of Americans about that as well.
Martin isnt just confining his support for Clinton to his blog. On Saturday, the Hillary for New Mexico Twitter account posted a picture of the author speaking to a group of Clinton volunteers in Santa Fe.
In the photo, Martin is wearing one of his favored newsboy caps, and a blue Hillary Clinton button affixed to his trademark suspenders.
The last Hanjin Shipping vessel dropping off goods in California has set sail from the Port of Long Beach, finally clearing the many ships left stranded by the companys sudden collapse two months ago. But in its wake, the giant shipping line has left a mess that retailers across the country will be sorting out for weeks.
The South Korean companys bankruptcy is forcing big chains to spend piles of cash to get their goods through ports to warehouses in time for the busy holiday shopping season. Some mom-and-pop shops will have less to offer this year.
And once again, an unexpected disruption has pointed out the intricate links of the supply chain that feeds Americas consumer machine.
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Californias ports took a short-term hit. Long Beach, the nations second largest port, reported a 15% year-over-year drop in import traffic in September. The port of Oakland saw imports decline by 4.2%.
For some wholesalers and retailers, the impact continues.
Ashley Furniture, which supplies couches, beds and dressers to the likes of J.C. Penney, Target and Wal-Mart, had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of 900 containers set to be transported by Hanjin.
For weeks, Hanjin vessels idled as port operators refused to touch the cargo without certainty of how they would be paid.
When the ships finally began to offload containers, Ashley, along with several other retailers, learned that Hanjin had canceled its promised port-to-door delivery.
Ashley executives hustled to fill the gap, hiring trucking companies to haul the wares from ports and contracting with new vessels to bring containers stranded in Singapore. In October, the company asked a New Jersey judge overseeing the shipping lines U.S. bankruptcy proceedings to subtract Ashleys costs from the fees it owes Hanjin.
So far, the company has spent more than $1 million to retrieve stranded containers and get the ones that have arrived in Los Angeles out of the ports. It managed to get clients their furniture on time, but making that happen will dent Ashleys profits.
Its going to affect our bottom line. Its all stuff that is additional bills out of our pocket, said Margaret Pronschinske, vice president of supply chain planning at Ashley.
Normally, when truck drivers drop off containers at Ashley distribution centers, they unload the goods and then take the containers back to the ports to be collected by the shipping line. But Hanjin vessels havent been making return trips to pick up their boxes. So drivers are simply unhooking their big rigs from the chassis, the metal frames used to haul the steel boxes, and leaving the empty containers and chassis behind.
Now, Ashley is desperate to figure out what to do with hundreds of empty containers. It has returned some to port terminals, but it has had to pay Redlands trucking company $125, on top of the normal trucking rate, for each empty box it has transported.
For more than a month, those empty containers and the chassis they were tying up left the port complex in Los Angeles reeling. In all, 6,000 vacant boxes that arrived on Hanjin ships remain in the country, and the vast majority of them are still sitting on chassis.
Idle chassis are the top issue that retailers are worried about, said Jonathan Gold, the vice president of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation.
They need those chassis back on the ports to get the full load of containers back out of the ports, Gold said. The longer this goes on, it continues to be a concern.
The strain is showing across the supply chain, said Noel Hacegaba, the chief commercial officer at the Port of Long Beach. But fixes, he says, are on the way.
Hacegaba helped persuade Hanjin to take more than 2,000 empty containers back on the Hanjin Seattle, the vessel that left Oct. 27. On Thursday, the Port of Long Beach announced that another Hanjin ship would return to pick up 4,300 containers.
That will be welcome news to some of the biggest names in consumer products.
Samsung had the most cargo on Hanjin ships by a long shot, with more than 8,000 container units of goods stacked on the vessels from August through the end of September, according to Datamyne, which tracks trade data. Other big names included Hanes, J.C. Penney, Microsoft and Kmart.
Most large retailers were able to pay their way around the logjam. For smaller shops, its been harder.
Punch Studio, a gift and stationery supplier based in Culver City, has waited weeks for Hanjin to produce 14 containers carrying paper and gift swag that would have sold for up to $1.5 million.
Todd Kirshner, the companys chief executive, says the goods have started to trickle into his warehouse, but the delay will be costly.
Thats seven weeks less of selling time on the floor, so sales are going to be impacted dramatically, Kirshner said. He estimated that his sales could be reduced as much as 20% by the delays.
Kirshner also is paying up to $35 per day to a customs broker to keep six chassis and the carcasses of Hanjin containers parked near his office.
He said that Hanjins collapse has been as bad for Punch Studio as the epic congestion produced by labor disputes at the Los Angeles-area ports in 2014 and 2015.
Whether its a bankruptcy or slowdown, it has the same end effect, Kirshner said.
Some suppliers have been able to turn the disruption to their advantage.
JLab Audio, an audio specialist based in Oceanside, lucked out. The company had been using Hanjin to import its headphones and speakers from factories in Shenzhen, China. But when Matt Bustamante, the companys 33-year-old vice president of operations, heard about the bankruptcy, he was pleased to find none of his products was on Hanjin vessels.
A competitor wasnt so fortunate. So in late September, Bustamante said, Wal-Mart called to ask whether JLab could fill shelves that were going to go empty. Suddenly, instead of just selling Wal-Mart headphones in the $20 to $50 range, JLab had a chance to supply the giant retailer with one of its most expensive offerings, a pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones that go for around $100.
Bustamante said the company has had to pay a higher freight tab; prices jumped threefold after Hanjins collapse, according to Flexport, a freight forwarding company. Still, the unexpected business was a gift.
It was a detriment to them, but it ended up being a benefit to us, he said.
Natalie.Kitroeff@latimes.com
Follow me @NatalieKitro on Twitter
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French composer Jean-Jacques Perrey, whose music has contributed to the pop-culture landscape in places ranging from Disneyland to television shows including The Simpsons and South Park, died Friday. He was 87.
Perrey died in Lausanne, Switzerland, from a very quick and violent lung cancer, his daughter, Patricia Leroy, told the Associated Press.
His most recognizable work is perhaps Baroque Hoedown, which Perrey co-wrote with collaborator Gershon Kingsley in 1967. Featured on their album Kaleidoscopic Vibrations: Electronic Pop Music From Way Out, the song became the theme for Disneylands Main Street Electrical Parade in 1972. Its whimsical melody has been heard in all subsequent iterations of the attraction at Disney theme parks around the world.
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Born in a small village in France on Jan. 20, 1929, Perrey was a medical student when he met inventor Georges Jenny, the creator of the Ondioline. The electronic keyboard was capable of creating a wide variety of sounds and was a precursor to modern synthesizers. Perrey quit medical school and began working for Jenny selling and demonstrating the Ondioline.
See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour
For those who dont realize it, Jean-Jacques first started recording electronic music in 1952, long before the Moog synthesizer was first made for sale in 1967, wrote electronic music composer Dana Countryman in an online tribute to Perrey, his friend and collaborator.
In 1960, Perrey moved to New York where he began experimenting with sounds while appearing on TV with the Ondioline. Perry also composed jingles for TV and radio during this time. He became one of the first Moog synthesizer musicians, releasing albums such as The Happy Moog, Moog Indigo and Moog Sensations in the late 60s and early 70s.
His crazy, happy music has been heard everywhere from commercials, to Sesame Street in hip-hop songs, in dance remixes and most famously, for decades in the delightful featured music in Disneylands Main Street Electrical Parade. In recent years, his music has even made appearances on The Simpsons, and on Comedy Centrals South Park, Countryman wrote.
His techniques of crafting uniquely unrecognizable tape-manipulated sounds, splicing them into melodically-rhythmic sequences and building arrangements around these sounds that, themselves, point towards other periods of musical expression, have been huge inspirations for the intersections of time and texture I like to play with, Gotye (of Somebody That I Used to Know fame) wrote in a Facebook tribute. The Australian-Belgian musician has been working on a Perrey tribute show with the Ondioline Orchestra.
During his career, Perrey released nearly two dozen albums as a solo artist and with collaborators.
If he were here today, there is nothing that Jean-Jacques would like more than to think that his fans were playing his crazy, funny, catchy Moog music right now and smiling, instead of being sad, wrote Countryman.
tracy.brown@latimes.com
Twitter: @tracycbrown
Marina Abramovic materializes in a Hillary Clinton email leak and things quickly get ridiculous. Santa Monica prepares to shut down development (except that of McMansions). And the magic of Kendall Jenners Instagram with a few addenda, proviso and quid pro quo. Heres your very necessary pre-election Roundup:
A dinner party hosted by performance artist Marina Abramovic, which she described as Spirit Cooking in an email that ended up in the Hillary Clinton email leak, has been used to label the candidate and her staff as Satanists by fringe right wing media. Because our electoral politics has turned into some totally 20s German Expressionist movie. ARTnews
Speaking of which, art critic Ben Davis reports on how this presidential election raised the issue of class in a country that has long ignored its social divisions. Frieze
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Santa Monicas onerous Measure LV proposal could make it even harder to create affordable housing in that city. Alissa Walker and Jenna Chandler round up the types of buildings that would be more difficult to build if the measure is passed. McMansions, however, remain totes OK to construct. Los Angeles Times, Curbed
Which brings me to the topic of our various national housing crises: The U.S. is building more three-car garages than one-bedroom apartments. Bloomberg
Plus, a look at the gentrification protests targeting Boyle Heights art galleries. New York Times
An Italian art dealer is suing New York dealer David Zwirner over the purchase of an editioned sculpture by Jeff Koons. Its a legal soup. Isaac Kaplan explains. Artsy
Ai Weiwei gets testy with artist Tania Bruguera during a talk at the Brooklyn Museum. ARTnews
The Clark Art Institute is the lucky recipient of artist Allan Sekulas 15,000-volume library. Artforum
The idea that a collectors work remains under their control after theyve donated it to an institution is gaining currency. Marion Maneker on how collector gifts to public institutions appear to come with increasing amounts of strings. Art Market Monitor
The Center for Italian Modern Art in New York and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Trento, Italy, are teaming up on a Kickstarter to re-create Italian futurist Fortunato Deperos famous Bolted Book. Metropolis
Prince Charles has helped plan the village of Poundbury and critics have often derided it as an architectural throwback created by a royal who hates Modernism. But critic Oliver Wainwright says the village is worth a look for the things it gets right like affordable housing. The Guardian
Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, prepare to kick one back in Poundbury, England. (Justin Tallis / AFP/Pool )
Repurposing old prisons. The Guardian
How a Getty conservation initiative is helping preserve Moroccos earthen kasbahs. The Iris
Canadian Beast Jesus is no longer a beast after its head is returned. Speaking of which: A chronicle of a pilgrimage to see the original Beast Jesus in Spain. I would so be all over that gift shop. CBC News, Hyperallergic
New Yorks beloved Astor Place Cube, a work of public art by artist Tony Rosenthal, has received some needed conservation treatment and is ready to be twirled again. Artsy
Los Angeles photographer Anthony Hernandez talks about how his L.A. walkabouts have resulted in a lifetimes body of work. Bomb
Plus, Estevan Oriol, the photographer who made L.A. fingers a thing. Los Angeles Magazine
A new monograph brings together the work of An Te Liu, whose art often examines the design of the overlooked objects that define our architectural environments. Architect
A PR firm has launched an online arts publication. Arts Journal
Just in time for Thanksgiving: The Photographers Cookbook, published by Aperture. Contains William Egglestons recipe for grits casserole. But does it have an English breakfast by Martin Parr? Hyperallergic
And last but not least, the dude who Photoshops himself into Kendall Jenners Instagram. Live long and prosper, good sir. @kirbyjenner (via Some News)
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Find me on Twitter @cmonstah.
If you feel like this election cycle has been one wild and unpredictable reality show on a perpetual loop, rejoice: The end is finally in sight. Tuesday is the long-awaited season finale, otherwise known as election day.
Of course, this polarizing race has been a boon for late-night television hosts, who have made routine segments out of skewering the presidential candidates, their surrogates and even the traditional news coverage surrounding the contest.
Its no surprise, then, that Showtime and Comedy Central will mark the end of the race with live election night programs that will allow their hosts to comment on the results in real time.
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Late Show host Stephen Colbert was bumped from his regular spot on CBS for its news coverage, but he will broadcast a live special on Showtime. Colberts Late Show has gone live numerous times during this election season starting with the Republican and Democratic national conventions and after the presidential debates.
See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour
Colbert, of course, has been a familiar face for fans of late-night political satire who have watched him cover previous races as his fictional Daily Show and Colbert Report character. And while he has mostly shed that persona while analyzing this years election, he has been a comforting presence in the face of so much anxiety and tumult.
What can fans expect from Colberts election special?
We might have some naked men on set, we were thinking, Colbert revealed on CBS This Morning. Because its Showtime and you can have full-frontal nudity as long as the men dont look happy about it.
The other perk of being on premium cable is not worrying about watching his language (or being interrupted by commercials).
Meanwhile, his old stomping grounds, Comedy Central, will feature a special one-hour episode of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, which will air live on both coasts. The show will also be available to stream online and through the networks app.
Following The Daily Show, the network will air the first-ever live episode of @midnight with Chris Hardwick, which will feature panelists Whitney Cummings, Ron Funches and Paul F. Tompkins.
In a not-so-live special, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee will have a new episode on Wednesday, in addition to her regularly scheduled program on Monday.
Colberts election night special and the live Daily Show episode will air at 8 p.m. PST.
tracy.brown@latimes.com
Twitter: @tracycbrown
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Janet Reno, whose unusually long tenure as the United States first female attorney general began with a disastrous assault on cultists in Texas and ended after the dramatic raid that returned Elian Gonzalez to his Cuban father, has died after a years-long struggle with the debilitation of Parkinsons disease. She was 78.
Her goddaughter Gabrielle DAlemberte said Reno spent her final days at home in Miami surrounded by family and friends, according to the Associated Press.
When Reno arrived in Washington in 1993 as President Clintons third choice for the job, she cut an unusual figure for the nations top law enforcement official, not only because of her sex.
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She was tall (nearly 6-foot-2), single and brought with her a somewhat mythic reputation as a woman who had wrestled alligators while growing up in rural south Florida and as a tough prosecutor in Miami who wrestled with mobsters and drug dealers.
Within a few weeks she made what she acknowledged was a deadly blunder, approving an FBI assault on a cult compound in Waco, Texas, that led to the death of about 80 children, women and men.
The disaster could have sent her packing, but the fact that she forthrightly took the blame (Im accountable. The buck stops with me.) instead established her in the public mind as the rare political figure who accepted responsibility for her actions.
People really liked Janet Reno, said Carl Stern, a former network news correspondent who served as her spokesman. People judged her to be authentic and sincere and working in their service.
Her blunt, no-nonsense demeanor stood her well in public opinion polls through much of her nearly eight-year stint in the job, even as she increasingly got caught in the political crossfire between Republicans and Democrats over demands to investigate the Clinton administration.
She appointed seven special prosecutors to investigate aspects of the Clinton administration, including the Whitewater real estate deal, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy and Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros, earning her increasing enmity from the Clintons. But she refused to appoint, over the objections of the FBI, an eighth special prosecutor to look into campaign finance violations by Clinton and Vice President Al Gore in 1996. Republicans in Congress demanded her resignation, saying she had politicized her office, and continued their attacks until she left Washington with Clinton in January 2001. Only one other person had served longer in the job.
Frances Fragos Townsend, a Republican who worked in the Justice Department under Reno and went on to be homeland security advisor to President George W. Bush, said the impression that Reno was a politically polarizing attorney general was a fiction created by her Republican opponents and the media.
They created this story around her, Townsend said. It was a caricature and inaccurate ... its just not who she was. She was very down to earth and simple in the sense that what drove her was the facts.
A year after returning to Miami, where she was born on July 21, 1938, Reno made an attempt to return to public life, despite hands that by then were shaking badly due to the Parkinsons disease. She ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination to oppose Republican Jeb Bush for governor, losing a 30-point lead in the polls in just two months, then left the stage for good.
Reno had no middle name, according to the Palm Beach Post, because her mother said she was too exhausted from labor to come up with one. Her parents were reporters in Miami, and her mother, by all accounts, was a swashbuckling eccentric who taught her daughter to speak her mind.
She was the quintessential American idealist. She believed that the country was full of people with good ideas... Jeremy Travis, president of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York
Her mother, Jane Wood Reno, built the family house herself in what then was a rural suburb of Miami, originally on 21 acres with a barn, cows and other farm animals not far removed from the Everglades. It was her mother who was known for wrestling alligators, though Janet said she could handle the little ones. Janet returned to the family home from Washington to spend the rest of her life.
Reno studied chemistry at Cornell University, where she did well enough to be accepted at Harvard Law School after flirting with the idea of becoming a doctor. She graduated from Harvard in 1963. After nine years in private practice in Miami, starting in real estate law, Reno moved to Tallahassee, the state capital, to became general counsel to the House Judiciary Committee. She is credited with writing the states no-fault divorce law and overseeing a comprehensive reorganization of the states court system.
She ran for state representative in 1971, winning the primary but narrowly losing the general election.
After a stint in the Dade County state attorneys office and a return to private practice, she was appointed to the top prosecutors job in Miami in 1978, serving for 15 years. She repeatedly won reelection to keep that job despite presiding over a sharply escalating murder rate and drug trade and criticism from the local papers that she was more of an administrator than a courtroom lawyer.
She also had to overcome a prosecutorial disaster early in her tenure. When her office failed to convict four white police officers who were charged with beating to death a black insurance executive, riots broke out in Miami, killing 16 people over four days, with more than 1,000 arrests. She found herself alienated from her black constituents, but won them back through repeated visits to black churches and neighborhoods.
Under pressure to name a woman to the attorney general post, Clinton turned to Janet Reno only after his first two choices for the job, Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood, withdrew because they had both employed nannies who were illegal immigrants. Reno had ample qualifications, and she was childless and therefore had no nanny problems.
Even some close insiders were critical of her management style as attorney general. She was a workaholic who arrived at her office at 7 a.m. (on foot, from her apartment 10 minutes away) and often stayed until late at night. But at least initially, she refused to delegate authority, which in a department with 95,000 employees could be disastrous. She also was criticized for not prioritizing the incessant lists she demanded action on, and sometimes for not acting quickly herself on recommendations.
Legal issues surrounding children were a major focus of the new attorney general, so much so that it engendered some sniping within the Justice Department that she was the attorney general for children. Though attorneys general before and after her focused on such topics as organized crime or pornography, Reno liked to talk about pushing children out of poverty and programs to steer teenagers away from violence, as well as broader issues such as prevention and rehabilitation and creating empowerment zones in the inner city.
It may have been concern for children that got her in trouble in Waco, because the FBI told Reno, who had refused to authorize an attack on the Branch Davidian compound there, that they needed to use force in part because children were being abused. That turned out to be false, and the attack resulted in the death of 25 of the children she had wanted to protect.
Another assault involving a child, this one successful but equally controversial, defined the end of her tenure as Waco defined the beginning. Reno ordered 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez, whose mother drowned as they tried to reach Florida from Cuba, forcibly removed from cousins in Miami and returned to his father in Cuba. Though the move was popular nationally, it was reviled in the city to which Reno was about to return.
Also on the list of Renos accomplishments, though very much out of sync with her rhetoric, was passage of the get-tough-on-crime 1994 crime bill. Though largely a Clinton initiative, Reno lobbied for it and helped persuade some liberals to back it, in part by promising tough standards in death penalty cases. It funded 100,000 new local police officers, greatly expanded the federal death penalty, provided funds to investigate violence against women and banned certain assault weapons.
But one of Renos greatest accomplishments may have been the tone she set as attorney general. She fashioned herself after one of her predecessors, Robert F. Kennedy, whose portrait hung in her private office.
She was the quintessential American idealist, said Jeremy Travis, president of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. Travis, who worked for Reno for six years at the Justice Department, said she was nonetheless pragmatic and focused on results. She believed that the country was full of people with good ideas and that we could improve our society in important ways and people of good will acting together could make a noticeable difference, he said.
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The developer of Banning Ranch has filed a lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court, challenging state officials denial of a development project in coastal Newport Beach that included hundreds of homes and a hotel.
Newport Banning Ranch LLCs suit, which is also requesting monetary damages of at least $490 million, comes nearly two months after the 12-member California Coastal Commission denied the companys plan to build 895 homes, a 75-room hotel, 20-bed hostel and 45,100 square feet of retail space on an oilfield overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
In explaining their decision, the commissioners cited a lack of cohesion between Newport Banning Ranch and commission staff members, who had recommended the project be reduced by about one-third.
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In addition to the monetary damages, Newport Banning Ranchs suit, filed Friday, is asking the court to overturn the commissions decision.
There were an extraordinary and unprecedented amount of procedural errors, misinformation and errors in fact that did not provide the opportunity for a balanced decision that considered all the facts, said Michael Mohler, senior project manager, in a statement.
Coastal Commission representatives could not be reached for comment.
The lawsuit points to commission staffs designation of 64 acres for burrowing owl habitat, a decision Newport Banning Ranch believes eliminated the majority of the projects available land for development and made the project financially unfeasible.
The suit also alleges that commission staff failed to inform the commissioners about biological surveys on the Banning Ranch property indicating that, in most years, burrowing owls havent used the land to breed and, in fact, only one owl forages there.
Mohler said the decision to designate additional acreage for the owls was based on inapplicable assumptions by a zoologist working with the project opponents who admitted to the inaccuracies during the hearing, and a lack of expertise by staff.
The lawsuit equates the commissions denial to an illegal taking of private property without compensation and a violation of the developers 5th and 14th amendment rights.
Banning Ranch is the last big piece of private open land on the Southern California coast.
hannah.fry@latimes.com
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
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The wife of KABC-TVs longtime weatherman Dallas Raines was sentenced to three years probation and drug rehabilitation for beating and trying to strangle their adult daughter as they drove home from a La Canada country club, prosecutors said.
As part of a plea deal, Danielle Raines pleaded no contest Friday to one felony count of assault by means likely to produce great bodily harm on her 25-year-old daughter, according to Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorneys office.
The 58-year-old mother must complete a year at a residential drug rehab program and attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings five times a week. She was also ordered to stay away from her family home as well as from her daughter.
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Her attorney did not immediately return requests for a comment.
Danielle Raines was eating a meal and drinking with her daughter at the country club on Aug. 31, prosecutors said, when she apparently became belligerent.
Thats when prosecutors said she struck and pushed her daughter before driving home.
She continued the attack during the drive home, forcing her daughter to pull to the side of road.
But Danielle Raines didnt stop her assault, according to the district attorneys office. She beat her daughter and attempted to strangle her while they were pulled over, prosecutors said.
Her daughter was eventually able to escape. Danielle Raines was arrested later that day.
Danielle Raines, a writer, recently served on the organizing committee for the Community Scholarship Foundation of La Canada Flintridge.
She and her husband, KABC-TVs chief meteorologist for Eyewitness News, live in Pasadena.
veronica.rocha@latimes.com
For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.
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Mariza Ruelas homemade dishes gained a small following among friends and family on the 209 Food Spot on Facebook, a community of thousands of Northern Californians who share recipes, cooking tips and occasionally swap dishes for favors or other meals.
Ruelas was especially proud of her ceviche, a Latin American dish of citrus-marinated raw fish or other seafood served cold.
So when she had leftovers in December, the 37-year-old single unemployed mother of six posted a photo of it on Facebook and offered group members a plate; her price was $12 for 32 ounces.
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One man took her up on the offer and drove to Ruelas Stockton home, paid her cash and left with his meal.
But that man turned out to be an undercover investigator, and soon Ruelas got a letter in July from the San Joaquin County district attorneys office.
The ceviche purchase was part of a sting and the letter informed Ruelas that she was one of several people who were charged with misdemeanors for operating a food facility and a business without a license.
When the group of mostly women she saw showed up in court, Ruelas said, prospective plea agreements awaited them, ready to be signed.
Most of the offers gave the defendants a year of probation, 40 hours of community service and $250 in fines. But Ruelas said hers was different she was offered three years probation and 80 hours of community service. She said it was her punishment for refusing to take down her posts about the ceviche incident from social media.
Ruelas thought that was unjust, so she refused to sign the plea agreement.
Instead of changing their deal, court records show, prosecutors instead attempted to add two more misdemeanor charges to Ruelas case, pending a ruling from a judge later this week. If that happens, she could conceivably face two years of jail time though its unclear how realistic such a sentence would be.
This amendment came after she asserted her right to a trial, noted Ruelas public defender, Benjamin Hall.
Hall declined to speculate on why Deputy Dist. Atty. Kelly McDaniel was adding additional counts, but said that prosecuting his client goes against the spirit of the laws intent.
Obviously there needs to be food safety. On the other hand, this is not the kind of thing these laws were meant to go after. They were intended for people who build restaurants and dont obtain permits, Hall said. And its not that situation. Its a community of people joined by food.
McDaniel was unavailable for comment Monday, but defended the case to KTXL-TV in an interview last week.
I dont write the laws, I enforce them and the Legislature has felt that this is a crime, she said. Food prepared in a facility that has not been inspected creates a risk to the public.
Ruelas defended herself on Facebook, writing I gave the same food away that I fed to my family never would I bring them any harm.
This is something I did at most twice a month, she told the Times. Like I told everybody else, Im by myself. My kids go to four different schools. This group was helpful for me. For those days where my mom has dialysis, you can say is anyone willing to trade? Ill get you this weekend.
Ruelas said she is willing to pay a fine.
I just dont want a record, she said.
Joseph.serna@latimes.com
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.
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2:32 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Mariza Ruelas and her public defender.
This article was originally published at 10:15 a.m.
A father was charged Monday in the fatal stabbing his 13-month-old daughter, and with then lighting a fire in their North Hollywood apartment before jumping out of a window, prosecutors said.
Noe Torres, 48, pleaded not guilty to one count each of murder, and arson and assault on a child that lead to death, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office. His bail is set at more than $2 million
Torres had been arguing with the girls mother on Oct. 21 in their apartment in the 13000 block of Vanowen Street, prosecutors said.
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During the dispute, Torres used a knife to stab his daughter, who was identified as Rosario Torres, according to the district attorneys office.
He then allegedly set fire to the apartment, stabbed himself and jumped out the second-story window.
As he jumped out of the window, he was partially covered in flames.
Los Angeles Police Capt. Stephen Carmona said when police arrived, a kitchen knife was still in his body. Torres, police said, refused to obey their commands to release the knife, so they used a Taser and bean bag rounds to take him into custody.
If convicted, Torres faces up to 34 years to life in state prison.
veronica.rocha@latimes.com
For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.
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The gunman whose 2013 rampage at Los Angeles International Airport left a Transportation Security Administration officer dead and three other people injured was sentenced Monday to life in prison for the premeditated attack in which he targeted federal officers.
Paul Ciancia, 26, had pleaded guilty to murder and other charges earlier this year as part of a deal in which federal prosecutors withdrew their decision to seek the death penalty for the shootings at the airports bustling Terminal 3.
He didnt win. Hes doing life in prison. ...Hes not going to be able to hurt anyone else ever again, Tony Grigsby, one of the TSA officers shot by Ciancia, said after the hearing Monday.
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Before U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez handed down the life term, which was required under sentencing rules, Ciancia addressed the downtown courtroom full of law enforcement officers, victims and family members of Gerardo Hernandez, the TSA agent who was killed.
Dressed in a white jumpsuit, with his legs shackled to a chain around his waist, Ciancia gave an odd, mostly unapologetic account of the months leading up to the violence. He described wanting to commit suicide before the shooting, but said he decided first to spend the remainder of his life savings, which amounted to $26,000. During this time, he said he became interested in the debate over gun control and concluded, I need to get a gun.
Ciancia alluded to an incident in which he claimed he was harassed by Los Angeles police but gave no specifics, and he indicated that the harassment led him on a path toward violence.
I knew exactly how I was going to die. I was going to take up arms against my own government, he said.
As he planned where and whom to attack, Ciancia made reference to deciding against two other targets before settling on the TSA, but did not elaborate. He focused his anger on the TSA, he said, after coming to believe its officers were harassing people, including disabled people.
I wanted to make a statement! he said in court, his voice rising.
Ciancia apologized to the teacher who was among three people wounded in the rampage, expressing deep regret. But he never mentioned the effect of the shooting on the TSA officer he killed or two other officers who were wounded.
The teacher, Brian Ludmer, spoke after Ciancia and rebuked him for his bizarre sense of remorse, telling him he should apologize to the TSA officers he shot and their families.
You need to apologize to them every day, and it still would not be enough, he said.
Ciancia smirked at times as a member of the prosecution team spoke about the effect the shooting has had on the lives of the victims. Throughout the hearing, he looked around the courtroom frequently, seemingly trying to make eye contact with his victims and other law enforcement officers.
The TSA officers were targeted because of the uniform they wore and because they were doing their job that day at Los Angeles airport keeping all of us safe, said U.S. Atty. Eileen Decker. The sentence today for Mr. Ciancia of life without the possibility of parole reflects the grievous nature of the crime.
Ciancia, who grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and moved to Los Angeles about 18 months before the attack, harbored an odd, dangerous fixation on TSA officers, who screen travelers at the nations airports, even though they are not armed and have little authority.
After the attack, investigators found a handwritten note inside Ciancias luggage in which he railed against the TSA for its Nazi checkpoints and the presumption that every American is a terrorist. The rampage would be a success, he wrote, if he managed to kill a TSA worker.
There wasnt a terrorist attack, he wrote to his sister shortly before the attack. There was a pissed-off patriot trying to water the tree of liberty.
About 9:15 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2013, Ciancia was dropped off by an unsuspecting roommate in front of the third of LAXs nine terminals. He walked through the doors, and from a case he had fashioned from pieces of luggage, Ciancia pulled out a semiautomatic rifle he had purchased months earlier.
Instead of shooting wildly into the crowd of travelers, Ciancia took aim at Hernandez, who was near a podium checking passengers travel documents before they went on to a security checkpoint on the floor above, according to court papers.
Ciancia shot the TSA officer, who fell to the floor. The gunman then went up an escalator to the security checkpoint.
Seeing that Hernandez was still alive, Ciancia walked back down the upward-moving escalator, stood over the officer and shot him again and again. Hernandez was shot 12 times in total, according to court papers.
Ciancia then climbed the stairs to the security checkpoint, opening fire on two more TSA officers, who tried to flee alongside panicked travelers toward the terminals gate area. Both officers suffered non-life-threatening wounds; Ludmer, the teacher, was shot in the leg.
Moving deeper into the terminal, Ciancia reportedly asked cowering people whether they worked for the TSA. Other passengers fled onto the tarmac.
Within minutes, police officers confronted Ciancia, shooting him in the head. After life-saving surgery and weeks of recovery, Ciancia was put behind bars, where he has remained since. Authorities recovered a total of 500 rounds of ammunition Ciancia brought to the airport.
Hernandez, a father of two children, was the first TSA officer slain on duty since the agency was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in an attempt to tighten security in Americas transportation networks.
The chaotic and disorganized response to the shooting by emergency personnel led to a highly critical report on the event that found widespread problems rooted in the failure of various police and fire departments to communicate with each other.
In recent court filings, prosecutors from the U.S. attorneys office made vague references to mental health problems suffered by Ciancia that were discussed at length in a sealed report.
The government does not dispute that defendant has some combination of disorders and concurs that he has had suicidal ideation in the past, wrote Assistant U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald added that Ciancia has shown no remorse for the rampage and remains resolute regarding his continuing hatred of at least certain federal employees.
Gutierrez, the judge, recommended Ciancia be housed at a medical detention facility in Minnesota to receive psychiatric treatment.
joel.rubin@latimes.com
For more news on federal courts in Southern California, follow me on Twitter: @joelrubin
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6:20 p.m.: This article was updated with more details from the sentencing hearing and a comment from U.S. Atty. Eileen Decker.
1:55 p.m.: This article was updated with the sentence from Mondays court hearing.
This article was originally published at 7:30 a.m.
It was a case that puzzled investigators.
Who would want to shoot a mother and her 4-year-old daughter just feet from their Long Beach home this summer?
Detectives spent more than three months scouring evidence and interviewing witnesses who may have seen something.
An investigation of this magnitude that began with no leads is very difficult to work, Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna said. Sometimes a case like this can take years to solve.
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On Monday, Luna said detectives had arrested Brandon Colbert, 22, of Tulsa, Okla. After identifying him as the main suspect in the Aug. 6 killings, police discovered he was in Los Angeles County jail after being picked up three weeks later on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle.
Luna said investigators plan to present their case to prosecutors Tuesday to determine whether to file charges against Colbert in the slayings of Carina Mancera and her daughter, Jennabel Anaya.
Today their family and our community can find some comfort and the knowledge that a person believed to be responsible for their deaths is in custody, Luna said.
But even after the arrest, a key question remains unanswered: Why would anyone kill the mother and daughter?
The motive for the shooting remains unknown, Luna said.
We havent ruled out the possibility that others may be involved in this horrific crime, Luna said, adding that a $40,000 reward has been offered in the shootings.
Investigators learned that Colbert boarded a Greyhound bus Aug. 3 in Tulsa and arrived in Los Angeles the next day, the police chief said.
Police are now looking to retrace Colberts last steps and are trying to determine if he left California after the shooting, only to return later, or stayed in the area until his arrest in the stolen car case.
The mother and daughter were returning from grocery shopping around 10:20 p.m. when a gunman emerged at the intersection of Locust Avenue and 9th Street, police said.
The gunman opened fire on Mancera and her daughter, then fired one shot at Luis Anaya, Manceras boyfriend, who is the father of Jennabel. Anaya was not hurt, but Mancera, 26, died at the scene. Jennabel died at a hospital a short time later.
In September, police released surveillance footage that showed a man they wanted to question inside a convenience store near the shooting scene. He was also spotted in footage riding a Metro Blue Line train carrying luggage shortly after the shootings.
Police said Colbert is the same person seen in the footage.
It is unclear how detectives linked the person in the videos to the shooting. Police have said that Anaya, the surviving boyfriend, did not recognize the man in the videos.
Luna said police had DNA from the gunman they retrieved at the scene of the killings, but he did not elaborate. Detectives submitted the DNA to an offender database but nothing came up at first.
On Aug. 27, Los Angeles police officers arrested Colbert on the stolen car case and his DNA was taken to be added to offender databases. On Oct. 31, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Departments crime lab confirmed a match, Luna said.
Luna said he is hoping someone who knows Colbert or may have seen him comes forward to help police.
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia praised detectives for their work on the case.
Were of course thinking and praying during this time for the family of both Carina and Jennabel, he said. Its been a difficult few months, but our thoughts and prayers are with them and we know that hopefully today will bring them some level of peace and ability to process this in their own way.
ruben.vives@latimes.com
veronica.rocha@latimes.com
For breaking California news, follow @LATvives and @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.
Times staff writers Joseph Serna and James Queally contributed to this article.
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4:30 p.m.: This article has been rewritten and new details added about how police say they linked Colbert to the killings.
1:45 p.m.: This article was updated with Long Beach police announcing that Brandon Colbert, 22, of Oklahoma was arrested in the killings.
This article was originally published at 11:45 a.m.
The disappearance of 34-year-old mother of two on Wednesday triggered a massive search, with fears that she may have been abducted after her cellphone was found abandoned on a Northern California road.
Sherri Papini went for a jog and walk alone about 2 p.m. on Sunset Drive in Mountain Gate, north of Redding, according to Sgt. Brian Jackson of the Shasta County Sheriffs Office. She had texted her husband during the day, but when he returned home from work, Papini and their two children were not home, Jackson said.
Keith Papini later discovered that his wife had not picked up their two children from daycare, as she usually did.
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Hoping to find her, he pulled up his Find my iPhone app and found her cellphone at the intersection of Old Oregon Trail and Sunrise Drive, Jackson said. Sherri Papini was nowhere to be found, so her husband called authorities for assistance, according to Jackson.
Deputies searched the area, but could not find her. She was last seen on Sunset Drive wearing a pink running jacket, authorities said.
Sheriffs officials said she does not have any known medical or mental health issues.
The Sheriffs Office is aware of the multiple theories about what may have happened with Sherri Papini, Jackson said. The Sheriffs Office encourages the public to continue to be supportive to family as well as law enforcement efforts as these are stressful circumstances.
Keith Papini told KRCR-TV that he thinks his wife was abducted.
Bring her home, he said. Bring her home safe.
Sherri Papinis family is offering a $50,000 reward for her safe return.
Volunteers scoured the mountain community for days searching for Papini. Police dogs, a sheriffs helicopters and deputies looked for clues into her disappearance.
Investigators contacted convicted sex offenders who lived in area and reviewed surveillance video cameras.
Anyone with details about the missing mother is urged to call the Sheriffs Office at (530) 245-6540 or the Major Crimes Unit (530) 245-6135. Tips can also be submitted at mcu@co.shasta.ca.us.
veronica.rocha@latimes.com
For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.
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Air quality regulators are investigating metal-processing facilities in the city of Paramount after detecting a potent cancer-causing metal at 350 times normal levels.
After discovering high levels of the carcinogen hexavalent chromium late last month, the South Coast Air Quality Management District intensified an ongoing investigation, inspecting businesses in the southeast Los Angeles County community in a search for who might be responsible.
Philip Fine, a deputy executive officer for the air district, said hexavalent chromium readings of 26 nanograms per cubic meter, detected on Oct. 27 by an air-monitoring device deployed near Madison Street and Minnesota Avenue, were among the highest he could recall.
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Were really focused on finding the precise source of these high levels, Fine said. As soon as we can, we will be acting aggressively to stop the emissions.
Toxic hot spots still exist in Los Angeles. They can harm children, the elderly, and we need to do something about it. Jane Williams, California Communities Against Toxics
Hexavalent chromium, emitted by chrome platers, metal finishers and facilities in the aerospace industry, is known to cause lung cancer.
AQMD officials emphasized that the high levels detected, though concerning, are not an immediate threat. Breathing the compound poses an increased cancer risk over years or decades of exposure.
A four-page summary of monitoring results released by the air district says that although the highest concentrations of the pollutant were detected in mostly industrial areas, levels detected closer to residential neighborhoods were also elevated and heighten the need to take swift action to identify and mitigate the source or sources of hexavalent chromium.
As part of the investigation, air district officials said they dispatched facility inspectors and enforcement personnel to identify any facilities that may be out of compliance with air quality rules, lacking permits or operating under the radar. The agency said it has made monitoring the air in Paramount and finding the source of the pollution its staffs highest priority.
People have complained of burning metallic odors in Paramount for years. In 2012, spurred by dozens of complaints from an elementary school teacher, the air district launched an investigation that focused on Carlton Forge Works, a metal-grinding operation.
The following year the South Coast air district started monitoring for air toxics in the community and implementing measures to reduce odors and emissions of hexavalent chromium, nickel and other toxic metals from the business. In 2014, the agency revealed that monitors had detected elevated levels of nickel, a carcinogen that can harm the lungs.
Carlton Forge Works has made improvements that have reduced metal dust emissions from its grinding operations and has not detected hexavalent chromium in its exhaust since completing upgrades to its pollution controls last year, according to a company spokeswoman.
The air districts recent sampling results suggest that there is a significant source of hexavalent chromium several blocks to the west of, and upwind of, CFW, spokeswoman Jenny Dudikoff said.
In August, air district officials told residents at a public meeting that despite the improvements made at that facility, levels of nickel and hexavalent chromium in the communitys air remained well above background levels. They pledged to take action and to expand their investigation to find where the pollutants were coming from.
As part of that initiative, late last month regulators deployed nine additional air quality monitors in industrial areas of Paramount that are upwind from Carlton Forge Works. Officials said they received the monitoring results showing very high readings on Wednesday Nov. 2. They notified the public on Friday, and have scheduled a public meeting Wednesday evening in Paramount to discuss the findings.
Residents and environmental activists have for years urged regulators to take action to control toxic air pollution from what they say is a heavy concentration of industrial metal-working operations in the predominantly working-class, Latino community.
Jane Williams, who heads the group California Communities Against Toxics, said the recent discovery of high pollution readings is proof positive that toxic hot spots still exist in Los Angeles despite our regulatory infrastructure They can harm children, the elderly, and we need to do something about it.
Williams said she reviewed government and business records and mapped at least a dozen metal plating, casting, polishing and finishing facilities and other potential sources of hexavalent chromium within a few blocks of where regulators detected the high readings.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said staff was analyzing the air monitoring results to determine what actions might be necessary to protect workers and residents in the area.
While there may be more than one operation responsible, to get these high levels our expectation is that there will be a major, unpermitted release at at least one of the facilities, said Angelo Bellomo, a deputy director for the health department.
The South Coast air district has long proposed new rules on metalworking facilities across Southern California to clamp down on their toxic emissions into surrounding communities. At least three sets of rules to cut pollution from operations that forge, grind, finish and treat metal are scheduled for consideration by the air quality board starting next year. Records show several facilities that would be subject to those regulations are in Paramount.
tony.barboza@latimes.com
Twitter: @tonybarboza
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6:05 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Carlton Forge Works and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
This article was originally published at 1:30 p.m.
For years, Robert Durst has slipped in and out of law enforcements crosshairs.
The real estate scion has been considered a suspect in the disappearance of his first wife in New York in 1982, the target of a years-long investigation into the 2000 execution-style slaying of a writer in Los Angeles and a defendant in a 2003 murder trial in Texas after he chopped up the body of a neighbor and threw the pieces into Galveston Bay.
In the case of his first wife, Durst was never charged. In the Texas slaying of a neighbor, he was acquitted by a jury even after confessing to the grisly killing.
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But when Durst, 73, entered a Los Angeles courtroom on Monday afternoon, prosecutors hoped it would begin the final chapter in a cat-and-mouse game with various authorities that has spanned decades.
Durst appeared in the Airport Courthouse, emphatically proclaiming his innocence before a packed room.
Seated in a wheelchair, Durst sported a neck brace and wore a blue-and-white-striped shirt with khaki pants. He remained relatively quiet and still throughout the 45-minute arraignment, occasionally turning around to confer with his attorneys and glance at the throng of media filling the courtroom gallery.
But when asked if he would waive his right to an immediate preliminary hearing, Durst repeated his contention that he had nothing to do with his friends slaying.
I am not guilty, he said in a hoarse voice. I did not kill Susan Berman.
Prosecutors allege Durst murdered Berman, a writer whose father was a noted Las Vegas mafia figure, because she was a witness to a crime.
Berman and Durst became friends when they attended classes at UCLA, and she had acted as Dursts unofficial spokeswoman after he became a suspect in the disappearance of his first wife, Kathleen. Berman was shot in her Benedict Canyon home in December 2000 after New York authorities reopened their investigation into Kathleens disappearance and were preparing to interview her.
Durst has frequently denied any involvement in Bermans killing or his wifes disappearance.
At the end of Mondays hearing, he was remanded into Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department custody. He will be held in either the downtown Mens Central Jail or the Twin Towers facility while awaiting trial, depending on the outcome of a medical screening, said Capt. Jeff Scroggin, a Sheriffs Department spokesman.
Speaking to reporters before he entered the courtroom, Dursts attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said his client has been dealing with several medical issues and is recovering from a spinal fusion surgery he underwent in Louisiana earlier this year. Durst is also a cancer survivor and has struggled with hydropencephalitis, a condition that involves brain swelling.
DeGuerin said he has been relishing the chance to plead Dursts case in court.
Were happy to be here. Weve wanted to be here since March of 2015, he said.
DeGuerin did not take questions after the hearing.
Prosecutors charged Durst with murder with special circumstances when they filed their case last year, claiming he lay in wait before shooting Berman.
Durst would be eligible for capital punishment if convicted, but Deputy Dist. Atty. John Lewin said in court that prosecutors would not be seeking the death penalty. A spokeswoman for the office declined to say why.
Dursts next court date is scheduled for Feb. 15, 2017, and a preliminary hearing probably will take place by March, though there may be some evidentiary issues to clear up between now and then.
Lewin asked Superior Court Judge Mark Windham to appoint a special master to review several items recovered last year during searches of Dursts hotel room in New Orleans and his home in Houston. The items may contain information that would be subject to attorney-client privilege, and neither prosecutors nor Dursts legal team, headed by DeGuerin, have reviewed those items. Windham instructed both parties to file motions about the issue.
The millionaire was arrested in connection with Bermans death last year when FBI agents found him at a New Orleans hotel. When he was caught, agents discovered he had a firearm and marijuana.
Durst was sentenced to seven years and one month in prison on weapons charges in New Orleans. As part of the deal, he was allowed to be transferred to Los Angeles to stand trial for Bermans killing. He was flown from Louisiana on Friday.
Last years arrest marked the bizarre collision of a true-crime documentary and a years-long investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department into Bermans killing. Durst, who had faded from the spotlight after he was acquitted of murder in Texas in 2003, was launched back into the national consciousness when he became the subject of a six-part HBO documentary, The Jinx.
The series explored what happened to Dursts first wife and Berman, as well as the complex legal drama that unfolded in his Galveston, Texas, murder trial over the killing and then dismembering of his neighbor, Morris Black. At the time, Durst was living in Galveston under an assumed identity as a mute woman in a threadbare apartment.
In that case, DeGuerin successfully argued that Durst killed Black in self-defense, then dismembered the body and hurled the remains into a bay while traumatized over the fact that he had shot his neighbor.
In the HBO series closing episodes, filmmakers revealed they had uncovered a letter that Durst sent to Berman one year before her death. The note had several similarities to an anonymous letter sent to Beverly Hills police in 2000 that tipped them off to Bermans body. The envelopes on both misspelled Beverly as Beverley.
Durst was arrested on a murder warrant issued in Bermans killing on March 14, 2015, one day before the finale of The Jinx aired on HBO. In the series final episode, director Andrew Jarecki confronted Durst with the note in the series final scene. Durst, possibly unaware he was still wearing a live microphone, then disappeared into a nearby restroom and muttered what some have interpreted as a chilling confession.
What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course, Durst muttered.
james.queally@latimes.com
Follow @JamesQueallyLAT on Twitter for crime and police news in California.
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UPDATES:
6:25 p.m.: This article was updated with some rewriting and additional information about where Durst is being held.
5:35 p.m.: This article was updated with additional information about where Durst will be held while awaiting trial.
4:30 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details from the courtroom.
2 p.m.: This article was updated with details from the arraignment hearing.
This article was originally published at 4 a.m.
Southern Californias rugged mountains, hills and valleys are among the regions most cherished features.
But the topography has proved a serious barrier to traffic flow as the Southland has grown, dividing key commuting routes from the San Fernando Valley into the Los Angeles Basin, from the Inland Empire into Orange County and creating chronically congested choke points.
For the record: An earlier version of this article gave the name of the director of USCs construction engineering and management program as Henry Kauffman. His name is Henry Koffman.
Planners have long dreamed of solving the problem with tunnels, allowing roadways and mass transit to flow outside the limited number of canyons and passes. But engineering challenges and the huge cost of digging have kept tunneling more a dream than reality.
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That could change Tuesday if voters approve Measure M, the half-cent sales tax increase on Tuesdays ballot. The measure would fund twin rail tunnels through the mountains the first new route through the Sepulveda Pass in more than five decades.
The bold project comes with a bold price tag: more than $6 billion.
Metros half-cent sales tax increase would fund more than two dozen highway and transit projects across the county over the first four decades. (Lorena Iniguez / Los Angeles Times )
The Sepulveda Pass is perhaps the Southlands most notorious transportation challenge, one of the few connections between two of the regions most populated areas. The 405 Freeway carries more than 300,000 vehicles per day, a number that federal highway officials expect to grow to more than 450,000 over the next decade.
That north-south egress into the Valley is really critical, particularly as the freeways are jammed more and more often, said Henry Koffman, the director of USCs construction engineering and management program.
The tunnel plan, one of the most ambitious in L.A.s history, has the potential to change travel patterns for hundreds of thousands of commuters who brave the 405 at rush hour or wend their way through twisting back roads, backers say. It would also provide a critical north-south rail route that planners say is essential to the regions transit network.
But keeping such a complicated, expensive project in check in the midst of a rail-building boom funded by Measure M would also pose unprecedented challenges for Metro, which has struggled in the past with cost overruns and schedule delays on rail projects.
Without question, its one of the mega projects within Measure M, said Metro spokeswoman Pauletta Tonilas. As officials discussed transportation needs with county residents, she said, one of the most common requests was doing something about the 405.
Without question, its one of the mega projects within Measure M. Metro spokeswoman Pauletta Tonilas
Tunneling is difficult and expensive everywhere, but particularly in Southern California, where labor and material costs are high, and densely occupied areas make construction complicated.
Crews digging tunnels face the risk of cave-ins and can stumble across unexpected elements underground, including utility lines, debris from previous construction projects, and hidden sources of water or natural gas.
Theres always a lot of surprises when you tunnel, Koffman said. Its just a fact of life that you end up seeing cost overruns.
Metro has tunneled beneath the mountains once before, to connect North Hollywood to downtown Los Angeles by rail.
The Red Line subway is now Metros most popular rail line, but its construction was plagued with problems, including a sinkhole that opened on Hollywood Boulevard in 1995, destroying part of the iconic Walk of Fame.
By the time officials cut the Red Lines ribbon in 2000, the 17 miles of subway were considered the most expensive in American history.
In the intervening years, experts say, Metro has become more familiar with the risks and costs associated with tunneling.
Two tunnel-boring machines are digging subways beneath the streets of downtown and South L.A., and a third will soon start churning beneath Wilshire Boulevard.
The tunnel-boring machine for the Crenshaw/LAX Line breaks through into the future site of the Leimert Park station in South Los Angeles in October. The 8.5-mile route will connect the Expo Line to the Green Line. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times )
For the most part, transportation planners have dealt with Southern Californias topography by building roads and transit lines in available passes and canyons. But that approach is decidedly limiting and circuitous.
Some planners have long believed the answer is tunneling between key population centers.
For years, there was talk of a 12-mile route beneath the Cleveland National Forest to connect the fast-growing bedroom communities of Riverside County with the booming job center of Irvine. Another plan called for a 15.5-mile tunnel between Palmdale and La Canada Flintridge.
Those proposals and their whopping price tags were met with concern from environmentalists and engineers, one of whom described the Inland Empire proposal as prohibitively expensive and prohibitively dangerous.
Tunneling has also created schedule and budget concerns for Californias bullet train. Crews will need to punch 36 miles of tunnels through geologically complex mountains north of Los Angeles, including fractured rock formations and a jumble of earthquake faults, some of which have not been mapped.
Traffic flows through the Sepulveda Pass on the 405 Freeway. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times )
The Sepulveda Pass tunnel could also face pushback from homeowners and officials who endured five years of construction when Metro and Caltrans widened the 405. Adding a carpool lane in each direction cost well over $1 billion, and studies found traffic flow did not noticeably improve.
To tunnel through the pass, theyd receive equally strong opposition, Koffman said.
Within a decade, officials plan to convert the 405s carpool lanes into toll lanes between Interstate 10 and Highway 101. Similar programs on the 110 Freeway and the 10 east of downtown charge solo drivers a per-mile price, which changes based on how many drivers are already in the tolled lanes.
That $260-million conversion could bring in at least $14 million in revenue during the first year of operation, which could help finance tunnel construction, according to a Metro analysis conducted earlier this year.
To tunnel through the pass, theyd receive equally strong opposition. USC professor Henry Koffman
The tunneling phase of the project would receive more than $5 billion through Measure M. Early plans call for twin tunnels, each 8.8 miles long, that would connect an Orange Line busway station in Van Nuys with a planned subway station near UCLA.
The tunnels are slated to open between 2033 and 2036, but Metro officials say the project could be accelerated if the agency secures a partnership with a private construction company.
The third phase would be an extension of the route from Westwood to Los Angeles International Airport, slated to open between 2057 and 2059. That leg would receive $3.86 billion in funding from Measure M, although the price tag is expected to be higher.
The ambition and scope of the project have appealed to global firms, including HDR Inc. and Parsons Corp., which submitted suggestions to Metro this year to speed construction and reduce costs. Metro said the proposals are confidential.
Accelerating construction by even a few years could result in tremendous savings, Metro Chief Executive Phil Washington said at a recent downtown public affairs forum.
In a typical public-private partnership, the firm building the project covers a share of the construction costs in exchange for a share of the expected revenue. The agreements can also include shifting responsibility for cost overruns to the contractor.
If I can transfer construction cost overruns on a project to the private sector, thats a good thing, Washington said.
Other private-sector transportation experts have questioned whether trains could run at surface level through part of the pass to cut down on costs. Early Metro estimates have placed the cost of tunneling at more than $550 million per mile.
laura.nelson@latimes.com
For more transportation news, follow @laura_nelson on Twitter.
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In January, Lucia Guzman hopes to do what shes done each of the last three times shes been elected to the Colorado Senate.
Shell fly to Houston. Shell drive a bit west to the Katy Magnolia Cemetery. Shell walk to the two graves beneath the scrub oak tree where her parents are buried and will fill them in on the upcoming legislative session. Shell be clutching a small trowel.
But this trip, the daughter of Mexican immigrants hopes to tell them one more thing: She hopes to tell them she made history.
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If the Democrats win big in Colorado on Tuesday, they could take control of both state legislative chambers. If that happens, the state would become the first in history to have its legislature led by two Latinas Guzman as the Senate president and Crisanta Duran as the House speaker.
Guzman, 70, said the thought of what that moment might feel like made her cry.
I think Trump may be having the same effect on Colorado that Pete Wilson did on California. Former Denver Mayor Federico Pea
It is a long line dating back many years when my grandparents crossed the border from Mexico to Texas and brought my father over as an infant, Guzman said. Her success, she said, would give such a sense of pride and do justice for many of those Latinos in Colorado who came from similar backgrounds.
The Colorado Senate is currently controlled by Republicans by a one-seat majority, while Democrats hold a three-seat edge in the House. Nothing is guaranteed, but Democrats appear to have a good chance of holding the House while flipping the Senate.
Guzman is Senate minority leader and Duran is the House majority leader.
The early voting trend gives a slight advantage to the Democrats. As of Thursday, Democrats had cast about 14,000 more ballots than had Republicans.
And like many swing states in a presidential election cycle, the Latino vote here is seen as crucial to victory. GOP candidate Donald Trump alienated that demographic with anti-immigrant rhetoric that included calling Mexicans coming across the border rapists and talking about building a wall along the border.
Eric Sondermann, a Denver-based political analyst, said Trump seems to have done all he can not to win the state with a campaign that has also put down-ticket Republicans at risk and given Democrats a shot at big wins in Colorado.
The Democrats are hoping despite current polling showing the presidential race narrowing this becomes a wave year in Colorado, Sondermann said.
Colorado has the countrys eighth largest Latino population about 1.1 million and there are 555,000 eligible Latino voters in the state, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
Thats a long way from 1974, when Polly Baca was the states first Latina to be elected to the Colorado House and the states Latino population was under 340,000.
It was unforgettable to her for two reasons.
I didnt know I was pregnant when I got elected in November. I found out in December, Baca said. So I was not only the first Hispanic-American woman in the state House, but the first pregnant woman to be in the Colorado Legislature. It was rather hectic.
The 80s brought more gains for Latinos in Colorado. Denver became one of the first major cities to elect a Latino mayor when Federico Pena won his race against long-time incumbent William McNichols Jr.
Pena said the state has a rich tradition of electing minorities and its not surprising Colorado could have two Latinas heading up the Legislature.
I still think it could be a close election, Pena said. But I think Trump may be having the same effect on Colorado that Pete Wilson did on California.
Wilson, as governor of California in the 90s, backed Prop. 187, which sought to strip public benefits from immigrants here illegally and sowed seeds of mistrust toward the Republican Party. The GOP in California has never recovered.
Duran said she never imagined seven years ago when she was first elected to her seat that shed be poised to be House speaker.
The 36-year-old said her parents were the first in their families to go to college and instilled in her a desire to work in public service, but its her grandmother shell be thinking about on election day.
My grandmother only had a third-grade education, Duran said. She had such great pride and honor in being a wonderful mother and phenomenal grandmother, but at times I think she was embarrassed she didnt know how to read or drive.
Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, said seeing two Latinas be the first to simultaneously head two state legislative chambers, along with a number of other possible firsts most prominently, Hillary Clinton as the first female president shows how much the political landscape is shifting.
Its been a process. It didnt just all happen this year, Walsh said. This is all part of a continuum and its part of seeing our democracy evolve and expand to become more inclusive.
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Cesar Blanco, interim director of the Latino Victory Fund, said that while Colorados possible history-making moment is something to be applauded, we still have a lot of work to do. There are 7,383 state legislators nationwide and fewer than 5% are Latino, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
When the Colorado General Assembly convenes in January, each of the elected lawmakers will get a pin to wear to commemorate the 70th regular session. Most will put it on a lapel or on a blouse a point of pride and a piece of history that will identify them in the Capitol as they start the work of passing a budget, crafting bills and making laws.
Guzman, however, will not be wearing that pin. She will take it back with her to Texas and leave it where she believes it belongs.
Shell take the small trowel in her hand and dig a little hole in the fresh earth near where her previous three general assembly pins are buried. Guzman will then place the new pin carefully in the freshly-dug hole to be with her parents. To be a part of her history.
david.montero@latimes.com
Twitter: @davemontero
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Philadelphias weeklong transit strike is over.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and the union representing about 4,700 transit workers announced a tentative agreement early Monday.
SEPTA Board Chairman Pasquale Deon said in a statement that the deal that provides wage increases, pension improvements, and maintains health care coverage levels while addressing rising costs.
The five-year deal is still subject to ratification by union members and must be approved by the SEPTA board.
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Officials said subway service would likely be the first to return, and that some bus service could be available in time for Mondays evening rush hour, but that it usually takes 24 hours for full service to return.
The workers with SEPTA walked out after midnight on Tuesday over issues including pension benefits and the amount of time off given to drivers between shifts.
The result has been traffic gridlock at morning and evening rush hours; jammed and delayed regional rail service and higher absenteeism at the citys schools. SEPTA provides rides for nearly 60,000 public, private and charter school students.
The troubles continued Monday morning despite the new deal, as commuters faced crowded roads and up to 30-minute delays on all regional rail lines due to signal problems.
We know that the strike has caused a significant hardship for thousands of our riders, Deon said. We sincerely regret this disruption to transportation throughout the City of Philadelphia and the region. We thank riders for their patience under these extremely challenging circumstances.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney thanked the union and agency for reaching a settlement and cited the efforts of his staff, the governor, state Rep. Dwight Evans and Congressman Bob Brady during the difficult negotiations.
I am thankful that the Transport Workers Union and SEPTA have reached a settlement, and I am very grateful to residents and commuters for their patience over the last six days, Kenney said.
Some officials were concerned that the strike could dampen voter turnout if it continued through election day. Transport Workers Union local president Willie Brown said he was more concerned with getting an agreement.
It really wasnt a factor with me, Williams said about the election-day concerns. We were trying to get a contract, and thats what we did.
The city of Philadelphia had filed a motion in state court seeking an injunction to temporarily halt the strike so residents could get to the polls. The court had been expected to hear the citys motion Monday.
Pennsylvania is a battleground state, and the vote in overwhelmingly Democratic Philadelphia is crucial to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton as she battles Republican Donald Trump.
The walkout was the ninth by the transit union since 1975. The last one, in 2009, lasted six days, but some have lasted for weeks.
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Several weeks ago, thick envelopes from Anthem Blue Cross stuffed with 21 pages of text landed in the mailboxes of thousands of the companys California customers. The cover letter indicated right at the top that their premiums were going up, and advised that if youre happy with your health plan, its easy to keep it for 2017 the only thing required was to pay the full premium on the bill for January.
At least as noteworthy was a change that wasnt explained until the packets next page: the elimination of coverage for non-emergency healthcare services provided by out-of-network doctors, hospitals, clinics or laboratories. Under their current policies, these Anthem customers have to pay about 40% of their out-of-network costs; under their new policies, theyll have to pay the entire bill unless its for urgently needed treatment.
The change, which affects about half a million Californians, is an extreme example of a trend thats been driven by the relentless increase in medical expenses. To hold down premiums, insurers are using narrow networks with smaller rosters of providers. The idea is to make doctors and hospitals compete for access to the insurers customers, forcing them to lower their fees while still hitting quality targets.
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Insurance coverage shields consumers from treatment costs, so theyre indifferent as to whether their doctor charges $100 for an office visit or $200.
Otherwise, theres little pressure from the market to hold down the price of care. Insurance coverage shields consumers from treatment costs, so theyre indifferent as to whether their doctor charges $100 for an office visit or $200. Either way, their co-pay is the same (assuming theyve hit their deductible).
On the plus side, narrow networks give providers a badly needed incentive to treat patients efficiently. On the minus side, they limit consumer choice although the networks must still be broad and deep enough to meet state requirements and the pressure to cut fees could lead the healthcare system on a race to the bottom in terms of quality if regulators arent vigilant.
Consumers shopping for individual policies (that is, people not covered by large group plans at work) have been voting for narrower networks with their wallets, strongly favoring policies with lower premiums over those with larger rosters of in-network doctors. Anthems change would push most of its California customers with individual policies a significant step further. Their current plan, called a preferred provider organization, enables them to see doctors outside the network for a modestly higher cost. Next years version, called an exclusive provider organization, makes out-of-network services far costlier.
This change has drawn a class-action lawsuit from Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica-based advocacy group that often tangles with the insurance industry. The lawsuit argues that federal Affordable Care Act regulations prohibit insurers from automatically renewing customers if their policies undergo a major change, such as shifting from a preferred provider organization to an exclusive provider organization. Anthem should have notified customers 90 days before the end of the year that it was canceling their policies, rather than seeking to enroll them automatically in new, less generous ones, the lawsuit contends.
Consumer Watchdog wants the courts to require Anthem to continue offering its current out-of-network benefits; in response, Anthem insists that it fully complied with federal rules and guidance from the Obama administration.
Regardless of whos right, the magnitude of the change Anthem is making isnt as clear as it should be in the dense information packet it sent. Unless Anthems customers read their information packets carefully, they could come away with the impression that this years open enrollment period is no different from past years, with Anthem charging higher premiums for roughly the same coverage. Thats bad for those who still rely on the services of out-of-network specialists perhaps because they have a longstanding relationship with those doctors, or because they believe the quality of care is better.
In Anthems defense, the change in benefits and the notice it sent were approved by Covered California, the agency that runs the states marketplace for individual health policies. The shift averted an even larger increase in insurance premiums. And allowing Anthem to automatically renew customers could prevent those who dont sign up for a different policy from going uninsured.
Its hard to argue with Covered Californias goals holding down premiums for the comprehensive coverage required by the ACA and keeping people insured. And state law offers an added bit of protection, requiring insurers to charge in-network rates when policyholders have to go out-of-network to obtain the treatment they need.
Nevertheless, Anthems customers should not be misled about the difference between next years policies and this years. Open enrollment for 2017 coverage, which began Nov. 1, extends through Jan. 31. Other insurers in their regions offer preferred provider plans, and if out-of-network services are important to them, they should explore those options.
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
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On Wednesday tens of millions of Americans will be disappointed, frustrated and, in a great many cases, very angry. Their candidate for president will have lost the election, and many of them will be convinced the outcome was unfair or, given their intense dislike for the winner, simply unacceptable.
The winner should of course make clear that he or she is president of all Americans, not just his or her supporters; but it will be up to the loser to unite us.
A return to post-election normality is not impossible. That, after all, is what weve come to expect, even after hard-fought and occasionally bitter campaigns. Despite having received more votes than George W. Bush and seeing his electoral college defeat sealed by a controversial court decision, Al Gore accepted the outcome.
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But no modern campaign has come close to the level of vitriol Americans have been exposed to in this election season. Each candidate has declared the other unfit for office and Donald Trump has suggested he may not accept the vote tally unless he wins. Trump and Hillary Clinton are deeply unpopular and Trumps supporters have repeatedly called for Clinton to be jailed or hanged. This cannot be allowed to be the new normal if American democracy is to survive.
Democracy is intentionally contentious but governance requires, at some point, graceful acknowledgment of an elections results.
The Clinton and Trump campaigns have created transition teams to determine first steps policy priorities and top-level appointments for their new administrations. Neither side, though, is likely to have thought through how best to transition to a new identity as the team, and candidate, that lost the election.
Democracy is intentionally contentious but governance requires, at some point, graceful acknowledgment of an elections results and at least some level of commitment to cooperation. Without that willingness, there will be neither money nor policies for anything from national security to bridge repair, from medical research to disaster relief. Unless our leaders are able to function as Americans in common, the United States will be in danger of becoming a failed nation, unable to meet its obligations at home or provide leadership abroad.
Presidents are not automatically entitled to approval of everything they propose thats why most of the power of the federal government rests with Congress but whoever the people choose to be their president is entitled to a fair hearing and an honest attempt to find grounds for some level of mutual accord.
The catch is that a president cannot persuasively make that argument it would be perceived as self-serving and little more. Only the loser can make the case that we must remain committed to the American ideal of deliberative democracy.
Whether framed as a campaign to make America great again or to make us stronger together, Clinton and Trump attempted to sell themselves to us as people who truly love America. How they comport themselves if they lose the election will tell us whether thats true.
Many Americans are angry about what they rightly see as the failures of government, promises made but not kept. Ironically, it is the stubborn principled unwillingness to compromise, by hard-liners of both the right and left, who have made it impossible to reach the agreements necessary to at least address the legitimate concerns these voters have raised. There are steps that can be taken to make American government work better than it does now changes to election laws to reduce the power of partisan ideologues, reducing the influence of money, improving civic literacy and teaching critical thinking skills. But nothing will be more important than a decision by the losing candidate and that candidates supporters to come together as soon as possible after the election to pledge a level of resistance that stops short of undermining the constitutional democracy that has always been the basis of American exceptionalism.
On Nov. 9, whoever loses the election should publicly announce acceptance of the results, urge supporters in Congress to work with the new president to forge bipartisan consensus whenever possible, and vow to honor the loyal in loyal opposition.
Trump and Clinton despise each other, their supporters share the animus and many Americans dont like either one. But this is not about Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton; this is about the future of American constitutional democracy and the obligation to protect it rests on both candidates, win or lose.
Mickey Edwards is a former U.S. congressman who was a member of the House Republican leadership. He is a vice president of the Aspen Institute.
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
Heres one election day storyline that wont garner the attention it deserves: No matter what else happens Tuesday, for the first time in American history, one elected woman will be tapped to replace another in the U.S. Senate, just the way its been happening for men since the Republic began.
California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris likely will replace the retiring incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer. And if Harris doesnt win the seat, it will go to Rep. Loretta Sanchez, her opponent, another Democrat, who finished second in the states top-two primary in June.
In 1992, when Boxer was first elected to the Senate, gender was all the rage. Boxers victory, coinciding with that of Dianne Feinsteins here in the Golden State and two other Democrats in Illinois and Washington, was lauded as the Year of the Woman.
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Sending four women at once to the Senate is nothing compared to the possibilities in 2016. Hillary Clinton is on the verge of cracking the ultimate political ceiling, and 15 women are on Senate ballots nationwide. Lets not forget that one of them, Misty K. Snow, a Utah grocery clerk, is seeking to become the nations first transgender senator.
Yet no one is calling 2016 the Year of the Woman II.
Boxer (and Dianne Feinstein) won elections with such frequency and ease that they killed the novelty of women holding office in California, at least.
The lack of the label may have something to do with Boxers curious legacy. Her fans would have you believe shes been a Senate workhorse when in fact shes been a show horse remembered for moments like dressing down a general who called her maam, but not for building consensus or solving problems.
Soon after Boxer announced her retirement, the liberal nonprofit Truthout came up with a list of her top Senate accomplishments: funding for after-school programs, pushing for climate change action, stopping bank bailouts, confronting the military on sexual assault.
But the same ode to the senators good work included this curious line: So many of Boxers victories are smaller efforts that benefit people in ways they dont even realize. Another way to read that: She wasnt really in the mix on the big stuff, and certainly not as much as Feinstein, whos been at the center of the storm over issues such as gun control and National Security Agency snooping. Had Boxers tenure been more consequential, perhaps her departure would draw more attention to her would-be successors.
Boxers example raises a question for the next female senator from California: Does she want to be the next Boxer in style and temperament, or a freshman version of Feinstein, who may or may not step down in 2018? Will she pursue gravitas or great press? Will she sign up for Senate committees that confer a knowledge of how government works, or simply show up for Sunday talk shows and party dinners? All of this is especially pertinent for Harris, whom national reporters already want to see as the next coming of Barack Obama.
A second reason perhaps why the media didnt go on a gender bender in this campaign: Clinton wanted it this way.
Yes, a feminine pronoun (Im With Her) is a campaign slogan. And Clinton has promised to appoint women to at least half of her Cabinet slots. Otherwise, she has eschewed the historic nature of her run, just as Barack Obama stayed away from a race-driven narrative in 2008. But for a different reason: Obama didnt want to stoke ethnic fear and resentment. Clinton hasnt been able to figure out which persona she wants to sell: warrior princess for the nations downtrodden, hip granny dancing with Ellen; an Americanized Angela Merkel her peoples mutter.
Maybe its a good sign that the woman-to-woman Senate handoff is going relatively unnoticed (in fact, it could also happen in New Hampshire, if the Democratic challenger evicts the GOP incumbent). Were now so used to seeing female senators on Capitol Hill, especially from California, we just dont recognize such things as milestones anymore.
Twenty women serve in the U.S. Senate. When Boxer and Feinstein joined the chamber, the total rose to six (weve had 46 women total in the U.S. Senate). A woman was one-half of the national GOP ticket in 2008 and now the Democratic ticket in 2016. On TV, a woman already has had the top job what I wouldnt pay to see the fictional Veep President Selina Meyer (Im used to dealing with angry, aggressive, dysfunctional men i.e., men) debate Donald Trump.
In fact, this could be Boxers most enduring legacy: She (and Feinstein) kept winning elections with such frequency and ease that they killed the novelty of women holding office in California, at least.
Before Boxer and Feinstein took office, California U.S. Senate races were more competitive. Boxer has served four six-year terms. So did her predecessor, Alan Cranston, but she won reelection by at least 10%; he had to fight to keep the job. Feinstein so far has served 24 years; five different senators occupied her seat in the previous 24 years.
In a year in which Clinton and Trump have accused each other of criminality, it may be Harris who will pull off a heist. Her victory wouldnt be felonious, but as a Democratic senator from the deeply blue state of California it could get her 25 years to life in Washington, even if she chooses to do little in the way of heavy lifting.
That California doesnt better appreciate what a difference that makes is the real crime.
Bill Whalen is a Hoover Institution research fellow, columnist for the Sacramento Bee and former speechwriter for Gov. Pete Wilson.
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To the editor: Robert MacCoun presented an array of unintended consequences regarding the possibility of legalizing marijuana in California. However, it boggles my mind that I have heard nothing about the harmful effects of marijuana smoking on lung health. (If you think legalizing marijuana is no big deal, think again, Opinion, Nov. 3)
I suggest readers check out the American Lung Assn.s website for information regarding this issue; the data are based on science, not scare tactics. Smoke is harmful to the lungs, and pot smokers generally inhale deeply and hold their breath longer.
We have passed many laws to restrict the use of tobacco smoking because it poses health risks. We have been bombarded with numerous ads cautioning us about the dangers of tobacco. If Proposition 64 passes, I can envision that years from now we will be seeing the same type of public service commercials urging pot smokers to put away their bongs and pipes.
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Linda Linville, Corona
..
To the editor: As a history professor with an expertise in the criminalization of marijuana by the U.S. in 1937, I must disagree with MacCoun on several points.
In China in 2800 B.C., the man known as the father of Chinese medicine called pot the superior elixir of immortality. In 1937, an American Medical Assn. lobbyist who opposed the law making marijuana illegal called the plant a harmless medicine.
Hemp was a major plant used for cloth and rope in the colonial period. Farmers were allowed to pay a tax with it, and during World War II the U.S. Department of Agriculture made a movie entitled Hemp for Victory.
When the Netherlands made pot legal in 1976, smoking rates did not increase. Anti-drug President Richard Nixon formed a commission on substance abuse in the early 1970s that ultimately recommended decriminalizing marijuana; he ignored the recommen-dation.
California should ignore MacCoun and pass Proposition 64. Judging by the success of former marijuana users like President Obama, Sarah Palin, Al Gore and Bill Clinton, it would be better for heavy drinkers to give up alcohol and use pot instead.
Robert W. Holdenvenzon, San Diego
..
To the editor: Even if Proposition 64 passes, marijuana still wont be legal. It is listed as a Schedule I substance under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act, right up there with LSD and heroin.
Why the federal government has allowed its use as long as it is managed in states electing to allow it is anyones guess. But if the federal government under a new president or for other reasons decides to enforce the law, all the legal pot states and the users in them are going to be in trouble.
Maybe we can make some money by declaring marijuana fully illegal and collecting millions of dollars in fines.
Ren Colantoni, Burbank
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
The Democratic Partys past, present and potential future shared a stage in Philadelphia on the eve of an election they hope will elevate the first woman to the presidency.
Chelsea Clinton began by ushering to the microphone former President Bill Clinton, the charismatic political natural who broke years of Republican dominance in the White House in 1992.
Next up was First Lady Michelle Obama and then President Obama, the countrys first black president nearing the end of his eight-year tenure.
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And finally Obama introduced Hillary Clinton, the candidate herself, someone he said would finish the job they started in Washington.
Clinton ascended the stage and embraced Obama, who bent down to adjust a stool as she stepped to the podium.
The message wasnt subtle as tens of thousands of people packed Independence Mall under a crisp night sky.
Clinton was standing on the leading edge of a political trajectory stretching back 24 years, one that could continue another four or even eight years if she wins on Tuesday.
But if she fell short to Donald Trump, their momentum would grind to a halt.
I am not going to let anyone rip away the progress weve made and turn the clock back, sending us back in time, Clinton pledged.
In a campaign where Trump has promised a clean break from a corrupt establishment, it was a striking display of continuity.
Princeton University historian Julian Zelizer said it was a display of political firepower unlike any other. I cant think of anything comparable, he said.
The strategy doesnt come without some risk. All the reminders of Washington could hit the wrong note in a year overflowing with political anger, Republican pollster Neil Newhouse said.
It does make you wonder if theyre a little tone-deaf, he said.
But Democrats are banking that voters are more interested in maintaining course rather than gambling on Trump. And Obamas approval rating has soared to 56% this year.
Hillary Clinton is the best candidate to build on the progress weve made, said Brian Fallon, a campaign spokesman. Voters understand the high stakes in terms of everything thats on the line.
The presence of both Obamas and Clintons smooths out a relay race between the Democratic Partys two power couples that could have been derailed when Obama took office in 2008.
But after he beat Hillary Clinton for the nomination that year by painting her as a relic of the past, he brought her back into the fold by appointing her as secretary of State, and hes campaigned for her ferociously this year.
Michelle Obama also launched herself into the effort, telling the crowd Monday that speaking here tonight is perhaps the last and most important thing I can do for our country as first lady.
We need to do everything we can to get her elected president of the United States, she said.
Its like any family, said Russell Riley, a University of Virginia professor and author of Inside the Clinton Presidency: An Oral History. Its possible within the family to know that there are squabbles. But by golly, if theres an attack on the family from the outside, everybody rallies around.
The Philadelphia event was another chance for Clinton to unleash some of the celebrity star power her campaign has enjoyed in the closing stretch: Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi both performed.
And she needs supporters excitement at a fever pitch here. Unlike other battlegrounds like Ohio and Florida, almost all Pennsylvania ballots are cast on election day, and Clinton is counting on the state to be a crucial firewall against Trump.
Let us show tomorrow that there will be no question as to the outcome of this election, she said.
chris.megerian@latimes.com
Twitter: @chrismegerian
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UPDATES:
7:50 p.m.: The story was updated throughout with details of the rally.
The story was originally published at 12:55 p.m.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi really wants another turn in the speakers chair, this time working with what she hopes will be the first female president.
For the San Francisco Democrat to have that chance, Democrats have to win 30 new seats Tuesday night. But that would probably require adding to Democrats already hefty portion of the 53-member California House delegation Republicans hold just 14 of the states seats and most of them are in solidly conservative districts. So observers expect Democrats to win closer to 10 or 15 new seats.
But if a strong anti-Donald Trump wave develops on election night, these are the California races to watch:
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Which California races to watch if the GOP has a good night
The fight for Los Angeles last Republican-held congressional seat
In the 25th Congressional District, Rep. Steve Knight (R-Palmdale) already wore a target as the only Republican representing Los Angeles. His opponent, Democrat attorney Bryan Caforio, has said the congressman is out of touch with the district, particularly criticizing his slow reaction to the Aliso Canyon gas leak.
Caforio has pounded Knight repeatedly for refusing to say who he backs for president. Knight has said he doesnt support Republican nominee Trump or Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, but he plans to vote.
Congress richest member may not escape the costs of supporting Trump
Trump has had an unexpectedly stark effect in the 49th Congressional District, where new boundaries and changing demographics have put eight-term Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) on the offensive against a political novice, Marine Col. Doug Applegate.
The race has inspired some of the most caustic ads of the cycle, as both parties scramble in a fight neither anticipated. Applegate wasnt on most observers radar until he took 45.5% of the vote in the primary, Issas weakest showing in years.
Applegate and Democrats have repeatedly pointed to Issas endorsement of Trump, saying hes putting party before country.
Issa criticized Trumps comments about groping women in September, but he hasnt backed away from his support of the bombastic nominee. Known for needling and investigating the Obama administration, Issas spent the last few weeks promoting his work across the aisle and his willingness to work with Democrats, saying he investigated the Bush administration just as much.
An Obama-leaning district with a potential Trump problem
In the 10th Congressional District, Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) is up against Democratic beekeeper Michael Eggman, the same man he beat just two years ago by 12 points. Though a majority of his constituents voted for President Obama in 2012, they chose Denham for his first term the same year.
When Denham started this latest campaign, most observers thought he would probably win, but the race has been gradually moved to a toss-up by the analysts at the Cook Political Report. Democrats have tried to connect the Republican incumbent with Trumps rhetoric in the Modesto area district that is nearly 40% Latino.
Denham has avoided saying Trumps name but has said hell back his partys nominee. He argues that voters know him, and know hell buck his party when he has to, especially on topics such as immigration.
Rep. David Valadao, campaigning last month (Sarah D. Wire / Los Angeles Times )
An unlikely pickup, but the national party is watching
On paper, the heavily Latino 21st Congressional District in the Central Valley looks like it fits the mold of a district that could flip f or the right moderate Democrat.
But Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) denounced Trump last spring and has focused heavily on local issues, particularly the agricultural districts water needs. He pulled 54% of the vote in the primary.
Democratic attorney Emilio Huerta, son of labor rights leader Dolores Huerta, hasnt captivated the district the way Democrats had hoped. His fundraising has dragged and though hes tried, he hasnt been able to paint Valadao with the broad-Trump brush as well as Democrats in other races.
Analysts at the Cook Political Report think the race is leaning in Valadaos favor but say Huerta still has a chance.
sarah.wire@latimes.com
Follow @sarahdwire on Twitter
Read more about the 55 members of Californias delegation at latimes.com/politics
ALSO:
Your ballot box guide to Californias 17 propositions
Californias U.S. Senate race is slipping away from Loretta Sanchez
Updates on California politics
What a difference a week makes.
Last Monday, Democrats were still reeling from the 11th-hour revelation there were more Hillary Clinton emails that the FBI was probing. This Monday, with less than 24 hours until the first polls open, they are breathing a sigh of relief after Director James Comey told members of Congress that, after reviewing the new messages, we have not changed our conclusions from July. And The Times latest Electoral College projection gives the Democratic nominee 352 votes.
For those keeping count, thats way more than the 270 needed to win. Try it yourself.
Im Christina Bellantoni. This is Essential Politics, and by the time you get the next edition, millions of voters will be standing in line waiting to cast votes.
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Already weve seen early voting heavy over the weekend and record-long lines in Los Angeles County on Sunday.
Donald Trump was unfazed by Comeys all-clear announcement, saying on the campaign trail in Minnesota, Hillary Clinton will be under investigation for a long, long time for her many crimes against our people, our democracy, likely concluding in a criminal trial.
He added, Shes protected by a rigged system. She shouldnt even be allowed to run for president, Ill tell you right now. She is the most corrupt person ever to seek the presidency of the United States.
For her part, Clinton barnstormed through several states, working to secure as many early votes as possible. Her campaign has banked so many in Florida that she made her final trip to the crucial battleground state on Saturday. It was a tightly focused trip aimed at boosting turnout among the black and Latino voters she needs to win.
She also appeared with Khizr Khan, the father of a slain Muslim American soldier who has been one of Trumps most effective foils during this campaign. In Manchester, Khan said Clinton would preserve fundamental American values.
As bright as things are looking for Democrats at the moment, Cathleen Decker writes for Mondays front page that the party faces deep schisms ahead both ideological and generational. Her presidency could be caught between Republicans who will have less reason than ever to cooperate and a corps of Democrats reluctant to compromise, both sides playing to opposite bases.
Decker notes that sort of dilemma for the new president would be familiar historically: Presidents who succeed an incumbent of their own party repeatedly have come to grief as a result of similar crossfires. George H.W. Bush, Harry Truman and William Howard Taft all provide examples. The successor president inherits all the issues that the predecessor couldnt resolve and typically faces pressure from within the party to go further than ever in pursuit of their demands.
WEEKEND HEADLINES
Secret Service protecting Trump had a scare that disrupted his event Saturday in Reno, but it was a false alarm.
Not only are Latino voters set for record turnout this election, but a new poll Sunday shows Latino support for Trump may be lower than for any other Republican presidential candidate in more than 30 years.
Americas first black president does not want to be succeeded by Trump, and hes been making a highly personal appeal to the black voters who helped send him to the Oval Office. Christi Parsons and Chris Megerian look at how President Obama has been traveling to battleground states to make the case, and whether Clinton is lagging with a key demographic.
He also mocked Trump in Florida, saying, If somebody cant handle a Twitter account, they cant handle the nuclear codes. As he campaigns, the president is working to settle some scores with the Republicans who have tried to stifle his every move for eight years.
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.
POLLS HOT OFF THE PRESSES
Clinton is almost certainly going to win California on Tuesday. But a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll reveals Clinton has also significantly improved her image among the states Democrats and independents, indicating the rifts of her fractious primary battle with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have largely healed.
Melanie Mason reports that Clintons favorability substantially jumped among younger voters and those without a party affiliation two groups that tended to be ardent Sanders supporters.
The poll also foreshadows the brewing divisions in the Republican Party, between those aligned with Trump and those backing the GOP establishment. Among voters who viewed Trump as favorable, only 46% had a favorable opinion of Ryan. And only 47% of those with favorable views of Ryan planned to vote for Trump.
Whoever wins the White House on Tuesday is going to inherit a deeply divided and hostile electorate in California. The new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll asked likely California voters backing Clinton and Trump if they wanted their member of Congress to work with or act as a check and balance on the newly elected president if their candidate loses on Tuesday. Among Clinton supporters, 72% want their representative to act as a check and balance on Trump. Among Trump supporters, 80% wanted their member of Congress to do the same with Clinton.
COULD DEMOCRATS WIN A HOUSE SEAT THEY HAVENT HELD SINCE 1964?
The last time a Democrat represented north Los Angeles Countys Antelope Valley in Congress it was 1964. Republicans have had a tight grip on the area ever since, as cities such as Palmdale and Lancaster blossomed with the regions aerospace boom.
But now, because of the rise of Democrats and Latino voters in the high desert district, theres a chance that Republican winning streak could come to an end on Tuesday, Javier Panzar reports. Rep. Steve Knight is in danger of losing the 25th Congressional District seat he won two years ago. The risk is serious enough that House Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Obama have both weighed in on Knights match-up with Democratic lawyer Bryan Caforio.
RACE TAKES CENTER STAGE IN LOS ANGELES HOUSE CONTEST
The battle between Compton state Sen. Isadore Hall and former Hermosa Beach Councilwoman Nanette Barragan to replace Rep. Janice Hahn has taken a sharper, racial edge as election day approaches and the intra-party contest contest tightens.
Not previously well known in political circles, Barragan has mounted a serious challenge against Hall, a 15-year veteran of Los Angeles politics. Running as a progressive outsider, she has relentlessly blasted Halls ties with special interests in the alcohol and tobacco industries and hit him for campaign contributions he has received from petroleum interests.
In a recent interview, Barragan, who is Latina, kept the attacks going, calling the African American lawmaker slimy. But she did not stop there, giving a statement that some say injected race into the campaign, Panzar reports.
MORE ON THE BATTLE FOR CONGRESS
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi stopped by The Times on Friday for a conversation with members of the newsroom and the editorial board. She sounded a confident note about Clintons chances ahead of a weekend full of getting-out-the-vote for the woman she says will be the first female president.
She chastised Republicans who have suggested they will pursue impeachment against a President Clinton, and took a swing at Rep. Darrell Issa, calling him Mr. Goodbar for trying to play up his willingness to work across the aisle now that hes in a tough race.
As for the other House races in the Golden State, Pelosi admitted the party is needing to make cold-blooded decisions about where to spend money, but said she is happy Republicans are spending a lot of money to protect Rep. Jeff Denham from beekeeper Jeff Eggman and that newly competitive contests like Issas are keeping them busy.
These races could go any way, she said. She added that Democrats own the ground because of their lopsided numbers advantage in California.
Pelosi also bragged that at the start of the cycle there were five races Democrats could lose. Four of her members in California are now totally safe, while just one, the open 24th Congressional District, is a tossup.
Sarah Wire details the signs to look for in California if House Republicans have a good night, or if Democrats are able to pull off some turnovers.
In one contest were closely following, Clinton endorsed Emilio Huerta in his attempt to unseat Rep. David Valadao.
For Congress watchers, weve got handy guides to the states that matter most as the Democrats attempt to retake the Senate, and a close look at the most competitive congressional districts.
TIME MAY BE RUNNING OUT FOR LORETTA SANCHEZ
Its not looking good for Loretta Sanchezs U.S. Senate bid. A new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll found that just 28% of likely California voters have a favorable impression of the Orange County congresswoman, the same number as Trump. The survey also found that 48% of likely voters supported Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, compared with 31% who backed Sanchez, a gap that has widened since early September when Sanchez launched a series of political attacks against her rival.
One bright spot for Sanchez may be in the farm-rich Central Valley where, along with Californias central coast, the congresswoman was leading Harris, the poll showed. Phil Willon reports that Harris has always had trouble in the valley, which has never been kind to Democrats from the San Francisco Bay Area.
On the last Sunday before election day, Harris and Sanchez crisscrossed Southern California visiting some familiar spots to urge supporters to go the polls. Harris spent the morning dropping by some of central Los Angeles most popular black churches, telling parishioners that the nation was at a pivotal moment and that now was the time to make their voices heard.
Sanchez spent the morning at a get-out-the-vote rally in Long Beachs Cambodia Town with Reps. Alan Lowenthal and Hahn, reminding the crowd of the work that the three members of Congress had done to help Cambodian immigrants and to urge the Cambodian government to hold free and fair elections.
For up-to-the-minute news on the California campaigns, keep an eye on our Essential Politics news feed.
THE NEXT ATTORNEY GENERAL?
If Harris does win, the political drama in California isnt going to end. Gov. Jerry Brown will need to select her replacement as attorney general, one of the most powerful positions in state government. Browns office is mum on what he might be looking for in the states next top lawyer, but a Democratic consultant believes the governor will want a caretaker instead of a political upstart to fill out the final two years of Harris term, Liam Dillon reports.
WHERE WILL THE LEGISLATURES MOD SQUAD BE AFTER TUESDAY?
As Tuesdays election nears, the increasingly powerful mod caucus -- the informal name for the informal group of business-aligned Democrats in the Legislature, is hoping to bolster its ranks with like-minded newcomers. Business interests have also poured millions of dollars into independent expenditure committees backing centrist Democrats this cycle, many of them in intra-party battles against fellow Democrats.
Christine Mai-Duc reports that Tuesdays election results could bolster the ranks of the group, which suffered some setbacks in 2016 with the passage of a $15 minimum wage, overtime protections for farmworkers, and an extension of Californias greenhouse gas emissions targets, all largely opposed by the business community. We do have high hopes, said Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove), co-chair of the moderate caucus. The demise of the mods has been greatly exaggerated.
WE READ IT SO YOU DONT HAVE TO
Proposition 64, the measure that would legalize recreational marijuana in California, is 66 pages. Patrick McGreevy crafted a cheat sheet of the high points as you consider your vote.
NEWS ON THE PROPOSITIONS
Pelosi also said Friday she plans to vote for Proposition 64, making her one of a small number of high-level politicians to support legalizing the recreational use of marijuana.
I will vote for it, but I have not made a public statement about it until right this very second, Pelosi said when asked about the measure.
(Clinton, by the way, wont say how she feels about the idea, which also is on the ballot in swing-state Nevada.)
Jazmine Ulloa examines how for 10 years, the death penalty system has been on pause in California, as the state has sought to develop new lethal injection protocols for killing prisoners. Its latest proposal is undergoing final review after the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation received roughly 167,000 comments overt the last year during a public vetting process.
Now its fate is hanging at the ballot box. If voters pass Proposition 66, which intends to expedite executions, prison officials would be exempted from the current regulation process a move that supporters say would remove unneeded layers of bureaucracy but opponents counter would harm transparency. If voters instead approve Proposition 62, which replaces executions with life sentences, the whole issue is moot.
Still, defeat is likely for the two dueling death penalty propositions, according to the latest USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll. That is mainly because California voters have strong core beliefs about capital punishment that remain unswayed by the recent national debate over criminal justice reform, pollsters and analysts said.
Proposition 57, the governors sweeping effort to remake prison parole rules, is supported by 57% of likely voters in the latest USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll.
The latest Field-IGS Poll shows Proposition 61 virtually tied, with 47% in support, 47% against and 6% undecided. Thats a big change from September, when the poll showed the measure which seeks to limit the price state agencies pay for prescription drugs ahead 50%-16%.
Heres The Times ballot box guide to Californias 17 propositions.
ONE LAST PITCH
George Skelton uses his column to offer four final takeaways on bonds for big projects, pot and tobacco, prescription drugs and the presidential race.
POLITICAL ROAD MAP: THE HALFWAY MARK FOR CALIFORNIAS DISTRICT LINES
Unlike so many other states, there have been few complaints about partisan tinkering with the political maps drawn in California five years ago. Voters handed over the line-drawing to a citizens panel, a big change from politicians crafting legislative and congressional districts to their favor.
And as John Myers writes in this weeks column, no decision of that panel offered a stronger statement than its unanimous vote to not view political party registration during the drafting of the maps.
We wanted to make a statement, said Jodie Filkins Webber, a GOP member of the commission.
PODCAST: 2016 ENDS, 2018 BEGINS
If our latest polls are any guide, Californians are about to make some big changes on crime and public safety issues ranging from pot to prison parole. And this weeks California Politics Podcast takes a closer look at where support is strongest, and why.
Myers also leads a discussion on how the 2018 gubernatorial race got a jolt of energy this past week, with a former state schools chief confirming that she plans to throw her own hat into the ring in the race to succeed Brown as governor.
TODAYS ESSENTIALS
-- Brown campaigned in Colorado for Clinton over the weekend.
-- Why has Sanders become the unofficial face of the Yes on Proposition 61 campaign? Because in California, hes more popular than Obama, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll.
-- State ethics investigators are recommending $63,000 in fines against state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) and others for several campaign finance violations involving the 2012 election.
-- Tim Kaines college roommate makes the case for the vice presidential nominee.
-- In a segment on HBOs Vice News Tonight, California billionaire and political donor Tom Steyer avoided saying whether he planned to run for governor. I will continue to work on the stuff that I care most about, he told Vice when asked about a potential gubernatorial bid. The question will be how can I do it in the way that has the most impact.
-- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie again said Friday that he had no knowledge of bridge lane closures as political retribution. His former employees, who were convicted Friday, said in court that he knew about the scheme while in was happening.
-- Speaker Paul Ryan is officially back on the Trump Train.
LOGISTICS
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Transcription
1 Patrons: Lord Dholakia OBE, The Rt. Hon. Shirley Williams 225 Three Bridges Road Crawley West Sussex, RH10 1LG Tel: (+0044) (0) Fax: (+0044) (0) INFORMATION PACK ABOUT SPAIN We are sorry to hear about what has happened, and wish you luck when you arrive in Spain. This is to help you when you arrive there. Keep this document with you when you travel, as it contains some useful information, such as: 1. Why you are being sent to Spain 2. The Spanish asylum system 3. Arriving in Spain 4. Organisations in Spain that can help you 5. Some useful words and sentences in Spanish 6. Also included is a Spanish Phrasebook The information contained within this pack was, to the best of GDWG s knowledge, correct in July 2003.
2 1. WHY YOU ARE BEING SENT TO SPAIN You are being sent to Spain because of something called the DUBLIN CONVENTION. This is an agreement made by the countries in the European Union in the year Since February 2003, The Dublin Convention is also called DUBLIN II. The European countries that belong to the EUROPEAN UNION are: Great Britain The Republic of Ireland France Austria Belgium Luxembourg Spain Italy Portugal Netherlands Greece Denmark Sweden Finland Germany Before, all these countries were very different from each other, and each country had its own separate laws. Now, because all these countries belong to the European Union, they share many laws. For example, they all share the law called the Dublin Convention. 10 New EU Countries There are 10 more countries that are now joining the European Union. These are: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia. The Dublin Convention says that only one country in the European Union should be responsible for your asylum application. This means that you cannot ask for asylum in Greece and in Italy, for example. You can only ask for asylum in one of those two countries: Greece or Italy. The Dublin Convention also says that you should ask for asylum in the first European Union country that you enter. This means that you cannot choose which country in Europe to ask for asylum in. This is because the Dublin Convention says that all the countries in the European Union are safe. Therefore, it says that you should ask for asylum in the first European Union country you arrive in. (Often, this is not really the first European Union country you arrived in, but the first country where you came into contact with immigration officials.) According to the Dublin Convention, when you ask for asylum in a European Union country, that country must find out if you were in another European Union country before arriving. So, when you asked for asylum in Great Britain, the Home Office (who deals with your asylum application) saw that you were in Spain before arriving. Because Spain is a European Union country, the Dublin Convention says that your asylum case should be looked at there, because it is a safe country. REMEMBER: Cases like yours, where you are sent to another European Union country because of the Dublin Convention, are called THIRD COUNTRY CASES. So, the Home Office has decided that your claim for asylum in Great Britain is a Third Country Case. 1
3 2. SPAIN S ASYLUM SYSTEM Spain s asylum system is similar to the British one, because it recognises the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. That means that asylum is given to someone when it is proved that he or she is in danger of persecution in the country of origin. When you arrive at the airport, tell an immigration officer as soon as possible that you want to ask for asylum. If the immigration officer does not understand you, you can show page 4 of this Information Pack, which has the Spanish words for I would like to ask for asylum. They will ask you some questions about your identity and take your fingerprints. They will then give you an appointment date to come back for a first interview. While you are waiting for this next appointment date, you usually do not receive any help with accommodation or money. It is important to remember that there are organisations in Spain that can try to help you, by giving you support and legal advice. You can contact them as soon as you arrive in Spain: the telephone numbers are on page 5. Don t worry if you don t speak Spanish, because someone there will be able to speak English. It can take some time for your application for asylum to be processed. If the Spanish authorities decide to refuse your asylum application, you usually have the right to appeal against this. If you do not have a solicitor, ask one of the organisations on page 5 for help. 3. ARRIVING IN SPAIN SPAIN is a country in South-West Europe. The Spanish name for Spain is ESPANA. The capital of Spain is MADRID, which is in the middle of the country. The other big cities are Barcelona (in the North-East), Bilbao (in the North), and Sevilla and Cadiz (in the South). There main airport in Spain is called Barajas International Airport. If this is where you arrive, you can find information on the Religious Services team there on page 6. In Spain, the currency (the kind of money you pay with) is the EURO (about 1 and a half Euros for 1 British Pound). The official language is SPANISH. A lot of Spaniards (people from Spain) speak some English, but not everyone. There are some useful Spanish words and sentences on page 5. Because you will travel by plane from England to Spain, you will probably arrive at Spain s Barajas Airport in Madrid. This is Spain s main airport. 2
4 Map of Spain: Spain has borders with 2 other countries: France to the North-East, and Portugal to the West. The Mediterranean Sea is to the East of the country, and the Atlantic Ocean is to the North and West of the country. Spain has an area size of 504,780 square kilometres. 4. SOME USEFUL WORDS AND SENTENCES IN SPANISH El aeropuerto = Airport Espana = Spain Buenos Dias = Hello / Adios = Goodbye Por favor = Please / Gracias = Thank You Si = Yes / No = No Que? = what? No hablo Espanol. I don t speak any Spanish. No entiendo. I don t understand. 3
5 Quiero pedir el asilo. I would like to ask for asylum. He llegado desde Inglaterra. I have come from England. No conosco a nadie en Espana. I don t know anyone in Spain. Me puede ayudar? Can you help me please? No tengo dinero. I don t have any money. Necessito un abogado. I need a solicitor. No tengo lugar donde dormir. I don t have anywhere to sleep. Gracias para su ayuda. Thank you for your help. 5. ORGANISATIONS IN SPAIN THAT CAN HELP YOU If you are calling from another country, the international code for Spain is: 0034 Asociacion Comision Catolica Espanola de Migracion (ACCEM) Catholic organisation that provides legal advice and moral support to all asylum seekers (you do not have to be Catholic or a Christian!). The main office is in Madrid, but there are offices all over Spain. Address: Calle Valenzuela 10, 1 Izqda Madrid Telephone: (+34) / 9 Fax: (+34)
6 Comision Espanola de Ayuda al Refugiado (CEAR) Provides legal advice and practical help to asylum seekers. Also gives information about living in Spain. The main office is in Madrid, but there are offices all over Spain. Address: Plaza de la Constitucion No 2 Bajo, Local 15, Tres Cantos Madrid Telephone: (+34) Fax: (+34) Website: Comite Internacional de Rescate (CIR) Provides legal advice and practical help to asylum seekers. Address: Calle Luchana, 36-4 dcha Madrid Telephone: (+34) Fax: (+34) Website: Chaplaincy at Madrid Barajas International Airport Cannot help you with your asylum claim but can maybe offer religious guidance and support. Telephone: (+34) Fax: (+34) Spanish Red Cross May not be able to help you directly, but can maybe put you in touch with the International Committee of the Red Cross and/or give you information about other organisations. Address: Telephone: Fax: Web: Rafael Villa, s/n (Vuelta Gines Navarro) El Plantio Madrid (34) / (Emergencies) (34) / (Emergencies) International Organization for Migration International organisation that provides advice and help to people who want to return to their country of origin, or who want to move to another country. Address: Calle San Bernardo 99 bis Bajo A Madrid 5
7 Telephone: (+34) / Fax: (+34)
As Democrats face the difficult challenge of winning 30 new seats to take control of the House of Representatives, California Republicans are doing what they can to hold onto their 14-member share of the 53-member delegation, and maybe even flip one or more in their favor.
Which races to watch if its a good night for Democrats
Republican chances of holding their majority are high, partly because few people expected such a divisive presidential nominee at the top of the ticket and Democrats didnt spend as much time as they could have recruiting strong candidates in some districts. By the time the energy had shifted in Democrats direction, their candidate slate had largely been filled.
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Here are races to watch if things start going the House Republicans way on election night:
Best chance to gain is in Sacramentos 7th District
If Republicans gain a seat in California this year, their best chance is in the Sacramento areas 7th District where Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) faces Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones.
The national Republican Party has had its eye on this district since Bera secured a second term with just 50.4% of the vote in what was among the tightest House general election contests in the country.
Babulal Bera, the congressmans father, was sentenced to federal prison in August after pleading guilty to illegally funneling more than a quarter of a million dollars to his sons 2010 and 2012 campaigns. That gave Republicans some leverage, and theyve pushed the congressman repeatedly on what he knew about his fathers activities. Jones has had his own struggles.
The nonpartisan analysts at the Cook Political Report rate the race as leaning toward Bera but say Jones still has a chance.
This open seat in a longtime Democratic district
Republicans have their eye on the 24th Congressional District seat being vacated by Santa Barbara Democrat Rep. Lois Capps.
Theyve placed their hopes on 28-year-old GOP candidate and former Capitol Hill staff member Justin Fareed. Hes running against Democratic Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal, whom Capps endorsed, in what has become one of the most expensive races in the country.
The Cook Political Report analysts rate the race as leaning toward Carbajal but say Fareed still has a chance.
Unlikely targets still on the national partys radar
Republicans have targeted a handful of other seats held by Democrats, including the 31st, the 36th and the 52nd Districts, but at this point political observers largely consider them uncompetitive and the party has put fewer resources toward the races in the last few months.
In the 31st District, Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands) faces Republican Paul Chabot, whom he beat in 2014 by 52% to win the seat.
Aguilar got just 43% of the primary vote, a low turnout even for a freshman.
In the 36th District, Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert) is being challenged by Republican Jeff Stone. And in the 52nd District, which has been known to throw out incumbents, Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego) faces Republican Denise Gitsham.
Ruiz and Peters, who are both seeking a third term, each got about 58% of the primary vote.
But if theyre having a bad night ...
The main priority for Republicans has been protecting the handful of members whose constituents are more moderate and might be more willing to consider a Democrat.
So keep an eye on the 25th District seat held by Rep. Steve Knight, the 49th held by Rep. Darrell Issa and the 10th held by Rep. Jeff Denham, for indications of whether conservative turnout is being dampened by Republican nominee Donald Trumps presence at the top of the ticket, coupled with the absence of a Republican option for Californias U.S. Senate seat.
sarah.wire@latimes.com
Follow @sarahdwire on Twitter
Read more about the 55 members of Californias delegation at latimes.com/politics
ALSO:
Your ballot box guide to Californias 17 propositions
Californias U.S. Senate race is slipping away from Loretta Sanchez
Updates on California politics
This years crop of state propositions, the most appearing on a California ballot in 16 years, has attracted campaign contributions of $473 million, a record.
By comparison, a Times review of campaign finance reports and daily campaign disclosures found total contributions to the 17 ballot measure campaigns are roughly twice what Republican candidate Donald Trump has reported raising for his presidential campaign. The Times review includes cash donations to campaigns, as well as non-monetary donations like staff time and even loans that are expected to be repaid.
The total is on pace to break the previous record from 2008, when ballot measures generated $471 million in contributions, according to data since 2003 compiled by the National Institute on Money in State Politics.
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Ballot measure campaigns: $1 million a day
On average, more than $1.5 million has been raised every day this year to influence the outcome of propositions on the November ballot. In the last few weeks, the rate of donations has increased dramatically. On Oct. 19, ballot measure committees reported a one-day total of more than $24 million in donations.
More than a third of the money has come from tobacco and pharmaceutical companies
The two most expensive measures are the ones potentially most damaging to the profits of the pharmaceutical and tobacco industries.
Pharmaceutical companies have been the force behind the campaign to defeat Proposition 61, an initiative to influence prescription drug costs. At more than $109 million, its one of the most expensive ballot measure campaigns in California history, according to data from the National Institute on Money in State Politics.
Proposition 61 would limit state government spending on prescription drugs to the prices paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Because the VA typically negotiates the lowest prices for prescription drugs of any public or private entity, the measures supporters say they hope to curb rising drug costs paid by the state.
Drug companies and trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America have provided almost all the funding. Merck, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson are the top three contributors to defeating Proposition 61.
Tobacco companies have mounted the second largest campaign cash effort this season in their bid to defeat Proposition 56, which would impose a $2-per-pack tax on cigarettes. Tobacco giant Philip Morris alone has spent more than $44 million to oppose the measure.
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Hospitals and teachers have poured in a lot of money, and so have several wealthy Californians
The California Hospital Assn. and the California Teachers Assn. have both contributed millions to support an income tax proposal to finance schools, healthcare and other government programs. The groups have each donated more than $20 million to support Proposition 55, which would extend current income tax rates on wealthy Californians that are set to expire in 2018.
The hospitals group has donated another $10 million to Proposition 56, the tobacco tax increase, and has also partnered with healthcare organizations to fund the majority of the nearly $60-million campaign to support Proposition 52. If passed, that proposal would make permanent a program to help fund Medi-Cal, the states subsidized healthcare program for low-income residents.
Several wealthy donors are also spending millions to influence November ballot measures. Tom Steyer, a former hedge fund manager and potential 2018 Democratic gubernatorial candidate, has donated more than $11 million to ballot measure campaigns this cycle. Most of his money has gone to Proposition 56, but hes also contributed to Proposition 55, death penalty repeal measure Proposition 62, prison parole initiative Proposition 57 and bilingual education measure Proposition 58.
Palo Alto physicist Charles Munger Jr. has donated more than $10 million to Proposition 54, a measure requiring legislative bills at the state Capitol to be in print for three days before lawmakers can give final approval. Former Facebook president Sean Parker has contributed more than $8 million to support Proposition 64, the campaign to legalize marijuana.
Gov. Jerry Brown has made a last-minute push for his parole proposition and against another to impose new rules on state borrowing
In the final weeks before the election, the governor has devoted time and resources to two measures in particular: Proposition 53 and Proposition 57.
Last month, Brown used his 2014 gubernatorial campaign account to donate more than $4 million to defeat Proposition 53, which would require voter approval before the sale of revenue bonds of $2 billion or more, the kind of bonds used to fund large infrastructure projects. Brown also appears in a new television ad opposing the measure.
Proposition 57, Browns measure to make more prisoners eligible for parole, has also received a recent influx of cash. In the last 15 days, more than $2 million has been donated to the initiative.
Millions of dollars have been contributed to multiple campaigns and shuffled among ballot measure committees
Many ballot measure committees have raised money for more than one campaign, making it difficult to say exactly how much has been raised to support or oppose each individual measure.
For example, campaign finance filings show $16 million has been raised to support Proposition 62, a measure to repeal the death penalty. But most of that money is from a committee also dedicated to opposing Proposition 66, which would expedite executions of death row inmates.
In total, more than $24 million has been raised by committees supporting multiple ballot measures. The Times analysis of campaign contributions counts any money used to support multiple measures just once.
There are also multiple political action committees in this election cycle that are registered to support or oppose a single measure. Eight committees are registered in support of Proposition 64, and those committees often contribute money to one another.
One of those committees, known as Drug Policy Action, has reported more than $4 million in contributions this year. But the group has donated all of its money to other campaign committees supporting the measure. This complicates tracking how much actual money has been donated to each campaign. The Times analysis excluded any money contributed from one committee to another in support of the same proposition. The National Institute on Money in State Politics does not factor out such contributions in its totals from previous years.
sophia.bollag@latimes.com
Follow me on Twitter @SophiaBollag.
Updates on California politics
U.S. Senate candidates Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez spent their final Sunday before election day in their political comfort zones, issuing their final pleas for support and urging Southern Californians to vote.
Harris, the two-term state attorney general, spent the morning dropping by some of central Los Angeles most popular black churches, where the pews were full and the greetings were celebratory and warm.
It is so important [to vote]. There is so much at stake, Harris told parishioners at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles. This is truly a pivotal moment in our history.
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Though she never spoke his name, Harris admonishment was in part a reference to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, whom she has derided as unfit to serve in the White House and a clear danger to American values.
During the visits, Harris was accompanied by Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson and Rep. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), and at every stop she encouraged churchgoers to cast their ballots at early voting centers on Sunday, even providing the addresses.
What impressed me has been her knowledge of the local area and all the issues, said Agnes Wood of Los Angeles, who heard Harris speak at Mt. Tabor Missionary Baptist Church on Western Avenue.
Wood said she would be proud to see Harris become the first black politician elected to the U.S. Senate in California, but added that it was Harris experience and qualifications that won her over.
Harris, the clear front-runner, addressed the historic significance of the race.
When I look at the fact that were still doing firsts, it tells me that we still have a long way to go, Harris said. Hopefully when each of us break these barriers, it reminds everyone that anyone can do anything.
If Sanchez pulls off an upset, she would be the first Latino elected to the Senate in California, and could be the nations first Latina senator.
Harris later visited Torrance for a rally with Democrat Al Muratsuchi, a former assemblyman in a rematch against Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Manhattan Beach).
U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez chats with diners Scott Ables, left, and Adam Gomez, right, at Cafe DEtoile in West Hollywood. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times )
Sanchez spent the late morning at a get-out-the-vote rally in Long Beachs Cambodia Town with Reps. Alan Lowenthal and Janice Hahn, who have both endorsed Sanchezs Senate bid. She reminded the crowd of the work that the three members of Congress had done to help Cambodian immigrants and to urge the Cambodian government to hold free and fair elections.
You will always have at least two friends in the Congress, Alan Lowenthal and Loretta Sanchez, to help you, Sanchez told the crowd gathered at MacArthur Park. Hahn is running for Los Angeles County supervisor.
Before the event, Lowenthal told The Times that Sanchez will have a difficult, but not impossible, path to victory on Tuesday, especially since Harris has won the endorsements of the California Democratic Party, Gov. Jerry Brown and U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein.
Lowenthal lamented that the party chairman, governor and senators all hail from Northern California.
We call it the Northern California party, Lowenthal said. Its tough for us down here. We need the voters of Southern California to step up.
In a recent USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll, 48% of likely voters supported Harris, compared with 31% who backed Sanchez. The gap between the two Democrats has widened since early September, when Sanchez began holding a series of news conferences attacking Harris record as attorney general.
Sanchez told reporters that she remains confident and, as she campaigned up and down the state, she heard from an outpouring of Californians who vowed to cast their votes in this election.
When we see this surge of voters come up, that theyre going to come out and vote Loretta Sanchez for Senate, Sanchez said. Im pretty excited about Tuesday and I think were going to win.
After the Long Beach rally, Sanchez headed north to West Hollywood, where she chatted with patrons enjoying lunch and drinks at The Abbey restaurant, one of her campaign stops before the June primary, as well as other popular establishments in the city.
Jose Santana of Valley Village said he and many of his friends have been so overwhelmed by the volume of news coverage of the presidential contest that Californias Senate race and 17 ballot measures have been largely downed out.
Still, Santana said hes already seen long lines at polling centers where Southern Californians were able to vote early. He expects most are fearful that the country may elect Trump, who has pilloried Hillary Clinton as a nasty woman, among other things.
I bet itll be crazy on election day because of all the people who go out to vote for the nasty woman, Santana said.
phil.willon@latimes.com
Follow @philwillon on Twitter
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Updates on California politics
Bonobos cant read. But if they could, they would need reading glasses when they hit middle age just like us.
Scientists figured this out by spying on a colony of 14 wild bonobos living in a reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo. When the primates groomed their companions, the younger members of the group sat close to their partners while the older members sat farther away, according to a report published Monday in the journal Current Biology.
The researchers interpretation: Older bonobos couldnt see the dirt and lice in their companions fur if they were too close, just like older people have trouble reading words that are too close to their eyes.
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Considering that bonobos (along with chimpanzees) are our closest living relatives, perhaps this shouldnt come as a huge surprise. Still, the scientists who made this discovery say it may help them understand why humans live so long after our reproductive years end.
Presbyopia, the name for this vision condition, is a common consequence of aging. The lens of the young eye is flexible enough to change its shape so it can focus on close-up objects. But around the age of 35, the lens starts to become more stiff and the muscles that control it start to weaken. These changes rob the eye of its ability to focus on things that are very close, according to the National Eye Institute.
(This is not the same as farsightedness, which occurs when the shape of the eye prevents a person from seeing nearby objects clearly.)
The study authors, from Kyoto University in Japan and the University of St. Andrew in Scotland, watched the wild bonobos over four months in 2015. Four of the 14 animals were definitely in their 40s, based on observations going back to the 1970s. A fifth bonobo was estimated to be 40 at the time of the study, though he might have been a couple of years older or younger.
The researchers monitored the animals from a distance and took pictures when they had an unobstructed view of them grooming. They used the photos calculate the precise distance between the groomers eye and his or her fingertips.
The pattern was clear, they wrote: Grooming distance exponentially increased with age.
But how could they be sure the five older animals hadnt always groomed from a greater distance than the nine younger ones?
As it happened, the researchers had video footage of one of the older bonobos, 41-year-old Ki, from 2009. They took four snapshots from that video and found that Kis average grooming distance back then was 11.91 centimeters. Six years later, when the new pictures were taken, her average grooming distance had increased to 16.95 centimeters.
This is compelling evidence that Kis grooming distance had indeed increased with age, the researchers wrote, and the same was probably true for the other animals.
No differences were found between males and females.
The results suggest that presbyopia is not a by-product of the modern human lifestyle, which demands near visual tasks, the study authors wrote.
In other words, you can stop blaming your computer and your iPhone for ruining your eyes.
But the significance of this discovery goes well beyond that.
In the wild, male chimpanzees rarely live to the age of 40, but male bonobos often do. This may be due to the fact that bonobos live in more peaceful societies, making life easier for the elderly, the study authors wrote.
Further field studies would be needed to confirm this, but if the theory holds up, it would suggest that humans, too, owe our longevity in part to our cohesive and mild social environments, the study authors wrote.
karen.kaplan@latimes.com
Follow me on Twitter @LATkarenkaplan and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.
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Elephant poaching is alive and well and the elephants are not. A team of scientists examining seized shipments of elephant ivory from Africa have found that the vast majority came from elephants that died within the last three years.
The sobering results, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveal that the killing of elephants for their ivory is continuing at a disturbing pace even as elephant populations across the continent are in sharp decline.
While poaching had been easing for several years, it has returned with a vengeance in the last decade or so, said study lead author Thure E. Cerling, a geochemist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
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Central African forest elephants have fallen by an estimated 62% from 2002 to 2011. At the Selous Wildlife Reserve in Tanzania, savanna elephants have declined 66% from 2009 to 2013.
Theres been a staggering rate of elephant loss every year, Cerling said.
Last year, in a study led by Samuel Wasser of the University of Washington, scientists analyzed the DNA locked in 28 large seizures of ivory (at least half a ton each) made between 1996 and 2004. They matched the ivory to 1,350 DNA samples taken from dung gathered at 71 spots across 29 different countries. That allowed them to map the ivorys sources and monitor changes in poaching patterns as elephants in one country dwindled or as political pressure to protect them ramped up.
But some skeptics suggested that the seized shipments might not contain ivory from recently killed animals. Instead, it could be old ivory leaking out of government stockpiles.
Some people were saying, Well, we dont need to worry so much because theres big stockpiles of ivory, so were getting legacy ivory into the market Cerling said. Other people were saying, No, no, no, these are all recent deaths.
As it happens, scientists can figure out exactly how long ago an elephant died thanks to the Cold War nuclear arms race.
The spate of nuclear testing by the U.S. and Russia in the 1950s and 1960s nearly doubled the global concentration of a certain carbon isotope, carbon-14, by 1963. That carbon-14 spike is recorded in tree rings, in the bottom of the oceans, even in our own teeth.
Because this isotopes abundance has been declining at a well-known rate since 1963, scientists can use the carbon-14 concentration to tell when a living tissue first formed.
Cerling and his colleagues applied this dating technique to 231 samples of ivory taken from 14 large caches (also at least half a ton each) that were confiscated between 2002 and 2014. They focused on the carbon-14 in the pulp cavity inside the ivory, using a sample taken near the base that would have grown in the last two or three months before the elephant died.
The researchers discovered that some 90% of the ivory was taken from animals that died less than three years before the ivory was seized by government officials. In fact, of all the analyzed specimens, only one had a lag time longer than six years, the authors wrote.
That means all of the ivory thats being seized by customs is [from] very recently killed elephants, Cerling said. So indeed, the crisis is severe if were going to preserve this species on our planet.
The new findings, coupled with the ability to genetically trace ivorys origin, will aid efforts to track and tackle this illegal poaching, said George Wittemyer, a conservation scientist at Colorado State University who was not involved in the study.
Because its illegal and because it tends to be done by pretty organized criminal syndicate groups, we just are having a lot of difficulty understanding whats happening, where the goods are being trafficked, where theyre originating, where theyre moving, how theyre moving through the supply chain, whos involved, he said. That lack of information really makes it hard to do much effective enforcement or to disrupt this global trade.
The findings add an important piece of information to the puzzle, he said. And ultimately, the methods used in this research could be applied to a host of other species at risk of being poached to extinction.
The study includes a small silver lining, Cerling said: Legacy ivory is not leaking out of sealed government stockpiles, as some had feared.
That means the focus needs to remain on current poaching, not on keeping old ivory off the market, Wittemyer said.
Its not something that we really want to spend a huge amount of effort monitoring, he said. What we really want to get to [are] these more contemporary, current killings.
Part of the problem is that while demand for ivory in Europe and North America has dropped, markets in increasingly prosperous countries in Southeast Asia such as China, Vietnam and the Philippines have been growing.
When their economy improved, it became a desirable object, Cerling said.
Educating potential consumers in that part of the world is key, he added, as is working with courts to ensure that they mete out severe sentences for breaking national and international poaching laws.
Weve got a lot to do, Cerling said. And weve got to do it fast.
amina.khan@latimes.com
Follow @aminawrite on Twitter for more science news and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.
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UPDATES:
6:20 p.m.: The story was updated with comments from George Wittemyer.
The story was originally published at 12 p.m.
A former John Burroughs High School employee was sentenced to a year in jail Wednesday after he was convicted of having sex with a minor between 2011 and 2014, officials said.
Glendale resident Clarke Surrey, 24, pleaded no contest to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office. The remaining charges, 10 counts of oral copulation of a minor, were dismissed.
NEWSLETTER: Stay up to date with whats going on in the 818 >>
His sentence includes five years of probation and a year of sex-offender counseling. He will not be required to register as a sex offender, officials said.
When Surrey was arrested last June, police alleged that he had ongoing, separate relationships with two students who at the time of the offenses were between the ages of 15 and 17. Both students have since graduated.
Surrey, the former assistant technology director for the theater technology group at Burroughs, was 19 when the first relationship began.
Authorities began the investigation last May after receiving a tip. By that time, Surrey was no longer employed by the school.
--
Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @atchek
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Costa Mesa police are searching for two masked men who robbed a clothing store at South Coast Plaza and held eight employees at gunpoint Friday night.
Officers were called to the Zara store about 10:18 p.m. after a takeover robbery was reported, said Sgt. Bang Le.
Police said two masked men entered the store after hours through a back door that leads to the stock room, possibly using a code to gain access.
They held eight employees at gunpoint and stole at least $20,000 in cash, Le said.
The robbers were gone within minutes and were seen on surveillance video fleeing in a Dodge Charger south on Bristol Street.
Police found a wallet and cell phone that they think belong to one of the robbers in the parking lot east of the loading docks.
Detailed descriptions of the masked men were not available.
Hear the words San Antonio and you might flash on an image of the Alamo, the citys best known building. Or you might recall conversations with friends who have indulged in fajitas and margaritas along the River Walk.
You might even think, Oh yeah, San Antonio, the homey, hospitable first cousin, once removed, to hotter, hipper Austin.
If you havent been to San Antonio in a while or ever you probably arent envisioning Frette linens, Champagne ketchup and coffee shops that rival high-end L.A. purveyors Intelligentsia or G&B.
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A visit to the Pearl in San Antonio should change all that.
The small neighborhood, north of downtown, is a tribute to smart design and good taste.
I had heard about the Pearl, so when I made arrangements for a business meeting in Austin, I added a stop in San Antonio, about 80 miles southwest of the Texas capital.
The Pearl District is a highlight of the new San Antonio.
I arrived in August, which meant temperatures topped 100 degrees, but the heat couldnt stifle the charm offensive that designers, hoteliers and restaurateurs had conjured.
Alamo as a focal point
The Alamo, where Davy Crockett and 200 other rebels died in 1836 fighting the Mexican army for Texan sovereignty, is the focal point of the citys $13-billion-a-year tourism economy, attracting more than 1 million visitors a year.
Its also the center of a debate among local officials about how best to promote the city: Should they spend their marketing dollars on traditional attractions such as the Alamo or push the new San Antonio, with its hot restaurants and shops in the hopes of attracting more national and international visitors?
The Pearl District is a highlight of the new San Antonio. It gets its name from a brewery that introduced Pearl Beer in the 1880s and eventually was rechristened the Pearl Brewing Co.
The facility was closed in 2001, paving the way for the eventual development of the 22-acre property into an adult playground.
The Hotel Emma, which was Pearls brew house, opened last year and is at the center of it all with 146 rooms (including 11 suites) and a series of tempting shops and dining areas.
The lobby, complete with an early 20th century compressor that once pumped cool air into the brewery, is furnished with antiques, leather couches and big coffee tables, the better to hold morning pour-over coffee or drinks in the evening.
The hotel site includes new construction, but every guest room, every shop, indeed every space, looks all of a piece, thanks in large part to Roman & Williams, a design firm behind New Yorks buzz-worthy Viceroy, Ace and High Line hotels.
After I checked in, a bellman suggested I visit the hotel library to sample a complimentary margarita. Then, in the elevator, he launched into a short history lesson: The hotel, he said, was named in honor of Emma Koehler, who ran the brewery after her husband (and Pearl president), Otto, died in 1914.
She was, the hotel website says, an ingenious CEO who kept the brewery going during Prohibition by converting operations to dry cleaning and auto repair, and making near beer, ice cream and soda.
I would soon learn that there was more to her story than good business sense.
Meanwhile, there was a hotel room to inspect.
The furnishings included a queen-size bed with a striking black headboard and bedposts; a Western-motif rug on the concrete floor; a small table with two chairs; and a handsome armoire that held a safe and a refrigerator stocked with local beer and farmers market provisions.
The bathroom was equally noteworthy, with handmade Spanish porcelain tiles and Malin + Goetz toiletries.
Nothing, it seemed, was left to chance, including the offerings in the Sternewirth bar, where I waited for friends to arrive and sipped a cocktail called the Three Emmas (gin, Gran Classico, absinthe and apricot liqueur) and learned more about Emma Koehler.
Most of the narratives, official and otherwise, include the following facts: When she was injured in an accident in 1910, her husband hired a young, attractive nurse named Emma to help at home. Otto and the younger Emma had an affair, and if that werent confusing enough, he also took up with a friend of the younger Emma, also named Emma.
The Sternewirth bar in Hotel Emma invites Pearl District visitors to kick back. (Ray Whitehouse / For The Times )
On Nov. 12, 1914, the third Emma shot and killed Otto and later skipped town. (She eventually returned, was tried and found not guilty.)
After my friends arrived, we toasted the original Emma several times before walking across the street to NAO Latin Gastro Bar for dinner.
The Pearl is home to an impressive array of restaurants, no doubt attracted by the master planning and a campus of the Culinary Institute of America, one of countrys most prominent hospitality and food-service schools.
Students at CIA San Antonio can specialize in Latin American food. Many of them end up working at NAO, just a few steps from the school.
At 9 p.m. on a Tuesday, only a few tables were taken, which contributed to the relaxed atmosphere. The wait staff was friendly and attentive; empty dishes disappeared and Pisco sours arrived as if by magic.
We ordered heirloom tomatoes, roasted seasonal vegetables and steak that was cooked to a bougainvillea pink, and consumed everything in sight.
Relaxation time
Everyone has to stop eating, if only briefly, and the grounds of the Hotel Emma, which abuts the San Antonio River, are a good place for solitude and contemplation of handsome landscaping.
The location is also a short walk from the Museum Reach section of the River Walk and the San Antonio Museum of Art. If you need wheels, the hotel offers loaner bikes to guests.
Many of the streets near the Emma are lined with restaurants known for their local and artisanal offerings. Bakery Lorraines includes a savory bread pudding; barley, farro and toasted almond porridge; and bostock, something akin to French toast.
The menu at Cured, which emphasizes hand-crafted and cured foods, includes a charcuterie plate with an impressive list of choices: lamb terrine, goat merguez, apple jalapeno pork rillettes and smoked duck ham among them.
Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery serves Texas coastal comfort food with an adventurous selection of beer and ale.
Consumers in need of a caffeine jolt can stop at Local Coffee, home to baristas who approach an order with something akin to reverence.
Boutiques in the Pearl sell an array of goods hand-made bath salts, a crocodile iPad case, a side table topped with a slice of agate, vintage silver cuffs, a jalapeno griller shaped like the state of Texas and handmade guayaberas.
After a morning of shopping, I stopped asking, Do I need it? and instead asked, How much will fit in my suitcase?
Is that an indication that San Antonio is approaching Austin-like status? It looks as though the first cousin, once removed, is about to emerge as an original.
travel@latimes.com
If you go
THE BEST WAY TO SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
From LAX, From LAX, Southwest, Delta, United and American offer both nonstop and connecting service (change of planes) to San Antonio. Restricted round-trip fares from $306, including taxes and fees.
WHERE TO STAY
Hotel Emma, 136 E Grayson St., San Antonio; (210) 448-8300, www.thehotelemma.com. Doubles from $325 a night. The Emma, with a steampunk-meets-luxury-vibe, once was a 19th century brewhouse.
WHERE TO EAT
Nao Latin Gastro Bar, 312 Pearl Parkway, San Antonio; (210) 554-6484, www.naorestaurant.com. The restaurant focuses on Latin cuisine with dishes such as empanadas, duck carnitas and charred octopus. Main dishes $18-$68.
Cured, No. 101 306 Pearl Parkway, San Antonio; (210) 314-3929, curedatpearl.com. Cured is all about regional ingredients and lovingly hand-crafted cured foods, so dont be surprised if you find yourself ordering pork belly. Main dishes $24-$42.
Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery, 136 E. Grayson St., No.120, San Antonio; (210) 455-5701, www.southerleigh.com. Modern Texas meets modern South aesthetic, with cracker-crusted Gulf redfish and cheddar, bacon and chive biscuits. Main dishes $20-$35.
TO LEARN MORE
Visit San Antonio
Are you a bad travel seatmate? Fly Guy columnist Elliott Hester last week wrote about one of the worst offenders the smelly passenger but there are other, less odoriferous but no less odious crimes that could land you on the list of lousy passengers. As the holidays creep toward us, here are some of the offenders and how not to join the club of contemptible.
The carry-on culprit
When airlines say one personal item and one carry-on, please keep in mind that a tuba is not a personal item and that the bulging duffel should not exceed carry-on dimensions.
Look up your airlines baggage limits for carry-on they differ depending on the airline by finding your airlines baggage policy. Then take a gander at the weight/dimension limits for checked bags, which tend to be more generous.
You dont want to check anything you must have (medicine, your car keys, Christmas presents), but at least you can pack your bulky winter items so theyre not springing from the sides of your carry-on.
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The solution: Heres what April Masini, an advice and etiquette expert who writes the Ask April column, said in an email: If its not going to fit in the overhead compartment [and you know it wont wishful thinking carries no weight here], check it or send it ahead of time.
Its inconsiderate to make other passengers wait for the flight attendants to try to house your over-the-limit baggage.
And if you think no one will see what youre doing, think again. Spud Hilton, travel editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, has started Carry-on Shame, in which readers call out those who think carry-on rules apply to everyone but them. You can find them also on Twitter and Instagram.
Hilton said in an email that his campaign was really about getting airlines to enforce their rules, but perhaps the law of unintended consequences will bring some force to bear on the bad boys (and girls) of carry-on bags.
The disappearing parent
Parents dont get to go off-duty just because theyre on a plane (unless their kids arent with them).
Parents really need to teach their children manners before they fly, said Sharon Schweitzer, an international etiquette expert, author and founder of Protocol & Etiquette Worldwide.
This would include not kicking the seat, speaking in an indoor voice and not running in the aisles.
The solution: Take things to keep your kids amused, she said. Although we may think of electronics, the source of amusement doesnt have to be expensive. (Think dollar store for younger kids.)
If movies keep your kids engaged, download some before youre in the air (streaming is usually not an option), slap on some headphones and let them find Dory.
The olfactory idiot
If youre bringing your own food on the plane, omit the smelly tuna fish and onions, Masini wrote. Leave the Limburger behind and skip the century eggs.
Its not just what you eat; it also can be what you spray. Dont spray perfume at your seat, Masini wrote. What you think is inoffensive isnt to others. Some fliers are extremely sensitive to anything perfumed, so maybe skip your scent the day of your flight.
The solution: Keep your cologne capped and your fermented herring at home.
The space case
You want to tilt your seat back? Ask the person behind you.
The aircraft is shared space, so its really polite to ask before you recline, Schweitzer said.
Do a little research ahead of time (Seatguru.com) to find out how much pitch your plane has the distance from a point on your seat to the same point on the seat in front. If the dimensions on your economy class seat say 28, be especially considerate because that is fairly tight; obviously more is more, but none of it is what might be considered generous.
Air China offering LAX-Bangkok round-trip for $453. And that includes taxes and fees.
Just dont pretend that what youre doing wont affect the person behind you.
The solution: If youre a claustrophobe, maybe premium economy or an exit row will ease some of your issues, Schweitzer said. If you have a need to tilt back, ask and dont be offended by please dont.
And perhaps be prepared to engage in the gentle art of compromise: Could I do halfway? Could I do it for an hour?
I speak from some experience when I say that when Im trying to work on a laptop thats suddenly shoved into areas usually covered by my lingerie is oh, so wrong. And painful. Yes, Im short, but if youre considerate, maybe not short-tempered.
Asking politely and with humor, Schweitzer said, usually brings results. Sometimes a drink coupon helps.
And if things begin to escalate, dont be afraid to ask a flight attendant to intervene.
Ive witnessed fistfights twice once when a parent failed to control his child who was happily kicking a seat-back and once when a careless and clueless recliner invaded someone elses space and it was frightening.
Air rage is growing, according to the International Air Transport Assn., whose September report showed an increase of 1,538 incidents of on-board upset in 2015 than in 2014.
In nearly a quarter of these incidents, alcohol was involved, often consumed before boarding.
But Science magazine also traced crankiness to a surprising source: the first-class cabin.
Researchers found that flights with a first-class section were nearly four times more likely to have air rage incidents in their economy class, Ben Panko wrote in the May 2 article that cited a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The first-class section, the Proceedings article said, seems to evoke feelings about societal inequality, which apparently trigger all sorts of repressed something.
If thats an issue for you, fly a one-class airline. Or buy (or try to get) an upgrade.
But behave yourself. Its not just Santa who knows whether you are naughty or nice.
We dont want to make flight attendants referees, Schweitzer said. But they do have to be prepared to step in and request you quit being a jerk.
Remember, if you are asked to stop doing what youre doing and you dont, you may find yourself kicked off a plane or, if youre in the air, greeted by a welcoming committee of federal authorities upon landing.
You may not like what youre being asked to do, but its not a democracy at 30,000 feet.
Failure to comply means you may spend your holidays in the hoosegow, which is neither merry nor bright.
So sit back, relax and try not to hate the ride. There are two great truths of flying: If you have an equal number of takeoffs and landings, your day is a success. Second? Seeing your loved ones is the end game. Nothing else really matters.
Have a travel dilemma? Write to travel@latimes.com. We regret we cannot answer every inquiry.
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Ditch that bulky travel journal in favor of the Journi app
The landmark climate accord reached in Paris in December was ratified with uncommon speed, entering into force last week after it was approved by countries accounting for nearly two-thirds of planet-warming emissions.
But world leaders acknowledge that much remains to be fleshed out if countries are to achieve the stated goal of limiting global temperature increases to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and as close to 1.5 degrees Celsius as possible.
Negotiators hope to make a start at an 11-day conference that opened Monday in the Moroccan city of Marrakech.
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The blistering pace at which the accord became international law underscores the urgency of the task at hand, U.N. climate chief Patricia Espinosa said in opening remarks.
Achieving the aims and ambitions of the Paris agreement is not a given, she warned. We have embarked on an effort to change the course of two centuries of carbon-intense development. The peaking of global emissions is urgent, as is attaining far more climate-resilient societies.
Moroccos foreign minister, Salaheddine Mezouar, who is leading the talks, said the next two weeks should give tangible meaning to the ideas and proposals contained in the accord.
The stakes are high: Last year was the hottest on record, and 2016 is on track to eclipse it. Countries are already feeling the effects of rising sea levels, prolonged drought and extreme storms and flooding.
Many people are suffering daily and wondering about their future, even their very existence, Mezouar said. It is therefore up to all of us to be up to this global challenge and not disappoint the expectations of vulnerable populations.
Casting doubt over the talks is a contentious U.S. election that has raised questions about the commitment of one of the worlds biggest polluters to the agreement.
The Obama administration played a key role in bringing more than 20 years of difficult climate negotiations to a successful conclusion in Paris and has pledged to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 26% to 28% below 2005 levels by 2025.
Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, supports Obamas climate goals. But there is concern among world leaders that the U.S. could ignore its commitments under the deal, or pull out entirely, if Donald Trump becomes president.
The Republican candidate has repeatedly questioned climate science and said he would cancel the agreement if elected.
That is one of the reasons countries were in such a hurry to complete the approval process. Once the deal took effect Friday, the rules require at least four years to pass before the U.S. could withdraw.
U.S. climate envoy Jonathan Pershing told reporters last week that he didnt think such a move was likely, in part because of the investment opportunities in renewable energy.
My sense, he said, is that there are going to be huge domestic advantages to staying in this agreement and to doing the work that weve agreed to do.
The accord relies on countries to set their own targets to slash emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses that scientists say are the major cause of global warming.
Even if implemented in full, the emission reductions currently on the table wont be sufficient to hold temperatures to an increase of less than 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the threshold at which scientists believe many of the most damaging effects of climate change can be averted.
An analysis released last week by the United Nations Environment Program found that the world is on course to warm by 2.9 degrees Celsius to 3.4 degrees Celsius this century.
Thats why the deal calls on countries to review progress every five years and ratchet up their commitments. But like many aspects of the deal, the details were left vague. It does not specify, for example, how parties should measure and report on their emissions.
In Marrakech, delegates will begin work on a rule book that Espinosa has said should be completed by 2018 to ensure that everyone is involved in the effort and is delivering to the best of their abilities.
Only countries that have ratified the agreement can vote on the rules, and the deals proponents are hoping this will spur more of the nearly 200 signatories to do so. Just over half have ratified so far.
Other issues that need to be ironed out include how the worlds economies will phase out the use of coal, oil and other fossil fuels that provide the bulk of their energy needs, and how to scale up financing to help poor countries make the shift to cleaner energy sources and cope with the effects of climate change.
Wealthy nations have pledged to mobilize no less than $100 billion a year by 2020 in so-called climate finance. But much of the money is expected to be in the form of loans or to come from the private sector, said Joe Thwaites, a finance expert at the World Resources Institute, a Washington think tank.
This does not sit well with developing nations, which have long argued that the countries that got rich using fossil fuels should shoulder the burden themselves.
Few expect such contentious issues to be resolved in Marrakech. But environmental activists are pressing delegates to agree on a work plan to work out details of the agreement in two years.
We think that that is both ambitious and realistic, said Mariana Panuncio-Feldman, senior director of international climate cooperation at the World Wildlife Fund.
Many activists see reason to be optimistic, given how quickly countries ratified the deal. Most international agreements take years to become law.
In order to achieve Fridays milestone, at least 55 nations that collectively account for 55% of global emissions had to approve the Paris accord. That threshold was reached in early October.
By Monday, the number had increased to 100, including the worlds top polluters, China, the United States, the European Union and India.
Climate negotiators scored another success when an agreement was reached in Kigali, Rwanda, in October to phase out the use of chemical coolants called hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs. Used in air-conditioners and refrigerators, HFCs are far more potent than carbon dioxide and are also the worlds fastest-growing greenhouse gases, according to the U.N.
That same month, delegates at the International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N. agency headquartered in Montreal, reached agreement on a plan to reduce the growing impact of plane travel on the climate.
We must capitalize on this momentum, Mezouar told delegates Monday.
I would like to invite you over the coming 11 days to be more ambitious than ever in your commitments. All over the world, public opinion must perceive change.
Times staff writer Zavis reported from Los Angeles and special correspondent Sampathkumar from Marrakech.
alexandra.zavis@latimes.com
Twitter: @alexzavis
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1 Policy Number Dear Sir/Madam, In order to lodge a claim file, please send this declaration, duly filled in and signed, along with all the supporting documentation concerning the claim by post to Gras Savoye Luxembourg, 145 Rue du Kiem, L-8030 Strassen, within 30 calendar days of the claim date. Depending on the guarantee concerned, please fill in the following pages: Extension of manufacturer s guarantee pages 2 to 5 and page 6 Delivery of goods purchased on the Internet pages 2 to 5 and page 7 Protection of purchases pages 2 to 5 and page 8 Travel cancellation/interruption pages 2 to 5 and pages 9 and 10 Late flight/delayed baggage pages 2 to 5 and page 11 Extended stay pages 2 to 5 and page 12 Ticket upgrade pages 2 to 5 and page 13 Theft of handbags, personal documents and keys pages 2 to 5 and page 14 Loss/theft of baggage or personal items whilst travelling (in transit/room/rental vehicle) pages 2 to 5 and page 15 Coverage of rental vehicle excess pages 2 to 5 and page 16 Missed event pages 2 to 5 and page 17 Travel accident coverage pages 2 to 5 and page 18 Coverage for Private Civil Liability Abroad pages 2 to 5 and page 19 Please note that a duly filled-in declaration facilitates the management of your claim. If you have any questions concerning your claim, please feel free to contact Gras Savoye Luxembourg via at or by calling 00352/ Foyer Assurances SA reserves the right to request any other document or information required for the validation of the claim and the assessment of the compensation.
2 GENERAL INFORMATION Claims manager: Gras Savoye Luxembourg 145 Rue du Kiem, L-8030 Strassen, Luxembourg Ph / Insurer: Issuer of the Visa card: Foyer Assurances SA ING Luxembourg 52 route d Esch L-2965 Luxembourg, Luxembourg Holder of the Visa card (name and address): Type and number of Visa card(s) held by the Card Holder at the time of the incident (please fill in the numbers and the appropriate box): xxxx Visa CyberCard xxxx I paid using & Assistance xxxx xxxx REIMBURSEMENT Reimbursement (cf. Policy Conditions) IBAN No.: (International Banking Account Number) SWIFT code: Bank name and address Page 2 of 19
3 The Insured Surname and first name GENERAL INFORMATION (to be filled in by the Visa card holder) Address: Family ties with the Visa card holder Country of domicile Date of birth: / / Home/work phone: Travel (to be filled in only for travel insurance - related claims) Surnames and first names of the travellers Address: Family ties with the Visa card holder Country of domicile: Departure date: / / from to Return date: / / from to Type of travel: Private Business In the case of business travel, please specify the company for which the travel was carried out: Page 3 of 19
4 CLAIM (to be filled in by the Visa card holder) Date of the incident/loss: / / Date of payment using the card: / / Place and circumstances of the incident/loss: Description: Possibilities of compensation and actions already undertaken: Is there a right to take action or a recovery right in relation to a third party? Have you yourself taken action in this regard? Page 4 of 19
5 Personal data Data of a personal nature (referred to herein below as the Data ) communicated to the Insurer are processed in accordance with the Belgian Law of 8 December 1992 concerning privacy protection. The Data will be processed with a view to ensuring good management and optimal use of the services provided by the Insurer, including assessment of risks, management and execution of contracts, management of claims, and prevention of crimes such as fraud, as well as in order to enable the Insurer to fulfil its legal obligations. In order to fulfil these objectives and with a view to providing a good service, the Insurer may need to forward the Data to other companies in the Group the Insurer belongs to, to sub-contractors, or to partners to the extent that is strictly necessary for processing the Card Holder s application and for safeguarding the Group s legitimate interests. These companies, sub-contractors or partners may be located in countries outside the European Economic Area which do not necessarily offer the same level of protection as Belgium. The Insurer will take precautionary measures in order to ensure the security of the Data as well as possible. Insofar as the Insurer processes sensitive data, among other parties that data will only be accessible, and to the extent necessary, to the managers of the claims files, risks analysts, underwriters and the legal department. In accordance with the law, the person in question is entitled to access, amend or oppose (where there is a legitimate reason) the processing of the Data. By signing this form, you do moreover give your approval to the medical consultant appointed by the Insurer obtaining medical information (among other things, information about the cause of death) from the attending physician(s), and you also authorise, if necessary, a possible medical examination. The undersigned hereby declares he or she has answered the questions correctly and that all the information provided is accurate. The undersigned also confirms that no other information related to the incident or the circumstances which caused it have been omitted. Page 5 of 19
6 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS - EXTENSION OF MANUFACTURER S GUARANTEE Visa CyberCard & Assistance Please notify the Claims Manager and obtain his or her approval before calling on repair services. Purchase price of the item., Purchase or delivery date / / Documents to be enclosed with this form: The sales slip or the receipt, A copy of the Visa statement attesting to the purchase of the item using your Visa card issued by ING Luxembourg, In the case of accidental damage, a quotation or repair invoice along with the vendor s certificate indicating the nature of the damage certifying that it was impossible to repair it, A copy of the initial guarantee. Page 6 of 19
7 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS - DELIVERY OF GOODS PURCHASED ON THE INTERNET Visa CyberCard & Assistance Purchase value of the item,. Non-Delivery Non-Compliant Delivery Purchase date / / A print-out of the document proving the order was placed ( ), any confirmation of acceptance of the order from the retailer, or a print-out of a screenshot of the order, A copy of the Visa statement attesting to the purchase of the item using your Visa card issued by ING Luxembourg and attesting to the amount(s) debited for the order, In the case of delivery carried out by a private carrier, the delivery slip, In the case of a postal delivery received, the tracking acknowledgement you have in your possession, In the case of return of the guaranteed item to the retailer, the supporting document showing the amount of the shipping costs along with acknowledgement of receipt. to Gras Savoye Luxembourg,145 Rue du Kiem, L-8030 Strassen, Luxembourg. Page 7 of 19
8 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS - PROTECTION OF PURCHASES Visa CyberCard & Assistance Detailed circumstances of the accident In the event of Theft: Date the theft was declared to the local authority / / Address of the local authority Issue number of the report Purchase value of the stolen or damaged item,. Date of purchase or delivery of the item / / Report, The sales slip or the receipt, A copy of your Visa statement (if it is not yet available, please send it when you receive it), In the case of accidental damage, a quotation or repair invoice along with the vendor s certificate indicating the nature of the damage certifying that it was impossible to repair it. Page 8 of 19
9 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS TRAVEL CANCELLATION/INTERRUPTION & Assistance Travel reservation date / / Travel cancellation date / / Total amount of the cancellation costs,. (See Cancellation/Interruption costs calculation on the following page) Medical report, Proof of major damage to property (where applicable), Other documents proving the need to cancel the trip, The travel contract s cancellation conditions, Cancellation invoice, Composition of the household if the request relates to several covered passengers, A copy of your Visa statement (if it is not yet available, please send it when you receive it). Page 9 of 19
10 CANCELLATION/INTERRUPTION COSTS CALCULATION DESCRIPTION CALCULATION PROOF TICKETS Refundable at the sales outlet* No cancellation costs Exchangeable Change costs.. Proof of payment Non-refundable Unchangeable Purchase price of the tickets Original tickets or e-ticket print-out STAY/ACTIVITY Cancellation before departure (A B) =... A) Total of the costs =... B) Amount reimbursed by the lessor (*) =... Lessor s certificate or the other supporting documents Cancellation during the stay (A x B) C =..... a) Number of full days not used:... b) Total Expenses =... c) for a stay of... days Lessor s certificate or the other supporting documents Package deal (transport & stay) (A B) =.. a) Total price of the package deal:... b) B) Amount reimbursed by the travel agency*:... Confirmation of the cancellation * Please do still contact the lessor/travel agency in order to obtain any reimbursement and recover the airport taxes (in the case of cancellation of a plane ticket) Page 10 of 19
11 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS LATE FLIGHT/DELAYED BAGGAGE & Assistance A copy of your Visa statement (if it is not yet available, please send it when you receive it), A copy of the travel invoice, A certificate from the competent authorities along with a clear indication of how delayed the baggage was (Property Irregularity Report), A certificate from the competent authorities along with a clear indication how delayed the plane was, Expense accounts, Details of the compensation received from the transport company (where applicable), Summary of expenses subsequent to the delay, Composition of the household if the request relates to several covered passengers. LIST OF EXPENDITURES Appendix No. & description Expenditure Date Please number the expense accounts and enclose them. Currency Amount paid TOTAL Amount in Page 11 of 19
12 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS STAY EXTENSION In the case of an accident or illness: the medical certificate. Proof of cancellation of the scheduled flight following the occurrence of a volcanic eruption. The hotel bills and the document proving transfer between the hotel and the airport. The expense accounts for meals, beverages and phone bills. Composition of the household if the request relates to several covered passengers. LIST OF EXPENDITURES Appendix No. & description Expenditure Date Please number the expense accounts and enclose them. Currency Amount paid TOTAL Amount in Page 12 of 19
13 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS TICKET UPGRADE & Assistance Please mention whether the additional costs incurred due to upgrading your return travel ticket are due to: Was another means of transport made available to you within 4 hours? Yes No A copy of your Visa statement (if it is not yet available, please send it when you receive it), A certificate from the competent authorities along with a clear indication of how delayed the plane was, Composition of the household if the request relates to several covered passengers. Page 13 of 19
14 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS THEFT OF HANDBAGS, PERSONAL DOCUMENTS AND KEYS Detailed circumstances: Date of declaration of the theft to the local authority / / Address of the local authority Issue number of the report The receipt concerning filing a complaint with the police authorities, mentioning the circumstances of the theft and a list of the stolen items, and the amount of money stolen. In the case of theft of keys or papers: A copy of both sides of the reissued official papers, The invoice for replacing the keys and locks. In the case of theft of handbags The purchase invoice for the stolen or damaged wallet, card holder or bag. Any document providing evidence of the assault (eyewitness account, medical certificate). Page 14 of 19
15 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS LOSS/THEFT OF BAGGAGE OR PERSONAL ITEMS DURING THE TRIP (IN TRANSIT/ROOM/RENTAL VEHICLE) Detailed circumstances: Date of declaration of the theft to the local authority / / Purchase value of the item(s)., Address of the local authority Issue number of the report The receipt concerning filing of a complaint with the police authorities, mentioning the circumstances of the theft/loss and a list of the stolen/lost items, and the amount of stolen/lost money. Purchase invoices for the stolen/lost Items. Any document providing evidence of the assault (where applicable) (eyewitness account, medical certificate). Page 15 of 19
16 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS COVERAGE OF RENTAL VEHICLE EXCESS Date when the rental contract came into force / / Date when the rental contract ended / / Date of declaration of the incident to the competent authority / / Name, address and contact details of the competent authority Issue number of the report Name and address of the witnesses to the accident (if there are any) Copy of the incident declaration to the competent authority/report; Copy of the rental contract, Copy of the invoice from the rental company with mention of the excess, A copy of your Visa statement attesting to the payment of all of the rental costs for the vehicle using your Visa card (if it is not available, please send a copy of your receipt). Page 16 of 19
17 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS MISSED EVENT Booking date / / Cancellation date / / Total amount of the expenses., The original or printed tickets (e-tickets), Medical report, Proof of major damage to property (where applicable), Other documents proving the need to cancel, The contract s cancellation conditions, Composition of the household if the request relates to several covered passengers, A copy of your Visa statement (if it is not yet available, please send it when you receive it). Page 17 of 19
18 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS TRAVEL ACCIDENT & Assistance Travel start date / / Travel end date / / Date of the accident / / Date when the accident was declared to the competent authority / / Place where the accident occurred and sequence of events (where applicable) Name, address and contact details of the competent authority Issue number of the report Names and addresses of witnesses to the accident (if there are any) Copies of invoices along with confirmation of payment Copies of medical prescriptions Copies of details of the amount covered by the national health insurance Death certificate The report drawn up by the local authorities (only in the case of an accident) Page 18 of 19
19 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS PRIVATE CIVIL LIABILITY ABROAD Travel start date / / Travel end date / / Date of the incident / / Date when the incident was declared to the competent authority / / Place where the incident occurred and sequence of events (where applicable) Name, address and contact details of the competent authority Issue number of the report Names and addresses of witnesses to the accident (if there are any) Copies of invoices along with confirmation of payment Report drawn up by the local authorities (only in the case of an accident) Page 19 of 19
The township was burning. A mob of protesters sprang up quickly that wintry June day in Atteridgeville, outside Pretoria, South Africa.
Ahmed Hashe was serving a customer in his small grocery shop when he saw them surging down the street, and he knew they were coming for him. They were carrying machetes, bars, knives, sticks and rocks, and they had blocked the roads.
The crowd had originally come together to demonstrate against the governing partys mayoral candidate. But as political protests often do in South Africa, the gathering swiftly degenerated into frenzied looting of foreign-owned shops. Gleeful citizens carted away stolen groceries and furniture, including commercial fridges. Dozens of shops were smashed and ruined. Some were burned as a pall of black smoke rose over the neighborhood.
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The 28-year-old Somali shopkeeper abandoned everything and ran, but he fell.
The protesters smashed his face with a rock, breaking his jaw, stabbed him in the back and left him for dead.
Shops like Hashes are frequently the target of violence in South Africa. Although unemployment among South Africans ages 15 to 34 is 37.5%, young Somali refugees find work quickly, usually by working in a spaza shop a convenience store that sells basic groceries owned by another Somali. Its a tough and dangerous life, but after a few years, they can save the money to start up their own shops.
Their steady success breeds resentment.
Suleiman Hussein, 32, chairman of the Pretoria branch of the Somali Community Board of South Africa. He fled southern Somalia in 2002, after his mother and younger brother were killed in crossfire between warring warlord factions. His father was killed by a terrorist group. (Robyn Dixon / Los Angeles Times )
Researchers say that local politicians and community business groups encourage the violence against the foreigners shops. There were 1,993 incidents of crowd violence in 2015 five on any given day according to police statistics, compared with 660 cases in 2004. About 1,500 Somalis have been killed violently since 2002, mainly in robberies and xenophobic attacks, according to the Somali Community Board of South Africa, which tracks the deaths. South African police do not track xenophobic attacks or foreigners killed.
Hashe woke the evening of the attack in a hospital bed, his eyes tiny slits in a swollen face. The only reason he survived was that the mob thought he was dead. His cousin, Hamza Farah Ibrahim, survived too. Ibrahim fled his own shop, Good Lucky Supermarket, and picked Hashe up.
Hashes friend, Shukri Shariff, had been beaten and killed by a mob in 2014, so he knew he was lucky to have survived. He recovered in a small room in a Somali boarding house, with medicines, milk and juice by his bed and a copy of the Koran by his pillow.
Many Somalis have lost their shops more than once. Abdul Khadir Farah, a 50-year-old father of five, has lost three shops to looting, has been robbed five times, and was left with a broken femur after being shot in April 2015. His shop was completely destroyed in Atteridgeville in June, leaving just a vacant block.
I thought wed be killed, 100%. And Ive got a family to feed. He sighs softly and shakes his head slowly. So Im a loser. I think a lot. I dont sleep well. I think where will I start?
They discriminate against you, isolate you. I feel pain, but I dont have a voice to say anything back to them.
Musa Ali Noor and two Somali co-owners were in their shop in Atteridgeville when a mob started looting shops owned by foreigners. They were carrying sticks and machetes and heavy metal bars. I thought that if they caught me, they would kill me. (Robyn Dixon / Los Angeles Times )
Nine of Suleiman Husseins relatives have died in violent attacks. He left Somalia at age 19 in 1996, after his mother and brother were killed there. Now, as the chairman of the Pretoria branch of the Somali Community Board of South Africa, he is often called to collect the wounded and dying after attacks, including robberies.
Since 2009, based first in Port Elizabeth on the southern coast and later in Pretoria, Hussein has picked up 51 Somalis after violence; 21 of them died of their wounds.
If Somalis get killed, no one asks, no one cares, Hussein said. Somalis often know who the attackers are, but they cant go to court because they will be killed the next morning.
In 2013, four desperate Somali brothers were trapped in their shop by a mob in Booysens Park township near Port Elizabeth. In a typical pattern, that protest began with a local issue anger about local criminals. Police could not control the mob. Protesters turned vigilante and killed two alleged South African thieves before attacking Somali shopkeepers.
We couldnt get to them because there was a big mob with machetes, said Hussein, who was standing with other Somalis about 150 yards away. We were calling them on their phones, Come out. They said, No, we cannot. Members of the crowd poured gasoline on the shop and set it alight, and the four brothers tried to flee through the crowd.
Zainab Coladat, the wife of Abdul Khadir Farah, cannot sleep because she is so worried about his safety. We have nothing at all. No food, no rent. Nothing at all. I have nightmares.... (Robyn Dixon / Los Angeles Times )
They broke the back door and they started running, said Hussein. [The crowd] caught one and cut his head with machetes. He fell down, got up, fell down, got up and thank god, we got him. But one went to the wrong side. The mob caught him. They took all his clothes and then stoned him to death and hacked him with machetes. His head was cut in two. The other three men escaped.
After the looting of Atteridgeville, Mandla Matikinya of the ANC Youth League told the Daily Sun newspaper that looting foreign shops during protests was acceptable because it conveyed grass-roots discontent about local issues to national authorities.
Its OK because we cant go to break schools and churches or our own shops. We are blocking the streets and break Somalians or foreigners spaza shop, Matikinya said.
Matikinyas view is not an aberration but part of local political culture, according to Loren B. Landau and Jean Pierre Misago, researchers at the Center for Migration and Society at the University of Witwatersrand. They say that local politicians drum up violent protests to attract attention and funding from municipal, provincial and national governments. Discrimination by police or local authorities fuels xenophobia, they argue.
The simple answer is that local leaders need protests to maintain their power and legitimacy. And the protesters need to be fed. Looting is the way to fill their stomachs.
If we understand protesters as infantry working for local leaders, looting sustains a mercenary army. Given the reluctance of police or citizens to aid foreign shopkeepers, they are easy targets, they wrote in a June 30 article. The benefit of pillage rapidly becomes an end in itself.
One local political activist, who isnt named, explains to the researchers, We need the protesters to make our point, but when they are hungry they go and get food from shops to eat or take home to cook.
After the June attacks, Small Business Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu blamed community leaders for orchestrating the attacks for their own selfish interests.
The biggest national wave of xenophobic violence swept South Africa in 2008, when more than 60 people were killed, but Somali traders say the pressure is constant. They say they have to pay bribes demanded by local police, and protection money to local thugs. Attacks are often orchestrated by rival South African shopkeepers, according to police. In the past, community business groups have called meetings and stirred up anger, sometimes for several weeks before attacks happen. In some cases, they have driven around townships in a convoy, ordering foreigners to close.
Ibrahim, the owner of Good Lucky Supermarket, saw his shops looted and ruined in 2004, 2008 and 2016, and was kidnapped for extortion in 2012.
I came to South Africa just to save my life, but its worse than my country. Id rather die in my country, he said mournfully.
His cousin Hashe, the shopkeeper nearly killed in Atteridgeville, has also faced violent robberies. In 2013, he and his Somali partner woke up in their shop in the middle of the night to find a gun pointing at their heads. He was hit three times on his face with a rifle butt. One of the four robbers took flammable liquid and threatened to burn the two Somalis, so he told them where the money and cellphones were hidden.
They started arguing. Some said, Lets burn them. We pleaded with them. You cant cry. It will make things worse. You can only beg them not to kill you.
They say, You are Somalis, you are doing wrong and you are not supposed to be in South Africa. We cant even respond to that. We just keep quiet.
robyn.dixon@latimes.com
Twitter: @RobynDixon_LAT
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Chinas parliament on Monday effectively banned two pro-independence legislators from taking office in Hong Kong, an unprecedented move that followed violent protests and stoked fears that the semi-autonomous territorys relative independence is at risk.
The National Peoples Congress Standing Committee, in a rare interpretation of Hong Kongs constitution, declared the citys legislators must take their oaths sincerely and solemnly, and condemned separatist discussions as dividing the country.
Officials responded to behavior last month by the democratically elected legislators during their swearing-in ceremony. Sixtus Leung, 30, and Yau Wai-ching, 25, unfurled a banner that read Hong Kong is NOT China and pledged allegiance to what they called the Hong Kong nation.
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China will firmly confront the pro-independence forces without any ambiguity, Li Fei, chairman of the congress Basic Law Committee, said in the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square, the symbolic center of China.
Concerns about the congress decision drew thousands into the streets on Sunday, leading to late-night clashes with police. Many viewed the act as an attempt to bludgeon a growing independence movement in the territory. Police used pepper spray; protesters used bricks. Authorities arrested four people during a nine-hour standoff.
A former British colony of 7.3 million people, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under an arrangement known as one country, two systems. This allowed the city to keep a high degree of autonomy and its legal system, guaranteed by a mini constitution known as the Basic Law.
Mainland legislators on Monday issued an interpretation of that law, saying lawmakers who fail to take an appropriate oath of allegiance will be barred from office and face legal repercussions. Beijing intervened before a Hong Kong judge could determine whether the duo should retake the oath.
This marks only the fifth time that Beijing has interpreted the law since it reclaimed authority over the territory nearly two decades ago. And it underscores how Chinese leaders have come to view Hong Kong independence movements as a growing threat to national stability.
This move should be able to stop once and for all pro-independent elements from using [Hong Kongs legislature] as their platform, said Lau Siu-kai, vice president of the China Assn. of Hong Kong Macao Studies, a pro-Beijing think tank.
But Chinese pushback such as clampdowns on Taiwans push for independence has often had the opposite effect and emboldened a once fringe camp. Many residents worry that Beijing is tightening its grasp on the territory and undermining its affairs. Five booksellers who sold publications critiquing the mainland have disappeared over the last year and reappeared in Chinese custody.
Even though advocates of Hong Kong independence remain a vocal minority, it cant be extinguished by Beijing, said Johnny Lau, a Hong Kong-based commentator and veteran reporter on politics on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. And it may yet become radicalized, given the opportunity.
Though many residents desire greater autonomy, a much smaller group clamor for independence. Some view the two legislators as vanguards; others see them as troublemakers.
Sunday nights protests ended outside the central government office, with activists shouting Hong Kong independence.
They had the faint echo of protests two years ago, when hundreds of thousands staged a months-long demonstration for greater democracy. It failed.
Special correspondents Law and Meyers reported from Hong Kong and Beijing, respectively. Yingzhi Yang in the Times Beijing bureau contributed to this report.
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UPDATES:
12:35 a.m., Nov. 7: This article was updated with details with Chinas government reaction.
This article was originally published at 8:00 p.m., Nov. 6.
Germanys Interior Ministry appears willing to change the countrys open-door policy toward migrants in favor of seeing refugee boats intercepted at sea and returned to northern Africa.
The Interior Ministry said Monday it wants to discourage migrants from making the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea and to encourage people to apply for European Union asylum from northern African countries.
Thousands of people relying on smugglers have perished this year trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe. Many others have been rescued from wretched conditions in overcrowded or non-seaworthy boats and given shelter in nearby Italy or Greece before heading north to Germany or elsewhere.
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Officials say Germany has taken in more than 1 million refugees fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Asia and Africa during the past 15 months, more than the rest of the 28-nation EU combined.
The goal has to be to stop the smugglers and protect migrants from risking their lives by attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea, the ministry, led by Thomas de Maiziere, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, said in a statement. Take away the prospect of reaching the shores of Europe and that could lead migrants to refrain from risking their lives and spending an enormous amount of money on smugglers.
The International Organization for Migration said Friday that 4,220 migrants and refugees had died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean, already making 2016 the deadliest year recorded. In 2015, the number killed was 3,770, the organization said.
The Geneva-based organization also said about 335,000 migrants and refugees had entered Europe by sea this year, arriving mostly in Greece and Italy, through early November, far fewer than the nearly 729,000 arrivals at a similar point last year.
The conservative-led German government hopes that the numbers of those attempting to cross the Mediterranean would be greatly reduced within days of a new policy being introduced. They point to Australias policies which call for migrants intercepted at sea to apply for asylum via camps outside Australia as an example for the EU to follow, an idea proposed in June by Austrias foreign minister Sebastian Kurz. The EU Commission rejected the idea at the time.
The EU has said it did not want to adopt such policies. It is unclear whether a change of heart in Germany, the blocs largest country, may lead to a shift within the union.
Some political scientists and opposition political leaders in Germany expressed doubts that any new hurdles to the prospect of getting asylum in Europe would deter many people, and said changes could instead lead to further tensions in already-unstable countries on the rim of the Mediterranean Sea.
The Interior Ministry statement marks an about-face for Merkels open-door policies on refugees. She has suffered a string of state election defeats in the last year as attitudes in Germany have cooled perceptibly following an initial wave of widespread support for refugees.
Its a new policy direction for Germany but its not going to work, said Thomas Jaeger, a political scientist at Cologne University, in a phone interview Monday.
The German government hopes to set up refugee centers in countries around the Mediterranean. But as it is now, there are hardly any stable countries in the region, Jaeger said. This could just exacerbate tensions and lead to even more smuggling and human rights abuse. Its not a good idea and its not going to work.
Katrin Goering-Eckardt, a leader in parliament of the opposition Greens party, dismissed the idea.
The Interior Ministry wants to treat refugees as if they have a contagious illness, Goering-Eckardt said in a radio interview, adding that the Constitution ensures protection for refugees. Its more than legally dubious, let alone being dubious from a humanitarian point of view, for them to try to deny refugees their right for fair treatment.
The center-left Social Democrats, Merkels coalition partners in Berlin, reacted with caution. Ralf Stegner, a party leader, said the group wants to stop smugglers from putting refugees in danger in the pursuit of profits.
But we wont support anything that violates humanitarian principles, he said. Rescuing people in distress at sea so they dont drown will remain our humanitarian obligation.
Kirschbaum is a special correspondent.
Iraqi Kurdish fighters exchanged heavy fire with militants on Monday as they entered a town held by the Islamic State group east of Mosul, while troops advancing south of the city discovered a mass grave with approximately 100 decapitated bodies.
The offensive to reclaim the town of Bashiqa is part of the broader push to drive Islamic State out of Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, relieving those living under its occupation from the type of brutality, such as mass killings, that the group has committed.
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Combat began at dawn with a Kurdish barrage of heavy artillery, Katyusha rockets and mortar rounds slamming into Islamic State positions, providing cover for the advance of armored columns.
Smoke rose from the town throughout the day, with large explosions sending dark clouds into the sky.
We have the coordinates of their bases and tunnels, and we are targeting them from here in order to weaken them so that our forces can reach their targets more easily, said Iraqi Kurdish commander Brig. Gen. Iskander Khalil Gardi.
Bashiqa, which is believed to be largely deserted except for dozens of Islamic State fighters, is located about eight miles northeast of Mosuls outskirts and about 13 miles from the city center. Iraqi government and Kurdish forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition and joined by government-sanctioned militias, are fighting to drive Islamic State out of those surrounding areas and open additional fronts to attack Mosul itself.
Bashiqa has been surrounded by Kurdish forces, known as peshmerga, for weeks but Mondays push appeared to be the most serious yet to drive Islamic State from the town.
Kurdish forces launched mortar rounds and fired heavy artillery into the town Sunday in advance of the offensive. More artillery and airstrikes hit the town early Monday as the Kurdish forces advance got underway.
On Mosuls southern front, meanwhile, Iraqi soldiers advanced into Hamam al-Alil, about 12 miles from the city center, and the military announced late Monday it had found about 100 decapitated bodies in a mass grave near the towns agricultural college. Most were reduced to skeletons, said Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, the spokesman for the Joint Military Command.
He said a forensics team from Baghdad would investigate the site on Tuesday.
Army spokesman Brig. Firas Bashar said the town had been retaken, although fighting still continued, and other reports said Islamic State fighters remained in several areas. Private broadcaster Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen showed images of soldiers hoisting the Iraqi flag on a rooftop in the town.
Iraqi special forces entered Mosul last week and have made some progress in gaining a foothold on the citys eastern edges. But progress inside the city has been slowed as troops push into more densely populated areas.
The troops are suffering casualties as the militants target them with suicide car bombs and booby traps in close-quarters fighting along the citys narrow streets. Islamic State still holds territory to the north, south and west of Mosul, its last major urban stronghold in Iraq.
As Iraqi forces struggle to solidify gains in neighborhoods in eastern Mosul, more and more civilians have fled the city, according to special forces Lt. Col. Hussein Aziz.
Daesh is trying to draw a line, Aziz said of the heavy fighting in Mosuls easternmost neighborhoods, referring to the militant group by its Arabic acronym. They have a lot of fighters there and they forced families to stay.
Aziz was manning a checkpoint on the edge of Gogjali, Mosuls easternmost neighborhood, where civilians fleeing Mosul are screened to catch any Islamic State fighters who may be hiding among them. Since Iraqi forces first pushed into the eastern edge of the city last Tuesday, Azizs team has arrested dozens of people.
At the checkpoint, men were waiting for their names to be screened by a pair of informants from the area and multiple Iraqi government databases. Women and children waited further back in the shade of an abandoned building.
Gayda, a 42-year-old Mosul resident, said she fled the Samah neighborhood in the citys east just hours earlier, after a car bomb exploded next to her home. She gave only her first name, fearing for her safety and that of family members still under Islamic State rule in other parts of Mosul.
When they reached the checkpoint, the womans husband and son were separated from her and her daughter, and held for questioning a few yards away.
How can he be from Daesh, hes so young, she said of her 18-year-old son. We are good people, we dont have any enemies.
Concern over the safety of civilians was not impacting the operation in Bashiqa, said Gardi, the peshmerga commander.
Regarding the challenges, in any area that has no civilians, there wont be any problem. And currently, according to our intelligence, there are no civilians left in Bashiqa, he said.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said it has set up 82 rapid response teams to manage risks of epidemics, chemical exposure and other health worries among people fleeing Mosul.
The U.N. agency said water and sanitation in camps for the displaced could face disruptions as the number of people fleeing the city grows, raising the risk of food- and water-borne diseases such as cholera. It also said that additional concerns include children who reportedly havent been immunized since the radical Islamic State group seized control of Mosul in June 2014.
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UPDATES:
11:50 a.m.: This article has been updated with progress on the Iraqi offensive, and comments from the army and Mosul residents.
This article was originally posted at 10:10 a.m.
There have been only 19 homicides in Montreal in 2016, and if the trend holds, the city will end up with fewer this year than any since the 1960s.
With a population of about 1.7 million, the Canadian city is slightly larger than Philadelphia and Phoenix. But Montreal saw only 28 homicides in 2014, compared with 248 and 114 in the two U.S. cities that year, respectively.
Montreal reported 1.4 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants that year, compared with 6.7 in Los Angeles.
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It can be difficult to uncover exactly why, in cities of similar size, the homicide rate should differ so drastically. The availability of firearms, however, stands out as a stark difference, one that Etienne Blais, a University of Montreal professor who works with the International Center for Comparative Criminology, points to immediately.
There are almost four times as many firearms per capita in the U.S. as there are in Canada, their presence probably making violent altercations more deadly, Blais said.
Looking at other industrialized democracies, we do just horribly in terms of homicide. David Hemenway, professor of health policy at Harvard University
If you look at murder attempts and other assaults [in Montreal], theyre going up a little bit, he said. One of the hypotheses is that there arent fewer homicidal situations, or situations that could end in homicide, but maybe the means are less lethal than before.
A 2000 study co-written by David Hemenway, professor of health policy at Harvard University, found a strong correlation between gun availability and homicide rates.
According to Hemenway, the ease with which firearms can be acquired has tragic consequences in the U.S.
Looking at other industrialized democracies, we do just horribly in terms of homicide, he said. Were an average country in terms of all sorts of crimes assault, sexual assault, robbery, burglary, car theft but one thing were a complete outlier on is homicide. Were particularly an outlier on gun homicide.
Though guns in the U.S. are generally manufactured and sold legally, subsequent thefts, resales and transfers make tracking them, and their owners, nearly impossible. Guns are readily available to virtually anyone who wants them, Hemenway said. A problem for countries like Canada is that they have the United States on their border. Most Canadian criminals who have guns get them from the United States.
Montreal has also not seen the type of income-based segregation that characterizes many American cities. Even compared to other urban centers in Canada such as Toronto and Vancouver, Montreal has seen a far less pronounced, though steady, increase in such divisions.
Crime, particularly violent crime, tends to flourish in poor communities with few resources, something Montreal manages to avoid, Blais said.
You dont see that kind of tension where some people are left behind, he said. You get the impression that some communities are just not taken care of in the States.
Hemenway agrees, suggesting a difference in how income and racial inequality interact in the two countries. Its class and race. If you discriminate against people and they have very few resources and they cant get a good education, youve made it very hard to get a good job, youve made it very hard to live in better places. Not surprisingly youll have more street crime.
Im not saying that we dont have that here in Montreal, Blais said, but were light-years from what we see in the States.
The presence of organized crime in Montreal, notably the prominent Hells Angels chapter and the Rizzuto family syndicate, may also counterintuitively act as a stabilizing presence.
Montreal was once the murder capital of Canada. Montreal was also the auto theft capital of Canada, the robbery capital of Canada. Traditionally, Montreal was pretty hard, at least in the Canadian context, said Carlo Morselli, director of the International Center for Comparative Criminology.
But the 2001 police crackdown on the Hells Angels may have changed things. Though those arrested during that time have been released, Blais said, what they know is that if they go to war against other organizations, and there is collateral damage, they know that police forces are going to get organized.
The incentive for those groups, then, is to keep tight control over Montreals criminal landscape, which Morselli believes might explain the low numbers of gang-related homicides. If you have strong organized crime, you have a strong protection market, and presumably a less precarious criminal situation, he said.
But as low as the citys homicide rate may be, that provides little comfort to the families of those who are victims of violent crime.
In 2006, 17-year-old Brigitte Serre was one of 42 homicides in Montreal.
Brigitte was working the night shift at a Shell service station in Saint-Leonard, a borough in the north of Montreal, on Jan. 25 that year. It wasnt her usual shift, but she had agreed to cover for a sick co-worker. Alone in the early hours of the morning, she couldnt have known that across the street, two men were sitting in a bar, planning a robbery. One of them, 18-year-old Sebastien Simon, had been let go from the same job the day before. It had been Brigitte, who trained him and suspected him of stealing, who had reported him to the manager and gotten him fired.
Walking in with ski masks, the two men tied Brigitte up and locked her in the washroom before spending about an hour in the store, going so far as to put on uniforms and serve customers. Brigitte managed to free herself, but with no back exit through which to sneak out, she was trapped.
Simon, recognizing his former co-worker, beat Brigitte before stabbing her in the back 72 times. Two police officers, who had received calls about a seemingly empty service station, found her hours later, when Brigittes elder sister, who also worked there and was due to start the morning shift, let them into the store.
That morning, Brigittes father, Bruno Serre, was told of his daughters killing when he got to work.
I told them that it wasnt true, that they were wrong, that it was impossible, he said in French. You read about these things in the newspapers. You think it only happens elsewhere.
It was a brutal killing, made all the more shocking by Montreals relatively low rate of deadly crimes.
Attempting to understand the underlying causes of homicide rates is a complex puzzle. And though a combination of many factors might explain Montreals low rate, for Serre, who now works for the Assn. of Families of Persons Assassinated or Disappeared, the statistics dont make much difference.
A murders a murder, he says, a decade after Brigittes death. Even one is too much. Every murder is too much.
Favreau is a special correspondent.
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The Los Angeles Times homicide report
The smoke and din of the battle of Mosul have now come within a few miles of the landmark 12th century mosque from which Abu Bakr Baghdadi declared the founding of a modern-day caliphate, ushering in a reign of terror in the ancient city on the plains of Nineveh.
Now, in the fourth week of a U.S.-backed alliances pincer-like move to retake the northern Iraqi city, the whereabouts of the Islamic State chieftain are unknown though a rare audio recording posted online last week by the militant group and attributed to him urged followers to fight to the death.
Baghdadi and his senior lieutenants have been the targets of an intensive manhunt by Iraqi and U.S. forces working from land and air, but experts disagree on how and where Islamic States top leadership might seek to regroup and recoup if they are still present in the city, and if they manage to survive the battle of Mosul.
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Thats a big if on both counts. Mosuls inner precincts, which attacking forces have yet to penetrate, offered ample hideouts even before Islamic State fighters, during nearly 2 years of occupation, constructed an intricate warren of defenses above and below ground, including tunnels, trenches and secret passageways.
If we knew where he was, he would be killed at once. Col. John Dorrian, spokesman for the American-supported operation to retake Mosul
U.S. officials, who in late October disclosed the killing of 35 Islamic State commanders in Mosul over the last three months, say Baghdadi tops the target list.
If we knew where he was, he would be killed at once, Col. John Dorrian, the spokesman for the American-supported operation to retake the city, told reporters last week.
Baghdadi, believed to be 45, is an Islamic scholar who is considered a prime architect of Islamic States apocalyptic ideology and its code of systematic and gruesome punishments of so-called infidels in areas under the groups control.
He was also personally implicated by escaped captive Yazidi teenagers in the sexual torture of Kayla Mueller, the young American hostage who died last year in Islamic State-held Raqqah, the Syrian city that the caliphate calls its capital. It, too, is now under assault, with Kurdish-led Syrian rebels beginning to close in.
In the 31-minute audio address, Baghdadi appeared to paint any setbacks including the possible fall of Mosul to U.S.-backed Iraqi forces -- as part of a larger strategy that would ultimately see Islamic State emerge triumphant. The groups great jihad, he declared, bolsters our conviction that all of this is a prelude to victory.
In another signifier of the groups long-term goals, the audio whose authenticity has not been formally verified, but which several Western intelligence officials said they believe is likely genuine calls on Islamic States followers outside Iraq and Syria to stage terror attacks against targets in the West, as well as against Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Turkish forces have joined the fight against Islamic State in next-door Syria and have sought a role in the fight for Mosul.
Baghdadi also directed particular threats at Shiite Muslims, who are considered apostates by the Sunni group and are now aligned in the coalition seeking to wrest the city from Islamic State. While militias drawn from the sect are barred from operations inside Mosul for fear of stoking tensions with the majority Sunni Muslim populace, a leading Shiite militia last week claimed it had gained control of a highway linking Mosul to Raqqah which would have been a potential escape route for leaders trying to flee.
Whether they have already done so is a crucial question.
Fawaz Gerges, a professor at the London School of Economics who has written extensively about Islamic State and monitors jihadist communiques and activity, cited unspecified tentative evidence that the groups top leadership remained entrenched in Mosul, once Iraqs second-largest city and Islamic States greatest urban prize.
Mosuls urban core is very large, with a center 10 miles wide, and Iraq has always been the nerve center, the core for the group, he said. By contrast, Raqqah is a small city, and very exposed, and under tremendous American scrutiny.
But with the Mosul offensive having been telegraphed for many months in advance, other close observers of the group believe senior cadres have likely slipped away and are directing operations from elsewhere. The secretive Baghdadi, who was once a prisoner of U.S. forces, is extremely mindful of operational security and communications that could allow coalition forces to track him.
Few photos of him exist; last weeks audio recording marked the first time in 10 months the Islamic State leader had been heard from. His greatest public exposure was the infamous June 2014 video, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when the black-turbaned Baghdadi took to the pulpit at Mosuls historic Grand Mosque to proclaim himself the emir, or leader, of the worlds Muslims.
Islamic State has shown itself to be nimble in its forward planning, and the group is likely already at work on ways to reassert itself even as its self-proclaimed caliphate slips away, likely reconstituting itself as a rural-based guerrilla insurgency that also calls on loyalists based in Europe and elsewhere to strike when and where they can in its name.
In the event of Baghdadis death, the group would likely convene a shura council to choose his replacement, said Brookings Institution scholar William McCants, the author of a recently published book on the group, The ISIS Apocalypse.
The internal factions are not well known, and its not clear how it will all shake out, said McCants, adding that Baghdadi had come to power in what was essentially a rigged election.
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)
Youd have that kind of scheming this time around, he said. There is probably an heir apparent, but its not clear who it would be.
Even if Baghdadi is hunted down and eliminated, the group could probably go on without him, experts say, as it has following the previous losses of major figures.
Together with the loss of territory and the decline in the number of foreign fighters coming to Iraq, it would certainly be a blow to the narrative if Baghdadi, for example, were to be killed, said Seth Jones of the RAND Corp. But Islamic States predecessor organization demonstrated a remarkable degree of resiliency a decade ago, he said.
Theyve rebounded from serious losses, said Jones, who is the director of RANDs International Security and Defense Policy Center.
Perhaps more important, the larger backdrop against which the group has thrived remains largely unchanged including longstanding political grievances among Sunni Arabs in Iraq and Syria, deep mistrust of the institutions of Iraqi government and vicious sectarian infighting, Jones and others said.
In any event, the immediate prognosis is grim for civilians in Mosul and elsewhere who are unfortunate enough to find themselves anywhere in the orbit of the groups leadership, where they can be used as human shields or diversions to draw coalition attackers attentions elsewhere.
The question is how many thousands of civilians are going to be killed, said analyst Gerges. When you have a critical [Islamic State] mass, entrenched in a big city for 2 years, the capacity for killing is massive Im very, very alarmed.
laura.king@latimes.com
@laurakingLAT
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NASA's Expedition 49: Spacemen returns home after 115 days in space
staffreporter@latinoshealth.com By Paul Te Nov 06, 2016 08:39 PM EST
At around 11:58 p.m. EDT of October 29, 2016, three space crews of the Expedition 49 landed back to Earth from the International Space Station. NASA astronaut's Kate Rubins, Russian Federal Space Agency's Anatoly Ivanishin and Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency were safe after they have landed in the remote town of Dzhezkazgan inside Soyuz spacecraft.
The three spacemen where then airlifted by a helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan for recovery and where they will be transferred again to their bases with Iavnishin to Star City, Russia and Rubins and Onishi to Houston.
The mission was launched last July with the upgraded Soyuz MS-01 that was commanded and controlled by Ivanishin. It aimed to conduct experiments in biology, biotechnology, earth sciences and physical sciences as well as to bring tons of supplies for the International Space Station.
Also, apart from the experiments inside the spacelab, spacewalks where likewise done by Rubins together with NASA astronaut Jeff Williams from Expedition 47/48. The purpose is to install the international docking adapter with a host of sensors and systems to provide a port for future docking of commercial spacecrafts that will bring astronauts to the space station. They also retracted the spare thermal radiator and installed a high-definition camera for a better view of the port and to the outside of the station.
The trip back to Earth on board Soyuz spacecraft covers approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes that concludes the 115 days in space of the three crews of the Expedition 49.
Further, Expedition 50 crews commanded by Shane Kimbrough of NASA and crew Syrgey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko of Roscosmos will take charge to operate the station for the next three weeks until the arrival of the three new members Peggy Whitson of NASA, Thomas Pesquet of European Space Agency and Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos on November 17.
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There is expected to be a threat of attacks by Al Qaeda militants on Election Day, the Federal officials have warned the authorities in New York City stating about unspecific attacks.
Based on the information officials have taken steps to continue high level of security in airports, tunnels and bridges across New York City as per Reuters.
The New York City police department is aware of the information and the department stated that they are working with the intelligence agencies and the Joint Terrorism Task Force. The White House is also aware of the threat; there are chances and risk of such attacks to take place on events like Election Day.
According to the Time, there might be violence on Election Day as the race continuous between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Apart from this it is believed that Russia or other state actors could possibly spread misinformation or tamper with the voting system online.
The FBI on the other side is taking quality measures to ensure cyber defenses against electronic threats to voting systems.
There are other rumors stating that the threat could be real on the day of the Presidential results, the al Qaeda have been attacking America for more than 15 years.
The United States have also carried out operations striking in Afghanistan targeting two al Qaeda's senior leaders. As the intelligence agencies still view al Qaeda as top counter terrorism priority, they have also merged with state police and have taken high level of security measures.
The three states that are said to be under threat are Texas, Virginia and New York, the governor of Texas stated that the situation is being monitored and urged Texans to be vigilant. With all the measures taken into consideration there seems to be no chance that any threat could come though.
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1 RULES AND REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO NURSING FACILITY RECEIVERSHIP (R NFR) STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH MARCH 2006 (E) As amended: May 2006
2 INTRODUCTION These rules and regulations are promulgated under the authority of Chapters and of the General Laws of Rhode Island, as amended, and are established for the purpose of adopting prevailing standards to ensure quality care for citizens of the state by vesting in the Department the power necessary to regulate nursing facilities and provide appropriate legal remedies to provide quality of care for residents in nursing care facilities. Pursuant to the provisions of section (c) of the General Laws of Rhode Island, as amended, consideration was given to: (1) alternative approaches to the regulations; and (2) duplication or overlap with other state regulations. No alternative approach, overlap or duplication nor any significant economic impact was identified; consequently the regulations are adopted in the best interest of the health, safety and welfare of the public. i
3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1.0 Definitions General Requirements Mismanagement of Facility Reports---Use of Experts---Costs Liens Retaliation Prohibited Whistleblower Protections Penalties Severability 6 ii
4 Section 1.0 Definitions Wherever used in these rules and regulations, the following terms shall be construed as follows: 1.1 The Act means Chapter of the Rhode Island General Laws, as amended, entitled, "The Nursing Facilities Receivership Act." 1.2 "Controlling person" means any person or entity in control of a nursing facility directly or indirectly, including: a) in the case of a corporation or a limited liability company, or limited liability partnership, a person having a beneficial ownership interest of five percent (5%) or more in the corporation, limited liability company or limited liability partnership to which the facility is licensed; b) in the case of a general partnership or limited partnership, any general partner; c) in the case of a limited liability company, or limited liability partnership any member; d) a legal entity that operates or contracts with another person for the operation of a nursing facility or an owner thereof; e) each of the president, vice president, secretary and treasurer of a corporation that is not exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of the United States Internal Revenue Code as an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of such code; and f) such other ownership interest or relationship as may be determined by the Director. 1.3 Department means the Rhode Island Department of Health. 1.4 Director means the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. 1.5 "Facility" means any nursing facility as defined in Chapter 17 of Title 23 and the regulations adopted under Chapter 17 of Title "Financial solvency" means the ability of a nursing facility to meet its financial obligations. 1.7 "Mismanagement" means the Director's determination that a facility lacks financial solvency or has demonstrated the inability to correct patterns of deficiencies in resident care or management. These deficiencies may be evidenced by excessive turnover and instability in the administration and clinical leadership, a consistent pattern of maintaining inadequate direct care and support service personnel or a demonstrated failure to implement a plan of correction and/or remediation as prescribed by the Department. 1.8 "Nursing facility" means a place, however named, or an identifiable unit or distinct part thereof that provides 24 hour in-resident nursing, therapeutic, restorative or preventive and supportive nursing care services for two (2) or more residents unrelated by blood or 1
5 marriage whose condition requires continuous nursing care and supervision. Nursing facility and facility, as used herein, shall have the same meaning. 1.9 "Person" means any individual, trust or estate, partnership, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, corporation (including associations, joint stock companies and insurance companies), state or political subdivision or instrumentality of a state "Resident" means a person who resides in a nursing facility as defined in Chapter 17 of Title 23 and the regulations adopted pursuant to Chapter 17 of Title 23. Section 2.0 General Requirements 2.1 The Director shall have proper standing and is authorized to bring suit in the Superior Court to enforce the provisions of the Act. The Attorney General or his or her designee shall represent the Director in the proceeding, including any ancillary proceeding and any appeals resulting from the proceeding. 2.2 The facility shall be responsible for all costs associated with the Act in an amount to be determined by the Director or the Attorney General, subject to the approval of the Superior Court. 2.3 For the purposes of the Act, any nursing facility licensed under Chapter of the Rhode Island General Laws, as amended, shall provide on demand to the Director, the Director of the Department of Human Services and the Attorney General any and all documents referring or relating to the financial management of the facility, including, but not limited to; liens; Medicaid cost reports; accounts receivable; accounts payable; monthly unaudited financial statements; audited, reviewed or compiled financial statements as prepared in the ordinary course of business; contracts with related parties; tax returns related to indebtedness; payroll and staffing; state taxes and federal taxes. 2.4 In determining financial solvency, the Department shall consider the following criteria: a) Sufficient liquid resources, including anticipated accounts receivable due from providing care to residents to operate the facility for thirty (30) days; b) Current to agreed-upon payment terms for all material financial obligations of the facility including, but not limited to, mortgage payments, lease payments, management contracts, payments to employees and for all employee benefit programs, payments for food and other resident supplies, payments for utilities and payments of all state and federal taxes; c) Free from lien resulting from default by the facility; d) No combination of current indebtedness totaling more than one hundred twenty (120) days of total facility revenues; e) Significant operating losses for two (2) successive years; 2
6 f) Frequent requests for advances on Medicaid reimbursement; g) Unfavorable working capital ratios of assets to liabilities; h) High proportion of accounts receivable more than ninety (90) days old; i) Increasing accounts payable, unpaid taxes and/or payroll related costs; j) Minimal or decreasing equity and/or reserves; k) High levels of debt and high borrowing costs; and/or l) any other factors deemed relevant by the Director. Duty to Cooperate 2.5 The facility has a duty to cooperate with the Director and the Attorney General in all aspects as related to the Act. Section 3.0 Mismanagement of Facility 3.1 Whenever the Director shall determine that a facility is being mismanaged or operated in a manner which will have a detrimental impact on the health, safety, or well-being of any residents of a facility, and that the appointment of a receiver would facilitate the protection of health, safety, or well-being of the residents of the facility, the Director shall petition the Superior Court for the appointment of a receiver. 3.2 The Court shall appoint a receiver if it determines that the appointment of a receiver is necessary or appropriate to the protection of the health, safety, and well-being of the persons. 3.3 The Court shall appoint as a receiver any person(s) who shall have experience in the delivery of health care services, and, if feasible, shall have experience with the operation of long-term care facilities. 3.4 A receiver shall not have a financial interest in, or any affiliation with, the facility that is the subject of the receivership including, but not limited to, its owners, licensee, management company, employee(s), agent(s), or related party(ies). The Court may, as it deems necessary or appropriate to accomplish the purposes of the Act, confer upon any receiver appointed under this section any or all of the following powers: a) All power under common law and the laws of this state and the rules of its courts regarding receiverships generally; b) The power to continue to operate the facility for the benefit of the residents of the facility; c) The power to sell the facility with the approval of the Court; and/or 3
7 d) The power to facilitate the safe and orderly removal and placement of all residents of the facility in a manner which will not be detrimental to the health and safety of the residents. 3.5 Every plan for closure of a facility shall be subject to approval by the Court. 3.6 Upon the removal of the last resident from a facility, the licensee shall forfeit his or her license to operate the facility. Section 4.0 Reports -- Use of Experts Costs 4.1 The Department or the Department of Attorney General may, in effectuating the purposes of the Act, engage experts or consultants, including, but not limited to, accountants, auditors, nursing home administrators, medical doctors, nurses or industry analysts. All copies of reports prepared by experts and consultants, and costs associated with these reports, shall be made available to the facility and to the public. 4.2 All costs incurred under the Act and the rules and regulations herein shall be the responsibility of the facility in an amount to be determined by the Attorney General or the Director, as they deem appropriate. Section 5.0 Liens 5.1 The state shall have a lien for reasonable costs incurred pursuant to the Act on the following property: a) the building in which the facility is located if owned by a controlling person; b) the land on which the facility is located if owned by a controlling person; and c) any fixtures, equipment or goods used in the operation of the facility if owned by a controlling person. 5.2 Such lien shall be prior to any mortgage or lien which the Court finds has been executed or obtained for a fraudulent purpose or to hinder or delay creditors. Such lien shall also be prior to a mortgage or lien held by any person with an ownership interest in the nursing facility; or held by any controlling person. Section 6.0 Retaliation Prohibited 6.1 No discriminatory, disciplinary or retaliatory action shall be taken by the facility against any officer or employee of a facility; or against any guardian or family member of any resident; or against any resident of the facility; or against any volunteer, for any communication by him or her with the Director or the Attorney General or their designees pursuant to the provisions of the Act. The identity of individuals who ask to remain anonymous shall be protected. All anonymous communications shall be investigated but shall not constitute the sole basis for disciplinary action by the Director or the Attorney General. 4
8 Enforcement 6.2 Any person who believes that he or she has been retaliated or discriminated against in violation of section 6.1 may file a civil action within three (3) years of the date of retaliation or discrimination. Remedies 6.3 If the Court determines that violation has occurred, the Court may order the person who committed the violation to: Limitation a) Pay compensatory damages, costs of litigation and attorneys' fees; and/or b) Take other appropriate actions to remedy any part retaliation or discrimination. 6.4 The protections of this section shall not apply to any person who knowingly or recklessly provides substantially false information to the Director or the Attorney General or their designees. Section 7.0 Whistleblower Protections Prohibition Against Discrimination 7.1 No person subject to the provisions of the Act and the rules and regulations herein may discharge, demote, threaten or otherwise discriminate against any person or employee with respect to compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment as a reprisal because the person or employee (or any person acting pursuant to the request of the employee) provided or attempted to provide information to the Director or his or her designee or to the Attorney General or his or her designee regarding possible violation of the Act and the rules and regulations herein. Enforcement 7.2 Any person or employee or former employee subject to the provisions of the Act who believes that he or she has been discharged or discriminated against in violation of section 7.1 may file a civil action within three (3) years of the date of discharge or discrimination. Remedies 7.3 If the Court determines that a violation has occurred, the Court may order the person who committed the violation to: a) Reinstate the employee to the employee's former position; b) Pay compensatory damages, costs of litigation and attorneys' fees ; and/or c) Take other appropriate actions to remedy any past discrimination. 5
9 Limitation 7.4 The protections of this section shall not apply to any person or employee who : a) Deliberately causes or participates in the alleged violation of law or regulation; or b) Knowingly or recklessly provides substantially false information to the Director or the Attorney General or his or her designees. Section 8.0 Penalties 8.1 Any facility or person that intentionally fails to comply with sections (c) and (d), and of the Act and sections 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 4.1, and 4.2 herein, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or imprisoned for not more than one (1) year. 8.2 Each day of violation shall constitute a separate and distinct offense for calculation of the penalty. Each controlling person of a facility subject to penalties under this section shall be severally and personally liable for any fine, penalty or imprisonment provided in this section for violating sections (c) and (d), , and of the Act and sections 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 4.1, and 4.2 herein. Section 9.0 Severability 9.1 If any provision of these rules and regulations or the application thereof to any person or circumstances shall be held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect the provisions or application of the rules and regulations which can be given effect, and to this end the provisions of the rules and regulations are declared to be severable. Tuesday, May 16, 2006 receivership-final-may06-.doc 6
Transcription
1 1 L.R.O International Business Companies CAP. 77 CHAPTER 77 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMPANIES ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS SECTION 1. Short title. 2. Purposes of Act. 3. Interpretation. 4. International manufacturing. 5. Ineligibility: Fiscal Incentives Act. 6. International trade and commerce. 7. Application for licence. 8. Conditions for grant of licence. 9. Licence. 10. Special tax provisions. 11. Exemption under Income Tax Act. 12. Tax concessions for specially qualified persons. 13. Dividends and other payments. 14. Withholding tax. 15. Transfer of assets. [16. Prohibition against accepting loans from or otherwise dealing with local banks.]
2 CAP. 77 International Business Companies L.R.O SECTION 17. Authority to keep books and records in foreign currency. 18. Exchange control. 19. Cap. 316 not applicable to international business companies. 20. Machinery, equipment etc exempt from certain taxes and duties. 21. Record and inspection of machinery and equipment. 22. Filing of financial statements not required. 23. Savings. 24. Exemption from stamp duty. 25. Prohibition against disclosure. 26. Compliance with certain provisions of Companies Act. 27. Guarantees by Minister. 28. Notice to Minister. 28A. Penalties. 29. Regulations. 30. Transitional.
3 3 L.R.O International Business Companies CAP. 77 ss.1-3 CHAPTER 77 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMPANIES An Act to revise the law governing international business companies. [1st March, 1992] 1. This Act may be cited as the International Business Companies Act. 2. (1) The purposes of this Act are to revise the law governing international business companies carrying on the business of international manufacturing or international trade and commerce from within Barbados with a view to encouraging the development of Barbados as a responsible international financial centre; provision of incentives by way of tax reduction, exemptions and benefits for international manufacturing and international trade and commerce from within Barbados. (2) This Act shall receive such fair, large and liberal construction and interpretation as best ensures the attainment of its purposes. 3. (1) In this Act, "business" means any business, trade, manufacture, concern or adventure in the nature of trade or business; Commencement. 1992/20. Short title. Purposes of Act. Interpretation.
4 s.3 CAP. 77 International Business Companies L.R.O Cap "CARICOM region" means the region comprised within the jurisdictional areas of the Member States of the Caribbean Community established by the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas signed in the Bahamas on the 5th day of July, 2001 and includes the members of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy within the meaning of section 5 of the Caribbean Community Act; "company" means a body corporate, however and wherever incorporated; "foreign currency" means a currency that is foreign in every Member State which constitutes the Caricom region; "international business" means the business of international manufacturing or international trade and commerce; "international business company" means a company that satisfies the conditions set out in section 8 and holds a valid licence under this Act; "international manufacturing" shall be construed in accordance with section 4; "international trade and commerce" shall be construed in accordance with section 6; "Minister" means, except where a contrary meaning is expressed, the Minister responsible for international business; "resident outside Barbados" means, unless the context otherwise requires, in relation to an individual, someone who is not ordinarily resident in Barbados; in relation to a company, a company where more than 50% of all its issued shares of all classes, if any, or other ownership, is beneficially owned or controlled, whether directly or indirectly, by persons who are not ordinarily resident in Barbados; and
5 5 L.R.O International Business Companies CAP. 77 ss.4-6 in relation to a trust, where (i) (ii) it is established by a person under paragraph or ; or the trust is one in which a person referred to in sub-paragraph (i) has more than 50% of the beneficial ownership; "securities" means any deposits evidenced by an instrument in writing, shares, stocks, bonds, notes (other than promissory notes issued by individuals), debentures, debenture stock, units under a unit trust scheme and any other securities prescribed under section 29. (2) For the purposes of this Act, an international business company shall be deemed to be resident in Barbados where that company is incorporated or registered under the laws of Barbados. 4. For the purposes of this Act, international manufacturing is the business of making, processing, preparing or packaging within Barbados any product which is exclusively for export. 5. A company which has held a licence under this Act shall not be eligible to apply to become an approved enterprise under the Fiscal Incentives Act. 6. (1) For the purposes of this Act, but subject to subsection (2), international trade and commerce is the business of being a broker, agent, dealer, seller, buyer or factor within Barbados of goods existing outside Barbados or of goods to be trans-shipped through or from Barbados; the business of the selling of services which, if originating in Barbados, are to or for, or on account of, persons resident outside Barbados; International manufacturing Ineligibility: Fiscal Incentives Act. Cap. 71A. International trade and commerce
6 s.7 CAP. 77 International Business Companies L.R.O (d) the business of providing from within Barbados a prescribed service for a company carrying on an international business or for a company carrying on business in Barbados under an enactment referred to in section 7(2), other than a licensed bank referred to in paragraph (e) of that subsection; or subject to this Act, any other business carried on from Barbados. (2) None of the activities provided for under the enactments specified in paragraphs to (e) of section 7(2) constitutes international trade and commerce for the purposes of this Act. Application for licence. 7. (1) Subject to subsection (2), a company or a person who intends to incorporate a company may apply to the Minister for a licence for the company to carry on business as an international business company where the company (i) (ii) is on 1st March, 1992 carrying on; or intends to carry on; or it is the intention that the proposed company carry on, from within Barbados, the business of international manufacturing or international trade and commerce. (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a company that carries on business Cap Cap. 93B. Cap. 308A. Cap. 59C. (d) as a licensee under the International Financial Services Act; as a licensee under the Caribbean Financial Services Corporation Act; as a licensee or as a management company under the Exempt Insurance Act; as a licensee under the Foreign Sales Corporation Act;
7 7 L.R.O International Business Companies CAP. 77 ss.8-9 (e) (f) (g) as a licensed bank under the Banking Act; under the Shipping Incentives Act; or under any other prescribed enactment. Cap Cap. 90A. 8. (1) A company shall not be granted a licence under this Act unless the company is resident in Barbados; satisfies the Minister, by furnishing the Minister with such information as may be relevant, that the company is capable of (i) (ii) carrying on the business of international manufacturing or international trade and commerce; and complying with any prescribed conditions; and has provided full disclosure in respect of the information specified in paragraph. (2) For the purposes of this section, an individual who is ordinarily resident in Barbados by reason only of an employer and employee relationship with a company licensed under this Act or any of the legislation referred to in subsection (2) of section 7 hereof other than a licensed bank referred to in paragraph (e) of that subsection, shall not be deemed to be resident in Barbados. 9. (1) Where an application is approved by the Minister, he may issue a licence, subject to such conditions as he may specify in the licence and upon payment of the prescribed fee. (1A) The Minister may by instrument in writing delegate the power conferred on him by this section, except the power referred to in paragraph of subsection (4), to the Director or, in the absence of the Director, the Deputy Director of International Business; but the delegation shall not preclude the Minister from exercising at any time the power so delegated. Conditions for grant of licence. Licence
8 s.9 CAP. 77 International Business Companies L.R.O (2) No company granted a licence under this Act shall engage in any business other than international business. (3) Unless cancelled under subsection (4), a licence remains in force until the 31st December of the year in which it was issued, and may be renewed before the 1st day of January in each year on payment of the prescribed fee. (3A) A company that fails to renew a licence within the time required by subsection (3) may apply to the Minister no later than 1st February in each year for the renewal of the licence. (3B) The Minister may renew a licence pursuant to subsection (3A), upon payment of the prescribed fee for late renewal; and a penalty equal in amount to the prescribed fee for late renewal. (3C) Notwithstanding subsections (3), (3A) and (3B), where a company fails to renew its licence under subsection (3A), that company may apply to the Minister to be reinstated as a licensee. (3D) An application by a company for reinstatement shall be made within 5 years of the date of expiration of its licence. (3E) The Minister may reinstate a company as a licensee upon payment of the prescribed fee for reinstatement. (3F) A person may, upon payment of the prescribed fee, require and obtain from the Minister a certified copy of a licence issued; or a renewal or reinstatement certificate issued in respect of a licence renewed or a company reinstated as a licensee, pursuant to this section.
9 9 L.R.O International Business Companies CAP. 77 s.9 (4) Subject to subsection (5), the Minister may by notice in writing cancel or refuse to renew a licence or reinstate a company as a licensee where the company (i) contravenes subsection (2); (ii) fails to comply with a condition of its licence or a condition set out in section 8; (iii) fails to comply with or ceases to satisfy any requirement of this Act; (iv) (v) ceases to operate an international business company; or in relation to an application in respect of a licence under this Act, knowingly (A) makes an untrue statement of a material fact; (B) omits to state a material fact; or (C) makes a statement containing information that is misleading in light of the circumstances in which it is made; or on the grounds of public policy. (5) Where the Minister intends to cancel the licence of a company; not to renew a licence; or not to reinstate a company as a licensee, the Minister shall give the company written notice of his intention and the reasons for it. (6) A notice given under subsection (5) shall state that the company may within 21 days of service of the notice make representation in writing to the Minister as to why the Minister should not take the action intended
10 s.10 CAP. 77 International Business Companies L.R.O Special tax provisions. Cap. 73. (7) A company aggrieved by a decision of the Minister pursuant to subsection (4) may, within 30 days after it is notified of the decision, apply to the High Court for an order requiring the Minister to revoke the cancellation of the licence renew the licence; or reinstate the company as a licensee, as the case may be, and the Court may make such order as it thinks fit in the circumstances. 10. (1) Subject to this section and section 11, in lieu of tax at the rate specified under the Income Tax Act, there shall be levied and paid to the Commissioner of Inland Revenue, in respect of the income year 1991 and in each subsequent income year of an international business company, a tax on the profits and gains of the company at the following rates 2.5 per cent on all profits and gains up to $ ; 2 per cent on all profits and gains exceeding $ but not exceeding $ ; 1.5 per cent on all profits and gains exceeding $ but not exceeding $ ; (d) one per cent on all profits and gains in excess of $ (2) An international business company may elect to take a credit in respect of taxes paid to a country other than Barbados provided that such an election does not reduce the tax payable in Barbados to a rate less than one per cent of the profits and gains of the company in any income year.
11 11 L.R.O International Business Companies CAP. 77 ss [(3) An international business company all of whose shares form part of the assets of a trust described in section 105 of the International Financial Services Act shall not be subject to tax under that section or under the Income Tax Act on the profits and gains of that company if it is managed by an off-shore bank and if its activities are restricted to engaging exclusively in the business of buying, selling, holding or managing securities.] (4) Deleted by (5) Deleted by (6) Deleted by An international business company shall not be liable to pay any tax under the Income Tax Act except as is provided by section 10 hereof in respect of an income year, nor shall it be liable under this or any other enactment to pay any other direct tax on its profits and gains in respect of that income year. 12. (1) Where an international business company requires the services of specially qualified individuals in order to carry out its business effectively from within Barbados and it is unable to acquire those services from within the CARICOM region; and it is unable to retain those services from outside Barbados without special tax concessions, the Minister responsible for Finance may grant a tax concession in respect of those specially qualified individuals who are resident outside of the CARICOM region. (2) The tax concession referred to in subsection (1) is one that allows a prescribed percentage of an employee's or contractor's salary, fees and any other emoluments to be exempt from income tax in Barbados; Cap Cap.73. Exemption under Income Tax Act. Cap. 73. Tax concessions for specially qualified persons
12 ss CAP. 77 International Business Companies L.R.O Cap. 73. Cap. 71. Dividends and other payments. Cap. 73. Withholding tax. Transfer of assets. to be paid in a foreign currency into a trust account without being liable to income tax in Barbados as to the amount paid or any interest earned thereon; or to be paid in some other prescribed manner in another currency or otherwise without being liable to income tax in Barbados, notwithstanding any provision of the Income Tax Act or the Exchange Control Act. 13. (1) All dividends, royalties, interest, fees, management fees, paid or deemed to be paid by an international business company to a company carrying on international business or to a person resident outside Barbados are exempt from tax under the Income Tax Act. (2) Subject to subsection (1), tax at the appropriate rate under the Income Tax Act shall be levied and is payable to the Commissioner of Inland Revenue upon any dividends, royalties, interest, management fees, fees, salaries, emoluments or other income paid or deemed to be paid by an international business company to a person resident in Barbados who does not carry on an international business. 14. Notwithstanding the Income Tax Act, an international business company need not withhold any portion of the dividends, royalties, interest, management fees, fees or other income paid or deemed to be paid by an international business company to a person who is not resident in Barbados or who, if so resident, carries on an international business. 15. (1) No tax, duty or other impost shall be levied on an international business company, its shareholders or transferees in respect of any transfer of any securities or assets of the company, other than a transfer of taxable assets, to a person who is not resident in Barbados or who, if so resident, holds a licence under section 9 to carry on international business.
13 13 L.R.O International Business Companies CAP. 77 ss (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), the following assets are taxable assets in the hands of an international business company, namely: real property situated in Barbados and held by or on behalf of the company; and all office equipment, supplies, furnishings and fixture, machinery, vehicles and equipment used in Barbados in carrying on the business and affairs of the company. [16. (1) Except as provided by this Act, an international business company shall not in the course of its business accept loans from, or otherwise transact business with, a bank licensed under the Banking Act. (2) Subsection (1) does not extend to preclude an international business company from holding a bank account with a licensed bank within the meaning of the Banking Act. (3) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, an international business company may place fixed term deposits with a company or foreign bank that carries on the business of off-shore banking (within the meaning of the International Financial Services Act) within Barbados, and income derived from such deposits is subject to income tax at the rate specified in section 10(1).] 17. Notwithstanding any enactment to the contrary, an international business company may keep in a foreign currency such books, records and financial statements as it is required to keep under the Companies Act and the Income Tax Act. 18. (1) Section 11(2) of the Exchange Control Act does not apply in respect of a person who incorporates or registers or intends to incorporate or register in Barbados a company to obtain a licence under this Act and become an international business company. Prohibition against accepting loans from or otherwise dealing with local banks. Cap Cap Authority to keep books and records in foreign currency. Cap Cap. 73. Exchange control. Cap. 71.
14 ss CAP. 77 International Business Companies L.R.O Cap. 316 not applicable to international business companies. Machinery, equipment etc exempt from certain taxes and duties. (2) The Exchange Control Act does not apply to international business companies in respect of their international trade and commerce, and international manufacturing. 19. The Rate of Interest Act does not apply to international business companies in respect of their international trade and commerce, and international manufacturing. 20. (1) An international business company may import free of customs duty, consumption tax, ad valorem stamp duty and other like duties, taxes and imposts, such plant, machinery, equipment, fixtures, appliances, apparatus, tools and spare parts, and such raw materials, goods, components and articles, as are necessary for the company to carry on its international business. (2) The goods referred to in subsection (1) may only be imported free of the duties, taxes and imposts referred to in that subsection where the Secretary or Managing Director of the company certifies to the Comptroller of Customs, in this Act referred to as the "Comptroller", that the goods are imported for use exclusively in the international business of the company. (3) When an international business company imports under this section any materials, goods or articles free of any duty, tax or impost, those materials, goods, or articles shall not be sold or disposed of in Barbados otherwise than in the ordinary course of the company's international trade and commerce, and international manufacturing, until after the expiration of 5 years from the date of importation, unless the sale or disposition is to another international business company; or the amount of duty, tax or other impost that would have been payable had subsection (1) or (2) not applied is first paid to the Comptroller and a certificate of such payment is issued by the Comptroller.
15 15 L.R.O International Business Companies CAP. 77 s.21 (4) Nothing imported or purchased free of any duty, tax or impost under this section by an international business company shall, without the prior written approval of the Minister responsible for Finance be used for any purpose other than the purpose stated for customs when it was so imported or purchased unless it is subsequently acquired by another person pursuant to subsection (3). (5) A person who contravenes any provision of this section commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $ or imprisonment for a term of 2 years or both. 21. (1) An international business company which imports into Barbados from a country outside the CARICOM region; or purchases within the CARICOM region any article in respect of which it has been granted relief from customs duty under section 20 shall comply with subsection (2). (2) An international business company referred to in subsection (1) shall keep a record of the articles so imported or purchased in such form, and containing such particulars, as the Comptroller requires; cause the articles to be marked in such manner as the Comptroller requires; permit the Comptroller, or a person authorised by him for the purpose, to inspect at reasonable times such record, and to have access to any factory or warehouse under its control, for the purpose of examining any such article which the Comptroller has reason to beleive to be therein and of satisfying himself of the accuracy of the particulars contained in the record. (3) An international business company which contravenes any of the provisions of this section is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine of $ Record and inspection of machinery and equipment.
16 ss CAP. 77 International Business Companies L.R.O Filing of financial statements not required. Cap Cap Cap.77. Cap (1) Notwithstanding section 152 of the Companies Act, an international business company is not required to file the financial statements or balance sheet and documents required to be filed with the Registrar of Companies under section 147 of that Act. (1A) Notwithstanding subsection (1), an international business company shall forward to the Minister annual audited financial statements in the same manner, and for the same period, as required by section 147 of the Companies Act. (2) An international business company within the meaning of the International Business Companies (Exemption from Taxes) Act in force immediately before the 1st March, 1992 that did not comply with section 147 of the Companies Act shall not after that date be required to comply with that section. Savings. Cap. 73. Exemption from stamp duty. Cap. 91. Prohibition against disclosure. 23. Except to the extent that this Act operates to exempt an international business company from tax under the Income Tax Act, all the provisions of that Act apply with necessary modifications to an international business company. 24. An international business company is exempt from ad valorem stamp duty except in respect of real estate situate in Barbados, and shall pay a fixed duty as specified in the Schedule to the Stamp Duty Act. 25. (1) No person shall disclose any information relating to any application of a prospective licensee or to the affairs of a licensee, other than so far as such information forms part of the public record in the possession of the Registrar of Corporate Affairs, except when authorised by the prospective licensee or licensee to do so or when lawfully required to do so by a court of competent jurisdiction. (2) A person who contravenes this section commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $ or imprisonment for a term of 2 years or both.
17 17 L.R.O International Business Companies CAP. 77 ss.26-28a (3) This section does not apply to any person carrying out any duty imposed on him by the Income Tax Act or otherwise acting in pursuance of any international agreement to which Barbados is a party. 26. (1) Subject to subsection (2), a licensee which is not incorporated under the Companies Act shall comply with sections 155 and 164 of the Companies Act as if it had in fact been incorporated under that Act. (2) A licensee whose assets or gross income do not exceed $ shall not be required to comply with the provisions of subsection (1). 27. (1) The Minister may by agreement give assurances or guarantees to an applicant for a licence that all or any of the benefits and exemptions contained in this Act will apply to that company for a period of 15 years on that company becoming a licensee. (2) An assurance or a guarantee referred to in subsection (1) is subject to negative resolution. 28. (1) Where an international business company ceases to operate as an international business company; or ceases to satisfy any requirement of this Act or the regulations, that company, shall, by notice in writing, inform the Minister of that fact. (2) Repealed by 28A. (1) A person who makes or assists in making a report, return, notice or any other document that is required by this Act or the regulations to be sent to the Registrar of Companies or to any other person; and that (i) contains an untrue statement of a material fact; or Cap. 73. Compliance with certain provisions of Companies Act. Cap Guarantees by Minister. Notice to Minister. Penalties
18 ss CAP. 77 International Business Companies L.R.O Cap Regulations. Transitional. Cap. 77. (ii) omits to state a material fact required in the report, return, notice or other document, or makes a statement containing information that is misleading in light of the circumstances in which it was made, is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $ or to imprisonment for a term of 12 months or to both. (2) A person is not guilty of an offence under subsection (1) if the making of the untrue statement or the omission of the material fact was unknown to him and with the exercise of reasonable diligence could not have been known to him. (3) When an offence under subsection (1) is committed by a body corporate and a director or officer of that body corporate knowingly authorised, permitted or acquiesced in the commission of the offence, that body corporate, director or officer is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $ or to imprisionment for a term of 12 months or to both. (4) In this section, "officer" has the meaning assigned to it by subsection (1)(f) of section 2 of the Companies Act. 29. The Minister may make regulations (d) to provide information to be furnished for the purpose of applying for a licence to carry on business as an international business company; to prescribe securities for the purposes of this Act; to prescribe any other matter or thing required by this Act to be prescribed; and generally for carrying out the purposes of this Act. 30. (1) Where immediately before 1st March, 1992 a company was operating under the provisions of the International Business Companies (Exemption from Taxes) Act, that company shall, within 180 days after that date or such further period as the Minister allows, apply for a licence in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
19 19 L.R.O International Business Companies CAP. 77 s.30 (2) Subject to subsection (3) a company referred to in subsection (1) shall continue to be entitled to the benefits conferred by the International Business Companies (Exemption from Taxes) Act as if that Act had not been repealed. (3) The entitlement to benefits referred to in subsection (2) shall not continue beyond 180 days after 1st March, 1992 or such further period as the Minister allows if an application for a licence is not made within that period; or where an application for a licence is made in accordance with subsection (1) beyond the date on which that application is approved or rejected. (4) Where an application made in accordance with this Act is approved, the company shall be entitled to benefits conferred under this Act from the date of approval
Nov 6, 2016, 5:00pm ET
A new invention to bring police chases to a quick and safe end
The Grappler Bumper entangles the wheels of the pursuit vehicle
The inventor of a new device hopes law enforcement will use it during car chances to reduce the number of fatalities.
Invented by an Arizona man named Leonard Stock, the Grappler Bumper uses a web of nylon straps, deployed from a large fork mounted to the bumper of the police vehicle, to tangle the wheels of a suspect's fleeing vehicle. The straps, similar to the ones used in ratcheting tie-downs, prevent the wheels from turning while the pursuit vehicle, presumably with upgraded brakes, brings both itself and the chase vehicle to a controlled stop.
The Grappler Bumper can also be released if necessary, if the suspect flees the vehicle and the police vehicle must continue the pursuit. In an accompanying video, a rear-wheel-drive vehicles appear to be snagged and unable to drive further (presumably those with a limited-slip differential will still be able to make some progress with the free tire). Front-drive vehicles would drag the incapacitated wheel along, but the video shows pursuit vehicles holding the car in place.
When driving, the web and forks can be folded up, and even concealed (the video shows one masquerading as a bike rack). The video even shows it bringing a pickup towing a trailer to a halt in no time. Deploying takes mere seconds, and it appears very effective. See it in action in the video below.
'After the FTA comes into force, bilateral trade will definitely be intensified and reach a new high.'
The recently concluded free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Union after three years of negotiations offers tremendous opportunities for both Vietnamese and European producers to find growing markets for high quality agricultural products, Phil Hogan, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, said at a recent seminar.
Vietnamese agricultural products such as cashew nuts, coffee and fisheries have proved a success in Europe, and with agriculture being the E.U.'s second favorite import last year, the bloc holds a lot of potential.
A large number of European consumers are keen to discover Vietnams exotic fisheries products. In September this year, one fifth of Vietnam's tuna catch touched down in the E.U. market, and tuna exports to Italy climbed 116 percent compared to the same period last year.
Vietnamese fisheries have successfully established presence in 160 countries and territories and the fact that they meet all food safety requirements to enter the E.U. market is a good sign for our agricultural products, Cao Quoc Hung, vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said at the seminar. The FTA opens the door for Vietnamese products to dominate the E.U. market, Hung added.
Vietnamese coffee has also seduced German caffeine lovers.
Vietnam has recorded a trade surplus with the EU28 since 2010. After the FTA comes into force, bilateral trade will definitely be intensified and reach a new high, Commissioner Hogan said.
The E.U. was Vietnam's second largest export market after the U.S. in 2015, data from the customs department showed.
By implementing the FTA, nearly all custom duties will be eliminated. As soon as it takes force, tax on fisheries and around half of pharmaceuticals and chemicals will be cut to zero. The remaining duties will be abolished over the next few years. The E.U. has also decided to eliminate duties for some textile and garment products.
The government expects wages for skilled laborers to go up by 12 percent while salaries for common workers are expected to rise by 13 percent as a result of the EVFTA.
The EVFTA will come into effect from January 1, 2018, and is estimated to contribute an additional 8 percent to Vietnam's GDP by 2025.
The free trade agreement is considered one of the most comprehensive and ambitious trade and investment agreements the country has signed, and is the second agreement in Southeast Asia after Singapore. It is a win-win game for Vietnam and the 28 countries in the EU, said Hogan.
Related news:
> Vietnamese coffee wins Germans hearts
> European firms upbeat about Vietnamese market: survey
> European firms put their faith in Vietnam
Column
The US midterm elections as seen from my French window
In his first daily column on the 2022 midterms, Le Monde's former US correspondent Gilles Paris discusses America's craze for redrawing electoral districts.
US in tariff probe of Chinese steel sent through Vietnam
Chinese companies are accused of shipping steel through Vietnam to avoid import tariffs.
The U.S. Commerce Department is expected to launch a formal investigation on Monday into whether Chinese companies shipped steel through Vietnam to avoid import tariffs, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing a person familiar with the matter.
The development comes after lawyers for four U.S. steel producers said in September that they would file petitions with the department alleging that Chinese competitors diverted shipments to Vietnam immediately after the U.S. government set preliminary anti-dumping duties on their stainless steel.
The U.S. duties, ranging from 63.86 percent to 76.64 percent, were proposed after preliminary findings showed the imports were being dumped in the U.S. market at below fair value.
The U.S. firms alleged the Chinese steel was modified to be corrosion-resistant and then sent to the U.S. at Vietnam's U.S. tariff rate, which is lower than for China.
The newspaper said the heart of the issue is whether the steel is modified enough to be a new product made in Vietnam.
The newspaper said a spokesman for the department declined to comment on its story. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Sunday.
The U.S. firms that were petitioning the department include ArcelorMittal USA, Nucor Corp (NUE.N), AK Steel Holdings Corp (AKS.N) and United States Steel Corp (X.N)
Related news:
> US concludes anti-dumping investigation of Vietnamese steel firm
> US steel makers accuse Vietnam of helping Chinese steel evade taxes
> Vietnam's steel industry makes a case for more production amid distrust
Electricity workers use a long bamboo ladder to fix an electrical cable in downtown Hanoi. Photo by AFP
Power prices could go up but economists say forex changes should not be an excuse.
Power monopoly Electricity of Vietnam has reported losses of nearly VND717 billion ($32 million) in the first half this year, saying the stronger Japanese yen has increased its loan burden.
The latest financial report from Electricity of Vietnam said its revenue increased 17.25 percent in the first six months of 2016 from the same period last year to nearly VND130.7 trillion ($5.85 billion).
But at the same time, overheads such as interest on loans, transactions and commission fees and insurance almost doubled to VND15.46 trillion ($692 million).
Dinh Quang Tri, deputy CEO of the power giant, said: The specific cause of the loss was the stronger yen.
Tri said the company would have made a profit if it had not lost VND6.37 trillion ($285 million) due to the value of the yen increasing 17 percent this year.
According to a report from the government, EVN topped the list of state firms with foreign debts at the end of 2014. The group borrows a lot under Japans development assistance programs.
One of its big units, the Power Generation Corporation 1, now owes $301 million in yen, local media has reported.Hoang Quoc Vuong, deputy minister of Industry and Trade, said EVNs huge loss will put pressure on power prices and the government might have to "adjust" those prices at some point.
But according to economists, losses due to foreign exchange changes are not a reasonable excuse for price hikes.
Economist Vu Dinh Anh said that any business that takes out foreign loans should be prepared for foreign exchange fluctuations with provisions to prevent price changes.
He said if EVN wants to raise prices, it needs to provide a detailed report that outlines all related income and expenses.
The report needs objective assessment. Currently, EVNs reports are only reviewed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and that is not convincing, he said, as cited by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.
EVN made a profit of nearly VND890 billion ($40 million) during the first half of 2015.
But as of the end of June, the company owed banks more than VND475 trillion ($21.3 billion), and was paying more than $1.7 million in interest a day, according to the report.
Loans guaranteed by Vietnams government reached $26 billion at the end of 2015, and EVN accounted for 37.3 percent of the total.
Related news:
> Vietnam to quicken share sales in EVN in push for wholesale power market by 2017
> EVN to maintain retail electricity prices
> EVN hooks up power deal with China on rising demand
Nov 7, 2016, 9 AM
An 1860 local cover from Mauritius franked with a pair of the last locally-produced issue for the colony sold for $14,750 at the Kelleher auction in late September in Danbury, Conn.
An unused, lightly hinged King Edward VII 5-penny stamp, overprinted Board of Education to become an Official stamp, brought $41,300 at Daniel F. Kellehers Sept. 27-29 sale.
By Matthew Healey, New York Correspondent
Daniel F. Kellehers Sept. 27-29 sale in Danbury, Conn., also included some classic British rarities. (U.S. items from the sale are reviewed elsewhere in this issue of Linns.)
An unused, lightly hinged King Edward VII 5d stamp, overprinted Board of Education for use by that official department (Scott O70), went for $41,300, including the 18 percent buyers premium added by Kelleher to all lots. The fact that this realization is substantially over the Scott Standard catalog value is a testament both to the attractiveness of this example and the fact that British Official stamps are experiencing a resurgence in popularity.
Kelleher also offered an 1860 local cover from Mauritius franked with a pair of the early 1d stamps known as the Dardenne issue, after the man who printed them by lithography. This was the final locally produced issue for the Indian Ocean colony, before better-quality stamps began arriving from Britain.
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The pair paid the 2d rate for a letter delivered locally on the island, although the letter was assessed 1d postage due, noted in manuscript, for the ship captain who carried it from Grand River to Port Louis. Covers with this franking are rare, and some famous collections of Mauritius postal history have lacked such an example.
According to Kelleher, this covers provenance includes a sale by J. Walter Scott, stamp dealer and publisher of the detailed price lists that eventually developed into the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue. The cover sold for $14,750.
China now accounts for a quarter of all foreign visitors to Vietnam.
Since the end of October, Chinese airlines have started increasing the number of flights to Ho Chi Minh City to meet high travel demand.
Major Chinese carriers, including Xiamen, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines, have increased frequency from three flights per week to daily for services between Shanghai and Ho Chi Minh City. The carriers have also launched more flights from Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
In recent years, Chinese visitors have flocked directly to central Vietnam on charter flights, without traveling to Ho Chi Minh City. But now with higher demand, Chinese carriers are adding more flights to the southern hub.
A local tour operator told the Saigon Times that Chinese visitors now mainly come from major Chinese cities and they are willing to pay for more expensive tours.
China is accounting for roughly a quarter of all foreign visitors to Vietnam.
Data from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism showed that the country received more than 2.2 million Chinese arrivals over the first 10 months, up 55 percent from a year ago.
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> Vietnam named a favorite destination for Chinese tourists
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A reporter from the television VTC is hospitalized after being attacked at an abattoir in Hanoi on Saturday. Photo courtesy of VTC
They were following up reports of illegal polluting which were published in October.
Hanoi authorities have urged police to investigate an attack on two local reporters who were covering a pollution story at an abattoir on Sunday.
Male reporters Nguyen Tung from Vietnam Television Corporation (VTC) and Pham Hien from Phap luat Vietnam (Vietnam Law) newspaper were allegedly assaulted by a group of people at an abattoir in Thanh Oai District at 2 a.m. on Sunday.
Both were admitted to hospital with difficulty breathing.
I was hit on the head and body with some kind of hard object, Tung said.
He said people from the abattoir also took his ID card and cell phone, which he was using to cover the operations there.
On October 23 and 30, Phap Luat Vietnam ran several reports on illegal pollution at the abattoir. The reporters were following up on the reports.
Attacks against journalists in Vietnam, especially those doing investigative stories, are not rare.
Several have been assaulted in recent years while covering controversial waste dumping, overloaded trucks and illegal sand excavation.
In a rare case, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, which is one of the most popular media outlets in the country, is still in a debate with Hanoi Police over the latters accusation that one of its reporters was obstructing police work when trying to take pictures of a taxi driver found dead under a bridge in the city in September.
The newspaper said that the reporter was beaten by police during his coverage, but the police said an officer just tried to force him to leave the scene and accidentally hit him in the face.
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For the first time in recent memory, energy has not been a major election year issue. Both parties have taken positions but there has been no substantive debate. The Democrats want to extend the Obama Administrations push for alternatives and suppress the use of fossil fuels to further its climate orthodoxy. The Republicans are at the other end of the policy spectrum and want to remove barriers to greater use of oil, gas, and coal as well as roll back the regulatory juggernaut that has been the main mechanism for implementing climate and energy policy.
Although each partys objectives are clear, it is unlikely that either will be able to fully achieve them. If the Democrats win the White House and take back the Senate, there will be attempts to build on the policies of the last eight years. Since the Democrats are unlikely to capture the House, legislative initiatives will be stymied, at least until 2018. The mid-term elections are just the opposite of this years in that democrats have many more Senate seats in play than do republicans. Unless the Democratic majority in the Senate is much larger than projected, Republicans have a good chance of regaining control in 2018. So, in that case, more gridlock is the likely path forward.
If Republicans win the White House and retain the Senate, the likelihood is that their majority will be less than today and not sufficient to prevent Democratic filibusters. At best, there will be marginal gains coming from a lot of deal making. If Democrats capture the Senate, they will not have much interest in working with a Republican president. More gridlock is likely.
The most likely outcome for the next two years is that neither party will be able to accomplish much in terms of energy legislation. The legislative climate is likely to remain the same as it has been for the past four years.
That means that regulatory agencies will continue to be the dominant force for implementing policy. With an almost evenly divided Senate, the confirmation process for the Secretaries of Energy, Interior, and EPA Administrator is likely to be drawn out and painful, independent of which party controls the Senate. Of the three positions, the EPA Administrator is the most critical and there will probably be intense negotiations over confirmation of the Administrator, unless the same party controls both the White House and Senate. And, even then parliamentary maneuvers could produce extended confirmation delays.
The EPA bureaucracy is made up primarily of people who see environmental protection as being more important than any other policy priority. That means that a Democratic president could continue the regulatory path set by President Obama and Gina McCarthy even if compromise is needed to get an Administrator confirmed.
A Republican president would not support new regulations aimed at fossil fuels. However, without oversight from political appointees, the EPA bureaucracy would still be able to pursue an activist agenda because of environmental litigation and existing compliance issues and deadlines. Trump has made it clear that he would try to roll back prior regulations, but this may be hard to achieve.
The pace of energy and environmental regulation will be determined by who is in the White House, what constraints get imposed during the confirmation process, and whether Congress can use the budget process to influence the bureaucracy.
William O'Keefe is the President of Solutions Consulting. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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A technology once thought to be decades away is now being tested on public roads and clashing with state and local governments. Ford Motors has announced plans to release a full fleet of driverless cars by 2021. Google has been testing fully autonomous vehicles since 2014. In Pittsburgh, one can summon an autonomous Volvo using the Uber app. Other companies including Apple, General Motors, and Chrysler are also involved.
The rapid development of a technology that has great potential to save lives, increase mobility, and reduce pollution also creates a challenge for regulators. Current vehicle regulations assume that a human driver is in control of the vehicle. Driverless cars operate within the realm of soft law.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has attempted to fill this regulatory void with its Federal Automated Vehicles Policy. These nonbinding guidelines recommend that state regulations only deal with licensing, registration, insurance, and other roles that traditionally belong to states. A 15-point safety assessment would be conducted voluntarily by companies and submitted to NHTSA.
Similar to current vehicle regulations that allow manufacturers to self-certify compliance, these guidelines provide basic standards without capping innovation. Self-certification has proved remarkably successful in protecting consumers and improving technology for 50 years.
NHTSA needed to act because, instead of embracing the benefits of innovation, many state and local governments are stifling innovation through overly-burdensome regulations. Unfortunatly, suggestions from NHTSA fail to correct this censorship of innovation.
For example, California state law uses legislation to dictate which companies are allowed to test self-driving cars. While there are currently 33 corporations developing autonomous vehicle technology, the state has granted permission to only 15 companies for testing. The states regulatory code requires that a driver is present to monitor the vehicle and that the car still has brake pedals and a steering wheel. Since technology is now being developed that will have no need for a human driver, this regulation is already outdated. In attempt to keep up with innovation, California has granted only one company, Easymile, the right to test shuttles without drivers, brake pedals, steering wheels, or accelerators on a single strip of public road.
Allowing regulators to grant de facto monopolies will significantly hinder the introduction of this technology to market. The unprecedented rate at which this technology has been developed can partially be credited to fierce competition an autonomous vehicles arms race. Affordable self-driving vehicles will become a pipe dream if half of the competition is excluded from Silicon Valley.
Even worse, Chicagos mayor Rahm Emanuel recently proposed a ban on autonomous vehicles. In a press release, city alderman Ed Burke defended the proposed policy by writing:
We do not want the streets of Chicago to be used as an experiment that will no doubt come with its share of risks, especially for pedestrians. No technology is one-hundred percent safe.
Burkes fear of technology does not reflect reality. Of the 35,000 U.S. vehicle fatalities in 2015, 94 percent resulted from human error. In contrast, a May 2016 Tesla crash is the only death in an autonomous vehicle. Furthermore, in a study conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, every recorded accident involving an autonomous vehicle 11 per million miles was the fault of a human driver. Burke is rightnothing is one hundred percent safe. However, only one recorded fatality when moving at highway speeds is close.
Given these current regulatory trends, NHTSA needs to take a more assertive approach to regulating, which it will likely do after a public comment period on its non-binding guidance. And NHTSA has reason to actsince vehicle automation is essentially a safety feature, it falls under federal jurisdiction.
When moving forward with finalized regulations, NHTSA needs to keep in mind that fully autonomous vehicle technology is still developing. Any comprehensive regulatory code that mandates certain design features will restrict innovation. As for the best way to move forward, the non-profit organization Securing Americas Future Energy, recommends developing performance-based standards. An example of this system already in use is the Federal Aviation Administrations requirement that software components in small planes be highly reliable without specifying what type of software must be used. This allows companies to constantly develop better software to meet this standard.
NHTSA should work to clarify its 15 point safety assessment so it can be written as a national regulation. Once defined, outcome-based rules for priorities such as crashworthiness, digital security, and data recording and sharing give auto manufacturers and innovators the freedom to determine how to best achieve these goals.
While allowing states to set their own regulatory policies is usually desirable, federal preemption is necessary to establish regulations for product standards when there are coordination problems between states. This is necessary, as discussed in an American Enterprise Institute book edited by Richard Epstein and Michael Greve, in the rules for drug labeling, cell phone regulations, and financial market regulations. Similarly, in the market for self-driving cars, NHTSA admits that 50 different sets of regulations and rules would constrain the development of the product.
Car manufacturers would not create multiple variations of a technology in order to meet different state standards; instead, they would just adapt to the biggest market. The market power of California makes it likely that their regulations would become de facto law for the rest of the United States similar to how the states zero-emission requirement prompted every major auto-maker to bring an electric car to market.
Any smaller states that impose radically different regulations on self-driving cars would prevent residents from accessing a potentially life-saving technology. When Vermont passed a mandatory GMO labeling law, food manufacturers pulled 3,000 products out of the state rather than comply with the costly law.
One can always hope that voters will choose not to reelect officials who passed detrimental bans, but this is not always the case. Many incumbent industries benefit from government stifling of competition and are willing to spend to remain protected. The proposed ban on self-driving cars in Chicago was heavily financed by the citys taxi industry in order to block autonomous Ubers similar to those in Pittsburg.
Innovation from private companies has brought about almost every great invention of the past decade. With proposed regulations in California that would require companies to report the data collected on every vehicle to the state and force companies to get permission for testing from each locality, national performance-based guidelines are necessary to prevent the stifling of beneficial innovation.
Allie Howell is a contributor to Economics21.
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If you look upward on a clear night from Earth's darkest regions, you'll probably glimpse a broad stripe of stars, cloaked in clouds of dust and gas, arcing across the sky.
What you're seeing is a portion of the Milky Way, our home galaxy, which measures 100,000 light-years in diameter. (A light-year is the distance light travels in one year almost 6 trillion miles, or 9.5 trillion kilometers.) Its core hosts a supermassive black hole a giant gravitational field so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape and its multiple "arms" that spiral from the center hold hundreds of billions of stars, one of which is our own sun.
The Milky Way is estimated to be 13.2 billion years old, and is one of many billions of galaxies in the known universe. Other galaxies may be older and bigger, but as Earth's cosmic address, the Milky Way has long fascinated humans. It was recognized by astronomers thousands of years ago, and ancient civilizations featured it in their mythologies. But how and when did this galaxy get its unusual name in the first place?[8 Galaxies with Unusual Names]
The Roman poet Ovid wrote about the Milky Way in "The Metamorphoses," first published in A.D. 8, saying, "There is a high track, seen when the sky is clear, called the Milky Way, and known for its brightness."
The earliest mentions of the Milky Way can be traced back to the ancient Greeks (800 B.C. to 500 B.C.), according to Matthew Stanley, a professor of the history of science at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University. But it's unclear exactly when the name emerged, he told Live Science.
"The term was in common use in Western astronomy 2,500 years ago," Stanley said, referring to stargazers in European countries. "So there's no way of knowing who first coined it and how it first came to be. It's one of those terms that's so old that its origin is generally forgotten by now."
In fact, Stanley added, the Milky Way provided astronomers with the Greek root for the astronomical term "galaxy."
"'Galactos' literally means 'the milky thing in the sky,'" Stanley said.
The milky beginnings of our home galaxy, as explained by the ancient Greeks and depicted by Tintoretto in "The Origin of the Milky Way," painted around 1575. (Image credit: PD-US)
The Greek myth about the Milky Way's formation was immortalized by Renaissance artist Jacopo Tintoretto in the painting "The Origin of the Milky Way," around 1575. Tintoretto likely based his artwork on a version of the story that appeared in the 10th-century folklore text "Geoponica," according to the National Gallery, where the painting is displayed. The legend described the god Zeus bringing an infant Hercules to his sleeping wife Hera's breast so the baby could nurse secretly. When Hera awoke and pulled away, her breast milk sprayed into the firmament and created the Milky Way. [Stunning Photos of Our Milky Way Galaxy (Gallery)]
But although early astronomers may have observed the Milky Way, they didn't quite know what to make of it. Prior to the invention of telescopes at the start of the 17th century, galaxies were known as nebulae, perplexing, cloudy regions that didn't behave like other visible objects, such as stars and planets.
"They were accepted as anomalies that you have to watch out for and not get distracted by, but they got little attention," Stanley said.
That all changed when Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei pointed his telescope at the sky in 1609, and discovered that some of the puzzling cosmic dust clouds were made up of stars grouped closely together.
An artist's impression of our Milky Way galaxy, which is home to several hundred billion stars. (Image credit: Left: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Right: ESA; Layout: ESA/ATG medialab)
"This is the key moment for the realization that nebulae are something interesting, that they're structures of their own that can be studied," Stanley told Live Science. "That's when people start giving them particular names because they recognized shapes in them, and they realized they could have some cosmic significance."
However, most galaxies don't get descriptive names because there are simply far too many of them. The number of known galaxies continues to grow as technology improves scientists' ability to discover even very faint objects from the universe's infancy by some estimates, the total could be as high as 200 billion. The vast majority of galaxies, once astronomers note their locations, are identified by a number following a letter or letters that indicate their position in a catalog of celestial objects.
And with the discovery of so many other galaxies, astronomers have learned that the Milky Way, despite being our home galaxy, is just not that special.
"The basic assumption is that our galaxy is totally ordinary," Stanley said.
Ordinary it may be, but the sight of the Milky Way even a partial view from Earth or from space is still awe-inspiring, and can help people to understand and to appreciate our place in the universe, and to recapture a little of the wonder experienced by the first astronomers who peered up at the sky thousands of years ago.
"Whoever named the Milky Way did so through standing in darkness, night after night, gazing up at our own galaxy and trying to name that feeling of being one with the cosmos," Stanley said.
"There's something extraordinary and sublime about standing on a mountaintop and seeing the vastness of our own galaxy wrapping around us," he added.
Original article on Live Science.
A mysterious "pinging" noise is emanating from the seafloor in one of Canada's northernmost territories, and officials have yet to identify the source.
The sound has been heard in recent months in the Fury and Hecla Strait, a channel of water in the Nunavut region of Canada. The Canadian Department of National Defence was informed of the strange noises and investigated the ping's origin, to no avail, reported the CBC.
According to internal correspondence obtained by the CBC, the department did not immediately rule out submarines, but did not consider the vessels a likely cause of the sounds, either. [What's That Noise? 11 Strange and Mysterious Sounds on Earth & Beyond]
A military patrol aircraft was sent to investigate the area on Tuesday (Nov. 1), reported The Guardian. In a statement to the British newspaper, department spokeswoman Ashley Lemire said various multisensor searches in the area, including a 1.5-hour acoustic search, failed to detect any anomalies.
"The crew did not detect any surface or subsurface contacts," Lemire told The Guardian. "At this time the Department of National Defence does not intend to do any further investigations."
Hunters in the remote Arctic hamlet claimed the "pinging" sound is driving wildlife away, and the CBC reported that the Nunavut legislature discussed the mysterious sea noise last month.
Legislative assembly member George Qulaut told the CBC that the mysterious sound's potential effect on wildlife is concerning.
"That passage is a migratory route for bowhead whales, and also bearded seals and ringed seals. There would be so many in that particular area," Qulaut said, recalling his own days of hunting there. "This summer, there were none."
Locals have different theories for the pinging, the CBC reported, but no source has been confirmed. One theory blamed a mining company that has operated nearby, but the company said it doesn't have equipment in the water. Some locals also suggested Greenpeace could be behind the sound, scaring wildlife away from the hunting ground. However, a spokesperson for the environmental organization denied these allegations.
This isn't the first mysterious noise that the Canadian government has been called in to investigate. For years, a low rumbling known as the "Windsor Hum" has plagued residents of Windsor, Ontario. As of yet, research into that noise has failed to establish its origin.
Original article on Live Science.
The Aberdeen Bestiary
(Image credit: University of Aberdeen)
The book, the "Aberdeen Bestiary" was published in England around the year 1200. First documented in 1542 in the Royal Library at Westminster Palace, the medieval manuscript is lavishly illustrated with gold leaf and detailed images of animal scenes. The book is meant to illustrate moral beliefs through animal stories. Now, the University of Aberdeen has used high-resolution photography to enhance and digitize every page of the book, revealing features that were invisible to the naked eye.
Here's a look at some of those lavishly illustrated pages.
[Read full story on the Aberdeen Bestiary]
Pelicans
(Image credit: University of Aberdeen)
The three scenes in this image, called The Pelican, show baby pelicans attacking their parents, who in turn kill the babies. Then, the mother pelican pierces her side and the resulting blood flows over the dead babies, who then return to life, according to the University of Aberdeen. "Possibly the idea of mother pouring sustenance over her babies comes from the birds' habit of regurgitation," according to the university.
Part of the translation reveals the morality aspect of this manuscript: " Thus after three days, it revives its young with its blood, as Christ saves us, whom he has redeemed with his own blood. In a moral sense, we can understand by the pelican not the righteous man, but anyone who distances himself far from carnal desire."
The Bat
(Image credit: University of Aberdeen)
The illustration of the bat "is a fairly accurate ventral view of a bat whose wings are shown as a membrane stretching from its three fingers down to its toes and tail," according to the University of Aberdeen. Prick marks are visible and reveal a technique called "pouncing" was used to transfer the image to other pages.
Tiger cub
(Image credit: University of Aberdeen)
In this illustration, a horseman, after stealing a cub, is being chased by a tiger. To trick the tiger, the horseman throws down a glass sphere. The tiger sees its own reflection, and thinking it is her cub, she stops to nurse the sphere. In the end, the tiger mother loses her cub and her revenge.
Glass sphere
(Image credit: University of Aberdeen)
The glass sphere seems to be pained with tarnished silver, the University of Aberdeen noted. Evidence of pricking on the image suggests it was transferred to other sheets. "Tiny prick holes are placed around several of the animals," lead researcher Jane Geddes, an art historian from the University of Aberdeen, told Live Science. "Blank sheets would be placed under these holes, and charcoal sprinkled over the top, as a simple form of transfer."
Bestiary star
(Image credit: University of Aberdeen)
Here, a decorative star in the "Aberdeen Bestiary."
[Read full story on the Aberdeen Bestiary]
Orderly bees
(Image credit: University of Aberdeen)
In this illustration, three identical bees each zoom into their hives, made of coiled straw, in three orderly rows. "The design emphasises their collective labours and orderliness. The bees look like a combination of hand grenades and shuttlecocks. They should have a head, thorax and abdomen, and four wings," according to the University of Aberdeen.
Part of the translation of this tale reads: "Bees, apes, are so called either because they hold on to things with their feet, or because they are born without feet (the Latin word for 'foot' is pes). For afterwards they acquire both feet and wings. Expert in the task of making honey, they occupy the places assigned to them; they construct their dwelling-places with indescribable skill, and store away honey from a variety of flowers."
Blind mole
(Image credit: University of Aberdeen)
This blind mole has no eyes and the illustration showed signs of pouncing for transferring the image to another sheet. Part of the translation reads: "The mole is called talpa because it is condemned to darkness by its permanent blindness. For it lacks eyes, eyeless, is always digging in the ground and throwing out the soil, and feeds on the the roots of the plants which the Greeks call aphala, vetch," according to the University of Aberdeen.
Silver dove
(Image credit: University of Aberdeen)
This silver-colored dove illustration shows a "rather lifeless bird," notes the University of Aberdeen. Part of the translation of this animal tale reads: "From these wings spring feathers, that is, spiritual virtues. These feathers gleam with the brilliance of silver, since word of their renown has the sweet ring of silver to those who hear it," according to the University of Aberdeen.
Christ in Majesty
(Image credit: University of Aberdeen)
There is no text on the page showing the illustration of "Christ in Majesty." In this image, Christ is seated on a throne within a quadrilobe mandorla, or a four-lobed pointed oval shape, with is feet on a rainbow. The mandorla is supported by four angels. The image "reflects the eternity and immanence of God's creation," notes the University of Aberdeen.
[Read full story on the Aberdeen Bestiary]
Model and reality-TV star Kendall Jenner recently revealed that she's afraid to go to sleep because of a condition called sleep paralysis.
"I wake up in the middle of the night, and I can't move," Jenner said on the Nov. 6 episode of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" on E!. "I looked it up online, and it's a weird thing called sleep paralysis," she said.
The experience is "terrifying," Jenner told her mother, Kris Jenner, on the show ."It's so scary when it happens you literally feel like you're never going to get out of it," she said. [The Demon on Your Chest and Other Terrifying Tales of Sleep Paralysis]
Experts say that sleep paralysis is indeed frightening, and it occurs when a person experiences two states dreaming and muscle paralysis that normally occur during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep. But in people who experience sleep paralysis, the dreaming and paralysis occur while they are awake.
Normally, dreams take place when a person is in REM sleep. While a person is dreaming, the brain paralyzes the muscles of the body so that a person cannot act out the dreams physically.
However, during sleep paralysis, these two things occur while a person is conscious, Brian Sharpless, an associate professor of clinical psychology at Argosy University in Washington, D.C., told Live Science in an interview in October.
This means that the dreams are technically hallucinations, and they're just as vivid as anything you'd see when you're awake, said Sharpless, who is also the author of "Sleep Paralysis: Historical, Psychological and Medical Perspectives" (Oxford University Press, 2015).
Episodes of sleep paralysis are usually brief, lasting just a few seconds or minutes, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Sleep paralysis is common in people with narcolepsy, the Mayo Clinic says. But people who do not have narcolepsy also may experience the phenomenon, especially in young adulthood, according to the Mayo Clinic.
About 8 percent of Americans have experienced at least one episode of sleep paralysis, a 2011 study from Pennsylvania State University found. People with conditions such as anxiety or depression may be more likely to experience sleep paralysis, according to the study.
Doctors do not have a specific treatment for sleep paralysis, Dr. Shelby Harris, director of behavioral sleep medicine at the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at the Montefiore Health System in New York City, told Live Science in 2015.
If a person experiences episodes of sleep paralysis only infrequently, then improving his or her "sleep hygiene" may help, Harris said. Good "sleep hygiene" includes getting enough sleep on a regular basis; avoiding alcohol, nicotine, drugs and caffeine before bedtime; and keeping electronics out of the bedroom, she said.
However, people who have more frequent episodes of sleep paralysis may have an underlying medical condition that a sleep specialist could diagnose, Harris said.
During an episode of sleep paralysis, all a person can do is stay calm and realize that it will pass soon, Harris said. She noted, however, that "this really only works if you've had an episode or two before, and know what to expect. These attacks can be quite scary to experience, especially if you've never had one before."
Originally published on Live Science.
After many meetings and debates, the Chicago delegation succeeded in working with the New York United Federation of Teachers, Local 2 (UFT) to push the AFT to take stronger stands on charter school accountability and school closings though many delegates from Chicago would have liked the language to have been even stronger.
Generally speaking, the New York delegation represented organizing charters as the best model for handling their role in reshaping unions, despite the fact that according to many reports few charter schools in New York have been organized as is the case in Chicago. This logic is the same touted by the Progressive Caucus of the AFT. The few that have been organized are a part of the UFT local though they have separate contracts negotiated with the help of UFT. The Chicago delegation reflection the mindset that allowing new charters to continue to proliferate while attempting to organize existing charters is an end game in which public schools and the union lose.
Jen Johnson, CTU, Local 1 in Substance
ELKO A small but dedicated group of protesters stood in front of the Elko County courthouse to plead for drastic change within the U.S. government on Saturday.
The five-person protest was part of a nationwide group of protests called the Million Mask March. The string of protests was organized by Anonymous, a group that staged protest in various cities in honor of Guy Fawkes, who was involved in an attack on British Parliament in 1605.
Even though the Guy Fawkes masks have become synonymous with Anonymous, most of protestors in Elko on Saturday morning did not attempt to hide their faces or their strong political beliefs.
The local protest was organized via social media by Mike Smothers, who said he wanted Elko to participate in the national protests.
The group of protestors held signs that brought attention to a few specific causes, waved them at anyone driving by, and even managed get a few honks of support.
Janet Beeler has not decided who she will be voting for on Tuesday but said the country should not accept the candidates the two major parties have put forth.
We need to get rid of corrupt politics altogether, she said. We know what Trump is, we know what Hillary is people seem to be in some kind of a trance and dont even want to wake up.
The Million Mask March was not a protest on behalf of any candidate in particular and political opinions amongst the five protesters varied.
Protester Misty Watson said bringing attention to the corruption of the government and the media was the first step in creating change.
Theres power in numbers and the more people that wake up to whats really going on, the more we can fight back, she said.
Watson continued by saying that she believes major media outlets often work in conjunction to promote certain political agendas and, in the case of the upcoming presidential election, have propped up Hillary Clinton to mislead the public about her popularity.
The protest started at 10 a.m. and had only a few participants by the early afternoon. Smothers said he had more than 80 people commit to joining his protest but the small-than-anticipated turnout did not discourage him.
Even though its not as big as some would hope theres over 1.5 million people marching on Washington today, he said. Were part of a bigger thing and were all Americans and we all have a voice.
Local News, Local Steals & Deals, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events
By Long Island News & PR Published: November 07 2016
Head down to Stony Brook Village for a full day of Black Friday family-friendly events, November 25, starting at Noon.
With over 30 shops and 7 restaurants to choose from, you can spend this traditional bargain day accomplishing what you need to in a charming setting overlooking Stony Brook Harbor.
Stony Brook, NY - November 2, 2016 - If you need a great day out after all the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving and all that turkey, then head down to Stony Brook Village for a full day of Black Friday family-friendly events, November 25, starting at Noon.
With over 30 shops and 7 restaurants to choose from, you can spend this traditional bargain day accomplishing what you need to in a charming setting overlooking Stony Brook Harbor. Take in the sounds of holiday carolers and wind chimes, the sights of festive holiday windows and the tastes of high-end micro brewed craft beers and cheeses from around the world at Brew Cheese. The day also includes live music with WALK Radio and Walkie Bear, a petting zoo, wine tastings at Lake Side Emotions, dance performances by Roseland School of Dance and specials, discounts and free samples in stores.
For full information contact 631-751-2244 or visit stonybrookvillage.com.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases
By Long Island News & PR Published: November 07 2016
Assemblywoman Jean-Pierre, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory, and H.A.U.C., and Embrace Relief take action to aid the people of Haiti.
Suffolk County, NY - November 2, 2016 - In the wake of Hurricane Matthew and the damage it caused Haiti, Assemblywoman Jean-Pierre, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory, and the non-profit organizations Haitian Americans United for Change (H.A.U.C.), and Embrace Relief have taken action to aid the people of Haiti.
Assemblywoman Jean-Pierre, as well as Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory urged the community to donate goods such as non-perishable items, as well as food, and toiletries.
As a Haitian-American leader in the New York State Assembly, I am deeply saddened by the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, said Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre. I am very grateful that the assembly district that I am fortunate to represent is located within the generous community of Suffolk County. I am honored to have colleagues in all levels of government such as our Suffolk County Executive, Steve Bellone, and Presiding Officer Gregory that are willing to work with my office as we spearhead relief efforts to help our brothers and sisters in Haiti. I hosted a Town Hall meeting at New Birth Christian Church, which is under the leadership of Pastor Louis St. Fort, two weeks ago as an opportunity for members of the community to come and hear directly from the senator of South Haiti, Herve Fourcand, the state of the Haitian people and learn about their current needs. We are joining together during this time of need for the great country of Haiti, and for that I commend Suffolk County Executive, Steve Bellone, for his generous contribution of MRE packages, and Presiding Officer Gregorys donations on behalf of the community.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone donated 2,700 MRE packages to the relief efforts. Suffolk County is a generous community, and we are proud to help our brothers and sisters in Haiti in the aftermath of this devastating hurricane, said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. We have a robust and active Haitian-American community here in Suffolk County, and we are proud to be able to provide the necessary backing that they need to support the people of Haiti as they work to rebuild, as so many communities worked to help Suffolk County residents in the aftermath of disasters like Superstorm Sandy.
Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory was instrumental in acquiring food, and clothing for the people of Haiti. The outpouring of generosity and support for the people of Haiti shows the true spirit and heart of the residents of Suffolk County, said Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory.
H.A.U.C. provides resources for Haitian Americans and aids them with their transition to life in the United States. H.A.U.C. is glad to partner with Assemblywoman Jean-Pierres Office to make sure that we gather essential items for Hurricane Matthew Victims, said Ketlie Chrispin, President of H.A.U.C.
Embrace Relief is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to disaster relief efforts. This organization picked up all of the donations from each of our respective offices and will ensure that it is delivered safely to Haiti. "Embrace Relief is honored to partner with Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre, and her team for our Haiti relief campaign, said Osman Dulgeroglu, CEO of Embrace Relief. We have donated $10,000 and a container of clothes and supplies to Haiti. We are also sending another full container in the upcoming week. We hope this partnership will create a bridge for our communities so that we may continue to work together for the betterment of the people."
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases
By Long Island News & PR Published: November 07 2016
The Village of Hempstead recently hosted its first-ever Nonpartisan Voter Education Workshop in Kennedy Park.
(L to R): Village of Hempstead Deputy Mayor Luis Figueroa (center left), administrators and community members stand for a photo during the Village of Hempsteads first-ever Nonpartisan Voter Education Workshop.
Hempstead, NY - November 3, 2016 - The Village of Hempstead recently hosted its first-ever Nonpartisan Voter Education Workshop in Kennedy Park. The purpose of this event was to increase government accessibility by providing a practical, nonpartisan and educational forum while teaching the public about their voting rights and New York States electoral process. The event was free to the public, and attendees were able to register to vote during the event.
Presenter Adam Gitlin, Esq., of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, lead an interactive presentation instructing residents on how to register to vote, voting rights, documentation necessary on election day, how to use the ballot and how to obtain an absentee ballot leading up to election day. Following the presentation, Mr. Gitlin answered all residents questions about the voting process during a question and answer session.
(L-R) Village of Hempstead residents learn about how to register to vote from representatives from The League of Women Voters of Nassau County. They were participating in the Village of Hempsteads first-ever Nonpartisan Voter Education Workshop, practical, nonpartisan and educational forum to teach the public about their voting rights and New York States electoral process.
The League of Women Voters of Nassau County assisted in helping voters register both in person and via www.vote411.org. Vote411 is a nonpartisan voters guide created by a unique partnership between The League of Women Voters of Nassau County and Google. Through the website, voters can see the candidates on their ballots, compare candidates positions side-by-side and print a ballot indicating preferences so voters can make informed decisions on Election Day.
For more information, please call the Incorporated Village of Hempstead at 516.489.3400 or visit the website at www.villageofhempstead.org
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ELKO Elko Regional Airport was packed to hear former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani give his support to Donald Trump at a rally on Saturday night.
Giuliani spoke for a little over a half hour about the importance of electing Trump to the presidency because of Hillary Clintons potential to have a long-term negative impact on the country even if she only served one term.
He said he does not trust Clinton to appoint judges to the U.S. Supreme Court and is concerned she may put policies in place that adversely affect the country.
This election thats coming up is not about the next four years. Most of the time elections are about four years or maybe eight years, he said. This election is about 20 or 30 years of our future. Some of us in this room are going to be dead and the effects of this election are still going to be felt by our children and grandchildren.
Giuliani went on to say that Trump would likely appoint a conservative judge with a similar ideology to Antonin Scalia.
Another issue Giuliani brought up was the on going investigation into Clintons handling of emails.
Giuliani said that with the amount of classified information Clinton potentially exposed, Theres enough out now that we could put her in jail for so long we would never have to worry about her, he said. Its incredible the amount of crimes that are in emails. ... As a matter of record shes guilty of massive bribery in the tens of millions if not hundreds of millions of dollars. Shes responsible for exposing at least 1,200 pieces of classified material.
Trump could not be there in person but news of the incident in Reno in which there was a supposed attempt on the presidential candidates life was addressed. Giuliani expressed to the crowd how impressed he was with the poise Trump showed in a tense situation.
He went back out and he took up the speech at exactly where he left it out. He was completely calm, he was completely cool, he said. If you need a test of can he be commander-in-chief, I saw firsthand hes ready to be commander-in-chief.
For Giuliani, the election of Trump means a safer country that will be better prepared to fight international terrorism. He claims there have been more activities from groups like ISIS in the past year and warns that the U.S. could face another deadly attack if Clinton continues the foreign policy practices of President Obama.
The country is going, right now, in a very bad direction in preventing something like that from happening again, he said. In the last 10 months weve had more radical Islamic terrorist in the United States and Western Europe than any time since September 11th This country is in more danger now than it was before September 11th.
The Islamic State carried out 120 martyrdom operations in Iraq and Syria in October, according to an infographic posted online by the groups Amaq News Agency. Seventy-nine (79) of these suicide bombings took place in Iraqs Nineveh province, which is home to Mosul. Amaqs infographic can be seen below. Although the figure cannot be independently verified, it is generally consistent with the scale of the so-called caliphates war against multiple actors. There has been heavy fighting in the villages and towns surrounding Mosul for weeks.
The US, Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi government, along with its paramilitary allies, launched an offensive to reclaim the Iraqi city in mid-October. The Islamic State has advertised dozens of suicide attacks in the weeks that followed, many of them using vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs).
According to Amaq, the Islamic State carried out 58 martyrdom operations during the first week of the battle for Mosul alone. Eighteen martyrs purportedly blew themselves up during the second week of the fight (ending on Oct. 31) and an additional 29 martyrdom operations were orchestrated during the third week of the battle (which covers the first week of November). In total, Amaq claims that 108 of its martyrs have defended Mosul in the first three weeks of fighting.
Other sources confirm that dozens of Abu Bakr al Baghdadis loyalists have hurled themselves at their enemies near Mosul while driving explosive-laden vehicles or while wearing suicide belts. During a briefing on Nov. 3, Colonel John Dorrian, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), said that scores of VBIEDs had been deployed against the US-backed forces thus far.
It is not clear how many of the claimed 108 suicide attackers reached their target. The US and its allies have repeatedly disabled VBIEDs before they can hit their mark.
According to data on airstrikes released by OIR, and analyzed by The Long War Journal, the US-led coalition destroyed or damaged 47 VBIEDs and 11 VBIED factories or facilities in Iraq during the month of October. The majority of these, 29 VBIEDs and 9 VBIED facilities, were bombed near Mosul. At least some of the VBIEDs, perhaps many, were likely en route to their intended target.
Some VBIED attacks also fail on their own, or because ground forces prevent them from reaching their destination. For example, Bryan Denton of The New York Times reported on Oct. 26 that the convoy he was riding in outside of Mosul was attacked by three jihadi-driven car bombs, each of which was destroyed or failed, before a fourth was successful.
Regardless of their success rate, there is no question that suicide bombers play a key role in the jihadists defense of Mosul. The Islamic State is dispatching as many martyrs as possible in an attempt to slow its oppositions path. The same tactic has been employed in other areas where the so-called caliphate has lost ground. For example, Amaq claimed only one suicide bombing in all of Libya between January and April of this year. But then, beginning in May, Amaq reported 26 martyrdom operations in or around Sirte, Libya in the months that followed. These bombings were part of the Islamic States strategy to delay the progress of local Libyan forces, backed by the US, as theyve attempted to clear and hold the coastal city. Sirte had served as the Islamic States de facto capital in North Africa since last year.
The Islamic State is claiming suicide attacks at a historically high rate
As The Long War Journal has previously reported, the Islamic State claims to be carrying out suicide bombings at an unprecedentedly high rate in 2016. From January through October, according to Amaqs infographics, the group launched 902 total martyrdom operations in Iraq, Libya and Syria. That is an average of 90 per month.
According to open source data compiled by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), all terrorist organizations around the globe carried out 906 (76 per month) suicide attacks in 2015 and 739 (62 per month) in 2014. The year 2015 was the previous high water mark for suicide bombings. Many of those attacks in 2014 and 2015 were orchestrated by the Islamic State, but other organizations martyrs are included in the totals as well.
Therefore, the Islamic States figures indicate that the organization is setting a new record for suicide bombings in 2016 all by itself.
However, there are important caveats to keep in mind while assessing Amaqs claims. It is not possible to validate the total figures provided by Amaq. As mentioned above, some suicide bombings likely fail, but are included in the groups tally anyway. Many of the bombings are defensive in nature, meaning that a large number of martyrs are being deployed as the caliphates grip on territory slips. The identities of some of these attackers is not known. And, on some occasions in the past, the Islamic State has also used children or adolescents in its martyrdom operations. Such young people cannot be truly considered willing martyrs.
In addition, suicide attacks are just one of the many tactics employed by the Islamic State.
Still, there is no question that the Islamic State is relying on suicide bombers at a remarkable pace. And if Amaqs data are accurate, then October saw more suicide bombings by Baghdadis operation (120) than in any previous month this year. The previous high for 2016 came in May, when 119 martyrdom operations were carried out in Iraq, Libya and Syria. September witnessed the fewest suicide attacks with 53, according to Amaq.
Amaq News Agency infographics for the battle of Mosul
According to Amaq News Agency, the Islamic State carried out 58 martyrdom operations during the first week of the battle for Mosul:
Amaq claimed 18 martyrdom operations during the second week of the battle for Mosul:
Amaq claimed 29 martyrdom operations during the third week of the battle for Mosul:
Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.
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Across Nevada, county election officials have resigned at notable rates in the past two years. Its a trend seen across the country, yet amplified in this Western swing state where toss-up races across the ballot feature GOP candidates who have cast doubt on election security and vote-counting. An Associated Press tally shows there has been turnover with 10 of Nevadas 17 county clerk or voter registrar positions from the 2020 election through the midterms. In the secretary of states elections department only three of 11 employees have remained since the 2020 election. Five additional employees have come and gone from the elections department since the 2020 election.
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BOISE, Idaho (AP) Two environmental groups have reopened a lawsuit contending a Canadian mining company is polluting the Boise River system despite a court order to stop.
The Idaho Conservation League and the Northwest Environmental Defense Center on Thursday submitted court filings contending Atlanta Gold Corporation is violating the court order and the Clean Water Act.
A federal court in 2012 penalized the company $2 million for not doing enough to staunch the flow of arsenic into streams that supply some of Boises drinking water.
The company needs to take action to protect the water that flows down through our communities and we are going to hold them accountable until they do, said the Idaho Conservation Leagues John Robison in a statement.
Atlanta Gold President Ernest Simmons said the company is trying to get federal approval to plug a century old tunnel emitting the water. He said water in the heavily mined area runs through shafts and tunnels and accumulates in the old drain tunnel. He said flows increase during spring snowmelt and high rain events, causing the pollution violations.
The company as part of its permit must report discharges into the Boise River system to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The federal agency on its website shows the company since 2012 has reported multiple violations of the permit due to high levels of arsenic.
Simmons said the company spends about $90,000 a year treating the water. He said a serious potential problem is a collapse in the old drain tunnel, which would back up water that would ultimately break through and cause millions of gallons to flow out toward the town of Atlanta.
The way to solve these problems is to develop a well-designed plug, he said Friday, calling any other solution temporary.
He said the U.S. Forest Service rejected plugging the tunnel eight years ago, but ongoing discussions in recent weeks have given him optimism the company might get approval from federal authorities. He attributed the potential change to a massive mine wastewater spill in August 2015 that fouled rivers in three states.
A cleanup team led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency inadvertently triggered the spill while doing work at the Gold King mine near Silverton, Colorado. The 3-million-gallon blowout tainted rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah with an estimated 880,000 pounds of toxic heavy metals including arsenic, mercury and lead.
Theyre more accepting to plug tunnels now than before Gold King, Simmons said, noting the company has set aside $1.6 million to do the work if its approved.
A U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman didnt immediately return a call from The Associated Press on Friday.
Simmons said the area has the potential to contain up to $5 billion in gold and silver. He said if the company puts in the plug it could get approval to start mining, creating up to 450 jobs.
Atlanta Gold obtained an interest in the site in 1985 and for years has conducted exploratory drilling and excavation, but has yet to extract and process any gold. As part of its exploration process, the company reopened 200 feet of a mine tunnel first drilled in 1917.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) While the six-week armed takeover of a federal wildlife facility this year may have been conducted by a fringe group, the underlying push for states and counties to control land now possessed by the federal government already exists among local elected officials in Oregon and elsewhere.
Attention during the standoff focused on the group's belief that the federal government doesn't actually have a right to own the more than 50 percent of Oregon it controls, and on how many of the occupiers who showed up at the refuge were armed.
But advocates of state or local ownership of public lands already hold or are seeking elected office across the West, giving a level of mainstream appeal to the concept of state or local control over public lands, says Martin Nie, director of the Bolle Center for People & Forests and a professor at the University of Montana.
"I have been much more concerned with what's happened at the state level and state legislatures" than with the occupiers, Nie said. "I've always seen that as a much more coordinated and insidious threat to federal lands."
Nie has watched the rise of calls for state ownership of federal land in states such as Utah and, more recently, Montana. Republicans this year voted to put a call for transferring federal land to local control into their national party platform. Nie believes that would be a step on the way to privatizing federal land.
"There's always been attention on federal lands management and always been complaints about what's the right balance between resource use and environmental protection," Nie said. "That is just fundamentally different than saying we're going to privatize the federal estate."
The movement in Oregon has existed at the county level, with commissioners opposing and at times disputing the validity of federal land ownership.
Dennis Linthicum, a former Klamath County commissioner running as a state Senate Republican candidate to represent a vast district that stretches from Klamath County through Deschutes and Crook counties, expressed sympathy for the occupiers and is a fierce critic of federal control of land, saying supporters should "take back our lands and manage them with integrity, consistency and the Constitution in mind."
He wrote in a blog post at the outset of the standoff at Malheur that the federal government's "rough-shod management" of hundreds of millions of acres "is wholly unconstitutional." Linthicum could not be reached for comment Friday.
That belief has caught on in states like Utah, where the state Legislature passed the Transfer of Public Lands Act in 2012, which seeks to force the federal government to turn over most federal land to Utah.
In Oregon, Bud Pierce is running as a Republican for governor who, if elected, would go to court, "if necessary," to "fight to take back our public lands from Federal mismanagement and for more state and local control."
Pierce shares a similar goal with Kenneth Medenbach, one of the seven acquitted occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
They all want to get to a point where the state can generate more economic activity on land currently owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management or U.S. Forest Service.
"We'll get it back and we can start making beneficial use of it, sell some of it (conduct) selective logging, start mining, farming and ranching," Medenbach said. "Make beneficial use of this land."
They differ in that Medenbach and other supporters dispute the federal government's right to own the land. He said in the wake of the acquittal last week that the group set a precedent, and that he would focus on talking with county commissioners about somehow taking control of federal land. If not, he said, there may be more occupations in the future.
He might find supporters on the Wallowa County Board of Commissioners, which makes $1,000 annual donations from its budget to the American Lands Council, a Utah-based nonprofit pushing for state ownership of federal land, according to Commissioner Paul Castilleja.
"The whole problem is that for the last 30 years there has been no management of the forest," said Castilleja, who attended last month's American Lands Council meeting in Salt Lake City. He said he wants to see more logging and thinning of federal forests. "It's not only unfair, it's not working. Simple as that."
Pierce, meanwhile, said he's not advocating for the state to take over federal land. He instead prefers keeping federal land in federal ownership, but getting to a point where the state is in charge of managing it to increase economic activity, he said.
"There are some people that are real radical. I think most of us believe in the rule of law," he said. "It's well-established in law that the federal government's current ownership of state lands is by law. They own it. The question is where do we go from here."
He said it's not clear how to move forward on his idea of state management. Despite saying he might go to court to fight for it, Pierce said there are open questions about how the state would win.
"That's the issue. How do we unlock it? How do we get it so we can use the resources in a responsible way? Do (timber) harvesting that's sustainable and get some economic value," he said.
Char Miller, a professor of environmental analysis at Pomona College in California, argues states would have a difficult time managing the huge expanses of land managed by the federal government.
"It's a fool's errand," Miller said.
What's more, Miller said, court rulings, state constitutions and Western attorneys general uphold the federal government's right to own and manage lands.
"You have to look at the state constitutions, which indicate that when they came into the union that the lands they did not receive would . remain federally owned," Miller said. "Oregon and Nevada in particular have quite explicit language about that."
In 1995, after a string of attempts by state and local governments starting in the 1970s, residents in Union and Wallowa counties proposed an initiative challenging the federal authority to control land in those counties. The state Attorney General's Office opined at the time that Oregon agreed upon gaining statehood to the federal government's authority over 52 percent of the land in the new state.
"The occupiers, who I would classify as domestic terrorists, do not understand the Constitution of the United States," said U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Springfield. "They say 'Give the land back to the states.' I point out the land never belonged to the states."
DeFazio and U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Canby, joined with U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, to propose bills in recent years that would boost logging on 45 percent of new growth in the Western Oregon federal timberland previously owned by the Oregon and California Railroad. Management would be overseen by a public trust managed by state officials appointed by the governor.
The bill has failed to gain traction in the Senate, and DeFazio has had to settle for smaller moves in Congress.
Medenbach, meanwhile, has his own game plan.
"Next is getting to our county commissioners and starting to say, hey, we need to take this land back," said Medenbach, one of the occupiers, who lives in northern Klamath County. "We set a precedent here."
His next move is to talk with county commissioners and any state legislator who will listen to him, including Linthicum, he said.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > India and Russia vis-a-vis Chinas Claims in the South China (...)
by Hasan Hamidullah
India should be far more active in the use of international institutions while promoting its national interests, especially in its territorial disputes and the right of free navigation.
Our support to the Philippines in their case against the well-known claims of China in the West Philippines Sea helps us to pursue our own interests in similar cases, like the Sir Creek dispute with Pakistan or measures to counter Beijings claims in the South China Sea. In such a scenario New Delhi is expected to enjoy undisputed support of not only such countries like the Philippines but also the entire United Nations and other influential global bodies.
Our coherent approach in similar cases is bound to reinforce our position in our own disputes and portray us as a reliable and stabilising defender of law in international relations.
The other issue that New Delhi should use in its own interest is Russias appeal to the UN Tribunal concerning the border of its continental shelf in the Arctic. First of all, Moscows move is another example of using international arbitration in a territorial dispute and appealing to the Inter-national Convention on Maritime Law, unlike Washingtons approach that denies the Conven-tions ratification. If India supports Russias case it can kill two birds with one stone. It could expect (and demand) that the Kremlin take positions similar to ours in international territorial disputes and convince the Russians that support to the decisions of international bodies could prevent accusations from others involved in a dispute. That will be useful in Russias sensitive relations with China and some other countries. And in the same way it will be easy to explain our stand of supporting not Russia in the direct sense but in effect the international law given Moscows tense relations with the West.
Another point is the fact that the Arctic region has a vast resource of hydrocarbons and we are much interested in getting access to them to ensure our energy security in future. And in the light of the access to the Russian oilfields we have been able to recently get, we can expect the same approach from Moscow when it comes to the regions natural resources that are badly needed for Indias long-term sustainable economic development.
Our position on freedom of navigation in the South China Sea will in the main give us the most potential strength. Even Beijings opposition cannot possibly ignore the International Tribunals decision and at the same time is unlikely to heighten tensions between India and China because that will not be due to Indias anti-China policies but acutually on account of the rule of law in international relations.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Kashmir Unrest 2016: A Story of Agony and Animosity
by Showkat Ahmad
To understand the Kashmir issue one needs to realise and accept its complexity. Depending on the side from where you view it, the conflict in Kashmir can be seen as a fight for identity, a fight against the political status quo, the remnants of partition, the result of religious assertion, long denied political promises and rights or India-Pakistan friction. More so, Kashmir has often been described as the unfinished business of partition by the Pakistani leadership and the finished business of partition by the Indian leadership. The former tries to test the theory of two nations and the latter weighs it with the secular model. In between these two models are the helpless people of Kashmir who want to live their life with dignity and without any state oppression.
The fortunate or unfortunate part of the fate of the people of Kashmir was that the State of J&K was a princely state and had been drawn into the clutch of partition-related issues at independence. Like other princely states, J&K was given the choice to accede to either India or Pakistan. This unfinished and finished discourse of partition led to several wars between India and Pakistan over Kashmir which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people, wounded and displaced several thousands more and the economic costs too have been devastating. India and Pakistan were born in hate involving the physical separation of the populations and their lands and heritage. Underlying this continuous upheaval, the Kashmir issue since then became trapped in a number of narratives and discourses.
Therefore, the present mass uprising in Kashmir and the overall phenomenon of cyclic protests are rooted in the complex socio-political history of the region. One needs to see these protests against the backdrop of earlier mobilisations in Kashmirs history. Over a period of time, these mobilisations have given way to certain interpretative frameworks. While defining the complex socio-political events in the history of Kashmir, they also show the marked collective sense of injustice and longing for a desirable closure. Years of cyclic mobilisations have nurtured and crystallised these interpretive frameworks, which continue to remain available to generations of Kashmiris. Whether it was the first organised protest of shawl weavers in 1865, the silk factory labour unrest in 1924, mobilisations against the autocratic rule of Maharaja Hari Singh in 1931, for demanding plebiscite from 1953 to 1975, the civilian uprising and armed rebellion against Indian rule in 1990, or the more recent mobilisations of 2008, 2009 and 2010, Kashmir has always resisted subordination, injustices and oppression.
The mass uprising of 2016, which was triggered by the killing of Burhan Wani (the Hizbul commander), has already crossed its 100 days. The uprising had resulted in total shutdown throughout the Valley with massive protest marches. To prevent the marches and public meetings for aazadi, the government came down heavily on the marchers resulting in clashes all over the Valley. The most brutal and harsh methods were used to quell the marches. Pellet guns, teargas, paper gas and even straight bullets were used to prevent assemblies and marches. Continuous curfew without relaxation was imposed throughout the Valley. It was a virtual siege and the Valley was converted into a huge prison with the induction of additional troops.
As per press reports, 94 persons were killed; over 15,000 were injured; 780 people were hit with pellets in the eyes with many losing eyesight permanently. As many as 9000 people have been arrested out of which 500 have been booked under the draconian Public Safety Act, 5500 youth are reported to be wanted. Scores have gone into hiding to avoid arrest. Nocturnal raids have been conducted all over the Valley. Forces vandalised residential places, destroying household goods, damaging vehicles, breaking window panes, beating up inmates and in some places burning of harvested crops and destruction of apples were indulged in. This was all done under the model of Operation Calm Down, jointly managed by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police, along with the CRPF and SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal). Despite this, it did not deter the youth who were using stones against the bullets. This time the message was clearNow or Never, We Want Freedom and Go India Go Back.
The sufferings of the people have come first in the form of curfew, the longest-ever Kashmir has witnessed since 1990, and now in the form of continued strikes called or protest calendars issued by the joint platform of separatists led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik. Apparently, there is nothing in sight that could promise a respite in the situation. The average Kashmiri youth (the third generation of the Kashmir conflict) is armed with a different weapon this time besides the stones in his hand. He believes it is a do-or-die situation for him and is convinced that this will lead to the political solution of the Kashmir problem which, in his thinking, is aazadi from India. The third generation in the Valley is completely different from the first two.
The first generation had faith in the leader-ship, the second generation was in search of new leaders and the third generation does not want to be led by any leader. They are desperate to end the status quo and tired of getting killed and humiliated on a daily basis. This generation is educated, confident, converses with the outside world, cherishes the values of equality and freedom, and wants to live a life of respect and dignity. It is time for India to frankly tell these angry youth what is the maximum they can expect. If they agree on that, it is good for all. If they do not, at least both the country (India) and the Kashmiri youth will be better placed to know their future course of action.
The overall scenario of these protest move-ments here, since 1947 and before, calls for a critical appraisal to ascertain the rationale and reasons behind them. One can locate a number of reasons. First, despite a decline in militancy, there has not been much change in the ground realities. The much talked about confidence-building measures have not materialised. One often hears about the release of political prisoners and undertrials not charged with serious crimes, yet no policy-decision has been taken in this context. What is worse, there is continued violation of human rights by the police and armed forces. The call for zero tolerance to human rights violations has not been effective in restraining the number of civilian killings. With every such killing, the separatists as well as the mainstream parties raise the demand to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and to reduce the presence of the military in the civilian areas. Second, the peace process that had raised the expectations of the people during Atal Behari Vajpayees government has been stalled. The dialogue initiated by Vajpayee with the Hurriyat Conference was reluctantly continued by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government, but after two rounds of ineffective talks, it was substituted by Round Table Conferences convened by the Prime Minister. These did not have much space for separatists and were attended by political actors mostly belonging to the mainstream political space. The non-engagement with the separatists has generated a feeling that the Central Government is not ready to approach the Kashmir problem in a political manner and all its initiatives in Kashmir have been limited to offering economic packages and development policies. The direct consequence of the lack of political engagement with Kashmir has been reflected in the growing disillusionment and cynicism in the Valley.
Third, a feeling of isolation has been generated by the changed international realities of the post-9/11 world in general, and Pakistans internal troubles in particular. With no international pressure on India to resolve the Kashmir issue, there is a fear in the minds of the Kashmiris that the issue might be put on the backburner and the momentum created by the militancy might be dissipated. The people of Kashmir also believe that India had always defamed the mass movement against its political interests as sponsored by Pakistan at the international level by conducting covert operations like the Uri attack and Chattisingpora-like incidents. The operation of the post-Uri attacks, that is, surgical strikes, though described by India as a major setback to Pakistan, was actually a political tool against Pakistan to isolate it diplomatically at the global level. Not only this. Both India and Pakistan have played their foreign policies by using the Kashmir card in different forums. With least care and concern for the suppressed Kashmiris India and Pakistan were trying to further their political interests instead of extending any moral support and constructive political engagement to ease the tension and help these helpless people of Kashmir. Moreover, assertion of separatist sentiments in an intense manner is a response to this fear.
Fourthly, the political discontent of the Kashmiris is always met by the states brute force, followed by the announcement of economic packages and creation of jobs. This approach not only denies the Kashmiri people their agency, it also keeps India and its masses blind about Kashmir, whose quest for a political solution remains obfuscated till another cycle of protests and ominous killings returns.
Lastly, as long as elections were being conducted, the inflow of tourists increased, cultural programmes were organised and any threat to the state was eliminated. There was no breach of the normative order of its domination over the people. This normative order was being projected as normalcy and peace which it is not.
Kashmir is a Political Problem not one of Law and Order
Like other protest movements (since 2008) this movement was also categorised as a law and order problem. Basically all these mass uprisings are the culmination of the unsettled nature of the Kashmir dispute. Often our former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said that Kashmir is a political problem and it needs a political solution. Kashmir has acceded to, not merged with, the Union of India with certain conditions spelt out under Article 370, and India has totally failed to comply with those conditions. Consequently it led to a deep alienation of the people of Kashmir and a wide gap between Kashmir and the Union of India. Apart from this, knowing the fact that this mass movement of 2016 and other such actions were totally indigenous, the government still for its political ends has dubbed them as the handiwork of Pakistan and a handful of elements who want to keep the pot boiling for their own interests. Again, to quote from Mirwaiz Omar Farooqs recent press conference when he was approached by the five-member delegation led by former Union Minister and BJP leader Yaswant Sinha, India wants to dilute the perspective of the Kashmiris right to self-determination by calling it names like Pakistan-sponsored agitation, law and order situation, economic problem etc. But the reality, which they refuse to acknowledge, is that Kashmir is a political problem and it needs a resolution either by implementing the UN resolutions or initiating a political dialogue with Pakistan and the Kashmiris.
Actually what is important to mention here is that the government has hardly done anything to bring about a change in the situation; instead it has only resorted to the use of force which has led to escalation of tensions. The visit of the all-party delegation also ended without any positive outcome. When the first delegation, led by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, came, the Hurriyat displayed a reluctant approach to meet them and hold any dialogue which, they felt, wouldlike in the pastconclude without any result. Moreover, even school-going children are seen protesting on the streets, holding placards that read: No to exams, no to education till the K-issue is resolved, blood and ink cannot flow together, and first peace then exams. Though the government claims to have opened schools in many rural areas, the general trend belies this. The government also announced the schedule of examinations for Classes X and XII, but the separatists opposed it.
However, this has not gone down well with many people who in subtle ways are questioning the wisdom of the separatists to endorse the continued closure of educational institutions. But a large chunk of the population has this opinion that the politicisation of education coupled with efforts of making exams instruments of restoring normalcy are deemed to sabotage the intellectual and emotional development of our children. In other words, there is a general impression that education, more particularly Board Examinations in our case, falls in the category of repressive means with political ambitions of ending the present turmoil in Kashmir. Why this hysteria? Because India and J&K today are governed by a regime that has no empathy with us (Kashmiris) as a people. It is defining itself by aggressive and assimilative nationalism and arrogance of power that is antithetical to the recognition of marginal groups and communities and their aspirations. It is insensitive to the sufferings and protests of the oppressed Kashmiris. This attitude in a way further vindicates the peoples (Kashmiris) perception that we dont belong to it (the Union of India).
At the same time, the war hysteria whipped up after the surgical strikes has diverted attention from the plight of the Kashmiri people. Instead, the people are applauding the hard line adopted by the government towards the Kash-miri civilians as a way of teaching Pakistan a lesson. All this when even former National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan recently wrote that the movement in Kashmir was home grown and neither Lashkar-e-Taiba nor Jaish-e-Mohammed was leading it but the indigenous Hizbul Mujahideen. Yet even such voices are being ignored, ridiculed and drowned out by the corporate media that caters to the baser instincts of the Indian society by preaching hatred of Pakistan and Pakistanis, a line that also increases their profits and viewership. While voices of sanity are few and far between in India, it is obvious that the media is using the fig-leaf of national security to kowtow to an amoral and dogmatic ruling party and its cohorts.
However, the intention of the present dispen-sation seems to be in no mood of any political reach-out to address the voices of the helpless Kashmiris because the ideology of the party in power based on hatred of Pakistan and Muslims prevents them from resiling from its frog-in- the-well approach. Moreover, taking the ground level situation into consideration what one can do is to urge the ordinary Indians to realise that what is at stake is not just what happens to the people of Jammu and Kashmir but also that all of us will be singed by the consequences of our governments folly and failure to search for a democratic solution. If we do not care or show compassion for fellow citizens now, Indias unity and integrity will be undermined in ways never imagined before. There is a dialectical unity between Indias democracy and freedom for the people of Kashmir because the truth is that Indians cannot be free if we enslave and brutalise a people for demanding aazadi from India.
More importantly, the resistance leadership in Kashmir should also realise that in the current vitiated atmosphere, there are no chances for a serious dialogue to begin either. Therefore, the pressure we should be building up has no takers. So why perpetuate our sufferings when these dont get registered locally and fail to make the necessary impact globally. Therefore, the resistance leadership needs an intellectual introspection to think beyond the protest calendars and hartals. Further, we hope the talks of the recent delegation, led by Yashwant Sinha, a former Union Minister and BJP leader, though non-political and track-two, with the resistance group will bear some positive outcome for starting a meaningful and constructive political dialogue to end this long-pending Kashmir dispute forever.
What is the Way Out?
There is a phrase, where there is a will (honest) there is a way. Though it seems a boring old platitude, it certainly points towards the right direction in the face of all sorts of argu-ments, both domestic and international. If the parties in conflict truly want it, the difficulties may well be as good as solved; if they do not, the whole dreary business can drag on for generations. Even with the best will in the world, of course, a problem may, for reasons both theoretical and practical, simply be incapable of resolution. When such realities as physical and human geography and history are combined with divergent cosmological and philosophical perceptions, though not always based on objective facts, it may never be possible to hit upon a single formula to cover all the variables, be it from India or Pakistan or for that matter even from Kashmir, unless they have a will to start a roadmap for peace-building measures with all their heart.
But what we have seen from the last sixty- eight years with regard to Kashmir is that there is a lack of sincerity and will power which resulted in innocent killings, hartals, curfews, paralysed life, uncertain future and hopeless future. In conferences, seminars, workshops, both national and international, Foreign Secretary-level talks, Cabinet meetings, Prime Ministers meetings, dining halls, hostels, school assemblies, in class rooms and even in shops, the Kashmir issue is discussed and swallowed like a banana or grape. Everyone tastes it in his own way and none cares for the innocent people of Kashmir and no one comes forward with the good intention to resolve it. Therefore, the first and foremost prerequisite for peace-building in Kashmir is to have a strong will power to carry out the peace process for a final solution of the dispute. The Kashmir dispute cant be and must not be resolved militarily. There can be no progress in talks if they are not accompanied by practical measures to restore an environment of nonviolence in Kashmir. Negotiations cant be carried out in an atmosphere of violence and uncertainty. Therefore, all military activities must come to an end. There cant be and should not be any conditions imposed on any party other than the commitment to negotiations. All shades of opinion or all parties to the dispute must get seriously engaged in the search for a final settlement. Talks can only be useful if they reflect a sense of urgency and prepare the ground for an earnest effort to frame a step-by- step plan of settlement. Mere continuance of talks, that too at a leisurely pace, will in no way defuse the situation. There is a need to develop a democratic, federal, plural and non-centralised type of formula that can ensure harmony among diverse identities of the State.
My appeal to the leaders and organisations engaged in the resistance movement is that they should define their ideology, come out of the tantrum of accession and focus on a few points of convergence and thereby set up a united leadership. The last and perhaps the most deciding factor is that peace will not come in Kashmir without justice and justice shall not prevail without sacrifices. Each party to the dispute will have to be ready to make some concessions and compromises to find a lasting and long-awaited solution of the tragic dispute.
Conclusion
Therefore to conclude, we can say that the Kashmiris long fight for the right to live with dignity has been always used by the powers around its territory as pawns in the NewGreat Game played by Russia, America and China through India and Pakistan as the regional players.
A very famous Kashmiri poet (Bahar Kashmiri) had beautifully captured the plight of the Kashmiris in a poem written in the 1940s in these words (Quoted from Languages of Belonging: Islam, Regional Identity, and the Making of Kashmirby Chitralekha Zutshi, 2004):
From all sides I am assaulted, The English, the Indians, the Afghans, the Pakistanis, To whom should I complain, to whom should I tell my fate? Capitalists, tyrants, oppressors, and friends, all want me to become their accomplice, With whom should I agree, whom should I disagree with? To whom should I complain, to whom should I tell my fate? I am poor and downtrodden; whose side should I go? If I agree with one, the second will be angry, the third will impale me on the sword and the fourth and fifth strangle me. To whom should I complain, to whom should I tell my fate?
Dr Showkat Shah Ahmed is an Assistant Professor (Political Science), Department of Law, University of Kashmir, Srinagar. He can be contacted at e-mail: sohilshowkat[at]gmail.com
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Why the Left must ally with the Congress
by V.G. George
Prof Irfan Habibs letter to the CPI-M Polit-Bureau on June 26 seeking a positive approach to the Congress in the context of the BJPs emergence [that appeared in Mainstream (July 23, 2016)] deserves a considered discussion. The traditional Left parties in the country, including the socialists and communists, are on the wane and they alone cannot fight the BJP is a plain truth. The socialists, who had secured ten per cent votes in the first general elections, could secure only 8.7 per cent votes in the last general elections namely, 3.4 per cent for the Samajwadi Party, 1.7 per cent for the Biju Janata Dal, 1.3 per cent for the Rashtriya Janata Dal, 1.1 per cent for the Janata Dal (United), 0.7 per cent for the Janata Dal (Secular) and 0.5 per cent for the Indian National Lok Dal. The Communist Left, which had secured eight per cent votes and 61 seats in the Lok Sabha a decade-and-a-half ago, secured only 4.5 per cent votes and 12 seats in the last Lok Sabha elections. It consists of 3.2 per cent to the CPI-M, 0.8 per cent to the CPI, 0.3 per cent to the RSP and 0.2 per cent to the Forward Bloc. In the second general elections the undivided Communist Party brought 27 members to the Lok Sabha from nine States, but now it is confined to three States. The Congress Party that secured one-fifth of the total votes, polled in the last Lok Sabha elections, cannot be wished away when forming an anti-BJP front.
This was the logic that the Left pursued when it had supported the UPA 1. The UPA coalition partners and the four Left parties then agreed upon a common minimum programme, formed an UPA-Left co-ordination committee and elected Somnath Chatterjee as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. In this course of action the Left had to make two compromises. The first was the support extended to the Patent Amendment Act in Parliament that came as a corollary to the WTO regulations. The second was that the Left allowed the government to approach the IAEA for talks on the India-US civil nuclear agreement. Achin Vanaik then commented that the move clearly signalled a softening of the Lefts original stand. But still the Left was able to put brakes on the UPA Governments design to further disinvest public sector industries and public sector financial institutions.
This dialectics can be applied in the next parliamentary elections when the Left can make electoral adjustments with the Congress as crafted in West Bengal. But the alliance in Bengal was lukewarm and unenthusiastic and the masses did not trust it. On the other hand Nitish Kumars electoral alliance with the Congress in Bihar proved highly successful since it was wholehearted unlike in Bengal. If the Congress, Left and AIUDF had joined hands together, Assam would not have been offered to the BJP where the Congress had had an uninter-rupted rule of 15 years.
The Congress should also learn to live with the coalition philosophy considering its abating influence with only Karnataka, a rather large State in the South in its fold, along with some small States in North. As early as in 1954 the Congress supported a minority PSP Ministry in Travancore-Cochin with Pattom Thanu Pillai as the Chief Minister whose party had just 19 members in the Assembly where the former had 45 members whose leader was none less than Panampally Govinda Menon. In 1960 also the scenario was repeated when the Congress supported a PSP-led government in the newly formed State of Kerala. The Congress had 63 seats and the PSP 20 seats and again the Chief Minister was Pattom Thanu Pillai of the PSP. Such were the times when coalition politics was at an experimental stage and the leaders were stalwarts who came through the national move-ment.
Similarly if the Congress had shown some patience in enduring the Union governments led by Charan Singh, Chandra Sekhar, V.P. Singh, Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral and not have withdrawn support on flimsy grounds and allowed space and time for the growth of a democratic alternative, the politics of this country would have been entirely different. The people became tired and weary of the short-lived Janata governments and the BJP was catapulted to the position of the principal Opposition and then as the ruling party between 1999 and 2009. Incidentally, the party had just two members in the Lok Sabha in 1984. The Left also should understand that in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan there is no democratic alternative except the Congress to fight the BJP.
The classic example of a BJP win over a disunited Opposition is the UP Lok Sabha elections of 2014. The BJP won 71 seats and its ally, Apna Dal, two seats. The BJPs vote-share was 42.3 per cent while the SP got 22.2 per cent, BSP 19.6 per cent, RLD 0.9 per cent and Congress seven per cent. The non-BJP parties had secured more votes than the BJP, but the secular votes were divided. The BJPs first ever victory from a constituency, Nemom, in Trivandrum to the Kerala Legislative Assembly is a pointer of the things to come. In spite of a massive victory the CPI-Ms vote-share was reduced by two per cent in 2016 compared to its 2011 Kerala Legislative Assembly vote-share. This must have been the reason for Prof Irfan Habib asking the LDF to make alliance with the UDF partners to resist the rise of the BJP in Kerala.
Dr V.G. George is a former Reader in History, Mar Thoma College, Tiruvilla (Kerala).
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach may pave the way for Regional Integration, (...)
by Ashok B. Sharma
This article was written before the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach programme but is still relevant.
Leaders of the group of emerging economies, BRICS, are meeting in Goa and India being the host country has rightly planned an Outreach programme with the leaders of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral and Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). The initiative of inviting regional leaders for the Outreach programme began with South Africa at the 5th BRICS Summit, followed by Brazil by inviting Latin American leaders in the next Summit and subsequently Russia invited leaders of the SCO and Eurasian Union at the Ufa Summit. The practice has given an unique opportunity to the leaders of BRICSthat consti-tute Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa and represent four continentsto interact with regional leaders of the host country.
India took over the BRICS presidency from February 16 this year and Prime Minister Narendrabhai Damodardas Modi has rightly planned the Outreach meeting with the BIMSTEC leaders from five South Asian countries and two South-East Asian neighbours. Prime Minister Modi had planned the integration of South Asian countries by inviting the leaders of the SAARC nations at his oath-taking ceremony in 2014. He announced priority to South Asia in his Neigh-bourhood First policy. However, later the initiative did not fructify much with Pakistan posing as a roadblock.
Signs of cracking in South Asian integration were evident in the 18th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu where three slated agreements, namely, on motor vehicle cooperation, railway connectivity and cooperation in electricity trade could not be signed at the venue. However, the agreement on electricity cooperation was signed with the intervention of the host, the then Nepalese Prime Minister, Sushil Koirala, at the Retreat of the leaders at Dhulikhel. Subsequently, under the sub-regional cooperation mandated by the SAARC Charter, an agreement on motor vehicle cooperation was signed amongst Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN).
The 19th SAARC Summit slated in Islamabad had to be deferred owing to the reported ceasefire violation along India-Pakistan border, terrorist attacks on the Indian air base at Pathankot and the Army base at Uri. New Delhi had to avenge these attacks by conducting surgical strikes on terrorist bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India, Bangladesh, Afghani-stan, Bhutan pulled out of the SAARC Summit followed by Sri Lanka. Afghanistan and Bangla-desh have also accused Pakistan time and again for export of terror.
Integration of South Asia has, thus, become a dream for some sceptics. They believe that SAARCs march towards a common customs union and an economic union would continue to remain a distant possibility for times to come. The SAARC Free Trade Area (SAFTA), already in operation, has not met with much success as the official intra-regional trade remains around $ 22 billion a year, though trade through unofficial channels continues unabated. If the figure of unofficial trade is added up to the official, the total may be around $ 60 billion. This shows the potentiality of the region.
South Asia is the third largest economy in terms of GDP on the basis of purchasing power parity after the US and China. It hosts 21 per cent of the worlds population on three per cent of the global land mass. Though the trade relations between both have improved in recent years with the Pakistan Commerce Ministry moving from positive to negative list for imports to facilitate the entry of more Indian goods, still much needs to be done. Over a decade back India had accorded the most favoured nation (MFN) status to Pakistan in matters of trade, but the latter has yet to reciprocate. Islamabad was thinking of giving non-discriminatory market access (NDMA) to Indian goods and at the same time is yet to allow Indian goods to pass through its territory to reach Afghanistan.
The big question is: for how long will the South Asian integration be held hostage? Is there a way out? Yes. India, which is a major country in the region, shares borders with all countries with the exception of Afghanistan, which shares its borders with Pakistan. Hence, New Delhi should play a more proactive role in deeper integration of South Asia and work out the plans with all the countries that share the same borders. Regarding integration with Afgha-nistan, India should explore the possibility of using the Chabahar port in Iran to reach goods and services to Afghanistan by the rail and land route. Rightly this possibility is being explored. Regarding, Maldives, India and Sri Lanka a sub-regional cooperation can be worked out under the SAARC Charter similar to that of BBIN.
However, BIMSTECthat consists of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and two ASEAN countries, Myanmar and Thailandcan supple-ment SAARCs regional integration and act as an effective bridge between South Asia and South-East Asia.
BIMSTEC is much younger to SAARC which is around 30 years old. It has some definite positive achievements to its credit. It brings together 1.5 billion people amounting to 21 per cent of the world population and a combined GDP of $ 2.5 trillion. But unfortunately, BIMSTEC so far has had only three Summit-level meetings since its formation in June 1997 in Bangkok. Only recently it had got its Secretariat which is rightly situated in Bangladesh. The present leadership in Dhaka under Sheikh Hasina is very proactive in fostering regional integration not only in SAARC but also in BIMSTEC. The last BIMSTEC Summit was in Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar last year and the next is scheduled to be hosted in Nepal.
A new democratic government in place in Myanmar may prove beneficial for regional cooperation. The architect of democracy in Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, is slated to come for the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit. Further, as Sheikh Hasina is determined to ensure regional cooperation, the Myanmar-Bangladesh-India gas pipeline can become a reality. New Delhi also needs to do a bit for Dhaka in matters of sharing waters of river Teesta. Bangla-desh, Bhutan and other BIMSTEC countries have assured to act on counter-terro-rism in the region. India, by striking electricity generation and sharing agreements with Nepal and Bhutan other than initiating sub-regional agreement of Mekong-Ganga Cooperation that includes Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, has set an outstanding example.
Unlike SAARC, BIMSTEC has no written charter of its own and is, therefore, more flexible in nature. It has identified 14 priority areas where a member-country takes the lead. India is the lead country for transport and communi-cation, tourism, environment and disaster management, counter-terrorism and trans-national crime, Bangladesh for trade and investment and has circulated a concept paper on climate change. Bhutan is the lead country for cultural cooperation, Myanmar for energy and agriculture cooperation, and Nepal has taken up the issue of cooperation in poverty alleviation. Sri Lanka is the lead country for technology cooperation and Thailand is for cooperation in fishery, public health and people-to-people contacts.
The BIMSTEC Transport Infrastructure and Logistics Study (BTILS) has identified as many as 100 projects that would promote connectivity within the region. These projects are to be funded by the Asian Development Bank. Apart from these, there are the Kaladan Multi-Modal Project that would connect India to ASEAN countries and the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, both of which are expected to be completed. There is also the ESCAP dream project of an Asian Highway.
Among BRICS countries, particularly Russia, India and China (RIC) can play an effective role in Asian connectivity; India has floated the concept of North-South Corridor to increase trade connectivity between major cities such as Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, Baku, Bandar Abbas, Astrakhan, Bandar Anzali. China has its own plans for connectivity under the One Belt One Road concept and Maritime Silk Route. Though India and China have differences over the boundary dispute and issue of terrorism, Beijing is cooperative in matters of regional and economic development. It has floated the idea of a BRICS free trade agreement. Also among the BRICS countries, India, Brazil, South Africa (IBSA) can connect South Asia with Africa and Latin America. Thus the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach programme can be an excellent oppor-tunity for regional integration in South Asia in particular.
The author is a senior columnist writing on strategic and policy issues in several Indian and international newspapers and magazines. He can be contacted at e-mail: ashokbsharma[at]gmail.com
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Wake up, India! BIMSTEC is a Reverie
This piece was written some days ago. It is being belatedly published as its contents retain their validity.
Dhaka is throbbing with excitement as the day draws close for Chinese President Xi Jinpings visit to Bangladesh on Friday (October 14). Not only because this is the first visit by a Chinese head of state in 30 yearsLi Xiannian visited it in 1986and Xi himself is making a second visit in the past six years, but legend says Xi unfailingly carries giftsand big ones at that. The gift Xi brought to Pakistan last year was the mother of all gifts that modern history knowsworth $ 46 billion, almost four times the Marshall Planand Bangladesh hopes for a matching gift.
There is talk it could be a matching gift worth $ 40 billion. The gossip seems plausible, because China sees big potential in boosting trade and investments with Bangladesh. The political ties are excellent and Bangladesh has an open-door policy to welcome Chinese business. There is a consensus in Bangladesh amongst the countrys political elites cutting across parties regarding the strategic imperatives of keeping close ties with Chinanot only in intrinsic terms but also as a means to balance the Big Brother that is India who could be overbearing at times.
Two special economic zonesMunshiganj and Chittagongare being prepared exclusively for Chinese investments in the manufacturing sector. As production costs go up in China, it is profitable for Chinese companies to relocate business in Bangladesh, which has plentiful and cheap labour. Textile industry seems a lead sector that Bangladesh is promoting, even as China is vacating from the low-end apparel sector.
China holds close to 40 per cent of the $ 455 billion global market for apparel products. Last year Bangladesh earned $ 28 billion in apparel exports. It hopes to touch $ 50 billion in the next five yearsbut with Chinese investments it now aspires to be the top ready-made garment exporter in the world, overtaking even China! Chinese companies, of course, hope to exploit Bangladeshs quota for the EU and North America by exporting from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is a fascinating country for its intellectual resources and it does think big. And the economy is growing at somewhere between six to seven per cent. Another potential area for Chinese investments is in the infrastructure sector. Again, Bangladesh aspires to be the leading sub-regional trading hub, and connectivity becomes top priority.
So, what is the big picture we are getting this weekend? For a start, by next week this time our pundits may look somewhat foolish in their assumption that Bangladesh is desperate for Indias leadership to scuttle the SAARC and lead a purposive sub-regional grouping with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Get real, folks. The geopolitical reality is that in the field of economy and defence, China is firmly ensconced as Bangladeshs irreplaceable partner. Again, with or without Indian participation, Bangladesh is bent on developing connectivity with Yunnan.
The ground reality is that Dhaka and Beijing are working on big ideas to build and improve regional connectivity. From the Chinese pers-pective, like Pakistan, Bangladesh is ideally placed in terms of its geographical location for the Silk Road projects. If the CPEC is a lifeline for Xinjiangs development, a similar corridor through Bangla-desh is just what Chinas relatively less-deve-loped southern regions need to reach the markets of Nepal and Bhutanand beyond. (Bangladesh already has in place trade and transit agree-ments with Nepal, Bhutan and India.)
A good case can be made for India to jettison its allergy toward the One Belt One Road and instead seriously apply itself to developing the so-called K2K route (Kunming-Ruili-Bhamo-Lashio-Mandalay-Tamu-Imphal-Sylhet-Dhaka-Kolkata). In fact, the most appropriate outreach at the forthcoming BRICS summit in Goa aside SAARC, of coursewould have been the BCIM (Bangla-desh-China-India-Myanmar) forum. But then, we probably settled for the pompous-sounding BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), which is an insipid forum, because that is the only conceivable way to keep out China and Pakistan.
Regional groupings built on such zero-sum mindset in the era of globalisation have limited future. Regional groupings thrive only if they are willing to be inclusive. The so-called Bay of Bengal regionalism can never mean that Sri Lanka or Bangladesh or Myanmar or Thailand would be willing to forego their cooperation with China for the sake of bonhomie with India in a seaside resort facing the Indian Ocean. Simply put, China happens to be much more meaningful and tangible as a partner country from their point of view than what BIMSTEC can ever hope to offer them even with the best Indian ingenuity. That is the geopolitical reality. How long can India pretend to beat its ineffectual wings in the void in vain?
Sheikh Hasina will be coming to Goa for the BIMSTEC Outreach after launching her countrys closer comprehensive cooperation with China and putting it into a historic new trajectory. Arent we in India living in some reverie, fancying were hearing the Bay of Bengals glad tidings? There is actually no such thing. (The Indian Express)
Ambassador M.K. Bhadrakumar served as a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service for over 29 years, with postings including Indias ambassador to Uzbekistan (1995-1998) and to Turkey (1998-2001).
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > A Literary Genius talks of his Mentor
DIVERSITIES
This piece has been written in the backdrop of Prem Chands 80th death anniversary on October 8, 2016.
The late Prof Raghupati Sahai Firaq Gorakhpuri, one of the greatest Urdu poets of the last century, winner of the first Jnanpith Award, and an interpreter of the agonies, yearnings and struggles of the people latent in his romantic couplets, had a very strong ego. Except for some masters of a distant era like the English poet Wardsworth or Urdu poets like Meer Taqui Meer, he rarely praised any of his contemporaries in superlative terms. It is, thus, very exciting to note that he held in great esteem a writer of prose whose mosaic of reper-toire seemed to be different from the canvas of romanticism that Firaq used for much of his poetry. Consider what Firaq writes about his chance meeting, around 1912, with someone who became his mentor:
I had reached BA class clearing all exami-nations. I had come to my home town, Gorakhpur, from Allahabad during summer vacations. One evening I had gone on a walk to the premises of a huge building of a bank at Gorakhpur. There I met a friend, Mahabir Prasad Poddar (later, one of the proprietors of the famous Gita Press), who had another gentleman with him. Apparently, he looked a very ordinary person, wearing a dhoti reaching down to a little below his knees, a kurta that was much shorter than common kurtas, ordinary shoes on his feet. I started talking to Poddar about new books. His companion also joined the discussion and the subject turned to Prem Chand. Poddar asked me, Do you want to meet Prem Chand? It seemed to me as if he was asking if I wanted to acquire the entire wealth of the world. I could not think of my good fortune to be able to see Prem Chand with my own eyes. Showing utter disbelief for his words I asked him, Meeting Prem Chand? How, where and when? Both of them started laughing and Poddar told me that the gentleman with him was none other than Prem Chand. I felt as if my breath was going to stop. In fact, along with extreme happiness, I felt a little bit heart-broken. Because Prem Chand appeared to be a person with very ordinary looks whereas I had assumed that such a great litterateur could not be that ordinary-looking, Yet, I was very happy to see Prem Chand.
Before his chance meeting with Prem Chand, Firaq had been introduced to Prem Chands stories starting with BarreGhar ki Beti (Daughter of a Respectable Family) that appeared in a very reputed Urdu periodical, Zamaana, published from Kanpur, which received contributions from some of the best-known writers as also social reformers of the beginning of the last century. No story had, thus far, had an influence on me as this story did... Publication of a new story by Prem Chand in Zamaana was considered an important event in the world of literature, he writes.
As Prem Chand later came to teach at a school in Gorakhpur, Firaq became a daily visitor to his house where Prem Chand talked to him about his lifes struggles against all odds. He told him how at a very young age, he had the privilege of attending daily sittings of some very intelligent elders at his friends house where there was a reading of the classic Tilism-e-Hosh Ruba (The Magical Ravishing of Senses), a great work written collectively by a group of writers with their own experiences of enchant-ments. Listening regularly to Tilism-e-Hosh Ruba, Prem Chands world of sub-conscious thoughts was awakened like how after reading Alif Leila the dormant artistic consciousness of the famous novelist Charles Dickens had got awakened. Then, the flow of Urdu prose too created a thunder within Prem Chand, Firaq writes.
Firaq has written, in this obituary piece following Prem Chands death in 1936, about his great art of story-telling. But what is of great interest here is to know about Prem Chands contribution to the evolution of Firaq as a great litterateur, that is not well known.
Firaq has traced Prem Chands rise as the greatest writer of his time in Urdu as well as in Hindi. Around 1919 Firaq rejected his selection for the ICS and Prem Chand too, whose salary would have gone upto Rs 1000, gave up his job along with me taking part in the Non-Cooperation Movement, Firaq recollects.
Firaq reminisces: In a way I was also made a litterateur by Prem Chand. My first writing was got published in Zamaana by Prem Chand. When I was a political prisoner in jail it was Prem Chand who got some of my stories published in well-known perio-dicals. I had written a critique of his novel, Gosha-e-Aafiyat (Prem Ashram in Hindi) in jail itself after which he wrote to me: I felt a spiritual upheaval after reading your critique. You understood my novel better than me.
Firaq concludes what is probably one of the most moving obituaries of the great writer of Godaan and various other novels and innume-rable short stories thus:
While reading a book by Prem Chand one feels as if mother India has lifted us in her arms. We hear murmurs of our hearts in Prem Chands voice. We get in the magical writings of Prem Chand the life of India, the temper of India, its agonies and ecstasies, its fate, its pious dignity (suhag) in a manner that is difficult to find elsewhere. This is the reason why among the contemporary writers of Hindi and Urdu Prem Chand has achieved popularity not only in India but international popularity as well.
This obituary of Prem Chand by Firaq Gorapkhpuri is included in a volume of his selected writings (Firaq Gorakhpuri: MuntakhibTehreerein, compiled by Professor Ali Ahmad Fatmi), published sometime ago by the National Book Trust. Prof Fatmi has to be congratulated for including some of the brilliant prose writings of the great poet, in this volume, along with a selection of his great poetry. His prose is as absorbing as is his poetry. It is an excellent introduction to his prose for those who have known him only as a great poet. It should be read by all lovers of Firaqs immortal poetry.
The author is a veteran writer and journalist who was associated with Mainstream as its Assistant Editor in its early years.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Curse of Triple talaaq
The Radiance is a weekly journal of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a fundamentalist organisation. It carries on its front page an article which says: First, you give us the account. Apparently, it means the Hindus. The article is on the triple talaaq. The Hindu Personal Law came into being after our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehrus intervention. Marriages used to be a sacrament for life and the sick or the disabled had to go through the rigours of marriage with no relief.
It was Nehru who introduced divorce in the Hindu religion for the first time. He was strongly opposed by Dr Rajendra Prasad, who was the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly and a widely respected leader throughout the country. Nehru had his way because he controlled the government machinery.
The Muslims have faced a similar challenge for a long time. The triple talaaq has no Quranic sanction but it has been there for a long time. Some women challenged it in the Supreme Court which has said that there should be an equality of gender. The government thought of issuing a questionnaire to find out the consensus but refrained from doing so.
The Muslim Personal Law Board vehemently opposed this move. It has no woman member and continues to dictate terms without any consultation with women. This has been resented by the women themselves but the Muslim Personal Law Board continues to follow a policy which doesnt even entertain their opinion.
The question is bound to come up before Parliament because different sections of the Muslim community and even others are agitated over the situation. Muslim men continue to dominate even though they grant that the Prophet wanted both men and women to be equal. However, when it comes to codify this idea, the Board doesnt care.
Most Muslim countries in the world, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, have banned triple talaaq. But the male chauvinism in India is so strong that even a debate on the subject is not possible. The semblance of a discussion is out- rightly rejected. The triple talaaq continues to be invoked and the male dominance remains undiminished.
Instead of debating on the problem, the Radiance article tries to divert the focus on triple talaaq. When it says that let them first give the account, it apparently makes the problem as a Hindu-Muslim one. This is unfortunate. The Constitution has included in the Directive Principles a Uniform Civil Code, hoping that it would take shape one day.
How can a debate take place when the Muslim Personal Law Board is straightaway opposed to the questionnaire seeking peoples opinion? Women hailing from different parts of the country have protested and demanded that they should be consulted. The Narendra Modi Government is reluctant to take any step lest it should be misunderstood. But things cannot be left at that point.
Parliament should step in first to debate on the issue in both the Houses and then find out how the community, particularly the women, feel on this question. Political parties under-standably want to maintain silence because of electoral considerations. Five States, including Uttar Pradesh, are going to the polls early next year and the Muslims are the king-makers.
Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav was able to garner Muslim votes because he was respected among the Muslims who felt alienated from the Congress. This time the anti-incumbency factor will come into play. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav appears to be acceptable even though Azam Kham, his Cabinet Minister, continues to sermonise as if he is the custodian of Muslims.
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, indiscreet in his speeches, is trying to get Muslims on his side. But he doesnt sell and it would be probably better for Sonia Gandhi herself to lead the party. There is no Italian-tag attached to her any longer. And she attracts the crowd in her own name more than her son does. This is a challenge for the Congress which has staked its future with Rahul but feels increasingly convinced that he does not go down well with the masses. In fact, his sister, Priyanka Vadra, has a better popular touch than him.
It is a shame that a secular democratic country has been living with a practice like triple talaaq fearing the annoyance of the minority commu-nity. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi bungled by bringing in a legislation to ensure a stipend for the Muslim widow. It unnecessarily fuelled the anti-Babri Masjid agitation and during the P.V. Narasimha Rao Government the mosque was demolished. The rest is history.
In the same way, triple talaaq cannot continue because it goes against the grain of what is enshrined in the Constitution. In fact, it is surprising that it has lasted so long despite the Directive Principles instruction to have a common civil code. The successive governments since indepen-dence have evaded the question. The Modi Government may also do the same. But this is not the solution. The triple talaaq will have to go, sooner or later.
The Radiance article has erroneously made the question as they and we, Muslims and Hindus. This is a matter which the Muslim community has to sort out. But it cannot stay hanging as it has been the case since independence. What-ever the Muslim Personal Law Boards objection, the questionnaire must be issued to find out how the community and the rest of the people feel about it.
Probably, the winter session of Parliament will witness a discussion on the subject. But even if it is not slated, it should take place. No doubt, the community has to decide but that hasnt happened so far. And it looks odd that a secular democratic country feels helpless to do away with an anomaly that has been prevalent for over six decades.
However reluctant the Modi Government may feel, it has to face the reality and find a solution. It is not Hindus versus Muslims; it is some outdated thinking which does not fit into the letter and spirit of the Constitution.
The author is a veteran journalist renowned not only in this country but also in our neighbouring states of Pakistan and Bangladesh where his columns are widely read. His website is www.kuldipnayar.com
An archive photo of Mikel Irastorza. Javier Etxezarreta (EFE)
French police arrested Mikel Irastorza, the head of armed Basque terror group ETA, in south-western France on Saturday in a joint operation with their Spanish counterparts.
Irastorza, 41, was detained in a house in Ascain, a village in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, using information obtained by the Spanish Civil Guard, the Spanish Interior Ministry said in a statement.
The authorities say Irastorza has no prior experience with terrorism
Irastorza took over the leadership of the illegal organization seven years ago after he went on the run. He is believed to have been in France for three years.
He was reportedly tasked with logistics and responsible for collecting weapons to be handed over as part of a hypothetical negotiation with the Spanish government. ETA declared a permanent ceasefire in 2011.
A Spanish man and a French woman were also arrested, the ministry said, for giving shelter to Irastorza and letting him stay in the house where he was arrested.
The arrest is a crushing blow to ETA, removing its leadership and eliminating the part that controlled arms and explosives, said the ministry, adding that the operation remained open.
ETA killed more than 800 people during its four-decade terror campaign to establish an independent Basque state in northern Spain and southern France.
ETA killed 850 people during its four-decade terror campaign
After a sustained police and judicial campaign that crippled ETAs ability to operate, with hundreds of its members arrested, satellite organizations banned, and some of its weapons seized, the organization called a unilateral ceasefire in 2011, agreeing to turn in its weapons, although a full handover has yet to take place. An arms cache was found in woodland north of Paris on October 12.
The arrest last year of Iratxe Sorzabal and David Pla, along with Inaki Reta Frutos and Xavier Goyenetxea this year, left Irastorza alone at the head of ETA. He was previously a spokesman for a platform set up by pro-independence parties. The authorities say he has never been involved in terrorism.
Speaking on Sunday, Arnaldo Otegi, the leader of the Basque Countrys pro-independence left, known as the abertzale, described Irastorzas arrest as part of the logic of war waged by the French and Spanish states, adding: If they continue with that logic, were not going to swerve from our path. It will only confirm our belief in building peace.
Otegi served a six-and-a-half year prison sentence for trying to reconstruct Batasuna, the party banned as the political wing of ETA.
The Basque Country held regional elections in September in which Otegi was banned from running as a candidate for EH Bildu, the heir to Batasuna. The Basque radical left is locked in an internal debate as it attempts to tackle the rise of emerging anti-austerity group Podemos in the region.
Voters re-elected Inigo Urkullu, whose moderate Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) secured 29 seats. The Basque Socialists managed only nine seats, as did the Popular Party. EH Bildu won 17 seats and Podemos, 11.
English version by Nick Lyne.
Counsel at Red Lobster, Atlassian and two other companies say its hard to register descriptive terms, but that it can be worth the slog in some cases
Washington : Reacting strongly to the FBIs decision not to charge Hillary Clinton in the email gate scandal, Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has alleged "the system is rigged" even as he exuded confidence that the American people would be the "final jury" in the November 8 general elections. Folks ? the system is rigged. The normal punishment, in this case, would include losing authority to handle classified information, and that too disqualifies Hillary Clinton from being President," Trump said yeterday in a statement hour after the FBI announcement in this regard.
The final jury will be the American people, and they will issue the verdict on her corruption, incompetence, and bad judgment on November 8th," he said. Clinton is the Democratic presidential candidate and will face Trump in the November polls. Trump said the FBI Director James Comey laid out a detailed case of how Clinton compromised the safety of the American people by storing highly classified information on a private email server with no security. He confirmed that her email could easily have been hacked by hostile actors, and confirmed that those she emailed with were hacked, the GOP presidential candidate said.
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Our adversaries almost certainly have a blackmail file on Hillary Clinton, and this fact alone disqualifies her from service," Trump said.Hillary Clinton didnt accidentally sneak into the FBI during one of the countrys biggest holiday weekends to testify on her illegal activities, something that wouldnt be afforded to others under investigation (and on a Saturday of all days)," he said.
"It was no accident that charges were not recommended against Hillary the exact same day as President Obama campaigns with her for the first time," Trump said.
PTI
Donald Trump probably wont poll well tomorrow in his hometown of New York City, or in San Francisco or Washington, DC. But these cities, too, are filled with Americas economically precarious working class and middle class.
So precarious, in fact, that theyre leaving.
Places like New York and San Francisco arent dealing with growth very well.
Global-city residents are struggling not because factories closed and jobs vanished. Nor are they leaving because theyre fed up with crime and other inner city woes Trump talks about.
Theyre leaving because the new economy where they live has been too good, pricing them out.
The stark numbers come from Trulia, the real-estate information firm. In a study highlighted last week by The Wall Street Journal, Trulia analyzed who moves away from the countrys 10 most expensive cities, all on the east coast or in California.
Answer: disproportionately, the poorest those making $30,000 or less. But they werent exclusively poor: People earning $30,000 to $60,000 also left in numbers that exceed their share of the population.
People making more money left, too. But they left in smaller numbers, far less than their share of the population. (The cities continued to grow because of immigration, including high-earning immigrants.)
The result? The cities got richer, and fast. From 2010 to 2014, the share of households in these cities making more than $100,000 . . . has risen 3.6 percentage points, says the studys author, Mark Uh.
One big culprit is, obviously, house prices. Rents in these cities went up by 13 percent on average, while home values rose by 12.5 percent.
And some mild good news for New York: Of the 10 cities studied, Gotham had the smallest move-away rate among people earning less than $30,000, although, as Uh notes, it was still very high.
Not everyone leaves because they have to. Some leave The Bronx for Atlanta because they think its nicer and because, though they can afford to live here, they can get a lot more house for their money there.
Still, economics tells the harsh truth. Dense global cities are more expensive because the richest people in the world the people with the most choices think theyre better.
And certainly they score higher on measures from public health to crime to transportation. Indeed, in another study, economist Raj Chetty and his colleagues found that many of these same cities New York, San Francisco and Washington among them are the best places for poor people to become not-poor: that is, for economic mobility.
Cheaper cities Cleveland, Atlanta, Milwaukee were the worst on economic mobility. And many poor suburbs, which have little money to deal with gang crime and homelessness, are even more miserable places for kids to grow up.
Places like New York and San Francisco arent dealing with growth very well. Build more houses is a rather obvious solution. But people who already live in a neighborhood have a say. They moved to Greenwich Village or the Upper West Side because they liked those neighborhoods, and dont want them changed by high-rise towers.
And when we build more houses for middle-class and wealthy people in less-expensive neighborhoods, their presence makes that neighborhood more expensive.
One solution is to build subsidized housing. But our best practical efforts yield us 20,000 apartments a year, and the subsidies they require push housing costs up for the people who arent lucky enough to win the literal affordable-housing lottery.
And more apartments mean we need more subway stops and more trains something else that were not good at doing. In fact, for all the population growth New York has seen since 1980 about 20 percent, or 1.4 million more people were only 8 percent above our postwar peak.
We can fit 8.5 million people here today barely because the subway and other infrastructure building we did a century ago left room for growth. Now, weve used it up.
One crazy idea: Maybe cities and suburbs that arent on the East and West coasts should look to what we do that makes us so expensive, and copy the good parts. That would include neighborhood density, which often means small-scale apartment buildings not far from stores, plus transit, parks and libraries, and low crime.
That way, even if we cant do enough to keep poorer residents here, theyll have some of what creates opportunity wherever they end up.
This piece originally appeared at the New York Post
______________________
Nicole Gelinas is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and contributing editor at City Journal. Follow her on Twitter here.
A new poll released on Monday shows that Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy would have won the third round of elections that were closely averted in Spain after a recent last-minute vote in Congress . Rajoy, of the Popular Party (PP), managed to secure a second term in office a little over a week ago after heading a caretaker government for 10 months.
Mariano Rajoy after being voted back in as Spains prime minister. J. C. H. (EFE)
A decision by the main opposition Socialist Party (PSOE) to abstain at the investiture vote narrowly averted a third back-to-back election in Spain.
But a new poll by the Center for Sociology Studies (CIS) released on Monday shows that, had the election been held, the PP would have won anyway.
Unidos Podemos would have leapfrogged over the Socialists to become the main opposition force
According to the poll, the conservatives would have obtained 34.5% of the vote, nearly 14 points more than the leftist alliance of Unidos Podemos, which would have leapfrogged over the Socialists to become the main opposition force with 21.8% of the votes.
In the poll, 17% of likely voters expressed support for the PSOE, while 12.8% backed the reform party Ciudadanos.
Respondents were polled right after Pedro Sanchez resigned as secretary general of the PSOE on October 1, in a move that accelerated the partys internal crisis.
The survey also coincided with two major corruption trials: the Gurtel case, affecting the PP, and the Caja Madrid black credit cards, involving politicians and businesspeople who sat on the board of the merged savings bank.
The survey coincided with the Gurtel corruption trial and the Caja Madrid black credit cards court case
By comparison, the previous CIS poll of July showed 32.5% support for the PP, 23.1% for the PSOE, 19.6% for Unidos Podemos and 12% for Ciudadanos. This makes the Socialists the only one of the four main parties to have dropped by six points in the CIS poll between July and October.
At the last election of June 26, the PP obtained 33.03% of the votes, followed by the PSOE with 22.66%, Unidos Podemos and its regional allies with 21.1% and Ciudadanos with 13.05%.
English version by Susana Urra.
American Election and the Fall of the Fourth Estate The Price of Bribery and Corruptions
The actual causalities of the American Presidential Election are not the Democracy or the Judiciary, but the so called Experts, the Academics, the Lead Media Persons and above all the Fourth Estate. For the last three years, Hillary Clinton has been bribing almost all American and International Print and Electronic Medias, Top Media persons and Academics to project her as the embodiment of all human virtues and the most suitable candidate for the American Presidential Election.
Using the same bribed Medias, Media Persons and Experts, Hillary Clinton could effectively project her rival Donald Trump as a Political Clown, Mock Hero, Womanizer and Erratic Man without any substance and above all the enemy of the honor of women, the black and the migrant. President Obama and his wife used all their oratorical skills to glorify Hillary and tarnish the image of Trump besides making his character assassination. As such everybody believed the uneasy victory of Hillary Clinton and the total fall of Donald Trump.
Over-dosed Propaganda
However, Donald Trump could capture the media attention for his calculated controversial statements on almost all major issues. Experts, Media Persons and both the Print and Electronic Medias gave wide coverage to Trump as part of misinformation and negative campaign. The excessive or over-dosed Negative Campaign against Donald Trump and more than real Positive Campaign in favor of Hillary Clinton have lost their effectiveness or become counter-productive according to the basic principles of Political Propaganda, Mass Psychology and Brainwashing set by Hitler, Goebbels, Machiavelli and Chanakyia or Kaudalyia.
The Experts and the Fourth Estate, sometimes the Fifth Estate too, actually created the Images and Symbols to represent both Trump and Hillary that are quite contrary to what they have intended or to communicate with the masses . The Complex Theories and Formulas of Persuasion, Mass Psychology and Brainwashing cannot be applied in all situations; in certain peculiar situation, they backfire and boomerang or become counter-productive. The oratory skills of Obama and his wife, in these contexts, become a liability rather than an asset for their inability to deliver what the people expected from them.
Credibility of the Media and Experts
Quite contrary to the media projections, snap poll results, pundits predication, rising popularity graph of Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump emerges stronger and stronger. Hillary Clinton has been exposed as highly corrupt, crooked and untrustworthy woman dealing highly sensitive official matters carelessly. Now she is struggling hard for a honorable exist from public life for the fear of impeachment or imprisonment as an outcome of the FBI probe on her e-mail leaks and her improper or unconstitutional dealings leading to a constitutional crisis if she is elected.
The Bad and Angry Boy
The systematic efforts of both the Media and Hillarys propagandists, in the last analysis, created the image of Donald Trump as a Bad and Angry Boy that in effect made Trump as their own man instead of alienating him from the general public or the American voters. Quite contrary to the general perception, several American women become his strong supporters to cast their vote for him. At the same time, the feminism cards played against Trump by Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama could not create much enmity towards Donald Trump among the American voters. For the over play of some women posing as Trumps victims and their calculated attempt in his character assassination, a good number of American women become very much sympathetic towards him instead of supporting Hillary Clinton.
The Angry America
The average Americans, both men and women, are very much angry with Obama- Hillary administration as there is a feeling that though Obama promised them Change or New Age, through his oratorical skills, he could not bring any change or New Age as had been promised. Further, almost all Americans, both men and women, including the youth, are getting realized that they are alienated within their country without any voice. It is quite natural for them to find the Angry Boy, Donald Trump as their own man or image and they love him, unlike the elite or intellectuals in America.
The Corrupt and Crooked Robotics
Hillary Clinton with her well calculated performance after a lot of rehearsals or preparations in the presidential debates created an image that she is more like a well programmed robot, highly corrupt and crooked robot than a human being. She created an image that she is dangerous and untrustworthy too.
With WikiLeaks revelations and the subsequent FBI probe, the credibility and truthfulness of Hillary Clinton fall to the deepest bottom. As a result, her earlier staunch supporters become impassionate or indifferent towards her to the effect that a majority of them may not cast their vote in her favor, sometimes may favor Trump as a mark of anger or protest or frustration.
The American Presidential Election 2016 makes almost all medias, top media persons and the so called experts and celebrities realized their total pettiness and lack of credibility or influence over the people, especially when they are overtly biased and partisan or even bribed or corrupt at a higher scale. Nobody can fool the general public in this age of interconnectivity and WikiLeaks.
My recent writings on these topics appeared in the Market Oracle (UK) can be found with the help of the following link: http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/UserInfo-Dr_R_M_Mathew.html
Prof. (Dr.) Raju M. Mathew
2016 Copyright Dr. Raju M. Mathew - 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.
SPX Stock Market Downtrend Continues
The week started at SPX 2126. After a bounce to SPX 2133 on Monday the market steadily declined to 2084 by Friday. There were three 10+ point rallies along the way, but they were all sold the same, or following, day. For the week the SPX/DOW lost 1.7%, and the NDX/NAZ lost 2.9%. On the economic front positive reports outpaced negative ones. On the downtick: Chicago PMI, auto sales, construction spending, the ADP, the WLEI and weekly jobless claims increased. On the uptick: personal income/spending, the PCE, ISM services, factory orders, monthly payrolls, the Q4 GDP estimate, plus the trade balance and unemployment rate improved. Next week will be highlighted by the Election.
LONG TERM: uptrend
This market has been quite a challenge since the beginning of 2016. A gap down opening on the first trading day of the year took the market from SPX 2044-1812 by mid-January. Then after a 135 point rally the market retested that low at SPX 1810 by mid-February. After that the market rallied to all time new highs by July, after pausing for a two day Br-exit drop in late-June. Now after making an all time high in August at SPX 2194, the market has been effectively declining for three months, hitting it lowest level on Friday at 2084. After all these gyrations the market is barely up 2% on the year.
The action over the past two years has been more like a demand/supply driven commodity than an equity market. A grind up to all time highs by May 2015. Then a quick nearly 300 point decline, followed by another 300 point decline, with a rally in between to within 1% of all time highs. Then just when it looked like a bear market was underway, the market stormed to all time highs. It has been quite a roller coaster ride for investors. And a dream come true for day traders, who thrive on volatility.
There are lots of opinions as to where this market is in it overall long term trend. Just ask any two people and you will likely get two different opinions. Our opinion, however, remains unchanged. We are counting the February low as the end of the May 2015 to February 2016 bear market. While the market only dropped 17%. We found five previous instances, out of the last twenty-five bear markets, ending with less than a 20% decline. Until SPX 1992 is broken to the downside we see no reason to change this opinion.
MEDIUM TERM: downtrend
From the February SPX 1810 low we now see quite an odd configuration of waves. Not seen since the early stages of the 1984-1987 bull market. We now have a five wave uptrend to SPX 2111, followed by a three trend decline to SPX 1992. Then we have another five wave uptrend to SPX 2194, and again followed by a three trend decline. With the last of these three trends still underway.
The labeling on the daily chart displays an Intermediate wave i, followed by three Minor waves for Intermediate wave ii. Then a Minor wave 1, followed by three Minute waves for Minor wave 2. Currently this entire Minor 2 correction has retraced a bit more than 50%, but less than 61.8%, of Minor wave 1. The 61.8% relationship is at the OEW 2070 pivot. At the close on Friday the daily/weekly RSI are now at oversold levels usually reached near, or at the end, of downtrends. Check out the weekly RSI in the weekly chart. The weekly MACD, while pointing down, is not a concern until it drops below zero. As you can observe, downtrends can become quite nasty when that occurs. Medium term support is at the 2085 and 2070 pivots, with resistance at the 2116 and 2131 pivots.
SHORT TERM
Since this three trend decline began in August at SPX 2194, it has been a series of small overlapping waves. Nothing that has looked impulsive at all, suggesting it is only a correction. During the three wave Intermediate ii correction, the first decline did a 23.6% retracement and then second completed a 38.2% retracement of Intermediate i. During this three wave Minor 2 correction, the first decline did a 38.2% retracement and the second decline is currently within the 50% to 61.8% retracement range of Minor 1.
Should the OEW 2085 pivot range hold for a couple of days we could consider the downtrend over. If not, there are still two-three trading days to deal with the election, then the 2070 pivot is likely to hold. After those two pivots there is little support until the 2043 and 2019 pivots. Should those pivots get approached this alternate count may start coming back into play.
Short term support is at the 2085 and 2070 pivots, with resistance at SPX 2100 and the 2116 pivots. Short term momentum ended the week oversold. Trade whats in front of you!
FOREIGN MARKETS
Asian market were mostly lower losing 1.6%.
European markets were all lower losing 4.1%.
The Commodity equity group were all lower losing 2.8%.
The DJ World index lost 2.0%.
COMMODITIES
Bonds continue to downtrend but gained 0.6%.
Crude remains in a downtrend and lost 9.5% on the week.
Gold is trying to uptrend and gained 2.2%.
The USD remains in an uptrend but lost 1.3% on the week.
NEXT WEEK
Monday: consumer credit at 3pm. Tuesday: the Election. Wednesday: wholesale inventories. Thursday: weekly jobless claims and the budget deficit. Friday: consumer sentiment.
CHARTS: http://stockcharts.com/public/1269446/tenpp
https://caldaro.wordpress.com
After about 40 years of investing in the markets one learns that the markets are constantly changing, not only in price, but in what drives the markets. In the 1960s, the Nifty Fifty were the leaders of the stock market. In the 1970s, stock selection using Technical Analysis was important, as the market stayed with a trading range for the entire decade. In the 1980s, the market finally broke out of it doldrums, as the DOW broke through 1100 in 1982, and launched the greatest bull market on record.
Sharing is an important aspect of a life. Over 100 people have joined our group, from all walks of life, covering twenty three countries across the globe. It's been the most fun I have ever had in the market. Sharing uncommon knowledge, with investors. In hope of aiding them in finding their financial independence.
Copyright 2016 Tony Caldaro - 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.
Tony Caldaro Archive
2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.
Overcoming the Middle-Income Trap with Structural Reforms
According to the World Bank, China is an upper-middle-income country. However, only structural reforms will allow China to surpass the middle-income trap.
According to a recent report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), China has entered the ranks of the so-called upper-middle-income countries. It has triggered a fair amount of interest among those Chinese who are concerned for the middle-income trap; that is, a status quo in which a country attains a certain level of income but gets stuck at that level.
While most observers agree that the pace of transformation has been extraordinary in China, many remain concerned about increasing wealth and income inequality. Others point to to successful industrialization in East Asia - from Japan to South Korea - arguing that improving social welfare will be critical to to avoid the middle-income trap.These viewpoints are not mutually exclusive. Together, they drive the rebalancing of the Chinese economy and the associated new urbanization and industrial upgrading that seeks to overcome the middle-income trap in the next 10-15 years. But why do many countries get stuck in the trap?
Elusive categories
Actually, China has been among the so-called upper-middle-income countries for a few years. The CASS report relies on the World Bank classification, which groups economies based on gross national income (GNI) per capita. Based on the banks method, that generates four categories:
- low-income economies ($1,025 or less)
- lower middle-income economies ($1,026-$4,035)
- upper middle-income economies ($4,036-$12,475)
- high-income economies ($12,476 or more).
In the early days of economic reforms, China was still in the low-income group, which even today features countries, such as Senegal, Haiti, and Afghanistan. In 2008, after decades of investment and export-led growth, China joined the ranks of the lower-middle-income countries, which now include Tunisia, El Salvador, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
According to CASS, Chinese per capita GDP is currently $8,016 (52,000 yuan). In effect, China joined the ranks of the upper middle-income countries around 2012. As a result, Chinese living standards are approaching those of Turkey, Brazil and Southern Europe. However, these findings should be taken with a grain of salt.
Todays advanced economies industrialized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. So they have enjoyed the benefits of wealth and income for a long while. In China and other emerging economies, prosperity is still very new - and thus far, far more fragile.
Potential is not reality
Just because an economy has great potential does not always mean that this promise will be delivered. And yet, thats what my good acquaintance Goldman Sachs Jim ONeill, who created the BRIC concept in the early 2000s, seemed to imply. While ONeill did wonderful work in promoting emerging economies, analysts focus on abstract data rather than real life.
If the theory had been valid, we would continue to see solid economic progress in China, India, Brazil and Russia - not to speak of the mini-BRICs, such as Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan and so on.
Yet, the reality is that we dont. The emerging and developing countries have always relied on diverse sources of industrial advantages. Before the global crisis, those BRIC economies that relied excessively on their natural resources enjoyed high growth as long as the prices of oil, gas and commodities continued to soar. Conversely, with the end of the commodities super-cycle, the very same nations have taken heavy hits.
Whats worrisome, even if economies diversify their industrial structures and get their policies right, external constraints - including sanctions by Western nations - effectively undermine the benefits of modernization.
In many cases, their economic woes have been compounded by geopolitics and the new Cold War, including the US-EU sanctions against Russia, Washingtons tacit support for the soft coup in Brazil, the spread of Boko Haram in and from Nigeria, and huge destabilization across the Middle East.
History matters
It is for these reasons that I have argued, for more than a decade, that the hopes associated with some BRIC economies or mini-BRICs will prove inflated. It was misguiding in the early 2000s to project glorious futures for economies that relied excessively on resource- and commodity-driven growth.
Theres nothing new in this. In 1960, Ghana and South Korea were at similar starting-points and the conventional wisdom was Ghana would inevitably evolve faster than South Korea. Today, GDP per capita in South Korea is $36,600 but below $4,300 in Ghana. What really matters in economic development is not just industrialization but how it actually materializes.
Once, when I met the legendary investor Jim Rogers and we talked about the future of emerging economies, he referred to some BRIC analysts as number crunchers. It sounded pejorative but, while Rogers is a commodity expert, he started his career as a gifted historian and knows only too well that numbers without history and context are hollow.
In this regard, China is better positioned to overcome the middle-income trap with a more diversified industrial structure, as long as regional rebalancing can proceed and the external environment remains peaceful.
However, it does not follow that all, or even most emerging economies can follow in the footprints. Success requires structural reforms.
Dr. Dan Steinbock is an internationally recognised expert of the nascent multipolar world. He is the CEO of Difference Group and has served as Research Director at the India, China and America Institute (USA) and visiting fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (China) and the EU Centre (Singapore). For more, see www.differencegroup.net
2016 Copyright Dan Steinbock - 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.
The United States is looking at itself in the mirror, and the image thats looking back is far from friendly. Its national demons, those of racism and sexism, surfaced during the long months of this virulent electoral campaign . Every presidential election including Tuesdays contest, when Democrat Hillary Clinton will face Republican candidate Donald Trump is a form of collective psychoanalysis, the compass that indicates where society is and where it is headed.
Followers of Donald Trump in Minneapolis. MANDEL NGAN (AFP)
More information La furia de la campana desgarra la imagen del futuro Estados Unidos
The unpopularity of both candidates, the insults and discrediting remarks, the general discontent with the political class, the fear of racial and social rifts and warnings about an imminent apocalypse have left the country exhausted and desperate to move on.
The election of the American president is a special moment. The country not only elects the head of state and government; it also chooses its symbol, tribe leader, the man or woman whose face will hang on the walls of thousands of schools around the country, one of the strings that, like the flag and the national anthem, binds this transcontinental nation with tenuous yet unbreakable ties.
In 2008, when Democrat Barack Obama won the presidency, America offered a new symbol to the world and to itself, raising its self-esteem. For the first time, the country of slavery and segregation elected an African American man, a member of one of the nations most disenfranchised minorities, to the White House. The United States was in full economic recession and in the middle of fighting two wars, but it felt like it was living up to its fundamental ideals.
The GOP has nominated a candidate prone to cruel and prideful remarks about women, Hispanics and Muslims
The defeated candidate in that election, Republican Senator John McCain, congratulated Obama by recalling the outrage a White House invitation to Booker T. Washington, an African American civil rights leader, provoked at the beginning of the 20th century. It was then unacceptable for a black man to roam the halls of power.
America today is a world away from the cruel and prideful bigotry of that time, McCain said. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African American to the presidency of the United States. The specter of racism the original sin of the worlds most powerful nation seemed to disappear.
Eight years later, McCains party has nominated a candidate with a propensity for cruel and prideful remarks about women, Hispanics and Muslims. The support the GOP candidate receives from extremist groups of the so-called alt-right, the new alternative right and old Ku Klux Klan splinter groups, has unmasked an unpleasant reality. Racism is alive and well.
And Trump the candidate who began his campaign by calling Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists, followed up with a proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States and concluded it by releasing a political ad with anti-Semitic undertones has offered the world and Americans a new image of the country that many preferred not to see.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are almost equally unpopular. PAUL J. RICHARDS (AFP)
Only one other political figure is as unpopular as Donald Trump: his rival and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Clinton may become the first female president of the United States after 44 men held the office, but few Americans like her. Half of the nation believes her tenure would be like traveling back in time to Bill Clintons presidency, revisiting the nebula of investigations and suspicious that surrounded it.
In contrast to Trumps clear and simple message, Clinton has failed to give voters an exciting plan for the country or the vision thing as former President George H. W. Bush, another pragmatic politician who also had difficulty articulating his goals for the future, reluctantly put it. Democrats strategy to mobilize voters has been warning them against the danger that Donald Trump poses to democracy.
Trump has been more strident and crossed more lines than any other serious White House contender in recent years. He has painted the United States as a country on the verge of collapse, terrorized by crime and invaded by hordes of foreigners, a global power in decline that has become the laughing stock of the rest of the world.
In 2008, when Democrat Barack Obama won the presidency, America offered a new symbol to the world
Millions of Americans, some of them minors, saw him make fun of a disabled journalist, insult women and veterans like McCain, call Clinton a criminal and promise to imprison her. Delegates at the Republican National Convention in July in Cleveland, Ohio chanting Lock her up! Lock her up! is not the most edifying image of a nation that wants to be a role model for the rest of the world.
Every four years Americans give themselves information about who they are and where they are on a spectrum of tradition and aspiration that normally frames our politics, says Marilynne Robinson, a novelist and Obamas intellectual sparring partner.
And so it is. This election is an X-ray of the country: its obsessions, traumas, fears and hopes. This time, unlike in 2008, the United States is looking at itself in the mirror... and it does not like what it sees.
English version by Dyane Jean Francois.
Virginians on Tuesday will vote on two proposed state constitutional amendments.
One would put provisions of Virginias right-to-work law into the constitution. The other is meant to aid the families of first responders killed in the line of duty by allowing localities to exempt a surviving spouses real property from taxation.
Virginias right-to-work law says participation in a union may not be a condition for employment in the state.
Supporters of the proposed constitutional amendment say the right-to-work provision is a key factor in maintaining a strong business climate in the state. Opponents term it an anti-union measure.
Backers say embedding the provision in the constitution would make it harder for a future General Assembly to undo. Opponents say it does not belong in the constitution.
If you believe that people should have the freedom to take a job without being required to join a union to get or keep their job, then you want to vote YES on Question 1, said Nicole Riley, Virginia state director for the National Federation of Independent Business.
People should be able to choose whether they want to join a union. This constitutional amendment will not change anything with the current process on how unions can organize. This amendment will future-proof Virginias status as a pro-business state against any elected officials in the future who might want to change our status as a right-to-work state.
The Virginia AFL-CIO opposes the amendment for a whole slew of reasons but most importantly because it has nothing to do with rights, said Gina Maglionico, the organizations communications director. By design, a constitution is meant to protect the rights of citizens, not stifle them, she said.
Right-to-work laws are something of a misnomer. They do not guarantee anyone the right to have a job, nor do they guarantee any other workers rights. Federal law ensures that no one be forced to join a union not Virginias right-to-work statute.
The proposed amendment is unnecessary and a waste of time, she said. Virginia has had a right-to-work law for nearly 70 years. Amendment 1 does not change that law, but it proves that legislators dont trust voters or future elected officials to make their own decisions about whats best for the commonwealth.
The other proposed amendment would authorize the General Assembly to enact a law that would let a locality exempt from taxation the real property of the living spouse of any law enforcement officer, firefighter, search-and-rescue personnel member, or emergency medical services personnel member killed in the line of duty.
The exemption from taxation would apply to the surviving spouses principal place of residence. It would cease if the surviving spouse remarries.
MARTINSVILLE Local voter registrars are predicting high turnouts in Tuesdays election, largely because of interest in the presidential race and numbers of ballots cast early.
Its been so controversial, Henry County Registrar Elizabeth Stone said of the presidential race. Its gotten more media attention than any election weve had in the past few years.
More people usually go to the polls for elections that include presidential races than for contests involving only state and/or local races, officials have said.
Martinsville Registrar Cindy Barbour predicts 65 percent turnout in the city. However, she hopes that at least 68 percent to 70 percent of the citys registered voters cast ballots, she said.
In the 2008 election, the last presidential race with no incumbent, Martinsville had 71 percent turnout. Barbour said that was a little less than expected, so Im going to be conservative in predicting Tuesdays turnout.
Turnout in Patrick County for the 2012 election, when President Obama sought his second term, was 70 percent, said county Registrar Susan Taylor. Because new presidential contenders are running in Tuesdays race, she expects turnout will be a little more, she said.
When Obama first ran in 2008, turnout in Henry County was 70.9 percent. When he ran for re-election four years later, turnout was 68.6 percent, Stone recalled.
I would like to see at least 80 percent turnout on Tuesday, she said, but I dont know if it will be that high.
In comparison, in the 2014 election that had no presidential race, turnout was 40 percent in Martinsville, 38.5 percent in Henry County and 41.05 percent in Patrick County. That election had U.S. House and Senate races as well as some local races.
The registrars said they are pleased with numbers of absentee ballots cast so far, as well as with increases in their localities numbers of registered voters.
As of late last week, 127 people had voted in-person at the city registrars office. At the Henry County registrars office, 1,012 people had cast ballots, and at the Patrick County registrars office, 352 people had voted, according to the registrars, all of whom said their offices were extremely busy all week.
A total of 8,983 people are registered to vote in Martinsville, up from 8,608 in November 2015. Henry County currently has 35,629 registered voters, up from 34,801 a year ago, while 12,376 people are on the voting rolls in Patrick County, up from 11,991 at this time last year, records show.
The registrars said they think interest in this years presidential race is at least somewhat responsible for people registering to vote since last year.
We always have a huge rush with presidential races, Barbour said. Thats when voter registration drives get enthusiastic.
All voters will have five choices for president and vice president on Tuesday.
For the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton is running for president with Tim Kaine, a former Virginia governor who currently is one of the states two Unites States senators, as her running mate.
Donald J. Trump is the Republican Partys presidential hopeful. Indiana Gov. Michael R. Pence is his running mate.
Two lesser-known political parties also have candidates vying for the White House.
Gary Johnson is the Libertarian Partys candidate for president. His vice presidential ticket mate is Bill Weld.
For the Green Party, Jill Stein is running for president, and Ajamu Baraka is seeking the vice presidency.
Also running are presidential candidate Evan McMullin and vice presidential candidate Nathan Johnson. Both are independents.
Voters in the 9th Congressional District, which includes Patrick County, Martinsville and western and north central parts of Henry County, will choose a U.S. House of Representatives member from among Republican incumbent H. Morgan Griffith and his challengers, Democrat Derek W. Kitts and independent Janice Allen Boyd.
Those in eastern parts of Henry County have two choices for 5th District U.S. representative: Democrat Jane D. Dittmar and Republican Tom A. Garrett Jr.
All voters can answer either yes or no to questions on two proposed amendments to the state Constitution.
Question 1 states, Should Article 1 of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to prohibit any agreement or combination between an employer and a labor union or labor organization whereby (i) nonmembers of the union or organization are denied the right to work for the employer, (ii) membership to the union or organization is made a condition of employment or continuation of employment by such employer, or (iii) the union or organization acquires an employment monopoly in any such enterprise?
Question 2 states, Shall the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to provide an option to the localities to exempt from taxation the real property of the surviving spouse of any law-enforcement officer, firefighter, search and rescue personnel, or emergency medical services personnel who was killed in the line of duty, where the surviving spouse occupies the real property as his or her principal place of residence and has not remarried?
Voting booths will contain brochures explaining the amendments in detail.
Martinsville and Stuart voters have local races to decide. Henry County has no local races in the election.
In Martinsville, voters will select from six candidates to fill three City Council seats up for grabs. The candidates are Efigenia Cuenca Mota, Ural E. Harris, Sharon Brooks Hodge, Kathy C. Lawson, Chad E. Martin and Joe A. Martin. Hodge is the lone incumbent running.
Stuart Mayor K. Ray Weiland is running for re-election. He is the lone candidate in the race.
John M. Mac Deekens and R. Leon Puckett are seeking re-election to their seats on Stuart Town Council. Nobody is challenging them.
Stuart residents will vote yes or no on a proposed 4 percent tax on food and beverages sold in restaurants.
Apparently, some voters are unsure which candidates are most qualified to hold political offices, especially the presidency, according to Barbour. She said she has heard some people say they dont know who to vote for.
Taylor declined to comment on remarks she has heard voters make about the election.
Anyone who goes to the Henry County registrars office had better keep their mouths shut. Stone said she does not allow visitors to make comments about candidates because the office is a polling place and comments could influence someone who stops by to vote.
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Mickey Powell reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at mickey.powell@martinsvillebulletin.com.
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Raffi Hovannisian in Istanbul speaks about arrests
Istanbul--On November 6, Heritage Party Chairman Raffi K. Hovannisian attended and addressed a special conference on Migration and Refugees organized by the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP). The meeting, which brought together 40 political parties from more than 25 countries, was co-sponsored by the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party of Turkey. Following inflammatory interventions by Azerbaijani and Turkish delegates, Raffi Hovannisian took the floor to present an Armenian perspective on historical and current developments in the region. He referred in particular to the unacceptability of the recent arrest of opposition MPs in Turkey and the crackdown on civil liberties which triggered flashbacks to 1915; the reality and legacy of the Armenian Genocide and Great National Dispossession of the Armenian and other peoples (Assyrians, Greeks, Kurds, Yezidis, and Alevis) as an unprecedented watershed in refugee creation; the Turkish official policy of denial and the untold story of thousands of righteous Turks who saved Armenian lives. He underscored the tendency of states like Turkey and Azerbaijan to launch military activities in neighboring countries and then be compelled to manage refugee crises, seeking international support for their solution; Armenia's experience with Syrian-Armenian refugees; Azerbaijan's failed war of aggression against Mountainous Karabagh (Artsakh) and the 500,000 Armenians who were displaced from Azerbaijan, Nakhichevan and other occupied Armenian lands; the imperative to secure for all refugees and internally displaced persons a guaranteed and equitable right of return to their places of origin, including the return of Armenians to and the establishment of communal life in Azerbaijan, Nakhichevan, and the western Armenian heartland in current-day eastern Turkey; and the need to be self-critical in Turkey, Armenia, and all other countries and to take responsibility for developing just, democratic societies which are the only avenue to prevent non-conflict-driven emigration. Upon completion of Hovannisian's address, the vice chairman of the AK Party repeated Turkey's denialist line and asked the reference to the word Genocide be deleted from the record. Hovannisian condemned this approach as an unacceptable, characteristic attempt at official censorship.
Adaskin String Trio.jpg
Adaskin String Trio
The Brick Church Music Series, now in its 12th season presenting organ recitals and chamber music programs in the village of Old Deerfield, drew an audience of over 100 enthusiastic concert-goers to a superb performance by the Adaskin String Trio Sunday afternoon in the Brick Church Meetinghouse.
Violinist Emlyn Ngai, violist Steve Larson, and cellist Mark Fraser have been playing together as the Adaskin Trio (named in honor of Canadian composer Murray Adaskin and his brothers Harry and John) since 1994. Their eclectic repertoire ranges from Haydn and Schubert to Villa-Lobos and Schnittke to Chick Corea and Paul Simon.
On Sunday they began with a Trio by French composer/critic Alexis Roland-Manuel, a pupil, friend and biographer of Maurice Ravel, and the ghost-writer of Stravinsky's "The Poetics of Music."
Violist Larson, an eloquent spokesman for the Trio, described the piece as "our string trio answer to the Debussy and Ravel String Quartets." While not as profound a compositional statement as either of those venerable works, Roland-Manuel's three-movement essay was a sincere and well-crafted homage to his mentor.
The Adaskin musicians painted a crystal-clear aural picture of the piece's conversational architecture, playing cleanly and crisply enough that a theory student could have taken dictation from their performance.
Far more emotionally engaging and characterful, Michael White's "A Sephardic Life" brought the concert to intermission. Larson said he met White at the Wintergreen Festival in Virginia and premiered "A Sephardic Life" there. A student of Peter Mennin and Vincent Persichetti, White is the recipient of three Ford Foundation Fellowships, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and numerous awards and prizes. His operas have been produced in Seattle, Philadelphia, London, and Riga, Latvia.
According to Larson, White found the tunes that generated the compositional material of "A Sephardic Life" in old books. Evocative titles like "I Fell In Love," "Night, and My Guitar," and "The Bridegroom Dances" set the imagination whirling along with the fingers of the string players. Their engagement in White's music was broadly and uninhibitedly expressive and dramatic.
Beethoven's Op. 3 String Trio in E-flat Major, published in 1797, completed the program. Like the Roland-Manuel, the Beethoven was an homage - this one to Mozart's E-flat Divertimento, K. 563, written in 1788, just three years before his death. Like Mozart's, it consists of six movements, including two menuet-trio pairs, and an Adagio in A-flat.
Unlike Mozart's, Beethoven's Trio was full of surprises, impetuous gestures, rhythmic hijinks and wit more reminiscent of Haydn, and a general impulse to push the limits of the classical style to their breaking point.
As cellist Fraser said in his introduction to the piece, "Beethoven is expanding the classical style here until you can hear the rivets popping!"
The musicians relished every twist and turn of Beethoven's invention, from the obsessive three-shorts-and-a-long rhythmic motto of the Andante (a figure that would etch his Fifth Symphony into the bedrock of music history only a decade later) to the unexpected holes in the rhythm of the first Menuet that would turn them into the "Scherzi" (Italian for jokes) of later opuses.
An overwhelming sense of enjoyment endeared the Adaskin musicians to their listeners. Their investment was infectious. Audience members swayed to the pulse of the Beethoven, eyes closed, faces smiling. A standing ovation immediately rewarded their performance, to which they responded with an encore of another Michael White movement, the lively "Circle Dance," from his string trio "Songs of My People."
The remaining concerts on this season of the Brick Church Music Series include an appearance on Feb. 12, 2017 by violinist Sirena Huang, and pianist Pi_Hsun Shih, and an organ recital by Patricia Snyder, Organist and Director of Music Ministry at Storrs, CT Congregatiocnal Church on Mar. 26. Suggested donation is $10.
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Outback Steakhouse is among those restaurants honoring servicemen on Veterans Day.
(Outback Steakhouse photo)
We're all deeply grateful for the sacrifices that the men and women who serve in the military make on our behalf.
Over the last several years, the restaurant industry has increasing come together on Veterans Day to honor those who've proudly spent time in uniform. Chain restaurants and individual operators alike have stepped forward to say "thank you."
This year, for instance, Friendly's Restaurants are once again treating veterans and active military alike to a free breakfast, lunch, or dinner on Friday.
The breakfast option will be Friendly's "Big-To-Do," a mix-and-match affair that features combinations of pancakes, French toast, and eggs. Coffee or tea is also included.
At lunch and dinner honorees can enjoy a complimentary All-American Burger with fries and a beverage.
A valid military ID or discharge card is required; participation may vary with location.
Meanwhile, Applebee's is offering veterans and active duty military a free meal from a limited menu, on Friday.
Veterans get a complimentary slice of Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake on Friday at Cracker Barrel, while active, inactive and retired military personnel get a free Build Your Own Grand Slam on Friday, 5 a.m. to noon, at Denny's.
IHOP restaurants are saying thanks with a free order of Red, White, and Blue Pancakes on Friday. Available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., the buttermilk pancakes are topped with glazed strawberries, blueberry compote, and whipped topping.
Proof of military service is required, and more information is available at ihop.com. Participation may vary with location.
On Monday, Nov. 14, Golden Corral Restaurants will observe their 16th Annual Military Appreciation Night, an occasion when Golden Corral honors active duty and retired military person with a free dinner buffet and beverage. The offer will be available from 5 until 9 p.m.; more details can be found at goldencorral.com/military.
Ninety Nine Restaurant and Pub locations will be offering veterans and active-duty military a free lunch with the purchase of an entree, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Friday.
Wayback Burgers will offer a free Wayback Classic Cheeseburger at participating restaurants nationwide to all active and former military personnel on Friday.
Chain steakhouses are also offering deals.
Outback promises a free Bloomin' Onion and beverage, as well as 15 percent discount on Friday. Rival Texas Roadhouse is offering a free lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Longhorn Steakhouse will give active duty military, veterans and their families a complimentary appetizer or dessert on Friday. Guests that dine with a veteran will also receive 10 percent off their meal.
For a comprehensive listing of Veterans Day discounts and freebies, visit military.com/veterans-day/retailers-veterans-day-military-discounts.html
Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College's hospitality and culinary arts program and has over 40 years of restaurant and educational experience. Please send items of interest to Off the Menu at the Republican, P.O. Box 1329, Springfield, MA 01101; Robert can also be reached at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com
HARTFORD
,Conn., A 10-year-old girl was shot in the face Sunday afternoon either in her Branford Street home or nearby.
The Hartford Courant reported that Hartford police said they were alerted to the shooting by a ShotSpotter activation at that address at about 3:45 p.m. The Shotspotter indicated 11 rounds were fired at that time.
By the time police arrived at the shooting scene, the little girl's father had taken her to the emergency room at Hartford Hospital.
Once she arrived, the emergency room was locked down as a precaution. That lockdown was lifted after the girl was transferred to Connecticut Children's Medical Center also in Hartford.
A Hartford Deputy Police Chief indicated in a Twitter posting that the girl's injuries were not considered life-threatening.
SPRINGFIELD - Two Westfield residents have been indicted for manslaughter for supplying drugs to a Westfield woman who died Feb. 10 at the age of 31.
Daryn Sampson, 33, and Gilka Rolon-Arroyo, 22, of 43 Washington St., are also charged with distribution of fentanyl, distribution of heroin, possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and possession of heroin with intent to distribute.
The victim is listed as Rebekah Swotchak of Westfield, according to indictments examined by The Republican at the Hampden Superior Court Clerk's Office.
Sampson was arraigned Nov. 4 in Hampden Superior Court where he pleaded not guilty to the five charges and bail was set at $50,000. Sampson's name had not been on the court docket for arraignment but he was picked up on a warrant issued from the grand jury indictment.
Rolon-Arroyo has not yet been arraigned.
According to the indictments, the manslaughter charge is for the Feb. 10 death of Swotchak. The drugs charges are for Feb. 4 and Feb. 9, also in Westfield.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni said, "The indictment of these two suspects on manslaughter charges shows our continued commitment to aggressively enforce the law against those who profit from addiction. As in this case, if there is nexus between a victim's fatal overdose and a drug dealer, we will investigate and prosecute these cases to the fullest extent of the law, up to and including charges of manslaughter."
There are two other similar cases pending in Hampden Superior Court.
Dyarel Wojtowicz, 28, of Springfield, faces a manslaughter charge and drug charges for his role in connection with the overdose death of Kaitlyn Leonard, 32, of Ludlow, on March 20, 2015.
Seth Lombard-Hawthorne, 22, is charged with manslaughter and drug charges in relation to the death of 16-year-old Lillian Anderson on the weekend of Feb. 6.
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Voters stand to vote at South Hadley High School for the Massachusetts Primary on Super Tuesday at South Hadley High School on 3/1/16. (Dave Roback / The Republican)
(Dave Roback, The Republican)
On Tuesday, Nov. 8 voters will be heading to the polls -- many of which are at local schools.
In Western Massachusetts, schools use this time to conduct professional development day, often because of the use of their school as a polling location.
In multiple states, including Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island, all schools are closed on Election Day.
President Barack Obama, John Kerry, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, now running for president herself, have advocated to make Election Day a federal holiday to increase voter participation. Although, legislation has never passed. It's also controversial as to whether or not it would increase voter participation. Slate reported that it would probably only increase participation for "well-to-do potential voters."
Check out whether your school is open on Election Day:
Be sure to sign up for MassLive text alerts for all school closings.
Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector
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
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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
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The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022
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
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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
Lively
Scott Lively
(Republican file photo)
SPRINGFIELD -- Anti-homosexuality Evangelist pastor Scott Lively has requested a judge toss out a "crimes against humanity" case against him before it can reach federal court.
The lawsuit, which Lively has called "absurd" and "completely frivolous," according to the Associated Press, accuses the pastor of contributing to the passage of Uganda's draconian 2014 anti-gay bill, making gays subject to life in prison, in some cases.
Filed in 2012 by East African LGBT advocacy group "Sexual Minorities Uganda," or SMUG, the lawsuit pertains to multiple visits Lively made to the country during which he likened homosexuality to a "disease" spread to children by Western sadists conspiring to "prey upon" the country's youth in presentations to high government officials in 2009 and 2012, according to Mother Jones.
Non-U.S. citizens can file suit U.S. court actions against parties for alleged violations of international law. The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights filed the suit for SMUG.
Lively also used the presentations to again air his oft-repeated positions that the Nazi Party was rife with "super macho" homosexuals "so far from normalcy that" "they're serial killers" "mass murderers" and "sociopaths. The genocide in nearby Rwanda, according to Lively, "probably involved" homosexuals of the kind, Mother Jones reported the pastor saying.
In the '90s, Lively attempted to require government in Oregon to not offer gays any "special rights" to gay people and that Oregon public schools teach homosexuality was "abnormal, wrong, unnatural and perverse," according to Mother Jones.
After Lively himself was accused of using Nazi tactics in his campaign -- the state saw a steep uptick in hate crimes against gays -- he set out to prove the Nazis were secret homosexuals. In 1995, he co-authored a book titled "The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality in the Nazi Party" along with Kevin Abrams.
In a scholarly review of the book, Jon David Wyneken, Associate Professor of History at Grove City College, wrote, "Responsible historians tend to cast a skeptical and cautious eye on any historical conclusions that appear reductionist, monocausal, and polemical in their conclusions."
He added, "In particular, books that use historical topics to score contemporary political points are often dismissed by scholars out of hand as not dealing with the past honestly. Anachronism is not the historian's goal or friend. While lessons can and should be drawn from history, these are not nearly as easy to arrive at as many think."
"Abiding Truth Ministries," the evangelist group Lively heads as president, has been designated a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center along with the likes of "Aryan Strikeforce" and the Nation of Islam, according to the "hate map" on its website.
Ugandan gay rights activists have been subject to harsh persecution and, in the case of some, like David Kato, brutally murdered.
Lively, who runs the church Redemption Gate Mission Society and owns the coffee shop Holy Grounds, both in Springfield, says he never advocated punishment of homosexuals, rather therapy.
But in other writings Lively specifically opined against empathy for homosexuals.
"Public sympathy for 'gays' as victims is not grounded in logic, but in emotion," Mother Jones quoted from a passage Lively penned. "An effective strategy is to emphasize the issue of homosexual recruitment of children."
A hearing will on Lively's request to toss the case will be held on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Springfield.
In 2015, Lively attacked The Republican for writing stories "often peppered with conclusory statements from a decidedly leftist perspective and deliberately poison the well against me by citing only facts that bolster the accusations of my opponents."
"Much of what the public falsely believes they know about my views and actions in the culture war is the fruit of this tactic and similar manipulative spin by pro-'gay' journalists throughout the industry," Lively wrote.
By MATT MURPHY
He's watched the New England Patriots on television with fans at a bar in Springfield. He's raked a homeowner's leaves in Lawrence. And he's knocked on doors on Cape Cod.
Over the past nine months, as the nation has been rapt by the contest to succeed President Barack Obama, Gov. Charlie Baker has been racking up miles across Massachusetts, lending his time, fundraising prowess and popularity to no fewer than 51 different Republican candidates seeking public offices.
Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito have taken part in at least 95 campaign events for GOP candidates since February, including at least 64 by Baker himself, according to a New Service review of his campaign schedule. The bulk of the events on Baker's schedule were listed as fundraisers, but there were also nine rallies and five door-knocking excursions.
Those events do not count the dozens of appearances he has made on behalf of Question 2 to expand access to charter schools and the "No on 4" campaign opposed to legal marijuana, or a number of additional candidates to whom he has lent his name without making an appearance.
"He's extremely helpful on the trail. He's the most popular governor in the country," said James "Chip" Harrington, a Ludlow School Committee member who is challenging incumbent Democratic Sen. Eric Lesser in Tuesday's election.
Baker's support for Harrington, who is challenging an incumbent, is something of an outlier. The governor has been forced to balance his desire to restore some semblance of bipartisanship to the heavily Democratic Beacon Hill establishment with the reality that the quadrennial presidential election cycle can be a tough slog for Republicans in Massachusetts.
Unlike Mitt Romney, who in his mid-term election in 2004 recruited 131 legislative candidates to challenge Democrats from the top to the bottom of the ticket, Baker has largely gone about his business of campaigning for Republican candidates without much fanfare.
Where Romney saw his "Team Reform" get swept at the polls and angered incumbent Democrats in the process, Baker has campaigned for just four challengers to incumbent lawmakers; Harrington versus Lesser; Caroline Collarusso versus Rep. Michael Day; Susan Laplante versus Sen. Barbara L'Italien; and Helen Brady versus Rep. Cory Atkins.
Asked if Baker had ever considered following Romney's blueprint, political advisor Jim Conroy said, "The governor's been happy to give his support and time to Republican candidates across the state, but has left it to them to make their own decisions on campaign strategy and tactics."
Peter Ubertaccio, chair of the Department of Political Science and International Studies at Stonehill College, said the governor's apparent strategy of defense first, offense second make sense politically.
"The governor is a good student of political history and there has been no real successful effort by Republican governors to significantly increase their numbers in the State House and seeing the writing on the wall he's very strategically chosen who he will support and how he will spend his time knowing that at the end of this cycle he's going to have to negotiate with significant Democratic majorities in both Houses," Ubertaccio said.
Baker joined Harrington on the trail on the Sunday before Halloween, dropping by Nathan Bill's Bar in Springfield to watch the second half of the Patriots victory over the Buffalo Bills. It was his third visit to the district to campaign for the part-time police officer and variety store owner who proudly refers to himself as a "Baker Republican."
"That means that I'm somebody who's fiscally conservative but certainly more open to social issues. In the Republican Party, I consider myself to be a moderate. I think he falls into that category as well," Harrington said.
Being a Baker Republican has also meant finding himself a governor without a candidate in the 2016 presidential contest. Baker backed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the Republican primary, but has been unwilling to fall in line behind the party's nominee Donald Trump.
While Baker believes Trump lacks the temperament to be president, he also disapproves of Hillary Clinton as a potential commander in chief and intends to blank the presidential race when he votes on Tuesday, according to an aide.
Having divorced himself from national politics, Baker has been free to campaign for down-ballot Republicans in Massachusetts, which can be a tricky endeavor during a presidential election year.
Clinton is widely expected to carry Massachusetts by a healthy margin on Tuesday, and in light of the demographics the MassGOP set its sights this cycle on trying to defend incumbent lawmakers and compete in targeted areas, such as the two races for open seats on Cape Cod, where it sees an opportunity.
That strategy is reflected in how Baker and Polito have been deployed this cycle.
Of the 51 candidates who have welcomed Baker and Polito on the trail this year, 30 are incumbent House and Senate lawmakers, three are incumbent sheriffs and one - Jennie Caissie - is an incumbent member of the Governor's Council. Baker also helped raise money for Rep. Geoff Diehl in his unsuccessful bid for a Senate seat during a special election earlier this year.
Republicans Dean Tran and Stephanie Peach also ran in special elections earlier this year with Baker's backing and lost, leaving seven Republicans on the ballot Tuesday who have benefited from Baker and Polito on the trail challenging for open seats and just four taking on incumbents.
Baker has also campaigned for Anne Manning-Martin, who is running for Essex County sheriff to replace retiring Frank Cousins; Brad Williams, who is challenging incumbent Governor's Councilor Robert Jubinville; and Linda Bond, who is running Barnstable County commissioner.
The governor has made no appearances on behalf of the four Republican congressional candidates on the ballot, while Polito did hold an Oct. 18 fundraiser for Mark Alliegro, the Falmouth Republican challenging U.S. Rep. William Keating.
If Republicans manage to pick up any seats on Tuesday night, it will be viewed as a win for Baker, but should the GOP lose even more ground Ubertaccio said the political risk to Baker is probably small.
"There's probably some risk among hardcore conservative elements within the Republican Party who may have some leftover anger for him over issues such as the transgender bill and they will blame him for not being more active in both recruitment or not campaigning enough, but the number of folks who will hold that position are likely very small and on the fringe of the Republican Party," Ubertaccio said.
William Crocker, a former radio jockey who now works at the Bristol County House of Correction helping inmates earn their high school diplomas, is one of Baker's backed candidates hoping to turn a blue seat red.
Crocker welcomed Baker on three different occasions to Barnstable where he is running for retiring Democratic Rep. Brian Mannal's open seat, and ahead of Baker's most recent door-knocking visit last Thursday said there's no doubt about the benefits of having a sitting governor on the trail by his side.
"Absolutely. He's one of the most popular governors in the country," Crocker said.
harrington lesser.jpg
Sen. Eric Lesser (D-Longmeadow) is facing off against Republican challenger James "Chip" Harrington in the First Hampden and Hampshire district.
Both Democratic State Sen. Eric Lesser and Republican challenger James "Chip" Harrington have attracted some high profile supporters in their race for the First Hampden and Hampshire District Senate seat.
Lesser, who won his seat in 2014 after serving as a White House aide for President Barack Obama, secured Obama's endorsement last week. He has also been endorsed by both of Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.
Harrington's campaign has relied heavily on the endorsement of Gov. Charlie Baker, who Harrington has described as a political model for his brand of moderate Republicanism. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito has also offered her support to Harrington, who is a part-time police officer, convenience store owner and school board member in Ludlow.
Here is a list of the people and organizations backing each candidate, according to each campaign:
Harrington:
Gov. Charlie Baker
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito
The National Correctional Employees Union, which represents 400 correctional workers in Hampden County.
Springfield City Councilor Tim Rooke
Chicopee City Councilor Gerry Roy
Chicopee City Councilor Tim McLellen
Chicopee City Assessor Vic Anop
Former State Rep. Mary Rogeness
Ludlow Board of Selectman Derek DeBarge
Ludlow School Committee Member Patricia Gregoire
Ludlow School Committee Member Mike Kelliher
Ludlow School Committee Member Chad Mullin
East Longmeadow Town Councilor Don Anderson
Belchertown Board of Selectman Archie Archible
Former Springfield School Committee Member Bob McCollum
Former Candidate for District Attorney Michael Kogut
Former Belchertown Board of Selectmen Jerry Grasso
Lesser:
President Barack Obama
Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey
Reps. Richard Neal, Seth Moulton, Joe Kennedy and Jim McGovern
Environmental advocacy groups: The Environmental League of Massachusetts, Sierra Club, Clean Water Action
Massachusetts Nurses Association
MassEquality
Labor groups: Massachusetts Teachers Association, American Federation of Teachers, National Association of Social Workers, Massachusetts Nurses Association, AFL-CIO, United Food and Commercial Workers, SEIU 1199, SEIU 888, IAFF 1847, Massachusetts Organization of State Engineers and Scientists, State Police Association
Planned Parenthood
NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts
Democratic Hampden Sheriff nominee Nick Cocchi
Sheriff Michael Ashe
Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno
Springfield City Councilors Kateri Walsh, Justin Hurst and Bud Williams
The Springfield Republican
State Reps. Ellen Story, John Scibak, Brian Ashe, Angelo Puppolo, Carlos Gonzalez, Aaron Vega, Ben Swan, Jose Tosado
State Sens. Stan Rosenberg, Linda Dorcena Forry, William Brownsberger, Sal DiDomenico, Joseph Boncore, Jamie Eldridge, Cynthia Stone Creem
Longmeadow officials: Richard Foster, Mark Gold and Tom Lachiusa, Jessica Hutchins, Elizabeth Bone, Michael Clark, John Fitzgerald and Jake Oliveira
Belchertown officials Gary Brougham, Bill Barnett and Brenda Aldrich
Chicopee officials Michael Pise and Deborah Styckiewicz
East Longmeadow officials Kevin Manley, Michael Kane, Eric Madison, Dierdre Mallioux and Bill Fonseca
Granby officials Mark Bail, Louis Barry and Marie McCourt
Hampden Selectman John Flynn
Springfield School Committee members Denise Hurst and Chris Collins
Wilbraham Select Board member Sue Bunnell
Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee members Sean Kennedy and Peter Salerno
Hampden County Clerk Laura Gentile
Hampden County Registrar of deeds Donald Ashe
Hampshire County Registrar of Deeds Mary Olberding
Update: After the publication of this story, Chicopee City Councilor Frank LaFlamme told MassLive he had not endorsed Lesser.
Tomorrow doctors to visit Hovhannes Harutyunyan (video)
Member of Sasna Dzrer group Hovhannes Harutyunyan will be under the supervision of the Ministry of Health. Deputy Minister Vahan Poghosyan promised the relatives, who visited the Ministry, to immediately send a specialist to the hospital for convicts. Just today we will form a new professional group, which will be sent there. They will go and see what he needs, will see the tactics of treatment and will organize their work, said the Deputy Minister. Tamara Harutyunyan, sister of Hovhannes Harutyunyan, has recently alarmed on the health condition of her brother. The sister claims that her brother needs immediate surgery, but the doctors postpone it for different reasons. When I learnt the news on possibility of cutting his leg, I went crazy. When Hovhannes stands up, his legs are different, the ailing leg has grown thin. The difference between legs is shocking, explains Tamara Harutyunyan. I dont think that the doctors have failed in their work during the treatment. I spoke to the doctor, all the medical examinations have been done, opposed Vahan Poghosyan. Before applying to the Deputy Minister, the citizens concerned about the health condition of Hovhannes Harutyunyan, were in the office of Human Rights Defender. They demanded from the Ombudsman to mediate so that the delegation including doctors and relatives of Hovhannes Harutyunyan can visit him. The relatives also demand urgent surgery. Ombudsman has already turned to the authorities on this issue. To remind, member of Sasna Dzrer group Hovhannes Harutyunyan was transferred to the hospital for convicts on July 26 after the shooting near Erebuni police regiment. He is charged with seizure of buildings and illegal possession and carrying of armaments.
"Its been said that leadership is making important but unpopular decisions. Thats certainly a partial truth, but I think it underscores the importance of focus. To be a good leader, you cannot major in minor things, and you must be less distracted than your competition. To get the few critical things done, you must develop incredible selective ignorance. Otherwise, the trivial will drown you."
Tim Ferriss, bestselling author, host of The Tim Ferriss Show
Adam and Jordan Bornstein
Full Story: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/270486
Current technology wont meet the ultimate standards for the amounts of total nitrogen and phosphorus that are allowed to be in wastewater, say Camp and Fitzwater, so whatever the city spends for upgrades it cant buy what it needs.
A $100 million bill for wastewater plant improvements to further treat wastewater and move toward meeting more stringent standards is a low number, Camp said of what the city and ratepayers could face.
Add in all of the extra equipment to remove enough total nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as address limits for copper and zinc in wastewater and the overall cost rises to $150 million or more, said Mark Fitzwater, the citys wastewater plant superintendent.
The monthly bill for residential and commercial property owners, Camp said, "goes through the roof."
AL KNAUBER Independent Record
Full Story: http://helenair.com/news/politics/city-county/wastewater-disposal-standards-could-drain-ratepayers-wallets/article_725f4d7e-e590-56c9-9ec7-fabba6a6e78a.html
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"Every batch that we have run through this plant, the final product has come back with zero detect for any nutrients."
Clean water technology from Missoulas Clearas Water Recovery could have global impact http://www.matr.net/article-73910.html
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Billings prepares for largest public works upgrade in state history http://www.matr.net/article-74028.html
Stanford scholars explain what has worked and what they think should be changed in the Affordable Care Act, and what the next administration should consider doing about health care reform.
By Alex Shashkevich
Full Story: http://news.stanford.edu/2016/11/02/affordable-care-act-steps-new-government-take/
by Larissa Faw , November 7, 2016
Women who have broken that 3% barrier to climb to the top of the business world have had quite a journey. Sexist bosses, wage inequity, brutal online comments. Carla Harris, vice chairman, managing director, Morgan Stanley, Colleen DeCourcy, global executive creative director, Wieden + Kennedy, and Lori Senecal, global CEO, CP+B joined moderator Carter Murray, worldwide CEO, FCB to discuss the unvarnished truths about their triumphs and setbacks during the 3% Conference in New York City last week.
It's hard for women to succeed in a world that isn't always fair, says Morgan Stanley's Harris. She advises women to understand the concept around currency, both performance and relationship. Performance currency is "delivering what was asked of you and a little bit extra. It works just like a stock market. It will create a reputation, early on, it will get you paid and promoted. It will attract a sponsor. That is the person spending their capital on you."
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However, performance currency starts diminishing once "you created a new standard of excellence." There is no longer a premium when you work harder and longer than others since that is expected of you.
Relationship currency, on the other hand, is the currency generated by "investments you make of the people in your environment," says Harris. In other words, your professional network. This currency is the function of somebody's judgements on whether you are ready, whether you will advance, and whether they will follow you. "How many people use their currency on who they don't know?" asks Harris. People need both professional and relationship currency in order to ascend at work. "Performance may get your name on the short list, but when your name is called behind closed doors, if no can speak on your behalf, you aren't getting the job," says Harris.
Panelists advise women need to stop being eager to appease everyone. As FCB's Murray notes, ambition is used as a positive for men, but negative for women.
"A willing creative is a B-player at best," says WK's DeCourcy. "You will always be reliable. You will always get pushed out on the okay briefs." She recommends that women take risks and focus on one stunning piece of creative each year that will "kill it." She says to sit back and wait for it rather than chase after mediocrity. "Fear has no place in your success equation. If you take a risk and you fail, it now gives you experience," says Harris.
There are critics watching from sidelines, says CP+B's Senecal. Even last week, someone called her charm-free, steely, and heartless. "Your responsibility as a leader is to create a bright future. It is amazing to see how they rally around you," she says.
Women need to encourage other females. "It is one thing to not post mean things," says DeCourcy. "But please go in to support [with positive comments]. It will drown out assholes who are bitter," she says.
Women can't let ingrained expectations discourage their career aspirations. "Every time you come into a company, you really have to earn trust and respect of the team," says Senecal. She tells how she was the first female to join a board of directors and the initial piece of communications was 'good morning gentlemen.' Change doesn't happen overnight. "You have to work at building those relationships, she says. But setting the mission and vision for a company will bring both men and women towards the same goal.
by Richard Whitman , Columnist, November 6, 2016
Remember when people in human resources didn't have fancy titles and were, you know, titled for what they actually did rather than the far more fancy vernacular of today? But really, human resources director?
Yuck. That sounds like herding human flesh from one cube farm to another rather than stroking the egos of insecure "talent" who, God forbid, see themselves as a lowly "resource."
No. Now we have chief talent officers because, you know, there aren't already enough ridiculously titled CxO individuals in an agency already. What's next? Chief Reception Officer?
Anyway...
Teaming together, Arnold Worldwide and Havas Media Boston have hired Minnie Damle as their chief talent officer. In this role, Damle will help both Arnold and Havas Media improve the integration of their talent across creative and media as well as oversee a team that will support talent hires, performance management, employee relations and cultural initiatives for Havas Village Boston, specifically, Arnold Worldwide in Boston and New York and Havas Media Boston.
On joining Arnold and Havas, Damle said, "I am delighted to be joining a team that truly sees the merits of integration and I look forward to further driving a collaborative culture in which our people and agencies can flourish."
No word on whether or not Damle will, you know, hire people to do jobs.
Damle will work within the Havas Village model which is said to meet the evolving needs of today's clients, and brings all communications offerings under one roof. Which, of course, is wicked new because no one's ever done the integrated agency thing before. 1988 is calling and wants its glory days back.
Havas Village Boston comprises creative agency Arnold Worldwide, media agency Havas Media Boston, healthcare communications agency H4B and performance marketing agency Havas Edge. There are more than 45 Havas Villages around the world.
Prior to joining Arnold and Havas, Damle was VP of human resources (wait, what, no fancy title?) at social/digital agency VaynerMedia and oversaw the doubling of the agency's size in a year.
Before VaynerMedia, Damle worked at Omnicom's The CDM Group where she designed a program to help integrate the healthcare communication company's downtown group of specialty providers enabling each to attract talent most relevant to their unique cultures. So, in English, she hired the right people for the right job.
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by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, November 7, 2016
Facebook has been slammed with a potential class-action lawsuit accusing it of violating federal civil rights laws by publishing housing and job ads that discriminate against minorities.
"Facebook has operated and is operating an advertising platform ... that publishes, and causes to be published, discriminatory and illegal housing and employment advertisements," the users allege in a class-action complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. "By clicking on a button labeled 'Exclude People,' ad buyers ... can prevent their ads from being displayed to users matching characteristics such as 'African American (US),' 'Asian American (US),' or 'Immigrant.'"
The lawsuit was brought by three Facebook users -- New York resident Karen Savage, Gretna, Louisiana resident Victor Onuoha and Suzanne-Juliette Mobley of New Orleans -- who say they have looked at Facebook ads for housing and jobs in the last year.
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They claim that Facebook's race-based ad targeting options violate the Fair Housing Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Those laws prohibit companies from publishing housing or job ads that discriminate based on factors including race, religion, sex and national origin.
Their lawsuit comes around one week after ProPublica reported that Facebook enables advertisers to prevent their ads from being shown to users who belong to certain "ethnic affinity" groups -- including people the social networking believes have an ethnic affinity of black, Asian-American and Hispanic.
ProPublica reported that it was able to use Facebook's self-service tool to create an ad for an event aimed at renters, and then block it from pages of users with black, Asian-American or Hispanic ethnic affinities.
Facebook's Christian Martinez, head of multicultural marketing, responded to ProPublica's report by stating that the company's policies prohibits advertisers from excluding minorities from job or housing ads. "If we learn of advertising on our platform that involves this kind of discrimination, we will take aggressive enforcement action," he wrote.
He added: "We will also remove an ad from our platform if the government agency responsible for enforcing discrimination laws tells us that the ad reflects illegal discrimination.
But the people who are suing Facebook say the company needs to do more. "No user can tell whether they are subject to illegal discrimination, because the discrimination occurs with the ads they do not see. As a result, the problem will not be remedied unless Facebook is forced to take additional action," the complaint states.
News of Facebook's ad-targeting options also sparked complaints by lawmakers. Last week, members of the several black lawmakers urged CEO Mark Zuckerberg to revise the race-based targeting exclusions.
It's not clear whether Facebook may be liable for discriminatory housing or job ads posted by outside companies. The federal Communications Decency Act broadly immunizes Web services providers from liability for activity by users. But in 2008, a federal appellate court refused to dismiss a lawsuit accusing Roommates.com of offering discriminatory housing ads. The court said in that case that Roommates may potentially be liable if it helped "develop" illegal ads.
by Sara Guaglione , November 7, 2016
After 13 years asmagazines publisher, Larry Burstein is stepping down to pursue other entrepreneurial opportunities. The 63-year-old told thethat he is not retiring, after making the announcement to staffers in an email Friday.
There is a lot of value locked up in legacy properties, and I hope to help people unlock that value, he said of his future pursuits.
CEO of New York Media Pam Wasserstein will search for Bursteins replacement. The next publisher will instead be called Chief Revenue Officer.
Burstein will stay on board until after his successor has been on the job for a few weeks to help the transition.
Wasserstein is the daughter of Bruce Wasserstein, who bought New York magazine for $55 million in 2004. He passed away five years later at the age of 61. Wasserstein took on the role of CEO last May, replacing Anup Bagaria.
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In the 13 years under Bursteins leadership, New York magazine cut its print publication from a weekly to a biweekly circulation and increased its Web presence with different verticals, such as The Cut for fashion and Grub Street for food and restaurants.
What Ive done is take a print title with a small circulation and turn it into a media property with 30 million people looking at seven sites, Burstein told the Post. I myself was transformed from a print sales guy into someone who understood the new media world.
Some 60% of the companys revenue now comes from digital, he added.
This year, New York magazine launched a new tech vertical, Select All, run by formereditor Max Read.
The hormone responsible for romantic attachment and parental bonding might also influence our empathy, according to a new study. Researchers came to this conclusion by examining patients with neurological conditions that cause a low level of oxytocin. Share on Pinterest Patients with low oxytocin might also have low empathy as a result of their medical condition. Oxytocin is a hormone produced in the hypothalamus, which is a very small part of the brain that controls many of our bodily functions, including our appetite, thirst, sleep, mood, and libido. The hormone is secreted and stored by the pituitary gland, a pea-sized organ at the base of our brain that regulates many vital bodily functions, such as metabolism, physical growth, sexual maturation, and reproduction. Oxytocin has earned the nickname the love hormone because we secrete it when we form bonds with our romantic partner, our children, and even our pets . It is released during sex and childbirth to aid and facilitate reproduction. It is also secreted when we stare into the eyes of our loved ones, or when we hug them. The love hormone has been shown to regulate social behavior, as it increases feelings of trust and prompts pro-social and moral behavior. Oxytocin reduces aggression and stress levels. New research strengthens the link between empathy and oxytocin, by examining how patients with low oxytocin levels respond to empathy tasks.
Oxytocin increases empathy Oxytocin levels have been previously linked to empathy. Some studies have suggested that increasing oxytocin improves cognitive empathy and helps with social adaptation in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A study of 13 participants with autism found that after inhaling oxytocin, patients displayed stronger interactions with the most socially cooperative peers and reported greater feelings of trust. Other studies have shown that oxytocin also increases emotional empathy and enhances socially reinforced learning in healthy men. In fact, oxytocin might selectively help us remember things we learned in a positive social environment, and forget what we learned in a highly stressful learning context.
Reduced empathy in neurology patients with low oxytocin Researchers from the University of Cardiff in the United Kingdom looked at patients with medical conditions that might have impaired their oxytocin production. The conditions researched were cranial diabetes insipidus (CDI) and hypopituitarism (HP). In CDI, the body produces reduced levels of arginine vasopressin, which is a hormone similar to oxytocin and also produced in the hypothalamus. In HP, the pituitary gland does not produce enough hormones. The researchers hypothesis was twofold: first, oxytocin levels were expected to be lower in patients with CDI and HP. Second, it was predicted that lower levels of oxytocin would decrease empathy in these patients. Led by Katie Daughters, from the Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute at the University of Cardiff, the research team examined a total of 55 individuals, of whom 20 had CDI, 20 had HP, and 15 were healthy controls. Daughters and colleagues took saliva samples from the participants both before and after the empathy tests, which consisted of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes task and the Facial Expression Recognition task. These tests revealed lower levels of oxytocin in both CDI and HP patients, but not low enough to be statistically relevant. However, both CDI and HP patients performed significantly worse in empathy tests than their healthy counterparts. CDI and HP patients performed much worse in both identifying high-intensity facial expressions and reading someones mind in their gaze. The participants ability to recognize facial expressions was accurately predicted by their oxytocin levels. Patients with the lowest oxytocin levels also performed the poorest in the facial expression recognition task. The study was presented as a conference abstract by Daughters and team at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in the U.K.
Mothers in therapy for drug and alcohol use recover faster if their children take part in their treatment sessions, according to a first-of-its-kind study.
Researchers found that women who were in family therapy - which included their 8- to 16-year-old children - showed a quicker decline in alcohol, marijuana and cocaine use over 18 months compared to mothers who were in individual therapy.
This is the first study to examine the effectiveness of family therapy for mothers who are substance users, said Natasha Slesnick, lead author of the study and professor of human sciences at The Ohio State University.
"Interpersonal stress, especially within the family, has been shown to be an important factor in drug and alcohol abuse," Slesnick said. "So it makes sense that having mothers and children working together in therapy can help moms with substance use problems do better over time.
"Family therapy is not generally part of the treatment options for substance-using mothers, but this study suggests it should be."
Slesnick conducted the study with Jing Zhang, a postdoctoral researcher at Ohio State. The study appears in the current issue of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.
The study involved 183 mothers who were seeking outpatient treatment and met diagnostic criteria for having an alcohol or drug use disorder. All had at least one biological child aged 8 to 16.
Some of the mothers were placed in a 12-session program called Ecologically Based Family Therapy. EBFT focuses on improving social interactions, emotional connectedness and problem resolution skills among family members.
Other mothers were assigned to an individual therapy program called Women's Health Education.
All participants were assessed at the beginning of the study and then three, six, 12 and 18 months later.
Substance use was assessed using structured interviews with the mothers in which the researchers calculated the percentage of mothers' total days of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and opioids use in the past 90 days.
For the EBFT group, the mother and child participated in a 10-minute interaction task at the beginning of the study and six and 18 months later. The researchers watched the interaction and rated the mother and child relationship quality.
Results showed that all mothers showed reduced alcohol, marijuana and cocaine use over time, but mothers in the family therapy saw their substance use decrease more quickly.
The exception involved opioids, such as heroin - mothers reported similar decreases in use after both the individual and family therapies.
"Different drugs affect family dynamics in different ways, and we need more research to determine why opioids respond differently to family therapy," Slesnick said.
Family therapy is probably more helpful to moms battling most substance use issues than individual therapy because it deals with the family stresses that contribute to drug and alcohol use, she said.
The researchers hoped that assessing differences in the mother-child interaction before and after treatment would help them determine whether changes in these family dynamics were the key to the success of family therapy, but the results did not confirm that link. Slesnick said she still believes the link is there, but that there weren't enough subjects in the study to prove it.
Preliminary data from upcoming studies by the researchers suggests that family therapy is not only good for the mothers - it helps their children's mental health, as well.
"Children are usually not included in the treatment plans of their mothers, but they should be. They already have to deal with their moms' substance use in many ways. Being part of the therapy can help both them and their mothers," she said.
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Article: Family systems therapy for substance-using mothers and their 8- to 16-year-old children, Slesnick, Natasha; Zhang, Jing, Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, doi: 10.1037/adb0000199, published September 2016.
Men are more likely to develop colorectal cancer or its precursors than women. A new study conducted by MedUni Vienna shows that known risk factors do not explain this difference between the sexes. However, the research team led by Monika Ferlitsch was able to confirm that smoking significantly increases the risk of developing the precursors of colorectal cancer and have shown that the habit endangers women more than it does men. The results also emphasise the importance of colonoscopy as a preventive measure.
In Austria, approximately 5,000 people every year develop a malignant colorectal tumour. A large number of these cases could be averted by a preventive colonoscopy, because this procedure is able to identify and remove the precursors of colorectal cancer, so-called adenomas. It is interesting that men are twice as likely to develop adenomas than women.
In a recently published study, a team led by Monika Ferlitsch from the Department of Medicine III and Comprehensive Cancer Center of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital, investigated whether this difference could be explained by lifestyle factors. Ferlitsch: "We wanted to know whether men possibly led a less healthy lifestyle, which could explain the reason for their higher risk of colorectal cancer. So far there are very few gender-specific data available for the colon but such data are becoming increasingly important for developing prevention plans.
25,409 patients were involved in the study, 50.8% of whom were women. The first stage involved assessing traditional risk factors such as Body Mass Index, alcohol consumption, smoking, cholesterol level, blood glucose and blood pressure and then performing a colonoscopy.
Increased risk among men unexplained, smoking promotes tumours in general
The results are surprising: a person's gender seems to have more influence upon whether they develop colorectal cancer, or its precursors. It would appear that lifestyle is of secondary importance in this context. Smoking is the one exception to this. Smoking increases the probability of developing adenomas in both genders. In men, the risk of adenomas increases by 46% over non-smokers; in women by 76%; the risk of advanced adenomas is 100% higher in women who smoke than in those who don't. The researchers have not, as yet, discovered the reasons for this.
Says Ferlitsch, also in view of World Bowel Health Day[U1] on 7 November: "Since we are unable to assess the probability of a person developing colorectal cancer or its precursors on the basis of risk factors alone, colonoscopy is still the means of choice when it comes to preventing this type of cancer. Both men and women over 50 should have a regular colonoscopy."
Although the understanding of cough triggered by occupational and environmental causes has improved, experts say there is still a gap between current guidelines and clinical practice. A report by the CHEST Expert Cough Panel published in the journal CHEST suggests an approach to investigating occupational and environmental causes when these are suspected. The report has been endorsed by professional associations in the U.S., Canada, and Asia.
Coughing is one of the most common reasons people visit a family doctor. Chronic cough can be triggered when a person is exposed to certain irritants in the air and can be of little consequence, or it can be a symptom of more significant disease.
The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) first published evidence-based guidelines on the diagnosis and management of cough in 1998 and updated these guidelines in 2006. Since the previous statement, there has been an increased understanding of the mechanisms of cough related to environmental triggers. There have also been several studies that have clarified laryngeal disorders leading to chronic cough and the role of occupational and environmental triggers for laryngeal causes of cough.
For the purpose of this latest report, experts reviewed occupational and environmental contributions to chronic cough with a focus on factors not covered in the 2006 Cough Guideline. They provided suggestions for investigating and managing these factors when suspected.
"We recently identified ten general chronic cough guidelines and protocols, but only the three published since 2006 included advice on detailed occupational and environmental assessments. One additional cough statement focused entirely on occupational cough," explained lead investigator Susan M. Tarlo, MBBS, FCCP, of Toronto Western Hospital, and University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. "However, of the 28 cohort studies of patients with chronic cough that specifically noted that they followed guidelines or protocols, none provided details regarding occupational and environmental assessments, suggesting a gap between recommended guidelines and clinical practice."
The CHEST Expert Cough Panel performed a comprehensive literature search using the MEDLINE and TOXLINE literature databases, supplemented by articles identified by the panel's occupational and environmental subgroup members, to identify occupational and environmental contributions to chronic cough. The literature review identified relevant articles regarding mechanisms, allergic environmental causes, chronic cough and the recreational and involuntary inhalation of tobacco and marijuana smoke, nonallergic environmental triggers, laryngeal syndromes and occupational diseases and exposures.
The subgroup developed guideline recommendations or suggestions, which then underwent review and voting by the full cough panel. Consensus-based statements were developed for the approach to diagnosis due to a lack of strong evidence from published literature.
The panel makes four main recommendations for examining adult patients with chronic cough:
Occupational and environmental causes should be routinely elicited in the history, including length, severity, and timing of the exposure in relation to the onset or worsening of the patient's cough, smoking history and atopic history, reviewing Material Safety Data Sheets and/or occupational hygiene reviews of the patient's workplace, and the time period between last exposure and medical evaluation
Where the history suggests an occupational or environmental cause, the panel suggests lung function testing and when appropriate rhinolaryngoscopy (a method for examining the nose and throat)
Where there is a history of occupational or environmental exposure, the panel suggests a number of objective tests such as sputum cytology, before and after exposure methacholine tests to demonstrate potential causality, immunologic tests, and tests for chronic beryllium disease
Where there is a high suspicion that cough is due to environmental and/or occupational exposures, the panel suggests that these patients be managed according to evidence-based guidelines for these exposures and/or be referred to specialists with expertise in environmental and occupational disease
"There is a need for further documentation of occupational and environmental causes of cough and to close the gap between guidelines and clinical practice," commented Tarlo. "Identifying occupational and environmental causes of chronic cough can affect symptom management and offers opportunity for exposure control and prevention in the future."
This report has been endorsed by the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, the American Association for Respiratory Care, the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology, the Canadian Thoracic Society, and the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association of Canada.
Article: Occupational and Environmental Contributions to Chronic Cough in Adults : Chest Expert Panel Report, Susan M. Tarlo, MBBS, FCCP, Kenneth W. Altman MD, PhD, John Oppenheimer, MD, Kaiser Lim, MD, Anne Vertigan, PhD, MBA, BAppSc (Sp Path), David Prezant, MD, and Richard S. Irwin, MD, Master FCCP, on behalf of the CHEST Expert Cough Panel, doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2016.07.029, CHEST, published online 10 August 2016.
SEOUL, South Korea
Nov. 7, 2016
Agustin de la Calle
Byoung S. Kwon
Europe
Europe
France
$1.2B
Berlin, Germany
Berlin
Harvard Medical School
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Seoul, South Korea
David Schull
Kristin Ko
/PRNewswire/ -- Eutilex Co. Ltd. today announced that it has appointed, Ph.D., as chief business officer. In this capacity, Dr. de la Calle will focus on the establishment of licensing, co-development, joint research and investment opportunities involving Eutilex's preclinical and clinical-stage pipeline of immuno-oncology candidates. He will report to, Ph.D., the company's founder and CEO.Dr. de la Calle has close to 20 years of business development experience with international companies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. His expertise encompasses a wide range of business transactions involving platform technologies, therapeutics and diagnostics with a focus on oncology products."Our immuno-oncology programs are at a development point where we are attracting the attention of multiple pharma companies," said Dr. Kwon. "Agustin has the right experience and industry relationships to help Eutilex as we aim to broaden our work outside of Korea. This includes our adoptive T cell therapy technology, which has produced product candidates that are advancing into mid-stage studies. We have seen excellent results with a high degree of manufacturing success and a low degree of toxicity that is often associated with these types of therapeutics. Under Agustin's leadership, we will evaluate partnership opportunities for the development of this technology in the U.S., EU and Asian markets. In addition, we will explore a range of business opportunities for our preclinical antibodies that target the immune check point inhibitors and activators for oncology indications.Prior to joining Eutilex, Dr. de la Calle was an executive consultant for Korea Health Industry Development Institute, a division of the South Korean government that supports Korean companies in market entry activities, product partnering and financing in the U.S. and. Previously, he served as vice president of business development for Gemmus Pharmaceuticals. Earlier in his career, he was vice president of corporate and business development at The NDA Group, a company that has facilitated development of more than a third of the pharmaceutical products approved inDr. de la Calle has also served as head of business development at Innate Pharma, S.A. (), where among other key accomplishments, advanced the development of alliances and licenses of strategic importance for the company's successful IPO and its successful product launch. He was also director of business development at Micromet where he helped start the licensing business of the scFv IP portfolio. Micromet's success with the BiTE approach led to its acquisition by Amgen forDr. de la Calle holds an M.S. in physics from the Freie University of. His Ph.D. in biochemistry was awarded from the Freie University ofafter he conducted research focused in protein crystallography and structure-function relations at. He conducted his postdoctoral work and business studies at theBased in, Eutilex is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of anti-tumor T cell and antibody therapeutics for the treatment of cancers and autoimmune diseases. The most advanced drug candidate is an adoptive T Cell therapy, which has finished Phase 1 clinical trials and will begin Phase 2. Other pipeline candidates in development include monoclonal antibodies, EU-101, EU-102 and EU-103. For more information, please visit http://eutilex.com/eng/home.php.Editor's Note: Photograph of Dr. de la Calle available on requestor, Ph.D. Russo Partners, LLC (212) 845-4271 (212) 845-4292 david.schull@russopartnersllc.com kristin.ko@russopartnersllc.com
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eutilex-names-agustin-de-la-calle-chief-business-officer-300358293.html
SOURCE Eutilex Co. Ltd.
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The findings of the study prove that antibodies alone can confer protection in adults and developing fetuses from Zika.
in adults and developing fetuses from Zika. It also indicates that a vaccine that could elicit protective antibodies in women also may protect their fetuses in ongoing as well as future pregnancies. A vaccine might be the cheapest and ideal way to prevent Zika related birth defects.
in ongoing as well as future pregnancies. A vaccine might be the cheapest and ideal way to prevent Zika related birth defects. A vaccine currently undergoing human trials, has not been tested yet in pregnant animals. This new study provides strong evidence that it could be effective in protecting fetuses as well.
Until a vaccine becomes available, antibodies administered to pregnant women might be effective in protecting their fetus. It is suggested that a woman in a Zika-endemic area could be given the antibodies throughout her pregnancy, irrespective of whether she has been infected or not.
The authors are in the process of developing the antibody as a potential therapeutic, and laying the foundation for human studies.
Additionally, they are keen on determining if these antibodies might be effective in clearing persistent Zika infection.
The researchers isolated an antibody from the blood of persons known to have had Zika virus infection previously.The antibody,, was found to neutralize all lab strains of the virus tested, namely the African, Asian and American types, covering the global diversity of the virus.Next, the authors wished to test the efficacy of the ZIKV-117 antibody in pregnant mice and protection of developing fetal mice against the effects of the virus. To this end, the antibody was given to pregnant mice either one day prior to or one day after being infected with the virus.The results of the study included the following The antibody wascompared to pregnant mice that were not administered the antibody. Damage to the placenta is known to cause growth retardation, and even fetal death, both of which have been described in Zika virus infections in pregnant women. "We did not see any damage to the fetal blood vessels, thinning of the placenta or any growth restriction in the fetuses of the antibody-treated mice," said co-author Indira Mysorekar, PhD, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and of pathology and immunology at Washington University, and co-director of the University's Center for Reproductive Sciences. "TheFurther, the antibody ZIKV-117 was alsocompared to those that did not, implying that the antibody might help combat active infection as well.The researchersThe antibody passed the test with flying colors, even when given five days after the initial infection."We stacked the deck against ourselves by using a highly pathogenic strain of Zika, and even in that case, the antibody protected the mice," said Diamond, who is also a professor of pathology and immunology, and of molecular microbiology.The authors claim that the naturally occurring antibodies isolated from humansand fetal damage.There is aThis has been seen with dengue virus, a close relative of Zika.People who already have antibodies against one strain of dengue virus get severe illness if infected with a second strain of the virus later. The phenomenon, termed antibody-has been seen with Zika virus in a petri dish (in vitro) but never been described in animals or in epidemiologic surveys of people living in Zika-endemic areas.The researchers also tested if they could eliminate the chance of antibody-dependent enhancement by altering the antibody so it could not participate in the process."We know that Zika can persist in certain parts of the body, such as the eyes and the testes, where it can cause long-term damage, at least in mice," Diamond said. "We showed that the antibody can prevent disease, and now we want to know whether it can clear persistent infection from those parts of the body."Source: Medindia
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Concerted international efforts to implement FLS services, spearheaded by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Capture the Fracture program, have helped to increase the number of services worldwide, including in the Asia-Pacific region. In Singapore, FLS pioneers and leading experts from Australia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, and Thailand will present their experiences, challenges and outcomes in a dedicated session.Dr C.-H. Chen, Dept. of Orthopaedics, Kaoshsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Province of China presented results of a study of 229 patients of two affiliated hospital FLS which follow the 13 Capture the Fracture Best Practice Standards. The study found that the FLS was able to increase the rates of assessment and treatment, and has reduced mortality rates after fracture based on comparison with a 2009 study of hip fracture patients without the benefit of FLS services. The Kaoshsiung Medical University FLS has received gold star achievement rating (60%) in the Capture the Fracture Best Practice Recognition Program. (Abstract OC05)A Thai study of the FLS at the Police General Hospital, Bangkok, assessed the outcomes for hip fracture patients who participated at the hospital's fracture service. It was found that, compared to a previous study, FLS improved the treatment rate of osteoporosis (from 40.8% to 80%) and helped to prevent secondary osteoporotic fractures (30% to 0%). The Police General Hospital FLS has received gold star achievement rating (72%) in the Capture the Fracture Best Practice Recognition Program. (Abstract P244)A study from the Department of Orthopedics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei City, evaluated the outcomes of a local FLS network which includes five hospitals. All hospitals provided falls prevention services, lifestyle assessments and medication review as part of the FLS. The FLS network was able to significantly increase the rates of bone mineral density (BMD) assessment and osteoporosis treatment with 85.1% of the female and 76.7% of the male patients receiving medication. The National Taiwan University Hospital FLS has received gold star achievement rating (60%) in the Capture the Fracture Best Practice Recognition Program. (Abstract P239)Facts on the implementation of the first official FLS service in Malaysia, at the Assunta Hospital, Petaling Jaya, were also presented. After a period of trial and protocol revision, the FLS was accepted as a standard service for in- and out-patients, aged 50 years and older, presenting to the hospital with a low trauma fracture. It is hoped that the model will be adopted by other hospitals in Malaysia. (Abstract P146)Professor Cyrus Cooper, Chair of the IOF Committee of Scientific Advisors, stated, "Due to its vast and rapidly ageing populations, the Asia- Pacific region is in urgent need of effective FLS to stem the growing tide of osteoporosis-related fractures. These essential services are still rare in the Asian-Pacific and we hope that the strong FLS focus at the 6th Asia-Pacific Osteoporosis Meeting will serve to encourage the implementation of FLS more widely in hospitals throughout the region."The IOF Regionals are taking place at the Singapore Convention & Exhibition Center from November 4-6, 2016. Abstracts from the meeting will be published in ''.Source: Eurekalert
The following is an overview of statements on the U.S. presidential elections that appeared in the Russian media or were made by officials:
Pushkov Tweet Mania:
Senator and former chair of the International Affairs Committee of the State Duma, Aleksey Pushkov, (@Alexey_Pushkov) wrote in his Twitter account: "According to various estimates more than 1.8 million 'dead souls' will participate in the U.S. elections. The dead won't vote for Trump. You should ask the dead about the outcomes of these elections."
(Twitter.com/Alexey_Pushkov, November 1, 2016)
In another tweet, Pushkov wrote: "The goal of the informational policy of the Obama administration is to raise anti-Russian hysteria to the level of 1950s. Clinton, as Cold War ideas supporter, acts alike."
(Twitter.com/Alexey_Pushkov, November 2, 2016)
Senator Pushkov also wrote in his Twitter account: "Many Americans, who are 'disgusted' by Trump's sex-lexicon, risk the lives of their sons in the wars that the US will be involved in, should Clinton be elected".
(Twitter.com/Alexey_Pushkov, October 16, 2016)
The Quote That Had Amanpour In Stitches:
On October 12, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was interviewed by Christiane Amanpour on CNN International.
Amanpour: "Can I just file one last question? One last question, a bit cheeky but I'm going to ask you. Russia had its own Pussy Riot moment. What do you think of Donald Trump's Pussy Riot moment?"
Sergey Lavrov: "Well, I don't know whether this would... English is not my mother tongue and I don't know whether I would sound decent. There are so many pussies around your presidential campaign on all sides that I prefer not to comment."
Amanpour: "Oh, my goodness! I wasn't expecting that! All right, thank you again."
(Mid.ru, October 12, 2016)
Lavrov during the interview with Amanpour. (Source: Mid.ru, October 12)
Vladimir Dixit:
On October 16, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin answered questions from Russian journalists following the BRICS Summit.
Question: "Mr. President, did you know you are featured in the new episode of the cartoon The Simpsons? You are boosting Trump in it. What is your actual preference? You have been asked many times - Clinton or Trump? And one more question: the U.S. Vice President [Joe Biden] said recently that we cannot influence the U.S. election results. Frankly, are we even trying to interfere? Do we even need to?"
Vladimir Putin: "What did he say, precisely? We cannot fundamentally affect them. So the reporter needed to press him: not fundamentally, or not at all? He seemed to be acknowledging that we actually could play a role, but I would like to reassure you all, including our American partners and friends: we have no plans to influence the election campaign in the United States.
"The answer is very simple: we do not know what will happen after the U.S .President is elected. Ms. Clinton chose her aggressive rhetoric and aggressive stance with regard to Russia, and Mr. Trump, on the contrary, is calling for cooperation, at least against terrorism.
"We will certainly welcome anyone who wants to work with us, and no, we are not interested in quarrelling constantly with anyone, which only creates threats to oneself and the world, or at the very least makes it harder to achieve the desired results in the fight against terrorism.
"We do not know what will happen after the election. We do not know whether or not presidential candidate Trump will follow through on his intentions, how far he will go in cooperation with us, whether Ms. Clinton will stick to her harsh anti-Russian rhetoric if she is elected President, or maybe she will also adjust her position. We cannot know this now.
"I will repeat this again: sacrificing Russian-American relations for the sake of internal political events in the US is harmful and counterproductive. This is not the first time. Look at all the previous election campaigns - it's the same story again and again, as I said.
"And then they whisper in our ear: 'Just wait it out. This will pass, and things will go back to normal.' You know, this is not even funny anymore. But if someone wants a confrontation, it is not our choice. Confrontation means problems. We do not want that. On the contrary, we would like to find common ground and work together to address global challenges facing Russia and the United States and the world."
(Kremlin.ru, October 16, 2016)
See Video: Homer Votes 2016 | Season 28 | THE SIMPSONS
On June 17, 2016, Russia's President Vladimir Putin addressed the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). The plenary session was followed by Q&As, moderated by CNN host Fareed Zakaria.
Zakaria: "Let me ask you, Mr President, about another democracy that is having a very different kind of drama. You made some comments about the American Republican presumptive nominee, Donald Trump. You called him brilliant, outstanding, talented. These comments were reported around the world. I was wondering, what in him led you to that judgment, and do you still hold that judgment?"
Vladimir Putin: "You are well known in our country, you personally. Not only as a host of a major TV corporation, but also as an intellectual. Why are you distorting everything? The journalist in you is getting the better of the analyst. Look, what did I say? I said in passing that Trump is a vivid personality. Is he not? He is. I did not ascribe any other characteristics to him. However, what I definitely note and what I definitely welcome - and I see nothing wrong about this, just the opposite - is that Mr. Trump said that he is ready for the full-scale restoration of Russian-US relations. What is wrong with that? We all welcome this! Don't you?"
Zakaria: "...Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State. In your very long questions and answers with the Russian people, you made a joke when somebody asked you about her - you said, I think that the Russia idiom is, the husband and wife is the same devil. And what it means in the English version is, it's two sides of the same coin. What did you mean by that, and how did she do as Secretary of State? You dealt with her extensively."
Vladimir Putin: "I did not work with her, Lavrov did. Ask him. He is sitting here. I was not a foreign minister, but Sergey Lavrov was. He will soon tie [Soviet Foreign Minister Andrey] Gromyko. (Addressing Sergey Lavrov.) How long have you been in office?
I worked with Bill Clinton, although for a very short time, and we had a very good relationship. I can even say that I am grateful to him for certain moments as I was entering the big stage in politics. On several occasions, he showed signs of attention, respect for me personally, as well as for Russia. I remember this and I am grateful to him..."
(Kremlin.ru, June 17, 2016)
MEMRI TV Clips:
Senior Russian TV Host: The U.S. Establishment May Not Recognize the Elections Results If Trump Wins
Senior Russian TV host Dmitri Kisiliov said that the Democrats would be likely to falsify the elections results in Clinton's favor, but that in the event of a Trump win, they would blame the results on Putin. He was speaking on the Russia 1 federal TV channel on October 30.
(MEMRI TV Clip No. 5734, October 30, 2016)
Senior Russian TV Host Dmitri Kisiliov: They May Kill Trump
Senior TV host Dimitri Kisiliov said that "the American establishment is merciless" and that given Donald Trump's stance on Russia, he may be killed.
(MEMRI TV Clip No. 5670, September 11, 2016)
MEMRI Special Dispatches:
Member Of The State Duma International Committee Milonov: 'Clinton Is A Cursed Witch! That's Why Even A Funny Guy Like Donald Trump Looks More Normal'
Ahead of the US elections, a member of the State Duma's International Committee, Vitaly Valentinovich Milonov was interviewed by Komsomolskaya Pravda's live radio broadcast on Russia-US relations and on his vision of Russian society.
(MEMRI Special Dispatch No.6667, November 7, 2016)
Putin At The Valdai Club: 'Does Anyone Seriously Imagine That Russia Can Somehow Influence The American People's Choice? America Is Not Some Kind Of 'Banana Republic'... Do Correct Me If I Am Wrong'
Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the final session of the Valdai International Discussion Club's 13th annual meeting in a session lasting three-and-a-half hours. This year's theme was: "The Future in Progress: Shaping the World of Tomorrow." Concerning US-Russia relations, Putin described as 'hysteria" the US" accusations that Russia is meddling in the American presidential elections. Putin said: "You would think that the election debates would concentrate on these and other unresolved problems, but the elite has nothing with which to reassure society, it seems, and therefore attempt to distract public attention by pointing instead to supposed Russian hackers, spies, agents of influence and so forth." He then added: "I have to ask myself and ask you too: Does anyone seriously imagine that Russia can somehow influence the American people's choice? America is not some kind of 'banana republic', after all, but is a great power. Do correct me if I am wrong."
(MEMRI Special Dispatch No.6658, November 1, 2016)
Director General Of Pro-Kremlin Think-Tank: 'If Hillary Clinton Can Be Compared To The Brain Of The U.S. Political System, Donald Trump Is Its Spinal Cord'
The Director General of the pro-Kremlin Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), Andrey Kortunov, posted on the website of the pro-Kremlin think-tank Valdai Club an overview of the present relations between Russia and the United States. Concerning the two presidential candidates, Kortunov defined Hillary as a "predictable secondary school teacher," whereas Donald Trump is more likely is more likely to surprise the international community, and described him as the "troublemaker in the back of the class." However, regardless of the outcome, Kortunov assessed that the election is bound to put US.-.Russia relations on hold at least to late January.
(MEMRI Special Dispatch No.6657, October 31, 2016)
Russian Cartoons On The U.S. Elections
The main cartoons' leitmotif is that both Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump are inadequate for the job of U.S. president. There is no shared monolithic view shared by Russian politicians and political commentators, but Trump is perceived as someone who can foster U.S.-Russia relations. Chairman of the Upper House Committee for Foreign Affairs, Konstantin Kosachev, said that Trump has little political experience and he does not yet understand that spontaneous decisions are not always optimal ones, even though Trump's victory would open "a window of possibilities" between Russia and the U.S.
(Special Dispatch No.6555, August 4, 2016)
Vitaly Podvitsky, Sputniknews.com, July 27, 2016.
Sputniknews.com comments on the above cartoon: "Despite all the skeletons in her closet, Hillary Clinton was officially nominated as the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. It seems like nothing can stop the first ever female presidential candidate from being nominated, except herself which is quite apparent from the recent DNC email leak?"
Russian Cartoons On Obama's Legacy
The cartoons envision Obama inter alia working as a waiter at McDonald's and as a pizza delivery boy, once his term of office as U.S. president expires.
(MEMRI Special Dispatch No.6538, July 22, 2016)
Twitter.com/13studiya, March 7, 2016.
November 2016. Obama: "I'll be back"
January 2017. Obama delivering a pizza to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry: "I told you that I'll be back!"
President Of Pro-Kremlin Think Tank RIAC: Clinton, The Policy Professional, Preferable To Novice Trump
Igor Ivanov, the President of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), and a former Russian Federation foreign affairs minister (1998-2004) attempted to prepare his readers for Hillary Clinton's expected victory. Ivanov realizes that Russian public and elite opinion dislikes Clinton as "obsessed with human rights" and believes that Donald Trump can turn the page on US-Russia relations as he is not bound by Obama's legacy. Moreover, the Russian elites have bitter memories of former U.S. president Bill Clinton whom they view as the architect of NATO's eastward expansion into countries that were formerly Warsaw Pact members or Soviet republics.
(MEMRI Special Dispatch No.6535, July 21, 2016)
Twitter.com/sharzhipero, May 23, 2016.
On the table badges: candidate Hillary Clinton, candidate Donald Trump.
Statue of Liberty: Can I see all of them [all candidates for the U.S. presidency]?
U.S. President Barack Obama: That's all of them
Statue of Liberty: Oh, f**k..
Russian Commentator On U.S. Elections: Clinton Is Better For Russia
Rotislav Ischenko, an analyst for 'Russia Today' had an interesting take on the American elections. While the Russian public prefers Trump because he is viewed as an antagonist of the American elite epitomized by Hillary Clinton, Ischenko is rooting for Clinton.
(MEMRI Special Dispatch No.6529, July 19, 2016)
Annual Q&A Televised Marathon: A Direct Line To Vladimir Putin
On April 14, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin answered questions from the nation in his annual Q&A session on the Direct Line program broadcast live on Channel One, Rossiya-1 and Rossiya-24 TV channels, and Mayak, VestiFM and Radio Rossii radio stations. During the Direct Line, Putin said: "First [U.S. President George H. W.] Bush Sr. was in power there, later on [U.S. President George W.] Bush Jr. - all from the same family. [U.S. President Bill] Clinton was in power for two terms and now his wife is laying claim to this position, and the family may remain in office. What does this have to do with turnover? As the saying goes, 'Husband and wife are a single devil,' and they will be at the helm. I am not saying this is all bad. There are pros and cons to it."
(MEMRI Special Dispatch No.6391, April 19, 2016)
Hope Lutheran Church is pleased with the result from their sixth annual benefit concert for United Hospice Service of Marlette Regional Hospital. There were 147 people in attendance to enjoy performances by four choirs, three soloists, three duet performances, a three person act, a group performance and a mass choir act.
Hope Lutheran Church Pastor Chris Laughlin presented Hospice Director Shelli Greschaw with a check for $2,838. Over the last six years, this concert has raised more than $12,000 for the hospice program. All funds will assist in providing care to hospice patients and their families. (Submitted Photo)
Rich Harp/For the Tribune
UPPER THUMB Huron County resident and writer Sue M. Healy has recently released a new historical book entitled "Pinnebog Remembered." The 58-page book is filled with historical information, photographs and plat maps from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. This extensive collection of historical artifacts and information depicts the history of the once thriving village, located at the intersection of Kinde and Pinnebog roads.
"I have always loved Pinnebog," Healy said. "As a little girl, I was blessed to have been able to spend much time there because my aunt and uncle owned the Champagne General Store in downtown Pinnebog. Over the years, I have been saddened to watch the town diminish and lose nearly all of its stores and businesses. I hope that by interviewing long-time Pinnebog area residents and documenting their memories, I will be able to capture some of the rich history of this community and preserve it for future generations."
It is difficult to imagine while driving through Pinnebog today, that at the turn of the 19th Century, Pinnebog had two doctors, a cheese factory, wagon makers, blacksmiths, a huge hotel with livery and saloon, three general stores, a gristmill, harness shop, a hall, four area churches, and more, Healy said.
For several years, the writer has been collecting old photographs, post cards and other memorabilia.
"I actually started working on the book in 2013," Healy said.
At one point, she experienced a catastrophic computer failure, and lost everything.
She was discouraged, but she was determined to complete the work. She set a mental goal to have it finished by the annual Pinnebog Reunion in 2016.
"I have two to three years, off and on, invested in this book," Healy said.
Yet, with all the work invested, she expects to gain no personal profit from the book. All funds raised from its sale will go to the Pinnebog Preservation Society.
Healy said she regularly went on Lady's Line and put many ads in the Huron Daily Tribune asking people for different types of photographic images to help complete the book. She went on to say Doris Ross was one of her biggest contributors. Ross has compiled a large scrapbook on many villages in Huron County. It was filled with post cards and photos, and she loaned it to Healy for use in the book.
Healy plans to publish a second edition in about two years. She hopes area residents with old post cards, photographs, newspaper clippings or other memorabilia will contact her to be interview or to loan these items for the next book. She can be contacted at 989-375-4139 or at susanbug1@gmail.com.
The book can be purchased at the Bad Axe Ace Hardware for $12.95.
One edition also can be checked out at the Bad Axe District Library.
UPPER THUMB On Nov. 16, USA Gleaner Arbor will present, the Positively Rockin assembly to the kids at the USA Elementary School.
The program runs 45 minutes. The program is a hands-on musical celebration that will be customized to tie in directly with the schools character education theme. It features beautiful musical instruments, lots of student participation and interactive songs about developing special talents, doing your best and working with teachers and peers.
ALLETE, Inc. operates as an energy company. The company operates through Regulated Operations, ALLETE Clean Energy, and Corporate and Other segments. It generates electricity from coal-fired, biomass co-fired / natural gas, hydroelectric, wind, and solar. The company provides regulated utility electric services in northwestern Wisconsin to approximately 15,000 electric customers, 13,000 natural gas customers, and 10,000 water customers, as well as regulated utility electric services in northeastern Minnesota to approximately 145,000 retail customers and 15 non-affiliated municipal customers. It also owns and maintains electric transmission assets in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois. In addition, the company focuses on developing, acquiring, and operating clean and renewable energy projects; and owns and operates approximately 1,000 megawatts of wind energy generation facility. Further, it is involved in the coal mining operations in North Dakota; and real estate investment activities in Florida. The company owns and operates 158 substations with a total capacity of 10,066 megavolt amperes. It serves taconite mining, paper, pulp and secondary wood products, pipeline, and other industries. The company was formerly known as Minnesota Power, Inc. and changed its name to ALLETE, Inc. in May 2001. ALLETE, Inc. was incorporated in 1906 and is headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota.
Synchrony Financial, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a consumer financial services company in the United States. It provides credit products, such as credit cards, commercial credit products, and consumer installment loans. The company also offers private label credit cards, dual cards, co-brand and general purpose credit cards, short- and long-term installment loans, and consumer banking products; and deposit products, including certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, money market accounts, and savings accounts to retail and commercial customers, as well as accepts deposits through third-party securities brokerage firms. In addition, it provides debt cancellation products to its credit card customers through online, mobile, and direct mail; healthcare payments and financing solutions under the CareCredit, Pets Best, and Walgreens brands; payments and financing solutions in the apparel, specialty retail, outdoor, music, and luxury industries; and point-of-sale consumer financing for audiology products and dental services. The company offers its credit products through programs established with a group of national and regional retailers, local merchants, manufacturers, buying groups, industry associations, and healthcare service providers; and deposit products through various channels, such as digital and print. It serves digital, health and wellness, retail, home, auto, powersports, jewelry, pets, and other industries. Synchrony Financial was founded in 1932 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.
Suncor Energy Inc. operates as an integrated energy company. The company primarily focuses on developing petroleum resource basins in Canada's Athabasca oil sands; explores, acquires, develops, produces, transports, refines, and markets crude oil in Canada and internationally; markets petroleum and petrochemical products under the Petro-Canada name primarily in Canada. It operates through Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; Refining and Marketing; and Corporate and Eliminations segments. The Oil Sands segment recovers bitumen from mining and in situ operations, and upgrades it into refinery feedstock and diesel fuel, or blends the bitumen with diluent for direct sale to market. The Exploration and Production segment is involved in offshore operations off the east coast of Canada and in the North Sea; and operating onshore assets in Libya and Syria. The Refining and Marketing segment refines crude oil and intermediate feedstock into various petroleum and petrochemical products; and markets refined petroleum products to retail, commercial, and industrial customers through its other retail sellers. The Corporate and Eliminations segment operates four wind farms in Ontario and Western Canada. The company also markets and trades in crude oil, natural gas, byproducts, refined products, and power. The company was formerly known as Suncor Inc. and changed its name to Suncor Energy Inc. in April 1997. Suncor Energy Inc. was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
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.
With one recruit in critical condition and another dead in separate incidents within a week of each other at Parris Island, South Carolina, a Michigan lawmaker is calling on the Marine Corps to provide information about what happened, saying she is committed to 'getting to the root of the issue.'
Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Democrat, said in a statement that she wants a quick and complete investigation into the two most recent incidents.
"I want the facts on Friday's tragedy, but the loss of a second recruit raises serious questions. I am committed to getting to the root of this issue," she said. "The men and women who sign up to serve our country should not be dying in boot camp, and this third incident within eight months must be investigated thoroughly and expeditiously."
The death of a Marine recruit Nov. 4 after he was found unconscious in his bed is the second tragic death of a recruit this year.
His name was Zachary R. Boland, 18, said Capt. Gregory Carroll, a spokesman for Parris Island. He was assigned to 2nd Recruit Training Battalion and was pronounced dead just after 9:30 p.m. at Beaufort Memorial Hospital after being discovered an hour and a half before.
"The command has directed an investigation regarding this incident per standard operating procedures," Carroll said. "The investigation is ongoing."
In March, Marine recruit Raheel Siddiqui, 20, died by suicide after jumping from the third story of a building at 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, an incident that was found to be prompted by Siddiqui's abuse at the hands of a drill instructor who berated and slapped him.
Siddiqui was a constituent of Dingell's, and she made multiple inquiries to the Marine Corps on behalf of his family as the Corps investigated his death and evidence of hazing within his unit.
Boland's death comes just a week after another recruit fell from the second floor of a building at Parris Island and was severely injured Oct. 29, an incident that NCIS officials have said appears to be a suicide attempt.
That recruit has not been publicly identified, but multiple sources confirmed to Military.com his name was Kristian Gashaj, the son of Albanian immigrants. According to a GoFundMe page set up to raise funds for his medical expenses, Gashaj is 18 and from Sterling Heights Michigan, and is now on life support with a 5-percent chance of survival.
Marine officials say the investigations indicated the culture of hazing and abuse was limited to 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, one of four training battalions at Parris Island. Some 20 drill instructors, officers, and senior leaders are expected to face punishment for perpetuating or enabling the hazing of recruits, and several are likely to face criminal charges. Those actions have yet to be announced.
--Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
The Marine Corps is investigating after an F-35B Joint Strike Fighter based out of Beaufort, South Carolina, recently caught fire in mid-air, Military.com has learned.
The incident happened Oct. 27 at Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, a fleet replacement squadron for the Marine Corps consisting of 20 F-35B aircraft. One of the aircraft experienced a fire in the weapons bay while conducting a training mission over Beaufort, 1st Lt. John Roberts, a spokesman for 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, told Military.com.
"The aircraft landed safely and there were no injuries sustained," he said. "An investigation is ongoing and we will provide updates as they are available."
No estimate of damage caused by the fire was available. The incident was listed by the Naval Safety Center as a Class A mishap, meaning damage totalled $2 million or more on the $100 million aircraft.
The squadron didn't observe any kind of grounding or operational pause as a result of the mishap, Roberts said.
The F-35 program has suffered several setbacks due to aircraft catching fire, though previous incidents involved the Air Force's F-35A conventional take-off and landing variant.
In June 2014, an F-35A caught fire upon takeoff at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, prompting the Defense Department to ground the entire F-35 fleet as it investigated the incident. This move forced the Marine Corps to postpone what was to have been the F-35B's international debut at the Farnborough International Airshow that summer.
The damage to the aircraft in that incident came to more than $50 million and was determined to have been caused by a rotor arm that detached and came through the aircraft's upper fuselage, cutting fuel and hydraulic lines in its trajectory.
More recently, in September, an F-35A from the 61st Fighter Squadron caught fire in the aft section of the aircraft after its engine was started, forcing the pilot to exit the aircraft.
In an unrelated issue, the Air Force grounded 15 F-35As the same month due to failing coolant tube insulation.
For the Marine Corps, this incident comes at a crucial time for the aircraft, as the first operational F-35B squadron, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, prepares to forward-base from Yuma, Arizona to Japan in January, ahead of a sea deployment in the Pacific early the following year. The aircraft is now completing its third and final round of at-sea developmental tests aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America off the coast of San Diego, and is expected to complete them later this month.
-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
Related Video:
A new 12-page handbook released by the Navy today describes in detail when and how a sailor can complete a gender transition, down to how transgender sailors can participate in urinalysis tests and when it is appropriate to wear clothing of a preferred gender during visits to foreign ports.
The guidance also contains a caution for sailors hoping to transition: they will be expected to pass the physical fitness requirements of their preferred gender immediately on transition, and are expected to take the initiative to train to those standards in advance.
As of Oct. 1, sailors were allowed to begin the process to change their official gender designation in personnel systems in accordance with a Pentagon mandate. Beginning in November, the Navy will dispatch mobile training teams to all major commands to explain the new policies and what they mean for the fleet. By July of next year, the Navy and all the other armed services will be accepting transgender applicants into ranks.
But the new guidance from the Navy makes clear that readiness will remain a top priority, even as sailors transition.
"There are no separate or distinct standards for transgender Service members," the Navy administrative message containing the new guidances reads. "Service members and [military medical providers] must carefully consider the time required to adjust to new PRT standards as part of the medical treatment and transition planning process."
The Navy's physical readiness test, or PRT, has different requirements for men and women at every age group. For example, male sailors between the ages of 20 and 24 max out the PRT with 87 push-ups, a 1.5-mile run in 8 minutes, 30 seconds or less, and a 500-yard swim in six minutes, 30 seconds. Women in the same age group need to complete only 48 push-ups, a 1.5-mile run in 9 minutes, 47 seconds, and a 500-yard swim in seven minutes, 15 seconds to max out.
Meanwhile, height and weight standards also differ for male and female sailors. A male sailor who is within standards at 5' 3", 155 pounds and plans to transition to female must then meet standards for female sailors, which set the maximum weight for that height at 152 pounds.
Only a military medical provider can determine if a medical waiver is justified for sailors who are out of standards as they transition, the guidance states.
When and how to transition
In order to complete a gender transition while in uniform, sailors must receive an official diagnosis from a military doctor indicating that gender transition is medically necessary, according to the guidance. That diagnosis, along with a medical treatment plan, then must be reported to the appropriate unit commanding officer to for approval of the timing of medical treatment, taking into consideration when the sailor will rotate to another command, deployment and other operational schedules, and how the transition will affect career milestones. If a specific case requires immediate medical treatment, the guidance states it will be treated like any other medical emergency affecting a sailor. In these cases, the sailor may be transferred to limited duty status and "result in an unplanned loss to the command," according to the Navadmin.
The commanding officer must respond to transition requests within 90 days, according to the new policy. The CO is allowed to take into account impact to the current mission, including "morale, welfare, and good order and discipline of the command," when determining timeframe to respond to transition requests.
Gender transition treatment plans will differ from sailor to sailor and may include behavioral health counseling, hormone therapy, surgery, and real-life experience, the Navy's term for for dressing and behaving in public as the preferred non-birth gender.
Sailors are allowed to begin participating in real-life experience before their gender transition is complete and their official gender has been changes in the personnel enrollment system, but must do so only in off-duty status, according to the guidance. All official unit functions, on-base or off, are considered to be on-duty status for sailors, making them off limit for real-life experience outings. And sailors deployed aboard ship face significant limitations: whether working or not, they are considered on-duty on ship at all times. While they can venture out in the clothing of their preferred gender during foreign port visits, these too are subject to restrictions and cultural sensitivities of the country in question.
"Commands need to be cognizant of host-nation laws and social norms when considering RLE in an off-duty status in foreign nations," the guidance states. "Travel warnings, the State Department's country-specific website, the DoD Foreign Clearance Guide, and any U.S. regional military commander directives should be reviewed and heeded."
During transition, some missions may be off-limits for sailors. Transitioning sailors will be restricted from flying and diving ops during medical treatment and there may be limitations for sailors who have access to nuclear weapons, and chemical and biological weapons.
"The Navy's bureau of Medicine is studying the effects of medical treatments associated with gender transition on members of the aviation and diving communities," officials with Naval Personnel Command said in a statement.
Gender transition is only complete after a military doctor documents that the service member has completed required medical treatments and written permission from the commanding officer to change the official gender marker in the appropriate personnel administrative systems. While Defense Department guidance says no sailor may be kicked out of the service on the basis of being transgender, sailors are advised to consider the needs of the service when choosing how and when to transition. Transition should be completed during one tour of duty to avoid interrupting medical treatment and requiring additional coordination and a new transition plan, which may disrupt operational requirements at a new command. And transition during boot camp or service academy training is not advised.
"A service member is subject to separation in an entry-level status during the period of initial training based on a medical condition that impairs the Service member's ability to complete such training," the guidance states.
Keeping the fleet comfortable
As a result of transgender sailors being permitted to serve openly, the entire fleet may get a little more modest.
Nudity in berthing and shower facilities is out, according to the guidance, and sailors must maintain a "minimum standard of coverage" walking through spaces, while sleeping, and while using bathrooms and washrooms, in order to show courtesy for others and maintain good order and discipline, according to the guidance.
Unit commanders are prohibited from creating exclusive berthing or bathroom facilities for transgender sailors, but are expected to use their discretion to enact appropriate policies to ensure the protection of privacy for individual sailors.
For urinalysis drug tests, which require that one sailor observe another procure the urine sample, the observer will be another of the same designated gender. But there may be adjustments to ensure the relative comfort level of the observer and the observed. These will be written into a future policy, the Navadmin states.
Though the details may be challenging, Navy officials said the service wants to make sure all qualified personnel find their place in the fleet.
"Our goal is to ensure that the mission is carried out by the most qualified and capable service members," officials with Naval Personnel Command said in a statement. "If an individual can meet the Navy's standards, they should be afforded the opportunity to serve."
-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
The Cold War had settled in after World War II and the Korean Conflict. It was a new kind of war with weapons no one had imagined a few years earlier. But Americans were soon to learn how quickly the world could heat up again.
Barry Hertzog, now 73, was one of a new generation of military servicemen keeping the peace through technical devices and sophisticated machines. He was serving in the U.S. Navy as an aviation electrician from 1962 to 1968, stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, when the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) went head to head over Russia's installation of nuclear missile bases in Cuba.
This year, the world marked the 54th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis. After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961, when Cuban rebels backed by the United States tried to invade Cuba, the alliance between Cuba and the Soviet Union grew stronger. Cuba invited the Russians to install ballistic missile facilities on the island.
Information gathered by low-flying spy plane pilots confirmed the presence of the missile bases in Cuba, just 90 miles from the United States. President John F. Kennedy ordered a naval blockade to end delivery of missiles from the USSR to Cuba. Tense negotiations from Oct. 16 to 24, 1962, between U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, brought the two countries dangerously close to nuclear war before an agreement was reached.
Hertzog was an aviation electrician repairing electrical and flight stabilization equipment, pilot controls and instrumentation on planes in squadron VFP-62. Hertzog wasn't a pilot, but he and his 38-man unit were vital in gathering data and maps of Soviet-made silos on Cuba during the heat of the crisis. The F8U Crusaders - single engine supersonic jets with high-tech cameras for gathering intelligence - flew as low as 200 feet off the ground.
"We had to be on every aircraft carrier on the east coast and Europe," Hertzog remembers. "They called us 'rag tag' outfit, always going in and out, back and forth." It was an exciting time. "Our planes would come in with a big bang popping illumination flares and taking pictures in the middle of the night, while breaking the sound barrier. We knew Khrushchev was lying about not having any missile sites in Cuba. Everybody was on high alert."
Was he afraid?
"We were all 18 to 20 years old," he said. "We weren't afraid of anything."
The crisis didn't last long, but it earned a prominent place in history. It is the subject of the movie "Thirteen Days," among other books and movies.
Most of the squadron's memos, spy photos and maps were sent directly to the White House for analyzing as the Cold War was heating up. Hertzog and his unit were awarded the Navy Unit Commendation Metal by President Kennedy at their base in Jacksonville.
About 25 years after the Cuban missile crisis, the VFP-62's Cpt. William B. Ecker, then retired from the military, wrote a memoir about the incident, but did not publish it. That task later fell to another member of the unit, Kenneth Jack. The book, released in 2012, was Blue Moon over Cuba: Aerial Reconnaissance during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It details the crisis from the perspective of the men who experienced it, not the politicians most often associated with it. Hertzog was among the many people who contributed material for the book. A website, http://www.vfp62.com/cuban.html, contains comments from veterans about the crisis, many related photos and historic information. The book is available on Amazon.com.
Hertzog, 73, and his wife, Brenda, have lived in the Rolling Hills neighborhood west of 28th Avenue since 1982. He is retired from sales in the areas of medical equipment and building supplies.
The Hertzogs have two grown children, and travel to visit them in South Carolina and Kansas. At home, keeping busy is not a problem. "There's always yard work," he said.
He also took on a project recently that required many hours and a long walk down memory lane. Hertzog collected his photos and other memorabilia and organized them on display boards. He used them in a presentation for the Hudsonville-Jenison Civil Air Patrol. Other groups in the area that would like to contact him for a presentation may e-mail him at bh22@windstream.net.
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Voters throughout Washtenaw County will determine the fate of a number of contested local and state races, as well as some ballot proposals.
(MLive)
ANN ARBOR, MI - Aside from the obvious fact that it's a presidential election, there's a lot for voters in the Ann Arbor area to decide on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Voters throughout Washtenaw County will determine the fate of a number of contested local and state races, as well as some ballot proposals.
Here's a quick overview of what's on the ballot locally.
One of the biggest local issues that voters throughout Washtenaw County (along with Wayne, Oakland and Macomb) will decide on Tuesday is whether a 20-year, 1.2-mill tax for regional transit, including commuter rail between Ann Arbor and Detroit and a host of regional bus services, is approved.
New regional transit plan: What's in it for Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti?
Opposing groups making final push for and against regional transit tax
Majority of Ann Arbor council members back regional transit tax proposal
Other proposals on Tuesday's ballot include a 0.5-mill countywide tax for roads and pedestrian/bicycle paths, a 0.1-mlll countywide tax for veterans relief, an Ann Arbor city charter amendment to double City Council terms and get rid of odd-year elections, and some other local proposals, including in Augusta Township, Ypsilanti Township, Whitmore Lake schools, and the Dexter District Library.
There are two groups that have taken opposing sides on the Ann Arbor election reform proposal. Read their arguments here:
In Michigan's 7th Congressional District, which includes most of Washtenaw County outside the immediate Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti areas, there's a closely watched race between Republican incumbent Tim Walberg, Democrat Gretchen Driskell and Libertarian Ken Proctor.
See where Michigan's 7th District Congress candidates stand on the issues
$4M in contributions fuel Driskell, Walberg congressional campaigns
In Michigan's 12th Congressional District, which includes Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Democratic incumbent Debbie Dingell faces four challengers.
Three candidates are competing in the 52nd District race to represent northern and western Washtenaw County in the Michigan House.
Three candidates are seeking the 53rd District seat representing Ann Arbor in the Michigan House.
Two candidates are seeking the 54th District state House seat representing the Ypsilanti area.
State Rep. Adam Zemke, D-Ann Arbor, is defending his 55th District seat against Republican challenger Bob Baird.
Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton, a Democrat, is defending his seat against Republican challenger Ken Magee.
Voters will decide between incumbent Judge Kirk Tabbey and his challenger, Robin Stephens, a Washtenaw County public defender, for the only contested judge seat in the county, a seat on the 14A District Court bench.
There are some contested races for seats on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners.
Who will represent Ann Arbor's west side on the county board in 2017?
What are the top issues facing Washtenaw County? Candidates discuss
Find out priorities of Washtenaw County Commission District 1 candidates
5th District county commission candidates share plans if elected
On Ann Arbor's west side, City Council Member Chuck Warpehoski, D-5th Ward, is being challenged by David Silkworth, an independent.
Ten candidates are competing for two seats on Washtenaw Community College's board of trustees
Eight candidates are competing for four seats on the Ann Arbor District Library board.
Eight people are competing for three seats on the Ann Arbor Public Schools board of education.
There also are local school board races in other parts of the county.
Ten candidates are vying for two seats on the University of Michigan Board of Regents.
Eleven candidates are competing for two seats on the State Board of Education.
Six candidates are competing for two seats on the Michigan Supreme Court.
There also are races for the Michigan State University and Wayne State University governing boards that voters across the state will decide.
To learn more about the issues and the candidates competing in the various races locally and across the state, check out MLive's Voter Guide.
To see a sample ballot or find out where to vote on Tuesday, visit the state's voter information website. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
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Four-star General Earl O'Loughlin and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Peter Lemon speak at Tawas Area High School Friday, Nov. 11.
(Courtesy Photo)
TAWAS CITY, MI -- The public has a chance to hear a retired four-star general and a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient speak at a Veterans Day ceremony next week.
Tawas Area Schools is honoring two of its graduates -- U.S. retired four-star General Earl O'Loughlin and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Peter Lemon -- during a special Veterans Day Assembly at 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11.
The public is invited to join roughly 800 students in the Iosco County school district's high school gymnasium, 255 W. M-55, in Tawas City. Reserved seating is available for all veterans.
At 8:30 a.m., before the assembly, school officials are unveiling a permanent display honoring O'Loughlin and Lemon, both of whom graduated from the school district.
"For a community our size to have two gentleman with such well-decorated careers is special," said Superintendent Jeffrey Hutchinson.
The Tawas Area Honor Guard is slated to start the event by presenting the colors. Patriotic music is also being performed by the high school's band and choir.
General O'Loughlin, 86, was born in Bay City in 1930 and graduated from high school in East Tawas in 1948. He enlisted as an airman in February 1951 and graduated from Bay City Junior College later that year. Upon graduation from pilot training in June 1952, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
Following crew training at Randolph Air Force base in Texas, O'Loughlin was assigned to the 98th Bombardment Wing at Yokota Air Base in Japan. From there, he flew 29 combat missions and 224 combat hours in B-29s over North Korea.
O'Loughlin returned to the U.S. in August 1953, where he was assigned to the 26th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Lockbourne Air Force Base in Ohio. From 1953 to 1963, he served at Lockbourne as an aircraft commander, instructor pilot and squadron operations officer. His career then took him to the Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Michigan, Saigon, Nebraska, Arkansas, Thailand, New York, Washington, D.C., and Oklahoma City.
He was promoted to general Nov. 1, 1984.
Sgt. Lemon, 66, is the only Canadian-born U.S. citizen to be presented the Medal of Honor, an honor he received for his time served in the Vietnam War.
He works as a motivational speaker and is the author of the book "Beyond the Medal." He was also the executive producer of the PBS special "Beyond the Medal of Honor."
Fighting in Tay Ninh province in Vietnam, Lemon was serving as an assistant machine gunner during the defense of Fire Support Base Illingworth.
When the base came under heavy enemy attack, Lemon "engaged a numerically superior enemy with machine gun and rifle fire from his defensive position until both weapons malfunctioned," according to his Medal of Honor citation. "He then used hand grenades to fend off the intensified enemy attack launched in his direction. After eliminating all but one of the enemy soldiers in the immediate vicinity, he pursued and disposed of the remaining solider in hand-to-hand combat."
Lemon sustained fragment wounds from an exploding grenades. Despite his injuries, he carried a more seriously wounded comrade to an aid station, and, as he returned, was wounded a second time by enemy fire.
"Disregarding his personal injuries, he moved to his position through a hail of small arms and grenade fire. Sgt. Lemon immediately realized that the defensive sector was in danger of being overrun by the enemy and unhesitatingly assaulted the enemy soldiers by throwing hand grenades and engaging in hand-to-hand combat. He was wounded yet a third time, but his determined efforts successfully drove the enemy from the position."
He then secured an operable machine gun and stood atop an embankment fully exposed to enemy fire. He placed effective fire upon the enemy until he collapsed from his multiple wounds and exhaustion.
"After regaining consciousness at the aid station, he refused medical evacuation until his more seriously wounded comrades had been evacuated."
Lemon was also a recipient of the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal and an Air Medal.
In 2005, Lemon presented his Medal of Honor to the Tawas school, according to the Iosco County News Herald.
O'Loughlin lives in the Tawas community today and winters in Arizona, Hutchinson, the school's superintendent said. Over the years, he has helped 40 Tawas students get accepted into one of the five military academies. The school currently has two graduates at West Point and one in the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Hutchinson said.
BAY CITY, MI -- A 34-year-old convicted Saginaw sex offender could face up to seven and a half years in prison for allegedly drunkenly leading police on a car chase through Bay City.
About 10:46 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5, Bay County Central Dispatch received multiple calls of a red 2008 Saturn Astra being driven recklessly as it headed east on U.S. 10 from northbound Interstate 75. A Michigan State Police trooper located the Astra stopped in the left turn lane on Euclid Avenue, court records show.
The Astra turned onto Salzburg Road and moved erratically, court records show. The trooper turned on his patrol vehicle's siren and emergency lights, but the Astra kept going, eventually traveling over Lafayette Bridge at about 40 mph and into a residential area, according to court records.
The Astra turned south onto Marsac Street and accelerated to speeds of around 60 mph, court records show. The Astra on several occasions turned onto other streets, but consistently returned to Marsac Street.
As the trooper was behind the Astra on southbound Marsac near 26th Street, he saw other police vehicles approaching from the north. The Astra suddenly turned left in an apparent attempt at a U-turn, which resulted in it colliding with the initial trooper's vehicle, court records show.
The Astra's airbags deployed and the driver, whom police identified as Quincy C. Almond, took off running on foot across Broadway Street. Additional troopers and a Bay County Sheriff's deputy tackled Almond and arrested him, court records show.
The deputy and one trooper suffered knee pain as a result of the scrap, while the trooper who pursued Almond suffered neck pain, court records show. Almond had a small contusion above his left eye and minor swelling under his right eye, but refused medical treatment.
Once in police custody, Almond apologized for not stopping and took full responsibility for the incident, court records show. He added the Astra belonged to his girlfriend, who lives on Marsac and whom he was on his way to see.
Almond told police he had consumed six 16-ounce beer cans earlier in the day.
"He further stated that he was trying to jump from the car and lose the police but could not get a large enough lead," police wrote in their report, contained in court files.
At the Bay County Jail, Almond submitted to Breathalyzer tests. The results indicated his blood alcohol levels were at 0.23 and 0.24, court records show.
In Michigan, a person is legally intoxicated when his or her blood alcohol content hits 0.08; a person is considered super drunk when the blood alcohol content reaches 0.17.
Bay County District Judge Timothy J. Kelly on Monday, Nov. 7, arraigned Almond on three counts of assaulting, resisting or obstructing police and single counts of third-degree fleeing and eluding, second-offense operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle while license suspended, denied, or revoked.
Almond's criminal history increases the potential maximum penalty on the fleeing and eluding charge to seven and a half years, while the potential penalty on the assaulting and resisting charges is upped to four years.
In May, Almond was convicted on a drunken driving charge. Before that, Almond in November 2005 was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Saginaw County. He is required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.
Kelly set Almond's bond at $50,000 cash-surety. The judge ordered Almond to appear for a preliminary examination at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 23.
DETROIT -- After campaigning in Lansing on Sunday, former President Bill Clinton was spotted visiting a pair of Middle Eastern-themed businesses in east Dearborn.
It was the second time in three days a Clinton visited a Dearborn restaurant.
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton stopped at Miller's Bar in west Dearborn after a Friday campaign speech at Eastern Market in Detroit.
The former president showed up on the opposite side of town two days later.
With the nation's highest concentration of Arab-American residents, east Dearborn boasts a number of popular ethnic restaurants and markets offering imported goods from the Arab World.
Clinton was first seen at Super Greenland Market at 12715 W. Warren Ave. at about 4 p.m., sampling products and meeting customers.
Mona Alaouie, a customer service representative, said the campaign reached out to the market's owners informing them he was stopping by, but were told to keep it confidential.
"It was a nice surprise," Alaouie said. "It meant a lot being so close to the election. Not only were they in Michigan but they were in Dearborn and chose this business."
Clinton was given a tour of the market, including the deli in the back, where he sampled foods including falafel and kibbeh.
"He was very eager and interested to learn about our products, what we offer and how our community functions as a whole," Alaouie said, adding he was particularly interested in how they cook their fish and that he was impressed with their nut gallery section.
Alaouie called the former president "polite" and said he was willing to greet and take pictures with customers, who began pouring in within minutes after hearing about the visit over social media.
"I think we as a community should not take it lightly that our vote counts," Alaouie said. "For candidates to come out here in their final hours shows that our vote matters."
After strolling through the market, he walked across the street to the popular Al-Ameer restaurant. Alaouie said several drivers and people walking outside recognized him and followed him into the restaurant.
Videos have surfaced showing Clinton walking in and greeting surprised customers before touring the kitchen.
The footage below is from the Dearborn-based Arab American News, which noted he ordered falafel before leaving.
Bill Clinton surprises customers and staff members at the Al-Ameer in Dearborn, MI, a Middle Eastern cuisine restaurant. He ordered falafel to go. Posted by The Arab American News on Sunday, November 6, 2016
From the Facebook group Dearborn Area Community Members.
A Metro Detroit doctor is facing a lawsuit filed against him for inappropriate sexual contact with a patient.
Dr. John R. Verbovsky, 67, of Southfield, worked as an osteopathic doctor at Progressive Family Medicine in Sterling Heights and Stout Family Medicine in Detroit.
Verbovsky was charged with five felonies in February 2015, accused of prescribing narcotics to leverage sex and money from patients.
His medical license was later revoked.
Detroit Attorney Brian McKeen filed the lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court on behalf of a woman who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and lupus and was prescribed narcotics from Verbovsky.
She says the doctor demanded sexual favors in exchange for her prescriptions.
"Verbovsky knowingly took advantage of a patient in desperate pain," McKeen said in a press release. "This doctor abused trust on so many levels. He used his power to control her pain medication as a weapon to satisfy his sexual vices."
Verbovsky is serving a prison sentence for one count of running a criminal enterprise, two counts of medical fraud and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
PONTIAC -- The Michigan Supreme Court has called for oral arguments in the case of a student who was rejected for admission at Notre Dame Preparatory High School in Pontiac.
The student's family says she was illegally rejected from the Roman Catholic school, which is run by Marist Fathers and Brothers, because of a disability.
Michigan legal precedent has dictated courts steer clear of certain decisions made by faith-based schools, intimating unconstitutionality under the First Amendment, according to the Associated Press.
But the state Supreme Court issued a Friday order for the scheduling of oral arguments about whether that 1994 ruling ought to be overturned, and whether the Pontiac case should be reviewed.
There is no guarantee the court will take action.
In this latest case involving Notre Dame Prep, the appeals court said courts cannot intervene.
you are here:
current-affairs-trends Britain already has a good visa system with India: Theresa May May has said she plans to use the two-day visit to try to reduce barriers to trade with India and pave the way for a post-Brexit free-trade deal, but with the Indian government keen to secure more access to Britain for students and skilled workers, visa numbers are likely to be a sticking point in any talks.
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Prabhudas Lilladher's research report on Cummins India
Cummins (KKC) reported PAT of Rs1.9bn in Q2FY17 in line with our estimates. While sales were better than estimates due to good performance in export markets (up 1% YoY), domestic market continued to be steady (up 8% YoY). Margin was lower YoY largely due to an unfavourable mix. KKC commented that the domestic recovery is on track, albeit at a slower pace. Key segments for demand drivers in domestic markets include Data centre/Roads/Railways/Pharma/Healthcare. KKC continues to make inroads and gain market share domestically. Outlook on exports remain muted. However, KKC remains optimistic about its potential of export business growing in midteens in the medium/long term. The company has maintained its guidance for domestic sales at 1012% and flat export sales (with a negative bias) for FY17. KKC continues to focus on profitability and optimizing operational costs; improving efficiency which should support margins. We remain positive on KKC, given its strong domestic outlook, gradual likely revival of export markets and strong cost focus. Low utilization (60%) leaves upside surprise on margins once volumes improve. We have cut our earnings by 5% for FY16/17 to factor in slight lower margins. We believe current price offers good entry point for investors with a mediumterm view. We maintain Accumulate with a TP of Rs 946.
The stock is trading at 27x FY18E earnings. We have cut our earnings by 5% for FY16/17 to factor in lower margins. We believe that the current price offers good entry point for investors with a mediumterm view as low expectation on margin and exports leaves room for upside surprise. We maintain Accumulate. We remain positive on CILs medium/longterm potential in the domestic market, driven by structural factors like revival in Infrastructure/Industrial demand, unreliable quality of power in India and lack of creditable options for power backup.
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Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
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business Bull's Eye: Sell Sun TV, Biocon, Oil India, CESC; buy Vedanta Rakesh Bansal of RK Global is of the view that one may sell Biocon with a target of Rs 832.
Pencil Wednesday into your diary.
Either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will become the next US president.
About 50 million Americans have already voted. The rest have some serious thinking ahead of them.
Will Hillary be impeached for corruption charges if she does become the next president?
Does The Donald have enough composure to lead the free world? Or is he too much of a hothead?
Well leave these questions on the back-burner for now. Instead, lets focus on the likely result: a Trump victory. Thats right. Despite what you may have been reading in the mainstream, I believe that Trump will win based on the anti-establishment vote.
And if Trump wins the election, gold should surge temporarily.
Whats the best way to trade the result?
Will history repeat?
To start, its worth winding back the clock to the Brexit. The turmoil during the British vote to leave the EU can provide some useful context on how gold could trade during the final days leading up to the US election.
The International Business Times reported on 24 June:
Gold prices rose Friday by the most since the 2008 global financial crisis, after Britains vote to exit the European Union drove traders to the so-called safe haven mineral. As financial markets convulse this year in response to the Brexit, gold may continue to prove a reliable hedge, analysts said. Gold climbed as much as 8.1 percent to almost $1,359 an ounce in early trading Friday before settling around $1,317 an ounce by 10:30 a.m. EDT. Prices have already rallied 20 percent since the beginning of this year amid growing concerns of a broader economic slowdown and a stronger U.S. dollar. In periods of uncertainty, gold is often one of the few perceived safe haven assets with liquidity, James Steel, chief precious metals analyst at HSBC Securities (USA), said in a research note Friday. The uncertainty spurred by this [Brexit] vote will likely elicit sufficient gold purchases to buoy prices.
If you bought shares in junior gold miners the day before Brexit, you would have made about 10% on the day. Thats not bad. The biggest gold miners were up about 45%. For example, Barrick Gold [NYSE:ABX] and Newmont Mining [NYSE:NEM] were both up more than 4%.
The yellow metal was quiet at first. In fact, gold was trading at US$1,256.50 an ounce a two-week low heading into the referendum. According to the mainstream polls, the remain vote was almost guaranteed.
I was on board with that at first. I thought that the government would rig the vote, and was originally short on gold.
When the results came in, gold started to turn and I changed my position to long. Gold was swinging US$10-30 per ounce depending on the vote by midday.
I made a lot of money. I also got stopped out a few times, losing some of my gains.
I decided not to trade it anymore and clear my head. The volatility was relentless. I thought, whats the point in trading if I get stopped out again?
With hindsight, I should have stuck with the trade.
When the leave result became clear, gold rocketed about $100 per ounce in less than an hour. One futures contract could have banked you US$10,000 on the long side (assuming you sold at the top). If youre not familiar with futures contracts, theyre simply a leveraged financial instrument to the underlying asset (in this case gold). For a small amount of money, you can obtain a decent exposure to gold. The leverage means that you can generate higher returnsand significant losses, if youre wrong.
It was mesmerising stuff and taught me a good lesson: A good trader has to be cold-blooded. Losses are part of the business. If you cant take a loss as a trader, youre finished from the start.
Looking forward
The point is: If youre planning on trading the US election, dont be scared to lose money. That sounds like a self-defeatist statement, but it makes a lot of sense.
Jim Rickards, our in-house macro strategist, said at Port Phillip Publishings Great Repression investment conference in Port Douglas, If Donald Trump wins, stocks could fall 10% on the day and gold could surge.
If Jims correct, expect a volatile day for gold. That means, even if youre on the right side of the trade, you could easily get stopped out. So dont set your stops too tight. Also, if you get stopped out, dont be scared to re-enter the trade (assuming that Trump could still win).
The mainstream media such as The New York Times, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, The Washington Post, The Age, and The Sydney Morning Herald are all convinced that Hillary Clinton will win. In my opinion, most of the mainstream is bought and paid for by the political and banking elite. If youre listening to these news channels, you may be in for a big shock. They all got the Brexit wrong too.
Donald Trump could easily win the election on the anti-establishment vote. If it happens, golds likely to shoot up temporarily.
The real question is: How high will gold jump on the day?
In my view, a Trump victory is starting to be priced into the market. The gold price has surged from US$1,270 to above US$1,300 per ounce. Id be looking at taking a position now to capture more of the upside, if you havent already.
While a Trump victory would surprise the masses, it doesnt have the same feeling as Brexit. Remember, Brexit was totally unexpected by most. In the case of the US election, we are expecting the unexpected.
Looking at the gold Trump Trade, the yellow metal probably wont hit a fresh high. At a maximum, Id be looking at a retest of the Brexit high of US$1,359 per ounce. Thats considerably above todays price, meaning theres still a lot of money on the table.
If you havent already, now is the time to consider taking a position in gold.
Regards,
Jason Stevenson,
Resources Analyst, Money Morning
PS: President Donald Trump could be days away. Thats why we advocate the Trump Trade buying an asset we view as the best place to protect your wealth in a volatile market. Details here.
November 07, 2016 Open Thread (NOT U.S. Election) 2016-38 News & views NOT related to the U.S. election ... (Use thread below this one for election news & views) Posted by b on November 7, 2016 at 18:27 UTC | Permalink Comments
November 07, 2016
U.S. Election Thread 2016-06
Whatever there is to say about the election ...
Posted by b on November 7, 2016 at 18:22 UTC | Permalink
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With members of the teachers and classified workers unions repeatedly and publicly expressing displeasure with their current contracts, school district leadership scheduled a Nov. 7 special closed session board meeting to discuss ongoing contract negotiations.
The school board trustees will offer direction to district negotiators heading into their next session with union bargaining team members. At the Nov. 1 school board meeting, trustees and district staff adjourned to closed session prior to and after the public session.
The teachers unions next negotiating session is set for Nov. 10.
The unions have been at the bargaining table with district officials since sunshining (or opening) their contract talks in the spring months. However, no amendments have been made official to their current contractsmost notably in the area of compensationand their members have grown tired.
This comes on the heels of Ericka Haitt, local chapter president for the Service International Employees Union and school bus driver, announcing her resignation at the Nov. 1 board meeting.
It also is weeks after Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers President Gemma Abels disclosed that her members will not agree to anything less than a 10 percent pay raise over two years with the ability to revisit the article next negotiating period.
Haitt, whose last day with Morgan Hill Unified School District was Nov. 3, told the school board and all those in attendance Tuesday night that she was facing eviction from her residence and could no longer afford to work in Morgan Hill under the current contract structure.
I cannot tell you how frustrated and upset I am to tell you this, said Haitt at the Nov. 1 meeting. Youre losing brilliant people and you are going to continue to lose brilliant people. Give them a reason to stay and they will. If anyone would have given me a reason to stay, I would have.
Haitt, who appreciated her time employed with MHUSD, accepted a bus driver position with Gilroy Unified School District, which has slightly lower hourly pay but offers 40-hour work weeksunlike in Morgan Hilland the ability to work extra on field trips, she said.
Im gonna really miss seeing these guys, said Haitt, recognizing the students in the audience. I shouldnt have had to leave.
The Nov. 7 special meeting, which also lists the administrations Morgan Hill Educational Leaders Association, will be called to order at 3:30 p.m. and allows for members of the public to speak prior to adjourning to closed session. Superintendent Steve Betando is listed as the districts designated representative, according to the agenda item.
At the Nov. 1 school board session, eight classified employeesincluding custodians, kitchen staff and bus driversspoke about being short-staffed, under-paid and unappreciated.
SEIU members began contract negotiations with the district around the same time as the teachers union. However, the teachers were the most vocal of the two unions prior to the Nov. 1 meeting, which no MHFT representatives attended.
I dont make enough money to pay my rent, said Rigoberto Rodriguez, a veteran custodian of 28 years. We cant afford to live, let alone survive without taking a second job and, sometimes, a third job. Were missing time with our families, holidays and important moments with our children. But we sacrifice because we have to put food on the table and support our families.
Similar to the teachers, classified employees targeted the districts roughly $29 million in reserves and leftover from the 2015-16 school year budget as reason enough to increase their salaries.
A Morganton woman was selected to participate in a national pageant as Miss Curvy North Carolina.
Peggy Lee Caress, 50, was selected by the Plus Size Diva and Stud Magazine International Modeling and Pageant Company to represent North Carolina in a national pageant in New York in March.
The pageant is part of a company that was designed to empower women, men and children of the 21st century, said information from Caress. It is a company that stands for the causes one holds near and dear to their heart, such as self love, cancer awareness, bullying, domestic violence, suicide prevention, education, mental health, etc.
I have always been interested in plus - size fashion and empowerment for plus - sized women of all ages, Caress said.
She was even in a fashion show at the early age of 6 .
Caress was a 1984 graduate of Freedom High School and was a student at Western Piedmont Community College as well.
I always wanted to get into modeling and I always wanted to travel, she said.
She saw this as an opportunity to help empower people to stand against bullying, domestic violence and to stand up for suicide prevention, mental health education and self - confidence.
My platform is colon cancer and minority cancer, she said. It is near and dear to my heart because my mother was diagnosed with cancer last year.
With her platform, Caress hopes to promote being tested for different types of cancer so early detection will increase.
Promoting her platform is not the only reason she enjoys this pageant. It is different because of the standards they hold for what beauty is, she said.
Sometimes in modeling it is usually a thin woman that gets all the attention, but here we have women that are 300 pounds to 100 pounds , Caress said. We have one lady that is handicapped it is really a diverse group of people and, the more diversity, the more you learn about other people.
In March, all state representatives for the pageant company will travel to New York City for the pageant .
She will be participating in an evening wear, sportswear and judge interview during the pageant.
Contestants have the opportunity to build a platform, engage in public service, participate in enrichment programs, attend many events and meet dignitaries, said information from Caress.
The Royal Queen will win a crown, sash, robe, scepter and up to $3,500 in prizes, appearances at exclusive Red Carpet events, parades, shoots, fashion shows, unlimited exposure and more, the information said.
Being selected as Ms. Curvy North Carolina, Caress had the opportunity to travel to New York recently to be a part of the audience of the ABC show The Chew and meet the host of the show.
Caress is still in search for businesses and individuals to sponsor her on her journey as Ms. Curvy North Carolina. For those that are interested in being a sponsor, email Caress at MissCurvyNC@aol.com.
For more information about the pageant, visit www.psdsmint.com.
Staff Writer Jonelle Bobak can be reached at jbobak@morganton.com or 828-432-8907.
It was luck rather than good judgement that originally prompted me to buy Royal Dutch Shell shares (RDSB) rather than BP (BP.) but I can claim that it has been good judgement that persuaded me to stick with my choice. More confirmation came with third quarter figures from the two oil giants last week.
All is far from perfect at Shell. However, group income has more than trebled
BPs net profit in the quarter was better than in the previous three months but was well down on the third quarter of 2015. The group remained loss making in the first nine months of 2016 while underlying profits, which excludes exceptional items, were less than half those of the same period last year.
I still worry about the dependence on operations in Russia, where the government shows little concern for international opinion and the legal system offers equally little protection for those who fall out of favour politically.
All is far from perfect at Shell, where the upstream unit continues to struggle despite showing some signs of improvement. However, group income has more than trebled so far this year and third quarter earnings were higher than last year and double those recorded in the previous three months.
Shell also said the integration of BG Group was "essentially done" and completed ahead of schedule.
Shell shares were the best performers on the FTSE 100 index on the day the figures were released, while BP fell back heavily. Im not sure Id be buying either at this juncture but if I had to choose it would definitely still be Shell.
As a Shell side line, the B shares as they are not subject to Dutch withholding tax, as the A shares are. I was therefore astonished when a reader holding B shares emailed me to say that he had opted for the scrip dividend and had been allocated A shares in lieu of cash.
I checked with Shell and was told that the scrip dividend is indeed paid only in A shares. This seems to be a bad choice for British investors to make. It means you will end up with a tiny number of A shares paying a lower dividend after tax and which may be disproportionate expensive to sell.
I therefore suggest Shell B shareholders to choose the cash dividend.
Brexit: The Saga Continues
If you think life just got better for investors with the High Court ruling that Brexit must be put to Parliament, then you are seriously deluded. Whatever the rights or wrongs of EU membership, the potential delay to triggering Article 50 and ultimately leaving the EU creates a vacuum in which we are ignored by other EU members but we continue to pay full whack.
I believe that the court ruling was legally and logically correct, in that only an Act of Parliament can undo a previous Act of Parliament. Referendums traditionally have no place in the British constitution. However, we lose another month before the Supreme Court rules on the Government appeal and it may well be January before the House of Commons votes on the issue if the High Court ruling is upheld.
While elected MPs may feel obliged to follow the referendum decision, the unelected House of Lords will have no such compunction. We could face a General Election followed by a new bill before Parliament, taking us into the summer or beyond.
The FTE 250 index leapt 200 points on news of the High Court ruling and the pound was also much stronger. Sheer wishful thinking.
Rather better news has been more data showing the resilience of the UK economy since June and the admission by Bank of England Governor Mark Carney that economic growth will be stronger than he previously thought.
So I remain confident despite, not because of, the High Court ruling. It is still right to buy London-quoted shares on any dips.
Ace of Trumps
The result of the US presidential election will probably produce a sharp fall in shares prices if Donald Trump wins and a steep rise if Hilary Clinton prevails. Any such movement will be short lived, as happened after the Brexit vote. Let the dust settle rather than act in haste.
Rodney Hobson is a long-term investor commenting on his own portfolio; his comments are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice.
Upgrades
Barbara Claus
We have upgraded Allianz Europe Equity Growth to a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver. The fund had previously been rated Bronze. The fund is run with a tried-and-tested process that was established in 2003. Our conviction in the approach has grown over time. We have seen that it has been well-executed since October 2009 by a stable and capable management team, matching earlier results and making the funds risk-adjusted returns stand out from benchmark S&P Europe Large-Mid Growth and Europe Large-Cap Growth Equity Morningstar Category peers.
Downgrades
Robeco NV Neutral
Jeffrey Schumacher
Robeco NV has been moved to a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Neutral. The fund previously held a Bronze rating. Our lower conviction in the fund is due to an ongoing change in the portfolio construction, which aims at a more concentrated portfolio going forward. This transition has been under way for some years, when the fund reduced the number of positions from 375 in 2008 to 100 by the end of 2015.
The managers, Mark Glazener and Dirk Hoozemans, aim to further increase portfolio concentration by taking larger bets on a smaller number of high-conviction ideas. We have no evidence that these managers can successfully run such a mandate, which requires a different mind-set, in our opinion, and superior stock-picking skills.
This, however, is the area in which the team has been struggling, with continuing weaker stock selection in a couple of sectors and in US stocks, in particular. This caused the fund to lag the MSCI World Index, despite comfortably outperforming the category average over the past five years. Although we still see some positive elements, such as Glazeners experience, a dedicated analyst team, and the low fees, we need evidence that the more concentrated approach enables the managers to generate outperformance versus the benchmark.
New Ratings
AB FCP I Japan Strategic Value Neutral
Don Yew
We have initiated coverage of AB Japan Strategic Value with a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Neutral. Katsuaki Ogata and Atsushi Horikawa have been comanaging this fund since March 2012, but Horikawa will assume sole portfolio management responsibilities from 1 April 2017 after Ogata retires from AB.
Given Horikawas extensive involvement in this strategy, we think that he is well qualified to take the lead on this fund. Furthermore, strong research support is provided by a stable and well-experienced seven-member analyst team that aims to seek out undervalued companies whose long-term earnings potential has been mispriced.
Although the investment process has delivered respectable returns over the long term, we have some reservations around the funds risk-management process. As it is coupled with a relatively expensive fee of 1.84%, we think there are better options in this space.
Allianz Europe Equity Growth Select Bronze
Barbara Claus
We have rewarded Allianz Europe Equity Growth Select with a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Bronze. The fund is run in keeping with the Select strategy, a more concentrated version of Allianzs European Growth strategy, which is rated Silver. The difference from the core strategy is that the portfolio is more concentrated, having only 35-40 holdings and generally higher position sizes in single stocks. The fund has done well so far matching the results of the core strategy, but the differences in the approach, which has been in place for around three years, make us more comfortable with a rating of Bronze for the time being.
BlueBay Emerging Market Corporate Bond Neutral
Niels Faassen
We have initiated coverage on BlueBay Emerging Market Corporate Bond with a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Neutral. Polina Kurdyavko, head of BlueBays emerging-markets corporate team, has managed this fund since its inception in March 2008. She has over 15 years of industry experience and is the longest-tenured manager in the category. We appreciate Kurdyavkos experience and her long tenure.
The fund aims to outperform its benchmark through bottom-up selection. In addition, the manager aims to make capital preservation a focus by actively managing the funds beta. However, we remain to be convinced of the quality of execution over time given some idiosyncratic events and detrimental beta positions in the recent past.
Legg Mason WA Global Bond Neutral
Wing Chan
We have initiated coverage on Legg Mason WA Global Bond with a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Neutral. The fund is managed by an experienced and long-tenured team led by Kenneth Leech, Gordon Brown, and Andrew Cormack. They are supported by a 25-strong sovereign analyst team, which is one of the better-resourced teams in the space. The fund primarily focuses on global sovereign bonds, and we like how the process has a clear segregation of roles and responsibilities that leverages Western Assets depth of capabilities.
However, the fund is an approved product within the Singapore Central Provident Fund scheme, and the CPFs restrictive mandate means that the team can be constrained in its ability to execute its best ideas. Although the fund delivered strong performance on a peer-relative basis, it was unable to outperform its customized benchmark over the past five years.
Legg Mason WA Macro Opportunities Bond Neutral
Ashis Dash
We have initiated coverage of the Legg Mason WA Macro Opportunities Bond fund with a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Neutral. This punchy fund is led by a seasoned investor in Westerns CIO, Kenneth Leech, who is backed by deputy manager and Westerns head of derivatives, Prashant Chandran. The duo employs a strong team-based process that leverages Westerns full analytical resources.
The fund represents the teams best ideas expressed through a high conviction portfolio. Since its inception in November 2013, the fund has delivered strong risk-adjusted performance versus its Morningstar Category even with its higher volatility.
However, its short track record along with the absence of an explicit return target, the fund aims at maximising total returns subject to a relatively high 10% volatility budget, and the lack of a comparable benchmark reflective of its flexible yet aggressive approach, make it hard to evaluate its success against the risk undertaken. This combined with its high fees limits our conviction despite our positive view on the managers and the team-based approach.
Woori Bank has been operating transaction offices in Hanoi city (1997) and Ho Chi Minh city (2005). By introducing its subsidiary, Woori Bank will boost the retail business with an aim of becoming the top foreign credit bank in Vietnam market.
As planned, it will expand its sales network by establishing transaction offices in Bac Ninh province, Hai Phong city (North region) and Dong Nai, Binh Duong provinces (South region) within this year. Then, the Bank will add more 5 - 7 transaction offices each year to expand its network to 20 branches across the country.
Photos: ATP/Thanh Hai
It is also working with Woori Card to enter the Vietnamese credit card market in the first half of 2017. Furthermore, in order to expand the base of local customers, it plans to connect various deposit and loan products including mortgage, credit loan and bank assurance, which also offers comprehensive financial services to Vietnamese customers.
Speaking at the launching ceremony held in Hanoi, Mr. Lee Kwang Goo, CEO and President of Woori Bank said: Woori Bank Vietnam will take a closer step forward to our customers that they can trust and seek secured to use our services. Meanwhile, Woori will keep on developing with the motto of becoming the reliable bank for customers and will always accompany with the development of society. Furthermore, we will strongly promote the social activities to support the community development in Vietnam.
Founded in 1899 in Seoul capital, Woori Bank is one of the leading investment banks in Asia and the largest lender by assets in the Republic of Korea. It has been running businesses in the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Finland, and Germany. Notably, it also expands New Asia Credit System which is focusing on Southeast Asia, thus aiming to become Asias top 10 and global top 50 financial institutions./.
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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.
It's no surprise that emerging tech hotspots help bolster housing markets. Brokers in these cities may soon experience a business boom, according to one report about the country's hottest tech spots.
CBREs 2016 Scoring Canadian Tech Talent report, identified that top 10 Canadian markets expected to see tech industry growth in the near future.
Toronto leads the way, followed by Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary, Halifax, Edmonton, Waterloo, Winnipeg, and London.
The number of tech jobs has soared in Canada in the past five years, with nine out the 10 top Canadian markets recording growth. Of those nine, eight recorded double digit growth rates,
Raymond Wong, Head of Research at CBRE Canada, said. The tech sector is becoming ever more critical by the day to the Canadian office market, with technology firms accounting for 16.1% of all major office lease deals in Canada last year.
This percentage increases markedly in our larger urban areas, for example tech accounted for 43% of all leases in Ottawa last year, and its a trend we only see growing in the years to come.
Overall, the country has added 140,000 new tech jobs.
And when the tech industry booms, housing follows. Just look at Waterloo, which has seen impressive market growth as tech companies have set up shop.
Sales dollar volume was up 29% year-over-year in the Kitchener-Waterloo area in September, and prices were up 10.1%.
The report based its scorecard on 13 metrics, including tech talent supply, growth, concentration, cost, completed degrees, industry outlook, and market outlook for office and apartment rent.
Despite the higher cost of real estate in Toronto and Vancouver, this is dwarfed by the cost of wages. So lower salaries than other Canadian cities still make these large tech centres an affordable option for many companies, Wong said. When you add in that in these two cities over a third of the labour pool is university educated, and they already provide established tech networks and communities, its little wonder that many international firms are looking to set up shop there.
Compared to the top 50 most expensive North American tech markets, Toronto and Vancouver are 49th and 50th in the rankings, assisted by a low Canadian dollar. This makes these two cities are relative bargain for US tech firms looking to expand further North.
An extensive probe by Radio-Canada investigative program Enquete has uncovered what a retired corruption investigator described as probably the largest and most brazen ever instance of real estate fraud in Quebec, and indeed in all of Canada.Speaking to Enquete, retired investigator Christian Plourde said that what sets this case apart from all else is the apparent collusion of officials at the highest levels of the provincial government.We're talking about real estate fraud involving government agencies, according to Plourde, who formerly worked with Quebecs anti-corruption bureau, UPAC.CBC News reported that the investigation, which has been conducted by UPAC since 2011, found that crucial fundraisers for the Quebec Liberal Party and the erstwhile head of the Societe immobiliere du Quebec (which manages government buildings in the province) may have profited enormouslyand illegallyfrom real estate transactions through the sale of the assets.Enquete alleged that Marc-Andre Fortier (president and director general of the SIQ from 2003 to 2008) and Liberal Party fundraising personalities William Bartlett, Franco Fava, and Charles Rondeau together pocketed $2 million from three property lease extension deals. Split between the four of them, the funds were purportedly deposited in various Swiss and Bahamas accounts.In 2007, the SIQ sold off three buildings, but retained tenants in the offices it has already occupied up to then. The three buildings were not fully occupied by government offices even prior to the sale.Enquete further alleged that the SIQ allowed for significant concessions to buyers, concessions that only Fortier, an SIQ vice president, and the real estate agent hired by SIQ were aware of. Among these concessions was a clause that bound the government as the entity responsible for the buildings structural upkeep for the next two decades.At press time, negotiations are still ongoing with Place Quebecs current owners to make them consent to the nullification of said clause.Charges have yet to be filed, however, and Crown prosecutors are still in the process of evaluating the investigation files. Fortier, Bartlett, and Fava refuted the allegations, while Rondeau declined to comment.I have nothing to say about that. I've already said everything. I didn't see anything, and it has nothing to do with me, Fortier told Enquete.[The] facts were partly inaccurate and presented in a very biased manner, Bartletts legal representative stated.Related Stories:
In the wake of an explosive investigative report that alleged massive corruption in Quebec real estate, the head of a centre-right provincial political party said that the suspected involvement of key Liberal fundraisers in the controversy should come as no surprise.
Listen, these are very serious allegations of corruption at the SIQ with (Quebec) Liberal Party fundraisers, Coalition Avenir Quebec leader Francois Legault said on November 3, as quoted by the Montreal Gazette.
In a way, its not surprising: again the (Quebec) Liberal Party at the centre of a corruption scandal, again Liberal bagmen who are putting money in their pockets illegally.
A protracted enquiry by Radio-Canada investigative program Enquete has uncovered what retired anti-corruption investigator Christian Plourde described as the most significant instance of property fraud involving government buildings in Canadian history.
The investigation, which has been conducted by UPAC since 2011, found that crucial fundraisers for the Quebec Liberal Party and the erstwhile head of the Societe immobiliere du Quebec (which manages government buildings in the province) may have illegally pocketed up to $2 million from real estate transactions through the sale of the said buildings.
In 2007, the SIQ sold off three buildings, with a stipulation binding the government as the entity responsible for the buildings structural upkeep for the next two decades. Currently, negotiations are still ongoing with Place Quebecs current owners to make them consent to the nullification of said clause.
Charges have yet to be filed, however, and Crown prosecutors are still in the process of evaluating the investigation files. Fortier, Bartlett, and Fava refuted the allegations, while Rondeau declined to comment.
Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux assured the public that the UPAC will continue to dig into the case.
UPAC is an independent entity that leads its investigations in an independent way, without us intervening or giving our opinion, Coiteux said. So I will leave it at that. This independence, it is very important and UPAC must do its work.
Related Stories:
http://www.mortgagebrokernews.ca/news/vancouver-speculator-aims-to-clear-his-name-214206.aspx
http://www.mortgagebrokernews.ca/news/suspended-broker-slapped-with-fraud-suits-213347.aspx
LO Tools; Training on MSAs, Tax Returns, CRA; Earnings Announcements Continue
A loan officer walked up to me at a recent sales event and complained, Im spending more time promoting myself than I am being myself. I replied, I didnt you know you were running for office!
Turning to news impacting lenders, how much do lawsuits, and the resulting fines, cost? Wells Fargo is talking to multiple regulators about investigations it mortgage lending, and has raised reserves for possible litigation losses related to its fake accounts scandal to as much as $1.7 billion, it said in a filing last week. In the filing, the bank said it has received "potential theories of liability" from the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, which is concerned about some of Wells Fargo's mortgage practices.
Last week Fannie Mae reported $3.2 billion in net income for the third quarter, up from $2 billion in Q3 of 2015. Losses on interest-rate derivatives totaled $491 million, down from $2.6 billion in Q3 of 2015. FNMA will pay a dividend to Treasury of $3 billion this quarter, which brings their total paid to the Treasury to $154.4 billion. FNMA drew $117.1 billion in support from the Treasury.
Based on third quarter results Freddie Mac will pay a dividend to the U.S. Treasury of $2.3 billion in December leaving a capital reserve of $1.2 billion. The reserve is reduced every year. The December dividend will bring the total paid to the Treasury since the company was put into conservatorship in September 2008 to $101.4 billion against funds provided to Freddie Mac in a series of draws totaling $71.3 billion. Freddie has not required a draw since the end of 2012.
Ocwen Financial finally posted a profit, earning $9.4 million for the third quarter. Operating EPS excludes a $5.7 million gain on the sale of MSRs, a $2.3 million positive MSR mark, and $17 million of regulatory reserving charges. The company also plans to make a request to the New York regulator that the company be allowed to acquire MSRs.
But Ocwen (a mega servicer at over $216 billion) is not out of regulatory hot water quite yet. In its SEC filing, Ocwen reiterated that it has "received several civil investigative demands, or investigative subpoenas, from the CFPB [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau] seeking information about our servicing practices followed by a Notice and Opportunity to Respond and Advise (NORA) letter from the CFPB under which the CFPB (1) notified us that the CFPB's Office of Enforcement is considering recommending that the CFPB take legal action against us relating to compliance with federal laws pertaining to our servicing practices..."
Essent done good. The private MI company posted a strong quarter driven by the positive impact of single premium cancellations and higher insurance-in-force (IIF) growth. We could see a slower decline in the average premium rate due to the 4Q impact of refi activity and positive impact of post-PMIERs single premium price adjustments. Essent is not ceding premiums to reinsurers, which helps relative to NMI Holdings (NMIH). Anyone who owns stocks knows that its shares currently trade at 2x book value, above the peer range of 1-1.1x. Essent saw a stronger-than-expected premium margin. The premium margin increased to 59.1 bp from 57.6 bp Q/Q.
PennyMac Financial Services done good too. PFSI's earnings beat many estimates due to higher gain on sale income driven by meaningfully stronger than expected mortgage volume. This was partially offset by lower servicing income. Those who dug into the numbers saw that "Penny" removed the negative MSR mark net of hedge gains. The negative MSR mark was driven by an increase in the discount rate that the company was using on its Ginnie Mae MSRs. This reflects the reduction in liquidity for Ginnie Mae MSRs in the market as many large banks have exited the FHA origination and servicing business.
PennyMac's servicing portfolio increased to $186.7 billion UPB from $171.7 billion UPB in 2Q. You can figure a servicing fee margin of 27.4 bps, down from 28.7 bps in 2Q. On the production side Penny estimated that its market share for correspondent production rose to 10.5%, up from 9.2%. Total origination volume increased by 30% Q/Q and conventional rate locks increased 43% q/q to $9.7B from $6.8B in 2Q. These levels are significantly above industry production estimates. (PennyMac is releasing a new SRP Grid, updates to LLPA's and Seller Guide updates.)
Nationstar reported 3Q16 figures that also beat expectations due to stronger-than-expected results from the origination segment. But strong mortgage banking was offset by weaker servicing. NSM reported adjusted pretax origination earnings of $83 million, up +54% from $54 million in 2Q. Funded volume rose +6% to $5.5B from $5.2B last quarter, with purchase volume accounting for 24% of total funded volume (down from 26% in 2Q). Gain on sale margin (based on funded volume) increased +15% to 3.84% in 3Q vs. 3.33% in 2Q. Based on total closings, the gain-on-sale (GOS) income increased to 3.84% from 3.33%.
In terms of servicing, during the quarter NSM boarded about $100B of loans, of which $91B were subserviced loans that carry lower margins. The prepayment speed (net of recapture) was 15% vs. 14% the prior quarter while the recapture rate dropped 27% from 25% in 2Q. Putting it a different way, NSM's operating EPS (earnings per share) excludes a negative MSR mark of $8 million. Servicing came in below some expectations driven by higher amortization and a lower servicing fee. This is material given that the quarter-end servicing portfolio was $453 billion up from $369 billion (UPB).
Looking at rates, Friday fixed-income security prices traded higher, and thus rates went lower, despite a better-than-expected jobs report for October. Mortgages didn't do much. All eyes now turn to tomorrow's U.S. general election which the press has been talking about for years, which most pollsters now believe will be closer than they thought it would be two weeks ago. And at this point it would be a surprise if the Federal Open Market Committee did not hike short-term rates in December. If you're a fan of numbers, on Friday the 10-year improved .250 in price to end the week yielding 1.78% but the 5-year T-note and agency MBS prices only improved marginally.
For scheduled news, there isn't anything today. Tuesday we'll have the September JOLTS (Job Openings) and a $24 billion 3-year Treasury auction. Wednesday we'll probably learn who won the BIG election and the various elections around the nation; lost in all of that will be the MBA's usual application numbers for last week and a $23 billion 10-year Treasury auction.
The excitement will continue Thursday with Initial Jobless Claims and a $15 billion 30-year Treasury auction. Friday we'll have some set of November Michigan Sentiment numbers. To start the week we find rates slightly higher versus Friday with the 10-year at 1.81% and agency MBS prices worse a few ticks.
Events
Register for Plaza's complimentary webinar on November 8th to learn more about its Fannie Mae HomeReady program.
On Thursday, November 10th, join Essent for a 60-minute webcast in which Mark Fleming, Chief Economist, First American Financial Corporation, will dig into economic measures used to justify the "automation angst" narrative, uncover the truth behind the data, and gauge automation's real impact on the housing market. Don't miss this opportunity, register now.
Join CoAmp on November 10th for an informative one-hour webinar-based panel discussion about the implications of the Colorado Division of Insurance's recent landmark decision to prohibit Market Service Agreements for title companies.
Are you looking for unique insights on consumer credit trends? Join Experian on November 17th for its quarterly webinar to hear highlights from the Q3 2016 Experian-Oliver Wyman Market Intelligence Report.
Genworth Mortgage Insurance is offering another round of courses on its Tax Return Review for the Self-Employed Borrower as well as its Income series in the month of November. Both series provide goal-oriented training with minimal time investment, leading to in-depth knowledge of the topic and the ability to provide quick-closing, higher-quality loan packages. With each course lasting less than one hour, Genworth is providing lenders the flexibility to brush up on single topics or register for all available modules in each series. Register here. To learn more about Genworth's comprehensive set of self-paced eLearning courses, live webinars and classroom training offerings, visit Genworth Training.
SunWest has a full November calendar of webinars available. Topics include Mortgage Disclosure Improvement Act (MDIA) Regulations, Appraisal Ordering Process, Best Practices for Correspondent Delivery, Warehouse Lending Process, USDA Loan Programs and FHA's 203(k) Rehabilitation Program, HUD's primary tool for the rehabilitation and repair of single family properties.
Register today at www.siliconvalleycamp.com for the 2nd annual Casino Royale at the Glasshouse on December 8, presented by Silicon Valley CAMP and the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA). Come to network, play games, and enjoy the food, drink, live music, silent auction, celebrities, magicians and Santa Claus! Fabulous prizes include a Razor Hovertrax 2.0 Hoverboard, Sharp 50-inch Smart LED TV, and Warriors Tickets! ALL proceeds donated to Rebuilding Together, a 501(c)(3) helping repair homes and adding accessibility modifications for elderly and low-income homeowners in Silicon Valley.
The MBA is offering a one-day workshop on December 15th in Charlotte to consider CRA residential mortgage lending requirements. Regulatory developments, practical case studies and best practices will be covered. Legal experts will cover the interrelationship between CRA, fair lending and the new HMDA, as well as the new CRA Interagency Q&As from July 2016.
Jobs and Announcements
In terms of business opportunities for builders, "Are you a homebuilder looking to earn ongoing, reliable profits? Do you want more control over your customers' purchase and refinance experience? Is regulatory red tape keeping you from offering your buyers a better mortgage solution? A well-known depository-owned lender wants to have a confidential conversation with you about forming a mutually beneficial joint venture. The company has a proven track record of delivering A+ customer experiences, while managing the risk and regulations of the mortgage business." Interested parties, principals only, should send a note of interest to me to learn more and be put in touch with the institution.
Under the "non-QM" banner, "Greenbox Loans was founded based on the concept of 'out of the box' underwriting of residential loans. 'Many originators & brokers come across borrowers that are fine credit risks but don't fit many company's guidelines,' observed Raymond Eshaghian, President of Greenbox. Greenbox Loans is offering several programs as alternatives for private 'hard money' for investors whereby borrowers can purchase or refinance investment properties with no income, no employment, and no reserves of up to 75% LTV. These investor programs are available for borrowers with fico scores as low as 640 and can be used for purchase, rate and term refinance as well as cash-out loans. In addition, self-employed borrowers with FICO scores as low as 580 can obtain financing with NO Tax Returns by utilizing either personal or business bank statements and receive up to 80% LTV. Greenbox is hiring Underwriters, Funders, Account Managers and Wholesale Account Executives for Inside & Outside Sales. Send your resume to careers@greenboxloans.com or call directly to: 213-235-4204."
And in terms of tools for originators, "Even if you weren't at the MBA, you know that the digital mortgage is here to stay. Modern platforms like Maxwell enable loan officers to manage their active borrowers, deliver a modern experience to customers, and connect to source data like bank accounts and online tax returns. 'Loan officers tell us we save them a day a week,' says John Paasonen, Maxwell's CEO. 'We built Maxwell for originators and their teams to work seamlessly with borrowers and agents, from application to collecting conditions all the way to cleared to close.' Maxwell has facilitated nearly a $1B in mortgages since it was launched publicly this summer. Chrisman Report readers benefit from a 25% discount on their first year. Sign up for a demo of Maxwell to see how it can transform your work."
Irish President Michael D. Higgins and his spouse Sabina Higgins were welcomed at Noi Bai International Airport (Source: VNA)
The visit aims to further enhance ties between Ireland and Vietnam, especially in trade, investment, development cooperation and education-training.
Vietnam and Ireland have made strides in cooperation since their diplomatic relationship was set up on April 5th, 1996. They have regularly exchanged high-ranking delegations and coordinated at international forums.
Bilateral trade reached USD402 million in 2015, up 28 percent from the previous year. It hit USD798 million in the first nine months of 2016, rising three-fold year on year, including USD82 million of Vietnamese exports.
Vietnam mainly ships timber and wood products, footwear and garments to Ireland while importing medicine materials, computers and electronic components.
Ireland currently has 17 investment projects with combined capital of USD20.7 million in Vietnam, ranking 67th among 115 countries and territories investing here.
Vietnam is the only Asian nation among nine priority recipients of Irelands development assistance. Ireland gave USD150 million in non-refundable aid to Vietnam between 2007 and 2016, focusing on poverty reduction, support for vulnerable groups, and improving economic management.
In November 2011, Ireland announced a national strategy for the two countries development cooperation for 2011-2015 that aimed to assist the realisation of the Vietnamese Governments socio-economic development plan for the five-year period. The Irish Government is expected to reveal a similar national strategy for 2017-2020 soon./.
Two former board members of Premier Bank have pleaded guilty and been sentenced for defrauding the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the Treasurys Community Development Financial Institutions Fund and state and federal banking regulators, according to a report from TARPs special inspector general.
Zulfikar Esmail, 73, pleaded guilty to financial institution fraud of more than $100,000 and a count of theft from TARP of more than $100,000, and was sentenced to five years in Illinois state prison. Shamim Esmail, 68, pleaded guilty to the same counts and was sentenced to 24 months of probation and 250 hours of community service.
According to the office of the SIGTARP, the case stemmed from a scheme by the Esmails to defraud TARP of $6.8 million. The Esmails hid Premier Banks poor financial condition from regulatort from 2006 until the bank failed in 2012, costing the FDIC more than $64 million.
During that time, the bank officers submitted numerous fraudulent reports to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, misrepresenting the financial condition of the banks numerous loans and lines of credit, a SIGTARP news release said.
To hide the banks true condition, money from third parties was used to make payments on several loans that were past due.
Today two TARP bankers were convicted of a six year massive fraud that contributed to a TARP bank failing and a TARP loss of $7 million, said SIGTARP Christy Goldsmith Romero. Taxpayers did not fund TARP so that fraudulent bankers like the Esmails could fund fraud in the bank. SIGTARP and the Illinois Attorney Generals office joined forces to bring accountability to Zufikar Esmail, who ran this bank without any regard for the law and has now been sentenced to prison. He cooked the books and left many victims in the wake of his deception, including borrowers ensnared into his conspiracy, regulators who were lied to, and taxpayers who lost bailout funds.
This couple fraudulently secured TARP Funds at a time when the countrys economy and its major financial institutions were on the brink of disaster, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said. Their illegal scheme ultimately resulted in the failure of a bank at a great cost to the banks customers and American taxpayers.
Caption: The author in Mount Gassan, Japan, contemplating the meaning of life and the future of mobile wallet apps.
People who know me know I am a bit of an electronic payments kind of person. I hate carrying cash because it takes away precious space from my falling-apart wallet and I won't have space for the useless receipts I never throw away.
DBS PayLah! lets you pay another PayLah! user with just that person's mobile number. Sure, you can pay with internet banking or ATM funds transfer, but then you'll have to know the other party's bank account number and/or your banking dongle.
I can do small payments and fund transfers easily with PayLah! I use it all the time. For example, I got a text the other day from the wife that said, "Please pay for the son's tuition."
Sure, easy. Except that I was in Japan at the time. But no problem, I just sent the money to the wife via PayLah! from my iPhone. Boom. Done.
Caption: The author in Yamagata, Japan, just before the wife told him to pay the tuition fees.
I don't pay any fees and my wife doesn't either and she can easily transfer the funds from her PayLah! wallet to her POSB bank account, also from her iPhone.
I even converted my aircon repair man, Ronnie. I taught him how to install and sign up for PayLah! and I paid him with just his phone number.
So now it's so easy. The wife would message me while I am in Taiwan on a work trip, to tell me that the aircon was dripping on my precious wireless speaker system.
I would call Ronnie to tell him I think my aircon needs servicing, maybe a major one.
Then he comes by with his team and does the servicing and a chemical clean.
Then I pay him with PayLah! I don't need to prepare cash or cheque to pay Ronnie. I even include a WhatsApp message to him at the same time as I sent the payment within the app.
Caption: The author in Taiwan, just before the wife told him to pay the aircon man.
Now is a good time to sign up for PayLah! by the way. Don't say I bo jio. DBS will give you $5 if you refer a friend and that friend signs up, he or she gets $5 too.
It's win-win for both of you!
The maximum amount you can earn is $50 when you get up to 10 friends to sign up for PayLah!.
And the maximum maximum reward one can earn is $55: ($5 if youre a new sign-up through someones referral code) + (10 friends x $5) = $55
This friend referral program will run from 4th November to 15th December 2016 so hurry and do it. Do eeeeeeet!
I already started. I am referral King. Use my referral code if you need one: KINXGD221
(Link to details.)
The Midland Development Corp. in recent years has put much of its effort into developing the aerospace industry in the Tall City, but at Mondays monthly meeting, the MDC made clear its continued support for transportation on the ground.
The MDC voted unanimously to approve engaging in a promotional agreement with the Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance (MOTRAN) in the sum of $90,000, which is to be paid in two equal installments, first on Dec. 1 and again on April 1.
MOTRAN, whose main purpose is to create a trade corridor between Midland-Odessa to Chihuahua City in Mexico, has been active this year in the creation of Interstate 14, known as the Gulf Coast Strategic Highway System or Ports to Forts.
The already-congressionally approved plan would create a terminus where I-10 meets U.S. Highway 190 at Iraan and create an interstate east through Central Texas to Fort Polk in Louisiana. MOTRAN is working to change the west terminus to connect with I-20 at State Highway 158 in Midland, instead, thus turning SH 158 and U.S. 87 between Midland and Brady into interstate highway. A change would require congressional approval.
MOTRAN Executive Director James Beauchamp said at Mondays meeting that this is a better use of transportation dollars because the roadway between Brady and Midland sees more than 1,100 trucks per day carrying frac sand on this corridor, and he estimates the frac sand traffic will grow to 2,000 per day in the next few years.
The area at US 190 and I-10 only sees 1,000 vehicles per day, Beauchamp said.
Another major benefit to changing the Forts to Ports plan is that it better connects Midland-Odessa to other major energy centers on the Gulf Coast and would provide easier access to Corpus Christi through an I-10 and I-37 feeder connector running south through San Antonio.
The MDC board showed its support for MOTRANs I-14 plan by voting unanimously to support the re-designation at Mondays meeting. But the MDC doesnt have its sights only set on south Midland.
The MDC board voted unanimously to approve a resolution to request the Texas Department of Transportation to evaluate and study the extension of I-27, whose southern terminus is south of Lubbock. MDC will request TxDOT look at several possible routes beyond what was suggested in a 1997 study. That study showed a few possibilities where I-27 could have a terminus on I-10.
MOTRAN and MDC will ask TxDOT to pursue a study about possible routes in this area that will create a terminus at I-20.
Also at Mondays meeting, the board supported the creation of ready-to-go projects, such as finishing the eastern portion of Loop 250, so that it will be easier to fund these projects when federal and state money is available.
Other business
Spaceport: The MDC board approved executing the second amendment in its professional services agreement with engineering firm Parkhill, Smith & Cooper as it oversees the construction of roads, utilities and other operations at the Spaceport Business Park at Midland International Air & Space Port. MDC will pay PSC no more than $120,000 for its services in this part of the agreement.
In a presentation before the vote, PSCs John West said Jones Bros. has begun the first part of the project, which includes demolition and rough grading. After utilities work is completed, Jones Bros. will complete the paving phase. Jones Bros. will complete the parking lot at the same time it is finishing the roadway.
West said the city has asked for PSC to have more of a presence on the construction phase. Well be on them the whole way, West told the board.
The bid for utilities work was $1.45 million, and the paving bid was about $937,000. In total, West said the sum fell $343,000 below what PSC had originally estimated. A state grant of $2 million is paying for much of the project.
Landscaping, hardscaping, lighting and signage is up next for Spaceport Business Park after the first phase is complete.
Security bill: The MDC board voted to authorize the execution of a fire alarm and maintenance agreement and a security system and maintenance agreement with TYCO Integrated Security for Hangars A and B and at the Orbital Outfitters building at the spaceport. The board authorized a payment not to exceed $115,994 total.
Financials: The MDC had $640,333.16 in revenues September and $9,095,952.64 year to date, according to its income statement. The quarter-cent Type A sales tax-funded development corporation showed $23,099,885 in cash on its balance sheet.
Like Trevor on Facebook and follow him on Twitter at @HowdyHawes.
Exxon Mobil Corp., whose oil and gas accounting methods are being investigated by state and federal agencies, said as much as 4.6 billion barrels of its reserves may no longer be profitable to produce.
Exxon disclosed the concerns in its third-quarter earnings report, in which profits fell by more than one-third or $1.6 billion, due to lower refining margins and oil prices.
Its a precipitous decline for the oil giant. In 2014, the company reported $8.1 billion in third quarter earnings; in 2015, $4.2 billion. This years third quarter earnings of $2.7 billion were the lowest in at least five years.
Oil and gas production earnings tumbled 54 percent or $738 million to $620 million over the same quarter last year. Volumes for the quarter declined 3 percent to 3.8 million barrels of oil equivalent per day. Exxon blamed unplanned downtime, primarily in Nigeria, and the decline of its older fields.
Exxons chemical earnings dropped 5 percent or $56 million to $1.2 billion over the third quarter last year, reflecting higher maintenance costs, the company said. Refinery earnings declined 39 percent or $804 million to $1.2 billion, primarily due to weaker refining margins. Capital and exploration expenses fell by 45 percent to $4.2 billion.
At the same time, Exxon revealed in its third quarter report that the crash in oil prices may have impacted the value of its oil and gas reserves the amount of technically and economically recoverable oil in its fields, and a key marker of a companys borrowing power.
If low prices persist this year, some of Exxons oilfields will not qualify as proved reserves by years end, the company said. And some of the fields may become un-economical faster than expected.
Exxon said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which is investigating the company for its reserve values, could require Exxon to strip about 3.6 billion barrels of Canadian oil sands and about 1 billion barrels of other North America oil and gas from the companys booked reserves.
In addition, Exxon said it will assess all of its major oil and gas fields to determine if any others are no longer economical to drill. It will finish the analysis in time for its year-end earnings report.
The company said it did not expect to end operations in fields that might be stripped from reserves, nor that the action would alter our outlook for future production volumes.
On a conference call with analysts, the company declined to comment further. I dont have anything else more to add on this, Jeff Woodbury, vice president of investor relations, told analysts. Well continue to be transparent.
Photo for illustration (Source: VNA)
Overseas Vietnamese in Berlin, Germany have donated 128,211 EUR after two weeks from the launch of the For the beloved central region campaign. The money will be delivered to people in the four provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Tri.
The Toan Cau Company in Berlin pledged to give six scholarships worth 50,000 EUR in total to students in the central region to learn nursing in Germany.
Until now, Vietnamese organisations, businesses and people in Germany have donated around 300,000 EUR to help people in the central region overcome consequences of heavy flooding.
The Vietnamese Embassy and the Association of Vietnamese in Mozambique on November 3rd launched an event calling for donations for flood victims.
At the event, Ambassador Nguyen Van Trung called on all embassy staff and the Vietnamese community in Mozambique to provide support for people who are suffering from serious consequences of floods.
The fund-raising will last until the end of November and all the collected money will be transferred to the State Commission on Overseas Vietnamese to support those in need.
Meanwhile, Vietnams Embassy and the Vietnamese Association in Cambodia on November 4th also organised an event to mobilise funds for people in the central region./.
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Overview of the ceremony (Photo: VNA)
Two Vietnamese citizens honoured on this occasion are Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Nguyen Thanh Son and Mr. Do Xuan Hoang, Chairman of Mareven Food Central, and Chairman of the Overseas Vietnamese Association in the Russian Federation.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mayor of Moscow Andrey Vorobyev stressed, "all those who are present today at the ceremony of different professions, nationalities and religions, but they share the same desire to make Moscow and Russia to become a place with a comfortable, happy and safe life."
On behalf of the leaders of Moscow, the Mayor presented Sergei Radonezhsky Holy Medal to Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Son for his efforts promoting cooperation in the field of development of investment activities and foreign economic relations with the Russian Federation in general and Moscow in particular.
Meanwhile, Mr. Do Xuan Hoang was awarded Sergei Radonezhsky Holy Medal for his practical and effective contributions to the socio-economic development in Moscow, as well as to develop and strengthen the Vietnam Russia traditional relations.
In an interview with the press after the ceremony, Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Son affirmed that the prestigious award is the evaluation and belief of the Moscow administration for the contributions of individuals in particular and representative agencies of Vietnam in general.
He stressed that it shows the confidence and desire of Russia in the coming time that the traditional friendship between Vietnam and the Russian Federation be increasingly strengthened and developed, especially in the field of economy.
According to Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Son, the bilateral trade revenue has not been commensurate with the potential of the two countries. With the efforts of the diplomatic missions and the cooperation of the local departments and sectors, the Vietnam Russia economic, trade and investment ties have recorded good results such as TH True Milk Group implementing a major project in Moscow and Kaluga, Incentra Group and other enterprises investing in Moscow./.
New members inducted into Institute of ...
Ambassador Truong Manh Son launched the campaign at the headquarters of the Embassy (Photo: VNA)
All staff and their spouses of the Embassy actively participated in and contributed 3-5 salary days to support the fund for the Central region. This is the following step in a series of activities of Vietnamese people to support residents in Quang Binh and Ha Tinh provinces.
On October 18th, Ambassador Truong Manh Son and Chairman of the Overseas Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic Hoang Dinh Thang called on overseas Vietnamese to support the residents in the Central region.
The Nghe Tinh Fellow-Countrymen Association in the Czech Republic on October 19th organized a music program and launched a donation drive to support flood victims in the Central region. The proceeds from the launch, to November 3rd, were more than CZK500,000 (about VND500 million).
On October 22nd, a group of 16 artists of the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic organized a music program and charitable auction for the Central region.
During the music program, the organizing board collected CZK600,000 (about VND600 million). In addition, they also collected from individuals, donors, and organizations of overseas Vietnamese in Czech. The amount collected as of November 3rd was CZK800,000.
In the afternoon of October 29th, the Overseas Vietnamese Branch at Sapa Trade Centre contributed USD6,300 of the total USD10,800 collected at the first congress of the Overseas Vietnamese Associations in Europe in Prague, the Czech Republic.
Many organizations, enterprises, business households and individuals of the Vietnamese community have contributed to the fund toward the Central region launched by local overseas Vietnamese branches, member organizations of the Overseas Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic, or groups of volunteers.
The amount will be collected and sent to the homeland by the Executive Committee of the Overseas Vietnamese Association or directly presented by volunteers to the people in Quang Binh and Ha Tinh provinces.
According to the Overseas Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic, all 50 local branches, 14 provincial fellow-countrymen associations and organizations such as associations of war veterans, women, Buddhists, Business, youth and students and clubs have appropriate forms to express their sentiments toward the flood victims in the Central region.
Ambassador Truong Manh Son said that as of the present time, according to incomplete statistics, the amount that the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic has contributed to support the Central region is over VND2 billion, and the number is growing daily./.
THE CENTRAL ORGAN OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF VIETNAM The Voice of the party, State and Vietnamese people on the internet
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It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the
Now that the polls have closed, the results are coming in.
Below are some of the big races in Central Florida.
Brevard County Results
9:07p.m.:
Cocoa Beach Mayor (4/4 precincts have reported in.): Ben Malik wins the mayor's race with 4,255 votes or 59.29 percent, while his opponent Adrianne Dillion got 2,921 votes or 40.71 percent.
Cocoa Mayor (12/12 precincts have reported in.): Mayor Henry Parrish has won the race with 5,366 votes or 71.29 percent while Dontatvious "Tay" Smith has 2,161 votes or 28.71 percent.
Titusville Mayor (9/9 precincts have reported in.): Walt Johnson is the new mayor of Titusville with 12,298 votes or 55.47 percent while Robert Jordan received 9,871 votes or 44.53 percent.
8:21 p.m.:
Cocoa Beach Mayor (4/4 precincts have reported in.): Ben Malik wins the mayor's race with 4,255 votes or 59.29 percent, while his opponent Adrianne Dillion got 2,921 votes or 40.71 percent.
Cocoa Mayor (10/12 precincts have reported in.): Mayor Henry Parrish has 5,108 votes or 73.35 percent while Dontatvious "Tay" Smith has 1,856 votes or 26.65 percent.
Titusville Mayor (9/9 precincts have reported in.): Walt Johnson is the new mayor of Titusville with 12,298 votes or 55.47 percent while Robert Jordan received 9,871 votes or 44.53 percent.
7:31 p.m.:
Cocoa Beach Mayor (4/4 precincts have reported in.): Ben Malik wins the mayor's race with 4,255 votes or 59.29 percent, while his opponent Adrianne Dillion got 2,921 votes or 40.71 percent.
Cocoa Mayor (6/12 precincts have reported in.): Mayor Henry Parrish has 4,599 votes or 73.71 percent while Dontatvious "Tay" Smith has 1,640 votes or 26.29 percent.
Titusville Mayor (8/9 precincts have reported in.): Walt Johnson has 11,972 votes or 55.47 percent while Robert Jordan has 9,610 votes or 44.53 percent.
For results from the rest of the races in your area, go to our results page.
Flagler County Results
9:10 p.m.: (23/23 precincts have reported in.)
County Commission District 5: Republican challenger Donald O'Brien has won the race with 31,266 votes, or 59.27 percent while Democratic incumbent George Hanns, who has held the seat since 1992, has 21,488 votes or 40.73 percent.
Flagler County Sheriff: Republican challenger Rick Staly is the new sheriff with 30,066 votes or 53.88 percent and Democratic opponent Larry Jones lost with 21,697 votes or 38.88 percent.
Non-party affiliation candidate Thomas Dougherty has 4,041 votes or 7.24 percent.
8:12 p.m.: (22/23 precincts have reported in.)
County Commission District 5: Republican challenger Donald O'Brien has 31,048 votes, or 59.33 percent while Democratic incumbent George Hanns has 21,286 votes or 40.67 percent.
Flagler County Sheriff: Republican challenger Rick Staly has 29,865 votes or 53.94 percent and Democratic opponent Larry Jones has 21,498 votes or 38.83 percent. Non-party affiliation candidate Thomas Dougherty has 4,000 votes or 7.23 percent.
7:38 p.m.: (18/23 precincts have reported in.)
County Commission District 5: Republican challenger Donald O'Brien has 28,717 votes, or 58.98 percent, Democratic incumbent George Hanns has 19,976 votes or 41.02 percent.
Flagler County Sheriff: Republican challenger Rick Staly has 27,613 votes or 53.61 percent and Democratic opponent Larry Jones has 20,242 votes or 39.30 percent. Non-party affiliation candidate Thomas Dougherty has 3,654 votes or 7.09 percent.
7:22 p.m.: (7/23 precincts have reported in.)
County Commission District 5: Republican challenger Donald O'Brien has 24,072 votes, or 58.65 percent, Democratic incumbent George Hanns has 16,972 votes or 41.35 percent.
Flagler County Sheriff: Republican challenger Rick Staly has 23,246 votes or 53.68 percent and Democratic opponent Larry Jones has 17,157 votes or 39.62 percent. Non-party affiliation candidate Thomas Dougherty has 2,904 votes or 6.71 percent.
For results from the rest of the races in your area, go to our results page.
Lake County Results
9:16 p.m. (107/107 precincts have reported in.)
Lake County Sheriff: Sheriff Peyton Grinnell has beaten his opponent with 107,029 votes or 67.47 percent, while Charles "Chuck" Broadway lost with 51,607 votes or 32.53 percent.
8:26 p.m. (104/107 precincts have reported in.)
Lake County Sheriff: Sheriff Peyton Grinnell has 105,971 votes or 67.38 percent, while Charles "Chuck" Broadway has 51,311 votes or 32.62 percent.
7:44 p.m. (101/107 precincts have reported in.)
Lake County Sheriff: Sheriff Peyton Grinnell has 103,888 votes or 67.62 percent, while Charles "Chuck" Broadway has 49,754 votes or 32.38 percent.
For results from the rest of the races in your area, go to our results page.
Marion County Results
9:21 p.m. (125/125 precincts have reported in.)
Marion County Sheriff: Republican Billy Woods has won the race with 107,259 votes or 62.75 percent while Democratic challenger Dennis McFatten had 63,680 votes or 37.25 percent.
8:30 p.m. (51/125 precincts have reported in.)
Marion County Sheriff: Republican Billy Woods has 78,275 votes or 62.30 percent while Democratic challenger Dennis McFatten has 47,363 votes or 37.70 percent.
7:49 p.m. (31/125 precincts have reported in.)
Marion County Sheriff: Republican Billy Woods has 70,631 votes or 61.95 percent while Democratic challenger Dennis McFatten has 43,383 votes or 38.05 percent.
For results from the rest of the races in your area, go to our results page.
Orange County Results
8:57 p.m. (247/247 precincts have reported in.)
Orange County Sheriff: Sheriff Jerry Demings has won the race with 340,733 or 65.35 percent while Republican challenger Spike Hopkins lost with 180,644 or 34.65 percent.
8:29 p.m. (241/247 precincts have reported in.)
Orange County Sheriff: Sheriff Jerry Demings has 338,476 or 65.29 percent and Republican challenger Spike Hopkins has 179,920 or 34.71 percent.
7:49 p.m. (163/247 precincts have reported in.)
Orange County Sheriff: Sheriff Jerry Demings has 312,289 or 65.57 percent and Republican challenger Spike Hopkins has 163,981 or 34.43 percent.
For results from the rest of the races in your area, go to our results page.
Osceola County Results
9:52 p.m.: (88/88 precincts have reported in.)
City Council Member Seat 1: Challenger Nathan Blackwell has won the mayor's seat with 10,624 votes, or 56.01 percent, while St. Cloud Council Deputy Mayor Jeff Rinehart received 8,343 votes or 43.99 percent.
Clerk of the Court: Democrat incumbent Armando Ramirez gets to keep his job with 77,094 votes, or 62.13 percent and Malcom Thompson, who is a non-party affiliation candidate, has 46,998 votes or 37.87 percent.
9:26 p.m.: (Not all of the precincts have reported in.)
City Council Member Seat 1: Nathan Blackwell has 10,145 votes, or 55.83 percent, while St. Cloud Council Deputy Mayor Jeff Rinehart has 8,025 votes or 44.17 percent.
Clerk of the Court: Democrat incumbent Armando Ramirez has 75,243 votes, or 62.53 percent and Malcom Thompson, who is a non-party affiliation candidate, has 45,095 votes or 37.47 percent.
8:41p.m.: (Not all of the precincts have reported in.)
City Council Member Seat 1: Nathan Blackwell has 9,697 votes, or 55.63 percent, while St. Cloud Council Deputy Mayor Jeff Rinehart has 7,735 votes or 44.37 percent.
Clerk of the Court: Democrat incumbent Armando Ramirez has 74,824 votes, or 62.59 percent and Malcom Thompson, who is a non-party affiliation candidate, has 44,716 votes or 37.41 percent.
7:13 p.m.: (Not all of the precincts have reported in.)
City Council Member Seat 1: Nathan Blackwell has 8,192 votes, or 55.76 percent, while St. Cloud Council Deputy Mayor Jeff Rinehart has 6,499 votes or 44.24 percent.
Clerk of the Court: Democrat incumbent Armando Ramirez has 58,820 votes, or 62.40 percent and Malcom Thompson, who is a non-party affiliation candidate, has 35,438 votes or 37.60 percent.
For results from the rest of the races in your area, go to our results page.
Sumter County Results
7:59 p.m.: (1/1 of the precinct have reported in.)
Mayor of Webster and City Council Seat 2: Challenger Paul Remis is the new mayor with 123 votes while the incumbent Kelly Williams received 116.
For results from the rest of the races in your area, go to our results page.
Volusia County Results
8:52 p.m.: (125/125 of the precinct have reported in.)
Orange City Mayor: Vice Mayor Gary Blair is now mayor with a total of 2,575 votes or 56.3 percent while council member Michael Wright received 2,001 votes or 43.7.9 percent.
Port Orange Mayor: Don Burnette is the new mayor with 16,239 votes or 58.1 percent and Ted Noftall had 11,708 votes or 41.9 percent.
8:04 p.m.: (108/125 of the precinct have reported in.)
Orange City Mayor: Vice Mayor Gary Blair has 2,110 votes or 57.1 percent while council member Michael Wright has 1,583 votes or 42.9 percent.
Port Orange Mayor: Don Burnette has 16,239 votes or 58.1 percent and Ted Noftall has 11,708 votes or 41.9 percent.
For results from the rest of the races in your area, go to our results page.
Central Florida local election highlights
There are many Central Florida races and issues that will be gracing the ballots this election.
Below are just some of the highlights that voters will want to keep an eye on.
Brevard County
Henry U. Parrish III has been Cocoa's mayor since November 2012. Some of the issues that he is concerned about, according to the city's page, is the negative image Cocoa has when it comes to crime and a lack of economic development.
The incumbent's challenger is Dontavious "Tay" Smith, who according to his campaign site, is representing everyone, from conservatives to liberals, to the rich and poor and the everything category you can think of.
However, it is not Smith's first attempt to run for mayor. According to Smith, he tried to run for mayor in 2008 after graduating from Florida A&M University that same year.
As Cocoa Beach's Mayor Tim Tumulty is stepping down, two others are looking to take his place. Adrianne Dillion and Ben Malik are both trying to win the mayor's seat.
Dillion was a Cocoa Beach City commissioner twice, from 1996 to 1997 and again from 2012 to 2014, while Malik is a vice president and commercial banker for Florida Bank of Commerce.
Melbourne is another town with a big race, but this one has three challengers. Mayor Kathy Meehan is fighting to keep her seat against Dr. Hazel Buggs and Mike Nowlin, who is currently serving his eighth year as District 1 representative on the Melbourne City Council.
When Titusville Mayor Jim Tulley announced last year that he would not seek a third term, former Brevard School Board member Robert Jordan declared that he was running for the seat. Jordan is facing off against Vice Mayor Walt Johnson for the position.
Get more election information for Brevard County here.
Flagler County
For most partisan races on the ballot, you'll see a Democratic challenger facing off against a Republican opponent, but sometimes members of the same party are the ones to watch out for.
That was the case for incumbent Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre, who lost an August primary election battle to fellow Democrat Larry Jones.
Jones, who has a long history in law enforcement, is running against Republican challenger Rick Staly, who also has an extended career as a law enforcement officer.
Get more election information for Flagler County here.
Lake County
Peyton Grinnell, who has been with the county's sheriff's office since 1994, is making a run for sheriff. So is Chuck Broadway, who started his career with the New York City Police Department 20 years ago.
A big issue on the ballot this year is the North Lake Hospital referendum, which voters will decide on Tuesday. The referendum is designed to provide tax dollars to, in part, help cover the cost of clinics for the care of needy people who do not have health insurance.
Get more election information for Lake County here.
Marion County
The Marion County Sheriff's race started with controversy when Chris Blair was indicted by a grand jury amid an excessive force investigation and resigned from his position as sheriff. As part of the plea deal, Blair could not run for re-election as sheriff.
Voters can now choose between Democrat Dennis McFatten and Republican William "Billy" Woods, both with long careers in law enforcement. Woods and McFatten will not just have to race against each other, but outrace the shadow of the controversy.
Get more election information for Marion County here.
Orange County
Democrat incumbent Jerry Demings is fighting to keep his seat as Orange County sheriff against his Republican challenger Spike Hopkins.
Usually, a position like a county property appraiser doesn't cause much excitement in a political race, but there was some controversy for Rick Singh. In 2015, Republican Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs and other county leaders raised questions about the Democratic incumbent's spending following media reports.
However, the county's comptroller cleared Singh and his office of any wrongdoing.
Not only does Singh have to deal with accusations, but he has to also focus against his rivals, Republican Edward DeAguilera and write-in candidate Christopher Casler.
Most political junkies wouldnt eye a race for Soil and Water Group 1, but in addition to Michael Barber and Maria Bolton-Joubert running, there is also 18-year-old Star Grayson as a candidate.
She happens to be the daughter of Alan Grayson, who lost to Patrick Murphy for the Democratic ticket in the U.S. Senate race.
And her new stepmother, Dena Grayson, was defeated in the Democratic primary race for Florida's 9th congressional district.
Get more election information for Orange County here.
Osceola County
St. Cloud Council Deputy Mayor Jeff Rinehart is hoping to win the mayor's seat, but he has to beat Nathan Blackwell to do it.
Blackwell faced some opposition when some people were upset that his Cornerstone Church, where he is a senior pastor and founder, was going to be a polling place.
However, the supervisor of elections told News 13 in August that there were no other places that could accommodate the number of voters assigned to his church.
The race for the Clerk of the Court has candidates who have faced controversy.
Armando Ramirez, the Democratic incumbent, fired staff when he got his position three years ago, but also hired his son's girlfriend as his personal assistant and gave Jennifer Soto a $20,000 raise. Her salary went from $95,000 to $115,000.
Malcom Thompson, who is a non-party affiliation candidate, simply wants his old job back as the county's Clerk of the Court.
However, in 2012 Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order to suspend Thompson after he was accused of shoving a secretary and assaulting another employee.
Get more election information for Osceola County here.
Seminole County
Many people are eyeing the Oviedo Referendum, which proposes the construction of a modern police station and to renovate the current Public Safety Complex.
Get more election information for Seminole County here.
Sumter County
South Sumter High School Principal Preston Morgan, a non-party affiliation candidate, is hoping to unseat Republican incumbent Richard Shirley for the title of Superintendent of Schools.
And Paul Remis is trying to oust Kelly Ann Williams as Webster mayor.
Get more election information for Sumter County here.
Volusia County
The county has two mayor's races, one in Orange City and the other in Port Orange.
Vice Mayor Gary Blair and council member Michael Wright are fighting for the top seat in Orange City.
Meanwhile, Don Burnett, who is on Port Orange's City Council District 2 seat, is hoping to become the city mayor.
Burnett is running against Ted Noftall, who was a public accountant in Canada before becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States. Noftall has owned and operated J&M Moving & Storage in Oak Heights Industrial subdivision for 18 years.
Get more election information for Volusia County here.
Live Blog LIVE UPDATES: Central Florida election races
7:14 p.m.
Jupiter police say a woman campaigning for Donald Trump outside a South Florida polling place pepper-sprayed a Hillary Clinton voter during a confrontation. Police say 52-year-old Tom Garrecht and 58-year-old Donna Tatlici had exchanged words as Garrecht went in to vote, and the argument continued as he left.
Tatlici says she sprayed Garrecht because she was afraid of him. At some point, the woman was knocked to the ground, but it wasn't clear if Garrecht was purposefully attacking her or flailing around after being pepper-sprayed. No arrests were made. Both people were treated at the scene.
Few reports are coming in of claims of voter fraud or intimidation, long wait times or machine glitches.
How to Report Voter Fraud
If you do encouter voter fraud, the Florida Division of Elections takes calls at its Voter Fraud (1-877-868-3737) and Voter Assistance Hotlines (1-866-308-6739).
Election Protection, a non-partisan coalition of more than 100 organizations led by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, also is pushing out tips and resources for voters in the event voting doesn't go smoothly at some polling places.
6:10 p.m.
A Winter Park voting location was temporarily evacuated early Tuesday evening because of an unattended backpack.
Winter Park Police responded to Winter Park Christian Church on Lakemont Avenue at about 5:40 p.m. According to police, a man who claimed to own the backpack said it was an oversight that he left his backpack there. He said he got home, saw coverage of the suspicious package and rushed back to let police and first responders know.
Voting was interrupted for about 20 minutes.
The backpack was deemed not dangerous, and people were allowed back inside, where voting resumed.
Earlier
Election Day isn't a federal holiday yet, so the voting public needs to make sure to take time Tuesday to head to the polls. While filling out ballots should be a straight-forward process, anything goes in this tumultuous campaign climate.
So while exercising your right to vote, make sure you know how to protect yourself if you feel threatened, intimidated, harassed or in danger.
The group laid out a three-step process if things start to feel off while casting a ballot or even just trying to enter a polling place.
First, do not engage.
Second, continue inside and make sure you vote. Notify a poll worker or official.
Third, call the Election Protection hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). From there, concerned voters can pass along info and local polling officials will be notified and take the proper next steps.
Tweets with the #ProtectOurVote hashtag on social media provide more information on voter safety.
In addition to providing resources and the hotlines, the coalition has representatives on the ground in 28 states' polling places. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission also supports state and county election officials and will be keeping an eye out for voter fraud and any other bad election behavior.
See the Twitter feed below from regional supervisors of elections:
Live Blog Supervisors of Elections
Its all theyve even known, and honestly its all they ever wanted to do. Luckily for us, all the Byrd family has ever known has helped to clothe and feed the nation for nearly a hundred years.
I didnt really have dreams of going off to the big city, and really dont know what I would do when I got there, said Chad Byrd, who is a fourth generation farmer on the family land just east of Petersburg.
To be doing this for so long, I guess its something to be proud of. Its a motivator for me, I dont want to be the one that fails at it, Byrd added with a laugh.
Coming to the area at the turn of the century, Byrds great grandparents Andrew and Laura moved and homesteaded in Petersburg in 1917.
My grandfather (Tommy) was born in 1919. The house he was raised in is still standing, said Byrd.
Tommy served in the U.S. Marines during WWII but returned to Petersburg, married Chads grandmother Evelyn and farmed until retirement.
We learned a lot about hard work, said Chads father Jimmy. But thats all we ever wanted to do.
Jimmy eventually took over the farm alongside wife Billie. Jimmy raised his first crop in 1958 when he was a junior in high school. His father lent him around 80 acres to grow maize.
I really liked it, mostly because you were your own boss, said Jimmy.
Keeping in line with the family, Jimmy raised his children, Chad and Jamie on the principles of farming, just like his father had done with him.
We realized nothing came easy, said Chad, as he remembered the lessons he learned on the farm.
You woke up in the morning and started working until it was dark. You did everything you could to have a good and profitable crop.
Chad said he also learned about perseverance, which has come in handy during the recent years of drought.
After graduation from Petersburg High School, Chad went on to earn a degree in animal production in 1990 from Texas Tech University.
During his junior year in college, Chad said he started farming on his own alongside his father.
Thats been a privilege in my life. Ive been very blessed to work with my dad, said Chad.
In 1990, Chad married Kerry and the two are raising three children, Zane, Zack and Morgan.
Chad eventually enlarged his own land holdings and the family now produces cotton, corn, maize and wheat on more than 2,000 acres.
In 1983, Chad and his father teamed up with their cousin, Rex Hegi, and started raising Beef Master cattle.
The family did so until April 2012, when the drought forced them to sell off their herd. Chad says they are optimistic they can eventually buy cattle again, but currently cattle prices are too high to make a profit.
In the future, Chad says he will continue to farm as he says he loves the lifestyle that goes with it.
The farm is a good place to raise a family, and this is a good community, said Chad. We still got to persevere, especially with cotton prices down. But well just have to tighten our belts and ride out the lean years. Its going to turn around.
Bad weather wont be an excuse for any Bay Area voters thinking of not heading to the polls Election Day.
San Franciscans lining up to cast their ballots are expected to see mostly sunny skies and balmy temperatures on Tuesday, forecasters said.
It should be a really nice day, said Bob Benjamin, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.
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While there might be some patches of fog along the coast, Benjamin said voters can expect to see sunny skies for the most part, especially in downtown San Francisco where temperatures are expected to reach 70 degrees.
Temperatures will be 68 degrees in Daly City, 73 degrees in Redwood City and 67 degrees in Pacifica for Election Day.
The South Bay will be slightly warmer Tuesday with temperatures reaching a high of 74 degrees in San Jose, and 76 degrees in Morgan Hill and Gilroy.
The sunny weather will continue in San Francisco post-election with a high of 70 degrees Wednesday, 69 on Thursday and 65 degrees Friday.
Oakland will reach a high of 73 degrees on Election Day and 72 degrees Wednesday. The warm weather streak is expected to carry on in Oakland for the rest of the week with a high of 72 degrees Thursday and 68 degrees Friday.
Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @SarRavani
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A judge has ordered Oakland City Council President Lynette Gibson McElhaney to turn over records to the citys Public Ethics Commission for an investigation into whether she used her office for personal gain.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Colwell issued the ruling last week, giving McElhaney until Nov. 23 to produce the documents. McElhaney is fighting to keep her seat and was initially scheduled to appear in court on Monday, the day before election day.
The ethics commission sued McElhaney on Oct. 5, saying she repeatedly broke promises to submit documents it needed for an investigation it launched in February 2015. The probe stemmed from complaints that the councilwoman inappropriately influenced planning department decisions on a town-house development planned next door to her West Oakland home.
In June, a civil grand jury found that McElhaney had breached city and state ethics rules because she had a material financial interest in the project due to its proximity to her house and its effect on her privacy.
According to the grand jury report, the councilwoman contacted Oaklands planning and building chief, Rachel Flynn, to make objections to the project. Flynn then pressured the developer to scale back the design, reducing the height and directing views away from McElhaneys house. She also urged the developer to consider an alternative design by an architect with ties to McElhaney, the report said even after the citys planning commission had approved the project.
The councilwoman ultimately derailed the project, and the owner is now offering the lot for sale, the report said.
The ethics commission filed an administrative subpoena for documents related to the case on July 22. It said in its lawsuit that McElhaney missed its initial deadline on Aug. 10, and then blew subsequent deadlines on Aug. 26, Aug. 29, Sept. 1 and Sept. 2.
McElhaney could face a fine of $5,000, or up to three times any amount she might have paid to fight the project, if the commission finds wrongdoing.
The councilwoman said Monday that she had been waiting to hire an attorney before submitting the records and that she finally secured one last week.
Were going to fully cooperate with the ethics commission, McElhaney said. Were looking forward to putting all of this behind us.
Referring to the grand jury report, she said she had sought the advice of City Attorney Barbara Parker before approaching Flynn with concerns about the town-house project.
I followed her (Parkers) advice and believe we did everything in accordance with the rules, McElhaney said.
Parkers chief of staff, Alex Katz, said the city attorney cant comment on advice to clients, or even say whether she gave advice on a specific issue. But conflict-of-interest laws are pretty straightforward, he said. And anybody can look them up.
The commissions chief of enforcement, Milad Dalju, declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.
Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
BART delays caused by overcrowding Monday werent enough to prevent a high-powered passel of Bay Area politicos from Rep. Barbara Lee and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom to state legislators and mayors Ed Lee and Libby Schaaf from gathering in Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland to urge voters to pass Measure RR.
Measure RR would raise property taxes to pay up to $3.5 billion to help rebuild BART. The bond measure requires approval by better than two-thirds of voters.
With the polls set to open Tuesday, the Yes on RR campaign held its first big news conference to counter the arguments of opponents, mainly state Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, who has accused BART of mismanagement with the money it has.
On Monday, Measure RR supporters charged Glazer with needlessly beating up on BART, perhaps causing lasting damage to an essential, but aging agency that has managed itself well.
BART doesnt need defending, said Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Like most of the dozen or so speakers, Newsom said the Bay Area relies on BART, and that critics overlook its importance and the need to reinvest in the system.
Measure RR supporters said BARTs critics have no plan other than to urge voters to reject the proposal and promise they will come back to them later with something better.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, who rode BART to the news conference, said he looked at the crowds in the stations and on the trains and thought about about the Bay Areas future.
You see all the faces and wonder what will happen to us if Measure RR doesnt pass, he said.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf called opponents simply irresponsible for not having an immediate alternative plan to rebuild BART should Measure RR fail.
Obstructionism is not a plan, she said.
Glazer, in a telephone interview, said he has an eight-point plan that includes preparing a detailed spending plan with itemized expenses, conducting salary surveys and supporting legislation to ban strikes.
I have nine BART stations in my district, he said. My constituents very much want an effective BART system and that makes it hard to vote against Measure RR. But its a half-baked plan that provides no protection for taxpayers that it will be spent fixing BART.
Measure RR supporters, including Joel Ramos of transit advocacy group Transform, said its crucial to rebuild the BART system and without delay.
We cannot afford to push this system further into disrepair by not passing Measure RR, he said.
As the news conference went on, BART trains crept through the Oakland subway below. The delays were the result of overcrowding that started when a womans shoe got caught in an escalator taking passengers out of Embarcadero station. The escalator came to a halt, resulting in crowding on the station platform which, in turn, forced BART to delay trains.
The delays also forced a delay in the news conference to allow participants and members of the media time to arrive.
Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
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Bygone asylums, hospitals and homes that have been written off by San Antonio have become the playgrounds for explorers who are revealing the spots to their curious followers in a growing trend.
Urban exploration, or "UrbEx," has unleashed unfamiliar sights for Austinites, Houstonians and now, San Antonians thanks to a group of inquisitive daredevils.
RELATED: Eerie photos show Texans' fascination with abandoned places
Unlike typical adrenaline junkies like rock climbers, urban explorers "shun the natural world in pursuit of more closely examining and understanding the inner workings of our constructed world, of seeing civic society in its [...] unprettied state [...] it's about going where people aren't supposed to go," according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Urban Exploration Resource, a website used as a hub of information for the adventurers, lists more than 20 abandoned spots scattered around the city, with galleries, photos and accounts from people who have already trekked through the old hospitals, hotels and nursing homes.
RELATED: 21 terrifying photos of abandoned homes in Texas
The online community continues on YouTube where UrbEx enthusiasts have uploaded videos of their finds.
One of the most-recent explorations, published Oct. 29, unveils the remnants of a shuttered car dealership which has become a playground for graffiti artists.
Though the trend has become increasingly popular recently, accounts have been uploading explorations for years. A video dated 2014 shows the inside of an abandoned mill.
RELATED: This abandoned Rio Grande Valley plant will give you the creeps
While each post triggers intrigue, UrbEx explorers warn risk of dangers and legal action.
Click through the gallery above for a look at what they have discovered.
mmendoza@mysa.com
Twitter: @MaddySkye
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Danbury-area voters will decide a lot more than Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump on Tuesday.
U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress and state Senate and House races will also be on the ballot Tuesday, Danbury residents will consider a $10 million bond package, and Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield and Bethel will together elect a new probate judge.
Polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
On the statewide ballot, in addition to the presidential race, will be a U.S. Senate contest between incumbent Democrat Richard Blumenthal, who is seeking a second six-year term, and Republican state Rep. Dan Carter of Bethel.
Two other local Republicans are competing for the two U.S. congressional seats that represent the Danbury region.
State Rep. John Shaban of Redding is challenging incumbent Congressman Jim Himes in the 4th District, which includes Ridgefield and Redding along with the bulk of southern Fairfield County.
Sherman First Selectman Clay Cope is challenging incumbent Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty in the 5th District, which includes Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Danbury, Kent, New Fairfield, New Milford, Roxbury, Sherman, Southbury and Washington.
Voters will choose new state representatives in Carters and Shabans districts. Republican Will Duff and Democrat Raghib Allie-Brennan are competing for Carters seat, and Republican Easton First Selectman Adam Dunsby and Green Party candidate Bonnie Troy are vying to succeed Shaban.
Open legislative seats are also on the ballot in New Milford. Voters will choose between Board of Education Chairman David Lawson, a Democrat, and Republican Litchfield state Rep. Craig Miner to replace retiring 30th District Republican Sen. Clark Chapin. Republican Bill Buckbee, Democratic Town Councilor Mary Jane Lundgren and Green Party candidate Cynthia day are competing to replace incumbent Republican state Rep. Cecelia Buck-Taylor, who also chose not to seek re-election.
Four incumbent Republican state senators are seeking re-election in the region.
Sen. Michael McLachlan faces Democrat Ken Gucker in the 24th District, which includes Danbury and parts of Bethel, New Fairfield and Sherman.
Sen. Toni Boucher faces Democrat Carolanne Curry in the 26th District, which includes Bethel, Ridgefield, Redding, Wilton, Westport and New Canaan.
Sen. Tony Hwang faces Democrat Phil Dwyer in the 28th District, which includes Easton, Fairfield, Newtown, Westport and Weston.
Sen. Rob Kane faces Democrat Greg Cava in the 32nd District, which includes Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Oxford, Roxbury, Southbury, Washington, Watertown and Woodbury and parts of Middlebury and Seymour.
Meanwhile, incumbent Democratic state Rep. Bob Godfrey is being challenged by Republican Emanuela Palmares for a seat representing the downtown area of Danbury, and Danbury Democratic state Rep. David Arconti faces Republican challenger Veasna Roeun.
Other local state House races pit incumbent Republicans against Democratic challengers.
In the 106th District, Rep. Mitch Bolinsky faces Eva Burmudez Zimmerman, in the 111th District, Rep. John Frey faces Joe Dowdell, and in the 131st District, Rep. David Labriola faces Scott Flaherty.
Incumbent Republican state Reps. Arthur ONeill in the 69th District, Stephen Harding in the 107th District, Richard A. Smith in the 108th District and J.P. Sredzinski in the 112th District are running unopposed.
Danbury is one of the only communities in the area where voters will consider a referendum question. Voters will consider two $10 million bond issues - one for upgrades to the citys water treatment plant and the other to fund sidewalk, road and bridge repairs as well as dog pound improvements and a controversial plan to partly demolish the historic Hearthstone castle.
Finally, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield and Bethel will choose between Republican Dan OGrady of Bethel and Democrat Sharon Dornfeld of Ridgefield in a race to succeed regional Probate Judge Joseph Egan, who chose not to seek re-election.
People can search their name on the Connecticut Secretary of the States office website at http://bit.ly/2fkWFaV to find out if they are registered to vote\ and to locate their polling place.
Those who arent registered can still sign up to vote on Election Day.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill is urging people who want to register on Tuesday to show up at their local voter registration site as early as possible, warning there may be lines.
Those locations, which are not the same as the polling stations, will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Election Day voter registration in Bethel will take place at the municipal center, 1 School St.; in Bridgewater, at the senior center, 132 Hut Hill Road; in Brookfield, at town hall, 100 Pocono Road; in Danbury, in Room 3C of city hall, 155 Deer Hill Ave.; in Kent, at town hall, 41 Kent Green Blvd.; in New Fairfield, at town hall, 4 Brush Hill Road; in New Milford, at town hall, 10 Main St.; in Newtown, at the municipal center, 3 Primrose St.; in Redding, at town hall, 100 Hill Road; in Ridgefield, at 400 Main St.; in Roxbury, at town hall, 29 North St.; in Sherman, at town hall, 9 Route 39; in Southbury, at town hall, 501 Main St.; and in Washington, at town hall, 2 Bryan Plaza.
Locations of both local voter registration sites and polling places can be found at www.myvote.ct.gov.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
WEST COXSACKIE
A shooting at a rave party in West Coxsackie early Sunday morning sent three to the hospital, Time Warner Cable News is reporting.
State Police said that one person is in critical condition after the shots were fired at the Fox Run motel, the station reports.
A witness living in the motel said that he heard about ten gunshots around 3 a.m. and then saw people running from the scene.
State Police in the South Cairo barracks said they could not comment on the investigation. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the State Police.
The fate of 3-year-old Aliayah Lunsford has stymied police and frustrated her family since she vanished more than five years ago.
Questions were partially answered this week, when authorities announced that Aliayah was killed, allegedly by her own mother, Lenal Lunsford. Investigators believe Lunsford hit her daughter in the head with a blunt object inside their home in Ben Dale, an unincorporated community in Lewis County, West Virginia.
Officials said Lunsford hid the child's body and lied to police when she reported her missing in September 2011, the Associated Press reported.
Lunsford was arrested on Thursday and charged with the death of a child by child abuse, Lewis County Sheriff Adam Gissy said during a news conference on Friday.
The girl's body, however, has yet to be found.
"The investigation led us to believe that the one person who possesses this knowledge of Aliayah's whereabouts is in police custody," Gissy told reporters.
A criminal complaint cited by the AP states that Lunsford, now 34, kept witnesses from helping Aliayah after the child suffered the fatal blow and also asked them to keep quiet about what transpired.
Lunsford reported her daughter missing on Sept. 24, 2011. She told police she checked on her daughter early that morning, and Aliayah was gone when she checked on her again later that day, the AP reported.
An FBI official told reporters six months later that investigators did not believe someone broke into the home and took the child. The agency at that time offered few details about what investigators believe happened. At one point, the FBI offered a $20,000 reward for information that would lead to the little girl's whereabouts or to an arrest.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also had published an age-progressed picture of Aliayah. But no suspects were ever named or arrested - until this past week.
Lunsford, who's been living in Florida, was arrested in Pinellas County and has been extradited to West Virginia. She appeared in court on Friday, according to media reports. It's unclear if she has an attorney.
Family members, however, take little comfort in Lunsford's arrest.
"We tried to prepare for this day," Vickie Bowen, Aliayah's great aunt, told West Virginia Metro News. "We've known in our hearts for years now that Aliayah is gone, but we all still held out that one little thread of hope. Now that's gone."
Sheriff Gissy, who offered very few details about the investigation during the news conference, said investigators found witnesses who had direct knowledge of Aliayah's death. He didn't say anything on who those witnesses were and didn't take questions from reporters. He said more information will be released at a later date.
"They ought to be tried too," Tina Smith, the little girl's aunt said of the witnesses, according to West Virginia Metro News. "Five years. Why wait five years?"
Lunsford was pregnant with twins when she reported Aliayah missing, according to media reports. She was charged with welfare fraud shortly after she reported her daughter missing and was sentenced to eight months in prison.
Lunsford had also filed for divorce from Ralph Lunsford, Aliayah's stepfather. She had lost parental rights of her six other children.
"How could you do this to your own child?" Smith said of Lunsford. "She didn't deserve any of this. She was an innocent baby."
Kristine Guerra is a general assignment reporter for The Washington Post. Contact her at kristine.guerra@washpost.com.
Assemblywoman allegedly beat son
New York
Prosecutors say a state assemblywoman from Brooklyn is facing charges she beat her 13-year-old son with a broomstick.
Police arrested Diana Richardson on Saturday after the teen told them that his mother caused an abrasion on his arm by striking him during a dispute in their home.
A criminal complaint charges Richardson with assault, menacing and other counts. Prosecutors said Sunday that she was released without bail.
There was no immediate response to a message left with the politician's press contact.
The 33-year-old Richardson won a special election in May 2015 on the Working Families ticket to represent Brooklyn's 43rd Assembly District. She's running unopposed for a second term on Tuesday.
Associated Press
Cuomo says Trump is 'un-New York'
Buffalo
"New York has gotta be loud and proud this Election Day," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday in Buffalo during the first stop of a three-point campaign blitz for Hillary Clinton and Democrats in down-ballot races.
Cuomo rallied in Westchester County and Long Island assailing GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump for advancing anti-immigrant and anti-woman policies.
"In truth, Trump is un-New York," said the governor.
- Casey Seiler
I want to tell you about a product that stopped me dead in my tracks at the last Do It Best Show. And if you have odors in your cabinets, walls or subfloors this will interest you too. Zinsser makes several excellent primers and now they have created an odor-killing primer. Odor Killing Primer will kill existing odor from pets, urine, tobacco and fire. So let's say you are like me and buy a home previously owned by a smoker, and you have primed, painted, scraped the acoustic ceilings, but there is a slight lingering smoke smell in the house. Frustrating! I would put an Air Sponge in the return air, and of course, it would go away, but I wanted to find out where the smoke smell was originating. I finally figured out that the smoke was in the wooden kitchen and bath cabinets. So Odor Killing primer is exactly what I want to use! When you paint it on it will be white but in 45 minutes when it's dry it will be clear. Odor Killing Primer will permanently seal in odors and is water based, so you have an easy cleanup. I have a customer that bought a home and just in one room the subfloors reeked of pet urine, and he has tried everything - twice. Still, the odor lingers, and he does not want to carpet until the odor is completely gone. He is using the Odor Killing Primer. If you have an odor that seems to have permanently settled into your home, use the Odor Killing Primer by Zinsser.
NOW TO THE EMAIL
Question: I have a bath countertop that is all one piece including the sink. I have a stain at the bottom of the sink that looks brown. What product should I use to clean the sink?
Answer: That is a man- made marble top, and you need to be careful how you clean the top. Man-made marble has a gel coating which can be permanently damaged if you use too harsh a cleaner. Use Gel Gloss; it's the only product to use on man- made marble tops.
Question: We have some steps on our front porch that are covered with the ceramic tile that is on the porch. The porch does not get wet, but the steps do, and when they do they get slippery. Do you know of a product that I could apply to the steps, so that I would not worry about someone falling?
Answer: Yes there is a tread called Puppy or People Treads that will stop the slip. They are virtually invisible and so easy to install. They are a soft texture and mop friendly for ease of cleaning. They can be cut to size and have an adhesive that holds well, but when you remove the tread will not leave any residue. And it's made in the USA.
Question: I have cracks on the inside of the house. I will have them fixed, and then they show up again and so I am starting to get worried about my foundation. What will cause these cracks to open up after I have them fixed?
Answer: Rest easy, it is not your foundation. In Texas, builders construct a foundation that will flex with different extremes of weather that sometimes shows up as a hairline crack inside the house. Instead of taping and floating the small cracks that show up on the walls, use a product called Good- Bye Cracks. First, fill the crack (if your need to) with Dry Dex Spackling which goes on pink and dries white. Then spray with Good Bye Cracks in a light coat. Let dry, and then spray two more light coats. The Good Bye Cracks is a spray that is rubberized so it will move and be painted as soon as it is dry.
Question: Scum builds up where my AC unit drips outside on the concrete. What can clean it up?
Answer: Use the Thirty- Second Outdoor Cleaner, let it work and rinse it off. It will work on concrete, wood, plastic and will remove mildew, green scum and you don't have to scrub. I won't harm your plants because you flood it with water.
If you cannot find the products mentioned here locally, you can find them at www.happyhandyman.com. Click on Shop Johnnie's Favorites, or call the store at 210-341-1573. Email Trudy Chuoke Lesage at happyhandyman2@yahoo.com. Mail can be sent to Johnnie Chuoke's Home and Hardware, 2361 NW Military, San Antonio, TX 78231.
A pedestrian crossing Market Street in San Franciscos Duboce Triangle neighborhood was struck and killed by a vehicle Saturday evening, police said.
The pedestrian was hit while walking outside the designated crosswalk on the major thoroughfare at Dolores Street around 7:45 p.m., said Officer Giselle Talkoff, a San Francisco police spokeswoman.
Paramedics pronounced the pedestrian dead at the scene. The San Francisco Medical Examiner has not released the persons name.
Eastbound lanes of Market Street near Safeway and Whole Foods were shut down while investigators processed the scene. Police did not elaborate on the circumstances of the collision or say who may have been at fault.
Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
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A 20-year-old UC Santa Cruz student who was critically injured after being struck by a hit-and-run driver over Halloween weekend died Saturday with her family by her side, officials said Sunday.
Police, meanwhile, continue to hunt for the driver of a silver Honda CRV who slammed into Alexandria Arceneaux just before 2 a.m. along Highway 1 on Oct. 30.
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SAN ANTONIO All six of the Bexar County Sheriffs Offices patrolling K-9 officers now have bullet- and stab-protective vests to protect them in the line of duty.
BCSO reported the news of this development on Tuesday, saying both K-9 officers Chucky and Rocket now have the vests, which were provided by Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.
RELATED: BCSO K-9 Unit deputies learn to provide emergency care to their pups
Sheriffs office spokesman James Keith said this is the first time all of the agency's dogs have had vests. Those vests were first introduced to BCSO just over a year ago, he said.
The vests, which weigh about 4-5 pounds, has a value between $1,795 and $2,234. Donations of about $1,050 can be provided toward a vest for the dogs. The vests have a five-year warranty.
Vest Interest in K9s is a 501c (3) charity based out of East Taunton, Massachusetts, and the company has a mission to provide these type of protective vests to law enforcement dogs and related agencies across the nation. Established in 2009, the company has provided more than 2,000 protective vests in 50 states through private and corporate donations at a cost of more than $1.7 million. The vests are made by Armor Express in Michigan.
RELATED: K-9 tracks down two fugitives on West Side
Dogs that are eligible for the program must be actively employed in the U.S. with law enforcement or similar agencies. The dogs must be at least 20 months old, with new K-9 graduates and those with expired vests eligible for the program.
BCSO said there are about 30,000 law enforcement K-9s throughout the country.
Last year, the sheriffs office partnered with Mission Veterinary Specialists, which provided specialty medical care to animals and to teach K-9 human officers how to keep their dogs healthy and provide treatment for gunshots, stab wounds and other forms of injuries out in the field, according to a previous report.
Keith said the dogs and their handlers develop a strong bond.
They will tell you these (K-9s) are family members, Keith said in an interview with mySA.com. These are brothers in law enforcement and they are a critical tool that we use to fight crime.
RELATED: Sheriff's deputies seize several kilos of cocaine, heroin, meth in string of busts near San Antonio
The dogs live with their handlers and become members of their family. Whenever the dogs become ready for retirement from the force, they often times will spend their final days with their handlers and may ultimately stay with their handlers families, Keith said.
BCSO also has one K-9 officer that works at the jail, Keith said.
twhite@mysa.com
Twitter: @tylerlwhite
Army officials confirmed Sunday that a Texas soldier among three U.S. military trainers killed in Jordan on Friday is from Kerrville.
Staff Sgt. James Moriarty, 27, was among three Green Berets who were shot to death in a hail of gunfire while entering a Jordanian military base, according to a press release from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command's Public Affairs Office.
The Army Times reported that the three were part of 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), located in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Brett McGurk, White House envoy to the US-led coalition against Islamic State extremists, said an investigation of the attack is underway. A Jordanian officer was injured in the shooting.
In addition to Moriarty, U.S. officials identified the others as Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen, 27, of Lawrence, Kansas, who has more than six years of service in the Army; and Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe, 30, who has more than eight years of Army service, of Tucson, Arizona, the AP reported.
Moriarty was in his second overseas tour, the release stated. In more than five years of service to the Army, Moriarty earned the Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCO Professional
Development Ribbon and an Army Service Ribbon, the Army Times reported.
Moriarty, a native of Kerrville, grew up in Houston and earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Texas, a family spokesman told The Associated Press.
The Army Times reported that although it is unclear what prompted the shooting, military officials in Jordan said the shots were fired as a car carrying the American soldiers attempted to enter the al-Jafr base near the town of Maan in southern Jordan.
qramirez@express-news.net
Twitter: @quixem
On Nov. 4, Kerr County officials made two arrests in two separate cases involving two women who went missing. One was found dead on a ranch a year after her murder, and the other woman remains missing, officials said.
Isidro Lopez Jimenez, 53, is accused of physically and mentally abusing his wife, then killing her and dumping her body in a ranch last October, officials said. Jimenez was arrested Nov. 4 and charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence, officials said.
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SAN ANTONIO Police say a drug dealer killed a customer early Monday morning after attempting to rob the man, who grabbed onto his vehicle as he sped off and crashed on the Southwest Side.
The alleged drug dealer, Michael Maldonado, 21, faces a capital murder charge for the death of a man after police tracked him down.
RELATED: SAPD: 61-year-old pedestrian killed in hit-and-run crash on Southeast Side
Police initially responded at about 12:30 a.m. to the 200 block of Peabody Avenue to a reported pedestrian accident, said San Antonio Police Department spokesman Douglas Greene.
Officers found a male victim suffering from severe injuries and he was transported to San Antonio Military Medical Center, where he died at 1:26 a.m., according to police.
Greene said police later learned Maldonado met with the victim to sell him drugs, but decided to rob him instead.
Maldonado allegedly took money from the victim and attempted to drive off, but the victim held onto the side of the Chevy pickup as he drove away. At one point, the Maldonado side-swiped another car and the victim fell off the vehicle, Greene said.
RELATED: SAPD: Man faces new intox manslaughter charge after woman dies from drunken crash on West Side
Maldonado's vehicle had a significant amount of front-end damage when officers found it Monday morning in the 800 block of Laredo Highway and police took him into custody.
Greene said the victim may have displayed a gun and fired two shots at the suspect, but that is still under investigation.
Greene said another vehicle had been seen fleeing get the scene of the crime, and that vehicle was found in the 6100 block of Monterey Street. Three people from that vehicle were detained for questioning but none of them were arrested.
The Bexar County Medical Examiners Office has not yet identified the victim.
Maldonado faces a capital murder charge due to the nature of the alleged crime. That charge has a maximum penalty of life in prison or the death penalty.
RELATED: Officials ID 21-year-old found dead with gunshot wounds in West Side backyard
twhite@mysa.com
Twitter: @tylerlwhite
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has authorized Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksandr Danyliuk to sign a letter on lifting restrictions for implementing the Emergency Credit Program to Restore Ukraine of the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Poroshenko signed decree No. 265/2016-rp on November 4, 2016.
"To authorize Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksandr Danyliuk to sign the letter lifting restrictions for implementing the Emergency Credit Program to Restore Ukraine jointly with the EIB," the president said in the decree.
As reported, in the middle of May 2015 Poroshenko signed a bill on ratification of the financial agreement between Ukraine and EIB signed on April 22, 2015.
According to the agreement, EIB will provide EUR 200 million to Ukraine to take measures to overcome aftermath of events in eastern Ukraine: the funds are provided in tranches of EUR 15-40 million.
The program is intended to overcome the consequences of the military conflict in eastern Ukraine. The project covers five regions: territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions under control of Ukraine, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions.
James Comey surely had no idea what he was in for.
The FBI director knew that his decision to notify Congress of the reopening of the Clinton email investigation would cause a firestorm. But even he must be taken aback by the tsunami of obloquy that reaches all the way up to the president of the United States.
James Comey was the ultimate argument from authority, cited by every Democrat for the proposition that Hillary Clintons private email setup was no big deal. Now, he is accused of violating the law, of being tantamount to a sex offender, and of returning the specter of J. Edgar Hoover to Washington, D.C.
Perhaps Comeys letter was ill-advised; it certainly wasnt ill-intentioned. Any reasonable critic of Comey should concede that coming unexpectedly into possession of 650,000 more emails possibly relevant to an investigation that he had told Congress was closed he was in a tricky spot.
But most of Comeys detractors arent interested in his dilemma or in the Department of Justice protocols they claim to hold so dear. No, Comeys sin was putting at risk Clintons electoral prospects, and he is consequently the object of a campaign of personal destruction whose motive is nakedly political.
President Barack Obamas spokesman said the other day that he wouldnt criticize or defend Comey. That Olympian detachment quickly became inoperative. I do think that there is a norm that when there are investigations, Obama said in an interview, we dont operate on incomplete information, and we dont operate on leaks.
Theres also a norm against a president publicly slamming his FBI director. But then it was open season on Comey at least until Sunday when he said the FBI had examined the emails and still would not recommend charges against Clinton.
The New York Times ran a front-page story headlined James Comey Role Recalls Hoovers F.B.I., Fairly or Not. The fairly or not construction is a warrant to publish anything. Why not Obama Accused of Being Born in Kenya, Fairly or Not. Or The Clintons Accused of Murdering Political Opponents, Fairly or Not.
The main supporting quotation in the piece is from Georgetown Universitys Sanford Ungar. Even he stipulates, I dont mean to smear Comey, and it may be an unfair comparison. Then why make it? According to Ungar, the connection between Hoover and Comey is that the notorious 20th-century FBI director would weigh in on issues without warning or expectation.
Really? Hoovers problem was that he occasionally popped off? Not the domestic spying, the political blackmail and the attempts to destroy Martin Luther King Jr.?
Harry Reid accused Comey of violating the law specifically the Hatch Act which is stupidly malicious even for Reid, who doesnt have an ounce of Comeys integrity even on one of the FBI directors worst days.
The teenager who says she sexted with Anthony Weiner told BuzzFeed that she felt re-victimized by Comey. Weiners alleged victimization of her consisted of sending her lewd messages and trying to exploit her; James Comeys victimization consisted of finding emails related to another investigation on Weiners computer. How can he sleep at night?
Ian Millhiser of Think Progress argues that Comey should be fired because his notification to Congress is the first step on a slippery slope toward the FBI violating the civil liberties of all Americans. First, they came for Hillary Clinton ...
The Democrats portray themselves as the institutionalists in this election, protecting all that is good and decent from the onslaught of Donald Trump. But the Comey episode shows that their commitment to our institutions is coterminous with their political interest. As soon as Comey crossed them, they turned on him viciously and didnt care if the FBI was collateral damage.
The lock-step attack, from the cable TV talking heads to the president, is something to behold. Its not just that the Clintons will bend every rule and try to destroy anyone who gets in their way; they will enlist everyone on their side to do the same.
This is how a Clinton administration will work. Consider yourself warned again.
comments.lowry@nationalreview.com
A thank you to our great community and town! The Wilton Chamber of Commerce kicked off its annual HalloWeekend, which began on Saturday, Oct. 29 with the Pumpkin Parade, Trick-or-Treating and Halloween Portrait Fundraiser. It was a splendid day and thousands of trick-or-treaters and their parents gathered in the Wilton Center for some Halloween fun as they strolled through town collecting treats from Wilton merchants and businesses.
Photographer Justin Baiad stepped up to photograph 48 families and raised over $1,000 for the Wilton Community Assistance Fund; thank you, Justin! Thank you to Bankwell, our event sponsor! To all our generous merchants and businesses who participated and also joined us at the gazebo! A special thank you to Dr. Michael Crystal, our Cat in the Hat, and Carol Johnson and Michael Kaelin for hosting our table at the Chamber and distributing an amazing number of treats and again for your assistance early Sunday for the race!
Pensions to be paid early Jan 2017 could be paid late Dec 2016
Pensions which are to be paid early January 2017 could be paid late December 2016, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Rozenko has said.
"Rozenko also did not rule out that the pensions who are to receive them early January 2017 under the schedule would be paid late December 2016 as it happened last year," the press service of the deputy prime minister reported.
Rozenko said that Ukraine's Pension Fund should make the payments earlier.
Western Convenience Store Association study reveals that illegal tobacco is on the rise in Alberta and Manitoba, while rates are the lowest in Saskatchewan.
VANCOUVER, BC The Western Convenience Store Association released findings from its 2016 Contraband Studies, which examined discarded cigarette butts in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to determine if illegal (contraband) cigarettes were being purchased and smoked.
The study found that illegal tobacco is on the rise in Alberta, with the average rate of illegal tobacco use at tested sites reaching 12.3%, a big jump from 9.8% in 2015.
Two things have happened in Alberta since last year, said Andrew Klukas, WCSA president. First, Albertas economy is in recession. Second, the Government of Alberta increased tobacco taxes by $10 per carton in 2015: by $5.00 in March and another $5.00 in October. Alberta now has an environment where smokers are actively seeking cheaper tobacco products and products that the government restricted access to, such as menthol cigarettes. Its the perfect recipe for illegal tobacco sellers.
In Manitoba, convenience store retailers are deeply concerned following the release of a study which shows the rate of illegal tobacco in communities across the province is growing. The average rate of illegal tobacco use at sites tested across Manitoba was 14.7%, suggesting illegal cigarettes are widely available across the province. The illegal tobacco rate in 2015 was 12.7%.
Illegal tobacco is once again a growing problem in Manitoba, said Klukas, adding that illegal tobacco is easily accessible at schools and in communities across the province.
In Saskatchewan, the news is a bit more encouraging. The WCSA study found that the province has the lowest rate of illegal tobacco in western Canada.
Saskatchewan has a relatively low tobacco tax rate and it does not regulate flavored tobacco, said Klukas. We believe these two factors keep the illegal tobacco rate lower in Saskatchewan than in other western provinces. He added that Saskatchewans clear regulatory, tax and enforcement frameworks are easy for retailers and consumers to understand. This simple approach makes buying illegal cigarettes less appealing.
Jerri-Lynn here: There are many reasons to despair at the choice US voters face in tomorrows election. The danger that either candidate will goad Russia or China, without respect to consequences, is perhaps the most immediate and frightening. While many media hounds chase the false scent of alleged Russian manipulation of Trump, the election, and Wikileaks, to name just a few of the crazy allegations being discussed, this more serious threat has not been pursued nearly as vigorously.
In this Real News Network interview, journalist John Pilger and TRNNs Paul Jay discuss why the very real prospect of another World War is not taken seriously by the US media. Pilger argues that whoever is elected, tensions with China and Russia will escalate. I tidied up the rush transcript as best I could. Please excuse any remaining errors.
PAUL JAY, TRNN: Welcome to the Real News Network. Im Paul Jay.
In a few days, Americans are going to decide who the next President of the United States is going to be. Of course, this is an issue of global concern, given that the United States considers itself hegemon of the world and acts that way. What will be the difference perhaps is the foreign policy of the next President, whatever it is, Clinton or Trump. Based on what weve seen the last few years and how does one assess all of this? I think were assessing the degree of danger to the world. There doesnt seem to be any other measurement here.
Now joining us to discuss all of this is John Pilger. John joins us from London. John is an award- winning very celebrated filmmaker and journalist. His films have been broadcast on major broadcast platforms and channels around the world. His latest film is The Coming War on China, which will be released in December. Thanks very much for joining us John.
JOHN PILGER: Youre welcome.
JAY: So as I said in the opening, its a kind of a question of who is more dangerous. There doesnt seem to be any question. I think in most thinking peoples minds that one way or the other, US foreign policy is going to be dangerous for people of the world, particularly in the Middle East but not only. What is your assessment in this moment?
PILGER: Well its always dangerous. I sometimes think that its extraordinary Ive gotten to this stage in life and I havent been blown up by US foreign policy. But so we all of us outside the US quake before a US election. That said, the US isnt run by presidents, its run by a vast national security machine and that hasnt changed in the last 15 years or so. I think the other 2 candidates. One is clearly a rogue candidate and thats Donald Trump and the other, Hillary Clinton, is the candidate of this vast national security machine.
I think whats been a pity for all of us outside the United States and indeed for all Americans, is that the hysteria over Donald Trump has obscured the fact that Hillary Clinton may well turn out to be one of the more dangerous presidents, assuming she does win as the polls suggest, though she may not of course. Because she is the president. She is almost the embodiment of a status quo that since 9/11 has left us all in a very precarious state. Its left the Middle East in a precarious state. But above all, its brought us to the brink of some kind of very serious confrontation with Russia and the taunting of Russia, the intimidation of Russia is now unabated and just over the horizon there is a similar baiting of the other great nuclear power, China.
Now this issue which of course amounts to the prospect of another world war, even another nuclear war, have not been touched on.
Well they have been touched on. Ironically in the first debate, Donald Trump was asked about this and he said words to the effect, words that I would not go nuclear. I would not do a first strike. This wasnt used. It wasnt published.
Now I wouldve thought for whatever its worth, he might not have meant it. Trump says a lot of things he doesnt mean. Contradicts himself. But I wouldve thought that difference between Trump and Clinton on the issue of nuclear war, of war and peace was pretty critical. At least an issue to be debated. But it wasnt.
JAY: Yeah, the American media is totally involved in this salacious part of Trumps history and as usual, not very interested in any issues of polices of substance. You can find things on both of these candidates that would give one the chills. Starting with Trump, the great danger of Trump is that it wont be President Trump, it will be President Pence. Pence has been asked who hes going to model his Vice Presidency after and he says Cheney and in terms of foreign policy outlook, there seems to be no difference between him and Cheney.
PILGER: Well, whats the difference between any of them frankly? I mean neocon is a terrible word but it describes them all. Trump is perhaps more interesting because he seems to have upset all the establishment. The CIA wants him beaten, the Pentagon wants him beaten, the State Department wants him beaten, even his own party wants him beaten. I mean something recommends him and just his enemies do. So, whether there is a difference I think theres a difference of that much. I do emphasize this, that as you mentioned all these salacious stories about Trump but you know what do people want? Do they want to hear salacious stories or do they want to hear about the prospects of war and peace? Do they want to hear about whether were entering an extremely dangerous period in relation to Russia or not?
These issues have not been addressed and I dont think theres any doubt that Clinton who has very unusually named a cabinet already in a sense and a very good article by one of the independent journalists in Washington, Gareth Porter, listed these people and theyre all war hawks. And she said it in the last debate. Im going to have a no-fly zone in Syria. That means attacking Russian planes.
JAY: I think theres no doubt whichever of these people get elected president, in spite of Trumps rhetoric and if you look at what Pence says, I think both Clinton and I will say a Pence Trump, and I put Pence first because I think thats the more likely scenario, are going to be looking for provocations with Russia. Both Clinton and Pence are using Russian rhetoric to try and engage but using more than rhetoric. Theres this very interesting WikiLeaks that I dont think has received nearly enough attention which shows something about the State Department under Clintons mentality.
It said in the WikiLeaks that its not said who its to or from but when I asked some of the people we know who have some expertise in this, they say it sounds like a State Department briefing. It says to get the Israelis in support or not in active opposition to the Iran deal we need to get rid of Assad. And essentially and one assumes the reason for getting that will please Israel is to undermine Hezbollah but it kind of shows what drives a lot of State Department thinking and I dont think its a big stretch to think it drives Clinton thinking.
PILGER: Yeah, well, she hasnt hidden it. Shes had an obsequious relationship with Israel its well known. Her tough talking, her militarist talking, is all out there in the open. Shes made it clear that shes going to face off Vladimir Putin. Shes going to talk tough to the Chinese. As a kind of insanity about all this. I mean US foreign policy is actually run in a straight line since 1945. But its become more extreme in the last 10-15 years. Thats what worries most of us outside the United States and ought to worry those of you in the United States that its become so extreme now. So extreme that the prospect of an accidental war at the very least. Here we are at centenaries of the first world war where all the lessons of there are glaring out at us of not quite accidental war. Intended war that lit up and became a slaughter partly by accident. I dont for a moment think that this verbose provocateur who is currently the Defense Secretary, Mr. Carter, who is forever shouting his militarist slogans around the world. I dont for a moment think that he actually wants nuclear war. But he sure is trying to bring it on. Ive never known anything quite like his constant aggression. And this campaign of sending out these admirals and generals. Like Admiral Harry Harris in the Pacific speaking like Lord Palmerston in the 19th century. You know how much he runs from the world. You know what you say from Bollywood to Hollywood. You know these rather absurd people but with very great power.
JAY: The overall agenda of American dominance I dont think changes much between the various administrations or parties. But do you not think sometimes individual and specific agendas within the complexity of the America elites plays a role? Ill give you a couple examples. First of all, Cheney clearly drove the Iraq war. John Kiriakou, the former CIA agent said there was a morning meeting with the heads of all the major agencies and top Pentagon officials in the year leading up to the Iraq War and that that completely quite out of the ordinary, that morning phone call was chaired by Dick Cheney. And that in that phone call, and Kiriakou was apparently on it sometimes with some of the CIA people, most of the heads of agencies, most of the officialdom of the military complex were against invading Iraq. Cheney actually threatened these people saying resign or do what youre ordered to.
There are times when specific agendas can take hold. Like for example the people I guess that what the Real News, they heard us talk about Project for New American Century often enough. The very far right type of agenda. The other one where I think it did make a difference is if you look at the Obama-McCain election. This is not to say Obama has not been aggressive and has not committed war crimes because he has. On the other hand, this is John Bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran McCain and Obama does make a deal with Iran. I mean there are differences within these corridors of power which are sometimes important are there not?
PILGER: Obama decided not to attack Iran. I dont know about making a deal with Iran. They decided not to attack Iran. Attacking Iran wouldve been a disaster of course for the people of Iran and in the Middle East. But it wouldve also been a disaster for the United States.
JAY: As the Iraq War was.
PILGER: He decided not to attack them. So yes, but Obama has run probably more wars simultaneously than any other president. Hes run probably the most comprehensive terror campaign in his drone warfare of assassination. You know we can sit here and say that one is slightly better.
JAY: I wouldnt even use the word better. I would say in specific circumstances.
PILGER: I was searching. I was going to say less insane than the other. Sure. But in the end, here we are in 2016 in a presidential campaign and Ive covered 4 US presidential campaigns and I thought no you couldnt have Nixon as president. Well looking back on Nixon compared with some of the others who have come since, maybe a little less insane there. I dont know. But here we are in 2016 with this political freak show in the United States that spells great danger for all of us.
JAY: John talk a little bit about the film youre working on and why you think theres such a looming confrontation with China, whats driving it?
PILGER: Well its not what I think. The evidence is very clear. I mean Obama, the one whos done the deals, hes announced that he went to Australia in 2011 and announced what was known as the pivot to Asia and that was the deployment, the transfer of almost two-thirds of US naval forces into the Asia Pacific region by the year 2020. And at the moment there are 400 US bases ringing China. They start in Australia and they go all the way through Asia, up through the Pacific, Korea, Japan, across Eurasia, Afghanistan, India. If you look at them on a map, you can understand why the Chinese have apparently changed their nuclear policy to a first strike policy. They never had that. They used to keep the missiles and warheads separate. They dont anymore.
In the informed literature, the Journal of Concerned Scientists and there have been a number of articles that have described in some detail how the Chinese have changed their nuclear profile. Theyre worried. I was there not long ago and I spoke to a number of strategists and people are worried rather confused actually but worried and some of them are quite angry. The whole building of air strips on the Spratly and Paracel Islands in the South China Sea was a defensive move. Last year the United States conducted possibly the biggest naval exercise in history. Talisman Saber in which it rehearsed a blockade across the Malacca Straits through which comes 80% of Chinas oil and its raw materials.
The Chinese understand all of this. They know all of this. If its not explained to us through our media, they certainly know about it. This kind of provocation against China has been almost, I wouldnt say a sideshow but its another chapter. The first chapter of course is the provocation of Russia. And that is probably the most dangerous. Does anyone in the United States know what the Russians are thinking? What people in Russia are thinking? That theyre having civil drill exercises. What the Russian press is saying? What people think about this?
There is a sense in much of Russia that the United States is about to attack them. This is very, very dangerous because it puts a country in a defensive position, and thats when accidents can happen. There is no debate about this in what is it? Constitutionally the free-est place in the world, in the United States? Nothing. Read the New York Times for the last couple of days. Its become a sort of Cold War propaganda sheet. Stories that are clearly nonsense.
JAY: The objective seems to be one would think to weaken Putin but if anythings going to strengthen Putin its this kind of threat that creates an increased amount of nationalism and such.
PILGER: Well I dont know if it will strengthen Putin at all. I dont know enough about Russia. But the little I do know suggests that Putin is one of those who is always talking about being a partner of the United States. He does want to be a partner. He sees Russias future in Europe. There are others in Russia who have had enough of the talk of partnership and who drink in a deep well of Russian nationalism and Russian memory of all their great invasions of their country. So, I dont know whether it strengthens Putin or not. Perhaps it doesnt. Whatever it is, its dangerous.
JAY: You mean in other ways it could be strengthening far more nationalists and fascistic forces that could actually-
PILGER: Well not fascistic. In fact, there are plenty of fascists in Ukraine. You wouldnt know that reading the US press. There was a coup in 2014. Fascist led. Paid for by the United States. The truth of that is inverted and it has Russia invading Ukraine. I mean couldnt make it up but thats the received wisdom. Now Im not sure about the fascistic elements in Russia but there could be militarist elements and there could be those in the very powerful national security sector in Russia that say we have to prepare and they are preparing of course. Their weapons industry has been developing in a very sophisticated way in the last few years. Their air defenses and so on. But this is all war preparation. You know whether its Clinton or Trump its deeply worrying and deeply disturbing when reckless politicians like Hillary Clinton can stand up and beat every war drum that is put in front of them. Thats reckless.
JAY: Alright thanks very much for joining us, John.
PILGER: Youre welcome.
JAY: And thank you for joining us on the Real News Network.
Nanoshells: Potential catalysts and cradles of life (w/video) (Nanowerk News) A way to coax simple, inorganic nanoparticles to spontaneously assemble into shells has been discovered, potentially paving the way for more efficient industrial chemical processing, gene delivery and clean-up of chemical contaminants in the environment, researchers say (Nature Chemistry, "Self-Assembly of Nanoparticles into Biomimetic Capsid-Like Nanoshells").
And it explores how life may have started.
This work brings up the deeper questions linking self assembly and the origin of life, said Nicholas Kotov, the Joseph B. and Florence V. Cejka Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan. Cells, virusesall life relies on compartmentalization.
3D electron microscopy reveals the outer structure of the nanoshells. These nanoshells, which form naturally, could be useful in chemical industry and in medicine. (Image: Zhang Lab, University of Pittsburgh)
Kotovs team demonstrated the self-assembly of simple nanoparticles into spherical shells about 20 to 50 nanometers across, or about half the diameter of a virus. The nanoparticles are made of cadmium sulfide, a semiconducting material that can be used to make solar cells. To clarify how the self-assembly occurred, Petr Kral, a professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois, Chicago, and colleagues made detailed simulations of the self-assembled nanoparticle shells, down to the level of individual atoms.
This high-fidelity modeling takes months to simulate less than a millionth of a second, so the Chicago team could not show the entire one-second process of the shells assembling. Still, they could show that once a shell had formed, the forces on the particles kept it together.
The individual cadmium sulfide particles, roughly shaped like four-sided pyramids, have a negative charge. This causes them to repel one another. But in close quarters, this repulsion is overcome by an attraction between the surfaces: The electrons on each particle run away from one another, creating positively and negatively charged regions on the atoms that are aligned so that the particles attract one another.
A 3D electron microscope image of the nanoshell, cut in half to reveal the inside. These nanoshells, which form naturally, could be useful in chemical industry and in medicine. (Image: Zhang Lab, University of Pittsburgh)
But when many particles come together, the repulsion from the overall negative charge becomes strong enough that despite the close-range attraction, they cant form a solid sphereparticles on the inside get pushed out. Instead, they form shells. Peijun Zhang, a renowned expert in the shells of viruses and professor of structural biology at the University of Pittsburgh, and her group obtained precise three-dimensional images of the nanoshells with an electron microscope.
In order to cause the shells to form, the team needed to adjust only the pH, making the water moderately basic, which causes the negative charge on the nanoparticles.
The nanoparticles formed compartments without careful chemical organization. There was no need for peptides, amino acids or any organic molecules, said Kotov, explaining how the work connects to the origin of life. If there are particles from rocks, and liquid for mobility, compartments can form.
Nanoshells could be catalysts, creating shortcuts in industrial chemistry by cutting the energy required to produce useful chemicals or reducing the waste products. The self-assembly mechanism may enable the shells to self-repair if they are damaged by the reactions, a common problem for catalysts. As catalysts, they may also be useful for cleaning up chemical spills.
Take an Orson-Wells-style trip through a nanoshell in this interpretation of electron microscope images. Cadmium sulfide nanoparticles arranged themselves into spherical shells about 10 to 15 nanometers across, or about half the diameter of a small virus. The nanospheres were made at the University of Michigan and sent to the University of Pittsburgh for analysis.
Kotov is particularly interested in their potential for gene delivery, mimicking the natural viral shells currently used. His lab is currently exploring the viability of the nanoshells as capsules for gene therapy, a treatment for cancers and other disorders. The genes must be protected until they reach their target site in the body.
It is a beautiful system with a lot of interesting science. It is much simpler than the systems of compartments in living organisms, but we can modify it, learn how to control it, and eventually engineer it for applications, Kral said.
Ukraine's Finance Ministry has failed to reform the fuel taxation system and combat the shadow trade, the Ukrainian Fuel Traders Association has reported.
The association said that this concerns the threatening situation with the retail excise duty on fuel, as many market players try to avoid paying it.
The statement of the Finance Ministry that they cannot change the situation with the downward pace of retail excise duty payment is wide open to criticism. In 2016, the ad hoc working group drew up mechanisms helping not only to retain, but also boost revenue of local and national budgets and liquidate the growing shadow fuel segment," the press service said, citing Association President Leonid Kosianchuk.
The association experts deny information of the Finance Ministry that liquidation of the retail excise duty would result in the loss of local budgets. It is proposed that these sums are transferred to the basic excise duty on petrol, diesel fuel and liquefied gas collected from imported fuel and fuel production. Then the money will be sent to local budgets from the national budget.
"The main argument of the Finance Ministry is the impossibility of determining the common approach to the distribution of funds among almost 11,000 local budgets. However, the working group headed by Deputy Finance Minister Yevhen Kapinos and with participation of the Association of Cities and Towns of Ukraine has drawn up a common position: the State Treasury Service will settle direct payments," the association said.
The current position of the ministry results in billion losses for the national and local budgets.
"We have given an effective mechanism to introduce it. The Finance Ministry and the State Treasury should work hard. The implementation of the initiative would add around UAH 2 billion to local communities and UAH 6.5 billion to the national budget," Kosianchuk said.
Earlier Kyiv City Administration asked the government to unite the retail and basic excise duty on fuel. The city lost UAH 221 million due to this division.
The Justice Department has widened its investigation of Fulton Financials mortgage lending practices to include four new units.
The $18.7 billion-asset company disclosed in its quarterly filing that the Justice Department, which had only been looking at Fulton Bank, has expanded its probe to including Fulton Bank of New Jersey, Columbia Bank and Lafayette Ambassador Bank. The four banks conduct business throughout the mid-Atlantic region, with branches located from New Jersey to Virginia.
Fulton, which is based in Lancaster, Pa., said it is cooperating fully with federal authorities, adding that it is unsure how long the investigation will last or how much it might cost to resolve the issue or pay any penalties or fines.
A spokesman for the Justice Department declined to comment. Fulton also declined to comment beyond what it disclosed in the filing.
Since first disclosing the investigation more than a year ago, Fulton has unveiled a program to promote affordable housing, financial literacy and economic development in its markets. The Fulton Forward effort includes a low-down payment mortgage product, grants that can be applied toward closing costs or down payments and a partnership with Operation Hope aimed at improving financial literacy in underserved communities.
Fulton last month tapped William "Smokey" Glover, a Fulton Bank executive, for the newly created position of director of fair and responsible banking. His duties include the day-to-day management of Fulton Forward.
Fulton is among a growing list of banks to receive fair lending scrutiny. In December, First Federal Bank of Kansas City paid $2.8 million to resolve allegations of redlining in minority communities. Two months earlier, Sage Bank in Lowell, Mass., paid $1.2 million to settle similar claims.
Credit Suisse is marketing $767 million of bonds backed by 53 mortgage that are secured in turn by 199 commercial properties, according to ratings agency reports.
The loans backing Credit Suisse Commercial Mortgage Pass Through Certificates, Series 2016-C7 were underwritten by affiliate Column Financial (52.2%), Benefit Street Partners (40.4% of the pool) and Silverspeak Real Estate Finance (7.4%).
Wells Fargo Bank is the servicer and Rialto Capital Advisors is the special servicer.
Among the strengths of the deal, according to Moody's Investors Service, is the inclusion of two loans that, while not rated, have investment grade characteristics. These are backed by 9 West 57th Street (in Manhattan) and the GLP Industrial Portfolio B. They represent a combined $65.9 million pool contribution, or approximately 8.6% of the pool balance.
Among other strengths, the loans used as collateral amortize more than those backing several other deals that Moodys has recently rated. Thirty-five loans representing 51.6% of the pool balance pay both interest and principal throughout their terms; another 25 loans (39.8% of the pool) pay only interest, and no principal, for part of their terms, while just two loans (8.6% of the pool) pay only interest for their entire terms.
Nevertheless, Moody's considers the deal to be highly leveraged; it calculates the debt service at 114.8%. This would be even higher, 120%, if not for the inclusion of two, high-quality properties that skew overall metrics lower.
In terms of leverage dispersion, approximately 7.7% of the pool balance has a MLTV between 100% and 110%, with 22.1% of the pool between 110% and 120%, 47.1% of the pool between 120% and 130%, 5.1% of the pool between 130% and 140%, 0.8% of the pool above between 140% and 150%, and no loans in the pool above 143.3%.
The pool also contains loans encumbered by additional debt not included as trust collateral GLP Industrial Portfolio B (2.6% of the pool balance) and Peacock Run Apartments (1.4% of the pool balance).
A post-crisis spike in foreclosures, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and recent flooding in Louisiana all shaped the terms and timing of a bank deal struck in Florida.
Gulf Coast Community Bank in Pensacola, Fla., had spent the better part of six years trying to unload foreclosed properties and build capital to comply with a regulatory order. At the same time, the $133 million-asset company had been waging a legal battle tied to losses it claimed to have incurred from the BP oil spill that took place in the Gulf Coast in April 2010.
Frustrating developments on both fronts spurred the bank to agree to sell itself last month to First Bancshares in Hattiesburg, Miss., according to a document recently filed in conjunction with the proposed acquisition.
Other real estate owned amounted to just 1.6% of Gulf Coast's total assets at the end of 2009. Two years later, OREO made up nearly 11% of all assets, based on call reports filed with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The bank's total capital ratio, meanwhile, shrank rapidly from 12.6% at the end of 2009 to 5.5% two years later.
Gulf Coast, which has lost money every year since 2008, was hit with a regulatory order in early 2010 requiring it to address problem assets, improve earnings and boost capital. The order was modified last year to incorporate regulators' concerns associated with the Bank Secrecy Act and information technology.
While the bank fixed its BSA and IT issues, management struggled to get a grip on foreclosures, which totaled 14.2% of assets as recently as Sept. 30. Though the bank raised $3.2 million in 2014, its total capital ratio remains low, at 6.2%.
"While asset quality has slightly improved, Gulf Coast has not established sustainable recurring earnings to enhance its regulatory capital ratios and remains in noncompliance of certain mandates of the order, particularly regulatory capital and earnings," the filing noted.
Gulf Coast's board determined last year that the bank would need more than $6 million to comply with the order and position itself for future growth. At the same time, the bank had been hopeful that it could claim up to $15 million tied to pending litigation against BP.
That settlement proved elusive. The bank's legal advisers told the board that it "could take several years" for its case to be considered. In April, however, BP offered the bank a $101,000 settlement.
That low offer contributed in part to the board's decision to sign a formal letter of intent with the $1.3 billion-asset First Bancshares, which had offered to pay $2.3 million, or 50 cents a share, for the bank. First Bancshares was one of 21 banks Gulf Coast had contacted the prior fall about a possible merger, the filing noted.
Hoppy Cole, First Bancshares' president and chief executive, had several issues that he needed addressed, including writedowns for foreclosed properties and branches. First Bancshares eventually found an unnamed party to buy $15.8 million in other real estate owned for $6 million. First Bancshares disclosed when it announced the Gulf Coast acquisition that it would keep just $1.4 million in OREO, recording a $12 million mark for the rest.
The parties also discussed how to handle a potential BP settlement.
First Bancshares "indicated that it was amenable to preserving the BP settlement for Gulf Coast's shareholders as it had done for two of their previous acquired banks and that this offer could be in cash or stock," the filing noted.
As an agreement neared, First Bancshares told Gulf Coast it was juggling a number of initiatives, including another potential acquisition and a stock offering. As a result, the companies agreed to several extensions to allow First Bancshares to announce all the transactions at one time.
At that point, flooding influenced the deal's timing.
First Bancshares was in talks to buy the $258 million-asset Iberville Bank in Plaquemine, La. Those negotiations were delayed in August when catastrophic flooding devastated central Louisiana. First Bancshares later disclosed that it would place 8% of the cash involved in the Iberville deal in escrow as a contingency for loan losses tied to the flooding.
All the banks were finally able to reach agreements, allowing First Bancshares to disclose both of the acquisitions and a $63.3 million private placement of preferred stock on Oct. 14.
(As prepared)
Thank you, Foreign Minister Comanescu.
It is great to be in Bucharest.
Romania makes important contributions to our shared security. Including in Afghanistan where you are one of the main troop contributors for our training mission.
Romania is also playing a key part in making countries in our neighbourhood more stable. In Moldova, Georgia and in Ukraine.
You make a substantial contribution to our Trust Fund on Cyber Defence for Ukraine. Helping Ukraine become more resilient.
And I warmly welcome that Romania has committed to increase defence spending to 2% of GDP.
A good example for other Allies.
We just had a very constructive discussion on the security situation in the Black Sea region. Where Russias military build-up is a cause for concern. The security environment has changed and NATO is responding with resolve. Including right here in Romania.
Your country now hosts a small NATO headquarters, here in Bucharest. You have activated the Multinational Division South-East Headquarters. And we are strengthening NATO presence in the Black Sea region. With a Romanian-led multinational framework brigade on land.
We are also working on measures in the air and at sea. Two weeks ago, several Allies indicated they will contribute to this presence a strong sign of solidarity. And while NATO is increasing our presence in the region, we are keeping channels of dialogue with Russia open. When tensions run high, transparency and predictability are even more important.
Romania also makes an important contribution when dealing with other challenges.
Including by hosting Aegis Ashore at Deveselu, as a contribution to NATOs Missile Defence system. As the name suggests, Missile Defence is defensive. It is not directed against Russia, or any other country. It helps protect our nations against missile threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic area.
Foreign Minister Comanescu, let me thank you again for Romanias steadfast contribution to the Alliance.
NATO is committed unconditionally to Romanias security.
Dead grandmother voting
Obama inviting illegals to vote, too
Only the people can stop this madness
(NaturalNews) The Democratic Party has long since gone over to the dark side politically speaking. There are no vestiges of your parents' and grandparents' Democratic Party, which once stood for the hardworking, ethical and moral Middle Class of America.Today it is nothing but a hard-Left criminal cabal that is more reminiscent of the kind of Left-wing political apparatuses you see in the harsh dictatorships of banana republics everywhere. Led by Barack Obama, Harry Reid and Hillary Clinton, today's Democratic Party operates like Hitler's thuggish Brown Shirts , doing anything and everything it can toCase in point: The supposed "Republican who can't vote" for the party's nominee, Donald J. Trump, and who created a firestorm at a Trump campaign event in Nevada over the weekend, forcing Secret Service to rush Trump off-stage.He was just an innocent American there to protest a candidate right?Hardly. As reported by the, the protestor, Austyn Crites:-- Very possibly harassed Trump at a previous rally;-- Only recently set up his Facebook page;-- Carried a sign that denigrated Trump when he was surrounded, tackled by the crown then arrested at the rally he disrupted;-- Incited violence and emotional abuse;-- Is mentioned in WikiLeaks;-- Is a supporter of Hillary Clinton.But there's more. A tweet from the trademarked MicroTurkeyLeaks revealed that his address "has his voting Democratic dead granny & he's voting his CA brother's name under a misspelling."In other words,that the Democratic Party insists does not exist.And yet, it's about to get worse. Even as the part of the populace- which is nothing less than the Democratic Party's propaganda wing continues to learn daily how widespread voter fraud actually is, our current criminal president is out thereAs Natural News editor Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, noted over the weekend That video, by the way, is here The exchange began with leftist pretend journalist Gina Rodriguez:The clip was shown byhost Neil Cavuto, who was flabbergasted by what Obama was not merely suggesting, but statingThen again there is Rodriguez's asinine claim that just because someone runs, walks, crawls or gets dragged into America and gets a job they're not supposed to have, that makes them "contributors" and, hence, "citizens."So, if an American sneaks into Mexico and gets a job, does that make the American a Mexican citizen? Of course not. If Rodriguez's far-left viewpoint was valid, it would be enshrined in U.S. law.But it isn't. Becoming an American citizen is a; simply occupying space on American soil is not enough.In the end, the Democratic Party and its current standard-bearer are to blame for all of this. If they weren't so enamored with power and so willing to the civil society to collapse, and instead cared about the legal framework of the country they were elected to serve, this wouldn't be an issue.Obama has been enabled by his own party to violate the Constitution and the rule of law at will and literally do anything he wants if the goal is to keep the global elite establishment and his own party in power. He knows that the constitutional remedies Congress has at its disposal to beat down a lawless president, legally speaking, are not going to be used because they would not be successful in stopping him.So he stands before a young far-Left Latina activist/journalist and tells her no matter if someone in the country on Election Day is here illegally, they can vote in a U.S. election and not be worried about federal officials coming to arrest them.Only the people can stop this madness.
Nicotine hijacks the immune system
All tobacco products are equally harmful
(NaturalNews) It's not enough to just stop smoking : tobacco can cause damage to your health no matter what form you consume it in. A recent study conducted by US and Swedish researchers and published in thehas uncovered some of the mechanisms by which nicotine causes dangerous inflammation throughout the entire body.Research in recent decades has begun to uncover how out-of-control inflammation contributes to the development of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. "Our study reveals an explanation how nicotine contributes to induction of inflammation and in doing so shows new possibilities for future therapies to treat tobacco-related diseases which each year lead to premature deaths of several million people worldwide," researcher Constantin Urban said.According to the World Health Organization, tobacco use kills six million people each year. The bulk of these deaths come from diseases caused not by the various toxic additives in cigarettes, but by the very chemical that makes tobacco both addictive and pleasurable: nicotine.Nicotine is a biologically active compound that produces various dangerous changes in the body. One of these changes is the promotion of inflammation, which is a major cause of lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, or emphysema). Roughly one in 10 adults in the Western world suffer from COPD.In the new study, researchers exposed a form of white blood cell known as neutrophils to nicotine . In the presence of nicotine, both mouse and human neutrophils released inflammatory molecules known as neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). The higher the nicotine dose, the more NETs released."This particular finding explains the missing piece of the puzzle of tobacco usage and inflammation," researcher Ava Hosseinzadeh said. "This novel finding opens new avenues to [understanding] the consequences of tobacco usage for human health and should be seen as one more convincing argument to quit nicotine usage in any form."Next, researchers hope to replicate their results in experiments conducted on living animals and humans.Neutrophils, the most common form of white blood cell, destroy invading microbes either by engulfing them whole, or by targeted release of destructive compounds. These compounds include reactive oxygen species (free radicals) as well as NETs, which are actually DNA fibers released from the cell's own nucleus. NETs, in turn, release antimicrobial enzymes and inflammatory molecules, which then kill the invading microbes.Although inflammation has gotten a bad name in recent years, it is actually an essential part of the body's immune response. But like free radicals, inflammation kills microbes because it's not good for living cells. In fact, it is inflammation that is responsible for many of the symptoms we feel when we get sick. Inflammation is also responsible for the symptoms of other immune-related conditions, such as allergies or asthma.The key factor separating whether free radicals or inflammation help the body or harm it is how tightly the body is able to control these immune responses. If the body allows either response to run wild, then harm or disease will result. NETs in particular have been linked with inflammatory diseases including cancer, arthritis and small vessel vasculitis."The cancer-causing effects of smoking have been known for decades, but how smoking is related to immune changes has been less clear," said E. John Wherry, deputy editor of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. "Because of the direct link between nicotine itself and inflammation, this study has important implications including that alternative forms of nicotine inhalation, such as vaping that lacks other chemicals from cigarette smoke, may nonetheless still have detrimental immunological effects."
Even manufacturers' cleaning instructions are not effective
Just bathing patients before surgery can help cut down on the number of post-surgical infections
(NaturalNews) The establishment medical industry says that the 'next big thing' in their industry is the introduction of robots to conduct some surgical procedures. But a new study from Tokyo and New York has found that these devices have some major drawbacks with sterility.Researchers have discovered that surgical robots cannot be satisfactorily cleaned an ominous finding, considering that machines are becoming more and more common in operating rooms, including one New York hospital that recently acquired one to perform vaginal procedures, the UK'sThe study's findings reveal that it is absolutely impossible to clean robotic devices thoroughly, meaning there is also no way to avoid the risk of a post-operative infection using a robotic surgical device."One of the top priorities for hospitals is to treat patients safely and with minimal risk of infection," said Yuhei Saito, RN, PHN, MS, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor at the University of Tokyo Hospital.Saito added that the results of the study found that robotic surgical instruments may be putting patients at risk because of the way such instruments are currently being cleaned. "One way to address this issue is to establish new standards for cleaning surgical instruments, including multi-part robotic tools," the lead author noted.The study has been published in the journal, which is published by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.To conduct the study, researchers analyzed 132 robotic and ordinary surgical instruments over a period of 21 months. Instruments were immediately collected after they were used, in order to determine their level of contamination, thereported.Scientists involved in the study used in-house cleaning methods, including manual procedures utilizing ultrasonication, as per the manufacturers' instructions. They gathered measurements of protein concentration after three subsequent cleanings to gauge the total amount of residual protein.Because of the complex structure inherent to robotic instruments, they had a much greater protein resident and a lower cleaning efficacy when they were compared to ordinary instruments used manually by surgeon.As such, the researchers suggested in their findings that it could become necessary to devise new cleaning standards that employ repeated measurements of residual protein rather than measuring contamination only one time after instruments have been cleaned.As noted further by, the cleanings were 97.6 percent effective for robotic instruments versus 99.1 percent effective for ordinary surgical instruments."These instruments are wonderful tools that allow surgeons to operate with care, but completely decontaminating them has been a challenge for hospitals," Saito said. The researcher added that the implementation of new cleaning procedures that include repeated measurements "of the level of contamination on an instrument more than once" would lead to the reduction of post-operative infection in "many patients."Hospital-borne infections have been a rising problem in the U.S. for years. In 2012 reported that bloodstream infections caused at least 30 percent of the [then-] estimated 99,000 annual hospital-infection-related deaths in the U.S.According to the magazine, hospital infection rates varied greatly even in the same region. And reported that as many as 30 million surgical procedures are done each year, and that of those a half-million patients develop surgical-site infections, mostly caused by the staph bacteria."A lot of people think it's all from the outside world, but these are your own germs," Dr. Robert Weinstein, an infectious disease expert at Cook County's Stroger Hospital in Chicago, told the AP in 2010.A pair of studies released around that time found that simply bathing patients before surgery helped cut down on post-surgical infections.
China is interested in placing its production at Ukrainian industrial parks and has already provided the Ukrainian side with the corresponding plan of cooperation, Vice President of the China International Chamber of Commerce Lu Jianzhong has said.
"We see that the investment climate in Ukraine, as well as relations between Ukraine and China are improving. We hope that we will be able to take part in the development of industrial parks and attract Chinese investment via the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. We have provided our comments and our cooperation plan as for industrial parks to Ukraine. Ukraine is studying them," he said at the Ukrainian Silk Road forum in Kyiv.
He did not specify what kind of proposals have been provided to the Ukrainian side, but stressed the Chinese business in "very interested" in Ukrainian industrial parks.
Trade representative of Ukraine Natalia Mykolska, in turn, during the forum said Ukraine will attract Chinese investors, demonstrating the benefits of free trade with the EU, Canada, the CIS, the EFTA countries and others.
"Ukraine can become a place of goods production with the participation of Chinese investments, know-how and technology for the delivery to a number of markets, with which Ukraine has free trade agreements. Ukraine could become a manufacturing hub for Chinese investors to produce their goods here and deliver them to the EU market and back to China," she said.
1. Access greater creativity and confidence
2. Get more done
3. Help control addiction
4. Neurogenesis
5. Alleviate anxiety and stress, boost happy hormones
6. Prevent cognitive decline and sharpen your memory
(NaturalNews) A lot of people take up walking in hopes of getting fit or losing a little bit of weight, but many people find that it becomes a surprisingly enjoyable habit once they get started. That's because walking is so much more than a way to move your body and burn calories; it also has a number of benefits for your mental health. In fact, many people who start walking regularly report that they simply don't like the way they feel on the days they can't fit in a walk. Whether you're feeling anxious or depressed or you're just low on energy, walking can make a significant difference to your mental health. Here is a look at six good reasons to get outside and start taking regular walks.One big reason people gain so much satisfaction from walking is the fact that it can give your self-esteem a boost. It doesn't matter how much you weigh or how old you are; exercise can boost your perception of your attractiveness and your self-worth. It can also help you access greater creativity . In fact, one study showed that exercise can give your creativity a boost for as long as two hours afterward. The next time you're feeling uninspired, start walking! Take your walk outside and get closer to nature to maximize the benefits. Studies show that exercising surrounded by pleasant nature views can boost your self-esteem further.If you've hit a lull in your work and are feeling sluggish, head out for a short walk. According to research, workers who exercise regularly have more energy and are more productive than those who do not. If your work schedule allows it, try to plan your walk for midday as that's the best time for a walk according to your body's circadian rhythm.Exercise can be surprisingly useful in recovering from addiction. Addiction is related to the reward chemical dopamine that is released by the brain in response to drugs, alcohol, and even sex and food. Exercise can increase the brain's levels of dopamine, thereby creating more positive addiction pathways that can counter the negative ones. Walking's effects on rebooting your body's internal clock can also help regulate sleep, which is useful for those who find themselves unable to fall asleep without having a drink, for example.Cardiovascular exercise like walking has been shown in studies to create new brain cells, a process known as neurogenesis. This has the effect of boosting your brain performance overall. A strenuous walk could also boost your levels of a protein called BDNF, which can help enhance higher thinking, learning and decision-making.Exercise's ability to reduce stress is so widely documented that it's often the first mental benefit of walking that people cite. It boosts the concentration of norepinephrine, which helps regulate your brain's stress response. The endorphins released by exercise like walking can help you feel euphoric, making it a great natural treatment for depression and anxiety. It has even been shown to be as effective as antidepressants when it comes to treating depression in some cases. Walking for just half an hour a few times a week is enough to improve your mood. Moreover, the Vitamin D from sunlight can help alleviate depression , so head for your nearest park or forest, breathe in some fresh air , and see how much better you feel.Aging has the unfortunate effect of killing off brain cells. One way you can help protect yourself against cognitive decline is by walking. This is particularly useful between the ages of 25 and 45, although it's never too late to start. Walking can also sharpen your memory and enhance your ability to learn new things. If you're finding yourself becoming a little forgetful, some regular walks might be all you need to boost your memory.
(NaturalNews) If you feared that your skepticism of industry-funded studies may have been unfounded, worry no more. A recent analysis of studies examining the relationship between soda, diabetes and obesity has revealed that who paid for the study may have more to do with the outcome than actual science. The findings were published in late October 2016 by the journalResearchers from the University of California at San Francisco analyzed 60 different studies of soft drink consumption's relationship to diabetes and obesity all of which had been conducted between the years 2001 and 2016. They specifically chose studies that featured rigorous methodologies.What they found was that studies conducted by independent researchers demonstrated a clear link between drinking soda and metabolic disease or obesity. Of the 60 studies, just 26 reported that there was no discernible link between consuming soft drinks and obesity or disease.You may be wondering, "What was different about those studies?"Those 26 studies, of course, were not conducted as independent research those studies were led by scientists who had financial ties to the beverage industry.Dean Schillinger, the study's lead author and chief of the university's division of general internal medicine at San Francisco General Hospital, commented, "If you look at just the independent studies, it becomes exceedingly clear that these drinks are associated with diabetes and obesity." Schillinger noted further that there are still many people out there who believe that sodas and other sugary beverages do not cause disease largely because of the controversy the industry itself has created.As concerns over the disease-causing potential of soft drinks continue to rise, so does the call for legislation regarding such beverages. Government authorities and health officials alike have been demanding that soda taxes, and other similar measures, be created to curb consumption. Unsurprisingly, the industry has pushed back by saying a tax on soda is somehow "discriminatory," and claims that there is no proof that soda has played a primary role in the obesity epidemic.While taxation is not a favorable choice for inspiring people to quit their soda drinking, the industry's insistence that their beverages are not unhealthy and their apparent will to do whatever it takes to create science that agrees with them is mind-boggling and infuriating.The American Beverage Association (ABA) an organization that represents major players in the beverage industry such as PepsiCo and Coca Cola has even gone so far as to state, "We have a right and a responsibility to engage in scientific research." The organization then continued to insist that the research they fund adheres to the highest standards of integrity.Of course, their attempt at saving face didn't end there, and accusations were made about Schillinger's own biases. It's a rather childish approach to proving you aren't in the wrong, but what else do you expect from Big Food Industry bias is not a new discovery. A systematic analysis of similar intent, utilizing data from 1999 through 2003, was published in 2007. Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity specialist at Children's Hospital Boston led the study and worked in conjunction with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which is a consumer advocacy group. Their findings indicated that industry-funded studies were four to eight times more likely to reach a positive conclusion about the product in question.Dr. Ludwig commented, "We found evidence that's strongly suggestive of bias."Truly though, is anyone actually surprised?
'We're obviously very proud'
Landmark study found evidence GMOs caused tumors
(NaturalNews) Once more, the social change engineers and bureaucrats "in charge" of the country are acting like they know best when it comes to the issues of food freedom and food health.Despite push-back from millions of Americans and Europeans who are opposed to genetically modified foods because of the known health issues they can cause, the Department of Agriculture has nevertheless approved commercial planting of two types of GMO potatoes that have been altered to supposedly resist the pathogen that led to the Irish potato famine which occurred more than 170 years ago , and has not been repeated since.After USDA approval, the next step is that the potatoes must clear a voluntary review process by the Food and Drug Administration (yes,), and then get the go-ahead from the Environmental Protection Agency,So, in other words, this is pretty much already a done deal.The approval process is tied to Ranger Russet and Atlantic varieties developed by the Idaho-based J.R. Simplot Co. These are the second generation of Innate potatoes, thenoted.Company officials have said that the potatoes were also engineered to have reduced bruising and fewer black spots, better storage capacity and a lower amount of a chemical that is created when potatoes are cooked at high temperatures, and which is reportedly a potential carcinogen (more on that in a moment).Doug Cole, a company spokesman, told thethat officials were "obviously very proud" of their new GMO taters. The two new GM varieties will be in addition to one with the same traits known as the Russet Burbank, which has already been approved by the USDA and FDA. The EPA is expected to march in lockstep with an approval in January, the month President Obama leaves office.Thenoted that company officials say the new GMO potato strains contain only potato genes, and that their resistance to late blight, which is what led to the six-year Irish famine, came from a variety of potato grown in Argentina that produced a defense naturally.Though there hasn't been any famine, late blight is reportedly still a problem around the world, thenoted, where it is particular to wetter environments. J.R. Simplot Co. officials said that the new types of GMO potatoes are supposed to provide 24-hour protection in farmers' fields, while reducing the use of pesticide sprays by 45 percent (which is of course a good thing).But at what cost to the global food chain?The, in its report, dutifully noted that "there is no evidence that genetically modified organisms, known as GMOs, are unsafe to eat." But that is categorically false.As we have documented repeatedly, studies show that genetically altered foods are saturated with likely carcinogen glyphosate ( thanks to Monsanto ), and are extremely harmful to the environment Perhaps the most damning study, which the Big Food industry has attempted to discredit for years, involved the feeding of GMO corn to rats, which produced horrifying tumors As reported at the time byfounder/editor Mike Adams, the Health Ranger and author of the best-selling science book , the rats who were fed GMO corn containing trace amounts of Monsanto's Roundup chemical fertilizer went on "to develop horrifying tumors, widespread organ damage, and premature death." The study, led by Gilles-Eric Seralini of the University of Caen, was the first ever study to examine the long-term (lifetime) effects of eating GMOs. He was later forced to retract it because of major pressure by Big Food, agribusiness giant Monsanto and colluding governments.As for GMO potatoes, they will likely be welcomed by food producers in the U.S. despite outcries from fresh food advocates and environmentalists, but not in Russia and much of Europe, nations which have shunned genetically modified strains over legitimate concerns about their safety.
(NaturalNews) At some point in our recent history it became more important to American corporations and the politicians that collude with them to concentrate on global markets rather than simply serving domestic interests first, and frankly. This is evidenced by the rise of GOP presidential nominee Donald J. Trump, the outsider's outsider. It seems very clear, Americans are getting fed up.As reported bythe current presidential election cycle demonstrates clearly that voters are more disgusted than ever at the way political races are being financed: Disproportionately by big-money interests, especially those who stand to win or lose based on government actions.Making things worse, the AP noted further, is the blatant lack of transparency that is enshrined in the law. The rules allow these major donors to hide their identities by giving money to political non-profit groups that are not required to file detailed paperwork disclosing their financial connections.Such a corrupt, secretive system understandably leaves ordinary Americans with the belief correctly that they don't matter and that things are rigged against them.The AP noted one example of how that happens: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton headlined more closed-door fundraisers in August than there were days in the month. That left her campaign with a record amount of money, but she didn't spend much time withBecause voters are not her focus. Money is.And while donors are necessary because they help pay for an increasingly expensive bill for presidential campaigns (that, in and of itself, is a problem), they should not be the dominant theme of a campaign especially when most of the focus goes to a relative few donors with deep pockets and business interests at stake.Thus far, donors have contributed more than $1.7 billion into presidential candidates' races, the AP noted, according to an analysis of election and advertising records. That is an astonishing amount of money What's equally astonishing and disturbing is that outside special interest groups that don't face contribution limits account for some 33 percent, or nearly one-third, of that amazing total. And money has been pouring into those groups at an alarming rate, making American government the best that money can buy.Ever since the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in thecase, big money interests including corporations and labor unions have been able to contribute unlimited amounts to political action committees that side with one candidate or another.That ruling, along with subsequent court decisions and regulatory changes, have made it clear that wealthy donors are free to give as much money as they want, as long as the candidates themselves are not controlling how the money is spent.That is enough to make some candidates and more than a few Americans say they are ready to flush the entire campaign finance system and start over.Both candidates have said they want to address this issue of too much money in politics. But only one of them has any real credibility.For her part, Clinton has said she would like to get "unaccountable money out of politics." She has pledged to overturn the Citizens United court decision, which she cannot do as president, but which she could accomplish if she were able to put enough like-minded judges on federal courts and in the Supreme Court. She has also said she would propose a constitutional amendment to address the issue, but amending the founding document is extremely difficult.Plus, there is no evidence she's serious. Recently leaked documents from WikiLeaks demonstrate fully that she is, period, to enrich herself and her family "foundation." Trump , by comparison, has funded most of his campaign himself, and while he has sought out some big donors, they are not likely to be influential in his policy making, as he is the consummate outsider.What is certain, however, is that more Americans than ever are sick and tired of the current system as it stands, with politicians and presidents content to bend to the will of the donor who has the fattest wallet.
Abedin's background is damning
Using groups aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood to infiltrate the West
Clinton was the architect behind the civil unrest in the Middle East
(NaturalNews) We've heard her name mentioned quite a bit in recent weeks, mostly in connection with the homebrew email server Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton set up in her home to conduct private business while serving as the Obama regime's secretary of state.But what do you really know about Huma Abedin, Clinton's closest aide for the past two decades? Did you know, for instance, that she has ties to terrorist organizations? It's true.According to this anonymously released video , learning the facts about Abedin's background and history are vitalon Election Day, because she very well could become Clinton's chief of staff and have the run of the White House if her boss wins.The video begins by telling viewers that any and all information it contains is easily accessible by doing an online search. After that, the video explains that there are four main players in the Abedin circle: Herself, Clinton, Abdullah Omar Naseef, and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Abedin was born in the United States, but when she was two, her family moved to Saudi Arabia, where she lived for 16 years. Upon returning to the U.S. when she was 18 years old, Abedin enrolled in The George Washington University. Two years later, her association with Hillary Clinton began. Soon afterward, she began working for Clinton full-time.The year was 1996, and the Clintons were in the middle of Bill Clinton's two terms as president.At the same time, Abedin was also working in the family business a journal by the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, a business which is owned by the Muslim World League. The league, the video explains, is used by the Saudi government for the global promotion of violent Wahabbi Islam.Her mother and her brother currently also work at a League office in London, which is shared by with the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs.Naseef, the video continues, is one of the founders of the league. He created Abedin's family business, along with her father, but he has also funded the terrorist group responsible for the 9/11 attacks, Al Qaeda, and its (late) mastermind/leader, Osama bin Laden, who himself was a Saudi national. In 2001, the U.S. State Department established the monetary link.But there's more. During the course of investigation following the attacks, the FBI discovered that the Muslim Brotherhood, itself believed to be a terrorist organization cloaked in the so-called legitimacy of a political party, gave over $12 million to an above-the-board terrorist group, Hamas.At the same time the FBI discovered an 18-page document generated by Hamas that explains how it, and other Islamic extremist organizations, would be working over the course of years to destroy Western civilization from within. This document is available online ; the actual document is listed in .PDF file format here Written some time in 1987 by Mohamed Akram but not published until May 22, 1991, the 18-page document listed the Brotherhood's 29 likeminded "organizations of our friends" that shared the common goal of dismantling American institutions and turning the U.S. into a Muslim nation.One of those "friends" is the Muslim Students Association, where Abedin was an executive board member for three years. Two years later, the man who preached to (and indoctrinated) the 9/11 hijackers, Anwar al-Awlaki, became chaplain of the students' association.There's much more. The video goes onto to note that Huma's mother, Saleha Abedin, is a leading member of the Muslim Sisterhood, which of course is a division of the Muslim Brotherhood."All of these organizations," the video states, "have the same goal and tell us repeatedly in plain language: They want to destroy Western civilization and replace our laws with repressive Sharia law like you see in Saudi Arabia."On 9/11, Saudi Arabia, Naseef and others tried to do that very thing. That day, Huma Abedin was officially working for those organizations and for Hillary Clinton when the towers fell.Worse, she has never divulged any of her relationships family and professional with these organizations and the money that funds them (Naseef & the Saudi government), though it's a safe bet to assume that Clinton knows about them, since Abedin has been with her for decades.Even her mother, who is a leading Sharia activist, still works for an organization advocating the decimation and subjugation of Western civilization.How is this being done? For one, consider all of the mass migration from the Middle East into Europe and, under Obama, into the U.S. Clinton has said she wants to dramatically increase the number of refugees from the war-torn Middle East into the U.S. (and, by the way, the terrorist elements there have said they will use the refugee crisis to infiltrate the West).But Clinton can't control violence in the Middle East can she?Remember that Clinton, as secretary of state, was theof essentially supporting "rebels" and "revolutionaries" who sought to topple the governments of Syria, Libya, Egypt and Yemen. These movements led to outright civil war, and now we're facing mass migrant waves into Europe and the United States a migrant wave supported by Obama and Clinton, neither of whom want to see the U.S. remain a constitutional republic.There is more damning evidence against Abedin, who is helping Clinton facilitate all of this. Watch it here
My analysis
Goodbye, public pensions...
(NaturalNews) This is a red alert moment of action for all Natural News readers. For the last eight years, I've been warning you that the "big one" is coming from the stock market. I've told you how the quantitative easing (i.e. endless money printing) of the central banks was artificially pumping up the markets by flooding the system with fiat currency. I've urged you to get out of digital (fictional) assets by selling stocks and buying REAL assets that survive a market crash (such as physical gold, farm land with water, stored food, etc.).Today, I'm announcing a red alert warning:, no matter who wins.I'm not the only one who sees this coming, either."David Stockman warns both Trump and Clinton could lead to 25% sell-off," blares a CNBC headline Zero Hedge emphasizes the warning , printing:This, he explains, will cause markets to implode.Mac Slavo from SHTFplan.com adds even more weight to the worry:Read more from Karl Denninger at Market-Ticker.org . He's the author of "Leverage: How Cheap Money Will Destroy the World."If Trump wins, the stocks take an instant dive, reflecting the fact that corrupt Wall Street banksters realize their money making scams are going to end under Trump. After some strong government intervention, they will recover and just barely hold together until Trump is inaugurated in January of 2017. After that, it'sas the central banks deliberately crash the system to blame Trump and call for his impeachment.If Clinton wins, the stocks temporarily surge, triggering a point of ludicrousness on the "over bought" side, then as people come to their senses about the runaway EVIL of the corrupt criminal they just elected, markets plunge into the financial abyss... very likely during Clinton's first two years in office.Either way,. It's time to get out, or you risk being dragged over the cliff with them.What this means, of course, is thator lose the vast majority of its holdings. Tens of millions of retired government workers -- teachers, professors, police officers, firefighters and more -- are going to wake up one day and find out they've been royally screwed by the very system they once fought to protect.Mark my words: That day is coming. Almost everyone is living in a state of irrational denial over the mathematics of it all. Almost everyone who runs these pension funds is basing their future ability to pay out pension "benefits" on wildly irrational, non-sustainable projections in perpetual market asset growthunless the laws of mathematics are transformed by God.Establishment financial people are STUPID beyond belief, and they all suffer under the ridiculous delusion that endless financial growth will continue forever -- to infinity -- even though the markets and resources on our planet are FINITE. This is why they will all be proven WRONG when it hits the fan.Yes, I'm right and they're all wrong. Deal with it. It's not the first time the entire financial establishment has been wildly incorrect. Case in point: Watch the amazing filmThis has become my No. 1 favorite film of all time. You need to see this movie because it perfectly describes the delusion, the denial and the total idiocy of "mainstream" investors even as they are living inside fictional investment bubbles that must, by definition, come crashing down.As you watch it, just remember that the housing bubble crash of 2008 is tiny compared to the global debt collapse that's right around the corner. When this next crash arrives, it may take down not only brokerage houses, butand possibly the currencies of entire nations (hint: the most vulnerable nations are the ones with the greatest debt... any idea who that might be?).When that day comes,because it was nothing but electronic numbers to begin with. That's the day you will wish you had listened to the Health Ranger and converted your useless make believe dollars intolike farm land, gold coins, functional firearms, storable food or income-producing machinery (like farm equipment or factory equipment).Don't make the big mistake of the clueless masses: They think everything AFTER the election is going to be just the same as it was BEFORE the election. They are totally, inescapably, pathetically wrong. Sadly, they are going to pay a very steep price for their stupidity, and many of them will lose almost all their life savings. Don't let that person be you.
The leftist media has become an accomplice to the crimes of the Clintons
If Clinton wins, it will only further enrage a nation that's already fed up with the lunacy (and failed policies) of the left
This either ends in absolute tyranny or hundreds of high-level democrats being marched off to prison
Tomorrow's election will gauge the enormity of the public backlash against the criminal class in Washington
(NaturalNews) The establishment is clueless. Hopelessly corrupt. Immeasurably incompetent. The media, the political elite, the criminal bankers, the idiotic academics... they have absolutely no clue about the size of the fervent backlash that's headed their way.. A stolen "victory" for Hillary Clinton will only further empower that backlash as it escalates into a nationwide citizens' revolt... athat has been long overdue.Washington D.C. is run by unapologetic criminals. They have abandoned any real interests of the people and work only to enrich themselves. They rig elections, they rig the polls, they rig the news and they rig the education system to teach our children that independent thinking is not just wrong, but socially unacceptable. The P.C. culture of obedient thought control and language obedience isrun by dictatorial despots.The FBI has now decided that Hillary Clinton is above the law . She -- and others like her -- have been handed. Even as she runs the largest and most destructive political racketeering scheme in U.S. history, the Department of Justice blocks all requests for grand juries and search warrants, covering up Hillary's openly criminal behavior.The leftist media, for their part, have become, deliberately refusing to air Wikileaks bombshells that expose the stunning complicity of John Podesta, Cherryl Mills, Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton and Loretta Lynch. Right now, the mainstream media is, by any reasonable, objective assessment,working in conspiracy with Hillary Clinton to crush democracy and steal this election from the people From every corner of the establishment -- academia, media, government -- the message to America is clear:. The unrelenting bigotry and hatred of the left is on full display today, not just with the endless defamatory attacks on Trump himself, but also with the leftist violent bombing attacks on Republican campaign headquarters buildings, Trump buildings and even the FBI. Leftists also hate police officers and try to kill them at every opportunity (because they hate the rule of law).All this hatred, violence, bigotry and intolerance, not people on the right. The political left is the most hate-filled, bigoted, lawless, intolerant and dangerouslyincarnation of radical politics that the world has witnessed since the French Revolution. It is on the backs of these hate-filled violent extremists that sinister political deceivers like Hillary Clinton sickeningly claim to hold a monopoly on compassion, peace and love.It's all part of the "Big Lie" of the left: They have no love or tolerance to offer at all. What they offer is, a totally rigged justice system, condemnation of common sense and harsh demands for absolute obedience to their twisted, idiotic cultural narratives that make no sense... such as claiming a biological man is a "woman" because he suddenly decides to impersonate one.The lunacy of the left has reached the point of, and it's only by ending their lunatic reign in Washington that We the People can bring true healing to this nation.That's why the backlash against Washington is going to be so large. Whether Trump wins the election or not, the intelligent people of America have been awakened... and they can't be lulled back to sleep with more false promises like "if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor."Today, the American people know the democrat rendition of government is a LIE. They know that Hillary Clinton cheated during the debates by being given the debate questions in advance. They know that Obamacare was a big fat LIE and was designed to bankrupt the economy from the start. They are fully aware that the "swamp" of Washington is so full of foul-smelling political creatures and ghoulish, seething leftists that the only solution remaining is to, as Trump says, "drain the swamp."America has reached the point where. We the People will not recognize any legitimacy whatsoever of a Clinton "presidency" -- an election outcome that can only be achieved through organized voter fraud and theft of power. Under a fair, free and open election, Hillary Clinton would be losing by 40 points.We the People do not accept the FBI cover-ups, the DOJ collusion and the media complicity in the crimes of Clinton and the DNC. We the People will not stand by idly as our future is stolen from us by anNo, We the People will, if necessary, take all necessary steps to restore and protect the Republic because, not rule over them. There is no circumstance under which this revolution of awakening goes quiet at this point. If anything,as tens of millions of Americans take to the streets to demand their country back.That's why I say the revolt on Washington has begun. I don't mean a shooting war, by the way. I mean a political revolution. The Washington establishment, which once enjoyed the trust of nearly 90% of the people, is now almost universally viewed as a useless, corrupt CANCER on the nation. The special interests must go. The sellout RINOs must go. The criminal leftist racketeers must go. The big money donors must be shut down and shut out. The criminal bankers, Clinton conspirators and DOJ traitorsTo reallyin Washington, we must relentlessly pursue thethroughout the DNC, the DOJ, the Obama administration and the Clinton racket. Only by marching these criminals out in Washington in handcuffs can we ever hope to restore America's faith in the institution of limited government.Or perhaps it's already beyond that. We may already be at the point whereto enrich the political elite. As Zero Hedge explains , "Most Trump supporters don't want the government to do something for them; they want the government to quit doing things to them. They viscerally revile the elite -- it's personal -- and they want no part of that class or its government."From the same article:The backlash against the Clinton machine cover-ups is going to be intense. As Dick Morris explains in this video , FBI head James Comey's announcement that Clinton would not be criminally indicted may cause "a backlash among Trump supporters, almost guaranteeing they come out to vote."Suddenly, Trump supporters go from "80% certain to vote" to something more like "95% certain to vote." And since, the FBI's own collusion with Clinton may have set forces into motion that will achieve a stunning Trump landslide.Even if that doesn't happen, James Comey's collusion with the Clintons -- and his-- will no doubt spur a massive post-election backlash . If Clinton manages to steal the vote and seize a numerical victory on Tuesday, the only real message to almost half the nation will be, "This system is so totally corrupt that all of it must go." The conclusion will be almost universal: The American system of federal government has becomeand must therefore be dismantled and abandoned or replaced.Prepare toin peaceful revolt. Stay tuned for further instructions as the situation warrants...
According to a study commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO), men can take birth control shots to prevent pregnancy in their female partners. Although the result of the initial study looked promising, the second stage of the trial was stopped, and now many people are wondering why.
To find out if the contraceptive shot is effective, 320 healthy men in monogamous relationships with female partners were subjected in an experiment.
As per the study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, each of them was given the shot every eight weeks. The intramuscular injections consist of 200 miligrams of norethisterone enanthate combined with 1000 miligramz of testosterone undecanoate.
Norethisterone enanthate is a derivative of the female hormones progesterone and estrogen referred to as "progestin" in the synthetic form.
Results showed that 95.9 of 100 continuing users suppressed to a sperm concentration less than or equal to 1 million/mL within 24 weeks.
In an interview with CNN, Dr. Seth Cohen, a urologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, explained that the decrease in sperm concentration is caused by a "brain malfunction," which happens when the body shuts down its own production of testosterone. The testosterone and progestin injected on the body make the brain think that the body is already getting enough of it so it stops producing testosterone.
If the method was considered efficient and relatively good, why did they stop the study? Apparently, the contraceptive shot has some side effects that include acne proliferation, depression and mild to moderate mood disorders.
National Public Radio reported that during the course of the study, some subjects decided to drop out because of the side effects. The report noted that one man developed severe depression, and another tried to commit suicide. Because of that, they cut the study short.
The infamous study had raised people's hopes high, but now the findings were deemed a major setback in the field of contraception. The study was conducted in 2012 and the results were only published now.
The next generation of warfare may have lasers and hybrid power. Military experts in Washington announced in a meeting that next-generation combat vehicles may feature energy weapons and active protection systems.
In what appears to be just in the realm of science fiction, Col. William Nuckols said Washington is currently considering about four years of analysis before they "procure" such assets.
Nuckols, of the Association of the U.S. Army's Institute of Land Warfare, told this to listeners in a recent forum he chaired. He added the United States is expecting to get its first unit fully-equipped around 2035.
However, fielding the next-generation combat vehicle needs major decisions as early as 2025.
According to the U.S. Army website, the next-generation combat vehicle will probably have alternative or hybrid energy sources and feature directed-energy weapons. They may even have advanced composite armor and active protection systems.
John Gordon IV, a senior policy researcher for RAND Corp., said these directions are in response to current threats surrounding these current vehicles. Threats such as rocket-propelled grenades, armor-piercing munitions, and explosive devices can heavily damage these armored vehicles. The worse part is "non-state actors" and "state-level opponents" are equipped with this system.
According to a UPI article, additional threats from cyberwarfare and electronic warfare also expands the reach of defenses the next-generation vehicle must face. This includes nuclear weapons, as nations such as Russia are actively talking about their deployment.
John Paulson of the General Dynamics Land Systems added that renewable energy sources such as wind, geothermal energy and solar energy are not yet practical for combat vehicles. However, biomass and hydropower sources can be options.While there are current experiments to produce biofuel from biomass, hydrogen fuel cells are bulkier and are therefore too dense for the said vehicles.
Lastly, Bryan Cheeseman of the Army Research Laboratory said that while lasers are an emerging technology for weapons, its practical usage as a directed-energy source should be considered. He said they would be more efficient as vehicle protection.
He added the "future" of vehicles will include 360-degree protection, as threats from unmanned aircrafts above, conventional weapons on the side, and IEDs below are dangerous for combat.
Regardless, the question remains: what exactly should be next-generation combat vehicle be? Answers to the question remain hidden in the developments in the said fields in a few years.
Researchers are one step closer to finally mass-produce effective artificial pancreas. This will greatly benefit type 1 diabetics who find it hard to maintain their blood glucose levels because of their inability to produce insulin.
Low insulin levels can lead to nerve and organ damage, seizures, and even death. Current health practice to maintain health involves a continuous glucose monitor under the skin, an insulin pump that is wearable, and dangerous works of trial and error.
According to Scientific American, this is because the monitor and pumps do not exactly work in tandem. Researchers are trying to solve this predicament by creating artificial pancreas, which can effectively figure out how much insulin the body needs and deliver the necessary amount in real time.
Kelly Dunkling Reilly, a registered nurse and a certified diabetes educator, told Scientific American that recent trials had finally helped her work with patients and exercise without the fear of hypoglycemia.
According to CNN, the artificial pancreas has been in development for decades, but researchers are finally moving toward the final stage of their research.
For instance, medical device maker Medtronic has received an approval from the Food and Drug Administration last September for a "hybrid closed loop." This is an insulin pump that analyzes data from a glucose monitor and actively adjusts insulin rates. Users would need to input insulin doses to account for meals, but tests show the system is reliable.
A 240 patient-strong trial across the U.S. and Europe led by researchers from the University of Virginia and Harvard University will test a new system that integrates the pump, a continuous monitor, and a smartphone. The smartphone will analyze blood sugar readings and instruct the pump to release the appropriate insulin.
Scientists from Boston-based Beta Bionics' iLet artificial pancreas is one step closer to deliver such a system for real. Its iLet device administers both insulin and glucagon, the hormone that raises blood sugar. Data from a continuous monitor will determine which hormone to release and how much. They hope to have clinical trials mid-2017, with an insulin-only version to receive approval as early as 2018.
CHS Ukraine with partners to allocate $50 mln for farmers support program in 2017
CHS Ukraine LLC is to allocate $50 million under a program for support of agricultural producers in 2017, CHS Ukraine CEO Viacheslav Kolosvetov has said.
"Some $50 million has been earmarked for a joint project with Syngenta and Galnaftogaz, this amount will be allocated in spring," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Monday.
In his words, Galnaftogaz will supply fuel, while Syngenta will provide farmers with seeds, pesticides and herbicides with a payment grace period at a small rate. Farmers will in turn pay in grain, which will be exported by CHS Ukraine.
In 2018, CHS Ukraine plans to spend $100 million on the said program, he said.
In the 2015-2016 marketing year, the company exported 1.1 million tonnes of grain from Ukraine. It plans to raise exports from Ukraine to 1.5 million tonnes in the 2016-2017 marketing year.
According to Kolosvetov, CHS Ukraine works at a profit. It appeared on the Ukrainian market in 2008. It owns Odesa-based Olimpex terminal, the company's investment in the project was $42 million.
Research suggests being a night owl will never be good. Sleep scientists have determined that teenagers -- or people in general -- who sleep late at night struggle with self-regulation, regardless of how much sleep they get.
A study using data gathered from over 2,000 students in Fairfax County, Virginia analyzed various sleep conditions. Scientists determined the associations between the amount of sleep students get, their activity in daytime, and a brain function known as self-regulation.
This is the ability to control emotions, cognitive functions, and behavior.
According to NPR, "night owls" tend to have the hardest time with self-regulation. Students that sleep late eventually have more memory problems, are more impulsive, and get irritated more easily.
Dr. Judith Owens and her colleagues said their study, published in Pediatrics, determined something called a "chronotype" or a measure of when a body clock makes them inclined to sleep. This determines someone's "morningness" or "eveningness."
Morningness, or morning people, tend to go to bed early and wake up earlier. Its counterpart eveningness, or evening people, tend to go to bed late and wake up late.
Students who go to bed late tend to be sleepier during the day and have more trouble with self-regulation. The plot twist is this happens regardless of the sleep they are getting. Since students tend to be night owls, schools ought to start classes later.
Owens added it's essential that students get enough sleep and appropriately-timed sleep for optimal self-regulation. Lack of these benefits will compromise the skills of students. Early school times force students to start classes when their brains are still asleep.
Starting school late will also cater to the needs of adolescents who are slowly becoming night owls. Owens and her team are currently preparing suggestions that can be followed by schools should they opt to start this new system. However, it may take time to adjust given the enormous time and effort it takes to reschedule classes.
An obscure synthetic opioid that goes by the name U-47700, or more commonly known as "pink' or "pinkie", has claimed the life of two 13-year-old boys in Park City.
U-47700 is a synthetic opioid that was derived from morphine. Animal testing of the drug showed that it was about eight times stronger than morphine. First developed and patented by a pharmaceutical company in 1978 as a possible alternative for morphine, U-47700 was never approved to be used in humans. Old patent records and formulas made it possible for chemists all around the world to recreate the drug and make it available to those who finding cheaper way to get high.
According to the report from Washington Post, official toxicology tests showed that the two boys died due to acute drug intoxication caused by pink overdose. Further police investigation revealed that the boys, together with a 15-year-old boy and a teenage girl, bought the U-47700 online.
The teenage girl admitted that the two boys used her house as the shipping address for the package which she described as "a clear bag with a white powdery substance." The package came from Shanga, China. The 15-year old boy was arrested and charged for distribution of a controlled substance and reckless endangerment. Investigators believe that the boy is somehow involve with the two dead boys, possibly selling and distributing pinkies to other students.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the police investigating the death of the two boys also discovered that the drug has been gaining some ground in the local school community. Following the discovery of the pinkie's popularity among students, the police launched an extensive search of the school premises, especially the students' lockers.
The death of the two Park City boys has forced the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to classify U-47700 as a Schedule I drugs, or drugs that had "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse."
One of the world's most favorite fruits is on the verge of extinction. The Cavendish banana is now under attack by a fungus known as Tropical Race 4 (TR4) which has given rise to the Fusarium Wilt also known as the Panama disease.
READ: Panama Disease' Throws Banana Industry into Global Crisis
Panamadisease.org notes that the Panama disease epidemic has not happened since 1960s when at least $2.3 billion worth of bananas were wiped out.
According to a report by FAO, the fungus has been taking over banana plantations in Southeast Asia and just recently, has reached countries outside such as Africa and Australia. Fusarium wilt has been the most difficult banana disease to control because its soil-borne nature, and the fungus can survive in the soil for decades.
"This is an insidious disease in that it can move ... by soil-contaminated machinery, tools - that kind of thing," Randy Ploetz, a professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida who discovered Tropical Race 4, told Quartz.
The death of the Cavendish varieties is seen as an economic threat because these kinds of bananas dominate local consumption and global trade. Thus, their downfall would put a big dent on the economy.
What made Cavendish bananas vulnerable to the disease? Cavendish bananas are genetically uniform monoculture. Having homogeneous genetics make them more susceptible to diseases.
"Being genetically identical means if a pest comes in, such as a fungus, and it infects one plant it means it's definitely going to spread to all the other plants," Beth Dokolasa of Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocers told Denver Local News.
Meanwhile, Christian Science Monitor said that researchers are now developing a technique to counter the extinction such as breeding new types of bananas resistant to disease.
The scientists are exploring other breeds of bananas that may not have the desirable characteristics but may have resistance genes that could be used in engineering and breeding programs. Unless the program will be deemed successful, we remain at risk of history repeating itself.
Scientists reveal how each individual contributes to the melting of the Arctic sea ice.
According to a new study, which was published in the journal Science, for each ton of carbon dioxide that any person on Earth emits, three square meters of Arctic summer sea ice are lost.
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology led by Dirk Notz took samples of the Arctic sea ice at Spitzbergen and examined them to understand the development of sea ice in the region. After comparing corresponding model calculations with data from satellite measurements, the researchers discovered a linear relationship between carbon dioxide emissions and the area of Arctic summer ice. Moreover, the researchers found that earlier climate models have underestimated the loss of Arctic sea ice.
"So far, climate change has often felt like a rather abstract notion. Our results allow us to overcome this perception," Julienne Stroeve, co-author of the study, said in a statement. "It seems that it's not primarily the sea ice models that are responsible for the mismatch. The ice just melts too slowly in the models because their Arctic warming is too weak."
The new measurement provides a sense of how much damage an individual's personal lifestyle could cause to the Arctic sea ice. For instance, the average American emits about 16 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, according to data from the World Bank. This follows that the average American is melting about 50 square meters of Arctic sea ice per year.
The study also reveals that the two degrees Celsius warming target set in the recent UN Climate Conference will not allow Arctic summer sea ice to survive. "Given the observed sensitivity of the ice cover, the sea ice will be gone throughout September once another 1000 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide have been emitted," the researchers said.
The melting Arctic sea ice is one of the biggest indicators of climate change. Over the past 40 years, the summer sea ice has shrunk by more than half. In September, satellite observations have revealed that the Arctic sea ice was at its second lowest ever recorded, at 4.169 million square kilometers. The lowest was in 2012 when Arctic sea ice was only 3.41 million square kilometers.
NASA engineers are now improving the lifespan of space station life support systems for long-duration flights.
For decades, NASA engineers had been designing, fabricating and testing equipment necessary for the astronauts' safety in space - on the Skylab, SpaceHab and on the International Space Station (ISS). The Environmental Control and Life Support System was created for the ISS to provide clean water and air - the basic elements needed for survival.
Now, NASA engineers sent the Long Duration Sorbent Testbed (LDST) to the space station to test materials that will extend the lifespan for life-support systems on long-duration flights to Mars and beyond. The instrument was carried by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket during its resupply mission to the ISS on July 18.
The LDST investigation studies substances that collect molecules, determining which types would be most effective on deep space explorations and long-term missions to Mars or other destinations.
"Exposure to the unique environment in the space station can change the way materials behave," David Howard, program manager of the investigation, said in a statement. "This includes what we use to filter air and water, so we need options for systems we create for the future."
Currently, the ISS crew uses a silica gel to remove humidity or water from the air, allowing another piece of hardware to more efficiently scrub carbon dioxide from the air, preventing it from becoming toxic, NASA said. But after a year, the gel loses 75 percent of its capacity to absorb water. Long-duration flights will not have the benefit of frequent resupply missions, so the life-support systems will not be replaced as often as necessary.
According to NASA engineers and chemists, the space station has over 200 contaminants and these have caused the silica gel to lose its efficiency. While these contaminants could be scrubbed by a specialized system, trace amounts remain in the cabin.
"There is a complex atmosphere on the space station," Jim Knox, an aerospace engineer at Marshall and principal investigator of the study, said in the same statement. "The mix of environmental contaminants alone on the station is new territory for us."
The device launched with 12 different materials to expose to the station environment, which were selected specifically to help in the removal of carbon dioxide. Once installed, the investigation will run for a year without the help of the astronauts. Ground crew will monitor the investigation and conduct a similar experiment on Earth for comparison.
The Indian government has imposed emergency measures due to a significant decline in air quality in New Delhi. On Sunday alone, readings of respirable air pollutants, PM 2.5 and PM 10, alarmingly exceeded almost 10 times the maximum safe level.
Schools all over New Delhi had been ordered to shut down for the next three days. On top of this, construction and demolition works are barred for the next five days or so. If the case becomes even worse, they might follow in China's footsteps in taking stringent measures with the usage of vehicles. It is approximated that there might be an "odd-even traffic scheme," which will only allow motorists to use vehicles on alternate days.
According to reports, there are possibilities that this high smog level is due to the Sunday celebration of Diwali, but experts have yet to confirm such allegations. Residents have complained of almost zero visibility accompanied with a strong burning smell in the air, which gives people a choking feeling. A number of netizens have posted their own experiences of the smog, with the #DelhiChokes, #DelhiPollution and #DelhiAirQuality among the trending hashtags from the previous days.
Experts compared this crisis with the Great London smog in 1952, which claimed approximately 4,000 lives. The Indian government may take more stringent measures in the next days as the city's toxic air poses a health risk to millions of its people.
OPIC approves project for financing gas pumping into Ukrainian UGS for Naftogaz
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a U.S. government agency, has approved a project under which it is planned to provide guarantees worth $400 million for gas pumping into Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities (UGS) in the interests of Naftogaz Ukrainy, according to the company's website.
The project assumes that Goldman Sachs investment bank under the OPIC guarantees will fund gas injection into Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities.
In summer months Naftogaz will sell gas of its production for injection into the underground storage facilities of a specially created company, while in winter the contrary will buy gas from this company.
The total project cost could reach $500 million, however OPIC guarantee cover $400 million.
High-powered politicians are coming out in support of funding a $3.5 billion bond to fix the 44-year-old BART system, as a California state senator and a local newspaper are strongly urging voters to nix Measure RR.
California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, U.S. Representative Barbara Lee, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, and other Bay Area leaders held a news conference Monday at the 12th Street Station in Oakland for a pre-election rally to support Measure RR.
"I am passionate about Measure RR," Schaaf told the crowd.
BART wants the money to fix a system that in the recent past has shut down several times for electrical surge issues that and simply upgrade a system first built in the 1970s. And the public transit system is only getting taxed with more riders. For example, BART originally carried 100,000 people a week, and now serves roughly 440,000 riders every week day. And ridership is expected to increase 75 percent by 2040. "The 44-year-old system is showing its age," BART said in its campaign materials.
Voters in San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties need to vote on the bond, which would cost about $9 on every $100,000 of assessed property value.
In a statement, the politicians in support of the measure wrote: "BART is not perfect. But we cannot allow a few critics to put our daily commutes in jeopardy to score political points."
Those critics include the East Bay Times editorial board, which called for voters to reject BARTs Measure RR high-pressure sales pitch.
The newspaper editorial says that BART never mentions that the ballot would raise property taxes and that there are no guarantees that if voters approve it BART will spend the money in capital needs.
California State Senator Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) has also been one of the loudest critics of BART and its desire to push for a bond. He said the BART board doesn't know how to manage its money well. In his latest news release, he said that BART is in a financial crisis, but gave out $1,000 bonuses to its 3,350 employees.
In February, he and 31 other East Bay elected officials sent a letter to the BART board saying they all had "serious concerns" about the bond.
He told NBC Bay Area on Monday that BART has been "financially irresponsible for the last two decades," and he called the measure a "half-baked plan for the highest paid transit workforce in America."
What the critics didn't mention is an analysis by the AllThingsTransit blog authored by the state's deputy director of business analytics, Boris Lipkin, who compiled National Transit Database numbers for 2014.
He found that BART ranked No. 1 in the country for financial efficiency among large public transit systems in terms of "fare recovery." BART recovered fares 78 percent of the time two years ago, the analysis found, compared to the national average of 41 percent.
NBC Bay Area's Pete Suratos contributed to this report.
The threats against Cary Critess family started right after his brothers name flashed across television screens Saturday night for sparking a major security scare at a Trump rally in Nevada.
Cary, who lives in Alameda, California, shares the same last name as Austyn Crites, the 33-year-old self-described Republican from Reno who says he was attacked for holding a Republicans against Trump sign. Secret Service agents rushed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump off the stage when someone yelled out that Crites had a gun. No weapon was found, and Crites was eventually released, but not before he was placed in handcuffs by police and searched.
For someone like me, this particular event will in fact change the rest of my life, Crites, an Eagle Scout, told the Reno Gazette-Journal. Its not just Crites life that has changed forever. His parents, brother and sister-in-law have all been targeted by pro-Trump groups, and even received death threats.
People are doxing my family and releasing our address for attacks, said 33-year-old Jolene Hayes, who is married to Cary Crites.
In a message being passed around on pro-Trump sites with their address, one commenter says: By now either a) burnt to the ground, or b) riddled with bullet holes.
One message threatened that when Trump becomes president hes going to have us killed, Hayes said.
My husband has screenshots of the direct messages, Hayes said. Our parents had to disconnect their phone and change their email address because they were getting so many calls and emails. Luckily the address listed on these sites is an old address, so no one has showed up to their current residence. I feel bad for whoever lives in their old house.
Hayes said the harassment has not gotten worse over the weekend. It seems to have mellowed out to the family 24-hour news cycle and all that. Were still getting some weird comments. Its only been a day or two since this all happened. So it might be too early to really say if they will stay mellow. I think if Trump loses Nevada, we might catch it again.
Hayes is in touch with their brother-in-law, who had to take down his Facebook page because of all the threats and comments he was receiving, but is now back to being active on the social media platform, answering questions about why his name shows up on Wikileaks (He says its because of a years-old book purchase and newsletter subscription to a company called Stratfor, which provides geopolitical analysis and whose security was compromised, resulting in his information being released online.
Hayes and her husband have received an outpouring of support from friends, family, neighbors and even complete strangers on their Facebook page.
In a Facebook post Sunday, Hayes wrote: This whole thing has been intense. Although our family has been receiving many threats and insults, I want to point out that the most striking thing that we have experienced is the outpouring of love from our community. As my dad always says, Evil prevails when good men do nothing. It's nice to know there are more good than evil. <3 to you all. 2 days until this insanity is over! Please let us all live with the results in peace.
She continues to vociferously support her brother-in-law on Facebook, defending his actions: "We need to stand together and NEVER, ever let Trump become President. We all need to vocally condemn this behavior by candidates. And then vote against them and for candidates who embrace true American ideals: "Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, etc."
Hayes has not contacted Alameda police yet. A spokesperson for the police department said they have not been made aware of any reported incidents involving the Crites.
I kind of just want all this to go away. Hayes said.
In the place where America's democracy took root, with tens of thousands shivering in the cold, Barack and Michelle Obama passed the torch Monday to Hillary Clinton at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in an emotional but anxious plea to elect her as president. The thousands who showed up also got to hear performances by Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen.
Though the book won't close on his presidency until Inauguration Day, Obama's frenzied, last-minute push for Clinton was a farewell tour of the nation. As he crisscrossed Michigan, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, he waxed nostalgic, told old stories and teared up as he thanked the nation for betting, improbably, on "a skinny guy with a funny name."
He said he'd been asked recently whether the hope that defined his campaign had somehow survived eight trying years.
"The answer's yes," Obama said outside Independence Mall, not far from the Liberty Bell. He said he was still a believer, "and that's because of you."
"In the letters you've written me, in the tears you've shed for a lost loved one, I've seen again and again your goodness and your strength and your heart," Obama said.
Then the Obamas and the Clintons embraced onstage: The last Democratic president and the current one; the first black president and the woman who, on Tuesday, may break yet another historic barrier.
It was left to Michelle Obama, whose visceral speeches this campaign hit a nerve with many Americans, to cast both families as part of a singular American story: One of inclusive opportunity that she hoped would contrast powerfully with the vision of Republican Donald Trump.
She said she marveled at a country where "a girl like me from the South Side of Chicago, whose great-great-grandfather was a slave, can go to some of the finest universities on earth. Where the biracial son of a single mother from Hawaii and the son of a single mother from Hope, Arkansas, can both make it to the White House."
"Thank you for welcoming us into your communities, for giving us a chance whether you agreed with our politics or not," Mrs. Obama said, in her own send-off to the nation. She said ensuring Clinton wins the election was "perhaps the last and most important thing that I can do for my country as first lady."
It wasn't always this way. In 2008, when Obama defeated Clinton in a grinding primary, there was naked bitterness between the two Democrats that only began to soften when Obama named her secretary of state.
Nearly a decade later, the Obamas need Clinton as much as she needs them, to prevent their legacy from being eviscerated by a victorious Trump. After all, the president told supporters earlier in Ann Arbor, Michigan, all his accomplishments "go out the window if we don't win tomorrow."
Clinton, too, was meditative about the bruising battles that have led her to this moment.
"I regret deeply how angry the tone of the campaign became," Clinton said. In a less-than-subtle display of political symbolism, she spoke from behind the presidential seal affixed to the podium from which Obama introduced her.
The Obamas are keenly aware that whether or not Clinton wins Tuesday, their era is coming to an end, a reality punctuated by both Obamas' insistence that neither will ever run for office again.
So in a parting gift to Clinton, Obama offered her his campaign mantra "Fired up, ready to go" and told rally-goers in New Hampshire how it had been coined by a supporter he'd never met who showed up at an obscure event eight years ago in South Carolina.
"It just goes to show you how one voice can change a room," Obama said and then a city, a state and a nation. "And if it can change a nation, it can change the world."
Even as a college senior nearly 50 years ago, Hillary Rodham Clinton was willing to be confrontational when it came to her political passions, challenging a U.S. senator about the urgency to alleviate poverty and earning herself a rebuke from the Chicago Tribune, which called her "discourtesy" unjustified.
As Wellesley College's first ever student commencement speaker, Clinton put aside her prepared remarks to address comments made by U.S. Sen. Edward Brooke, who had preceded her on the stage at the graduation. A moderate Republican representing Massachusetts, Brooke had urged the students not to overlook the progress already made.
Though concerned that she not be seen as attacking Brooke, she responded, "What does it mean to hear that 13.3 percent of the people in this country are below the poverty line? That's a percentage. We're not interested in social reconstruction; it's human reconstruction."
The 21-year-old offered an early preview of how she viewed politics, saying, "We feel that for too long our leaders have viewed politics as the art of the possible. And the challenge now is to practice politics as the art of making what appears to be impossible possible."
Nearly 100 years after American women got the right to vote, Clinton could be about to make another achievement possible for women by becoming the first woman elected president. She has been up against an opponent who tailored his message primarily to disaffected white men in a tight and intensely fought race rife with misogyny.
Clinton was chosen the Democratic presidential nominee after a lifetime of firsts, among them the first first lady to be elected a U.S. senator, but also after years of repeated investigations by her political enemies who even before she might ascend to the White House are threatening to impeach her.
"It's historic and not just for women and women's participation but it's historic for our democracy in the same way that electing Barack Obama was historic," said Debbie Walsh, the director of the Center for American Women and Politics at New Jerseys Rutgers University. "It is a breakthrough."
Clinton, who lost her first try for the nomination to Barack Obama in 2008, initially made a name for herself for her work on behalf of women and children, joining Marian Wright Edelman's Childrens Defense Fund out of Yale Law School. Among her jobs: going undercover to collect data on school segregation. She went on to become the first female partner at the Rose Law Firm in Arkansas, the first lady of Arkansas and the first lady of the United States.
But she has had considerable defeats too, failing to overhaul the country's health care system while she was first lady for example and earning widespread censure for her clumsy approach. "I now come from the school of small steps," she said later while campaigning for the U.S. Senate.
Many of her opponents have criticized her policies or what they see as unethical or illegal behavior though none has been proven but others have attacked her as a woman.
At a rally for Donald Trump in New Hampshire on Friday, former Gov. John Sununu asked if Bill Clinton was referring to Hillary Clinton when he said, "I never had sex with that woman," (Bill Clinton was talking about Monica Lewinsky, the White House intern with whom he had an affair, when he said "I never had sexual relations with that woman.")
A tweet sent last week from the account of the Texas agriculture commissioner, Sid Miller, called her a sexually explicit and derogatory term for a woman. His office later said it had been sent inadvertently.
That hostility has made it even more urgent to elect a woman, say activists and some of Clinton's Wellesley College classmates, who believe she is the best qualified for the job.
Terry O'Neill, the president of the National Organization of Women, said the election was important because Clinton is an "unapologetic feminist."
"She is a practical progressive politician who likes to get things done," O'Neill said. "But she has spent her entire career working to empower women."
During her tenure as secretary of state under Obama, she met not only with elite women around the world but also those working to advance women's position in society, O'Neill said. She expects Clinton would make priorities of closing the gender wage gap and ensuring that lower-income women have access to health care.
"All the ways in which women are currently discriminated against, they all circle back to keeping women economically insecure," O'Neill said. "And when women are not economically secure, their whole families suffer, including the men in their households."
Kris Olson, the U.S. attorney for Oregon during the Bill Clinton administration, knew Clinton both at Wellesley and at Yale University Law School and said that even then she was building bridges among different groups. As president, Clinton would not only be tough on international issues, but would focus on the critical issues affecting women and children, she said.
"We need somebody to set the tone," Olson said.
A CNN/ORC poll done early this year, before Clinton was picked as the Democratic nominee, found that three quarters of registered women voters thought that United States was ready for a female president. But only a third said it was very important to elect one in their lifetime a finding that Walsh believed could be a result of younger women already used to women in powerful positions.
A poll conducted of Wellesley Colleges seniors found that 65 percent supported Clinton, 14 percent backed Sanders and 2 percent favored Trump. At the same time, 51 percent said that gender mattered only a little and 31 percent said not at all.
Olson, like many of her contemporaries, said some younger women failed to appreciate the battles her generation fought, over reproductive rights for example, and how easily they could be turned back. And the misogyny that Clinton has encountered, the opposition to her that runs so deep in the country, likely will continue, she said.
"The slurs over the years have been remarkable and they've intensified in the election and I don't see them abating," she said.
Sharvari Johari, a co-editor of the college's newspaper, The Wellesley News, and a current senior, agreed it was important to elect a woman as president, as a role model for younger women in politics and as someone who might influence the focus of legislation.
"With a woman president we might not have the same battles over women's reproductive rights, and we might have more support for single mothers and families," she said. "These are all issues that tend to be more important for women."
But women at Wellesley are choosing Clinton because she is the best candidate on the ballot, she said.
"Even though gender is incredibly important and it's important to support your fellow women, that comes with the asterisk that you're going to support a fellow woman who deserves it, hard working women who are qualified and intelligent," she said. "Clinton is a woman but she is also incredibly qualified and incredibly intelligent and has political savvy. So my vote for her is both as a woman and as an educated voter."
After leaving Wellesley College with Clinton in 1969, Dr. Lonny Higgins, a obstetrician and gynecologist, founded women's health centers in Hawaii and cofounded the MariMed Foundation for Hawaii's young people and families. Electing a woman would show how much women's and men's roles have evolved and broadened, and allow the country to tap into everyone's skills, she said. The entire culture would benefit, she said.
"Why not a woman?" Higgins asked.
Nancy Wanderer, another former classmate who was the director of the legal research and writing program at the University of Maine Law School, said the world had already seen the effects of having men in power.
"We need to try the other half of the talent, really not just in the country but in the world," she said.
A woman would bring a different perspective to such decisions as whether to send people to war or how to take care of children and help women work without worrying about whether their children were safe, she said.
"I just think men haven't been able to do that so far," she said.
And although many female leaders have not focused on issues important to women, Clinton would, her supporters say.
A gender gap has been evident throughout the race. An NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll of Florida last month, for example, found Clinton ahead of Trump by 9 percentage points among women who are likely to vote 51 percent for Clinton to 42 percent for Trump. An even larger gap was found in North Carolina, 14 points among women, where Clinton led Trump, 52 percent to 38 percent.
The reverse is also true in Florida. Trump led Clinton by 11 points among men likely to cast a ballot in Florida, 48 percent to 37 percent. But in North Carolina they were competitive among men, with Trump at 44 percent and Clinton at 42 percent.
Plenty of successful women have supported Trump, notably his campaign manager Kelleyanne Conway, the first woman to run a Republican presidential campaign. But other prominent Republican women, among them U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Meg Whitman, the chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, fled the Republican candidate after he was heard on a videotape bragging about groping women.
As historic as Clinton's win would be, Walsh pointed to the dearth of women in many other positions and she worries that the push to elect more women could falter if voters think the job is done. Women make up only 19.4 percent of Congress as a whole 20 percent of the U.S. Senate and 19.3 percent of the U.S. House of Representatives and 25 percent of state legislatures.
"We're behind many other countries when it comes to electing women as head of state," she said. "We're behind many countries frankly when it comes to electing women to our national legislature."
Sarah B. Larrabee, another member of Clinton's class, now with a real estate company in Boulder, Colorado, recalled watching women push their daughters forward to see Clinton at a Democratic forum for women leaders. The girls were energized, she said, and some of their mothers were in tears.
"I've been wishing I could contact my grandmother who didn't have the right to vote until she had already raised half of her family," she said.
And classmate Susan Doull, whose company, Commendable Tours, organizes privates tours in Africa, Italy and France, has lived abroad for more of her life than in the United States. Clinton would be both capable and caring, able to work across the political aisle and resilient after many years of attacks, she said.
"It's definitely time that the U.S. catches up with the rest of the world, which is much more comfortable with the role of women in politics," she said. "Not that it's perfect anywhere but we're behind."
Chance the Rapper led a "parade to the polls" Monday evening after performing at a free concert in downtown Chicago.
The Chi-town native, whose real name is Chancellor Bennett, hosted and headlined a get-out-of-the-vote event at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park.
The concert, sponsored by Chance's non-profit organization Social Works, featured performances from a slew of local talent, including rapper and activist Malcolm London, rock outfit Twin Peaks and Chance's brother, rapper Taylor Bennett.
After the show, Chance led concertgoers through rush-hour traffic to an early-voting site, where there was already a long line of voters waiting to vote. Chance went inside and the polling place cast his ballot.
But this isn't the "Coloring Book" rapper's first dip in the politics pool. In September, he teamed with the NAACP for its #StayWokeAndVote campaign to register concertgoers to vote during stops of his Magnificent Coloring World Tour.
Chance is the son of Ken Bennett, who served as Mayor Rahm Emanuels first deputy chief of staff and director of the office of public engagement before taking a job with Chicagos tourism bureau earlier this year, Crains Chicago Business reported. Additionally, Bennett previously served under Mayor Harold Washington and President Barack Obama.
Elections can be overwhelming, but they dont have to be.
Voters Edge is a handy election tool that helps voters figure out where their polling place is, what the hours are and who will appear on the ballot. It also offers you information on voters' rights, how to contact the election office, how to register to vote and important dates and deadlines.
On the NBC 5 Chicago app or website, scroll down on the homepage and find the green Voter's Edge icon and click on it. All you have to do is enter your zip code and address to see who's running for office and where you need to go to vote. Users can also make a list of candidates they want to vote for and then take it to the polls so they're prepared to make their important decisions.
Not familiar with someor allof the candidates? NBC Chicagos Ward Room blog has an election cheat sheet, and Election Day guide, a roundup of endorsements and will be updating live as results come in all day Tuesday.
Live Election Day coverage will begin on NBC 5 at 6 p.m. and continue until the results are in.
Gal Gadot's got herself a wonder baby on the way.
The actress, who is set to star as the titular superhero in next year's "Wonder Woman" flick, is pregnant with her second child with husband Yaron Versano.
So excited to share this wonder with you... #mommyforthesecondtime pic.twitter.com/Ci0tQisMrX Gal Gadot (@GalGadot) November 6, 2016
She shared the news on social media Sunday, captioning a black and white photo of the proud parents-to-be holding her growing baby bump, "So excited to share this wonder with you... #mommyforthesecondtime" Aww!
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Gadot welcomed her first child, a daughter named Alma, with her leading man back in 2011.
Back in March, the Israeli-born stunner stopped by "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" to chat about how proud she is to play such a strong role model for her little girl.
"'They always fall asleep and then the prince is the one to wake them up and they do nothing,'" Gadot recalled her daughter explaining of why she prefers to play with princes as opposed to princesses.
And that's precisely why Gadot feels like "the luckiest girl in the world." Playing Wonder Woman, Gadot has the opportunity to give her daughter a female role model.
"That made me feel really good," Gadot said.
Chicagoans set new records for early voting this year, shattering the city's record turnout for Barack Obama in 2008, even as many faced massive lines at polling places ahead of Election Day.
The Chicago Board of Elections announced Tuesday that a record 325,112 early ballots had been cast from the time early voting began on Oct. 24 through Sunday. That turnout tops the citys previous early voting record of 260,378 ballots cast ahead of the 2008 election, when hometown favorite Barack Obama was first running for president.
Once mail-in and grace-period registration ballots are counted, the number of early votes cast this year rises to about 400,000, officials said.
Monday marked the best-ever single day of early voting, with an unofficial total of 40,609 ballots cast, according to James Allen, communications director for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
On Sunday alone, 22,904 votes were recorded, according to the Board of Elections, which is nearly double the previous high for a Sunday, also set this year - 11,946 ballots cast on Oct. 30.
The city's skyrocketing turnout caused problems for some voters, as massive lines snaked around several voting sites throughout Chicago.
At the early voting "super site," located at 15 W. Washington in The Loop, some voters told NBC Chicago that they returned Monday after facing 3-hour lines the day before. According to several reports, lines were wrapped around the corner outside the site on Monday, the final day of early voting.
There were also substantial lines at the Edgewater Library polling place, located at 6000 N. Broadway, and the Near North Library location at 310 W. Division, according to reports.
According to the Chicago Board of Elections, all 51 Early Voting & Registration sites in Chicago would remain open until 7 p.m. Monday.
Ukrainian army positions in Donbas came under 52 attacks, including by use of machineguns and grenade launchers, in the past 24 hours, the press service of the antiterrorist operation (ATO) in eastern Ukraine said.
A total of 32 attacks were observed in the Mariupol sector. "Ukrainian army strongholds near Starohnativka, Novotroyitske and Hnutove were attacked by heavy machineguns, grenade launchers and small arms, while grenade launchers and weapons of infantry combat vehicles were employed in Berezove," the press service said on Facebook. The hostiles fired 82mm and 120mm mortars near Maryinka, Pavlopil, Talakivka and Vodiane, while mortars and tank weapons were used in Krasnohorivka. Machineguns, mortars of both calibers, infantry combat vehicles, and 122mm and 152mm tube artillery were engaged in attacks on Ukrainian army fortifications in Shyrokyne.
In the Luhansk sector, the hostiles breached the truce 12 times, the report said. For instance, small arms, machineguns and grenade launchers were fired in the vicinity of Schastia, Zhovte and Novo-Oleksandrivka, and the same weapons in addition to 82mm mortars and sniper rifles were employed in Stanytsia Luhanska, the press service said.
Eight attacks on Ukrainian army positions were seen in the Donetsk sector, the staff said. According to the report, the hostiles fired small arms in Novotroyitske, grenade launchers and 82mm mortars in Zaitseve, 120mm mortars near Troyitske, and 82mm and 120mm mortars, tanks and infantry combat vehicles in Avdiyivka and Luhanske, the report said.
A person is dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot after police responding to a call of a shoplifter at a sporting goods store in Hammond, Ind., that lead to a police pursuit onto the freeway where the suspect reportedly fatally shot himself, authorities said Monday.
Hammond police officers were dispatched the Cabelas on the 7700 block of Cabelas drive about 12:13 p.m., police said in a news release. When police approached the suspect, he fled on foot and refused orders to stop, so an officer fired his Taser but missed, police said. The suspect then allegedly produced what looked like a gun and fired once toward an officer who was not hit, police said. The same officer tried a second time to use their Taser against the suspect but missed again, police said.
The suspect fled the Cabelas to his silver Honda Civic and fled north on Indianapolis Boulevard from the sporting goods store, leading police on a chase to the Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis exit on I-294 where he pulled over, police said. An officer in pursuit reportedly then saw a puff of smoke inside of the Honda Civic, where police believe the alleged shoplifter shot himself.
Illinois State Police said in its own news release that the man in the Honda Civic died of a confirmed self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The Hammond Police Department and ISP both said no officers discharged their firearms during the pursuit.
This was not an expressway shooting, the ISP news release reads.
Illinois State Police were processing the vehicle Monday afternoon and the dead suspect had not yet been identified, police said. Police also said several items allegedly taken from the Cabelas location were recovered outside the store by employees.
Protesters clashed on Sunday at the scene of a fatal police-involved shooting on Chicago's Far South Side.
The shooting occurred Saturday afternoon in the city's Mount Greenwood neighborhood, leaving 25-year-old Joshua Beal, of Indianapolis, dead.
Activists representing both 'Black Lives Matter' and 'Blue Lives Matter' gathered in the street on South Kedzie Avenue, just one block from where the shooting occurred, in the 3100 block of West 111th Street. [[400204771, C]]
According to a statement from police, a car leaving funeral services was stopped directly in front of a firehouse around 3 p.m. Saturday.
An off-duty Chicago firefighter told the driver that the car was illegally blocking the fire lane, police said, at which point the occupants exited the vehicle and "a verbal and physical altercation ensued."
An off-duty Chicago police officer heard the commotion from inside a nearby business, according to police, and attempted to assist the firefighter. An additional Chicago police sergeant was driving to work when he also spotted the altercation and saw a man with a firearm, authorities said.
The sergeant stopped, exited his vehicle, displayed his weapon and announced his office, according to the release from police.
"As the incident continued to escalate and the offender failed to drop his weapon, shots were fired striking the individual multiple times," the release states.
The subject displayed a weapon, CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at a news conference, adding that the incident began as road rage. An off-duty CPD sergeant that was on his way to work in uniform observed the subject, at that time shots were fired and the subject was fatally struck.
The man, later identified as Beal, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Family members said Beal was a father of two young children who was in town from Indianapolis to be a pallbearer at his cousin's funeral.
According to Beals family, who gave a narrative that conflicted with the police account, the incident began when an off-duty officer in an unmarked vehicle cut off one of the cars in the funeral procession that had just left Mount Hope Cemetery.
This guy, who we later found out is a police officer, tried to run my 17-year-old sister off the road. We pulled him over to ask him what was he doing and he pushed my female cousin to the ground and pointed his gun in her face, said Beals sister Cordney Boxley.
At that point, Boxley said, several male family members ran over to find out what was happening. Boxley added that her brother, who she said had a concealed carry license, had returned to his car by the time shots rang out.
As the scene dispersed, we're trying to go back to our car and I guess the officer was going to his car, and he, for no reason, just got out of his vehicle and started shooting my brother, Boxley said. He then went from his driver's side to my brother's passenger side of his vehicle, opened up his car door, pulled my brother out just to continue to empty his entire clip on him."
Beals family insisted that no shots were fired at the officers, and that they did not identify themselves as law enforcement until after the shooting.
He let them know, I have a concealed carry license, and put his hands up, so at that point, is he posing any threat to you? asked Beals mother Tiffaney Boxley.
Several people involved, including the off-duty firefighter and off-duty police officer, sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to police, who also said that a weapon was recovered from the scene.
The incident remains under investigation by the Independent Police Review Authority, police said, and the officers involved will be placed on routine administrative duties for 30 days in accordance with standard department procedure in all police-involved shootings.
On Sunday, protesters on both sides carried flags and signs as they marched to the firehouse where the shooting occurred. The street was temporarily closed to traffic as the crowd grew more agitated, with protesters shouting and even throwing water bottles at one another.
Protesters could be heard chanting "Don't shoot us" and "Lock them up," among several other heated exchanges.
No arrests were made during the protests, according to police, though both groups announced plans for further demonstrations.
Closing out a wildly unpredictable White House race, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump blitzed through battleground states Monday in a final bid to energize supporters. Clinton, backed by an emotional appeal from Barack Obama, urged voters to embrace a "hopeful, inclusive, bighearted America," while Trump vowed to "beat the corrupt system."
The candidates rallied voters late into the night, a frenzied end to a bitter election year that has laid bare the nation's deep economic and cultural divides. Clinton and Trump were both nostalgic at times, looking back fondly at a campaign that has put each on the brink of the presidency.
Clinton campaigned with confidence, buoyed by FBI Director James Comey's announcement Sunday that he would not recommend criminal charges against her following a new email review. The FBI inquiry had sapped a surging Clinton momentum at a crucial moment in the race, though she still heads into Election Day with multiple paths to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to become the nation's first female president.
Clinton closed her campaign alongside the last two Democrats to occupy the Oval Office, Obama and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, as well as first lady Michelle Obama. In a nod to the deep divisions that await the next president, Clinton said she'd come to "regret deeply how angry the tone of the campaign became." She cast the choice facing voters Tuesday as a "test of our time."
"We know enough about my opponent, we know who he is," Clinton said, addressing tens of thousands of people sprawled across Philadelphia's Independence Mall. "The real question for us is what kind of country we want to be."
Obama's address amounted to a valedictory for a president whose popularity has grown in his final year in office.
"America, I'm betting on you one more time," Obama said. "I am betting that tomorrow you will reject fear and choose hope."
Rockers Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen also performed at the star-studded rally, which, according to the city's fire department, drew a crowd of about 33,000.
Trump, who sped through five rallies Monday, recalled the rivals he'd vanquished and how far he's come since launching his improbable candidacy. As he surveyed the crowd in Scranton, Pennsylvania, he declared, "It's been a long journey."
Still, Trump was aggressive to the end, slamming Clinton as the "face of failure." Having made the new FBI review a centerpiece of his closing case to voters, he argued that the Democrat was being protected by a "totally rigged system."
"You have one magnificent chance to beat the corrupt system and deliver justice," Trump said. "Do not let this opportunity slip away."
The comments were a reminder that Comey's news, delivered in a letter to lawmakers on Sunday, was a doubled-edged sword for Clinton. While it vindicated her claims that the emails would not yield new evidence, it ensured that a controversy that has dogged her campaign from the start would follow her through Election Day.
Across the country, nearly 24 million early ballots were cast under the shadow of Comey's initial announcement of a new email review. That number represents about half of the nearly 45 million people who had cast votes by Monday, according to Associated Press data.
The inquiry involved material found on a computer belonging to Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman and estranged husband of Huma Abedin, a longtime Clinton aide. Comey said Sunday the FBI reviewed communications "to or from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state."
Clinton tried to fly above the controversy Monday, making no mention of the FBI during her rallies. She was closing out her campaigning with a midnight rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Her campaign said it would make its closing argument in a 2-minute television ad set to air during NBC's "The Voice" and CBS' "Kevin Can Wait." The campaign said the "personal and positive" message, already posted to YouTube, would reach some 20 million people just hours before polls open nationwide.
In the ad, titled "Tomorrow," Clinton mentions "hard economic times" but says that she's convinced "our best days are still ahead of us if we reach for them together."
"Is America dark and divisive or hopeful and inclusive?" Clinton says. "Our core values are being tested in this election."
Clinton is banking in part on high turnout particularly among Obama's young, diverse coalition of voters to carry her over the finish line Tuesday. Roughly half the states with advance voting have reported record turnout, including Florida and Nevada, which have booming Hispanic populations, a possible good sign for Clinton.
In Florida alone, Hispanic participation is up by more than 453,000 votes, nearly doubling the 2012 level. Black turnout is up compared to 2012, but that share of the total vote is lower due to bigger jumps among Latinos and whites, according to University of Florida professor Daniel Smith
In Nevada, where more than three-fourths of expected ballots have been cast, Democrats also lead, 42 percent to 36 percent.
Trump deputy campaign manager David Bossie downplayed the impact of increased Hispanic participation, telling reporters on a conference call, "We feel that we're going to get a good share of those votes." However, he sidestepped two questions about the level of Hispanic vote Trump needs to win the presidency.
Without victories in Florida and Nevada, Trump's path to 270 electoral votes would be exceedingly narrow. He already must win nearly all of the roughly dozen battleground states.
Trump had planned to keep up his breakneck travel schedule deep into Election Day, but aides revised plans, keeping the businessman in New York.
Midway through his final day of travel Monday, Trump praised his supporters for having created a "movement." But he warned it would all slip away if he loses Tuesday.
"Go vote," he urged. "Or honestly, we've all wasted our time."
The Clinton campaign focused on the places that don't allow early voting. Besides her own rallies, high-wattage allies fanned out across the country. President Obama started his day with a get-out-the-vote event in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a state that has been showered by candidate attention in recent days.
Obama told the crowd, "Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit to be president," and citing a New York Times report, he added, "Over the weekend his campaign took away his Twitter account. If your closest advisors dont trust you to tweet, how can we trust you with the nuclear codes."
The campaign has denied the report.
In New York City, Madonna treated people in the Washington Square Park to a surprise outdoor concert in support of the Democratic presidential nominee.
Associated Press writers Kathleen Hennessey, Hope Yen, Jonathan Lemire and Steve Peoples in Washington and Josh Lederman in Ann Arbor, Michigan, contributed to this report.
#PowerToThePantSuit.
Thats what a Facebook-inspired group of friends is urging in the waning hours before the election: Suit up for group selfies and plaster them over the internet to give Hillary Clinton a big win on Tuesday.
But more than just taking a silly photo, the grassroots Facebook community that has grown to nearly two million people in two weeks by Monday, is striking a deeper chord. People, even in the red states, are posting deeply personal stories of why Clinton is their choice, and they're backing her symbolically by wearing her signature outfit on Election Day.
"Our small private Facebook group has quickly become a movement," wrote its founder, Maine resident Libby Chamberlain, in a fact sheet her friends were distributing to explain the pantsuit phenomenon. "We share stories about our grandparents, our children and our families. We support each other during this highly contentious election season and have created a refuge from the vitriol that is sweeping our nation. We encourage members to go high. We are a positive place, and the response has been astounding."
Duane Prokop/Getty Images
Many of the astounding responses have been bubbling up on the growing, albeit invite-only, Pantsuit Nation Facebook page. The fan base is coming from both the right and the left, with tales of Clinton support abounding from abortion to sexual assault.
Among the stories being shared:
One woman who lives in the Bible Belt openly discussed what having the option of having an abortion meant to her after her fetus was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.
Another woman described herself as a "white, Christian woman from the deep South, raised on Republicanism, guns and Sunday school" who couldn't be "prouder to cast my vote for Hillary Clinton."
And yet another woman wrote that she was assaulted in the 1970s in Boston by a security guard. Now, she is voting for Clinton to say: "We women are sick to death of being mistreated."
One of the original co-organizers, Jacky Hayward of Alameda, Calif., told NBC Bay Area by phone on Monday that the group now has 100 moderators looking at 150,000 posts a day to make sure they all remain positive.
"I've never seen a group go so viral," Hayward said.
Hayward went to high school with Chamberlain in Deerfield, Mass. The two along with several dozen other friends started the group after the third presidential debate, after remarking how they liked the white suit Clinton wore, which symbolizes the suffragist movement. They wanted to host a safe haven for others to share stories. They are pleased, but not surprised, that their forum is drawing all sorts of cheers from across the country.
"We live in California," Hayward said. "So many of these people can't talk about these things in the Bible Belt. There is such a need for this. We need this positivity to heal our nation."
Most visibly, the group's call to action has inspired working women, babies and even super stars to suit up and represent their political choices with pantsuits. Beyonce wore a black-and-white polka dot pantsuit at her Friday night Clinton rally in Cleveland.
And it's not just women who are joining the movement, either.
Seven men wearing pantsuits in a rainbow of colors stood in San Francisco's predominantly gay Castro neighborhood on Sunday night. They were voting for Clinton because they believe she will be the best candidate to support LGBTQ issues.
"More than pantsuits, we're a proactive community group," Hayward said.
The suspect in a Cromwell bank robbery has been taken into custody in Meriden.
Gregory Dearborn, 31, of Meriden, faces charges of first-degree robbery and fifth-degree robbery. Police allege that on Friday Dearborn handed a note to a teller at the Liberty Bank at 72 Berlin Road. The note demanded money and implied he had a gun.
Dearborn was taken into custody by Meriden police Saturday for an outstanding warrant held by that department.
Police said Dearborn was driving a stolen 1981 Ford pickup with New Hampshire plates. That truck was found abandoned in Hartford and Cromwell police have seized it in connection with their investigation.
Cromwell police said Sunday evening they expected to serve the warrant in the immediate future.
A recent study by the American Psychological Association found more than half of all Americans have experienced some sort of stress in connection with the 2016 election. That political anxiety has even been given a nameElection Stress Disorder.
With one day to go before Americans cast their ballots to choose the nations next president, NBC Connecticut spoke to voters in the Nutmeg State about how they feel about the election, and they agreed that its been an election like none other.
It seems like everyone is more stressed about this one said New Haven voter Samantha Watkins. People are voicing their opinions and getting into fights and deleting people that theyre friends with, she said.
Many say conflicts online, among families and at the workplace seem to have increased during Decision 2016. The APA reports approximately 52 percent of Americans feel some sort of stress about the election. That stress comes from things like negativity surrounding the campaigns of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and anxiety about what may happen to the nation if their chosen candidate doesnt come out on top.
Elm City voter Gordon Washington says he is not surprised by the tense nature of this particular election.
The heat is because of the passion and what the people feel. You cant get around that because its a passionate election he said.
This election will be the first time that William Bryant casts a ballot for president. He is 21 years old and says he can feel a difference between the tone of this campaign cycle and others.
I think that sense, that fear of the other party is really the most damaging part of it he said.
Claudia Kay plans to vote for Hillary Clinton as soon as the polls open on election day. She says shes aware of the tense nature surrounding the campaigns, but has managed to avoid any election anxiety by staying off of the internet.
I think its been a lot more negative. Im not involved with social media she said.
With just a day left until the nation elects a new president, psychologists say avoiding the allure of online conflict can in fact help ease election stress, along with focusing on things outside of politics and knowing ones vote does make a difference.
A 17-year-old was arrested after police investigated a threatening post on social media that caused Torrington High School to be placed in a brief "secure in place".
At 7:21 a.m., Torrington Police were informed about a high school student posting a threatening message on social media, police said.
Initial reports said the teen went to Oliver Wolcott Techinical School, but police soon learned that the student had transferred out and was now at Torrington High School, school officials and police said.
Once the student was located at Torrington High School and brought into custody, the school resumed to its normal session, police said.
The 17-year-old was charged with breach of peace.
Would-be voters who failed to meet Connecticut's Nov. 1 registration deadline still have an opportunity to cast their ballot in this year's election.
State law allows people to sign up to vote on Election Day.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill is urging people who want to register on Tuesday to show up at their local voter registration site as early as possible, warning there might be lines.
Those locations, which are not the same as the polling stations, will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Polling places also will close at 8 p.m. Locations of both local voter registration sites and polling places can be found at www.myvote.ct.gov.
Check here to see if you are registered to vote.
A 24-year-old New Haven woman who was attacked her and pistol whipped escaped her alleged attacker while he slept, according to police.
Officers responded to an apartment building in the 1100 block of Quinnipiac Avenue in New Haven at 1:22 p.m. Sunday to investigate reports of a man who had pistol-whipped his girlfriend, police said.
The victim met the officers at the front door and said the man who assaulted her was asleep in an upstairs bedroom. Shed taken his gun and hidden it from him as he was sleeping, she said.
The officers then went upstairs, handcuffed 29-year-old Tyrell Robinson, of New Haven, and confiscated the gun, a Reck P8 KAL 6.35 mm that police said was loaded and has been reported stolen from Cedar Falls, Iowa.
According to police, the court has issued a protective order to protect the woman from Robinson.
She told police Robinson showed up and her friends house and she didnt want him to cause trouble there, so they instead went to her home.
Robinson was drunk, according to police, and the victim told officers he pushed her several times and demanded she get something for him from the refrigerator.
When she went to get it, Robinson pointed a handgun to her head and threatened to kill her, then pistol-whipped her forehead when she turned around to face him, she told police.
Robinson then told her to go upstairs and followed behind, police said.
Soon after lying in the bed, Robinson fell asleep, according to the victim, who took his gun from him and called police.
Robinson was charged with threatening in the second degree, assault in the second degree, breach of peace in the second degree, violation of a protection order, carrying a pistol without a permit, criminal possession of a pistol and possession of a stolen firearm.
A 24-year-old New Haven woman who was attacked her and pistol whipped escaped her alleged attacker while he slept, according to police.
Officers responded to an apartment building in the 1100 block of Quinnipiac Avenue in New Haven at 1:22 p.m. Sunday to investigate reports of a man who had pistol-whipped his girlfriend, police said.
The victim met the officers at the front door and said the man who assaulted her was asleep in an upstairs bedroom. Shed taken his gun and hidden it from him as he was sleeping, she said.
The officers then went upstairs, handcuffed 29-year-old Tyrell Robinson, of New Haven, and confiscated the gun, a Reck P8 KAL 6.35 mm that police said was loaded and has been reported stolen from Cedar Falls, Iowa.
According to police, the court has issued a protective order to protect the woman from Robinson.
She told police Robinson showed up and her friends house and she didnt want him to cause trouble there, so they instead went to her home.
Robinson was drunk, according to police, and the victim told officers he pushed her several times and demanded she get something for him from the refrigerator.
When she went to get it, Robinson pointed a handgun to her head and threatened to kill her, then pistol-whipped her forehead when she turned around to face him, she told police.
Robinson then told her to go upstairs and followed behind, police said.
Soon after lying in the bed, Robinson fell asleep, according to the victim, who took his gun from him and called police.
Robinson was charged with threatening in the second degree, assault in the second degree, breach of peace in the second degree, violation of a protection order, carrying a pistol without a permit, criminal possession of a pistol and possession of a stolen firearm.
Donald Trump's aides are considering a number of his loyalists for major posts should he win the White House, NBC News reported.
Three campaign advisers said that among the names being considered are Rudy Giuliani for attorney general, Newt Gingrich for secretary of state, retired Lt. Gen Michael Flynn for defense secretary or national security adviser, Trump finance chairman Steve Mnuchin for Treasury secretary, and Republican National Committee finance chair Lew Eisenberg for commerce secretary.
Reince Priebus, under consideration as Trump's chief of staff, earned the candidate's trust by steadfastly defending him while other top Republicans denounced Trump or shied away from brand.
Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions has taken a major role managing the transition effort as the official transition chief, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, has drifted from the campaign. It's not clear if Christie is being considered for a significant role in a potential administration.
Ukrainian PM discusses intensification of cooperation with new Polish ambassador to Ukraine
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has met Polish Ambassador to Ukraine Jan Pieklo who recently began his diplomatic mission in the country.
The press service of the Ukrainian government has reported, Groysman congratulated the Polish ambassador with the start of his work in Ukraine.
"I would like that the result of our work was the national rapprochement of our countries and deepening of our cooperation," he said.
The prime minister said that Poland is a strategic partner of Ukraine.
"Many years traditionally relations of our two countries are friendly and strategic not only at the national level, but at the local one. I think that our common task is to deepen this cooperation and realize all potential opportunities," Groysman said.
He said that during the 26th Economic Forum in Krynica-Zdroj in September he held negotiations with Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo/
Groysman also said that a meeting of the intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation should be held.
The interlocutors pointed out promising and strategically important cooperation between Ukraine and Poland in many spheres, including trade, economic, infrastructure and transborder cooperation.
"We have many tasks. I hope that we would be able to effectively use the tools we have to deepen this cooperation. Investment, business, cultural exchanges and trade relations all these we should use by 100%," Groysman said.
With the cloud of an FBI investigation lifted, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump struck strikingly different tones as they moved into the final hours of a volatile, nearly two-year-long presidential campaign.
After days of full-throated attacks on Trump's qualifications and temperament, Clinton cast herself as the candidate of "healing and reconciliation'' - perhaps a surprising position for a woman who's long been one of the most divisive figures in American politics.
She started her Sunday with a visit to an African-American church in Philadelphia, where she spoke of her candidacy in almost spiritual terms, as she tried to motivate black voters in the crucial swing state to support her. And she ended with an evening rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, featuring remarks from Khizr Khan, the Muslim-American lawyer whose Army captain son was killed in Iraq, and soft rock from folk singer James Taylor.
"This election is a moment of reckoning,'' she told voters on Sunday night. "It is a choice between division and unity, between strong, steady leadership and a loose cannon who could put everything at risk.'' Clinton said she was "hopeful and optimistic'' about the future.
Trump, meanwhile, voiced new confidence as he brought his campaign - and his dark visions of a rigged American economic and political system - to longtime Democratic strongholds.
"This is a whole different ballgame,'' Trump said at a rally in an airport hangar in Minneapolis, predicting victory in a state that hasn't cast its electoral votes for a Republican since 1972. At a rally in Leesburg, Virginia, that Trump called his "midnight special speech,'' the GOP standard-bearer called the race a "marathon.''
"We are going to have one of the great victories of all time,'' he said, comparing the U.S. election to the "Brexit'' vote by The UK to leave the European Union "times 50.''
Overshadowing the flurry of last-minute campaigning was FBI Director James Comey's latest letter to Congress, informing lawmakers that the bureau had found no evidence in its hurried review of newly discovered emails to warrant criminal charges against Clinton.
Still, Trump continued to seize on the email issue, despite the FBI's finding.
"Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it, the FBI knows it, the people know,'' he said at a rally that drew thousands to an amphitheater in the Detroit suburbs. "And now it's up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on Nov. 8.''
Comey's move capped a stunning chapter in the bitter, deeply divisive contest. The director's initial decision to make a renewed inquiry into Clinton's emails public on Oct. 28 upended the campaign at a crucial moment, sapping a surging Clinton's momentum and giving Trump fresh ammunition to challenge her trustworthiness.
Clinton's campaign, furious at Comey's handling of the review, welcomed Sunday's announcement. Communications director Jennifer Palmieri told reporters, "We're glad this matter is resolved,'' though Clinton herself did not mention the issue at her campaign events.
The new review involved material found on a computer belonging to Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman and estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin. While Comey was vague in his initial description of the inquiry, he said Sunday that the FBI reviewed communications "to or from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state.''
Based on that review, Comey told lawmakers the FBI was not changing the conclusion it reached this summer. Then, Comey said, "no reasonable prosecutor'' would recommend Clinton face criminal charges for using a private email system while at the State Department.
The FBI began investigating the handling of classified material on Clinton's private email server shortly after she announced her bid in April 2015. The issue has dogged Clinton's campaign and contributed to the questions a majority of Americans have about her honesty and trustworthiness.
Clinton still appears to hold an edge over Trump in the campaign's final stretch. The Republican has a narrow path to victory that requires him to win nearly all of the roughly dozen battleground states up for grabs.
The candidates spent Sunday sprinting across swing states as they sought to lock up support ahead of Election Day. As the campaign's final weekend drew to a close, more than 41 million Americans had already cast their ballots in early voting.
Clinton's high-wattage allies also fanned out across the country, including President Barack Obama, who was joined by musical icon Stevie Wonder at a rally in Florida. He'll join Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama along with rock stars Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi at an evening rally in Philadelphia on Monday. She'll also campaign in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Pittsburgh and Raleigh, North Carolina.
Trump's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, told reporters Sunday that Trump planned to keep up the breakneck campaign pace through Election Day. On Monday, he'll go to Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. After voting in New York Tuesday morning, Trump was expected to return to Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina and New Hampshire later in the day, Conway said.
Keyless remotes are becoming more and more popular. Many manufacturers say that when a keyless remote is left inside the vehicle, the car will not lock unless the lock button is pressed.
As one North Texas mom found out, that may not always be the case.
"My Doors just locked and my baby's in there, and I don't know why they're locked," Kala Stewart said on an August 911 call.
"It was 110 degrees outside; it was one of the hottest days we had this year," said Stewart.
A normal trip to church turned into sheer panic for the North Texas mom. It started in the parking lot, when Kala Stewart got out of her car to unbuckle her 2-year-old daughter.
"I killed the ignition, I shut the door, all my stuff was still here. My key was in my purse, and I started walking that way to go and get her. When I got maybe 4 or 5 steps, I heard 'click click.'"
The doors to her 2014 Volkswagen Jetta locked. The keyless remote was lying on the passenger seat. Her daughter, Kelsie, was buckled up in the backseat.
"As a mom, hearing her cry, I couldn't take it anymore. There's no way I could take it anymore."
Mount Pleasant Police posted a video of the incident to the department's Facebook page, and it caught the attention of another North Texas mom who says the same thing happened to her and her baby last year.
"As soon as I saw that and I heard her voice, I remember thinking the same thing. I felt terrified. I felt hopeless."
Celina Gomez says her 2015 Buick Enclave locked her out her last year with her 2-week-old son in the backseat.
"As soon as I closed this door, you could hear everything just lock," Gomez said.
Like Stewart, Gomez says her keys sat in the front seat, and the car had a mind of its own.
"The car's not supposed to be able to lock unless you either manually push the lock down or push it on the key fob, neither of those situations happened," said Gomez.
Vehicles with a push button start are very common these days, and they usually come with a keyless remote. Oftentimes drivers will lay it on their car seat, or put it in their cup holder. But if you ever leave it in your car, it's not supposed to lock you out.
Buick confirmed that information, saying "it is impossible for the vehicle to lock without human intervention."
Volkswagen also said their vehicles should not be able to lock when the keyless remote is inside the vehicle.
"Don't tell me it can't happen or it didn't happen, or it's impossible that that happened, it's not impossible, it happened," said Stewart.
We spoke with an automotive instructor with over 40 years of experience, who says outside interference could have caused the sporadic lock.
"All the computers and modules on the car are networked. With the amount of electronics we have in our life, in our environment, I think anything is possible," said James Martin of Tarrant County College.
But still, there's no clear explanation from either car company.
"Two totally different cars, two different people, in two different places it just shows you that something happened," Martin said.
"I didn't do it, but it happened. And I couldn't trust my vehicle to walk around the car without it locking," Stewart said.
It's a problem she wants an answer to. As for her daughter Kelsie:
"I didn't want to be that news story of the child that had terrible heat related consequences."
Luckily, Kelsie is healthy and happy. However, Stewart says something needs to be done before she'll put her little girl back in that car again.
"To hear her say "mommy get me out, mommy get me out," it gets me kind of choked up 'cause I couldn't get her out." Stewart said.
"I was just so happy to have her, and for her to be there, and for her to be safe. And just thankful, just thankful," said Stewart.
Stewart's car was inspected by a local Volkswagen dealership. They said they couldn't find a problem with the locking system. Stewart says she does not want that car back and she has left her vehicle at the dealership hoping for some kind of resolution.
As for Gomez, she still drives her car to this day and has not been able to replicate the locking issue.
Our auto expert says that no matter what a company says about those keyless remotes, make sure to keep it on you at all times, and never leave it in the vehicle.
Authorities said they charged the uncle of a 10-year-old East Texas girl reported missing from church after she was found dead in a well Saturday.
Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said firefighters recovered the body of Kayla Gomez-Orozco, of Tyler, from a well beside a home near Bullard. [[400318461,R,275,480]]
Smith said Gomez-Orozco's uncle, Gustavo Zavala-Garcia, was charged with capital murder Monday. His bond was set at $10 million.
"It was clearly not an accident," Smith said.
Gomez-Orozco was last seen Nov. 1 at a church in Bullard, 100 miles southeast of Dallas. Smith said the investigation led to the uncle's home several miles away.
Investigators say a 10-year-old East Texas girl reported missing from church has been found dead in a water well and a relative was held as the lone suspect in the slaying.
Smith declined to release a cause of death or a possible motive, pending charges.
Two vigils have since been held for Gomez-Orozco, a fourth grader at Jack Elementary School in Tyler.
"Kayla is and will always be a beautiful soul," said Jack Elementary principal Patricia Henderson.
A vigil was held Sunday for a 10-year-old East Texas girl who was found deceased four days after she was reported missing from an church. A family member has been implicated in her death.
Hundreds gathered at the school including Kayla's parents. The family asked for privacy Sunday night.
"There are really no words on how to cope with this," said Elicia Eckert, a family friend. "We just really need to hug our children a little tighter tonight."
A second vigil was held in Bullard. Supporters at both prayer vigils wore pink, Kayla's favorite color.
Grief counselors were available for students and staff at Jack Elementary on Monday.
No matter which candidate they identified with, it was clear volunteers across Dallas were making the final pitch for their parties leading up to Election Day.
About a dozen Democrats volunteered their time at a Hillary Clinton phone bank Sunday evening.
Julie Richey, a mother of two, said these final days and hours inspired her to encourage others.
"I think she's super qualified I think she's done her time and I want to make sure I did at least something to participate," Richey said of Hillary Clinton.
Richie also said the latest FBI announcement that Clinton committed no criminal wrongdoing was bittersweet news.
"It just makes my stomach hurt and all of these people that have watched her go through abuse with the things that Trump is getting away with," she said.
Clinton supporter Samia Anas immigrated from Pakistan and came to Sunday's phone bank hopeful to make a difference.
"The hate he's spreading is unacceptable. This is a diverse country and this country accepts them but you know he doesn't want any immigrants, refugees," Anas said of Donald Trump.
Meanwhile over at the Dallas County Republican Party, Young Republicans volunteered their time, where immigrant Sam Chen said he's confident with Trump's stance on immigration.
"Donald Trump said it was not fair for illegal immigrants to cut in front of the line of legal immigrants because they have paid a lot of dues," Chen said. "I know that line may not have struck for millions of Americans, but for me it certainly resonated with me very deeply."
Issues that are now up to the voter to decide, something each and every one of the volunteers takes seriously as we wind down to Election Day.
"Everyone needs to let their voice be heard and and we just pray for the best," Chen said.
As a reminder, voters are only allowed to vote at their assigned precinct on Election Day. Find your precinct location here. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Investigators say a 10-year-old East Texas girl reported missing from church has been found dead in a water well and a relative was held as the lone suspect in the slaying.
Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith says firefighters Sunday recovered the body of Kayla Gomez-Orozco of Tyler from a well beside a home near Bullard. Smith says a male resident the only suspect was jailed without bond on a federal immigration hold.
Kayla was last seen Tuesday night at a church in Bullard, 100 miles southeast of Dallas. Smith says the investigation led to the relative's home several miles away. The body was located Saturday.
Smith declined to release a cause of death or a possible motive, pending charges.
The suspect's name and relationship to Kayla weren't released.
Editor's Note: The statewide ban on single-use plastic bags has been upheld. See the story here.
The future of plastic grocery bags in California will be in the hands of voters Tuesday, when they weigh in on a referendum challenging a statewide ban on the bags and on a separate initiative redirecting money collected by stores from the sale of carry-out bags to a fund supporting environmental projects.
Proposition 67 will allow voters to decide if grocery stores and other selected retail outlets should be banned from handing out single-use plastic bags, but permitted to sell recycled paper bags and reusable bags for a minimum of 10 cents. The state Legislature approved the ban and the governor signed it into law in 2014, but a referendum forced the issue onto the ballot.
A yes vote will uphold the ban, while a no vote will reject it. Opponents of the ban say it amounts to a tax increase by charging shoppers 10 cents for a bag, amounting to about $300 million a year that goes back into the pockets of grocers. Proponents, however, say the referendum was mounted by out-of-state plastic-bag manufacturers looking to protect their profits.
Many California cities and counties, including Los Angeles, have adopted plastic bag bans that are already being enforced. Meanwhile, voters will also decide on Proposition 65, which would legislate the use of money raised by the statewide ban.
Passage of the initiative would potentially result in the several tens of millions of dollars annually being transferred to a special fund administered by the Wildlife Conservation Board for certain environmental and natural resources purposes, according to an analysis conducted by the Legislative Analyst's Office and Department of Finance.
More than 200,000 women are imprisoned in the United States, and when they get out, more than half of them will be re-arrested. One woman in South Los Angeles is working to change that by helping women parolees get back on their feet once they are released from jail.
Susan Burton grew up in the housing projects. A rape left her pregnant at 14, and she suffered from drug and alcohol addiction by the time she was in her 20s.
"It seems like I was born into trouble," Burton said.
When Burton's young son was killed by a car, spiraling her already troubled life out of control.
"It was like ... the center in me had been snatched out," she said.
Over the next 17 years, Burton was in and out of prison on drug charges. In 1997, she finally got sober, found a job and then decided to help other women parolees do the same.
"I began to go to the bus station where women were getting off the bus, and I would offer them a place to come live and a new way of life that was drug and alcohol free," Burton said.
Burton started a nonprofit called "A New Way of Life Re-Entry Project" to support women just out of prison. More than 1,000 women have completed the program, and Burton has expanded it to five transitional homes in South LA.
One woman, Beverly Lewis, who recently came to "A New Way of Life," heard about the success stories from women who came before her.
"I was like, maybe thats where I need to go," Lewis said.
Lewis hopes she can rebuild her life with the help of "A New Way of Life."
"I want to transition into something new," she said. "I want to be a positive force in society."
For Burton, her story is just the beginning. She uses her journey to bring together other women.
"I have blazed a trail out, and all we have to do is walk together," Burton said.
For more information on Burton's program, visit the "A New Way of Life" website.
The gunman who killed a federal security officer and wounded three other people during a shooting rampage three years ago at Los Angeles International Airport was sentenced Monday to life in prison, plus 60 years.
Paul Ciancia, 26, told the court he had become sick of life, decided to kill himself and to take up arms against the government before opening fire at an LAX security checkpoint. Ciancia has shown no remorse and clings to the beliefs that led to the violence in 2013, prosecutors said in advance of his sentencing Monday.
The attack crippled the nation's second-busiest airport and disrupted air travel nationwide.
Ciancia, an unemployed motorcycle mechanic from New Jersey, "plotted to commit mass murder at one of the nation's foremost transportation hubs, murdered a beloved public servant in cold blood, seriously injured two other federal officers whom he shot and was attempting to kill, shot and injured a passenger who was traveling to attend a wedding, and terrified hundreds of other passengers and employees at Los Angeles International Airport who feared for their lives and the safety of their families," Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald wrote in sentencing papers.
Fitzgerald asked that Ciancia be sentenced to an additional 60 years even though it would have no practical impact on his term. He also asked that the court not recommend that Ciancia, who has a combination of mental disorders and has been suicidal in the past, be sent to a federal medical facility instead of prison.
The probation office made that recommendation in a sealed presentencing report the prosecutor referenced, but Fitzgerald said it would be inappropriate given Ciancia's crimes and the threat he poses to federal employees. That determination should be made by the federal Bureau of Prisons, he said.
Fitzgerald said the bureau needs to protect its "personnel from a prisoner who killed a federal official, attempted to kill many more, has shown no remorse over his conduct, and continues to harbor the same beliefs that led him to commit his crimes."
Ciancia pleaded guilty two months ago to killing Transportation Security Administration Officer Gerardo Hernandez and to 10 other charges for the attack driven by his anger over airport security measures.
Ciancia shot and wounded TSA officers Tony Grigsby and James Speer as they ran from a screening checkpoint, and he struck passenger Brian Ludmer, who had been in the screening area, in the calf.
Ludmer, a high school theater technical director at the time, wrote a letter to the court saying he could no longer walk without pain or work in the same way, and his outlook on life has been altered. He's lost his sense of security, is anxious in crowds and feels "utterly vulnerable in the world around me."
Ludmer has nothing to say to Ciancia, but he noted the crimes were another example where warning signs of a killer's mental illness went unheeded and didn't prevent him from buying an assault rifle.
"I'm mad at the system that failed him. That is failing all of us," Ludmer wrote. "If cases like his are passing by without any red flags, if guns and ammunition can be sold to people without even checking for any such flags, then of course someone like him would do something like this."
The pale, thin Ciancia expected to die in the attack and left behind a note venting about unconstitutional searches. He wrote that the TSA treated Americans as terrorists, and he intended to strike fear in their hearts.
"I want it to always be in the back of your head just how easy it is to take a weapon to the beginning of your Nazi checkpoints," he wrote in the note signed with his name and "Pissed-off Patriot." "If you want to play that game where you pretend that every American is a terrorist, you're going to learn what a self-fulfilling prophecy is."
Ciancia's lawyers didn't return requests for comment. Their sentencing brief was sealed, so it was unclear what pitch they would make to Judge Philip Gutierrez.
Regardless of a sentence that carries no parole option, Ciancia apparently still thinks he may one day be released.
In a court filing, one of his lawyers noted: "Ciancia believes he will get out of prison when the revolution begins."
A 22-year-old Oklahoma man has been arrested in the Aug. 6 shooting deaths in Long Beach of a 26-year-old woman and her 4-year-old daughter.
Brandon Colbert was booked on suspicion of murder about three months after the attack on Carina Mancera and her daughter, Jennabel Anaya. They were fatally wounded Aug. 6 outside their home near Ninth Street and Locust Avenue. The girl's father survived the 10:20 p.m. attack, which led to a $40,000 reward for information.
At a midday news conference Monday, police said Colbert boarded a Greyhound bus from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Los Angeles Aug. 3. He arrived in LA a day later.
Authorities said they'd like to speak with anybody who might have seen him on the bus. No motive has been determined.
Last month, police released surveillance footage of a man being sought in the crime. In one of two surveillance videos, the man is seen at a convenience store near the scene of the shooting. The other footage was taken on a Metro Blue Line train which goes between downtown Los Angeles and downtown Long Beach.
Luis Anaya told investigators that a man walked up to his longtime girlfriend and their daughter and suddenly -- without provocation -- opened fire, then ran off. He said he did not recognize the man, nor did anyone else in the neighborhood.
The gunman also fired at Anaya, but missed, according to police.
The U.S. delegation headed by commander of the U.S. Army Europe, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges has visited the National Army Academy named after Hetman Petro Sahaidachny and International Peacekeeping and Security Center (Yavoriv training area).
"During his visit to the educational establishment, the foreign visitor delivered the lecture for the officers and cadets on leadership and decision-making, as well as discussed current issues on the organization of combat training units, military training and many other issues," the press service of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said.
Hodges and Head of the National Academy of Land Forces Lt. Gen. of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Pavlo Tkachuk drew attention to the urgency of the Ukrainian-American cooperation in the field of defense and noted peculiarities of Ukrainian servicemen training by foreign instructors.
The next day, the U.S. delegation visited the Yavoriv training area.
"During their stay foreign guests visited the newly created department of planning (of organization and security) "Range control", and also opened a new section for throwing grenades according to NATO standards," the statement said.
In addition, in other parts of the Yavoriv training area, representatives of the U.S. delegation visited classes in tactical training, became familiar with the specifics of snipers training and monitored the preparation of a battalion of the 80th separate airborne assault brigade under the guidance of American instructors.
Subsequently, Hodges and Tkachuk discussed the prospects of development of the Training Centre of training units and ways to improve the training facilities and infrastructure of training area.
Gov. Chris Christie maintained in an interview aired Monday that he has no recollection of any of his aides telling him about lane closures on the George Washington Bridge that were ultimately found to be a political retaliation plot.
Two of Christie's former aides were convicted on Friday of causing epic traffic jams for political revenge near the nation's busiest bridge, a verdict that further damages Christie's legacy and raised anew questions about why he and his inner circle escaped prosecution.
Christie said in an interview on "CBS This Morning" that Friday's guilty verdicts against two former aides confirmed his belief that only three people were responsible. Christie called the plot "one of the most abjectly stupid things I've ever seen."
Bridget Kelly, Christie's former deputy chief of staff, and Bill Baroni, an executive at the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, were convicted of scheming with former Christie ally David Wildstein to punish a Democratic mayor for not endorsing Republican Christie when he ran for re-election in 2013. Wildstein pleaded guilty.
Testimony during the seven-week trial contradicted Christie's statements about when he knew about the four days of gridlock at the base of the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee in September 2013. The traffic jams were aimed at retaliating against Democratic Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for not endorsing Christie's re-election, prosecutors alleged.
Wildstein, a former political blogger and high school classmate of Christie's, testified Christie was told about the traffic jam at a Sept. 11 memorial event in New York while the gridlock in Fort Lee was in progress. He said Christie laughed and made a sarcastic joke when he learned of Sokolich's distress over not getting his calls returned. Christie said Monday that he had no recollection of that alleged conversation.
"If they would have told me that they were creating traffic at the George Washington Bridge in order to punish the mayor for not endorsing you, I would have remembered that. And they never said that," Christie said. "In the whole trial, no one, not even Bridget Kelly, Bill Baroni or David Wildstein ever testified that anyone ever said to me that this was an act of political retribution."
It was unclear from Wildstein's testimony whether Christie knew then that the mess was manufactured for political reasons; however, Kelly testified she told Christie about Sokolich's concerns about political retaliation during the week of the traffic jams at the bridge, which connects New York and Fort Lee.
Other testimony described some of Christie's top advisers and confidants knowing about the plan ahead of time or soon afterward and being aware of the political motivation well before Christie told reporters in December 2013 that none of his staff was involved.
Baroni's attorney, Michael Baldassare, called the case "a disgrace" and said the U.S. attorney's office should be "ashamed" of where it drew the line on who to charge.
"They should have had belief in their own case to charge powerful people, and they did not," Baldassare said.
U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman declined to say whether any of the testimony could lead to charges against Christie or others. He said prosecutors only charged people where they had "evidence beyond a reasonable doubt" to convict.
At the time the scandal unfolded, Christie was considered a top presidential contender and was on the verge of a runaway re-election victory to demonstrate his crossover appeal.
Christie ultimately dropped out of the presidential race after a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary and said recently the scandal probably influenced the decision by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump not to pick him as a running mate. Christie is chairman of Trump's transition team, in charge of hiring thousands of employees if he wins the presidency.
Christie said in the interview aired Monday that Trump did not call him to offer him the running mate job before changing his mind. He said that you'd have to ask Trump what role the bridge case played in his decision to choose Indiana Gov. Mike Pence instead.
Christie was scheduled to campaign for Trump in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania on Saturday, but the Trump campaign said Friday night that those events had been canceled.
Donald Trump's son Eric took a verbal shot at David Duke and his white nationalists supporters Thursday, saying the former Ku Klux Klan leader "deserves a bullet."
Eric Trump told conservative radio host Ross Kaminsky, of Denver's 630 KHOW, that Duke and his supporters are "horrible people," and praised his father for his attempts at outreach to the black community.
"Ross, it's disgusting, and by the way, if I said exactly what you said, I'd get killed for it, but I think I'll say it anyway, the guy does deserve a bullet," Trump said of Duke.
"In fact, I commend my father. My father is the first Republican who's gone out and said, 'Listen, what's happened to the African-American community is horrible and I'm going to take care of it.'"
Miami Police are investigating an overnight shooting in Wynwood that killed a man.
Shortly before midnight Sunday, police received a call of shots fired near Northwest 28th Street and 2nd Avenue outside of Brickhouse and found a man with two gunshot wounds, officials said.
The man died a short time later.
Family members of the victim told NBC 6 that the shooter was caught, however officials have not confirmed that.
Footage from the scene showed a white BMW shot up outside the building.
The shooting remains under investigation.
Stay tuned to NBC 6 on air and online for any updates.
Known nationally has the first woman to head the Justice Department when she served as Attorney General under former President Bill Clinton, Janet Reno spent most of her life in Miami serving the community she grew up in.
Reno passed away early Monday morning at the "Reno Ranch," her family home in Kendall, at the age of 78 due to complications from Parkinsons disease, surrounded by family members and close friends.
The oldest of four children, Reno was the daughter of Jane Wallace a Miami News writer who build their home with her own hands and Henry Reno, who was a Miami Herald reporter for over 40 years. She graduated from Coral Gables High School in 1956 before attending Cornell University and Harvard Law School.
After spending 15 years with law firms in Miami and a short time in the State Attorneys office, Reno became the State Attorney for what was then Dade County in 1978 serving 15 years in that position before being appointed by Clinton and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Reno did alienate some in her hometown when she ordered Elian Gonzalez - then a six year old who was staying with the family of his mother, who died during an attempt to come to American - returned to his father in Cuba.
The scene of an armed solider pointing a gun at Gonzalez and family members before being taken out of the Miami home on April 22, 2000 caused former supporters to turn against Reno following the incident.
At Reno's house in Kendall Monday, her sister acknowledged the backlash she received from the Cuban-American community but said she always did what was right for children.
Her death was being remembered by South Floridians as the news broke:
Reno made a bid for the Democratic Party nomination for Governor in 2002, losing a close race to Bill McBride before retiring from political life and spending her time working with several organizations all from her family home in Renos hometown.
"Before she was U.S. attorney general and a candidate for Florida governor, Janet Reno served as state attorney in Miami during one of the most tumultuous and uncertain decades in our state's history. Janet Reno dedicated her life to the law and to public service on behalf of Florida and the nation," Sen. Marco Rubio said in a statement. "For the last two decades, including several years as U.S. attorney general, Janet Reno courageously showed the world that being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease is not an ending, but a beginning of the opportunity to prove one can live a long, consequential and even strenuous life just the way she did. My thoughts and prayers are with Janet Reno's family, friends and former colleagues as they mourn her loss."
NBC 6 is bragging about another school Monday this time heading to North Miami Senior High School!
North Miami High School has the rarest of identities. It is both a traditional high school and an all-magnet school. That means it has not only sports and band and clubs, it has magnet programs such as culinary arts, fine arts, engineering, a health sciences academy and the International Baccalaureate program. The school is open to all students in Miami-Dade County, but still has an intensely local impact.
Brag About Your School - North Miami Senior High School
This school is the centerpiece of the City of North Miami, everything that happens in North Miami kind of revolves around the school, so as our students go, so does the city, said Daryl Branton, the principal.
Branton says theres a program for every type of student at North Miami High.
The schools HOSA program, which stands for Health Occupations Students of America, has produced nurses, two doctors, and many first responders for South Florida over the years.
Every time we call 911 we see our own alumni jumping off the trucks because we have so many paramedics and firefighters that have come from this program in the past 18 years, said lead teacher Lauren Zeniker.
The North Miami Pioneers have been a fixture in Northeast Miami-Dade for decades, but in 2009, the school moved into a gorgeous new building. Students from the fine arts program decorate the pillars and walls with murals. It has the feel of a college campus.
Theres even a restaurant on campus, which teachers frequent, called the Pioneer Grill and Cafe. Students do all the cooking and serving as part of the culinary program, and they learn every aspect of the restaurant business.
Oh yes, I teach everything from food cost to safety and sanitation to Italian cuisine to world cuisine to French cuisine, everything that involves culinary arts, said Andre Franks, who runs the culinary program and is temporarily doing double duty as the band director.
The principal says Franks is an example of what he calls the most dedicated staff of teachers anywhere. They teach more than 2,000 students in so many programs, theres something for every interest at North Miami High School.
While the race for the White House has dominated national headlines, control of the U.S. Senate also is at stake on Tuesday.
There are 54 Republicans and 44 Democrats now in the Senate, with two independents, including former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucus with Democrats.
On Election Day, 24 seats held by Republicans, and 10 held by Democrats, are on the ballot.
[NATL] Highlights From the 2016 Campaign Trail
To take control of the Senate, Democrats need to gain four seats if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency (and VP Tim Kaine could cast a tie-breaking vote), or five if she loses.
Here are key Senate races to keep track of Tuesday night:
Illinois: Polls show Republican incumbent Mark Kirk trailing Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth. Kirk has held the seat since 2010. He's become the most vulnerable incumbent in the race, dealing with the effects of a 2012 stroke, and facing a strong opponent in Duckworth.
Duckworth, a veteran who lost both legs in Iraq, raised more money than Kirk.
Kirk has made waves more than once during this year's election.
Look up at the sky tonight. Every star you see plus hundreds of thousands, even millions more will come under the intense stare of NASA's newest planet hunter. Set to lift off early next week, the Tess spacecraft will prowl for planets around the closest, brightest stars. These newfound worlds eventually will become prime targets for future telescopes looking to tease out any signs of life. It will be the most extensive survey of its kind from orbit, with Tess, a galactic scout, combing the neighborhood as never before.
In June, he renounced his support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Last month, he sparked controversy when questioning the Duckworth family's military service during a debate after she said her family has served going back to the American Revolution.
"I had forgotten that your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington," Kirk said.
Duckworth's mother is a Thai immigrant. Her father served in World War II and has lineage traced back to a family member who fought in the American Revolution.
Kirk later apologized.
Wisconsin: Russ Feingold, a former Democratic senator who lost his seat in 2010, has a small lead in the polls against Republican incumbent Ron Johnson.
If Feingold beats Johnson, it will be the first time since 1934 that a senator who was voted out came back six year later to defeat a former rival, NBC News reported.
Pennsylvania: A close race is unfolding as Republican incumbent Pat Toomey is up against Democrat Katie McGinty, a former chief of staff to Gov. Tom Wolf. While Democrats portray Toomey as being too conservative, McGinty hasn't always connected well with voters.
Toomey hasn't endorsed or disavowed Trump. When pressed on the issue during a debate, Toomey said, "I don't think my constituents care that much how one person is going to vote."
Indiana: The race is shaping up to be tight as the state's Republican incumbent, Dan Coats, is retiring. Running for his seat are former Democratic senator Evan Bayh and Rep. Todd Young, a Republican.
Bayh, the son of longtime senator Birch Bayh, energized Democrats when he announced a run to reclaim the seat he gave up in 2010. However, his opponent and Young's allies have painted Bayh as an opportunist who cashed in on his Senate experience by working at a Washington, D.C. lobbying firm. A story from early October detailed the former senator's efforts to find a private sector job during his final year in the Senate.
Missouri: Republican incumbent Roy Blunt is facing Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, a Democrat. According to Real Clear Politics' polling average, Blunt, who has held the seat since 2010, holds a narrow lead over Kander, a former military intelligence officer.
Nevada: With Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid retiring, polls show a close race shaping up between Rep. Joe Heck (R) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D), the state's former attorney general.
While the race is a chance for Republicans to pick up a seat held by Democrats, Trump's controversial comments combined with the state's high Hispanic population have given Democrats hope.
New Hampshire: The Senate race between Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R) and Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) has been getting national attention as both presidential candidates and their surrogates have campaigned in New Hampshire. Ayotte found herself in a difficult position in early October, after saying that she would call Trump a role model for children. While she later said she "misspoke," Hassan's campaign seized the comment as an opportunity, calling it "a revealing moment that she [Ayotte] cannot take back." Polls show Ayotte with a slim lead against Hassan.
North Carolina: Democrats are hopeful that former state representative and American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Deborah Ross will defeat Republican senator Richard Burr. Republicans have been using Ross' record as a lawyer at the ACLU in an attempt to discredit her. Polls predict a close race.
Florida: Senator and former presidential candidate Marco Rubio (R) is fighting for his seat against Rep. Patrick Murphy (D). Rubio first said he would not seek re-election, but reversed that decision after dropping out of the presidential race, much to Republicans' delight. According to polls, Rubio has the edge.
While Rubio is known for his rocky relationship with Trump and frustration with the Senate, his opponent has had missteps. Murphy's been accused of touting pieces of his resume too much, and relying on his wealthy family for donations, NBC News reported.
Other Races to Watch and the Comey Effect:
Two other races that are important to watch, but are likely to remain in Republican hands, are in Arizona and Ohio.
Sen. John McCain (R) is working to hold off a challenge from Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D) in Arizona. McCain has held the seat since 1986 and is doing well, according to polls. Kirkpatrick has come down on McCain for his support of Trump. Though he originally endorsed Trump, McCain later renounced him.
In Ohio, polls show Sen. Rob Portman (R) leading his opponent, Ted Strickland, a former Democratic governor. Strickland has made some gaffes during the election, including saying that Justice Antonin Scalias death "happened at a good time."
If Democrats win the Senate and, in a longshot, the House, it will be the first time since 1952 that both chambers of Congress flipped during a presidential election year.
Another interesting possibility in this election: The number of women in the Senate will likely increase from 20, with females on the ballot in several states.
And while races are tight in multiple states, some Democrats are concerned about fallout from FBI Director James Comey's letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee announcing the FBI was reviewing a new set of emails in the probe into Hillary Clinton's private email server. The emails were found in the federal investigation into former New York congressman Anthony Weiner's sexting scandal.
The FBI review ended nine days later with Comey telling lawmakers the review was over and had not changed his original determination. But Democrats are concerned about the damage to down-ballot candidates, from an emboldened GOP and possible dampened enthusiasm among Democrats.
New Jersey State Police have released a video on Facebook showing a paralyzed retired trooper proposing to his fiancee before a Giants game at MetLife Stadium.
Retired Trooper Brian Malast surprised his girlfriend Julie Herb and proposed on the field in Rutherford before Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
NJ.com reports Malast was paralyzed from the neck down in a car accident while on the job in 2005. He breathes with the help of a ventilator and attends therapy sessions twice a week.
Malast's longtime friend James Turner presented the ring to Herb, who accepted Malast's proposal.
After a year and a half of campaigning, American voters settled a slugfest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump that was anything but normal presidential politics. Accusations flew, election officials prepared for cyberattacks and the electorate was disgusted, but Donald Trump eventually triumphed.
Previous elections have turned on inspiring moments as well as major gaffes think Barack Obama's defining speech on race in 2008 or Ronald Reagan's "Morning in America" ad in 1984. But this year the election was driven almost exclusively by the drip, drip, drip of scandal, controversy and intrigue.
"Clinton's email scandal, Trump's controversial comments on a number of things. It's been about the candidates to a degree, perhaps, that it's never been," said Geoffrey Skelley, a political analyst at the University of Virginia Center for Politics said less than a week before the vote.
It was dark, it was dirty but it finally came to a close as Clinton conceded early Wednesday morning and Trump, the political outisder, became president elect of the United States.
How did we get here? Let's go to the videotape.
July 5: Clinton's Emails Catch Fire
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Clinton was running fairly strong by the summer. She had locked up her partys nomination and the support of Bernie Sanders, who gave her a tough challenge in the primary but said by the end of June that he would vote for Clinton. Then came the surprise announcement from FBI Director James Comey.
He recommended no charges for Clinton putting State Department emails onto a private email server while she was secretary of state. The decision would have been good news for Clinton if Comey didn't go on to rip how her team handled the emails as recklessly sloppy, vulnerable to hacking.
Clinton should have known better, according to Comey, even if no reasonable prosecutor would charge her for it.
The announcement gave Trump a powerful attack line. Two weeks later, when his poll numbers began to shoot up, the crowd at the Republican National Convention roared with a chant of "lock her up." It became a staple of Trump's rallies across the country.
"It clearly played right into the narrative of Clinton not being honest or trustworthy," Skelley said. "It obviously set the table for it to be a major campaign discussion."
Swing in the polls: +0.1 to Trump after one week, as measured by the change in the Real Clear Politics head-to-head polling average, bringing him to 40.9 percent vs. Clinton's 45.4
Key quote: "There is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information." Comey
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July 22: Clinton's First Hacking Problem the DNC Emails
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Weeks later, the secret-publishing website Wikileaks made it even harder for Clinton to unite her party at the Democratic National Convention. It published a trove of emails from top Democratic officials, appearing to show them backing Clinton over Sanders.
The leak came not only ahead of the Democrats' convention, but as the Republicans were riding high from the close of their own convention. Democratic party Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was forced to abruptly step down, and Sanders supporters who felt betrayed caused noticeable discord on the floor of the convention.
It may have been more damaging in the long term. The revelation compounded Clinton's State Department email problem, reinforcing the perception that Clinton and the Democrats weren't transparent.
Swing in the polls: +2.6 to Trump after one week, bringing him to 43.3 percent vs. Clinton's 43.3 percent
Key quote: "This really does not come as a shock to me or my supporters. There is no question but the DNC was on Secretary Clinton's side from day one." Sanders
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July 28: Trump's Gold Star Showdown
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But Trump's troubles weren't far behind Clinton's. Two unlikely stars came out of the final day of the Democratic convention: Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the Muslim parents of an American Army captain killed in Iraq.
They stood in front of an increasingly thunderous crowd in Philadelphia, as Khizr Khan attacked Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the country (it has since been modified) as un-American, and mocked his lack of sacrifice for the country compared to that of Gold Star families. He capped the speech off by pulling out a copy of the Constitution and offering to lend it to Trump.
The speech was a hit for Democrats and derailed Trump's momentum. He spent the next week defending his Muslim policy as being about "radical Islamic terror" while attacking the Khans. His unwillingness to apologize to the family earned a rebuke from some top Republicans, who wanted him to simply thank them for their sacrifice.
Swing in the polls: +7.7 to Clinton after one week, bringing her to 47.4 vs. Trump's 40.6
Key quote: "Go look at the graves of brave Americans who died defending United States of America. You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing." Khizr Khan
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Sept. 9, 11: 'Deplorables,' Pneumonia Trip Up Clinton
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A new problem arose for Clinton when a recording surfaced of her telling a group at an LGBT fundraiser that half of Trump's supporters belonged in a "basket of deplorables," for being racist, sexist, homophobic and more. The remark galvanized Trump, who railed against the insult despite Clinton saying she regretted using the word "half."
Two days later, Clinton was videotaped stumbling as she got into a car at the Sept. 11 memorial in lower Manhattan, yet her campaign hadn't disclosed she was ill. Staffers revealed hours later that she had pneumonia, and it kept Clinton off the campaign trail. "I just didn't think it was going to be that big a deal," she explained the next day.
The pair of gaffes created the impression that Clinton acted one way in public and another in private feeding into the narrative that she's secretive. "The story became about, 'Well, Clinton's hiding something again,'" Skelley said.
Swing in the polls: +2.2 for Trump after one week, bringing him to 44 vs. Clinton's 44.9
Key quote: "Wow, Hillary Clinton was SO INSULTING to my supporters, millions of amazing, hard-working people. I think it will cost her at the polls!" @realDonaldTrump
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Sept. 26: Trump's Debate Damage
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The most-hyped moment of any presidential campaign is the first debate, and this year's provided the requisite fireworks a lot of them. The candidates battled over Trump's unreleased tax returns, Clinton's unreleased emails, the "birther" movement and much more.
But two storylines dominated the coverage afterward: Trump continually interrupting the first woman to lead a major party ticket and Trump having once belittled the 1996 Miss Universe, Alicia Machado, whom Clinton said Trump called "Miss Piggy" when she gained weight.
As with the Khans, Trump spent several days defending himself over the Machado claim rather than apologize or move on. For days, he insisted that Machado's weight gain was a "real problem" for him.
Scientific polls showed Clinton won the debate, and much more damage came from Trump's refusal to back down, keeping a negative story in the news cycle.
Swing in the polls: +0.9 to Clinton after one week, bringing her to 47.8 vs. Trump's 44.6
Key quote: "This is a man who has called women pigs, slobs and dogs." Clinton
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Oct. 8: Trump's "Access Hollywood" Crisis
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Possibly the biggest bombshell of the campaign was the release of a decade-old "Access Hollywood" tape that kept Trump's relationship with women in the spotlight. In it, the then-"Apprentice" host is heard bragging with Billy Bush about being able to do anything he wants to women, including grabbing them by the private parts, because he's famous.
Trump apologized twice for what many Democrats called an admission of sexual assault, but the remarks nevertheless brought denunciations from top Republicans, including Trump's vice presidential nominee. A few even said they could no longer support him.
His cavalier attitude about sexual conquests was damning in its own right, but Skelley said it fed into the pre-existing narrative about Trump that the Machado news had already set up: "There's plenty of evidence that he has been a misogynist at times and has made plenty of sexist comments."
Within a few weeks, 11 women came forward to accuse Trump of past sexual misconduct, including sexual assault and unwanted kissing and groping. He has denied all the allegations, which have not been verified by NBC News.
Bush, for his part, was suspended at his new job on NBC's "Today" then left the show. ("Access Hollywood" is owned and distributed by NBCUniversal, the parent company of this station.)
Swing in the polls: +2.1 to Clinton after one week, bringing her to 48.1 vs. Trump's 41.4
Key quote: "Anyone that knows me knows these words don't reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong and I apologize." Trump
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Oct. 13: First Lady Joins the Fray
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As women were still coming forward with accusations against Trump, Michelle Obama summed up the scandal in a speech at a New Hampshire university.
"Enough is enough, this has got to stop right now," she said.
Arguing that even little boys know that men shouldn't take advantage of women, Obama said the country needs a leader who can unite the country, and that Clinton was the person to do it.
She spoke directly to one of Clinton's key constituencys: "Women's votes were the difference between Barack winning and losing in key swing states, including right here in New Hampshire," she said, urging them to make the difference in 2016 once again. Even if it didn't swing the polls more than they already had, Obama made the campaign's strongest and most passionate argument against electing a man who has admitted sexual misconduct.
And the speech was a political coming out party for the first lady as well. Her only other campaign appearance to that point was a similarly acclaimed speech at the Democrats' convention, but she became a powerful surrogate in the final stretch.
Swing in the polls: +0.3 to Trump, bringing him to 42.1 vs. Clinton's 48.5 (just down from her 2016 high)
Key quote: "I can't believe that I'm saying that a candidate for president of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women. And I have to tell you that I can't stop thinking about this. It has shaken me to my core in a way that I couldn't have predicted." -Michelle Obama
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Oct. 28: Clinton's 2nd Email Surprise
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Clinton's lead started to look insurmountable to many in the media, as Trump began insisting that he was trailing because the race was being rigged by the media and political class. Then Comey sent a short letter to a congressional oversight committee saying the FBI had discovered new emails related to the investigation into Clinton's email server.
Worse, the emails were discovered on the computer of disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner, estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin. The FBI is investigating him for allegedly sexting with a minor linking Clinton's scandal to his, despite any evidence from the FBI that classified information was stored on Weiner's server.
The announcement came despite a Department of Justice rule against such actions coming soon before elections, so it doesn't look like the government is meddling in them. Democrats and even some Republicans certainly saw the move that way, while Trump started telling crowds the system might not be so rigged against him after all.
"The race was already tightening a bit, probably because Republicans were coming home, but now [it looks like] Trump's pulling within 2 points," Skelley said late last week. He added that such a close race mirrored "what a lot of the fundamental models" analyzing the race initially showed.
When the Comey letter dropped, Clinton's campaign had just indicated it was making a play for the reliably Republican state of Arizona, a way to run up the score on Election Day. Afterward, her victory no longer assured, she and her surrogates added last-minute stops to states she once thought were reliably blue, like Michigan and Wisconsin.
The FBI review of the emails ended nine days later, just as suddenly as it began. In a second letter sent the Sunday before the election, Comey informed lawmakers the review was over and had not changed his original determination. Clinton didn't mention the saga at a rally in Cleveland later that day, as she made a play for Trump-leaning Ohio by appearing on stage with hometown hero LeBron James.
Swing in the polls: +4 to Trump within one week, bringing him to 44.8 vs. Clinton's 46.4
Key quote: "In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation. I am writing to inform you that the investigative team briefed me on this yesterday, and I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation." Comey's letter
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Poltorak tells Salaru that Ukraine respects Moldovan desire to withdraw Russian military base from its territory
Ukrainian Defense Minister Army General Stepan Poltorak has held a working meeting with Defense Minister of the Republic of Moldova Anatol Salaru.
As the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's press service reported on Monday, the defense ministers discussed cooperation between the defense ministries of Ukraine and Moldova and prospects of its expansion.
"Poltorak said that Ukraine respects the territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova and supports the efforts of the Moldovan people to withdraw the Russian military base from the territory of the country," the statement says.
Although the company had been around for over a decade, Saxbys Coffee moved into this new space just last year. The open concept office has brick walls, large windows for natural lighting and concrete floors.
The office is for team members to work and collaborate and also serves as a training space for future team members. It contains a fully stocked bar that is used by Saxbys team members for training purposes. Meanwhile the space itself can be rented for outside events and parties, sometimes even to host benefits for nonprofits and startup businesses.
To read the full article, click here.
For more business news, visit Philadelphia Business Journal.
Three people were fatally injured and another three were hospitalized after a mass stabbing inside a house in Newark, the Essex County prosecutor said.
Aerial Little Whitehurst, 8, Al-Jahon Whitehurst, 11, and Syasia McBorroughs, 23, died as a result of their injuries. The two children were pronounced dead at University Hospital at 4:40 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.
The three survivors, a 29-year-old woman and two 13-year-olds, a boy and a girl, remain in critical, but stable condition at a local hospital. The mother of the child victims is being treated for her injuries at a local hospital.
Although the relationship between the victims wasn't immediately clear, many of the victims are believed to be family members.
Officers swarmed the scene as detectives searched the area near the 100 block of Hedden Terrace for evidence. Dozens of vehicles black detective cars, police SUVs and ambulances were parked on the street as EMTs rolled stretchers out of an ambulance. Part of Hedden Terrace was blocked off by yellow police tape.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka called the incident "horrific".
"It makes my stomach churn to think about what happened," he said during a Saturday evening press conference. "The incident this evening was a horrific and horrible kind of scene."
Baraka appealed to the public to turn the suspect in, or call the Crime Stoppers hotline with any relevant information.
"We cannot hide this individual, we have to get him immediately before he hurts someone else," he said. As long as he's in the streets, nobody is safe."
Police were dispatched to 137 Hedden Terrace at around 3:55 p.m, according to Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose. Upon arrival, officers discovered four female and two male victims on the second floor of the house, one of whom was found dead at the scene.
Jeremy Arrington is considered to be a person of interest in the investigation. The 26-year-old is wanted for questioning and has a warrant for sexual assault and aggravated assault in an unrelated Oct. 9 incident. He is considered to be armed and dangerous.
Authorities believe someone who had a connection to the victims is responsible for the stabbing, Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray said. However, the perpetrator is not believed to be a resident of the home. The motives for the incident are unknown.
The Newark Police Department is asking for tips regarding the investifation. A reward of up to $20,000 will be given to anyone with information leading to the arrest or conviction of the suspect.
Investigators in Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley searched for clues after the deaths of two children over the weekend.
Philadelphia Police said an 11-year-old boy's sister found him unresponsive around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday inside a home in the city's West Oak Lane neighborhood. The boy was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead.
His name wasn't immediately released and it was unclear what lead to the child's death.
The Express-Times in Easton reports a 2-year-old boy was declared dead on Saturday evening at a hospital in Allentown.
The Lehigh County Coroner's Office on Sunday identified him as Julio Osorio of Grace Street in Allentown. An autopsy was planned for Monday to determine what caused Osorio's death.
The boy's death hasn't been ruled suspicious.
Both deaths remained under investigation Monday. [[238427591, C]]
Some parents are raising concerns about a school administering breathalyzer tests to students attending a homecoming dance.
The News Journal of Wilmington, Delaware, reports that some parents were annoyed by the practice at Smyrna High School and even felt it bordered on infringing on students' rights. But parents were most concerned about being unaware of the alcohol breath tests in the first place.
The Smyrna School superintendent defended the right for the district to continue the long-standing practice because it keeps students safe. It was started in 1994 in response to a Mothers Against Drunk Driving initiative.
The superintendent said she'll look for better ways to inform parents about it. Breathalyzers also are administered before prom.
Gunfire struck a 38-year-old woman as she slept in her Delaware home, said police.
New Castle County Police Officer First Class JP Piser said the shooting occurred early Sunday along Flamingo Drive in the Sparrow Run community.
Responding officers provided first-aid on the scene and medics took the unidentified victim to the hospital. Police said she is expected to fully recover.
Investigators said bullets had also struck multiple homes and vehicles nearby. No other injuries were reported.
Authorities offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information regarding the shooting. Tipsters can call New Castle County Police at 302-573-2800 or online.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be interviewed next week over a six-year-old rape investigation at Assange's residence, Ecuador's Embassy in London, Swedish authorities said Monday.
NBC News reported the step forward in the investigation into accusations of rape and sexual assault. Assange, who denies the allegations, has been holed up in the embassy since 2012 to avoid Sweden extraditing him to the United States, where he fears he'll be prosecuted for releasing a trove of secret diplomatic cables.
Two accusations of sexual assault against Assange have been dropped, but prosecutors continue to investigate the rape allegation.
An Ecuadorian prosecutor is set to interview Assange for the rape investigation, with Swedish authorities present, according to the Swedish Prosecution Authority.
Closing out a wildly unpredictable White House race, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump blitzed through battleground states Monday in a final bid to energize supporters. Clinton urged voters to embrace a "hopeful, inclusive, bighearted America," while Trump called for supporters to "beat the corrupt system."
The candidates rallied voters late into the night, a frenzied end to a bitter election year that has laid bare the nation's deep economic and cultural divides.
Clinton campaigned with confidence, buoyed by FBI Director James Comey's announcement Sunday that he would not recommend criminal charges against her following a new email review. The inquiry had sapped a surging Clinton momentum at a crucial moment in the race, though she still heads into Election Day with multiple paths to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to become the nation's first female president.
"I think I have some work to do to bring the country together," she acknowledged as she boarded her plane for her last battleground tour. "I really do want to be the president for everybody."
Looking beyond Election Day, Clinton said in a radio interview that she hopes Trump will play a "constructive role" in helping bring the country together if she defeats him.
Trump at times struck a nostalgic tone during his final round of rallies, recalling the rivals he'd vanquished and how far he's come. As he surveyed the crowd in Scranton, Pennsylvania, he declared, "It's been a long journey."
Still, Trump was aggressive to the end, slamming Clinton as the "face of failure." Having made the new FBI review a centerpiece of his closing case to voters, he argued that the Democrat was being protected by a "totally rigged system."
"You have one magnificent chance to beat the corrupt system and deliver justice," Trump said. "Do not let this opportunity slip away."
The comments were a reminder that Comey's news, delivered in a letter to lawmakers on Sunday, was a doubled-edged sword for Clinton. While it vindicated her claims that the emails would not yield new evidence, it ensured that a controversy that has dogged her campaign from the start would follow her through Election Day.
Across the country, nearly 24 million early ballots were cast under the shadow of Comey's initial announcement of a new email review. That number represents about half of the nearly 45 million people who had cast votes by Monday, according to Associated Press data.
The inquiry involved material found on a computer belonging to Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman and estranged husband of Huma Abedin, a longtime Clinton aide. Comey said Sunday the FBI reviewed communications "to or from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state."
Clinton tried to fly above the controversy Monday, making no mention of the FBI during her rallies. The centerpiece of her final day of campaigning was a nighttime event in Philadelphia with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, along with rock stars Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi.
Nearing the end of his two terms in the White House, Obama was sentimental as he launched his own busy day of events, noting that he was probably making his last campaign swing for the foreseeable future.
"Whatever credibility I have earned after eight years as president, I am asking you to trust me on this. I am voting for Hillary Clinton," Obama said.
Clinton is banking in part on high turnout particularly among Obama's young, diverse coalition of voters to carry her over the finish line Tuesday. Roughly half the states with advance voting have reported record turnout, including Florida and Nevada, which have booming Hispanic populations, a possible good sign for Clinton.
In Florida alone, Hispanic participation is up by more than 453,000 votes, nearly doubling the 2012 level. Black turnout is up compared to 2012, but that share of the total vote is lower due to bigger jumps among Latinos and whites, according to University of Florida professor Daniel Smith.
In Nevada, where more than three-fourths of expected ballots have been cast, Democrats also lead, 42 percent to 36 percent.
Trump deputy campaign manager David Bossie downplayed the impact of increased Hispanic participation, telling reporters on a conference call, "We feel that we're going to get a good share of those votes." However, he sidestepped two questions about the level of Hispanic vote Trump needs to win the presidency.
Without victories in Florida and Nevada, Trump's path to 270 electoral votes would be exceedingly narrow. He already must win nearly all of the roughly dozen battleground states.
Trump had planned to keep up his breakneck travel schedule deep into Election Day, but aides revised plans, keeping the businessman in New York.
Midway through his final day of travel Monday, Trump praised his supporters for having created a "movement." But he warned it would all slip away if he loses Tuesday.
"Go vote," he urged. "Or honestly, we've all wasted our time."
The candidates in Pennsylvania's down-to-the-wire U.S. Senate race are crisscrossing the state on the last day of campaigning before the election.
Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey is flying around the state Monday, starting his day in Philadelphia before stops in Wilkes-Barre, Harrisburg, Johnstown and Pittsburgh before a nighttime rally in Bethlehem, near his Allentown-area home. [[400275251, C]]
Democrat Katie McGinty is speaking at Monday rallies for party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at the University of Pittsburgh and on Philadelphia's Independence Mall. The Obamas and rockers Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi also will be at Independence Mall. [[400275921, C]]
The Toomey-McGinty contest could determine whether Republicans keep their Senate majority. The too-close-to-call race is the nation's most expensive Senate campaign ever.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will hold an evening rally at Scranton's Lackawanna College. Toomey hasn't campaigned with Trump or said whether he'll vote for him. [[338107532, C]]
More than a dozen of lawmakers in power figure in the case related to the creation of a criminal group by former disgraced president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, but they have not yet been notified about it, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko has said.
"I do not support announcements of sending requests to the Verkhovna Rada. The investigation is underway. As soon as enough facts are established, requests will be sent. Now we are working on cases in which many [Ukrainian] lawmakers involved at least 15 cases. This does not mean that tomorrow I can submit requests," Lutsenko said to 112.ua television channel on Saturday.
He said that at present there are enough facts for sending request to the parliament only for MP from Opposition Block Vadim Novinsky, who is the companion in a crime committed by Yanukovych, who wanted to impose control over the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
"I want to stress that this is one of the Yanukovych's cases. It was not enough to usurp control over the Verkhovna Rada, Cabinet of Ministers and judicial system. He wanted to control religious life of Ukraine. Deceased Metropolitan Volodymyr, who was hugely influential on the faithful, became the person on whom law enforcers unlawfully pressed. They deprived one of his closest friends Metropolitan Drabynko - of his will to force him to leave the post under an order made by Yanukovych," Lutsenko said.
He said that there are witness testimonies of not only Oleksandr Drabynko, but other persons.
Earlier Lutsenko said that by late 2016 Prosecutor General's Office will send the case against officials of the Yanukovych regime under Article 255 of the Criminal Code (creation of a criminal group) to court.
Theres a reason why Donald Trumps stumping in New Hampshire Monday while Hillary Clinton holds a family affair in Philadelphia. Their many visits to Florida, North Carolina and Ohio are no coincidence, either.
Battleground states are going to determine who wins the 2016 election. As the voting returns come in on Tuesday, here are states to watch.
Arizona | Electoral College votes: 11
How its looking:
Arizona is fairly new to the swing-state club. The state hasnt gone for a Democrat since 1996, and that was an anomaly. But because of its large immigrant and Latino populations, Clintons chances are looking better than usual; shes galvanized more support from the Hispanic population than Obama, and it shows. As college-educated young people move to the south, the voter demography is getting more liberal, and NBC News' battleground map has the state in the tossup category. Still, it will be an upset if Clinton wins Arizona, according to elections forecasts by FiveThirtyEight and The New York Times.
Counties to watch:
Maricopa is the fourth most populous county in the United States. Its gone Republican since 1948.
Colorado | Electoral College votes: 9
How its looking:
The NBC News battleground map has Colorado leaning Democratic, bolstered by the suburban and Latino vote. The New York Times and FiveThirtyEight each predict a win for Clinton by several points.
Counties to watch:
While Jefferson County went with Obama in 2008 and 2012, it also gave Bush victories in 2000 and 2004. Arapahoe County, a traditionally Republican area, is turning purple following an influx of immigrants.
Florida | Electoral College votes: 29
How its looking:
Florida, of course, is pretty much the premier big state thats a swing state, said Susan MacManus, a University of South Florida professor who specializes in Sunshine State politics.
Tied with New York for the third most electoral college votes in the union, Florida is a prized battleground during the general election. A Republican hasnt won the state since 1992, and, on paper, MacManus says Hillary should nab the victory. But, she continued, This is hardly an on-paper election.
NBC News' battleground map has Florida listed as a tossup. FiveThirtyEight shows Trump has a bit of an edge, while The New York Times' forecast gives Clinton a small edge.
The last three elections, including the 2012 presidential, the victor has only won Florida by 1 percent or so, MacManus said. When you have 1-percent elections, it makes micro-targeting very important and essential, because if you ignore one group and they feel that, you could lose.
Trump finds support among Floridians who still feel as if theyre suffering from a bad economy and who are concerned for their familys safety in relation to perceived terror threats. Meanwhile, Clinton is trying to mobilize the Latino and millennial demographics. The Cuban community in Florida has a reputation for conservatism, but as the younger generations reach voting age, theyre showing a more liberal tendency.
Even if Floridas retirees are being replaced by millennials, that doesnt mean theyll make it to the voting booths.
The younger voters really arent that keen on the two-party system, MacManus said. Who knows whether theyre going to vote or not.
Counties to watch:
Hillsborough County, with its seat in Tampa, has correctly chosen the president in every election since 1960, except in 1992. Barack Obama won 53 percent to Mitt Romneys 46 percent in 2012.
Orange County in the Orlando area tended red until recent years, and Polk and Pasco are also contentious. Volusia, which used to be a Democratic stronghold, has shown some Republican tendencies lately.
Georgia | Electoral college votes: 16
How its looking:
NBC News moved Georgia from leaning GOP to tossup in its final battleground map, though FiveThirtyEight and The New York Times both predict a Trump win. Its significant that the state is in contention, which signals a demographic shift. Forty-three percent of the electorate is now college educated, and like North Carolina, liberal white voters have officially made Georgia a battleground.
Counties to watch:
Gwinnett County typically goes Republican, but the wealthy suburb northeast of Atlanta may not go Trump's way, NBC News reported. Clayton is an African American nucleus, and Clinton needs high turnout there to even have the potential of a victory in Georgia.
Iowa | Electoral college votes: 6
How its looking:
Iowa has gone blue in six out of the last seven elections. So why do The New York Times and FiveThirtyEight have it going red and NBC News leaning GOP this year?
According to Dennis Goldford, professor of political science at Drake University in Des Moines, there are three reasons. One is that the Clintons never really established themselves here in Iowa. Another is that, while some Republicans have distanced themselves from this presidential election, Iowas state leadership has been openly supportive of the Trump-Pence ticket. The last is the appeal of Trumps Make America Great Again mantra for rural Iowa.
In some ways this election is a growing fight between the expanding, prospering urban segment of America and the declining rural segment, Goldford said.
The Hawkeye State also has a large white, working-class population, especially among the 45-and-up demographic.
You have an older electorate in Iowa, and theyre less likely to have a college education, which means they would be more likely to incline toward Donald Trump, Goldford said.
As a manufacturing state, Iowa was hard hit by the great recession.
If the country as a whole got a cold, manufacturing caught pneumonia, Goldford said. That could mean Trump is getting support from his perceived economic prowess and vow to bolster the American manufacturing industry.
Counties to watch:
Polk, Linn, Cedar, Scott, and Black Hawk are more urban counties. To win statewide, a Democrat needs to roll up big majorities, Goldford said. In 2012, Obama won both Scott and Polk counties by 56 percent.
Michigan | Electoral College votes: 16
How its looking:
Republicans like to call Michigan a battleground state because it can sometimes go red during off years, but a Republican presidential candidate hasnt won the state since 1988. NBC News reports that Michigan is leaning Democratic and, according to FiveThirtyEight's forecast, Clinton has a big advantage.
There really hasnt been a point in this campaign where shes been trailing, said Susan J. Demas, publisher and editor at Inside Michigan Politics.
While the Flint water crisis factored heavily in the Democratic primary, it has really gotten buried on the priority list for both candidates since July, Demas said.
Counties to watch:
Kalamazoo County tends to be a bellwether. Macomb County is fertile ground for Trump, while Clinton seems to be making headway in Oakland and western Michigan. According to Demas, if Clinton wins Oakland a wealthy Republican county by double digits, she will send shockwaves through the state.
Nevada | Electoral College votes: 6
How its looking:
Were a bellwether, said David F. Damore, professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Every time since 76, weve gone with the winner.
In Nevada, neither party has a stronghold. The Democratic organization is almost entirely devoted to longtime Sen. Harry Reid, Damore said, while the Republican base is weak. The state is also 20 percent immigrant and has the smallest native-born population in the United States. Most citizens originate from other states. NBC News' battleground map shows Nevada leaning Democratic. FiveThirtyEight and The New York Times have Clinton and Trump in a tight race, with the edge to Clinton.
We have demography that provides both parties with a likelihood of winning, Damore said.
Working-class whites make up the conservative support in Nevada. Thats kind of who the Republican party is here, Damore said. Trump has played the media well, but hes done nothing in terms of ground game at all, according to Damore.
Meanwhile, Clinton is targeting white suburban women alongside U.S. Rep. Dina Titus.
Counties to watch:
More than 70 perent of the state's population lives in Clark County. Its the most concentrated population in a state of this size, Damore said. Democrats will try to build a firewall around the urban area, which includes Las Vegas. However, Clark historically undervotes, while Nevadas rural Republican communities tend to comprise more of the vote than their percentage of the population. If things seem tight, Washoe, with its county seat in Reno, is where to look. The county has a slightly higher Republican registration, but it went for Barack Obama in 2012 and could go either way this year.
New Hampshire | Electoral College votes: 4
How its looking:
With only four electoral college votes, New Hampshire is seemingly inconsequential. But theres a reason why candidates have spent so much time and money there: if Al Gore had won the state, he would have been president in 2000. During tight elections, New Hampshire can determine who takes it all.
NBC News has it in the tossups, where it belongs, according to Neil Levesque, executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
Its neither red nor blue, said Levesque. Its a tossup. And when we do have a definitive race, its usually not that definitive.
Clinton has a higher chance of winning the state than Trump, according to FiveThirtyEight and The New York Times. On Monday, President Obama will play surrogate for Clinton in New Hampshire, while Trump will make a personal appearance.
Counties to watch:
Londonderry and Hillsborough tend to be bellwethers. Hillsborough is typically a close call. In 2012, Obama won the county by a 2-point margin.
Ohio | Electoral College votes: 18
How its looking:
Despite the cast of The West Wing campaigning for Clinton in Ohio, Trump has a better chance of winning here than Clinton in FiveThirtyEight's forecast. The New York Times sees a closer race and NBC News has Ohio marked as a tossup.
Counties to watch:
Stark County might split down the middle. In 2012, 49 percent of the vote went to each major candidate. Also look to Hamilton County. The Cincinnati area was a GOP stronghold that broke for Obama in the last two cycles, so Clinton will need to do well there, according to NBC News.
Pennsylvania | Electoral College votes: 20
How its looking:
After the Republican National Convention, Trumps campaign said it would focus on four battleground states: Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Were the most Democratic of the four targeted states, said G. Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College.
Clinton had a nice lead in Pennsylvania, said Madonna, until the FBI probe went live two weeks ago. NBC's battleground map has the state leaning Democrat and The New York Times has her a strong favorite. But FiveThirtyEight shows the margin tightening. Recently, Trumps gained popularity in the suburbs, while Clintons target demographics are less than mobilized, Madonna said.
Democrats in Pennsylvania have focused efforts on the African American population, 50 percent of which comes from Philadelphia. When Obama was a candidate, 92 to 94 percent of the black vote went to the Democrats, but without his name on the ticket, party leaders are afraid that black voters wont turn out.
Millennials also make up 18 to 19 percent of Pennsylvanias voters, but theyre the least politically engaged age group. Clinton surrogates have been campaigning at universities around the state because theyre aware of the lack of enthusiasm, Madonna said.
Trumps voters are more enthusiastic in our state, he added.
Counties to watch:
Forty percent of votes in Pennsylvania come from six counties: Bucks, Chester, Montgomery, Delaware, Philadelphia and Allegheny. The first four are suburbs of Philadelphia populated by primarily middle class, college educated whites. Many of them will vote either party depending on the cycle, depending on the candidates, depending on the issues, Madonna said. In 2009, Obama won Bucks by 1 percent; Romney claimed Chester by the same margin.
Utah | Electoral College votes: 6
How its looking:
Utah and Arizona are clearly new battlegrounds, ones that we dont usually include in that list, said Larry Sabato, editor-in-chief of the Crystal Ball website, which is run by the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
Utah tends to vote Republican. In 2012, all six electoral college votes went to Romney. But because of the states Mormon faction, this election cycle is proving a different beast.
Utah I would call a special case, said Will Jordan, elections editor at YouGov. The Mormon population were very reluctant to support Trump in the primary, and thats followed through to the general election.
Clinton has a single digit possibility of winning Utahs electoral college votes, according to FiveThirtyEight's forecast, but Trump is finding unlikely competition from independent candidate Evan McMullin, a conservative Mormon.
NBC News moved Utah from tossup to lean Republican in its final battleground map.
Counties to watch:
Summit County is the only one that went blue in 2008. Romney swept Utah in 2012.
Virginia | Electoral College votes: 13
How its looking:
Virginias one of the less competitive battlegrounds this year, Sabato said of the state that NBC News reports "Leans Democrat."
According to FiveThirtyEights state predictions, Clinton has a comfortable advantage. Some of her popularity in Old Dominion can be attributed to her running mate, Tim Kaine, who is one of Virginias incumbent senators and served as governor from 2006 to 2010.
Counties to watch:
While northern Virginia is traditionally more liberal than the rest of the state, Prince William County, the second most populous in Virginia, may sway Republican because of its suburban base. Virginia Beach could also prove dicey for Democrats.
Wisconsin | Electoral College votes: 10
How its looking:
Despite a working class electorate, FiveThirtyEight and The New York Times forecast a Clinton victory, and NBC News has Wisconsin leaning Democratic.
Counties to watch:
Waukesha County, a suburb west of Milwaukee, is very white, and very Republican. As a liberal base, Dane County should help Clinton along, but careful: third party candidates could eat into her lead, according to NBC News.
What to Know SEPTA and a union representing about 4,700 workers reached a five-year deal.
Service is expected to be back to normal in time for Election Day.
Both sides announced the deal early Monday.
The city's crippling weeklong transit strike ended early Monday, ensuring that all buses, trolleys and subways will be up and running by Election Day.
SEPTA and TWU Local 234 leaders discuss the tentative deal reached between the two that would end the SEPTA strike Monday.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and the union representing about 4,700 transit workers announced a tentative agreement before daybreak. By afternoon, limited service was restored on bus and trolley routes, and operating subway trains were making all stops.
SEPTA said it usually takes 24 hours to have all buses, trolleys and subway trains running after a shutdown but it was on track to be in full service by Tuesday morning.
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Democratic city leaders had feared the strike could weaken turnout at the polls on Tuesday and hurt Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who needs a big haul of votes in the city if she is to win the battleground state instead of Republican Donald Trump. The big concern was people were spending so much time getting to and from work that some wouldn't have time to go to the polls.
The city and the state intervened on Sunday in an effort to bring the walkout to an end. The city sought an injunction that would have forced SEPTA workers to at least provide service on Election Day. The state announced it would join SEPTA in court to permanently end the strike, citing its impact on the elderly, the disabled, students and the economy.
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But a deal reached overnight made a continued court fight unnecessary.
SEPTA Chairman Pasquale Deon said the agreement provides wage increases and pension improvements and maintains health care coverage levels while addressing rising costs. The five-year deal is still subject to union ratification.
The strike resulted in traffic gridlock around the city at morning and evening rush hours, crowded and delayed regional train service and higher absenteeism at the city's high schools. More than 50,000 students use SEPTA to get to school.
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Annette Brady, 46, usually commutes from her northeast Philadelphia home by train but drove into the city on Monday because of the continuing delays in that service. The strike's end will mean a later wakeup time and less hassle for her.
"I'm definitely happy they came to agreement but a little angry it happened in the first place, of course," Brady said. "Driving in is a nightmare."
The SEPTA chairman thanked riders for their patience.
"We sincerely regret this disruption to transportation throughout the City of Philadelphia and the region," Deon said.
Transport Workers Union local president Willie Brown said the approaching election "really wasn't a factor with me."
"We were trying to get a contract, and that's what we did," he said.
It was the transit union's ninth strike since 1975.
Lets rejoice and give thanks to the party gods that everyone survived one of the longest Halloween weekends around! San Diego continues to be a hub of amazing events, beautiful people and some pretty insane costumes!
Kicking off the months picks is a weekly event that showcases local artists at Atomic Nightclub in the Gaslamp. This month's highlight is Joe Pea dropping some sultry house music beats on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Friday, Nov. 11, the infamous Matt Zo lands in San Diego mad as ever for his Mad Tour, which will be set with insane graphics and music that will make you go mental. Diversifying his production styles and often trying new mixtures within one track, a fun night will be had -- but bring your ear plugs!
Step into the realm of shamanic music as Tribe Out West transforms Spin Nightclub into a visual representation of ecstasy as youre immersed in state of the art visuals, including 3D bit mapping and a plethora of lasers to awaken the shaman within on Saturday, Nov. 12. Back from the past, and awoken from a deep slumber, the brand of Dragon Lounge returns on Saturday, Nov. 19, with Austin Speed behind the decks, along with Arkon and more at Kava Lounge. The same night, if you dare seek the hidden undisclosed warehouse, Subb-an makes way to Art of Sound all the way from Birmingham, plus Adam Shelton is there with a mix of house, techno and minimal.
On Nov. 23, Black Wednesday rolls around with a pair of special shows. For the first, Omnia San Diego hosts one of the hottest names on the scene right now -- Robin Schulz -- who collaborates with artists like Akon. Otherwise, dance it up and make some space for the big turkey feast at Bassmnt, which hosts Party Favor for a bass filled night. On Friday, Nov. 25, drum 'n' bass takes over Spin Nightclub for a dual headliner event featuring Viper Recordings Brookes Brothers and Dirtybirds Bachelors of Science. This event will go after hours, hitting the 4 a.m. mark. Being a come as you are venue, dance the night away with a relaxed dress code!
Lastly, Nov. 29 is a dual act show presented on a special Tuesday night: Porter Robinson and Madeon unveil their new song as part of their Shelter tour. It is an amazing show that Ive already had the chance to see, and you wont want to miss it. Due to the high demand of this show, it has been moved from Observatory North Park to Valley View Casino Center for a much bigger experience and support by San Holo and Robotaki.
With just two months left of the year (yikes!), make sure to go out and get your boogie on! Wishing a happy Thanksgiving to all!
Nov. 8: Future Jack featuring Joe Pea at Atomic
Nov. 11: Matt Zo at Bassmnt
Nov. 12: Shamanic by Tribe Out West at Spin
Nov. 19: Dragon Lounge at Kava Lounge
Nov. 19: Art of Sound featuring Subb-an at Undisclosed Warehouse
Nov. 23: Robin Schulz at Omnia
Nov. 23: Party Favor at Bassmnt
Nov. 25: SD Union with Brookes Brothers and Bachelors of Science at Spin
Nov. 29: Porter Robinson and Madeon: Shelter Live Tour @ Valley View Casino Center
Tomas Serrano, aka DJ IDeaL, is the electronic dance music correspondent for SoundDiego, covering the best of San Diego's electronic music events and culture. Follow his whereabouts on Facebook, Twitter or contact him directly.
A motorcycle rider died early Monday when he crashed at a corner in Otay Mesa. San Diego Police responded and found the victim wedged inside a utility box.
A Sig Alert was issued at 4:45 a.m. for the corner of Palm and Beyer following the fatal crash of a motorcycle.
A man in his 40s was riding along Picador Boulevard at a high rate of speed just before 4 a.m. when he crashed into a large electrical box, according to police.
The rider was declared dead however the San Diego County Medical Examiners Office can not remove the victims body from the electrical box without the help of utility workers.
Police said power may be interrupted temporarily in order to remove the victim from the scene.
No other information was immediately available.
Harry Jaffe, a longtime chronicler of the people and politics of Washington, D.C., writes a column for NBC Washington's First Read DMV blog.
The chances that a kid under the age of 18 will stick a gun in your face and ask for your wallet, cell phone, bike or another valuable is skyrocketing in the nations capital.
Ask the guy who was relieved of his cell phone and beat up Halloween night by six juveniles on Pennsylvania Avenues West End, according to police.
For the past few months my friends in the police department have talked to me about an alarming increase in violent crime by kids. They say they have arrested teenagers for bashing a robbery victim over the head with a brick, for grabbing a bike on the Metropolitan Branch Trail, for shooting up houses, just for fun.
Off the hook, says a retired cop whos in the security business.
But cops can exaggerate. So I dug for data. Turns out they are right.
According to the D.C. Office of Attorney General, the number of juveniles arrested for violent crimes has gone up 35 percent in the past year, from 110 in 2015 to 149 in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.
"Armed robberies are up in a big way," says Attorney General Karl Racine, "and its creating havoc."
Police arrested 2,979 juveniles in 2014, and 3,141 last year. The pace for 2016 is on course to outstrip those numbers. But most of those arrests were for nonviolent crimes. Racine is talking about kids charged with armed robbery and related offenses, such as car jacking.
Racine says police, his office and federal prosecutors are "focused on prosecuting these cases." But when I peered into the process and checked individual cases, I discovered a system thats at once porous, somewhat arbitrary and weighted toward federal control.
For porous I present the case of Demetri Goldsmith. On May 29 he was talking to a 16-year-old girl at the Anacostia Metro station. The chat didnt go well. He shot her in the leg. Turns out cops had arrested Goldsmith for robbery a year before, to which he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 24 months in prison.
The judge suspended the sentence. Free on the street, he shot the girl.
For arbitrary I found how juveniles get hauled into federal court, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Under D.C. law, teens arrested in the District under the age of 18 come under the jurisdiction of the Attorney General. They are prosecuted in juvenile court, a secret system that protects their identity. The most serious punishment is a stay in the custody of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS), short for a reform school.
Unless a young person has committed a violent crime. Under Title 16 of the D.C. code, federal prosecutors can pluck anyone under the age of 18 from the juvenile system and prosecute them as an adult.
Every morning Tamar Meekins, deputy attorney general for public safety, gets a list of juveniles arrested the day before. Most come under the AG. But federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia grab the most violent.
They make that determination, she says. We dont really have any input into those decisions.
But how?
Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and take into consideration factors such as the severity of the offense, spokesman William Miller says, whether a firearm was used in the crime, and the suspects criminal history, including prior juvenile adjudications.
By whom?
Our office decides, Miller says, typically, top supervisors in our superior Court division.
Karl Racine has a problem with that process, because it excludes the AG, whos elected by District residents.
Thats where we would like to have a voice, he says.
So far U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips has been willing to entertain discussing the matter, Racine says, but thats it. When it comes to keeping our streets safe from violent teenagers, the feds are running the show.
This bifurcated system is fraught with flaws that contribute to the sense that our streets are unsafe.
For one, the attorney general lacks serious prosecutorial power over juveniles. The worst punishment meted out in juvenile court is a stay in a DYRS facility or group home. Last year three quarters of the juveniles sent to DYRS had committed violent offenses. Too many walk away.
Second, the feds can pick and choose who they want to prosecute, with the potential for jail time. This week they announced eight-year sentences for two kids one 16, the other 17 for a series of four armed robberies. But what if the feds hadnt taken the case? Those two would likely be out on the street.
Racine is right: the locally-elected attorney general should at least weigh in on the decisions on whether to prosecute juveniles as adults. But unless and until the AG has the power to prosecute defendants in Superior Court and sentence guilty ones to jail, no question we are much safer with the feds prosecuting violent juveniles.
What should truly worry Washingtonians is this arithmetic: in 2016 police had made 2,059 juvenile arrests by the end of August. The AG reports 149 arrests for violent crimes in the past fiscal year, which covers that period of time. One would assume they were prosecuted, either in juvenile or Superior Court. What about the rest?
Racine is proud of his diversion programs. They are designed to identify kids headed into the criminal justice system and offering up a variety of services to keep steer them in a better direction.
"Its working," he says. Of the 700 young people who went through the program, he says 90 percent were not rearrested.
Swell, but that leaves way too many young and violent offenders walk our streets. My cop friends have it right. As Racine says, its "causing havoc."
A third University of Maryland student believed she was shot by a BB gun while walking on campus.
The victim told police she was walking along Paint Branch Drive near the Kim Engineering Building at 7:20 p.m. Sunday, when she was struck by what she believed was a pellet from a BB gun.
Two other students also reported being struck at about the same time Sunday.
One student told campus police he was on Paint Branch Drive between the Kim Engineering and Biomolecular Science buildings about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, when he was struck by what he thought was a BB pellet.
About an hour later, another student reporedt to police he was walking on the sidewalk on Stadium Drive between a garage and Ellicott Hall, when he was struck by a BB pellet.
The shooter was inside a dark-colored vehicle, police said. No injuries were reported.
Campus police said anyone who feels unsafe walking on or near campus can call (301) 405-3555 for an escort.
Amid fears about voter intimidation and the security of election results, boards of election and police departments in the D.C. area are assuring voters that their rights and their votes will be protected on Election Day.
"We always have a plan in place to be able to respond to any threat or local issue," Fairfax County Police Department spokeswoman Tawny Wright said.
Federal officials say they will pay extra attention to Virginia to respond to any reports of voter fraud or intimidation. Federal prosecutors and FBI agents will be on duty across the state, and the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday that its civil rights division will deploy personnel to Fairfax and Prince William counties to ensure compliance with federal voting rights laws.
"The department is deeply committed to the fair and unbiased application of our voting rights laws and we will work tirelessly to ensure that every eligible person that wants to do so is able to cast a ballot," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement.
Information was not released immediately on why the DOJ selected the two Virginia counties.
Here's how officials across the region are preparing for Election Day:
D.C.
Police will pay "special attention" to polling places, Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman Margarita Mikhaylova wrote in an email. She declined to share specifics, for security reasons.
The D.C. Board of Elections (BOE) has contingency plans in effect for Election Day, spokeswoman Tamara Robinson said in an email. The BOE is monitoring social media for misinformation, she said.
The D.C. Voter's Guide encourages voters with questions and concerns to contact their precinct captain.
Any voters who feel threatened when voting in D.C. are encouraged to call 911.
MARYLAND
The state of Maryland also is assuring voters that the polls will be safe and every ballot will be counted.
The State Board of Elections has responded to many voter concerns on the Rumor Control page of its website.
The election systems are secure and are subject to security testing, the elections board said. The voting system is paper-based, which means the voting equipment is never connected to the internet, the website says. Furthermore, equipment will be tested before Election Day.
Voters with questions are advised to contact the Maryland State Board of Elections.
VIRGINIA
The commonwealth of Virginia also said votes and voters will be safe. The Department of Elections will remain "extremely vigilant for any potential threats," elections commissioner Edgardo Cortes said in a statement issued Friday.
"Virginia voters should be confident that they will be able to safely cast a ballot on Tuesday and that their votes will be accurately counted," he said.
The Department of Elections has extended its customer service hours from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you have questions, call 1-800-552-9745 and select option 1.
Specific Counties in the D.C. Area:
Arlington County
Police and election officials in Arlington County, Virginia, also say the election results and voters will be safe.
Election scanners never touch a computer network, elections director and registrar Linda Lindberg said.
"We have paper ballots as backup, too, should [election officials] find anything unusual with the results," she said.
The results will be double-checked Wednesday morning by the election board, further ensuring that they are correct.
"We haven't had any issues of Election Day fraud in Arlington," Lindberg said.
Arlington County police will be on high alert, as is standard practice, Capt. Bruce Benson said in an email. Officers will balance ensuring safety for voters with respecting voter privacy, he said.
"We have response plans, which include additional officers on duty, dedicated to responding to incidents at any polling place," Benson said.
Police urged voters to continue to follow the "see something, say something" guideline, and to call 911 in the event of a disturbance.
Fairfax County
Fairfax County, Virginia, also is ready to respond to any situation, police spokeswoman Wright said.
"We want everyone in the county to feel safe and be able to vote," she said.
Police urged voters to be aware of their surroundings and report any issues.
"We hope there won't be any incidents but we are prepared to respond quickly," Wright said, noting that the department will have additional units on standby.
Fairfax County Police are coordinating with federal officers to monitor any potential threats.
Loudoun County
This election will be as safe in Loudoun County, Virginia, as prior elections have been, Office of Elections spokesman Glen Barbour said.
"Loudoun County operates polling sites that ensure free and open access to voters," he said in an email. "We anticipate that this year is no different."
Poll workers have been trained to handle a wide range of potential incidents. Barbour said the Office of Elections believes everything will go smoothly.
"Ensuring the integrity of the voting process is always our top priority," he said.
The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office will not have officers stationed at polling sites, spokeswoman Alexandra Kowalski said.
"If someone feels threatened, they are encouraged to call and police will assess the situation," she said.
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Montgomery County
Officials in Montgomery County, Maryland, are working to dispel myths about the voting process and threats to voting results.
"All Montgomery County voters are encouraged to visit our website at 777vote.org to check for updated information," Board of Elections spokeswoman Marjorie Roher said in an email.
Voters with questions are encouraged to speak to election judges at their polling places before casting a ballot.
Montgomery County Police will visit polling sites as necessary, Capt. Paul Starks said.
Prince George's County
Election officials and police in Prince George's County, Maryland, are expecting business as usual.
Poll workers will follow previous protocols and are trained to call police if disturbances occur, Election Director Alisha Alexander said.
"From my perspective, Prince George's will vote as they always have, in a fair, ethical and orderly manner," she said.
Any voter who thinks something is wrong should tell a poll worker immediately, Alexander said.
Police will respond to polling places as needed, Cpl. Harry Bond said. He said voters should feel safe heading to the polls Tuesday.
"We have no reason to believe there will be trouble at the polls," Bond said.
Prince William County
Officials in Prince William County, Virginia, also say they are expecting secure polling sites and election results.
Election officials have been told to pay attention and contact appropriate officials, such as police, if they see anything unusual, county election spokesman Winston Forrest said.
"We are confident it will be a safe process," he said. "We are confident there won't be a problem on Election Day."
The election results will not be transmitted online and never touch the internet, Forrest said.
The police department also is expecting calm.
"We don't normally have too many issues at our polling centers," Sgt. John Perok said. "I don't foresee anything happening."
The department has additional resources available in the event of a disturbance, Perok said.
Anyone who feels intimidated is asked to call police.
If You See Anything Unusual:
The Department of Justice advises anyone who sees anything out of the ordinary at a polling place to immediately report the issue to polling officials.
"Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local police authorities by calling 911. They should also be reported to the [Justice Department] after local authorities have been contacted," the department said in a statement.
Election Day is just one day away.
And while you may know who you will cast your vote for, there is some important information you need to keep in mind as you head to your polling place Tuesday.
Below you will find where to find your polling place, what you need to bring and who to call if you encounter a problem.
What You Need to Bring
In the District:
While registered D.C. voters do not need to show a photo ID to vote, first time voters will need to show proof of residency if it was not apart of their voter registration via mail. Voters who register on Election Day at the polls will also need to show proof of residency.
Voters can show proof of residency with valid photo identification, a copy of a current utility bill, a bank statement, a government check, a paycheck or a government document showing the voters name and address.
In Maryland:
First time voters may be required to show ID. If so, a Maryland driver's license, MVA ID card, student, employee, or military ID card, U.S. passport, copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that shows your name and address, or any other State or federal government-issued ID card will do.
In Virginia:
In Virginia voters are required to show photo identification at their polling place. Acceptable forms of ID are a drivers license, a DMV veterans ID Card, U.S. passport, a tribal ID, a valid Virginia university, college or school ID, a valid employee identification card or another government issued ID. Click here for a full list of accepted identification.
If you forget your ID, you can still vote with a provisional ballot, but a copy of the voters ID must be sent to their local electoral board by Monday, Nov. 14 for their vote to count.
Where To Cast Your Vote
There are so many places to vote in the DMV. On Election Day schools, churches and community centers transform into polling sites to cast your ballot. D.C. has a full list of their 143 polling places on their Board of Elections website. Maryland and Virginia voters can search their address and find polling places close to home.
Voting Hours
Long lines were an issue at some early voting sites. Make sure to block out enough time in your schedule to vote on Election Day. Here are the hours for polling places in your area:
Washington, D.C.: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Maryland: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Virginia: 6 a.m. 7 p.m.
Have a Problem? Here's Who to Call
If you have any questions about voting, run into a problem at the polls or think you are a victim of voter intimidation, you can call the Voter Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE or 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA for Spanish. You can also contact your local boards of elections at the following numbers:
Washington, D.C.:
DC Board of Elections
202- 727-2525
Maryland:
Maryland State Board of Elections
410-269-2840
Virginia:
Virginia Department of Elections
(804) 864-8901
Head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) Artem Sytnyk believes that the preparation of the claim to the court on deprivation First Deputy Chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) Gizo Uglava of Ukrainian citizenship is pressure on him.
"Apparently, it is exclusively for the purpose to put pressure on him ... The issue of deprivation Uglava of Ukrainian citizenship appeared after the arrest of the top management of PJSC Odesa Portside Plant and Naftogaz, after Onyshchenko [Oleksandr Onyschenko, MP from People's Will group] taking advantage of his immunity, left the country, whereas a lot of his associates are being in custody now. Such cases gave start to others ... and we are working in such circumstances," Sytnyk said in an interview with "World", published on the NABU website on Thursday.
NABU head said that "an attempt to deprive my deputy of citizenship, who oversees the detectives work, it seems to me, is the highest score of his activities on this position."
However, he expressed the belief that common sense will prevail in desire to deprive Uglava of citizenship, "a man who has done a lot for Ukraine."
"I did not appoint the first deputy to the post until he became a citizen of Ukraine, and until I was convinced that he renounced the citizenship of Georgia, as we realized the importance of this issue. This question did not appear in two months after his appointment, it appeared after four months," Sytnyk told.
As reported, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine was preparing a lawsuit against Uglava to stripe him of Ukrainian citizenship.
The Citizenship Commission under the president recommended provide Uglava with Ukrainian citizenship, as a specialist who carried out real reforms of the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia in December, 2014. On April 27, 2015 Sytnyk appointed him as his first deputy.
Uglava, born in 1975, started his career in the prosecutor's office of Georgia in 1998. Since 2003, he occupied top posts, including Deputy Prosecutor General of Georgia (2009-2012).
University of Maryland police are searching for someone who shot a BB gun at two students on campus.
A student told campus police about 7:30 p.m. Sunday that he was on Paint Branch Drive between the Kim Engineering and Biomolecular Science buildings when he was struck by what he thought was a BB pellet.
About an hour later, another student report to police he was walking on the sidewalk on Stadium Drive between a garage and Ellicott Hall, when he was struck by a BB pellet.
The suspect was inside a dark-colored vehicle, police said.
No injuries were reported.
Campus police said anyone who feels unsafe walking on or near campus can call (301) 405-3555 for an escort.
No further information was immediately available.
Stay with News4 and NBCWashington.com for more information.
One person was killed and five others were injured early Sunday morning in a single-vehicle rollover crash in Westport, Massachusetts.
State Police said troopers responded to the crash at 3:13 a.m. on Interstate 195 eastbound, just east of exit 10, where they found a Honda Civic in the breakdown lane on its roof.
An initial investigation revealed that the vehicle somehow left the roadway and struck a jersey barrier, then rolled over while crossing the travel lanes.
The driver, identified as Cassandra Camacho, 25, of New Bedford, was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said five passengers, three men and two women, all of New Bedford, were transported to Rhode Island Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Eight people were checked out at a hospital Monday morning after a sparking phone that had been tossed into a glass of water emitted a nauseating gas, Boston fire officials said.
Boston Fire says a student at Judge Baker's Children's Center was charging a phone when it started to spark. Someone then tossed the phone into a glass of water, and the gas it emitted made several people nauseous.
Of the eight people who were checked out at a local hospital, seven were adults and one was a child.
The Mission Hill neighborhood school, which is for special needs children, did not have to be evacuated.
It's unclear what kind of phone started the incident.
The scene has since been cleared.
An arrest has been made in connection with the fatal shooting and carjacking of a man outside an apartment complex in Everett, Massachusetts.
Prosecutors say a meeting to sell hundreds of dollars worth of marijuana led to the Sunday afternoon murder of 21-year-old Gary Duff-Turcotte, a Stoneham resident.
The Middlesex District Attorney's Office says Duff-Turcotte was shot to death by 27-year-old Keith Herring of Boston.
Herring was arrested Monday morning. During his arraignment that afternoon, prosecutors said Herring texted Duff-Turcotte Sunday to inquire about buying $700 worth of marijuana. Prosecutors say Duff-Turcotte and Herring agreed to meet at the Everett apartment near the intersection of Terry Street and Chelsea Street.
According to prosecutors, during the meeting, Herring got out of the car, walked to the driver's side door and told Duff-Turcotte he wanted a minute with Duff-Turcott'e girlfriend. Prosecutors say Duff-Turcotte refused to get out of the 2007 Audi. Duff-Turcotte's girlfriend said Herring fired at least one shot and she took off running.
When investigators arrived, Duff-Turcotte's Audi was gone.
Duff-Turcotte was transported to Whidden Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
In court, prosecutors said investigators were able to ping Duff-Turcotte's cell phone inside the car to an address near where Herring lived in Brighton. Herring was also wearing a GPS device as part of a previous criminal case. Investigators were able to determine Herring was in Everett at the time of the shooting.
A judge ordered Herring be held without bond. He is being held on charges of murder, armed robbery, carjacking and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Herring's next court appearance is set for Nov. 29.
Jurors heard testimony from those who had close encounters with a killer Monday during the Gary Lee Sampson sentencing retrial.
More than half a dozen people testified about their interactions with Sampson after he murdered 69-year-old Philip McCloskey in Marshfield on July 24, 2001, but before he killed 19-year-old Jonathan Rizzo in Abington three days later.
From a young female store clerk who refused to give Sampson a ride, to a cab driver short-changed by Sampson, the witnesses had similar impressions of him memorable, but not necessarily suspicious.
It was the same impression a park ranger and environmental police officer had of Sampson when an employee of Myles Standish State Forest called them about him as the park was closing on July 27.
"There's this fella down here and I need to close the park," the caller said, according to the testimony of former park ranger Cathleen Akin. "I don't know what to do, he's creeping me out."
Ranger Akin and her then-future husband, Environmental Police Lt. Robert Akin, responded and eventually convinced Sampson who claimed to be both retired military and employed by the CIA to take a ride from the lieutenant to get him out of the park.
"He seemed a little hesitant but he got in and sat down ... in the front seat," Lt. Akin testified. "He seemed very relaxed and happily participating in the conversation."
It wasn't until the search for Rizzo intensified a few days later that Lt. Akin thought to say something about his dealings with Sampson at the park, testifying, "My interaction with Sampson was gnawing at my head."
By that time, Sampson had surrendered to police in Vermont for the murders of McCloskey and Rizzo in Massachusetts and 58-year-old Robert Whitney in New Hampshire.
Sampson's sentencing retrial continues Tuesday at 9 a.m.
Continuing on the stand will be the Myles Standish employee who thought Sampson was "creepy" enough to call police.
Customers at diners across New Hampshire are getting attention from U.S. Senate candidates along with their coffee.
Republican incumbent Kelly Ayotte and Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan traveled the state Monday for their last full day of campaigning before Tuesday's election. Their paths didn't cross, though both candidates made stops at a Peterborough Diner.
Were going to be doing 24 stops in 24 hours so Im very excited about that, Ayotte said at the diner.
At Brewbakers coffee shop in Keene, Hassan picked up a cappuccino with the message "VOTE" spelled out in the foam. At The Four Aces Diner in West Lebanon, Ayotte was grilled by a 4-year-old girl named Maggie, who invited her over to play and gave her a special rock for good luck.
Ayotte and Hassan are in a tight race that will help determine control of the U.S. Senate, where Republicans have a slight edge.
Police are searching for the suspects who fatally shot a man Sunday afternoon in Everett, Massachusetts.
Authorities said the shooting took place at an apartment complex on Ferry Street just after 2 p.m.
A witness told necn that she saw a fight break out between two groups of men inside the parking garage of the complex. She said she then heard two gunshots and saw a man running. That man then collapsed in the street.
"He said he couldn't breathe there was blood coming out of his mouth," said the witness. "He ran down here and I believe was maybe trying to chase the car and he collapsed."
Other neighbors told necn that they saw two vehicles speeding away from the scene.
The Middlesex District Attorney's Office is handling the investigation. They said Sunday night that they would not be releasing any further details.
Police officers in Manchester, New Hampshire, were recognized for their bravery on Monday.
Manchester Police Chief says he's thankful he can recognize his officers and still have them on the job.
Officers Ryan Hardy and Matt O'Connor were among those awarded the Medal of Valor for their bravery and professionalism.
Back on May 13, police say 32-year-old Ian MacPherson of Manchester shot Hardy in the face and shoulder when he tried to stop him in the street.
Hardy managed to radio that he was shot and gave a description.
Officer O'Connor encountered MacPherson not long after and was shot in the leg allegedly by the suspect.
MacPherson was arrested three hours later and charged with two counts of attempted murder.
Nearly three dozen other officers and dispatchers received awards for their heroism on Monday, many who were part of that day.
Both Hardy and O'Connor have returned to the job on the midnight shift since August.
Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has said that he decided to resign from his post as head of the Odesa Regional State Administration.
"In this situation, I decided to resign and start a new stage of the struggle," he said at a briefing in Odesa on Monday.
Saakashvili said that the last straw for him was the electronic declarations of officials, in which deputies and officials declared their millions and asked for financial assistance.
He also said that the president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko personally supports corrupt clans in Odesa region.
He alleged that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko personally supports corruption clans in the Odesa region and the young officials who came to the administration recently and started working in a new way "not only do not get protection, but are absolutely defenseless because the supreme administration in Kyiv is directly setting all kinds of Presmans [parliamentarian Oleksandr Presman, Revival faction of the Ukrainian parliament], Goncharenkos [parliamentarian Oleksiy Honcharenko, Petro Poroshenko bloc faction] on them."
"The president really personally supports two clans in the Odesa region: a gangster, criminal clan, [composed of] murderers from the 1990s [led by Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov] and the 'Ismail' corruption [clan led by Odesa regional council chairman Anatoliy] Urbansky, the entire power in the region is in the hands of these two, and their separatist allies from [political party] Nash Kray and [Nash Kray co-chairman] Anton Kyse," he said.
Saakashvili said he had promised the people of the Odesa region not to leave them to the arbitrariness of corrupt officials and therefore intends to fight together with "young people, unstained forces." "We will definitely unite and we will fight for the victory of new Ukraine for the people of Odesa, for all other residents of Ukraine. The fight continues, and we will definitely win this fight," Saakashvili said.
Giorgy Lordkipanidze, the head of the Main Department of the Ukrainian National Police in the Odesa region, reported the resignation earlier on Monday.
David Sakvarelidze, who earlier filed his resignation from the post of deputy prosecutor general of Ukraine, said he intends to create a new party called 'Khvylia'. Besides Sakvarelidze, the initiative group on the creation of the new party comprises former deputy prosecutor general Viktor Kasko, parliamentarians Viktor Chumak and Natalia Novak, and Volodymyr Kozlenko, chairman of the all-Ukrainian civil platform Nova Krayina (New Country).
A Massachusetts man is set to be sentenced on Monday in the shooting death of a 28-year-old man on New Year's Day in 2015.
Jeffrey Souza was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Kyle Brady in September.
Prosecutors say Souza shot Brady with an illegal firearm, and then hid in Newport, Rhode Island, until he was arrested a few days later.
Investigators tell WJAR the shooting was over a fight about a woman.
Massachusetts police said a pedestrian was killed Sunday afternoon after they were struck by a vehicle in Tewksbury.
The crash happened in the area of 1009 Shawsheen St. at 5:34 p.m.
The name of the victim has not been released.
Polie said the area was shut down for a few hours for accident reconstruction crews.
The exact cause of the crash is under investigation but police said at this time, it's not likely that charges will be filed against the driver.
Police are searching for the driver who dragged a man several feet in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Sunday afternoon.
The incident happened at the corner of Sycamore and Beacon streets at 12:48 p.m.
When officers arrived, they found a 66-year-old man suffering from a serious chest injury.
The man was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Investigators believe that the victim was leaning into the vehicle, speaking with the occupant(s), when the vehicle quickly drove off with the man still halfway inside. The victim was dragged almost 100 feet.
Police are searching for a possible older model Honda Odyssey in either blue or gray.
Anyone with information can send an anonymous text to 274637 TIPWPD + your message or send an anonymous web based message at worcesterma.gov/police.
One of the ballot questions that Massachusetts voters will vote on Election Day is whether the state should lift its cap on charter schools, allowing for up to 12 more every year. Question 2, has led to an expensive and heated debate from both sides.
The issue has been divisive, especially in Boston where the majority of charter schools and Mayor Marty Walsh are going against Governor Charlie Baker over the question.
I think that raising charter schools by 12 per year is very aggressive, Walsh said.
The mayor says its something hes been opposed to since it was first proposed to voters.
Up to 12 schools a year, many of those will be in Boston and it's going to hurt our funding, what we have right now, Walsh said.
For years, the city of Boston and others have not received the full state reimbursements theyre supposed to get for what they pay to send a kid from a district school to a charter school.
The issue has created some contention in the school districts, 8 in Boston, where you have more than 9 percent of spending going to charter schools. The city also the greatest wait to see more of them.
These schools deliver for these kids and that's the thing we should stay focused on, said Baker.
Baker has long rallied for an expansion, telling necn Monday that the budgetary issues are nothing new, but the lack of options for students in failing schools is a growing problem.
"Ninety percent of the people in Massachusetts whether they vote yes or no, it's really not going to affect the quality of the education in their schools," Baker said. "This is really an opportunity for us to send a message to the 10 percent who are in communities where they believe they need better options and better choices."
In total, a charter school expansion will only impact a small percentage of kids across the state, but its debate heading into tomorrow is only getting bigger.
Both Baker and Walsh said if the ballot question passes, theyll have to revisit a better way to fund charter schools in the next legislative session.
A 10-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital after being shot in Hartford Sunday afternoon.
Hartford police Lt. Paul Cicero said that officers responded to a report of shots fired at 247 Branford Street around 3:45 p.m. and found the girls father loading her into a car. She was taken to Saint Francis Hospital then transported to Connecticut Childrens Medical Center where she is listed in guarded but stable condition. She has not been identified.
No one else was struck by the gunfire and the victims family is cooperating with police.
A witness reported that the shots came from a black vehicle that fled east on Branford Street. Police are looking for a dark colored Honda that may have been involved in the shooting. Police do not have any suspects at this time.
Saint Francis Hospital was locked down when the patient arrived. Hospital spokeswoman Fiona Phelan said it is standard protocol to lockdown the hospital when a patient shows up with a gunshot wound. The lockdown was lifted at 5 p.m. after the child was taken to Connecticut Childrens Medical Center.
Hartford police Major Crimes detectives are investigating. Anyone with information should contact police at 860-757-4179.
A day before Election Day, students at Vermonts Colchester High School made their voices heard in a mock election aimed to promote engagement with current events.
Being part of this really makes me excited for being able to actually vote, said Colchester senior Austin Collins, who is not yet old enough to vote in a real election.
Members of Colchesters student government association put the mock election together with the assistance of social studies faculty.
The group also held discussions about the voting process, including how the Electoral College functions.
A lot of people look at the ballot and theyre like, Oh, I havent even heard of these names, said Colchester junior Robbie Davis. So seeing it now makes you value what comes up, so you can prepare for that.
Students cast mock ballots for presidential candidates and in Vermonts statewide races.
Us being involved is important and I think students should realize that early, so they can do it in the future, said sophomore Sophia Brigante.
The kids sent Democrats Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine to the White House, and Republicans Phil Scott and Randy Brock to the Vermont governor and lieutenant governors offices.
Following a long and divisive campaign season, several Colchester students expressed a desire to see more unity across the country.
We are the United States and we want to continue to be united, said junior Jacob Dell. Continue to be one country instead of a country thats divided into factions based on political parties or based on candidates.
After the election, Im ready for people to just get along, Austin Collins added. Its always arguing and people are just getting put down in the debates and stuff. Its just crazy.
Voter turnout in the students mock election was just under 30 percent. Of course, turnout among adults on Election Day is expected to be much, much higher.
In other results from the student mock vote, incumbent Democrats Patrick Leahy and Peter Welch easily won their races for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House.
Boston Police are asking for the public's help to identify and locate a vehicle seen near a homicide that happened last month.
Police say the newer model Nissan Altima was seen near a Roxbury neighborhood where 20-year-old Jesse Dieusinor, of Florida, was shot and killed.
The killing happened near Zeigler and Dearborn Streets on Thursday, Oct. 6.
He later died at a hospital.
No arrests have been made.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
With just hours to go before the polls open, many voters in New Hampshire say they are still undecided on who they want the next president to be.
Some say they might not even make up their minds until the last possible minute.
"I'm struggling they are both awful," said Josh Brown, of Manchester. "I will probably make the decision in the booth, close my eyes, grit my teeth and say, 'I can't believe I'm doing this,' but do it anyway."
Voters say indecision has little to do with a lack of information.
Originally, Michaela Remis, of Manchester, planned to vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein but now she's leaning toward Clinton.
"I don't want to be involved with voting for either of them," Remis said. "Every day I think I know what I'm going to do, like 'Oh I'm going to protest vote' but then it's like 'oh yikes, I don't know.'"
Don Gonzalez, of Pittsfield isn't necessarily undecided. He says he has consciously decided NOT to decide.
"I've been thinking about this for a while. I can't vote for either one of them they are both crooks and liars," Gonzalez said.
It's not just the presidential election voters in New Hampshsire are struggling with. Some residents say they will also wait until Election Day to decide on other races as well.
Millions of New Englanders are expected to hit the polls Tuesday on Election Day to vote for their presidential pick.
But there are a variety of other issues at stake in their respective states.
Connecticut
Although there are no statewide ballot questions this year, Connecticut voters will have to make tough decisions when it comes to candidates for the state's Senate and House. One such local race that's gained a lot of attention is the race between Dr. William Petit, the sole survivor of a deadly 2007 home invasion who is running as a Republican, and Democrat Bety Boukus for the General Assembly's 22nd District. Meanwhile, in the races for federal seats, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is running for a second term against state Rep. Dan Carter and Democrats are hoping to hold onto all five congressional seats. Click here to learn more about where Connecticut residents can vote, including where they can register to vote on Election Day. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Rhode Island
Rhode Islanders will have seven statewide ballot questions to decide on come Nov. 8. The ballot questions range from a casino proposal, a constitutional amendment aiming to fight corruption and five bond measures. Click here for Rhode Island's voter handbook, which includes explainers on the ballot measures. There are also two congressional races and many races to fill the state's General Assembly. Click here to find your polling location. Poll are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, voters will have to decide on four statewide ballot questions: one that would have the state's gaming commission issue another slots parlor license; one that would expand the number of charter schools in the Bay State; one that would ban certain farm animal containment methods; and one that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana for those over the age of 21. There are also nine U.S. House races along with local legislature and official contests. Click here to learn your polling location. Polls are open on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Vermont
The race to replace Gov. Peter Shumlin is on in Vermont. Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Scott and Democrat Sue Minter are vying for the state's top job, while U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy is expected to easily win an eighth term. There are also races for the state's attorney general, secretary of state, lieutenant governor and countless of state Senate and House races, along with local ballot questions depending on which county you live in. Click here to learn if you're registered and to find your polling location. Depending on where you live, polls can open between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., but all polling places close at 7 p.m.
New Hampshire
Some of the biggest statewide races in New England are in the Granite State. New Hampshire's Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte is facing a challenge from currently Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, while Republican Chris Sununu and Democrat Colin Van Ostern are duking it out to replace Hassan in the state's gubernatorial race. There are also close races for New Hampshire's 1st and 2nd U.S. Congressional districts and a slew of local contests. Click here to find your polling location. Polls typically open between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m., and close at 7 p.m.
Maine
Maine joins five other states, including neighboring Massachusetts, this year by having voters decide on legalizing recreational marijuana. However, Mainers will also weigh in on five other ballot questions: raising the state's minimum wage; a new income tax to help fund public education; expanding gun background checks; allowing ranked-choice voting; and a bond measure for transportation. Political junkies are watching the state's 1st and 2nd U.S. District races as well. There are also dozens of local races. Polling locations typically open between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., and close by 8 p.m. Click here to find your polling place.
One of the reason's behind Microsoft's recent resurgence has been the company's somewhat surprising and ongoing commitment towards making their own hardware. This new strategy was on full display two weeks ago when the company introduced the Surface Studio, a 28-in. desktop/tablet hybrid that left many tech observers beyond impressed.
While Microsoft's foray into the world of hardware began with Steve Ballmer at the helm, the company's hardware strategy was kicked up a notch once Satya Nadella assumed CEO duties in February of 2014.
Interestingly enough, Ballmer recently explained in a Bloomberg interview that his advocacy for Microsoft getting into the hardware game ultimately created a rift between him and Bill Gates. As Ballmer tells it, he was pushing for Microsoft to more carefully consider Apple's business model, while Gates was vehemently opposed to the idea.
Compounding the problem was that Microsoft's stock price at the time was stagnant, thereby giving Gates and other detractors more ammunition as the debate over Microsoft's strategic direction remained an ongoing and heated topic.
"There was a fundamental disagreement about how important it was to be in the hardware business," Ballmer explained. "I had pushed Surface. The board had been a littlelittle reluctant in supporting it. And then things came to a climax around what to do about the phone business."
In the wake of his debate, Ballmer said he and Gates "drifted apart," a somewhat somber addendum given Ballmer was one of Microsoft's earliest employees and was actually the first business manager Gates ever hired.
Looking back, Ballmer, now the owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers, opined that he regrets not getting into the hardware business even earlier.
"I would have moved into the hardware business faster," Ballmer said, "and recognized that what we had in the PC, where there was a separation of chips, systems and software, wasn't largely gonna reproduce itself in the mobile world."
Indeed, one of Ballmer's chief failures as CEO of Microsoft wasn't that he didn't come up with the iPhone first, but rather that he didn't appreciate that the iPhone, upon its introduction, represented the future of the mobile market.
Mikheil Saakashvili, head of the Odesa Regional State Administration, has already sent a letter of resignation to the presidential administration and is waiting when Head of state Petro Poroshenko accepts it, Saakashvilis press secretary Daryna Chyzh told Interfax-Ukraine.
She also noted that, until the Ukrainian president accepts Saakashvilis resignation, he will stay in Odesa on his post.
As reported, on Monday, November 7, Saakashvili said that he was leaving his post because he was tired of constant deception and corruption, including from authorities in Kyiv.
Missile defense is hard.
Attacks can come from anywhere. There are seconds to respond. Multiple incoming missiles can overwhelm defenses. Mistakes result in huge damage.
There is no margin for error.
Military strategists have refined missile defense systems over decades. Early attack visibility and fast countermeasures are essential.
When it comes to distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, Arbor Networks has found the lessons from missile defense apply.
Missile defense
The Department of Defense describes missile defense protection :
Missiles have different ranges, speeds, size and performance characteristics.
The defense system is an integrated, "layered" architecture that provides multiple opportunities to destroy missiles before they can reach their targets.
It includes networked sensors and radars for target detection and tracking.
A command, control and communications network provides commanders with the needed links between the sensors and intelligence on how to respond.
International cooperation with other entities who share information and responses to improve overall defense.
DDoS and missile defense approaches share several similarities:
Attacks could be launched from many devices at any time in different forms.
A distributed network of sensors provides advance visibility on attacks.
A layered defense with local defenses supplemented with centralized command analyzes threats to further refine defenses.
DDoS attacks dont inflict physical damage like missiles. But their impact is just as devastating by disrupting infrastructure and making online resources unavailable. Financial, transport, logistics and healthcare systems are all affected.
The frequency of DDoS attacks has multiplied with IoT devices hacks. Hardening IoT devices security takes time. Network-based DDoS defense offers protection now.
Network-based DDoS protection
Network traffic visibility
Threat management starts with network visibility. The best source of this information is internet service providers (ISPs), which have network visibility from the edge of a network to data centers.
Arbor Networks collaborates with 330 ISPs to collect insights on over 140 terabits of data per second of anonymous traffic data. Arbor Networks operates the worlds largest distributed honeynet, actively monitoring internet threats around the globe via ATLAS, Arbors global network of sensors
Security experts and data scientists at Arbor analyze this information to refine the protections against botnet and DDoS attacks. Arbor shares threat assessments and enhanced security rules with ISPs, enterprises and governmental agencies. Arbor shares this intelligence with international Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) and network operators via in-band security content feeds and their security blog ASERT.
DDoS visualization
The Digital Attack Map is a free service from Arbor Networks and Jigsaw. It combines both daily and historic details to display a global map with DDoS attacks.
Threat identification
Arbor applies global threat intelligence from ATLAS and reputation-based research from ASERT to block both inbound and outbound threats. Some of the protections include:
Analyzing the source of the traffic using forensics, detailing blocked hosts, origin countries of attacks and historic trends.
Scanning for and remediating abusable services on their networks and scanning for and alerting customers/users running abusable servicesblocking abusable services until they are remediated, if necessary.
Analyzing network data from tools such as NetFlow to determine the source and destination of traffic, class of service and the causes of congestion.
Threat mitigation
DDoS protection is deployed on-site with APS while service providers deploy TMS in their cloud. The solutions are tightly integrated via Cloud Signal for immediate, multi-layered protection between the enterprise and cloud service provider.
Arbor TMS uses Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)-based diversion to dynamically steer traffic into itself in order to mitigate DDoS attacks on demand. It removes up to 160 Gbps of DDoS attack traffic with a single appliance.
Network traffic is "scrubbed" by an Arbor TMS or inline APS. DDoS attacks are mitigated by diversion/re-injection." This redirects malicious network traffic to a TMS appliance where its filtered. Legitimate network traffic proceeds undisturbed to its intended destination.
Security expertise
Implementing effective security requires personnel who have operational security (OPSEC) experience and who understand TCP/IP, DNS routing/switching and Layer 7. Such people are rare and arent cheap. Arbor has a central team of security experts whose expertise protects multiple accounts and service providers through security updates and alerts.
10 DDoS safety tips from Arbor Networks
Factor network availability into the design of online applications. Make the logical connection between maintaining availability and business continuity. Stress-test applications/service stacks to determine their scalability/resiliency shortcomings. Develop and rehearse plans for DDoS mitigation. Check Open NTP Project for abusable NTP services and Open Resolve Project for abusable open DNS recursors on your networks. Ensure only authorized users can query recursive DNS servers. Ensure SNMP is blocked on public-facing infrastructure/servers. Disallow Level 6/7 NTP queries from the public internet. Deploy intelligent DDoS mitigation systems (IDMSes) in mitigation centers located at topologically appropriate points within your networks to mitigate DDoS attacks. Participate in the global operational security community.
A comprehensive Arbor Networks DDoS report is available here (pdf).
The potential damage from cyber attacks increases with smart cities and IoT-based services. Hospitals, power grids and transportation systems are all vulnerable.
Cyber defenses are as critical as missile defense. They deserve the same level of attention.
Theres an interesting thing happening in the IT monitoring space that is a reflection on broader trends happening in enterprise IT.
Whereas in the past there was a fairly distinct line between application monitoring and infrastructure monitoring, that line is rapidly reducing. And the former application monitoring vendors are moving into the infrastructure space, while vendors that were focused on monitoring the status of servers and the like are increasingly giving the application side of the house more attention.
+ Also on Network World: New Relic aims to be your dashboard of the future +
The trend is, of course, a direct response to the DevOps movementthe idea that developers and operations teams need to work more closely (or, at the ultimate level, be essentially the same people). DevOps as an approach enables organizations to move faster, reduce their deployment times, innovate and reduce the risks involved in experimentation.
So, with all of these macro trends going on, it is interesting to see New Relic, the Silicon Valley monitoring darling, announce the general availability of its infrastructure monitoring product. Available Nov. 16, timed to coincide with the companys FutureStack conference, New Relic Infrastructure is another component of the New Relic Digital Intelligence Platform, a broadly unified monitoring platform that also throws a dose of analytics into the mix.
As New Relic points out in announcing this product, modern IT infrastructure is now very dynamic and software teams are constantly changing it and deploying on top of it.
These arent just glib words, however. New Relic founder and CEO Lew Cirne is well known for taking coding breaks where he gets away from the day-to-day business of running his business to get down and dirty with the code base New Relic is built upon. Its fair to say Cirne is intimately aware of the issues around release cycles and their impact on innovation. (And yes, New Relic is an anagram of his name, a naming approach that in this case, is less about narcissism and more about fun.)
Anyway, according to the companys materials, New Relic Infrastructure helps operations teams handle these challenges and have greater control of these environments to do the following:
Move fast and deploy with confidence by correlating configuration changes with health metrics in real time. Powerful infrastructure-wide search across every host enables your team to find inconsistent configurations to detect and resolve issues quickly.
Scale and adapt to diverse environments with any combination of cloud instances, microservices, containers or traditional servers. Tag-driven dashboards and alerts scale with your dynamic infrastructure, reducing administrative overhead.
Gain full-stack visibility with the New Relic Digital Intelligence Platforma unified view from your infrastructure to application code performance to customer experience in one seamless context. Correlate host health with your application metrics from New Relic APM and understand how your infrastructure performance impacts business metrics through New Relic Insights.
Two editions with flexible cloud pricing
Moving to the all-important pricing on the new platform: the two offeringsNew Relic Infrastructure Essentials and Professionalare available under the companys cloud pricing model, which is calculated based on the size, number and total time running of customer instances.
Both editions ship with native support for Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Docker containers. Infrastructure Professional offers longer-term data retention and expanded monitoring functionality for popular Amazon Web Services, including CloudFront, DynamoDB, EBS, Elasticache, Elastic Load Balancing, IAM, Kinesis, RDS, SNS, SQS and VPC. Additional integrations will be available natively within New Relic Professional on an ongoing basis.
My POV
DevOps, beyond all the hype and vendor bluster, is absolutely a thing. This trend toward monitoring companies providing broader offerings across applications and infrastructure is one that has been in existence for a couple of years and shows no sign of abating. New Relic is a well-respected vendor in the space, and its offering looks solid.
Someone hacked into my main server. I have a small organization, and the server was an old Apple Xserve 10.6.7 chosen because its not the usual host. Now its time to scratch security through obscurity off the list.
So lets do a rudimentary recover. Forensics will have to wait.
I went to a hosting company to spin up httpd and mail. Theyre already my registrar. Pretty big organization.
And they dont have 24/7 support.
Since this happened on a Saturday, I was already in trouble. I chose one of their hosting plans. It costs a rudimentary $60 for a web server plus mail. It uses the famous CPanel hosting.
The list was: bring up the mail server, change the DNS authority to their hosting company from Expedient, which hosts the NOC resources. Their mail server kind of works; there are a few small bugs to work out.
They have an automated cpanel-chosen script to deploy Wordpress, among many choices, including things like phpbb. Fine. I chose to deploy WordPress. The script proclaims success! (Exclamation point included.)
But it doesnt work. I cant login to the WordPress instance at all.
TomorrowTuesday, Nov. 8I work the elections as an inspector. Im gone. It turns out that their phone tech support doesnt open until 0800 Denver time. And, of course, the rest of my week is booked solid.
Eventually, the website will be online, one that I hacked together. But I might have to change the site to one of the actual cloud providers, ones that have real support running 24/7 with tested scripts that work.
The talented among you will be opening up a terminal session and be running nslookup to see who I chose as the provider. Look again on Thursday to see if its the same one. I get the feeling itll change.
Lessons learned
Lesson 1: Your backup plan has to be tested. Mine was ephemeral and thwarts me now.
Lesson 2: If the hosting company doesnt have 24/7 support, why are you still looking at them?
Lesson 3: If the hosting company doesnt QA their deployment scripts, youll have to do that yourself. Youre ready for that, arent you?
Lesson 4: Youll only be hacked when youre totally booked for the next 10 days, making your allowable time to fool with such nonsense incredibly limited, so wait around until the last minute to check things out.
Lesson 5: Once I go through the syslogs, I have my own scripts waiting. I suggest you look away once I execute them.
Saakashvili resignation in Ukraine did not come as surprise to his supporters in Georgia
David Darchiashvili, one of the leaders of the Georgian opposition party United National Movement, said he believes Mikheil Saakashvili, head of the Odesa regional administration, who was left without the support of the central Ukrainian authorities, had to leave his post.
"It was obvious, especially recently, that Mikheil Saakashvili has no political support in Ukraine, no support from the central Ukrainian authorities. His decision to leave his post is due to the current socio-political situation in Ukraine," Darchiashvili told reporters on Monday.
Darchiashvili said he believes Saakashvili will stay in Ukrainian politics as an independent opposition politician. "This probably does not mean that Saakashvili will be in opposition to all Ukrainian political forces. I know that he has normal relations with President Poroshenko," Darchiashvili said.
He said he currently does not know Saakashvili's further plans.
Georgia's ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili said on Monday he had decided to resign from his post as head of the Odesa regional state administration. In the meantime, several months ago Saakashvili said on social networking sites that he did not rule out the creation in Ukraine of a new opposition political organization, which will comprise young reformers.
By IANS
NEW DELHI: After the rebuff by independent directors of Indian Hotels Company, Tata Sons will have to tread cautiously if they seek Cyrus Mistry's ouster from group's companies, as experts in the industry feel that "it will not be an easy task" legally.
A section of experts with whom IANS spoke to, including lawyers dealing with corporate matters, state nothing can be said definitely as they are not privy to the memorandum and the articles of association of the group's several companies.
Yet, they add, going by the statute, a lot would depend on how Mistry decides to play the ball. Nesar Ahmed, former president of Institute of Companies Secretary of India, said: "If he decides to dig his heels in, then removing him as director would not be an easy job."
Ahmed, also a corporate consultant, adds that the way Tatas have conducted themselves in removing Mistry may not strictly breach the law, but certainly was not in conformity with the the transparent-and-ethos based corporate governance that they have been espousing all along.
However, there is also a view that a lot would depend on which side the government would lean, as financial institutions like the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and state-run banks have sizable stakes in Tata Group's various entities.
Towards this, they also point towards the meetings that Ratan Tata, now back as the interim chairman, had with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley soon after the removal of Mistry by the Tata Sons Board.
While there is a general agreement that it would not be a cakewalk for Tata to remove Mistry from the board of the group 's companies, legal luminary Lalit Bhasin says it depends on the facts of each case.
This view is also shared by Harish Vaid, vice-president for Corporate Affairs at Jaypee Group.
While Amitabh Chaturvedi, a lawyer dealing with corporate matters, said that the Memorandum of Association is the basic document laying down the procedures, another corporate lawyer -- while endorsing the position says -- it all depends on the pleasure of the board.
Also, the former vice-president of the Institute of Companies Secretary of India, Vaid says, on the basis of the information available, it is not clear whether the chairmen of Tata group's companies are the nominees of Tata Sons or if they are appointed by the respective boards.
If it is to be decided by the individual boards, Vaid says that the independent directors would have a decisive say as in the case of Indian Hotels Company, where the move to remove Mistry as the chairman was frustrated by seven independent directors.
In that situation, Vaid says they will have to wait for the next shareholders' meeting when the directors are appointed. It is at such a meeting that the Tatas can exercise their indirect control and remove Mistry.
In this situation, the Shapoorji Pallonji group, having a little more than 18 per cent stake in Tata Sons, will not have any bearing, as the Tata Trusts have the majority stakes in Tata Sons.
Ahmed says other options for Tata Sons would be to requisition an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders by taking recourse to Sections 115 of the Companies Act.
Under this section, notice for such a meeting can be given by stakeholders having 1 per cent of the total voting power, or those having shares of Rs. 5 lakh. The sacking can be asked for under Section 169 of the Companies Act, which provides removal of directors.
He says that not only the chairman who is being sought to be replaced has to be given a reasonable notice period, but even the market regulators and the exchanges where the shares are listed have to be informed about it. The rules of the corporate governance have to be observed.
NEW DELHI: After the rebuff by independent directors of Indian Hotels Company, Tata Sons will have to tread cautiously if they seek Cyrus Mistry's ouster from group's companies, as experts in the industry feel that "it will not be an easy task" legally. A section of experts with whom IANS spoke to, including lawyers dealing with corporate matters, state nothing can be said definitely as they are not privy to the memorandum and the articles of association of the group's several companies. Yet, they add, going by the statute, a lot would depend on how Mistry decides to play the ball. Nesar Ahmed, former president of Institute of Companies Secretary of India, said: "If he decides to dig his heels in, then removing him as director would not be an easy job." Ahmed, also a corporate consultant, adds that the way Tatas have conducted themselves in removing Mistry may not strictly breach the law, but certainly was not in conformity with the the transparent-and-ethos based corporate governance that they have been espousing all along. However, there is also a view that a lot would depend on which side the government would lean, as financial institutions like the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and state-run banks have sizable stakes in Tata Group's various entities. Towards this, they also point towards the meetings that Ratan Tata, now back as the interim chairman, had with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley soon after the removal of Mistry by the Tata Sons Board. While there is a general agreement that it would not be a cakewalk for Tata to remove Mistry from the board of the group 's companies, legal luminary Lalit Bhasin says it depends on the facts of each case. This view is also shared by Harish Vaid, vice-president for Corporate Affairs at Jaypee Group. While Amitabh Chaturvedi, a lawyer dealing with corporate matters, said that the Memorandum of Association is the basic document laying down the procedures, another corporate lawyer -- while endorsing the position says -- it all depends on the pleasure of the board. Also, the former vice-president of the Institute of Companies Secretary of India, Vaid says, on the basis of the information available, it is not clear whether the chairmen of Tata group's companies are the nominees of Tata Sons or if they are appointed by the respective boards. If it is to be decided by the individual boards, Vaid says that the independent directors would have a decisive say as in the case of Indian Hotels Company, where the move to remove Mistry as the chairman was frustrated by seven independent directors. In that situation, Vaid says they will have to wait for the next shareholders' meeting when the directors are appointed. It is at such a meeting that the Tatas can exercise their indirect control and remove Mistry. In this situation, the Shapoorji Pallonji group, having a little more than 18 per cent stake in Tata Sons, will not have any bearing, as the Tata Trusts have the majority stakes in Tata Sons. Ahmed says other options for Tata Sons would be to requisition an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders by taking recourse to Sections 115 of the Companies Act. Under this section, notice for such a meeting can be given by stakeholders having 1 per cent of the total voting power, or those having shares of Rs. 5 lakh. The sacking can be asked for under Section 169 of the Companies Act, which provides removal of directors. He says that not only the chairman who is being sought to be replaced has to be given a reasonable notice period, but even the market regulators and the exchanges where the shares are listed have to be informed about it. The rules of the corporate governance have to be observed.
By Express News Service
BENGALURU: Tension prevailed at Hegde Nagar Circle near Sampigehalli on Sunday after a speeding car hit a 59-year-old motorist, killing him on the spot. The car, in which three students hailing from Tanzania were travelling, dragged the victims body for nearly 100 metres before coming to a stop. A crowd which witnessed the accident, thrashed the driver before police reached the scene. It was reported in Chikkajala traffic police station.
The deceased was Veluswamy, a resident of Hegde Nagar, who was a milk vendor. The student driving the car has been identified as Kelvin (22), a BCA student in a private college.
Following the accident, the residents of Hegde Nagar held a protest. They alleged that all the students were under the influence of alcohol. They also put up posters of the students, calling them killers.
A senior police officer said that the accident occurred around 6 am when Veluswamy was on his way to distribute milk to nearby shops. He was heading towards Thanisandra when the speeding Opel Astra car hit his TVS motorcycle from behind.
Mangled remains of the car that ran over a milk vendor at Hegde Nagar Circle near Sampigehalli on Sunday; a few locals put up a poster calling the Tanzanian students as killers
He was crushed under the wheels and the body was dragged. Immediately after the accident, two of Kelvins friends, who are said to be his classmates, tried to escape.
During interrogation, Kelvin said that they had gone to a friends place for a party and were returning home, police said. The car belongs to Kelvin. Police are verifying their visas and other documents. Police said Kelvin was drunk as the alcometer test showed the reading as 184mg. The permissible limit is 30mg/100 ml.
We sent the accused for medical tests to ascertain whether they were under the influence of alcohol. Meanwhile, we have asked the college authorities to give more details about them, the police officer said. Kelvin was handed over to judicial custody after interrogation.
BENGALURU: Tension prevailed at Hegde Nagar Circle near Sampigehalli on Sunday after a speeding car hit a 59-year-old motorist, killing him on the spot. The car, in which three students hailing from Tanzania were travelling, dragged the victims body for nearly 100 metres before coming to a stop. A crowd which witnessed the accident, thrashed the driver before police reached the scene. It was reported in Chikkajala traffic police station. The deceased was Veluswamy, a resident of Hegde Nagar, who was a milk vendor. The student driving the car has been identified as Kelvin (22), a BCA student in a private college. Following the accident, the residents of Hegde Nagar held a protest. They alleged that all the students were under the influence of alcohol. They also put up posters of the students, calling them killers. A senior police officer said that the accident occurred around 6 am when Veluswamy was on his way to distribute milk to nearby shops. He was heading towards Thanisandra when the speeding Opel Astra car hit his TVS motorcycle from behind. Mangled remains of the car that ran over a milk vendor at Hegde Nagar Circle near Sampigehalli on Sunday; a few locals put up a poster calling the Tanzanian students as killersHe was crushed under the wheels and the body was dragged. Immediately after the accident, two of Kelvins friends, who are said to be his classmates, tried to escape. During interrogation, Kelvin said that they had gone to a friends place for a party and were returning home, police said. The car belongs to Kelvin. Police are verifying their visas and other documents. Police said Kelvin was drunk as the alcometer test showed the reading as 184mg. The permissible limit is 30mg/100 ml. We sent the accused for medical tests to ascertain whether they were under the influence of alcohol. Meanwhile, we have asked the college authorities to give more details about them, the police officer said. Kelvin was handed over to judicial custody after interrogation.
By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: As the state administration is unable to resolve the issue of smog which is affecting common people in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked the Centre on Sunday to look into a proposal to go for artificial rain through cloud seeding.
The CM convened an emergency cabinet meeting and announced some tough measures. Meanwhile, thousands of people, including children, gathered at Jantar Mantar on Sunday to protest over the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, demanding the government to take effective initiatives to curb the rising air pollution.
The protest, organised by various citizens group of Delhi, was also joined by celebrities such as Nafisa Ali, among others. To curb the pollution, Delhi Governments odd-even initiative was a huge success. If possible, it should be implemented once again, actress Nafisa Ali said.
Kejriwal announced that all the schools will remain closed till Wednesday. He also announced other emergency steps like a five-day ban on construction and demolition activities and temporary closure of a power plant, besides exploring possibility of engineering artificial rain over the city and bringing back the odd-even scheme.
Kejriwal also appealed to the people to stay indoors and, if possible, work from home considering the alarming levels of pollution.
Listing short-term steps to deal with the situation, the Chief Minister said use of all diesel gen-sets has been prohibited for the next five days beginning on Monday, except for emergency services like hospitals and mobile towers.
Schools will be closed for the next three days. The health department will issue the first pollution advisory tomorrow (Monday). We also appeal to the people to stay indoors and work from home, if possible. We are also starting the preparation for odd-even (car rationing scheme). We will make an assessment in the next few days and implement it, if need be, Kejriwal said.
The Delhi government also decided to shut down the coal-based Badarpur power plant, considered one of the key sources of pollution, for next 10 days from Monday.
The plant generates around 300MW of power. It was also decided to go for water sprinkling on roads of 100-foot width from Monday. It will be done by the PWD department on all such roads at least once a week.
The government is not unprepared. No one thought crop burning will be of this scale and weather conditions are also inclement. Delhi was polluted, so the extra pollutants aggravated the situation, the CM said.
NEW DELHI: As the state administration is unable to resolve the issue of smog which is affecting common people in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked the Centre on Sunday to look into a proposal to go for artificial rain through cloud seeding. The CM convened an emergency cabinet meeting and announced some tough measures. Meanwhile, thousands of people, including children, gathered at Jantar Mantar on Sunday to protest over the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, demanding the government to take effective initiatives to curb the rising air pollution. The protest, organised by various citizens group of Delhi, was also joined by celebrities such as Nafisa Ali, among others. To curb the pollution, Delhi Governments odd-even initiative was a huge success. If possible, it should be implemented once again, actress Nafisa Ali said. Kejriwal announced that all the schools will remain closed till Wednesday. He also announced other emergency steps like a five-day ban on construction and demolition activities and temporary closure of a power plant, besides exploring possibility of engineering artificial rain over the city and bringing back the odd-even scheme. Kejriwal also appealed to the people to stay indoors and, if possible, work from home considering the alarming levels of pollution. Listing short-term steps to deal with the situation, the Chief Minister said use of all diesel gen-sets has been prohibited for the next five days beginning on Monday, except for emergency services like hospitals and mobile towers. Schools will be closed for the next three days. The health department will issue the first pollution advisory tomorrow (Monday). We also appeal to the people to stay indoors and work from home, if possible. We are also starting the preparation for odd-even (car rationing scheme). We will make an assessment in the next few days and implement it, if need be, Kejriwal said. The Delhi government also decided to shut down the coal-based Badarpur power plant, considered one of the key sources of pollution, for next 10 days from Monday. The plant generates around 300MW of power. It was also decided to go for water sprinkling on roads of 100-foot width from Monday. It will be done by the PWD department on all such roads at least once a week. The government is not unprepared. No one thought crop burning will be of this scale and weather conditions are also inclement. Delhi was polluted, so the extra pollutants aggravated the situation, the CM said.
By Online Desk
Kapil Mishra, the interim minister of environment sought suggestions to tackle Delhi pollution crisis from the public via change.org, an online petition platform.
The AAP MLA acknowledged that there were multiple online petitions appealing the state government to take action against the crisis.
Pollution in Delhi has reached a point of being a Public Health Emergency. This problem needs collective action from various State Governments, the Central Government and YOU, the message on the petition read.
Prior to Diwali, various petitions were filed to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to ban crackers in Delhi. However, the Supreme Court ruled that banning crackers altogether would hurt religious sentiments and affect celebrations. Hence, the AAP government could only impose ban on Chinese Firecrackers.
According to the Centre for Science and Environment, the national capital is facing the worst smog in 17 years. The analysis of data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee shows that the levels of (Particulate matter) PM2.5 have increased by 62.7 per cent on November 2 as compared to that on Diwali (October 30) and the levels were 9.4 times the standard on November 2.
Similarly on the night of November 1, PM2.5 concentration had hit 548 microgramme per cubic metre (cum) -- nine times the standard, while the following day, PM2.5 concentration increased to 696.25 microgramme per cum -- 11.6 times the standard.
According to air quality monitoring network SAFAR, PM2.5 levels are in severe category.
You can send in your suggestions here
(With inputs from PTI)
Kapil Mishra, the interim minister of environment sought suggestions to tackle Delhi pollution crisis from the public via change.org, an online petition platform. The AAP MLA acknowledged that there were multiple online petitions appealing the state government to take action against the crisis. Pollution in Delhi has reached a point of being a Public Health Emergency. This problem needs collective action from various State Governments, the Central Government and YOU, the message on the petition read. Prior to Diwali, various petitions were filed to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to ban crackers in Delhi. However, the Supreme Court ruled that banning crackers altogether would hurt religious sentiments and affect celebrations. Hence, the AAP government could only impose ban on Chinese Firecrackers. According to the Centre for Science and Environment, the national capital is facing the worst smog in 17 years. The analysis of data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee shows that the levels of (Particulate matter) PM2.5 have increased by 62.7 per cent on November 2 as compared to that on Diwali (October 30) and the levels were 9.4 times the standard on November 2. Similarly on the night of November 1, PM2.5 concentration had hit 548 microgramme per cubic metre (cum) -- nine times the standard, while the following day, PM2.5 concentration increased to 696.25 microgramme per cum -- 11.6 times the standard. According to air quality monitoring network SAFAR, PM2.5 levels are in severe category. You can send in your suggestions here (With inputs from PTI)
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Nearly 580 schools under the south corporation will remain closed for the entire week, while those in the jurisdiction of north and east civic bodies will be shut till Wednesday in view of the alarming pollution levels in the national capital.
Over 17,000 schools running under the three municipal corporations of Delhi were closed on Saturday due to heavy smog that has already caused a spike in cases of asthma, allergy and breathlessness in the city, with doctors suggesting extra protection for children and the elderly.
All schools under the MCD are primary schools, which are run in morning and evening shifts. About 10 lakh students are enrolled in the schools run by the three corporations.
Delhi government had yesterday also ordered closure of all its schools till November 9.
"We have decided to keep our schools remain closed till November 12, as these are primary students. In the morning shift, the smog is severe. In the evening too the pollution level peaks, so, we have decided to keep it shut for extended period," an SDMC spokesperson told PTI.
579 schools are run under the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), about 740 under North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and the rest under East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC).
Sirifort area in south Delhi and Anand Vihar in east Delh, among other places, have lately registered high levels of pollution, both on PM 2.5 and PM 10 scales.
"We have ordered the schools to remain shut till November 9. We will assess the situation after that and take further decision accordingly," North Delhi Mayor Sanjeev Nayyar said.
"Schools of East Delhi Municipal Corporation will also remain closed till November 9," an senior EDMC official said.
Besides, SDMC has also started a radio campaign to make people aware about issues related to pollution.
"Our radio campaign is running since Friday where the chairman of the SDMC's standing committee gives out a message to people to inform the civic body about any cases of leaf burning to our control room so that action can be taken," the senior SDMC official said.
Delhi is witnessing the worst situation due to smog in last 17 years, prompting Delhi government and the Centre to take immediate measures to curb the pollution.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal yesterday announced a raft of "emergency" measures to deal with the situation including ban on construction and demolition activities for next five days and temporary closure of Badarpur Power Plant in south Delhi.
"Use of diesel generators should be stopped, construction activities should be immediately halted and leaf-burning should not be allowed. Besides, children should be protected properly and extra caution should be taken for them," Nayyar said.
NEW DELHI: Nearly 580 schools under the south corporation will remain closed for the entire week, while those in the jurisdiction of north and east civic bodies will be shut till Wednesday in view of the alarming pollution levels in the national capital. Over 17,000 schools running under the three municipal corporations of Delhi were closed on Saturday due to heavy smog that has already caused a spike in cases of asthma, allergy and breathlessness in the city, with doctors suggesting extra protection for children and the elderly. All schools under the MCD are primary schools, which are run in morning and evening shifts. About 10 lakh students are enrolled in the schools run by the three corporations. Delhi government had yesterday also ordered closure of all its schools till November 9. "We have decided to keep our schools remain closed till November 12, as these are primary students. In the morning shift, the smog is severe. In the evening too the pollution level peaks, so, we have decided to keep it shut for extended period," an SDMC spokesperson told PTI. 579 schools are run under the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), about 740 under North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and the rest under East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC). Sirifort area in south Delhi and Anand Vihar in east Delh, among other places, have lately registered high levels of pollution, both on PM 2.5 and PM 10 scales. "We have ordered the schools to remain shut till November 9. We will assess the situation after that and take further decision accordingly," North Delhi Mayor Sanjeev Nayyar said. "Schools of East Delhi Municipal Corporation will also remain closed till November 9," an senior EDMC official said. Besides, SDMC has also started a radio campaign to make people aware about issues related to pollution. "Our radio campaign is running since Friday where the chairman of the SDMC's standing committee gives out a message to people to inform the civic body about any cases of leaf burning to our control room so that action can be taken," the senior SDMC official said. Delhi is witnessing the worst situation due to smog in last 17 years, prompting Delhi government and the Centre to take immediate measures to curb the pollution. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal yesterday announced a raft of "emergency" measures to deal with the situation including ban on construction and demolition activities for next five days and temporary closure of Badarpur Power Plant in south Delhi. "Use of diesel generators should be stopped, construction activities should be immediately halted and leaf-burning should not be allowed. Besides, children should be protected properly and extra caution should be taken for them," Nayyar said.
By Express News Service
HYDERABAD: Two families staged a protest at Omni Hospital in Kukatpally, alleging negligence on part of doctors. One of them protested after a woman from their family died after delivering a baby, the other was angry about a botched sinus operation.
A 25-year-old woman Sravanthi was admitted to Omni Hospital on November 1, because of a heart problem, soon after she delivered a baby on October 31 at Sadasivpet. Doctors at Matrusri Hospital in Sadasivpet suggested that she seek treatment in Hyderabad. Kukatpally sub-inspector K Naidu said: After five days of treatment, the woman was scheduled to be discharged on Sunday. On Sunday morning, the woman went into coma and died while undergoing the treatment. Her parents and other relatives alleged that the doctors injected some medicine, due to which Sravanthi died. Her family members staged a protest in front of the hospital alleging.
After the doctors conversed with the family, they were satisfied with the reasons fort death and took the body to their native place, he added. In another incident, software engineer Hari Prasad from Kukatpally, underwent a surgery for a sinus issue at the hospital. The operation was performed by Dr Payal, who was a consultant doctor, said sources. After a few days of the operation, Prasad faced problems with his vision and went to LV Prasad Eye Hospital for a test. The doctors there found that the sinus operation was not performed well and that he could lose his eyesight.
On Sunday, Prasad along with his friends and relatives came to Omni Hospitals and staged protest against the hospital management. The consultant doctor was called to the hospital and the he said he would perform another surgery and solve the issue and Prasad was convinced. The victims refused to talk tro the media. The sub-inspector said that he, along with a team had gone to the hospital to prevent lawlessness and that they hadnt receved any complaint from the victims.
HYDERABAD: Two families staged a protest at Omni Hospital in Kukatpally, alleging negligence on part of doctors. One of them protested after a woman from their family died after delivering a baby, the other was angry about a botched sinus operation. A 25-year-old woman Sravanthi was admitted to Omni Hospital on November 1, because of a heart problem, soon after she delivered a baby on October 31 at Sadasivpet. Doctors at Matrusri Hospital in Sadasivpet suggested that she seek treatment in Hyderabad. Kukatpally sub-inspector K Naidu said: After five days of treatment, the woman was scheduled to be discharged on Sunday. On Sunday morning, the woman went into coma and died while undergoing the treatment. Her parents and other relatives alleged that the doctors injected some medicine, due to which Sravanthi died. Her family members staged a protest in front of the hospital alleging. After the doctors conversed with the family, they were satisfied with the reasons fort death and took the body to their native place, he added. In another incident, software engineer Hari Prasad from Kukatpally, underwent a surgery for a sinus issue at the hospital. The operation was performed by Dr Payal, who was a consultant doctor, said sources. After a few days of the operation, Prasad faced problems with his vision and went to LV Prasad Eye Hospital for a test. The doctors there found that the sinus operation was not performed well and that he could lose his eyesight. On Sunday, Prasad along with his friends and relatives came to Omni Hospitals and staged protest against the hospital management. The consultant doctor was called to the hospital and the he said he would perform another surgery and solve the issue and Prasad was convinced. The victims refused to talk tro the media. The sub-inspector said that he, along with a team had gone to the hospital to prevent lawlessness and that they hadnt receved any complaint from the victims.
By PTI
MUMBAI: With just a day left for the US presidential election, some rituals seeking divine blessings for the victory of Republican candidate Donald Trump were performed in a temple here today at the behest of some NRIs.
"We performed two yagnas for the victory of Trump. The rituals were performed at the behest of NRIs in the US," Vishnudham temple trustee Ramesh Joshi told PTI.
The temple, located in north Mumbai suburb Kandivli, conducted the three-hour-long rituals, Joshi said.
"Some NRIs in the US are regular visitors to the temple when they visit India. They asked us to perform the yagnas. Accordingly, two yagnas were performed. The Vijay Prapti Yagna was to ensure victory for Trump and the Shasan Prapti Yagna was to help him govern the US," Joshi said.
"The NRIs told me that Trump has assured the Indian diaspora in the US that he will work for eliminating the terror menace in India, if elected," Joshi said.
MUMBAI: With just a day left for the US presidential election, some rituals seeking divine blessings for the victory of Republican candidate Donald Trump were performed in a temple here today at the behest of some NRIs. "We performed two yagnas for the victory of Trump. The rituals were performed at the behest of NRIs in the US," Vishnudham temple trustee Ramesh Joshi told PTI. The temple, located in north Mumbai suburb Kandivli, conducted the three-hour-long rituals, Joshi said. "Some NRIs in the US are regular visitors to the temple when they visit India. They asked us to perform the yagnas. Accordingly, two yagnas were performed. The Vijay Prapti Yagna was to ensure victory for Trump and the Shasan Prapti Yagna was to help him govern the US," Joshi said. "The NRIs told me that Trump has assured the Indian diaspora in the US that he will work for eliminating the terror menace in India, if elected," Joshi said.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he will sign a decree on Odesa regional governor Mikheil Saakashvili's resignation if the Ukrainian government submits a corresponding motion.
"If the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine submits the motion, the President of Ukraine will enact Saakashvili's resignation. Meanwhile, actual reasons of his resignation will be analyzed," the Ukrainian Presidential Administration's press service told Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.
Relations arising in connection with entering into the civil service, its tenure and termination are in line with legal status of civil servants, which is stipulated in the law on civil service, which came into force on May 1, 2016.
The law is applicable to public servants of the Secretariat of the Cabinet, ministries and other central executive authorities, local state administrations (district, regional, in the cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol), the prosecutor's offices, the military command, embassies and diplomatic missions of Ukraine and other state agencies.
The positions of civil service are split into three categories - A (the highest body of civil service), B and C - depending on appointment, specifics and scope of obligations and competences necessary for work.
The bill also provides for setting up an A category civil service commission, which will hold open and transparent tenders to select A category government workers, which include, among other things, the position of regional governors (heads of regional state administrations).
At the same time, according to the Law of Ukraine on local state administrations, heads of local state administrations (district, regional, Kyiv and Sevastopol) shell be appointed by the President of Ukraine after nomination by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for the period of his or her presidency.
Candidates for the posts of heads of regional state administrations shall be tabled by the prime minister to the Cabinet of Ministers for consideration. Candidates for the posts of heads of district state administrations shall be tabled by the heads of respective regional state administrations to the Cabinet for consideration. One candidate should be nominated per each position.
If the President of Ukraine turns down a nominee, either the Prime Minister or the head of a regional state administration should propose the Cabinet a new candidate. The heads of local state administrations receive their full mandate since the day of appointment.
By IANS
CHENNAI: Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, who is busy shooting Amitabh Bachchan-starrer 'Sarkar 3', on Monday announced that he is making an international project titled 'Nuclear' on a budget of Rs. 340 crore.
"My 1st international film to be made at a cost of Rs.340 crore is 'Nuclear'," Varma wrote on his Twitter page.
He shared a poster with the tweet, which reads: "An atomic bomb smuggled into Mumbai; Demand for evacuation of Kashmir; Pakistan denies involvement and America steps in; America convinces India and Pakistan to forge forces; At stake are millions of life and the beginning of World War III."
In another post, he revealed that the film will be shot across the US, China, Russia, Yemen and India. And yet another poster shows people running helter-skelter with a cloud of smoke emanating from a bomb blast.
The project, which will be produced by CMA Global, will feature American, Chinese, Russian and Indian actors.
Varma and CMA Global have struck a deal to work together in fifteen films.
"'Nuclear' starts after I wrap 'Sarkar 3' and my tie-up in other films," wrote the filmmaker, known for movies like 'Rangeela', 'Satya', 'Shool' and 'Company'.
CHENNAI: Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, who is busy shooting Amitabh Bachchan-starrer 'Sarkar 3', on Monday announced that he is making an international project titled 'Nuclear' on a budget of Rs. 340 crore. "My 1st international film to be made at a cost of Rs.340 crore is 'Nuclear'," Varma wrote on his Twitter page. He shared a poster with the tweet, which reads: "An atomic bomb smuggled into Mumbai; Demand for evacuation of Kashmir; Pakistan denies involvement and America steps in; America convinces India and Pakistan to forge forces; At stake are millions of life and the beginning of World War III." In another post, he revealed that the film will be shot across the US, China, Russia, Yemen and India. And yet another poster shows people running helter-skelter with a cloud of smoke emanating from a bomb blast. The project, which will be produced by CMA Global, will feature American, Chinese, Russian and Indian actors. Varma and CMA Global have struck a deal to work together in fifteen films. "'Nuclear' starts after I wrap 'Sarkar 3' and my tie-up in other films," wrote the filmmaker, known for movies like 'Rangeela', 'Satya', 'Shool' and 'Company'.
A Sharadhaa By
Express News Service
His debut project FLY didnt give actor Dingri Nagarajs son Rajavardhan the start he needed in the film industry, but that hasnt kept the newcomer from pursuing his acting dreams. The shooting for FLY was interrupted due to production issues, he says.
The young talent is, however happy that he is finally getting noticed in Sandalwood and has no qualms of debuting in multistarrer projects.
A still from Ira
Rajavardhan has wrapped up shooting for Noorondu Nenapu. The film directed by Kumaresh sees him along with Chetan and Meghana Raj among others. He tells City Express, Though I gave my hundred per cent in FLY, I had to start from scratch with Noorondu Nenapu."
The actor will now start with shooting for Ira, from today, which yet consists of an ensemble cast. I basically picked up this film for a reason. Though the film made under Harsha Entertainers, its association is with Wadeyar Movies, a production house of Pavan Wadeyar, who is a well-known director," he explains.
Rajavardhan admits that the delay in his launch was unfortunate. I entered the film industry in 2012, just after my graduation and it took two years to sign FLY. Though the films shoot started off very well, the excitement didnt last. I couldnt fault anyone because all of us were newcomers. I got stuck with FLY from 2014 in the hope that we can make it, only to realise that I had no control over it. The next best thing I thought was to move on and thats when I chose Noorondu Nenapu, which will now mark my debut, says Rajavardhan. However, the makers of my first film have assured me that theyll bring out FLY and I keep my fingers crossed, he shares.
The actor is happy with his character DSP (Dayanand Shankar Patil)in Noorondu Nenapu. I heard the production house considered many actors and did auditions before choosing me, says Rajavardhan, who apparently was chosen after the team saw him in a commercial directed by Tarun Sudhir. I watched the original Marathi film and going by the role, I am confident that the character I play carries a mass look, shown along with Chetan, who plays a class hero, he says.
With Ira, he is happy to associate with Atul Kulkarni and Vasishta Simha in a suspense thriller. The film runs is about three characters and this will be a change from my previous roles and will give more scope for my performance, he says.
Today Rajavardhan is glad to see a sign of relief in his fathers eyes, who was equally worried about his career. He didnt know what to tell people when they asked about me. Hopefully with three of my films releasing next year, he will have something to talk about, he says.
Despite being an actors son and having the acting abilities, finding a place in Sandalwood has been difficult for Rajavardhan. Just because I am an actors son, I dont get a red-carpet welcome. In fact it has been more a difficult than for newcomers, who come with no acting background. There is pressure back at home and outside and answering to all of them has become quite an effort, says Rajavardhan.
However, in spite of no release, I am getting support from a few industry people and even getting offers as a solo hero. But I am scared to take them up now because they are mostly from newcomers and I dont want to burn my fingers again. I am ready to take risks, but before that I want one of my films to be out for people to witness my work, only then I can expect directors to offer me roles. Even the big stars of Kannada industry havent seen anything from me to appreciate my talent. I hope all of my efforts will bear fruit next year and take my career forward, he signs off.
His debut project FLY didnt give actor Dingri Nagarajs son Rajavardhan the start he needed in the film industry, but that hasnt kept the newcomer from pursuing his acting dreams. The shooting for FLY was interrupted due to production issues, he says. The young talent is, however happy that he is finally getting noticed in Sandalwood and has no qualms of debuting in multistarrer projects. A still from IraRajavardhan has wrapped up shooting for Noorondu Nenapu. The film directed by Kumaresh sees him along with Chetan and Meghana Raj among others. He tells City Express, Though I gave my hundred per cent in FLY, I had to start from scratch with Noorondu Nenapu." The actor will now start with shooting for Ira, from today, which yet consists of an ensemble cast. I basically picked up this film for a reason. Though the film made under Harsha Entertainers, its association is with Wadeyar Movies, a production house of Pavan Wadeyar, who is a well-known director," he explains. Rajavardhan admits that the delay in his launch was unfortunate. I entered the film industry in 2012, just after my graduation and it took two years to sign FLY. Though the films shoot started off very well, the excitement didnt last. I couldnt fault anyone because all of us were newcomers. I got stuck with FLY from 2014 in the hope that we can make it, only to realise that I had no control over it. The next best thing I thought was to move on and thats when I chose Noorondu Nenapu, which will now mark my debut, says Rajavardhan. However, the makers of my first film have assured me that theyll bring out FLY and I keep my fingers crossed, he shares. The actor is happy with his character DSP (Dayanand Shankar Patil)in Noorondu Nenapu. I heard the production house considered many actors and did auditions before choosing me, says Rajavardhan, who apparently was chosen after the team saw him in a commercial directed by Tarun Sudhir. I watched the original Marathi film and going by the role, I am confident that the character I play carries a mass look, shown along with Chetan, who plays a class hero, he says. With Ira, he is happy to associate with Atul Kulkarni and Vasishta Simha in a suspense thriller. The film runs is about three characters and this will be a change from my previous roles and will give more scope for my performance, he says. Today Rajavardhan is glad to see a sign of relief in his fathers eyes, who was equally worried about his career. He didnt know what to tell people when they asked about me. Hopefully with three of my films releasing next year, he will have something to talk about, he says. Despite being an actors son and having the acting abilities, finding a place in Sandalwood has been difficult for Rajavardhan. Just because I am an actors son, I dont get a red-carpet welcome. In fact it has been more a difficult than for newcomers, who come with no acting background. There is pressure back at home and outside and answering to all of them has become quite an effort, says Rajavardhan. However, in spite of no release, I am getting support from a few industry people and even getting offers as a solo hero. But I am scared to take them up now because they are mostly from newcomers and I dont want to burn my fingers again. I am ready to take risks, but before that I want one of my films to be out for people to witness my work, only then I can expect directors to offer me roles. Even the big stars of Kannada industry havent seen anything from me to appreciate my talent. I hope all of my efforts will bear fruit next year and take my career forward, he signs off.
By IANS
NEW DELHI: Paving the way for the elevation of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as the party chief, Congress Working Committee (CWC) members on Monday unanimously expressed their "strong sentiments" that he must take over the post.
Rahul Gandhi chaired the meeting of the party's highest decision-making body as his mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi was indisposed.
He also set the stage with his opening remarks in which he accused the Narendra Modi government of being "obsessed with power", and that democracy under the present dispensation was going through one of its "darkest hours".
The CWC adopted a resolution blaming the government for "growing intolerance and jobless growth" and asserted that the party will continue to fight the "communal agenda of the BJP and the RSS".
The Congress also accused the government of seeking to derive political mileage from the Indian Army's surgical strikes across the Line of Control in September and said that the promised One Rank One Pension had not been implemented in a "meaningful way."
The party also decided to seek one more year's extension from the Election Commission for holding organisational elections.
The push for Rahul Gandhi's elevation as Congress chief came after senior leader A.K. Antony raised the issue and was supported by all the members present including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Rahul Gandhi also signalled his inclination to take up the post, saying he was willing to take up any role decided by the party and the CWC.
Antony told media persons later that it was the first time that the CWC had issued its "strong sentiments" on the issue.
"In today's working committee meeting, members unanimously expressed their strong sentiments that respecting the wishes of crores of party workers and well-wishers that Rahul Gandhi ji must take over the presidentship of the Congress party," Antony said in a joint press briefing with party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala.
"We are recommending this for the first time to the Congress President. The final decision has to be that of the party, President," he added.
Rahul Gandhi, 46, was appointed Vice President in January 2013 at Congress' brainstorming session in Jaipur.
A party leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Rahul Gandhi's elevation will definitely occur before December and another CWC meeting may be called for the purpose.
"The coming assembly polls, including those in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, will be fought with Rahul Gandhi as the party chief," he said.
Party leaders said that Sonia Gandhi, who has been the longest-serving president of the party since taking over in 1998 but has faced health problems in the recent past, will continue to be a guiding force.
In his remarks, Rahul Gandhi also charged the Modi government with seeking to "silence all those who disagree".
"Hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions. Television channels are being punished and asked to shut down. The opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account," he said.
Calling for "exposing" the Modi government in the upcoming Parliament session, Gandhi said: "Asking questions is what discomforts this government the most, for they have no answers."
On Pakistan, he said the government's policy has swung "from one extreme to another."
The resolution adopted by CWC also accused the government of "delay in the appointments of judges to the higher judiciary". It also observed key parameters of the economy were in sharp decline, noting that the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power on the promise of creating two crore jobs annually.
It asked the government to redress payment anomalies in OROP, correct its orders "about the cut in the disability pension" and address concerns about the disparity between civilian and military grades.
Referring to surgical strikes, it urged the government "to give up its crude attempt to gain political advantage out of the essentially military action", noting "false claims, chest thumping and jingoism have no place in a mature democracy".
The CWC also discussed preparations for upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
NEW DELHI: Paving the way for the elevation of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as the party chief, Congress Working Committee (CWC) members on Monday unanimously expressed their "strong sentiments" that he must take over the post. Rahul Gandhi chaired the meeting of the party's highest decision-making body as his mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi was indisposed. He also set the stage with his opening remarks in which he accused the Narendra Modi government of being "obsessed with power", and that democracy under the present dispensation was going through one of its "darkest hours". The CWC adopted a resolution blaming the government for "growing intolerance and jobless growth" and asserted that the party will continue to fight the "communal agenda of the BJP and the RSS". The Congress also accused the government of seeking to derive political mileage from the Indian Army's surgical strikes across the Line of Control in September and said that the promised One Rank One Pension had not been implemented in a "meaningful way." The party also decided to seek one more year's extension from the Election Commission for holding organisational elections. The push for Rahul Gandhi's elevation as Congress chief came after senior leader A.K. Antony raised the issue and was supported by all the members present including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Rahul Gandhi also signalled his inclination to take up the post, saying he was willing to take up any role decided by the party and the CWC. Antony told media persons later that it was the first time that the CWC had issued its "strong sentiments" on the issue. "In today's working committee meeting, members unanimously expressed their strong sentiments that respecting the wishes of crores of party workers and well-wishers that Rahul Gandhi ji must take over the presidentship of the Congress party," Antony said in a joint press briefing with party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala. "We are recommending this for the first time to the Congress President. The final decision has to be that of the party, President," he added. Rahul Gandhi, 46, was appointed Vice President in January 2013 at Congress' brainstorming session in Jaipur. A party leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Rahul Gandhi's elevation will definitely occur before December and another CWC meeting may be called for the purpose. "The coming assembly polls, including those in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, will be fought with Rahul Gandhi as the party chief," he said. Party leaders said that Sonia Gandhi, who has been the longest-serving president of the party since taking over in 1998 but has faced health problems in the recent past, will continue to be a guiding force. In his remarks, Rahul Gandhi also charged the Modi government with seeking to "silence all those who disagree". "Hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions. Television channels are being punished and asked to shut down. The opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account," he said. Calling for "exposing" the Modi government in the upcoming Parliament session, Gandhi said: "Asking questions is what discomforts this government the most, for they have no answers." On Pakistan, he said the government's policy has swung "from one extreme to another." The resolution adopted by CWC also accused the government of "delay in the appointments of judges to the higher judiciary". It also observed key parameters of the economy were in sharp decline, noting that the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power on the promise of creating two crore jobs annually. It asked the government to redress payment anomalies in OROP, correct its orders "about the cut in the disability pension" and address concerns about the disparity between civilian and military grades. Referring to surgical strikes, it urged the government "to give up its crude attempt to gain political advantage out of the essentially military action", noting "false claims, chest thumping and jingoism have no place in a mature democracy". The CWC also discussed preparations for upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
By Express News Service
MUMBAI: BJP leader Jayawantiben Mehta, 78, a minister in the cabinet of Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away today following a long bout of illness.
The cremation will take place at 5.30 pm today at the Shivaji Park crematorium, Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said
Jaywantiben was minister of state for power in the Vajpayee cabinet. She forayed into politics in 1962 and was elected as a corporator of Mumbai in 1968. During the Emergency in 1975, Mehta was imprisoned for 19 months.
She was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1978, and served two terms up to 1985.
In 1980, she became a member of the BJP national executive and in 1988, was made the party's secretary. She was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989, and then subsequently reelected in 1996 and 1999.
She represented the Mumbai North East constituency in the ninth Lok Sabha in 1989 and Mumbai South constituency in the 11th and 13th Lok Sabha in 1996 and 1999. She served as president of the BJP Mahila Morcha (1991-1995) and as vice-president of the BJP (1993-1995).
MUMBAI: BJP leader Jayawantiben Mehta, 78, a minister in the cabinet of Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away today following a long bout of illness. The cremation will take place at 5.30 pm today at the Shivaji Park crematorium, Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said Jaywantiben was minister of state for power in the Vajpayee cabinet. She forayed into politics in 1962 and was elected as a corporator of Mumbai in 1968. During the Emergency in 1975, Mehta was imprisoned for 19 months. She was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1978, and served two terms up to 1985. In 1980, she became a member of the BJP national executive and in 1988, was made the party's secretary. She was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989, and then subsequently reelected in 1996 and 1999. She represented the Mumbai North East constituency in the ninth Lok Sabha in 1989 and Mumbai South constituency in the 11th and 13th Lok Sabha in 1996 and 1999. She served as president of the BJP Mahila Morcha (1991-1995) and as vice-president of the BJP (1993-1995).
Aishik Chanda By
Express News Service
KOLKATA: A major haul of 609 gelatin sticks, 200 detonators and 630 metre of codrex wire from a Nepali couple and an Indian man in the Pradhannagar area of Siliguri on Sunday has opened up a can of worms and put a big question mark on whether the Gorkhaland statehood movement is arming itself again, as it did during the later half of the 1980s.
After being tipped off, CID West Bengal arrested the three persons on Sunday. Their location was determined by the CID after interrogation of Bijay Rai Thulung, brother of Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) member Sanjay Rai Thulung, sources revealed.
Bijay, who was wanted in a 2014 case of smuggling of an AK-22 weapon and ammunition from Nagaland into Darjeeling, was arrested recently. Sanjay Rai may have taken shelter in Nepal. A sedition charge has been pressed against Bijay.
It has been revealed during the investigation that the three arrested persons worked in the coal mines of Meghalaya, where they procured the explosives after coming in contact with Garo militants.
Arms training of Gorkha youth in Nagaland
The trio as well as Bijay Rai have claimed during interrogation that several youths from Darjeeling hills have gone to Nagaland for training in arms and have returned.
"The batches may have gone in small groups and have received training in arms and handling of explosives in Nagaland, which came up during the interrogation," an official in state police headquarters Lalbazaar told Express on strict condition of anonymity.
"The explosives may also be linked to the Maoists of Nepal. Nepal Maoists are not new to the region," he added.
CID West Bengal has informed the Indian Army and Meghalaya police of the nabbing. The involvement of a GTA member and northeast rebel groups have made the waters murkier, which is becoming a cause of concern for the administration.
Arms for demolishing GTA 'compromise'?
When Gorkha Territorial Administration was formed in 2012 to provide limited autonomy to Darjeeling hills in the name of transferring 'administrative powers', it was seen by Trinamool think tanks as a successful tactic to 'contain' the Gorkhaland statehood movement.
Though initially welcomed by the people of Darjeeling hills as it brought an end to the endless dharnas in the district, soon the GTA was mired in controversies and allegations of graft. However, for many hardcore Gorkhaland movement activists, GTA was a rude 'compromise'. Nothing short of full statehood was welcome for them.
With GTA chief Bimal Gurung's decline in popularity due to allegations of graft, aided by Mamata Banerjee's successful social engineering through ethnic boards and bringing the influential leader Harka Bahadur Chetri to her side with his new Jana Andolan Party (JAP), many youths passionate for the statehood movement got disillusioned with the way the movement was being steered.
"Some disillusioned Gorkha youth may think that armed struggle would give them more voice and they don't have to kneel down at the whims and wishes of the older generation of Gorkhaland activists," a political observer of the Gorkhaland movement told Express.
The otherwise non-violent movement saw a phase of armed struggle during the later half of the 1980s. Military was deployed to 'control' the movement and many atrocities were committed in the name of counter-insurgency. The movement became non-violent again after an agreement but the fight for Gorkhaland continued.
KOLKATA: A major haul of 609 gelatin sticks, 200 detonators and 630 metre of codrex wire from a Nepali couple and an Indian man in the Pradhannagar area of Siliguri on Sunday has opened up a can of worms and put a big question mark on whether the Gorkhaland statehood movement is arming itself again, as it did during the later half of the 1980s. After being tipped off, CID West Bengal arrested the three persons on Sunday. Their location was determined by the CID after interrogation of Bijay Rai Thulung, brother of Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) member Sanjay Rai Thulung, sources revealed. Bijay, who was wanted in a 2014 case of smuggling of an AK-22 weapon and ammunition from Nagaland into Darjeeling, was arrested recently. Sanjay Rai may have taken shelter in Nepal. A sedition charge has been pressed against Bijay. It has been revealed during the investigation that the three arrested persons worked in the coal mines of Meghalaya, where they procured the explosives after coming in contact with Garo militants. Arms training of Gorkha youth in Nagaland The trio as well as Bijay Rai have claimed during interrogation that several youths from Darjeeling hills have gone to Nagaland for training in arms and have returned. "The batches may have gone in small groups and have received training in arms and handling of explosives in Nagaland, which came up during the interrogation," an official in state police headquarters Lalbazaar told Express on strict condition of anonymity. "The explosives may also be linked to the Maoists of Nepal. Nepal Maoists are not new to the region," he added. CID West Bengal has informed the Indian Army and Meghalaya police of the nabbing. The involvement of a GTA member and northeast rebel groups have made the waters murkier, which is becoming a cause of concern for the administration. Arms for demolishing GTA 'compromise'? When Gorkha Territorial Administration was formed in 2012 to provide limited autonomy to Darjeeling hills in the name of transferring 'administrative powers', it was seen by Trinamool think tanks as a successful tactic to 'contain' the Gorkhaland statehood movement. Though initially welcomed by the people of Darjeeling hills as it brought an end to the endless dharnas in the district, soon the GTA was mired in controversies and allegations of graft. However, for many hardcore Gorkhaland movement activists, GTA was a rude 'compromise'. Nothing short of full statehood was welcome for them. With GTA chief Bimal Gurung's decline in popularity due to allegations of graft, aided by Mamata Banerjee's successful social engineering through ethnic boards and bringing the influential leader Harka Bahadur Chetri to her side with his new Jana Andolan Party (JAP), many youths passionate for the statehood movement got disillusioned with the way the movement was being steered. "Some disillusioned Gorkha youth may think that armed struggle would give them more voice and they don't have to kneel down at the whims and wishes of the older generation of Gorkhaland activists," a political observer of the Gorkhaland movement told Express. The otherwise non-violent movement saw a phase of armed struggle during the later half of the 1980s. Military was deployed to 'control' the movement and many atrocities were committed in the name of counter-insurgency. The movement became non-violent again after an agreement but the fight for Gorkhaland continued.
By Express News Service
CHANDIGARH: Gursewak Singh, the soldier who was killed in Pakistani firing across the Line of Control [LoC] in the Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district of Kashmir, was cremated with full military honours at his village of Warana in Taran Tarn district of Punjab today.
A large crowd gathered to witness the last rites. The soldier's family was inconsolable. His two sisters cried during the last rites, while his mother seemed to be in shock. His father Balwinder Singh put up a brave front, and said, "We are proud of our sons sacrifice in the line of duty.
Gursewak, 24, joined the 22 Sikh Regiment in 2013 and was to marry a girl from Nagoke village next February. The last time he was home, he had booked a marriage hall for the ceremony and bought his wedding suit.
Gursewak's elder brother Jasbir teared up as he said, "My brother made all the arrangements for his wedding and the whole family was so happy."
Until Gursewak joined the Army, the family used to struggle. Jasbir is a daily-wager and father Balwinder Singh owns half an acre of land.
CHANDIGARH: Gursewak Singh, the soldier who was killed in Pakistani firing across the Line of Control [LoC] in the Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district of Kashmir, was cremated with full military honours at his village of Warana in Taran Tarn district of Punjab today. A large crowd gathered to witness the last rites. The soldier's family was inconsolable. His two sisters cried during the last rites, while his mother seemed to be in shock. His father Balwinder Singh put up a brave front, and said, "We are proud of our sons sacrifice in the line of duty. Gursewak, 24, joined the 22 Sikh Regiment in 2013 and was to marry a girl from Nagoke village next February. The last time he was home, he had booked a marriage hall for the ceremony and bought his wedding suit. Gursewak's elder brother Jasbir teared up as he said, "My brother made all the arrangements for his wedding and the whole family was so happy." Until Gursewak joined the Army, the family used to struggle. Jasbir is a daily-wager and father Balwinder Singh owns half an acre of land.
By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: India on Monday urged the United Kingdom to expedite extradition requests of 57 fugitives wanted here, including liquor baron and bank defaulter Vijay Mallya and an alleged middleman in AgustaWestland helicopter deal Christian Michel to face the law.
The Indian list of 57 fugitives prepared by the Union Home Ministry was handed over to UK authorities during the bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May. Besides Mallya and Michel, the list also includes the name of Rajesh Kapoor who is wanted in a case relating to child abduction and former IPL chief Lalit Modi accused of money laundering among others.
The UK on its part also handed over to India a list of 17 fugitives seeking their custody under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, Union Home Ministry sources said.
While Mallya has been accused of money laundering, Michel is wanted by the CBI and ED in cases relating to Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland chopper deal.
A proposal from the Union Home Ministry for a strategic dialogue at the level of Union Home Secretary to jointly deal with issues like terrorism, organised crimes, visa and immigration issues has also been approved by the two countries, the sources added.
NEW DELHI: India on Monday urged the United Kingdom to expedite extradition requests of 57 fugitives wanted here, including liquor baron and bank defaulter Vijay Mallya and an alleged middleman in AgustaWestland helicopter deal Christian Michel to face the law. The Indian list of 57 fugitives prepared by the Union Home Ministry was handed over to UK authorities during the bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May. Besides Mallya and Michel, the list also includes the name of Rajesh Kapoor who is wanted in a case relating to child abduction and former IPL chief Lalit Modi accused of money laundering among others. The UK on its part also handed over to India a list of 17 fugitives seeking their custody under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, Union Home Ministry sources said. While Mallya has been accused of money laundering, Michel is wanted by the CBI and ED in cases relating to Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland chopper deal. A proposal from the Union Home Ministry for a strategic dialogue at the level of Union Home Secretary to jointly deal with issues like terrorism, organised crimes, visa and immigration issues has also been approved by the two countries, the sources added.
By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Before its impending divorce from the EU, the UK is snuggling up to India. Besides giving impetus to trade ties, the UK on Monday strongly came out in support of India against cross-border terrorism and asked Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and the Pathankot air base attack earlier this year.
In a strongly worded Joint Statement, India and the UK underlined the threat posed by transnational terrorism and reiterated their call for Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot attack to justice. The statement came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in bilateral talks with the UK Prime Minister Theresa Pay expressed grave concern about cross-border terrorism.
Prime Minister Theresa Mays choice of India as her first destination outside Europe underlines the importance the UK accords to its bilateral ties with India, the country that was referred to as the most precious jewel in the crown of the British Empire. Even as the terms and conditions of Brexit are being finalised, the UK would want to forge stronger ties with India that is now the third biggest economy in the world in terms of Purchasing Power Parity. Prime Minister May strongly condemned the attack on Army base in Uri in September that claimed lives of 19 soldiers.
The UK has ties to the Indian sub-continent that goes back to centuries. And without naming Pakistan or the slain Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani, who was lionised by Islamabad to incite passions in the Kashmir valley since July this year, India and the UK said that strong measures should be taken against those who encourage, support and finance terrorism; provide sanctuary to terrorist and terror groups, and falsely extol their virtues. Pakistan has also given shelter to Jaish-e-Mohammad Chief Masood Azhar and co-founder of Lashkar-e-Toiba Hafiz Saeed.
There should be no glorification of terrorists or efforts to make a distinction between good and bad terrorists. They agreed that South Asia should be stable, prosperous and free from terror and called on all countries to work towards that goal, the Joint Statement declared.
After the talks both the Prime Ministers held a joint press event. The Indian Prime Minister said that the bilateral cooperation to combat terrorism and radicalization figured prominently in the talks. "We agreed that it is not a limited security challenge. Its arc of threat spreads across nations and regions. Terrorists move across borders with ease, and endanger the entire humanity, Prime Minister Modi said.
NEW DELHI: Before its impending divorce from the EU, the UK is snuggling up to India. Besides giving impetus to trade ties, the UK on Monday strongly came out in support of India against cross-border terrorism and asked Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and the Pathankot air base attack earlier this year. In a strongly worded Joint Statement, India and the UK underlined the threat posed by transnational terrorism and reiterated their call for Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot attack to justice. The statement came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in bilateral talks with the UK Prime Minister Theresa Pay expressed grave concern about cross-border terrorism. Prime Minister Theresa Mays choice of India as her first destination outside Europe underlines the importance the UK accords to its bilateral ties with India, the country that was referred to as the most precious jewel in the crown of the British Empire. Even as the terms and conditions of Brexit are being finalised, the UK would want to forge stronger ties with India that is now the third biggest economy in the world in terms of Purchasing Power Parity. Prime Minister May strongly condemned the attack on Army base in Uri in September that claimed lives of 19 soldiers. The UK has ties to the Indian sub-continent that goes back to centuries. And without naming Pakistan or the slain Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani, who was lionised by Islamabad to incite passions in the Kashmir valley since July this year, India and the UK said that strong measures should be taken against those who encourage, support and finance terrorism; provide sanctuary to terrorist and terror groups, and falsely extol their virtues. Pakistan has also given shelter to Jaish-e-Mohammad Chief Masood Azhar and co-founder of Lashkar-e-Toiba Hafiz Saeed. There should be no glorification of terrorists or efforts to make a distinction between good and bad terrorists. They agreed that South Asia should be stable, prosperous and free from terror and called on all countries to work towards that goal, the Joint Statement declared. After the talks both the Prime Ministers held a joint press event. The Indian Prime Minister said that the bilateral cooperation to combat terrorism and radicalization figured prominently in the talks. "We agreed that it is not a limited security challenge. Its arc of threat spreads across nations and regions. Terrorists move across borders with ease, and endanger the entire humanity, Prime Minister Modi said.
By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: While maintaining that technology has a major role to bring in transparency to curb corruption, the prime minister Narendra Modi said that if we use technology for the purpose of governance, we would be able to provide basic necessities to common man efficiently.
Speaking on the Valedictory function vigilance awareness week at Vigyan Bhawan in capital organised by the watchdog Central Vigilance Commission, the prime minister said the State has to be policy driven. He said things cannot depend on the whims and fancies of individuals.
The state has to be policy driven. Things can't depend on the whims and fancies of individuals, PM Modi said.
Commenting on the political class, PM also said, Politicians are considered as the most corrupt people in the world. This mindset deters common man from believing in us.PM Modi added.
The Prime Minister also said that while making laws and policies it is essential to have a broad range of inputs.
People who do corruption are very creative. It is, therefore, necessary for us to be remain alert all the time. PM further said.
"When we make rules and if there is any ambiguity in it which is open to people's inference then it opens the door for corruption. That is why State should be policy-driven. It should not run on individuals' whim. If the state is policy- driven, then there are restrictions for ifs and buts. And if there are no ifs and buts then there is no scope for discrimination," he said.
"Law, rules and the system will speak for itself. One will get what he deserves. That is why our efforts are to make all the things policy-driven and in black and white because of which nobody will get to do anything 'idhar udhar ka' (malpractices)," he said.
In an advice to government departments, Modi said people must be involved while making draft laws for any governance- related matters.
"While making laws if we use many minds then the law would be good. Secrecy does not matter in this," he said.
A poor country like us cannot afford the luxury of corruption. If only a few takes all the money (that to illegally) then how will common men will be benefited?" he asked.
NEW DELHI: While maintaining that technology has a major role to bring in transparency to curb corruption, the prime minister Narendra Modi said that if we use technology for the purpose of governance, we would be able to provide basic necessities to common man efficiently. Speaking on the Valedictory function vigilance awareness week at Vigyan Bhawan in capital organised by the watchdog Central Vigilance Commission, the prime minister said the State has to be policy driven. He said things cannot depend on the whims and fancies of individuals. The state has to be policy driven. Things can't depend on the whims and fancies of individuals, PM Modi said. Commenting on the political class, PM also said, Politicians are considered as the most corrupt people in the world. This mindset deters common man from believing in us.PM Modi added. The Prime Minister also said that while making laws and policies it is essential to have a broad range of inputs. People who do corruption are very creative. It is, therefore, necessary for us to be remain alert all the time. PM further said. "When we make rules and if there is any ambiguity in it which is open to people's inference then it opens the door for corruption. That is why State should be policy-driven. It should not run on individuals' whim. If the state is policy- driven, then there are restrictions for ifs and buts. And if there are no ifs and buts then there is no scope for discrimination," he said. "Law, rules and the system will speak for itself. One will get what he deserves. That is why our efforts are to make all the things policy-driven and in black and white because of which nobody will get to do anything 'idhar udhar ka' (malpractices)," he said. In an advice to government departments, Modi said people must be involved while making draft laws for any governance- related matters. "While making laws if we use many minds then the law would be good. Secrecy does not matter in this," he said. A poor country like us cannot afford the luxury of corruption. If only a few takes all the money (that to illegally) then how will common men will be benefited?" he asked.
In Mykolaiv at Base 81 of a center for ensuring fuel supplies to the rear of Ukraine's Armed Forces, a course for tactical training of fuel transportation logistics will be conducted, the press service of Ukraine's Armed Forces has said.
"The training course is servicemen of those units of the rear charged with supplying Ukrainian troops. The course for Ukrainian troops will be conducted by military instructors from the British armed forces," the press release says.
The training course lasts two weeks. During this time British instructors will share their experience in logistics supply for military units and formations carrying out tasks based on experience gained in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The course consists of several modules. Ukrainian servicemen will study maneuvers during column movements, at checkpoints and assembly point, Modules include defending the column during the day and at night, as well as defending forces in contact with the enemy. Special attention will be paid to anti-mine safety and first aid in the event of injury," the press release says.
Practical activities are planned, in addition to theoretical training.
Ukrainian soldiers at the end of the course will be tested in order to test their knowledge of the subjects taught.
By Express News Service
Quite obliterated by the media headlines on the continuing slugfest in the American presidential elections, there is need to take notice of a visitor from Beijing who is here this week to sign a major umbrella security cooperation agreement that may formalise this positive drift in China-India relations that have otherwise been facing multiple stand-offs since March this year when China blocked Indias efforts to name Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar in the UNs proscribed list of international terrorists on technical grounds calling for more discussion on this topic. This was followed by China becoming a major roadblock in Indias attempts to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) followed by its ambivalent pro-Pakistan attitude as India seeks to isolate Pakistan following the Uri attacks leading to calls in India for the boycott of Chinese produces during Indias festive times.
Starting today, Ming Jianzhu, widely known as Chinas security Czar and one who handles Chinas public and internal security and member of Chinas Standing Committee of the Politburo of Chinese Communist Party i.e. one of the seven men who currently rule China is visiting India to sign, among other things, an umbrella anti-terror pact with India that may lay foundations of their greater trust and understanding on this most critical issue of our times. Ming is currently the Secretary of Partys Political and Legal Affairs Commission and is known ot be powerful voice in Chinas foreign and security policy-making. His visit to India is part of a high-level meeting mechanism that was established when Home Minister Rajnath Singh had visited China in November last year.
In the backdrop of the Uri attack, India has been trying to regionalise its response to terrorism and thereby seeking to isolate Pakistan. Cultivating China, that also describes itself as a major victim of terrorism, therefore, remains critical part of this strategy even though it remains an all-weather friend of Pakistan and falls shy of naming Pakistan as breeding group of terrorist outfits. Following Uri attacks, for example, the last week of September had seen a least-publicised meeting in Beijing between the Chairman of of Indias Joint Intelligence Committee, R N Ravi, and Secretary General of Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission of China, Wang Yongqiang. At the end of this meeting, both sides claimed having reached important consensus so as to build measures to jointly deal with these security threats.
This umbrella anti-terror pact was originally to be formalised during Home Minister Rajnath Singhs China visit last year where he had also met with Ming Jianzhu, where the two had developed a good bonhomie on international terrorism at least from legalistic perspective of this being seen as a crime. Later at a Regional Editors Conference in Chandigarh, Rajnath Singh was to underline how the number of transgressions [on China-India border] has reduced which reflected both effective border management but also better understanding between two sides. This year saw both China and India holding two military exercises on both sides of the Line of Actual Control in Chushul sector respectively during February and September and the next one is being held in Pune coming week.
Most recently this this issue of terrorism was discussed in detail last Friday at the 18th round of Special Representatives talks in Hyderabad where Indias National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Chinas State Council Yang Jiechi and the two also reflect strong working relationship. This was Yangs third visit to India in a month the earlier two being at the BRICS summit in Goa and the one before that to oversee arrangements for the Chinese delegation and President who were to participate in this summit. Since then there has been growing references to growing convergence in media reports on on these contentious issues.
To begin with, this anti-terrorism agreement may involve only sharing information on terrorist outfits and incidents on bilateral basis. Starting from here, it is expected to generate better mutual appreciation and coordination of their positions at multilateral forums. The pact will focus primarily on criminal activities though it may not mean China giving up its support and protection of Pakistan at multilateral forums. India is already being inducted as a member of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and this will see India becoming part of SCOs annual anti-terrorism military exercises. So even when China may continue to be core supporter Pakistan this pact surely promises to further fine-tune their joint efforts in fighting terrorism to begin with from a narrower legalistic standpoint with regards to international crime. But it is likely to evolve to address regional terrorism outfits which continue to cause havoc for both these countries.
In the end, even while not all may be formally agreed and advertised at this stage, this meeting will surely provide an opportunity for both sides to have a threadbare discussion on the nature and implications of Pakistan based terror outfits and how to address their menace. Likewise, as a prelude to the special meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Nuclear Suppliers Group in Vienna this week, where India is trying to make another bid to join the NSG, the top disarmament officials of China and india met in New Delhi last week their second in last six weeks to narrow their differences and solicit Chinas support to Indias membership to the NSG. This has seen Chinas response softening though there is no substantive change in Chinas stance in insisting that the NSG has to evolve a standard criterion for granting membership to countries that have not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Swaran Singh is professor for Diplomacy and Disarmament,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Email: ssingh@jnu.ac.in
Quite obliterated by the media headlines on the continuing slugfest in the American presidential elections, there is need to take notice of a visitor from Beijing who is here this week to sign a major umbrella security cooperation agreement that may formalise this positive drift in China-India relations that have otherwise been facing multiple stand-offs since March this year when China blocked Indias efforts to name Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar in the UNs proscribed list of international terrorists on technical grounds calling for more discussion on this topic. This was followed by China becoming a major roadblock in Indias attempts to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) followed by its ambivalent pro-Pakistan attitude as India seeks to isolate Pakistan following the Uri attacks leading to calls in India for the boycott of Chinese produces during Indias festive times. Starting today, Ming Jianzhu, widely known as Chinas security Czar and one who handles Chinas public and internal security and member of Chinas Standing Committee of the Politburo of Chinese Communist Party i.e. one of the seven men who currently rule China is visiting India to sign, among other things, an umbrella anti-terror pact with India that may lay foundations of their greater trust and understanding on this most critical issue of our times. Ming is currently the Secretary of Partys Political and Legal Affairs Commission and is known ot be powerful voice in Chinas foreign and security policy-making. His visit to India is part of a high-level meeting mechanism that was established when Home Minister Rajnath Singh had visited China in November last year. In the backdrop of the Uri attack, India has been trying to regionalise its response to terrorism and thereby seeking to isolate Pakistan. Cultivating China, that also describes itself as a major victim of terrorism, therefore, remains critical part of this strategy even though it remains an all-weather friend of Pakistan and falls shy of naming Pakistan as breeding group of terrorist outfits. Following Uri attacks, for example, the last week of September had seen a least-publicised meeting in Beijing between the Chairman of of Indias Joint Intelligence Committee, R N Ravi, and Secretary General of Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission of China, Wang Yongqiang. At the end of this meeting, both sides claimed having reached important consensus so as to build measures to jointly deal with these security threats. This umbrella anti-terror pact was originally to be formalised during Home Minister Rajnath Singhs China visit last year where he had also met with Ming Jianzhu, where the two had developed a good bonhomie on international terrorism at least from legalistic perspective of this being seen as a crime. Later at a Regional Editors Conference in Chandigarh, Rajnath Singh was to underline how the number of transgressions [on China-India border] has reduced which reflected both effective border management but also better understanding between two sides. This year saw both China and India holding two military exercises on both sides of the Line of Actual Control in Chushul sector respectively during February and September and the next one is being held in Pune coming week. Most recently this this issue of terrorism was discussed in detail last Friday at the 18th round of Special Representatives talks in Hyderabad where Indias National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Chinas State Council Yang Jiechi and the two also reflect strong working relationship. This was Yangs third visit to India in a month the earlier two being at the BRICS summit in Goa and the one before that to oversee arrangements for the Chinese delegation and President who were to participate in this summit. Since then there has been growing references to growing convergence in media reports on on these contentious issues. To begin with, this anti-terrorism agreement may involve only sharing information on terrorist outfits and incidents on bilateral basis. Starting from here, it is expected to generate better mutual appreciation and coordination of their positions at multilateral forums. The pact will focus primarily on criminal activities though it may not mean China giving up its support and protection of Pakistan at multilateral forums. India is already being inducted as a member of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and this will see India becoming part of SCOs annual anti-terrorism military exercises. So even when China may continue to be core supporter Pakistan this pact surely promises to further fine-tune their joint efforts in fighting terrorism to begin with from a narrower legalistic standpoint with regards to international crime. But it is likely to evolve to address regional terrorism outfits which continue to cause havoc for both these countries. In the end, even while not all may be formally agreed and advertised at this stage, this meeting will surely provide an opportunity for both sides to have a threadbare discussion on the nature and implications of Pakistan based terror outfits and how to address their menace. Likewise, as a prelude to the special meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Nuclear Suppliers Group in Vienna this week, where India is trying to make another bid to join the NSG, the top disarmament officials of China and india met in New Delhi last week their second in last six weeks to narrow their differences and solicit Chinas support to Indias membership to the NSG. This has seen Chinas response softening though there is no substantive change in Chinas stance in insisting that the NSG has to evolve a standard criterion for granting membership to countries that have not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Swaran Singh is professor for Diplomacy and Disarmament, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi Email: ssingh@jnu.ac.in
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Senior journalist and TV anchor Girish Nikam died here today following a massive heart attack.
Nikam, 59, complained of uneasiness after a programme shoot in the studios and was taken to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital where he breathed his last, according to his associates.
Nikam started his journalistic career with "Star of Mysore" in Mysuru and later shifted to Indian Express, Bengaluru.
He had worked in other media organisations including India Today, Deccan Chronicle and News Today before doing programmes for Rajya Sabha TV.
Nikam's body is being taken to Bengaluru tomorrow for the last rites.
Prasar Bharati Chairman A Suryaprakash was among others who condoled the death of Nikam.
Suryaprakash said Nikam was an extremely versatile mediaperson who traversed the worlds of print, television and social media.
Information and Broadcasting minister M Venakaiah Naidu today paid tributes to Nikam.
Condoling his death, Naidu said he was saddened at the death of Nikam who had made great contribution to the profession of journalism.
He also visited the RML hospital, where 59-year-old Nikam had breathed his last today.
NEW DELHI: Senior journalist and TV anchor Girish Nikam died here today following a massive heart attack. Nikam, 59, complained of uneasiness after a programme shoot in the studios and was taken to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital where he breathed his last, according to his associates. Nikam started his journalistic career with "Star of Mysore" in Mysuru and later shifted to Indian Express, Bengaluru. He had worked in other media organisations including India Today, Deccan Chronicle and News Today before doing programmes for Rajya Sabha TV. Nikam's body is being taken to Bengaluru tomorrow for the last rites. Prasar Bharati Chairman A Suryaprakash was among others who condoled the death of Nikam. Suryaprakash said Nikam was an extremely versatile mediaperson who traversed the worlds of print, television and social media. Information and Broadcasting minister M Venakaiah Naidu today paid tributes to Nikam. Condoling his death, Naidu said he was saddened at the death of Nikam who had made great contribution to the profession of journalism. He also visited the RML hospital, where 59-year-old Nikam had breathed his last today.
Kalyan Chakravarthy By
These are fun times in Andhra Pradesh. In sharp contrast to the deep anxiety that had set in following the bifurcation of the State in 2014, its now in pursuit of happiness. The tech-savvy Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, with the spring back in his step, is leading the way with Vision-2029 by when he wants AP to top the Happiness Index and his success mantra for the same seems to be to combine business with pleasure.
The business part of it got a fillip last week with the State coming first in the Ease of Doing Business Rankings along with its sibling Telangana, which leaped to the top from a lowly 13th place last year. Naturally, the Chief Minister, who holds the industries portfolio himself, was more than happy.
In the last two-and-a-half years, MoUs have been inked with various companies which proposed about 375 projects with an estimated investment of `3,31,650 crore, the government claimed. Its true that proposals are pouring in, but a cursory glance at the data available with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion shows wide variance between entrepreneurial intention and implementation. Expectedly so, given the lack of infrastructure in the residuary State. And, it is reflected in direct employment created by MSMEs and Large and Mega Industries. If around 43,000 jobs have been generated in these two categories this fiscal so far, the figure is a little over one lakh in 2015-16. But then, in economy as in politics, perceptions matter and on this score, the great expectations of Navyaandhra, the government hopes, will keep the people happy. The euphoria over the business ranking, though, evaporated in no time. Cupids arrow, wielded perhaps by an overenthusiastic babu, misfired. All hell broke loose amid reports that the government had given the go ahead to an International Beach Love Festival, complete with pop star Shakiras jig, in Vizag.
The spicy details of arrangements for a private beach for about 9,000-10,000 couples from abroad to celebrate love coinciding with the Valentines Day, triggered a wave of protests from the ruling TDPs ally, the BJP and its Sangh affiliates to the main Opposition YSR Congress and even the progressive Leftists at what was seen as an assault on Telugu culture. What followed was a comedy of errors with one official claiming the festival, proposed by a Mumbai-based event management company, was on and another asserting otherwise. The toxic cultural invasion, the latter assured, wasnt given the green signal.
After tying itself up in knots, the government finally formed a panel to examine the proposal, billed as one more step to put Vizag on the global map, and trim it appropriately.
The gem of an idea that is, perhaps, had its genesis in the governments penchant for conducting festivals. Packed as the Telugu calendar is with traditional festivals, the Chandrababu Naidu dispensation is packing in more. Having turned all major festivals into official celebrations recall the Godavari Pushkarams, Krishna Pushkarams, Dasara, Christmas, Ramzan et al with gift hampers to the poor, the government has not been giving a breather to the aam aadmi! So, we had the youth festivals, the Amaravati shopping festival, the Rottela Panduga (traditional but transformed), the Happy Sunday and now, the proposed International Kuchipudi and Music Festival (scheduled next month) and last but not the least, cooking competitions and food festivals. The regional cooking competition is to be held in Vizag on Nov 8 followed by a State level food festival and next, a national level food festival! All ostensibly to promote Brand Amaravati. To give it a spiritual touch and obviously get over the eminently forgettable Love festival fiasco, the Chief Minister has expressed his desire to invite the Dalai Lama to conduct the Buddhist Kalachakra ceremony at Amaravati. One fails to understand the logic of the festival spree. For instance, the Amaravati shopping festival was, by any stretch of imagination, a big let down. Spare a thought for the wallet of the middle class!
Incidentally, Singapore too hosts one festival too many. This month, it is hosting about six including an arts festival, river festival and, a writers festival. But, Andhra is no Singapore, not yet. The government could use its resources for better things. Alongside the Ease of Business Doing Rankings, the NITI Aayogs report on farmer-friendly policies has put the State in the seventh place. Similarly, a report by the Centre for Economic and Social Studies showed that 93 per cent of farmers in the State are slipping into debt trap, clearly proving that agriculture is no longer profitable. The government can ignore this reality only at its peril the impending civic elections could well be a litmus test, a referendum of sorts on the administration. The YSRC is already gearing up, with its chief Jagan Mohan Reddy, making the special category status an issue, blowing the war bugle from, where else, but Vizag! And, actor Pawan Kalyan too waiting to jump in.
Kalyan Chakravarthy
Deputy Resident Editor, Andhra Pradesh
Email: chakravarthy@newindianexpress.com
These are fun times in Andhra Pradesh. In sharp contrast to the deep anxiety that had set in following the bifurcation of the State in 2014, its now in pursuit of happiness. The tech-savvy Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, with the spring back in his step, is leading the way with Vision-2029 by when he wants AP to top the Happiness Index and his success mantra for the same seems to be to combine business with pleasure. The business part of it got a fillip last week with the State coming first in the Ease of Doing Business Rankings along with its sibling Telangana, which leaped to the top from a lowly 13th place last year. Naturally, the Chief Minister, who holds the industries portfolio himself, was more than happy. In the last two-and-a-half years, MoUs have been inked with various companies which proposed about 375 projects with an estimated investment of `3,31,650 crore, the government claimed. Its true that proposals are pouring in, but a cursory glance at the data available with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion shows wide variance between entrepreneurial intention and implementation. Expectedly so, given the lack of infrastructure in the residuary State. And, it is reflected in direct employment created by MSMEs and Large and Mega Industries. If around 43,000 jobs have been generated in these two categories this fiscal so far, the figure is a little over one lakh in 2015-16. But then, in economy as in politics, perceptions matter and on this score, the great expectations of Navyaandhra, the government hopes, will keep the people happy. The euphoria over the business ranking, though, evaporated in no time. Cupids arrow, wielded perhaps by an overenthusiastic babu, misfired. All hell broke loose amid reports that the government had given the go ahead to an International Beach Love Festival, complete with pop star Shakiras jig, in Vizag. The spicy details of arrangements for a private beach for about 9,000-10,000 couples from abroad to celebrate love coinciding with the Valentines Day, triggered a wave of protests from the ruling TDPs ally, the BJP and its Sangh affiliates to the main Opposition YSR Congress and even the progressive Leftists at what was seen as an assault on Telugu culture. What followed was a comedy of errors with one official claiming the festival, proposed by a Mumbai-based event management company, was on and another asserting otherwise. The toxic cultural invasion, the latter assured, wasnt given the green signal. After tying itself up in knots, the government finally formed a panel to examine the proposal, billed as one more step to put Vizag on the global map, and trim it appropriately. The gem of an idea that is, perhaps, had its genesis in the governments penchant for conducting festivals. Packed as the Telugu calendar is with traditional festivals, the Chandrababu Naidu dispensation is packing in more. Having turned all major festivals into official celebrations recall the Godavari Pushkarams, Krishna Pushkarams, Dasara, Christmas, Ramzan et al with gift hampers to the poor, the government has not been giving a breather to the aam aadmi! So, we had the youth festivals, the Amaravati shopping festival, the Rottela Panduga (traditional but transformed), the Happy Sunday and now, the proposed International Kuchipudi and Music Festival (scheduled next month) and last but not the least, cooking competitions and food festivals. The regional cooking competition is to be held in Vizag on Nov 8 followed by a State level food festival and next, a national level food festival! All ostensibly to promote Brand Amaravati. To give it a spiritual touch and obviously get over the eminently forgettable Love festival fiasco, the Chief Minister has expressed his desire to invite the Dalai Lama to conduct the Buddhist Kalachakra ceremony at Amaravati. One fails to understand the logic of the festival spree. For instance, the Amaravati shopping festival was, by any stretch of imagination, a big let down. Spare a thought for the wallet of the middle class! Incidentally, Singapore too hosts one festival too many. This month, it is hosting about six including an arts festival, river festival and, a writers festival. But, Andhra is no Singapore, not yet. The government could use its resources for better things. Alongside the Ease of Business Doing Rankings, the NITI Aayogs report on farmer-friendly policies has put the State in the seventh place. Similarly, a report by the Centre for Economic and Social Studies showed that 93 per cent of farmers in the State are slipping into debt trap, clearly proving that agriculture is no longer profitable. The government can ignore this reality only at its peril the impending civic elections could well be a litmus test, a referendum of sorts on the administration. The YSRC is already gearing up, with its chief Jagan Mohan Reddy, making the special category status an issue, blowing the war bugle from, where else, but Vizag! And, actor Pawan Kalyan too waiting to jump in. Kalyan Chakravarthy Deputy Resident Editor, Andhra Pradesh Email: chakravarthy@newindianexpress.com
The burgeoning bonhomie between New Delhi and Dhaka has taken a hit over the past week with concerted attacks on Hindus in Bangladeshs Brahmanbaria district. On October 30, a 3000-strong mob went on a rampage in Nasirnagar and Haripur villages in the district, vandalizing and desecrating over a dozen temples and attacking hundreds of Hindu households and businesses. The reason, a Facebook post by Rasraj Das, a local Hindu fi sherman, which they felt offended Islam.
Over 100 were injured in clashes before security forces brought the situation under control. Yet, despite extensive deployment of forces, five more homes were torched and a few temples vandalized on November 5, spreading panic among the already frightened minority community. Another attack in nearby Rishipara was repulsed by alert locals, while a stolen Goddess Lakshmi idol was recovered from a mosque. The violent attacks sparked outrage across Bangladesh, with several human rights and political outfi ts staging protests.
Road transport minister Obaidul Quader pledged the government would take stern punitive actions against the attackers. Quader, recently elected Awami League general secretary, urged Hindus not to consider themselves a minority, saying the government is with you. Yet the fact remains that three local Awami League leaders were sacked for their involvement in the attack, while the partys minister from the district has been accused of inciting the violence. Nazrul Islam, the editor of Newsnext Bangladesh, a local newsportal, was quoted as saying that Such incidents have been growing in the past; take the recent attack on Hindus and Buddhists in Chittagong and Sylhet. New Delhi, while officially asserting that Dhaka had assured full protection to the Hindu community in the country, would do well to seek stronger guarantees.
The burgeoning bonhomie between New Delhi and Dhaka has taken a hit over the past week with concerted attacks on Hindus in Bangladeshs Brahmanbaria district. On October 30, a 3000-strong mob went on a rampage in Nasirnagar and Haripur villages in the district, vandalizing and desecrating over a dozen temples and attacking hundreds of Hindu households and businesses. The reason, a Facebook post by Rasraj Das, a local Hindu fi sherman, which they felt offended Islam. Over 100 were injured in clashes before security forces brought the situation under control. Yet, despite extensive deployment of forces, five more homes were torched and a few temples vandalized on November 5, spreading panic among the already frightened minority community. Another attack in nearby Rishipara was repulsed by alert locals, while a stolen Goddess Lakshmi idol was recovered from a mosque. The violent attacks sparked outrage across Bangladesh, with several human rights and political outfi ts staging protests. Road transport minister Obaidul Quader pledged the government would take stern punitive actions against the attackers. Quader, recently elected Awami League general secretary, urged Hindus not to consider themselves a minority, saying the government is with you. Yet the fact remains that three local Awami League leaders were sacked for their involvement in the attack, while the partys minister from the district has been accused of inciting the violence. Nazrul Islam, the editor of Newsnext Bangladesh, a local newsportal, was quoted as saying that Such incidents have been growing in the past; take the recent attack on Hindus and Buddhists in Chittagong and Sylhet. New Delhi, while officially asserting that Dhaka had assured full protection to the Hindu community in the country, would do well to seek stronger guarantees.
By Express News Service
TIRUPATI: As many as 160 passengers on board an Air India flight (Airbus-320) from Tirupati to New Delhi via Hyderabad had a miraculous escape after one of its tyres burst at the Renigunta airport here Monday afternoon.
According to official sources, the authorities noticed the deflated tyre when the flight was about to take off around 1.45 p.m. The passengers were asked to disembark and wait till alternative arrangements were made. Among the passengers was Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams chief priest A V Ramana Dikshithulu.
The authorities immediately informed higher-ups in New Delhi who took up the issue with officials in Hyderabad. At about 5.30 p.m., another Air India flight brought spare tyres and engineers from Hyderabad via Chennai.
The defective tyre was replaced and the Airbus was tested.
The stranded passengers heaved a sigh of relief as the flight finally took off around 7 p.m.
However, 21 passengers chose to cancel their tickets and five others left by other flights. An engineer who replaced the defective tyre, said, "Low pressure in tyres poses a threat to the flight. Had this not been detected in time, the fight would have run into trouble at the time of landing at the Hyderabad airport. The deflation of the tyre occurred after the flight landed in Tirupati. Had it happened before, the landing would have been risky.
The flight had earlier come from New Delhi to Tirupati via Hyderabad.
TIRUPATI: As many as 160 passengers on board an Air India flight (Airbus-320) from Tirupati to New Delhi via Hyderabad had a miraculous escape after one of its tyres burst at the Renigunta airport here Monday afternoon. According to official sources, the authorities noticed the deflated tyre when the flight was about to take off around 1.45 p.m. The passengers were asked to disembark and wait till alternative arrangements were made. Among the passengers was Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams chief priest A V Ramana Dikshithulu. The authorities immediately informed higher-ups in New Delhi who took up the issue with officials in Hyderabad. At about 5.30 p.m., another Air India flight brought spare tyres and engineers from Hyderabad via Chennai. The defective tyre was replaced and the Airbus was tested. The stranded passengers heaved a sigh of relief as the flight finally took off around 7 p.m. However, 21 passengers chose to cancel their tickets and five others left by other flights. An engineer who replaced the defective tyre, said, "Low pressure in tyres poses a threat to the flight. Had this not been detected in time, the fight would have run into trouble at the time of landing at the Hyderabad airport. The deflation of the tyre occurred after the flight landed in Tirupati. Had it happened before, the landing would have been risky. The flight had earlier come from New Delhi to Tirupati via Hyderabad.
By Express News Service
BENGALURU: The Army has stepped in to assist the Karnataka Forest Department in treating Sidda, the wild elephant that has been battling for its life in the Manchabele backwaters for several weeks.
Following a request by chief wildlife warden M B Hosmat, the Madras Engineering Group [MEG], popularly called the Madras Sappers, has deployed a specialised task force led by an officer, one junior commissioned officer and 40 non-commissioned officers to build a specialised structure for the ailing elephant that will help it stand up or lean on while doctors treat it.
"The team has been mobilsed with a large amount of equipment including contraction for lifting the elephant and keeping him steady to administer medicines and to assist it in eating food," a release by MEG said.
Watch the video here:
Sidda broke his right forelimb on August 30 after it was chased by villagers. It was treated and shifted to the Savandurga Reserve Forest. In the second week of September, however, he was spotted spending a lot of time in the backwaters of the Manchabele reservoir. Upon further inspection, it was found that Siddha's injuries had worsened and he was using the water to alleviate his pain.
Several attempts to treat Sidda were not successful as tranquilising it was ruled out due to his poor health. Forest Department staff then started feeding the animal and giving it medication to ease its pain.
Speaking to New Indian Express, wildlife activist Savitha Bharamgoudar said after the elephant collapsed in the last week of November, cranes were used to put it back on its feet. "Attempts were made to build a wooden structure to support the elephant. However, since the elephant is wild, it smashed the poles. The specialised structure being built by Madras Sappers will help in making Sidda stand," she said.
She added that veterinarians are trying to remove the puss accumulated in Sidda's forelimb, which it has not been able to move.
BENGALURU: The Army has stepped in to assist the Karnataka Forest Department in treating Sidda, the wild elephant that has been battling for its life in the Manchabele backwaters for several weeks. Following a request by chief wildlife warden M B Hosmat, the Madras Engineering Group [MEG], popularly called the Madras Sappers, has deployed a specialised task force led by an officer, one junior commissioned officer and 40 non-commissioned officers to build a specialised structure for the ailing elephant that will help it stand up or lean on while doctors treat it. "The team has been mobilsed with a large amount of equipment including contraction for lifting the elephant and keeping him steady to administer medicines and to assist it in eating food," a release by MEG said. Watch the video here: Sidda broke his right forelimb on August 30 after it was chased by villagers. It was treated and shifted to the Savandurga Reserve Forest. In the second week of September, however, he was spotted spending a lot of time in the backwaters of the Manchabele reservoir. Upon further inspection, it was found that Siddha's injuries had worsened and he was using the water to alleviate his pain. Several attempts to treat Sidda were not successful as tranquilising it was ruled out due to his poor health. Forest Department staff then started feeding the animal and giving it medication to ease its pain. Speaking to New Indian Express, wildlife activist Savitha Bharamgoudar said after the elephant collapsed in the last week of November, cranes were used to put it back on its feet. "Attempts were made to build a wooden structure to support the elephant. However, since the elephant is wild, it smashed the poles. The specialised structure being built by Madras Sappers will help in making Sidda stand," she said. She added that veterinarians are trying to remove the puss accumulated in Sidda's forelimb, which it has not been able to move.
By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The Union Home Ministry has granted seven companies of Central paramilitary forces for law and order duties to the Karnataka Government that will celebrate Tipu Sultans birth anniversary on November 10.
The Karnataka Government had sought 16 companies (1,600 personnel) of the Central paramilitary forces for taking care of law and order during Tipu Jayanti celebrations. The BJP and RSS have opposed the move and have decided to oppose the celebrations. The RSS and BJP consider Tipu to be tyrant. The BJP is in Opposition in the State Assembly.
As many as 17 companies of the paramilitary were rushed in September to the State following the row over sharing of Cauvery water with Tamil Nadu. Seven companies of the Central paramilitary forces are expected to take care of any law and order situation there during Tipu Jayanti celebrations, a Union Home Ministry sources said.
The RSS and the BJP will hold a mega rally on Tuesday in Bengaluru to protest the State Governments decision to celebrate November 10 every year as Tipu Jayanti. Some Christian organisations have also opposed the celebration of Tipu's birth anniversary as state event. The Christians believe that Tipu converted several Christians to Islam by using force during his rule.
The State Government had decided to celebrate Tipus birth anniversary last year and has now decided to continue the practice every year. In 2015, the celebrations resulted in violence in Kodagu district in November 2015.
NEW DELHI: The Union Home Ministry has granted seven companies of Central paramilitary forces for law and order duties to the Karnataka Government that will celebrate Tipu Sultans birth anniversary on November 10. The Karnataka Government had sought 16 companies (1,600 personnel) of the Central paramilitary forces for taking care of law and order during Tipu Jayanti celebrations. The BJP and RSS have opposed the move and have decided to oppose the celebrations. The RSS and BJP consider Tipu to be tyrant. The BJP is in Opposition in the State Assembly. As many as 17 companies of the paramilitary were rushed in September to the State following the row over sharing of Cauvery water with Tamil Nadu. Seven companies of the Central paramilitary forces are expected to take care of any law and order situation there during Tipu Jayanti celebrations, a Union Home Ministry sources said. The RSS and the BJP will hold a mega rally on Tuesday in Bengaluru to protest the State Governments decision to celebrate November 10 every year as Tipu Jayanti. Some Christian organisations have also opposed the celebration of Tipu's birth anniversary as state event. The Christians believe that Tipu converted several Christians to Islam by using force during his rule. The State Government had decided to celebrate Tipus birth anniversary last year and has now decided to continue the practice every year. In 2015, the celebrations resulted in violence in Kodagu district in November 2015.
By Express News Service
MYSURU: The week-end traffic on the busy Mysuru-Bengaluru Road was disrupted as farmers blocked the highway for more than two hours, demanding release of water from KRS to irrigation canals.
The farmers blocked roads at Gejjalaragere, K M Doddi and also near Srirangapatna, saying that delay in giving water would destroy paddy crops.
As the vehicles were lined up for more than 3 km, the police diverted some traffic through alternate routes. While a few people stranded on the highway spent their time in vehicles, others visited the nearby dried up fields and clicked pictures of the protesting farmers. Farmer leader Lingappa demanded that the government pay `50,000 compensation per acre and waive loans. The farmers urged the government to release water to irrigation canals by evening and sought an assurance from the Deputy Commissioner. Later, they called off the stir following assurance from assistant commissioner Arul Kumar.
MYSURU: The week-end traffic on the busy Mysuru-Bengaluru Road was disrupted as farmers blocked the highway for more than two hours, demanding release of water from KRS to irrigation canals. The farmers blocked roads at Gejjalaragere, K M Doddi and also near Srirangapatna, saying that delay in giving water would destroy paddy crops. As the vehicles were lined up for more than 3 km, the police diverted some traffic through alternate routes. While a few people stranded on the highway spent their time in vehicles, others visited the nearby dried up fields and clicked pictures of the protesting farmers. Farmer leader Lingappa demanded that the government pay `50,000 compensation per acre and waive loans. The farmers urged the government to release water to irrigation canals by evening and sought an assurance from the Deputy Commissioner. Later, they called off the stir following assurance from assistant commissioner Arul Kumar.
By Express News Service
KOCHI: The circle-inspector who allegedly ill-treated the gang rape victim in Wadakkanchery has been temporarily suspended from service, pending an official inquiry, on Monday. The suspension order to former circle inspector M V Manikandan of Peramangalam, was issued by Thrissur Range Inspector General of Police, M R Ajith Kumar.
J Himendranath, Thrissur City Police Commissioner, while speaking with Express confirmed that Manikandan would be in suspension until an inquiry against him is completed. "We have launched an inquiry on the basis of allegation raised against the Circle Inspector regarding lapses made in the initial probe. Until the investigation is completed he would remain suspended," Himendranath said.
Manikandan was charged with ill-treatment of the victim who was allegedly gangraped by four persons including a CPM councillor Jayanthan in April 2014, when she approached him with a complaint. He reportedly asked her 'humiliating questions' that made her severely uncomfortable.
With the incident getting limelight last week, several such similar complaints of such behaviour against Manikandan came to the fore. However, City Police Commissioner said that the Circle Inspector was suspended only with regards to the lapses from his part while probing rape case.
Meanwhile, police recorded the statement of the victim and her husband on Monday at an undisclosed location in Ernakulam. "The procedure of recording the statement is proceeding. It would take few more days to complete. It is recorded in such a way that victim and her husband will not feel any problem in disclosing details about all the accused. The victims will not pressurised and the statement is recorded with the assistance of women police officials," said a police official.
KOCHI: The circle-inspector who allegedly ill-treated the gang rape victim in Wadakkanchery has been temporarily suspended from service, pending an official inquiry, on Monday. The suspension order to former circle inspector M V Manikandan of Peramangalam, was issued by Thrissur Range Inspector General of Police, M R Ajith Kumar. J Himendranath, Thrissur City Police Commissioner, while speaking with Express confirmed that Manikandan would be in suspension until an inquiry against him is completed. "We have launched an inquiry on the basis of allegation raised against the Circle Inspector regarding lapses made in the initial probe. Until the investigation is completed he would remain suspended," Himendranath said. Manikandan was charged with ill-treatment of the victim who was allegedly gangraped by four persons including a CPM councillor Jayanthan in April 2014, when she approached him with a complaint. He reportedly asked her 'humiliating questions' that made her severely uncomfortable. With the incident getting limelight last week, several such similar complaints of such behaviour against Manikandan came to the fore. However, City Police Commissioner said that the Circle Inspector was suspended only with regards to the lapses from his part while probing rape case. Meanwhile, police recorded the statement of the victim and her husband on Monday at an undisclosed location in Ernakulam. "The procedure of recording the statement is proceeding. It would take few more days to complete. It is recorded in such a way that victim and her husband will not feel any problem in disclosing details about all the accused. The victims will not pressurised and the statement is recorded with the assistance of women police officials," said a police official.
On Tuesday, November 8, at 10.30, the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency's press center will host a press conference on the presentation of a manual "Without Hunger and Cold. Survival Tips for the New Tariffs. "The manual was issued on the initiative of the Nash Kray (Our Land) party in the framework of a permanent program of practical assistance to Ukrainians on housing and public utilities. The participants will include cochairmen of the Nash Kray party Oleksandr Mazurchak and Yuriy Hranaturov (8/5a Reitarska Street). Admission requires press accreditation.
By Express News Service
BHUBANESWAR: Senior Congress leader Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra passed away at a private hospital in Gurgaon on Sunday evening.
He was 52. Mohapatra, a three-time MLA from Puris Brahmagiri and a long-time chief of State Congress youth wing, was admitted to Gurgaons Medanta Hospital for the last few weeks. The end came at about 10.30 pm. His younger brother Lalitendu Mohapatra officially announced the former MLAs demise.
A hugely popular leader among the youth, Mohapatra was elected from Brahmagiri Assembly constituency in 1995, 2000 and 2004.
As a young leader with a wide base across all regions of the State, Mohapatra was known for his organisational skills. Considered very close to former chief minister and Congress veteran JB Patnaik, Mohapatra was able to make a mark in the States politics because of his popularity among the students and youths.
Mohapatra was appointed as a working president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) in 2009 when KP Singhdeo was the OPCC president. He also worked in several capacities in the party during the tenure of different OPCC presidents and was instrumental in consolidating the partys base in different areas.
An alumni of BJB College, he served as joint secretary of State National Students Union of India (NSUI) in 1983 before being elevated as its president in 1987 which he served till 1996.
He is survived by his wife and daughter.
Political leaders cutting across party lines condoled the death of Mohapatra. Describing Mohapatra as an able organiser, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik conveyed his deep sympathy to the bereaved family.
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed his grief over the untimely demise of Mohapatra. I had known Lulubhai since student days and always shared a good personal relationship with him. His passing away is a huge loss for Odisha political arena besides being a personal loss, he said.
AICC general secretary BK Hariprasad, OPCC president Prasad Harichandan, Leader of the Opposition Narasingh Mishra, former Union minister Srikant Jena, former OPCC presidents Niranjan Patnaik and Jaydev Jena, MP Baijayant Panda, several ministers including Sanjay Dasburma and leaders cutting across party lines condoled his death.
BHUBANESWAR: Senior Congress leader Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra passed away at a private hospital in Gurgaon on Sunday evening. He was 52. Mohapatra, a three-time MLA from Puris Brahmagiri and a long-time chief of State Congress youth wing, was admitted to Gurgaons Medanta Hospital for the last few weeks. The end came at about 10.30 pm. His younger brother Lalitendu Mohapatra officially announced the former MLAs demise. A hugely popular leader among the youth, Mohapatra was elected from Brahmagiri Assembly constituency in 1995, 2000 and 2004. As a young leader with a wide base across all regions of the State, Mohapatra was known for his organisational skills. Considered very close to former chief minister and Congress veteran JB Patnaik, Mohapatra was able to make a mark in the States politics because of his popularity among the students and youths. Mohapatra was appointed as a working president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) in 2009 when KP Singhdeo was the OPCC president. He also worked in several capacities in the party during the tenure of different OPCC presidents and was instrumental in consolidating the partys base in different areas. An alumni of BJB College, he served as joint secretary of State National Students Union of India (NSUI) in 1983 before being elevated as its president in 1987 which he served till 1996. He is survived by his wife and daughter. Political leaders cutting across party lines condoled the death of Mohapatra. Describing Mohapatra as an able organiser, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik conveyed his deep sympathy to the bereaved family. Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed his grief over the untimely demise of Mohapatra. I had known Lulubhai since student days and always shared a good personal relationship with him. His passing away is a huge loss for Odisha political arena besides being a personal loss, he said. AICC general secretary BK Hariprasad, OPCC president Prasad Harichandan, Leader of the Opposition Narasingh Mishra, former Union minister Srikant Jena, former OPCC presidents Niranjan Patnaik and Jaydev Jena, MP Baijayant Panda, several ministers including Sanjay Dasburma and leaders cutting across party lines condoled his death.
By Express News Service
CHENNAI: Sleuths from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recently caught eight persons for smuggling 5.9 kg of gold worth Rs 1.8 crore from Singapore and Dubai. The accused used cutting pliers to hide the gold strips while transporting them.
They used air passengers to transport the gold from abroad and would send pictures of the passengers to a group in Chennai, which would identify them as they emerged from the airport terminal and take them to a car where the gold would be exchanged for Rs 2,000-3,000, said an official. The gang was nabbed after two people driving from Tiruchy to Chennai with hidden gold were intercepted by a DRI team.
When a team of revenue intelligence sleuths on trail of an international gold smuggling racket forced halt a Maruthi Swift car near Chengalpattu on Friday, all they could initially find was a set of four ordinary cutting pliers that has no better use than tightening a bolt.
But just beneath the plastic grips of the cutting pliers were craftily designed gold rods made into the handles of the cutting pliers.
Soon, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) alerted their counterparts across the state leading to arrest of one more passengers who arrived at Madurai airport with a similar golden handled cutting pliers.
What the interrogations of the two occupants of the car unravelled was an international smuggling racket that had been exploiting unsuspecting air passengers to smuggle gold into the city from places like Dubai and Singapore. In the next two days, following the leads given by the two men in the car, the DRI officials have seized a whopping 5.9 kg of smuggled gold in the form of bars and jewellery into the state.
All the gold that was seized was of both 999 and 916 purity, totally weighing 5.9 kg and valued at Rs 1.80 crore, read a statement from the agency on Sunday.
A portion of the seized gold,
which was hidden in cutting pliers | Express
An official said the gang had been storing the smuggled gold in a house at Choolaimedu in the heart of the city. The DRI officials found that the smuggling gang eight members of which have been arrested so far had been exploiting unsuspecting passengers under the guise of seeking help.
They would approach the passengers headed here from Dubai and Singapore and seek help in handing over the gold jewels to some of their relatives back home. The gang would communicate the details of such passengers through WhatsApp to their men here. They would collect the gold jewellery from people here, said a senior official privy to the case.
By this means, the gang had been smuggling small quantities of gold through various unsuspecting passengers, the official said.
Interestingly, the DRI said the gang had mostly targeted the passengers who were headed to Madurai or Trichy airports.
It was when two of the gang members were transporting to Chennai the gold they had collected from the passengers who arrived in Tiruchy airport on Thursday and Friday, that they fell in the DRIs net.
CHENNAI: Sleuths from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recently caught eight persons for smuggling 5.9 kg of gold worth Rs 1.8 crore from Singapore and Dubai. The accused used cutting pliers to hide the gold strips while transporting them. They used air passengers to transport the gold from abroad and would send pictures of the passengers to a group in Chennai, which would identify them as they emerged from the airport terminal and take them to a car where the gold would be exchanged for Rs 2,000-3,000, said an official. The gang was nabbed after two people driving from Tiruchy to Chennai with hidden gold were intercepted by a DRI team. When a team of revenue intelligence sleuths on trail of an international gold smuggling racket forced halt a Maruthi Swift car near Chengalpattu on Friday, all they could initially find was a set of four ordinary cutting pliers that has no better use than tightening a bolt. But just beneath the plastic grips of the cutting pliers were craftily designed gold rods made into the handles of the cutting pliers. Soon, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) alerted their counterparts across the state leading to arrest of one more passengers who arrived at Madurai airport with a similar golden handled cutting pliers. What the interrogations of the two occupants of the car unravelled was an international smuggling racket that had been exploiting unsuspecting air passengers to smuggle gold into the city from places like Dubai and Singapore. In the next two days, following the leads given by the two men in the car, the DRI officials have seized a whopping 5.9 kg of smuggled gold in the form of bars and jewellery into the state. All the gold that was seized was of both 999 and 916 purity, totally weighing 5.9 kg and valued at Rs 1.80 crore, read a statement from the agency on Sunday. A portion of the seized gold, which was hidden in cutting pliers | ExpressAn official said the gang had been storing the smuggled gold in a house at Choolaimedu in the heart of the city. The DRI officials found that the smuggling gang eight members of which have been arrested so far had been exploiting unsuspecting passengers under the guise of seeking help. They would approach the passengers headed here from Dubai and Singapore and seek help in handing over the gold jewels to some of their relatives back home. The gang would communicate the details of such passengers through WhatsApp to their men here. They would collect the gold jewellery from people here, said a senior official privy to the case. By this means, the gang had been smuggling small quantities of gold through various unsuspecting passengers, the official said. Interestingly, the DRI said the gang had mostly targeted the passengers who were headed to Madurai or Trichy airports. It was when two of the gang members were transporting to Chennai the gold they had collected from the passengers who arrived in Tiruchy airport on Thursday and Friday, that they fell in the DRIs net.
By Express News Service
CHENNAI: Expressing shock and grief over the death of farmers reportedly distressed over crop loss in the Delta, top leaders sought immediate measures, including waiver of all crop loans, to bail out the farming community from crippling financial liability.
Farmers in the Delta are grappling to cope with the situation where they are enmeshed in penury and are unable to repay the debt, DMK treasurer MK Stalin said on Sunday.
He added that ryots, already under tremendous stress, have to face penal action, as the lending agencies tighten the screws on them. Empathising with the kin of the three farmers, who died allegedly of stress, the Leader of the Opposition urged the State Government to provide a compensation of Rs 25 lakh per family and a government job to a kin.
He also urged the government to provide Rs 30,000 compensation per acre for crop loss as demanded by a recent meeting of parties and farmers organisations
In a statement, MDMK general secretary Vaiko stressed, The government should take steps to waive the crop loans availed from nationalised banks as in the case of cooperative banks without bias, he said, besides calling for a compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the kin of the deceased farmers.
Echoing his views, PMK youth wing leader Anbumani Ramadoss said, The crop loans obtained by all farmers should be waived without any ceiling.
Pitching for Rs 25 lakh for each of the families of the farmers who died in the Delta region, he also sought Rs 25,000 dole per acre for crop loss and one time relief of Rs 25,000 for farm workers.
CPI (M) State secretary G Ramakrishnan demanded that the kin of deceased farmers be paid Rs 10 lakh and Rs 25,000 per acre to compensate the crop loss.
CHENNAI: Expressing shock and grief over the death of farmers reportedly distressed over crop loss in the Delta, top leaders sought immediate measures, including waiver of all crop loans, to bail out the farming community from crippling financial liability. Farmers in the Delta are grappling to cope with the situation where they are enmeshed in penury and are unable to repay the debt, DMK treasurer MK Stalin said on Sunday. He added that ryots, already under tremendous stress, have to face penal action, as the lending agencies tighten the screws on them. Empathising with the kin of the three farmers, who died allegedly of stress, the Leader of the Opposition urged the State Government to provide a compensation of Rs 25 lakh per family and a government job to a kin. He also urged the government to provide Rs 30,000 compensation per acre for crop loss as demanded by a recent meeting of parties and farmers organisations In a statement, MDMK general secretary Vaiko stressed, The government should take steps to waive the crop loans availed from nationalised banks as in the case of cooperative banks without bias, he said, besides calling for a compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the kin of the deceased farmers. Echoing his views, PMK youth wing leader Anbumani Ramadoss said, The crop loans obtained by all farmers should be waived without any ceiling. Pitching for Rs 25 lakh for each of the families of the farmers who died in the Delta region, he also sought Rs 25,000 dole per acre for crop loss and one time relief of Rs 25,000 for farm workers. CPI (M) State secretary G Ramakrishnan demanded that the kin of deceased farmers be paid Rs 10 lakh and Rs 25,000 per acre to compensate the crop loss.
By Express News Service
HYDERABAD: Stating that there should be a clear demarcation between news and views, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu asked media not to mix news and views.
Against the backdrop of opposition parties criticising Centres action on some news channels for airing sensitive content, Naidu asked the media to exercise self-restraint while telecasting or publishing any news which will have a negative impact on the society.
First give the news and then have the debate. It is not proper to combine news and views. Some people are trying to mix news and views, which is not correct. The news you are giving should not promote clashes between groups and religions and it should not cause harm to the nations interests, Naidu said.
Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated an orientation programme for Urdu journalists, organised by Telangana State Union of Working Journalists in association with the Telangana State Urdu Academy and Moulana Azad National Urdu University at Salar Jung Museum here on Sunday.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that the Centre has high regards for free speech and media. Freedom of expression is best utilised only when the value of such freedom is fully appreciated. When this freedom is not exercised properly, our existing laws provide for necessary interventions, he warned.
Stating that the Union government is committed to protect the free speech, Naidu asked journalists to work in the interests of the marginalised sections of the society and the nation.
Venkaiah asked journalists to upgrade their skills and maintain high standards and values. Information with confirmation is the best ammunition, he said. Deputy CM Mohammed Mahmood Ali appealed to the media not to distort information.
HYDERABAD: Stating that there should be a clear demarcation between news and views, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu asked media not to mix news and views. Against the backdrop of opposition parties criticising Centres action on some news channels for airing sensitive content, Naidu asked the media to exercise self-restraint while telecasting or publishing any news which will have a negative impact on the society. First give the news and then have the debate. It is not proper to combine news and views. Some people are trying to mix news and views, which is not correct. The news you are giving should not promote clashes between groups and religions and it should not cause harm to the nations interests, Naidu said. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated an orientation programme for Urdu journalists, organised by Telangana State Union of Working Journalists in association with the Telangana State Urdu Academy and Moulana Azad National Urdu University at Salar Jung Museum here on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that the Centre has high regards for free speech and media. Freedom of expression is best utilised only when the value of such freedom is fully appreciated. When this freedom is not exercised properly, our existing laws provide for necessary interventions, he warned. Stating that the Union government is committed to protect the free speech, Naidu asked journalists to work in the interests of the marginalised sections of the society and the nation. Venkaiah asked journalists to upgrade their skills and maintain high standards and values. Information with confirmation is the best ammunition, he said. Deputy CM Mohammed Mahmood Ali appealed to the media not to distort information.
By AFP
BRUSSELS: Belgium has won an unwanted reputation for radicalism since it emerged that the Islamic State-linked Paris attacks a year ago were planned there.
With Brussels itself also coming under attack in March, Belgian authorities have carried out a wave of arrests over the past 12 months.
Here are the key facts:
History of radicalisation -
Belgium now leads Europe in its per capita number of jihadi nationals in Syria: 465, out of a population of 11 million.
It first emerged as a base for militants in the 1990s when the Algerian Armed Islamic Group (GIA) threatened the country with reprisals after one of its cells in Brussels was dismantled.
In 2001, Belgian authorities discovered that the two Tunisians who two days before the 9/11 attacks in the United States had assassinated anti-Taliban leader Ahmad Shah Massoud in Afghanistan's Takhar Province had obtained fake Belgian passports and logistical support in Belgium.
The Tunisians had stayed in Molenbeek, a poorer area of Brussels which later emerged as the focus of investigations into the Paris attacks and of several other probes.
Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving perpetrator of the Paris attacks, his brother Brahim, who blew himself up in Paris, and suspected ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was killed in a police raid in Paris days after the attacks, all hailed from Molenbeek. Abdeslam was arrested there in March.
The district was also home to one of the 2004 Madrid train bombers and to Mehdi Nemmouche, the main suspect in the May 2014 Jewish Museum attack in Brussels.
The perpetrator of a foiled attack in August 2016 on an Amsterdam-Paris train stayed in Molenbeek with his sister before boarding in Brussels.
- The Antwerp connection -
Antwerp, the port city in Flemish-speaking northern Belgium with a large Moroccan-origin population, is another key hub of radicalism.
It was the headquarters of the Islamist group Sharia4Belgium, which was shut down in 2012 after it called for the establishment of an Islamic state in Belgium, and which has been linked to sending fighters to Iraq and Syria.
Most of Sharia4Belgium's former leaders are now either in prison -- like its former chief Fouad Belkacem following a major trial involving the group -- or in Syria, but its influence remains strong.
In all, the narrow 30 mile (50-kilometre) stretch from Brussels to Antwerp is the source of eight percent of all the European fighters in Syria and Iraq.
- From Verviers to Paris -
The first signs of what French President Francois Hollande has called a single terror cell linking the Paris and Brussels attacks emerged in the Belgian industrial town of Verviers in January 2015.
Just days after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in France on January 7, 2015, two militants who were planning an attack on police in Belgium were killed in an anti-terrorist raid on a house in Verviers. The two were taking their orders from Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was then in Athens.
At a trial of one of the surviving Verviers plotters, the prosecution said the plot was the "rough draft of Paris."
- Paris and Brussels links -
In total 19 people have been arrested in Brussels in connection with the Paris attacks. Four have been extradited to France, nine released under strict conditions and six remain in Belgian custody.
Najim Laachraoui, who made the bombs used in the Paris attacks, was one of the suicide bombers who died in the March 2016 attack on Brussels airport.
Mohamed Abrini, the so-called 'man in the hat' seen with the airport bombers and also suspected of providing support for the Paris attacks, was arrested in Belgium in March.
Abdeslam has been extradited to France while Abrini's extradition has been approved pending further investigation into the Brussels attacks.
- Accident of geography -
One explanation for Belgium's terror links is its location as a crossroads between London, Paris, Amsterdam and Germany, from which it is possible to deploy people rapidly to urban population centres.
This has already made Belgium a major hub for the illegal arms trade.
Belgium's divided political landscape -- three languages, six parliaments, parallel systems -- also makes information sharing difficult when it comes to terrorism inquiries.
BRUSSELS: Belgium has won an unwanted reputation for radicalism since it emerged that the Islamic State-linked Paris attacks a year ago were planned there. With Brussels itself also coming under attack in March, Belgian authorities have carried out a wave of arrests over the past 12 months. Here are the key facts: History of radicalisation - Belgium now leads Europe in its per capita number of jihadi nationals in Syria: 465, out of a population of 11 million. It first emerged as a base for militants in the 1990s when the Algerian Armed Islamic Group (GIA) threatened the country with reprisals after one of its cells in Brussels was dismantled. In 2001, Belgian authorities discovered that the two Tunisians who two days before the 9/11 attacks in the United States had assassinated anti-Taliban leader Ahmad Shah Massoud in Afghanistan's Takhar Province had obtained fake Belgian passports and logistical support in Belgium. The Tunisians had stayed in Molenbeek, a poorer area of Brussels which later emerged as the focus of investigations into the Paris attacks and of several other probes. Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving perpetrator of the Paris attacks, his brother Brahim, who blew himself up in Paris, and suspected ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was killed in a police raid in Paris days after the attacks, all hailed from Molenbeek. Abdeslam was arrested there in March. The district was also home to one of the 2004 Madrid train bombers and to Mehdi Nemmouche, the main suspect in the May 2014 Jewish Museum attack in Brussels. The perpetrator of a foiled attack in August 2016 on an Amsterdam-Paris train stayed in Molenbeek with his sister before boarding in Brussels. - The Antwerp connection - Antwerp, the port city in Flemish-speaking northern Belgium with a large Moroccan-origin population, is another key hub of radicalism. It was the headquarters of the Islamist group Sharia4Belgium, which was shut down in 2012 after it called for the establishment of an Islamic state in Belgium, and which has been linked to sending fighters to Iraq and Syria. Most of Sharia4Belgium's former leaders are now either in prison -- like its former chief Fouad Belkacem following a major trial involving the group -- or in Syria, but its influence remains strong. In all, the narrow 30 mile (50-kilometre) stretch from Brussels to Antwerp is the source of eight percent of all the European fighters in Syria and Iraq. - From Verviers to Paris - The first signs of what French President Francois Hollande has called a single terror cell linking the Paris and Brussels attacks emerged in the Belgian industrial town of Verviers in January 2015. Just days after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in France on January 7, 2015, two militants who were planning an attack on police in Belgium were killed in an anti-terrorist raid on a house in Verviers. The two were taking their orders from Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was then in Athens. At a trial of one of the surviving Verviers plotters, the prosecution said the plot was the "rough draft of Paris." - Paris and Brussels links - In total 19 people have been arrested in Brussels in connection with the Paris attacks. Four have been extradited to France, nine released under strict conditions and six remain in Belgian custody. Najim Laachraoui, who made the bombs used in the Paris attacks, was one of the suicide bombers who died in the March 2016 attack on Brussels airport. Mohamed Abrini, the so-called 'man in the hat' seen with the airport bombers and also suspected of providing support for the Paris attacks, was arrested in Belgium in March. Abdeslam has been extradited to France while Abrini's extradition has been approved pending further investigation into the Brussels attacks. - Accident of geography - One explanation for Belgium's terror links is its location as a crossroads between London, Paris, Amsterdam and Germany, from which it is possible to deploy people rapidly to urban population centres. This has already made Belgium a major hub for the illegal arms trade. Belgium's divided political landscape -- three languages, six parliaments, parallel systems -- also makes information sharing difficult when it comes to terrorism inquiries.
By PTI
BEIJING: China today adopted a sweeping cybersecurity law which it said was aimed at safeguarding national security and sovereignty against hacking and terrorism, triggering concerns among rights groups and foreign companies in the Communist nation.
The new law was passed by the standing committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's rubber-stamp parliament.
According to the new law, the government will take measures to "monitor, defend and handle cybersecurity risks and threats originating from within the country or overseas sources, protecting key information infrastructure from attack, intrusion, disturbance and damage".
Efforts will also be made to punish criminal activities online and safeguard the order and security of cyberspace, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Under the new law, individual users and organisations are not allowed to jeopardise security on the Internet or use it to "damage national security, honour and interests".
Online activities that are attempts to overthrow the socialist system, split the nation, undermine national unity, advocate terrorism and extremism are all prohibited, according to the provisions, which also forbade activities including inciting ethnic hatred, discrimination and spreading violence and obscene information online.
The law was passed at the bimonthly session of the NPC Standing Committee, which concluded today, after a third reading.
China administers internet with massive firewalls to protect from outside interventions.
It also effectively banned social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, and controls the local social media sites like Weibo through the firewalls blocking any content that harms the ruling Communist Party of China and the government.
China, often accused of backing cyberattacks on other countries and foriegn firms, has bolstered cybersecurity since Chinese President Xi Jinping assumed power four years ago.
Reacting sharply to the new law, Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, James Zimmerman said, "We believe this is a step backwards for innovation in China that won't do much to improve security.
"The Chinese government is right in wanting to ensure the security of digital systems and information here, but this law doesnt achieve that. What it does do is create barriers to trade and innovation," he said in a statement.
"Broad restrictions on cross-border data flows, for example, provide no security benefits but will create barriers to Chinese as well as foreign companies operating in industries where data needs to be shared internationally. "Moreover, some of the requirements for national security reviews and data sharing will unnecessarily weaken security and potentially expose personal information," Zimmerman said.
The new Chinese law was also slammed by Human Rights Watch.
"Despite widespread international concern from corporations and rights advocates for more than a year, Chinese authorities pressed ahead with this restrictive law without making meaningful changes," said Sophie Richardson, China Director of Human Rights Watch.
"The already heavily censored Internet in China needs more freedom, not less," she said in a statement.
The Chinese government has a long record of tightly controlling online speech through censorship, harsh punishments, and the use of restrictive technologies. But Internet control has reached new heights since President Xi assumed power in March 2013, the New York-based rights group said.
BEIJING: China today adopted a sweeping cybersecurity law which it said was aimed at safeguarding national security and sovereignty against hacking and terrorism, triggering concerns among rights groups and foreign companies in the Communist nation. The new law was passed by the standing committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's rubber-stamp parliament. According to the new law, the government will take measures to "monitor, defend and handle cybersecurity risks and threats originating from within the country or overseas sources, protecting key information infrastructure from attack, intrusion, disturbance and damage". Efforts will also be made to punish criminal activities online and safeguard the order and security of cyberspace, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Under the new law, individual users and organisations are not allowed to jeopardise security on the Internet or use it to "damage national security, honour and interests". Online activities that are attempts to overthrow the socialist system, split the nation, undermine national unity, advocate terrorism and extremism are all prohibited, according to the provisions, which also forbade activities including inciting ethnic hatred, discrimination and spreading violence and obscene information online. The law was passed at the bimonthly session of the NPC Standing Committee, which concluded today, after a third reading. China administers internet with massive firewalls to protect from outside interventions. It also effectively banned social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, and controls the local social media sites like Weibo through the firewalls blocking any content that harms the ruling Communist Party of China and the government. China, often accused of backing cyberattacks on other countries and foriegn firms, has bolstered cybersecurity since Chinese President Xi Jinping assumed power four years ago. Reacting sharply to the new law, Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, James Zimmerman said, "We believe this is a step backwards for innovation in China that won't do much to improve security. "The Chinese government is right in wanting to ensure the security of digital systems and information here, but this law doesnt achieve that. What it does do is create barriers to trade and innovation," he said in a statement. "Broad restrictions on cross-border data flows, for example, provide no security benefits but will create barriers to Chinese as well as foreign companies operating in industries where data needs to be shared internationally. "Moreover, some of the requirements for national security reviews and data sharing will unnecessarily weaken security and potentially expose personal information," Zimmerman said. The new Chinese law was also slammed by Human Rights Watch. "Despite widespread international concern from corporations and rights advocates for more than a year, Chinese authorities pressed ahead with this restrictive law without making meaningful changes," said Sophie Richardson, China Director of Human Rights Watch. "The already heavily censored Internet in China needs more freedom, not less," she said in a statement. The Chinese government has a long record of tightly controlling online speech through censorship, harsh punishments, and the use of restrictive technologies. But Internet control has reached new heights since President Xi assumed power in March 2013, the New York-based rights group said.
By AFP
CARACAS: A shaky truce in Venezuela between President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition has curbed months of escalating hostility, but talks on the country's political and economic crisis will leave little room for optimism.
Almost as soon as the truce was declared on Tuesday, the two sides resumed trading threats and insults, poisoning the environment ahead of Vatican-backed negotiations set Friday.
The opposition Democratic Unity Table (MUD) called on the government to agree to early elections in the first quarter of 2017 -- well before Maduro's term ends in 2019.
It warned it would call off the talks if there were no concessions from Maduro, whom it blames for driving Venezuela, a once-booming oil giant, to the brink of economic collapse.
The leftist president testily replied he would accept no "ultimatums," repeating his vow to serve out his term and accusing the opposition of sowing "false hopes."
"I want to alert you all, especially the opposition's supporters: They are lying to you again," he said Thursday in a national address.
His second-in-command, Diosdado Cabello, dared the opposition to ditch the talks.
"I don't see much future for (the talks), especially when these people say their demand is to have early elections in the first quarter of 2017," he said Sunday in an interview with private TV network Televen.
"If they want to walk out, let them. There won't be any general elections here.... We won't accept anything that's outside the constitution."
Pope Francis's envoy for the talks, Italian Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, warned their failure could spell a bloodbath.
"If one delegation or the other ends the dialogue, it's not the pope but the Venezuelan people who will lose, because the path then could truly be one of blood," he told Argentine daily La Nacion in an interview published Saturday.
- Time is short -
Venezuela has suffered a spectacular implosion in the past three years as plunging oil prices have pushed it deep into recession, sparking riots, looting and violent crime.
Food and medicine shortages have grown so desperate that Human Rights Watch calls the situation a "profound humanitarian crisis."
Maduro says the economic crisis is a capitalist conspiracy backed by the United States. The opposition blames 17 years of socialist rule under the mustachioed president and his late predecessor, Hugo Chavez.
The idea of holding talks with the enemy has deeply divided the opposition.
Sixteen of the 30-odd parties that make up the fractious MUD coalition are refusing to join the talks.
Political analysts say the negotiations are a risky bet for the opposition, given Venezuelans' mounting calls for change. Polls show three in four disapprove of Maduro.
"The opposition urgently needs to show people the talks yield immediate, concrete progress, because if not it will pay the price," elections expert Eugenio Martinez told AFP.
- Fed up with politicians -
The truce got off to a promising start, at least by deeply divided Venezuela's standards.
The government freed five jailed opposition activists Monday. The MUD then suspended a "political trial" of Maduro in the opposition-majority National Assembly and canceled a march on the presidential palace.
But Maduro is just "buying time," said Benigno Alarcon of Venezuela's Andres Bello Catholic University.
He warned it was unlikely the government would make meaningful concessions at the negotiating table -- especially given that the authorities recently quashed an opposition drive for a referendum on removing Maduro from office.
"I find it improbable that after doing everything possible to avoid a referendum, (the government) would agree now to hold early elections," he told AFP.
As part of the truce, the two sides agreed to tone down their rhetoric.
But the very same day, Maduro called hardline opposition party Popular Will a "terrorist group," and Cabello called the MUD a bunch of "unpatriotic bourgeois" who answer to Washington.
Opposition leaders fired back that the government was "decadent and dead," calling Maduro "pathetic" and a "compulsive liar."
Political scientist Nicmer Evans warned both the government and MUD risk losing supporters as they trade barbs amid a painful crisis.
"Polarization is causing tremendous harm to this country. The majority of the population identifies less and less" with each side, he said.
CARACAS: A shaky truce in Venezuela between President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition has curbed months of escalating hostility, but talks on the country's political and economic crisis will leave little room for optimism. Almost as soon as the truce was declared on Tuesday, the two sides resumed trading threats and insults, poisoning the environment ahead of Vatican-backed negotiations set Friday. The opposition Democratic Unity Table (MUD) called on the government to agree to early elections in the first quarter of 2017 -- well before Maduro's term ends in 2019. It warned it would call off the talks if there were no concessions from Maduro, whom it blames for driving Venezuela, a once-booming oil giant, to the brink of economic collapse. The leftist president testily replied he would accept no "ultimatums," repeating his vow to serve out his term and accusing the opposition of sowing "false hopes." "I want to alert you all, especially the opposition's supporters: They are lying to you again," he said Thursday in a national address. His second-in-command, Diosdado Cabello, dared the opposition to ditch the talks. "I don't see much future for (the talks), especially when these people say their demand is to have early elections in the first quarter of 2017," he said Sunday in an interview with private TV network Televen. "If they want to walk out, let them. There won't be any general elections here.... We won't accept anything that's outside the constitution." Pope Francis's envoy for the talks, Italian Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, warned their failure could spell a bloodbath. "If one delegation or the other ends the dialogue, it's not the pope but the Venezuelan people who will lose, because the path then could truly be one of blood," he told Argentine daily La Nacion in an interview published Saturday. - Time is short - Venezuela has suffered a spectacular implosion in the past three years as plunging oil prices have pushed it deep into recession, sparking riots, looting and violent crime. Food and medicine shortages have grown so desperate that Human Rights Watch calls the situation a "profound humanitarian crisis." Maduro says the economic crisis is a capitalist conspiracy backed by the United States. The opposition blames 17 years of socialist rule under the mustachioed president and his late predecessor, Hugo Chavez. The idea of holding talks with the enemy has deeply divided the opposition. Sixteen of the 30-odd parties that make up the fractious MUD coalition are refusing to join the talks. Political analysts say the negotiations are a risky bet for the opposition, given Venezuelans' mounting calls for change. Polls show three in four disapprove of Maduro. "The opposition urgently needs to show people the talks yield immediate, concrete progress, because if not it will pay the price," elections expert Eugenio Martinez told AFP. - Fed up with politicians - The truce got off to a promising start, at least by deeply divided Venezuela's standards. The government freed five jailed opposition activists Monday. The MUD then suspended a "political trial" of Maduro in the opposition-majority National Assembly and canceled a march on the presidential palace. But Maduro is just "buying time," said Benigno Alarcon of Venezuela's Andres Bello Catholic University. He warned it was unlikely the government would make meaningful concessions at the negotiating table -- especially given that the authorities recently quashed an opposition drive for a referendum on removing Maduro from office. "I find it improbable that after doing everything possible to avoid a referendum, (the government) would agree now to hold early elections," he told AFP. As part of the truce, the two sides agreed to tone down their rhetoric. But the very same day, Maduro called hardline opposition party Popular Will a "terrorist group," and Cabello called the MUD a bunch of "unpatriotic bourgeois" who answer to Washington. Opposition leaders fired back that the government was "decadent and dead," calling Maduro "pathetic" and a "compulsive liar." Political scientist Nicmer Evans warned both the government and MUD risk losing supporters as they trade barbs amid a painful crisis. "Polarization is causing tremendous harm to this country. The majority of the population identifies less and less" with each side, he said.
COLOMBO: For the first time in the history of Indo-Sri Lankan negotiations on the fishing issue troubling the two countries, India has agreed to consider the Sri Lankan proposal for the joint patrolling of the Palk Strait by the naval arms of the two countries.
The Terms of Reference for the Joint Working Group on Fisheries (JWGF) includes ascertaining possibilities for cooperation on joint patrolling by the naval arms of the two countries.
The other new commitment on the part of India is to expedite the transition towards ending the practice of bottom trawling at the earliest.
Indias agreeing to work out the modalities for the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for handing over of apprehended fishermen, indicates that it agrees to the apprehension and detention of fishermen who cross the International Maritime Boundary Line illegally.
It is also significant that the Joint Working Group will include representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Coast Guards and Navies of the two countries.
According to observers here, all this shows that the two countries are going to take a hard line to put an end to the unhindered poaching by Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters.
According to a member of the Sri Lankan delegation that attended the Foreign and Fisheries Ministerial-level talks in New Delhi on November 5, the issue of giving Tamil Nadu fishermen three years time to take to give up bottom trawling and take to deep sea fishing was not even raised.
When India-Sri Lanka relations were not very good due to the war in the Tamil North, India had turned a deaf ear to Sri Lanka pleas for joint patrolling. But now, with peace returning to the North, and the accent is on bilateral cooperation for the economic and social development of the North, India and Sri Lanka are exploring ways of addressing contentious issues so that development takes place to the benefit of the two countries.
Similarly, the project to convert fishermen of Tamil Nadu from coastal fishers to deep sea fishers, which has been in the doldrums for decades due to a lack of commitment on the part of the Tamil Nadu and Central governments, will have to be pursued vigorously as per the Terms of Reference of the Joint Working Group.
Tamil Nadu had been asking for central funding to bring about this conversion, but the Center had not been very forthcoming.
The high level fixed for contacts, and the set periodicity of the meetings of the JWG and the Ministers, show that a sense of urgency and purpose has been injected into efforts to solve the fishing problem at long last.
While the JWG will meet every three months, a ministerial level meeting will take place every six months. The first ministerial level meeting will be held on January 2, 2017 in Colombo. The Fishermens associations of the two countries will meet every six months to take their dialogue further from the meeting held on November 2 in New Delhi.
COLOMBO: For the first time in the history of Indo-Sri Lankan negotiations on the fishing issue troubling the two countries, India has agreed to consider the Sri Lankan proposal for the joint patrolling of the Palk Strait by the naval arms of the two countries. The Terms of Reference for the Joint Working Group on Fisheries (JWGF) includes ascertaining possibilities for cooperation on joint patrolling by the naval arms of the two countries. The other new commitment on the part of India is to expedite the transition towards ending the practice of bottom trawling at the earliest. Indias agreeing to work out the modalities for the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for handing over of apprehended fishermen, indicates that it agrees to the apprehension and detention of fishermen who cross the International Maritime Boundary Line illegally. It is also significant that the Joint Working Group will include representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Coast Guards and Navies of the two countries. According to observers here, all this shows that the two countries are going to take a hard line to put an end to the unhindered poaching by Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters. According to a member of the Sri Lankan delegation that attended the Foreign and Fisheries Ministerial-level talks in New Delhi on November 5, the issue of giving Tamil Nadu fishermen three years time to take to give up bottom trawling and take to deep sea fishing was not even raised. When India-Sri Lanka relations were not very good due to the war in the Tamil North, India had turned a deaf ear to Sri Lanka pleas for joint patrolling. But now, with peace returning to the North, and the accent is on bilateral cooperation for the economic and social development of the North, India and Sri Lanka are exploring ways of addressing contentious issues so that development takes place to the benefit of the two countries. Similarly, the project to convert fishermen of Tamil Nadu from coastal fishers to deep sea fishers, which has been in the doldrums for decades due to a lack of commitment on the part of the Tamil Nadu and Central governments, will have to be pursued vigorously as per the Terms of Reference of the Joint Working Group. Tamil Nadu had been asking for central funding to bring about this conversion, but the Center had not been very forthcoming. The high level fixed for contacts, and the set periodicity of the meetings of the JWG and the Ministers, show that a sense of urgency and purpose has been injected into efforts to solve the fishing problem at long last. While the JWG will meet every three months, a ministerial level meeting will take place every six months. The first ministerial level meeting will be held on January 2, 2017 in Colombo. The Fishermens associations of the two countries will meet every six months to take their dialogue further from the meeting held on November 2 in New Delhi.
By AFP
NERUPPIN: A German court on Monday sentenced a far-right local politician to eight months in jail after he was spotted at a swimming pool with a tattoo of a Nazi slogan and a rendering of the Auschwitz death camp.
A district court in Neuruppin, north of Berlin, found 28-year-old Marcel Zech guilty of public incitement and gave him a harsher punishment on appeal than the six-month suspended sentence he originally received last December.
Prosecutors at the time complained that the sentence against Zech, a local council member of the neo-Nazi NPD party, was too lenient.
Explaining his appeal verdict, judge Joern Kalbow said a lesser sentence could have been interpreted as "the state backing down in the face of right-wing radicalism", DPA news agency reported.
Zech's back tattoo was photographed after he took his shirt off at a public swimming pool last November in Oranienburg in the eastern state of Brandenburg which surrounds the capital.
It featured the German words "Jedem das Seine" (To Each His Own) -- the message at the front gate of the Buchenwald concentration camp -- below a picture of the former Auschwitz concentration camp.
After the first trial Zech was ordered to hide the tattoo in public, but his initial display of it raised questions in Germany whether it represented a new brazenness on the part of the far-right as the country grapples with a record refugee influx.
The reporter who took his picture and posted it on Facebook said no one at the pool had complained when Zech removed his shirt.
According to DPA, Zech's lawyer told the court that his client had since then covered up the Auschwitz drawing with another tattoo, although the slogan remains.
He added that they would appeal the prison sentence.
NERUPPIN: A German court on Monday sentenced a far-right local politician to eight months in jail after he was spotted at a swimming pool with a tattoo of a Nazi slogan and a rendering of the Auschwitz death camp. A district court in Neuruppin, north of Berlin, found 28-year-old Marcel Zech guilty of public incitement and gave him a harsher punishment on appeal than the six-month suspended sentence he originally received last December. Prosecutors at the time complained that the sentence against Zech, a local council member of the neo-Nazi NPD party, was too lenient. Explaining his appeal verdict, judge Joern Kalbow said a lesser sentence could have been interpreted as "the state backing down in the face of right-wing radicalism", DPA news agency reported. Zech's back tattoo was photographed after he took his shirt off at a public swimming pool last November in Oranienburg in the eastern state of Brandenburg which surrounds the capital. It featured the German words "Jedem das Seine" (To Each His Own) -- the message at the front gate of the Buchenwald concentration camp -- below a picture of the former Auschwitz concentration camp. After the first trial Zech was ordered to hide the tattoo in public, but his initial display of it raised questions in Germany whether it represented a new brazenness on the part of the far-right as the country grapples with a record refugee influx. The reporter who took his picture and posted it on Facebook said no one at the pool had complained when Zech removed his shirt. According to DPA, Zech's lawyer told the court that his client had since then covered up the Auschwitz drawing with another tattoo, although the slogan remains. He added that they would appeal the prison sentence.
By AFP
BAGHDAD: Hundreds of families have been driven out of the Iraqi city of Kirkuk in apparent retaliation for a recent attack by the Islamic State group, Amnesty International said on Monday.
Authorities in the Kurdish-controlled city demolished the homes of hundreds of Arab residents and ordered them to leave Kirkuk in the wake of the attack on October 21, the London-based rights group said.
Those displaced include an estimated 250 families who had fled to Kirkuk, which lies in an oil-rich area around 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of Baghdad, from other areas in Iraq.
An additional 190 families were said to have been displaced from nearby villages by Kurdish Peshmerga and Asayesh forces.
Amnesty said those forced from their homes were told to return to their places of origin or moved to camps, after being suspected of helping IS coordinate its attack.
Three days of clashes left at least 46 people dead, mostly members of the security forces.
The governor of Kirkuk province, Najmeddin Karim, told AFP at least 81 jihadists were killed while several others were detained.
Amnesty's report quoted residents as saying homes were demolished on October 25, a day after Karim announced the attack was over.
Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty's deputy director for research in Beirut, said destroying homes without military necessity amounts to "a war crime".
"Forcibly evicting and displacing Sunni Arab residents of Kirkuk is unlawful and cruel.
"Kurdish authorities must immediately put an end to unlawful destruction of civilian property and forced displacement," Maalouf said.
The brazen raid on Kirkuk appeared to be an attempt by IS to divert attention from Mosul, where a major offensive is under way to retake the city from the jihadists.
BAGHDAD: Hundreds of families have been driven out of the Iraqi city of Kirkuk in apparent retaliation for a recent attack by the Islamic State group, Amnesty International said on Monday. Authorities in the Kurdish-controlled city demolished the homes of hundreds of Arab residents and ordered them to leave Kirkuk in the wake of the attack on October 21, the London-based rights group said. Those displaced include an estimated 250 families who had fled to Kirkuk, which lies in an oil-rich area around 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of Baghdad, from other areas in Iraq. An additional 190 families were said to have been displaced from nearby villages by Kurdish Peshmerga and Asayesh forces. Amnesty said those forced from their homes were told to return to their places of origin or moved to camps, after being suspected of helping IS coordinate its attack. Three days of clashes left at least 46 people dead, mostly members of the security forces. The governor of Kirkuk province, Najmeddin Karim, told AFP at least 81 jihadists were killed while several others were detained. Amnesty's report quoted residents as saying homes were demolished on October 25, a day after Karim announced the attack was over. Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty's deputy director for research in Beirut, said destroying homes without military necessity amounts to "a war crime". "Forcibly evicting and displacing Sunni Arab residents of Kirkuk is unlawful and cruel. "Kurdish authorities must immediately put an end to unlawful destruction of civilian property and forced displacement," Maalouf said. The brazen raid on Kirkuk appeared to be an attempt by IS to divert attention from Mosul, where a major offensive is under way to retake the city from the jihadists.
On 30 November 2016 Yuridicheskaya Practika Publishing will host the Legal Energy Forum
The audience of the forum includes owners and top managers, heads of legal departments at the energy market operators, lawyers.
Please follow the link to see the agenda and registration http://pravo.ua/events/energy
Special conditions are available for representatives of the Energy Market.
Date: 30 November 2016
Time: 09:00 - 18:00
Venue: Premier Palace Hotel (5-7/29 T. Shevchenka Blvd. / Pushkinska Str., Kyiv, Ukraine)
General partner: Asters Law Firm
Media partner: Interfax-Ukraine Information Agency
In focus:
Legal and economic background of the energy independence of Ukraine
Public private partnership and infrastructure
Alternative energy and energy efficiency
Energy disputes
For any additional information please contact:
Natalia Bulko, ticket selling
e-mail: n.bulko@pravo.ua
phone: +380 44 495 27 27
Lyubov Krykun, event-manager
e-mail: l.krykun@pravo.ua
phone: +380 96 824 49 04
Anatoliy Gvozdetsky, coordinator
e-mail: a.gvozdetsky@pravo.ua
phone: +380 96 372 49 69
By PTI
WASHINGTON: India-born Pramila Jayapal, who made a mark with her progressive agenda in the Washington State Senate, is on the cusp of becoming the first South Asian and Indian-American woman to be elected to the US Congress.
A recent poll indicated that Jayapal had a commanding lead in double digits against Brady Pineto Walkinshaw, who she defeated in the primaries by a substantial margin. Endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, the former Democratic presidential aspirant, 51-year-old Jayapal is running from the seventh Congressional District of Washington State that encompasses Seattle and its neighbourhood.
Pitted against her own party colleague, Walkinshaw, a State legislature, Jayapal would replace Congressman Jim McDermott in the US House of Representatives. Like Kamala Harris, the two-term attorney general who is running for US Senate in California, Jayapal is likely to enter the US Congress in her maiden try. "I'm running for Congress because now is the time for a bold progressive fighter," Jayapal had said when she launched her campaign in January this year.
She has been endorsed by as many as 21 sitting Congressman including Ami Bera, the only Indian-American in the current Congress, and every major women groups like NARAL, EMILY's List and Planned Parenthood, and major labour unions. "A progressive champion and first generation America," EMILY's list described. She has already announced that the first bill she would introduce in the Congress, if elected, would be for a tuition-free community college, gun violence protection, funding basic education, mental health and transportation.
In recognition of her community work among the immigrants, the White House had felicitated her with "Champion of Change" award in 2012. Jayapal says her life transformed for the better after she spent some time in India when she returned to the country after a gap of 25 years in April 1995.
Her book-- "Pilgrimage to India: A Woman Revisits Her Homeland" was published in 2000. Born in Chennai, she left India at the age of five for Indonesia, Singapore and eventually for the US. Jayapal believes coming from an Asian and Indian background would bring a different perspective to the Congress. "It is a different understanding that we bring. The underrepresentation is part and parcel that our communities of colour have not had the same opportunities," she told North West Asian Newsweekly in an interview.
WASHINGTON: India-born Pramila Jayapal, who made a mark with her progressive agenda in the Washington State Senate, is on the cusp of becoming the first South Asian and Indian-American woman to be elected to the US Congress. A recent poll indicated that Jayapal had a commanding lead in double digits against Brady Pineto Walkinshaw, who she defeated in the primaries by a substantial margin. Endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, the former Democratic presidential aspirant, 51-year-old Jayapal is running from the seventh Congressional District of Washington State that encompasses Seattle and its neighbourhood. Pitted against her own party colleague, Walkinshaw, a State legislature, Jayapal would replace Congressman Jim McDermott in the US House of Representatives. Like Kamala Harris, the two-term attorney general who is running for US Senate in California, Jayapal is likely to enter the US Congress in her maiden try. "I'm running for Congress because now is the time for a bold progressive fighter," Jayapal had said when she launched her campaign in January this year. She has been endorsed by as many as 21 sitting Congressman including Ami Bera, the only Indian-American in the current Congress, and every major women groups like NARAL, EMILY's List and Planned Parenthood, and major labour unions. "A progressive champion and first generation America," EMILY's list described. She has already announced that the first bill she would introduce in the Congress, if elected, would be for a tuition-free community college, gun violence protection, funding basic education, mental health and transportation. In recognition of her community work among the immigrants, the White House had felicitated her with "Champion of Change" award in 2012. Jayapal says her life transformed for the better after she spent some time in India when she returned to the country after a gap of 25 years in April 1995. Her book-- "Pilgrimage to India: A Woman Revisits Her Homeland" was published in 2000. Born in Chennai, she left India at the age of five for Indonesia, Singapore and eventually for the US. Jayapal believes coming from an Asian and Indian background would bring a different perspective to the Congress. "It is a different understanding that we bring. The underrepresentation is part and parcel that our communities of colour have not had the same opportunities," she told North West Asian Newsweekly in an interview.
By PTI
MOSCOW: The Russian army today denied any children were present in a school in Syria's Idlib province where 28 people were killed in an October airstrike blamed on Moscow. Russia has denied having any role in air strikes that the UN children's agency UNICEF said killed 22 students and six teachers at the school in the village of Hass in northwest Syria on October 26.
"No proof, even indirect, that children were present in the building," army spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the time that the attack on the school in the rebel-held province could amount to a war crime and urged a thorough investigation. Yesterday, Human Rights Watch repeated the war crime accusation, provoking today's angry response from the spokesman who said the group's statement "does not hold water".
Moscow has been conducting a bombing campaign in Syria in support of long-time ally Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad since September 2015. 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.
MOSCOW: The Russian army today denied any children were present in a school in Syria's Idlib province where 28 people were killed in an October airstrike blamed on Moscow. Russia has denied having any role in air strikes that the UN children's agency UNICEF said killed 22 students and six teachers at the school in the village of Hass in northwest Syria on October 26. "No proof, even indirect, that children were present in the building," army spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the time that the attack on the school in the rebel-held province could amount to a war crime and urged a thorough investigation. Yesterday, Human Rights Watch repeated the war crime accusation, provoking today's angry response from the spokesman who said the group's statement "does not hold water". Moscow has been conducting a bombing campaign in Syria in support of long-time ally Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad since September 2015. 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 Online Desk
1. Jefferson vs. Adams, 1800
(Image Courtesy: Livescience)
This was the only election in the US history when a vice-president contested against the then serving president, which made it one of the top presidential elections which was also said to be one of the nastiest too. Following this, the congress passed the Twelfth Amendment and also stated that the nominee getting the second-most number of votes would no longer become the vice-president.
2. Jackson vs Adams, 1828
(Image Courtesy: LiveScience)
Another interesting and bitter battle was between Andrew Jackson and John Adams as the latter lost to the former in 1824 after Henry Clay, Speaker of the House, cast a tie-breaking vote leading to Adams accusing the two of a corrupt bargain. The war of words only got worse before 1828 elections as Adams was accused of pimping out an American girl to a Russian Czar. The accusation even reached Jacksons wife Rachel, calling her a convicted adulteress as she hadnt finalised her divorce to the previous husband before marrying Jackson. Rachel died after her husband won the election, and at her funeral which was before Jacksons inauguration, Jackson blamed Adams for his nasty accusations.
3. Abraham Lincoln and John Breackinridge, 1861
(Image Courtesy: The Market Oracle)
Abraham Lincoln defeated John in the White House race that saw one of the highest voter turnouts in the history of US presidential election. The battleground was laid by Supreme Courts Dred Scott decision to legalize slavery in all US territories. While the Republican Party largely opposed it, the democrats could not establish an official party line on slavery.
4. Ulysses S. Grant vs. Horace Greely, 1872
(Image Courtesy: COMC.com)
Now comes the battle between Grant and Greely. Well, not really a battle for the former as the latter died before the final votes were cast. However, Grant had it already even before his opponent passed away as he won 286 electoral votes compared to Greeley's 66 after Election Day. Greeley died before the Electoral College votes were in and his electoral votes were split among others leading to Grant continuing his second term.
5. John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon, 1960
(Image Courtesy: AP)
Kennedy, being the youngest president (born in 20th century) elected to office, set a lot of precedents. Also this was the first time presidential debates were going to be watched sitting in American living rooms as televisions were becoming an essential part of peoples lives. As per the records, more than 80% of households had them as compared to 11% in 1950. Not much of a surprise, young Kennedy won the election by winning maximum hearts in the presidential debate.
6. George Bush vs Al Gore, 2000
(Image Courtesy: AP)
George Bush vs Al Gore was another high drama presidential race. While vice-president Gore refused to make any appearance with then President Bill Clinton assuming that latters late-term sex scandals would affect his chances of winning the race, Bush faced charges of cocaine and alcohol abuse during his college days. After weeks of recounts, debates on ballot-counting standards and multiple procedures, Bush won the election.
7. George Bush and John Kerry, 2004
(Image Courtesy: AP)
The first presidential election after the famous 9/11 attack saw propaganda from both sides. The Democrats hit out at Bushs National Guard service using films by Michael Moore and the Republicans attacked Kerry for his service in Vietnam. Well, the Republicans were not successful as Bush got re-elected.
1. Jefferson vs. Adams, 1800 (Image Courtesy: Livescience) This was the only election in the US history when a vice-president contested against the then serving president, which made it one of the top presidential elections which was also said to be one of the nastiest too. Following this, the congress passed the Twelfth Amendment and also stated that the nominee getting the second-most number of votes would no longer become the vice-president. 2. Jackson vs Adams, 1828 (Image Courtesy: LiveScience) Another interesting and bitter battle was between Andrew Jackson and John Adams as the latter lost to the former in 1824 after Henry Clay, Speaker of the House, cast a tie-breaking vote leading to Adams accusing the two of a corrupt bargain. The war of words only got worse before 1828 elections as Adams was accused of pimping out an American girl to a Russian Czar. The accusation even reached Jacksons wife Rachel, calling her a convicted adulteress as she hadnt finalised her divorce to the previous husband before marrying Jackson. Rachel died after her husband won the election, and at her funeral which was before Jacksons inauguration, Jackson blamed Adams for his nasty accusations. 3. Abraham Lincoln and John Breackinridge, 1861 (Image Courtesy: The Market Oracle) Abraham Lincoln defeated John in the White House race that saw one of the highest voter turnouts in the history of US presidential election. The battleground was laid by Supreme Courts Dred Scott decision to legalize slavery in all US territories. While the Republican Party largely opposed it, the democrats could not establish an official party line on slavery. 4. Ulysses S. Grant vs. Horace Greely, 1872 (Image Courtesy: COMC.com) Now comes the battle between Grant and Greely. Well, not really a battle for the former as the latter died before the final votes were cast. However, Grant had it already even before his opponent passed away as he won 286 electoral votes compared to Greeley's 66 after Election Day. Greeley died before the Electoral College votes were in and his electoral votes were split among others leading to Grant continuing his second term. 5. John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon, 1960 (Image Courtesy: AP) Kennedy, being the youngest president (born in 20th century) elected to office, set a lot of precedents. Also this was the first time presidential debates were going to be watched sitting in American living rooms as televisions were becoming an essential part of peoples lives. As per the records, more than 80% of households had them as compared to 11% in 1950. Not much of a surprise, young Kennedy won the election by winning maximum hearts in the presidential debate. 6. George Bush vs Al Gore, 2000 (Image Courtesy: AP) George Bush vs Al Gore was another high drama presidential race. While vice-president Gore refused to make any appearance with then President Bill Clinton assuming that latters late-term sex scandals would affect his chances of winning the race, Bush faced charges of cocaine and alcohol abuse during his college days. After weeks of recounts, debates on ballot-counting standards and multiple procedures, Bush won the election. 7. George Bush and John Kerry, 2004 (Image Courtesy: AP) The first presidential election after the famous 9/11 attack saw propaganda from both sides. The Democrats hit out at Bushs National Guard service using films by Michael Moore and the Republicans attacked Kerry for his service in Vietnam. Well, the Republicans were not successful as Bush got re-elected.
By PTI
WASHINGTON: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has said she is "grateful" for the "amazing" support she got from Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle and acknowledged that the outgoing US president is leaving "big shoes" to fill.
Clinton said Obama was not getting the credit he deserves for everything he did to save the US economy and for putting the country on the "right track".
"I am so grateful for President Obama's leadership. I love it when he talks and I'm so grateful for all of his support in this election. Both he and Michelle have been amazing on the campaign trail," Clinton said at an election rally in Philadelphia yesterday.
"I love it when the president talks about supporting me, and he said he wants to "pass on the baton" to me. And I'm just hoping he will bend low enough that I can reach it, because he's a tall man. I'm not sure. So he's going to have to bend, and I'm going to have to stand on my toes. Those are big shoes to fill," she said.
Clinton, 69, said Tuesday's US general election was not about any individual, but about choosing "hope over fear, unity over division and love over hate."
She laid out the stakes in the election, calling it not just a choice between two candidates but between two very different visions for the country.
"This election is about much more than the two candidates. Our names may be on the ballot, but make no mistake: everything you care about, everything that I care about and I've worked for is at stake," she said.
"On Tuesday, we face a test of our own. This election is about much more than the two candidates. Our names may be on the ballot, but make no mistake: everything you care about, everything that I care about and I've worked for is at stake," Clinton said.
"This election is about doing everything we can to stop the movement to destroy President Obama's legacy in fact it is about building on the gains and the progress we've made in the last eight years," she said.
Clinton vowed to break down all the barriers that are holding Americans back and outlined her commitments to end-to-end criminal justice reform, more investment in underserved communities, common sense gun reform so African American men's lives are not disproportionately cut short by gun violence and a concerted effort against systemic racism in all corners of the society.
"We have got to continue to take on the problem of systemic racism, to rid ourselves of deep-rooted injustice, hatred, and fear. We need end-to-end reform in our criminal justice system with real follow through. I want us to get rid of what is called the 'school to prison pipeline' and replace it with the 'cradle to college pipeline'," she said.
"We have got to make sure that we have a commitment to ensure that everyone knows we are safer, when the policerespect the communities and protect them and when the communities respect the police, who serve them. That must be our goal," she added.
WASHINGTON: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has said she is "grateful" for the "amazing" support she got from Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle and acknowledged that the outgoing US president is leaving "big shoes" to fill. Clinton said Obama was not getting the credit he deserves for everything he did to save the US economy and for putting the country on the "right track". "I am so grateful for President Obama's leadership. I love it when he talks and I'm so grateful for all of his support in this election. Both he and Michelle have been amazing on the campaign trail," Clinton said at an election rally in Philadelphia yesterday. "I love it when the president talks about supporting me, and he said he wants to "pass on the baton" to me. And I'm just hoping he will bend low enough that I can reach it, because he's a tall man. I'm not sure. So he's going to have to bend, and I'm going to have to stand on my toes. Those are big shoes to fill," she said. Clinton, 69, said Tuesday's US general election was not about any individual, but about choosing "hope over fear, unity over division and love over hate." She laid out the stakes in the election, calling it not just a choice between two candidates but between two very different visions for the country. "This election is about much more than the two candidates. Our names may be on the ballot, but make no mistake: everything you care about, everything that I care about and I've worked for is at stake," she said. "On Tuesday, we face a test of our own. This election is about much more than the two candidates. Our names may be on the ballot, but make no mistake: everything you care about, everything that I care about and I've worked for is at stake," Clinton said. "This election is about doing everything we can to stop the movement to destroy President Obama's legacy in fact it is about building on the gains and the progress we've made in the last eight years," she said. Clinton vowed to break down all the barriers that are holding Americans back and outlined her commitments to end-to-end criminal justice reform, more investment in underserved communities, common sense gun reform so African American men's lives are not disproportionately cut short by gun violence and a concerted effort against systemic racism in all corners of the society. "We have got to continue to take on the problem of systemic racism, to rid ourselves of deep-rooted injustice, hatred, and fear. We need end-to-end reform in our criminal justice system with real follow through. I want us to get rid of what is called the 'school to prison pipeline' and replace it with the 'cradle to college pipeline'," she said. "We have got to make sure that we have a commitment to ensure that everyone knows we are safer, when the policerespect the communities and protect them and when the communities respect the police, who serve them. That must be our goal," she added.
Gayathri Gopakumar By
Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat of Tamil origin, is running for Congress from the 8th district of Illinois. In an interview with Gayathri Gopakumar, the former lawyer explains why Hillary Clinton is a better bet for the Indian-American community. Excerpts:
Who do you think will win this presidential election, and why?
I believe that Hillary Clinton will win the Presidential election because the American people will reject the cynicism and fear that Donald Trump is peddling. She is far better suited to fight for our middle-class families than Donald Trump.
How do you react to the recent poll which says two out of every three Indian-Americans are likely to back Hillary Clinton?
This result is not surprising to me given that Hillary Clinton has been such a powerful advocate for working families and a strong friend to the Indian-American community. That said, people need to get out and vote to make sure their preferences count on Election Day!
Do you think Trump has managed to polarize voters, ie, African-Americans, Hispanics and Muslims vs everyone else?
Yes, Donald Trumps rhetoric has continually sought to divide the American people. Americans are better than that. On November 8th, I feel strongly that the American people will reject Donald Trump and favor unity over division.
How powerful is the Indian Diaspora in the US political system?
I am pleased that more and more Indian-American candidates are running for office, and we are well positioned to expand our numbers in U.S. Congress this year. But Indian-Americans must continue to become more politically and civically involved. That means voting every election up and down the ballot; volunteering for and donating to candidates running for office that represent their values; and, of course, running for office themselves.
Which of these candidates would be better for India?
Hillary Clinton would foster stronger alliances around the world including with India, the worlds largest democracy.
Did Trump's pro-Hindu/India remarks have any impact on the Indian- American community?
Im proud of my heritage and culture, but Donald Trumps appeals to religion can be divisive. America is strong when it is united, and when we celebrate our diversity, not denigrate it the way Donald Trump does
Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat of Tamil origin, is running for Congress from the 8th district of Illinois. In an interview with Gayathri Gopakumar, the former lawyer explains why Hillary Clinton is a better bet for the Indian-American community. Excerpts: Who do you think will win this presidential election, and why? I believe that Hillary Clinton will win the Presidential election because the American people will reject the cynicism and fear that Donald Trump is peddling. She is far better suited to fight for our middle-class families than Donald Trump. How do you react to the recent poll which says two out of every three Indian-Americans are likely to back Hillary Clinton? This result is not surprising to me given that Hillary Clinton has been such a powerful advocate for working families and a strong friend to the Indian-American community. That said, people need to get out and vote to make sure their preferences count on Election Day! Do you think Trump has managed to polarize voters, ie, African-Americans, Hispanics and Muslims vs everyone else? Yes, Donald Trumps rhetoric has continually sought to divide the American people. Americans are better than that. On November 8th, I feel strongly that the American people will reject Donald Trump and favor unity over division. How powerful is the Indian Diaspora in the US political system? I am pleased that more and more Indian-American candidates are running for office, and we are well positioned to expand our numbers in U.S. Congress this year. But Indian-Americans must continue to become more politically and civically involved. That means voting every election up and down the ballot; volunteering for and donating to candidates running for office that represent their values; and, of course, running for office themselves. Which of these candidates would be better for India? Hillary Clinton would foster stronger alliances around the world including with India, the worlds largest democracy. Did Trump's pro-Hindu/India remarks have any impact on the Indian- American community? Im proud of my heritage and culture, but Donald Trumps appeals to religion can be divisive. America is strong when it is united, and when we celebrate our diversity, not denigrate it the way Donald Trump does
By AFP
Hillary Clintons possible election next week to Americas highest office has raised a sticky question: Whats the best way to refer to the presidents male spouse? There have only ever been male presidents in the United States with female spouses. One president, James Buchanan, remained a lifelong bachelor.
Bill Clinton poses a special dilemma not only he would be the first male presidential spouse, but also the first former president to return to the White House as a spouse. The former Arkansas governor was elected president in 1992 and again in 1996, serving eight years in office. It is common to use the honorific president to anyone who has served in the post, even after they leave office.
But if the prognosticators are correct, and Hillary Clinton wins the presidency, then Bill Clinton can no longer be referred to as President Clinton after his wifes inauguration in January without creating massive confusion. Lisa Grotts, a certified etiquette expert, told AFP that the dilemma of how to address a male spouse has been dealt with at the state level, which may, or may not, provide a roadmap. In the US, we have six female governors, and their husbands unofficially go by First Gentleman. But there are no rules for presidential spouses, she said. Once a president, always a president and that will always be his title for life, she said.
Allida Black, an expert on first ladies with the White House Historical Association, said there is no question that, in terms of protocol, Bill Clintons title will stay the same when the first couple are presented at formal events.
Hillary Clintons possible election next week to Americas highest office has raised a sticky question: Whats the best way to refer to the presidents male spouse? There have only ever been male presidents in the United States with female spouses. One president, James Buchanan, remained a lifelong bachelor. Bill Clinton poses a special dilemma not only he would be the first male presidential spouse, but also the first former president to return to the White House as a spouse. The former Arkansas governor was elected president in 1992 and again in 1996, serving eight years in office. It is common to use the honorific president to anyone who has served in the post, even after they leave office. But if the prognosticators are correct, and Hillary Clinton wins the presidency, then Bill Clinton can no longer be referred to as President Clinton after his wifes inauguration in January without creating massive confusion. Lisa Grotts, a certified etiquette expert, told AFP that the dilemma of how to address a male spouse has been dealt with at the state level, which may, or may not, provide a roadmap. In the US, we have six female governors, and their husbands unofficially go by First Gentleman. But there are no rules for presidential spouses, she said. Once a president, always a president and that will always be his title for life, she said. Allida Black, an expert on first ladies with the White House Historical Association, said there is no question that, in terms of protocol, Bill Clintons title will stay the same when the first couple are presented at formal events.
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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (front) attends the Fifth Meeting of Heads of Government of Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) and China in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)
ST. PETERSBURG, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Sunday arrived for a visit in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, which has witnessed more and more joint economic and cultural projects between the two countries as they are deepening cooperation in various fields.
In 2005, the 1.3 billion-U.S. dollar Pearl of the Baltic Sea project was launched in St. Petersburg's southwest Krasnoselsky district.
Shanghai Industrial Investment Co., Ltd. and seven other Chinese companies participated in the project, which has become China's largest non-energy investment project in Russia.
The Pearl of the Baltic Sea is a modern multi-functional residential and commercial zone, with a total construction area of 1.94 million square meters.
More than 10 years later, the Pearl of the Baltic Sea has become a well-known local brand. At the project's 10-year anniversary ceremony, St. Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko said the Pearl of the Baltic Sea had broken local stereotypes of residential districts by creating an environment comfortable for living, work and leisure.
In 2015, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) completed a 13.8 million-cubic meter dredging operation project in the Bronka port in St. Petersburg. The cost of the work was approximately 110 million dollars.
This is not only the first dredging project in Europe undertaken by China, but also an important part of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.
The Belt and Road Initiative comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and aspires to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.
In order to ensure the completion of the project, the CCCC gathered eight dredgers from five countries in the Bronka port. The CCCC managed to finish the dredging operation ahead of schedule, and the quality of work was highly estimated by Russia.
On July 3, 2016, Beijing Jiaotong University, in collaboration with St. Petersburg State Transport University and Moscow State University of Railway Engineering, created the China-Russia High-Speed Rail Research Center headquartered in St. Petersburg.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong said the center would accumulate knowledge from higher education and research institutions, well-known enterprises and experts from the two countries.
The center will focus on key issues of high-speed rail development, and develop the sharing of research results and joint training, she said, adding that it will also provide technical and intellectual support to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).
On the same day, Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine established the first legally recognized Chinese Medicine Center in Russia -- also in St. Petersburg. It has already become very popular among local residents.
Cultural exchanges are also successful: Peking Opera and theatrical performances can be seen in the most famous theaters of St. Petersburg, notably Mariinsky and Alexandrinsky, and they are praised by the Russian audience.
In exchange, Russian theaters have successfully staged ballet and drama performances in China. Yulia Mylnikova, the Russian side director of the Confucius Institute in St. Petersburg State University, has noted that cultural exchanges have developed in parallel with the deepening of bilateral relations and have a great potential for further growth.
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News Analysis: Chinese premier proposes four principles guiding "16+1" cooperation
BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Russia is expected to yield fruitful results in the two countries' political, economic and cultural cooperation, analysts have said.
Premier Li arrived in St. Petersburg Sunday for the 21st China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting and an official visit to the northern neighbor.Full Story
A CM-302 model on display at 2016 Zhuhai Airshow.
China's largest missile-maker is promoting what it calls "the world's best anti-ship missile" for sales in the international market.
China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, one of the main defense equipment suppliers in the nation, is marketing its CM-302 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile to nations hoping to improve their naval capabilities.
CM-302 is the best anti-ship missile available on the world's arms market and "it's not an exaggeration", said Lyu Xiaoge, spokesman for the State-owned defense technology giant on the sidelines of the 2016 Zhuhai Airshow, which sealed 40 bln USD worth of deals.
The justification for the statement is that the missile can fly at supersonic speeds during its entire 290-kilometer trajectory, and it can be mounted on ships, aircraft or ground vehicles. It can be used to knock out land targets as well, Lyu said.
Offerings from competitors do not have such advantages, Lyu said. "They can be supersonic only during one certain part of the flight and can't be mounted on multiple platforms."
Only two other supersonic anti-ship missiles are available in the market: Russia's P-800 Oniks, also known as the SS-N-26 Strobile, and BrahMos, a joint development by Russia and India.
The most widely sold anti-ship missiles are the United States' Harpoon series, which have a maximum range of 280 km, the first of which entered into service in the 1970s, according to Cao Weidong, a researcher with the People's Liberation Army Naval Military Studies Research Institute.
Lyu said market research shows that "many nations" need potent weapons like the CM-302 to beef up their maritime defenses.
The missile, designed for export, resembles the YJ-12 heavy-duty, supersonic anti-ship cruise missile that made its debut at the V-Day military parade in Beijing in September of last year.
Aside from speed and flexibility, the CM-302 also has a greater ability to penetrate defenses and greater destructive power than others in the market, Lyu said.
He said only one CM-302 is capable of disabling a 5,000-metric-ton guided missile destroyer.
Related:
China becomes new "engine" for world's aviation industry
China develops high-speed intelligent unmanned sea vessel
Interpretation of Hong Kong Basic Law comes at right time: spokesperson
(Xinhua) 10:04, November 07, 2016
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature on Monday adopted an interpretation to Article 104 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).
A spokesperson of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council on Monday issued a statement hailing the adoption of an interpretation of Article 104 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) as "absolutely necessary" and timely.
"The interpretation demonstrates the central government's firm determination and will in opposing 'Hong Kong independence,'" the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson went on to say that the interpretation "safeguards the authority of the Basic Law and the rule of law in Hong Kong" and "complies with the common aspiration of the entire Chinese people, including the compatriots in Hong Kong."
(File photo of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant in Shenzhen, Guangdong province)
China will have 58 million kilowatts of installed nuclear power by 2020 as it expands its clean energy network and pursues green growth, the country's energy regulator announced Monday.
The government will have around 30 million kw of nulcear energy facility going into operation and over 30 million kw of such facility under construction in the next five years, according to the 13th Five-Year Plan for power development released by the National Energy Administration and the National Development and Reform Commission.
China is expected to require about 6.8 trillion to 7.2 trillion kw of power by 2020, with per capita power consumption of about 5,000 kw, close to the level of medium-developed countries.
Non-fossil fuel will play a bigger role as the government aims to lift its share in total energy consumption to about 15 percent by the end of 2020.
Installed capacity of hydropower, wind power and solar power will be about 340 million, 210 million and 110 million kw, respectively.
Meanwhile, installed capacity of coal-fired power will be restricted within 1.1 billion kw while natural-gas-fired power will reach over 110 million kw by 2020.
China will also promote smart grid development, address regional power supply imbalances and improve the power market rules, according to the development plan.
Thai people mourn for Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 14, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Mangmang)
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was revered as the father of the nation among Thailands 67 million people, passed away 13 October, 2016.
The late Monarch was beloved among all his subjects homes and businesses throughout the kingdom displayed His Majestys portrait in an honorable, prominent position, illustrating the peoples love for their king, who reigned for 70 years (1946 2016).
His Majesty King Bhumibol the ninth King of the Chakri Dynasty will be remembered as the Monarch who worked hardest to improve the livelihoods of all Thai citizens, through his comprehensive understanding of their living conditions. This earned His Majesty the well-deserved title of father of the nation from his people.
At His Majestys coronation ceremony, the monarch made the pledge that We shall reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people. Throughout his 70-year reign, His Majesty proved through his tireless efforts that he truly believed that it was the Crowns duty to serve its subjects.
Following his accession to the throne, His Majesty King Bhumibol dedicated himself to visiting every part of his Kingdom. There was not a single location considered too remote for the young Monarch to travel to in order that the King could learn how his subjects lived and the struggles they endured in various rural and remote areas. His Majesty was often seen fording rivers or trekking up mountainsides in order to reach many of his subjects. The King was even known to fly by helicopter into remote areas that were inaccessible to even the sturdiest off-road vehicles. His Majesty was often accompanied on these expeditions by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit and their children. Such selfless efforts enabled Their Majesties to gain a clear understanding of all levels of Thai society.
Upon learning of the difficulties that his subjects experienced, His Majesty began researching projects and initiatives that could help alleviate their hardships and help to improve their lives. His research led to the creation of over 4,000 Royal Development Projects. Among these projects were an initiative aimed at helping hill tribe people who were engaged in unsustainable farming practices, as well as programs aimed at improving water management and reversing the effects of soil erosion. One project generated renewable energy from palm oil, while the Chaipattana Aerator received a patent and was successfully employed around the world.
As a visionary, His Majesty King Bhumibol understood that the attempt to improve the lives of the Thai people could not be a temporary effort, so to bring about real benefits to the people, projects were long-term while also aiming to sustain and protect the nations environment and natural resources.
The projects to help the hill tribe people were of particular importance to His Majesty, for these people were then deriving their income from growing opium in northern Thailand, in Chiangrai right in the heart of the notorious Golden Triangle. In the 1960s, His Majesty encouraged the promotion of crop substitution programs for the hill tribe people in northern Thailand, which over the years has successfully transformed the opium-growing areas into agricultural farms fully enriched with high-value products such as strawberry, coffee, macadamia, flowers and various fresh vegetables, generating stable income for tribal and rural farmers. The reduction in opium production also aided in reducing the number of drug addicted population within and outside Thailand. The clearest proof of the projects success is that the Golden Triangle, once known to be a stronghold of drug mafia, is now a popular tourist spot in Chiangrai.
One of the main reasons for the success of the projects was the system used to manage them. His Majesty King Bhumibol did not issue simple orders or decisions. Rather, the King utilized a detailed consortium, which he had personally devised. The first step involved researching available data, then combined this with the information His Majesty gathered during his interactions with local people. Next, His Majesty would consult with academics and officials to ensure the best possibility of success for each project. Once this stage was completed, the initiative was passed on to the government for implementation.
While he worked tirelessly for the country, His Majesty King Bhumibol felt that his people would be better served if centers were created where research could be carried out for the benefit of the projects. The idea was that the variety of climates and ecological conditions found throughout the nation could be taken into consideration. With this in mind, the Royal Development Study Centers (RDSCs) were initiated. His Majesty opened six RDSCs, covering the countrys major regions, from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in the north, where they help to advance the opium crop substitution projects, down to the southern province of Narathiwat.
Each center works closely with academics, the government and local communities on ways to apply research, along with modern agricultural techniques, to create sustainable livelihoods for people living in the areas using local resources while protecting the environment at the same time. Another unique feature of the centers is that they do not try to alter the land or disrupt local culture, but work hand-in-hand with the local people and resources available in each area.
There is no doubt that the Royal Development Projects and RDSCs greatly enhanced the quality of life for people living in Thailands rural areas. However, His Majestys most significant achievement was the creation of the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP), which was introduced in 1974.
The Sufficiency Economy Philosophy encourage people to live within their means and not abuse natural resources in order to enhance sustainability and create resilience to external challenges. The core principles are quite simple; live a life of moderation, applying reasonableness and self-control this philosophy also aims to utilize a bottom-up approach. The Royal Development Projects and RDSCs has served as testbeds for various applications of the philosophy, such as the RDSC at Khao Hin Sorn, which tested practical application of the philosophy on farming and agriculture.
Over the course of more than 40 years, the philosophy has become ingrained among Thai citizens, regardless of their gender, age or economic status, and it has become part of their daily lives, particular following the hard lessons learned from the 1997 economic crisis. It has even become a key element among the business practices of large Thai corporations. The philosophy has not only taken hold throughout the kingdom, but was also adapted and applied in several other countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic and the Kingdom of Lesotho. Thailand also continues to share its positive experiences implementing the philosophy with the international community, such as the G77 countries.
His Majesty King Bhumibols lifetime dedication to his people and his efforts to protect the environment did not go unnoticed within the international community. In 2006, His Majesty was awarded the first United Nations Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award. The UN recognized that His Majestys focus on helping to develop small-scale agriculture, farming technologies suitable for the countrys geography and the proper management of water resources to better cope with drought and floods had in turn helped to benefit millions of His subjects living in the countrys rural areas.
His Majesty was also awarded the IAUP Peace Award by the International Association of University Presidents in 1986, the UNEP Gold Medal of Distinction by the UN Environment Program in 1992, and the World Health Organization (WHO)s Plaque in 2000, along with numerous other international awards, which all acknowledged His Majestys dedication to his people and his country.
His Majesty's life-long devotion towards advancing and refining Thailand's agricultural sector resulted in a significant improvement in the welfare of Thai people and paved way for Thailand to become the world's number one net food exporter.
Through royal development projects, Thailand became self-sufficient through its ability to feed itself as well as the rest of the world.
(File photo of South Korean President Park Geun-hye)
Calls from politicians mounted in South Korea for President Park Geun-hye to leave the ruling Saenuri Party amid growing public demand for Park's resignation.
Former Saenuri Party chairman Kim Moo-sung held an emergency press conference on Monday, saying President Park must drop her party affiliation with a sense of responsibility to save the party.
Kim, seen as one of key men in the non-President Park faction within the ruling party, denounced the embattled president for damaging the constitution in running the country.
President Park made her second public apology on Friday over a scandal involving her longtime confidante and former aides, but tens of thousands of protesters demanded Park's resignation on Saturday at a nationwide rally where organizers estimated about 300,000 people had gathered across the country.
Non-Park faction lawmakers have called on the president to bolt from the governing party, which has seen its approval rating tumble together with President Park whose support scores dropped to 5 percent. It was the lowest for any South Korean president, according to a local pollster survey released on Friday.
Kang Seok-ho, one of non-Park faction lawmakers, announced his resignation as the supreme member of the Saenuri Party leadership, composed of nine supreme members.
Kang demanded an overhaul of the ruling party and a new leadership composed of new figures, calling on President Park to distance herself from state affairs.
Senior non-Park faction members, who are in the third parliamentary term or higher, held a separate meeting earlier, asking Seanuri chairman Lee Jung-hyun to immediately step down. The chairman is former key advisor to President Park.
The party leadership, including the chairman, has refused the calls for resignation. Lee told the leadership meeting that he should be allowed to maintain his post in order to have time and help the embattled president.
The official Twitter account of Sputnik International was hacked by an unknown perpetrator on Sunday. The attack was later confirmed by Sputnik Brazil.
Sputnik Brazil reported that the security breach happened at approximately 06:00 GMT on Sunday. All the tweets that were sent out appear to have been left untouched. However, the account was renamed to Matt Curtis, the account description was changed to m8, the profile photo was changed from the Sputnik logo to a picture of a man standing on a bridge, and the header photo was deleted.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack. Twitter was contacted and the account appears to be locked. It does not appear that Sputnik has regained control of the account.
Portsmouth boy bullied for long hair has plan to donate it
It makes me feel so proud of him, his generous spirit. He cares about others more than he cares about himself sometimes."
(File photo)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday pitched for his pet "Make in India" initiative to bolster trade ties with Britain as he welcomed his British counterpart Theresa May in the national capital, hailing the UK as a "great friend of India".
"We expect Make In India to be an important aspect of the India-UK bilateral engagement. It is vital that India and the UK, two countries linked by history, work together to define the knowledge economy of the 21st century," Modi said.
The Prime Minister, who was speaking at the India-UK Tech Summit in the national capital, said that India and the UK can leverage technological prowess to create new opportunities, and sought British investments in defense, manufacturing and aerospace sectors.
"Together, we can create a vibrant and thriving environment for new commercial applications with breakthrough technologies," Modi said said at the event, also attended by visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May.
On her part, May said that India and the UK share a "special bond", and promised easier travel for Indians to the UK, saying that "Britain would offer expedited clearance at the UK borders under a Registered Traveler Scheme to business travellers from India".
Stating that it's vital to identify ways to deepen the trade relationship between the two countries before the UK leaves the European Union, the British Prime Minister said: "More investment and fewer barriers to trade between Britain and India would boost prosperity."
May arrived in Delhi late Sunday night on a three-day trade-focussed visit aimed at bolstering bilateral ties in the key areas of trade, investment, defence and security.
Champaign, IL (61820)
Today
Mainly clear skies. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 46F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..
Tonight
Mainly clear skies. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 46F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Exercise protects fat tissue from changes in inflammation levels and fat metabolism caused by a week of overeating, a new study finds. University of Michigan researchers will present the results of their study today at the Integrative Biology of Exercise 7 meeting in Phoenix.
Previous studies indicate that as little as one week of overeating can impair glycemic control and insulin sensitivity. But while exercise has been shown to have a protective effect against metabolic impairments caused by eating too much, the specifics of how exercise affects the structure and function of fat tissue are not well understood.
In this pilot study, the researchers studied four lean and active adults who consumed 30 percent more calories than normal for one week. During the experiment, the subjects continued their regular exercise habits (at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise and at least six days of exercise in the week). The research team measured glucose tolerance and abdominal fat samples before and after the week of overeating.
"Our preliminary findings suggest trends for increases in markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein, pJNK/JNK) after one week of overeating in people who do not exercise," said Alison C. Ludzki, first author on the study. However, the team found that among the exercising subjects in this study, "overeating did not increase the protein content of markers of adipose tissue inflammation (i.e., pJNK/JNK, pERK/ERK) or circulating C-reactive protein." The subjects also experienced no change in glucose tolerance or lipolysis (chemical breakdown of fat).
"Our preliminary findings expand on existing work to support a protective role of exercise in the metabolic response of adipose tissue to brief periods of overeating," the researchers concluded.
EuroEcho-Imaging 2016 brings advanced techniques to the bedside with international experts set to discuss the use of holograms and 3D printing to guide interventions. The world's largest cardiovascular imaging conference will be held 7 to 10 December in Leipzig, Germany at the Congress Centre Leipzig.
EuroEcho-Imaging is the annual meeting of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), a registered branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). More than 3200 healthcare professionals are expected to attend from over 90 countries. The full scientific programme is available here
"Cardiovascular imaging is now an integral part of diagnosing and treating heart disease," said Professor Bernard Cosyns, Chairperson of the Scientific Programme Committee. "Nowadays, what's new is that advanced techniques like 3D echocardiography and deformation imaging are being used in clinical practice."
New frontiers in congenital heart imaging will be explored including the use of 3D imaging, where data are used to create a hologram of the heart which hovers over the patient and guides the interventional cardiologist in correcting structural abnormalities. Further developments will be highlighted in 3D printing techniques, which use 3D imaging data to create exact and patient-specific cardiac structures that are then used to plan procedures.
The two main themes of the congress are the role of imaging in arrhythmias and aortic valve diseases. Predicting the risk of life threatening arrhythmias is a hot topic and the role of new imaging techniques will be presented, including an entire session dedicated to imaging after cardiac arrest.
"In the early phase after a patient survives cardiac arrest, imaging is essential to find the cause and guide immediate treatment," said Professor Cosyns. "Imaging is also important later on to select patients who should receive a defibrillator to treat future episodes."
The role of multi-modality imaging in the evaluation of atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac arrhythmia, will also be explored following the publication of an EACVI expert consensus earlier this year.
Degenerative valvular heart disease is increasingly common in Europe and the US due to an aging population. Aortic valve disease - which includes aortic stenosis - is the main reason for valve repair or replacement and is the focus of several sessions.
"Patients requiring a valve intervention are often older, frail, and unsuitable for surgery," said Professor Cosyns. "Fortunately we have an alternative, less invasive approach, called transcatheter aortic valve intervention (TAVI). Experts will discuss the use of imaging to guide this therapy."
The safety of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) will be debated and the media will hear first-hand the arguments for and against the use of this imaging modality. Professor Cosyns said: "It has been suggested that CMR may lead to DNA damage. This session will also provide insights into how much irradiation using computed tomography (CCT) is safe and how often CMR can be performed without causing harm."
The controversial use of a pocket-sized echocardiography device instead of a stethoscope will be debated, giving members of the press the most up-to-date pro and contra arguments. "The pocket-sized echo device has some advantages but the danger is that cardiologists lose experience with the stethoscope," said Professor Cosyns.
During the four day meeting original science will be presented in more than 1,000 abstracts. Innovations in industry will be revealed and members of the press will learn what cardiovascular imaging products are in the pipeline that may enter clinical practice in the future.
This year's EuroEcho-Imaging Lecture will be given by Dr Partho P. Sengupta from The Mount Sinai Medical Centre in New York, who will speak about cardiac imaging in the era of precision medicine.
Professor Cosyns said: "The EuroEcho-Imaging programme is packed with new science, controversy and debate, and is the place to be to get up to speed on the fast moving field of cardiovascular imaging."
The current method of treating prostate cancer involves identifying gene defects, which could help with the diagnosis of cancer and the development of individualised cancer treatments for patients. Professor Tapio Visakorpi at the University of Tampere is studying the molecular biology of prostate cancer, with funding by the Academy of Finland. The goal is to obtain a holistic picture of the disease's mechanisms and use those mechanisms as a basis for developing new treatments.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Finnish men and the second most common cancerous cause of death in males. The disease's underlying mechanisms vary significantly from one individual to the next. Therefore, in Visakorpi's opinion, prostate cancer treatments should be designed individually for each patient according to their personal clinical picture.
"Most of the prostate cancers diagnosed are relatively benign and don't necessarily require active treatment. On the other hand, some prostate cancers are highly aggressive. A major problem from the treatment perspective is that once the disease has been diagnosed, the clinical course is difficult to predict reliably," says Visakorpi.
Several new treatments have been developed for prostate cancer in the past ten years. The same problem remains: the inability to predict which treatment will be most effective for each patient.
"Recent genome studies have shown that even though prostate cancer initiates in a single cell of origin, several cancer cell subpopulations with different genome types emerge as the disease progresses. This is not a single disease; several mechanisms lead to the emergence of the disease. Therefore, it's important to identify those genome defects in each patient that occur in all cancer cells, that is, the so-called truncal mutations, and target the treatment to them," says Visakorpi. "This requires taking multiple samples from the patient. The processing of samples also needs to be improved to make them more suitable for molecular analysis than the current methods. We've developed a new processing method for cancerous tissue."
Some current treatments can become harmful to the patient
For half a century now, it has been known that prostate cancer growth is stimulated by male hormones, androgens. Hormonal therapy, which prevents the production or effects of androgens, has been the so-called gold standard in treating the advanced form of the disease. However, prostate cancer can reactivate the androgen receptor signalling pathway during treatment.
"It was already proven back in the 1990s that one mechanism stimulating this reactivation is the amplification of the androgen receptor (AR) gene. New research has shown that glucocorticoid medication, which is often used to treat end-stage prostate cancer, can turn against the patient. This causes a mutation in the AR gene, which leads to the activation of the signalling pathway by glucocorticoids," Visakorpi explains.
"All this indicates that we should be able to monitor the genome changes in each patient's cancer cells, not just at the time of diagnosis but also during treatment as the disease progresses. This would allow for the tailoring of the cancer therapy at any given time throughout the progression of the disease."
Some types of prostate cancer eventually become independent of androgens. Visakorpi's research team has found a new mechanism related to the activation of the transcription cofactor HES6 as the result of gene fusion, which leads to this type of cancer cell development. These types of prostate cancer need non-hormonal therapy.
Earlier this October 2016, Mercy Medical Center became the first hospital in Maryland to utilize the new Cartiva Synthetic Cartilage Implant (SCI) in a surgical procedure, the first synthetic cartilage device approved by the FDA.
The Cartiva SCI was developed for the treatment of painful arthritis at the base of the big toe, the most common arthritic condition in the foot. The current standard of care involves fusing the bones in the arthritic joint with plates and screws. While fusion is an effective procedure for eliminating pain, it permanently prevents movement of the joint.
"The advent of synthetic cartilage offers surgeons a new option to treat patients dealing with the pain caused by degenerative arthritis of the big toe joint. The implant replaces part of the damaged cartilage surface in the joint, provides improved mobility versus traditional fusion surgery, and patients can begin walking on the foot much sooner," said Dr. Clifford Jeng, Medical Director, The Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy.
The Cartiva SCI is a molded, cylindrical device made of biocompatible, biomedical polymer designed to have physical properties similar to those of actual cartilage. Cartilage damaged by degenerative or post-traumatic arthritis is replaced with a small implant that provides a compressible, low-friction and durable bearing surface. The implant provides pain relief and improves both function and motion.
The Cartiva SCI is meant for use in patients with arthritis in the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint (e.g. loss of big toe joint motion due to arthritic conditions).
"SCI implantation is a minimally invasive treatment that takes about 40% less time than a traditional fusion surgery, so less time in the operating room for the patient. Patients have been found to return to their pre-operative activities much faster than with fusion. There's no cast to wear and patients can begin bearing full weight almost immediately," Dr. Jeng said.
Exercise during pregnancy may be as effective in protecting the next generation from age-related health risks as efforts made during the offspring's own adulthood, new research suggests. Kevin Pearson, associate professor at the University of Kentucky Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, will present preliminary findings on the long-term effects of physical activity during pregnancy at the American Physiological Society's Integrative Biology of Exercise 7 meeting in Phoenix.
Oxidative stress is damage to the body caused by an accumulation of unstable molecules called free radicals. The buildup of free radicals decreases resistance to stress and increases the risk of obesity and age-related and chronic disease. Reducing oxidative stress can help lessen the risks of conditions such as cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
The research team examined markers of oxidative stress, inflammation and insulin sensitivity in mice that were born to mothers who were exercised while pregnant. The offspring of the exercised mice had better stress resistance and improved insulin sensitivity, even into adulthood, than those born to sedentary mothers.
"To date, caloric restriction has been the most reproducible and promising intervention to improve these outcomes. An intense and expanding area of research is focused on discovering other short-term or easily achievable interventions that can have long-lasting beneficial effects," the researchers wrote.
The results of the rodent studies also have implications for human health. "Our findings highlight pregnancy as a sensitive period when positive lifestyle interventions could have significant and long-lasting beneficial effects on offspring metabolism and disease risk," wrote the research team.
Source: American Physiological Society (APS)
As mammals evolve, so do mammalian viruses. In doing so, they develop creative and effective ways to counter and evade the antiviral responses of their mammal hosts' immune systems. Researching those mechanisms at the molecular level can reveal key insights into the principles of such strategies relevant to therapy development. An international team of scientists, led by prof. Savvas Savvides of the VIB Inflammation Research Center at Ghent University, set out to do just that. By zooming in on GIF a protein secreted by the virus that causes Orf, or 'thistle disease' they unraveled viral molecular strategies to counter the mammalian immune system. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, provide the basis for developing antiviral therapies and for exploiting the potency of viral proteins to tweak the human immune system to counter inflammatory diseases and cancer.
Orf disease is highly contagious and causes painful scabby lesions on the lips and nostrils of animals such as sheep, goats and other livestock. As a zoonotic disease, it can also be transmitted to humans. In fact, Orf is in the top 20 most important viral diseases affecting the rural poor in developing countries especially in economies that depend heavily on animal farming and agriculture. Although seldom fatal, the disease not only potentially leads to high mortality rates in young animals and children when lesions make it impossible for them to eat; lesions can also impact livestock reproduction and make infected hosts vulnerable to other infections. It is clear that determining just how the virus goes about its infectious business is of major socioeconomic significance.
An integrative, cross-border approach
Coordinated by prof. Savvas Savvides from VIB-Ghent University and spearheaded by Dr. Jan Felix, an international team of scientists rose to the challenge of shedding light onto how Orf cripples the mammalian immune system. The aim? To obtain structural and mechanistic information through an integrative structural biology approach on how GIF one of the proteins secreted by the Orf virus inactivates two key cytokines of the host immune system: IL-2 and GM-CFS. Both proteins play key roles in cell signaling and immune system regulation.
Prof. Savvides (VIB-Ghent University): "Our approach involved the use of various methods in the spirit of integrative structural biology, including x-ray crystallography and electron microscopy, combined with biochemical and biophysical studies. To achieve this, we worked closely with colleagues from France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. In addition, much appreciated research funding from national and international agencies, as well as access to specialized facilities at the European level proved to be crucial for our research."
A rare and surprising discovery
Prof. Savvides (VIB-Ghent University): "We investigated GIF because we are intrigued by how viruses use specialized proteins to change the immune system's response. What we discovered was surprising: it is very rare that one viral protein can target two different host proteins to dodge the immune response, yet this functional duality is exactly what characterizes GIF. Most surprising was the finding that GIF uses its structure in distinct ways to target the cytokines IL-2 and GM-CSF with high affinity. Remarkably, GIF's structure does not look anything like the natural receptors of the cytokines it targets, yet it is able to mimic their ability to bind to IL-2 and GM-CSF to prevent the normal functions of the two cytokines. A scary feat!"
Great potential for innovative therapies
Prof. Savvides (VIB-Ghent University): "By unveiling how GIF works, we have taken an important step towards understanding the molecular virtuosity that viral proteins develop as they evolve, and how they interact with their hosts' immune systems. As our research moves forward, we would like to consolidate our findings. This, in turn, may help us use viral protein structures, like GIF, to target human proteins in a therapeutic context to combat inflammatory diseases and cancer."
One Medicine: how human and veterinary medicine can benefit each other
Professor Roberto La Ragione
News-Medical speaks to Professor Roberto La Ragione, Chair of Trustees at Humanimal Trust, about the concept of One Medicine and how human and veterinary medicine can collaborate, share knowledge, and initiate research for the benefit of both humans and animals.
Footage of a rare North-Chinese leopard in Tongtian River basin was captured for the first time in the northwestern province of Qinghai, according to local forestry bureau on Monday.
The images were captured by an infrared camera installed as part of a biodiversity monitoring project on the headwaters of the Yangtze river in the province's Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture late October.
Besides the North-Chinese leopard, 12 snow leopards have been spotted so far this year.
North-Chinese leopard are a Class A protected animal, and are classified as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to loss of habitat and poaching.
It is similar in size to the Amur leopard, and has darker fur than other leopard subspecies.
The new evidence extends the recorded range of North-Chinese leopards in China, indicating a good ecological local environment, according to Wen Cheng, head of a conservation center in Beijing and leader of the monitoring program.
As leopards are solitary, except for mating pairs, the consequences of habitat overlap between snow leopards and North-Chinese leopard remain to be seen, Wen added.
The monitoring program, supported by local governments and conservation centers across China, covers an area of 400 square kilometers around Tongtian River basin.
Sambar deer and wild boars have also been seen during the program.
New Toyota Fortuner from the back. (Photo Courtesy: Toyota Global)
Toyota Fortuner from the side. (Photo Courtesy: Toyota Global)
Toyota India has launched the new Fortuner at a base price of Rs 25.92 lakh and goes all the way up to 31.12 lakh (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi). The Fortuner nameplate has been a popular choice among SUV buyers in India in this price segment, but the Japanese offering had started to look dated when compared to other American offerings like the new Ford Endeavour and the Chevrolet Trailblazer . But this time, it's not just a mid-life facelift that's been given by Toyota, it is an all-new model.At first glance, you will notice just how much the design of the Fortuner has been revamped. The styling is a lot sleeker than before and yet manages to keep the muscular feel, that the previous generation Fortuner was known for. At the front, there are the sharp wraparound projector headlamps which are accentuated by the bold chrome grille. There's chrome at the fog lamps housings too.From the sides, the kinked window line along with the large wheel arches give the Fortuner a tall stance and the rear gets sleek LED tail lamps. The boot is electrically operated. The chrome treatment runs throughout the car in the form of a thin strip along the windows and the rear glass panel which is a neat addition.If we talk about the interiors then the changes include the addition of a large touchscreen infotainment screen and the materials used inside the cabin are soft-touch materials and the seats are wrapped in leather.The biggest change, though, has to be under the hood. Toyota has launched the Fortuner with two engine options a 2.8-litre diesel engine and a 2.7-litre petrol engine. Whereas the diesel unit produces 177 horsepower and 360 Nm of torque, the petrol engine delivers 164 horsepower and 245 Nm of torque. Transmission duties will be handled by a 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic transmission.The Fortuner already has a good presence in the segment. Now that it is back in an all-new avatar, it will be interesting to see how it fares against the competition.Here are the Toyota Fortuner's variant-wise pricesTwo-Wheel Drive with Manual Transmission: Rs 27.52 lakhTwo-Wheel Drive with Automatic Transmission: Rs 29.14 lakhFour-wheel Drive with Manual Transmission: Rs 30.05 lakhFour-wheel Drive with Automatic Transmission: Rs 31.12 lakhTwo-Wheel Drive with Manual Transmission: Rs 25.92 lakhTwo-Wheel Drive with Automatic Transmission: Rs 27.16 lakh(All prices ex-showroom, Delhi)
When you think hatchbacks in India then chances are that the first brand that will come to your mind is Maruti Suzuki, because it has been holding its spot as the market leader in this segment for ages. The companys most successful offering in the segment is the Alto, which was challenged by many offerings from various manufacturers over the years, but the Alto stood its ground.Its only real challenge has been the Renault Kwid, and rightly so, because the Kwid offered technology, features and looks at a price rate that was unimaginable before the car was launched. It also became a boon for Renault, as the company has sold over 75,000 units of the Kwid since its launch last year.Building upon the momentum that the Kwid had gathered, the French automaker showcased several variants of the car at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo held in February. Out of which, there were two variants that got everyone talking the 1.0-litre offering and the one with an AMT gearbox.The 1.0-litre engine variant was launched in August at a price of Rs 3.82 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi) christened Kwid SCe . Now, the company is on its way to launch the AMT version called the Kwid Easy-R.These offerings make complete sense as for those who wanted a bit more power out of the Kwid 800 have a variant thats giving them just that and the AMT variant, or the Easy-R, will attract those who want an affordable hatchback that spares them from the hassle that comes with a clutch lever.This is exactly the same route Maruti Suzuki had undertaken with the Alto, which later got a 1.0-litre engine capacity variant in the form of the Alto K10 and then, was offered with an optional AMT gearbox, called Alto K10 AGS. And thats not it, Maruti Suzuki as always, managed to price it aggressively at a price tag of Rs 4.05 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). We had reviewed the car and found that it was the best value for money AMT hatchback in India. Not only is the Alto K10 AGS a fantastic car, it is backed by the widest dealership and service network presently in India. Add to that the easy availability of parts, low maintenance cost and low cost of everyday running and the K10 becomes a complete package.Dont get us wrong, though, the Kwid is a fantastic product that offers great value for money and sure, it looks better than the K10, and following the Alto's strategy makes sense as the target customer is same, but the real competition here is not the product, but the service that you get with it once it has been purchased by you. And once you are done with it, you would want the car to fetch a good resale value too, and the Alto will fetch you the price of a base model Kwid anyways.Renault is expected to offer the AMT gearbox option in the top-end RXT variant which is currently priced at Rs 3.57 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The addition of the AMT gearbox means a jump in the price of Rs 40,000 Rs 50,000, taking the overall price of the car to over Rs 4 lakhs.Given the number of features that the Kwid is loaded with, it is breathing down the neck of Alto K10 AGS. It all comes down to the pricing, as thats the companys best bet (and only bet) to make the Easy-R a better package than the Alto K10.Will it be a success? Only time will tell. For now, the winner is the potential customer who is looking to buy their first car as the intense competition, only makes everything better.
US equity index futures rallied at the open on Sunday as bullish sentiment returned to Wall Street following the largest streak of losses on the S&P 500 since 1980.
The 1.3 percent move in S&P 500 e-mini futures ESc1 cut in nearly half the losses in futures over the past nine sessions, and came a few hours after the FBI said that newly discovered emails had not changed the agency's conclusion that no charges were warranted in the case of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's use of a private server.
The move in equity futures came in a surge of volume as electronic trading kicked off for the week at 6 p.m. EST (2300 GMT).
If the upturn in S&P 500 futures carries through the day on Monday, it would put an end to the longest daily losing streak in the benchmark stock index .SPX in more than 35 years.
The run of losses had come as Clinton appeared to have lost momentum over Republican rival Donald Trump in some public opinion polls after FBI director James Comey said on Oct. 28 that additional emails had been found and would be reviewed.
Clinton and Trump face off on Tuesday in a vote to elect Barack Obama's successor as U.S. president. Until recently, financial markets had priced in a victory from Clinton.
The news from the FBI and recent reports of Clinton starting to regain strength in public opinion polls likely explain the move higher in stock futures and in the Mexican currency, said Michael Yoshikami, chief executive of investment management firm Destination Wealth Management of Walnut Creek, California.
Until Sunday night, the downward trend in equities and the peso "has been in direct relationship to the news that Donald Trump was advancing in the polls," Yoshikami said.
The Mexican peso MXN=, which has been a market proxy for sentiment about the election and has performed in inverse correlation with Trump's perceived chances of winning the White House, shot more than 2 percent higher against the U.S. dollar in late Sunday trading.
It is still down more than 7 percent this year against the greenback.
S&P 500 futures fell 3 percent over the past nine sessions, during which the benchmark index S&P 500 declined daily to set the longest falling streak since December 1980.
"To get back to where we were before the election angst began would require a 3.2 percent rally," said Brian Jacobsen, chief portfolio strategist at Wells Fargo Funds Management in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
"There have been some impressive rallies in the couple days in the run-up to an election," he said. "With a dearth of economic data releases, little else will be moving the markets between now and Tuesday night."
He noted, however, that some traders will likely sell this rally to avoid any surprise in the election outcome which could trigger a spike in volatility.
In his 7-page report, Ramachandran argued that the trial court denied a fair hearing to the accused and that they were treated like a homogenous class of condemned criminals without being given any individualized sentencing process.
Reacting to the amicus curiae submission, Nirbhayas father Badrinath told News18 that there was no ground for separate sentencing of the culprits. If even any one of the accused had tried to save my daughter this question would have arisen, but here everyone devoured her. There is no question to give them individual penalty, all of them deserve to be dead, he said.
Senior advocate and amicus curiae in the Nirbhaya rape and murder case Raju Ramachandran has submitted to the Supreme Court that the death sentence given to the four convicts violated the fundamental norms of sentencing and hence deserved to be struck down.Yes, we have made our submissions to the Supreme Court, but I cannot speak anything about it as I am currently involved in the case, Ramachandran told News18.Four accused in the case had been sentenced to death by a trial court, which was upheld by the Delhi High Court in 2014. Their appeal is pending before a Supreme Court bench, which had appointed Ramachandran and senior advocate Sanjay Hedge as amicus curiae to assist the court.The report also mentions that since a fair trial was denied to the accused, the death sentence violated Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution.The 23-year-old paramedic was brutally gang-raped by six persons in a moving bus in south Delhi on the night of December 16, 2012, while returning home. She died later in a hospital in Singapore where the government had airlifted her amid raging protests across the national capital demanding justice.One of the accused hanged himself in Tihar jail while another was acquitted since he was a minor. While upholding the death sentences of Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Mukesh and Pawan Gupta the Delhi High Court had observed that exemplary punishment was the need of the hour.K Parameshwar, who assisted Advocate Ramachandran in the amicus curiae report submitted to the SC bench of Justice Dipak Mishra, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice Bhanumati on Friday, said Part I of the report highlighted the mitigating factors.After a conviction, before a sentencing is pronounced, the convict must be given a chance to state any mitigating factors which could help the court avoid imposition of the death sentence. The court itself in a lot of cases has said that mitigating factors like the socio-economic conditions of the accused, mental health, and other parameters could be highlighted by the accused before a sentencing is pronounced. But in this case, this step was clearly avoided, Parameshwar told News18.However, former Supreme Court Judge Justice Markandey Katju dismissed the amicus curiae report saying that there was no question of looking at mitigating factors in this case as the gravity of the crime demanded death penalty.But Katju raised serious concerns with regard to the identification of the real criminals. The police in many cases spread its net far and wide which often traps innocents along with the real culprit. We dont know whether the accused in this case are the actual culprits and we believe only the police testimony. Unless the SC re-looks into this aspect of identification or transfers the case back to the HC, it would be unjust to impose death penalty at this juncture, he said.Parameshwar told News18 that Part II of the submission would be made to the SC bench on Friday. It will revolve around how the courts failed to strike a proper balance between the aggravating and mitigating factors while pronouncing the death sentence, said the assisting counsel.Amicus curiae is an expert who is not a party to a case and is not solicited by a party, but who assists a court by offering information that is vital for the case to be decided in an unbiased manner. The decision on whether to admit the information lies at the discretion of the court.While Ramachandran assists the court as amicus curiae on behalf of convicts Mukesh and Pawan, senior advocate Sanjay Hegde will assist on behalf of Akshay Kumar and Vinay.
New Delhi: The British media that accompanied Theresa May in her first visit to India as the UK prime minister were dismayed by the haze that surrounded Indias national capital.
Members of the delegation told News18 that they were forewarned about Delhi pollution but no one had anticipated that the issue was so grave.
Sam Coates of Times, London, said he hadnt witnessed anything like this in his lifetime.
The moment you stepped out of the plane you knew there was a problem. What really shocked me was not the first impression but when I got to the hotel, the haze was inside the lobby. Clearly there is a significant grave problem here if its that entrenched. You can't see beyond the pool. You compared it to the great smog in London, I haven't seen anything like this in my lifetime, he told News18.
Anushka Asthana of The Guardian said she keeps visiting India regularly but never experienced anything like the current levels of pollution. Someone told us before we came out that maybe you should wear a mask. When you got off the plane you literally felt - can I breathe? It's shocking, I've been posting pictures, and I hope it clears up, she said.
Like Coates of Times London Jason Farrell of Sky too said he was shocked to see the haze inside the hotel lobby. When I stepped out I felt as if I had stepped in front of a car exhaust and you can feel it in your throat. The hotel lobby was misty. I haven't seen anything like, he said
Anushka Asthana of The Guardian summed it all up well: I hope Theresa May comes next time when it's not as smoggy but I think she will see past this. I don't think we will have any deals till Brexit is done.
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti here on Monday expressed a deep concern over the burning of schools in the Kashmir valley and termed it "unfortunate".
"The govt has already taken into custody some miscreants who burned schools. I hope there should be some good news for us in next one week," she said on the sidelines of the opening of Civil Secretariat in Jammu.
Over 30 schools have been burnt in various parts of the Valley during the past four months of civil unrest.
Commenting on the ceasefire violations on the border with Pakistan, the Chief Minister said: "Neighbours cannot be changed and both India and Pakistan have to live together. My hope is the shelling on the borders would stop and the ceasefire restored."
Mehbooba also inspected a guard of honour in the heavily-guarded Civil Secretariat building in the heart of Jammu city.
The Secretariat opened in Jammu after functioning from Srinagar during past six months as part of Darbar move.
The Darbar move is an biannual feature in which the civil secretariat stays for six months of winter (from November to April) in Jammu, the winter capital, and returns to the Kashmir Valley for the summer months (May to October). The practice is on in the state since the time of Dogra ruler Maharaja Ranbir Singh who first introduced it in 1872.
The offices had closed in summer capital Srinagar on October, 27.
The state government functioning in Srinagar had been marred by the unrelenting unrest marked by hartals, lockdowns and curfews that began on July 9 following the killing of a top Hizbul Mujaheedin commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir Kokernag area.
The unrest which entered 122-day on Monday has so far claimed over 90 lives while thousands others have been wounded with over one thousand having received pellet injuries in one or both eyes.
Thousands have been arrested by the security forces during the past nearly four months, with over 400 detained under public safety act (PSA).
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre, asking whether the Election Commission of India can be authorised to declare a seat vacant after a lawmaker is convicted for criminal offence.
A lawmaker, upon conviction in a criminal case, attracts immediate disqualification, as the Supreme Court by its order of July 10, 2013, took away the three-month period during which he could approach a higher court to seek both conviction and sentence to be put on hold.
The three-month period was provided under Sub-section 4 of Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, which was held unconstitutional by the apex court on July 10, 2013.
An apex court bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Justice D.Y. Chandachud and Justice L. Nageswara Rao sought the government response as senior counsel Meenakshi Arora, appearing for the Election Commission, said the panel cannot step in for holding election till the Principal Secretary in the Secretariat of the legislature concerned does not declare the seat vacant.
During the course of the hearing, the bench inquired why should the court pronouncing a lawmaker guilty not directly send the verdict to the Election Commission for further action.
However, Arora persisted that under procedural rules, it was only the Secretariat of Parliament or the state assembly, as the case may be, which can declare a seat vacant.
The court notice to the Centre came on a plea by NGO Lok Prahari, which contested the point that the Election Commission could come into picture only after the seat has been decreed vacant by the Secretariat of the elected house.
Appearing for the non-governmental organisation, its General Secretary S.N. Shukla wanted to know which provision (of the rules of procedure) said that unless a seat was declared vacant by the Secretariat concerned, the EC cannot hold election to that seat.
Lok Prahari has moved the court to draw its attention to Uttar Pradesh where it said the convicted lawmakers were continuing to function as assembly members after obtaining stay on their conviction from the sessions courts.
Shukla contended that in the first instance, no court other than the Supreme Court and the High Court can put the conviction in suspension or on the hold.
He contended that even if a court lower than the Supreme Court or the High Court, for some reasons, put on hold the conviction, it would be effective from the date it was put on hold and not retrospectively.
He said there was no way a convicted lawmaker could escape disqualification under Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act after being pronounced guilty of a criminal offence.
A Congress Working Committee meeting on Monday proposed Gandhi as the new party chief and he relented, but the party stopped short of officially appointing the 46-year-old as its president.
Rahul Gandhi's elevation as Congress president is now just a formality.That decision could come soon at the next CWC meeting, sources told News18.Addressing media after the meeting, party veteran AK Antony said that CWC members unanimously said that respecting the wishes of crores of Congress workers, Rahul must take over as party president. Antony quoted Rahul as saying that he was ready to take any responsibility that CWC bestowed him with.For the time being, Sonia Gandhi will continue as a party president, sources said.Earlier today, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi for the first time chaired the CWC meeting as Sonia skipped the session reportedly owing to ill-health.During the meeting, Rahul criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being obsessed with power and for silencing voices of dissent.He also criticised the Modi government for its decision to blackout two news television channels for 24 hours.Democracy is going through its darkest hour. The Modi government is favouring selective corporate houses. With state elections around the corner, we can expect the government to launch a campaign of polarisation, he reportedly said in the meet.He also discussed organisational polls and strategy for the upcoming winter session of Parliament besides party's preparations for the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur.Dalit issues and farmers suicide were also raised in the meeting.
New Delhi: The holiday season is over, but N Dhar, dean of a private educational institute in the city is busy booking her tickets to Conoor, a hill station in Tamil Nadu, at a local travel agents office in Paharganj, New Delhi. She is set to leave the city on Monday along with her family with an open ticket to return.
Dhar is not alone at the dingy office. She is jostling for space with around 15 other masked individuals, all looking for a temporary escape from the smog-hit Delhi, or in Dhars own words, Maut ka dhuan (smoke of death).
As the city reeled under a thick layer of smog for the second week an emergency-like situation according to Union environment minister Anil Dave; a gas chamber if you ask state chief minister Arvind Kejrwial Delhiites are looking for their own private solutions as governments of the day blame each other. Those who can afford it are moving away from the national capital, and those who cant are lining up to buy gas masks and air purifier. Those who cant afford either are coming up with their own unique solutions to safeguard their lungs.
On Sunday afternoon, Troyee Moitra, 28, a management professional and recent mother, was busy hunting for reliable air pollution masks' near Hauz Khas Market. My daughter was a premature baby and was on incubator since the past few weeks. We got her home just a day after Diwali but havent opened our windows since then. I am leaving for Jamshedpur tomorrow and I dont want to return until the situation improves here, she told News18.
Moitra is not alone, around 20 such people News18 spoke to across South Delhi echoed her concern. Mohammad Shahbaz, a perfume shop owner in Jangpura, has his tickets booked for Malegaon in Maharashtra where he has relatives. My father was released from AIMS on Sunday morning after he reported breathing problems. I suffer from Asthma. Though closing down business would affect the monetary aspects but I intend to live and thats why I am relocating to my native place for a few months. I cant even sleep peacefully, he said.
Delhi, being the national capital, is also home to one of the largest expat community in the country. It is also the starting point for any tour of the 'Incredible India' package but the thick smog has taken a toll on foreigners who landed in Delhi.
Three students from Osaka in Japan who visited India on a tour landed up in Delhi just a day before Diwali and are already leaving the city for Pune on Monday. Daichi, Syuki, and Eiichi speaking to News18 says, Our eyes hurt severely and all three of us have throat issues. Doctors have advised us to move to other cities in order to avoid this polluted air. We might come back here on our way back but that would just be to board our flight.
But far away from the ones who can afford to leave the city and travel to other places in pursuit of cleaner air are the ones who have no option to battle the smog daily. Labourers working at small restaurants in the dingy alley of Chawri Bazaar cannot afford a mask. They have heaps of cloth wrapped around their face and while dishing out hot tandoori rotis to customers.
My wife passed away couple of months ago due to Chikungunya, I guess this smog will take me to her now, said Rafique, a labourer from Midnapore working at a kabab shop in Chawri Bazaar.
Rafique shares a room with nine others near Jama Masjid in Old Delhi the most congested part of the city and have hardly opened their window since the past few days. I cannot open the window. My eyes burn and I have to report to work very early in the morning. Lets see how long can I work. The government should atleast provide us good quality masks free of cost, he said.
Across the aisle in the pollution debate, medical shops are scrambling for fresh stocks to meet the surge in demand for masks. Rajat Gupta, working at a medical store in New Ashok Nagar in East Delhi, felt that medical shops would soon start charging black market rates' for the air masks. We placed an emergency order of 400 masks. The masks arrived at 2 pm today and by 4 pm we were taking fresh orders. Even suppliers cant meet the demand, he said.
Fortis Medical Shop near Delhis tony Khan Market was teeming on Sunday with customers hurriedly jotting down their names on a register named air mask orders'. What will happen if entire Delhi starts demanding for the same thing? Demand is huge and mostly people are opting for the expensive ones and the cheap ones are not being sold, a staffer, who didnt want to be identified, told News18.
Delhi, it seems, is being left to fend for itself.
Lahore: Jammat-ud-Dawah chief and Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed has threatened India with a "surgical strike" by Kashmiri militants in Jammu and Kashmir that will long be remembered.
"(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi had done what he had to. Now it is the turn of Mujahideen to carry out a surgical strike in Kashmir," Saeed threatened while addressing a rally on Sunday in Mirpur, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
"The surgical strike Mujahideen are going to carry out will long be remembered. Such a strike will not be like that of India's one which is not even acknowledged by the world," Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, said in an aggressive tone amid chants of 'jihad...jihad' by his supporters.
Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba who carries a USD 10-million bounty on his head, last week criticised the Nawaz Sharif government for giving a "cool" response to India over alleged atrocities in Kashmir, saying people in the Valley need Pakistan's "full practical support".
Soon after India's surgical strikes Saeed had warned the Modi government to get ready to face a surgical strike from the Pakistan army.
He was criticised here for issuing the statement on behalf of the army.
[File photo]
A catering company in Chongqing recently announced plans to delay paying its employees' salaries until next month, in an effort to curb the potential excesses of shopaholics on Alibabas Nov. 11 online shopping festival.
The notice, pasted on a board beside the company's entrance, stated that the company hopes to guide employees to save their money and avoid inharmonious situations at home.
The 31-year-old general manager explained that he made this decision based on his own experience, as last year he spent almost 20,000 RMB on online purchases, including an 8,000-RMB computer that he rarely uses.
The manager also explained that the average age of the company's employees is 25, and young people generally have minimal savings. Nevertheless, in the run-up to the online shopping festival, he found that employees were already starting to select discounted commodities, and worried that they might spend their entire salaries, which would normally be given out on Nov. 10. If so, the employees might be forced to pass a month in drastically reduced circumstances, which could take a toll on their work performances.
An employee confirmed that many workers had recently been viewing and selecting goods to purchase on the day of the shopping festival. However, the notice put a damper on these plans. Most workers believe that even if they choose to be "shopaholics" during the festival, that behavior doesn't influence their work. In the employee's view, the company shouldnt deprive its workers of their right to consumption.
Meanwhile, some employees support the decision, admitting that they would otherwise engage in unhealthy spending behavior.
On last years Singles Day, or 11.11, Alibaba broke its own previous record with 91.2 billion RMB ($14.3 billion) in sales, or more than double the total online sales from Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Money combined, according to a Fortune report.
New Delhi: Twenty-four days after Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmed' disappearance, President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday sought a detailed report from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on the whereabouts of the missing JNU scholar.
Earlier, President Pranab Mukherjee had assured that he will seek a report from the Ministry of Home Affairs on Najeeb after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met him on November 6, 2016.
Najeeb Ahmed, a student of School of Biotechnology in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and a resident of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, has been missing since October 15.
Mother and sister of Najeeb were on Sunday reportedly detained when they, along with scores of agitating students, tried to take out a protest march to India Gate demanding intensified efforts from police in tracing him.
Fatima Nafees, mother of Najeeb, was reportedly dragged into a bus by police along with other students when they were on their way to India Gate, triggering criticism from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who decided to visit the police station.
The I&B ministry has put on hold its order imposing a one-day punitive ban on NDTV India for revealing strategically-sensitive details while covering the Pathankot terrorist attack.
The decision comes after NDTV chairman Prannoy Roy met Minister for Information & Broadcasting Venkaiah Naidu on Monday evening, according to a ministry statement.
Prannoy Roy and his team from NDTV met Minister for Information & Broadcasting Venkaiah Naidu this evening and said that their point of view was not appreciated in the right perspective and requested him to review the order and also put execution of the order on hold till such time the decision is reviewed and a final decision is taken, the statement said.
Earlier in the day, NDTV India had challenged in Supreme Court the move to ban the Hindi news channel. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear NDTV's appeal on Tuesday.
The order asking the channel to be taken off air for a day on November 9 was issued last Thursday by an inter-ministerial committee of the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry.
The Editors Guild of India had issued a strong statement condemning the governments decision to black out NDTV India saying the move brings back memories of the emergency.
Opposition politicians ranging from Rahul Gandhi to Nitish Kumar to Mamata Banerjee had slammed the government move for muzzling freedom of press.
New Delhi: Eyeing India as a key trade partner after exiting from the European Union, the UK on Monday announced a first-ever easier visa regime for Indian businessmen that will come with swifter passage through British airports and access to EU.
India had in past also sought easier visa regime for its nationals and Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked his counterpart Theresa May to provide "greater mobility" for its students and researchers.
Speaking at the India-UK Tech Summit, May said: "So we will offer, for the first time to any country that needs visas to enter Britain, what we called 'Registered Traveller Scheme".
"That means the Indian nationals who frequently come to the UK and to fuel growth in both our countries, the entry process will become significantly easier," she said at the event organised by CII that was also attended by Modi.
She said the businesses will have to fill fewer forms, and they would get access to the EU-EEA (European Economic Area) passport control and swifter passage through British airports.
"In short, more opportunities for Britain and India and a clear message that Britain is very much open for business," she added.
May said, it is not just the legal framework that are essential for effective trade and investment, it is about people too.
"It is crucial that those who do need to travel between our countries for business can do so, that is the reason why when I was Home Secretary, I made visa process for Indians much easier," May said.
She further said India now has one of the best UK visa services in the world with more application points than any other country and is the only place where it is possible to get a same day visa.
"...that happened because we listened to our businesses. And we are still listening. Listening to the fact that there are many people from India who are to bring their skill, ideas, businesses to Britain for the good of your economy and ours," May added.
Talking about removing trade and investment barriers, the UK Prime Minister said Britain is working side by side with India to make it easier to do business here.
"We can break down barriers and make it easier to do business...That is why the UK is working side by side with Prime Minister Modi to make it easier to do business in India, for example by strengthening intellectual property rights, and paving the way for world's leading services sector to operate in Indian market benefiting India and UK alike, But I am determined that we will go further," she said.
: Will more smoke albeit of the holy variety help curb Delhis hazardous level of air pollution?Well, so thinks, Mahamandaliya Sri Sri 1008 Anant Vibhushit Avdhoot Baba Arunagiri Maharaj a.k.a Environment Baba who is set to enter the national capital in his automated chariot as part of a campaign from Vaishno Devi to Kanyakumari.In his effort, he is assisted by Indresh Kumar, RSS leader and head of its minority outreach efforts.RSS leader Indaresh Kumar at Vaishno Devi Yatra and Yagya (Picture courtesy: News18)The monk from Rishikesh told News18 that a generous dose of medicinal herbs grown in Himalayas thrown into a "yagya" fire is what Delhi needs to control particulate matter."Through the 'Yagya', the 'Parmatma' gets his fill and keeps the environment clean. It keeps all the 33 crores gods happy.Other countries have also shown faith in this old practice: Japan had a 'Yagya' to control earthquake. It can also treat ailments like chikungunya. It has been proven scientifically that "jadi-bootis" sourced from Himalayas can kill pollutants," he said.Indresh Kumar is in Chandigarh and will not be able to attend Environment Babas first Yagya day in Delhi but has extended all support to his mission."The demon of pollution is here upon us and we have to fight it through various ways from planting trees to conducting Yagya. If we add cow urine and jadibooti in chemical water we can see how these two elements kill the pollutants," Kumar told News18.The Yagya Harit Padyatra started from Vaishno Devi and will culminate in Kanyakumari covering 4,500 km. Kumar said he joined this movement only after due experiments.Arungiri Maharaj will be seen in Delhi streets soon with his mobile rath reminding people that solution to the modern problem lies in tradition."We have a truck to make sure Yagya happens throughout the day. We dont accept any funding from any business man. Whatever we have has come from the God and devotees who make contributions to our kitchen," he said.
Lucknow: People of Jabrouli village in Mohanlalganj Tehsil, Lucknow on Monday performed puja for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's victory in the US Presidential polls to be held on November 8.
In 2014, former US President Bill Clinton had visited the village to participate in an event organised by the Clinton Health Foundation and had even adopted that village.
The villagers are hoping that Hillary too, will visit their village which will help them develop and get better facilities.
They kept pictures of the Clintons, organised hawan and chanted mantras wishing for Hillary's victory. The program was organised under the leadership of village head Ramesh Chandra.
The villagers even distributed 'ladoos' among each other wishing "all the best" to the Democratic presidential candidate, who has been pitched against Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Bill Clinton had visited Jabrauli village, on 17 July 2014, and had reviewed the work done with the help of his foundation in the field of child care and maternal health.
He interacted with the children and women during his 2-hour long stay at a primary school and community centre in the village. He was on a eight-day trip of the Asia/Pacific region, during which included visit to Vietnam, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia also.
Although Tunisia's tourism industry seems to be going through an unending chill, Mohamed Ben Sheikh is convinced there are good days ahead thanks to the nation's vineyards.
Standing on a hillside on his land, he says, "Our country is rich in local produce."
Among these assets, the ancient culture of winemaking is undergoing something of a revival in this overwhelmingly Muslim-majority country which has a reputation of being one of the most liberal in the Arab world.
For decades, Tunisia has relied heavily on tourism but almost exclusively targeting beachgoers and sun worshippers. But the instability that followed its 2011 Arab Spring uprising has sparked a major crisis, forcing the north African country to rethink its strategy.
And one of the possibilities is attracting wine enthusiasts.
"Wine is a premium product which relates to both land and history. It is a way of promoting Tunisia," says Ben Sheikh, president of the chamber of alcoholic drinks producers.
At the Neferis vineyard in Grombalia, perched on hills overlooking the Mediterranean some 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Tunis, Ben Sheikh is trying to develop a wine route as an "alternative" form of tourism which he is hoping to be able to offer tour operators next year.
Besides wine-making Tunisia is home to many archaeological sites, he adds. "We should create cultural tourism."
'Rome's wine cellar'
Tunisia is no newcomer to vineyards. It has been producing wine for at least 2,800 years, Ben Sheikh says.
"Carthage was the granary of Rome but it was also its wine cellar. It had a great agronomist, Magon, who was the first to write treaties on winegrowing," he explains.
The idea is develop a tour stretching from the capital Tunis to the nearby Cap Bon peninsula, mixing archaeology with visits to local vineyards.
And it is the wine aspect which is most likely to surprise.
Following a post-independence decline partly due to Europeans buying their own produce, according to industry veteran Belgacem D'Khili, Tunisia's winegrowing industry experienced something of a revival in the 1990s.
At the time, the government promised to reclaim public land and bring in foreign investment in a step which saw the emergence of seven companies for agricultural development.
Twenty years on and the bet seems to have paid off.
Tunisian wine, which relies on old grape varieties such as Carignan, is branching out into newer varieties such as Chardonnay, Viognier or Verdejo. To date, it counts seven AOCs.
For that, "we need investment in new technologies, and cooling the wine at controlled temperatures during fermentation," says Rached Kobrosly, who is in charge of quality control at the Neferis winery.
Spread over 450 hectares (about 1,100 acres), Neferis produces 1.2 million bottles every year and Kobrosly says they compare among the world's best. He cites as examples Italy's typically rich red wine Amarone and classified French wines such as Saint-Emilion and Pomerol, both from the Bordeaux region.
Kobrosly says the 32 million bottles emerging from Tunisian wineries -- and almost all of it consumed domestically -- "has a very great chance of being exported" and sold in overseas markets.
'No image'
But despite the optimism the figures remain modest.
Although the sector earns approximately 80 million euros ($87 million) annually and contributes 25 million euros to state coffers in taxes, revenues from wine exports do not exceed 10 million euros.
This is partly due to the limited scale of vineyards -- only 15,000 hectares on a national level -- and a near total absence of any marketing strategy.
"The problem with Tunisian wine is not one of a bad image but the fact there's no image!" says Kobrosly.
"To reinforce its touristy appeal, events have to be launched around grape harvests and wine cellars," says Tahar Ayachi, a journalist specialising in heritage and tourism.
"There was a time when one celebrated harvests and where one pressed grapes in village squares," Ayachi adds.
D'Khili, who has for years headed the "Vignerons de Carthage" wine cooperative, says there is "long-term work" ahead.
But with "the revolution in quality in the last 20 years, we have the tools to succeed."
D'Khili, who is trying to promote Shadrapa, a picturesque domaine nestled on the banks of the Medjerda river about 70 kilometres west of Tunis, says the site could become a huge tourist draw.
"We are close to Dougga, one of the most beautiful archaeological sites and we are working in tandem with some of the bed and breakfast places in the area," he says.
"Viticulture is the sector of the future."
Bauddhayan Mukherji, who is probably one of the best filmmakers of modern-day independent cinema, screened his feature film The Violin Player at the ongoing Dharamshala International Film Festival.The director believes that while this is the best time for independent filmmakers to thrive in the Indian industry - the Indian cinema in totality would only do well if the makers start concentrating on personal stories. I personally feel that Indian films will do very well if you start telling personal stories. Most of the industries including Bollywood and Tollywood narrate stories which cater to the market.If we can overcome our desire to cater to the market force, we can possibly tell better and more personal stories, adds the filmmaker while speaking to News18.com.He first helmed Taankahon and then weaved The Violin Player starring Adil Hussain and Bengali actor Ritwick Chakraborty. The film is an interesting take on chance encounters, in the mundane life of a violin player. In a very remarkable way, the figment of directors imagination delves into the depth of an artistic mind and its desires. With the day in the life of a violinist (Ritwick Chakraborty) and his mysterious employer (Adil Hussain), the film explores how ones art makes him permeable to the toughest situations. Its interesting to see a fine balance of humour and pathos while keeping the final message intact.Right from the beginning, the narrative grips you and keeps you glued till the very end. Apart from impressive performances, the plot also keeps you invested for the running time. Interestingly, a part of the film is based on a true story known to a few people. I know a violinist, who was approached at the Santa Cruz station after which he went to the studio. Ever since I heard the story, it has intrigued me.
New Delhi: Actor Boman Irani finds the portrait of Indian cinema ever-changing and says that senior actors might not be seen in abundance but they are a permanent fixture in Bollywood.
"See, there are phases. There are ups and downs. There will be a year where there will be female-oriented films, and then there will be a year when there will be more action films. These things happen. But yes, you cannot do away with the senior actors," Boman told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
"Just the way you cannot do away with important character actors or the supporting actors. At the moment, there are some wonderful roles, but not as many and there are some waiting to be made," he added.
After exploring the world of theatre -- with over 40 plays to his credit, Boman forayed into Bollywood in 2001 with Everybody Says I'm Fine!.
But he got onto the spiral of fame as J.C. Asthana in Rajkumar Hirani's 2003 hit comedy Munnabhai M.B.B.S. He followed it up with Being Cyrus, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Don - The Chase Begins Again, 3 Idiots and Happy New Year.
The 56-year-old said he gravitated towards the film world due to powerful stories like Saaransh and Hera Pheri.
"There have been a few characters that stood out. When I was very young and saw Anupam Kher in Saaransh, it hit me. And 1990s was not a great time for cinema. And then years later, a wonderfully played comic character by Paresh Rawal in Hera Pheri made everyone sit up and notice - that these are not top characters but form the backbone of the film," Boman said.
"I saw Hera Pheri when I was doing theatre and knew that it is a time to start working in cinema because that really kind of pumped me," added the actor, who is the brand ambassador for Ambi Pur India.
Boman thinks he was lucky to get Munnabhai M.B.B.S -- which was a huge success and was followed by its sequel Lage Raho Munna Bhai. The third part in the installment is already in the works.
He feels that senior actors may not necessarily be an antagonist or protagonist, but some movies allow them to be a catalyst to the story.
Chennai: Veteran actor Kamal Haasan turned 62 today, but there were no celebrations by the actor's fans following his plea against any revelry, citing the hospitalisation of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
The actor's birthday comes barely a week after his partner of 13 years, Gautami Tadmimalla, had announced separating from him without specifying any reason. A close associate of the actor said that no birthday celebrations were being conducted by the fans of the Vishwaroopam star.
Shruti Haasan, the actor's daughter who also shares screen space with him in the trilingual Sabash Naidu was among those who greeted him. "Happy birthday to my darling daddy dearest," she wrote on her Twitter page. The multi-lingual actor also linked a Instagram picture of her seen with her father.
Earlier, Haasan had asked his 'welfare clubs,' as he defines them, to stay away from any celebrations, keeping in mind Jayalalithaa's health. The CM is in hospital since September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration.
BENGALURU - The BJP Yuva Morcha in Karnataka has filed a complaint against Dinesh Amin Mattu, media advisor to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, for a facebook post in which he questions the Central government's one-day ban on NDTV India.
There is no FIR lodged however. The BJP has said the words that Mattu uses could provoke one community against another, could incite riots and even calls it 'criminal intimidation.'
The complaint is about Mattu's statement -- a reply to someone's comment to his post opposing the ban. The commentator says this is nothing compared to Indira Gandhi's Emergency, "have you forgotten what happened during the Emergency?"
In response, Mattu says, we all know what happened to IndiraGandhi at the end of emergency, do you want that to happen to Modi too? (with a reference to her losing the election).
Mattu has now put up another facebook post, saying the screenshot of only this last bit has been taken out of context, and all interpretations being ascribed to this statement.
BJP MLA M N Vijayakumar, who was part of the delegation which filed this complaint, says there is no FIR registered as the police are under "pressure" from the ruling party. They have quoted IPC sections that make it a cognisable offence -- section 505 (statement pitting one community against another) and 153 (wanton provocation to incite riot), besides section 506 (criminal intimidation).
(Photo/People's Daily Overseas Edition)
Statistics released by the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) show that the number of Chinese tourists reached 4.12 billion in 2015, and the number of outbound tourists was 120 million.
Chinese tourists make a major contribution to the world economy
Chinese tourists spent a whopping 684.1 billion RMB overseas in 2015, or 11,625 RMB per capita. Of that, more than 7,000 RMB was spent in developed countries including Japan, South Korea and the U.S.
Chinese tourists are focusing more than ever on the quality of travelling experiences. Generally speaking, higher service quality requires a higher consumption level. According to Wei Xiang, an associate professor with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), it costs up to 200 euros to stay one night in some villages in northern Europe, which is even more expensive than multi-star hotels. However, for Chinese tourists who prioritize personalized travel, price is by no means a problem.
Analysts said more and more Chinese tourists are now willing to invest overseas when travelling abroad. "Some tourists will consider buying real estate instead of staying in hotels when they find a favorable environment overseas," Wu Ya, CEO of China Business Network explained.
Security a priority for Chinese tourists
Li, an experienced travel guide, remarked that Chinese tourists consider security to be of utmost importance when choosing a travel destination.
Liu Tao, general manager of an international travel agency in Beijing, concluded that perceived dangers affecting travel destinations including "floods, hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural force majeure factors," according to Liu cause tourists to choose alternative destinations.
(Photo/People's Daily Overseas Edition)
Chinese tourists benefit destination countries
A report released last year by Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) showed that Australia's economic development benefited a great deal from the country's tourism industry, and that China was Australia's largest source of tourists. Data also indicated that Chinese tourists spent up to AU$5,416 per capita in Australia.
The report pointed out that the expansion of the aviation industry and more relaxed visa policies have enhanced Chinese tourists' enthusiasm for traveling abroad.
The power of Chinese tourists cannot be ignored
Statistics from the U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration show that the number of Chinese tourists in the U.S. reached 3 million in 2015, a year-on-year increase of 16 percent. Tourists in the U.S. spent $6,000 to $7,000 per capita, much more than in other countries.
Gao Tianming, a researcher at CASS, offered a contrasting example: "The number of Chinese mainland tourists to Taiwan decreased sharply since May due to securities problems. Many people working in the tourism industry took to the streets to protest the inaction of local authorities."
(file photo)
New Delhi: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will continue as a party president, sources in the Congress party said.
"Sonia ji given year's extension as Congress President," he said.
Earlier today, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi for the first time chaired the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting as party president Sonia Gandhi skipped the session reportedly due to poor health conditions.
During the meeting, Rahul criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being obsessed with power and for silencing voices of dissent.
He also criticized the Modi government for its decision to blackout two news television channels for 24-hours.
Democracy is going through its darkest hour. The Modi government is favouring selective corporate houses. With state elections around the corner, we can expect the government to launch a campaign of polarization, he reportedly said in the meet.
He also discussed organisational polls and strategy for the upcoming winter session of Parliament besides party's preparations for the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur.
Dalit issues and farmers suicide were also raised in the meeting.
This is the first time that Rahul has presided over the meeting which is being attended by Congress top brass.
46-year-old Rahul was appointed Congress Vice President in January 2013 at Jaipur 'Chintan Shivir'.
Senior party leaders Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Janardan Dwivedi, Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni and AK Antony are among those attended the meet and decided on the possible deferring of organisational election to next year.
The CWC meeting comes at a time when a section of party men feels that Congress President Sonia Gandhi, 69, should hand over the mantle to her son as she is suffering from ill health, especially after her roadshow in PM Narendra Modi's constituency of Varanasi on August 2 when she was hospitalised.
(With PTI inputs)
Tipu Jayanti Virodhi Samithi has called for a Kodagu district bandh on 10th November; and in Bengaluru RSS have planned a huge protest on Tuesday.
It seems like the Karnataka government is all set to celebrate Tipu Jayanti for the second time on November 10. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, over the weekend, convened a high level meeting with the home minister and top cops of Karnataka Police to take stock of the law and order preparation ahead of the celebrations.The government is leaving no stone unturned by having a heavy police presence to avoid any untoward incident; leaves of all Karnataka State Reserve Police personnel have been cancelled for the week.The state has been allocated seven companies of central forces that will be deployed in sensitive areas across the state.Eleven hundred people have been taken under preventive custody, checkpoints in the state borders have been strengthened and CCTV cameras have been installed in different places. The state police are working to maintain the law and order situation. The officers of the rank of ADGPs and IGPs have been assigned districts, and will be deployed there. We have asked for more central forces and hope to get assistance from them, said Om Prakash, Karnataka DGP & IGP.Meanwhile, the opposition voices have grown stronger asking the planned celebrations to be stopped.Section 144 has been imposed in Kodagu starting from Monday evening till 8 am on 11th November. Kodagu was the epicentre of last year's protests where two men were killed. The District Collectors have been asked to monitor the situation and take a call on implementing Section 144 on the ground.However, pro-Tipu Jayanti organisations on Monday came together showing their support for the state.Amid the protesters was noted journalist Gauri Lankesh who said: We are proud of Tipu Sultan, he was a ruler who fought bravely and we consider him the pride of Karnataka.A petition which was filed in the Karnataka High Court is yet to reach a conclusive end. As per the court's order, the petitioners counsel met the Chief Secretary of Karnataka and gave a presentation about why the planned celebrations must be called off.The petitioner, who is a farmer from Kodagu, said in the court that Tipu Sultan was a tyrant, bigot and had massacred hundreds of people from his district.
Blackberry DTEK 50 (left) and DTEK 60 (right). (Photo: Debashis Sarkar/News18.com)
Blackberry DTEK 50 (left) and DTEK 60 (right) from the back. (Photo: Debashis Sarkar/News18.com)
BlackBerry finally launched the DTEK 60 And DTEK 50 smartphones in India. The Android-powered BlackBerry's are priced at Rs 46,990 and Rs 21,990 respectively.The launch event was hosted by BlackBerry India managing director Narendra Nayak and Alex Thurber, senior VR- Devices Sales, BlackBerry.The speciality of DTEK smartphone is that BlackBerry has ensured maximum security for Android Marshmallow OS.The DTEK 60 comes with a 5.5-inch Quad HD AMOLED display with a 21-megapixel A/F rear camera and an 8-megapixel selfie camera with flash. There is a fingerprint scanner and runs Android Marshmallow with support for Google Play.It is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM and 32GB internal memory with support for up to 256GB microSD cards. It is backed by a 3,000mAh battery and supports 4G LTE.The BlackBerry Dtek 60 is the first BlackBerry phone with fingerprint scanner. The Dtek 50 does not have a fingerprint sensor.On the other hand, the BlackBerry DTEK50 offers a 5.2-inch Full HD display and is powered by a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor with 3GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory with support for up to 2TB microSD cards.There is a 13-megapixel PDAF rear camera along with an 8-megapixel front camera with Flash. It is backed by a 2,610mAh battery.
Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh on November 6, 2016 said Indias nuclear programme has made rapid strides since Prime Minister Narendra Modi formed his government in May 2014.
"With direct and personal patronage from the Prime Minister, India is now among the frontline nations in its nuclear programme. In the years to come, nuclear energy will be a major source of power for India's growing needs," he said during a visit to the 'Hall of Nuclear Power' set up at Pragati Maidan here.
"The union government can clearly take the credit for bringing the nuclear programme to north India. It is during the last two years that a nuclear plant has been set up north of Delhi at Gorakhpur village, in (Fatehabad district of) Haryana," he said.
Similarly, he said, the government was considering setting up more nuclear installations in other northern states like Punjab and Uttarakhand.
He said India's claim to membership of NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) is increasingly being accepted by the world nations.
The concept of setting up the 'Hall of Nuclear Power' in Delhi, the Minister said, was inspired by the realisation that the Department of Atomic Energy did not have its headquarters here and most of its activities were confined to the western and southern parts of India.
As a result, the Minister said, not much was known about the department in this part of the country.
On the occasion, Singh directed the officers accompanying him to send circulars to educational institutions across the country to ensure that visits to the 'Hall of Nuclear Power' were made a mandatory component of their Delhi itinerary during educational and other tours.
Stockholm: Julian Assange will be questioned next week over longstanding rape accusations, Sweden's public prosecutor's office announced on Monday, saying an Ecuadorian prosecutor would visit the WikiLeaks founder in the embassy where he has been holed up since 2012.
Through his lawyer Assange welcomed the news saying he was looking forward to the "chance to clear his name".
The Swedish authorities said one of the prosecutors on the case, Ingrid Isgren, as well as a Swedish police inspector would also attend the questioning on November 14 and report the findings to Sweden.
"A DNA sample will also be taken, provided that Julian Assange agrees to it," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
The 45-year-old whistleblower sought refuge in Ecuador's embassy in London in June 2012, fleeing allegations of rape and sexual assault in Sweden dating back to 2010. Assange denies the claims.
An Australian national, he had refused to travel to Sweden for questioning due to concerns that he would then be extradited to the United States over WikiLeaks' release of 500,000 secret military files on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"We have requested this interview repeatedly since 2010," his lawyer Per Samuelsson told AFP.
"Julian Assange has always wanted to tell his version to the Swedish police. He wants a chance to clear his name," he said.
"We hope the investigation will be closed then."
The lawyer added the "shape of the questioning is under discussion."
A first hearing scheduled for October with the prosecutor Toainga Wilson had been postponed at Assange's request, citing "his rights to the protection and defense of his person," according to Ecuadorian prosecutors.
Swedish prosecutors have dropped a sexual assault probe, concerning another woman, against Assange last year after the five-year statute of limitations expired.
But they still want to question him about the 2010 rape allegation, which carries a 10-year statute of limitations. Assange insists the sexual encounters in question were consensual.
Last month, the Swedish prosecutor's office rejected Assange's request to temporarily suspend his arrest warrant so he could leave the Ecuadoran embassy to attend the funeral of mentor Gavin MacFayden.
WikiLeaks has meanwhile returned to the spotlight in recent weeks with the damaging leak of tens of thousands of emails from the US Democratic Party and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign.
New Delhi: British Prime Minister Theresa May, who arrived here on Sunday night on her three-day visit to India, said India and Pakistan should hold bilateral talks to settle the issue of Kashmir.
"This is a matter for India and Pakistan to sort it out through dialogue," May told this correspondent on board the Royal Air Force Voyager, regarding Britain's stance on cross border terrorism sponsored by Pakistan in Kashmir.
"This is not an issue for any other government to get involved," May said.
May's three-day official visit is intended to promote Indo-British relations.
"The relationships between our two countries are strong, and the Indian diaspora plays a vital role in our national life. In my talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi I want to build on our relationship for the benefit of both our countries, generating jobs and wealth and maintaining cooperation on defence and security," May said.
"The UK and India are natural partners - the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy - and together I believe we can achieve great things - delivering jobs and skills, developing new technologies and improving our cities, tackling terrorism and climate change. This is a partnership about our shared security and shared prosperity. It is a partnership of potential. And on this visit I intend to harness that potential, rebooting an age-old relationship in this age of opportunity and with that helping to build a better Britain," she added.
Along with Modi, the British Prime Minister will inaugurate the first Indo-UK tech summit at Taj Palace Hotel here. The British delegation includes prominent British indian business personalities like Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Dr Arnab Basu, CEO of Kromek Group, Nik Kotecha, CEO of Morningside Pharmaceuticals and Gordon Sanghera, CEO of Oxford Nanopore Technologies.
The business agenda includes the signing of a landmark agreement to improve the intellectual property landscape in India with a programme of co-operation between the UK Intellectual Property Office and India's Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. This will support Indian efforts to protect and enforce intellectual property rights, thereby addressing one of the concerns for British businesses operating in India.
Britain will also commit to extend assistance to India to improve the business environment, including by providing advice on reducing regulation, tax and public administration, standards and insolvency. No other country has such comprehensive co-operation with India in this area, which is intended to support Modi's efforts to push India up the world's Ease of Doing Business rankings from its current 130th spot and in turn make it easier for British business to trade and invest in India.
Both Prime Ministers will also launch an India-UK Urban Partnership on smart cities and urban development which could be unlock new business worth up to 2 billion pounds to British business over the next five years.
The Indo-British collaboration is also expected to focus on the fast-growing and dynamic state of Madhya Pradesh besides the historic and holy city of Varanasi, Prime Minister Modi's constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
San Francisco: The opinions of the Indian American community surrounding the ongoing American Presidential election are as diverse as the Indian American community itself. While half of the Indian American population belongs to Hindu communities, the remaining primarily have Sikh, Muslim and Christian religious identities. Given this heterogeneity of the Indian community in the U.S., which further extends to differences in language and culture, it is unsurprising that the meaning attributed to the ongoing election varies based on differences in priorities, needs and concerns of several Indian-American subgroups. While I look forward to delving into the varying opinions surrounding these elections from the second generation Indian-American perspective, it is important to emphasize that my understanding of the implications of the election may be uniquely shaped by my individual context. As an Indian-American who has recently lived in India and witnessed the Indian perspective on the election that primarily remains concerned with questions about who will win and what that will mean for India-U.S. relations, I would like to state at the outset, that while November 8 is a pivotal day for the future of the world, my concern is with the damage that has already been done to the Indian-American identity during the race.
Unlike first-generation Indian-Americans who immigrated to the U.S. with defined priorities to pursue greater opportunities for education and income, second-generation Indian-Americans have been born into a society with the status of being one of the leading Asian-American subgroups in terms of access to education and wealth. To understand how this status affects the Indian-American sense of self, it is useful to view America as an institution where the Indian-American serves the function of portraying America as the land of equal opportunity where the equation between hard work and success remains unaffected by historic, social or systemic variables. While this type of positive stereotyping may seem flattering at first, it also means that the struggles of Indian-American minorities are being trivialized by dismissing how Islamophobia, genocide, war and the history of marginalization experienced by especially Muslim and Sikh communities in India may have shaped their access to opportunities in the U.S. While first generation Indian-Americans may have sought a sense of belonging from being ascribed the model minority role and equating success to education and income, the second generation Indian-Americans self-image is largely rooted in a desire for an inclusive America that recognizes the complexity of the Indian-American identity. After a lifetime of negotiation between ones own understanding of the diversity within the Indian-American community and the prominent perception of Indian-Americans characterized by convenient homogenization that overlooks religious and ethnic differences, the second generation Indian American is often found fitting the Indian-American box in the larger American context, by internalizing this belief in the sameness of Indian-Americans and dismissing diversity.
This dismissal of difference, is often accompanied with a desire to assimilate with the prescribed white ideal, which leads several second-generation Americans to remain unquestioning of why they are higher up in the hierarchy among communities of color. Thus, several Indian-Americans continue to serve the function of further oppressing Black and Hispanic communities without realizing that their success has been a result of the privilege and role given to them by America as part of an attempt to perpetuate a pre-existing racial hierarchy. Several other young Indian-Americans, however, feel a sense of responsibility to establish solidarity and empower other communities of color, and furthermore, are interested in ensuring that Indian minority groups in America are not affected by any systemic injustice. While these differences in approaches to navigating a hyphenated American identity will evidently shape the Indian-Americans vote in this presidential election, the election process has had a universal impact on this diverse group- it has finally vocalized what has been implicit in the institution of America. The tone has been set for the treatment of Indian-Americans, along with other communities of color, and discrimination (though varying in levels of blatancy), has been normalized. The large portion of Americans that support Trump (including Indian-Americans who have internalized the need to subjugate for success) have already brought transparency to the reality of America, where otherness is a valid reason for inferior treatment. The hateful speech towards Muslim-Americans and condescension directed towards Sikh-Americans by Trump coupled with Clintons expectation that Muslim-Americans must be on the frontlines of the war on terror purely because of their religious identity has served to make second generation Indian-Americans feel unsafe and highlighted the inherent prejudice rampant in America. Furthermore, the celebration and normalization of the Hindu-American as the model Indian-American has reminded the second-generation American about the need to recognize and understand differences in the histories of Indian-American subgroups since the hierarchy between the different subgroups of Indian-Americans has also been normalized through the presidential campaigns. What was probably implied before, has now been declared.
The second-generation Indian-American remains concerned with the freedom for fearless political participation and unlike the previous generation, cannot remain content merely by the glorification and acceptance of a single subgroup. Regardless of who wins, the process of the presidential election has ensured that minorities within the Indian-American community are not even afforded the problematic luxury of positive stereotyping. The stark need to foster solidarity between Indian-American subgroups without erasing histories that shape the diversity of the Indian-American identity has come to the forefront. The belief in the sameness of the Indian-American identity was probably convenient for Indian-American communities for a very long time when first generation immigrants were struggling to be positively accepted. However, the attacks on minority subgroups that have become acceptable and normative through the course of this election have emphasized the need for second generation Indian-Americans to recognize difference and use it as a tool for socio-political advancement. It has also highlighted how the relative power ascribed to this population that comprises nearly 3.2 million people has been used as a means to brush over the discrimination prevalent against a significant proportion of the Indian-American community. While the vocalization of popular opinions in America has created a disillusioning sense of awareness about the social inequalities that often get hidden in dominant narratives of America, it may have also provided further evidence regarding the need for second generation Indian-Americans to identify the interconnections between their struggles and those of other marginalized communities of color. Therefore, this election has led to an increasing number of Indian-Americans that have realized the need to prioritize the struggles of all minority groups and remain invested in the currently unimaginable utopia of a truly inclusive America.
The reality of America has been clarified repeatedly through this election, and who wins will not erase this realization. The winner of the presidential election, however, will shape the ability and potential of the Indian-American community to mobilize and organize themselves as a powerful comrade for other marginalized groups that face institutionalized oppression. Therefore, the importance of this election is primarily rooted in the impact that it will have on the potential of the Indian-American to challenge the normalization of discrimination and oppression.
(Sneha Tatapudy holds a BA degree in International Studies and Communication from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She lives in San Francisco.>)
New York: California Attorney General Kamala Harris is set to become the first Indian American elected to the US Senate in next week's election, having built up a commanding lead over her rival, according to polls.
Indian Americans also appear to be heading for a breakthrough in the House of Representatives, where more of them are expected to join the sole Indian American, Ami Bera from California.
At least two candidates for the House, Pramila Jayapal of Washington State, and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, have near-certain chances of winning, while Bera has shown a strong lead in the primary and that could see him re-elected.
Another candidate, Ro Khanna, who is running to represent the Silicon Valley, is reported to have a slim lead over the veteran incumbent Mike Honda.
All these candidates are Democrats and since the election of Republican Bobby Jindal to the House in 2004, no viable Indian American candidate for Congress has emerged in that party, although Nikki Haley, the current governor of South Carolina, belongs to it.
Mary Thomas, who sought a Republican Party ticket from Florida, was defeated in the party primary.
Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, 35, is the only Hindu ever elected to Congress although she is a not of Indian descent, and she appears set for re-election.
Strengthening her chances, the Hawaii state Republican Party leaders have withdrawn support to their own candidate, Angela Kaaihue, who is challenging Gabbard because she made anti-Hindu statements and called Gabbard a "pathetic Hindu 1,000 gods leader".
Kamala Harris leads her rival, Loretta Sanchez, by between 17 and 20 percentage points according to different polls released earlier this week.
Senators are elected by the entire electorate in their states and 52-year-old Harris has already won two state-wide elections for Attorney General in 2010 and 2014, and this adds to her edge in the upcoming Senate race.
Harris has a dual identity: She is also counted as an African American as her father is a Jamaican of African descent and she follows the Baptist faith.
She would become the second American woman of African descent elected to the Senate and join the two other African Americans there.
She derives her equal claim to Indian heritage from her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer specialist from Chennai.
Because in California and Washington states the primaries that are used to whittle down the number of candidates in the election are common for all parties with the top two irrespective of their parties moving to the general election stage, Harris, Khanna and Jayapal are facing fellow Democrats.
Ami Bera, a 51-year-old doctor, who had an eight percent lead over his Republican rival Scott Jones in the common primary, has come under a cloud after his 83-year-old father, Babulal Bera, was found guilty of illegally funding his son's election campaign and sentenced to a year in prison.
Prosecutors, however, cleared Ami Bera of involvement in his father's crime and he appears to have put it behind him.
Jayapal, 51, who is a state senator, had a 23.1 per cent lead over her fellow-Democrat, Brady Wilkinshaw, in the primary election. A financial analyst by profession, she was born in India and has been a civil rights activist championing immigrant causes.
Krishnamoorthi, 43, is running from a traditional Democratic stronghold where the party candidate won the last election by a margin of 11 per cent. Born in India, he is a technology entrepreneur heading two companies and has also served as Illinois state deputy treasurer.
Khanna, a lawyer and former federal deputy assistant commerce secretary, lost the last election to fellow Democrat Honda by 3.6 percent, but in the primaries this year he was ahead by 1.7 percent. He has the backing of former President Jimmy Carter, while Honda could not get President Barack Obama to endorse him this time.
Another Democrat, Peter Jacob, has a long-shot at winning from a New Jersey constituency that is heavily Republican and where that party's candidate won the last election by a margin of 21 percent.
But a private poll conducted for Jacob's campaign reportedly found that he was lagging by only four percent. The 30-year-old was born in India and is a social worker by profession.
In 1956 Democrat Dilip Singh Saund, a Sikh, became the first Indian American elected to Congress. After a gap of 48 years Jindal followed him in 2004.
Jindal left Congress in 2007 to become the governor of Louisiana and ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for president this year.
Five years later, Bera won his Congressional seat. Bera left Hinduism for the Unitarian faith and Jindal for Catholicism.
Washington: India-born Pramila Jayapal, who made a mark with her progressive agenda in the Washington State Senate, is on the cusp of becoming the first South Asian and Indian-American woman to be elected to the US Congress.
A recent poll indicated that Jayapal had a commanding lead in double digits against Brady Pineto Walkinshaw, who she defeated in the primaries by a substantial margin.
Endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, the former Democratic presidential aspirant, 51-year-old Jayapal is running from the seventh Congressional District of Washington State that encompasses Seattle and its neighbourhood.
Pitted against her own party colleague, Walkinshaw, a State legislature, Jayapal would replace Congressman Jim McDermott in the US House of Representatives.
Like Kamala Harris, the two-term attorney general who is running for US Senate in California, Jayapal is likely to enter the US Congress in her maiden try.
"I'm running for Congress because now is the time for a bold progressive fighter," Jayapal had said when she launched her campaign in January this year.
She has been endorsed by as many as 21 sitting Congressman including Ami Bera, the only Indian-American in the current Congress, and every major women groups like NARAL, EMILY's List and Planned Parenthood, and major labour unions.
"A progressive champion and first generation America," EMILY's list described.
She has already announced that the first bill she would introduce in the Congress, if elected, would be for a tuition-free community college, gun violence protection, funding basic education, mental health and transportation.
In recognition of her community work among the immigrants, the White House had felicitated her with "Champion of Change" award in 2012.
Jayapal says her life transformed for the better after she spent some time in India when she returned to the country after a gap of 25 years in April 1995.
Her book-- "Pilgrimage to India: A Woman Revisits Her Homeland" was published in 2000.
Born in Chennai, she left India at the age of five for Indonesia, Singapore and eventually for the US.
Jayapal believes coming from an Asian and Indian background would bring a different perspective to the Congress.
"It is a different understanding that we bring. The underrepresentation is part and parcel that our communities of colour have not had the same opportunities," she told North West Asian Newsweekly in an interview.
New Delhi: British Prime Minister Theresa May, who arrived in New Delhi on Sunday evening on a three-day India visit, rejected calls to relax Indian visa rules on Saturday night, media reports said.
On being questioned if she would consider relaxing tough rules to allow more Indian nationals to work in the UK as part of a future trade deal, May said the country already has one of the best schemes in the world, The Independent reported on Monday.
At least, 10,000 Indians are expected to take advantage of the Registered Travellers Scheme in the first two years and the scheme will be open initially to those on a work visa.
May announced the scheme on Saturday.
Theresa announced that UK government's plans to speed up border checks for rich Indian businessmen in an attempt to encourage more trade and commerce between the two nations. Earlier, in a bid to attract high net worth individuals from the Indian business community as part of her first trade mission to the county, she had promised to make it easier for them to make repeat trips to Britain.
The UK government will also offer a select group of high net worth Indians access to a bespoke visa and immigration service called the Great Club. These people will get an account manager to help them with immigration issues.
The Indians have spoken of their desire to see a more open visa system with the UK in a bid to demonstrate that workers are welcome in Britain.
The number of Indian students at UK universities had halved due to change in visa law when Theresa was Home Secretary of Britain.
[File photo]
Hundreds of volunteers across China have participated in tastings of genetically modified (GM) foodstuffs in an attempt to support the countrys GM food industry.
Held in 24 cities nationwide, over 500 volunteers were invited to the tastings to try GM foodstuffs including rice and fish. Most cities, including Beijing and Guangzhou, scheduled the tastings on Nov. 5. Similar events will soon kick off in additional cities, Thepaper.cn reported.
The tastings come on the heels of an announcement by Cui Yongyuan, a well-known former CCTV host, that Cui would open a non-GM food company on Nov. 4. As a diehard opponent of GM food, Cui said his company would provide non-GM food to 30,000 people across three cities.
Over 70 volunteers took part in the tasting held in Beijing. We consumed over 5 kilograms of GM rice, in addition to tasting other types of GM food. Many volunteers brought their kids to the event, hoping to educate them, a Beijing-based organizer told Thepaper.cn in an interview.
But not everyone is so optimistic about GM foods in China. The safety of GM food is hotly debated across traditional and online media, with the public expressing grave concerns over the safety of GM foodstuffs. Despite the fact that GM food has been part of the commercial landscape of China for nearly two decades, there is still no consensus on whether or not GM food is harmful to humans.
In 2013, a debate about GM food between Cui and Fang Zhouzi, an expert in chemical biology and a famous anti-fraud activist, escalated into a fierce online discussion. Cui, who spent 500,000 RMB out of his own pocket to investigate the attitude of the American public and scholars toward GM food, claimed that GM technologies remain controversial even in the U.S., and should not be promoted. Fang, on the other hand, denounced Cuis claim, stressing that the public should not fear GM food.
Some online rumors have misled the public, causing many people to reject the fact that GM foodstuffs have been proven safe by science. We hope the tastings will encourage more people to support the GM industry, and also serve to assuage public concerns about GM food, a Shanghai-based tasting volunteer said.
84 years | Scientist
This election campaign is the worst America has seen. There is more of mud slinging, personal insult, unnecessary accusations instead of discussing the real issues. This leaves the candidates avoiding the real issues they would tackle if one of them is elected as President. And it leaves the public in the dark, not knowing what to expect from the candidate in future. The country is thus completely disappointed and confused.
One of them will be elected for sure. But none is the favorite one. As for Hillary Clinton, she is perceived as a liar and not trustworthy. The "e-mail affair" has added more problems. Her using the private account for conducting official business as Secretary of State created more problems. And she erased all of them further aggravated the situation. If she is honest she would admit her mistake for using the private account for official purpose, which she did of course, much later! But why did she erase them if there is nothing to hide? That bothers all. And repeatedly lied about existing official communication in the erased emails. She bungled up the Benghazi situation as the Secretary of State and this made many very angry.
As for Trump, he is just a nasty and very selfish person. He does not have the stature of a statesman. He is just a selfish businessman. He incited young white Americans that as an outsider of Washington politics, he will bring changes and "restore public confidence" in Government. People got carried away by his rhetoric. As the campaign went on the real Trump is exposed. The guy adores Putin, an adversary of USA. There are indications that he had some dealings with Russia which merits full enquiry by the Justice Department. He is just an empty pot. His views on women and religious minority speak for themselves.
The results of this election is very scary. If Trump wins, it is a disaster for USA. He may have some legal problems with the Justice Department. He completely lacks in administrative skill at the government level.
If on the other hand, Hillary wins, she too will have problem of hanging over and liable for prosecution. She may have some experience in government administration, but people don't trust her. Also Trump supporters may incite some kind of 'revolution' which may turn violent thus posing the country a very dangerous situation.
So, as I told you this election poses the country a sad situation. God should save America! Again this is my very personal opinion. Here in this country, there are provision for early voting by mail and as an elderly person I have already sent my ballot.
I would like to inform you that from California a person with some Indian heritage, Kamala Harris is contesting as a Democrat for a senatorial seat. Chances are very high that she could win.
A draft environmental impact statement issued today for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission says Dominion's proposed 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline would have "some adverse and significant environmental impacts," most of which would be reduced to "less-than-significant levels" with mitigating measures proposed by the partners building the pipeline and recommendations by the commission's staff.
A healing spirit in a broken world
Thank you for including the brief Oct. 31 article about Pope Francis participation in a Reformation Day worship service with the Lutheran World Federation at the Lund Cathedral (A Look at Pope Francis Visit to Sweden).
It is so encouraging to see Pope Francis make ecumenical and interfaith outreach an important part of his papacy. With his openness and the efforts of many others, 500-year-old divisions created in the Reformation era are being healed.
We give thanks that Lutherans and Roman Catholics in Central Virginia and across the commonwealth have a decades-long history of cooperation and common work together. Lynchburg Roman Catholics and Lutherans joined forces to sponsor and build a Habitat for Humanity house together soon after the Greater Lynchburg Habitat chapter was founded in 1988. Such ecumenical openness and partnership continues to be the norm in a variety of ways.
On a broader scale, the Lutheran, Anglican (Episcopal) and Roman Catholic bishops serving the Commonwealth of Virginia met in Lynchburg in November 1990 to sign A Call Into Covenant. This ecumenical agreement, which became the template for similar efforts across the country, grew out of a desire to heal the breaches of past centuries in order to move forward together in common mission and witness.
May Pope Francis trip to Sweden advance the cause of greater understanding and unity for the sake of the world.
THE REV. DENNIS S. ROBERTS
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
Lynchburg
A successful art show
On Sept. 10, the 7 Hills Art Club and the Amherst Art Society partnered for the first time to present the 2016 Amherst Art Show and Sale in Amherst.
Our thanks go out to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church for allowing the use of their grounds and to the 50 participating artists. Also, we appreciate the large number of visitors and patrons from all around Central Virginia, along with the many sponsors and donors that made it all possible.
Please visit our websites, 7hillsartclub.org and amherstvaartsociety.com, or visit Facebook.com/Amherst-Art-Show for a complete list of those individuals and businesses that supported a very successful celebration of the arts. We are grateful for the spirit and enthusiasm of our members as we came together to present an opportunity for all area artists to exhibit their work.
PAULINE GOODMAN
President, 7 Hills Art Club
PATTI HIGHLEY
President, Amherst Art Society
Lynchs Landing to host Holiday Hoopla in downtown Lynchburg
On Nov. 11, Holiday Hoopla in downtown Lynchburg will feature extended hours and special promotions from local restaurants and businesses.
Sponsored by Lynchs Landing, the event will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. with free transportation on the citys trolley. According to Lynchs Landing Director Ashley Kershner, the event is designed to encourage people to shop local for the holidays.
Downtown is the perfect place for holiday gift shopping, and it is never too early to start, she said in a press release. We have so many unique stores, offering handmade items, artisan crafts, delicious treats, trendy apparel, beautiful decor, and of course, gift certificates at every store. Whether you are interested in a shopping night or just an excuse to try out that new restaurant, it will be a great night to enjoy Downtown.
For a list of participating storefronts and restaurants, visit: www.holidayhooplalynchburg.com
Margaret Carmel
CVCC gets grants for workforce-training programs
As part of a $5.3 million investment from the Virginia Community College system in workforce development programs, Central Virginia Community College received grant money for training programs across a variety of fields.
CVCC, Germanna Community College and Piedmont Virginia Community College received $163,785 to pay for a trailer and equipment to build a mobile welding school that will be shared between the three campuses.
CVCC received another $299,900 to fund short-term workforce credential programs in project management, healthcare, information technology, manufacturing and human resources.
The statewide investment will help connect Virginians to higher-paying jobs with companies in need of skilled workers, Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginias Community Colleges, said in a press release last week.
The General Assembly created the Workforce Credentials Grant program to increase the training of skilled workers to fill job openings that require some post-high school education but not necessarily a bachelors degree. According to the National Skills Coalition, almost half of the job openings in Virginia between 2010 and 2020 will fall in this category.
To learn more about CVCCs workforce credentialing program, visit: www.cvccworkforce.org
Margaret Carmel
Banker Steel awarded contract for NYC skyscraper
Lynchburg-based Banker Steel will construct the steel framing of the new One Vanderbilt project in New York City.
The building at 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue will be 1,464 feet high and will measure 1.6 million square feet. Slated to be completed in 2020, erection of the steel frame will begin in the summer of 2017.
"One Vanderbilt is precisely the type of large-scale, complex, heavy steel fabrication project that fits the unique capabilities of Banker Steel," Don Banker, Chief Executive Officer and co-owner of Banker Steel, said in a news release. "This project will literally transform the New York City skyline, creating a more vibrant District around Grand Central Station.
Banker Steel was founded two decades ago and has fabrication facilities in Lynchburg; Orlando, Florida; and South Plainfield, New Jersey.
Margaret Carmel
Bedford and Appomattox get money from Virginia Business Ready Sites Program
The Appomattox Center for Business and Commerce and the New London Business and Technology Center received $4,450 and $5,000, respectively, towards developing infrastructure.
The Virginia Business Ready Sites Program is administered by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, which helps localities develop and market existing industrial and commercial sites to prospective businesses.
Twenty-eight projects were awarded money in the first phase of the program, totaling $96,000 statewide. To qualify, localities must have a site marked for commercial or industrial development that is larger than 100 contiguous acres.
Applications for the second phase of the program will be accepted in 2017.
Margaret Carmel
Home Energy Assistance Program enrollment ends Nov. 14
Virginia residents in need of financial assistance for winter utility bills have until Nov. 14 to apply for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The program assists with fuel costs, weatherization and crisis assistance.
Administered by the Virginia Department of Social Services, the federally funded program assists those at or below 130 percent of federal poverty income guidelines. Those interested in applying should contact their local social services office.
Margaret Carmel
New USDA loan program aimed at small farmers
EZ Guarantee Loans, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture allows beginning, small, underserved and family farmers to apply for loans up to $100,000 from USDA approved lenders to finance agricultural operations.
These EZ Guarantee Loans will help beginning and underserved farmers obtain the capital they need to get their operations off the ground, and they can also be helpful to those who have been farming for some time but need extra help to expand or modernize their operations, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a press release.
In addition to traditional lenders like banks and credit unions, the program will also include microlenders such as community development financial institutions and rural rehabilitation corporations who can provide customers up to $50,000.
EZ Guarantee Loans offers terms up to seven years for financing operating expenses and 40 years for financing the purchase of farm real estate.
Those interested should contact their local agriculture extension agent.
Margaret Carmel
Dominion Power warns customers of billing scam
Dominion Power is alerting its customers of a utility scam involving an email followed by a phone call that threatens disconnection if payment is not immediately received by the company.
The scammer claims that a computer glitch prevented Dominion Power from warning customers of pending disconnections due to non-payment and an immediate payment of cash or a pre-paid card will keep service from being interrupted.
According to the company, Dominion Power never demands immediate payment and offers payment plans before disconnecting the power. They also accept a variety of payment methods, while scammers ask for a specific type of payment.
Margaret Carmel
A clinical trial conducted at a Virginia hospital indicates that hospital-acquired infections can be reduced by using copper-infused materials such as linens and gowns developed by a Richmond-based company and copper-infused hard surfaces such as countertops made a Norfolk-based company.
Sentara Leigh Hospital in Norfolk recently published the results of a 10-month clinical trial in which copper-infused linens developed by Cupron Inc. were used in a wing of the hospital with 124 patient rooms along with hard surfaces that were invented and manufactured by Norfolk-based EOS Surfaces and use Cuprons proprietary copper technology.
The areas where the copper-infused materials were used showed an 83 percent reduction in the bacteria C-difficile and a 78 percent overall reduction in a host of drug-resistant organisms including MRSA, Sentara said.
Results of the study were published Sept. 28 in the American Journal of Infection Control and were presented last month at the annual conference of the Infectious Disease Society of America in New Orleans.
It is quite significant, Jason Ellis, Cuprons general manager of medical products, said of the results of the clinical trial.
We think this is going to be the beginning of a real growth in this business, Ellis said, adding that the company made a strategic decision to invest in clinical trials.
The company did not disclose the cost of the Sentara study, but Ellis and Kenneth G. Trinder II, CEO of EOS Surfaces, said both companies invested several years and millions of dollars.
Copper has long been known for its natural resistance to microbial growth.
Cupron, which was founded in Israel and has its U.S. headquarters in the Virginia Biotechnology Research Park in downtown Richmond, developed a way to infuse copper oxide into soft materials such as hospital gowns and linens.
Sports wear maker Under Armour is already using Cupron material in some clothing products, and Kimberly-Clark Corp., a maker of personal care consumer products, has introduced adult incontinence products with Cuprons copper technology. EOS Surfaces LLC, a Norfolk-based manufacturer of surfaces, uses the cooper compound from Cupron to make copper-infused surfaces for use in hospital rooms.
Between the linens and the surfaces, we address seven of the eight most contaminated surfaces in a room, Ellis said.
The Sentara study stressed that additional studies should be done and that copper-infused materials are not a replacement for proper environmental hygiene practices, but they could serve to augment infection prevention in hospitals.
Sentara Healthcare said it is confident enough in the results to deploy copper-infused materials in all 12 of its hospitals.
Robert Broermann, chief financial officer for Sentara Healthcare, said that while the cost of the average readmission to a hospital from of an infection is a bit cloudy, it is clear that the return on investment is positive.
Each one of those avoided infections is going to get the patient out of the hospital more quickly and avoid a readmission that hurts us on the Medicare side, not even discussing the effect infections have on patients, he said in a statement released by the company.
(Photo/Xinhua)
The annual Nov. 11 shopping festival is around the corner. Businesses both online and offline are busy preparing for the "war of promotions." As a consumer, one has to choose carefully to truly benefit from the carnival. Below are several new trends when it comes to promotions.
According to Zhang Yong, CEO of Alibaba, the "Double Eleven" promotion started by Tmall has the following features:
Buy globally, sell globally
About 98,000 stores will offer more than 10 million goods on the Tmall platform. Consumers can buy commodities from all over the world.
Online plus offline
Over 1 million brands will have promotions both online and offline, including Suning, Intime, TCL, UNIQLO, Sophia and Gap.
Big data plus personalization
Tmall will bring consumers a personalized consumption experience based on big data and information collected from search modules, news sources and wish lists.
(Photo/Xinhua)
Entertainment plus shopping
Tmall will launch the world's first VR shopping mall, the Buy+ channel. Using this channel, consumers can complete a purchase using nothing more than their eyeballs.
(Photo/Xinhua)
JD.com also released its Double Eleven promotion plan. More than 100,000 brands are participating, and the company's warehouses in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou will increase delivery speeds on Nov. 11. Some consumers may even receive their goods in just one day. In addition, JD.com's unmanned delivery drones will be in trial operation.
The China Consumers Association has provided the following advice for consumers to enjoy the best possible shopping experience.
Rational consumption
Make a shopping list before the festival based on actual demands to avoid impulse purchases.
Be informed
Some stores attract consumers with fake sales data and comments. Therefore, consumers should buy goods through proper channels from stores with established reputations, formal certifications and guarantees.
(Photo/Xinhua)
Keep relevant vouchers
Before signing for deliveries, be sure to check packages with the courier as a witness. Keep the orders, invoices and other shopping vouchers.
Wang Guoqi, 42, who served a four-year prison sentence for a crime he didnt commit, has received compensation from the State totaling 430,000 RMB.
Wang dropped out of school at the age of 15, leaving home to work pouring cement. In 2009, Wang started a business selling toys, including toy guns, in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. However, just six months later, on Oct. 19, 2009, a customer ordered eight toy guns and left Wang a delivery address. Wang sent the guns, but received a call from the logistics company that same afternoon. When Wang arrived at the companys office, as directed, he was arrested by police, accused of the illegal sale and transportation of guns.
Wang's mother and his wife
Wang was sentenced to 10 years in prison at his assigned trial. However, Wangs family and lawyer kept appealing the case, and in 2012 the court scheduled a retrial, amending Wangs sentence to four years. Wang was released upon completion of his sentence in 2013.
Wang then returned to his hometown of Handan, Hebei province, laboring as a construction worker to earn a living. On Jan. 25, 2016, Wang received a court verdict acknowledging his innocence; referring to the authentication standards of genuine firearms, the verdict declared that Wangs behavior didnt constitute a crime.
Wang received the compensation on Oct. 17. When asked how he would use the money, Wang said he would pay his debts as well as his mothers medical expenses. The rest he plans to set aside for his sons marriage.
Northern Divion Head: Mischief on social media hurting public
In response to the information being circulated, Snr Supt Mc Donald Jacob said he asked his officers to verify if it was true and after it was declared to be a hoax, officers were sent out into the La Horquetta community to inform persons that they need not panic.
According to Sr Supt Jacob, what was done by some malicious person or persons was an attempt to create mischief and to cause persons to panic, not only in the La Horquetta community, but the entire country and to create a feeling that the Northern Division had become like the Wild Wild West.
He said that this would not be tolerated and pleaded with members of the public to desist from such mischief.
He added that effective next Thursday, officers in the Northern dDvision would be holding community meetings in a bid to foster closer relationships with the public. He said this was an attempt to get the public to partner with the police so that vital information could be shared and acted upon.
According to Snr Supt Jacob, the public knows who are the gun runners, who are the persons selling drugs, and who are involved in criminal activities.
He said if this information was shared with the police then it could be acted upon and those persons could be rounded up and brought to justice.
He said the time has come for the public to send a clear message to those persons intent on a life of crime that they would be found, flushed out from their hiding places and prosecuted.
With respect to Saturdays triple murders in the DAbadie area, he said police were waiting on several bits of information which would be shared with the Homicide Bureau in a bid to bring closure to that probe.
I want results Minister Dillon summons Ag CoP, Divisional Commanders
Up until yesterday, the murder toll was 394 for the year so far, compared to 365 for the same period last year. Yesterday Dillon told Newsday that he was especially concerned about the triple murder in the DAbadie area this past Saturday afternoon, which also left two persons injured.
According to Dillon, his ministry continues to provide the necessary support to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and other security agencies in the fight against crime but he feels that more could be done to address the number of homicides in the country that are being committed with illegal arms and ammunition. Dillon said the TTPS is doing a fantastic job in removing illegal arms and ammunition from the streets but those still outside are being used to commit murders and other crimes. He added that the TT Coast Guard will continue to provide the necessary support to help tackle the smuggling of these illegal items into the country. Dillon yesterday issued a call to the public to partner with the TTPS, to be so that information could be filtered and acted upon swiftly to deal with crime.
At todays meeting, the National Security Minister intends to ask the Acting CoP and the northern and central divisional commanders to come up with new strategies to deal with the spate of murders.
Dillon told Newsday the TTPS must step up their game to bring the number of murders down, not only in these two divisions, but also across the seven other divisions. I want results, Dillon declared. I want the public to feel a sense of safety and security. I want lives to be saved. I want the criminal elements to put down their guns. I want persons involved in crime to move away from that lifestyle and return TT to a place where persons could feel safe and without the fear of crime, Dillon stated.
The minister also told Newsday he was in full support of the move by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to take a personal interest in the community policing programme of the TTPS, adding that Government will continue to put all resources in place to reclaim the society from the hands of criminal elements.
Zoo joins rest of world celebrating World Kindness Day
Coming forward in a most tangible way to emulate this young exemplar is the Zoological Society of Trinidad and Tobago (ZSTT), which has announced that all children 12 years and under will be admitted free to the Emperor Valley Zoo on Sunday November 13th, 2016 in recognition of World Kindness Day.
World Kindness Day although an international observance on 13 November every year since 1998, would have been unnoticed if not for this young lady touching the hearts of Trinboganians.
The World Kindness Movement, a coalition of nations kindness NGOs in declaring this day aim to highlight good deeds in the community and serve as a means for people to bridge the divides of race, religion, politics, gender and nationalities.
The ZSTT in stepping forward to recognise this day said in a statement that the community of Trinidad and Tobago has been supportive of its thrust in promoting environmental education and conservation at the Zoo and this is its way of extending an act of kindness to the younger ones in society. Children who come to the Zoo are immersed in our interactive programmes and we know that they leave with an indelible experience which augurs well for future generations, stated Gupte Lutchmedial, speaking on behalf of the ZSTT.
Lutchmedial also went on to say that the ZSTT considers the gains to be more for itself as this act of kindness on its part can only serve to instill a feeling of satisfaction, happiness and pride.
No One Has
Done This Before
in Billboard's History
There are two days left for Americans to make their final choice regarding who will be their president for the next four years. For some, it is a hard decision. However, the upcoming election is not all that weighs on some Americans; adding to the upset is the departure of two beloved pandas from a Georgia zoo.
Mei Lun and Mei Huan, who have spent their lives up till now at a zoo in Atlanta, Georgia, are the first pair of surviving giant panda twins ever born in the U.S. The duo arrived in Chengdu on Nov. 5, greeted by 170 kilograms of bamboo that the zoo prepared before they left.
According to an agreement reached by China and the U.S., panda cubs born in the U.S. to parents on loan from China are to be returned to China before turning 4 years old. They are then to participate in breeding projects in China. The National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. has also announced plans to send its cub, Baobao, back to China next year.
Americans expressed their love and sadness via Facebook and Twitter. The same scene played out in 2010, when Americans saw Taishan off on a snowy day.
Facebook user Koeyoshi Yokohama commented, "Can't they take Trump instead?" Others commented that they couldn't believe Baobao would be leaving, and refused to accept the panda's departure.
Recently, a number of notices posted in the cafeteria of Sichuan Agricultural University have become a hit online. An officer with the university explained that the posters were designed by students as a reminder not to waste food or jump the queue.
(Newser) Nate Silver just unloaded on the Huffington Post after HuffPo writer Ryan Grim accused Silver of skewing polls to favor Donald Trump. HuffPo is currently predicting an almost certain victory for Hillary Clintontwo days before the election, it's calling a 98.3% chance for a Clinton victory. Silver's website, FiveThirtyEight, is also predicting a Clinton victory, but with a much slimmer margin. In a 14-tweet tweetstorm, Silver called the HuffPo article "so f---ing idiotic and irresponsible," saying HuffPo's claim that Clinton is guaranteed victory isn't based on proper statistics or analysis, Politico reports. Silver says Clinton's 3-point lead in the polls isn't safe enough for Clinton to rest easy, ABC News reports.
Silver's FiveThirtyEight has become one of the leading sources for election forecast and poll analysis during the 2016 election. Silver first rose to prominence for his extremely accurate predictions of the 2008 and 2012 elections, including accurately predicting every state in the 2012 race. FiveThirtyEight's model currently gives Trump a 35% chance to win, much higher than other outlets. The reason for the discrepancy? FiveThirtyEight's "secret sauce" of weighting polls depending on the website's subjective ratings of the polls' reliability and accuracy. See Silver's full Twitter rant here. (Read more Election 2016 stories.)
(Newser) Family members fear a California woman has been abducted after she went for a jog on Wednesday and never returned. Sherri Papini, a 34-year-old mother of two, seemingly vanished while jogging around 2pm Wednesday near her home in a rural neighborhood of Redding, reports Redding's Record Searchlight. Relatives say her husband arrived home from work around 5pm and immediately realized his wife was missing as she hadn't picked up their children, aged 2 and 4, from daycare, reports KRCR. Using the Find My iPhone app, Keith Papini discovered his wife's phone on the side of a road at an intersection less than a mile from their home, but she was nowhere to be found, reports ABC News. NBC News notes that the headphones were still plugged in, and strands of her hair were present.
"She was definitely taken against her will," her husband says. "She could drop her phone but she would never in a million years not pick up our children." The Shasta County Sheriff's Office says it's investigating registered sex offenders in the areathere are reportedly four living within a mile radius of the phone's locationbut "so far no leads have come from those particular individuals," an officer says. Members of the public who've been searching the area have discovered only a few items that could be linked to the case, a rep for Nor-Cal Alliance for the Missing tells the Record Searchlight, without elaborating. A $50,000 reward is offered for information leading to Papini's whereabouts. (Two joggers were brutally killed in August.)
(Newser) Nestle is facing a backlash in Michigan over its plans to massively expand the amount of groundwater it pumps from the stateand pay less than $1 per million gallons. The company wants to more than double what it pumps from its plant in Evart to 210 million gallons a year, which will cost it just $200 per year because state law considers the plant to be a private well, the Guardian reports. Angry residents have written to state regulators complaining about the plan to expand operations at the plant, which is 120 miles from Flint, where tap water is still unsafe to drink. Nestle argues that the aquifer can handle the increased withdrawal and that the $36 million project will create 20 jobs.
MLive.com reports that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality issued a draft approval for the request and has been asking for public comment. "Why on Earth would the state of Michigan, given our lack of money to address water matters of our own, like Flint, even consider giving MORE water for little or no cost to a foreign corporation with annual profits in the billions?" an Ada resident wrote to regulators. Other critics, including the Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation group, say they want outside experts to look at Nestle's claim that the increased pumping won't affect surface waters in the area. (In California, Nestle bottled water during a drought with a long-expired permit.)
(Newser) Donald Trump is accusing the FBI of impropriety after its director lifted a cloud hanging over Trump rival Hillary Clinton. FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers Sunday that the bureau had found no evidence to warrant criminal charges against Clinton in a trove of newly discovered emails. Trump insisted at a rally in the Detroit suburbs that it would have been impossible for the FBI to review what has been reported to be as many as 650,000 emails in so short a time, the AP reports. He claims she's being protected by "a rigged system." "Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it," he said. "The FBI knows it. The people know it."
It's now up to "the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on November 8," Trump told supporters at the Michigan rally. Analysts tell Wired that despite Trump's claim that it would be impossible to review so many emails in eight days, search and filtering tools would have made it a relatively simple task, especially since most of the emails recovered from a device belonging to Anthony Weiner would have had nothing to do with Clinton. "You can triage a dataset like this in a much shorter amount of time," a former FBI forensics expert says. "We'd routinely collect terabytes of data in a search. I'd know what was important before I left the guy's house." (Read more Donald Trump stories.)
(Newser) Janet Reno, the first woman to serve as US attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, including the seizure of Elian Gonzalez, died early Monday. She was 78. Reno died from complications of Parkinson's disease, her goddaughter Gabrielle D'Alemberte tells the AP. Reno, a former Miami prosecutor who famously told reporters "I don't do spin," served nearly eight years as attorney general under President Bill Clinton, the longest stint in a century. One of the administration's most recognizable and polarizing figures, Reno faced criticism early in her tenure for the deadly raid on the Branch Davidian compound at Waco, Texas.
After Waco, Reno figured into some of the controversies and scandals that marked the Clinton administration, including Whitewater, Filegate, bungling at the FBI laboratory, Monica Lewinsky, alleged Chinese nuclear spying, and questionable campaign financing in the 1996 Clinton-Gore re-election. In the spring of 2000, Reno enraged her hometown's Cuban-American community when she authorized the armed seizure of 5-year-old Elian. The boy was taken from the Little Havana home of his Miami relatives so he could be returned to his father in Cuba. After leaving Washington, Reno returned to Florida and made an unsuccessful run for governor in 2002. (Read more Janet Reno stories.)
(Newser) If Virginia being for lovers makes you blush, a new tourism slogan for Australia's Northern Territory will likely give you heart palpitations. Newshub of New Zealand warns its article "contains language which may offend some people," and there's really no way around that. "CU in the NT," reads the slogan, with a sub-slogan continuing, "The top end. Different from the bottom end." Though it's the brainchild of the official-sounding NT Official, Mashable reports that it's not actually a government-produced or -supported tourism effort but rather a self-described "independent underground campaign." Says a rep via email, "We are ... fronted by a guerrilla group of people with the aim of promoting travel awareness to the Northern Territory region."
But it would be easy to mistake the campaign for something, well, official. BuzzFeed notes the group's logo bears more than a passing similarity to the government's, with both relying on a large NT in a similar font. A marketing director with the official-official Tourism NT says there is no affiliation "with the website or Facebook page of NTOfficial.com or any of their promotions," and, further, "we will not be commenting on this activity." Speaking of comments, there are plenty on Facebook, some horrified, some in the "BAHAHAHAHAHAHA" vein. (Some Kentuckians pushed for a semi-explicit slogan of their own.)
(Newser) Someone took advantage of the severe earthquakes last month in Italy to steal a 17th-century painting from a church that was badly damaged by the temblors. "Pardon in Assisi," a 1631 piece by French painter Jean Lhomme and "well-known among historians," per the AP, was taken from a church in the village of Nottoria. The thief or thieves cut the oil painting from its frame, apparently not concerned that the church could have collapsed in on them at any time. The national police announced the theft Monday. Authorities have salvaged around 200 works of art, including paintings, statues, crucifixes, urns, and more, from churches damaged in the Oct. 26 and Oct. 30 quakes.
"Our churches are destroyed and full of art works," says a local priest. "To add insult to injury ... we now have this despicable behavior." Making the art recovery effort even more difficult: torrential rains that hit the region Sunday and Monday. Artwork that has not yet been saved could be in danger from the storms, such as a 15th-century fresco in Visso's town hall: It would require a helicopter to be recovered, which could damage it, but the rain could also damage it, the Local reports. Italian soldiers are now being sent to the mountainous region near Norcia in Umbria, near the church from which the Lhomme painting was taken, to guard against looters, the Telegraph reports. (An "unrestorable" Renaissance painting damaged in a flood 50 years ago just got restored.)
(Newser) China has turned a blind eye to much of what Hong Kong does, because an international treaty spells out that the former British colony is entitled to a "high degree of autonomy," per the New York Times. But China finally put its foot down Monday to block two young independence-advocating activists from assuming legislative seats after winning elections there. Sixtus "Baggio" Leung, 30, and Yau Wai-ching, 25part of the "Youngspiration" party, per NPRtook their oaths of office in October, but instead of swearing allegiance to the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China," both said "Chee-na" (widely seen as a pejorative), and Yau threw in an obscenity for good measure. None of which pleased China, which accused the two millennials of threatening national security with their constant talk of liberation and wordplay.
And so Beijing whipped out a rare interpretation of Hong Kong's "Basic Law"set up before the territory's sovereignty was passed over from Britain in 1997, and which gives China power over Hong Kong courts. That law issues a vague requirement that those taking office swear allegiance "in accordance with law," with some arguing the whole deal is murky. The duo's oaths were ruled invalid, and the pair was effectively denied the chance to retake them by the National People's Congress Standing Committee on Monday, per the AP. The chair of the country's parliamentary committee on the law notes, "There is a great patriotic tradition in the Chinese nation. All traitors and those who sell out their countries will come to no good end." The ruling came just one day after thousands of democracy activists demonstrated in Hong Kong, Australia's ABC notes. (Hong Kong is also too crowded for sex.)
An assembly hall in eastern China's Zhejiang University has recently become an Internet sensation due to its Hogwarts-like appearance. Named Yuying Hall, the space was built in the early 20th century. It was a landmark on the old campus of Zhejiang University. Renovation of the hall started in March, and its original appearance has been largely preserved. The beautiful construction has attracted many visitors.
(Newser) The Iraqi military says it has found about 100 decapitated bodies in a mass grave south of the ISIS-held city of Mosul, the AP reports. The spokesman for the Joint Military Command, Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, says the bodies were discovered Monday near the agricultural college in the town of Hamam al-Alil. Most were reduced to skeletons. A forensics team from Baghdad will investigate the site on Tuesday. Rasool says the state of the bodies made it difficult to tell by their clothes if they were soldiers or civilians.
ISIS has carried out several massacres since it swept into northern and central Iraq in the summer of 2014, often documenting them with photos and videos circulated online. Iraqi forces launched a massive operation last month to drive the extremists from Mosul and surrounding areas. (Last week an ISIS leader released a rare message amid the battle for Mosul.)
(Newser) Ten-year-old Kayla Gomez Orozco has been found dead after a four-day search, the Dallas Morning News reports. A family member, 24-year-old Gustavo Zavala-Garcia, has been charged with murder. Kayla went missing Tuesday night near Tyler, Texas, triggering an Amber Alert and a regional search. The search was called off on Saturday night, when police discovered her body in a well near a family member's house. She was wearing the same clothes as the night she disappeared. Different news outlets have described Zavala-Garcia as either an uncle, a cousin, or a cousin by marriage to Kayla.
Zavala-Garcia was initially detained on an immigration hold while investigators put together a case. KETK reports Zavala-Garcia is an undocumented immigrant, and was deported in 2014 for an alleged violent crime. The Smith County Sheriff's Office officially charged Zavala-Garcia with capital murder on Monday, and is holding him on $10 million bond. The Tyler Morning Telegraph reports that a press conference will likely take place on Tuesday morning. (Read more crime stories.)
(Newser) An ex-deep sea treasure hunter is faking memory problems and intentionally deceiving authorities about the location of missing coins minted from gold from an 1857 shipwreck, a federal judge ruled. Tommy Thompson has been held in contempt of court since last December, reports the AP, when Judge Algenon Marbley found he violated a plea deal by refusing to respond. Thompson also was ordered to pay $1,000 a day until he cooperates. Thompson has said he told everything he knew in depositions last fall and argues he couldn't provide more complete answers, in part, because he suffers from a neurological disorder. He also said he could refresh his memory by reviewing documents held by the US Marshals Service, but that he hadn't been allowed access. Psychiatric evaluations and a September court hearing show Thompson isn't suffering a condition that would prevent him from complying with his plea deal, Marbley said in a Thursday ruling.
A psychiatrist turned up minor memory problems, but said Thompson "routinely made references ... that demonstrated his retention of information from minutes and hours earlier, he remembered things from one day to the next, he recalled aspects of his various cases with great specificity, and he recalled information about his career and business adventures dating back decades." The coins in question were minted from gold taken from the SS America, which sank in a hurricane off South Carolina in 1857. Thompson has said, without details, that the coins were given to a trust in Belize. The feds, who believe the coins are worth millions, doubt Thompson's explanation. A fugitive from Ohio since 2012, Thompson was apprehended in January 2015 along with his longtime female companion near Boca Raton, Fla. Thompson pleaded guilty in April of last year to contempt of court for failing to appear before a federal judge in 2012. His deal requires him to spill about the coins' whereabouts. (Read more treasure stories.)
(Newser) The lone American off the planet has cast his vote from space, keeping with NASA's motto of "Vote while you float," the AP reports. NASA said Monday that astronaut Shane Kimbrough filed his ballot in Tuesday's presidential election from the International Space Station sometime over the past few days. He arrived at the orbiting lab in mid-October. Before launching on a four-month mission, Kimbrough said it was going to be special, being able to say "I voted from space." By the time he's back on Earth in February, America will have a new commander in chief. Astronauts are "pretty much apolitical," he told reporters last month. "And I'll be glad to welcome the new president, whoever that is."
The previous US space station resident, Kate Rubins, also cast an absentee ballot from up there, before returning to Earth a week ago, according to NASA. A 1997 Texas law allows US astronauts to vote from space. For NASA astronauts, home is Houston when they're not circling the globe. A secure electronic ballot is forwarded to the astronauts by Mission Control in Houston and returned by email to the county clerk. Kimbrough is sharing the space station with two Russians. The crew will double in size at the end of next week, adding another American, a Russian and a Frenchman. (Read more Election 2016 stories.)
Good news for Galaxy fans as the reports suggested that the new "Samsung Galaxy S8" may be introduced in February. There are also reports that Samsung might introduce "Galaxy Note 8" as well. There were rumors due to the blasts of Galaxy Note 7 that Samsung would abandon its Note series. Now, it can be believed that Samsung wants to wipe out the negative atmosphere at the earliest by introducing their flagship devices for the year 2017 at the earliest.
Interestingly many of the "Samsung Galaxy S8" specifications are also came out from different sources. It is reported that the phone would have a glossy smooth design. The phone will have over 90 percentage screen with less bezel and fingerprint scanner. Be informed that most of the phones that are coming to the market are with 80 percent screen ratio. Many of the phones recently came to market including "Xiaomi Mi Mix" came with larger screen ratio and "Samsung Galaxy S8" would also be in that line.
The new Samsung Galaxy S8 could come with an optical fingerprint scanner integrated into the display https://t.co/QAZRs9AU7h pic.twitter.com/SmqRtyRauQ Forbes Tech News (@ForbesTech) October 31, 2016
The screen of Samsung Galaxy S8 would feature an OLED edge screen and hence fingerprint scanner within the screen can be expected. Also, it is reported that the Home button would be taken away from the screen. The display of Samsung Galaxy S8 will be 5.5-inch Ultra HD that can play 4K videos hassle-free and make compatible to work with VR applications, devices games etc.
In case of the processor will be used in "Samsung Galaxy S8", the firm tries to do some innovation as it is coming up with a special chip, which is reportedly coming with 27 percent improved performance and with a 40 percent low power conception. Also, it would reduce the occupied area by 30 percent. Samsung phones including Samsung Galaxy S8 will feature exclusive Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 made from 10-manometer technology in future, but the first device could be Samsung Galaxy S8.
The phone would feature a dual lens rear camera of 16 MP and 8 MP each. Samsung Galaxy S8 will also have an enhanced Application Process (AP). The phone is expected to be introduced at the World Mobile Conference scheduled in February 2017.
Incidentally, "iPhone 8" also coming with advance specifications and features. More specifications of Samsung Galaxy S8 might be disclosed in the coming days. Wait for another mobile war in 2017, where not only established players even new players would be coming with flagship phones.
The United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates are establishing an enhanced good relation through cultural links. The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles is in deputized Gulf Tour with his Wife Lady Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
It is known worldwide that the UK has in its possession Koran Manuscript found at the University of Birmingham. According to BBC News A once hailed major discovery, the 1370 Year old manuscript was first admitted to the University last 1920s.
Prince Charles will be presenting a digital replica of the said manuscript which will become shared links in arts, culture, education, and science. This will be a symbolic replica for Islam countries such as UAE as this manuscript can be traced its origin.
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In Gulf News, it said the British Royal Couple is on a three-day tour which includes visiting the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque in the country. They were welcomed by Foreign Affair Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and State of Tolerance Minister Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi.
The UK and UAE will highlight this visit with the scheduled UK-UAE Year of Culture that will take even at Jahili Fort on Monday. Since 1989 this will be the Prince eighth visit in UAE and make it second in Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
It was also highlighted in ABC News that UAE is composed of seven sheikhdoms and with a rich-in-oil country. His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is UAE's incumbent King and President the second reign since its union in 1971.
The Royal couple came from Oman after a meeting with the longest reigning monarch in the Gulf last Saturday. After the UAE tour, it is anticipated that they will be in Bahrain for another State Visit. This tour is a significant factor for UK's established relationship in the Middle East.
In an almost concluded presidential race in the United States, Donald Trump once again has shocked the world with his views on global trends. It seems that he plans to quit the Paris Agreement within one year if he gets elected.
Trump have had several opinions which triggered issues of racism, prejudice, and out of the ordinary disparity from Americans both whites and immigrants. The latest stand that he said was reported on BBC News stating that Climate Change is just a "hoax" and he wants to cancel it if he is empowered.
Paris Climate Agreement Comes Into Force
The 70-year-old Trump said that by pushing the Paris, Agreement would mean allowing foreign bureaucrats to control the energy use in the United States and will be harmful to American Businesses. His incredulity about the climate and its present condition will be adversary from his plans in reviving the coal industry.
The international leaders see Mr. Trump in an odd place as over 55 countries ratified the Paris Agreement. In fact, the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change have published that aside from the 55 countries, it is supported by a total 197 countries.
Paris Climate Agreement Comes Into Force
The on-going conference of the parties last November 4 has been attended by over 200,000 people advocating for the global conditioning. Members will submit National Determined Contribution. This combat for our climate is one of the steps that the international community have taken.
Trump has been criticized in The US and abroad. The Guardian recently posted that China's Representative for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua said that Trump's Policy as a political leader should be in line with the global trends.
Paris Climate Agreement Comes Into Force
The Chinese representative further said that Trump's opinion could lead to a disastrous stance for his political ambition. The treat that Trump is imposing to the Paris Agreement is a threat toward the government of the countries participating in this promotion.
After a journey of 17 days covering more than 10,000 km, a freight train packed with small commodities produced in China finally arrived at its destination in Latvia's capital Riga.
"Riga is the destination of the train, but not of these commodities. After the arrival, they will be distributed to different eastern European or Scandinavian countries within one to three days," said Xiong Tao, deputy mayor of Yiwu, a Chinese manufacturing hub where the small wares, mainly decorative items and souvenirs, were made.
A ceremony was held to mark the arrival of the train, the first running from Yiwu to Riga, on Friday.
Latvia was the first in the Baltic region to launch the trans-Eurasia railway operation, which connects it with the world's second largest economy.
In fact, 40 direct rail freight routes have been established between China and Europe so far, carrying goods worth billions of dollars each year. Yiwu, as the end of six such railway lines, is the busiest city.
The routes, like the ancient Silk Road over two thousand years ago, serve as a bridge between China and countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as the world's second largest economy seeks to strengthen trade partnerships and create new growth points amid sluggish global trade.
When the train from Yiwu was greeted by local officials and businessmen in the Central Station of Riga, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was drawing a grand blueprint for the cooperation of the two sides at a high-level meeting held miles away.
"We should actively promote free trade and facilitate investment, open markets wider to each other, deepen regional economic cooperation and oppose trade and investment protectionism to give ourselves growth impetus while contributing to the world economic recovery," Li said while addressing the Sixth China and CEE Countries Economic and Trade Forum.
The visiting premier proposed to promote trade and connectivity, step up production capacity and tourism cooperation, and explore innovative ways of financial cooperation.
"The proposals are practical and targeted, taking the two sides' comparative advantages and room to improve governmental cooperation into consideration," said Xu Mingqi, a researcher with Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
Chinese firms with rich experience in contract engineering can help CEE countries to enhance their infrastructure, Xu said, adding that trade facilitation measures can help boost China's exports of its industrial products and CEE countries' exports of high-quality farm produce.
Echoing Xu's remarks, Zhang Monan, an analyst of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, also thought China and CEE countries were complementary to each other. "CEE countries, mostly emerging economies with enormous untapped potential, are thirsty for technologies in high-end equipment manufacturing that China hopes to export."
Premier Li also attended a meeting between the heads of government of China and 16 CEE countries, also known as the "16+1" summit, established in Poland about four years ago. Thanks to the summit, China-CEE cooperation has seen constant expansion.
Despite a flagging global economy, China and CEE have maintained robust growth in bilateral trade, which totaled 43 billion U.S. dollars in the first nine months, up 4 percent year on year. Two-way investment stood at 7 billion U.S. dollars, with Chinese investment in CEE soaring nearly 90 percent.
To further boost trade and strengthen economic ties, the two sides are striving to improve transport networks, including Serbia's E763 highway project and the overhaul of the Budapest-Belgrade railway, as well as other infrastructure schemes, such as a thermal power plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Xu believes the infrastructure improvement will not only bolster CEE's economic ties with China but help solve trade impediments inside the region, as well as to propel the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.
The initiative aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes, with CEE countries as a critical link.
The infrastructure construction will generate huge financing demand and create fresh room for financial cooperation, Zhang said.
The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the country's biggest lender, announced Sunday plans to initiate a Sino-CEE fund via a newly-established subsidiary to provide financial support for industrial cooperation between China and CEE countries.
The fund will focus on investment cooperation in infrastructure, high-tech manufacturing and mass consumption industries, said Jiang Jianqing, head of the Sino-CEEF Holding Company and ICBC's former chairman, adding that the size of the fund is expected to reach 10 billion euros (around 11 billion U.S. dollars).
Fairbanks, AK (99707)
Today
Scattered flurries and snow showers. High 11F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 30%..
Tonight
Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low around 0F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
(File photo)
China said on Monday foreign countries should not intervene in Hong Kong affairs as foreign media voiced concerns following Chinese top legislature's interpretation of the Basic Law of Hong Kong.
The move came in the wake of a handful of legislators-elect publicly advocating "Hong Kong independence" and insulting the Chinese nation at the swearing-in ceremony for the sixth Legislative Council of Hong Kong last month.
"We hope the international community can recognize the true colors of the pro-independence forces, and fully understand the necessity and legitimacy of the interpretation by the top legislature," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a regular news briefing.
"Hong Kong is a special administrative region under the Chinese central government, and its affairs fall within China's domestic domain and should be free from foreign intervention," Lu said.
The pro-independence forces' attempt to separate Hong Kong from China is against the law and the people's will, and damages China's sovereignty and security and the interests of Hong Kong and foreign countries, the spokesperson said.
Lu called on the international community to support the Chinese central government and Hong Kong government to safeguard national sovereignty, security and unity, and preserve the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.
Related: China adopts interpretation of Basic Law of Hong Kong SAR
China's top legislature on Monday adopted an interpretation of Article 104 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) by a unanimous vote.
Interpretation shows firm opposition to "Hong Kong independence": top legislator
China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang on Monday said the adoption of the interpretation of the Basic Law of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) showcases the firm opposition of the central authorities to "Hong Kong independence."
New Delhi:
UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday inaugurated India-UK Tech Summit along with her India counter part PM Narendra Modi. During her speech she termed Indo-UK ties 'special' and said that there is a lot of potential of growth.
British Prime Minister Theresa May flew to New Delhi on Sunday night on a three-day visit aimed at enhancing Indo-UK ties in the key areas of trade, investment, defence and security.
On her first bilateral trip outside Europe since taking office in July in the aftermath of Britain voting to exit the European Union, May will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Monday. She will also inaugurate jointly with him the India-UK Tech Summit.
Here are the live updates:
#We expect Make in India to be an important aspect of India-UK bilateral engagement: PM Modi
#India & UK must continue to nurture research that can fight global challenges: PM Modi
#We have agreed to establish a clean energy R&D Centre on solar energy & a new Anti-Microbial Resistance initiative: PM Modi
#Affordable healthcare, clean energy, technology are the sectors opening new potential for India-UK businesses to bring innovation: PM Modi
#UK has experienced resilient growth in recently, it excels in academic quests and technological innovations: PM
#An honour for us that you chose to visit India as your first bilateral visit outside Europe: PM Modi at India UK TECH Summit
#In Britain we are working on economic & social reforms. Indian investment is helping us diversifying our economy: UK PM Theresa May
#There is so much potential when it comes to India-Britain relationship, we have a special bond: UK PM Theresa May
Before leaving London, she described India as the UKs most important and closest friend and a leading power in the world, adding We will be promoting the best of Britain, sending out the message that we are open for business, and making the most of the opportunities offered by Brexit as the worlds foremost champion of free trade.
Also read | UK PM Theresa May visit: Tight student visa norms on Indian minds, trade ties on British
I will be using this visit to reaffirm the importance of the strategic partnership we already have, which delivers huge benefits for both our countries, and to work with Prime Minister Modi to agree concrete steps to realise our shared vision of going even further in our cooperation across trade, investment, defence and security, she added.
May, who is accompanied by senior British ministers and a big trade delegation, will also travel to Bengluru on Tuesday where she will attend some business events and will meet the Karnataka Chief Minister.
Also read | Brexit: Prime Minister Theresa May calls on British MP's to accept people's verdict
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Srinagar:
Escalating the tension between Pakistan and India bilateral relationship, gunfight again started at Wangam (Shopian, J&K) between 62-RR, police, in which A two army personnel got injured,and one terrorist killed. The operation ended at 7:17 AM on Monday morning. Injured soldiers have been evacuated and their condition is said to be stable.A
Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was killed and two army personnel were injured in an encounter in south Kashmir's Shopian district, police informed. "An encounter broke out between security forces and militants at Wangam in Shopian after the security forces launched a search operation following specific intelligence inputs," a police official said. In the gun battle, one militant identified as Sadam Hussain Mir, a resident of Chatripora Shopian, belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed, the official said.
Security forces have recovered one assault rifle, five AK47 magazines, 119 AK 47 rounds and one hand grenade, the official said.
Shopian (J&K): Encounter between security forces & terrorists ends - 1 terrorist gunned down, 2 jawans injured (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/WhAyCK3emm a ANI (@ANI_news) November 7, 2016
On Sunday also, two army jawans were killed and three others - two soldiers and a woman -- were injured as Pakistani army opened fire in a bid to facilitate two infiltration bids along the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati and Poonch sectors of Poonch district.
The Indian army said that while the infiltration bids were foiled, it has also inflicted heavy damage to several Pakistani posts across the Line of Control in Poonch sector. Two infiltration bids assisted by Pakistan ceasefire violation was foiled in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch.
The Army foiled two infiltration bids on the intervening night of November 5, 6 along Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati Sector.
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New Delhi:
Delhi woke up to smog on Day 7 after Diwali, and the Delhi air has become toxic cocktail of dust and smoke. In a spate of emergency measures, all schools in Delhi have been directed to remain closed till Wednesday. In a bid to control air pollution, New Delhi Municipal Council has started sprinkling water on roads.
Delhi is witnessing worst smog condition in last 17 years, and on Sunday, it has recorded an average level of PM2.5 tiny particulate matter that can clog lungs at nearly 600 micrograms per cubic meter. The limit is 60 times more the level considered safe by the WHO and 10 times the governments norms.
Here are the live updates:
#80 % of air pollution problem in Delhi is derived from here itself,20% is frm crop burning in neighbouring states; need to address this:Dave
#There must not be 'blame game' here, right now the priority is to make air pollution free so that people can breathe: Env Minister Anil Dave
# Till State Govt takes initiative immediately, no issue would be solved. They must sprinkle water and do the needful on time: Anil Dave
# We will issue an environment protection calendar which will be state specific. Dust is one of the major reasons for pollution: Anil Dave
#DelhiSmog: New Delhi Municipal Council begins to sprinkle water using Jet pressure pump technique to control air pollution pic.twitter.com/qWn1dmMIZo ANI (@ANI_news) November 7, 2016
#Isn't it your responsibility to curb pollution? What is Nagar Nigam doing, they were asked to use machines for cleaning purposes earlier-NGT
#"What action have you taken against those violating NGT orders? 70% land in Punjab is used for crop burning,what is Delhi Govt doing?: NGT
#NGT asks, "Why haven't you started sprinkling water on roads to reduce dust?What happened to proposal of sprinkling water using helicopters?
Meeting chaired by Environment Minister Anil Dave underway over the rise in pollution levels in Delhi #DelhiSmog pic.twitter.com/1FUKIjO73C ANI (@ANI_news) November 7, 2016
#"What have you done till now to curb pollution," asks NGT to Centre, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab Govt.
#NGT slams Delhi Govt, Centre, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan Govt over rise in pollution levels matter
#Meeting chaired by Environment Minister Anil Dave underway over the rise in pollution levels in Delhi
#80% of air pollution problem in Delhi is derived from here itself,20% is frm crop burning in neighbouring states; need to address this:Dave
#WATCH: Locals burning paddy stubble in Moga district of Punjab causing pollution in many states pic.twitter.com/dWiKGQ9vUJ ANI (@ANI_news) November 7, 2016
#WATCH Heavy smog blankets the capital city Delhi, situation has been the same over past one week. pic.twitter.com/aZtSblK8oZ
#FLASH Air Quality Data for Delhi - Particulate Matter 'Severe' pic.twitter.com/cysiUbH34M
We have ordered the schools to remain shut till November 9. We will assess the situation after that and take a decision accordingly," said North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) Mayor Sanjeev Nayyar.
"Schools of East Delhi Municipal Corporation will also remain closed till November 9," said an EDMC official.
"All SDMC schools will remain closed till November 12 due to the high level of pollution and smog," South Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Shyam Sharma said.
"We have also urged the parents to take special care of the children as they are vulnerable to the situation," he added.
Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday held an emergency cabinet meeting to find out ways to combat smog, he referred the current environment condition as 'gas-chamber' and also announced list of measures to tackle the situation.
Delhi government has asked to all school private and public to remain closed till Wednesday. Health experts have raised concerns of the ill-effects of Smog on aged-people and children. There were demands to close school but the Delhi government was saying it was not necessary earlier in the week.
Announcing a series of emergency measures, Kejriwal said the Delhi government was also exploring the possibility of bringing back the odd-even car rationing scheme, while appealing to the people to stay indoors and work from home if possible, considering the alarming levels of pollution.
Schools shut, DG ban, work from home: Ten directives CM Kejriwal gave to solve Delhi smog
As smog engulfs Delhi-NCR, you must know all about its ill-effects
Listing short-term steps to deal with the situation, the Chief Minister said the use of all diesel gen-sets has been prohibited for the next five days beginning Monday, barring emergency services like hospitals and mobile towers.
Delhi government also decided to shut down the coal- based Badarpur power plant, considered one of the key sources of pollution, for 10 days from Monday. The plant generates around 300MW of power.
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New Delhi:
British Prime Minister Theresa May has reportedly cancelled her meeting with top executives of Tata Steel Ltd during her visit to India quoting her tight schedule during the trip.
UK PM arrived in India on Sunday night and is scheduled to hold trade and defence talks with her counterpart PM Narendra Modi on Monday.
According to a report in Reuters, British PM May was supposed to meet Tata executives to talk about the future of its British steel operations.
I had hoped to be able to meet the key people from Tata while I was in India, sadly the schedules dont allow for me to do that on this particular visit but there are regular contacts between the government and Tata Steel, May told reporters on the plane to India.
Also read | UK PM Theresa May arrives in India, to hold talks on trade, security and defence ties with PM Modi today
There continue to be those regular contacts to ensure that we maintain, as has been maintained so far, that steel production in the UK, she added.
In March, Tata Steel put its British steel operations on sale following heavy losses linked to a flood of cheap Chinese imports and low demand in the region.
The process was suspended in July because of uncertainty following the June Brexit vote.
The company has since said it is exploring opportunities for a partnership for its entire European steel business, and Germanys biggest steelmaker Thyssenkrupp has said it is in talks with Tata, the reports said.
Tatas former chairman Cyrus Mistry, who was ousted in a boardroom coup last month, is due to take part in a CEO forum with May during her visit.
Washington:
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has accused American tech giant IBM of laying off 500 workers in Minneapolis and shifting their jobs to India and other countries, saying he will levy a 35 percent tax on companies doing so.
IBM laid off 500 workers in Minneapolis and moved their jobs to India and other countries. A Trump Administration will stop the jobs from leaving America, and we will stop the jobs from leaving Minnesota, Trump said in his speech yesterday in Minneapolis, as part of efforts to woo voters in Minnesota state which has been a Democrat stronghold.
If a company wants to leave Minnesota, fire their workers and move to another country and then ship their products back into the United States, we will make them pay a 35 percent tax. We will also unleash American energy including shale oil, natural gas and clean coal, he said.
Also read | US polls: Hillary Clinton evokes fallen US Muslim soldier Humayun Khan again
Trump said he will cancel all harmful Obama regulations that hurt Minnesota farmers, workers and small businesses.
We will become a rich nation once again. But to be a rich nation, we must also be a safe nation, he said.
He claimed that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wants a 550 percent increase in Syrian Refugees pouring into the US wants virtually unlimited immigration and refugee admissions from the most dangerous regions of the world.
Also read | Know about 'electors' who elect the President and Vice President
Her plan will import generations of terrorism, extremism and radicalism into your schools and communities. When Im elected President, we will suspend the Syrian Refugee Program and we will keep Radical Islamic Terrorists out of our country, he added.
Here, in Minnesota, youve seen firsthand the problems caused with faulty refugee vetting, with large numbers of Somali Refugees coming into your state without your knowledge, support or approval and with some then joining ISIS and spreading their extremist views, Trump said.
He asserted that a Trump administration will not admit any refugees without the support of the local community where they are being placed.
Also read | Donald Trump alleges Hillary Clinton for being most corrupt person ever to contest US president election
And we will pause admissions from terror-prone regions until a full security assessment has been performed, and until proven vetting mechanisms have been established, he said.
A Trump administration will also secure and defend the borders of the United States, he said reiterating that he will build a wall along the Mexico border.
Hillary supports totally open borders, and strongly supports Sanctuary Cities like San Francisco where Kate Steinle was murdered by an illegal immigrant deported 5 times.
Thousands of Americans would be alive today if not for the open border policies of Obama-Clinton, Trump said.
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New Delhi:
Congress vice-president tore into the NDA government while chairing party's working committee meet on Monday saying that asking questions is what discomorts the Centre as they don't have answers.
Rahul was heading the crucial meeting of party's top decision making body in his mother and party chief Sonia Gandhi's absence due to health reasons.
Here are the highlights of Rahul Gandhi's remarks at Congress Working Committee meet:
# Asking questions is what discomorts the government as they don't have answers.
# News channels are being punished and asked to shut down. Opposition is being arrested for holding the Government to account.
# The Modi government is lobbying with states via informal channels to deny work under MGNREGA to the very poor.
# BJP-ruled states are actively diluting and undermining laws passed by Parliament. Land Acquisition Act and the Real Estate Legislation are cases in point.
# They are being cruelly rewarded by a callous government with denial of OROP and cut in disability pensions.
# In recent months, our jawans have suffered the highest casualties in decades.
# Television channels are being punished & asked to shut down. Opposition is being arrested for holding the Govt to account.
# Our jawans are being cruelly rewarded by a callous Govt with denial of OROP and cut in disability pensions.
# The Govt has swung from one extreme to another in dealing with Pakistan and issues concerning J&K.
# They will exploit caste and religious fault lines. We must anticipate and neutralize such devious strategies.
# With State elections due in the coming months we can safely expect the Modi govt to launch a campaign of disinformation and polarisation.
# Attempts by Govt to suppress fundamental freedoms by abusing State power will only strengthen our resolve to defeat such dangerous designs.
# Asking questions is what discomforts this Govt, for they have no answers, we must expose Govt's failures in upcoming Parliament session.
# The Modi Govt is obsessed with power, it seeks to silence all those who disagree.
# Hiding behind cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions.
# Democracy, under the present dispensation, is going through one of its darkest hours.
The meeting of the top decision-making body of the party has been called to chalk out a strategy for the upcoming assembly elections due early next year.
Sources said that the Congress is unlikely to take a decision on the elevation of Rahul Gandhi, with a section within the party feeling that this should be done after the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
Party sources say many in leaders are divided on the timing of Rahul's elevation.
UP Polls: Congress strategist Prashant Kishor meets SP chief Mulayam Singh for second time in six days
Some leaders feel that in view of the current situation Sonia Gandhi should continue to steer the party and not take a back seat.
The current political situation is expected to be discussed at the CWC, including the one-day ban on NDTV which has created uproar in the opposition as also in the media.
The meeting is significant as the winter session of Parliament is starting from and the Congress will finalise its strategy for the session at this meeting.
The Congress is seeking to corner the government on several issues including on the issue of freedom of speech and expression in the wake of the NDTV day-long ban.
The organisational elections in Congress are overdue and the party had sought time from the Election Commission to complete the process by .
The party had informed the poll panel about it as required under the rules. Besides the organisational polls and the strategy to be adopted for Parliament session, the meeting would also take stock of the current political situation and discuss its plans for assembly elections to some states including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab due next year, party sources said.
Among several political issues that the government seeks to raise during the Session in order to corner the BJP include making political gains out of the surgical strikes, killing of eight Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) activists in an "encounter" in Madhya Pradesh and contentious issues like the triple talaq and uniform civil code being raked up.
The CWC meeting comes at a time when many feel Congress President Sonia Gandhi should hand over the mantle to her son as she is suffering from ill health, especially after her roadshow in PM Narendra Modi's constituency of Varanasi on when she was hospitalised.
(With inputs from agencies)
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New York:
Hillary Clintons close aide Huma Abedin, who was at the centre of the email controversy recently, and First Lady Michelle Obama are among 45 Americans who defined the 2016 US polls, in a list that also names parents of slain Pakistani-American soldier Humayun Khan.
The race for the 45th president didnt just involve Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Here (are) 45 everyday Americans who had their brief moment in the spotlight this election year, Time magazine said in its list of 45 Americans who defined the election.
About Abedin, the magazine said that one of Clintons most trusted advisers typically remained behind the scenes, enjoying unrivaled power inside Clintons orbit.
The release of Clintons emails from her tenure as Secretary of State and sexting scandals involving her husband, former Rep Anthony Weiner, brought her unwanted attention, it said.
Also read | Hillary Clinton evokes fallen US Muslim soldier Humayun Khan again
Michelle Obama has become one of the most passionate anti-Trump surrogates deployed by the Clinton campaign. After delivering a rousing speech at the Democratic National Convention, Mrs. Obama has been sent to college campuses across the country to rally young people behind the Democratic nominee, giving another memorable speech about her reaction to Donald Trumps Access Hollywood tape, Time said.Also on the list are the parents of Humayun Khan who died in the line of duty in Iraq and was was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
During the Democratic National Convention in July, Khans father gave an emotional speech criticizing Trump.Trump responded by bashing the Khans. Sales of pocket constitutions spiked on Amazon and strangers laid flowers on his sons gravesite. Khan later starred in a Clinton ad, the magazine said.
Also read | Clinton email investigation: FBI says no new conclusion after review of fresh batch
The list also includes Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Vice President Joe Biden and former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, who spoke out about Trumps treatment of her after she gained weight. Anchor and nephew of former President George H W Bush, Billy Bush who was heard on an old video chatting with Trump about women in lewd ways is also figured in the list.
Machado became a US citizen so she could vote against Trump. She made headlines again when Clinton mentioned her during the first debate, prompting Trump the next morning to again criticize her past weight gain and claim (inaccurately) that she had a sex tape, Time said.
Trumps campaign manager Kellyanne Conway who convinced the Republican presidential nominee to use the teleprompter more for scripted policy speeches is also in the list.
She also appeared frequently as a top spokeswoman on television, an unusual move for a campaign manager, who is typically more focused on behind-the-scenes efforts, it said.
Popular news anchor Megyn Kelly, who who has been critical of Trumps policies and rhetoric, is also featured on the list.Abedins estranged husband Anthony Weiner also makes it to the list, with the magazine saying, while the failed mayoral candidate kept his head down for most of the presidential election, his fondness for sending lewd photos shot him once again into the news.
Abedin finally separated from Weiner, who resurfaced again in October when an FBI investigation into his photos revealed emails on his computer that might be of interest in the investigation into Clintons private email server.
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Washington:
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warned on Sunday that the fight to wrest control of Raqa, the Islamic State group stronghold in Syria, will not be easy.
The effort to isolate, and ultimately liberate, Raqa marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan, Carter said in a statement.
As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction of ISILs caliphate and disrupt the groups ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners, he said, using an alternative name for the jihadist group.
The international coalition will continue to do what we can to enable local forces in both Iraq and Syria to deliver ISIL the lasting defeat it deserves, the US defense chief added.
Carter issued his remarks as US-backed Kurdish-Arab forces launched an offensive on the Islamic State groups de facto Syrian capital Raqa, increasing pressure on the jihadists who are already battling Iraqi troops in Mosul.
The start of the assault by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came as Iraqi forces fought inside Mosul for the third day running, with the jihadists putting up fierce resistance.The two cities are the last major urban centers under IS control after the jihadists suffered a string of territorial losses in Iraq and Syria over the past year.
The US-led coalition battling IS is backing both assaults, hoping to deal a knockout blow to the self-styled caliphate the group declared in mid-2014.
The operation, dubbed Wrath of the Euphrates, involves some 30,000 fighters and began late on Sunday.
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Details added (first version posted on 20:28)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
By Seba Aghayeva Trend:
Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said that he discussed the ways of settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with his Italian counterpart in Baku.
Mammadyarov made the remarks Nov. 7 during a briefing on the negotiations with Italys Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni.
Italy will chair the OSCE in 2018 and I informed the foreign minister about the negotiation process on the conflicts settlement, noted the Azerbaijani foreign minister. We have discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral and international cooperation.
Expansion of cooperation in the energy sector, promotion of the Made in Azerbaijan brand in Italy, interparliamentary cooperation and others were on the agenda, added Mammadyarov.
Paolo Gentiloni, for his part, noted that Italy is ready to put effort to peacefully resolve all frozen conflicts, including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, during its OSCE chairmanship in 2018.
Italy also intends to pay special attention to the development of democratic processes in the OSCE area, said the Italian foreign minister.
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.
New Delhi:
Amid the ongoing heated war of words between Tata Group and outsed group chairman Cyrus Mistry at Tata Group, Finance Ministry has asked financial institutions including LIC and banks to keep a watch on developments to safeguard the interest of investors.
Since LIC as well as banks have invested depositors' money in various companies under Tata Sons, it is their duty to see that public money is not put at risk, Finance Ministry sources said.
Safeguarding depositors' interest is paramount, they said, adding that as investors, banks and financial institutions are keeping a close watch on various developments taking place post the ouster of Cyrus Mistry as chairman of Tata Sons.
Sources said that while there is no doubt that Tata Group is one of the largest and reputed industrial houses in the country, Standard Operating Procedure has to be followed in all the cases.
Life Insurance Corporation of India alone has an exposure of about Rs 37,500 crore to different Tata Group companies. While LIC owns 3.2 per in TCS, which is the most profitable Tata firm, it owns 13.6 per cent in Tata Steel which is the most troubled group company now due to thelingering troubles at its British operations.
At the same time, New India Assurance, another public sector insurance firm owns 1.17 per cent in Tata Steel.
In Tata Power LIC owns 13.1 per cent stake, 7.13 per cent in Tata Motors, 8.8 per cent in Indian Hotels and 9.8 per cent in Tata Global Beverages.
Mistry was unceremoniously removed last month by the board of Tata Sons as its Chairman. Interim chairman Ratan Tata has met V K Sharma, the acting chairman of LIC.
Mistry has accused Tata Sons of cornering him into being a "lame-duck" chairman in the near four-year tenure and also hiding USD 18 billion of potential write-downs across five group firms, including Tata Motors and Tata Steel Europe.
He has also alleged potential financial issues at the various companies and violations of securities regulations. His family firm Shapoorji Pallonji Group has 18.4 per cent in Tata Sons. As much as 66 per cent shares in Tata Sons are held by philanthropic trusts endowed by members of the Tata family.
New Delhi:
Nearly 580 schools under the south corporation will remain closed for the entire week, while those in the jurisdiction of north and east civic bodies will be shut till Wednesday in view of the alarming pollution levels in the national capital.
Over 17,000 schools running under the three municipal corporations of Delhi were closed on Saturday due to heavy smog that has already caused a spike in cases of asthma, allergy and breathlessness in the city, with doctors suggesting extra protection for children and the elderly.
All schools under the MCD are primary schools, which are run in morning and evening shifts. About 10 lakh students are enrolled in the schools run by by the three corporations.
Read: The great smog of Delhi: NGT slams govt for inaction; NDMC begins sprinkling water on roads
The Delhi government had on Sunday also ordered closure of all its schools till November 9.
"We have decided to keep our schools remain closed till November 12, as these are primary students. In the morning shift, the smog is severe. In the evening too the pollution level peaks, so, we have decided to keep it shut for extended period," an SDMC spokesperson said.
579 schools are run under the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), about 740 under North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and the rest under East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC).
Read: The great smog of Delhi: Capitals air quality plunges to seasons worst
Sirifort area in south Delhi and Anand Vihar in east Delh, among other places, have lately registered high levels of pollution, both on PM 2.5 and PM 10 scales.
"We have ordered the schools to remain shut till November 9. We will assess the situation after that and take further decision accordingly," North Delhi mayor Sanjeev Nayyar said.
"Schools of East Delhi Municipal Corporation will also remain closed till November 9," an senior EDMC official said.
Besides, SDMC has also started a radio campaign to make people aware about issues related to pollution.
"Our radio campaign is running since Friday where the chairman of the SDMC's standing committee gives out a message to people to inform the civic body about any cases of leaf burning to our control room so that action can be taken," the senior SDMC official said.
Delhi is witnessing the worst situation due to smog in last 17 years, prompting Delhi government and the Centre to take immediate measures to curb the pollution.
Read: To curb smog, Gurugram bans burning of waste, garbage
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had on Sunday announced a raft of "emergency" measures to deal with the situation including ban on construction and demolition activities for next five days and temporary closure of Badarpur Power Plant in south Delhi.
"Use of diesel generators should be stopped, construction activities should be immediately halted and leaf-burning should not be allowed. Besides, children should be protected properly and extra caution should be taken for them," Nayyar said.
New Delhi:
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) members on Monday unanimously supported vice-president Rahul Gandhi's elevation to being president of the party.
"Right time for Rahul Gandhi to take charge as the President of Congress party," AK Antony in the meeting said. ANI report says other members present in the CWC meet agreed on Antony's suggestion.
However, an ANI tweet quoted a source as saying Sonia Gandhi is likely to continue as Congress president for another year. Earlier on Monday, 46-year-old Rahul presided over the crucial CWC meeting which will take a decision on the party's organisational election.
ALSO READ | ShivpalDemocracy is going through darkest hours under Modi govt: Rahul Gandhi at CWC meet
This is the first time that Rahul has presided over the meeting which is being attended by Congress top brass. Rahul was appointed Congress Vice President in January 2013 at Jaipur 'Chintan Shivir'.
Senior party leaders Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Janardan Dwivedi, Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni and AK Antony were among those attending the meet and will decide on the possible deferring of organisational election to next year.
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Beijing:
Ahead of this week's NSG meet in Vienna, China on Monday stuck to its guns saying there was "no change" in its stand on India's membership bid which it has indicated would be considered only after rules for entry of non-NPT countries are finalised by the elite group.
"This Friday in Vienna a plenary session of the NSG will be held. Our position is subject to no change as of date," Lu Kang, Spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a media briefing. Referring to the November 4 meeting of the National Security Advisors (NSAs) of India and China in Hyderabad, Lu said China is in close contact with relevant parties including India and have been having constructive dialogue and coordination on this issue.
NSA Ajit Doval had held talks with Chinese counterpart and State Councillor Yang Jiechi in Hyderabad during which the issue had reportedly figured. The talks were held ahead of the meeting of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in Vienna on November 11-12, where according to media reports the group could discuss the two-stage process to admit new members who have not signed nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).
India and Pakistan which have applied for NSG membership have not signed the NPT. Last week, China, after the second round talks with India on its entry into the NSG, had said that it will first seek a solution to admit all countries who have not signed NPT and then discuss India's specific application.
"On India's accession to the NSG, I can tell you that China's position is very clear and consistent" Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying had said. "We will seek a solution that applies to all Non-NPT countries and then we will discuss the specific application of relevant non-NPT country," she had said. The issue had also been discussed in the talks here between? Joint Secretary (Disarmament and International Security) Amandeep Singh Gill and his Chinese counterpart Wang Qun on October 31.
That meeting was held ahead of Doval and Yang meeting in Hyderabad. China has also been holding simultaneous talks with? Pakistan on its admission into the NSG.
Officials say that the focus now shifts on the kind of modalities being worked out by NSG which can accommodate India, whose non-proliferation record is regarded positive by a majority of the group's members contrary to Pakistan's record in nuclear proliferation.
About the outcome of Doval and Yang meeting at Hyderabad, Kang said the two officials exchanged views on bilateral as well as regional and international issues of common interest. Asked whether India's concerns over China blocking UN ban on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar, Lu said they discussed issues that have "cropped up" in bilateral relations. They agreed to maintain contact, and control and manage relevant issues to ensure steady development of bilateral relations, he said.
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New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday issued a joint statement in New Delhi. The two leaders agreed that both India and UK face the shared threat of terrorism as individual countries, as partners, and as global powers.
Highlights of PM Narendra Modis statement:
#Last week was a period of great festivities in India, you also celebrated Diwali with much fanfare: PM Modi to British PM Theresa May
#In my extensive discussion with PM May we looked at the full range of our partnership. We agreed to touch new dimensions & horizons
#We looked at full range of our partnership today, agreed to have new dimensions and initiative to broaden scope of our linkages
#We (PM Modi and British PM Theresa May) have agreed to establish a joint working group on trade
#We agreed that terrorism is not a limited security challenge, it moves across borders and affects entire humanity
#I conveyed our deep concerns to PM May regarding cross border terror and the need for international community to take strong action
#I encourage British companies to look at the multiple opportunities in Indian defence sector
#Looking beyond trade in defence equipment, I invite British companies to build partnership with Indian enterprise
#There's growing convergence of our views on global issues. I thanked PM May for UKs consistent support for Indias membership of UNSC & NSG
ALSO READ | UK offers first-ever easier visa regime for Indian businessmen
Highlights of British Prime Minister Theresa Mays statement:
#UK will continue to welcome brightest and best students from India to UK to study
#PM Modi and I are personally dedicated to invest in UK-India relationship
#We both face the shared threat of terrorism as individual countries, as partners, and as global powers
#We have agreed to strengthen our cooperation in particular by sharing best practice to tackle use of internet by violent extremists
#Both UK and India face an increasing threat of cyber-attack from other states, terrorists and criminals operating in cyber space
#PM Modi and I have agreed to step our cooperation by negotiating a cyber framework between our countries
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Bengaluru:
In a tragic incident, two Kannada actors went missing on Monday after they jumped off from a chopper into Thippagondanahalli Reservoir during a movie shoot in Bengaluru, reports said.
The crew of upcoming Kannada film aMasti Gudia was shooting the climax scene during which the mishap took place.
The scene included the actors jumping off from a chopper into the Reservoir. Lead actor Duniya Vijay along with co-actors Uday and Anil had to jump off from the helicopter from a height of over 100 feet.
The video shows three of the actors jumping into the water but only Vijay managed to swam to the bank. Search is on for the other two actors.
#WATCH: Two Kannada actors missing after they jumped from a chopper into Thippagondanahalli Reservoir during a movie shoot in Bengaluru. pic.twitter.com/MBTzbicvxl a ANI (@ANI_news) November 7, 2016
In Pic: 2 Kannada actors who went missing after they jumped from a chopper into Thippagondanahalli Reservoir during movie shoot in B'lore pic.twitter.com/9OKEYDT0u8 a ANI (@ANI_news) November 7, 2016
Visuals of the two Kannada actors before they went missing, after they jumped from a chopper during movie shoot in Bengaluru. pic.twitter.com/wor8vBM8iA a ANI (@ANI_news) November 7, 2016
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Washington:
The festival of Chhath was celebrated with huge fervor on the banks of the historic Potomac River as more than 600 Indian-Americans gathered here from the suburbs.
The huge numbers made it the largest gathering in the last nine years. Indian-Americans from the area attended the three-day long annual festival organised here on Sunday.
"This was the largest gathering for Chhath Puja," said Kripa Singh, an eminent Indian American community leader in Virginia, who has been solely organising the event for the past nine years now.
This year, people came from as far as Chicago, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey in addition to those from Maryland and Virginia. Last year, around 250 Indian-Americans took part in this festival of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Recounting how it all began, Singh - who hails from Bihar's capital Patna - said, in 2007 his mother asked his wife Anita to take care of Chhath Puja to keep alive the family tradition of generations.
When he inquired among his friends and other Indian-American community leaders if anyone here performed the Chhath Puja, he found that people did it inside their homes or at the most in a makeshift plastic tub full of water following which the idea of organising the ceremony on the banks of Potomac River in Loudon County struck his mind when he saw concrete boat ramp on a picnic trip with his friends.
He found the place good for performing the rare Puja in the real way with all the traditional and religious rituals. He, then, approached the Loudon County Parks and Recreation Department with the details and sought permission to do the ceremony which was granted.
He said that the Loudon county is enthusiastic about supporting the Indian-Americans in organising this rare festival outside India. Chhath Puja entails worship of Sun God, embodied in cosmic energy, and is observed mainly by people from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
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New Delhi:
India on Monday asked Britain to extradite nearly 60 people wanted by it, including liquor baron Vijay Mallya and Chirstian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal, for bringing them back to face justice.
India and Britain also agreed to hold annual strategic dialogue at the level of Union Home Secretary to jointly deal with issues like terrorism, organised crimes, visa and immigration matters.
The Indian list of around 60 wanted people was handed over to Britain during the bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Theresa May.
Britain also handed over to India a list of 17 people whose custody it seeks under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty or against whom Letters Rogatories had been issued, official sources said.
While industrialist Vijay Mallya has been accused of money laundering, Chirstian Michel is the alleged middleman in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal.
ALSO READ | PM Modi, Theresa May's joint statement: India conveys its deep concerns to UK over cross border terror
The two countries agreed not to allow fugitives and criminals escape law and resolved to facilitate outstanding extradition requests.
In talks between Modi and May, the issue of extradition requests figured and officials dealing with the issue from both sides were directed to meet at the earliest.
Sources said India expects forward movement in Mallyas extradition from the UK following the talks. They said the specific issue of Mallyas extradition had also figured in the talks between the two sides in the run up to the meeting between Modi and May.
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Mumbai:
Ending its five-session losing run, BSE benchmark Sensex on Monday recouped nearly 185 points on positive global sentiments as chances of Hillary Clinton in the US election brightened following a relief from FBI in personal email server probe.
The US elections and outcome speculation caused nervousness in global markets last week but the news of a reprieve, mere two days ahead of polls, for Clinton from FBI brought cheers for investors as the investigative agency did not find any material evidence for potential criminal charges.
Besides, domestic equities got a major push from covering-up by speculators, who had been creating short positions.
Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services Ltd, said, Market reacted positively to the outcome of US FBIs clean chit to the Democratic presidential candidate. Investors expressed an interim relief in the midst of escalating worry in the final lap of election battle. Further, short covering on pharma, bank stocks has also supported the rally.
The Sensex opened gap-up at 27,552.27 and hovered between 27,591.15 and 27,398.72 before closing at 27,458.99, showing a gain of 184.84 points, or 0.68 per cent.
The gauge had lost 667.36 points in the previous five sessions. The Nifty after shuttling between 8,535.85 and 8,481.45 ended higher by 63.30 points, or 0.75 per cent, at 8,497.05.
Buying activity was so strong that all the sectoral indices, except capital goods, ended in the green, rising by up to l.94 per cent. Tracking overall trends, broader markets were also in better shape with the small-cap surging 1.19 per cent and the mid-cap index rising 0.59 per cent.
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 343.30 crore on Friday, as per provisional data. Globally, in the Asian region, Japans Nikkei moved up 1.61 per cent, Shanghai Composite was higher 0.26 per cent, while Hong Kongs Hang Seng up 0.70 per cent.
European markets also joined Asian markets as Frankfurts DAX climbed 1.71 per cent, while the Paris CAC rose 1.81 per cent in their initial deals. Londons FTSE too surged 1.37 per cent. The US stocks futures too were trading in positive terrain ahead of Mondays market opening.
New Delhi:
Mahatma Gandhias grandson and a former NASA scientist, 87 year old Kanu Ramdas Gandhi died in a private hospital in Surat after prolonged illness on Monday evening. He is survived by his wife Shivalaxmi.
Kanu had earned fame as the young boy who had walked ahead of his grandfather Mahatma Gandhi holding his stick on Dandi villageas beaches during the legendary Salt Satyagraha of March April 1930.
He was suffering from poor health since a long time and had suffered a heart attack and brain haemorrhage on October 22.
Pained by the demise of Kanubhai Gandhi, the grandson of Gandhi Ji. Remembering my various interactions with him. May his soul rest in peace a Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 7, 2016
The brutal attack had left his body paralysed and he had lapsed into a coma. Sadly, he could never recover from this situation.
Deeply saddened to know about passing away of Shri Kanubhai Gandhi,Mahatma Gandhi's grandson.Deep condolences to his family,may his soul RIP a Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) November 7, 2016
Sad to learn of the passing away of Kanubhai Gandhi, grandson of Gandhiji. My heartfelt condolences to his family a Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) November 7, 2016
Kanu Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi passes away. May his soul rest in peace. a Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 7, 2016
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Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
By Elena Kosolapova Trend:
The problem of separatism now poses a threat to the whole world, Vitezslav Pivonka, Czech ambassador to Azerbaijan, said in Baku.
He was addressing a roundtable discussion titled GUAM-Visegrad Group: Possibilities and Limitations of Regional Cooperation on Nov. 7.
It is necessary to consider the problem of separatism which now threatens the whole world, Pivonka said.
Elsewhere is his speech, Pivonka noted that there is no country in Europe that is not concerned about the issue of energy security.
This sphere is one of the most important areas for cooperation between GUAM and the Visegrad Group, the envoy added.
The ambassador also mentioned tourism as one of the priority areas for cooperation.
The GUAM was created by post-Soviet countries in 1997 during the summit of heads of states of the European Union in Strasbourg.
New Delhi:
Japanese auto major Toyota has launched a new version of its popular SUV Fortuner in India priced between Rs 25.92 lakh and Rs 31.12 lakh (ex-showroomDelhi).
The company, which is present in India through a joint venture - Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) - with the Kirloskar group, is offering the vehicle in both petrol and diesel options.
While the diesel variant is powered by a new 2.8 litre engine, the petrol option has a new 2.7 litre engine.
Commenting on the launch, TKM Managing Director Akito Tachibana- Managing Director, said, "Fortuner is one of our flagship models and has won many hearts globally and as well as in India. We are confident that the new Fortuner will further delight our customers and continue its legacy to maintain its number one positioning in the Indian SUV market."
When asked about sales expectations, TKM Director and Senior Vice President (Sales and Marketing) N Raja said when at its peak, Fortuner did about 16,000 units a year and the company is expecting to do more, since a petrol variant has also been introduced for the first time.
"We expect the petrol option to have good demand in Delhi NCR and Kerala. Our expectation is that it'll account for about 5-10 per cent of total sales." Raja added.
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New Delhi:
The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea which sought to review its decision of upholding the clean chit given by subordinate courts to BJP President Amit Shah in connection with the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.
The apex court rejected the plea of activist Harsh Mander challenging the order by which it had dismissed the appeal against the discharge of the BJP leader in the case by the Bombay High Court upholding the trial court order.
"We have perused the review petition and the connected papers. We do not find any error in the order impugned, much less an apparent error on the face of the record so as to call for its review."
The review petition is accordingly dismissed," a bench of Justices S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan said in its order of October 19.
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Tokyo:
A Japanese freelance journalist detained by local authorities in Iraq has been released after being suspected of being a member of the Islamic State group.
Kosuke Tsuneoka was handed over by the authorities in the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq to the Japanese Embassy, Japan's Foreign Ministry said.
The 47-year-old journalist, who specialises in the Middle East, was captured last month while reporting on the battle to retake Mosul from IS. He was taken into custody by Kurdish-led, US-backed forces.
Japan had been negotiating with the Iraqi side to allow local Japanese diplomats to meet Tsuneoka for an eventual release.
Tsuneoka tweeted: "Freed now. Will return home tomorrow evening ... Thanks everyone."
He said he had been investigated after being arrested as he was carrying a key chain with an IS logo that he obtained on an earlier reporting trip. He said he was carrying the key chain as reporting "material."
"But this became a problem at a security check for a presidential press conference. I was suspected as an IS member and arrested and interrogated. I had explained this to the authorities, and I do hope they believe my innocence," Tsuneoka said on Twitter.
He denied a media report that said he served as a translator for IS militants and received a medal.
"That's terrible. I don't understand Arabic at all," he tweeted.
The ministry said that Tsuneoka was in good health and that he was expected to return to Japan tomorrow.
Tsuneoka had been taken into custody several times in the past, and was kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2010.
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New Delhi:
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un may be planning to launch deadly missiles on the crucial election day in the United States, reports have said. Kim Jong Un may send a strong message to President Barack Obamas successor by launch intermediate-range ballistic missile on Tuesday, according to reports.
Reports say it seems Kim Jong Un wants to send the message to the new US President that despite international condemnation and sanctions, the hermit kingdom will not abandon its nuclear and long-range missile development programs.
Military officials in South Korea are on high alert amid the threat of a launch, according to Yonhap News Agency.
We are closely watching every move by the North Korean military at its Punggye-ri nuclear test site and other possible missile-launching sites, an official from Seouls Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The military is fully prepared to respond to any provocative acts by the North.
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Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
By Elena Kosolapova Trend:
Azerbaijan is representing an alternative and positive model of how various ethnic groups and especially religious groups can live in harmony with each other, that can be an example for the whole world, said Dan Stav, Israeli ambassador to Baku, in his interview with Trend.
When you see Sunni and Shia are slaughtering each other in the Middle East from Yemen to Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, the clashes between Iranian Sunni and Shia all the way to Afghanistan and Pakistan, meanwhile, you see the alternative that is offered by Azerbaijan, said the ambassador.
He noted that Azerbaijan, where a major part of the population is Muslims, have good relations with Israel.
The diplomat added that bilateral relations between Israel and Azerbaijan are unique because there are very close contacts between the two countries peoples.
The Jews have been living in Azerbaijan since time immemorial for more than 15 centuries, said Stav, adding that the Jews lived in the country in a harmony with their neighbors, whether they were Zoroastrians, Christians or Muslims.
They always were a part of the fascinating democracy of this region. For us this component is of great importance, he added.
The ambassador recalled that a big number of Azerbaijani Jews migrated to Israel in 1990s and they are migrating today in a smaller number.
They went to Israel not because they were prosecuted here, but because they wanted to live with Jewish brothers in Israel and they serve as Azerbaijans ambassadors of goodwill in Israel, added the diplomat.
Stav also noted that Azerbaijan and Israel have great interest in stability in the Middle East, and Israel attaches great importance to cooperation with Azerbaijan.
We are on one edge of the Middle East and Azerbaijan is not far from the Middle East, he said. What happens in the Middle East have repercussions both in Israel and Azerbaijan.
The issues of terrorism and radicalization generate certain Islamophobia in some parts of the world, noted the Israeli ambassador.
We fully understand all this phenomena and share Azerbaijans concern in this regard, added Stav.
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Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
By Seba Aghayeva Trend:
Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said that he discussed the ways of settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with his Italian counterpart in Baku.
Mammadyarov made the remarks Nov. 7 during a briefing on the negotiations with Italys Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni.
Italy will chair the OSCE in 2018 and I informed the foreign minister about the negotiation process on the conflicts settlement, noted the Azerbaijani foreign minister. We have discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral and international cooperation.
Expansion of cooperation in the energy sector, promotion of the Made in Azerbaijan brand in Italy, interparliamentary cooperation and others were on the agenda, added Mammadyarov.
Paolo Gentiloni, for his part, noted that Italy is ready to put effort to peacefully resolve all frozen conflicts, including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, during its OSCE chairmanship in 2018.
Italy also intends to pay special attention to the development of democratic processes in the OSCE area, said the Italian foreign minister.
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, Nov. 7
By Seba Aghayeva Trend:
The commitments undertaken by Azerbaijan and Italy on implementation of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will expand bilateral cooperation, said Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni in Baku Nov. 7.
Our cooperation covers many areas, such as trade, agrarian sector, energy, Gentiloni said in a briefing with Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. Italy can also contribute to development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU.
Mammadyarov, for his part, said the TAP projects implementation continues in line with the schedule.
There have been some delays, but we hope that they will be eliminated, noted the Azerbaijani foreign minister.
TAP project envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries. The 870-kilometer pipeline will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.
TAPs initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year with the possibility of expanding it to 20 billion cubic meters.
Caught: Hillary sold favors to Morocco for $28 million
Another day, another scandal involving Hillary Clinton and her fraudulent foundation. Nothing ever seems to change in that respect, but it is important for the American people to know that there is widespread corruption in this family, so its necessary to report all of the new evidence that comes out and expose these people for what they really are.
Thats why refusing to address the issues regarding her foundation is further proof that the mainstream media is trying to skew the election in her favor. They know that she and her acquaintances are corrupt, and yet they intentionally avoid discussing the truth in their news coverage. With each passing day, more evidence seems to come out to prove just how twisted the Clintons are, but a lot of this information slips under the radar because of the powers that be like the fact that Hillary sold favors to a Moroccan official in return for $28 million in donations to her foundation.
King Mohammed VI received two massive favors in exchange for the cash, which all but proves the fact that Hillary Clinton is only concerned about financial gain.
Richard Pollock of The Daily Caller reports, Clinton also relaxed U.S. foreign aid restrictions on Morocco, thus allowing U.S. funds to be used in the territory of Western Sahara where OCP operates phosphate mining operations. Morocco is repeatedly condemned for seizing the territory and for unilaterally extracting the countrys valuable minerals, impoverishing whats left of the local Sahrawi Arabs.
If this were any other person, people would be completely convinced that there is corruption afoot, but for some reason, Hillary Clinton continues to get a free pass for reasons unbeknownst to any of us logical folks. The fact that this isnt a bigger news story when we are less than a week away from the presidential election goes to show how little the mainstream media actually cares about releasing the news.
This is the most dangerous election of our lifetime, and one that will most definitely shape the country as a whole for years to come. Its up to the American people to take control of this situation and make our voices heard through our votes. The federal government and the mainstream media have proven that they are working together to push their establishment agenda, so the only people we can trust on the issues are ourselves.
Make the right choice, folks. Keep Hillary Clinton out of the White House.
Sources:
DailyCaller.com
RedState.com
AmericanThinker.com
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Article by John Hayward
1. Clinton Email Scandal: As everyone knows, this supposedly de-railed investigation was dramatically hoisted back onto the rails by none other than Anthony Weiner the accused pedophile who ended up with a huge trove of State Department emails on his computer, which the FBI seized because Weiner has been sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl.
Not only is the Clinton email investigation back on the rails, its chugging along at high speed. It was reported on Monday that the FBI has accelerated its timeline for reviewing Weiner emails linked to Clinton.
2. The Anthony Weiner Investigation: The poor judgment displayed by Hillary Clinton in allowing vital government emails to slip onto Anthony Weiners computer is absolutely breathtaking.
Furthermore, Clintons top aide Huma Abedin has trotted out the shopworn all-purpose Obama administration excuse that she knew nothing about the situation until she heard it reported on the news. That should disqualify her from ever obtaining any sort of security clearance, if Hillary Clinton had not already rendered information security a joke.
Both Abedin and Clinton could be in legal jeopardy, depending on what emails the FBI finds lurking in the diseased corners of Weiners laptop. Weiner himself is absolutely in jeopardy, the kind that puts perverts in jail for long stretches of time. He has every reason to make a deal with law enforcement.
He might have a lot to deal with. How did 650,000 State Department emails end up on his computer? The simplest explanation might be that Carlos Danger (as he once liked to be called) was stockpiling leverage to use against his now-estranged wife and her boss, The Smartest Woman Who Ever Lived.
3. The Clinton Foundation Probe: Weve learned an FBI probe of the Clinton Foundation for possible financial crimes and influence peddling has been in progress for over a year. As the Wall Street Journal put it, some of the investigators were frustrated because FBI leadership seemed uninterested in probing the charity.
This is an investigation that could rope in a lot of people in Clintons inner circle, besides Hillary and Bill Clinton themselves. Abedin is a player, and so is Hillary Clintons chief of staff, Cheryl Mills, and another key aide, Philippe Reines. Bill Clintons old body man Doug Band basically the Littlefinger of Bill Clintons financial empire, for you Game of Thrones fans and even Chelsea Clinton could end up answering some tough questions.
Much will depend on whether the Clinton Foundation is scrutinized in isolation, or whether charges of influence peddling are pursued, at which point Hillary Clintons entire retinue from her days in the Senate and State Department would have reason to feel nervous.
4. The Podesta Brothers: Most of those WikiLeaks bombshells the Clinton media is ignoring with such furious intensity are to, from, or copied to John Podesta, the CEO of Hillary Clintons campaign, and probably the most powerful figure in Clintonworld not named Clinton.
In one of the latest WikiLeaks revelations, Podesta is caught telling Cheryl Mills, We are going to have to dump all those emails, and it would be better to do so sooner than later. That sounds ominously like a conspiracy to destroy evidence in multiple federal criminal investigations, depending of course on which emails he was talking about, and what he meant by dumping them.
Podestas brother Tony, and the brothers Podesta Group lobbying firm, are involved in anFBI corruption investigation related to the deposed president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych. The allegations boil down to illegal lobbying activities. Former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort also has a company that figures in the same investigation, so people across the 2016 political battlefield get to feel nervous about this one but Podestas pipeline into the Clinton machine means more highly-placed people in her camp could become part of the investigation.
5. Terry McAuliffes Campaign Donations: The Clintons old friend Terry McAuliffe, currently the governor of Virginia, has been under FBI investigation for over a year by the Public Integrity unit over campaign fundraising and donations. Part of that investigation involves his time with the Clinton Global Initiative.
The events of greatest interest, until now, were some curious foreign donations, but now weve got the eye-popping sums of money McAuliffe steered to Virginia state senate candidate Jill McCabe, whose husband just happens to be Andrew McCabe, who just happens to be a top FBI official, and who just happened to end up in charge of the Clinton Foundation investigation.
This controversy doesnt seem to be fading despite rote denials of impropriety and swift media assurances it was all a big nothingburger. Some of those dismissals are based on Jill McCabe receiving her pile of McAuliffe money before her husband became involved with an FBI investigation of the Clintons, but not all of it was donated before that point, and it hardly strains credulity to assert that the Clinton machine was making down-payments for favors it knew full well it would need later.
There have been calls for McCabe to recuse himself from the Clinton Foundation probe, and House Oversight Committee chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) has a few questions.
The fascinating thing about these five investigations is not just that so many prominent people from the Clintons orbit are caught up in them the UK Daily Mail suggests a few more, lower-profile names but that all of these cases could have trails leading to Anthony Weiners computer.
It will take a long time to go through all the material of interest, but meanwhile Weiner has suddenly become the key figure in Hillary Clintons presidential bid. It seems safe to say nobody saw that coming.
Clintonworld is looking like a carload of bandits in a chase film from the 1970s, heading for the state line with pedal to the metal, a swarm of cop cars roaring through the dust right behind them. Can Hillary Clinton and her crew hit the White House in a squeal of shredding tires and win total political immunity before the law catches up with them? Stay tuned for the big finale on Election Day!
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STAMFORD Police have identified the Stamford High School student fatally struck by a van outside the school Saturday morning.
The accident occurred just before 7:30 a.m. Saturday as Karina Tinajero-Arreguin, 18, of Bedford Street, was attempting to cross a wide stretch of Strawberry Hill Avenue when a 2000 Chevrolet Express driven by a 37-year-old Stamford man struck her.
Tinajero-Arreguins family immigrated to the United States from Mexico and are making funeral arrangements in their home country, said Sgt. Andrew Gallagher, head of the Stamford Police Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Unit, which is investigating the crash.
As far as the family of this young lady, these are hard-working, working-class people who came to this country to give their children a better opportunity, Gallagher said. They are taking it very hard and trying to make arrangements to get Karina home to be put to rest.
A school in mourning
On Sunday afternoon, counselors were at Stamford High School speaking with a small group of students who had come to talk about the tragedy. Social workers, psychologists and other mental health professionals will be available to talk to students for as long as needed, said Jim OCallaghan, head of social work for the school district.
Well be designating a space or spaces for kids who need some support or to be together with others and talk to a professional counselor, OCallaghan said. Were aware of the students that were her friends, but we also want to be careful and cognizant of other vulnerable students who have suffered a loss of a parent or other loved one.
Olha Matchak, a junior at Stamford High School, said Tinajero-Arreguin was her best friend. Tinajero-Arreguin reached out to support Matchak when she enrolled at Stamford High School two years ago after her family immigrated from Ukraine. They exchanged Mexican and Ukrainian souvenirs this fall that both bought on summer trips back to their family homelands.
This is so hard; I love her and will never forget her, Matchak said. She was a great student and she was always happy when she got good grades.
According to police, Tinajero-Arreguin was on her way to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test at the school when she was hit.
Investigation
Gallagher said Tinajero-Arreguin stepped into traffic lanes off the west curb of Strawberry Hill Avenue near a long driveway that runs west from Morgan Street to Strawberry Hill Avenue, directly adjacent to a staircase in front of the school. Tinajero-Arreguins relatives confirmed the driveway was part of a route the student walked to school from her home, Gallagher said.
Tinajero-Arreguin severe injuries in the accident, and was transported to Stamford Hospital, where she died. The van driver stayed at the scene and was cooperative with investigators. Drugs, alcohol, and distracted driving do not appear to be factors in the accident, Gallagher said. He also said it was full daylight at the time of the accident, and lighting and weather conditions are not believed to be factors.
Police have interviewed a variety of witnesses including motorists driving in both directions on Strawberry Hill Avenue and nearby pedestrians but no one who witnessed the actual accident, Gallagher said.
Gallaghers unit is requesting any witnesses or persons with information in the crash contact investigators at 203-977-4712.
We have all the pieces of the puzzle around the accident, but everyone weve spoken to only saw the tail end of what happened, he said.
Dangerous intersection
The stretch of Strawberry Hill Avenue where Tinajero-Arreguin was struck is considered a dangerous one for pedestrians. There have been several accidents in recent years, including the death of 65-year-old Carmine Passaro, a Stamford resident and substitute teacher who was struck by a car and killed in 2014 while walking up Strawberry Hill Avenue.
Andrena Forlenzo, a counselor at Stamford High School who witnessed this most recent crash, said she was also hit by a car as she crossed the road to go to work last December. Forlenzo was outside the crosswalk at the corner of Strawberry Hill Avenue south of the high school.
Forlenzo said Saturdays fatal accident and her own incident reflect a hazardous situation near the school caused by a lack of crosswalks. Speeding also make crossing dangerous, even when pedestrians use the crosswalks properly, she said.
I get what they are saying that you should cross in the crosswalk but it is horrible how much speeding goes on through the school zone, Forlenzo said. There should be a crosswalk at mid-block in front of the school.
Matchak said that she and Tinajero-Arreguin would often cross the same section of Strawberry Hill Avenue together with Tinajero-Arreguin often being the more cautious one.
I remember her always saying, Be careful!, or Stop!, Matchak said. The road is always hard to get across.
Contributed Photo / Contributed Photo
DANBURY - Students and professors at Western Connecticut State University will host a live broadcast on Election Night providing local and national results.
The show, called Election Connection, will run from 8 p.m. to midnight on Nov. 8 on Charter Community Access, Channel 192 and Comcast Channel 97. The program will also be simulcast on WXCI-91.7 FM and livestreamed on wcsu.edu/live.
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WASHINGTON Nearly 250 individuals, local politicians and celebrities raised money for the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) at the organizations 26th annual auction Sunday afternoon. The association aimed to raise at least $150,000 for its various programs to preserve the environment.
Actress Christine Baranski, known for her role in CBS The Good Wife as Diane Lockhart, served as honorary chair of the auction, attending the event with honorary co-chairs Frank Delaney and Linda Allard, among others, as well as Sen. Richard Blumenthal. Tim Luke, who has been featured on HGTVs Cash in the Attic, served as auctioneer.
Baranski spoke to the attendees before the live auction began about the importance of protecting the environment and the HVAs work.
I find it very moving that were here to focus on one issue, and the most important issue that really was not spoken about in the presidential campaign, which is the environment, and pollution and global warming, she said to cheers and applause from the crowd. We live in a beautiful, beautiful part of the world, and seeing that it is our responsibility, our personal responsibility, each and every one of us, to support the HVA, support your local land trust, support every environmental organization. It is up to us.
Among the items and excursions available in the live auction was a breakfast and visit to the capitol building with Blumenthal.
This event is more important to me than any other in the year because it says something about Connecticut, about this community, about support for our precious environmental resources, Blumenthal told the audience before a bidder purchased the visit with him for $2,000.
Other items up for live auction were two tickets to The Front Page on Broadway, a coffee date with Law and Order and The Newsroom actor Sam Waterston, and four VIP tickets to a taping of Late Night with Seth Meyers. Both celebrities were honorary co-chairs, but unable to attend the auction.
The association also held a silent auction, where bidders could buy about 200 items, ranging from a handcrafted ceramic water dispenser to dog training classes to hot wheels toys.
The event drew hundreds of supporters, some local and others as far as Texas. Auction Manager Mary Beth Lawlor said many of the same people come year after year.
Its a long standing community event and a lot of people are dedicated and support the organization, she said.
Susan Haber, of Washington, who has attended the auction for eight to 10 years, said she wants to support the HVA because the environment is important to her.
We want to make sure it stays pristine for us, for future generations, she said.
Dick Sears, the development director for HVA, said the money raised at the event will help the association when grants fall short.
It makes it possible for us to do great work in the rivers and protecting land, he said.
One of the associations current projects is bringing communities together to protect the Still River. It is also working to restore the Ten Mile River, which is connected to the Housatonic River, by controlling erosion and teaching high school students from Dover Plains, New York how to monitor the rivers health. The association also takes students and adults from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York on river trips so they understand its importance and how to care for it.
When they come to know it, they love it, Sears said. And when they love it, they protect it. Were raising the next generation of environmentalists.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
By Seba Aghayeva Trend:
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs offer to hold a meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers within the OSCE Ministerial Council in Hamburg, Elmar Mammadyarov, Azerbaijans foreign minister, told reporters in Baku Nov. 7.
Azerbaijan gave its consent, said the minister.
He noted that there is inactivity in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
After the meeting in St. Petersburg, we hoped for a progress and we would like to restore the St. Petersburg atmosphere, but the Armenian side, leadership of that country hinders the process, added Mammadyarov.
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.
I write today in support of Sharon Wicks Dornfeld, a candidate for Judge of Probate for Bethel, Ridgefield, Newtown and Redding. Chances are some readers may not know who she is, and there is a reason for that: Ms. Dornfeld, a highly respected and experienced attorney, does not believe in accepting campaign donations to secure a position in which fairness and impartiality are such critical factors.
Therefore, her campaign depends almost entirely on meeting residents by walking door to door so voters can get to know her. That alone demonstrates the tremendous devotion to fairness she would bring to the bench as judge. Yet this is just the starting point for the long and impressive list of credentials and accomplishments she will bring to the position.
100 parties join Paris Agreement: UN official
Morocco,COP 22,Environment/Wildlife, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Marrakesh (Morocco), Nov 7 (IANS) The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Patricia Espinosa, announced on Sunday that 100 parties formally joined the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The announcement was made during a press conference before the official kick-off of the UNFCCC's 22nd Conference of Parties (COP22) in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh on November 7, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015 at the COP21 in Paris, was ratified in October by 96 countries and the European Union, and entered into force on November 4.
Espinosa said that the 100 parties who joined demonstrate "real climate action".
She also announced that the 1st meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA1) would take place at COP22 on November 15.
Salaheddine Mezouar, COP22 President, stressed the importance of reaching tangible commitments from states and civil society during the 11-day climate change conference particularly regarding climate finance and adaptation.
"We're changing the paradigm towards a low-carbon global economy that needs key climate finance flows to the most vulnerable countries," said Mezouar.
This shows serious commitment from all levels of society to continue the critical momentum towards a low-carbon economy and the fight against climate change, he added.
Over 50,000 people are expected to attend COP22 in Morocco, including around 20,000 delegates, some 30,000 civil society members, over 40 heads of state and 30 heads of government.
--IANS
lok/
China passes law to block Hong Kong independence
China,Politics, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS
Beijing, Nov 7 (IANS) China's top legislative body passed an act on Monday to effectively bar the recently elected lawmakers Yau Wai-ching, and Baggio Leung from taking office in Hong Kongs legislature.
A spokesperson of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office issued a statement hailing the adoption of an interpretation of Basic Law of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) as "absolutely necessary" and timely, Xinhua news reported.
China's top legislature adopted an interpretation to Article 104 that "demonstrates the central government's firm determination and will in opposing 'Hong Kong independence'," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also said that the interpretation "safeguards the authority of the Basic Law and the rule of law in Hong Kong" and "complies with the common aspiration of the entire Chinese people, including the compatriots in Hong Kong".
Hong Kong police had fired pepper spray at protestors throwing bottles and road cones in clashes near China's representative office on Sunday night where activists had gathered to demonstrate against Beijing's attempts to stop a fledgling independence movement.
--IANS
in/rn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
Trend:
Multiculturalism is a state policy of Azerbaijan and it has become a way of life of the republic ensuring mutual understanding and respect for all identities, Alessio Stilo, IMN Country Representative in Italy, research associate at Institute of High Studies in Geopolitics and Auxiliary Sciences (IsAG), Rome, Italy, wrote in his article on the Modern Diplomacy website.
Azerbaijan brings an important contribution to the traditions of tolerance and intercivilization dialogue, Stilo, who is also a Ph.D. researcher at University of Padova, Italy, said.
Its peculiar location between Eastern Europe and Western Asia and its sociopolitical context where people of various religions and ethnicities have lived together in mutual respect have allowed Azerbaijan to adopt a multicultural-led agenda as a strategic tool of foreign policy, the author wrote.
Baku has made an effort to create and foster the necessary political and social conditions for developing and strengthening the countrys traditions of multiculturalism and tolerance, according to the article.
Development of multiculturalism and tolerance at the level of state policy in Azerbaijan is based on ancient history of statehood of the country and on development of these traditions, Stilo wrote.
Nowadays, thanks to efforts of the government, this political behavior has acquired a form of ideology of statehood and political practice (state policy), whereas the political bases of these concepts have found their reflection in relevant clauses of articles of the Constitution, legal acts, decrees and orders, said the article.
Regarding one of the facets of this conception religious freedom it is also worth noting that article 48 of Azerbaijani Constitution ensures the liberty of worship, to choose any faith, or to not practice any religion, and to express one's view on the religion, the article noted.
As a consequence of this public support, expressed through material and financial assistance from the budget of Azerbaijan and presidential foundation, there are dozens of national-cultural centers functioning at present, according to the article.
With the same purpose, in 2014 was established the Baku International Multiculturalism Center, aimed to preserve ethnic, religious and cultural diversity of the country, the author wrote in his article.
It has also been created to introduce Azerbaijan as a center of multiculturalism to the world, and carried out research into and promoted existing multicultural models of the world, the article said.
In a recent visit to Baku (October 2016), Pope Francis praised Azerbaijan as a place of religious tolerance, according to the article.
VANCOUVER, Nov. 7, 2016 /CNW/ - Leagold Mining Corporation (TSXV:LMC.H) has a focused corporate strategy on identifying and acquiring gold mines and attractive development projects within Latin America. This corporate strategy is leveraging the extensive and proven track-record of Leagold's management team in acquiring, operating and building gold mines with the strong Latin American relationships of the Company's Directors.
Leagold is pleased to announce its Board of Directors appointed Frank Giustra as Non-executive Chairman. Leagold is also pleased to announce the appointment of Doug Bowlby to the role of Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, Doug Reddy to the role of Senior Vice President, Technical Services and Harpreet Dhaliwal to the role of Vice President, Finance and CFO. Both Mr. Bowlby and Mr. Reddy were senior executives with Endeavour Mining, and bring extensive experience in sourcing and evaluating gold mines and development projects, along with implementing corporate growth and financing initiatives. Ms. Dhaliwal is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CA) with over 9 years' experience in the resource sector, most recently with Fiore Management & Advisory Corp. and previously with Endeavour Mining.
Neil Woodyer, CEO commented "Leagold is actively developing and evaluating gold acquisition opportunities of both operating gold mines and advance-stage development projects within Latin America. We are continuing to build our senior executive team with the recent additions of Doug Bowlby, Doug Reddy and Harpreet Dhaliwal. With US$25.4 million of cash and equivalents, Leagold has a solid balance sheet to support its in-depth technical and financial due diligence, and the ability to develop multiple opportunities."
Leagold has filed its unaudited quarterly Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the period ended September 30, 2016 under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. These documents and additional information on the Leagold's corporate strategy and governance policies are also available on Leagold's newly launched website at www.leagold.com.
Board of Directors and Management Team
Leagold has built a high performance board with a mix of skills, expertise and relationships that will help achieve the strategic goals of the Company. The Board of Directors consists of six members, as follows:
Frank Giustra, Non-executive Chairman and Director, is a successful company financier with a track record of building natural resource companies. Mr. Giustra has had an active role in the launch and growth of several major natural resource companies, many with operations in Latin America. Mr. Giustra is CEO of Fiore Financial, a private firm managing a broad portfolio of equity investments. Mr. Giustra was a director of Endeavour Mining from September 2013 until July 2016.
Gen. Wesley Clark, Director, is a retired 4-star U.S. Army General. General Clark spent 34 years in the U.S. Army and held several Commands including Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO and, earlier in his career, Commander, U.S. Southern Command, which covers activities in South America and Central America. Currently, General Clark heads a strategic advisory and consulting firm.
Bernadette D'Silva, Director, is a consultant in the natural resource industry with an extensive background in Corporate Finance spanning over 20 years. For the past 12 years, Ms. D'Silva has been advising and assisting Canadian public companies with their continuous disclosure obligations, regulatory compliance requirements, and corporate governance practices. Ms. D'Silva has worked on the successful launch of Urasia Energy Ltd. (acquired by Uranium One), Silver Wheaton and Pacific Rubiales and has worked with Endeavour Mining through its various acquisitions while it transitioned from an investment banking firm to a mining company in 2010.
Miguel Rodriguez, Director, has extensive experience in the private, public and academic sectors. Previously, Mr. Rodriguez was a director of Endeavour Mining from September 2013 until July 2016. He was the Economic Minister and Chief of the Economic Cabinet of the Republic of Venezuela from 1989 to 1992. He was the President of the Central Bank of Venezuela, and was a Governor to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank. Subsequently he was Senior Advisor to the World Bank. He was also a Professor of Economics at IESA in Caracas until 2008.
Jay Sujir, Director, is a lawyer and Partner in Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP's Mining and Securities practice groups and has over 30 years experience acting for mining and other natural resource companies.
Neil Woodyer, CEO and Director, has extensive history in the mining sector creating growth strategies, implementing financing plans and leading management teams. In 1988, Mr. Woodyer was a founder of Endeavour Financial, a successful mining merchant banking and advisory business. In 2009, Mr. Woodyer, then Endeavour's CEO, and Mr. Giustra devised Endeavour's gold growth strategy and in 2010, Mr. Woodyer led the transition of a financial company (Endeavour Financial) into a mine operations and development company (Endeavour Mining). Endeavour Mining successfully grew into one of the largest gold producers in West Africa through a series of acquisitions, successful expansion and optimization projects, and new mine construction. Mr. Woodyer left Endeavour Mining in June 2016.
The senior executive team now includes:
Neil Woodyer Chief Executive Officer Doug Bowlby, CFA SVP Corporate Development Doug Reddy, P.Geo. SVP Technical Services Harpreet Dhaliwal, CPA, CA VP Finance & Chief Financial Officer Jeff Leung, CFA VP Corporate Development
Corporate Strategy
Leagold aims to build a new mid-tier gold producer with a focus on opportunities in Latin America. Leagold is leveraging the extensive and proven track-record of its management team with the strategic expertise and strong Latin American relationships of the Company's Directors. Leagold's management were involved in the successful growth of Endeavour Mining into a leading West African gold producer, and in identifying and acquiring gold mines and attractive development projects. With Leagold, the team intends to replicate the 'buy and build' strategy and repeat its success.
Leagold is well-positioned to achieve its plans with a strong shareholder base, a motivated management team, and deep relationships in the gold mining sector.
Corporate Governance
The Management Team and Board of Directors have a strong commitment to Leagold's long-term success which includes this group owning approximately 32% of the shares of the company. Leagold has established transparent and progressive governance and policies that encourage wealth creation from share price performance. These policies, which are available at www.leagold.com, center around two key pillars: Board Structure and Executive Compensation.
Board Structure
Strong, independent board with experience in the mining sector, public company governance, and Latin America
Transparency with Board Charters and Policies published on website. Recently, the Board of Directors adopted a series of new policies including Corporate Disclosure and Trading, Whistleblower, Majority Voting and Diversity
Executive Compensation and Alignment with Shareholders
Board and Management collectively own 32% of the Company
Neil Woodyer , CEO owns 27.6 million shares (20.4%) and does not intend to receive a salary while owning over 10% of the company
Background of the Recent Additions to the Management Team
Doug Bowlby, SVP Corporate Development, has experience building corporate growth strategies and implementing a wide range of corporate finance initiatives, including M&A transactions and debt & equity capital markets financings. He joined Leagold in September 2016, and is responsible for the development and analysis of acquisitions and contributing to the growth of the company. Previously, Mr. Bowlby was the Executive Vice President Corporate Development of Endeavour Mining from 2009 to August 2016, during which time Endeavour Mining evolved into a significant West African gold producer through a series of corporate acquisitions and successful mine construction. Prior to this role, Mr. Bowlby was Managing Director, Research & Analysis at Endeavour Financial, a boutique investment and merchant banking company focused exclusively on the junior to mid-tier global mining industry. Mr. Bowlby is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the CFA Institute.
Doug Reddy, SVP Technical Services, has +30 years' experience in project evaluations, exploration, mine geology, resource development and consulting in base and precious metals. He was with Endeavour Mining for 10 years in executive and senior management roles focused on technical services, business development and investor relations. Mr. Reddy was based in Peru as manager of the Lima office of Amec Americas Limited and also was Technical Director - Geology and Geostatistics based in Vancouver. Mr. Reddy is a registered professional geoscientist (P.Geo. APEGBC) and a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Harpreet Dhaliwal, VP Finance and Chief Financial Officer, is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CA) with over 9 years' experience in the resource sector. She has served as Chief Financial Officer of several junior natural resource companies and previously worked for international operating resource companies including Endeavour Mining Corporation and Uranium One Inc. Ms. Dhaliwal is a graduate of the University of British Columbia where she received a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics).
About Leagold Mining Corporation
Leagold aims to build a new mid-tier gold producer with a focus on opportunities in Latin America. Leagold is based in Vancouver, Canada and is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol "LMC.H".
On behalf of Leagold Mining Corporation
Neil Woodyer, Chief Executive Officer
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 news release.
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" including but not limited to, statements with respect to Leagold's plans and operating performance, the estimation of mineral reserves and resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of future production, future capital expenditures, future financing sources, and the success of exploration activities. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "expected", "budgeted", "forecasts" and "anticipates". Forward-looking statements, while based on management's best estimates and assumptions, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: risks related to the successful integration of acquisitions; risks related to international operations; risks related to general economic conditions and credit availability, actual results of current exploration activities, unanticipated reclamation expenses; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; fluctuations in prices of metals including gold; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, increases in market prices of mining consumables, possible variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry; delays in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations, tax rules and regulations, and political and economic developments in countries in which Leagold operates. Although Leagold has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Please refer to Leagold's most recent Annual Information Form filed under its profile at www.sedar.com for further information respecting the risks affecting Leagold and its business.
SOURCE Leagold Mining Corporation
Image with caption: "Leagold Mining Corporation (CNW Group/Leagold Mining Corporation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161107_C1163_PHOTO_EN_812669.jpg
For further information: on Leagold please visit the Company website at www.leagold.com or contact: Doug Reddy, SVP Technical Services, +1-604-609-6114, [email protected]
TORONTO, Nov. 6, 2016 /CNW/ - Reigning Olympic champion Michael Jung of Germany claimed victory in his $20,000 Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge debut on Saturday night, November 5, at the Royal Horse Show, held as part of the 94th Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, ON.
Jung, who won individual gold and team silver medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, thrilled a full house in the Ricoh Coliseum by guiding Cruising Guy home in the fastest time to win the $20,000 Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge.
Held over two rounds, riders came into Saturday's competition carrying forward their opening phase scores from Friday night. Ranked second behind Karl Slezak of Tottenham, ON, coming into the final phase of competition, Jung shot to the top of the leaderboard with a penalty-free, two-night cumulative time of 152.13 seconds when Slezak had two refusals riding Fernhill Wishes.
Jung's win was especially remarkable, considering he had only ridden his winning mount, Cruising Guy, for the first time 24 hours earlier.
"I really felt more of a partnership with the horse tonight," said Jung following his victory. "He was really concentrated, and nearly in every moment he was super to ride. He's an experienced horse and very well prepared. I just had a good ride with a good horse. I have to say thank you to the team and to the horse."
While Jung claimed victory, Toronto's own Rachel McDonough placed second riding Irish Rhythm with a two-round time of 160.59 seconds. Rounding out the top three was Canadian Olympian Jessica Phoenix of Cannington, ON, riding Abbey GS, owned by Charlotte Schickedanz.
Jung made his first trip to Toronto a winning one over the 18-obstacle track set by course designer Captain Mark Phillips of Great Britain, himself an Olympic team gold medalist from the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany.
"I really liked the show," said Jung, 34. "It's very beautiful, and the course designer is very experienced. I've ridden many of his courses outside. It's totally different inside, but he did a good job. It's good competition."
In addition to his success at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Jung won both the individual and team gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics and is one of only two riders to ever win the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, achieved by winning the CCI4* Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA), the CCI4* Badminton Horse Trials (GBR), and the CCI4* Burghley Horse Trials (GBR) in succession.
Competition at the Royal Horse Show continues on Sunday, November 6, featuring the $15,000 Braeburn Farms Hunter Derby at 1 p.m.
Limited tickets for the Royal Horse Show can still be purchased by visiting royalfair.org or ticketmaster.ca.
For more information on the Royal Horse Show, the marquee event of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, visit royalfair.org/horse-show. A complete horse show schedule can be accessed here.
Funding support for The Royal has been provided by the City of Toronto and the Government of Ontario.
$20,000 Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge Final Results
Saturday, November 5
Rider Hometown Horse Penalties Time 1. Michael Jung Germany Cruising Guy 0 152.13 2. Rachel McDonough Toronto, ON Irish Rhythm 0 160.59 3. Jessica Phoenix Cannington, ON Abbey GS 1 176.50 4. Diana Burnett Blackstock, ON Manny 2 189.13 5. Kendal Lehari Uxbridge, ON RF d'Orbalia 5 160.30 6. Selena O'Hanlon Kingston, ON Uptown Girl 5 163.67
About The Royal
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is the world's largest combined indoor agricultural and equestrian show. This year, the 94th Royal Agricultural Winter Fair runs from November 4-13, 2016, at Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto. For competition schedules, live webcasting, results, and to purchase tickets, visit www.royalfair.org.
SOURCE Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
Image with caption: "Reigning Olympic champion Michael Jung of Germany won the $20,000 Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge on Saturday, November 5, at Torontos Royal Horse Show. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography (CNW Group/Royal Agricultural Winter Fair)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161106_C7730_PHOTO_EN_812541.jpg
Image with caption: "Torontos own Rachel McDonough placed second in the $20,000 Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge riding Irish Rhythm. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography (CNW Group/Royal Agricultural Winter Fair)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161106_C7730_PHOTO_EN_812542.jpg
Image with caption: "Germanys Michael Jung celebrates victory in front of a full house at the Royal Horse Show, held as part of the 94th Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography (CNW Group/Royal Agricultural Winter Fair)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161106_C7730_PHOTO_EN_812543.jpg
For further information: Jennifer Ward, Cell: 613 292-5439, www.jumpmediallc.com
OTTAWA, Ontario, Nov. 7, 2016 /CNW/ -- Real estate development firm Sakto Corporation together with Waterford Property Group announce the winner of Preston Square's Banner Design Contest paying tribute to Canada's 150th birthday celebration. The winning design is by David Hook of Ottawa for his artwork titled "Coast to Coast." Hook was awarded a prize package valued at $3,500. His design will be used to honour Canada's birthday in 2017 in media and print including the installation of decorative banners in Preston Square.
"The winning design is a beautiful and creative tribute to celebrate the birth of Canada in a way that represents the nation's past, present, and future," said Jamilah Taib Murray, Sakto Corporation Chairman. "I am looking forward to these colourful and meaningful banners which will line the street front of Preston Square."
The design was inspired by stained glass and incorporates all of the colours in the Canada 150 logo. It conveys a playful depiction of Canada's landscape from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific while encompassing the many diverse elements of Canada from its breathtaking natural landscapes to its bustling cities. The banner will debut in early 2017.
"Thank you to everyone who submitted their artwork. We were delighted at the creativity of Preston Square residents, tenants, and employees," continued Murray.
Sakto Corporation is a privately owned and operated real estate holding and investment firm founded and located in Ottawa, Canada. Throughout its three decades of operation, Sakto Corporation has remained true to its core standard of excellence and integrity. Today, the company owns and manages multiple property holdings and is renowned as one of the nation's capitals foremost property facilitators. Jamilah Taib Murray is the Chairman and Sean Murray is President. Visit Sakto Corporation's Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Waterford Property Group is an Ottawa-based real estate development, management, and investment firm.
SOURCE Sakto Corporation
For further information: For further information: Brian Murray, Director of Leasing and Business Development, Sakto Corporation, [email protected], (613) 230-3434 ext. 237, http://www.sakto.com., http://www.sakto.com
OTTAWA, Nov. 7, 2016 /CNW/ - The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, and Parliamentary Secretary and Member of Parliament for Labrador, Yvonne Jones, issued the following statement today on the occasion of International Inuit Day:
"Today, International Inuit Day, was declared ten years ago at the 2006 Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) general assembly, and is an important occasion to celebrate the rich history and culture of the Inuit and their contributions to Canada and abroad.
As we look towards the future and further our journey of of reconciliation, the Government of Canada is committed to a renewed Inuit-Crown relationship based on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership. Over this past year we have listened carefully. We have heard clearly about the need for Inuit to protect their distinct cultural identity and improve socio-economic conditions of their people.
We are committed to working together on subjects that Inuit have said matter most to them including suicide prevention, housing, addressing food insecurity, climate change and adaptation while strengthening the Inuit/Crown Relationship along the way. For example, the Igloo Tag trademark, which helps to protect Inuit artists and combat the trade in counterfeit pieces, is in the midst of being transferred from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, to the Inuit Art Foundation. This will ensure that Inuit take full control of this important tool.
The Government of Canada is also working hard to ensure Inuit and Northerners' voices both shape policies and programs in the sustainable development and conservation of the Arctic and are clearly heard in our international outreach to the United States and circumpolar countries around the world.
As we celebrate Canada's 150th year of confederacy next year, let's all take this opportunity to learn more about Inuit culture, history and contributions to Canada by either visiting Canada's north, getting to know Inuit communities where we live, or picking up a book by an Inuit author. Reconciliation has to be about all Canadians. We all play a part in ensuring Canada's next 150 years leave a better legacy for future generations.
Happy International Inuit Day!"
This statement is also available on the Internet at www.aandc.gc.ca .
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SOURCE Government of Canada
For further information: media may contact: Sabrina Williams, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, 613-697-8316; INAC Media Relations, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, 819-953-1160
TORONTO, Nov. 5, 2016 /CNW/ - It doesn't get any bigger than the giant vegetable competition at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. In fact, the point of growing giant vegetable is to see how large they can actually get. And of course, the huge pumpkins, beets, rutabagas and other vegetables are a source of fascination for families.
"I just like the challenge of growing them," says the winner of the 2016 giant pumpkin class. Chris Lyons of Scarborough has been exhibiting his monster vegetables at The Royal for 22 years. His first place pumpkin tipped the scales at 1550 lbs, setting a new record at The Royal.
The vegetables are grown for competition only. Once they get too large, they lose flavour and texture. Lyons says most of the giant vegetables end up in compost following the competition, but he will make sure to extract the seeds from his giant pumpkin before it is hauled away.
"My Dad used to grow giant vegetables," Lyons says. "He once had a four pound tomato."
Lyons says the giant vegetable competition is a friendly contest a community of people who like to see how big they can grow a carrot or kohlrabi. He plants some of his crop indoors in January to give it a head start.
"It's always nice to win," Lyons admits as he pats his giant first place pumpkin. He also exhibited a 5 pound, 6 ounce rutabaga.
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is the world's largest combined indoor agricultural and equestrian show. This year, The 94th Royal Agricultural Winter Fair runs November 4-13, 2016, in at Exhibition Place in Toronto. For competition schedules, live webcasting, results and to purchase tickets, please visit www.royalfair.org.
Funding support for The Royal has been provided by the City of Toronto and the Government of Ontario.
SOURCE Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
Image with caption: "Chris Lyons and his giant pumpkin (CNW Group/Royal Agricultural Winter Fair)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161105_C6881_PHOTO_EN_812517.jpg
For further information: Karen Poncelet, Marketing Communications and Community Relations Mgr, The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, 39 Manitoba Drive, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON M6K 3C3, Direct: 416-263-3411 Fax: 416-263-3488
Kristina Arthur 2
Kristina M. Arthur
(New York State Police)
BERLIN, N.Y. -- A Minnesota woman has been missing for two months, and her car was recently found more than 1,000 miles away in Upstate New York, the New York State Police announced today.
Kristina M. Arthur, 36, of Isanti, Minnesota, was reported missing by her family in September, police said.
Arthur's family said they were concerned when they made the initial report: she had been acting oddly, and they were having trouble getting in contact with her, police said.
On Nov. 5, members of the New York State Police found Arthur's red 2008 Chevrolet Impala sedan abandoned in Upstate New York, approximately 1,300 miles from her home.
The car was in Berlin, an Upstate New York town east of Albany in Rensselaer County, police said. Police were unable to find the woman in the immediate area.
Arthur is a white woman, with blue eyes and brown hair, police said. She is approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds.
Arthur has a mental illness and may need medical attention or may not have been taking her prescription medication, police said.
New York State Police are asking anyone with information to call (518) 783-3211.
Reporter Kira Maddox covers crime and safety for Syracuse.com. She can be reached anytime: Email | Facebook | Twitter
A Global Times reporter Liu Jianxi (GT) talked with Yukon Huang (Huang), a senior associate in the Carnegie Asia Program, a leading economist in Asia and former World Bank country director for China, about Chinas financial issues
The Chinese-language version has been accused of having a strong pro-government slant, and of attracting a strongly nationalistic readership, the English-language version has been described by one of its editors as taking a less strident approach. It is an international paper run by the Peoples Daily newspaper.
Some Economists say China will face a financial crisis
Huang Over the last 10 years, Chinas debt to GDP ratio has increased from about 150 percent to 250 percent. The debt ratio is not unusual given Chinas stage of development. The level is not a worry. The worry is that if you compare China with other countries whose debt ratios have increased by the same amount in a short period, almost all have experienced a financial crisis. So why not China?
1. in China, borrowers are often State-owned enterprises or local governments, and lenders are State-owned banks. In other countries, lenders and borrowers are usually private. If the borrower and lender are both State-owned, any financial problem eventually becomes a budget issue, and the outcome depends on the financial strength of the government.
2. land prices have increased on average from 400 percent to 800 percent over the last decade which is unusual. So a lot of debt in China is actually financing the costs of land and the transfer of property, although many observers havent realized it.
Property prices went from essentially zero when State-owned to something which is quite high and comparable to global market values. I dont think China has a debt problem, because property is valuable and the increase in debt is the result of financial markets recognizing its value. I do not see a crisis coming but there will be increased volatility that needs to be managed.
Fiscal reform is needed
Huang: For Chinas local governments, the budget system is weak, households dont pay much income tax and there is no property tax. In the US, local government budgets are large and dependent on property taxes. When localities want to build a road, they dont borrow from banks. In China, local governments often borrow for infrastructure and other activities. China needs to move to a financial system which is less bank-dependent, and this means improving the budget system.
Another aspect is that localities in China own land. They sell land to developers and get money to finance schools or roads. But sometimes they go too far. They build too many malls and houses which then become vacant. Sometimes they drive up prices because they want to develop more to generate more revenues but this can lead to overbuilding and excess unsold properties. With a stronger fiscal system, there is less incentive to overbuild. To me, Chinas debt problem is not a banking issue, it is a budget problem.
Prediction on Chinas Real Estate
Huang: First, prices have increased in Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai much more than in second- and third-tier cities. This is because of the excess supply of unsold housing in the smaller cities relative to the largest cities. The government is telling everyone: please move to smaller cities. Thus local authorities have been building more in the small- and medium-sized cities. But people are not coming. Even though property prices are lower, people are more focused on getting a better job, and the higher paying jobs are usually in the bigger cities.
Government policies are also distorting the housing market. A property bubble usually occurs when government policies attempt to promote more sales and construction than market conditions warrant. Zoning and building regulations distort prices and often make prices too high in major cities. Restrictions on migration distort demand. People should be allowed to move to where they can find good jobs. In addition, Chinas major cities are not as densely developed in its core as cities in other countries and thus development is pushed out to the suburbs. This make centrally located property too expensive. The tendency to tighten and then ease guidelines for buying homes also encourages bubbles.
SOURCE- Global Times
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
Trend:
Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) hosted a workshop for technical universities of Azerbaijan conducted by American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and The American Petroleum Institute (API).
Representatives of more than 10 national higher education institutions including BHOS, Baku State University, Azerbaijan State Oil and Industrial University, Azerbaijan State Marine Academy, ADA University, Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction, Azerbaijan Technical University, Khazar University, Qafqaz University, University of Technology and Sumgayit State University were invited to attend the workshop.
Welcoming the participants, BHOS Rector Elmar Gasimov emphasized the importance of the workshop in bringing attention to, and raising awareness of, the issues of standardization, eLearning and digital libraries in Azerbaijani universities of technical profile.
He also wished the workshop attendants a successful and productive work. James S. Thomas, Assistant to Vice President, Sales & Marketing at ASTM International, made a report on ASTM standards and test methods, its online database for standards and digital libraries, and onsite & online training programs. API standards, their use in the oil & gas industry and APIs Quality Registrar Individual Certification Programs were covered in the presentation by Lakshmy Mahon, Director, Global Industry Services at API. Arseniy Korniliev, Process Manager at ASTM International, and Mehmet Haseki, Managing Director, Mikro Information Handling and Distribution Services - Authorized ASTM Dealer, also participated in the workshop.
ASTM International is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services. The American Petroleum Institute is the only national trade association that represents all aspects of Americas oil and natural gas industry. Its chief functions include, among others, establishment and certification of industry standards and education outreach. ASTM and API have teamed up to develop the most pertinent standards documents in the oil and gas industry.
New Dehli, India, has shut down 1,800 schools for the first time ever, forcing a million students to stay at home to avoid breathing in the deadly smog that continues to shroud the city. This comes a week after firecracker residue from the Diwali festivities pushed the citys Air Quality Index (AQI) into the red zone.
Levels of particulate matter (PM) 10 and PM2.5 hit 844 g/m3 and 588 g/m3 respectively on Nov. 06, according to data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), which monitors air quality. Thats shockingly above the safe limits of 100 g/m3 and 60 g/m3 respectively, and suggests that things have only worsened since last week when the severe pollution advisory was issued.
Alarming levels of smog have virtually turned Delhi into a gas chamber, mainly due to farm fires in neighboring Punjab and Haryana, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said. The chief minister has called for an emergency cabinet meeting at his residence on Sunday afternoon to discuss the issue.
Vehicle restriction measures like odd-even will not be able to bring down smog as initial studies suggest that the large scale influx of pollutant-laden smoke from Punjab and Haryana has aggravated the situation.
Pollution has increased to an extent that outdoors in Delhi are resembling a gas chamber. Prima facie the biggest reason seems to be burning of stubble in agricultural fields in Haryana and Punjab in huge quantity, Mr Kejriwal told a media conference.
SOURCES- Quartz, NDTV
Genetically modified wheat crops could see a leap in yields after glasshouse trials showed a massive 40% increase in grain output.
Researchers focusing on making the photosynthesis process in wheat plants more efficient are hoping to have the first field trial of this new wheat crop drilled next spring.
The new wheat plants with genes added from a grass called stiff brome have been showed to assimilate carbon dioxide better than conventional wheat which led to a big jump in crop biomass.
Rothamsted Research, which receives strategic funding from BBSRC, submitted an application on 3rd November 2016 to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for permission to carry out GM field trials on the Rothamsted Farm in 2017 and 2018. Scientists at Rothamsted Research, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Essex and Lancaster University, have developed wheat plants that can carry out photosynthesis more efficiently i.e. convert light energy into plant biomass more efficiently. This trait has the potential to result in higher yielding plants. The purpose of the proposed trial is to evaluate the performance of the engineered plants in the field.
Ensuring food security is a major challenge given the projected need to increase world food production by 40% in the next 20 years and 70% by 2050. Wheat is one of the major grain crops worldwide and provides approximately one-fifth of the total calories consumed globally. However, wheat yields have reached a plateau in recent years and predictions are that yield gains will not reach the level required to feed the 9 billion population predicted for 2050. Traditional breeding and agronomic approaches have maximised light capture and allocation to the grain. A promising but as yet-unexploited route to increase wheat yields is to improve the efficiency by which energy in the form of light is converted to wheat biomass.
If the plants produce anything like a 15 per cent increase in yield in field tests, it will be a spectacular result. Its an extremely beneficial trait, says Hawkesford.
In the UK, wheat yields have plateaued at around 8 tonnes per hectare. Getting more wheat from the same area of land would have massive environmental benefits freeing up land to put aside for wildlife or to capture carbon, for example.
Whats more, the modification helps plants takes advantage of the rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In higher levels of CO2, this works even better, Hawkesford says.
The team say they have made other genetic alterations that also boost yields in greenhouse tests, though they are not yet ready to divulge details. Several of these yield-boosting modifications could be stacked together in a single strain to create superplants.
Plants make the food we eat by adding carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to a five-carbon molecule. In plants like wheat and tobacco, the supply of these five-carbon molecules often runs short, limiting the efficiency of photosynthesis.
So Hawkesford and colleagues, including Christine Raines of the University of Essex and Elizabete Carmo-Silva of Lancaster University, have added extra copies of an enzyme called SBPase, to increase the supply of the five-carbon molecule.
For the field tests, they have created strains of a spring wheat called Cadenza with anywhere from one to six extra copies of the gene for SBPase.
Cadenza is an old wheat variety that is no longer grown commercially. If the trial succeeds, newer strains of wheat would need to be modified to create commercial products but thats a long way off, Hawkesford stresses.
SOURCES- New Scientist
By Olivier Ferret 7 November 2016 - 15:19
The Sauber F1 Team is pleased to announce the appointment of Jorg Zander as its Technical Director. He is a familiar face in the team, as Jorg Zander worked as Chief Designer for the BMW Sauber F1 Team back in 2006 and 2007. Currently Zander works as Technical Director for Audi Sport. The Swiss crew is more than pleased to welcome him back to Hinwil. The 52-year old German will start at the beginning of 2017 at the Sauber F1 Team headquarters in Hinwil.
Jorg Zander has more than 25 years of experience in international motorsport working in different leading technical positions. The journey in Formula 1 began in 1997 at Toyota Motorsport GmbH in Cologne. Since then Zander has worked as a Chief Engineer for the BAR-Honda F1 Team (2002-2005) and as a Chief Designer for Williams GP Engineering (2005-2006). In 2008 he became Deputy Technical Director at Honda Racing F1/Brawn GP F1. Then in 2010 Zander started working for Audi Sport as Engineering Consultant and was promoted to Technical Director in 2015 with overall responsibility for the "Audi Sport Technik" department.
"I am delighted to return to the Sauber F1 Team in my adopted home country of Switzerland," said Jorg Zander. "After many years at the top level in endurance motorsport, I am very pleased to become Technical Director and to undertake the challenge with Monisha Kaltenborn, the team, all the outstanding engineers and mechancis in the new era of Formula 1. The new Formula 1 regulations offer a great opportunity to point the way with innovations and technical creativity. One of my tasks will be to define a stable and efficient technical organisation that evolves the potential of creativity and, therefore, the basis for the development of successful Formula 1 cars. Initially we obviously want to improve and establish ourselves as a team in the mid-field. Overall it is a challenge which I await with excitement and enthusiasm."
CEO and Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn is delighted about the appointment of Jorg Zander and emphasised: "We are very pleased about the appointment of Jorg Zander as our new Technical Director at the Sauber F1 Team. We are honoured that we have convinced such a renowned and experienced technical leader to be part of our team and plans for the future. This is a very important step for the implementation of our strategic goals, in order to guide the team into a new and successful era. Zander fits well into our team, he has a lot of know-how in Formula 1, as well as in motorsport in general. As Technical Director he will have the overview as well as the responsibility for all technical departments. In our factory in Hinwil he will have the possibilities to work technically at a very high level. We are convinced we will make progress with him. We wish Jorg Zander a good start on his return to Sauber, for which we ensure him our full support."
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
Trend:
Azerbaijan will host gatherings of influential international media organizations on Nov. 16-18 the 5th News Agencies World Congress, the 16th General Assembly of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) and the 22nd session of the Council of CIS Heads of News Agencies.
Co-organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and AZERTAC, these events will bring together heads and representatives of more than 100 news agencies, which shape the global information policy, international media experts, UN and UNESCO officials, and representatives of regional media organizations.
The joint opening ceremony of the News Agencies World Congress and the OANA General Assembly will take place at the Heydar Aliyev Center on Nov. 16.
The slogan of the 5th News Agencies World Congress is New Challenges for News Agencies. The Congress will feature several sessions, including The future of news consumption, News agencies challenges and opportunities of new technologies and social media, News agency innovation, Training journalists for a multi-media future, Protecting the journalists mission: freedom, access, safety and conflict zones. It will also feature discussion on problems facing journalism, which is now in experiencing rapid transformation, and forms of cooperation between news agencies and different social media platforms.
Speakers at the sessions will include presidents of the News Agencies World Congress, OANA, EANA, FANA, managers of Associated Press, Reuters, Xinhua, Anadolu Agency, TASS, Agence France-Presse, Press Association, EFE, Yonhap, Kyodo, TT, SPA, BTA, AAP, IRNA, DPA, Notimex, ATPE and other leading news agencies, Los Angeles Times newspaper, Al Arabiya television channel, and experts from Tripod Advisors, News Corp, PwC, Axel Springer, Stibo Accelerator media companies.
The Congress will also see the presentation of a photo album featuring nearly 600 photographs by the participating agencies in News, Festival and Sport categories. The photo album was published through partnership between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Baku Media Center.
The Congress will also feature the signing of several agreements, election to executive bodies of the Congress, and the adoption of Declaration.
AZERTAC will take on a three-year presidency (2016-2019) of the Congress at the event.
The 16th General Assembly of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies will be held at JW Marriott Absheron Baku hotel on Nov. 18, bringing together more than 80 heads and representatives of 40 news agencies. The event will see AZERTAC assume presidency of OANA for the next three years, during which the agency will be responsible for managing the website of the organization and other organizational issues.
The agenda of the 22nd session of the Council of CIS Heads of News Agencies encompasses a wide range of issues, including review of the organizations activities in 2016, implementation of joint projects, and expansion of news exchange.
Initiated by the Russian TASS news agency, the 1st News Agencies World Congress was held in Moscow on Sept. 24-25, 2004. The three other congresses took place in Spain, Argentina and Saudi Arabia. The main body of the Congress is the Council. At the 4th Congress, which was hosted by Riyadh in 2013, Associated Press, Reuters, Press Association, SPA, TASS, EFE, Kuna, AZERTAC and TELAM agencies, as well as secretaries general of EANA, OANA and FANA were elected as members of the Council.
An initiative of UNESCO, the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies was founded in 1961 with the aim of expanding news exchange among regional news agencies. OANAs members include 43 news agencies from 35 countries. At the 15th General Assembly held in Moscow in 2013, AZERTAC was elected by secret ballot as president of the organization for 2016-2019.
American electoral system is so confusing that most Americans dont understand it, said Patrick Butler, vice-president, programmes at th...
American electoral system is so confusing that most Americans dont understand it, said Patrick Butler, vice-president, programmes at the International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ).If Americans find it difficult to understand their own electoral system, how will outsiders do? This is the reason we compiled these points which will guide you in understanding the process better.THE ROLE OF ELECTORAL COLLEGEIn less than 48 hours, the 45th president of the United States would have been known. There is no doubt that the election is a two-way horse race between Donald Trump of the Republican Party, and Hillary Clinton of the Democracy Party, but unlike Nigeria where popular national vote determines the president, only 548 electors will vote for the next US president.WHO ARE THE ELECTORS?The US constitution doesnt provide too many details about who can serve as an elector except that no sitting senator or house member can be appointed as one. Political parties in each state generally choose their slate of electors.SLATE FOR ELECTORS IS CHOSEN ON ELECTION DAYA political partys slate of electors is chosen on election day in each state, and in most, its based on which ticket wins the most votes.HOW ELECTORAL COLLEGE WORKSEach states allotted number of electoral votes is equal to the size of each states congressional delegation. Texas, for example, has 38 electors, which means the state has 36 members in the house of representatives plus its two senators. California has the most electoral votes, 55, and a few states like the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming have as few as three. Washington, D.C. also has three electoral votes.Most states distribute electoral votes through a winner-take-all system,THE ELECTORATE VOTE FOR THE COLLEGE, NOT THE CANDIDATESAmericans will not be voting for the president directly in the election; it is the electors that will vote for the president. To be elected president, a candidate must score 270 Electoral College vote, representing 50 per cent plus one vote or a simple majority vote.Quentin Kidd, a professor of Political Science at the Christopher Newport University, took time to explain the process to NAN.The ballot indicates Electors for Hillary Clinton, Tim Kaine; Electors for Donald Trump, Mike Pence. So our ballot doesnt list the names of the candidates but the ballot does say electors for, the agency quoted Kidd to have said.So you (electorate) are choosing who the electors are going to be bound to, not who the candidate is; the candidates choose who the electors are.VOTES ARE AWARDED TO CANDIDATES WHO WIN MAJORITYEach state has winner takes all system. That is, whoever wins popular votes takes all the votes; whoever wins popular votes wins the electors.Its a very complicated system but in general, what happens is that each of the 50 states awards all of its votes to the candidate who wins a majority in that state, Kidd explained.So lets take California for example: if one candidate wins 80 per cent of the votes in that state, they get all of that states electoral vote.If they win 51 per cent of the votes in that state, they still get all of that states electoral vote.THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE DOESNT VOTE UNTIL DECEMBERThis is also another part that is confusing. Technically, the winner of the election will be known by November 9, but the electors meet in mid-December to officially cast one vote for president and one vote for vice-president.The outcome of the election is not formalised until December.VICE-PRESIDENT WILL OPEN THE VOTES BEFORE CONGRESSThe votes of the electors are sent to the government by late December, and on the afternoon of January 6 unless the date is changed Vice-President Joe Biden will open the electoral votes before a joint session of the new congress where they will be counted.LAWMAKERS VOTE WHEN THERE IS A TIEIf there is a tie in the Electoral College or if no candidate receive 270 electoral votes, the house would elect the next president based on the three presidential candidates who receive the most electoral votes, with one vote per state delegation, and the senate would elect the vice president.Only two presidents have been elected by the house: Thomas Jefferson in 1801 and John Quincy Adams in 1825.CAN ELECTORS VOTE FOR THEIR PLEDGED CANDIDATE?There is no constitutional provision or federal law that requires electors to vote for whom they are pledged. Twenty-six states and Washington, however, bind their electors to vote for their promised candidates.People who vote for someone other than for whom they are pledged are known as faithless electors and theyve never decided a presidential election. Faithless electors are rare, with only one in each of the 1948, 1956, 1960, 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1988 elections.THE MEDIA DECLARES WINNERS OF ELECTIONMedia networks are the platforms that announce elections results and declare winners of elections in the US rather than the election commission.
Nigerias President, Muhammadu Buhari ha departed Abuja for Benin city, the Edo state capital, on Monday, for a two-day working visit.
Nigerias President, Muhammadu Buhari ha departed Abuja for Benin city, the Edo state capital, on Monday, for a two-day working visit.This is coming shortly after the valedictory session held for the out-going Governor of Edo state, Adams Oshiomhole.It is perhaps the last time Mr Oshiomhole will be hosting President Muhammadu Buhari in that capacity as Governor of Edo state.Here are few things the president Muhammadu Buhari will be doing in Edo state:- The president is expected to visit the Oba of Benin Omonoba Nedo Uku Akpolo-Kpolo Ewuare the second.- In Edo State, President Buhari will commission several key projects in the State, including the new 5-Star Central Hospital in Benin City.- President Buhari will also commission the Upper Siluko Road and the Samuel Ogbemudia College (formerly New Era College, Benin City).- President Muhammadu Buhari will also inspect the reclaimed Queen Ede Erosion site, in Benin City.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, has called for intensified concerted onslaught against the Boko Haram insurgents in the c...
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, has called for intensified concerted onslaught against the Boko Haram insurgents in the country.Buratai who described the recent killing of a Nigerian Army super warrior, Lt. Col. Muhammad Abu Ali, as one loss too many, said it was imperative to find a national and indeed a global solution to the terrorism challenge in the country.The Army Chief made the comment while speaking with journalists shortly after declaring open a seminar with the theme Assessing the threats of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja on Monday.The Army Chief observed that the insurgents were getting clandestine support from some elements within the society and from other bodies like the ISIS.Buratai who called for the cooperation of Nigerians in the fight against insurgency said the deceased Commanding Officer of the 272 Task Force Battalion, Ali, would not die in vain.The late commander reputed for extraordinary acts of bravery who was on deployment in Mallam Fatori after an earlier attack on troops location would be buried at the military cemetery on Monday.He said, It is incumbent on all of us to really reflect, to understand that we are really in a situation where need to ensure that the fight against insurgency received total support from everybody.This a loss too many that we just have to find a collective effort by all Nigerians and indeed globally to ensure that terrorism is seriously fought to the end. It is a situation where we really need to work together, to synergise together.
God will give Hillary Clinton victory in the United States Presidential election of November 8th but the results will not go down well wi...
God will give Hillary Clinton victory in the United States Presidential election of November 8th but the results will not go down well with Donald Trump and republicans will dispute the processes.This was the prophesy from Bishop Juanita Nwendu, a celebrated female preacher and Presiding Bishop of Christ Church on the Hill, Utako, Abuja in an exclusive chat with the Director General of Igbo Mandate Congress,IMC, Rev Dr Obinna Akukwe in Abuja on Thursday.Bishop Nwendu told Rev Akukwe and his team that It is the will of God that Hillary Clinton becomes President of United States of America and there is nothing anybody can do about that. God told me a month ago that she will become president but that we should organize prayers for her victory in accordance with the prophetic mandate. The prayers which held in Abuja last Friday and Saturday was meant to clear all obstacles to her victoryBishop Nwendu , while responding to the issue raised by Rev Akukwe on how Clintons victory aligned with Gods global agenda for the end time , said that it is Gods intention to use Clinton to stabilize the US economy and also settle the issue of gender discrimination worldwide which is threatening some families and cultures. God revealed that Donald Trump and his followers will question aspects of the process but divine purpose will prevailBishop Juanita Nwendu, who is also the President of Lifesavers Ambassadors Ministry, a women intercessory ministry based in 45b Ajose Adeogun Street, Abuja, in line with Gods instructions organized a two-day prayer at the church office on the 4th and 5th of November with notable women gospel ministers in attendance . Bishop Juanita Nwendu had earlier contested on the platform of Alliance for Democracy, AD, to represent Abuja Federal Constituency in the National Assembly. Bishop Juanita Nwendu, guest at the Igbo-Israeli Youth Economic Summit was also in Port Harcourt for a crusade last month and also the Warri Women Conference with the theme 'Breaking the limits' three weeks ago where she relayed the same message of Hillary Clinton victory.The leadership of Igbo Mandte Congress IMC had met with Bishop Dr Juanita and her team in the aftermath of Igbo-Israeli Youth Economic Summit which held in Enugu last month, to compare prophetic notes on how Igbos can position themselves to fulfill their end-time prophetic mandate to the world in alliance with the people of other tribe, races and culture, devoid of acrimony and hate speeches.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday told Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Governor-elect, Godwin Obaseki and others delegates in Benin City tha...
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday told Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Governor-elect, Godwin Obaseki and others delegates in Benin City that he spent 40 months in detention in the state during the 1985 military coup.President Buhari, who was on two days working visit to Edo state will used the opporutnity to launch projects completed by the Governor Adams Oshiomhole-led administration.I'm glad to be visiting Edo State, to commission Infrastructure projects completed by the administration of Gov Adams Oshiomhole.Not many people may remember: I spent most of the 40 months of my detention, following the 1985 coup, in a small bungalow here in Benin City, the president said.
Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abu Ali, was the Commanding Officer of 272 Task Force Tank Battalion.
Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abu Ali, was the Commanding Officer of 272 Task Force Tank Battalion.Abu died at about 10.00pm on Friday when suspected insurgents attacked the 119 Battalion Nigerian army location at Mallam Fatori, northern Borno state.He left behind a wife and children.Here are 5 things Nigerians are talking about him:1. Abu Ali, was intelligent lieutenant-colonel who doesnt brag but was Boko Haram nightmare in Borno2. Muhammed Abu Ali, one of the son of Colonel Abu Ali, who was governor of Bauchi state from August 1990 to January 1992 during the military regime of Ibrahim Babangida.3. Ali led one of the armys fiercest-ever battles with Boko Haram, in February 2015, culminating in the recapture of Baga town in Borno state.4. The deceased was granted accelerated promotion from rank of major to lieutenant-colonel in September 2015, for his courageous performance in a series of the armys engagements with Boko Haram.5. A senior army official who spoke with newsmen on Sunday, November 6th, 2016 said Ali was close to leaving Mallam Fatori, where he was killed ahead of an army raid on Sambisa Forest.
The Nigerian Navy has reaffirmed its determination to tighten security around choke points in the maritime environment and the gulf of gui...
The Nigerian Navy has reaffirmed its determination to tighten security around choke points in the maritime environment and the gulf of guinea, with the implementation of Exercise Sharkbite.This was made known by the Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral James Oluwole, during a two-day sea exercise.According to him, exercise sharkbite was not to inconvenience law abiding seafarers, but to give the assurance that adequate measures are put in place to protect them as well as their properties.A routine preparation was conducted by naval officers of the eastern naval command on board NNS Okpabana, the flag ship of the command for the sea exercise.Rear admiral Oluwole, explained that the focus of the exercise is to enhance the preparedness of the command against maritime crime and criminality.According to him, it is expected to enhance the capacity of the command in the fight against piracy, sea robbery, hijacking, illegal bunkering and crude oil theft, among other maritime crimes, while implementing the directive of zero tolerance to all forms of maritime illegalities on Nigerian waters.The exercise which was conducted by four ships include man overboard, target shooting, anti-piracy and air-sea simulation operations.At the end of the operation, the FOC gave a summary of what had been done and areas where operational improvement would be made.In his words: there some areas we noticed that operational improvements should be made, although they are not critical areas that we should worry about.The four ships that participated in the exercise were able to go through simulation operation flawlessly, proving that the navy is ready to undertake real life assignments as the need arises.Exercise sharkbite is sequel to an exercise earlier conducted at the Armed Forces Simulation Centre Jaji, Kaduna, between October 10 and October 14, 2016.
Michael Wetkas, a detective of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, said Senate President Bukola Saraki borrowe...
Michael Wetkas, a detective of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, said Senate President Bukola Saraki borrowed money to buy a piece of property in Lagos, but that he claimed the money was from the sale of rice and sugar. Wetkas, while being cross-examined on counts two and three of the 16-count charge of false asset declaration against the senate president at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), said the defendant borrowed the money from Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB).Paul Usoro, Sarakis lawyer, examined him.Acknowledging the charge which read in part: You (Saraki) falsely declared a property at 17 A and B Ikoyi, Lagos, which you said you bought from the proceeds of rice and sugar whereas it was a loan from Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Wetkas insisted that it was valid.The EFCC detective said Saraki bought the property in 2006 from a loan of N400m from GTB, but that he allegedly did not declare it in 2011 at the end of his eighth term as governor of Kwara state.However, Wetkas admitted that Saraki declared the property in 2007 at the end of his first term as governor.Saraki had made several attempts to halt his trial at the CCT, but he failed at every turn.He maintains that his trial is politically motivated.The trial was in progress as of the time of filing this report.
boozle_Parking_miller_18.JPG
Larry Zisman stands at the pre-pay parking kiosks at the Princeton Junction station. He received two tickets for entering an incorrect license plate number.
(Andrew Miller/For NJ Advance Media)
Here comes a tale of technology.
Sometimes technology is good, sometimes it's bad, and other times, it's confusing.
The tech confusion, in this case, started with a self-pay parking fee kiosk. And it led to questions about why the state's municipal courts don't use technology to lower the number of court appearances by ticketed drivers who want to plead not guilty.
Now, we have no beef with a required court appearance for driving drunk or other serious offenses. But if someone wants to fight a parking ticket, do they really need to show up in court?
In New Jersey, in most cases, you do.
This came to Bamboozled's attention when Larry Zisman, 75, got a parking ticket at the Princeton Junction train station.
Several months ago, the East Windsor man parked at the West Windsor Parking Authority lot, and he paid the $5 all-day parking fee at a ticketing kiosk.
To use the kiosk, you'd enter a license plate number, how many days of parking you need and then you'd pay with cash or a credit card.
Zisman did all that, but he inadvertently left off one letter of his license plate number. He got a ticket for $60.
He thought he could send in a copy of his parking receipt with a not guilty plea by mail so he wouldn't have to appear in court, but that wasn't an option on the back of the ticket.
A redacted copy of Larry Zisman's ticket and parking receipt from his most recent summons.
Zisman said he called the parking authority and the municipal court. Both confirmed he'd have to appear.
He did, and the case was dismissed with no penalty and no court costs, Zisman said.
On Oct. 2, in the same lot, Zisman got another ticket.
At the payment kiosk, he wanted to be meticulous in entering the license plate number, so he entered "NJ" and then the license number, he said.
"Getting on the train for New York City I felt quite confident in how conscientious I was in entering the complete license number," he said. "Boy, was I wrong."
He got another ticket for "Failure to Pay Slot Box Parking Space."
He called the parking authority to ask why he received the ticket.
It was because he entered "NJ" with his license plate number. The scanning camera used by officers would show it as an incorrect number, he said he was told.
Zisman, again, would have to appear in court.
That's won't be until December because Zisman was unavailable for the initial court date.
Zisman believes his ticket will once again be thrown out. But, he said, his experience brings up questions about whether the parking kiosk instructions, the tickets themselves and the inability to dispute a ticket by mail or online makes sense.
Or are drivers being Bamboozled?
"In this day and age of extraordinary communications and documentation... If certain cases were settled without a court appearance, court sessions would be shorter," he said.
He also noted it would help those who work long hours or have child care or elder care responsibilities.
"I realize that appearing in court for a parking ticket is not a major unpleasant life-changing experience or a crisis facing the nation... but if life could made easier, less complicated, and, if I may say, more reasonable, why not do it?" he asked.
THE KIOSKS
Princeton Junction is the fifth busiest rail station in New Jersey, with an average 6,968 boardings every day.
The West Windsor Parking Authority, which runs the lot, says about 400 of its 20,000 parkers each month get tickets from parking authority officers.
Instructions for parking at the West Windsor Parking Authority lot.
Some are for not paying the parking fee, but others are for parking in a handicapped spot or parking over the lines and taking more than one spot, spokesman Scot MacPherson said.
MacPherson said approximately 20 ticketed drivers each month go to court with a not guilty plea, but he didn't know how many were like Zisman's.
MacPherson said the lot's parking enforcement officers, empowered by the township to ticket in lots, use a license plate recognition scanner.
"Once you enter the license number into the terminal, it transmits to our servers," he said.
That goes to the officers, and as they drive by, they are alerted if something doesn't match, he said.
And that's what generates a ticket.
Now yes, Zisman did make a mistake when entering the plate number -- both times. But it seems tickets like these, and a court appearance, could be avoided if the officer took a moment to look at the license plate number. It would have been easy to recognize that an innocent mistake was made.
This is a time when human eyes would make a difference, and save time and money for the court system.
Now, to the courts.
COURT APPEARANCES
Zisman's ticket gave him the choice to plead guilty by mail, or not guilty with a court appearance.
If he had received the ticket in New York City, he'd have the added option to plead not guilty online or by mail.
Online and by-mail pleas require the driver to offer the ticket, the proof he wasn't guilty and copies of any evidence. After review by an administrative law judge, you'd get a decision, again, by mail or online.
We wanted to know if any municipalities in New Jersey offer the same.
"Disputing tickets online is not available online in New Jersey, but it is something that is being discussed," said Pete McAleer, spokesman for the state judiciary.
He couldn't give a time frame for when online disputes might be available.
"Disputing by mail is available in every municipality but you have to contact the [court] by phone first," he said.
Larry Zisman stands with the parking kiosks at the West Windsor Parking Authority lot.
McAleer said the option to dispute by mail is "used mostly for cases in which there is some sort of hardship that makes it difficult for the defendant to appear in court."
We asked Steve Carrellas, government and public affairs director for the New Jersey chapter of the National Motorists Association, for his take.
Carrellas said disputing by mail or online could be a disadvantage to motorists.
"An online or by mail hearing is most often treated as a plea of guilty with an explanation," he said. "The court hears the cops' side, reads the plea-by-mail information, and usually rules 'guilty.' You do yourself no favors 'defending' yourself this way."
He said our driver has a "valid defense... inability to figure out the machine, which isn't uncommon, and for an older person, a legitimate obstacle."
But this doesn't always transfer to a dismissed ticket, Carrellas said.
"The person has to appear, show a receipt, and have his credibility determined," he said. "It is indeed the whole purpose of a court appearance."
Carrellas recommends you call and ask the court if you can plead not guilty by mail. Depending on the cost of a parking ticket, mail might be a good idea if you look at the cost of your time to appear in court, he said, but, if your objective is to win and if your case isn't clear cut, fight it in court because a by-mail decision is final -- with no do-over.
Zisman will indeed appear in court.
"There was no option on the back of the ticket to dispute the ticket by phone, email, Skype, carrier pigeon, mental telepathy, psychic, or by mail," he said.
He's hoping the state will make the acceptance of not guilty pleas by mail or online the norm.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.
Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com.
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RUNNEMEDE -- New Jersey State Police have identified the man who was fatally shot on a South Jersey expressway early Saturday.
The victim was Samaud Johnson, 24, of Camden, according to Sgt. First Class Gregory Williams.
The search continued Monday for a suspect in the shooting.
Johnson was traveling southbound on Route 42, also known locally as the North-South Freeway, around 2:30 a.m. Saturday when another vehicle pulled up alongside him and opened fire, state police said.
Johnson's white Ford Fusion then ran off the roadway in the area of Exit 14.
He was taken to Cooper University Hospital, Camden, where he was pronounced dead, Williams said.
The shooting caused part of the expressway to be shut down early Saturday for the police investigation to take place.
Anyone with any information about the shooting is asked to call New Jersey State Police at the Bellmawr Station at 856-933-0662. Anonymous tips are welcome, authorities say.
Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
By Anvar Mammadov Trend:
Azerbaijan and Monaco have signed three memorandums on mutual cooperation.
The signing took place within the framework of the Azerbaijan-Monaco business forum held in Baku Nov. 7.
Memorandums between the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) and Monaco Economic Board, between Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Monaco Economic Board, as well as between Azalternativenerji LLC and Chamber of Renewable Energies and Ecology of Monaco were signed within the framework of the forum.
Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Economy Sahil Babayev noted during the business forum that Azerbaijan may become a country for Monaco, which allows getting access to the markets of other countries in the South Caucasus region and the CIS.
Azerbaijan for Monaco is not only a potential market with a population of almost 10 million people, Babayev said. We have free trade agreements with the CIS countries and Georgia, we can actually provide Monaco access to the market with a population of more than 200 million people.
MAURICE RIVER TWP. -- The man shot and killed by New Jersey State Police early morning Sunday was looking for scrap metal to sell for food money prior to his death, according to his mother and brother.
Jimmy Testa was killed after allegedly fleeing a burglary and getting into a fight with New Jersey State Police troopers in the Leesburg section of Maurice River Township on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (Submitted photo)
Jimmy Testa, 31, of the Leesburg section of Maurice River Township, was fleeing a burglary and got into two separate fights with state troopers, according to the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, which is in charge of the shooting investigation.
Testa was allegedly armed with a metal pipe. His family, however, questioned the official narrative.
"The cops are crooked," said Debbie Stevens, Testa's mother on Monday. "They're terrible."
According to Stevens, Testa was looking in the woods and abandoned yards for scrap metal in order to sell it to get cash to buy food when the State Police were called at 12:20 a.m. for reports of a burglary at an abandoned house at 147 High St.
Authorities said troopers caught Testa fleeing from the back of the house and attempted to arrest him. After a struggle, Testa broke free and continued to run before troopers chased him into a backyard across the street, according to the account of the incident released by the Attorney General's Office.
"A civilian witness described the struggle as extremely violent," the Atorney General's Office said in a statement released Sunday. "The troopers wrestled with Testa and one trooper used pepper spray in an effort to subdue him, but it did not appear to have any effect."
A trooper then shot Testa in the upper body, the AG's Office said. Testa was treated and died at the scene. Troopers recovered a steel pipe where the shooting occurred that Testa allegedly used as a weapon.
"He's on parole so of course he got scared the cops were there and was going to run so he wouldn't have to go back to jail," Stevens said. "But they didn't have to shoot him. Where were their Taser guns? Why couldn't they Taser him? Why did they have to use one bullet and kill him?"
The attorney general did not release the name of the trooper who fired the fatal shot and is not releasing additional information about the shooting, due to its investigation of the incident.
New Jersey State Police declined to comment on the shooting when asked Monday afternoon, citing regulations against commenting on such matters.
Troopers notified Testa's family of his death Sunday morning at their house.
Testa was paroled and released from Southern State Correctional Facility in Maurice River Township in May for a conspiracy to commit burglary charge.
According to his family, Testa was trying to turn his life around and had plans to go to school to be a mechanic or to get a job as a forklift operator.
"If you were out there and you needed something he'd take his shirt off for you," said Russell Schmitter, his brother. "That's the kind of guy he is. He'd help you."
Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Hillary Clinton captured New Jersey's 14 electoral college votes en route to a victory over Donald Trump in a nationwide high school mock election that's correctly picked six of the last seven presidents.
Clinton won 332 electoral votes compared to Trump's 206 in the mock election by nearly 75,000 teenagers from more than 150 high schools. A candidate needs at least 270 electoral college votes to win the presidency.
The mock election has been held every four years since 1988 and is organized by VOTES Project, an initiative founded by two teachers in Massachusetts. Only in 2004, when students elected John Kerry instead of George W. Bush, has the mock election not foretold the winner of the presidential race.
The race was settled by less than 100 votes in more than a dozen states, a sign of how contentious and divisive the election cycle has become, said Jim Shea, one of the founders of the VOTES Project.
Some schools backed out of the mock election over concerns about how disruptive it would be, Shea said.
"That never happened in the previous seven presidential elections," Shea said.
Clinton took 47 percent of the vote in New Jersey, while Trump received 33 percent. Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson earned 13 percent of the vote, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein received 7 percent.
The New Jersey results came from three high schools: Summit High School, Watchung Hills Regional High School and Gill St. Bernard's School, a private high school in Gladstone.
Aside from Democratic strongholds like New Jersey, Clinton won several key swing states, including North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Trump won the coveted 29 electoral votes in Florida.
Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
EWING -- Every four years since 1996, The College of New Jersey professor David Blake has taught an elective literature course called "The Art of Politics."
Blake asks his students to consume political-based books and movies to discuss in the context of current events. This year, more than most, parallels between art and reality are overflowing, he said.
In one class, students discussed the 1992 film "Bob Roberts," in which a celebrity turned rebel conservative runs for office. In another, they dissected the novel "The Plot Against America," a book that predicts what would have happened if political outsider Charles Lindbergh won the 1940 presidential election.
"This year has been interesting because we are kind of searching for vocabulary to grapple with what we are seeing," Blake said. "There have been certain texts that I frequently teach that this year take on a new resonance."
Professor David Blake teacher a literature course at The College of New Jersey called 'The Art of Politics." (Courtesy of Sarah Ratner, The College of New Jersey)
As Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton campaign for the presidency in a race sure to rewrite American history books, colleges in New Jersey and across the country are tapping into the 2016 election to teach courses in music, literature, journalism, history, and, of course, politics.
At Rider University, there's "The Making of a President 2016," a communications course that analyzes how the candidates disseminate their message to voters.
Princeton University offers a course on politics and the media that asks students to analyze print, television, and online reporting on the campaigns.
And, at Montclair State University, students are learning about politics first hand by working on campaigns for local and state office in a course taught by national political commentator Brigid Harrison. A handful students in Harrison's class are even working for the Trump and Clinton campaigns, she said.
The courses in New Jersey are just a sampling of how colleges nationwide are bringing the election to the classroom.
The University of Nevada has a class on presidential debates, Hood College in Maryland offers an election year course on "who's telling the truth," and Penn State created a one-credit course simply called "Trump." For two hours every week, students reflect on the Republican candidate's rise to prominence.
"It is an extraordinary time," Harrison said of the teaching material coming out of the 2016 election. "We tend to say it every four years, but this campaign is generating high levels of interest and passion."
At TCNJ, Blake's course brings students together twice a week for wide-ranging discussions about the books and movies they were assigned and how they relate to past and present politicians.
Discussion about the "Bob Roberts" movie, which features a young Jack Black as an impressionable Roberts supporter, led to a dialogue about political fandom and how it applies to candidates ranging from Bernie Sanders to John F. Kennedy.
"You may vote for them just because you like them and never really get into their politics at all," said James Loewen, a junior English major from Somerville.
When Blake shifted the conversation to satire, students scrutinized the underlying message of "Saturday Night Live" skits, which, they agreed, tend to favor Democratic candidates like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The show's depictions have enough influence to sway public perception, students said.
"Every time someone talks about Sarah Palin, I do immediately think of Tina Fey," said Rebecca Colnes, a sophomore sociology major from Marlton. "I thoroughly just enjoyed those sketches, so from now on I am going to always associate the two with each other."
Of course, students spend plenty of time talking about the election outside of the classroom, too, Loewen said. But the course forces students to focus on specific topics and consider opinions they might otherwise not hear, he said
"It's a lot less opinion-based, and it's a lot more fact-based," Loewen said. "So I feel like I am getting a lot out of it."
Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
On any given day in Newark, you can find someone giving out food to the homeless and the hungry around Penn Station.
It could be a group from a church, a mosque or a charitable organization, or other ordinary folk pulling up in cars and vans.
They know there's a need. More than 2,700 people, according to city officials, don't have a permanent place to stay.
But what these charitable people don't know is that they are carrying out their acts of kindness without the city's permission. An ordinance approved way back in 1966 requires anyone who distributes food, candy or chewing gum to get a $5 permit from the city's health officer.
The issue has been annoying to East Ward Councilman Augusto Amador, who has received complaints from residents and business owners about the homeless population. He said the law is on the books, but it hasn't been enforced, and many of these big-hearted groups should be told of the requirement.
"I find it ironic that, whenever we have a special event, street fair or festival, the vendors that handle food are required to come to the city and follow the guidelines," he said, "However, when a church or agency decides to feed the homeless, the guidelines are not followed.''
That's going to change, although there's no timetable set to get it done.
The city's Department of Health and Community Wellness said it is in the early stages of developing a permit process and updating the existing ordinance that impacts community contributions and food distribution to the homeless.
"We have shared concerns for the safety and quality of the food that is being provided, as well as the process by which it is delivered,'' said Denise Rodgers, director of the city's health department.
To address these concerns, Rodgers said, the city is considering plans that include setting up feeding locations in each ward; starting a marketing campaign to make the public aware of options for feeding the homeless; and developing a list of current food providers for groups to use when they're giving out food.
Amador talks about this a lot, saying there are city churches and organizations that already do a good job serving those in need. "People should be fed, but it has to be done with a sense of dignity,'' he said. "It's not fair to the homeless that they are being served food without any scrutiny whatsoever.''
When you think about it for a moment, it's actually not a bad idea to have oversight. It's all about safety for the homeless, who swarm to the small park behind Penn Station when food is offered. It did seem odd, though, to hear that good Samaritans are no different from food vendors.
Rasheed and Samaeerah Muhammad, a Newark couple who distributed paper bags filled with chicken parmigiana sandwiches, tangerines and cheese crackers on Sunday, were surprised to learn of the permit requirement.
"We're not making any money,'' said Samaeerah Muhammad. "We want to help people. It could be us out there. It could be our children. It could be our family member.''
The goal is to not stop or discourage anyone from feeding the less fortunate. It's only to look out for them, because there are people who may have bad intentions, said Central Ward Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins.
"Somebody could come down and poison a bunch of people under the auspices of giving away food,'' she said. "Every good deed is not in this day and age, with all the hate we see going on.''
The people who are being fed understand the city's point -- they're just not worried about being harmed. The food, they say, is quality and they're thankful to those who take the time to prepare it or purchase products that come in sealed packages.
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"Any time you have enough heart to just give it out, you have enough heart to make it right,'' said Kevin Scott, a Newark man who is homeless. "I think the food is just as warm as the hands that reach out to give it to us.''
On nice days, hundreds gather behind the rail station at Peter Francisco Park, waiting for the regulars to pull up with breakfast, lunch and dinner. The busiest time is Saturday and Sunday, when many volunteers appear.
Abdel Baksh, a member of the NIA Masjid & Community Center in Newark, said his group comes twice a month, regardless of the weather, and consistently feeds 100 or more people each outing.
"No matter what,'' he said. "We are out here."
He said was he unaware of the necessity of a permit, but promised to follow up. Members of the New Jersey chapter of the New York Metro of Hope Worldwide, which also distributes food, said they would comply, too.
"We are men and women of God,'' said Victoria Mack, a member of the Christian organization. "We want to do the right thing. We wouldn't be out here doing this if we knew we needed a permit.''
Thanksgiving is just weeks away and a greater number of groups are likely to find their way to downtown Newark. Until the city finalizes it plans, the do-gooders will continue with their humanitarian ways. The city hasn't said what it will do in the meantime, if this unauthorized kindness goes on.
Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL
WEST WINDSOR -- A Middlesex County man was hospitalized with a fractured skull early Saturday after his car slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer on Route 1, police said.
John Gulapa, 24, of Old Bridge, was traveling south on Route 1 in the area of Harrison Street around 5:31 a.m. when his 1995 Mitsubishi 3000 GT crashed into a tractor-trailer, police said.
Gulapa was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton with a fractured skull and broken nose, police said.
Gulapa was charged with driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia, reckless and careless driving and driving without insurance. Police say they found empty wax folds with white residue, cut straws and a glassine bag with white residue.
Gulapa's passenger, a 20-year-old woman from New Brunswick, and the driver of the tractor-trailer, a 48-year-old man from North Carolina, both escaped injury, police said.
The crash remains under investigation. Any witnesses are asked to contact West Windsor Traffic Sgt. Danny Mohr or Officer Kyle Brown at 609-799-1222.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
By Azad Hasanli Trend:
Kamran Baghirov has been appointed the chairman of the Executive Board of Azerbaijans Standard Insurance, the company told Trend Nov. 7.
His predecessor on this post was Aydin Rahmanov.
Baghirov has previously served as vice chairman of the Executive Board of Standard Insurance.
He has been working in the insurance sector since 2002.
Standard Insurance operates since 2002. The company is a member of the Compulsory Insurance Bureau since December 2011.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanli
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
By Azad Hasanli Trend:
The fifth Turkey-Azerbaijan-Georgia business forum will be held Nov. 16 in Istanbul, said Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) in a message Nov. 7.
During the event, entrepreneurs will be able to find new business partners, according to the message.
Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Turkey amounted to $1.67 billion in January-September 2016, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee.
Meanwhile, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Georgia totaled $244.58 million during the period.
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Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
By Azad Hasanli Trend:
Baku will host a conference on investment opportunities in Azerbaijan and Iran on Nov. 10, said Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO).
The event will be attended by representatives of more than 40 companies and organizations from Iran.
Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Iran amounted to $137.65 million in January-September 2016, more than $102 million of which accounted for import of Iranian products, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee.
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WASHINGTON (AP) The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump. The nine-member panel sent a letter to the former president's lawyers on Friday, demanding his testimony under oath by mid-November and outlining a series of corresponding documents. The decision by lawmakers to exercise their subpoena power comes a week after the committee made its final case against the former president, who they say is the "central cause" of the multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It remains unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond to the subpoena, if at all.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
Trend:
Azerbaijan and Bulgaria have strategic partnership in the energy sector, said Bulgarian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Maya Hristova.
Hristova made the remarks during her meeting with a delegation led by President of Caspian Energy International Media Group Natalya Aliyeva.
Bulgaria is very satisfied with the strong support of Azerbaijan in the negotiations with the Shah Deniz consortium, said the ambassador, adding this support helped to sign a long-term contract for supply of one billion cubic meters per year of gas to Bulgaria from Shah Deniz Stage 2 starting from 2020.
She reminded about the memorandum of understanding and cooperation in energy sector, signed Nov. 13, 2009 in Sofia between the two countries energy ministries, a memorandum between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and the Bulgarian Energy Holding, and a memorandum between SOCAR and Bulgartransgaz.
Hristova said the Joint Gas and Oil Working Group of Bulgaria and Azerbaijan is an important and successful instrument for development of the energy cooperation between the two countries.
Elsewhere in her speech, Hristova highlighted the significantly dynamic political and economic cooperation between Bulgaria and Turkmenistan.
She said that in 2015-2016, Bulgaria and Turkmenistan had important reciprocal visits, which helped to support the constant dialogue and open up new areas of cooperation.
Hristova also highlighted the successful operation of the intergovernmental commission between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria and added that over 60 bilateral agreements had been signed between the two sides.
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Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.7
By Leman Zeynalova Trend:
The average number of drilling rigs in the US for October 2016 was 544, up 35 from the 509 counted in September 2016, and down 247 from the 791 counted in October 2015, Houston-based Baker Hughes Incorporated said in its report.
This is while the average Canadian rig count for October 2016 was 156, up 15 from the 141 counted in September 2016, according to the report published on the companys website.
Baker Hughes said that the international rig count for October 2016 was 920, down 14 from the 934 counted in September 2016, and down 191 from the 1,111 counted in October 2015.
The international offshore rig count for October 2016 was 200, down 21 from the 221 counted in September 2016, and down 70 from the 270 counted in October 2015, said the report.
The Baker Hughes Rotary Rig Counts are counts of the number of drilling rigs actively exploring for or developing oil or natural gas in the US, Canada and international markets.
Baker Hughes is a leading supplier of oilfield services, products, technology and systems to the worldwide oil and natural gas industry. The company's 34,000 employees today work in more than 80 countries helping customers find, evaluate, drill, produce, transport and process hydrocarbon resources.
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Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
By Seba Aghayeva Trend:
The commitments undertaken by Azerbaijan and Italy on implementation of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will expand bilateral cooperation, said Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni in Baku Nov. 7.
Our cooperation covers many areas, such as trade, agrarian sector, energy, Gentiloni said in a briefing with Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. Italy can also contribute to development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU.
Mammadyarov, for his part, said the TAP projects implementation continues in line with the schedule.
There have been some delays, but we hope that they will be eliminated, noted the Azerbaijani foreign minister.
TAP project envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries. The 870-kilometer pipeline will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.
TAPs initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year with the possibility of expanding it to 20 billion cubic meters.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 6
By Fatih Karimov Trend
The National Iranian Gas Exports Company (NIGEC) and Georgian International Energy Corporation (GIEC) held a meeting to study implementation of the gas export deal, SHANA news agency reported Nov. 6.
Earlier in July, Ali Reza Kameli, managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) confirmed that Tehran has signed a MoU with the GIEC to export gas to the country within a 4-month period.
Almost 40 million cubic meters of gas will be sold to the company under the test agreement.
The contract for export of Iranian gas has not yet been signed with the Georgian government.
Meanwhile Irans state news agency IRNA reported in Sept. that the GIEC has started gas imports from Iran.
Reportedly, Georgia has imported more than 24 million cubic meters of gas from Iran in six months from January 2016.
Georgia is among Iran's latest gas customers, starting import of gas for power plant consumption.
Currently, Azerbaijan is the main supplier of gas to Georgia. Small volumes are also supplied from Russia.
Cronulla have continued to bolster their squad for their premiership defence, adding Tony Williams and Jeremy Latimore to their forward pack for 2017.
Williams has signed a one-year deal, with the former NSW and Australian back-rower sure to add further presence to the Sharks' forward stocks.
Latimore was granted a release from his deal at the Panthers to join the Sharks, also signing a one-year deal to head south to the shire.
In addition to acquiring Williams and Latimore, the club also confirmed premiership-winning forwards Luke Lewis, Chris Heighington and Sam Tagataese have signed on for season 2017, with Michael Ennis the only player from the side's grand final pack to be missing for next season.
A semi-truck driver died after he was hit by another semitruck driver Friday at ArcelorMittal-Burns Harbor, the company said.
"ArcelorMittal is saddened to confirm that the independent truck driver who was involved in an incident with another truck driver at our Burns Harbor facility on Friday has passed away," ArcelorMittal spokeswoman Mary Beth Holdford said. "The ArcelorMittal family extends our sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased."
The man was airlifted to a Chicago hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Holdford said "the incident is under investigation at this time."
"On Friday, November 4, 2016, there was an incident at ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor involving two independent truck drivers," ArcelorMittal spokeswoman Mary Beth Holdford said. "One driver was struck by the trailer of the other driver and was transported offsite for medical attention."
The Burns Harbor Police Department has jurisdiction, but no one from the department was immediately available for comment.
United Steelworkers District 7 Director Mike Millsap said the truck driver was a contractor who was securing his load when another contractor hit him. Semitrucks constantly go in and out of the steel mills to take steel coil to automakers, service shops and other customers.
2016 has been a very dangerous year at the Northwest Indiana steel mills. Charles Kremke, a 67-year-old, died in a hospital after an accidental electrocution at U.S. Steel's Gary Works mill on June 15.
Then steelworker Jonathan Arizzola died in a crane accident on Sept. 30 at Gary Works. His wife said the 30-year-old Valparaiso resident suffered an electrical shock in a separate accident earlier that week and was so overworked he was actively looking for another job.
Authorities have identified the semitrailer driver who was killed Friday at ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor as Kevin Campbell, of Crown Point.
Campbell suffered fatal injuries when he was struck by another truck driver at the mill. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died near midnight Saturday, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. A family member identified him as 69 years old.
"It's very unfortunate this occurred, even if it wasn't one of our employees," United Steelworkers Local 6787 President Pete Trinidad said. "Steel mills are a dangerous place to work."
The USW hopes to be part of an investigation ArcelorMittal will do into the accident, to determine if any new safety measures are needed at the former Bethlehem Steel Mill on the Lake Michigan shore in Porter County.
"They're going to be looking at this," Trinidad said. "They'll see if there is some type of method to better secure their loads without putting them in harm's way."
The union is arranging for counseling for anyone who needs it because several people were in the area at the time of the accident.
"It was very gruesome," Trinidad said. "It was horrific. It was very bad. It was an accident nobody expected. This mill has a pretty good record with safety."
Campbell had been hauling steel for PI&I Motor Express in Portage. A representative of the company said it would issue a statement later this week. Online business databases suggest Campbell might have been an independent driver who took jobs for trucking companies.
Campbell's death was the first at the Burns Harbor steel mill this year.
Last year, Kenneth Gish, 61, of Wanatah, died after falling off scaffolding by the basic oxygen furnace. And Gregory J. Sebahar, a 53-year-old Schererville resident, fell to his death in an elevator shaft there last year.
Two steelworkers, Charles Kremke and Jonathan Arizzola, have died in accidents at U.S. Steel's Gary Works this year.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
By Fatih Karimov Trend
Iran has launched diesel export to Europe, Abbas Kazemi, Irans deputy oil minister, said.
Kazemi said that Tehran exported 17 million litres of diesel per day to global markets during the first seven months of the current fiscal year (started March 20, 2016), Mehr news agency reported Nov. 7.
Kazemi did not unveil further details about the European destination of Irans diesel export or the exported volume.
Iran stopped importing diesel two years ago. Tapping its huge natural gas reserves, Iran has managed to replace liquid fuels with gas at industrial units, power plants, housing sector and even transportation to a great degree.
This has provided the country with an extra supply of liquid fuel available for export.
Kazemi, who heads the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC), further said that Irans oil products outputs export capacity has increased to 500,000 barrels per day.
Iran also exports 1000-1500 tons of liquid gas to global markets currently, he added.
Tehran also exported 45 million liters of fuel oil per day during the first seven months of the current fiscal year, Kazemi said.
VALPARAISO The public is invited to a Veterans Day observance at the Volunteers and Veterans Service Memorial at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 11. The c
The holidays are just around the corner, which means that Thanksgiving dinner is about to arrive and the Christmas ham will be leaving the oven soon after that. While your family is gathering for a great meal, your pet might want to join the festivities, so make sure youre aware of which food and holiday items to keep out of reach.
The day after Thanksgiving is national turkey sandwich day, however it might be a good idea to keep your dog from celebrating with you. Yes, some day-old turkey on a couple of slices of bread is an excellent idea for lunch at work, but if your pet gets its paws on it, that bread can easily swell up and become a choking hazard, which is especially dangerous as some pets dont chew their food before swallowing.
On Thanksgiving Day, keep the wishbone competition between yourself and Uncle Bill, because the losing end of that holiday treasure might end up taking a bad trip down the throat of your pet. Cooked bones in general may seem to be a great gift for your dog during the holiday season, but they are better replaced with an appropriate chew toy that your pet cant swallow as easily.
Cooked food should be carefully considered when selecting what to throw in your dogs bowl. Mary Ann Sheller, DVM, a veterinarian at Vale Park Animal Hospital in Valparaiso, says, Most of the hazards we run into are food related, especially dinner leftovers like grease or turkey skin, which can cause gastrointestinal distress.
Decorating the Christmas tree is perhaps one of the most enjoyable parts of the holiday season, but the items you decorate your tree with are some of the most important to keep out of reach of your pets. If you have a tree-climbing sort of feline, knocking down an ornament here or there might lead to some shards that can be harmful when it decides to climb back down.
There are other potentially hazardous items on the tree to watch out for, such as tinsel and garland. Dr. Sheller points out, Cats sometime get into tinsel, which leads to problems in their digestive tract.
When everyone is opening up their new Lego sets on Christmas morning, make sure your children are the only ones who get their hands on Batman. Just like young children, pets can also choke on small plastic toys, Christmas ornaments or puzzle pieces; even rocks, a favorite of puppies, are harmful to your pets.
The gift that keeps on giving is certainly chocolate, right? Not for your pets, especially your dogs. If you or a loved one decided to order in some delicious Belgian chocolate or visited the local candy shop for some delicacies to eat around the fire, be sure to keep them out of reach. According to ASPCA.org, chocolate contains a chemical called methylxanthine, which can be toxic for your pet.
Another chemical to watch out for is xylitol. Molly Farrell, DVM, a veterinarian at Dyer Animal Clinic, says, Gums and mints that are sugar free, or sugar free products like peanut butters or muffins, contain xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. Cats are not as sensitive, but they usually enjoy mint flavored products.
Whatever your plans might be this holiday, one of the best gifts you can give to yourself, your family and your pet will be to keep an eye on where dinner, dessert and decorations go, and avoid a holiday visit to the vet.
VALPARAISO Three months after a judge tossed out a guilty verdict against a Portage day care operator convicted of battering a 6-year-old boy, prosecutors dismissed the case.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Matt Frost said the charges were dismissed following discussions with the family of the purported victim.
Porter Superior Court Judge Roger Bradford, who tossed out the jury verdict in the case in August, granted the motion to dismiss the case.
Bradford, who has set aside only one other criminal verdict during his 35 years on the bench, had said the defense in this case was unable to effectively cross-examine the purported victim because the boy claimed at trial not to remember details about the offense. This was in contrast to a video statement taken by the defense a couple of years earlier at the time of the alleged incident on July 10, 2014.
Bradford also raised concerns about the jury in the case and two jurors in particular, who he said asked questions more akin to prosecuting attorneys.
The accusations resulted after the boys mother noticed bruises on her sons chest and right ear after picking him up from the former Discovery Playhouse Daycare in Portage, according to court records.
William Boyd-Radford, who maintains his innocence, told the boys parents that the child was hit in the chest with a swing when two other children were fighting over it, records show.
But the boy, who required no medical care, said Boyd-Radford injured him after he went potty in his pants during lunch on July 10, 2014. The boy said Boyd-Radford punched him numerous times in the chest area and twisted his right ear, police said.
The prosecutor in the case, Trista Hudson, recently was fired from her post after failing to reveal in an unrelated case that one of two alleged victims made up at least part of the accusations involving child molesting.
VALPARAISO An area doctor has been scheduled to go to trial four years after being charged with sexually assaulting a female patient on two occasions at his Valparaiso office.
Porter Superior Court Judge Roger Bradford scheduled the March 14 trial Monday after commenting how long the case against Jose Agusti has been pending.
Four days were set aside for the trial.
Agusti, of Chicago, is charged with felony criminal deviate conduct and two felony counts of sexual battery. The most serious charge carries a potential sentence of six to 20 years behind bars.
The case came to light Sept. 17, 2012, when the purported victim, who is a disabled veteran, said Agusti walked into the exam room, hugged her and touched her buttocks. As she directed him to look at her knee, he reportedly pulled her on to his lap, kissed her on the mouth and asked her if she had any boyfriends.
The woman said Agusti then pulled out one of her breasts and she quickly covered up, telling him no, according to the charging documents. He then unzipped her pants, touched her and exposed himself and attempted to have her touch him.
Agusti repeatedly asked, "You're not going to say anything, right?" according to reports.
Agusti is then accused of forcing her to begin performing a sex act on him before a knock on the door brought the incident to an end.
Police outfitted the woman with audio and visual equipment and she returned to the office Oct. 15, 2012.
The footage shows Agusti tapping his lap and asking the woman, "Do you want to play with me?" according to court records. He also hugged the woman and groped her back, and kisses could be heard, police said.
Agusti is heard saying he did not know when he and the woman could get together because his mother was in town. He then tells her to "stay away from the dirty boys" in the meantime.
The Lake County sheriff fired Agusti from the jail's medical staff in the wake of the charges.
PORTER TOWNSHIP Two men were arrested Friday after a homeowner chased them down after spotting them trying to start his truck.
Bailey Hall, 18, of Valparaiso, and Garrett Sipich, 19, of Valparaiso, were initially charged with battery, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle and auto theft.
The homeowner told police he was in his living room on McCurahan Road just after 1 a.m. Friday when he heard someone trying to start his pickup truck.
He told police he saw two men in his truck and chased them until they ran into a wooded area.
He told police officers he went home to get some shoes and told his wife to call police. He went out a second time, heard a vehicle door shut and saw the two men on Fish Lake Road near some apartments.
According to police, the men ran off toward a wooded area and he began to chase them. He said Sipich took out a handgun and shot at him, so he pulled out his knife. He told police he realized the gun was an airsoft gun so he chased them and tackled Sipich.
He told police he exchanged punches with both men and took control of them. He said as they walked back to the road Hall ran off, but he remained with Sipich until police arrived.
Sipich said the homeowner threatened him with his knife and held him at knifepoint until police arrived.
Police said Hall was found in the neighborhood and taken to Porter County Jail where he was questioned.
According to police, Hall said he and Sipich were in the area "sight seeing," and he did not know why the homeowner chased them. He later told police they were just looking for change and needed "cigarette money."
Hall then told police he tried starting the homeowner's truck, but it wouldn't start. Sipich said he believed Hall did not know how to drive a vehicle with a manual transmission and did not know how to start it.
Sipich works as a correctional officer at Westville Correctional Facility. Douglas Garrison, chief communication officer for the Indiana Department of Correction, said Sipich was placed on emergency suspension on Friday.
JACKSON TOWNSHIP Police said Monday they plan to seek additional charges against a Tennessee woman following the death of a Michigan City woman involved in a crash last weekend north of Valparaiso.
Rachel Dover, of Clarksville, Tennessee, was arrested after the crash about 7:50 p.m. Saturday on two counts of felony operating while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury and two misdemeanor OWI counts.
Nanette Howard, 55, died Saturday night at an Illinois hospital from injuries she suffered when Dover pulled out in front of the motorcycle on which Howard was riding, police said.
Police have asked the Porter County prosecutor's office to file additional felony OWI causing death charges against Dover, Porter County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Sgt. Jamie Erow said.
Dover also was cited the night of the crash for failure to yield the right of way and refusal to submit to a chemical test, police said.
Police said Dover was driving a blue 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt south on County Road 550 East near U.S. 6. when she pulled out in front of the motorcycle in Jackson Township.
Howard and motorcycle driver Donald McCarthy, 68, of Chesterton, were both injured in the crash.
Howard was flown to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was pronounced dead at 11:26 p.m. Saturday. She died from multiple injuries caused by the crash, and her death was ruled an accident, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Police on Monday corrected an earlier statement about where McCarthy was taken for treatment, saying he went to Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary.
Neither Howard nor McCarthy were wearing helmets, police said.
Police on Saturday said toxicology results were pending, but alcohol may also have been a factor for McCarthy.
EAST CHICAGO Several teenagers attacked a man Sunday night, and one of them pulled a gun, police said.
East Chicago police were dispatched about 7:20 p.m. to the 3900 block of Pulaski Street for a fight, Lt. Marguerite Wilder said.
Police arrived and talked with the 25-year-old East Chicago man, who said six to seven teens approached him and tried to get into an apartment building.
The man prevented them from entering the building, and the teens began punching him, Wilder said.
One of the teens held a handgun to the man's head while yelling unintelligible comments, police said. The group fled before police arrived. The man refused medical treatment, police said.
The teens were described as 16 to 17 years old. One girl was wearing a baby blue sweatshirt, the boy with the firearm was wearing a black hoodie.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Isaac Washington (219) 391-8318. To remain anonymous, call (219) 391-8500.
HAMMOND One of the things that Adam Akan likes most about his school is he has the freedom to be himself and work at his own pace.
Akan, 12, is a seventh-grader at the Montessori Childrens Schoolhouse in Hammond. The private school has less than 200 students. It offers education to toddlers as early as 22 months to eighth grade. However, there are no eighth-graders this school year.
The largest class of students, about 95, are in the early childhood program for youngsters who are 3 to 6 years old.
Akan said he has been a student at the Montessori school since he was 2.
I love it so much here, he said. I love how many projects we get to do. There is so much freedom. You can be expressive. Its better for me because Im very talkative. I love the Montessori system, the free choice. Ive participated in many activities here, like art after school, bricks for kids which is Lego building the chess club, and I did drama for a while.
The Montessori Childrens Schoolhouse was established in 1968 as a Montessori preschool. Since that time, the school added the toddler and elementary program. The schoolhouse is parent-owned and is a 501C3 organization implementing the Maria Montessori educational principles.
The Montessori school is housed in the Neo-classical style old Northern States Life Insurance Co. building at the southeast corner of Hohman Avenue and Waltham Street in Hammond, which once housed the administration building for the School City of Hammond.
The school has been accredited by the American Montessori Society since 1990. The school does not accept vouchers through the Indiana Choice Scholarship program and students do not take ISTEP-Plus.
The students take the Stanford 10 exam instead. The Stanford Achievement Test Series is a set of standardized achievement tests used by school systems across the United States.
The tests show that Montessori Schoolhouse Children are scoring well, with most students scoring two years or more above grade level.
Montessori school Principal Kathleen Hill jokingly says she doesnt know how long she has been principal and she is at least 200 years old.
I like it when the kids slip and call me grandma sometimes, she said.
Hill said the school does not generally suspend children.
We will meet with the family and confer with them about what is best for the child, she said. The student and family may withdraw because this setting may not be what is best for the child. This year, we have had one family to withdraw for financial reasons and another withdrew because this was not the appropriate placement.
Hill did say there is a suspension policy in place, however, and that one child was suspended for a day or two due to behavior.
While the school doesnt offer a special education program, Assistant Principal Lori Dedelow said there have been children enrolled who were a little behind and didnt know their beginning sounds.
Dedelow said teachers worked with those youngsters and even came in during the summer to meet with students.
There is not one person in this building who will not give a child everything he or she needs to be successful, she said.
Kailey Kawalec, 22, remembers her years at Montessori Childrens Schoolhouse fondly. She attended the Montessori school from toddler to fifth grade and her mother, Lisa, continues to teach there. Kawalec attended Wilbur Wright Middle School and graduated from Munster High School.
After graduating from the University of Notre Dame this year, Kawalec has been volunteering at the school as an ABA (applied behavior analysis) therapist for a student.
The academic transition wasnt difficult, she said. At the traditional public school, you have to sit in desks and do homework and I hadnt done that intensely. Several of my friends also transferred to the traditional public school and that made it easier.
Hillary Clinton is hoping to shatter an enormous glass ceiling on Tuesday by being elected to the Oval Office, but todays story looks across the reflecting pool to Capitol Hill. One hundred years ago today, Montanas Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
That was even before all American women were given the right to vote by the 19th Amendment, which was ratified on Aug. 18, 1920.*
Weve come a long way since then.
Indiana has had seven women in Congress, including two Republican women first elected in 2012 who are still serving in the House, hoping to be re-elected on Tuesday.
U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks, whose husband David is a Hammond High School graduate, is vice chair of the congressional womens caucus and will become co-chair if re-elected. Brooks, a Republican, represents Indianas 5th Congressional District.
U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, a fellow Republican, represents the 2nd Congressional District, which includes much of LaPorte County.
Womens role in Congress
Theyre the only two congresswomen from Indiana currently serving in Congress, but theyre not alone on Capitol Hill.
Walorski remembers when she, Brooks and the third female Republican elected to Congress that year showed up for the freshmen class photo on Capitol Hill. There were 30-some Democratic women who asked them where the rest of their group was. When the Democrats realized there were only three Republican women, they gave the GOP members hugs and welcomed them, literally, with open arms.
Since then, the women have been working together on a number of issues of common concern where bipartisan cooperation is feasible, Brooks and Walorski said.
A number of the congresswomen live in the same apartment building, Walorski said, and they often meet in the lobby and elsewhere and talk about finding ways to work together to get things done.
Women have a common bond and reach to their sisters across the aisle to get things done, she said.
The women in Congress I think do play an incredibly important role, Brooks said. The bipartisan womens caucus plans to work together on issues like child care, womens health and childrens health and welfare, and raise up some issues that men might not, Brooks said.
What Ive seen out of Congress, the women often check their egos at the door, she said. They often really roll up their sleeves and find ways to work within not only our own parties, but I have really seen the women work across the aisle to find solutions.
Women are good listeners, consensus builders and problem solvers, Brooks said.
For Indiana, thats a tradition that dates back to 1933.
Indianas first congresswoman
Virginia Jenckes, a Democrat, served 1933-1939. To win election, she had to defeat two incumbents who were in the same district following reapportionment. The farm widows campaign strategy was simply to abolish Prohibition, her official House biography said. Get rid of Prohibition and you will have a market for your corn, she told farmers in her district.
Jenckes campaigned hard, logging 15,000 miles in a campaign that took her throughout the district in 1932.
She was able to help abolish Prohibition, and she was also able to secure funding for Wabash River flood control projects, but she wasnt appointed to the committees that would have matched her interests. Instead, she served on Mines and Mining, Civil Service and the District of Columbia.
She was a fierce anti-communist, her biography said, and pushed legislation to outlaw the mere mention of communism in public schools in the District of Columbia. She pushed for American flags to be flown atop every federal building, too.
Second congresswoman
Cecil Harden, the second Hoosier woman elected to the House, was a Republican. She served from 1949 to 1959. She won her first election by just 483 votes.
Harden joined with Sen. Margaret Chase Smith of Maine and Rep. Frances Bolton of Ohio to criticize male dominance of the Republican Party and push for womens issues to be included in future platforms.
Harden believed women had an important part to play in politics, particularly in local organizations and volunteer groups, which would provide the kind of experience they needed to move into higher offices, her House biography said.
Walorski and Brooks have taken up that charge. They are each working to encourage more women to become politically active.
Neither Brooks nor Walorski grew up in a political family, and neither planned to run for office. They were recruited. Thats a common theme for women in public office.
Many women are asked to run for office rather than just raising their hands and saying Im going to run, Brooks said. I think we need to do a better job encouraging more women to run, and I spend a lot of time doing that.
Walorski said she is humbled and excited when mothers tell her that their daughters look up to her as a role model.
In the half century between Murrays term and Brooks and Walorski, three female Democrats from Indiana served in the House.
Katie Hall
Katie Hall, a Democrat from Gary, served the 1st Congressional District from 1981 to 1985. Her claim to fame in the House was authoring legislation to make Martin Luther King Jr.s birthday a federal holiday.
After she left the House, she became Gary city clerk and was convicted on public corruption charges in 2003. She died in 2012.
Jill Long Thompson
Jill Long Thompson, who represented Indianas 4th Congressional District near Fort Wayne, has deep roots in Northwest Indiana. She is a graduate of Valparaiso University and was a faculty member there when she served on the Valparaiso City Council. In addition to serving in the House from 1989 to 1995, she ran unsuccessfully for governor against Mitch Daniels in 2008. Long Thompson was named undersecretary in the Agriculture Department by President Barack Obama and became chairman and CEO of the Farm Credit Administration until her term ended in 2015. She now teaches ethics at the Kelley School of Business and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University in Bloomington.
Julia Carson
The late Julia Carson, whose grandson Andre Carson now holds that office in the House, was elected to the House in 1996. Carson grew up poor, working part-time jobs like waiting tables, delivering newspapers and harvesting crops, her biography said.
She succeeded her mentor, Rep. Andy Jacobs, upon his retirement after 15 terms in office and represented greater Indianapolis.
Among her legislative claims to fame is authoring a bill to award the Congressional Gold Medal to civil rights activist Rosa Parks, whose refusal to move to the back of the bus in 1955 was a key moment in the civil rights movement.
She was still a congresswoman when she died in 2007.
Gender issues
Long Thompson said her college students today dont realize how difficult it was for women even 20 years ago.
While on the Agriculture Committee, Long Thompson got a law changed to give widows the same rights as widowers in the federal egg program. Prior to that change, women whose husbands died werent allowed to continue egg production at the same level as before.
Another gender barrier broken.
Weve come a long way since I was elected in that special election in 1989, she said. That was when Dan Quayle was elevated to the vice presidency and Dan Coats was appointed to the Senate. Long Thompson succeeded Coats in the House.
There were definitely comments that were made that reflected not complete acceptance of women running for high office, she said. There were comments made, for example, that it doesnt matter if she loses because shes a woman.
The research shows very clearly that not everyone is accepting of a woman holding high office, and particularly high executive office, for example governor or president, she said.
Long Thompson stressed that those views are a minority, however. The majority believe when you bring a wider variety of talent to the table, you get better decisions.
Future congresswomen
I think our big challenge is that we need to encourage more women to run for office at all levels, including Congress, Brooks said. Just 19 percent of the members of the House are female.
After 100 years of having women in elected office, Im disappointed in the numbers we have in office, Brooks said. I think we have a long way to go to have more women elected to Congress and more women elected to the U.S. House.
Former U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar established a program to give Republican women the encouragement and skills they need to run for office. Brooks volunteers with this program.
Brooks said women who run for office need to develop public speaking skills, become comfortable asking for campaign donations and leading teams office staffs and campaign staffs.
There still has not been a female U.S. senator from Indiana, but that glass ceiling will be broken someday, just as the one in the Oval Office could yield as soon as Tuesday.
*This story has been changed from the original.
Tehran, Iran, November 7
By Mehdi Sepahvand Trend:
There has been no diplomatic arrangement or correspondence between Iran and Egypt for exchange of visits, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said during a press conference on Nov.7.
Qasemi responded to a question about a report, published by Reuters on November 6, Trends correspondent reported from the event in Tehran.
According to the report, Egyptian Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla was on his way to Iran on Sunday to try to strike new oil deals, sources close to his delegation said at Cairo airport, after Saudi Arabia suspended its oil agreement last month.
Reuters reported that after that suspension, Egypt voted in favor of a Russian-backed U.N. resolution on Syria in October that excluded calls to stop bombing Aleppo, which Saudi Arabia strongly opposed.
However, Reuters reported Nov.7 that El Molla attended on Monday an oil conference in Abu Dhabi where he told Reuters he was not going to Iran.
Egypt and Iran have had strained diplomatic ties since the late 1970s and an Egyptian official visiting Tehran is a rarity.
Martin Da Costa said he had plenty of time to think Tuesday afternoon while in line for more than an hour outside the Munster Town Hall for early voting.
As an eighth-grader in Chicago, he had written an essay about the importance of voting for a contest sponsored by an Illinois congressman.
I won first place, he said last week.
But when the prize was to be paid to me, they asked me for a W-9 form and for my Social Security number. I didnt have one, Da Costa said.
He, his mother and older brother were undocumented immigrants.
My mom decided when I was 10 to give my brother and I a better future through hard work and education in America than I would get in my home country of Uruguay. We entered the country on visitor visas. We overstayed the visa, Da Costa said.
The W-9 form to report his prize money to the IRS would have required Da Costa to swear under oath he was a U.S. citizen, so he walked away empty-handed.
It was my first encounter with living in the shadows of my immigration status, Da Costa said.
In the years that followed, he earned a bachelors degree in physics, two masters degrees and an academic Wilson fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey.
My hope was that through education, I could build a firm enough case that my contribution to society was greater than the law my mom broke on my behalf, Da Costa said.
He moved into a legalized status and on the Fourth of July at Hammonds naturalization ceremony, he took the oath as a new U.S. citizen. He said his mother, who lives in Chicago, is working toward citizenship, too. His older brother returned to Uruguay where he is a professional athlete.
Da Costa married an American-born woman. They have two children and he works as an administrator at a Northwest Indiana school.
Im very grateful for all the opportunities this country has bestowed on me, and that my children are very lucky to have been born in this great country of ours, Da Costa said.
He said he had been politically active for years. I talked to Barack Obama in 2007, he said and more recently met Gov. Mike Pence, John Gregg, the Democratic candidate for governor this year, and Lorenzo Arredondo, the Democratic candidate for Indiana attorney general.
Tuesday was my first time voting, he said. He said he chose to vote early to avoid long lines Nov. 8 on Election Day. I was surprised by the number of people there to vote early. Ive only seen Election Day lines on the news.
Now that he was in one, he said he thought about ways to reduce the wait times and other obstacles that suppresses voter turnout.
Election Day has to be a national holiday for Americans who are working 12-hour shifts, like nurses, teachers, factory or service industry workers, and dont have the ability to take an hour off from work, Da Costa said. Long lines can be a deterrent for them to get their voices heard.
Once he entered the voting booth, I considered which candidates would be best for everyone so government acts as a support for the less fortunate members of our society. I wanted the people elected who would align with those goals.
Its a right and privilege to be part of a political system from which I was excluded for so long, and that has excluded and continues to exclude many today, Da Costa said. It felt good to finally be able to have a say, regardless of the outcome of the election. It gives me trust in the system.
INDIANAPOLIS National candidates urging their supporters to engage in voter intimidation tactics should not discourage Hoosiers from showing up at their polling places Tuesday and exercising their right to vote.
Indiana law makes it extremely difficult for individuals to harass or interfere with voters in or near the room where theyll cast their ballots by severely restricting who is permitted in those areas.
Specifically, only voters and their minor children, election staff and a limited number of registered monitors sent by political parties, candidates or the media are allowed in the voting room and an area known as the chute, which extends 50 feet from the voting room entrance.
Any person at a polling place who interferes with, unduly influences, threatens or injures either a voter or an election official is subject to arrest on a Level 6 felony, punishable by up to 2 1/2 years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
Hoosiers should feel confident in the security of our states elections, said Secretary of State Connie Lawson, Indianas chief elections officer.
Hundreds of election officials across the state have been working since the polls closed on Nov. 3, 2015, to ensure the success of this years elections. ... We have also been working with first responders, utility companies and technology experts to ensure polling locations are ready for Election Day.
Outside of a polling place, voters may still encounter political signs, candidate supporters and self-appointed election monitors.
However, all a voter has to do is enter the chute leading into the voting room and he or she will be protected from all electioneering activity.
Once inside, in addition to bipartisan election officials checking in voters and handing out ballots, voters may see individuals credentialed by a political party or an independent candidate as watchers or poll book holders.
They monitor general activity in polling places and keep track of who in a precinct already has voted, but are prohibited from disrupting the electoral process, handling election supplies and interfering with or attempting to influence voters.
Political parties also can credential a challenger for each precinct who is entitled to question the validity of a voters identification card, registration status, U.S. citizenship, age eligibility or matching registration signature, if an election staffer does not do so.
But a challenger cannot just willy-nilly go after voters. By law, a challenger must have actual knowledge that a specific person at the polls is in fact ineligible to vote.
Even then, a challenged voter who affirms he or she is eligible can cast a provisional ballot that the county election board will determine whether to count after ruling on the challenge in the days following the election.
No one should ever be turned away from the polls. No matter what, they can always cast a provisional ballot, declares the Indiana Election Day Handbook provided by the secretary of state to all precinct election boards.
State Democratic Party spokesman Drew Anderson said he doesnt anticipate the party will deploy any challengers alongside some 200 watchers that Democrats plan to have covering polling places in Indianas 92 counties.
These supporters are there to give voters information about the voting process, answer any questions and keep enthusiasm going for voters in what is an important election, Anderson said.
A spokeswoman for the Indiana Republican Party did not return telephone and email messages seeking details on the GOPs planned use of poll watchers or challengers.
ST. JOHN The 11 graduates of the District 1 Recruit Firefighter Academy overcame obstacles during their training sessions, and many have strong confidence in their abilities to protect others.
I know this class is going to succeed, Lt. Joe Martin, of the Griffith Fire Department, said Friday at a graduation service at the St. John fire station.
Martin, an instructor for the academy, said the new firefighters spent more than five months preparing themselves to protect and assist those in need.
It all started with the recruits putting on gear for the first time to learn how to wear it safely. Martin said their training moved to many other topics, including emergency medical services, to provide the recruits with the skills to keep others safe.
At times it's been very hard mentally and physically, Martin said of the training.
He admitted he had been hard on the recruits on occasions, but there is a reason for it.
Fire service is no joke, he said.
John Buckman, the state's firefighter training director, told the graduates they have joined an elite group of people, and the were taught by some of the best instructors in Indiana.
Your future is bright, Buckman said.
He also indicated the firefighters need to continue to train to maintain your skills.
In addition to receiving his certificate, graduate Adam Ritchey received an award Friday for his leadership skills.
Ritchey, who will serve with the Lake Dalecarlia Fire Department, spoke on behalf of his class during the ceremony.
He said the graduates don't view fire service as a job, but a mission to help and protect others.
Ritchey thanked the instructors for the high level of training they provided to the new firefighters.
Martin said he is rewarded when he is at fire scenes and sees past students doing their work they way they were taught at the academy.
That is knowing you did the job right, he said.
VALPARAISO Turning pain into power for good is the life work of Leymah Gbowee, a 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who was the guest speaker at a special program Wednesday evening at Valparaiso University.
Gbowee, the author of the 2013 book, Mighty Be Our Powers, won the Nobel prize for leading a Christian and Muslim womens peace movement that brought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003.
She is also the founder of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, based in Liberia, that provides educational and leadership opportunities to girls, women and youth in West Africa. While her book explores how her Christian faith motivated her to fight injustice, her earlier work is the subject of the Tribeca Film Festival 2008 Best Documentary, Pray the Devil Back to Hell.
Speaking at the Seventh Louis E. and Janice M Zeile Lecture on Christian Vocation at the Chapel of the Resurrection, Gbowee told an audience of nearly 200 that she became bitter and angry over the injustices the people of her native country, Liberia, suffered at the hands of their oppressors during war.
Women were abused and raped, said Gbowee, and men were forced to take up arms.
A whole generation of young men had no idea of who they were without a gun, said Gbowee. Young people lost hope, and old people had lost everything they had painstakingly earned.
Gbowee herself lost hope, until she noticed that the women who had suffered the most in her community were not angry and bitter, but began to use their personal pain to wield power for good.
We said, lets start a movement to end the war, said Gbowee.
Gbowee led the womens prayer and protest movement that eventually helped to end the war.
We took our pains and converted it to a big ball of power, said Gbowee.
Gbowee decried nations of the world that have decided to use violence as a way to solve problems.
Anyone who uses violence as a mean of solving problems is not powerful, said Gbowee. You can confront those who have hurt you without even striking. Our world is upside down and we need to turn it back upright. Each of us in this room has a stake in turning our world upright. None of us in this room is without a sense of power. We all have something in us that the world needs to change the dynamics of where we find ourselves. The question is will we take the first step?She encouraged audience members to discover their talents and use them powerfully for good in their everyday lives.
Until each and every one of us who have the light in us steps out of the shadow, darkness will continue to overtake our world, Gbowee said. God placed us in this world to do a whole lot of good. Our collective power is mightier when we show compassion. Will you turn your pain into power and show compassion and make it mighty?
VALPARAISO A plan to redistrict Valparaiso Community Schools will be presented next weekend to the community.
The meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Nov. 19 in the auditorium at Ben Franklin Middle School, 605 N. Campbell St.
The redistricting is being prompted by the construction of a new elementary school on Heavilin Road to accommodate students who live south of U.S. 30.
The new school, which will be open in the fall of 2017, will serve students currently at Hayes Leonard, Parkview and Central elementary schools who live south of U.S. 30. About 480 students are expected to attend the yet-to-be-named school, said Superintendent E. Ric Frataccia.
Also in 2017, about 31 students currently at Central will be redistricted into Parkview Elementary, Frataccia said.
The plan also will deals with an area directly southwest of Cooks Corners Elementary with about 60 kids. Currently about half of them go to Northview Elementary and half go to Cooks Corners as transfers from Northview.
The proposed plan calls for all of them to go to Cooks Corners, putting the Cooks enrollment at 300 students, Frataccia said. Northview enrollment will remain at 300.
Also in 2017, Frataccia said the 88 Hayes Leonard students who live north of U.S. 30 and all students from Central will attend Hayes Leonard as construction to upgrade Central takes place.
In 2018, the plan calls for moving about 100 students who live in northwest Valparaiso, from Memorial to Cooks Corners, which will keep them in their neighborhood.
Former Hayes Leonard students who live north of U.S. 30 will go to Memorial Elementary.
Other changes will include minor shifts in boundaries between Flint Lake and Thomas Jefferson Elementary, and TJE and Parkview.
Frataccia said major concerns expressed by the public at a February meeting regarding the middle school boundaries were also addressed.
He said, after hearing from parents, administrators learned students from Parkview who moved to new school, and currently go to Thomas Jefferson Middle School, and still want to go to TJMS; and students at Hayes Leonard wanted to go to Ben Franklin Middle School.
Other changes include sending all Cooks Corners students to BFMS and all Northview students to TJMS.
Current boundaries split those students between middle schools.
For more information about the redistricting plan and the school renovations, go to valpo.k12.in.us.
PHILADELPHIA Closing out a wildly unpredictable White House race, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump blitzed through battleground states Monday in a final bid to energize supporters. Clinton urged voters to embrace a hopeful, inclusive, bighearted America, while Trump called for supporters to beat the corrupt system.
The candidates rallied voters late into the night, a frenzied end to a bitter election year that has laid bare the nations deep economic and cultural divides.
Clinton campaigned with confidence, buoyed by FBI Director James Comeys announcement Sunday that he would not recommend criminal charges against her following a new email review. The inquiry had sapped a surging Clinton momentum at a crucial moment in the race, though she still heads into Election Day with multiple paths to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to become the nations first female president.
I think I have some work to do to bring the country together, she acknowledged as she boarded her plane for her last battleground tour. I really do want to be the president for everybody.
Looking beyond Election Day, Clinton said in a radio interview that she hopes Trump will play a constructive role in helping bring the country together if she defeats him.
Trump at times struck a nostalgic tone during his final round of rallies, recalling the rivals hed vanquished and how far hes come. As he surveyed the crowd in Scranton, Pennsylvania, he declared, Its been a long journey.
Still, Trump was aggressive to the end, slamming Clinton as the face of failure. Having made the new FBI review a centerpiece of his closing case to voters, he argued that the Democrat was being protected by a totally rigged system.
You have one magnificent chance to beat the corrupt system and deliver justice, Trump said. Do not let this opportunity slip away.
The comments were a reminder that Comeys news, delivered in a letter to lawmakers on Sunday, was a doubled-edged sword for Clinton. While it vindicated her claims that the emails would not yield new evidence, it ensured that a controversy that has dogged her campaign from the start would follow her through Election Day.
Across the country, nearly 24 million early ballots were cast under the shadow of Comeys initial announcement of a new email review. That number represents about half of the nearly 45 million people who had cast votes by Monday, according to Associated Press data.
The inquiry involved material found on a computer belonging to Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman and estranged husband of Huma Abedin, a longtime Clinton aide. Comey said Sunday the FBI reviewed communications to or from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state.
Clinton tried to fly above the controversy Monday, making no mention of the FBI during her rallies. The centerpiece of her final day of campaigning was a nighttime event in Philadelphia with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, along with rock stars Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi.
Nearing the end of his two terms in the White House, Obama was sentimental as he launched his own busy day of events, noting that he was probably making his last campaign swing for the foreseeable future.
Whatever credibility I have earned after eight years as president, I am asking you to trust me on this. I am voting for Hillary Clinton, Obama said.
Clinton is banking in part on high turnout particularly among Obamas young, diverse coalition of voters to carry her over the finish line Tuesday. Roughly half the states with advance voting have reported record turnout, including Florida and Nevada, which have booming Hispanic populations, a possible good sign for Clinton.
In Florida alone, Hispanic participation is up by more than 453,000 votes, nearly doubling the 2012 level. Black turnout is up compared to 2012, but that share of the total vote is lower due to bigger jumps among Latinos and whites, according to University of Florida professor Daniel Smith
In Nevada, where more than three-fourths of expected ballots have been cast, Democrats also lead, 42 percent to 36 percent.
Trump deputy campaign manager David Bossie downplayed the impact of increased Hispanic participation, telling reporters on a conference call, We feel that were going to get a good share of those votes. However, he sidestepped two questions about the level of Hispanic vote Trump needs to win the presidency.
Without victories in Florida and Nevada, Trumps path to 270 electoral votes would be exceedingly narrow. He already must win nearly all of the roughly dozen battleground states.
Trump had planned to keep up his breakneck travel schedule deep into Election Day, but aides revised plans, keeping the businessman in New York.
Midway through his final day of travel Monday, Trump praised his supporters for having created a movement. But he warned it would all slip away if he loses Tuesday.
Go vote, he urged. Or honestly, weve all wasted our time.
___
Associated Press writers Kathleen Hennessey, Hope Yen, Jonathan Lemire and Steve Peoples in Washington and Josh Lederman in Ann Arbor, Michigan, contributed to this report.
Across South Florida, Democrats made their last big push Sunday to get African-American and Caribbean-American voters to vote with a series of Souls to the Polls events on the last day of early voting before Election Day.
The events were festive and serious.
In Fort Lauderdale, about 200 people gathered at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church and marched more than a mile down Sistrunk Boulevard, the main street of the citys historically black neighborhood, to the early voting site at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center.
In Boynton Beach, 150 people gathered at St. Johns Missionary Baptist Church and marched to the early voting site at the Ezell Hester Community Center.
The message from a range of community, political and religious leaders was direct: vote. The intended beneficiary: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
This is where the action is. This is the battleground, said Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, D-N.Y. As we say in Brooklyn, Shut it down. Donald Trump goes nowhere if Florida, if Broward County, shuts it down.
The last Sunday of in-person early voting has become a big election day for black voters in Florida. Efforts to spur turnout started in past elections with pastors at black churches encouraging parishioners to go directly from Sunday services to early voting sites.
The idea has since become a broader effort by politicians, clergy and celebrities to attract attention and make a bigger audience realize they need to vote.
Ricky Scott, pastor of New Hope Missionary Baptist, said hes been regularly pushing voting. They have a right and they need to use it, he said. By Sunday, he said virtually all his congregants had already voted. But he said they still have work to do: make sure everyone they know gets to the polls. Grab them by the hand and take them in there and vote, he said.
Kenya McCloud, a physician who lives in Royal Palm Beach and practices in Plantation marched in Fort Lauderdale, where he grew up.
The purpose is to notify the public that this election is crucial, he said. Just because Barack Obama is not in the White House, it is crucial to keep his legacy going. We believe staying home is a vote for Donald Trump.
McCloud, 42, said hes confident people his age and older will vote. But hes concerned that black millennials dont see the connection between voting and jobs, equality, justice and the fight against police brutality. It seems as if their interest is not there. They dont believe that theres still the struggle.
Polling shows Clinton is the overwhelming favorite among black voters, but the mobilization drives are aimed at translating that potential support into actual votes.
Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., a longtime Clinton supporter, has at times been critical of how his candidates team has tried to reach black voters. Hastings said in an interview Saturday that he was more comfortable than he was a week ago that the efforts are on track heading into Election Day.
Hastings said he thinks turnout will hit 60 percent in the African-American community. If that target is reached, he said a growing number of Hispanic Democrats in Central Florida could put Clinton over the top in her competition with Trump for Floridas 29 electoral votes. With Obama on the ballot, Hastings said African-American turnout was 68 percent in 2008 and 66 percent in 2012.
The efforts to reach black voters are varied, and targeted to specific groups. Hastings said one event, for Jamaican-Americans, was dance to the polls. On Saturday, Clinton visited Miamis Little Haiti neighborhood, where she met with Haitian-American political leaders and described her history of support for Haiti and hopes for the future. Earlier in the week, Clinton courted black voters at Sunday services at Mount Olive Baptist Church, stopped at Bettys soul food restaurant and held a rally at Reverend Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park, all in Fort Lauderdale, and visited an early voting site in Lauderhill.
Monday, efforts will switch to black voters who participated in the 2014 election for governor but hadnt yet voted by the time early voting ended. Democratic state Sen. Chris Smith said he and Hastings have a team of 75 people lined up to reach out to black voters in central Broward, and other political leaders are organizing similar efforts elsewhere.
Were going to spend the next two days hitting those doors, Smith said.
Friends and family are set to pay their respects to the city police sergeant killed in the line of duty in the Bronx last week.
Sergeant Paul Tuozzolo was fatally shot Friday while responding to a home invasion on Beach Avenue.
His wake will be held this Wednesday at the Fredrick J. Chapey & Sons Funeral Home in Bethpage, Long Island.
The funeral will be held on Thursday at a St. Rose of Lima Church in Massapequa.
Tuozzolo was a 19-year veteran of the force and worked out of the 43rd Precinct in Soundview.
Another officer, Sergeant Emanuel Kwo, was shot in the leg and is now recovering at home.
Police say the officers were shot by Manuel Rosales Rosales, 35, of Long Island.
They say he was trying to reach his estranged wife who was at the house along with their 3-year-old son.
Rosales was killed during the gunfight with police.
He has 17 prior arrests in Suffolk County.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
By Farhad Daneshvar Trend:
An Iranian manufacturer has described Turkey as the main rival of his country in exporting agricultural and industrial machinery to the regional countries, including Azerbaijan.
The Head of Trade Union for Agricultural and Industrial Machinery Manufacturers of Tehran Ali Tavasoti told Trend Nov. 7 that groundwork has been paved for cooperation between Iran and regional countries, including Azerbaijan.
Over the past several years Iranian manufacturers have failed to claim a major share in Azerbaijans agricultural machinery market as Turkey had a better performance there.
Iranian manufacturers have even lagged behind Turkey in the Islamic Republic own market due to the proper infrastructure existing in the neighboring countrys production sphere.
The products of Iranian agricultural and industrial machinery manufacturers have been supplied to countries such as Venezuela, Africa, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Azerbaijan.
MIAMI - The first woman to serve as U.S. Attorney General, Janet Reno, has died.
One of the most recognizable figures in the Bill Clinton administration, Reno was at the center of several controversial events in the '90s and early 2000s.
That includes the deadly federal raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, as well as the armed seizure and return of 5-year-old Elian Gonzalez to Cuba.
Reno also ran for governor of Florida in 2002, but was unsuccessful.
Her family says she had suffered complications from Parkinson's disease.
Janet Reno was 78 years old.
After capitalizing on the Clinton email investigation to inject his campaign with some much needed momentum heading into Election Day, Donald Trump's team is downplaying the significance of this latest development. Our Grace Rauh has the story.
The latest round of emails uncovered by the FBI will not lead to criminal charges for Hillary Clinton. However, you would not know that from listening to Donald Trump.
"Hillary Clinton will be under investigation for a long, long time for her many crimes against our nation, our people, our Democracy, likely concluding in a criminal trial," Trump said.
The Republican nominee spoke at a campaign stop in Minneapolis shortly after FBI Director James Comey released a letter indicating that he did not recommend Clinton be charged in the FBI investigation into her private email server.
"It's a rigged system and she's protected," Trump said.
Trump did not mention Comey by name. However, less than a week earlier, he was praising him for his highly controversial decision to announce that the agency had uncovered additional emails that appeared connected to the earlier Clinton probe.
"It took a lot of guts," Trump said in October.. "I really disagreed with him. I was not his fan, but I'll tell you what, he brought back his reputation.
Comey was slammed by Democrats for breaking with the agency's longstanding protocol of not doing anything that could be perceived as influencing the outcome of an election. His disclosure, though, appeared to give Trump's campaign a surge of momentum after it had been languishing, according to polls. Trump seized on the issue.
"Hillary Clinton is under FBI investigation again after her emails were found on pervert Anthony Weiner's laptop," one campaign ad stated.
It is a fact Trump's campaign manager ignored in an interview Sunday.
"We have not made this a center piece of our messaging," Kellyanne Conway said on MSNBC.
Trump's running-mate also weighed in.
"Mishandling classified information is a crime," Republican VP candidate Mike Pence said.
It is not clear what kind of impact this development will have on Trump's campaign so close to Election Day. It will likely do little to sway his supporters.
His 1970 album, Moog Indigo, included one of his most daring adaptations, a version of Flight of the Bumblebee, which was pieced together from recordings of real bees. The pitches of their buzzing were shifted and arranged to recreate Rimsky-Korsakovs familiar melody, a process that Mr. Perrey said took 46 hours.
I invented a new process for generating rhythms utilizing musique concrete sounds such as noises of machines, animal cries, insects buzzing, etc., he said in his online autobiography. Once the sounds were recorded I would knead them, chop them, run them through filters backward at twice the speed (or half the speed), and in this way they would become practically unidentifiable.
Mr. Perrey recorded more than two dozen albums over half a century. Baroque Hoedown, which he wrote with his longtime associate Gershon Kingsley, is featured in the Main Street Electrical Parade at Disney theme parks, and his music has cropped up in popular television shows, including South Park as well as The Simpsons.
Born Jean Leroy in northern France on Jan. 20, 1929, he showed great musical talent at a very young age, receiving an accordion for Christmas when he was 4. His first band, during his school years, was the Jean-Jacques Perrey Quartet. He assumed the Perrey name as a solo artist throughout his professional career.
A fan of science fiction writers like Isaac Asimov, Aldous Huxley, Arthur C. Clarke and Ray Bradbury, Mr. Perrey became enchanted with new inventions and new ideas. He received little formal music training, having been expelled from a conservatory after two months when he broke a rule about performing in public.
Lise-Lotte Lublin started a petition and testified before lawmakers in Nevada last year, part of a successful effort to extend that states statute of limitations for sexual assault.
In Colorado, where lawmakers made a similar change this year, legislators had been lobbied hard on the bill by Beth Ferrier and Heidi Thomas.
In California, it was Lili Bernard, Victoria Valentino, Linda Kirkpatrick and Janice Baker Kinney who helped organize a campaign, EndRapeSOL, and rallies as part of a movement that this fall eliminated that states statute of limitations for rape altogether.
The seven women live in different places and have different lives. But they were all stirred to activism, they say, by a shared history: They all say they were sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby. And in each case, by the time they decided to come forward, many years after they say they were attacked, their ability to press for criminal charges was precluded by a statute of limitations.
Need a laugh as Election Day looms? Dine with Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg, bar hop with the Vanderpump brigade or watch S.N.L. spoof a presidential campaign like no other.
Whats on TV
MARTHA & SNOOPS POTLUCK DINNER PARTY 10 p.m. on VH1. On the surface, could there be an unlikelier duo than Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg? But in a recent interview with The New York Times, they professed to be regular dining companions. And their new dine-and-banter show with adjoining his-and-her kitchens, no less plays the opposite public personas of its hosts she, the often-parodied picture of Westport perfectionism, he the stoner-pimp of Long Beach for maximum effect, Matthew Schneier wrote. She says potato, he says potizzle. With guests like Seth Rogen, Wiz Khalifa, Rick Ross and Ashley Graham, the series is right for the time, I think, when we do need a little bit of levity in our lives, because of whats going on, Ms. Stewart mused. Maybe theyll go to us for comic relief.
VANDERPUMP RULES 9 p.m. on Bravo. Lisa Vanderpumps SUR (Sexy Unique Restaurant, for the uninitiated) may be hotter than ever as Season 5 begins. But her staff is unraveling at lightning speed and this time, its the men who are crying more than the women. Its like the best thing to watch before the election night, Kristen Doute, the shows most notorious troublemaker, said in an article in The Times. Laugh at our expense before things get crazy.
THE 2016 S.N.L. ELECTION SPECIAL 10 p.m. on NBC. Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton, as interpreted by Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon, and a gaggle of others. (Our money is on Margot Robbie as Ivanka Trump, Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton and Tom Hanks as Doug, a Trump supporter.) Because who couldnt use some humor right about now?
While there is much skepticism on the eve of the meetings about climate change in Marrakesh, Morocco, known as COP22, about whether the world is taking big enough steps to prevent temperatures from rising to dangerous levels, the changing attitudes of business leaders are one reason for cautious optimism.
While governments may make the rules, the responsibility will likely fall on businesses to implement energy- and emissions-reducing changes in how they operate and the products they provide to society.
Many business leaders say they recognize climate change as a serious problem and that they are under pressure to demonstrate to their customers and employees, as well as governments and regulators, that they are doing something about it.
I think the demand comes from the people who buy our products, said Trisa Thompson, vice president for corporate social responsibility at Dell, the computer maker.
Dell is taking some energy-saving steps, like moving away from delivering computers on daily Boeing 747 flights from China to the United States. Instead, the company is putting the machines on boats.
The solar panels 15,000 of them sweep down the hill from a former dairy farm here, gleaming rows of silver and blue nestled between fields of recently harvested corn. The installation, a project developed in partnership with SolarCity, the leading rooftop solar provider in the United States, and the local electric cooperative, is meant to help create more green energy options for customers, mainly a handful of utilities operating in the state.
But it is what lies toward the bottom of the array that gives the project its distinction: about 30 white refrigerator-size battery banks courtesy of Tesla, the electric carmaker
The facility, the Mountain Ash Solar Farm, is not running yet, but, along with a similar, larger project under development in Hawaii, it offers a steel-and-glass example of what Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, and his cousins, Lyndon and Peter Rive, founders of SolarCity, have in mind for their merger planned for this year.
Solar energy has long been seen as an important weapon in the fight against climate change, but its usefulness is limited because the sun sets and is temporarily blocked by passing clouds which can create a mismatch between supply and demand or lead to complications on the grid. Adding batteries to the mix not only solves those problems, but allows solar power plant operators to sell new services to system operators.
People are almost demanding this kind of relief, Mr. Peterson said.
It is perhaps harder now to make light of the election as businesses have during previous campaigns, as when JetBlue offered international trips to voters whose candidate lost, Pizza Hut stitched together debate clips to highlight how cheap its pizza was or Snickers ran cheeky Dont Vote Hungry ads.
Tecate, the Mexican beer label, was seen as poking fun at Donald J. Trump with its recent commercial featuring a Tecate beer wall, a knee-high ledge to rest beers on, even though the brand said the ad was nonpartisan. Indeed, the appetite for humor seems low in an environment where both Skittles and Tic Tac had to issue formal statements within weeks of each another distancing themselves from untoward mentions by the Trump campaign.
So come the new tactics. Hefty said its digital campaign, which started on Thursday and will run through Tuesday, was built on the belief that Americans hate political ads. Just last month, the American Psychological Association said that 52 percent of American adults cited the presidential election as a very or somewhat significant source of stress in a survey conducted by Harris Poll. And the final pre-election New York Times/CBS News Poll released late last week showed that more than eight in 10 voters said the campaign had left them repulsed rather than excited.
Excedrin, on the day of the third and final presidential debate last month, promoted the hashtag #DebateHeadache on Twitter, saying, Debates bring headaches; Excedrin brings fast headache relief. The brand tweeted out statistics from a survey it conducted throughout the day, including one that said 73 percent of Americans would experience election-related headaches this year.
The product, given its focus on relieving head pain, doesnt generally have the opportunity to speak on a larger scale, especially during a presidential election, said Scott Yacovino, a senior brand manager for Excedrin and the United States pain business at GlaxoSmithKline. This situation was a perfect storm, he said.
The last year has turned the United States into a country of information addicts who compulsively check the television, the smartphone and the good old-fashioned newspaper with a burning question: What fresh twist could our national election drama and its executive producer, Donald J. Trump, possibly have in store for us now?
No doubt about it: Campaign 2016 has been a smash hit.
And to the news media have gone the spoils. With Mr. Trump providing must-see TV theatrics, cable news has drawn record audiences. Newspapers have reached online readership highs that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.
On Wednesday comes the reckoning.
The election news bubble thats about to pop has blocked from plain view the expanding financial sinkhole at the center of the paper-and-ink branch of the news industry, which has recently seen a print advertising plunge that was much more precipitous, to be honest with you, than anybody expected a year or so ago, as The Wall Street Journal editor in chief Gerard Baker told me on Friday.
Papers including The Journal, The New York Times, The Guardian, the Gannett publications and others have responded with plans to reorganize, shed staff, kill off whole sections, or all of the above.
Another responded: Let me know what you come up with maybe a discount if we buy in bulk.
Though a brand spokesman acknowledged there has been a lot of interest and excitement around her look, he would not say anything more about whether there were plans to commercialize the suit. That has not, however, deterred the women determined to wear white to honor those who came before.
It started as fun and moved into having all this meaning, both historic and cultural, said Lisa J. Banks, Ms. Katzs law partner and a co-founder of their firm.
She is not the only one who thinks so.
Since the Democratic National Convention, white pantsuits have become the most-searched color of pantsuit according to data from Lyst, the global e-commerce platform that acts as a centralized shopping bag for thousands of retailers. Searches for white pantsuits are now 7 percent more prevalent than searches for black pantsuits which, before the convention, were the most-searched color. (Eighty percent of the searches originated in the United States.)
Katherine Ormerod, Lysts editorial director, said, The pantsuit has had a massive resurgence in interest with a 460 percent uplift since January 2016. The interest in white pantsuits in particular has certainly confounded expectations especially as we usually see a seasonal dip for white color ways across every category.
There is precedent for this kind of desire and action, in any case. In 1978 when thousands of women marched on Washington in support of the Equal Rights Amendment, they did so led by Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan, with the majority of the marchers wearing white. Ms. Greenberger noted that the law center often suggests that women wear white at public demonstrations.
The point is, the women said, that clothing is a symbol that is universally accessible, allowing anyone who can dig up a garment (Once all I had was white puffer jacket, but that was fine, Ms. Greenberger said.) to express their commitment and connection to a story greater than their own.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
By Fatih Karimov Trend:
Irans hardliner newspaper Kayhan reported that its editor-in-chief, Hossein Shariatmadari appeared in court to defend the daily against various accusations.
Shariatmadari appeared in court on Nov. 6 to respond to various complaints of government bodies, the newspaper reported.
Kayhans editor-in-chief is appointed by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Presidential Administration, Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Welfare Organization, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Culture, Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization are among the entities which have filed complaints against the editor-in-chief of Kayhan.
The newspaper reported that the SNSC has accused the newspaper of disrespect to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Shariatmadari has been the editor-in-chief of Kayhan for over 20 years. The newspaper, which has faced these types of complaints before, views the move by the administration as a means to apply more pressure on it and expressed readiness to respond to all accusation in an open court.
I work the lobster shift on the news desk, somewhere between the hours of 6 p.m. and 4 a.m. Sometimes I work on the print side, sometimes digital. No matter when or where I am in the office, or if I am working remotely from home, I have a hand in the series of daily miracles that results in a new edition of The Times each day. And one of the smaller, almost imperceptible miracles involves maintenance of the newsroom clocks.
There are dozens of analog clocks in the newsroom. According to the one I glanced at on my way out of the newsroom on Sunday morning, it was just after 2 a.m. Yes, daylight saving time had ended, we had fallen back an hour and the clocks reflected the old time.
Im leaving at 1:30 and will be home at 1:30, quipped Dave Renard, an assistant editor on the news desk.
In fact, all of the clocks in the newsroom were wrong. Including those on the bank of timepieces on the foreign desk that tick away time zones across the globe, from Paris to London, from Hong Kong to Kathmandu (a Felix the Cat clock).
By 8 a.m., however, all the clocks showed the correct time. No one knew how.
I asked news assistants, who tend to show up a little earlier than most news workers, if they had seen anyone on a ladder changing the clocks. They had not. I asked Justin Porter, a staff editor on the home page, whether he had seen anyone. Not a soul, he said.
Tomorrow, and the early voting leading up to it, mark the first presidential election since the Supreme Court clipped the protective wings of the Voting Rights Act. In 2013, speaking for a conservative majority of five, Chief Justice John Roberts effectively eliminated the safeguards created by a provision of the law called Section 5, saying that Congress could no longer require states and counties with a history of racial discrimination to get the approval of the Department of Justice before changing local voting rules and practices. Roberts said things had changed dramatically since the 1960s, and these jurisdictions, which are mostly in the South, didnt need oversight from the D.O.J. anymore. They could be trusted to treat minority voters fairly on their own.
As evidence of change, Roberts pointed to the end of the literacy test and other methods of barring voter registration, which included the poll tax. But his conservative majority didnt account for the hassle tax the new price that minority voters disproportionately pay. In North Carolina over the weekend, people stood in line for hours in counties with large black and student populations. In a study of 381 counties covered by Section 5, about half the total number, the Leadership Conference Education Fund found 868 fewer places to vote than existed in 2012.
There are legitimate reasons to close a polling place, like saving money, while increasing access to voting by mail and early voting. But before the Supreme Courts 2013 ruling, the D.O.J. had the power to ensure that state and local voting boards did not use budget cuts or voter modernization as cover to disenfranchise people of color, the L.C.E.F. study points out. In a world without Section 5, that process that protection for minority voters has ceased.
And so voters of color are once again fighting for access to the most basic right of citizenship. When the Supreme Court heard arguments in the 2013 case, Shelby County v. Holder, experts predicted that the biggest impact of striking down Section 5 would be the cumulative effect of all the small stuff under the radar local tinkering to district lines and polling locations and hours, as Heather Gerken, a Yale Law School professor, put it. When Section 5 was enforced, state and county officials chafed at submitting every alteration for federal approval. But the alternative is to resort to after-the-fact remedies. People are turned away from the polls, or purged from the rolls, or refused ID, and then these violations of their rights can be challenged.
The call came in at 6:40 a.m., a burglary in progress in the Village. Two police officers, with 80 minutes left on their midnight tour, responded to the address on East 12th Street in Manhattan.
Outside, no sign of anyone. But a light shone from an apartment window above, so one of the officers, Henry Walburger, climbed a fire escape and looked inside.
He saw two women and a man, the police said. He tapped on the window and asked if everything was all right, and the three people said yes. Officer Walburger turned to tell his partner it was all clear. The man in the apartment then drew a gun and shot him, sending the officer falling to the street, where he died.
It was July 1964. Just days earlier, the police shooting of a black teenager led to what became known as the Harlem riot. Deep mistrust of the police gripped New York, but the mistrust cut both ways, with officers fearful of attacks.
The younger Mr. Rosales had been born into the margins of city life. At 15, his mother moved into foster care in the Bronx to escape her shame of her protruding belly. She raised Manuel there for his first months. At birth his chest was caved in at the sternum. Doctors told the family he might not make it to 30 without a heart attack.
Surgery at 13 masked the deformity, but his father said Manuel continued to be bullied at schools in Brentwood, N.Y., a Suffolk County town that is home to many Latino immigrants. Special education teachers called Manuel and his classmates speds, his father said. The family hired a lawyer to protest the administrations attempts to have him home-schooled. But legal proceedings fizzled and Manuel dropped out around 17. (His father said he later earned a high school equivalency diploma.)
A spokesman for Brentwood schools did not respond to a phone message seeking comment on Sunday.
Mr. Rosales brooked no authority. And no targets were too senseless: His father said he destroyed a swimming pool and lit a fire on someones lawn. He spent two weeks at a psychiatric center on Long Island around 15 and began taking medication for bipolar disorder. In the end I stopped that medication, the elder Mr. Rosales said, because he was like a kid that would stare at you, but not register.
Mr. Rosales, who was 35 when he died, never again received treatment, his father said.
The Suffolk police arrested him 17 times from 1998 until this year, mostly on minor charges, but once in 2006 on felony assault charges. A county police spokesman did not have details of arrests or other encounters involving Mr. Rosales, but Mr. Rosales told a friend the assault charge was for getting into a fight with a police officer. He was imprisoned from 2006 to 2010, and again from 2012 to 2014 on a stolen property conviction. He later told friends he had once been in the Latin Kings gang.
On Sept. 23, 2013, with Mr. Rosales locked up in Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill, N.Y., his son was born.
The first time I laid eyes on you I knew that I had to make a change in myself, I have to do better for YOU not for myself, he wrote on Facebook on Antonios third birthday. I promised myself that you would never have to wonder if your papa loves you, Id give you what I didnt have growing up.
Even for a city wrestling with a stubbornly high murder rate, a grisly stabbing at a home in Newark, where a knife-wielding attacker killed two children and a woman in a rampage on Saturday afternoon, was almost too much to bear.
Mayor Ras J. Baraka called the attack one of the most tragic and savage he had seen. Anthony F. Ambrose, the citys public safety director, said a person of interest in the killings, Jeremy Arrington, 26, had been taken into custody on Sunday around 9 p.m.
On Saturday, the police received a 911 call reporting a stabbing at 137 Hedden Terrace in the Upper Clinton Hill neighborhood around 4 p.m, Mr. Ambrose said.
Responding officers found six people, two women and four children, who were stabbed, Carolyn A. Murray, the acting Essex County prosecutor, said.
Nowhere has the spending been more intense than in Nassau County, home to at least four districts where Democrats hope to hold or to flip longtime Republican seats. Such a change would give the Democrats control of the Senate, which has been in Republican hands for most of the last 50 years despite New Yorks being a deeply blue state.
In the Seventh District, Adam Haber, a Democrat and Nassau businessman, is running against Elaine Phillips, the Republican mayor of the village of Flower Hill, on the North Shore. Outside groups have spent about $3.5 million in the district, much of it from New Yorkers for a Balanced Albany, which has injected more than $2.5 million into the campaign for radio spots and television ads that label Mr. Haber as a big spending, tax-loving liberal, and warn that New York City Democrats, led by Bill de Blasio, could control every branch of state government if candidates like Mr. Haber take control of the Senate.
Those television ads are nearly identical to those being paid for by the group in the nearby Fifth District, and several others including the Eighth District, the 40th District and the 41st District.
In the 41st District in the Hudson Valley, super PACs have spent at least $2 million on a rematch between Terry Gipson, a Democrat, and Senator Susan Serino, a Republican who unseated him two years ago. Stronger Neighbors, funded by Airbnb, has spent more than $650,000 to try to oust Senator Serino, who voted for a law, recently signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat, to crack down on online advertising of properties on Airbnb.
But Jobs for New York a super PAC backed by the Real Estate Board of New York, which represents the citys major developers recently fired back with a $300,000 ad campaign blasting Mr. Gipson.
The 39th District has long been the domain of Senator William J. Larkin Jr., an amiable octogenarian who is fond of mentioning World War II in speeches on the Senate floor in Albany. Senator Larkin, a Republican first elected to the Senate in 1990, is fighting for re-election against Chris Eachus, a Democrat and Orange County legislator who narrowly lost a race in the 39th in 2012.
The arrest of a state assemblywoman from Brooklyn who is charged with hitting her 13-year-old son with a broom handle has sent ripples of support and dismay through New York Citys political circles.
Assemblywoman Diana C. Richardson, who is on the ballot for re-election on Tuesday, is, by all accounts, a devoted single mother whose only child often accompanies her to political events. Ms. Richardson was arrested early on Saturday, after the boy walked into a local police station and reported that she had struck him on his arm with the broomstick after they had argued.
According to the police, Ms. Richardson, 33, was charged with second-degree assault, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal possession of a weapon and menacing. The assault charge is a felony, while the others are misdemeanors, said Arlene Muniz, a police spokeswoman.
Ms. Muniz added that the boy reported that his mother disciplined him over his grades, causing redness and pain on his left arm.
On Thursday, microphones mounted outside two buildings in Manhattan went live.
Bright yellow signs that say Recording Underway announced their arrival.
But these devices are not eavesdropping on your conversations.
A group of researchers from New York University and Ohio State University are training the microphones to recognize jackhammers, idling engines and street music, using technology originally developed to identify the flight calls of migrating birds. Think of it as the Shazam, the smartphone app that can identify songs, of urban sounds.
Snippets of audio, about 10 seconds each, will be collected during random intervals over the course of about a year to capture seasonal notes, like air-conditioners and snowplows. The cacophony will be labeled and categorized using a machine-listening engine called UrbanEars. The sensors will eventually be smart enough to identify hundreds of sonic irritants reverberating across the city.
The goal of the project, Sounds of New York City, or Sonyc, is to create an aural map that a group of researchers hopes will help city agencies monitor and enforce noise pollution, and will empower citizens to assist in the process.
A small number of Republican senators have expressed discomfort with this idea, but when was the last time public interest won out in todays Republican Party?
The indefinite blockade not only hobbles the justices ability to resolve current cases, it takes open aim at the courts legitimacy as the sole unelected branch of government. Because the court has no influence over either the sword or the purse, as Alexander Hamilton wrote in the Federalist Papers, its legitimacy and authority depend entirely on the shared public acceptance of its verdicts.
Todays Republicans are essentially saying the court is nothing but another political body, and that justices should be treated as ideological sock puppets of the president who nominated them. Yes, the justices come with political beliefs and backgrounds, but that makes it all the more important to demand that they work harder than the rest of us to struggle against their biases and preserve their independence. This is why, for instance, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was wrong to comment on Mr. Trumps candidacy words for which she later apologized.
Until this year, no one disputed that the president should have wide latitude in picking justices. In 1993, Senate Republicans voted overwhelmingly in favor of Justice Ginsburg, President Bill Clintons first nominee. And even though they voted in large numbers against Mr. Obamas first two nominees, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, they did not try to block those nominations from going forward. Senate Democrats voted unanimously to confirm Ronald Reagans choice of Justice Scalia in 1986 and allowed full votes on Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas, both of whom they strongly opposed.
In 2016, Republicans have blown this delicate balance to pieces, all to keep a conservative majority. Of course, the court has had a majority of Republican-appointed justices for nearly half a century, through the normal processes of advice and consent. But now, Republicans want to maintain that majority, even if that means tossing out all political norms. This majority, they hope, would promote a worldview where fewer people have rights, where women do not have reproductive choices, where lawmakers can make it harder for minorities to vote, where religious people are free to disregard laws protecting people they dont like. Such a court could use a severe interpretation of the Constitution to ensure that American politics can be flooded with unlimited money, that reasonable gun restrictions are struck down, that corporate interests prevail over those of consumers, and that basic environmental regulations are turned back.
Make no mistake: That is the court Americans would get under a President Trump. Still, Senate Democrats would have an obligation to consider and vote on his nominees, just as Republicans would have that obligation to Mrs. Clintons choices. No doubt, there would be Democratic voices demanding that their senators mimic the Republicans shameful example. But the Constitution asks more of all of us than that. In the next Congress, regardless of who wins on Tuesday, the very survival of the court as an independent body will be at stake.
Hillary Clinton is favored to become the next president of the United States. Yet many in Donald J. Trumps camp remain undaunted, arguing that hidden supporters will carry him to the White House. As the polls have narrowed in the last few days, the question of whether pollsters could be missing Trump voters has become paramount. Do these unseen supporters exist?
Working with the students in our undergraduate public opinion course at Cornell, we recently commissioned a nationally representative survey of 1,461 adults (carried out by the market research company GfK from Oct. 5 to 25). To our surprise, we found previously undiscovered Trump supporters. But we also found that they are likely to stay home on Election Day.
Like many surveys, ours asked, If the presidential election were being held today, would you vote for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate; Donald Trump, the Republican candidate; other; or do not intend to vote? Consistent with most polls during this period, Mrs. Clinton had considerably more support than Mr. Trump. However, more than 20 percent of respondents indicated that they did not intend to vote, supported another candidate or did not want to answer the question. In other words, just weeks before the election, a substantial portion of the electorate was unwilling to commit to one of the leading-party candidates. If hidden Trump supporters existed, they would have been among this uncommitted group.
At first glance, the hidden Trump supporters are indeed hidden. The proportion of uncommitted voters that identified as or leaned Democrat was slightly above the proportion that identified as or leaned Republican (49 percent versus 47 percent). These numbers contradicted the hidden Trump supporters argument. According to party affiliation, if the currently uncommitted decided to vote for a leading-party candidate, if anything we would expect a slight benefit to Mrs. Clinton.
Tehran, Iran, Nov. 7
By Mehdi Sepahvand Trend:
Tehran says that a political approach to the case of a dozen Iranian fishermen who were hijacked by Somali pirates a year ago is impossible.
We have no relations with Somalia. It lacks an effective government, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi told a news conference, Trend correspondent reported from the event November 7.
In November 2015 Somali pirates hijacked an Iranian fishing vessel with 15 crew members. Two other Iranian fishing ships were captured by suspected pirates in March of that year. The 16 crew members of one boat managed to raise anchor and escape in August, but the other ship and 26 crew members remained in captivity.
Qassemi said that it is hard to deal with pirates, but added that Iran is doing everything possible to save the hostages.
We have not been publicizing the development of the case due to concern for the lives of the captives. It is a complicated story, the spokesman said.
He refrained from answering a question as to what organizations in Iran are making attempts to free the captives, but assured that it is not a forgotten case.
Iranian news outlets have reported that the families of some of the captives have paid the pirates to free their beloved ones, but the pirates have not set their hostages free.
Somalias government cut diplomatic ties and recalled its envoys in January 2016 after accusing the Iranian Embassy of establishing sects that pose a threat to national security in the Horn of Africa nation.
Tehran considers the severing of ties to have been influenced by Saudi Arabia.
A few days after Somalia announced its decision, Reuters said it had found documents showing that Somalia received a pledge of aid for $50 million from Saudi Arabia on the same day it announced it was cutting ties with Saudi rival Iran.
Mrs. Clinton has heeded these messages in framing her campaign. Ms. Kimmell noted her frequent references to the Methodist creed as an expression of service to others: Do all the good you can, by all the means you can. Similarly, her emphasis on work shes done for children and families softens the edges of her ambition and places it in a context acceptable for women.
Women are also judged more harshly than men for seeming like typical politicians, the research shows. Voters expect women to be more honest than men, and they penalize women more than men when they perceive them to be lying.
We put women on a pedestal, said Debbie Walsh, the director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Theyre seen as the most honest, the most pure. When that may not be the case, the fall for them is hard and far.
That explains why Donald J. Trumps open, repeated disregard for the truth indeed, his embrace of it as savvy business practice does not seem to damage his candidacy as much as charges of deception have alienated voters from Mrs. Clinton.
This idea that Im not going to support Clinton because shes a liar, but he lies in a different way than she lies reflects these gendered ideas of how women and men act, said Mirya R. Holman, an assistant professor of political science at Tulane University.
So is the specter of Tracy Flick vanquished, or stubbornly persistent?
Zainab Younus is the current college government president of Wellesley College, the post that catapulted young Hillary Rodham to national consciousness in 1969. Ms. Younus, 21, grew up in Syosset, N.Y., where she was part of the high school speech and debate team. During her weeklong campaign at Wellesley, she sought out students in their dorms and campus centers; plastered fliers across campus; posted her platform on her Facebook page; and took part in the Wellesley rite of chalking her name in designated areas. In short, the rites of campus elections that so many aspiring women have performed before.
But she thinks that confident and assertive women are still labeled bossy. You have these negative connotations to being ambitious, she said. I think you lose some of that authority that youd otherwise have. You approach it in a softer way; you tend to think more about, How are my actions going to be perceived? Wellesley was a haven from such condemnation.
In the wider world, however, the verdict is still open.
Initially, Ivanka seemed like the most rational and sane one of the bunch, said 29-year-old Lindsey Ledford, a student at the University of Maryland University College. After Ms. Trump tweeted the link to the dress she wore at the Republican convention, Ms. Ledford visited Ms. Trumps social media platforms and website. So in that sense it worked, said Ms. Ledford. But shortly after the Access Hollywood tape was released, Ms. Ledford joined the #GrabYourWallet campaign, saying that seeing the Trump name on apparel was like a slap in the face.
At the beginning of her fathers campaign, Ms. Trump had some plausible deniability that she was anything less than a heartfelt advocate for women, even if she was doing it under the aegis of her commercial brand and profiting from the exposure. But in the last month, she has violated the terms of mercantile feminism that are unspoken but clearly understood by both the buyers and the sellers.
As it turns out, allegations of sexual assault and mercantile feminism do not mix very well. Mr. Trump now represents something thats offensive to many women. In other words, its not a minor thing that can be brushed off. Yet at Fortunes Most Powerful Women Summit in the middle of October, Ms. Trump said of her father, Im sure he didnt remember his conversation with Billy Bush. As Gabriel Sherman at New York Magazine reported recently, Ms. Trump took her fathers side after the tape became public and insisted that he had to fight back. (She also said he had to apologize.)
I think what Ivanka is doing is extremely cynical, said Kim France, the founding editor of Lucky, a shopping magazine for young women. Its not female empowerment, its business.
And the Trump campaign has apparently been good for her company. Sales in the first six months of 2016 were up almost $12 million compared with the year before, according to public filings. Her editorial director, Sarah Warren, recently said that web traffic is through the roof and the companys newsletter database is 275 percent bigger than it was last year. You couldnt pay for this visibility, Ms. Warren recently told a reporter.
So far, retailers have not responded to the #GrabYourWallet boycott by dropping the Ivanka Trump brand. But in a national online survey of registered voters by Morning Consult conducted after the release of the Access Hollywood tape, 75 percent of Democratic women said they would not purchase clothes from Ivanka Trumps clothing line, compared with close to 60 percent of independent women and a third of Republican women. A smaller survey conducted by Brand Keys of millennial women found that 51 percent of respondents were still extremely or very willing to buy Ivanka Trump.
Today is the start of the federal death penalty trial of Dylann S. Roof, the white man accused of murdering black worshipers at the Mother Emanuel church in Charleston, S.C. The killings of the Charleston Nine last year were as violent and seared with racial hatred as the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till in Mississippi and the 1963 bombing of an Alabama church that killed four little girls.
Although this crime was meant to challenge the black communitys right to exist, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund opposes the death penalty for Mr. Roof. Such a sentence would have the perverse effect of justifying the routine, racially discriminatory imposition of the death penalty on black people.
The Legal Defense Fund, which, despite its name, has been a wholly separate entity from the N.A.A.C.P. since 1957, has a long and storied history of opposition to capital punishment. Our founder, Thurgood Marshall, defended numerous black men facing death sentences and executions in the South, including the Groveland Boys in 1951, who were falsely accused of raping a white woman in Florida and condemned to death.
We also challenged the constitutionality of Georgias death penalty in the case of Warren McCleskey, a black man convicted of killing a white police officer, by presenting evidence showing that black people convicted of killing white people were more likely to be sentenced to death than those convicted in cases involving any other racial combination of defendant and victim. The Supreme Courts 1987 decision upholding Mr. McCleskeys death sentence notwithstanding this powerful evidence of systemic racial bias remains one of the most controversial decisions of our time.
Soon after that, the Undocumented Student Program began to receive anonymous email threats about students, and a fellow undocumented friend a prominent member of the student government was told by another student on Facebook: Thanks for identifying yourself as an illegal Now get out. Ill look for you on campus. All of this information was brought to the administration, but there was no follow-up.
Despite the supposed pride the administration takes in our accomplishments as undocumented students often displaying our faces on posters around campus or on the schools social media pages the university remains silent when we are threatened. This September, after a group of Trump supporters came onto campus to build a mock wall and spew racially charged talk about illegals, the undocumented students were told to draft a statement of inclusion as a response, and that perhaps certain departments would send it through their email listservs as a gesture of support.
Administrators have said they are determined to earn our trust, but undocumented students on campus dont want to be placated we want our administrators to fully stand with us through actions and not just promises. After all, when posters with anti-Semitic language began to crop up around campus in late September, the associate chancellor took swift action by sending an email to all students condemning this language.
Some argue that hateful displays of racism or anti-Semitism are different from the actions of those on campus who yell, Build a wall! But too often, hate speech toward immigrants in this country is written off as political opinion, and school administrators dont want to side with one political group or another. However, this political issue happens to be our futures, in the country where we grew up.
Thats why it was disheartening when Janet Napolitano, the president of the University of California system and, it should be noted, the former head of the Department of Homeland Security wrote, in a Boston Globe op-ed essay, that students must be willing to listen to not just opposing views, but offensive ones, for the sake of free speech. She did not condone hate speech that which is designed to personally intimidate or harass but wrote that exceptions to free speech should be narrowly construed.
Donald Trump has been claiming for months now that Tuesdays election will be rigged. But the only ones threatening the democratic process are Mr. Trump, with his thinly veiled calls for voter suppression, and Republicans in state governments doing their utmost to keep minority voters from the polls. Below are five ways the candidate and the Republican Party are working to suppress voting this year, drawn from recent editorials:
Voter ID laws
Republicans have repeatedly raised concerns about voter fraud which is essentially nonexistent in the United States as justification for voter ID laws that disproportionately affect poor people, minorities and students.
This year will be the first presidential election since the Supreme Court struck down a major part of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, meaning many areas with a history of racial discrimination in voting would no longer have to clear new voting laws with the federal government. After that decision, several states enacted new restrictions, including voter ID laws.
Theres some good news, though: A North Dakota judge in August ordered the state to stop enforcing its voter ID law, which could have disenfranchised nearly 4,000 Native American residents. Courts in Wisconsin, Kansas and Ohio have also dealt blows to voter ID laws.
Early voting restrictions
In North Carolina, where a court in July struck down a 2013 voter ID law whose restrictions took aim at black voters, Republicans on local election boards are busily cutting back early and Sunday voting hours, which are disproportionately used by African Americans.
To the Editor:
Re 22 Unclaimed Bodies Endured a Grim Detour Before Burial (front page, Oct. 28):
A distressing human challenge, especially in a jurisdiction as complex as New York City, is that presented by the unclaimed dead. The often unheralded role of the Office of Chief Medical Examiner includes serving as the mortuary for hundreds of bodies not claimed from local medical institutions each year for reasons as varied as the lives represented.
As part of our responsibility to these unclaimed dead and their loved ones, the dedicated employees of our office conduct diligent searches every day to locate next of kin. In recent years, we have instituted rigorous new protocols to improve our process and increase our likelihood of finding family members.
These changes include posting information about every unidentified and unclaimed body in our custody to NamUs, the federal database accessible to the public, and working with other relevant agencies and organizations.
In addition, our office pushed for the new change in law to require consent from next of kin before any unclaimed body in our mortuary can be sent to a medical or embalming school.
To the Editor:
Re U.S. Indicts Dozens in Indian Call Center Scheme (news article, Oct. 28):
While some may have to pick up every phone call for business or other reasons, for the rest of us there is a virtually foolproof way to avoid falling victim to phone scams: Answer the phone only if your caller ID indicates that you know the caller.
Any other legitimate caller will leave you a message and phone number that you can then investigate and verify before calling back. It also helps to know that the Internal Revenue Service conducts its business in writing, not by telephone calls.
NANCY BRESLOW
New York
Its almost over. Will we heave a sigh of relief, or shriek in horror? Nobody knows for sure, although early indications clearly lean Clinton. Whatever happens, however, lets be clear: this was, in fact, a rigged election.
The election was rigged by state governments that did all they could to prevent nonwhite Americans from voting: The spirit of Jim Crow is very much alive or maybe translate that to Diego Cuervo, now that Latinos have joined African-Americans as targets. Voter ID laws, rationalized by demonstrably fake concerns about election fraud, were used to disenfranchise thousands; others were discouraged by a systematic effort to make voting hard, by closing polling places in areas with large minority populations.
The election was rigged by Russian intelligence, which was almost surely behind the hacking of Democratic emails, which WikiLeaks then released with great fanfare. Nothing truly scandalous emerged, but the Russians judged, correctly, that the news media would hype the revelation that major party figures are human beings, and that politicians engage in politics, as somehow damning.
The election was rigged by James Comey, the director of the F.B.I. His job is to police crime but instead he used his position to spread innuendo and influence the election. Was he deliberately putting a thumb on the electoral scales, or was he simply bullied by Republican operatives? It doesnt matter: He abused his office, shamefully.
Americans beaten down by the vitriolic presidential campaign can be forgiven for accepting the conventional wisdom that the country is irredeemably polarized, with divisions so profound as to make governing in the next administration even harder than it has been for President Obama.
Now comes new data suggesting that on foreign policy, at least, there is more consensus among voters than is normally thought. It offers some hope that Hillary Clinton, if she is the next president, could rally a majority of the nation around a common agenda. All bets are off if Donald Trump wins.
The data comes from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, which has conducted regular surveys of public opinion since 1974. The latest report, issued last month, divided respondents into four groups by political affiliation: Democrats, Independents and Republicans, with those who said they supported Mr. Trump broken out separately.
Mr. Trumps supporters are far more anxious than other voters about the economic effects of globalization and about a nation that is becoming more multiethnic and multicultural. Eighty percent view immigration as a critical threat to the United States, compared with 67 percent of Republicans, 40 percent of Independents and 27 percent of Democrats, the survey found.
To the Editor:
Re Even Math Teachers Are at a Loss to Understand Annuities (Your Money column, Business Day, Oct. 29):
Tara Siegel Bernard should be commended for her discussion of the excessive fees associated with the 403(b) plans used by some American teachers. Thats why, just as the American Federation of Teachers and others have pressured public pension funds to divest from hedge funds, weve been working with anyone we can to reduce administrative fees.
Some plans, like the New York City Teachers Retirement System, have stepped up. Trustees have overseen a very popular 403(b) program for more than four decades that offers low fees and a choice of investment options. And because specific fees are often hard to discern, the A.F.T. has created a matrix for our locals and members to directly compare them.
While Ms. Siegel Bernard is right to note that in numerous states teachers, unlike other workers, are ineligible for Social Security, we have fought hard to ensure that 90 percent of teachers have defined-benefit pensions funded by states and municipalities that serve as their primary retirement income. Accordingly, these 403(b) plans play a supplementary role.
Nonetheless, fighting excessive fees would help increase retirement income something sorely needed by most Americans, including teachers who have devoted their lives to educating our children.
Tehran, Iran, Nov. 7
By Mehdi Sepahvand Trend:
Citizens rights charter of Iran, currently being developed, will boost the countrys negotiation power as it is going to sit for human rights talks with the European Union, Elham Aminzadeh, President Hassan Rouhanis assistant on citizenship rights, said.
This is because the charter is very comprehensive and includes diverse topics, even the rights of foreign nationals in Iran and Iranian nationals overseas, she told Trend November 6.
The charter will be published in a matter of days, according to Aminzadeh.
Iran and the EU will sit together in Brussels on November 9 for the first time since the conclusion of the nuclear deal to exchange ideas on human rights, one major sticking point in bilateral ties.
The human rights debate has increasingly emerged as an important component for stronger ties between the two sides.
Aminzadeh said that the government and judiciary are working closely in preparation for the talks with the EU, adding that the talks will have rather a constructive nature.
In a recent document on the future of relations with post-sanctions Iran, the EU has particularly expressed opposition to Irans use of the death penalty as punishment for drug traffickers.
Last week Hassan Norouzi, a spokesman with the Iranian Parliaments Legal and Judicial Committee, announced a motion signed by 76 legislators would be brought to the Parliament in an effort to rethink capital punishment for drug smugglers.
The motion, if passed, will rule out the capital punishment for first-time drug smugglers, many of whom are juveniles.
When hes reading prepared remarks from a teleprompter, some people forget who he is, but I simply cant. I cant get past it; I cant get over it. Trump as president is Americas nightmare scenario, an election that would herald the end of the empire.
No person who fully comprehends just how young and fragile this experiment is that we call a fully representative democracy would ever even entertain the concept of taking a chance on this destruction in a tie and under a mysterious mane.
But too many Americans seem very much O.K. with Trump, so much so that he is very much in the running to win, although Clinton clearly has the upper hand at the moment.
And so, the stress is real.
According to a New York Times/CBS News poll, 82 percent of voters said that this campaign has made them feel more disgusted about American politics.
A Colby College-Boston Globe poll last month found that 64 percent of likely voters felt this years election was much more negative than previous ones, and 80 percent thought that America should be embarrassed by our election process based on this election.
As far back as July, 59 percent of Americans said they felt worn out by the amount of election coverage, according to the Pew Research Center.
The American Psychological Association has even issued an advisory about the stress that this election has caused. It points out:
Facing one of the most adversarial contests in recent history and daily coverage of the presidential election that dominates every form of mass media, 52 percent of American adults report that the 2016 election is a very or somewhat significant source of stress. The survey was conducted online among adults 18+ living in the U.S. by Harris Poll on behalf of the American Psychological Association.
Image Stephen J. Dubner, host of Tell Me Something I Dont Know.
For our debut show, the theme is Strange Danger, with these panelists:
Debora Spar, president of Barnard College of Columbia University and author of Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection. She speaks faster backward than you do forward.
Anthony Marx, president of the New York Public Library and former president of Amherst College, who, in his youth, crossed a border illegally.
Andy Zaltzman, comedian, political satirist and host of The Bugle podcast, who moonlights as a midwife very occasionally.
Our Real-Time Human Fact Checker is Jody Avirgan, who hosts FiveThirtyEights Elections podcast.
Election Day is just one of the strange dangers featured on this episode. We also have a sleep specialist from Atlanta with a theory on why we need our zzzzs. Also: An emergency room doctor describes the (shall we say) unusual actions of people about to freeze to death. And a Princeton professor tells us why supermarket shelves went empty in the early 1970s. (Hint: This was around the time Johnny Carson made a joke that led to toilet-paper hoarding.)
John D. Roberts, an organic chemist who pioneered the use of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and other techniques to reveal the structures of molecules and the dance of atoms as they rearrange in chemical reactions, died on Oct. 29 at his home in Pasadena, Calif. He was 98.
The cause was a stroke, his daughter, Anne, said.
In the 1950s, Dr. Roberts played a crucial role in the explosive growth of physical organic chemistry, a field that studies the reactivity of biological compounds. One notable contribution was in popularizing nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which was developed by physicists, to understand chemical structures and reaction mechanisms.
This was a real revolution for organic chemists at the time, said Peter B. Dervan, a professor of chemistry at Caltech, where Dr. Roberts worked for more than 60 years. Jack saw the potential use of this spectroscopy and mastered it, and then, by publishing papers in this area, convinced other organic chemists that this was a powerful tool.
Dr. Roberts was a leader in understanding how organic reactions occurred, and he shared his techniques with the scientific community.
I made a pledge to do an act of love every day for 30 days between Martin Luther King Day and Valentines Day of 2012. It was a simple online pledge it had to be an act of love not for friends and family, explains the filmmaker and musician Tatiana von Furstenberg. It was this promise that ultimately led her to create an arts initiative empowering LGBTQ prisoners people who, as von Furstenberg notes, discovered art on their own and have been making art, sometimes before they were incarcerated and sometimes after they were incarcerated. On the Inside, the first group show of prisoner work shes curated through the initiative by prisoners around the country, is on view now at Abrons Arts Center.
In the course of her research, von Furstenberg discovered an online activist newsletter, Black and Pink, which features former LGBTQ prisoners advocating prison reform as well as a robust forum that publishes artworks by those still incarcerated. Initially, she offered financial support to print and post the newsletter, which made it possible to expand the distribution. But over time, she felt a deeper connection to this oft-overlooked segment of the prison population. I wanted to engage with LGBTQ prisoners because I know that they feel forgotten, and have the least support outside, she says. Art basically is the highest form of soul expression. Through this art, people really get to express their highest self. And I wanted to do an exhibit to show the world that there are a lot of talented, complex human beings with no voices behind bars.
The show at Abrons presents a variety of drawings, a medium of necessity in part due to the limited art-making resources in prison. Subjects range from celebrities and self-portraits to otherworldly creatures, religion, love and sex and none are for sale. Instead, von Furstenberg, who owns all of the works, conceived of another way for visitors to interact with the pieces by becoming pen pals with their creators. Next to each work is a number that viewers can text to voice their support and encouragement for each artist-prisoner, which will then be compiled and printed for each artist to see in jail. I chose a pen pal so I could inform one person that they were thinking about them, von Furstenberg explains. Here, she walks T through a series of exclusive images from the show.
Whatever happened to a good book and a martini? If in the recent past peoples idea of a vacation conjured images of Caribbean resorts and swingers parties, the idea of taking time off as a means of self-improvement still has strong precedents. For as long as Americans have worked regular hours, many have tried to make good spiritual use of their time off. As Cindy Aron explains in her comprehensive Working at Play: A History of Vacations in the United States, the modern notion of vacation was initially the purview of the wealthy, and inextricably bound up with the idea of health. Hubs like Niagara or Saratoga were wholesome retreats from the dirt (and populations) of cities, where the air and water were both rarefied. In the mid-19th century, a class of white-collar vacationers emerged and gradually changed the once-exclusive retreats into the more democratic and pleasure-focused destinations we know today.
The concept of a purely fun break came later. Spiritual retreats were less self-indulgent and, when under the rubric of religious communities (as many of the 19th and 20th centuries were), actively salutary. The new wellness vacations are a kind of steroidal response to movements like Chautauqua, founded by Methodists in the 19th century to encourage lifelong learning and spiritual growth. In beautiful compounds, attendees could and indeed, still can take classes and hear music and sermons. For many middle-class Americans, the opportunity for continuing education, communion with nature and polite, wholesome society absent of evils like alcohol or dancing would have been a luxury indeed. But sophisticates like Sinclair Lewis and H.L. Mencken mocked the earnestness of communities like Chautauqua; Lewis described this survey-course learning as nothing but wind and chaff and ... the laughter of yokels.
SAN FRANCISCO People talk about online security as a cat-and-mouse game of good guys and bad guys. Its true for good old-fashioned crime, too.
Technology, particularly rapid analysis and sharing of data, is helping the police be more efficient and predict possible crimes. Some would argue that it has even contributed to an overall drop in crime in recent years.
But this type of technology also raises issues of civil liberties, as digital information provided by social media or the sensors of the internet of things is combined with criminal data by companies that sell this information to law enforcement agencies.
The American Civil Liberties Union, citing reports that the Chicago Police Department used a computer analysis to create a heat list that unfairly associated innocent people with criminal behavior, has warned about the dangers of the police using big data. Even companies that make money doing this sort of work warn that it comes with civil rights risks.
Though Og the leprechaun doesnt look a day over 25, no one in the audience at the Irish Repertory Theater gasps when he confesses hes 459 years old. But there might be some murmurs of incredulity should the sweet colleen hes been duetting with step forward to declare shes a 46-year-old mother of three who first played this part on this stage in 2004.
Im referring to the sterling-voiced Broadway actress Melissa Errico, who stars in the big-hearted, small-scale production of Finians Rainbow that opened on Sunday night in an adaptation by its director, Charlotte Moore. (Og is portrayed, quite enchantingly, by Mark Evans, who, by the way, is 31.)
Normally, I wouldnt be so ungallant as to dwell on a performers age. But since Ms. Errico recently wrote an essay for The New York Times in which she wondered if shed passed her sell-by date as an ingenue, it is she who has placed that particular elephant in the room. Happily, the elephant is invisible.
Ms. Errico is, if anything, even more persuasive as Sharon, an Irish lass newly arrived on American soil, than when I saw her in the role a dozen years ago. The character has a new, welcome earthiness that summons Sharons proud connections to the land, and Ms. Errico throughout emanates an easy, robust glow of pleasure that illuminates the stage. It goes without saying that she sings divinely.
So they set out to reach them in their communities, talking to them in their language, with the belief that touching them in the most personal way possible, at churches, bodegas, bus stops and nail salons, was also the most persuasive. And the effort was focused on more than registering potential voters. Democrats sought to make electoral politics part of the daily conversation for a demographic that had until now largely sat on the sidelines.
Starting in Nevada, the campaign convened groups of women to discuss issues that were important to them, like health care and education. After each meeting, the women were asked to write down the names and contacts of five other women who might support Mrs. Clinton. The program, called Mujeres in Politics, was deemed such a success that the campaign replicated it in Colorado and other states with large Hispanic populations.
We understand this community. We know culturally what are the strongest messages that work for them, said Lorella Praeli, Mrs. Clintons national director of Latino outreach, who had lived undocumented for years after coming to this country from Peru but is now an American citizen. This wasnt created in an office. This was built on the ground.
Mrs. Clinton also had to grapple with the fact that many Latino voters were disappointed with Mr. Obama, who had increased deportations and failed to bring about an overhaul of the countrys immigration laws. Mrs. Clinton knew she would need to tell Latino voters at the start of her presidential campaign that she would go further than Mr. Obama in extending a path to citizenship, even if it meant upsetting the president.
Mrs. Clinton and her Democratic allies now have a presence in every state with a large Hispanic population with customized strategies for each.
In Florida, the campaign identified early on the influx of Puerto Ricans who had fled the island amid its economic crisis as a potential bloc of new Democratic voters. Both Bill Clinton and Amanda Renteria, the campaigns political director, were dispatched to Puerto Rico. And the campaign issued bilingual messages of support for funding to combat the spread of the Zika virus and to encourage legislation to address the debt crisis in Puerto Rico.
The biggest beneficiary may well be the so-called alt-right, the once obscure and now ascendant white nationalist movement with close ties to Breitbart News, the website operated by Mr. Trumps campaign manager, Stephen K. Bannon.
If Trump loses, I am going to be a little bit sad, but Im certainly not going to feel like all is lost, because he sling-shotted us a long way, said Richard Spencer, who is credited with coining the term alt-right in 2008. We can just look at 2015 and 2016 as the beginning of a new stage.
Some on the far right say they believe the election of Hillary Clinton could prove to be its own sort of boon, further embittering and maybe even radicalizing some disappointed Trump supporters.
There will be people who will say, Theres nothing we can do to change this system from within, and they are going to look to perhaps alternative options, said Nathan Damigo, the founder of Identity Europa, a California group dedicated to fighting what it calls the dispossession of white Americans.
Mr. Damigo envisions building a protest movement along the lines of Black Lives Matter only to promote the interests of whites. Others on the far right talk about working from inside the political system, lobbying Congress or getting behind Republican candidates who espouse similar views. Some even draw parallels to the post-2008 period, when roiling anger at Barack Obamas election gave birth to the Tea Party, which ended the political careers of Republican moderates from Washington to state capitals.
In short, they say they believe that Mr. Trumps campaign has turned them into a force that the Republican establishment cannot ignore.
What you cant say is that were just a bunch of marginal loons, Mr. Spencer said. The truth is that we have a deeper connection with the Trumpian forces and Trumpian populism than the mainstream conservatives do. Theyre going to have to deal with us.
At a rally in Pittsburgh, Mrs. Clinton decried Mr. Trumps negative, divisive, hateful presidential campaign and said that she was prepared to unite the country.
Ive got to say, anger is not a plan, my friends, Mrs. Clinton said, calling for renewed dialogue across party lines.
For Mr. Trump, the anger that has fueled his campaign was on full display at a rally in Sarasota, Fla., where he lashed out at Jay Z and Beyonce for using lewd language while performing at an event for Mrs. Clinton and chastised his opponent for being a hypocrite.
If I ever used those words it would be the reinstitution of the electric chair, Mr. Trump said, referring to the profanity used by the performers. And yet with me, hes very lewd.
Returning to Mrs. Clinton, he added, Shes such a phony.
The Trump campaign accepts the decision on Clintons emails.
While Mr. Trump continued to bemoan a rigged justice system, his campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, acknowledged on Monday that it was time to move on.
I do accept that, Ms. Conway said on ABCs Good Morning America program when asked about the F.B.I.s decision not to charge Mrs. Clinton over her use of a private email server.
Ms. Conway continued to point to the saga over Mrs. Clintons emails as evidence that Mrs. Clinton is not trustworthy and she argued that the ongoing discussion over her case was still damaging.
Islamic State fighters targeted Iraqi troops with car bombs and ambushes in Mosul, stalling an army advance in their north Iraq stronghold, but faced attack on a new front on Sunday when U.S.-backed rebels launched a campaign for the Syrian city of Raqqa, Reuters reported.
The jihadists have lost control of seven eastern districts of Mosul to Iraqi special forces who broke through their lines last Monday. Officials say the militants are now sheltering among civilians in those neighborhoods and targeting soldiers in what one called the world's "toughest urban warfare".
Mosul, the largest Islamic State-controlled city in either Iraq or Syria, has been held by the jihadist fighters since they drove the army out of northern Iraq in June 2014.
The three-week Mosul campaign has brought together a force of around 100,000 soldiers, security forces, Shi'ite militias and Kurdish fighters, backed by a U.S.-led coalition, to crush the Sunni jihadists.
Across the border, U.S.-backed Syrian fighters announced on Sunday the start of their own campaign, called Euphrates Anger, to recapture Islamic State's Syrian bastion of Raqqa.
The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) is an alliance of Kurdish and Arab armed groups which has seized large swathes of territory along the Syria-Turkey border from Islamic State and pushed to within 30 km (20 miles) of Raqqa.
But the prominence within SDF ranks of the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, has raised questions over its suitability as a force to capture the predominantly Arab city.
Turkey, which has battled Kurdish separatists for three decades, regards the YPG as anathema and Western officials have said the Raqqa operation should be fought mainly by Arab forces.
Washington says the battle for Raqqa will "overlap" with the assault on Mosul, in part because of concerns that any delay would allow Islamic State to use it as a base to launch attacks on targets abroad.
France also wants a coordinated campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. "Mosul-Raqqa can't be disassociated because Islamic State and the territories it occupies span that area," Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.
MANCHESTER, N.H. The 2016 presidential race will be remembered for many ugly moments, but the most lasting historical marker may be one that neither voters nor American intelligence agencies saw coming: It is the first time that a foreign power has unleashed cyberweapons to disrupt, or perhaps influence, a United States election.
And there is a foreboding sense that, in elections to come, there is no turning back.
The steady drumbeat of allegations of Russian troublemaking leaks from stolen emails and probes of election-system defenses has continued through the campaigns last days. These intrusions, current and former administration officials agree, will embolden other American adversaries, which have been given a vivid demonstration that, when used with some subtlety, their growing digital arsenals can be particularly damaging in the frenzy of a democratic election.
Most of the biggest stories of this election cycle have had a cybercomponent to them or the use of information warfare techniques that the Russians, in particular, honed over decades, said David Rothkopf, the chief executive and editor of Foreign Policy, who has written two histories of the National Security Council. From stolen emails, to WikiLeaks, to the hacking of the N.S.A.s tools, and even the debate about how much of this the Russians are responsible for, its dominated in a way that we havent seen in any prior election.
The magnitude of this shift has gone largely unrecognized in the cacophony of a campaign dominated by charges of groping and pay-for-play access. Yet the lessons have ranged from the intensely personal to the geostrategic.
I call it organic because I didnt even ask for it, Mr. Halvorson said, after the primarys surprise.
Voters are confused.
Some of Halvorsons own voters may abandon him, because they cant stomach voting for a Democrat, said David Wasserman, who tracks House races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. But hell win some Democrats, who dont know hes a Tea Party candidate.
Nine political lives, and counting
A defense lawyer, Joseph D. Morrissey, 59, lost his law license for most of the 2000s after a series of reprimands and suspensions over ethics and conduct issues. And in 2014, Mr. Morrissey was sentenced to jail time he spent nights there for three months after having a sexual relationship with a teenager employed in his law office. The woman, now 20, became his wife.
Mr. Morrissey, a former Virginia state lawmaker, is running for mayor of Richmond.
He has been able to draw from a strong base of support among black and working-class voters, driven by his charisma and familiarity, and is a top contender in a crowded field.
You start to say, my gosh, how does this guy keep coming out of the ashes? said Dan Palazzolo, a professor of political science at the University of Richmond.
But accusations have piled up. Late last month, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that Mr. Morrissey was accused of exposing himself to a client of his law firm in February. (Mr. Morrissey said they exchanged flirtatious text messages but denied further impropriety.) And Democratic officials filed complaints against him over sample ballots mailed to voters by his campaign that seemed, erroneously, to suggest he is their preferred candidate.
When it comes to casting our votes, we tend to assume that showing up at the polling booth is driven by the issues at stake. But theres some evidence to indicate that voting habits are just that, habits, shaped in part by the practices and routines of our parents when were still too young to vote.
Now, routine is kind of a magic word to pediatricians; we believe in bedtime routines and family dinner routines, not just as a practical strategy for family life, but as a route to physical and mental health and well-being. In fact, if you look at the American Academy of Pediatrics website for parental advice, you will be told, Children do best when routines are regular, predictable and consistent.
But voting as a family routine? It turns out that there is evidence in the world of political science and public policy research that lifelong voting habits are formed in childhood and adolescence, and that those issues of routine and habit may be important in determining voter behavior and therefore election results.
When I was growing up, my parents took me with them to vote. I wish I could tell you exactly which presidential election it was that first time (I think I was 6, but maybe I was 10), but I was certainly taken to the polling place and into the booth. My parents would not have considered letting an election go by without voting local, national, primary, presidential, school board, city council. Im not sure Im quite as good a citizen as they were, but I would certainly feel delinquent if I skipped any major election.
In the end, Cyprus decided not to extradite Mr. Kulachenkov after Lithuania advised it that he had no criminal record and had been granted political asylum because of his work in Russia with Alexei Navalny. A prominent anticorruption campaigner and Kremlin opponent, Mr. Navalny himself has been ensnared in a tangle of apparently trumped-up criminal cases in Moscow, including the supposed art theft.
The Russian authorities, said Mr. Kulachenkov, whose name has been purged from Interpols databases, dont really care about me, but they wanted to send a message that if you get involved with Navalny, we will make problems for you, even if you leave Russia.
Stung by criticism that its role fighting real crime is being hijacked by repressive regimes, Interpol has moved to strengthen safeguards against abuse, particularly since the naming of a new secretary general, Jurgen Stock, in late 2014. Mr. Russell, of Fair Trials International, acknowledged that the group is trying to make it more difficult to game the system.
Interpol said last year that it would not issue arrest notices against people who had been granted political asylum or other forms of refugee status, though this did not help Mr. Kulachenkov when he traveled to Cyprus in January.
Asked about that, a spokeswoman for the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon said that she could not comment on individual cases, but that the policy of not targeting recipients of political asylum for arrest would work only if countries passed on information about who had been granted such a status. In most cases, she added, this information is not available to the General Secretariat when red notices or diffusions are issued.
Whatever Interpol finally does to stop the gaming of the system, it is too late for Petr Silaev, a 34-year-old Russian editor. Mr. Silaev took part in demonstrations against the destruction of a forest in Khimki near Moscow in 2010 and fled to Brussels seeking refuge after several protesters were badly beaten and the authorities branded the protests an armed riot.
He was later given political asylum in Finland and felt safe, until he took a trip to Spain to visit friends. Two days after his arrival, Spanish antiterrorism police officers stormed a hostel where he was staying and arrested him on the basis of a red notice issued against him by Interpol at Moscows request.
LEWES, England Though it is never flattering to be burned in effigy, Donald J. Trump was in good company on Saturday when his image went up in flames not far from those of the British prime minister, Theresa May, and of a 17th-century pope.
In the streets, firecrackers exploded, blazing crosses were carried and the air filled with smoke as the people of Lewes, in southeast England, paraded in a dazzling array of costumes on Nov. 5, the anniversary of a failed plot to blow up Parliament in London in 1605.
More than four centuries later, many throughout Britain still commemorate the event known as Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night (after one of the plotters) though its distinctiveness is being usurped as it sometimes merges with Halloween, a relatively recent import here, or the Hindu festival of Diwali.
In Bengali, chotto means small. And so Chotto Desh, the title of the Akram Khan work at the New Victory Theater, means small homeland but also signifies a smaller version of this celebrated British choreographers 2011 solo Desh. Its smaller in the sense that its an adaptation for children, but that doesnt mean its inferior. If anything, this adaptation is an improvement.
The original Desh was about Mr. Khan, born in London to parents from Bangladesh, looking back at his mixed origins and the confusion they caused, at the stories he heard as a child, and at the fights he had with his father. This material was brought to life with astonishing physical skill and enchanting theatrical magic, but the sophistication was undermined by simplistic metaphors and pat resolutions.
Many say it was the 2011 exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi museum in Venice that first ignited art buyers interest in a young Romanian artist named Adrian Ghenie, whose heavy palette-knife paintings are haunted by historical figures like Stalin, Hitler and the Nazi doctor Josef Mengele.
Then, in 2015, Mr. Ghenie drew more attention when he commandeered the Romanian pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
These days, this 39-year-old artists work has sold for as much as $9 million at auction, with a waiting list of private buyers spread out between four continents, according to Marc Glimcher, the president of Pace gallery, which represents Mr. Ghenie in New York and is giving him a solo show opening in January.
Mr. Glimcher added that 134 people think theyre first in line.
Amid a decline in the market for young artists whose prices skyrocketed just a year ago, Mr. Ghenie is enjoying nosebleed prices at auction but not everyone profiting from his success is entirely thrilled. The market is overreacting, said Thaddaeus Ropac, whose gallery represents Mr. Ghenie in Paris. We would be happy if everything were strong but not crazy.
SEGMENT Explaining that a friend of this show needed help transitioning to a new career, Mr. Colbert set up a filmed sketch in which he met with Mr. Obama at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Stepping momentarily off camera, Mr. Colbert returned (wearing a fake mustache) as an unctuous office manager named Randy, who conducted a practice job interview with the president. Mr. Obama explained, Im leaving because its required by the 22nd Amendment of the United States Constitution. Randy replied: O.K., little tip. When you say staying at your job would be unconstitutional, what employers hear is that you stole office supplies.
HOW IT HAPPENED Given about 20 minutes with Mr. Obama during the White House Frontiers Conference, Mr. Colbert and his staff opted for a comedy segment rather than a formal interview. It felt like more of an opportunity to have some fun with him, said Opus Moreschi, a Late Show head writer and supervising producer. I think our shows at its best when were inviting people to goof around with us. While the White House requested some mention of the importance of voting, The Late Show supplied the jokes and Mr. Obama executed them all. A lot of politicians are so eager to win over an audience that theyll tell a joke and then look around the room, laugh, then see if anyones laughing, Mr. Moreschi explained. Theyre too eager for the room to love them. He can play it cool, have a slow burn, and nail a good punch line. The fact that hes the president is actually kind of infuriating, frankly. He should pick a lane.
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
AIRDATE Oct. 24 on ABC
SEGMENT In a signature Jimmy Kimmel Live! comedy bit, Mr. Obama read and responded to mean tweets directed at him, including one from a certain @realdonaldtrump, who wrote, President Obama will go down as perhaps the worst president in the history of the United States! (At least I will go down as a president, a deadpan Mr. Obama said to the camera.) In a desk-side interview with Mr. Kimmel, Mr. Obama discussed some of the quotidian aspects of the presidency (like having an on-call dentist) and learning about Snapchat from his daughter Sasha.
HOW IT HAPPENED The Jimmy Kimmel Live! staff spent weeks brainstorming questions and comedy segments when it learned Mr. Obama would be available on a swing through Los Angeles. Mean Tweets was approved by the White House partly for its efficiency: Mr. Obama recorded the segment in a single take. In a few cases, celebrities have asked us, Do you have anything funny I could say here? said Molly McNearney, a head writer. For President Obama, we did not have to provide anything. He is a pretty natural improviser. Hes been dealing with being self-deprecating for a while now. I was not about to be the one to tell him how to deliver a line.
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee
AIRDATE Oct. 31 on TBS
One of the vexing issues in white-collar crime is figuring out the appropriate sentence for someone who usually has an otherwise spotless record and poses no physical threat to the community. Recent cases show how hard it is to determine a just punishment for defendants who have so much going for them yet engaged in criminal conduct.
Andrew Caspersen, sentenced last Friday to four years in prison, seemed like the epitome of a success story. Described by a headline in The New York Times as a Wall Street scion, he came from a wealthy family and, armed with an Ivy League education, held a position at the private equity firm Park Hill Group that put him near the upper reaches of financial power.
Then he threw it all away by bilking family and friends out of more than $38 million and was seeking more when he was arrested in March to finance wildly speculative options trades that ultimately failed. At the sentencing hearing, Mr. Caspersens lawyer portrayed the fraud as the product of a gambling addiction that drove his client to keep betting more and more on the market until he was broke.
Unlike those who commit street crimes, white-collar offenders are much more likely to be members of the middle class, and possibly even among the economic elite like Mr. Caspersen. They have the resources to present a sympathetic picture of their life while claiming that violations of the law were just aberrations from an otherwise exemplary life.
Larry Ellison, Oracles founder, has stored some hardball merger and acquisition tactics in the cloud. He has won his $9.3 billion battle for NetSuite, even though T. Rowe Price, NetSuites biggest independent investor, made a strong case for a higher offer.
Fear that Oracle would walk away cowed shareholders a reminder to prospective targets that Mr. Ellison takes no prisoners.
Mr. Ellisons nearly 40 percent stake in NetSuite meant that he would be the biggest winner financially from the deal. That prompted T. Rowe Price to argue that the resulting governance conflicts were daunting and may be impossible to manage, even though Mr. Ellison and other insiders recused themselves from voting on the deal.
The offer also looked a bit low, too at 44 percent, the premium was slightly below what Microsoft paid for LinkedIn and what Salesforce.com paid for Demandware.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
Trend:
Governor of Ukraines Odessa Region, former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili announced his resignation on Nov. 7, TASS reported.
I have made a decision to resign and start a new chapter, a new round of struggle, Saakashvili told reporters during a briefing.
He said the reason behind his resignation was widespread corruption in the region that prevented him from reaching his political goals.
The Odessa region police chief, Georgy Lortkipanidze, who is one of key members of the ex-governors political team, tendered his resignation earlier in the day.
Saakashvili was the president of Georgia in 2004-2013. He received the Ukrainian citizenship in May 2015 and was appointed the governor of Ukraines Odessa in the same year.
HONG KONG In August, business groups around the world petitioned China to rethink a proposed cybersecurity law that they said would hurt foreign companies and further separate the country from the internet.
On Monday, China passed that law a sign that when it comes to the internet, China will go its own way.
The new rules, which were approved by the countrys rubber-stamp Parliament and will go into effect next summer, are part of a broader effort to better define how the internet is managed inside Chinas borders.
Officials say the rules will help stop cyberattacks and help prevent acts of terrorism, while critics say they will further erode internet freedom. Business groups worry that parts of the law such as required security checks on companies in industries like finance and communications, and mandatory in-country data storage will make foreign operations more expensive or lock them out altogether. Individual users will have to register their real names to use messaging services in China.
Persons wearing head coverings, loose fitting or bulky garments may undergo additional security screening, which may include a pat-down, Mike England, a T.S.A. spokesman, said in an email interview. A pat-down will be conducted by a T.S.A. officer of the same gender. If an alarm cannot be resolved through a pat-down, he said, the passenger may be asked to remove the head covering in a private screening area.
But many Muslim Americans contend that, too often, they are simply targets.
Unfortunately, the global terror network created racial profiling against Muslims, said Hilal Elver, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara and author of The Headscarf Controversy: Secularism and Freedom of Religion.
In an email, Professor Elver said that airport screening can place a special burden on Muslim women whose religious beliefs dictate that they cover their heads or even more of their bodies.
Ms. Syed, the lawyer, said her faith required her to cover her head in public. But she said some of her Muslim friends avoid traveling with religious or cultural clothing and will even deliberately wear college shirts or something like that to kind of mitigate the potential discrimination.
There are no reliable statistics on whether Americans who are Muslim, or might appear to be, are being subjected to increasingly strict scrutiny by airport security officials. But various human rights groups have flagged it as an issue of increasing concern, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Muslim Advocates, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
It is a right for all of us as Americans to travel freely, said Brenda F. Abdelall, an official with Muslim Advocates, a national legal defense group based in Oakland, Calif. For individuals to have to modify behavior, or be concerned before they are traveling about what they may wear or what they may say, is problematic.
Daayiee Abdullah, an African-American man who is president of the Mecca Institute, an online Islamic seminary in Washington, said he reserved the right to wear cultural clothing like a thobe a long robe or skullcap while traveling, even though he realizes it may mean heightened scrutiny at airports. He is also an openly gay imam.
We became fast friends, Mr. Durst said during courtroom testimony in Galveston, Tex. We were never boyfriend and girlfriend.
Mr. Durst counted on Ms. Berman to shield him from the press when his wifes sudden disappearance generated tabloid headlines in New York. He walked her down the aisle when she married at the Hotel Bel Air in Los Angeles in 1984.
He left the family business in 1994 after his father, Seymour Durst, appointed his younger brother Douglas to take control of the Durst Organization. He has been estranged from his family since then Douglas is expected to testify for the prosecution in Los Angeles and for years led a peripatetic life, moving restlessly among California, New York and Texas, even as he became a suspect in three murders.
But it was Mr. Dursts own hubris that brought his freewheeling ways to an end.
Beginning in 2010, he agreed to participate in the documentary The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst about his life and the murder allegations, which was eventually broadcast on HBO in February and March 2015.
His friends and lawyers had advised him not to participate for fear of antagonizing prosecutors.
But Mr. Durst told The New York Times he thought there was no reason I shouldnt say anything I want to anyone I want, because it was unlikely that any prosecutor would undertake a budget-busting investigation for a couple of cold cases.
In The Jinx, Mr. Durst said Ms. Berman contacted him in October 2000 saying the authorities wanted to talk to her about his first wife. In quick succession, he married his current wife, Debrah Lee Charatan, and fled New York, renting modest apartments in Galveston and New Orleans while posing as a mute woman.
In December of that year, Ms. Bermans body was found in her Los Angeles home, the back door open and her dogs running loose.
New York
The writer, New York Citys first public advocate, is the author of the recent Bright, Infinite Future: A Generational Memoir on the Progressive Rise.
To the Editor:
Should I vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? Heres how I came to my decision. I asked myself questions like this: Do I want my country to continue on its current path or do I want something different?
If I vote for Mrs. Clinton, I can depend on no surprises. The national debt will continue to spiral upward; organizations like Planned Parenthood will continue to use my money and yours; the welfare rolls will continue to grow to include many who should be working and earning their own way rather than nursing at the public breast; and immigration will continue to be monitored in a haphazard way.
If I vote for Mr. Trump, I need to look deeper than just the rough-and-tumble personality. I need to believe in the possibility that, under his leadership, our country will take a new direction in its domestic and foreign policy. I do believe that this man knows enough to surround himself with the necessary knowledge and skills in his staff to meet the challenges. He may not express it in the most eloquent words, but you know where Mr. Trump stands on the issues. He is sensitive to the mood of the average, hard-working, family-loving American.
So there; thats why my mark goes next to Donald Trumps name!
DAVID COSTELLO
Salem, N.H.
To the Editor:
If Hillary Clinton wins, and the Democrats achieve gains in Congress, the G.O.P.s defeats will be blamed, by G.O.P. apologists and others, on the messenger (Donald Trump), not the message.
The G.O.P. message is nominally one of lower taxes (at least for the wealthy), less regulation and entitlement reform. But in essence the party is hostile to any solutions to our countrys most pressing problems: rising income inequality, climate change and gun control among them. The G.O.P.s essential message will remain unchanged, and the consequences are ominous.
ROBERT E. LEHRER
Chicago
To the Editor:
Is it good for our children? My decisions are better when I remember that question. In this election, I see the faces of children in my neighborhood, the faces of my nieces and my nephew. As I reflect on the past nine months, I see pressing issues drowned out by character issues. Weve lost an opportunity to seek common ground on what we want our government to do and not do.
Motorola, though, was a genuine, regular guy. He wore a wispy red beard and at least when he wasnt fighting had a friendly temperament. Hed been a soldier in the Russian Army during the wars in Chechnya, but then retired, temporarily, to a normal civilian life. Before the war in Ukraine, he worked at a carwash. This image came in handy for the Russian news media in their attempts to explain who actually was fighting in Ukraine, since according to the official version it was not and never has been the Russian Army.
Motorolas image must be understood in the context of the modern Russian mass consciousness. Mr. Putin has placed special emphasis on the cult of national history, which these days exclusively means World War II. This is the period that, thanks to Mr. Putin, encapsulates the Russian national self-identity. The number of films now being made about the war exceeds that of the Soviet years. And there are even some new Russian traditions related to that war that have arisen during the Putin years, such as attaching an orange-and-black ribbon to your car or your jacket a nationalist symbol that emerged just over 10 years ago. The Immortal Regiment marches, in which hundreds of thousands of people carry portraits of their ancestors who fought in World War II, is only five years old.
The four years of World War II were catastrophic for the Russian people, but at the same time paradoxically they represented the peak of truth, freedom and justice in Soviet history. For people who lived under Stalins dictatorship, the war served as a real, though tragic, means of escape. During peacetime, people were immersed in terror, destitution and lies, but on the battlefield everything was different. These were the men who, as the poet Joseph Brodsky wrote, Marched boldly into foreign capitals but returned in fear to their own.
The same formula can explain the motivation of those Russians who, like Motorola, preferred the war in Ukraine to their dismal lives back home. In peacetime, you are a carwash employee with debts and a troubled family life; at war you are a brave commander with a chest covered in combat medals, a charismatic figure of interest to everyone you meet.
Motorola has often been compared to the archetypical heroes of World War II. The Russian mythology of the war emphasizes the role played by partisans that is, the miners and tractor drivers who, when their towns and villages were occupied by Nazis, continued to fight the Germans independently from the regular army. (Actually, the Soviet special services directed the partisans, a fact that the myth ignores.) Russian propaganda considers the present-day Ukrainian authorities to be not so much opponents of Mr. Putin as they are heirs of the Ukrainian nationalists of the 1940s who backed Hitler. Red-bearded Motorola represents an adaptation of an image of soldiers and partisans taken from Soviet war movies.
DHAKA, Bangladesh On the morning of Aug. 15, 1975, the democratically elected government of Bangladesh was overthrown by a military coup. The soldiers who stormed the Dhaka residence of the president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was also my grandfather, shot and killed him, along with 18 other members of my family. They included my grandmother, three of my uncles (one of whom was only 10 years old) and my pregnant aunt.
My mother, Sheikh Hasina, the current prime minister of Bangladesh, was spared only because she was vacationing with her sister in Germany.
More than 40 years later, one of my familys assassins, Rashed Chowdhury, lives at liberty in the United States. He was fairly tried in open court in Dhaka and convicted in absentia on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, even though his former military rank as a lieutenant colonel would have allowed for a court-martial, a far quicker and less transparent process.
Although a fugitive from justice in Bangladesh since 1996, Mr. Chowdhury has never been punished for his crimes. Bangladesh made its initial request for his extradition in 2000 and has waited for more than a decade and a half. Its past time for him to be sent home to face justice.
African-Americans have long been among the countrys most fervent Christians, from the choir to the pulpit to the affirming voices from every amen corner.
Their deep faith saw them through the trials of slavery and then a century of Jim Crow repression. Finally, it emboldened them to leave the sanctuary of their churches and join the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in a quest, his dream, for their full freedom and equality.
Just when and how their ancestors broke with traditional African spirit practices and adopted Christianity has never been fully resolved. Now archaeologists in Maryland have announced the discovery of an intact set of objects that they interpret as religious symbols traditional ones from Africa, mixed with what they believe to be a biblical image: a representation of Ezekiels Wheel.
After examining more than 3,600 fossilized leaves from Patagonia for insect damage, researchers have concluded that it took about 4 million years for insects in South America to recover after the mass extinction event that ended the Cretaceous period.
They reported their findings Monday in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
We found that plant-feeding insects in Patagonia recovered much faster after the asteroid that hit Mexico 66 million years ago compared to insects in the western United States, said Michael Donovan, a graduate student in geosciences at Pennsylvania State University and lead author of the study which included researchers from Argentina. The findings suggest that ecosystems in different parts of the world repaired themselves at different rates following the asteroid impact.
Like their modern-day counterparts, ancient beetles, moths, flies, wasps, grasshoppers and other insects all feasted upon plants in unique ways, leaving behind distinct patterns of damage. Some bit holes through leaves while others only munched on the top or bottom layers. Some chewed along the veins of the leaf while others chomped through it. Others used their strawlike mouthparts to pierce the leaves and suck up juices. Larvae burrowed through the leaves and created tunnel marks while eggs leave lumps in the leaves.
Water is rising all around them, and its past time to flee. Two cousins are marooned on the rapidly diminishing patch of land where their families have lived for generations. They have no boat. They dont even know how to swim.
How do two people who grew up surrounded by water not know how to swim? the young man asks the young woman. But he was chunky as a child, shy about taking his shirt off, and she used to get ear infections. So they never learned.
The passing on of knowledge is at the heart of Larissa FastHorses Vanishing Point, a one-act set in Louisiana. Presented at Here, it is half of Lost Voices, a program produced by the company Eagle Project and directed by Jessi D. Hill.
Partly inspired by the recent experience of a band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw tribe, which got a federal grant to leave its sinking island home, Vanishing Point sees climate change as an existential threat to Native American cultures. As floodwaters dissolve coastal communities, how much heritage will be washed away?
The United States welcomes the extension of the humanitarian pause in Aleppo announced by Russia, US Department of State deputy spokesperson Mark Toner told reporters on Monday, Sputnik International reported.
Russia has recently backed a number of humanitarian pauses in Aleppo, with the latest one entering into force on Friday.
"What we are seeing, youve obviously seen the news reports as well, that Russia actually extended self-proclaimed ceasefire in Aleppo," Toner said."Of course, we welcome any pause in the fighting there, and any end of the violence even temporary, but Ive seen no indications that there is any intent to make some kind of drive for Aleppo."
And we fail to recognize that what we really have is a distribution problem. Parts of this country have lots of doctors, perhaps too many. These are mostly in cities, especially in cities where it seems desirable to live. The problem is made worse by the ways we reimburse for care. Medicare, for instance, pays more to doctors who live in places that are more expensive. The argument for this is that the cost of living is higher, so reimbursements must be, too. But that also means that doctors can earn more in places where they already might want to live. A result is that many rural areas, and less popular cities, experience more of a doctor shortage than others.
The other distribution issue is in specialization. When it comes to generalists, we ranked 24th of 28 countries in doctors per 1,000 people. Specialists are a different story. There, we were 11th. This is an important fact about the American health care system. We sometimes hear that we have too many specialists and too few generalists. Thats not necessarily the case. We have an average number of specialists compared with other advanced countries, and even shortages in some specialties. Its the ratio of specialists to generalists thats the problem. When you compare the percentage of physicians who are generalists with those who are specialists, the United States beats only Greece among developed economies.
Here, financial drivers play a role. Doctors who choose to specialize can make much more money, millions more dollars over a career, than primary care physicians.
Money isnt the only reason that medical graduates choose to specialize. But its certainly a factor. The average student debt for someone finishing medical school in 2015 was more than $180,000. Twelve percent of graduates had debt totaling more than $300,000. The median starting salary for a resident physician (and some residencies go for seven years or more) was just over $52,000. So by the time youre in your 30s, you are hundreds of thousands of dollars in the hole, and youve just spent years making too little to pay it back while interest accrued. A specialty that might offer you a lot more money is enticing.
None of this should be taken as a cry for sympathy for the financial plight of doctors in general. They are more likely to be in the top 1 percent of earners than any other profession. Still, its important to recognize that financial drivers are at play, and that they do matter.
What no one seems to be debating is that we have a shortage of services. We could fix that by increasing the number of physicians, either by training more or allowing more to immigrate into the country. We could fix that by improving the ratios at which physicians enter specialties or primary care, through changes in training slots or in how we pay physicians. We could fix that by making the health care system more efficient, by distributing the resources we have more effectively, or by increasing our willingness to use midlevel practitioners through changes in regulations or licensing.
None of these approaches are easy, and all would most likely require governments to act. As the next administration takes power, choosing at least one of these paths seems necessary to improve access in the health care system.
In the history of the Obama campaigns storied analytics operation, the effort to model the results live on Election Day, before the votes were tallied, was undoubtedly a low point.
That was the worst 12 hours of my life, said David Shor, a senior data scientist at Civis Analytics who was in the Cave the Obama analytics boiler room on Election Day of 2012. By late morning, some in the Obama team concluded that President Obama was losing Ohio.
This year, Election Day could be the worst 12 hours for all of us.
In a first, rather than wait for election results to be tallied at county courthouses and to be announced by The Associated Press or the TV networks, a company called VoteCastr will project the results in real time. The results will be published on Slate and Vice.
It might make you want to throw up.
A lot can go wrong, as it did for the Obama team.
In 2012, the Obama campaign brought in top talent from Google and Catalist, a Democratic data firm, to estimate the results of the election in real time. The early results did not look good for Mr. Obama. At first, the Obama team had dismissed the data pointing toward a low turnout among young, nonwhite and Democratic-leaning voters.
If any events are likely to affect voter turnout on Election Day, the weather wont be one of them. Cold and rain are predicted in some key states on Tuesday, but nationwide the weather is expected to be mild enough to have little impact, forecasters say.
Greg Carbin, the forecast operations branch chief at the Weather Prediction Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said on Tuesday that he saw nothing in the forecast to deter anyone from going to the polls.
So a very mild Election Day for 2016 across much of the nation, he said in a telephone interview.
Temperatures will be above normal highs for this time of year in most of the United States. On Election Day in 2012, the average temperature nationwide was about 48 degrees, and it was 53 degrees in 2008, according to Mr. Carbins survey of temperatures on all the Election Days since 1900.
But there will be small pockets of rain in some states, including Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana and Arkansas, he added. Michigan and Ohio could also get some rain on Tuesday, forecasts show.
Janet Reno, who rose from a rustic life on the edge of the Everglades to become attorney general of the United States the first woman to hold the job and whose eight years in that office placed her in the middle of some of the most divisive episodes of the Clinton presidency, died on Monday at her home in Miami-Dade County, Fla. She was 78.
Her sister, Margaret Hurchalla, said the cause was complications of Parkinsons disease, which was diagnosed in November 1995, while Ms. Reno was still in office.
Ms. Renos tenure as attorney general was bracketed by two explosive events: a deadly federal raid on the compound of a religious cult in Waco, Tex., in 1993, and in 2000 the governments seizing of Elian Gonzalez, a young Cuban refugee who was at the center of an international custody battle and a political tug of war.
In those moments and others, Ms. Reno was applauded for displaying integrity and a willingness to accept responsibility, but she was also fiercely criticized. Republicans accused her of protecting President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore when, in 1997, she refused to allow an independent counsel to investigate allegations of fund-raising improprieties in the White House.
WASHINGTON The Justice Department said on Monday that it would deploy more than 500 people in 28 states on Tuesday to monitor Election Day practices and guard against intimidation and disruptions.
The number is a sharp decrease from the 2012 presidential election, when the Justice Department had more than 780 personnel in place on Election Day at the close of what was a much less tumultuous campaign.
Officials placed blame for the shrinking federal presence on a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that limited their ability under the Voting Rights Act to deploy observers in jurisdictions mainly in the South with a history of voting discrimination.
In announcing the assignment of monitors and observers, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said, We will continue to have a robust election monitors program in place on Election Day. She said the personnel will perform these duties impartially, with one goal in mind: to see to it that every eligible voter can participate in our elections to the full extent that federal law provides.
Microtargeted online advertisements can be a powerful tool for political campaigns to tailor a message to specific people they are trying to reach. But the reason you saw a particular campaign ad on Facebook may have nothing to do with your political views, or even your demographic profile. It could depend on whether you live in a swing state and on your internet activity or be practically random.
Image Sometimes campaigns target their ads very broadly. One Facebook user was told she received this ad because she was 27 or older and lived in the United States.
You can find the reasons you were shown a particular ad, political or otherwise, on Facebook with just a few steps.
Heres how:
First, find an ad in your Facebook news feed.
Then, in the upper right corner of that ad, find the small V-shaped gray arrow and click it.
A menu will appear with a button that says, Why am I seeing this? Click it.
A pop-up will appear with an explanation of why the advertiser chose to show you that ad.
It was nearly eight years ago, somehow.
Those who gathered then curious, hopeful, freezing remember it all: the ocean of faces across the National Mall; the crackling energy, building as they waited; the catharsis of more than a million strangers finding occasion to shiver together, cheer together, cry together after a presidential campaign that had, to them, affirmed the best of America.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, President Obama vowed, just after assuming the title, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.
They remember that pledge.
They do not remember why it seemed possible.
The elections of 2008 and 2016: twin political moments that cannot be disentangled an earthquake and its aftershock, jolting the American psyche into an era of spectacular contradiction.
An increasingly popular departing president is leading a country that most voters believe is on the wrong track.
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Monday refused to intercede in a lawsuit brought by the Ohio Democratic Party against Donald J. Trumps presidential campaign. The justices turned away a last-minute bid from the party to reinstate a sweeping order from a trial judge that had barred the Trump campaign from harassing or intimidating voters in Ohio.
The Supreme Courts brief order gave no reasons for staying out of the case and did not note any dissents.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has been critical of Mr. Trump, added a brief statement explaining her vote in the case, Ohio Democratic Party v. Donald J. Trump for President.
She said that an Ohio law already forbids the harassment of voters, suggesting that a court order to enforce that law was not needed.
Donald J. Trump led cheering supporters through a landscape of foes that must beaten, sent away or discredited.
Credit Credit... Kevin D. Liles for The New York Times
Politicians dodge questions all the time. Sometimes, the answers they provide seem to have little relationship to the queries they were asked. Take our quiz to see if you can match a statement made by one of the candidates in an interview or debate to the question he or she was asked.
China's first seawater desalination plant will be built by Xianda Group. (Photo : Getty Images)
China's first ever zero-waste seawater desalination plant is expected to be launched next year, according to Xinhua News Agency, citing information from the project operator.
As work is set to begin next year, experts estimate that the plant, to be located in Tianjin Municipality's Nangang Industrial Zone, will come into use in 2019.
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The construction and operation of China's desalination project is a joint venture of the said municipality and Malaysia's Xianda (Tianjin) Seawater Resources Development Co.
The seawater desalination plant is one of the endeavors agreed upon by Chinese and Malaysian officials during Prime Minister Najib Razak's most recent visit to the country.
The desalination project was previously highlighted during the Malaysia-China economic summit in 2013. During the occasion, the Asian countries "upgraded their bilateral relations to comprehensive strategic partnership," the article said.
The plant, once on operation, will be tapped to provide treated sewater for consumption in order to keep environment clean while producing salts and other chemicals.
According to reports, the endeavor will cost around 15 billion yuan. The first phase of the project, to be built by Xianda, is estimated at nearly 5.5 billion yuan.
Xianda will be owning and operating the company for the next 50 years while the government will be backing it up and providing support.
Xianda Group CEO and Chairman Mah Sau Cheong shared that China's move to prioritize environmental protection has given plentiful opportunities for foreign firms like hers.
"We will expand the engagement in China by enhancing investment and more technology transfer while strengthening environmental protection," he said.
Apart from this undertaking, China has inked deals with Malaysia, its largest trade partner among other ASEAN countries, on energy, defense, and railway.
On Tuesday, the two nations have also joined hands to develop the naval forces of Malaysia.
[Heres how to vote in the 2020 election.]
The next 24 hours may remind many of us of a simple truth: Voting is a basic right, but it can be a complicated one to exercise.
Rules vary by state and may change over time, and voters may not know them.
Heres what confuses people: everything, said Daniel Diorio, an election policy specialist with the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures, which represents and serves state legislators and their staffs.
Polling places open at different times in different states. Heres an easy way to check the hours in your state. (Note: Within some states, including Maine, Montana and New York, the hours vary county to county.)
About one in five voters do not know that they live in a state that requires photo identification to vote, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll. And voters in 14 states will face restrictions on Tuesday that were not in place during the last presidential election, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
Archbishop Tobin, whose formal title is now cardinal-designate, is replacing Archbishop John J. Myers, a conservative who is among a small minority of American prelates who announced long ago that Catholic politicians who support abortion rights should not receive Holy Communion. Archbishop Myerss tenure was hobbled in recent years after he failed to ensure that a priest convicted of child sexual abuse no longer had access to children.
He was also widely criticized for using more than half a million dollars of church money to build an addition onto his weekend home that included three fireplaces, a whirlpool and elevator, even while he was closing schools. In September, Archbishop Myers suspended the Rev. Warren Hall from ministry, accusing the priest of confusing the faithful by publicly supporting some gay rights groups and a Catholic high school counselor who had been fired for marrying her female partner.
Archbishop Myers exemplified the churchs culture warrior model of leadership while Archbishop Tobin is in sync with Francis emphasis on dialogue, said Michael Sean Winters, a columnist at the National Catholic Reporter, an independent liberal-leaning publication, and a visiting fellow at Catholic University of Americas Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies.
At the news conference, Archbishop Tobin said he was concerned that the red-state, blue-state mentality that had polarized the country had also infected the church, but that the church could help the country heal the divide after the election. He said that Cardinal Dolan had called him on Monday morning to welcome him. Asked if he anticipated that they would have a competitive relationship, Archbishop Tobin said, If theres any competition, I hope its who can serve the people of God best.
Bishops are required to submit retirement letters to the Vatican when they turn 75, but are often kept in their posts far longer. Archbishop Myers turned 75 in July. Francis has quickly accepted his retirement, while allowing one of his most prominent American allies, the archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, to continue to serve for a year beyond his 75th birthday, in November 2015.
They have become so frequent in the past year that Ms. Rogers like legions of young professionals starting their careers here now plans her morning around how long it will take her to get to her job near Union Station.
If the Metro is not a first-order topic of conversation, it is certainly a ubiquitous one, Ms. Rogers said, from game-time analysis of schedules at the office to venting sessions over happy hour with friends.
Someone strolls into brunch 15 minutes late and says, Oh my God, the Metro, she said. And there is a conversation that no one can quit for an hour.
Like most of her friends, Ms. Rogers said, she has few alternatives. She owns a car, but the cost of parking is prohibitive. Living in a neighborhood closer to work would be nice but too expensive.
It is really building a reputation, Ms. Rogers said, and it is really hard for people who are young and trying to figure out how to make life work in D.C.
There is a joke, Ms. Rogers said, among her co-workers at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence: The Metro is on fire because its a day that ends in y.
When Ms. Rogers found herself on just such a smoking train one morning last month, she said, most riders shrugged and calmly filed off as if it were the norm.
The decision also says lawmakers will be held liable if they violate their oaths, but it provides no guidance on who has the power to determine whether a lawmaker is in breach or what the punishment should be. The fear is that this will inject a degree of arbitrariness into a system that is based on rules underpinned by centuries of precedent under British common law.
Whether it would affect my seat is secondary, Nathan Law, 23, a new member of the Legislative Council who advocates greater self-determination for Hong Kong, said of the ruling by Beijing. Whats most important is that the interpretation is vesting so much power in a person to decide whether someone is sincere and allegiant enough to take office, and there is no checks-and-balance against that person.
The Basic Law says little about oaths, only that officials must swear allegiance in accordance with law to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China.
Two politicians elected to the legislature in September, Sixtus Leung, 30, known as Baggio, and Yau Wai-ching, 25, set off the legal case by changing the wording of their oaths, replacing the word China with Chee-na, a term that many find offensive and that was used by Japan during World War II, when it occupied much of China, including Hong Kong. Ms. Yau also inserted an obscenity.
The Chinese government condemned the pair and labeled them threats to national security for their advocacy of independence, and officials in Beijing left little doubt in announcing Mondays decision that it was intended to keep them out of office.
Li Fei, the chairman of Chinas parliamentary committee on the Basic Law, compared Mr. Leung and Ms. Yau, and their supporters, to traitors espousing a fascist line. There is a great patriotic tradition in the Chinese nation, he said. All traitors and those who sell out their countries will come to no good end.
He added that the governments stance will not be ambiguous or lenient.
The United States, on the eve of its own presidential election, urged China not to undermine the one country, two systems formula that has protected basic civil liberties in Hong Kong.
NEW DELHI For days, many in Delhi have been living as if under siege, trying to keep the dirty air away from their children and older parents.
But it is not easy: Open a window or a door, and the haze enters the room within seconds. Outside, the sky is white, the sun a white circle so pale that you can barely make it out. The smog is acrid, eye-stinging and throat-burning, and so thick that it is being blamed for a 70-vehicle pileup north of the city.
If in past years Delhis roughly 20 million residents shrugged off wintertime pollution as fog, over the past week they viewed it as a crisis. Schools have been ordered closed for three days an unprecedented measure, but not a reassuring one because experts say the concentration of pollutants inside Indian homes is typically not much lower than outside.
BERLIN A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for, the old maritime saying goes. A German sailing couple, seized and held for ransom eight years ago by Somali pirates, apparently lived by that rule.
A German yachting website reported Monday that the couple appeared to have been abducted again, this time while cruising a dangerous area of the Philippines, by militants of Abu Sayyaf, an insurgent group known for kidnapping and ransoming foreigners. The woman was said to have been killed.
The couple, Jurgen Kantner, 70, and his partner, Sabine Merz, have been sailing the oceans for many years aboard their 53-footer, the Rockall. They were held for 52 days in Somalia in 2008 before their captors freed them, reportedly after a six-figure ransom had been paid.
The Philippine media on Monday reported that a German couple had been attacked while sailing in an area of the southern Philippines under the control of Abu Sayyaf. The woman was shot and the man abducted, the reports said.
SYDNEY, Australia A bill that would have allowed a national plebiscite on legalizing same-sex marriage in Australia was defeated in Parliament on Monday. The vote in the Senate ended hopes for a change in the countrys marriage laws in the near future.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull asked lawmakers in September to support a bill for a nonbinding public vote to be held in February, in part to appease conservatives from his Liberal Party-led coalition. Mr. Turnbull had favored parliamentary action to decide the issue, which he said would lead to legalization. But conservatives in his party had pushed for a plebiscite.
In a speech to the Senate on Monday before the parliamentary vote, Attorney General George Brandis implored the senators who spoke against the bill to stop playing politics with gay peoples lives. Get out of the way and let us have the plebiscite that would deliver marriage equality in Australia in less than 100 days, he said.
The plebiscite, which would have cost about $140 million, would have asked Australians if the Marriage Act should be revised to allow same-sex couples to marry. Mr. Turnbull, whose election district is the site of Sydneys annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade, had said he was sure that Australians would vote for change. Recent polls show that around 70 percent of Australians want to see same-sex marriage legalized.
Residents and foreigners in the city rolled up their sleeves in a show of stubborn resilience, and got to work salvaging books, parchments and scrolls from the basement of the Uffizi Gallery, and later from the National Library, both based along the Arno at its narrowest.
Among the foreigners were those a journalist labeled the mud angels some of them college students from the United States. The citys debt to them has been lasting, and the mayor invited them this year to return to Florence and celebrate.
We worked so hard, in a human chain, to get those manuscripts out of the mud, said Michael Pulman, who was a teacher in the study-abroad program for Florida State University in Florence, one of the first American colleges to start such a program here.
Ernie Brock, then a humanities major, was among the 120 American students who pitched in. We saw terrible damage, but we were so happy to do what we could to help, he said.
MOSCOW Mikheil Saakashvili, a former president of Georgia who was brought into the Ukraine government to set an example of transparency and clean government, resigned on Monday and accused Ukraines president of supporting corruption.
Mr. Saakashvili, who was appointed governor of the Black Sea region of Odessa by President Petro O. Poroshenko in May 2015, said he was leaving because of the central governments unrelenting obstruction of his efforts to root out graft.
The president personally supports two clans, Mr. Saakashvili told a group of journalists. Odessa can only develop once Kiev will be freed from these bribe takers, who directly patronize organized crime and lawlessness.
In a terse statement, Mr. Poroshenkos office said it would accept Mr. Saakashvilis resignation once it had been submitted by the cabinet.
LONDON It was supposed to be an auspicious moment: Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain traveling to India to prepare the ground for what could be the countrys first trade deal after it leaves the European Union, and show that Britain can thrive outside the bloc.
But Mrs. May had barely hit the ground when her aspiration to forge closer ties with one of the worlds fastest-growing economies began to falter over immigration, the same thorny and emotive issue that helped propel Britains decision to leave the European Union.
Mrs. Mays three-day visit, which began on Sunday, had been billed as a first test of Britains ability to forge new and mutually advantageous trade deals with countries around the world, a way to demonstrate its ability to prosper outside the European single market. But while India is notoriously difficult to please in trade matters, the rocky reception was not an ideal way to start her first trip to India as prime minister.
Specifically, India is complaining about student visas, including a requirement that foreign students from outside the European Union must find a job four months after they finish their studies or face deportation.
Pope Francis's deal with China is seen to fail. (Photo : Getty Images)
Eight Chinese bishops are going to be ordained by China without the permission of the Vatican, according to a deal that is awaiting the final approval of Pope Francis and President Xi Jinping.
According to analysts, this is a deal that will lead the Vatican compromised and in the losing end of the attempt to cut the decades-long rift between China and the Vatican.
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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry, a fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, said, "The pope surely thinks of such a deal as a coup. But, if approved, it would be an unmitigated catastrophe. It would not only be morally indefensible, it would also amount to nothing less than a dynamiting of Chinese Catholicism."
In China, President Xi Jinping has the final say in the ordaining of bishops. Bishops are nominated by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
The U.S. State Department said that believers of Chinese Catholicism "must worship clandestinely. The Chinese government has systematically oppressed Catholics who refuse to kowtow to the Chinese government's vision of a subservient Catholicism."
"Faithful and clergy alike are subject to various levels of harassment and imprisonment, and reports of 'disappearances' of 'unregistered' priests and bishops are still common," the department stated.
Richard Madsen, a professor of sociology at the University of California at San Diego, thinks that the China would want the church to be further divided.
He said, "If the Vatican should be perceived as abandoning them, it could be seen as a betrayal" and "cause serious divisions in the Chinese Catholic Church. The government would probably actually like this. Its action over the years show that it would like to see the church weakened, and a deeper division in the church would help accomplish that."
JERUSALEM The two teenage cousins met after school, discussed the tensions surrounding the Aqsa Mosque and other issues angering the Palestinians. They decided to avenge their grievances with knives.
The younger one, Ahmad Manasra, 13, took a decorative six-inch blade from a cupboard in his parents bedroom, according to newly released legal documents. Hassan Manasra, 15, armed himself with a large kitchen knife. The pair then set off for a neighboring Jewish area of East Jerusalem.
Details of the case emerged on Monday when an Israeli court sentenced Ahmad to 12 years in prison for his role in the October 2015 stabbing attack that critically wounded an Israeli boy, who was 13 at the time, and an Israeli man. Hassan was fatally shot by police as he ran at them with his knife near the scene of the stabbings.
Grainy security camera footage that partly captured those events provided some of the most enduring images of the wave of violence that began that month and has since largely subsided.
International disputes over territory can be ugly affairs, waged with all the nastiness of a divorce, backed with the force of armies. Just in the last few years, China has built islands topped with military bases to back its claim to vast stretches of ocean, in conflict with half a dozen other Asian countries, while Russia has forged a path of bloodshed and destruction in Ukraine over its annexation of Crimea.
But thats not how Canada and Denmark roll. Their way of contesting ownership of an uninhabited island in the Arctic would better suit a dinner party than a battlefield: It comes down to B.Y.O.B.
The child seems artificial as well as malign, the captain observes at his first sight of Johanna, huddled under a blanket. Nevertheless, he agrees to transport her for a Spanish coin of eight escudos in 22-karat gold. With it, he buys a wagon painted with the legend Curative Waters East Mineral Springs Texas in gold letters and packs it with supplies. The town whores obligingly strip Johanna of her deerskin shift decorated with elk teeth, give her a bath (she has lice) and cram her into worsted stockings, undergarments and a dress, a process that requires two hours and ruins the establishments wallpaper. And off the captain and Johanna go.
As one might expect, the old man is tough but the little girl is tougher; their road is hard and their enemies bad; they forge a kinship based on mutual respect as they contend with ambushes, shootouts, brawls, perilous river crossings and good-hearted widow ladies. At every turn, this story square-dances with cliche, and at every turn its thrilling. Jiles, a poet as well as a novelist, has recognized that the best stories are the known ones, as long as theyre told entrancingly and grow ever stranger as they roll on through familiar territory.
Mostly she manages this small miracle by keeping her story quietly ironic and exquisitely particular. Lest one should hope for Johannas return to the Kiowa, as she painfully desires, its made clear that, threatened with losing their rations and being hunted down by the cavalry, they no longer want her. Wisely, Jiles reveals Johannas deep attachment to her former life only through what persists of it: Like all people who do not wear shoes her big toes pointed straight ahead. Both the place and the period are rendered with precise economy, and the characters communicate their concerns mostly through what they keep an eye on.
Guns, for one thing, which the captain, who has lived through three wars, knows as intimately as his inks and his papers. When accosted by a company of United States Army infantrymen on horseback, he notes that they carry squareback Navy Colt five-shot revolvers that looked as big as pork hams in their holsters. He can distinguish a revolver from a rifle shot by sound, though during one astonishing gun battle its Johanna who provides an ingenious solution when he runs out of ammunition. But chiefly the captain tries to keep an eye on Johanna as she struggles to adjust to her new life, shown most vividly through her rediscovery of English. Kep-dun, she calls him. Chohenna, she learns to call herself. Along with so much else, she has permanently lost her Rs the Kiowa language has no R and so hungry is hungli, horse is hoas. Like all returned captives, Johanna will be never quite one thing or another, a reality reflected in her speech. Shes been through two creations, as one character puts it, leaving her forever alien.
The curative aspect of Johannas relationship with the captain is signaled from the first pages by that wagon. The real surprise in this fable-like story is the gorgeousness of their journey, from Spanish Fort along the flooded Red River, where a stormy sky is filled with blinding neurons of fire, to the red and pink granite mountains north of Llano. In a world where live oak leaves fall like pennies and teams of oxen move in a ponderous waltz, everything is news. And at scarcely 200 pages, this exhilarating novel, a finalist for this years National Book Award, travels through its marvelous terrain so quickly that one is shocked, almost stricken, to reach the end. So do what I did: Read it again.
An employee of a Dutch financial company monitors the bitcoin exchange rate on his computer. (Photo : Getty Images)
The price of bitcoin dropped to nearly 6 percent on Friday, Nov. 4, after weeks of gains, following unverified reports that Chinese regulators may set limitations on bitcoin trading and exchange activities in the country.
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An article published by coindesk.com cited a Bloomberg report which gave details on how Chinese authorities would restrict bitcoin and other digital currencies from being moved abroad as well as prohibit exchanges of the virtual currency in the country.
According to the article, the government was concerned that foreign exchange rules are being violated when bitcoin users buy bitcoin on local exchanges and sell them abroad.
Though the article was no longer be accessed or viewed online at Bloomberg, other news outlets such as Sina and ZeroHedge, cited the questionable article.
The report said that when the news on China spread on social media around 15:00 UTC, the price of bitcoin also started to decline at the same time. During the duration of the day's trading, the price fluctuated wildly, which rose to a high of $744 and dropped to a low of $677.
Some analysts believed that the market has likely used the bogus report as an opportunity to take advantage of the market panic.
"It's one of those things where a news article is really just an excuse for traders to sell instead of buy," Tuur Demeester, an analyst at Adamant Research, told CoinDesk.
Similar situations were reported by some analysts who believed that the unconfirmed reports on China has always been used to drive activity in the speculative bitcoin virtual currency market.
In 2013, at the height of bitcoin's price, news that the digital currency would be banned by China circulated, which caused an abrupt fall in the bitcoin market.
"We've had china scares like this so many times," Chris DeRose, the host of a popular bitcoin podcast, recalled. "China is effectively a black box to us here," he added.
There are only two hotels in Jokkmokk, and they are entirely booked up to a year in advance of the market. I was able to stay in a hostel only because another guest had canceled. I was given a twin bed, a shared shower and an unlimited supply of yogurt each morning. It was less than a three-minute walk from the hostel to the market, but I made sure always to wear one fleece balaclava layered atop another. By the time I got to the closest stall, which sold only leather mittens, I was weeping because of the cold, tears freezing on my face. Though one can still buy animal hides and antler knives, amid the traditional wares are discounted necessities from the present day (garbage bags, socks, Thinsulate-lined rain boots) as well as some of its more baffling byproducts (authorized biographies of Rod Stewart, fur bikinis). Most of the vendors are Sami, though there are exceptions, including an Italian cheesemonger named Ricardo, who told me that cutting Parmigiano-Reggiano in 20 degrees below zero is a real bitch.
On my fourth afternoon in Jokkmokk, a Saturday, I was entered against my knowledge and will into a reindeer race. By the time I arrived at the track, which had been erected in the middle of a frozen lake just outside of town, hundreds of people were already gathered. Hurry! a young man called to me. I shuffled through the snow, onto the ice, and into a sled that was lined in fur. No, he said. Face down. I did as I was told. The reindeer, whose hind hooves were just inches from my face, kicked up a bit of ice. I gripped a rope and tried to crane my neck toward my opponent, but some immobilizing wad of wool scarf got in the way. A horn blew and I closed my eyes. It all happened so quickly. We careened around a curve, cameras flashing, people cheering, snow flying into my face and up my nose. I have no idea how fast the reindeer ran but it felt faster than anything that would be legally permitted in America. Some shamefully small amount of time later, as we launched around yet another bend, an imperceptible gravitational shift occurred and pitched me off the sled and into a bank of snow. I was immediately disqualified. The crowd booed. The winner, I would later learn, was the Australian ambassador to Sweden. He was awarded a pair of mounted antlers.
A potential victory for Donald J. Trump may hinge on one important (and large) group of Americans: whites who did not attend college.
Polls have shown a deep division between whites of different education levels and economic circumstances. A lot rides on how large these groups will be on Election Day: All pollsters have their own assessment of who will show up, and their predictions rely on these evaluations.
Heres what the American voting-age population looked like in 2012.
Voting-age population, in millions
50 40 30 20 10 White, college degree Hispanic White, no college White, some college Black Other White, no college White, some college White, college degree Black Hispanic Other 0 10 20 30 40 50
The largest bloc is whites who have no college degree, and the voting-age population of this group is as large as that of voting-age blacks, Hispanics and Asian-Americans combined. Mitt Romney won this group over Barack Obama by 26 percentage points, and Ronald Reagan by 31 points in 1984. But Bill Clinton won this bloc of voters both times he ran. In this years political polls, this group favors Mr. Trump by large margins over Hillary Clinton.
White, no college degree White, college degree Black Hispanic Clinton Trump 57 43 37 82 75 29 6 20 Education questions from Fox News poll, Oct. 26; Black and Hispanic from Economist/You Gov Poll, Nov. 1
However, the voting electorate the people who actually go to the polls could look substantially different from the voting-age population. Heres how the population of actual voters broke down in the last presidential election. Only about half of whites with no college degree voted, leaving about 29 million votes on the table in an election decided by five million votes.
Voting-age population, in millions
50 Did not vote 40 30 20 Voted 10 White, college degree Hispanic White, no college White, some college Black Other Voted Did not vote White, no college White, some college White, college degree Black Hispanic Other 0 10 20 30 40 50
This population is the heart of red-state America. It dominates the rural landscape of swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Wisconsin. But it is outnumbered in urban centers and in most suburban areas. A big unknown in this election is how many additional voters will turn out in these counties. On election night, watch for the votes from these areas:
Largest voter group by county
Based on the turnout in 2012 by race and education
White, no college White, some college White, college degree Minority Wash. Me. N.D. Mont. Vt. Minn. Ore. N.H. N.Y. Mich. Mass. S.D. Wis. Idaho R.I. Wyo. Conn. Iowa Nev. Pa. N.J. Neb. Ohio Ind. Ill. Del. Utah Md. W.Va. Colo. Va. Calif. Kan. Mo. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Ariz. ARK. N.M. Okla. S.C. TEXAS Ga. MISS. ALA. LA. FLA. Alaska HAWAII White educational-attainment populations calculated based on proportions in the over-25 population applied to voting-age population. Turnout is calculated for each of seven race-education groups (white, no college; white, some college; white, college degree; Hispanic; black; Asian-American; and other) at the state level, and applied to county voting-age population. The New York Times
Mr. Trump has argued that his candidacy has generated unprecedented enthusiasm in this part of the electorate. The unpredicted turnout of such a voting group was crucial to Britains vote to depart from the European Union.
Mr. Trumps pursuit of the group has been pointed, but its voting strength has steadily and rapidly declined. Has he stoked enough fervor to make it work?
Exit polls, white voters with no college degree
What determines the price of wine? Wellits complicated.
On some level, the basic rules of economics apply. Theres supply and demand, of course: Wine thats scarce will be more expensive, while the more plentiful stuff is cheaper. It follows, too, that higher quality wine should cost more. But how do you evaluate quality? Thats where things get tricky. Buying wine is a little like buying a peach, Storchmann says: A peach can be awesome and juicy, or it can be mealy and dullbut you cant know which it is until you bite into it. Wine has a similar problem: Before you get the bottle home and open it, you really dont know a thing about whats inside, so youre left looking for clues. These might include the thickness of the glass in the bottle or the length of the corkfactors that dont really affect how the wine tastes, Storchmann says, but signal to the consumer that no expense has been spared in its production. Then there are the endorsements of experts: Critics judging wine competitions or writing for magazines like Wine Spectator award wines points out of a hundredand wines that receive a higher score are able to fetch a higher price.
Whether expensive wines actually taste better is a different question.
A Journal of Wine Economics study of 6,000 blind tastings found that, when they didnt know what they were drinking, most non-expert wine drinkers actually preferred inexpensive wine over the pricier kind. Based on that, we all should just go for the palate- and budget-friendly Two-Buck Chuck and be happy, right? Not so fast, Storchmann cautions, citing a 2008 study (published in PNAS) that wired subjects up to fMRI scanners while they were tasting wines that they were told cost different amounts. In the experiment, subjects said they preferred what was presented as a $90 wine over that presented as a $10 wine, even when what the researchers poured them was actually from the exact same bottle. Moreover, the drinkers brain scans showed that they werent bluffing about what they felt: The medial orbitofrontal cortex, a region of the brain associated with pleasure, showed higher activity when the subjects drank the wines they had been led to believe were expensive.
In other words, the satisfaction we get from consuming something we perceive as fancy is totally real. You see this all the time at wine tastings, Storchmann says. Once you tell people this wine costs a thousand bucks, all of a sudden you hear oh yeah, it tastes of rose petals and all this crazy stuff. If you believe that it is really good and tastes of leather, then it will be really good and taste of leather.
As for those experts? Dont let them bully you.
For a person who really loves and knows a lot about wine, Storchmann doesnt have much patience for the snobbish culture that surrounds it. Wine is made up of some percentage of grapes, but then theres also a lot of bullshit, he says. The notion that wine is something only those with lots of training and highly developed palates can properly enjoy was invented by wine experts, Storchmann insists. They want you to need them.
As economists, Storchmann and his colleagues are in a position to disrupt all of that by subjecting received wine wisdom to rigorous statistical analysis, and often the results are telling. In a pair of Journal of Wine Economics investigations, California winemaker Robert Hodgson found that expert judges at prestigious wine competitions gave different scores to the same wines that they tasted on the same occasion, and that earning a coveted gold designation at one competition didnt significantly raise a wines chances of receiving a gold at another. The findings called into question both the sensitivity of judges palates and the existence of any meaningful consensus about what quality wine tastes like; in reality, it seemed, the medals might as well have been handed out at random. (Be that as it may, winemakers might feel they have no choice but to pay to enter these competitions for the chance of earning gold and, by extension, the right to charge a premium for the award-winning product.)
Another study focusing on the words that wine critics use found that amateur drinkers fared no better than if they'd flipped a coin when trying to match critics tasting notes to the wines they describedeven when the descriptors were as evocative as cherry and tar. And even a so-called supertaster like Robert Parker, the worlds most influential wine criticwho says he can store the tastes of thousands of great wines in permanent memoryonce famously faltered in a guessing game involving a blind tasting of several expensive vintages of Bordeaux.
As if that werent unsettling enough, there have also been investigations pointing to possible bias and even outright fraud among members of the elite wine press. One study that found that Wine Spectator ratings for advertisers in the magazine were on average one point higher than those for non-advertisers. And in another experiment, wine critic Robin Goldstein made a website for a fictional restaurant that somehowdespite offering selections Wine Spectator critics had once described as tasting like paint thinner and nail varnishwon the award of excellence that the magazine hands out to restaurants with the best wine lists worldwide.
Don't assume the best wine comes from far away.
Though many grapes now grown around the globelike Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnayoriginally came from France, which still produces some of the most coveted vintages, its been decades since the wine industry went global. (In fact, China now boasts more vineyard area than even France, trailing only Spain worldwide.) It was back in 1976 that American upstarts first famously bested the old guard: In a blind taste test that came to be known as the Judgment of Paris, French critics chose red and white wines from California over their French competitors. Storchmann and colleagues recently re-created that experiment, this time pitting New Jersey wines that cost $12 to $15 per bottle against French wines (ranging from $70 to $1000 wholesale). It wasnt a rout, but New Jersey more than held its own, taking the second, third, and fourth place spots for Chardonnay and beating out several renowned French producers to win third place for reds.
I think thats really, really cool, says Storchmann, who relishes the thought of being able to decamp to wine country in less than the time it takes many New Yorkers to commute to work. Its hilly, its beautiful, and there are some really wonderful wines therefantastic wine you can still get for $30. An early devotee of New Jersey wines, Storchmann explains that the state actually boasts two distinct growing regions, with reds from near the town of Vineland, in the south, likely to appeal to fans of the Bordeaux style.
If this is news to you, its probably because New Jersey wines are still a rarity in New York City stores and restaurants: Storchmann sees several reasons for this, including stringent and complex American laws regarding how alcohol is produced, shipped, and sold, especially when its crossing state lines. More than that, though, he says it all comes back to the conservatism of the wine establishment: 90% of the entire wine press is here in New York, and twenty miles in front of their nose is outstandingly good wine for a very low price. Why has no one written about this? Storchmanns theory is that its just too risky, especially for young wine critics trying to make a name for themselves, to recommend something sowell, accessible.
The locavore thing works for food, he muses, but theres this crazy idea that we should drink wine thats from as far away as possiblethat it should come from Australia or something. No one wants to write about a region that the wine press considers a laughingstock known for traffic jams.
Its a shame, because a drink local movement, in addition to helping get high quality wine into consumers hands at a fraction of the cost of imported bottles, could also dramatically reduce the industrys environmental impact. Vineyards arent a terrible threat in terms of land use because grapes tend to grow in rocky areas where not much else will thrive, Storchmann says, but then theres the costly matter of shipping finished wine (which is heavy due to its water content) around the world. For a New Yorker, choosing wine from New Jersey rather than, say, New Zealand, France, or even California could mean signaling a commitment to reducing the industrys carbon footprint.
Climate change has already begun to shift wine regions around.
Studies about the effect of the environmental factors on the wine market are a staple of wine economists work, Storchmann explains, and in fact the Journal of Wine Economics most recent issue was devoted entirely to wine and climate change. The central message? Big changes are already underway.
In Europe, the growing regions for various grapes are essentially moving north, meaning that winemakers will have to change tactics if theyre going to succeed. This is tricky in a country like France, which has strict quality-control laws concerning wine origins and governing which grapes can be planted in which regions. In Burgundy, or example, Storchmann says, its all about pinot noir. You couldnt plant a Grenache there, or a cabernet. It wouldnt be legal. But what happens when the climate warms to the extent that pinot noir wont grow there anymore? Storchmann says that vines will give fruit for 25 or 50 years, so growers with foresight are looking at climate projections to decide on what they should plant now. That means that flexibility is now an asset, with regions with fewer growing restrictions gaining a competitive edge. And nations like Great Britain and Canada, which have historically been too cool to grow grapes, are suddenly getting into the winemaking business. The Brits, of course, dont care about French rulestheyre free in what kind of grape they want to grow and where, Storchmann says, and so theres enormous growth there. They make really good wineoutstanding champagne.
Its not the first time in history such changes have occurred, Storchmann says. Ancient maps tell us that during a previous warm spell, about a thousand years ago, there was winemaking as far north as Berlin and the northern reaches of France. But with the Little Ice Age, which lasted from around the 14th century to the 19th, vineyards moved to southern France and Spain, giving rise to todays wine culture that developed over hundreds of years. Now things are warming up againbut the difference is its happening much more quickly.
A change that would have taken from the year 800 to the year 1,000 now takes only 20 years, Storchmann says, noting that in his native Germany, which in the past could only grow the white grapes that thrive in cooler climates, robust reds are becoming more common. When I left Germany in 1999, most of the vines planted were white. Now most of the newly planted vines are red.
And while global warming might present welcome opportunities to make wine in new places, climate change also brings with it unpredictable fluctuations in temperature and rainfall that threaten crops everywhere. Storchmanns beloved New Jersey regionfamously walloped by Sandymay prove increasingly vulnerable to hurricanes, for example.
Theres only one way to put aside what you think you know to figure out what you genuinely like.
Storchmanns advice for ignoring the critics and exploring your own preferences is simple: Go to the wine store and buy five or six different bottles of a single type of winedry pinot noir, say. Then taste them blind and make notes about what you liked and didnt. And if you find out that you prefer the cheaper bottles? Theres no shame in it. People tend to feel guilty when they like the cheapest one, Storchmann says. But thats actually awesome! It saves you a lot of bucks.
China's economic future is seen as most likely similar to Japan's. (Photo : Getty Images)
The forecast on the Chinese economy is seen to be similar to that of Japan, according to various experts.
Michael Shuman, a commentator from Bloomberg Business Week, said that the economic power of China's economic future is a bubble waiting to burst. This is a trend that is similar to the economic stagnation that Japan is facing today.
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He said, "Yet these Asian neighbors have a lot in common, and that doesn't bode well for China's economic future."
Analysts from Goldman Sachs Investment expressed the same sentiment. They stated, "Just like Japan, we believe China will eventually face a period of much slower growth."
Rating agency Moody's agreed. In May, the agency said, "a prolonged period of sub-optimal economic growth and persistent deflationary pressures, or possibly even economic stagnation."
James Chanos, the founder of fund manager Kynikos Associates, said that China's state capitalism is similar to Japan, saying that both economies are "on steroids."
Factors such as increasing debt and an inflating property bubble are contributing to the inevitable downward spiral. This is similar to when Japan's total debt relative to national output jumped almost 80 percentage points, to 275 percent from 1980 to 1989.
Oxford Economics lead economist Adam Slater said, "A quarter of a century ago, the Japanese economy had a surprising amount in common with that of China today."
He added, "This should serve as a warning to China observers and investors today, especially as some of the same worrying signals are present in China--chronic overinvestment, high private sector debt, frothy asset markets and poor demographics."
However, Shuman thinks that China still can steer away from the trend because President Xi Jinping still has a solid grip on economic policies.
"Fortunately for China, nothing in economics is inevitable. Xi and his policy team can still swerve off Japan's course if they more forcefully implement the reforms they've promised," he said.
With all the talk about election rigging in the lead-up to Tuesday, the bad news is that hackers might be able to find and compromise and maybe even change California voter registration databases.
The good news? If they did, it wouldnt do much to the election.
Mikhail Gofman, associate professor of computer science at Cal State Fullerton, says its possible, theoretically, for the system to be hacked.
RELATED: Here are the rules for poll watching in Orange County
Neal Kelley, Orange Countys registrar of voters, says the election systems checks and balances would make it impossible for such a hack to have any influence on a vote.
Heres what theyre talking about:
Gofman envisions a scenario in which people show up to vote on Election Day only to find they cannot because a hacker has erased them from the registration rolls.
They could delete all the Democratic voters, Gofman said. They could change all the Democratic registrations to Republican.
They could do all sorts of things.
Whats more, Gofman said, the voter registration banks arent airtight.
A few months ago in Illinois, election officials discovered that their voter banks had been compromised. In August, Arizona officials were more specific, saying Russian hackers had stolen the username and password of an election official.
But Kelley said deleting voters from digital registration rolls would accomplish little in Southern California.
For one, he said, physical voter registration records exist. Also, if voters show up at polling places and discover they arent registered, they can cast provisional ballots that later will be compared with historical voting and registration records. Finally, the state keeps digital replicas of its registration data so it can compare how they change over time.
We also have audits in place, Kelley said. If there were mass changes, for instance in party, you would see that anomaly.
Gofmans second dire scenario involves a rogue programmer or engineer employed by the companies that create the voting machines that are sold to the government and used in polling places.
While election machines likely cannot be hacked because they are offline and their data is decentralized, Gofman suggests a malevolent programmer could change how the machines count votes.
Domestic rigging is a much bigger concern than foreign hackers, he said.
But Kelley dismissed those concerns as well.
He said machines are checked at the federal and county levels before the election.
And, after the election, the county performs an audit on 1 percent of all votes, checking the paper ballots against the electronic tallies to ensure they have been counted accurately.
Its very rigorous, Kelley said. There are a tremendous amount of checks in place to detect and prevent those types of issues from happening.
Other voting experts agree. Richard Hasen, a professor at UC Irvine, told PBS News last month that voter fraud is extremely rare, particularly the kind of fraud hinted at during the campaign of people casting multiple votes under assumed names or the names of the deceased.
Thats just not how elections are stolen, Hasen said.
Contact the writer: jgraham@scng.com or 714-796-7960
FBI Director James Comey said Sunday that after reviewing newly discovered Hillary Clinton emails, his agency had again determined that the Democratic presidential candidate should face no criminal charges for her email practices, clearing a distraction that had dogged the final days of Clintons campaign and providing perhaps the last twist of the wild 2016 election year.
Comey notified key members of Congress of the finding in a letter sent Sunday afternoon, writing that that investigators had worked around the clock to review all the emails found on a device used by former congressman Anthony Weiner that had been sent to or from Clinton and determined that the emails did not change our conclusions expressed in July.
With the letter, Comey removed the pending FBI investigation from the last 48 hours of the campaign. But the central role the FBI has played in the political process for months could cause lingering trouble for the nations top law enforcement agency, including personally for Comey, who must work with whoever is elected president on Tuesday.
Investigators reviewing the material found that the emails were either duplicates of correspondence they had reviewed earlier or personal e-mails that did not pertain to State Department business, a government official said. The official said Comeys letter was not an interim report but rather represented a conclusion of the investigation.
Comey had upended the campaign just nine days ago, when he alerted Congress that new emails had been located that were related to Clintons use of a private server as secretary of state.
The announcement effectively revived a controversy that had dogged Clinton since before she launched her presidential campaign and resumed an FBI investigation that had concluded in July. At the time, Comey had criticized Clinton as extremely careless with classified information but said,no reasonable prosecutor would recommend criminal charges.
Prior to his Oct. 28 announcement, Clinton had opened a significant lead over Republican Donald Trump in most public polling following a string of strong debate performances. But the polls tightened considerably as Clintons email practices once again took center stage.
The newly discovered emails came from a laptop owned by Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. The computer had been seized by the FBI on Oct. 3 as part of an investigation into lewd text messages Weiner is alleged to have sent to a 15-year-old girl. Abedin has told people close to her that she does not know how her emails ended up on her husbands laptop.
Comey had come under fire for inserting the FBI into the campaigns final days with the announcement. Department of Justice policy discourages the agency from taking steps in days before an election, to avoid the perception that the FBI is trying to the influence the outcome of the vote.
A spokesman for the FBI declined to comment beyond Comeys letter. A Department of Justice spokesman said only that the department and FBI had dedicated all necessary resources to conduct this review expeditiously.
Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon tweeted in response: We were always confident nothing would cause the July decision to be revisited. Now Director Comey has confirmed it .
The news hit as Clinton and her campaign team flew from Philadelphia to Cleveland for a campaign event. Some aides read the news on a phone passed around the staff cabin before the plane lost satellite wifi ahead of landing.
The three-paragraph letter was sent to the chairman of the Homeland Security, Judiciary, Appropriations and Oversight and Government Reform and was copied to the ranking members of those committees. Comey said the FBI had performed an extraordinary amoun
The latest letter comes on the heels of a brutal week for the FBI and its leader, Comey, who just nine days ago told legislators the email investigation had resumed, doing so against the advice of higher-ups at the Department of Justice.
The FBI Director soon faced a torrent of criticism for taking a step that might affect the outcome of the election. People familiar with the situation said he did so over objections from the Department of Justice.
Then, news leaked that agents in the New York Field office had been advocating for a separate investigation of the Clinton Foundation, even though career public integrity prosecutors had told them they had a case.
That fueled the perception that at least some in the bureau, a predominantly white male organization, might have partisan motivations, and Democrats called for the Justice Department Inspector General to look into the matter.
Trump, who had charged for weeks that the FBI investigation had been rigged because it did not result in criminal charges for Clinton, instead announced that he had great respect for the FBI. At a rally in Minneapolis Sunday afternoon Trump did not address Comeys announcement directly but instead claimed, without evidence, that Clinton will be under investigation for a long, long time likely concluding in a criminal trial.
You have to understand, its a rigged system, and shes protected, he said, as supporters chanted Lock her up!
Asked Sunday to react to Comeys announcement, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told MSNBC that hes mishandled the investigation from the beginning.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., said that regardless of Comeys announcement, the undisputed finding of the FBIs investigation is that Secretary Clinton put our nations secrets at risk and in doing so compromised our national security.
Fortunately, the American people have the opportunity to ensure Secretary Clinton never gets her hands on classified information again. Lets bring the Clinton era to an end by voting for Donald Trump on Tuesday, Ryan said in a statement.
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the chair of the Judiciary Committee, said the vague announcement by the FBI failed to provide context, and he was unsure even if the review was over.
The growing number of unanswered questions demand explanations, Grassley said. Is the FBI continuing to review the newly-revealed emails? Did the FBI limit its review to email from when Clinton was Secretary of State, leaving out emails that could shed light on possible obstruction of Congress?
Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform committee said the announcement affirms and vindicates the FBIs decision from July.
Over the past week, Republicans have engaged in wild speculation and launched unsubstantiated accusations, but the FBI has determined-yet again-that they are without merit. Now it is time for the American people to go forward based on the facts, he said.
We seem to live in a nostalgic era with the yearning for life to return to simpler days.
And no slice of life has changed more for most folks in recent decades than the workplace.
Employer-employee loyalties have been fractured. Benefits of all sorts have been trimmed. Work is harder and longer. And today, the need to reinvent your work life is almost as important as your original career choice.
Lets look at a half-dozen old-school, work-related habits that have been diminished over time:
BANKERS HOURS
Why not hum a few bars of Dolly Partons 9 to 5? Remember the movie?
Shift work once dominated the workplace. Clocking in and clocking out during the traditional workday was a way of life.
Certainly, many workers are still on the clock, so to speak. But working traditional business hours in a normal business week seems so quaint. Gosh, banking was once a Monday-to-Friday job.
Whos to blame? Everything from a global economy to sophisticated labor-cost tactics to changing needs of workers to consumers wanting goods and services almost 24/7.
LUNCH HOUR
Raise your hand if youve consistently taken a full hour for workday lunch recently.
Todays speedy lifestyle and swamped workplace conditions have made taking a full 60 minutes for lunch unless its a working meal seem not only like a luxury but almost an inconvenience.
Look, we all know what labor laws say. But the reality is the workload has grown for most people, and the hours paid have not. So less time taken away from work chores only extends time away from the rest of their lives.
So in many cases, the worker is just as guilty as the boss for making lunch hour a rarity.
BLUE LAWS
Depending on where you lived, there were various legal restrictions on what could be bought and sold on Sundays. In fact, some of those laws are still on the books.
It would be nice to think we could have a day established to spend time with friends and family and reflect on bigger-picture things, no matter how one chooses to have a sense of spirituality.
Of course, that would also mean one less day to get chores done many of which include buying stuff.
And I cant imagine many merchants giving up a day to sell when Im pretty sure retail landlords still charge rent for Sundays.
UNIONS
When youre thinking about the good old days on the job, remember how much clout organized labor once had in the American workplace.
Yes, unions were not perfect. Yes, many union leaders looked out just for themselves. Yes, unions inflexibility hurt many manufacturing industries. And, yes, many unions political stances didnt align with members wishes.
But the growing challenges of being a worker today from less cash to more stress does follow the decline of union representation of the workforce.
Unions may not be the answer for many workplace challenges. But it certainly seems the nations worker bees today are demanding a greater voice in their future.
VACATION
Ah, extended time off.
With fewer people working full time, fringe benefits like paid vacation have become less common.
And the demands of the workplace no less our own insecurities about being away from work in an era when job security is limited make many employees leery of taking lots of time off.
I believe its this pressure alone that helps balloon boss/worker tensions and heighten the populaces stressful feelings.
A well-rested worker is a better worker, so youd think this tradition could easily return one day.
RETIREMENT
Dare I say pension plan? Or 401(k) plan with matching funds from the employer?
Lets not even think about the solvency of the Social Security system, OK?
Its scary to think how few Americans are adequately financially prepared for their retirement years. Not too many decades ago, that was a chore accomplished at the workplace. Today, its largely on the worker.
Worse, the pressures from employers to keep costs low make it challenging for numerous older workers to stay on the job. So how many folks actually get to execute a truly planned retirement date?
And you wonder why so many older people are so cranky these days!
Contact the writer: jlansner@scng.com
COSTA MESA Police arrested a 23-year-old Fountain Valley man Saturday afternoon after they say he stole a large pro-Donald Trump sign from the hands of a supporter who was part of a small, street-corner rally for the Republican presidential nominee near South Coast Plaza.
The incident began at 3:36 p.m. when the Fountain Valley man approached seven to 10 Trump supporters holding signs on the southwest corner of Bristol Street and Sunflower Avenue.
Costa Mesa Police said the man snatched the groups largest sign a 7-foot by 4-foot banner that read Make American Great Again! After grabbing the sign, the man took off running southbound on Bristol Street, police said.
The sign holders called police and described the thief. Police said they searched the area and soon came upon a man matching the description, holding a giant trump sign and walking on Bristol Street near the 405 freeway.
Police arrested the man on suspicion of robbery by force. Police did not provide the suspects name.
Contact the writer: jgraham@scng.com or 714-796-7960
A woman was found dead inside her Santa Ana home Sunday afternoon and police say they suspect homicide.
At around 3:30 p.m., police were asked by relatives to check on a woman at her home in the 800 block of North Louise Street, Santa Ana police said Monday.
When officers arrived, they found a dead woman identified by police as 33-year-old Julie Nguyen.
Authorities believe she had been dead for multiple days, said police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.
Her cause of death has not been determined, but coroners officials have ruled it a homicide.
Nguyens boyfriend was questioned by homicide detectives and released pending further investigation, Bertagna said.
Police did not release further details about what led them to believe the case was a homicide.
Anyone with more information is asked to contact SAPD Homicide Detectives at 714-245-8390 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7865 or afausto@scng.com
Heres a roundup of restaurant and retail news from across Orange County. Take a look at the slideshow for more details on each.
The Village at Orange: The mall, which has been renovated twice in attempt to boost foot traffic, has been sold by its landlord, Vestar. Vestar refused to comment, but employees confirmed the 45-year-old mall had been sold and an announcement was imminent.
Bloomingdales Outlet: The chains third outlet in California debuted at the Outlets at Orange this weekend. The Bloomingdales Outlet concept was introduced in 2010 and has grown to 17 stores in the U.S. The other two California stores are in the Bay Area and San Diego.
Toys R Us: At a time when traditional anchor stores are diminishing their presence in malls, Toys R Us is tinkering with an interactive prototype shop thats made its California debut Saturday in Santa Ana.
The Santa Ana store is at 3900 Bristol St. in the same center as T.J. Maxx and Bed Bath & Beyond.
The Stand: The Los Angeles-based restaurant chain whose menu is a collision course of American comfort foods, is opening its first Orange County location this week in Irvine.
The 2,650-square-foot restaurant, the companys fifth, is at 5633 Alton Parkway, in a former Baja Fresh.
The Strand: Sushi and burgers are replacing a sushi joint at The Strand in Huntington Beach. The owners of the downtown property said HQ Gastropub of Woodland Hills is opening in the space occupied by RA Sushi, which closed in 2015. The owners of HQ refer to the gastro-lounge as a Prohibition-era drink parlor whose focus is pairing high-quality food and beverages with an eclectic atmosphere.
Eat Chow: Two years after first announcing plans to bring its chowified menu to Santa Ana, Eat Chow is open. The popular coastal restaurant, with locations in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, opened its third location Wednesday downtown.
Serena & Lily: The home decor brand opened Oct. 22 at The Newport Beach Design Shop at Lido Marina Village.
Crocs: The footwear brand known for foam clogs has opened a store at the Outlets at San Clemente.
Barnes & Noble: The troubled bookstore will close its Metro Pointe store in Costa Mesa at the end of the year.
Send any retail updates to hmadans@ocregister.com and any restaurant news to nluna@ocregister.com
SAN FRANCISCO The cannabis cognoscente are giddy about an apparent legislative blunder that could give pot users an extended tax holiday while extracting millions from government coffers if California voters approve a ballot measure legalizing recreational use of the drug.
The State Board of Equalization, the high court of tax policy, has ruled that Proposition 64 would immediately exempt medical marijuana buyers from paying the sales taxes theyve been coughing up for years. Ultimately, these folks would have to pay a 15 percent excise tax for cannabis products under Prop. 64 but that tax wouldnt kick in until Jan. 1, 2018.
The boards opinion, if it holds up, would be a bummer for the state, where cannabis proponents have been peddling legalization as a moneymaking proposition that would pay for marijuana research and regulation as well as programs to prevent drug abuse and protect the environment.
While Prop. 64 is still expected to raise billions in coming years with recreational users on the hook for both excise and sales taxes if it passes the first 14 months may generate a loss.
At issue is whether the complicated measure that runs 62 pages would eliminate existing sales taxes on medical marijuana right after the vote or in 2018, when the new regulatory structure goes into effect.
The State Board of Equalization wrote last month that the measure allows marijuana buyers with state-issued medical identification cards to avoid the sales taxes immediately. Backed by an informal analysis by the state legislative counsel, the board last week doubled down, sending thousands of letters to dispensary operators across the state advising them to stop collecting sales and use taxes effective Nov. 9 if the measure passes.
Medical dispensaries currently pay 7.5 percent in state-mandated sales tax on pot sales, plus local taxes that generally are between 1 and 2 percent, depending on the city or county.
The resulting revenue loss for 2017 is estimated to be as much as $49.5 million, said board member Jerome Horton, citing the total tax revenue collected from 1,632 dispensaries in 2014. Local cities who anticipate preserving their revenue from medical marijuana may get nothing since Proposition 64 provides for a complete exemption from medical marijuana.
The boards letter said patients who want to claim the exemption must provide a medical marijuana identification card issued by the California Department of Public Health at the time of purchase.
Richard Miadich, a Sacramento lawyer who wrote the ballot measure and serves as counsel for the Yes on Prop 64 campaign, disputed the boards interpretation, arguing that the clear intent of the measure, also known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, was to exempt medical marijuana from state sales taxes only after the 15 percent excise tax went into effect.
He said the measure was drafted in consultation with the State Board of Equalization.
It wouldnt make any sense right out of the gate to reduce revenue when the whole point of the tax structure is to fund programs, Miadich said. It is inconsistent with the statutory language and the statutory intent, which is to create new revenues for the state.
Nonetheless, ganja aficionados have begun rushing out to obtain state medical marijuana cards at the urging of dispensaries, including SPARC, the Green Cross and Magnolia Wellness Dispensary in San Francisco, and Harborside in Oakland.
Currently, only about 6,000 Californians have state ID cards, which cost $100 and require proof of a medical condition. The low number could blunt the impact of the ruling by the State Board of Equalization.
I purposely renewed my registration this month, said David Goldman, a medical marijuana patient and president of the Brownie Mary Democratic Club. If you spend more than $100 on cannabis in a month, you will probably do better if you get the state card.
Alex Zavell, a regulatory expert in the marijuana-focused law office of Robert Raich in Oakland, said the discount is likely to stand, and that the boards no-tax interpretation is probably correct given that the proposition is silent on the matter.
The Adult Use of Marijuana Act `says explicitly that excise taxes dont take effect until 2018, but the subsection for patient exemptions does not include any dates of reference, Zavell said. The subsection just says patients with state IDs are exempt from sales and use tax. It doesnt say, after X date.
Zavell said, however, that the estimate of a tax loss up to $49.5 million for 2017 was questionable given how few pot users have state-issued medical cards.
The ultimate cost of the tax holiday would depend on how many of the hundreds of thousand of medical marijuana patients who have doctors recommendations traditionally all that is needed to purchase reefer in California actually go through the hassle of getting a card, Zavell and other experts said.
What most people have right now are paper recommendations, which are extremely easy to get, said Venus Stromberg, a board spokeswoman. Its not nearly as easy or convenient to get a card from the public health department.
Moreover, tax revenue is expected to rise in the future as the state tightens regulations for both medical and recreational pot. Fiona Ma, the chairwoman of the State Board of Equalization, said only about a third of medical dispensaries currently pay all of the sales taxes they owe. As a result, she said, the state collects just $40 million a year in marijuana sales taxes when it should be collecting about $100 million.
Its possible that state legislators will seek clarifying language to allow the collection of sales taxes until 2018. But if it were up to Goldman, medical cannabis users wouldnt pay any taxes at all on their analgesic herb.
We shouldnt have to pay sales tax on a medicine, especially low-income people, or if you are using it to get off or replace prescription drugs, he said. Were being taxed enough.
Chinese celebrity fashion is highlighted during the China Fashion Week. (Photo : Getty Images)
Couturier Grace Chen, a fashion designer to China's businessmen and elite, wants to expand her studio to a complete fashion label.
She designs women's clothing ranging from business suits to evening gowns. Her studio is located in the former French Concession.
Her gowns are classic and to describe Grace Chen's design of gowns, she said, "It makes a woman feel like a princess. It's a cliche, but that's how it is."
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Chen's clientele includes China's first lady Peng Liyuan, Cheng Hong, the wife of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, and Fu Ying, the former ambassador to the United Kingdom. Celebrity clients include Helen Mirren and Oprah Winfrey.
She said, "I'm just aiming to make these women feel beautiful, the best they can feel."
She studied at the New York's Fashion Institute of Technology and worked in Halston in New York before moving to Los Angeles. She then created designs for Tadashi Shoji.
Designer Grace Chen then left Los Angeles for China to expand the Tadashi Shoji business there, and in 2009, she came home to Shanghai to build her own fashion label.
"I was the first Mainland Chinese graduate from New York's Fashion Institute of Technology," she said.
She credits the mixture of Hollywood glamor and Asian culture in her designs.
"In Hollywood, there are more events, red carpets, and agencies to promote celebrity fashion," she notes. "There's a consistency of style for an [individual] star with what she wants to achieve in her look, whereas the Chinese try to fit a common standard."
The designs of Grace Chen continue to be more popular and she intends to reach new goals for her fashion line.
She said, "From now on, we're becoming a proper brand and not just a couture studio and label."
In this most contentious of elections, you wouldnt think that a soda tax would be the issue to attract the big bucks. But measures in just two California cities have drawn more money than that states Senate race and statewide referendums on marijuana legalization and gun control combined.
Soda taxes are on the ballots in San Francisco and Oakland and spending to persuade voters to vote for or against them has topped $50 million enough to buy every person in those two cities about 40 cans of Coke.
On the pro-tax side are big donations from billionaires: Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, and Laura and John Arnold. And opposing them are the companies in the deep-pocketed beverage industry, which is outspending them by about a 3-2 ratio.
The battle is the biggest so far by health advocates in their efforts to reduce the consumption of sugary carbonated soft drinks that they say leads to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.
The idea of taxing sugar-sweetened beverages, which the measures would do, was initially an esoteric idea hashed out in medical journals. Some municipal officials showed interest, but, until recently, no soda tax got far. The failure of 40 tax measures around the country reflected public skepticism about the idea, often seen as a nanny-state intrusion. But it also reflected the lopsided investment of industry to defeat them.
Recently, the tide has begun to turn, helped in part by big donations from Bloomberg. Two years ago, Berkeley became the first city in the country to pass such a tax. Bloomberg got involved late in the effort, when it became clear the law had a chance of passing. (San Francisco had its own failed soda-tax initiative that year; it won a majority of votes but failed to clear a supermajority threshold, a bar it wont need to clear this time.)
In June, the city of Philadelphia passed its own soda tax through the City Council. The beverage industry spent about $10 million there, but Bloomberg weighed in, too, contributing about $1.6 million of the $2.5 million spent to support the bill.
Albany, another community in the San Francisco Bay Area, is also voting Tuesday, though there has been less direct spending there. Boulder, Colo., will vote on a 2-cent-per-ounce soda tax measure Tuesday. And Cook County, Illinois, which includes Chicago, is to consider a soda tax measure later this month.
Public sentiment on soda is also shifting. Many Americans say they are trying to avoid the products, and national sales of such drinks have been slipping.
The Bay Area initiatives are expensive prizes. Unlike Philadelphia, where much of the battle was fought through lobbying, both California tax proposals must win passage by a majority of voters. That means both sides have invested in big, public outreach campaigns.
The citizens have been inundated with pro- and anti-soda tax TV and radio commercials, and mailboxes are filled with direct mail from both sides. Canvassers are making phone calls and going door to door in the final days of the campaign. Dan Newman, a political consultant with SCN Strategies, who is working on the pro-tax campaign, said the volume of messages about the measures dwarfs the 2014 effort.
It was intense and expensive, and folks were amazed in talking about it, he said of 2014. And it was nothing like this.
The tax battle has also prompted accusations of skulduggery. The soda industry enlisted the help of several local grocers to pose for mailers and state their opposition to the tax. Several of them, later approached by pro-tax advocates and reporters, said they had been misled about the nature of the tax proposal. Others have become the subjects of negative Yelp reviews and threatened with boycotts, what an anti-tax campaigner described as intimidation.
The measures are similar in both cities: They would impose a tax of one cent per ounce of any drink with added sugar, including sugary soft drinks, iced teas and smoothies. The taxes would be imposed on beverage distributors, not at the checkout registers. The emerging evidence from existing soda taxes suggests those higher prices will be passed through to retailers and then to shoppers. If they are, they could result in a price increase of 67 cents on a two-liter bottle, or $1.44 for a 12-pack.
Those higher prices are intended to discourage shoppers from consuming as many sugary drinks, which have been linked to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. The pro-tax side has been emphasizing the negative health effects of soft-drink consumption, and arguing the tax will make the citys children healthier.
Research from Mexico, which passed a national soda tax in 2014, shows that the taxes can drive down soda consumption. But it is not known yet whether those reductions will result in better health.
The industry argues that the taxes have no clear connection to public health and that they will fall disproportionately on low-income shoppers. In California, they have also been arguing that the taxes could result in higher prices for other items at the grocery store as retailers try to spread the rising wholesale cost of soft drinks over other products. But there is no research from Berkeley or Mexico that advocates could cite to support the notion.
A local coalition of anti-tax advocates, led by the American Beverage Association, a trade group for drink-makers, began sending direct mail months earlier than is typical for a ballot initiative.
Susan Neely, the associations president, said her organization was committed to fighting soda taxes on every front. We oppose them wherever they are introduced that is a clear position that we have staked out, she said. That is not going to change.
There has been little public polling on the measures, though consultants on both sides said they have been polling privately, and the vote will be close.
The complexity of the cities ballots this year makes predicting a result hard. In San Francisco, voters are considering more than 40 initiatives, including two separate measures about plastic shopping bags. The beverage tax is fairly far down on both ballots, which means some voters may grow fatigued and fail to weigh in.
After a year or more of yelling, disagreeing, pointing fingers, some civic pride and some disgust directed at the candidate you dont like, Tuesday (barring a contested outcome) is the final day of the 2016 presidential election.
Either the first woman or the first reality television star/billionaire is going to be the next President of the United States. And many voters who have watched the race and today are inspired or angry or both, are also happy its coming to an end.
Some people in the Never Trump or Never Hillary camps are going to be upset with the results of this election.
For roughly half the country, never starts Wednesday.
The Southern California News Group talked to three voters a Trump supporter from Riverside County, a Clinton supporter from Los Angeles County and a first-time voter from Orange County about what this campaign has said to them. We will talk with them again after the election, asking what they heard in the vote itself and what, if anything, they plan to do next.
TRUMP IS THE NEW NORMAL
Mario Herrera remembers the precise moment he became a Donald Trump supporter.
It was April 28, just before 7 p.m. in Costa Mesa. Trump was making an appearance at the OC Fair & Event Center in the run-up to the Republican presidential primary.
Herrera, 27, the head of the Riverside County Young Republicans, saw something in the Trump crowd that opened his eyes: Normal people from every walk of life, people not affiliated with politics.
He felt like Trump had a grassroots movement, and he was swept up. He had once supported Marco Rubio.
Herrera, who works as a political consultant and lives in Murrieta, served six years in the Marine Corps. National security is his No. 1 issue, and he believes Trump exhibits strength. He believes Trumps assertion that Mexico sends criminals into the United States and that we need a border wall. His parents came from Mexico, but they did it the right way, he said.
While he was in Iraq, Herrera decided to become a Republican after reading a book by conservative media mogul Glenn Beck. (Beck in October denounced Trump.)
Herrera was injured in Iraq, and he was angry with the Veterans Administration. The VA, he said, treated him suspiciously, like I was trying to commit fraud, when he tried to get treatment.
He hopes Trump lays waste to the VA.
Herrera is not dismayed by Trumps comments about women, Latinos, the disabled and others.
Hes an ass, Herrera said. But its not a popularity contest. He has that New York mentality. Were going to get things done, and if you dont like it too bad. Ive said more offensive things than him in my snores.
On election day, hell be monitoring the polls to see if he can detect rigging by the Democrats, he said.
CLINTON CANT LOSE, CAN SHE?
Donald Trump has already cost Mark Sarvas a $200 bottle of wine Amarone della valpolicella classico.
In 2015, Sarvas, a longtime Democrat and Hillary Clinton supporter, bet a friend that Trumps campaign would fall apart.
I grotesquely underestimated the appeal of Donald Trump, said Sarvas, a 52-year-old novelist and teacher from Santa Monica.
Sarvas is rooting hard for Clinton. He admires her years of service, her experience and her platform positions. The only choice is Hillary, he said.
He hopes that she is less hawkish when it comes to dealing with the Middle East; hopes the left wing of the Democratic Party convinces her to moderate those stances.
He does, however, recognize her weaknesses when it comes to transparency.
Im not a Kool-Aid drinker, Sarvas said. Ive been very critical of Clinton over the email issue. It became the Republicans only talking point. But I still wholeheartedly support her.
Raised by Hungarian immigrants in New York, Sarvas remembers his father being a fan of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. It wasnt until 1988 that Sarvas became politically aware. In that election, he voted for the losing candidate Michael Dukakis.
He hopes that doesnt happen this time.
The proposal that Trump wins is so unthinkable, Sarvas said. It seems unfathomable that he could win.
On election day, Sarvas will be teaching a novel writing class at UCLA. Hell turn on CNN so he and his students can watch.
I have no doubt Hillary will be elected, he said.
THEY MESSED WITH BERNIE
Sabrina Rios thought she had found the leader for the right kind of revolution.
Bernie Sanders wasnt co-opted by the banks, or big business, or war mongers. Rios, a 22-year-old student at Saddleback College and a first-time voter, was inspired by Sanders. She loved his back story. When Sanders was in college, he was fighting against segregation in schools.
And then he lost in the Democratic nomination, a primary process that Rios believes was rigged against him. When Clinton accepted the nomination during the Democratic National Convention, Rios cried.
I watched the primary results at work, said Rios, an administrative assistant. It broke my heart. If he would have lost fairly, I would have accepted it.
So, she did what Clintons campaign feared she would do. She is taking the Bernie or bust philosophy literally. Rios is voting for Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
Its a good year to vote for a third party, she said.
Stein stands with pipeline protesters in North Dakota. Stein is for Medicaid for all. Stein is for clean energy. And, yes, Rios knows Stein has no chance to win.
She knows about the Ralph Nader vote in 2000 that helped George W. Bush beat Al Gore.
She doesnt care.
We need more voices than this two-party system, Rios said. Why are two parties controlling this game?
She was so angry after reading what Democrats did and said about Sanders in the material published by WikiLeaks that she officially left the Democratic Party. She now has no party affiliation.
Would she jump to the Republicans?
I didnt even consider them, Rios said. I dont support Trump at all. Hes narcissistic. And Hillary is very manipulative.
On election day, she plans to vote during her lunch break.
A lot of my friends flipped to Hillary, she said. But nobody is actually happy voting for her. Id much rather vote my conscience.
Contact the writer: ksharon@scng.com
About 120 motorcycle riders took off from the Huntington Beach Pier on Sunday morning for the second annual Veterans Honor Ride, a fundraiser and show of support for veterans hosted by volunteers from the Association of the United States Army and the American Legion.
As the national anthem rang across the shore from the pier, beachgoers dropped their volleyballs to the sand to put their hands over their hearts and salute.
After the opening ceremony, a stream of motorcycles, trikes and a few jeeps took off in groups, directed by retired Brig. Gen. Jim Combs, former president of the Association of the United States Armys Greater Los Angeles chapter.
A veteran of three wars starting with Vietnam, Combs, 67, said a display of support like Sundays can make a world of difference for veterans, especially those from Vietnam, who came back as forgotten fighters and struggled for years feeling little to no support or appreciation for their sacrifices.
The sense of welcoming that was absent at the time they came back has reversed itself this morning, Combs said. Today, their spirit is elevated, their hearts are warmed at the notion that there is a fabric of people here in this community that really care about this and want to change it.
After leaving the pier, the group rode down the coast, passing through Seal Beach and Long Beach where they stopped off at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System facility to visit with veterans before ending in Los Alamitos.
The ride also is a fundraiser, putting money toward veterans support programs in the community. The approximately $10,000 raised from this years ride will go to support programs at the Military & Veterans Resource Center at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base. Converted from a gas station in 2008 to serve the needs of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the center serves more than 1,000 members from all branches of the military each month.
During the opening ceremony, speakers including Huntington Beach Mayor Jim Katapodis, state Sen. Janet Nguyen and county Supervisor Michelle Steel told the audience that freedom is not free, reminding them of the sacrifices made by many in the audience to preserve the countrys freedoms.
After hearing from the speakers and receiving applause from attendees, the many veterans among Sundays riders took off on their motorcycles with smiles on their faces. Knowing theyre appreciated makes a huge impact on these warriors, Combs said.
Part of the healing process after youve been in combat is to come back and have fellowship with the brothers and sisters youve served with, Combs said. I think its just a wonderful thing that Huntington Beach has stood up in such a powerful way to say thank you.
Contact the writer: jwinslow@scng.com
Census data show about 400,000 living American women were born in or before 1920, the year women won the right to vote.
On Tuesday, a lot of them figure to do just that, some on both sides of the political aisle inspired by the idea that a woman, for the first time, is at the top of a ticket for a major political party in a presidential election.
It look women a long time to arrive at a place where we had a voice, said Betty Brodsky, 98, as she sat on the back porch of her Laguna Woods condo.
Women do exercise their voice.
Of the more than 130 million votes expected to be cast as part of Tuesdays national election, a majority about 53 percent are expected to be cast by women. In 2012, women cast about 9.8 million more votes than did men, and women have outvoted men in every general election since 1980.
Hillary Clinton has a clear lead in polls, which show women favor her 50 percent to 38 percent over Donald Trump, while men favor Trump roughly 45 percent to 41 percent.
I dont think there is any reason that her election will be anything but positive for the United States, said Brodsky, who has voted in every election since 1936.
Not all women agree with Brodsky.
I have a firm belief that we as a country need to adhere to the idea of limited central government, and I think Mr. Trump would help with that, said Betty Bartley, 96, who said she already cast her ballot. A Clinton administration, in the Anaheim residents view, would simply further our countrys shift towards a more socialist system.
But whats key for Brodsky and Bartley and tens of millions of other women is that theyll get to express their disagreement at the polls.
Neither Brodsky nor Bartley can remember when that wouldnt have been possible. Bartley was born in 1920, when women got the franchise, and Brodsky was just 2.
But Brodsky, a liberal and longtime political activist, does remember when women casting votes was novel.
She grew up hearing stories about how women marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., to demand the right to vote.
She also has vivid recollections of taking part in womens rights battles that followed suffrage, including several trips she took to lobby Congress on issues such as the Fair Employment Practices Act and the Equal Rights Amendment.
One of those trips, she recalled, ended with her hanging over the rail of the Senates public gallery and scolding my senator for his failure, I dont remember which one, but some failure to protect womens equality and other basic human rights.
Women were treated as second-class citizens, Brodsky said. We were not given all of the rights and privileges that men had. There was no equality.
It was a battle that we fought, and that we paid for.
Still, Brodsky isnt surprised by Clintons place on the ticket. She always expected to eventually cast a vote for a female presidential candidate.
I was sure of it. That was the goal, she said. Of course there should be a woman to vote for. Theres just no question about that.
For her part, Bartley doesnt have a problem with Clintons gender. She just doesnt like her politics.
The idea of having a woman president is OK, she said. It just happens to be that this woman would lead the country down the wrong path.
Others, including many who might vote for Trump, also see value in the idea of a woman having a realistic shot at the Oval Office.
Its an incredibly important shift, not only for women, said Melissa Breach, executive director of the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of California.
A website, iwaited96years.com, shares testimonials from women who were born before ratification of the 19th Amendment.
Created by Sarah Benor of Los Angeles and her friend Tom Field-Meyer, the site was inspired by Benors 98-year-old grandmother, Estelle Liebow Schultz. Benor says Liebow Schultz was diagnosed with a serious heart condition but has insisted on staying alive long enough to cast a vote for Clinton.
Shes talked about wanting to live for the next Hillary Clinton-related event first to vote for her in the primary, and then in the general election, Benor said.
Now, she says she wants to see her inaugurated.
I Waited 96 Years was launched in mid-October and features the stories of more than 80 women.
It seems like for women of a certain age, this is a really special time, Benor said. So special that they can even spend a few extra months on this planet to see it happen.
Contact the writer: gwyler@scng.com
Students at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, in Yorktown Heights, New York, have been casting their votes to determine the winner of each presidential election, since 1968, and for the past 48 years, theyve gotten it right every time.
Every four years, just days before the actual presidential election, the elementary school sets up mock voting booths and invites its students from kindergarten to fifth grade to cast their ballot for the candidate that they think would deserve to become president of the United States of America. But its the process leading up to the vote thats genuinely interesting. The students spend months learning about the candidates, who they only know as Candidate A and Candidate B, focusing on policy and real issues, instead of on their personality and popularity. We talk about exact facts and issues and put them on two sides of a spreadsheet. Then the students debate the facts in class, principal Patricia Moore says.
Eventually, the kids are told which candidate they had been siding with, and with this last piece of information in mind, they are ready to cast their vote. The same scenario been unfolding every four years since 1968, since Tom McAdams, a fifth-grade social studies teacher initiated the tradition, and the kids have predicted the result of the election every time.
Photo: Benjamin Franklin Elementary School/Facebook
Every year since Nixon, weve correctly predicted [the outcome of the election] based on the popular vote. We do our own electoral votes based on enrollment in the classes, Moore told CBS News. Were pretty proud of it. Every four years we continue it. We cant skip an election nationwide, so we cant skip it in our school.
Regarding the reason for their impeccable track record of predicting the outcome of the presidential elections, principal Moore thinks that diversity may play a big part. We have minority groups, students that speak English as a second language, white collar, blue collar, she said. It could be representative of the nation.
The mock election of Benjamin Franklin Elementary School took place again this year, and after calculating the votes and adding them to a spreadsheet, the teachers announced the winner: Hillary Clinton. The Democratic candidate got 52% of the votes (277), while the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, only 43% (230). Everyone is now waiting for the results of the actual Election Day, on November 8. Our palms are sweaty, Moore jokingly said.
A Chinese court ordered a hot pot restaurant to pay 237,000 yuan ($35,000) to a female customer after an angry waiter poured scalding soup on her during heated argument.
The incident occurred in August of last year, at a branch of Mr Hot Pot restaurant, in Wenzhou, eastern China. The victim, referred to only as Ms. Lin, was having dinner with members of her family, including her mother and her seven-year-old daughter, when she got into an argument with their waiter over the amount of water in her hot pot. The man walked away as Lin was complaining to him, so she decided to vent by posting a negative review of the restaurant on social media, referencing one of the managers in her post. Online reviews are a big deal in China, as most customers choose where to eat by reading customer reviews.
After seeing her review, the furious waiter returned to Ms. Lins table and asked her to remove the post. She refused, so he went back into the kitchen, grabbed a large pot of boiling soup and poured it all over the dissatisfied patron. But he didnt stop there. Footage captured by CCTV cameras show the 17-year-old waiter pulling the shocked woman backwards in her chair, knocking her head against a counter in the restaurant and the floor, and kicking her with his legs. The raging young man continued to hit her even as six people struggled to restrain him.
Ms. Lin suffered extensive damage to her skin,face, mostly on her neck, shoulder and back, and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.
The waiter, surnamed Zhu, was arrested after the incident and immediately admitted to his crime. In the final stages of his trial, he had only one thing to say, and that was Im sorry. On January 19, the Lucheng District Court in Wenzhou sentenced the waiter to 22 months in prison, which most people considered too lenient for the gravity of his actions. However, the judge had decided to go easy on him because he had been only 17 at the time of the crime.
However, the court also decided that Mr Hot Pot restaurant should also be held accountable, because the incident had occurred on its premises and had been caused by one of its employees during work hours. The judge also took into consideration the fact that Ms. Lin had to undergo expensive plastic surgery to treat her burns, many of which had affected her face.
The woman had originally asked for 577,500 yuan in compensation for the injuries and trauma she had suffered at the hand of Zhu, but on November 3, 2016, a court awarded Lin just 237,000 yuan, because the restaurant had already paid for her medical treatment.
via Shanghaiist
The court battle between the cellphone industry and Berkeley, Calif., which wants notices posted at the point of sale, exposes flaws in the U.S. legal system.
The battle was covered in an extensive article in Newsweek Nov. 3 by Ronnie Cohen.
CTIA, formerly the Cellular Telephone Industries Assn., which had revenues of $161 million in 2014 and net assets of $134M, is arguing that Berkeley has no right to order stores to post signs saying:
If you carry or use your phone in a pants or shirt pocket or tucked into a bra when the phone is ON and connected to a wireless network, you may exceed the federal guidelines for exposure to RF radiation. Customers are told to read the safety regulations in the cellphone manuals.
Lawrence Lessig, attorney for Berkeley, says it is a matter of "free speech" and companies are discouraging governments from imposing regulations by filing First Amendment lawsuits that are prohibitively expensive to defend.
Berkeley says it is the only town in the U.S. attempting to order stores to post notices about the cellphones either at the point of sale or handed to each buyer.
Proponents of the notices say that the husband of Judge Michelle Friedland, one of three judges on the case, should not be involved because he is a senior design engineer with Tarana Wireless which partnered with Nokia. Tarana's largest investor is AT&T. Tarana designs equipment for the 5G (Fifth Generation) rollout being promoted by the FCC and industry.
Proponents also say that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has fought cellphone retail store "right to know" laws across the country, filing amicus briefs in cities and states. Governments can post cellphone precautions on their website without getting sued, the proponents say.
Schools, Libraries Lack Cellphone Notices
Lessig
Radiation health advocates note that no library in the U.S. carries such notices, apparently because they fear legal action by CTIA and its allies. There are no such notices in any libraries, schools or government offices in the towns of Southampton, Hampton Bays, Quogue or Westhampton, which are visited often by this writer.
CTIA, whose slogan is "Everything Wireless.," says that the notices mislead customers by saying that if cellphones are not used in a certain way, they wont be safe. Berkeley argues back that the notices are free speech and only repeat what is already in cellphone instructions buried in small type near the end.
The cellphone industry spent $166 billion on cell towers and networks from 2009-14. There are 594,304 cell towers in the U.S., many of them in residential districts, according to thekillzones.com, which says they are a major health hazard. CTIA says there are 242,130 towers while StatisticBrain says there are 215,000.
CTIA CEO Steve Largent was paid $2,731,355 in 2014, latest financial report available on GuideStar. He retired in December 2014. Second highest pay went to Chris Guttman-McCabe, XVP, $1,548,037. Meredith Baker, president/CEO as of June 2014, was paid $883,676.
Becky Relic, SVP/PA and communications, left the association in October.
CTIA is represented by Theodore Olson, former solicitor general who argued the case that helped to put George W. Bush in the White House, says Cohen.
Wikipedia says Al Gore would have won the 2000 election instead of George W. Bush if the Supreme Court had not stopped the recount.
Lessig, Harvard law professor who specializes in cyberlaw, is working pro bono for Berkeley. He was formerly director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard and was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016, withdrawing before the primaries. He favors reduced legal restrictions on copyright, trademark and the radio frequency spectrum, particularly in technology applications. He founded in 2001 Creative Commons, a non-profit that allows legal copying of articles.
Berkeley Battle a Travesty
Ellen Marks, director of the California Brain Tumor Assn., which found in a survey that Berkeley residents overwhelmingly want this information at the point of sale, said CTIA is showing that the cellphone industry has no concern for the health or rights of all Americans. No one is saying do not use a cellphone. The fact that this industry is working so hard to hide this from the public only confirms the science that cellphones, as currently used, cause cancer and other ill health effects.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which in 2014 published Unprincipled Prosecution, The Abuse of Power and Profiteering in the New Litigation Swarm, says the U.S. has the worlds most costly legal system as a share of its economy.
Legal critic Les Sachs says the 2.2 million U.S. prisoners is the largest prison gulag in the world, the proportion of prisoners to population being 30 times higher than it is in China even though China is regularly denounced by the U.S. government.
Theodore Olson
Particular victims are minorities, he says, with one in 20 African-American adult males being behind bars. The U.S. is also one of 60 of 200 countries still practicing executions with 35 states having such laws on the books. Legal battles on the sentences last an average of 14 years and cost California $307 million per execution. There are 1.22 million U.S. lawyers or 391 per 100,000 population vs. 23 per 100K in Japan and 26 per 100K in Canada.
American lawyers are directly under the thumb of the judges and the government, and must submit to the culture of bribery and the perversion of justice, or else face terrifying revenge, says Sachs. Lawyers, just like yourself, can be quickly stripped of their rights to practice law, and personally and financially destroyed, if they dare criticize legal corruption.
Lack of Trials Noted
The Sachs essay is of particular interest to Berkeley residents who wonder why the issue is not being put to a trial. Jury trials are actually very rare in America, unlike what you see in the movies, says Sachs. Most cases are settled through some deal or extortion or intimidation.
Lawyers work closely with judges and engage in an endlessly devious manipulation of words and phrases to get the desired result, he says. Lawyers have to make the judge happy first."
Reporters, according to Sachs, are little timid people who are afraid of getting fired and who almost never write a story on government corruption unless some other part of the government is officially investigating or prosecuting.
All of the above sites decry the almost complete disappearance of jury trials. Scranton, Pa., lawyer Marion Munley says justice in the U.S. has deteriorated into a series of back-room deals. There are pre-trials and pre-trials and pre-trials for the pre-trials, benefiting lawyers only, says the Anti-Lawyer Party.
Trial by Jury, a Hallowed American Right, Is Vanishing, said the headline on a first page story in the Aug. 8, 2016 New York Times. Justice is being served behind closed doors, says the article. The entire system loses an edge, said Judge John Gleeson while Judge Jed Rakoff said, A trial is the place where the system really gets tested.
Offutt celebrates Tuskegee Airman's Birthday
Former U.S. Army Air Corps Cpl Robert Holts, the sole surviving original Tuskegee Airman from Nebraska, poses with students of the James M. McCoy Airman Leadership School here Nov. 25. Also in attendance were some members of the Alfonza W. Davis Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, who came together with the ALS to honor Holts on his 92nd birthday. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jeff Gates)
Visitors look at the new Samsung Galaxy S7 on the opening day of the World Mobile Congress at the Fira Gran Via Complex on Feb. 22, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo : Getty Images David Ramos)
Android 7.0 Nougat is likely to reach Samsung flagship smartphones real soon and both the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are tipped to get the new mobile OS first. Such scenario was hinted by two new developments - Samsung has commenced the public beta testing of the operating system and T-Mobile has just provided its November security update for the two handsets.
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While there was no mention that its latest firmware release is a prelude to an imminent Nougat rollout, T-Mobile has officially announced the availability of the latest update for the S7 and S7 Edge. The jump is available over the air and weighs 81.96MB. The whole updating process is estimated by the service provider to be completed in 10 minutes.
According to Phone Arena, the firmware versions G930TUVU4PK1 and G935TUVU4APK1 are described as maintenance update for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge respectively. T-Mobile gave no clue that it will soon issue the Nougat for both devices but the OTA update somehow pointed to that direction - that work is already underway for the devices to get a taste of Google's latest mobile OS.
And the better indication of such an event came from Samsung. The Galaxy device maker is now beta testing Android Nougat, SamMobile reported. "The Korean giant has started beta testing Android 7.0 Nougat for the Galaxy S7 edge (and, we presume, the regular Galaxy S7 as well) in the UK," the report said.
The move is actually a repeat of last year as the same report noted that prior to the Marshmallow rollout for the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge in 2015, Samsung also allowed beta testing of the OS.
This year's program is yet to be officially announced but Samsung is expected to send out advisories soon and expand the Nougat beta testing beyond the United Kingdom.
But Sammy fans on the S7 and S7 Edge need not wait as SamMobile said that the Galaxy Beta Program is now live in the Galaxy App Store in select locations. Or for those unable to find the app, the report provided two links (here and here) to obtain the APK for manual install. Be reminded though that manual installing the Nougat beta entails lots of work and some form of risks so think twice before taking the plunge on this.
The safer route is to enlist on Samsung's beta program but as clarified by SamMobile, securing the registration will not necessarily mean that one will be picked to test drive Android 7.0 Nougat on the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.
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Several Samsung Galaxy Note 7's lay on a counter in plastic bags after they were returned to a Best Buy on September 15, 2016 in Orem, Utah. (Photo : Getty Images/George Frey)
Samsung has been urging customers to return their Galaxy Note 7 smartphones because of the safety risk it poses after several reports of battery explosions have circulated the news.
Some people who bought the smartphone still refuse to give up their device. Samsung has repeatedly urged customers to return their phone to exchange it with another device but others just would not budge.
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Now, other companies are stepping up to pressure users into returning their phones. All of the mobile carriers in New Zealand will be blocking signals from the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 so that the remaining few will be forced to just turn the device in, Engadget has learned.
The carriers will use the IMEI blocking method to prevent the Galaxy Note 7 users from using the network signals of their phone. Of course, the Wi-Fi will still work but that only means users will have to stick to their houses and they would not be able to use the calling or SMS features ever again.
Samsung is also pushing an update for the Galaxy Note 7 that blocks it from charging over 60 percent to annoy customers into returning the device, Lifehacker reported. The update has already been rolled out in other countries but the company is slated to release it in the United States soon.
With only 60 percent in battery life, users will have to charge the phone more which can be quite irritating. Users are being urged to just return and exchange it for a better one in 2017 such as the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 or the Samsung Galaxy S8 which is rumored to have the new BioBlue 4K screen display.
Samsung confirmed that 85 percent of the Galaxy Note 7 devices in the U.S. have already been exchanged but there are still some pesky few who refuse to get their phones replaced. Not only is it a safety risk to themselves but to others as well as it could suddenly flame up and damage a home or a public place.
Galaxy Note 7 users should return their phone to have it replaced. The smartphone has been involved in a number of fire hazards that may harm anyone near the device while it bursts into flames.
Omaha-based WealthPlan Partners said it has established a broker-dealer relationship with Securities America and custodian relationships with Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade and Fidelity.
The new agreements took effect last week, the company said.
WealthPlan Partners provides financial advisers with services to support their independent offices, representing 28 advisers with assets under management of more than $2.2 billion.
Before Omaha-based Securities America, WealthPlan Partners had worked with broker-dealer LPL Financial for 27 years.
Samsung Galaxy S8 concept render shows new 4K screen (Photo : YouTube / Moby.Smart. Cat)
Samsung seems to be betting big on their upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone as they indirectly confirmed it might feature a highly-advanced artificial intelligence digital assistant that will help people forget the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco.
The Galaxy Note 7 recall is not yet finished as some people refuse to turn in their smartphones. However, Samsung already has a plan to bury their mistake and to get back on track for 2017 through the Galaxy S8 smartphone.
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Samsung has recently acquired Viv Labs Inc, an AI software company based in the United States, and they seem to be using their acquisition to help push the software boundaries of their next flagship smartphone. Rehee In-jong, the executive vice president of Samsung, said that the Galaxy S8 will have Ai that is different from Google's or Apple's Siri, Bloomberg has learned.
AI assistants are already powerful compared to several years ago. However, they are still limited in the tasks that they can do such as fetching flight or restaurant information.
The Korean tech giant's upcoming Galaxy S8 has been reportedly delayed because Samsung is set on finding the cause of the battery fires in the Galaxy Note 7. Initially, the Galaxy S8 phone has been expected to be revealed in Q1 2017 but it could be pushed later down the timeline due to the premature exit of the phablet, Engadget reported.
Samsung's reputation has been damaged by the Galaxy Note 7 problems as they still try to recall all of the phones to prevent further accidents from happening. The Galaxy S8 could possibly save the company if the improvements and upgrades are over the top.
Besides the advanced AI, the Galaxy S8 is also rumored to feature the BioBlue 4K screen that Samsung presented several weeks ago at an event. The said screen is also bendable and could very well take on the curved edge screen once again that has been started by the Galaxy S6 Edge variant.
CRESTON, Neb. The midday sun pushed temperatures past the 70-degree mark late last week while the fifth and sixth generations of the Brockhaus family gathered the last 20 acres of the fall harvest near here.
Brothers Terry and Steve Brockhaus, along with Steves sons Jeff and Jon, typically reap corn from these fields, but as a slight westerly breeze picked up, Steve Brockhaus looked southward over the last remaining rows of the 2016 corn crop to the purveyors of their newest cash crop: four 1.7-megawatt General Electric wind turbines.
Im surprised on days like today when it seems like theres hardly any wind on the ground and theyre still turning, Steve Brockhaus said.
Turning they were on Thursday, feeding clean power into the Loup Power District grid as they have since they were commissioned in December 2015.
On top of that, the Brockhauses see other benefits: Farming around the four turbines that straddle Mason Road on about 200 acres of irrigated farmland is a veritable breeze, said Jeff Brockhaus, 26.
They dont take any ground up, Terry Brockhaus said.
And the land-lease payments of about $32,000 that landed in the Brockhaus farm coffers from Omaha-based Bluestem Energy Solutions in January are a welcome source of income as millions of American farmers struggle through yet another year of cratered commodity prices.
Wind energy, the fastest-growing source of electricity in the U.S., is transforming low-income rural areas in ways not seen since the federal government gave land to homesteaders 150 years ago. As commodity prices threaten to reach decade lows and farmers struggle to meet debt payments, wind has saved family farms across a wide swath of the heartland.
The Brockhauses about four years ago got out of the cattle business, and they sold off all their hogs the following year. The family farm is by no means in trouble, but livestock prices became too volatile and fell too low, said Steve.
There aint no money in them, he said. Id take turbines any day.
In states neighboring Nebraska where wind development is in relatively nascent stages, crop and livestock producers also have woken up to the benefits of wind.
The money that Richard Wilson earns from leasing his land for about 35 turbines run by the Golden West Wind Energy Center outside Colorado Springs, Colorado, has kept him from having to sell off pieces of the 6,000-acre cattle and wheat ranch his family has owned since 1948.
We werent making enough money to sustain ourselves, he said. Now were in a position where we can operate our farm for another generation, at least.
For others, turbines spin off six-figure incomes that have allowed them to retire from farming altogether.
One turbine has changed my life, said Ed Woolsey, a fifth-generation Iowa farmer and a principal with Crosswinds Energy Project, a community collective that manages 10 turbines and sells the power they generate to rural electric cooperatives. Before, I raised corn and soybeans and cattle. Now I dont. Im a wind farmer.
Woolsey leases his farm to others to cultivate. Neither he nor Wilson would disclose how much he earns, but landowners who sign lease agreements with wind companies typically get between $7,000 and $10,000 per turbine each year.
The more than $100 billion that companies have invested in wind power in low-income counties where about 70 percent of wind farms are located has helped double assessed land values in some of the poorest parts of rural America. That has provided a much-needed infusion of local tax revenue thats being used to rebuild schools and pay down debt.
A five-year extension of a federal tax credit on wind production, passed at the end of last year, should accelerate the construction of turbines. The credit pays wind power producers 2.3 cents for every kilowatt-hour of electricity generated for a 10-year period. That incentive should help double U.S. wind power capacity to 167 gigawatts enough to power 50 million homes by 2030, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
By 2030 rural landowners are projected to reap as much as $900 million a year by leasing land to wind developers, said Alex Morgan, North American wind energy analyst at BNEF.
In Oklahoma, wind farms are projected to return $1 billion in property taxes to counties and school districts over a 40-year period. Increased tax revenue has already helped the state weather the decline in the oil sector and allowed some school districts to forgo state funding.
In Platte County, Nebraska, where Omaha-based Bluestem is readying to install four more turbines for a second phase, the energy developer will pay nearly $24,000 in annual property taxes for the first phase. According to 2011 data from the Tax Foundation, thats the same as adding about 14 new taxpayers to the rolls.
Thats pretty good for rural areas losing population, said Adam Herink, vice president of Bluestem. Infrastructure opportunities for rural Nebraska are few and far between. This brings income and property tax relief, which everybody needs.
In Iowa, which got 31 percent of its power from wind in 2015, more than any other state, money from turbines has protected farmers from falling corn prices. Annual lease payments of about $17 million helped some avoid foreclosure as they prepared for a record corn harvest that could drive receipts to a 10-year low. Tim Hemphill, a corn and soybean farmer outside Milford, gets about $20,000 a year for leasing land for turbines. A few years ago corn was $7 a bushel, he said. Now my cost to raise it is $4.20 and (the price) could fall to $2.70. Its going to break a lot of people.
Wind also is keeping power prices low across much of rural America. In the 11 states that produce more than 7 percent of their power from wind, electricity prices fell 0.37 percent from 2008 to 2013; nationwide, power prices were up 7.7 percent during that period.
Warren Buffetts MidAmerican Energy is negotiating with landowners for leases to build a $3.58 billion series of wind farms across Iowa, the largest economic development in state history. The company by the end of this year will commission its Grande Prairie wind farm in Holt County, Nebraska, which will be home to the largest wind project in state history at 400 megawatts.
Back in Iowa, land agents also are in discussions with hundreds of farmers there who stand to profit from $1 billion in new projects planned by Alliant Energy.
This is our financial future, said Michael Nolte, a farmer who sits on the Franklin County Board in Iowa. This year the board voted to lower property taxes after it paid off a bond used to fund $18 million in road and bridge improvements. Surrounding counties had recently been forced to close bridges that could no longer support heavy farm machinery, and they lacked the money to fix them.
Its helping us survive and maintain services, Nolte said, whereas other counties have had to make cuts.
In Platte County on Thursday, Steve Brockhaus said the Bluestem development makes him feel particularly thankful for his many blessings, including the opportunity to help the county and local Loup ratepayers:
It aint too often you can help everybody in the county by lowering taxes and help everybody on the Loup grid.
This report includes material from Bloomberg News.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. owns the Omaha World-Herald
A 19-year-old man was killed and another was critically injured Sunday in a one-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 in Cass County.
Devon Wheeler of Gravity, in Taylor County, was pronounced dead at the scene, the Iowa State Patrol said. Benjamin Hill of Bedford, also in Taylor County, was taken by helicopter to the Nebraska Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. He was listed in critical condition there Monday.
Investigators said neither man was using a seat belt, and both were ejected from the 2007 Ford Focus. The crash occurred about 7 a.m. as Hill was driving the Focus east on I-80.
The car drove onto the north shoulder before the driver over-corrected, the report said. The Ford then crossed both lanes of I-80, went into the south ditch and crashed in a cornfield.
A 69-year-old southwest Iowa man died Saturday after he was injured during a fall while fishing near the Iowa-Missouri state line.
The Page County Sheriffs Office said Joseph Bruce Hines of Blanchard was pronounced dead at Shenandoah Medical Center, where he was taken after the fall.
About 3 p.m. Saturday, deputies responded to a call about a man falling into Tarkio Creek just west of Blanchard near a bridge on 320th Street.
Hines was fishing near the bridge, the Sheriffs Office said, when he slipped on the edge of the creek bank and fell into the water. He suffered life-threatening injuries before ending up in the water, the Sheriffs Office said.
A witness did not have a phone at the scene and returned to Blanchard to call for assistance, the Sheriffs Office said.
One driver was ticketed on suspicion of willful reckless driving and another on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol Sunday in an Interstate 480 collision that sent one of the men to the hospital and shut down part of the Interstate for about two hours, police said.
Norris Zavala, 29, of Bellevue suffered broken ribs and facial cuts in the crash, said Omaha Police Sgt. Charles Casey, an accident investigator.
Paramedics considered Zavala in critical condition en route to Creighton University Medical Center, but he was expected to survive, Casey said.
The crash happened about 7:15 p.m. on northbound I-480 just south of the Martha Street exit.
A police investigation revealed Zavala had been driving a gray 2004 Chevrolet Malibu recklessly, sending the car out of control and into a center barrier, Casey said. The car then traveled sideways across the traffic lanes and collided with a northbound silver 2001 Chevrolet Blazer, he said.
Zavala was not using a seat belt and was partially ejected from the Malibu, the sergeant said. He was cited on suspicion of willful reckless driving and received a ticket on suspicion of the seat belt violation.
The Blazers driver, Luis Robles-Montero, 41, of Omaha, was ticketed on suspicion of driving under the influence.
The Omaha City Council president doesnt want the Nebraska Tax Equalization and Review Commission to have the power to make across-the-board adjustments to property values any more.
Council President Ben Gray wants the City of Omaha to ask legislators to disband the commission entirely or to add oversight by elected officials.
The full council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on Grays proposal as well as a host of other potential items on the citys list of legislative priorities.
The other priorities include several issues the city has taken to the Legislature in the past, including proposing a ban on facsimile weapons and a repeal of the good time law.
It also includes several new issues, including some suggestions on county court from the new city prosecutor.
Grays proposal is in response to a commission order earlier this year that Douglas County adjust tax valuations in two areas of the county.
In northeast Omaha, which Gray represents on the council, values were decreased on about 20,000 properties.
Officials have said they worry that the decreases will depress home values, discourage renovations by homeowners and even cause people to panic and sell their homes for less than theyre worth to unscrupulous speculators.
There is not going to be any shortage of words from me. There is not going to be any letting up from me, Gray said. The TERC board needs to either go or needs to have oversight. What they did was a recipe for disaster in north Omaha. Thats unacceptable.
The commission also increased values for about 78,000 residential properties in central and west Omaha.
Council members also will vote on whether they should instruct the citys lobbyist, Jack Cheloha, to ask legislators to introduce:
A bill that would make the conviction for using a facsimile weapon carry the same penalty as the use of a conventional weapon. The proposal, from Councilman Garry Gernandt, mirrors one from 2014, the year that police officers fatally shot a robbery suspect and a sound man for the television show Cops. The suspect had brandished what appeared to be a gun but which turned out to be a replica weapon.
A bill, proposed by Gernandt, that would decrease the amount of time people have to wait between Keno games. That limit is currently five minutes.
A bill, also proposed by Gernandt, that would get rid of the states good time law, which automatically cuts most prison sentences in half.
A bill, requested by Gray, that would allow for the foreclosure of tax liens after two years rather than three. Gray previously sought the change only for abandoned houses. Councilwoman Aimee Melton has objected to this years proposal, saying it could make it too easy for a vulnerable persons home to be taken away.
A bill, requested by Mayor Jean Stotherts office, that would increase the amount of time property owners have to pay to repave or upgrade their streets. Currently they must pay the city back for street work within 10 years; Stothert wants that increased to 20.
A bill, requested by City Prosecutor Matt Kuhse, that would remove expiration dates on warrants issued to defendants who refused to report to probation.
A bill, also sought by Kuhse, that would allow county courts to order psychiatric examinations. District courts can already do this.
A bill, sought by Omaha police, that would change witness tampering from a Class IV felony to a Class II felony if the defendant is charged with another felony as well.
Councilman Pete Festersen also has requested that if a bill is introduced to increase funding to local governments for the emerald ash borer, the city should support it.
Montenegro's location in Europe.
The government of the pro-West state of Montenegro along the shores of the Adriatic Sea has revealed Russian nationalists were behind a thwarted coup d'etat in mid-October that would also have assassinated the country's Prime Minister, Milo Djukanovic.
It said the plotters included pro-Russian Montenegrins and Serbs, some of whom had fought on Russia's side in the war in Ukraine. Some 20 of the coup plotters were arrested in Montenegro. Among those arrested was a former commander of Serbia's special police forces.
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Milivoje Katnic, Montenegro's special chief prosecutor, said the Russian nationalists planned to topple Djukanovic-s pro-Western government because of Montenegro bid to join NATO or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Katnic said the investigation confirmed "nationalists from Russia" organized a criminal group that planned to seize control of the Parliament of Montenegro and bring a pro-Russian coalition to power. The plotters planned their coup for Montenegro's election day last Oct. 16.
The plan was for 500 pro-Russian people to enter Montenegro on election night to "cause violence ... and hire professional sharpshooters to kill the prime minister."
"The plan was to stop Montenegro on its Euro-Atlantic path, especially to prevent it from entering NATO," said Katnic.
Montenegro has been invited to join NATO despite strong opposition from Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. Montenegro's joining NATO would have deprived Russia of its only strategic access to the Adriatic Sea. This would also leave Serbia as Russia's only ally in the region.
Russia, of course, denied any direct involvement in the coup attempt. It has, however, openly supported "patriotic" parties against Montenegro's bid to join NATO.
It pointed to Montenegro's statement that is doesn't have "any evidence that the state of Russia is involved in any sense" to prove its innocence.
Russia played no role in an alleged coup plot and an assassination attempt of Dukanovic, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
"In this case, we do not have any information and, of course, categorically deny the possibility of official involvement in any attempts to organize illegal actions."
Katnic, however, said Montenegro has "evidence that two nationalists from Russia were organizers."
Serbia also deported an unspecified number of Russian operatives monitoring Djukanovic's movements from inside Serbia.
"Special prosecution of Serbia had those persons under its supervision ... and prevented them from realizing their plan," said Katnic.
"Those persons are not on the territory of Serbia any more. I don't know where they are now, in Russia or somewhere else."
Dozens of students recently visited Omaha-based Distefano Technology and Manufacturing for demonstrations of modern manufacturing. The presentations included operation of a welding robot.
We underscore that final word: robot. It signals how far modern manufacturing has evolved in terms of the skill demands but also the opportunities.
In the world of welding, as in much of manufacturing, its not the 1950s anymore. Its 21st-century high tech.
That requires higher skill levels. But it also means higher pay.
The National Association of Manufacturers estimates our country will need to fill almost 3.5 million manufacturing jobs over the next decade. The manufacturing sector is poised to offer great opportunity, but only if new workers have the needed technical skills.
We need IT people, civil engineers, mechanical engineers, accountants, welders, people who like to design and fix things, Brian Turner, Distefanos general manager, said in recent World-Herald reporting by Janice Podsada.
The visit to Distefano was one of several tours to various Omaha manufacturers coordinated by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership and the Partnerships Manufacturing Council.
Despite claims on the campaign stump this year, the most effective support for U.S. manufacturing and our economy as a whole doesnt lie in slapping high tariffs on foreign products. Instead, the key needs are to:
Boost understanding by students and parents of the employment opportunities and the need for high skill levels.
Provide sound tax and regulatory policies by government.
Have strong educational programs for workforce training.
Consider the closing of major packing plants in South Omaha decades ago Cudahy in 1967, Armour in 1968, Swift in 1969 and Wilson in 1976. Those closings came about not because of foreign competition but because of large-scale economic changes affecting the industry.
These days, change is synonymous with a modern economy. Industry after industry is being transformed as computers, software and high-tech capabilities revolutionize business operations. One example is modern manufacturings routine use of those welding robots, placing job-skill requirements on welders well beyond anything imaginable a few generations back.
Campaign rhetoric that says we can go back to a 1950s or a 1970s economy is offering the public a mirage. We need to be prepared to deal with a modern economy thats ever-evolving.
Nebraska offers an array of encouraging developments on this score. The students recent tours of Omaha-area manufacturers are a notable example.
Other examples:
Gov. Pete Ricketts administration championed legislation to fund competitive grants to promote advanced skills training.
Nebraska public school systems, industry and community colleges are collaborating on career academies.
A well-designed $90 million workforce training initiative in collaboration with local industry is underway at Metropolitan Community Colleges Fort Omaha campus, with half the construction costs covered by private donations.
Northeast Community College has launched its new Applied Technology Building.
These are the types of forward-looking strategies Nebraska needs to meet the demands of an ever-changing economy. Its crucial to be prepared for the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Anti-climax during film shoot, actors drown during shoot
Bengaluru
oi-Anusha
In a tragic incident 2 actors drowned during a film shoot in Bengaluru. Search operations are underway for bodies of 2 actors, Uday Kumar and Anil, who went missing during a film shooting in Tippagondanahalli lake near Bengaluru. Crew of upcoming Kannada film 'Masti Gudi' that sees Duniya Vijay in the lead was shooting the climax scene when the mishap took place.
The crew was shooting for the climax scene of the movie which included an aerial stunt of the actors jumping from a helicopter into the water. Duniya Vijay, the lead actor of the movie along with Uday Kumar and Anil, both playing villians in the movie, had to jump off a helicopter hovering over TG halli lake from a height of over 100 feet. The camera captures the trio jumping into the water but only Vijay made it to the bank. Local police claim that the other actors Uday Kumar and Anil drowned while shooting this action sequence.
The incident took place on Monday at around 3 PM. No safety measures seem to have been taken by the film's crew while shooting a risky action sequence. No motor boats or safety equipment were around to search the lake immediately after the mishap. Sources from the crew also allege that there was no prior practice or rehearsal for the shot.
OneIndia News
"Should Modi meet Indira's fate?", asks K'taka CM's media advisor
Bengaluru
oi-Anusha
His comment on social networking site has landed Karnataka Chief Minister's media advisor in the midst of a controversy. Dinesh Amin Mattu, a senior journalist and currently Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's media advisor kicked up a storm when he posted, "You do know what happened to Indira Gandhi ultimately. Do you wish for the same to happen to your Modi?", on a social networking site.
The Karantaka BJP is reading the comment as a direct threat to the Prime Minister. Many leaders of the BJP took to social media to condemn the comment made by Mattu. BJP's spokesperson and MLA Suresh Kumar on Twitter said, "Continuance of this media advisor will be disastrous to the State. Is he threatening or provoking?". "Media Advisor to @CMofKarnataka openly implies that PM Narendra Modi should meet same fate as Indira Gandhi. He should be arrested immdtly", said another BJP MLA, C T Ravi. "It is a fact that @CMofKarnataka is surrounded with Rogues, Goons & Anti-Nationals in the garb of Advisors, Intellectuals & Supporters", he added.
Many leaders of the BJP as well as supporters of PM Narendra Modi have lambasted the media advisor over his comment forcing him to delete the original comment. However, screenshots of his comment are being shared widely attracting more anger.
Within minutes of his comment landing him in controversy, Dinesh Amin Mattu put out a clarification that his comments were taken out of context. In his clarification post, the media advisor said, " I had put up a post condemning the ban on NDTV India. A person had replied to the post asking if I had forgotten bans that were imposed by Indira Gandhi during emergency. I responded to it by asking if he knew what happened to Indira Gandhi ultimately and if he wishes for the same to happen to Modi. This comment has been taken out of context".
Mattu's comment did not only earn him social media wrath but also an inadvertent police complaint. The Karnataka state BJP will file a case against the CM's media advisor for threatening to harm PM Modi with the High grounds police in Bengaluru on Monday.
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Story first published: Monday, November 7, 2016, 11:06 [IST]
Tipu Jayanthi- Karnataka asks for additional central forces
Bengaluru
oi-Anusha
Karnataka has sought 1,500 personnel from central security forces in view of Tipu Jayanthi celebrations on November 10. Union Home Ministry officials told OneIndia on Monday that a request for additional central forces was made by Karnataka government.
[Also Read: Representation against celebrating Tipu Jayanthi to CS]
Come November 10 and Karnataka is all set to celebrate Tipu Jayanthi across the state amidst stiff opposition. In view of strong resistance to the government's move of making Tipu Jayanthi a state celebration special security and precautionary measures are being taken across the state.
For over a week now police department in sensitive districts of Kodagu and Dakshin Kannada have been on alert. Special vigil is being kept on lodges, hotels, homestays etc, CCTVs have been made compulsory in sensitive localities and additional checkposts have been set up along the borders of Kodagu.
Organisations from Kodagu that have staunchly opposed celebrations have decided to observe Tipu Jayanthi as a black day and have called for a Kodagu bandh on November 10.
OneIndia News
Whether Trump wins or loses, Republicans conservatism has hard days ahead
Feature
oi-Oneindia
By Oneindia Staff Writer
This presidential election year has been unique. To some, it has been inexplicable. To some, it has been evil. But there is no denying the fact that this presidential election has marked a transition in the life of America - both internally and externally.
The United States is too powerful a country to decline, as many are fearing after seeing the rise of a candidate like Donald Trump but this phenomenon, before anything else, speaks about the very transition in America's life.
Republicans are targeting Obama over George Bush's errors
The Trump phenomenon meant that the conservative movement in the US is not in a perfect shape. Thrust on interventionist foreign policy that the Republicans have been emphasising over the years along with the economic cost associated with it have not brought what matters the most for the common American - peace and prosperity, at least in the last 10-15 years.
The consequences of the failure of the Republicans' project had a profound impact when the GOP itself was in power last time. Today, when after a hiatus of eight years, the party's controversial candidate Trump targets Barrack Obama who succeeded Republican George W Bush, it doesn't reveal the true picture.
Also read: US Presidential Elections 2016: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump's last minute attempt to woo voters
Whatever Trump says today about the Obama regime hurting America is misleading. He should say the same more about the debacles of the previous government that his own party had led in the 2000s.
Democrats have been doing a lot of 'firsts', what about the Republicans?
But the Republicans have tried to hide the political failure of their own regime under a social conservatism aiming at the skin colour of Obama. But following the sense of emancipation that Black America had with the rise of the first black president, it was never a wise step to walk backwards.
The same applies to Hillary Clinton. Like Obama, Hillary also has the chance of creating another history by becoming the first woman president of the US and make America's liberal project worthwhile. As against these feats of the Democrats, what have the Republicans achieved in real life?
Individual Trump himself ruined the Republicans
Trump was seen as the symbol of the Republicans' conservative White movement's reaction to the rise of a black president. Politically, it can still be considered okay for the Republicans are known for that conservatism.
But as time progressed, the crass individual in Trump sidelined the political that spoke about the Republicans' conservatism and made the entire Republican Party look like a joke.
In other words, the Republicans already had a floundering ideological position in an America where the blacks can also become the president now and Trump's reckless behaviour made things even worse by derailing the entire party. How much the party has to do now to regain its touch in American politics?
How much confused is the hawkish Republican mind now?
Trump also showed how much confused is the hawkish Republican mind now. The interventionist foreign policy that the GOP has always backed did not fetch any profit to the Americans over the last decade and half.
President Obama, as a logical conclusion of his predecessor's adventurism, did not take up similar projects even if there were opportunities, like in Syria.
Now, the likes of Trump are not very sure who to hold responsible. They contradict themselves on supporting or opposing one or the other American war abroad. They try to put the blame on Obama instead knowing fully well that Obama had done what was required on the day so that America did not suffer more.
The "We should have gone to war but shouldn't have" position of the Republicans speak volume about the damage that the Bush administration had done to their credibility. The effect is seen today when Trump tries to do a balancing act on war as a state policy. There is a call to see Russia through soft eyes but China through hard lenses. Makes any sense?
Whether Trump wins or loses this election, Republican conservatism has perhaps reached its ultimate days. There is now a need to think something afresh or the liberal heart of America will just dump the worn-out politics.
OneIndia News
Truth has come out, says Sasikala in reaction to OPS's remark before panel
Jayalalithaa death probe: TN cabinet to decide on enquiry against Sasikala and others
Many issues in late TN CM Jayalaltihaas death report says Stalin
Never interfered in medical treatment of Jayalalithaa: Sasikala denies all allegations levelled by panel
AIADMK dedicates special video message to celebrate Puratchi Thalaivi Ammas good health
India
oi-Oneindia
By Oneindia Staff Writer
Chennai, Nov 7: The ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu is in a celebratory mood, these days.
After all, the party supremo J Jayalalithaa is all set to be discharged from Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, soon.
According to Apollo Hospitals, the chief minister has completely recovered. Amma will be soon discharged from the hospital, added the statement issued by the hospital.
In order to celebrate the "good news", the party has released a special video message. The message was posted on Twitter:
Hon.Puratchi Thalaivi Amma has recovered with millions of prayers. At this juncture AIADMK IT Wing dedicates this video to Hon. Amma. pic.twitter.com/C3KZEBHj8i AIADMK (@AIADMKOfficial) November 5, 2016
The chief minister is undergoing treatment at the hospital since September 22. Amma was admitted in the hospital after she complained of fever and dehydration.
"Amma (Jayalalithaa) is well. God has given her good health and we are very happy," AIADMK spokesperson CR Saraswathy told reporters on Sunday.
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Story first published: Monday, November 7, 2016, 10:48 [IST]
Alpha 3 control room: How Pak army and Lashkar guided the Kashmir unrest
India
oi-Vicky
New Delhi, Nov 7: Alpha-3 was a control room that was set up jointly by the Pakistan army and the Lashkar-e-Tayiba to create the Kashmir unrest.
Investigations conducted by the National Investigation Agency have revealed that this was a control room operating out of Muzaffarabad through which the entire unrest was controlled.
The NIA has sufficient proof that Alph-3 was being operated jointly by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and the Pakistan army. Every move of the terrorists and protestors in Jammu and Kashmir was monitored from this control room, investigations have shown.
Alpha-3:
Recently the NIA had arrested an operative by the name Bahadur Ali. He gave out all details regarding the operation being conducted by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and the Pakistan army. He specifically speaks about the unrest in the Valley and how it was being controlled by the control room which was titled Alpha-3.
Ali was launched into the Valley to stand behind the protestors and hurl grenades. During the unrest, Kashmir witnessed a large number of stone pelting incidents. Terrorists were launched into the Valley to stand behind the protestors and hurl grenades at the security forces, Ali also confessed.
Intelligence Bureau picks up 'Make India Bleed' chatter from Pakistan
In a 12 minute confession video, Ali says that he was provided with topography sheets, GPS and grid references. The entire operation looked very military like, NIA officials say. Going by the operational plan, it is evident that the Pakistan military had a big role to play.
A chargesheet would be filed soon in this regard in which the Pakistan army's role would be nailed. The NIA is piecing together all evidence available and will also make a mention of the Alpha-3 control room which will further help nail the close ties between the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and the Pakistan army.
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Story first published: Monday, November 7, 2016, 12:41 [IST]
Channel ban: Action taken in nation's interest, says BJP leader
India
oi-PTI
Panaji, Nov 7: A senior BJP leader today said it is unfair to equate the ban order on a national news TV channelto Emergency as the action has been taken in the interest of the nation and in accordance with the law. "Congress had imposed Emergency on India for the sake of their own ego.
The case with the action on NDTV India is not similar. Here the action is taken in the interest of the nation," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma told reporters today.
Sharma was indirectly referring to the statement by Rahul Gandhi in Congress Working Committee meeting today wherein he said that democracy under present government is going through one of its darkest hours.
"Those people who defeated democracy during Emergency time for their personal egos have no right to speak about it (democracy)," Sharma said. He said such a shut down has been ordered in past against television channels 28 times during the UPA government's rule at the Centre.
"The action against the channel is taken according with the law," he said, adding that "BJP fully respects the freedom of press."
"Those people who do politics over the dead bodies and missing children don't have the right to speak against the political party like BJP," he said.
Talking about Goa, Sharma expressed confidence that the party will bounce back with full majority in the coastal state after the state Assembly elections next year. He said the social welfare schemes implemented by Goa government will drive the party back to power.
PTI
Enhanced security for Theresa May's visit to Bengaluru
India
oi-IANS
By Ians English
Bengaluru, Nov 7: Security has been enhanced and vigil stepped up for the day-long visit of British Prime Minister Theresa May here on Tuesday, said a police official.
"Security details are sensitive and hence not divulged for official reasons, especially in case of VIPs visiting the state. Elaborate security is in place for May in the city as per the rules," a senior police official told IANS on the condition of anonymity.
May, 60, who is on a maiden three-day official visit to India since Sunday, will reach here from New Delh on a special aircraft and will participate in five-six events across the city.
Soon on arrival at 10.30 a.m., May will hold a bilateral meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at a hotel near the international airport at Devanahalli, about 40km from the city centre.
On way to the city, May will go to a state-run primary school at Papanahalli and interact with its girls and boys.
Also read: India seeks extradition of 57 fugitives including AgustaWestland accused Michel
"The British Prime Minister will visit Dynamatic Technologies Ltd at the Peenya industrial estate and inspect its aerospace facility, where components are made for British and French firms like BAE Systems and Airbus Industries," said a protocol official ahead of the visit.
After lunch at a hotel in the city centre, May will go to the Someshwara Temple at Halasuru and seek blessings of the Hindu deity Shiva.
The 15th century temple is one the oldest in the southern state, dating back to the Chola period. On way back to the airport, May will hold an hour-long interactive session with chief executives of India Inc at a city hotel.
A delegation of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) will call on her at the venue.
May is the fourth British Premier to visit Bengaluru after her (Conservative) Party's then leader John Major on January 9, 1997, his Labour Party successor Tony Blair on January 4, 2002 and her predecessor David Cameron on July 28, 2010.
"Vehicular traffic will be restricted and regulated on the routes May's motorcade will drive to the venues where events are scheduled for her and her accompanying delegation. We will try to minimise inconvenience to the public and avoid gridlock," the police officer added.
IANS
Joint drills between the Egyptian and Jordanian militaries began in southern Jordan on Monday and will continue until 25 November, according to Egypt's military spokesman.
Egyptian naval, ground and special army forces are participating in the drills, known as Aqaba 2016, according to Egypt's military spokesman.
The training includes lectures on launching joint missions and field trainings on conventional and non-traditional theories and tactics to "develop operational readiness and share experiences with the Jordanian armed forces," Egypt's army statement said.
Egypt has carried out 30 joint military exercises in 2016, partnering with 20 different Arab and African countries, as well as European countries including France and Russia.
In October, Egyptian and Russian paratroopers conducted drills in the Mediterranean city of Alamein.
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Gods on the runway: Kerala airport halts flights every year to make way for temple procession
I will break your legs: SFI issues threat to principal in presence of cops in Kerala
Favour entry of women into Sabarimala, Kerala govt tells SC
India
oi-Vicky
The Kerala government today said that women of all ages must be allowed into the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala. The stand taken by the government is opposite to what the earlier Congress-led government had said on the issue.
The Kerala government today told the Supreme Court that it favours entry women of all ages into the sanctum sanctorum of the Sabarimala temple. The Supreme Court will hear the matter next on February 2017.
The temple does not allow young women into the shrine. While there are some who claim that this is because they are 'unclean' when menstruating, others claim the ban has been imposed because Lord Ayyappa is considered a celibate yogi.
Kerala Dewaswom Minister Kadkampally Surendran had in June said the LDF government was ready for a referendum on the entry of women into Sabarimala temple.
The LDF government had adopted the previous Chandy government's stand justifying the restriction on the entry of women between the age of 10 and 50.
However, the next month, CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan that the LDF government would file a fresh affidavit in connection with the issue in the Supreme Court where the case pertaining to entry of women in Sabarimala is pending. He said the CPM was for entry of women not only in Sabarimala but also in all temples.
Last year, there was outrage when the chief of the Sabarimala Devasom Board, Prayar Gopalakrishnan, had said women will be allowed into the temple when a machine is invented to show if they are menstruating.
OneIndia News
'Deeply regret': Theresa May fails to apologise again for Jallianwala Bagh
Theresa May to set date for resignation
Amid Brexit backlash, Theresa May steps down, to resign on June 7
Want closer ties with India says UKs frontrunner for PM
In final interview as PM, May speaks of Brexit formation
Theresa May tenders resignation, slaps down 'Stop Brexit' cry in farewell speech
In Pics: Theresa May's India visit
News
oi-Lisa
By Lisa
New Delhi, Nov 7 British Prime Minister Theresa May is on her first bilateral visit outside of Europe since she took over as Prime Minister in July this year.
She took over the prime ministership after David Cameron resigned following the historic referendum in June in which Britain voted to exit from the European Union.
Theresa May is visiting India a little less than a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Britain in November last year.
Here are some pics from PM May's India visit:
In Pics: Theresa May's India visit A partnership for progress. The two PMs lead delegation level talks between India and UK over a working lunch. Image courtesy @MEAIndia In Pics: Theresa May's India visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks on as his UK counterpart Theresa May talks to Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Harsh Vardhan at the inauguration of India- UK Tech Summit, in New Delhi on Monday. PTI In Pics: Theresa May's India visit Tied together by history, bound by the promise of the future. PM Narendra Modi receives UK PM Theresa May at Hyderabad House in Delhi. Image courtesy @MEAIndia In Pics: Theresa May's India visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his UK counterpart Theresa May at the inauguration of India- UK Tech Summit in New Delhi on Monday. PTI Image 5 In Pics: Theresa May's India visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi with UK counterpart Theresa May pose for photographers before their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Monday. PTI
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Story first published: Monday, November 7, 2016, 15:34 [IST]
India hopes early extradition of Vijay Mallya after May-Modi talks
India
oi-PTI
New Delhi, Nov 7: India expects early extradition of industrialist Vijay Mallya from the UK to face probe in the money laundering case against him after the two countries on Monday agreed not to allow fugitives and criminals escape law and resolved to facilitate outstanding extradition requests.
In talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May, the issue of extradition requests figured and officials dealing with the issue from both sides were directed to meet at the earliest.
Sources said India expects forward movement in Mallya's extradition from the UK following the talks. They said the specific issue of Mallya's extradition had also figured in the talks between the two sides in the run up to the meeting between Modi and May.
Asked whether Mallya issue figured in the talks, Joint Secretary (Europe) in the External Affairs Ministry Randhir Jaiswal referred to the Indo-UK joint statement issued after the discussions which said the two Prime Ministers affirmed their strong commitment to enhancing cooperation under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.
Also read: India seeks extradition of 57 fugitives including AgustaWestland accused Michel
Former IPL boss Lalit Modi is also evading law in India and today's talks may help Indian authorities to push for his early extradition as well. Both Mallya and Modi, who have made the UK their home, are wanted by the ED in money laundering cases.
"The two leaders agreed that fugitives and criminals should not be allowed to escape the law. They expressed their strong commitment to facilitate outstanding extradition requests from both sides.
"In this context, they directed that the officials dealing with extradition matters from both sides should meet at the earliest to develop better understanding of each countries legal processes and requirements; share best practices, and identify the causes of delays and expedite pending requests," the statement said.
It also said the two leaders agreed that regular interactions between the relevant India-UK authorities would be useful in resolving all outstanding cases expeditiously.
The Enforcement Directorate has already sought issuance of an Interpol red corner notice against Mallya in connection with its money laundering probe against him.
India has asked Britain to hand over 57 wanted people, including Chirstian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal. 17 extradition requests from Britain are pending with Indian authorities.
PTI
How the flame of Azadi was kept ablaze by the tribal community: PM Modi explains
India seeks extradition of 57 fugitives including AgustaWestland accused Michel
India
oi-Vicky
India has asked the United Kingdom to hand over 57 fugitives wanted by it. The same was conveyed to Theresa May, the British Prime Minister who is in India on a three day visit. In turn UK too sought from India to hand over 17 fugitives wanted by it.
Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi handed over the list of 57 fugitives to Theresa May for extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty requests. A similar list of 17 fugitives were handed over to Modi by the British Prime Minister.
Among the list of fugitives sought is James Christian Michel, an accused in the Augusta Westland chopper case.
Both leaders agreed to step up cooperation by negotiating a cyber framework. Further the leaders agreed that both nations face an increasing threat of cyber attacks.
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Story first published: Monday, November 7, 2016, 17:18 [IST]
How the flame of Azadi was kept ablaze by the tribal community: PM Modi explains
India, UK can leverage tech prowess for new opportunities: PM
India
oi-PTI
New Delhi, Nov 7: Underlining economic challenges in the current global environment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India and the UK can leverage technological prowess to create new opportunities, while seeking investments in defence, manufacturing and aerospace sectors.
Speaking at the India-UK Tech Summit, Modi showcased his government's initiatives in sectors like smart cities, startups and digital economy as he sought enhanced engagement with Britain.
"Together, we can create a vibrant and thriving environment for new commercial applications with breakthrough technologies," he said at the event, also attended by visiting UK Prime Minister Theresa May.
Modi further said that both countries face numerous economic challenges in the current global environment which directly affect trade and commerce.
"But I am confident that together we can leverage our scientific strengths and technological prowess to create new opportunities," he added.
India, he said, is now the fastest growing large economy with the most open investment climate.
"We also expect 'Make in India' to be a key sector of bilateral engagement. Advanced manufacturing is a special endeavor under this programme. The UK as a leading player can benefit from our liberal FDI policies in defence manufacturing, aerospace and electronics engineering," the Prime Minister said.
He said India's vast traditional knowledge base can be coupled with UK's modern scientific investigation to provide a holistic approach to preventive healthcare. "This can help address some of the modern lifestyle diseases that we face."
The Prime Minister said even though the quantum of bilateral trade has remained at the same level for the past five years, investments in both directions have been robust.
India, he said, is the third largest investor in the UK, and Britain is the largest G20 investor in India. Both countries support large numbers of jobs in each other's economies.
Modi said the 'Smart City' mission aims to integrate digital technology into rapidly urbanising environment and there is already a high level of interest from the UK in projects in Pune, Amaravati and Indore.
PTI
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Story first published: Monday, November 7, 2016, 17:02 [IST]
TRS, BJP are two sides of same coin: Rahul Gandhi in Telangana
Judgement in Dilsukhnagar blasts case may come on November 21
India
oi-PTI
Hyderabad, Nov 8: A special court for cases probed by National Investigation Agency here is likely to pronounce judgement in the February 2013 Dilsukhnagar twin blasts case on November 21.
Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and Pakistani national Zia-ur-Rahman alias Waqas are among the six accused in the case. Main accused, IM founder Riyaz Bhatkal, is absconding.
Other three accused (all alleged IM members) are Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, Tahaseen Akhtar alias Monu and Aijaz Sheikh. The hearing was held in the premises of Cherlapally Central Prison here where the accused are lodged.
"Final arguments by the prosecution and defence were completed. The court today reserved its judgement for November 21," said special public prosecutor K Surendra.
A total of 158 witnesses were examined and more than 500 documents were cited during the hearing, Surendra told PTI. The hearing began in August last year.
Eighteen people were killed and 131 injured in two deadly explosions near Konark and Venkatadiri theatres in Dilsukhnagar, a crowded shopping area in the city, on February 21, 2013.
The accused were tried under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and other relevant acts including IPC. Riyaz Bhatkal arranged supply of explosive substances and money, according to NIA.
Asadullah Akhtar and Waqas, who got the explosives and the money, joined Tahseen Akhtar in Hyderabad and they together prepared two IEDs, NIA said.
PTI
'Khoon rokhne ke liye' label on the medicine bottle of a terrorist
News
oi-Vicky
By Vicky
New Delhi, Nov 7: A bottle labelled khoon rokhne ke liye was one of the many items that was found on the terrorists who carried out the Uri attack in which 19 soldiers of the Indian army were martyred. The National Investigation Agency which is conducting the probe into this attack has found various items on the terrorists.
The terrorists who formed part of a suicide squad had come in for a long haul. A medicine bottle labelled khoon rokhne ke liye (to stop the bleeding) was also found in the kit bag of the terrorists.
Apart from this, investigators also found hair combs and lip conditioners in the kit bag of the terrorists. In addition to this the terrorists were also carrying on them a juice box, almonds, dates, energy drinks and raisins.
Apart from this there were GPS sets, wireless sets, mobile phones and the assault rifles along with other ammunition that were found on the terrorists. The terrorists also had with them three AK-47 rifles, barrel grenade launchers, four Icom radio sets, GPS devices, cell phones, maps and a matrix sheet.
Officials investigating the case say that the amount of things they had carried along with them showed that they were in for a long haul and wanted to cause as much damage as possible.
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Story first published: Monday, November 7, 2016, 9:56 [IST]
Rahul Gandhi for party president, CWC unanimously urges
India
oi-Vicky
The Congress Working Committee today unanimously urged Rahul Gandhi to take up the post of party president. Proposed by senior Congress leader A K Antony and backed by former Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the group told Rahul Gandhi to urgently take up the party's top post.
The CWC told Rahul Gandhi that the job is for his taking. Sonia Gandhi who was unable to attend the meeting as she is unwell will be appraised about the decision. She would however take a final call on the issue. Sources in the Congress tell OneIndia Sonia Gandhi had wanted this shift to take place and hence she would give the green signal.
At first there was some division on whether Rahul Gandhi should be elevated to the top post. Some within the Congress feel that Sonia Gandhi should continue to lead the party until the forthcoming assembly elections are over. Some however felt that there would be clarity if Rahul is elevated immediately.
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
Review challenging Amit Shah's discharge in Sohrabuddin murder case rejected by SC
India
oi-Vicky
The Supreme Court today rejected a review petition that challenged the discharge of BJP's National President Amit Shah in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case. A review plea had been filed after the Supreme Court in August discharged Shah from the case.
Sheikh, a gangster and his wife, Kauser Bi, were killed while travelling from Hyderabad to Sangli near Gandhinagar in 2005. The Mumbai sessions court had on December 30 2014 discharged Shah in the case.
Harsh Mander, a social worker had challenged before the Bombay High Court the verdict of the sessions court. The High Court too had refused to into merits of the case on the ground that Mander was not an aggrieved party in the case.
Following this he approached the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court while rejecting his plea observed," when the person is genuinely aggrieved then the issue takes a different colour but when the person is not remotely connected and wants to revive the case then it's a different matter."
OneIndia News
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Story first published: Monday, November 7, 2016, 14:57 [IST]
RSS worker's murder- Killers were paid to get the job done
News
oi-Vicky
By Vicky
Bengaluru, Nov 7: The Karnataka police will invoke the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against the killers of RSS leader R Rudresh. By invoking this provision, the police can seek 30 days custody of the killers and also file the chargesheet in 180 days.
[Also Read: BJP MP drags Congress Minister into Rudresh murder]
Rudresh, an RSS leader was killed on October 16 by two bike borne men. This case had generated a lot of debate considering the killing had taken place in broad day light in the heart of the city of Bengaluru.
During the probe, the police had found a Popular Front of India link to the case. The police arrested Asim Sharif, the PFI's Bengaluru district president. While probing the larger conspiracy into the case, the police learnt that the killers were paid to carry out the murder. The police are also probing to find out if the orders to kill Rudresh had come from Kerala.
The call details of the accused persons led the police to Kerala. The accused are alleged to have made a visit to Kerala just before the murder. A team of the Bengaluru police are likely to visit, Kerala to get more leads into the case.
[Also Read: Did orders to kill RSS worker Rudresh come from Kerala?]
On Friday, former minister and BJP leader, Shobha Karandlage had accused Urban Development Minister Roshan Baig. Shobha alleged that according to information she got from investigators, Baig was directly involved in the murder. Baig has threatened to sue Shobha. He also alleged that she was taking his name for the sake of publicity.
OneIndia News
Hundreds of students gathered at the American University in Cairo campus on Monday to protest an increase in tuition fees following the recent floating of the Egyptian pound against the US dollar.
The student union posted a statement on their Facebook page on 4 November saying that the increase in tuition is not manageable, with protesting students raising the slogans education is not a luxury and budget cuts and tuition increase dont mix.
The union held a public student forum on Sunday to discuss this critical situation, and has suspended the protests pending a meeting with the university administration on Wednesday.
The Central Bank of Egypt liberalised the exchange rate of the Egyptian pound last Thursday, with the cost of goods and services expected to rise in the coming period.
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Been waiting for a long time: Sonia Gandhi as Congress votes for non-Gandhi president
Sonia says she 'feels relieved' as Kharge takes charge of Congress
Unwell Sonia Gandhi skips Congress meet
India
oi-IANS
By Ians English
New Delhi, Nov 7: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday reported unwell ahead of the party's working committee meet that she was scheduled to chair, party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.
Congress sources said Sonia Gandhi complained of a bad throat. The Working Committee (CWC) meet will now be presided by her son and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.
The CWC is expected to discuss organisational polls and strategy for the upcoming winter session of Parliament besides party's preparations for the upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur.
IANS
British PM says values judiciary independence, press freedom
International
oi-IANS
By Ians English
London, Nov 7 British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday that she valued the independence of the judiciary and freedom of press, after a High Court ruling ordering the government to seek parliament's approval to trigger Article 50 was attacked by the media.
"I believe in and value the independence of our judiciary, I also value the freedom of our press. I think these both underpin our democracy and they are important," the Independent quoted May as saying to reporters on the plane to India for her first visit outside the EU after taking office this July.
"Of course the judges will look at the legal arguments. We think we have strong legal arguments and we will be taking those arguments to the Supreme Court," she added.
The High Court in London on Thursday ruled that parliament, and not May's government, should trigger the Article 50 mechanism to start the Brexit process, Xinhua news agency reported.
The decision by three of the leading judges in Britain sent shock waves through Westminster. Within an hour of the decision, the government confirmed it would appeal by taking the case to the highest court in England, the Supreme Court.
The decision and its response caused controversy after the judges were branded "enemies of the people" by Daily Mail and the cabinet minister Sajid Javid said the ruling flew in the face of democracy and was an unacceptable attempt to frustrate the will of the people.
From the moment she became the Prime Minister in July of this year, May's mantra became Brexit means Brexit and she would lead the people out of the EU. Political commentators are already speculating whether May will call an early general election to put her authority to the test.
--IANS
lok/
Donald Trump says the FBI knows Clinton is guilty of crimes
International
oi-IANS
By Ians English
Sterling Heights, Nov 7 Hours after the FBI affirmed that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton would not be prosecuted for her private e-mail server, Donald Trump said rank-and-file agents "won't let her get away with her terrible crimes".
At a rally on Sunday night in this Detroit suburb, Trump cast doubt on the thoroughness of the FBI's review of e-mails that Clinton advisor Huma Abedin kept on a computer belonging to her estranged husband, Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former New York congressman, Los Angeles Times reported.
"You can't review 650,000 new e-mails in eight days," Trump told a rowdy crowd of thousands at an outdoor amphitheatre.
"You can't do it, folks. Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it. The FBI knows it. The people know it. And now, it's up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on November 8."
The crowd repeatedly broke into loud chants of "Lock her up!" as Trump pounded Clinton for using a private e-mail system when she was Secretary of State.
Michigan was the third of five states where the Republican presidential candidate was campaigning on Sunday.
IANS
Hillary Clinton has 65 per cent chance of winning election: poll
International
oi-PTI
New York, Nov 7 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has a 65 per cent chance of winning the US presidential election, according to a leading opinion poll website which said her decline in poll numbers has leveled off and her lead has held steady over the past several days.
The website FiveThirtyEight said that Clinton has a 65.3 per cent chance of winning the presidency, according to its polls-only forecast, which is less than the 81 per cent had been forecast for her just before FBI Director James Comey had told Congress in October that he was reviewing additional emails pertinent to the case of Clinton's email server.
While the percentage declined for Clinton it is still ahead of Trump's who has a 34.6 per cent chance of winning the presidency. A candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes to clinch the White House and Clinton is expected to get 291.9 electoral votes as compared to 245.3 for Trump.
The analysis predicted that Clinton could get 48.3 per cent of the popular vote while Trump 45.4 per cent. FiveThirtyEight founder and editor-in-chief Nate Silver said in a blog post that it is hard to say whether Clintons numbers will rebound now that Comey told Congress yesterday that the emails on former Representative Anthony Weiner's computer wont change his earlier conclusions about Clinton.
Silver added that Trump should also get some credit for having been comparatively disciplined on the campaign trail, with the Republican nominee gaining about two points in national polls since October 28.
"Still, while Clintons chances were slightly declining already after she came off her post-debate peak, now the decline has leveled off, and her lead has held steady over the past several days," he said.
Silver said it will be hard to say whether the latest Comey letter will help Clinton as any change will really come too late to be picked up on by most polls.
PTI
Important to keep tradition: Barack Obama on Clinton email scandal
International
oi-PTI
Washington, Nov 6 President Barack Obama today said it is important to keep the tradition to ensure that Americans are not affected by innuendo or rumours, in light of the FBI's decision to reopen its probe into the alleged email scandal of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
"We give enormous power to our law enforcement officials to keep us safe, to do a great job, to protect us. But we also put these norms and rules in place, some of them written, some of them unwritten, to make sure that any of us are not suddenly affected by innuendo or rumors. That's true for an ordinary citizen, and it's true for somebody who's running for president of the United States," Obama told MSNBC.
Obama was responding to a question on the FBI's decision last week to reopen its investigations into the alleged email scandal of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. "I'm always very careful about speaking about active cases being handled by the justice department or the FBI because I don't want to appear as if I'm influencing them unduly."
"The reason for that is that historically both under Democratic and Republican administrations our goal has been and should be that our investigators and our prosecutors are independent of politics, that they're not politicised, that they're not used as a weapon to advantage either side in partisan arguments," he said. Obama said he wants to make sure that that tradition and norm is continued.
"Now I said before and I will say again, Jim Comey is a good man. And I do not believe that he is in any way trying to influence the election one way or another. I think he's a serious public servant who wants to do the right thing. I think the overwhelming majority of FBI feel the same way, the overwhelming majority of people in the justice department feel the same way," he said.
"What I have said is I want all of us to think about maintaining these norms. When you are investigating a case, then unless you have unearthed something, you need to just do your job. If there are things that you think are worth presenting, then you present them to a prosecutor. The prosecutor then makes a judgment, the prosecutor can make a decision either to file a charge or not to file a charge," Obama said.
PTI
Pramila Jayapal set to become 1st South Asian US Senator
International
oi-PTI
Washington, Nov 7 India-born Pramila Jayapal, who made a mark with her progressive agenda in the Washington State Senate, is on the cusp of becoming the first South Asian and Indian-American woman to be elected to the US Congress.
A recent poll indicated that Jayapal had a commanding lead in double digits against Brady Pineto Walkinshaw, who she defeated in the primaries by a substantial margin.
Endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, the former Democratic presidential aspirant, 51-year-old Jayapal is running from the seventh Congressional District of Washington State that encompasses Seattle and its neighbourhood.
Pitted against her own party colleague, Walkinshaw, a State legislature, Jayapal would replace Congressman Jim McDermott in the US House of Representatives.
Like Kamala Harris, the two-term attorney general who is running for US Senate in California, Jayapal is likely to enter the US Congress in her maiden try.
"I'm running for Congress because now is the time for a bold progressive fighter," Jayapal had said when she launched her campaign in January this year.
She has been endorsed by as many as 21 sitting Congressman including Ami Bera, the only Indian-American in the current Congress, and every major women groups like NARAL, EMILY's List and Planned Parenthood, and major labour unions.
"A progressive champion and first generation America," EMILY's list described. She has already announced that the first bill she would introduce in the Congress, if elected, would be for a tuition-free community college, gun violence protection, funding basic education, mental health and transportation.
In recognition of her community work among the immigrants, the White House had felicitated her with "Champion of Change" award in 2012.
Jayapal says her life transformed for the better after she spent some time in India when she returned to the country after a gap of 25 years in April 1995.
Her book-- "Pilgrimage to India: A Woman Revisits Her Homeland" was published in 2000. Born in Chennai, she left India at the age of five for Indonesia, Singapore and eventually for the US.
Jayapal believes coming from an Asian and Indian background would bring a different perspective to the Congress. "It is a different understanding that we bring. The underrepresentation is part and parcel that our communities of colour have not had the same opportunities," she told North West Asian Newsweekly in an interview.
PTI
US Presidential Elections: Varun Gandhi says Donald Trumps win will lead to rise of racism, bigotry
International
oi-Oneindia
By Oneindia Staff Writer
New Delhi, Nov 7: The world is closely watching the ongoing contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to succeed Barack Obama to become the next President of the United States of America.
On November 8, the final results will be declared.
There is a lot of curiosity among Indian politicians, economists and policy makers about the final outcome of the US Presidential Elections 2016.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Varun Gandhi thinks if the Republican Presidential nominee Trump wins the election, it might lead to the rise of racism and bigotry across the globe.
In his column-- The rise of racism and bigotry--published on the NDTV website, the Sultanpur (Uttar Pradesh) MP, wrote, "Donald Trump's rise is not an accident--it was fed by decades of rage against minorities by the Republican party and rightwing television."
The scion of Gandhi family even expressed how anxiously he was waiting for the results.
"The forthcoming election is a milestone, one which could lead the world to a future that encourages anti-immigrant rhetoric and open bigotry or one that maintains the genteel status quo. Will we see the advent of a new age of racial and cultural exclusiveness? We await its outcome with trepidation," he added.
OneIndia News
For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications
Story first published: Monday, November 7, 2016, 6:55 [IST]
BJP worker's death- massive protest in Mysuru
Mysore
oi-Anusha
Karnataka BJP on Monday staged a massive protest in the heart of Mysuru city over its worker, Magali Ravi's death. BJP's protest turned into a standoff between party workers and police after permission for a rally was denied.
[Also read: Karnataka BJP calls for statewide protest on November 8]
BJP protest led by Udupi-Chikmagalur MP Shobha Karandlaje and Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha turned ugly when police stopped protestors from taking out a rally from Kote Anjaneya Temple near the palace to the DC's office. BJP planned to take out a rally and then submit a representation to the DC condemning the incident but were denied permission by authorities.
BJP leaders including former minister S A Ramadas were detained by the police when they tried to march towards the DC's office. BJP workers continued their protest outside DC office shouting slogans against the government and demanding justice for their party worker.
Monday's protest also saw sloganeering against Tipu Jayanthi with BJP leaders claiming that deceased Ravi was the first casualty in connection with this year's Tipu Jayanthi celebration. BJP workers from Kodagu region who took part in the protest urged the government to drop plans of celebrating Tipu Jayanthi.
BJP worker Magali Ravi was found dead on late Friday evening while he was returning to his village from a peace meeting arranged by the Mysuru police between people of different faiths over Tipu Jayanthi celebrations in the state on November 10.
Karnataka State BJP has also called for a statewide protest on Tuesday condemning killing of BJP, RSS and sangh Parivar workers over the last 2 years and to reiterate its opposition to Tipu Jayanthi celebration.
IRCTC update: 115 trains cancelled on Nov 01; here is the complete list
Ban on NDTV India put on hold by government
New Delhi
oi-Sandra Marina Fernandes
New Delhi, Nov 7: Amid protests across the country, Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Monday put a hold on the one-day ban on the Hindi channel of NDTV India, reports suggested.
The channel said that the I&B Ministry, headed by Venkaiah Naidu, had put the ban on hold.
Supreme Court is scheduled to hear NDTV's appeal on Tuesday against the government's one-day ban of NDTV India.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Thursday directed the news channel to go off-air from the midnight of November 8 to midnight of November 9 for allegedly breaching cable TV norms in its coverage of the January 2 terror attack on the Pathankot Indian Air Force base.
With IANS inputs
OneIndia News
In a tragic incident 2 actors drowned during a film shoot in Bengaluru. Crew of upcoming Kannada film Masti Gudi that sees Duniya Vijay in the lead was shooting the climax scene when the mishap took place.
Turkey on Monday put 36 suspects on trial over a double suicide bombing last year blamed on Islamic State jihadists that killed over 100 people in the country's deadliest attack.
The bombing on October 10, 2015 outside Ankara's main train station targeted mainly young people attending a peace rally of pro-Kurdish activists that was to start later that day.
Supporters of the victims have until now bitterly criticised the slowness of the investigation into the attack, which further raised tensions between the authorities and the Kurdish minority.
The trial got underway at the Ankara criminal court in the presence of opposition MPs and families of the victims, several of whom shouted "murderers" at the suspects, reports said.
Thirty-five of the suspects are Turkish while one -- named as Valentina Slobodjanjuk -- is a Kazakh citizen, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.
Several of the suspects face multiple sentences of up to 11,750 years in prison each on charges of murder and seeking to change the constitutional order.
Others have lesser charges of being a member of IS and face up to 22.5 years in prison, Anadolu said.
The hearing was taking place under the highest security, with security forces in body armour and helmets standing guard inside the courtroom, images showed.
The authorities have identified one of the suicide bombers as Turkish citizen Yunus Emre Alagoz. The other was a Syrian citizen who has yet to be identified, Anadolu said.
Turkey has in the last year been hit by a string of major suicide bombings blamed on IS including a triple attack at Istanbul's main airport in June that left 47 dead and an August blast at a Kurdish wedding in the southeastern city of Gaziantep that killed 57 people, 34 of them children.
IS, which is believed to operate sleeper cells in major Turkish cities, never claimed these attacks.
A news agency affiliated to IS jihadists said they staged a bombing on the southeastern city of Diyarbakir last week that killed 11. If confirmed, it would be the first claim by IS for an attack in Turkey.
But on Sunday, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), seen as an splinter group of the better-known Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), said it had carried out the attack.
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In a viral video which is doing rounds social media, protesters where thrashed outside the office of NDTV which is facing a ban for single day by I&B ministry. The protesters were demanding anchors of the channel to unblock them on Twitter.
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The authorities of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region on Monday handed over a Japanese national detained last month on suspicion of ties to the Islamic State jihadist group.
"On October 19, 2016, a Japanese national, Mr. Kohsuke Tsuneoka, also known by the nom de guerre Shamil K. Tsuneoka, was detained... for links to the Islamic State," a statement from the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) said.
It said the Japanese man was detained near Mount Zardak, a strategic hill east of the city of Mosul.
Mosul is the jihadists' last major bastion in the country and Iraqi forces, including Kurdish peshmerga, launched a huge multi-pronged offensive to retake it on October 17.
"An investigation by our Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) found he was in contact with ISIL members through his smartphone," the statement said, using another acronym for IS.
"Our security services remained in dialogue with Japanese authorities throughout his detention about the potential charges against him. It was decided to hand over Mr. Tsuneoka to Japanese authorities," it said.
The KRSC said the man left the country Monday via the main airport in Arbil, the capital of the Iraq's Kurdish region.
Tsuneoka was described in local media reports at the time of his arrest as a journalist who had come to the region to cover the offensive on Mosul.
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Jerusalem Post 05 Sep 2022
Initial reports put toll from quake at six, with nine injured Quake of magnitude 5.3 struck near eastern city of Jalalabad
Turkey on Monday warned the United States not to allow demographic changes in the Syrian city of Raqa after Kurdish-Arab forces launched a US-backed operation to capture the jihadist bastion.
Turkish forces are conspicuously absent from the operation, even though they are present in northern Syria in their own incursion in support of pro-Ankara Syrian rebels against Islamic State (IS) jihadists.
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Raqa -- like Aleppo, the divided main city of northern Syria, and Mosul in Iraq "belonged to the people" who lived there before conflict erupted.
"Changing the demographic structure will in no way make any contribution to making peace," he told reporters in televised comments.
Ankara had previously expressed alarm that the Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) leading the offensive were dominated by the Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) militia.
It considers the YPG to be an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged an insurgency against Ankara for more than three decades. Turkey has said it would stay out of any operation involving the YPG.
Turkey fears an influx of Kurds to Raqa will change the ethnic composition of the Arab-majority area close to its border.
Ankara also largely looked on from the sidelines at the US-backed Iraqi operation to retake Mosul from the jihadists, expressing alarm over the potential roles of anti-Ankara Kurdish fighters and Shiite militia.
As the Raqa offensive started on Sunday, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, General Joseph Dunford visited Ankara for previously unannounced talks with his Turkish counterpart.
Brett McGurk, the US envoy for the coalition battling the jihadists, said the visit was to keep "close close contact with our Turkish allies" over the offensive.
Kurtulmus said "legitimacy" after the eventual ousting of IS was a key issue for the United States in Mosul and Raqa.
"Legitimacy is not provided by armed terrorist groups. I think in the end the United States will have to understand this.
"Every step taken by non-Arab elements is not in the interests of the United States."
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In the week ending 04 November, 2016, hedge funds have not totally lost their appeal for institutional investors as the biggest Danish pension fund is sticking with it; Karen McQuiston of Prudential Global Investment said that those who dump all alternative and hedge funds are missing the bigger picture, and JP Morgan added that there has never been a better time to add alternatives to your portfolio. Still, new data by Preqin showed that the hedge fund industry is losing appeal as it delivers lower returns to investors and Kentucky is planning to pull out at least $800m from its hedge fund portfolios.
Merrill Lynch released a data showing how institutions have sold stocks for 21 consecutive weeks; Bayerische Versorgungskammer is hiring more external managers as it diversifies away from low-yielding government and covered bonds; and JPI launched an alternatives division seeking investment opportunities in plain vanilla asset classes.
David Rogers and Joshua Donfeld, with the backing of Druckenmiller, launched a hot new hedge fund last week; Apollo Global is raising money for its new LBO fund as it spends money more than ever before; Castle Hook Partners started trading last week with about $900m of assets; American Beacon launched the American Beacon Numeric Integrated Alpha Fund; Synchronicity Futures has launched the Commodity Long-Short Program with a $10m commitment from the Dickson Family; NuWave Investment launched the NuWave Short-Term Futures Po......................
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As an 80-year-old political scientist born under Mussolini, following a deep insight by Stephen Dinan, allow me to touch on two points: We must defeat Donald Trump, the bully, for his own good and the good of the nation. We must elect Hillary Clinton for steady progress toward our ideals.
Donald Trump is like Mussolini. His own ends justify his means. An impressive New York Times report on the inside of Trump campaign has just revealed that "Aides to Mr. Trump have finally wrested away the Twitter account that he used to colorfully -- and often counterproductively -- savage his rivals. But offline, Mr. Trump still privately muses about all the ways he will punish his enemies after Election Day, including a threat to fund a 'super PAC' with vengeance as its core mission."
Can you imagine the wreckage he will cause, if he wins?
Look at the ruins Mussolini--and Hitler--left behind; look at their own sad end. Do we wish this fate on Donald Trump? He is still our beloved "The Donald," after all.
As any bully, Mr. Trump is asking to be stopped now.
Only Hillary Clinton can stop Donald Trump.
And, of course, she cannot do it alone. She needs our help. She needs our vote.
Under normal circumstances, that would be the most likely outcome. With her entire career, we would clearly see, she has earned out vote.
But these are turbulent years. Both political parties have betrayed the expectations of the voters. The working of economic systems automatically favors a transferal of financial resources from the poor and the middle classes to the rich. Even the language of economics favors such outcome.
Levels of economic inequality are intolerable.
Donald Trump, the tycoon, will not be interested in changing this outcome.
Hillary Clinton, the daughter of the middle class, will be eager to redress the scales. That is what she has done all her life.
The question remains. Why is she so misunderstood? The reason is clear. She marches to a new drummer in politics: she is trying to make the impossible possible. To do this she has forever been organizing the community around positions of mutual love and respect.
These are not high standing features in today's culture. Do you remember the snickers at her adoption of the African wisdom that "It takes a village to raise a child"?
That is the point. We must change our culture: From too many institutions fostering the bully in our society, the media, the religious institutions, the political institutions must undergo themselves a paradigm shift. From might makes right, we must strive to learn and to practice the maxim that love makes right.
Secretary Clinton is constantly on point. We must work TOGETHER as a community is her slogan. Benjamin Franklin knew it well: "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."
From Sacramento Bee
During this election season, Californians have been relentlessly carpet-bombed by TV ads paid for by three dozen super-rich drug companies to defeat Proposition 61.
The drug industry has raised an obscene amount -- at least $109 million -- to fight Prop. 61, the biggest war chest ever amassed in a ballot measure battle in California's history.
But in my visits to California, I'm finding much reason for hope. I am encouraged to believe voters will embrace Prop. 61 on Tuesday and send a powerful signal across the nation that the days of unchecked drug company greed are numbered. Normally, numbers like these would be cause for pessimism for those of us who believe that drug industry price-gouging is a blight on our nation and that Prop. 61 is a strong prescription for treatment.
Today no laws prevent drug companies from doubling or tripling prices. So they just do it -- and get away with it. The soaring cost of medicine is a major crisis and a moral issue. A survey just released by the Kaiser Family Foundation found high drug prices were the No. 1 health-care concern of 74 percent of Americans.
We pay the highest drug prices in the world. Last year, nearly one in five Americans between the ages of 19 and 64 -- 35 million people -- did not get their prescriptions filled because they did not have enough money. Many of those patients will get sicker and some will die.
Meanwhile, the five largest drug companies made more than $50 billion in profits last year. And in 2015, the top 10 drug company executives received $327.4 million in compensation.
The EpiPen, a staple in the medicine cabinets of tens of millions, became a symbol of this avaricious cycle. Its manufacturer, Mylan Inc., increased its price by 461 percent between 2007 and 2015. Mylan CEO Heather Bresch's pay increased 671 percent in the same period. Outrageous.
But this whole system -- despite a lot of hand-wringing by less-than-courageous editorial page writers and politicians -- doesn't just survive, it thrives.
How is this possible?
Currently the drug companies have 1,266 lobbyists on their payrolls in Washington, D.C., and 118 in Sacramento. They've made hundreds of millions in campaign contributions. Just this year, massive pharma lobbying efforts killed two bills in the Legislature that would have made modest steps toward drug-pricing transparency.
Fortunately, California has activist organizations such as the California Nurses Association, the California AARP and Consumer Watchdog that have taken a reform agenda directly to the voters through Prop. 61.
Prop. 61 is a common-sense reform. It ties the prices that the state of California pays for drugs for about 6 million patients, including Medi-Cal recipients and active and retired state employees, to the prices that the Department of Veterans Affairs pays. The department pays about 20 to 26 percent less than what most government agencies pay. Those are significant savings that will make drugs more affordable and accessible to more people.
The drug industry argues that only about 12 percent of Californians will benefit from Prop. 61. Not true. All taxpayers will save about $1 billion a year. One of the industry's biggest lies about Prop. 61 was debunked -- that it would increase what veterans pay for drugs.
The nation is watching California. When Prop. 61 passes, I predict the revolution against drug industry price-gouging will sweep across the country like a prairie fire.
On September 6th, the Washington Post published a report called "White Catholics Struggle to Get on Board the Trump Train." The article's assumption was that obviously Caucasian Catholics are expected to vote Republican. However, the report noted, some are having second thoughts in the light of the Trump candidacy -- presumably because of his waffling on the issue of abortion.
Unexplainably, the Post article completely ignored the overall progressive thrust of Pope Francis' teaching and the un-Republican influence it might be having on Catholic voters. Instead, it bolstered its "of course" assumption about Catholics voting Republican by puzzling over the fact that four years ago Catholics who attended Mass at least once a month favored Mitt Romney by 38 points. This year, Donald Trump's lead among such Catholics has shrunk to 17 points.
True, the WaPo article did suggest that Pope Francis might have something to do with the trends it described. After all, Francis had explicitly intimated that Mr. Trump was unchristian for intending to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border. Followers of Jesus, Francis said, build bridges, not walls. In response Trump dismissed the pope as "very political."
However, the Post completely ignored the issues of climate change, a world economy based on arms manufacture, capital punishment, and world-wide income disparities -- Pope Francis' signature issues that he himself highlighted in his speech last year to the U.S. Congress.
The Post carried on as if that speech and the pope's landmark encyclical on climate change had never occurred. It was as though the Church were still mired in the reactionary era of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, when Catholics seemed obsessed with one issue alone: abortion without connecting it (as Francis has done) to problems of poverty, war, environmental destruction, and an overwhelmingly punitive "justice" system.
That is, Pope Francis has substituted a comprehensive pro-life agenda for his predecessors' narrow pro-birth position.
So how should Catholics vote who are tuned into Pope Francis' more expansive moral concerns? According to the pope's eco-encyclical, his Apostolic Exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel , and his address to the U.S. Congress, Catholics should vote:
*Against climate change deniers and for those who share the pope's climate concerns.
*Against champions of dirty fossil fuels and in favor of those supporting alternative, renewable energy sources.
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Who and What Follows Obama?
(Image by Marcello Rollando) Details DMCA
No matter the Early Voting, the over polled or the media trumped, our 2016 election season is too close to call anything but, a killing season for our pillars of civility and unity. This justifies the fear of our Founding Fathers that their exceptional idea couldn't survive without a collegiate prophylactic to protect the masses who just can't handle the truth, from the extremism of mobs ruled by despots, demagogues and those seeking revitalized TV careers.
Nonetheless, regardless of our political leanings, if protest voters allow Trumpland to secure a White House beachhead in what was for one brief shining moment, The Land of the Free, and non-voters fail to comprehend, not voting, is a resounding vote, we will have allowed arrogance and apathy to parent, and bequeath to our children, the worst of neo-cons.
It's better for Americans when our elections are motivated by facts grounded in truth, rather than an imagined past that was never our national path to glory. 2016 isn't about Clinton vs. Trump, or even Right Wing extremism gasping to breathe life back into Grover Norquist's desire to drown our Gettysburg Address in his narrow ring around the tub.
America's greatness comes from its faith in all Americans -- there but for the grace of God and the Thanksgiving generosity of Native Americans, we couldn't overcome the human flaw of derisive division -- without letting freedom ring. We can either re-learn how to listen to each other to be stronger together, or choose to ignore America to death.
Like the Revolutionary & Civil Wars, Our Revolution is not about one person, not even one as honorable as Senator Bernie Sanders. The revolutionary lesson from both Sanders and Trump is not Jefferson's, but that both the far Left and Right want to drain the swamp of our financially compromised grid-locked Washington and voter intimidation State governments.
The difference is, Sanders supporters, realizing Congress is only the go-between Hydra for the underworld of Wall Street overlords, don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
At least since November 22, 1963, our natural national evolution has been racing with the Conservative reaction to it -- and now it's closing the gap, but some of us just can't imagine the rainbow.
As nation and people, we are at a cultural, political and gender equality crossroads. Either we progress forward with all-inclusive solutions, or simultaneously, take hard Left and Right turns, refusing to watch each other's six. However, there is no reversing, for the great inner peace we seek isn't behind us.
Everyone makes some bad choices in life, but few as bad as resisting inevitable change, GOP Congressional obstructionism and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr who, ignoring Citizens United, insisted that we have nothing to fear in our electoral process. Yet, allegedly, some FBI agents have decided we are a nation of people who talk the patriotic talk, without walking the constitutional walk, they've sworn to preserve, protect and defend.
Exceptionalism is, American elections are to be left in the hands, hearts and minds of We the People, of every hue, colorful language, political bias, and sexual drinking end of the day partner -- not Koch Red Mapping, hacking by Trump's Russian buddies or FBI llegals -- creating an America for which hypocrisy is a given.
The question for each of us Tuesday November 8, 2016 is, are we voting to save some portion of an American Dream in tatters from domestic terrorists or to relegate America to an underground railroad, stealing away from itself?
Journalist and citizen activist Erin Schrode was peacefully filming an interview with a Standing Rock Water Protector when she was shot in the back with a rubber bullet by militarized police onsite.
Rubber bullets, in spite of their relatively benign-sounding name, can cause death or severe injury.
In one of the few serious coverages of incidents at Standing Rock by the mainstream media, ABC reported on the shooting of Schrode. They included a portion of the Morton County Sheriff's Department's statement: "Authorities used less-than-lethal ammunition to control the situation." The excerpt did not describe the exact nature of the "situation," although it is known that Schrode was simply and calmly interviewing one of the Water Protectors. click here
Comedian Lee Camp, creator and host of the weekly comedy news show Redacted Tonight with Lee Camp on RT America covered the incident, noting that it was clearly a tragedy:
Erin posted her experience on Facebook on Nov 2:
I was just shot. Militarized police fired at me from point blank range with a rubber bullet on the front lines of Standing Rock. My body will be okay, but I am hurting, I am incensed, I am weeping, I am scared. Peaceful, prayerful, unarmed, nonviolent people on one side of a river; militarized police with armed vehicles and assault weapons occupying treaty land on the other, where sacred burial grounds have already been destroyed.
Water Protectors at Standing Rock
(Image by Erin Schrode) Details DMCA
What is happening here in North Dakota is like nothing I have ever seen in my life, anywhere in the world. This is a fight to protect and defend the water for 17 million people in the watershed downstream to the Gulf, for a livable planet, for Native and human rights, for the lifeforce of us all. We are at the confluence of the movements for civil rights, for the environment, for peace, for justice. I am proud to stand in solidarity with our Native brothers and sisters -- alongside the water protectors and land defenders -- who put their lives on the line and are facing excessive force, pepperspray and mace, historic trauma, brutal arrest, imprisonment in dog kennels, felony charges, and callous destruction of sacred objects. This is not about me, but I am here -- and will remain here -- to cover and amplify truth and bravery on the ground with my colleagues Josh Fox of Josh Fox Film, Josue Rivas of Josue' Rivas Fotographer, Jordan Chariton of The Young Turks, Evan Simon of ABC News. Standing Rock represents the exploitation of a long-oppressed people, illegal land seizure, crude oil transport, media censorship, national security threat, public health crises, and more human rights violations than I can count.
Water Protectors at Standing Rock
(Image by Erin Schrode) Details DMCA
It is inexcusable for the President Obama to say he will "let it play out for several more weeks." It is unjustifiable for the Attorney General to not be here. It is unconscionable for mainstream media to not cover this.
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Global Automotive Coil Spring Market Research Latest Reports Explores, Sales, Trends, Growth, Analysis - 2016
Automotive Coil Spring
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MRS Research Group added new research report on Global Automotive Coil Spring Market 2016 includes Market Size, Share, Trends, Growth, Demand, Supply, Application, Segmentation, Opportunity, Market Development, production, capacity utilization, supply, Analysis and Forecast by 2021The Global Automotive Coil Spring Industry 2016-2021 Market Research Report' is analytical reports based on a current situation and trends of the global as well as Chinese market. It is in-depth study of the comprehensive content which compiles statistics for the key elements of subject. The repot ensure the quality of the content and guideline which needed. It includes basic information of the company profile, products, generated revenue and future treads and various other vital data.Complete Report With TOC Available @It keeps the main focus on the priority need of the individualand provides a brief report on the annual basis. The global Automotive Coil Spring market report will provide significant and reliable information on the market clearly in structured format. The report will offers you a key manufacturer of the products, applications, DROS and others.Our experts team takes out key information from the various sources which include primary and secondary sources and help to provides related information of the client interest. Report will easily mold information as per client requirement which covers forecast and analysis of Automotive Coil Spring market on global and regional level.We generate reports on market variations across verticals like energy, chemicals, technology, food, electronics and others. It consists of a highly detailed analysis of the subject.Access Free Sample Report @We use numerous tools and techniques to collect information on various parameters. The report includes key competitors in global Automotive Coil Spring market. Our experts team provides forward-looking insight on market growth. It will clear you with the suitable schematics diagrams, statistical analysis and related deep insight. It will also cover value chain analysis, market attractiveness, supply-demand & Chinese import export and 2011-2016 revenue for each company.It includes proper segmentation at the micro and macro level, dominant, largest and leading segment in the market. Moreover, includes future projects in the market with most reliable information indispensable for marketplace.Automotive service market is the branch of automotive market where after sale services are provided to maintain the automobile in better condition. Many automobile manufacturers have their own service centers but apart from that many small private service centers have grown up around the globe which guarantees better services to the clients.It is not always possible for vehicle owner to repair his/her own vehicle, due to lack of knowledge and lack of time and hence they prefer to take their automobile to the nearest service station. Plus people want their vehicle to be fit and well maintained to be able to perform flawlessly and hence there are people who do regular monthly servicing of the vehicle even if there is not damage to it. This mind set is increasing the revenue of this sector.Thorough analysis made by MRS Research Group of the automobile service industry is placed n this report. Experts of the industry have studies the market in detail before forming this report.Browse more reports on Automobile at:Table of ContentGlobal Market Research Report 20211 Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of1.2 Segment by Types1.2.1 Global Production Market Share of by Type in 20151.2.2 Type I Overview and Price1.2.2.1 Type I Overview1.2.2.2 Type I Price List in 2015 and 20161.2.3 Type II1.2.3.1 Type I Overview1.2.3.2 Type I Price List in 2015 and 20161.2.4 Type III1.2.4.1 Type I Overview1.2.4.2 Type I Price List in 2015 and 20161.3 Segment by Application1.3.1 Consumption Market Share by Application in 20152 Global Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Production and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 Global Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.3 Global Average Price by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.4 Manufacturers Manufacturing Base Distribution and Product Type2.5 Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 ExpansionsMRS Research Group is the worlds giant collection of the Market research Reports. Where we specialized in global publisher, tailor made reports and specialists consulting. Global Publisher provides in-depth analysis of global and Chinese market. Tailor-made reports represent methodologies deliverable to proper insight of the client. While, expertise research specialist helps to provide strategic solution in specialists consulting. It consists of head such as, latest report, category, niche market and news. Reports published on the million of category like chemical, machinery and equipment, consumer goods, manufacturing and construction etc. Latest national, international, business News published under news portal.Contact UsJoel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free : +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@mrsresearchgroup.comWebsite:
Automotive Electronics Market Size, Share, Analysis, Report and Forecast to 2022 According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Automotive Electronics market is estimated at $184.4 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach $380 billion by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 10.8% from 2015 to 2022. Safety features such as emergency call systems, alcohol ignition interlocks, and accident data recorder systems are the key factors to fuel the market growth during the forecast period. In addition, growing concerns among administration on passenger safety are speculating to provide immense opportunities for market expansion. However, complexities such as tolerance stack-up and hardware & software, harsh operating conditions might hamper the market during forecast period. Further, lack of knowledge related to coordination issues and interplay of subsystems of OEMs also tend to hinder the market.
The automobile electronics market has experienced an exponential growth over the years and with the advancement of technology, it is projected to witness a steady growth in the upcoming years. North America was the largest regional market while Asia Pacific is expected to witness high growth due to rising need for customized vehicle features, stringent standards, reduced production cost, and increased product quality. In Asia Pacific, countries such as India and China are expected to boost the market growth.
Some of the key players in the market are Bosch Group, Denso Corporation, Avago Technologies, Continental AG, Delphi Automotive PLC, Panasonic, Altera Corporation, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Dow Corning, Atmel Corporation, Audiovox Corporation, Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited, Infineon Technologies AG, TRW Automotive, Texas Instruments, Wipro, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Yamaha Corporation, Sony Corporation, OMRON Corporation, and Atotech Deutschland GmbH.
Applications Covered:
Infotainment
Safety Systems
Body Electronics
(Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS)
Powertrain
Vehicle Types Covered:
Passenger Vehicles
Heavy Commercial Vehicles
Light Commercial Vehicles
Regions Covered:
North America
o US
o Canada
o Mexico
Europe
o Germany
o France
o Italy
o UK
o Spain
o Rest of Europe
Asia Pacific
o Japan
o China
o India
o Australia
o New Zealand
o Rest of Asia Pacific
Rest of the World
o Middle East
o Brazil
o Argentina
o South Africa
o Egypt
What 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 advancements
We 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.
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Iran's Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday became the first foreign minister to meet Lebanon's new president, a move that underscored Tehran's tussle for influence in Beirut with its regional arch rival Saudi Arabia.
A Christian leader and close ally of Lebanon's Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah who was elected president last week, Aoun also met an envoy sent by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier in the day.
Iran, which welcomed Aoun's election as a victory for Hezbollah, is a political and military ally of Assad in the Syrian civil war. Assad's troops are supported by Iran-backed militias and Hezbollah fighters from neighbouring Lebanon.
Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran also back opposing factions in Yemen, Iraq and Bahrain and broke diplomatic ties earlier this year after Riyadh's execution of a Shi'ite cleric and a subsequent attack by protesters on its embassy in Tehran.
Speaking on arrival at Beirut airport, Zarif, who was accompanied by a high profile political and economic delegation, said he hoped to expand ties with Lebanon.
Former army commander Michel Aoun was elected by the Lebanese parliament as president last Monday, ending a 29-month presidential vacuum. Aoun then asked Sunni Muslim leader Saad al-Hariri to start consultations to form a new government of which Hariri would be prime minister.
The empty presidency was a symptom of an underlying political struggle between rival factions in Lebanon, which has been made worse by the war in neighbouring Syria. It has paralysed decision-making, economic development and basic services, and raised fears for the country's stability.
The deal to appoint Aoun as president and Hariri as prime minister has underscored Hezbollah's dominant role in Lebanon. It has also demonstrated a diminished position for Hariri's main regional backer, Sunni Saudi Arabia, which seems more focused on confronting Iranian influence elsewhere in the region.
Under Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, worked out upon independence and confirmed after a bitter 15-year civil war, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni and the speaker of parliament a Shi'ite.
Syrian envoy Mansour Azzam, who is head of presidential affairs, greeted Aoun on behalf of Syria's Assad, saying he hoped Aoun's election would contribute to stability in Lebanon and in the region.
Azzam said there would be "no new page" in Syria-Lebanon relations and they would continue in a balanced way.
Aoun's meetings with Iranian and Syrian dignitaries came on the same day as Prime Minister-designate Hariri said Lebanon's new administration was a chance to revive ties with the Gulf Arab countries.
"The formation of the government is a chance to renew the emphasis on Lebanon's Arab identity and return momentum and heat to Lebanon's relations with its brethren in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)," Hariri said after meeting GCC ambassadors to Lebanon.
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How free software can benefit SMEs
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Intuitive, easy and quick. MEDUSA4 Personal for small companies is impressive whichever way you look at itCambridge, UK and Pittsford, NY 2 November 2016: A modern design, new functions and more possibilities for commercial use make the free CAD software ideal for day-to-day use in construction and planning.Big benefits for small companiesCompanies producing construction drawings and plans can use MEDUSA4 Personal's complete range of functions free of charge. If the result is to be used commercially, the drawing must be converted via CSG eSERVICES. Here, the drawings and models can be converted directly into DXF, PDF or STL format. The big advantage for companies: there is no need to pay for the software itself, only for the results obtained.Free download: Use MEDUSA4 Personal immediatelyMEDUSA4 Personal can be downloaded free of charge from the CAD Schroer homepage immediately. Video tutorials and full documentation are available to help users get used to the software quickly. MEDUSA4 Personal is ideal for small companies looking for low-cost, high-performance CAD software. This is possible with no investment up front.Further information how free software can benefit SMEs:About CAD SchroerCAD Schroer is a global software development company and engineering solutions provider, helping to raise the productivity and competitiveness of customers working in manufacturing and plant design, including the automotive sector and its supply chain, the energy sector and public utilities. CAD Schroer has offices and subsidiaries throughout Europe and in the United States.CAD Schroers product portfolio includes 2D/3D CAD, plant design, factory layout and data management solutions. Customers in 39 countries rely on MEDUSA4, MPDS4 and STHENO/PRO to provide an efficient, flexible and integrated design environment for all phases of product or plant design cutting costs while raising quality. CAD Schroer emphasises close customer partnerships and supports its clients objectives through extensive consultancy, training, development, software support and maintenance services.CAD Schroer UK Ltd2nd Floor Godwin HouseCastle ParkCambridgeCB3 0RAKate Pottle
Insight report on BRIC Fetal Monitors Market Outlook to 2022
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"The Report BRIC Fetal Monitors Market Outlook to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"GlobalDatas new report, "BRIC Fetal Monitors Market Outlook to 2022", provides key market data on the BRIC Fetal Monitors market. The report provides value, in millions of US dollars, volume (in units) and average price data (in US dollars), within market segments - Antepartum Monitors and Intrapartum Monitors.The report also provides company shares and distribution shares data for the market category, and global corporate-level profiles of the key market participants. Based on the availability of data for the particular category and country, information related to pipeline products, news and deals is available in the report.The data in the report is derived from dynamic market forecast models. GlobalData uses epidemiology and capital equipment-based models to estimate and forecast the market size. The objective is to provide information that represents the most up-to-date data of the industry possible.The epidemiology-based forecasting model makes use of epidemiology data gathered from research publications and primary interviews with physicians to establish the target patient population and treatment flow patterns for individual diseases and therapies. Using prevalence and incidence data and diagnosed and treated population, the epidemiology-based forecasting model arrives at the final numbers.Capital equipment-based forecasting models are done based on the installed base, replacements and new sales of a specific device/equipment in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centers. Data for average number of units per facility is used to arrive at the installed base of the capital equipment. Sales for a particular year are arrived at by calculating the replacement units and new units (additional and first-time purchases).Extensive interviews are conducted with key opinion leaders (KOLs), physicians and industry experts to validate the market size, company share and distribution share data and analysis.Download Sample copy of this Report at :Scope- Market size for Fetal Monitors market segments - Antepartum Monitors and Intrapartum Monitors.- Annualized market revenues (USD million), volume (units) and average selling price ($) data for each of the market categories. Data is provided from 2008 to 2015 and forecast to 2022.- 2015 company shares and distribution shares data for Fetal Monitors market.- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the BRIC Fetal Monitors market.- Key players covered include Philips Healthcare, GE Healthcare Limited, ArjoHuntleigh AB and Others.Reasons to buy- Develop business strategies by identifying the key market segments poised for strong growth in the future.- Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies.- Design competition strategies by identifying who-stands-where in the market.- Develop investment strategies by identifying the key market segments expected to register strong growth in the near future.- What are the key distribution channels and whats the most preferred mode of product distribution - Identify, understand and capitalize.Table of Contents1 Table of Contents 21.1 List of Tables 41.2 List of Figures 52 Introduction 62.1 What Is This Report About? 62.2 Fetal Monitors Market Segmentation 62.3 Definitions of Markets Covered in the Report 73 Fetal Monitors Market, BRIC 83.1 Fetal Monitors Market, BRIC, Revenue ($m), 2008-2022 83.2 Fetal Monitors Market, BRIC, Revenue ($m), 2008-2015 103.3 Fetal Monitors Market, BRIC, Revenue ($m), 2015-2022 123.4 Fetal Monitors Market, BRIC, Volume (Units), 2008-2022 143.5 Fetal Monitors Market, BRIC, Volume (Units), 2008-2015 153.6 Fetal Monitors Market, BRIC, Volume (Units), 2015-2022 173.7 Fetal Monitors Market, BRIC, Company Share by Revenue ($m), 2015 194 Fetal Monitors Market, Brazil 214.1 Fetal Monitors Market, Brazil, Revenue ($m), 2008-2015 214.2 Fetal Monitors Market, Brazil, Revenue ($m), 2015-2022 234.3 Fetal Monitors Market, Brazil, Volume (Units), 2008-2015 254.4 Fetal Monitors Market, Brazil, Volume (Units), 2015-2022 274.5 Fetal Monitors Market, Brazil, Average Price ($), 2008-2022 294.6 Fetal Monitors Market, Brazil, Distribution Share by Revenue ($m), 2014-2015 304.7 Fetal Monitors Market, Brazil, Company Share by Revenue ($m), 2015 315 Fetal Monitors Market, China 335.1 Fetal Monitors Market, China, Revenue ($m), 2008-2015 335.2 Fetal Monitors Market, China, Revenue ($m), 2015-2022 355.3 Fetal Monitors Market, China, Volume (Units), 2008-2015 375.4 Fetal Monitors Market, China, Volume (Units), 2015-2022 395.5 Fetal Monitors Market, China, Average Price ($), 2008-2022 415.6 Fetal Monitors Market, China, Distribution Share by Revenue ($m), 2014-2015 425.7 Fetal Monitors Market, China, Company Share by Revenue ($m), 2015 436 Fetal Monitors Market, India 456.1 Fetal Monitors Market, India, Revenue ($m), 2008-2015 456.2 Fetal Monitors Market, India, Revenue ($m), 2015-2022 476.3 Fetal Monitors Market, India, Volume (Units), 2008-2015 496.4 Fetal Monitors Market, India, Volume (Units), 2015-2022 516.5 Fetal Monitors Market, India, Average Price ($), 2008-2022 536.6 Fetal Monitors Market, India, Distribution Share by Revenue ($m), 2014-2015 546.7 Fetal Monitors Market, India, Company Share by Revenue ($m), 2015 557 Fetal Monitors Market, Russia 577.1 Fetal Monitors Market, Russia, Revenue ($m), 2008-2015 577.2 Fetal Monitors Market, Russia, Revenue ($m), 2015-2022 597.3 Fetal Monitors Market, Russia, Volume (Units), 2008-2015 617.4 Fetal Monitors Market, Russia, Volume (Units), 2015-2022 637.5 Fetal Monitors Market, Russia, Average Price ($), 2008-2022 657.6 Fetal Monitors Market, Russia, Distribution Share by Revenue ($m), 2014-2015 667.7 Fetal Monitors Market, Russia, Company Share by Revenue ($m), 2015 678 Overview of Key Companies in BRIC Fetal Monitors Market 698.1 Philips Healthcare 69MarketResearchReports.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
Colombia Los Angeles Project Panorama - Oil and Gas Upstream Analysis And Forecasts Report
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"The Report Colombia Los Angeles Project Panorama - Oil and Gas Upstream Analysis Report provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Colombia Los Angeles Project Panorama, GlobalDatas latest release, presents a comprehensive overview of the asset. This upstream report includes detailed qualitative and quantitative information on the asset, provides a full economic assessment and reflects several parameters including (but not limited to) geological profile, asset development and specific challenges. Based on this analysis, future outlook for the asset is presented with possible trends and related scenarios identifying upside/downside potential.Download Sample copy of this Report at :Scope- Overview of the asset based on an analysis of the economic indicators- Key financial indicators including Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return- Review of factors affecting the economic outcome of the field including development overview, geology, challenges, reserves and production with qualitative perspective on of the overall assets life with GlobalDatas analysis on the assets future outlook- Detailed production profile for the asset, giving annual output rates for each commodity produced- Cash flow statements from our economic analysis of the asset including capital expenditures, operating expenditures and tax liability- Individual valuations for equity holders- Sensitivity analysis for asset value considering a range of factorsReasons to buy- Understand the economic and non-economic factors that affect production of an asset- Benefit from an asset valuation derived from detailed research and modeling by our analysts- Basic view of various scenarios and its effect on the asset for risk or strategy planning- Utilize the quantitative and qualitative evaluation to ascertain trends within the region to inform decision making- Identify economic trends of an asset to determine investment requirements to validate the market size, company share and distribution share data and analysis.Follow us on LinkedIn:Table of Contents1 Table of Contents1 Table of Contents 11.1 List of Tables 21.2 List of Figures 22 Project Panorama 33 Project Update 44 Outlook 55 Asset Summary 66 Development Overview 107 Geology 128 Challenges 139 Reserves and Production 1410 Economic Analysis 1711 Appendix 2011.1 Contact Us 2011.2 Disclaimer 201.1 List of TablesTable 1: Project Details 3Table 2: Participation Overview 6Table 3: Key Valuation Metrics 6Table 4: Asset Valuation Metrics 8Table 5: Cash Flow Summary 8Table 6: Fiscal Take Summary 9Table 7: Production Summary 15Table 8: Production Data 15Table 9: Project Cash Flow 181.2 List of FiguresFigure 1: Annual Cash Flow 6Figure 2: Full Cycle Expenditure And Revenue Split 7Figure 3: Remaining Expenditure And Revenue Split 7Figure 4: NPV Sensitivity 8Figure 5: Percentage NPV Difference 9Figure 6: Production 14MarketResearchReports.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
Healthcare Business Intelligence (BI) Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends And Forecast 2013 - 2019
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ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " Healthcare Business Intelligence (BI) Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends And Forecast, 2013 - 2019 " to it's Large Report database.During the forecast period healthcare providers overtake healthcare payers significantly in terms of growth in the market. Conventional business intelligence leads the global healthcare business intelligence market, by technology, when it comes to revenue. Although mobile business intelligence or cloud business intelligence pose a huge market growth potential due to rising usage of mobile by the healthcare society, and growing demand of health systems and hospitals for a more cheaper, accessible, flexible, scalable and agile form of business intelligence in this expenditure constraint healthcare environment.Rising demand for decline in healthcare costs coupled with federal healthcare mandates enhancing the usage of business intelligence solutions are some of the factors which are expected o drive the market. Even though, the market is expected to grow there are some factors restraining the growth such as lack of cross-functional skilled resources, complexity of it systems and lack of flexibility.Download free Sample PDF report with TOC:The global healthcare business intelligence market is mainly segmented by function, technology, application and end user. On the basis function the healthcare business intelligence market can be segmented into query and reporting tools, online analytical processing (OLAP) and visualization tools and performance monitoring/management and alerts. Furthermore, when is market is segmented on the basis of technology it includes traditional business intelligence, mobile business intelligence and cloud business intelligence.On the basis application the healthcare business intelligence market can be segmented into clinical care optimization (quality and safety), physician performance monitoring and benchmarking, financial analysis, regulatory compliance and reporting and operational performance and cost management. The financial analysis is further sub-segmented into claims analysis and revenue cycle. On a similar note, the operational performance and cost management is sub-segmented into service line analysis and supply chain management, human and resource capital management, marketing analysis. Lastly the market is segmented on the basis of end user into payers, hospitals, providers, physician practices, IDN, ACO, MCO and HIE.Read All Healthcare Market Research Reports @Mobile BI and cloud BI is expected to record highest growth among the healthcare business intelligence market in the forecast period. Their constructive growth is endorsed to the growing swing of healthcare organizations towards cloud computing representation and increasing usage of Smartphone by the medical society. Clinical application is expected to be the major driver for the market growth in the forecasted period. Among all functions, online analytical processing (OLAP) and visualization tools market is expected to have an edge over reporting and monitoring tools.Based on geography, North America, especially the U.S. dominates the market and is also expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is emerging to be an opportunistic market with growing adoption of healthcare and information Technology (HCIT), and consequently business intelligence tools. In Japanese market a variety of encouraging government initiatives are designed and developed. These new IT reform strategy, e-Japan policy and iJApan Strategy 2015 are some of the government initiatives which are focusing on escalation of healthcare service.Leading players of the healthcare business intelligence market are Information Builders, IBM Corporation, MicroStrategy, Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, SAP AG, Qlik Technologies, Inc., SAS Institute, Inc., Tableau Software , TIBCO Software Inc., and other players such as CitiusTech, Accenture, Computer Sciences Corporation, Jaspersoft, Dimensional Insight, Klipfolio Inc., Agilum Healthcare Intelligence, Perficient, Inc., Siemens Healthcare, , Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Hexaware Technologies Limited and Wipro Limited among others.About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the world's fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMoz's service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Contact Us:Mr. NachiketAlbany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074 / Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:Follow me on Blogger at:
Global Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Market Growth 2017-2021
Inustry Analysis
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Albany, New York, November 04, 2016: A new market research report has been added by Market Research Hub (MRH) to its comprehensive collection of research studies. The 75-page research report, titled Global Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Market Growth 2017-2021 provides a detailed analysis, highlighting the market dynamics that are projected to determine the growth of the Global Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Market.Get Free Sample Report:The report begins by offering an overview of the virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution can be considered a platform in which a client server is employed to access a user system virtually. This type of computing model makes use of a centralized storage space, where data and system applications are stored centrally on the server. End-users have to enter their login details to gain remote access to these applications and data from any location. However, establishing such a setup requires an uninterrupted network.The 75-pages research report Covers:PART 01: Executive summaryPART 02: Scope of the reportMarket overviewTop-vendor offeringsPART 03: Market research methodologyResearch methodologyEconomic indicatorsPART 04: IntroductionKey market highlightsPART 05: Market landscapeMarket overviewMarket size and forecastFive forces analysisPART 06: Market segmentation by new software licenses and servicesServicesNew software licensesPART 07: Market segmentation by applicationOn-premise VDICloud-based VDIPART 08: Market segmentation by applicationPART 09: Geographical segmentationAmericasEMEAAPACPART 10: Market driversPART 11: Impact of driversPART 12: Market challengesPART 13: Impact of drivers and challengesPART 14: Market trendsPART 15: Vendor landscapeCompetitive scenarioCitrixHuaweiMicrosoftVMware (Dell Technologies)Other prominent vendorsPART 16: AppendixRead Full Report with Table of Content:Global Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key Vendors:CitrixHuaweiMicrosoftVMwaredinCloudHPIGEL TechnologyLISTEQNComputingNetAppVirtual Desktop Infrastructure Market Report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global virtual desktop infrastructure market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report presents the vendor landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the top four vendors in the market.Market 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 Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:
Duplicate Files Fixer Crosses 100K Downloads on Play Store
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.duplicatefilefixer
Duplicate Files Fixer, an all-in-one identical files removing app developed by Systweak Software, has crossed 100,000 downloads on Google Play Store. The app has released several upgrades since its launch to improve user experience. Most recently, it saw the addition of the popular Material theme along with more advanced categorized scan results.We always strive to give importance to what users would find useful in the apps that we develop. Keeping this aspect in mind, we encourage our developers to upgrade our utility apps at regular intervals. Duplicate Files Fixer has gone through many such updates and the 100,000 download mark is a reflection of the time and effort weve put into it. said Shrishail Rana, CEO, Systweak.Our constant effort is to create apps that encompass all possible functionalities. Duplicate Files Fixer not only is a complete package functionality-wise, it also has a total of 14 language options making it available to a wide user-base all around the world. added Aaditya Singhal, Manager, Android Apps.Duplicate Files Fixer is an all-inclusive identical file finding tool available across all major platforms viz. Windows, Mac and iOS in addition to Android. It efficiently scans and deletes duplicate files (after taking users permission) based on filename, content, size, date created and tags, thereby retrieving much needed storage space on any device or system.To download Duplicate Files Fixer for Android, visit:Systweak Software has been developing and distributing Windows, Mac, iOS & Android Apps since last 18 years to improve the average users digital experience. It has recently been featured in 100 Most Promising Microsoft Solution Providers list by the enterprise solutions magazine, CIO Review. Some of the companys flagship apps have been featured on Newswatch, Discovery Channels tech news bulletin. Systweak Software has a large user-base in North America followed by several countries in Europe and Asia.Systweak Software572 & 573, G-1, Tower B-1 Evolve, IT/ITeS Mahindra World City, Village Kalwara, Taluka SanganerJaipur Rajasthan, 30203791-141-2243030
Structural Health Monitoring Market to reach US$ 3 billion by 2023
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Structural health monitoring market is anticipated to project an exponential growth over the forecast period; the market is estimated to reach US$ 3 billion by 2023 witnessing a compound annual growth rate of 30% over the period 2016-2023Bridges and Dams segment was valued at 0.48 billion US$ in 2015 and is anticipated to reach 0.55 billion US$ by the end of 2016 witnessing a compound annual growth rate of 15% over the forecast period.Bridges and Dam segment is anticipated to dominate the global SHM market over the forecast period followed by Buildings and Stadium segment as the calamities through theses infrastructure causes huge loss of lives and capitol.North-America is anticipated to contribute highest share in terms of revenue in the global SHM market followed by Asia-Pacific due to the developed infrastructure industry across the region. North America region is anticipated to account for 30% share of the global SHM market by the end of 2016 while Asia-Pacific is anticipated to contribute 20.2% to the global SHM market in 2016.Request Table of content -Structural health monitoring (SHM) is an important gadget for engineers to improve the safety and maintainability of various civil infrastructures. Structural health monitoring system comprises a wide range of sensing technologies to analyze a vast amount of real-time-data. The common parameters which are measured to analyze the sustainability of a structure include vibration and strains that are measured by various sensors, data analyzing systems, and hardware and software solutions. The system is designed to analyze and maintain the health of structure such as buildings, bridges, dams, wind turbines, stadiums, and large machineries.Structural health monitoring can be classified into portable testing systems and continuous monitoring systems. The portable testing systems are temporarily installed to analyze current condition of a structure whereas continuous monitoring systems collects the real time data regarding the health of an infrastructure to identify the early detection of damage to save lives as well as money. Rapid expansion of the infrastructure sector has fuelled the demand of structural monitoring systems across the globe.Growth Drivers and ChallengesWide availability of low-cost sensors being used in structural health monitoring systems, growing infrastructural development across the globe, increasing awareness of governments towards the maintenance of heritage structure in order to boost the tourism revenue of their country, government regulations to reduce the loss of lives through regular maintenance of public infrastructure are the main factors driving the structural health monitoring systems market across the globe.Use of SHM systems during the construction of an infrastructure will help in identifying the inadequacy in its construction and design, new government regulations towards the compulsory implementation of SHM systems in order to reduce loss of lives as well as cost will boost the SHM system market in the coming 5-6 years.In conventional SHM systems, data is collected manually through implementing of sensors on the infrastructure, now the high-tech systems consists automation systems which reduces the cost of maintenance. Non-destructive monitoring, non-contact vibration measurement systems are some new trends improving the SHM accuracy. Cost-reduction due to the technological advancement of the SHM systems is anticipated to be the key factor driving the SHM market over the forecast period i.e. 2016-2023.High-cost, inaccuracies in the measurement, lack of expertise, alternate methods of monitoring are some factors restraining the market growth over the globe.The report titled Global structural health monitoring Market Outlook 2023 delivers detailed overview of the structural health monitoring market in terms of market segmentation by regions, by devices, by services.Further, for the in-depth analysis, the report encompasses the industry growth drivers, restraints, supply and demand risk, market attractiveness, BPS analysis and Porters five force model.Request free sample Report -This report also provides the existing competitive scenario of some of the key players of the structural health monitoring industry which includes company profiling of Digitexx Data Systems, Sodis Lab, Geokon Inc, Geocomp Corporation, Advitam Inc, etc. The profiling enfolds key information of the companies which encompasses business overview, products and services, key financials and recent news and developments. On the whole, the report depicts detailed overview on the global structural health monitoring market that will help industry consultants, equipment manufacturers, existing players searching for expansion opportunities, new players searching possibilities and other stakeholders to align their market centric strategies according to the ongoing and expected trends in the future.Research Nester is a global market research and consulting firm helping organizations, private entities, governments undertaking, non-legislative associations and non-profit organizations. With our decades of experience in the market research, we help our clients to gain a competitive edge over other players. Thus, helping them making strategic yet dynamic decisions for the future investments.Contact Us:Ajay DanielEmail: ajay.daniel@researchnester.com1820 Avenue M, Suite# 1113,Brooklyn, New York 11230Phone : U.S. +1 646 586 9123U.K. +44 203 608 5919web:
UK Protection Insurance: Critical Illness & Income Protection examines the protection market
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ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " UK Protection Insurance: Critical Illness & Income Protection " to it's Large Report database.SummaryIndividual product performance in the protection market is a turbulent and confusing picture, with erratic premium behavior across the board. While term (and specifically non-mortgage term) products are still the dominant force with over 70% of protection share, there has been downward pressure on every product line in recent times, reflecting the uncertain, fragile national macroeconomic picture. Indeed, in the absence of major market-driven change it is the macro-environment that dictates performance.Key Findings-Although the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) was aimed at the retail investment market, and commission-based business is still permitted for protection products, the net effect has been that advisors offering a range of services have had to adapt their models. In addition to RDR, a new emphasis on conduct has been ushered in with the Financial Conduct Authority, and key protagonists in the financial services markets have been overwhelmed with the volume of regulatory change in the last few years.Download free Sample PDF report with TOC:Individual product performance in the protection market is a turbulent and confusing picture, with erratic premium behavior across the board. While term (and specifically non-mortgage term) products are still the dominant force with over 70% of protection share, there has been downward pressure on every product line in recent times, reflecting the uncertain, fragile national macroeconomic picture.SynopsisVerdict Financials UK Protection Insurance: Critical Illness & Income Protection examines the protection market, focusing on two products: critical illness and income protection. It examines how the market has performed and explores the key drivers shaping the market going forward. It also highlights the impact of RDR and provides a forecast for the next five years.Reasons To Buy-Review your strategy against both existing and new challenges regarding the critical illness and income protection markets.Read All Banking Market Research Reports @Table of ContentsEXECUTIVE SUMMARYProtection has reached a new normal and needs to be reinvigoratedKey findingsCritical success factorsMARKET DYNAMICSIntroductionThe protection market has seen major changesProtection is sold not bought, making advisors gatekeepers to the marketContract levels have reduced due to the RDRBanks have retrenched to core business and reduced their advisory capabilitiesProtection products are exhibiting varying performance levelsIP and CII account for a mere 7.2% of the total protection marketPrices rises have sustained the marketThe IP sector has struggled to recover its 2012 market positionThe product offers significant benefits, but awareness and engagement is lowConfusion exists about the types of coverThe application process is longLittle is done to spread the word on policy benefitsCII penetration is very low, and has been decliningIssues affecting IP also impact CII take-upThe impact of ill health is well publicizedCII is more likely to be added to another protection productThe product has received negative press regarding claimsLike IP, the CII sales process is longAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the world's fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMoz's service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Contact Us:Mr. NachiketAlbany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074 / Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:Follow me on Blogger at:
Save your assets from the clawback provisions of Medicaid
www.cloudpeaklaw.com
Anybody over the age of 65 would require medical assistance of some sort or the other. Going by the present trend, the Alzheimers disease is the most common affliction of people over 65 years of age. The probability of contracting the disease increases in rapid proportion over the age of 65. The medical expenses for the treatment of such ailments are tremendous. As of today, it could be around $ 90000 per annum. This would enable you to make your own calculations as to the amount you might incur. If you have the requisite savings or the financial strength to bear the expenses, you are welcome to do so. However, the normal resident would not be in a position to bear the costs. This is where Medicaid can come to your assistance.Medicaid, a joint federal-state health insurance program for low-income children, seniors, would be a great option for you. There is no such concept such as a free lunch today. The Government has a right to recover the cost of the Medicaid expenses. They do so by way of a clawback provision in the law that enables them to recover the expenses by way of seizure of the assets of the elderly after they die. This is a dangerous scenario and hurts the beneficiaries.Investing in an Irrevocable Income Only Trust (IIOT) would help you secure your assets. This requires medicaid planning. Transferring your assets to this trust about five years prior to your long-term care would help you solve the problem.Do no confuse these with Revocable Living Trusts that will not help with recovery agencies, investing in a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust is the only viable option. By doing so, you can retain the possession of your asset and save the same from seizure. You can live in your home without any fear of eviction. Seniors can transfer the assets in the name of an irrevocable trust for asset protection in your childs name as well. This would enable you to enjoy the taxation benefits as well. You could transfer the property in your childs name when you are alive and retain control over the asset as well. Consult an eminent elder lawyer at Cloud Peak law Group before doing so.The Cloud Peak Law Group is a group of eminent lawyers who can protect your property from seizure due to the invocation of the clawback provision of Medicaid. You can visitfor further details about their services.Contact :Cloud Peak Law Group203 S. Main St.3000Sheridan , Wyoming82801 , USAPhone : 307-674-1604
Formaspace to Showcase New Exhibition for NeoCon East 16 Booth #1519
Neocon East 2016 - Formaspace Booth
https://calendly.com/michael-larpenter-formaspace/neocon
https://calendly.com/mike-triche-formaspace/neocon
On November 9th & 10th, Formaspace will showcase an original, modular exhibition booth (#1519) at NeoCon East 2016. Our custom creation, designed and manufactured in under 10 days, is an homage to our custom furniture capabilities and our superior industrial design and engineering team.Dedicated to creating aesthetically pleasing and auspicious workspaces, Formaspace utilizes a unique blend of form and function to design and manufacture custom-tailored business furniture. Our solutions are sought out for office environments, laboratories, universities, governments, material handling, and many other workspace applications. We provide an ambiance of professionalism and productivity conducive to advancing the human condition and we are devoted to improving the world we work in.Stationed in Pennsylvania Convention Center, NeoCon East 2016 offers over 200 leading businesses with the opportunity to showcase new products and services in their respective industries.Our booth, #1519, and our team is ready to meet with architects, interior designers, office furniture dealers, government agents looking for GSA contract holders and end-users interested in working directly with a business furniture manufacturer.Reserve Your Spot to Meet with Formaspace Now!Interested in meeting us? Follow either of the links below to schedule an in-person meeting with our executive team.Michael Larpenter, Sales DirectorSchedule an in-person meeting now (Mike Triche, National Sales ManagerSchedule an in-person meeting now (From efficiency to aesthetics, we ensure to meet the evolving needs of our clients when creating the most innovative workspaces. Make the most out of NeoCon East by meeting Formaspace!Read more... formaspace.com/articles/formaspace-news/formaspace-showcase-neocon-east-booth-1519/?utm_source=openpr&utm_medium=content&utm_campaign=article-110216Formaspace advances the spirit of discovery and creation through the design and manufacture of custom business furniture. Our furniture marries form to function with flexible solutions for clients in the laboratory, industrial, and office environments.Formaspace serves over 80% of the Fortune 500, as well as universities, governments, small businesses, and individuals.800.251.1505design.consultant@formaspace.com1100 E. Howard Lane, Suite 400 Austin, TX 78753
Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces said Monday that they had advanced into an Islamic State group-held town near Mosul and were moving from house to house clearing it.
"At approximately 0600 hrs on November 7, 2016, peshmerga forces began a large-scale ground assault from three fronts to clear Bashiqa town from (IS) terrorists," the peshmerga said in a statement.
"Peshmerga forces have advanced from all three fronts into the town and begun house-to-house clearances" as of Monday evening, they said.
The Kurdish forces attacked from the north, east and south of Bashiqa, which is located east of Mosul, IS group's last major urban stronghold in Iraq that the country's forces are battling to retake.
"We have been besieging (the jihadists) in the centre of the town for more than two weeks," peshmerga Major general Bahram Yassin told AFP.
In addition to being a battlefield in the war against IS group, Bashiqa has also been the centre of a bitter feud between Iraq and Turkey over the latter's deployment of troops in the area.
Ankara has insisted on playing a role in the operation to retake Mosul, which was launched on October 17, and has carried out artillery strikes against IS group from the Bashiqa area.
The government of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region has close ties to Ankara, but relations between Turkey and the federal government in Baghdad have grown steadily more tense over the troops issue.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has repeatedly demanded that Turkey remove its forces, while top Turkish officials have flatly refused to do so and made a series of dismissive statements about the Iraqi premier.
IS group overran Mosul and swathes of other territory north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces have since regained much of that ground from the militants.
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New update "Mobile Payments in Latin America: Regulation and Collaborative Service Models Drive Growth" The Report covers an In-depth Market Trends, Analysis, Forecast, Review, Share, Size, Growth, Effect.
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Mobile Payments in Latin America: Regulation and Collaborative Service Models Drive Growth' report by Pyramid Research provides overview of the mobile payments market in Latin America. It examines various mobile payments service models, ecosystem and value-chain and widely adopted mobile wallet technologies in Latin America.Key FindingsThe mobile payment systems are more popular in the LATAM countries with established national initiatives financial inclusion and well-defined regulatory framework to promote the entry of non-bank services in Latin America.Operators are actively looking to take advantage of cross-sector collaboration to promote m-payments in LATAM.Get Sample Report With TOC @Operator-led mobile payment business model are more popular in smaller markets with large unbanked population, whereas collaborative models are more prominent in markets with strong financial sectors.Operators are focusing on offering affordable and simplified services to boost the demand for mobile payment services among customers. Telcos will focus on interoperability aspect as key service differentiator.ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.For More Information Kindly Contact:ResearchMoz Global Pvt. Ltd.90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesBlog -866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free),+1-518-621-2074,Email to: sales@researchmoz.us,
Systech Illinois proudly launch their newly designed website.
www.systechillinois.com
www.systechillinois.com
www.systechillinois.com
A new website for Systech Illinois.Systech Instruments (UK) and Illinois Instruments (USA), experts of gas analysis instruments have launched their redesigned website,The newly designed website is fully responsive on all devices mobile, tablet and computer and showcases their extensive range, which includes: oxygen analysers and moisture analysers for the process industries; gas flushing of food and headspace gas analysers for the food and pharmaceutical industries; and oxygen permeation and water vapour permeation analysers for the packaging industries.Visitors to the website will find products and information easy to find with user-friendly advanced search functions. Resources such as product brochures, case studies and technology notes are accessible to download as pdf files or to read online and demonstration videos are available for key products. Customers and distributors will find useful support areas offering technical data and services.Beth Faulkner, Marketing Manager at Systech Illinois says, I am pleased to announce the launch of the Systech Illinois website, which is a great resource tool offering customers and distributors access to expert knowledge and information about our products and services in an easy-to-use way. The website project has been based on fulfilling our customers needs and their invaluable feedback.In addition to manufacturing operations in the UK and US, Systech Illinois have sales and support facilities in China and Thailand and over 100 dedicated representatives worldwide.As a global company Systech Illinois specialises in online, portable and laboratory water vapour permeation analysis equipment. With 30 years as one of the leading experts in gas and moisture measurement, Systech Illinois' application and technology knowledge provides efficient gas analysis solutions in many industry sectors worldwide.For the process industry, Systech offer a wide range of analysis solutions including measurement of water vapour, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and many other gases. In addition, Systech manufacture intrinsically safe units for use in hazardous areas.Systech Illinois is a multinational company with offices and gas analysis equipment manufacturing facilities in the UK and the U.S. Systech is very proud of its well developed and well trained workforce, which enables it to offer customers a continuing high level of service, and become known globally as a leading supplier of gas analysis instrumentation.For more information on the Systech product range please visitSystech Illinois Beth FaulknerPhone: +44 01844 216838 Web:Systech Illinois17 Thame Park Business CentreWenman RoadThameOxfordshire
Eppendorf AG acquires Calibration Technology Ltd
www.eppendorf.com
Hamburg, Germany, November 4, 2016 Hamburg-based Eppendorf AG have acquired Calibration Technology Ltd, headquartered in the National Technology Park Limerick, Ireland, on November 1. The company will continue to be managed as a wholly owned subsidiary of Eppendorf AG by its current Managing Director, Brian Kelly.The acquisition of Calibration Technology Ltd will enable Eppendorf to expand its service presence into Ireland. We have had a very good partnership with Calibration Technology for many years now, and are pleased that this acquisition will allow us to extend our service offering, especially for customers in regulated areas, comments Thomas Bachmann, President & Chief Executive Officer of Eppendorf AG. Calibration Technology is accredited by the Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) to ISO 17025 since 2007. The company has been an authorized Eppendorf Service Centre for the calibration and repair of pipettes and dispensers since 2008.About Calibration Technology LtdCalibration Technology Ltd (CTL) was founded in 2005 by Brian and Lynn Kelly to provide an ac-credited pipette calibration service. Accreditation to the international calibration standard ISO 17025 was awarded by the Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) in 2007 (Reg No 186C). CTL has built up a substantial customer base in the pharmaceutical, clinical, biotechnology, re-search, contract testing laboratories and educational sectors. CTL currently employs 13 staff including 9 Calibration Engineers who primarily calibrate the pipettes on-site at the customers premises. CTL uses state of the art calibration software linked to our LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) to manage and process all aspects of the calibration up to issuing of Certificates of Calibration. CTL has a modern and fully equipped permanent laboratory at its premises in the National Technology Park in Castletroy, Limerick. CTL has a long and established relationship with Eppendorf and is an authorised Eppendorf Service Centre since 2008. Additionally CTL supplies Eppendorf liquid handling equipment and consumables to its customers. Commenting on the acquisition by Eppendorf AG the CTL Managing Director Brian Kelly said We are delighted to be part of the Eppendorf group of companies and look forward to expanding our service range for existing and new customers. We plan on hiring a number of new Calibration Engineers over the coming years. At the start up stage CTL was supported by Shannon Free Airport Development Company (SFADCo) and Enterprise Ireland.About Eppendorf AG:Eppendorf is a leading life science company that develops and sells instruments, consumables, and services for liquid handling, sample handling, and cell handling in laboratories worldwide. Its product range includes pipettes and automated pipetting systems, dispensers, centrifuges, mixers, spectrometers, and DNA amplification equipment as well as ultra-low temperature freezers, fermentors, bioreactors, CO2 incubators, shakers, and cell manipulation systems. Consumables such as pipette tips, test tubes, microliter plates, and single-use bioreactor vessels complement the range of highest-quality premium products. Eppendorf products are most broadly used in academic and commercial research laboratories, e.g., in companies from the pharmaceutical and biotechnological as well as the chemical and food industries. They are also aimed at clinical and environmental analysis laboratories, forensics, and at industrial laboratories performing process analysis, production, and quality assurance. Eppendorf was founded in Hamburg, Germany in 1945 and has about 3,000 employees worldwide. The company has subsidiaries in 25 countries and is represented in all other markets by distributors.Contact InformationFor press information, please contact:Phoenix MarCom Ltd.Tel: +44 (0) 1477 539 550Fax: +44 (0) 1477 539 540Eppendorf@phoenixmarcom.co.ukJulie BrahmsBarkhausenweg 1, 22339 Hamburg, GermanyTel: +49 40 538 01-616Fax: +49 40 538 01-835brahms.j@eppendorf.dePlease send sales enquiries to:UK office company contact:Eppendorf UK Ltd.Eppendorf House, Gateway 1000 Whittle Way, Arlington Business Park, Stevenage, SG1 2FP.Tel: +44 (0) 1438 735 888Fax: +44 (0) 1438 735 889Sales@eppendorf.co.ukEuropean office (Hamburg, Germany)Bettina DoerlerBarkhausenweg 1 22339 Hamburg, GermanyTel: +49 40 538 01-649Fax: +49 40 538 01-662Doerler.B@eppendorf.de
Author And Mentor Michael Jackson Releases New Memoir To Hell And Back
To Hell and Back by Michael Jackson
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http://bookbuzz.net/blog/memoir-%ef%bb%bfto-hell-and-back/
Author And Mentor Michael Jackson Releases New Memoir To Hell And BackMichael Jackson, a Marine veteran, drug and mental illness survivor, Christian, founder of Think Then Choose Wisely a non-profit organization, devoted mentor, writer and author, has completed his new book To Hell and Back: a gripping and potent work that aims to help and save others dealing with their own battles. Published by New York City-based Page Publishing in May 2016, Jacksons mesmerizing work will entertain and open the eyes of the reader to a world of drugs, crime, abuse and fear.To Hell and Back is the author's candid redemption memoir that documents his roller coaster journey through the peaks and valleys of undiagnosed bipolar disorder. The story covers Jacksons successful advancement from a rough childhood in the Philadelphia ghetto to a stint in the Marines, a successful business career, and a happy marriage. All this was cut short by his plunge into the vile and decrepit world of a homeless drug addict, as he sought to self-medicate his mental illness. The book takes place on multiple continents and in many cities, with the unifying theme being the environments where the drug culture and mental illness clash in todays metropolises, small towns, and rural bus stations. Jackson has known many of these places and has shared cardboard dwellings with their residents.To Hell and Back is available in both print and ebook formats.Book Details:To Hell and BackBy Michael JacksonPublisher: Page PublishingPublished: May 2016ISBN: 978-1682895351 (print)ISBN: 978-1682895368 (digital)ASIN: B01CLRGHTCPages: 348Genre: Non-Fiction, MemoirAbout The Author:Michael Jackson was born in Jacksonville, Florida at the age of four he was raised in one of the worst ghettos in the city of Philadelphia. His first break in life was through a Quaker woman who sponsored him in an educational program. This taught him that no matter where you are in life you always need at least one good person to help you. He escaped Philly to become a member of the United States Marine Corp where he traveled the United States and the world. During this time he came across many hardships and struggles. A business man and husband, Michael Jackson went from suit and tie to a untreated bipolar person that was homeless. Losing his family, friends, and loved ones after a fluctuating history with drugs, alcohol, and the law he now uses his knowledge and experience towards helping others through his non-profit organization, Think Then Choose Wisely. Now today he stands before you, 7 years without a drop. Now fully reconnected with his spiritual side he says, "They used to call me an alcoholic and a drug addict, but now they call me Mr. NPO."Contact Information:Michael JacksonEmail: Messenger.1952 (at) yahoo.comFacebook:Promo Page:Michael Jackson was born in Jacksonville, Florida at the age of four he was raised in one of the worst ghettos in the city of Philadelphia. His first break in life was through a Quaker woman who sponsored him in an educational program. This taught him that no matter where you are in life you always need at least one good person to help you. He escaped Philly to become a member of the United States Marine Corp where he traveled the United States and the world. During this time he came across many hardships and struggles. A business man and husband, Michael Jackson went from suit and tie to a untreated bipolar person that was homeless. Losing his family, friends, and loved ones after a fluctuating history with drugs, alcohol, and the law he now uses his knowledge and experience towards helping others through his non-profit organization, Think Then Choose Wisely. Now today he stands before you, 7 years without a drop. Now fully reconnected with his spiritual side he says, "They used to call me an alcoholic and a drug addict, but now they call me Mr. NPO."BookBuzz.net59 Heritage Way DriveRome, GA 30165
Breast Cancer is expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.44% during the forecast period 2016-2020.
http://www.marketintelreports.com/report/gbihc402mr/frontier-pharma-breast-cancer--firstinclass-innovation-clustered-around-growth-factor-signalling-processes
http://www.marketintelreports.com/pdfdownload.php?id=gbihc402mr
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Summary of the report:The breast cancer pipeline is the largest in the pharmaceutical industry, with 1,050 products in active development across all stages. The range of mechanisms of action employed by these compounds is also highly diverse, especially in comparison to the existing market landscape. The degree and proportion of breakthrough innovations in this pipeline is exceptional GBI Research analysis identified 333 first-in-class programs in the breast cancer pipeline, acting on 251 first-in-class molecular targets. This accounts for some 39% of all products with a disclosed molecular target, and is reflective of the high degree of innovation in this indication. This has far-reaching strategic implications for all market participants, as despite the high attrition rate in breast cancer, it is highly likely many of the first-in-class products will reach the market over the coming decade and, will have the opportunity to transform the clinical and commercial landscape.Potential driving factors behind this market include a very large and growing patient pool, a well-established disease market with a number of strong unmet needs, and the strong understanding of the disease pathophysiology that has developed over the last decade, facilitating the development of novel compounds that may fill the unmet needs.Check complete report @SCOPE:Some 289 first-in-class products that are currently in development have not yet been involved in licensing or co-development deals, meaning there are numerous opportunities for in-licensing or co-development in this indication, which already has a strong track record of breakthrough innovation yielding highly commercially and clinically successful therapies. The report analyzes innovation in breast cancer, in the context of the overall pipeline and current market landscape. In addition, it analyzes the deals landscape surrounding first-in-class products in breast cancer, and pinpoints opportunities for in-licensing. A brief introduction to breast cancer, including symptoms, pathophysiology, and an overview of pharmacotherapy and treatment algorithms. The changing molecular target landscape between the market and the pipeline, and particular focal points of innovation in the pipeline.Comprehensive review of the pipeline for first-in-class therapies, analyzed on the basis of stage of development, molecule type and molecular target. Identification and assessment of first-in-class molecular targets, with a particular focus on early-stage programs for which clinical utility has yet to be evaluated, as well as literature reviews on novel molecular targets. Assessment of the licensing and co-development deal landscape for breast cancer therapies, and benchmarking of deals involving first-in-class versus non-first-in-class-products.Get Sample Brochure of the report @Reasons to buy Understand the current clinical and commercial landscape, including a comprehensive study of disease pathogenesis, diagnosis, prognosis and the available treatment options available at each stage of diagnosis. Visualize the composition of the breast cancer market in terms of dominant molecule types and targets, highlighting what the current unmet needs are and how they can be addressed. This knowledge allows a competitive understanding of the gaps in the current market.Analyze the breast cancer pipeline, stratified by stage of development, molecule type and molecular target. Assess the therapeutic potential of first-in-class targets. Using a proprietary matrix, first-in-class products have been assessed and ranked according to clinical potential. Promising early-stage targets have been further reviewed in greater detail. Identify commercial opportunities in the breast cancer deals landscape by analyzing trends in licensing and co-development deals, and producing a list of breast cancer therapies that are not yet involved in deals and may be potential investment opportunities.Order a copy of Breast Cancer-Global API Manufacturers, Marketed and Phase III Drugs Landscape, 2016@About us:MarketIntelReports (MIR) aim to empower our clients to successfully manage and outperform in their business decisions, we do this by providing Premium Market Intelligence, Strategic Insights and Databases from a range of Global Publishers.A group of industry veterans who are well experienced in reputed international consulting firms after identifying the sourcing needs of MNCs for market intelligence, have together started this business savior MarketIntelReports.MIR intends to be a one-stop shop with an intuitive design, exhaustive database, expert assistance, secure cart checkout and data privacy integrated. It curates the list of reports, publishers and studies to ensure that the database is constantly updated to dynamically meet the targeted, specific needs of our clients.MarketIntelReports currently has more than 10,000 plus titles and 35+ publishers on our platform and growing consistently to fill the Global Intelligence Demand Supply Gap. We cover more than 15 industry verticals being: Automotive, Electronics, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Chemicals, Building & Construction, Agriculture, Food & Beverages, Banking & Finance, Media and Government, Public Sector Studies.Contact us:Sales ManagerMayur S2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400,Wilmington,Delaware,19808United Statessales@marketintelreports.comTelephone: 1-302-684-6088
Author Jeannette Hubbard and Promontory Press Promote Their New Humorous Mystery Novel Chasing Nathan
Chasing Nathan by Jeanette Hubbard
http://www.JeanetteHubbard.com
www.twitter.com/jrhubbardwriter
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http://www.promontorypress.com/books/101/chasing-nathan.html
http://bookbuzz.net/blog/humorous-womens-suspense-chasing-nathan/
Author Jeannette Hubbard and Promontory Press Promote Their New Humorous Mystery Novel Chasing NathanAuthor Jeanette Hubbard and Promontory Press are pleased to announce the promotion of their new humorous mystery/suspense novel, Chasing Nathan. This is the second book from the author published by Promontory Press. The first book, Secrets, Lies and Champagne Highs (ISBN: 978-1927559765) was published in June 2015.Jeanette Hubbard's humorous style of suspense writing has been compared to Carl Hiaasen and Janet Evanovich. In this quirky follow-up novel, a chance encounter in a remote forest campground plunges plucky retiree Claudie O'Brien into a vortex of crime, kidnapping, and a marijuana hijacking. A pleasant dinner with Nathan, the gentleman at the next campsite, is disrupted by the arrival of a very loud and a very angry young man. The next morning both Nathan and the man are gone, but Claudie suspects something is not right. No one believes her when she tells them that Nathan might be in danger. It's up to Claudie to connect the dots and find out why Nathan disappeared in the middle of the nightRecent Praise for Chasing Nathan:"Chasing Nathan" has a non-stop plot that celebrates the back roads of the great Northwest, and two saucy seniors who can flirt, fight, and floor the accelerator as the situation demands. - Chanticleer ReviewsChasing Nathan is available in both print and ebook formats.Book Details:Chasing NathanBy Jeanette HubbardPublisher: Promontory PressPublished: June 2016ISBN: 978-1987857436ASIN: B01EW7HWLGPages: 192Genre: Humorous, Women's Fiction, Women's Suspense/MysteryAbout The Author:Jeanette Hubbard was brought up in Iowa to be a very good girl. Then she moved to Portland, Oregon the city that prides itself on weird. She has utilized her degree in English from the University of Iowa in a variety of jobs, including driving a school bus, selling car insurance, and growing, (and sometimes killing), plants at her wholesale nursery west of Portland. She now lives with her Border collie Buddy, Mitten the monster cat, her roommate's two demented small dogs, a miniature horse and two chickens in a small house in SE Portland. Actually, the horse and chickens live in the backyard.Contact Information:Jeanette HubbardEmail: jeanette (at) jeanettehubbard.comWebsite:Twitter: http:/Facebook:Publisher Page:Promo Link:Jeanette Hubbard was brought up in Iowa to be a very good girl. Then she moved to Portland, Oregon the city that prides itself on weird. She has utilized her degree in English from the University of Iowa in a variety of jobs, including driving a school bus, selling car insurance, and growing, (and sometimes killing), plants at her wholesale nursery west of Portland. She now lives with her Border collie Buddy, Mitten the monster cat, her roommate's two demented small dogs, a miniature horse and two chickens in a small house in SE Portland. Actually, the horse and chickens live in the backyard.BookBuzz.net59 Heritage Way DriveRome, GA 30165
More women into digital and IT careers
Giulia, 23 years old, decided to change career into IT last year.
IT and digital jobs are gender-neutral in nature and the employers do not differentiate between male and female while employing them. However, only 17% of IT professionals in the UK are women, but more and more female quotas are needed in the technology sector to fill the skills gap. The problem is particularly acute in technology-focused professions, where it is both difficult to recruit women into technology roles and to encourage them to stay in technology.As a result, several tech-savvy women are being employed and they are achieving great results, such as cleaning marketplace app Hassle.com founder Alex Depledge, and tech startup founder Entrepreneur First Alice Bentinck, who received MBEs for services to the sharing economy and to business, respectively.At 360 GSP we are committed to driving gender diversity in the workplace and we believe that when women are supported, encouraged, and funded to lead, they always excel. Sherran Sirah and Kaajal Bhudia are two of the many students that 360 GSP has successfully trained and placed into the industry in the last 14 years. They did not have any IT background, but they now both work as IT First Line Support Technicians in the education sector.We offered a support network to help and mentor them so that they could progress in a male dominated industry in a bid to tackle this shortage.I joined 360 GSP about 9 months ago and within 2 months I was already put in touch with a school based in Kingsbury for work experience Sherran told us -. After I completed the six week work experience they hired me in their IT department on a permanent basis. During that time I continued studying at 360 GSP and Im now MCSA Certified.360 GSP played a key role: I had no IT background and I didnt know how to configure or troubleshoot and in just two days a week they assisted me and guide me step by step into the IT avenue Kaajal told us -. They offered me CV building workshops, career advice, interview preparation and real-life work experience. Thanks to 360 GSP I was hired in the IT department of a special needs school and I am now very happy.The companies that are most successful at recruiting women do not rely on word of mouth or personal contacts to advertise positions, but advertise vacancies as widely as possible, a CEB research revealed. For this reason, our dedicated Recruitment team works alongside organisations across the UK to determine what employers are looking for to ensure that your career path will lead you to securing a job in IT. Our experienced team will work with you every step of the way to guide you through what you need to get working.360 GSP is an IT training centre based in Wembley, London. We have been in the industry since 2003 and placed several candidates with leading Bluechip companies including IBM, Amazon and Goldman Sachs. We are specialised in Computer Networking, Network Security, Virtualization, Infrastructure, VoIP and Other related technologies. We are a Cisco, Microsoft, VMware, IBM and Citrix Partner.360 GSPYork House, 21 Empire Way, Wembley HA9 0PAandrea@360gsp.com020 8672 4151
Global Corn Based Ingredients Market Set to Grow Exponentially During the Forecast 2016 - 2026
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/9944
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/9944
Corn is one of the mostly used ingredient of global coarse-grain which accounts for about three-quarters of total volume in recent years. Most of the corn that is used in applications such as feed and also in industrial and food uses. Corn products are available in the processed form which includes flour, corn meal, sweeteners.Corn Based Ingredients SegmentationGlobal corn based ingredients market is segmented on the basis of type, application, and region. On the basis of type Corn Based Ingredients are segmented into vitamin C, baking Powder and brown sugar. Among all the sub-segments vitamin C is the leading segment followed by other types of Corn Based Ingredients. Vitamin C is anticipated to have maximum market share over the forecast period owing to the health benefits associated with the consumption of vitamin C. Based on the application global corn based ingredients segmentation includes popcorn, corn chips, corn flakes and corn meal. Among all the segments of the global corn based ingredients market, corn meal is anticipated to be the dominating segment, in terms of revenue contribution followed by the popcorn segment. Based on the region global corn based ingredients market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Middle East and Africa and Japan. Of which, North America is the expected to contribute maximum market share owing to the U.S. being the largest producer of the corn in the global corn ingredients market.View Sample Report @Corn Based Ingredients: Region-wise OutlookThe global corn based ingredients is expected to witness healthy growth over the forecast period owing to the health benefits associated with the consumption of corn based ingredients. Corn based ingredients contains various nutrients that are beneficial for the consumer health due to the presence of the protein, carbohydrates and also small amount of fat. Globally, among all regions, North America is expected to contribute highest market share due to the largest producer of corn is U.S., followed by Europe over the forecasted period owing the increasing demand for Corn Based Ingredients in the European countries. However, Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness highest growth.However Asia Pacific is expected to witness highest growth owing to the rising number of health conscious consumers in the region coupled with the growing awareness among consumers related to the health benefits associated with the consumption of corn based ingredients.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Corn Based Ingredients: DriversMajor factors that are expected to propel the market growth of the corn based ingredients are increasing population coupled with the rising consumer awareness regarding the health benefits of the consumption of the corn based ingredients. However, major restraining factor that hinders the market growth of the corn based ingredients is the rising prices of the corn based ingredients coupled with the emergence of the various cereal based ingredients.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Tech-nology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Elec-tronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business deci-sions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solu-tions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Global Beauty Drinks Market Is Expected To Generate Huge Profits by 2016 - 2022
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/9950
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/9950
Beauty drink market is expected to exhibit remarkable growth due to the rise in early aging. Other factors that promotes the beauty drinks market are increasing air pollution and busy lifestyle of the customers which leads to early ageing. Air pollutants includes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) that ultimately results in accelerated ageing. Consumers seek healthy options which eventually supports the beauty drinks market across the globe.Global beauty drinks market is expected to exhibit remarkable growth. Major factors that are expected to propel the demand for beauty drinks market globally are rising number of health conscious consumers across various countries coupled with increasing disposable income of consumers. Moreover, other factor that is expected to support the market growth of the beauty drinks across the globe is the easy availability of beauty drinks through online sales. Various other factors that are expected to fuel the overall market of beauty drinks market are increasing air pollution which eventually leads to early ageing and promotes the demand for beauty drinks market.View Sample Report @Global Beauty Drinks market is segmented by: demographic, ingredient, type and regionBeauty Drinks by Demographic ConsumptionTeenagerYounger WomenMature womenBeauty Drinks by IngredientProtein or collagenVitaminsMineralsFruit ExtractsBeauty Drinks by TypeNatural DrinksChemical/artificial DrinksBeauty Drinks By RegionAsia PacificEuropeNorth AmericaLatin AmericaThe Middle East & AfricaThe global beauty drinks market is anticipated to witness remarkable growth during the forecast period. Globally among all regions, Europe is expected to contribute maximum market share followed by North America. Demand for beauty drinks is maximum in Europe due to the more awareness among consumers in comparison to other regions through educational marketing campaigns. However Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market during the forecast period. In Asia Pacific, Japan is expected to contribute maximum revenue due to the high consumer willingness to attain healthy skin.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Key players that operates in the global beauty drinks market are SIPA spa, THE COCA-COLA COMPANY, Sappe Public Company Limited, Big Quark LLC, DyDo DRIN CO, INC. and Nestle S.A. Various companies operating in the global beauty drinks markets are continuously launching new types of beauty drinks used for different target customer and applications. For instance, Big Quark LLC launched beauty drink named BeautySleep that includes sleep and beauty inducing ingredients.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Tech-nology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Elec-tronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business deci-sions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solu-tions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Advanced Glazing System Market: Global Market Snapshot by 2021
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/3781
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/3781
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com
Advanced glazing system market is expected to see a strong growth in the coming years due to the rising energy prices and uncertainties about future energy supply. Advanced glazing system has great importance due to its deep impact on total building energy performance. Thus, it will create good business opportunities for a wide variety of companies. Advanced glazing system provides several benefits such as passive solar heat gain, electric lighting power reduction and view. One of the major influencing factors for advanced glazing system market is the restructuring and refocus of the current and future construction market. In the past, code mandated building energy requirements was moderate and majority of insulated glass systems could meet these basic performance demands. However, with increase in the demand for green or high performance buildings that mandates energy efficiency beyond code minimums. In majority of cases, the total building consumption must be reduced by 15 to 40 percent. With the help of advanced glazing system it can be achieved. The other major influencing factors for advanced glazing system market are the shift from new construction to retrofit construction activity. New buildings represent only a small share of the U.S. building market, while retrofitting provides a huge market opportunity for owners, green builders and energy service provider companies. In the current scenario, energy focused and green building holds around 5% to 8% of the retrofit and renovation market activity by value in the U.S. By the end of 2014, it is projected to increase by 20% to 30%. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which will provide significant funding for renovations to federal buildings which will further, boost the market for advanced glazing system. Many other firms such as conventional window manufacturer and suppliers, metal companies, solar panel and solid-state lighting firms can be benefited from advanced glazing system market.Request for Sample Report:On the basis of end-user type, the global advanced glazing system market can be bifurcated into three types: commercial buildings, industrial buildings and residential buildings. Based on the technology, the global advanced glazing system market can be divided into three types: dynamic glazing technologies, multi-functional advanced glazing system and next generation thermally insulated windows. Based on the materials, the global advanced glazing system is segmented into three types: sealants, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl butyral (PVB) and specialist glasses.In terms of geographic, North America and Europe dominates the global advanced glazing system market due to increase demand for green and zero-energy buildings. The U.S. represents the largest market for advanced glazing system followed by Canada in North America. In Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. holds major share of advanced glazing system market.However, Asia-Pacific is expected to show high growth rates in the next five years in global advanced glazing system market.Lowering construction cost, noise reduction, increased comfort and human productivity, day lighting and HVAC energy savings are some of the major driving force for advanced glazing system market.Request for Table of content:Some of the major companies operating in the global advanced glazing system market are Saint-Gobain, Alcoa, Bayer, Solar Innovations, Inc. and DuPontAbout Us:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact Us:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Syria's presidency dispatched an envoy to Lebanon on Monday to congratulate newly-elected President Michel Aoun, the first such official visit in six years.
In a statement, Aoun's office said he had received "a message of congratulations on his election as president of the republic from his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad carried by Syria's Minister of Presidential Affairs Mansour Azzam."
Speaking after the meeting, Azzam said Assad's message included his hope for a "new era which we hope will bring good things, stability and security for the brotherly nation of Lebanon."
The trip is the first by a Syrian official to Lebanon since 2010, when Assad and then-Saudi King Abdullah visited the country in a bid to tamp rising political tensions.
It is also the first since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011, with protests against Assad's government.
The Syrian conflict has exacerbated existing tensions in Lebanon, whose key political blocs support opposing sides in the war.
Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement, which is allied with Aoun, backs Syria's Assad against the rebels fighting him.
But Lebanon's newly-appointed Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who leads the country's other main political bloc, is fiercely opposed to Assad.
The political divisions left Lebanon without a president for over two years, until Hariri offered Aoun his surprise endorsement, in turn for being appointed prime minister.
Syria's government was quick to congratulate Aoun on his election, though Azzam dismissed questions about whether his trip was meant to signal a fresh page in bilateral ties.
"There was not an old page for there to be a new page," he told reporters, saying bilateral ties were continuing on the basis of "the common interests of the two countries, security and stability."
Aoun also received Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday, who described the end of the presidential vacuum in the country as "a victory for all Lebanese".
Iran is a key ally of Hezbollah and Syria's government, and has jockeyed with Saudi Arabia for influence in Lebanon.
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Global Honey Market: Impact of Existing and Emerging Market 2016 - 2022
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/9965
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/9965
Honey is a natural product that is widely used for its healing effects and food preservative application. Honey consists of glucose and fructose and has similar sweetness as granulated sugar. It includes chemical properties, it is used for baking and cereal products applications. Honey possess distinctive flavor in comparison to sugar and regular sweeteners, which make consumers more inclined towards honey. There are various type of honey which includes raw honey, crystallized honey, pasteurized honey and dried honey. Honey is used in various applications such as wounds, burns and cough. Honey includes antioxidant that is used as preventive measure from various diseases. Antioxidant capacity of honey is important in many disease conditions. Honey is used to prevent various diseases such as gastrointestinal, inflammatory neoplastic state and cardiovascular. Global honey market is propelled by the growing awareness among consumers related to home remedies coupled with health benefits associated with its consumption. However major factor that hampers the growth of honey market across the globe is the presence of the price gap among different forms of honey.View Sample Report @Major factor that are expected to drive the honey market is that it is used for direct consumption and as ingredients in a various range of food products. Various promotion and marketing activities are used as medium to reach food service sectors and consumers.in order to further enhance their awareness related to the uses and market opportunities. . However, major factors that are expected to hamper the growth of the global honey market across the globe are crystallization of the honey and increasing adulteration of the honey with sugar syrup.Global Honey market is segmented by: type, and by regionHoney by Type:Date HoneyAcacia HoneyBuckwheat HoneyLinden HoneyFlower HoneyOthersHoney By Region:Asia PacificEuropeNorth AmericaLatin AmericaThe Middle East & AfricaThe global honey market is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period due to rising awareness among consumers related to the health benefits associated with the consumption of the honey. Globally, among all regions, North America is expected to contribute maximum revenue in the global honey market followed by Middle East. In North America, U.S. is expected to account maximum market share in terms of revenue owing to the high consumer awareness related to the health benefits associated with the consumption of honey. However Asia Pacific is expected to exhibit maximum market growth owing to the rising population coupled with growing health awareness among consumers.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Major companies that operates in the global honey market are operating in honey market are Hi Tech Natural Products (India) Limited, LITTLE BEE IMPEX, Phondaghat Pharmacy, Honey Sugar Product and Lamex Foods UK Limited. Companies that manufacture honey are primarily launching wide range of honey products that are available in various packaging types that caters to the evolving needs of the customers. Various companies that operates in the global honey market are investing huge amount in advertising and branding in order to increase the market share to the overall honey market.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Tech-nology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Elec-tronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business deci-sions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solu-tions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Polypropylene Foam Market : Key Players, Growth, Analysis by 2020
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3250
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/3250
Polypropylene foam (PP), also known as polypropene, is an engineering plastic material with advanced chemical and physical properties such as energy absorption, structural strength, thermal insulation and acoustical properties. Polypropylene foams are used in range of applications such as, textiles, high performance plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, automotive components, and polymers bank notes.Request to view Sample Report @On the basis of chemical composition the global polypropylene foam market can be broadly categorize in two different markets variant namely expended polypropylene (EPP) and Extruded poly polypropylene. On the basis of end user application of the polypropylene foam, the market can be further segmented in the four broad categories namely, automotives, packaging, consumers product and others. Automotive application segment of polypropylene market holds the largest share in 2013 and it is also experiencing the fasted growth rate over the last few years.Some of the major drivers of the global polypropylene foam market include, growing concern towards environment sustainability, strict government regulations, and the cost benefits associated with recyclable properties of polypropylene foam as polypropylene foam can be fully recycled. Moreover enhanced physical properties such as quality, lightweight nature & excellent energy absorbing property, and durability, is propelling the demand of polypropylene foam market in growing end user industries such as automobiles and food and beverages packaging.Asia Pacific is the largest producer and consumer of polypropylene foam market. It is then followed by Europe and North America. The polypropylene foam market is growing in double digit in Asia Pacific. Over the last few year china became a global hub for the automobile manufacturing.Moreover increasing automobile market in other developing countries of Asia Pacific such as India and Indonesia is expected to keep the growth rate high during the forecasted period. Germany and Italy are the biggest market of polypropylene foam in Europe owing to higher concentration of automobile manufacturers in this region. The U.S. accounts for largest market of polypropylene market in North America.Request to view Table of content @Major companies operating in polypropylene foam market include BASF S.E., Ds Smith Plc, Borealis Ag, Jsp Corporation, Kaneka Corporation., Mitsui Chemicals, Pregis Corporation, Sonoco Products Co., Synbra, Sekisui Alveo, Furukawa Electric Co., K. K. Nag Ltd., Ssw Pearlfoam Gmbh, and Zotefoams Plc.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Environmental Protection Equipment Market : Key Growth Factor, Industry Analysis 2020
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3551
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/3551
Environmental protection is very important for protection of natural surrounding on individual, organizational and governmental levels. Increasing population and rapid industrialization are some of the major factors which are polluting environment. Waste production, air pollution, and loss of biodiversity are some of the major issues related to environmental protection. In addition, protection of the environment is needed due to various human activities. Environmental protection is influenced by three factors: education, environmental legislation and ethics. These factors play important roles in influencing national-level environmental decisions and personal-level environmental protection decisions.Request to view Sample Report @In addition, various academic institutions offer environmental protection courses, such as environmental management, environmental engineering and environmental studies. These courses teach the history and methods of environment protection.Environmental protection equipments also play a vital role in the protection of biosphere from hazardous gaseous. Environmental protection equipments are used to control water and air pollution. These equipments are also used in waste water treatment and sound pollution.The global environmental protection equipments are segmented into water pollution control equipments, air pollution control equipments, solid waste or land pollution control equipments and noise and vibration control equipments. Water pollution control equipments are used to treat industrial and urban waste water. Air pollution control equipments are mainly used in vehicle emission control, dust control and desulfurization. Solid waste or land pollution treatment equipments are used in municipal solid waste treatment.In terms of geographic, North America and Europe dominates the global environmental protection equipments market due to improved industrialization. The U.S. represents the largest market for environmental protection equipments followed by Canada in North America. In Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. holds major share of environmental protection equipments market. However, Asia Pacific is expected to show high growth rates in the next five years in global environmental protection equipments market. This is due to increasing number of factories and solid waste production in the region. Less stringent wages and increasing investment by many companies has fueled the number of factories in the region. This would generate water and air pollution and which further increases the demand of environmental protection equipments market.Japan, China and India are expected to be the fastest growing environmental protection equipments markets in Asia Pacific.In recent time, increasing number of factories and technology innovation are some of the major drivers of global environmental protection equipments market. Increasing number of factories is generating huge amount of solid wastes which pollute biosphere and natural surroundings.Innovative technology, such as dedusting technology is gaining popularity in global environmental protection equipments market. In addition, various government associations have also led to the demand of environments protection equipments. Moreover, improved transportation services in developed and developing countries have also fueled the growth of global environmental protection equipments market. This improved transportation service spread out hazardous gaseous which pollute air and water. However, stringent regulation is key restraint for the global environmental protection equipments market.Request to view Table of content @Some of the major companies operating in the global environmental protection equipments market are Feida Environmental Science & Technology, Create Technology and Science, Dongfang Electric Heating Technology, Hangzhou Boiler, Kelin Environmental Protection Equipment, Western Power, Longking Environmental Protection, Shengyun Environment-Protection, Combustion Control Technology and Xingyuan Filter Technology.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Janitorial Services Market: Facts, Figures and Analytical Insights 2015 to 2021
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3926
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/3926
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com
Janitorial services, also known as cleaning services, are generally used to keep workplaces free from unsightly dirt and provide a clean and germ-free environment. Cleaning is one of the most commonly outsourced services in various facilities such as educational buildings, corporate buildings, hotels, hospitals, retail outlets, and commercial and residential buildings. Janitorial services include both indoor and outdoor cleaning services, which include cleaning, trash pickup, floor polishing, and window washing.Request for Sample Report:The global janitorial services market is primarily segmented into two categories: residential and commercial. The residential market consists of maid services, window, carpet, window and other services. The commercial cleaning segment primarily focuses on window cleaning, vacuuming, floor care, and related services.Among the two segments, the commercial segment accounts for a relatively larger share of the janitorial services market. Janitorial service is a highly labor intensive market and growth of the market largely depends on growth of the real estate market.Due to its dependence on the real estate market, the janitorial services market suffered a downturn during the economic recession post-2008. The market also suffered a decline due to collapse of various mortgage obligations. Many government entities and industrial companies make a long-term contract to clean facilities, such trends help in the growth of global janitorial services market.Many companies outsource their building maintenance and cleaning services, in order to reduce the cost .Through outsourcing, the janitorial services industry creates many employments. Introduction of latest janitorial equipment in the market provides a competitive edge to the janitorial service industry. Such new cleaning equipment provides better janitorial service and this also helps in the growth of janitorial services market.Some of the major global companies such as ABM Industries and ServiceMaster offer various janitorial services. They together hold more than 35% share of the global janitorial services market. Introduction of new technologies and solutions to clean properties efficiently and safely and process improvements are expected to boost growth of the global janitorial services market during the forecast period.Asia Pacific is one of the prominent markets for janitorial services. Rising economy and escalating construction of commercial and non-commercial buildings in the region further increase demand for janitorial services. China and India are the two major countries in Asia Pacific, which hold the highest share of the janitorial services market. In North America, the U.S. holds the largest market share and is expected to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period. The global janitorial services market is expected to grow at a single-digit growth rate during the forecast period from 2014 to 2020.Request for Table of content:Some of the major companies operating in the global janitorial market areABM Industries, CleanNet USA, Jani-King Internationa,ServiceMaster, Anago Cleaning Systems, Chem-Dry, Jan-Pro International, Aramark,Stanley Steemer, BONUS Building Care, Coverall, Pritchard Industries, Red Coats, UGL Unicco Services, Sodexo, and Vanguard Cleaning Systems.About Us:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact Us:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Automotive Lighting Market to Register a Strong Growth By 2020
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/3314
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/3314
Automotive lighting is the used for illumination purpose in automobile vehicles. The lighting system of automobile vehicle consists of various lighting and signaling devices, which is integrated with various parts of a motor vehicle. Automobile lighting is used in the front, back, sides and top portion of the vehicle. Automotive lighting indicates vehicle's presence, size, position, direction of travel, and the driver's intentions regarding direction and speed of travel. Various components of automotive lighting includes auxiliary lights, headlights, taillights, sidelights, interior light, compact lights, off road lights, fog lights, dome light, key light, instrument displays light and other light accessories. These lights are used for many purposes in vehicles such as to drive the vehicle safely in dark, enhance the visibility and act as the warning signals.Request to view Sample Report @Automobile manufacturers have significantly minimized the energy consumption by using LED and adaptive lighting technologies. There are mainly three types of technologies used in automotive lighting such as xenon, halogen and LED. Among these, halogen is most widely used automotive lighting.Some factors that drive the automotive lighting market are growing concern of road safety, increasing use of higher efficiency of LED automotive lighting technology and lighting legislations by governments. Increase in purchasing power of individual helps to increase the demand for sophisticated and advance technologies such as advance front lighting system (AFS) and daylight running lights (DRLs). Growing total number of vehicle in the BRIC nations further creates large opportunity for the growth of automotive lighting market in the coming years.Asia Pacific is the largest automotive lighting market across the world. India, China, Japan and South Korea are some of the prominent countries, which accounts majority of the vehicle production thus offering growth opportunity for automotive lighting market. Asia Pacific is followed by Europe and North America. High vehicle production volume, growing economy, rising population and changing consumer lifestyles are some of the reason which drive the automotive lighting market.Request to view Table of content @Some of the major companies operating in global automotive lighting market are includes, General Electric (GE), Hella Kgaa Hueck & Co., Hyundai Mobis, Ichikoh Industries Ltd, Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Magneti Marelli S.P.A, Osram GMBH, Royal Philips Electronics, Stanley Electric Co. Ltd, Valeo S.A and Zizala Lichtsysteme GMBH (ZKW).About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Mobile Relay Networks Market Explores New Growth Opportunities By 2021
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/4712
http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/4712
A relay network is a wide set of network topology usually used in mobile or wireless networks. In such networks the destination and source are interconnected by the help of few nodes. In such a design of network the destination and source are unable to communicate directly with each other as the distance between the destination and source is larger than their transmission range, hence the requirement for intermediate nodes to relay. These networks help to expand the distance between the source and destination by increasing the number of nodes. When a mobile relay is connected to a wireless relay network it gets converted into mobile relay network. Mobile relays are specialized nodes that travel all through the network to gather data from source nodes and convey it to the access point or destination node. They are free to follow a fixed or variable route, at variable or constant speed.Request to view Sample Report @Mobile relay forwarding (MRF) concept is a result of tremendous innovation done in the networking sector. There exist particular mobile relays (nodes) in the network that are used to collect transmission from the source nodes, and either delivers it to the destination or closer to the destination. The number of mobile relay in a network may differ depending on number of factors such as amount of data traffic to managed, number of regular nodes, costs and quality of service (QoS) requirements.Some of the important factors which are used in designing mobile relay network are coordination between nodes, node mobility, mobile relay destinations, number of mobile relay and mobile relay speed among others.The major driver for this mobile relay networks is the increase network scalability by the addition of extra relay to the network structure with increasing the routing complexity. Mobility of mobile relays (MRs) can be controllable or non controllable in nature depending upon the need for deployment. These MRs can be a preexisting part of the system, or deployed just to improve routing performance. In addition, MRs usually has lesser resources availability limitation as compared to other nodes of the network. Thus, they can effectively increase connectivity of the network and data delivery in the networks.The mobile relay network market is segmented on the basis of type of mobility into task driven mobility or message driven mobility. In addition the market is segmented based on the type of routing in the network into infrastructure based and infrastructure less. Further, the infrastructure based is sub segmented into context-based and dissemination-based. On the basis of mobile relay type the market is segmented into MR as a part of the environment and MR specifically designed to be the element of the network infrastructure.Request to view Table of content @The key players of the mobile relay network market are Megatone Electronics Corp., Changan Group Co. Ltd, Excel Cell Electronic Co Ltd (ECE), Wenzhou Start Co. Ltd, Meisongbei Electronics Co. Ltd, Archers Electronics Ltd, Xiamen Jinxinrong Electronics Co. Ltd and Huge Electrical United Development Co. Ltd among others.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Centrifugal Pumps Market Forecast Research Reports Offers Key Insights
http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-498
http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-498
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Refurbishing of ageing manufacturing plants and pumping systems, combined with increasing exploration activities for new sources of water is driving global demand for centrifugal pumps. However, long replacement cycles and proliferation of low cost pumps made in China, can pose challenges to growth. These insights are according to FMIs new report, Centrifugal Pumps Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2015-2025, which estimates global centrifugal market revenues to increase at 4.6% CAGR and reach US$ 48.3 Bn by 2025.The key trends identified in the centrifugal pumps market include preference for energy-efficient centrifugal pumps, high adoption of micro-disc pumping, and incorporation of variable frequency drive technology. Reducing the pump life cycle costs and development of supply chain network are key opportunities that leading players will look to leverage on going forward.FMIs report offers 10-year forecast on the basis of product type, end-use, and region.Key centrifugal product types covered in the report include,Single-stage pumpMulti-stage pumpAxial & mixed flow pumpSubmersible pumpSealless and circulator flow pumpRequest Free Report Sample@Among these, demand for submersible pumps is the highest, with this segment accounting for nearly 28% revenue share of the global centrifugal pump market in 2015. FMI estimates demand for submersible pumps to increase at 5.4% CAGR through 2025.On the basis of end-use, the centrifugal pump market has been segmented into,IndustrialAgriculturalDomesticAccording to FMI, the industrial segment accounts for the highest demand for centrifugal pumps, representing nearly 67% revenue share in 2015. Key application areas where centrifugal pumps are used in the industrial segment include chemicals, water and wastewater treatment, power, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, and food and beverage.Region-wise, the report offers market analysis and forecast for North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan, and Middle East & Africa (MEA).Send An Enquiry@Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) is the largest market for centrifugal pumps globally, with China and India accounting for significant revenue contribution to the global market. Many economies in APEJ, especially in ASEAN, are agriculture-driven, and this is creating sustained demand for centrifugal pumps in the region. Increasing arable land under cereal production, combined with micro-irrigation trend is expected to increase the deployment of small capacity centrifugal pumps in APEJ.Key players operating in the global centrifugal pumps market include ITT Corporation, KSB AG, Flowserve Corp, Sulzer AG, Ebara Corporation, Grundfos AG, Weir Group Plc, Wilo SE, Xylem Inc, Ruhrpumpen Group and Vertiflow Pump Company.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
U.S., Europe & Japan Disc Printers Market to Register a CAGR of -3.0% During 20162026
http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-na-2033
http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-na-2033
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According to a recent market report published by Future Market Insights titled Disc Printers Market: U.S., Europe & Japan Industry Analysis & Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026 the U.S., Europe & Japan disc printers market was valued at US$ 929.6 Mn in 2015, and is expected to register a declining CAGR of -3.0% from 2016 to 2026. Increasing demand for online media content, continuous adoption of cloud-based storage services and other media storage devices, high raw material cost and technological innovation with efficient alternatives for accessing data are the major factors affecting the growth of the disc printers market in U.S., Europe & Japan.Disc printing is the process of printing text, data or images on the surface of the optical disc. Two different approaches for printing CD-R on-demand are - Thermal disc printing and Inkjet disc printing. A thermal disc printer employs pressure and heat to apply text and graphics to the disc surface. The print surface of thermal printed discs is more durable. Thermal disc printing produces colour custom labels that are waterproof, scratchproof and do not require any additional coating. However their colour printing capability has limitations that preclude its use in cases when label has complex colour graphic content. Inkjet printers utilise a mechanism in which the print head has several tiny nozzles/jets that spray ink onto the disc, as the disc moves past the print head, forming the characters or images. Inkjet disc printers may employ a single cartridge for different colours or several cartridges, with one for each colour depending upon different models, and are priced accordingly.Request Free Report Sample@Segmentation highlightsThe U.S., Europe & Japan disc printers market is categorised on the basis of printer type as thermal disc printers and inkjet disc printers. On the basis thermal disc printers, the market is further segregated on the basis of technology (direct thermal printing and thermal retransfer & dye-sublimation printing) and ribbon type (monochrome black, colour and photo). On the basis of inkjet disc printers, the market is further segregated on the basis of technology (continuous ink technology and drop on demand technology) and head design (fixed head and replaceable head).The inkjet disc printers segment is a major segment offering 55% market revenue in 2015The thermal disc printer sub-segment was valued at US$ 418.3 Mn in 2015 and is anticipated to register a CAGR of -2.5% during the forecast periodThe inkjet disc printer sub-segment was valued at US$ 511.3 Mn in 2015 and is anticipated to register a CAGR of -3.4% during the forecast period.Regional market projectionsThis report also covers trends driving each segment and offers analysis and insights regarding the potential of thermal and inkjet disc printers in regions including U.S, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Japan. Among these regions, Western Europe accounted for the largest market share in 2015. This is majorly due to inclination of service providers towards offering packaged services such as disc printing, duplication and packaging services, in turn allowing key players to attract price-sensitive customers and gain the competitive advantage in the long term.Send An Enquiry@Vendor insightsSome of the key market players identified across the U.S., Europe & Japan disc printers market value chain are Rimage and Formats Unlimited (MF Digital) that are operating in both the thermal printing and inkjet disc printing market. TEAC America Inc. and Microboards Technology are specifically operating in the thermal disc printers market while Seiko Epson Corporation and Primera Technologies Inc. are specifically operating in the inkjet disc printers market.Browse Full Report@ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Quality and Compliance Management Solution Market Will hit at a CAGR of 11.0% by 2026
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According to a recent market report published by Future Market Insights titled, Quality and Compliance Management Solution Market - Global Industry Analysis & Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026, the global Quality and Compliance Management Solution Market was valued at US$ 10.8 Bn in 2015, and is expected to register a CAGR of 11.0% from 2016 to 2026.Seamless integration with existing enterprise systems/platforms which boosts expansion, and increasing regulatory complexity in life sciences industry are the key factors driving the growth of quality and compliance management solution market globally. Additionally, rising need for efficiency and cost saving solutions across various industries is accelerating the growth of quality and compliance management solution market globally. High cost of quality and compliance management solution is the main factor affecting the adoption rate among SMEs across the globe. Most small and medium level manufacturing organisations face affordability issues to deploy quality and compliance management solutions, and hence are forced to opt for manual processes over automated ones.Request Free Report Sample@Segmentation highlightsQuality and compliance management system ensures users that their products/services comply with industrys standards/regulations. Quality and compliance management solution are available in a set of interrelated modules (e.g. document and product data management, quality management, change management, audit management, governance & compliance management, supplier management etc.). In this report the quality and compliance management solution market is segmented on the basis of module, industry, implementation model, company size and region. The modules of quality and compliance management solution, include document & product data management, quality management, change management, audit management, governance & compliance management, and supplier management. In the module segment, governance and compliance management module is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period.On the basis of industry, the quality and compliance management solution market is segmented into aerospace & defence, automotive, consumer goods and retail, healthcare & life science, ITES & telecom, and other industries.The healthcare & life science segment was the dominant segment in 2015 and is anticipated to register the highest CAGR of 11.8% during the forecast period. The continuous rising CAGR is attributed to increasing regulatory complexity in life sciences industry across the globe.On the basis of implementation model, the quality and compliance management solution market is segmented into on-premise and cloud based.The on-premise segment was the dominant segment valued at US$ 6.0 Bn in 2015. The cloud based segment is expected to register a highest CAGR of 13.7% during the forecast period.Send An Enquiry@Regional projectionsThis report also covers trends driving each segment and offers analysis and insights regarding the potential of the quality and compliance management solution market in regions including North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan and MEA. Among these regions, North America accounted for the largest market share in 2015 and expected to remain dominant with CAGR value of 11.2% during the forecast period.Vendor insightsKey competitors in the global quality and compliance management solution market include Pilgrim Quality Solutions, MasterControl, Inc., Aras, Arena Solutions, Inc., EtQ, IQS, Inc., Oracle, SAP, Sparta Systems, Inc., and othersBrowse Full Report@ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Medical Tourism Market Poised for Steady Growth in the Future
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Medical tourism is one of the most dynamically growing industries today. Considered to be the direct impact of globalisation of healthcare, medical tourism certainly exhibits strong growth potential globally. However, based on FMIs research, the market of medical tourism is expected to concentrate within most of the emerging economies of the world.As developing nations are increasingly heading toward technological advancement and quality services in the medical and healthcare sector, the global medical tourism market is anticipated to witness robust growth over 2014-2020, predominantly in Asian countries.The top treatments people travel abroad for, include cancer therapy, cardiovascular surgeries, orthopaedic treatments, dentistry, cosmetic surgeries, reproductive treatments, weight loss therapies, health screenings, and medical tests and scans. In severe cases, a sizeable patient population also seeks second opinion from specialist doctors out of their countries.Key DriversHigh treatment costs and lengthy waiting times for medical procedures, being the two major factors in driving medical tourism, are also supported by easier and cheaper international travel. While the U.K.s population prefers to travel abroad for bypassing long waits, patients from the U.S. travel outside for availing of treatments at cheaper costs.Request Free Report Sample@Medical excellence along with international accreditation are the key factors fuelling a majority of international patient flow, eventually boosting international medical tourism. Currently, over 600 medical departments and hospitals all over the globe are accredited by the U.S. Joint Commission International (JCI). The number of accredited facilities is projected to increase almost by 20% each year. This is another important driver associated with the market growth.Developing countries, with ever-evolving innovation and demonstrable achievements in medical research are estimated to accelerate the approaching medical tourist flow over the forecast period. Growing healthcare investments by various government and private sectors are also anticipated to further bolster the market growth.Key RestraintsHowever, medical tourists are highly prone to a wide variety of health risks after they return. The conditions may include TB, paratyphoid, amoebic dysentery, deep vein thrombosis, and more; usually caused due to poor post-operative care and inadequate rest. This could affect the market to some extent.Stringent documentation processes, issues related to visa approval, and limited insurance coverage are reportedly some of the most deterring factors for the global market.Global Medical Tourism Market: SegmentationFMIs research on the global medical tourism market offers a six-year forecast, segmenting the market on the basis of type of medical treatment and geography.On the basis of the type of treatment, the market is segmented into cosmetic treatment, cardiovascular treatment, fertility treatment, dental treatment, orthopaedic treatment, and other general treatments.On the basis of geography, the market is segmented into Asia pacific, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, North America, and South America.Regional OutlookSome of the prominent medical tourism centres across the globe include Thailand, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Costa Rica, Israel, Brazil, Turkey, the Philippines, Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Canada, and the U.S. According to Patients Beyond Borders, the global medical tourism market is currently growing at an impressive rate between 15% and 25%, and the flow of patients seeking cross-border treatment options will be the highest in Mexico. South and Southeast Asia are expected to dominate the global market in the near future.Request For TOC@Based on MTAs recently released Medical Tourism Index, there are 41 countries participating in the global medical tourism market. While India broadly secures #1, Israel ranks #1 in the quality of services and facilities.India is renowned for specialist cardiac surgeries, while Singapore is a popular medical tourism destination owing to the expertise in complicated surgical procedures. Thailand has been a popular destination for medical tourism and millions of patients have travelled to Thailand since 2006. It is also the top cosmetic surgery centre globally.Malaysia offers state-of-the-art medical infrastructure and treatments by highly skilled medical professionals, making it another sought after centre among medical tourists. With economically affordable treatment options and favourable government initiatives, Malaysia is anticipated to acquire one of the top market positions in the global medical tourism market, during the forecast period.Key Players: Global Medical Tourism MarketSome of the top key players in the medical tourism industry include Asian Heart Institute (India), Apollo Hospitals (India), Prince Court Medical Centre (Malaysia), Gleneagles Hospital (Singapore), Min-Sheng General Hospital (Taiwan), Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital (Bangkok), Raffles Medical Group (Singapore), Clemenceau Medical Centre (Lebanon), Bangkok Hospital (Thailand), Bumrungrad International Hospital (Thailand), Fortis Healthcare Ltd. (India), Wooridul Spine Hospital (Korea), KPJ Healthcare Berhad (Malaysia), Anadolu Medical Centre (Turkey), and Asklepios Klinik Barmbek (Germany).Browse Full Report@While these players rank amongst they compete on the basis of exceptional service quality, optimum patient comfort, and relatively reasonable costs for various treatments. Several facilities are also undergoing mergers, acquisitions, affiliations, and joint ventures for delivering enhanced medical care, thereby strengthening their market positions. A few prominent examples of highly productive collaborations include the collaboration between Bumrungrad International Hospital (Bangkok) and IBM Watson for better cancer care, and the collaboration of Anadolu Medical Centre (Turkey) with Johns Hopkins Medicine (U.S.).ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, once seen as the front-runner to become the next president of South Korea if he decides to run, has slipped to second place in public support amid a political crisis engulfing the current leader, a poll suggests.
Ban has been expected to join the conservative Saenuri Party of President Park Geun-hye if he runs for the top post in the election scheduled in December 2017, although the U.N. chief has yet to declare he is considering a run.
Support for Ban slipped to 17.1 percent in an opinion poll conducted last week according to Realmeter on Monday, the first time he has dropped from first place since June when South Korean pollsters began including him among potential candidates.
He was overtaken by the likely candidate for the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, Moon Jae-in, who received 20.9 percent, the poll, conducted with 2,528 people, showed.
Park's presidency has been rocked by a scandal involving an old friend, Choi Soon-sil, who is alleged to have used her closeness to the president to meddle in state affairs.
Park, 64, has publicly apologised twice for the scandal but her approval rating has plunged to just 5 percent according to a Gallup poll released on Friday, the lowest since such polling began in 1988.
Ban's support base was expected primarily to be older voters and those in the conservative southeastern region, the same voter bloc that was core to Park's election win in 2012.
The decline in Ban's support came amid a rapid flight of Park and Saenuri supporters, Realmeter said in an analysis.
Park last week named a new prime minister and finance minister but the moves were denounced by opposition parties as a bid to divert attention from the scandal.
Tens of thousands of people, possibly as many as 100,000 according to rally organisers, filled the streets of downtown Seoul on Saturday calling for Park to step down.
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APAC Solar Micro Inverters Market Forecast Research Reports Offers Key Insights
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The first commercially successful micro inverter was launched by Enphase in 2008, which played a key role in popularising solar micro inverters globally. Currently, the global market comprises numerous domestic as well as international players supplying quality micro inverters.Modularity, safety, and maximum energy harvest will continue to drive the market at a considerable pace through 2020. Till recent years, the demand for micro inverters was highly restricted to North America. However, the market is gradually shifting toward commercial applications, and witnessing expansion in most of the developed as well as developing regions outside the U.S.Adoption of solar micro inverters has gained momentum in the recent past, resulting in a growing market in developing nations, including Asia Pacific. Improved device features and enhanced efficiency are currently pushing the market in APAC, which is projected to continue in the near future as well, creating a lucrative market for micro inverters on a global level.APAC Solar Micro Inverters Market: Key DriversDeclining Prices to Push DemandThe market is currently growing at a considerable pace. Persistent advances in R&D of solar micro inverters and substantial reduction in costs of micro inverters are estimated to boost the market during the forecast period.Request Free Report Sample@Size and Modularity to Impact Maximum ApplicationsCompact size and high modularity of solar micro inverters make them ideal for residential applications. These two are the key drivers why micro inverters are currently gaining an impetus at a global level.Superiority over Conventional Inverters is a Key DriverSolar micro inverters are superior over conventional centralised or string inverters in various ways.Unlike string inverters, micro inverters are tolerant to shade and do not let the power generation performance of individual solar panels drop, even if the area surrounding them is shady. This character is identified as one of the key factors positively influencing the demand for micro inverters when it comes to their efficiency.Contrary to centralised inverters, solar micro inverters are compact in size and do not need separate air cooling, resulting in lesser heat loss. This is another factor fuelling the demand for micro inverters in the market.Moreover, a broken string or centralised inverter faces halted performance merely due to a defect in one panel, whereas a defective panel in a micro inverter does not degrade the performance of the entire system because the system architecture allows individual panel monitoring. The maximum power is generated through MPPT. This has been an important driver in popularising micro inverters over the years.Higher Costs Can Create ChallengesHowever, relatively higher initial costs associated with installation and replacement of micro inverts may continue to create a major roadblock for solar micro inverters from becoming a widely commonplace device across Asia Pacific. Furthermore, installation of micro inverters requires the installation of another extra monitoring device - a communication bus, in addition to the basic common monitoring system. This in turn adds up to the final costs.APAC Solar Micro Inverters Market SegmentationFMIs research offers a six-year forecast, segmenting the APAC market for solar micro inverters based on the type, consumer, and application.Based on the type, the market is segmented into standalone solar micro inverter market and grid tied solar micro inverter market. On the basis of consumers, the solar micro inverter market in Asia Pacific is segmented as urban and rural. The urban segment dominates the market owing to rising awareness about alternate energy usage and growing population density in urban areas.According to the application, the solar micro inverters market in APAC is segmented as residential and commercial. As micro inverters are economically lesser affordable compared to other traditional inverters, their residential applications find a lower market share in economically sensitive regions in Asia Pacific. However, the commercial solar micro inverter market application currently dominates the market.Request For TOC@Market to Explore Untapped Growth Opportunities in APACAlthough the U.S. is a leading market for solar micro inverters, adoption of solar micro inverters is expected to gain traction in Asia Pacific, especially in India, Japan, and Australia. Soaring fuel prices, burgeoning demand for power supply, and favourable government policies are currently driving the market in APAC.Regional Analysis: APAC Solar Micro Inverters MarketIndia, owing to the availability of ample renewable energy sources, captures a prominent position in the APAC market for micro inverters. Growing awareness about benefits of micro inverters and widespread adoption of renewable energy sources for agriculture are expected to fuel the demand for solar micro inverters across India. The Union Budget of India for 2014-15 has clearly indicated emphasis on using solar for electricity generation. This is a key factor, anticipated to provide momentum to the market for micro inverters in and post-2016.Japan, despite representing a key residential market potential, has been facing limited micro inverter shipments. Stringent certification norms are anticipated to govern the Japanese market but domestic suppliers are expected to encounter growing opportunities.Australia is a relatively emerging market for photovoltaics, which makes it an unestablished market for string and centralised inverters. The Australian market, since the past few years, has been reflecting growing demand for micro inverters and FMIs research indicates string growth prospects for micro inverter suppliers. Recently, Enphase announced to commercially launch their AC battery first in Australia, later this year. ARENA Australia, through ample of renewable energy funds, will continue to provide an additional thrust to the market.In addition, there are other expanding market, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Philippines. Malaysia hosts several off-grid projects, whereas Indonesia is up for a thousand islands project. Philippines is also continually initiating multiple rural electrification projects. Utility companies located in all the three countries are currently prioritising rural electrification.Browse Full Report@Key Players in APAC Solar Micro Inverters MarketKey participants in the Asia Pacific market for solar micro inverters, include Enphase Energy, Solar Bridge Technologies, SolarEdge, Green Ray Solar, and Enecsys.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Optical Interconnect Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024
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Optical interconnect technology acts as an interface between fibre and optical equipment. This technology helps in taking signals from perform signal processing and network equipment for conversion of digital signals to optical signals for transmission in the fibre network. Advanced signal processing is incorporated by optical interconnect technologies for monitoring and managing errors for reduction of distortion in fibre optic cables. Advanced optical interconnect technologies helps in enhancing capacity of optical equipment further reducing the operation costs. Global optical interconnect market can be segmented on the basis of product type, mode, interconnect level and applications. On the basis of product type, global optical interconnect market can be segmented into optical transceivers, cable assemblies, free space optics, connectors, silicon photonics and PIC based interconnects among others. Single and multi-mode fiber forms the different modes based on which global interconnect market is divided. Other than these segmentations, global optical interconnect market can be further segmented on the basis of interconnect level into chip & board level, board-to-board level, metro and long haul optical interconnect and rack level optical interconnect. Military and aerospace, consumer electronics, automotive, telecommunication and chemicals among others.On the basis of geography, optical interconnect market globally can be segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Africa.PDF Sample For Full Details with Technological breakthroughs is @Rising demand for advanced bandwidth requirements has contributed in being a major driver for the growth of global optical interconnect market. Bandwidth capacity needs to be increased along with reduced power consumption within data center networks which has increased the demand for efficient interconnects. These functions are not available with traditional interconnects which are copper based thus further enhancing the utility and in turn the demand for optical interconnect market globally. Other than this, there has been a rise in network traffic which has resulted in higher demand for optical interconnect devices for sustaining in future along with other web applications in cloud computing pushing the growth of global optical interconnect market. In addition to this, currently it is seen that data center networks require high power for managing its services which is where fibre optics are used thereby increasing the application of optical interconnect technologies as well as positively driving the demand for optical interconnect market. Network connections in long distance traffic has been a major restraint for the global optical interconnect market. Loss at high frequencies in electrical lines and fibre optic cables is quite high which has to some extent reduced the growth of optical interconnect devices and technology. Cost is another important determinant having a major effect in the global optical interconnect market. High costs are generally associated with application of optical interconnect technologies which has negatively affected commercialization of this technology and all these factors have acted as major restraints for this market. Optical interconnect technologies has growing applications in automation sector for handling network tasks previously done manually which has huge growth opportunities in future helping the global optical interconnect market to grow.Geographically, it is North America which holds the major market share in the global optical interconnect market. Huge internet penetration resulting in higher usage of data center networks has formed a major reason for the growth of optical interconnect market which are extensively used for managing networks. In addition to this, presence of huge internet based business like Facebook and Google among others have been a major growth driver for optical internet market in North America. Asia Pacific has been the fastest growing market for the optical interconnect market. Growing internet penetration along with rising technological advancement has been the major factors driving the growth of optical interconnect market in Asia Pacific with China, Japan, South Korea and India being the major growing countries.Market Insight can be Viewed @Some of the major players operating in the Optical Interconnect market include Furukawa OFS (Japan), 3M Company (U.S.), Acacia Communication (U.S.), Finisar (U.S.), Oclaro Inc. (U.S.), Dow Corning (U.S.), Huawei (China), Intel (US), Infineon Technologies (US) and Mellanox (U.S.) among others which are present in the market globally.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:
Narrowband IoT Chipset Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024
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Narrowband IoT (Internet of Things) is a radio technology standard which is a low power wide area network technology enabling both devices and services which varies across a wide range to be connected by the usage of cellular telecommunication bands. This new technology will help in better indoor coverage, low delay sensitivity and low power consumption of devices with optimized network architecture. Narrowband IoT chipsets also supports large number of low throughput devices helping in utilization of resource blocks with LTE carriers. Narrowband IoT technology further helps in connection of devices more efficiently on established mobile networks and also has the power of handling small amount of infrequent data from both sides. Globally narrowband IoT chipset market can be segmented on the basis of stationing, technology, devices and application areas. On the basis of technology, the global narrowband IoT market is segmented into software and hardware. Other than this, based on stationing global narrowband IoT market is divided into guard band, in band and standalone. Classification for global narrowband IoT chipset is also done on the basis of devices which includes trackers, wearable devices, smart appliances, alarms and detectors among others. Automation, manufacturing, automotive and transportation, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, safety and security and waste management are the major application areas based on which narrowband IoT chipset marker is segmented globally.PDF Sample For Full Details with Technological breakthroughs is @Global Narrowband IoT Chipset market on the basis of geography is segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Africa.There has been a rise in demand for cellular IoT networks which has formed one of the major reason for the growth of narrowband IoT market globally. Narrowband IoT technology supports more connections along with proving better network coverage which together has formed some of the major reasons for the rise in demand for narrowband IoT chipset in global market. Moreover, the narrowband IoT technology provides better penetration coverage as well as lower component costs is further helping in the rising demand for narrowband IoT technology all over the world. Technological dependence for the application of narrowband IoT technology has been a major restraint for narrowband IoT chipset market globally. Moreover, narrowband IoT chipset market is highly fragmented along with huge operational costs which are associated with implementation of this technology. All these factors, along with lack of standardization has been some of the major reasons further restraining growth of narrowband IoT chipset market. With growing implementation of narrowband IoT technology along with rise in internet penetration is expected to provide many opportunity areas for global narrowband IoT market in future.Geographically, it is North America which holds the major market share in the global narrowband IoT chipset market. Huge internet penetration resulting in presence of multiple networks for communication has been a major reason for the growth of Narrowband IoT Chipset market in North America. In addition to this, huge investments are being made by government for developing smart cities where the narrowband IoT technology is used extensively further helping the market to grow in North America. Asia Pacific has been a major region contributing to the growth of narrowband IoT chipset market globally and is expected to witness the highest growth in the forecasted period. Growing internet application along with government grants for enhancing the IoT technology has been some of the major reasons leading to the growth of narrowband IoT technology in Asia Pacific. China, Japan, India and South Korea are some of the major countries contributing to the growth of narrowband IoT market in Asia Pacific region.Market Insight can be Viewed @Some of the major players operating in the Narrowband IoT Chipset market include Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (China), MistBase AB (Sweden), Ericsson (Sweden), U-Blox Holding AG (Switzerland), Vodafone Group PLC (U.K.), CommSolid GmBH (Germany), Qualcomm Incorporated (U.S.), Verizon Communication (U.S.), Intel Corporation (U.S.), Nokia Networks (Finland) and Samsung Group (South Korea) among others which are present in the market globally.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:
Global Intelligent Virtual Assistant Market Size, Shares, Trends, Growth and Forecast 2015-2019
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Albany, NY, Nov 07: IVA is a computer-generated character (an avatar or a 3D animated persona) that deliver text-based or voice-based information and service assistance to customers via a kiosk, mobile, or website. It incorporates natural-language processing and domain knowledge that changes according to the content of the dialog between the virtual assistant and customer. IVA provides user with vital information on topics such as company details, including financial and investor-related details, product portfolios, and technology-related information. IVA acts as a company representative to interact with the customers to address their queries specific to the company.The global intelligent virtual assistant market to grow at a CAGR of 54.32% over the period 2014-2019. The report includes the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global intelligent virtual assistant market for the period 2015-2019. On the basis of end-user, the market is categorized into two segments:- Large enterprises- SMEsLarge enterprises and SMEs are further classified into:- BFSI- Government- Retail- Travel- OthersGet a Sample Research PDF with TOC:Technavio's report, Global Intelligent Virtual Assistant Market 2015-2019, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the Americas, APAC, and EMEA; it also covers the landscape of the market and its growth prospects in the coming years. The report includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key regions- Americas- APAC- EMEAKey vendors- Anboto Group- Creative Virtual- CX Company- Ecreation- eGain- Eidoserve- H-care- Inbenta Technologies- Next IT- Nuance Communications- Synthetix- VicloneMarket driver- Multichannel virtual assistant- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge- Lack of standardization- For a full, detailed list, view our reportEnquiry at:Key questions answered in this report:- What will the market size be in 2019 and what will the growth rate be?- What are the key market trends?- What is driving this market?- What are the challenges to market growth?- Who are the key vendors in this market space?- What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
Research focused on the Italy Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Market Outlook to 2022
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"The Report Italy Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Market Outlook to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"GlobalDatas new report, "Italy Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Market Outlook to 2022", provides key market data on the Italy Multiparameter Patient Monitoring market. The report provides value, in millions of US dollars, volume (in units) and average price data (in US dollars), within market segments - High Acuity Monitors, Mid Acuity Monitors, Low Acuity Monitors and Multiparameter Central Stations.The report also provides company shares and distribution shares data for the market category, and global corporate-level profiles of the key market participants. Based on the availability of data for the particular category and country, information related to pipeline products, news and deals is available in the report.The data in the report is derived from dynamic market forecast models. GlobalData uses epidemiology and capital equipment-based models to estimate and forecast the market size. The objective is to provide information that represents the most up-to-date data of the industry possible.The epidemiology-based forecasting model makes use of epidemiology data gathered from research publications and primary interviews with physicians to establish the target patient population and treatment flow patterns for individual diseases and therapies. Using prevalence and incidence data and diagnosed and treated population, the epidemiology-based forecasting model arrives at the final numbers.Capital equipment-based forecasting models are done based on the installed base, replacements and new sales of a specific device/equipment in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centers. Data for average number of units per facility is used to arrive at the installed base of the capital equipment. Sales for a particular year are arrived at by calculating the replacement units and new units (additional and first-time purchases).Extensive interviews are conducted with key opinion leaders (KOLs), physicians and industry experts to validate the market size, company share and distribution share data and analysis.Get the Sample copy of this Report @Scope- Market size for Multiparameter Patient Monitoring market segments - High Acuity Monitors, Mid Acuity Monitors, Low Acuity Monitors and Multiparameter Central Stations.- Annualized market revenues (USD million), volume (units) and average selling price ($) data for each of the market categories. Data is provided from 2008 to 2015 and forecast to 2022.- 2015 company shares and distribution shares data for Multiparameter Patient Monitoring market.- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the Italy Multiparameter Patient Monitoring market.- Key players covered include Philips Healthcare, GE Healthcare Limited, Draegerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, Mindray Medical International Limited and Others.Reasons to buy- Develop business strategies by identifying the key market segments poised for strong growth in the future.- Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies.- Design competition strategies by identifying who-stands-where in the market.- Develop investment strategies by identifying the key market segments expected to register strong growth in the near future.- What are the key distribution channels and whats the most preferred mode of product distribution - Identify, understand and capitalize.Read our latest Press Release atTable of Contents1 Table of Contents 21.1 List of Tables 31.2 List of Figures 42 Introduction 52.1 What Is This Report About? 52.2 Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Market Segmentation 52.3 Definitions of Markets Covered in the Report 63 Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Market, Italy 83.1 Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Market, Italy, Revenue ($m), 2008-2015 83.2 Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Market, Italy, Revenue ($m), 2015-2022 103.2.1 High Acuity Monitors Market, Italy, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2008-2015 123.2.2 Low Acuity Monitors Market, Italy, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2008-2015 143.2.3 Mid Acuity Monitors Market, Italy, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2008-2015 163.2.4 High Acuity Monitors Market, Italy, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2015-2022 183.2.5 Low Acuity Monitors Market, Italy, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2015-2022 203.2.6 Mid Acuity Monitors Market, Italy, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2015-2022 223.3 Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Market, Italy, Volume (Units), 2008-2015 243.4 Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Market, Italy, Volume (Units), 2015-2022 263.4.1 High Acuity Monitors Market, Italy, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2008-2015 283.4.2 Low Acuity Monitors Market, Italy, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2008-2015 303.4.3 Mid Acuity Monitors Market, Italy, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2008-2015 323.4.4 High Acuity Monitors Market, Italy, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2015-2022 343.4.5 Low Acuity Monitors Market, Italy, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2015-2022 363.4.6 Mid Acuity Monitors Market, Italy, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2015-2022 383.5 Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Market, Italy, Average Price ($), 2008-2022 403.6 Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Market, Italy, Distribution Share by Revenue ($m), 2014-2015 423.7 Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Market, Italy, Company Share by Revenue ($m), 2015 434 Overview of Key Companies in Italy, Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Market 454.1 Philips Healthcare 454.1.1 Company Overview 454.2 Draegerwerk AG & Co. KGaA 454.2.1 Company Overview 454.3 GE Healthcare Limited 454.3.1 Company Overview 454.4 Mindray Medical International Limited 464.4.1 Company Overview 464.5 Welch Allyn Inc. 464.5.1 Company Overview 464.6 OSI Systems, Inc. 464.6.1 Company Overview 464.7 Nihon Kohden Corporation 474.7.1 Company Overview 474.8 Fukuda Denshi Co., Ltd. 474.8.1 Company Overview 475 Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Market Pipeline Products 486 Appendix 496.1 Research Methodology 506.1.1 Coverage 506.1.2 Secondary Research 506.1.3 Primary Research 516.1.4 Company Share Analysis 516.1.5 Distribution Share Analysis 516.1.6 Benchmarking 526.2 GlobalData Consulting 526.3 Contact Us 526.4 Disclaimer 53MarketResearchReports.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 Japan Patient Monitoring Accessories Market Outlook to 2022
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"The Report Japan Patient Monitoring Accessories Market Outlook to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"GlobalDatas new report, "Japan Patient Monitoring Accessories Market Outlook to 2022", provides key market data on the Japan Patient Monitoring Accessories market. The report provides value, in millions of US dollars, volume (in units) and average price data (in US dollars), within market segments - Patient Monitoring Leads and Electrodes, Non-Invasive Blood Pressure Cuffs and Patient Monitoring Temperature Probes.The report also provides company shares and distribution shares data for the market category, and global corporate-level profiles of the key market participants. Based on the availability of data for the particular category and country, information related to pipeline products, news and deals is available in the report.The data in the report is derived from dynamic market forecast models. GlobalData uses epidemiology and capital equipment-based models to estimate and forecast the market size. The objective is to provide information that represents the most up-to-date data of the industry possible.The epidemiology-based forecasting model makes use of epidemiology data gathered from research publications and primary interviews with physicians to establish the target patient population and treatment flow patterns for individual diseases and therapies. Using prevalence and incidence data and diagnosed and treated population, the epidemiology-based forecasting model arrives at the final numbers.Capital equipment-based forecasting models are done based on the installed base, replacements and new sales of a specific device/equipment in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centers. Data for average number of units per facility is used to arrive at the installed base of the capital equipment. Sales for a particular year are arrived at by calculating the replacement units and new units (additional and first-time purchases).Extensive interviews are conducted with key opinion leaders (KOLs), physicians and industry experts to validate the market size, company share and distribution share data and analysis.Download Sample copy of this Report at :Scope- Market size for Patient Monitoring Accessories market segments - Patient Monitoring Leads and Electrodes, Non-Invasive Blood Pressure Cuffs and Patient Monitoring Temperature Probes.- Annualized market revenues (USD million), volume (units) and average selling price ($) data for each of the market categories. Data is provided from 2008 to 2015 and forecast to 2022.- 2015 company shares and distribution shares data for Patient Monitoring Accessories market.- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the Japan Patient Monitoring Accessories market.- Key players covered include 3M Health Care Ltd., Philips Healthcare, Medtronic plc and Others.Reasons to buy- Develop business strategies by identifying the key market segments poised for strong growth in the future.- Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies.- Design competition strategies by identifying who-stands-where in the market.- Develop investment strategies by identifying the key market segments expected to register strong growth in the near future.- What are the key distribution channels and whats the most preferred mode of product distribution - Identify, understand and capitalize.Table of Contents1 Table of Contents1 Table of Contents 21.1 List of Tables 31.2 List of Figures 42 Introduction 52.1 What Is This Report About? 52.2 Patient Monitoring Accessories Market Segmentation 52.3 Definitions of Markets Covered in the Report 63 Patient Monitoring Accessories Market, Japan 83.1 Patient Monitoring Accessories Market, Japan, Revenue ($m), 2008-2015 83.2 Patient Monitoring Accessories Market, Japan, Revenue ($m), 2015-2022 103.2.1 Non-Invasive Blood Pressure Cuffs Market, Japan, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2008-2015 123.2.2 Patient Monitoring Leads and Electrodes Market, Japan, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2008-2015 143.2.3 Non-Invasive Blood Pressure Cuffs Market, Japan, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2015-2022 163.2.4 Patient Monitoring Leads and Electrodes Market, Japan, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2015-2022 183.3 Patient Monitoring Accessories Market, Japan, Volume (Units), 2008-2015 203.4 Patient Monitoring Accessories Market, Japan, Volume (Units), 2015-2022 223.4.1 Non-Invasive Blood Pressure Cuffs Market, Japan, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2008-2015 243.4.2 Patient Monitoring Leads and Electrodes Market, Japan, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2008-2015 263.4.3 Non-Invasive Blood Pressure Cuffs Market, Japan, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2015-2022 283.4.4 Patient Monitoring Leads and Electrodes Market, Japan, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2015-2022 303.5 Patient Monitoring Accessories Market, Japan, Average Price ($), 2008-2022 323.6 Patient Monitoring Accessories Market, Japan, Distribution Share by Revenue ($m), 2014-2015 343.7 Patient Monitoring Accessories Market, Japan, Company Share by Revenue ($m), 2015 354 Overview of Key Companies in Japan, Patient Monitoring Accessories Market 374.1 3M Health Care Ltd. 374.1.1 Company Overview 374.2 Medtronic plc 374.2.1 Company Overview 374.3 Nihon Kohden Corporation 374.3.1 Company Overview 374.4 Omron Healthcare Co., Ltd. 374.4.1 Company Overview 374.5 Philips Healthcare 384.5.1 Company Overview 384.6 ConMed Corporation 384.6.1 Company Overview 384.7 Ambu A/S 384.7.1 Company Overview 384.8 Welch Allyn Inc. 394.8.1 Company Overview 394.9 Microlife Corporation 394.9.1 Company Overview 394.10 GE Healthcare Limited 394.10.1 Company Overview 395 Appendix 405.1 Research Methodology 415.1.1 Coverage 415.1.2 Secondary Research 415.1.3 Primary Research 425.1.4 Company Share Analysis 425.1.5 Distribution Share Analysis 425.1.6 Benchmarking 435.2 GlobalData Consulting 435.3 Contact Us 43MarketResearchReports.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
Organic Sesame Seed Market - Global Market Segmentation,Regional Outlook 2016 2024
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Overview:Sesame seeds are one of the most popular and healthy seeds that are primarily grown in Asia Pacific region. In Asia Pacific region India is known as sesame seeds large-scale production and export destination. Organic sesame seeds are small flat creamy white seeds in appearance with the outer husk removed (hulled). Organic sesame seeds are used for producing cooking oils used in variety of food products. They are also used in baking industries for products such as baked snacks, bun decoration. Organic sesame seed contains oil-soluble and water-soluble antioxidants such as sesamin, sesaminol, sesamolin, and sesaminol glucosides that are essential ingredients for better health. Organic sesame oil is also used to make soaps and margarines, along with garnishing various cuisines in Japan. In many food products, organic sesame seed oil is used as a preservative for extending the shelf-life of the products. In western countries, organic sesame seeds are primarily used in confectionery. Organic sesame seeds oil is refined and used extensively in cosmetics worldwide.Know More About Organic Sesame Seed Market Report At:Global Organic Sesame Seed: Market SegmentationThe global organic sesame seed market is segmented on the basis of color, seed form, application and region. The organic sesame seed market is segmented on the basis of color mainly into white, black and brown sesame seed. The white sesame seeds are mostly used in the Asian countries on a large scale, hence the organic sesame seed market is projected to have robust growth in Asia Pacific region.The global organic sesame seed is also segmented on the basis of seed form which includes raw or whole seed and processed seed, further processed seed is sub segmented as oils, paste, and meal. Tahini (paste) made from processed sesame seeds contains low fat than made from roasted seeds, also is a good source of omega-3 & omega-6 fatty acids. The sesame seed meal is a high-source of protein used for poultry and livestock. In Japan, the whole seeds are used in salads and baked snacks. As a result of various food applications, whole seeds are mostly used by the costumers, which is increasing the market share of the global organic sesame seed market.The organic sesame seed market is segmented on the basis of applications in which organic sesame seed are used in food product applications such as ready-to-eat food products, baked snacks, bakery products and confectionery. Along with food products, sesame seed is also used in cosmetics and pet food. Hence, the organic sesame seed market is expected to significantly increase the revenue contribution over the forecast period.Global Organic Sesame Seed Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the global organic sesame seed industry can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Globally, among Asia Pacific region India, Myanmar and China are the dominating countries in the organic sesame seed market as a result of being the leading producers of organic sesame seed. As a result of changing lifestyle coupled with the rise in ready-to-eat products, has strengthened the usage of organic sesame seed in various food applications and hence global organic sesame seed market is projected to expand significantly over the forecast period.Browse Full Report With ToC:Global Organic Sesame Seed Market: Growth DriversIncreasing demand for organic sesame seed in various food products, bakery products, animal feed products, cosmetics, and medicines is key driving factors for growth of global organic sesame seed market. As a result of high-source of protein presence in organic sesame seed, the demand for animal feed products is increasing significantly in poultry and livestock globally. As a result of presence of high levels of calcium and protein in tahini (paste of raw sesame seed), which is used in various food products, the demand for whole organic sesame seeds is significantly increasing over the forecast period.Global Organic Sesame Seed Market: PlayersSome of the key players identified across the value chain of the global Organic sesame seed market include SHYAM INDUSTRIES, Selet Hulling PLC, Dhaval Agri Exports, Dipasa USA, Inc., SARVODAY NATURAL, ETICO,Accura Group, Fuerst Day Lawson, SunOpta, and Bishnoi trading corporation.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 Biochar Market 2016 : Industry Growth with CAGR in Forecast - 2022
Biochar
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MRS Research Group addsGlobal Biochar Market 2016 Share,Size,Trends and Forecast to 2022 Market Research Reportreports to its database.Global Biochar market report is sole collaboration of the data and market research methodology to gain highest performance.Our research team has put immense efforts to make it better to understand. The report global Biochar market represents recent developments, technology, raw material, restraints and opportunities in the market.Market information will includes demanding sector and opportunities, challenges and future trends.We offer our reports to small, medium and big organization.We gather information from multi-dimensional sources like primary, secondary and direct sources.We provide an experts knowledge to the client which offer solution to the client specific needs.We explore recent technology and R&D to resolve complex problems of the client.Our team is accompanied with analyst, research team, talented expert and which serves you worlds best report.It keeps belief to retain customers by providing them comprehensive analysis about market attractiveness, future forecast, recent trends and its competitors.Access Full Report @This report offers you accurate and authentic first hand information on market that will help user to plan the organizations actions in future.The report will provide you deep knowledge of historical information, market drivers and related parameters of the market.The report includes accurate and sharp information on global market which allow you to take proper decision.It handles numerous reports on pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, food and beverages etc.The 'Global Biochar Industry, 2016-2022 Market Research Report' is starts with definition, application, products, technology and others.It includes major players of the market, company profile, installed capacity, competitors strategies and others.The report will allow you to understand easily with schematic diagrams and statically data.It also represents supply and demand, production capacity, import and export and many more.Further it covers points segments on the basis of products, types, application; end users, geography whichever applicable for the competitive landscape analysis.Request Sample Report @The chemical industry plays a crucial role in the existing business as well as manufacturing units. This industry manufactures a variety of chemical substances which are used in various sectors and fields which include agriculture, medicine, automobile, healthcare and many other commercial purposes. These industries make use of metals, oil, natural gas and water to create a range of chemicals as well as chemical products that are used by various organizations throughout the world. Chemical companies purify and process the raw materials to produce pure chemicals.Table of Content (Index) :1 Industry Overview1.1 Definition and Specifications1.1.1 Definition1.1.2 Specifications1.2 Classification1.3 Applications1.3.1 Heating1.3.2 Air conditioning1.3.3 Refrigeration1.3.4 Industrial applications1.4 Industry Chain Structure1.5 Industry Overview and Major Regions Status1.5.1 Industry Overview1.5.2 Global Major Regions Status1.6 Industry Policy Analysis1.7 Industry News Analysis2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis2.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis2.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis2.3 Labor Cost Analysis2.4 Other Costs Analysis2.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis2.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Major Manufacturers in 20153.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Major Manufacturers in 20153.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Major Manufacturers in 20153.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Major Manufacturers in 2015MRS Research Group is the worlds giant collection of the Market research Reports. Where we specialized in global publisher, tailor made reports and specialists consulting. Global Publisher provides in-depth analysis of global and Chinese market. Tailor-made reports represent methodologies deliverable to proper insight of the client. While, expertise research specialist helps to provide strategic solution in specialists consulting. It consists of head such as, latest report, category, niche market and news. Reports published on the million of category like chemical, machinery and equipment, consumer goods, manufacturing and construction etc. Latest national, international, business News published under news portal.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free : +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@mrsresearchgroup.com
Research On Vanillin Market - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2014 - 2021
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DecisionDatabases.com offer Vanillin Market Research Report. This Report covers the complete Industry Outlook, Growth, Size, Share and Forecast Till 2021.View More about Vanillin Market Research Report @Vanillin belongs to an organic functional group that includes aldehyde, hydroxyl, and ethers. Vanillin is majorly used for flavouring and aromatic functions. It is extracted from vanilla beans. Vanillin is produced naturally, by biosynthesis or by chemical synthesis processes. Natural vanillin is produced from vanilla extracts, which is scarce and involves expensive processing. Biosynthetically, vanillin is produced from phenylpropanoid pathway or benzoate pathway. In chemical synthesis, vanillin is produced from guaiacol (precursor of petrochemicals) or lignin. Lignin based vanillin is recorded to have rich flavour in comparison to other artificial vanillin.Commercially, there are two types of vanillin namely ethyl vanillin and methyl vanillin. Ethyl vanillin is expensive and is stronger than methyl vanillin. Ethyl vanillin is a white crystalline powder with strong vanilla flavour. It is an important synthetic essence and is used as food additive. Methyl vanillin is white crystals with mild vanilla planifolia flavour.Vanillin is used for flavour and aroma in food and beverage industry specifically for confectionaries, bakery products, ice creams, candies, biscuits, chocolates and others. In fragrance industry, it is majorly used in perfumes. In addition, it is used as flavouring and aromatic mask in medicines, toothpastes, cleaning products and livestock fodders. Vanillin acts as a chemical intermediate in the production of pharmaceuticals and other fine chemicals.Global vanillin market can be segmented based on its applications such as food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, fragrance, bakeries, oral care, toys, and others. Food & beverages and pharmaceuticals are the major applications in the global vanillin market. Artificial or chemically synthesized vanillin is preferred over naturally produced vanillin; owing to the economy of scales.Download Free Sample Report with Full TOC At:The vanillin market is growing rapidly owing to demand from bakery and confectionary industry in the countries such as India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, and Indonesia. Asia Pacific region is the major vanillin market in terms of demand and expected to be major revenue generating market over the forecast period. The major constraint to this market is the growing health concerns regarding the chemically synthesized vanillin.Major players assessed in the report are:> Borregaard> Solvay SA> Watkins Natural Gourmet> Jiaxing Zhonghua Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.> Virginia Dare> Prinova Group LLC> Evolva Holding SA> Jiaxing Zhongua> Shanghai Xinjia> Zibo Svolei> Liaoning Shixing> Synnova ChemicalsDecision Databases is involved in providing research reports and company profiles in the global vanillin market in terms of revenue and output/volume. Market drivers, opportunities and restraints are thoroughly studied which influences the market. This study is further utilized for the overall analysis of the market. The vanillin market is segmented based on the global applications, geographic presence, by products and ingredients. We offer an inclusive category-specific market outlook. We provide access to a comprehensive collection of companies in the industry. The companies can strategize and execute business operations through our competitor analysis. Find the global industry analysis, market size, share, growth, and trends information in our vanillin profiles.Major Table Of Contents:1. INTRODUCTION2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY3. MARKET ANALYSIS OF VANILLIN4. VANILLIN MARKET ANALYSIS BY TYPES5. VANILLIN MARKET ANALYSIS BY APPLICATIONS6. VANILLIN MARKET ANALYSIS BY REGION7. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE OF VANILLIN COMPANIES8. COMPANY PROFILES OF VANILLINOrder a complete Vanillin Market Research Report @DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research reports provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains.Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.3rd Floor,Fountain chambers,Nanabhai Lane,Fort, Mumbai - 1E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.comPhone: +91 99 28 237112Web:
Disposable Tips For Automated Liquid Handlers Trends 2016
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ReportsWorldwide has announced the addition of a new report title Disposable Tips For Automated Liquid Handlers Trends 2016 to its growing collection of premium market research reports.This 51 page market report summarizes the results of an industry-wide global web-based benchmarking survey on disposable pipette tips for automated liquid handling instrumentation.The survey was initiated by the publisher as part of its tracking of emerging life science marketplaces and in response to calls from automated liquid handler vendors to obtain recent market information about automation consumables, particularly disposable tips.The questionnaire was compiled to meet the needs, requirements and interests of the automated liquid handling vendor community. The main objective was to gain a better understanding of the dynamics associated with disposable tip usage, storage, purchase and acquisition.Equal emphasis was given to soliciting opinion from all areas and organisations were automated liquid handlers utilising disposable pipette tips are used irrespective of application.To view a detailed description and Table of Contents please visit:The survey looked at the various aspects of disposable pipette tips for automated liquid handlers as practiced today (2016) and in some cases as predicted/wanted for the future (2018):The main questionnaire consisted of 30 multi-choice questions and 2 open-ended question. In addition, there were 6 questions related solely to survey demographics.The survey collected 65 validated responses, of these 72% provided comprehensive input.Survey responses were geographically split: 42% Europe; 42% North America; 13% Asia (excluding Japan & China); and 3% Japan.Respondents came from 29 University/Research Institute/Government Labs/Not-for-Profit; 16 Pharmaceutical; 8 Biotech; 4 Diagnostics; 3 Medical School/Hospital/Clinic; 2 Food & Beverage; 1 Agrochemical/Agri-Biotech Company; 1 Animal Health; and 1 Other.Most survey respondents had a senior job role or position which was in descending order: 20 research scientists; 14 lab managers; 6 senior scientists/researchers; 5 lab technicians; 4 principal investigators; 3 section/group leaders; 3 professors/assistant professors; 3 directors; 2 graduate/ PhD students; 2 post-docs; 2 department heads; and 1 other.The full report provides the data, details of the breakdown of the responses for each question, its segmentation and the estimates for the future (2018). It also highlights some interesting differences between survey groups.To enquire about this Report please visit @About ReportsWorldwide.comReportsWorldwide.com is a leading provider of global market intelligence reports and services. With research reports from top publishers, consulting and advisory firms, ReportsWorldwide.com offers instant online access to a growing database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, geographies and trends.Press Contact:Abigail CrastoSenior Vice President101, Arch StreetBoston, MA 02110USPhone +1 (617) 398-4994Fax +1 (617) 398-4995abigail@reportsworldwide.com
European stocks leapt in opening deals on Monday after the FBI said Hillary Clinton would not face charges over her use of a private email server.
In initial deals, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index rallied 1.6 percent at 6,798.42 points on the eve of the US presidential election.
In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 won 1.5 percent to 10,410.56 points and the Paris CAC 40 index won 1.4 percent to 4,440.11 compared with Friday's close.
"European equity markets are... boosted by the news that the FBI has not changed its conclusion on the Hillary Clinton email investigation after announcing a little over a week ago that it had been reopened," said Oanda analyst Craig Erlam.
"The timing of FBI director James Comey's disclosure has once again dealt a serious blow to Donald Trump's chances of securing the White House, something the markets have responded very positively to."
Markets were plunged into turmoil on October 28 when Comey revealed that messages linked to Democratic presidential nominee Clinton were being investigated, sending rival
Republican Donald Trump surging in opinion polls just days before the November 8 vote.
However, Comey on Sunday announced he would not change his July recommendation that Clinton not be prosecuted for allegedly putting US secrets at risk.
That sparked a sharp rebound in Asian markets and the Mexican peso on Monday, which spilled across into Europe.
"A positive open (in Europe) comes as Hillary Clinton is given the all clear from the FBI for a second time, director Comey telling Congress the bureau has 'not changed its conclusions' reached in July based on fresh evidence," said analyst Henry Croft at Accendo Markets.
"Polls are indicating Clinton pulling away slightly, although her lead remains well below the levels pre-FBI investigation."
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Optimised long-term care for persons with dementia
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Nursing homes face enormous challenges due to the growing number of persons with dementia. Evidence-based decisions should play a crucial role in overcoming these challenges. Up to now, however, very few research studies on institutional long-term care in Europe provide a good evidence base. A project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, which focuses on persons with dementia in particular, aims to rectify this.Life expectancy is rising as is the need for professional long-term care. The care services currently being provided barely meet the existing demand. Therefore, the available resources need to be adapted intelligently. This is the only way, affordable services of sufficient quality can continue to be provided in the future. In-depth and critical analyses are needed as an evidence base for the required adaptation of the existing system, and very few of these are currently available on institutional long-term care in Europe. As part of a project that is being carried out at Danube University Krems in cooperation with the Charles University in Prague and the MAS Alzheimerhilfe, a patient/carer organization in Upper Austria, epidemiological data on the care situation in the Austria and the Czech Republic are now being collected for the first time. The Project is being funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF and the GACR in the Czech Republic FWF being the lead agency and focuses on the situation of persons with dementia who require particularly intensive support.Care data through careful data collectionThe project leader, Stefanie Auer from the Centre for Dementia Studies at the Danube University in Austria, describes the project as follows: "At the heart of long-term care we have those in need of care of course, but this is paradoxically scientific terra incognita. Far too little is known about the cognitive capacities, about the behavioural patterns and the general health situation of persons living in nursing homes. So how can the offered care services be adapted while maintaining the necessary quality?" Auer and her Czech research partners Iva Holmerova and Hanka Vankova will now collect these missing data at six randomly selected nursing homes in Austria and the Czech Republic. A total of about 1,000 care recipients will be surveyed; their data will be processed and analysed using a common data base.Data dimensionsThree other areas that also have a crucial impact on the care situation are also being examined: the care teams in the nursing homes and their workloads and burden, the needs of relatives of the care recipients, and environmental details in the nursing homes. Stefanie Auer cites an example which illustrates the importance of such multi-dimensional data surveying: "Practical experience shows that persons with dementia in nursing homes frequently suffer from depression, are often restless and wander around aimlessly. These behavioural problems represent an enormous burden for the person herself, for other residents, the care teams and the relatives. Although there are indications that such behaviour is influenced by environmental factors and education, we know very little about the precise correlations at work here." Stefanie Auer and her colleagues hope to identify these important but hitherto largely unknown factors, which affect the overall care situation, and in this way gain a better understanding of them.One study two perspectivesAnother aspect of the study, which is attracting international interest, arises from the objective of providing a comprehensive picture of the care situation. Expert knowledge from two disciplines provides the basis for a common study protocol: assessment methods from both medicine and psychology are being used, thereby enabling the recording of large volumes of data. This, in turn, enables a comprehensive statistical evaluation and, ultimately, the creation of better evidence bases. The fact that the nursing homes randomly selected for the study operate in the three available care provision sectors (state, church and private sector) also contributes to the comprehensive nature of the research. This ensures that the study will be providing representative data for the actual care situation in the two countries.General goodThe basic validity of the study protocols to be developed in the context of the study is very important for Stefanie Auer. The challenges facing the care system as a result of population development are similar across Europe, and basic insights the type that will be generated by this FWF project will provide a significant contribution to meeting these challenges.FWF Austrian Science FundThe Austrian Science Fund (FWF) is Austria's central funding organization for basic research.The purpose of the FWF is to support the ongoing development of Austrian science and basic research at a high international level. In this way, the FWF makes a significant contribution to cultural development, to the advancement of our knowledge-based society, and thus to the creation of value and wealth in Austria.Scientific Contact:Prof. Dr. Stefanie AuerDepartment for Clinical Neurosciences and Preventive MedicineDanube University KremsDr.-Karl-Dorrek-Strae 303500 Krems, AustriaT +43 / 6132 / 21410E: Stefanie.Auer@donau-uni.ac.atAustrian Science Fund FWF:Marc SeumenichtHaus der ForschungSensengasse 11090 Vienna, AustriaT +43 / 1 / 505 67 40 - 8111E marc.seumenicht@fwf.ac.atCopy Editing & Distribution:PR&D Public Relations for Research & EducationMariannengasse 81090 Vienna, AustriaT +43 / 1 / 505 70 44E contact@prd.at
Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7) Market 2016 - Tessenderlo (Belgium), Eastman (USA), Shimmer Chemicals (India), SOVIKA Group (India), Luxi Chemical (China)
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http://marketinsights.biz/global-benzyl-chloride-cas-100-44-7-market-outlook-2016-2021/
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Benzyl chloride, or -chlorotoluene, is an organic compound with the formula C6H5CH2Cl. This colourless liquid is a reactive organochlorine compound that is a widely used chemical building block. Industrially, benzyl chloride is the precursor to benzyl esters which are used as plasticizers, flavorants, and perfumes. Phenylacetic acid, a precursor to pharmaceuticals, is produced from benzyl cyanide, which is generated by treatment of benzyl chloride with sodium cyanide. Quaternary ammonium salts, used as surfactants, are readily formed by alkylation of tertiary amines with benzyl chloride.Major players in the global Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7) market :-Tessenderlo (Belgium)Eastman (USA)Shimmer Chemicals (India)SOVIKA Group (India)Luxi Chemical (China)Hubei Greenhome (China)Li Hai Company (China)CNSG Anhui Hong Sifang (China)Hubei Qianjia Chemical (China)Nantong Leo Chemical (China)Wuhan Youji Industries (China)Request for sample @This report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7) from 2011-2015 and provides extensive market forecasts 2016-2021 by region/country and sub sectors. It covers the key technological and market trends in the Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7) market and further lays out an analysis of the factors influencing the supply/demand for Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7), 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 Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7) Market Outlook 2016-2021, has been prepared based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7) 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. The competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the market share analysis of key industry players.Read full report with TOC :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 Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7) industry has been provided."MarketInsights.Biz offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Frank ValadezDirector of Business DevelopmentWebsite:Email:sales@marketinsights.biz
China's parliament passed a ruling on Monday that effectively bars two elected Hong Kong pro-independence politicians from taking office, Beijing's most direct intervention in the territory's legal and political system since the 1997 handover.
The rare move by Beijing came after Yau Wai-ching, 25, and Baggio Leung, 30, pledged allegiance to the "Hong Kong nation" and displayed a banner declaring "Hong Kong is not China" during a swearing-in ceremony for the city's Legislative Council in October.
The National People's Congress in Beijing ruled that lawmakers must swear allegiance to Hong Kong as part of China and that candidates would be disqualified if they changed the wording of their oath of office or if they failed to take it in a sincere and solemn manner.
The prospect of the ruling sparked protests in the former British colony on Sunday and it is now on high alert for any repeat of the weekend clashes. Members of the city's legal profession are planning a rare silent march on Tuesday night amid pressure for them to take even stronger action.
Britain returned Hong Kong to Chinese control in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula that gives the territory wide-ranging autonomy, including judicial freedom guided by a mini-constitution called the Basic Law.
The protests on Sunday night were reminiscent of pro-democracy protests in late 2014 that paralysed parts of the Asian financial centre and posed one of the greatest political challenges to the central government in Beijing in decades.
"This incident shows us the Basic Law is a handicapped legal document and the so-called mini-constitution can be amended and controlled by the Chinese Communist Party at will," said Joshua Wong, 20, one of the leaders of the 2014 protests.
Foreign diplomats were watching closely, stressing the importance of the rule of the law to the city's international reputation.
While the controversial decision effectively bars the two pro-independence Hong Kong politicians from being sworn in, a court in the city must still rule on the case in a judicial review, taking Beijing's decision into consideration.
The promotion of independence has long been taboo in Hong Kong amid fears in Beijing it could spread among other activists and challenge the central government's rule.
"The nature of Hong Kong independence is to split the country. It seriously violates the 'one country, two systems' policy," said Li Fei, chairman of the parliament's Basic Law Committee.
"The Central Government is highly concerned about the grave dangers the Hong Kong independence forces bring to the country and to Hong Kong."
Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying, who has governed during some of the city's most violent and divisive times in decades, said his government would fully implement China's interpretation of the mini-constitution.
But Legislative Council president Andrew Leung said the Hong Kong judicial review needed to be completed before confirming if the pair were disqualified.
Simon Young, a professor at Hong Kong University's law school, said he was still evaluating the ruling but it did seem to bar Leung and Yau from taking office.
"I do worry we are only going to see more interpretations, and attempts by the NPC to flesh out local laws, if they really want to stop the separatists," Young told Reuters, referring to China's parliament.
Darragh Paradiso, a spokesperson for the U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau, said by phone the United States strongly valued Hong Kong's independent judiciary.
"It is unfortunate that this particular situation was not resolved within Hong Kong's Legislative Council or within its well-respected courts," she said.
The Basic Law grants China's NPC a power of interpretation above Hong Kong's highest court. While it has made four other rulings since 1997, this ruling is its first move to preempt an ongoing Hong Kong court case.
Hong Kong Justice Secretary Rimsky Yuen said he still believed the oath-taking controversy could be resolved locally, but he also had every confidence that the city's judiciary would uphold the rule of law.
Beijing's decision represents some of the worst privately held fears of senior judges and some government officials in Hong Kong, according to sources close to them.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a regular press briefing he hoped the international community would see the decision reflected the will of the Chinese people.
James To, a lawmaker with the Democratic Party, said the central government had undermined Hong Kong's judicial process.
"In future, people's confidence in 'one country, two systems' will worsen," To said.
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Washington County deputies say they are looking for a man believed to be in his late 20s who wore a purple bandana over his face when he robbed the Lucky Dog Deli near Beaverton at gunpoint on November 5. He fled with cash. No one was injured.
(Washington County Sheriff's Office)
Washington County deputies are searching for a suspect who displayed a handgun Saturday evening during a robbery at a Beaverton-area business.
An employee at Lucky Dog Deli at
. called 911 at 6:45 p.m. and reported a man with a handgun came in and demanded cash, the county sheriff's office said.
The robber fled after receiving the cash and no one was injured, the sheriff's office said.
The suspect, described as being in his late 20s, was wearing a black hoodie, black sweatpants and a purple bandana over his face.
The sheriff's office asks anyone with information on the robbery to call them at 503-846-2700.
-- Everton Bailey Jr.
ebailey@oregonian.com
503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
Police fired tear gas at dozens of drug addicts trying to escape from a compulsory rehab centre in Vietnam Monday, just weeks after a mass breakout from the same facility.
Drug addicts in communist Vietnam are forced to undergo up to two years of rehabilitation in treatment centres across the country, but rights groups have complained of poor conditions and overcrowding.
Images in local media showed lines of officers dressed in riot gear at the Dong Nai facility in southern Vietnam, as addicts clawed at the fence while others scaled the roof of the building.
Some addicts lobbed slippers, plastic chairs and bicycles at officers and police could be seen tossing tear gas canisters into the compound.
At one point, a large group of addicts could be seen rushing toward police who ran away.
"It was a big mess," a police officer told AFP after the clashes which followed protests at the centre Sunday.
"A lot of police were mobilised to get the situation under control," he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
At least 100 addicts have managed to escape the centre since Sunday, according to state-run VNExpress, adding that several have been caught and arrested.
The policeman told AFP that the situation was under control by Monday afternoon but that several dozen men were still on the loose.
The rehab centre in Dong Nai holds up to 1,500 people, or double its capacity, according to local media reports.
"I have a family but I was forced to be here. We want to get out," VNExpress quoted an addict as saying Monday.
Two weeks ago, more than 500 addicts broke out of the same centre, flooding onto nearby roads and sparking panic among local residents.
There are more than 200,000 addicts in Vietnam, with heroin being the main drug of choice, and almost 13,000 people are in treatment centres, according to official figures.
Drug addicts can also undergo voluntary treatment at both state-owned and private establishments.
Human Rights Watch has denounced the conditions in Vietnam's rehab centres and a UN expert has recommended they be closed.
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Unidentified gunmen freed 21 prisoners in the southern Mali town of Banamba late on Sunday in what Mali's justice minister described as a "terrorist attack".
Mamadou Ismael Konate said on Monday the six attackers had wanted to release "two terrorists" but said they had already been moved to another town.
Konate said one prison guard had gone missing after the raid but he provided no further details.
An army spokesman said the attack had occurred around 2100 GMT on Sunday.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack but Islamist groups such as Ansar Dine have stepped up their insurgency in Mali this year, carrying out more than 60 attacks on United Nations and other targets since May and spreading south into areas previously deemed safe.
"I heard gunshots as I was getting ready to go to bed around 2300," said Banamba resident Yacouba Doucoure.
"Later I learned there was an attack against the army camp and the prison."
The attack on the army camp could not be immediately verified by Reuters.
A soldier for the U.N. mission known as MINUSMA was killed in an attack on a convoy in the Mopti region of central Mali on Sunday, MINUSMA said in a statement.
Islamist groups hijacked a separatist Tuareg rebellion in 2012 to seize major towns in Mali's vast desert north and declare sharia, or Islamic law.
Forces from former colonial power France drove them back a year later, but they have kept bases in remote desert locations.
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Tuesday 8 November 2016 10:27am
University of Otago and University of Auckland researchers are collaborating to gain new insights into the very beginnings of life, following the recent awarding of a major Marsden Fund grant.
The researchers will use cutting edge genomic techniques to study how a zygote - the cell that forms from the union of sperm and egg activates its newly minted genome and becomes the master of its own genetic destiny.
Co-principal investigator Associate Professor Julia Horsfield of the University of Otago says that when a zygote forms, its brand new genome is kept mostly inactive at first.
However, at a defined time-point, the zygotic genome becomes active and is transcribed its genes are switched on. At this crucial time, the embryo becomes master of its own destiny.
Associate Professor Horsfield and her co-principal investigator Dr Justin OSullivan, of the University of Auckland, will test their theory that a special 3D structure forms in the cells nucleus and permits transcription to occur and triggers genome activation.
Dr OSullivan says the team will use sophisticated genomics techniques that can probe nuclear structures in zebrafish embryos. The researchers will also use live imaging of zebrafish embryos and individual cells as they undergo genome activation to look at visible changes in the nucleus as genes are switched on.
As well as aiming to discover the nuclear structure that triggers genome activation, we hope to disrupt the structure to determine how important it is for gene activation, he says.
Establishing how the zygotic genome is at first held inactive, and how it rapidly becomes activated, will provide new insight into the earliest stages of life, he says.
Associate Professor Horsfield says she is delighted by the $810,000 in Marsden funding, which will also enable a new collaboration with the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany.
It will bring our far-flung team together to tackle one of the biggest enigmas in biology how an individual expresses its genetic identity for the first time, she says.
For more information, contact:
Associate Professor Julia Horsfield
Department of Pathology
University of Otago
Tel 03 479 7436
Email julia.horsfield@otago.ac.nz
http://www.otago.ac.nz/zebrafish/index.html
Dr Justin OSullivan
Senior Research Fellow
Liggins Institute
Tel 09 923 9868
Email justin.osullivan@auckland.ac.nz
Panorama will suspend screenings on 11 November, shifting the programme back by one day
In a recent press release, the management of the ongoing 9th Panorama of the European Film announced that no screenings will take place on 11 November.
All screenings that were scheduled to take place on 11 November will be shifted to 12 November.
Consequently, all the screenings that were set to take place on 12 November will be shifted to 13 November.
This means that the Panorama will now end on 13 November, one day after the originally scheduled closing day.
The organisers motive for the decision, according to the statement, was based on the concern of some audience members.
"As a team, we do not think that the 11th [November] will be problematic but some audience concerns were raised, which led us to believe that we may not have high attendance at the cinema that day."
In recent weeks, an anonymous call has been circulating on social media for demonstrations on 11 November to protest the government's economic policies.
Check the complete programme of Panorama for Cairo, Alexandria, Ismailia and Port Said here.
Ahram Online is the media sponsor of The Panorama of the European Film and of Zawya.
For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture
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Todd Miller combined his longtime interest in both politics and writing with a novel that envisions what might happen if todays toxic political environment eventually brought the United States to the point of breaking apart.
His book, The Last Amendment, was released as a paperback and as a Kindle e-book on Amazon.com in September accomplishing his goal of getting it published before the election.
Miller is now vice president of sales for Georgia-based specialty chemicals distributor Essential Ingredients. But he grew up in Midland and graduated from H.H. Dow High School in the 1990s.
I have very fond memories ... Midland is still very much a center of gravity, he said in a recent phone interview.
He met his wife Nicole at Dow High, and his in-laws still live in Midland.
His interest in politics emerged at a young age, and he even considered political science as a major when he was preparing to go to Michigan State University.
However, his dad sort of peeked over my shoulder and encouraged him to instead pick a technical field. He chose chemical engineering although my heart has always been in the political realm.
Miller started out with The Dow Chemical Co. in 1997, and he and his wife (who were married at St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Sanford) bought a house in Midland.
But it wasnt long until they felt a strong urge to spread our wings and he took on a commercial role with Dow, becoming an account manager in the Atlanta area.
We grew roots, had a couple of kids but I was dreaming about politics, he said.
Growing up, Miller being a math and science kid hadnt been particularly fond of writing. However, through business communications and personal letters he learned he enjoyed writing.
About 10 years ago, this idea hit me to really start writing somehow. His wife suggested speechwriting as a way of joining his interests in writing and politics. He started networking, and sent letters and samples of his writing to a number of people involved in politics.
One of those was retired U.S. Sen. Zell Miller (no relation to Todd), who wrote back and said that while he wasnt sure what to tell him about speechwriting opportunities, he had another suggestion.
Youre a talented writer maybe you should write a book, the former senator told him.
The idea took root, and Miller began thinking about a novel set in the near future in which a possible solution is found to the endless wrangling that seems to beset politics.
I had the notion of an ordered, peaceful, methodical separation (the U.S.) peacefully separating itself into two separate countries one conservative and one liberal, but existing as two new, parallel, intermingled nations.
The going was slow at first, considering that Miller also had his day job, not to mention the responsibilities of being a good dad and husband.
He got some feedback from a couple of people in the publishing industry, who advised him: Youre a good writer but its too heavy, too thick, youre having a tough time developing characters.
Miller put the book aside for a couple of years, then his pastor loaned him a copy of the C.S. Lewis book The Screwtape Letters, which is told in the form of correspondence between an uncle and his nephew.
So about 18 months ago, he set to work retooling the behemoth into a much simpler, shorter work.
Its 50 chapters, and each chapter is either a diary entry or a letter, he said.
The revision allowed him to publish his book before this years election.
I managed to give birth to the idea, get it out there.
Contacts in the publishing industry affirmed his approach, with some telling him, Youve got a book, youve pulled it off.
The novel deals with the aftermath of a terrorist attack that plunges the country into depression, with partisan gridlock unrelenting.
People are wanting to break it apart, file civic bankruptcy The ends of the political spectrum finally have something they completely, passionately agree on, and thats divorce.
Much of the book is correspondence between retiring Rep. Bart Scattercorn and his deaf granddaughter, Bee.
Beyond the praise from family and friends, Miller has found that the feedback he has gotten has validated that the political aspect is of interest and timely.
Asked if he thinks events such as those in the book could really happen, Miller is quick to note that he wouldnt wish for a calamitous event to befall the country.
Im not rooting for it, but its not inconceivable.
However, he points out that events such as major regional or national tragedies no longer seem to draw people together.
Theres really nothing immune anymore from ideological angst and anger, he said. I think that the opposite ends of the ideological spectrum are so opposed to each other now There is so much vitriol between the opposite ends.
He said that as long as one side is winning, youll never have mutual need to fracture. But he said something like the two-nation concept of the book could happen if both sides were hopeless and it doesnt matter whos in charge.
He said his mom hopes hell write a sequel, and tells him, You just have to get them back together.
Miller was with Dow Chemical for about 11 years, then went to work for chemical/biotech company Lonza.
In April, after nearly 20 years working for large, multinational companies, he went to work for a local company in Atlanta with only about 60 employees. While he is very positive about both Dow and Lonza, he is finding his current work refreshing.
Ive never had so much fun, he said. Im having a great time and feeling blessed.
As for his writing, Miller said he would love to write a tale set during his growing-up years in the 1970s and 1980s on Midlands Plainfield Street.
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A last minute appearance by former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin saw a large number of Republican supporters gather Sunday in the parking lot behind the Republican Victory Center in the Ashman Circle area of Midland.
We know that within our hands, within the ballot box, we can make a difference to start making America great again, Palin said. Weve had an administration and a candidate on the other side who thrives on division and doesnt want America to be able to grow together to become more prosperous and to start prioritizing according to the people of Americas real needs like energy independence and energy security.
Due to the crowd of approximately 300, the rally was moved outside of the tiny Victory Center and into the parking lot where a truck had been set up as a makeshift dais.
Standing in the bed of the truck, Congressman John Moolenaar introduced Palin as someone who has been leading the charge to elect Donald Trump.
There is a lot of stake in this election. Some people say that Michigan is a blue state. Today, were here to turn it red, Moolenaar said, tying the introduction in with Palins bright red coat.
The controversial Palin, along with the possibility of a protest, brought out a strong police presence with six patrol cars from the City of Midland Police Department and Midland County Sheriffs Office, including Sheriff Scott Stephenson.
This is the heart of America and the eyes of America are on you, knowing that the polls show that the race got so much tighter here. Usually, what I say about polls is that they are for strippers and cross country skiers, said the former governor of Alaska. So, Im excited its proving the momentum is here in Michigan to make our country great again.
Early in Trumps campaign, Palin had shared her support of his bid to be the next president.
What is at stake here? Its bigger than one man, bigger than a party, bigger than even the U.S. Supreme Court. Its a culmination of laws, its a culmination of all that makes America extraordinary, said Palin,
Palin, who ran as the Republican nominee for vice president in 2008 on the GOP ticket with Sen. John McCain, began her Sunday in Cheboygan with a 9 a.m. rally then continued down the eastern side of the state with stops in Alpena, Midland and Detroit.
No matter what the vote count is on Tuesday, Palin said to the Midland crowd, you already have won because you have awakened this giant in America, this monster vote that is the majority. You have been able to capture what Americans have been saying: Were fed up.
With Michigan being a key state in the presidential election, Trumps running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, is scheduled to be in Michigan today. He has scheduled stops on the west side of the state with visits to Grand Rapids and Traverse City.
What will make America great again? Palin asked. You need to understand what made America great at the beginning. They expected reward for hard work, thats what the pioneers did. And they developed Gods natural resources that he put here for responsible use by man and we have strayed so far from that.
The role of government separates the two parties.
Hillary Clinton thinks that government is the solution and Trump understands it is not the solution. Like Reagan said, Its the problem, Palin stated. Its the smaller, smarter government that allows you to prioritize your income, the way that you run your business.
As with any political rally, ridicule, aimed at the opponent, was prevalent.
Im not here to indict Hillary Clinton. Shes going to do that on her own, stated Palin, which brought chants of Lock her up from the crowd.
Palin ended her 17-minute speech by stating that Tuesday is the start of removing government off citizens backs.
Tuesday is just the starting line because there is a whole lot of work that has to be done to unify these United States. On Tuesday, we have to win the war for the future of our children, so keep working hard, she said.
A Saginaw man, 34, was arrested on multiple offenses after a pursuit that ended when a Michigan State Police patrol car was stuck in Bay City.
Troopers from the Tri-City Post report the call of a driver all over the road on eastbound M-25 near I-75 was received at 10:46 p.m. Saturday. A trooper found a vehicle matching the description and driving erratically in the area of Euclid Avenue near Salzburg Road, and tried to make a traffic stop on Salzburg near Wenona Street.
On the screening of A Syrian Love Story as part of the 9th Panorama of the European Film, or rather on how a film screening leaves us thinking of Kamilya Jubrans voice and Mahmoud Darwishs words
Two neighbouring cells and a hole wide enough to deliver shy attempts at communication. Two neighbouring cells and a hole wide enough to permit the flow of conversation. Two neighbouring cells and a hole wide enough to witness a budding love story, that of comrades Amer and Raghda.
Amer and Raghda were in adjacent cells in a Syrian prison some 15 years ago. Amer, a Palestinian freedom fighter, and Raghda, a Syrian communist revolutionary, covertly dug a hole into the wall, and for months spoke to each other through this small opening. Upon their release, their love story culminated in wedlock. Happiness ensued, and was further reinforced by four beautiful children.
There you have it, every reason to render this a Syrian love story par excellence, as the very title of British filmmaker Sean McAllisters 2015 documentary suggests.
But this is only one fragment of the story.
The documentary starts almost two decades after the couples marriage, and follows them over five years (2009-2015) thus acting as a witness to both the police state that dominated Syria pre-Arab Spring, and the dream of revolution that was introduced in 2011, and which, thanks to a bloody crackdown, was brutally interrupted.
As the film proceeds, two stories unravel in parallel; that of a nation grappling with revolution, and that of the fellow inmates-turned-lovers, who must remain in harmony as the very idea of home is being re-examined.
When the documentary opens, we are in the beauteous coastal town of Tartus.
It is 2009, and we learn that Raghda, 40, was recently put back in prison for daring to pen a novel whose main protagonists are two prisoners in love, the plot paralleling her own story with Amer. For his part, McAllister arrives in Damascus, where he meets Amer and is told about Raghdas story.
Amer, 45, is aggrieved by the ugly course his life has taken. He has to deal with a two-tiered agony: that of the absence of the beloved, a lingering state of waiting which he tries to terminate through organising protests and raising awareness about Raghdas story, and of also having to witness traces of this tragedy in the eyes of their four children, especially 14-year-old Kaka, who does not like Al-Assad because his boys took my mother.
Against this gloomy reality, the only consolation for Amer and the kids become the camera-phone footage they have of Raghda.
It is two years later and precisely in the midst of the Syrian revolution in 2011 that Raghda is eventually released as a result of international pressure on the Al-Assads regime. The family celebrates their long-awaited reunion, but alas, the story has just begun. For this unfolding revolution forces the film to take an entirely new course, one that McAllister audaciously accepts.
Now out of prison, Raghda must on the one hand deal with the trauma of yet another ugly prison experience, and on the other hand, make her own contribution to the Syrian revolution, itself a dream she had long aspired for.
We see the family struggle to keep itself intact as it witnesses the re-moulding of the idea of home on both the level of the family as well as the nation. Through this brilliant interweaving of the private and public, McAllister is posing a crucial question: What remains of love, when the very idea of home as both a catalyst of this love and a guardian of its continued existence is being remoulded?
To further complicate matters, both Amer and Raghda have different stances on their potential contribution to this moment in their countrys history. For Amer, it is the safeguarding of family in the midst of chaos. For Raghda, however, the question is more complicated and tugs at her own understanding or lack thereof of her own self. Is she first and foremost a mother and wife, or a revolutionary?
As the revolution intensifies, the film follows the familys relocation to the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, then to neighbouring Lebanon, and finally to France, where they seek asylum and are granted refugee status. Every move away from home plunges the family deep into grief.
McAllisters hand-held camera shots and intimate close ups communicate the states of agony and exile, or more precisely, agony as an offshoot of exile. The story of Amer and Raghda's family becomes but one manifestation of the entire Syrian saga; a microcosm of the macrocosm.
In Lebanon, they dream of Syria. In France, they long for their lemon tree back in Tartus. For them, these fragments of memory constitute the sweet days that they constantly yearn for.
Perhaps this state of longing for home as they know is most poignantly manifest in an intimate mother-son scene, where both the mother and little Bob are crying their hearts out. They gently reassure one another that it is only a matter of time before they can recover their home.
McAllisters film constitutes yet another successful attempt at humanising a contemporary national tragedy that continues to be spoken of merely in numbers. In A Syrian Love Story, the abstract becomes tangible as we see firsthand how a revolution takes its toll on a Syrian family.
Moreover, the documentary looks beyond the tragedy of exile. Instead it forces us to consider what happens beyond this act of forced exile.
The lemon tree becomes a symbol of home. It offers a story, itself a part of a larger attempt at preserving the Syrian collective memory, especially in the face of the fierce annihilation of both space and memory, or space as memory.
In as much as McAllister delivers an intimate family portrait, he also acts as a main protagonist in the film, adding yet another layer to this tale of love and revolution.
Months into the revolution, and precisely in October 2011, McAllister himself is captured by Syrian secret police for filming, a story that made international headlines at the time. Adamant on telling the familys story, he decided to complete filming upon his release shortly after.
McAllister does more than capture a Syrian family. He occasionally leaves the comfort of his position as filmmaker and acts as a mediator between family members. He does not shy away from developing an intimate relationship with the couples four boys.
Taken together, McAllisters choices tug at the ever-present question of whether or not artists should maintain a space from the subjects of their art.
More than just capturing the minutiae of a national tragedy, A Syrian Love Story takes us beyond the confines of the movie theatre and onto a place in memory imbued with the voice of Palestinian musician Kamilya Jubran as she sings the following lines from Mahmoud Darwishs repertoire,
They threw him out of every port, and took away his young beloved.And then they said: You're a refugee.
Perhaps this family tale begins where Mahmoud Darwishs poetry leaves off; it traces the refugee's response to this brutal theft of the beloved; the theft of one's homeland. And perhaps it is for this reason above all that we should celebrate McAllisters documentary.
A Syrian Love Story will be screened again on Tuesday 8 November at 6.30pm at Cinema Amir, Alexandria, and on Sunday 13 November at 6.30pm at Cinema Arkan, Port Said.
Check here the complete programme of Panorama for Cairo, Alexandria, Ismailia and Port Said
Ahram Online is the media sponsor of the Panorama of the European Film and of Zawya
For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture
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Updated : Mar 10, 2020 in Culture
Some Things You Need to Know About Pakistani Culture - In the previous article I discussed the history, the system of government and its economy,
Bloomington-Normal
Americana, The Homely Creek and American Evolution; through Nov. 27, Jan Brandt Gallery, 1106 W. Bell St., Bloomington; photography by Ted Diamond, paintings by Ann E. Coulter, colored pencil portraits by Ivonne Bess; viewing by appointment at janbrandtgallery@gmail.com.
Chicken Foot Gourd Bowls; through Dec. 9; Heartland Community College Joe McCauley Gallery, Instructional Commons Building Room 2507, 1500 W. Raab Road, Normal; ceramics by Danell Dvorak and drawings/paintings of them by John Cassidy; free; 309-268-8620.
ISU University Galleries; noon-4 p.m. Mon., 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Tue., 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Wed.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun., Uptown Station, 11 Uptown Circle, Normal; rotating exhibits in three galleries; free; 309-438-8321.
Strange Oscillations and Vibrations of Sympathy; through Dec. 18, ISU University Galleries, see above; works by contemporary female artists that acknowledge women writers. Related events: screenings of Dawn Roe's "The Sunshine Bores/The Daylights," through Dec. 18, Milner Library.
IWU Merwin and Wakeley Galleries; school hours, noon-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun., 7-9 p.m. Tue.; 302 E. Graham St., Bloomington; rotating exhibits; free; 309-556-3391.
Biosphere; Nov. 7-Dec. 9, IWU Merwin Gallery, see above; prints by by Taryn McMahon. Opening reception, 4-6 p.m. Nov. 7, with gallery walk by McMahon at 7:30 p.m.
Hatta-Hatta; Nov. 7-Dec. 9, IWU Wakeley Gallery, see above; paintings and mixed-media works by Gretchen Beck. Opening reception, 4-6 p.m. Nov. 7.
McLean County Arts Center; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tue., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sat.; 601 N. East St., Bloomington; rotating exhibits, sales, rentals, art classes and lectures; free; 309-829-0011.
Holiday Treasures Exhibition and Sale; through Dec. 31, McLean County Arts Center, see above; affordable works and seasonal items by more than 60 local and national artists.
McLean County Museum of History; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. (until 9 p.m. Tue.), 200 N. Main St., Bloomington; permanent and rotating exhibits; adults $5, seniors $4, students, children under 12 and members free; 309-827-0428.
Challenges, Choices and Change: Making a Home; McLean County Museum of History, see above; permanent exhibit exploring experiences of people from around the world who made McLean County their home.
Abraham Lincoln in McLean County; McLean County Museum of History, see above; permanent exhibit on Lincoln's life in Bloomington.
Prairie Aviation Museum; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thu.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., 2929 E. Empire St., Bloomington; permanent and rotating exhibits and displays with aerial history themes; adults $5, ages 6-11 $3, 5 and under free; 309-663-7632.
Central Illinois
U of I Krannert Art Museum; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. (until 9 p.m. Thu. during fall and spring semesters), 2-5 p.m. Sun., 500 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign; paintings, porcelain, historical artifacts, traveling art exhibits; $3 donation suggested; 217-333-1861.
Zina Saro-Wiwa: Did You Know We Taught Them How to Dance?; Nov. 10-March 25, U of I Krannert Art Museum, see above; video installations, photographs, more. Opening reception, 6-7 p.m. Nov. 10.
Making and Breaking Medieval Manuscripts; Nov. 10-Feb. 11, U of I Krannert Art Museum, see above; hand-drawn/embellished scrolls, books and maps. Opening reception, 6-7 p.m. Nov. 10.
School of Art + Design Faculty Exhibition; Nov. 11-Dec. 22, U of I Krannert Art Museum, see above; various media. Opening reception, 6-7 Nov. 10.
Borderline Collective: Northern Triangle; through Dec. 22, U of I Krannert Art Museum, see above; installation featuring art works and historical documents.
Amity Township Museum; 1-3 p.m. first Sun. of month or by appointment, 510 Main St., Cornell; displays and artifacts relating to history of Cornell and Amity Township; free; 815-358-2973.
Eureka College Burgess Hall Art Gallery; 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays and by appointment on weekends, third floor of Burgess Hall, Eureka College, Eureka; rotating exhibits; free; 309-467-6866.
Simpkins Military History Museum; 1-5 p.m. Tue., Thu., Sat., or by appointment; 605 E. Cole St., Heyworth; permanent and rotating military history exhibits; free (donations accepted); 309-473-3989.
The Vietnam War 50th Anniversary; through Nov. 30, Simpkins Military History Museum, see above.
Dickson Mounds Museum; 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 10956 N. Dickson Mounds Road, Lewistown; displays, special exhibits; free; 309-547-3721.
Lincoln Heritage Museum; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat., Lincoln Center at Lincoln College, 300 Keokuk St., Lincoln; Lincoln-era items, audio-visual displays, tours, exhibits, more; adults $7, children/tours $4; 217-735-7399.
Contemporary Art Center of Peoria; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., Riverfront Arts Center, 305 S.W. Water, Peoria; rotating exhibits in two galleries; free; 309-674-6822.
Staying the Course; Nov. 11-Dec. 16, Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, see above; works by Jenni Bateman, Nicola Blease-Perry, Ande Lister and Patricia Whalen-Keck. Reception, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 12; artist talk, 3 p.m. Nov. 13.
A Small Wonder Gift Shop; Nov. 11-Dec. 16, Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, see above; holiday art gift show and sale. Reception, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 12.
Peoria Art Guild; Foster Arts Center, Harrison and Washington streets, Peoria; rotating exhibits, gift shop; free; 309-637-2787.
Peoria Riverfront Museum; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Wed. and Sat., 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thu.-Fri., noon-5 p.m. Sun., downtown riverfront Peoria; permanent and rotating exhibits, planetarium shows, Giant Screen Theater and events; $8-$11; 309-686-7000.
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition; Nov. 12-March 12, Peoria Riverfront Museum, see above; touring exhibit of recovered artifacts from Titanic wreck site and room re-creations.
Museum of the Gilding Arts; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sun., April-Oct., and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Sun., Nov.-March, 217 N. Mill St., Pontiac; displays, history and hands-on exhibits dedicated to the art of gilding and gold beating; free (donations welcome); 815-842-1848.
Pontiac Community Art Center; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun., 103 W. Madison St., Pontiac; rotating exhibits; 815-844-5831.
5 by 5; through Nov. 30, Pontiac Community Art Center, see above; art relating to the No. 5 to commemorate center's 5th anniversary.
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sun., 212 N. Sixth St., Springfield; Lincoln-themed exhibits, historical displays, special events, more; adults $12, seniors and students $9, ages 5-15 $5, under 5 free; 217-558-8844.
Rare and Rarely Seen; through Jan. 29, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, see above; rarely exhibited items from museum's permanent collection.
EFFINGHAM, Ill. (AP) Kaylee Jacob was 16 when a teenage friend messing around with a gun in the backseat of a car parked in Effingham accidentally shot her to death. Nearly a year later, the girl's mother said the pain still lingers and she knows that it always will.
"Her death has forever changed my life and the lives of my other children," said Crystal Gonzalez. "We still talk about her constantly. There's not a second in the day that I don't think of her and wish she was here with us."
It's a story echoed across the state and nation. Forty-two times during a 2-year span, a child was killed or injured in an accidental shooting in Illinois. An analysis by the Associated Press and the USA TODAY Network of every accidental shooting death and injury involving children ages 17 and younger in the U.S. during that span found more than 1,000 incidents in all.
Kaylee Jacob's family, of course, will remember her as much more than a statistic in that study.
As the teen sat in the passenger seat of the car on Oct. 18, 2015, a 15-year-old boy took out a gun, removed the magazine, pointed it at her, and pulled the trigger not knowing there was still a bullet in the chamber.
The Effingham Daily News has not named the boy because of his age. He pleaded guilty in juvenile court to involuntary manslaughter and possession of a stolen firearm. He had stolen the gun from a pickup truck in the Lake Sara area shortly before the fatal shooting, authorities said.
Gonzalez, who lives in Mattoon, said she still feels indescribable pain at the loss of the second-oldest of her five children.
"There's no way of explaining the hurt I feel in my heart for the loss of my oldest baby girl," she said. "I'm not sure I'll ever be the same and it hurts to know that feeling the way I do affects my other children.
"So, I try to be strong for them," she added. "I'm not sure how well I'm doing on that but I like to think I'm doing ok."
Kaylee's father, Steve Jacob, who lives in Effingham, declined to be interviewed for this story. Kaylee had been living with him at the time of her death.
"I never thought I would lose her so soon," Steve Jacob told a judge before the teen shooter's sentencing. "I lost a piece of my heart I can never get back. I will never be there to walk her down the aisle. I will never be there for her first child. She will never get to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor, or a mother."
Effingham County Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Koester ruled that the teen, 16 by the time he was sentenced in April, would serve time in a juvenile detention center, but cannot be held past his 21st birthday.
Gonzalez said Kaylee's father and the girl's older brother all feel the sting of that senseless loss.
"We're trying to stay positive and know that she wouldn't want any of us to mourn for her for as long as we have mainly myself, her older brother and her father," she said.
Kaylee's youngest sibling is just 4, too young to understand their loss but old enough to remember his big sister.
"I will always speak of her to her younger siblings and tell them what a wonderful sister she was to them," Gonzalez said. "Zachary is 4 now, my youngest, and they were really close. He still speaks of her and remembers her in ways that put a smile on my face. I hope he always remembers and I'll try to make sure he does."
Gonzalez said she finds solace in her other children.
"My kids are my life and if it wasn't for the ones I still have living, I'm not sure I could have gone on with life," she said. "I still feel like it was yesterday when I lost her and can't believe it's coming up on 1 year.
"The days go by so fast it's unbelievable, even more so now that she's gone," she added. "Kaylee was a great girl and she will always and forever be loved and remembered."
Gonzalez said the loss of her daughter has definitely been a test of her faith.
"I just wish I could understand and ask God, 'Why?'," she said. "I don't pray any more, as I used to every night."
She paused a moment, when asked about those nightly prayers.
BLOOMINGTON Half a dozen charity-driven organizations will have food to hand out, thanks in part to 135 youths who participated in the 11th annual Diwali food drive in Bloomington-Normal on Sunday.
Diwali is one of the major festivals of Hinduism and is also known as the festival of lights and is celebrated by people all over the world, said 10-year-old Akshayasri Muppuru of Bloomington, one of youths who participated in Sundays food drive, organized by Sewa Internationals Indian community. It celebrates light over darkness, wisdom over ignorance, love over hatred, and hope over despair.
More than 1,000 boxes or bags of food were collected and distributed on Sunday, said Babu Lal Gupta, the local chapter president.
We pick out six charities that will distribute this food to the needy, he said. Our youth are really the ones behind this. Its because of them that 1,000 families in our community will benefit from this food drive. We care about those in the community who are in need.
In addition to collecting the food by asking for donations from residents in their respective neighborhoods, the youths also participated by meeting with the agency directors and representatives and explaining the Diwali celebration.
Hindu tradition believes that service to humanity is service to God and it is our pleasure to serve this community, Akshayasri said.
The distribution started at 10 a.m. Sunday at the McLean County YWCA in Bloomington.
I think this shows a very strong understanding of humanity from the Indian community, said McLean County YWCA CEO/President Dontae Latson. Regardless of how successful you are, the needs of others are still great, and this community recognizes that and its great to see so many youth step up and contribute.
The food drive continued at the Baby Fold in Normal, the Unity Community Center in Normal, the Childrens Home + Aid in Bloomington, the Western Avenue Community Center in Bloomington and Labyrinth in Bloomington.
Sewa International USA is an organization mostly run by dedicated volunteers, working together to serve humanity, said media coordinator Gove Galpalli. The Bloomington-Normal chapter organizes several activities throughout the year.
This particular effort is really about the youth involvement, he said. We have 135 participate this year, and most of the work is done by students in third grade through high school age.
In addition to distributing the food, the youths also presented a ceremonial candle to each charity, representing the celebration of the Dawali.
Editor's note: Veterans Corner is a new feature that will appear each Monday. The information is provided by, and help is available through, the McLean County Veterans Assistance Commission, 200 W. Front St., Bloomington, 61701; 309-888-5140.
Q: I lost all of my military service records as a result of a fire. I am applying for a VA Loan guarantee to purchase a house and need a copy of my DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.
A: Your VAC office maintains copies of several thousand DD214s which have been received over the years from veterans with whom we have had contact. Call our office and we can tell you whether we have it on file. If we do not have a copy of your DD214, we can contact the recorders office where it may have been filed, or assist you in completing and sending a Standard Form 180 Request Pertaining to Military Records to the National Personnel Record Center in St. Louis.
Q. I am finding it increasingly difficult to get to the VA Clinic in Peoria or the Danville VA Medical Center for my health care. Are there any alternatives to reduce or eliminate the need to go to Peoria or Danville?
A: The VA Veterans Choice Program may help you avoid many of those visits to Peoria and Danville. If you are unable to get an appointment at the Danville or Peoria VA facility within 30 days, or if you reside more than 40 miles from the nearest VA medical facility, you may be eligible for the Veterans Choice Program.
You must have been enrolled in the VA Health Care system on or before Aug. 1, 2014, or be a combat veteran to be eligible for Veterans Choice. To access Veterans Choice, call 1-866-606-8198. Further information about the program is at va.gov or at your VAC office in Bloomington.
Q: I served in Korea near the Demilitarized Zone from 1969 to 1970. I found out years later that the Army used Agent Orange to kill all of the vegetation in the DMZ separating North Korea from South Korea. Can I apply for VA service-connected disability benefits for my medical problems, which are similar to the medical problems that have been determined to be related to exposure to Agent Orange?
A: Agent Orange was used extensively at the Korea DMZ from 1967 to 1971. The VA recently has authorized that military personnel who served near the DMZ during those years must be considered as having been exposed to Agent Orange and are now eligible for Agent Orange-related care and any resulting disability compensation from that exposure.
The Egyptian petroleum ministry had earlier denied reports of an official visit to negotiate new oil deals in Tehran
The Saudi national oil company Aramco has informed Egypt that it has suspended its oil shipments until further notice, Egyptian Petroleum Minister Tarek El-Molla said on Monday.
Saudi Arabia agreed to provide Egypt with 700,000 tonnes of refined oil products per month for five years under a $23 billion deal between Saudi Aramco and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) signed earlier this year.
Egypt stopped receiving its allocations in October.
"They did not give us a reason. They only informed the authority about halting shipments of petroleum products until further notice," El-Molla was quoted by Reuters as saying during the International Energy Forum held in Abu-Dhabi.
Earlier on Monday, the Egyptian petroleum ministry denied reports of an official visit to negotiate new oil deals in Tehran, after Saudi Arabia suspended its oil agreement.
Last month, the petroleum minister said that the countrys deal with Aramco is still in effect, insisting that its decision to suspend oil supplies to Egypt in October has no political dimensions.
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"Grand Theft Auto 6" from Rockstar will be released as scheduled and reportedly with a "GTA 6" London map. While Rockstar release of "Red Dead Redemption 2" is enjoying attention at the moment, the anticipated "Grand Theft Auto" has not been sidelined.
Official details on the "Grand Theft Auto 6" release had been anticipated when parent company Take Two Interactive announced Rockstar participation at E3 2016. However, as much as buzz on a new "Grand Theft Auto" was triggered by this announcement, so was speculation that "Red Dead Redemption 2" was forthcoming.
The Declasse Tornado Rat Rod
Set the streets of Los Santos ablaze in this gritty chariot of fire.https://t.co/9JAnnuEchg pic.twitter.com/VuAp05vfSV Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) 1 November 2016
Although perception may place that release of "Red Dead Redemption 2" means development of "Grand Theft Auto 6" had been put on hold and vice versa, this is not necessarily the case. To qualify, release of "GTA 6" by Rockstar is not delayed by availability of the new "Red Dead Redemption."
Historically, the numbered "Grand Theft Auto" titles have always had a few years between releases. "Grand Theft Auto 4" was released seven years after "GTA 3." "Grand Theft Auto 5" was released five years after "GTA 4."
Rockstar could reasonably release "Grand Theft Auto 6" 2018 at the earliest. However a 2020 release of "GTA 6" by Rockstar would equally not be out of the ordinary.
This should give Rockstar sufficient time if "Grand Theft Auto 6" were to be given a map outside of the US. As has been widely reported "GTA 6" looks to be happening in a London setting.
Parent Herald cites report by Mobi Picker that the London map for "Grand Theft Auto 6" has already been teased by Rockstar in "GTA 5." Particular London references in "Grand Theft Auto 5" were identified by the media outlet as easter eggs for "GTA 6."
The franchise has had side stories or mission packs "Grand Theft Auto: London 1969" and "Grand Theft Auto: London 1961" released in 1999. "Grand Theft Auto 6" would then be the first time that a London map will be given to a major "GTA" release.
"The Crown" has already received a renewal on Netflix before the new series launched on the streaming site on Friday, Nov. 4. As subscribers are binge-watching the show, filming for Season 2 has gotten underway in London.
But stars Claire Foy, who plays Queen Elizabeth II, and Matt Smith, who plays the queen's Prince Philip, will not be part of "The Crown" after the second season. This has been the plan for the series all along, as the actors will be replaced, along with many of its cast members, when the new seasons delves on the queen's life in her later years.
According to the show's producer Andrew Eaton, via Digital Spy, recasting on "The Crown" is necessary after Season 2. They will need older actors to play the principal characters to sustain the realism.
As each installment of "The Crown" will tackle the royal family per decade, then the characters would have aged. They will have to realistically pick older actors by the time they do the next seasons. Production believes they will have to recast the principal characters after Season 4 as well.
Eaton insists, however, that they found a gem in Claire Foy from among all the actresses they auditioned for "The Crown" and replacing her is still in discussion. "Everyone fell in love with her and she felt like somebody that you could go on that journey with for that length of time," Eaton said.
The history behind The Crown's most incredible looks. https://t.co/6OhLMQrllO pic.twitter.com/UtHc1cZOhQ Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) November 4, 2016
Meanwhile, Daily Mail has photos of "The Crown" production for Season 2 at Trafalgar Square, but none of the main actors are in the scene. The next season will be taking place in the '60s and will also put more focus on Prince Philip's family background.
"The Crown" creator Peter Morgan told The Hollywood Reporter that he hopes the real royal family won't give him feedback about the show. "I hope never to never hear what they think of it, because they're entitled to their privacy and to me it's great to have distance and objectivity as well," the award-winning writer said.
"The Crown" is already streaming on Netflix for all of its global subscribers. The show has a total 10 episodes for the first season.
A mother from West Virginia is being alleged by officials that she killed her own daughter, who she claimed that went missing back in 2011. The authorities made a progress on the investigation after five years.
The three-year-old girl was identified as Aliayah Lunsford and her mother, Lenal Lunsford, made authorities and her family believed that the little girl went missing. According to the authorities, they believe that Lenal hit Aliayah with a blunt object in the head causing her death. It is possible that the hitting took place inside their Ben Dale home in Lewis County, West Virginia, Chicago Tribune reported.
Lenal was arrested on Thursday and was charged with the death of a child by child abuse. Lewis County Sheriff Adam Gissy said in a statement that the body of Aliayah has not been found yet but they believed that Lenal knows her whereabouts. She remained in police custody, New Zealand Herald reported.
A criminal complaint states that Lenal, 34, kept witnesses from helping Aliayah after she suffered the blow that killed her. She also asked them to keep quiet over what happened. She then went on to report Aliayah to be missing on Sept. 24, 2011. She claimed that Aliayah was around earlier that day but when she checked on her at a later time, she could no longer be found.
It was not detailed what led police officials to arrest Lenal. She has been living in Florida and was extradited back to West Virginia but Gissy said that witnesses were interviewed and they had direct knowledge over the death of Aliayah. It remained unclear if these witnesses will be tried or charged as well.
The FBI got involved with the missing person case years ago and six months later, investigators said they do not believe someone broke into the home and took Aliayah. FBI also offered a $20,000 reward for any information over the whereabouts of Aliayah.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also published an age-progressed photo of Aliayah months after. Meanwhile, Lenal has six more children but lost parental rights over them.
Kathryn created the organization after finding out that her son's (Erik Nordberg) options upon stepping into adulthood, were not enough. "As your child starts to get older you think what's going to happen when I'm gone," Kathryn Nordberg said. "Every parent of a child with special feels about that." The ranch was named after her son.
Nordberg said that organizations like this are needed badly because of the commonness of autism in the United States. Erik was diagnosed at the age of 2 years old; one case was reported in every 5,000 births According to an article on the Independent Record.
At present Erik is 25 years old, and the disorder is diagnosed in one of 68 children. Nordberg said, "Now when I walk into a room full of people and ask if anybody knows what autism is, 90 people raise their hand." Erik's Ranch and Resort started in 2014 as a boutique hotel in Medina, Minnesota, near the Twin Cities according to autismspeaks.org.
The resident "members" of the resort consists of moderate to high functioning young adults with autism. Yearly expenses only cost $30,000 or more, and this covers up rent, utilities, two meals a day, transportation and social activities like hiking and biking. To help pay the program, members can earn up to $15,000 by working at the resort. They can work as an attendant, or a chef, or a tour guide. They can also lead activities such as horseback riding. Also, the resort is a place where both guest and members can benefit from the interaction. People with autism struggle to develop social skills since most of the time their social interaction is limited only to their caregivers and family. Meeting new people for them can be therapeutic. In the case of the guests, meeting folks outside their idea of normal is also meaningful for them. Nordberg said that the Minnesota resort started taking guests about a year ago, and many look forward to coming back to visit the members during their stay. Nordberg aspires to have the cost of membership drop as more people come and make return visits. The ranch operates the same way as the ranch in Minnesota. The farm in Minnesota started to accommodate guests in the off-grid cabin a year ago. The cabin has 70 percent occupancy throughout the year. Between the beginning of June and end of September, it was vacant for only two days. Nordberg said that the organization learned from its experience and agreed to have guest clientele and revenue before bringing in members to allow for more job opportunities when they arrive.
According to Larry Jordan who oversees the site's daily operation, some of the members already started working at the Paradise Valley Ranch. Jordan, who's a hall of fame rodeo cowboy, said that he was impressed with the abilities of the people he has worked. They helped in getting the ranch ready. They mowed lawns, cleaned the barns, and put up fencing. The ranch houses six horses and members take guests on tours on the nearby national forest and a tall butte across the road from the main lodge. Jordan welcomes every guest to the ranch with his authentic Montana persona and a few Wild West tales from when he was still a cowboy. The ranch also has an indoor arena with a commercial kitchen and bunkrooms. The bunkrooms will need remodelling and will likely end up as rentals. Nordberg said that the ranch is looking to expand its south property and another six cabins spaced on the hillside. More guest accommodation will increase the capacity for new members. In the mean time the main lodge, the pool house and off grid cabins are the only ones available for rent.
Back in April we posted a report about China beginning their promised crackdown on cyber security. China had asked Apple for their iOS source code and Apple refused to comply. China is interested in protecting the content that the Chinese people see, policing its national security and favoring indigenous giants such as Huawei, Alibaba and Tencent." In this new era, he added, China "is strongly disinclined to accept the dominance of foreign players on the Internet, not least those from the United States." The Chinese government was also working on a new antiterrorist that would require foreign companies to turn over encryption keys. Though some of the language in the proposal was changed, critics felt it was only a temporary chess move. This weekend the warning bell was rung again as expected renewing fears of forcing foreign companies like Apple to give up their source code.
Bloomberg reported earlier this morning that "China has green-lit a sweeping and controversial law that may grant Beijing unprecedented access to foreign companies' technology and hamstring their operations in the world's second-largest economy.
The Cyber Security Law was passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, and will take effect in June, government officials said Monday. Among other things, it requires internet operators to cooperate with investigations involving crime and national security, and imposes mandatory testing and certification of computer equipment. Companies must also give government investigators full access to their data if wrong-doing is suspected.
The measures are part of a sweeping push under President Xi Jinping to control China's internet, including the passage of a security law establishing "cybersovereignty" and making the spread of rumors and defamatory posts a crime.
The requirement on certification could mean technology companies will be asked to provide source code, encryption or other critical intellectual property for review by security authorities. This is something Microsoft already does with its software, under controlled conditions.
While Apple initially refused to hand over its iOS source code to Chinese authorities, it wasn't law at the time. In June 2017, the Chinese government may not ask but rather demand to have Apple's source code by law.
Apple's CEO had told ABC news back in February that if new laws were passed in the U.S. forcing them to comply with warrants to open iPhones that they would comply with the law. Specifically, Cook told the ABC interviewer, "Let me clear. At the end of the day, we have to follow the law. Just like everybody else. So we have to follow the law." There's no reason to believe that Cook's statement won't stand and extend to China.
Will China force Apple's hand on this sensitive issue? Bloomberg notes that "Advocates say the government will issue future regulations to clarify its scope and intent." So it will remain an open question until at least next summer at minimum when clarification of the law will be cemented. But on paper, it appears that the option will remain on the books until they decide to pull the trigger. At that time, Apple is likely to comply.
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Indian politicians have been playing a tough game with Apple this year with several loud battles fought out in parliament with India's IT Ministry led by Minister Telangana Chandrashekar Rao who informed Parliament that Apple had not yet submitted any proposal to open a manufacturing plant in India. The so-called green light for Apple opening flagship stores in India has really been more like a moving goal post with India reluctant to give Apple the benefit of the doubt that they'll open an iPhone plant.
Late last month a supply chain rumor claimed that Foxconn could start iPhone production in India late next year. Now we're learning that before gives Foxconn the green light on this project it wants India to give them some incentives towards opening a plant in their country.
The Economic Times of India reports today a Government official has revealed that in a communicattion to the Indian government, Apple has asked for incentives to open a plant to key goverment departments related to Electronics and Information Technology.
The government does provide incentives under certain circumstances and for building in specific economic zones.
Back in June we reported that Prime Minister Modi wanted his government to grant Apple a grace period in which to open a plant and give Apple the green light for their flagship stores. More specifically, we noted in that report that "Under the new regime unveiled Monday, single-brand retailers have a three-year grace period in which they can operate stores, before they have to comply with the local sourcing requirement. Companies that can show they are selling state of the art or cutting edge technology can benefit from a relaxed local sourcing regime for "another five years."
But in Parliament they shot that proposal down. Apple had to open a plant, period.
If the Inidan government wishes to play hardball, then so can Apple who now wants incentives to open a plant in India. Squarely the ball is now in India's court. Either they provide incentives for Apple to take a gamble on an Indian plant or reconsider the original deal that was shot down in parliament.
In September Patently Apple posted a report titled "India Demands that Apple Devices be Embedded with New Government Biometric Security System." On one hand India is begging for investment in their country and on the other they're playing hardball and making demands where they want to control devices like the iPhone for "security reasons."
In the end, even if the Indian government decides to bend and provide incentives to Apple, the issue over India's new cyber security proposals will have to be resolved. So the matter of Apple opening stores and/or plants next year has many moving parts and it's beginning to look like Apple's plan to move quickly into India could get bogged down in never ending red tape.
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.
First of all, lets stipulate that Hillary Clinton is a terrible candidate. If she had any charisma, if she werent so obviously cynical and corrupt (though see here), she would be light years ahead of the Republican nominee. And, yes, shes very liberal. More so, I think, than her husband, who was always something of a pragmatist.
Ive been a libertarian-leaning conservative since I was old enough to hold political views. It astonishes me that I now view the likely election of Mrs. Clinton with resigned indifference. But I do.
And thats because the Republican Party nominated Mr. Donald J. Trump, a man whom I regard as utterly unfit for the presidency. Not merely because hes crass, vulgar, unprincipled, and immoral, but because hes ignorant and thoughtless, because hes not a conservative but an authoritarian populist demagogue, because he proposes massive government intervention in free markets, because hes appealed quite consciously (in my judgment) to an angry strand of alt-right zealots who reek of xenophobia and white nationalism and religious bigotry, because hes advocated war crimes, because hes shown utterly no interest in limited-government constitutionalism, because hes expressed admiration for thugs such as Vladimir Putin and the rulers of Beijing and the Kims of North Korea, because hes idly toyed with the idea of destroying our treaty-relationships with long-term allies and even with the use of nuclear weapons, because his attacks on other Republicans and conservatives have gravely damaged both the Party and the conservative movement, because he shows a blithe indifference to nuclear proliferation, and because I strongly suspect that hes psychologically unstable. His weird late-night tweets, his obsessive pursuit of revenge against any and all criticism, even when its from little people like the family of a slain Muslim soldier or a former beauty queen, his continual threats of lawsuits, his juvenile personal insults (Crooked Hillary, Little Marco Rubio, Lying Ted, and on and on and on and on) suggest to me a curiously adolescent narcissism. I think he would be easily manipulated by clever operators such as Mr. Putin.
I cannot vote for Donald Trump.
When people tell me that hes a brilliant businessman, I want to know where the evidence for that claim might be. Ive seen nothing. Various examinations of his wealth have indicated that, given the amount of money he inherited from his father, he would have more today had he simply put his inheritance in the bank. That demonstrates no financial genius.
Others tell me that the Supreme Court is the real issue. This is the one argument for Trump that has ever impressed me even slightly. But it doesnt impress me very much. Why not? Because I dont take him seriously on the subject. 1) First of all, the most he did was to indicate that, should he acquire the White House, he would nominate people like those on a list provided to him by the Heritage Foundation. Thats not very strong. 2) When, prior to this presidential campaign, did he ever ever demonstrate any real commitment to a conservative position on any significant public issue? (Until remarkably recently, he was a pro-choice Democrat and a contributor to the Clintons.) 3) When has he ever demonstrated any actual commitment to keeping promises? (Ask his wives.) 4) What reason do we have to believe that he would expend significant political capital on an inevitably bruising battle (think of previous instances, such as Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas) to put a conservative justice on the Court? 5) How can we take him seriously on this matter when, by repeatedly attacking the very Republican senators whom he would need in order to confirm his hypothetical conservative nominees including some senators who are currently fighting for reelection hes shown no seriousness himself?
When people tell me (and, lately, scream at me) that, although Trump is bad, Hillary is much worse, I simply dont see it. Clinton and Trump are just bad in different but overlapping ways. (I like the formulation of the conservative humorist P. J. ORourke, who announced many months ago that he was planning to vote for Mrs. Clinton. Why? Because, he said, at least she would be bad within normal parameters.)
I honestly cant choose between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. So I wont.
I considered simply not voting for the presidency. But that was unsatisfying.
So Ive turned to voting third party.
I wont go through all the options, but Ill mention my serious thought about voting for Gary Johnson. I regard Johnson as something of a flake, and, on some issues (e.g., religious liberty), not much of a libertarian. Still, I would be happy to see the Libertarian Party rise in importance. I believe in a strongly competitive political culture, and I think that Utah is the worse for not having, in most races, vigorous opposition to Republican rule. Any party or politician will grow complacent without continual challenges. But I would be delighted, in Utah, to have the two dominant parties be the Republicans and the Libertarians. That way, the Republicans would be continually drawn rightward, toward free-market solutions and smaller government, rather than in the opposite direction. (I left the Republican Party on the night that Donald Trump accepted the Partys nomination in Cleveland; currently, Im an independent, but Ive flirted with the idea, despite my reservations about portions of its typical platform, of joining the Libertarian Party should the Republicans fail to de-tox themselves after November.)
So I almost decided to vote for Gary Johnson.
In the end, though, Ive decided to vote for Evan McMullin.
I do so not because hes a fellow Mormon Ive voted mostly for non-Mormons all of my life but because he has an actual chance (perhaps receding a bit now, but still a possibility) of taking Utahs six electoral votes. That is a statement that I would dearly love my adopted state to make. While Evangelical Protestants have fallen all over themselves in their eager haste to abandon their principles in support of Mr. Trump, Latter-day Saints have drawn international attention for their reluctance to do so. That has greatly pleased me. And even if, as seems likely, Trump takes Utah, the combined non-Trump vote here will still probably outnumber his supporters. If thats the outcome, it will be a weaker statement than I would have liked, but Ill still take it and take pleasure in it.
Some say that we havent vetted Evan McMullin, that we know too little about him to elect him president. What leadership experience has he had? Well, who cares? The odds of his actually being elected are microscopic. Besides, there are several people on my block that I would prefer to see as president seriously, there are instead of Donald J. Trump and Hillary Rodham Clinton. We know a lot about Clinton and Trump and, personally, the more I know about them, the less I like them. I would support an intelligent person from my neighborhood, someone who knew he or she needed help from competent advisors and who took the job seriously and really wanted to serve, over either of the two major-party nominees. In a heartbeat.
Beyond voting for Evan McMullin, I intend to cast my ballot for Senator Mike Lee, whom Ive respected over the years for many reasons, including his principled stand against the Republican presidential nominee. (For the record, although Im more conservative/libertarian than he was, I also liked and admired former Senator Bob Bennett, a very good man.) Ill also vote for Jason Chaffetz, with whom I generally agree (despite my disappointment at his support for Trump, muted and reluctant as it has been). Im sorry that I cant vote for Mia Love, who is evidently in a tight race for reelection. But I dont live in her district. On the whole, in this distressing and even repulsive election year, its urgently important that we conservatives make every effort to maintain Republican control of the House and the Senate. (The odds of the former are good. The chances of the latter are much poorer, alas, in substantial part owing to the self-absorbed and divisive campaign waged by the Republican Partys horrible presidential nominee.)
Im grateful to live in a country where we have the opportunity to choose our leaders. I will not break fellowship or cut off friendships with those who view this election differently than I do. While I cannot support Hillary Clinton, I know many good people members of my church and non-members who do. I also understand those, including life-long Republicans, who find Donald Trump so toxic that theyre supporting Mrs. Clinton in order to block him from the presidency. I sympathize. And, while I cannot support Donald Trump, I understand those who find Hillary Clinton so objectionable that theyre holding their noses to support Mr. Trump. (I confess to having a much more difficult time understanding those who supported Trump from the start, when there were good alternatives among the Republican candidates.) I hope that our common bonds as citizens of the United States (and, in many cases, as fellow-citizens of the Church and Kingdom of God) will withstand the stresses and strains created by the political passions of this supremely ugly election.
Finally, a word to my fellow Latter-day Saints on throwing ones vote away on a third-party candidate. Some have suggested to me that its essentially immoral to do so.
Joseph Smith wouldnt have agreed.
When none of the leading candidates for the 1844 presidential race a group that included the titans Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, as well as the lesser figure, Martin Van Buren, who eventually won proved satisfactory, Joseph himself launched a campaign for the White House. Did he have any realistic chance of winning? No. He didnt. The chances of his reaching the White House were extremely low. (And, as it happened, he was martyred before the election took place.)
Andrew Sargent helpfully reminds me of a statement directly relevant to throwing votes away on third-party candidates who probably wont win that has been attributed to Joseph Smith himself, although it may actually come from John Taylor or someone else high in Church leadership in Josephs day. Certainly its sentiments are consistent with Josephs actual undertaking of an independent presidential bid:
One great reason that we have for pursuing our present course is, that at every election we have been made a political target for the demagogues in the country to shoot their loathsome arrows at. . . . We refuse any longer to be thus bedaubed for either party. We withdraw. Under existing circumstances, we have no other alternative; and if we can accomplish our object, well: if not, we shall have the satisfaction of knowing that we have acted conscientiously, and have used our best judgment. And if we have to throw away our votes, we had better do so upon a worthy rather than an unworthy individual, who might make use of the weapon we put in his hand to destroy us. (From B. H. Roberts, ed., History of the Church, 2:208-209)
May God bless America.
Hey everyone! This is your reminder that local and state races matter. As you head out to vote, make sure to look beyond the top of the ticket. Yes, that means doing some research, but taking the time to do our homework before voting is part of our civic duty, and these races really do have longterm ramifications.
Let me offer you a rather prurient example:
Minutes after Tennessee ratified the 19th Amendment, essentially ending American womens decades-long quest for the right to vote, a young man with a red rose pinned to his lapel fled to the attic of the state capitol and camped out there until the maddening crowds downstairs dispersed. Some say he crept onto a third-floor ledge to escape an angry mob of anti-suffragist lawmakers threatening to rough him up. The date was August 18, 1920, and the man was Harry Burn, a 24-year-old representative from East Tennessee who two years earlier had become the youngest member of the state legislature. The red rose signified his opposition to the proposed 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
In previous votes Harry Burn had sided with suffrage opponents, and political leaders in his district wanted him to vote against it, but he had a letter from his mother Hurrah, and vote for suffrage in his pocket, and he unexpectedly (and hurriedly) voted Aye. That day, Harry Burn ratified womens suffrage.
If voters in Harry Burns district had selected someone elsesomeone who would have voted in step with local political leadersTennessee would have rejected ratification, as a number of southern states already had.
This moment is portrayed in this music video about womens suffrage:
While were not likely to see any constitutional amendments come up for ratification in the next four years, its worth remembering that North Carolinas HB2, which barred trans people from public restrooms matching their gender identity and prohibited cities and counties from creating employment protections for LGBT individuals, was a state bill passed by state lawmakers. Restrictions on abortion access have also been largely a state-level affair. Efforts to reduce unions bargaining power (see: Scott Walker) have also been carried out largely at the state level, and individual states chose whether to opt into out of Medicaid expansion.
Local races matter. State races matter. Beyond the obvious importance of these races to state and local policies, U.S. House and Senate candidates often start out in local and state politics before working their way up. If we want quality lawmakers at the federal level, we need to vote for quality lawmakers at the state and local level.
And if you havent already, get out and vote tomorrow!
Iranian President Appoints Another Woman To His Cabinet
11/07/16
Source: RFE/RL
Iranian President Hassan Rohani has appointed a woman as a new vice president and to lead the country's Tourism and Cultural Heritage Ministry. In a statement on his website on November 5, Rohani said he was naming Zahra Ahmadipour to the new positions, becoming the third woman in his cabinet.
Zahra Ahmadipour (file photo)
Ahmadipour, who is also an assistant professor in the geography department at Tarbiat Modares University, had previously served as a middle-rank official in the country's Interior Ministry.
Rohani had appointed Ahmadipour's predecessor, Masoud Soltanifar, as the minister of youth affairs and sport on November 1.
Iran will hold a presidential election in May and Rohani is expected to seek reelection to a second and final term.
Based on reporting by AP and presstv.ir
State affiliated Quran reciter in Iran denies sexually abusing children
11/07/16
Source: Radio Zamaneh
Saeed Toosi, a Quran teacher and Iran's top Quran reciter has denied allegations that he has sexually abused at least 4 children that were put under his care as students.
Saeed Toosi with Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran
Islamic republic state media reported on Sunday 6 Nov that Toosi has denied all allegations of sexual abuse of minors stating that such reports are "conspiracies of the enemies".
Four former students of Toosi have come forward and told media outlets outside of Iran that when they were 11-12 years old, Toosi sexually molested them while at Quran recitation events.
The alleged incidents took place both inside and outside of Iran. One incident took place in Turkey, although no legal action has been brought forward in Turkey as of yet.
The four plaintiffs have brought legal action against Toosi in the 15th division court of Government Workers in Tehran, Iran; however, their case has been put on hold for the past 5 years.
The plaintiffs claim this because Toosi is affiliated with the office of the Islamic Republic Supreme Leader, officials from this office have exerted influence on the case's prosecutor to cover up the case.
Saeed Toosi has been one the chosen reciters at events hosted by Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, and they have several photos together at Khamenei's house.
At least one top religious clergy has asked the public to refrain from speaking about the alleged sexual abuses. Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi has stated that" if someone has sinned, speaking of that sin before it is proved is even a bigger sin."
The judiciary spokesperson, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei responded to allegations that the Iranian judiciary has been covering up the case against Toosi and that the at least one official from the office of the supreme leader has been in contact with the case's chief prosecutor.
Ejei stated that there is in fact such a case still open for investigations and it includes four plaintiffs. He stated that there was not enough evidence to pursue the case on the allegations of "Tafkhiz" (sexual grinding on bodily parts) but the case has been forwarded "to an experienced judge for review" for allegations of inciting immoral transgressions among youth.
Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, the judiciary chief however, indirectly threatened the plaintiffs and their families for speaking about the sexual abuse allegations with media outside of Iran calling them "hostile media." He went on to say that those who speak to "hostile media" should be punished.
The four plaintiffs have given vivid accounts of what happened to them while under the care of Toosi.
One plaintiff has told media that coming from a religious background his family enlisted him in Toosi's Quran recitation classes. The plaintiff was chosen to go to Turkey with Toosi for a Quran convention where the alleged abuse took place at a hotel shower, at a room they shared.
The plaintiff goes on to say: "I was shocked. I was really shocked. My brain was locked. I could not do anything. Then, he closed the door and came inside [the shower room]. And he then made a series of outrageous suggestions. I refused. He then started to orally stimulate my genitals. He rubbed his own genitals against my buttocks. He then ejaculated and left me. When the night came we went to recite the Quran."
Another plaintiff goes on to say that Saeed Toosi begged him to anally penetrate Toosi; the plaintiff refused to do so.
Part of the problem is that the Islamic Penal Code, the law that governs sexual crimes in Iran is based on Shiite jurisprudence and does deal with sexual abuse or rape of a minor as a separate legal matter. Certain sexual acts are criminalized especially if between same-sex consenting partners. These same acts are also criminalized if done by force.
Although the criteria for providing evidence to proof rape or sexual assault beyond doubt requires four male witnesses who can attest they saw the sexual act taking place. If there are not four male witnesses, the judge has to decide based on the evidence provided.
As such, the case against Saeed Toosi where four former students are attesting to four separate incidents of sexual assault and molestation of a minor by a teacher, they need to provide four witnesses for each incident or rely on the judge's assessment.
This is why most sexual assault and rape cases in Iran often reached a legal deadlock where the jurisprudence makes it impossible to prove wrong doing.
For a country that punished most rape cases by the capital punishment there is also a concern for the lack compatibility of the sentencing with the crime as well.
Sexual assault and rape cases where the victim has family ties to the perpetrator often are not reported because families have to risk the receiving of the death penalty for the perpetrator.
Saeed Toosi will continue to deny the allegations of sexual assault of minors; the law will protect him as long as no male witnesses are willing to attest.
Iran: Briefly Freed After Long Hunger Strikes, Three Teachers' Rights Leaders Ordered Back to Prison
11/07/16
Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
Prominent teachers' rights leaders Jafar Azimzadeh, Esmail Abdi, and Mahmoud Beheshti-Langroudi-who had all been previously imprisoned for their peaceful activism and released in 2016 on bail after going on long hunger strikes-were summoned back to prison in October 2016.
Jafar Azimzadeh, Mahmoud Beheshti-Langroudi and Esmail Abdi
Abdi, secretary general of the Iranian Teachers' Trade Association, confirmed to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that Branch 36 of the Tehran Appeals Court had upheld his six-year prison sentence on October 7, 2016 and ordered him back to prison.
"Only two days later, on October 9, I was contacted by Evin Prison officials three times and told to report back to prison. But I told them that verbal summons don't count and they should summon me in writing," said Abdi.
Beheshti-Langroudi and Azimzadeh were also summoned by phone on October 23 and 24 respectively and ordered
back to Evin Prison.
"On one hand, by accusing activist teachers of national security crimes and jailing them, the Islamic Republic wants to warn the new leadership of the Teachers' Trade Association that they would have the same fate if they start defending teachers' demands," a member of the Trade Association, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Campaign. "On the other hand, it will discourage teachers from seeking their rightful demands during the presidential election (in May 2017)."
"Esmail Abdi and Mahmoud Beheshti were not engaged in any kind of political activity. They were not fighting for power or a ministerial position. They are completely innocent," said the source. "They were elected by their colleagues to seek nothing more than their rights stated in the Constitution, things like insurance and housing for teachers. They are being unlawfully incarcerated even though all they did was peacefully seek their rights [stipulated] in the Constitution."
Azimzadeh, chairman of the Free Workers Union of Iran, was released on furlough (temporary leave) on June 30, 2016 after going on a hunger strike that lasted nearly two months. He was sentenced to six years in prison in 2015 for "assembly and collusion against national security" and "propaganda against the state."
Beheshti-Langroudi, a senior board member of the Iranian Teachers' Trade Association, was granted conditional release on May 11, 2016 after a 22-day hunger strike. He has been sentenced to a total of 14 years in prison in three separate cases for his peaceful union activities.
Independent unions are not allowed to function in Iran, workers are routinely fired and risk arrest for striking, and labor leaders are prosecuted under national security charges and sentenced to long prison terms.
Since its establishment in 1998, dozens of members of the Iranian' Teachers' Trade Association, and independent teachers' rights activists, have been arrested and imprisoned for terms ranging from four to 15 years for their peaceful activism.
In an interview with the Campaign in September 2016, Abdi said that in accordance with Article 10 of the Parties and Associations Law, the Interior Ministry under President Hassan Rouhani had issued permits for more than a dozen professional teachers' rights groups, but had also demanded that their operations be limited to local provincial branches rather than to those of national entities.
"Ostensibly, they want professional organizations to expand and be active in every province. But ... what they are really trying to do is to prevent us from having a national organization... I think this plan has been injected into the Interior Ministry by the security forces so that we would not be effective in all cities near and far," he said.
She drove her lime green Volkswagen bug to the Riverside City College library that night.
It was a Sunday night, Oct. 30, 1966 the night before Halloween.
She needed a few books from the library. She called a girlfriend twice that afternoon and asked her to go with. The friend said no.
So Cheri Jo Bates, an 18-year-old Riverside City College freshman, went alone.
Her father, Joseph Bates, reported her missing when she didnt return from the library that night.
Her body was found on campus about 6:30 a.m. the next morning. A groundskeeper came upon her lying in a dirt driveway near the library.
Fifty years later, the murder remains unsolved. Riverside police believe they know who killed her, but have never had enough evidence to make an arrest.
Others have their own theories. Amateur sleuths think the Northern California serial killer who called himself the Zodiac may have killed Bates.
Last weekend, nine Zodiac hunters met at the crime scene in Riverside to call attention to the case and swap guesswork about the murder.
Were obsessed, said Sandy Betts, a 78-year-old former cocktail waitress from Antioch, east of San Francisco, who believes the Zodiac has stalked her since 1968. She also believes the notorious unidentified killer is still alive and that she knows who he is.
Well-dressed and well-spoken, Betts is a moderator on the website Zodiackiller.com. The others were contributors or followers of the site.
Betts has been to Riverside several times on the Bates case. She arranged what she called a task force meeting that drew a father and son from the Midwest and others from Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area to the campus Saturday afternoon, Oct. 29.
They searched an interior wall of the Quadrangle building for signs of the library housed there in 1966.
Betts then led the others out onto Terracina Drive, where Bates Volkswagen bug the one shed bought with her own money by working part-time at a bank was parked outside the library the morning she was found.
The keys had still been in the ignition. A story printed in The Press the afternoon of Oct. 31, 1966, reported police determined the distributor coil and engines condenser part of the cars ignition system had been torn out.
So this is Terracina, said Mark Lupkey, a 28-year-old automotive engineering manager from Kansas City. He snapped photos of the street and buildings with his father, hospice chaplain Kerry Lupkey, 55, of St. Louis.
The group carried cell phones and smart tablets they used to refer to maps, black-and-white crime scene photos and The Press story, RCC coed, 18, slain on campus, to try to locate the spot where Bates body was discovered lying face down not far from Magnolia Avenue.
Bates, whose Ramona High School picture shows a smiling, bright-eyed beauty, had been punched in the face; kicked in the head; stabbed in the chest, back and abdomen; and slashed across the throat so severely she was nearly decapitated.
She had been attacked on a darkened dirt driveway between two old houses off Terracina Drive. Her death certificate lists the place of death as 3680 Terracina.
The killer walked her to the end of that driveway, said Betts, standing on whats now paved roadway between the Quad and the Salvatore G. Rotella Digital Library and Learning Resource Center. That building was there. But this street was not.
KEEPING THE CASE ALIVE
Insurance company employee Ricardo Gomez, 56, joined them after taking vacation time, a plane from San Francisco and three buses from the Ontario airport.
He and others like Betts, who said she lives on $860 a month in Social Security payments, spend their money and free time trying to identify the Zodiac Killer or tie him to cases like Bates.
They memorize dates, locations and facts tied to each crime. After all, they point out, the Zodiac was connected to five murders and two attempted murders in Northern California, but claimed to have killed 37 people in a taunting letter with bad spelling sent to the San Francisco Chronicle in 1974.
Im interested in this unsolved case whether or not its the Zodiac, said Gomez, who carried a tote bag full of documents. Id like to see someone solve this case.
Thats the ultimate goal to give notoriety to the case, added Mark Lupkey. Because there could be people out there who have information.
The group included Dave Wallace, 60, of Vista, who goes by the screen name Ratman and wore a T-shirt bearing a Zodiac cryptogram, or cipher.
There was also a woman named Tracy who wouldnt give her last name or hometown, Betts niece from Irvine, a man whos convinced his father is the Zodiac and a woman to support him.
Nearly everybody has a father whos the Zodiac, Betts said.
STILL AN ACTIVE CASE
Riverside police are also trying to find Bates killer. Detective Jim Simons, whos now assigned to the case, said Zodiac fanatics are actually a form of support for victims of horrific crimes. In his view, such people arent hurting the police investigation.
I think it may actually help by getting it more publicity to where someone may come forward one day with information that helps us solve the case, Simons said.
He gets many calls about the case and Zodiac especially around anniversaries.
Simons follows up on promising leads and, based on tips in just the past few years, has had several sets of fingerprints analyzed against prints found on Bates car. No match has been found.
Simons and Senior Forensic Technician Liane Velin are also preparing to submit evidence, which may hold the slayers DNA, to a private lab.
Among the items: fingernail scrapings and hair strands found in Bates hand.
Its very common for the victim in a violent crime such as this to fight back and scratch, Simons said.
Police dont have a suspect, but they do have a person of interest and hes not the Zodiac. Hes a male Bates knew who was about her age and is still alive, said Simons, who wouldnt comment further.
We havent made an arrest, he said. It is still an active case.
Earlier DNA analysis of the hair didnt lead to identifying a suspect and hasnt been compared to the Zodiacs DNA. Now the hair is being submitted for scientific analysis using the latest forensic techniques.
Some, like Gomez and Betts, believe the Zodiac was involved and Bates, who wanted to be a stewardess, may have been his first victim. Others arent so sure.
They point to possible evidence such as an unsigned confession letter with similarly bad spelling sent to police and the Daily Enterprise a month after Bates killing.
However, the letter said the former cheerleader needed to pay for the brush off that she had given me during the years prior.
State handwriting experts later confirmed a 1967 note sent to The Press-Enterprise saying, BATES HAD TO DIE THERE WIll BE MORE was from the Zodiac.
The Lupkeys say theyve been interested in crime history most of their lives. Outside Ramona High School, Kerry Lupkey remembered older siblings teasing him about the serial killer.
When I was a kid living in Central California, the Zodiac was the boogeyman, said Lupkey, adding he now seeks to understand the dark side of human nature. The evil men do, so to speak. What drives people to do what they do? Its fascinating.
He and his son have gone to at least one Zodiac crime scene while visiting the Bay Area.
Its kind of become an addiction, Mark Lupkey said.
The group also stopped by a house later determined to be one street over from her old house and then St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic church, where Bates went that morning. A sign facing Arlington Avenue listed the churchs address as 3680, which Betts called a weird coincidence.
OBSESSED WITH THE PUZZLE
Zodiologists are not serial killer groupies. Theyre not obsessed with the serial killer.
Theyre more like re-enactors who want to solve crimes others have failed to, said Katherine Ramsland, a forensic psychology professor at Pennsylvanias DeSales University. Her books include Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer.
Theyre obsessed with the puzzle, she said. They believe that something was looked at wrong or some tiny part is missing that they might be able to figure out.
The Zodiac is enticing because of his challenging letters to newspapers and police that included threats of more violence, clues and ciphers that remain mostly unsolved.
Serial killers hunters are first lured by the unsolved sensational crimes and the killers mystique. They then try to pit themselves against the unidentified murderer. They read everything they can find and master data until forming their own theories, Ramsland said.
Police believe the killer bragged about the crime or someone else was there or saw something but never came forward out of fear. Neighbors heard a scream between 10:15 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. that night but didnt call police.
Simons urged anyone with information about Bates brutal murder to call him at 951-353-7138.
Somebody out there knows what happened, he said. Were hoping that person is still alive and around and one day will pick up the phone and crack this case open.
Bates was buried in Riverside on Friday, Nov. 4, 1966. Her body was reportedly later exhumed and her ashes spread at sea.
Gomez went on alone Sunday, Oct. 30, to try to retrace Bates steps the last day of her life. That night, he returned to RCC to find the Quad closed.
About 8:25 p.m., a white van stopped across from campus at Magnolia Avenue and Terracina Drive, then stopped near the crime scene a few minutes. Feeling that was suspicious, Gomez waited nervously for a bus to start back to his motel.
The night before, the group discussed the case over dinner at an Italian restaurant on Arlington Avenue near the former site of Sandys Restaurant now a Starbucks where Bates had breakfast that morning with her father.
Gomez raised a glass of strawberry lemonade.
To Cheri Jo Bates, he said.
The others raised their drinks and clinked glasses.
To Cheri Jo Bates.
To Cheri Jo.
Contact the writer: 951-368-9444 orshurt@scng.comTwitter: @SuzanneHurt
Southern California owners of Hondas and Acuras are being urged to check if their vehicles have been recalled because of a potentially deadly airbag inflator.
Thousands including many in Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties havent taken their cars to the dealer to get the problem fixed, state officials say.
Millions of vehicles have been recalled across the U.S. as part of the replacement of Takata airbag inflators.
Western Riverside and San Bernardino counties and northern and central Los Angeles County are listed as among the areas of the state with the largest concentration of recalled vehicle owners who have not been heard from, officials said. Statistics on how many vehicles are in each area were not available Friday, Nov. 4.
Some Honda and Acura models between 2001 and 2003 are on the recall list.
Those cars have a high risk of an airbag inflator malfunction in which metal pieces could shoot through the airbag cushion and kill or injure the driver or passenger, traffic safety officials say.
The nations 11th such fatality is from the Inland area.
A 50-year-old Corona woman driving a 2001 Honda Civic was in a traffic collision in Riverside in September and died as a result of Takata air bags, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said last month.
As part of the recall, Honda dealers are making the repairs free to all owners. They also will offer free rentals or loaners to those who need temporary transportation.
There arent good reasons to not do it and a lot of reasons to get it done, said Chris Cochran, a spokesman with the state Office of Traffic Safety.
His agency is working with the California Highway Patrol, Department of Motor Vehicles and Bureau of Automotive Repair to get the word out.
Their efforts include printing information sheets for CHP officers who may contact affected car owners and putting up posters at CHP and DMV offices.
For example, if a car owner visits a CHP office to deal with a citation or child safety seat inspection, officers will offer to check their safety recall status and give them with the recall information, Cochran said.
Honda is using vehicle registration information to track down addresses and phone numbers of car owners, Honda spokesman Chris Martin said. Theyve mailed notices in English and Spanish, made automated and live calls, emailed and texted customers when possible, he said. Theyve also put ads on Facebook, Martin said.
There are many reasons why some people havent responded, he said.
Vehicles affected by the recall are older models and might now be owned by people who bought the cars cheaply and dont normally deal with auto dealers or are suspicious of bringing them in, Martin said.
Were trying to overcome that reluctance by clearly denoting the repairs are free, he said.
Honda hopes working with state officials will make owners more likely to respond.
Some vehicles may be difficult to track down because theyve changed hands from the original owner, he said.
Honda is particularly concerned about finding what it calls the Alpha cars, the first to have Takata air bags installed and those that are located in humid areas. Those conditions make the air bag 50 percent more likely to rupture if the vehicle is involved in a collision, Martin said. About 300,000 of these vehicles are still on the road across the nation with 51,000 in California, he said.
The urgency is so high we recommend they dont drive it anywhere but a dealer immediately for repair, he said.
Honda will tow the cars to the dealer for repairs if the owner isnt comfortable driving it, Martin said.
The recall of vehicles with Takata air bags is the largest and most complex auto safety recall in U.S. history, with nearly 70 million that have been or will be recalled by 2019, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported.
Other automakers that have recalled vehicles are BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Mazda, Nissan, Toyota and Mitsubishi, according to the NHTSA.
According to a fact sheet on a web page created by Honda about the recall, about 10.7 million Honda and Acura vehicles are subject to recall.
As of Oct. 31, it had replaced 7.8 million air inflators at a pace of about 20,000 on a daily basis over the last few months, the web page stated.
Contact the writer: 951-368-9558 orighori@scng.comTwitter: @ImranGhori1
An active military member was killed early Sunday, Nov. 6, after his motorcycle ran off Interstate 10 in Cabazon at high speeds.
The 19-year-old victims name has not been released by the Riverside County Coroners Office because his family has not been notified of his death.
California Highway Patrol Officer Darren Meyer said he does not know which military branch the man is a member of, but that he is from Sunrise, Florida.
He was in the slow lane of the eastbound 10 about 12:53 a.m. when his motorcycle, going about 90 mph, went off the road and down an embankment east of Main Street. The motorcyclist stopped on Railroad Avenue and was pronounced dead at the scene, Meyer said.
There were no immediate signs of drugs or alcohol at the scene.
When Stevie Taken stepped into a San Bernardino auditorium last summer, she was struck by an aha! moment.
It came in an instant, said Taken, who launched a community theater company, the Homespun Players, in Riverside 3 1/2 years ago. This is the house of Bernarda Alba.
Taken gazed at the red tiles, adobe white walls, fireplace, the ceilings exposed wood beams and hand-carved niches from the original structure built in 1935. The auditorium in the recently restored and rechristened San Bernardinos Garcia Center for the Arts at the corner of E and 11th streets seemed tailor-made to stage The House of Bernarda Alba, a drama about village women in Spain.
After reading this past May about the debut of Homespuns Shakespeare Festival in Riversides White Park, the Garcia Centers board asked Taken to produce something in their building, which was renovated last year.
For almost two decades, Taken, 36, has yearned to direct Federico Lorcas last play, The House of Bernarda Alba, which he completed in 1936, two months before his death during the Spanish Civil War. The playwrights other dark dramas include Yerma and Blood Wedding.
Taken considers The House of Bernarda Alba the perfect showcase for the areas many multi-talented actresses. After her second husbands death, the 60-year-old iron-hand matriach Bernarda Alba decrees eight years of mourning for her five adult daughters.
Although homely and ailing, Angustias, the eldest daughter, is the richest and best catch because she inherited money from her father, Bernardas first husband. Her other four daughters only received a pittance from their late father, Bernardas second husband. Angustias money has attracted Pepe el Romano, her intended husband, but the handsome suitor melts the hearts of all five daughters.
Lorca builds the sexual tension by excluding any male characters on stage.
You hear Pepe whistle, Taken said, but you never see him. She uses a photograph of Lorca the playwright to depict the popular beau. Meanwhile, he and another daughter, Adela, conduct a secret affair. Tensions explode, resulting in tragedy.
Besides the theme of repressed sexuality, Lorca deals with the oppression of women, the shackles of tradition, class prejudice, tyranny, the importance of reputation and the corruption of beauty in an environment that squelches passion and physical desires.
Loss of freedom is another big theme, Taken said. Its in the hearts of everyone, the fear of losing the right to express ourselves.
Contact the writer: llucas@scng.com, 951-358-9559
The Member of Parliament for the Bosomtwe Constituency, Simon Osei-Mensah, has urged the Ministers of Finance and Communication to refund an illegal loan of GH5,000,000.00 granted to Ghana Post Company Limited on January 24, 2012 into the Consolidated Fund with interest.
According to Mr Simon Osei-Mensah, the loan was granted to Ghana Post Company Limited without parliamentary approval. This is in contravention of Article 181(3) of the 1992 Constitution of the country.
Article 181(3) of the Constitution states as follows, "No loan shall be raised by the Government on behalf of itself, any other public institution or authority, otherwise than by or under the authority of an Act of Parliament". Consequently, this is a serious breach of the fundamental Law of the Country. Hence, it is of paramount significance that the money is refunded into the consolidated fund without delay.
In a press statement issued, the NPP legislator says there are several issues surrounding the loan facility that make it questionable or appear fraudulent in nature.
The loan was granted without Parliamentary approval. There were no properly documented terms and conditions for the loan. In addition, the loan was not disclosed in the 2012 financial statements to aid the establishment of an audit trail and this gives a very strong indication that the loan was being concealed. Non-disclosure of a loan with such material value is a serious smack on financial transparency and questions the integrity of those who granted the facility.
The non-recognition of the loan facility in the financial statements according to him, increases the risk that the loan might not be repaid by the Ghana Post company Limited into the Consolidated Fund.
He said it was not surprising that as at the end of June 2016 nothing had been paid by Ghana Post company Limited and there are doubts if anything has been paid yet.
Furthermore, promptings from both the Auditor General and Attorney General for the Ministry of Finance to seek retroactive parliamentary approval has fallen on death ears and they continue to contravene the constitution with impunity. Notwithstanding the additional advice by the Auditor General in its report on the Public Accounts of Ghana - Ministries, Departments and Other Agencies(MDAs) for the year ended 31 December, 2013, no action has still been taken to remedy the illegality. This brings into question the genuine basis for this loan facility.
According to information available to the MP, he said Cabinet at a meeting in October 2010 approved an urgent release of GHc5,000,000.00 by the Ministry of Finance through the Ministry of Communication to Ghana post Company Limited to help salvage the company from its financial insolvency as a result of a Garnishee Absolute Order imposed on the company by the fast Track high Court in a suit filed against the company by Sky Consult. However, the actual service performed by Sky Consult to Ghana Post Company Limited is not known yet. Surprisingly, between October 2010 and January 24, 2012 the NDC government failed to submit the request to Parliament for approval and has since also refused to seek retroactive approval. What is actually associated with this loan that the NDC government doesn't want Ghanaians to know is a mystery to be uncovered.
The Ministries of Finance and Communication must come out publicly with dispatch the terms and conditions of the loan facility, total recoveries as at the end of October 2016 and also refund any outstanding amount into the Consolidated Fund.
We need to put an end to such reckless and unconstitutional dissipation of the countries resources. The country is burdened with borrowings which has created unbearable national debt such that interest payment is even higher than the government's budget on capital expenditure. Such reckless dissipation of our resources must stop in the interest of the current and future generations. The people of Ghana deserve better, he stated.
Source: New Crusading Guide
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The Managing Director of Strategic Energies Limited, Johnny Blagogee has been sworn-in as Chairman for the Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMC) for the next two years at a colourful ceremony held in Accra, the nations capital.
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Johnny Blagogee indicated that the AOMC as an advocacy institution would continue to direct downstream policy, legislation and regulation and pursue research towards the development of the downstream sector.
Mr. Johnny Blagogee pointed out that one of the key issues facing them today is the growing concern over the influx and close proximity of fuel stations in the country.
We will be pushing for a tighter entry criteria for new entrants into the industry. This is to help control the influx of OMCs into the downstream petroleum sector, which is currently estimated to be over 40 companies and the subsequent siting of fuel stations all over the country he assured.
He averred that his tenure as the chairman would work closely with the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), which is the regulator for the industry, to raise the bar for new entrants to restrict the number of companies that venture into the downstream petroleum sector.
He said the spirit of change would be seen, as they vigorously embark on a drive of communication among members adding we will direct, help and advice members accordingly of the acknowledged best practices.
Mr Johnny Blagogee promised that the board would operate an open door policy to ensure that members contribute to issues and bring out solutions to address the problems that confront their activities stressing that members shouldnt hesitate to contact the secretariat or him.
Mr Johnny Blagogee explained that since the structure of their filling stations has become topical issues in recent times, would introduce a policy to ensure that designs of filling stations come with accommodation to serve our staff.
Members would be equipped to improve safety standards in their outlets. Our staff and consumers are very dear to the hearts of the industry. We cannot exist without the consumers he mentioned.
Touching on Human Resource Capacity and Customer Service, Mr. Johnny Blagogee said the staff and individuals in the association would be trained on the latest technology methods as far as the industry is concerned.
Our association members would have periodic training in customer service. This would help delight the numerous customers who throng our outlets to purchase their products he stated.
On Media Collaboration, Mr. Johnny Blagogee opined that they shall work closely with the media to ensure that consumers interests are protected.
We shall organize seminars and workshops for the media personnel in order to appreciate issues within the petroleum downstream sector he revealed.
He said as the Chairman, he looks forward to working with key stakeholders in the downstream sector including the National Petroleum Authority, the Environmental Protection Agency among others for a smooth working environment.
I am grateful for the opportunity offered me to work for the betterment of the association and to lead the association for the next two years. I would strive for excellence in every way to be worthy of your confidence and promise not to let down this association as the chairman for the board Mr. Johnny Blagogee promised.
Source: Prince Obimpeh/ Peacefmonline.com/ Email: [email protected]
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The Minister for Finance, Mr. Seth Terkper has urged the private sector to brace itself up to own Ghanas Export and Import (EXIM) Bank as the country prepares for massive industrialization.
Speaking at the annual general assembly of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) in Kumasi, the Minister touted the power stabilization program of the government and assured AGI of stable power in 2017 which will mean industrial power will also stabilize.
He further noted the opportunities in the Petrochemical sector and encouraged members of Ghana's industrial association to exploit the opportunities, especially, in the production of fertilizers, an area the President will be focusing on to boost Agriculture.
The establishment of the EXIM Bank would take advantage of international trading partnerships, such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act, with the United States of America. The Minister said the bank would be independent but would be under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Plann
Source: Yourbusinesswatch.com
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Mr Jacob Wayo McCarthy, the 2016 Accra Metropolitan Best farmer, has called on Government to facilitate training programmes for the youth and farmers so that they can participate in the lucrative beekeeping business.
Adequate orientation in new technologies should be provided for the youth to participate in various farming initiatives.
Mr McCarthy said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the 32 National Farmers and Fishermens Day celebration.
The event was held under the theme: Agriculture: A Business Response To Economic Growth in Accra.
"We need to identify the talents and desires of the youth and work at harnessing them but we cannot do it alone without governments support, he said.
Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, Greater Accra Regional Minister, said Government has made substantial investment into the construction of roads to link the rural communities and this is part of its commitment to use agriculture as a tool to break the cycle of poverty.
He said the Eastern and Western corridor roads, amply affirms the commitment of government to link up the rural areas with the urban ones.
He expressed regret that many farmers in Ghana still rely on rainfall for water yet the pattern and quantities are becoming irregular, hence the need for them to learn new technologies and practices which can help them adapt to climate change.
Nii Afotey Agbo said climate change was causing immense havoc to food production and it is important for all stakeholders to share ideas on best practices on agriculture and fishing.
He called on the chiefs in the Greater Accra Region release lands to the youth for agricultural activities.
Dr Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, AMA Boss, urged the award winners to continue with their exemplary roles so that the undecided and unemployed youth would realise the benefits of the lucrative agriculture sector.
Source: GNA
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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The Supreme Court has ordered the Electoral Commission(EC) of Ghana to extend close of nomination period from today Monday, November 07, 2016 to tomorrow Tuesday, November 08, 2016.
The ruling read by Justice Sophia Adinyira, the presiding judge is to enable all the disqualified candidates to correct errors on their nomination forms.
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, threw out the EC's suit challenging an High court ruling asking them to allow the PPP's presidential candidate Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom to correct his nomination form errors.
A seven-member panel in the Monday ruling asked the commission to extend the nomination period to November 8, 2016 to give room for the other candidates to correct their mistakes in order to contest in the December polls.
The court also ordered the discontinuation of the various court cases regarding the disqualification of other presidential aspirants.
The EC disqualified several presidential candidates from the December polls for various errors detected in their nomination forms.
Supreme Court's Directive:
The Supreme Court mindful of the importance that elections should be concluded as early as possible according to time schedule and the limited time available for the Applicant to complete processes prior to the printing of presidential ballot papers and collation sheets etc, and in order to ensure prevalence of justice equity and fairness in the election process we thereby proceed to give the following directives while taking judicial notice of the plethora of cases pending in various High Courts with similar claims and cause of action:
1. The EC is to extend the nomination period from today Monday 7 November 2016 to the close of working day of Tuesday 8 November 2016.
2. Invite all the disqualified presidential candidates who were able to submit their nomination papers by the close of the nomination day of 30 October 2016.
3. To give the candidates a hearing within the extended period.
4. In appropriate cases, to afford candidates, the opportunity to comply with regulation 9 (2) (b)
5. The EC to declare the names of candidates so nominated per regulations 7, 8, and 9 of CI. 94; by the close of working day of Wednesday 9 November 2016.
6. Balloting of positions of candidates to take place the next day by the close of working day of Thursday 10 November.
7. As a result of the above directives, we find it necessary to make a consequential order to stay all court proceedings against the Applicant in relation to disqualification of pending in the High Court, to enable the EC to carry out its mandate;
8. We accordingly stay all proceedings in the High Court as aforesaid.
Source: Chris Joe Quaicoe/ email: [email protected]
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo has appealed to the electorate to believe in her husband Nana Akufo-Addo because he has the ability to transform Ghana.
She said a vote for Nana Addo and the opposition New Patriotic Party will lead Ghana to a better future.
Speaking during her campaign tour of various areas in the Tema East constituency, she told supporters change is a must come December 7.
At the Abomoso Market at Tema Newtown, Mrs. Akufo- Addo reminded the market women that a vote for Nana Addo and the NPP is a vote for the future of their children and grandchildren.
Mrs. Akufo-Addo also visited the fishing Harbour where she told the fisher folks a Nana Addo-led government will invest heavily into that sector to make it attractive to all.
She said the John Mahama-led government has inflicted so much pain on Ghanaians and it is imperative for the NPP to come to power to rescue them.
She was accompanied by regional executives, Mr. Titus Nii Glover the MP for Tema East and his executives and other party bigwigs.
Source: Ultimate1069.com
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, says the so-called bomb attack at the residence of the deputy Ashanti regional minister and the failure to pick up early intelligence should tell Ghanaians that the government is "too weak and bereft of ideas necessary to provide protection for our precious lives under the government of the NDC."
He has also hit hard at the Regional Security Council and the NDC for exposing the people of the region to unnecessary psychological torture since, to him, such sensitive security matters could have been best handled quietly without even coming to the public domain.
In the view of the NPP chairman, what the regional minister who is the chairman of the Security Council, and his deputy, did was unprofessional, a big insult and a clear act of deception to the Asantehene and the Golden Stool, and therefore must render an apology as soon as possible.
Speaking to the people of Obuase-Agogo, Friday, in the Asante-Akyem North constituency as part of his seven days community tour in the region, the regional chairman also called for the immediate resignation of regional minister, Alexander Ackon, as he has shown gross incompetence in handling security issue as chairman of the Security Council.
Fear gripped residents of Kumasi, last week Tuesday, when news of an attempt to bomb the residence of the deputy regional minister, Andy Osei Okrah, broke out.
Substances suspected by security authorities to be powerful explosives were said to have been dumped at the residence in Danyame by an unidentified motor rider, who allegedly sped off immediately after dumping the items.
The suspect reportedly dropped the explosives at two different locations; one close to the National Security Data Centre and another one close to the entrance of a building which houses the Deputy Regional Minister.
Describing the incident as a complete hoax and total embarrassment, chairman Wuntumi noted such acts of intimidations which the NDC had started resorting to cannot stop the people in the region from protecting the ballots come December 7.
He said no one would fall for the NDC in this game because the people are wide awake and too strong for such "political concert", adding that the government and NDC had better found another way to change the will of the people than to scare them with frivolous rumours of bomb attacks.
The regional party boss further warned the ruling National Democratic Congress to stay away from the people of the Ashanti region, stressing that the party would make sure they resist any plot by the government meant cow the people of the region into submission.
He said if it is the intention of the government to cause fear and panic in the region, to prevent them from coming out to vote in the December elections, then "I'm warning them to retreat or face the wrath of the people because no amount of weapon from the NDC can defeat the masses crave for change this December."
Sending a note of caution, he said Ghanaians had remained in total slavery, pain and abject poverty under the government of President Mahama and when they finally wake up no amount of government's machinations would prevent them from coming out in their numbers to vote against them.
At Akutuase, Mr Antwi Boasiako reminded the people, especially the youth, of the need to work hard for the return of the NPP, to rescue them from the mess they have endured for the past eight years.
He said the Ghanaians must have a positive and enjoyable live and "this starts from now...we must make sure we vote massively for the NPP and after that ensure we wait to protect our ballots from being stolen by the NDC."
He made it clear that his outfit was doing everything humanly possible not to let out any of Ashanti Regions parliamentary seat to any political party, not even the NDC.
I am telling the NDC that we will not lose any of the seats in the Ashanti Region. We in the NPP will make sure that we win all the forty-seven seats in the region. The seats won by the NDC have only brought suffering and hardship to the people, but this time I will make sure that in my capacity as the chairman for the region; we shall win all the seats, he said.
Source: The New Statesman
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Encouraged by the mammoth crowd of NDC supporters spanning about one-and-a-half mile who joined him for a health walk in the Asawase constituency, President Mahama says the party will exceed its one million votes target in the region.
He added that the party would also move from the current four parliamentary seats to 13 out of the 47 seats in the region which is considered the stronghold of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Mostly made up of young people in their NDC T-shirts and party paraphernalia, the health walkers started gathering at various points in the constituency around 5.30 a.m.
The crowd danced to dance-hall music blaring from very high loud speakers mounted in four different vehicles.
Led by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak Muhammed, they moved from Aboabo Post Office to the Golden Temple and then to On the Run.
All this while, the milling crowd kept on increasing. When they got to Manhyia Roundabout, the crowd moved to Aboabo Station then to Asawase where President Mahama joined them.
Initially, the President wanted to get down from his vehicle to join, but the large number of the supporters was such that the he was forced to stand on top of his V8 vehicle for the rest of the journey at a snails pace.
All along President Mahama responded to cheers from equally large crowd of supporters who had lined up the sides of the streets shouting "JM Toaso" to wit, JM continue".
Beauty
Surprisingly, although the NPP was also having its health walk in the same area, there was no clash. What surprised many was that while some of the NPP members were using the same road but headed towards opposite direction in their NPP T-shirts and making the change sign with their fingers, their NDC counterparts passed by peacefully with their continuation sign.
President
When the crowd eventually converged on the Asawase Park, President Mahama commended the party members and supporters for their high turnout.
He explained that he decided to give pilgrims to Mecca special treatment to ensure that they did not gather at areas where they would be exposed to mosquitoes and the vagaries of the weather because that was the wish of President Mills before his demise.
He said it was for that reason that the Tamale Airport was expanded to facilitate direct flights straight from there to Mecca to save the pilgrims the inconvenience of travelling to Accra.
On development projects, he explained that the NDC government did not discriminate in sharing development projects even to areas considered as opposition stronghold, due to its policy of fair distribution of the national cake.
He stated that Kumasi being the centre of the country where traders from all around the country, including those from the neighbouring countries, come to trade was the reason it had had more than its fair share of the national cake.
Source: Daily Graphic
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He disclosed on Hitz FM, he wont stop being bad in movies, but he will be careful what roles he accepts in movies.
Im going to regulate whatever provokes the emotions of man, be it sexually or any negative way. I wont stop being bad in movies but I will regulate the kind of bad scenes you will see, says Michel.
You will not see my buttocks, you will not see sexually explicit scenes, you won't hear bad language but you will identify things that will propel your spirit to somewhere great. Basically we will reduce all the explicit scenes you used to see.
Read below our report about Michels new life on October 4, 2016 titled Majid Michel thrives under Gods anointing.
In as much as Ghanaian film lovers know that popular actor, Majid Michel is gifted in so many ways, the last thing some Ghanaians least expected him to do, is to minister the word of God to people and deliver those in spiritual bondage.
Members of the public were stunned to see pictures of the ace actor on social media, ministering under the unction of the Holy Spirit.
Award winning actor was spotted at the Zoe Sanctuary with former colleague actors; Pascal Amanfo and Timothy Bentum (Timothy Bentum Ministries).
Michel, known for his ruthless criminal and murder roles in movies has proven to the world that he is a lover of God and wants to spread the light.
This notwithstanding, actor turned man of God, Timothy Bentum is set to bring under one umbrella Actors, Presenters, Professionals and Musicians for Christ (APPMC), a Christian evangelism movement to embark on evangelism targeted at using brands of Ghanas influential celebrities to win souls for God.
The event is slated to take place at the Makers House, Kwabenya in Accra on October 30, 2016.
This years event dubbed Disciplining the nation in love features Actors like Majid Michel who has been with the movement since inception, Martha Ankomah, Adjetey Annan, Timothy Bentum and his wife Maefia and Artistes like Obour, Cweci Oteng, SP Kofi Sarpong, Kaywa, amongst others.
Source: Livefmghana.com
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Before you decide to drop some $$$ on that real cute feminist shirt from Kmart or whatever other chain store is jumping on the femmo trend, stop and take a think about where that money is going.
Is that money supporting womens refuges, or helping to provide sanitary items to homeless women? Where are your hard-earned dollahs going?
Theres a better option, from the team over at PREAM. Theyve just released their Intersectional Feminist shirt, which smacks down the idea of capitalist feminism that is, big brands that are very likely owned by old rich men who dont give a shit about things like the alarming rates of sex trafficking or the women having to walk home at night with their keys between their knuckles. (Its true, Ive done this many times through the back streets of Newtown, extremely on edge.)
(Photo: PREAM.)
Felicity Jayn Heath, the boss lady of PREAM, tells Pedestrian.TV that the whole idea around profiting off feminism is the reason why they decided to step in and lead by example.
I love seeing feminism at the forefront of discussions, but Im so sick of seeing shirts and other items of clothing displaying pro-feminist messages when theyre purely for profit, Felicity says. So Im trying to keep these shirts affordable while trying to make a difference to them and thats in USD theyre $15 to make because we dont use sweatshops and everything is made locally.
Each shirt is $35USD, which means that $20 from each sale goes directly to FACESS who help with the fight against sex trafficking and sexual slavery in the US. The profits from sales will be going to a different charity each month.
Glittery capitalism is a good name for feminism for sale, Felicity adds.
Felicity is an Aussie export, after moving from Umina Beach in the Central Coast to Los Angeles in 2013, and works on her ethical clothing label PREAM, and vegan catering company, Riot Grill.
Felicity Jayn Heath: GirlBoss & Intersectional Feminist. (Photo: PREAM/Danin Jacquay.)
Photo: PREAM/Vee Hertel.
From what I can gather, being a cop mostly consists of giving fines to people who cant afford to pay them and yelling at you for drinking tinnies on the street, while experiencing such perks as abusing your position of authority, being paid to do the cringiest viral dance videos in the history of the internet, and, apparently, finding super adorable animals in the pursuit of justice.
Like these Brisbane cops managed to do: getting their grubby mitts on a beautiful and disturbingly wise-looking Koala joey while arresting a 50-year-old woman in Wishart in the citys south.
Pictured: the face of an animal that has seen some shit.
Police stopped the woman on Newnham Road, arrested her for outstanding matters, and asked if she had anything to declare before they hauled her off back to the cop shop. It turns out she did, in the form of a very young koala hiding out in her backpack. She told police shed found him the night before and was looking after him.
The RSPCA were called and determined him to be about six months old and bit dehydrated, but on the whole healthy:
Hes been on fluids but is doing well and will shortly be going out to a carer. He weighs 1.5 kg and weve called him Alfred.
Hes definitely adorable but I swear if you look at this photo long enough it looks like a very creepy man in a koala costume (that might just be me though):
The RSPCA are urging people not to handle any koalas they find (as they might have internal injuries) and to instead give them a call on 1300 ANIMAL.
We wish Alfred the best of luck in his new life.
Source and photos: QPS Media.
If youve gone today without at all being reminded that your life is actually ridiculously easy and comfortable compared to what some people have gone through, guess what: youre actually a piece of shit.
Just kidding (obviously, youre great and we both know it), but it can be pretty fucking galling to read about the shit some people have gone through and then see where theyve ended up, when by comparison I was given like every opportunity in the world and Im sure not achieving anything.
By the age of six, Deng Adut had been kidnapped from his familys farm in Sudan and forced to fight as a child soldier in the Peoples Liberation Army, until he was shock in the back at the age of twelve, following which he was smuggled out of Sudan and came to Australia, to eventually become a defence attorney.
You can watch a much more affecting version of his story right here courtesy of Western Sydney University:
Tonight he was named NSWs Australian of the Year for 2017, and could now potentially be named Australias Australian of the Year (the nomenclature here is very confusing) in just in January time for Australia Day next year.
Being born in Australia doesnt make you Australian. Australia is born in you. @deng_adut #ausoftheyear pic.twitter.com/dtFXlMiCCg Lucinda Millsom (@LucindaMillsom) November 7, 2016
The announcement was made by NSW premier Mike Baird, who said that Adut represents the very best of what makes our country great, and has channelled his success into helping hundreds of people in the states Sudanese community navigate their way through the Australian legal system.
Adut arrived in Sydney in 1998 and taught himself to read while working at a petrol station in Blacktown (eventually graduating from Western Sydney University with a law degree), and co-founded AC Law Group, which provides pro bono legal services to disadvantaged youth.
Clearly forgetting hes in the Liberal Party, earlier this year Baird expressed concern about what would happen to Australia if we cracked down on accepting refugees:
My genuine and honest fear is what will happen to Australia if we shut our doors to people such as Deng, whether it be out of fear or ignorance. We have a choice to continue on the path that brought this nation to where and who we are today, or we can let fear blind us and hate infect us.
Youre not wrong mate, maybe tell the rest of your party that.
Source: SMH.
Photo: AC Law Group.
We at PEDESTRIAN.TV, are looking for not one but two fan-fucking-tastic candidates! We are in need of two badass Advertising & Partnerships Managers (SYD + MELB), to come on board and work as part of our Sydney and Melbourne advertising sales efforts across both media agencies and direct advertising clients. If you can cut a deal like Gordon Gekko, have the oratory skills of Don Draper and the Work ethic of Iggy Azalea, and then we want to hear from you. Were looking for people who love people, advertising, creativity and pop-culture. As Advertising & Partnerships Manager, youll need to have an advertising / media degree, have three to five years experience in a similar role and have a super clear understanding of advertising, marketing, online publishing, traditional aaand social media. Working from either of these sick cities sound like your dream stint? Sydney-siders apply HERE! And Melbournians, shoot your CV HERE!
With its hot combo of heritage and dedication to building a world-class retail brand, David Jones remains cutting edge and up to date with the latest trends on a national and global scale. An amazing opportunity has arisen for driven and dynamic individual to join the team as Omni Channel Assistant (SYD). This epic role will see you monitoring and reporting on performance on the reg, supporting onsite functionality testing and reporting, liasising with the Omni Channel Planner and working your people skills as you maintain and a manager relos with key stakeholders. So, if you have experience in the digital / online realm, have gr8 communication skills and consider yaself the commercially savvy sort, get applying over HERE!
The brand behind the thongs/flip-flops/jandals we all know and Digital Marketing Coordinator (SYD) to work for Aqueo their licensed distributor. This whopper of an opportunity will see one lucky candidate assist the Digi Marketing Manager to develop and execute crazy-cool online marketing campaigns, with a focus across social media platforms. Youll get to work from the old MasterChef premises in Alexandria A.K.A. Aqueos office. Youll get to work with a talented bunch o passionate people and be part of a sweet company culture, that encourages career development and a work lyf balance, baby. If youre into all things digital marketing, social media and vibing work mates, then get to it and shoot ya CV through HERE!
OMD
is one of Australias biggest media agencies with clients including Qantas, Apple, Estee Lauder, Village Roadshow and Tourism Australia just to name a few. This award-winning media agency is all about media strategy, planning and buying and is dedicated to living up to its vision being The Best Place to Work and the Place Producing the Best Work by delivering sharper insights, smarter ideas and stronger results to its clients. The lovely folk at OMD are now on the hunt for a self-motivated individual to join as a Receptionist / Office Assistant (BRIS). To be fit for this role, youll need to be able to bring the friendly n welcoming vibes to clients and visitors at all times of day, before and after cawfee. So, if you consider yourself a team player who is a master of multi-tasking, and oozes enthusiastic energy always, then apply HERE already !
CBF reading the above? See some short n sweet gigs below.
Wanna delve into a doozy of a digital venture? Josephmark is on the search for a Studio Manager (BRIS). If youre the sort who can caj lead a team across two continents, shoot through your CV, HERE!
Froth over getting in front of the camera? Become a Female Fit Model for one of Strayas most influential retailers, General Pants! Go on, apply HERE!
Are ya into interfaces? SO much, that you occasionally (always) analyse them? Get to it, and become a Junior UI Designer for Prime Motive ( MELB )! You can do dat HERE !
Got a ~ passion 4 fashion ~ ? St. Frock are in need of Retail Superstars (SYD) to bring some stellar sales techniques to the Pyrmont boutique. Apply HERE!
Just dont fck up the interview, folks.
All deets courtesy of Pedestrian Jobs.
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Hot, dry weather has resulted in a number of bushfires burning across New South Wales, with firefighters combatting more than fifty blazes across the state. The focus currently is on a reportedly out of control blaze affecting the Port Stephens in the Hunter region, which has burnt 6,500 hectares of land.
Theres been some intense footage and imagery appearing online as firefighters battled the blaze along an 80-kilometre front.
Homes under threat as fire intensifies near Cessnock. Now at Watch and Act status. @1233newcastle for latest info. pic.twitter.com/6PDXn724lf David Marchese (@davidmarchese) November 6, 2016
A pair of 16-year-olds are believed to have sparked a bushfire in the Shoal Bay area in a campsite despite a fire ban. They were detained by locals and have been arrested, but police say there did not appear to be any malicious intent to their actions.
Blazes were being battled over the weekend on the outskirts of Sydneys north and west. The NSW Rural Fire Service have issued a statement on the current situation:
Easing conditions this evening has seen the threat to homes from this fire ease. Residents of Limeburners Creek, Karuah, Swan Bay and Nine Mile Creek should continue to monitor the situation and take advice from firefighters in the area. The threat to North Arm Cove and Carrington has eased and at this point the fire is no longer expected to affect these communities. Overnight, crews will work to identify containment lines and backburning will be undertaken if conditions allow. Temperatures tomorrow are expected to reach the early thirties will north westerly winds returning. This may push the fire towards the communities of Swan Bay and Medowie. The Pacific Highway is now open, however motorists are advised to use caution when driving through the area as firefighters may be working near the road.
Well keep you updated as the situation develops.
Source: ABC Online.
Photo: NSWRFS.
Everyone on the planet has, at one stage or another, met someone completely lacking in tact, manners, brains, or all of the above. Chances are, you couldnt help but think to yourself, Honestly, how did you get this far as an adult? How have you not died from idiocy yet?
22-year-old Aussie university student Eleanor Henry has recently had one of these moments, when she was added to a bizarre group chat on Facebook Messenger.
This group chat was made up of some of her male peers from Melbourne University, and she was horrified to find that the chat was exclusively to host objectifying, sexualising, and misogynistic comments. The entire chat, which she could read back through, was terrifyingly all about her.
The men used to group chat to converse privately about her, seemingly because one of the group was sexually interested in her.
The advice given to the man by his friends includes approaching her with the pickup line, show me where you piss from, and also includes suggestions of bringing her on their holiday to Thailand because the groupneed a bike.
One man also shares Eleanors profile photo, stating underneath hed throw her on that bed.
Eleanor couldnt reply to the conversation (below screenshots show she was either deleted from, or left the group) and so instead, she posted them to Facebook. Her caption read:
Lets all wave hello to my fellow peers at Melbourne University. This is why Ill die a feminist. Its 2016.. Lets get back to that conversation on equality. Oh and for those asking, they accidentally added me to their chat group without realizing [sic] I could read everything prior
See the whole post here:
PEDESTRIAN.TV News Editor Chloe Sargeant spoke to Eleanor, who spoke about how the incident made her feel and whats happened since:
In honesty, to begin with I felt really, really ashamed and I didnt want to do anything. I tell my sister everything and I called her, explaining the situation. Our parents, the all girls school I went to and our friendship circle have taught me to stand up for myself and ultimately fight for womens rights. After speaking with sister (who essentially reminded me of all this) I decided to go ahead and post about it. Ill report the men to university, so I dont have to sit in a class with them. Two of the boys I knew (just from doing the group assignment) sent relatively sincere apologies, but by that point the issue wasnt really about my feelings anymore.. It became more of a mission to spread awareness!
Whilst we talk about equality on a daily basis, it is clear its not permeating even our most educated demographic and I think that has to change.
PREACH.
While its easy to write off actions like this as boys will be boys, we must remind ourselves that constantly excusing misogynist behaviour from anyone simply normalises it, and cultivates it to be a standard that is readily accepted.
Saying oh theyre just being boys, real men dont act like that is common, but reductive these are real men that exist and have families and relationships and walk amongst us everyday. Plenty of real men *do* act like this and receive no consequences to their actions. Regularly.
This type of gross sexism affects women every single day, and has done for a long time. Weve all gotta stand up, say no more, and call this crap out, just like Eleanor has bravely done.
Source: Facebook.
Photo: Eleanor Henry / Facebook.
Chocolate, on a dessert menu? Hardly groundbreaking.
You know what is, though: calling said dish chocolate slut.
Popular Darwin restaurant Pee Wees at the Point has had Chocolate Slut a Belgian dark chocolate marquise with aerated chocolate, chocolate meringue, chocolate macaroon, raspberry gel, white chocolate and raspberry ice cream on its menu for the past 15 years, but recently changed it after a large Sydney client took offence and cancelled its $25,000 function booking.
Owners Simon and Lily Matthews were told the word slut was inappropriate given the topical nature of domestic violence and violence against women, which initially they balked at.
My first impression was that they could get lost, but then I became quite conciliatory towards it and diplomatic and I saw their side of the argument, said Simon. We dont want to be seen as some redneck business that is derogatory towards women.
They changed the desserts name to Fifty Shades of Chocolate but, because this is the Northern Territory, Pee Wees regulars are pissed they can no longer order Chocolate Slut.
Since weve changed it weve had 50 complaints from our local customers saying, wheres the slut? basically.
Has a more amazing sentence ever been spoken?
Source: NT News.
Photo: Supplied.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has partnered with the Australian Governments jobactive website to make sure their ace job search site is on yo radar. Theres over 100,000 positions listed on the site many of em entry level, casual and part time roles that can help get your foot in the door. Every careers gotta start somewhere, so get yours going by heading HERE.
Add job hunting into the mix and the struggle to keep a somewhat-clean online presence becomes harder. Why? Well, your opinion of, That photo isnt tooooo bad, normally doesnt match up with the opinion of who could have been your future boss.
According to CareerBuilders Annual Social Media Recruitment Study in 2015, 52% of employers used the interwebs to screen applicants. With over half of those surveyed saying theyre going Veronica Mars on your butt, itd be best to just ditch social media altogether, right?
WRONG.
More than two in five employers (41%) say they are less likely to interview job candidates if they are unable to find information about that person online, states the report. Additionally, 21% were specifically looking for negative information about a candidate if theyre on the fence about their application. We cant win, can we?
Its not all doom-and-gloom, though, with 60% of em chasing positive reinforcement about someones qualifications + 56% sussing if theyve got a professional persona.
Yep, its a bloody jungle out there, so we chatted to the team behind the jobactive website (obvious authorities on all thangs employment), about what aspects of your online self to whack in the bin (+ what you should swap em out for) across Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
BASICS
Just remember the internet is forever, says the team behind the jobactive website.
You need to be particularly vigilant if your social profiles use your actual name and are related to the email address you use when applying for jobs. Even if you delete that ill-advised Twitter rant you went on, the chances are it has been cached somewhere and it can be found.
Speaking of being found Google yourself. Its a pretty quick way to see what your name is attached to. Also, dont forget to image search your name.
FACEBOOK
What belongs in the bin?
Consider using the nana rule if you wouldnt want your nana to see it or read it, you wouldnt want a potential employer to see it and you probably shouldnt post it. Avoid offensive language and anything that indicates illegal activities.
CareerBuilders survey also further broke down whatll harm your odds of winning a job. While theyre applicable to all forms of social media, theyre particularly relevant to Facebook.
Provocative or inappropriate photographs 46%
Information about candidate drinking or using drugs 40%
Candidate bad-mouthed previous company or fellow employee 34%
Poor communication skills 30%
Discriminatory comments related to race, religion, gender, etc. 29%
If theres anything on your wall that even remotely feels like it could be allotted to the above categories, bin it. BIN IT NOW.
Can good ol Facebook help people get a jay-oh-bee, or just hurt the process?
This really depends on what you post on Facebook and what your privacy settings are. You might feel very passionately about certain topics but not everyone will agree with you. Ranting is fun and you are entitled to your opinion but it could make potential employers question how you would fit in their organisation.
On the flipside, you can use Facebook to join or follow groups and communities aligned with your career goals. Being a part of these networks can open you up to opportunities.
Privacy settings: private / public?
This is a personal choice. You just need to understand that if your profile is not locked down whatever you do online is visible to anyone who wants to see it.
INSTAGRAM
What belongs in the bin?
Deploy the nana rule. Also think beyond the pictures you post to the comments you make. Nobody wants to hire a troll, so avoid being inflammatory or just plain mean on the internet.
Can the Gram bolster your odds of securing a job, or hurt em?
It really depends on what type of job youre trying to get. If it is something in the creative field or in fashion and beauty then Instagram could be a great place to showcase your talent or network with people in the industry.
Privacy settings: private / public?
Theres no harm in having two accounts one private and one public. The public one can be curated to display your best side and the private one can chronicle your not-so-best side..
LINKEDIN
What belongs in the bin?
Keep LinkedIn professional. No weekend updates, no pics from your snowboarding trip to Japan. Treat it as a living, breathing resume.
What should peeps have on their LinkedIn?
A comprehensive job history. If you can score endorsements, thats great. Think about sharing articles on LinkedIn that demonstrate you keep up to date with the happenings in your industry, or join relevant groups. If you are a confident and competent writer, consider blogging to show thought leadership. Add a headshot so that potential employers know you are a real person (PS dont forget to wear business attire).
Profile pic / bio: whats the go?
Your profile pic should show you in professional dress and your bio should be your 30 second elevator pitch about what makes you great.
We hope that thisll help get your digital crap together, beautiful job-seeking humans. If youre chasing more help for getting your foot in the door, then weve got just the thing for ya.
jobactive draws job ads from job sites including CareerOne and Adzuna (which is around 100,000 posts n counting), saving ya the hassle of jumping from site to site. Additionally, jobactives the home of Harvest Trail a harvest job hunting tool that hosts positions year round across Australia. Heck, you can even plan a working vay-cay across the country using the tool.
All this awesomeness and more can be found HERE at the jobactive website.
Photo: Shirlaine Forrest / Getty.
The average price for gas today, Nov. 7, 2016, in the Harrisburg area is $2.37 a gallon - the same as last week, 5 cents higher than a month ago and 9 cents higher than a year ago.
(AP photo, file)
According to GasBuddy.com there is one thing that won't happen with the election of a new president tomorrow.
"If there's one thing to be excited about for November it's that gas prices in the last five of them have not risen nationally. Better yet, over the same timeframe, gas prices nationally have averaged a modest twelve cent decline from start to finish. And while there may be more excitement as America heads to the polls this week, it's important to dispel the myth: presidential elections do not affect gas prices," said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com.
"Whomever is our next Commander-in-Chief, we could see a change to previous energy policy which could have a negligible impact on gasoline prices, but more focus will be on OPEC's coming decision to follow through on cutting oil output. Skepticism that OPEC won't agree to a cut in production continues to prevail, with West Texas Intermediate crude oil closing last week at $44.07 per barrel, the lowest since September 20," DeHaan said.
The average price for gas today in the Harrisburg area is $2.37 a gallon - the same as last week, 5 cents higher than a month ago and 9 cents higher than a year ago.
The average price in Pennsylvania is $2.41 a gallon and the national average is $2.21 a gallon.
The lowest price in the Harrisburg area, according to GasBuddy, is $2.22 a gallon at Highland Mart, 80 Second St. and Eisenhower Boulevard in Highspire.
And, according to AAA, Pennsylvania remains in the top ten states with the most expensive gas. Pennsylvania comes in at No. 9.
Wow air.jpg
Wow Air announced Monday plans to add service to Pittsburgh International Airport. The discount airline is based in Reykjavik, Iceland, and flies to numerous European cities. Wow's Airbus A330 is seen here. (Photo courtesy of Wow Air)
PITTSBURGH -- Travelers can fly nonstop from Pittsburgh International Airport to Rekjavik, Iceland, for just $99 starting in June.
Iceland-based discount airline Wow Air announced Monday plans to add service from Pittsburgh to 15 other cities. Rekjavik is the cheapest option on the list and the only offering nonstop service. Passengers can have a layover there and continue to Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Cork, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, London, Paris and Stockholm with prices starting at $149.99. Tickets to Alicante and Barcelona are currently running at $479.99, and Tenerife at $529.99.
But that price tag isn't the price customers will end up paying.
Additional charges include:
booking changes
large carry-on luggage (greater than about 16x12x9)
checked luggage
seat selection
connecting flights
A passenger looking to travel from Pittsburgh to Rekjavik on Sept. -- the first available date with $99 fares as of Monday afternoon -- with one large carry-on and a personal item, for example, will end up spending a total of $149.98.
That includes the $99 ticket ($71.10 in fare and $27.90 in taxes), $40.99 for the large carry-on and $9.99 for the cheapest available seat. Booking a seat with at least 35 inches of legroom and checking a bag will each tack on $50.99 more to the total.
Pittsburgh will be the sixth U.S. airport serving Wow Air. The discount airline already has established routes to and from San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Boston and Washington, D.C.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports:
To get Wow, the airport authority is offering the airline two years' worth of monetary incentives as well as the usual marketing support and waiver of landing fees. [Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority] declined to divulge how much money is being paid, saying the agreement had yet to be signed.
Wow Air was founded in 2011 by entrepreneur Skuli Mogensen. More than 1.6 million passengers are estimated to travel on Wow planes this year. For comparison, American Airlines last year averaged more than 146 million passengers each month.
This is not the first time a discount airline has expanded its services to Pennsylvania this year. In summer, Allegiant Air added routes from Harrisburg to Myrtle Beach, S.C. Tickets for that trip start at $45.
Icelandair also announced last month it was adding nonstop service between Philadelphia and Rekjavik. Those fares start at $285.90 and include up to two checked bags.
Wayne Minard knew at an early age that he wanted to be a soldier.
He joined the Army when he was 17 after persuading his mother to sign his enlistment papers. His family thought he would go on to build a lifelong career in the military.
But his career as a corporal in North Korea lasted only two years.
Minard was reported missing in action on Nov. 26, 1950, the day after Chinese communist troops attacked United Nations forces and allies near the Ch'ongch'on River in North Korea, according to the Pentagon.
Minard's unit was later ordered to withdraw. The farm boy from rural Kansas, then 19, was never seen or heard from again.
Wayne Minard was 17 when he joined the U.S. Army.
He was taken to a prison camp and starved, Bruce Stubbs, Minard's great-nephew, told The Washington Post.
On Feb. 16, 1951, Army Cpl. Wayne Minard died, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
Now, after 65 years, Minard is finally coming home. His remains will arrive in Wichita on Wednesday.
Minard's loved ones had always thought he would never be found, his great-nephew said.
But the family saw a sliver of hope in spring 2005, when an Army recovery team learned of a North Korea burial site that contained the remains of an American soldier. Scientists had obtained DNA samples from two of Minard's sisters, according to the Pentagon. It would take another 11 years for his remains to be positively identified.
The Pentagon released a statement in September saying that Minard was finally accounted for.
DNA tests also showed that 32 other people, including two soldiers from Minard's unit, had been buried in that site, Stubbs said.
Minard's death haunted his family for decades.
His mother, Bertha, never stopped blaming herself for signing her son's enlistment papers. She died nine months after her son did.
"They say she died of a broken heart," Stubbs said.
According to the Pentagon, Minard "was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, fighting units of the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces (CPVF)" when "enemy forces launched a large-scale attack with heavy artillery and mortar fire" on Nov. 25, 1950.
He reported missing in action the following day.
But his name "did not appear on any POW list provided by the CPVF or the North Korean People's Army," according to the Pentagon. "However two repatriated American prisoners of war reported that Minard died at Hofong Camp, part of Pukchin-Tarigol Camp Cluster, on Feb. 16, 1951."
A military review board "amended Minard's status to deceased in 1951," the Pentagon said.
Stubbs, who was born 14 years after Minard died, knows about his great-uncle only through stories he heard from family members.
Even in war, his great-uncle kept his sense of humor, Stubbs said. After he was shot in the hand during a firefight, Minard wrote to his family and joked that the enemies weren't very good shots.
The Army was going to bring Minard home after he was injured, but he opted to stay with his unit in North Korea.
Minard had a twin brother, Dwayne; the two were the youngest of nine children. They were "good, fun-loving farm kids" who loved playing practical jokes on their father, Stubbs said. They used to set up a bucket of water above the garage door, so the water would fall on their father's head every time he drove the tractor back into the garage.
Minard will be buried with full military honors on Saturday in the unincorporated community of Furley, Kan., where he grew up.
To this day, 7,784 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War, according to the Pentagon.
A sister who lived in California was the only immediate family member who lived long enough to hear about her brother's remains being identified in September. She had long been ill, but when she heard the news, "she opened her eyes for the first time in a long time, and smiled," Stubbs said.
She died shortly after.
"It's bittersweet. We're all very, very happy that he is finally coming home," Stubbs said. "I wish my grandma and his sisters would've been around to see him come home. They never stopped thinking about him. They never stopped agonizing over him."
Chris Christie
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during a forum Monday, Aug. 3, 2015, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
(Jim Cole)
In the weeks since an official misconduct complaint against New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was allowed to proceed, the first guilty verdicts were handed down in the Bridgegate scandal.
The politically motivated lane closures on the George Washington Bridge in 2013 started an avalanche that led to the conviction of two of Christie's aides on Friday.
Bill Baroni and Bridget Anne Kelly could face up to 20 years in prison for their roles in the scandal, which was done in retaliation against the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J. Mark Sokolich had renounced his earlier public support of Christie. The result was a mess that affected motorists throughout the New York City area.
Now some news outlets are calling for the embattled Christie to testify under oath on his role in the scandal.
"Gov. Christie needs to testify before a reconvened Joint Legislative Committee for Bridgegate - which stepped aside so the Feds could expose him as a fraud - and tell the people of his state what he really knew about this low-rent political stunt that torpedoed his career," the Star-Ledger Editorial Board wrote Sunday.
As the New York Post pointed out, the trial itself did little to answer who originated the scheme to begin with.
"The prosecution didn't seem to even try settling the issue," the Post's editorial board wrote. "Fine, that wasn't needed to secure the convictions -- but neither were the assertions that Christie knew more than he's claimed."
But even possible testimony under oath may be enough to save Christie's career.
"Christie's political career was probably over the second he endorsed Trump. Or maybe when he decided to go fully into Trump world as a transparent attempt to curry favor for a potential cabinet post," The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza wrote Sunday. "But the Bridgegate trial seals it: Christie has no future in Republican Party politics.
ClintonTrump
Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump will make their final arguments to Pennsylvania voters today.
Clinton will hold a campaign event at noon Monday at the University of Pittsburgh. PennLive reporters Colin Deppen and Lisa Wardle will share live coverage.
Republican running mate Mike Pence will also be in the state, holding a rally at 4 p.m. Monday at Penn State Behrend in Erie.
Trump will then try to reach millennials and blue-collar workers with a stop at 5:30 p.m. at Lackawanna College Student Union in Scranton.
PennLive reporters Christian Alexandersen and David Wenner will share live coverage at the Trump stop in Scranton.
Clinton will be joined by her husband, daughter, the Obamas, Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. This stop is all about trying to increase turnout among the city voters she needs to win Pennsylvania.
PennLive reporters Julia Hatmaker, Wallace McKelvey and Candy Woodall will share live coverage during Clinton's Philadelphia stop.
These stops are the last of 18 campaign visits since Saturday. Both Clinton and Trump are trying to increase voter turnout as Pennsylvanians prepare to cast their ballots, hoping a win in the commonwealth will give them the state's important 20 electoral votes on their path to the presidency.
The race has narrowed in the last week. Clinton, once ahead by 8 points in the state, now has a 2-point lead in Pennsylvania, according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls.
Polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday. Here's everything you need to know about voting in Pennsylvania:
Janet Reno
In this Tuesday, March 9, 1993, file photo, U.S. Attorney General-designate Janet Reno is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died early Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma, File)
(Barry Thumma)
MIAMI (AP) -- Janet Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, including the seizure of Elian Gonzalez, died early Monday. She was 78.
Reno died from complications of Parkinson's disease, her goddaughter Gabrielle D'Alemberte said. D'Alemberte said Reno spent her final days at home in Miami surrounded by family and friends.
Reno, a former Miami prosecutor who famously told reporters "I don't do spin," served nearly eight years as attorney general under President Bill Clinton, the longest stint in a century.
One of the administration's most recognizable and polarizing figures, Reno faced criticism early in her tenure for the deadly raid on the Branch Davidian compound at Waco, Texas, where sect leader David Koresh and some 80 followers perished.
She was known for deliberating slowly, publicly and in a typically blunt manner. Reno frequently told the public "the buck stops with me," borrowing the mantra from President Harry S. Truman.
After Waco, Reno figured into some of the controversies and scandals that marked the Clinton administration, including Whitewater, Filegate, bungling at the FBI laboratory, Monica Lewinsky, alleged Chinese nuclear spying and questionable campaign financing in the 1996 Clinton-Gore re-election.
In the spring of 2000, Reno enraged her hometown's Cuban-American community when she authorized the armed seizure of 5-year-old Elian. The boy was taken from the Little Havana home of his Miami relatives so he could be returned to his father in Cuba.
After leaving Washington, Reno returned to Florida and made an unsuccessful run for Florida governor in 2002 but lost in a Democratic primary marred by voting problems.
The campaign ended a public career that started amid humble beginnings. Born July 21, 1938, Janet Wood Renowas the daughter of two newspaper reporters and the eldest of four siblings. She grew up on the edge of the Everglades in a cypress and brick homestead built by her mother and returned there after leaving Washington. Her late brother Robert Reno was a longtime columnist for Newsday on Long Island.
After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in chemistry, Reno became one of 16 women in Harvard Law School's Class of 1963. Reno, who stood over 6 feet tall, later said she wanted to become a lawyer "because I didn't want people to tell me what to do."
In 1993, Clinton tapped her to become the first woman to lead the Justice Department after his first two choices -- also women -- were withdrawn because both had hired illegal immigrants as nannies. Reno was 54.
"It's an extraordinary experience, and I hope I do the women of America proud," Reno said after she won confirmation.
Clinton said the vote might be "the only vote I carry 98-0 this year."
A little more than a month of taking office, however, Reno became embroiled in controversy with the raid on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco.
The standoff had started even before Reno was confirmed as attorney general. On Feb. 28, 1993, agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms made a surprise raid on the compound, trying to execute a search warrant. But during the raid gunfire erupted, killing four agents and six members of the religious sect.
That led to a 51-day standoff, ending April 19, 1993, when the complex caught fire and burned to the ground. The government claimed the Davidians committed suicide, shooting themselves and setting the fire. Survivors said the blaze was started by tear gas rounds fired into the compound by government tanks, and that agents shot at some who tried to flee. Reno had authorized the use of the tear gas to end the standoff and later called the day the worst of her life.
"It was a dangerous situation," Reno said of the incident during a 2005 lecture at Duke University. "The tragedy is that we will never know what was the right thing to do."
Things got no easier after Waco. In 1995 Reno was diagnosed with Parkinson's after noticing a trembling in her left hand. She said from the beginning that the diagnosis, which she announced during a weekly news conference, would not impair her job performance. And critics -- both Republicans and Democrats -- did not give her a pass because of it.
Republicans argued she should have sought appointment of an independent counsel to investigate allegations of Clinton-Gore fundraising violations. Democrats, meanwhile, grumbled that she failed to act as a team player.
In early 2000, Reno tried to negotiate the return to Cuba of 5-year-old Elian, who had been rescued after his mother and others drowned trying to boat from Cuba to Florida. He had been placed in the care of a Miami uncle, but his father, who lived in Cuba, wanted him returned to the island.
When Reno decided talks had broken down that April, she ordered an early morning raid by federal agents who seized the boy, provoking the ire of Miami's Cuban-American community. Reno insisted that Elian should be with his father -- she even kept a snapshot of a smiling Elian in his father's arms near her home computer.
Reno said later that federal officials tried until the last minute to negotiate a voluntary handover and avoid the raid -- where Elian was found hiding in a closet and confronted by an agent with a gun.
"We have been to great lengths to resolve this case in the least disruptive manner possible," she said at a news conference following the raid.
As attorney general, Reno was derided by late night talk show hosts for her homely appearance, short wash-and-wear haircut and simple black pumps. Comedian Will Ferrell memorialized her in a "Saturday Night Live" skit called "Janet Reno's Dance Party" and Reno visited the skit the night she left the Justice Department in January 2001.
Reno began her career in Miami in the mid-1960s and had her first encounter with the "glass ceiling," getting passed over for a job at a law firm because she was a woman. She later made partner. In 1972, she lost a race for a Miami-area legislative seat but learned the importance of sticking to her principles from mentor John Orr, a former state lawmaker.
"Don't equivocate, don't pussyfoot, don't talk out of both sides of your mouth and you'll wake up the next morning feeling good about yourself," he told Reno. It became one of her favorite sayings.
After losing that election, Reno was hired by the Dade State Attorney's office, where she established herself as an organized and competent lawyer. In 1978, when State Attorney Richard Gerstein decided to step down, Reno was named his successor.
As prosecutor, Reno built programs to help reform drug dealers and combat domestic violence. Another program strong-armed deadbeat dads into paying child support, inspiring a rap song named after her.
It included the line: "All the money you get, all the checks you make; Janet Reno will make sure and take."
She also weathered a 1980 riot after an all-white jury acquitted five police officers for the beating death of a black insurance salesman. Eighteen people were killed in the rioting and crowds chanted Reno's name, accusing her of being a racist and demanding her resignation. Reno refused.
"To resign was to give into anarchy," she said.
Reno eventually won the support of the city's black community, attending countless community meetings, church services and parades.
Her last foray into politics was the race for Florida governor. Known for being down-to-earth -- her home number was listed in a city directory both before and after Washington -- and even folksy, she crisscrossed the state to campaign in a red Ford Ranger pickup truck. But Reno lost the primary to Tampa lawyer Bill McBride despite her name recognition. Republican Gov. Jeb Bush defeated McBride to win a second term.
After retiring from politics, Reno served on the boards or as an adviser to several organizations. In 2004 she joined the board of the New York-based Innocence Project, which works to free prisoners who can be proven innocent through DNA testing.
She also spent more time with her family. Shy and admittedly awkward, Reno never married but remained extremely close to her tight-knit family.
Asked to describe her legacy after ending her gubernatorial campaign, Reno quoted George Washington: "If I were to write all that down I might be reduced to tears. I would prefer to drift on down the stream of life and let history make the judgment."
Women's Resource Center adapts to meet rising domestic abuse concerns
With many victims unable to reach out during the pandemic, the Women's Resource Center had to find new ways to connect.
James Bonini of Toyota worked with Philabundance director Stacey Behm to help improve efficiency at the groups Berks Street warehouse. Read more
Is it possible to make money and change the world for the better?
The professionals and students at this weekend's Net Impact Conference at the Convention Center came to build on that idealistic premise.
Chad Dickerson, CEO of the online artisan sales site Etsy, talked of offering his 1.2 million vendors the best terms, with the firm taking a modest 3 percent cut of sales and "encouraging the craftspeople to raise their prices."
It'd be hard to find another public company as supportive of women as Etsy, he told moderator Katherine Klein, vice dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. Etsy's board of directors is "50 percent women, which was not easy to achieve." That diversity is also found among executives and staff, he said.
While the mostly youthful conventioneers and 100 exhibitors came from all over, the event focused on local game-changers, including "B-Corps" entrepreneurs like Jay Coen Gilbert and Heather Van Dusen of the Wayne-based B-Lab, which champions "profit and impact" and venture capitalists like RoseAnn Rosenthal and Margaret Berger Bradley of Ben Franklin Technology Partners, which helps poor communities get investment.
Also in the mix were social-change agents Carmen Ferrigno of Saint-Gobain Corp. in Malvern and Mark Alexander of Americas Simple Meals & Beverages, the organic-foods division of Camden-based Campbell Soup Co. that's been growing.
One intriguing case study was shared by James "Jamie" Bonini, vice president of the Toyota Product System Support Center and Stacey Behm of Philabundance, detailing the carmaker's efforts to improve operations of the city's largest hunger relief group.
The project builds on the carmaker's "lean" or "just-in-time" efficiencies and "jidoka" (automation with a human touch) philosophy. (MIT professors spun it as the 1990 classic The Machine That Changed the World.)
Nonprofits dealing in areas like health, hunger relief, disaster recovery, and minority businesses, get the bulk of Toyota's free attention and consulting.
But teams are also available, charging a daily per-diem, for "small to midsized companies that reach out for help," said Bonini, "like Herman Miller." The office-furniture-maker was on the verge of shutting down its slow, unprofitable Zeeland, Mich., factory until Toyota streamlined the operation.
At Philabundance's North Philly warehouse, Behm noted, Toyota's "first priority was improving the environment for our staff, then working on the shop floor, building on the Japanese concept of Kaizen - the mind-set of small changes, big impact." Also promoted was the cause of "customer first."
Philabundance serves 350 agencies and 90,000 individuals a week, and processes 28 million pounds of food a year, Behm said. That includes "10 million pounds rescued from Grocers Against Hunger, with more gleaned from farmers and perishables that come into our port but can't get to market."
Toyota found antiquated processes at the group's Berks Street warehouse, where customers had to call or fax in an order. The phone-tag problem often took two or three days to confirm. "They noticed a lot of boxes on the pallets were damaged, because of the way the orders were being picked and packaged. They asked what challenges our staff was facing, including errors in the orders and duplication of services, with one person picking the order, another person checking it. They dug in and determined we had an inefficient warehousing system with poor signage," corrected by color coding and larger fonts.
Also up for improvement: the worker's mind-set. "We adopted a daily huddle at 12:30 p.m. at both of our warehouses. We have a whiteboard and write things down, talking about errors, safety concerns, ideas about improvement. This is all part of the Toyota Way."
Now the results are easy to see. "We used to finish picking orders at 3 p.m. Now we're done at noon, which gives the staff time to work on special assignments and prep for the next day. It's a huge benefit."
takiffj@phillynews.com
215-854-5960 @JTakiff
Actelion announces positive results of the MERIT study with macitentan in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension
Details Category: Small Molecules Published on Monday, 07 November 2016 09:09 Hits: 2011
Actelion will host an investor conference call and webcast to discuss the MERIT results and provide an update on its cardiovascular pipeline at 14:00 hrs CET
ALLSCHWIL/BASEL, Switzerland November 7, 2016 I Actelion Ltd (SIX: ATLN) today announced that the MERIT study to assess the efficacy, safety and tolerability of macitentan in patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH; Pulmonary hypertension group 4) has met its primary endpoint.
In MERIT, 80 inoperable CTEPH patients were randomized 1:1 to receive either macitentan 10 mg once daily or placebo. After 16 weeks the treatment effect was a significant 16% reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) with macitentan compared with placebo (95% CL: -30%, -1%; p=0.04 intention-to-treat (ITT)). The efficacy observed was consistent across all sub-groups, included patients receiving background PH specific therapy at baseline (61%), including PDE-5 inhibitors (59%). Mean PVR decreased from baseline in both macitentan and placebo groups (geometric mean percent ratios of Week 16/baseline 73.0% and 87.2%, respectively).
The study also showed a significant positive effect of macitentan compared to placebo on exercise capacity. After 24 weeks of treatment, the mean change in 6-minute walk distance (6-MWD) from baseline was an increase of 35 meters (m) in macitentan and 1 m in placebo. The 6-MWD least-squares mean difference at Week 24 was 34.0 meters between macitentan and placebo (95% CL: 2.9, 65.2 m; p=0.03).
Guy Braunstein, Head of Global Clinical Development at Actelion, commented: "Inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is associated with a poor prognosis if left untreated, and additional therapeutic options are needed for these patients who are not candidates for surgery. I am very pleased that the study has shown a significant decrease in PVR with macitentan and by the significant improvement in exercise capacity. I would like to thank everyone who has participated in this study. The company will now fully analyze the data and discuss the findings with health authorities."
The MERIT safety set comprised 80 patients, who received at least one dose of study treatment, 40 patients in each macitentan and placebo groups. All 40 patients in the macitentan group and 34 patients in the placebo group completed the protocol-defined treatment period of 24 weeks. Macitentan was well tolerated in this patient population and safety was in general consistent with the known safety profile for macitentan from previous clinical studies. The most frequently reported adverse events that occurred with higher frequency on macitentan vs. placebo were peripheral edema (22.5% vs. 10.0%) and events related to anemia (17.5% vs. 2.5%). Hemoglobin decreases were observed in both macitentan and placebo groups and in only one subject in each group hemoglobin values decreased below 100 g/L during the study. Three (7.5%) patients on macitentan experienced a serious adverse event compared with seven (17.5%) patients on placebo. No elevations of liver aminotransferases greater than three times the upper limit of normal were observed in the study. All treatment discontinuations occurred in the placebo group. During the course of the study, there were two deaths reported, both in patients receiving placebo.
Full data from this study will be made available through scientific disclosure at an upcoming congress and peer-reviewed publication.
ABOUT CHRONIC THROMBOEMBOLIC PULMONARY HYPERTENSION (CTEPH)
CTEPH is a unique form of pulmonary hypertension caused by chronic obstruction of the pulmonary arteries. The obstructions can result from blood clots that become stuck to the walls of the pulmonary arteries. The lining of the pulmonary arteries then begins to form excess tissue around the clots, transforming them into fibrous scar tissue that is attached to the artery wall. This creates a blockage that restricts the blood flow and increases the blood pressure, causing pulmonary hypertension and chronic stress to the right side of the heart - the heart risks going into failure over time.
Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) remains the preferred treatment for CTEPH. However, certain CTEPH patients are not operative candidates due to the nature of the disease, location of the thrombi or multiple co-morbid conditions. New medical treatment options are therefore needed for the effective management of this patient group.
ABOUT THE MERIT STUDY
MERIT (Macitentan in thE tReatment of Inoperable chronic Thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension) was a Phase II prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multi-center, parallel-group study to assess the efficacy, safety and tolerability of 10 mg macitentan in patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).
In MERIT, 80 inoperable patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio into 2 treatment groups (macitentan 10 mg or placebo) over a 24 week treatment period. The study started in August 2014 and was completed in September 2016. Patients with symptomatic PH in WHO Functional Class (FC) III or IV at baseline were allowed to receive PH background therapy throughout the study, including PDE-5 inhibitors or oral/inhaled prostanoids. All patients included into the study underwent independent operability assessment based on local or central adjudication committees.
After 16 weeks the treatment effect was a significant 16% reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) with macitentan compared with placebo (95% CL: -30%, -1%; p=0.04 intention-to-treat (ITT)). The efficacy observed was consistent across all sub-groups, included patients receiving background PH specific therapy at baseline (61%), including PDE-5 inhibitors (59%). Mean PVR decreased from baseline in both macitentan and placebo groups (geometric mean percent ratios of Week 16/baseline 73.0% and 87.2%, respectively).
The study also showed a significant positive effect of macitentan compared to placebo on exercise capacity. After 24 weeks of treatment, the mean change in 6-minute walk distance (6-MWD) from baseline was an increase of 35 meters (m) in macitentan and 1 m in placebo. The 6-MWD least-squares mean difference at Week 24 was 34.0 meters between macitentan and placebo (95% CL: 2.9, 65.2 m; p=0.03).
Macitentan was well tolerated in this patient population and safety was in general consistent with the known safety profile for macitentan from previous clinical studies. The most frequently reported adverse events that occurred with higher frequency on macitentan vs. placebo were peripheral edema (22.5% vs. 10.0%) and events related to anemia (17.5% vs. 2.5%). Hemoglobin decreases were observed in both macitentan and placebo groups and in only one subject in each group hemoglobin values decreased below 100 g/L during the study.
ABOUT OPSUMIT (MACITENTAN)
Opsumit (macitentan), an orally available endothelin receptor antagonist, resulted from a tailored drug discovery process in Actelion's laboratories.
In the US, Opsumit is indicated for the treatment of PAH, WHO Group I to delay disease progression. Disease progression included: death, initiation of intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous prostanoids, or clinical worsening of PAH (decreased 6-minute walk distance, worsened PAH symptoms and need for additional PAH treatment). Opsumit also reduced hospitalization for PAH.
Effectiveness was established in a long-term study in PAH patients with predominantly WHO FC II-III symptoms treated for an average of 2 years. Patients were treated with Opsumit monotherapy or in combination with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors or inhaled prostanoids. Patients had idiopathic and heritable PAH (57%), PAH caused by connective tissue disorders (31%), and PAH caused by congenital heart disease with repaired shunts (8%).
In Europe, Opsumit is indicated, as monotherapy or in combination, for the long-term treatment of PAH in adult patients of WHO Functional Class (FC) II to III. Efficacy has been shown in a PAH population including idiopathic and heritable PAH, PAH associated with connective tissue disorders, and PAH associated with corrected simple congenital heart disease.
Opsumit is very likely to cause major birth defects. It is contraindicated for use in pregnancy. In the US, Opsumit is distributed under a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy.
AVAILABLE CLINICAL DATA
SERAPHIN, a global, pivotal Phase III study, was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of macitentan in patients with symptomatic PAH, through the primary endpoint of time to first morbidity and all-cause mortality event.
A total of 742 patients were randomized to placebo (n=250), macitentan 3 mg (n=250), or macitentan 10 mg (n=242). The primary endpoint occurred in 46.4%, 38.0%, and 31.4% of the patients in these groups, respectively. The hazard ratio for macitentan 3 mg versus placebo was 0.70 (97.5% CI, 0.52 to 0.96; p=0.0108) and the hazard ratio for macitentan 10 mg versus placebo was 0.55 (97.5% CI, 0.39 to 0.76; p<0.0001). Worsening of pulmonary arterial hypertension was the most frequent primary endpoint event. Patients were allowed to receive PAH background therapy throughout the study, either PDE-5 inhibitors or oral/inhaled prostanoids. The effect of macitentan on the endpoint was observed irrespective of background therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension. The most commonly reported adverse drug reactions with Opsumit were nasopharyngitis (14.0%), headache (13.6%) and anemia (13.2%).
PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION (PAH)
PAH is a chronic, life-threatening disorder characterized by abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries between the heart and lungs of an affected individual. The symptoms of PAH are non-specific and can range from mild breathlessness and fatigue during normal daily activity to symptoms of right heart failure and severe restrictions on exercise capacity and ultimately reduced life expectancy. PAH is one group within the classification of pulmonary hypertension (PH). This group includes idiopathic PAH, heritable PAH and PAH caused by factors which include connective tissue disease, HIV infection and congenital heart disease.
The last decade has seen significant advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of PAH, which has been paralleled with developments of treatment guidelines and new therapies. Drugs targeting the three pathways that have been established in the pathogenesis of PAH are endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs), prostacyclin receptor agonists, and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. PAH treatments have transformed the prognosis for PAH patients from symptomatic improvements in exercise tolerance 10 years ago to delayed disease progression today. Improved disease awareness and evidence-based guidelines developed from randomized controlled clinical trial data have highlighted the need for early intervention, goal-oriented treatment and combination therapy. Learn more at http://www.pahuman.com/
References
Marius M. Hoeper. Pharmacological therapy for patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. European Respiratory Review 2015 24: 272-282
Galie N, et al. 2015 ESC/ERS Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension: The Joint Task Force for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS): Endorsed by: Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC), International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT).Eur Heart J. 2016 Jan 1;37(1):67-119.
Gatzoulis MA, Beghetti M, Landzberg MJ, Galie N. Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease: recent advances and future directions. Int J Cardiol 2014;177:340-7.
Pulido T et al. Macitentan and Morbidity and Mortality in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. N Engl J Med 2013;369:809-18.
Simonneau G, et al. Incident and prevalent cohorts with pulmonary arterial hypertension: insight from SERAPHIN. Eur Respir J. 2015;46:1711-20
Channick RN, et al. Effect of macitentan on hospitalizations: results from the SERAPHIN trial. JACC Heart Fail. 2015;3:1-8
Youssef P, et al. Vachiery JL, Adir Y, Barbera JA et al. Pulmonary hypertension due to left heart diseases. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2013;62:D100-8.
Proceedings of the 5th world symposium on pulmonary hypertension J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013;62(Suppl)
Actelion Ltd.
Actelion Ltd. is a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative drugs for diseases with significant unmet medical needs.
Actelion is a leader in the field of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Our portfolio of PAH treatments covers the spectrum of disease, from WHO Functional Class (FC) II through to FC IV, with oral, inhaled and intravenous medications. Although not available in all countries, Actelion has treatments approved by health authorities for a number of specialist diseases including Type 1 Gaucher disease, Niemann-Pick type C disease, Digital Ulcers in patients suffering from systemic sclerosis, and mycosis fungoides type cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
Founded in late 1997, with now over 2,500 dedicated professionals covering all key markets around the world including Europe, the US, Japan, China, Russia and Mexico, Actelion has its corporate headquarters in Allschwil / Basel, Switzerland.
Actelion shares are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: ATLN) as part of the Swiss blue-chip index SMI (Swiss Market Index SMI). All trademarks are legally protected.
SOURCE: Actelion
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*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*
Over the past eight years it has been glaringly apparent that Republicans are opposed to democracy and their attempts to either obstruct or suppress voting have resulted in several federal court rulings ordering them to stop; to absolutely no effect. Fascist Donald Trumps takeover of the Republican Party has resulted in a blatant new assault on democracy that involves Republican operatives intimidating voters at the polls and stunningly in the voting booth; according to directions from Donald Trump himself.
Now, just three days before the general election, a United States Federal District Court Judge, James Gwin, issued a restraining order forbidding the Donald J. Trump campaign, its racist surrogates, and anti-democracy advocate Roger Stone from engaging in harassing or intimidating conduct at the polls.
Every American should be forced to immediately drop what theyre doing, take a seat, and contemplate that federal court order for just one minute. In the United States of America, an alleged democracy, a federal court has to order one political partys champion and standard bearer, and by extension the entire Republican movement, that they are forbidden from harassing or intimidating voters at the polls. One expects to read about that kind of order from a nation entering into its very first free and fair election after a tyrannical dictatorship like after America invaded Iraq and vanquished Saddam Husseins tyrannical rule, but not from a federal court in America.
Judge Gwin presides over the Ohio Northern District Court and he had little trouble finding and citing comments from Trump surrogates, and actually from the fascist candidate himself, inciting and directing supporters to engage what they what they call ballot security; in America where ever voters ballot is secret. The judges order makes it crystal clear that any Trump supporter or Roger Stone operative who intimidates any voter is violating federal law, as well as his Friday ruling and will be punished accordingly. Silly judge. Violating federal law and court rulings is part and parcel of what it means to be Donald Trump; there is no way a federal law or court order will deter the anti-democracy fascists working for Trump.
As if to punctuate that assertion, the same day the judge issued his ruling, several outlets were reporting a heavily armed man in a Trump campaign shirt handing out Republican voting guides at a polling place in Virginia was intimidating voters. This is less than a week after two armed Trump supporters stalked and intimidated women campaign volunteers for a Democrat (a woman) running for a congressional seat.
Add to those fascist actions, an ardent Trump supporter boasted he was carefully following Donald Trumps orders to go to other districts to keep watch over those voters while they are in the voting booth. The Trump supporter boasted seeking out immigrants, people of color, Syrians and people who cant talk American so he could go stand right up behind them to make them nervous. Federal law already prohibited intimidating or harassing voters, so only a lunatic would believe a federal court order will have a different result.
The judge did not specifically address the fascist Trumps persistent admonishments that his supporters must gather all their friends and take it upon themselves monitor those minority precincts. The judge also failed miserably to condemn Trumps dirty lies and increasingly vocal warning that the election and the country are being stolen because those people are going to walk in and theyre going to vote 10 times. As Dahlia Lithwick at Slate noted, those warnings and assertion-as-fact that those people are going to vote 10 times implicitly deputizes his followers to do something about all that supposed fraud; regardless there is no fraud.
There are many legitimate avenues for Trumps, or any candidates, supporters to be considered legitimate by visiting the local election board and actually signing up to be trained as a volunteer poll watcher. However, that training will not entail learning the most effective means to stake out voting booths in predominately minority precincts with a loaded sidearm, or stalking Mexicans, Syrians, immigrants and people who cant speak American to make them too nervous to walk into the voting booth or mark their ballot because some cretin supporting Trump is literally breathing down their neck.
Even in situations where a poll watcher is adequately trained and credentialed, any attempted influence on or interference with, voters could reasonably be considered to be in violation of federal statutes that prohibit conspiracies to intimidate voters; it is precisely what Trumps ballot security directive to his supporters amounts to a conspiracy to intimidate voters, or in Trump terms election rigging.
Curiously, and frankly illogically, the judge did not extend his order banning Trumps people from harassing and intimidating voters to the Ohio or national Republican Party. Judge Gwin cited a lack of evidence that the Republicans intended to intimidate voters.
That part of the ruling simply defies logic. Seriously. It. Simply. Defies. Logic. But as some Americans may have noticed, logic is a vanishing commodity in 21st Century America and perhaps the Judge did not want to confound single-minded, mouth-breathing and racist conservatives; especially the kind of conservatives who the judge believes actually need a court order to remind them it is against federal law to intimidate voters and to ban them from intimidating mostly minority voters at polling places in mostly minority precincts.
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In Florida on Sunday, President Obama launched an all-out assault on the recent news that Donald Trumps campaign took away his Twitter privileges for the final two days of the campaign.
Obama said that if Trump cant be trusted on a social media outlet, the American people shouldnt give him the enormous power of the presidency.
Video:
Obama said:
Apparently, [Trumps] campaign has taken away his Twitter. In the last two days, they had so little confidence in his self-control, they said, Were just gonna take away your twitter. Now, if somebody cant handle a Twitter account, they cant handle the nuclear codes. If somebody starts tweeting at three in the morning because SNL made fun of you, then you cant handle the nuclear codes.
The president wasnt done with Trump, though. He also went after the Republican nominees blatant lie that Obama shouted down a Trump supporter during a recent rally for Hillary Clinton.
Video:
.@POTUS critiques Trump for misrepresenting protester incident: He wasnt even trying to be sneaky about it. https://t.co/O43F6gSYTa ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 6, 2016
Obama said that Trump didnt just make it up, but said the exactly opposite of what had happened with impunity. The president added: There was tape, there was a video The point is he thought it was okay just to lie in front of all his supporters on television. He wasnt even trying to be sneaky about it.
As the campaign reaches its conclusion, Obama is showing no signs of letting up on Trump and he seems to be enjoying himself in the process. The president is once again proving to be the most effective messenger when it comes to laying out why Donald Trump is simply unfit to be president.
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A state that was once thought to be safely in the Trump column is now in play in the Politicus Presidential Projection Map for November 6, 2016.
The baseline map:
Democrats are still set to begin election night favored to win 258 electoral votes. There is no sign that Trump is in a position to spring an upset in any of state the upper part of Hillary Clintons blue wall. Clinton remains solid in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Some have been misreading the Clinton campaigns stops in Pennsylvania as a sign of danger for Democrats, but the strategy is to provide Donald Trump with no opening for an upset. The Hillary Clinton campaign isnt taking anything for granted which is why they are spending so much time in a state like Pennsylvania. The baseline map heavily favors the Democrats, and absolutely nothing has changed.
Here is the best case scenario currently for Donald Trump:
Trumps best case scenario is also unchanged. Even if Trump wins Florida, New Hampshire, Ohio, Iowa, Utah, Arizona, and Georgia, he will still lose the election to Hillary Clinton 290-247. The problem with the Trump campaign is that they seem to have no strategy for what blue states they are trying to flip. For instance, Trump was in Minnesota on Sunday. Donald Trump has little chance of winning Minnesota. Trump was campaigning in Nevada on Saturday, even after early voting suggests the state is already locked up for Hillary Clinton. Trump has done nothing to expand the map, and he needs the polling to all be wrong to have a path to the White House. Even in his best case scenario, Trump loses.
A new poll of Ohio makes the best case scenario for Clinton a little more plausible:
This is the scenario where everything breaks Hillary Clintons way on election night. Early voting powers Hillary Clinton to wins in North Carolina, Nevada, and Florida. A new Columbus Dispatch poll shows Hillary Clinton up by a point in the Buckeye State. If Clinton wins Ohio, Florida, Nevada, and North Carolina, along with holding the blue wall, she will be in line to top President Obamas electoral vote total of 332 in 2012. Obamas electoral vote total of 365 in 2008 seems out of reach for Clinton. The best case scenario map for Clinton has her finishing with 355 electoral college votes.
Here is how important Ohio is. Hillary Clinton could lose every other swing state and still win the election if she wins Ohio:
The most likely scenario for election day is:
The most likely scenario is that Hillary Clinton wins North Carolina and Nevada while keeping the Democratic blue states in her column. An Ohio win for Clinton along with holding on to the Democratic states would mean an election victory, even if she loses every other swing state. She seems to have Nevada locked up, so she isnt going to lose every other swing state. Even some Republican pollsters are conceding that Clinton will win Florida.
A wild swing in turnout could change the election but based on what is known, and who has already voted, Hillary Clintons likely electoral college vote total is in the range of 290-320, with a ceiling to go much higher.
Note: These projections take into account polling averages, early voting statistics, and current polls. They are subject to change and will be updated daily through election day.
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FBI Director James Comey tried to clean up the mess caused by his first letter by issuing a new letter that has once again cleared Hillary Clinton of any crimes related to her use of private email. The letter comes on what is nearly election eve and amounts to a final kick in the teeth for the downtrodden and desperate Republican Party.
Here is the letter:
New Comey letter: FBI has not changed its conclusion regarding Clinton use of personal email server pic.twitter.com/IdKT1gweMf Jim Acosta (@Acosta) November 6, 2016
Comey wrote:
The Republican Partys so-called election changer has crashed and burned, as FBI Director Comey once again cleared Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton of any crimes related to her use of a private email server and handling of classified information.
If Republicans get their way, this may not be the last time that the FBI has to clear Clinton of any wrongdoing related to her emails. Republicans are planning on continuing their investigations into Clinton if she wins the election on Tuesday.
What was supposed to be the shocker that hand Donald Trump the White House has turned into a potential investigation of the FBIs investigation if Democrats win a majority in the US Senate.
It has all fallen apart for Republicans in a little more than a week.
The FBI still interfered in a presidential election. An investigation is almost certainly coming, but the immediate impact of this news is that whatever tiny ember of hope Trump had left of the emails powering him to victory has been extinguished by another letter from FBI Director James Comey.
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Just days after Donald Trumps campaign expressed phony outrage over the lyrics Jay Z sang at a Hillary Clinton event in Cleveland, Ted Nugent took the stage at a Trump rally in Michigan and grabbed his private parts.
Video:
Nugent: Ive got your blue state right here, baby.#Trump rallies are just as crude & disgusting as you might expect at this point. pic.twitter.com/lTRl9Wiv26 Correct The Record (@CorrectRecord) November 6, 2016
Ive got your blue state right here, baby, Nugent said while inappropriately groping himself onstage. Black and blue!
Trump appeared soon after Nugent, not mentioning his gesture but repeating the new line that his rallies dont need guitars to draw crowds. The only problem? Nugent had spent the previous half hour playing music, with a guitar, for the audience.
Theres no guitar to draw a crowd for his rallies, Trump says, minutes after Ted Nugent played his guitar for a half hour or so. Nicole Hemmer (@pastpunditry) November 7, 2016
The Nugent appearance with Trump highlighted by the rockers self-groping is not likely to help him win Michigan, a state where he is already likely to lose anyway. Its especially not beneficial for a Republican nominee who is trying to avoid any grope-related discussions.
Still, we shouldnt have expected Trump to close out his campaign in any other way.
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Things are getting ugly in Trump Land as some supporters are outraged that Trump is running more than two hours late after scheduling five rallies for Sunday and not being on time.
Jenna Johnson of The Washington Post tweeted:
We just landed in Pittsburgh, were a woman is nearly in tears: "Don't schedule five rallies in a day if you can't make them all." pic.twitter.com/k3vU4JFEAQ Jenna Johnson (@wpjenna) November 7, 2016
Other Trump supporters are telling reporters not to interview this woman. "She's a plant!" one woman shouts. Another: "Traitor!" https://t.co/j2A1wfk6J3 Jenna Johnson (@wpjenna) November 7, 2016
If Donald Trump cant even show up on time for his own campaign events, it doesnt bode well for how he will run the country.
The worst part of this story isnt that Trump was late for the rally in Pittsburgh. Its that Pittsburgh was the fourth stop in a five rally day. There is a crowd in Virginia that was supposed to be addressed by Trump at 9:30 ET, which was when he was getting close to landing in Pittsburgh.
Trump cant even manage a busy schedule on the campaign trail, which is why he cant be trusted to manage the affairs of the United States of America.
Donald Trump is ending his campaign on such a disastrous note that even his own supporters are enraged to the point of tears.
If this is what qualifies as making America great, heres hoping the voters say no thanks on Tuesday.
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Fox Newss poll released on election eve shows support for Hillary Clinton doubling in three days to four points 48%-44%) over Donald Trump.
The Fox News Poll suggests that the election day results could mirror 2012:
Clinton is now winning among women by 12 points (52-40 percent), blacks by 85 (89-4 percent), Hispanics by 33 (63-30 percent), and voters under 30 by 16 (51-35 percent).That level of support is close to that of Barack Obamas winning coalition against Mitt Romney in 2012, when he won among women by 11 points (55-44 percent), blacks by 87 (93-6 percent), Hispanics by 44 (71-27 percent), and young voters by 23 (60-37 percent).
Trump is favored among men by 5 points (48-43 percent), whites by 17 (54-37 percent), white evangelical Christians by 63 (78-15 percent), and whites without a college degree by 31 (61-30 percent). That nearly matches Romneys performance. He won men by 7 points (52-45 percent), whites by 20 (59-39 percent), white evangelicals by 57 (78-21 percent), and whites without a degree by 26 (62-36 percent).
The Fox News polling has been a bit more generous to the Republican cause, but the findings in this poll match two other national polls that were released on Sunday. There appears not to be a hidden Trump vote, but one element that could through the popular vote totals off is the skyrocketing participation level among Latino voters. National polling has consistently under-represented the Latino vote. If Hillary Clintons popular vote margin ends up being larger than four points, the massive Latino turnout for her will be a big reason why.
As far as Trump is concerned, it is difficult to see how he goes beyond his ceiling of 42%-44% of the national vote. Trump has been stuck at the same level of support for his entire campaign, and to believe that this is going to change overnight is to buy into a fantasy.
Polling being within the margin of error, such as these national polls are, means that the Clinton/Trump contest could be a tie, or Clinton could be leading by as many as eight points. The two likely popular vote scenarios for Democrats remain a replay of 2012 ( a 4 point Obama win) or a replay of 2008 (a 7 point Obama win).
Even Fox News cant find a way to spin the polling into a win for Trump on election eve.
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Republican strategist and commentator Ana Navarro voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton, saying that Florida is too close for her to cast a symbolic protest vote. She said she voted AGAINST Trump, and FOR Hillary.
FL is too close for me to cast a symbolic protest vote. I voted AGAINST Trump, and FOR Hillary. Here I explain why: https://t.co/yg79sOaDfr Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) November 7, 2016
In an opinion piece for CNN, Navarro wrote of her struggle that she didnt want to do this but, I had hoped that a week before the election, Trump would be losing Florida by a large enough margin that my vote wouldnt matter. But darn it, my home state is too close to call. Florida could be the decisive state (again) as to who ultimately becomes the next president of the United States. I thought back to the 2000 election, which was decided by 537 votes in Florida. I thought about how I would feel if the same thing happened in 2016. I thought and I thought and I thought.
Then I cast my vote for Hillary Clinton. Let me rephrase that. I cast my vote against Donald Trump. I did it without joy or enthusiasm. I did it out of civic duty and love for our country.
Navarro, who was the national Hispanic campaign chairwoman for Senator John McCain in 2008 and was supporting Jeb Bushs candidacy for 2016, listed her many reasons for voting against the Republican nominee, among them the way he speaks about immigrants and trashed Republican Senator John McCain and a Gold Star family. She wrote about Trump bragging about sexual assault. She included Trumps attacks on the free press and freedom of expression, and Trump supporters so often hurling anti-Semitic insults at the press.
Navarro listed many reasons why she thinks Hillary Clinton has demonstrated poor judgment, but says that she is more concerned about Donald Trumps bad character.
I worry that Trump brings out the worst in America. Division. Hostility. Racism. Bigotry. Misogyny. Things we used to hide, Navarro wrote in CNN. Feelings we used to try to overcome. Under the guise of not cowing to political correctness, some people are no longer embarrassed or ashamed to show the warts on their souls.
She wrote that the president has to lift us up and serve as a role model. A person supported by the Ku Klux Klan and its former Grand Wizard David Duke can never represent me. He can never be a role model for me.
In closing, Navarro made a chilling case that we each have a right and a duty to make a personal choice based on those things that are most important to us, that we value most. My conscience compels me to do every little thing I can to make sure a bad person is not our next president One vote is our right. One vote is our weapon. I am exercising mine against Donald Trump.
It has to be so difficult for Republicans who dont support their partys nominee to break with their party in order to follow their conscience. History will hopefully be kind to them, but certainly their professional reputations should be elevated as they try to lead their party to put principle and country ahead of party.
Republicans like Ana Navarro give us hope that our country is not lost, and that Republicans and Democrats can work together to shut down hate. Its okay to disagree on ideology, while standing firmly together bracing against division and intolerance.
Its called patriotism.
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Speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania Donald Trump ratcheted up the fear of the other among his largely white audience. Where there is a perception that white privilege is threatened and thats Trumps message you can be sure fear will flow in direct proportion to Trumps lies. And he lied a lot:
Her plan will import generations of terrorism, extremism, and radicalism into your schools and throughout your communities. When Im elected president, we will suspend the Syrian refugee program.
And we will keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country. I can tell you that. We will keep them out. We have enough problems, folks. We have enough problems. We have plenty of problems, we dont need these. Here in Pennsylvania, youve seen firsthand the problems caused by refugee programs with large numbers of poorly vetted refugees coming into your state without your knowledge, support or approval.
A Trump administration will not admit any refugees without the support of the local community where they are being placed. Its about time that people know. You have people being brought into your community, nobody knows who they are. Even your governors and your top politicians arent told. Were gonna change that. And we will pause admissions from terror prone regions until a full security assessment has been performed and until a proven vetting mechanism has been established.
We only want to admit those into this nation who will support our country and love our people.
According to the Toronto Stars Daniel Dale, who has been tracking all Trumps lies, Trump has, up until Friday, told 68 lies about Clintons policies and 34 about refugees/immigration, and the claims used in Pennsylvania have been used repeatedly elsewhere.
These fall into a standard trope: Thousands of refugees are being admitted with no way to screen them (Oct 5); Hundreds of thousands of people coming in from Syria when we know nothing about them (Oct 9); We have no idea who they are, where they come from (Oct 15); and more of the same.
After last night, you can add more of the same to the list.
The no vetting was introduced during a speech in Manchester, New Hampshire on June 13 and PolitiFact quickly jumped on it, calling it False. As PolitiFact explained,
While there are concerns about information gaps, a system does exist and has existed since 1980. It involves multiple federal intelligence and security agencies as well as the United Nations. Refugee vetting typically takes one to two years and includes numerous rounds of security checks.
It does not take much imagination to suppose Trumps vetting process would take something on the order ofeternity, meaning no Syrian refugees admitted ever.
Trumps lie that Clinton would bring in thousands of refugees also ran into a fact checking buzzsaw as PolitiFact ruled his claim that, Hillary Clintons plan would bring in 620,000 refugees in her first term, alone, with no effective way to screen or vet them was False. You know, because Clinton never said that.
Trump also played on fears that Muslims dont assimilate you know because theyre not like the us (meaning Trumps largely white audiences) but Pew Research Center says Muslim Americans appear to be highly assimilated.
Of course, Trump wants his audiences to believe these refugees are terrorists strapping young men willing to go on shooting rampages when in fact most of them are women and children.
As for not knowing where they go, the Philadelphia Inquirer fact-checked this Trump claim last November and pointed out that Trump is wrong to point the finger at the government:
Donald Trump suggested the government steers Syrian refugees to states with Republican governors. But nongovernmental agencies, such as World Relief and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, place the refugees, not the government, and those decisions are based on family ties, employment and other factors, not politics.
In fact, as a look at refugees by The Atlantic found, and this was true wherever they looked, refugees embraced their new community and their community embraced them sounding, in fact, a lot more like Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump when they said things like We embrace each other or They make our community stronger.
In fact, you begin to wonder if the people who arent assimilated are Trumps base and it is certainly arguable whether Trumps supporters love our people. If there is love in Trumps words or their responses, I cant find them.
Trump has again made up a new reality having nothing to do with that the rest of us inhabit, and sown fear where none belongs, agitating the white supremacist audience he says he has no time for, and whose support he claims to reject.
This is Trump keeping on message folks, taking his hate and fear right down the stretch to the polling places where, in many places, his armed supporters will be waiting to make sure you cast the right vote.
Charleston, SC (29403)
Today
Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..
Tonight
Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Because of all the noise around the races for president, Congress and the state Legislature, you may have missed an item on the Minnesota ballot that asks voters to make a change to the state constitution.
Voters will decide whether to revise the way state lawmaker pay is set:
"Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to remove state lawmakers' power to set their own salaries, and instead establish an independent, citizens-only council to prescribe salaries of lawmakers?"
Don't worry, you're not alone if you don't know much about how the proposed amendment would work or why it's on the ballot in the first place. Here's a refresher.
What would the amendment do?
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It would set up a 16-member council to determine legislative salaries every two years keeping it the same, raising it or lowering it. In doing so, it would alter the current practice of leaving that decision up to the Legislature and governor to set pay. Now, any change in pay takes effect after the following election.
How much do state legislators get paid?
Rank-and-file legislators earn $31,140 per year, with caucus leaders getting a slight supplement for their extra duties. But lawmakers also can collect daily expenses allowances when in session $86 per day in the Senate and $66 per day in the House as well as housing and technology allowances. Minnesota's Legislature is considered part time so many lawmakers hold down other jobs.
How does that compare to other states?
Minnesota ranks 19th of the 39 states where lawmakers earn an annual salary, according to a survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
California lawmakers have the largest salaries at $100,113. Among Minnesota's neighbors, Wisconsin legislators earn $50,950, Iowa legislators have a $25,000 base pay and South Dakota legislators get $6,000 per session. North Dakota legislators are paid a daily rate.
When was the last time they got a raise?
Salaries have been static since 1999, leading some to worry low pay is pricing out some potential candidates for public office. Advisory councils have recommended pay increases as recently as 2013. But lawmakers either have done nothing or have failed to get a pay-increase bill to the governor's desk.
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Who would sit on that council and how would they be chosen?
Half of the 16 members would be chosen by the governor and half would be selected by the Supreme Court chief justice. They would come from each of the state's congressional districts. Membership would be equally divided between the two dominant political parties the DFL and Republican Parties in this case. Appointees could not be current or past lawmakers, registered lobbyists, employees of the Legislature, current or former judges, anyone who has held a statewide constitutional office or someone who is the spouse of a sitting lawmaker.
What's the argument against the amendment?
People opposed to the measure say raising legislator pay should be difficult and the decision-makers should be accountable to voters. The citizens' council would not be publicly accountable, which might make it politically easier to increase salaries. Other foes say they're uncomfortable with a council made up of prescribed partisan appointees.
So does a simple majority decide this?
Yes, but there's a hitch. It must be a simple majority of everyone voting in the election. That means people who skip the question are counted as having voted "no."
MINNEAPOLIS With Election Day looming, Donald Trump tried to do what 10 Republican presidential candidates have failed to accomplish: Win Minnesota.
In an hour-long rally Sunday at a Minneapolis-St. Paul airport hangar, the Republican nominee said he is sure he can do it.
"They all say on television, why is he going to Minnesota? So far in two years, I've been right and they've been wrong," Trump said, his eponymous-branded plane glittering behind him. "I love Minnesota."
For Trump and his supporters in Minnesota a mixture of longtime Republicans, independents and people who don't usually care about politics the massive rally before thousands of excited supporters was proof he could win Minnesota and the presidency.
"He's going to take Florida and Michigan, and I think he's going to take Minnesota with his stop here today," said Ryan Hoglund, a 17-year-old Plymouth resident whose inability to vote Tuesday didn't lessen his enthusiasm for Trump.
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But Democrats said Trump's visit two days before Election Day was a sign he didn't understand Minnesota or what it takes to campaign.
"If Donald Trump had spent time in Minnesota before today he would know Minnesotans don't want anything to do with his dangerous and divisive vision for America," said state Sen.Kari Dziedzic, DFL-Minneapolis.
Democrats also said the rally could backfire by firing up the DFL base and pulling thousands of Trump's biggest supporters away from vital get-out-the-vote work two days before the election.
"Any time you've got a volunteer at a rally, they're not working to turn out your voters," said Katharine Tinucci, who managed Mark Dayton's 2014 gubernatorial campaign. "I question the value of taking people off the volunteer work of (get out the vote)."
During the Trump speech alone, the DFL claims its volunteers knocked on 40,000 doors in Minnesota.
'Faulty refugee vetting'
Trump's 40-minute speech repeatedly made references to Minnesota and especially the state's roughly 25,000 refugees from Somalia. He called that "a disaster taking place in Minnesota."
"Here in Minnesota you've seen firsthand the problems with faulty refugee vetting," Trump said.
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He said it was "stupid" to bring in refugees who are not properly vetted and referenced the St. Cloud mall stabbing in September. Dahir Adan, the suspect in the stabbing of 10 people, moved to Minnesota from Kenya when he was two and had Islamic State sympathies, according to reports.
Under a Trump administration, the Republican nominee promised, we "will not bring in any refugees without the support of the local community."
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin, in a statement, said that Trump's discussion of Somali refugees was "hateful and bigoted" and that Minnesota "has always welcomed those that have come seeking a better life for themselves and their families."
Although much of the speech was standard Trump fare, he littered the speech with Minnesota references, noting that he won a mock presidential election among Minnesota high schoolers, quoting Dayton on the "no longer affordable" Affordable Care Act and mocking Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for not showing up in the state in the final days of the election.
"Minnesota has really been hurt, so I say, what the hell do you want to put these same people back in office for?" Trump said.
Big crowd
The venue had space for about 9,000 people. With long lines at security and difficult parking, many of the more than 17,000 people who filled out a form for tickets did not get in.
Trump opened his speech by highlighting that fact.
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"Who are the geniuses that set this up?" the Republican candidate said in a dig at his own staff.
Though a few audience members complained about a spotty sound system, most said Trump's speech and the huge crowd that turned out for it were inspiring.
"You feel a sincerity from him that you can't get on the television, and the energy here is palpable," said Roxanne Hable, a 54-year-old resident of Hudson, Wis. "I was a Trump supporter going in and an even stronger Trump supporter going out."
Like Hable, former U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann predicted that Trump would win Minnesota.
"Minnesota will be the land of 10,000 miracles," Bachmann said in a warm-up speech shouted in the echoing airplane hanger.
'Lock her up'
Bachmann also set up a huge cheer of "Lock her up" when she repeated Trump supporters' mantra of "Hillary for prison."
Although Trump said that if Clinton wins, she will be investigated for years, gone from the speech were the repeated mentions of Clinton's email issues. As Trump was flying from Iowa to Minnesota on Sunday, FBI Director James Comey told Congress that a recent review of new emails won't change the agency's July decision to not prosecute Clinton over how she handled classified information.
Trump made no reference to the news, and if audience members knew, it didn't dampen their repeated "Lock her up" chants.
Bob Krippner, a Hastings resident, wore a "Hillary For Prison" T-shirt and an empty gun holster on his belt to the rally. He said a Trump presidency is "the only way we're going to get our country back on track."
Mayo Clinicis shaking things up a bit by merging two departments into one.
In August, Mayo Clinic created the Business Development Department.This new entity is a mix of Mayo Clinic Venturesand the Office of Business Development.
"The decision to combine these two areas is a part of the effort to guide and advance Mayo Clinic's strategic growth initiatives," according to Mayo Clinic Public Affairs.
The Business Development department will oversee Mayo Clinic's partnerships, pursue new business opportunities and work to advance medical technology with Mayo Clinic entrepreneurs.
Jim Rogers, the former chair of Mayo Clinic Ventures, was named the leader of the new Business Development Department last week.
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He will report to Mayo Clinic Chief Administrative Officer Jeff Bolton. As chair, Rogers will share the leadership duties of the department with Dr. Clark Otley, who has been named as the medical director of the new office.
Rogers will lead the teams who work with physicians, scientists and administrators on business development and commercialization projects.
Rogers has been in charge of Mayo Ventures since 2012, when he took over for Steve Van Nurden. Mayo Ventures managed intellectual property through licensing and other means, while also helping launch companies such as imaging device maker Resoundant.
A Rochester man was injured Saturday when his vehicle collided with the rear-end of a semi-trailer.
According to a Minnesota State Patrol report, 24-year-old Bradley Mullenbach, of Rochester, was northbound on U.S. Highway 52 near Zumbrota when his vehicle crashed into the back of a semi truck and trailer.
The truck and trailer was also headed northbound on Highway 52, with its hazard lights on, the state patrol report said.
Mullenbach was transported to Mayo Clinic Hospital - Saint Marys Campus. He was in fair condition Sunday, according to a clinic spokesperson.
The Goodhue County Sheriffs Office assisted the state patrol at the scene.
MINNEAPOLIS A Minnesota man who claims he was defamed after the 2012 killing of a police officer is taking his lawsuit against two news outlets to trial.
Ryan Larson, 38, alleges that Gannett Co. and two of its news outlets, KARE-TV and the St. Cloud Times, damaged his reputation when they published statements implicating him in the killing of Cold Spring officer Tom Decker. Larson had been arrested on suspicion of murder but was released without charges.
The news organizations have argued their reporting is protected because it was based on public information provided by law enforcement.
The trial, which starts Monday, centers on the "fair report privilege," which protects news outlets against defamation claims when their reporting is a substantially accurate account of a government record or proceeding even if that government record turns out to be wrong.
"This is a big deal in terms of how the courts will interpret the boundaries of the privilege and how strongly its protection should be applied," said Mark Anfinson, a Minneapolis attorney who helped defend the news outlets in the early stages but is no longer directly involved. "There's certainly a lot of anxiety and uncertainty."
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Decker, a 31-year-old father of four, was fatally shot Nov. 29, 2012, behind a bar in downtown Cold Spring, a small community about 65 miles northwest of Minneapolis. He was going to check on Larson, who lived above the bar and was reported to be possibly suicidal, when he was shot in what authorities described as an ambush.
Authorities announced the next day that Larson had been arrested on suspicion of murder, but said they were still investigating. He was released without being charged.
In January, a man who'd been questioned in Decker's death, Eric Thomes, killed himself as authorities were trying to re-interview him. They later said they would have had enough evidence to arrest him.
In his lawsuit, Larson contends that specific statements broadcast on KARE-TV and published in the St. Cloud Times were defamatory, some recklessly so, including one that said "Police say" Larson ambushed Decker, shot and killed him.
Larson's attorney, Stephen Fiebiger, wrote in court documents that authorities did not say that Larson ambushed or killed Decker.
"Defendants' reporters did more than report facts from law enforcement," Fiebiger wrote. "They invented their own version of the facts that fit with the story they wanted to broadcast and publish about Larson."
Attorneys for the news outlets say Larson can't show there was actual malice or negligence and that the statements in question are substantially accurate because the "gist or sting is true." They also say the journalists based their statements on the totality of information gathered from a news conference, a news release, jail log and other documents.
"Here, any injury to Plaintiff was caused by his arrest on murder charges and law enforcement's decision to publicly announce that fact ... to the entire world at a televised press conference and in a press release," the defense attorneys wrote. "None of the allegedly defamatory statements could have added significantly to Plaintiff's harm."
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Hennepin County Judge Susan Burke allowed the case to proceed earlier this year, saying some, but not all, statements made by law enforcement, such as Larson's arrest, fell under the fair report privilege. However, she ruled, even if all of the statements were privileged, there's still a question of whether the reporting was fair and accurate.
Larson, who moved away from Cold Spring, is seeking more than $50,000 in damages. He reached undisclosed settlements in earlier defamation claims against KSTP-TV, KSTC-TV, and WCCO television and radio. He's also suing the city of Sauk Rapids and a police sergeant who posted comments about him on the Officer Down Memorial Page.
ST. PAUL The St. Paul school district has proposed moving most middle and high schools to an 8:30 a.m. start time, after shelving a time change last year.
The current plan has a $2.4 million price tag, which would add to an existing district deficit. The cost comes from adding buses so that elementary students aren't being transported before 7 a.m.
Opponents of the change said additional costs for families who need child care in the morning, as well as the afternoon, could become a burden. The costs would be an ever bigger burden on the 70 percent of low-income students. Elementary schools would start at either 7:45 a.m. or 9:30 a.m.
Parent of a second- and fourth-grader, Deepa Nirmal said she would have to pay for care "at both ends" if the school times change.
"There's just no way we could do an 8:45 bus drop-off, so we'd have to pay for someone to care for them before school ... if school ended at 4, if they did ride the bus they'd get home about 4:35 or 4:40, which is too early for me to make it back home, or for my husband to make it back home," Nirmal said.
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Supporters of moving high school and middle school start times cite research that shows teenagers are biologically programmed to fall asleep and wake later than younger children.
"I have a hard time waking up, and so my brain usually doesn't start working until about 8, 8:30," Highland Park senior Davina Newman said.
On the other side, a 1998 report on schools in Minneapolis showed there were negative effects on elementary school student learning when their start times were as late as 9:40 a.m.
The St. Paul school board is expected to vote on the plan Nov. 15. If the changes are approved, new start times could begin in the 2018-2019 school year.
COTTAGE GROVE A herd of 20 goats is grazing on invasive plants at Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park for a week or two, kicking off Washington County's efforts to use a nonchemical approach to a buckthorn infestation.
Jake Langeslag, who owns Faribault-based goat Dispatch, and herd manager Jarett Spitzack released the goats on the north end of the park last week.
Langeslag, who started his company more than four years ago, said he was initially surprised how well they ate the plants. He has increased his goat count from six to 120, tackling up to 50 projects a year.
The goats work as a group to lower branches and eat the plant's leaves, reducing the strength of the plant and later killing it. When the goats are full, they congregate in the sun to digest and rehydrate before continuing their work. Goats eat 3 percent to 5 percent of their body weight daily.
"The nice thing about goats is that we don't have to worry about rain, weather conditions, wind and all that type of stuff," said the county's natural resource coordinator Dan MacSwain.
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The practice isn't new to the region.
Goats were used to eat buckthorn at Pine Bend Refinery in Rosemount in 2013. The next year, they chomped on goldenrod at Pilot Knob hill, a historic site in Mendota Heights.
According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, buckthorn is a shrub that can reach 25 feet and sprouts its leaves earlier than native plants in the spring, making it difficult for native plants to receive enough light and water.
If county parks officials see the goats improve the buckthorn infestation, they may consider using the service long-term. MacSwain said the county also will continue using hand tools and some chemicals to fight the infestation.
The new turn in the food truck discussion isn't too surprising.
The results of prolonged Rochester City Council debate in in the spring left the ordinance a bit undercooked. The delays ended with prohibitive fees and constraints that failed to cater to the potential demand.
It's not a surprise that the feared stampede of food trucks never arrived in downtown Rochester. Instead, a couple of pioneers ventured into the market with seemingly mixed success. Hoards of restaurant customers didn't flee downtown eateries, but increased interest in street-side fare was seen.
The two owners of city permits for Rochester's downtown have said they want more flexibility and would welcome increased competition. Residents and visitors would also welcome the added culinary options.
We're glad to see the city council bring new ideas and a willingness to the discussion as the first downtown food-truck season comes to a close. We're especially intrigued with the idea of moving the late-night zone to First Avenue Southwest and potentially closing it to traffic at night.
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While some have questioned the logic behind the move, we'd note it's not unprecedented. A large portion of First Avenue is closed weekly for Thursday's on First and Third during summer months, and downtown streets are occasionally blocked for other events, including business-sponsored block parties and community gatherings.
Closing a portion of the street on Friday and Saturday nights shouldn't add a burden, as long as the closings are well marked. Making it a regular event would let residents know what to expect.
We noted in April that flexibility will be the key to success for food trucks, their customers and the city. The original ordinance changes to allow food trucks downtown weren't flexible enough, so it's time to add options and try new things.
As Monday's council conversation proves, changes can be reconsidered if the results fail to meet needs or expectations.
With that knowledge, we encourage the council to consider bold changes in the coming months. Close a street and open other options. Reduce the burdensome costs, and increase the possibilities.
Whatever steps the council takes, they should make them as early as possible, so potential food-truck operators can understand the rules and create viable business plans around them. We realize there is a desire for even more study, but the original discussion demonstrated that delaying decisions doesn't produce workable results.
It's important to get answers in a timely fashion, so decisions can be made.
Dr. B Speaks!
It always seems impossible until it's done. That is the way Nelson Mandela put it. His quote motivates mission-driven people to accomplish d Read moreTeacher assistants help support teachers and students to learn
On Friday, Charles Krauthammer wrote what I assume will be his last column before the election. He attacked Hillary Clinton for shiftiness, paranoia, cynicism, and disdain for playing by the rules.
However, Krauthammer found that Donald Trumps liabilities outweigh Clintons, especially on foreign policy. He sees Trump as a threat to our open, free international order. He fears that Trump will initiate trade wars and undermine our alliances with countries like Germany, Japan, and South Korea.
Are Krauthammers fears justified? They might be, and that possibility among other concerns should give conservatives pause.
However, I think that Krauthammer, like most other analysts, fails to recognize the extent to which Trump accepts conventional wisdom. If Trump is, as I have come to view him, a conventional thinker, then its highly unlikely that as president he would pose a threat to the international order.
When asked where he gets the information on which he bases his foreign policy views, Trump famously replied the shows. He meant the television news shows that do little more than recycle conventional wisdom.
As a presidential nominee, Trump now gets information and advice from a foreign policy team. Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn is a key member of that team. Flynns foreign policy views arent conventional in all respects, but they generally do not fall outside the conservative mainstream. He is not for toppling the international order.
Iraq provides a good example of how conventional Trumps thinking tends to be. In the run-up to the 2003 invasion, Trump was very skeptical about going to war. As the invasion approached, he gave it lukewarm support in an interview. As soon as things started to go badly, he became a strong critic.
This was a highly conventional trajectory.
Or consider Trumps position on Israel. His sympathies are with Israel but, like just about every president in recent memory, he wants to broker a big peace deal. To do so, he believes he must adopt a neutral stance.
Unfortunately, you cant get much more conventional than that.
When Trump departs from conventional wisdom, its almost always in service of opportunism. Immigration is probably the best example. After the 2012 election, Trump espoused the utterly conventional view that Mitt Romney had shot himself in the foot by coming across as too tough on illegal immigrants.
In seeking the Republican nomination, Trump came across as much tougher than Romney. Was this because he had started to think unconventionally about immigration or was it to rile up potential supporters?
We need not guess. As the nominee, Trump says we must secure the borders, deport lawbreakers, and then see what we can do for illegal immigrants who have not caused trouble here.
This is the conventional conservative position.
Trumps talk about making our allies pay more for the security we provide or else defend themselves should, I think, be viewed in the same light as his pre-nomination posture on immigration. Such tough talk plays well and, like his rants on immigration, is based on valid grievances.
But would Trump as president buck the uniform thinking of the foreign policy establishment and pull the plug on our allies? Almost certainly not.
Trade falls into the same category, I think. The tough talk is fundamental to Trumps appeal, and it wouldnt hurt to be somewhat tougher in trade negotiations. But as a businessman and a conventional thinker, theres little reason that Trump will give us trade wars.
Trumps positions on Russia and Syria are portrayed as unconventional, and I find them troubling. But in the case of Syria, his position is nearly indistinguishable from current Obama policy (as opposed to talk).
Trump basically wants Assad to prevail and Russia to be the power behind the dictator. Based on what Obama does (and doesnt do), it seems clear that he wants basically the same thing now. The only difference I can detect is that Obama sees Iran, more than Russia, as the power behind an entrenched Assad in post-civil war Syria (or the key portions of it).
But what about Trumps views on Russia? Isnt his willingness to engage Putin or as he would characterize it, to take a wait and see approach towards him unconventional?
At the moment, yes. But six years ago, President Obama and Hillary Clinton were more enthusiastic than Trump now is to embrace Russia. Who can forget the Russian reset?
Is this a fair point, though? Hillary appears to have learned from her mistake; shouldnt Trump have learned from it too?
My answer is yes. But Clintons embrace of Russia flew in the face of the experience of the Bush years. At the time of the reset, Russia had invaded Georgia. Former President Bush was universally derided for his silly talk about having looked into Putins soul.
Clinton and Obama, however, attributed our poor relations with Russia to the misguided approach of the predecessor administration. They thought they could do better.
Thats basically Trumps position now. He thinks Russias aggression stems from the weakness Putin perceives in the U.S. (just as Obama and Clinton apparently thought it stemmed from Bushs bellicosity). This view is simplistic, but not entirely wrong.
Nor is it all that unconventional.
Even discounting for bluster, Trumps foreign policy views are disquieting in some cases. But I think Krauthammers column significantly overstates his case. Theres little risk that a President Trump would bring down the international order.
Krauthammers column also ignores the threat Hillary Clinton poses to our domestic order. Or so I will argue tomorrow.
Perhaps youve heard of Jordan Peterson, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto who has attracted the ire of the screaming campus crybullies for the sin of refusing to submit to the new regime of using the prescribed Heinz 57 list of indeterminate pronouns. For this he faces the usual outrage of bigotry and such, and, given the scene in Canada, which has fewer protections for free speech, he may yet be hauled up by the government for hate speech charges like Mark Steyn was a few years back. You can read a bit about Petersons case here and here.
Or you can take in Prof. Peterson in action, confronting an angry mob of trigglypuffs. Much of it hard to make out because of the behavior of the divided crowd. The trigglypuffs attempt to drown him out with a white noise machine.
Keep your eye on this story. Hopefully if Canadas Grand Inquisitors take after Peterson, theyll be routed and this will be a turning point of some kind.
A Lagos-based fertility expert, Kayode Jegede, on Monday said obesity and overweight could reduce the chances of conception among couples.
Mr. Jegede, a medical doctor, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The fertility expert defined infertility as the inability of cohabiting couples to get pregnant after one year of adequate unprotected sexual intercourse.
He said that infectious diseases were the leading causes of infertility in developing countries, however, obesity and environmental changes, among others, have been recognised as major contributors.
Mr. Jegede said modern day living and various lifestyles today had contributed in no small measure to the accumulation of fat and toxic materials in our bodies.
He said such could affect several natural body functions and the ability to reproduce thereby contributing to various degrees of sperm disorders in men and implantation failures in women.
The expert added that overweight and obese men could experience hormonal changes that could reduce their level of fertility and make them less interested in sex.
He said that obese men were more likely to have challenges getting an erection with low sperm quality than men of healthy weight.
Mr. Jegede stated that such factors could reduce the chances of men who were overweight or obese fathering a child.
He said that obesity in women could also affect their chances of conceiving and having a healthy baby.
He said, Obese women can experience hormonal imbalances, ovulation problems, particularly for obese women having their first baby.
The risk of pre-eclampsia doubles in overweight women and triples in obese women, as well as the likelihood to have a miscarriage.
Overweight women also have twice the risk of gestational diabetes and obese women eight times the risk, compared to women of healthy weight.
Mr. Jegede added that infants born to obese women were more likely to be very big, in need of neonatal care or born with congenital abnormality.
He advised obese individuals to exercise, eat healthy with supplementation in order to boost the quality and quantity of sperm and eggs needed for optimal fertility.
He said that with technology most infertility cases could be treated, adding that research had also proven that there are cases of unexplained infertility.
The fertility expert urged obese couples with infertility concerns to seek medical help after one year of unprotected sexual intercourse; eat organic foods and live a healthy lifestyle.
(NAN)
After reaching the 80-year milestone in flight operations in Nigeria, British Airways says it is happy and ready for many more years of its business relations with the West African country.
The Head of Middle East, Africa and Central Asia Sales, Pablo De Renzis, said if the airline had been around in Nigeria for as long as 80 years, it meant a commitment to the country and successful business relationship.
The first flight from London to Kano took seven days, with some few stops in between. Now, the flying time is less than seven hours. Things have changed a lot now daily from Lagos and Abuja, Mr. Renzis said.
These 80 years of flying into Nigeria confirms the commitment we have to the country. We are very happy with the relationship we have with Nigeria, he stated.
On how business in Nigeria has evolved over the years, Mr. Renzis said when the airline started business in Nigeria, it first flight carried just mails, with no passengers on board.
He said after these years, the business has been such a success that flights have to be extended from Kano to Lagos, and the airline began to carry passengers.
If we have been around for 80 years, growing in Nigeria, in terms of number of flights and operations, it means its been a successful journey, he said.
The General Manager, West Africa, Kola Olayinka, said the British Airways has impacted Nigeria in many different ways.
Apart from bilateral relationships, Mr. Olayinka said after 80 years in Nigeria, the airline has a number of Nigerian airlines going to the UK for many years, namely Nigeria Airways, Medview, and Arik.
In the area of Corporate Social Responsibility, he said the airline has impacted the country economically, with service offers to a lot of Nigerians to move between Nigeria and the UK, the largest trade partner with Nigeria, after China.
Besides, Mr. Olayinka said during Nigeria 99 games, British Airways offered its aircraft lift all the players and some officials to different parts of Nigeria, including Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt and Kaduna.
Specifically, he said the airline has, for years, been supporting a school in Kuje area of Abuja, along with another school in Lagos.
In 2015, he said the company sponsored six Nigerian students from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology(NCAT), Zaria to participate in a leadership programme.
On the impact of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) foreign exchange policy on its operations, Mr. Olayinka commended the intervention by the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, and her Aviation Ministry counterpart,Hadi Sirika, alongside the the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele.
But, for their intervention, the situation would have been worse. If we look at the current situation, compared to where we were six months ago, we are in a much better place. The situation is much better when it comes to foreign remittances.
We are talking to the key stakeholders in Nigeria. We keep on monitoring the situation. We are very committed to Nigeria. Our plan is to be around for another 80, if not more years, he said.
From right: new finance minister Xiao Jie, new state security minister Chen Wenqing, and new civil affairs minister Huang Shuxian.
A deputy chief of staff of China's cabinet has been promoted to head of the Finance Ministry, the state-run Xinhua News Service reported Monday, citing the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).
Xiao Jie, 59, succeeds Lou Jiwei, whose next move is not clear.
Xiao broke an age barrier in 2001 when, at 44, he was appointed China's youngest-ever vice minister of finance. Today he's a 23-year veteran of the Ministry of Finance. He has also served as the State Council's deputy chief of staff the vice secretary-general since March 2013.
At the State Council, China's cabinet, Xiao oversaw day-to-day operations at the General Office.
Xiao's career included a stint with Hunan province's Communist Party Standing Committee in 2005, when he served as Hunan's vice governor. In 2007, he was named head of the State Administration of Taxation, replacing Xie Xuren.
While in charge of the nation's tax office, Xiao in 2010 wrote an article published in Caixin's China Reform magazine refuting a report by a foreign magazine that claimed China ranked second in the world on the "tax misery index."
Xiao's move to the Finance Ministry from the tax administration position followed precedent, as former Finance Ministers Xiang Huaicheng, Jin Renqing and Xie had each assumed that job after serving as the nation's tax chief.
Xiao graduated from Renmin University of China in 1982 with a degree in finance. In 1987, while working as a deputy division chief at the Finance Ministry, he took time off for 18 months of study in what was then West Germany.
In 1987, the then-30-year-old Xiao and Lou, who later served as finance minister, co-authored Thoughts on Economic Operation Models and Financial & Taxation Reforms, which was later included in the book The General Design of China's Economic Reform.
During Xiao's tenure as tax chief, the taxation administration opened a department for taxpayer and legal services.
Lou Jiwei will soon turn 66, which is the age at which China requires that every ministerial-level official step down and/or retire.
Before being named finance minister in March 2013, Lou served in several high-level posts, including vice minister of finance, vice governor of Guizhou province, chairman of China Investment Corp., and chairman of Central Huijin Investment.
In 1994, while serving as an official with the State Commission for Restructuring the Economic System, Lou participated in a government tax system reform initiative that helped increase central government revenues. That same year, he played a role in foreign-exchange system reform efforts.
As finance minister, Lou influenced tax system reforms that, for example, replaced China's business tax with a value-added tax, introduced resource and environmental tax regulations, and pushed for property taxes. He also advocated public-private partnership (PPP) financing programs that encouraged private investment in public projects.
In July, at a tax seminar in Chengdu, Lou said he regretted that reform projects that target the nation's income and property tax systems were still on the drawing board. "There are real barriers to income redistribution, but it must be carried out without hesitation," he said.
The NPC Standing Committee, which runs the top legislature between sessions, also appointed Chen Wenqing as minister of state security to succeed Geng Huicang, according to Xinhua. Huang Shuxian was appointed by the top legislature as the minister of civil affairs, a post last held by Li Liguo.
Contact reporter Wu Gang (gangwu@caixin.com); editor Eric Johnson (ericjohnson@caixin.com)
Professional comedians in South Africa have cautioned the countrys parliament against the adoption of the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill, calling it too broad and very restrictive.
The bill, which was approved for public comment on October 19, was released by the Justice Minister , Micheal Masutha. This came as the government tried to crack down on hate speech and hate crimes.
According to BuzzSA, the bill will carry heavy fines and a maximum jail term of 10 years for anyone convicted of showing bias, prejudice or intolerance on the grounds of race, colour, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, belief, culture, language, nationality, birth, disability, HIV status, occupation or trade, albinism and ethnic or social origin.
Cracking jokes now could no longer be funny for comedians in South Africa should the proposed bill make it into the law books.
Reacting to the proposed bill, popular comedian, Jason Goliath, said My fear is, how is hate speech going to be gauged? How do we define the difference between everyones opinions about hate speech?
He added that, although there was a fine line between freedom of speech and hate speech, what comedians do on stage compared with what people like Penny Sparrow, for example, say, shows a definite difference between freedom of speech and hate speech.
Goliath, who was nominated in the Best Newcomer category of the 2012 SA Comics Choice Awards, went on to ask that comedians be responsible and ensure that what they say is not hate speech.
John Vlismas who was voted best stand-up comedian at the first SA Comedy Awards back in 2007, said: I promise you, if they come after us as comedians, then everybody had better get in an Uber because they will come after everybody else next.
Vlismas stressed that The Proposed Prevention & Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill is vague and may entail that comics avoid certain topics which serve as content.
We have to increase awareness and you do not change awareness by censoring people.
We need to raise dialogue, and comedy is a pathway to dialogue. Does making murder illegal actually stop murders? We have one of the highest rates of murder in the world.
The Department of Justice has however responded to criticism from comedians over the proposed law, saying it was not targeting them. It saidthe bill is necessary to curb rampant prejudice and intolerance, on especially the internet.
But comedians Yaaseen Barnes, Kurt Schoonraad and Siv Ngesi find the bill funny, saying it is definitely a laughing matter.
Barnes said: I dont think any of the comedians are taking this serious, our job is to not take things serious.
Schoonraad, who is also the founder and owner of the Cape Town Comedy Club, says the bill will definitely have positive spin-offs.
Ngesi in his reaction said that they must charge the president first before criminalizing comedy.
Written, faxed and emailed comment on the bill closes on December 1, 2016.
The United States of Americas Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced that it would not make any changes to its July decision on Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clintons emails.
The FBI Director, James Comey, told lawmakers on Sunday that the agency had not changed its opinion that Mrs. Clinton should not face criminal charges after a review of new emails.
The implication of the FBIs conclusion is that the Democratic nominee will not be charged with anything stemming from her private email server.
I write to supplement my October 28, 2016 letter that notified you the FBI would be taking additional investigative steps with respect to former Secretary of State Clintons use of a personal email server.
Since my letter, the FBI investigative team has been working around the clock to process and review a large volume of emails from a device obtained in connection with an unrelated criminal investigation.
During that process, we reviewed all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State.
Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton.
I am very grateful to the professionals at the FBI for doing an extraordinary amount of high-quality work in a short period of time, Mr. Comey said in a letter to the Congress personally signed by him.
Director of Communications for the Clinton presidential campaign, Jennifer Palmieri, confirmed that the camp had seen Mr. Comeys letter.
We have seen Director Comeys latest letter to the Hill.
We are glad to see that he has found, as we were confident that he would, that he has confirmed the conclusion that he reached in July, and were glad that this matter is resolved.
Mr. Comey had on October 27, 11 days from the election, informed Congress that the FBI had discovered emails in its separate investigation of Anthony Weiner.
Mr. Weiner is the estranged husband of top Clinton aide, Huma Abedin.
The FBI said at the time that the emails could be connected to its investigation of whether Clinton mishandled classified information by using a private email server.
Republican nominee, Donald Trump, still took to the stage in Minneapolis for a rally minutes after the news broke, and appeared to address the crowd without knowing Clinton had been cleared again.
Mr. Trump has used the re-opening of the email probe to score campaign points, which also affected Clintons polls rating, tightening her two-point lead over Trump to neck-and-neck. (NAN)
The Abuja Division of the Appeal Court on Monday resumed hearing on the Peoples Democratic Partys crisis in Ondo State, about a week after it was suspended following allegations of bribery.
The court had on Tuesday adjourned the matter after a factional chairman of the party in the state, Biyi Poroye, accused Justice Jummai Sankey of receiving bribe from Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
The court is to determine the right candidate for the November 26 governorship election between Eyitayo Jegede and Jimoh Ibrahim.
The two men represent the PDP factions controlled by Ahmed Makarfi and Modu Sherifff respectively.
The case was suspended after Mr. Poroye of the Sheriffs faction accused the judge of bribery.
Mrs. Jummai and two other judges stood down from the case.
The case was reassigned by the president of the Appeal Court, Zainab Bulkachuwa, to a panel headed by Justice Ibrahim Salauwa.
At Mondays sitting, a counsel representing the Sheriff faction requested further adjournment to allow him access documents from the registry.
The counsel, Godswill Mrakpor, said he had informed the court during its last sitting that he had a fresh application to make and that the application was only made on Monday morning.
He prayed the court for an adjournment to let him access the documents.
Mr. Mrapkor irked the panel as he spoke brashly, in an attempt to compel the court to grant his request.
Justice Salauwa said the action of Mr. Mrakpor was enough to warrant punishment but after various appeals for mercy by senior advocates from both sides, the application by Mr. Mrakpor was overruled. No further punishment was granted.
The case is still ongoing.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has strongly condemned the release, without trial, of all suspects in the murder of a 74-year-old Christian woman, Bridget Agbahime, in Kano.
Mrs. Agbahime was killed in June at Kofar Wambai Market by a mob after she was accused of blasphemy.
Five suspects were charged with the murder before being dramatically discharged on the directives of the state government.
In a statement by CANs director of public affairs, Kwamkur Samuel, the association described the release as highly provocative and an insult to the collective sensitivity of the various religions of Nigeria, in a democratic setting.
The Christian Association of Nigeria is deeply saddened by the news of the release without trial of the five suspects accused of killing a 74 year old Christian woman in Kano, Mrs Bridget Agbahime who was murdered sometime in June, 2016. This is a highly provocative and insultive act on our collective sensitivities as a democratic nation if the newspapers reports are correct.
The Association condemns the continuous act of killing of innocent Nigerians under the pretence of blasphemy and considers the willful absence of justice for victims of these mindless killings in Nigeria by the relevant authorities as a very serious constitutional breach and security threat to our unity and collective survival as a nation. The now-familiar tradition of avoidance to arrest or properly investigate and prosecute cases involving the deliberate killing of innocent Nigerians is evidence of a scripted plan to operate another nation within the Nigerian state and to deny justice to those who truly deserve justice, CAN said.
The association said that Nigeria has not recorded any successful prosecution of persons involved in cases of blasphemy and called on the government to meet its responsibility of protecting the lives of citizens.
The cardinal responsibility of Government to protect the lives and property of the citizens is sacrosanct and must not be sacrificed on the altar of religious convenience. As it stands today, there is no single prosecution record of any criminal who killed under the pretence of blasphemy in Nigeria despite the number of victims and incontrovertible facts showing that those killings were done in daylight and mostly by persons who live within the communities where these heinous crimes were committed.
The Association calls on the Kano State Government and the Inspector General of Police to execute justice on behalf of the blood calling out for it. The act of condoning crass criminality in the name of blasphemy deserves greater attention and broader treatment in this era of transforming the mindset of the citizens to work toward progressive change, it said.
CAN expressed readiness to ensure justice for all its members affected by acts of religious intolerance.
As the umbrella body of Christians in Nigeria, we will not relent in our effort to ensure that justice is served on the religiously intolerant and to ensure that all Nigerians are treated equally irrespective of their faith, social status and where they come from.
CAN deeply sympathizes with the family of the Kano victim over the rather very sad outcome of the case and assures that the pursuit of justice is a noble task of all well-meaning citizens working together toward a more decent and better society.
Justice Mahmud Mohammed, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) on Monday said the judiciary remained resolute and committed to upholding its independence.
He said all courts in the country were empowered to adjudicate with utmost fairness and justice as prescribed in the Constitution and the law.
He said the decision of the National Judicial Council, last week, to suspend seven judges accused of corruption, showed the desire of the judiciary to preserve its independence.
Mr. Mohammed said this on Monday during the swearing-in of Amina Augie and Ejembi Eko as justices of the Supreme Court in Abuja.
The NJC announced the suspension of the judges on Friday after initially declining to do so, arguing that there were no evidence of wrongdoing against the judges.
The judges had earlier been arrested by the State Security Service for allegedly receiving bribes.
Certainly, the decision of the National Judicial Council at its last meeting reflects our desire to preserve this independence.
Hence, we proclaimed to the world that any judicial officer that is standing trial will cease to perform judicial functions.
The Council took this stand following communications it received from the Attorney General of the Federation that he was embarking on the prosecution of the affected judicial officers for the offences disclosed against them, he said.
However, he said: We must not forget that we operate a constitutional democracy, which clearly prescribes the powers accorded to each organ of the state.
I therefore wish to state without fear of contradiction that the third arm of government will remain resolute in its commitment and resolve to uphold its independence, Mr. Mohammed said.
Mr. Mohammed urged the new justices to continue to be diligent in the discharge of their duties.
You must remain blind to personality and status, and remain the hope of all men, whether common or uncommon.
Hence, the integrity and impartiality of our courts must not be in question or compromised.
I am confident that with the institutions and initiatives that we have put in place, the Nigerian Judiciary will evolve to meet the high standards demanded by our citizens, the CJN said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr. Eko was a Justice of the Court of Appeal, before his elevation to the Supreme Court.
He also served in Benue State High Court between 1989 and 2007.
Mr. Eko, a Benue native, obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), Law/Jurisprudence from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife, in 1976.
Mrs. Augie was a justice of the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division.
(NAN)
The federal government has set up a 16-member technical committee to develop a roadmap and find lasting solution to the lingering conflict between farmers and herdsmen in parts of the country.
The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, a retired lieutenant general, who inaugurated the committee on Monday in Abuja, urged the committee to tackle the problem headlong.
He said the committee would be expected to draw up a roadmap for an all-inclusive gathering of parties involved to address the crises.
The Committee is expected to draw up a roadmap for an all-inclusive gathering of stakeholders to address the lingering conflicts between the Pastoralists and Sedentary Farmers, he said.
Mr. Dambazau decried the escalating nature of the crises which had resulted to the wanton destruction of lives and property and threatening the socio-economic development of the nation.
You would recall that the conflict has been escalating at every passing year with more violent proportion, different dimensions and increasing geographical spread.
This has led to the wanton destruction of lives and property, distrust amongst the ethno-religious groups in the country and threat to the internal security and socio-economic development of the nation, he said.
He gave the committee two weeks to fashion out a framework to resolving the crises which include identifying the problems underlying the conflict from regional and national perspectives.
The committee is also expected to identify regional/local laws that impact on the conflict and outline a tentative strategy to deal with the conflict.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee and Director General, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Oshita Oshita, a professor, assured of the dedication of members to the task ahead.
Mr. Oshita said that the surest catalyst to boosting the federal governments diversification effort was to find a lasting solution to the farmers/herdsmen crises to resuscitate the economy.
He emphasised the need for peace for any meaningful development to take place in the country and urged all stakeholders to cooperate with the committee in this regard.
The committee comprises security experts, members of the Academia, diplomats and Entrepreneurs.
(NAN)
The National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress, Muiz Banire, has offered to resign from his post pending the conclusion of investigations into his alleged bribery of a judge.
In a letter addressed to the party leadership, Mr. Banire said he was not only shocked but extremely disturbed by media reports claiming he paid a judge N500,000.
As surreal as I find the allegation to be, I will not stand by and watch it negatively affect the name of the party, said Mr. Banire, a former lecturer at the University of Lagos.
Mr. Chairman, Sir, it is in view of the above circumstances that I wish to temporarily step aside from my position on our National Working Committee as the National Legal Adviser of our party until completion and final outcome of the EFCC investigation involving my person.
Mr. Banires offer to step down from his post, a position he occupied at the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria and continued after the merger that birthed the APC, came less than 24 hours after he issued a public statement denying the bribery allegations.
Following the arrest of some judges by operatives of the State Security Service, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had launched a massive investigation into allegations of bribery of judges by some senior lawyers.
Mr. Banire, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, allegedly transferred N500,000 into the bank account of James Agbadu-Fishim, a judge at the National Industrial Court.
Mr. Agbadu-Fishim was among the judges who reported to the Lagos office of the EFCC on October 19 to write statements on the findings against them.
The media reports said Mr. Banire was questioned for over six hours at the Commissions office and his international passport seized.
In his five page letter of resignation dated November 8th, Mr. Banire insisted he had voluntarily submitted himself for questioning by EFCC officials.
The allegation, as I have come to understand it, is that a Statement of Account of one Judge of the National Industrial Court, the Honourable Justice J.T Agbadu-Fishim, who is subject of an ongoing EFCCs investigation, contained a June 2013 entry of a N500,000 payment ascribed as being from one Dr. Muiz B.
I did not hesitate in confirming that this probably referred to me because I remember that about three years ago, I received a text message from someone I recollected at the time to be an old colleague in my days as a lecturer at the University of Lagos, an Agbadu-Fishim who was then a Research Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, informing me of the death and funeral programme of his mother.
Mr. Banire said he had had no contact with Mr. Agbadu-Fishim 14 years prior to that text message, when he was appointed a Special Adviser to then Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, in 1999.
As far as assumption goes, he was to me, at the time of his contact, still employed by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies; he never informed me that he had moved on to become a Judge of any court in Nigeria, and I have never throughout my career as a legal practitioner or public functionary ever appeared in any case before any judge whatsoever at the National Industrial Court
Indeed, it was with considerable difficulty that I was able to eventually recognise his face when I eventually saw him again (after 17 years of my leaving the University of Lagos) on my attendance at the EFCC on Thursday the 3rd of November, 2016.
Mr. Banire said Mr. Agbadu-Fishims text message to him soliciting financial assistance for his mothers funeral showed he was in great distress.
I considered it necessary to assist an old friend in dire need. Without any further prompting, he sent his account details to me and I made a cash gift of N500,000 to him.
Mr. Banire also said that following his interactions with the EFCC, on whether the money was meant to influence Mr. Agbadu-Fishims performance of his duties, he had come to realise that his law chamber had been involved in two cases before the judge.
My review of the two case files which I came to be conscious of after my interactions with the EFCC shows that one of them was amicably settled between the parties for a sum less than N1.2 million, thereby technically losing the case, whilst they won the other and that the combined professional fees (net of taxes) for the two cases was less than N22 million, said Mr. Banire.
While protesting my innocence, and will therefore do everything within legal limits to defend myself, I have, from the first instance, become aware of the allegation, offered my full cooperation to the EFCC and will continue to cooperate with, and give it all the assistance it may require of me in the course of its ongoing investigation into the matter.
Nigeria has been in mourning since Saturday when news broke that Muhammad Abu-Ali, a lieutenant colonel, and Nigerian Armys most efficient fighter died in battle alongside five soldiers during an exchange of battle with the terrorist Boko Haram.
Military insiders said the Army has launched an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the death of the countrys bravest commander and five of his troops.
But a top military officer with deep knowledge of the North-East operation has granted PREMIUM TIMES an exclusive interview detailing how the officer and his soldiers fell and why more and more soldiers were being killed by Boko Haram in recent times. The officer requested anonymity because he had no permission to discuss operational matters with the media.
EXCERPT:
Thank you very much officer for agreeing to talk to us. We are sorry to hear of the death of Lt. Col. Abu Ali, a gallant and brave officer who gave his all to his country. We also learnt that he was killed alongside some soldiers. What really happened?
What happened was that Boko Haram terrorists ambushed our troops on Friday night at Mallam Fatori. Lt Col Abu Ali was killed on his way to reinforce troops there.
Information available reveals that one officer and 49 soldiers were withdrawn from Mallam Fatori on Friday morning and Boko Haram attacked at night indicating they possibly had advance information of the troops reduction in number.
Six soldiers and 14 Boko Haram terrorists were killed alongside Lt Col Abu-Ali, who was granted special promotion in 2014 for his gallantry in the fight against Boko Haram.
There is great mourning across the theatre of operations. Everyone is in mourning mood. May God grant the senior officer Aljanat Firdaus.
But why are attacks and killing of Nigerian troops becoming rampant in the past weeks?
It is sad that the Nigerian Army is announcing that the attacks are being carried out by remnants of Boko Haram terrorists when all reasonable persons can see that Boko Haram is still a formidable force. The Nigerian Army is more concerned with pleasing the political class while the grassroots people are still suffering.
It is the duty of the Nigerian Army public relations department to make the Nigerian Army look good but it is also necessary for the Nigerian Army to take practical steps to end this insurgency by improving the equipment state of the Nigerian Army and telling the government the true state of affairs.
What is the true state of affairs?
The truth is that from September to November this year, we have lost so many troops that cant even be accounted for.
Prominent amongst those lost are Maj DS Erasmus and 8 soldiers 25 Sep 2016 due to IED / ambush along Bama Banki road. Lt Col K Yusuf and 83 soldiers missing in action on 16 Oct 2016 when Boko Haram attacked troops location at Gashigar. Lt Col M Abu-Ali and five soldiers were killed on 4 November 2016 on their way to reinforce troops at Mallam Fatori during Boko Haram attack.
On 5 November 2016, two soldiers were killed at Kwada during Boko Haram attack on troops location. One soldier was wounded while another two were declared missing in action.
In another attack in Kangarwa on 6 November, one soldier was killed while four other soldiers were wounded in action. Thirteen Boko Haram terrorists were killed and unconfirmed number of them was wounded.
Why are attacks on troops becoming more and more regular?
Its dry season here and the ground allows smooth movement of vehicles. Boko Haram terrorists have a better knowledge of the local terrain so they can easily access troops location and escape.
Furthermore, theres pressure on Boko Haram terrorists around Sambisa general area hence they seem to have pooled forces together to concentrate on the northern Borno axis.
So what can Nigerian authorities do to reduce casualties on the side of Nigerian troops?
The major cause of casualties on troops at the moment is poor equipment state. At the moment, the equipment in the theatre are mostly worn out and almost obsolete. Provision of adequate equipment is the only answer for now. Troops confidence is a function of sound and functional equipment.
Remember that man without equipment is at best inefficient and machines without man are almost useless. This points to the need for adequate equipment in the theatre to minimize casualty rate in the theatre.
What kinds of equipment are obsolete, and what kinds are needed at this time?
The tanks (especially Vickers MBT) in the theatre are so worn out that they often do not get to action most times troops are under attack. This is why the semi-serviceable T-72 tanks are being moved everywhere in the theatre. This explains why Lt Col Abu-Ali was almost everywhere there was threat as he commanded the T-72 tank Battalion.
The artillery Shilka guns are even the worst. Boko Haram terrorists fear the effect of Shilka guns but I still wonder why almost all Shilkas are not serviceable in the theatre.
Even more worrisome is the fact that the Nigerian Army has not procured more Shilka guns because they are Russian made and the bottleneck to buy them is not too much like those of Western countries.
But the impression being created is that troops are better off now in terms of equipment than under Jonathan
Unfortunately, for every battle we engage in, the equipment keep wearing and to worsen issues, these equipment were not procured with their fast-moving spare parts. The big question is, how many equipment has the present government procured and where are they deployed for use?
So does it mean troops are using just AK 47 to fight Boko Haram?
Thats our personal assault rifle, which is needed after long range weapons have done much of the job but unfortunately the long range support weapons are inadequate. Eg AA GUNS, mortar tubes, artillery weapons like shilka guns etc.
So how did we achieve the initial upper hand, cutting down Boko Haram down and capturing territories from the terrorists?
The upper hand started in February 2015 due to the arrival of T-72 tanks in the theatre. Chadian troops also assisted in mounting pressure on Boko Haram terrorists at the same time. This resulted in Boko Haram splitting their forces to several places at the same time.
So how did we lose the plot?
Recall that there were mercenaries that fought with Nigerian Army troops in the first and second quarters of 2015.
Yes
Boko Haram seems to have good strategist who study our modus operandi and cause them to adjust accordingly. The Nigerian military may need to reappraise its approach to counter insurgency operations.
Those mercenaries really assisted us and their withdrawal signalled the gradual regrouping of Boko Haram terrorists. This is because their withdrawal was sudden and not in phases.
But why was their withdrawal sudden?
The new government terminated their contract.
What did the mercenaries bring to the table that our troops lack?
They came with armoured fighting equipment. Above all, they had night fighting capabilities.
Do you have any further information on the attack that killed Lt. Col. Abu Ali? Especially about attack coming after withdrawal of some personnel.
There is a plan by the authorities to carry out an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death. Hes to be buried by 5pm today (Monday) at the national cemetery.
But why were the men withdrawn?
They were to carry out attack elsewhere in the theatre. The only controversy is why they were suddenly forced to withdraw that fateful day.
Is it not standard practice to have replacement on location before pushing men elsewhere?
It is, but exigencies of duty make us to do things haphazardly at times.
Thank you very much for talking to us.
Thank you too.
My cars cannot underwrite the recession problems of this country. Even if you sell my cars now, it will not make Nigeria to come out of recession.
Dino Melaye, a senator from Kogi State, and Chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory, telling a reporter why he couldnt stop buying exotic cars even when his constituents could barely feed themselves. Mr. Melaye is known for his penchant for exotic cars (Source: The Punch)
It does not matter how good the food is, if somebody ties your hands behind your back and says open your mouth and spoon-feed you with the best meal in the world, you are not going to enjoy it.
Victor Attah, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, making an analogy to explain why a sense of alienation among the people of the Niger Delta region was at the core of the instability within the region (Source: Vanguard)
We are determined to make life comfortable and affordable to all Nigerians. If anybody has a country to go to, let him go, we will stay here and salvage our country.
President Muhammadu Buhari said during his meeting with stakeholders from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria (Source: The Punch)
It is painful for us to bear witness to the wheels coming off the vehicle of our state.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation accusing the South African President Jacob Zuma of weakening the countrys governmental institutions because of alleged poor leadership style. The foundation is asking the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to replace Mr. Zuma (Source: BBC Africa)
Im not afraid of jail. Ive been to jail during the struggle.
South African President Jacob Zuma said, in defiant of the calls that the president and his cabinet members should be investigated for corruption. Mr. Zuma had previously served as a political prisoner for 10 years, alongside late Nelson Mandela, during the white minority rule (Source: Reuters)
The Government of Edo State does not accept that there are subjects in Nigeria, but citizens of the Federal Republic.
Julius Ihonvbere, the Secretary to the Edo State Government, rejecting on behalf of the state government, the Ojuromi of Uromi, Zaiki Edenojie II addressing one Betty Okoeber as his subject. The state government suspended the Ojuromi for assaulting Ms Okoeber, and for refusing to apologise within the time he was asked to do so (Source: The Nation)
The moment they announce his (Donald Trumps) victory, I will cut my green card myself and start packing up.
Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, commenting on the U.S presidential election (Source: Premium Times)
A courageous commander does not only give orders, but also joins his men to fight the battle, no matter the risks or the obvious danger. He (late Colonel Abu-Ali) was a gallant soldier, never to be forgotten. He has brought a good name to the family.
President Muhammadu Buhari on the death of a brave Nigerian soldier, Colonel Abu-Ali, who died in active combat in the north east of the country when his troops were ambushed by Boko Haram terrorists (Source: Channels TV)
Change takes time, but we will also go backward, if she (Hillary Clinton) is not elected.
Tracee Ellis Ross, American actress, producer and television host, and daughter of the American music icon, Diana Ross (Source: Ebony.com)
Hillary Clinton is guilty, she knows it, the FBI knows it, the people know it and now its up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on November 8.
Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, alleging that the American system has been rigged to protect his opponent, Hillary Clinton of the Democratic party, after the FBI said that Mrs. Clinton wont be prosecuted over her email scandal (Source: Al Jazeera)
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday arrived Benin airport to begin a two-day working visist to Edo.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr. Buhari, who arrived at about 10: 43a.m aboard Air Force flight 5N-FGW, was received by Gov. Adams Oshiomhole.
He inspected a guard of honour mounted by military personnel before proceeding to the palace of the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare Ngidigan II, on a courtesy visit.
NAN reports that some of the dignitaries at the airport included the APC National Chairman, John Oyegun, Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, the state governor-elect, Godwin Obaseki, service commanders, lawmakers, and other party leaders.
(NAN)
(Beijing) Tough new local restrictions being imposed on China's burgeoning ride-hailing industry threaten the livelihood of Beijing businessman Jia Guobin.
Since 2014, business has been booming for Jia as rapid expansion of the Internet-based ride-hailing sector resulted in an explosion of demand for the cars he leases to drivers. But regulators in the city now plan to require that all drivers have Beijing household registrations. That would slam the door on migrant workers from other regions, who account for more than 80% of the drivers working with Jia.
Local authorities in other cities are imposing similar limitations. It's a chilling development for the new ride-hailing industry after the central government in July gave it the green light. China became the first country to create a formal legal framework for a business that had operated in a regulatory gray zone for years. The central government left it to local officials to work out the details.
Ride-hailing companies continue to fight regulatory and legal battles in countries around the world as the business poses a threat to conventional local taxi enterprises. Britain and Australia have set strict restrictions for ride-hailing, while countries such as Germany, Spain and France have blocked services aligned with San Francisco-based Uber Technologies Inc. Some U.S. states and cities have also banned Uber, and the company is fighting dozens of lawsuits, according to its website.
In China, most of the 8,500 conventional taxi companies are backed by local governments. Taxi drivers in many cities have staged protests against ride-hailing, accusing the Internet companies of unfair competition, including heavy subsidies for drivers and deep discounts for riders. Critics also argue that the ride-hailing companies run de facto taxi services without being subject to the same regulations and supervision as formal taxi operators.
Beijing's Jia works with Didi Chuxing Technology Co., the dominant ride-hailing company in China with more than 90% of the market. Didi recently acquired the Chinese unit of Uber.
As Didi faces new limitations in cities across China, the policy uncertainties are likely to hurt the company's valuation as it prepares for a U.S. initial public offering in 2018, according to one industry expert. A round of fundraising earlier this year totaling $4.5 billion valued the company at $35 billion.
Jia's company manages more than 10,000 vehicles leased to Didi drivers. In addition to auto rents, his company earns fees from Didi for driver training and management. If the city's regulators implement their proposed requirements on local household registration, known as hukou, Jia says, his company will lose 40% of its revenue.
His business is part of a nascent industry that includes several internet companies besides Didi, thousands of car rental companies and 1 million drivers. Tougher rules looming in the biggest cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, may force most cars and drivers out of the market, some experts said.
The rapid expansion of the ride-hailing business has shaken the long-established urban transportation market, posing unprecedented challenges to the regulatory system, said one transportation expert who asked not to be identified. This spurred regulators to float stronger measures in hopes of regaining control of the sector, the expert said.
While local regulators cite concerns about traffic and safety, industry experts said rigid new restrictions are a setback for urban transportation management that will restrain the development of the new business and hurt consumers.
As of June, Didi said, its 15 million registered drivers, many of whom work only part time, provided 14 million rides a day. Pre-merger Uber China, the second-largest player, said it provided 40 million rides every week.
Tougher Rules
As of early November, 58 cities published draft regulations on ride-hailing under the central government guidelines issued in July. Interpretations of the guidelines vary significantly as most big cities introduced tougher restrictions, while smaller cities set lower barriers.
Beijing and Shanghai, which released draft rules on Oct. 8 for public comment, set the most stringent requirements on ride-hailing services, stipulating that drivers be local residents and that vehicles be locally registered.
If adopted, those policies will sharply reduce the number of drivers eligible for the Didi platform and push up fares while reducing driver income, Didi said. In Shanghai, Didi has 400,000 registered drivers, but "fewer than 10% of the drivers and their vehicles can meet the requirements," said a Didi staffer who asked not to be named.
The Hangzhou regulation, which took effect Nov. 1, also requires drivers to have a local household registration or to be a tax-paying resident of the city holding a temporary residence permit for at least one year before registering with a ride-hailing company. The two other biggest cities, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, didn't set requirement on drivers' residency but listed rigid technical standards on vehicles such as size, age and emissions.
In Shenzhen, Wang Guoping runs a business similar to that of the Beijing businessman Jia, renting 190 cars to Didi drivers. The southern city's government proposed that cars used for ride-hailing must be less than 2 years old. That would disqualify more than 60% of Wang's vehicles. Shenzhen agreed to offer a two-year transitional period for ride-hailing companies to adapt.
The central government's July guidelines classified car-hailing platforms as "internet-booked taxis." Liu Xiaoming, vice minister of transport, said at a news conference that the ride-hailing sector aims to provide a "differentiated" service with better quality, not to compete directly with taxi drivers.
The central government statement fanned expectations that while it regulates ride-hailing, officials would advance market-oriented reforms for managing the traditional taxi industry. Taxi companies have long been known for inefficiency, reflecting rigid government control over fares and the number of vehicles.
However, Fu Weigang, executive director of the Shanghai Institute of Finance & Law, said local governments' draft regulations have shown little sign of such reforms. Instead, most local authorities are trying to put ride-hailing under the same old regulatory framework used for taxis, Fu said.
Some taxi companies have responded to the challenge of ride-hailing by setting up their own platforms to compete with internet companies. For instance, since September 2015, Shouqi Group in Beijing has been leasing or selling vehicles to drivers who register on its ride-hailing platform. As of Sept. 28, more than 10,000 drivers in 28 cities have registered with its platform. Dazhong Transportation Group, Shanghai's largest taxi company, also launched its own ride-hailing service in March.
It is unclear how the ride-hailing companies will cope with the new rules. But one staffer at Dazhong said that if the proposed rules are fully implemented, the company will have to drop all migrant drivers from its platform and increase fares, making ride-hailing more expensive than traditional taxi services.
A manager at an Internet ride-hailing company told Caixin that companies are negotiating with Beijing city authorities for a transitional period. Several other industry insiders said there is little hope of persuading regulators to make major changes in draft rules. The best that ride-hailing companies can do is to try for longer transitions and lenient enforcement.
Didi's challenge
As the unrivaled titan in the market, Didi faces the biggest challenges. At Thursday's meeting of the Ministry of Transportation on local ride-hailing regulations, Didi became the target of criticism for increasing subsidies to drivers and riders, Caixin learned from knowledgeable sources.
Didi President Liu Qing responded at the meeting that Didi is not ready to end discounts as doing so might upset its users.
Established in 2012, Didi has poured billions of dollars into subsidies to win market share, backed by investors that include Apple Inc., China Life and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. The company has gradually reduced discounting after the merger with Uber China. But in the face of the looming pressures posed by the new regulations, Didi on Tuesday again raised subsidies.
In a June interview with Caixin, Liu said Didi will stop subsidies when drivers on its platform can get enough orders to make profit. But Zhou Hang, founder and CEO of smaller rival Yidao Yongche, has expressed concerns about Didi's subsidy-driven growth, saying drivers and riders lured by discounts are highly sensitive to price changes and will be difficult to retain without them.
The user base is crucial for Didi to maintain growth. In 2015, Didi made money in only about half of the 400 cities where it operates. According to company financial documents obtained by Caixin, Didi lost 12.2 billion yuan ($1.8 billion) last year with revenue totaling 2.6 billion yuan. Most of the company's revenue came from ride fares and advertising.
"Even without the new regulations, Didi has come to a challenging point for making profits," one of Didi's investors said.
Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com)
The Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has again called on the Nigerian media, especially online publications, to be patriotic in their reportage of the Boko Haram activities.
The army chief made the call on Monday in Abuja while speaking to journalists after declaring open a one-day seminar on Assessing the Threats of Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria.
Mr. Buratai, a lieutenant general, noted that the online media had misunderstood Nigerian Army in its handling of the war against terrorism in the North-East.
We call on Nigerians, Nigeria press, especially the online media, to take note that they are Nigerians; they should behave like Nigerians and be patriotic, he said.
They should take the issue of defence and security as their personal issue, not to criticise, not to malign, not to smear anybody that is making sacrifice.
Defence and security is issue that should be the concern of everybody, issues of security and defence are not just discussed like political issues.
It is a serious national security issue that must be discussed with caution, it is must be discussed with high sense of patriotism, with high sense of security, national security and protection of our sovereignty.
Whatever happens to the military it is the symbol of our sovereignty, so if you ridicule the military, if you ridicule any of the security agencies, you are ridiculing your own country; you are ridiculing your own sovereignty.
You must be very cautious in handing any issue that has to do with the army in particular. We are not politicians we are doing our job professionally.
This is the understanding we expect every Nigerian to show. Normal administrative matters are not meant for criticism, he said.
The chief of army staff decried a situation where some of the online media celebrated the death of personnel who paid the supreme price to make their country and its people secure.
He added: We have a lot to do to ensure that the country is safe, he said.
Mr. Buratai also emphasised that the fight against insurgency and terrorism required the support of every Nigerian.
Commenting on late Lt-Col. Muhammad Abu-Ali, he described his death as one too many.
Mr. Abu-Ali was killed by the terrorists in Mallam Fatori in Northern Borno, on Nov. 4, in their failed attempt to seize the town.
Until his death he was the Commanding Officer, 272 Task Force Battalion, Mallam Fatori.
Earlier, while declaring the seminar open, Mr. Buratai said that the armed forces had effectively responded to the threats of Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East, leading to their decimation.
He noted that the threats of the terrorists since 2009 and other violent agitations in other parts of the country had threatened the sovereignty and corporate existence of the nation.
In the North-East for instance, our forces operating under the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) and Operation Lafiya Dole have restored normalcy in areas that were previously under the control of the Boko Haram terrorists and are currently conducting mop- up operations to clear isolated remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists in Sambisa forest, he said.
Also speaking, the Director of the African Centre, Atlantic Council, USA, John Pham, said the centre had been following progress made by the Nigerian troops in the campaign against insurgency in the country.
Atlantic Council is a think tank in the field of international affairs, it provides a forum for international political, business, and intellectual leaders.
It manages ten regional centres and functional programmes related to international security and global economic prosperity.
Mr. Pham said that it was important for Nigeria, its neighbours and the international community that the terrorists were defeated as their activities had caused untold suffering and a setback to regional integration and economic growth.
(NAN)
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Sebastine Hon, has described as dangerous the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to endorse the nomination of Walter Onnoghen as the next Chief Justice of Nigeria.
In a statement Monday, Mr. Hon said that the tenure of the incumbent CJN, Mahmud Mohammed, would elapse in less than 48 hours, but the president had yet to give any response to the nomination.
The recommendation was made by the National Judicial Council on October 10.
The tenure of office of the incumbent Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mahmud Mohammed, will expire at 12 midnight on 9th November, 2016, the lawyer said. The name of Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen, the next most Senior Justice of the Supreme Court, has since October 10, 2016, been forwarded to the President, who is expected, constitutionally, to forward it to the Senate for confirmation.
Till this moment, Mr. President has not forwarded Justice Onnoghens name to the Senate for confirmation. This is scary, to say the least.
Senate confirmation hearings are not jamborees but are grave constitutional exercises, requiring incisive investigative and at times confrontational posturing. In other words, the Senate needs to obtain the biodata of the CJN nominee ahead of time, to enable the upper legislative Chambers to conduct a thorough investigation cum confirmation exercise.
The time to act is now, as the Senate must confirm Justice Onnoghen latest on Tuesday, to further enable his swearing in just before or just after Justice Mahmud bows out.
Mr. Hon said image of the judiciary has nosedived in the recent times, and the president must be seen to be preventing any further dent on the image of this crucial arm of government.
He called on Mr. Buhari to endorse Mr. Onnoghens appointment, who, he said, could be the first southerner in nearly 30 years to hold the post.
Mr. President should once again act as the father of the nation, by forwarding Justice Onnoghens name for confirmation since he is the only southerner entitled to occupy the seat of the CJN for close to 30 years. This gesture will go a very long way in cementing our sectional divides.
Suspended lawmaker, Abdulmumin Jibrin, on Monday said he had proceeded on exile in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Jibrin blamed the budget padding scandal in the House of Representatives for the decision.
The lawmaker said he had recently discovered that his security was no longer guaranteed and, as such, it would be foolhardy if he remained in the country.
Mr. Jibrin said this when he appeared on a Ben Television program in London Monday.
Mr. Jibrin said a purported five-man cabal led by Speaker Yakubu Dogara was plotting to either kidnap him or assassinate him or members of his family.
Other alleged members of the cabal included Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Lasun; Minority Leader, Leo Ogor; House Whip Alhassan Ado-Doguwa and a member, Herma Hembe.
The development came a day after Mr. Jibrin bagged an award in London.
The African Voice Newspaper said Mr. Jibrin deserved the award for his whistleblowing activities.
Mr. Dogaras spokesman, Turaki Hassan, and Mr. Ogor did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES request for comment for this story.
Messrs. Hembe, Doguwa and Lasun could not be reached for comments.
Mr. Jibrin also sent a message to President Buhari about the budget scandal, saying his silence had been too much for too long.
The situation currently at hand is different from the initial stage of the crisis, Mr. Jibrin said. The silence of the presidency is no longer sending the right message to Nigerians and the international community.
Mr. Jibrin said he plans to continue his campaign to defeat corruption in Nigerias parliament from his base abroad
A former lecturer of Kaduna State University who is on trial for alleged hate speech, has been released from prison.
John Danfulani, first arrested in January, was remanded in prisons two weeks ago by a High Court in Kaduna, the Kaduna State capital.
Driving home. My 13 days ordeal in Kaduna prison ended some minutes ago.Thanking comrades for their support, Mr. Danfulani posted on Twitter Monday afternoon.
Mr. Danfulani was suspended from the university before being handed over to the law enforcement for prosecution after posting what authorities in the state considered a hate speech on the internet.
The statement, which Mr. Danfulani posted on his Facebook page in December 28, railed against the contemporary culture in Northern Nigeria.
The educationist said Northern Nigeria is responsible for the widespread poverty of the people there.
He was arraigned before a Kaduna State High Court on October 27 and was subsequently remanded in prisons. His lawyer secured his release from custody this afternoon.
The Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, on Sunday charged members of the Peoples Democratic Party to continue with their campaigns for Eyitayo Jegede, despite his substitution by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He also expressed optimism that the injustice done by INEC in substituting Mr. Jegede with Jimoh Ibrahim would be reversed.
Mr. Mimiko, who gave this charge at a meeting held at the International Event Center, Akure, said what happened was a contrived conspiracy.
The decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cannot find comfort in justice, in principle, in law and in morality, he said.
Mr. Mimiko said that Mr. Jegedes name would certainly appear on the ballot. He said that members of the Ali Modu Sheriff factional of the PDP in the state had been employing delay tactics to ensure that PDP did not contest in the election.
He said the opposition resorted to the blackmail and buying time because they knew if Jegedes name is not in the ballot or not in the race it will pave way for them.
The governor commended the people of the state for not resorting to self-help and violence even in the face of the provocation unleashed through the back door.
You have comported yourselves in very commendable way. Your peaceful but rugged and persistent resistance in the last three and half weeks would go down in record as the new Ondo State, Mr. Mimiko said.
I was unhappy with the Abuja magic of substituting Jegedes name but I appreciate you all for handling the protest in a most matured manner.
Mr. Mimiko debunked speculation that he went to see President Muhammadu Buhari to negotiate his crossing over to the APC or any other political party.
I had to see the President in my capacity as the Chief Security Officer in Ondo State briefing the Chief Security Officer of the country on the need to allow justice to prevail, Mr. Mimiko said.
Mr President gave his commitment to ensure that justice is done. I have no cause to doubt him.
Meeting Buhari is not to prepare my journey to APC and why will I join APC when I know we are going to win this election. I was there to intimate him with what is happening in Ondo state.
The governor further gave assurance that despite the pressure political activities, he would continue to work for the people till his last day in office.
He appealed for continued support, boasting that Mr. Jegede would certainly emerge as the next Governor of Ondo State.
A counsel representing Jimoh Ibrahim, an Ondo State governorship candidate from the faction led by former Borno State governor, Modu Sheriff, has demanded the dissolution of a new Court of Appeal panel on PDP crisis in the state.
The panel is led by Justice Ibrahim Salauwa.
It was set up last week after members of the first panel, led by Justice Jummai Sankey, withdrew amid allegations of bribery.
Mr. Ibrahims counsel, Bei Nwofor, said his application was based on the notion that there was no reason for a special panel to be put in place to address the Ondo State election matter pending at an Abuja division if the Appeal Court.
The president of the Court, Zainab Bulkachuwa, had put in place a new panel to replace the Sankey panel.
The petitioner, Biyi Poroye, had alleged that the panel had been bribed by the Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, to rule in favour of Eyitayo Jegede.
Mr. Jegede was the first candidate of the PDP, but was later replaced with Mr. Ibrahim.
Mr. Jegedes lawyer, Wole Olanipekun, asked the court to set aside the motion by Mr. Nwofor, describing it as a deliberate attempt to delay the proceedings.
The panel continued its hearing and has decided to hear the substantive appeals before deciding on all of them.
(Riga, Latvia) China has set up a 10 billion euro ($11.1 billion) investment fund to finance projects in Central and Eastern Europe, the latest in a series of moves under Beijing's "One Belt One Road" initiative to help Chinese firms scouting for investment opportunities abroad amid an economic slowdown at home.
The China-Central Eastern European fund will raise another 50 billion euros to finance joint ventures, Premier Li Keqiang said at an annual meeting with 16 regional heads of state in the Latvian capital, Riga.
The fund is managed by Sino-CEEF Holding Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) the country's biggest lender. The holding company was launched by Li and Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis on Saturday.
Jiang Jianqing, a former chairman of ICBC, will head the company and the investment fund. Jiang said that the new fund, unlike previous Chinese investments in the region that mostly focused on infrastructure, is more market-driven and will invest in more profitable projects such as logistics, clean energy and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
"Countries in Central and Eastern Europe have a competitive edge given their location and an attractive environment for investment," Jiang said during the meeting. "The formation of the China-Central Eastern European fund will provide more market-oriented financial services and meet the growing funding needs for cooperation projects."
China and 16 Central and European countries formed a multilateral forum called "16+1" in 2012, and the heads of states of member countries have met annually to discuss economic projects. During last year's meeting in Suzhou, a modern industrial hub in Jiangsu province, Li proposed the idea of a holding company to channel investments to the region. In response to the call, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Ltd., the Hong Kong-based subsidiary of ICBC, said in May that it had spent 1 billion euros to form the company.
Trade between China and Central and Eastern European countries has grown rapidly in recent years, hitting $56.3 billion last year. The figure was 14 times the level in 2001, Chinese customs officials said. China's major trade partners in the region included Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania.
Contact reporter Chen Na (nachen@caixin.com); editor Poornima Weerasekara (poornima@caixin.com)
Concerns of a looming cash crunch at online video service LeEco grew on Monday, as investor sentiment varied on the company's ability to handle a large debt load it has accumulated through a multibillion-dollar expansion over the last two years.
LeEco shares initially tumbled 5% to a one-year low when trading began on Monday. They later pared the losses and were down by about half that amount midway through the day before closing down 4.7%.
The stock has lost more than 14% of its value over the last week after rumors began circulating that LeEco was facing a cash crunch due to its rapid expansion.
LeEco said in a statement that rumors that it had stopped paying some of its suppliers were untrue. But CEO Jia Yueting said in an internal email over the weekend that the company was facing financial pressures and will enter a new phase of more-conservative spending.
The company has announced a series of massive new investments over the last two years as it enters new areas, creating excitement around its publicly traded unit but also some concerns about the parent company's growing debt. Some of its largest investments to date include its plans to buy US consumer-electronics brand Vizio Inc., a maker of flat-screen televisions, for nearly $2 billion, and its plans to build a $1 billion new-energy car factory in the US state of Nevada.
At least one major lender doing business with the company said it was moving ahead with plans for a new loan to a LeEco affiliate. The firm was in continuing discussions for a short-term loan to a company controlled by LeEco, even after Jia's remarks, though no final terms had been reached, said a source inside the lender who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"It's unclear what's happening with their suppliers, but what is clear is that they're having problems with their finances," said one analyst, also speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. "LeEco has many non-listed units, so if it wants to protect the market value of its listed company, it will need to show that those units are profitable."
LeEco began its life as an online video service and seller of smart TVs, and is now a leader in the field. But over the last two years it has expanded rapidly into a wide range of new areas that include smartphones and new-energy vehicles. It also made headlines last month when it announced a major expansion of its core paid TV service into the US.
LeEco's main vehicle into the smartphones business has been the struggling Coolpad, a former independent brand that is now nearly 30% owned by LeEco. Shares of Coolpad tumbled 15% in Monday trade in Hong Kong, reflecting investor worries that it could also face its own cash crunch if LeEco is forced to sharply rein in its spending.
Contact reporter Doug Young (dougyoung@caixin.com); editor Ken Howe (kennethhowe@caixin.com)
Cape May County shoppers will get a new supermarket option when Aldi opens Nov. 17 in Middle Townships Rio Grande section.
Officials of Aldi, a German discount chain thats grown quickly around the U.S. in recent years, plan to open the Rio Grande store with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and prize giveaway about 8:45 on that Thursday morning.
Aldi is much smaller in its footprint and its product line than the typical American supermarket. A company website says it looks for spaces of about 17,000 square feet and stocks roughly 1,400 of the best-selling items from the grocery-store lineup.
For comparison, the Village ShopRite in Somers Point is about 80,000 square feet, according to the owner of the shopping center where its based. And the Food Marketing Institute reports that as of 2014, the average U.S. supermarket carried more than 42,000 different products.
The chain carries mostly products under its own brand and typically has small staffs in its stores.
The chain now counts more than 1,600 U.S. stores in 34 states. And Bob Grammer, the vice president for the Center Valley Division of Aldi, said in an interview earlier this year that the management plans to grow to about 2,000 stores in the country by by 2018.
South Jersey figures in those growth plans. Along with Middle Township, Aldi expects to open a store before the end of this year in Manahawkin, part of Ocean Countys Stafford Township. The chain plans an event in Manahawkin Nov. 15 to hire staff for the store there and one in Toms River, Aldis website says.
Plus Egg Harbor Townships planning board gave conditional approval this year to a new Aldi location on the Black Horse Pike, west of English Creek Road.
But Aldi has come and gone in at least one South Jersey location. A branch of the chain opened in 1995 in the Pleasantville Shopping Center on the Black Horse Pike, in a section of a former Acme. But by 2000, Aldi had pulled out of Pleasantville.
The Rio Grande Aldi is in the Grande Shopping Center, at 3201 Route 9 South. The store will take over a space that had stayed mostly empty since a former Stop & Shop closed there in 2007.
Officials of the chain said next weeks grand opening in Rio Grande will include giveaways of gold-ticket gift cards, in varying amounts, to the first 100 people who show up to shop. And one customer will win free produce from the store for a year, according to Aldi.
The fate of the South Jersey Gas pipeline is on hold, after a state Appellate Court decision that sends the application back to the Pinelands Commission.
Commission Executive Director Nancy Wittenberg did not have the authority to unilaterally determine the pipeline met all the commissions requirements, according to the Superior Court of New Jerseys Appellate Division.
Commission staff declined comment Monday, as did the state Attorney Generals Office, which represented the commission.
This is not only a big relief, but I think its the biggest court decision in protection of the Pinelands in its history, said Sierra Club of New Jersey Director Jeff Tittel. Its a major slap in the face to Whitman and to the Christie Administration.
South Jersey Gas President Jeff DuBois stressed the limited nature of the decision, saying it only dealt with procedure and cited no exceptions to the merits of or need for the pipeline.
Wittenberg decided on her own that the application met the commissions requirements in August 2015, and then reaffirmed her decision in December 2015, clearing the way for approval by the state Board of Public Utilities.
The Sierra Club of New Jersey, Environment New Jersey and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance then filed lawsuits.
Two separate decisions were released Monday by the Appellate Court, with one sending the application back to the commission and the other ordering the BPU to amend its approval to be conditional upon a new decision by the commission.
The Sierra Club focused on Wittenbergs lack of authority in its legal arguments, while the other groups also challenged the merits of the case, on which the court did not rule.
Over the last three years, South Jersey Gas has worked collaboratively and cooperatively with all of the governing agencies involved in this project and, subsequently, received their approvals, DuBois said in a written statement. Certainly, we are disappointed that these events will continue to delay the construction of this vitally important natural gas supply line.
SJ Gas calls it the Cape Atlantic Reliability Project and has argued the pipeline will not only repower the B.L. England Generating Station to cleaner natural gas, but will also be a backup gas line for 142,000 customers in Atlantic and Cape May counties.
DuBois said the company is reviewing the court decision and evaluating its next steps.
The fact that the pipeline needed to go through a coordinated permitting process that involved other state agencies is key, the court said.
When a coordinated permitting process is involved, the executive director cannot decide on her own or with staff whether an application meets the requirements of the commissions Comprehensive Management Plan, the decision said.
Here, the Commission retains final decision making authority, according to the decision.
South Jersey Gas initial application for the pipeline as a public development was rejected by commissioners on a tie vote in January 2014.
Then South Jersey Gas made changes in its application and came back in May 2015 to the commission, this time saying the pipeline was a private development that didnt need a vote by commissioners.
Pipeline proponents tried to do an end run around the members of the Pinelands Commission, said Doug OMalley, director of Environment New Jersey. The court has decisively rejected that kind of politically driven shenanigans.
The 22-mile pipeline would run along roadways from Maurice River Township to the B.L. England Generating Plant in Upper Township, and allow it to convert from a coal-fired to natural gas plant. The state Department of Environmental Protection will not allow the plant to continue using coal after 2017 because of air pollution concerns.
The pipeline would pass through 10 miles of protected Pinelands Forest Area, under roadsides or paved roads.
Former governors Brendan T. Byrne, James Florio and Christine Todd Whitman joined the case as friends of the court in opposition to the pipeline and what they perceived as a weakening of the commission.
This decision sets a fundamental precedent that the Pinelands Commission must review developments in the Pinelands, said Carleton Montgomery, executive director of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. The Commission cannot delegate that core responsibility to its staff or to other agencies like the Board of Public Utilities.
The Board of Public Utilities approved the project in December 2015, relying on the commissions decision to make its determination.
The BPU has also approved a plan for South Jersey Gas to bill the B.L. England plant for 40 percent of the pipelines estimated $90 million cost, and general ratepayers would pay the other 60 percent.
The commission is going to have to come up with way of dealing with the issue, said Tittel. We have a lot of work ahead of us dealing with the Pinelands Commission, especially since Christie and Sweeney have stacked the commission.
After the January 2014 no vote, two commissioners who voted against the pipeline were replaced by Christie or by the county government that made the appointment.
Cumberland County freeholders replaced longtime commissioner Leslie Ficcaglia, of Port Elizabeth, with real estate professional Jane Jannarone, of Vineland.
And Christie replaced Robert Jackson of Middle Township with Bob Barr of Ocean City.
Tittel said further legal action might be needed.
This was only a procedural challenge. We may have to go back on a merit challenge, said Tittel. But this buys us time.
It will also act as a precedent that should help the Sierra Club in a similar challenge against the Southern Reliability Link pipeline New Jersey Natural Gas wants to build through parts of the northern section of the Pinelands, said Tittel.
MANTUA TOWNSHIP Paleontology is tough on pants, Ken Lacovara joked as a groups of fifth- and sixth-graders, knees and pant legs covered in dirt, emerged from the Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park at Rowan University carrying buckets of muddy treasure.
Look, I found a big rock with something in it, said Madison Plummer, 11, holding up a still muddy rock.
Mullica Township school principal Matthew Mazzoni didnt care if his students got down and dirty. He encouraged it as a way to bring science alive.
I had so much fun, Plummer said. Digging was the best part.
The Fossil Park, which recently received a $25 million gift from alumni Jean and Ric Edelman to add a museum and learning center, is already much more than just an old sand quarry and research site.
For Ken Lacovara, director of the park, it is also way to entice students into the sciences and a scientific way of thinking that will serve them throughout their lives. Even better, it gets them out in nature.
Kids dont get dirty often enough, Lacovara said. We are also teaching them how to unplug and be outdoors.
As director of the park, purchased by Rowan in 2015, Lacovara may be the biggest kid on the site. A Pleasantville native who grew up in Linwood, he turned a childhood fascination with rocks into an international career as renowned paleontologist.
After a career traveling the world in search of dinosaurs, he is back home, doing research at the quarry he expects to help prove a giant meteor that crashed off Mexico some 65 million years ago was the cause of the dinosaur extinction.
We are looking for that layer in time that represents the loss of the dinosaurs, he said.
While his research is cordoned off in one section of the quarry, there is more than enough of the 65-acre site left to introduce the public to the fossilized treasures hidden inside the earth. The site is available for school trips, though there is already quite a waiting list, and the park also partners with Mantua Township to host community Dig Days.
Lacovara relates easily to students, expounding on how the quarry was actually underwater some 65 million years ago, the discoveries that have been made, and how a dinosaur on land might die and fall into the water, creating a rotting, bloated dinosaur buoy.
Where you are now, there would be sharks swimming, he said.
Students get a lesson, then march down to the quarry, carrying a banner that says Follow us to the Cretaceous, where they get plastic buckets and shovels to start their own dig.
Lacovara said there are likely millions of small fossils on the site, plenty to last years of visiting students.
Mazzoni learned about the park from PTA president Jessica Carroll who had attended community Dig Days with her family and suggested it as a field trip. The park charges a nominal fee per student for the field trips.
Mullica Township sixth grade math teacher Lou Apalucci said teachers coordinated lessons around the trip, and will follow up with what they learned and found.
It was an awesome experience, he said. This is authentic learning.
Mazzoni said the trip especially appealed to students who love dinosaurs and he tries to find experiences that will reach students with different interests.
Lacovara tells the story about how he became interested in fossils and rocks when a guest brought some to a scout meeting when he was a boy. Hes hoping the park can tap similar interests in students who may not even know theyre interested until they find their own fossil.
More information on the park is at www.rowan.edu/fossils. Inquiries about visits can be emailed to fossils@rowan.edu.
ATLANTIC CITY On a cold morning last Monday, social workers and police officers walked around Browns Park, looking for anyone in need of housing or other help.
Small numbers of people approached a table for information or free bottled water.
Nearby, Bonnie Parker, 24, slept in a lawn chair in a section of the park frequented by heroin users. When she woke up, she said she hadnt slept there all night, but had stayed with a friend.
But she said she probably would spend much of the day and evening there, using drugs.
Parker wore a thin jacket and flip flops for shoes. Atlantic City police Officer Jose Gonzalez gave her a pair of jeans to put on over leggings, and said he would find her a better coat and shoes.
Three years ago I started sleeping under the Boardwalk, said Parker, who said she moved to the city from Camden with a boyfriend who got her into drugs. She lost her two children, ages 4 and 1, she said, and all of her family to her drug abuse.
Now she said she spends her time getting money to buy heroin and cocaine.
I do anything, she said, including prostitution and selling drugs. Im too stubborn to let anybody help me. Until (Im ready) theres nothing anybody can do.
Concerns from Atlantic City businesses about panhandling and other disruptive behaviors, such as urinating and defecating outside, prompted social service and government agencies to hold a summit on the homeless, mentally ill and addicted recently.
But while participants agreed the opiate and heroin epidemic has exacerbated longstanding mental health and addiction problems here, few felt the group came up with new answers or approaches to an age-old problem.
There is even evidence that fewer people are homeless in the resort.
Jewish Family Services Atlantic Homeless Alliance has run the county intake center for those who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness since 2014 at the county office building here.
The AHA is hosted and funded by the county, and works closely with the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, the Pleasantville Housing Authority and the John Brooks Recovery Center, said AHA Senior Director Ann Thoresen.
The number of homeless entering the system has gone down each year since, she said.
There were 3,014 total intakes in 2014, for an average of 280 per month. This is compared with 1,441 through September of this year, which averages 160 per month.
Since 2014, about 34 percent of people coming through the JFS program have been matched with permanent housing, Thoresen said.
Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson said he felt there was consensus that the city needs a daytime drop-in center for homeless people and more enforcement of existing laws.
Ive been getting complaints about the amount of indigents around, and needles being picked up in the parks, he said. There is public drinking in Browns Park. These are things that are solvable if the laws are enforced.
Like many who work in social service and law enforcement, Tourism District Commander Tom Gilbert advocates bringing more people into the existing system.
The goal is to connect to people who may be disconnected, said Gilbert, who has led policing efforts there since the district was created in 2011. We dont want to constantly arrest people with addiction problems.
People with addiction and mental health problems often fall in and out of the system, Gilbert said.
Tanger Outlets/The Walk General Manager Donna Danielson, who attended the summit, thinks cooperation is the answer.
We have had panhandlers, and we dont want our customers to be harassed, said Danielson. But we want to be part of the solution. We are not pointing fingers. We are part of the city and want to help.
Paul Hulse, who runs Haven Beat the Streets in Atlantic City and Ocean County with Bill Southrey, former director of the Rescue Mission, said a daytime warming center is needed in Atlantic City.
Haven ran such centers in donated church spaces in Barnegat and Toms River, he said.
Wed love to implement it in Atlantic County, so they are not going into businesses to try to get warm, Hulse said.
Meanwhile, at Mondays outreach, Eric Merchant was helping pick up trash as he talked to his caseworker, Vinnie Kirkland, of AtlantiCare Mission Health in the resort.
Merchant was preparing to leave for a rooming house in Hammonton, with Kirklands help, he said.
Merchant spent the last several months sleeping in another city park, he said, with only blankets to keep warm.
Before that he lived in the mission and other places, he said.
Originally from Boston, where he said he got a degree from Boston University, the well-spoken man moved to Atlantic City years ago when he fell in love, he explained.
But she died in a car accident seven years ago. Now I take it one day at a time, said Merchant, who said he had strokes and has seizures and receives Supplemental Security Income and Social Security.
He spends his days walking around the city, but never asks people on the street for anything, he said. Instead, he goes to different churches and Sister Jeans Kitchen for food, he said.
Kirkland said Merchant worked many years in casinos, but fell into difficulty later in life. He is setting him up with other services to help Merchant be successful in his new life.
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OCEAN CITY James P. Smith will replace Chris Breunig as Ocean Citys fire chief, city officials announced Monday.
Smith, a deputy chief since 2012, was appointed Monday.
Its always been a goal of mine to achieve the rank. I didnt know if it was going to be a possibility. I come from a firefighting family, Smith said.
His father is a former a deputy chief for the Philadelphia Fire Department.
Ive been immersed in this my whole life, Smith said.
City public information officer Doug Bergen said Smith was one of four people to pass the Civil Service test for fire chiefs being considered for the position.
Its great to have someone who has so much experience working in the department as the new chief and we look forward to seeing great things from him, Bergen said.
Smith is a 22-year veteran of the department. He will retain his current base salary of $137,430 during a 45-day provisional period, according to the city.
Breunig retired Nov. 1 after serving four years as the top firefighter in the city at a base salary of $134,647.
Last year, Breunig had requested a demotion in order to receive a higher salary. His request was denied by the mayor.
By local ordinance, the chiefs salary is capped lower than that of lower-ranking members of the department, who negotiate salaries as part of a union.
Bergen said that the city will consider a change to that ordinance in the near future.
Smiths new title will be provisional until the review period has ended and his appointment is then confirmed by City Council.
Smith will take over the 58-person department amid a $2.1 million construction project to rebuild the 29th Street firehouse. He will oversee three firehouses and a department with an annual budget of $7.2 million, according to the 2016 municipal budget.
He said the department already runs very smoothly, but he will work to ensure more interaction with the public outside of emergencies.
As a former union president in the 1990s, Smith said he will use that leadership experience in his new role.
I expected a lot out of my guys because I wanted them to be the best that they can be, he said.
Smith said his mother and father, who now live in Ocean City, were very proud of his new position.
Smith, 47, and his wife, Kate, live in Ocean City. He has three children, son Brendan, 9; daughter Sarah, 6, and daughter Ashley Rosskowski, 26.
Smith is chairman of the nonprofit Waves of Caring, which donates gifts to local children in need each holiday season.
Both the state Attorney General's office and the U.S. Department of Justice announced election observers will be deployed in New Jersey on Tuesday.
Approximately 350 Deputy Attorneys General will be assigned throughout the state on to help ensure a fair and smooth-running election, and to assist county election officials in resolving voting-related legal issues, state Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said Monday.
According to Porrino the attorneys general will be stationed in each of the states 21 counties to handle any court applications, and to provide timely legal advice to County Superintendents of Election and Boards of Election on emergent, voting-related matters.
Our purpose in assigning DAsG throughout the state is to ensure the integrity of our election processes by protecting peoples right to vote, and by promptly -- and fairly -- resolving any voting-related legal issues that may arise, said the Attorney General in a news release.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that they were deploying over 500 observers to 67 locations across the country, including Middlesex County in New Jersey, according to a report on MSN.com.
Porrino explained it is a criminal offense to solicit or electioneer voters within 100 feet of the entrance or exit of a polling location.
Anyone who believes his or her right to vote has been interfered with, or who wishes to report other voting-related problems or concerns, should contact the states hotline at 1-877-NJVOTER.
Members of the public also can direct election-related questions to their County Superintendent of Elections and county Board of Elections. A list of county-level election office contacts, as well as other useful elections-related information, can be found on the Division of Elections Web site at www.NJElections.org .
Lead has been banned from house paint for nearly 40 years, but state reports show children are still at risk for poisoning.
State Department of Health records show fewer than half of children in most counties get screened for lead, while old paint, lead pipes and imported goods continue to expose them to lead. Experts say children and their families need to be aware for their own safety.
State health offices recently launched a lead education and prevention campaign called #kNOwLEAD to increase awareness about the risks of lead and encourage lead testing especially for children in the first two years of life, when poisoning can cause cognitive disabilities.
People think it can be a quick fix, but its not, said Merle Weitz, director of public health programs at Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative, with offices in Atlantic City. Its a housing and a health issue, and theres been renewed interest in the problem.
Health providers and centers screen thousands of children every year for lead, and while most of those children have little to no lead in their blood, a small percentage of children still test positive for high levels.
The biggest source of lead poisoning is still found in paint manufactured before 1978, when it contained lead, said Amy Minichino, health educator at the perinatal cooperative. As home windows and doors are opened and shut repeatedly, the friction creates paint dust that end up on floors, toys and objects that children may touch and put into their mouths.
Minichino said health experts and home inspectors have also found lead in imported baking pottery, toys, home remedies and makeup from countries with less strict lead regulations than the United States.
Fewer than 1 percent of children screened in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Ocean counties in 2014 were found with lead levels higher than 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood, which is considered the unsafe threshold, said Dr. Thomas Dierkes, of Rainbow Pediatrics in Egg Harbor Township, Rio Grande and Dennis Township.
High blood lead levels near 40 mcg/dL are more often seen among a small percentage of children who live in urban environments such as Atlantic City and Camden, which contain a lot of older housing, and among lower income populations, Weitz said.
Four children younger than 6 were found with blood lead levels in that range in Atlantic City in 2014.
Getting rid of the lead can be very expensive, Minichino said. You want a certified contractor, because if not done correctly, youre just spreading lead throughout the house and causing more contamination. For people living in lower income, they may not have money to fix their homes this way.
The state will fund eight nonprofit organizations in a pilot program to identify and remediate lead-based paint hazards in low- and moderate-income households, especially ones with children and pregnant women, in areas of need.
Newark remains the city with the highest percentages of children testing positive for high levels of lead. It had six times the number of children in Atlantic City who tested positive for some of the highest levels, according to the 2014 state report.
The Community Affairs and Resource Center, a nonprofit based in Asbury Park, Monmouth County, will be part of the $10 million, two-year program. The agency will help residents in Monmouth, Ocean and Atlantic counties apply for and obtain funding to rid their homes of lead.
Beatriz Oesterheld, center executive director, has been working on lead awareness and poisoning prevention in New Jersey since 2003. While the number of children testing positive for high levels of lead has steadily decreased over the years, certain populations are still affected more than others.
Some people dont know anything about lead prevention, she said. We have to go to people in low-income place, we have to go to all the Federally Qualified Health Centers, Women, Infants and Children centers and do education, to tell them that their children should get tested.
While state law does require health providers to tell parents to get their children tested for lead, nothing stops parents from skipping that step. Dierkes said he always makes that recommendation for his infant patients, but he cant force them to.
Lead testing is not a requirement to go to school or attend daycare, so it is a parents responsibility to follow through with the recommendation. Weitz said the lead water crisis in Flint, Michigan, brought it to the front of peoples minds again, but still, a large percentage of children never get screened.
Minichino said we may see more enforcement of lead testing requirements for children in the future.
If you can get rid of the environmental sources of lead, you solve a lot of the problems, and we have seen that over the years, Dierkes said. But there are things made overseas, and this has to be a worldwide thing where everyone is on the same page. I think, one day, there will come a time when we no longer have to test for lead because there will be no exposure.
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.
About 16 million children in China lack access to preschool education, Peking University researchers revealed at a recent conference.
Members of the university's China Institute for Educational Finance Research (CIEFR) found that rural children are still lagging far behind their urban peers when it comes to reaching developmental milestones, despite the 500 billion yuan ($74 billion) that was pumped into preschool education by central and local governments between 2010 and 2015.
The researchers' findings were unveiled just before the central government announced plans to clamp down on certain types of for-profit schools in a bid to level China's educational playing field.
China implemented its first three-year preschool education plan in 2010, which was extended in 2013 for another three years and is set to end in December. Under the plan, the central government invested more than 90 billion yuan while local governments spent over 400 billion yuan in a bid to improve preschool education nationally.
A policy blueprint published in 2015 announced that China's aim was to close the early-childhood development gap between poorer and richer children by 2020. However, the gap remains painfully wide for the millions of children, predominantly living in rural communities, who are unable to attend preschool.
Chinese preschools are called kindergartens, but are not equivalent to Western countries' public-school kindergartens, which are for 5- and 6-year-olds.
The divide has been made worse by major discrepancies in educational standards. When CIEFR researchers tested 1,800 3-to-6-year-olds attending kindergarten in five northwestern counties, they found that the children from rural communities had lower cognitive, verbal, and reading skills and even weighed less than their urban counterparts in the same county.
Inadequate early-childhood education can result in lower incomes in adulthood, perpetuating the cycle of poverty. The children of poorer rural migrants at 100 unregistered Beijing kindergartens fared even worse than the northwestern kindergartners, when put through the same tests, researchers said.
Song Yingquan, a professor at CIEFR, told Caixin that the unequal distribution of education funds has exacerbated the growing divide between rural and urban children. In 2014, preschool education accounted for 3.54% of total government spending on education in the average province, but many more affluent cities like Shanghai spent more than 9%.
Research from CIEFR shows that 90% of the central government's investments were aimed at improving state-run kindergartens, especially in terms of physical infrastructure.
The kindergarten attendance rate among Chinese children grew from 50.9% in 2009 to 75% in 2015, but researchers found that it was mostly private, rather than state-run, kindergartens that were responsible for this increase.
Contact editor Calum Gordon (calum@caixin.com)
JACKSONVILLE, Florida, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- APR Energy, a global leader in fast-track power solutions, announces today that it has signed a contract for a 12-month project by the Ministry of Energy, Water and Mines in Benin to provide 50MW of power generation using its fuel-flexible aeroderivative turbines. The turbines will be fuelled by natural gas, with the ability to seamlessly switch to diesel based on cost and availability. The project is expected to come online in December.
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"We are honored to assist Benin in its effort to become self-reliant when it comes to power generation," said APR Energy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Campion. "Benin currently imports a significant portion of its electricity from neighboring Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria, and this project will allow Benin to grow its economy using domestically produced power. Another economic benefit will come from the fact that most of the employees who will install, operate and maintain our power plant will be hired and trained from the local workforce."
With the 50MW in Benin, APR Energy will have installed more than 1,000MW of generating capacity in 11 African countries since 2008. "As a partner in the U.S. government's Power Africa initiative, we are proud to be playing a significant role in bringing electricity to the people and businesses of Sub-Saharan Africa," Campion said.
About APR Energy
APR Energy is the world's leading provider of fast-track mobile turbine power. Our fast, flexible and full-service power solutions provide customers with rapid access to reliable electricity when and where they need it, for as long as they need it. Combining state-of-the-art, fuel-efficient technology with industry-leading expertise, our scalable turnkey plants help run cities, countries and industries around the world, in both developed and developing markets. For more information, visit the Company's website at www.aprenergy.com.
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SOURCE APR Energy
The latest global event held in the city was the 22nd World Route Development Forum ("World Routes"), one of the biggest annual events for the global civil aviation sector. The four-day event, which concluded on Sept 27, drew 3,500 representatives from airlines, airports, government departments and international organizations, and was the largest in its history in terms of scale. It offered a platform for route development professionals to meet, plan and discuss new and existing global air services. The agenda included keynote speeches, a strategic summit, a world tourism summit, face-to-face meetings, exhibitions and folk performances.
The exhibition area totaled more than 40,000 square meters. The exhibition hall specified for Chengdu covered 1,400 sq m, which fully displayed the city's flight networks, aviation economic development, as well as tourism and culture.
The event bore fruitful results. The Chengdu city government, together with Sichuan Province Airport Group, signed agreements with six airlines to open nine non-stop air routes departing from Chengdu during World Routes. These airlines are Air China, Hainan Airlines, Beijing Capital Airlines, Tibet Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and Sichuan Airlines. According to the agreements, they will open the direct routes within one year, strengthening Chengdu's connection to Europe, Oceania, North America, Africa and the Middle East.
Chengdu is the second city on the Chinese mainland to host World Routes, following Beijing in 2009. Launched in 1995, World Routes is considered the "Olympics" or "World Expo" for the worlds' civil aviation industry. The event has been held in cities including Abu Dhabi, London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dubai, Vancouver and Beijing, all famous international destinations.
Chengdu has rich experience in hosting events such as World Routes. In the past five years, Chengdu has introduced, on average, more than 10 new international conventions each year, including the 2013 Fortune Global Forum, the 12th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention, the ninth World Biomaterials Congress, the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, the 12th Michelin Challenge Bibendum, and the 2016 Chengdu Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair. Chengdu is upgrading its service and infrastructure to meet the growing demand for international events, according to the Chengdu Bureau of Exposition.
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, has become a top destination for international conventions and exhibitions to be held in western China.
Website: www.cbecd.com
SOURCE China Council For the Promotion of International Trade Chengdu Sub-council
AACHEN, Germany and LONDON, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Leading independent benchmarking company P3 has measured quality of user-experience of the four main UK mobile networks in its annual series of rigorous nation-wide tests
P3, the international consulting, engineering and testing services company has announced that mobile network operators EE and Vodafone share the top-spot in its industry-leading tests measuring the quality of network performance in the UK.
EE and Vodafone emerged with exactly the same overall score of 803 points (out of a possible 1,000) from the P3 connect Mobile Benchmark, which was conducted by P3 in September. Three was in third place, having scored 778 points overall. The comprehensive tests measured the quality of performance provided by the UK's four networks - Vodafone, EE, Three and O2 - using a highly sophisticated range of benchmarks in 13 UK cities, a range of smaller towns and along 2,000 miles of major roads.
The results were good news overall, with three of the four operators achieving "good" ratings, which has never happened in the three years of P3 testing in UK. O2, which scored 747 points overall, earned a "satisfactory" rating.
Vodafone made the biggest improvement on last year's results, coming out best in the benchmarks measuring voice-call quality. O2 was the second most-improved network, followed by Three and EE. EE lost ground to competitors in the voice category, but was strongest in the testing scenarios for data transmission, including services such as web-browsing, transferring files and playing HD YouTube content.
Three lost the top spot in the voice category it achieved in last year's tests, but had a strong set of results for voice-quality along roads and in smaller towns. O2 posted good results for voice.
The tests, which have been conducted by P3 since 2014, are now the most trusted benchmark among UK operators, measuring voice and data performance on 3G and 4G networks, using LTE-capable smartphones. The results allow the operators to compare the ordinary user's experience of each network through a series of measurements taken while driving, walking and indoors, covering major metropolitan areas and smaller towns, their connecting roads and major highways. Test metrics cover voice-call quality, success-rates, file upload and download speeds, website access and mobile video performance.
In London, all four networks improved their services. Vodafone was the overall winner, scoring 548 points out of possible 675 attributed to this specific benchmark. O2 had best performance in voice service in London and EE had best performance in data services. Performance by all the operators in London continued to be better than in the rest of the country, but the difference is narrower than last year.
"Our tests are good news for the UK's mobile customers, because for the first time three networks are in our 'good' category, even though this year's tests were the toughest yet," says Hakan Ekmen, CEO P3 communications GmbH. "It is gratifying that over the three years we have been testing we can see substantial improvements in the overall quality of service, which is a clear indication of how our benchmarks are helping to drive improvements in the networks."
"High-quality connectivity is going to be essential to the UK's future quality of life and competitiveness and our tests mark the country's progress towards embracing the many opportunities that will unfold."
The independent benchmark methodology of P3 has become the leading resource for operators internationally and is highly anticipated by the operator community. Assuring a fair, transparent and neutral evaluation of the networks across consistent test environments, the benchmark establishes a clear test-ranking and overall test winner.
At the same time, it allows a quantitative drill-down into each of the categories, with P3 using its own experience of scoring and reporting from other international benchmarks.
Walk tests were conducted using a trolley with battery pack and smartphones, while the drive tests involved two cars, each equipped with smartphones. Data and voice tests were conducted with separate phones, while telephony was tested mobile-to-mobile, from one car to another. The tests are as realistic as possible, with for example, background data traffic generated on smartphones during voice calls.
About P3
P3 is a leading international consulting, engineering and testing services company with a rapidly growing team of more than 3,000 consultants and engineers working to develop and implement innovative solutions to today's complex technology challenges. In 2015, P3 posted a turnover of more than 300 million EUR. Offering a broad portfolio of services and proprietary tools to the automotive, aerospace, telecommunications and energy industries, P3 adds tangible value that helps clients succeed at every stage, from innovation to implementation. In the telecommunications sector, P3 communications provides independent technical and management consulting services including network planning, end-to-end optimisation, security, QoS and QoE testing, international benchmarking, device testing and acceptance services. P3's clients include network operators, equipment vendors, device manufacturers, public safety organisations and regulatory authorities around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.p3-group.com.
About connect
connect runs its own smartphone testing laboratory with test sites for OTA (over the air) measurements, endurance measurements and speech quality measurements to review smartphones in depth and detail.
SOURCE P3
MUNICH, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
The majority of Chinese consumers hope that someday they will have a robotic car that can take the wheel and autonomously drive them to their destination. In a global comparison, the Chinese are the biggest fans of autonomous smart cars with an approval rating of 89 percent. By contrast, consumers in major car-making nations like the USA (62 percent), Japan (56 percent) and Germany (47 percent) are much more reserved when it comes to autonomous driving. Those were the results of the electronica Trend Index 2020, a survey of 7,000 consumers in 7 countries around the world conducted on behalf of the international trade fair electronica.
When it comes to high-tech visions of connected cars in the future, Chinese consumers tend to be more open-minded than those in other countries. 71 percent of the Chinese people asked, feel it is important for smart cars to intervene like a driving instructor when the driver makes a mistake. In the United States, only 47 percent of those surveyed would want that kind of electronic driving instructor, and just 35 percent in Germany. Compared to their Chinese neighbors, not even half as many Japanese consumers (28 percent) said they would welcome such a development.
"At the international electronics exhibition electronica from November 8-11 in Munich, the global electronics community will exchange information about the future of the networked world, and more than 2,900 exhibitors will present innovations," says Senger.
About electronica
electronica is the worlds leading International Trade Fair for Electronic Components, Systems and Applications. electronica has been held in Munich since 1964. http://www.electronica.de
Press contact
electronica
Carsten Heer
PR Manager, econNEWSnetwork
Tel. +49-40-822-44284
carsten.heer@econ-news.de
SOURCE electronica
DUBLIN, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Biosolids Market 2016-2020" report to their offering.
The report forecasts the global biosolids market to grow at a CAGR of 5.01% during the period 2016-2020.
One of latest trends in the market is rise in federal intervention in water management. The rise in numerous government players in the global water industry is one of the substantial trends as far as biosolids production from sludge is concerned. For example, the Water Management Action Plan is a program introduced to monitor, control, and improve water quality, and monitor consumption in a particular area in Australia. All non-residential units that have consumption of more than 10 million liters of water in a year should devise a Water Management Action Plan to diminish their consumption as per the program.
According to the report, one of the primary drivers in the market is environmental and economic value. Biosolids have a vital potential value in terms of the overall expense of biosolids management. The expenses of biosolids management can be reduced if the value of biosolids management is realized. Biosolids have been used as a waste product, and the present regulatory framework protects the concept of waste for many reusable organic products. People are gaining awareness about recognizing the value of biosolids and similar organic products, predominantly in agriculture.
Further, the report states that one major challenge in the market is health and environment risks. While considering potential effects of chemicals in biosolids, it is vital to think about the route in which human and animals might be exposed. The worst exposure route for humans is by direct contact with biosolids. Indirect exposure represents a far lower hazard level than direct exposure.
Key vendors:
Alka-Tech
BIODISK
Casella Waste Systems
GeoEnvironment
Symbiont
Wm. H. Reilly
Key Topics Covered:
PART 01: Executive summary
PART 02: Scope of the report
PART 03: Market research methodology
PART 04: Introduction
PART 05: Market landscape
PART 06: Market segmentation by application
PART 07: Geographical segmentation
PART 08: Market drivers
PART 09: Impact of drivers
PART 10: Market challenges
PART 11: Impact of drivers and challenges
PART 12: Market trends
PART 13: Vendor landscape
PART 14: Appendix
For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/84r8xm/global_biosolids
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
INDORE, India, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) market is growing with a CAGR of 103% owing to high degree of security such as Li Fi technology is almost impossible to hack. Security benefits of Li-Fi market is pushing its application in automotive, aerospace, healthcare, underwater communication and many others. The growing demand for the connected devices across the globe is also driving the growth of the market on the global front. In 2015, about 3.5 billion units of connected devices such as smart phones, tablets and others were sold across the globe. Due to such huge demand for connected devices, the data traffic is expanding significantly, global mobile data traffic is amounted to around 4 Exabyte per month. The location based services hold the largest market share of around 25% owing to enhance shopping experience of consumer by providing precise location information. North America holds the largest revenue share of about 35% in global Li-Fi market in 2015. The North American share is attributed by growing data traffic in the region. In 2015, the mobile data traffic in North America was around 558,000 terabytes which is expected to rise to 3,208,000 terabytes by 2020 in North America. Thus the growing data traffic is one of the main factors which is uplifting the global Li-Fi market.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161024/431641LOGO)
To have a brief overview of the report please click on the following link
http://www.occamsresearch.com/Li-Fi-Market
Safer and faster data transfer: The Trend Setter
The Li-Fi technology growing with lucrative growth rate in the forecasted period 2016-2022. The growth is mainly attributed by the growing demand for the faster data transmission due to growing demand for connected devices in the global market. It is projected that by the end of 2020 the number of connected device is expected to reach around 4 billion. The growing number of connected devices is increasing the data traffic in the global market. It is estimated that by the end of 2020, the mobile data traffic will increase 10 times by a CAGR of about 60%. The Li-Fi technology enables the transmission speed at 1-10 gbps whereas the other technology such as Wi-Fi provide transmission at 54-250 mbps which is much higher in Li-Fi technology. Apart from greater connectivity and high speed transmission the Li-Fi technology ranges in 10 meters, whereas the Wi Fi ranges 20-100 meters. Thus, the range of such technology is one of the major factors which may restrain the growth of the global Li-Fi (light fidelity) market.
To contact us please click on the following link
http://www.occamsresearch.com/contact-us
Technological Innovation: Growth Propeller
Various key players are investing in research and development to innovate new technology in the Li-Fi technology. All such key players such as LvxLive, PureLiFi and many others are taking various strategic initiatives which are increasing the technological development in the global Li-Fi market. In Sep 2016, PureLiFi in partnership with Lucibel jointly launched first industrialised Li-Fi luminaire which enables internet access through light. Moreover, LuxLive and Apple planning to include Li-Fi capability to iPhone in future. In 2015, the Solar Li-Fi is being introduced by the Professor Harald Haas which enables the greater energy saving to deliver that to wireless communication. Thus, the huge innovation in the Li-Fi technology is increasing the growth in the global market.
Spectrum Crunch: The Game Changer
According to Federal Communication Commission USA, radio frequency spectrum is gradually headed towards a spectrum crisis. The radio frequency spectrum size is inadequate as the number of connected devices such as smartphones, tables and other smart devices are rising day by day, due to upsurge in demand for connected devices across various application such as healthcare, automotive, location based services and so on. Thus, the increasing demand for the connected devices has increased the data deluge in the world. It is estimated that by the end of 2020, the mobile data traffic will increase 10 times at a CAGR of about 60%. Thus, the increasing data traffic is rising RF spectrum crunch, whereas, the Li-Fi uses visible light spectrum that is 10,000 times bigger than whole RF spectrum. In 2015, a US government auction has sold license for around 1610 bundles of spectrum of 1.8 GHz band surrounding for around $40 billion. Thus, the growing demand for bandwidth spectrum is influencing the Li-Fi market.
About Occams Business Research & Consulting (OBRC)
Occams Business Research & Consulting has been in the business (Market Research) for the past three years. OBRC, based in India, is formed by two women analysts, Shyamal Moghe and Sathya Durga, who started the company after years of working as analysts and project managers for companies such as Frost & Sullivan, Smart Analyst etc. and have an excellent track record for the best customer satisfaction.
Shyamal Moghe (Shyamal Moghe)
Sathya Durga (Sathya Durga)
Contact:
Shyamal Moghe
Tel: +91-9850553315
Email: sales@occamsresearch.com
SOURCE Occams Business Research & Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
MATTERSBURG, Austria, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
After three victories in a row at the Global MVNOs Industry Awards, I-New now also won the Global Telecoms Awards 2016 in the category Services to Telecoms
The high-quality and coveted Global Telecoms Awards mark the highest level of innovation and excellence in the global communications industry. Winning a Global Telecoms Award proves the value of a company's investment and proves the skills in driving returns on those investments through the endorsement of credible experts.
I-New Unified Mobile Solutions already had been extremely successful at the Global MVNOs Industry Awards by winning the awards 3 times in a row between 2014 and 2016. The success of winning the Services to Telecoms category at the 2016 Global Telecoms Awards (Glotel Awards) is extremely important for the company and proves its excellent business service capabilities beyond the MVNx universe. The category was open for companies that provide business services to the telecoms sector beyond core technological competencies and rates the evidence of value-adding services and examples of where the use of such services has materially empowered operator clients.
I-New CEO Peter Nussbaumer: "Winning at the 2016 Global Telecoms Awards truly means a lot for us as it goes beyond the MVNx ecosystems and includes the whole telco sector. Shining out brightly as a small company out of the Glotel Award's ocean full of big whales and sharks is something we really can be very proud of. Especially winning in the "Services to Telecoms" category is important for I-New as it shows the compelling power of our complete BSS/OSS system which helps to bring established Mobile Network Operators into a competitive position by lowering costs and marketing of innovation at a next generation level."
Contact:
I-New Unified Mobile Solutions AG
Global Marketing & Sales
Herbert Reinisch MBA
+43(680)1241210
marketing@i-new.com
http://www.i-new.com
SOURCE I-New Unified Mobile Solutions AG
LONDON, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
The UK's research institutions and the world-leading provider of science, technology and medical information products and services signed today a landmark agreement granting academics access to globally-published, high-quality research at costs lower than the industry average. In addition, Jisc Collections and Elsevier have agreed to cooperate on several Open Science opportunities, leveraging Elsevier's world class technology and analytics capabilities to help make science in the UK more collaborative, transparent, effective, and efficient.
The 5-year contract grants subscription access to around 1,850 journals on Elsevier's ScienceDirect e-platform.
"Jisc Collections' analysis shows that over the course of our previous agreement, Elsevier research articles have been of excellent quality at a price per accessible article below the average for the agreements that Jisc Collections negotiates with other publishers," said Paul Feldman, CEO of Jisc. "Our new ScienceDirect subscription agreement means that in the next five years UK universities will again benefit from Elsevier's outstanding article quality while they continuously push the price per accessible article below industry average. As such, Elsevier will continue to deliver exceptional value for research and teaching across the UK. Combined with our collaboration on Open Science projects, these components add up to a landmark agreement of extraordinary value."
Professor Sir David Eastwood, Vice Chancellor at University of Birmingham, said: "I am delighted that we have reached an agreement that recognises the needs of the sector, and the need to ensure affordable access to high-quality content for UK researchers. The agreement offers stability for the sector and for Elsevier, and we hope to build on the many positive aspects of our discussions."
Gino Ussi, Executive Vice President at Elsevier, said: "With this agreement, Jisc Collections and Elsevier have lived up to their shared responsibility of providing the best possible value for the UK research community and set the stage for a fruitful partnership going forward. In addition to providing content quality above the industry average, we will work together on open science initiatives, enabling UK researchers to collaborate, share and use content and data to help them make breakthrough discoveries for the benefit of society."
About Jisc
Jisc is the UK higher, further education and skills sectors' not-for-profit organisation for digital services and solutions. We operate:
shared digital infrastructure and services
negotiate sector-wide deals with IT vendors and commercial publishers and
provide trusted advice and practical assistance for universities, colleges and learning providers.
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals, empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress. Elsevier provides web-based, digital solutions - among them ScienceDirect, Scopus, Research Intelligence and ClinicalKey - and publishes over 2,500 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and more than 35,000 book titles, including a number of iconic reference works. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a world-leading provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. www.elsevier.com
Media contact
Georgie Myers
Jisc Collections
+44 203 815 5559
georgie.myers@jisc.ac.uk
Harald Boersma
Elsevier
+31 20 485 2736
h.boersma@elsevier.com
SOURCE Elsevier
LONDON, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Technology innovation has real potential to effect change in how healthcare services are provided and consumed according to MedCity, the life sciences promotion agency set up by the Mayor of London. MedCity, in partnership with London & Partners and the Department for International Trade, is at BioEurope to showcase London and the South East as a leader in digital health.
A new wave of digital health companies in 'The Golden Triangle' of London, Oxford and Cambridge are transforming the treatment of illnesses and giving patients greater choice in how they access healthcare services.
Across the UK, half of the population regularly uses the internet to self-diagnose, with two-thirds going online for health information and four out of five stating they would use technology to ask clinicians questions.1
Initiatives such as DigitalHealth.London, a pan-London initiative created to support London as the global capital for digital health are helping to accelerate the adoption of new digital health technologies.2
London's Deputy Mayor for Business, Rajesh Agrawal, said: "The digital health innovations at this event highlight how London's first-class life sciences, med-tech and healthcare sectors are taking a leading role in improving the health of people around the UK and across the world.
"London is open to talent and creativity, and is the perfect place for digital entrepreneurs to work with top scientists on developing vitally important health technology."
Chair of MedCity and CEO of Immunocore, Dr Eliot Forster, added: "Already, many of the world's most innovative advances in digital healthcare are happening in the golden triangle. Patient data is being combined with wearables and apps, leading to better, more personalised treatments, reducing hospital time and saving the NHS money.
"Our award-winning research institutions, thousands of talented scientists, deep experience in clinical trials, and open regulatory environment, combined with the expertise of London's tech ecosystem make for a very fertile territory for digital health entrepreneurs. The 4.2bn investment by Government to digitise the NHS has come at the right time for us to keep pushing innovation forward and transform the future of healthcare."
Globally the market for digital health is forecast to be worth 43 billion by 2018.1 'mHealth', which is technology such as apps and wearables, is the fastest growing sector of the market with the European market for mHealth expected to overtake North America by 2018 and be worth 7.1 billion.3
Additional research by MedCity this year found that consumers expected advances in digital health technologies could revolutionise medicine over the next 20 years, specifically4:
62 per cent of people believe that doctor's appointments will be routinely conducted by virtual reality
53 per cent believe that 3D printing will be used to produce human organs
41 per cent believe the first cloned human will have been born
Life Sciences Consultant at PA Consulting, Michael Sahyoun, said "The Golden Triangle is gaining momentum in the digital health arena. Fuelled by the research of some of the leading institutions in the world, and by some key government initiatives such as the implementation of the third runway in Heathrow, the new Crossrail and NHS Digital, we anticipate greater cross-collaboration and open innovation between industry players."
Health meets Tech in the Golden Triangle case studies
Isansys ' patient monitoring platform collects and analyses patients' vital signs and alerts clinicians if a person's health is deteriorating. The system could save 70 million annually for the NHS by allowing medical teams to intervene as soon as problems develop, improve the outcome of treatment for patients, and potentially help avert 6,000 deaths each year.
' patient monitoring platform collects and analyses patients' vital signs and alerts clinicians if a person's health is deteriorating. The system could save 70 million annually for the NHS by allowing medical teams to intervene as soon as problems develop, improve the outcome of treatment for patients, and potentially help avert 6,000 deaths each year. 85% of patients don't know about clinical trials and Antidote 's app aims to change this. The app matches patients, who may have rare or life threatening diseases, with clinical trials, whilst also helping pharmaceutical companies to find patients to test new drugs on and recently raised 13.7 million to expand the project.
's app aims to change this. The app matches patients, who may have rare or life threatening diseases, with clinical trials, whilst also helping pharmaceutical companies to find patients to test new drugs on and recently raised 13.7 million to expand the project. Olivia is Sense.ly's artificially intelligent virtual nurse who guides patients through their personal healthcare needs 24/7 directing them to either a 111 clinician, or to schedule a GP appointment, locate clinical services, or get medical information and advice. Patients can book face-to-face appointments through the app or interact with enabled clinicians in real-time, through their mobile devices from virtually anywhere.
Notes to Editors
Digital Health in the UK. An Industry study for the Office of Life Sciences. Sep 2015 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/461479/BIS-15-544-digital-health-in-the-uk-an-industry-study-for-the-Office-of-Life-Sciences.pdf. DigitalHealth.London http://digitalhealth.london/ Deloitte. How digital technology is transforming health and social care. May 2015 https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/life-sciences-health-care/deloitte-uk-connected-health.pdf MedCity commissioned SMG Insight /YouGov to survey 2,077 British adults. The research took place in June 2016 . To view the Digital Health Hub report and bios for MedCity, London & Partners and the Department for International Trade: http://bioeurope.vporoom.com/Medcity
SOURCE MedCity
ALBANY, New York, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
With a large number of well-established players, such as Berlin Heart, SynCardia Systems, Sunshine Heart, St. Jude Medical, Heart Ware International, and Abiomed, the market for ventricular assist devices (VADs) in North America demonstrates a fiercely competitive landscape, finds a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR).
Most of the leading companies rely on innovation and technological advancements for business development. However, in the coming years, their focus is projected to shift towards strategic collaborations in order to curtail the competition within the market.
According to TMR, the opportunity in the North America Market for VADs, which stood at US$0.4 bn in 2015, is likely to expand at a healthy CAGR of 9.20% between 2016 and 2024 and increase to US$1.07 bn by the end of the forecast period. The destination therapy (DT) segment has been reporting a greater application of VADs than the other two indication segments. It is expected to remain the leader with its share rising to 66.7% in the overall market by 2024, states the report.
U.S. to Retain Leadership on Account of Rising Awareness Regarding VADs
A geographical analysis of the North America VAD market has also been offered in this research report. As per the study, the U.S. and Canada are the prime domestic markets for ventricular assist devices in this region. Among the two, the U.S. has emerged as the leading contributor to the overall market, thanks to the rise in the awareness level among consumers regarding the benefits offered by VADs.
Expanding at a CAGR of 9.70%, this domestic market is anticipated to remain leading throughout the forecast period. The significant increase in patient assistance and clinical research is likely to act as the key driving factor behind the growth of this market over the next few years, notes the research study.
Inquire for Sample Copy of Research Insights: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=16508
Increased Application of LVADs to Reflect Positively on VAD Sales
Cardiovascular disorders have been a cause of concerns among people in North America since the last few years. As per the American Heart Association, nearly 70% of the geriatric population with diabetes die from heart disorders and almost 16% pass away from strokes in North America. "Most of the advanced heart failures in humans are caused by left ventricular dysfunction, resulting in the increased application of LVADs, which eventually, is adding substantially to the overall demand for VADs in North America," says the author of this study.
Other prominent factors, fueling the demand for VADs in North America are the limited number of heart donors and the growing awareness among consumers regarding the benefits of VADs, states the market report.
High Cost Incurred in Treatment to Limit Demand for VADs
While the North America market for ventricular assist devices looks thriving currently, the overall cost incurred in the treatment may create obstructions in the growth trajectory of this market over the forthcoming years. The increasing incidence of device malfunctioning and product recalls is also projected to restrict the progression of this market in the near future, notes the research study.
The study presented here is based on a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR) titled "Ventricular Assist Device Market - North America Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024."
Get Discount on Report: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=16508
The North America Ventricular Assist Device Market is segmented into:
By Product
Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)
Right Ventricular Assist Device (RVAD)
Bi-Ventricular Assist Device (Bi-VAD)
Total Artificial Heart (TAH)
By Indication
Bridge to Transplant (BTT)
Destination Therapy (DT
Bridge to Recovery (BTR)
By Geography
U.S.
Canada
Browse Related Research Report:
Ventricular Assist Devices Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ventricular-assist-devices-market.html
About Us:
Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S. based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMR's global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.
Contact Us:
Transparency Market Research
90 State Street, Suite 700
Albany, NY 12207
Tel: +1-518-618-1030
USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453
Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com
Blog: http://www.tmrblog.com/
SOURCE Transparency Market Research
DUBLIN, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "China Online Gaming Market & Users (Mobile, PC Online Client Games, Web) Forecast" report to their offering.
China's Online Gaming Market has become the biggest Online Gaming Market in the world, surpassing United States and Japan. China's Online Gaming Users is expected to cross the figure of 500 Million users by the end of 2020. PC Online (Client Games) market share is decreasing and Mobile Game Market share is increasing year on year. Tencent holds the lion's market share compared to its nearest competitor Netease. According to our research Tencent will continue to hold its leading position in future too.
The report titled China Online Gaming Market & Users (Mobile, PC Online Client Games, Web) Forecast provides a comprehensive assessment of the fast-evolving, high-growth of online gaming industry in China. This 69 page report with 40 Figures and 2 Tables analyses the Online Gaming Market by Segment and by Company Revenue, along with the Driving Factors and Challenges.
This report has been studied from 9 viewpoints.
1. China Online Gaming Market (2011 - 2020)
2. China Online Gaming Users (2011 - 2020)
3. China Online Gaming Market (2011 - 2020)
4. China Online Gaming Users Share (2011 - 2020)
5. China Online Gaming Company Share (2011 - 2020)
6. China Online Gamers Behavioural Analysis (Mobile Gaming & PC Gaming)
7. China Online Gaming Regulatory Status
8. China Online Players Analysis (Tencent, NetEase, Kingsoft, Changyou, Shanda)
9. China Online Gaming Market Growth Drivers & Challenges Analysis
China Online Gaming Companies Revenue Covered (2011 - 2020):
1. Tencent
2. NetEase
3. Kingsoft
4. Changyou
5. Shanda
Key Topics Covered:
1. Executive Summary
2. China Online Gaming Market (2011 - 2020)
3. China Online Gaming Market Share Analysis (2011 - 2020)
4. China Online Game Market by Category (2011 - 2020)
5. China Online Gaming Users Analysis
6. Game Players Behavioral Features and Preferences
7. Regulatory Status on China Online Gaming Industry
8. Government Initiatives to Promote China Online Gaming Industry
9. China Online Games Company Sales Analysis (2011 - 2020)
10. Growth Drivers of China Online Gaming Industry
11. Challenges in China Online Gaming Industry
For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/xc9qfc/china_online
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
BERLIN, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
The Bitkom digital conference will take place on 22 November 2016 in Berlin
The hub conference programme for 2016 has been decided. Participants at the conference held by the German digital organisation, Bitkom, can look forward to 130 speakers, 400 start-ups and more than 2000 visitors. Among the keynote speakers will be the Dax members Carsten Kengeter, CEO of the Deutsche Borse Group, and Peter Terium, CEO of RWE AG & innogy SE. In addition, other high-ranking business representatives will report on digitalisation within their industries. Representatives from the digital economy include Reinhard Clemens, CEO from T-Systems, Jean-Philippe Courtois, Executive Vice President at Microsoft, and Philipp Jung, Chief Strategy Officer at HP Inc. In addition, there will be numerous founders of start-ups, such as Celine Lazorthes from Leetchi, Christian Henschel, co-founder of adjust, and Hans-Holger Albrecht from Deezer. "The hub conference bridges the gap between traditional economics, digital businesses and start-ups", says Bitkom managing director, Dr. Bernhard Rohleder. Jeff Jarvis, one of the most renowned experts on the digital scene, will outline the opportunities for Europe against the technological centres in the US and Asia.
The topics covered on the six stages will include intelligent mobility and autonomous driving. With a view to the use of artificial intelligence and robotics, speakers will discuss the impact of new technologies on the workplace. The presentations and stage discussions on Fintech und Blockchain will deal with the question of how digital technologies are revolutionising the financial sector.
At the Innovators' Pitch, founders will present their business ideas in the categories of Digital Health, Internet of Things and Mobility. Additionally visitors have the chance to participate in interactive practical workshops. At the Market Place, more than 30 companies will present new prototypes, solutions and exhibits from applied research.
The conference will take place on 22 November 2016 at "Station Berlin". The conference language is English. Journalists who are interested in the event can register here: https://www.hub.berlin/en/accreditation
Contact: Maurice Shahd, Media Relations Manager, T +49-30-27576-114, M +49-151-148-248-30, maurice@hub.berlin
SOURCE BITKOM
LONDON, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Western Circle Ltd, trading as Cashfloat.co.uk, have announced that they are now welcoming affiliates to the team. Cashfloat is well known throughout the short-term loan industry and beyond for their original and effective SEO strategies, which allow them to generate 100% organic customer acquisition.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160817/398829LOGO )
Cashfloat is a new type of payday loan company, priding themselves on being a moral lender who personifies honesty, transparency, and understanding. Their unique and creative SEO strategies, combined with effective use of the latest technological advances, make them unlike anything else on the market.
The new program, Cashfloat Trust Affiliate Network (CTAN), gives anyone with a website, blog, email list, SMS contacts or call centre the opportunity to join Cashfloat's affiliate network. Members will receive access to real time statistics and dedicated support. CTAN allows its members to earn money while helping people access a safe short term loan.
"We aim to be the best in the short term loan industry, and thanks to our dedicated team and effective SEO strategies, we are succeeding. Our operating costs are by far lower than any competitor because of our SEO tactics that produce 100% organic client acquisition. This allows us to invest more money into improving our service, and we can afford to pay our affiliates more. CTAN is not for everyone, but if you pass our due diligence you will be a part of one of the UK's most innovative SEO teams," explains Ofer Valencio Akerman, Cashfloat online strategy architect.
Cashfloat is a young company with a bright future, and they are now inviting affiliates to join them. More details can be found on Cashfloat's website, here.
About Cashfloat
Cashfloat.co.uk is a trading style of Western Circle Limited; an FCA-fully authorised direct lender operating in the UK. The Cashfloat model is based on fundamentally good morals and the most advanced artificial intelligence technology designed to help and protect people taking payday loans online.
Contacts
Kelly Richard, 020-3757-1933
kelly.richard@cashfloat.co.uk
or
SEO related queries
Ofer Valencio Akerman
akerman@masterlevelseo.com
Social media accounts
www.cashfloat.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/cashfloat
https://twitter.com/cashfloat_kelly
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cashfloat
https://plus.google.com/+CashfloatUk-loans
SOURCE Cashfloat.co.uk
DUBLIN, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "The Future of Western Asia Fuel Oil Supply and Demand, 2005-2025: Trends, Drivers, Challenges and Forecasts of Fuel Oil Production and Consumption under Current Market Dynamics" report to their offering.
Western Asia Fuel Oil Outlook report provides detailed analysis and forecast of Fuel Oil consumption patterns and supply scenario in all key Fuel Oil markets in Western Asia. Forecasts of production and demand of each of the Fuel Oil markets in Western Asia are provided annually from 2005 to 2025.
Drivers and challenges of industry growth in each of the Western Asia countries are analyzed. Further, information on current refining capacity, refining complexity along with planned refining infrastructure details are also provided in the Western Asia Fuel Oil outlook report.
Historic data is taken largely from government ministries and companies involved, ensuring highest accuracy of the data. Further, forecasts are made through our sophisticated methodology considering current market conditions and future prospects. Fuel Oil Forecasts for each market are evaluated by in-house experts and also validated by industry professionals to ensure utmost accuracy and certainty.
The research work also provides information on leading refining companies in each country along with business profiles of three leading Fuel Oil suppliers in the region. All latest industry developments in Western Asia Fuel Oil are also provided in the report.
Key Topics Covered:
1. Tables & Figures
2 Executive Summary
3 Azerbaijan LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
4 Iran LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
5 Armenia LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
6 Oman LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
7 Yemen LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
7 Yemen LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
8 Lebanon LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
9 Syria LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
10 Iraq LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
11 United Arab Emirates LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
12 Qatar LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
13 Bahrain LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
14 Kuwait LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
15 Saudi Arabia LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
16 Business Profiles of Leading Refiners
17 Appendix
For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9wkhk3/the_future_of
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SOURCE Research and Markets
As part of this collaboration, Altair is providing free licences for its computer-aided engineering and design solutions software HyperWorks and solidThinking, to the Architecture Faculty of the University of the Philippines to be used in the University's first-of-its-kind Design Lab . The Altair design and simulation software and applications will serve as the backbone of the faculty's new Design Lab which will serve as a platform for undergraduate and postgraduate students to leverage on technologies to study new ideas that will improve the quality of lives in a highly urbanised environment especially in the design of disaster-resilient structures (houses, schools and evacuation centers, a common problem facing developing Asian cities including The Philippines.
Altair Managing Director for ASEAN, Srirangam Srirangarajan, explained, "Today's architects play a key role in designing sustainable living solutions to address 21st century issues such as climate change and clean energy requirements. Emerging technologies such as simulation software and optimisation techniques help architects solve complex designs and infrastructural problems, allowing them to develop impactful buildings and city designs, push new design frontiers and provide them with the right tools to create optimized and sustainable design solutions that will ultimately improve the lives of the people of The Philippines."
"Given Altair's pioneering expertise and knowledge in simulation technologies, we look forward to sharing our industry know-how with the University of the Philippines and helping them set new benchmarks in architectural education, in support of the University's goals to nurture more 'industry-ready' young architects," Srirangam added.
Commenting on the partnership with Altair, the Dean of the UP College of Architecture Professor Mary Ann A. Espina said, "In support of the nation's vision to build more sustainable and liveable homes, we are delighted to partner with Altair in the Design Lab project. The University of the Philippines is one of the early adopters of the technology innovation in the academia space, I am confident that with this partnership we will be able to nurture more future architects who will continue to push boundaries to develop quality and sustainable cities that meet future urbanization, energy and mobility needs."
At the moment, the University will be exploring the possibilities of using the HyperWorks and solidThinking products in its science research project the Build Back Better Program. The project's scope covers designing disaster-resilient houses, schools and evacuation centers, and the software by Altair is believed to contribute significantly in developing creative and high-quality designs for the said projects.
The collaboration with the University of Philippines is one of several initiatives carried out by Altair to promote design and product innovation amongst businesses and education institutions in the region. Other areas of focus include joint research programs and training platforms to support design innovation.
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:
Corporate / Americas
Biba A. Bedi
+1.757.224.0548 x 406
[email protected]
Europe, the Middle East and Africa
Evelyn Gebhardt
+49 6421 9684351
[email protected]
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SOURCE Altair
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- "Today's political landscape, seen in the presidential campaign, is unlike any in modern history. Negative opinions, related to culture, gender, and race, have resurfaced in words and images that cast women, minorities, and immigrants in disparaging ways," says J. Carlton "Jack" French, a Columbia, Maryland visual artist and retired advertising agency art director. "These messages, in soundbites and slogans that populate the media space, are disruptive and fuel biases." French's response to what he views as negativism are word designs on canvas that stimulate thinking, feelings, and conversations significant to culture change.
J. Carlton French's Painting
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161104/436477
French's works, "LOVE," "JOY," and "IF," oil paintings that express communications shortcomings, were displayed at the Carlessia Hussein Minority Scholarship Fund charity event. "I saw the significant contribution the charity offers underserved youth. Then I thought of the messages of my paintings: LOVE came out of Dr. Hussein's generosity. JOY is the happiness of attending college. IF, opens doors to possibilities; if nothing is done, the students' lives remain the same. With support, their lives change for the better. I am amazed by how we can transform our thinking through the art of language."
His latest painting, "Grab them by the p-ssy," is enlarged from imagery in a magazine taken from a politician's utterances. French's goal is to encourage discussions about what art means in relationship to male perceptions of women. "I challenge the viewer to consider how art weaves into the communications mix and can shape culture change." "Cartoonists do this; Andy Warhol did this; great observers of society look outside for interpretations. Art stands the test of time. Years from now, this piece can be a marker of this time and place and the state of the society we occupied."
French's works are also in private collections and galleries, notably Rosenbaum Contemporary Gallery in Boca Raton, Florida. His limited edition 36 x 40 oil paintings, "Ode to the Shoes of A Lady," a series of "fashionista" women's shoes, sold out. Giclee reproductions are available. French's most notable artwork, a 65 lb. bronze that he molded directly from Astronaut Dr. Buzz Aldrin's face and arm, was unveiled at the Newseum, Washington, DC, where Aldrin and French signed and dated the piece. To learn more about the artist, contact his publicist, Patricia Green, at [email protected] or 301-526-1089.
You can find Jack French online, here:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jack.french.906
Twitter: www.twitter.com/JackFre09201246
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jack-french-82972316
SOURCE J. Carlton "Jack" French
STOCKHOLM, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Asarina Pharma, a drug development company focused on the development of a novel therapy for severe premenstrual symptoms, has completed a financing round raising EURO 7 million from new and existing investors for the continued clinical development of Sepranolone.
Around 5% of women in fertile age worldwide suffer from Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), a debilitating condition that prevents sufferers from leading a normal working and social life. Despite the high prevalence of the disease and the severity of its symptoms, there is low awareness of PMDD, and the pharmaceutical industry has so far been unable to meet this medical need. PMDD is caused by altered brain sensitivity to an endogenous steroid produced after ovulation resulting in monthly recurrent episodes of depression, anxiety and mood lability. As of today, treatment options include anti-depressants and oral contraceptives, but they have shown little effect, and are generally poorly accepted by the patients.
Asarina's lead candidate, Sepranolone, could become a game changer. Sepranolone, the first potential therapy to target the underlying cause of this condition, has shown promising results in an exploratory clinical Phase I/II study. Using the funds from current, and new investors Idinvest Partner (France) and Ergomed plc, Asarina is now preparing a Phase IIb clinical trial, to be conducted in the US and a number of European countries, among them Sweden.
Peter Nordkild, CEO of Asarina Pharma, said:
"We are delighted to have attracted new investments from Idinvest and Ergomed, as well as our current stakeholders. Long-term investors have played a central role in helping Asarina secure the financial resources needed to reach this next crucial milestone. The planned Phase IIb study is an important next step in the clinical development of Sepranolone.
TO THE EDITORS
About Asarina Pharma AB
Asarina Pharma AB is a Swedish biotech company focusing on the development of Sepranolone (UC1010) for the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder and other menstrually related conditions. The company's primary goal is to offer a novel therapy that is specifically designed for PMDD. Asarina has a second generation oral compound in preclinical development for PMDD. For more information, please visit: www.asarinapharma.com
SOURCE Asarina Pharma
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Beauty companies around the world submitted more than 350 nominations while a panel of industry experts carefully selected five finalists in each category. The final winners were chosen by approximately 8,000 beauty fans who cast their votes for the brands they feel are the most innovative and pioneering online. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Mary Kay has been honored at the consumers' choice awards.
"We are thrilled that Mary Kay brand lovers and supporters voted to help us take home the honors for Best Pinterest, Best YouTube and Best App at this prestigious industry event," said Sara Friedman, Vice President of U.S. Marketing at Mary Kay Inc. "We love that Mary Kay customers and our Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants are some of the most engaged, loyal and enthusiastic brand champions on social media. Whether it's in person or digital, Mary Kay continuously strives to provide the most innovative products and experiences while delivering superior, personalized customer service."
With approximately 95,000 followers on Pinterest, the beauty company has uniquely used the social media site to provide makeup tutorials and tips, attention-grabbing visuals and product-first photography that resulted in nearly 45,000 clicks to Mary Kay's website over the past year. On Mary Kay's YouTube channel, a wide variety of content including product information and inspiring stories from Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants and brand customers has generated 11.1 million total views since its launch in 2009. The Mary Kay Virtual Makeover app invites women to upload their photo and create customized looks with Mary Kay products to try a new style. To date, the Virtual Makeover App has been downloaded more than 7 million times by users around the world.
"With the explosion of social media, customers now dictate which digital channels they engage through, so it's paramount that beauty brands engage customers in innovative and creative ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors," said Irina Kremin, Co-Founder of Global Cosmetics Community and Director of innoCos Events. "The #beauty20 Awards recognize the most ground-breaking innovation in digital marketing by beauty brands and we are thrilled that Mary Kay has been honored for a fourth straight year."
Last year, Mary Kay was voted Best Facebook, Best Pinterest and Best YouTube at the #beauty20 Awards in New York. In 2014, the company earned awards for Best Website and Best App and in 2013 received Best Website at the event. With 73 million visits a year and growing, marykay.com and Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant Personal Websites continue to give consumers a personalized, dynamic and engaging shopping experience.
About Mary Kay
Irresistible products. Positive community impact. Rewarding opportunity. For more than 50 years, Mary Kay has offered it all. With 3.5 million Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants and $4 billion in global annual sales, Mary Kay is a top beauty brand and direct seller in more than 35 markets around the world. Discover what there is to love about Mary Kay by connecting with a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant at marykay.com.
Mary Kay Inc. Corporate Communications
marykay.com/newsroom
972.687.5332 or [email protected]
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SOURCE Mary Kay Inc.
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CHARLESTON, S.C., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Charleston Defense Contractors Association (CDCA), a non-profit advocacy group for the defense industry in the Charleston metro area, today announced its official support for four political candidates in South Carolina, whose platforms and critical areas of focus align with the organization's mission of growing the region as a crucial defense industry market. The CDCA is also focused on bolstering the industry's ability to develop, attract, retain, and effectively execute on business opportunities that have implications beyond the Charleston metro area.
"Since the CDCA's inception, our motto has been to advocate, protect and preserve. Therefore, it's part of our responsibility to work with industry leaders and political candidates who share the same goals when it comes to drawing in defense spending, talent and growth for the Lowcountry," said Joshua Hatter, Vice President, PR Chair, CDCA and senior manager of marketing and business development for General Dynamics Information Technology. "These individual candidates all have a focus on programs and initiatives that will continue to help position the region as a strategic market for defense industry spending, contracts, talent and growth."
Each of the candidates supported by the CDCA have held positions on key committees that focus on defense spending, transportation, technology, small business and entrepreneurship, cyber defense, Homeland security, economic development as well as several other subcommittees that are aligned with the core values and goals set forth by CDCA.
Senator Timothy Eugene "Tim" Scott
A member of the Senate's Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, Senator Scott assists in legislation that directly impacts and provides great benefit to small businesses with particular emphasis on the Lowcountry.
Congressman Addison Graves "Joe" Wilson
Congressman Wilson holds key positions that have a significant impact in this community. Wilson is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, which focuses on Cyber Defense. This area of defense and technology is a cornerstone of the work performed by SSC Atlantic and supporting Industry Partners. He is also Chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel and a member of various committees and subcommittees focused on the defense industry.
Congressman Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford, Jr.
Congressman Sanford was first elected to Congress in 1994, winning the Charleston-based 1st Congressional District in the House of Representatives. In 2013, Sanford formally launched his bid to return to Congress and won a special election on May 7, 2013. As part of the House Budget Committee, Sanford laid out a budget that strengthens our national defense by increasing spend on resources, training, equipment and compensation. He has also helped put emphasis on Veteran Affairs and making fiscally responsible decisions to drive employment in key markets.
Katherine "Katie" Arrington:
Arrington is running for South Carolina House District 94 to ensure Summerville is represented by a leader who will put the needs of the district first. The CDCA endorses Katie's candidacy, because the it agrees with her view that there is a strong need to create solutions for a better future, requiring vision, passion, experience, and fortitude to make it happen.
Register Now: CDCA's 10th Annual C5ISR Summit (Dec. 6-9, 2016)
In addition to today's news, the CDCA's 10th annual C5ISR Summit is quickly approaching and will take place from December 6-9, 2016 at the Charleston Convention Center. The C5ISR Summit is an educational and networking event born out of the need to connect the wide range of players across the defense industry. The Summit will also showcase the top three submissions from the CDCA's 6th Annual Student Mobile App Competition and are the focus of a HackWarz Competition running simultaneously with the event. C5ISR Summit sponsorship opportunities and exhibitor space are still available. Members of the media can register free of charge. For more information please visit the website.
About Charleston Defense Contractors Association
Charleston Defense Contractors Association (CDCA) is an association of organizations and individual professionals dedicated to preserving, highlighting and continuing to grow the defense industry and its affiliated-organizations in Charleston, South Carolina, and its immediate surrounding region. Since its inception in December 2002, the CDCA has worked to address issues facing the continually changing landscape that is Charleston's defense industry presence and ensure that it continues to be a thriving, sustained business opportunity in Charleston, South Carolina. Members include: Amazon Web Services, SAIC, UEC, ManTech, BAE Systems, Booz Allen Hamilton, CDW-G, Cisco, SCRA, Honeywell, and more. For further information, visit us at http://www.charlestondca.org/.
SOURCE Charleston Defense Contractors Association
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DURHAM, N.C., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading Christian higher education resource, Christian Universities Online (http://www.christianuniversitiesonline.org/), has published a ranking of the Top Ten Psychology Degree Programs 2017 (http://www.christianuniversitiesonline.org/top-10-psychology-degree-programs-2017/?rank_page=1). Azusa Pacific University of Azusa, California, claimed the top spot on the list. Liberty University of Lynchburg, Virginia placed second in the ranking, and LeTourneau University located in Longview, Texas, placed third.
Other schools making the list include (in alphabetical order):
College of the Ozarks - Point Lookout, Missouri
Faulkner University - Montgomery, Alabama
Messiah College - Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Northwest University - Kirkland, Washington
Simpson, University - Redding, California
Wheaton College - Wheaton, Illinois
Whitworth University - Spokane, Washington
This ranking began by comparing all colleges and universities that are either members of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) or be member eligible. Publicly available data for each school was gathered and compared in the following areas: 1) number of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in psychology; 2) faculty-to-student ratio; 3) percent of full-time beginning undergraduates receiving grant or scholarship aid; 4) selectivity; 5) overall retention rate; and 6) overall graduation rate. Weights were assigned to each of these categories with the category of the number of degree programs having a slightly higher weight than the other categories. Lastly, an overall score was calculated for each school.
Anna-Rebekah Orr, editor at Christian Universities Online, explains that the goal of the ranking is to highlight schools that excel in their educational offerings in the field of psychology, counseling, or a related area. These schools are doing the important work of preparing highly trained professionals in the field of psychology within a faith context that will inform their work as they go on to the career of their choosing. Orr says, "Psychology is a very broad field that attracts students with a wide range of interests, including counseling, mental health, family and marriage therapy, and clinical research. There is a constituency of prospective students who do not want to set aside their Christian beliefs to study psychology but also do not want to compromise on quality of education. This ranking puts the spotlight on departments at Christian institutions that have a reputation for excellence and accommodate a wide range of interests. Whatever one's career goals, these schools are committed to a highly rigorous academic and professional standard. Over and above academic excellence, these are programs that uphold a commitment to a Christian worldview and are rooted in a faith perspective. Students who are seeking such a program will find this ranking helpful as they conduct their search."
Christian Universities Online (http://www.christianuniversitiesonline.org/) is an online resource for students and families researching Christian higher education. The site publishes rankings and reviews of the best Christian colleges and universities, information about Christian scholarships and financial aid, and many other resources for finding, getting into, and paying for a quality Christian education.
Contact:
Michael Templeton
Site Manager
(919) 858-6153
[email protected]
SOURCE Christian Universities Online
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http://www.christianuniversitiesonline.org
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ClearLight Diagnostics, LLC (ClearLight), a developer of a next generation tissue processing and 3D imaging platform for research and diagnostic applications, announced today that it has signed an exclusive, worldwide license agreement with Stanford University. The license agreement provides exclusive intellectual property rights covering inventions relating to a new microscopy approach called SPED (SPherical-aberration-assisted Extended Depth-of-field) light sheet microscopy as well as for a new RNA interrogation technology developed for multiplexed, volumetric visualization of both long and short RNAs in a variety of intact tissues.
SPED is a conceptually distinct microscopy approach which turns spherical aberration into an advantage by combining the large volumetric field of view of an extended depth of field with the optical sectioning of light sheet microscopy, thereby eliminating the need to physically scan the detection objective for volumetric imaging while maintaining spatial resolution. At the core of SPED light sheet microscopy is a unique and scalable method for extending the depth of field, by building upon the optical mechanisms that induce spherical aberrations.
The RNA interrogation technology licensed by ClearLight is a versatile, high- content, and scalable molecular phenotyping technology of intact tissues that retains RNAs in clarified tissue, coupled with amplification tools for multiplexed detection. Nucleic acid labeling in CLARITY processed tissue may represent an important scientific and clinical opportunity, enabling detection of not only diverse coding RNA variants but also non-coding RNAs. The resulting technology enables measurement of activity- dependent transcriptional signatures, cell-identity markers, and diverse non-coding RNAs in rodent and human tissue volumes.
"We are excited to add these important technologies to our portfolio related to the 3 dimensional interrogation and imaging of tissue samples," said Sarah McCurdy, CEO of ClearLight. "We continue to develop a set of valuable tools and capabilities to support our product development of the CLARITY process."
Founded by Karl Deisseroth M.D., Ph.D., ClearLight is developing a product platform based on the CLARITY lipid-clearing technique developed by Dr. Deisseroth and colleagues at Stanford University. This technique enables the transformation of tissue into a nanoporous, hydrogel-hybridized form that is crosslinked to a three-dimensional network of hydrophilic polymers. The process produces a fully assembled, intact tissue, which is permeable to macromolecules and optically transparent, thus allowing for robust three-dimensional imaging of subcellular components (DNA, RNA and protein) and heterogeneous cellular interactions within the tumor microenvironment. This technology, paired with the development of a tissue imaging platform that includes the revolutionary microscopy method, COLM (CLARITY Optimized Light-sheet Microscopy) will enable unprecedented depth and acceleration of image collection from lipid-cleared samples interrogated with biomolecules.
About ClearLight Diagnostics
ClearLight Diagnostics is a technology development company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative technologies to significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of diseases with an initial focus in oncology. Visit www.clearlightdx.com.
Contact:
Sarah McCurdy
[email protected]
(510) 470-5042
SOURCE ClearLight Diagnostics
Related Links
http://www.clearlightdx.com
AMSTERDAM, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Constellium N.V. (NYSE and Euronext: CSTM) today announced that its subsidiaries, Wise Metals Intermediate Holdings LLC and Wise Holdings Finance Corporation, have called for redemption their 9% / 10% Senior PIK Toggle Notes due 2019 (the "Notes") pursuant to the terms of the indenture governing the Notes. Constellium expects to complete the redemption on December 5, 2016. The redemption price for the Notes is 104.875% of the aggregate outstanding principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest. Constellium intends to use cash on hand to pay the redemption price. This transaction reflects management's confidence in the Company's liquidity position and will reduce gross debt and related interest costs.
About Constellium
Constellium (NYSE and Euronext: CSTM) is a global sector leader that develops innovative, value added aluminium products for a broad scope of markets and applications, including aerospace, automotive and packaging. Constellium generated 5.2 billion of revenue in 2015.
www.constellium.com
Forward-looking statements
Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This press release may contain "forward looking statements" with respect to our business, results of operations and financial condition, and our expectations or beliefs concerning future events and conditions. You can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as, but not limited to, "believes," "expects," "may," "should," "approximately," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "targets," likely," "will," "would," "could" and similar expressions (or the negative of these terminologies or expressions). All forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Many risks and uncertainties are inherent in our industry and markets. Others are more specific to our business and operations. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the ability of Constellium and Wise Metals to achieve expected synergies and the timing thereof; the risk that the businesses will not be integrated successfully or such integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected; Constellium's increased levels of indebtedness as a result of the acquisition of Wise Metals, which could limit Constellium's operating flexibility and opportunities; the potential failure to retain key employees as a result of the acquisition of Wise Metals or during the integration of the business, the loss of customers, suppliers and other business relationships as a result of the acquisition of Wise Metals; disruptions to business operations resulting from the acquisition of Wise Metals; slower or lower than expected growth in the North American market for Body-in-White aluminium rolled products and other risk factors set forth under the heading "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 20-F, and as described from time to time in subsequent reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The occurrence of the events described and the achievement of the expected results depend on many events, some or all of which are not predictable or within our control. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
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SOURCE Constellium
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PASADENA, Calif., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Coronal Energy today announced that it has been named the third fastest growing private company in the Greater Los Angeles area by the Los Angeles Business Journal. The rankings were unveiled at the 20th annual Fastest Growing Private Company Awards ceremony held on November 2.
Coronal Energy, powered by Panasonic, is a leading provider of renewable energy solutions, especially large-scale solar photovoltaic systems, for diverse enterprise customers across North America, including utilities, corporations, the public sector, educational institutions, and other organizations. It unites the project development, finance, engineering, construction, and asset management experience of Coronal Energy with Panasonic's lasting financial strength and award-winning history of solar innovation and sustainability leadership. Its portfolio includes projects in 40 states totaling 2.3 GW installed, with more than 3.4 GW of greenfield and brownfield projects under construction/contract, in development or in the pipeline.
"We are proud to be part of the growing entrepreneurial business landscape in Los Angeles and for this recognition from the Los Angeles Business Journal," said Jonathan Jaffrey, Chairman and CEO of Coronal Energy. "The opportunities for growth and the wealth of talent in our community have contributed to our ongoing success. We look forward to being an active member of this vibrant business community in the future."
"Solar is the country's fastest-growing energy source and California is the nation's leading state," said Jamie Evans, managing director of the Energy Solutions Group at Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company. "The Los Angeles Business Journal recognition is a testament to Coronal Energy's role in Los Angeles County's thriving economy and in driving the clean energy revolution across the United States."
In September, Panasonic increased its ownership position in Coronal Energy, marking a new phase in their partnership following four years of collaboration and an initial strategic investment in December 2014.
For more information, please visit http://www.coronalenergy.com
About Coronal Energy
Coronal Energy develops, finances, and operates solar PV projects for utilities, municipalities, corporations, and other organizations in exclusive partnership with Panasonic. In December 2014, Panasonic made an initial strategic investment in Coronal Energy, followed by a second investment in September 2016. Coronal Energy announced the acquisition of HelioSage Energy, a leading utility-scale solar project developer, in February 2015. In September of the same year, Coronal Energy and Panasonic announced a strategic investment in Blue Oak Energy, a best-in-class commercial and utility-scale solar engineering and construction company founded in 2003. Coronal Energy also continues to actively acquire solar PV assets in virtually any stage of development. The company has major initiatives in the United States and Canada.
About Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company
Panasonic Enterprise Solutions, a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, develops, installs, and maintains large-scale energy solutions and sensory solutions for utility, business, government, and institutional customers. The Coronal Energy, powered by Panasonic, team includes the Energy Solutions Group of Panasonic Corporation of North America, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation.
SOURCE Coronal Energy
Related Links
http://www.coronalenergy.com
FALLS CHURCH, Va., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CSRA Inc. (NYSE: CSRA) will advise U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) about effective equipment options and efficient deployment methods needed to detect and prevent unlawful travel and trade through a new, single-award contract valued at $45 million over a three-year period.
Under the contract, CSRA will support CBP's systems engineering, logistics and sustainment, capabilities and requirements divisions in determining the most optimal towers, camera sensors and radar systems to help detect and classify threats to the security of the nation's borders. The company will also help CBP define requirements, and acquire and deploy the equipment in the field.
"Proper border control and management is critical in protecting our nation against dangerous people and materials that could potentially harm our citizens," said Sally Sullivan, CSRA executive vice president, Homeland Security Group. "Our collaborative team of systems engineers and logisticians are helping to drive CBP's mission by identifying and deploying intuitive, leading-edge technology to secure and protect our borders."
About CSRA Inc.
Every day CSRA (NYSE: CSRA) makes a difference in how the government serves our country and our citizens. We deliver a broad range of innovative, cloud-enabled, next-generation IT solutions and professional services to help our customers modernize their legacy systems, protect their applications, infrastructure, and assets and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of mission-critical functions for our warfighters and our citizens. Our 18,000 employees understand that success is a matter of perseverance, courage, adaptability and experience. CSRA is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia. To learn more about CSRA, visit www.csra.com.
Forward-looking Statements
All statements in this press release and in all future press releases that do not directly and exclusively relate to historical facts constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements represent CSRA's intentions, plans, expectations and beliefs, including statements about network and asset protection and improving mission-critical functions. The forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of CSRA. These factors could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements. For a written description of these factors, see the sections titled "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in CSRA's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any updating information in subsequent SEC filings. CSRA disclaims any intention or obligation to update these forward-looking statements whether as a result of subsequent event or otherwise, except as required by law.
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SOURCE CSRA Inc.
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ATLANTA, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Discovery Point, a leading national childcare franchise, recently announced a partnership with Trevelino/Keller, a full service digital public relations and marketing firm based in Atlanta, Georgia with clients located across the U.S. Trevelino/Keller will work in partnership with Discovery Point to streamline its marketing strategy, including creative and content development, bolster its franchisee recruitment efforts, as well as leverage PR and social media to elevate its brand awareness.
"What attracted us to Trevelino/Keller was the agency's responsiveness, professionalism and its award-winning results for franchisors", explains Cliff Clark, President and CEO of Discovery Point. "We are confident that the agency's team of franchise specialists will help us attract potential investors and highlight the Discovery Point experience for families in the communities we serve."
Through creative approaches to learning and age-specific programs, Discovery Point strives to instill a love for learning and a sense of curiosity in each child that will prepare them for academic pursuits and for a healthy, well-adjusted life. Everything the franchise does, from its hiring standards to its nutritional principles, is designed to provide a quality child care program and generate positive impacts in local communities.
Drawn to Trevelino/Keller's dedicated franchising practice, Discovery Point tapped the digital public relations and marketing agency in part because of its legacy of expanding prevalent and emerging small businesses and franchise brands. Trevelino/Keller is often sought out by companies in need of an integrated team that pushes itself to understand a client's business from all angles, turning complex problems into actionable marketing strategies.
"We have been working in the child franchise space for 13 plus years so we feel we have a wealth of experience to draw from in terms of understanding the franchise buyer, as well as the target consumer with young children," explains Dean Trevelino, principal, Trevelino/Keller. "We know how to balance the nuances of those personalities with progressive thinking that doesn't step outside anyone's comfort zone."
About Discovery Point Child Development Centers
With nearly 50 locations throughout the Southeast, Discovery Point Child Development Centers provides safe, educational and nurturing environments for growing children. Discovery Point partners with Teaching Strategies in using the nationally recognized early childhood education program, Creative Curriculum System for Preschool. Since opening its first location in an Atlanta suburb in 1988, Discovery Point has been a leader in childhood enrichment and care, expanding beyond its Georgia roots into Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee with plans under way to reach new markets nationwide. For more information, visit www.discoverypoint.com.
About Trevelino/Keller
Trevelino/Keller is a digital public relations and marketing firm serving disruptive and scaling companies across seven practices Technology, Healthcare, Financial Services, Food & Beverage, Franchising, Lifestyle and Environment. Its Groovy Studios brand houses creative services, dynamic content, digital and social marketing and demand generation. Headquartered in Atlanta with a presence in San Francisco, Orlando, and Charleston, the industry's "First in Retention" firm operates six distinct ventures -- WheelhouseTK, an extended marketing services consortium; Atlas Alliance, a global network of agency partners; Consume Brands, a culinary arts, brand extension, product incubation and reputation management collaboration; TechRise, a real estate technology partnership; and, StartOpia, an information ecosystem designed to support the startup market. For more info on Trevelino/Keller, visit http://trevelinokeller.com/.
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SOURCE Trevelino/Keller
Related Links
http://www.trevelinokeller.com
BOSTON, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amidst a general tightening of the race in key battleground states and a pattern of both Democratic and Republican voters coming home to the major-party candidates, Emerson College Polling is predicting that Hillary Clinton will win the Electoral College by a landslide, 323-215.
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The map, shown above, reflects Emerson polling results in battleground and other states, combined with RealClearPolitics polling averages in those states Emerson did not survey.
In battleground Senate races, Emerson also projects that Democrats will come out of the election with 50 seats or more. That would be enough to claim a Senate majority if Clinton is elected and Tim Kaine, as Vice President, becomes the tie-breaking vote. Our final round of polls suggest that the following Democratic challengers will flip GOP seats in four states: Tammy Duckworth vs. Mark Kirk in Illinois, Russ Feingold vs. Ron Johnson in Wisconsin, Jason Kander vs .Roy Blunt in Missouri and Katie McGinty vs. Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania.
Presidential Race Polls Published November 7
Ohio Nevada Missouri NH Hillary Clinton 39% 47% 41% 45% Donald Trump 46% 46% 47% 44% Gary Johnson 7% 4% 7% 5% Jill Stein 3% 1% 2% 3% Unsure 6% 2% 4% 3% Sample n=900 n=600 n=750 n=1,000 MOE 3.2% 3.9% 3.5% 3.0%
Two of four polls Emerson published today are leaning toward Clinton, both by a single point and well within the margin of error. In Nevada, Clinton is ahead 47% to 46%. In New Hampshire, her lead is 45% to 44%. The other two surveys show Trump leading, but with more breathing room. He has a 6-point advantage in Missouri, 47% to 41%, and a 7-point edge in Ohio, 46% to 39%.
The most significant shift since earlier Emerson polls came in Ohio, where an October 29 survey had the race tied at 45% each. Since then, Trump gained 7 points while Clinton lost 6 points, largely due to long-reluctant John Kasich primary voters finally moving to the Trump camp. In Missouri, Trump saw a 15-point advantage (52% to 37%) on November 2 shrink to 6 points in today's poll with 7% of voters sticking with Gary Johnson, 3% remaining with Stein and 3% unsure.
In the battle to control the U.S. Senate, two of the polls released today give a slight advantage to the Democratic candidate: Jason Kander in Missouri and Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada. Kander leads GOP incumbent Roy Blunt, 46% to 45%, while Masto is up 48% to 47% versus Joe Heck in the race to fill retiring Senator Harry Reid's seat.
New Hampshire's Kelly Ayotte has seen a 6-point lead over Democrat Maggie Hassan cut to 3 points (49% to 46%). There are virtually no undecided voters remaining, although 5% of respondents plan to vote for "someone else." Ohio Senator Republican Rob Portman continues to hold a wide advantage over his challenger Ted Strickland, 49% to 28%.
CALLER ID
The Emerson College polls for Nevada, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Ohio were conducted November 4-5 under the supervision of Professor Spencer Kimball. All samples consisted of only likely general election voters, per the following: Nevada n= 600 with a MOE of +/- 3.9 percentage points; Missouri n= 750 with MOE of +/- 3.5 percentage points; Ohio n= 900 with a MOE of 3.2 percentage points; New Hampshire n= 1,000 with a MOE of +/- 3.0 percentage points. Data was collected using an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system of landlines only. The full methodology and results can be found at www.theecps.com.
Media contact:
Spencer Kimball
[email protected]
617-824-8737
SOURCE Emerson College Polling Society
Related Links
http://www.theecps.com
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Incorporated in 1995, Ujwal has been assisting clients across the world in expanding their businesses into India. The majority of Ujwal's clients are Indian subsidiaries of foreign multinationals, predominantly in the information technology sector. As a result, Ujwal enjoys a very strong reputation in the technology space in Bangalore, considered the main hub for this sector in India. The core of its business is to provide assistance with the setup of entities in India, along with ongoing administration services, including payroll, accounting, finance, and statutory compliance. This experience and knowledge will help to nurture and grow Vistra's International Expansion division in India.
The newly introduced divison in India will be able to leverage the wider Vistra network, and also encourage collaboration with teams globally to further develop the brand's services. Vistra will also now have the resources to penetrate the IT-enabled services (ITeS) client segment as they gain access to a well-established network spanning into the USA. The rebranding not only continues to help grow Vistra's presence in India, but it also strengthens their manifestation in the USA, keeping in line with the group's mission to grow their international footprint.
There will be no changes to the services provided, and the same teams will continue to support clients in the way clients have grown accustomed to. Mr Muralikrishnan A.G will continue managing the Bangalore operation but will now take up the role as CEO, International Expansion Services, India. However, clients will benefit directly from the advantages of being part of Vistra as a global organisation with extensive resources. Vistra currently has over 64 offices across 41 jurisdictions, which the existing team in Bangalore will tap in to, to provide clients with more solid local support.
Mr Muralikrishnan A.G, CEO, International Expansion Services, India, commented on the rebranding:
"We are pleased to be joining the Vistra family. Our experience in delivering quality finance, accounting, and statutory compliance services combined with the strong Vistra platform will enable us to expand our reach faster in a focused manner, backed up by the resources we need to maintain our level of service quality. This rebrand represents a milestone for all of us, one that welcomes new changes and growth in the future."
Martin Crawford, CEO of Vistra Group added:
"Ujwal has been a leading international business service provider in India, recognised by clients and the industry as one of the best firms in the sector. The rebrand of Ujwal under the Vistra brand enables us to benefit from their experience, whilst also facilitating our plans to grow our International Expansion Services division with Ujwal's experienced staff and deep understanding of the industry. In combination, we will broaden what we can offer to our clients providing them the same high standard of service, delivered seamlessly, wherever they operate around the world".
About Vistra
Ranked in the top four corporate service providers globally, Vistra is a versatile group of professionals, providing a uniquely broad range of services and solutions. Our capabilities span across company formations to trust, fiduciary and fund administration services. Vistra employs over 2,300 employees in 64 offices across 41 jurisdictions.
For more information, please visit: http://www.vistra.com
SOURCE Vistra Group
COSTA MESA, Calif., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Experian has been named to Banking CIO Outlook's Top 10 Security Solution Providers, highlighted in the October 2016 issue of the magazine.
"Fraud patterns are evolving faster than ever, and each new change pushes us to be better. That's why we developed CrossCore, the industry's first open platform designed to catch fraud faster, improve compliance and enhance the customer experience," said Steve Platt, global executive vice president, Fraud and Identity, Experian. "Our goal is to provide the very best fraud solutions to our clients, so it's a tremendous honor for Experian and CrossCore to be recognized."
Experian's CrossCoreTM gives companies an easy way to connect new and existing fraud and identity systems into one central service. This plug-and-play capability allows companies to blend disparate services through a common access point that then enables a layered approach to managing risks. CrossCore includes powerful workflow and strategy design capabilities that allow fraud and compliance teams to rapidly create and adapt strategies based on evolving threats and business needs.
"We are proud to feature Experian in our magazine as one of the Top 10 Security Solution Providers of 2016," said James Robertson, managing editor of Banking CIO Outlook. "Experian Fraud and Identity makes its clients feel safe, valued and confident by protecting them every step of the way."
Banking CIO Outlook provides banking professionals with the latest industry trends and news. Each month the magazine identifies experts to help readers address the challenges faced by the banking industry. The October issue highlighted Experian as a top security solution provider, presenting Experian's unique value proposition in fraud.
Learn more about CrossCore at http://www.experian.com/crosscore.
About Banking CIO Outlook
Published from Fremont, Calif., Banking CIO Outlook is a print magazine that features CIOs, ITVPs, CTOs and other decision-makers' opinions and suggestions that help clients to address the issues in the banking industry. A panel of experts and professionals including board members of Banking CIO Outlook magazine finalized the list of Top 10 Security Solution Providers 2016 and short-listed the best consultants and vendors. For more info, visit http://www.bankingciooutlook.com/.
About Experian
We are the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to our clients around the world. We help businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. We also help people to check their credit report and credit score and protect against identity theft. In 2016, we were named one of the "World's Most Innovative Companies" by Forbes magazine.
We employ approximately 17,000 people in 37 countries and our corporate headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended March 31, 2016, was US$4.6 billion.
To find out more about our company, please visit http://www.experianplc.com or watch our documentary, "Inside Experian."
Experian and the Experian marks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
Contacts:
Kristie Galvani Matt Tatham Rubenstein Public Relations Experian Public Relations 1 212 805 3005 1 917 446 7227 [email protected] [email protected]
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SOURCE Experian
Related Links
http://www.experian.com
LEXINGTON, Ky., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Fazoli's, America's largest fast casual Italian chain, announced this year's Franchisee of the Year during its annual conference held in Cancun, Mexico on October 24-25, 2016. In addition, the company named its General Managers of the Year from two of its top-performing corporate and franchised restaurants.
This year's Franchisee of the Year recipient, Bob Sirkis, who owns the Fazoli's of Valdosta, Georgia, was honored for achieving sales growth of 7.8 percent, including an annual guest increase of 8.4 percent. For the last 15 years, he and his wife Kendall have been franchise partners of Fazoli's. Prior to becoming a franchisee, Sirkis was vice president of new concept development at Fazoli's founding parent company in the late 1980s. Over the last five years, Sirkis has increased his restaurant's sales by 52 percent and will open an additional location in Dothan, Alabama in 2017. Earlier this year, he was named one of CNBC's 50 Big Franchise Success Stories.
"We are proud to honor Bob Sirkis for his strong restaurant performance and commitment to the Fazoli's brand," said Carl Howard, president and chief executive officer of Fazoli's. "Bob and his team's passion for operational excellence is a shining example of the strength of the Fazoli's business model. As our network continues to expand, we are focused on partnering with likeminded entrepreneurs who want to be successful in carrying out our company mission and reaching their fullest potential."
At the conference, Fazoli's also named its corporate and franchise General Managers of the Year. Kim Fraser, senior general manager and longtime employee of the corporate owned Fazoli's in Edwardsville, Illinois, was honored for her consistency in delivering strong sales results. At the franchise level, Jonathan Earl of FazWest, LLC, in Springfield, Missouri, was recognized for his contributions to one of the company's top-performing franchised locations and building lucrative revenue streams through drive-thru and off-premise catering sales. Furthermore, Fazoli's named Tyson Foods its Supplier of the Year for its significant impact on enhancing the brand's operations and providing excellent customer service for more than 20 years.
In 2011, Fazoli's underwent a major brand overhaul with the introduction of real plateware and silverware in lieu of foam plates and plastic cutlery. As part of the brand refresh, earlier this year, Fazoli's began remodeling some of its locations with a new, contemporary look and feel. In addition, the company introduced an upgraded menu using premium ingredients, which has been well received by guests. This, coupled with the company's strong performance, continues to drive its expansion. To further catapult the brand's development nationwide, Fazoli's is targeting new markets for expansion including Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Knoxville, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and several other cities.
With nearly 220 restaurants in 24 states, Fazoli's is America's largest Italian fast casual chain, serving freshly prepared entrees, Submarinos sandwiches, salads and pizza. Fazoli's franchisees are experiencing record sales growth, and the company is currently seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join the brand's rapid expansion. For more information about franchise opportunities, connect with Fazoli's online at www.fazolis.com, www.ownafazolis.com, @Fazolis, and https://www.facebook.com/Fazolis.
About Fazoli's
With approximately 220 restaurants, Fazoli's is America's largest Italian fast-casual chain, serving freshly prepared entrees, Submarinos sandwiches, salads and pizza. One of the New York Post's five breakout fast-casual restaurants and a Fast Casual.com Brand of the Year, Fazoli's franchisees are experiencing record sales growth. Visit www.ownafazolis.com for details on development opportunities.
Contact:
Elayne Jacobs
Fish Consulting
202-588-8138
[email protected]
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SOURCE Fazoli's
Related Links
http://www.fazolis.com
NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- FutureBrand's work with Tupperware, Vizient and Heritage of Pride was awarded at Transform Awards North America with the following:
Tupperware:
Grand Prix
Gold for best copy style/tone of voice
Gold for best creative strategy
Gold for best internal communications during a brand development project
Silver for best brand evolution
Vizient:
Silver for best visual identity from the healthcare & pharmaceuticals sector
Silver for best rebrand following a merger or acquisition
Bronze for best naming strategy
Heritage of Pride:
Gold for best visual identity from the charity/NGO/non-profit sector
Established seven years ago in Europe, the Transform Awards has evolved into a global celebration of the indispensable talent that exists within the branding sphere. Since the launch of Transform magazine in April 2014, the global publication has reported on those leading the way in both creative and strategic branding.
The awards consistently set a stronger benchmark for work in brand development while reflecting the growing significance of brand in strategic corporate communications. The corporate brand and its implementation, positioning and creativity has become one of the most valuable assets a business owns.
Rick Goings, Chairman & CEO of Tupperware Brands, shared, "As an iconic brand with a long history and broad name recognition, our hope with FutureBrand was to fully harness the power of our brand on the global stage. Our new look and feel, tone of voice and brand signature "Confidence Becomes You" celebrates our purpose, who we are and always have been inside Tupperware and, importantly, allows us to connect with people in a simple and consistent way."
FutureBrand's Enshalla Anderson, Executive Director, Consumer Products added, "It is not every day that you get to work with an iconic brand like Tupperware. A brand that is known the world over for its signature bowls but in truth does so much more. As a team, we were inspired by the company's global mission to further female economic empowerment. We brought together the branding disciplines of strategy, design, and verbal identity to help Tupperware strengthen the connection between what it doesmaking superior quality culinary toolsand the good it does in the worldempowering women to become confident in their homes and communities."
To hear more from the Transform winners at the Espace in New York City, follow #TransNA
For further information, please contact: Jenn Szekely, Executive Director, Marketing & New Business. [email protected]
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SOURCE FutureBrand
INDORE, India, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
5G and robotics market is growing rapidly and expected to reach $6.2 billion by the end of 2022 owing to proliferation of connected devices such as smartphones, tablets and others across the globe. Numerous IoT developments such as development of smart app, and mobility of smart phones and smart devices and the dramatic increase of smart devices and cloud based software is expected to boost the growth in the global market. It is anticipated that globally around 50 billion 'smart' devices, reaching from cars and parking meters to coffee machines and syndicate harvesters would be associated to the internet by 2020, which is accounted at 22.5 billion in 2015 globally. North America dominates the global market and held around 40% of revenue share in 2015. Whereas, Asia Pacific is growing with huge pace owing to growing technological innovations in the smart robotics across the region because of growing demand for the connected devices such as smart phones and other smart connected smart devices in various countries such as India, China, Korea and many others. China is one of the countries exhibiting solid growth owing to huge production of robots in China and growing technological innovations. In 2015, China held around 27% share in the total robots supplied globally.
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To have a brief overview of the report please click on the following link
http://www.occamsresearch.com/5G-and-Robotics-Market
Mobile Cloud Robotics (MCR): Trend Setter
5G empowers massive prospect for mobile cloud robotics wherever traditional robots are expected to be replaced by new smart robots connected to the cloud. Mobile cloud robotics will permit low level controls, actuators, sensors, and cloud intelligence using limitless cloud computing power. This is anticipated to enhance low latency connection keen on mobile cloud robotics system and great operational flexibility. The growing use of smartphone and tablets to monitor mobile cloud robotics that is increasing huge data deluge. The rising demand for high data transfer and access huge and complex data across various industries such as healthcare, military, smart factory and many more. MCR robots have application in smart factory environment permitting remote controlling inside numerous square kilometres. Numerous demonstration shows 4G meets the necessities of MCR robots but 5G will certainly create greater prospects in the near future in the global 5G and robotics market. One of the major challenges of creating smarter robots is the enormous amount of intelligence essential to make them a reality. 5G covers the technique for modern robots to co-operate with a huge amount of intelligence professionally thereby allowing them to continuously adapt to varying conditions. Currently, Ericsson partnered with 2 Tuscany founded Bio-Robotic Institute and an inventive robot making company; these partnership is to work on an exhilarating 5G opportunity - Mobile Cloud Robotics .
To contact us please click on the following link
http://www.occamsresearch.com/contact-us
Growing Application: Growth Booster
The increasing technological innovation in cloud robotics technology is one of the major reasons which is increasing application of 5G and robotics across various industries such as manufacturing, smart factory, healthcare, military and defence, automotive vehicles and many others. Ericsson in 2015 and 2016 has partnered with 2 biomedical companies EI.En and Imaginalis to innovate and develop new technologies in biomedical and robotics. By applying the 5G technology Ericsson and Imaginalis can perform advanced remote diagnosis of patients. The application of 5G and robotics in smart factory is growing significantly that is attributed by the technology permit remote controlling inside numerous square kilometres plant. Although, growing military spending across the globe to develop new technology is also increasing the application of 5G and robotics in military and defence application. In 2015, the US alone has spent around $600 billion for the development of military sector in the US region. Thus, the growing technological innovation is one of the major factor which is increasing the application of 5g and robotics in the global market.
About Occams Business Research & Consulting (OBRC)
Occams Business Research & Consulting has been in the business (Market Research) for the past three years. OBRC, based in India, is formed by two women analysts, Shyamal Moghe and Sathya Durga, who started the company after years of working as analysts and project managers for companies such as Frost & Sullivan, Smart Analyst etc. and have an excellent track record for the best customer satisfaction.
Shyamal Moghe (Shyamal Moghe)
Sathya Durga (Sathya Durga)
Contact:
Shyamal Moghe
Tel: +91-9850553315
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE Occams Business Research & Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
INDORE, India, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
E-cigarette market is growing with a CAGR of 25% owing to changing lifestyle and preferences of people across globe. Moreover, the increasing shift towards vaping instead of smoking is also propelling growth in the global e-cigarette market. It is estimated that by the end of 2016, the e-cigarette sale would generate revenue of around $2.95 billion globally. The growing concerns for controlling smoking habits and a healthier alternative, the e-cigarette market is growing rapidly. The North America holds the largest market share of around 30% in 2015 owing to increasing demand for e cigarettes due to increasing desire among consumer to leave smoking tobacco. Growth in North America is majorly uplifted by the US market. In the US, there are around 2,750,000 people smoking e-cigarette that has generated sales volume of about $520 million in 2015.
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To have a brief overview of the report please click on the following link
http://www.occamsresearch.com/E-Cigarette-Market
Shift toward Vaping instead of Smoking: Market Mover
The changing life style of people across the globe and shifting focus of smokers towards vaping instead of smoking is one of the major factors that is uplifting the market. In 2015 around 1.4 billion people were smoking tobacco cigarettes which is around 20% of the world population. Whereas, around 12% of the world population is smoking e-cigarettes in 2015 which is expected to rise to 18% by the end of 2025. Various benefits such as healthier alternative which safeguard from various chronic diseases, no passive smoking, etc. etc. are boosting the consumption of the e-cigarettes across the globe. Vaping is increasing rapidly because e-cigarettes don't emit smoke, the e-cigarettes emit vapour which vanishes into air without leaving any harmful substance in the air. In an exertion to safeguard the public as of the threats of tobacco use, in 2016, FDA proclaimed that they are extending the regulatory authority to cover all tobacco products including e-cigarettes, vape pend and other electronic nicotine delivery systems. Due to which the consumption of e-cigarettes is increasing rapidly and around 12% of school children are using the e-cigarettes in the US only. Due to such huge consumption of e-cigarettes by school children's the FDA has banned the sale of e-cigarettes to the school children.
To contact us please click on the following link
http://www.occamsresearch.com/contact-us
R&D Investment: Growth Propeller
Various e-cigarette manufacturers are investing huge amount on research and development to develop new technology and flavour in the e-cigarette market. British American Tobacco (BAT) has invested more than $580 million in past 3 years to develop innovative nicotine and tobacco products. Moreover, Smoore is investing 15% of their revenue in the research and development of e-cigarette products. Philips Morris has developed product called iQOS for which the company has invested around $2 billion in past 10 years. Thus the growing R&D investment by various key players to innovate new smoke free and healthier technology is increasing the growth in the global e-cigarette market.
About Occams Business Research & Consulting (OBRC)
Occams Business Research & Consulting has been in the business (Market Research) for the past three years. OBRC, based in India, is formed by two women analysts, Shyamal Moghe and Sathya Durga, who started the company after years of working as analysts and project managers for companies such as Frost & Sullivan, Smart Analyst etc. and have an excellent track record for the best customer satisfaction.
Shyamal Moghe (Shyamal Moghe)
Sathya Durga (Sathya Durga)
Contact:
Shyamal Moghe
Tel: +91-9850553315
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE Occams Business Research & Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
PARIS and WASHINGTON D.C., November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) is to host top industry players and key government leaders at F S M A-focused food safety briefing in Washington D.C. on Nov 15
GFSI, a marketplace FSMA, has brought the industry together around a common standard and can be leveraged to support implementation of new food compliance requirements
Cargill, Wegmans, McDonald's, Walmart, The Coca-Cola Company, Amazon, Dole, Danone, and Mondelez will be in the room as well as policymakers from the U.S. FDA, the Canadian CFIA and other institutions
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) has announced that it will be hosting two hundred industry and government leaders at dedicated briefings in Washington D.C. this month. As new laws are being implemented within the U.S. FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the public and private sector will convene to discuss how GFSI can be leveraged by both governments and industry for FSMA implementation, international business and above all, public health. GFSI is powered by The Consumer Goods Forum.
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GFSI as Partner for FSMA Implementation and Harmonization
As the U.S. government implements FSMA, both American and foreign companies are working to ensure they comply with the new requirements. In its role as global partner for collaboration on food safety and business efficiency, GFSI brings together the worldwide food network to do what no one company or government can do alone.
Addressing food safety as a shared responsibility, GFSI has gathered the collective best practices of leading companies for the past sixteen years and amalgamated this knowledge into a common understanding of fundamental food safety requirements, recognized internationally.
Streamlining Food Safety Assurance in Shared Supply Networks
By benchmarking and recognizing food safety schemes, GFSI drives harmonization and continuous improvement in the delivery of safe food to consumers everywhere.
The GFSI approach has enabled tremendous strides towards global harmonization of food safety practices as well as improved business efficiency in managing those practices. This consensus on food safety management requirements translates into heightened transparency, mutual trust and streamlined compliance processes, such as third-party certification.
Acting as a B2B FSMA in the Marketplace
The Washington D.C. GFSI briefings, sponsored by TraceGains, aim to enhance understanding of the role GFSI has played in the marketplace and its relevance now, more than ever, in regards to the implementation of the most sweeping U.S. food safety reform in the last decade.
Food operations who have implemented strong food safety management practices and obtained certification to a GFSI-recognized scheme are in a better place to comply with FSMA requirements. Similarly, companies seeking FSMA compliance and access to local, regional and global value chains benefit from recognition within the GFSI approach.
Public-private Dialogue to Achieve Shared Goals
"Science guides industry and policymakers to the same place as we work towards our common objective of ensuring a safe food supply for consumers," commented Mike Robach, Chair of the GFSI Board of Directors. Public-private dialogue and collaboration is paramount to achieving this goal."
The speaker line-up includes industry heavyweights Amazon, Cargill, The Coca-Cola Company, Danone, Dole, McDonald's, Mondelez, Target, Walmart and Wegmans. Policymakers and national legislators from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and other institutions will be present and food safety expert David Acheson will give a special session on FSMA.
SOURCE Global Food Safety Initiative
"The momentum and energy we're seeing on the ground during this tour is incredible and it's fueling our strong GOTV operations in the battleground states," said Eric Beach, Co-Chair of the committee. "North Carolina and Florida are both at the epicenter of the political earthquake Donald Trump is about trigger on Tuesday. This movement will shake the political establishment to its very core and things will never be the same in Washington, DC again."
Great America PAC's final push includes this Battleground State Bus Tour through swing states with a multi-pronged $9 million independent expenditure in support of Donald Trump's candidacy for President. The program includes TV, radio, and digital campaigns. In addition, Great America PAC's campaign offices in those states, established earlier in the campaign, have been working hard as they push to turn out voters on Election Day.
Great America PAC is the premiere Pro-Trump Super PAC led by veteran Republican strategist, Ed Rollins. The group has raised and spent over $30 million in support of Donald Trump's candidacy, broadcasting more than 20,000 TV spots and 300,000 radio ads, secured over 250,000 contributors, built a file of millions of active, newly engaged Trump supporters across the country, placed over 10 million phone calls, and sent over 2.5 million pieces of mail. Great America PAC is the ONLY PAC with field offices in the battleground states with boots on the ground and is also the ONLY PAC running Spanish-language ads on TV and online.
CONTACT: Leigh Beach
[email protected]
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SOURCE Great America PAC
Related Links
https://www.greatamericapac.com
"It's been an incredible final push and it feels great to end our Battleground State Bus Tour at one of Donald Trump's final campaign events," said Eric Beach, Co-Chair of the committee. "Our team has worked extremely hard to support Donald Trump the past 10 months and I could not be more proud of our effort. When Donald Trump makes history tomorrow, we know our relentless campaign to support him will have played an important role in the victory."
Great America PAC's final push has included this Battleground State Bus Tour through swing states with a multi-pronged $9 million independent expenditure in support of Donald Trump's candidacy for President. The program includes TV, radio, and digital campaigns. In addition, Great America PAC's campaign offices in those states, established earlier in the campaign, have been working hard as they push to turn out voters on Election Day.
Great America PAC is the premiere Pro-Trump Super PAC led by veteran Republican strategist, Ed Rollins. The group has raised and spent over $30 million in support of Donald Trump's candidacy, broadcasting more than 20,000 TV spots and 300,000 radio ads, secured over 250,000 contributors, built a file of millions of active, newly engaged Trump supporters across the country, placed over 10 million phone calls, and sent over 2.5 million pieces of mail.
CONTACT: Leigh Beach
[email protected]
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161104/436433LOGO
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161107/436849
SOURCE Great America PAC
Related Links
https://www.greatamericapac.com
PARSIPPANY, N.J., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Continental Who's Who recognizes Gregory J. Lawler, DO, as a Pinnacle Lifetime Member in recognition of his contributions to the Healthcare field.
Dr. Lawler is a Physician at Bergen Pain Management, a practice specializing in pain management solutions. He brings expertise in anesthesiology, pain medicine and management, as well as 23 years of experience in the field. "The keys to my success are having flexibility and an open mind as well as listening to patients," Dr. Lawler said.
According to its website, Bergen Pain Management was "voted one of the best rehabilitation, medical care and pain management providers to New Jersey's legal community for 2015 by New Jersey Law Journal." The office is also a member of the Royal Society of Medicine in London, United Kingdom.
Additionally, the mission statement of Bergen Pain Management reads as follows: "Bergen Pain Management center is dedicated to decreasing pain in a minimally evasive fashion, educating patients and their families about their disease, and explaining current and future treatment modalities, and caring for patients and their families in an environment that is both high in quality and delivered with dignity and respect."
Dr. Lawler earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he graduated from the 101st graduating class.
In addition to working at the practice, Dr. Lawler is a Professor of Medicine at Touro College. He dedicates this recognition to his parents.
For more information, visit www.bergenpain.com
Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]
SOURCE Continental Who's Who
Related Links
http://www.continentalwhoswho.com
CHICAGO, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Harlem Fine Arts Show (HFAS), the largest traveling African Diasporic art show and sale in the United States, will return to Chicago Dec. 911 at a new venue, Life Creative, 1655 W. Walnut, in the city's trendy West Loop. Since its inception in New York in 2009, HFAS has attracted over 80,000 visitors, showcased hundreds of artists and galleries, and generated millions in art sales. The show debuted in Chicago in 2014, as one stop on a multi-city tour, that includes New York, Atlanta, Martha's Vineyard, and Washington, D.C.
"The mission of the HFAS is to rekindle the creativity of the renaissance in arts and culture that swept through both Harlem and Bronzeville in the early part of the 20th Century. With noted national and international fine artists, including Dawoud Bey, Frank Frazier, Ted Ellis and sculptor Woodrow Nash, joined by prominent galleries E&S Art Gallery, Inc. from Louisville and Aaron Galleries in Glenview, the show will be a sought-after destination for both seasoned and beginning collectors.
"Chicago continues to be one of the most important stops for our show, and we are particularly pleased to return as the city celebrates the centennial of the Great Migration," says Dion Clarke, founder of the Harlem Fine Art Show. "We are excited to bring our nationally-recognized artists to this new venue, and welcome the many partners who are participating in the show this year."
The Show's schedule is as follows:
Friday, Dec. 9th is designated as Youth Empowerment Day, when students from public, private and charter schools are invited to participate in complimentary tours of the show, and seminars with artists from 9am 1pm. The show opens to the public at 6 p.m. Friday evening with an Opening Night Reception benefitting the North Shore (IL) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.
On Saturday, Dec. 10th, the show will conduct special tours for educational groups. including Jack and Jill from 8 am 10 a.m. HFAS opens to the public at 10am and from 1 3pm there will be an Arts Lecture. The day ends with a reception with local groups including the MOBE Reunion; Jack & Jill; 100 Black Men of Chicago; Rotary Club of the Southeast; and the First Ladies Health Initiative beginning at 6pm. We will also be saluting Illinois Congressman Danny Davis and his many contributions to his district and the country.
On Sunday, Dec. 11th, HFAS will host a brunch with The Society, and the show will open to the public from 11am - 6pm.
The Harlem Fine Arts Show is sponsored by United Airlines, Northwestern Mutual, Hennessy, Bahamas Tourism, and Country Financial. Click here for more information or to purchase tickets, pricing begins at $20 for general show admission. Follow the Harlem Fine Arts Show on Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram using #hfaschi.
Photo Links:
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About the Harlem Fine Arts Show
First held in February 2010 in New York City, the Harlem Fine Arts Show has attracted more than 80,000 visitors since its inception. Attendees include collectors, art enthusiasts, educators, students, and professionals. Over 80 nationally- and internationally-known artists, including Leroy Campbell, Paul Goodnight, Michael Escoffery, Frank Frazier, Woodrow Nash, Dane Tilghman, Brenda Joysmith, and Glenn Tunstull have been a part of the show. In addition, highly-regarded arts establishments, including Louisville's E&S Gallery, Water Kolours Fine Art in Memphis and New York's Savacou Gallery have also contributed works to the show.
#hfaschi
CONTACT: P. Andrews-Keenan, The Tallulah Group, [email protected], 312-206-2821 (cell)
SOURCE The Harlem Fine Arts Show
DENVER, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Helix TCS (OTC: HLIX) with its ongoing capital partner, Rose Capital, announces that it has entered into a binding agreement to purchase all of the BioTrackTHC shares held by Steven Siegel and Brian McClintock, two of the three founders of the company, for cash and stock. The purchase makes Helix TCS and Rose Capital the single largest shareholder in the firm. Helix TCS CEO Zachary L. Venegas will be appointed to the BioTrackTHC Board.
BioTrackTHC is a leading provider of cannabis seed-to-sale inventory tracking software systems for government regulators and cannabis businesses. To date, BioTrackTHC has been awarded 7 prestigious state-government contracts for seed-to-sale tracking in Washington, New Mexico, Illinois, New York, Hawaii, the City of Arcata, California, as well as Puerto Rico. BioTrackTHC services over 1,900 enterprise locations both nationally - in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Washington D.C. and internationally in Canada, Jamaica, and South America.
Steven Siegel, BiotrackTHC's founder and former Chairman, along with Brian McClintock, co-founder, state: "We felt that it was critical to sell our stake to a partner with the demonstrated strategic, financial, and execution capabilities to support Biotrack's success and its new initiatives. Selecting a partner for this transaction was a painstaking process with many suitors making a case. We finally selected Helix TCS because since their founding I have watched them deliver real value to clients, employees, and investors, and I am certain that they will do the same for BioTrack. This transaction is a game-changer for both firms, as well as the Legal Cannabis Industry."
Helix TCS founder and CEO Zachary L. Venegas said: "This purchase will further support the existing initiatives between Helix TCS and BioTrackTHC, while providing a key link in Helix TCS's fully developed Integrated Operating Environment for the Legal Cannabis Industry. There is much more on the event horizon in a number of areas, but in keeping with our execution focus, we will continue to do and then say."
This announcement comes on the heels of a joint data partnership between Helix TCS and BioTrackTHC. Under that partnership agreement, BioTrackTHC joined MJ Freeway in providing Cannabase, a technology platform owned by Helix TCS, with exclusive real-time, live inventory data to support the execution of real-time exchange transactions in its industry-leading wholesale marketplace.
The stated purpose of the transaction is to expand and accelerate this joint initiative, while enhancing Helix's capabilities to provide the only integrated operating platform in the industry.
About Helix TCS
Helix TCS (OTC: HLIX) is the premier provider of Integrated Operating Environments for the Legal Cannabis Industry. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Helix TCS's compliance & logistical services range from FINCEN and banking consultation to reporting and data reconciliation, armed and unarmed security, remote monitoring, transportation, and custom security and cash solutions. Helix TCS is trusted by top growers, dispensary owners, investors, and ancillary firms in the industry to protect and preserve their most valuable assets. For more information please visit http://www.helixtcs.com.
About BioTrackTHC and Bio-Tech Medical Software, Inc.
Bio-Tech Medical Software, Inc., through its BioTrackTHC division, develops and provides effective cutting-edge technology solutions for the emerging medical and legal marijuana industry. Visit www.BioTrackTHC.com for more information, email [email protected] or call 1-800-797-4711 to order software, and follow @BioTrackTHC on Twitter. Bio-Tech Medical Software, Inc. is a privately-held company, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
About Rose Capital
Rose Capital is an investment vehicle focused on the medical and recreationally legal cannabis sector and is backed by a consortium of high net worth individuals and family offices looking to access the industry through a fund like structure. The Company entered the sector with the goal of identifying scalable and sustainable businesses in the cannabis industry. Rose is creating an ecosystem that leverages best-in-class, integrity based, compliant, and legal companies to drive synergies across its portfolio. Rose Capital is fueling rapid expansion in the legal cannabis market across the verticals of data & analytics, distribution, and products (cannabis and ancillary products) to maximize returns for our investors.
SOURCE Helix TCS
Related Links
http://www.helixtcs.com
BRYCE CANYON CITY, Utah, Nov. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bryce Canyon's historic hotel, Ruby's Inn, is celebrating 100 years of family-owned service to guests of the prominent National Park.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161103/436104
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161103/436108
In 1916, Rueben, 'Ruby,' Syrett brought his family to southern Utah and established a ranch near present day Ruby's Inn. He soon learned about Bryce Canyon, and after seeing the impressive scene he knew it was something special. Ruby spread the word about the beauty of the area to everyone he knew and got permission to build a 'tourist lodge' nearby.
Lance Syrett, the great-grandson of Ruby is now the general manager of Ruby's Inn, while many other family members take part in the business.
"We live in such a beautiful, family-oriented community that has allowed our family business to really thrive," Syrett said. "As our family has grown in size, the business has grown along with it."
A century later, Ruby's Inn has overcome a number of difficulties including a large fire in 1984. But overcoming challenges and never accepting defeat was a legacy that Ruby passed onto his posterity.
"The fire in 1984 was a challenge for my family and for the business," Syrett said. "But my uncle, Bob Syrett, turned what could have been a disaster into a new start and used it as an opportunity for even more growth."
Today, Ruby's Inn takes pride in being the closest lodging to Bryce Canyon National Park. The lodging has grown into multiple buildings, an RV Park and campground, and even a main street reminiscent of the Old West. In 2007, the property even became its own town known as Bryce Canyon City.
"Even with so much growth and modern amenities, the charm of Ruby's Inn remains, as the atmosphere is very reminiscent of the original settlement," Syrett said. "We've embraced the old west theme which many of our guests, especially those who are from other countries, really enjoy."
About Ruby's Inn:
Since 1916, Ruby's Inn has been making it easy for visitors from around the world to experience the epic scenery of Bryce Canyon National Park. Ruby's Inn is located at the entrance to the park and offers the closest lodging with everything from luxury hotel rooms to RV parks and campgrounds. Ruby's Inn is open year-round with a General Store that provides fuel, groceries, camping gear, clothing and gifts. To plan your vacation, visit www.RubysInn.com or call 1-866-866-6616.
Media Contact:
Chelsea Oldroyd
435-216-9418
[email protected]
SOURCE Ruby's Inn
Related Links
http://www.RubysInn.com
NELSONVILLE, Ohio, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hodges University, a private non-profit regionally-accredited institution headquartered in Naples, Florida, has announced a new partnership with Ed Map, Inc. to develop and implement a new course materials strategy.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161104/436227LOGO
Noah B. Lamb, the director of student accounts and auxiliary services at Hodges, had become concerned with their previous model for course materials fulfillment. "With the exception of students registered in our self-paced learner programs, we use a student-pay model with a book voucher option that many of our students need to use. Managing the vouchers process can be tedious, and the amount that students were paying for course materials was becoming a major concern. Plus, there's always an emphasis on retention, so I know it's particularly important, given our accelerated terms, that students have their course materials on time," he states. "I started seeking a replacement vendor and Ed Map surpassed all the others being considered," he adds.
"Hodges is very interested in supporting student success and is adopting two of Ed Map's course materials affordability activities," says Ed Map President and COO Kerry S. Pigman. "First, they are adopting our All-In Model to assure all students have their correct course materials by the first day of class. With the high level of sell-through this represents, we have introduced them to the appropriate publisher representatives and conversations have started on receiving increased discounts on course materials costs," she adds. "Second, Hodges wants to undertake a systematic digital migration and we will be assisting them with change management activities to increase faculty and student comfort and ability to work effectively with digital materials."
Erica M. Vogt, Hodges Executive Vice President of Administrative Operations, explains, "Hodges has a nontraditional, mature student body. Although students enrolled in our online programs have fewer problems using digital materials, we know that others may find it initially difficult to adjust as we expand the use of digital. To help students during the transition, we are planning to provide students with digital copies, as well as a Print-on-Demand (POD) version of the course materials, if needed. Over time, we know that our students will become more comfortable and confident working with eTexts, making POD versions less desirable." Lamb adds, "We're looking forward to building on Ed Map's publisher relationships and experience helping institutions implement successful digital migrations to refine and implement a course materials strategy that will support our students, our faculty and our institution."
About Ed Map
Ed Map is a content strategy and logistics company. Through its people and technology Ed Map simplifies the discovery, adoption, management, and delivery of quality educational content to help institutions lower the cost of education and improve outcomes. Ed Map makes it convenient and economically attractive for institutions to support student acquisition of course materials. Expert advisory services and outstanding customer service complement its comprehensive OPENVUE technology platform. For more information, please visit http://www.edmap.com/.
About Hodges University.
Hodges University, a private, nonprofit institution of higher learning, was founded in Naples, Florida in 1990 as International College. In 2007, International College was renamed Hodges University in honor of its main benefactors, Earl and Thelma Hodges, long-time residents of Naples and supporters of the university. Hodges' mission is to provide transformation learner-driven educational opportunities. To accomplish this mission Hodges' schools offer a variety of academic programs online and on the Fort Myers and Naples campuses. Hodges University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, bachelor's and master's degrees. For more information, please visit http://www.hodges.edu/about/.
Media contact:
Shannon Meadows
Chief Revenue Officer
Ed Map, Inc.
213.705.5554
[email protected]
SOURCE Ed Map, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.edmap.com
The Gala promotional deals will be offered on models like Honor 8, Honor 5X and Honor 7, which are all Honor's cutting-edge products tailor-made for millennials. With a view to improve user experience, Honor is also rolling out a preview beta version of a system update to Android 7.0. The update will be offered on Honor 8 to test and collect feedback from users over the sales season, in the U.S, U.K, India and France.
"The diversity of our distribution channels our own e-store, our partnerships with key e-commerce partners including Amazon, Ulmart, Flipkart and our presence on other global channels -- has helped us become a successful e-commerce smartphone brand within a very short time span," said Head of Honor Overseas Business, Gang Zhao. "This initiative is in line with Honor's vision of building a stronger connection with its fast-growing digital customer base, and a clear testament to the strong success of its online sales approach. We will continue to offer the best value for our customers through these global promotional sales campaigns.''
The 2016 sale will see promotional deals being offered across Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Malaysia, India and China.
Over the past three years, Honor has become a smartphone e-brand leader with US$6 billion in sales revenues and 40 million units shipped in 2015. To date, Honor is proud to count 60 million users and 90 million fans. Operating globally and without geographical boundaries, Honor continues to break new ground with its e-commerce business model.
Promotional deals by location and platform*
Region Countries Promotional Offer Platform Western Europe Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Spain Honor Crazy Hours: Each hour from 9AM to 9PM, 1 unit of Honor 8, Honor 7, Honor 7 Premium and Z1 for only 1 https://www.vmall.eu/ Win EURO 30 Voucher for Honor 8 Get your free EURO 200 HRS voucher for Honor 8 United States Across United States Get $150 and receive $30 off for all products https://store.hihonor.com/us/ Get $300 and receive $50 off for all products Middle East Saudi Arabia & United Arab Emirates Up to 90% off for Honor 7 https://store.hihonor.com/ae/ Up to AED 300 discount for Zero 1 & Honor 5X Accessory gift for Honor 8 Russia Across Russia Up to 50% off for A1 & Honor 8 https://honor.huawei.ru citilink, Ulmart, MTS Online 1 Day 1 phone flash sales at RUB 1111 for Honor 5X 3000 coupons for Honor 8 Malaysia Across Malaysia Accessories flash sales with selfie stick https://www.vmall.my/ Bundle sales on 11.11 for Honor 5X with protective cover and selfie stick Special discount offers for Zero 1 India Across India Up to RS 4000 off for Honor 7 https://store.hihonor.com/in/event/gala RS 1000 off for Honor 5C
*Refer to local pages for exact details*
About Honor
Honor is a leading smartphone e-brand under the Huawei Group. In line with its slogan, "For the Brave", the brand was created to meet the needs of digital natives through internet-optimized products that offer superior user experiences, inspire action, foster creativity and empower the young to achieve their dreams. In doing this, Honor has set itself apart by showcasing its own bravery to do things differently and to take the steps needed to usher in the latest technologies and innovations for its customers.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161107/436627
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161107/436626
SOURCE Honor
Related Links
http://www.hihonor.com
NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Idaho State Department of Education recently approved Curriculum Associates' Ready Common Core Mathematics as part of its 20152016 K12 Mathematics Review. Built for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), Ready Mathematics underwent a rigorous screening based on its content, organization, presentation, and quality. Of the programs approved by the state, Ready Mathematics was the only program that was approved in all grade levels K5 and 68.
During the review of the program, the committee noted numerous strengths including its user friendliness, fun and engaging interactive activities, alignment to the CCSS, learning progression, and more. One grades 68 reviewer additionally noted, "The teacher's edition is an invaluable resource that gives multiple lesson strategies, presentations of learning, and motivational strategies."
Built from scratch by strictly following the Publishers' Criteria for the Common Core State Standards, Ready Common Core Mathematics emphasizes conceptual understanding through reasoning, modeling, and discussion that explores the structure of mathematics while also developing students' procedural fluency. The program uses a research-based, proven-effective, gradual-release instructional model that balances conceptual understanding and procedural fluency to build confidence and mastery of the Common Core Mathematics Standards.
Prior to the state's review of Ready Common Core Mathematics, Coeur d'Alene School District conducted its own review of mathematics programs. "After six months of review and evaluation of more than 180 titles from around the world, we chose Ready Mathematics for whole group mathematics instruction for elementary through middle school math," said Michael Nelson, director of curriculum and assessment of Coeur d'Alene School District 271 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. "Ready Mathematics was chosen because it was the best title to allow our students to think like mathematicians."
To learn more about the Idaho State Department of Education's 20152016 K12 Mathematics Review, visit http://www.sde.idaho.gov/academic/curricular/materials.html#math. To learn more about Ready Mathematics, visit www.ReadyCommonCore.com/ReadyMath.
About Curriculum Associates
Founded in 1969, privately owned Curriculum Associates, LLC designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools. The company's products and outstanding customer service provide teachers and administrators with the resources necessary for teaching diverse student populations and fostering learning for all students.
SOURCE Curriculum Associates
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Over 1,300 electrical and systems contractors and suppliers converged on San Antonio, TX, for IEC Con 2016, October 26-29. IEC Con 2016 featured 25 standing room only education sessions, within 4 unique tracks, presented by industry experts; an interactive Expo featuring over 80 vendors; networking opportunities; and more.
"IEC Con 2016 Conduit to Profit" began with this year's Keynote General Session, "(Re)Defining the Goal," presented by Dr. Kevin Fleming, CEO of Telos Educational Services. The session deconstructed the college-for-all philosophy and explored the misalignment between education and our current workforce. Dr. Fleming explained through trends and studies that the current job market is oversaturated with college graduates and that there is a growing need for individuals with technical skills gained through apprenticeships and 2-year degrees. This message spoke to IEC and its membership, due to IEC's steadfast belief in the apprenticeship model and our assertive actions to promote it.
Emphasizing IEC's commitment to apprenticeship, IEC Con 2016 closed out with the announcement of the IEC National Apprentice of the Year Competition winners at the President's Reception & Awards Gala. The 3-day competition placed the top graduates from 26 IEC chapter apprentice training programs across the country in a head-to-head competition to discover the top electrical and systems contracting apprentice in the U.S. In an extremely close competition, IEC Rocky Mountain apprentice Scott Sorensen of Eckstine Electric edged out the rest and was recognized as the IEC National Apprentice of the Year.
As IEC Con continues to grow so will its value. Join us for a special IEC Con 17 in Phoenix, AZ, as IEC celebrates its 60th anniversary.
Established in 1957, IEC is a trade association representing nearly 3,000 members with 50 chapters nationwide. Headquartered in Alexandria, VA, IEC is the nation's premier trade association representing America's independent electrical and systems contractors. IEC National aggressively works with the industry to establish a competitive environment for the merit shop a philosophy that promotes the concept of free enterprise, open competition, and economic opportunity for all.
Related Links
IEC Con Website
This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com
SOURCE Independent Electrical Contractors
Related Links
http://www.ieci.org
SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Veronica Muzquiz Edwards, founder and CEO of InGenesis, has again been named one of the Global Power 100Women in Staffing by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA). This is the second consecutive year Edwards has been included in this roster which recognizes the significant contributions of 100 of the most influential women within the workforce solutions industry.
"I am honored to receive this recognition and to be among an impressive group of industry leaders from around the world," said Edwards. "I hope our accomplishments inspire more women to break barriers and take on leadership roles in the staffing industry and other industries, as well. This recognition means we have a collective responsibility to influence positive changes in our industry, provide motivation, and remind women they have more opportunities at their reach."
To that end, Edwards and InGenesis are committed to furthering woman and minority leadership through business internship and mentoring programs. Diversity inclusion is an essential part of building a stronger, more competitive business environment and contributing to the total health of our communities.
Edwards was named U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) National Hispanic Businesswoman of the Year, listed as one of the top 50 most influential Hispanic business leaders in the country, named to the roster of top 100 middle market CEOs, and selected as one of America's Top 10 Female Entrepreneurs. In 2016, Edwards was invited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Accredited Standards Developer for Healthcare Administration to help develop new International Standards Organization (ISO) criteria for quality management in healthcare recruitment and workforce planning.
Ms. Edwards believes in the pursuit of higher education and community engagement. She is on the Board of Regents for the Texas State University Systems and one of the Board of Directors for the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Edwards also chairs the PAHO Foundation Board, which currently focuses on NCDs, Antimicrobial Resistance and Neglected Tropical Diseases, such as the Zika virus. Most salient among the health challenges are the threats of intractable public health issues in the Americas.
According to the United Nations, women are significantly underrepresented in decision-making positions such as legislators, senior corporate executives and managers. Since 2015, SIA has issued its list of Global Power 100Women in Staffing to honor women who have impacted the staffing world and whose leadership exemplifies their passion for building and producing talent.
About Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA)
Staffing Industry Analysts is the source of global business information about workforce solutions. Known for its objective, independent research, analysis and insights focused on staffing and contingent work, the company offers membership, events training and publications across the workforce solutions ecosystem. These proprietary tools and techniques enable companies to make better-informed decisions, execute strategies that accelerate growth, improve business results and minimize risk. Founded in 1989 and acquired by Crain Communications Inc. in 2008, the company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with offices in London, England. For more information: www.staffingindustry.com.
About InGenesis, Inc.
Founded in 1998, InGenesis, Inc. is one of the largest minority and woman-owned companies in North America, and the largest diversity supplier in the healthcare staffing industry. Recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as the number-one fastest growing firm in America, InGenesis is a premier global supplier of workforce management. A recipient of the Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval, InGenesis is certified for Healthcare Staffing. This certification recognizes a commitment to excellence in providing qualified and competent staffing services to support patient care. Based in San Antonio, Texas, InGenesis provides innovative talent acquisition and workforce solutions. Visit www.ingenesis.com to learn more.
For media inquiries, contact: Eileen Teves, Director of Corporate Communications at InGenesis, (210) 366-0033 or [email protected].
SOURCE InGenesis, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.ingenesis.org
CINCINNATI, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Coupons, rewards and loyalty programs are making a comeback. While the coupon-cutting generations are still searching print ads, younger generations, led by mobile payments technology, are infusing new life into traditional marketing campaigns. According to the Vantiv ShopTalk survey, conducted by Socratic Technologies, offers received through the mail garner the most interest across all generations (71 percent). However, Millennials and Gen Xers express a high degree of interest in newer methods, such as QR Codes and mobile wallets.
Vantiv contracted Socratic Technologies to survey 500 consumers about their experience and preferences redeeming offers, as well as their usage of digital assistants. Surprisingly, the survey found that 22 percent of all consumers questioned prefer mailed coupons compared with other methods, while only six percent of Millennials prefer this method. Overall, younger consumers are using a wider range of ways to redeem offers. Instead of traditional mail, 24 percent of Millennials and 18 percent of Gen Xers prefer scanning a QR Code from their mobile phone, compared with five percent of Baby Boomers.
"With mobile payments adoption on the rise, merchants are searching for new ways to keep customers coming back," said Tony Rose, director of mobile product management at Vantiv. "One way merchants can increase brand loyalty is with offers such as mobile coupons and loyalty programs, but most merchants don't know how to use these programs because they don't know their customers' preferences. We believe merchants would best be served to invest in new technology such as putting smart targeted offers and coupons into mobile wallets where they are organized and transmitted automatically, offering not only environmental benefit but a much more convenient consumer experience."
Not only are younger generations leading the charge for alternative ways to redeem offers, Millennials and Gen Xers are also the most likely to share promotions with their family and friends, especially through social media. The ShopTalk survey shows Millennials and Gen Xers (43 percent) are more likely than Boomers (12 percent) or Retirees (three percent) to share promotions through Facebook. Furthermore, Millennials are most likely to share promotions through email compared with other generations.
Vantiv ShopTalk also asked consumers about their sentiment towards digital assistants, such as Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana, and found that respondents use digital assistants for much more than weather forecasts. While looking up answers to general questions on the internet is the most commonly performed activity by digital assistants, the survey found that 54 percent of respondents ask digital assistants to provide news updates and 49 percent to manage calendar invites. It's clear that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in digital assistants are advancing at lightning speed, but there are still challenges hindering mass adoption. The survey found being unable to recognize voice commands (65 percent) and not getting the correct results on the first try (60 percent) are the top reasons for digital assistant dissatisfaction.
Vantiv ShopTalk is a monthly survey conducted by Socratic Technologies to find the latest information in payments trends. The next Vantiv ShopTalk will focus on holiday spending.
ABOUT SOCRATIC TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Socratic Technologies is a full-service marketing research consultancy that combines cutting-edge, practical innovations with strategic support. Our methods are a fusion of the best practices of time-tested traditional research and interactive, engaging techniques. With this combination of expertise and skills, we turn insights into action for our clients. www.Sotech.com.
ABOUT VANTIV
Vantiv, Inc. (NYSE: VNTV) is a leading payment processor differentiated by an integrated technology platform. Vantiv offers a comprehensive suite of traditional and innovative payment processing and technology solutions to merchants and financial institutions of all sizes, enabling them to address their payment processing needs through a single provider. We build strong relationships with our customers, helping them become more efficient, more secure and more successful. Vantiv is the second largest merchant acquirer and the largest PIN debit acquirer based on number of transactions in the U.S. The company's growth strategy includes expanding further into high-growth channels and verticals, including integrated payments, eCommerce, and merchant bank. Visit us at www.vantiv.com, or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.
2016 Vantiv, LLC. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks, service marks and trade names referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Vantiv and other Vantiv products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Vantiv, LLC in the U.S. and other countries.
CONTACTS
Lori Stafford-Thomas
Director, Public Relations
970-335-4904
[email protected]
Lydia Chou
Social Media Specialist
970-335-6717
[email protected]
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SOURCE Vantiv, Inc.
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DALLAS, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Le-Vel Brands, LLC, the world leader in human nutritional innovation, presented the National Breast Cancer Foundation with a donation of $255,000 from the proceeds of its limited-edition National Breast Cancer Foundation Derma Fusion Technology (DFTs), of which $5 from every purchase in October was earmarked for the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF). Founded in 1991 by breast cancer survivor Janelle Hail, NBCF maintains a steadfast mission to provide help and inspire hope to those affected by breast cancer through early detection, education and support services. NBCF has received the highest rating of four stars by Charity Navigator, America's largest independent charity evaluator, for 12 years. This is the second consecutive year that Le-Vel has partnered with NBCF to promote breast cancer awareness.
"We're so grateful to Le-Vel for their support of National Breast Cancer Foundation through such a unique promotion," says Douglas Feil, VP of Programs, NBCF. "They share our commitment to helping people live longer and healthier lives, and we're proud to partner with them to help get the word out to as many women as possible about our potentially lifesaving early detection, education and support services for those affected by breast cancer. This is the second year in a row in which Le-Vel has been one of our most generous partners, and we look forward to a great future working with Le-Vel."
According to NBCF statistics, one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, making the disease the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among women. Each year, it is estimated that more than 246,660 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and more than 40,000 will die. On average, every two minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, and one woman will die of breast cancer every 13 minutes.
Despite these alarming numbers, however, there is hope. More than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors are alive in the United States today and that's largely due to early detection and education. NBCF provides free mammograms to women in all 50 states through its network of hospitals; and offers other free services all aimed at empowering women to take control of their health.
"Our independent Brand Promoters have been incredibly enthusiastic about our partnership with NBCF and, in fact, they beat their results from last year," says Le-Vel Co-CEO, Co-Founder and Co-Owner Jason Camper. "Breast cancer touches all of us in some way. NBCF is making great strides toward increasing the number of survivors in this country, and we're committed to lending our support to this honorable mission."
Le-Vel's Derma Fusion Technology, or DFT, is part of a simple three-step regimen called THRIVE, designed to help people of all ages live healthier, more active, fuller lives. The first of its kind, the DFT time-released delivery system infuses the skin, or derma, with Le-Vel's unique THRIVE Lifestyle Formula. Used in tandem with THRIVE Premium Lifestyle Shake and THRIVE Premium Lifestyle Capsules, THRIVE helps people recapture their well-being and reach peak physical and mental levels through weight management, digestive support, healthy joint function and lean muscle support, among other benefits.
"We want to do everything we can to help NBCF spread the word about early detection and education for all women," says Le-Vel Co-CEO, Co-Founder and Co-Owner Paul Gravette. "As a company dedicated to health and wellness, we feel strongly about playing a role in creating a reality in which this disease can be cured or prevented."
About Le-Vel
Founded in 2012 by Jason Camper and Paul Gravette, Le-Vel formulates and sells nutritional/health and wellness products and is the only health and wellness company that uses cloud-based technology for its day-to-day operations. Le-Vel's cloud-based infrastructure enables the company to keep overhead to a minimum while increasing commissions to its Promoters and putting more money into the Thrive product line. Le-Vel products include DFT, Thrive Premium Lifestyle Capsules, THRIVE Premium Lifestyle Mix, THRIVE Kids, Activate, Boost, Balance, Black Label, FORM, Move, Rest and Pure. Le-Vel has more than 5 million Customer and Promoter accounts, currently ships within the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and received the Bravo Growth Award for largest growth in direct sales in the world in 2016. For more information about Le-Vel, visit le-vel.com.
About National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.
Recognized as one of the leading breast cancer organizations in the world, National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) is Helping Women Now by providing early detection, education and support services to those affected by breast cancer. A recipient of Charity Navigator's highest 4-star rating for twelve years, NBCF provides support through their National Mammography Program, Patient Navigation, Beyond The Shock, breast health education, and research programs. For more information, please visit www.nbcf.org.
Media Contact: Drew Hoffman, ([email protected])
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SOURCE Le-Vel Brands
Related Links
http://www.le-vel.com
Asked what would be the most likely explanation if the result went against them, 54% of Republicans chose "the media has worked overtime to undermine the candidate you supported". A further 25% said they would blame "a systematic effort by the authorities to rig the outcome".
Nearly half (49%) of Democrats said defeat for their preferred winner would mean "another candidate has won fair and square in a tough but above-board election"; only 21% of Republicans chose this option.
And in an echo of Donald Trump's campaign rhetoric, 54% of GOP supporters strongly agree that "reporters who knowingly write false stories should face criminal penalties", compared to 32% of Democrats.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161107/436632-INFO )
The poll of nearly 30,000 voters also reveals how Trump and Clinton supporters would react if their opponent were to win - with both sides expecting to feel "fear", "concern", "disbelief" and "despair".
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161107/436630-INFO )
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161107/436631-INFO )
Reflecting Lord Ashcroft's work on the UK's Brexit referendum, the poll reveals stark differences in attitude between different parties' voters.
While Republicans are more likely than Democrats to believe that "if you work hard, it is possible to be very successful in America no matter what your background", they are much more likely than Democrats to say that "for most children growing up in America today, life will be worse than it was for their parents", that changes in society and the economy will bring "more threats to my standard of living than opportunities to improve it", and that "life in America is worse than it was 30 years ago".
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161107/436629-INFO )
The poll is part of the Ashcroft In America project, which has included focus groups in seven swing states reported in his weekly podcast and at LordAshcroftPolls.com. The large-scale survey will form part of a major study of American voters to be published after the election. Other findings include:
14% of Republicans and 48% of Democrats say social liberalism has been a force for good.
has been a force for good. 28% of Republicans and 60% of Democrats say feminism has been a force for good.
has been a force for good. 35% of Republicans and 60% of Democrats say the Green movement has been a force for good.
has been a force for good. 23% of Republicans and 44% of Democrats say globalization has been a force for good.
has been a force for good. 18% of Republicans and 43% of Democrats say immigration has been a force for good.
has been a force for good. 41% of Republicans and 77% of Democrats say the climate is changing and that this is "mostly caused by humans doing things like burning fossil fuels". 13% of Republicans and 5% of Democrats say the climate is not changing.
and that this is "mostly caused by humans doing things like burning fossil fuels". 13% of Republicans and 5% of Democrats say the climate is not changing. 62% of Republicans and 32% of Democrats say the US Supreme Court "should base its decisions on the Constitution as it was originally written" rather than "its interpretation of what the Constitution means today".
"should base its decisions on the Constitution as it was originally written" rather than "its interpretation of what the Constitution means today". 26% of Republicans and 41% of Democrats say that "in general, the US has benefited from free trade agreements with other countries".
Notes to Editors
29,706 adults were interviewed online between 13 and 31 October 2016 . Results have been weighted to be representative of all adults in the United States . Full data tables for these questions are available at LordAshcroftPolls.com. Further findings from the research will be released as part of a major post-election study of American voters.
. Results have been weighted to be representative of all adults in . Full data tables for these questions are available at LordAshcroftPolls.com. Further findings from the research will be released as part of a major post-election study of American voters. Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is a businessman, philanthropist, author and pollster. From 2005 to 2010 he was Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party. Since September, the Ashcroft In America team have conducted focus groups with different kinds of voters in Wisconsin , North Carolina , Virginia , Pennsylvania , Arizona , Florida and Ohio . The discussions were featured in the weekly Ashcroft In America podcast. Before Ashcroft In America , his most recent research focused on the Brexit referendum. Well You Did Ask: Why The UK Voted To Leave The EU , published in September 2016 , brings together his polling and qualitative research throughout Britain and Europe over the last two years to explain how British voters reached their historic decision. His research is published at LordAshcroftPolls.com.
is a businessman, philanthropist, author and pollster. From 2005 to 2010 he was Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party. Since September, the team have conducted focus groups with different kinds of voters in , , , , , and . The discussions were featured in the weekly podcast. Before , his most recent research focused on the Brexit referendum. , published in , brings together his polling and qualitative research throughout and over the last two years to explain how British voters reached their historic decision. His research is published at LordAshcroftPolls.com. For further information please call Trygve Olson on +1-202-257-1191
SOURCE lordashcroftpolls.com
CLEVELAND, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A McDonald Hopkins pro bono client was among the 102 individuals who received Presidential clemency on October 6, 2016. The client had been sentenced in July 2006 to serve 15 years in federal prison for selling $250 worth of crack cocaine (6 grams). He was not due to be released until 2019.
McDonald Hopkins attorney Bruce Reinhart volunteered to represent the client as part of the Clemency Project 2014, a national pro bono effort jointly run by the American Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, and the American Civil Liberties Union. After considering the clemency petition submitted in May 2016 by McDonald Hopkins, President Barack Obama commuted the sentence and ordered that client be released on February 3, 2017.
McDonald Hopkins represents several other individuals as part of the Clemency Project 2014.
About McDonald Hopkins
Founded in 1930, McDonald Hopkins' mission is to provide insightful legal solutions and business counseling that help our clients strategically plan for an increasingly competitive future. McDonald Hopkins is a business advisory and advocacy law firm with locations in Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Miami, and West Palm Beach. For more information about McDonald Hopkins, visit mcdonaldhopkins.com.
CONTACT:
Deborah W. Kelm
McDonald Hopkins LLC
Phone: 216.348.5733
Email: [email protected]
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SOURCE McDonald Hopkins
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PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- McDonald's Restaurants of the Greater Philadelphia Region are honoring all veterans and active-duty service members this Veterans Day by offering a free All Day Breakfast Extra Value Meal throughout the day on Friday, November 11 as an extension of the McDonald's Real Heroes initiative that seeks to give back to teachers, law enforcement, first responders and service members for all they sacrifice to keep our communities and country safe.
On Veterans Day, McDonald's will also be donating $500 to the Veterans Multi-Service Center, a non-profit organization in Philadelphia dedicated to assisting some of our nation's bravest heroes, our veterans. Veteran and Director of Operations for McDonald's restaurant, Ray Gambrell, will be presenting Lincoln Strehle, Deputy Executive Director, Veterans Multi-Service Center with the donation at the 2nd & Lehigh McDonald's at 12:00pm on Friday, November 11 in a public celebration event for all area veterans.
"McDonald's is proud to honor our Philadelphia area Real Heroes, especially our veterans and military personnel," said John Durante, President, McDonald's of the Greater Philadelphia Region Owner/Operator Association. "It takes the utmost courage and bravery to serve our country and this is the least bit we can do to thank these men and women for their service. We are proud to partner with the Veterans Multi-Service Center today and help support the invaluable services they provide to veterans and their families."
For more than 30 years, the Veterans Multi-Service Center has been providing job training and placement, permanent and transitional housing services to homeless and low-income veterans, legal counseling referrals, and access to a staff that hold an in-depth knowledge of the VA Medical system and VA disability claims and entitlements. All of these services contribute to the successful re-integration of veterans into society to help them live independently and to positively contribute to their community.
"For more than 30 years, the Veterans Multi-Service Center has been providing job training and placement, permanent and transitional housing, and benefits analysis to veterans," said Debby Derricks, VMC Director of Development. "All of these services contribute to the successful transition of veterans returning home and enables them to live independently and to positively contribute to their community. We're grateful to McDonald's for recognizing the service of our veterans by supporting VMC this Veterans Day, such community support fortifies our mission to serve those who have served every day."
For more information on the Veterans Day offer, or if you are interested in attending the donation event, contact Eddie Ravert at [email protected] or 215-790-4392.
About McDonald's
McDonald's USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to more than 27 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. Customers can now log online for free at approximately 11,500 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @McDPhilly and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/McDonalds.
About Veterans Multi-Service Center
The Veterans Multi-Service Center (VMC) was founded in 1980 to address the multiple needs of Vietnam Veterans. Since that time our programs and assistance have grown and diversified to encompass the needs of Veterans of all wars and conflicts, up to and including Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation New Dawn Veterans. We are the only non-profit agency in the Philadelphia and surrounding areas that provides a comprehensive resource center available to all veterans in need.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Eddie Ravert
Tierney
215-790-4392
[email protected]
SOURCE McDonald's Restaurants of the Greater Philadelphia Region
MCLEAN, Va., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Jeff Rumburg, co-founder and Managing Partner of MetricNet, presented Session 704, 'The CSI Imperative How Successful Support Organizations Institutionalize Continual Service Improvement', at the Annual FUSION Conference in Las Vegas, NV. FUSION 16 took place November 1-4 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and provided 1,600 attendees with more than 100 training sessions, extraordinary keynote speakers, a jam-packed expo hall, and nonstop networking opportunities.
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In this presentation, Mr. Rumburg, who has been retained as an IT service and support expert by some of the world's largest corporations, presented case studies of support organizations that have successfully built a culture and discipline of continual service improvement.
"The advent of Chief Service Officers and Chief Improvement Officers offer telling clues about why some support organizations succeed at institutionalizing continual service improvement while most others fail," said Rumburg. "For these pioneering companies, CSI is not a mere slogan, project or program, but rather a core discipline that is carefully developed, nurtured, and managed over time."
Those interested in this presentation can find a copy of the slide deck on MetricNet's website. Mr. Rumburg also presented Session 309, 'C-Level Success and the Secret Weapon of Service and Support', on Wednesday, November 2, 2016.
Mr. Rumburg is the 2014 winner of the prestigious Ron Muns Lifetime Achievement Award for service and support, and has been retained as a service desk and desktop support expert by some of the world's largest corporations, including American Express, Hewlett-Packard, General Motors, and IBM.
If you would like more information about benchmarking your service and support functions, please visit http://www.metricnet.com, or e-mail Jeff Rumburg at [email protected].
About MetricNet
MetricNet is the global leader in IT service and support benchmarking. More than half of the FORTUNE 500 rely on MetricNet benchmarks to improve and optimize their performance. MetricNet is the first, and still the only company to offer downloadable service desk and desktop support benchmarks from their website. With a global benchmarking database of more than 3,700 IT service and support benchmarks, MetricNet has the most comprehensive database of process and performance metrics in the industry.
About itSMF USA
The itSMF USA, a chapter of itSMF International, is the independent professional organization and forum for IT Service Management professionals in the US. A not-for-profit organization, itSMF is a prominent player in the on-going development of IT Service management professionals and the promotion of IT Service Management (ITSM) best practices, standards and qualifications in the United States. This network of industry professionals, white papers, webinars, podcasts, conferences and other resources creates an opportunity for you and your organization to connect, learn and grow. Come be part of the IT service management profession.
Visit the itSMF USA website
About HDI
Founded in 1989, HDI is the first membership association and certification body created for the technical service and support industry. Since then, HDI has remained the source for professional development by offering the resources needed to promote organization-wide success through exceptional customer service. In other words, we help professionals in service management better connect with customers. We do this by facilitating collaboration and networking, hosting acclaimed conferences and events, producing renowned publications and research, certifying and training thousands of professionals each year, and connecting solution providers with practitioners. Learn more at www.ThinkHDI.com.
About FUSION
Jointly hosted by industry leaders HDI and itSMF USA, the annual FUSION Conference & Expo unites IT service management's best speakers, solution providers, and networking opportunities for an unparalleled educational experience. Each year, industry professionals, experts, and vendors attend to discover the best and newest technologies, ideas, systems, and methodologies. Looking for ways to improve their IT services, attendees gain valuable business contacts and tangible tools to immediately effect change within their organizations. Learn more at www.servicemanagementfusion.com.
This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com.
SOURCE MetricNet, LLC
Related Links
https://www.metricnet.com
CHANDLER, Ariz., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- (NASDAQ: MCHP) - Microchip Technology Incorporated, a leading provider of microcontroller, mixed signal, analog and Flash-IP solutions, today reported results for the three months ended September 30, 2016 as summarized in the following table:
(in millions, except earnings per diluted share and percentages) Three Months Ended September 30, 2016
GAAP % of
Net
Sales Non-
GAAP1 % of
Net
Sales Net Sales $871.4
$873.8
Gross Margin $410.6 47.1% $499.9 57.2% Operating Income $62.8 7.2% $266.3 30.5% Other Expense $(37.5)
$(24.8)
Income Tax (Benefit) Provision $(10.3)
$22.0
Net Income from Continuing Operations $35.6 4.1% $219.6 25.1% Earnings per Diluted Share from Continuing Operations 15 cents
94 cents
Net Loss from Discontinued Operations $(1.7) (0.2)%
Loss per Diluted Share from Discontinued Operations (1) cents
1 See the "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section of this release.
GAAP net sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2017 were $871.4 million, up 60.9% from GAAP net sales of $541.4 million in the prior year's second fiscal quarter. GAAP net income from continuing operations for the second quarter of fiscal 2017 was $35.6 million, or 15 cents per diluted share, down from GAAP net income of $64.9 million, or 30 cents per diluted share, in the prior year's second fiscal quarter.
Non-GAAP net sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2017 were $873.8 million, up 56.2% from non-GAAP net sales of $559.4 million in the prior year's second fiscal quarter. Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations for the second quarter of fiscal 2017 was $219.6 million, or 94 cents per diluted share, up 53.7% from non-GAAP net income of $142.9 million, or 66 cents per diluted share, in the prior year's second fiscal quarter. For the second quarters of fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2016, our non-GAAP results exclude the effect of discontinued operations, share-based compensation, expenses related to our acquisition activities (including intangible asset amortization, inventory valuation costs, severance costs, and legal and other general and administrative expenses associated with acquisitions), preclusion of revenue recognition under GAAP for inventory in the distribution channel on the acquisition dates of our acquisitions, revenue recognition changes related to Atmel and Micrel distributors, non-cash interest expense on our convertible debentures, gains on equity securities, the related income tax implications of these items and non-recurring tax events. A reconciliation of our non-GAAP and GAAP results is included in this press release.
Microchip announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend on its common stock of 36.05 cents per share. The quarterly dividend is payable on December 5, 2016 to stockholders of record on November 21, 2016.
"Our September quarter results were outstanding, setting many new records for Microchip. Non-GAAP net sales, gross margin percentage, operating profit percentage, and earnings per share were all above the high end of our updated guidance provided on September 6, 2016," said Steve Sanghi, Chairman and CEO. "Our non-GAAP earnings per share were 7 cents per share better than the mid-point of our guidance, up 11.6% sequentially from the June quarter, and up 42.6% from the September quarter a year ago, due to improving sales, gross margin and operating expense leverage, as well as accretion from our acquisition activities. We achieved excellent results both from our core business at Microchip as well as from the Atmel business."
Mr. Sanghi added, "We achieved all-time record net sales and non-GAAP earnings per share in the September 2016 quarter and are making excellent progress towards our long-term non-GAAP operating model targets."
"Our microcontroller revenue was up 3% sequentially in the September quarter as we continued to experience broad-based growth in our business," said Ganesh Moorthy, President and Chief Operating Officer. "In addition, each of our 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit microcontroller businesses achieved new revenue records in the quarter, once again demonstrating the resilience and consistency of this business."
Mr. Moorthy added, "Our analog revenue was up 4.7% sequentially in the September quarter, also setting a new record. The annualized revenue run rate for our analog business is now approximately $900 million and represents 25.7% of Microchip's overall revenue."
Eric Bjornholt, Microchip's Chief Financial Officer, said, "Our inventory position was well-managed in the September quarter, and excluding purchase accounting adjustments, was 103 days. Additionally, we had record cash generation in the September quarter, resulting in our net leverage position continuing to improve at a faster rate than previously outlined to our stockholders."
Mr. Sanghi added, "With the improvements we are making in our business and the businesses of our acquired companies, we expect to achieve our long-term non-GAAP operating model of 59% gross margin and 33% operating income by the end of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018, significantly earlier than our prior expectations."
Mr. Sanghi concluded, "The December quarter is always a seasonally challenging period for our business due to holidays in the Americas and Europe. We expect total net sales in the December 2016 quarter to be flat to down 6% sequentially. We expect gross margin to be between 56.6% and 57.2%. We expect operating expenses from continuing operations to be between 26.5% and 27.0%. We expect operating income from continuing operations to be between 29.6% and 30.7%."
Microchip's Highlights for the Quarter Ended September 30, 2016:
Microchip released the AVR ATtiny102 and ATtiny104 products to production while the AVR ATtiny817 products were sampled.
Microchip released the new Explorer 16/32 Development Board for designing with 16-bit and 32-bit PIC microcontrollers. The new board is supported by a large ecosystem of application daughter cards. The board is backwards compatible with Microchip's popular Explorer 16 board and comes with an integrated programmer/debugger while still being offered at a reduced cost.
microcontrollers. The new board is supported by a large ecosystem of application daughter cards. The board is backwards compatible with Microchip's popular Explorer 16 board and comes with an integrated programmer/debugger while still being offered at a reduced cost. Microchip continued to prove that MOST technology is still a leading standard for automotive infotainment, announcing several new design wins for the technology including announcing its adoption in the new Lexus GS.
technology is still a leading standard for automotive infotainment, announcing several new design wins for the technology including announcing its adoption in the new Lexus GS. Microchip released the industry's first end-to-end security solution for Internet of Things (IoT) devices that connect to Amazon Web Services' cloud. Microchip and AWS collaborated to develop this integrated solution. Customers simply need to solder the ECC508 device on a board and connect it over I 2 C to the host MCU to connect to AWS IoT.
C to the host MCU to connect to AWS IoT. Microchip introduced the industry's smallest-package and lowest-power MEMS oscillators with the launch of the DSC6000 family. The DSC6000 MEMS oscillators are an excellent choice for use as clock references in small, battery-powered devices such as wearable and IoT devices where small size, low power consumption and long-term reliability are paramount.
Expanding on a popular analog family, Microchip launched the MCP19124 and MCP19125 families of devices which improve digital support of battery charging and DC-DC conversion applications. The new Digitally Enhanced Power Analog controllers (DEPA) are ideal for server, consumer, industrial and automotive applications.
Silicon Storage Technology (SST), a wholly owned subsidiary of Microchip, announced licensing agreements with SilTerra and GLOBALFOUNDRIES.
Two Microchip products were named a finalist for the ECN Impact Awards. Microchip's MCP9600 Thermocouple EMF to Temperature Converter was named a finalist in the "Cooling and Thermal Management" category and our LoRa Technology Evaluation Kit is a finalist in the "Microwave and RF category."
Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2017 Outlook:
The following statements are based on current expectations. These statements are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. Due to our recent acquisition of Atmel, the related purchase accounting, and planned revenue recognition changes for Atmel's Asia distribution network, we are not able to provide GAAP guidance at this time. We are able to provide the following non-GAAP guidance:
Microchip Consolidated Guidance - Non-GAAP1 Net Sales $821.4 million to $873.8 million Gross Margin2 56.6% to 57.2% Operating Expenses 26.5% to 27.0% Operating Income 29.6% to 30.7% Other Expense $22.9 million Income Tax Expense 8.5% to 9.5% Net Income $199.3 million to $224.5 million Diluted Common Shares Outstanding3 235.4 million shares Earnings per Diluted Share3 85 cents to 95 cents
1 See the "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section of this release. 2 See Footnote 2 under the "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section of this release. 3 Earnings per share has been calculated based on the diluted shares outstanding of Microchip on a consolidated basis.
Microchip's inventory days, excluding Atmel, at December 31, 2016 are expected to be down one to up 11 days excluding purchase accounting adjustments. Our actual inventory level will depend on the inventory that our distributors decide to hold to support their customers, overall demand for our products and our production levels.
are expected to be down one to up 11 days excluding purchase accounting adjustments. Our actual inventory level will depend on the inventory that our distributors decide to hold to support their customers, overall demand for our products and our production levels. Capital expenditures, including Atmel, for the quarter ending December 31, 2016 are expected to be approximately $30 million . Capital expenditures for all of fiscal year 2017 are expected to be approximately $110 million . We are continuing to invest in the equipment needed to support the growth of our production capabilities for fast growing new products and technologies.
are expected to be approximately . Capital expenditures for all of fiscal year 2017 are expected to be approximately . We are continuing to invest in the equipment needed to support the growth of our production capabilities for fast growing new products and technologies. We expect net cash generation during the December quarter of $170 million to $200 million prior to the dividend payment, changes in borrowing levels, and any acquisition/divestiture-related activities. We calculate "cash generation" by starting with the change in our cash, short-term and long-term investments during the quarter and adjusting for changes in borrowing levels under our revolving line of credit and adding back the dividends paid to our stockholders during the quarter.
1 Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures: Our non-GAAP adjustments, where applicable, include the effect of discontinued operations, share-based compensation, expenses related to our acquisition activities (including intangible asset amortization, inventory valuation costs, severance costs, and legal and other general and administrative expenses associated with acquisitions), preclusion of revenue recognition under GAAP for inventory in the distribution channel on the acquisition dates of our acquisitions, revenue recognition changes related to Atmel and Micrel distributors, non-cash interest expense on our convertible debentures, gains on equity securities, the related income tax implications of these items and non-recurring tax events. Our non-GAAP results for the six months ended September 30, 2016 reflect an adjustment for a manufacturing excursion issue with one of our suppliers. Our non-GAAP net sales outlook for the December 2016 quarter reflects accounting for revenue for Atmel distributors on a sell-through basis. Net sales from Atmel's sell-through distributors that the distributors owned as of the acquisition date is not recognized for GAAP purposes. We believe that our disclosure of non-GAAP net sales provides investors with useful information regarding the actual end market demand for our products.
We are required to estimate the cost of certain forms of share-based compensation, including employee stock options, restricted stock units and our employee stock purchase plan, and to record a commensurate expense in our income statement. Share-based compensation expense is a non-cash expense that varies in amount from period to period and is affected by the price of our stock at the date of grant. The price of our stock is affected by market forces that are difficult to predict and are not within the control of management. Our other non-GAAP adjustments are either non-cash expenses or other expenses related to transactions. Management excludes all of these items from its internal operating forecasts and models.
We are using non-GAAP net sales, non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross profit percentage, non-GAAP operating expenses in dollars and as a percentage of sales including non-GAAP research and development expenses and non-GAAP selling, general and administrative expenses, non-GAAP operating income (loss), non-GAAP other expense, net, non-GAAP income tax provision (benefit)/tax rate, non-GAAP net income (loss) from continuing operations, and non-GAAP diluted earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations which exclude the items noted above, as applicable, to permit additional analysis of our performance.
Management believes these non-GAAP measures are useful to investors because they enhance the understanding of our historical financial performance and comparability between periods. Many of our investors have requested that we disclose this non-GAAP information because they believe it is useful in understanding our performance as it excludes non-cash and other charges that many investors feel may obscure our underlying operating results. Management uses these non-GAAP measures to manage and assess the profitability of our business. Specifically, we do not consider such items when developing and monitoring our budgets and spending. Our determination of the above non-GAAP measures might not be the same as similarly titled measures used by other companies, and it should not be construed as a substitute for amounts determined in accordance with GAAP. There are limitations associated with using non-GAAP measures, including that they exclude financial information that some may consider important in evaluating our performance. Management compensates for this by presenting information on both a GAAP and non-GAAP basis for investors and providing reconciliations of the GAAP and non-GAAP results.
2 Generally, gross margin fluctuates over time, driven primarily by the mix of microcontrollers, mixed-signal products, analog products and memory products sold and licensing revenue; variances in manufacturing yields; fixed cost absorption; wafer fab loading levels; costs of wafers from foundries; inventory reserves; pricing pressures in our non-proprietary product lines; and competitive and economic conditions. Operating expenses fluctuate over time, primarily due to net sales and profit levels.
3 Diluted Common Shares Outstanding can vary for, among other things, the trading price of our common stock, the exercise of options or vesting of restricted stock units, the potential for incremental dilutive shares from our convertible debentures (additional information regarding our share count is available in the investor relations section of our website under the heading "Supplemental Financial Information"), and repurchases or issuances of shares of our common stock. The diluted common shares outstanding presented in the guidance table above assumes an average Microchip stock price in the December 2016 quarter of $62.00 per share (however, we make no prediction as to what our actual share price will be for such period or any other period and we cannot estimate what our stock option exercise activity will be during the quarter).
MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (in thousands except per share amounts) (unaudited)
Three months ended
Six months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
Net sales
$ 871,364
$ 541,391
$ 1,670,775
$ 1,075,343
Cost of sales
460,743
240,441
911,664
465,376
Gross profit
410,621
300,950
759,111
609,967
Research and development
137,795
95,256
285,678
179,936
Selling, general and administrative
120,129
80,258
277,634
147,107
Amortization of acquired intangible assets
80,394
43,840
160,565
78,452
Special charges, net
9,543
6,648
31,578
8,205
Operating expenses
347,861
226,002
755,455
413,700
Operating income
62,760
74,948
3,656
196,267
Losses on equity method investments
(56)
(56)
(112)
(233)
Other expense, net
(37,470)
(20,935)
(69,057)
(22,512)
Income (loss) before income taxes
25,234
53,957
(65,513)
173,522
Income tax (benefit) provision
(10,340)
(10,942)
8,138
(21,837)
Net income (loss) from continuing operations
35,574
64,899
(73,651)
195,359
Discontinued operations:
Loss from discontinued operations
(1,850)
(7,323)
Income tax benefit
(195)
(1,530)
Net loss from discontinued operations
(1,655)
(5,793)
Net income (loss)
33,919
64,899
(79,444)
195,359
Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
207
Net income (loss) attributable to Microchip Technology
$ 33,919
$ 64,899
$ (79,444)
$ 195,566
Basic net income (loss) per common share attributable to Microchip Technology stockholders
Net income (loss) from continuing operations
$ 0.17
$ 0.32
$ (0.34)
$ 0.96
Net loss from discontinued operations
(0.01)
(0.03)
Net income (loss) attributable to Microchip Technology
$ 0.16
$ 0.32
$ (0.37)
$ 0.96
Diluted net income (loss) per common share attributable to Microchip Technology stockholders
Net income (loss) from continuing operations
$ 0.15
$ 0.30
$ (0.34)
$ 0.90
Net loss from discontinued operations
(0.01)
(0.03)
Net income (loss) attributable to Microchip Technology
$ 0.14
$ 0.30
$ (0.37)
$ 0.90
Basic common shares outstanding
215,524
204,275
214,935
203,254
Diluted common shares outstanding
233,960
217,099
214,935
216,933
MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands)
ASSETS
September 30,
March 31,
2016
2016
(Unaudited)
Cash and short-term investments $ 490,836
$ 2,446,035
Accounts receivable, net 451,042
290,183
Inventories 424,690
306,815
Assets held for sale 14,080
Other current assets 110,087
53,680
Total current assets 1,490,735
3,096,713
Property, plant and equipment, net 716,998
609,396
Long-term investments
118,549
Other assets 4,866,663
1,713,225
Total assets $ 7,074,396
$ 5,537,883
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 355,607
$ 198,577
Deferred income on shipments to distributors 223,196
183,432
Total current liabilities 578,803
382,009
Long-term line of credit 1,669,834
1,043,156
Senior convertible debentures 1,238,731
1,216,313
Junior convertible debentures 196,868
193,936
Long-term income tax payable 292,957
111,061
Long-term deferred tax liability 416,452
399,218
Other long-term liabilities 161,239
41,271
Stockholders' equity 2,519,512
2,150,919
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 7,074,396
$ 5,537,883
MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP MEASURES (in thousands except per share amounts and percentages) (unaudited)
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP NET SALES TO NON-GAAP NET SALES
Three months ended
Six months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015 Net sales, as reported $ 871,364
$ 541,391
$ 1,670,775
$ 1,075,343
Distributor revenue recognition adjustment 2,471
18,041
47,058
18,041
Non-GAAP net sales $ 873,835
$ 559,432
$ 1,717,833
$ 1,093,384
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP GROSS PROFIT TO NON-GAAP GROSS PROFIT
Three months ended
Six months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015 Gross profit, as reported $ 410,621
$ 300,950
$ 759,111
$ 609,967
Distributor revenue recognition adjustment, net of product cost 922
11,463
24,338
11,463
Share-based compensation expense 4,100
2,398
11,997
4,055
Manufacturing excursion
800
Acquisition-related restructuring and acquired inventory valuation costs 84,278
9,089
174,766
9,632
Non-GAAP gross profit $ 499,921
$ 323,900
$ 971,012
$ 635,117
Non-GAAP gross profit percentage 57.2 %
57.9 %
56.5 %
58.1 %
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENSES TO NON-GAAP RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENSES
Three months ended
Six months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015 Research and development expenses, as reported $ 137,795
$ 95,256
$ 285,678
$ 179,936
Share-based compensation expense (10,171)
(8,670)
(27,688)
(15,768)
Acquisition-related and other costs (453)
748
Non-GAAP research and development expenses $ 127,171
$ 86,586
$ 258,738
$ 164,168
Non-GAAP research and development expenses as a percentage of net sales 14.6 %
15.5 %
15.1 %
15.0 %
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES TO NON-GAAP SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES
Three months ended
Six months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015 Selling, general and administrative expenses, as reported $ 120,129
$ 80,258
$ 277,634
$ 147,107
Share-based compensation expense (10,119)
(11,958)
(44,284)
(17,315)
Acquisition-related and other costs (3,602)
(1,063)
(18,548)
(3,237)
Non-GAAP selling, general and administrative expenses $ 106,408
$ 67,237
$ 214,802
$ 126,555
Non-GAAP selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales 12.2 %
12.0 %
12.5 %
11.6 %
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP OPERATING EXPENSES TO NON-GAAP OPERATING EXPENSES
Three months ended
Six months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015 Operating expenses, as reported $ 347,861
$ 226,002
$ 755,455
$ 413,700
Share-based compensation expense (20,290)
(20,628)
(71,972)
(33,083)
Acquisition-related and other costs (4,055)
(1,063)
(17,800)
(3,237)
Amortization of acquired intangible assets (80,394)
(43,840)
(160,565)
(78,452)
Special charges, net (9,543)
(6,648)
(31,578)
(8,205)
Non-GAAP operating expenses $ 233,579
$ 153,823
$ 473,540
$ 290,723
Non-GAAP operating expenses as a percentage of net sales 26.7 %
27.5 %
27.6 %
26.6 %
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP OPERATING INCOME TO NON-GAAP OPERATING INCOME
Three months ended
Six months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015 Operating income, as reported $ 62,760
$ 74,948
$ 3,656
$ 196,267
Distributor revenue recognition adjustment 922
11,463
24,338
11,463
Share-based compensation expense 24,390
23,026
83,969
37,138
Manufacturing excursion
800
Acquisition-related restructuring, acquired inventory valuation and other costs 88,333
10,152
192,566
12,869
Amortization of acquired intangible assets 80,394
43,840
160,565
78,452
Special charges, net 9,543
6,648
31,578
8,205
Non-GAAP operating income $ 266,342
$ 170,077
$ 497,472
$ 344,394
Non-GAAP operating income as a percentage of net sales 30.5 %
30.4 %
29.0 %
31.5 %
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP OTHER EXPENSE, NET TO NON-GAAP OTHER EXPENSE, NET
Three months ended
Six months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015 Other expense, net, as reported $ (37,470)
$ (20,935)
$ (69,057)
$ (22,512)
Gain on equity securities and equity method investment
(468)
(16,064)
Non-cash other expense, net 12,752
12,460
25,289
24,272
Non-GAAP other expense, net $ (24,718)
$ (8,475)
$ (44,236)
$ (14,304)
Non-GAAP other expense, net, as a percentage of net sales (2.8) %
(1.5) %
(2.6) %
(1.3) %
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP INCOME TAX (BENEFIT) PROVISION TO NON-GAAP INCOME TAX PROVISION
Three months ended
Six months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015 Income tax (benefit) provision, as reported $ (10,340)
$ (10,942)
$ 8,138
$ (21,837)
Income tax rate, as reported (41.0) %
(20.3) %
(12.4) %
(12.6) % Distributor revenue recognition adjustment 618
4,254
4,184
4,254
Share-based compensation expense 8,358
8,574
29,246
12,106
Manufacturing excursion
295
Acquisition-related restructuring, acquired inventory valuation costs, intangible asset amortization and other costs 8,173
16,946
19,942
19,984
Special charges, net 3,042
1,200
9,512
1,615
Gain on equity securities and equity method investment
(172)
Non-cash other expense, net 4,699
4,624
9,319
9,012
Non-recurring tax events (4,066)
(6,016)
2,811
12,707
Tax adjustment in accordance with ASC 740-270 11,473
(43,742)
Non-GAAP income tax provision $ 21,957
$ 18,640
$ 39,533
$ 37,841
Non-GAAP income tax rate 9.1 %
11.5 %
8.7 %
11.5 %
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP NET INCOME (LOSS) FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS AND GAAP DILUTED NET INCOME (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS ATTRIBUTABLE TO MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY STOCKHOLDERS TO NON-GAAP NET INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS AND NON-GAAP DILUTED NET INCOME PER COMMON SHARE FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS ATTRIBUTABLE TO MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY STOCKHOLDERS
Three Months Ended
Six months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015 Net income (loss) from continuing operations, as reported $ 35,574
$ 64,899
$ (73,651)
$ 195,566
Distributor revenue recognition adjustment, net of tax effect 304
7,209
20,154
7,209
Share-based compensation expense, net of tax effect 16,032
14,452
54,723
25,032
Manufacturing excursion, net of tax effect
505
Acquisition-related restructuring, acquired inventory valuation costs, intangible asset amortization and other costs, net of tax effect 160,554
37,046
333,189
71,337
Special charges, net of tax effect 6,501
5,448
22,066
6,590
Noncontrolling interests
(375)
Gain on equity securities and equity method investment, net of tax effect
(296)
(16,064)
Non-cash other expense, net of tax effect 8,053
7,836
15,970
15,260
Tax adjustment in accordance with ASC 740-270 (11,473)
43,742
Non-recurring tax events 4,066
6,016
(2,811)
(12,707)
Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations $ 219,611
$ 142,906
$ 413,591
$ 291,848
Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations as a percentage of net sales 25.1 %
25.5 %
24.1 %
26.7 % Diluted net income (loss) per common share from continuing operations attributable to Microchip Technology stockholders, as reported $ 0.15
$ 0.30
$ (0.34)
$ 0.90
Non-GAAP diluted net income per common share from continuing operations attributable to Microchip Technology stockholders $ 0.94
$ 0.66
$ 1.78
$ 1.35
Diluted common shares outstanding, as reported 233,960
217,099
214,935
216,933
Diluted common shares outstanding Non-GAAP 233,960
217,099
232,315
216,676
Microchip will host a conference call today, November 7, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) to discuss this release. This call will be simulcast over the Internet at www.microchip.com . The webcast will be available for replay until November 21, 2016.
A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available at approximately 8:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on November 7, 2016 and will remain available until 8:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on November 21, 2016. Interested parties may listen to the replay by dialing 719-457-0820 and entering access code 2080719.
Cautionary Statement:
The statements in this release relating to improving sales, gross margin, operating expense leverage and accretion from our acquisition activities, making excellent progress toward our long-term non-GAAP operating model targets, continuing to experience broad-based growth in such business, the resilience and consistency of this business, our revenue run rate for our analog business, our net leverage position continuing to improve at a faster rate than previously outlined to our stockholders, improvements we are making in our business and the business of our acquired companies, expecting to achieve our long-term GAAP operating model by the end of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018, expecting net sales in the December quarter to be flat to down 6% sequentially, expecting gross margin to be between 56.6% and 57.2%, expecting operating expenses from continuing operations to be between 26.5% and 27.0%, expecting operating income from continuing operations to be between 29.6% and 30.7%, that our MOST technology is still a leading standard for automotive infotainment, our third quarter fiscal 2017 non-GAAP guidance including net sales, gross margin, operating expenses, operating income, other expense, income tax expense, net income, diluted common shares outstanding, earnings per diluted share, inventory days, capital expenditures for the December 2016 quarter and for all of fiscal 2017, continuing to invest to support the growth of our production capabilities for fast growing new products and technologies, net cash generation, and assumed average stock price in the December 2016 quarter are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to: any economic uncertainty due to monetary policy, political or other issues in the U.S. or internationally, any unexpected fluctuations or weakness in the U.S. and global economies (including China), changes in demand or market acceptance of our products (including Atmel products) and the products of our customers; foreign currency effects on our business; the mix of inventory we hold and our ability to satisfy short-term orders from our inventory; changes in utilization of our manufacturing capacity and our ability to effectively manage our production levels; competitive developments including pricing pressures; the level of orders that are received and can be shipped in a quarter; the level of sell-through of our products through distribution; changes or fluctuations in customer order patterns and seasonality; our ability to successfully integrate the operations and employees, retain key employees and customers and otherwise realize the expected synergies and benefits of our Atmel acquisition; our ability to continue to realize the expected benefits of our other acquisitions; the impact of any other significant acquisitions that we may make; our ability to obtain a sufficient supply of wafers from third party wafer foundries and the cost of such wafers, the costs and outcome of any current or future tax audit or any litigation or other matters involving intellectual property, customers, or other issues; our actual average stock price in the December 2016 quarter and the impact such price will have on our share count; fluctuations in our stock price and trading volume which could impact the number of shares we acquire under our share repurchase program and the timing of such repurchases; disruptions in our business or the businesses of our customers or suppliers due to natural disasters (including any floods in Thailand), terrorist activity, armed conflict, war, worldwide oil prices and supply, public health concerns or disruptions in the transportation system; and general economic, industry or political conditions in the United States or internationally.
For a detailed discussion of these and other risk factors, please refer to Microchip's filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q. You can obtain copies of Forms 10-K and 10-Q and other relevant documents for free at Microchip's website ( www.microchip.com ) or the SEC's website ( www.sec.gov ) or from commercial document retrieval services.
Stockholders of Microchip are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date such statements are made. Microchip does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or new information after this November 7, 2016 press release, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
About Microchip:
Microchip Technology Incorporated is a leading provider of microcontroller, mixed-signal, analog and Flash-IP solutions, providing low-risk product development, lower total system cost and faster time to market for thousands of diverse customer applications worldwide. Headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, Microchip offers outstanding technical support along with dependable delivery and quality. For more information, visit the Microchip website at www.microchip.com .
Note: The Microchip name and logo, MOST, MPLAB, and PIC are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the USA and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies.
INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT:
J. Eric Bjornholt -- CFO..... (480) 792-7804
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SOURCE Microchip Technology Incorporated
Related Links
http://www.microchip.com
ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Pat G. Kaplan, a Realtor from Portland, Oregon has received the National Association of Realtors 2016 Distinguished Service Award. The honor is presented yearly to no more than two of NAR's more than 1.2 million members. Winners were recognized at the REALTORS Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida.
Pat Kaplan receives NAR Distinguished Service Award
NAR established the DSA in 1979 to honor Realtors who have made outstanding contributions to the real estate industry and who serve as leaders in their local communities. The award is considered the highest honor an NAR member can receive; recipients must be active at the local, state and national association levels but must not have served as NAR president. NAR President Tom Salomone presented the award to Kaplan.
"Pat Kaplan has been a leader in the Realtor community for decades. On the local, state and national level, Pat's commitment and professionalism make her an obvious selection for the Distinguished Service Award," said Salomone, broker-owner of Real Estate II Inc. in Coral Springs, Florida. "On behalf of the entire Realtor family, I thank Pat for her inspiring dedication."
Kaplan, a Realtor for 36 years, is broker-owner of Kaplan Real Estate Group, specializing in residential real estate and consulting. She holds the professional designations of Graduate, Realtor Institute; GREEN; Certified International Property Specialist; Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager; as well as the e-PRO and At Home with Diversity certifications.
"I am very honored and thankful to NAR for being named a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. I am proud of be a part of an organization that honors members for giving back to their communities and protecting the rights and privileges of real property ownership," said Kaplan.
An active NAR member, Kaplan has held many leadership positions throughout the Realtor organization during her nearly four-decade tenure, including serving as the NAR treasurer from 2001 to 2003, a president's liaison in 2000, vice president of committees in 2004, and regional vice president for Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington in 1999. She has served on NAR's Board of Directors since 1993, and currently serves on an advisory group for the Realtors Federal Credit Union (a division of Northwest Federal Credit Union since 2012), on the Second Century Initiatives board since 2010 and the Sentrilock LLC Board of Directors since 2014.
Kaplan chaired the Finance Committee and Smart Growth Program Advisory Group, as well as held leadership roles on a variety of committees, including Strategic Planning, Risk Management, State and Municipal Legislation, Communications and Political Affairs. She chaired presidential advisory groups on NAR Governance in 1997 and Global in 2014. Kaplan served as the first president of the Realtors Relief Foundation from 2001 to 2006 and continued on its board until 2008. She is a member of the Realtors Political Action Committee Hall of Fame, President's Circle and a Golden R.
At the state level, Kaplan was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Oregon Association of Realtors in 2012. She was president of OAR in 1996 and the first ever to be honored as Realtor of the Year while serving as president. Known for her political activism, Kaplan chaired OAR's Legislative Committee for four years, and chaired the Budget and Finance, Strategic Planning and Executive Committees. Kaplan was the first recipient of OAR's Realtors Active in Politics award. She continues to serve on the OAR Board of Directors.
At the local level, Kaplan served as the Washington County Association of Realtors president in 1991, was named Realtor of the Year in 1993, and served on its board for more than 10 years, including chairing the Budget and Finance, Strategic Planning, Nominating, Realtor of the Year and RPAC committees. She was given the Distinguished Service Award in 1994. Today, Kaplan continues service on several key Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors committees, as well as serving as a mediator for Professional Standards. Kaplan has served as director of the Realtor Multiple Listing Service since 2013.
Active in her community, Kaplan was involved in the Oregon Fair Housing Planning Conference from 1992 to 1994 and served on two state advisory committees: History of Housing Discrimination in Oregon and Oregon Comprehensive Housing Affordability Study Group. Kaplan has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Club, Catlin Gable School, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland Community College Foundation, Campfire Girls, World Affairs Council, and also served on the board of the Oregon Junior Miss Scholarship Program. She is currently on the board of the International Real Property Foundation and is a partner in the Social Venture Partners of Portland philanthropy.
Kaplan and her husband, Joel, reside in Portland. They have two children.
Information about NAR is available at www.realtor.org. This and other news releases are posted in the "News, Blogs and Videos" tab on the website.
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SOURCE National Association of Realtors
Related Links
http://www.realtor.org
SYRACUSE, N.Y., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- UTM Convention 2016
On Wednesday November 9th, Dr. Chris Walach, Director of Operations for Unmanned Aviation with the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) & Director of the FAA-designated Nevada UAS Test Site will join other FAA-designated UAS Test Sites in a UTM and beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) discussion at the Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA)UTM Convention. "The test sites have demonstrated their great value in the NASA UTM program. Going forward, we will continue to collaborate with NASA on validating sense and avoid technologies and command and control infrastructure that will support BVLOS UAS flight operations. This will also be of great value to the commercial UAS Industry as a whole," said Dr. Chris Walach. BVLOS is the next wave of the future for Unmanned Aviation and the safe and full integration of UAS into the NAS.
Attend the Session "Updates from the Field - UAS Test Ranges." The UAS test range discussion will be held during Breakout Session 1, from 11:15 12:30 in Room 1/2/3.
Panelist Include: Mark Blanks - Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, Russ Stark - Griffiss Test Range, Chris Walach - Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems, Chris Theisen - Northern Plains UAS Test Site, Melanie Willis - Lone Star UAS Center of Excellence and Innovation
Moderator: Larry Brinker - NUAIR Alliance
http://utm.vporoom.com/NIAS
SOURCE Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS)
FREMONT, Calif., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- NEXTracker, a Flex company, announced today it has signed a master services agreement (MSA) to deliver its award-winning solar tracker technology to Biosar, part of Aktor Construction Group, and one of the largest engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firms in the Western Hemisphere. The 191.5 MW solar power plant, Pirapora 1, is being constructed by Biosar for EDF Energies Nouvelles and Canadian Solar Inc. in the state of Minas Gerais. This MSA calls for NEXTracker to supply Biosar with advanced tracker technology, design consultation, installation and commissioning support. Project completion is anticipated in Q3 of 2017. The modules to be used in the Pirapora project are also produced by Flex and Canadian Solar, at a manufacturing facility in Sao Paulo, Brazil.[1]
"NEXTracker is thrilled to be working with Biosar, an international contractor that's installed a gigawatt of projects worldwide," said NEXTracker CEO Dan Shugar. "Thanks to Flex's Brazil-based manufacturing and operational presence, NEXTracker is well-positioned to meet the growing high-volume demand for our single-axis trackers. We're seeing that project financing in Brazil is working and truly supporting the growth of the renewable energy industry. In addition to serving this important market, we're delighted to be contributing to the Brazilian economy by spurring the creation of new solar jobs."
"NEXTracker's deep solar experience and technological market leadership are an ideal fit for new solar deployments in Brazil a nation that has set very ambitious PV deployment targets," said Aris Polychronopoulos, General Manager of Biosar. "NX Horizon is not only FINAME-compliant, which is essential for Brazil solar market readiness its advanced product features, quality and reliability maximize energy yield and reduce both installation and operating costs for our customers' projects. NEXTracker is the perfect partner, thanks to its local Brazil presence and the strong financial backing of its corporate parent, Flex."
The Pirapora 1 project is one of the largest solar projects in Brazil and one of the few utility-scale projects to meet the FINAME accreditation criteria of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES). BNDES streamlines financing for projects that incorporate products compliant with FINAME's local content and manufacturing requirements. Manufactured locally, NEXTracker NX Horizon is FINAME-compliant; its materials and components are manufactured and tested for quality assurance at a Flex facility in Brazil.
NEXTracker's Brazil presence, co-located at Flex's manufacturing center in Sorocaba, Sao Paulo and supported by over 9,000 Brazilian employees is now supplying its advanced solar trackers to developers and EPCs throughout the country. Once completed, the Pirapora 1 project[2] will generate 391,263 MWh per year and contribute towards Brazil's goal of obtaining 23% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.
In 2015, Brazil's federal energy planning authority (EPE) doubled its forecast for installed photovoltaic capacity [3] to 7GW by 2024, owing to the country's initial solar auction results. BNDES' FINAME accreditation encourages companies to service the region with local products, which creates more availability and scalability for parts, inventory and technical support.
NEXTracker's balanced design, deployment, installation and commissioning support are ideal for distributed generation solar deployment worldwide. The company's trackers feature fewer foundations and assembly points, helping to mitigate geotechnical risk and accelerate project construction schedules. With over 5GW of tracker systems delivered worldwide to date, NEXTracker's PV system technology, paired with Biosar's success as leading EPC, will help accelerate solar deployment in Brazil and around the world. Watch this VIDEO to view NX Horizon in action in South America.
About NEXTracker
NEXTracker, a Flex company, advances the power plant of the future with solar tracker innovations that increase performance and reduce costs for all size power plants. As the #1 single-axis tracker supplier worldwide with over 5GW of tracker shipments, NEXTracker is globally recognized for delivering the most advanced photovoltaic solutions for 100s of projects across five continents. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Company has offices in China, India, Latin America, and Australia. For more information, visit: NEXTracker.com and follow the Company on Twitter @NEXTracker.
About Biosar
Biosar, a global construction firm, offers integrated solutions for design, supply, construction and operation and maintenance of medium and large-scale PV systems. Biosar is a member of the largest construction group in Greece, Aktor, an international highly diversified company focused on Infrastructure, Building, Industrial, MEP, EPC and Concession Contracts, Facility and Project Management. Biosar has a total installed capacity of one Gigawatt as of 2016, making the Company one of the most successful international solar energy sector firms.
1 Canadian Solar and Flextronics partner on 360MW module factory in Brazil. PV Tech, June 2016.
http://tinyurl.com/zo2zvzc
2 Canadian Solar and EDF Partner on 191.5 MW Brazil Project
http://tinyurl.com/hdh3hss
3- Brazil doubles 10-year solar forecast to 7GW by 2024
http://tinyurl.com/hchcvao
SOURCE NEXTracker
Related Links
https://www.nextracker.com
RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nonprofit Colleges Online, a website dedicated to helping students find the best offerings in affordable online degree programs, has published a twenty program ranking of Best Online Bachelor's in Public Health / Health Sciences degree programs (http://www.nonprofitcollegesonline.com/best-online-bachelors-public-health-sciences/).
In this ranking, West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, leads the pack, offering students the greatest value for its Bachelor's of Health Sciences degree program. West Texas A&M University has an estimated four-year cost for its Bachelor's of Health Sciences program of $34,116. Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, New Hampshire, placed second in the ranking with an estimated tuition cost of $38,400. The University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota, placed third with an estimated tuition of $46,762.
All of the schools included in the ranking are nonprofit institutions, accredited by a reputable accreditation board, and offer their degree program online with minimal or no campus visits required. The estimated tuition costs used in this ranking are based on their out-of-state tuition cost.
Other colleges and universities making the list include (alphabetically ordered):
Appalachian State University - Boone, North Carolina
Arizona State University - Tempe, Arizona
Bellevue University - Bellevue, Nebraska
Kent State University - Kent, Ohio
Mississippi University for Women - Columbus, Mississippi
National University - La Jolla, California
Northeastern University - Boston, Massachusetts
Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff, Arizona
Ohio State University - Columbus, Ohio
Pacific University - Forest Grove, Oregon
University of Arizona - Tucson, Arizona
University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati, Ohio
University of Florida - Gainesville, Florida
University of Missouri - Columbia, Missouri
University of North Carolina at Greensboro - Greensboro, North Carolina
University of West Florida - Pensacola, Florida
Youngstown State University - Youngstown, Ohio
"A Bachelor's in Public Health / Health Sciences will provide students with an interdisciplinary understanding of the organization, structure, and function of modern healthcare systems and healthcare organizations," says Sam Mazany, editor at Nonprofit Colleges Online. He goes on to say, "This degree focuses on the understanding of public health issues and public health policy. It teaches the analytical skills needed to assess, plan, and implement improved disease prevention strategies and health promotion campaigns. The Bachelor's in Public Health / Health Sciences degree is an incredibly flexible degree that allows students many paths to pursue within the growing field of health or to continue their studies further. Hospitals and other healthcare institutions employ hundreds of people who, though not doctors or nurses, need special training to do a myriad of administrative jobs within this growing industry. This ranking will help guide prospective students who are interested in an online program that will allow them to invest in their future career while giving them flexibility in the present."
Nonprofit Colleges Online (http://www.nonprofitcollegesonline.com) is an online publication committed to promoting accredited institutions that put students before profits. The site helps students find affordable, distance education learning solutions by publishing rankings that make this information more readily available.
Contact:
Sam Mazany
Editor, Nonprofit Online Colleges
http://www.nonprofitcollegesonline.com
[email protected]
919-452-4684
SOURCE Nonprofit Colleges Online
Related Links
http://www.nonprofitcollegesonline.com
HERNDON, Va., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Global technology company Nuix has appointed former Dun & Bradstreet executive Ethan Treese as its Chief Executive OfficerAmericas. Treese's appointment will allow long-serving executive Dr. Jim Kent to focus on his role as Global Head of Security & Intelligence.
"More than 60% of our revenue now comes from North America and our business in Central and South America is also growing; we absolutely needed a full-time CEO driving that business," said Eddie Sheehy, CEO of Nuix worldwide. "Ethan is a highly qualified business leader who understands and fits in well with the Nuix culture and I look forward to achieving great things in our American markets under his guidance."
Before joining Nuix, Treese served in a variety of leadership and business development roles at Dun & Bradstreet. He has extensive experience growing key clients and industries including technology, telecommunications, retail, transportation, manufacturing, insurance, and the public sector.
Treese takes over the CEOAmericas role from Kent, who remains the company's Global Head of Security & Intelligence. Kent will now be focused on growing the company's Security & Intelligence business worldwide and preparing to launch the Nuix Insight range of cybersecurity products in 2017.
"We've been working for nearly three years on building the Nuix Insight products in parallel with making the Nuix Engine a massively scalable investigation platform," said Kent. "Those capabilities combined will revolutionize the way investigations are conducted because they'll make it possible to search and examine the context of digital evidence from petabytes of data. Our ability to extract intelligence is the key that has been missing in law enforcement and government investigationsand no other technology in the world can do that."
Treese is also a Director of the BrightFocus Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports research and provides public education to help eradicate brain and eye diseases including Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma.
"I'm very excited to be joining Nuix at this pivotal moment in its evolution and I'm looking forward to helping the company grow its business across the Americas," said Treese. "I really admire Nuix's commitment to social good and giving back to the community. I was blown away to learn that Nuix's Proof Finder initiative has raised more than $350,000 and helped build schools and libraries and support girls' education in India, Laos, Nepal, and Sri Lanka."
About Nuix
Nuix (www.nuix.com) protects, informs, and empowers society in the knowledge age. Leading organizations around the world turn to Nuix when they need fast, accurate answers for investigation, cybersecurity incident response, insider threats, litigation, regulation, privacy, risk management, and other essential challenges.
SOURCE Nuix
Related Links
http://www.nuix.com
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Reign Sapphire Corporation, (OTCQB: RGNP ) (Reign or the Company), a jewelry company that sells branded Australian Sapphire Jewelry direct to consumers, today announced that it has signed a binding letter of intent to acquire 100% of the assets of custom jewelry company, Coordinates Collection Inc.
Founded in 2012, Coordinates Collection offers customized jewelry that uses materials such as semi-precious to precious metals and stones as well as ceramic coatings. The company sells bracelets, rings and necklaces that display the latitude and longitude of any place that represents a special memory to the customer with 90% online distribution as well as wholesale accounts and distribution agreements to Middle East markets. Products are designed and manufactured in Los Angeles, CA.
Coordinates Collection is a strong accretive acquisition for Reign, offering an established infrastructure, human resources, intellectual property, supply chain, product, up and downstream distribution, geographic expansion and revenue synergies that will support our collective Brands throughout the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, said Joseph Segelman, Reign Sapphire Corporation, CEO.
This acquisition will enable us to retain founder Owen De Vries, who will continue as Head of International Business Development and Strategic Partnerships across the Reign group of companies, while also retaining Coordinates Collection Inc.s team and infrastructure in downtown Los Angeles, providing expansion opportunities for Reign related to sales and marketing, distribution, and research and development. Coordinates Collection has established Widgets, a 3D Web Simulator and a retail display and guided sales technology kiosk which create a scalable, personalized experience, further complementing Reigns Concierge, VIP Service and online shopping approach
Coordinates Collection founder, Owen De Vries stated, We are thrilled to integrate with Reign Sapphire Corporation as we carry forward our brand growth expertise into this new venture. We consider Reign to be an important aspect of driving the growth of the Mine-Gate to Consumer concept and envision value creation across our complementary brands and business models.
The acquisition is expected to close in December 2016.
About Coordinates Collection Inc.
Coordinates Collection Inc., is a jewelry brand platform that offers an end-to-end solution to launch accessories brands and marketplaces. Coordinates Collections brands, including Le Bloc and Coordinates combine quality craftsmanship and timeless designs to provide a personalized experience to commemorate lifes favorite moments.
About Reign Sapphire Corporation
Based in Beverly Hills, California, Reign Sapphire Corporation is a fully reporting, DTC eligible company, established as a miners-gate to retail model for fine sapphires rough sapphires to finished jewelry; a color gemstone brand; and a jewelry brand featuring Australian sapphires.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws, which statements may include information regarding the plans, intentions, expectations, future financial performance, or future operating performance of Reign Sapphire Corporation (Reign or the Company). Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations, estimates, or projections of the Companys management as of the date of this press release. Although Reign's management believes these expectations, estimates, or projections to be reasonable as of the date of this presentation, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to significant business risks, economic and competitive uncertainties, or other contingencies, which could cause the Companys actual results or performance to differ materially from what may be expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause Reign's actual results or performance to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include those set forth in the "Risk Factors sections in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, which is available for viewing on the SECs EDGAR website. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and, except as required by law, Reign specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.
Reign Sapphire Corporation, (OTCQB: RGNP) (Reign or the Company), a jewelry company that sells branded Australian Sapphire Jewelry direct to consumers, today announced that it has signed a binding letter of intent to acquire 100% of the assets of custom jewelry company, Coordinates Collection Inc.
Founded in 2012, Coordinates Collection offers customized jewelry that uses materials such as semi-precious to precious metals and stones as well as ceramic coatings. The company sells bracelets, rings and necklaces that display the latitude and longitude of any place that represents a special memory to the customer with 90% online distribution as well as wholesale accounts and distribution agreements to Middle East markets. Products are designed and manufactured in Los Angeles, CA.
Coordinates Collection is a strong accretive acquisition for Reign, offering an established infrastructure, human resources, intellectual property, supply chain, product, up and downstream distribution, geographic expansion and revenue synergies that will support our collective Brands throughout the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, said Joseph Segelman, Reign Sapphire Corporation, CEO.
This acquisition will enable us to retain founder Owen De Vries, who will continue as Head of International Business Development and Strategic Partnerships across the Reign group of companies, while also retaining Coordinates Collection Inc.s team and infrastructure in downtown Los Angeles, providing expansion opportunities for Reign related to sales and marketing, distribution, and research and development.
Coordinates Collection has established Widgets, a 3D Web Simulator and a retail display and guided sales technology kiosk which create a scalable, personalized experience, further complementing Reigns Concierge, VIP Service and online shopping approach Coordinates Collection founder, Owen De Vries stated, We are thrilled to integrate with Reign Sapphire Corporation as we carry forward our brand growth expertise into this new venture. We consider Reign to be an important aspect of driving the growth of the Mine-Gate to Consumer concept and envision value creation across our complementary brands and business models.
The acquisition is expected to close in December 2016.
About Coordinates Collection Inc.
Coordinates Collection Inc., is a jewelry brand platform that offers an end-to-end solution to launch accessories brands and marketplaces. Coordinates Collections brands, including Le Bloc and Coordinates combine quality craftsmanship and timeless designs to provide a personalized experience to commemorate lifes favorite moments.
About Reign Sapphire Corporation
Based in Beverly Hills, California, Reign Sapphire Corporation is a fully reporting, DTC eligible company, established as a miners-gate to retail model for fine sapphires rough sapphires to finished jewelry; a color gemstone brand; and a jewelry brand featuring Australian sapphires.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws, which statements may include information regarding the plans, intentions, expectations, future financial performance, or future operating performance of Reign Sapphire Corporation (Reign or the Company). Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations, estimates, or projections of the Companys management as of the date of this press release. Although Reign's management believes these expectations, estimates, or projections to be reasonable as of the date of this presentation, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to significant business risks, economic and competitive uncertainties, or other contingencies, which could cause the Companys actual results or performance to differ materially from what may be expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause Reign's actual results or performance to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include those set forth in the "Risk Factors sections in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, which is available for viewing on the SECs EDGAR website. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and, except as required by law, Reign specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.
Corporate Contact
Joseph Segelman, CEO
9465 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(213) 457-3772
SOURCE Reign Sapphire Corporation
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Rubicon Genomics, Inc. today announced that it will present data on its soon-to-be-launched ThruPLEX Enrichment Reagent kit at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), where it is also hosting a Corporate Workshop Day event for its new ThruPLEX Tag-seq kits. Separately, Rubicon announced that it has been selected as a finalist in the Life Science Industry Awards "2017 Company to Watch" category. The company also reported that it achieved a 70% increase in revenue in the 3rd quarter of 2016 compared to the prior year period.
At AMP 2016, Rubicon's Dr. Anthony Popkie will present a poster, "ThruPLEX Enrichment Reagent kit: Complete, high-performance library preparation and enrichment tool for NGS on Illumina platforms," on November 12 from 9:45 to 10:45 am. The ThruPLEX Enrichment Reagent kit is used with Agilent SureSelect baits to enrich gene targets of interest, thereby reducing the amount of required sequencing. It can be used with any ThruPLEX library preparation kit but is expected to be especially useful with ThruPLEX Tag-seq, where enrichment is essential for detecting rare alleles.
At the AMP Corporate Workshop Day on November 9 at 11:00 am, Dr. Anthony Popkie and Shawn Quinn of Curio Genomics will describe the newly released ThruPLEX Tag-seq and the ultra-fast Curio software in a short presentation. ThruPLEX Tag-seq creates molecularly tagged and sample-indexed libraries for sequencing on Illumina NGS platforms using cell-free or fragmented double-stranded DNA samples. By removing library and sequencing amplification errors, ThruPLEX Tag-seq enables detection of low-frequency alleles to 0.5% or less, with fewer false positives and greater confidence.
Rubicon personnel will be available to discuss the company's entire portfolio of DNA library preparation products at AMP 2016 Booth #1475.
Rubicon also reported that it has been selected as a finalist in the Life Sciences Industry Awards "2017 Company to Watch" category. The Life Science Industry Awards allow thousands of scientists to individually vote for their favorite life science supplier companies in multiple product and service categories.
"The Life Science Industry Awards have been called the 'Oscars' for life science product manufacturers, and we are honored that thousands of participating scientists have selected Rubicon as a finalist in the highly competitive 'Company to Watch' category," said James Koziarz, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Rubicon. "Our selection reflects the excellence of both our existing and new products, including our ThruPLEX Plasma-seq and ThruPLEX Tag-seq kits, which helped drive a 70% increase in year-over-year revenues in the third quarter of this year."
For more information about Rubicon and its products, visit rubicongenomics.com.
About Rubicon Genomics
Rubicon Genomics develops innovative, high quality, nucleic acid library preparation and companion products for research applications that enable easy, reliable, and highly sensitive analysis of samples. Rubicon is committed to teamwork and continuous improvement to provide excellence to our customers, shareholders, and employees. Privately-held Rubicon is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. For more information, visit rubicongenomics.com.
Contacts: Media Rubicon Genomics Barbara Lindheim Jamie Wibbenmeyer, PhD BLL Partners, LLC Business Development (212) 584-2276 [email protected] [email protected]
SOURCE Rubicon Genomics, Inc.
Related Links
http://rubicongenomics.com
CARLSBAD, Calif., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ScienCell Research Laboratories, Inc. is a unique supplier of primary Human Schwann Cells (https://www.sciencellonline.com/human-schwann-cells.html) to the scientific research community. Schwann cells are glial cells that protect and insulate nerves in the peripheral nervous system.
"There are numerous cell types, such as Schwann cells, which were not commercially available to scientists conducting research. Our goal is to "help the scientists of today to discover the science of tomorrow" said James Shen, CEO, ScienCell Research Laboratories, Inc. "The scientists using our primary cells are dedicated to researching and developing potential therapies to significantly improve the quality of life for patients with various diseases."
Schwann Cells Research
The Schwann cell is the principal accessory cell in the peripheral nervous system and has been involved in many important aspects of nerve biology. It interacts with nerve axons to generate myelin. There are many biological and functional questions about Schwann cells which could be best studied with a pure population of cultured cells. Schwann cells from ScienCell have been used to study demyelinating neuropathies and to identify changes in gene expression, providing tools for early diagnosis and treatment of demyelinating diseases and spinal cord injuries. They have been used to identify potential targets for treatment of Schwannoma, a benign brain tumor, which can cause debilitating symptoms including paralysis, hearing loss, and impaired eye movement. Furthermore, scientists have used ScienCell Schwann cells to study diabetes-induced nerve damage. Numerous scientific papers have been published using ScienCell's Schwann cells and are located at the US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health website. Visit ScienCell website (https://www.sciencellonline.com/schwanncells) to learn more.
About ScienCell
ScienCell Research Laboratories, established in 1999, provides over 260 human and animal primary cell types and over 70 different types of specialty media for experimental use worldwide. To complement the vast array of primary cells, ScienCell also offers molecular biology products, cell-based assay kits, stem cells products and newly trademarked GeneQuery qPCR array kits and primers for gene expression profiling. Their products have been used in over 1500+ scientific publications.
ScienCell was the first company in the world to freeze neurons and introduced the first human primary neuron product in 2002. ScienCell is headquartered in Carlsbad, California with distributors around the globe. For more information see www.sciencellonline.com Or call 1-877-602-8549 (from U.S. and Canada) or email at [email protected].
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161101/434930LOGO
SOURCE ScienCell Research Laboratories, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.sciencellonline.com
"The Sheetz family has always supported the military community and giving back to our service men and women is important to our organization. We invite our veterans and active duty military to join us on Veterans Day as a way for us to say thank you for their service," said Joe Sheetz, president of Sheetz. "We are honored to have the opportunity to show our gratitude for military personnel who have selflessly sacrificed for all of us."
To locate your nearest Sheetz location, visit www.sheetz.com.
About Sheetz, Inc.
Established in 1952 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Sheetz, Inc. is one of America's fastest-growing family-owned and operated convenience store chains, with more than $6.9 billion in revenue and more than 17,500 employees. The company operates over 538 store locations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina. Sheetz provides an award-winning menu of MTO sandwiches and salads, which are ordered through unique touch-screen order point terminals. All Sheetz convenience stores are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Top 10, Top 12 Best places to work for Women and Top 35 Best Workplaces for Millennials, Sheetz is committed to offering employees sustainable careers built on an inspiring culture and community engagement. For more information, visit www.sheetz.com or follow us on Twitter (@sheetz), Facebook (www.facebook.com/sheetz) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/sheetz).
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161101/434964
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061212/CLTU039LOGO
SOURCE Sheetz, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.sheetz.com
"We are excited to introduce our wonderful donuts and kolaches to a new group of potential customers," says franchise owners, Tommy Cokins, Brian Folloder and JT Gulledge "Our hot glazed donuts are irresistibly delicious!" The Lake Travis location is open daily from 5am to 5pm, with plenty of dine-in seating and a front patio. The Shipley Do-Nuts Lake Travis store is locally owned and managed by the three partners who live in the Lake Travis area.
Since 1936, the Shipley family donut recipe has withstood the test of time. With more than 60 varieties of delicious donuts, pastries, and kolaches made fresh daily and served hot, it's this same simple concept that has continued to bring back multiple generations of loyal customers. Shipley Do-Nuts originated in Houston, Texas where it still maintains its offices and production facility.
Today, Shipley Do-Nuts is under the leadership of Lawrence Shipley III, with over 300 franchise locations in Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The company has plans to reach 400 stores by 2020.
For more information, please visit www.shipleydonuts.com or follow the company at www.facebook.com/ShipleyDonuts or www.twitter.com/ShipleyDo_Nuts.
For information specific to the Shipley Do-Nuts Lake Travis location, please visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shipleyLT.
Contact Information:
Stacey Michel
713.869.4636
[email protected]
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140909/144542
SOURCE Shipley Do-Nuts
Related Links
http://www.shipleydonuts.com
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Six area companies have won the 2016 Sacramento Region Innovation Awards, presented by Stoel Rives LLP, the Sacramento Business Journal and Moss Adams LLP. The inaugural program recognizes the area's vibrant innovation community, from startups to established companies, and their breakthrough creations.
The 2016 Sacramento Region Innovation Awards winners are:
Advanced Manufacturing: Watercraft Manufacturing by Free Form Factory Inc. a proprietary technique to manufacture personal watercraft hulls 10 times faster, 3.5 times stronger, and with no volatile organic compounds.
Food and Agribusiness: Radio Frequency Pasteurizer by RF Biocidics a food-safety solution that eliminates harmful contaminants from foods using radio frequency technology.
Hardware and Electronics: Linkbot by Barobo, Inc. a programmable educational robot that can be customized with snap-on parts and STEM curriculum.
Medical and Health Technologies and Services: B. infantis by Evolve BioSystems a microbiome-based solution to establish, restore and maintain a healthy infant gut microbiome.
Software: The Risk Number by Riskalyze a proprietary risk assessment product that measures individual investors' risk tolerance.
Sustainability: FastOx Gasifier by Sierra Energy waste gasification technology that transforms waste into clean, renewable energy.
In addition, Golden 1 Center was named "Innovation of the Year," a special award-winner determined by program organizers. Sacramento Kings President Chris Granger accepted the trophy and provided a keynote speech during the luncheon, held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Sacramento. Granger highlighted the arena's impact on the surrounding community and its industry-leading commitments to sustainability, technology innovation and local industry. Entrepreneur and radio host Mark Haney of Entrepreneurs Unlimited and Haney Business Ventures served as emcee.
"This year's winners and finalists represent the remarkable innovation community that exists in the Capital region," said Melissa Jones, Stoel Rives' California offices Managing Partner. "We recognize that innovation requires collaboration across a wide range of constituencies, including corporate champions, startup entrepreneurs, university leaders, investors and public officials. We're thrilled to bring our brand of innovation recognition into the mix, having fine-tuned the program formula in other markets over the past 15 years."
Finalists in each category also were honored at the event:
Advanced Manufacturing
BOLT STAR by Construction Innovations LLC
Food and Agribusiness
Automated Irrigation Advisor by Tule Technologies
RAPID Kit by Astrona Biotechnologies
Hardware and Electronics
GPS Real-Time Network (CSDS RTN) by California Surveying & Drafting Supply
SenCam by Senworth
Medical and Health Technologies and Services
Osteo-P HCCP by Molecular Matrix, Inc.
ViVita Process & ViVita BP by ViVita Technologies, Inc.
Software
DialSource by DialSource, Inc.
Wyndow by Wyndow
Sustainability
Pipeline Leak Detection by Electro Scan Inc.
TdX 20 by Bluon Energy
The program's selection committee reviewed more than 80 nominations submitted online through the Sacramento Business Journal from June 1 to July 29, 2016. Committee members were drawn from the region's business, academic and technology sectors, and include representatives from MedStart, CleanStart, AgStart, UC Davis' Venture Catalyst, Greater Sacramento Economic Council, World Food Center, Teichert, Intel, Pride Industries, California Manufacturing & Technology Association, Valley Vision, SMUD, Raley's and Sutter Health, among others.
About Stoel Rives LLP: Stoel Rives is a leading U.S. corporate and litigation law firm. One of the largest national firms focused on energy, natural resources, environmental law and climate change, Stoel Rives also serves the agribusiness, food and beverage, health care, life sciences and technology industries. With more than 350 attorneys operating out of 10 offices in seven states and the District of Columbia, Stoel Rives is a leader in regulatory and compliance matters, business, labor and employment law, intellectual property, land use, real estate development and construction law. For more information, follow us @stoelrives or visit www.stoel.com.
About Moss Adams LLP: Moss Adams LLP provides accounting, tax, and consulting services to public and private middle-market enterprises in many different industries. Founded in 1913 and headquartered in Seattle, Moss Adams has 29 locations in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, and Texas. Moss Adams is one of the 15 largest accounting and consulting firms in the United States. Our staff of more than 2,400 includes approximately 267 partners. For more information, visit www.mossadams.com.
About the Sacramento Business Journal: The Sacramento Business Journal provides coverage on the latest in Sacramento business news, digitally and in print, and is an industry leader in our region for delivering breaking news to the business community. In addition, the Business Journal hosts a number of events each year to provide content relating to current news in a variety of industries. For more information, visit www.sacramentobusinessjournal.com.
Contact Stoel Rives LLP:
Jennifer L. Forester, Business Development Manager, 916.384.8584
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SOURCE Stoel Rives LLP
Related Links
https://www.stoel.com
BOSTON, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As China's economic boom has slowed in recent years, its pulp and paper sector has responded with significant shifts in strategy. Mergers, overseas expansion, deleveraging and new product development have become priorities for China's pulp and paper producers. Providing much-needed detail about this vital sector is the China Pulp and Paper Factbook, a new publication from RISI, the leading source of intelligence for the global forest products industry.
"The slowdown is bringing big changes for China's pulp and paper companies," said Levi Li, RISI Managing Director for China. "We're seeing Tier 1 paper companies invest overseas, as Sun Paper expands into the US, and HXPP has acquired International Paper's packaging business in Asia.
"Industry consolidations in China are also changing the competitive landscape," said Li. In Fuyang, Zhejiang province, which previously hosted over 200 small paper mills, there are now 3 dominant groups. And in Dongguan, millions of tonnes of paper capacity were shut down last year. The impact of such changes is only beginning to be felt, in China and worldwide."
As a top producer and consumer of pulp and paper products, China is of central importance to the entire global industry. Despite this, understanding of Chinese market conditions has historically been limited.
"While producers like Nine Dragon and APP are known outside China, many others play an important role in the market, without much attention from the rest of the world." Li explained. "The pulp and paper sector in China is still quite fragmented, with the top 30 companies representing around 52% of the total output but this is rapidly changing. We compiled the Factbook to help make sense of these changes."
Originally developed for Chinese-language customers by RISI and its China-based UM Paper division, the Factbook has now been updated and translated for a global audience. Drawing from more than a decade of in-country research and analysis, it provides detailed monthly regional price data; statistics on output, demand, import/export, investment, and industry financial performance; a review of economic and industry policies; and acost structure comparison between China and the rest of world for all major grades. It offers unprecedented detail about China's pulp and paper companies, both individually and market-wide.
Learn more here: www.risi.com/china.factbook
China's Top 30 Paper and Board Firms, as listed in RISI's China Pulp and Paper Factbook
Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) (HK. 2689)
Asia Pulp & Paper China
Lee & Man Paper Manufacturing (HK. 02314)
Shandong Chenming Paper Holdings (SH. 00488)
Shandong Sun Paper Industry Joint Stock (SZ. 002078)
Anhui Shanying Paper Industry (SH. 600567)
Shandong Huatai Paper Industry Shareholding (SH. 600308)
Fujian Liansheng Paper
Shandong Bohui Paper Industry (SH. 600966)
China Paper Corporation
Jiangsu Longchen Greentech
Zhejiang Jingxing Paper Joint Stock (SZ. 002067)
Dongguan Jianhui Paper
Dongguan Jintian Paper
Zhejiang Yongzheng Holding
UPM China
Shandong Century Sunshine Paper Group (HK. 2002)
Hengan International Group Company (HK. 01044)
Zhejiang Honghao Group
Zhejiang Chunsheng Group
Asia Symbol
Vinda International Holdings
Henan Jianghe Paper
Guangzhou Wanlida Paper Products
Dongguan Jinzhou Paper
Shandong Tranlin Paper
Xinxiang Xinya Paper Group
Shandong Huajin Group
About RISI (www.risi.com)
RISI is the leading information provider for the global forest products industry. The company works with clients in the pulp and paper, packaging, wood products, timber, biomass, tissue and nonwovens industries to help them make better decisions. Headquartered in Boston, MA, RISI operates additional offices throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia.
For Press Inquiries, please contact:
Alan Petrillo
Communications Associate
O: +1.781.778.7592
E: [email protected]
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SOURCE RISI
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LOS ANGELES, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Veterans and active duty military have been committed to us; now it's time to celebrate our men and women in uniform. This Veterans Day, McDonald's of Southern California is honoring our troops with two classic food staplesfries and apple pie. On 11/11, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., active and retired military are invited to receive their choice of a medium-sized McDonald's World Famous Fries or Baked Apple Pie for free at participating Southern California locations.
"McDonald's franchisees deeply appreciate the local members of our military who have and are currently serving in our armed forces," said Paul Tulaphorn, McDonald's franchisee and association president of the local McDonald's owner operators group. "This offer is a simple but heartfelt way for us to thank these men and women of our community for their dedicated service to our country."
What: Veterans Day Free McDonald's World Famous Fries and Baked Apple Pie Offer When: Friday, November 11 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Where: Participating Southern California McDonald's restaurants in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, and Orange County Who: Veterans and active duty military
About McDonald's of Southern California:
McDonald's of Southern California is comprised of more than 600 franchised and company-owned McDonald's restaurants in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Learn more at http://changeisheremcdsocal.com/ and follow us on Instagram @mcdonalds_socal and Twitter @McDonalds_SoCal.
About McDonald's USA:
McDonald's USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to more than 25 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. Customers can now log online for free at approximately 11,500 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and Facebook www.facebook.com/mcdonalds.
Media Contact:
Matthew Lawrence / Heather Krug
Rogers & Cowan
[email protected] /
[email protected]
310-854-8168
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SOURCE McDonalds of Southern California
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DALLAS, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) announced today that its Pilots have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement. According to the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association (SWAPA), 84.26 percent of Pilots who cast ballots voted in favor of the deal.
"This contract recognizes and rewards our Pilots for their professionalism and leadership," said Alan Kasher, Vice President Flight Operations. "Beyond the compensation and work rule improvements, this forward-looking agreement delivers the operational flexibility needed to grow our network and ensures that Southwest will remain well-positioned for long-term success in our intensely-competitive industry."
New contractual terms, including a new wage scale and bonus provisions, will be implemented according to an agreed timeline. Negotiations began in 2012 and have been guided by the National Mediation Board (NMB) since 2014.
"We would like to thank our Mediators and the Board members of the NMB for their assistance in helping us reach this agreement," said Russell McCrady, Senior Director of Labor Relations.
The newly-ratified contract becomes amendable in November 2020.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 46th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate itself from other air carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than 53,000 Employees to more than 100 million Customers annually. Southwest operates more than 3,900 departures a day during peak travel season across a network of 98 destinations in the United States and seven additional countries with service to Varadero, Cuba beginning Nov. 13, 2016, and to Havana, Cuba, beginning Dec. 12, 2016, both routes subject to governmental approvals.
Based on the U.S. Department of Transportation's most recent data, Southwest Airlines is the nation's largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded. The Company operates the largest fleet of Boeing aircraft in the world, the majority of which are equipped with satellite-based WiFi providing gate-to-gate connectivity. That connectivity enables Customers to use their personal devices to view video on-demand movies and television shows, as well as nearly 20 channels of free, live TV compliments of our valued Partners. Southwest created Transfarency, a philosophy which treats Customers honestly and fairly, and in which low fares actually stay low. Southwest is the only major U.S. airline to offer bags fly free to everyone (first and second checked pieces of luggage, size and weight limits apply, some airlines may allow free checked bags on select routes or for qualified circumstances), and there are no change fees, though fare differences might apply. The airline proudly unveiled a bold new look: Heart. A new logo, aircraft livery, interior design featuring a new seat and Flight Attendant galley, Employee-designed uniforms, and an updated airport experience all showcase the dedication of Southwest Employees who connect Customers with what's important in their lives.
From its first flights on June 18, 1971, Southwest Airlines launched an era of unprecedented affordability in air travel described by the U.S. Department of Transportation as "The Southwest Effect," a lowering of fares and increase in passenger traffic whenever the carrier enters new markets. With 43 consecutive years of profitability, Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world, known for a triple bottom line approach that contributes to the carrier's performance and productivity, the importance of its People and the communities they serve, and an overall commitment to efficiency and the planet. The 2015 Southwest Airlines One Report can be found at SouthwestOneReport.com.
Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online at Southwest.com or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA.
SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.
Related Links
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As an independent research institute, SRI provides in-depth, unbiased insights, driven foremost by societal impact, not only by financial metrics. For seven decades, SRI has shaped the future by creating ground-breaking advances in artificial intelligence, network communications and security, robotics, treatments for diseases, and assessments of education policies. Innovations from SRI touch our lives every day when we use the Internet, fly in an airplane, and communicate on mobile devices.
R&D from the Laboratory to the Marketplace
"Throughout SRI's history, we see how our research in computing, biosciences, education, robotics, engineering, and many other areas have had beneficial impact globally," said William Jeffrey, Ph.D., chief executive officer, SRI International. "While SRI's 70th anniversary is both a significant milestone and a testament to SRI's valuable role in the world, we are equally excited by the new, emerging challenges and helping to set the agenda for the next seven decades of R&D."
With a successful track record of new venture creation and licensing its breakthrough technology, SRI has launched more than 60 ventures, with a total market capitalization exceeding $20 billion to date.
"Our Silicon Valley roots and time-tested innovation methodology have enabled SRI to nurture new technologies and applications that can help solve some of the most difficult challenges today, and we intend to do just that for the next 70 years, and beyond," said Stephen Ciesinski, president, SRI International. "As one of the world's premier research and development organizations, we play an essential role connecting scientific work from government agencies to innovation hubs such as Silicon Valley and throughout the world. At SRI, we apply the basic research we perform for government agencies into real-world opportunities. We are proud of our track record of creating world-changing innovations and look forward to achieving new heights."
SRI leverages its research to create new solutions to address evolving market needs. Some notable examples include:
Augmenting Human Capabilities: The first demonstration of the computer mouse and interactive computing in 1968 by Doug Engelbart and the SRI Augmentation Research Center team has been called "the Mother of All Demos." Engelbart's vision to solve humanity's most important problems by using computers to augment human intellect and improve communication and collaboration was a catalyst for much of the work by the SRI Augmentation Research Center and became the foundation of personal computing and the Internet. Today, SRI researchers continue to make discoveries in computer science to improve communication, collaboration and human-computer interaction.
The first demonstration of the computer mouse and interactive computing in 1968 by and the SRI Augmentation Research Center team has been called "the Mother of All Demos." Engelbart's vision to solve humanity's most important problems by using computers to augment human intellect and improve communication and collaboration was a catalyst for much of the work by the SRI Augmentation Research Center and became the foundation of personal computing and the Internet. Today, SRI researchers continue to make discoveries in computer science to improve communication, collaboration and human-computer interaction. From DARPA's CALO to Siri to Virtual Specialists: Siri, the world's first Virtual Personal Assistant (VPA), arose from decades of artificial intelligence (AI) research at SRI. The technology was developed through the SRI-led Cognitive Assistant that Learns and Organizes (CALO) project, the largest-known AI project in U.S. history. Siri became an SRI spin-off company before being acquired by Apple. SRI is now working on the next generation of "virtual specialists," more conversational AI with deeper knowledge of topics and understanding of user. One of the first examples of a virtual specialist is SRI spin-off Kasisto Inc., which focuses on improving the consumer experience on mobile devices through intelligent conversation.
Siri, the world's first Virtual Personal Assistant (VPA), arose from decades of artificial intelligence (AI) research at SRI. The technology was developed through the SRI-led Cognitive Assistant that Learns and Organizes (CALO) project, the largest-known AI project in U.S. history. Siri became an SRI spin-off company before being acquired by Apple. SRI is now working on the next generation of "virtual specialists," more conversational AI with deeper knowledge of topics and understanding of user. One of the first examples of a virtual specialist is SRI spin-off Kasisto Inc., which focuses on improving the consumer experience on mobile devices through intelligent conversation. Saving Lives Around the World: The malaria treatment Halofantrine was developed by SRI for the U.S. Army in the 1970's and distributed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The SRI-developed treatment has saved millions of lives over the years.
The malaria treatment Halofantrine was developed by SRI for the U.S. Army in the 1970's and distributed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The SRI-developed treatment has saved millions of lives over the years. Cancer Drug Development: In 2009, the FDA approved pralatrexate, a treatment for peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Research on drugs of this class began at SRI in the 1950's. A subsequent scientific collaboration among SRI, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Southern Research Institute led to clinical trials on related compounds conducted by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center starting in the 1980s.
In 2009, the FDA approved pralatrexate, a treatment for peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Research on drugs of this class began at SRI in the 1950's. A subsequent scientific collaboration among SRI, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Southern Research Institute led to clinical trials on related compounds conducted by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center starting in the 1980s. Robotics to Improve Quality of Life
SRI is enhancing physical capabilities with projects such as Superflex, a wearable, soft robotics exosuit that augments the musculoskeletal system to overcome or prevent damage from injury or disease. The technology is now being used in a collaborative project with Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy and Solid Ventures to develop a soft, wearable assistive device for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Originally developed for the DARPA-funded "Warrior Web" program to enhance soldier performance, reduce injury risk and increase the weight of equipment that soldiers could carry, the technology may one day provide performance and strength enhancement for elderly people, those with physical limitations and people who need to lift heavy objects. Superflex Inc. recently launched as an SRI spin-off company.
SRI is enhancing physical capabilities with projects such as Superflex, a wearable, soft robotics exosuit that augments the musculoskeletal system to overcome or prevent damage from injury or disease. The technology is now being used in a collaborative project with Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy and Solid Ventures to develop a soft, wearable assistive device for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Originally developed for the DARPA-funded "Warrior Web" program to enhance soldier performance, reduce injury risk and increase the weight of equipment that soldiers could carry, the technology may one day provide performance and strength enhancement for elderly people, those with physical limitations and people who need to lift heavy objects. Superflex Inc. recently launched as an SRI spin-off company. Advancing Medical Robotics: SRI's novel approach to minimally invasive surgery led to the 1995 formation of spin-off Intuitive Surgical, Inc. The prototype for Intuitive's surgical robot system was developed at SRI in the 1980's as part of a U.S. Army contract. Today, SRI is pioneering new approaches to robotic surgery. A recent example is the license of transformational robotic technology from SRI to Verb Surgical, Inc. Verb is developing a new robotic surgery platform that will integrate technologies such as advanced imaging, data analysis, and machine learning to enable greater efficiency and improved outcomes across a wide range of surgical procedures.
SRI's novel approach to minimally invasive surgery led to the 1995 formation of spin-off Intuitive Surgical, Inc. The prototype for Intuitive's surgical robot system was developed at SRI in the 1980's as part of a U.S. Army contract. Today, SRI is pioneering new approaches to robotic surgery. A recent example is the license of transformational robotic technology from SRI to Verb Surgical, Inc. Verb is developing a new robotic surgery platform that will integrate technologies such as advanced imaging, data analysis, and machine learning to enable greater efficiency and improved outcomes across a wide range of surgical procedures. Improving Teaching and Learning for All: SRI Education has been actively engaged in democratizing access to learning since 1975, when the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed. SRI designed and conducted the pioneering National Longitudinal Transition Study to follow students with disabilities into adulthood, and policy makers have relied on this information to improve the U.S. Educational system.
SRI Education has been actively engaged in democratizing access to learning since 1975, when the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed. SRI designed and conducted the pioneering National Longitudinal Transition Study to follow students with disabilities into adulthood, and policy makers have relied on this information to improve the U.S. Educational system. Monitoring our Planet, the Solar System, and Space Weather: Since the 1960's, SRI has delivered novel radio frequency (RF) and optical sensors to gauge space weather impacts on the Earth. From the Pioneer 6 satellite to the current string of miniaturized satellites (CubeSat) research missions, SRI provides innovative space instruments to the Department of Defense, NASA and NSF. SRI researchers have also developed a low-power miniaturized radar for detecting changes in the Earth's surface and used the world's most powerful radars to detect near-Earth crossing asteroids. By leveraging lessons learned from over five decades of research, SRI recently launched spin-off company LeoLabs. Inc. to fill a market need for commercial satellite and space debris tracking.
The Next 70 Years
As SRI embarks on its next 70 years of world-changing innovation, the organization is focused on delivering purpose-driven, cross-functional and collaborative ideas that will help solve critical challenges and move solutions into real-world applications.
"At SRI, we are fortunate to have such a strong legacy and the opportunity to build upon previous research to create new capabilities," added William Jeffrey. "Because of the deep level of expertise in diverse research areas and the collaborative spirit within the organization, I am confident that SRI researchers will continue to create positive impact in the future and solve problems that we have yet to imagine in our increasingly complex world."
SRI's Timeline of Innovation (www.sri.com/timeline) has an extensive list of SRI's most important innovations, including the foundation of the Internet, instrumented combat training, radar technologies, robotic surgery and medical ultrasound.
About SRI International
SRI International creates world-changing solutions making people safer, healthier, and more productive. SRI, a research center headquartered in Menlo Park, California, works primarily in advanced technology and systems, biosciences, computing, and education. SRI brings its innovations to the marketplace through technology licensing, spin-off ventures and new product solutions.
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SOURCE SRI International
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Steward Partners Global Advisory LLC, an employee-owned, full service independent partnership associated with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. (member FINRA/SIPC), announced today that financial advisors Carl Gravina, Liana Poodiack, and Joshua Houle have joined Steward Partners as Founding Partners in a new Keene, New Hampshire location. The group of advisors has a combined 35 years of experience serving clients as wealth managers and joins Steward from Wells Fargo (Gravina and Poodiack) and Edward Jones (Houle) where they collectively managed $500 million in client assets and had nearly $3 million in annual revenue.
With the newest additions of Gravina, Poodiack and Houle in Keene, Steward Partners now has eight offices in four states and the District of Columbia. The firm, which utilizes Raymond James' platform and support services, also has plans to open several more locations over the next twelve months. Steward's rapid expansion establishes itself as one of the fastest growing full service independent partnerships in the country.
"We're excited to welcome Carl, Liana and Josh to Steward Partners and to Raymond James in Steward's new Keene, NH location," said Scott Curtis, president of Raymond James Financial Services. "This group represents another high quality, client-first focused advisors to affiliate under Steward Partners' business model. We're proud of our relationship."
STEWARD NOW HAS THREE LOCATIONS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
"Our New England footprint is growing rapidly and we saw the need for a third location in New Hampshire," says Steward Partners CEO, Jim Gold. "With each new addition to the partnership, the level of interest continues to grow. Recently, we expanded our management team in New England to continue to accommodate our growth. Our existing branches are filling up and we continue to welcome new partners all across the firm."
"We are excited to be a part of the Steward Partnership and become founding partners in Keene, NH." says Gravina. "Having the freedom and flexibility to manage our clients' wealth was paramount in our decision to move. Being able to utilize a wealth management or advisory approach for our clients means their interests come first, not how we get compensated."
"Our clients' interests were key to our decision to become more independent in our businesses development and expansion, adds Poodiack - "without being overwhelmed with the day to day activities of running a company." "Steward Partners with the support and platform of Raymond James offers that perfect combination which made this choice right for our clients, our businesses and our families."
"The leadership and the transition team at Steward Partners was quite impressive," said Houle. "I've explored other options in the past, but nothing connected on all levels of practice management, advisor platform, client service capabilities and most importantly, firm culture like Steward and Raymond James."
Steward Partners has added 40 advisors with nearly $35 million in trailing twelve month production who managed over $4.6 billion in assets, since November 2013. They are looking to expand the number of partners and locations significantly into 2017.
About Steward Partners Global Advisory
Headquartered in Washington, DC, with additional offices in Keene, NH, Albany, NY, Andover, MA, Portsmouth, NH, Manchester, NH, Bethesda, MD and New York City, Steward Partners Global Advisory, LLC is an employee owned, full service independent partnership catering to family, institutional and multi-generational wealth.
For more information, visit us at www.stewardpartners.com. About Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.
Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. is a financial services firm supporting more than 3,700 independent financial advisors nationwide. Since 1974, Raymond James Financial Services Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, has provided a wide range of investment and wealth planning related services through its affiliate, Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC. Both broker/dealers are wholly owned subsidiaries of Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE-RJF) a leading diversified financial services company with approximately 6,900 financial advisors serving in excess of 2.8 million client accounts in more than 2,800 locations throughout the United States, Canada and overseas. Total client assets are approximately $556 billion.
Steward Partners Holdings and Steward Partners Global Advisory, LLC maintains a separate professional business relationship with, and our professionals offer securities through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. 1776 I Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington D.C. 20006 - Toll Free: (844) 801-8268.
Press Contact:
Gregory Banasz
202-930-6008
[email protected]
SOURCE Steward Partners Global Advisory LLC
Related Links
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DUBLIN, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "The Future of Sub- Saharan Africa Fuel Oil Supply and Demand, 2005- 2025: Trends, Drivers, Challenges and Forecasts of Fuel Oil Production and Consumption under Current Market Dynamics" report to their offering.
Sub-Saharan Africa Fuel Oil Outlook report provides detailed analysis and forecast of Fuel Oil consumption patterns and supply scenario in all key Fuel Oil markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. Forecasts of production and demand of each of the Fuel Oil markets in Sub-Saharan Africa are provided annually from 2005 to 2025.
Drivers and challenges of industry growth in each of the Sub-Saharan Africa countries are analyzed. Further, information on current refining capacity, refining complexity along with planned refining infrastructure details are also provided in the Sub-Saharan Africa Fuel Oil outlook report.
Historic data is taken largely from government ministries and companies involved, ensuring highest accuracy of the data. Further, forecasts are made through our sophisticated methodology considering current market conditions and future prospects. Fuel Oil Forecasts for each market are evaluated by in-house experts and also validated by industry professionals to ensure utmost accuracy and certainty.
The research work also provides information on leading refining companies in each country along with business profiles of three leading Fuel Oil suppliers in the region. All latest industry developments in Sub-Saharan Africa Fuel Oil are also provided in the report.
Key Topics Covered:
1. Tables & Figures
2 Executive Summary
3 Angola LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
4 Chad LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
5 Djibouti LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
6 Equatorial Guinea LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
7 Eritrea LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
7 Eritrea LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
8 Gabon LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
9 Gambia LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
10 Guinea-Bissau LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
11 Liberia LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
12 Mauritania LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
13 Sao Tome and Principe LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
14 Sudan LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
15 Zimbabwe LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
16 Business Profiles of Leading Refiners
For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/bpsvfn/the_future_of
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
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"talkwalkerNow gives digital marketers, copywriters, journalists and editors their own personal trend search engine that can tell them what to write and when for maximum impact," says Christophe Folschette, Partner and Founder of Talkwalker. "The network effects of social media have given trending stories the power to reach millions of people across the globe. With this new product, brands and media can harness this immense force for their content as soon as - or even before - a new trend starts spreading."
This new tool finds trend categories using a powerful AI algorithm that goes beyond simple keyword based searches and instead learns how to identify topics from text within posts and articles. Using predictive analytics, this new technology can also forecast the scale and speed at which a story or trend will grow.
Brands and publishers can use talkwalkerNow in a variety of ways:
Newsjacking : Save time manually researching real-time trends in your country, industry or niche and use analytics to find the right way to jump on these trends.
: Save time manually researching real-time trends in your country, industry or niche and use analytics to find the right way to jump on these trends. Content Creation: Discover and analyze the most important trends for your needs and use this information to create relevant, timely and engaging content.
Discover and analyze the most important trends for your needs and use this information to create relevant, timely and engaging content. Real-Time Marketing: Build effective campaigns around real-time trends to improve targeting and conversions. Increase effectiveness of social initiatives by responding to and advertising topics that resonate.
Build effective campaigns around real-time trends to improve targeting and conversions. Increase effectiveness of social initiatives by responding to and advertising topics that resonate. Competitive Intelligence: Know which types of content are working for your competitors and create or promote similar content.
talkwalkerNow will be a new addition to Talkwalker's product range alongside the Talkwalker social listening and analytics platform. For more details on pricing, please contact us or visit our website.
About Talkwalker
Talkwalker (www.talkwalker.com) is one of the world's leading social data intelligence companies. Its cutting edge technology provides actionable social media insights through real-time social listening and advanced social media analytics. Talkwalker helps marketers to prove the value of their social efforts and significantly enhances the speed and accuracy of business decision-making.
Talkwalker's state of the art social intelligence platform monitors and analyzes online conversations on social networks, news websites, blogs, forums and more, in over 187 languages. Its 1500 servers process posts from 150 million websites every day. Talkwalker's unique social intelligence software was selected to become a Twitter Official Partner in 2014.
The Talkwalker social intelligence platform is used by over 600 clients around the world, including Microsoft, HPE, Volkswagen, Benetton, and communications specialists such as Edelman, Peppercomm, Publicis, Ogilvy, and Weber Shandwick.
Contact:
Richard Sunley
[email protected]
(+352) 20 33 35 3 930
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SOURCE Talkwalker
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NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The eagerly awaited release of Don Giovanni represents the culmination of the critically acclaimed cycle of Mozart's Da Ponte operas from the charismatic conductor Teodor Currentzis and MusicAeterna, the orchestra and choir he founded in Siberia.
Currentzis' da ponte opera cycle began with Le Nozze di Figaro and Cosi fan tutte in 2014 to be completed with the worldwide release of Don Giovanni , which is available now.
and in 2014 to be completed with the worldwide release of , which is available now. Don Giovanni is the final chapter in a 4-year project that Sony Classical has undertaken with Teodor Currentzis and MusicAeterna, his orchestra and choir, to create new no-compromise studio recordings of Mozart's most important operatic works.
is the final chapter in a 4-year project that Sony Classical has undertaken with Teodor Currentzis and MusicAeterna, his orchestra and choir, to create new no-compromise studio recordings of Mozart's most important operatic works. In their quest for perfection, the musicians recorded the whole of Don Giovanni twice. Currentzis discarded the results of the first recording sessions in late 2014 almost in their entirety.
twice. Currentzis discarded the results of the first recording sessions in late 2014 almost in their entirety. Living in a unique artistic community based in Perm, Russia , these artists strive to work and record under ideal conditions. Currentzis' stated goal with this project was "to show what can be achieved if you avoid the factory approach of the classical music mainstream ."
, these artists strive to work and record under ideal conditions. Currentzis' stated goal with this project was "to show what can be achieved if you avoid the factory approach of the classical music mainstream The recordings represent an unprecedented commitment by the artists in terms of preparation, session & postproduction time, and the quest for the best possible sound. They also embody a radical new approach to orchestral virtuosity, as well as fidelity to the score, vocal style and performance practice.
Speaking about the masterpiece that he left for last in recording the cycle, Currentzis said:
"With this work he broke the boundaries of the genre and when I try to find the next step forward from Don Giovanni, there is none. I feel that the next step in opera is probably Alban Berg's Wozzeck. Mozart went in a direction that was very difficult to follow. He composed with such virtuosity of time, colour, orchestration, voices and ensembles that he was almost impossible to follow. There were other Dons before Mozart's, the character was legendary. But Mozart's Don Giovanni made the legend go viral, all the way to Rainer Maria Rilke; it inspired a period of great poetry and inspired the Romantics, not as a musical wave but as a literary and philosophical wave.This opera is our great inheritance, which is why all these philosophers and musicologists are still dealing with it."
About his approach to the music:
"One of the alluring qualities of Mozart: he invites you on stage, he wants the audience to live in his world; especially in Don Giovanni, he invites you to be a part of this psychoanalytic game, to be at the centre of the experiment, at the centre of the "transpositions" that take place. In seeking to achieve that, we tried to create a sound that is different from Cosi fan tutte and Figaro, a sound that would have the coldness of the Salzburg church music tradition that of the Masses or the Requiem the sound of Michael Haydn, that goes all the way back to Biber; it's a very specific sound, humming the meek solemnity of the old churches of Salzburg with a mysterious sonority. In other, more physical parts, we switch to a Mediterranean sound, a Baroque sound. Don Giovanni is hard because you need two orchestras: you need a very serious orchestra, a Central European orchestra that plays "Or sai chi l'onore", that plays the overture and then you need the other sound, the Mediterranean sound for the other part of Mozart which loves his surrogate motherland, Italy, and is very open. His amazing nature contains two worlds. We really worked a lot on our sound to reflect this combination."
The recording sessions started in the Tchaikovsky State Opera and Ballet Theatre, Perm, Russia on September 30, 2014. The work was done in daily sessions of up to 12 hours, which the MusicAeterna orchestra and choir as well as their conductor are used to dedicating to their recording projects.
After finishing thirteen days of sessions, and before editing and mixing could start, Teodor Currentzis started re-examining the material captured. Reluctantly, he decided that it did not attain the highest level that the musicians and the recording team were capable of. Currentzis, a lifelong audiophile, also insisted on rethinking every element of the recording set-up itself, especially executing additional acoustic modifications in the theatre's main auditorium, as well as changing all the details of the microphone set-up, one of the most complex tasks in a full opera studio recording.
The decision was made to re-record the whole work. This happened in a second fifteen-day period between November 23 and December 7, 2015. The final version of this Don Giovanni is almost exclusively the result of that second period. Except for a few recitatives, the material from the first sessions in 2014 was destroyed in its entirety.
As stated at the launch of the cycle, Currentzis' approach to the Mozart scores is based on the conviction that it is virtually impossible today to hear them performed precisely and in full. His stated intention is to undo what he considers the effects of 20th-century operatic tradition focused on simplification and vocal volume at all cost. For Currentzis, these recordings represent the culmination of a decade-long research project dedicated to the discrepancies between the composer's will and what our ears have grown accustomed to.
The cast of Don Giovanni includes Dimitris Tiliakos (Don Giovanni), Vito Priante (Leporello), Mika Kares (Il Comendatore), Myrto Papatanasiu (Donna Anna), Kenneth Tarver (Don Ottavio), Karina Gauvin (Donna Elvira), Guido Loconsolo (Masetto) and Christina Gansch (Zerlina).
The 2014 launch of Currentzis' first two opera recordings enjoyed an extraordinary global reception. Both Le nozze di Figaro and Cosi fan tutte were hailed by the international press:
"The field of Figaro recordings is crowded, but Currentzis' deserves a special space" Financial Times
recordings is crowded, but Currentzis' deserves a special space" "Truly a benchmark recording" El Mundo on Figaro
on "Wonders keep tumbling out" The Times on Cosi fan tutte
on "Mozart has never been more erotic. An opera recording that just revels in pain and lust." Die Zeit on Cosi fan tutte.
Other recent releases by MusicAeterna and Currentzis include Rameau The Sound of Light ("A landscape bursting with audacious harmony, country-dance vigour and meltingly loving melodies. Sumptuous fare." The Independent); Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps ("Here finally is a recording that shakes the listener, wherever he may be. It's an amazing, really new recording." Il Corriere della Sera); and, earlier this year, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with Patricia Kopatchinskaja ("Brilliant and original" BBC Music Magazine).
Born in Athens in 1972, Teodor Currentzis moved to St. Petersburg in 1994 to study conducting with legendary Russian teacher Ilya Musin, who has, among others, also trained Valery Gergiev and Semyon Bychkov. While music director of the Novosibirsk Opera from 2004, Currentzis founded MusicAeterna. After making headlines with various productions, including the controversial so-called "Chechnya Aida" directed by Dmitry Tcherniakov, Currentzis soon gained recognition beyond the Russian scene.
In 2011, when invited to assume the post of Artistic Director at Perm's opera house, Currentzis brought the orchestra and choir with him. The MusicAeterna orchestra and choir emphatically embrace a non-establishment attitude, constantly questioning themselves and striving for perfection. As important as their musical prowess (many members are laureates of international competitions) is their willingness to undergo exceptional rigours to reach their shared artistic goals.
Find Don Giovanni here
Amazon - http://smarturl.it/tc-dongiovanni-cd
iTunes - http://smarturl.it/tc-dongiovanni
Media Contacts:
Sony Music Masterworks: Angela Barkan / Larissa Slezak,
[email protected]; [email protected] 212-833-8575 / 6075
Christina Jensen PR
646.536.7864, [email protected]
SOURCE Sony Classical
DUBLIN, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "The Future of OPEC Fuel Oil Supply and Demand, 2005- 2025: Trends, Drivers, Challenges and Forecasts of Fuel Oil Production and Consumption under Current Market Dynamics" report to their offering.
OPEC Countries Fuel Oil Outlook report provides detailed analysis and forecast of Fuel Oil consumption patterns and supply scenario in all key Fuel Oil markets in OPEC Countries. Forecasts of production and demand of each of the Fuel Oil markets in OPEC Countries are provided annually from 2005 to 2025.
Drivers and challenges of industry growth in each of the OPEC Countries countries are analyzed. Further, information on current refining capacity, refining complexity along with planned refining infrastructure details are also provided in the OPEC Countries Fuel Oil outlook report.
Historic data is taken largely from government ministries and companies involved, ensuring highest accuracy of the data. Further, forecasts are made through our sophisticated methodology considering current market conditions and future prospects. Fuel Oil Forecasts for each market are evaluated by in-house experts and also validated by industry professionals to ensure utmost accuracy and certainty.
The research work also provides information on leading refining companies in each country along with business profiles of three leading Fuel Oil suppliers in the region. All latest industry developments in OPEC Countries Fuel Oil are also provided in the report.
Key Topics Covered:
1. Tables & Figures
2 Executive Summary
3 Algeria LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
4 Angola LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
5 Ecuador LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
6 Iran LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
7 Iraq LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
7 Iraq LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
8 Kuwait LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
9 Libya LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
10 Nigeria LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
11 Qatar LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
12 Saudi Arabia LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
13 United Arab Emirates LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
14 Venezuela LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025
15 Business Profiles of Leading Refiners
16 Appendix
For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/xxrz9d/the_future_of
About Research and Markets
Research and Markets is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
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SOURCE Research and Markets
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NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc. (NYSE: SWZ), a non-diversified registered closed-end investment company, announced today that its Board of Directors has voted to amend the Fund's charter to declassify the Board, subject to the approval of the Fund's stockholders. The Board will ask stockholders to approve the necessary amendments to the Fund's charter at the Fund's next Annual Meeting currently scheduled for June 27, 2017. The declassification of the Board will become effective only upon the approval of the amendments to the Fund's charter by a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting. The Board anticipates that its declassification, if approved by the Fund's stockholders, will be effected in a phased-in manner.
Detailed information on the proposal will be included in the Fund's proxy materials that currently are anticipated to be mailed in May 2017 to stockholders of record. In addition, the Board will act to amend the Fund's by-laws, effective upon the amendments to the Fund's charter, to remove provisions providing for Board classification.
"The Fund has a long history of strong corporate governance and the Board has dedicated a great deal of time to carefully reviewing and considering the arguments both for and against a classified structure," said Brian A. Berris, Chairman of the Fund's Board of Directors. "As a result, and after attributing significant weight to stockholder input at the Fund's 2016 Annual Meeting, the Board believes it is advisable to recommend its declassification to the Fund's stockholders."
Mr. Berris also commented on the timing of the announcement, noting that "the Board believes accelerating the announcement of its recommendation to declassify is important in light of recent requests the Fund has received to call a special meeting of its stockholders to consider a similar proposal."
About The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc.
The Fund (www.swzfund.com) is a non-diversified, closed-end investment company seeking long-term capital appreciation through investment in equity and equity-linked securities of Swiss companies. Its shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol "SWZ." The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing generally in Swiss equity and equity-linked securities that are traded on a Swiss stock exchange, traded at the pre-bourse level of one or more Swiss stock exchanges, traded through a market maker or traded over the counter in Switzerland. The Fund also may invest in Swiss equity and equity-linked securities of Swiss companies that are traded on other major European stock exchanges.
Closed-end funds, unlike open-end funds, are not continuously offered. Typically, shares of closed-end funds are sold in the open market through a stock exchange. Shares of closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount to net asset value. The price of the Fund's shares is determined by a number of factors, several of which are beyond the control of the Fund. Therefore, the Fund cannot predict whether its shares will trade at, below or above net asset value.
The Fund is managed by Schroder Investment Management North America Inc.
About Schroder Investment Management North America Inc.
Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. and Schroder Investment Management North America Limited, investment advisors registered with the U.S. SEC, are units of Schroders plc (SDR.L), a global asset management company with approximately $487.1 billion under management as of September 30, 2016. Schroder's clients include major financial institutions including banks and insurance companies, as well as local and public authorities, public and private pension funds, endowments and foundations, intermediaries and advisors, as well as high net worth individuals and retail investors. The firm has built one of the largest networks of offices of any dedicated asset management company with more than 400 portfolio managers and analysts covering the world's investment markets, offering a comprehensive range of products and services.
Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. provides asset management products and services to clients in the U.S. and Canada. Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Schroders plc, a U.K. public company with shares listed on the London Stock Exchange.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the Fund's shares in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the laws of such state or jurisdiction.
Additional Information and Where To Find It
This communication may be deemed to be solicitation material in connection with the Fund's 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Fund will be filing documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") in connection with the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, including the filing by the Fund of a proxy statement. STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE FUND'S PROXY STATEMENT AND ACCOMPANYING PROXY CARD FOR THE 2017 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE, AS WELL AS OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Shareholders may obtain these documents (when they are available) free of charge at the SEC's website, http://www.sec.gov, and on the Fund's website, http://www.swzfund.com. The final Proxy Statement for the 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be mailed to shareholders of record the Fund in May 2017.
Participants in Solicitation
The Fund and its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders in connection with the Fund's 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Information concerning such participants and their direct or indirect interests, including their beneficial ownership in the Fund's common stock, is available in the Fund's Proxy Statement for the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders filed with the SEC on May 4, 2016, and will be set forth in the Proxy Statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC in connection with the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders when it becomes available. Information regarding the direct and indirect beneficial ownership of the Fund's directors and executive officers in the Fund's common stock also is included in their respective SEC filings on Forms 3, 4 and 5.
SOURCE The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc.
Related Links
www.swzfund.com
November 7, 2016
Fellow Shareholders:
We are writing to you to express our deep concerns regarding the improper manner in which the misaligned Board of Directors (the "Board") of Five Star Quality Care, Inc. ("Five Star" or the "Company") is permitting Managing Director Barry M. Portnoy ("B. Portnoy") to firm up his value-destructive grip on our Company and to urge you to reject the inadequate, coercive and unilateral $3.00 per share tender offer that is set to expire at midnight this Thursday, November 10, 2016. As you may know, ABP Acquisition LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of ABP Trust (collectively "ABP"), an entity owned by B. Portnoy and his son Adam ("A. Portnoy", and together with B. Portnoy, the "Portnoys"). Collectively, this group has commenced a tender offer to acquire your pro-rata portion of 18 million shares of Five Star common stock (the "Portnoy Tender Offer").
Gemini Properties, together with William F. Thomas and Robert D. Thomas (collectively, the "Thomas Group" or "us" or "we"), is a significant shareholder of the Company, with beneficial ownership of approximately 6.8% of the Company's outstanding shares. Our views of the Portnoy Tender Offer are that:
The Portnoy Tender Offer is grossly undervalued, fraught with deep conflicts of interest, and fails to provide full and fair value to Five Star shareholders.
The purpose of the Portnoy Tender Offer is to enrich the Portnoys and to increase B. Portnoy's effective control over the Company at the expense of Five Star shareholders.
With fairness as the only natural guiding principle, any reasonable person would question why Five Star's purported "Independent Directors"1 have unilaterally elected to provide one of their Managing Directors the exclusive rights to a bid process not open to others. In fact, these "Independent Directors" have intentionally precluded us from proceeding with a competing offer that would provide shareholders a 15% cash premium to the Portnoy Tender Offer. The Independent Directors have provided little to no explanation of how choosing the interests of their Managing Director over the best interests of shareholders is consistent with their fiduciary duties. This is likely because they have no good reason other than seeking to further their own personal interests and those of their controlling Managing Director.
Through the Independent Directors' unfortunate actions, shareholders now urgently stand at a crossroads critical to the future of Five Star, as Managing Director B. Portnoy is seeking to have us tender our shares at a bargain basement price of only $3.00 per share. Fortunately, we, as shareholders, have the ability to control the future of Five Star by rejecting the Portnoy Tender Offer. If you have already tendered, we urge you to revoke your instructions before the November 10th deadline.
Let us explain.
Although the list is endless, we have narrowed our discussion to six reasons why we believe you should reject the Portnoy Tender Offer.
1) The Portnoy Tender Offer is Grossly Undervalued
Just eleven months ago, B. Portnoy and the Board rejected our $325 million proposal to acquire certain assets for cash that equated to $6.50 per share to Five Star. Our offer, which valued only a portion of the balance sheet, was more than twice the $3.00 per share Portnoy Tender Offer.
2) A Non-Competitive and Unfair Process
Last month, in our response to the Portnoy Tender Offer, the Five Star Independent Directors effectively denied our right to concurrently offer shareholders an alternative tender option even though it was priced at $3.45 per share, a 15% premium over the Portnoy Tender Offer. Unfortunately, given the Board's denial, we will no longer be able to commence our tender offer.
The Independent Directors have provided the Portnoys with a unilateral opportunity to take effective control of the Company without a competitive process and without paying a control premium. We believe this is a direct result of their unfailing allegiance to the Portnoys given the cobweb of interrelationships that has created an inherently conflicted governance structure.
If successful, the Portnoy Tender Offer will further increase and secure Mr. Portnoy's control over the Company, thereby threatening and further undermining the rights of Five Star shareholders.
3) Pro-rata Risk
Tendering your shares, which the Portnoys will purchase on a pro-rata basis, is tantamount to giving-up effective control of your Company to the Portnoys and to a Portnoys-beholden Board whose actions have already placed us all in the unfortunate situation we now find ourselves.
4) Consideration of Alternatives
If one feels pressured to hit the tender button as the only alternative, we urge you to reconsider! The Independent Directors have responsibilities and owe duties to all shareholders. Our rejection would serve as a referendum that the status quo is clearly untenable and a hopeful call to action for the Board to seriously evaluate how to transform Five Star into an industry leader.
5) Election of New Independent Director
Retaining your shares maintains your right to vote and importantly, your right to elect directors that will protect your best interests. Last week, we nominated David Ford as an Independent Director candidate for election to the Board at the 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the "2017 Annual Meeting"). Mr. Ford, the recently retired Vice Chairman of Aegis Senior Communities LLC, is an experienced seniors housing operator who is truly independent with no ties to the Portnoy family or the Thomas Group. He also deeply understands the positive financial outcomes premised on serving all owners. Isn't an experienced senior housing executive with significant operational expertise something that we should all obviously expect of an independent Five Star board member? See Exhibit A of this letter for Mr. Ford's biography, which demonstrates that he is clearly qualified for this role.
6) Envisioning a Better Future
An overwhelming rejection by shareholders of the Portnoy Tender Offer would demonstrate to the Board and B. Portnoy that shareholders believe Five Star has a very promising future with upside that they want to participate in and not turn over to the Portnoys. This bright future for our investment requires a truly independent board, which we are taking the first steps to achieve at the 2017 Annual Meeting.
Why are we invested in Five Star?
Simply stated, we believe Five Star can become an industry leader. However the Portnoys try to distort our intent, they would be hard-pressed to understand what drives us. We began the senior living portion of our business in 1989 and now own and operate over two thousand senior living residences, which are centered on a deeply engrained value system committed to the seniors we serve. As identical twins, and whose business interests are purposely and identically aligned, we each can easily say that we awake each morning thinking what we can do for each other; that simple principle extends to how we think about the seniors we serve, the associates who serve them and the partners who have invested with us over these years. Believing that Five Star could become one of the best-in-class operators of the senior living business, we began investing in the Company in 2012.
Regrettably, Five Star's Independent Directors appear to be ignoring their fiduciary duties to the detriment of the shareholders they are charged with representing and, in our view, have breached these duties by exclusively permitting their Managing Director to buy-out shareholders at a woefully inadequate price.
There are far better alternatives available to maximize value for Five Star shareholders. Below is a further examination of the six reasons mentioned above to reject the Portnoy Tender Offer.
1) The Portnoy Tender Offer is Grossly Undervalued
On November 30, 2015, we met with B. Portnoy, Five Star President and CEO Bruce J. Mackey and Senior Housing Properties Trust ("SNH") President and COO David J. Hegarty to discuss our analysis and present a comprehensive strategy for Five Star. This strategy included a plan for Five Star to reinvest in its existing leased assets, enhance cash flows, deleverage the balance sheet, and increase the Company's long-term value. Our plan left Five Star's leased and managed portfolio entirely intact. The leased portfolio comprises approximately 90% of Five Star's senior communities.
To provide the capital required to execute on this strategy, we offered to acquire the senior living assets wholly owned by Five Star. These assets represented only 10% of Five Star's senior communities. The result of that offer, or for that matter any subsequent offer that would have been generated in a bidding process, which we would have of course expected, would have provided proceeds equivalent to more than twice the Portnoy Tender Offer of $3 per share when extrapolated across all outstanding shares.
In our meeting, B. Portnoy stated that if he were to sell any assets, Five Star would run a process to ensure maximum value. As shareholders, we would agree with this decision. However, both our strategy and our subsequent offer were totally dismissed by B. Portnoy and subsequently, by the Board.
If the Portnoy Tender Offer is successful, Mr. Portnoy will effectively control enough shares to block all future shareholder proposals, including the election of shareholder-nominated board candidates.
2) A Non-Competitive and Unfair Process
As major shareholders of Five Star, we have some clear observations of recent events and decisions that have occurred. Based on the resounding, unsolicited support of our fellow shareholders who have contacted us, we know that our concerns are shared among a significant portion of Five Star's ownership.
Personally, we are mystified that Five Star's Independent Directors jeopardized their fiduciary responsibilities by allowing their Managing Director to negotiate an exclusive ownership exemption under Five Star's Charter. This decision granted the Portnoys the singular right to make a material tender offer for effective control of the Company at a price of $3.00 per share, which values the entire Company at less than half of the value of the proposal we made for only a portion of the assets less than 11 months ago.
3) Pro-rata Risk
If the Portnoy Tender Offer is successful, shareholders will have relinquished control of their remaining shares to ABP for at least 10 years. Legitimate risks previously disclosed by Five Star include:
Effect on Trading Volume and Liquidity of Five Star Common Stock. The number of outstanding shares owned by Five Star shareholders other than ABP would decline, thereby reducing the number of shares that might otherwise trade publicly and in turn, could reduce trading liquidity and increase the volatility of Five Star's share price in the market. In addition, as specifically stated by Five Star in its SC 14D9, "this reduction could impact the Company's ability to raise capital on an expedited basis, as well as limit the Company's ability to raise capital that might adversely impact the Company's future usage of net operating losses."
Concentration of Control. ABP would beneficially own a significant percentage of Five Star's outstanding shares, which, according to Five Star, "may enable [ABP] to have significant influence on matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors, amendments to the Company's charter and bylaws and significant transactions, such as purchases or sales of assets, mergers and other business combinations. This concentration of ownership may discourage acquisitions by others of a significant stake in the Company and may deter, delay or prevent a change in control of the Company or unsolicited acquisition proposals that other stockholders of the Company may consider favorable. It may also inhibit efforts by other stockholders of the Company to change the direction or management of the Company or the Board." (emphasis added)
4) Consideration of Alternatives
Since our initial investment in 2012, we have neither seen nor heard the strategic plan for turning Five Star's declining value around. To our knowledge, we are the only party who has presented a strategic plan to increase shareholder value.
Reasoned thinking should lead shareholders to soundly decline the Portnoy Tender Offer and instead, to maintain hope and have patience, as alternatives should provide more significant financial outcomes. Importantly, if shareholders reject the Portnoy Tender Offer, we believe it would be incumbent upon the Board to listen to the will of its shareholders and implement a turnaround plan for the Company.
5) Election of New Independent Director
The Company's onerous Bylaw requirements, which we note only the Board can amend, to nominate an individual for election to the Board require a shareholder to continuously own at least 3% of the outstanding shares for a minimum of three years. In order to meet this requirement, we have patiently held a sizable ownership stake since 2012.
Having now fulfilled the three-year requirement, we recently nominated David Ford for election as an Independent Director candidate to the Board at the 2017 Annual Meeting. Mr. Ford is a highly qualified, truly independent director candidate. Given this Board's troubling track record of placing its own interests ahead of shareholders, we believe immediate change to the Board is required to ensure shareholders' interests remain paramount.
We believe Mr. Ford possesses the relative business experience, character, leadership skills and most importantly, objectivity, necessary to explore value-enhancing opportunities and make decisions with the best interests of shareholders in mind. Mr. Ford's career highlights include positions in seniors housing, real estate, operations, legal, board representation, non-profit work, and a track record for serving others. See Exhibit A for Mr. Ford's biography.
6) Envisioning a Better Future
We believe the inherent value of Five Star is not reflected in its stock price and that significant value can be unlocked given the obvious demographic changes occurring throughout the next 30 years and favorable industry dynamics currently available to the Company. In fact, we believe this discounted valuation likely reflects a combination of the market's concerns about the Company's deterioration under the watch of its entrenched, insular and conflicted Board as well as the market's failure to ascribe appropriate value to Five Star's numerous positive attributes. Five Star has an attractive, geographically diverse portfolio as well as a strong presence in the industry as one of the largest operators in the sector.
Unfortunately, Five Star's disastrous corporate governance is, in our view, the single greatest barrier preventing the Company from achieving sustainable shareholder value. With the right governance structure in place, we believe Five Star can become a best-in-class senior housing leader with a market capitalization that reflects its true value.
It is indeed perplexing that the Board does not see the economic possibilities in decreasing leverage, reinvesting strategically in areas that provide double digit returns, increasing cash flow, all the while actually firming up the lease coverage on Five Star's existing leases, which we believe would make the Company a stronger partner who is truly building economic value for its lessors, including SNH and its subsidiaries. Moreover, if Five Star were to execute upon these opportunities and demonstrate a deep commitment to its customers and associates, we believe the Company would be recognized as one of the best lease operators in the nation.
The Portnoy Tender Offer is not the best option for the Company or its shareholders. Help us put pressure on the Board and the Portnoys by rejecting their efforts to buy-out shareholders at what we believe to be a woefully inadequate price. There are better alternatives to maximize value for shareholders, including by instilling accountability on the Board through the election of independent candidates nominated by unaffiliated shareholders.
As important as these reasons are for not tendering, perhaps the largest opportunity for upside value is changing Five Star's woeful lack of board independence and poor corporate governance.
The current, elaborate web of conflicting relationships among the Portnoys, Five Star external manager RMR LCC and its affiliated entities (collectively, "RMR"), SNH, other Five Star directors and officers, and third parties represents, in our view, disenfranchisement at its core. In addition to the overlapping Board positions reflected in Exhibit B of this letter, consider the following: 2
RMR Conflicts
B. Portnoy is a Managing Director, officer and controlling shareholder of RMR Group Inc. ("RMR Inc."), the controlling shareholder of RMR LLC, and Chairman of RMR LLC.
A. Portnoy is the President and CEO of RMR LLC and a Managing Director, President and CEO of RMR Inc.
RMR LLC provides management services to both Five Star and SNH.
A majority of Five Star's Independent Directors serve as independent directors or independent trustees of other companies to which RMR LLC or its affiliates provide management services.
Five Star President and CEO Bruce Mackey and Treasurer and CFO Richard Doyle are officers and employees of RMR LLC.
Mr. Doyle was formerly SNH's treasurer and CFO.
SNH Conflicts
SNH is Five Star's largest shareholder and has entered into numerous lease and management agreements with Five Star.
B. Portnoy and A. Portnoy are managing trustees of SNH.
Five Star Corporate Secretary Jennifer Clark is also SNH's Secretary.
Five Star manages a portion of a senior living community for D&R Yonkers LLC, which is owned by SNH's President and CFO and Five Star's Treasurer and CFO.
Other Conflicts
Five Star, ABP Trust, SNH and four other companies to which RMR LLC provides management services currently own AIC, an Indiana insurance company. RMR LLC provides management and administrative services to AIC. All of the Company's directors and all of the trustees and directors of the other AIC shareholders currently serve on the board of directors of AIC.
B. Portnoy was formerly a Partner and served as Chairman of the law firm Sullivan & Worcester ("S&W"), which now serves as Five Star's Corporate Counsel. Five Star Vice President and General Counsel Katie Dillon , Corporate Secretary J. Clark and Independent Director B. Gilmore previously worked at S&W.
Aside from these deeply concerning relationships, we believe RMR LLC's simultaneous contractual obligations to Five Star and SNH create clear conflicts of interest, particularly given the fact that under Five Star's business management agreement with RMR LLC, RMR LLC is entitled to prioritize SNH over Five Star in the event of any conflict of interest. In fact, the Company itself acknowledged these potential conflicts stating that its relationships "with SNH and RMR LLC may restrict our ability to grow our business; and we have engaged in, and expect to continue to engage in, transactions with parties that may be considered related parties."
How can B. Portnoy and the current Independent Directors make decisions that are in the best interest of shareholders when they have competing interests in companies that have significant ties to Five Star? Further, given B. Portnoy's presence in the Five Star boardroom without the oversight of a truly independent board, he has no incentive to place the interests of Five Star shareholders ahead of his own, which we believe is evidenced by the undervalued Portnoy Tender Offer.
We believe these troubling conflicts can be easily eliminated. By electing a highly qualified, truly independent director who understands his fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders, we can begin to instill accountability and lead Five Star toward a path of growth. Rejecting the Portnoy Tender Offer is the first, and most crucial, step along this path.
Corporate Governance
We find it deeply troubling that B. Portnoy can stand on both sides of the Portnoy Tender Offer, and any other transaction involving SNH or RMR, without being held accountable by the Independent Directors for advancing his personal interests over the interests of Five Star shareholders.
Given the Independent Directors' ties to the Portnoys, together with their effective rejection of our higher tender offer of $3.45 per share to acquire 10 million shares of Common Stock, we conclude that the Portnoy Tender Offer was neither a fair nor democratic bid process. Indeed, the legal advisor to the Independent Directors during their evaluation of the Portnoy Tender Offer was B. Portnoy's former firm S&W.
How could Five Star's Independent Directors approve ownership waivers in order to clear way for the Portnoy Tender Offer yet reject our requests for similar waivers in order to commence a competing tender offer, which clearly represented a premium over the Portnoy Tender Offer? In a true corporate democracy, a well-functioning, independent board would encourage and entertain all offers and seek to create a bidding process so that shareholders receive the most value for their investment.
We also seriously question how the Board could approve lease agreements with SNH and its subsidiaries that contain entrenchment-serving provisions that threaten shareholders' purported right to nominate director candidates for election at annual meetings. Under the various lease agreements, a change in control is triggered upon the election of just one individual to the Board, thereby triggering a default under such lease agreements.
It appears to us that the Independent Directors have chosen to protect the Portnoys' interests rather than the interests of Five Star shareholders. We believe this not only represents shareholder disenfranchisement, but is also a breach of the Board's fiduciary duties to shareholders.
Institutional Shareholder Services ("ISS"), a leading proxy voting advisory firm, appears to share our concerns with Five Star's egregious governance structure. With "10" being the worst possible grade, ISS issued the Company an abysmal governance QuickScore of "9" in its 2016 report and a "10" in its 2015 and 2014 reports, indicating severe concerns with Five Star's corporate governance regime.
ISS also raised concerns with the lack of independence on the Board in each of its 2016, 2015 and 2014 reports and has repeatedly raised concerns with B. Portnoy's continuous service on more than six publicly-traded boards, recommending that shareholders "WITHHOLD" on his election at the 2014 annual meeting of shareholders (the "2014 Annual Meeting"). Notably, B. Portnoy received support of less than a majority of the votes cast at the 2014 Annual Meeting. Unfortunately, given Five Star's disastrous corporate governance, B. Portnoy remained on the Board per Five Star's plurality vote standard in uncontested elections, which is the exact opposite of what is considered best practice. In fact, ISS found B. Portnoy's continued service on the Board so problematic that it recommended shareholders "WITHHOLD" on the election of D. Fraiche and G. Martin at the 2015 annual meeting of shareholders. We believe B. Portnoy's continued presence on the Board despite his rejection by shareholders and a leading proxy voting advisory firm demonstrates his deep rooted and unchecked control over Five Star and the Board.
Conclusion
Let your rejection of the Portnoy Tender Offer serve as a referendum that the status quo will no longer be tolerated. At some point, as a reasonable person, one has to finally say "enough is enough."
B. Portnoy's historic control of Five Star has paved the way for the Portnoys to take advantage of the low stock price through a "creeping tender offer" that fails to provide full and fair value to Five Star shareholders and effectively precludes competing bids. We believe the unfair and undemocratic bid process (or lack thereof) is a direct result of the Portnoys' self-dealing and reflects a Board fraught with conflicting ties and relationships to the Portnoys and the entities in which they control, including Five Star's external manager.
If we do not act now by rejecting the Portnoy Tender Offer, B. Portnoy will effectively have carte blanche control over Five Star and continue his unrestrained campaign of value destruction to the detriment of Five Star shareholders. Given the disastrous governance regime under this Board's watch, we cannot afford to let B. Portnoy further undermine shareholder rights.
Again, we believe there are better alternatives available for shareholders to maximize the value of their investment. With the right governance structure in place, we believe Five Star can become a best-in-class senior housing leader. It is time for accountability at Five Star. It is time for a new Board comprised of truly independent directors with no ties to the Portnoys and who are committed to representing the best interests of shareholders.
Our nomination of David Ford to the Board at the 2017 Annual Meeting is the first step towards enhancing corporate governance at Five Star. Mr. Ford not only has significant experience in the senior housing industry but he would bring the much needed fresh perspective and objectivity to the Board. Importantly, Mr. Ford has no ties to the Portnoys or the Thomas Group. The creation of a diversified board that is truly independent of the Portnoys, SNH and RMR is paramount to incubating a leadership environment conducive to strategic change.
It is imperative that we, as shareholders, the true owners of the Company, take control over the future of our investment by rejecting the Portnoy Tender Offer. Do not let the Portnoys usurp the opportunities available to maximize the value of your investment. The future of Five Star is in our hands.
As one of the largest shareholders of Five Star, our interests are directly aligned with yours. Together, we can help make Five Star what it should be, a best-in-class operator creating sustainable shareholder value.
Best Regards,
William F. Thomas
Robert D. Thomas
Gemini Properties
Exhibit A
David R. Ford, age 61, is an experienced business and legal advisor to, as well as an investor in, the seniors- housing industry, commercial real-estate ventures and start-up enterprises. Mr. Ford has been an advisor to each of the Walker Group, a real estate advisory firm, since June 2014 and Linked Senior, a developer of interactive software for people living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia in the senior-care market, since March 2016. Mr. Ford is also currently an investor in Aegis Senior Communities LLC (d/b/a Aegis Living), a leading developer and operator of senior-housing communities in California, Nevada and Washington, where he previously served as Vice Chairman of its Board of Managers from 2002 to April 2015. Prior to that, he was the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Maden Technologies LLC, an integrator of outsourced IT solutions and cyber security solutions for the public and private sectors, from 2000 to 2002. For the first two decades of his professional life, he was an attorney in private practice in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions in the healthcare, technology and government-contracting industries.
Mr. Ford is currently Chairman of the Board of the Washington D.C. chapter of Minds Matter, Inc., an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to transform the lives of accomplished high school students from low-income families by preparing them for success in college, a position he has held since November 2014. He has also served on the Board of Directors of Teach for America DC Region, a non-profit organization, since December 2015 and as President of the Cosmos Club, Washington, D.C., a non-profit organization, since May 2016, where he previously served as its Vice President from May 2015 to May 2016. Mr. Ford also previously served on the Executive Board of the American Seniors Housing Association, a non-profit organization, from 2004 to April 2015. In addition, in June 2007, he co-founded Kalorama Village, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to helping seniors "age in place", where he served as a director until 2009.
Mr. Ford received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Rollins College and his J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.
During the nomination process, Mr. Ford stated "Caring for the frail elderly is a calling, whether performed by a family member or a public company. Short- and long-term values in a seniors-housing company are both unlocked the same way by ensuring the highest quality of care and empathy for each resident. While that may sound like a platitude, I believe it is true. Satisfied residents and family members will drive all the sales-side indicators of a successful business: high occupancy, favorable rents, engaged employees, positive brand recognition, etc. For a Company with over 31,000 units spread over a diverse set of facilities, the challenge is to set minimum standards of high-quality performance expectations across the board and, by rigorous reporting and assessment, to exceed those standards throughout the Company.
If elected to the Board at the 2017 Annual Meeting, I will act in accordance with my fiduciary duties as a director on all matters that come before the Board and will work with the other members of the Board to take those steps that we deem are necessary or advisable to identify and unlock opportunities to drive shareholder value. Additionally, if elected, I am committed to act in the best interests of all of the Company's shareholders."
Exhibit B
RMR Cobweb
Investor Contact:
Matt Clifton
(918) 592-4400
CERTAIN INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PARTICIPANTS
Gemini Properties, together with the other participants named herein (collectively, the "Thomas Group"), intends to file a preliminary proxy statement and accompanying proxy card with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") to be used to solicit votes for the election of its director nominee at the 2017 annual meeting of shareholders of Five Star Quality Care, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the "Company").
THE THOMAS GROUP STRONGLY ADVISES ALL SHAREHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER PROXY MATERIALS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. SUCH PROXY MATERIALS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE ON THE SEC'S WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SEC.GOV. IN ADDITION, THE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS PROXY SOLICITATION WILL PROVIDE COPIES OF THE PROXY STATEMENT WITHOUT CHARGE, WHEN AVAILABLE, UPON REQUEST.
The participants in the proxy solicitation are William F. Thomas, Robert D. Thomas, Gemini Properties and David R. Ford. As of the date hereof, Gemini Properties directly owns 1,915,164 shares of Common Stock, $.01 par value, of the Company (the "Common Stock"). As of the date hereof, Mr. W. Thomas directly owns 317,511 shares of Common Stock. As a general partner of Gemini Properties, Mr. W. Thomas may be deemed the beneficial owner of the 1,915,164 shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by Gemini Properties. In addition, Mr. W. Thomas may be deemed the beneficial owner of: (i) 20,000 shares of Common Stock by virtue of his role as an advisor to certain donor advised charitable funds, (ii) 2,150 shares of Common Stock by virtue of his role as an advisor to an individual retirement fund for his wife, and (iii) 861,928 shares of Common Stock by virtue of his role as a co-advisor to a donor advised charitable investment fund. Mr. W. Thomas disclaims such beneficial ownership. As a general partner of Gemini Properties, Mr. R. Thomas may be deemed the beneficial owner of the 1,915,164 shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by Gemini Properties. In addition, Mr. R. Thomas may be deemed the beneficial owner of: (i) 39,800 shares of Common Stock by virtue of his position as an advisor to certain family investment funds, (ii) 18,500 shares of Common Stock by virtue of his position as a trustee of a family trust account, (iii) 186,684 shares of Common Stock by virtue of his role as an advisor to a certain donor advised charitable investment fund, and (iv) 861,928 shares of Common Stock by virtue of his role as a co-advisor to a donor advised charitable investment fund. Mr. R. Thomas disclaims such beneficial ownership. As of the date hereof, Mr. Ford does not own any shares of Common Stock.
1 Independent Directors include: Barbara Gilmore, Donna Fraiche and Bruce Gans.
2 Based on publicly available information, including the Company's SEC filings.
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SOURCE Gemini Properties
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CHICAGO, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Tishman Speyer, one of the world's leading real estate developers and owners, today announced that it has signed OCC, the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization, to a long-term lease for approximately 105,000 square feet at The Franklin, a class A office complex that recently underwent a complete repositioning and lobby redevelopment in Chicago's West Loop.
OCC will benefit from a number of new amenities and major capital improvements recently completed at the property. Some of these include the addition of gourmet cafe Rustle+Roux, a renovated state-of-the-art conference center with capacity for 300, a full-service, on-site fitness center, a tenant-only bar and event venue R29, and a modernized lobby with a 30-foot-tall light installation by renowned artist Leo Villareal.
Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, The Franklin is considered one of Chicago's most architecturally significant properties. The complex consists of two connected buildings at 222 West Adams Street and 227 West Monroe Street totaling nearly 2.5 million square feet, making it one of Chicago's largest and most distinctive Class A commercial office properties.
Commenting on the transaction, Tishman Speyer's Regional Managing Director Patrick Kearney said, "We are very excited to welcome OCC to The Franklin, further enhancing the property's roster of world-class tenants. OCC's selection of The Franklin is testament to the successful repositioning the property has recently undergone. The combination of its central West Loop location, building quality, modern activated lobby and robust amenity package has reestablished The Franklin as a top choice for the most discerning tenants in the Chicago market."
OCC was represented in the transaction by Holly Duran, Lois Durkin and Jeff Mulder at Holly Duran Real Estate Partners LLC (HDREP), while Tishman Speyer's Ellen May and Greg Tait represented building ownership. Also instrumental in assisting OCC's decision were Perkins + Will Architects, ESD Global and Skender Construction.
OCC Executive Chairman and CEO Craig Donohue said: "The Franklin will provide our colleagues with a great new work environment that better reflects the culture and values of our organization. We have been working closely with HDREP, which has decades of experience in addressing the complex office and data center needs of our industry, on a comprehensive, innovative approach to managing our real estate strategy. With this transaction and our recent 50,000 square-foot lease in a new building in Dallas, we continue to make significant progress in accommodating our present and future growth, achieving operational efficiencies, and providing a resilient infrastructure to better serve market participants."
HDREP's Duran said: "We've had the pleasure of working closely with Craig for more than 20 years and are delighted to oversee OCC's real estate portfolio. The relocation to the large floors at The Franklin will provide a compelling office environment to attract and retain top talent while offering OCC the opportunity for contiguous expansion and high visibility branding and identity. We are proud of the flexible, favorable lease terms secured on OCC's behalf, and we'll continue to analyze its portfolio for new opportunities to maximize efficiencies and ensure that the real estate enhances OCC's long-term strategic goals."
About Tishman Speyer (www.tishmanspeyer.com)
Tishman Speyer is a leading owner, developer, operator and fund manager of first-class real estate around the world. Founded in 1978, Tishman Speyer is active across the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia, building and managing premier office, residential and retail space in key global markets for industry-leading tenants. The firm has acquired, developed and operated a portfolio approximately 152 million square feet with a total value of approximately US $78.2 billion spread over 389 assets. Signature assets include New York City's Rockefeller Center and Chrysler Center, Sao Paulo's Torre Norte, The Springs in Shanghai and OpernTurm in Frankfurt. Tishman Speyer currently has projects at different stages of development in Atlanta, Boston, Brasilia, Chengdu, Frankfurt, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Suzhou and Washington, DC.
About OCC
OCC is the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization and the foundation for secure markets. Founded in 1973, OCC operates under the jurisdiction of both the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as a Derivatives Clearing Organization. Named 2016 Clearinghouse of the Year by Global Investor/ISF Magazine, OCC now provides central counterparty (CCP) clearing and settlement services to 19 exchanges and trading platforms for options, financial futures, security futures, and securities lending transactions. More information about OCC is available at www.theocc.com.
About Holly Duran Real Estate Partners LLC
Based in Chicago, Holly Duran Real Estate Partners LLC (www.hdrealestate.com) is a global real estate strategy and services firm dedicated to providing innovative, cost-efficient solutions to commercial tenants. The firm has negotiated over 16 million square feet of office, industrial and data center leases in over 65 cities, 36 states and 10 countries, managing transactions and lease portfolios for clients ranging from small professional firms to large multi-national organizations. For more than 30 years, HDREP has built its reputation on long-standing relationships, including an extensive track record of successfully representing industry leaders in the futures, options, derivatives and technology space. HDREP provides a full scope of real estate services, including brokerage, strategic advisory, investment sales, acquisitions and dispositions, development, real estate finance and analysis, real estate valuation and project management.
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SOURCE Holly Duran Real Estate Partners LLC
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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Treasure Data, a leading cloud platform to make all data connected, current, and easily accessible, today announced the close of a $25 million Series C funding round, led by SBI (formerly known as SoftBank Investment) and INCJ (Innovation Network Corporation of Japan) with additional investment from existing investors Scale Venture Partners, Sierra Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, Dentsu, IT-Farm, Bill Tai and others, bringing the company's total funding to $54 million. Treasure Data raised this round primarily to support the market introduction of the first Live Data Management platform, to be unveiled at the Tableau Conference this week in Booth 309. With the power to instantly collect and unify data from varied sources across the enterprise, along with intuitive, self-service analytics, Live Data Management opens greater access to real-time data insights to more users throughout an organization.
"Since 2000, half of the companies that were in the Fortune 500 have been disrupted into extinction, due in part to slow reaction to market signals and shifts in customer behavior. While their own data could have told this story and allowed them to adapt -- they just couldn't see it in time," explained Hiro Yoshikawa, CEO and Co-Founder of Treasure Data. "Data is today's strategic weapon for competitive advantage, proven by the most successful algorithm-driven businesses like Google, Netflix, Amazon, and Facebook. With a Live Data Management platform, any organization can immediately have a modern data stack, revealing a complete picture of their business to make better decisions -- without investing years and massive engineering resources."
Live Data Management brings a company's entire body of first- and third-party data together in one place, connects it together, and keeps it current, so all the people and algorithms that drive the business can access and analyze it to make critical decisions with confidence. Live Data helps clients more effectively identify, learn from, and respond to customer behavior, industry trends, and rapidly changing markets, with data from numerous sources that is always up-to-date and accessible.
The Need for Live Data Management
With a growing set of tailored solutions designed for common industry use cases, Treasure Data supports the specific needs of companies and departments focused on Marketing and Advertising, Gaming and Content Publishing, Business and Sales Operations, Retail and eCommerce, and more. Innovative companies like GE Healthcare, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Pioneer, and Wish, among others, look to Treasure Data for the competitive advantage that comes with Live Data Management. Overall, Treasure Data's clients generate more than two million events every second, and make nearly seven million data queries each month.
Treasure Data has boosted both revenue and client growth by triple digits this year, and expects to accelerate its trajectory as more and more industries awaken to the competitive need for Live Data Management. "The explosion of mobile apps, new business applications, scalable data storage, and extensible web services has created a flood of data, and is driving total reinvention of business models and operations -- the winners use Treasure Data to make it all very simple," said Bill Tai, Treasure Data early investor and Board Chairman. "What's been missing is a common platform that can empower every key decision maker with a holistic view of what really matters, and confidently maintain a data driven viewpoint in real time. Today our customers have it with our Live Data Management."
Treasure Data's Live Data Management platform also supports a growing list of nearly 100 integrations with business critical platforms and applications, ranging from Web and Mobile Analytics, to CRM and BI, to Storage and Databases, and the most popular containers like Docker and Kubernetes - taking on the burden of keeping up with the ever-changing protocols, formats, and API updates, so customers can spend their time and resources on actually running their business. This also includes support for Fluentd, which is an open source project initiated and led by Treasure Data engineers, and has become the data collector of choice for developers, featuring over 600 community-contributed plug-ins and used by over 2,000 data-driven companies including Microsoft, Atlassian and Nintendo.
"We are seeing increased demand for managed data management and analytics services that enable enterprises to generate value from data from multiple sources, including on-premises applications, SaaS application, and cloud services, without having to configure and manage their own on-premises big data storage and processing infrastructure," said Matt Aslett, Research Director, Data Platforms and Analytics, 451 Research. "Treasure Data's latest funding gives it the resources to expand on the initial adoption of its data collection, unification and analytics service."
To see Live Data Management in action, please visit Treasure Data at the annual Tableau Conference, from November 7-11 in Booth #309 at the Austin Convention Center, or visit www.treasuredata.com.
About Treasure Data
Treasure Data is a pioneer of Live Data Management - making all your organization's data connected, current, and easily accessible to the people and algorithms that drive your business success. With a global customer base including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Pioneer, Subaru, Wish, and Pebble, Treasure Data's clients generate more than two million events every second and make nearly seven million data queries monthly, resulting in more predictable and profitable business results. Founded in 2011 in Mountain View, California, with offices in Japan and Korea, Treasure Data is backed by Sierra Ventures, Scale Venture Partners, IT-Farm, SBI, INCJ, Bill Tai, and Jerry Yang's AME Cloud Ventures, among others. For more information, visit www.treasuredata.com.
Press Contact:
Vanessa Giacoppo
Resound Marketing
609-279-0050 x108
[email protected]
SOURCE Treasure Data
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http://www.treasuredata.com
NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kraken Case Study Competition, hosted on The Economist's Which MBA? site, has launched. Teams from universities across the world will vie for a grand prize of $10,000.
The competition invited students to weigh in on which blockchain technology is the better long-term buy: Bitcoin or Etherium. The participating teams of business-school students predicted two-to-one that a Bitcoin-weighted portfolio is a better long-term investment than Etherium.
Bitcoin and Ethereum are both versions of blockchain technology, but there are significant differences in their purpose, adoption and application. To win the prize, teams had to submit the most compelling written and video proposals to declare which was the better long-term investment. The submissions are hosted on The Economist's Which MBA? Site.
Jesse Powell, founder and CEO of Kraken, a global digital-asset exchange, said "October 31, 2016 marked the 8-year anniversary of the Bitcoin whitepaper. Today, governments, banks, Fortune 500 technology companies and investors alike have recognised blockchain technology's huge, positive and disruptive potential."
Powell continued, "The question: is Bitcoin merely a prototype for superior technology yet to come, or, does its strong first-mover advantage, entrenchment and value insulate it from competitors? Ethereum is often referred to as 'Bitcoin 2.0', but it's relatively new and untested by comparison. Does Ethereum offer a unique value proposition over Bitcoin? Can both assets coexist or is it a winner-take-all game? How should an investor evaluate each opportunity in terms of portfolio diversification, maximising upside and minimising downside risk? The teams must look at strengths and weaknesses of each technology and their use cases, adoption, project governance, developer and investor sentiment, historical performance and global regulatory issues. The complexity of this evaluation coupled with the tremendous upside potential for a correct bet is why we felt this was the perfect question for this challenge."
The competition awards a total of $21,000 in prize money to the winning teams. The first-place team will be awarded a $10,000 grand prize. Second place will take home $5,000, and third place will receive $3,000 in prize money. Those top three teams will be selected by Kraken. There will also be a People's Choice award of $3,000, given to the team whose proposal receives the most votes from the public. Winners will be announced in December 2016.
The teams hail from:
FIA Business School
Tulane University
Ryerson University , Ted Rogers School of Management
, of Management Porto Business School
Ivey Business School at Western University
Rutgers Business School
Middlebury Institute of International Studies
BYU Marriott School of Management
Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
Creighton University , Heider College of Business
, of Business University of North Texas
To cast your vote in the case study competition, visit economist.com/cybercurrency.
About Which MBA? (economist.com/whichmba)
Which MBA? is a division of The Economist Newspaper Group which offers a suite of online products serving both prospective MBA students and business schools. Our consumer products for prospective students include a GMAT preparation course, annual MBA rankings, and content on Economist.com. Which MBA? offers multi-media advertising solutions for business schools ranging from online MBA fairs, to traditional online and print mediums, to custom white-label lead generation tools.
About The Economist (economist.com)
With a growing global circulation (more than 1.5 million including both print and digital) and a reputation for insightful analysis and perspective on every aspect of world events, The Economist is one of the most widely recognised and well-read current affairs publications.
About Kraken (kraken.com)
Founded in 2011 and based in San Francisco, Kraken is the world's largest global Bitcoin exchange in euro volume and liquidity. Along with bitcoin and euros, hundreds of thousands of traders, institutions and authorities trust Kraken to facilitate trading in US and Canadian dollars, British pounds, Japanese yen, and a variety of digital assets like ether. Kraken was the first digital asset exchange to have trading price and volume displayed on the Bloomberg Terminal, one of the first exchanges to offer leveraged bitcoin margin trading, the first to pass a cryptographically verifiable proof-of-reserves audit, is a partner in the world's first cryptocurrency bank, and is consistently rated the best and most secure digital asset exchange by independent news media. Follow them @krakenfx.
SOURCE The Economist's Which MBA? division
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MAPLE GROVE, Minn., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc. (Upsher-Smith) today announced that it has entered into an exclusive agreement with Bluepharma S.A. to develop and distribute a generic product in a market category with U.S. sales greater than $75 million (IMS Health, 12 months ending in July 2016). This new collaboration underscores Upsher-Smith's commitment to expanding its strategic relationships and growing its generic product portfolio.
Under the terms of the agreement, Bluepharma will develop, manufacture and supply the product. Upsher-Smith will submit the Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA), and has exclusive rights to market and distribute the product in the United States as a generic under the Upsher-Smith label. Financial terms have not been disclosed.
"For years, Upsher-Smith has been a trusted partner in the U.S. generics marketplace," said Rusty Field, President, Upsher-Smith. "Upsher-Smith's consistent growth and success within this market can be attributed to our ability to build solid strategic relationships with leading pharmaceutical companies, like Bluepharma who share in our commitment to delivering quality, high-value generic products to patients."
About Upsher-Smith
Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc., founded in 1919, is a growing, fully integrated pharmaceutical company dedicated to its mission of delivering high-value, high-quality therapies and solutions which measurably improve individuals' lives. As a family-owned pharmaceutical company, we are able to adapt and thrive in a dynamic healthcare environment. Our world is constantly evolving, and we are continually adapting to the ever-changing needs of patients, physicians, pharmacists, and healthcare organizations. Where there is a need, we will work to deliver solutions that simplify access to treatment, deliver better health outcomes, and enhance life. For more information, visit www.upsher-smith.com.
About Bluepharma
Bluepharma is a Portuguese pharmaceutical company, based in Coimbra that is dedicated to offering high-quality pharmaceutical products at competitive prices, while making use of novel technology platforms and innovative solutions. Bluepharma offers an integrated approach, with activities carried out in three distinct areas, including the production of pharmaceutical drugs; the research, development and registration of pharmaceutical drugs; and the marketing of generic pharmaceuticals. Since 2009, Bluepharma is FDA approved for the manufacturing of solid pharmaceutical forms, becoming one of the first Portuguese pharmaceutical companies to export to the US market. Bluepharma has more than 15 years of experience in developing and producing pharmaceutical products and is committed to maintaining the highest-quality standards.
111971.01
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SOURCE Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc.
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MERRIFIELD, Va., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2016 Committee, a Super PAC supporting Donald Trump's presidential candidacy, today announced the results of a $1.3 million, six-week victory project targeting black voters with radio ads in key swing states.
Following the lead of Dr. Ben Carson, who The 2016 Committee successfully drafted and supported for president, the committee has shifted its focus to help the Republican nominee Donald Trump reach out to the African-American community.
"African Americans are fed up with the failed liberal policies that have left the economy in shambles and stifled opportunities for growth and prosperity," said John Philip Sousa IV, chairman of The 2016 Committee. "We can't allow Hillary Clinton to double down on President Obama's agenda. We must unite to elect the best candidate on Tuesday, Donald Trump."
The radio ads have been running in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Florida and Wisconsin, and focus on issues including abortion and the economy.
The 2016 Committee has already seen success in the states where the ads are running. According to a recent Remington Research poll, Trump is getting more than double, and in some cases triple the African-American support Mitt Romney received in 2012.
In Florida, Trump is polling at 22 percent with black voters, compared to Romney's 5 percent in 2012. In North Carolina, Trump receives 19 percent over Romney's 4 percent. In Wisconsin, Trump receives 22 percent compared with Romney's 6 percent. And in Pennsylvania, Trump is polling at 29 percent with black voters while Romney only received 7 percent.
The ads will continue to run up to Election Day.
About the 2016 Committee
The 2016 Committee is a political action committee raising awareness of and support for Donald Trump's campaign with African American and Latino voters. For more information, visit www.2016committee.org or connect on Twitter @DraftRunBenRun or Facebook/RunBenRun.org.
SOURCE The 2016 Committee
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Volpara Solutions today announced the launch of the "EQUIP-ready" support program to help the more than 8,700 accredited breast imaging centers in the United States prepare for compliance to the EQUIP initiative, "Enhancing Quality Using the Inspection Program" recently launched by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The "EQUIP-ready" program, which includes draft processes, procedures, and forms designed to help users accelerate their compliance efforts, is included with the company's VolparaEnterprise cloud-based quality assurance solution.
The EQUIP initiative, launched on October 27, 2016 to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the passage of the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA), emphasizes "the need for ongoing facility review of clinical image quality." Beginning in 2017, accredited breast screening providers will have to address three new questions to ensure compliance with regulations relating to quality assurance in the FDA's annual facility inspections. Every facility will need to demonstrate that it has: a corrective action system that can address when clinical images are of poor quality; a means of establishing that clinical images continue to comply with the standards of its accreditation body including quality attributes such as positioning, and include regular reviews of sample images from each technologist and each interpreting physician; and, a procedure for oversight of QA/QC records and corrective actions.
"VolparaEnterprise software is the only solution currently available that provides a comprehensive assessment of image quality on every screening mammogram, including such factors as positioning and compression, which can significantly impact the quality of the image. In fact, the FDA attributes poor positioning to be the cause of most clinical image deficiencies and most failures of accreditation," said Ralph Highnam, PhD, Volpara Chief Scientist and CEO. "The wide array of quality control features and performance data we provide enhance quality and productivity, and help facilities more easily comply with the new EQUIP requirements."
VolparaEnterprise software, which delivers key performance indicators (KPIs) for hundreds of performance and quality metrics, including positioning, compression and equipment utilization, is designed to help sites prepare for the EQUIP inspection questions:
VolparaEnterprise monitors every screening mammogram for image quality issues related to positioning and compression.
VolparaEnterprise data's easy sorting by technologist helps isolate cases for EQUIP review.
VolparaEnterprise can help rapidly locate poor quality images for review during Image Review Quality Meetings (as well as good-quality images for review in preparation for machine accreditation).
Designed to support large or small enterprises, VolparaEnterprise software enables breast imaging providers to provide objective evidence to demonstrate compliance and quality of care. Users can perform rapid quality control checks to optimize the productivity and efficiency of imaging resources, to help reduce costs through the reduction of retakes, and to increase staff effectiveness. The Microsoft Azurebased solution provides real-time quality assurance and performance monitoring through dynamic, interactive dashboards.
Further information from the FDA regarding the EQUIP initiative can be found here: EQUIP: Enhancing Quality Using the Inspection Program
About Volpara Solutions
Founded with the goal of helping radiologists give women the most accurate information possible regarding their breast health, Volpara Solutions is the wholly owned sales and marketing arm of Volpara Health Technologies Limited of New Zealand (formerly Matakina Technology). Available in most markets where breast cancer screening is commonplace, VolparaDensity provides an objective volumetric measure of breast density from both digital mammography and tomosynthesis data. VolparaDensity is part of a suite of quantitative breast imaging tools built on the Volpara Solutions algorithm that allows for personalized measurements of density, patient-specific x-ray dose, breast compression, breast positioning and other factors designed to provide critical insight for breast imaging workflow. For more information, visit www.volparasolutions.com.
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SOURCE Volpara Solutions
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http://www.volparasolutions.com
SHANGHAI, November 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Wind Info and BondIT have established a strategic partnership to bring AI and machine learning techniques to global fixed income markets, with an initial focus on more mature international markets, followed by rollout to the Chinese market. The partnership will build on BondIT's global expertise in big-data and machine learning, and will leverage Wind Info's comprehensive data-sets and distribution capabilities. The agreement includes an investment stake in BondIT by Wind Information (HK) Company Limited.
Wind Info provides financial data, research, and information for China's financial markets to the majority of financial institutions in the Chinese market, including securities companies, fund management firms, insurance companies, and banks.
About BondIT
BondIT, headquartered in Herzliya, Israel, enables advisors and investment professionals to significantly boost sales and AUM by automating the construction, monitoring and management of optimised fixed income portfolios. BondIT provides sophisticated, yet easy-to-use, tools backed by proprietary machine learning algorithms, helping customers scale their business, generate sales, and comply with fiduciary responsibilities. BondIT is backed by prominent investors including Chinese VC firm Glory Ventures, US VC firm SixThirty, and Israel's Club 100 Plus.
For more information, visit: www.bonditglobal.com
About Wind Info
As the market leader in China's financial information services industry, Wind Info is dedicated to providing accurate and real-time information, as well as sophisticated communication platforms for financial professionals. In China, Wind Info serve more than 90% of financial institutions including hedge funds, asset management firms, securities companies, insurance companies, banks, research institutions, and government regulatory bodies. Overseas, Wind Info serves 70% of Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (QFII). Hailed at home and abroad as the premier provider of Chinese financial information, Wind Info data are frequently quoted by Chinese and international media, in research reports, and in academic papers.
For more information, visit: http://www.wind.com.cn/En/
Contact Information
Adrian Gostick
BondIT
+852-9745-3030
[email protected]
Jiang Wenyan
Wind Information
+86-21-6888-2280
[email protected]
SOURCE BondIT
JERSEY CITY, N.J., Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- World Business Lenders (WBL), a nationally-recognized small business lender, today announced the addition of over 100 new employees to its workforce through a large-scale hiring program facilitated by state-sponsored economic incentives from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJ DOL). The hiring initiative, launched in August of 2016, has nearly doubled the number of employees at WBL's new headquarters in Jersey City allowing the company to meet its strategic goal to bring more than 225 jobs to the area while providing a significant boost to the local economy. WBL's strategic partnership with the NJ DOL serves as a working model for how government and business may collaborate to mutually benefit respective constituents, and, significantly, positions WBL as a growing employer that is meaningfully impacting Hudson County. The company's new hires will support its nationwide expansion and overall mission of improving the flow of capital into America's small business community.
"At the core of World Business Lenders' values is supporting the vitality of local businesses and economies throughout the country, and we are honored to grow our workforce with tremendous talent while enhancing the economy of Jersey City and Hudson County," said Doug Naidus, CEO of World Business Lenders. "We want to thank the State of New Jersey and the Jersey City Mayor's Office for their valuable assistance to our continued expansion as a company and allowing us to make an increased impact to small businesses both in New Jersey and nationwide."
"World Business Lenders' large-scale hiring program is a welcome boost to the local economy, bringing hundreds of jobs to their worldwide headquarters here in Jersey City," said Jersey City Mayor Steven M. Fulop. "We are happy to welcome them as one of our newest corporate citizens and look forward to continuing to partner with them as they work to support the small business community."
"Since its relocation to New Jersey only a few months ago, World Business Lenders has already made tremendous contributions both to the Jersey City local economy, as well as to the greater New Jersey economy as a whole thanks to its large-scale hiring program," said U.S. Congressman Albio Sires. "We are proud that exemplary businesses like WBL have partnered with the State and call Hudson County its home."
"We at the Hudson County/Jersey City Workforce Development Board are very excited to build upon our relationship with World Business Lenders and our other workforce partners that have relocated here and boosted the Jersey City and Hudson County economies, making our city and county each a platform for future business growth," said John Fugazzie, Executive Director of the Hudson County/Jersey City Workforce Development Board. "World Business Lenders, having created over 100 new jobs in Hudson County in such a brief period of time, is particularly impressive to me because many of these positions have been filled by our own local residents. It is a stand-out partnership model for all of our workforce partners to follow."
World Business Lenders relocated from New York City to Jersey City, NJ, in July of 2016 with support from a Grow New Jersey (Grow NJ) award approved by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. The company continues to grow its national footprint with the opening of three new branches in 2016, bringing its total number of branches to 10 nationwide.
For media inquiries, please contact Rida Bint Fozi at The TASC Group at 212-337-8870 or [email protected].
About World Business Lenders
World Business Lenders (WBL) is a nationally-recognized small business lender specializing in providing collateralized commercial loans and access to capital to support the growth and development of underserved small-to-medium sized businesses that lack access to traditional bank funding. Since commencing operations in 2011, the company has built a nationwide network of branches to better serve this vital sector of the U.S. economy. World Business Lenders is led by a strong management team with extensive experience in the financial industry and employs a disciplined approach to credit analysis and risk management. WBL is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160720/391373LOGO
SOURCE World Business Lenders
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lane Bryant, the nation's leading women's special size apparel retailer, is excited to announce the Grand Opening of the brand's newest location at Christiana Fashion Center.
To celebrate, Lane Bryant invites you to a Grand Opening Preview Party on November 10! Check out the brand's new collections while enjoying special savings of 40% off apparel and accessories, refreshments and a DJ. PLUS two lucky entrants will have the chance to win a $250 Lane Bryant Gift Card!
Can't make it? Those who visit the Christiana Fashion Center location throughout the weekend can also enjoy 40% off savings, and the chance to win one of (25) $25 Lane Bryant Gift Cards each day. Those who make a purchase of $75 or more will receive an exclusive #thisbody carry-everything case, while supplies last.
Lane Bryant Grand Opening Preview Party
Where: Christiana Fashion Center
3120 Fashion Center Boulevard
Newark, DE
When: November 10, 2016
6-8 pm
About Lane Bryant: Lane Bryant is the nation's leading women's specialty size apparel brand, providing stylish and high-quality fashion in sizes 14-28. The Lane Bryant collection includes a wide selection of career to fashion conscious apparel as well as accessories, footwear, hosiery and Cacique intimate apparel. Lane Bryant fashions are available nationwide at its 776 Lane Bryant stores, and online. Please visit lanebryant.com and cacique.com for store locations and the latest fashion trend information.
SOURCE Lane Bryant
Related Links
http://lanebryant.com
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this
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New Delhi : Book: Securing Cyberspace - International and Asian Perspective; Editors: Cherian Samuel & Munish Sharma; Publisher: Pentagon Press; Pages: 346; Price: Rs 1,295/$34.95 "There is a lack of consensus in the international community on the norms of behaviour in cyberspace" and this is leading to ad hocism and preventing the issue being addressed in a holistic manner, writes noted security expert Arvind Gupta in the opening chapter of this book, which is a compilation of 24 presentations made at the 18th Asian Security Conference hosted by the Defence Ministry-funded think-tank Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA).
Gupta believes that we are at a stage where technology is far ahead of cyber laws and cyber norms. While the UN Group of Government Experts (UNGGE) has proved to be a useful platform to discuss these issues, the absence of "a broader representative platform where contentious issues can be hammered out and consensus arrived at" is absent.
"Ad hoc groups adopting ad hoc procedures to deliberate over ad hoc cyber-security agendas will not necessarily build a consensus," he writes.
Gupta, incumbent Deputy National Security Advisor and a former IDSA Director General, says the global community needs to come together to discuss how to deal with growing threats in cyberspace, and serious reflection is needed on whether the world needs a Cyber Convention on cyber-security.
"Unlike the other commons, namely the land, sea and space, wherein international law has grown immediately, cyberspace is still largely lawless. Sustained discussion by international experts is necessary to generate ideas on the way forward towards building a consensus on cyber-security issues," contends Gupta.
Closer home, India also faces the "daunting task" of stopping and preventing cyber-attacks on its networks.
India will, in fact, have to study the evolution of the idea of cyber deterrence. To build an effective cyber-deterrence capability would require robust networks "that can be defended, encouraging comprehensive R&D in the area of cyber-security and strengthening indigenous manufacturing of ICT products". Not to speak of strong cyber diplomacy "to ensure that India is not at the receiving end of the emerging ICT Export Control regime under the Wassenaar Agreement".
Gupta maintains that there is a need to analyse the patterns of cyber-attacks against India so as to adopt suitable counter-measures, "including the capability to conduct cyber operations, if required". The country must internalise the "increasingly assertive cyber-security doctrines that are being adopted by other countries" as it works out its own cyber-security doctrines.
Holding that cyber-attacks cannot be seen in isolation, Gupta says that cyberspace today has close links to "other domains of warfare, namely, land, water, air and space".
This implies "that cyber-attacks will not be seen merely as that. The retaliation in non-cyber form, i.e., retaliation through non-cyber means, including possibly military means, cannot be ruled out. Cyber-attacks, as means of warfare, would only enlarge the battle domain. Cyber-warfare may induce states to opt for full-spectrum deterrence".
The book has been divided into two sections -- International Perspectives on Cyber-security and Asian Perspectives on Cyber-security.
Among its highlights: Sanjeev Relia, a serving Colonel in the Indian Army, seeks a clear delineation between the different non-state actors. In the first instance, there are the good non-state actors, like companies and nonprofits who are largely responsible for the creation and maintenance of cyberspace. The bad non-state actors can be sub-divided into those who form part of radical organisations such as the ISIS and Al-Qaeda; also referred to as cyber-terrorists.
There also are the cyber militia -- a group of volunteers willing and able to use cyber-attacks or other forms of disruptive cyber actions on behalf of a nation state in order to achieve a political goal. Increasingly, state agencies are co-opting such militia to carry out terrorist activities in cyberspace.
The book's editors, Cherian Samuel and Munish Sharma (both with the IDSA), hold that as an economic and geopolitical organisation of eight countries, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) can play a pivotal role in capacity-building as well as coordinating cyber-security efforts of all the members facing non-traditional security threats, such as cyber-terrorism and cyber-crime, from non-state actors to both their populace and businesses.
Nandkumar Saravade, a former IPS officer who has served as CEO of the Data Security Council of India, points to a rather grim scenario: India lacks the necessary structures and capabilities within the country to understand complex cyber-security issues, and the government has to build the necessary frameworks to engage in consultations with the key stake-holders and develop a position on key cyber-security issues.
Liam Nevill of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's International Cyber Policy Centre holds that cyberspace can be a force-multiplier in tackling the many problems of the Asian region: From lowering traditional barriers to development and providing access to health and education resources. It provides an easy way for the advanced economies to help the less developed, in the process improving connectivity as well. However, none of this would be possible without a stable and secure cyberspace.
Comparing the American and Chinese perspectives on cyber-security, Cuihong Cai, an Associate Professor of International Relations at the Center for American Studies at Shanghai's Fudan University, contends that over-interpretation of cyber-security risks strengthens the threat cognition, which results in conflicts and control-oriented security practices. It further leads to trust-deficit and weakening of rules, resulting in the self-fulfilling prophecy of heightened cyber conflicts.
In sum, this is definitely a "must have" volume.
(Vishnu Makhijani can be contacted at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in)
Srinagar, Nov 5 : A militant was killed and a soldier injured on Saturday in a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district.
"Security forces surrounded the Dubjan forest area following information about a group of terrorists hiding there," Defence spokesman, Colonel Rajesh Kalia told IANS.
"When challenged, the terrorists opened fire, triggering a shootout."
The soldier's condition was said to be stable.
New Delhi, Nov 5 : India and China agreed to continue "the pace of high level exchanges" on subjects of mutual interest and concern, including counter-terrorism, during a meeting between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, an official statement said on Saturday.
The statement was silent on whether the two sides had discussed issues related to India's NSG membership or India's move for a ban on Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar.
Doval met with Yang, the Chinese State Councillor, on Friday in Hyderabad. It was Yang's third visit to India in the last two months.
Doval and Yang are the Special Representatives on the Boundary Question of India and China.
"The discussions, conducted in a friendly, open and cordial environment, covered a wide agenda spanning bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest," according to a Ministry of External Affairs statement.
"They agreed to maintain the pace of high level exchanges including in the political, economic, defence and counter-terrorism fields."
The statement said the officials also agreed that the forthcoming high level engagement on counter-terrorism "is yet another manifestation of growing convergence of views of the two countries on this pressing challenge facing international community".
However, there was no word if Doval raised the issues related to China hindering India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
The statement also didn't mention if they discussed China's vetoing of Indian efforts to get Azhar, chief of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit, banned by the United Nations.
However, the statement said, "the two leaders agreed that their consultations during which they exchanged views on various important and pressing bilateral issues have helped to enhance mutual understanding and will contribute to greater mutual trust".
"The two sides appreciated that 2016 is an important year for bilateral engagement with President Xi Jinping's visit to India for BRICS Summit and PM Modi's visit to China for G-20 Summit being the major highlights of high level exchanges.
The two officials also "agreed to hold the 20th Round of Special Representatives Talks on the Boundary Question in India next year."
New Delhi, Nov 5 : Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena is arriving here on Sunday for a two-day India visit during which he will also attend an international conference on tobacco control.
After his arrival on Sunday evening, Sirisena will have a meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan, an official statement said.
On Monday, he will attend the seventh session of the global tobacco-control conference at the Indian Exposition Mart in Greater Noida, on the outskirts of the national capital. The Sri Lankan President is expected to return on Monday evening.
India is hosting the biennial conference of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). It is the only international treaty to deter tobacco consumption.
Delegates from 180 countries are expected to attend the conference. Pakistan has decided to skip the conference in the wake of the deteriorating ties with India.
New Delhi, Nov 5 : The Delhi unit of the BJP on Saturday slammed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for indulging in a war of words with Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and the Centre instead of trying to find a solution to the issue of air pollution.
"It is a matter of concern that today, when Delhi is facing its worst ever environment crisis, the Kejriwal government instead of putting forward a solution to it is locked in a battle of words with the Lt Governor and Central government over appointment of officers in the Power Department," Delhi BJP unit chief Satish Upadhyay told reporters.
The BJP leader's remarks came a day after Kejriwal, also the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convenor, alleged a "conspiracy" by the BJP-led Central government to increase power tariff in the national capital, and assured that he would not let this happen.
"We have not increased power tariff in the last two years. The BJP is trying to increase the electricity prices in Delhi, but I won't let this happen," he said.
The fresh power tussle between the Delhi government and the LG surfaced after the former Chief Income Tax Commissioner Krishna Saini was appointed the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) Chairman in March by the Delhi government.
In September, the LG scrapped his appointment and asked the Kejriwal government to start the selection process afresh as per law.
Upadhyay also warned that in the next few days, this environment crisis can worsen.
"No doubt the burning of stubbles by farmers of Punjab and Haryana can be a big reason behind the present heavy pollution, but we need to note that while Delhi is choked the situation is not so bad in Haryana and Punjab where the stubble burning is actually taking place," Upadhyay remarked.
"Therefore, the government should immediately appoint a panel of specialists to assess the real reason behind the present environmental choking," he added.
Upadhyay said that this problem is unlikely to end in the next few days in Delhi and a large number of people are already suffering from throat infection.
Stressing on the alarming air pollution situation in the city, the BJP leader said that doctors believe that the next few days will be critical for children, apart from heart and lung patients.
He also appealed to the Delhi government to make arrangements to provide masks for school children and beds in hospitals and mobile dispensaries for people suffering from breathing problems.
Shillong, Nov 6 : Ahead of the 7th Conference of Parties meeting of the World Health Organization's Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC), two top Indian scientists have asked the central government to formulate a policy that can help people to quit smoking by providing them significantly safer options.
In a letter to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda, the two scientists -- R.N. Sharan of the Department of Biochemistry, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), and M. Siddiqi, Chairman of Cancer Foundation of India -- have urged him to favour policies that are facilitary rather than obstructive to smoking cessation environment by providing high quality and safe options to smokers in their effort to quit smoking.
The two scientists said countries like Britain, the US, France, and Malaysia, where e-cigarette are relatively freely available, the number of cigarette smokers has declined.
Enabling access to such less harmful products in India would likely support public health objectives and reduce the burden of smoking-related health issues.
Sharan and Siddqi also believed that stopping the use of harmful tobacco products can be achieved in India with a combination of approaches since India has huge diversity of cultures and traditions.
"Thus, in India we need to apply, as a policy, nicotine replacement therapy supported by advocacy and where possible, psychological support, for it to work effectively," Siddqi and Sharan said in their letter to Nadda.
"The Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS), more popularly known as e-cigarettes, offer a safer and effective way of meeting the physiological demands of nicotine to smokers to help quit or cut down smoking significantly," they added.
The 7th Conference of Parties, which is being held for the first time in India, will bring together the WHO FCTC's 180 Parties -- which include almost every country in the world, as well as regional economic integration organisations like the European Union.
It is the first occasion that a Conference of Parties meeting is being held in India and signals a strong and generous commitment of the Indian government to increase international co-operation and awareness of the WHO FCTC globally and especially in the WHO South-East Asia Region.
The Conference of Parties meetings, jointly organised by the Indian government and the Convention Secretariat, will take place at the India Expo Centre & Mart in Delhi.
COP7 will be held from November 7 to 12.
According to the WHO, some one billion people smoke, resulting in about six million deaths annually.
More than one million Indians reportedly die annually because of smoking, making it the fourth leading cause of death due to non-communicable diseases (NCD) in the country.
"It is well documented that India is severely affected by an epidemic of tobacco associated cancers due to the use of a variety tobacco products (cigarettes, bidis, hukkas, gutkas) and their equally dangerous alternatives containing areca nuts," the two scientists stated in their letter.
"Our systematic meta-analysis of published literature compares the health and safety aspects of vaping using ENDS with smoking conventional cigarettes. We find that ENDS have minimum health and safety concerns compared to the high risks associated with conventional cigarettes," said Sharan, Professor at NEHU.
"Although some gaps remain to be filled by further research, our study conclusively establishes that ENDS offers smokers a far safer alternative way to consume nicotine, which itself is relatively harmless," he added.
"Using a multi-criteria risk analysis approach with conservative criteria weighting, we find that ENDS are an effective option to quit conventional cigarette smoking," Sharan noted.
The Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products is an international treaty to address the increasing illegal trade in tobacco products. Based on Article 15 of the FCTC, it was adopted in November 2012 and currently has 13 Parties.
FCTC, the first international treaty to be agreed under the WHO's auspices, entered into force in 2005. It has successfully helped to co-ordinate and energise the global struggle against tobacco.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the Convention's governing body and is comprised of all 180 Parties. It regularly reviews the implementation of the Convention and takes action to promote its effectiveness.
(Raymond Kharmujai can be contacted at raymon.k@ians.in)
Rabat, Nov 6 : The world climate conference in Marrakech, Morocco, scheduled to open next Monday, will focus on the ways to implement the Paris Agreement after it entered into force on November 4, said a media report on Sunday.
"The agreement is undoubtedly a turning point in the history of common human endeavour, capturing the combined political, economic and social will of governments, cities, regions, citizens, businesses and investors to overcome the existential threat of unchecked climate change," UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa and President of COP22 Salaheddine Mezouar said in a joint statement on Friday.
"The foundations of the Paris Agreement are solid and other key features of humanity's new home are starting to rise," they said, Xinhua news agency reported.
They stressed that "we cannot and we must not rest until the roof is in place. This November in Marrakech we will make sure it will be in place, sooner rather than later".
While this unprecedented achievement shows a clear commitment from countries across the globe to tackle climate change, there is much more work to be done in Morocco to translate this commitment into action.
The main goals set by the Paris Agreement are very critical and pressing.
The ambitious goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius or less to avoid dangerous tipping points in the climate system means that global emissions must be driven down rapidly from the current near-peak.
Another key pledge in the agreement is that developed countries will continue to allocate $100 billion per year from 2020 to 2025 in support of climate action by developing ones.
According to UN estimates, sustainable development will require 5 to 7 trillion dollars annually to fund the global transition to a low-carbon resilient economy.
To this end, creative funding options must be encouraged in both public and private sectors.
In addition to national determined contributions, COP22 also aims to include non-state actors into 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 work together with civil society during the Marrakech climate change conference and chart a common agenda under the Presidency," said Mezouar at a Pre-COP22 ministerial meeting in Marrakech in October.
The 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) and the 12th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 12) will be held in Bab Ighli, Marrakech, Morocco, from November 7 to 18.
Srinagar, Nov 7 : An army soldier was injured on Monday in an ongoing gunfight between the security forces and the militants in south Kashmir's Shopian district.
Police said a gunfight started after midnight between holed up militants and the security forces in Wangam village of Shopian district.
"An army soldier was injured in an encounter between the militants and troops of 62 Rashtriya Rifles and state police in Wangam village of Shopian district.
"The encounter is still on," the police said in Srinagar on Monday.
New Delhi, Nov 7 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed grief over the death of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Union Minister Jayawantiben Mehta.
"Saddened by the passing away of Jayawantiben Mehta. We remember her rich contribution to the nation. Condolences to her family," said Modi in a tweet.
Mehta, 78 passed away in the early hours of the day at her residence in Mumbai following a brief illness.
She had served as a minister in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Chennai, Nov 7 : Actress Regina Cassandra, who is returning to Tamil filmdom with Selvaraghavan's upcoming horror-thriller "Nenjam Marappathillai" after a brief hiatus, says the character she essays in the film is no less than her dream role.
In the film, Regina plays a house-help named Mariam who avenges her death by returning as a ghost.
"I was always asked what my dream role was and I always said I never really had one. However, having said that, Mariam will go down as one of the most amazing characters I have gotten to play. Thanks Selvaraghavan sir for that confidence and the mentoring. It has definitely helped," she wrote on her Instagram page.
Also starring S.J. Suryah and Nandita Swetha in the lead, the film will release on November 23.
"Nenjam Marappathillai" has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja, and his work in the film's trailer has been celebrated.
Chennai, Nov 7 : Ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam will shoot a duet against the backdrop of snow-clad mountains across exotic locations in Europe for his upcoming Tamil romantic-drama "Kaatru Veliyidai", said a source.
"He had originally planned to shoot the song in Himachal Pradesh. However, due to some logistical issues, he had to shift it to Europe. The team hasn't zeroed in on a location yet but they are on the lookout for a place with snow-clad mountains," the source from the film's unit, told IANS.
The song will feature Karthi and Aditi Rao Hydari.
Also starring RJ Balaji, Shraddha Srinath and Delhi Ganesh, the film's last schedule will commence from December.
A.R. Rahman is composing the music for the film, which has cinematography by Ravi Varman.
Mumbai, Nov 7 : After Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and actor Kabir Bedi rooted for Hillary Clinton, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor also expressed support for the Democratic nominee for the forthcoming US elections.
Rishi on Monday wished Clinton for the elections, which would be taking place on Tuesday.
"POTUS (President Of The United States). Go, Hillary Clinton! Please elect her as your new President if you want peace, stability and harmony. Donald Duck (Trump) is no option," Rishi tweeted.
On the work front, Rishi who made his Bollywood debut in 1970 with "Mera Naam Joker", was last seen on screen in the 2015 film "Kapoor & Sons", where he was lauded for effortlessly portraying a nonagenarian.
As of now, the 64-year-old has no films in his kitty.
New Delhi, Nov 7 : While not ruling out the Congress joining a "grand alliance" in Uttar Pradesh, Congress chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit said it was a "little surprising" that the party's election strategist Prashant Kishor met Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.
"It did look a little surprising. I don't know what made him go for the meeting," Dikshit told IANS when asked about the November 1 Kishor-Mulayam meeting which set tongues wagging.
The former Delhi Chief Minister for 15 long years also said she was not in a position to say if Kishor went as a Congress emissary.
Asked if the party was satisfied with his style of functioning, Dikshit said: "He is an advisor, a strategist. Whether we are happy with his work or not, only the Secretaries would know... I wouldn't know."
She added: "A grand alliance is being spoken about, but I don't think anything concrete has yet been decided."
The Kishor-Mulayam meeting, also attended by the Samajwadi Party supremo's confidant Amar Singh, triggered speculation that the Congress may be mulling the idea of a "grand alliance" to take on the BJP in Uttar Pradesh in next year's assembly elections -- a la Bihar.
The Congress, the Janata Dal-United and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) came together in Bihar and worsted a BJP-led alliance. In Bihar, however, the Samajwadi Party pulled out of the alliance at the eleventh hour, blaming the many seats given to the Congress.
Will there be an alliance in Uttar Pradesh too?
Dikshit replied: "It's not that there is no question. At the moment, it is not there. There is talk about it, but I think it is more in the news. Let's see what happens."
Senior leaders from the erstwhile Janata Parivar on Saturday called for unity at an event in Lucknow to mark 25 years of the Samajwadi Party. It was led by former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. Others present included former JD-U President Sharad Yadav, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad.
Dikshit said as of now no one from the Samajwadi Party had approached the Congress to discuss a possible alliance.
"Except that (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister) Akhilesh (Yadav) did say that he has a lot of warmth for Rahul Gandhi, I don't think anything else (sent feelers from SP). Personally, if something has happened, I won't be able to tell," Dikshit told IANS in an interview.
But she admitted that the current turmoil in the Samajwadi Party had tarnished the party's image.
Asked about her comments that Akhilesh Yadav was a "modern CM", she said: "These comments are not related to any alliance per se.
"There is nothing like a soft corner (for Akhilesh), it is a political requirement. If a person is doing a good job, we appreciate it. We should not read any political message in it.
"He is a young CM; there is no affinity. He belongs to a different political party and our thinking is very different," she added when asked if the Congress had an affinity towards him.
Dikshit said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had to take a decision on joining the election campaign in the state. "There is a huge demand for her, unprecedented demand, but she has to take the call."
Dikshit said the strategy behind projecting her as the Chief Ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh was her record as the Chief Minister of Delhi.
"Primarily, it is because of the work the Congress did in Delhi. That's for everybody to see. Also, I am a UP wala. I am married into a UP family. I lived there... started my political career there."
Asked if it was also to woo the Brahmin voters, she said: "I also happen to be a Brahmin." But she quickly added that the Congress was an "inclusive" party and did not look at things from a caste point of view.
How well is the Congress placed in the state whose three major players are the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party?
"It is improving," she said, but refused to predict the number of seats the party could win. "Our chances are improving and we are feeling more and more confident every day. The chances are good. We are very positive. People are looking at governance.
"We are trying to reach out to people and explain to them our style of governance," said Dikshit.
(Sidhartha Dutta can be contacted at sidhartha.d@ians.in)
New Delhi, Nov 7 : Ficci has reconstituted the India-UK Forum of Parliamentarians coinciding with British Prime Minister Theresa Mays three-day official visit to India from November 6 to 8, the industry chamber said here on Monday.
According to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), this as an important initiative to cement bilateral ties through a track-two mode.
The forum -- launched with the objective to strengthen parliamentary diplomacy that binds India and the UK -- brings together members of parliament across political ideologies, age groups and gender.
"In the light of recent developments in Europe, the relevance of greater cooperation between India and Britain has greatly enhanced. Social and civilisational values like democracy, universal fraternity, open economy and desire to engage for mutual benefits are common to both," said Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Chairman of the forum who is Rajya Sabha member and scholar.
Under the forum, the industry association plans to organise a series of policy dialogues on topics of critical significance to India and the UK, including the proposed FTA (free-trade agreement), post Brexit developments and deliberations on the India-UK Strategic Partnership.
An outbound delegation to the UK is being planned for early 2017 to engage with the British Parliament, diaspora and industry, the industry chamber said.
"As India's national industry association, Ficci has a multi-pronged international outreach strategy. Through the India-UK Forum of Parliamentarians, our endeavour is to supplement traditional channels of engagement by creating a track two dialogue process to build greater understanding between elected representatives of India and the UK in a cordial atmosphere and a neutral platform," said Harshavardhan Neotia, President of Ficci.
"In the coming months, we look forward to rolling out a series of initiatives under the able guidance of Dr. Sahasrabuddhe," he said.
The industry chamber has similar bilateral Forums of Parliamentarians with strategic partner countries such as the US, Germany and Japan to facilitate a "track two" mechanism for wider exchange of views and experiences amongst elected representatives from India and their peers in other countries on bilateral and global issues, leadership and the institution of democracy.
Bangkok, Nov 7 : The 85th Interpol General Assembly kicked off on Monday in the Indonesian island of Bali, with the agenda expected to focus on the membership of Palestine and the threat posed by the Islamic State.
Around 830 delegates, including police chiefs from 164 of the 190 member countries, were taking part in the meet set to continue till Thursday, reported Efe news.
The subject of Palestine's incorporation as a member state - after it presented its request more than a year back -- is expected to be discussed amid strong opposition from Israel.
Palestine was granted an observer status at the UN in 2012, and since then it has joined several bodies such as Unesco and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in a bid to be recognized as a state internationally.
To be admitted, the Palestine National Authority requires the support of two-thirds plus one of the 190 members, which could become a possibility, as 130 countries have already recognized Palestine as a State.
Most European and western countries, however, are hesitant to grant this recognition considering that the establishment of the Palestine state should be a result of definitive peace agreement with Israel, marking the extent of their borders.
The meeting is also expected to discuss the establishment of mechanisms to counter the threat posed by return of fighters from conflict zones in the Near East.
Indonesia, which specifically faces this problem, will seek to increase cooperation to contain the expansion of the IS and allow for extraditions from Syria and Iraq, where some 300 Indonesians are fighting, according to The Jakarta Post.
Interpol President Mireille Ballestrazzi said the organization today is better positioned to tackle the challenges it faces.
"Interpol's strategies to counter terrorism, organized and emerging crime and cybercrime, to be presented during this conference, will provide crucial support in our united response to these global threats," said Ballestrazzi, according to the statement.
Kolkata, Nov 7 : Indian archaeologists plan to deploy high-end scanning lasers on airborne platforms to survey the archaeological evidence, flora and fauna in the ancient Rajgir hills in Bihar, an area associated with Buddha.
As part of the inter-disciplinary Rajgir Archaeological Survey Project (RASP), archaeologists hope to use Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) which is a remote-sensing technique that uses laser light to sample the surface of the earth.
"We plan to use LIDAR for RASP. For that we need to mount the LIDAR device on drones or on helicopters and map the area. We will seek necessary permissions for that," Bijoy Choudhary, director, K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute, and executive director, Bihar Heritage Development Society, Patna, told IANS here on Monday.
RASP is a collaborative project between the society and Nalanda University in co-ordination with Bihar's Ministry of Art, Culture and Youth.
With its complex of temples and monasteries, Rajgir in Bihar's Nalanda district is one of India's most important tourist places for Buddhist pilgrims.
The city of Rajgir was the first capital of the Magadha empire. Buddha not only spent many years in Rajgir but also delivered sermons here.
His teachings were penned at Rajgir and it was also the venue for the first Buddhist Council. The region is also associated with Jainism.
According to Nalanda University Vice Chancellor Gopa Sabharwal, RASP would be the most comprehensive survey ever conducted in that region. Preliminary work has already begun, she informed, on the sidelines of the 'Xuan Zang and China-India Friendly Exchanges' seminar.
"We are going to do a grid (less than a kilometre square) map of the entire Rajgir hills and literally walk the land for archaeological evidence, flora and fauna. It involves experts from different fields and incorporates new technologies such as GIS mapping," Sabharwal said.
Other than RASP, there are discussions between the research institute and the Chinese consulate in Kolkata to work together to excavate sites in the state, mentioned by Chinese Buddhist monks Fa Hien and Hiuen Tsang in their records and travelogues.
"In the Magadhan region, there are numerous Buddhist monuments and antiquities which remain buried underground. The modern techniques of archaeological survey involving GPR (ground-penetrating radar) and LIDAR may help locate some of the monuments mentioned by the Chinese pilgrims," Choudhury said.
Lucknow, Nov 7 : Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying to farmers and dubbed his government "anti-farmer".
"Modi is speaking lies about clearance of pending dues of sugarcane farmers in Uttar Pradesh," Mayawati told reporters here.
She also took digs at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his father and Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also dubbed the BJP as "anti-farmer party" and said it is making "false claims".
"The Bharatiya Janata Party has also lied that dues of sugarcane farmers in the state have been cleared. The fact is they are lying," she said.
The BSP leader said it was her government in Uttar Pradesh which cleared dues of sugarcane farmers pending since the rule of earlier state governments.
Slamming the central government, Mayawati said: "In the last two and a half years, the government led by Modi has not even fulfilled one-third of the poll promises made during the 2014 general elections."
"This is the reason why they are taking out the Parivaratan Yatra in Uttar Pradesh, They are trying to hide their failures," she remarked.
Mayawati said the BJP was ferrying crowds for its Parivartan Yatra from neighbouring BJP-ruled states.
Giving credit to the state government led by her in the past, Mayawati said: "Uttar Pradesh witnessed development under my government. And it was under my government that the poor were benefitted."
She asked the voters to remain alert and not to be taken in by BJP promises.
Targetting Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, the BSP chief said: "Had he worked for the state's development, there was no need for him to now take out a Rath Yatra."
Mayawati asked Samajwadi Party's chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to focus on improvement of law and order in the poll-bound state instead of focusing on Yadav family feud.
Asked about talks of a Grand Alliance by the ruling Samajwadi Party, Mayawati quipped: "There was no need for any alliance if they had done work in the last five years."
She denied the BSP will go for an alliance ahead of the 2017 assembly polls. "Our party doesn't need any party's support. It is the weak who need support."
Bengaluru, Nov 7 : Leading private carrier Jet Airways will operate a daily service to Singapore from here from December 14 to expand its connectivity in the Asean region, the airline said on Monday.
"The new flight is introduced to meet the demand for a direct flight to Singapore from business travellers across southern cities -- Hyderabad, Mangaluru, Coimbatore and Thiruvananthapuram," it said.
Jet will operate Boeing 737-800, departing at 11.10 a.m. and landing in Singapore at 6.10 p.m. The return flight will depart at 7.15 p.m. and arrive in Bengaluru at 9.15 p.m.
Jet Airways currently operates daily flights from Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai to Singapore.
Siliguri, Nov 7 : A CID team of West Bengal Police on Monday visited the house in Siliguri in West Bengal's Darjeeling district from where a huge quantity of explosives was seized from three Nepali citizens two days back, police said.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) team collected samples from the house.
Meanwhile, police and other security agencies are interrogating the three arrested Nepali citizens to find out how they procured the explosives and who were the intended recipients.
"The Intelligence Branch and Military Intelligence personnel are also taking part in the interrogation," a police source said.
As many as 609 gelatin sticks, 200 detonators and 640 metres of cordex cable were seized from the three men near Darjeeling More under Pradhannagar police station jurisdiction on Saturday night.
A Siliguri court later remanded the accused to police custody for seven days.
Police arrested one of the three accused Krishna Prasad Adhikari on a tip-off near Darjeeling More on Saturday night.
Following his interrogation, Dawa Shering Gurung alias Lama and his wife Puja Gurung were picked up from a house in the neighbourhood.
The security agencies were trying to ascertain whether they have links with Nepal's Maoists or insurgents active in India's north-eastern states, or if the explosives were meant to cause disturbance in the Darjeeling hills.
Washington, Nov 7 : FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers the agency has not changed its opinion that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton should not face criminal charges over her use of a personal e-mail server during her stay in the State Department, after a review of new e-mails.
The statement prompted rival Donald Trump, Republican candidate, to accuse the agency of impropriety.
Comey had dropped a bombshell ahead of the November 8 election when he informed Congress that the FBI had discovered e-mails in its separate investigation of Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, that could be connected to its investigation of whether Clinton mishandled classified information by using a private e-mail server, CNN reported.
"Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July," Comey said in a letter to top Republicans on the House Oversight Committee.
The Republican nominee cried foul after learning about the law enforcement bureau's decision.
At a rally in the Detroit suburbs, Trump insisted it would have been impossible for the FBI to review as many as 650,000 emails in such a short time.
"Right now she's being protected by a rigged system. It's a totally rigged system. I've been saying it for a long time," he told supporters in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
"Hillary Clinton is guilty, she knows it, the FBI knows it, the people know it and now it's up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on 8 November."
Comey's letter was the culmination of a fast-paced review of the newly discovered e-mails, law enforcement sources said on Sunday.
"We went through this as fast as we could," a senior law enforcement official told CNN.
The e-mails, thousands found, were mostly duplicates of what had already been seen and personal e-mails, law enforcement officials said in explaining how the conclusion was reached so quickly. The laptop which was found was around a decade old, with lots of personal content on it not relevant to the investigation, according to one source.
It's impossible to know before results are tallied what impact Comey's actions -- first raising a vaguely worded red flag, and then lowering it two days from the election -- will have on the contest.
But the news could help Clinton put to rest a controversy that has dogged her in the 2016 race's closing days, helping her rival Donald Trump narrow a polling gap nationally and in key battleground states.
While Clinton herself did not address the FBI director's letter on the trail, her campaign said it was always confident she would be cleared.
on Sunday, she said the country was facing "a moment of reckoning" and Americans must choose between "division and unity".
In July, the FBI said she had been "extremely careless" to handle classified material on a private email server as secretary of state from 2009-13, but it had found no evidence she committed a crime.
However, 11 days before the election, FBI director James Comey had pitched the race into turmoil by announcing a newly discovered batch of Clinton emails would be investigated.
The bombshell infuriated the Clinton camp, but threw a lifeline to a Trump campaign that had been receding in the polls.
New Delhi, Nov 7 : The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Monday condemned the BJP-led NDA government for allegedly making attempts to tarnish former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's image.
It passed a resolution recalling Indira Gandhi for her contribution to nation building and her sacrifice, and condemned the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government for "belittling her life and work".
After the CWC meeting, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala told the media: "Indira Gandhi was a mass leader and one of the most popular leaders in the country. The CWC condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party's ongoing wicked attempts to tarnish her image."
"CWC notes with regret that the NDA government, instead of acknowledging Indiraji's enormous contributions and sacrifice, is attempting to belittle her life and work and disrespecting her memory only because she was a tall leader of the Congress," read the resolution.
The Congress has decided to hold year-long celebrations and mark the birth centenary of Indira Gandhi in a big way on November 19.
"CWC calls upon Congressmen and women to commemorate Gandhi's Centenary in a befitting manner to respectfully acknowledge her contribution, leadership and martyrdom, and appeals to the people of India to join the nationwide celebrations during the centenary year," the resolution read.
New Delhi, Nov 7 : The government on Monday put on hold its widely-denounced one-day ban on Hindi news channel NDTV India as the media group moved the Supreme Court to challenge the legality of the gag order.
"The one-day ban on NDTV's Hindi channel has been put on hold by Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu," the news group said.
The ministry had ordered the channel to go off air from Wednesday midnight to Thursday midnight for allegedly broadcasting "strategically sensitive details" during its coverage of the January 2 terror attack on the Pathankot IAF base in Punjab The media group earlier in a BSE filing said it had filed an application in the Supreme Court to challenge "the constitutional validity of the (government) order and the provisions of law pursuant to which the said order has purportedly been passed".
The court is expected to hear the case on Tuesday.
The news channel has refuted the allegation, saying its coverage of the terror attack was balanced and other channels and newspapers also reported the same information.
The ban on NDTV India was widely condemned by opposition parties, the Editors Guild and other media and journalist groups.
On Monday, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi lashed out at the government over what he said was one of the "darkest hours" in the history of the Indian democracy.
"The (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi government is obsessed with power. It seeks to silence all those who disagree. Hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions. Television channels are being punished and asked to shut down," Gandhi said.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Naidu returned Gandhi's criticism and, earlier, justified his ministry's order.
"Every word Rahul said... suits the Congress itself and reminds people of what it had done. Democracy was taken off the air for 19-and-a-half months and Emergency was imposed," Naidu told reporters, referring to the days of Emergency from 1975-77 during Indira Gandhi's rule.
Naidu said the decision against NDTV was a "small action" as the government would never do anything to suppress media freedom.
But journalist groups slammed the government, saying the order contradicted India's democratic norms and curbed media freedom.
The Press Club of India and the Indian Women's Press Corps held a protest march in the capital, urging the government to withdraw the order.
"The Press Club of India and the Indian Women's Press Corps strongly condemn the decision," they said in a joint statement.
"The ministry should immediately quash the order as it violates the fundamental principles of freedom of expression as enshrined in our Constitution."
The Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia (FCC) condemned the "arbitrary" ban that "violates press freedom in the world's largest democracy".
"If the government believes that any TV network has violated the law, it should first take up the issue with the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA), the independent self-regulatory body of the News Broadcasters Association (NBA), for redressal, and then take the offending network to court if necessary," it said.
New Delhi, Nov 7 : The Congress on Monday blamed the Narendra Modi government for what it said was "growing intolerance and jobless growth", adding it will continue to fight the "communal agenda of the BJP and the RSS".
In a resolution adopted at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here, the party said it was deeply concerned and alarmed over the continuing and deliberate attack on the judiciary's independence.
It accused the government of "delay in the appointments of judges to the higher judiciary which has adversely affected the justice delivery system".
The highest decision-making body of the Congress said it associated itself with the concerns of the citizens and the media over growing intolerance, centralisation of authority, arbitrary and partisan decisions, abuse of power and misuse of government agencies to target political opponents, critics and institutions.
"(The CWC) warns the government that its undemocratic methods and acts to curtail liberty and freedom of expression and violation of Fundamental Rights of the citizens as enshrined in the Constitution will be strongly resisted," the CWC resolution said.
It said the Congress will champion the cause of the poor and the marginalised with greater vigour.
"The Congress will continue its struggle to expose the communal and divisive agenda of BJP-RSS (Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and reactionary forces and the failures and the double-speak of the Modi government," the resolution added.
It said the people were reeling under price rise and the economy was struggling and not surging.
"Key parameters of the economy -- investment, savings, gross fixed capital formation, credit growth, capacity utilisation, merchandise exports and job creation -- are in sharp decline."
The CWC resolution said the government was trying to hide behind one figure of Gross Domestic Product growth but there is widespread doubt about that number because it is not compatible with other verifiable data available in the public domain.
The Congress said the Modi government came to power on the promise of creating two crore jobs annually "but its policies have created a situation of jobless growth".
"Tens of thousands of jobs have been lost in labour-intensive export sectors and manufacturing," the opposition party said.
The party alleged there had been an escalation in atrocities on the Dalits, tribals and minorities and the government was apathetic towards farmers and agricultural workers.
There is "acute distress" in the agrarian sector and a large number of farmers had been forced to commit suicide, the Congress said.
"It is a matter of deep regret that the government remains a silent and indifferent spectator."
New Delhi, Nov 7 : The Kerala government on Monday informed the Supreme Court that it favours the entry of women of any age into Sabarimala temple, saying it stands by the "original affidavit" filed by the CPM-led government headed by V.S. Achuthanandan in 2007.
As the bench of Justice Dipak Misra, Justice R. Banumathi and Justice Ashok Bhushan asked senior counsel Jaideep Gupta about the stand of the Kerala government, he told the bench that the position taken in the "original affidavit will be our stand".
The court was told this, as it is examining the customary practice of banning the entry of women between 10 and 50 years into the Sabarimala temple in Kerala in the context of the constitutional provisions.
Senior counsel Gupta told the court that the Kerala government "supports the proposition that women of any age group should be permitted to enter the Sabarimala temple."
However, senior counsel K.K. Venugopal appearing for the Devasthanam Board of Sabarimala temple opposed the Kerala government stand contending that the state cannot change its position with the change of government.
The court, while recording the "unequivocal" position of the Kerala government and Devasthanam Board contending that the state position cannot be altered at the convenience of the party in power, said that it would decide the issue on the next date of hearing on February 20, 2017.
The court said that it is concerned whether for biological reasons can a women be prohibited from entering the Sabarimala temple. The court said this making it clear that when a private temple built on private land is thrown open to public, then it assumes public character.
Rome, Nov 7 : A rescued shipped docked in the Sicilian capital Palermo on Monday carrying over 1,000 migrants and the bodies of 10 people who perished during the crossing from North Africa.
Italian prosecutors requested autopsies to be carried out on the 10 migrant corpses.
The bodies were recovered on Saturday from a rubber dinghy off the Libyan coast, Italian Coastguard said, adding that 2,200 other migrants were rescued during the day.
A further 1,200 migrants were rescued on Friday in operations in the Mediterranean.
Some 169,901 people have arrived in Greece and 159,496 in Italy this year till November 2, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
The figure is well below the number of arrivals at over the same period of 2015 and is line with the totals for 2014.
Some 4,220 migrants died attempting to cross the Mediterranean this year through 2 November in what is the deadliest on record, said IOM.
Hyderabad, Nov 7 : Future Retail Limited has acquired the retail and allied businesses of Heritage Foods Limited, a company owned by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Heritage will now focus on dairy as a single line of business.
The two companies on Monday signed a definitive agreement, under which all existing 124 retail stores of Heritage in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai will become part of Future Retail network.
Naidu's son and one of the directors of Heritage Foods N. Lokesh, daughter-in-law and executive director of the company N. Brahmini and Future Retail Limited chairman and managing director Kishore Biyani announced the partnership at a news conference here.
Heritage Foods, headed by Naidu's wife N. Bhuwaneswari, has a presence in retail, bakery, agri, dairy, veterinary care and renewable energy.
Under the agreement, retail, bakery and agri businesses of Heritage will become part of Future Retail.
Another 20-25 retail stores planned to be opened by Heritage during the current financial year will also become part of the Future network.
Heritage also announced that its 2,600 employees will be retained by Future Retail with the existing working conditions.
"On closure of the transaction, Heritage Foods Limited will own 3.65 per cent of shareholding in Future Retail Limited, through fresh issuance of shares by the Company," the joint statement said.
Lokesh put the valuation of the three business at Rs 295 crore. He, however, said Heritage would not get any seat on any board of directors in Future Retail.
"As part of the scheme of arrangement for the acquisition, Heritage Foods Limited will spin off its retail, bakery, agri-sourcing and veterinary care business in a fully owned subsidiary. Subsequently, all these businesses, except veterinary care, will then be merged with Future Retail Limited. The scheme shall be subject to approvals from relevant regulatory authorities and shareholders of the companies," the joint statement added.
The retail and allied businesses of Heritage Foods posted revenues of Rs 629.70 crore during 2015-16.
All 124 small format stores of Heritage in three southern cities will continue to be run under the brand name 'Heritage Fresh'.
Lokesh said the partnership would enable Heritage to consolidate and focus on dairy as a single line business as it has the ambition to become the largest private dairy company in the country.
"Heritage dairy products will be sold pan-India through Future Retail stores while Future Retail products will be available at Heritage dairy parlours," he said.
Heritage started the dairy business in 1992 and has a market presence across 10 states with 1,13,500 outlets.
He pointed out that Heritage became a pan India player after the recent acquisition of the Reliance dairy business.
Heritage currently has 13 lakh liters operation per day and it has set a target of 30 lakh liters by 2021.
It expects to add seven lakh liters through organic growth and 10 lakh liters through acquisitions.
Biyani said the agreement would bring together synergies and help Future Retail consolidate in southern India.
He said this would complement Future Retail's existing network of 379 small format EasyDay stores in northern cities.
In addition, Future Retail also operates 232 large format Big Bazaar stores across the country, along with other chains, such as fbb, Foodhall, eZone and Home Town.
Future Retail currently has about 700 stores across the country and it has set a target of 4,000 stores by 2021.
Biyani said while 3,000 stores would be their own, 1,000 would come up under franchise model.
New Delhi, Nov 7 : The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, on Monday cleared the blacklisting policy for banning or suspension of firms for wrongdoings in defence deals, and also cleared procurement proposals worth Rs 82,117 crore.
"The DAC considered and approved guidelines for suspension or banning of entities or blacklisting," sources said.
The issue of US-2 amphibious planes came up for discussion, but no decision was taken, sources said.
The DAC for the first time cleared two proposals under the Indigenous Design Development and Manufacturing (IDDM) category for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas and Light Combat Helicopters (LCH).
For Tejas, an Acceptance of Necessity (AON) for 83 LCAs at a cost of Rs 50,025 crore was cleared for the Indian Air Force (IAF). This will include simulators and ancillary equipment, and is in addition to the 40 Tejas fighters that the IAF is getting.
The second proposal cleared in the IDDM category was for 15 LCHs -- 10 for the IAF and five for the Indian Army -- at a cost of Rs 2,911 crore.
The blacklisting policy was earlier supposed to come with the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP), which was released in March this year, and came in effect from April.
Parrikar said last month that while "criminal activities" like receiving kickbacks should "normally" be punished with a ban, the decisions will be based on requirement of "national security".
In December 2014, a few months after taking over as the defence minister, Parrikar had said that the government is contemplating legalising "representatives" from defence firms, to remove middlemen who work for kickbacks.
He had also said that the government is thinking of reviewing all cases of blacklisted defence firms and may give conditional and limited approval to dealing with some based on merit.
The other proposals cleared by the DAC on Monday included an AON for buying 598 UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) under Buy Indian category at a cost of Rs 1,100 crore, and procurement of 464 T-90 tanks from Ordnance Factory Board at Rs 13,448 crore.
It also cleared the way for issuance of an RFP (Request for Proposal) for six additional regiments of Pinaka rocket launchers at a cost of Rs 14,633 crore.
Thiruvananthapuram, November 07 : Congress leader and leader of the opposition Ramesh Chennithala has reportedly shot off a letter to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, demandin that legal action be initiated against CPI-M Thrissur district secretary K Radhakrishnan for disclosing the identity of a rape victim while addressing mediapersons.
Revealing the name of a rape victim was a grave offence, the letter said, adding that as per section 228(A) of the IPC the offence attracts a maximum imprisonment of 2 years with fine.
Chennithala accused Radhakrishnan of revealing the victims name deliberately, saying that given that Radhakrishnan had been in charge of many responsible posts, it could not be considered that he had revealed the name out of ignorance.
The polices failure to take action against Radhakrishan despite several days having passed since the latter made the remarks could only be seen as dereliction of duty on the part of the police, Chennithala said.
The congress leader, however, wrongly states in his letter that the name of the girl in sensational nirbhaya gang rape case in New Delhi had yet to be revealed.
The parents of nirbhaya had revealed her name to the media last year.
CPI-M leader and former speaker K Radhakrishnan had revealed the name of the rape victim in the Wadakkancherry gang-rape case during an interaction with the media the other day.
Marrakech, Nov 7 : Global climate diplomacy began on Monday with the opening of the 22nd session of the Conference of Parties (COP22) by lighting a small solar lamp. President COP21, Segolene Royal handed over the baton of climate change negotiations to President COP22, Salaheddine Mezouar, along with the responsibility to keep the global temperature rise well below two degrees.
The two week conference, which is seen as the COP of action, started at this historic Morocco town, four days after the landmark Paris Climate Agreement (COP21) entered into force.
"Paris gave us a global commitment to climate change and Marrakech will give us more ambitious climate action. We must all rise to the challenge in support of the most vulnerable countries in the fight against climate change," said Mezouar, Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Underlining that the COP21, which entered into force four years before its intended deadline, had been ratified by 100 countries now, Mezouar said to know how to implement the Paris Climate Deal is the latest challenge for the world.
"The commitment which started in Copenhagen and COP21 has now been ratified by 100 nations. We need to know how to implement the Paris Agreement," Mezouar said.
The Copenhagen Accord or 15th COP and Fifth session of CMP (Parties to the Kyoto Protocol) that happened in 2009, was a political agreement at UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, where parties pledged to take action against greenhouse gas emission.
Seven years later, Morocco is now holding the first session of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA1), COP22 and CMP 12 (Parties to the Kyoto Protocol).
Mezouar spoke of gathering financial resources for the developing nations to help them mitigate climate change, technology transfer and capacity building. The developed world, under a $100 billion mission, is supposed to extend help to the developing nations. Of this, about $63 billion is said to have started being mobilised by public funds, and remaining as private funds.
"There is a need to increase the NDCs commitments. Efforts to live up with a process to give financial resources, technology transfer, capacity building for the developing nations is required," said the COP22 President.
NDCs or Nationally Determined Contributions are the plans of countries submitted to the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), on reducing green house gases, such as planting billion of trees as enunciated by India's NDC.
Speaking of his own country Morocco, he said, "Morocco is going to become regional leader for clean energy."
He called for a concrete action plan for the most vulnerable countries, especially in Africa, the least developed and small island developing states.
Mezouar said that during COP22, Morocco, along with a number of partners, will launch the NDC Partnership to ensure that direct finance flows towards the most vulnerable countries.
President COP21 and former French minister, Royal lauded the entry into force of the Paris Agreement.
"The rapid entry into force of the Paris Agreement is unprecedented and sends a powerful signal of the world's commitment to combating climate change," said Royal.
Executive Secretary of UNFCCC, Patricia Espinosa of Mexico, pointed out the historic significance of Morocco as host of the UN Climate Change Conference 22 as well as the COP7, held in Marrakech in 2001 - leading to the Marrakech Accords. The COP22 will feature CMA1 and the first global climate action agenda that will feature thematic showcase events, dialogues and a high-level event to call for more coordinated and ambitious climate action between states and civil society.
"We need to work together with speed and scale on all fronts," said Espinosa.
(IANS correspondent Kushagra Dixit is in Marrakech to cover COP22. He can be reached at kushagra.d@ians.in)
New Delhi, Nov 7 : Paving the way for the elevation of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi as party chief, Congress Working Committee (CWC) members on Monday unanimously expressed their "strong sentiments" that he must take over the post, and decided to convey their viewpoint to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
The push for Rahul Gandhi's elevation came after senior leader A.K. Antony raised the issue at the meeting of the CWC - the party's highest decision making body - and was supported by all the members present, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The party also signalled Rahul Gandhi's inclination to take up the post, saying he was willing to take up any role decided by the party and the CWC.
The CWC meeting was chaired by Rahul Gandhi as his mother Sonia Gandhi was indisposed.
The issue of Rahul Gandhi's elevation has been long-discussed in party circles.
Antony told mediapersons later that it was the first time that the CWC had voiced its strong sentiments that he should take up the post.
"In today's working committee meeting, members unanimously expressed their strong sentiments respecting the wishes of crores of party workers and well-wishers that Rahul Gandhiji must take over the presidentship of the Congress party," Antony said in a joint press briefing with party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala.
Asked why the elevation did not take place on Monday, Antony said it was a procedural issue.
"We are recommending for the first time to the Congress president. The final decision has to be that of the party president," he added.
Rahul Gandhi, 46, had been appointed party vice-president in January 2013 at Congress' brainstorming session in Jaipur.
Though the CWC on Monday decided to seek one more year from the Election Commission to hold its organisational elections, Surjewala made it clear that such a move had no link to the eventual elevation of Rahul Gandhi.
A party leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the elevation could take place this month but will definitely occur before December, and another CWC meeting may be called for the purpose.
"The coming assembly polls, including those in crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, will be fought with Rahul Gandhi as the party chief," he said.
Party leaders said that Sonia Gandhi, who has been the longest serving president of the party and has faced health problems in the recent past, will continue to be a guiding force after Rahul Gandhi's elevation. She took over as party chief in 1998.
Replying to questions about Rahul Gandhi's response to the demand of CWC members, Surjewala said: "Rahul Gandhiji said he wants to fight for the idea of India and whatever party workers decide he will be ready to take up that role.
"Any responsibility that helps him realise that objective, he is always willing to take that responsibility," Surjewala added.
Antony said it is high time that Congress mobilises all its forces to fight against the "anti-people and dictatorial policies" of the Modi government.
Several party leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath and Jairam Ramesh, have stated that Rahul Gandhi should take over as party chief. There has also been an alternate view in the party that Sonia Gandhi should continue at the helm as the party was facing daunting challenges.
New Delhi, Nov 7 : Paving the way for the elevation of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as the party chief, Congress Working Committee (CWC) members on Monday unanimously expressed their "strong sentiments" that he must take over the post.
Rahul Gandhi chaired the meeting of the party's highest decision-making body as his mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi was indisposed.
He also set the stage with his opening remarks in which he accused the Narendra Modi government of being "obsessed with power", and that democracy under the present dispensation was going through one of its "darkest hours".
The CWC adopted a resolution blaming the government for "growing intolerance and jobless growth" and asserted that the party will continue to fight the "communal agenda of the BJP and the RSS".
The Congress also accused the government of seeking to derive political mileage from the Indian Army's surgical strikes across the Line of Control in September and said that the promised One Rank One Pension had not been implemented in a "meaningful way."
The party also decided to seek one more year's extension from the Election Commission for holding organisational elections.
The push for Rahul Gandhi's elevation as Congress chief came after senior leader A.K. Antony raised the issue and was supported by all the members present including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Rahul Gandhi also signalled his inclination to take up the post, saying he was willing to take up any role decided by the party and the CWC.
Antony told media persons later that it was the first time that the CWC had issued its "strong sentiments" on the issue.
"In today's working committee meeting, members unanimously expressed their strong sentiments that respecting the wishes of crores of party workers and well-wishers that Rahul Gandhi ji must take over the presidentship of the Congress party," Antony said in a joint press briefing with party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala.
"We are recommending this for the first time to the Congress President. The final decision has to be that of the party President," he added.
Rahul Gandhi, 46, was appointed Vice President in January 2013 at Congress' brainstorming session in Jaipur.
A party leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Rahul Gandhi's elevation will definitely occur before December and another CWC meeting may be called for the purpose.
"The coming assembly polls, including those in crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, will be fought with Rahul Gandhi as the party chief," he said.
Party leaders said that Sonia Gandhi, who has been the longest serving president of the party since taking over in 1998 but has faced health problems in the recent past, will continue to be a guiding force.
In his remarks, Rahul Gandhi also charged the Modi government with seeking to "silence all those who disagree".
"Hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions. Television channels are being punished and asked to shut down. The opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account," he said.
Calling for "exposing" the Modi government in the upcoming Parliament session, Gandhi said: "Asking questions is what discomforts this government the most, for they have no answers."
On Pakistan, he said the government's policy has swung "from one extreme to another."
The resolution adopted by CWC also accused the government of "delay in the appointments of judges to the higher judiciary". It also observed key parameters of the economy were in sharp decline, noting that the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power on the promise of creating two crore jobs annually.
It asked the government to redress payment anomalies in OROP, correct its orders "about the cut in the disability pension" and address concerns about disparity between civilian and military grades.
Referring to surgical strikes, it urged the government "to give up its crude attempt to gain political advantage out of the essentially military action", noting "false claims, chest thumping and jingoism have no place in a mature democracy".
The CWC also discussed preparations for upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
New Delhi, Nov 7 : The Indian Army on Monday thanked the Foreign Service Attaches community for their contribution in strengthening defence ties between India and their respective nations, said an official statement.
The Annual Foreign Service Attaches (FSAs) briefing on military subjects of common interest was conducted by Indian Army at Manekshaw Centre here, with army chief, Gen. Dalbir Singh and senior military officers present at the occasion, said the Defence Ministry statement.
Army Vice Chief, Lt. General Bipin Rawat, addressed the FSAs.
FBI Director James Comey has told Congress he has not changed a conclusion reached in July that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton did nothing criminal in using a private server for e-mails when she was secretary of state.
Comey made the announcement in a letter Sunday after the bureau reviewed a new batch of e-mails discovered during a separate investigation involving former U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of key Clinton aide Huma Abedin.
In his letter to Congress, Comey said investigators have been "working around the clock" processing and reviewing the e-mails written to and by Clinton when she was secretary of state. Based on their review, he said, "we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton."
Comey said in July that while Clinton may have been "extremely careless" in handling classified information, there was no criminal intent and that prosecutors would reach the same decision.
Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri told reporters Sunday the campaign is "glad that this matter is resolved. We are glad to see that he (Comey) has found, as we were confident he would, that he's confirmed the conclusions that he reached in July."
PENETRON ADMIX in the mix: The concrete for the Paramount Miami Worldcenter foundation flowed from six boom pumps at a rate of 500 cubic yards (382 m3) per hour. This project is the second largest urban development in the country and Floridas biggest building project ever.
PENETRON ADMIX was used to treat key structural elements in the foundation of the Paramount Miami Worldcenter. The monumental multi-day pour of over 14,000 cubic yards (10,705 m3) of concrete launched the initial construction phase of the project.
"We are building America's City of the Future," explains Daniel Kodsi, the Paramount Miami Worldcenter's developer. "Paramount is going to be a significant addition to Miami's skyline. When people arrive, this will be what they see in the center of the city. It's going to signal that you have arrived in downtown Miami."
Set for a grand opening in 2018, the Paramount Miami Worldcenter will comprise seven residential and office buildings, several hotels, including a 1,700-room Marriott Marquis and a new convention center, all laid out along a six-block long shopping and dining promenade in a gigantic retail, residential, business and transportation complex. The signature 60-floor, 700-foot tall (214 m), $500-million residential skyscraper will offer 512 luxury apartments with 10-foot ceilings and private elevators leading to the promenade and a Skydeck on the 60th-floor (with a 360 view of Greater Miami, Miami Beach and Biscayne Bay). Most units have outdoor living room-style terraces. Single bedroom units start at $700,000, and penthouses start at $4 million.
The Paramount Miami Worldcenter will also serve as hub for Miami's MetroMover and MetroRail elevated transit network, adjacent to the new Brightline terminal, a high-speed intrastate railroad connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando. Service is expected to start in 2017.
This project is the second largest urban development in the country and Floridas biggest building project ever, adds Christopher Chen, Director of The PENETRON Group.
According to Supermix, the concrete supplier, pouring the concrete foundations for the Paramount Miami Worldcenter comprised a non-stop loop of 1,300 concrete truck deliveries to the construction site, where over 700 construction workers poured 52-million pounds (23,590,000 kilos) of concrete into a massive 43,000 square foot (3,995 m2), nine-foot (2.75 m) deep excavated hole. The concrete flowed from six boom pumps at a rate of 500 cubic yards (382 m3) per hour. Additionally, crews installed 4.8 million pounds (2,178,000 kilos) of perimeter steel reinforcements.
In all, the big pour delivered 14,000 cubic yards of concrete to the construction site, adds Mr. Chen. PENETRON ADMIX will provide permanent protection from any hydrostatic pressures the structures will be exposed to, while preventing corrosion of the embedded reinforcing steel.
The PENETRON Group is a leading manufacturer of specialty construction products for concrete waterproofing, concrete repairs and floor preparation systems. The Group operates through a global network, offering support to the design and construction community through its regional offices, representatives and distribution channels.
For more information on PENETRON waterproofing solutions, please visit penetron(dot)com or Facebook(dot)com/ThePenetronGroup, email CRDept(at)penetron(dot)com, or contact the Corporate Relations Department at 631-941-9700.
HURST Jaws of Life, Inc., an industry leading global manufacturer of rescue tools, has added Christen Leris to its customer care team. Leris comes to HURST as a volunteer firefighter and continues to serve as a firefighter for Charlotte Motor Speedway as well as the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).
When you have a question about our tools, sometimes its best to talk with someone who has been out in the field with them, said Bruce Johnston, director of marketing and product management for HURST Jaws of Life, Inc. Its a completely different perspective than learning from catalogs or training manuals. Christens unique perspective is an asset to our entire customer care team.
Leris has served as a volunteer firefighter since 2008. She received the instructors award in the fire academy and at rookie school. She was also named Rookie of the Year at Mallard Creek Fire Department (Charlotte, North Carolina) in 2009 and Firefighter of the Year in 2010. She currently serves with the Long Creek Fire Department in Charlotte.
For more information on HURST, please visit http://www.jawsoflife.com.
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About HURST Jaws of Life
HURST is the only manufacturer of the Jaws of Life brand. There is no equal to saving lives. The companys commitment to research and development and dedication to quality engineering and manufacturing, has resulted in a line of innovative products known for outstanding safety, durability and performance. HURST Jaws of Life, Inc., the most trusted brand in the industry, is a unit of IDEX Corporation, an applied solutions company. For more information about HURST Jaws of Life, please visit http://www.jawsoflife.com or find them on Facebook.
Contact
Bruce R. Johnston
Director of Marketing & Product Management
980.404.3649
BJohnston(at)idexcorp(dot)com
Lucent Health (@LucentHealth), the leading Healthcare Risk Management, Administration and Advisory Services company, announced its partnership with The Phia Group, LLC, one of the health benefit industry's leading cost-containment and self-funding consultation firms. The partnership is focused upon implementing the Plan Appointed Claim Evaluator, or PACE program across Lucent Health. The Phia Group will use its legal and analytical expertise to handle final, internal appeals as a fiduciary representative for those appeals on behalf of Lucent Health and its Plan Sponsor clients.
"Our partnership with The Phia Group represents our continued focus and investment in reducing our clients risk by ensuring an objective and legally vetted assessment of each plan. This in turn will provide the industrys best known appeal process, said Alex Arnet, Chief Commercial Officer for Lucent Health.
The strategic alliance between both firms is effective immediately.
With Lucent Health selecting The Phia Groups PACE service, Lucent is ensuring that the Plan Sponsors they serve will be provided the best fiduciary protection and objective, final appeals handling in the industry. Lucent Healths commitment to controlling plan costs and protecting plan assets is clear, and we are thrilled to be a key part of that commitment, said Adam Russo, CEO and President of The Phia Group.
About Lucent Health
Lucent Health (@LucentHealth), based in Nashville, empowers US employers by dramatically reducing their healthcare risks and costs while improving employee access to innovative healthcare services. Lucent Health developed a highly advanced risk-reduction solution for self-funded healthcare groups and continues to lead the industry revolution with its reference-based pricing, e2 MEC/MVP, and captive products, while serving over 140,000 members and processing $600 million in transactions annually. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Subscribe to the latest Lucent Health news.
Media Contact
Mark Stephen Ware
marketing(at)lucenthealth(dot)com
About The Phia Group
Please visit us at http://www.phiagroup.com.
The Phia Group, LLC, headquartered in Braintree, Massachusetts, is an experienced provider of health care cost containment techniques, offering comprehensive claims recovery, plan document and consulting services designed to control health care costs and protect plan assets. The Phia Group's overall mission is to reduce the cost of plans through its recovery strategies, innovative technologies, legal expertise, and focused, flexible customer service. The Phia Group has become one of the most innovative and fastest growing cost containment firms in the nation, and is a pioneer; setting the highest standards in the healthcare marketplace.
Media Contact
Tim Callender, Esq.
781.884.4031
We feel a particular duty to keep seniors and their families informed about Alzheimers disease and up-to-date on treatments and research
SeniorsGuideOnline.com raises awareness about Alzheimers disease throughout the year; however, during National Alzheimers Disease Awareness Month in November, the online resource is stepping up its efforts in disseminating information and motivating support.
When you have the attention of a large audience like we do, theres a considerable opportunity but also a huge responsibility, says Katharine Ross, vice president of Seniors Guide magazine. We feel a particular duty to keep seniors and their families informed about Alzheimers disease and up-to-date on treatments and research.
All month, the publisher will be posting content that explores everything from warning signs to the need for funding and research on its website. In addition, SeniorsGuideOnline.com will devote its November Bulletin, which is emailed to its subscriber list, to raising awareness for Alzheimers disease and use its social media channels to spread this essential information to an even broader audience.
This month we are using every tool in our arsenal to get the word out about this debilitating disease, notes Ross. If we can help even one senior detect the disease earlier or just one family get treatment and care for their loved one, we believe our time and efforts are well worth it!
Seniors Guide, a Richmond, Va. -based company, publishes Seniors Guide magazines throughout Cincinnati, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Dayton, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; and Roanoke-Lynchburg, Virginia and features a correlating website of SeniorsGuideOnline.com. Seniors Guides mission is to help seniors and their families find the information they need on options available in senior housing, senior care, assisted living, independent senior living, retirement communities and other retirement living needs. Seniors Guide also has resources at http://www.HomeCareChoice.com for Cincinnati, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Dayton, Ohio; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; and Richmond, VA. Ross Publishing, Seniors Guides parent company, began in 1991 and has been publishing helpful, free publications and websites ever since. In addition to the many Seniors Guide titles, the team at Ross Publishing is behind lifestyle magazine BOOMER and real estate publication Apartment Navigator.
The National Insurance Restoration Council (NIRC) proudly certifies Noble Public Adjusting Group as a Certified Public Adjuster Member. NIRC vetted members ensure the insurance restoration industry maintains high ethical standards through exceptional service throughout the insurance claim process. Noble Public Adjusting Group specializes in commercial and residential claim representation, insurance appraisal and umpiring services, expert witness and mediation services, loss estimating, and free expert property inspections and consultations.
Noble Public Adjusting Group is comprised of licensed insurance professionals that work for the public to represent policyholders when they have experienced damages or a loss. Noble Public Adjusting Group works with property owners by helping them through every step of the claims process. Noble Public Adjusting Group is dedicated to supporting, educating, advocating, and representing policyholders who have an insurance claim. Noble Public Adjusting Group is the only full-staffed public adjusting firm on the Emerald Coast, dedicated to ensuring that policyholders are fully indemnified when they experience a loss and file a claim.
Noble Public Adjusting Group is honored to join the NIRC vetted member network as a Public Adjuster Certified Member. We are committed to helping property owners and contractors throughout the insurance claim restoration process. The NIRC accredited network is a group of professionals committed to the highest standards in the industry, says James Bo Williamson, Founder of Noble Public Adjusting Group.
The most recent report from the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) indicated that while the number of licensed public adjusters in Florida is growing significantly, the incidence of complaints, regulatory actions, and allegations of fraud involving public adjusters is generally low. The report also found that Florida policyholders filing catastrophic loss claims with public adjuster representation typically received higher settlements than those without public adjusters. In one example concerning hurricane damage, a 747% higher payout was recorded to Florida property owners who utilized a public adjuster in their claim. The OPPAGA is an office of the Legislature and provides data, evaluative research, and objective analyses to assist legislative budget and policy deliberations.
The NIRC is an independent 501c3 non-profit organization that is devoted to protecting and educating property owners and restoration contractors when dealing with insurance claims. NIRC members pass a thorough background screening and compliance check through independent 3rd party Global Risk Management Solutions (GRMS). The NIRC acts as principal advocate for improved case law and industry reform and protects both property owners and contractors through the insurance claim process.
The NIRC is proud to welcome Noble Public Adjusting Group as one of our newest Public Adjuster Certified Members. A company like Noble Public Adjusting Group that is dedicated to property owner rights and fair and balanced claims settlement improves the industry as a whole. The NIRC vetted member network will continue to fight for consumer rights and demand that everyone in the industry adhere to the highest ethical standards, says Joe Radcliff, president of the National Insurance Restoration Council.
About the National Insurance Restoration Council
Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, the National Insurance Restoration Council (NIRC) is a non-profit organization devoted to protecting and educating property owners and restoration contractors when dealing with insurance claims. The NIRC acts as the principal advocate for improved legislation and case law to protect consumers and contractors when dealing with insurance claims throughout the nation. The NIRC serves the common interest of insurance restoration contractors and protects consumers from unethical contractors. Vetted and certified NIRC certified contractors adhere to a strict code of professional conduct, educate property owners about the insurance restoration process, and give back to communities in storm damaged areas. NIRC certified contractors go through an extensive background check to become members of the Diamond Standard code of business. The NIRC as a self-regulated entity and cooperates with the Department of Insurance (DOI) and other regulatory authorities throughout the United States to improve the ethics of the industry through education and high standards. Learn more at http://www.NIRC4Change.org.
About Noble Public Adjusting Group
Public Adjusting Group is a privately held organization that advocates for policyholders throughout the insurance claim process. Noble Public Adjusting Group negotiates on behalf of the property owner, coordinates with contractors, and negotiates with insurance companies to obtain the appropriate payout. Noble Public Adjusting Group is a state licensed and regulated professional Insurance Adjuster. Whether the claim has already been filed, needs to be filed, or has been closed with an unsatisfactory payout, Noble Public Adjusting Group represents customers at any point in the claim process, even if the claim has been denied. Noble Public Adjusting Group is a proud Public Adjuster Certified Member with the National Insurance Restoration Council (NIRC), member of the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (FAPIA), and member of the Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce, Destin Area Chamber of Commerce, and Walton Area Chamber of Commerce. Learn more at http://www.NoblePAGroup.com
Media Inquiries:
Angela Delmedico
Elev8 Consulting Group
Ph: 386.243.5388
Web: http://www.elev8cg.com
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Harper designs system for Prayon Harper is focused on supporting the next generation of materials in advanced markets, and this project for the lithium iron phosphate market is a great representation of that, commented Brian Fuller, Sales Manager for Harper International.
Harper International, world leader in custom thermal processing solutions for advanced materials, has been awarded a contract for a high volume Rotary furnace system by Prayon, headquartered in Belgium. The innovative reactor will be used for drying and calcining of Prayons advanced iron phosphate powder, a key component of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) cathode materials used in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, and is a part of their recently announced new plant investment to supply the lithium ion battery market.
The gas-fired Harper Rotary kiln will support their high volume operations with features to maximize Prayons production, including advanced tube features to provide enhanced reaction kinetics, gas-tight and dust-tight design, and internal heat recovery within the furnace chamber to improve energy efficiency. Prayon collaborated with Harper through their Ignite process during the development phase by supporting scale up planning and analysis. The Ignite program offers scale-up expertise and testing resources to help minimize risk and maximize efficiency for pilot and production level outputs.
Harper is focused on supporting the next generation of materials in advanced markets, and this project for the lithium iron phosphate market is a great representation of that, commented Brian Fuller, Sales Manager for Harper International. The material is an ideal solution for many of todays most progressive technologies for electric power and storage battery systems, and we are proud to be a part of Prayons solution to supply this market.
About Harper International
Harper International is a global leader in complete thermal processing solutions and technical services essential for the production of advanced materials. From concept to commercialization, from research scale to full production line operations, Harper is perpetually on the cutting edge of the most innovative furnace and oven designs in the world. For decades, they have pioneered some of the most unique, customized systems available, with a focus on processing materials at high temperatures up to 3000C and in non-ambient atmospheres. For additional information, please visit http://www.harperintl.com or email info(at)harperintl(dot)com.
About Prayon
Prayon is a fully integrated global phosphate producer headquartered in Belgium, with manufacturing operations in Belgium, France and the United States. Jointly owned by OCP (Morocco) and SRIW (Belgium), Prayon manufactures and markets an extensive range of purified phosphoric acids, phosphate salts and fluorine products that are used in food, fertilisers and a range of industrial applications. Prayon also manufactures lithium iron phosphate, a cathode material used in hybrid and electric vehicle batteries as well as stationary applications. Prayon is constantly exploring new products designed to serve emerging market trends. Learn more at http://www.prayon.com
Provincial authorities in Pakistan have decided "on humanitarian grounds" not to deport the green-eyed Afghan woman globally known as the "Afghan Girl" for her appearance on a 1985 National Geographic cover.
The announcement Saturday came a day after a court in Peshawar, capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, found 46-year-old Shartbat Gula guilty of fraudulently obtaining Pakistani citizenship identity and ordered authorities to deport her on Monday.
The Afghan woman was taken into custody about two weeks ago and was later hospitalized because of suffering from Hepatitis C.
On Friday, Gula appeared in the court and pleaded guilty to charges of falsifying documents and staying illegally in Pakistan.
MEF16 Proof of Concept Showcase provides an opportunity for service providers and vendors to spotlight innovations that promise to advance the Third Network services and technology landscape.
Brain4Net, NoviFlow and Edgecore will present SDN-based CE 2.0 services packaged with value added Cloud/NFV applications by leveraging LSO concepts demonstrating the future of Metro Aggregation Networks (MAN). The showcase demonstraes an end-to-end solution for Communications Service Providers (CSPs) that helps them to extend Carrier Ethernet (CE) services with value-added virtual network services. The demonstration consists of two integrated parts:
OpenFlow-based solution for Metro Aggregation Network that provides a full set of Carrier Ethernet services within given Metropolitan area
High-performance SDN-based Telco Data Center network fabric comprised of bare-metal switches and virtual switches, integrated with the Metro network infrastructure
All of the integrated parts compose end-to-end unified switching fabric spreading from CSPs Access Network to the egress ports of Telco Data Center. It enables CSPs to deliver customer traffic from the access network to the NFV platform in the CSP PoP and tightly integrate metro network services with value added NFV or other cloud applications.
The demo topology consists of several models of a mix of open network switches and network applicances, including
Edgecore Networks AS5712-32X open network and OCP Accepted 10GbE switch;
NoviFlow 2122/2116 switches;
and x86 Network Appliance with virtual Brain4Net OpenFlow-switch [B4N SwitchOS] installed.
The topology shows the use case described above as well as interoperability among a range of switching platforms open network switches and x86-based switches from different vendors-- working in single Metro SDN-domain & CSP PoP and forming a unified infrastructure for Carrier Ethernet and NFV services.
The solution provides the following business advantages:
Reduce CAPEX by using open networkswitches instead of costly and (in most cases) over-functional MPLS-routers in Metro networks;
Reduce OPEX by automation of network service provisioning, end-to-end service management, and hardware unification;
Employ effective cross-sale strategies by incorporating Customer VPN services with value-added VNFs;
Embody the Digitization and Network Transformation strategies in most cost effective manner;
Avoid vendor lock-in.
"We are pleased that respected global technology community selected our proof of concept proposal and shortlisted Brain4Net for on-site demonstration at MEF16", said Oleg Schapov, CEO and Founder of Brain4Net. "On November 8 in Baltimore we plan to demonstrate the way how SDN/NFV-based Metro Aggregation Networks will be able to consolidate main technology trends, such as 5G, Mobile Edge Computing, transformation of Telco PoP to Telco DC, etc. By leveraging both SDN and NFV technologies, our approach enables CSP to build the service-oriented network infrastructure with endless potential of services, while delivering carrier grade resilience and fault tolerance".
NoviFlow is pleased to collaborate with Brain4Net and Edgecore on this very innovative Proof of Concept demonstration at the MEF16. Brain4Net creates SDN-based solutions that demonstrate the far-reaching potential of SDN, and NoviFlow is providing the high performance scalable forwarding plane solutions supporting these applications in real-world deployments,, - said Dominique Jodoin, president and CEO of NoviFlow.
Edgecore is pleased to collaborate with Brain4Net and NoviFlow on the Proof of Concept demonstration at MEF16 of an open network infrastructure for delivering Metro Ethernet services, - said Jeff Catlin, VP Technology of Edgecore Networks. This is another example of open networking solutions based on our OCP Accepted switches, with SDN and NFV software from partners like Brain4Net and NoviFlow, providing innovative benefits for telecom operators.
About Brain4Net, inc.
Brain4Net Inc. is an innovative SDN/NFV solution provider for Enterprises and Service Providers. B4N Service Platform (the companys flagship product) allows providing comprehensive network orchestration and control solutions for multi-vendor network infrastructure. The firms approach helps organizations bring agility to the network, improve network service chaining, and reduce both CAPEX and OPEX for network infrastructure deployment and operations.
Established in March 2015, Brain4Net stands out as SDN/NFV software vendor with broad technology partners ecosystem. Moving Telco industry and open source communities forward, Brain4Net is an active member of MEF, ONF, OPNFV, Intel Network Builders, Open Compute Project, Telecom Infra Project. Through co-leadership at MEF OpenCS NFV group, Brain4Net actively shares the expertise of OpenFlow-based CE 2.0 services with MEF community members. The companys NFV expertise combined with extensive experience in complex services orchestration enhances the Third Network focused work groups.
For more information, visit http://www.brain4net.com.
Follow Brain4Net on Twitter @Brain4Net_inc
About NoviFlow
NoviFlow Inc. provides high-performance OpenFlow-based SDN networking solutions to telecom carriers, data center operators and enterprises seeking greater control and flexibility over their networks. NoviFlow has offices in Montreal, Sunnyvale and Seattle.
For more information, please visit http://www.noviflow.com.
Follow NoviFlow on Twitter @NoviFlowInc.
About Edgecore Networks
Edgecore Networks Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Accton Technology Corporation, the leading network ODM. Edgecore Networks delivers wired and wireless networking products and solutions through channel partners and system integrators worldwide for the Data Center, Service Provider, Enterprise and SMB customers. Edgecore Networks is the leader in open networking providing a full line of 1GbE, 10GbE, 25GbE, 40GbE, 50GbE and 100GbE open and OCP switches that offer choice of NOS and SDN software for data center, telecommunications and Enterprise network use cases.
For more information, visit http://www.Edge-Core.com.
CU Xpress Lease, the nations leading auto lease program for credit unions announces, Why Lease? Why Now? Its time for more credit unions to enter the auto lease market, on November 10th, addressing the highly profitable and exclusive lease market. The program, now in its 10th year, has experienced a 40% YTD growth over 2015 and its credit union partners are on pace to fund approximately $1 billion in leases by the end of 2016. The webinar is open to all credit unions and will address how leasing has become the finance option of choice for many throughout key regions of the U.S. As leasing continues to expand, this informative webinar will provide an in depth view of how to position your credit union for success and benefit from market conditions. Its important for credit unions to gain a greater market share of this business. This webinar will leave those attending with a better understanding of how to get started and grow, as credit unions have a unique advantage, explains Robert OHara, Vice President of Strategic Alliances, GrooveCar Inc.
An area of high interest for credit unions is the appeal leasing has for millennial members. This propensity to lease, combined with the millennials deep distrust of traditional banks, places credit unions in an excellent position to serve this group. In addition to the millennial, the webinar will also focus on: Why consumers are leasing and why it is important for credit unions to take advantage of market conditions, lease statistics and market data, benefits of offering a lease program, risks associated with leasing and how to compete at the point-of-sale. In essence, the webinar provides a road map on how to get in front of all members through a leasing product, while keeping the credit union competitive at every stage of the auto buying cycle.
The webinar will touch on the program while inviting attendees to submit questions specific to their needs. The goal is to demonstrate how incremental growth can be achieved through leasing. We will be discussing data including statistical information we have witnessed from credit unions on our program. Credit unions will find the information very beneficial as we enter a new year since leasing could help credit unions reach their loan volume and revenue goals for next year, comments OHara.
CU Xpress Lease provides all the tools to compete against captives and banks. The longevity and success of the program can be traced to the benefits provided to credit unions without the risk once associated with leasing. In some regions of the U.S., up to 70% of new vehicle purchases are through leasing. Credit unions will learn how to be competitive at all stages instead of competing for just traditional loans. Plus, leasing provides an excellent opportunity to build stronger relationships and relevancy with local dealers since there is far fewer lease options for them to choose from, thereby allowing the credit union to stand out, states OHara.
CU Xpress Lease is the nations number one credit union automotive lease program featuring a portfolio of over $3.2 billion and more than 65,000 vehicles. The program is 100% responsible for vehicles residual value and any wear and tear, along with an average FICO score of 757, a 75% look-to-book and an average term of 37 months.
To sign up go to the GrooveCarInc.com website and follow the prompts or click: http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=EC58DE80824A3C. A copy of the webinar will be made available to all participants.
About CU Xpress Lease:
A lease product specifically designed for the credit union to reap the benefits of leasing while maintaining control of the credit process. CU Xpress Lease and its affiliated companies bring decades of experience in auto remarketing and lease servicing to meet the needs of credit unions and their members. With offices in Bedford, Texas; Lebanon, NJ and Hauppauge, New York, an experienced infrastructure is ready to provide credit unions with an innovative product without the risk.
About GrooveCar:
Founded in 1999, GrooveCar provides automotive loan growth solutions to credit unions nationwide while providing their members, as well as the general public, with the most informative and user-friendly auto search engine. With its expansive dealership network surpassing five million vehicles, GrooveCar facilitates the entire car buying process, including shopping, researching, buying, leasing, and financing. Through the national auto-leasing program CU Xpress Lease, credit unions can take advantage of leasing opportunities in the new and pre-owned vehicle market. CU Xpress is the leading credit union lease program in the nation. Additional information on GrooveCar or CU Xpress Lease may be found at http://www.groovecarinc.com.
Bill Cummins has joined Hughes Equipment Company as its sales manager for food processing equipment business in the companys Northwest Territory.
Cummins will be responsible for new business development and current account sales development and support in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia.
He comes to Hughes Equipment with more than 30 years of food processing industry experience. His previous positions included plant engineer and maintenance manager at Diana Naturals and maintenance manager at Smith Frozen Foods. He is a Washington State University alumnus.
Russ Schlager, Hughes Equipment VP of sales, states: We are very excited to welcome Bill to Hughes Equipment. Bills extensive experience managing capital improvement projects and maintenance programs for food plant production operations will allow Bill to fully support both our existing and new Hughes Equipment Company customers with value-added machine solutions and after-sales service.
About Hughes Equipment Company
Hughes Equipment is a Columbus, Wis.-based manufacturer and international distributor of stainless steel equipment and parts for the food processing industry. Its machinery is used around the world for vegetable, pasta, rice, fruit and root crop processing and preparation, including handling for the fresh market. Hughes manufactures cooking, cleaning, conveying, cutting, cooling, filling, husking, metering and snipping machinery. Based on the companys 50+ years of experience, the food processing experts at Hughes Equipment work as strategic partners to bring efficiencies and higher productivity to their customers.
The company is online at http://www.hughesequipment.com.
Straub Construction, Inc. has been awarded the contract for the MCON design-bid-build project P-378 which includes the construction of an addition and renovation of an existing hangar to support the F-35C Fleet Replacement Squadron maintenance functions at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The addition will expand all of the aircraft maintenance high bay space, crews and shops space, administrative, equipment and maintenance spaces. Renovation includes maintenance bays, and shop and administrative spaces; including selective demolition work, new finishes, roof replacement, and incidental structural and secondary utility system modifications and upgrades. Project also includes utility infrastructure upgrades and site improvements.
The $46,324,000 million project is slated for completion in March 2018.
Straub Construction is an award-winning general contractor specializing in design-build and construction management services. The company has provided comprehensive services to support Department of Defense and public construction programs for clients in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. The privately held corporation has always maintained a reputation for excellence throughout its 40 year history. The company is currently located at 202 West College, Fallbrook, CA 92028. Corporate Office: (760) 414-9000, fax (760) 414-9100. http://www.straubinc.com
2016 Luxury Home Magazine Distributor of the Year We are honored to present the Distributor of the Year Award to Solar & Jessica Hing of Charlotte, NC - Brad & Cathy Taylor - LHM Corp
Luxury Home Magazine announced the winners of its most prestigious awards during the companys national luxury real estate conference last month in Los Alamitos, Calif. During the conference, extensive time was spent on the evolution of print, digital and online technologies in addition to social and mobile trends moving forward.
Rookie of the Year award recipient was LHM Nashville publishers, Cameron & Alexa McGraw
Taylor Salute award recipient was Tomas & Christina Martinez, publishers from LHM San Antonio
Distributor of the Year was presented to LHM Charlotte publishers, Solar & Jessica Hing
During the Luxury Home Magazine National Conference, eight markets were recognized with a 10 year award. Phoenix Arizona, Hawaii, Washington DC, Seattle Washington, Tampa Florida, Dallas Fort Worth Texas, Sacramento California and Denver Colorado.
Finally publishers Emile & Raina Bonfiglio of LHM Portland/SW Washington won first place in the Distribution Video Award
All the publishers recognized and honored at the Luxury Home Magazine Conference exemplified passion, belief, posture and relatability in representing the Luxury Home Magazine brand nationally.
About Luxury Home Magazine:
Since 2002 Luxury Home Magazine a niche publication and media company has consistently adapted to both the needs of their clients and publishers, never forgetting their culture, process, system and structure.
Today, Luxury Home Magazine is the largest network of market specific Luxury Home Magazines targeting the most affluent and influential demographic audiences locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
As Luxury Home Magazine continues to provide a superior market-specific product, we are driven to give our Publishers more technology and real-time training. Our goal is ultimately to be a resource to not just our Publishers, but to our Clients and their Clients as well. Our Team, our Vision, our Values and our Focus are the driving forces as we continue opening magazines throughout North America. -Brad Taylor, CEO-LHM
Luxury Home Magazine is a division of Sunshine Publication, Inc. / LHM Media Group. Publishing Opportunity information and digital magazine content can be found at http://www.LuxuryHomeMagazine.com.
With MiFID 2 just around the corner we believe weve entered the UK market at the right time when most brokers will be re-evaluating their trade reporting setups.
Following on its impressive growth and dominance of the derivatives trade reporting sector for CFD and FX brokers in Australia, TRAction Fintech has launched in the UK and Europe to meet the demand there for extra competition in service offerings to assist brokers with reporting trades under the EMIR and MiFID legislation.
When asked how TRAction Fintech planned to differentiate themselves in the competitive UK marketplace Quinn Perrott, General Manager, responded, There are 2 key areas where we think TRAction Fintech really distinguishes itself from other offerings in the market:
"1. Pricing structure. TRAction Fintech is unique in having a monthly fee cap. Its quite common in the UK for brokers to be subject to high trade reporting fees but with a reasonable yearly cap. In effect the brokers end up paying for a years worth of trade reporting in the first month and then get the subsequent 11 months for free. Thats why TRAction Fintech listened to the industry and got a sense of the frustration at being locked into a provider.
"2. Service level and holistic understanding. The other thing that really sets us apart is our holistic approach AND specialisation. There are plenty of companies out there that can provide trade reporting software or provide consulting on how to set things up. However there are a very select few who take on the whole puzzle, end to end, as their core business, like TRAction Fintech do.
Sophie Gerber added, With MiFID 2 just around the corner we believe weve entered the UK market at the right time when most brokers will be re-evaluating their trade reporting setups. Weve also found that even as we come up to the 3 year anniversary of the EMIR reporting start date there is still a fair amount of confusion in the market place. Here are 2 key examples weve come across:
"1. Brokers assuming FX isnt reportable under EMIR due to the spot FX exemption. FX derivatives (like that generally traded on MT4 or similar platforms) often do have their underlying price feed from spot FX. However they arent exempt as they dont settle and dont meet the commercial purposes test.
"2. Spread betting not being reportable because its gambling. Yes spread betting is gambling but its also a reportable OTC derivative if it is based on a reportable financial product. Basically if its reportable as a CFD its also reportable as a spread bet."
Background
TRAction Fintech is headed by Quinn Perrott, former GM at AxiTrader and Sophie Gerber who also operates a well-known compliance and legal consultancy firm for financial services businesses. TRAction Fintech is already a major provider of regtech solutions to the Australian market and currently works for over 30 CFD and FX providers.
TRAction Fintech is a full service trade reporting business, with the following core services:
1. Data extraction and conversion to then trade repository format.
2. Understanding the trade reporting rules and how they practically apply.
3. On-boarding and submission of trades to an approved trade repository.
Products required to report include:
College representatives, including those from Boston College, Northeastern University, and Gordon College, host panel to answer student questions From the panel discussion...to the individual school presentations that followed, they got the chance to learn, explore and interact in a meaningful way with...11 leading colleges and universities
On Thursday, September 29th, Lexington Christian Academy juniors and seniors had the opportunity to hear from and speak with admissions representatives from some of the areas most prominent universities. The College Night event was hosted by LCAs College Advising department. The guests represented 11 institutions including Boston College, Northeastern University, Boston University and Gordon College. The event began in the Cross Center for Worship and the Performing Arts, where the visitors first answered questions relating to varying areas of the college experience. The representatives then split into classrooms for specific presentations and questions from LCA high schoolers.
College Night 2016 was a tremendous success, said Rob Scaro, Director of College Advising. We wanted to give our students and their families something more than what they would get at a typical fair. From the panel discussion with college admissions representatives that began the evening to the individual school presentations that followed, they got the chance to learn, explore and interact in a meaningful way with an amazing cross-section of 11 leading colleges and universities. Visiting University of New Hampshire representative Richard Haynes appreciated the chance to meet LCA upper school students, saying, The students at Lexington Christian Academy were very aware of the college search process and truly understood the power of education.
Head of School Tim Russell was also delighted with the success of the program and the ingenuity that it was built on. Newly appointed director Rob Scaro really shone tonight! said Russell. Rob was chosen because of his stellar academic background (Boston College, William and Mary, University of Virginia) and his expertise in the classroom. This experience fit him well to winsomely engage our students, as well as spur them on to apply to a wide selection of colleges and see them succeed.
LCA Senior Peter Walsh attended College Night and took full advantage of the experience he and his peers shared, noting, I thought LCAs College Night was a nice way to get a taste of a wide range of schools. Many of the colleges I am applying to were at the event. This allowed me to ask questions in small groups, an opportunity I have not had until now.
Following this years great success, plans are in the works for College Night to be held next year as well. With this opportunity behind them, LCA high schoolers are now all the more ready to find success in the college application process and beyond.
Lexington Christian Academy is an independent college preparatory school that exists to educate young men and women in the arts and sciences in the context of a complete commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Chief Legal Counselor, Guillermo Carey, accepting Gold Stevie Award. Fernando Fischmann is the embodiment of an innovator! What is even more remarkable is that his innovation has a positive impact on the environment.
Crystal Lagoons Chairman and Founder Fernando Fischmann earned two Gold Stevie Awards in the International Business Awards for Innovator of the Year and for Energy Industry Innovation of the Year.
Considered the Oscars of the business world which singles out the good business leaders around the world, Fernando Fischmann, Founder and President of Crystal Lagoons, now joins the ranks of Stevie Awards winners, including Steve Jobs of Apple, Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Alan Mulally of Ford Motor Company.
Fernando Fischmann was named the Innovator of the Year for his sustainable vision for water usage and earned the Energy Industry Innovation of the Year for his water desalination technology that uses no energy and that aims to solve some of the global problems of energy and water scarcity.
This years awards received more than 3,800 nominations from 60 countries, and Fischmann was chosen as the person who has contributed the most to innovation, with the Cisco Systems taking second place.
Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 200 executives worldwide who participated in the judging process from May through early August. The judging panel included representatives from Nike, DHL, HSBC, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, American Express and others.
The judges made positive comments about the scientist, such as:
Fernando Fischmann is the embodiment of an innovator! What is even more remarkable is that his innovation has a positive impact on the environment.
Fischmann sees a challenge, sees an opportunity and looks for a solution or creates new technology to accomplish his goal. An innovator!
It is a wonderful innovation and initiative to provide solutions to humanitys critical need for survival. A well anticipated innovation and a noble contribution to the wellbeing of the world.
In less than seven years, the multinational innovation company founded by Fischmann and known for creating the Worlds Top Amenity, has grown to 15 offices worldwide and boasts a portfolio of more than 400 projects in different stages of development across 60 countries.
Fischmann has received more than 20 awards, including the Best New Business award, the Keys to Miami from the Beacon Council, the Innovation Award from Floridas Governor, two Guinness World Records, and he is the only executive to have received awards for Best Entrepreneur, Best Innovator and Best Businessman.
Fischmann has developed more than 1,500 patents in 160 countries that have changed the lifestyle of people worldwide. Today, his scientific efforts are focused on the development of a wide variety of industrial applications that solve global problems, such as energy, water scarcity and environmental degradation.
More than 330 executives from over 30 nations gathered at the Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotel for the annual International Business Awards banquet on October 21st. Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word for crowned, the Stevie Awards were created by R.S. Owens, the same manufacturers as Hollywood Oscars.
Details about The International Business Awards and the lists of Stevie Award winners are available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.
http://www.crystal-lagoons.com
http://www.fernandofischmann.com
About Crystal Lagoons
Crystal Lagoons is a multi-national company with US headquarters in Miami, Florida, that has developed an innovative concept and technology, patented in 160 countries, allowing for the construction and maintenance of unlimited size bodies of water in crystal clear conditions at low cost. Crystal Lagoons impressive turquoise waters are revolutionizing not only the real estate world but also water and energy production. Applications range from bringing idyllic beach life to locations otherwise thought unimaginable, to providing industrial solutions for closed-circuit cooling systems for thermal power plants and data-centers, among others. For more information, please visit http://www.crystal-lagoons.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 nominations each year from organizations in more than 60 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.
Paladin Capital Group is pleased to announce the results of an eleven-month investigation into Youth Pathways into Cybercrime. Paladin Capital Group funded the research project; Professor Mary Aiken (Strategic Advisor to Paladin and Academic Advisor to Europol) and Professor Julia Davidson led the project; and Europols European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) supported the project.
Michael Steed, of Paladin Capital Group (Founder and Managing Partner), stated, Paladin supports youth research, especially as it relates to creating better and more secure cyber societies for our children. The topics researched by Dr. Mary Aiken and others during this investigation are pertinent ones that must be focused on more intensely as cyber technologies are used to exploit youth and women worldwide.
The researchers engaged with a range of stakeholders from law enforcement and mental health professionals, to youth educators, framing the work within the literature base in order to conduct the research. INTERPOL, the UK National Crime Agency, Europol, and the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation, amongst others, were key stakeholders in this research project.
The report outlines a breadth of topics explored in the investigation and presents the researchers findings over multiple sections of the report.
The research focuses on adolescent hackers and negative behaviors associated with juvenile criminality. The report considers four critical areas of understanding: criminology, developmental psychology, neurobiology, and the emerging realm of cyberpsychology, highlighting that these overlapping areas may be useful to law enforcement and industry in the identification, prevention, intervention, and, ultimately, conviction processes and in turn the rehabilitation of youth hackers.
The report argues the importance of developing a 'Technology Quotient' (T.Q.) metric, in line with measurements of intelligence and emotion, in order to identify, nurture and mentor tech talented youth. It emphasizes the need to raise awareness of cyber juvenile delinquency in general, as well as to improve training and transparency in criminal justice processes and systems.
We must take a developmental approach in the investigation of youth hacking behavior, Dr. Mary Aiken stated in a conversation about the report. We need to develop psychometric tests, she continued, to enable educators to identify youth tech skills at an early stage we could then focus on developing and rewarding this talent, and importantly provide guidance and incentives for positive and constructive use of cyber skill sets.
The report also highlights implications for youth who engage in criminal hacking behavior, for parents/caregivers of those youths, and for persons involved in related matters of policing and practice. It provides key recommendations for policy and training, along with multi-disciplinary prevention, intervention, and deterrence measures.
The report concludes with recommendations for further research to examine addictive type behaviors associated with youth hacking, along with collaboration between, and proactive work with, industry, educators, and reformed young hackers to develop a prototype educational awareness program that can be piloted and evaluated in schools.
Paladin has supported the work of Dr. Mary Aiken, who became a Strategic Advisor to Paladin in 2015. Most recently, Paladin and The Honorable and Mrs. H. Lee Buchanan hosted the Launch of The Cyber Effect, Dr. Aikens new book. That event took place two weeks ago, to the day.
To read the research report: http://www.paladincapgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Pathways-White-Paper-US-final-1.pdf
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About Paladin Capital Group
Paladin Capital Group was founded in 2001 and has offices in Washington DC, New York, London, and Silicon Valley. As a multi-stage investors, Paladins team focuses on best-of-breed companies with technologies, products, and services that meet the challenging global cyber security and digital infrastructure resilience needs for commercial and government customers. Paladin has over $1 billion in committed capital across multiple funds.
For more information on Paladin, follow the firm on Twitter @Paladincap and visit our website at http://www.paladincapgroup.com.
About Dr. Mary Aiken
Mary is a forensic cyber psychologist who specializes in the impact of technology on human behavior and has written on issues relating to the intersection where humans and technology collide.
She is a member of the Strategic Advisory Group to Paladin Capital Group, an Academic Advisor to the European Cyber Crime Centre at Europol, an Adjunct Associate Professor at University College Dublin, and has conducted research and training workshops with multiple global agencies, from INTERPOL to the FBI and the White House. Random House recently published her new book The Cyber Effect and Paladin supported the release of it in the U.S., along with The Honorable and Mrs. H. Lee Buchanan.
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For more information on Paladin Capital Group:
http://www.paladincapgroup.com/
For more information on Dr. Mary Aiken:
http://www.paladincapgroup.com/dr-mary-aikens-the-cyber-effect/
http://www.paladincapgroup.com/dr-mary-aiken-discusses-her-new-book-the-cyber-effect/
To purchase Dr. Mary Aikens book, The Cyber Effect:
https://www.amazon.com/Cyber-Effect-Pioneering-Cyberpsychologist-Explains/dp/0812997859
For a BBC news report on this project:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37752800
For a CNN interview with Dr. Mary Aiken:
http://snpy.tv/2fFngUb
Michael Macauley, CEO of Quadrant Information Services, reviews tech-driven P&C implications Like practically every other industry, insurance at the agency level has been disrupted to some extent by digital technology.
The future of independent property and casualty insurance agencies looks bright, according to a recent survey of agency principals and producers conducted by Hanover Research. The study, How Independent P&C Insurance Agencies Thrive in 2016s Competitive Marketplace, reports that nearly half (49%) of agency respondents were very optimistic about the future success of their agencies.1
Agents are increasingly turning to technology to find new ways to engage with customers and increase their competitive edge. Two-thirds of surveyed agencies either use or plan to invest in mobile-enabled websites to help attract new customers, up from 40% in 2015. Almost half (47%) of agencies say they are experimenting with new marketing tactics, and 36% say that they, like the carriers, are increasing customer self-service capabilities. A substantial number (31%) have noticed an increase in customer inquiries for usage-based products such as pay-as-you-drive car insurance. While this is a relatively low-margin product, agentsparticularly those working with CRM programsregard these inquiries as an opportunity to grow their customer base.
The study shows a steady year-over-year increase in technology budgets and the adoption of business software applications, such as mobile interfaces and customer relationship management (CRM)both of which are credited with helping the independent agent channel remain competitive.
Michael Macauley, CEO of Quadrant Information Services, a leading supplier of pricing analytics services to property and casualty insurance carriers, said, Like practically every other industry, insurance at the agency level has been disrupted to some extent by digital technology.
Highly interactive websites make it easier and more cost-effective for carriers to deal directly with individual policyholders. Younger and more technology-savvy insurance customers, and especially Millennials, prefer this approach for certain productsparticularly auto insurance, which is now essentially a cost-differentiated commodity.
Agencies are reevaluating their relationships with the carriers whose products they handle. Factors such as compensation plans and marketing support for carriers, which in the past have been quite important to agencies, are no longer as relevant as they once were. Industry observers warn that carriers who continue to do business as usual will find that agencies have moved on to those carriers that get it and are willing to meet the agencies evolving needs.3
Overall, the findings of How Independent P&C Insurance Agencies Thrive in 2016s Competitive Marketplace indicate a strong understanding of the importance of technology to help drive revenue growth, and an equally strong desire for technological support from the carriers with whom they work. While agencies are determined to deliver better service, they are aware that the level of service they can provide is highly dependent upon the carriers.
They want information, said Macauley, and they want it quickly. Response time is hugely important to the agencies. They also want the information delivered in a form that enables them to use it to make good business decisions.
Macauley stated that Quadrant is working to help carriers provide such information through the development of Periscope, a business intelligence tool that provides a written, qualitative, plain-English summary of complex data comparisons. Macauley explained that Periscope is designed to help a carrier understandquickly and clearlywhat the competition is doing and what they, themselves, can do better. In addition to being a top management tool for carriers, its a terrific way for the carrier to provide strategic support to its agencies.
About Quadrant Information Services:
Quadrant Information Services, headquartered in Pleasanton, CA, provides pricing analytics solutions for property and casualty insurance companies. Quadrant gives actuary, product development, pricing, sales and marketing personnel at its client companieswhich include all the major insurance carriers in the United Statesthe data they need to make accurate, data-driven decisions. An industry innovator since its founding in 1991, Quadrant has provided the P&C insurance field with a long series of technological advances, including InsureWatch, the industrys first cloud-based pricing tool, which allows the user to produce unlimited combinations of reports with the click of a mouse. For more information, and to learn why Quadrant is for insurance companies that are tired of losing the right customers and winning the wrong ones, please visit http://www.quadinfo.com.
1. Independent agencies report optimism rebounding, IFAwebnews, October 18, 2016. http://ifawebnews.com/2016/10/18/independent-agencies-report-optimism-rebounding/.
2. Buying Insurance: Evolving Distribution Channels, Insurance Information Institute, August 2016. http://www.iii.org/issue-update/buying-insurance-evolving-distribution-channels.
3. Carriers & Agencies: A Changing Relationship, Vertafore, January 2013. http://www.vertafore.com/~/media/Vertafore-Media-Library/Resources-Liabrary/White-Papers/Carriers-and-Agencies_A-Changing-Relationship.ashx.
A total of 1,154 North Korean defectors arrived in South Korea from January to October this year, the Unification Ministry said on Sunday. That was an increase of 21 percent over the same period last year.
As of the end of October some 29,948 defectors had settled down here, so the total is expected to pass the 30,000 mark in mid-November.
Annual defections declined after a peak of 2,914 in 2009 because surveillance was tightened and the North's economy improved slightly since Kim Jong-un came into power in late 2011, but the number has now risen again.
"It seems that more North Koreans fled because the economy worsened under stronger international sanctions and they wanted to break away from the tyranny of Kim Jong-un," a ministry official said.
In a poll of defectors who completed courses at the Hanawon halfway house, 13.3 percent said they came here because of hunger and economic hardship, down from 70.6 percent in 2001.
But 86.7 percent said they wanted more freedom and became disillusioned with the regime, up from barely one-third 15 years ago.
Duke Moscrip Serving Award Winning Chowder at Duke's Chowder House Veteran's Hospitals got my father back to functioning normally. Thank God, and bless the doctors for helping him to heal. My heart goes out to each and every veteran.
On November 10, 2016 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., all six locations of Dukes Chowder House will be serving complimentary bowls of their award-winning All Natural New England Clam Chowder to veterans to celebrate International Chowder Day and bring the greater Seattle community together in honor of military troopsboth active and retiredand their families. All other guests pay $1 for a small bowl. Dukes matches every dollar and donates the proceeds to Seattle Veterans Hospital, part of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System.
Designated as International Chowder Day by the 2008 Mayor of Seattle, Greg Nickels, this year will mark the 9th annual celebration. The event seeks to raise awareness for the plight of American veterans, recognize their multitudinous sacrifices, and continue to honor their years of service.
Supporting American veterans is at the heart of all those associated with Dukes Chowder House. Duke Moscrips father, the Original Duke, served in the United States Navy for 35 years. A Navy pilot during World War II, he miraculously survived an airplane accident during a violent thunderstorm while training in Phoenix, Arizona. Unfortunately, his co-pilot was not so lucky and did not survive. Dukes says, Veteran's Hospitals got my father back to functioning normally. Thank God, and bless the doctors for helping him to heal. My heart goes out to each and every veteran. The Veterans Hospital mission statement is to 'fulfill President Lincolns promise to care for him who shall have borne the battle;' and I can confidently say that the hospital certainly fulfilled that mission for my father.
Duke Moscrip; his son and business partner, John Moscrip; and Chef Wild Bill Ranniger are pleased to share their signature dish with regular patrons, chowder enthusiasts, and veterans alike. This dish sets the gold standard for clam chowder, winning over the judges and Peoples Choice Award for three years straight at the Seattle Chowder Cook-Off.
Those interested in learning more about veterans benefits visit:
http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/benefits_book.asp
To learn more about the Veterans Affairs CARE Program visit:
http://www.va.gov/icare
For media inquiries, contact Tina Carey at askbettina(AT)gmail.com.
About Dukes Chowder House:
Dukes Chowder House is a family owned and operated enterprise with six different locations throughout the Puget Sound region. Renowned for its Award Winning Clam Chowder, Dukes menu is filled with delectable seafood dishes crafted by Duke and Dukes very own Executive Chef Wild Bill Rannigera proclaimed culinary genius in the region. Founder and Owner Duke Moscrip together with his son and partner John Moscrip continue their passionate journey to source all wild, natural, healthy and fresh tasting ingredients. Dukes food is free of hormones, antibiotics and harmful chemicals. Dukes is an upscale, casual Pacific NW seafood concept offering signature, flavorful, 100% sustainable wild seafood, Award Winning Chowder and grass fed burgers. Guests sum up their favorable assessment of what Dukes Chowder House has to offer with three words: Its sooo good! Dukes is honored to have received the highest seafood restaurant rating in the State of Washington by Fish2Fork, a leading evaluator of worldwide seafood restaurants, garnering a 4.5 out of 5 (no higher rating in the world). Duke's is equally honored to be among the first restaurants in Seattle to be recognized with a 100 percent volume compliance sustainable seafood rating from Smart Catch, a program designed to promote sustainability and raise consumer awareness regarding sustainable seafood options. Learn more at http://www.dukeschowderhouse.com/.
This ranking validates the strength of our platform and further differentiates us from all other property managers." - Kevin Ortner, CEO of Renters Warehouse
Renters Warehouse is pleased to announce that it is currently the only national company that provides direct to landlord property management services in the U.S. to receive a ranking from Morningstar Credit Ratings, LLC.
On Oct. 27, 2016 Morningstar Credit Ratings, a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) offering a wide array of services including operational risk assessments, assigned its MOR RV2 residential-vendor ranking to Renters Warehouse as a residential property manager, indicating that the company demonstrates proficiency in managing key areas of operational risk. This is the first time Renters Warehouse has been evaluated and reviewed by Morningstar Credit Ratings.
We're proud to have been awarded this ranking from Morningstar Credit Ratings as it is an affirmation of our strong brand, team and commitment to excellence, says Kevin Ortner, CEO of Renters Warehouse. This ranking validates the strength of our platform and further differentiates us from all other property managers. As we continue our national expansion efforts, our ability to serve clients with innovative technology solutions and world class service will continue to grow. From our perspective, this is only the beginning of growing the strongest brand in property management.
Renters Warehouse is one of the largest and most awarded residential property management companies in the U.S., managing more than 17,000 homes for over 12,000 investors across the country, and more than $3 billion worth of residential real estate.
The ranking is based on several factors, including the strength of the companys experienced management team and its proprietary technology that offers a full suite of property management services. The companys unique blend of national service efficiencies and local expertise in every market across the U.S. was also recognized.
Other factors included:
Renters Warehouses two operational hubs in Minnesota and Arizona, which provide geographical redundancy in its business operations supporting its disaster recovery and business continuity plan.
The companys comprehensive written policies and processes and a training regimen that supports its business and promotes best practices throughout the company.
A partnership with a third-party company for the use and customization of vendor management technology, which, when combined with RWs existing proprietary technology, will provide a highly effective performance management and customer service environment.
Above-average call center metrics which showcase the effectiveness of the companys tenant relationship management.
Through their dedicated Portfolio Services Division led by Chief Investment Officer and President of Portfolio Services, Anthony Cazazian, the company brings professional, scalable and efficient single-property management solutions to investment portfolios with both centralized services and local market expertise and staff. The company has doubled its national footprint in the last 18 months, now proudly operating 32 offices in 18 states.
Investors with fiduciary duties can take particular comfort in knowing that our operations have been evaluated by an independent third party, something all investors should take into consideration when selecting a property manager, Cazazian says. This adds to the already unique value proposition we offer to our clients, particularly our Portfolio Services Division clients who use Renters Warehouse to meet their property management needs across multiple markets with a single point of contact.
To learn more about Renters Warehouse or to find out how much your home will rent for, visit http://www.renterswarehouse.com today.
About Renters Warehouse
Renters Warehouse is one of the fastest growing and highest reviewed residential property management companies in America. Backed by growth equity investor and majority stakeholder Northern Pacific Group, and under the leadership of President and CEO Kevin Ortner, Renters Warehouse now manages more than $3 billion in residential real estate, servicing 12,000+ investors across 17,000+ residential homes in 32 markets and 18 states. NPG Managing Partner Scott Honour, who in 1999 was a founder of YapStone, a leading online rental property payment service provider, serves as Chairman. Renters Warehouse expertly serves everyday single-property homeowners as well as real estate investors. In 2015, the company officially trademarked the term Rent Estate to redefine the entire SFR (Single Family Rental) industry as more traditional real estate gives way to this new lucrative asset. Through their dedicated Portfolio Services Division led by Chief Investment Officer Anthony Cazazian, the company also brings professional, scalable and efficient single property management solutions to investment portfolios with both centralized services and local market expertise and staff. Not only has Renters Warehouse received the prestigious honor of being included on the Inc. 500 | 5000 list of fastest-growing privately held companies in America seven consecutive years in a row, it was also named one of the Best Places to Work in Minnesota (where they are headquartered) by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016. The company was also honored as a best place to work in Arizona (a centralized corporate services center) by the Phoenix Business Journal in 2013 and 2014, and achieved a spot on the prestigious 2016 Top Companies to Work for in AZ list. Nationwide, Renters Warehouse has been honored as one of America's "Best Places to Work" in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016 by Outside Magazine. Recognized as pioneers in real estate, business management and innovation, Renters Warehouse has been awarded 22 Business Stevie Awards both internationally and stateside. In 2016, Morningstar Credit Ratings, LLC, a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) offering a wide array of services including operational risk assessments, assigned its MOR RV2 residential-vendor ranking to Renters Warehouse as a residential property manager, indicating that the company demonstrates proficiency in managing key areas of operational risk.
White Plains Hospital's "Choosing a Health Plan: IT Pays to Know Your Options" helps consumers avoid unexpected health care costs. Its important to consider how much coverage you might need, how much your monthly premium will cover, and what you may be responsible for if you have a significant health event.
HMOs, PPOs, co-pays, co-insurance Yes, open enrollment time is here, a time when millions of consumers will be overwhelmed with complex information on policies, premiums, and coverage that can have dramatic financial implications down the road. To clear confusion and help with decision-making, White Plains Hospital is offering a free, downloadable guide for consumers to help them make informed decisions. The guide is available through the Hospitals website at http://www.wphospital.org/insuranceguide.
Choosing A Health Plan: It Pays to Know Your Options offers the following information:
Tips for estimating how much coverage you will need
Financial strategies for funding expected healthcare costs
The risks and benefits of choosing a High-Deductible Health Plan
A glossary of key health insurance terms
How provider networks work and what they cover
The guide was written to help consumers make more informed health plan choices, whether they purchase coverage through their employer or on the New York State of Health marketplace. Our goal is to help people in the community avoid unexpected healthcare costs, says Joseph J. Guarracino, CFO of White Plains Hospital. Whether you are using an employer-provided plan, or evaluating coverage on the health insurance exchange, its important to consider how much coverage you might need, how much your monthly premium will cover, and what you may be responsible for if you have a significant health event.
Since the Affordable Care Act created state health insurance exchanges, the number of people with health insurance has grown. In 2015, the percentage of people without health insurance coverage for the entire calendar year was 9.1%, or 29 million, lower than the rate and number of uninsured in 2014 (10.4% or 33 million), according to the US Census Bureau. The US Census also notes that the percentage of people with health insurance coverage for all or part of 2015 was 90.9%, higher than the rate in 2014 (89.6%). But, as more and more consumers are getting the health coverage they need, the decision-making process is difficult and available information is hard to comprehend. A 2016 Harris Poll reported on PlanSponsor.com found that nearly half (49%) of employees eligible for employer-sponsored benefits said making health insurance decisions is always stressful, and 41% of employees found their companies open enrollment process very confusing.
The health insurance guide can be downloaded through the White Plains Hospital website, and will be available in waiting rooms at the Hospital, and through its outpatient medical facilities in New Rochelle and Armonk through the end of January 2017.
About White Plains Hospital
White Plains Hospital (WPH) is a proud member of the Montefiore Health System, serving as its tertiary hub of advanced care in the Hudson Valley. WPH is a 292-bed not-for-profit health care organization with the primary mission of providing exceptional acute and preventive medical care to all people who live in, work in or visit Westchester County and its surrounding areas. Centers of Excellence include the Center for Cancer Care, The William & Sylvia Silberstein Neonatal & Maternity Center and The Ruth and Jerome A. Siegel Stroke Center. The Hospitals Flanzer Emergency Department is the busiest in Westchester County, seeing nearly 57,000 visits a year. White Plains Hospital performs lifesaving emergency and elective angioplasty in its Joan and Alan Herfort, M.D. Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Marie Promuto Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. White Plains Hospital also has outpatient medical facilities in Armonk and New Rochelle. The Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission and earned its recognition as a Top Performer for Key Quality Measures in 2015 and 2013. The Hospital is also an eleven-time winner of the Consumer Choice Award, an honor given to the nations top hospitals by the National Research Corporation, and received Magnet designation in 2012 from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). In 2014 and 2016, White Plains Hospital received the Outstanding Patient Experience Award from Healthgrades, given to only 10% of hospitals nationwide. For additional information, visit http://www.wphospital.org.
The endless news surrounding Cecil the Lions death stirred a dream in Paul F. Rafferty that inspired his new novel.
The Trophy Hunted tells the story of Jack, a trophy hunter who flies to Africa to hunt down a Black-Footed Silk Ape, a supposedly mythical creature. Jack soon spots the ape on his hunt and takes its life.
It isnt until Jack is captured by other hunters and brought to Homo Sapien Ranch that he realizes he is no less an animal than the ape he killed. As Jack runs for his life from the hunters who want to capture him across their weapons' crosshairs, he realizes the consequences of trophy hunting.
Cecil, a beloved lion and main attraction at a national park in Zimbabwe was shot and killed by a trophy hunter last year. The news of Cecils death shocked Rafferty along with many others around the world, opening the dialogue to conversations about the impact of trophy hunting.
I was so impacted by Cecils death that I knew I had to write a story about it, Rafferty said. I also know that many others were affected by Cecils death and this is my way to bring justice to those who still look for it.
In The Trophy Hunted readers will wait in anticipation for the conclusion of Raffertys tale to discover Jacks fate.
The Trophy Hunted
By: Paul F. Rafferty
ISBN: 978-1-4917-9806-5 (sc); 978-1-5320-0267-0 (hc); 978-1-4917-9805-8 (e)
Available at the iUniverse Online Bookstore and Amazon
About the author
Rafferty currently works as a trial lawyer at the largest law firm in the country. His hobbies include acting in short films and racing motorcycles and cars. Rafferty lives in San Juan Capistrano with his wife of twenty-five years. For more information about the author and his book, please visit: http://www.thetrophyhunted.com.
# # #
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LAVIDGE Phoenix
Maggie Driver
480-998-2600 x 584
mdriver(at)lavidge(dot)com
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Port Saint Lucie Florida Personal Injury & Accident Lawyer Philip DeBerard I am deeply honored to be included as one of Port St Lucie's top personal injury lawyers on the Three Best Rated List.
Philip DeBerard, III of Floridas Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney was chosen by Three Best Rated to be among the 3 top personal injury lawyers in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Three Best Rated, a popular business recommendation website, recognizes the top three local businesses in a specific category in cities all across the United States. Among the criteria reviewed to be in the Three Best Rated list include customer reviews, ratings, complaints, history, satisfaction, trust, pricing, and general excellence in the community. Ultimately, Three Best Rated aims to help individuals find the top three local business per category in a specific city.
I am deeply honored to be included as one of Port St Lucie's top personal injury lawyers on the Three Best Rated List, DeBerard said. I enjoy giving my best for my clients in order to protect their rights and get them full compensation for their injuries.
Philip DeBerard, III is a reputable attorney who has practiced law for over 30 years, representing numerous injury and accident victims since 1975. DeBerard has garnered a Superb 10/10 Rating on independent attorney review site AVVO.com, an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, as well as an A+ Rating by the Better Business Bureau.
He was also honored with a 10 Best Client Satisfaction Award by the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorney in 2015, and The American Trial Lawyers Association also recognizes him to be one of the top 100 trial lawyers in the state.
DeBerard and his legal team have handled an extensive variety of cases throughout his legal career. Among the firms areas of practice are car accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, slip and fall accidents, medical malpractice, dog bites, bad products and drugs, spinal cord injury, brain injury, nursing home abuse, and wrongful death.
He is currently a member of the American Association of Justice, Florida Justice Association, Florida Bar Association, and Christian Legal Society. DeBerard is also a member of the local bar associations for the counties of Okeechobee, Palm Beach, and Martin.
Philip DeBerard serves all of South Florida and the Treasure Coast. The firm's Port St Lucie office (by appointment only) is located at:
Philip DeBerard Injury Attorney
1850 SW Fountainview Blvd #213
Port St Lucie, FL 34986
(772) 287-7737
For more information, call toll-free 1-800-299-8878 or visit http://www.flainjurylawyer.com/communities-we-serve/port-st-lucie-florida/
Or sister sites: http://www.tractortrailercrash.com and http://www.nursinghomeneglect.com
Today Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) announced the newest members to join its board of trustees. RMI is pleased to welcome to the organization:
Todd Stern, former U.S. special envoy on climate change
Mary Powell, president and CEO of Green Mountain Power
Elizabeth Sall, founder and president of Urban Labs LLC
Todd Stern was a leading architect of the Obama administrations international climate change strategy, according to Politico. Stern was appointed to the position of U.S. special envoy on climate change on January 26, 2009, by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He was the chief U.S. negotiator of the successful Paris Agreement. Stern previously served in the Clinton administration as assistant to the president, and as staff secretary in the White House from 1993 to 1998, during which time he also acted as the senior White House negotiator for the Kyoto Protocol and Buenos Aires negotiations.
I am delighted to be joining the Board of Trustees of Rocky Mountain Institute. Following the landmark Paris climate agreement last year, the central challenge for countries around the world will be to rapidly accelerate the transition to a clean energy, low-carbon global economy. RMI has been a clean energy leader for years, helping companies and governments take concrete steps to improve their energy profile and paving the way for national energy transition planning with work like Reinventing Fire: China, Stern said.
Mary Powell has served as president and chief executive officer for Green Mountain Power (GMP) Corporation since 2008. Powell launched an ambitious energy vision to provide low-carbon, low-cost and reliable power to Vermonters. She is leading an energy transformation, providing customers the latest innovations and comprehensive energy makeovers to help people save money and use less energy. GMP is the first utility to become a member of B Corp, showing a commitment to use energy as a force for good. In 2014 Powell was recognized by Power-Gen as the Woman of the Year, and in 2016 Fast Company named her one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business.
This is an exciting time to lead an energy revolution and deliver the new energy future customers tell us they want. Joining the Board of Trustees of Rocky Mountain Institute is an honor, and their work will help us drive collaboration and innovation to make this change happen sooner. It is time to move away from the bulk, antiquated grid to an energy system that is generated and used closer to where it is needed, Powell said.
Elizabeth Sall is the founder and president of UrbanLabs LLC, where she manages a portfolio of mission-driven projects spanning travel analysis research to policy. Prior to UrbanLabs, Sall served as the deputy director for data, technology and analysis, and as the interim deputy director for planning at the San Francisco County Transportation Authority. She is an active volunteer for the Transportation Research Board, serving on the Transportation Research Record Advisory Board and as a member of several committees. She serves on the Sall Family Foundation board, where she leads investment in Entrepreneurial Initiatives. Sall has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University and an M.S. from University of Texas.
Im honored to be asked to serve and excited to be working with Rocky Mountain Institute to solve the most pressing and complex challenge of our time: climate change, Sall commented.
RMIs current board of trustees is chaired by Jose Maria Figueres, former president of Costa Rica, and includes Thomas Dinwoodie, lead independent trustee, Maria Van Der Hoeven, former executive director of the International Energy Agency, Jean Oelwang, CEO of Virgin Unite as well as other environmental ambassadors and clean energy executives. For a full list of trustees - http://www.rmi.org/Board%20of%20Trustees
We are very grateful to Todd, Mary and Elizabeth for joining us and donating their precious time to our mission of accelerating the energy transition. They truly bring their own unique and significant expertise to RMI and will help make our efforts more impactful, said Jules Kortenhorst, CEO Rocky Mountain Institute.
About Rocky Mountain Institute
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)an independent nonprofit founded in 1982transforms global energy use to create a clean, prosperous, and secure low-carbon future. It engages businesses, communities, institutions, and entrepreneurs to accelerate the adoption of market-based solutions that cost-effectively shift from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables. In 2014, RMI merged with Carbon War Room (CWR), whose business-led market interventions advance a low-carbon economy. The combined organization has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing.
We're committed to investing in the development of our inside sales and contact centre technology to continue offering customers the best possible solutions within a single Salesforce desktop
NewVoiceMedia, a leading global provider of inside sales and contact centre technology that helps businesses sell more, serve better and grow faster, announced its Winter 17 release today, unveiling product enhancements that will transform the way businesses of all sizes connect with their customers worldwide.
While NewVoiceMedia creates updates to its ContactWorld technology every week, as a company with cloud computing and agile development methods at its core, it is revealing a number of new product features to offer sales and service teams improved performance, efficiency, user experience and infrastructure.
Enabling companies to perform at scale
Winter 17 makes it even easier for growing organisations to maximise the efficiency of their sales and service teams, giving users more control than ever. With full visibility into active users on an account and the ability to easily change queue announcements and music, as well as simplified call plans, managers now have more time to focus on helping their teams deliver outstanding service, rather than managing technology.
For those running outbound sales teams the recent enhancements to Connect, NewVoiceMedias automated dialling solution, now include marketing automation support to make it easier to call leads that have been automatically marketing qualified.
Maximising efficiency for all teams
NewVoiceMedia has also introduced several developments that gives reps the toolkit they need to be successful. In particular, inbound call routing has been improved for sales organisations to ensure even distribution between all reps, offering everyone the same opportunity to talk to new prospects. Meanwhile auto call recording has been made even easier to configure, offering use case options such as number or area code called, to give reps peace of mind that they are always operating within regulations.
With recent research from NewVoiceMedia revealing that companies are losing business at an alarming rate due to poor customer experiences, understanding how and when to connect with customers has never been more critical. NewVoiceMedia incorporated this feedback into ContactWorld by introducing time zone support for Connect. This helps ensure only contacts within the time zones set-up are presented to agents, meaning customers and prospects are not called at inappropriate times.
Putting users at the centre of the ContactWorld experience
The new release focuses on removing barriers to information, streamlining processes and improving the agent interface. For those looking to keep Salesforce at the heart of the user experience, ContactPad now integrates with its Lightning Edition User Interface so users can enjoy the sleek look and intuitive interface.
NewVoiceMedia has also improved the user experience with Dynamic Overflow Routing, allowing better management of peak periods and agent shift changes in individual regions as calls are automatically routed to selected areas of the business with capacity.
The company has also introduced Self-Service payments, continuing to help customers comply with the requisite standards of taking credit card payments, this time without the need for an agent to handle the call. This is an important development for any organisation looking to minimise customer effort by offering self-service options.
Creating an Intelligent Communications Platform
At the forefront of the service NewVoiceMedia provides is the revolutionary cloud technology that forms the infrastructure of ContactWorld. This release sees the company develop a new API Gateway to simplify the integration into off-platform tools like Workforce Management (WFM), and in September, it announced a new, industry-leading global call routing architecture that will dramatically raise the bar on call quality for organisations running contact centres in multiple geographies. This platform enhancement will optimise contact centre management and operations, while ensuring the highest quality customer experience across the world.
Carole Edwards, Head of Contact Centre at Vax, Britains leading floor care brand, commented, With NewVoiceMedias platform we are able to successfully manage 70,000 multi-channel contacts each month, while improving both employee and customer satisfaction. Consumers expect an effortless experience and ContactWorld has enabled us to build solutions that are easy to access and deliver and the results are impressive too. First contact resolution is now at 88 percent, NPS is 98 percent, and we have the highest employee satisfaction scores in the business. Our customers benefit from a completely unique, personalised experience that is designed with them in mind, and NewVoiceMedias latest features will serve to improve those interactions further and make the experience even more effortless for our service team.
Jonathan Gale, CEO of NewVoiceMedia, commented, Innovation and speed-to-market of new features is essential for fast growing companies, and we are committed to investing in the development of our inside sales and contact centre technology to continue offering customers the best possible solutions within a single Salesforce desktop. The product enhancements introduced in our Winter release will further strengthen our integration with Salesforce, improve the user experience for our customers and help them turn insights into action, to ensure every conversation is unique and personalised.
According to Gartner, Customer experience (CX) has become a CEO priority, and many enterprises are competing more on the experience than on their products or services. Most enterprises that sell services see revenue that is a multiple of the average for their industry, and, in some cases, they enjoy profits that are orders of magnitude greater than average. The value of CX is undisputed, and CX has become the new battleground for achieving sustainable, differentiated competitive advantage.
For further information, visit http://www.newvoicemedia.com
1 Gartner, How User Experience Can Make or Break Your Customer Experience, September 2, 2016
About NewVoiceMedia
NewVoiceMedia powers customer connections that transform businesses globally. The leading vendor's award-winning cloud customer contact platform revolutionises the way organisations connect with their customers worldwide, enabling them to deliver a personalised and unique customer service experience and drive a more effective sales team. With a true cloud environment and proven 99.999% platform availability, NewVoiceMedia ensures complete flexibility, scalability and reliability.
NewVoiceMedia's 600+ customers include PhotoBox, MobileIron, Lumesse, Vax, JustGiving and Canadian Cancer Society. For more information, visit http://www.newvoicemedia.com or follow NewVoiceMedia on Twitter @NewVoiceMedia.
iConstituent is hosting two DC forums on cyber security. Join iConstituent for expert forums on cyber security, Nov. 15 and Nov. 30, 5-6:30 p.m. in Washington, DC.
Government software leader iConstituent today announced two post-election cyber security forums featuring experts from Good Harbor Security Risk Management and the Brunswick Group. Good Harbor is a trusted advisor to CEOs, Boards, CISOs, investors, and government leaders on cyber security risk management. The Brunswick Group is an advisory firm specializing in corporate relations, and its Cybersecurity and Privacy Practice focuses on cyber communications preparations and cyber crisis response, as well as thought leadership campaigns.
From Wikileaks to breaches of election databases, the past year has forced cyber security into the spotlight like never before - and government leaders must become experts at anticipating and mitigating risk, said iConstituent CEO Zain Khan. The next administration will face ever-evolving threats and will have to balance security and privacy as well as corporate pushback on encryption. These forums on cyber security will help new members of Congress and their staffs - as well as private sector leaders facing increased risks in a global market - quickly get up to speed on these crucial issues.
iConstituent will host two conversations with Good Harbors president Emilian Papadopoulos and director Evan Sills, and Siobhan Gorman, director of Cybersecurity and Privacy at Brunswick Group, on Nov. 15 and Nov. 30, at iConstituents Pennsylvania Ave. offices in Washington, DC. The forums, Cyber Security Threats and Trends, are open to all government staff and will be broadcast live in a Telephone Town Hall broadcast by Broadnet TeleServices.
Event registration is required.
Register for the November 15 event.
Register for the November 30 event.
About the panelists:
Siobhan Gorman is a director in the Washington, DC, office of Brunswick Group LLC, focusing on cybersecurity and privacy. She specializes in breach preparedness, breach crisis response, and thought leadership initiatives in the cybersecurity arena. Prior to joining Brunswick, she had a successful career as a reporter, most recently at The Wall Street Journal where she covered topics such as cybersecurity, data and privacy issues, terrorism, counterterrorism, and intelligence. She has been nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize and is a graduate of Dartmouth College.
Emilian Papadopoulos is president of Good Harbor Security Risk Management, a premiere cyber security risk management advisory firm. Emilian advises Boards, CEOs, investment professionals, and government leaders on managing cyber risk. He has helped clients across sectors including energy, insurance, law, technology, defense, and manufacturing. Before Good Harbor, Emilian worked for Foreign Affairs Canada and for the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., where he helped launch the Embassys Connect2Canada diaspora outreach program. Emilian is a graduate of the University of Toronto and received a Masters of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Evan Sills is a director with Good Harbor Security Risk Management, where he advises corporate executives and boards of directors on cyber risk management, helps clients prepare for crisis and incident responses to cyber incidents, and reviews cyber-related legislative and regulatory activities. He was the editor of "A Playbook for Cyber Events," a project of the American Bar Associations Standing Committee on Law and National Security. He is currently a member of the Global Governance Futures 2027 Fellowship. Evan is a graduate of the George Washington University Law School and Elliott School of International Affairs.
About iConstituent: iConstituent connects people and government through industry leading software. It brought the first e-newsletter to Congress in 2003, and provides CRM, email, telephone town hall, and other IT services to hundreds of government offices across the U.S.
Swords to Plowshares Board Member, Delano "Del" Seymour with guests (2015) Our Veterans Day Dinner allows us to raise the crucial funds needed to serve San Franciscos veteran population. Without support from the community, our work would not be possible, said Mr. Blecker.
On Monday, November 7, 2016, Swords to Plowshares, San Franciscos leading nonprofit veteran service agency, will host its 20th Annual Veterans Day Dinner and Profiles of Courage Award Ceremony. This year, Swords to Plowshares celebrates Executive Director Michael Bleckers 40 years of devoted service to helping veterans in need. In honor of Michael Bleckers commitment to the veteran community, the City and County of San Francisco has declared November 7th, 2016 as Michael Blecker Day. Master of Ceremony Michael Krasny, the host of KQEDs award-winning Forum, will present Michael Blecker with the proclamation from the City and County of San Francisco.
Swords to Plowshares 20th Annual Veterans Day Dinner, Profiles of Courage
Monday, November 7, 2016; 5:30 PM
Palace Hotel, 2 New Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
The following awardees will be recognized:
The law firm of Latham & Watkins, LLP will be named the 2016 Pro Bono Partner of the Year; their involvement includes taking on full representation of 12 veterans cases and staffing numerous Legal Drop-in Clinics. They have also worked closely with Swords to Plowshares on a Rulemaking Petition to change VA policies that unnecessarily deny hundreds of thousands of veterans access to VA healthcare and benefits. Attorney John Keker, a founding partner at the law firm of Keker & Van Nest LLP, will present the award.
David Addlestone, a Vietnam Air Force veteran, revered veteran advocate, and former co-director of the National Veterans Legal Services Program, will be named the 2016 Community Hero for his dedicated advocacy on behalf of veteran.
Daniel Ramirez, a Korean War veteran in the U.S. Army and former Swords to Plowshares Legal client; and Isaac Baires, a U.S. National Guard veteran, single father of three young children, and graduate of Swords to Plowshares Employment and Vocational Training program will be presented with the 2016 Profiles of Courage award. Each year, Swords to Plowshares recognizes veterans who have turned their lives around and shown courage in the face of adversity with the Profiles of Courage award. Their stories of triumph speak to the full range of services that Swords to Plowshares provides and illustrate the success of the organizations nationally-recognized programs.
The services that we offer empower veterans to live meaningful and productive lives. We restore dignity and hope to veterans in need on a daily basis. Our Veterans Day Dinner allows us to raise the crucial funds needed to serve San Franciscos veteran population. Without support from the community, our work would not be possible, said Mr. Blecker.
For more information contact us at 415-252-4788 or visit https://www.swords-to-plowshares.org/veterans-day
Sponsors of the 20th Annual Veterans Day Dinner include; Morrison & Foerster Foundation and Morrison & Foerster LLP, Keker & Van Nest LLP and John & Tina Keker, Qatalyst Partner, Zephyr Real Estate, Chevron, Latham & Watkins LLP, Gibson Dunn, Wells Fargo, RHE Foundation, and William & Sherrie Millichap Family Foundation
About Swords to Plowshares:
Founded in 1974, Swords to Plowshares is a community-based not-for-profit organization that provides case management, mental health assessment and referral, rapid re-housing and eviction prevention services, employment and training, supportive housing, and legal benefits assistance for low-income, homeless and at-risk veterans in the San Francisco Bay Area. Swords to Plowshares promotes and protects the rights of veterans through advocacy, public education, and partnerships with local, state and national entities. Learn more about the work of Swords to Plowshares, and ways in which you can help, by visiting our website at http://www.stp-sf.org.
The not-for-profit education services organization NWEA announced today that the Killeen Independent School District (ISD) has selected the NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) growth assessments for use with almost 30,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The district piloted MAP as an assessment for English language learners (ELLs) during the 2015-16 school year and has expanded use of the assessments to include all K-8 students this fall.
Our previous universal screeners didnt provide us with the data we really needed to make good instructional decisions for students, said Karen Hutchison, director of elementary curriculum & professional development at Killeen ISD. The data we get from MAP is amazing and we are really able to use it to help our students. The ELL implementation helped us realize that we would have great support from NWEA when we rolled it out district-wide.
Killeen is home to Fort Hood, the largest military installation in the continental United States. This high-mobility school district is one of the 30 largest in Texas, serving 44,000 K-12 students across 53 campuses. MAP is a nationally normed assessment with a stable scale, and therefore provides consistent, precise, and accurate results for each student, regardless of location an asset when working with a high-mobility population.
MAP will play an important role in supporting the districts focus on a comprehensive approach to student learning. An important element of this is streamlining the districts assessment portfolio to include only those that deliver value for the time invested.
Time is our most valuable resource, so our goal is for students to get the best instruction the first time around, said Dr. John Craft, superintendent of Killeen ISD. MAP growth assessments will support our teachers with the valid and reliable data they need to make instructional decisions that are right for each student, thus helping us achieve our goal of having all students learn to their maximum potential.
MAP is the leading assessment of student academic growth. Its precise, valid, and reliable data can be used to project proficiency on state assessments and inform how educators differentiate instruction, evaluate programs, and identify professional learning needs. Its computer adaptive design provides a unique testing experience for each child and measures academic growth regardless of a students grade level. MAP is an efficient and trusted tool that gives teachers actionable information about what each student is ready to learn, and administrators insight into systemic needs.
We have built MAP to deliver the relevant information teachers need to make instruction more targeted and efficient, said Matt Chapman, CEO of NWEA. NWEA is proud to partner with Killeen ISD as they serve the needs of all students, including many children of Americans serving in our armed forces.
About Killeen Independent School District
The Killeen Independent School District (ISD) proudly serves the central Texas communities of Killeen, Fort Hood, Harker Heights, and Nolanville. Killeen ISD is committed to providing excellent educational opportunities to ensure all 44,000 students served are able to reach their maximum learning potential. Students within KISD attend 32 elementary schools (grades PK-5th), 10 middle schools (grades 6-8), four high schools (grades 9-12), Early College High School, two alternative schools, the KISD Career Center and several specialized campuses. Killeen ISD employs a phenomenal team of approximately 7,000 individuals dedicated to helping students attain success each and every day. Killeen ISD recognizes the importance of responding to the needs of our students and families and we welcome feedback and suggestions, as we believe this is an important part of the continuous improvement process.
About NWEA
NWEA is a global not-for-profit educational services organization with nearly 40 years of expertise in providing innovative assessment solutions, including our flagship interim growth assessment, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP); our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, Skills Navigator; and the OECD Test for Schools (based on PISA). More than 8,500 schools, school districts, and education agencies in the US and abroad trust us to offer pre-K 12 assessments that accurately measure student growth and inform instruction; professional development that fosters educators ability to accelerate student learning; and research that supports assessment validity and data interpretation. Educators currently use NWEA assessments with over nine million students worldwide. Visit NWEA.org to find out how NWEA can partner with you to help all kids learn.
Imports of Iranian oil are increasing rapidly, accounting for almost 10 percent of total imports in the first nine months of this year.
Korea imported some 12.16 million barrels of oil from Iran in September, up 106 percent from a year earlier and the most since January 2000, the Korea National Oil Corporation said Sunday. In value terms, imports reached US$525.52 million for the month, up 72.29 percent on-year.
In January through September, imports of Iranian oil totaled 78 million barrels, up 131.9 percent on-year and accounting for 9.7 percent of total imports.
Korea had imported an average of 87.18 million barrels a year before international sanctions were imposed against Iran in 2011, but the amount dropped to 44.92 million barrels in 2014.
RWI Benefits, LLC My hope is that all Native Americans, no matter where we live, have access to quality and affordable healthcare.
Robert Weaver, a Quapaw tribal member, makes the cover of the November 2016 issue of Tribal Business Journal (TBJ). TBJ shares stories impacting 21st Century tribal economies including leading-edge best practices, relevant business, governmental and social topics, emerging human-interest stories and more. In the November issue, Weaver's career and commitment to improving affordable access to Indian healthcare are documented in an article by Levi Rickert titled If We Don't Have Health, What Else Do We Have?"
As a teenager, Robert Weaver, president and CEO of the Native American insurance management firm RWI Benefits, LLC, lost a cousin to suicide. It was a traumatic experience he'll never forget. At that time, finding adequate, accessible health insurance coverage for mental health issues was very difficult. As an adult, he recognized a need to educate and protect tribal leaders from insurance providers eager to cash in on a lack of knowledge about reasonable coverage costs. Since 2007, his business has been committed to leveling the playing field for Native Americans and eliminating these disparities.
I am so humbled by being honored on the cover of Tribal Business Journal, says Robert Weaver, RWI Benefits, LLC, president. My hope is that all Native Americans, no matter where we live, have access to quality and affordable healthcare.
Tribal Business Journal offers business news pertaining to all American Indian tribes in Indian Country. TBJ strives to be the 21st Century Voice of Economic Development in Indian Country, providing insightful and progressive thought leadership to companies and organizations seeking to do business with Tribes across the United States. TBJ is the sole Tribally-owned, printed monthly publication distributed to every Native American tribal leadership council member, decision maker and Business Development Corporation. The LDF Business Development Corporation, a wholly-owned entity of the Lake Superior Band of Chippewa Indians, is the majority shareholder of TBJ. Find TBJ online at tribalbusinessjournal.com.
Since 2007, Robert Weaver has been the owner and founder of RWI Benefits, LLC. The firm specializes in all lines of insurance to include employee benefits, property and casualty, workers compensation and all other forms of insurance management consulting. The RWI Benefits home office is located in Quapaw, Oklahoma, on Tribal trust land. Additional offices are located in Joplin, Missouri, and Chickasha, Oklahoma. Weaver owns NativeCare Health, LLC, a third-party benefit administration company, as well as, MedCase, LLC, a utilization review firm. Weaver is also the consultative representative for government-to-government relations of the Quapaw Tribe, a group working in Washington, D.C., to improve healthcare access for Indian Country as a whole. Learn more at ChooseRobertWeaver.com or RWIBenefits.com.
One of Weavers favorite publications is a free resource offered providing informational videos for less economically developed Indian tribes and nations. These videos can be found on the Robert Weaver Quapaw Tribe Facebook page or via the YouTube Native Health and Insurance Channel. If your organization needs assistance with any of the issues listed, Robert Weaver can be reached directly at 417-483-4700.
As an AWEA member, were excited to share our expertise at the Wind Energy Fall Symposium with participants who are seeking better ways to manage risk, assure data security, & continue their successful NERC compliance programs. - A. Broussard, Certrec
Certrec, a leading regulatory compliance provider for NERC compliance, announced today its participation in AWEAs Wind Energy Fall Symposium in San Antonio, TX from November 15-17.
Currently Certrec provides NERC compliance support, on an ongoing basis, to four U.S. wind fleets as well as individual wind facilities. We also provide supplemental support to a U.S. wind fleets NERC team. We appreciate the trust that our wind clients have placed in our team, and look forward to the opportunity to work with additional facilities.
An entity that is dedicated to compliance operates every day in compliance. Every day, they are audit ready. This is accomplished through an effective Internal Controls Process with periodic self-evaluations of effectiveness, coupled with a robust corrective action process.
Certrec Corporation is dedicated to regulatory compliance exclusively and has been since we started in 1988. We believe our approach is the key to our successful client programs as well as our growing NERC practice.
Our approach is conservative when managing NERC compliance. One size does not fit all in our industry. A standardized approach to NERC compliance, using a software application or cookie cutter templates, does not result in a successful NERC compliance program. Our industry is comprised of customized systems, talented individuals, and unique corporate cultures. In addition, newcomers to the workforce plus new (sometimes fledgling) technologies all need to be incorporated into this regulatory framework. As the regulators often mention NERC compliance must be baked in not bolted on to an organization.
As an AWEA member, were excited to share our expertise at the Wind Energy Fall Symposium with participants who are seeking better ways to manage risk, assure data security, and continue their successful NERC compliance programs. - Ann Broussard, Office of NERC Compliance Business Development Director
CERTREC
Founded in 1988, Certrec is an engineering and technology based organization providing regulatory support services in the electric power industry. With over 1,000 cumulative years of direct industry experience (including wind, solar, nuclear, and fossil), Certrec has developed exceptional capabilities to support regulatory activities emanating from regulatory entities such as the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and Regional Entities (NERC), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and other regulatory agencies. Certrec's Office of NERC Compliance (ONC), Office of Licensing and Compliance (OLC), Office of Assessment and Recovery (OAR), and Office of New Plant (ONP) services are used by utilities and entities across the United States to help manage the regulatory process to their advantage.
AppTek, a leader in automatic speech recognition (ASR), machine learning and artificial intelligence, today announced their partnership with AD Digital, a Brazilian company specializing in media solutions for commercial and government sectors.
AppTeks speech technology offerings will add tremendous value to AD Digitals product portfolio, making them an industry leader for media solutions in Brazil. With the integration of AppTeks deep learning ASR engines with other powerful applications, AD Digital can provide custom solutions for live automatic closed captioning, transcription and archiving.
AppTek brings the technology and added value we need for the most demanding markets, said Hugo Nasciemento, Technology Director of AD Digital. Public sectors in Brazil are going through a major transformation towards digitalization and the integration of AppTeks media solutions differentiates us from the competition.
We are very pleased to form a strategic partnership with AD Digital. Our speech technology paired with their applications and market expertise will create exciting new opportunities in Brazil, said Adam Sutherland, AppTek CEO.
About AppTek:
As a pioneer in automatic speech recognition, machine learning and artificial intelligence; AppTek partners with its customers to provide solutions focused on closed captioning and subtitling, call center content discovery and mobile intelligent voice agents. In todays hyper-connected and data-rich marketplace, enterprises are seeking to drive revenue, save costs and increase productivity. Customers rely on AppTek to solve for these issues by delivering the markets robust speech technology solutions focused on mining for business insights, ensuring compliance and delivering value across the enterprise. For more information, visit http://www.apptek.com.
About AD Digital:
AD Digital is a Brazilian company with over 21 years experience as a systems integrator provider of video workflows. The company was founded by Daniela Souza on November 1994 and has since then successfully deployed solutions in several markets, including Government, Education and Enterprise. AD Digital offers full project support, from planning to deployment and on all technology, hardware, software and business layers. For more information, visit http://www.ad-digital.net.
I am excited to join Sommet Education and to contribute in building a new global hospitality management group by capitalizing on the long standing heritage of the Glion and Les Roches brands
Sommet Education group expands its management team with the arrival in the coming months of Dr. Fabien Fresnel, Chief Operating Officer, Sommet Education based in Clarens, Switzerland. Sommet Education encompasses Glion Institute of Higher Education and les Roches Global Hospitality Education, both among the worlds top three institutes of higher education for an international career in hospitality (TNS Global Survey, 2013).
Dr. Fresnel combines over 20 years of professional experience from the hotel, restaurant and higher education sectors. He started his career working for Michelin-starred restaurants and luxury hotel properties in France and abroad, where he also led food and beverage operations. Prior to joining Sommet Education, Dr. Fresnel conducted strategic development projects for different brands: he launched a hotel school in Amman, Jordan and expanded Jacques Gourmet, a luxury restaurant chain in the USA. In his last role, he acted as Dean and since 2011 as Chief Academic Officer for Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, where he oversaw the academic development of the faculty for more than 10 years. Dr. Fresnel graduated from the hotel school of Dinard in France, holds a Master in Hospitality Management from Cornell University, a Master in Economy from Pantheon Sorbonne-HEC and a PhD in Finance from the University of Bordeaux IV Montesquieu.
Dr. Fresnel will be responsible for supervising and leading the academic content of the group and providing overall strategic and operational leadership to Sommet Education, ensuring that Glion Institute of Higher Education and Les Roches Global Hospitality Education always deliver against the highest educational standards.
I am excited to join Sommet Education and to contribute in building a new global hospitality management group by capitalizing on the long standing heritage of the Glion and Les Roches brands, says Dr. Fresnel. The agility and vision of the group makes it a particularly attractive project.
With the appointment of Dr. Fabien Fresnel, we are delighted to welcome great industry expertise and energy that will certainly help the group to reach the next level and to strengthen its premium positioning, highlights Vivianne Akriche, Managing Director of Eurazeo, owner of Sommet Education.
Sommet Education
Known for excellence in cultivating the hospitality leaders of tomorrow, Sommet Education encompasses a distinguished group of institutions united by a fundamental belief in the importance of academic rigor, skills-based learning and a dynamic multicultural outlook.
Sommet Education institutions Glion and Les Roches serve students from more than 100 countries, preparing them to be immediately effective in their professions wherever in the world these may be while delivering exceptional consumer experiences. Sommet Education is part of Eurazeo, one of the leading listed investment companies in Europe.
For more information, visit http://www.sommet-education.com
PRESS CONTACT
Alexia Lepage
Head of Communications
Sommet Education
Phone: +41 (0)79-3108193
alexia.lepage(at)sommet-education(dot)com
The City of Azusa, in partnership with Silverado Sierra Vista Memory Care Community, signed a resolution several weeks ago to become a Dementia Friendly City, the first in Los Angeles County. The resolution, signed by Mayor Joseph Rocha states, The City will work with the Dementia Friendly Community task force to create a community that addresses the needs of individuals living with dementia as well as their caregivers.
According to the Alzheimers Association, the number of California residents with Alzheimer's disease will double by 2030, a figure that does not account for people affected by other types of dementia. Already, 1.1 million Californians care for a loved one with dementia today, and nearly 60% of people caring for a person with dementia rate the stress as high or very high due to the physical and emotional toll.
The citys resolution aims to address the issue.
Ed Blomendahl, Senior Community Ambassador at Silverado, assembled a task force of community leaders earlier this year to set a vision for a Dementia Friendly Azusa. Silverado is a Southern California-based dementia care provider that was founded 20 years ago with a vision to change the way the world cares for and perceives people with memory-impairing conditions. The company will continue to support the task force by providing education programs, expert guidance and training resources.
We are delighted that the City of Azusa has recognized the need to bring more awareness to dementia, shares Blomendahl. The mission of the task force is to create a Dementia Friendly Azusa by educating the community, instilling respect for people living with memory impairing conditions, and to foster an environment that works to eliminate the stigma often associated with such conditions.
Mayor Rocha adds, Individuals affected by memory-impairing conditions include our friends, our families and our neighbors, and the people of Azusa have an opportunity to address it first hand. As I have spoken with Azusa residents, many expressed a need to address this challenge. In fact, the day after we passed the resolution, many more individuals reached out in support.
With the resolution passed, approved and adopted, one of the first items on the task forces agenda is to plan a citywide education event. Other efforts include a window cling for businesses that complete Dementia 101 training at silveradolearning.com, Virtual Dementia Tour events during which the public is invited to step into the shoes of someone with memory impairment, and first responder participation in a dementia-training program compliments of Silverado.
Silverado is committed to becoming an active part of the communities we serve, and partnering with the City of Azusa to create a dementia friendly community is a part of that commitment, says Silverado Chairman and CEO Loren Shook. When we founded Silverado 20 years ago, we set out to do more than provide the best quality of life possible for people affected by memory impairing diseases we set out to change the world in how people with dementia are treated. This effort is another step toward that mission, providing a model for other cities to follow.
The Dementia Friendly Azusa task force, which meets regularly at Silverado, is in the process of reviewing as many as a dozen additional action items in support of the effort. The task force is represented by the following groups: local government, fire and police departments, chamber of commerce, healthcare providers, educational organizations led by Azusa Pacific University, nonprofits, the faith-based community, and local citizens.
In addition, several local businesses have already stepped up to support the initiative. Triad Gym, Marie Calendars, Massage Envy, Grocery Store Outlet and Mexican food eatery, Maxs already have plans to provide employee education and even make changes to their operation.
Businesses, individuals and organizations interested in getting involved can share their contact information with the task force, here: silveradocare.com/DementiaFriendlyAzusa.
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About Silverado
Silverado was founded in 1996 with the goal of enriching the lives of those with memory loss by changing how the world cares for people with cognitive decline. Establishing this mindset as the foundation allows Silverado to operate in a way that provides clients, residents and patients with utmost dignity, freedom, respect and quality of life. Silverado has grown to become a nationally recognized provider of home care, memory care assisted living and hospice services. With 49 locations, the company delivers world-class care across seven states, including Arizona, California, Illinois, Texas, Washington, Utah and Wisconsin. Learn more at silveradocare.com or call (866) 522-8125.
Contacts:
David Gill
(714) 624-2550
dgill(at)silveradocare(dot)com
Martin Quiroz
Public Information Officer, Azusa
(626) 812-5178
mquiroz(at)ci(dot)azusa(dot)ca(dot)us
Dimensional Insight's data analysis shows Democrats are 44% more likely than Republicans to drink wine and Republicans are 13% more likely than Democrats to drink beer.
Dimensional Insight, a developer of business intelligence (BI) solutions for highly regulated industries, today announced that it has conducted a data analysis that shows Democrats are 44% more likely than Republicans to drink wine and Republicans are 13% more likely than Democrats to drink beer. The analysis also showed that with hard alcohol, there was not as great of a difference, with Democrats just 7% more likely than Republicans to consume spirits.
To conduct the analysis, Dimensional Insight imported the following data into Diver Platform, the companys business intelligence platform:
A data set from Beverage Marketing Corporations DrinkTell database that included a state by state breakdown of total volume of beer, wine, and spirits sold for the years 2012-2014 (the last year for which a full data set is available).
U.S. Census population estimates on the number of adults (18+) living in each state in 2014.
Red state and blue state information. A variety of factors determine a states color, including governorship, state and federal elected officials, and historical voting preferences.
Once all of the data was imported into Diver, Dimensional Insight converted the alcohol volume figures into a common unit of measurement (liters) and calculated a per capita consumption rate for beer, wine, and spirits in each state.
An analysis of the data found that the per capita consumption of wine in red states in 2014 was 10.77 liters and in blue states was 15.46 liters (44% more for blue states). For beer, the per capita consumption for blue states was 92.50 liters, and the per capita consumption of beer in red states was 104.45 liters (13% more for red states). For spirits, red states per capita consumption was 7.51 liters and blue states consumption was 8.04 liters (7% more for blue states).
To learn more about the data analysis, please visit: http://www.ow.ly/qV0A305VxRs
About Dimensional Insight
Dimensional Insight is a leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions. The company offers a complete portfolio of BI capabilities ranging from data integration and modeling to sophisticated reporting, analytics, and dashboards. Founded in 1989, Dimensional Insight has thousands of customer organizations worldwide. Dimensional Insights Diver Platform consistently ranks as a top performing business intelligence platform by customers and industry analysts in its core market segments including healthcare, manufacturing and beverage alcohol industries. For more information, please visit http://www.dimins.com.
We are honored to be the seventh U.S. market selected by WOW for service to the airlines more than 20 international destinations," said Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis.
Following a successful year of new flight destinations from North America, one of Europes fastest growing airlines WOW air will continue to offer easy and low-cost ways for Americans to travel to Europe by soon adding Pittsburgh to the growing list of destinations.
The affordable transatlantic airline will begin nonstop flights from Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) to Iceland for as low as $99* one-way including taxes. For only $149.99*, travellers can continue their trip to WOW airs other European destinations including London, Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris and Dublin.
Tickets go on sale today, November 7, 2016.
Skuli Mogensen, Founder and CEO of WOW air said, Making exciting new destinations accessible for travellers across the world at unbeatable prices is an integral part of our ethos at WOW air. Pittsburgh is certainly a destination on the rise and one that will appeal to a wide range of European travellers looking to discover somewhere different, so were thrilled to add the destination to our route list.
Service from PIT to and from Iceland will start at four days a week with connecting flights on to other available European destinations. The inaugural flight from Pittsburgh will be on June 16, 2017.
Im thrilled to welcome WOW air as Pittsburgh International Airports next international carrier with service to Europe, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said. Our recent growth and momentum at Pittsburgh International is matching the momentum and growth of our region. WOW recognized Pittsburghs pent-up demand for air service to Europe, and the airlines ultra-low cost fares will greatly enhance travellers options.
WOW airs continued development across the United States follows the successful launch of transatlantic services from 21 European destinations the east coast in early 2015 and the start of service this summer from San Francisco and Los Angeles, with fares as low as $99 including taxes. The existing U.S. services now operates year-round and maintains consistent carrier loads of 90 percent plus.
We are excited to once again have year-round transatlantic service with easy access to Europe, Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis said. We are honored to be the seventh U.S. market selected by WOW for service to the airlines more than 20 international destinations.
The new PIT route will be serviced by the A321 aircraft, which will each carry 220 passengers in a single-class configuration. Seat pitch will vary from 30 inches as standard to 34 inches at an additional charge.
For more additional information please visit http://www.wowair.com
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About WOW air
WOW air is Icelands only low-cost airline and the most punctual, with 92 percent of flights arriving on time in 2014. WOW air offers the lowest fares, a modern fleet with the lowest emissions and the biggest smile; this is the WOW air promise to its valuable customers. As of fall 2016, the airline will service 31 destinations across Europe and North America including Dublin, London, Paris, Berlin, and Copenhagen. Established in November 2011 by Icelandic entrepreneur Skuli Mogensen, the purple airline currently operates six Airbus A321 aircraft and recently purchased an additional four. WOW airs fleet also consists of three Airbus A330-300 planes and two A 320-200 planes. By the end of 2017 the fleet will consist of 17 aircraft with the average age of the whole fleet only 2.5 years. WOW air was ranked as the 7th best low-cost airline in Europe at the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Skytrax World Airline Awards and was the youngest airline in the top ten. For additional information and bookings please visit http://www.wowair.com.
Contact:
Kara Joyce
Washington D.C.
kjoyce(at)webreshandwick.com
410 558 2134
Anna Romano
California
aromano(at)webershandwick.com
310 854 8296
WOW air corporate
Svana Fridriksdottir
VP Communications
svana(at)wow.is
354 695 9359
*Based on lowest one-way fare from Pittsburgh to Iceland including taxes and charges, booked on http://www.wowair.com. Available for travel from PIT on Mondays from June 19 through June 26 and September 4 through October 23, 2017. Restrictions and baggage fees may apply.
*Based on lowest one-way fare from Pittsburgh to Amsterdam, Paris, Copenhagen, Frankfurt and Berlin including taxes and charges, booked on http://www.wowair.com. Available for travel from PIT on Wednesdays from June 21 through June 28 and September 6 through October 25, 2017. Restrictions and baggage fees may apply.
*Based on lowest one-way fare from Pittsburgh to Stockholm, Brussels, Dublin, Edinburgh, London and Cork including taxes and charges, booked on http://www.wowair.com. Available for travel from PIT on Sundays from June 18 through June 25 and September 3 through October 22, 2017. Restrictions and baggage fees may apply.
So, the reason behind the launch of this offer before tax season is to give them enough time to work on the cloud and get comfortable before the deadlines arrive.
For business success, it is important to keep accounting on the right track. Accounting on the cloud can offer a reliable help for that purpose. Being a new practice, most first-time entrepreneurs are unsure if it is actually worth the hype it has earned. For the benefit of such entrepreneurs, Ace Cloud Hosting has launched a limited period offer that provides 3 months of free hosting for QuickBooks desktop on the cloud.
Hosting accounting applications has always invited a strong customer base for Ace Cloud Hosting, but most of them have been settled businesses, accounting firms and accounting professionals. With this offer, the company is looking to support the accounting operations at startups. With its new offer, rising businesses can avail:
1. 3 months of free hosting for QuickBooks Desktop (or any other licensed accounting software)
2. Discount on purchase of QuickBooks license
At the launch event of the offer, Sangeeta Chhabra, Director of Ace Cloud Hosting, emphasized on solving the accounting problems for startups. She said, "Unless it is an accounting firm, a startup is rarely concerned with their accounting operations. Managing bank loans, crowdfunding, etc. with regularly changing tax regulations over desktop accounting software is only going to give pain. When we started with Ace Cloud Hosting, we faced similar challenges. We wish to ensure that other startups don't have to face such issues."
She also explained why this is the best time to switch to the cloud with the accounting system: "While concentrating on planning and strategies of the startups, they let the accounting suffer. Then, they press the panic button during the tax season. As deadline comes close, they avoid switching the platform and remain stuck to the desktop application, even when they know the benefits of the cloud. So, the reason behind the launch of this offer before tax season is to give them enough time to work on the cloud and get comfortable before the deadlines arrive. We are letting them test a more productive and cost-effective solution in the form of the cloud."
Hosting desktop applications on the cloud provides the access to the application on any internet connected device. So, UI and features remain similar to the desktop application, while enabling a better accessibility. So, working on the cloud with accounting software, such as QuickBooks, is able to simplify the accounting complexities. The collaboration on business accounting between multiple stakeholders and accountants from different locations can be easily achieved by hosting QuickBooks on the cloud.
About Ace Cloud Hosting
Ace Cloud Hosting, a Florida-based application hosting provider, ranks amongst the leading QuickBooks hosting providers. Ace Cloud Hosting has been in the business for more than a decade delivering significant value to its clients. As an Intuit Authorized Hosting Provider for QuickBooks Software, Ace Cloud Hosting provides a wide range of cloud services including application hosting, QuickBooks cloud, hosted PBX, managed hosting and dedicated servers to its valued clients that help them to achieve the business objectives by providing the best in class virtual office solution.
Learn more at http://www.acecloudhosting.com
Cory Atkins, a director on the Delaware Soybean Board has been appointed to the United Soybean Board. To embody the farmer perspective, farmer-leaders from the soybean-growing region step up to volunteer their time and skills to maximize profit opportunities for their neighbors over the county line and across the country.
Cory Atkins of Seaford, Del., has been appointed to the United Soybean Board. He is one of 39 new appointees who will join 34 other farmer-leaders in directing soy checkoff funds toward research, marketing and promotion efforts that increase soybean farmer profitability. Atkins will succeed Dallas Wright of Millsboro in the position at his swearing-in during December.
Soybean farmers are at the heart and mission of the soy checkoff, says Jared Hagert, USB chair and soybean farmer from Emerado, North Dakota. To embody the farmer perspective, farmer-leaders from the soybean-growing region step up to volunteer their time and skills to maximize profit opportunities for their neighbors over the county line and across the country.
Atkins is a director on the Delaware Soybean Board. A former LEADelaware fellow, he was introduced to the soybean checkoff through USBs See for Yourself tour in 2012. After attending the National Biodiesel Board (NBB)s Big Apple Bioheat Tour he became NBB director for the Mid-Atlantic Soybean Boards membership.
He is a 2015 graduate of Syngentas Leadership At Its Best program.
In 2016 Atkins was named the American Soybean Associations Conservation Legacy Award Winner for the Northeast Region. The Conservation Legacy Awards Program is a national program designed to recognize the outstanding environmental and conservation achievement of soybean farmers, which helps produce more sustainable U.S. soybeans.
Atkins owns and operates Corys Produce, LLC., growing crops including squash, watermelons, lima beans, peas, sweet corn, field corn, soybeans and small grains. In addition, Atkins contracts for custom farming and grain hauling. He also is a Channel seed dealer.
Dallas Wright will continue to serve as alternate USB director. Wright, a longtime soybean leader, is a former Delaware Soybean Board director. Wright was a longtime member of the board of directors of the Mid-Atlantic Soybean Association. He also is a member of the Delaware Farm Bureau.
Our sincerest thanks to Dallas and to Richard Carlisle, who served as Dallas alternate director and who now retires from service, says Jay Baxter, a Georgetown, Del., farmer and chairman of the Delaware Soybean Board. Serving in these positions demands time away from farm and family, and we appreciate what they have done to support our industry.
Delaware farmers plant about 180,000 acres of soybeans each year, and the crop generates approximately $60 million in value to the state. Delawares agricultural industry contributes about $8 billion per year to the Delaware economy.
About the Delaware Soybean Board: The Delaware Soybean Board consists of nine farmer-directors and the Secretary of Agriculture. Funded through a one-half of one percent assessment on the net market value of soybeans at their first point of sale, the checkoff works with partners in the value chain to identify and capture opportunities that increase farmer profit potential. One-half of the soybean checkoff assessments collected by the state boards are forwarded to the United Soybean Board. For more information about the Delaware Soybean Board visit http://www.desoybeans.org.
About the United Soybean Board: USBs 70 farmer-directors work on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers to achieve maximum value for their soy checkoff investments. These volunteers invest and leverage checkoff funds in programs and partnerships to drive soybean innovation beyond the bushel and increase preference for U.S. soy. That preference is based on U.S. soybean meal and oil quality and the sustainability of U.S. soybean farmers. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soy checkoff.
Kia Michel, MD - Board Certified Urologist "It is important to highlight the fact that Ben Stiller's story is just one out of thousands. Early testing turned out to have a positive outcome for him, but there are plenty of men for whom that won't be the case, said Dr. Michel
As one of the most highly sought after urologists in Los Angeles, Kia Michel, M.D., has extensive experience with the complexities involved in diagnosing and treating prostate cancer. According to an article on CNN.com, actor Ben Stiller has not only opened up about his battle with prostate cancer in 2014 but has also urged men to undergo prostate cancer screening as early as 40 years of age. The actor was diagnosed with the disease after his doctor suggested he take a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test at age 46. Within the same year, Stiller was diagnosed with prostate cancer and the tumor was surgically removed three months later. He is still free of cancer today.
It's incredibly important for people like Ben Stiller to speak openly about their experience with prostate cancer, said the founder of LA-based Comprehensive Urology, Dr. Kia Michel. As the second most common cancer among men in the U.S., spreading awareness for prostate cancer screening and treatment is vital. However, it is important to highlight the fact that Ben Stiller's story is just one out of thousands. Early testing turned out to have a positive outcome for him, but there are plenty of men for whom that won't be the case.
Read more about prostate cancer here: https://Comprehensive-Urology.com/Prostate-Cancer/
A prostate-specific antigen test measures the amount of a particular protein produced by the prostate in the patient's blood. The levels can indicate the presence of cancer, however, the test results may become less reliable the younger the patient. PSA tests often produce false-positive or false-negative results, which can lead to further tests that can be invasive, such as biopsies or total prostate removal.
Every patient's case is different. Patients who are 50 years or older, are African-American, or have a family history of prostate cancer typically have a higher risk for the disease than others, but it's crucial to discuss the pros and cons of screening with a prostate specialist, such as myself or my team, added Dr. Michel. Ben Stiller was incredibly lucky to have a doctor who suggested a baseline PSA test even before the standard age of testing, but again, that is one case out of millions every year. We strongly suggest meeting with a board-certified urologist to learn more about whether screening is necessary, as well as the impact the testing can have on the individual's quality of life.
Kia Michel, M.D., earned his medical degree at the University of Washington School of Medicine and completed his residency at UCLA. He has also been recognized as a National Pfizer Scholar. As one of the founding members of the reputable Comprehensive Urology Medical Group, located in the Cedars-Sinai Medical Towers in Los Angeles, California, Dr. Michel treats a host of urologic diseases. One of the few urologists who is an acclaimed cancer and robotic surgeon, Dr. Michel is a compassionate doctor who has dedicated his career to providing state-of-the-art care for his patients with a warm, nurturing touch. In addition to Comprehensive Urology, Dr. Michel is also a founding member of the Integrated Prostate Cancer Center in Los Angeles, an advanced facility dedicated to the treatment and prevention of prostate cancer.
Comprehensive Urology is a renowned urological practice in Los Angeles that provides state of the art urological care in a personalized and compassionate environment. The physicians at Comprehensive Urology are board-certified urologists with specialty training in a number of different aspects of urology and provide tailored care for their patients with outstanding results.
Call them today at (310) 278-8330 or visit their website: http://www.Comprehensive-Urology.com.
Comprehensive Urology
8631 W 3rd St #715e
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 499-2756
CUinquiry(at)gmail(dot)com
Investigators confiscated four mobile phones during a raid on Oct. 29 on the home of President Park Geun-hye's long-term aide An Chong-bum, who was apparently taken by surprise.
At the same time, another group of investigators raided the home of Jeong Ho-seong, the former presidential secretary for private presidential affairs, and confiscated his phone.
An is accused of pressuring businesses in his capacity as presidential secretary for policy coordination to donate billions of won to two dubious nonprofit foundations controlled by Park's friend Choi Soon-sil.
His phones are said to contain text messages he exchanged with executives at major conglomerates on July 24 last year, prior to the establishment of the Mir Foundation, as well as messages he exchanged with Cheong Wa Dae about presidential protocol.
They show that Park personally invited the heads of 17 conglomerates, including Samsung, Hyundai, LG and Lotte, to Cheong Wa Dae for lunch, where she told them about her intention to publicize Korean culture through the foundation. They also suggest that Park met separately with some of the executives after lunch.
FLTG Fiber Map "Norwich businesses can take advantage of a more complete portfolio of telecom products and services, all backed by our more than 100 years of experience, said FLTG President and CEO Paul H. Griswold.
FLTG is expanding its services into the Norwich market following the addition of services into the Binghamton area last year. The continued expansion into neighboring communities allows businesses to unite with different areas of the state using state-of-the-art technology.
With this expansion, FLTG is bringing more than a century of telephone experience and a host of state-of-the-art services, including: local and long-distance telephone, high-speed Internet, IP and hosted phone systems, data center, virtualization, telecom, dark and lit fiber and conferencing services.
FLTG is thrilled to expand our service area into Norwich, said FLTG President and CEO Paul H. Griswold. Now, Norwich businesses can take advantage of a more complete portfolio of telecom products and services, all backed by our more than 100 years of experience.
FLTG has extended its privately owned fiber-optic network to cover more than 2,500 miles across New York State and Pennsylvania, servicing more than 40 communities. The companys fiber-optic network has been built entirely through private company funding.
About Finger Lakes Technologies Group
Finger Lakes Technologies Group Inc. (fltg.com) is continuously expanding its privately owned 2,500-mile, fiber-optic network to serve the Upstate New York region. FLTG provides state-of-the-art voice, data and Internet solutions to business customers across New York State and Pennsylvania. The company is certified in all Cisco solutions. A subsidiary of Ontario and Trumansburg Telephone Companies, FLTG brings to its customers a more-than-100-year history in telecommunications. Headquartered in Victor, FLTG and its parent companies employ 140 people combined and have offices in Buffalo, Binghamton, Phelps, Romulus and Trumansburg.
The Chinese consumers appetite for wellness-focused travel is huge and growing, but the current infrastructure for delivering these services and experiences in China at an international standard is still limited.
The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) recently reported that global wellness tourism revenues grew an impressive 14% from 2013-2015 (to $563 billion), more than twice as fast as overall tourism (6.9%*) - while also projecting that this unstoppable travel category would grow another 37.5%, to $808 billion, by year 2020.
And today the GWI released new data, revealing that international wellness tourism revenues have been growing at a significantly faster clip (20% from 2013-2015) than domestic wellness travel (11%). And that secondary wellness tourism (wellness services sought during travel, but where wellness is not the main purpose of the trip) is growing slightly faster than primary wellness tourism (where the main purpose of the trip is wellness).
The top twenty national wellness travel markets (inbound and domestic combined) were also released, and the U.S. remains the global powerhouse, with $202 billion in revenues, or more than three times more than #2 market, Germany. But China showed the biggest growth: jumping from the 9th largest market in 2013, to 4th in 2015, with revenues growing more than 300%, from $12.3 billion to $29.5 billion.
This new data will be presented tomorrow at the World Travel Market in London, who tapped the GWI to create the program for this years Wellness Travel Symposium. The Symposium, on Tuesday, November 8th (10:30AM- 1:30 PM), includes panels on topics like Creating a Winning Wellness Strategy for Your Destination and how Medical Wellness Concepts Are on the Rise, featuring numerous global experts and executives, from Vinod Zutshi, Secretary of Tourism, India, to Joshua Luckow, Executive Director, Canyon Ranch. The GWIs full report on global wellness and wellness tourism markets will be released in early 2017.
International Wellness Tourism Growing Fast
Domestic wellness tourism represents the majority of wellness trips (83%) and revenues (67%). But international/inbound wellness travel grew at a much faster rate than its domestic equivalent from 2013-2015: 22% growth in trips and 20% growth in revenues for international, compared to 17% and 11% for domestic. While international revenues grew more than twice as fast as domestic, both categories saw strong growth from 2013-2015: international trips grew from 95.3 million to 116 million, while domestic trips jumped from 491 million to 575 million.
Wellness Tourism Revenues 2013 vs. 2015
International: $156.3 billion - $187.1 billion
Domestic: $337.8 billion - $376.1 billion
Total Industry: $494.1 billion - $563.2 billion
Secondary Wellness Tourism Dominates & Grows Share
The bulk of wellness travel is done by secondary wellness tourists, those who seek wellness experiences during travel, but where wellness is not the primary motivation for the trip. Secondary wellness tourists accounted for 89% of wellness tourism trips and 86% of expenditures in 2015 up from 87% of trips and 84% expenditures in 2013. While the travel and hospitality industry tends to focus on the primary wellness traveler (where wellness is the main motivation for the trip) they need to pay keen attention to mainstream travelers who are increasingly incorporating more healthy experiences (whether spa treatments, fitness or food) into their overall leisure and business travel.
Top Twenty Nations for Wellness Tourism
Revenues 2015 (international & domestic combined) & Global Rank 2015 (vs. 2013)
United States: $202.2 billion 1 (1)
Germany: $60.2 billion - 2 (2)
France: $30.2 billion 3 (3)
China: $29.5 billion 4 (9)
Japan: $19.8 billion 5 (4)
Austria: $15.4 billion 6 (5)
Canada: $13.5 billion 7 (6)
United Kingdom: $13 billion 8 (10)
Italy: $12.7 billion 9 (7)
Mexico: $12.6 billion 10 (11)
Switzerland: $12.2 billion 11 (8)
India: $11.8 billion 12 (12)
Thailand: $9.4 billion 13 (13)
Australia: $8.2 billion 14 (16)
Spain: $7.7 billion 15 (14)
South Korea: $6.8 billion 16 (15)
Indonesia: $5.3 billion 17 (17)
Turkey: $4.8 billion 18 (19)
Russia: $3.5 billion 19 (18)
Brazil: $3.3 billion 20 (24)
The United States remains the overwhelming world leader, representing over one-third of global wellness tourism revenues, while the top five countries (U.S., Germany, France, China, Japan) represent 61% of the world market. A key story from 2013-2015: China gaining significantly in the rankings (from # 9 to #4) for revenues, which jumped from $12.3 billion to $29.5 billion more than 300% growth. Additionally, Brazil entered the top twenty for the first time (supplanting Portugal).
The Chinese consumers appetite for wellness-focused travel is huge and growing, but the current infrastructure for delivering these services and experiences in China at an international standard is still limited, noted Katherine Johnston, Senior Research Fellow, GWI. But given the countrys unique wellness assets from TCM and herbal medicine, to energy work and martial arts there is enormous potential for China to become both an international and domestic wellness tourism destination.
Most European countries, Japan, and Canada actually show a decline in wellness tourism revenues since 2013 and many fell slightly in the rankings due to significant depreciation of the Euro and other major currencies against the US$ during this period. But the currency factors seriously mask the very robust growth in wellness tourism throughout these countries, made plain by their strong growth in wellness tourism trip numbers as seen below.
Top Nations for Revenues: Ranked by Wellness Tourism TRIP GROWTH
Wellness Trips 2013 and 2015 and % growth
Australia: 4.6 million 8.5 million (+85%)
China: 30.1 million 48.2 million (+60%)
Brazil: 5.9 million 8.6 million (+46%)
Indonesia: 4 million 5.6 million (+40%)
Russia: 10.3 million 13.5 million (+31%)
Mexico: 12 million 15.3 million (+27.5%)
Austria: 12.1 million 14.6 million (+21%)
Spain: 11.3 million 13.6 million (+20%)
France: 25.8 million 30.6 million (+18.6%)
India: 32.7 million 38.6 million (+18%)
Thailand: 8.3 million 9.7 million (+17%)
Germany: 50.2 million 58.5 million (+16.5%)
South Korea: 15.6 million 18 million (+15%)
Canada: 23.1 million 25.3 million (+9.5%)
United Kingdom: 18.9 million 20.6 million (+9%)
United States: 148.6 million - 161.2 million (+8.5%)
Turkey: 8.7 million 9.3 million (+7%)
Japan: 36 million 37.8 million (+5%)
The top five growth leaders for percentage increase in wellness trips (among the top twenty nations for wellness tourism revenues) are: 1) Australia (+85%), 2) China (+60%), 3) Brazil (+46%), 4) Indonesia (+40%) and 5) Russia (+31%) clear evidence that developing nations are a developing story in wellness travel.
Research Sponsors: The 2016 Global Wellness Economy Monitor was underwritten with support from the following industry leaders: Spafinder Wellness, Biologique Recherche, Universal Companies, Elemis, HydraFacial, Miraval, Performance Health, The BodyHoliday, Treatwell and Two Bunch Palms.
For more information, or to speak to Global Wellness Institute researchers, contact Beth McGroarty: beth.mcgroarty[at]globalwellnessinstitute[dot]org or (+1) 213-300-0107.
Euromonitor data, 2013-2015
About the Global Wellness Institute
The Global Wellness Institute (GWI), a non-profit 501(c)(3), is considered the leading global research and educational resource for the global wellness industry, and is known for introducing major industry initiatives and regional events that bring together leaders and visionaries to chart the future. GWI positively impacts global health and wellness by advocating for both public institutions and businesses that are working to help prevent disease, reduce stress, and enhance overall quality of life. Its mission is to empower wellness worldwide. http://www.globalwellnessinstitute.org
Higher Logic Super Forum 2016 Higher Logic aims to host an event that brings together community managers, thought leaders, and all-around enthusiasts for learning and collaboration
Higher Logic, the leader in online community platforms, announced today its final event program for the seventh annual Super Forum, an exclusive two-day training, educational, and social event for Higher Logic clients, partners, and community enthusiasts. The event will be November 14-15 at The Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, VA.
[2015] was my first Higher Logic Super Forum and I learned so much, said Pam Burton, Web Content Editor and Manager for the National Center for State Courts. The keynoters were both practical and inspirational, and I really liked how I learned as much from what attendees shared as I did from the session presenters double value! My favorite session was the 45 Tips in 45 Minutes, Remixed. Well be sending someone from our organization next year for sure!
The Higher Logic Super Forum focuses on community training, education, and networking for community enthusiasts, thought leaders, partners, and Higher Logic clients. The event features keynotes by Ken Schmidt, legendary Former Director of Communications for Harley Davidson, Rob Wenger, CEO for Higher Logic, and our Community Expert Panel:
Vanessa DiMauro, CEO of Leader Networks
Rachel Happe, Co-Founder of The Community Roundtable
Richard Millington, Founder and Managing Director of FeverBee
David Spinks, Founder and CEO of CMX Media
The schedule also boasts one-on-one product consulting time, a new Client Innovation Lab, the opportunity to earn up to 10 CAE credits, and 39 breakout sessions encompassing four educational tracks: Marketing and Membership, Community Management, Technical, and Strategic/Executive.
We love meeting with the people behind all of these great online communities every year at Super Forum, says Rob Wenger, CEO of Higher Logic. Higher Logic aims to host an event that brings together community managers, thought leaders, and all-around enthusiasts for learning and collaboration. Super Forum has grown and evolved for the past seven years, and we cant wait to host our largest community event yet.
Higher Logics Customer Appreciation Party will be held on Monday, November 14, at the 1776 Incubator Space in downtown Crystal City.
Registration and event details for the 2016 Super Forum are available on the event website. As an educational program related to the CAE examination content outline, full participation in the 2016 Higher Logic Super Forum is eligible for 10 CAE credits. For more information about the CAE credential or Approved Provider program, please visit http://www.whatiscae.org.
About Higher Logic
Higher Logic is an industry leader in cloud-based community platforms. Organizations worldwide use Higher Logic to bring people all together, by giving their community a home where they can interact, share ideas, answer questions and stay connected. Our goal is to help your organization with deeper engagement and meaningful interactions for your members, customers and prospects. Everything we do - the tools and features in our software, our services, partnerships, best practices - drives our ultimate goal of making your organization successful. Learn more at http://www.higherlogic.com.
Husson University will be hosting three days of events that honor the contributions of veterans to our nation on November 9 - 11, 2016. Its an opportunity for local veterans and their guests to visit campus and share a meal. We want them to know that everyone at Husson University is incredibly grateful for all that they have done on our behalf.
In recognition of the incredible sacrifices made by members of the armed forces and their families to protect our way of life, Husson University will be hosting three days of events that honor the contributions of veterans to our nation. These events will take place on November 9 - 11, 2016.
Veterans Day is about more than paying tribute to those who fought in battle. It is a day dedicated to honoring all of the outstanding men and women who have served in our nations armed forces. Honoring their service is a powerful reminder that freedom and liberty must be defended, said Husson University President Robert A. Clark, Ph.D.
On Wednesday, November 9, 2016, Husson will host its Annual Roll Call. This event is part of a national effort to make Veterans Day on college campuses a special time of appreciation and reflection. Husson University will participate in minute of silence and a national roll call that honors those who have served, those who are serving, and those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
The event kicks off at 1:00 p.m. on the lower level of the G. Pierce Webber Campus Center in Peabody Hall. Students from the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy will share their experiences and stories about military service with everyone in attendance. Other members of the armed services in attendance will be invited to share their stories with the audience. During the roll call, the names of citizen soldiers from the State of Maine who gave their lives to protect this country are read aloud. The event is free and open to the public.
Present at the event will be Husson Universitys Military Honor Tree. Members of Hussons Bangor campus community are being encouraged to honor the brave men and women who sacrificed and fought for our country by placing a colored ribbon on the tree.
Later that same day, Husson will be sponsoring a special screening of video interviews conducted by students in the New England School of Communications journalism program. The interviews feature four Maine WWII veterans.
The videos are now a part of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project (VHP). The Veterans History Project is an oral history program that preserves the personal accounts of America's wartime veterans. As part of the Librarys permanent collection, it is designed to help future generations better understand the realities of war from those who served their country during armed conflicts. The interviews will also be invaluable to future scholars and researchers who are interested in better understanding the World War II experience from the service persons perspective.
Members of the public who attend this screening will be able to hear first-hand accounts of the World War II experience from some of the men who fought in this life-altering conflict. Local area veterans who participated in the interviews included Galen Cole, Norman Rossignol, Paul Wilbur, and Harold Beal. The video screening will take place in the Libra Lecture Hall in the ODonnell Commons building at 6:00 p.m. Again, the event is free and open to the public.
The events continue on Thursday, November 10, 2016 with a Veterans Conversation at the Dyke Center. Free and open to the public, this event will feature James Christie, a community outreach specialist with the Department of Veterans Affairs - Healthcare; Mike Gray, a care coordinator for Easter Seals Military and Veteran Services; and Brigadier General Doug Farnham the Adjutant General for the Maine National Guard. The three panel members will talk about Veterans Administration (VA) healthcare and why businesses should be hiring veterans. The audience will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panel.
This insightful panel discussion will take place from 4 6 p.m. at the Richard E. Dyke Center for Family Business. Members of the public are encouraged to arrive early since seating is limited.
The tributes and sharing of experiences culminate on Friday, November 11, 2016 (Veterans Day) with a Veterans Appreciation Dinner from 5:30 p.m. 8 p.m. in the lower level of the G. Pierce Webber Campus Center in Peabody Hall. The dinner is designed to show veterans how much the Husson campus community appreciates the sacrifices these brave men and women have made for our country.
The featured speaker at the dinner will be Lieutenant General Michael Williamson 83. In this role, Williamson is the principal military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics, and technology (ASA(ALT)). He is also the director of acquisition career management. The total number of three-star Lieutenant Generals that can be concurrently active in the U.S. Army is limited to 230. A Lieutenant General is equivalent to the rank of Vice Admiral in the other uniformed services.
The dinner is open to all Husson University students, faculty, staff, and alumni who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Friends and family of Husson servicemen and women are also welcome to attend.
The Husson University Student Veterans Association (SVA) has been actively involved in coordinating this dinner. The association has invited students that have no armed forces affiliation to help increase appreciation for veterans and the issues they face upon returning home after military service.
Danielle Leighton, the Veterans Administration certifying official at Husson University feels that dinners like these are very important. Its an opportunity for local veterans and their guests to visit campus and share a meal. We want them to know that everyone at Husson University is incredibly grateful for all that they have done on our behalf.
For more than 100 years, Husson University has prepared future leaders to handle the challenges of tomorrow through innovative undergraduate and graduate degrees. With a commitment to delivering affordable classroom, online and experiential learning opportunities, Husson University has come to represent superior value in higher education. Our Bangor campus and off-campus satellite education centers in Southern Maine, Wells, and Northern Maine provide advanced knowledge in business; health and education; pharmacy studies, science and humanities; as well as communication. In addition, Husson University has a robust adult learning program. For more information about educational opportunities that can lead to personal and professional success, visit Husson.edu.
These bullet proof vests will allow our department to feel secure knowing that we have state of the art bullet proof vests.
The police officers in the city of LaGrange, Indiana will be receiving brand new bullet proof vests by the end of the year, courtesy of a generous donation from Lagrange Country Dodge. This donation will replace the old bullet proof vests which are to set to expire at end of December.
LaGrange Country Dodge continues to support local law enforcement by providing tools that the officers need to do their job. Earlier this year LaGrange Country Dodge help the Lagrange County Sheriffs Department purchase a new police dog.
As a community we appreciate the support that LaGrange Country Dodge gives to police and first responders, said LaGrange Town Marshal Richard Snyder. These bullet proof vests will allow our department to feel secure knowing that we have state of the art bullet proof vests.
On Monday, October 24, 2016, LaGrange Police Town Marshall and nine of the LaGrange Police department visited the offices of LaGrange Country Dodge to thank Mark Hergert and Doug Wickstrom and the employees of LaGrange Country Dodge for their donation. General Manager of LaGrange Country Dodge Mark Hergert commented on why the dealership supports law enforcement locally.
These men and women in law enforcement have a hard-enough job dealing with multiple situations every day, says Hergert. The least we can do as a good neighbor is to make sure they are well protected so there is less chance for injury or worse. We encourage all of our local businesses and citizens to support the police and other first responders.
LaGrange Country Dodge is a proud member of the community of Lagrange County, IN, and has made a commitment to continue support of the residents and law enforcement departments. As a new addition to the local business community, LaGrange Country Dodge looks forward to serving area residents in all of their auto sales and service needs.
Patrick Reynolds advocates the California ballot measure Prop 56, a $2 tobacco tax hike on the ballot in the 2016 election The conservative ideology of don't tax and don't regulate falls short when it comes to tobacco. The 69 cent Federal tax, signed into law by President Obama two weeks after taking office, resulted in an immediate 11% to 13% drop in teen smoking.
Prop 56 is a California ballot measure for a $2 tax hike on tobacco. The problem is, most California voters are unaware the current State tobacco tax is 37th lowest in the nation. California's tobacco tax is 87 cents, while the national average is $2 per pack. Almost everyone we interviewed thought California's present tobacco tax was high. Our other State taxes are high, so people assume our tobacco tax is as well. In the current multi-million dollar advertising war between the No on 56 campaign, well-funded by Big Tobacco, and Yes on 56, funded by the health community, this important fact has gotten lost. Knowing how low our tobacco tax compares to other States would help voters make a more informed decision about Prop 56," said Patrick Reynolds, Executive Director of the Tobaccofree.org.
Past bills in the State Legislature to increase the tobacco tax have failed in part because California State law prohibits any tax increase without a 2/3 majority vote, thanks to a previous ballot measure. And ballot measures to increase California's tobacco tax have all been rejected by voters in recent years, in part because of the tens of millions regularly spent by Big Tobacco to defeat them, said Reynolds.
In June, 2012, Reynolds appeared in a TV spot to educate voters about Prop 29, which would have increased Californias tobacco tax by $1. In the election, the measure failed by only 10,000 votes out of millions cast. The tobacco industry had spent over $40 million to defeat it. Their No on 56 campaign is spending far more this time to defeat Yes on Prop 56.
As Reynolds speaks in the TV spot, a list of State tobacco taxes, all higher than California's, scrolls up behind him. The spot is posted on YouTube in 1080p resolution at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKnXHrtEtjU
The conservative ideology of don't tax and don't regulate falls short when it comes to tobacco, said Reynolds. The 69 cent Federal tax signed into law by President Obama two weeks after taking office resulted in an immediate 11% to 13% drop in teen smoking, according to the Campaign for Tobaccofree Kids. After 11 months, tobacco sales were down 11%. Today there are 3 million fewer US smokers, and an estimated 1.87 million US kids will not become smokers. The nation will save $43.9 billion in long term health care costs, and the Federal tax has brought in hundreds of millions in revenue.
"The Democratic majority in Congress passed the Federal 69 cent tax in January, 2009 along party lines, following years of rejection by Congressional Republicans, Reynolds said. "Six months later, the Democratic majority also passed a bill for FDA regulation of tobacco that was long overdue," said Reynolds.
As a private citizen, Reynolds is now raising funds to form a new Super PAC, Congress Majority. The PAC's mission will be to bring about a Democratic majority in both Houses of Congress.
"The PAC I'm starting has an innovative, fresh approach," said Reynolds. "While every other Super PAC supports individual candidates and attacks their opponents in local races, Congress Majority will promote Democrats as a national group. Our ads will attack Republicans for causing gridlock, and for rigidly adhering to an oversimplified ideology. One ad will point out that historys worst leaders have all come to power selling oversimplified solutions to a frightened public. That's what Republicans like Donald Trump and the Tea Party do best. The ad says we need less ideology from our leaders, and more case-by-case solutions. The spot also notes that complex problems require complex solutions, and that's what Democrats do best. It closes, Vote Democrat!" said Reynolds.
In another spot for the new PAC, the spokesperson says, "If you want another 4 years of gridlock, vote Republican. It's time to throw Republican obstructionists out of office. When you vote, say NO to the Party of No. Tell Republicans, 'You're fired!' Vote Democrat -- and together, we'll get Washington working again."
"The new PAC's TV spots will be run in 2018 in swing States. The fact is, a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress would solve a lot more than just tobacco taxes. It would lead to better government and a stronger economy," Reynolds said. "I'm seeking funding for the PAC now."
ONLINE RESOURCES:
List of State tobacco taxes, showing California's is 37th lowest
2012 TV spot with Patrick Reynolds, showing other States' tobacco taxes vs California's
Prop 56 Website
Patrick Reynolds' bio
http://www.Anti-smoking.org/bio/
Congress Majority PAC
Congress Majority's GoFundMe page
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Overseas spending reached a record in the third quarter, which encompassed the height of the summer holidays and the long Chuseok or Korean Thanksgiving break.
The Bank of Korea on Sunday said Koreans spent US$6.6 billion overseas from July to September. The figure does not include money spent abroad by students or expats. The previous record was a whole billion less.
According to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, 6.05 million Koreans traveled abroad in the third quarter, the first time that more than 6 million Koreans went overseas in a single quarter.
"Due to a growing number of budget airlines, overseas travel has become more affordable to a larger number of people leading to the increase," a government official said.
The number of foreigners visiting Korea also increased, but the money they spent has not grown at the same pace.
Some 4.89 million foreigners came here in the third quarter, up a whopping 68 percent from the same period last year, but they spent only 29 percent more money at $4.1 billion. That meant a $3.7 billion travel account deficit for the country, up 14 percent on-year.
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Public outrage continues to mount despite two public apologies by beleaguered President Park Geun-hye for giving an old friend with no official post unprecedented access to government business and smoothing her path to fabulous riches.
But the scandal now goes far beyond Choi Soon-sil, and evidence suggest that the entire presidential office was at one time in cahoots with her.
By conservative police estimates, at least 45,000 people gathered in downtown Seoul on Saturday, a day after Park's second apology, demanding her resignation. An even bigger rally is scheduled for this Saturday.
Barely 30 percent of Koreans say they accept the president's apology, and even many of those felt it was lacking, which suggests they simply want to put this debacle behind them as soon as possible. But hardly anybody thinks that Park can carry on governing after displaying such a total lack of judgment.
She has nominated Kim Byong-joon, a senior presidential secretary during the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration, as the new prime minister. But who he is matters less than that she once again made her opaque decision alone, cooped up in her bubble, without even consulting lawmakers in her own party, let alone from across the aisle.
Cheong Wa Dae officials say Park has no intention of backing down, and Kim himself intends to push ahead with his nomination. If Park sends his credentials to the National Assembly for approval, she will look stubborn and out of touch and merely fuel the outrage in the country. There is no chance that the opposition will wave Kim through. They have no choice but to oppose his nomination.
Instead, Park must meet with ruling and opposition lawmakers and leave it up to the National Assembly to appoint a new prime minister. And when they do, the new prime minister will have to take the management of all domestic affairs out of her hands, leaving her only in nominal charge of foreign and security policy.
Calls for Park to resign with just a year of her tenure to go are spreading through the National Assembly, and many lawmakers have agreed to attend the protest rally this Saturday.
Yet nobody thinks that the resulting power vacuum can be filled quickly or peacefully while the country prepares for a fresh election, while all the urgent tasks the government faces are put on the back burner, not least how to save the shipbuilding industry from total collapse.
Perhaps the People's Party feels it has nothing to lose, and the Minjoo Party is just trying to make hay rather than pulling the country out of the crisis because it thinks that its candidate would have a clear shop at the presidency. But such attitudes are completely reckless.
Korea has sailed into uncharted waters, and the Constitution offers no clear guidance on how to proceed. The opposition parties must take a responsible approach.
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Purdue University President Mitch Daniels launched an international engagement campaign as part of Ever True: The Campaign for Purdue University during a trip to Bangalore, India, and Taipei, Taiwan.
During the trip, which ran from Oct. 22-28, Daniels also announced a new doctoral fellowship program and presented a prestigious Pinnacle Award to TVS Motors for contributions of more than $1 million to Purdue. The trip further served as an opportunity to encourage research partnerships and strengthen ties with international alumni leaders.
Daniels and Suresh Garimella, Purdue's executive vice president for research and partnerships and Goodson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, visited with institutional and corporate partners and alumni in an ongoing effort to make a global impact through research and educational engagement. Mary Dennis, vice president for international outreach and engagement in the Purdue Alumni Association, and Cheryl Altinkemer, associate vice president of international advancement for the Purdue Research Foundation, accompanied Daniels and Garimella.
"I believe we had a highly useful trip," Daniels said. "We met with hundreds of Boilermaker alumni and friends, and it was uplifting to hear how their Purdue experiences prepared them for successful careers in industry, government and academia. It was also a pleasure to announce the new Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Purdue Doctoral Fellowship Program, which has triggered interest in similar programs with other Indian companies."
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories will fund a five-year program that targets supporting two new fellows from India annually to work on their doctorates at Purdue. Purdue and Dr. Reddy's Laboratories signed a strategic partnership memorandum of understanding in 2015 to strengthen pharmaceutical research and development. Two fellows will be selected in January 2017. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories is a global pharmaceutical company that makes products across major therapeutic areas including gastrointestinal ailments, cardiovascular disease, pain management, oncology, anti-infectives, pediatrics and dermatology.
Daniels also presented a Pinnacle Award to TVS Motors on Oct. 25 during an alumni reception at the Leela Palace Hotel in Bangalore. Venu Srinivasan, a 1977 Purdue management graduate and TVS chairman and managing director accepted on behalf of TVS. The company's most recent gift to Purdue was highlighted with the establishment of the Indian Emerging Scholar Fund that is intended to help attract the best and brightest Indian undergraduates to Purdue.
During the same event, Daniels also cited Purdue's commitment to affordability and world-class education and invited attendees to help make an impact by engaging with the university.
"Venu and other successful alumni are helping us keep a rigorous college education within the financial reach of all students," he said. "Through our International Engagement Campaign, we will celebrate the generous philanthropy of our alumni and friends, invest in our students and faculty, and foster the breathtaking contributions our graduates bring to all corners of the globe."
The international campaign has already raised $28 million. The overarching Ever True campaign began its silent phase on July 1, 2012, and was publicly announced on Oct. 9, 2015, with a goal of $2.019 billion by 2019, the university's 150th anniversary year.
While in India, Daniels also:
* Met with Purdue Alumni India network leadership and the Purdue-India Executive Council on Oct. 24. Daniels announced the council of leading Indian alumni, which serves as an advisory board to Purdue on its strategic engagement with the country, during his 2015 trip to India.
* Participated in a life sciences panel discussion at the National Centre for Biological Sciences. The panel was moderated by Garimella, and participants included Vijay Chandru, co-founder and chair of Strand Life Sciences and Strand Genomics; Satyajit Mayor, director of NCBS; and Gayatri Saberwal, faculty at the Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology.
* Interviewed the head of LinkedIn India. Purdue alumnus Akshay Kothari opened LinkedIn India headquarters to an invited group of high school students, alumni and friends in high-level IT positions in India. Garimella also gave a presentation on Purdue's successful initiatives that promote innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Purdue delegation also visited Purdue alumni who work at GE's first and largest global research and development center the John F. Welch Technology Center - at the invitation of its vice president and managing director, Purdue alumnus Munesh Makhija.
In 2014 Purdue designated India as a country of strategic importance to the university. Since then, there have been coordinated campus-wide engagement efforts to strengthen ties with India in five key areas. They include bilateral academic mobility; alumni relations and advancement; institutional and programmatic partnerships; government and corporate partnerships; and branding and communications.
Preparations also are underway for the 2017 Purdue-India Collaborative Lecture Series in Partnership with Professor C.N.R. Rao as well as the 2017 Purdue Undergraduate Research Experience that fosters linkages between Purdue and key Indian Institutes of Technology.
Nearly 1,900 students from India are enrolled at Purdue and 120 faculty are of Indian origin. Purdue is the No. 1 STEM school for international students, with 7,111 international students in STEM fields, according to a 2015 U.S. government report from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. It also has the highest enrollment of Indian undergraduate students of any U.S. university. Taiwanese students comprise the fourth largest international student population at Purdue with 278 enrolled in fall semester 2016.
In Taipei, the president had several one-on-one meetings with prominent alumni, was the guest of honor at a high-level alumni dinner, and spoke to more than 150 alumni and friends at a reception at the Grand Hyatt hotel. He also gave numerous prime-time media interviews to local media, highlighting Purdue's commitment to transformative education and world-changing research.
Contact: Greg McClure, 765-496-9711, gmcclure@purdue.edu
Sources: Mitch Daniels, president@purdue.edu
Suresh Garimella, sureshg@purdue.edu
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Purdue University's Office of Supplier Diversity Development, along with the Supplier Diversity Development Coalition of Greater Lafayette, will host the annual Relationships to Partnerships Sessions on Nov. 18 to help minority, women and veteran business owners in Indiana connect with coalition businesses.
The daylong conference, themed "A Salute to Veteran Entrepreneurship," starts at 8 a.m. in Stewart Center. This is the 12th year for the sessions.
"This year's panel discussion will be addressing issues identified as critically important by veteran-owned businesses," said Jesse L. Moore Jr., director of Purdue's Office of Supplier Diversity Development. "We have four panelists who will focus on a subject identified by veteran-owned businesses as where they need help: How do you find customers, and where are they?
"We also will recognize, as we always do, larger companies in our community who have upheld the goals and objectives of the coalition by identifying opportunities for diverse businesses. We met with a veteran business group earlier this year to identify their needs. It's a segment of our business community that needs support. They've done their job for us by fighting for our freedom, and so I think Purdue and other businesses in the coalition want to help them in any way that we can."
Kevin Brinegar, president and CEO of the Indiana Chamber, will be the conferences luncheon keynote speaker. Brinegar joined the Indiana Chamber in 1992, became senior vice president of government affairs in 1997, and president and CEO in 2002.
"Our conference will be a week after the election, and we will have a new governor and a new president. I've asked Kevin to talk about the impact of the election on diverse Indiana businesses," Moore said.
This year's plenary session will be 8:30-10:30 a.m. in Stewart Center, Room 218, and will feature a panel discussion on "Key Elements of Finding and Securing Contracts." Billie Dragoo, founder and CEO of RepuCare, which provides health care staffing, recruitment and outsources staffing solutions for governmental provider and employer health care programs.
Also on the panel:
* Richard Miller, who launched Fineline Printing in 1981. Fineline Printing provides commercial graphics and mailing, with more than 60 employees. Miller is a founder and board member of the Indianapolis Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and has served on the Indiana Chamber board of directors.
* Danny Portee, owner and president of Professional Management Enterprises Inc. He directs and coordinates national sales, new business development, marketing and customer service. Portee is a board member for Jobs and Prosperity Task Force for American Solutions and the Hoosier Veteran Assistance Program. He served in the Army from 1983-2002.
* Debra M. Simmons Wilson, managing principal for Engaging Solutions. She leads the diversity services sector and co-manages the planning community outreach sector. Also responsible for marketing and public relations, Simmons Wilson has more than 27 years of experience in the planning and transportation industries.
Two concurrent sessions take place 10:30 a.m. to noon in Stewart Center. Session 1, which is on construction, A/E and related services, will take place in Room 206. Session 2, which is on goods, marketing, IT and professional services other than A/E, will take place in Room 214 AB. A business resources and networking session from noon to 12:30 p.m. and an awards luncheon from 12:30-2 p.m. in Purdue Memorial Union's North Ballroom will follow the sessions.
Also during the conference, the coalition will recognize three companies that exhibit "diversity and excellence." Winners of the 2016 Golden Handshake Award are Wabash National, large company; Wabash Center, small diverse company; and Worldwide Filters and Supplies, veteran business.
"These three companies exemplify the mission and goals of the coalition," Moore said.
Sponsors for this year's conference include Caterpillar, City of Lafayette, City of West Lafayette, Fifth Third Bank, Greater Lafayette Commerce, Indiana University Health, Ivy Tech Community College, netlogx, Oerlikon Fairfield, Purdue University, Tippecanoe County and Wabash National.
Those interested in attending can register here. For more information, contact Linda Kelly at ljkelly@purdue.edu.
Writer: Greg McClure, 765-496-9711, gmcclure@purdue.edu
Source: Jesse L. Moore Jr., 765-494-3739, jlmoore@purdue.edu
Mohammed Hamzah Khan pleaded guilty last year in a plea deal to attempting to provide material support to terrorists by seeking to travel to IS territory. The 21-year-old faced a maximum 15-year sentence.
A Friday government filing in Chicago says Khan committed to "abandoning" his country and understood IS's "barbaric nature."
But it adds his cooperation is "an important step in turning away" from IS. It also praises him for offering to testify at related trials.
Agents detained Khan with two younger siblings in 2014 at a Chicago airport. They weren't charged.
Sentencing is Nov. 18.
CHICAGO (AP) Chicago police say a 25-year-old Indiana man was fatally shot by authorities after a road rage incident.
Police said Joshua Beal of Indianapolis was shot to death Saturday afternoon after failing to drop a gun when confronted by an off-duty officer and a police sergeant.
Beal's sister, Cordney Boxley, says members of her family had left a South Side cemetery in a funeral caravan when a car cut off the vehicle she was driving and tried to do the same to her sister. She said people got out of their cars, and a melee followed.
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says an off-duty officer was involved in the brawl, as was a police sergeant. He said both officers fired at Beal and will be placed on administrative duty for 30 days.
The shooting is under investigation.
Is there any chance Illinois political leaders will address the states woeful budget impasse in any meaningful way after this election? The prognosis is extremely poor.
Scores of millions have been spent by Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Mike Madigan on toxic ads in state legislative races that go so far as to characterize opponents as chummy with sexual perverts.
Thus, there will be little enthusiasm among those who survive the slime for making nice with the governor or the House speaker, respectively.
Kumbaya is going to be hard to come by.
Not enough people, that is the big people who really count in politics, feel the pain that results from the dysfunction of our state government.
The tony North Shore above Chicago, where Gov. Bruce Rauner hails from, doesnt need state government; its invisible to folks up there. They fund their public schools quite nicely solely from the local property tax.
Their kids tend to go to private colleges, and their elderly go to expensive independent living to end-of-life complexes, not bare-bones nursing homes supported by state Medicaid dollars.
Those on the North Shore fly to Montana ranches to get away from it all. Whats a state park, they might ask?
There is no state budget crisis on the North Shore.
Speaker Madigan, Rauners bete noire, comes from more modest roots. Madigan is a generation or so removed from Chicagos Southwest Side Irish forbears who labored hard as steelworkers, metal-benders, meatpackers, police and fire fighters.
They have benefited from state dollars for their schools, health care, parks and more.
But theyre also proud, like Madigan. Even if the budget impasse pinches, theyll never admit as much.
Madigan would let Hell, and the state, freeze over before yielding to Rauner. Its about pride, the threat of losing face.
Rauner should have seen this from the get-go, when the surprisingly moderate Madigan would have compromised on some of Rauners objectives, but he didnt.
I am told by insiders that, as a result of the bitter, personal battle royale between Rauner and Madigan, non-stop since the 2014 election, the speakers new raison detre is that of preventing Rauner at all costs from winning re-election in 2018.
Not what you would call a salutary environment right now for political compromise.
As an African aphorism goes, When elephants fight, its the ants who suffer.
The irony is that, at some point, there will be compromise over a real, year-long state budget, and those of us who spend some time with the topic know roughly what it will, of necessity, look like.
Each day until resolution only makes the situation worse, as deficits pile up.
The state needs to add about $7 billion more each year, in ballpark figures, to its $72 billion-plus budget to keep up with regular bills and begin to pay off over four or five years its $10-12 billion in unpaid bills.
Painful but responsible actions, in some combination, would increase the individual income tax from 3.75 percent back to 5 percent and maybe tax sales on some services.
Other possibilities would be to eliminate the 5 percent income tax credit on property taxes paid ($540 million a year); impose the sales tax on non-profit organizations ($420 million a year).
There will also have to be budget cuts.
Although I would never recommend as much, higher education should probably expect going forward no more than the 60-70 percent of its previous annual allocation, the amount it received belatedly in the recent partial-year budget.
In sum, come up with $7 billion a year in new revenue and cuts. Make $5 billion in increases permanent and $2 billion temporary until old bills are paid off.
I have one idea that would force the elephants to the bargaining table.
A circuit court judge in the metro-East St. Louis area ruled not long ago that state workers cannot be paid without an appropriation. The Illinois Constitution is crystal clear on this.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has failed to challenge that ruling to a higher court, possibly for political reasons, to wit: her father, Speaker Madigan, doesnt want her to do so, as it might provide Rauner a way out of the budget impasse.
If 62,000 or more workers went without pay checks, there would be chaos, absent a budget solution.
So lets put pressure on Lisa Madigan to do her job!
9:42 p.m. Tuesday
The vote is split between two proposed sales tax increases in Rock Island County with 71.7 percent of precincts reporting. A proposed 1 percent sales tax increase for Rock Island County school districts is winning, 53.25 percent to 46.75 percent. A proposed .5 percent sales tax increase for public safety is losing, 57.87 percent to 42.13 percent.
In Henry County, a proposed .5 percent sales tax increase for public safety is losing, 12,340 votes to 11,547 votes.
9:35 p.m. Tuesday
NYT: Our best guess is that Donald J. Trump is on track to win in Florida.
9:28 p.m. Tuesday
BREAKING: Donald Trump will win battleground state of Ohio and its 18 electoral votes, CNN projects https://t.co/tlDCvOP2TE #CNNElection pic.twitter.com/86EZOhHbnj CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) November 9, 2016
9:25 p.m. Tuesday
KEY RACE ALERT: We don't know anything. Stay tuned for more. #keyracealert Brian Jennings (@BrianJennings33) November 9, 2016
9:14 p.m. Tuesday
9:08 p.m. Tuesday
9 p.m. Tuesday
8:53 p.m. Tuesday
There's no getting around the fact we live in two separate countries. David Burge (@iowahawkblog) November 9, 2016
8:39 p.m. Tuesday
Breaking Now: Thousands Of Military Did Not Receive Absentee Ballot https://t.co/1hWGjznCrR... Kathy sholtz (@KathySholtz) November 9, 2016
Gold is up $38 per ounce and the Mexican peso is down 8% as it looks like Donald Trump may just pull off the upset! Peter Schiff (@PeterSchiff) November 9, 2016
8:36 p.m. Tuesday
This in from the Dallas Morning News:
Despite reports to the contrary, former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush did not vote for any presidential candidate, instead voting for Republicans down ballot, a spokesman for the former president said.
Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh claimed on his show Tuesday that the Bushes had voted on Election Day for Hillary Clinton, according to the Washington Examiner.
Freddy Ford, a spokesman for Bush, disputed that statement, noting that the Dallas-based former president voted two weeks ago, not on Election Day.
Republican Texas state Rep. Jason Villalba also denied the report on Twitter, saying that he had spoken with George W. Bush personally and that he was not comfortable voting for either Clinton or Trump.
8:15 p.m. Tuesday
Room is filling up. Getting ready for our big celebration tonight! #johnsonweld pic.twitter.com/vM30QvCVlP Gov. Gary Johnson (@GovGaryJohnson) November 9, 2016
8:04 p.m. Tuesday
BREAKING: Tammy Duckworth takes back Obamas Illinois Senate seat for Democrats https://t.co/TUd4fguWW7 Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) November 9, 2016
8:03 p.m. Tuesday
WASHINGTON (AP) Things to look for in the next hour on Election Day:
The outcome of the presidential election could become clearer after polls close in 14 states, including closely watched Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Big prizes in Texas' 38 electoral votes and New York's 29 also could be decided.
With victories by Sens. Marco Rubio in Florida and Rob Portman in Ohio, Republicans have retained two seats the Democrats once hoped to pick up. But overall control of the Senate remains in doubt. In Wisconsin, Republican incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson is trying to hang on in the face of a strong challenge from Democrat Russ Feingold, who lost his seat to Johnson six years ago. In Arizona, Republican Sen. John McCain is seeking his sixth term.
Arizona voters are deciding on marijuana legalization and a minimum wage increase, which also is on the ballot in Colorado.
7:40 p.m. Tuesday
Its going to be a very long night, possibly including an Electoral College-popular vote split. #ElectionNight https://t.co/0fCbvFw3dp FiveThirtyEight (@FiveThirtyEight) November 9, 2016
7:37 p.m. Tuesday
Donald Trump has won Alabama and its nine electoral votes after Sen. Jeff Sessions endorsed the billionaire candidate, according to the Associated Press.
That brings Trump's total in the Electoral College to 60 votes, to Clinton's 44 votes. It takes 270 votes to win the presidency.
7:03 p.m. Tuesday
Polls have now closed in Illinois.
6:56 p.m. Tuesday
As the first election results roll in, Donald Trump claims victory in reliably Republican Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia, while Hillary Clinton wins liberal Vermont, according to the Associated Press. Polls also closed in North Carolina and Ohio, but it was too early to call a winner.
Vast divides in race and gender were keeping the contest close in Virginia and Georgia, another pair of hard-fought races.
5:36 p.m. Tuesday
#BREAKING: Results of the U.S. elections are beginning to flow in, starting with returns from Indiana and Kentucky https://t.co/TN1Hw8ArS3 pic.twitter.com/W0IW97kl1B POLITICO (@politico) November 8, 2016
5:34 p.m. Tuesday
The first results are coming in. #Election2016 pic.twitter.com/GVaBbqbAJI Detroit Free Press (@freep) November 8, 2016
5:25 p.m.
Sitting in the dentist chair watching election coverage. Getting my brains drilled two ways. #Perfect Marie Lanza (@Marie_Lanza) November 8, 2016
5:15 p.m.
Voters weigh candidates' temperament
More than half of Americans who went to the polls earlier Tuesday say Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has the temperament to serve as president. About a third of voters say the same about Republican nominee Donald Trump.
But neither candidate can claim a mandate as the honest candidate according to the preliminary results of exit polling conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.
About six out of 10 voters say they don't view Clinton as honest. About the same proportion say Trump isn't honest. About three out of 10 voters say they believe neither candidate is honest.
As for what percentage of voters think both nominees are honest, that number is in single digits.
4:44 p.m.
Hillary's hometown split
The Chicago suburb where Hillary Clinton grew up is divided in its loyalties on Election Day.
Park Ridge, Illinois, resident Kelly Mearis voted for the Democratic presidential candidate Tuesday. The 34-year-old nurse says she likes the idea that the next president, if it's Clinton, will have grown up in the same neighborhood where she lives.
But another Park Ridge voter 92-year-old World War II veteran Nick Korompilas says Clinton's association with the suburb "didn't mean a thing" to him. The retired Republican real estate broker voted for another guy in real estate: Donald Trump.
Korompilas survived a kamikaze attack on April 12, 1945, that sunk the U.S.S. Mannert Abele where he served as a medic. He says more than 70 of his fellow Navy mates perished.
That experience, he says, is part of the reason he cast a ballot for Trump at an elementary school not far from Clinton's childhood home. He says he believes the military hasn't received sufficient support under Democrats and that Trump will change that.
3:45 p.m.
16 celebrities who will leave the country if Trump wins
3:30 p.m. Tuesday
Creative campaigning
Craig Woodley, of Woodley Aerial Spray of Walnut about 40 miles east of the Quad-Cities, used his plane Tuesday as a political promotion. (Submitted photo)
3 p.m. Tuesday
Voting issues reported in Pennsylvania; votes switched?
2:45 p.m. Tuesday
Susan B. Anthony grave attracts hundreds https://t.co/OIXw6xRUn5 Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) November 8, 2016
2:35 p.m. Tuesday
Exit poll: Voters want a strong leader
Morning Consult/POLITICO exit poll here.
2:24 p.m. Tuesday
Stocks climb ahead of election results
2:16 p.m. Tuesday
2:15 p.m. Tuesday
Julian Assange issues election statement on WikiLeaks
2:01 p.m. Tuesday
A voter requested not to be photographed today because he didn't want me to steal his soul. It's just going to get weirder. #Elections2016 Todd Mizener (@MizenerPhoto_DA) November 8, 2016
2 p.m. Tuesday
Links to Q-C area election results
Rock Island County
Henry County
Mercer County: No page up yet.
Whiteside County
Scott County
1:32 p.m. Tuesday
Looking for offbeat election news? There's always Twitter
MOM CANT BELIEVE,SHE LIVED LONG ENOUGH 2SEE A WOMAN BECOME PRESIDENT OFHILLARYS GIVING MY 90YR Old
MOM,HOPEMY MOM IS SO PROUD OF HILL Cher (@cher) November 8, 2016
1:14 p.m. Tuesday
How will the third party candidates do today?
11:51 a.m. Tuesday
Why isn't 'Election Day' a National Holiday? So everyone has an easy time being able to vote... It's only every 4 yrs... ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) November 8, 2016
11:20 a.m. Tuesday
Illinois voters relieved campaign is ending
Springfield resident Craig Hanson voted Thursday part of a record number of early voters in the state. The 56-year-old transmission systems operator says he thinks people are "going to hold their nose and vote this time." COMPLETE STORY
10:45 a.m. Tuesday
* * *
Everything weve worked toward comes down to today. RT this if you're voting for Hillary: https://t.co/jfd3CXLD1s pic.twitter.com/AhvOOB6L6C Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 8, 2016
10:40 a.m. Tuesday
Trump votes
10:24 a.m. Tuesday
Hillary votes
9:30 a.m. Tuesday
Please go #vote for @HillaryClinton today so we can change the channel off this insane, embarrassing reality show. Matt Hullum (@MattHullum) November 8, 2016
Don't fall for the Media Okie Doke, Get out and Vote for @realDonaldTrump We need the outsider to come in and #DrainTheSwamp #VoteTrump pic.twitter.com/BZmTRrDhZ1 Diamond and Silk (@DiamondandSilk) November 8, 2016
9 a.m. Tuesday
Election Day: Americans choose between Clinton and Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) A polarized America went to the polls Tuesday to pick its 45th president, choosing to elect either Hillary Clinton as the nation's first female commander in chief or billionaire businessman Donald Trump after a long and rancorous campaign that upended U.S. politics. FULL STORY.
8:15 a.m. Tuesday
Early voters saw long lines in parts of Illinois
Illinois saw record early-voting turnout this election year, which led to long lines, especially in Chicago.
7:47 a.m. Tuesday
Today we are going to win the great state of MICHIGAN and we are going to WIN back the White House! Thank you MI! https://t.co/Ht7I8jiB1c pic.twitter.com/4tRB8VlJXT Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 8, 2016
RT if you have already voted for @HillaryClinton ! #ElectionDay Team Hillary (@TeamHillaryC) November 8, 2016
7 a.m. Tuesday
It's election day!
My wife won every electoral vote for #ElectionDay breakfast! pic.twitter.com/dxmA1TbhaA Justice Don Willett (@JusticeWillett) November 8, 2016
5:35 p.m. Monday
CHICAGO (AP) The number of Illinois residents who have voted ahead of Election Day has broken state records and is still growing. The State Board of Elections released totals Monday showing the number of voters who cast in-person ballots through Sunday was approaching 1.3 million. The figure is even higher when all ballots, including those by mail, are counted. The total number of Illinois residents who've already voted is more than 1.6 million.
5 p.m. Monday
WikiLeaks: Dems advised CNN on interview questions.
4:58 p.m. Monday
Local polls open early Tuesday morning.
Illinois polls open tmrw from 6am-7pm & Iowa polls open from 7am- 9pm. Be sure to stick with the @Dispatch_Argus for election updates. pic.twitter.com/gHVCkRQkuR Meg McLaughlin (@MegMcLaughlinDA) November 7, 2016
2:49 p.m. Monday
Duckworth, Kirk make final US Senate push
Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth and Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk were criss-crossing the Chicago area on Monday, making a final push to voters to send them to the U.S. Senate. Polls show Duckworth with a healthy lead, and Democrats are counting on a win in left-leaning Illinois as they attempt to regain control of the Senate.
2:40 p.m. Monday
Courts refuse to issue voter intimidation order
A federal judge says she sees no evidence that Republicans and presidential candidate Donald Trump want supporters to intimidate North Carolina minority voters on Election Day.
North Carolina's Democratic Party alleged in a law suit filed last week that Trump's presidential campaign and a political organization run by his informal adviser, Roger Stone, has intimidated voters.
Federal courts have rejected similar complaints in Ohio and Arizona. Nevada, Michigan and Pennsylvania cases remain pending.
2:35 p.m. Monday
Links to local political party websites
2:27 p.m. Monday
Kentucky, let's send a message #ElectionDay : take your big government and leave us the heck alone! pic.twitter.com/vocyQq7LCu Dr. Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 7, 2016
2:17 p.m. Monday
Republicans take lead in early Colorado voting, the Denver Post reports.
Lady Gaga slams Melania Trump for "hypocrisy."
2:08 p.m. Monday: Links to county vote totals will be posted here Tuesday.
"America depends on youyou, all of you. ... I didnt say, 'Yes, I can.' I said, 'Yes, we can.'" @POTUS pic.twitter.com/oHVglCTncQ Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 7, 2016
1:37 p.m. Monday
1:27 p.m. Monday
Story: Clinton email case handling brings tumultuous time for FBI
1:05 p.m. Monday
Patrick Caddell: The real election surprise? The uprising of the American people | https://t.co/fdj36a2dq5 Political Insiders (@FNInsiders) November 7, 2016
1:02 p.m. Monday
From Salon, video of Hillary Clinton's final prime-time pitch.
From YouTube, video of Donald Trump's rally in Sarasota.
1 p.m. Monday
Democracy is not when cowardly governors go out of their way to make it difficult for people to vote. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) November 5, 2016
12:56 p.m. Monday
Chelsea Clinton's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/chelseaclinton/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf
12:51 p.m. Monday
BREAKING: New @JamesOKeefeIII video shows undercover journalist being offered Huma Abedin's ballot! SHARE THIS NOW!!! #ElectionFinalThoughts pic.twitter.com/23rWwBZRyR USA For Trump 2016 (@USAforTrump2016) November 7, 2016
12:49 p.m. Monday
12:46 p.m. Monday
12:33 p.m. Monday
If @DrJillStein recieves 5% of the vote it will mean $10 million in federal funding in 2020. That is a game-changer.https://t.co/RirOMI6H6s Green Party US (@GreenPartyUS) October 28, 2016
12:31 p.m. Monday
A month ago, Speaker Paul Ryan told House Republicans he would neither defend nor work for Donald Trump's election. Now America's top elected Republican is talking unity. "I do not want to harm our team going into the election. I want to unify our team going into the election." The Wisconsin congressman said in a statement Sunday that the way to end the Clinton era is to elect Trump.
"I was super grateful for the conversation. Thank you to our police force. They do so much to keep us safe, as we all navigate an increasingly complex world."
4 minutes ago
The bridge across the Astarachay river, which forms the border between the two countries is almost complete after works began in April.
The dual-gauge (1520mm and 1435mm) bridge will connect Astara to the Iranian town of the same name, where it will meet the Iranian Islamic Republic Railways (RAI) network. RAI will commission the Rasht Astara line in 2017.
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OK
Philippines pay-TV company Asian Vision Cable has selected the Paywizard Agile platform for its customer relationship management (CRM).
The platform will allow the cable company to build a single customer view and bring together data from each of the operators individual business divisions to create a unified subscriber database. It can then align its business model and create a single set of offers and discounts.We needed a solution that was able to provide us with data and insights on our entire subscriber base, across multiple territories in Southern Luzon regions, explains Pipes Vince III, chief operating officer, Asian Vision Cable.With a combination of insight, expertise and next-generation technology from Paywizard, we will be able to hone our approach to subscriber management and improve strategic marketing campaigns to ultimately achieve a consistently positive customer experience, win new subscribers and produce greater profitability.The companies say with the new CRM technology, resources will be used more efficiently and reports can be generated more effectively. The data can also be used to understand the reception to specific packages or subscription offers by various customer segments.Debbie Leishman, chief operating officer, Paywizard , added: Weve been seeing great momentum in the Philippines and across Southeast Asia from service providers looking to comprehensively streamline and enhance their existing subscription, CRM and billing services. In a region that has traditionally had a very manual approach to managing TV subscription packages, our platform is providing Asian Vision Cable and others with the tools needed to make process more efficient while building loyalty and more effectively targeting prospects.
Bankruptcy claim against Baltiysky Bank ex-head to be heard in January
MOSCOW, November 7 (RAPSI) The Commercial Court of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region had set the date for hearing a claim by Baltiysky Torgovy Dom seeking to declare bankrupt a co-owner and ex-head of the Baltiysky Bank Oleg Shigayev staying charged with a 3 billion rubles ($45 million) fraud, on January 24, RAPSI learnt in the court on Monday.
The court is to examine yet another claim seeking Shigayevs bankruptcy lodged by the Center of Leasing Technologies.
This April, the Prosecutor Generals Office of Russia forwarded to Switzerland a request for extradition of Oleg Shigayev.
According to investigators, Shigayev had demanded that members of the banks credit committee approved loans to firms under his control. After that in June through August 2014 more than 3.37 billion rubles ($51 million) were transferred to the accounts of the said commercial entities; the accused had disposed of these funds at his sole discretion, in particular, legalizing these funds.
Shigayev has been charged in absentia with fraud and money laundering. The Baltiysky Bank ex-head moved to Switzerland in autumn 2014 prior to the rehabilitation of the bank.
Baltiyskiy Bank is one of Russias oldest commercial banks. It was established in 1989 and has branches in 30 cities over the country. According to RIA Rating as on July 1, 2014, Baltiysky was 69th among Russian banks in terms of total assets. The amount of the banks assets made 85.7 billion rubles ($1.2 billion) at that time, whereas the amount of household deposits was at 58 billion rubles ($878 million) as in early June.
Last August, the Bank of Russia announced the launch of financial restructuring of Baltiysky Bank, included in the top 100 of largest Russias banks. The Deposit Insurance Agency was set as a turnaround manager; the Central Bank had provided a credit line in amount up to 10 billion rubles ($151 million) so the agency could manage the banks liquidity. Since August 20, the agency has acted as an interim administrator of the bank.
According to reports, the decision to rehabilitate the bank had been taken in the situation, where problems relating to the quality of assets were apparent. However, these problems did not affect liquidity, thus the bank could carry out its activities seamlessly.
In October 2014, Alfa Bank, Russias largest private bank in terms of total assets, equity, customer accounts and loan portfolio, bought an 88 percent stake in Baltiyskiy Bank.
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Russian tycoon Polonsky to stay in jail for another 6 months
MOSCOW, November 7 (RAPSI) Moscows Presnensky District Court has extended the detention of Russian developer Sergei Polonsky charged with embezzlement of 2.6 billion rubles ($41 million) for six months, the courts spokesperson Anastasia Pylina told RAPSI on Monday.
The court on Monday began considering the case behind closed doors. However, the preliminary hearing was adjourned until November 14.
According to investigators, Polonsky, aided by Alexander Paperno, Head of the Mirax Group Finance Department and Alexei Pronyakin, CEO of Avanta company, have defrauded participants of shared construction apartment projects of 2.6 billion rubles ($41.2 million), thus committing a serious crime.
Polonsky, who is the founder of Potok (formerly Mirax Group), a diversified corporation that has been involved in several large development projects, is deemed to cause damages in amount of 2.4 billion rubles (around $38 million) regarding Kutuzov Mile and 256 million rubles (around $4 million) with regard to Rublyovskaya Riviera development projects.
Other projects Polonsky has been involved in include Federation Tower in the Moscow International Business Center, office buildings Mirax Plaza, Poklonnaya 11 and Admiral, condominium developments Mirax Park, Golden Keys 1 and 2, and the Well House.
In May 2015, the Cambodian authorities, where Polonsky had been avoiding Russian prosecution, extradited him to Russia.
If convicted, Polonsky could face up to ten years in prison. Polonsky has pleaded not guilty.
Jamie Kaczowski laughs with her classmates as they line up to graduate from BART charter high school at Massachusetts College Of Liberal Arts in North Adams, Mass., Saturday, June 7, 2014. (AP Photo/The Berkshire Eagle, Stephanie Zollshan)
RCEd Commentary
On Tuesday, the national political battle over charter schools will fight another round in Massachusetts.
Proponents portray charters as mission driven to educate the least advantaged studentsthe same students that district schools have failed. Opponents paint charters as unaccountable public-private schools that cream the best students and drain resources from district schools. That opposition has culminated nationally in the venerated NAACP calling for a national moratorium on charter schools. For Massachusetts, a similar decision comes in the form of Ballot Question 2, which asks whether the state should lift its cap on charter schools.
Question 2s national implications have drawn commentary, advocacy, and millions of fundraising dollars for both sides from outside the state. Nationally, the divergent conceptions of charters make sense because there are many charters that fit both descriptions. But the decision before Bay State voters should be separated from that national context. Massachusetts charter schools stand head and shoulders above those in most other states in terms of the students they serve, the effects they produce, and their impact on district schools.
What kinds of students do Massachusetts charters serve? This question can be hard to answer because district schools serve students everywhere, while charters only exist in some areas. That difference makes simple comparisons misleading. More telling contrasts can be made by comparing students in charters to those attending the district schools near them.
Massachusetts charters stand apart from those in other states in how many disadvantaged students they serve. It is true that most Massachusetts charters are in disadvantaged areas, but even within these areas, charters serve more disadvantaged students than the district schools those students would likely otherwise attend. In a recent report comparing state charter schools sectors, I found that more than most states, Massachusetts charters serve more poor, black and special education students than the district schools nearest them. While charters often serve fewer limited English proficient students than neighboring schools, the gap is narrower in Massachusetts than in most other states.
Of course, much of the debate centers on how well charters educate students, not just which students they educate. Nationwide, charter school academics differ dramatically, with some high flyers, some abject failures, and most somewhere in between. Here again, Massachusetts charters outperform charters in other states. Studies show that students who won random admission lotteries to attend urban charter schools in Massachusetts made far more academic progress than students who lost, and disadvantaged winners benefitted the most. Another recent study showed that the charter expansion since the charter cap was last raised in 2010 maintained these effects. Massachusetts is not the only state with effective urban charters, but it is unique in how big a difference its charters make, especially for disadvantaged students.
While Massachusetts urban charters have been wildly successful, the states suburban charters have proven about as good as, or worse than, district schools. These relatively ineffective suburban charters are not at full enrollment, and therefore can continue to grow under the current cap. Ironically, its the demonstrably effective urban charters, whose demand is high and waitlists are long, that cannot expand unless the cap is lifted.
Opponents argue that lifting the cap will divert state funds from local districts. When students move to charters, funding follows them, so the district schools will have fewer students to teach and lower funding. However, the claim that this will significantly hurt district schools is exaggerated. Far more than other states, Massachusetts has taken steps to cushion district schools from lost funds.
Massachusetts reimburses districts for 100 percent of lost funding for the first year, and for 25 percent for 5 more years. This generous cushion means that lifting the cap will result in marginal funding changes for districts and extended timelines for them to adjust. Voters should also know that any funding changes will primarily impact urban districts currently constrained by the cap.
Despite the national charter debate, Bay State voters should focus on what the current cap means for Massachusetts. In a state served uncommonly well by most public schools, the vote on Ballot Question 2 will determine whether charters can serve more students in the neediest districts. A vote to lift the cap will allow more of the 30,000, mostly disadvantaged students on waitlists to attend outstanding urban charter schools. A vote to keep the cap will hold harmless the minority of struggling district schools. Though many suspect there is insufficient support for lifting the cap, Massachusetts could again prove itself exceptional by doing so on Tuesday.
Russia's resurgence is undeniable. Whether it be in Syria, Ukraine, or Crimea, Russia is making headlines. There are allegations of Kremlin backed cyber-attacks on the current US presidential election, as well as reports of systematic democratic rollbacks within Russia. Russia is busy symbolically withdrawing from Cold War pacts with the US, most recently signalled by Moscow's suspension of nuclear R&D cooperation initiatives. This is all occurring against a backdrop of potentially irreparable relations with the West, as Russia-US ties hit their lowest post-Cold War point.
International disputes over territory can be ugly affairs, waged with all the nastiness of a divorce, backed with the force of armies. Just in the last few years, China has built islands topped with military bases to back its claim to vast stretches of ocean, in conflict with half a dozen other Asian countries, while Russia has forged a path of bloodshed and destruction in Ukraine over its annexation of Crimea.
This article was created in collaboration with the Wilson Center. Shihoko Goto is the senior associate for Northeast Asia at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Michael Kugelman is the senior associate for South and Southeast Asia at the Wilson Center. The views expressed here are the authors' own.
Through his tough talk and shrill rhetoric, the president of the Philippines is giving voice to deep concerns quietly harbored by other leaders in the Asia-Pacific.
Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines shoot-from-the-hip president, has generated headlines for his withering and often profane anti-American views. He routinely insults the United States, and in recent days has suggested that such strident sentiment could translate to policy shifts.
On Oct. 21, Duterte, speaking in Beijing, threatened his countrys separation from its long-standing alliance with the United States (a threat he later walked back somewhat). Then, on Oct. 26, this time speaking in Tokyo, Duterte called on U.S. troops to withdraw from his country within the next two years. Such a move would jeopardize a bilateral mutual defense treaty that is a cornerstone of the U.S. defense umbrella in Asia.
Coming from a leader in a region where the United States enjoys more friends than foes, this is all quite unsettling.
Yet Duterte is not necessarily an anomaly.
Through his tough talk and shrill rhetoric, Duterte is giving voice to concerns quietly harbored by other leaders in the Asia-Pacific. Above all, he is loudly articulating their growing confusion about future U.S. regional leadership.
Quite simply, U.S. credibility as a Pacific power is in peril.
A Wobbly Rebalance
Many Asia-Pacific nations are skeptical that Washington is able or willing to complete its much-ballyhooed rebalance to Asia. Asian countries are prone to anxiety about the behavior of major powers, said Daniel R. Russel, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Asia, earlier this year. And now there is angst about what comes next and the sustainability of the rebalance.
The rebalance policy, first formally articulated in a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama to the Australian parliament nearly five years ago, is meant to direct more U.S. engagement and resources to the region. Yet despite Washingtons many assurances and high-level visits, and stepped-up U.S. participation in joint exercises with friendly militaries in the region, many Asian leaders are not convinced that America is committed. They have a point. For Washington, rebalancing to Asia is no easy task given its crowded front burner of foreign policy priorities. Washington has been unable and unwilling to extricate itself from crises in the Middle East, Europe, and Russia.
Asian governments are not sanguine about future U.S. leadership in the region. Particularly galling to them are presidential candidate Donald Trumps repeated complaints that U.S. allies such as Japan and South Korea dont do enough to support the U.S.-led defense system in the regioneven though Tokyo pays around $1.7 billion a year to support U.S. bases in Japan, and has pledged to spend about $3.1 billion to relocate about 4,000 U.S. troops to Guam. Seoul spends nearly $870 million a year on the U.S. presence in South Korea.
Also worrisome for Americas Asian friends is the staunch opposition of both U.S. presidential candidates to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. The White House, a driving force behind the accord, is working feverishly to get Congress to ratify TPP before Obama leaves office. Administration officials rightly argue that the accord is essential for U.S. leadership in Asia and that it will create new opportunities for U.S. business. There is little chance, however, that the Obama administration will succeed, thanks to sentiment on Capitol Hill and major time constraints.
Should the next presidential administration abandon TPP, U.S. credibility in Asia would suffer a huge hit. More broadly, its ability to commit to any international agreement would be questioned in the future.
Where to turn?
To be sure, Duterte and other Asia-Pacific leaders have incentives to distance themselves from the United States for reasons unrelated to concerns about American leadership. Some are wholly practical. China, for example, is willing to fork over billions of dollars to the Philippines for much-needed infrastructure developmentsums the United States simply cannot provide.
Additionally, for U.S. alliance partners, the need to host American military bases imposes high social costs at home. In Japan, the U.S. military presence on the southern island of Okinawa has long been a tension point between residents and the Japanese government. Tokyo wants to ensure an uninterrupted U.S. security commitment, but it also wants to lessen the burden on the local population of having to host American forces. Its the same difficult balance that Duterte will have to strikea balance he could well conclude is unattainable.
All this said, Washingtons lack of clarity about its commitment to Asia has made the regions leadership impatient and, in the case of the Philippines president, angry. Dutertes threat to shore up relations with Beijing while leaving America in the lurch underscores the risks of an incomplete rebalance.
In effect, if the United States needed a wake up call about its ambiguous commitment to Asia, Duterte has provided it.
To this end, the next administration should engineer a robust new push for TPP. It should reassert the importance of its long-standing military alliances with Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and, yes, the Philippines. It should continue to cultivate stronger ties with newer friends like Vietnam. And it should keep deepening its relations with Indiaa nation, like the United States, trying to intensify engagement in the Asia-Pacific to push back against the increasing influence of China.
Ultimately, the next U.S. president must ensure that Asiahome to two-thirds of the worlds population and nearly 40 percent of its gross domestic productis not written out of the U.S. foreign policy script. U.S. credibility in one of the worlds most critical regions hangs in the balance.
This piece was created in collaboration with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Dina Smeltz and Craig Kafura work on public opinion and foreign policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Joshua Busby is associate professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Jonathan Monten is lecturer in political science at University College London. Jordan Tama is assistant professor in the School of International Service at American University. The views expressed here are the authors' own.
The long and divisive presidential election may soon be over, but one consequence of the campaign is likely to stay with us. In the Trump phenomenon, we have seen a surfacing of angry nationalism brought on by a portion of the American electorate who feel betrayed by political elites support for international engagement, free trade, and legal pathways for immigrants.
Despite the noise and drama of the presidential campaign, survey evidence suggests that these views are not widely representative of public opinion but are a minority viewpoint -- one particularly pronounced among Trump supporters.
But what do foreign policy leaders think, and do they have an accurate understanding of public opinion?
Under the aegis of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the Texas National Security Network, we have just concluded a survey of nearly 500 leaders working for U.S. institutions with expertise on American foreign policy. They are drawn from the Executive Branch, Congress, think tanks, academia, media, business, labor unions, religious organizations, and interest groups.
One theme is clear: Leaders strongly support international engagement but substantially underestimate public support for international engagement, globalization, and immigration. They respond to especially loud voices and the expression of intense passions, and they mistakenly believe that these are representative of wider public opinion.
Leaders are overwhelmingly supportive of international engagement: Ninety-seven percent of foreign policy leaders want the United States to play an active role, including 99 percent of Democrats, 93 percent of Republicans, and 91 percent of independents. When we asked leaders to speculate what proportion of the American public they think wants to play an active role in world affairs, the average estimate was 49 percent.
Yet over the past several decades, the American public has consistently supported a policy of broad international engagement. In the 2016 Chicago Council survey released earlier this fall, 64 percent of the public said the United States should play an active role in world affairs. These views broadly hold across political party lines. They are the view of 70 percent of Democrats, 64 percent of Republicans, and 57 percent of independents -- though they hold among only half of people who supported Donald Trump in the Republican primary.
Trade
What about the hot-button issue of trade and globalization that has featured prominently in the presidential campaign? Leaders collectively agree that globalization is mostly good for the United States: Ninety-one percent of leaders say it is mostly good, including 93 percent of Democrats, 91 percent of Republicans, and 84 percent of independents.
Again, leaders misread public attitudes. When we asked leaders whether they thought the public would think globalization is mostly good or mostly bad for the United States, only 29 percent of leaders thought the public response would be positive. Republican leaders were the least likely to gauge public opinion accurately.
But actually, 65 percent of the public says globalization is mostly good for the United States. Again, that finding holds up across party lines, being the expressed view of 74 percent of Democrats, 59 percent of Republicans, and 61 percent of independents. Once more, core Trump supporters are divided; only 49 percent say that globalization is mostly good.
Immigration
Immigration is another issue that has been loudly debated this campaign season. Leaders are fairly open to pathways for legalization, with 77 percent supporting citizenship now or eventually. Only 5 percent favor deportation. That said, Republican leaders are far more supportive of work permits (45 percent) than the other options -- still, only 9 percent favor deportation.
We asked leaders what they thought the public wanted, focusing on the starker choice between immigrants staying in their jobs or leaving the country. Here, only 37 percent of leaders believe the public wants immigrants to leave the country. But Republican leaders overestimate public sentiment for deportation. Sixty percent of Republican leaders think the public wants illegal immigrants to leave, whereas only 27 percent of Democratic leaders and 44 percent of independent leaders have this perception.
But public opinion is much more favorable to a pathway to citizenship than leaders think; 57 percent of the public support an option for illegal migrants to stay in their jobs and apply for U.S. citizenship, including 32 percent who support immediate citizenship and 25 percent who support citizenship after a waiting period. Another 13 percent support work permits. Only 28 percent want illegal immigrants to leave the country.
To be sure, Republicans among the public feel more strongly about this last option -- 42 percent want immigrants to leave. Not surprisingly, Trump supporters were even more ardent: Sixty-three percent say illegal immigrants must leave.
On other foreign-policy issues, such as support for NATO, public support remains strong and shared across party lines. Trumps view that the United States should drive a harder bargain with long-standing U.S. allies is not widely shared: Sixty-three percent of the public want to retain the current commitment to NATO, and another 12 percent want to increase it.
In short, leaders strongly support international engagement but mistake loud voices for broader public opinion. Interestingly, less than 7 percent of the leaders in our survey supported Donald Trump for president, including just 23 percent of the Republican leaders.
We believe these findings suggest that public support for international engagement is stronger than leaders often think it is -- a pattern that Steven Kull and I. M. Destler first highlighted in their 1999 book, Misreading the Public. The majority in favor of engagement may not be as passionate about their positions as are vocal opponents. But in debates about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, immigration, or the defense of U.S. allies, our surveys suggest leaders may find public support where they dont expect it.
These days, Europe is a place where uncertainty seems to be the norm. Regional differences over how to deal with Russia are fast becoming enduring rifts, with fissures emerging across Europes political map. While this fragmentation could be blamed in part on the renationalization of politics across the continent, the most potent external factor is the resurgence of Russia and Europes inability to reach a consensus on how to respond to Moscows ambitions.
Russias pressure along NATOs Eastern flank has generated different threat perceptions across Europe, and it continues to test the limits of allied solidarity. NATOs response has so far addressed only partly the military dimension of this challenge, and absent a larger strategy, the current regime of rotational exercises and deployments may prove to be a temporary fix.
Europes internal divisions over how to respond to Russias challenge have stoked national resentments and reawakened historical narratives thought by many to be a thing of the past. This is bad news for NATO, for if this trend accelerates, there is a risk that the larger commitment to collective defense will be called into question.
So far, the debate over how to deal with Russia has not moved beyond the immediate need to augment deterrence and strengthen NATO defenses, and even this has been constrained by competing priorities and limited resources. NATO has not fully articulated the political dimension of its Russia strategy, for condemnations and expressions of outrage do not make it any more likely for Russia to return Crimea, which it annexed in March 2014, to Ukraine or terminate its operations in Syria.
NATO is facing a revanchist regime in Moscow that is determined to pursue its objectives with all the levers of power at its disposal, including its increasingly capable military. Since President Vladimir Putin came to office, Russia has sought to reclaim a sphere of privileged interest along its periphery, heightening the risk that a confrontation between NATO and Russia could escalate into an all-out war, even if by miscalculation. Hence, NATO needs a strategy that is not simply reactive but that realistically weighs the national interests of the West against those of Russia to avoid extreme scenarios.
It falls to the United States, as the largest NATO member and a country that provides 70 percent of the alliances budget and three-quarters of its capabilities, to outline the parameters of such a strategy.
The next U.S. administration should ask why NATOs response to Russias resurgence since 2014 has not fundamentally altered Moscows course of action. In fact, the Wests sanctions regime and Washingtons European Reassurance Initiative seem to have had the opposite result of what was intended. Russias increased deployments in the exclave of Kaliningrad and in Crimea constitute a direct challenge to NATOs ability to operate in the Baltic and the Black Sea. Russias presence in Syria has also impacted on NATOs operation in the Eastern Mediterranean. And Russian pressure and influence has increased in Moldova and the Western Balkans as well as in Central Asia.
This changing strategic landscape continues to rattle the European allies, with recent turbulence in Turkey compounding the problem. In January 2017, the incoming U.S. administration will inherit a relationship with Russia that, if anything, will be tenser still than in the immediate aftermath of the Russian seizure of Crimea. Whats more, the European allies are ever less unified in their collective response to Putins adventures.
In this context, the clustering among EU members and the regionalization of security should send a warning to Washington, for they show the absence of consensus on what the core parameters for NATOs strategy vis-a-vis Russia should be. The current trend toward fragmentation is not strictly a matter of resources, even though Europe continues to significantly underspend on defense. If an agreement on the objectives of any future Russia strategy can be reached, with over $1 trillion in combined defense spending and a population of over 700 million, NATO will have more than enough power to deter Russia.
Preaching either containment or detente will take NATO only so far. For an enduring consensus to emerge within the alliance, a realistic assessment is needed of how far the United States and its allies should go in confronting Russia, and where a degree of compromise with Moscow could be reached. A NATO consensus on Russia requires not only firmness on core U.S. values but also a willingness to think of the long-term implications for U.S. interests worldwide if trends continue on their current trajectory.
Putin has played a weak hand well, while the United States and Europe have struggled despite having a much stronger deck. The next U.S. administration needs to recognize that although it operates from a position of relative strength vis-a-vis Russia, the lack of consensus in Europe remains a key obstacle to crafting a workable strategy.
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FILE--In this Oct. 18, 2007, file photo, fashion designer James Galanos, left, appears with former first lady Nancy Reagan, as he is honored with the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award in Beverly Hills, Calif. Galanos, known for his elegant, meticulously constructed dresses who created both of first lady Nancy Reagan's inaugural gowns, died Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016, in West Hollywood at the age of 92. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, file)
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By POLLY ANDERSON, Associated Press TAREK HAMADA, Associated Press
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) James Galanos, the California fashion designer who was known for his elegant, meticulously constructed dresses and created both of first lady Nancy Reagan's inaugural gowns, has died. He was 92.
Galanos died Sunday in West Hollywood, said fellow fashion designer Ralph Rucci, a longtime admirer and friend of Galanos.
"I loved him very much," Rucci said. "There could never have been a Ralph Rucci without Galanos."
Galanos trained in Paris in the 1940s in the fashion house of Robert Piguet, and the French couture tradition of bringing the best materials and highest-quality handwork to the making of garments stayed with him all his life.
"It's what's inside a dress that counts," he told The New York Times in 1981. "If you can turn a dress inside out and see that the workmanship is clean as a whistle, that's quality. ... Quality is more important than wildly innovative styles."
Such handwork didn't come cheap, and the designer's well-heeled customers among them stars such as Rosalind Russell and Diana Ross got used to paying $2,000 or more for a blouse.
He had nothing good to say about the fashions he saw in public in later years.
"We're living in a blue-jean world with itty-bitty tops," he told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2006. "What a bore. These women look dirty. They look unkempt. The masses are a mess. Whoever perpetuated the bare-belly look ought to be hanged."
He had garnered notice quickly after he opened his first shop in Beverly Hills, California, in 1951. A collection he brought to New York in 1953 "immediately attracted the attention of the connoisseurs in the fashion field. His styles had individuality and freshness," according to The New York Times.
In 1954, he moved his business into larger quarters and at the tender age of 30 won the prestigious Coty American Fashion Critics Award.
Reagan liked other designers, too, including Adolfo, Jean Louis and Bill Blass. But it was no surprise that the incoming first lady would select Galanos to design her 1981 inaugural gown. He had designed her inaugural gown when she became first lady of California 14 years earlier.
Reagan requested a one-shoulder style, and Galanos complied, coming up with a white lace over silk gown with elaborate embroidery and beading that Galanos said took workers several weeks to apply.
"I wouldn't ask anybody else but Jimmy," she told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2006. "It was just a natural. I don't know of any clothes that were made as well as Jimmy's."
As is the custom, the 1981 gown was donated to the Smithsonian Institution.
"I really shy away from all the hullabaloo," Galanos told The Philadelphia Inquirer shortly after the inauguration. "I just don't take to it. ... It's nice to get the extra attention, but my reputation was made a long time ago."
Reagan was back in Galanos at the 1985 inauguration, this time in a long-sleeved, beaded white gown with art deco-inspired details. In 1986, she attended the wedding of Britain's Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in a sea-green Galanos silk dress and matching coat.
Such costly clothes raised comments from critics, but like other first ladies, Reagan was able to borrow outfits or get discounts from designers happy with the publicity that a White House connection brought.
With his attention to detail and high prices, Galanos never commanded the big following of contemporaries such as Blass. He did bring out a line of fragrances, but he largely remained aloof from mass production.
"I established myself on my own and I've avoided becoming part of a conglomerate the way many designers do," he told The New York Times in 1981. "I do my own selling, designing, and I deal with all the buyers. I inspect every garment before it goes out. I don't care what other designers say, when you have 15 factories making your clothes, you lose control.
"I'm not in this for the money. You can't drive two cars at once and you can't live in five homes at once. I choose to live in two rooms, but I make sure they are the most comfortable two rooms around."
He officially retired in 1998. But, finding himself somewhat bored after a couple of years of traveling, took up photography and art, particularly collages.
"It's my salvation for the moment," he told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2006. "I manipulate color. I invent things. It gives me pleasure."
In 1984, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He was added to New York's Fashion Walk of Fame in 2001.
Galanos was born in Philadelphia in 1924 to Greek immigrant parents and said he knew from a young age that he wanted to be a designer. He studied for a time in New York before moving to Paris and his internship with Piguet.
Reagan told the San Francisco Chronicle her first Galanos "was a short black dress it sounds so simple with a white collar and white cuffs. I think it was $125. I was so thrilled to have a dress by him."
"I create a line with youth in mind, for I know that all women like to look youthful," Galanos told The New York Times in 1954. "I do not believe in following trends, and consequently I never come out with anything radical. Detail is an essential in all of my designing."
FILE - In this March 1, 2015 file photo, a plane from the Iranian private airline, Mahan Air lands the international airport in Sanaa, Yemen. An Iranian airline backed by the countrys notorious Revolutionary Guard has acquired rights to fly commercial routes in more than a dozen European and Asian countries in spite of U.S. terror-related sanctions, the same airline that ferries weapons and fighters to Syria on behalf of President Bashar Assad. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File)
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By VIVIAN SALAMA, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) An Iranian airline, backed by the country's notorious Revolutionary Guard and used to ferry weapons and fighters to support Syria's government, has acquired rights to fly commercial routes in more than a dozen European and Asian countries in spite of U.S. terror-related sanctions.
The agreement Iran and six other world powers signed last year ended some of the sanctions that had punished and isolated Iran for its nuclear program. But sanctions for ballistic missile research, terrorism, human rights violations and money laundering remain in place.
Mahan Air, the country's second-largest carrier, is under terror-related sanctions. The U.S. has accused the company of providing "transportation, funds transfers and personnel travel services" to the Revolutionary Guard's elite Quds Forces, flying them and weapons to Syria to train Hezbollah militants, Syrian army troops and others.
Many countries honored the U.S. terror sanctions and blocked Mahan Air. But weeks before the nuclear deal was signed in July 2015, the airline announced it was launching a route to Munich its second German destination. A wave of new routes to 15 countries followed, including France, Russia, China and Italy. France and Denmark were added in June 2016, and talks continue to add more routes in Europe.
A U.S. Treasury official told The Associated Press that the U.S. has been trying to get those countries to cooperate with U.S. efforts to block the airline's financial network, but has met with stiff resistance.
Washington doesn't want to restrict travel to and from Iran, the official said, noting that the country's main carrier, Iran Air, can fly around the world since the nuclear deal was implemented in January. The official was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
"By letting Mahan in, the Europeans are forgoing a critical pressure tool they have in their arsenal of nonmilitary coercive measures to pressure Iran and (Syrian President Bashar) Assad," said Emanuele Ottolenghi, an Iran expert at the Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance at the bipartisan Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
But the U.S. has no leverage to change EU laws allowing Mahan in. All it can do is ask the countries to ban Mahan and go after companies providing services to the airline, including banks, baggage handlers and cargo and freight companies.
A spokeswoman for the European Union said Mahan Air is not under EU sanction and the U.S. has no jurisdiction. In 2014, the European Commission allowed those deemed safe commercial air transport operators including Mahan Air to fly to, from or within the EU.
The EU has also ignored U.S. terror sanctions and last week lifted its own on Bank Saderat, which Washington accuses of transferring money to groups it considers terror organizations, such as Hezbollah's militant wing and Hamas.
"How many dead Syrians does it take for the Europeans to think there is a threat?" said Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., who wants the EU to designate Mahan as a terrorist entity.
In May, Sherman and two dozen other members of Congress wrote David O'Sullivan, the EU ambassador to the U.S. urging the EU to "promptly end Mahan Air's operations in Europe," saying that doing so would "signal to European businesses that the EU will remain vigilant in acting against Iranian companies supporting terrorism and Assad's regime."
Mahan Air officials in Tehran declined to speak to The Associated Press.
The sanctions against Mahan say the airline provided financial, material and technological support to the Quds Force, the Revolutionary Guard Corps' special forces responsible for operations outside of Iran, including in Iraq and Syria. This year, sanctions were extended to a number of entities providing services to the airline mainly in Dubai, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
Mahan has denied the charges. Its website notes it is private and "it does not belong to any governmental or military bodies or to any political party or individuals."
Sanctions against five commercial and cargo carriers, including Iran Air, the country's largest commercial airline, were lifted in January following implementation of the country's nuclear agreement.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, is a vast, powerful military conglomerate, with naval, air and ground components organized in parallel to the conventional Iranian military. It is the country's biggest economic player, with a hand in virtually every sector, from oil and gas to auto-making, telecommunications, construction, farming and beyond.
The airline's current chairman and chief executive, Hamid Arabnejad, is a close affiliate of the IRGC and is believed to still have a close relationship with the division that spawned the Quds Force. The U.S. sanctioned Arabnejad in 2013 for having "been instrumental in facilitating the shipment of illicit cargo to Syria on Mahan Air aircraft."
Sanctioned foreign governments, companies or individuals are generally barred from doing business with U.S. citizens and businesses, or with foreign entities operating in the American financial system. The restrictions are usually accompanied by asset and property freezes as well as visa bans.
Mahan Air flies to Dubai International Airport twice daily from Tehran. The airport, the world's busiest for international travel, declined to discuss Mahan Air, referring questions to federal authorities, who also declined comment.
The Treasury Department said plane spotters have seen Mahan Air flights land in Syria almost daily.
"We're not saying Mahan Air assists the IRGC; we'd say Mahan Air is the IRGC and we have to give notice to our friends in Europe," Sherman said. "This idea that we can allow Mahan Air to do whatever it wants just because there are temporary restrictions on the nuclear deal that wasn't the deal."
___
Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai contributed to this report.
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By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight
In the last stretch of the Shasta County Supervisor's race the candidates look back on their campaigns and review the topics they feel were too important to ignore.
Steve Morgan, District 4 candidate, narrowly won second in a four-candidate primary election. Morgan invested about $16,000 of his own money during his campaign and did not accept donations until July of this year.
Then a fire destroyed his Shasta Lake home. Morgan lost campaign signs and other literature in the fire. He and his wife, Pam Morgan, Shasta Lake councilwoman, were out of town at the time.
"I don't regret using my own money for this campaign," Morgan said. "I was able to keep my campaign as independent as possible."
District 4 incumbent Bill Schappell invested about $4,800 in his campaign. He said during the campaign his vision for rehabilitating criminals was not made clear by the Record Searchlight, but he did not provide follow up to that comment.
Both candidates argued during their campaigns public safety would need to be addressed in a new manner, with rehabilitative services.
During the primaries Schappell won 40 percent of the vote and said providing more jail space, and sheriff's deputies is a good place to start in addressing crime, but support services should also be part of the equation when discussing public safety.
Morgan said the county should provide services to not just criminals, but also homeless people and others in need of help.
"It's not enough that we give help to people in jails," Morgan said. "We have to be willing to lend help to others as well."
Meanwhile, the race in eastern Shasta County was more personal.
District 3 incumbent Pam Giacomini, is the critical voice on the board regarding water issues with state legislators, like the Groundwater Management Act and other regulations impacting farmers.
Her opponent Mary Rickert, from McArthur, said the county is at a tipping point with drug abuse, mental health issues and homelessness, which she feels are all connected.
"I feel that we have more pressing issues than (water) in the county," said Rickert.
Giacomini, from Hat Creek, said she is paying attention to the future of biomass facilities in eastern Shasta County and forest management to avoid unpredictable wildfires and generating revenue through farming tourism.
In August Giacomini's nephew, Perry Thompson, owner of Hat Creek Construction, received approval by county Planning Commission to build a biomass plant in Burney.
The two candidates have not talked since Rickert announced her campaign to challenge Giacomini. While Rickert said her decision to run is not personal, Giacomini said it does seem that way.
"She could simply have waited four more years, it is a bit personal," Giacomini said. In September Giacomini's mother, Lois Thompson, passed away, but she continued her campaign and raised about $20,000 throughout the year.
After four years on the board Giacomini feels there is more work to be done, which is why she is not ready to leave her seat.
Rickert invested over $100,000 in her campaign to unseat Giacomini. The timing of her campaign could not be helped, said Rickert and she makes no apologies for running.
"No matter who was running for the office I felt that this time was best for me," Rickert said.
Sherri Papini
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By Alayna Shulman of the Redding Record Searchlight
UPDATE, 12:53 p.m.
Days combing the woods have turned up little to nothing in the way of clues, so the family of missing woman Sherri Papini is refocusing its efforts to a news and social media campaign aimed at finding the 34-year-old mother they believe is likely out of the area by now.
"I think we exhausted the resources that we have out here to search for her," said Sheila Koester, Papini's sister. "We are trying to reach out to national news and social media networks ... We feel that it's moved to where she's been taken from this area, and everyone in the nation needs to be looking."
So far, the strategy seems to be working in terms of awareness -- Papini's disappearance has been covered by state and national news outlets and even in the United Kingdom.
The mysterious disappearance of Papini while jogging in daylight Wednesday has baffled the community and Koester alike.
"The frustrating part is that we feel like we still are going on nothing," Koester said.
Original story:
The shocking nature of a young mother's disappearance in Mountain Gate has the Shasta County Sheriff's Office dedicating nearly all its investigators to the case, a lieutenant said today, as well as some Redding Police Department detectives.
Sherri Papini, 34, has been missing since she went for a jog Wednesday afternoon in the Mountain Gate area near Sunrise Drive.
Lt. Anthony Bertain said that, while all missing persons cases are important, the particularly suspicious nature of Papini's disappearance has his office dedicating just about every employee it can to the case, including some from the police department.
"We have worked all weekend; we have our entire major crimes unit, just about, dedicated inbetween some of the other cases that we've got," he said. "Just based on the way the circumstances of this investigation kicked off, we're handling this still as a missing person at risk. There is some urgency of trying to find Sherri Papini and return her to her family."
Bertain said his office has gotten about 100 tips on Papini's disappearance.
He wouldn't specify whether check-ins with registered sex offenders near where Papini went missing led to anything, or whether his office is leaning more toward an abduction or some kind of accident, such as an animal attack.
"We're investigating all avenues right now," Bertain said. "We're not set on one particular direction right now."
Papini's family has said they believe she was abducted.
Her husband, Keith Papini, reported her missing when he came home from work and found that Sherri hadn't picked up their two kids from daycare, officials have said.
Her phone and headphones were found near where she was reported missing, but that's been the only sign of her since Wednesday.
A $50,000 reward is being offered for information in the case. Call 243-2319 to submit information to Secret Witness of Shasta County, Inc.
Anyone with information that may help the investigation into her disappearance is asked to call the sheriff's office at 245-6540 or 245-6135.
Nathan Solis/ Record Searchlight
Mark Cox directs volunteers on Sunday morning in a neighborhood north of Redding in the search for Sherri Papini, who was reported missing Wednesday afternoon.
SHARE Sherri Papini Sherri Papini
By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight
Four days after the disappearance of a Redding woman last seen jogging in her Mountain Gate neighborhood, organizers met Sunday morning in hats and jackets to continue the search in the rain.
Sherri Papini, 34, was last seen Wednesday wearing a pink jogging top near Sunrise Drive and Old Oregon Trail, according to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office, who called her disappearance suspicious and said the mother of two is at risk.
On Sunday morning volunteers fanned out into the neighborhood near Sundust Road northeast of Redding to ask residents if they had seen or heard anything suspicious in the area.
Volunteers noted homes with surveillance cameras pointing out to the street. They will pass along that information to the Sheriff's Office.
Over the three days of searching the surrounding neighborhood volunteers have found only a few bits of items that would be worth mentioning, said Trudy Nickens, organizer with Nor-Cal Alliance for the Missing. They will pass along any information to the Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit.
"The public did a great job," Nickens said. "They really tried hard to get out there and look. It is so nice to see the community come in and take this seriously."
Members of the Shasta Support Services were also part of the search group on Sunday.
Mark Cox, a friend of Papini's family, led a group of 13 along Portero Drive, east of Old Oregon Trail. Volunteers walked in the rain and a neighbor pointed the group to a nearby pond. The group walked a dirt trail and saw that the area was undisturbed.
Maria Schwartz and her husband, Lee, met Papini's parents at a social event and kept in touch through social media. They walked the neighborhood with the rest of the group.
"As a mother I can't even imagine what they are going through," said Maria Schwartz.
The volunteer group knocked on doors along the street and called out Papini's name in the open fields. They ducked their heads into storm drains and yelled to the homes behind locked gates.
Earlene Solly and her husband, Mike, did not know Papini or anyone in her family, but felt the need to join the search efforts.
"It's the least we can do," Earlene Solly said. "Having more people asking questions will be better for everyone."
Art Apple of Redding, and Jeff Taylor of Paradise walked the neighborhood with the group. Taylor's known Papini's family for several years and felt compelled to be part of the search.
Along the way the group stopped at Martin Schuler's house. Schuler went to high school with Papini and learned of the news from a friend.
"It's just so sad," Schuler said. "She was a few years younger than me, but we knew the same friends growing up."
Search organizers plan to meet again later in the week.
Papini's sister, Sheila Koester, said Saturday that $40,000 has been added to a previous reward of $10,000 offered through Secret Witness of Shasta County. Money for the added reward was pledged through private donations.
Anyone with information on Sherri Papini is asked to call the sheriff's office at 245-6540 or the Sheriff's Major Crimes Unit at 245-6135. Tips can also be submitted via email to mcu@co.shasta.ca.us.
Bill Press
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It took 44 years after the death of J. Edgar Hoover in 1972 for the FBI to restore its reputation for honesty and impartiality. It took Director James Comey two days to destroy it.
Because of his actions this week, Comey will be remembered as the worst FBI director since Hoover, with one major difference. Back then, Hoover threatened politicians with the existence of secret photos. Today, Comey intimidates politicians with the existence of secret emails. The result's the same.
Even his critics admit that Comey earned a great reputation as a straight shooter in the Justice Department while serving as deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush, dramatically blocking an effort by the White House to get Attorney General Ashcroft to authorize NSA's massive domestic surveillance program. And, until this week, his reputation for honesty and independence prevailed at the FBI.
Early last summer, the Justice Department launched two investigations directly related to the 2016 presidential campaign. One involved alleged secret deals between Paul Manafort, Donald Trump's then-campaign manager, and business interests in the Ukraine. The second centered on so-called "pay to play" relationships between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and donors to the Clinton Foundation.
Public knowledge of either investigation would have rocked the 2016 campaign. But, as reported by The New York Times, Director Comey decided to issue no subpoenas or take any actions that would make the two cases public, lest the FBI be seen as trying to interfere with the election.
Later, Comey argued against revealing the conclusion of 17 intelligence agencies that the Russian government was behind the hacking of email accounts of the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. Why? Again, because he feared giving the appearance of taking sides in the election.
But that judicious approach went out the window on Friday, Oct. 28 just 11 days before the election when Comey dropped a stink bomb in the middle of the race, announcing in a letter to congressional leaders that the FBI was resuming its investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails based on emails discovered, not on her private server, but on a laptop owned by the disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner, estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. And Comey did so while acknowledging he knew nothing about the emails: neither how many there were, nor whether they were relevant, significant or contained any classified material.
Then, four days later, on Tuesday, Nov. 1 now just one week from D-Day the FBI dropped another political bombshell, releasing all files related to former President Bill Clinton's controversial 1999 pardon of financier Marc Rich. And suddenly the FBI was not only smack dab in the middle of the 2016 presidential election, it looked like an arm of the Trump campaign.
What happened to Comey? What drove him from impartial observer to partisan player? Justice Department insiders speculate it was his fear of criticism from congressional Republicans, most of whom were already angry at him for failing to indict Clinton last July, after concluding the FBI's first investigation into her emails. Not willing to upset them again, Comey turned the FBI into the CYA.
Whatever his reasons, Comey's actions were a monumental display of incompetence, mismanagement, bad judgment and naked partisanship, roundly condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi suggested he was in the wrong job if he "couldn't take the heat." Three former attorneys general one Democrat, two Republicans accused him of violating a decades-old Justice Department tradition of religiously staying away from politics, especially so close to an election. And President Obama lectured Comey that "we don't operate on innuendo and we don't operate on incomplete information."
Ironically, Comey's letter to Congress was so vague and contained so little information that it didn't hurt Hillary Clinton at all. Despite Donald Trump's claim that this was "worse than Watergate," most Americans had already made up their minds about Clinton's emails, and news of this latest batch may slightly alter her margin of victory, but not victory itself.
In the end, the only people hurt by Comey's Hoover-like behavior are those working for the FBI, which must now rebuild its reputation yet again, and Director Comey himself, who will be out of a job on Nov. 9.
And what do you know? Donald Trump may be right. This election may be rigged, after all. Rigged by the FBI in favor of Donald Trump.
Email Bill Press at bill@billpress.com.
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The U.S. government's relationship with Native American tribes has been long, often duplicitous, and generally one-sided _ which has cast a shadow of history over the weeks-long showdown in North Dakota over the 1,170-mile, $3.7 billion Dakota Access Pipeline. In recent months, protesters from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and their supporters from around the country have been confronted by private security forces with trained dogs, as well as police and National Guard troops. More than 400 people have been arrested amid allegations of abuse by law enforcement officers and counter-allegations of violence by protesters, who have been accused of heaving Molotov cocktails and torching cars. And the protests are spreading; a dozen people were arrested in San Francisco on Monday.
The pipeline designed to transport 470,000 barrels of oil a day from North Dakota to Illinois has become a lightning rod for an array of issues, from historic tribal claims on the privately owned land through which the pipeline will run to the environmental risks of pipeline leaks to the wisdom of expanding the nation's fossil-fuel infrastructure when the United States should be weaning itself from carbon-spewing fuels. An early proposal called for the pipeline to run north and upriver of the city of Bismarck, but that was changed in part over fears that a leak could harm the city's water supply. So now the route runs just north and upriver of the Standing Rock reservation, and under a dammed stretch of the Missouri River from which the reservation draws its water threatening the health of a less politically powerful, lower-income population.
The tribe sought an injunction against the continued construction of the pipeline, alleging that the federal government failed to follow proper procedures, including consulting with the tribe, before granting permits to let the pipeline cross waterways. But in September, a federal district court judge rejected the injunction, ruling that the tribe had been offered ample opportunity to be a part of the planning process but failed to respond to overtures from the government. Left unchallenged in the tribe's legal filing were the environmental threats a leak in the pipeline could pose to the water supply.
Native American tribes, including the Sioux, have clear historical causes for grievances against the federal government, including treaties that were approved and then violated. Complaints that pipeline workers have plowed up previously unrecognized sacred sites should be taken seriously. The pipeline begins at the Bakken Formation in western North Dakota then angles southeastward through South Dakota, Iowa and into southern Illinois before tying into an existing pipeline network. Proponents of the pipeline argue that the oil it will carry will get to market even if the project is scuttled, transported by truck or rail, which they say carry more risk of environmental damage. But data show that while train and truck accidents might occur more often, pipeline breaks spill more oil and generally cause more damage to the environment by fouling groundwater and wilderness areas.
It's hard to defend the actions of protesters blocking approved development projects on private property, but it's easy to sympathize with their cause. The Army Corps of Engineers issued permits for the Dakota Pipeline despite warnings by the Environmental Protection Agency and two other federal agencies about possible environmental and safety issues.
When the tribe's request for an injunction was turned down, the Obama administration announced that the Army Corps of Engineers would delay granting a permit to cross a strip of federal land and tunnel under the Missouri River "until it can determine whether it will need to reconsider any of its previous decisions" in the project's favor. And Obama said Tuesday that the Army Corps is investigating "ways to re-route" the pipeline to take into account the tribal concerns.
This editorial originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times. It has been edited.
A day before the election, Chance the Rapper is prepared to get Chicago out to perform its civic duty with his "Parade to the Polls," featuring a live free and open-to-the-public concert and a march to voting booths.
The event was originally scheduled to be held at the Virgin Hotel Chicago's rooftop at 3 p.m. Monday, but the 23-year-old artist and activist announced on "Windy City Live" that because of capacity concerns, he has moved the event to Grant Park's Petrillo Music Shell (235 S. Columbus Drive). It still starts at 3 p.m. and will feature the same performers, such as Twin Peaks, Chance's brother Taylor Bennett, local rapper Malcolm London, DJ Oddcouple and several special guests, which I'm told will include a former RedEye cover star I can't yet reveal.
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At 5 p.m., once the music stops, Chance will lead a "parade" of early voters to the Loop's early voting "super site" at 15 W. Washington St. Equipped with 100 touch-screen booths, it'll hopefully be enough to handle the massive crowds sure to be there.
The event is hosted by SocialWorks, the nonprofit Chance co-founded in September with Essence Smith and Justin Cunningham.
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@joshhterry | jterry@redeyechicago.com
Election judge Cynthia Greene readies wristbands that read, "I voted! Did you?" for handing out to voters in lieu of stickers Oct. 7, 2016, during early voting at the Dunne Cook County Office Building in Chicago. (Anthony Souffle / Chicago Tribune)
On Tuesday, Americans have the unprecedented opportunity to save our country from spray-tanned fascism while also electing our first female president. That means the potential for you to artfully exploit the fact that you voted to achieve social media mega-stardom is not just unprecedented, its off the fucking charts.
Think about it: A stupid picture of you holding a coffee with a caption that says I caffeinated today! will net you, like, 12 likes, tops. But ... the right pic of you holding an I Voted wristband with the caption I Voted! You should, too! couldaccording to some studiesnet you eleventy gabillion likes. And hearts. And smiley-tongue faces. This is your moment, so dont waste it! Launch yourself into the social media stratosphere by employing these simple Election Day ideas.
Place your "I Voted" wristband on your body in a fun way
Put it on your hat! Or your flexed bicep! Or even put it on your mouth to drive home the point that your vote is your voice! Wherever you put it, make sure it captures your unique, goofy personality and highlights the past three brave months youve spent telling people on Facebook to unfriend you if they support the other candidate. And literally nothing else, because doing actual stuff to change the world is hard.
Livestream how profound you feel
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All 182 of your friends (whom you, for some reason, refer to as your subscribers) desperately care to hear about every detail of your voting experience. Channel your inner Meryl Streep and broadcast your story via an eloquent Facebook Live monologue filmed in a YMCA bathroom. Emotional honesty = hot sexxxy positive reinforcement. Or, at least, dozens of replies that are just the word THIS.
Fact: One THIS reply is roughly equivalent to 4,322 likes.
Use a stark filter
Aden and Hefe are great for the reds on your I Voted wristband, Hudson and Clarendon are excellent for the blues, and any filters contrast can be cranked up to take advantage of the white.
But perhaps instead of capturing all the colors of your self-satisfaction, you want to evoke the historic nature of Election Day. The Moon filter will add a History Channel-ish vibe to the picture of you standing outside a middle school, holding a Dunkin Donuts coffee and wearing a knowing smile that says, I just solved all the worlds problems forever, and now I can just go back to binge-watching Jessica Jones.
Show us your butt crack
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Your suspicion is correct. Everyone youve ever met wants to see your crack. Sex sells! Just ask every media outlet thats covered Trumps myriad sexual abuse scandals. Speaking of which
Say you voted for Trump
Want to really blow up on social media, like in a Chernobyl kind of way? Say you voted for the rage-filled Demogorgon! Your social life will be toast, youll be unhireable in blue states for at least 10 years, but hey! Youll have gone out in a blaze of gloryand the red circle on the globe of your Facebook app will have double digits in it! For a couple of hours, at least.
But, seriously. I will be proudly posting an I Voted photo come Tuesday. You should, too.
John Loos (@JohnLoosWins) is an actor, improviser and writer in Chicago. Visit johnlooscomedy.com. Get more from The Second City at secondcity.com.
For over a year and a half, America's political landscape has been geared toward Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. Before you race to your polling place (because you'll be oh so excited to let this election season die, right?), know what'll be in store for you.
The city of Chicago employs two different voting types: touchscreen and optical-scan voting. There's no measly "fill in the circle" ballots for us. We're all about the arrows and computers.
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Optical scan ballots are a type of paper ballot. Next to each candidate's name, there will be an arrow with the center portion blank. To cast your vote, complete the line from one end of an arrow to the other next to your preferred candidate's name with a pen provided by an election judgeno bright pink gel pens, this isn't the fifth grade.
You don't need to make the line as thick as the two ends of the arrow. One solid line will do. Once you've finished marking your ballot, an election judge will scan it through a machine that looks kind of like a large fax machinethis is the "optical scan" part. Voila, you've done your civic duty.
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For the touchscreen voting systems, you don't get to play any fun connect-the-dots game. Once you've checked in with an election judge, he or she will give you a voter card, which you'll insert into the yellow slot at the bottom right of the machine until you feel it click into place.
For each office, touch the box next to your preferred candidate's name, making sure that it gets marked with an "X." If you make a mistake or have a sudden change of heart, you can change your vote by touching the same candidate once more to de-select before selecting the candidate you actually want. Once you've scrolled through each office on the ballot, you'll be able to review a paper record of your ballot (with the option to "Return to Ballot" to fix any mistakes). Once you're done reviewing, or if you just want to say "[bleep] it" and be done, select "Cast Ballot." You done did it.
Now sit back and relax for another two years before the midterms come around. Ah, democracy.
@shelbielbostedt | sbostedt@redeyechicago.com
Heres a list of every candidate and issue you might see while voting in Chicago on Tuesday. The exact ones you get will depend on where you live. Our advice: After printing this out or finding a copy of the Nov. 7 print RedEye, go to chicagoelections.com to find your sample ballot, then grab a highlighter and mark all the races and issues that youll be voting on. Take tonight to do some research and make your picks, check them off right on your guide, then take it with you to the polls tomorrow so you dont have to worry about keeping everyone and everything straight in your memory. Good luck!
Heads up, this is a long guide, so click these links to skip between sections: Candidates, Ballot Issues, Voting FAQs.
Disclaimer: Candidates names are written as given on the Chicago Board of Election commissioners website (with or without middle names/initials, nicknames, etc.). Weve listed them in the boards order, tooRedEye does not endorse or denounce any candidates, so please dont read anything into how weve presented this information.
CANDIDATES
President and Vice President of the United States
Donald J. Trump and Michael R. Pence (R)
Hillary Rodham Clinton and Timothy Michael Kaine (D)
Gary Johnson and Bill Weld (Libertarian)
Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka (Green)
Write-in candidates: Roy Wayne Tyree, Cherunda Fox, Joseph A. Maldonado, Dr. Mary A. Vann, Laio Morris, Ben Hartnell, David G. Stack, Darrell Castle, Tom Hoefling, Duff Cooper Smith aka Coop Smith, Evan McMullin, Jonathan Lee, Laurence Kotlikoff, Joann Breivogel, Demetra Jefferson Wysinger
U.S. Senator
Senators serve six-year terms. The Senate currently has a Republican majority, 54-44 (plus two Independents), with 34 of its 100 seats up for election this year.
Mark Steven Kirk (R, incumbent)
Tammy Duckworth (D)
Kenton McMillen (Libertarian)
Scott Summers (Green)
Write-in candidates: Susana Sandoval, Jim Brown, Eric Kufi James Stewart
U.S. Representative
Representatives serve two-year terms. The House of Representatives currently has a Republican majority, 247-188, with all 435 of its seats up for election this year.
1st District
August (ONeill) Deuser (R)
Bobby L. Rush (D, incumbent)
Write-in candidate: Tabitha Carson
2nd District
John F. Morrow (R)
Robin Kelly (D, incumbent)
3rd District
Daniel William Lipinski (D, incumbent)
Write-in candidate: Diane Harris
5th District
Vince Kolber (R)
Mike Quigley (D, incumbent)
Rob Sherman (Green)
Write-in candidate: Michael MJ Krynski
7th District
Jeffrey A. Leef (R)
Danny K. Davis (D, incumbent)
9th District
Joan McCarthy Lasonde (R)
Janice D. Schakowsky (D, incumbent)
Write-in candidates: David Williams, Susanne Atanus
Illinois Comptroller
This position, the state governments chief financial officer, is normally a four-year position that comes up in midterm elections. Leslie Geissler Munger was appointed to the position in 2015 after Judy Baar Topinka died in 2014, a month after being elected to her second term; this special election gives voters a chance to decide whether to have Munger finish out the term or replace her.
Leslie Geissler Munger (R, incumbent)
Susana Mendoza (D)
Claire Ball (Libertarian)
Tim Curtin (Green)
State Senator
State senators serve four-year terms. The state Senate currently has a Democratic majority, 39-20. Of its 59 seats, 40 are up for election, but most candidates are running unopposed.
28th District
Mel Thillens (R)
Laura Murphy (D, incumbent)
State Representative
State representatives serve two-year terms. The state House currently has a Democratic majority, 71-47. All 118 of its seats are up for election, but many candidates are running unopposed.
10th District
Mark Spognardi (R)
Melissa Conyears (D)
Write-in candidate: Jonathan Luers
11th District
Gary Mandell (R)
Ann M. Williams (D, incumbent)
12th District
Gene Witt (R)
Sara Feigenholtz (D, incumbent)
14th District
Kelly M. Cassidy (D, incumbent)
Arthur Noah Siegel (Independent)
15th District
Jonathan Edelman (R)
John C. DAmico (D, incumbent)
20th District
Michael P. McAuliffe (R, incumbent)
Merry Marwig (D)
24th District
Andy Kirchoff (R)
Elizabeth Lisa Hernandez (D, incumbent)
35th District
Victor Home (R)
Frances Ann Hurley (D, incumbent)
55th District
Dan Gott (R)
Martin J. Moylan (D, incumbent)
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioners
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, located primarily within Cook County, operates seven water reclamation plants that treat residential and industrial wastewater before it is returned to canals, rivers and streams. It also monitors water quality and manages a series of tunnels and reservoirs intended to control pollution and flooding, among other responsibilities. The district is governed by the Board of Commissioners, which has nine members. Three are elected every two years for six-year terms.
Pick up to 3:
Barbara McGowan (D, incumbent)
Mariyana T. Spyropoulos (D, incumbent)
Josina Morita (D)
Karen Roothaan (Green)
George Milkowski (Green)
Michael Smith (Green)
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioners (2-year term)
Theres an extra spot up for election on the MWRDs Board of Commissioners this fall after Patrick D. Thompson left the board in May 2015 for a spot on the City Council. David J. Walsh was appointed by Gov. Rauner in Sept. 2015 to fill the vacancy, and the person elected here will serve the two years remaining in the term.
Herb Schumann (R)
Martin J. Durkan (D)
Christopher Anthony (Green)
Cook County States Attorney
The States Attorneys Office handles prosecution of all crimes committed in Cook County, misdemeanor and felony, and serves as legal counsel for the Cook County government. The States Attorney serves a four-year term.
Christopher E.K. Pfannkuche (R)
Kim Foxx (D)
Cook County Circuit Court Clerk
The Circuit Court Clerks office keeps records for the countys court system; you go through them to file cases and appeals, get case files and more. The clerk serves a four-year term.
Diane S. Shapiro (R)
Dorothy A. Brown (D, incumbent)
Cook County Recorder of Deeds
The Recorder of Deeds office records, stores and maintains land records and other official documents in perpetuity for public and private use, facilitating home ownership and mortgage lending. This four-year-term position might be going awaysee Ballot measures for more information.
Karen A. Yarbrough (D, incumbent)
Write-in candidate: Phil Collins
Board of Review, 1st District
The Cook County Assessors office sets the value of your property for tax purposes; if you dont agree with their assessment, you can appeal to the Board of Review. Commissioners serve four-year terms.
Dan Patlak (R, incumbent)
Marty Stack (D)
BALLOT ISSUES
The candidates get most of the attention, but there are several issues up for consideration in this election, too. Note that most of these are just advisory referenda to give officials an idea of how the public feels about these issues; ones where your votes actually directly decide what happens are marked binding. You'll just vote "yes" or "no" on these.
For the whole state (binding)
For the proposed addition of Section 11 to Article IX of the Illinois Constitution. Adding Section 11 would set the rule that money generated from transportation-related taxes and feesmotor fuel taxes, vehicle registration fees, etc. could only be spent by the state or local governments for transportation-related purposes. Those would include the enforcement of transportation and vehicle laws; the construction and upkeep of highways, mass transit and railroad crossings; workers comp claims for transportation agency employees; and more. According to a mailing from the Illinois Secretary of State, the argument for this amendment is that it would provide a dedicated source of funding for improvements to the states roads, bridges, mass transit and more, and would end the practice of using portions of transportation funds for non-transportation purposes. The argument against is that it would restrict governments abilities to spend public revenues as they and taxpayers see fit, potentially leading to cuts to education or social service programs.
For the whole county
Whether the Office of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds should be eliminated, with its duties and responsibilities being transferred to the Office of the Cook County Clerk by December 7, 2020. According to the countys website, the Recorder of Deeds office records, stores and maintains land records and other official documents in perpetuity for public and private use, facilitating home ownership and mortgage lending. It also works to prevent property fraudwhen someone files documents that make it look like they own your property, for example. The current Recorder of Deeds is Karen A. Yarbrough, who is up for re-election.
Whether there should be a state law that would require that Illinois workers be able to earn up to 40 hours of sick time a year to take care of their own health or a family members health.
For the whole city
Whether the state should strengthen penalties for illegal gun trafficking, making it a felony, and require background checks for gun dealers and employees.
Whether the state should provide full and equitable funding to Chicago Public Schools.
Whether the city should work with state and federal governments to prioritize infrastructure projectswork on roads, bridges, public transportation and more.
For parts of the city
(Dont know exactly where you live? Head to chicagoelections.com to get your ward, precinct number and sample ballot.)
Parts of Wards 1, 25, 26, 33, 46 and 49: Whether to expand or limit the citys (or wards) number of charter schools, which are approved by Chicagos Board of Education and receive public money but operate independently and have their own curriculum, schedule, calendar and admissions procedures (they typically dont have boundaries, but students have to apply and are generally admitted by lottery).
Parts of Ward 1: Whether at least half of all new residential construction in the ward should be affordable housing, defined on the ballot as costing no more than a third of an average Chicago tenants income.
Ward 17s 26th Precinct: Whether to continue the ban on the retail sale of alcohol in the precinct. (Binding)
Parts of Wards 11, 22, 24, 25, 27, 28, 42: Whether to create a West Side Expanded Mental Health Services Program, to provide direct free mental health services for any resident of the territory who needs assistance in overcoming or coping with mental or emotional disorders, and tax levy to fund it. (Binding)
HEY, BY THE WAY...
Got voting questions? We've got answers.
Do I have to vote in every category?
Nope! Even if you just vote for president and nothing else, your ballot will still be counted.
Incumbent...?
Thats a fancy way of saying This person currently has this office.
What happens if theres only one candidate for a certain seat?
That person wins, whether they get one vote or a couple million. So you can vote for them or not, whatever you feel like doing, but dont worry too much about it. (Thats why we didnt include them on our list of candidates, but youll see them on your sample and real ballots.)
Whats up with write-in candidates?
Sorry, no matter how hard we try, we cant elect Joe Maddon president. The person youre writing in must have filed a Declaration of Intent to be a Write-in Candidate in order for your vote for them to count. Weve included the approved write-in candidates in this guide.
Where did all these judges come from?
There are a lot of judges newly up for seats, and a lot of current judges who are up for re-election. Because almost all of the vacancies (seats for new judges) on Chicago ballots only have one candidate, we didnt include them. The exception is the 1st Subcircuit Hopkins vacancy, where Maryam Ahmad filed as a write-in. As far as retaining previously elected judges goes, all you have to do on those is pick yes or no." Each must get a 60 percent yes vote to keep hits or her seat.
I already voted for all my choices in the primary in March. Do I have to vote again?
Yes. The primary and general elections are totally separateyour primary vote doesnt count this time around.
If I voted early in this election but I changed my mind, can I vote again?
No. No. Please dont do that. Sorry about your vote, but you can only cast one ballot per election. Trying to vote more than once is a felony. So, just dont.
What if I messed up and marked the wrong candidate on my paper ballot?
No worriesyou can ask the people working to get you a new ballot. Dont forget to give them the old one so they can void it!
Want to see a picture of my ballot?
No, and please dont take onethats illegal. Wed love to see your I voted wristband, though! Tweet or tag us @redeyechicago.
Sources: chicagoelections.com; cookcountyclerk.com; ballotopedia.org; chicagotribune.com; mwrd.org; elga.gov; Jim Allen, Chicago Board of Election Commissioners spokesman
@gauxmargaux | mhenquinet@redeyechicago.com
An election eve bash at Thalia Hall, happy hour at Estereo and more things to do in Chicago on Monday, Nov. 7.
EAT
Freestyle Food & Drink
Fall-Themed Dishes
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Freestyle Food & Drink
660 N. State St. 312-202-6050
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Embrace the falling temperatures with dishes including wild rice with fried sage served inside an acorn squash ($12, dinner only) and spiced pear cobbler ($10). 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-11 p.m.
DRINK
Rye Heritage Month (Free!)
Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >
111 W. Kinzie St. 312-880-1511
Catch a Q&A and panel discussion with WhistlePig master distiller Dave Pickerell and Diageo representatives moderated by "Tasting Whiskey" author Lew Bryson and enjoy appetizers, rye cocktails and spirit tastings. 7-10 p.m. Free. RSVP: eventbrite.com
DO
Sophia Bush hosts an Election Eve Bash at Thalia Hall with Monica Raymund
Election Eve Bash
Thalia Hall
1807 S. Allport St. 312-526-3851
Monica Raymund of "Chicago Fire" and Sophia Bush of "Chicago P.D." host a dance party featuring sets from DJs Samantha Ronson and Sandra Suave and burlesque acts from The Fly Honeys. Proceeds benefit Project Vote. 7 p.m.-midnight. $25-$35. Email a photo of your voter registration card to clandestinachi@gmail.com to receive a coupon code for $5 off. Tickets: thaliahallchicago.com
Why You Shouldn't Vote Tomorrow (Free!)
DePaul Student Center, Room 120
2250 N. Sheffield Ave. 773-325-4580
DePaul University thinks you should definitely vote, but you can consider the cases that can be made for abstaining at this panel discussion hosted by philosophy professor H. Peter Steeves about how the history of elections is tied to racism, oppression and inequality. 7-9 p.m. Free.
'Krampus!'
Underground Wonder Bar
710 N. Clark St. 773-377-5342
Ghostlight Ensemble's holiday show follows a bickering family spending Christmas in a remote cabin in the Wisconsin woods who are terrorized by a demon that punishes naughty children. 7:30 p.m. $10-$12. Tickets: brownpapertickets.com
HAPPY HOUR OF THE DAY
After the recent attack on debit cards exposed the gaps in their security systems, banks are getting serious about data privacy. reports Nupur Anand.
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
The biggest cyber security breach in recent times that saw data of over 3.5 million debit cards being stolen last month has sent shock waves through the country.
The incident first came to light in late September when card network providers received complaints from banks that their clients' cards had been used to carry out transactions in China and the US even as they were in India.
As service providers swung into action, it soon became evident that the scale of the intrusion went beyond just a few cards: 19 banks were affected by the data breach with SBI, HDFC, Yes Bank, ICICI and Axis being the worst hit.
As people come to terms with what appeared to be a systemic risk, for banks, the challenge now is to prevent the next data breach.
Banks, along with network providers, are mulling over ways to keep intruders out even as they accept that no security measure will ever safeguard them against fraud completely, given that technology is a double-edged sword.
In the recent case, it is believed there was a possible compromise in Hitachi's system that operates several of YES Bank's Automated Teller Machines.
Shikha Sharma, managing director, Axis Bank, says banks will have to be quick-footed to reduce the risks.
"There are crooks who work in the physical world and some who work in the digital world," says Sharma. "Some of them are very smart minds. So, banks have to keep looking at response strategy, how to detect and respond quickly. Look at where fraud comes from and how we are going to improve our systems to detect, control and respond to data breaches. We cannot wish away this issue."
Experts say Indian banks are woefully ill-equipped to deal with such data thefts and instances of fraud on a large scale.
In fact, a recent report by Skybox, a security firm, shows that several companies across the world are not ready to handle cyber frauds or attacks.
'Organisations are least automated (and least confident) in areas related to (a) collecting data about virtual and cloud-based systems and applications and (b) analysing and remediating firewall rules that violate policies and regulations,' says the report.
What is worrying is that most incidents of data breaches are not made public.
This is particularly the case with thefts where financial losses to banks are small; even otherwise, banks are generally slow to respond to such incidents.
In the latest case, it took six weeks for banks and other stakeholders to come out and accept that there indeed had been a data breach.
"Not only banks but even other financial institutions see these attacks largely in terms of loss of brand value for their companies and so they abstain from reporting such incidents," says a consultant who works with banks on cyber security issues.
Unlike the attacks on the central bank of Bangladesh, which led to a loss of $81 million, or in the case of Bank of Japan's $13 million loss in credit card fraud, in the security breach in India, the financial liability has been minuscule.
The total loss has so far been limited to Rs 1.3 crore (Rs 13 million).
Often, banks respond by playing down such incidents.
YES Bank at a press conference after the data breach said, 'YES Bank has proactively undertaken a comprehensive review of its ATMs, and there is no evidence of a breach or compromise on YES Bank ATMs.'
Hitachi Payment Services has also claimed that an external audit on its ATM networks that it manages for banks has not seen any breach of its systems.
However, third-party vendors can sometimes prove to be a weak link.
Anurag Jain, assistant vice-president (market development, South Asia risk business), Thomson Reuters, says it becomes difficult for banks to ascertain the security level of their third party vendors and this can prove to be a problem area.
As the reputation of vendors is based on the security of their data services, they often do not share details of their systems with banks.
"We have seen that when we ask for visibility to asses or analyse, 99 per cent of the time the general answer is that the logs are either insufficient or only available during a certain period of time," says Karthik Shinde, Partner, EY.
Even though vendors have the intention to prevent security breaches, he adds there ends up being a number of missing elements in their system.
However, after the recent case, banks and vendors are coming together to fight cyber fraud jointly as an industry.
They are also thinking hard on how to address consumer concerns after a cyber-attack has happened.
"Banks have been reassuring their own customers, but they also need to go and assure the customers that the entire network is safe. That degree of comfort would have been more reassuring and is required to ensure customers do not perceive it as a network threat," says Nitin Chugh, country head (digital banking), HDFC Bank.
A united front against cyber fraud has also become more important to ensure the success of mobile wallet players as they start to roll out their services.
Visits to bank branches have just begun to show a decline in urban areas as customers move to digital banking and replace cash with card. Privacy concerns could easily reverse this trend.
Already, digital wallet players are worried the incident could impact the number of transactions on their network.
"At least in the short run," says a private sector banker who does not want to be named, "the data breach will make consumers wary of using digital transactions."
'Tata may have sensed that the suddenness of the decision to replace Mistry would become controversial and it was proper to keep the prime minister informed of the decision,' says A K Bhattacharya.
Why would a newly appointed interim chairman of a conglomerate send a letter to the country's prime minister informing him about the board meeting of its holding company and the decision on a sudden change of guard?
In the normal course, no company usually considers it necessary to inform the prime minister of such decisions on either removing a chairman or the process to be followed in finding a successor.
But this is exactly what Ratan Tata did soon after the October 24 meeting of the board of Tata Sons that removed Cyrus Mistry as its chairman.
To be sure, Tata had sent off at least two letters on October 24 after assuming charge as the interim chairman of Tata Sons, the Tata group's holding company.
One was to the employees of the Tata companies and the other was to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The letter to the employees was understandable. It explained to them the key decisions taken at the board meeting.
It informed them that Mistry has been replaced as Tata Sons chairman with immediate effect, a new management structure is being put in place and a selection committee has been set up to identify the next chairman and complete that process within four months.
More importantly, Tata's letter explained that he had agreed to take upon himself the new responsibility 'in the interest of stability of and assurance to the Tata group.'
Tata's letter to the prime minister was almost similar to the one he had sent the employees, except that it did not explain why he had agreed to assume the new role.
While his letter to the employees was expected, the letter to Modi took many people by surprise.
Corporate governance norms required Tata to inform all the shareholders and employees about the decision taken by the Tata Sons board. But there was no obligation to keep the prime minister informed of the change of guard.
In the past, however, corporate leaders have often kept senior government leaders in the loop on key developments concerning their companies, particularly when they were controversial.
Bharat Ram and H P Nanda left no stone unturned to plead with the ruling Congress party leaders and seek their intervention in the early 1980s, when their respective companies were under a takeover threat from the London-based Swraj Paul of the Caparo Group.
Such lobbying did help ward off the takeover threat.
In the late 1980s, the scions of the Modi family (which at that time ran the country's fourth-largest business empire) were engaged in an ugly battle over splitting their businesses.
This had led to Dayawati Modi, Gujarmal Modi's widow, and her sons to meet Rajiv Gandhi, who was then the prime minister, and seek government intervention to resolve the dispute.
The government stayed away from the Modi family dispute, but the State-owned financial institutions did play a key role by forcing a resolution, thanks to their stake in the many group companies.
Instances of business leaders keeping the government of the day informed of developments in their companies have become rare in post-reforms India after 1991.
This is largely because the government has ceased to have much say in the affairs of private sector companies and corporate leaders have also realised it is always better not to involve the government in settling their disputes.
The ugly dispute between the Ambani brothers in 2004-2005 did not see any overt lobbying with the government although attempts to seek government intervention may have been made.
But the government of the day stayed out of it and allowed the dispute to be settled between the two brothers.
So, why did Tata decide to send a letter to Modi informing him on the replacement of Mistry? There could be two possible reasons.
One, Tata may have sensed that the suddenness of the decision to replace Mistry would become controversial and it was proper to keep the prime minister informed of the decision.
Tata was not wrong. With the surfacing of Mistry's mail to Tata Sons board members, which raised many controversial issues, the dust over Mistry's removal is not going to settle soon.
Two, Tata has enjoyed a good relationship with Modi since the latter's days as chief minister of Gujarat.
When Mamata Banerjee's agitation pushed the Tata Nano factory out of Singur in West Bengal, it was Modi who had sent out an SMS to Tata saying: 'Swagatam.' The rest is history.
Tata relocated the Nano factory in Sanand and described Modi as the good M as opposed to the bad M.
The real reason may never be known, but speculation will always be rife on why Tata shot off that letter to Modi, even though it was strictly not necessary.
And particularly after Tata reportedly had a one-to-one meeting with Modi last Friday, October 28, just days after a similar Mistry meeting with the PM on Tuesday, October 25.
'There were multiple turnarounds that were happening in the Tata group.'
'In fact, it can be called the biggest turnarounds in the history of Indian corporates.'
'Just see where the companies were three years ago and where they are now.'
Dev Chatterjee finds out how Cyrus Mistry fixed 'legacy hotspots' to clear the financial mess.
Former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry had put in place a strategy that would have pulled most of the Tata group's 'legacy hotspots' out of the financial mess from legacy issues and helped turn around the group's finances.
Mistry's turnaround strategy, a source close to the development said, included a merger of Tata Teleservices with a large Telco that would have resulted in merger synergies worth Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion).
Mistry was also keen to end the dispute with DoCoMo, but as the Reserve Bank of India's permission to remit funds of $1.17 billion to DoCoMo had not come, the merger deal was pending, the source added.
"After the turnaround plan was put in place, Tata Teleservices had started making an Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) of nearly Rs 2,500 crore (Rs 25 billion), and had asked DoCoMo to make a joint application to the government but they moved court," said the source, asking not to be identified.
"Mistry was also keen to pay Docomo and end the dispute, but his hands were tied by present laws," the source noted.
The option of paying Docomo from Tata's overseas accounts would still violate Indian laws, the source added.
Following Mistry's removal by the Tata Sons board on October 24, the new management led by Ratan Tata is planning to end the litigation with DoCoMo by making a fresh application to RBI.
The government is likely to help the transaction by making an exception to the law and allowing the buyback of shares at pre-determined rates.
Mistry had explicitly mentioned the five 'legacy hotspots' of the group in his letter to the Tata Sons board: Indian Hotels, Tata Motors, passenger vehicles business, Tata Steel Europe, Tata Power Mundra and Tata Teleservices.
A realistic assessment of the fair value of these businesses would result in a potential write-down of $18 billion.
At Tata Steel, the source said the British operations were hit due to cheaper Chinese exports to Europe.
With the steel price crash, the fate of high-cost British operations of Tata Steel Corus was sealed.
At the same time, the Tata Steel board was asking Mistry to get out of Europe so that the Indian operations could be salvaged.
The high cost of acquisition made by Tata in 2007 had already led to a loss of up to Rs 80,000 crore (Rs 800 billion) to Tata Steel.
"Tata Steel sold a couple of operations in the UK to cut costs but due to aggressive cost cutting, the Port Talbot operations were looking up and the sale of the Port Talbot plant was put on hold," the source said.
A merger with Thyssenkrupp, which was on the cards, would have helped Tata Steel to focus on Indian operations that was fast turning around with Kalinganagar coming on stream.
"In the past three years, Tata Steel executed the largest industrial project ever in the Tata group's history with 49,000 people working at the site at its peak," the source close to the Mistry camp said.
The infrastructure is already in place to expand the capacity by another five million tonnes a year, the source said.
On Tata Motors' Nano, a board member said the product was losing close to Rs 1 lakh (Rs 100,000) on every car produced, and the project has made total losses of Rs 6,000 crores to Rs 7,000 crores (Rs 60 billion to Rs 70 billion).
"The company has had four managing directors in the past 10 years, and employee morale was low. It took two years for Tata Motors to get a new CEO as the Tata Sons board was rejecting most candidates selected by Mistry."
However, Tata Motors' domestic passenger vehicle business is on the right path, say insiders, and Mistry's turnaround strategy with the launch of new products such as the Tiago, new branding and a new CEO at the helm will help.
At Tata Power's Mundra project, the source said the company was suffering due to Indonesian coal prices that went up due to a change in local laws.
A turnaround strategy was put in place by selling stake in the Indonesian coal mine and the company made an acquisition in renewable power sector from Welspun for Rs 9,700 crore (Rs 97 billion).
As coal prices were falling, Mistry saw that the production costs at Tata Power's coal mines were also reduced, which has helped the company's financials, said the source.
To turn around Indian Hotels, the company first merged the off-balance sheet Sea Rock hotel, a legacy purchase and took the impairment.
The Pierre in New York, which is losing $15 million a year, could not be sold due to unattractive lease terms.
Write-downs were also made for other bad acquisitions.
In the process, 75 per cent of Indian Hotels' net worth was wiped off. A new management was put in place and a new branding for the Taj was launched.
The company was back on track -- a fact acknowledged by its independent directors at its board meeting held on Friday, November 4.
"There were multiple turnarounds that were happening in the Tata group. In fact, it can be called the biggest turnarounds in the history of Indian corporates," the source added. "Just see where the companies were three years ago and where they are now."
IMAGE: Former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry. Photograph: PTI Photo
'There is perhaps a need to pay heed to L K Advani's belief about an Emergency re-run,' says Amulya Ganguli.
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
The blacking out of a television channel for a day can be regarded as the Narendra Modi government's first step towards imposing its writ on the nation in a more comprehensive manner.
The dark screen will also be reminder to the people about the government's inherent power to do as it pleases.
The explanation for its decision is the customary one. Ever since the government and the BJP took upon themselves the onerous task of determining what is good for the country, they have been intervening in various spheres of the nation's life to ensure that no one transgresses the limits set by the guardians of national interest in the corridors of power, chosen by 31 per cent of the popular vote.
These interventions can include dictating what people can say and eat -- the critics of Modi and beef-eaters can leave the country, said the two BJP ministers, Giriraj Singh and Mukhar Abbas Naqvi.
Or thrashing a student on the suspicion of being a seditionist by lawyers sympathetic towards the BJP in the premises of a court while the police, led by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's favourite commissioner, B S Bassi, looked on benignly.
Or the 'disappearance' of a student after becoming involved in a fracas with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, a saffron student organisation.
Or the suicide of a student after the vice-chancellor of the university where he studied is badgered by the Union human resource development ministry to ascertain why the campus had become a 'den' of Left extremists.
Or the expression of regret by a saffron godman that the law doesn't allow him to behead those refusing to say 'Bharat Mata ki Jai.'
All these acts are the result of the government's and the BJP's conviction that those who do not agree to the saffron viewpoint are anti-nationals.
Since these dubious individuals use the media to disseminate their unpatriotic views, the Hindutva camp first dubbed newsmen as 'presstitutes' and has now taken the next logical step of silencing some of them, for a day to start with.
If the government can get away with gagging a television channel, it can consider further measures in line with what Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijuju said about the 'habit of raising doubts questioning the authorities and the police,' which, according to him, is not 'a good culture.'
The antipathy of the government and the BJP towards the media cannot be unrelated to Modi's personal aversion in the aftermath of the Gujarat riots which saw the 'modern day Nero,' to quote the Supreme Court, at the receiving end of adverse criticism for a prolonged period.
Not surprisingly, the prime minister has never held a wide-ranging press conference where nearly all the media houses are represented. All that he has conceded is to give interviews to 'friendly' journalists. And these, too, have been few and far between.
Meanwhile, the term 'presstitutes' has been gleefully picked up by the saffron camp's cyber warriors, who also freely use the term, anti-Hindu, to describe dissenters.
For instance, one of them has said that 'while most of the mainstream media has become cautious (after Modi's victory), there are many magazines and Web sites which are solely devoted to churning out anti-Hindu material.'
The word, anti-national, has been added to the tag, anti-Hindu, to justify the latest ban on a television channel for allegedly breaching national security during the Pathankot operation of the security forces against the terrorists.
Prohibitions of this nature may not become as common as the outlawing of a large number of NGOs on the grounds of their 'anti-national' activity. But there is little doubt that the government is testing the limits to which it can go in curbing dissent.
Some of its earlier peremptory acts have not passed muster as, for instance, when the judiciary criticised the government's decision to prevent a Greenpeace activist from travellng to Britain to speak to the MPs there on environmental issues.
The court said the activist's interaction with British lawmakers 'cannot be construed as an anti-national activity.'
Although nearly all the representative organisations of the media like the Editors Guild, the Press Club and others have described the ban on the television channel as being reminiscent of the Emergency, Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu thinks that the move is 'broadly' supported by the people.
The claim recalls then Congress president Dev Kanta Borooah's belief during the Emergency that 'Indira is India.'
There is perhaps a need to pay heed to L K Advani's belief about an Emergency re-run which he expressed last year.
Amulya Ganguli is a writer on current affairs.
Most of the times, we hear of ministers and netas demanding for VIP treatment, so the news of Union Civil Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha giving up his seat for a girl and her ill mother during a flight makes us smile.
Twitter user, Shreya Pradip, was travelling from Bengaluru to Ranchi on an Indigo flight with her mother.
They were given the XL seats with more leg room because her mother could not walk but during a mid-flight halt in Kolkata the duo realised that those seats belonged to Jayant Sinha and his wife.
Instead of asking the mother-daughter duo to shift to their seats, the minister insisted that they remain seated and went to sit somewhere else with his wife.
Shreya later tweeted to thank him for the sweet gesture to which Sinha promptly replied.
She tweeted to Jayant Sinha, saying: Achche din is when aviation minister gives his 1st class seat 2 me n my ill mother, sits in d eco class himself Thnx Sir.
Sinha repiled, saying, You are very welcome.
Image: Twitter user Shreya Pradip put up this photo on her Twitter page after Union minister Jayant Sinha swapped seats with her. Photograph: @ShreyaPradip/Twitter
UP tops the list for most jailbreaks, reports Aditi Phadnis.
IMAGE: Perhaps, the Bhopal authorities should take learn from Tihar Jail in Delhi where till date there have only been six escapes. Reuters photograph published only for representational purposes
Jailbreaks are not new in India, but the model for preventing them has to be Tihar Jail in Delhi where till date, almost 50 years since it was set up, there have been only six escapes.
The first person to make an unauthorised exit from Tihar was an American smuggler, Daniel Walcott.
In 1965, he escaped from Tihar in a police vehicle, reached the Safdarjung airport hangar, boarded his impounded plane and flew out of the country before the jail authorities could react. This prompted the first security review of Tihar.
But the new arrangements proved no barrier for Charles Sobhraj, who escaped after drugging the security guards in March 1986. He had ordered sweets laced with 820 pills of a sedative. He simply took the keys from one of them and walked out of the prison posing as a policeman. He was arrested later.
To prevent unnecessary mingling of police with inmates, the Delhi armed police, which used to guard the prison, was replaced with special units from Tamil Nadu Police in order to create a language barrier between prisoners and the security men.
There were other attempts -- 20 years later, Phoolan Devi's killer Sher Singh Rana escaped from prison after getting his aide to pose as a cop in February 2004 -- there have been few jailbreaks as daring as the one from the Bhopal Central Jail by eight undertrials allegedly from the Students Islamic Movement of India.
Uttar Pradesh tops the charts for jailbreaks, though this could possibly be because UP also has the highest number of jails in India.
In response to a query filed under the Right to Information Act, the Uttar Pradesh prison department revealed 2,050 inmates have died in the state since 2010.
Ahead of this week's Nuclear Suppliers Group meet in Vienna, China on Monday stuck to its guns saying there was "no change" in its stand on India's membership bid which it has indicated would be considered only after rules for entry of non-NPT countries are finalised by the elite group.
"This Friday in Vienna a plenary session of the NSG will be held. Our position is subject to no change as of date," Lu Kang, Spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a media briefing in Beijing.
Referring to the November 4 meeting of the National Security Advisors of India and China in Hyderabad, Lu said China is in close contact with relevant parties including India and have been having constructive dialogue and coordination on this issue.
NSA Ajit Doval had held talks with Chinese counterpart and State Councillor Yang Jiechi in Hyderabad during which the issue had reportedly figured.
The talks were held ahead of the meeting of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group in Vienna on November 11-12, where according to media reports the group could discuss the two-stage process to admit new members who have not signed nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
India and Pakistan which have applied for NSG membership have not signed the NPT.
Last week, China, after the second round talks with India on its entry into the NSG, had said that it will first seek a solution to admit all countries who have not signed NPT and then discuss India's specific application.
"On India's accession to the NSG, I can tell you that China's position is very clear and consistent," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying had said.
"We will seek a solution that applies to all Non-NPT countries and then we will discuss the specific application of relevant non-NPT country," she had said.
The issue had also been discussed in the talks in Beijing between Joint Secretary (Disarmament and International Security) Amandeep Singh Gill and his Chinese counterpart Wang Qun on October 31. That meeting was held ahead of Doval and Yang meeting in Hyderabad.
China has also been holding simultaneous talks with Pakistan on its admission into the NSG.
Officials say that the focus now shifts on the kind of modalities being worked out by NSG which can accommodate India, whose non-proliferation record is regarded positive by a majority of the group's members contrary to Pakistan's record in nuclear proliferation.
About the outcome of Doval and Yang meeting at Hyderabad, Kang said the two officials exchanged views on bilateral as well as regional and international issues of common interest.
Asked whether India's concerns over China blocking Unied Nations ban on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar, Lu said they discussed issues that have "cropped up" in bilateral relations.
They agreed to maintain contact, and control and manage relevant issues to ensure steady development of bilateral relations, he said.
Rahul Gandhi's appointment as Congress president on Monday appeared imminent with members of the Congress Working Committee, its highest decision making body, unanimously voicing "strong sentiment" for his elevation for the first time at a meeting which Sonia Gandhi gave a miss.
It was party veteran A K Antony who set the ball rolling at the meeting, which lasted for four hours, when he spoke about the need for Rahul to take over the mantle of the 130-year-old party from her mother and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. All other members, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh followed suit.
"Members unanimously expressed their strong sentiment that accepting the wishes of crores of Congress workers and well wishers, Rahul Gandhi take over as the president of the Congress party", Antony told reporters while briefing on the deliberations.
Antony said all members including Manmohan Singh, insisted it was "high time" Rahul took over as party chief and the Congress mobilised "all forces" to take on "anti-people and dictatorial" policies of the Modi government.
Rahul, who presided over the meeting as Sonia Gandhi was reportedly indisposed, said he was ready to accept whatever responsibility is bestowed upon him by the Congress president and the CWC, in "fighting for the idea of India."
At the briefing, both Antony and chief party spokesman Randeep Surjewala evaded questions as to when exactly Rahul would take over the reins of the party from his mother and whether it would happen on November 19, the day the AICC has organised a grand celebration on the birth centenary of Indira Gandhi.
"We are very hopeful", a senior party leader said when asked whether the elevation would happen before Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.
Sonia Gandhi has created a record by being at the helm of the 130-year-old organisation since early 1998 succeeding the late Sitaram Kesri who was ousted by the CWC.
"It is for the first time that the CWC is making such a recommendation. We are sure that the Congress president would give it proper care and attention", Antony said replying to a volley of questions on the issue.
Surjewala said senior CWC members would personally meet the party chief as a "follow up" action regarding their recommendation for Rahul's elevation. After Sonia takes a decision, the CWC would meet again to formally ratify it.
Rahul was appointed party vice-president in January 2013 at Congress's brainstorming session in Jaipur.
The talk about his elevation has been going on for quite some time now. Leaders like Jairam Ramesh had even insisted that Rahul was the "de facto" (in fact) leader who has to become "de jure" (in law).
Antony said Sonia Gandhi will not nominate her successor as the Congress president. "It is not her decision. She is not nominating the Congress president," he said.
"This is the first time the CWC has recommended (Rahul's elevation). The Congress president will not nominate the Congress president. The Congress Working Committee of AICC has to take the decision. (It is) the first time the entire CWC met today and unanimously recommended that Rahul Gandhi should take over."
He said, "For the first time, the entire CWC, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, expressed strong sentiment of crores of Congress workers and sympathisers that Rahul Gandhi must take over the presidency and mobilise other forces in its fight against the communal forces, dictatorial forces of the government, RSS and the Sangh Parivar."
"The unanimous sentiment of the CWC has ben noted and will be conveyed by senior members of Congress Working Committee to the Congress president," Surjewala said.
It is high time the Congress mobilised all the forces to fight against the anti-people and dictatorial policy of the Modi Government and also the RSS, Sangh Parivar and BJP's policy of communal polarization and destruction of peace and social harmony in the country, Antony said.
On what Rahul told the CWC members after being urged to take over the reins of the party, Surjwala said, "For him, the issue is to fight for the idea of India to ensure that decisive fight, including (protecting) the rights of media is carried to a logical conclusion and any responsibility that helps him realise that objective, he is always willing to more than take on that mantle and fulfil that responsibility."
The CWC also decided to seek another extension for a year from the Election Commission for completing its organisational elections. The current extension expires on December 31.
Antony, however, said delaying the organisational polls had no connection with elevating Rahul Gandhi to the party president's post, apparently hinting at the possibility of Sonia stepping down to clear the way for her son even before the party elections have been wrapped up.
"We will cross the bridge when we come to it", Surjewala merely said when asked whether the CWC meeting saw any demand being raised for a larger role for Priyanka Gandhi in the party.
In his opening remarks, Rahul Gandhi made a scathing attack on the Modi government, saying democracy is going through "one of its darkest hours" with the ruling dispensation "obsessed with power and seeking to silence" all those who disagree.
Rahul alleged that "hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated (by the government) for asking questions."
Alluding to the one-day ban on Hindi channel NDTV India, Gandhi said, "TV channels are being punished and asked to shut down. The opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account".
"Democracy under the present dispensation is going through one of the darkest hours," he said, adding that all attempts by the government to suppress fundamental freedom by "abusing" state power would only strengthen the Congress' resolve to defeat such "dangerous designs".
IMAGE: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi chairs a meeting of the Congress Working Committee meeting in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo
The agencys director told lawmakers that it hasnt changed its opinion that the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton should not face criminal charges after a review of new e-mails.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday gave a clean chit to Hillary Clinton, saying she should not face criminal charges after a review of new e-mails, an 11th-hour respite for the Democratic presidential candidate that could be a game changer in the tight race for the White House.
Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton, FBI Director James B Comey told Congress leaders in a letter after a renewed probe into her use of private e-mail server as secretary of state following a cache of recently discovered e-mails.
The move, just before the general elections on Tuesday, came as last-minute relief to the 69-year-old former secretary of state following the agencys announcement the probe that had triggered a backlash from the Democratic camp and dented Clintons popularity.
Republican rival Donald Trump, who had seized on to the reignited controversy following the FBIs decision of the renewed probe, criticised the latest development, saying Clinton is being protected by a rigged system and that it is unbelievable, what she gets away with.
A similar letter was sent to the Congress on July 28 in which Comey had said the FBI has reopened the investigation following discovery of some pertinent e-mails on the laptop of Clintons close aide Huma Abedin which was shared by the latters estranged husband Anthony Weiner.
Since my letter (of October 28), the FBI investigation team has been working around the clock to process and review a large volume of emails from a device obtained in connection with an unrelated criminal investigation, Comey said. It was reported that there were 650,000 e-mails on that laptop.
During that process, we reviewed all the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was the Secretary of State, Comey said.
The FBIs letter was welcomed by the Clinton campaign, which saw its popularity graph sharply dropping down in the aftermath of the October 28 letter.
We were always confident nothing would cause the July decision to be revisited. Now Director Comey has confirmed it, tweeted Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon.
We are glad to see that he has found, as we were confident that he would, that he had confirmed the conclusions he reached in July and we are glad that this matter is resolved, Jennifer Palmieri, Clintons communications director, told reporters.
Clinton, who was campaigning in Cleveland, however, did not make any mention of it in her address. Trump challenged the FBIs statement, saying: You cant review 650,000 e-mails in eight days.
You cant do it folks. Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it. FBI knows it. Now, it is up to the people of the United States to deliver justice, the 70-year-old real estate tycoon told supporters in a Detroit suburb in Michigan.
Image: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton greets supporters during a campaign rally at the Cleveland Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was killed and two army personnel were injured in an encounter in south Kashmirs Shopian district, police said on Monday.
An encounter broke out between security forces and militants at Wangam in Shopian after the security forces launched a search operation following specific intelligence inputs, a police official said.
In the gun battle, one terrorist identified as Sadam Hussain Mir, a resident of Chatripora Shopian, belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed, the official said.
Two army personnel were injured in the encounter, he said.
Security forces have recovered one assault rifle, five AK 47 magazines, 119 AK 47 rounds and one hand grenade, the official said.
Earlier, on Sunday, two army jawans were killed and five others -- two soldiers, two civilian women and a Border Security Force officer -- were injured as Pakistani army opened unprovoked firing along the Line of Control in Krishna Ghati and Poonch sectors of Poonch district.
There have been over 100 ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after the surgical strike.
An army officer said that there have been 84 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops along LoC in Jammu region falling under 16 Corps area. As many as 16 ceasefire violations have been recorded along LoC in Kashmir region falling under 15 Corps area, he said.
The worst-ever Pakistani shelling targeting civil population took place on November 1 when eight persons, including two children and four women, were killed and 22 others injured along the IB and the LoC in five sectors of Jammu-Kashmir, forcing Indian troops to give befitting reply by destroying 14 Pakistani posts and killing two of their troopers.
Boosting trade and simplifying visa regime, apart from security and defence cooperation, were among the key bilateral issues. The two leaders also discussed regional and international matters of mutual interest.
IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his UK counterpart Theresa May at the inauguration of India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi on Monday. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo
India and Britain on Monday pledged to fight terrorism and bring to justice terror groups and those who encourage them even as the two countries agreed not to allow fugitives escape law in each others territory.
As British Prime Minister Theresa May made her first bilateral visit outside Europe and held extensive talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, officials handed over a list of 57 fugitives New Delhi wants to be extradited and hoped for early extradition of industrialist Vijay Mallya to face probe in the money laundering case against him.
After more than three hours of extensive talks, the two prime ministers agreed on boosting trade ties, with May saying that during her visit alone, India and the United Kingdom will ink more than GBP 1 billion (Rs 83,00 crore) of business deals.
IMAGE: The two PMs shake hands during the joint statement at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo
At a joint press interaction with Modi, May announced two business-centric visa programmes -- Registered Traveller Scheme and Great Club -- while India drew her attention to its students and working professionals getting impacted by the stringent visa norms in the UK. As per official UK figures, the number of study visas issued to Indian nationals fell from 68,238 in 2010 to 11,864 this year.
While boosting trade and simplifying visa regime apart from security and defence cooperation were among the key bilateral issues, the two leaders also discussed regional and international matters of mutual interest including the need for South Asia to be stable, prosperous and free from terror.
They called upon all countries to work towards that goal.
IMAGE: Modi walks with May in lawns of Hyderabad House before a meeting. Photograph: PTI Photo
Both prime ministers acknowledged that terrorism and violent extremism poses one of the most serious threats to international peace and security and in this regard called for concerted global action without selectivity. The two leaders called for urgent measures to counter and prevent the spread of terrorism, violent extremism and radicalisation, a joint statement issued after the talks said.
The two sides underlined the importance of maintaining the legal order for the seas and oceans based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The remarks are seen as a veiled reference to the recent order by the UN on the South China Sea that was criticised by China, which refused to accept it.
Reaffirming their respect for and commitment to the freedom of navigation and over-flight based on the universally recognised principles of international law, as reflected in the UNCLOS, the two leaders stated that all related territorial and jurisdictional disputes should be resolved by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force.
They urged states to respect UNCLOS and refrain from activities which prejudice the peace, good order and security of the oceans, the statement said.
IMAGE: May lays a wreath at the India Gate war memorial . Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo
Earlier in the day, May, who arrived in New Delhi on Sunday night, inaugurated UK-India Tech Summit jointly with Modi and will fly to Bangaluru on Tuesday where she will attend business events.
On bilateral defence cooperation front, Modi said, I encourage British companies to look at the multiple opportunities in the Indian defence sector. Looking beyond trade in defence equipment, I invite them to build partnerships with Indian enterprises that focus on manufacturing, technology transfer and co-development.
Recognising the potential for cooperation in defence manufacturing between the British and Indian companies in the Make in India framework, the two sides agreed to encourage and facilitate such cooperation.
The UK will continue its engagement with the Indian Ministry of Defence and Indian defence companies to simplify and expedite export control regimes and to support the transfer of technology to enable projects in areas of mutual interest.
The two prime ministers tasked the Defence Consultative Group (DCG) on 15-16 November 2016 to advance the bilateral defence cooperation agenda, including the UK's proposals for capability partnerships, through a range of activities including military to military cooperation, training, exchange of subject matter experts, research and technology linkages as well as defence manufacturing, the joint statement said.
IMAGE: The two PMs pose for photographers before their meeting at Hyderabad House. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo
Noting that ongoing cooperation between HAL and BAE Systems in manufacturing Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers in India was an example of partnership in defence manufacturing, the prime ministers agreed to apply innovative approaches to jointly promote products and services in international markets.
Britain also reaffirmed its support to Indias bid for permanent membership of the UN Security Council and the prime ministers directed their officials concerned to have close and regular consultations on all matters related to the international body.
The United Kingdom also welcomed Indias entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime, a key global non-proliferation objectives, and backed Indias bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group as well as other key export control regimes like the Australia Group.
Modi and May also welcomed a fourth phase of the Joint UK-India Civil Nuclear Research Programme that will look at new technologies for enhancing nuclear safety, advanced materials for nuclear systems, waste management and future civil nuclear energy systems.
IMAGE: May pays homage at Gandhi Smriti in New Delhi . Photograph: Shirish Shete/PTI Photo
The leaders directed their officials to have close and regular consultations on all matters related to the United Nations, including UN terrorist designations.
Recognising that Anti-Microbial Resistance is a global challenge, India and the UK announced new research partnerships worth GBP 80 million (Rs 660 crore), including establishment of a joint strategic group on AMR with a joint investment of up to GBP 13 million (Rs 107 crore).
The two sides said they would work together to support the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance.
IMAGE: President Pranab Mukherjee with May at a meeting at Rashtrapati Bhawan . Photograph: PTI Photo
The growing India-UK cyber relationship is a success story of the Defence and International Security Partnership (DISP), the joint statement said.
The two PMs also expressed desire to enter into a Framework for the UK-India Cyber Relationship.
Projects to reduce post-harvest losses to benefit farmers, collaborations in health care and the launch of the second phase of joint research in women and children's health in low-income settings were also announced.
May also signalled the UKs intention to join the International Solar Alliance.
In their joint statement, both the PMs said they look forward to the celebration of 2017 as the India-UK Year of Culture and support the activities and programmes being planned, for example an exhibition of Indian Science in the Science Museum in London and another highlighting 400th death anniversary of William Shakespeare.
India on Monday asked Britain to extradite nearly 60 people wanted by it, including liquor baron Vijay Mallya and Chirstian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal, for bringing them back to face justice here.
India and Britain also agreed to hold annual strategic dialogue at the level of Union home secretary to jointly deal with issues like terrorism, organised crimes, visa and immigration matters.
The Indian list of around 60 wanted people was handed over to Britain during the bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Theresa May.
Britain also handed over to India a list of 17 people whose custody it seeks under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty or against whom Letters Rogatories had been issued, official sources said.
While industrialist Vijay Mallya has been accused of money laundering, Chirstian Michel is the alleged middleman in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal.
The two countries agreed not to allow fugitives and criminals escape law and resolved to facilitate outstanding extradition requests.
In talks between Modi and May, the issue of extradition requests figured and officials dealing with the issue from both sides were directed to meet at the earliest.
Sources said India expects forward movement in Mallya's extradition from the United Kingdom following the talks. They said the specific issue of Mallyas extradition had also figured in the talks between the two sides in the run up to the meeting between Modi and May.
Asked whether Mallya issue figured in the talks, Joint Secretary (Europe) in the External Affairs Ministry Randhir Jaiswal referred to the Indo-UK joint statement issued after the discussions which said the two prime ministers affirmed their strong commitment to enhancing cooperation under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.
Former IPL boss Lalit Modi is also evading law in India and Monday's talks may help Indian authorities to push for his early extradition as well.
Michel is a British citizen and wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation, while Mallya and Modi, who have made the UK their home, are wanted by the Enforcement Directorate in money laundering cases.
The two leaders agreed that fugitives and criminals should not be allowed to escape the law. They expressed their strong commitment to facilitate outstanding extradition requests from both sides.
In this context, they directed that the officials dealing with extradition matters from both sides should meet at the earliest to develop better understanding of each countries legal processes and requirements; share best practices, and identify the causes of delays and expedite pending requests, the statement said.
The strategic dialogue between Union Home Secretary and his British counterpart, Permanent Secretary for Home Office, will begin from next year to discuss counter-terror cooperation, ways to deal with organised crimes besides bilateral visa and immigration matters, sources said.
This is for the first time India and Britain will have such a mechanism for dealing with security issues.
India already has an arrangement with the United States to have annual Homeland Security dialogue at the level of Union home minister.
Asserting that a poor country like India cannot afford luxury of corruption, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the state should be policy-driven and not based on whims of an individual.
Addressing a function on anti-corruption, he emphasised on use of Aadhaar and other information technology-based applications to check corruption.
"When we make rules and if there is any ambiguity in it which is open to peoples inference then it opens door for corruption. That is why state should be policy-driven. It should not run on individuals whim. If state is policy-driven, then there are restrictions for ifs and buts. And if there are no ifs and buts then there is no scope for discrimination," he said.
The prime minister said if the government emphasises on policy-driven state then there will be less scope for interpretation by an individual.
"Law, rules and system will speak for itself. One will get what he deserves. That is why our efforts are to make all the things policy-driven and in black and white because of which nobody will get to do anything 'idhar udhar ka' (malpractices)," he said.
In an advice to government departments, Modi said people must be involved while making draft laws for any governance-related matters.
"While making laws if we use many minds then the law would be good. Secrecy does not matter in this," he said.
The prime minister was speaking during the valedictory function of vigilance awareness week (October 31 to November 5) organised by Central Vigilance Commission.
He said there has been degradation of values in the country.
"A poor country like us cannot afford luxury of corruption. If only few takes all the money (that to illegally) then how will common men will be benefited?" he asked.
Modi said the common man is honest and is willing to pay any price to ensure improvement in the system.
Referring to Aadhaar, he said information technology has major role in checking corruption and improving system.
"There is a common perception that sab chor hain (all are thieves). This perception of pessimism makes a man worry... We can change these things with the help of technology," he said.
IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the valedictory function of Vigilance Awareness Week, 2016 in New Delhi on Monday. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo
Rahul Gandhi on Monday made a scathing attack on the Modi government, saying democracy is going through one of its darkest hours with the ruling dispensation obsessed with power and seeking to silence all those who disagree.
Presiding over the meeting of the Congress Working Committee in the absence of party chief Sonia Gandhi, the party vice president charged that, hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions.
Alluding to the one-day ban on Hindi channel NDTV India, Gandhi charged, TV channels are being punished and asked to shut down. The opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account.
Democracy under the present dispensation is going through one of the darkest hours, he said, adding that all attempts by the government to suppress fundamental freedom by abusing state power would only strengthen the Congress resolve to defeat such danger designs.
Asking questions is what discomforts this government the most, for they have no answers. We must in every forum, in particular the upcoming session of Parliament, expose the governments failures, he said.
The winter session of Parliament is set to begin on November 16.
Gandhi, who has been raking up the issue of One Rank, One Pension since the past few days, said, In recent months, our jawans have suffered the highest casualties in decades. They are being cruelly rewarded by a callous government with denial of OROP and cut in disability pension.
During the meeting, which will also strategise the partys action plan for the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and some other states, Gandhi said the Modi government is expected to launch a disinformation campaign and polarisation to exploit caste and religious issues.
With state elections due in the coming months as we can safely expect the Modi government to launch a campaign of disinformation and polarisation. They will exploit caste and religious fault lines. We must anticipates and neutralise such devious strategies, he said.
Underlining that Congress has successfully exposed the Modi governments anti-poor agenda and broken promises, Gandhi asked the partymen to continue the struggle to expose the comprehensive failure of the Modi government on all fronts.
Highlighting the alleged failures of the government, he said atrocities against Dalits go unabated and the rights of adivasis continue to be trampled upon.
Selectively chosen corporates are favoured, not the aam admi. Youth, even those who have good education, face the spectre of unemployment. Non-availability of bank credit has choked out small businesses. In the last 20 months, exports have registered negative growth, he charged.
Gandhi said farmers suicides and agrarian unrest have increased to astonishing levels and the government is trying to hide its failures behind numbers that have been widely doubted and questioned.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states are actively diluting and undermining laws passed by Parliament, he said dubbing them as another disturbing trend.
The Modi government is lobbying with states via informal channels to deny work under MGNREGA to the very poor. The government has swung from one extreme to another in dealing with Pakistan and the issues concerning J-K, he said.
He said the Congress will this year commence the birth centenary celebrations of Indira Gandhi and the main committee and several sub-committee have been constituted for the purpose.
Image: Rahul Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders at the CWC meeting. Photograph: @OfficeofRG/Twitter
Hillary Clinton routinely asked her Filipino maid to print out sensitive government emails and classified documents when she was the secretary of state, according to a media report.
Clintons maid Marina Santos, lacked the security clearance to handle such material, was called on so frequently to receive emails that she may hold the secrets to emailgate, the New York Post reported.
Clinton entrusted far more than the care of her Washington, DC residence, known as Whitehaven, to Santos.
She expected the Filipino immigrant to handle state secrets, further opening the 69-year-old former Democratic presidential nominee to criticism that she played fast and loose with national security, the report said.
The report came just before the Federal Bureau of Investigation gave a clean chit to Clinton, saying she should not face criminal charges after a review of new emails, an 11th-hour respite for her.
Trump lashed out at the FBI for the clean chit, saying, Right now, she is being protected by a rigged system.
According to the report, Clinton would first receive highly sensitive emails from top aides at the State Department and then request that they, in turn, forward the messages and any attached documents to Santos to print out for her at the home.
Among other things, Clinton requested Santos print out drafts of her speeches, confidential memos and call sheets -- background information and talking points prepared for the secretary of state in advance of a phone call with a foreign head of state.
Pls ask Marina to print for me..., Clinton emailed top aide Huma Abedin regarding a redacted 2011 message marked sensitive but unclassified.
In a classified 2012 email dealing with the new president of Malawi, another Clinton aide, Monica Hanley, advised Clinton, We can ask Marina to print this.
Revisions to the Iran points was the subject line of a classified April 2012 e-mail to Clinton from Hanley. In it, the text reads, Marina is trying to print for you.
Both classified emails were marked confidential the tier below secret or top secret.
Santos also had access to a highly secure room called an SCIF (sensitive compartmented information facility) that diplomatic security agents set up at Whitehaven, according to FBI notes from an interview with Abedin.
From within the SCIF, Santos -- who had no clearance collected documents from the secure facsimile machine for Clinton, the FBI notes revealed.
A 2012 sensitive but unclassified e-mail from Hanley to Clinton refers to a fax the staff wanted Clinton to see before your Netanyahu mtg. Marina will grab for you.
Indian-American hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal on Monday organised a special prayer service in New York seeking blessings for the victory of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on the eve of elections.
Head Sikh priests from the New York area assembled at his luxurious penthouse apartment in Manhattan early on Monday morning and conducted traditional Sikh prayers.
Joined by his wife Daman Chatwal and prominent New Yorkers, Chatwal, who is chairman of the group Indian-Americans for Democrats and Friends of Hillary for President, led the prayer service.
The priests chanted hymns and offered prayers in front of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs.
Invoking the Almighty, the priests in their prayers said that Clinton is a good friend of the Indian-American community and hoped for victory for her in the election on Tuesday that has her in a tight race with Donald Trump.
Chatwal said the prayer service aims to garner blessings for Clinton, who will be the deserving leader of America and is a special friend of the Indian-American community.
Whenever we start something good, we take the blessings of the Almighty. Now 24 hours before the election, we organised the prayer for her so that tomorrow she is assured a sure-shot victory, he said.
He said Clinton is a friend of the Indian-Americans, stressing that she is the leader who will grow the economy further and boost jobs.
She will create more employment, more business opportunities for Americans and will offer durable solutions to tackle problems facing the nation, he said.
Noting that America is a land of immigrants, Chatwal said Clinton will bring in strong policies to deal with the issue of immigration.
We did Ardaas for Clinton's success. We want that that candidate should win who will be the voice of the Sikh community and will work for the betterment of the American people and humanity. We also pray that she creates history and becomes the first woman President of the US, said Das Gyani Bhupinder Singh, Head Granthi Gurudwara Sikh Cultural Society New York.
IMAGES: Indian-American hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal (in red jacket), along with his wife and others, attends a Special Ardas for the victory of Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton in the US Presidential election on Tuesday. Photographs: SnapsIndia, ANI
The father of a fallen Pakistani-American Muslim soldier, whose public spat with Donald Trump won him a lot of support, has attacked the Republican presidential nominee for his divisive rhetoric but expressed satisfaction that thankfully, this isnt your America.
Khizr Khan, 66, father of Army Captain Humayun Khan, hit the campaign trail for the first time along with Hillary Clinton to make an emotional endorsement of the Democratic nominee.
Donald Trump, would my son, Capt Humayun Khan, have a place in your America? Would Muslims have a place in your America? Would Latinos have a place in your America? Would African Americans have a place in your America? Would anyone who isnt like you have a place in your America? he asked.
Thankfully, Donald Trump, this isnt your America, he added as the crowd in Manchester, New Hampshire roared and applauded in response.
And on Tuesday we are going to prove America belongs to all of us, said Khan, who has emerged as a national hero particularly among Muslim Americans after his July speech in the Democratic National Convention.
While posthumously receiving a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his son after he was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004, Khan had stunned a national audience when he directly confronted the controversial real estate tycoon, saying Trump has sacrificed nothing and no one.
He had also campaigned for Clinton in his home state in Virginia and made a passionate plea in a one-minute campaign ad for Clinton, fighting back tears and asking in a heavy voice if his deceased son have a place in Trumps America.
In Manchester, he introduced Clinton -- who has lashed out on several occasions against Trump for insulting Khan and his family -- as someone who would preserve fundamental American values.
He said that in Clinton, people see a leader who is fighting for the true values of this country, which are under attack by Trump in this election.
Khan added that the general election on Tuesday will decide the future of America and the world.
When Clinton took the podium, she thanked Khan for his support and made a nod toward the difficult task of mending fences after a divisive presidential campaign.
We will have some work to do to bring about healing and reconciliation after this election, she said.
Vowing to be a president for all Americans, Clinton said the idea that the US is hopeful, inclusive, big-hearted, united is one of the most fundamental values.
We must make sure it remains a place, where everyone is included, where people who are willing to work hard can get ahead and stay ahead, where we recognise the importance of the American dream and we believe and we will ensure it is big enough for everyone, not just a few, she said and thanked Khan and his family for their sacrifice, their strength and commitment to the nations ideals.
Khan said: On one hand, we have Donald Trump and his policies of hate, exclusion, intimidation and division. He challenges the impartiality of our justice system. His shameful disrespect of women has been embarrassing for America to watch.
His angry, unstable temperament proves him unsuitable for the office of commander-in-chief of our armed forces -- unsuitable -- unsuitable for the office of commander-in-chief of our armed forces and consumption of the nuclear arsenal/nuclear asset of this country.
On the other hand, we have Hillary Rodham Clinton, with her lifelong public service to this country. She is the strongest, most qualified representative of the fundamental values which have made this country a symbol of hope and dignity for all throughout the world.
Clinton also reiterated her commitment to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, to help all kids get the chance to thrive with good schools and good teachers.
Our country needs to serve as a Commander-in-Chief that understands the sacred responsibility of sending our troops into battle, she said.
Image: Gold Star father Khizr Khan speaks before introducing US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, US. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters
Hillary Clinton is the only candidate who will bring all Americans together and uplift them, outgoing United States President Barack Obama has said as he assailed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump of lying with impunity.
Addressing an election rally in Kissimmee in Florida, Obama praised his former secretary of state for embracing Americas diversity as a strength, recognising that progress requires compromise, and promoting dignity, courtesy, and respect for all Americans.
Obama went on to criticise Trump as uniquely unqualified to be president and temperamentally unfit to be commander-in-chief, citing his disrespectful and hateful rhetoric towards minorities, women, and people with disabilities as an irreconcilable lack of character.
Two days to decide the future of this country. And I need you to go vote. I need your help to help finish what we started eight years ago, he said.
All the progress that the US has made goes out the window if Clinton does not win this election. We win this election if we win Florida. If we win Florida, its a wrap. We win Florida, its over, he said.
Obama added that Trump lies with impunity and went on to cite an incident that occurred in Fayetteville last week.
I was in Fayetteville. Some of you may have seen this. And it was a packed hall. And a Trump supporter stood up with a sign. He was an elderly gentleman, had a military uniform on. I couldnt really hear what he was saying.
And everybody in the crowd started shouting him down and booing. And I said to everybody, You know what? Just settle down. First of all, hes not doing any harm. Second of all, hes elderly. And, third of all, we have free speech in this country. And fourth of all, I said, Dont boo. Vote.
Just a few hours later, Trump gets up on stage in front of his crowd. This is just a few hours later. And he said, Do you see how President Obama yelled at a Trump supporter in his audience? Just made it up, didnt just make it up but said the exact opposite of what had happened with impunity, Obama said.
He added that there was a video of the incident, and some of the press called him out on it, but the point is that he thought it was okay just to lie in front of all his supporters on TV, wasnt even trying to be sneaky about it.
But that says something about how unacceptable behaviour has become normal. And thats why he is uniquely unqualified to hold this job. And the good news is all of you are uniquely qualified to make sure he doesnt get the job. Florida, youve just got to vote, he said.
In Clinton, he asserted, there is somebody worthy of your vote because she is smart, and she is steady, and she is tested, probably the most qualified person ever to run for this office, our next president, Hillary Clinton. Hillary. This is somebody who has dedicated her life to making this country better.
Obama urged voters to reject the mean-spirited politics that would take us backwards and instead, vote for candidates that will put you ahead of politics, who are ready to do work and move this country forward.
Clinton has 65% chance of winning: Poll Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has a 65 per cent chance of winning the US presidential election, according to a leading opinion poll website which said her decline in poll numbers has levelled off and her lead has held steady over the past several days. The website FiveThirtyEight said that Clinton has a 65.3 per cent chance of winning the presidency, according to its polls-only forecast, which is less than the 81 per cent had been forecast for her just before FBI Director James Comey had told Congress in October that he was reviewing additional emails pertinent to the case of Clintons e-mail server. While the percentage declined for Clinton it is still ahead of Trumps who has a 34.6 per cent chance of winning the presidency. A candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes to clinch the White House and Clinton is expected to get 291.9 electoral votes as compared to 245.3 for Trump. The analysis predicted that Clinton could get 48.3 per cent of the popular vote while Trump 45.4 per cent. -- Yoshita Singh
Image: Supporters of US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton take part in a march through the Brooklyn bridge in New York. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
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.
Title Report to the Hungarian Government on the visit to Hungary carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 21 to 27 October 2015
Publication Date 3 November 2016
Country Hungary
Citation / Document Symbol CPT/Inf (2016) 27
Cite as Council of Europe: Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Report to the Hungarian Government on the visit to Hungary carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 21 to 27 October 2015, 3 November 2016, CPT/Inf (2016) 27, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820898b4.html [accessed 1 November 2022]
Iraq Blames the Islamic State's Victims
Publisher Human Rights Watch Author Belkis Wille Publication Date 3 November 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Iraq Blames the Islamic State's Victims, 3 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/582089d74.html [accessed 1 November 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.
As the Mosul operation approached, the Iraqi security forces were concerned not only with the Islamic State fighters they would face on the battlefield, but the people trying to escape the extremist group's grasp. The Nineveh Operations Command, the military body leading the operation, informed aid workers that the plan was to screen everyone fleeing areas under the jihadi group's control to determine if any were Islamic State "infiltrators" who needed to be detained. Prior to the battle, aid workers asked what criteria these screeners would be using. The military wasn't forthcoming at the time and things have only gotten more worrisome since the operation has gotten underway.
Last week, I interviewed 13 men and women fleeing Islamic State-held territory, all of whom said that they were searched at checkpoints manned by the Iraqi military and Kurdistan Regional Government's Peshmerga, where their identity cards were taken and run through a computer. The interviews and subsequent conversations provide evidence that some citizens who have gone through these screenings have been detained arbitrarily and mistreated, or worse.
Thousands of men and boys have already been detained indefinitely by Iraqi security forces under vague allegations of being affiliated with the Islamic State. I have met with families of a small number of men being held; none of them had heard from their loved ones who, in most cases, had no idea where they were being held.
Some of those detained at these checkpoints seem to have died in custody. A journalist called me two days ago from the front lines and repeated a conversation she had with a soldier at an Iraqi military checkpoint. He told her he was beating anyone coming through the checkpoint whom he suspected of being affiliated with the Islamic State to get them to confess.
He proudly told her that over the last few days he had executed two men right on the spot after he concluded that they were indeed Islamic State fighters. This amounts to a clear war crime.
I spoke, a few days ago, to people who had successfully made it through Kurdish Peshmerga checkpoints. The fleeing residents with whom I spoke said that after their initial checkpoint screenings, all men and boys age 15 and over were separated from their families and underwent a second round of investigations at a screening center run by Kurdish security forces. A mother told us that after 18 days inside the screening center, her son disappeared and she has no idea where he is.
Aid workers with access to the screening centers told me that military and security forces have between five and seven lists of names of suspects, submitted by various ethnic and religious communities, including Yazidis, and that the security forces are screening the people against these lists.
This rings true with what Yazidi leaders, the minority community brutally attacked by the Islamic State, told me. In a meeting we held last month on Sinjar Mountain, the home of the Yazidi community in northwestern Iraq, one said their community had pulled together a list of all the Arabs "who betrayed us to ISIS." These were often neighbors living in shared villages for decades, who, the Yazidis said, told Islamic State fighters when they arrived which families were Yazidi. Other groups have apparently provided similar lists.
While I can fully understand the desire to bring Islamic State fighters to justice, this system is extremely dangerous. It could allow for a system of revenge one not based on actual evidence of individuals committing a crime to fester. It is not inconceivable that neighbors who did not get along for years, or who eyed each other's land, might use the lists to settle old scores. While a neighbor's hearsay is enough to trigger investigations into someone, it is much more dangerous in the current context: One's name on a list can mean disappearing or being executed on the spot, before any investigation occurs.
In addition, it is important to remember that Islamic State recruitment has benefited from years of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances of the Sunni Arab population by pro-government forces. The expansion of these policies will fuel the same extremist group that Iraqi forces are now trying to fight.
Iraqi authorities need to prioritize respect for the rule of law as part of their war against the Islamic State. Their record so far provides plenty of reason for concern. The prosecution of alleged Islamic State members accused of participating in the massacre of hundreds of army recruits near Tikrit in 2014 ended in the execution of 36 men after seriously flawed trials.
In the operation to retake Fallujah in May, meanwhile, members of the Popular Mobilization Forces, the paramilitary coalition loyal to the Iraqi government, beat men who had been taken into custody; tortured, summarily executed, and forcibly disappeared over 600 civilians; and mutilated corpses. In at least one instance, Iraqi Federal Police officers took part in these crimes. They also separated hundreds of men from their families under the guise of security screenings apparently, simply because they were all members of a certain tribe then took them away. There has been no news about their fate.
Those invested in eliminating the Islamic State should also be interested in bringing an end to the abuses that have fueled the extremist group's recruitment efforts. They should call on the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraqi authorities to immediately make public the number of people detained at checkpoints or screening centers, the legal grounds for their detention, and the number of people subsequently charged and convicted.
Even after Mosul is liberated from the Islamic State, Iraq will face the difficult task of building a new political order which prevents the extremist group from rising from the ashes. That process should begin now by ensuring no terrorism suspects are ill-treated, tortured, or summarily executed, and that all detainees are brought quickly before a judge to assess the legal and factual basis for their detention. This small step will go a long way in ensuring that the Mosul operation does not become yet another example of mass abuse that Islamic State supporters can use to rally support.
Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Iraq: More than 1,000 detained in shocking conditions at Anbar counter-terrorism centres
Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 3 May 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Iraq: More than 1,000 detained in shocking conditions at Anbar counter-terrorism centres, 3 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/582099c54.html [accessed 1 November 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.
More than 1,000 detainees, including some as young as 15, are being held without charge in horrendous conditions at makeshift holding centres in Anbar governorate, west of Baghdad, said Amnesty International today.
A delegation led by the organization's Secretary General, Salil Shetty, gained access on 30 April to a centre run by Anbar's counter-terrorism agency (Mukafahat al-Irhab) in Ameriyat al-Fallujah, where 683 male detainees are held without charge.
The detainees are cramped into several rooms within a complex of disused warehouses being used as a detention and interrogation facility.
"The detainees are squeezed into a space of less than one square metre each, sitting in a crouching position day and night, unable to stretch or lie down to sleep and are rarely allowed outside for fresh air," said Salil Shetty.
"It was a truly shocking sight hundreds of human beings packed together like sardines in a tin and held in inhumane and degrading conditions for months on end."
The detainees were plucked off the streets or taken from their homes when Iraqi forces recaptured their home towns, suspected of having collaborated with the armed group calling itself Islamic State (IS), often merely because they had remained in towns and villages under IS rule.
None have been charged, even though weeks or months have passed since their arrest. Some told Amnesty International they had lost contact with their families as they fled clashes between IS and government forces.
Members of the local counter-terrorism force holding the detainees told Amnesty International they lack the manpower to carry out investigations into their cases in a timely manner and the material resources to treat the detainees humanely.
The horrific situation faced by these detainees is not an isolated case. Hundreds of other detainees are being held in similar conditions in another makeshift holding centre in nearby Habbaniya, according to the counter-terrorism force.
"A lack of resources is no excuse neither for such inhumane conditions nor for prolonged detention without charge, which is symptomatic of the deep flaws in Iraq's justice system. Those arrested on suspicion of links to IS must be either promptly charged with recognizable criminal offences and tried in fair proceedings or released," said Salil Shetty.
"There is no doubt that Iraq is currently facing unprecedented security challenges, with deadly attacks against civilians being perpetrated by IS on a daily basis. However, that in no way exonerates the Iraqi authorities from their responsibility to protect the human rights of all Iraqis."
Amnesty International has investigated and extensively documented the wide range of war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by IS.
Amnesty International also visited several camps housing thousands of internally displaced people in Ameriyat al-Fallujah, where families described their daily struggle to survive in dire conditions. Many had risked their lives to escape from areas under IS control only now to find themselves stranded in makeshift camps where there is little humanitarian aid, with shortages of basic necessities, including food and medicine, and conditions set to worsen with the onset of the summer heat.
"Iraq is facing a displacement crisis on a staggering scale," said Salil Shetty. "The Iraqi authorities and the international community must urgently ensure protection and humanitarian assistance for displaced people, as well as allowing secure passage for them to safe areas."
Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International
UN Casualty Figures for December, 2013 deadliest since 2008 in Iraq
Publisher UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Publication Date 1 January 2014 Cite as UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), UN Casualty Figures for December, 2013 deadliest since 2008 in Iraq, 1 January 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58209b0b4.html [accessed 1 November 2022]
The number of civilians killed was 661 (including 175 civilian police), while the number of civilians injured was 1201 (including 258 civilian police). A further 98 members of the Iraqi Security Forces were killed and 144 were injured.
The total number of civilian casualties (including police) in 2013 has been the highest since 2008, with 7,818 killed (6,787 in 2008) and 17,981 (20,178 in 2008) injured.
"This is a sad and terrible record which confirms once again the urgent need for the Iraqi authorities to address the roots of violence to curb this infernal circle," the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq (SRSG), Mr. Nickolay Mladenov, said.
The most violent month of 2013 was May, with a total of 3,154 civilian casualties (including police), of whom 963 were killed and 2,191 wounded. Since April 2013, the total number of civilian casualties (killed and injured, including police) has been consistently above 1,500.
"The level of indiscriminate violence in Iraq is unacceptable and I call on the Iraqi leaders to take the necessary steps to prevent terrorist groups to fuel the sectarian tensions, which contribute to weaken the social fabric of the society," Mr. Mladenov added.
Baghdad was the worst affected Governorate with 809 civilian casualties (254 killed, 555 injured), followed by Salahadin (102 killed 160 injured), Diyala (99 killed 161 injured), Ninewa (105 killed 147 injured), and Anbar (62 killed 79 injured).
Kirkuk and Babil also reported casualties (double digit figures).
*Data do not take into account casualties of the current IA operation in Anbar, for which we do not have sufficient information.
Disclaimer: The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq undertakes monitoring of the impact of armed violence and terrorism on Iraqi civilians in accordance with its mandate. UNAMI relies on direct investigation, along with credible secondary sources, in determining civilian casualties. UNAMI figures are conservative and may under-report the actual number of civilians killed and injured for a variety of reasons. Where different casualty figures are obtained for the same incident, the figure as verified by UNAMI is used.
UN Casualty Figures for Iraq for the Month of October 2016
Publisher UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Publication Date 1 November 2016 Cite as UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), UN Casualty Figures for Iraq for the Month of October 2016, 1 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58209b754.html [accessed 1 November 2022]
A total of 1,792 Iraqis were killed and another 1,358 were injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in October 2016*, according to casualty figures recorded by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
The number of civilians killed in October was 1,120 (including 15 federal police, Sahwa civil defence, Personal Security Details, facilities protection police, fire department), and the number of civilians injured was 1,005 (including 08 federal police, Sahwa civil defence, Personal Security Details, facilities protection police, fire department).
A total of 672 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (including police engaged in combat functions, Peshmerga, SWAT and militias fighting alongside the Iraqi Army, not including Anbar Operations) were killed and 353 were injured (not including casualties from Anbar).
Baghdad was the worst affected Governorate with 1,075 civilian casualties (268 killed, 807 injured). Ninewa 566 killed and 59 injured, Kirkuk 58 killed and 112 injured, Salahadin 16 killed and 02 injured, and Diyala, 04 killed and 02 injured.
According to information obtained by UNAMI from the Health Directorate in Anbar, the Governorate suffered a total of 227 civilian casualties (206 killed and 21 injured). Figures are updated until 31 October, inclusive.
"The casualty toll among civilians continues to rise and the civilians continue to pay the ultimate price," Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq (SRSG) Jan Kubis said.
"With the military operations in Mosul and other areas of Ninewa underway while Daesh continues to apply its terrorist tactics using civilians as human shields and executing those that resist, civilians are once again in harm's way, and the figures show high numbers of deaths among the civilian population. The United Nations again emphasises that all actions necessary must be undertaken to ensure the protection of the civilian inhabitants from the effects of armed conflict and violence," Mr. Kubis added.
*CAVEATS: In general, UNAMI has been hindered in effectively verifying casualties in conflict areas. Figures for casualties from Anbar Governorate are provided by the Health Directorate and are noted above. Casualty figures obtained from the Anbar Health Directorate might not fully reflect the real number of casualties in those areas due to the increased volatility of the situation on the ground and the disruption of services. In some cases, UNAMI could only partially verify certain incidents. UNAMI has also received, without being able to verify, reports of large numbers of casualties along with unknown numbers of persons who have died from secondary effects of violence after having fled their homes due to exposure to the elements, lack of water, food, medicines and health care. Since the start of the military operations to retake Mosul and other areas in Ninewa, UNAMI has received several reports of incidents involving civilian casualties, which at times it has been unable to verify. For these reasons, the figures reported have to be considered as the absolute minimum.
UNHCR statement in response to statement by the Iraqi Government that Falluja families could start to return home from 1 August
Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Publication Date 1 July 2016 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNHCR statement in response to statement by the Iraqi Government that Falluja families could start to return home from 1 August, 1 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58209bfc4.html [accessed 1 November 2022]
As a symbol of national reconciliation, the return of displaced Iraqis is a process of utmost importance to UNHCR. However, it requires conducive conditions on the ground. This is why UNHCR insists that the return process has to be carefully planned and carried out on the basis of the international humanitarian principles of voluntary, non-discriminatory, safe and sustainable returns.
While it is understandable that families want to return as early as possible, and many face harsh conditions in the displacement camps, it is important to ensure conditions are in place for that return to take place in safety and to be sustainable.
Like Ramadi, Falluja has to be cleared of explosives - bombs and IEDS. In the case of Ramadi, many families returned too early and many IED casualties were reported.
It is important that displaced families can make a choice about when they feel it is safe to return and are not forced into making a decision. Under the rule of ISIL, there was a high degree of control. The citizens of Falluja faced strict rules and regulations in terms of daily behaviour and movements.
We are aware that there has been a call from Anbar Governorate for education employees to resume work beginning on 12 July or forego their salaries. UNHCR is concerned that persons will be coerced into return before they feel it will be safe for them and their families to go home. Similarly, the authorities have asked for volunteers to participate in cleaning the city before citizens return in August. UNHCR is concerned about the safety of volunteers due to the risk of explosive hazards in retaken areas that are not completely cleared.
South Sudan's revived conflict displaced thousands every day in October
Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Publication Date 4 November 2016 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), South Sudan's revived conflict displaced thousands every day in October, 4 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820a28c4.html [accessed 1 November 2022]
South Sudan's conflict, which has spawned one of the world's biggest humanitarian crises, is continuing to generate vast suffering and huge volumes of displacement. Data for the month of October shows that on average 3,500 people fled to neighbouring countries each day - Uganda, DRC, Ethiopia and Sudan.
In these countries, UNHCR, national authorities and other humanitarian actors are racing to create safe and humane conditions for new arrivals. Nine out of every ten are women and children.
The biggest part of this outflow has been into Uganda, which has seen around 2,400 new arrivals every day since the beginning of October and over a quarter of a million new refugees since the re-eruption of violence in Juba on 7 July.
Most of the arrivals are from the Equatoria regions of South Sudan. They report armed groups harassing civilians, killings and torture of people suspected of supporting opposing factions, burning of villages, sexual assaults of women and girls and forced recruitment of young men and boys.
In recent weeks, refugees have been increasingly using informal border crossing points, reportedly due to the presence of armed groups along main roads. Many refugees report having had to walk through the bush for days, often without food or water.
A new settlement, Bidibidi, which was opened in August, has become one of the largest refugee-hosting areas in the world. It is now home to 170,000 South Sudanese refugees.
Providing immediate, life-saving assistance, including food, water and shelter, remains UNHCR's key priority. But severe underfunding is hampering our efforts on the ground.
Water supply is also a major challenge in Bidibidi, where needs are fast growing. Steps are underway to identify urgently-needed water sources in the camp as currently water is being trucked, at great expense, from a treatment plant around 50km away.
In Ethiopia, some 36,600 new arrivals have been registered since early September. Arrivals have been at an average of 630 people every day.
A new refugee camp, Nguenyyiel, with capacity to accommodate 50,000 people, was opened on 20 October after existing camps in Tierkidi, Jewi and Kule became full. Shelter as well as basic water and sanitation services have been put into place and some 6,200 refugees have already been relocated to Nguenyyiel.
The vast majority of arrivals are from Upper Nile, citing conflict and the fear of renewed fighting as their main reasons for leaving, while those fleeing Jonglei state mostly mentioned food shortages.
Over 85% of the new arrivals are women and children and 65% are children under 18. Over 1,300 unaccompanied children and 6,200 separated children have been registered. Interviews show that many children continue to flee alone, either because their parents are dead or because they were abandoned by or got separated from their family members during their flight.
In Sudan, the number of South Sudanese refugees has now passed the quarter-of-a-million mark. Most refugees arrive in the White Nile state, with some 2,000 new arrivals per month, but sporadic flows into South and West Kordofan states, and East Darfur have also been recorded.
Although east Darfur has received the largest influx, with more 47,000 refugees as of mid-June 2016, most refugees are spread across the country and live outside of organized camps or settlements.
Most refugees entering Sudan, especially women, children and elderly people, arrive in a very poor state. Many have fled areas facing emergency levels of acute malnutrition and have been further weakened by the insecurity and their difficult journey during the rainy season.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, refugee numbers have gone up, with an influx of 60,000 people, most of whom has arrived since July 2016.
Refugees are settled along the border with South Sudan, where armed groups remain active in some areas. According to our teams on the ground, most refugees arrive from Yei, in Central Equatoria State, with hardly any belongings.
The Ituri province is facing the biggest refugee influx. This week, UNHCR started the transfer of an estimated 40,000 refugees from remote border areas. For the time being, refugees will be sent to Biringi, a site located near the city of Aru, in the northeastern Province of Ituri, while two other sites have been identified. The operation is facing major logistical challenges as many roads are in a very bad state.
Another 4,000 refugees who moved by their own means from the border to Meri in Haut-Uele Province, have been provided drinking water and other basic services. The World Food Programme started a distribution to this group last week.
Refugees in all sites will be given plots of land, construction materials, household goods and agricultural tools to help them become self-sufficient.
Uzbekistan: 3 More Years for Long-Held Activist
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 3 November 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Uzbekistan: 3 More Years for Long-Held Activist, 3 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820a65a4.html [accessed 1 November 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.
Uzbek authorities should immediately and unconditionally release imprisoned political activist Samandar Kukanov, whose sentence has been arbitrarily extended for three years by Uzbek prison authorities, the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA), Ezgulik Human Rights Society, Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, Norwegian Helsinki Committee, and the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) said today. Kukanov is one of the world's longest held political prisoners.
On October 30, 2016, it became public that prison authorities had arbitrarily extended Kukanov's term, allegedly for "violating prison rules," beyond his scheduled October 6 release date. The EU and the UN Committee against Torture have repeatedly called for Kukanov's release, and the Uzbek government's persistent refusal to free him is an example of its blatant disregard for its international human rights obligations, the groups said.
"Kukanov has been arbitrarily imprisoned for a startling 24 years simply for his peaceful criticism of the government," said Steve Swerdlow, Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The cruel addition of three more years to his sentence is yet another sign that the 'new' Uzbek government, led by interim president Shvakat Mirziyoyev, is continuing the extremely repressive practices of his predecessor, Islam Karimov."
Mirziyoyev became interim president in September, following the death of Karimov after 27 years in power.
Kukanov, 72, was the vice chairman of Uzbekistan's parliament following independence, and a successful businessman. He also sat on the executive committee of the peaceful opposition Erk (Freedom) party.
In June 1992, Kukanov took to the floor of parliament to protest Karimov's announcement of plans to consolidate all security service divisions under his direct command. Kukanov was joined by other members of parliament, including Shovruh Ruzimuradov, a rights activist repeatedly persecuted throughout the 1990s by the Uzbek security services (known by their Russian acronym, SNB). Ruzimuradov died as a result of torture in July 2001, a month after he was arrested.
Security forces arrested Kukanov in June 1992 on charges of economic crimes linked to his alleged financing of Erk. SNB officers held him incommunicado without access to counsel for an entire year in the basement of an SNB facility in Tashkent, during which time they tortured him, before finally bringing him to trial. Kukanov's relatives told Human Rights Watch that SNB officers arbitrarily detained two of his sons immediately following his arrest and conducted a number of nighttime raids on his home to instill fear in his family. In 1993, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Kukanov is in Zarafshan prison 64/46 in Navoi. His family has been denied the right to visit him for much of the past 24 years. Kukanov's family had expected his release in May 2013, but then learned that authorities had arbitrarily extended his sentence through October 2016. His sentence will now be extended through 2019. If Kukanov completes his current term and is released, he will have been in prison for 27 years, the longest known case of politically motivated imprisonment in Uzbekistan. His sentence would also exceed the 25-year maximum prison sentence length available under Uzbekistan's criminal law (Article 50 of Uzbekistan's Criminal Code).
Human Rights Watch has documented Uzbek officials' practice of arbitrarily extending the sentences of people imprisoned on political charges. The action is often taken just days before the person is to be released, on bogus grounds such as possessing "unauthorized" nail clippers, saying prayers, or wearing a white shirt, and may result in years of additional imprisonment.
The eight-year sentence of another imprisoned rights defender, Ganihon Mamatkhanov, was due to end on June 4. But days before Mamatkhanov's release, officials accused him of unspecified "violations of prison rules" and extended his sentence by three years.
On October 25, prison authorities released a human rights defender, Bobomurod Razzakov, on medical grounds one year prior to the end of a four-year sentence. But evidence has emerged that Razzakov was seriously ill treated and denied appropriate medical care in prison.
"Razzakov's release could not have come a moment too soon for his family and colleagues," said Vasila Inoyatova, chairwoman of Ezulik human rights society. "But many other journalists, rights defenders, writers, opposition figures, and religious believers are languishing behind bars because of their peaceful activities, and many of them have suffered torture or ill-treatment."
For Constitution Day on December 8, Uzbek authorities regularly announce early prisoner releases, potentially for thousands of prisoners, nominally entitled "amnesties." Such early releases generally apply to those convicted of less serious offenses and for specific categories such as teenagers, women, and prisoners over 60. But those imprisoned on politically motivated charges are almost never released. Political prisoners who would otherwise be eligible for release are denied year after year for alleged infractions of internal prison regulations.
"Many have high hopes that the Uzbek government, led by interim president Shavkat Mirziyoyev, will follow through on an announced prisoner amnesty planned in connection with Constitution Day holiday," said Nadejda Atayeva, AHRCA. "Mirziyoyev should use the Constitution Day releases as a chance to show he's serious about reform and order the immediate release of the numerous other peaceful activists who remain in prison on politically motivated charges."
The Uzbek government should release everyone imprisoned on politically motivated charges, the groups said. They include the human rights activists Azam Farmonov, Mehriniso Hamdamova, Zulhumor Hamdamova, Isroiljon Kholdorov, Gaybullo Jalilov, Nuriddin Jumaniyazov, Matluba Kamilova, Ganikhon Mamatkhanov, Chuyan Mamatkulov, Zafarjon Rahimov, Yuldash Rasulov, Bobomurod Razzokov, Fahriddin Tillaev, and Akzam Turgunov; journalists Solijon Abdurakhmanov, Muhammad Bekjanov, Gayrat Mikhliboev, Yusuf Ruzimuradov, and Dilmurod Saidov; opposition activists Samandar Kukanov, Kudratbek Rasulov, and Rustam Usmanov; and religious figures and other perceived government critics Aramais Avakyan, Ruhiddin Fahriddinov, Nodirbek Yusupov, Dilorom Abdukodirova, Botirbek Eshkuziev, Bahrom Ibragimov, Davron Kabilov, Erkin Musaev, Davron Tojiev, and Ravshanbek Vafoev.
The European Union is scheduled to hold a human rights dialogue with Uzbekistan on November 8, and should urge President Mirziyoyev to uphold Uzbekistan's international human rights commitments and release all those held on politically motivated charges, the groups said.
The EU-Uzbekistan human rights dialogue will have extremely limited utility without clear benchmarks for Uzbekistan's progress and consistent pressure from the highest levels of European governments, the groups said.
"The EU should seize the opportunity to re-shape relations with the new Uzbekistani government, making human rights the top priority, said Brigitte Dufour, director of the IPHR. "Considering the appalling human rights situation in Uzbekistan, the EU should consistently engage with the new authorities, using every political and human rights dialogue to stress the core principles of the EU and exert true pressure for reform."
Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Hong Kong: China Interferes in Judiciary's Independence
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 4 November 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Hong Kong: China Interferes in Judiciary's Independence, 4 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820a70c4.html [accessed 1 November 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.
China's top legislative body is interfering with Hong Kong's judicial independence by intervening in a politically charged court case, Human Rights Watch said today.
On November 4, 2016, the chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), Zhang Dejiang, announced that the committee will issue an interpretation of the Basic Law, Hong Kong's functional constitution. The Basic Law sets parameters for NPCSC interpretations of its provisions. This interpretation, which has not been requested by Hong Kong authorities, is expected to dictate the ruling of Hong Kong courts in an ongoing case involving two pro-independence members of the Legislative Council possibly disqualifying them from office.
"Beijing's intervention in this case may cause long-term damage to Hong Kong's judicial independence," said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch. "A highly politicized 'interpretation' by Chinese authorities would deepen fears that Hong Kong's promised autonomy is under attack."
On November 3, the Hong Kong High Court heard a request for judicial review sought by Hong Kong's top leader, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, and the secretary of justice, Rimsky Yuen. Leung and Yuen sought to overturn the decision of Andrew Leung, the Legislative Council's president, to allow two legislators to retake oaths of office after they did not do so at the swearing-in ceremony on October 12. At that ceremony, Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Baggio Leung Chung-hang of the Youngspiration Party did not take the legislators' oaths verbatim, but instead swore allegiance to the "Hong Kong nation," pronounced China as "Chee-na," a derogatory term, and replaced the word "Republic" with a profanity. They also unfurled a banner that said "Hong Kong is not China."
NPCSC Chairman Zhang's announcement suggests that the body may issue an interpretation before the Hong Kong High Court hands down a ruling. The committee has indicated it plans to interpret article 104 of the Basic Law, which states that members of the Legislative Council shall "in accordance with law, swear to uphold the Basic Law and swear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China." It is unclear when the interpretation will be issued, though it could be on November 7, the day the NPCSC concludes its meeting in Beijing.
Article 158 of the Basic Law empowers the NPCSC to interpret the Basic Law and any interpretations issued will need to be applied by the High Court or on appeal. However, regardless of the merits of the case, article 158 should not be interpreted to allow the NPCSC to intervene in cases currently before the courts.
The United Nations Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary provide that it is "the duty of all governmental and other institutions to respect and observe the independence of the judiciary." The principles prohibit "any inappropriate or unwarranted interference with the judicial process."
This will be the fifth time the NPCSC has "interpreted" the Basic Law since Hong Kong's return to mainland control in 1997. The four previous occasions were: in 1999, over the right of abode; in 2004, over universal suffrage; in 2005, over the terms of the chief executive; and in 2011, over the issue of state immunity. The 1999 and 2005 interpretations were requested by the Hong Kong government. In the 2011 case, the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal requested the NPCSC's interpretation.
The 2004 interpretation was the only case other than the current one initiated by the NPCSC absent any referral from Hong Kong. In that decision, the NPCSC's ruling on procedures to election methods for the selection of the chief executive and the Legislative Council made it more difficult for Hong Kong to obtain universal suffrage. The interpretation generated strenuous objections in Hong Kong at the time.
The current case is unprecedented in that the NPCSC's move to interpret the Basic Law is taking place while legal proceedings are ongoing in Hong Kong, Human Rights Watch said.
This NPCSC interpretation comes in the context of the Hong Kong and Beijing governments claiming that individuals who advocate Hong Kong independence have violated the Basic Law, even though the right to freedom of expression is protected in the territory. In July 2016, ahead of the Legislative Council elections, the government disqualified six candidates for their pro-independence stance. In comments preceding the NPCSC interpretation, pro-Beijing media quoted Hong Kong government sources who said the central government decided to interpret the law in order to "rein in the calls for Hong Kong independence."
"Beijing is trying to stem pro-independence sentiments, but it is coming at the expense of Hong Kong's judicial independence," Richardson said. "This hardline position will almost certainly harden resentment to the Chinese authorities' heavy hand."
Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch
India: Investigate Police Killing of 8 Escapees
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 4 November 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, India: Investigate Police Killing of 8 Escapees, 4 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820a75c4.html [accessed 1 November 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.
Indian authorities should promptly and impartially investigate the killing of eight prisoners who had escaped a high security prison in Madhya Pradesh state, Human Rights Watch said today. Contradictory reports and cell phone videos raise doubts over the police account that the prisoners were shot in an armed exchange after they resisted arrest.
Police reported that the eight prisoners escaped from prison on October 31, 2016, after killing a prison guard, were surrounded, and all fatally shot several hours later. Senior government officials in Madhya Pradesh ordered an inquiry into the prison break but refused an investigation into the killings.
"Arresting escaped prisoners is difficult and dangerous work, but the police don't have a license to kill," said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "It's important that the Indian authorities impartially investigate the prison break and death of a guard, but also the reasons why every single escaped prisoner was shot dead."
The prisoners, all alleged members of the banned Students Islamic Movement in India, escaped the central prison in Bhopal city before dawn on October 31, according to police. They apparently fashioned keys out of toothbrushes and wood, and used bedsheets to scale the 30-foot walls. The Bhopal police chief initially said the prisoners were unarmed and had attacked the police with stones. He later changed his statement to say the prisoners were armed and killed in a shootout with the police. He said that three police officers were also injured "but with sharp weapons." The state's home minister, Bhupendra Singh, said that the men had "used jail utensils as weapons. [They] didn't have guns, but the police had no choice but to kill them."
Television networks broadcast two unverified videos allegedly shot at the scene of the killings. One video shows five of the escaped men standing atop a hill waving and asking to speak with the police officers while a second video shows a police officer shooting at men lying on the ground. Autopsy reports show that all of the prisoners had gunshot injuries to the chest and abdomen, suggesting that the police did not attempt to capture the prisoners alive.
The head of the Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad was quoted as saying, "These men were dreaded criminals. If the police see the possibility that such men can escape, they can use maximum force Even if the police are not being fired at, they can use such force."
However, under the United Nations Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, police should "apply non-violent means before resorting to the use of force and firearms." Whenever the lawful use of force and firearms is unavoidable, law enforcement officials "shall: (a) Exercise restraint in such use and act in proportion to the seriousness of the offence and the legitimate objective to be achieved; (b) Minimize damage and injury, and respect and preserve human life." Furthermore, "intentional lethal use of firearms may only be made when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life."
The Basic Principles further provide that, "[i]n cases of death and serious injury or other grave consequences, a detailed report shall be sent promptly to the competent authorities."
State authorities have rejected calls for an investigation into the killings, fueling concerns that any wrongdoing by the police would go unpunished, Human Rights Watch said.
Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which governs the state of Madhya Pradesh as well as the central government, dismissed calls for an investigation. While Singh said that "there was nothing to be investigated," Ravi Shankar Prasad, central minister for law and justice, said that some "are showing more concern for them [the killed prisoners] than for the security of Indians and India as a nation." The state's chief minister also announced cash rewards for all policemen involved in the operation.
A central BJP leader said that questioning the actions of security forces "lowers their morale." Kiren Rijiju, the central government minister of state for home affairs, said, "First of all we should stop this habit of raising doubt, questioning the authorities and the police. This is not a good culture." He later clarified on social media that while the government must be questioned in a democracy, there was less concern for "martyrs" and "more for the terrorists."
India's opposition parties have called for a judicial inquiry into the matter. Both the national and the state human rights commissions have sought reports from the Madhya Pradesh state government on the killings. On November 2, police in the adjoining state of Uttar Pradesh beat up members of a local rights group, Rihai Manch, who were peacefully protesting the killing of the prisoners.
Police in India often flout central and state rules and procedures for arrest and detention, and every year they kill dozens of people in what they call "encounters," claiming they acted in self-defense or to prevent flight from arrest. The National Human Rights Commission registered 206 encounter killings by the police from October 2015 to September 2016. The police are often responsible for staging these incidents, Human Rights Watch said.
Human Rights Watch research has found that such unlawful killings are also a symptom of an overburdened criminal justice system that makes every trial a lengthy, drawn-out process that can sometimes last decades, leaving police frustrated. Police inability or unwillingness to uncover evidence to secure convictions often leads to the deliberate killing of suspects or the use of torture to obtain confessions.
Despite persistent police impunity for serious rights violations, India has no mechanisms for accountability or redress to systematically address police abuse. When asked to investigate alleged abuses by their colleagues, police are rarely willing to do so.
"Policing in India needs urgent reforms that have been pending for decades," Ganguly said. "Creating a responsive, properly trained, rights-respecting police force is the best way to improve police morale not by sweeping abuses under the rug."
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China: Abusive Cybersecurity Law Set to be Passed
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 6 November 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, China: Abusive Cybersecurity Law Set to be Passed, 6 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820a8ad4.html [accessed 1 November 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.
The Chinese government is set to adopt the Cybersecurity Law, a regressive measure that strengthens censorship, surveillance, and other controls over the Internet, Human Rights Watch said today. China's top legislative body, the National People's Congress Standing Committee, held a third and final reading on the law on October 31, 2016, and is expected to pass the law by the end of its October 31-November 7 session.
"Despite widespread international concern from corporations and rights advocates for more than a year, Chinese authorities pressed ahead with this restrictive law without making meaningful changes," said Sophie Richardson, China Director. "The already heavily censored Internet in China needs more freedom, not less."
The third and final reading draft, which has not been officially published, reflects some changes from the first draft. Yet the fundamentally abusive aspects of the initial draft remain unchanged. The final draft:
Requires a range of companies to censor "prohibited" information and restrict online anonymity, including by demanding that companies require users to provide their real name and personal information. The final law adds instant messaging services to the list of service providers subject to real-name requirements;
Requires "critical information infrastructure operators" to store users' "personal information and other important business data" in China. The final draft narrows the scope to only data that is related to a firm's China operations, but the term "important business data" is undefined, and companies must still submit to a security assessment if they want to transfer data outside the country. The definition of "critical information infrastructure" remains vague and could encompass a broad range of companies;
Requires companies to monitor and report to the government undefined "network security incidents," as well as provide undefined "technical support" to security agencies to aid in investigations, raising fears of increased surveillance. The final draft further specifies that network operators must retain network logs for at least six months and accept government supervision; and
Provides a legal basis for potentially large-scale network shutdowns to respond to "major [public] security incidents."
The final draft contains two noteworthy changes compared to the first. In addition to prohibiting individuals from using the Internet to "endanger national security, advocate terrorism or extremism, [or] propagate ethnic hatred and discrimination," article 12 of the second draft also prohibits them from "overthrowing the socialist system" and "fabricating or spreading false information to disturb economic order." The third draft adds to this list, banning the use of the Internet "to incite separatism or damage national unity." These crimes, some codified in criminal law, are regularly used to punish and jail peaceful activists and can result in lengthy sentences.
Article 46 of the final draft also prohibits individuals or groups from establishing "websites and communication groups" that are used for "spreading criminal methods" or "other information related to unlawful and criminal activities." But as critical stories or protest are regularly criminalized in China, this article may encourage further self-censorship on social media.
The law does incorporate privacy protections for users regarding how private companies must safeguard their personal data or notify them of potential breaches or security vulnerabilities. However, the law fails to impose adequate protections for the right to privacy where security agencies monitor networks, investigate cybercrime, or access data held by companies.
While many of these measures are not new, most were previously only informally applied or defined in lower-level regulation. Elevating these powers in the Cybersecurity Law sends a signal that the government may enforce the requirements more strictly, leaving less leeway for tech companies to avoid implementation.
The Chinese government has a long record of tightly controlling online speech through censorship, harsh punishments, and the use of restrictive technologies. But Internet control has reached new heights since President Xi Jinping assumed power in March 2013.
In the past year alone, authorities have issued multiple directives to gag online speech, such as by requiring staff to monitor content round the clock, criminalizing the "spreading of rumors" about natural disasters, and issuing new rules requiring app providers to keep user logs for 60 days to reduce the spread of "illegal information." Individuals including human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang and Uyghur economist Ilham Tohti have been prosecuted for online discussions of state policy. Recently, a leaked police report described virtual private networks (VPNs), widely used by businesses, journalists, and ordinary users to protect their privacy and evade the "Great Firewall," as "terrorist software."
The Cybersecurity Law is the last of a recent set of new national security related pieces of legislation promulgated by the Chinese government since 2014, which includes the State Security Law, the Counterterrorism Law, and the Foreign NGO Management Law. Together, these laws wrongly promote the idea that peaceful criticism against the government is a threat to state security.
While many states are debating cybersecurity legislation, China's law should be viewed within a legal framework where threats to "information security" are defined broadly enough to include sharing information that diverges from official narratives, and where "preserving Internet sovereignty" is the overarching goal. Any cybersecurity legislation should protect freedom of expression, privacy, and other human rights, as well as increase the security of Internet networks.
"If online speech and privacy are a bellwether of Beijing's attitude toward peaceful criticism, everyone including netizens in China and major international corporations is now at risk," said Richardson. "This law's passage means there are no protections for users against serious charges."
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Turkmenistan: Journalist Harassed, Assaulted
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 7 November 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Turkmenistan: Journalist Harassed, Assaulted, 7 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820a91c4.html [accessed 1 November 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.
A Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Turkmenistan correspondent was questioned by police on October 25, 2016, then assaulted and robbed by unknown assailants, Human Rights Watch said today. The assault on Soltan Achilova, 67, was the latest in a series of attacks on the media outlet's correspondents in Turkmenistan.
Achilova works with Radio Azatlyk, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Turkmen service, the only source of Turkmen-language alternative news available in the country. She covers a variety of social issues, such as drinking water shortages, long lines to buy groceries, and healthcare problems for the service. Achilova is one of very few correspondents reporting from inside Turkmenistan and has repeatedly been targeted for her work, as have her Radio Azatlyk colleagues. Turkmenistan is a closed country under an authoritarian government, which does not allow media freedom.
"Achilova's ordeal was clearly yet another orchestrated attempt to silence a critic," said Rachel Denber, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Journalists should be able to work without being assaulted or detained by police for doing their job."
Turkmen authorities should ensure that Achilova and other correspondents like her can carry out their work without reprisal or undue interference, Human Rights Watch said.
Achilova told Human Rights Watch that on October 25, she saw people in line outside a local supermarket in Ashgabat, and decided to take some photos. One of the supermarket's salesmen noticed her, and together with a policeman who had been nearby, started to chase her.
Achilova went to a nearby hospital, where she needed to pick up some test results, and sat down on an outdoor bench. The police officer and the salesman approached and questioned her about why she was taking photos. Achilova said she was from Radio Azatlyk and was doing her job.
The policeman would not allow her to leave. About 15 minutes later, another policeman in civilian clothes, who identified himself to her as a deputy head of the Berkararlyk district police station, arrived and questioned her about her family, where she lived, who she lived with, what she had photographed, and checked her identification documents. He accused her of taking photos without permission and demanded that she delete all the photos from her camera, and follow him to the police station. Achilova refused.
The deputy police chief eventually left, but the other police officer held Achilova outside in the hospital bench area in temperatures of 3 to 5 degrees Celsius (37-41 Fahrenheit) for two and a half hours, then released her.
However, as she was walking away, three men and a woman suddenly approached her. The woman accused Achilova of photographing her, and one of the men, who claimed to be her brother, demanded that Achilova delete the photos from her camera. Achilova did not recognize the woman as someone she had photographed in the line, but said that she would delete any photos of her when she got home.
The group began yelling at and insulting Achilova. Two of the men blocked Achilova from the view of bystanders and one of them twisted her arms, while another reached for her bag, took out the camera, and scattered her personal belongings on the ground.
Achilova tried to collect her belongings and then chased the group but did not recover her camera. Achilov's wallet and glasses also disappeared in the scuffle. Her arm was bruised in the assault, and she became ill, she believes, from having been made to wait outside in the cool weather for several hours.
This was not her first assault. In December 2014, several men attacked her while she was reporting from a bazaar, took her phone and camera, and took her to a police station. Police detained and questioned Achilova and released her after two hours. Her possessions were returned, but her photos were deleted from the camera.
The Turkmen government controls virtually all print and electronic media. Internet access remains heavily state-controlled; and many websites are blocked, including those of foreign news organizations. Reporters for foreign media outlets often cannot get visas to enter Turkmenistan.
In 2015, a court sentenced Saparmamed Nepeskuliev, a free-lance correspondent for Radio Azatlyk, to three years in prison on trumped-up drug charges. That same year, it also forced three other correspondents to cease working for Radio Azatlyk.
"Media in Turkmenistan are already almost completely under government control," Denber said. "Turkmenistan's international partners should promptly condemn the threats to the few remaining journalists courageous enough to try to do independent reporting inside the country."
Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Australia: Protests Prompt Ethiopia Reprisals
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 7 November 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Australia: Protests Prompt Ethiopia Reprisals, 7 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820a99b4.html [accessed 1 November 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.
The Ethiopian government has arrested and detained dozens of relatives of Ethiopians who participated in a Melbourne protest in June, 2016, and is still holding many of them four months later, Human Rights Watch said today.
On June 12, members of Australia's Ethiopian community who are from Somali Regional State protested the visit to Australia of an Ethiopian regional government delegation that included Abdi Mohamoud Omar, known as Abdi Iley, the president of Ethiopia's Somali Regional State. They were also protesting Australia's support for the Ethiopian government. The Ethiopian delegation did not appear, and after several hours the event was cancelled. The protesters later learned that several dozen of their relatives in Ethiopia's Somali Regional State had been arrested and detained due to their involvement in the Melbourne protest.
"Abdi Mohamoud Omar and his colleagues have added collective punishment to their long list of abuses against the people of Somali Regional State," said Felix Horne, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The Australian government should raise their concerns with their Ethiopian counterparts at the highest levels."
Human Rights Watch interviewed 10 members of the Ethiopian Somali community in Australia between July and September 2016.They told Human Rights Watch that at least 32 family members had been arrested in Ethiopia. Some have since been released but most were still in detention, the relatives said. The Ethiopian government should immediately release the relatives of the Melbourne protesters, whose detention amounts to unlawful collective punishment of family members, Human Rights Watch said.
Ethiopian Somali protesters in Melboune expressed particular concern over Abdi Mohamoud Omar's visit. The Liyu police, a paramilitary unit that reports directly to Abdi Mohamoud Omar, has been responsible for numerous serious human rights abuses, including extrajudicial executions and torture. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Human Rights Watch that Abdi Mohamoud Omar's visa application did not raise any serious concerns. The Australian government should ensure that foreign officials implicated in serious human rights abuses do not receive visas, Human Rights Watch said.
Numerous Ethiopian Somali Australians said that pro-government supporters living in Australia regularly harass community members perceived as government opponents. Several protesters said that these supporters called or personally confronted them in the days following the arrests and pressed them to make a video pledging support for Abdi Mohamoud Omar in order to secure the release of their relatives. At least three members of Australia's Ethiopian Somali community have done this.
One man described pleas from his family members: "If you do not record something, they will kill us."
Threatening demands for video apologies have been a regular tactic of the Somali Regional State government, Human Rights Watch said. People from Somali Regional State who live in the United States, Canada, and northern Europe have described similar networks and tactics by pro-government supporters there. These videos are often posted to the state-run broadcaster, ESTV, and to various pro-government websites.
"I don't feel safe here," one Australian said. "I thought I was safe. When I came, [I thought] now I will be in a free country. To be in Australia and be scared all the time, it doesn't go together."
One of the recently released detainees told his relative in Australia that security personnel hit him every night. His interrogators told him: "If you want to be released, you have to talk to [your relative] about support[ing] the government. You have to talk to people and then those people will take it to the embassy." Arbitrary detention is commonplace in Somali Regional State, and detainees describe frequent torture and other ill-treatment in the region's many detention sites.
Australia has a strong and growing economic relationship with Ethiopia, and Australian companies are exploring opportunities in Ethiopia in mining, energy, and agriculture. In July, an Australia trade delegation from the state of Victoria visited Ethiopia.
Granting a visa to Abdi Mohamoud Omar, who previously visited Australia in 2012, raises concerns about the Australian government's vetting process of people implicated in serious rights abuses. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection is responsible for assessing visa applications and can refuse visas to people suspected of involvement in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Given the significant evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity by Ethiopian forces in the country in 2007-2008 while Abdi Mohamoud Omar was the Somali Regional State head of security, his visa application should have raised serious questions, Human Rights Watch said. However, Australian government officials told Human Rights Watch that Abdi Mohamoud Omar's visa raised no red flags.
In response to a letter from Human Rights Watch, the Australian government wrote that "all non-citizens wishing to enter Australia are assessed against relevant public interest criteria, including foreign policy interest, national security and character requirements in accordance with relevant legislation. This includes foreign officials with potential character concerns or subject to allegations of human rights abuses."
A Somali-Ethiopian Australian who protested against the visit of Ethiopia's President of the Somali Regional State, Abdi Mohamoud Omar, to Melbourne, Australia, in June 2016. "My mother, brother, and sister were all arrested back home. It makes me sad. I was driving a taxi, but I cannot work now. I can't answer the phone. I cannot sleep. All my family. It's because of me."
"Ethiopia has severely cracked down down on protests at home, but has gone a cruel step further by trying to silence Ethiopians protesting abroad by punishing their family members," Horne said. "These relatives are being wrongfully held and should immediately be released."
For additional information, please see below.
The Melbourne Protest
The generally peaceful protest on June 12 was marred by several scuffles, in which one man was injured, and the filming of protesters by government supporters. Several protesters said that a United States citizen connected to the Ethiopian ruling party, who was traveling with Abdi Mohamoud Omar, threatened protesters, saying "You will see what will happen to your relatives." Another protester said that pro-government Ethiopian Australians threatened him at the event, saying, "You will see what happens."
Several witnesses said that Ethiopian government supporters filmed them using smartphones, which would facilitate identifying their relatives in Somali Regional State. Within hours, protesters started receiving calls from family members in Ethiopia saying that relatives some as old as 85 had been arrested because of the Melbourne protest.
One protester said he later heard from his family: "When they [Liyu police] arrested my brothers, they told them, 'Your brother is protesting and that's why we are arresting you.'"
Another protester said, "Around 8 p.m. I got a phone call from my uncle back home. He said, 'Two of your uncles were taken by the security and we don't know where they went. [I]t's about you as they said your nephew did this or that to President Abdi Iley [Abdi Mohamoud Omar], that's why.' They took them away to jail."
The 70-year-old mother of a protester was among those arrested. Before taking her to a military camp, the Liyu police asked her: "Are you the mother of [name withheld]? Your son created trouble for the [regional] president." She was held for almost a month. She told her son that uniformed captors had beaten her in custody.
Some other relatives of protesters, particularly the sick and the elderly, have also been released, but on the condition that their Australian relatives make a video apologizing to Abdi Mohamoud Omar for their "anti-government" behavior. Other relatives arrested following the protest remain in detention in various locations in Ethiopia's Somali Regional State.
Conflict, Abuses in Ethiopia's Somali Regional State
Ethiopia's Somali Regional State, consisting largely of ethnic Somalis, has been the site of a low-level insurgency by the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) for more than 15 years. The ethnic Somali armed movement, largely supported by members of the Ogaden clan, has sought greater political autonomy for the region. Following the insurgent group's April 2007 attack on an oil installation in Obole, which resulted in the deaths of 70 civilians and the capture of several Chinese oil workers, the Ethiopian government carried out a major counterinsurgency campaign incurring serious human rights abuses.
In 2008, Human Rights Watch found that security forces were involved in extrajudicial executions, torture, rape, and forced displacement of civilians. Human Rights Watch believes the Ethiopian National Defense Force and the insurgent group both committed war crimes between mid-2007 and early 2008, and that the military could be responsible for crimes against humanity. Abdi Mohamoud Omar was the head of security of Somali Regional State during this period.
Since 2008, the paramilitary Liyu police, who report directly to Abdi Mohamoud Omar, have frequently been accused of extrajudicial killings, torture, rape, and violence against civilians accused of supporting or being sympathetic to the ONLF, including in 2012 when the Liyu police summarily executed 10 civilans. Abdi Mohamoud Omar has been the president of Somali Regional State since 2010. Since 2008, a number of victims of government abuses have told Human Rights Watch that Abdi Mohamoud Omar was present during interrogations, ordering and in some cases directly involved in their torture and that he was present during executions of civilians.
One man detained in 2006 in a military camp told Human Rights Watch in July 2016:
When Abdi Iley [Abdi Mohamoud Omar] got frustrated that they [soldiers] did not do what he wanted then he did it himself. He would tell them to hit harder or take matters into his own hands. Abdi Iley [Abdi Mohamoud Omar] would say "You must confess."
I was tortured. We were handcuffed with our arms over our legs, with the legs pulled up. They would put a rod under our legs and hang us up so our head falls back and we hang upside down. I would be hung upside down for periods of 15 minutes and they would hit my buttocks and feet. It was very painful. They would keep us like this for 15 or 20 minutes.
Abdi Iley [Abdi Mohamoud Omar] was present for some of these interrogations when we were hanging upside down. The stick was like a rubber hose with an iron bar inside. Once, Abdi Iley[Abdi Mohamoud Omar] thought the officer was not hitting hard enough [so] he took an iron bar himself.
A number of people have also alleged that Abdi Mohamoud Omar threatened them on social media. Limitations on access to Ethiopia in general, and Somali Regional State specifically, have not made it possible to corroborate these claims.
The Ethiopian government has never meaningfully investigated abuses by the military or Liyu police in the Somali region. International human rights groups are not permitted access to to the area.
The government has used various tactics to silence the diaspora. Human Rights Watch has documented numerous examples in which family members of Ethiopians who have been vocal abroad were targeted for arrest or harassment. They have also been targeted for surveillance using European-made malware. Diaspora-based websites are often blocked inside Ethiopia, and the government regularly jams diaspora television and radio stations.
Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Russia: Government vs. Rights Groups
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 7 November 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Russia: Government vs. Rights Groups, 7 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820aad14.html [accessed 1 November 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.
For the past four years, the Kremlin has sought to stigmatize criticism or alternative views of government policy as disloyal, foreign-sponsored, or even traitorous. It is part of a sweeping crackdown to silence critical voices that has included new legal restrictions on the internet, on freedom of expression, on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, and on other fundamental freedoms.
Association of NGOs in Defense of Voters' Rights "Golos" (Moscow) June 5, 2014 Regional Public Association in Defense of Democratic Rights and Freedoms "Golos" (Moscow) June 5, 2014 Center for Social Policy and Gender Studies (Saratov) June 5, 2014 (the organization was shut down May 22, 2015) Women of Don (Rostov region) June 5, 2014 ("foreign agent" status was suspended February 29, 2016) Kostroma Center for Support of Public Initiatives (Kostroma) June 5, 2014 ("foreign agent" status was suspended June 19, 2015) Interregional Human Rights Association "Agora" (Kazan) July 21, 2014 Regional public organization "Ecozaschita! Womens' Council" (Kaliningrad) July 21, 2014 Public Verdict Foundation (Moscow) July 21, 2014 Human Rights Center "Memorial" (Moscow) July 21, 2014 Lawyers for Constitutional Rights and Freedoms / JURIX (Moscow) July 21, 2014 (the organization was shut down May 26, 2015) Soldiers' Mothers (Saint Petersburg) August 28, 2014 ("foreign agent" status was suspended October 23, 2015) Freedom of Information Foundation / Institute for Information Freedom Development August 28, 2014 PIR Center September 3, 2014 ("foreign agent" status was suspended February 24, 2016) Association "Partnership for Development" (Saratov) October 2, 2014 (the organization was shut down November 6, 2015) "News Agency MEMO.RU" (Moscow) November 20, 2014 Regional Press Institute (St. Petersburg) November 20, 2014 Moscow School of Civic Education December 9, 2014 Rakurs, Arkhangelsk regional non-governmental LGBT organization December 15, 2014 All-Russian movement "For Human Rights" December 22, 2014 ("foreign agent" status was suspended December 30, 2015) Human Rights Center (Kaliningrad) December 25, 2014 Krasnodar Regional Social Organization of University Alumni December 25, 2014 ("foreign agent" status was suspended April 22, 2016) Regional social organization "Public Commission for Academic Sakharov's Heritage Preservation" December 25, 2014 Resource Human Rights Center (St. Petersburg) December 30, 2014 (the organization was shut down November 3, 2015) Regional Public Organization "Man and the Law" (Republic of Mari El) December 30, 2014 Center for Social Development "Vozrozhdeniye" (Pskov) December 30, 2014 Public Human Rights Organization "Civil Control" (St. Petersburg) December 30, 2014 The League of Women Voters (St. Petersburg) December 30, 2014 (the organization was shut down May 22, 2015) Free Press Support Foundation December 30, 2014 Interregional Non-Governmental Organization "The Committee Against Torture" January 16, 2015 (the organization was shut down September 13, 2016) Educational Center "Memorial" (Sverdlov region) January 16, 2015 Autonomous non-profit human rights organization "Youth Center for Consulting and Training" January 20, 2015 ("foreign agent" status was suspended July 22, 2015) "Information Bureau of the Nordic Council of Ministers in St. Petersburg" January 20, 2015 Jewish regional branch of the Russian public organization "Municipal Academy" January 26, 2015 (the organization was shut down May 22, 2015) The noncommercial partnership "Press Development Institute - Siberia" January 30, 2015 Center for social, psychological and legal help to victims of discrimination and homophobia "Maximum" (Murmansk) February 4, 2015 (the organization was shut down October 28, 2015) Interregional public fund for civil society development "Golos-Povolzhye" (Samara) February 6, 2015 Interregional charity organization "Siberian Environmental Center" (Novosibirsk) February 12, 2015 Center for Civic Analysis and Independent Research / GRANI (Perm) February 13, 2015 ("foreign agent" status was suspended June 19, 2015) Municipal public organization "Samara Center for Gender Studies" (Samara) February 16, 2015 Regional Fund "Center for Defense of Mass Media Rights" (Voronezh) February 26, 2015 Regional Charitable Social Foundation "For nature" (Chelyabinsk) March 6, 2015 Regional Ecological Social Movement "For nature" (Chelyabinsk) March 6, 2015 Humanist Youth Movement (Murmansk) March 13, 2015 (the organization was shut down August 25, 2015) Regional Social Organization for Contribution to Harmonization of Interethnic Relations "Azerbaijan" March 13, 2015 ("foreign agent" status was suspended July 22, 2016) Regional Social Environmental Organization "Bellona-Murmansk" March 19, 2015 (the organization was shut down October 16, 2015) "Educational Center for Environment and Security" (Samara) March 20, 2015 ("foreign agent" status was suspended October 8, 2015) Foundation "Migration XXI Century" March 27, 2015 Eco-logika (Rostov) April 3, 2015 ("foreign agent" status was suspended March 30, 2016) Transparency International Russia - April 7, 2015 Social Environmental Organization "Planeta Nadezhd" April 15, 2015 Foundation for Consumers' Rights Defense (Novosibirsk) April 17, 2015 (the organization was shut down May 12, 2016) Civil Assistance Committee April 20, 2015 Foundation 19/29 - Foundation for Support of Investigative Journalism April 24, 2015 Commemorative Centre of History of Political Repressions "Perm - 36" April 29, 2015 (the organization was shut down August 18, 2016) Women's League (Kaliningrad ) April 29, 2015 (the organization was shut down December 16, 2015) Legal Expert Partnership "Soyuz " May 7, 2015 (the organization was shut down 25 August 2015) Center for Development of Non-Commerical Organizations May 13, 2015 Club of Accountants and Auditors of Non-Commercial Organizations May 13, 2015 ("foreign agent" status was suspended March 30, 2016) Informational Bureau of the Council of Ministers of Northern Countries (Kaliningrad) May 13, 2015 Sutyajnik (Yekaterinburg) May 15, 2015 Human Rights Academy (Yekaterinburg) May 15, 2015 Ecological Center "Dront" (Nizhny Novgorod) May 22, 2015 The non-profit organization "Liberal Mission" Scientific Foundation of Theoretical and Applied Research May 25, 2015 ("foreign agent" status was suspended September 11, 2015) The non-profit Dynasty Foundation May 25, 2015 Union of Employers (Tula region) May 28, 2015 Youth organization "Nuori Karjala/Young Karelia" June 19, 2015 (the organization was shut down March 25, 2016) Siberian Center for Support of Social Initiatives June 19, 2015 ("foreign agent" status was suspended September 21, 2016) Interregional Social Foundation for Peace in the South and in the Northern Caucasus June 19, 2015 Informational Center "Free Inform" June 22, 2015 (the organization was shut down June 21, 2016) Center for Independent Sociological Studies (St. Petersburg) June 22, 2015 Regional Organization for Population and Development June 23, 2015 Geblerov Ecological Societ (Barnaul) June 23, 2015 Association "Legal Basis" (Yekaterinburg) July 3, 2015 Interregional Non-governmental Organization "Northern Environmental Coalition" (Petrozavodsk) July 8, 2015 (the organization was shut down December 1, 2015) Komi Human Rights Commission "Memorial" (Syktyvkar) July 21, 2015 Altai Regional Public Fund for 21st Century Altai (Barnaul) July 22, 2015 (the organization was shut down March 28, 2016) Interregional Public Foundation for Civil Society Development "GOLOS-Ural" (Chelyabinsk region) July 22, 2015 SREDA Foundation July 28, 2015 Non-governmental environmental organization "Green World" (Nizhny Novgorod) July 29, 2015 ("foreign agent" status was suspended October 28, 2016) Civic Action Foundation (Perm) August 5, 2015 Alliance of Funds of Local Communities of the Perm territory August 11, 2015 ("foreign agent" status was suspended October 26, 2016) Kabardino-Balkaria Human Rights Center regional branch of the "For Human Rights" All-Russian movement (Nalchik) August 18, 2015 (the organization was shut down November 6, 2015) The Human Rights Center of the Chechen Republic (Grozny) August 21, 2015 Interregional Social Ecological Foundation "ISAR-Siberia" (Novosibirsk) August 26, 2015 Perm Regional Human Rights Center (Perm) September 3, 2015 Siberia's lifeline (Novosibirsk) September 3, 2015 Golos Foundation in Support of Democracy September 4, 2015 (the organization was shut down June 21, 2016) Jewish Cultural Center "Hesed-Teshuva" (Ryazan) September 4, 2015 Sakhalin Environment Watch (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk) September 18, 2015 Yasavey Manzara Information and Research Center (Naryan-Mar) September 23, 2015 (the organization was shut down June 15, 2016) Consumer Rights and Environment Protection Association "Princip" (Moscow region) October 5, 2015 Far East Center for the Development of Civil Initiatives and Social Partnership (Vladivostok) October 13, 2015 Russian Research Center for Human Rights October 20, 2015 Women of the Don (Rostov region) October 27, 2015 Friends of the Siberian Forests (Krasnoyarsk) October 28, 2015 Photography Club "Sobytiye" (Omsk) October 28, 2015 (the organization was shut down December 16, 2015) Research and Information Center "Memorial" (St. Petersburg) November 6, 2015 Baikal Environmental Wave (Irkutsk) November 10, 2015 (the organization was shut down August 1, 2016) Glasnost Defense Foundation November 19, 2015 Human Rights Institute November 20, 2015 Center for Support of Indigenous Peoples of the North November 27, 2015 Green World (Leningrad region) December 2, 2015 Mashr (Republic of Ingushetia) December 8, 2015 Woman's World (Kaliningrad) December 11, 2015 Panorama Information and Research Center (Moscow) December 18, 2015 Dauria Ecological Center (Chita) December 30, 2015 (the organization was shut down September 1, 2016) Yekaterinburg Memorial Society (Yekaterinburg) December 30, 2015 Bureau of Public Investigations (Nizhny Novgorod) January 14, 2016 Committee for the Prevention of Torture (Orenburg) January 14, 2016 Institute of Forecasting and Resolving of Political Conflicts (Nizhny Novgorod) January 22, 2016 Ryazan Historical, Educational and Human Rights Center "Memorial" (Ryazan) February 1, 2016 Society of Assistance to Social Protection of Citizens "Peterburgskaya EGIDA" (Saint Petersburg) February 2, 2016 (the organization was shut down April 26, 2016) Center for Health and Social Support "SIBALT" (Omsk) February 15, 2016 Chelyabinsk Regional Organ of Public Independent Action "Ural Human Rights Group" (Chelyabinsk) February 15, 2016 Women of Eurasia (Chelyabinsk) February 15, 2016 Ural Democratic Foundation (Chelyabinsk) February 15, 2016 Legal and Social Support Charitable Foundation "Sphere" (Saint Petersburg) March 1, 2016 Centre for Civic Education and Human Rights (Perm) March 3, 2016 The International Development Fund for Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation "Batani" (Moscow) March 11, 2016 Center for Social and Labor Rights (Moscow) March 21, 2016 Arkhar (Gorno-Altaysk) April 5, 2016 (the organization was shut down October 6, 2016) Publishing House "Valentin Manuylov" April 15, 2016 Tengri School of Soul ecology (Altay) - May 17, 2016 Hanse Buero / Information Bureau of Schleswig-Holstein in Kaliningrad (Kaliningrad) - May 24, 2016 Krasnoyarsk Regional Public Organization Agency of public initiatives (Krasnoyarsk) - May 27, 2016 ("foreign agent" status was suspended September 21, 2016) Saratov Regional Public Organization "Socium" (Engels) - May 30, 2016 Perm regional non-governmental organization "Perm Civil Chamber" (Perm) - June 9, 2016 ("foreign agent" status was suspended September 21, 2016) Regional non-governmental organization Integration center "Migration and Law" (Moscow) - June 16, 2016 Non-Profit Partnership "ESVERO" (Moscow) - June 22, 2016 Andrey Rylkov Foundation for Health and Social Justice (Moscow) - June 29, 2016 Altai regional sport and patriotic youth public organization "Arctica" (Biysk) - July 6, 2016 Autonomous non-governmental organization "Free Word" (Pskov) - July 13, 2016 The Institute of Economic Analysis (Moscow) - July 22, 2016 Penza regional youth civic organization for prevention of negative phenomena among youth "Panacea" (Kuznetsk) - August 15, 2016 Samara regional, civic organization "American alumni club" (Samara) - August 26, 2016 Autonomous non-for-profit organization "Publishing house 'Park Gagarina'" (Samara) - August 31, 2016 Levada Analytical Center (Moscow) - September 5, 2016 Environmental Watch on North Caucasus (Maikop) - September 13, 2016 Autonomous non-for-profit human rights organization "Draftee's school" (Chelyabinsk) - September 21, 2016 Foundation for support of civil freedoms "Legal mission" (Chelyabinsk) - September 21, 2016 International Historical, Educational, Human Rights And Charitable Society Memorial (Moscow) - October 4, 2016 Sverdlovsk regional non-profit foundation "Health Era" (Ekaterinburg) - October 11, 2016 Chapaevsk non-profit organization "Chapaevsk city medical personnel association" (Chapaevsk) - October 21, 2016 Regional charity foundation "Samarskaya gubernia" (Samara) - November 2, 2016
And the four NGOs which registered voluntarily:
Non-commercial Partnership "Supporting Competition in the CIS Countries" June 27, 2013 "The Union of Young Political Scientists", KarachayCherkess Republican Youth Social Organization December 15, 2014 Regional Social Movement "Novgorod Women's Parliament" (Veliky Novgorod) March 6, 2015 Center of Independent Researchers of the Altai Republic June 10, 2015
Leader of at least 1 NGO faces criminal charges personally:
China: New Rules Gag Lawyers
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 25 October 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, China: New Rules Gag Lawyers, 25 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820acac4.html [accessed 1 November 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.
"The new Justice Ministry rules basically tell human rights lawyers that their successful legal tactics are now prohibited," said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch. "People's rights can't be robustly defended when their lawyers can't draw attention to, or even publicly discuss, their cases."
The new Management Methods on Law Firms (, MoJ Directive No. 133) and Management Methods on Lawyers (, MoJ Directive No. 134) explicitly require lawyers and law firms to "support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party," and to establish Party branches in law firms. Lawyers are prohibited from expressing opinions that "reject the fundamental political system" of China or may "endanger national security."
The amended directives also impose vague and overbroad restrictions on all lawyers' right to freedom of expression. Lawyers will now be prohibited from "inciting" or "organizing" their clients and others to participate in sit-ins or demonstrations that "disturb public order" or otherwise put pressure on the authorities, even if those gatherings are peaceful. Lawyers may not make "misleading" or "malicious" comments about any cases, publish or sign joint letters, or gather "virtually" or in person to "attack or slander" the judicial system. Lawyers are barred from "gathering crowds to make a fuss," insulting judicial officers, "denying the nature of cults when the state has already determined them as such," or other behaviors that "disturb court order." They also cannot use the internet and the media to "provoke discontent against the Party and the state" or "instigate" people to file lawsuits to "destabilize social stability." Article 35 of China's Constitution protects the right of freedom of expression.
Since the late 1970s, the number of lawyers in China has grown dramatically as the authorities rebuilt the legal system following the Cultural Revolution. The government has established hundreds of law schools to train legal professionals and promulgated new laws, such as the Lawyers Law in 2007, to facilitate the work of lawyers. But it has also increasingly treated lawyers with hostility, particularly outspoken lawyers who were known for their vigorous defense of clients whose human rights were violated.
In addition to advocating for their clients in the courtroom, where they are often forced to confront unfair trial proceedings in the deeply politicized legal system, human rights lawyers have used the media and social media to publicize their cases and criticize actions by the authorities. They have also organized or joined forces with other lawyers, victims, families, and activists in actions to champion a wide-range of issues: forced evictions, land grabs, corruption, police abuse, workers' compensation, domestic violence, food safety, and child abuse.
The Chinese government has improperly used various tools at its disposal to punish activist lawyers, Human Rights Watch said. The Ministry of Justice and its lower-level offices issue lawyers' licenses particularly during China's annual evaluation of all lawyers they can revoke or deny them. Chinese courts can also order a maximum of 15 days of judicial detention for those who disturb court order. The police can arrest lawyers for "falsifying evidence," a crime under article 306 of the Criminal Law, which has been brought against lawyers who encourage their clients to speak out about torture by criminal investigators. Lawyers are even at risk of being beaten, intimidated, and harassed in their work by police, court officials, and others operating at the behest of authorities. As a result, few lawyers wish to take criminal cases for fear of irking the authorities, leading to a low rate of legal representation among criminal defendants in China.
Since President Xi Jinping took office in March 2013, the environment for lawyers has become ever more treacherous, Human Rights Watch said. Prominent rights lawyers targeted by authorities since that time include:
Xu Zhiyong, founder of the New Citizens Movement who was sentenced to four years in prison in 2014;
Pu Zhiqiang, who was given a three-year suspended sentence for "inciting ethnic hatred" and "creating disturbances" in December 2015;
Legal advocate Guo Feixiong, sentenced to six years in prison in November 2015; and
Guangzhou lawyer Tang Jingling, who was given a five-year prison term in January 2016 for promoting the ideas of non-violent civil disobedience.
In July 2015, the authorities rounded up more than 300 human rights lawyers across the country, including legal assistants and activists who supported them. Most have since been released but the director of Beijing Fengrui Law Firm, Zhou Shifeng, was given a seven-year prison term in August 2016, while six lawyers Li Heping, Xie Yanyi, Wang Quanzhang, Liu Sixin, Xie Yang, and Li Chunfu await trial. Although Wang Yu, one of the most prominent Fengrui lawyers, was released on bail in August 2016, her whereabouts remain unknown.
The United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers state that: "Governments shall ensure that lawyers are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference," and "shall not suffer, or be threatened with, prosecution or administrative, economic or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognized professional duties, standards and ethics."
"China's crackdown on the legal profession harms not only courageous human rights lawyers and their clients, but the rule of law for everyone," Richardson said. "If Chinese leaders want stability, the answer is rolling back not doubling down on arbitrary and abusive restrictions."
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Cambodia: End Exile of Opposition Leader
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 25 October 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Cambodia: End Exile of Opposition Leader, 25 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820ad0f4.html [accessed 1 November 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.
The Cambodian government should immediately rescind its order banning the return to Cambodia of opposition leader Sam Rainsy, Human Rights Watch said today. On October 12, 2016, the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen directed all airlines flying to Cambodia not to allow Rainsy into the country.
"The official exile of opposition leader Sam Rainsy is just the latest effort by Cambodia's ruling party to win the next national elections by ensuring they have no real competition," said Brad Adams, Asia director. "Cambodia's donors and ASEAN members should urgently and publicly call on Prime Minister Hun Sen to end his political persecution of the opposition."
The order, which has been made public by the government's Supreme Directorate of Immigration, states that:
No airline carrier should allow Sam Rainsy to board for Cambodia;
If Sam Rainsy is on a flight to Cambodia, the plane will be ordered to return to the point of origin;
If Sam Rainsy is on a flight to Cambodia and arrives in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, the plane will be returned to the point of origin; and
If Sam Rainsy succeeds in boarding a flight, arrives in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, and leaves the plane, the immigration police are to take all necessary measures to arrest him.
The government also ordered officials to "be aware and check at the terminals or other border checkpoints to report if Sam Rainsy comes through. Then, take actions according to the legal procedures to prevent him entering Cambodia. The actions should be highly effective."
The order violates Cambodia's obligations under international human rights law and contravenes the Cambodian constitution. Cambodia is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which ensures the right to freedom of movement. Article 12(4) states, "No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his own country." Article 13(2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, "Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country." Article 33 of the Cambodian constitution states that "Khmer citizens shall not be deprived of their nationality, exiled or arrested and deported to any foreign country unless there is a mutual agreement on extradition."
"The actions against Sam Rainsy again expose Hun Sen's intention to return Cambodia to a de facto one-party state, with little room for critical or opposition voices," Adams said.
The order follows a series of politically motivated criminal cases against Rainsy, the longtime leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), that led him to stay out of the country to avoid imprisonment. The government has also carried out many arbitrary arrests and detentions of opposition members of the National Assembly and Senate, opposition party activists, and members of civil society groups, including staff of the internationally respected Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC).
During the past 12 months, reacting to ongoing public statements by the CNRP that it will win national elections scheduled for 2018, Hun Sen and other leaders of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), including those in the armed forces and police, have made a series of increasingly dire public threats against the opposition. These threats followed a public campaign to remove Kem Sokha, deputy CNRP leader and vice president of the National Assembly, from his post. In October 2015, CPP-organized mobs carried out a brutal assault on two opposition parliamentarians. The CPP then voted to strip Sokha of his leadership post in the National Assembly. He is now facing imprisonment on politically motivated charges for which he was convicted on September 9, 2016.
"Exiling the opposition leader around the 25th anniversary of the Paris Peace Agreements, which were supposed to end one-party rule, is particularly galling," Adams said. "Many Cambodians hoped the Paris Agreements would usher in pluralistic democracy, but Hun Sen seems intent on reversing all the gains of the last 25 years."
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Azerbaijan: Transparency Group Insists on Reforms
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 26 October 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Azerbaijan: Transparency Group Insists on Reforms, 26 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820adcd4.html [accessed 1 November 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.
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a prominent international coalition, on October 26, 2016, declined to restore Azerbaijan's full membership status in the organization, Human Rights Watch said today. EITI gave the government four months to reform its laws shackling civil society or face suspension.
At its meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, EITI's board found that Azerbaijan had not made satisfactory progress on meeting the initiative's standards for fostering a free environment for independent groups, and outlined further steps that the government needs to take before the next board meeting in April 2017.
"The Azerbaijani government has spared no effort to dismantle independent groups, so it's no surprise that EITI didn't restore its status," said Giorgi Gogia, South Caucasus director at Human Rights Watch. "Now it's up to the government to enact meaningful reform and it's up to its international partners to make sure it happens."
The EITI brings together governments, companies, and nongovernmental groups to encourage better governance of resource-rich countries by fostering open public debate about how oil, gas, and mining revenues are used. The EITI requires the governments to foster "an enabling environment for civil society" and to "refrain from actions which result in narrowing or restricting public debate in relation to implementation of the EITI."
In April 2015, as the government was in the midst of a sweeping crackdown on independent groups and activists, the EITI board downgraded Azerbaijan's status in the initiative and issued a list of steps the government had to take to have its status restored. These included ensuring that nongovernmental groups involved in EITI could freely access and use funding to carry out their work, and be able to speak freely about natural resource governance without threat of reprisals.
The Azerbaijani government has been engaged in systematic efforts to undermine activists and independent organizations, Human Rights Watch said. In a new report, Human Rights Watch documented government prosecution of leaders of nongovernmental groups, and new draconian laws and regulations that make it virtually impossible for critical independent groups to operate, particularly for those working on human rights, transparency, and government accountability.
Even after the EITI downgraded Azerbaijan, its government continued to adopt new restrictive laws and regulations, requiring both donors and grantees to separately obtain government approval of each potential grant and giving the authorities broad discretion to deny the approvals. As a result, many groups have had to downsize, suspend their activities, and even close.
In the lead up to the EITI board decision, the Azerbaijani government took some limited positive steps, unfreezing bank accounts of some groups involved in the initiative and relaxing travel restrictions on some activists.
Several days before the board meeting, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree tasking the government with simplifying some of the bureaucracy associated with the registration and operation of funding for nongovernmental groups, but leaving in place the government's wide discretion to control these groups' funding.
To avoid further sanction in the EITI, however, the Azerbaijani government has to substantially reform its domestic laws and policies, by easing the registration process for nongovernmental organizations and allowing them to receive foreign funding.
"It is going to take more than the change in form if Azerbaijan is serious about its EITI commitments," Gogia said. "It has four months to ensure the change in substance by repealing restrictions on the registration and operation of nongovernmental groups."
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Burundi: ICC Withdrawal Major Loss to Victims
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 27 October 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Burundi: ICC Withdrawal Major Loss to Victims, 27 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820b0294.html [accessed 1 November 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.
Burundi has taken a major step backward by officially withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, Human Rights Watch said today. Other African ICC members should distance themselves from Burundi's withdrawal and affirm their support for justice for victims of the gravest crimes.
On October 18, 2016, President Pierre Nkurunziza signed legislation calling for Burundi's withdrawal from the ICC. Burundi's government claimed the court is an instrument of powerful countries used to punish leaders who do not comply with the West.
"Burundi has failed to hold people responsible for brutal crimes to account and has sunk to a new low by attempting to deny victims justice before the ICC," said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "This latest move only confirms Burundi's continuing disregard for human rights and the rule of law."
The decision to withdraw came after the United Nations Human Rights Council resolved, on September 30, to create a commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in Burundi since April 2015 that would identify alleged perpetrators and recommend steps to guarantee that they are held accountable.
Burundi submitted notification of its withdrawal to the UN secretary-general, as required under the ICC's Rome Statute for formal withdrawal. Burundi's withdrawal comes after South Africa announced on October 21 that it had notified the UN secretary-general that it was withdrawing from the ICC. Gambia announced on October 24 that it also intends to withdraw.
South Africa's announcement was met with a call from activists based across Africa for African governments to continue to support the ICC as a crucial court of last resort. Senegalese Justice Minister Sidi Kaba, who is the president of the ICC's Assembly of States Parties, called for South Africa and Burundi to reconsider their decision. Civil society groups and an opposition party in South Africa also have challenged the withdrawal in the country's courts, arguing that it failed to comply with South African law.
The ICC is meant to act as a court of last resort, stepping in only when national courts cannot or will not prosecute the most serious international crimes. Hundreds of people have been viciously tortured, killed, raped, or disappeared in Burundi since 2015. But the Burundian justice system, deeply corrupt and manipulated by ruling party officials, almost never conducts credible investigations or brings those responsible for these crimes to justice. Hundreds of arbitrarily arrested people have been detained on trumped-up charges.
Under the ICC's Rome Statute, withdrawal does not come into effect until one year after the state has formally announced it to the UN secretary-general. Earlier this year, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda opened a preliminary examination into possible crimes against humanity in Burundi since April 2015.
Since 2009, the ICC has faced a backlash from a vocal minority of African leaders focused on claims that the court is unfairly targeting Africa. While all of the ICC's investigations to date, with the exception of Georgia, have been in Africa, the majority have been initiated at the request of an African government.
However, the ICC works in a global landscape where the disparity of political, economic, and military power is stark. A number of the most powerful countries, including three permanent members of the UN Security Council Russia, China, and the United States and their allies have not joined the court and have thus been able to avoid ICC scrutiny. The permanent members of the UN Security Council have used their veto privilege to block referral to the ICC of situations desperately in need of justice in countries that are not ICC members, including Syria.
Although they have too often been silent in the face of attacks on the ICC, many African governments have continued to quietly support the court, cooperating with investigations and referring new situations to the court.
In July, several African ICC members Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia took an important step in joining Botswana, a vocal ICC supporter, to expressly oppose an AU call at its summit meeting for ICC withdrawal. Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Senegal also entered reservations to the July summit decision.
Activists across Africa have, since 2009, joined with international groups to call for African governments to support and strengthen the ICC instead of undermining it, most recently in response to South Africa's stated intention to withdraw.
"The ICC remains the only path to justice for many victims of the gravest crimes when national courts are unable or unwilling to try these cases," Bekele said. "African countries should distance themselves from ICC withdrawal, and reaffirm their commitment to accountability for atrocities in Africa."
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Cote d'Ivoire: Respect Rights of "No" Campaign for Referendum
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 27 October 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Cote d'Ivoire: Respect Rights of "No" Campaign for Referendum, 27 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820b0844.html [accessed 1 November 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.
The government of Cote d'Ivoire should respect the freedom of expression and association of political parties opposing a draft constitution in advance of a nationwide referendum on October 30, 2016. The draft constitution contains provisions that the opposition contends will significantly strengthen the power of the presidency.
In the period leading up to the referendum campaign, which opened on October 22, security forces dispersed crowds of demonstrators opposed to the constitution at least twice and briefly detained several opposition leaders. Several other opposition rallies occurred without incident. A brief seven-day campaign period, limited resources, a lack of access to state media, and the suspension of two opposition-leaning newspapers just before the campaign period began have severely undermined opposition parties' ability to explain their position to the public.
"Political parties and all Ivoirians have the right to express their views on the new draft constitution," said Corinne Dufka, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "The government should ensure that both those in favor of the new text, as well as those against it, can make their voices heard."
The "yes" campaign is led by President Alassane Ouattara and the ruling coalition. Opposition parties oppose the new constitution and have called on their supporters to boycott the vote.
The government says that the new text is necessary to turn the page on years of political violence and to modernize the constitution. The new constitution removes the requirement that both a presidential candidate's father and mother must be Ivorian. Divisive nationality clauses were used to prevent Ouattara from running for election in 1995 and 2000.
The new constitution also creates the position of vice-president and a second legislative chamber, the senate, with one third of its members to be appointed by the president. It also removes an age limit for presidential candidates.
While the constitution maintains a two-term limit for presidents, it does not require that the president submit all proposed constitutional amendments to a referendum, instead allowing approval by a two-thirds vote of the national assembly and the new senate. Opposition parties contend that this will make it easier for presidents to force through future constitutional changes.
The National Assembly approved the new constitution on October 11, with 239 of 249 deputies voting "yes." The proposed text was made public on October 12.
In advance of the campaign period, at least two opposition demonstrations have been dispersed by the security forces, purportedly on public safety grounds. This includes an October 20 rally which the government said was unauthorized, and which was immediately broken up by Ivorian police, who fired tear gas at protestors and detained a handful of opposition leaders for several hours. Several other opposition rallies have been held without incident.
The Ivorian Government spokesman, Bruno Kone, told Human Rights Watch that it is up to the Interior Ministry to evaluate the risk of a particular demonstration and determine whether to authorize it. However, under international law on the right to peaceful assembly, while it is reasonable for a government to require demonstrators to notify the authorities in advance, requiring permission is likely to impose an undue obstacle to freedom of assembly. Restrictions on freedom of assembly are only justified when they are absolutely necessary, such that the restriction is proportionate to the risk.
Opposition parties told Human Rights Watch that their capacity to campaign has been severely curtailed by the short campaign period and lack of access to state media. "How can we be expected to explain the complexities and challenges of a new constitution in just seven days?" said one opposition spokesperson.
Two opposition newspapers were suspended on October 19, 2016, for violating a directive of the National Press Council (Conseil National de la Presse, CNP), although many opposition papers remain in circulation. Joseph Gnanhoua Titi, the editor of one of the newspapers, told Human Rights Watch, "The suspension has prevented me from participating in the debate around the new constitution, and the blue newspapers [those affiliated with the opposition] have lost two of their main outlets."
In justifying the decision, the CNP stated that both newspapers had violated a July 16, 2015 directive, based on an April 3, 2015 court order, that prohibits referring to a political party by a name legally belonging to another party. Titi said he regularly violated the CNP's directives, which he considers unreasonable, but that he had not been suspended in 2016 until October 19. Kone, the government spokesman, said that the CNP regularly suspends newspapers and that there was nothing suspicious about the October 19 timing.
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Syria: Stop Undermining UN Investigation
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 28 October 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Syria: Stop Undermining UN Investigation, 28 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820b0f54.html [accessed 1 November 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.
The report released on October 27, 2016, by a United Nations-appointed investigation of chemical attacks in Syria has revealed that the government is withholding crucial information that could help identify those responsible for the attacks.
In its fourth report, the Joint Investigative Mechanism between the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the UN concluded that Syrian government forces used chemicals in an attack in Idlib in March 2015. In an earlier report, the joint inquiry had reached the same conclusion for two other attacks, in 2014 and 2015. The inquiry also identified the military units responsible for flights connected to the attacks, but it did not name the commanders of the units, citing a lack of information and the failure of the Syrian government to respond to crucial queries.
"Evidence is mounting that the Syrian government is deliberately trying to block accountability for its forces' chemical attacks and derail a UN-appointed investigation," said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch. "But not having the names of those directly involved should not stop the Security Council from imposing sanctions on senior leaders in the chain of command that have, at best, allowed this to happen on their watch."
Syrian authorities said that they had reviewed data on flight plans and air operation-related information, but they have not provided that information to the inquiry and they had previously denied possessing it, the inquiry said. That information would be crucial to identifying individuals responsible for the attacks to hold them to account for their actions, with targeted sanctions as a first step, Human Rights Watch said.
The Security Council discussed the report behind closed doors on October 27. In a speech to the council, Russia's ambassador to the UN appeared to dismiss the need for the Security Council to act on the report's finding, calling instead on the Syrian government to conduct a national investigation of the chemical attacks confirmed by the inquiry.
Russia has blocked a Security Council resolution to provide accountability for crimes in Syria by referring the situation to the International Criminal Court. A Russian veto of sanctions on those responsible for chemical attacks would be yet another reason for UN member states to request a General Assembly emergency special session on Syria, Human Rights Watch said. Such a session could, among other things, mandate an investigative mechanism to gather and preserve evidence for use in any credible future criminal prosecution whether at the national or international level of serious crimes committed in Syria.
On August 7, 2015, the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2235, establishing the Joint Investigative Mechanism between the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the UN to "identify to the greatest extent feasible individuals, entities, groups, or governments who were perpetrators, organisers, sponsors or otherwise involved in the use of chemicals as weapons."
The inquiry confirmed Human Rights Watch findings at the time, in reports in May 2014 and April 2015, which concluded that government forces were most likely responsible for the three attacks, among several similar incidents.
The inquiry also previously found that the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) had used sulfur mustard gas in an attack on areas held by armed opposition groups in August 2015. In its fourth report, the inquiry also said it had received 13 allegations of possession, movement, and intent to use chemical weapons by non-state actors in Syria. ISIS is already under UN sanctions.
The Syrian government forces' unlawful chemical attacks appear to continue, Human Rights Watch said. Human Rights Watch has documented Syrian government forces' likely use of chemicals in attacks in Aleppo in August and September 2016. Bellingcat, a citizen investigative journalist group, has collected information about a likely government chemical attack in early October.
Human Rights Watch has previously called on the Security Council to extend and, if needed, expand the mandate of the joint inquiry, impose sanctions on the Syrian government for chemical weapon attacks in Syria, and refer the situation to the International Criminal Court.
In a 2013 resolution approved after a Sarin chemical attack in the Ghouta suburbs of Damascus killed hundreds of civilians, the Security Council agreed to impose measures under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter if chemical weapons were used again in Syria.
The Chemical Weapons Convention, which Syria ratified on October 14, 2013, prohibits attacks that use industrial chemicals such as chlorine as a weapon. Among other obligations, each member country agrees never to "assist, encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Convention." The laws of war applicable in Syria prohibit the use of chemical weapons. The use of such prohibited weapons with criminal intent that is, deliberately or recklessly is a war crime.
When the Security Council established the joint inquiry, Russia said it would close the gap in identifying those responsible for the use of chlorine as a weapon in Syria.
"Russia has supported all Security Council resolutions on the use of chemical weapons in Syria, including the one that tasked this investigation with establishing individual responsibility," Charbonneau said. "It would be a disgrace if Russia blocks Security Council action just because the investigation it ordered came back with a conclusion it didn't like."
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Lebanon: New Law a Step to End Torture
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 28 October 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Lebanon: New Law a Step to End Torture, 28 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820b1984.html [accessed 1 November 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.
Lebanon's parliament on October 19, 2016, took a positive step to improve the human rights situation and end the use of torture in the country. A new law established a National Human Rights Institute (NHRI), which will include a committee to investigate the use of torture and ill treatment.
The institute will monitor the human rights situation in Lebanon, receive complaints of violations, and issue periodic reports and recommendations. The Committee for the Protection from Torture, a national preventative mechanism, will have the authority to conduct regular unannounced visits to all places of detention, investigate the use of torture, and issue recommendations to improve the treatment of detainees.
"In establishing an independent national human rights body and mechanism to investigate torture, Lebanon has taken a positive if overdue step toward advancing human rights and eradicating the use of torture in the country," said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Now it's time for authorities to follow through by appointing independent experts, and ensuring that they can get to work."
The legislation brings Lebanon into compliance with its obligation under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT), which it ratified on December 22, 2008, to set up an independent national mechanism to prevent torture, including through regular visits to the country's detention centers to examine the treatment of detainees.
The National Human Rights Institute will monitor the human rights situation by reviewing laws, decrees, and administrative decisions and by investigating complaints of human rights violations and issuing periodic reports of its findings. In times of war, it will also monitor violations of international humanitarian law and work to ensure accountability for abuses.
The investigative committee will have the authority to enter and inspect all places of detention in Lebanon, without prior announcement or permission, and submit findings and recommendations to the institute and the relevant authorities. Under the law, places of detention are not limited to prisons and police stations but also include immigration detention sites such as in ports or the airport, and mental health facilities. Those working for the investigative committee will be able to interview detainees privately and outside the presence of guards. The law requires Lebanese authorities to cooperate with the committee and facilitate its work.
Both bodies will release annual reports of their activities and have the power to issue recommendations, negotiate solutions for violations, or refer matters for prosecution.
The law includes important provisions to guard against conflicts of interest and retaliation against members of the institute. Members will not be allowed to work a second job or to hold certain public offices simultaneously or within two years of leaving. They can only be dismissed under certain narrow criteria such as physical or mental incapacity to carry out their duties.
Lebanese authorities should now fund and staff the National Human Rights Institute with qualified, independent experts, through a transparent process, and ensure that it is able to visit all places of detention in the manner and frequency with which it decides and without fear of sanction or reprisal. Authorities should take steps to guarantee the financial and operational independence of the institute and protect sources from retaliation, as recommended by the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture's guidelines on national preventative mechanisms.
Lebanon should also bring national legislation into compliance with the Convention against Torture, including by criminalizing all forms of torture and ill-treatment and confirming its obligation to pursue all torture allegations in a diligent, timely, and effective manner to bring those responsible to justice.
Article 401 of the Lebanese Penal Code criminalizes the use of violence to extract confessions, but not all forms of torture. The Lebanese judiciary rarely, if ever, prosecutes people alleged to have tortured detainees. While some judges set aside confessions extracted under torture, others continue to accept such confessions despite the prohibition in Lebanese law on using forced confessions to convict people of crimes. Lebanon's delegation at the UN Human Rights Council agreed to criminalize all forms of torture and ill-treatment during the country's 2010 Universal Periodic Review. However, although the law passed on October 19 adopts a broad definition of torture, Lebanon has yet to criminalize all forms of torture, as article 4 of the Convention Against Torture requires.
Human Rights Watch has long documented the use of torture by security services in Lebanon, as well as the failure of authorities to properly investigate allegations of abuse. In a 2013 report, Human Rights Watch documented the widespread use of torture by the Lebanese Internal Security Forces against vulnerable groups like drug users, sex workers, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in their custody. In July 2013, Human Rights Watch documented seven cases of torture of detainees in military custody, including two children, following clashes between followers of Sheikh Ahmed al-Assir and the Lebanese army.
Human Rights Watch has also documented several cases in which the military courts have issued decisions based on confessions allegedly extracted under torture. One woman reported that she had been tortured and raped by Lebanese military intelligence while in detention in 2013, and was subsequently convicted by a military court for "offending the military institution."
In five other cases that Human Rights Watch documented in 2014 and 2015, detainees tried before military courts on terrorism or security-related offenses reported that interrogators had tortured them and forced them to confess, and the court relied on their coerced confessions as evidence against them.
One detainee said that during his interrogation at the Ministry of Defense, officers slapped him, punched him in the face, and threw him against the wall. He said that the beatings left him with a swollen neck, back, and legs, and with bruises all over his body. He said officers made him stand in front of the wall in the interrogation room for five hours until he passed out and collapsed. The next day he was forced to sign a piece of paper that he was not allowed to read.
Lebanon has failed in the past to properly investigate allegations of torture and ill-treatment by security services. No proper investigations were opened into serious allegations of military abuses against detainees in connection with the fighting between the Lebanese army and the armed Fatah al-Islam group in 2007, in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp. There was no judicial investigation in October 2012 after army and intelligence officials rounded up and beat at least 72 male migrant workers, most of them Syrians, in the Beirut neighborhood of Geitawi, allegedly because officials had received reports of migrants "harassing women." The alleged torturers in the military court cases were not investigated or penalized.
Following a UN Committee Against Torture inquiry on Lebanon, the Committee found, in its 2014 report, that "torture in Lebanon is a pervasive practice that is routinely used by the armed forces and law enforcement agencies for the purpose of investigation, for securing confessions to be used in criminal proceedings and, in some cases for punishing acts that the victim is believed to have committed."
The need to combat torture and ill-treatment lie at the heart of several international conventions, treaties, and declarations that Lebanon is obligated to uphold under international law and is bound to by the preamble of its constitution. These include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), and the OPCAT.
The OPCAT is the first international human rights instrument that seeks to prevent torture and other forms of ill-treatment by establishing a system of regular visits to detention sites by independent international and national bodies.
"Lebanon's efforts to end the pervasive use of torture in the country should not stop here," Fakih said. "Authorities need to take steps to amend the definition of torture under domestic law to bring it into compliance with Lebanon's international obligations and investigate and prosecute alleged abusers."
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Burma: Invite UN to Assist Rakhine Inquiry
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 28 October 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Burma: Invite UN to Assist Rakhine Inquiry, 28 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820b2390.html [accessed 1 November 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.
The Burmese government should invite the United Nations to participate in a thorough and impartial investigation into deadly attacks on police and subsequent allegations of summary killings, sexual violence, and other rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims in northern Rakhine State, Human Rights Watch said today.
On October 9, 2016, gunmen attacked three police outposts in Maungdaw township near the Bangladesh border, reportedly leaving nine police officers dead. The government reported that the attackers made off with dozens of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition. The Burmese government maintains the attack was carried out by a Rohingya group, but who was actually responsible is unclear. The media and local rights groups have reported numerous human rights abuses against Rohingya following the attack, including extrajudicial killings, rape, torture, arbitrary arrests, and burning of homes. On October 28, Reuters published interviews with Rohingya women who claim they were raped by Burmese soldiers. Government-imposed restrictions on access to the area by journalists and human rights monitors have hindered impartial information-gathering.
"The Burmese government should ensure a credible inquiry into the October 9 violence by inviting UN human rights experts to take part," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Rakhine State's ethnic divide is perhaps Burma's biggest fault line. The government's handling of this inquiry is a big test for preventing future violence against the Rohingya and other populations."
On October 27, the president's spokesman, U Zaw Htay, said that allegations of human rights violations by the security forces were "totally wrong," but asserted that the government would take them seriously. On October 28, the office of President Htin Kyaw said authorities had opened an investigation into a case of the death of a 60-year-old man detained on October 14, on suspicion of involvement in the October 9 attack.
On October 24, the parliament of Rakhine State (also known as Arakan State) announced the establishment of a commission of legislators to investigate the October 9 attacks. This followed a statement by UN experts calling on Burma to address allegations of serious human rights violations in the state, where ethnic Rohingya Muslims have long been the target of state-sponsored abuses.
The composition of the commission raises concerns about independence and impartiality, Human Rights Watch said. The commission is comprised of six members of the Arakan National Party (ANP), an ethnic Rakhine Buddhist party; two members of the military-backed Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP); one member of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD); a military appointee; and a legal advisor to the regional parliament. There are no Rohingya on the commission, although they constitute a third of Rakhine State's population of 3 million, and have long been the targets of rights violations.
Beyond problems with the commission's composition, members have also indicated a lack of impartiality. U Tun Hla Sein, a USDP commissioner from Rakhine State, stated that one of the purposes of the commission was "to help indigenous people who fled the clashes." The phrase "indigenous people" is commonly used to refer exclusively to ethnic Rakhine Buddhists.
Burma is obligated under international law to conduct thorough, prompt, and impartial investigations of alleged human rights violations, prosecute those responsible, and provide adequate redress for victims of violations. Standards for such investigations can be found, for example, in the UN Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions, and the UN Guidance on Commissions of Inquiry and Fact-Finding Missions. Burma's failure to conduct such investigations in the past underscores the need for UN assistance, Human Rights Watch said.
In December 2015, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling upon the government to establish without further delay a country office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with a full mandate. In her August 2016 report, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, emphasized that the prompt establishment of such an office "could give vital assistance to the Government in addressing the complex and wide-ranging human rights challenges currently facing Myanmar."
"Promptly establishing an unbiased and independent commission that has the mandate to investigate all alleged abuses is an essential first step," Adams said. "The parliamentary commission appointed by the state government is partisan and appears to lack the independence and technical skills needed to carry out such a sensitive investigation, which is why the UN is needed."
Immediately after the attacks, government forces declared Maungdaw an "operation zone" and began sweeps of the area to find the attackers and lost weapons. They severely restricted the freedom of movement of the local populations and imposed extended curfews, which remain in place. Humanitarian aid groups have also been cut off, placing tens of thousands of already vulnerable people at greater risk.
Aid groups told Human Rights Watch that the lack of access is worsening the impact on the local population. The World Food Programme said that while areas surrounding Maungdaw and Buthidaung towns are slowly receiving aid, 50,000 food-insecure people in rural Maungdaw remain without routine food distributions.
"The Burmese government and army need to end restrictions on access to northern Rakhine State for aid groups, journalists, and human rights monitors to allow aid to reach the vulnerable Rohingya population and independent reporting on the situation," Adams said.
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Ethiopia: State of Emergency Risks New Abuses
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 31 October 2016 Related Document(s) Legal Analysis of Ethiopia's State of Emergency Cite as Human Rights Watch, Ethiopia: State of Emergency Risks New Abuses, 31 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820b2b54.html [accessed 1 November 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.
An Ethiopian government directive under a state of emergency contains overly broad and vague provisions that risk triggering a human rights crisis, Human Rights Watch said today in a legal analysis. The government should promptly repeal or revise all elements of the directive that are contrary to international law.
On October 9, 2016, the government announced a six-month state of emergency following the destruction of some government buildings and private property by demonstrators. Over the past year, security forces have killed hundreds of protesters and detained tens of thousands in two regions where there have been numerous protests over government policies.
"Ethiopia's state of emergency bans nearly all speech that the government disagrees with anywhere in the country for at least six months," said Felix Horne, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The state of emergency hands the army new sweeping powers to crack down on demonstrators, further limiting the space for peaceful dissent."
Under the new state of emergency, the army can be deployed country-wide for at least six months. The implementing directive prescribes draconian restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and assembly that go far beyond what is permissible under international law and signal an increased militarized response to the situation. The directive effectively codifies many of the security forces' abusive tactics that Human Rights Watch has documented since the protests began.
The directive includes far-reaching restrictions on sharing information on social media, watching diaspora television stations, and closing businesses as a gesture of protest, as well as curtailing opposition parties' ability to communicate with the media. It specifically bans writing or sharing material via any platform that "could create misunderstanding between people or unrest."
It bans all protests without government permission and permits arrest without court order in "a place assigned by the command post until the end of the state of emergency." It also permits "rehabilitation" a euphemism for short-term detention often involving physical punishment. Many of these restrictions are country-wide and not limited to the two of Ethiopia's nine regions where most of the unrest took place.
Under international law, during a state of emergency a government may only suspend certain rights to the extent permitted by the "exigencies of the situation." Many of the measures, including the restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly, and association go far beyond what is permitted under international law.
The government reports that since the state of emergency began, 1,600 people have been arrested, including about 50 for closing their businesses. Human Rights Watch also has received unconfirmed reports of unlawful killings, mass arrests, and looting of houses and businesses by the security forces. There have been some armed clashes between security forces and unidentified groups. Mobile phone access to the internet has been blocked since October 5. Addis Standard, a monthly English language magazine and one of the few independent publications left in Ethiopia, announced on October 25 that it was halting publication of its print edition due to state-of-emergency restrictions.
Large-scale, and mainly peaceful anti-government protests have been sweeping through Oromia, Ethiopia's largest region, since November 2015, and the Amhara region since July 2016. Ethiopian security forces have killed more than 500 people during protests over the last year. These protests occurred in a context of the near-total closure of political space.
Protesters have voiced a variety of concerns, including issues related to development, the lack of political space, the brutality of the security forces, and domination of economic and political affairs by people affiliated with the ruling party. The emergency measures send a strong and chilling message that rather than dealing with expressed grievances and ensuring accountability for violence by both government forces and protesters, the government will continue and probably escalate the militarized response.
On October 2, in Bishoftu, a town 40 kilometers southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, tensions ignited at the annual Irreecha festival an important Oromo cultural event that draws millions of people each year. Security forces confronted huge crowds with tear gas and fired shots and scores of people then died during a stampede. Since then, alleged demonstrators have damaged a number of government buildings and private businesses perceived to be close to the ruling party, setting some on fire.
The government has in part blamed human rights groups seeking to document violations of international law for the recent unrest. Human Rights Watch has repeatedly called for an independent and credible investigation into the security force response to the protests and to the deaths in Bishoftu.
"Many of the abuses committed by security forces since November 2015 have now been codified under the state of emergency," Horne said. "Trying to use the legal cover of a state of emergency as a pretext for the widespread suspension of rights not only violates the government's international legal obligations, but will exacerbate tensions and long-term grievances, and risks plunging Ethiopia into a greater crisis."
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Venezuela: Universal Periodic Review
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 31 October 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Venezuela: Universal Periodic Review, 31 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820b5eb4.html [accessed 1 November 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.
Human Rights Watch
UPR Submission
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
March 2016[1]
I. Summary
The accumulation of power in the executive branch and erosion of human rights guarantees in Venezuela have enabled the government to intimidate, censor, and prosecute its critics. Leading opposition politicians were arbitrarily arrested, prosecuted, convicted, and barred from running for office. The government prosecuted dozens of lesser-known opponents for criticizing the government. Security forces have committed serious human rights abuses against anti-government protesters and during public security operations that go unpunished. Other concerns include lack of access to basic medicines and suppliesthe result of problematic government policiesand continuous harassment of human rights defenders by government officials.
II. Human Rights Issues
Security Force Abuses
During the 2011 UPR of Venezuela, the government noted a recommendation to "fight against the misuse of power by security forces." Since then, Venezuelan security forces have committed serious abuses against anti-government protesters, bystanders, and others, which routinely go unpunished.
In early 2014, the government responded to massive anti-government protests with brutal force. For several weeks, security forces routinely used unlawful force against unarmed protesters and bystanders. They also tolerated and sometimes collaborated directly with armed pro-government gangs that attacked protesters with impunity. Detainees were often held incommunicado on military bases for 48 hours or more before being presented to a judge, and in some cases suffered a range of abuses during detention that included severe beatings; electric shocks or burns; and being forced to squat or kneel without moving for hours.
The Attorney General's Office reported that it had opened 189 investigations into alleged security force abuses committed during the protests and that 42 law enforcement officials had been charged with improper use of force and firearms and ill-treatment of citizens.
Protesters continue to be subject to prosecution for participating in peaceful demonstrations. For example, Jose Gregorio Hernandez Carrasco, a student, was detained in May 2016, two days after he participated in an anti-government demonstration in Caracas. He said he was beaten and tortured and finally agreed to sign a confession. The torture included applying electric shocks, covering his head with a plastic bag to choke him, and placing a stick on his rectum and threatening to rape him. Hernandez Carrasco was released in July, but remains subject to criminal prosecution.
In 2016, Venezuelans reported being arrested during street protests over food scarcitysome organized and some spontaneousand being subject to beatings and other mistreatment while in detention. Doctors and nurses in public hospitals who have spoken out publicly about the humanitarian crisis report being threatened with the loss of their jobs.
Starting in July 2015, President Maduro deployed more than 80,000 members of security forces nationwide in a series of raids under the umbrella of the "Operation to Liberate the People" purportedly to address rising security concerns, as well as illegal sales of scarce products. During these operations, security forces allegedly violated fundamental rights through arbitrary detentions, illegal home searches, and physical abuse. The government reported 245 killings during the operations; in several cases, there have been credible allegations that some victims were extrajudicially executed.
In August 2015, the president declared a state of emergency in six municipalities in Tachira State near the Colombian border. Between August and late September, Venezuelan security forces deported more than 1,700 Colombians. At least 22,000 more left Venezuela fearing abuses or deportation. Hundreds of Colombians claim to have suffered forceful eviction from their homes, which were subsequently destroyed; verbal and physical abuse by Venezuelan security forces; and forceful separation of families. Some deported Colombians had legal permits to live in Venezuela but were not allowed to challenge their deportations.
Judicial Independence
During the 2011 UPR of Venezuela, the government noted recommendations to address the lack of judicial independence in the country.
Since former President Chavez and his supporters in the National Assembly conducted a political takeover of the Supreme Court in 2004, the judiciary has ceased to function as an independent branch of government. Members of the Supreme Court have openly rejected the principle of separation of powers, publicly pledged their commitment to advancing the government's political agenda, and repeatedly ruled in favor of the government, validating its growing disregard for human rights.
Since the opposition assumed the majority in the National Assembly, in January 2016, the Supreme Court, upon President Maduro's request for a constitutional analysis, has struck down almost every law passed. In September, the Constitutional Chamber ruled that every law passed by the current composition of the Assembly would be unconstitutional. It held that the Assembly was not complying with a January ruling by the Electoral Chamber that had temporarily suspended the appointment of three legislators. (In June, the Assembly's leadership had incorporated the legislators, arguing that the Electoral Chamber had failed to decide on a precautionary measure that should have been resolved within days).
Judge Maria Lourdes Afiuni remains under criminal prosecution as a result of a 2009 ruling in which she authorized the conditional release of a government critic. Although Afiuni's ruling complied with a recommendation by international human rights monitors and was consistent with Venezuelan law, a provisional judge who had publicly pledged his loyalty to Chavez ordered her to stand trial on charges of corruption, abuse of authority, and "favoring the evasion of justice." After a year in prison and two under house arrest, she was released but remains subject to criminal prosecution.
Recommendations:
The National Assembly should:
Implement a one-time ratification process to legitimize the composition of the Supreme Court, for example, by requiring a two-thirds majority affirmation vote for each Supreme Court justice whose appointment occurred after the passage of the 2004 Supreme Court law, including those appointed in December 2015. Measures should then be taken to permit the lawful removal of any justice who does not receive a two-thirds majority vote during this process. Any resulting vacancies should be filled through a selection process that is open, transparent, and ensures broadest possible political consensus.
Repeal the provisions of the Supreme Court law that undermine the court's independence by allowing justices to be removed by a simple majority vote.
Adopt norms to ensure that lower court judges are appointed to permanent positions and do not lack security of tenure
The Attorney General's Office should drop all charges against Judge Maria Lourdes Afiuni.
Prosecution of Critics
Venezuelan authorities have repeatedly abused the justice system's lack of independence to arrest and prosecute prominent political opponents, which is consistent with their noting of a recommendation during the 2011 UPR that called on Venezuela to "abolish the practice of using the judicial system to silence critics."
In September 2015, a judge convicted Leopoldo Lopez, an opposition leader, and sentenced him to more than 13 years in prison for crimes that include "public incitement" to commit crimes during a demonstration in Caracas in February 2014. Three students whose cases were linked to Lopez's were also sentenced, two to four-and-a-half years, and one to more than 10. The judge ruled all three could serve their sentences in conditional liberty.
During Lopez's trial, the prosecution failed to provide credible evidence linking him to a crime, and the presiding judge, who is a provisional judge and lacks security of tenure, had not allowed his lawyers to present evidence in his defense.
Authorities have also brought or threatened to bring criminal charges against dozens of Venezuelans for criticizing the government. For example, in 2015, National Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) agents detained a medical doctor and threatened him with prosecution for criticizing shortages of medicines on television, an engineer after a local newspaper quoted him criticizing government policies that regulate access to electricity, and a businessman a day after he criticized on television the government's economic policies. Lawyers have also been prosecuted for providing legitimate legal assistance to clients.
In 2016, the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) detained dozens of people on allegations of planning, fomenting, or participating in violent anti-government actions, including some that were peaceful protests. Many say they have been tortured or otherwise abused in custody, and/or that they were unable to see their families or lawyers for hours, occasionally days, after arrest. In several cases documented by Human Rights Watch, prosecutors failed to present any credible evidence linking the accused to crimes. In some cases, the evidence included possession of political materials, including pamphlets calling for the release of political prisoners.
Recommendations:
The Venezuelan government should immediately and unconditionally release Leopoldo Lopez and other political leaders and lesser-known critics who have been convicted for having criticized the government or commenting on issues of public interest. It should also order SEBIN agents to stop arbitrary arrests and abuse of political dissidents.
The Attorney General's Office should:
Refrain from filing charges against government critics for having questioned government actions or policies;
Drop all charges against government critics who are being prosecuted for having questioned government actions or policies; and
Investigate allegations of abuse by security forces against detainees.
Freedom of Expression
Over the past decade, the government has expanded and abused its powers to regulate media and has taken aggressive steps to reduce the availability of media outlets that engage in critical programming. While criticism of the government is articulated in some newspapers and on some websites and radio stations, fear of government reprisals has made self-censorship a serious problem.
In 2010, the National Assembly amended the telecommunications law to grant the government power to suspend or revoke concessions to private outlets if it is "convenient for the interests of the nation." It also expanded the scope of a restrictive broadcasting statute to cover the Internet, allowing the arbitrary suspension of websites for the vaguely defined offense of "incitement." Previous amendments to the criminal code had expanded the scope and severity of defamation laws that criminalize "disrespect" of high government officials.
During the 2011 UPR of Venezuela, the government noted recommendations to respect free speech in the country, and some that specifically called on Venezuela to amend norms that violate the right to freedom of expression.
In April 2015, Diosdado Cabello, the then pro-government National Assembly president, filed civil and criminal charges of aggravated defamation against 22 "shareholders, editors, editorial boards, and owners" of the Venezuelan newspapers Tal Cual and El Nacional and the news website La Patilla for reproducing an article by the Spanish newspaper ABC. The article included statements allegedly made by Cabello's former bodyguard, who the reports said was collaborating with United States authorities to investigate whether Cabello had links to a drug cartel. In March 2016, the director of the newspaper Correo del Caroni was sentenced to four years in prison for defamation and slander for publishing reports on allegations of corruption related to a state mining company.
Security forces have detained, interrogated, and confiscated the equipment of several journalists in 2016. For example, on September 3, Braulio Jatar, a prominent Venezuelan journalist born in Chile who directs an independent digital outlet in Nueva Esparta State, went missing after he covered a spontaneous pot-banging protest against President Maduro in a pro-government neighborhood on Margarita Island. His coverage received widespread attention in Venezuela and internationally. His family did not know his whereabouts for more than 36 hours. An intelligence report accused Jatar of being a "CIA agent" who was organizing "terrorist activities" in preparation for a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement scheduled to start in Margarita on September 13. A judge charged Jatar with money launderingwhich carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prisonfor allegedly having approximately US$25,000 cash in his car. Jatar says the evidence was planted. At time of writing, Jatar is in pretrial detention.
Recommendations:
The National Assembly should repeal all legal provisions that contravene international norms on freedom of expression and generate undue pressure for self-censorship. Specifically, it should repeal all insult laws (desacato) and all laws that criminalize defamation of public officials and institutions; ensure that civil damages for defamation are limited so as to avoid a chilling effect on free expression; and amend the language of article 29(1) of the Social Responsibility Law to ensure that the offense of incitement is clearly defined and restricted to situations in which broadcasters directly and explicitly incite the commission of crimes.
The Attorney General's Office should drop all charges in ongoing prosecutions for defamation. It should also drop charges against Braulio Jatar, and immediately release him.
The government of Venezuela should ensure the impartiality and due process in the procedures by which broadcasting laws are enforced. Specifically, it should ensure that investigation and sanctioning of alleged infractions of broadcast laws are carried out by an impartial and independent body protected from political interference; and that alleged violators of broadcast regulations are guaranteed the right to contest the charges against them.
Human Rights Defenders
Although Venezuela accepted some recommendations during the 2011 UPR to support the activities of human rights defenders and to increase dialogue and cooperation with them, it also noted others that called on the government to support the "independent work of the NGOs," to "generate an environment where they can work freely," and to "allow access to international funding so that human rights defenders may continue to carry out their legitimate work."
Since then, Venezuela's government has sought to marginalize the country's human rights defenders through repeated unsubstantiated allegations that they are seeking to undermine Venezuelan democracy. During his weekly show on state-run television in 2015, Cabello repeatedly characterized human rights groups' participation in hearings before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) or United Nations human rights monitoring bodies as attempts "to destabilize the government."
In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that individuals or organizations that receive foreign funding could be prosecuted for "treason." In addition, the National Assembly enacted legislation blocking organizations that "defend political rights" or "monitor the performance of public bodies" from receiving international assistance.
In May 2016, President Maduro issued a presidential decree thatin addition to declaring a "state of exception" and granting himself the power to suspend rightsinstructed the Foreign Affairs Ministry to suspend all agreements providing foreign funding to individuals or organizations when "it is presumed" that such agreements "are used for political purposes or to destabilize the Republic."
Recommendations:
The Venezuelan government should abandon its aggressively adversarial posture toward local human rights defenders and civil society organizations. Specifically, government officials should:
Refrain from unfounded attacks on the credibility of human rights defenders and civil society organizations; and
Publicly retract unfounded public statements against rights advocates and organizations.
In addition, the National Assembly should amend legislation that imposes limits on the ability of these groups to obtain international funding.
Prison Conditions
Venezuela accepted only some of the 2011 UPR recommendations to improve its prison system. Prison conditions in Venezuela remain dire. Corruption, weak security, deteriorating infrastructure, overcrowding, insufficient staffing, and poorly trained guards allow armed gangs to effectively control the prisons in which they are incarcerated. The Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons, a human rights group, reported that 6,663 people died in prisons between 1999 and 2015. As of July 2016, average overcrowding of 210 percent plagued Venezuelan prisons, according to the Observatory.
Rights to Health and Food
Despite its commitment during the 2011 UPR to protect the right to health, the government has failed to ensure that basic medicines and supplies are available and accessible to all Venezuelans without discrimination. It has failed to provide the public health care system with medicines and supplies, and at the same time its currency exchange rules and price controls interfere with the import of medicines and health care products, resulting in a grossly inadequate supply of essential medications and medical supplies.
In March 2015, a network of medical residents working in public hospitals throughout the country reported that 44 percent of the nation's operating rooms were not functional and 94 percent of labs did not have the materials they needed to operate properly. In August 2016, they reported severe shortagesor complete lackof basic medicines in 76 percent of the hospitals surveyed, up from 55 percent in 2014 and 67 percent in 2015.
Official statistics of infant and maternal mortality rates in 2016 are substantially higher than rates reported in previous years. The infant mortality rate for the first five months of 2016 was 18.61 deaths per 1,00045 percent higher than 2013 figures. The maternal mortality rate for the first five months of 2016 was 130.70 deaths for every 100,000 births, which is 79 percent higher than the latest available official figures, from 2009.
Severe shortages of food make it extremely difficult for many people to obtain adequate nutrition. In a 2015 survey by civil society groups and two Venezuelan universities, 87 percent of interviewees nationwidemost from low-income householdshad difficulty purchasing food. Twelve percent of interviewees were eating two or fewer meals a day.
Recommendations:
The Venezuelan government should ensure that basic medicines and supplies are available and accessible to all without discrimination. It should take immediate and urgent steps to develop, implement, and publicly articulate effective policies to address the crisis in Venezuela's health sector and shortages of food.
Political Discrimination
In June 2016, dozens of workers from the customs and tax agency were fired in apparent retaliation for supporting the recall of President Maduro. Media have reported hundreds of other referendum supporters nationwide fired under similar circumstances. International law forbids governments' discrimination or retaliation for political views.
Recommendations:
The Venezuelan government should comply with international standards that prohibit discrimination based on political grounds.
On the International Criminal Court:
Venezuela should complete the process of fully aligning its national legislation with all obligations under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Annexes:
"A Decade Under Chavez: Political Intolerance and Lost Opportunities for Advancing Human Rights in Venezuela," Human Rights Watch report, September 2008. "Tightening the Grip: Concentration and Abuse of Power in Chavez's Venezuela," Human Rights Watch report, July 2012. "Punished for Protesting: Rights Violations in Venezuela's Streets, Detention Centers, and Justice System," Human Rights Watch report, May 2014. "Unchecked Power: Police and Military Raids in Low-Income and Immigrant Communities in Venezuela," Human Rights Watch report, April 2016. "Venezuela's Humanitarian Crisis: Severe Medical and Food Shortages, Inadequate and Repressive Government Response," Human Rights Watch report, October 2016. Other Human Rights Watch material:
"Venezuela's Health Care Crisis," April 2015, https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/04/29/venezuelas-health-care-crisis . "Critics Under Threat," August 2015, https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/08/06/venezuela-critics-under-threat . "Candidates Barred Arbitrarily," August 2015,
https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/08/27/venezuela-candidates-barred-arbitrarily
"The Shattered Case Against Leopoldo Lopez," December 2015, https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/12/02/shattered-case-against-leopoldo-lopez . "Revoke Emergency Decree," May 2016, https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/05/19/venezuela-revoke-emergency-decree. "Recall Supporters Fired," July 2016, https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/07/20/venezuela-recall-supporters-fired. "Dissidents Allege Torture, Coerced Confessions," July 2016, https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/07/27/venezuela-dissidents-allege-torture-coerced-confessions .
[1] Updates as of October 5, 2016, are included in bold.
Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Burma: Satellite Images Show Fire-Damaged Villages
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 31 October 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Burma: Satellite Images Show Fire-Damaged Villages, 31 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820b6a24.html [accessed 1 November 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.
New satellite imagery shows evident fire-related destruction in at least three villages in Burma's northern Rakhine State, Human Rights Watch said today. The Burmese government should urgently allow the United Nations to assist in investigating reported destruction of villages in the area. A government-chaperoned delegation of UN aid agencies and foreign diplomats is expected to visit the area on October 31, 2016, marking the first time international aid agencies have been allowed into the area since October 9, although it is unclear whether they will have full access to affected villages.
A UN-assisted investigation needs to examine the deadly attacks on border guard posts on October 9, and allegations that government security forces subsequently committed summary killings, sexual violence, arson, and other rights abuses against ethnic Rohingya villagers in Rakhine State's Maungdaw district, Human Rights Watch said.
"New satellite images reveal destruction in Rakhine State that demands an impartial and independent investigation, something the Burmese government has yet to show it's capable of doing," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The government should end its blanket denial of wrongdoing, and blocking of aid agencies, and stop making excuses for keeping international monitors from the area."
Human Rights Watch's review of high-resolution satellite imagery recorded on the morning of October 22 identified multiple areas of probable building destruction in the villages of Kyet Yoe Pyin, Pyaung Pyit (Ngar Sar Kyu), and Wa Peik (Kyee Kan Pyin), in the Maungdaw district. Damage signatures visible in the imagery are consistent with the presence of large burn scars from fires in each of the villages.
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The discovery of active fires and large burn scars in these villages is consistent with arson attacks reported in Maungdaw district since October 9 by Rohingya groups, human rights organizations, and media accounts quoting witnesses to the violence. Because of limits in the spatial resolution of available satellite imagery and dense tree cover, the exact number of buildings destroyed is uncertain, and the actual damage in Maungdaw may have been underestimated. Human Rights Watch will conduct a revised assessment when more detailed satellite imagery becomes available.
On October 9, gunmen attacked three police outposts in Maungdaw township near the Bangladesh border, reportedly leaving nine police officers dead. The government said that the attackers made off with dozens of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition. The Burmese government asserts the attack was carried out by a Rohingya group, but actual responsibility remains unclear.
Immediately after the attacks, government forces declared Maungdaw an "operation zone" and began sweeps of the area to find the attackers and lost weapons. They severely restricted the freedom of movement of local populations and imposed extended curfews, which remain in place. Humanitarian aid groups have also been denied access, placing tens of thousands of already vulnerable people at greater risk.
Media and local rights groups have reported numerous human rights abuses against Rohingya following the attack, including extrajudicial killings, rape, torture, arbitrary arrests, and burning of homes. On October 28, Reuters published interviews with Rohingya women who allege they were raped by Burmese soldiers. Government-imposed restrictions on access to the area by journalists and human rights monitors continue to hinder impartial information gathering.
Burma's army, known as the Tatmadaw, has a long history of abuses, including arbitrary arrest, beatings, torture, sexual abuse and rape, extrajudicial killings, and use of forced labor. Army commanders and soldiers who have committed serious abuses against civilians during operations have enjoyed almost total impunity.
Burma is obligated under international law to conduct thorough, prompt, and impartial investigations of alleged human rights violations, prosecute those responsible, and provide adequate redress for victims of violations. Standards for such investigations can be found, for example, in the UN Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions, and the UN Guidance on Commissions of Inquiry and Fact-Finding Missions. Burma's failure to conduct such investigations in the past underscores the need for UN assistance, Human Rights Watch said.
"These satellite images of village destruction could be the tip of the iceberg given the grave abuses being reported," Robertson said. "The Burmese government has a responsibility to hold accountable both the perpetrators of the October 9 attacks against state officials, and government security forces who committed and may still be committing serious abuses in pursuit of those attackers."
Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Uganda: UPR Submission
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 1 November 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Uganda: UPR Submission, 1 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5820b91b4.html [accessed 1 November 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.
UPR Submission
Uganda
Addendum to UPR Submission
Uganda
October 2016
Since Human Rights Watch's March 2016 submission ahead of Uganda's next Universal Periodic Review, there have been ongoing violations of free assembly, expression, and association.
Between February and May after the general elections, police raided and sealed off the opposition political party Forum for Democratic Change headquarters, arrested party officials, and beat their supporters on several occasions. In May, opposition leader Kizza Besigye was charged with treason and remanded in prison. In July after the High Court granted him bail, police brutally beat Besigye's supporters and other bystanders with sticks and batons as he drove through the streets of Kampala.
Opposition activists brought a private prosecution for torture against the Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura for his alleged involvement in beating opposition supporters in July. The possibility of a trial on the merits fell apart in August. Kayihura failed to appear in court, and police-backed demonstrators physically threatened the lawyers who brought the case and tried to prevent them from leaving the court. They were forced to hide in a magistrate's office to avoid being assaulted by those voicing support for the police. Ultimately, the alleged victims of torture publicly withdrew their statements and said they did not want to proceed.
In April, a court of appeal judge issued a temporary injunction stopping the FDC from carrying out any "defiance campaign" activities pending the hearing of the government's motion challenging the campaign's constitutionality, a ruling that was heavily criticized as lacking independence from the executive. To implement the injunction, the government banned the media from reporting on all FDC activities, a clear violation of the right to freedom of expression and media freedom. The ban ended when the court's interim order expired. Besigye has been largely under de facto house arrest when he is in Uganda, though he has been permitted to travel internationally.
In September, police arrested and detained 25 women who had peacefully gathered in Kampala to pray and present a petition to the speaker of parliament. The women oppose a legislator's proposed constitutional amendment that would remove the age limits for judges and the term limits for Electoral Commissioners. The women were eventually released without charge. The women argue that recent efforts to amend the constitution are a "decoy" to remove presidential age limits. President Museveni has been in office since 1986 and he cannot run for president again in 2021, unless presidential age limits in the constitution are scrapped. Disagreements over lifting presidential age limits are very likely to lead to increased rights abuses, particularly by the police who consistently are partisan and brutal in the context of managing public order.
Since our March submission, Human Rights Watch has also documented inter-communal fighting prompted by local elections in Rwenzori region, western Uganda, which led to the deaths of at least 50 people and sparked unlawful killings during arrests. During the subsequent law enforcement operations, the police and army killed at least 13 people during alleged arrest attempts. Multiple witnesses said victims were unarmed when shot and killed. There have been no investigations into the security forces' use of force.
Basic rights of LGBTI people also remain under threat. In August, police unlawfully raided a peaceful pageant that was part of PRIDE celebrations in Kampala. Police locked the venue's gates, arrested activists, and beat and humiliated hundreds of people, violating rights to association and assembly. The minister for ethics and integrity threatened to mobilize mobs to attack participants should other Pride events take place. Over a month later, police gave permission for a Pride parade to occur on September 24, but on the day, police arrested over 100 people at a peaceful pride parade in Entebbe after blocking the participants from entering two resorts. Everyone was later released but the event has never been permitted to recur.
Additional recommendations to the government of Uganda:
Take all necessary action to stop government officials from interfering in judicial proceedings.
Allow peaceful opposition groups to operate freely and exercise the freedoms of assembly, association, expression, and religion, in accordance with international human rights norms and Uganda's constitution;
Immediately stop persecuting or harassing lawyers who seek to represent opposition members or their supporters.
Do not infringe on the rights of Ugandans to hold peaceful cultural events, such as PRIDE.
*****
Universal Periodic Review of Uganda
HRW's Submission to the Human Rights Council - March 2016
Summary
The government of Uganda violates fundamental rights including freedom of expression, association, and assembly despite commitments to bring relevant laws and practice into compliance during the 2011 UPR. The government passed an anti-torture law but no prosecutions for torture occurred. While the government drafted a Human Rights Action Plan, as recommended by some member states, the plan has yet to be launched.
The 2016 election period included numerous serious violations of civil and political rights, revealing the government's lack of genuine commitment to and even fundamental disregard for many of the 2011 UPR recommendations it pledged to support.
Human Rights Abuses by Security Forces
Despite commitments to ensure investigations and hold state security forces accountable over many years, prolonged illegal detention and torture by security forces remain unaddressed. No security force member has been convicted for any of the well-documented killings of civilians during protests in 2009 and 2011. A Local Defence Force member was arrested and charged before the military courts for the fatal shooting of 2 year-old Julien Nalwanga in Masaka in April 2011, but the proceedings have not concluded after 5 years and the alleged perpetrator remains on remand.
In December 2011, police leadership disbanded the Rapid Response Unit explicitly due to concerns about human rights violations, but did not investigate at least six extrajudicial killings or numerous allegations of torture by the unit. One case involving a suspect tortured to death during an interrogation in 2010 still has not advanced in the courts despite arrests of police officers who remain free on bail. Officers from the disbanded unit remain in the police force and Human Rights Watch continues to document prolonged unlawful detention as well as mistreatment and torture by them. Similarly, no inquiries have been made into cases of people who were tortured or died in the custody of the Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force, though the task force is much less active in law enforcement than it was in 2006-2009.
Importantly, the government passed an anti-torture law in 2012, which could be a significant step forward for accountability, but police and prosecutors have never brought charges under the new law. The Uganda Human Rights Commission can award a judgment of compensation for torture if a victim files a complaint, but the process often takes years, and the government routinely delays or fails to pay compensation. Actual perpetrators face no punishment as the ruling is against the Attorney General rather than the specific party who committed or was responsible for abuses.
The government failed to credibly investigate violence in 2014 in which at least 100 people were killed in the western Rwenzori region. Numerous reports and Human Rights Watch research suggest that after a July attack on a military barracks and some police posts, civilians were mutilated, tortured, and killed, some buried in mass and unmarked graves, and that government forces may have been involved in reprisals against members of the ethnic group believed to be responsible for the initial attacks. Hundreds of civilians were eventually charged before military courts and in some cases, later amnestied.
Recommendations:
Cease illegal detention and torture of suspects; investigate and hold accountable state security agents including police and army members who have committed human rights violations;
Use the new Anti-Torture Act to ensure prosecutions for torture;
Ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture;
Ratify the Convention on International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
Freedom of Assembly
Contrary to commitments to uphold international human rights law on free assembly made in the 2011 UPR, Uganda passed the regressive Public Order Management Act in August 2013. The law grants police wide discretionary powers to permit or disallow gatherings and has typically been used to obstruct civic meetings and opposition rallies, and as a basis to arrest opposition members. It has occasionally been invoked to prevent private meetings.
In the run-up to the 2016 elections the law's implementation resulted in blatantly partisan policing: police prevented opposition gatherings while protecting activities supporting the incumbent. In July 2015, for example, police arrested two opposition presidential candidates, Kizza Besigye and Amama Mbabazi, as they tried to hold meetings in Kampala and Mbale, respectively. In September 2015, police in Soroti and Jinja fired teargas to disperse people gathered to hear Mbabazi, even though there had been no disorder. In some instances, police fired teargas canisters directly at individuals, turning the canisters into projectiles causing injury, in addition to the teargas' harmful effects on skin, eyes, and breathing. In Jinja, police lobbed fired into the grounds of a primary school, harming children, all in an effort to break up peaceful opposition gatherings.
Recommendations:
Investigate and punish acts by security forces to obstruct public rallies;
Amend the Public Order Management Act to ensure free assembly rights in line with international human rights law.
Due Process Violations
On February 19, the day before President Museveni was declared the winner of the 2016 elections, Besigye was arrested and placed under "preventive arrest" in his home. He was arrested daily every time he attempted to leave his home for over forty days. Police presented no evidence of wrongdoing and argued that their actions were lawful.
Sporadic use of "preventive" detention of Besigye over several years clearly constitutes arbitrary detention in violation of international human rights law, and is an unconstitutional form of detention without trial or prospect of trial. It violates rights to liberty and security, freedom of movement and the presumption of innocence. The Uganda Human Rights Commission, among others, have explicitly said that preventive detention of anyone inside their home is a clear rights violation. The Police Act provision used to justify preventive detention is inapplicable to the factual reality as it applies only to "habitual offenders." As of this writing, Besigye had not been charged or convicted of any crime.
Practices of the criminal justice system violate international human rights law. As of 2014, 55 percent of the prison population consisted of remandees, though international law provides that pre-trial detention should be an exception and as short as possible. The vast majority of detainees, including those accused of serious crimes, lack legal representation, and during their long remand times cannot consult counsel or exercise the right to apply for bail.
Human Rights Watch remains concerned that Uganda's military court system, in practice, fails to uphold fair trial and due process rights. Infrequency of sessions and painfully slow processes mean that trials are not completed in a reasonable time. Defendants do not enjoy adequate time or facilities for the preparation of their defense, and the army commanders who act as judges lack any legal expertise. Suspects are sometimes held on remand for many years, leading some suspects to feel that pleading guilty is the only avenue available to conclude their case. Some suspects have awaited trial in detention for periods exceeding the maximum sentence for their charges. The military courts have in the past admitted into evidence confessions extracted by torture. In contravention of international legal standards, military courts continue to prosecute and order the detention of civilians.
Recommendations:
Observe international fair trial standards, including trying civilians only in civilian courts;
Ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Freedom of Expression
Although Uganda's constitution guarantees the right to free expression, the government deploys a range of tactics to stifle critical reporting, from occasional physical violence to threats, intimidation, bureaucratic interference, and arrest. Station managers of television and radio outfits and journalists often report fear of reprisals if programs are highly critical of the government.
Two media houses faced temporary closure in 2013 for publishing articles suggesting that Museveni was grooming his son to take over. Two journalists and eight civil society members protesting the closures were arrested, beaten, and detained by police and eventually charged with inciting violence. The media houses were opened 10 days later when the minister of internal affairs ordered the police to vacate the premises.
During the 2016 electoral period, police and government agencies, such as the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), the broadcasting regulator, blatantly violated rights to free expression and media freedom. The UCC issued a blanket nation-wide ban on access to social media for five days, arguing people were "campaigning" beyond the time period prescribed by law. Some journalists and station managers told Human Rights Watch that UCC officials visited some stations to pressure managers to suspend or fire critical journalists or face being pulled off air. The UCC issued ad-hoc orders to radios not to host certain people, with no specific evidence of wrongdoing and no court order, meaning the legality of the order was at best questionable, but there was no clear remedy and no due process to challenge them. According to media rights groups, at least 15 journalists were arrested and detained for short periods while attempting to report on events outside of Besigye's home during the police siege there in February and March 2016. Police shot and wounded at least three journalists in October and November 2015, during election-related events.
In June 2015, police charged blogger Robert Shaka with offensive communication under the Computer Misuse Act, arguing Shaka violated the president's right to privacy by questioning his health on Facebook. Shaka spent four days in prison, was charged and released on bail. Charges remain pending.
Recommendations:
End intimidation, threats, and physical attacks on journalists; tolerate and promote open reporting and commentary on issues of public concern;
End disproportionate and unlawful actions, such as a blanket ban on social media, by broadcasting regulatory agency, the Uganda Communications Commission.
Free Association
The government has increasingly sought to curtail the work of NGOs working on topics considered sensitive by the government, such as governance, human rights, land, oil, and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Tactics include closure of meetings, threats, and heavy-handed bureaucratic interference.
In July 2015, the internal affairs minister ordered an investigation and suggested possible deregistration of the Great Lakes Institute for Strategic Studies. The minister argued the organization was opposing government programs and recruiting young people into opposition parties. Similarly in 2012, the internal affairs minister tasked the NGO Board with conducting a wide-ranging investigation beyond the legal mandate of the board into a report of unlawful evictions and land grabs written by two nongovernmental organizations Uganda Land Alliance and Oxfam. Ultimately the NGO Board investigation recommended that the NGOs have their permits withdrawn if they did not take "corrective action," that the report be "withdrawn," and that a retraction be issued. The board said that the NGOs should "make apologies" to President Museveni among other government actors. The government never responded to allegations of human rights violations committed during evictions.
In January 2016 the government passed a new Non-governmental Organisations Act, which violates rights to free association. The new law includes vague "special obligations" of NGOs, including a requirement that groups should "not engage in any act which is prejudicial to the interests of Uganda or the dignity of the people of Uganda." Another provision criminalizes any activities by organizations that have not been issued with a permit by the government regulator, fundamentally undermining free association rights. A separate provision provides criminal sentences of up to three years for any violations of the act. How this new law will impact the operations of NGOs remains to be seen.
In April 2012, the attorney general banned the political pressure group Activists for Change, which orchestrated the April 2011 "Walk to Work" protests, labeling the group an "unlawful society" under the penal code. In July 2013, seven opposition politicians were charged for belonging to and managing what the government deemed to be an "unlawful society." The same year, two authors of a book critical of President Museveni Doreen Nyanjura and Ibrahim Kisubi were arrested at the Kampala book launch in April. Nyanjura was charged with participating in unlawful society and inciting violence and detained for two weeks. Barbara Allimadi, a member of another pressure group, Concerned Citizens, was arrested and briefly detained in 2012 after staging a demonstration in parliament. Police confiscated Allimadi's t-shirts bearing anti-corruption slogans.
Recommendations:
Amend the Nongovernmental Organisations Act to ensure free association rights in compliance with international human rights law, particularly removing new criminal provisions for legitimate civil society work.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Rights
Despite numerous recommendations from UN member states, Uganda refused to support recommendations to reject discriminatory legislation or decriminalize consensual homosexual sex during the 2011 UPR process. Ultimately in December 2013, parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act and Museveni signed it into law in February 2014. Immediately following, Human Rights Watch documented a spike in violations against LGBTI people, including arbitrary arrests, police abuse and extortion, forced anal examinations, violence, denial of health care, loss of employment, evictions, and homelessness.
After the Supreme Court annulled the Act on procedural grounds in August 2014, violations appeared to reduce, but same sex conduct remains criminal under Section 145 of the Penal Code and LGBTI individuals face stigmatization and marginalization. In July 2014, the High Court ruled against activists who had sued the Ethics and Integrity Minister for shutting down a human rights workshop for LGBTI activists in 2012, in violation of the right to free association. In August 2015, LGBTI people reported several violent attacks in which police failed to respond appropriately, in one case arresting the victim, a transgender person, rather than the alleged attackers.
Human Rights Watch is also concerned by the Uganda Police's use of forced anal examinations of men accused of homosexual sex. We have documented at least six cases between 2013 and 2015. These exams have no medical or scientific value, constitute assault and may constitute torture.
Recommendations:
Cease all arrests of people on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity and end the practice of conducting forced anal exams on men accused of consensual homosexual conduct;
Investigate and prosecute all forms of attacks on LGBT individuals and activists.
Decriminalize/Repeal Section 145 of the Penal Code.
Children's Rights
Over 56 percent of Uganda's 37 million people are under the age of 18 and are the single largest demographic group living in poverty. Human Rights Watch documented abuses of children living on the streets of several large towns, including by police and officials from the Kampala Capital City Authority, who threatened children at night, and beat them with batons, whips, or wires while demanding money or as "discipline" for vagrancy. Children reported handing police and others small sums to avoid further abuse or detention.
Government officials periodically order general roundups of street children throughout the country. These roundups usually occur ahead of special events, official visits, international conferences, or are a way for government agencies to be seen to be tackling the perceived "problem" of street children. Police have detained large groups of up to 100 children without charge in police stations. Children spoke of adult cellmates in police jails forcing them to pay "lodging" fees as a form of extortion to avoid beatings by police and adult cellmates. Children also described deplorable detention conditions, including lack of mattresses, blankets, and mosquito nets, as well as limited access to toilets, food and medicine. Most often, these vulnerable and often homeless children would be released with no charge.
Recommendations:
End arbitrary arrests, detention, and roundups of street children, and investigate all allegations of beatings and violence of street children by police and consider bringing charges under Uganda's 2012 Anti-Torture Act;
Take measures to fight stigma and discrimination against street children, and improve mechanisms to report child abuse by police.
Refugee Rights
Joel Mutabazi, a registered Rwandan refugee in Uganda and a former presidential bodyguard in Rwanda, was forcibly returned by Ugandan police to Rwanda after going missing on October 25, 2013, in clear violation of international refugee law. This refoulement occurred while Mutabazi was under Ugandan police protection due to earlier threats and concerns for his safety. While Ugandan authorities said they would investigate the incident and allegedly suspended the Ugandan police officer who arrested Mutabazi and illegally handed him over to the Rwandan authorities, they later promoted the same police officer in September 2015 to deputy head of the police directorate of crime intelligence. Mutabazi was tried in Rwanda in 2014, alongside 15 co-defendants, and charged with terrorism, murder, and security-related offenses linked in part to his alleged collaboration with armed opposition groups. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Recommendations:
Halt and prevent any forcible returns of refugees or asylum seekers to any country, including Rwanda, where they may face persecution and ensure that they can access fair procedures to determine their refugee status.
Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Vancouver, BC -- (ReleaseWire) -- 11/07/2016 --CEO Steve Marshall with Cuba Ventures Corp. (OTC:MPSFF) was interviewed on the Uptick Network Stock Day Podcast with host Everett Jolly. In addition to receiving great interest from companies wanting to be involved with Cuba, Mr. Marshall touched on future goals of diving into a new promising business division. Mr. Marshall also discussed what the new course in relations between the United States and Cuba means for the company.
To listen to the interview please click here or the following link: www.upticknewswire.com/steve-marshall-ceo-of-cuba-ventures-explains-how-recent-change-of-us-policy-will-benefit-their-company/
The interview and distribution was paid by Cuba Ventures Corp. and approved by Mr. Marshall. The distribution was sent out to the Uptick Network Stock Day Podcast, sponsors, its affiliates and social media distribution platforms.
About Cuba Ventures Corp.
Cuba Ventures Corp. is a publicly traded Canadian company capitalizing on the growth and unique opportunities in the USD $3.5 billion per year Cuban travel and tourism industry. Travelucion Media, a wholly owned subsidiary, is a digital media and marketing company which owns a vast portfolio of Cuba related websites and online portals providing travel information, featuring individual web assets for Cuba's popular cities and towns, online booking solutions and online reservations through proprietary software, catering to international visitors to Cuba. Travelucion's online travel division is a duly licensed retail travel supplier handling millions of dollars in sales annually.
Travelucion's 432 Cuba focused multilingual websites generate over 30 million page-views per year, directing traffic to the company's online booking and e-commerce sites. These online websites cover all facets of Cuba including over 80 travel destinations, hotels & resorts, bed & breakfast, tours, car rentals, restaurants, as well as Cuban culture, history, music, celebrities, sports, medical treatments and more.
Travelucion's revenues have been rapidly growing in the wake of the notable shift in American policy towards Cuba. With diplomatic relations now normalized and restrictions on qualified American travel to Cuba relaxed, opening of the multi-billion dollar travel market to the Caribbean nation is becoming a reality. Travelucion's continued media dominance over the past two decades has provided Cuba Ventures with a competitive advantage in the burgeoning Cuba travel and online media space. With the relaxing of rules for American travelers to Cuba and the potential of further easing, growth and investment opportunities are on the rise in Cuba.
For further information on Cuba Ventures Corp. (TSX-V:CUV) or Travelucion Media visit the Company's website at www.cubaventures.com or www.travelucion.com. Cuba Ventures Corp. has approx. 62.6 million shares issued and outstanding.
NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.
This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although management 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 the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, include market prices, exploration and development successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Please see the public filings of the Company at www.sedar.com for further information.
For further information contact myself or:
Nick Findler
Cuba Ventures Corp.
Telephone: 604-639-3850
Toll Free: 800-567-8181
Facsimile: 604-687-3119
Email: info@cubaventures.com
Source: UPTICK Newswire
Morgan County Election Board reviews financial records
The Morgan County Election Board met Friday to review the campaign finance reports of local candidates running for office.
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Sam Rainsy Party Sen. Hong Sok Hour is escorted from the supreme court back to Prey Sar Prison where he is being detained, June 22 , 2016.
Exiled Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) leader Sam Rainsy rallied to the defense of an opposition lawmaker sentenced to a seven-year prison term on Monday for posting a disputed copy of the border agreement between Cambodia and Vietnam on Facebook in 2015.
On Monday the Phnom Penh Municipal Court found Senator Hong Sok Hour guilty of forging and publishing public documents, and of incitement to cause instability, when he posted a disputed copy of a 1979 Cambodia-Vietnam treaty on Facebook that said the two countries had agreed to dissolve their mutual border.
Hong Sok Hour and his legal team refused to show up at the court on Monday.
One of his attorneys, Meng Sopheary, told RFAs Khmer Service Hong Sok Hour and his legal team boycotted the proceedings because they are unjust, as the team was prevented from presenting evidence that showed the lawmaker was innocent.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court judge Ros Piseth said the court found moot Hong Sok Hours requests to summon experts on border issues.
Its unclear if Hong Sok Hour will pursue an appeal.
We will certainly be guided by his excellency Hong Sok Hour as to whether he will file an appeal against the court verdict, Meng Sopheary told RFA.
Senior CNRP lawmaker Son Chhay was unsurprised by the courts decision, saying the courts are a tool used by Hun Sen and the CPP to undermine the opposition.
The court, which is a symbol of justice, is unjust itself, he said. Hong Sok Hours case is not different from many other politically trumped-up cases where justice is always taken for granted. That further sheds light on the perception that Cambodian courts are corrupt and used as a political tool.
Another act of political repression
In an open letter published by Sam Rainsy on Monday, the CNRP president accused Prime Minister Hun Sen of using the courts to punish an opponent and pervert the election process.
Seven months before the June 2017 commune election this verdict is another act of political repression in order for Hun Sen's CPP (Cambodian Peoples Party) to pervert the election process by creating and maintaining an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, Sam Rainsy wrote in the letter.
Cambodias local elections are set for 2017 and the national elections are scheduled for 2018. In the disputed 2013 elections, the CPP lost 22 seats in its worst showing since 1998.
On Monday Sam Rainsy accused Hun Sen and the CPP of distorting the facts in the case, saying the treaty Hong Sok Hour posted had been published before 2015, and that it was a poor translation that inaccurately substituted the word dissolve for the word "redefine.
There is evidence that the whole incriminating document (full text of the 1979 treaty including the ill-translated word in article 4) was not produced by Senator Hong Sok Hour, Sam Rainsy wrote. In fact, it had been posted, viewed and shared on the Internet for many years before the accusation of forgery was raised by Hun Sen against Hong Sok Hour in August 2015.
Sam Rainsy blamed the court for failing to do its due diligence.
Appropriate technical research that the Cambodian tribunal could easily do by itself leads to at least one Internet site showing that the incriminating document posted by Senator Hong Sok Hour on 11 August 2015 and deleted two days later, had been circulating on the Web long before its posting by Hong Sok Hour and it originated from a source totally independent from Hong Sok Hour, who is therefore unfairly accused of forgery, Sam Rainsy wrote.
Vietnam and Cambodia have had a fraught relationship for centuries, but the animosity with Hun Sen dates from the 1979-89 Vietnamese occupation that ended the murderous rule of the Khmer Rouge.
Hun Sen was appointed prime minister during that period when Hanoi had control over Cambodia.
As Cambodian foreign minister and then prime minister, Hun Sen played an important role in the 1991 Paris Peace Talks that brokered peace among Cambodias warring factions.
Since then questions have been raised about Hun Sens relationship with Vietnam, and the political opposition has attempted to use the Cambodian peoples distrust to their advantage.
In October Hun Sen ordered police, immigration and aviation authorities to "use all ways and means" to prevent Sam Rainsy from returning from what was a self-imposed exile. He has pledged to return to the country before the elections.
Another Black Monday
While the court was sentencing Hong Sok Hour, about 20 land activists representing Borei Keila and Phnom Badh communities launched their 27th Week of protests under the Black Monday Campaign in Phnom Penh.
Sar Sorn, who represents the Borei Keila activists, dismissed government accusations that the activists are attempting to foment a color revolution.
How is it possible for ordinary people like us to stage a so-called color revolution when we are financially stranded, unarmed and we dont have the armed forces to back us up, she told RFA.
Hun Sen has suggested that his political opponents are seeking a color revolution, a reference to pro-democracy movements that sprung up in Ukraine, Georgia and other countries where protesters rallied under colored banners.
On Thursday he issued a call to the nations armed forces to put down any so-called color revolution.
All armed forces are obliged to absolutely ensure that Cambodia is free from any color revolutions, the Cambodian strong man wrote in a Facebook post.
Such a revolution will harm peoples happiness and peace in Cambodia, he wrote. Armed forces shall protect the legitimate government.
Civil society groups and their supporters began staging Black Monday protests soon after officials from the human rights group ADHOC were arrested in connection with the governments wide-ranging probe into an alleged affair between CNRP leader Kem Sokha and a young hair dresser.
In addition to the ADHOC arrests, the Cambodian authorities also arrested an election official. At the same time a U.N. official was also charged.
While Black Monday began as an attempt to pressure the government over the arrests, it has morphed into a more generalized campaign against government abuses, including land confiscations and demands for a thorough investigation into the murder of government critic Kem Ley in July.
The seizure of land for developmentoften without due process or fair compensation for displaced residentshas been a major cause of protest in Cambodia and other authoritarian Asian countries, including China and Myanmar.
Sar Sorn dismissed Hun Sens characterization of the movement and vowed to continue.
We are not deterred by the arrests and suppression by the authorities, she said. We will continue our fight.
Reported by Sel San and Heng Sun for RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Brooks Boliek.
Myanmar authorities have requested that Chinese officials release migrants who legally crossed the border but were arrested and told they must pay to be set free, a local Myanmar district administrator said Monday.
Myanmar authorities sent a letter on Nov. 4 to the Foreign Affairs Department in the Shweli border district, informing officials that Chinese police have asked the group of migrants to pay 140,000-180,000 kyats (U.S. $109-$141) each for their release, said Kyaw Kyaw Tun, district administrator of Muse.
The small town in northern Myanmars Shan state sits on the banks of the Shweli River and serves as the main border gateway between Myanmar and Ruili in southwestern Chinas Yunnan Province. Muse is known for corruption, drug addicts, narcotics and human traffickers, armed ethnic groups, and a thriving black market in yaba pills and opium, rosewood, jade and gems, according to a January 2016 report by Nikkei Asian Review.
The letter noted that Myanmar citizens are permitted to travel in the Myanmar-China border area with temporary passes under an agreement between the two countries, he said.
Some stayed in China over the permitted time length, and some were arrested because they didnt have proper documents, Kyaw Tun said of the men being held. Some were arrested because they committed crimes, but there are some who havent committed crimes and have been arrested.
If we know that Myanmar citizens who havent committed any crimes have been arrested, we ask the Chinese authorities to release them, he said.
Punished, then released
Usually when Myanmar citizens commit crimes or are involved in drug cases just over the border in China, authorities there arrest and punish them, but they later release them, Kyaw Tun said.
Whenever we hear that Myanmar citizens have been arrested, we ask the Chinese authorities to review their cases and release them if they havent committed any crimes and have not been involved with drugs, he said.
It is unknown how many Myanmar migrants are being held until they pay the requested money to Chinese authorities, he said.
About 5,000 to 10,000 people from both countries cross the border every day, he said.
Local officials say more than 80 percent of the agricultural products, raw materials, and jade that Myanmar exports overland to China travels via the town of Lashio in Shan state to Muse and then on to Ruili, where the goods are repackaged once over the border and sold on at a premium, according to the Nikkei Asian Review.
In return, Myanmar imports mainly machinery, construction equipment and electronics, the report said.
The Muse government and a Mandalay-based construction company are working on a development project to turn Muse into the biggest border trade zone in the country, the report said, citing project director Ngwe Soe.
The six-phase project will include commercial zones, condominiums, office towers, a jade market for finished products, 300 luxury villas, three hotels, supermarkets, police and fire stations, and a Shan ethnic village, it said.
Reported by Zarni Htun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Authorities overseeing the destruction of Sichuans Larung Gar Buddhist Academy have canceled an upcoming annual religious assembly, forbidding public gatherings and leaving the centers remaining monks and nuns to pray privately in their rooms, sources say.
The eight-day festival called Dechen Shingdrup, or Accomplishing the Pure Land of Great Bliss, begins each year on the 18th day of the ninth month of the Tibetan Lunar Calendar, a local source told RFAs Tibetan Service.
That date falls this year on Nov. 17.
One of the main features of these assemblies is that senior religious instructors, reincarnate lamas, and other highly learned monks give religious sermons for three to four days to several thousand people who have gathered especially for the event, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Members of the Tibetan community known for outstanding service in preserving the Tibetan language and culture are also acknowledged, and laypeople are given advice on how to live a happy and meaningful life, he said.
As a part of the event, public recitations of the mantra of the Buddha Amitabha are also held.
But this year China has said this annual gathering may not take place, and instead the monks and nuns have begun to practice privately in their rooms, RFAs source said.
Meanwhile, the eviction of monks and nuns from Larung Gar continues, he said.
Disrupted studies
Speaking separately, a second local source confirmed the gathering had been canceled.
"First the Chinese government began to demolish the residences of the monks and nuns, and then it started to evict them," the source said, also speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Now they have imposed a ban on the Dechen Shingdrup."
"These Chinese actions have disrupted the learning of the monks and nuns, and now they can't focus on their studies," he said.
Many thousands of Tibetans and Han Chinese study at the Larung Gar complex, which was founded in 1980 by the late religious teacher Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok and is one of the worlds largest and most important centers for the study of Tibetan Buddhism.
Around 3,000 monks and nuns have already been expelled from Larung Gar, and around 1,000 dwellings destroyed, as authorities seek to reduce the population of the sprawling complex by about half to a maximum level of 5,000 next year, sources say.
Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Rigdhen Dolma. Written in English by Richard Finney.
A Russian hacker who was convicted for his leading role in one of the largest data thefts in U.S. history has been released from prison after serving most of his 12-year sentence.
Vladimir Drinkman was released from a Pennsylvania jail on October 28, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons told RFE/RL.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not respond to an RFE/RL request for comment on whether Drinkman had been turned over for deportation, a process that can take up to several months. Drinkman's lawyer, Igor Litvak, declined to comment. RFE/RL could not immediately reach Drinkman.
Drinkman was a key member of a criminal hacking group that penetrated major U.S. corporations, including Heartland Payment Systems, which at the time it was breached in 2008 was one of the biggest U.S. payment-processing firms. The Heartland attack -- the largest breach in history at the time -- cost the payment company more than $200 million in losses.
Varonis, a U.S.-based cybersecurity firm, ranks the attack on Heartland among the 10 largest data breaches of all time.
Chuck Brooks, a cybersecurity expert and adjunct professor at Georgetown University, said the Heartland hack was a "wake-up call" for the payments and financial industries to enhance their cyberdefenses.
He said the breach led to stronger security policies, including a better understanding by CEOs and CFOs of the threats to business sustainability and reputation.
"After the breach, many companies added more stringent data and security policies, including encryption, multifactor authentication, and monitoring of systems and networks," Brooks told RFE/RL.
Heartland also later established the Payments Processing Information Sharing Council (PPISC), which serves as a forum for banks and payment processors to share information about breaches and compliance issues, he noted.
In addition to breaking into Heartland, the hacking gang also breached Nasdaq OMX Group, 7-Eleven, JC Penney, JetBlue Airways, and others, according to prosecutors. In total, they stole the data of more than 160 million credit cards, leading to more than $300 million in damages.
Greg Hunter, a Virginia-based lawyer who has represented cybercriminals from the former Soviet Union, said the Heartland case demonstrated the sophisticated evolution of Russian-speaking hackers.
"This was the beginning of specialization," Hunter told RFE/RL. "Rather than an individual hacker spending a lot of time stealing credit card data and then trying to monetize it, you had guys specializing in breaching the security apparatus of a site, others selling the data."
The appearance of hacker forums was critical to the phenomenon of a division of labor, he said.
Hacker sites "allowed these guys to find each other and work together. A guy who breaches banks could just focus on that, knowing he could find others to either help him know what to get and how to use it, or just buy his services outright," Hunter said.
Several of the most commonly used forums where hackers bought and sold stolen credit card data and traded tips included Cardplanet and Direct Connection. A Russian man, Aleksei Burkov, was extradited from Israel to the United States and later pleaded guilty in 2020 to U.S. charges related to his oversight of those forums.
He was deported to Russia last year.
According to U.S. court filings, Drinkman and another co-conspirator, Alexandr Kalinin, specialized in penetrating network security and gaining access to the corporate data systems. Drinkman along with a third man, Roman Kotov, also focused on mining the networks to steal valuable data.
Another Russian man, Dmitry Smilyanets, then sold the stolen credit card information on forums for $10 to $50 each and distributed the proceeds of the scheme to the others, according to prosecutors.
Kalinin and Kotov, both of whom are Russian citizens, are believed to still be in Russia.
Drinkman was arrested in the Netherlands in June 2012 at the request of the United States, along with Smilyanets.
While Smilyanets cooperated with U.S. authorities and arrived in the United States a few months after his arrest, Drinkman fought his extradition for more than a year.
Ultimately, Drinkman pleaded guilty in 2015 and was sentenced to 12 years in prison, including time served since his arrest. It is one of the harshest sentences given to a Russian hacker.
Drinkman served a total of 10 years and four months, or 86 percent of his sentence. U.S. federal prisoners earn credit each year for good behavior and typically serve 85 percent of their sentence.
Smilyanets was sentenced to just time served, or less than six years, and currently resides in the United States, where he works as a cyberthreat intelligence analyst.
He declined to comment when contacted by RFE/RL.
RFEs role during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution has been the subject of debate by researchers and Hungarian exiles. A. Ross Johnson, a former Director of RFE, has concluded on the basis of extensive research that RFE "did not" foment revolution or urge Hungarians to wage a hopeless fight against the Soviet Army, but many listeners believed from the tone of some RFE commentaries and the very existence of RFE Hungarian broadcasts that Western powers would intervene on their behalf.
WASHINGTON Hungarians around the world marked this month the 60th anniversary of their countrys exhilarating, yet ultimately tragic effort to free itself from Soviet domination in October 1956. The Hungarian Revolution was a milestone of the Cold War, showing the lengths to which Moscow was willing to go to maintain control over its Warsaw Pact allies, and signaling to Western governments the longevity of communist rule in Central and Eastern Europe.
Radio Free Europe (RFE, later RFE/RL) and its Hungarian language service are widely credited with helping the Hungarian people endure four decades of Soviet rule, but the role they played during the Hungarian Revolution has been debated by researchers and Hungarian exiles in the years since 1956. A. Ross Johnson, a former Director of RFE who wasn't with the organization in 1956, reviewed RFE/RL archives now at the Hoover Institution and the Open Society Archives, examined declassified State Department and German Foreign Office records, and scoured memoirs of, and interviews with, participants in those events. Johnson's conclusion: while RFE "did not" foment revolution or urge Hungarians to wage a hopeless fight against the Soviet Army, "many" Hungarian listeners "did" conclude, "from the tone of some RFE commentaries and the very existence of RFE Hungarian broadcasts that Western powers would intervene on their behalf.
In order to shed more light on RFEs role during the revolution, Hungarys National Szechenyi Library has posted online a unique database of all RFE Hungarian broadcasts from October 22 to November 12, 1956. The project, a collaboration with the Hoover Institution Library and Archives and RFE/RL, combines written transcriptions of each program with digitized audio files of the original broadcasts, recovered from low-quality, slow speed transmitter log recordings the so-called Koblenz files. The NSL website Magyar Oktober also includes a wealth of other audiovisual material that documents the history of the revolution for a new generation of Hungarians.
Given RFE's mission and the nature of communist rule in postwar Central and Eastern Europe, RFE journalists generally were not able to report from the countries of the Warsaw Pact. In late October 1956, however, RFE allowed at least 14 Munich-based RFE reporters to cross the border into western Hungary to provide on-the-scene coverage. The diary of one of these reporters, Frederick ("Fritz") Hier, has now been posted in full to the Wilson Centers Digital Archive.
Hiers diary chronicles his arrival in Vienna on October 27 (with RFE colleagues Gabor Tormay and Jerzy Ponikiewicz, and a journalist from South German Radio), his reporting activities from the Austria-Hungary border, as well as his entry into Hungary on October 31 to report from the city of Gyor. Soviet soldiers kept the team from leaving Hungary on November 2; two days later, on November 4, Hier became an eyewitness to the Soviet occupation. State Department pressure was needed to secure the release of the reporters from Hungary on November 11. Thirty three years would pass before RFE reporters would again be able to cross the Iron Curtain and report directly from Hungary.
Additional items related to the Hungarian Revolution from RFE/RLs vast archives, including collections of Western media coverage of the revolution, RFE Research Background Reports on this situation in Hungary, and special RFE reporting on audience opinion concerning Hungarian broadcasting activity in the 1950s, can be found at the website of the Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives.
-- Martins Zvaners
MINSK -- The leader of an unregistered Belarusian opposition movement has been attacked by men in civilian clothes and detained by police during the unveiling ceremony for a Lenin statue in Minsk.
Zmitser Dashkevich, the leader of Malady (Youth) Front, was attacked by several men on November 7 after he and his associates chanted "Shame! Shame!" as the communist-era statue was being unveiled at a new location.
Communist activists with red flags gathered for the unveiling ceremony in front of the Tractor Works in Minsk where the statue had been moved from its previous location within the factory compound.
Police took Dashkevich away from the event. It is not clear whether he was being charged or had been released.
Meanwhile, in the western Belarusian city of Lida on November 7, unknown assailants vandalized a Lenin statue by splashing it with red paint.
Belarus is the only former Soviet republic that continues to celebrate November 7 as a state holiday marking the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.
Iraqi Kurdish forces have recaptured a town to the northeast of Mosul that had been held by Islamic State (IS) militants for two years.
Around 2,000 Peshmerga fighters entered the town of Bashiqa shortly after dawn on November 7.
Bashiqa, which is about 13 kilometers northeast of Mosul, has been on the front line between Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and IS militants since 2014.
The battle to recapture the city has been a key strategic goal of Peshmerga fighters taking part part in a wider campaign to liberate the IS-held city of Mosul.
Lieutenant Colonel Safeen Rasoul told Reuters there were about 100 militants still left in Bashiqa early on November 7.
IS fighters were confronting the Peshmerga's advance into Bashiqa with suicide car bomb attacks.
Iraqi government troops, meanwhile, were continuing an urban battle against IS fighters in eastern Mosul and were advancing on the north and south sides of the city on November 7, while Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia battled against IS fighters to the west of Mosul.
Meanwhile, Iraqs military says troops found have about 100 decapitated bodies in a mass grave to the south of city.
Iraqi Brigadier General Yahya Rasool said the bodies were discovered on November 7 near an agricultural college in the town of Hamam al-Alil.
He said most of the bodies were reduced to skeletons and that decomposition of their clothes and bodies made it difficult to determine if they were soldiers or civilians.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Six bodies have been found after a massive fire at a business center in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty.
The Almaty City Emergency Department said one body was recovered at Almaty Towers on November 6, the day of the fire. Five more bodies were discovered in the building's sixth floor on November 7.
Rescue teams are searching for more bodies.
The fire, which damaged some 1,800 square meters, was extinguished around 8:30 local time on November 6.
Investigators were working to identify the victims and the causes of the fire.
The center housed the Kazakh stock exchange's trade and information structures, which moved their operations to another site on November 7.
ASTANA -- A Kazakh businessman has been sentenced to 21 years in prison after a court in Astana found him guilty of extremism, illegal weapons possession, and attempting to overthrow the government.
The Astana Military Court sentenced Tokhtar Toleshov, chief executive of one of Kazakhstan's largest breweries, on November 7.
Toleshov and his associates went on trial in September. His co-defenders received different prison terms, ranging from suspended imprisonment to seven years in penal colonies.
Toleshov was detained in January along with 24 other suspects, including the ex-deputy prosecutor-general and the former chief of the south Kazakhstan regional police.
In a separate case, Toleshov has been charged with financing mass protests against land reforms across the country, which the court had found illegal.
Two participants in the land protests are currently on trial in a separate case. They were charged with inciting social discord, intentionally distributing false information, and organizing illegal public gatherings.
Montenegro's pro-Russian opposition parties have rejected charges by the country's chief prosecutor that Russian nationalists organized an alleged October coup attempt aimed at assassinating pro-Western leader Milo Djukanovic over his efforts to join NATO.
"It is obvious that the special prosecutor has become a servant of the [ruling] Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS)," Milutin Dukanovic, leader of the opposition Democratic Front, told RFE/RL's Balkan Service on November 7.
He called the charges that two unidentified Russian citizens organized an allegedly foiled coup attempt on the eve of the country's parliamentary elections on October 16 "part of the contrived and fabricated...coup d'etat affair."
The Democratic Front is one of the leading pro-Russian opposition parties in Montenegro, all of whom have refused to participate in the parliament since the October 16 national election. The vote gave Djukanovic's ruling DPS a large majority but not enough seats to govern on its own.
The pro-Russian parties say the government's announcement of the arrests of 20 alleged coup plotters the night before the October 16 election unfairly influenced voter behavior by suggesting that opposition parties sought to overthrow the government.
Chief prosecutor Milivoje Katnic said on November 6 that the aim of the alleged coup was to assassinate the prime minister during the election to help an opposition party take over the state. He did not name the party in question.
He also said two unidentified nationalists from Russia were the organizers and sought a professional sharpshooter to carry out the assassination. He added that there was no evidence of Russian government involvement.
Moscow has said it had no official role in the alleged coup attempt.
"We, obviously, categorically deny a possibility of official involvement into arranging any illegal actions," Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, told reporters on November 7.
The lack of details about the alleged plot have added to the murkiness of an affair that leaves many observers asking whether Montenegro narrowly averted a foreign-organized coup attempt or whether, instead, the government is conducting an investigation whose main purpose is to discredit the country's pro-Russian opposition.
"There is a certain plausibility to claiming that [Russian nationalists] are behind this," says James Ker-Lindsay, a Balkan expert at the London School of Economics. "We know that Russia has been trying to extend its soft-power influence in the Western Balkans...so all of this lends credence to the idea that this is another attempt by Russia to get involved."
But he says that the timing of the announcement of the allegedly foiled plot lends equal plausibility to opposition charges of a political ploy.
"The other argument, of course, is that the timing came right at the moment when Montenegro was going to elections," says Ker-Lindsay. "These were the first elections in decades where there was a real chance the ruling party might be defeated...and suddenly the day the elections come up there is a conspiracy, Russia is trying to overthrow the government."
Many experts say that to provide a convincing case for a foiled coup, the government will have to present additional evidence.
"It is very hard to really judge whether this is a serious investigation," says Bodo Weber, a Balkans expert at the Democratization Policy Council in Berlin. "There has been no hard evidence presented by the chief prosecutor, including with his statement about the involvement of two Russian citizens, of Serbian and Montenegrin citizens, and allegations of the involvement of individuals from within the opposition ranks without [naming] either those individuals or their party affiliations."
Since the October arrest of 20 Serbian and Montenegrin suspects, six have been released. Three are under investigation for terrorism and have been named. The other 11 still in detention are under investigation for establishing a criminal organization but have not been named.
Montenegrin politics have been in turmoil since pro-Russian parties began mounting a strong campaign last year to try to keep the country out of NATO. Pro-Russian protesters took to the streets of Podgorica to demand Djukanovic's resignation in the run-up to NATO's announcement in December that it would start accession talks with Podgorica.
Since falling short of a majority in the October legislative poll, Djukanovic has sought to build a ruling coalition with the small Social Democracy party and a handful of tiny parties representing Bosniak, Croat, and Albanian ethnic minorities. But that would still give it only a slender majority.
As the alleged investigation goes forward, some analysts say its main impact may be to encourage some of the more moderate pro-Russian opposition parties to distance themselves from the more radical ones and make a deal with Djukanovic.
"The [ruling] majority, even with the ethnic minority parties, will still have a very thin majority so [it] might want to break up the opposition bloc currently boycotting the parliament and try to win over at least one of those parties," says Weber.
The most radical pro-Russia opposition parties oppose NATO membership because many members are ethnic Serbs angry over NATO's bombing of Serbia in 1999. The bombardment forced the president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia at the time, Slobodan Milosevic, to stop operations by security forces that were driving hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo, which was still part of rump Yugoslavia.
Less radical pro-Russia parties emphasize economic losses they say will come from redirecting Montenegro westward after decades of Russian trade and investment based on strong historical ties between Serbs and Russians.
NATO's deputy secretary-general, Rose Gottemoeller, who visited Montenegro on November 3, said she expects the country to become a member next spring after all 28 NATO member states ratify the agreement in their respective parliaments.
BRUSSELS -- Former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says Russia's assertive behavior toward NATO may last for decades.
In an interview with RFE/RL on November 7, Rasmussen said Russians felt "humiliated and betrayed during the 1990s and that is the reason why there is a strong Russian desire to restore Russian greatness in the former Soviet Union territory."
Rasmussen said he is "concerned that this may last as long as the Cold War."
Relations between NATO and Moscow have deteriorated since Russia seized and illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
NATO suspended all military and political cooperation with the Kremlin, even though political and military channels of communication remain open.
In response to Russia's activities in Ukraine, NATO agreed earlier in 2016 to create four battle groups in the Baltic states and Poland with a total of 4,000 troops that should be ready in early 2017.
Rasmussen, who stepped down as NATO secretary-general 2014, thinks the deployment "might raise tension."
But he said that in the longer term, "a stronger NATO deterrence will also contribute to a calmer situation."
A private plane traveling to Kosovo from the north Italian city of Treviso crashed in a mountainous region of Macedonia, killing all six people onboard.
Macedonian authorities said that four Italian nationals and two from Kosovo were killed in the crash south of the capital, Skopje.
The pilot had requested to land at Skopje's airport to refuel but didn't report any emergency. Shortly afterward, the plane lost contact with the airport.
Authorities said they had no other details on the passengers.
They described it as a Piper Seneca light aircraft made by the U.S.-based Piper Aircraft Inc. and registered in Germany.
The plane was found shortly after nightfall, several hours after the pilot's last communication with the airport in Skopje.
The cause of the crash is being investigated.
Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and dpa
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Serbia has been hosting soldiers from Russia and Belarus for military drills near Belgrade. These included jumps by paratroopers and airdrops of tanks as part of the Slavic Brotherhood exercises on November 7. (RFE/RL's Balkan Service)
Opposition groups in Russia have asked the office of Moscow's mayor for permission to stage a protest against what they call the "mass annihilation of residents" of Aleppo, Syria.
Sergei Davidis, a leader of the opposition December 5 Party, says the November 20 event would aim to attract attention to Russian military activities in Syria.
Davidis said on Facebook on November 7 that organizers of the proposed demonstration include his party, as well as opposition groups like the PARNAS party, the Libertarian Party of Russia, the For Human Rights movement, and the Solidarity movement.
Davidis said the opposition is demanding that Russia only conduct military operations in Syria against groups that the United Nations has deemed as terrorists.
He said the proposed demonstration would challenge Russia's "aggressive foreign policy" and "political repressions within Russia."
Russian air strikes are supporting forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that are besieging rebel-held neighborhoods of Aleppo.
A delegation from Tajikistan has arrived in Moscow amid a standoff over air travel between the two countries.
The Tajik Transport Ministry delegation came to Moscow four days after Russia warned that it might suspend all flights to Tajikistan as of November 8 unless Dushanbe accepts flights departing from the newly opened Zhukovsky International Airport near Moscow.
Dushanbe says Russia has unilaterally increased the number of flights from Moscow to Tajikistan.
A Tajik Transport Ministry spokesman told RFE/RL earlier that Dushanbe needed "to protect the interests of our air companies."
Dushanbe has called for a revision of existing bilateral agreements on air flights with Russia.
Russian Transport Ministry officials insist that the Zhukovsky airport is not under Moscow's city authority but is located in the town of Ramenskoye.
Tajikistan maintains that Zhukovsky is Moscow's fourth international airport.
Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax
Officials in Moscow say Russia and Turkey are resuming military cooperation and plan to hold a meeting of an intergovernmental commission before the end of 2016.
Aleksandr Fomin, the head of Russias Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, said on November 7 that the dates and venue of the meeting are under negotiation.
He said the issue of sending Russian-built antiaircraft systems to NATO-member Turkey also could be discussed by the commission.
Fomins remarks follow a visit to Moscow on November 1 by the head of the Turkish armed forces General Staff, General Hulusi Akar.
Turkey says Akar and his Russian counterpart, General Valery Gerasimov, discussed potential military cooperation in Syria against Islamic State militants, as well as in other areas.
Relations between Ankara and Moscow deteriorated after a Turkish warplane in October 2015 shot down a Russian fighter plane near Turkey's border with Syria.
But ties have improved since an attempted coup in July by Turkey's military against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Meanwhile, Ankaras relations with its NATO allies have been tested by criticism from NATO states about Erdogans crackdown against his political opponents since the failed coup.
Based on reporting by Interfax, TASS, Reuters, and RIA
ON MY MIND
Be careful what you wish for because you may get it. For years Russia has been trying to get the attention of the United States and the West. For years, Moscow has been trying to get Washington and Brussels to take it seriously.
Well now it has succeeded and the results will probably not be in Russia's interests.
By interfering in a U.S. presidential election, the Kremlin has alerted national security establishments throughout the West of the dangers Vladimir Putin's regime poses. By attempting to cause unrest in Montenegro, Moscow has alienated a traditionally friendly country -- albeit one that is about to join NATO.
And as I note on today's Daily Vertical, now there are increased signs that the West is pushing back. The release of Kremlin aide Vladislav Surkov's e-mails and the leak that U.S. military hackers have penetrated Russia's vital infrastructure shows that two can play the cyberwar game.
We're not in a Cold War. But a period of containment of Moscow is about to begin.
IN THE NEWS
U.S. military hackers have penetrated Russia's electric grid, telecommunications networks and the Kremlin's command systems, making them vulnerable to attack by U.S. cyberattacks should Washington deem it necessary, NBC News reported, citing U.S. intelligence officials.
Authorities in Montenegro say an investigation shows that Russian nationalists were behind an alleged coup attempt that included a plot to assassinate the countrys pro-Western leader because of his plans to have the Balkan state join NATO.
More than 5,000 people are expected to participate in a Moscow parade to mark the 75th anniversary of a legendary 1941 parade in which soldiers marched through Red Square to celebrate the 24th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution.
Yevgeny Zinichev, a former bodyguard of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been named the deputy director of the country's Federal Security Service.
Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has resigned as governor of Ukraine's Odesa Oblast.
Pyotr Tolstoi, the deputy speaker of the State Duma, says he wants to stop Russian Internet users from mocking patriotic values.
LATEST POWER VERTICAL PODCAST
In case you missed it, the latest Power Vertical Podcast, Homo Putinicus, looks at Vladimir Putin's quest for a unifying national ideology. Joining me was co-host Mark Galeotti, a senior policy fellow at the Institute of International Relations in Prague and a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations; and Moscow-based journalist Anna Arutunyan, author of the book The Putin Mystique: Inside Russia's Power Cult.
THE POWER VERTICAL BRIEFING
On this week's Power Vertical Briefing, The Day After, I discuss the aftermath of the U.S. presidential election with RFE/RL Senior Editor Steve Gutterman.
WHAT I'M READING
The Putin Factor In The U.S. Election
There is no shortage of material out there on Russia and this week's U.S. presidential election. Here's a sampling.
The Atlantic has published an interesting conversation between Peter Pomerantsev, author of the book Nothing Is True And Everything Is Possible: Inside The Surreal Heart Of The New Russia, and Arkady Ostrovsky, author of the book The Invention Of Russia, on what Putin wants from U.S. elections.
The Financial Times has a good reported piece in "the Russia factor" in the U.S. election.
And cyber-experts Andrew A. Weisburd, Clint Watts, and J.M. Berger have an in-depth piece up on the War on the Rocks blog: Trolling For Trump: How Russia Is Trying To Destroy Our Democracy.
Public Opinion In The U.S.-Russian Relationship
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs has a new report out on how insecurity and mistrust shape U.S.-Russian relations.
"New polling data from the 2016 Chicago Council Survey and the Levada Analytical Center in Russia -- both independently conducted and funded -- show that mutual perceptions between Russians and Americans are now at levels not seen since the Cold War," the authors write.
"While there is common ground in public concerns about global threats, the surveys also show a great deal of mutual distrust. Russians express a sense of insecurity about U.S. strength and influence, and prefer that their country aim to limit U.S. international sway. Although Americans believe that Russia is acting to contain U.S. power, the U.S. public favors cooperation and engagement rather than containing Russia."
The Imported War
Gustav Gressel, Kadri Liik, and Fredrik Wesslau of the European Council on Foreign Relations have a report out in New Eastern Europe titled Donbas: An Imported War.
"The war in Donbas is an imported war," the authors write.
"The power to resolve the conflict sits with Moscow, but what the Kremlin wants to achieve -- leverage and veto rights over Ukraines future decision making -- is not just unacceptable to Ukraine and Europe, it is impossible from a practical point of view. There is no local constituency for 'special status.'"
War Preparations In Europe
The Daily Signal's Ukraine correspondent Nolan Peterson has a piece in Newsweek looking at how some European countries are quietly arming themselves against a Russian invasion.
The Montenegro Operation
Journalist Julia Petrovskaya has a piece in Intersection Magazine on Russia's recent hybrid operation to destabilize Montenegro.
"Moscow's attempt to influence the outcome of the parliamentary election in Montenegro in order to stall the countrys accession to NATO due to take effect in 2017 has led to accusations that Russia is plotting 'a bloody scenario' aimed at destabilizing the Balkans," Petrovskaya writes.
Red Star On The Nile
Political analyst Maged Mandour, author of the Chronicles of the Arab Revolt column for Open Democracy, has a piece on the Carnegie Europe website on the pro-Russian drift in Egypt's foreign policy.
Politburo 2.0
The latest report on the Russian elite by prominent political analyst Yevgeny Minchenko claims that former Kremlin chief of staff Sergei Ivanov and businessman Gennady Timchenko have fallen out of Vladimir Putin's "politburo."
KYIV -- The boisterous former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has resigned as governor of Ukraine's turbulent Odesa region, accusing the Ukrainian president of dishonesty and the central government of sabotaging crucial reforms.
"This is going on quite openly," Saakashvili told an outdoor press conference streamed live on Facebook from the port of Odesa.
Then, in an apparent allusion to the continuing war pitting Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine against the central government in Kyiv, he added that the "Odesa region is being handed over not only to corrupt people, but also to enemies of Ukraine."
Saakashvili, a firebrand reformer who was Georgian president from 2004-13, was appointed by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to govern the Black Sea coastal region in May 2015.
He has repeatedly clashed with Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov, who is a former ally of ousted pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych.
Saakashvili relinquished his Georgian citizenship to assume official responsibilities in Odesa.
He had expressed increasing frustration with Poroshenko in recent months over reported efforts to root out corrupt officials and said in his resignation speech on November 7 that he was tired of broken presidential promises.
Looking straight at news cameras, Saakashvili directed a question at the president: "How much can you lie and cheat?"
Poroshenko's press office did not respond to Saakashvili's accusations, saying in an e-mailed statement to RFE/RL only that "the cabinet will submit Saakashvilis resignation to the president, [and] he will accept this resignation."
"The issue of why Mr. Saakashvili filed his resignation will be reviewed in an appropriate manner," the president's office added.
A presidential aide who spoke with RFE/RL on the condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to comment before an official statement was released said he was surprised by the timing of Saakashvilis announcement but not by the accusations leveled at Poroshenko, given other recent critical remarks.
Saakashvili said that the last straw that broke my patience was Ukrainian officials income declarations made public last week. The data exposed vast gaps between the fortunes of politicians and those they represent at a time when Ukraine is pleading with the West for financial assistance.
The declarations placed Poroshenko and several lawmakers from his political party -- the Petro Poroshenko Bloc Solidarity -- on a list of the richest individuals in Ukraine, with millions of dollars' worth of assets in cash and property.
News of Saakashvili's resignation came as little surprise to Ukraine's reformist politicians and former cabinet members, some of whom said they viewed it as more evidence that the reform drive inspired by the Euromaidan unrest in 2013-14 was dying off.
Aivaras Abromavicius, the Lithuanian-born Ukrainian who served as the minister of economy in the technocratic government formed after the Euromaidan revolution, told RFE/RL that those pushing for change "have met a lot of obstruction."
"Ukraines leadership and management style is not suitable for the type of challenges the country is facing and the time were living in," said Abromavicius, who resigned along with his team at the ministry in February, complaining of corruption. "There needs to be more encouragement and empowerment of people who came to power after revolution. Those people have not been given real chances."
For the notoriously corrupt Black Sea region, Saakashvili's resignation "is not going to improve matters on that front in Odesa," Abromavicius continued. "A lot of young, energetic reformers rallied around him in Odesa. But clearly, as has always been the case, that there's not been enough support from the central government.
"Theres so much more that all of us could have done with the right type of support," Abromavicius added.
Poroshenko allies have defended the president, saying Abromavicius and other critics have sought to lay the blame for their own failures on the ruling party.
Saakashvili vowed to reporters on November 7 to "start a new stage of the struggle" in Ukraine, although he did not provide details.
"I will do everything it takes until we win a complete victory to free Ukraine from this scum, from this corrupt dirt that capitalizes on the blood of our soldiers and victims of the [Euromaidan], who betrayed the idea of the Ukrainian revolution and whose only motivation is to line their own pockets!" he said.
The Euromaidan unrest cost many entrenched Ukrainian officials their jobs -- including West-wary President Yanukovych -- but it also ushered in instability that neighboring Russia seized on by sending troops to seize Crimea early in 2014. Moscow denies arming and supporting separatists who control parts of eastern Ukraine, despite considerable evidence to the contrary.
Saakashvili, who attended university in Ukraine, won over some Ukrainians early on with lofty talk of reform and fierce criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces he took on unsuccessfully as Georgia's president in a lightning war in 2008 in the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
One of Saakashvili's most widely acknowledged achievements as president of Georgia was a widespread crackdown on corruption and police reforms, although detractors there have accused him of going too far. He faces criminal charges in Georgia that he says are politically motivated.
Days before parliamentary elections last month in Georgia, he told a crowd of his former partys supporters via video that he would return to his home country to set the record straight after their election victory. Instead, his former party was dealt a crushing defeat.
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Dr. Isaac Wornom III has been appointed to TowneBank's Richmond Board of Directors.Wornom has been a plastic surgeon in the Richmond community for 25 years. Board certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, he has been continually listed among Richmond's "Top Docs" in plastic surgery by Richmond magazine for more than 10 years. In addition to specializing in plastic surgery for adults, Dr. Wornom has been one of the primary plastic surgeons for children since his arrival in Richmond in 1989. His experience in treatment of cleft lip palate, moles, and vascular malformations in children has led him to serve World Pediatric Project in providing plastic surgery care to children in Honduras, where he travels on medical mission trips. He is active in Second Baptist Church, where he has taught youth Sunday School for 24 years. Wornom joins a distinguished group of leaders on the Richmond Board of TowneBank, which recently opened its new regional headquarters in downtown Richmond at Gateway Plaza.
After a little less than two years on the job, theres one thing Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham clearly is tired of discussing.
That would be Mayor Dwight C. Jones security detail, the police protection unit that was trimmed to a single officer this year, among other restrictions imposed by the City Council. Its members have wrangled with the administration and each other for years at budget time over the cost of the unit.
Some have argued the detail is an extravagance that a cash-strapped city can ill afford, especially when some of its most visible duties appear chiefly to involve an SUV idling at the curb while the mayor dines in a restaurant.
And in an interview late last month, Durham said that no matter who wins Tuesdays election to replace Jones, the unit which he called an annual budget-season distraction that has prevented the council from coming to grips with more pressing matters involving police pay and attrition will end.
I think they all said that they dont want a security detail, Durham said of the candidates vying to replace Jones. So guess what? Dec. 31, its done.
***
Indeed, at Thursdays mayoral forum, the leading candidates former Venture Richmond Director Jack Berry, former state Del. Joe Morrissey and former Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that they will forgo the executive protection that has been a flashpoint during Jones eight years as mayor.
Costs have ranged from about $330,000 per year to nearly $500,000, including tens of thousands of dollars in overtime for the officers involved and thousands in fuel expenses and out-of-state travel.
The detail was begun under Jones predecessor, one-term Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, a former governor whose bodyguard included as many as nine officers and cost $816,260 during his final year in office.
Jones administration often has pointed to the police chief as responsible for deciding the necessity and levels of staffing of the unit.
But in the interview, the chief said the detail is mine to offer, theirs to accept or reject.
Its my recommendation, said Durham, adding that he cut the units overtime to zero after taking the job.
When a mayor comes in, historically, based on my experience, you do an assessment on any threats that have been made to the mayor. ... When I came here, I did an assessment. There were threats made against this mayor, and there are things that I cant talk about.
What Durham would rather discuss is an attrition rate and staffing shortages that he says are eroding gains the police department has made in reducing violent crime and cementing community ties, and that have prevented the racial rancor that has roiled other U.S. cities over police shootings.
We are at a serious crossroads, he said. Were losing the edge on that. Thats disheartening to the men and women of my police department.
As of last month, the department, which has an authorized strength of 750, had about 685 sworn officers.
Only 663 were available for duty as a result of military obligations and injury or other medical issues. Durham said the department has not been near full strength for almost seven years.
About three officers a month leave, either by retirement or resignation. Some take their city-paid training and valuable experience to other local departments that pay better or offer more tranquil communities.
What theyre saying is they love working for the police department, they love the community, they love the direction the police department is going, Durham said. However, pay continues to be an issue.
***
After graduating from the seven-month academy, Richmond police officers make $41,500. Their counterparts in Chesterfield County start at $42,800, while Henrico County pays $43,892.
And though city police and firefighters have a salary step scale that provides increases in accordance with rank and years of service, periodic freezes in the face of the recession and budget shortfalls during the past decade mean that midcareer officers salaries also are lagging what others make elsewhere.
It costs us about $79,000 to recruit and outfit an officer. Then theyre leaving, so they think, to greener pastures, Durham said.
There are other costs. Minimum-staffing overtime has more than doubled since 2011, from $505,434 to $1.02 million last year.
And though violent crime in 2015 fell to levels not seen since before 1970, a lack of staffing in the department is allowing it to creep back up this year, Durham said. There have been more than 50 homicides in 2016, up from 41 in all of 2015.
Having a police officer on every corner is not going to stop somebody who is hell-bent on killing somebody, Durham said. But we can go after those folks who we know are the trigger-pullers, who are wreaking havoc in communities. ... But right now, we dont have the resources.
Durham has presented a $4.6 million plan to the council that involves civilianizing 23 positions in the department that do not require sworn officers, such as those in human resources and financial management, as well as an ambitious push to bring in 70 recruits during the next year. Factoring in an attrition rate of about 36 officers over that time span, that will net the department about 34 officers.
Durham said the city administration will introduce legislation this month to fund the plan.
It is unclear whether any action will take place in the waning days of the Jones administration and a nine-member City Council that will see at least four seats turn over. All seats are up for election; two council members, Charles R. Samuels and Kathy C. Graziano, are not seeking re-election.
Thats a good question, said Graziano, who chairs the councils Finance and Economic Development Committee.
Clearly, theres a need to retain our police officers and to get recruits, especially with the increase in violent crimes. So I think thats a discussion we have to have. If its possible to do it before Jan. 1, then I think we need to move forward on it.
Two other council members gave up their seats to run for mayor, though one of them, Jonathan T. Baliles, dropped out of the race last week.
The other, Council President Michelle R. Mosby, said the police departments staffing problems are a pressing issue that she hopes the current council will have a chance to take up.
I think its urgent that we ensure the police department has the tools they need to be able to move forward, she said. If it comes before me, I certainly would love to deal with it.
***
However, the chiefs plan will not address the salary compression that years of freezes has created in the department.
Bringing every city police officer and firefighter to his or her proper step and pay level would cost $8 million, said Durham and officer Anthony Paciello, president of the Richmond Coalition of Police.
Tammy D. Hawley, a spokeswoman for Jones, said all sworn police officers and firefighters received a 2 percent salary bonus in October 2013, along with other city employees.
At that point, police and firefighter step increases had been frozen since 2009. In January 2014, police and firefighters got an additional increase that reflected the difference between the 2 percent bonus and step increases for a total increase that averaged about 4 percent, Hawley said.
For the fiscal year that ended in June 2015, police and firefighters got step increases, as well as in the fiscal year that ended in June 2016.
We have raised the starting salaries for both fire and police recruits and increased some of the ranges throughout the pay scale, Hawley said.
These actions show that the administration and City Council value the work performed by our men and women in uniform and have placed compensation of police and fire as one of the citys top priorities.
Even so, the lost years are still plaguing the pay scale, and Band-Aid approaches will not fix them, said Paciello, who noted that police and firefighters did not get credit for the frozen years as time that would count toward advancing to the next step. Some steps require five years before moving to the next.
That has created a huge problem, especially with those senior officers. Those guys are really upset about it, he said.
If we dont do anything else or we pause again, it just creates more and more of a problem.
Stoneys campaign website calls for working with Chief Durham to put more officers on the streets so we can ensure that the community policing that got us to where we are right now continues.
Morrisseys website does not make reference to police and firefighter pay issues.
Berrys online platform acknowledges the pay disparity between Richmond and other local departments and pledges to fully fund the Richmond Police Department to ensure there are no vacancies in our police force and that there are regular pay increases.
Durham and the heads of the citys police and fire associations say the issue has largely been overshadowed by the problems of the citys school system during the mayoral campaign.
Paciello and Keith Andes, president of the Richmond Firefighters Association, both also were dismayed by the launch last month of a 10-month study of the citys entire staffing structure, job titles and compensation by a private consultant, which will cost the city $215,500.
This survey has really slowed everything down, and theyve kind of kicked the can down the road, said Andes, who noted that the firefighters association has developed a plan to get all police and firefighters to their eligible steps within several years.
Paciello and Andes said police officers and firefighters have their own pay scales and do not need an outside consultant to tell them what their issues are. Neither association has endorsed a mayoral candidate, but they said they have interviewed several behind closed doors.
The public needs to choose its mayor, Paciello said. In an election year, theyre going to tell you what you want to hear. ... All of them say yes, there is a problem, and they acknowledge it needs to be taken care of.
One of two people named in a nine-count federal indictment last week alleging an assault on a federal law enforcement officer lost a bid Monday to remain free pending trial.
Dezmar Marie Puckett, 27, of Richmond, is charged with aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, obstructing justice, making a false statement and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Her co-defendant, Donald Clifton Chavis, 42, of North Chesterfield, was charged in the Nov. 1 indictment with assaulting a federal law enforcement officer, four counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, conspiracy to obstruct justice and possession of marijuana.
The indictment alleges that on July 15, Chavis assaulted a federal law enforcement officer, identified only as U.S. Marshal Supervisory Inspector K.C., by ramming the vehicle Chavis was driving into a vehicle driven by K.C., inflicting bodily injury.
Authorities would not comment Monday on details about the incident, such as where it happened, under what circumstances and if the injuries were serious.
At a detention hearing Monday for Puckett, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives testified that Puckett implicated herself in the firearm charges in recorded telephone conversations between her and Chavis, who was being held in jail.
The two are to be arraigned today. The eight-page indictment accuses Puckett of helping Chavis get a Smith & Wesson .45-caliber handgun on Sept. 12 the same day she allegedly lied to a firearms dealer about her current address, that she was the actual purchaser of the firearm, and that she was not a substance abuser.
The indictment also alleges that on Dec. 28, when a vehicle occupied by Chavis was stopped by Richmond police, Puckett obstructed justice by stating that she owned a handgun found in the car.
Puckett allegedly lied to an agent on Sept. 2, telling the agent that the firearm possessed by Chavis on July 15 was hers and did not belong to Chavis. Both are charged with conspiracy to obstruct an investigation.
U.S. Magistrate Judge David J. Novak said Monday that he would not release Puckett pending trial, noting the obstruction case against her involved recordings and appeared overwhelming and that she had failed to appear on time at a hearing in another court in the past.
A Chesterfield County man who was a crack baby at birth to parents addicted to crack cocaine pleaded guilty Monday to murdering them 28 years later, along with his sister, while on a crack binge last year after believing he had no other option.
Under terms of a plea agreement, Carl V. Hughes IV, 29, was sentenced to 150 years in prison with 60 years suspended after pleading guilty to three counts of first-degree murder in the Sept. 22, 2015, stabbing deaths of his father, Carl V. Hughes Jr., 71; his mother, Angela Anderson Hughes, 54; and sister, Bianca Hughes, 22, in the familys home in the 3200 block of Walmsley Boulevard.
In tragic irony illustrating the scourge of drug addiction, defense attorney John Rockecharlie told the court that his client was born in Philadelphia in 1986 to parents who were crack cocaine addicts. Immediately after he was born, Carl Hughes IV had to be treated for his exposure to the drug while in his mothers womb and then removed from the custody of his parents and placed in foster care.
His parents earlier child, also a son, died shortly after birth due to his mothers addiction.
Hughes remained in the foster care and juvenile probation systems until he turned 18. He began smoking marijuana at age 6 and first used crack in 2009 when he was 23, the attorney said.
He eventually reunited with his parents, and the family was living together last year on Walmsley Boulevard. But he developed an out-of-control addiction to crack, which led him to deplete what little money he could bum or steal from his family for a daily habit that grew to $60 to $80 a day.
Hughes told detectives after his arrest that he eventually reached a breaking point. He could not face being ridiculed for his addiction and the family resources he squandered in support of it, so he erased his family because he believed he had no way out.
In a summary of evidence by Chesterfield prosecutor B.J. McGee, authorities first learned that Hughes might have killed his family on Sept. 23, 2015, when Richmond police were called to the Lee Bridge for a report of a man threatening to commit suicide.
Responding officers encountered Hughes, who made several references to killing his family or thinking he had killed them but was not sure.
When he was taken into custody at the bridges railing, police found Hughes in possession of multiple IDs, including those belonging to family members. He was taken to a mental health crisis triage center at Chippenham Hospital, where Hughes first told Chesterfield Detective Carey Williams that he had killed his family.
Hughes, still high on crack, was very distraught and went through a series of emotions ranging from anger to sadness. He told Williams he could not believe he killed his sister because she was the only one who loved him.
By then, Chesterfield police had discovered the bodies of the three family members, each with stab wounds to the neck. Investigators located the murder weapon, a knife, after Hughes told Williams he had placed it on top of a Bible in his bedroom.
In an interview with detectives at police headquarters, Hughes told detectives that he had to psych himself up to commit the murders and told himself three times that he could not do it before finally acting.
He first killed his father while he was apparently asleep in a downstairs bedroom. He then killed his mother, who told Hughes when he entered her room that she had heard a noise downstairs, prompting him to hold her down with a pillow before fatally stabbing her, Hughes confessed to detectives.
Finally, Hughes killed his sister, who was watching television in bed upstairs after coming home from work about 2 a.m.
After the killings, Hughes took a ring from his mothers finger and her car and drove to a motel on Jefferson Davis Highway. He met a woman there and purchased crack that they smoked together, Hughes said in his confession. Video surveillance footage obtained by police confirmed that Hughes was at the motel.
At one point, Hughes traveled to the Oaklawn Pawn shop in Hopewell, where he pawned his mothers wedding ring and two other rings to buy more drugs. Police also obtained video footage that showed Hughes at the pawn shop.
Hughes drove to several other locations that day, including two trips back to his familys house to obtain more jewelry and other items, such as a television and his sisters cellphone, to pawn for crack. Hughes told detectives he covered up all three victims during one of the return trips to the family home.
Hughes stayed at the motel for more than 24 hours after the killings, from about 6 a.m. Sept. 22 to 11:45 a.m. Sept. 23.
He felt he had no other option, Rockecharlie told the court of Hughes decision to kill, noting Hughes had been on a three- to four-day crack binge and not in his right mind.
Rockecharlie told the court he has represented numerous defendants in horrific crimes over the years, but among those cases hes never dealt with a gentler client than Hughes. Hes been remorseful for his actions and is ready to take responsibility, said the attorney, noting that Hughes has a 4-year-old son who has relapsed in a two-year fight with cancer and may have only six weeks to live.
Speaking softly before he was sentenced, Hughes told Chesterfield Circuit Court Judge Frederick G. Rockwell III that his true self is not the killer who took the lives of his family but he has never hidden from his responsibility for their murders.
Virginia is a state without parole, so Hughes effectively will serve his full, 90-year prison term.
But as Rockecharlie noted to the court, Hughes could become eligible for whats known as geriatric parole when he turns 60, but thats usually granted only in cases when an inmate is dying or near death and even then theres no certainty of release.
Henrico police are looking for two suspects after a woman was shot at an apartment complex late Sunday.
The shooting happened about 10:30 p.m. in the 5600 block of Crenshaw Road, police said.
The victim was taken to a local hospital. Her injuries are not considered life-threatening, police said.
Kelley Hites son came home from school one day last month and warned her against voting for Hillary Clinton.
Like any parent in that situation, Hite was curious. Why would her sixth-grader, Dagen, make such a suggestion? Where did he pick up the sentiment?
So she asked the question parents have asked from time immemorial, Why do you think that?
Well, shes crooked, Dagen replied.
I probably didnt address it as well as I should have, Hite said. I told him that you dont have to worry about us voting for Clinton, but that, in my mind, neither of the candidates are great. I think everybody kind of feels the same way.
As the election season comes to a close, many parents arent talking to their kids about the responsibility of voting or of respecting the office of the president. They arent discussing the importance of the democratic process or the intricacies of the Electoral College.
Instead, parents are forced to have conversations about accusations that one candidate should go to prison or that the other has committed multiple sexual assaults. Rather than marking a historic event, they are turning off TVs because of lewd talk about genitalia or to avoid answering questions about the size of a person's hands.
The 2016 presidential election has been one of the ugliest and most vitriolic in modern American history. It has been filled with apocalyptic warnings, careless handling of classified materials, bullying, fat shaming, Russian hackers, deplorables, bad hombres and FBI investigations.
But whatever happens Tuesday when the election ends, parents will be left to pick up the pieces and try to explain to their children what happened.
In Hites case, if Clinton becomes president of the United States, she'll have to explain to her son that he must show respect for a woman he now views as a thief.
What makes this election different is that it has been nasty and unfiltered, and many adults are confused and emotional themselves, so it can be hard to help kids understand these issues and personalities, said Judith Myers-Walls, professor of human development and family studies at Perdue University.
Myers-Walls said the best way to deal with the issues that have come up during the campaign is by tackling them head on.
She said the election is and will be a topic of conversation wherever kids go, whether at school or out and about. By talking openly about what theyve heard, parents will help reinforce the fact that its all right to discuss issues and it allows parents a chance to answer questions.
Thats especially critical if kids are afraid because of the rhetoric theyve heard. Children, Myers-Halls said, need to understand that fear-mongering is an election strategy and that both sides are entitled to their opinions.
She cautions, though, that its important for parents to carefully monitor their own responses to what candidates say or do because they set the tone for their children.
Parents should remember the election is not a single event, but rather an ongoing season that can be stressful and confusing for children, Myers-Walls said. To understand any current event, children should have an idea of what is happening, who is involved, where it is happening and its significant elements.
For her part, Nikki Brungard of Mechanicsville looks at this election as an education for her children.
Brungard is an unabashed conservative who has worked at The Heritage Foundation and Young Americas Foundation and home schools her three kids. Politics and history are a passion.
Over the past year, shes had her kids study the candidates and their positions, looking at what they stand for and who they are. They reached the conclusion that neither of them have good character.
Theres not anything that Ive hidden from them necessarily. Weve talked about it all openly, Brungard said. My goal is to teach them how to judge based on issues, not a caricature that the media portrays or a narrative that anyone else writes.
The idea that this election, as ugly as its been, can be a tool to help teach young people about the importance of exercising their civic responsibilities has actually become a theme as the race has gone on.
Teachers who early on saw the campaign as a spectacle, now use what candidates say and do as lessons on how to research and fact check. The horse race has become a lesson in how electoral politics work.
And the stakes when a president is chosen every four years, has become a rallying cry to make sure young people are involved and informed.
There are lots of reasons to worry that we havent done enough as a country to make sure students have the civic education they need, U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr., a former social studies teacher, said Wednesday in Richmond. He was speaking in general terms, not about the 2016 campaign specifically.
Because of the number of schools that have reduced attention on social studies in the past decade, we have to refocus on making sure students have that knowledge so that they know how government works, they know about the constitution, they know about our evolving history around how we expanded access to opportunity through civil rights. But also what the challenges are.
And students need the skills to be effective participants in civic discourse the writing skills, the public speaking skills, the ability to see issues from multiple perspectives.
For now, though, parents are left to deal with only a few days of active campaigning to go.
What happens after the voting is done and a new president is chosen, will be another lesson.
Its unlikely that the 2016 presidential campaign will go away quietly or be soon forgotten, though. What is a fact is that one of the two people children heard and saw pilloried for months on end will now lead the country that children must grow up in. And parents themselves will have to deal with that.
At that point, even many of the most cynical of parents will hope that, in the end, the person who is chosen will do a good job and that all the apocalyptic rhetoric is just that, rhetoric.
What I have told people as Ive gotten a lot of grief for being on the Never Trump Never Hillary side is, you cant imagine how wrong I want to be, Brungard said. I want to be wrong who they are. I want to be wrong about how I think that theyll govern. My best bit of optimism is, Lord help please me be wrong about these two. Because everything theyre saying and doing indicates otherwise.
More than 30 people were displaced after an apartment fire Sunday in Henrico County.
Firefighters were called shortly after 7 p.m. for a report of smoke in an apartment in the 4700 block of East Cardinal Court in the county's West End, said Capt. Taylor Goodman of the Henrico County Division of Fire.
Crews discovered fire inside the walls of the building, which affected several apartments on the first and second floors, Goodman said.
The Red Cross and the apartment complex's staff is assisting the displaced residents, he said.
Detectives continue to feverishly investigate an early morning sexual assault that followed an automobile crash in southern Stafford County last week.
Sheriffs spokeswoman M.C. Morris Moncure said about 100 leads have been supplied by the public and investigators are checking out every one of them. But as of Friday night, no arrest had been made.
Moncure said detectives continue to solicit more tips from the public and have increased the Crime Solvers reward in this case from $1,000 to $2,500.
We ask the public to look closely again at the composite drawing of the suspect and the photo of the shirt he left at the scene, she said.
Police said the woman was traveling east on State Route 3 (Kings Highway) between 2:45 and 3:15 a.m. when her vehicle was struck by a dark-colored SUV near Sherwood Forest Farm Road. The woman reported that she hadnt noticed the SUV prior to being struck in the front quarter panel.
After the accident, the man forcibly removed the woman from her vehicle and dragged her into a ditch, where he sexually assaulted her for about two hours, authorities said.
Sheriff David Decatur said the vehicles were in the travel lane on the shoulder of the road. He said they would have been clearly visible to anyone driving east at that time of morning.
The woman had come from a residence in Spotsylvania County and had made no stops prior to the collision, Decatur said.
The attacker is described as a Hispanic male about 30, about 5 feet 9 inches and 175 pounds. He was last seen heading east on Route 3.
The American Living shirt is white, orange and blue plaid and is a size large. The man had black hair and a short black beard and was last seen wearing light blue jeans and a sleeveless white tank top under the shirt left behind.
Changes to the boundaries of a number of Virginias congressional districts mean many Richmond-area voters will have new representatives in January and raise the possibility of greater Democratic representation in the commonwealths 11-member U.S. House delegation.
A three-judge federal panel ruled that the boundaries of the 3rd District, represented by Democrat Robert C. Bobby Scott, were unconstitutional because legislators, in redistricting the state, had packed too many additional African-Americans into the district, diluting their influence elsewhere.
As a result of the judges new map, the 3rd District, which formerly stretched from Richmond to Newport News, now is confined to Hampton Roads.
The redrawn boundaries had a ripple effect on neighboring districts, most dramatically in the 4th effectively changing it from a Republican-leaning seat to one that favors Democrats.
The 4th now includes Richmond and Petersburg, part of Chesterfield County south and east of Pocahontas State Park, and eastern Henrico County. The district extends to Chesapeake.
State Sen. A. Donald McEachin, D-Henrico, and Henrico Sheriff Mike Wade, a Republican, are vying for the open seat.
The 1st District, represented by Rep. Robert J. Wittman, a Republican, picked up Hanover and New Kent counties, formerly part of the 7th District. Wittman is seeking re-election against Democrat Matt Rowe, a Stafford County data analyst and member of the Bowling Green Town Council and independent Gail Parker.
The 7th District, represented by Rep. Dave Brat, a Republican, gained Powhatan, Nottoway and Amelia counties. The district still includes western Henrico, as well as northern and western Chesterfield. Brat is being challenged by Democrat Eileen Bedell, a lawyer from Bon Air.
Republicans currently hold an 8-3 majority in Virginias U.S. House delegation, while Democrats Tim Kaine and Mark Warner hold the states U.S. Senate seats.
Redistricting and retirements have created three open seats that currently are occupied by Republicans.
In the 2nd District, anchored in Virginia Beach, Rep. Scott Rigell is retiring. The 4th District has an open seat because Rep. J. Randy Forbes unsuccessfully sought to jump to the 2nd District, where he lost a GOP primary to Del. Scott W. Taylor, R-Virginia Beach. In the sprawling 5th District, which runs from Fauquier County south to the North Carolina line, Rep. Robert Hurt is retiring.
In the 3rd, Scott is running for re-election in what likely is a safe Democratic district. If Kaine is elected vice president, Scott is a leading contender to be appointed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe to fill Kaines Senate seat.
In the geographically massive, mostly rural, 5th, state Sen. Thomas A. Garrett Jr., R-Buckingham, and former Albemarle County Board of Supervisors chairwoman Jane Dittmar, a Democrat, are in a contested race in the GOP-leaning district.
The 5th last went Democratic in 2008, when Tom Perriello road the coattails of Barack Obamas Virginia victory to defeat Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. Hurt beat Perriello two years later.
The polarizing nature of the presidential election season has focused attention on Northern Virginias 10th District, which covers parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties, all of Loudoun County, and stretches west to Winchester.
Rep. Barbara J. Comstock, R-10th, is facing a stiff challenge from Democrat LuAnn Bennett in a race that is being bankrolled by millions in funding from outside groups, mostly for negative TV ads.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
More than 800 people in need in the Roanoke Valley will have a coat to keep them warm this winter, thanks to the efforts of students from eight area high schools. Hidden Valley High Schools DECA club doubled the amount of coats it collected in 2015 for the Rescue Missions Happy Coats-giving collection and reign as champions of the school competition for the second straight year.
Hidden Valleys grand total of 448 coats this year earns the DECA Club a pizza party, sponsored by Franks Pizza in Salem.
The students at Hidden Valley really hit it out of the park this year with Happy Coats-giving, says DECA Club sponsor, Nathan Hunt. The DECA Club came up with lots of incentives to get students and teachers to donate, including raffles to win gift cards and other prizes. My DECA members were really dedicated to the collection and wanted to collect even more coats than last year.
Cave Spring High School collected 142 coats to claim second place, with Patrick Henry coming in third with 56. William Fleming brought in 50, Salem 44, Glenvar 43, Northside 28, and Roanoke Catholic 27. Overall, the high schools collected an impressive 838 winter coats, beating the grand total of 711 in 2015!
We're so proud of the students at each of these schools for the way they have gotten behind this project, say Rescue Mission Chief Development Officer Tracy Altizer. Because of their efforts, hundreds of people in the Roanoke Valley who are struggling won't have to worry about how they will stay warm this winter.
Businesses, churches, and civic organizations have also held coat drives this fall, and many individuals have been dropping off coats at the Rescue Mission. So far, the Mission has collected over 4,000 coats and to date has given out 382 to people in need. Coats will be distributed at Thrift 460 through the end of December.
The Rescue Mission of Roanoke, located at 402 Fourth Street SE, is a 501(C)(3) grassroots organization serving as a Christian Crisis Intervention Center for Southwestern Virginia. Receiving no government funding of any kind, the Rescue Mission is supported by the generous donations of our community partners. Since 1948, The Rescue Mission has consistently served all people in need regardless of race, creed, gender, age, or ethnicity. For more information about the Rescue Mission, please visit www.rescuemission.net, or call (540) 343-7227.
Submitted by Amy McArthur
To rig Virginias elections, a would-be fraudster would have to navigate a patchwork of paper balloting systems and touchscreen machines, none of which are connected to the internet.
After experiencing problems in 2014 with wireless-capable voting machines, the state is in the process of phasing out all touchscreen systems by 2020.
Most localities in central Virginia and Northern Virginia will use scanned paper ballots on Election Day, while many voters in Southwest and Southside Virginia will use touchscreens. Voters in the Roanoke and New River valleys will use scanned paper ballots.
The ground-level work of conducting the election will be carried out by 133 local election offices and watched by Democratic and Republican poll observers, making the prospect of a widespread scheme all the more unlikely.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump repeatedly has called the election rigged, but leaders of his Virginia campaign havent directly questioned the integrity of the voting process in their own state.
Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Edgardo Cortes called the talk of election-rigging very unfortunate.
This notion that its going to be rigged and someone is secretly going to alter results or do anything like that is just not accurate. The voting process itself is a very public thing, said Cortes, an appointee of Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat.
The Trump campaigns acting Virginia chairman, conservative radio talk-show host John Fredericks, said thousands of pro-Trump poll watchers will be deployed to observe and report any irregularities. Fredericks said he favors paper ballots because theyre easier to track.
No paper means no trail, Fredericks said. No trail means you can never really be certain as to what happened.
Last year, the State Board of Elections banned the use of WinVote touchscreen machines, saying their wireless features made them vulnerable to cyberattacks and posed an unacceptable risk to Virginias electoral process.
At the time, WinVote machines were used in about one-fifth of the states voter precincts.
After the 2014 general election, poll workers in Spotsylvania County told state officials that they believed one election officers use of a smartphone to stream music on a wireless network caused voting machines to crash in their precinct. During a subsequent investigation, an auditor was able to use a smartphone to connect to the wireless network the machines used to communicate with one another.
After the WinVote machines were decommissioned, buying new touchscreens wasnt an option. In 2007, the General Assembly barred localities from buying new touchscreen systems due to concerns about wireless vulnerabilities.
The prospect of election-related cyberattacks particularly intrusions tied to Russia led national security officials to issue a statement last month saying that some states have detected scanning and probing of their election-related systems by Russian servers but concluded it would be extremely difficult for any hacker to change actual votes or election results.
In a radio appearance last month, McAuliffe stressed the fact that Virginias voting machines are not connected to the internet.
That is a myth that exists, McAuliffe said. There is no connectivity.
General Assembly Republicans have drawn attention to an incident of potential voter registration fraud in Harrisonburg in which nearly 20 dead people were registered to vote.
Democrats have raised doubts about whether the Harrisonburg case, which is under investigation but has not led to criminal charges, could have led to actual in-person voter fraud. Casting a ballot using a false identity is further complicated by Virginias Republican-backed voter ID law.
McAuliffe called Virginias election system very, very strong.
Nobody who is not allowed to vote is going to be allowed to vote, McAuliffe said.
Apart from Botswana, Russia, Angola, Namibia, Canada and South Africa, which in addition to diamond mining are developing diamond manufacturing, the pool of the worlds major diamond producing countries may as well include Australia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These 8 countries account for about 95% of global diamond production (Table. 1).
Table 1
Production, import and export of diamonds by major diamond producing countries in 2014-2015
The numerator carries metrics for 2014, while the denominator carries metrics for 2015.
The table is compiled by the author based on the Annual Global Summary: 2014, 2015 Production, Imports, Exports and KPC Counts.
Analysis of the data above shows that the major diamond producing countries are mostly exporting rough diamonds and this brings their participation in the diamond trade to an end. The exception is Botswana, which is engaged in large-scale diamond re-export operations involving neighboring poor African countries through the diamond exchange in Gaborone. It should also be noted that diamond manufacturing companies based in this country, which is pursuing the beneficiation policy, process small amounts of rough as compared with the worlds traditional diamond cutting centers, such as India and Israel.
If we consider the diamond export and diamond import operations by country based on the Kimberley Process metrics, it is also possible to single out 8 major diamond trading countries (Tab. 2).
Table 2
Major diamond importing and diamond exporting countries in 2012-2015
The numerator carries import amounts, while the denominator carries export amounts.
The table is compiled by the author based on the Annual Global Summary: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Production, Imports, Exports and KPC Counts.
Analysis of the above data shows that more than 90% of global rough imports and two-thirds of global rough exports both by value and volume go through major diamond trading countries. These countries have an advanced jewelry industry and are processing rough diamonds into polished goods then sold around the world as diamond jewelry, the latter winning final value for rough it is made of.
The total global diamond imports and exports are more than three times higher by volume as the global rough diamond production and more than 3.5 times higher by value. This suggests that rough diamonds before they are cut into polished diamonds make at least 3 trips through intermediary countries, which receive additional income from the resale of diamonds. Among them, the United Arab Emirates is particularly noteworthy, for this country turned into one of the global diamond trading hubs in a matter of a decade using its favorable geographical location.
Yuri Danilov, Director of Expert Information and Analysis Center at Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University
Newfield recovers 1,180cts from Tongo Newfield Resources produced 1,180 carats from the processing of both underground and surface bulk samples at its Tongo mine in Sierra Leone during the quarter ended 30 September 2022.
Global demand for natural diamond jewellery grows in H1 De Beers Global demand for natural diamond jewellery in the first half of 2022 grew by an estimated high single-digit figure compared with the first half of 2021, according to a report released by De Beers. It said in its Diamond Insight Report 2022 that growth...
Scientists determine the composition of rock fragments in the Popigai crater in Yakutia Scientists of the V.S.Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences have clarified the chemical composition of rocks of the Popigai crater in Yakutia - the largest deposit of impact diamonds (lonsdailites)...
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...
Diamond markets were quiet in October with wholesale businesses closing for the respective Chinese, Jewish and Indian holidays, Rapaport reported. Trading slowed as larger U.S. holiday orders were already filled and dealers shifted to accommodate specific requirements from their retail customers.
The RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI) for one-carat, RapSpec-A3+ polished diamonds fell 2.3% in October. The index dropped 4.3% in the first ten months of the year.
Market sentiment improved after the September Hong Kong show but polished trading remained sluggish and inventory levels relatively high. Rough demand softened as rough prices firmed in October and Indian diamond manufacturers scaled down operations before closing for Diwali.
While rough demand slowed in October, mining companies continue to register strong growth compared with 2015 when demand slumped due to low manufacturing profitability and high polished inventory. De Beers sales volume rose 90% in the third quarter, while ALROSAs increased 69%.
Manufacturing profits remain tight due to sluggish polished demand, while rough trading was relatively strong in the third quarter. Indias rough imports soared 54% to $4.2B in the third quarter, a record for the period, while its polished exports grew 15% to $6.1B.
The industrys focus shifted to retail as Diwali, Christmas and the Chinese New Year provide important jewelry selling opportunities in the major consumer markets. Rapaport expects moderate U.S. jewelry sales growth this Christmas, relative stability in China but weakness in Hong Kong, while reports signal steady gold sales in India during Diwali.
However, holiday jewelry sales are unlikely to stimulate a sustainable rise in diamond trading and polished prices are expected to remain under pressure for the rest of 2016 and into 2017. That should cause rough prices to soften in the long term. With sufficient stock in the midstream, the diamond trade continues to re-align its inventory with lower levels of demand while there is still an overhang of supply from previous years.
Kennady Diamonds is now reviewing the initial draft of the Kelvin diamond project valuation report from WWW International Diamonds (WWW).
Kennady Diamonds aims to identify a resource along the Kelvin Faraday kimberlite corridor of between 13 million and 16 million tonnes at a grade of between 2 and 2.5 carats per tonne and also to identify new kimberlites outside of the corridor.
A second independent market valuation designed to obtain the market valuation for a combined parcel of diamonds from both the 2015 and 2016 bulk sampling exercises at Kelvin, is now underway in Antwerp.
President and CEO of Kennady Diamonds, Dr. Rory Moore commented: "We are pleased to have an initial draft report from WWW, which we are presently reviewing. We also look forward to completing our second valuation of all the Kelvin diamonds as their combined weight of over 2,000 carats provides a more robust parcel size for real-time market valuation."
Theodor Lisovoy, Rough&Polished, Moscow
BlueStone.com, Indias leading jewellery e-tailer has launched Gold ATMs, allowing shoppers to purchase gold off a vending machine.
The machines located shopping malls in Bengaluru and Delhi are equipped to dispense certified 24 carat gold coins in denominations of one, two, five, ten and twenty grams, according to a report in AOJ.
Introducing shoppers in the two cities to a Gold ATM for the first time, the concept is aimed at providing exceptional convenience during the festive rush. It also offers the most unique shopping experience for buyers of gold who have so far purchased precious metals either from a jewellery store or online. First time buyers and men especially are expected to make the most of the gold ATM owing to its functional and practical aspects. Installation of the machines at two very popular locations in the cities of Bengaluru and Delhi ensure convenience to shoppers in a rush to buy gifts for the auspicious festive season.
Speaking on the launch, Arvind Singhal, COO, BlueStone.com said, Introduction of the gold ATM during the festive season not only adds convenience to buying gold but is also a means to connect with our customers by providing them with physical touch points. Customers can purchase gold coins of multiple denominations by cash or card, making it ideal for buying gold for gifting or as an investment option.
Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished
The UAE Kimberley Process Chair (KP Chair), Ahmed Bin Sulayem, has visited the Republic of Mozambique as part of his travels across the continent aimed at increasing the dialogue with African countries around the rough diamond trade and strengthening the KPs mandate, says a press note.
During his visit, the UAE KP Chairs talks with President Nyusi and the other senior officials centered on the governments progress towards compliance with KP requirements, as well as best practices in rough diamond valuation.
Mozambique is not currently a member of the KP, but it is an aspiring candidate since it presented its membership portfolio back in 2012. Following the discovery of diamonds earlier this year in the Massangena district of the Gaza province, local authorities have undertaken efforts to garner more support for its candidacy in order to get clearance to export its conflict-free diamonds.
In a bid to strengthen the countrys KP candidacy and support its application, the Maputo government has approved a number of measures expected to enter into effect on November 20. These include the creation of a supervising agency, the Kimberley Process Management Unit, and a decree which regulates diamond, precious metals, and gem sales.
Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished
Stellar Diamonds said an independent competent persons report (CPR) prepared by MPH Consulting on the Tongo and Tonguma project in Sierra Leone has confirmed the projects initial inferred recoverable resource of 4.0 million carats.
The report also endorsed the mine plan for the project.
Stellar had last month proposed the acquisition of Tonguma to combine with its adjacent Tongo project.
The proposed acquisition, if completed, would result in Stellar holding a 75 percent economic interest in the project following, among others, preferential repayment of the initial investment made and payment of certain revenue royalty payments.
The publication of the CPR marks another key milestone in the proposed acquisition of the project and follows the independent mine plan and financial model in the preliminary economic assessment, said company chief executive Karl Smithson.
We continue to make good progress with the necessary legal and other due diligence work required to complete the proposed acquisition.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
Factory orders from Germany and retail sales from euro area are due on Monday, headlining a busy day for the European economic news.
At 2.00 am ET, Destatis is slated to release German factory orders data for September. Orders are forecast to grow 0.2 percent on month after rising 1 percent in August.
In the meantime, Norway's industrial output figures are due. Production had decreased 4.7 percent month-on-month in August.
At 3.00 am ET, industrial production from Spain and retail sales from the Czech Republic and Hungary are due. Economists forecast Czech retail sales to grow 6 percent annually and Hungary's sales to grow 4.5 percent in September.
At 3.15 am ET, Switzerland's Federal Statistical Office releases consumer prices for October. Prices had decreased 0.2 percent annually in September.
At 3.30 am ET, U.K. Halifax house price data is due. Prices are expected to climb 4.7 percent annually in three months to October.
At 4.30 am ET, Sentix releases euro area investor confidence survey results. The sentiment index is seen rising to 8.9 points in November from 8.5 in October.
At 5.00 am ET, Eurostat is set to issue euro area retail sales data for September. Sales are forecast to climb 1.2 percent annually following a 0.6 percent rise in August.
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Asia-focused lender HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBC,HSBA.L) reported Monday a net loss in its third quarter, compared to profit last year, hurt by significant losses mainly related to disposal of its Brazilian operations. Net interest income also declined from last year.
For the quarter, net loss attributable to shareholders of the parent was $204 million, compared to last year's profit of $5.23 billion.
On a pre-tax basis, the company recorded profit of $843 million, down 86 percent from last year's $6.10 billion.
The latest quarterly results included $1.74 billion loss from the disposal of operations in Brazil, $1.37 billion fair value losses of own debt, and $1.01 billion costs-to-achieve.
After adjusting one-time items, profit before tax was $5.59 billion, compared to $5.24 billion a year ago.
Stuart Gulliver, HSBC Group Chief Executive, said, "Our third-quarter performance reflected the strength of our network and the deepening impact of our strategic actions. Reported profits were down, but adjusted profits were higher than last year's third quarter in all four global businesses and four out of five regions."
Asian profit grew 10 percent to $3.80 billion, and Europe profit grew 5 percent. Middle East and North Africa recorded 16 percent profit growth and Latin American profit surged 88 percent. In North America alone, adjusted pre-tax profit declined 31 percent.
Revenue of $12.79 billion grew 2 percent from $12.53 billion last year.
Net interest income declined to $7.19 billion from prior year's $8.03 billion. Net operating income before loan impairment charges and other credit risk provisions declined to $9.51 billion from $15.09 billion a year ago. In the quarter, net fee income and net trading income also dropped.
HSBC reported 4 percent fall in costs reflecting the effect of transformational cost saving programmes. Annualised savings were $2.8 billion. The bank said it remains on track to achieve cost savings target of $4.5 billion to $5.0 billion.
The bank generated a further $57 billion of risk-weighted assets (RWA) savings in the third quarter notably from the disposal of Brazil. It is now more than 80 percent of the way to achieving RWA reduction target.
For fiscal 2017, the company said its on track to meet Group RWA reduction target of $290 billion.
In Hong Kong, HSBC shares were gaining 2.26 percent at HK$58.75.
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Norway's industrial production declined markedly for the second straight month in September, figures from Statistics Norway showed Monday.
Industrial production plunged a calendar-adjusted 12.4 percent year-over-year in September, much faster than the 6.4 percent fall in August. In July, production had risen 0.5 percent.
Manufacturing production contracted 5.6 percent on year, while mining and quarrying output grew by 8.4 percent. Output of extraction and related services alone tumbled by 18.2 percent.
Month-on-month, industrial production dropped a seasonally adjusted 5.6 percent from August, when it slid by 4.9 percent. Meanwhile, manufacturing output registered an increase of 2.2 percent.
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Hiscox Ltd (HSX.L), the international specialist insurer, reported that its gross written premiums grew by 14.3% in local currency to 1858.2 million pounds in the first nine months of the year to 30 September 2016, with a strong performance across all segments. In reported currency gross written premiums grew by 20.9%, helped by material foreign exchange gains.
Bronek Masojada, Hiscox CEO, stated: "It has been a good quarter for the Group, albeit flattered by foreign exchange gains. Our retail businesses continue to grow well, benefitting from long term investment in infrastructure and brand. However, margins are evaporating in some areas of the London Market, and we are adjusting our underwriting accordingly."
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German shares are rallying in early trade Monday, as a rebound in oil prices and fresh hopes that Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will win the U.S. election helped investors shrug off sluggish factory orders data.
Clinton's likelihood of winning increased slightly after FBI director James Comey told Congress that a review of new evidence didn't uncover any wrongdoing by her.
The benchmark DAX is currently up 149 points or 1.45 percent at 10,408 in opening deals after declining 0.7 percent on Friday.
Banks are rallying, with Commerzbank up 2.3 percent and Deutsche Bank rising 2.5 percent.
Drug maker Merck KgaA is climbing 1.5 percent after it entered into a collaboration agreement with Japan's Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd that allows each party to use the other party's OLED material-related patents in certain areas.
Bayer is gaining 0.7 percent after saying it had applied for extended marketing authorization of its oral multi-kinase inhibitor Regorafenib in the U.S., Japan and Europe.
MorphoSys shares are up half a percent. The biotechnology firm confirmed its 2016 guidance for Group revenues after reporting a consolidated loss of 31.6 million euros in the first nine months of the year.
Volkswagen shares are marginally lower as German prosecutors widened an inquiry into the company's emissions scandal to include its Chairman.
In economic releases, figures from Destatis showed that German factory orders contracted unexpectedly in September largely due to a fall in domestic demand. Factory orders fell 0.6 percent from August, when it grew by revised 0.9 percent.
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French shares are rising sharply on Monday, as higher oil prices and fresh hopes that Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will win the U.S. election helped investors shrug off sluggish factory orders data out of Germany.
Clinton's likelihood of winning increased slightly after FBI director James Comey told Congress that a review of new evidence didn't uncover any wrongdoing by her.
Figures from Destatis showed that German factory orders contracted unexpectedly in September largely due to a fall in domestic demand. Factory orders fell 0.6 percent from August, when it grew by revised 0.9 percent.
The benchmark CAC 40 is currently up 77 points or 1.76 percent at 4,454 in opening deals after declining 0.8 percent in the previous session.
Bank shares are rallying after HSBC Holdings Plc reported better-than-expected third-quarter profit. Credit Agricole, BNP Paribas and Societe Generale Group are up 2-3 percent.
Renault shares are up 2.5 percent on news that the car maker plans to open a manufacturing plant in Pakistan by 2018.
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Market Analysis
Gold futures fell Monday morning as were soothed by news that the FBI has cleared Hillary Clinton yet again.
After taking another look at her email issue, the feds said they found nothing to charge her with any criminal wrongdoing.
Clinton, the candidate favored by Wall Street, is expected to edge protectionist Donald Trump in the U.S. election tomorrow.
Gold, which surged higher on its safe haven appeal last week as Trump narrowed the gap, is now in retreat.
The S&P 500 is poised to snap a 9-day losing skid.
December gold was down $16 at $1288 an ounce.
On the economic front, Gallup U.S. consumer spending measure for October will be released at 8.30 am ET. In the previous month, the index recorded $91.
The Federal Reserve's Labor market conditions Index for October is expected to be released at 10.00 am ET. In the previous month, the index indicated a decline of 2.2.
On Sunday, Donald Trump warned that if a company leaves Minnesota, fire their workers, and move to another country, and then ship their products back into the United States, his administration will make them pay a 35 percent tax.
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Market Analysis
Crude oil prices inched slightly higher Monday amid hopes the U.S. would continue to gradually improve if Hillary Clinton is elected president tomorrow.
After being cleared again by the FBI in her email scandal, Clinton is expected to edge protectionist Donald Trump.
Despite a stronger dollar, December crude oil was up 50 cents at $44.59 a barrel.
OPEC's chief insists Russia, the world's biggest energy producer, is "on board" with the cartel's plan to limit crude oil production.
Markets remain skeptical, as a number of key producers say they should be exempt. Iran is arguing they should be free to pump oil after years of crippling sanctions.
Iran is set to sign an historic $6 billion deal with France's Total SA to help develop an offshore gas field, Marketwatch reports.
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Market Analysis
Canadian stocks are likely to rebound Monday morning, after the FBI cleared Hillary Clinton of any criminal charges in her lingering email scandal.
The former secretary of state was holding onto a slim lead over outsider Donald Trump before the FBI's latest announcement.
Markets everywhere were calmed by the news.
It was a rough week on Bay Street last week, but gold stocks provided a measure of support as the precious metal found safe haven buyers.
On Friday, the S&P/TSX Composite Index lost 74.17 points, or 0.51 percent, to 14,509.25.
In corporate news this morning, Air Canada (AC.A.TO) profit jumped more than 75% on higher passenger traffic.
Struggling drug maker Concordia (CRX.TO) reported third quarter revenue of $185.5 million, a decrease of 19.9% compared with the second quarter of 2016.
Concordia is suspending guidance as the company assesses the under new leadership.
Energy stocks may rally today as crude oil prices steadied following last week's big retreat.
Despite a stronger dollar, December crude oil was up 50 cents at $44.59 a barrel.
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Market Analysis
A top American pollster says Hillary Clinton might win the popular vote but is one state away from potentially losing the electoral college.
In an article he published Sunday on the polling aggregation website FiveThirtyEight, Editor Nate Silver says, "Don't Ignore The Polls Clinton Leads, But It's A Close Race."
Silver is considered the foremost pollster in the US having correctly predicted the 2008 and 2012 elections.
Two weeks ago, national polls showed margins ranging from a 14-percentage-point lead for Hillary Clinton to a 1-point lead for her Republican rival Donald Trump. Now, the results have shifted toward Trump, but the range has narrowed.
Silver listed the data of the 14 national polls since October 28, when FBI Director James Comey announced a fresh investigation into the former Secretary of State's email server. On average across the polls, her lead shrunk to 1.9 percentage points. State polls also are telling almost the same story.
He says the tipping-point state in his forecast is New Hampshire the state that would provide the decisive 270th electoral vote if the polls got things exactly right.
There, Clinton leads by only 1.7 percentage points in the adjusted polling average, as several recent polls show Trump tied or slightly ahead, along with others that still give Clinton the lead. "Thus, Clinton's doing a little bit worse in the tipping-point state than she is overall a sign that she might win the popular vote but lose the Electoral College," says Silver.
Silver had earlier observed that the electoral college map was less solid for the Democratic presidential candidate than it was four years ago for outgoing president Barack Obama.
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Business News
Adding to the drama surrounding the upcoming election, the FBI has once again cleared Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton of criminal charges related to her use of a private email server while Secretary of State.
"Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton," FBI Director James Comey wrote in a letter sent to members of Congress on Sunday.
Late last month, Comey revealed that the FBI re-opened its probe of Clinton after learning of the existence of new emails on a device obtained in connection with an unrelated investigation.
U.S. officials familiar with the case told the Washington Post the new emails were either personal or duplicative of those found earlier.
Comey announced in July that he would not recommend criminal charges against Clinton over her use of a private email server.
The FBI Director described Clinton's handling of classified information as careless but argued that it did not rise to the level of a crime.
In his letter to lawmakers, Comey praised the professionals at the FBI for doing an extraordinary amount of high-quality work in a short period of time, but Republican nominee Donald Trump has raised questions about the speed of the investigation.
"You can't review 650,000 new emails in eight days. You can't do it, folks," Trump said at a rally in Sterling Heights, Michigan, on Sunday.
He added, "Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it, the FBI knows it, the people know it, and now it's up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on November 8th."
With the developments coming so close to the election, some lawmakers have also raised questions about the FBI's handling of the high-profile investigation.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., argued that Comey's actions were contrary to Justice Department rules and longstanding practice.
"By confirming that the new emails were meaningless, today's letter underscores the irresponsibility of Director Comey's original letter," Reid said.
Additionally, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said the growing number of unanswered questions about the FBI's investigation demand explanations.
"For months now, I've been urging the FBI to provide details regarding the scope of its investigation," Grassley said. "Another vague announcement by the FBI has again failed to provide this context."
A day before Election Day, the RealClearPolitics average of national polls shows Clinton with a slim 46.4 percent to 44.4 percent lead over Trump.
(Photo: Gage Skidmore)
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Business 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 ...
By SA Commercial Prop News
Lagos Skyline.
Estimates about the size of Lagoss population differ widely. While Nigerias commercial capital is officially home to around 10 million people, some believe the real figure is closer to 17 million.
Lagoss rapid growth has come at the expense of good social services and infrastructure, says Alitheia Capital in a recent research report.
Energy and water access, sewage, transportation and housing have all been adversely affected by the development of a geographically disjointed, poorly planned city, states the report.
However, over the past six years, the Lagos State Government has implemented several medium and long term initiatives to improve social services and close the infrastructure gap.
According to Alitheia, the outcome of these initiatives is expected to bring to the fore a plethora of opportunities in the real estate sector. The gains for the Lagos real estate market as a result of these initiatives are tremendous increasing foreign direct investment chasing after large transactions on the back of successful pilot public-private partnerships (PPPs); new business and business expansion opportunities; and attention and interest in the city from across the globe. It is expected that these will result in a demand for varied, good quality real estate whether office space, long and short stay accommodation, leisure facilities, larger retail malls and housing.
The five initiatives with the most significant impact on the real estate sector are:
The Mega City Plan
The Lagos Mega City Plan (LMCP) has been designed as a programme to boost urban infrastructure. The Lagos State Government has approached the private sector to improve transportation, roads, waste management, water supply, power, tourism, property development and manufacturing. According to Alitheia, a degree of success has been achieved.
Projects related to the LMCP include the greening agenda; the Lekki-Epe Expressway redevelopment; the Iganmu-Badagry Expressway redevelopment; the building of a light rail system; new water transportation routes; the Lekki Free Trade Zone and the Eko Atlantic City project.
Public-Private Partnerships
The Lagos State Office of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) was established in 2008. It aims to operate as a one-stop shop for prospective investors.
Lagos is starting to enjoy the fruits of PPPs and intends to use this mechanism to fund, design, build and operate its infrastructure programmes and has several impactful projects in its pipeline, including the US$2 billion Energy City in Badagry a project intended to meet both social and environmental objectives. The successful completion of the . . . light rail lines will result in many new possibilities for the real estate sector, says Alitheia.
Eko Atlantic City Project
Eko Atlantic City is a planned new ultra-high density business and residential district of Lagos, built out of a 9 km2 parcel of land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean. The seven sub-districts which make up the development will be linked by 20 km of internal waterways offering eco-friendly public transport, efficient tramways and clear, open roads. It is expected to be home to 250,000 residents with another 150,000 commuting into the city each day. The commercial centre will be anchored by a 50-floor office development with buildings up to 35 floors permitted within this district. The Eko Mall, designed as the largest shopping centre on the continent, will be situated in the business district.
Lekki Free Trade Zone
The Lekki Free Trade Zone (FTZ) is expected to be the largest FTZ in west Africa. In addition to being a FTZ, the area will include residential, commercial business and tourism districts.
Lagos State Tenancy Bill
Traditionally, tenants renting property in Lagos had to fork out two to three years upfront payment as well as large annual fees for facilities and back-up services. Under the new Tenancy Bill, it is unlawful for a landlord to demand or receive rent from a sitting tenant that is in excess of six months, in the case of a monthly tenant, or one year, in the case of a yearly tenant. It is also considered a crime for a sitting tenant to offer or pay rent in excess of one year, for a yearly tenant, and six months, for a monthly tenant.
By SA Commercial Prop News
Rebosis Property Fund CEO, Sisa Ngebulana says the distribution growth is mainly as a result of continued organic growth in our existing portfolio.
The injection of a substantial property portfolio into Rebosis Property Fund last year is paying off with the fund announcing an 8.2%% increase in its distributions for the year ended August 2016.
On Monday, the Fund declared a final distribution of 62.66 cents per share, in addition to an interim dividend of 56.79 declared in February 2016, amounting to a total distribution of 119.45 cents per share for the year under review, up 8.2% on the prior years total distribution.
Rebosis investment property portfolio consisting of UK based New Frontier Properties and local commercial office specialist, Ascension Properties further bolstered its earnings.
Rebosis CEO, Sisa Ngebulana said the distribution growth is mainly as a result of continued organic growth in our existing portfolio as well as the management teams containment efforts which saw our cost to income ratio reduce from 13.3% to 12.5%.
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We have achieved these results despite increased cost of debt from 8.2% to 8.9% due to extended debt and interest hedges taken over a four year profile. he said.
The property fund also achieved a 3.1% reduction in vacancies.
At the close of the reporting period, the Funds direct assets under management were independently valued at R12,8 billion compared to R9.8 billion in 2015. The effective investment in Ascension and New Frontier was valued at R3.9 billion.
ALSO READ: The Pivotal Fund reports positive interim results
The investment portfolio for the Group consists of 51 assets (20 properties excluding Ascension and New Frontier) made up of 45% retail, 51% commercial offices and 4% industrial, by Gross Lettable Area.
Since listing, Rebosis has held a right of first refusal on any asset coming to market by Billion Property Group (Pty) Limited provided that these assets match the Funds investment criteria. Consequently, with effect from 3 October this year, Rebosis acquired 100% of Forest Hill City and Baywest Mall, two large, dominant, early stage retail centes located in Centurion and Port Elizabeth respectively.
As part of the transaction, Rebosis also acquired Billion Groups asset and property management companies, effectively internalising the Companys asset manager.
ALSO READ: Equites Property Fund boosts returns on the back of industrial assets
The acquisition price totaled R4.9 billion and will be settled by new debt facilities of R3.7 billion and an equity raise of R1.2 billion (R700 million of which is deferred over two years at R350 million per year.) Rebosis plans to settle R1.5 billion of the new debt through the disposal of non-core commercial assets.
Analyst Comment
Commenting on the results, Stanlibs Listed Property Analyst, Lawrence Koikoi said Rebosis achieved 8.2% growth in distribution which is in line with guidance of 8.0% to 10%, and showed strong operational metric on their retail exposure with declining cost to income ratios from 13.3% to 12.5%.
The company is expected to transform into a retail biased fund in the next 12 month with incorporation of Baywest mall and Forest Hill mall, and it will be interesting to see if the market will re-rate the stock after the reducing the government exposure, Koikoi said.
Grindrod Asset Managements chief investment officer, Ian Anderson, said the company finished the year on a extremely high note.
Distribution growth of 8.2% is in line with our expectations , but based on todays price action was probably well ahead of the markets expectations.
The portfolio, comprising 4 large regional shopping centres, 15 office properties and 1 industrial warehouse, was valued at R8.7 billion at the end of August, with a further R4 billion invested in Ascension and the UK-focussed New Frontier Properties.
Post year-end, the company has acquired Forest Hill City Mall and Baywest City Mall as well as the asset and property management businesses of Billion Property Group for R4.9 billion, thereby focussing the company as a major mall owner in the South African listed property landscape.
The company has also made an offer for the Ascension units it does not already own, which would help clean up the groups structure. The company expects to complete R1.5 billion in asset disposals in FY17. The new, repositioned Rebosis effectively allows management to tick all the boxes in terms of their strategic focus for FY16 and positions the company for growth into the future.
The only unknown that remains is what Arrowhead intends to do with its 20% stake in Rebosis, Anderson said.
Rebosis expects to achieve distribution growth of between 7% and 9% in the new financial year
Salina Salvation Army seeks volunteers, prepares for season of giving
The Salvation Army of Salina is in desperate need for volunteers ahead of this holiday season.
Three terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba were also arrested during the operation.
Meet Faumuina Muti from the village of Lotosoa Saleimoa. He is the village mayor and stays with his wife and children at Lotosoa.
He was approached by the Village Voice for his opinion on how life is in Samoa nowadays for him and his family.
And he said, Life here is great.
We are used to the lifestyle we have and its nice and easy.
As the village mayor, Faumuina said he believes life is peaceful in their village because of the strong Village Council.
And like I said before, we are used to the kind of lifestyle we have now. Here we depend mostly on the matais or the chiefs to guide each and every family and look after our whole village.
It just makes everything easier when we all understand the roles of the matais and that the betterment of the village depends on them.
The Village Council makes the decisions for the whole village.
As a village mayor he said, he encourages each family to have a plantation to help the families out.
We have inspections every month and we always encourage people to have their own plantations because it can help them out a lot.
Not all families have people working in offices, so the plantations are there to provide for them.
A village mayor looks after plantations and pushes and motivates people to work on their lands. The inspections are to make sure that the work is consistent.
A lot of people sell their crops and get money from them to help out their families. We always try and make sure that there is no hunger or poverty within our village. Each family in our village is well off and they are not struggling.
Faumuina also said that they also have inspections every month to maintain the neatness of the village.
We have a special committee to organize the inspections and we also love doing it because its for a good purpose.
Sometime tomorrow we should find out who the President of the United States of America, for the next four years will be.
Whether it is the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, or the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, time will tell.
In the meantime though, lets look one more time at the candidates.
Both are far from being faultless.
Whereas Clinton has been accused of being unethical in connection with her use of government properties including communication facilities, Trump has been written about as a billionaire businessman, who amassed his fortune by allegedly making it somehow legal, for his companies to avoid paying taxes to the United States government.
In any case, whatever the faults these two might have been agonizing over all these months, its conceivable that they are not going to affect the inevitable conclusion, that one of them is going to become the President of the United States of America, before the day is over.
And that, unless for some unthinkable reasons the United States of America will blown apart all of a sudden, is the truth.
But then what is the truth?
Which reminds us about the late Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United State of America, and the notorious Watergate Scandal.
It was the mid seventies.
A direct by-product of the Vietnam War, Watergate had grown into a national scandal having acquired a life of its own, and now itd also become Americas horrible headache, and President Nixons worst nightmare.
Along the way an attempt to cover up the scandal from the American public was made, but then by that time President Nixon was so deeply embroiled in it he knew it was quite impossible for him, to extricate himself.
In the end, Nixon was accused of lying to America and Americans everywhere were angry; in fact, they were so angry all they wanted to see was President Nixon being punished hard, for lying to America.
And yet for me, a young Samoan who was fooling around America at the time, seeing the President of the United States of America being accused of lying to America, was such an incredibly amazing experience it just refused to go away.
Now Americans everywhere are angry, very angry, so that all they want to see is President Nixon being punished hard for lying to America.
And then the truth is told.
On the evening of 17 June 1972, at the Watergate Complex, down the road from the White House, Security Guard, Frank Wills, alerted the Police to what he thought was a harmless discovery.
He noticed several doors were opened and the latches on their locks were covered with tape. He then took off the tape, left the doors unlocked, and went away.
In an hour when he returned, he found that the locks had been re-taped, so he called the Police.
When the Police arrived, they found five men inside the Democratic National Committees office, a tenant in the Watergate Complex.
(The) men were arrested and charged with attempted burglary, attempted interception of telephone, and other communications.
And from that evening a series of events crucial to President Nixons political career began.
On 15 September 1972 the five arrested men, and two others are indicted by a grand jury for conspiracy, burglary and violation of federal wiretapping laws, and a wider investigation begins.
The arrested men are later found to be members of the committee to re-elect President Richard Nixon.
But then Nixon denied knowing anything about the break-in, and even some of those who had been arrested, refused to co-operate.
In March 1973, Nixon went public on television with his denial, while Americans everywhere were watching and listening, and his worst nightmare began.
That was when some of those who had denied, started talking telling the truth, and in the end they were jailed.
Still, despite Richard Nixons denial the scandal escalated, and as it did it cost Nixon much of his political support, and then on August 9, 1974, Richard Nixon resigned.
He did so in the face of almost certain impeachment and removal from office, and then he was pardoned.
Says Wikipedia: After his resignation, he was issued a pardon by his successor, Gerald Ford.
In retirement, Nixons work writing several books and undertaking of many foreign trips helped to rehabilitate his image.
The report went on to say: He suffered a debilitating stroke on April 18, 1994, and died four days later at the age of 81.
Incidentally, the Americans during Richard Nixons time were so angry with him they wanted him punished for lying to America.
That never happened.
In the end, Nixon was pardoned by Gerald Ford who succeeded him, and that way Nixon avoided being removed forcibly from office, or be impeached.
That was 1994, 22 years behind us now.
Now bearing in mind that Richard Nixon had denied any knowledge of the Watergate Break-in, and later he was forcibly removed from office ostensibly because everyone knew he had lied to America, what about today?
Did any of the two candidates who are now vying for their countrys most coveted office, the White House, which is also perennially the home of the President of United States of America, lie to America as Richard Nixon had done 22 years ago?
Stay tuned!
The bigger and better network in the telecommunication service, Digicel Samoa celebrates 10 years of operation in the country this year.
In celebrating the milestone, Digicel has launched itsget gifted (#getgifted) Christmas campaign with deals on Huawei mobile phones and give aways of $30,000 worth of cash prizes.
Since 2006 when Digicel started its operation in Samoa only 30,000 had access to mobile phones.
But that has expanded throughout the years with the company serving more than 80,000 people using mobile phones.
Digicels Head of Corporate Affairs, Leaupepe Talai Lene said there has been an improvement of communication in the country.
If you think, back in the days we had to get on the bus to come to town to see someone and talk to them, Leaupepe told the Samoa Observer.
But a look around today you will see that its not just people with money that have mobile phones. It has become affordable, accessible and has improved for our people.
That is the biggest achievement for us is to know that we are able to connect our people not only in Samoa but overseas as well.
Leaupepe recalled that in the past the cost of a mobile phone started from $500tala going up.
In the past the cost of making a phone call had cost $3 tala per minute. Today it has dropped down to 80cent.
But that was before today the cost of mobile phones has dropped dramatically and at one time cost only $29 tala.
That was the biggest task then is to make it affordable because we believe that if a mobile is cheap people will be able to connect, said Leaupepe.
What happened in the past was that only business people were able to buy mobiles. The cost of making a call has also dropped which is a lot of savings for our peoples budget because of competition.
Leaupepe said he has noticed and felt the difference of the affordability of keeping people in contact whether its through the internet, phone calls or text messages.
The company has several community projects that gives back to people through its medical outreach, partnership with Manu Samoa and Special Olympics to name a few.
As the company continues to expand its services that started from mobile to internet and now television, Digicel is looking for other ways to grow.
As we grow we need to look at areas to help the government of Samoa on what other ways we can help out, said Leaupepe.
We started from mobile phones and went into internet and now we are in TV business.
Asked if its true that Digicel is looking into the hotel industry as its next investment, Leaupepe was hesitant.
I cannot comment on that, he said.
Nothing is official. We are always looking for opportunities (to grow).
The Digicel Group which operates in the Caribbean, Central America and Asia Pacific has a total investment of over US$15billion worldwide.
A way of thanking their customers, Digicel's get gifted promotion is offering the Huawei Y3 Lite, a 4 3G handset normally retailed for $189 a special price of $99.
As an added Christmas bonus, customers who purchase any Huawei device in Digicel stores throughout the campaign will enter a weekly draw to win one of five Huawei P9 smart phones.
With its $30,000 worth of cash prizes five customers will win $1,000 each.
As the United States of America is heading towards electing its 45th President tomorrow, the winner will have an impact on Samoa and its developments, the former Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Palauli-i -le Falefa, Faumuina Tiatia Liuga, told the Samoa Observer yesterday.
He explained that depending on the winner, the impact could be either good or negative for us here in Samoa.
Faumuina likened the presidential elections in America to that of the elections of world leaders.
Said he: America should not forget that the U.S. is the leader of the world.
They should not only look at their internal issues, but they should also remember its responsibilities as a leader to the world.
"The President elections in America are also the elections of the world's leaders.
From observing rallies and campaigns happening in the America, Faumuina believes the Republican candidate Donald Trump is less in favour of immigrants.
From his campaign he made it clear that illegal and undocumented immigrants in America will have to leave the country once he is elected, Faumuina told the Samoa Observer yesterday.
We have Samoans living there and I know some are able to live on Green Cards, and others are not.
"My concern is that if Trump won, he will deport all of them and that can affect us. On the other hand, the Democratic Canidate, Hillary Clinton, whose immigration policy treats immigrants as assets, and if they are assets she would have to they legalise their status.
Faumuina says there are immigrants in the U.S. who are doing illegal activities there, and therefore they deserve to be deported.
However, he pointed out not all of them are and Clintons immigration policy considers and sees immigrants as assets.
Clintons immigration plan, when she becomes President, is to introduce comprehensive immigration reforms, and to uphold the executive actions introduced by President Barack Obama.
The executive plan which were designed to temporarily protect the estimated five million undocumented immigrants from deportation, who were either brought to U.S. as children or who have children who are U.S. citizens.
Another area that will impact Samoa with the presidential elections in U.S. is foreign aid, and trade agreements between Samoa and the U.S.
One of those agreements is the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement among 12 Pacific countries aimed at promoting economic growth, support the creation and retention of jobs, raise living standards, and promote transparency among other developments.
According to Faumuina, if Trump did win the elections, he would cancel the agreement that had opened up a trade boarder between the countries involved in the agreement.
We do rely on wealthy nations to trade, says the former Minister of Finance.
The impact on us might limit our access to the wealthy nations' markets, because Trump believes the U.S. should focus on its internal issues, and cut other agreements outside that might benefit other countries like us, where the U.S. is paying bulk costs.
Faumuina also pointed out that the negative impact will not stop at trading but will also affect foreign aid from the U.S. to Samoa.
From the environment side, Faumuina says Trump has plans for America to pull out from its decision to sign the Paris 2020 climate change agreement.
He declared that openly to remove America from its commitment to the climate change agreement,he points out.
Trump does not see an alternative to substitute works that are affecting the environment.
About Clinton, Faumuina says although she has been accused of some scandals, he believes she is doing what is best for the American general public.
There are times people make decisions not knowing they are not the right choices, says Famuina.
But sometimes those decisions are for the benefit of the general public. Clinton will win whether it is decisively or both popular vote and college vote.
"I wish both of them well.
Another Member of Parliament for Salega East, Olo Fiti Vaai, feels that the U.S. elections are no different from the ones held in Samoa.
He says it all comes down to walking the talk.
Their manifests and goals are all talk, said Olo. But the most important part of an election is doing what they'd promised to do just like our elections.
"Our government made a lot of promises during the March elections which was all politics. Onn the flip side though, they have not yet succeeded in some of their promises.
An example used by Olo is "the Human Rights Protection Partys manifesto that talked about generating employment for the unemployed.
We still have a climbing number of unemployed people and most importantly, they have not been able to provide jobs for our school leavers, who are still going from office to office looking for work.
Their plans are not important," he said.
"Its what they do that makes a difference.
Think a MinuteThis is a true story about a young Jewish boy named Karl who grew up in Germany.
Karls father was very religious and made sure his family went to the Jewish synagogue and studied the Torah or Jewish bible every day. When Karl was a teenager his family moved to another German town where all the important people were Christians not Jews.
Suddenly, Karls father changed religionsnot because he learned the truth that Jesus Christ is the only true God, but because he wanted to be popular and liked by the important people in the community. Karls family was so surprised and confused. Young Karl especially became deeply disappointed and angry at his father for being such a hypocrite. A few years later, Karl went to England to study and there he decided not to believe in God anymore.
You see, that young teenage boy who was deeply disappointed and embittered by his hypocrite father was Karl Marxthe father of atheistic socialism. It was Karl Marx who wrote the Communist Manifesto. So now for almost a hundred years, over a billion people have suffered under the hopeless rule of atheistic socialism which was started by that hurt and bitter young man, Karl Marx. Thats the terrible damage and influence which resulted from Karls hypocrite father.
Our children are watching the way you and I live every day! Our character and attitudes speak much louder than our words. Our kids arent stupid. They see the act we put on to look religious and good in front of other people. Then they see how we really are at home. They see when were not honest. They see when were two-faced and gossip about others. They see us when we lose our temper and self-control. They see when we wont forgive someone who hurt and wronged us.
Our kids know whether or not were real Christians who live Jesus way every day. But if we are hypocrites, it not only means we ourselves are in danger, it also does great damage to our childrens relationship with God and the kind of people they become as adults. So wont you ask Jesus to forgive you? Then ask Him to take charge of your heart so He can start helping you change. Thats the only way your kids canlearn from you how to follow and become like Christ in their character and lifestyle.
Just Think a Minute
PITTSBURGH (AP) Straining toward the finish line of the wildly unpredictable White House race, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump blitzed through battleground states Monday in a final bid to energize supporters. Clinton urged voters to embrace a "hopeful, inclusive, bighearted America," while Trump called for support to "beat the corrupt system."
The candidates planned to campaign late into the night, a frenzied end to a bitter election year that has laid bare the nation's deep economic and cultural divides.
Clinton opened the day Monday buoyed by FBI Director James Comey's announcement Sunday that he would not recommend criminal charges against her following a new email review. The inquiry had sapped a surging Clinton momentum at a crucial moment in the race, though she still heads into Election Day with multiple paths to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to become the nation's first female president.
"I think I have some work to do to bring the country together," she acknowledged as she boarded her plane for her last battleground tour. "I really do want to be the president for everybody."
As Clinton took the stage in Pittsburgh, supporters yelled out, "We love you" an unusual occurrence for the Democratic presidential candidate who has sometimes struggled to connect with voters.
"I love you all, too. Absolutely," Clinton said with a slight chuckle.
Trump was aggressive to the end, repeatedly slamming Clinton at his first event of the day in Sarasota, Florida. Having made the new FBI review a centerpiece of his closing case to voters, he argued that Clinton was being protected by a "totally rigged system."
"You have one magnificent chance to beat the corrupt system and deliver justice," Trump said. "Do not let this opportunity slip away."
The comments were a reminder that Comey's news, delivered in a letter to lawmakers on Sunday, was a doubled-edged sword for Clinton. While it vindicated her claims that the emails would not yield new evidence, it ensured that a controversy that has dogged her campaign from the start would follow her through Election Day.
Across the country, nearly 24 million early ballots were cast under the shadow of Comey's initial announcement of a new email review. That number represents more than half of the roughly 42.5 million people who had cast votes by Monday afternoon, according to Associated Press data.
The inquiry involved material found on a computer belonging to Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman and estranged husband of Huma Abedin, a longtime Clinton aide. Comey said Sunday the FBI reviewed communications "to or from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state."
Clinton tried to fly above the controversy Monday and was not expected to address the matter during stops in Michigan and North Carolina. She was also headlining an evening rally in Philadelphia with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, along with rock stars Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi.
Nearing the end of his two terms in the White House, Obama was nostalgic as he launched his own busy day of events, noting that he was probably making his last campaign swing for the foreseeable future.
"Whatever credibility I have earned after eight years as president, I am asking you to trust me on this. I am voting for Hillary Clinton," Obama said.
Clinton is banking in part on high turnout particularly among Obama's young, diverse coalition of voters to carry her over the finish line Tuesday. Roughly half the states with advance voting have reported record turnout, including Florida and Nevada, which have booming Hispanic populations, a possible good sign for Clinton.
In Florida alone, Hispanic participation is up by more than 453,000 votes, nearly doubling the 2012 level. Black turnout is up compared to 2012, but that share of the total vote is lower due to bigger jumps among Latinos and whites, according to University of Florida professor Daniel Smith
In Nevada, where more than three-fourths of expected ballots have been cast, Democrats also lead, 42 percent to 36 percent.
Trump deputy campaign manager David Bossie downplayed the impact of increased Hispanic participation, telling reporters on a conference call, "We feel that we're going to get a good share of those votes." However, he sidestepped two questions about the level of Hispanic vote Trump needs to win the presidency.
Without victories in Florida and Nevada, Trump's path to 270 electoral votes would be exceedingly narrow. He already must win nearly all of the roughly dozen battleground states.
Trump planned to campaign at a breakneck pace through Election Day. Following the rally in Florida, he headed to North Carolina and then was off to Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. After voting in New York Tuesday morning, After that, Trump was to return to Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina and New Hampshire.
Midway through his travels Monday, Trump praised his supporters for having created a "movement." But he warned it would all slip away if he loses Tuesday.
"Go vote," he urged. "Or honestly, we've all wasted our time."
More than two years after exporting its popular North Park brand to a Carmel Valley shopping center, Carnitas Snack Shack is closing the restaurant, which failed to attract the kind of traffic its operators had expected.
While disappointing for the co-founders and their private equity partner, the experience will be helpful in guiding future expansion plans, which remain alive, said Mike DiNorscia of Del Mar-based Sweet 100.
The pork-centric restaurant, which opened in 2014 in the Del Mar Highlands Town Center, is expected to close by the end of this year. Carnitas will continue to operate its popular North Park eatery and a more recently opened waterfront location on San Diegos North Embarcadero.
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We all knew we were pushing the boundaries by going from an urban area to a suburban shopping center environment, said DiNorscia, co-founder of Sweet 100, the restaurants equity partner. Ultimately, we may have over-estimated how well the food would play in Del Mar and it just did not take the way we had hoped.
While business at the original North Park location is fed, in part, by regulars who will come there to eat as many as four times a week, that sort of frequency was not common at the Carmel Vallley location, east of Del Mar Heights.
In Del Mar, its a healthier demographic, slanted more toward female diners, and its not something they could consume multiple times a week.
The ownership spent between $400,000 and $600,000 building out the 2,400-square-foot space, which is now destined to become one of the first San Diego County locations for Los Angeles-based Mendocino Farms, a fast casual sandwich chain that last year enticed Whole Foods to acquire a minority stake in the expanding company.
DiNorscia said Mendocino Farms will be taking over the Carnitas lease in the center, which is home to several restaurants, including Davanti Enoteca, Mia Francesca, Searsucker, and Rimels Bar and Grill.
Eventually, Carnitas and Sweet 100 will look to opening possibly two more locations in San Diego County in the next few years, after which it will look to expansion in the Los Angeles area, DiNorscia said.
The model going forward, he added, will include more of a focus on a craft cocktail component, which has proven successful at the Embarcadero location.
A lot of young companies could go through this, and it could destroy them but were coming out stronger and this will strengthen our team., DiNorscia said.
The No. 1 thing were focused on is adding strong team members and improving our culture and guest service. Weve also just added a marketing person and special events manager. With the Embarcadero, you have live music on the waterfront, and North Park is this neighborhood with a warm, inviting feeling like youre going to your best friends house.
Restaurant chef and co-owner Hanis Cavin, whose focus is the braised and smoked meats that have long drawn lines at the University Avenue location, said the waterfront restaurant was attracting 1,000 diners a day during the summer and is benefiting from strong business generated by the cruise ships docking at the nearby B Street Pier.
Im definitely disappointed (about the restaurant closing) because you dont go into this hoping to quit, and this is like quitting, said Cavin, who co-founded the restaurant with his wife Sarah Stroud. But for whatever reason it didnt work. We feel we have a very good product and its the food that keeps us going.
lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-2251 Twitter:@loriweisberg
Escondido Police Chief Craig Carter was picked as Law Enforcement Official of the Year by the San Diego Crime Commission.
Carter, a 24-year department veteran, was recognized for his dedication in making San Diego County a model of police operations for the country. He in turn commended the countys police force for keeping the region on the cutting edge of innovative policing.
Carter, joined the Escondido Police Department in 1992, was promoted to sergeant in 1998, lieutenant in 2005 and captain in early 2013. He took the helm as chief in August 2013.
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Carter has served as president of the San Diego County Police Chiefs and Sheriff Association for the past two years.
Carter also received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from Congressman Duncan Hunter, along with a proclamation from Assembly Member Marie Waldron and a certificate of recognition from District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis.
The award was presented at the commissions 31st annual Blue Knight Award ceremony in mid-October.
The annual award ceremony gives each law enforcement agency in the county the chance to honor members of the agency for outstanding service. In addition, the Crime Commission honors one Law Enforcement Leader in the county for outstanding dedication to their community as well as the entire law enforcement community.
Thousands of Angelenos braved long lines and, in some cases, waited up to four hours to take advantage of early voting this weekend at half a dozen polling stations set up around Los Angeles County.
From West Covina to Culver City, voters woke up before sunrise for a chance to be the first in line to cast their ballots and beat the inevitable crowds ahead of Tuesdays general election.
At the polling station in North Hollywood, the line began in front of the public library, where voters stood with beach chairs slung across their backs, headphones plugged in or with cups of coffee in tow. The trail snaked behind the building, around the park and down the sidewalk.
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Jason Wesley drove by the hordes of voters on Saturday and decided he would wait until Sunday to cast his ballot. He arrived about 6:45 a.m. Sunday to try and avoid the line.
I thought if I came an hour early, Id be OK, said Wesley, 37, who voted early because he will be out of town on Tuesday.
By 9:45 a.m., he was still waiting to vote.
Theres a lot of planning that has to happen to vote early, he said. I still have 200 people in front of me.
A record 19.4 million Californians are registered to vote in advance of the general election, according to the secretary of states office.
More than 78% of eligible state residents are registered, the highest percentage in two decades, and 1.2 million additional voters are registered for this presidential election compared with 2012, the office said.
Thousands turn out for early voting in Los Angeles County this weekend. (Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times)
In Los Angeles, officials said they were seeing good turnout at several of the countys polling stations.
People are very enthusiastic about the election, said Brenda Duran, a spokeswoman for the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerks Office. They are being very patient.
A total of 7,756 ballots were cast last weekend at early voting stations, Duran said. Sunday afternoon, voters broke that record.
More than 8,000 Angelenos voted on Saturday alone, Duran said, most of them in North Hollywood and Torrance. More than 25,000 people have voted early in L.A. County so far, she said.
Early voting stations across the county opened from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. over the weekend. The Norwalk office will also be open for early voting on Monday.
Sandy Santacreu, who lives four blocks away from the North Hollywood Regional Library, said she wanted to cast her vote early because she wanted to avoid traffic and worrying about work on election day. She took her place in line about 7 a.m., she said.
The atmosphere was peaceful rather than stressful, Santacreu said, and voters were helpful when others needed to briefly step away for coffee or food.
A couple feet away, voters sat under a large white tent and waited for their numbers to come up. As poll workers read from a list, a man in a striped shirt jumped up from his seat and yelled, Yahtzee! to a roar of cheers.
Those still waiting clapped each time workers called a number. Parents walking with strollers stopped by the tent to watch.
4205? one voter said after the number was announced. Thats how many hours weve been standing here, right?
Along the surrounding streets, drivers slowed their cars to a crawl to snap photos of the line and honked their horns in support.
Like many others, David Harvey arrived at the North Hollywood polling station just after dawn to find 100 people already waiting in line.
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All in all, its fairly well-organized, Harvey, 57, said. I have never seen such long lines. Its an important election.
The New York native said he was pleased to see the election, no matter how divisive, was turning people out and not turning people off.
Zoe Bergeron walked out of the library and up to her mother, Jane, with a grin. It was her first time voting, and after taking a government class the 18-year-old found the experience invigorating.
I was nervous. ... I thought it was going to be more complicated, she said, adding that voting was well worth the wait. Seeing the line around the block, that was awesome.
If anything, the large crowd created a sense of camaraderie, Jane Bergeron said.
Im thrilled to see a long line. The only time I had to wait in line was voting for Obama in 2008, she said. You had that sense that voting mattered. I get that same sense now. Its an important election, and you feel that.
sarah.parvini@latimes.com
For more California news follow me on Twitter: @sarahparvini
ALSO
A complete list of the L.A. Times 2016 endorsements
Your ballot box guide to Californias 17 propositions
Silver Lake urban farmer hopes to capitalize on website with Trump slogan
UPDATES:
2:15 p.m.: This story has been updated with new information from voters and the county registrars office.
The race between Compton state Sen. Isadore Hall and former Hermosa Beach Councilwoman Nanette Barragan to replace Rep. Janice Hahn has taken a sharper, racial edge as election day approaches and the intraparty contest tightens.
Not previously well known in political circles, Barragan has mounted a serious challenge against Hall, a 15-year veteran of Los Angeles politics. Running as a progressive outsider, she has relentlessly blasted Halls ties to special interests in the alcohol and tobacco industries and hit him for campaign contributions he has received from petroleum interests.
In a recent interview, Barragan, who is Latina, kept the attacks going, calling the African American lawmaker slimy. But she did not stop there, giving a statement that some say injected race into the campaign.
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I dont think we should send a man to Congress who could have a black taint on the party with the number of ethical issues surrounding my opponent, Barragan told the Daily Breeze newspaper. This is the pattern of somebody who thinks theyre above the law. This is the worst type of politician who talks out of both sides of his mouth.
Hall, the chairman of Californias Legislative Black Caucus, and his allies have seized on the black taint comment, calling it a racial slur.
The statement comes after a dust-up from the primary, when Halls campaign and the Los Angeles Sentinel, which covers the African American community in the city, slammed a mailer sent out by Barragans campaign as disgraceful and lewd for using a black-and-white photo of Hall they said artificially darkens the senators skin tone.
Alice Huffman, the longtime president of the California branch of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, said in a statement she was shocked and appalled at what she called the racially charged language and tactics employed by Barragans campaign.
When I saw her quote in the [Daily Breeze] referring to Hall as a black taint, I was, in a word, speechless. Then I saw how she artificially darkened his image in her campaign mailers, and I knew this was no mistake. This is a pattern, Huffman said in the statement. As such, she has proven herself to be totally unfit to serve in the U.S. Congress. Weve come too far and fought too hard to let politicians like Barragan and Donald Trump debase our public discourse in this manner.
Halls campaign has sent out mailers that highlight Huffmans statement on one side and feature large bold words on the other reading: I sincerely hope Ms. Barragan pays dearly for her disgusting words and actions on Election Day.
Updates on California politics
Barragan apologized in a statement sent by her campaign Saturday.
I want to be clear that my comments in a recent Daily Breeze article were about the need to keep more corruption out of Washington and were never intended to be taken in a racial context, she said in the statement. I certainly meant no offense and I sincerely apologize for my poor choice of words.
The kerfuffle comes as the race has been tightening, with outside groups coming in to influence the race to the tune of nearly $1 million.
Barragan, who has been endorsed by several Latino members of Congress as well as the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters, has benefited recently from a surge of independent expenditures paid for by Women Vote!, a super PAC tied to Emilys List, the national group that backs Democratic female candidates.
The group has spent $678,000 to support Barragan and oppose Hall. Californias congressional delegation is losing three women between Hahn stepping down to run for Los Angeles County supervisor, Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) retiring, and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) running for the U.S. Senate.
Meanwhile, Hall has benefited from support from many of the industries that helped him in his races for state Assembly and state Senate: three Native American tribes that operate casinos in the state, the California Independent Petroleum Assn. and a pair of billboard companies.
Hall has the backing of the state Democratic Party as well as Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Gov. Jerry Brown. The governor cut a radio ad for Hall in October.
Barragans campaign has attempted to turn Halls deep roots in the party into a weakness. Her attacks on Halls ties to special interests have helped her win a number of endorsements from progressive and environmental groups including Our Revolution, a political 501(c)(4) nonprofit supporting down-ballot candidates that sprang up after Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders failed presidential bid.
After that endorsement, she posted a large haul from small donors people who contributed less than the $250 reporting threshold for federal elections. Barragan now has $242,000 twice as much as Hall left in the bank, according to the latest federal records.
The campaign has been marked by bitter attacks since the primary.
Barragans campaign has tried a wide variety of attacks against Hall, including setting up a website filled with opposition research against him. Her campaign also posts updates on the website about a civil dispute between a Compton housing development and a group of tenants who claim they have been harassed by the owners. Hall, who supported the development as a councilman and lives in the complex, has been called as witness.
They have accused Hall of committing fraud when one of his mailers claimed the endorsement of the Progressive Democrats of America, a group that has endorsed Barragan. Halls campaign said it was a typo clarifying that a local group called the Progressive Democratic Club has endorsed Hall.
One Barragan staffer filed a complaint against Hall with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Hall is a reserve deputy because he appeared in a uniform in campaign materials. California elections code prohibits using government seals in campaign literature. Halls camp responded by saying the uniform was a rented costume and by blurring over the badge in a YouTube ad online.
Meanwhile, Halls campaign has attacked Barragan for working as a litigation attorney for banks including J.P. Morgan Chase and Bank of America.
One wild card in the race will be if minority voters show up in a district where it is estimated that 48% of voters are Latino and 25% are black, according to the firm Political Data Inc.
There is a school of thought that Latinos voters are angry and scared and will turn out in massive numbers, said veteran Democratic strategist Darry Sragow. That may be the story of the presidential race.
But he warned, Just because a voter is Latino does not mean that the voter is automatically going to vote for the Latina in the race.
Both sides are gunning for that vote. Barragan added the middle name Diaz just before filing to run in the race, according to court records. In an interview she said it was one of her fathers names and she had been intending to add it to her legal name for a long time.
She spent part of Saturday in South Gate campaigning with Sanchez, who along with former Nevada Atty. Gen. Catherine Cortez Masto could be the first Latinas in the U.S. Senate.
Hall campaigned Saturday with former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Denise Lopez Diaz, who is running for South Gate City Council.
The race will be closely watched by political insiders curious how the top-two primary is playing out in California.
You couldnt get a much more stark contrast in terms of who the candidates are and how they are perceived, Sragow said. It is a classic face-off.
javier.panzar@latimes.com
Twitter: jpanzar
ALSO:
Here are the 12 California congressional races were watching
Race, oil and the environment all play into this L.A. congressional race
Did this congressional campaign break federal election law?
Updates on California politics
Live coverage from the campaign trail
UPDATES:
5:45 p.m.: This article was updated with voter demographics details from Political Data Inc.
This article was originally published at 3:25 p.m.
A 35-year-old woman was confronted outside a Kearny Mesa grocery store and stabbed in the buttocks Sunday afternoon, San Diego police said.
The victim was exiting a Food 4 Less on Shawline Drive when a 33-year-old woman came up and stabbed her about 1 p.m., said San Diego police Sgt. Tom Sullivan. She was taken to a hospital with an injury thats not considered life-threatening.
Its unclear what prompted the stabbing.
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Officers found the suspected attacker nearby and arrested her.
Twitter: @LAWinkley
(619) 293-1546
lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
Jose Cortes left work early Sept. 27. He got the rest of his shift covered after he saw a news alert on his cellphone about a police shooting in El Cajon.
Cortes, 26, was among the nearly 200 people who gathered the first day at the site of the fatal police encounter, demanding answers and contending the shooting of Alfred Olango, a black man, was racially motivated.
Six weeks later, he is part of a core group of demonstrators that has kept clamoring for justice.
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This is not a game, Cortes said. Thats what a lot of people think at home when theyre watching their TV. Why dont these people go get a job? We have jobs. We have real jobs, and then we do this. Because its life or death.
Olango, 38, was shot and killed in a parking lot of a taco shop near the corner of Broadway and Mollison. Videos show Olango being approached by two officers. When he assumed a shooting stance and pointed a vaping device at Officer Richard Gonsalves, the officer fired his gun. Olangos family, who made the 911 call to police, has said he had a mental breakdown.
Since the shooting, police have arrested 27 people, mostly at nighttime demonstrations and gatherings declared unlawful assemblies by police officers and sheriffs deputies wearing riot gear.
Cortes, who grew up in El Cajon, said his involvement as an active protester has spilled into his workplace to some extent. He is a teachers aide who assists students with special needs at a Linda Vista charter school.
He said hes found himself having to counter what he describes as the medias negative portrayal of the demonstrations when the middle-school children he works with ask about his participation in the riots.
Its hard to explain yourself to children who are not genuinely judgmental but are curious, Cortes said, briefly pausing. Weve never been a riot.
He and other demonstrators said they have faced a police force that at times has been militarized, and other times has engaged in what they say are intimidation tactics.
In recent weeks, police have served search warrants at four protesters homes. They have stationed officers and a surveillance tower at the strip mall where Olango was killed, displacing a memorial site. Organizers see it as harassment by police to suppress their efforts.
These are police tactics to break somebody, said Anthony Jimenez, who has also been protesting since Day 1. Theyre trying to shake people up so we stop.
A spokesman for the El Cajon Police Department said litigation between the department and a group of protesters restricts him from commenting about the allegations.
In the lawsuit, a group of 12 protesters and two children claim El Cajon police wrongfully ordered them to disperse from their peaceful gatherings by declaring them unlawful assemblies. This, the lawsuit says, violated their civil rights.
When the makeshift makeshift memorial for Olango was first arranged behind Los Panchos Taco Shop, protesters set up a barbecue grill next the photographs, candles and mementos.
Jimenez would grill hot dogs and burgers, and hand them out for free to people who were willing to jot down their contact information. He has collected the names, phone numbers and email addresses of about 200 people. The group notifies them of their rallies, gatherings and events.
While most protests and rallies have remained peaceful, some of them have shut down roads, intersections and freeway ramps. Some El Cajon residents have felt rattled by their presence, and expressed it on social media. The group of protesters is aware that many residents dont support their cause.
The fact that theyre uncomfortable does not bother us, said Jimenez, who is also 26 and lives in El Cajon.
We have never been comfortable, Cortes said, adding that many in the group deal with reminders day-to-day that they are not white Americans.
Although the group is vehement in their ideals, its doesnt intend to wreak havoc, Jimenez said.
We want our community nervous, but were not trying to scare the living hell out of them, he said. Bottom line is, were policing ourselves as much as were trying to police the police.
In the few instances where violence has erupted during protests, protesters say it was sparked by agitators who showed up to cause trouble. Jimenez said the majority tried to shut them off.
People really dont realize that theres a good 20 people in this community that stopped (El Cajon) from burning down. Me being one of them, Jimenez said.
According to police, on Oct. 17, a man in the crowd pulled out a handgun and was spotted by protesters. They tackled him, took the weapon and ran off with it. Organizers dispute those details, saying no one has had a gun at any of their demonstrations.
Later, equipped with warrants, police combed through four homes in search of the gun, Cortes said. He and other organizers said they dont know how police chose which homes to search. A gun was not found, they said.
Since then, the group of about 20 people continues to gather, a far cry from the hundreds who chanted and marched in the first few days after Olangos death. Members of the core group said its because people fear arrests and because police have taken over the memorial site which was their central meeting place.
Still, the group pushes forward, demanding justice and accountability for the police shooting. They want, above all, Officer Gonsalves charged and convicted of murder. Organizers also are pushing for a citizens review board on police practices and better training for officers.
I wouldnt count us out quite yet, Cortes said. We are becoming more organized and we are maturing as a group. We will use every resource at our availability to keep struggling and keep trying to promote justice for all people.
Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were seen this weekend holding hands and dancing through Times Square as they hugged onlookers and ate cotton candy, or at least the actors who play them on Saturday Night Live were anyway.
The segment featuring Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon came after Baldwin, while playing Trump in the shows debate segment open, stopped and said he hated yelling at McKinnons Clinton all the time. Yeah, I know right? This whole election has been so mean, she replied.
I mean I just feel gross all the time, Baldwin said. Dont you guys feel gross all the time about this?
The audience signaled its agreement with loud applause.
Seems like a lot of people are feeling that way lately.
In Sacramento, one woman tired of the tone of this rancorous election started making signs with a new political slogan that urges people to Make America kind again.
https://twitter.com/abc13houston/status/795121034902925312
Stay-at-home mom Amanda Blanc said that the sentiment, a play on Donald Trumps campaign catch phrase, is a non-partisan one aimed only at encouraging people to be nice to each other.
"I just want to represent kindness, I don't care about the politician," she said in an interview with KCRA TV.
She said she was tired of people talking about voting for the lesser of two evils.
Blanc said she started making the placards, along with tote bags, at the suggestion of a friend a couple of weeks ago and she has since sold some 300 lawn signs from her Etsy page to people all over the country.
On Saturday night Live, Trump was hugging minorities and Clinton was embracing men in Make America great again hats as the two twirled and whirled though the streets of New York. At the end the two actors urged viewers to get out and vote.
And we cant tell you who to vote for, said McKinnon, but on Tuesday we all get a chance to choose what kind of country we want to live in.
As for the Sacramento entrepreneur, she told KCRA, It's just about being America, coming together and believing in something, and if you have to believe in kindness over politics, then so be it.
619-293-1710
debbi.baker@sduniontribune.com
twitter.com/Debbi_Baker
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Seattle, WA -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/07/2016 -- The report "Center Pivot Irrigation Systems Market by Crop Type (Cereals and Oilseeds & Pulses), Field Size (Small, Medium, Large), Mobility (Stationary and Mobile), Component (Span, Pivot Points, Drive Train, Control Panel, Sprinkler Drop) - Global Forecast to 2021", The center pivot irrigation systems market is projected to reach a value of USD 1,734.4 Million by 2021, at a CAGR of 14.9% from 2016. The market is driven by factors such as conversion of unirrigated lands to mechanized irrigation, technology adoption trend, shrinking arable land, and higher production as compared to rain-fed crops.
Browse 70 market data Tables and 58 Figures spread through 156 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Center Pivot Irrigation Systems Market - Global Forecast to 2021"
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The large field segment projected to be the fastest-growing segment during the period 20162021
The large field segment is expected to grow the fastest because as the field size increases, the irrigation cost per acre reduces with the use of center pivot irrigation systems. The requirement of labor in center pivot systems is much less than other types of irrigation systems; thus, on large fields, the use of pivot systems becomes more economical.
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Cereals, the major crop type irrigated with the center pivot irrigation systems
Cereals accounted for the largest share for the application of center pivot irrigation systems in 2015. Under this category, corn and wheat contributed the major share for the usage of center pivot irrigation systems. Cereals contributed majorly to the high market share of this segment, primarily due to the demand for cereals by increasing population and its use in animal feed. Oilseeds & pulses accounted for the second largest share in 2015. Soybean and cotton plantations under this category contributed majorly to the high market share of this segment.
North America dominated the center pivot irrigation systems market in 2015
The North American region was the largest market for center pivot irrigation systems in 2015. In North America, U.S. is a major user of center pivot irrigation systems to achieve higher yields and better quality crops for the export markets. The market for center pivots in North America is in a mature stage while markets in other regions are in the growth stage. Europe is the second-largest market for center pivot irrigation systems.
This report includes a study of marketing and development strategies, along with the product portfolio of leading companies. It includes the profiles of leading companies such as Lindsay Corporation (U.S.), Valmont Industries, Incorporated (U.S.), T-L Irrigation Company (U.S.), Alkhorayef Group (Saudi Arabia), Reinke Manufacturing Company, Incorporated (U.S.), Rainfine (Dalian) Irrigation Company, Limited (China), Bauer GmbH, Roehren- und-Pumpenwork (Austria), and Grupo Fockink (Brazil).
About MarketsandMarkets
MarketsandMarkets is the largest market research firm worldwide in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors.
M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers.
We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository.
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El Paso, TX -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/07/2016 -- Board certified plastic surgeon and founder of El Paso Cosmetic Surgery Dr. Ozan Sozer was an honored guest at the 23rd Biannual International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) in Kyoto, Japan. Dr. Sozer currently serves as a member of the ISAPS Board of Directors. This International Congress is dedicated to discussing, exploring, and analyzing popular plastic surgery procedures with esteemed professionals from around the world.
Dr. Sozer was one of two doctors from the United States to be part of the Scientific Program Committee, which was in charge of organizing the International Congress.
"It was an honor to be a part of such an esteemed crowd," Dr. Sozer says. "My presentations dealt with many popular issues that the plastic surgery world is facing today."
During the 23rd Biannual Congress, Dr. Sozer gave four presentations to plastic surgeons from around the world. These presentations included: The Essentials of Body Contouring Surgery, Circumferential Lipoabdominoplasty, and Split Gluteal Muscle Flap for Autoprothesis Buttock Augmentation. He was also a special member of the presentation on Complications of Buttock Fat Injections/Personal Approach to Buttock Augmentation with Fat Grafting.
"As more patients become interested in body contouring surgery and buttock augmentation, it's more important than ever for plastic surgeons to learn how to deliver what patients want," he adds.
During the Congress, Dr. Sozer also served as moderator during two presentations: Session 15: Abdominoplasty Body Contouring I and Session 27: Abdominoplasty Body Contouring IV. Additionally, he was appoint as the new Co-Chairmen of the Educational Council for the next two years.
Patients who are interested in body contouring, abdominoplasty, buttock augmentation, and other procedures can schedule a consultation at El Paso Cosmetic Surgery in El Paso, Texas. Learn more at https://www.elpasoplasticsurgery.com/
About El Paso Cosmetic Surgery
At the core of the El Paso Cosmetic Surgery philosophy is Dr. Ozan Sozer, a practiced plastic surgeon with more than 20 years of experience as a board certified surgeon. Dr. Sozer founded El Paso Cosmetic Surgery in 2001.
Drawing upon his diverse and extensive training to constantly perfect and refine surgical procedures, Dr. Sozer is always about the business of paying attention to every detail of patient care and providing natural, desired results with each procedure.
With a deep devotion to cosmetic plastic surgery, Dr. Sozer continually refines and perfects surgical techniques to achieve his primary goal: to provide each patient with a natural and youthful appearance. His specialties include breast augmentation, facial rejuvenation and body contouring.
Seattle, WA -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/07/2016 -- The report "Marine Engine Market by propulsion (2 stroke, 4 stroke, diesel electric & others), by power 000? HP (up to 20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-80 & above 80), by vessels (commercial, offshore support, & inland waterways) by fuel & by region - Global Forecast to 2020", defines and segments the global marine engines market with an analysis and forecast of the market size.
Browse 91 market data tables and 61 figures spread through 171 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Marine Engine Market Global Forecast to 2020"
Download Free PDF Brochure: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=261640121
The marine engines market is expected to grow from an estimated USD 9.10 Billion in 2015 to USD 11.06 Billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 4.0% during the forecast period. Rise in international seaborne trade and growing need for efficient & reliable power for propelling ships are driving the marine engines market across the globe.
Higher functional advantages drive the growth of diesel electric engines
Among the three major types of propulsion systems, diesel electric engines are considered to be the best alternative when compared to other conventional propulsion systems, such as two stroke engines. This segment is estimated to grow at a higher rate when compared to two stroke and four stroke propulsion systems due to stringent environmental norms to reduce harmful gas emissions.
Increasing preference for LNG and its hybrid fuels
The report also segments the marine engines market on the basis of fuel used, which includes HFO, IFO, MDO, MGO, and others. HFO-based marine engines have been widely accepted in the past few years, but LNG-based marine engines are at an emerging stage. Increasing emission control regulations and recent revisions in IMO standards have led to an increasing use of low sulfur oils such as MDO and MGO, replacing the use of bunker oil (HFO). However, most marine engines use HFO as it is a conventional fluid and is more economical than other marine engine fuels. In future, LNG and its hybrid fuel is expected to grow at a higher CAGR compared to other fuels during the forecast period.
Asia-Pacific is the dominant market for marine engines
In this report, the marine engines market has been analyzed with respect to five regions, namely, North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. Asia-Pacific will continue to dominate the market with growth in the shipbuilding market in China, Japan, South Korea, and India.
To provide an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes profiles of some of the leading players in the marine engines market including Caterpillar Inc. (U.S.), GM Powertrain (Italy), Rolls Royce (U.K.), Wartsila Corporation (Finland), and Mercury Marine (U.S.) among others. Dominant players are trying to penetrate developing economies and adopting various methods to grab the market share.
MarketsandMarkets broadly segments the marine engines market on the basis of application, by propulsion mechanism, by power capacity, by fuel, and by location. The study covers more than 25 vessel types including bulker, containership, general cargo, reefer, tanker, tugs, chemical carrier, LNG carrier, LPG carrier, product carrier, special carrier, and other carrier.
Request for Free Sample Pages: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsample.asp?id=261640121
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MarketsandMarkets is world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors.
M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers.
We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository.
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White Plains, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/07/2016 -- The origin of this heartfelt journey began after the devastation of Hurricane Matthew. This natural disaster destroyed South Haiti leaving over 500 plus dead. Gynesis Losa Buissereth residing in Atlanta, Georgia made a critical decision to step in, and do something that would positively impact her homeland. Tired of seeing the people of Haiti suffer Gynesis sprang into action. She decided to take on the cause to save Haiti herself, despite the advice of others to donate and join other nonprofit organization. After tragedy of the earthquake that struck Haiti years before, and with all the money donated with no improvement in the conditions Gynesis wanted to be hands on in the mission. She stated "If I am going to give back, I want to receive the items for Haiti and distribute them myself to the people of Haiti. Gynesis began to reach out to people by phone, social media, and going to several businesses to request aid in the mission for Haiti. Her friends and family have extended their support themselves to part take in this great mission ranging from Miami, Port Charlotte and Atlanta.
The mission took a lot of sacrificing without the aid of sponsorship; Gynesis has attended several events across Atlanta where people have dropped off water, medical supplies, food, clothes and monetary donations. The Haiti Mission alliance came up with a creative way to raise money by having a huge event called "Haircuts for Haiti" in Atlanta, GA. The event will be held at located 66 Upper Alabama SW Atlanta, GA. Professional and Celebrity barbers and stylists will have their clients come out and receive services to fund the mission trip to Haiti. Representing this magnificent event and cause will be Atlanta's own Jada Kemp known to everyone as MSPRDiva and Nyla Vamp. Jimmie Gilmore III Celebrity Barber will be the host for this cause worthy event, and is also its producer.
Joining Gynesis on the Mission Trip to Haiti will be:
Jada Kemp (MsPRDiva), Nyla Vamp, Angella Watson, Rose Phillip, Davashay Page-Melton, Twala Meju, Vivienne Mitchell and Ray Baussant, they will be personally handing out donations to the people of South Haiti, providing medical services, meals as well as hair services.
Rosemie and Ray Baussant of Port Charlotte Florida, Sherry in Miami Florida, and Gynesis Losa from Atlanta, GA in combination the collection totaled 40 barrels of donations from each of their cities.
Partnered
Beautifully Me Foundation
The Damn Salon
Farouke Systems
NAACP
Naji Foundation Inc
Keen Cutz
CEI Hair School
Beauty and the Boss
Universal Salon Suites
P. R. Diva Associates
The Amazing Getaway
Hair Gynesis
Laurrin Hairisme
MS PR DIVA ASSOCIATES
Email for more information msgynesis@yahoo.com
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Researchers have described three new species in the previously monotypic bird genus Stiphrornis: two from West Africa and one from the Congo.
The three new species are named the Ghana forest robin (Stiphrornis inexpectatus), the Dahomey forest robin (Stiphrornis dahomeyensis), and Rudders forest robin (Stiphrornis rudderi).
The paper describing these new species was published in the journal Systematics and Biodiversity on Sept. 28, 2016.
Each of the three represents a distinct lineage based on our genetic analysis, said lead author Prof. Gary Voelker, from Texas A&M University, College Station.
The three are further distinguished from the forest robin (Stiphrornis erythrothorax) by clear differences in appearance such as wing and tail length and subtle differences in their plumage; one species has a distinctive song as well.
Stiphrornis erythrothorax, until now the only species in this genus, was described by German ornithologist Gustav Hartlaub in 1855.
The discovery of these three new species is a good example of the amount of potentially hidden diversity living in Afrotropical forests, Prof. Voelker said.
Our evidence runs directly counter to the belief of earlier research that said Afrotropical forests are static places where little evolutionary diversification has occurred.
The areas were referred to as museums of diversity, meaning they believed because many of the birds look similar across their ranges, then they probably were the same species. Thats a point we are finding not to be true.
The point of most interest is that two of the three birds, which all look pretty much alike at first glance, live in close proximity to one another in an area that lacks significant geographic barriers typically associated with the forming of new species.
Despite this, the birds dont share genetic makeup and their appearance is indeed somewhat distinct when closely analyzed.
Stiphrornis inexpectatus is currently known from three locations in Ghana, one about 19 miles (30 km) south of Assin Foso, Central Region, one in Kakum National Park, Central Region, and another 16 miles (26 km) south-west of Goaso, Brong-Ahafo Region.
This species is named both for the unexpected nature of its distribution, being restricted to two provinces in Ghana, and the fact that there are no obvious geographic barriers that separate it from two other members of the genus.
The known distributional range of the second new species, Stiphrornis dahomeyensis, is currently limited to one locality in Benin, the Lama Forest and a second locality from 19 miles (30 km) south of Assin Foso, Central Region, Ghana.
The species is named after the Dahomey Gap, which separates the otherwise broadly distributed western and eastern expanses of Guineo-Congolian tropical forests, and in which the isolated Lama Forest is located. The Gap derives its name from the African kingdom of Dahomey, which lasted about 300 years and was located in the area of what is now Benin.
The third new species, Stiphrornis rudderi, is named in honor of James Earl Rudder, who led the 2nd Ranger Battalion during the invasion of Normandy, and was later President of Texas A&M University.
The known distributional range of Stiphrornis rudderi is currently limited to two localities near the city of Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The first is Yoko Forest Reserve, Ubundu District, on the south side of the Congo River. The second locality is Turumbu, about 5 miles (8 km) north of Yelenge, Yawenda District, on the north side of the Congo River.
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Gary Voelker et al. Three new species of Stiphrornis (Aves: Muscicapidae) from the Afro-tropics, with a molecular phylogenetic assessment of the genus. Systematics and Biodiversity, published online September 28, 2016; doi: 10.1080/14772000.2016.1226978
Hydroelectric dams contribute more to global warming in the short term than previously estimated, according to a study, published in BioScience.
The current and planned boom of hydroelectric projects would double the current cover of dams in the world and will aggravate the problem.
The research states that dams emit about a billion tons of greenhouse gas, which is responsible for 1.3 percent of total annual global emissions.
Within a 100-year timescale, dams produce more methane than rice plantations and biomass burning.
We estimate that dams emit around 25 percent more methane by unit of surface than previously estimated, Bridget Deemer, from the School of Environment of the Washington State University in Vancouver, and lead author of the study, told SciDev.Net.
Methane stays in the atmosphere for only around a decade, while CO 2 stays several centuries, but over the course of 20 years methane contributes almost three times more to global warming than CO 2 , a relevant period for policymakers, she adds.
Methane is produced at the bottom of the reservoirs, where oxygen is low and bacteria decompose organic material, like trees and grasses, which is already present or carried by watercourse. Part of the methane becomes CO2; the rest is carried to the surface as bubbles.
Analyzing more than 250 dams (a quarter of the total global occupied area) and including bubble-based emissions, the researchers found that dams also emit more methane than lakes and wetlands.
Emily Stanley, a professor in liminology and marine science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that the study is very relevant because it delivers the best available information about greenhouse gas emissions from dams. It shows that high methane emissions are not linked to the location or antiquity of the reservoirs, as other researchers suggest, but to the quantity of organic material.
According to the study, algae that proliferates in downstream dams may receive more nutrients such as nitrogen or phosphate, and therefore produce more methane.
Deemer is enthusiastic about the possibilities that this research presents for designing, situating and operating dams that emit fewer gases.
The researchers have suggested that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change consider these methane emissions in future budgets.
This article was produced on the Latin America and Carribean edition.
A recent study detected that a crack in the magnetic shield of the Earth caused by a solar flare has exposed the planet to offensive radiation. The magnetic field which protects the Earth from hazardous cosmic radiation may be more vulnerable, than ever thought before.
As per a report published in Weather.com, a study was published about the event which stated that the flare triggered a geomagnetic storm that emitted a burst of cosmic rays. These cosmic rays have weakened the Earth's magnetic shield. The source of the cosmic ray was huge solar plasma which traveled for 40 hours from the Sun to reach the Earth. The study was published in a journal named Physical Review Letters.
According to RT.com, researchers from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in India made a discovery while analyzing a galactic cosmic ray burst that caused radio blackouts across North and South America. The intensity of the sun's flare was so deep that the researchers claimed it would have reduced the magnetic field from 11 times the radius of the Earth to four times its radius, thus, allowing the shield to recover.
Researchers utilized the data from the GRAPES-3 muon telescope in Ooty, India, in order to kindle the burst. This telescope is the largest and most sensitive cosmic ray monitor. The result directed towards the effect on Earth would have required a crack in the magnetic field which lasted for nearly two hours. Nothing more can be done to protect the Earth from any future cracks. It can leave the planet under steady exposure to radiation and it can also lead to the eradication of our atmosphere.
It is described as one of the most powerful geomagnetic storms in the history. Scientists believe that the rays temporarily weakened the polar magnetic field, thus, allowing the cosmic rays to enter the field. The magnetic field of the Earth generally averts the most cosmic rays, protecting us from harmful radiation.
Remaining Samsung Galaxy Note 7 users from New Zealand who are yet to exchange their phones are advised to do so within the next coming weeks. If not, the users' phone will be disconnected to any of Kiwi's cellular network starting November 18. This move, as stated by Samsung is part of the company's commitment to ongoing user safety. The Korean company wished to extend to their users that they are planning to discontinue cellular network service for Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices.
Starting November 18, the company said that Samsung Galaxy Note 7 owners who are still holding on to their phone will no longer be able to connect to any New Zealand mobile network services to make calls, use data or send SMS messages. Telecommunications Forum chief executive Geoff Thorn said in an interview that most of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that were sold in New Zealand have been returned or exchanged. However, there are still a few hundred Galaxy Note 7 that are still in use.
Blocked Samsung Galaxy Note 7 units can still be used via WiFi but it will not function organically as a phone. The Kiwi authorities are expected to use the IMEI (hardware identifier), this device is the same device that telecoms are using in blocking stolen phone rendering them useless.
Even with only a few of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 units left in the hands of users in New Zealand, local telecom providers are not taking any chances. Authorities wants to ensure the safety of the users by blocking the phones to avoid any flameouts or explosions from the device. However, even with this move by New Zealand it could not become a precedent to future actions by other countries. Meaning do not expect other nations to follow the safety procedures of the Kiwis, though it is still a possibility.
At the end, the prerogative to hand over the controversial handsets falls into the hand of the users. Telecom companies can only do so much in trying to convince owners to turn in their smartphones.
Stay tuned to SWR for more updates and latest news on Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
Having an asteroid crash down to Earth is highly unlikely, but not at all impossible. It is a high-consequence scenario that wiped out species millions of years ago, and in case this happens again, attendees at the NASA- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) tabletop exercise in El Segundo, California discussed in detail what we could do to avoid such scenario.
The third exercise in the series hosted by NASA and FEMA, the simulation, according to Space Coast Daily, was designed to strengthen the collaboration of both agencies. Thomas Zurbuchen, the Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington explained, "It's not a matter of if - but when - we will deal with such a situation."
He also added that we are at a point in history where we can respond t an impact threat, thanks to continued observations, predictions, response planning, and mitigation. The exercise itself provided a forum for the planetary science community to show and share data regarding hypothetical asteroids impacting Earth. Among the things discussed included consideration of unique challenges that an asteroid impact could present, including preparedness, response, and public warning.
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate also shared that it is critical that we know how to work through emergency response plans now in order to "be better prepared if and when we need to respond to such an event."
NASA noted that among the exercise attendees included representatives from the following: NASA, FEMA, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Department of Energy's National Laboratories, the U.S. Air Force, and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.
For their exercises, observers track a fictitious asteroid that was recently discovered with a 2 percent probability of impact with Earth on September 2020 - and in the scenario, attendees have to consider ways to provide accurate, timely, and useful information for the public.
California seems to be set to legalize recreational marijuana 20 years after legalizing the plant for medicinal purposes. This is according to two new surveys.
The Huffington Post reported that 57 percent of likely voters opted to support the Proposition 64, as found in a survey released by Field Poll and the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. The findings are similar to the 58 percent support found by Dornslife College at the University of California. Proposition 64 is a measure that legalizes the possession, use, cultivation, and sale of marijuana for adults aged 21 and above.
Lost Angeles Times earlier reported that California is among the five states that consider legalizing recreational marijuana. In 1996, it established a medical marijuana program, making it the first state to do such act. It had its first opportunity to legalize recreational marijuana in 2010; however, voters rejected the idea.
Colorado is the first U.S. state and first government in the world that established a marketplace for regulated marijuana. Since then, four other states alongside Washington, D.C. have done the same measure.
According to Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority, there will be a huge political impact of legalizing marijuana. Having a regulated and legal marijuana marketplace in California would apparently lead to normalizing the use and sale of marijuana. At present, the federal government still bans cannabis and classifies it as one of the most dangerous drugs alongside LSD and heroin. Despite this classification, however, it is among the most commonly used illegal substance in the U.S. Marijuana Majority is a drug reform advocacy group.
Reports say that the election day is promising. Voters nationwide are set to look into more ballot measures on weed. Angell deems November 8 as the most important day in marijuana legalization movement history. He said there may be wins to end the federal marijuana prohibition; however, they may also be losses interrupting the momentum built within the last several years.
FLORENCE, S.C. The U.S. Army is simultaneously transitioning from the past while engaged in current conflicts and preparing for future action, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Janice Haigler told the Rotary Club of Florence on Monday afternoon.
A native of Prosperity, Haigler has a lengthy resume and has been there and done that all over the world, said Col. (Ret.) Barry Wingard while introducing Haigler, noting her service includes Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. After retiring last July, she took on a civilian role as director of plans and training and chief of operations with the 81 st Regional Support Command at Fort Jackson.
So in transition, we kind of thought we were through, right?" she said. "Weve had 15-plus years of deployment in Afghanistan. We thought we were through with Iraq and now were back, and now we even have some special operators on the ground in Syria. We have planes flying over Libya daily some of all that doesnt make the news. We still have 16,000 soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan. We dont see getting out of there any time soon.
There also is still a lot of equipment in Afghanistan that we dont need any more, she said, which presents the challenge of getting it back or deciding what to do with it. Another part of the transition the Army is going through is better understanding the toll it takes on those who are deployed, return home and deployed back again. Supporting wounded warriors and veterans is another challenge.
Weve learned a lot of lessons from veterans who came back from other conflicts, and mostly what we learned is, we still dont have that right, either, she said.
On Saturday, the S.C. National Guard is holding a Carolina Vietnam veterans appreciation event, she noted.
Its only been 50 years, so finally were going to get it right about welcoming them back, she said.
The Army has to be re-trained, she said, as the mindset for many years has been to train up and deploy.
In looking at all the equipment coming back from Afghanistan, she wondered, What do we do with all this broken stuff? That is a question yet to be answered.
Readiness for ground combat is the top priority for Gen. Mark Milley, the Armys chief of staff, she noted, as combat operations still exist, ladies and gentlemen. We might not be a nation at war, but we are certainly an Army at war, and I dont believe many in any of the other services would dispute that theyre not still at war as well.
The Army is also heavily engaged in humanitarian assistance around the world, she said.
Every time you hear about the Ebola virus, or an earthquake, a major drought, anything like that whos always the first ones on the ground?
As for the Russians, theyre returning to Cold War days, at least at the leadership level, she said.
So were having to beef up forces there. The NATO mission there, she said.
Last years Stryker convoy across Poland and Bulgaria was to get some attention and let the Russians know, she said. The Baltics are asking for our help every day.
Building partner capacity is key, she said, because we cant do this all ourselves the United States. Weve been looked upon to do that. We just cant do it."
The United States must defend critical networks against cyber attacks, she said, as the current election system has been threatened by Russian hackers.
I give us about a C-minus on that at this point, she said. My second job as a general officer, I was the Armys military deputy for cyber security at the Pentagon. Thats a very scary job. I escaped after 10 months.
After her speech, when asked if she thinks the Russians will meddle in our electoral process, she said she thinks so.
But we have something to whomp them with if they do, she added.
FLORENCE Harvest Hope Food Bank received a major donation last week from Smithfields Helping Hungry Homes program in partnership with IGA and KJs Market.
Over 25,000 pounds of protein the equivalent of 100,000 servings was donated to the food bank as Smithfield is in the process of donating 1 million servings to eight food banks across the country.
Harvest Hope Food Bank is thrilled to receive this generous donation from Smithfield, Denise Holland, Harvest Hopes CEO, said in a press advisory. With so many in the community still struggling to recover from Hurricane Matthew, both the Pee Dee area and Harvest Hope are in great need of assistance to help feed the hungry. Smithfields donation will help us as we continue to build upon the more than half million meals weve distributed since the hurricanes landfall.
Harvest Hope has set up over a dozen mobile food pantries throughout the area and opened a temporary and emergency food pantry at their Florence branch that served over 500 families in its first two days. Its slated to continue to operate until Nov. 18. As the states largest food bank, Harvest Hope feeds 38,000 people in an average week.
We truly appreciate Smithfield for partnering with us to give back to the community through this generous donation, Bill Harrell, W. Lee Flowers and Company meat department director, said in the advisory. Whenever a disaster strikes the areas where we live and serve, we try to give aid and relief to all those in need. We strive to help people rebuild and restore their lives to normal in as many ways as possible, whether it be through donations of food, money or time.
Smithfield is proud to partner with IGA and KJs Market during our 300th milestone tour to present this donation to the Harvest Hope Food Bank, said Dennis Pittman, Smithfield senior director of hunger relief. After the recent hurricane that devastated the area, we started working immediately to provide donations to the food banks that are feeding so many of the families who lost their homes and dont know from where their next meal will come. We encourage others to get involved and volunteer time, money, or food to help provide recovery assistance.
Throughout 2016, Smithfield is donating more than six million servings of protein to food banks nationwide.
Harvest Hope encourages those who wish to help to donate at www.harvesthope.org. The agency can also use canned goods such as
Shelf stable meats (Spam, Vienna sausages, tuna, etc.)
Peanut butter
Jelly
Tomato sauce
Pop-top soups
Diapers (for both children and seniors)
Liquid baby formula (by the case only)
The 1,200gt expedition ship will cruise from Cairns to Darwin on October 29, 2017, visiting some of the most remote areas of Papua New
Guinea and Indonesia.
Many ports of call are inaccessible to larger cruise ships and passengers will come face-to-face with tribes that until recently have had little contact with the outside world.
There will be a traditional welcome in Alotau before Coral Discoverer sails on to Fergusson Island in the Milne Bay Province with its Dei
Dei geothermal hot springs and gorgeous native orchids.
There are the Trobriand Islands where an easygoing attitude to sex gave them the name islands of love. Then there are the spectacular
fjords of Tufi and coral reefs of the Fly Islands.
The locals on Tuam Island will greet passengers with singing and dancing before Coral Discoverer heads for the colonial port of Madang
and enters the Sepik River, stopping at Wewak, capital of the East Sepik Province.
Other highlights include cruising around the Indonesian archipelago of Raja Ampat, snorkelling at Aljui Bay and an optional hike to view the
elusive red bird of paradise.
Before arriving in Darwin, Coral Discoverer will visit Indonesias original Spice Islands, where nutmeg, cloves and mace were global
commodities in the 16th century.
The ships expedition team includes a marine biologist and a SCUBA instructor.
Among them are operators such as La Spezia Container Terminal (LSCT) in Italy, which over the past year or so has been actively campaigning to draw traffic on the Asia-Med routes to their terminal, which is part of the Eurokai Group and one of the few privately run ports in the Mediterranean.
Meanwhile others such as Port Everglades in Florida have been improving infrastructure and could benefit from changes in the trade flows as well as the expansion of the Panama Canal.
Speaking to Seatrade Maritime News, Port Everglades business development director Jim Pyburn said he sees a niche for the port as a gateway for Asian carriers keen to serve the Caribbean and Latin American market without having to make direct calls.
He noted that this is a growth market for many Asian lines and exporters. "That plays out very well for us because we are the gateway to that region," Pyburn said, adding that it offers very good frequencies into that market, with some feeders running as often as three times a week.
While he was not able to give exact comparison figures, Pyburn noted that currently less than 3% of the port's approximately 1m teu annual volume is from Asia. "That shows it's very small and we have nowhere to go but up," he quipped.
Far East Coast Railway president and ceo James Hertwig added that relaxation in port security regulations in the US should also see a rise in the transhipment trade, which once accounted for over 20% of volumes at the south Florida ports but declined to low single digits post 9-11. He believes these volumes can come back to the same level in the next few years.
Pyburn said Port Everglades is three years into a 20-year master plan to upgrade the port and so far $1.6bn has been spent on works such as building five new berths, adding up to six new super post-Panamax cranes and extensions to the turning basin. The approach channel will also be deepened to allow 9,000-teu vessels to come in fully laden.
Yet another plus point for Port Everglades is their good connections to Cuba. As the country starts to open up, Pyburn believes that the demand for imports and particularly cost-effective Chinese goods will rise.
"There's a lot of potential and I think the Asian market sees that," he said, adding that the potential transshipment volumes are also set to benefit Port Everglades.
For LSCT, which currently connects to some 50 plus Far East and Oceania ports via five weekly services, the operator, is banking on a seven to 10-day cut in ocean transit time into European markets to lure shippers.
The marketing strategy seems to be working. "Imports from Asia to Italy have grown," said Contship Italia commercial director Michael Cashman, estimating a growth rate of about 4% to 5% this year.
Prime among his efforts has been correcting the perception that Italian ports are problematic. Key customers such as Cosco, Maersk, MSC, and the CKYHE and G6 alliances in their current forms are making use of its gateway solutions for Southern Europe and fully integrated rail and road connections to Northern Italy and Central Europe.
"The word and the knowledge of La Spezia is growing," he added. "We can be satisfied with what we're doing," he said.
"Almost 50% of our volumes originate to and from Asia," Cashman said, noting that 13 out of the top 15 global lines and all the lines that serve the Asia-Italy trade lane call at LSCT.
Princess Anne, who is president of the Mission to Seafarers and patron of the RDA, started the morning with a horse display and presentation of Rosettes by HRH to beneficiaries of RDA.
The Princess then moved onto MTSS Drop-in-Centre where she met with volunteers, staff and seafarers.
The grand finale was a charity reception aboard the luxury tall ship, the Royal Albatross, where over 140 guests had the unique opportunity to speak directly with HRH and other senior officials. There was also a charity auction and a one-off performance of songs by the Paul Roberts - of Stranglers fame - from his forthcoming show, Lets Dance Paul Roberts sings David Bowie.
It is with pride that we can also link this visit to us marking this year as the 90th anniversary of our work in Singapore. We thank you (HRH) for your words of support and guidance and assure you that we take great inspiration from them and look forward to many more years under your stewardship as the President of our charity, said Robert Walker chairman of MTSS.
Over SGD100,000 was raised through corporate sponsorship for the MTSS while a further SGD15,000 was raised through the charity auction and split equally between MTSS and RDA.
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The Offen Tankers chemical carrier CPO Korea was attacked by six armed men 330 nm off the East Coast of Somalia on 22 October.
Confirming the attack EU Navfor said that shots were exchanged by the six armed men on the fast moving skiff and a security team onboard the CPO Korea.
The suspected pirates eventually broke away after CPO Koreas crew successfully implemented self-protection measures by increasing speed, altering course and rigging fire hoses to thwart the attack, EU Navfor said.
It is the first reported piracy attack off Somalia in two and half years and EU Navfor said it was confirmed after a thorough investigation. There have been unconfirmed reports other attempted attacks in the region in the period, mainly by private maritime security companies (PMSCs).
The Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force (Somalia), Major General Rob Magowan said: This attack shows that pirates still have the intent to attack ships for ransom and cause misery to seafarers and their families. It is imperative that the international community remains vigilant.
The EU Naval Force is working with counter-piracy partners to coordinate efforts to ensure pirates do not once again terrorise the waters off the Somali coast.
Offen Tankers commented: Despite the decreasing number of attacks in the region the imminent risk of Somalian piracy still exists and needs to be addressed accordingly by owners and charterers alike.
Heungjin Ryu of the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University told Seeker that he observed an older male bonobo named "TN" (pronounced "ten") grooming another bonobo, Jeudi. TN would stretch his arm way out to groom, and would only come closer when he found something.
It may seem silly to outfit a wild animal with glasses, but scientists have determined that diminished eyesight, which often happens with aging, can hinder necessary tasks. Elderly chimps, for example, have been seen grooming each other from an uncomfortable distance, with the groomer holding his head back like a far-sighted person would.
A chimpanzee wearing bifocals, a dog sporting prescription sunglasses, and a bonobo undergoing Lasik-type surgery to correct his vision could all be in the future, since new research suggests some mammals suffer from far-sightedness and other vision-related issues that often affect people.
"The aging of the eyes seems to be very similar between humans and bonobos," Ryu said, adding that the problem could pose life-threatening challenges for wild bonobos, living as they do in the shade of the rainforest canopy.
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To investigate the phenomenon, Ryu and his colleagues measured the grooming distance of 14 wild bonobos, aged 1114, using digital photographs. They also looked at how grooming distance varies in relation to age and sex in bonobos and compared that data with information collected on focus distances in humans.
The study, published in the journal Current Biology, found that grooming distance increased exponentially with age. This was particularly evident for a chimp named Ki, who had been videotaped some time ago. Ki's eyesight now is clearly much worse than it was when the earlier video was shot.
Ryu explained that "many scientists and doctors have suggested that the lens of the eye gets rigid with age and becomes less responsive to contraction. Also, the muscle to control the lens might weaken with age."
While primates have different body sizes and average lifespans, he said that "the general age-related tendency for decreased eye function is probably shared across primate species" and "might be universal in some mammals."
National Zoo veterinarian Katharine Hope told Seeker that staff at the zoo have suspected primate eyesight could diminish with age.
"They've noticed older primates reaching for ropes, but missing them, or appearing not to see their preferred food items," she said.
It's believed that no chimp, bonobo or other primate in a zoo, however, has ever been prescribed glasses or undergone laser surgery just to correct near or far-sightedness.
Matt Steele, public engagement supervisor at San Diego Zoo Global said that most of the animals at his zoo are endangered.
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"Unfortunately, not a lot is known about many of these species, and we are not aware of any work to evaluate vision at the level" Seeker inquired about, Steele said. "Our conservation scientists tend to focus their efforts on things that are threatening species survival."
In order for a zoo animal, such as a chimp, to wear corrective lenses, it would have to be trained extensively beforehand, Hope said.
"Primates like chimps and bonobos are very stubborn, funny and intelligent animals," she explained. "They would probably instantly tear apart the glasses and look at them thinking, 'What in the world is this?'"
On the other hand, prescription glasses and goggles are already available for dogs and cats, and are growing in popularity. Warby Barker makes stylish prescription glasses for dogs and Doggles offers their namesake prescription eyewear for pets.
Scientists say there is strong evidence that the Zika virus can be controlled by releasing genetically modified male mosquitoes into the wild so they can mate with the disease-spreading females to produce sterile offspring.
But plans for a trial run in Key Haven, Fla., an unincorporated community just east of Key West, have been so controversial that officials decided to put it to a public vote.
Tuesday's referendum is non-binding, but will weigh heavily on whether the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District proceeds with the test, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August.
The genetically modified mosquitoes have been tested in Brazil, Panama and the Caymen Islands, where they reduced the wild population of Zika-bearing Aedes aegypti mosquitoes by more than 90 percent, according to British biotechnology company Oxitec, which developed the engineered strain of mosquitoes.
"In comparison, current technologies such as insecticides are only 30-to 50 percent effective at best," Oxitec spokesman Matthew Warren told Seeker.
In addition to the Zika virus, which can cause birth defects and other disorders, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are responsible for the spread of dengue and chikungunya. It's the female mosquitoes that do the biting, spreading disease in their wake.
WATCH VIDEO: Why Can't We Get Rid of Mosquitoes?
Image: Recreation of an asteroid hitting Earth. About 66 million years ago, an asteroid slammed into Earth, causing a mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs. What happened in the years following the devastation has long been a mystery due to lack of evidence. Now researchers have discovered clues thanks to a surprising find: insect damage to plants now fossilized in rock. The damage suggests that half of Earth recovered twice as fast as the other half. "We compared insect damage diversity in Patagonia and Western Interior North America before and after the asteroid impact," lead researcher Michael Donovan of Pennsylvania State University explained to Seeker. "In both Patagonia and North America, we observed a decrease in insect damage diversity on fossil leaves that lived in the early Paleocene, after the asteroid hit Earth." "However," he added, "in Patagonia, insect damage diversity increased to pre-extinction levels in 4 million years, much faster than the 9 million years it took in North America." Donovan and his team reported their findings in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
Other researchers have proposed that after the asteroid smashed into Earth near what is now Chicxulub, Mexico, the planet saw increased volcanic activity and severe climate change. Those events have been implicated in wiping out all dinosaurs that didn't evolve into birds, as well as numerous other plants, insects and animals on land and in the seas. The fossilized leaves of flowering plants suggest that just before the destruction happened, a wide range of insects at various places on the planet were happily munching away on plants. Shortly after the asteroid hit, this feeding activity stopped. When the researchers focused only on leaf miners - numerous insects, such as moths and flies, whose larvae burrow into and feed on leaves - the evidence for annihilation was incredibly stark. "We found no evidence for the survival of any of the Cretaceous leaf miners in Patagonia, similar to previous findings from North America," Donovan said.
Some leaf miners must have survived elsewhere, though, since these insects live on to this day. Birds, the early ancestors of mammals, certain fish and other species also managed to survive, becoming more established as the years went on. The recovery, at least for insects and flowering plants, happened over twice as fast in the Southern Hemisphere as it did the Northern Hemisphere. As for why, Donovan said, "One possibility is distance from the Chicxulub crater in Mexico." He thinks that other "poorly understood factors may have also contributed" to the major difference in recovery times.
Over the past three years, over one million Chinese political party members have been punished for corruption. China's President Xi Jinping has been cracking down on corruption within the government since he took office in 2012 and has even called upon other nations to help find Chinese officials who have fled the country.
A major factor in China's corruption problem is something called guanxi, which means broadening your professional network using material items or small favors. Even though this practice is legal and can be harmless, it paved the way for more illicit deals to occur and bribes started to become the norm within the Chinese political system.
Has President Xi Jinping's war on corruption done anything to combat this incessant problem in China? Jules Suzdaltsev explains in today's Seeker Daily video.
Check out Discovery GO!
Learn More:
Transparency International: Corruption Perceptions Index 2011
NBC News: China's Xi Jinping to Stress Anti-Corruption Campaign Isn't Over
BBC News: 'One Million' Chinese Officials Punished for Corruption
It sounds like a mystery pulled straight from science fiction: reports of a pinging noise emanating from the bottom of the sea; local wildlife spooked; the military scrambles an aircraft in the remote Arctic to investigate.
But this isn't a missing "X-Files" script, this actually happened high in the Canadian Arctic and, so far, there's no satisfactory explanation as to what's going on.
For the last few months, local (mainly Inuit) populations around Canada's northeastern Nunavut Territory have reported that the waters in a once-fertile hunting ground has been strangely devoid of sea mammals. The large territory is home to around 31,000 people who regularly hunt seals, caribou and whales in the Hecla and Fury Strait. According to ScienceAlert, this is a prime location as it's an open area of water surrounded by ice known as a "polynya," which sea mammals use as feeding grounds.
The apparent lack of animals this summer has coincided with reports of a mysterious sound coming from the sea floor and many are pointing to the anomaly as being the cause. The noise - described as a "pinging," "humming," or "beeping" - has been heard for several months and is now being taken seriously by the Canadian government.
RELATED: Mystery Ocean Hum May be Migration Signal
"The Department of National Defence has been informed of the strange noises emanating in the Fury and Hecla Strait area, and the Canadian Armed Forces are taking the appropriate steps to actively investigate the situation," a government official said in a statement.
Among the measures taken, a CP-140 Aurora aircraft was dispatched to the region to seek out "acoustic anomalies," but nothing out of the ordinary was found.
"The (aircraft) crew did not detect any surface or sub-surface contacts," the Canadian military told the BBC. "The only thing the crew did observe were two pods of whales and six walruses in the area of interest."
According to a group of boaters on a private yacht who passed through the area, the sound could be clearly heard through the vessel's hull, but further evidence is apparently hard to come by.
As with any mystery, hypotheses as to the strange noise's source are rich and varied. One idea is that it could be evidence of a mining company in the area conducting sonar surveys of the sea floor, though no permits have been approved and local companies deny they're carrying out such work. Another theory points the finger at the conservation group Greenpeace, who have a history in the region having opposed the Inuit seal hunt in the 1970s and 1980s.
A Greenpeace spokewoman, however, told CBC News that they have nothing to do with the mysterious noise and that they wouldn't drop a sonar device in the waters to scare away wildlife. "Not only would we not do anything to harm marine life, but we very much respect the right of Inuit to hunt and would definitely not want to impact that in any way," said Farrah Khan.
RELATED: Antarctic Fossil Mystery Points to Warming Future
Of course, the very fact the noise is being described as a "pinging" hints at submarine activity. Military analyst Tyler Rogoway points out that, although unlikely, submarines could be traveling through the region. Though deep in Canadian territory, as climate change has increased the frequency at which the Hecla and Fury Strait is ice-free, it's conceivable that the passage could be eyed as a route into the previously hard-to-navigate waterways. There is no evidence to suggest this is the case, however.
Officials agree that, for now, the source of these reported noises is a mystery. But it's worth remembering that correlation is not the same as causation; the coincidence of a mystery pinging in Arctic seas isn't necessarily causing the apparent reduction in sea mammal wildlife in Canada's northeastern Nunavut Territory. It could just be that the two are happening at the same time and have no relationship with one another. As climate change is accelerating its impact on Arctic regions, it's more likely that marine animals are migrating farther afield to look for feeding grounds and the local populous is blaming scattered reports of a strange noise as being the culprit.
As with the bizarre ocean "Bloop" that captivated the world when it was recorded by Pacific Ocean hydrophones in 1997, the source of this Arctic "Ping" will likely be found - it could be artificial or it could be natural. The Bloop was found to be (probably) generated by ice-quakes in calving glaciers, could the Canadian Ping have a similar cause? Who knows, but science will, eventually, zero-in on an explanation.
African elephant tusks often go from slaughter to sale in months, according to new research that finds 90 percent of all illegally traded ivory comes from recent kills.
Using a novel technique that dates animal remains, including tusks, by the amounts of a radioactive isotope left over from past nuclear tests, researchers were able to zero in on when elephants were killed for their ivory.
The idea that many tusks are illegally recycled from older stockpiles built up by corrupt governments is negated by the findings, reported in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences. Instead, as many conservationists had feared, the evidence supports that widespread poaching is happening at a fast pace.
RELATED: Malawi Burns 2.9 Tons of Smuggled Ivory
Kevin Uno, a geochemist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, told Seeker that the illegal ivory trade is largely driven by upper middle class individuals who view carved ivory as a status item.
"They wish to show it off in their homes," he said, adding that ivory shops in China employ craftspeople to supply the demand. Arguing that their materials come from older kills, such shops can often provide faulty documentation to stay in business. Testing the ivory is expensive, so there is little enforcement.
Uno and Thure Cerling of the University of Utah led a team that recently conducted the first large-scale age study of ivory. They analyzed 231 tusks from 14 major seizures made in nine nations from 20022014.
Back in 2013, Uno showed that small amounts of radioactive isotope carbon-14 left over from nuclear bomb tests in the 1950s and 1960s ended up in plants eaten by animals. Those traces could then be detected in the animals - including elephant tusks.
He applied the same technique to the 231 tusks, which came from seizures in Kenya, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malawi, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Togo.
The study showed that all but 10 of the tusks belonged to elephants that had been killed less than three years before the ivory was confiscated. Uno said some tusks even registered "zero" in the analysis, meaning that the source elephant was likely killed within days of its tusk "being thrown into the batch for transport and sale."
"There is no, or very little, old ivory in the illegal ivory trade, according to our research," Uno said.
George Wittemyer of Save the Elephants, Nairobi, Kenya and Colorado State University's Department of Fish Wildlife and Conservation Biology believes that the expansion of global illegal wildlife trafficking involves sophisticated criminal syndicates that sell to "key destination markets, namely China but also the United States, Vietnam and Thailand." Wittemyer wrote this in a statement published by Science and provided to Seeker by Uno.
Uno added that protecting elephants in Africa is challenging, due to the large areas that require monitoring, the dense vegetation that often exists in such regions, lack of very timely intelligence and other factors.
RELATED: Declining Megafauna Having Dramatic Effects
A recent population survey funded by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen estimates that 375,000 African elephants exist in the wild, down by 144,000 since 2007. At the current rate of poaching, elephants could therefore go extinct in our lifetimes.
Uno and colleagues' study found that from 2011 to the present, it is taking longer for poachers to get their shipments out. The researchers suspect that it's getting harder for the illegal hunters to find forest elephants, making it more difficult for them to pull larger shipments together.
If elephant populations were to further drop or disappear altogether, the impact to ecosystems is expected to be catastrophic, given that elephants are primary agents of environmental change. Uno explained that as they travel long distances, they spread seeds along the way through their dung.
"Their piles of poop are like perfect fertilized bags," he said, adding that certain plant seeds are so large that they can only be consumed, and therefore redistributed in dung, by elephants.
"Plus, elephants have co-existed with us and our human ancestors for 67 million years," Uno continued. "Elephants likely played a key role in our evolution. It would be tragic if we caused the extinction of the very animals that helped give rise to us."
Photo: An elephant ivory seizure made in Malaysia, December 2012, weighing over 6.5 tons. Credit: Syarifah Khadiejah Syed Mohd Kamil, Malaysia Department of Wildlife and National Parks WATCH VIDEO: The U.S. Crushes a Ton of Illegal Ivory
Unfortunately, the heating releases radioactive iodine-129 gas. Although the iodine-129 can be captured in a special filter, called a caustic scrubber, no one had figured out an efficient way to contain it.
The radioactive waste, called iodine-129, is a by-product of a containment system expected to be in use at the Hanford Site starting around 2022. As part of that system, nuclear waste will be mixed with boron and silica and treated at very high temperatures to turn it into glass.
Ashutosh Goel, an assistant professor along with his graduate student, Charles Cao, at Rutgers University, has come up with a simple, inexpensive way to immobilize nuclear waste, specifically radioactive iodine, trapping it in ceramic for millions of years.
To say nuclear containment is challenging is a bit of understatement. At the Hanford Site, a mostly decommissioned nuclear complex in the state of Washington, 55 million gallons of radioactive waste have been stored miles underground. Since 2012 , reports of leakages started trickling in and according to the U.S. Department of Energy, the government will spend upwards of $150 billion in clean up costs by 2090.
Containment it is crucial since radioactive iodine decays very slowly and will linger in the environment for millions of years. It's known for targeting the thyroid gland in people, increasing the risk of cancer. Because it disperses easily through air and water, some countries, like France and the U.K., dispose of it by dumping it into the ocean.
"At the end of the day, it has to end up somewhere," Goel said. "It will end up being in fish, being in aquatic bodies, and then slowly it will enter into the food chain."
Goel, who has spent his career on glass- and ceramics-related projects came up with a method for containing the radioactive gas that doesn't require high-temperatures or vacuum-sealed chambers.
RELATED: Nuclear Waste Burial Sites May Become Leaky
" "We developed a technique where everything is at room temperature. It's just that you have to mix the chemicals in the proper order in water," Goel said. "That is it."
Wait. It's that simple? Yes, said Goel. The iodine-129 gas is captured in the caustic filter and then mixed with other chemicals in a specific order and turned into ceramic.
Goel and his team won second prize in the 2016 Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research Awards sponsored by U.S. Department of Energy for this technological breakthrough.
While iodine-129 is found mainly in "low activity" radioactive waste, meaning the level of radioactivity is low, the team is also working on the challenges of containing waste described as "high activity," too. That may take a little more time.
The good news is the 90 percent of nuclear waste at the Hanford site is made up of low-activity waste and so the impact of this new approach could be huge.
"This is not a trivial problem as we are working on the largest, most expensive environmental remediation project in the U.S. history," Goel said. "I feel honored to be a part of this effort, and hope that our research brings a great promise to safe and efficient immobilization of spent nuclear fuel in United States and a much increased use of nuclear power in the near future."
"I think it might be more important for the extreme circumstances. You get a little bit of rain and the sand gets wet, and then it's really important to be able to suck the water out of the sand."
"Clearly, it's important for them - this special system has evolved and it's really quite bizarre," he said.
Philip Withers, a professor of zoology at the University of Western Australia and co-author of the research, said the creatures' remarkable skin is critical to their survival in the harsh conditions of the desert.
A study published today (November 2) in the Journal of Experimental Biology suggests that one of the main ways thorny devils drink is by burying their bodies in damp sand, and then drawing the moisture out of it.
Do they rely on rare puddles, or harvest droplets of condensation, or do they suck water from the sand itself?
But in the devils' habitat - the arid deserts and sandy plains of central and western Australia - what hasn't been clear is exactly where they get the water from.
Channels between the animals' scales draw moisture towards their mouths, where they squeeze it inside in miniscule gulps.
Scientists have studied the water-wicking properties of thorny devil skin for more than 40 years.
The scales of thorny devils are a scientific marvel; these lizards use their skin like a drinking straw. But where does the water come from that allows them to survive in Australia's driest deserts?
Thorny devils can't simply lick water from puddles or drops of condensation because their entire mouth - including the jaw and tongue - has evolved specifically to feed on small ants that share their habitat.
So this lizard has evolved a bizarre alternative to drinking with its mouth: the capillary channels on its skin squeeze every last drop of moisture out of the arid landscape and push it towards the animal's mouth.
Professor Withers said although scientists already knew about this, they weren't sure whether thorny devils could fill their capillary channels and drink just by standing on moist sand.
To find out, the researchers studied analysed how much water six thorny devils could suck up in different situations.
The animals began to open and close their mouths to drink just 10 seconds after being placed in a puddle of water.
But when placed on wet sand, only 59 per cent of the devils' capillaries filled up and the lizards didn't start drinking.
"They can certainly stand in a puddle of water and suck it up and drink it," Professor Withers said.
"But [what we discovered is] they probably can't just stand on moist sand and suck it up and drink it.
"They can absorb some water that way, but it's not enough to fill the capillary channels."
The researchers believe that if these channels aren't full enough, water won't be pushed into the mouth for the devil to drink.
RELATED: Snoring Lizards Reveal Sleep Predates Dinosaurs
Thorny devils have been observed sand-shoveling after periods of rain.
Using replica models of the lizard's skin, the scientists showed that piling sand on top of this unusual surface boosted the amount of moisture that could be sucked into capillary channels. Gravity, they suggest, gives the process a helping hand.
And while they haven't yet measured the results of shoveled sand on live lizards, they believe all the signs point to this self-burial in damp sand as the behavior that allows devils to fill their capillaries and drink.
By piling it onto their backs, the thorny devils maximize the surface area of their skin touching the sand - as well as getting gravity's help in sucking the moisture from it.
Professor Withers thinks the mechanism isn't necessary for the day-to-day survival of the lizard but may be useful in lengthy periods where there is little or no rainfall.
"I would think that a normal desert lizard can survive in the desert eating ants, without all of this stuff," he said.
"So maybe it's just for when it's really hot and dry, a long drought or something and there's a bit of rainfall - they can harvest it."
The thorny devil is spiked as a form of defense against predators.
The slow-moving lizard sits on ant trails to feed, picking off ants one by one with its tongue as they walk by.
This makes the devil a stationary target for would-be predators, who are warded off by the spikes that make the lizards difficult to eat.
RELATED: Giant Killer Lizards Lived Among Ice-Age Aussies
The other defense mechanism the thorny devil has is its coloring. Its mottled brown and yellow skin helps it blend in with the dirt and sand of its habitat.
"Their coloration, you can stand on one of these things and not even see it's there. It's truly amazing," Professor Withers said.
"I've had radio trackers on them. You can walk out there and you hear the radio going beep, beep, beep, and you know it's within a meter or so. And sometimes it's so hard to even find it."
He said the best place to spot one was on a road.
"The easiest way to find them is to see them when they're walking across a road, because they just show up then like nothing," Professor Withers said.
Calling them wheelchair-bound sounds misleading. Polish friends and adventurers Maciej Kaminski and Micha Woroch definitely aren't stuck. The duo photographed far-flung locales, road-tripped around Europe and ditched wheels altogether to reach remote communities on horseback. Next week they're flying to South America to begin a new journey from one end of the continent to the other. Kaminski and Woroch, both in their early 30s, made a strong pitch to the jury of the annual Kolosy travel and exploration awards. They won the 2015 Andrzej Zawada Award, named after the famed Polish mountaineer, given to recipients under age 35 who present the most extraordinary expedition proposal. It also comes with a grant that will support their South America expedition this month. Polish kayaker Piotr Chmielinski served on the jury and recounted on Pythom how Kaminski and Woroch transformed him and the other jury members from skeptics to enthusiasts for the South America idea in the short five minutes they had to share their idea. The plan really is wild. On November 9 they will fly from Poland to Buenos Aires and then pick up a 1996 Land Rover that has been converted so it can be driven entirely by hand. The vehicle also has lifts so they can get into the driver's seat and to the rooftop, which doubles as a tent platform. After making their way to Cape Horn, they will drive along the Pacific coast all the way to the Peruvian Amazon, where they plan to visit local shamans. Depending on how they're feeling, the two might continue to Costa Rica and up into the United States. Chmielinski reported that they got U.S. tourist visas just in case. WATCH VIDEO: Is This the World's Most Dangerous Hike?
The friends first met at a physical therapy clinic in Bydgoszcz more than a decade ago, according to Chmielinski. He doesn't say much about the causes of their wheelchair use beyond mentioning that Woroch was an avid cyclist before a disease forced him to give up the sport. United by a passion for challenging popular misconceptions, they decided to drive around Europe together. That adventure took place in 2012, and looks like a fun, laid-back time (video). Over the course of three months they traveled through 13 countries by van, ferry and sometimes wheelchair. Rocky beaches, muddy mountain passes and even crazy steep stairs are no match for these two - with a little help from friends. Their website also chronicles traveling by train from Moscow to Mongolia, where they made their way to a tiny settlement and rode on horseback to visit nomadic reindeer herders. We clearly need a new descriptor. I recommend boundless wheelchairing. RELATED: Surviving the World's Most Dangerous Trail: Photos
Mount Huashan, in Huayin City, is one of the five sacred mountains in China. The path to the top of the mountain is incredibly steep and treacherous. Its cliffs are almost perpendicular to the Earth but the views from above are breathtaking. A cable car takes tourists from the east gate to the North Peak directly, but many people go for the trekking option, if for nothing more than athletic accomplishment. Check out the full episode of This Happened Here from Discovery's Seeker network .
This photo was taken by amateur photographer Vivian Lee at Mount Huashan in the autumn of 2012. "We were given a chest harness, two carabiners, and with minimal instructions, off we went. The most daunting part of the initial dissent was down a narrow ladder of iron rods hammered into the side of the mountain." Skiing 200 Miles Across A Dangerous Alaskan Icefield
"With two way traffic, there were times when two people could be standing on the same rod at the same time," Lee said. "At the bottom of this makeshift ladder is a 2-foot-wide plank to traverse across and a metal chain to clip your carabiners as you make your way across." The Most Dangerous Roads on the Planet: Photos
"The tea houses dotted around the mountain," Lee said, "used to be Taoist temples, now converted to allow hikers to take tea breaks or camp overnight during their visit. We also enjoyed a pot of freshly brewed Chinese tea when we finally reached the south peak. Dangerous Tourist Destinations: Photos
An estimated 100 people die every year on Mount Huashan. "I wanted to capture the emotions of these daring hikers, and at the same time, find that for myself," Lee said. "What compels them to take such risks? What was at the end of this plank walk?" Diving Into A Humpback Whale Fight: Photos
Press Release
November 7, 2016 De Lima files habeas data suit vs President Duterte Sen. Leila M. de Lima today filed a petition for writ of habeas data in the Supreme Court (SC) stopping President Duterte from securing private details about her personal life and using them to degrade her dignity as a human being, a woman and a senator. Accompanied by some women leaders and supporters, De Lima sought the SC's order against the President and his men from collecting and using information about her private affairs beyond the dictates of their official functions or public concern. "This is a good fight. I have the right to fight it so I am invoking my legal right to do so - even if I have to step into untested waters to do it," she said during a forum "Laban Leila, Laban Kababaihan: A Forum on Habeas Data and Women's Rights." "His lofty position should not be used to perpetuate his personal evil designs against one woman. Ang paglapit ko sa Korte Suprema ang paraan ko para iwaksi ang demonyong pilit ginagawang bangungot ang buhay ko," she added. In her petition, De Lima cited several specific occasions where the President has repeatedly subjected her to crude personal verbal attacks which involved the wrongful and unlawful collection and publication of her alleged personal affairs. "These verbal attacks and threats leveled against me are not covered by presidential immunity from suit because they are not the official acts of a President. They constitute unlawful, unofficial conduct that have nothing to do with his duties," she said. The former justice secretary recalled that the President admitted that his personal grudge against her can be traced back to the time when she, as then chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights, investigated him for his alleged link with the dreaded Davao Death Squad while he was the local chief executive of Davao City a few years back. She also pointed out the President's personal tirades against her had escalated when she initiated a Senate investigation into the spate of extrajudicial killings and summary executions carried out in the name of the government's war on drugs. De Lima argued these personal verbal attacks and threats blatantly violated Republic Act (R.A.) Nos. 6713 and 9710, also known as "Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees" and "Magna Carta of Women", respectively. A compact disc containing video and audio recordings of the President's personal verbal attacks he hurled against Senator de Lima in public was submitted as evidence for the High Court's appreciation. She also submitted an assessment report made by Dr. Sylvia Estrada Claudio, a respectable psychologist specializing in women's concerns, about the psychological effect inflicted by President Duterte's acts and utterances against her. "They (attacks) blatantly violate R.A. 9710, which prohibits psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the State, and requires that all officials of the State 'refrain from discriminating against women and violating their rights,'" her petition claimed. Apart from asking the High Court to stop the President and his men from gathering personal information about her private life, De Lima also asked that these illegally-obtained pieces of private information should be deleted, destroyed, or rectified. She also asked the Court to bar the President and his men from making public statements that (i) malign her as a woman and degrade her dignity as a human being; (ii) sexually discriminate against her; (iii) describe or publicize her alleged sexual conduct; (iv) constitute psychological violence against her; and (v) otherwise violate her rights or are contrary to law, good morals, good customs, public policy, and/or public interest. De Lima also sought the Court's order compelling the President to identify the foreign country that reportedly helped him listen to her private conversation, the manner and means by which he listened to it, and the sources of information about her private affairs. "This 'show(s) that he (the President) has been collecting information or has caused the collection of information about petitioner's private life through unlawful means in order to achieve unlawful ends - to vilify and shame her in public,'" the petition added. Her petition also contained a long list of samples of hate messages sent to her via short message service and social networking site, notably Facebook, calling her offensive, vulgar names and even issuing vile threats against her personal safety and security.
Press Release
November 7, 2016 Statement of Sen. Leila M. de Lima on Sen. Kiko Pangilinan's designation as LP President I welcome the designation of Senator Kiko Pangilinan as Liberal Party President. It is very timely at this time so he can immediately take charge over re-energizing the party under trying times. The order of the day is consolidation. Sen. Kiko already has his initial work cut out for him. Quite a number of our party-mates jumped ship the day after the May elections to join the PDP Laban bandwagon. Only a few remained with the LP. Fewer still stand out as vocal mouthpieces of the party against the abuses of the administration. The agenda now should include whether or not to remain with the admin coalition or come out categorically as the genuine opposition. These are the changes the great party of Jovito Salonga and Gerry Roxas should be seriously considering if it is to remain relevant to the people and to the call of the times. I believe Sen. Kiko will lead us to this newly energized and consolidated party.
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Weather forecasters can now provide about 15 minutes of warning before a tornado hits an area, but an advanced satellite detection system developed in Palo Alto could increase that to 30 minutes.
The Geostationary Lightning Mapper, developed by aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, is scheduled to go into orbit aboard a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite.
By providing increased tornado warnings, well be saving peoples lives on the ground, said Jeff Vanden Beukel, Lockheed Martins program director, during a press preview last week.
The Advanced Technology Center, Lockheeds Palo Alto outpost, has also developed an advanced solar storm detection system that will provide earlier warnings of electromagnetic waves emanating from the sun that could disrupt Earths communications systems and electrical grid.
Both instruments will be aboard each of four weather satellites that will watch Earths Western Hemisphere in orbit about 22,500 miles above ground. The launch is scheduled for Nov. 19 from Cape Canaveral.
Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle
The total cost of the program, including four satellites and associated ground systems, is $10.83 billion, including 30 years of operations. Lockheed Martin will receive a portion of this total for its building and testing the satellites plus three instruments on each spacecraft.
The satellites represent an important advance in forecasting tornadoes and severe weather, said Steve Goodman, the ocean and atmospheric agencys chief scientist for the satellites.
This is the first major upgrade in 22 years, Goodman said.
The 200-pound lightning mapper, roughly the size of a large gym bag, is a new tool for weather forecasters. It has seven high-powered lenses, protected from the conditions of space with a gold-plated cover, that snap images of clouds below at 500 frames per second; a standard video camera shoots 30 frames per second.
The images can detect lightning activity including hail particles and ice crystals colliding to produce an electrical reaction high up in clouds before it intensifies enough to start hitting the ground.
The information can help forecasters spot patterns that could develop into severe storms, Vanden Beukel said.
Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes
The high-resolution images can detect lightning even during daylight hours, and with the satellites positioning, can help airline pilots avoid severe turbulence over oceans, where there arent ground-based weather spotting crews, Goodman said.
We can hopefully avoid turbulence and make your flight more efficient and safer out over the ocean, he said.
The solar imager is an updated version of a previous model, with increased ability to detect ultraviolet light from the sun. Scientists can study the images to better understand why and when solar storms form and when flares might be headed toward Earth.
Scientists believe the imager will provide more warning time for astronauts on space walks and for satellite operators to power down before their systems can be affected. Severe solar storms have also been shown to cause brownouts and blackouts on the ground.
Benny Evangelista is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: bevangelista@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChronicleBenny
Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle
Two Bay Area candidates got a boost in the final push before election day, when President Obama endorsed them for office.
The president backed Peggy Moore in a cutthroat race for the Oakland City Council at-large seat and pushed for Board of Education incumbent candidate Matt Haney in San Francisco. They are among a handful of down-ballot contenders to get the honor as Obama tries to cement his legacy in cities around the country.
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State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Le ons decision to send out a mailer urging Bay Area voters to Keep Our Kids Safe from Guns! and support Proposition 63 was quite a turnaround for someone who initially dismissed Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsoms gun and ammo control initiative as irrelevant.
The change, however, may have more to do with rivalry between the two rising stars of the Democratic Party than with bullets and ballots.
This rivalry reared its head last fall after Newsom introduced what became Prop. 63, with every intention of having it slingshot his campaign for governor. Not to be outdone, de Leon ushered the passage of a package of gun regulations in the Legislature, including background checks for ammunition purchases prompting the Los Angeles Democrat to dismiss Newsoms ballot measure as unnecessary.
But with Prop. 63 garnering strong support among his fellow Democrats, de Leon wasnt about to take a backseat in the election. So he dropped $208,000 on a mailer campaign just to remind voters of his own work on gun control.
The mailer features a large photo of de Leon with his young son and says that in addition to supporting Prop. 63, he stood up to the NRA and helped pass some of our nations toughest laws to reduce gun violence.
We appreciate the enthusiasm of his flip-flop, because passing the initiative and reducing gun violence matter infinitely more than this nonsense, said Prop. 63 spokesman Dan Newman.
De Leons Senate office promised to find someone from his political team to respond. Were still waiting.
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.
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Past the photo booth with the hats shaped like a grinning pile of poop, past the Matisse and Leonardo da Vinci reproductions stamped with familiar looking yellow smileys, was a room full of linguists, artists and technocrats discussing the evolution of a new language: emoji.
The tiny images used in electronic messages and all over social media were the subject of an inaugural convention focused entirely on emoji. The three-day event, aptly named Emojicon, was a relatively small affair held under the dome of the Westfield Mall in downtown San Francisco that packed in games like emoji karaoke and improv alongside intellectual discussions of emoji law, culture and linguistics.
In sparsely decorated conference rooms, groups of emoji experts and enthusiasts met to discuss serious issues that belied the bulging-eyed smiley face stickers stuck to participants lapels.
Race, representation, gender politics and language as a living, breathing, evolving thing were the main focus of dozens of speakers. Discussions centered around how emoji are used and for whom are they made.
For me, (emoji) is a claim on identity. It helps normalize the Internet as an Internet for all when we can have symbols that represent who we are, said Latoya Peterson, the deputy editor of digital innovation at ESPNs The Undefeated who led a conversation on emoji and how their use varies along racial lines.
Millions of people who engage in online communication use the icons to convey feelings, actions and other sentiments that transcend the written word, emoji devotees said.
An estimated 92 percent of people on the Internet use emoji, according to data from a New York analytics firm called Emogi. Over the past five years, since Apple added an emoji keyboard to its mobile devices in 2011, about 40 percent of captions on Instagram contain emoji alongside words.
A real-time tracker of emoji use on Twitter shows tens of thousands used every minute.
No one could have predicted how this was going to blow up, Peterson said. Emoji is a visual language that is going to continue to evolve and grow. ... The undercut of all that is we all want to see that emoji can reflect our world and our lived experience.
On Sunday morning, Rayouf Alhumedhi, a 15-year-old girl originally from Saudi Arabia who now lives in Berlin, explained her push for an emoji character that wears a traditional headscarf known as a hijab. She appeared alongside Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who supports Alhumedhis campaign.
Alhumedhi, who wears the head covering, said she became aware that there was no emoji that looked like her while chatting with her friends, who each used an emoji to identify themselves to one another in a WhatsApp group chat. Her friends, who dont wear the hijab, found symbols that looked like them easily. But for Alhumedhi, there wasnt one.
Why, she asked the room Sunday, were there emoji symbols for four different phases of a mailbox being opened, but not a single emoji to represent the millions of Muslim women and girls who wear head coverings?
Alhumedhis proposal has been brought before the Unicode Consortium, a nonprofit group in Mountain View that decides what symbols make up the alphabet of emojis used across platforms.
Though every company that allows its users to communicate with emoji can make the symbols with their own variations thats why smiley faces look different on Facebook, Twitter and in text messages on your smartphone most limit their so-called alphabet to emoji the Consortium has officially introduced.
Over the summer, 70 new emoji were unveiled with Apples latest release of its mobile iOS software, including several of active women working in professions and exercising a change from the original female emoji that depicted women dancing, getting married, getting a haircut and a massage, while male emoji characters appeared with police uniforms, construction hats and the magnifying glass of a detective.
Women under 30 are the most frequent emoji users by far, according to Google, which has called emoji an important means of communication in the companys own proposal for broadening the group of available symbols.
Emoji have become so integrated into written language that last year, Oxford Dictionaries named an emoji the smiley crying tears of joy its Word of the Year after seeing its use increase threefold over the course of 2015.
Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes
Emoji make conversation more meaningful and personalized, said Pradyumna Sathishkumaar, a promoter who attended Emojicon to help market emoji avatar creator Xpresso. It changes the tone of a conversation, and it can really change someones mood in a way you cant always do with just words.
Members of the Consortium, often called the overlords of all things emoji, wandered the halls, encouraging attendees to submit their ideas to the group to expand the emoji library to be more inclusive and socially aware.
As convention-goers mingled in the hall, vendors sold pillows shaped like poop emoji and Chia pets in the shape of smiley faces. A balloon artist crafted blow-up emoji creatures, noting the poop symbol was by far the most popular.
I can literally give people s and theyre so happy about it, balloon artist Robin Brennen said. Ive put poop all over people today.
A company called Emojibator turned the euphemistic eggplant emoji into a vibrating sex toy. The new model, a chili pepper, is already in production.
The unspoken emoji truth is that the eggplant is really a penis, so it was a natural fit to turn it into a sex toy, said Emojibator co-founder Kris Jandler. I think theres a fear of (emoji symbols) being associated with sex or being associated with body parts, but were hoping that products like this will help destigmatize that.
Highlighting entrepreneurs who think creatively about emoji and how they should be used was just one of the conventions purposes. Another, according to conference founder Jennifer 8. Lee, a writer and Internet producer who also founded a nonprofit called Emojination, was to allow emoji users to meet and talk with people who have a hand in creating the emoji lexicon.
We are the Internet, Peterson said. Its us. Whos going to change it if not us?
Marissa Lang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mlang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Marissa_Jae
If California voters approve Proposition 64 as expected, recreational use of marijuana will become legal in the state. But employers could still prohibit employees from possessing, using or being under the influence of pot, including for medical reasons, at work.
This is spelled out in the 62-page proposition, but not in the ballot summary that most people will read.
Employers can still refuse to hire an applicant who tests positive for marijuana in a pre-employment drug test and fire workers who are tested for permissible reasons and fail the test, said Marti Fisher, a policy advocate with the California Chamber of Commerce.
Page eight of the ballot summary states that the proposition will not amend, repeal, affect, restrict, or preempt ... the rights and obligations of public and private employers to maintain a drug- and alcohol-free workplace or require an employer to permit or accommodate the use, consumption, possession, transfer, display, transportation, sale, or growth of marijuana in the workplace, or affect the ability of employers to have policies prohibiting the use of marijuana by employees and prospective employees, or prevent employers from complying with state or federal law.
Because cannabis can remain in a persons bloodstream for days or longer, a prospective employee who used it Friday and got tested Monday could fail the test and lose out on a job, said Allen Hopper, a Santa Cruz attorney with Vicente Sederberg who was involved in drafting Prop 64.
Leah Millis/The Chronicle
Even if employees are using a strain of medical marijuana that contains only trace amounts of THC, the ingredient that makes you high, they could still fail a drug test and be fired.
The chamber has not taken a position on Prop. 64, which should tell you how confident employers are that it wont impede their ability to write whatever drug policy they want.
The chamber opposed an earlier initiative to legalize marijuana, 2010s Prop. 19, because it believed it would have required employers to accommodate medical marijuana use on or off the job. The proposition failed. Fisher said Prop. 64 does not differentiate between medical and non-medical marijuana; it applies to both.
The use of medical marijuana at work has raised questions ever since California passed the Compassionate Use Act in 1996. The act allows seriously ill Californians to use marijuana for medical purposes with a doctors recommendation.
The federal Americans with Disabilities Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibit almost all employers from discriminating against workers or job applicants because of a physical or mental disability. They must make reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities, unless it would pose an undue hardship or poses a health or safety threat.
You have to accommodate the disability, but you do not have to accommodate drug use, said Todd Wulffson, an Orange County attorney who represents employers. If an employee needs to self-medicate for glaucoma, the employer could say, Come in late, skip Wednesday, but you cant be stoned at work.
A landmark 2008 California Supreme Court decision in Ross vs. RagingWire Telecommunications Inc., made it clear that the Compassionate Use Act does not apply to employment and that marijuana, even for medical use, remains illegal under federal law. Under California law, an employer may require pre-employment drug tests and take illegal drug use into consideration in making employment decisions, the court said.
Prop. 64 would codify RagingWire, said Gina Roccanova, an attorney with Meyers Nave in Oakland who represents public-sector employers.
The Supreme Court in Colorado which has legalized recreational and medical use of marijuana also upheld the right of employers to prohibit its use on and off the job. Brandon Coats, a quadriplegic who used marijuana to ease painful spasms, was fired from his job as a customer service rep with Dish Network after he failed a drug test. Coats argued that he used marijuana only at home, it did not affect his job performance and his drug use complied with state laws. Colorados high court upheld his termination because marijuana is still illegal under federal law.
In California, wrongful termination cases involving use of medical marijuana have become rare since the RagingWire decision. Employees still file cases claiming their employer didnt have the right to drug test them, or didnt tell them they were testing for, among other things, medical marijuana, Wulffson said.
Most of the marijuana-related cases Wulffson gets involve employees who get stoned on their lunch hour usually by ingesting marijuana-infused food or beverages then come back to work and cause an accident or sexually harass co-workers. The injured employee or alleged victim sues the employer, saying, you should have known he was under the influence, or you condoned the use of medical marijuana in the workplace and I got harassed (or hurt) because of it, Wulffson said.
Employers can protect themselves by saying, for purposes of drug testing, marijuana is an illegal drug, Wulffson said. They should also have someone on the human resources staff who is trained to spot drug intoxication and make sure all managers refer any sign of drug use to human resources.
Employees should read their drug and alcohol policies carefully and understand under what conditions they can be tested.
In California, employers can do pre-employment drug testing if they screen all applicants. Employees can only be tested if there is a reasonable suspicion they are under the influence, or after an accident, unless there is no way the employee could have caused it, or if it is required under federal law. Random testing is generally only allowed for safety-sensitive jobs. (San Francisco puts additional restrictions on drug testing.)
Today, drug testing policies are all over the lot, Roccanova said. Some employers in industries where employees operate heavy machinery do often test regularly and have zero tolerance policies.
Very few employers explicitly allow marijuana use at work, except for some in the medical marijuana industry. Every one of our employees has a doctors recommendation. Employees can medicate whenever they want, said David Hua, chief executive of Meadow Care, a 10-person San Francisco company that makes software for medical cannabis dispensaries.
Some employers take a dont ask, dont tell approach to medical marijuana, Roccanova said. As long as employees get their work done and dont appear high, what they do on their own time is their own business.
Paul Chinn/The Chronicle
Thats more or less the approach taken by Amoeba Music, which operates three record stores. Amoeba has gotten a permit to open a medical marijuana dispensary in its Berkeley store and rents space above its Haight Street store to medical marijuana doctors. But it does not allow employees to use drugs or alcohol on the job. We dont want people stoned or drunk or high at work, absolutely not, said co-founder Marc Weinstein. If someone is using it medically, we are not going to discipline them if it doesnt impact their work. Most medical cannabis has no psychoactive effect at all.
Amoeba has fired four or five employees for alcohol use, but never for drug use. And it does not do pre-employment drug testing. Why do you think I got a record store job in the first place? Weinstein said. I didnt have to cut my hair, I didnt have to get up early and I didnt have to get a drug test.
Thinx, which makes absorbent underwear for menstruating women, has emailed its anger that the folks who preside over advertising on BART have rejected ads for pussy-grabbing-proof underwear. A series of ads that say the underwear is glass-ceiling-proof will run at the Montgomery and 16th Street Mission stations.
According to the media agency Intersection, the copy violates BART rules about profanity. BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost told The Chronicles Michael Cabanatuan that the banned ad contains words recognized by the community as vulgar, indecent or profane for display in a public setting that includes minors. ... Crude descriptions of sexual anatomy, regardless of sex, are vulgar. This is not the kind of atmosphere we feel is appropriate to generate inside BART stations.
For a transit system to deny us usage of a term that has been recycled over & over again this election cycle, on the nightly news and in countless internet headlines, is a gender issue, says Thinx founder and CEO Miki Agrawal.
She claims the decision reflects gender bias. We are only seeking to reclaim a term spoken from a vile misogynist in an effort to give agency to women who have felt emotionally leveled during this particularly disturbing presidential election.
Neighborhood notes:
The Landlord of the Year award goes posthumously to an unnamed hero: Mark Hetts fell into conversation on the 24-Divisadero bus with an elderly woman who said shed lived in San Francisco for more than 40 years. Shed lived in a rent-controlled apartment for 28 years, she told him. Her landlord had died recently, but stipulated in his will and in contractual agreements with the property management company that none of his tenants should be subject to eviction. And rents were not to be raised by more than the legally allowed percentage for the next 10 years.
Hetts understood from her that she didnt think shed live beyond that 10 years. He and the woman shook hands when they both got off at UCSF.
A story in the Los Angeles Times about a fire in Oaklands Lake Merritt neighborhood was originally headlined, Massive fire guts housing development in Oaklands glitzy Lake Merritt. In subsequent versions, glitzy became growing (whats a growing neighborhood?), but the first sentence described the area as Oaklands pricey Lake Merritt district. C.J. Hirschfield of Childrens Fairyland in Oakland says that all who live and work there are grateful that no one was hurt in the fire, but predicted that folks at a planned neighborhood association meeting would no doubt have a good laugh. Were more gritty than glitzy at this point.
Cindy Watter says she was so captivated by the quote from Elle Fanning in a Tiffanys ad when you wear diamonds, there is a sense of responsibility because you kind of want to live up to their sparkle that it took her mind off the presidential election.
I felt the same way about the opening night film of the San Francisco Film Societys four day Doc Stories festival, the HBO-produced Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Directed by Fisher Stevens and Alexis Bloom, the film had nothing to do with politics, everything to do with human eccentricity, ego, humor and ambition (well, maybe it does have something to do with politics).
Stevens, Bloom and Todd Fisher, Carries little brother, took to the stage afterward for a Q&A moderated by the Film Societys Noah Cowan. The range of questions from the audience was wide, including a query from one person about Reynolds huge collection of Hollywood memorabilia and costumes, which she had always hoped would be shown in a museum (it never quite happened).
Were Carrie Fishers Star Wars costume and other memorabilia for that movie part of that collection, someone asked. There is no Star Wars memorabilia, said Fisher, although George Lucas promised to loan some if the museum ever opened. In fact, he said, about Lucas control of artifacts from his films, Carrie says every time she looks in the mirror, she owes Lucas a few bucks.
P.S.: Crosstown, the same night, Lucasfilm hosted a showing of Tiffany Shlains 20-minute movie, 50/50: Rethinking the Past, Present & Future of Women + Power, followed by a discussion of gender equality. The public is invited to see it at 50-50project.org.
Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, (415) 777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik
Public Eavesdropping
Youd know the type: yoga tights, trucker cap, full-on makeup, aviators, dripping with bling.
The opening of Werowocomoco, director Francis Ford Coppola's new Geyserville restaurant, has been a bit controversial.
The restaurant, which features Native American cuisine, has drawn criticism for cultural appropriation, but Coppola contends that his intentions are to pay homage to a culture he admires and became interested in as a child.
"I was filled with awe and respect for these people and fascinated with their story and wanted to learn what I could," he writes in a Chronicle opinion piece. "I also wanted the opportunity to taste and experience what Native American food is like today, and so over several years I traveled in search of it. I shared meals on Indian reservations in Arizona and New Mexico, in private homes and eateries for local people."
Coppola writes that after hearing about the fact-based legend of Virginia Dare and the Lost Colony in his youth, he became interested in Native American culture. As an adult, he worked to "resurrect" the Virginia Dare wine brand, one of the earliest American wineries, in Geyserville.
Eventually, his interests brought him to the idea of a Werowocomoco restaurant, attached to the winery. After the Pamunkey tribe in Virginia allowed him to use the name for the establishment, he moved forward with his plans, building a menu himself with wines from the revived Virginia Dare winery and culinary input from "a council of advisers consisting mainly of Native Americans of different tribes from around the country."
Coppola also writes that the restaurant, as well as the winery, will donate a percentage of pretax proceeds to Native American organizations, as well as offer preferential employment to Native Americans.
"Cultural misappropriation is not good, as it misuses culture without giving back, and is hurtful," he said. "Especially to peoples who need to benefit by it."
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You can read Coppola's editorial in full here at the San Francisco Chronicle.
Read Alyssa Pereira's latest stories, and follow her on Twitter at @alyspereira. Send her news tips at apereira@sfchronicle.com.
In the world of baking, panettone is the Mount Everest of endeavors.
Brazenly buttery, studded with dried fruit and blessed with an ethereal texture, the Italian Christmas bread has produced a precipice of untold awe, anxiety and failure in many a pastry chef attempting it.
Roy Shvartzapel of Oakland, though, has not only scaled that formidable challenge, but done so in rapid fashion.
A classically trained pastry chef who has worked at elBulli in Spain, Bouchon Bakery in Beverly Hills, and Pierre Herme in Paris, he started his Richmond baking company, Panettone From Roy, last December. Relying only on social media and industry word of mouth, he sold 500 of his commanding 8-inch tall, 2-pound panettones over 10 days on his website. For a lofty $50 each.
This December, he expects to sell 5,000.
His is not just a mission to create perfect panettone, but also to popularize it for every occasion without even having a brick-and-mortar outpost. Its an audacious notion, he admits, one that nobody else has dared to attempt.
The first time I tried one at Pierre Herme in 2005, it was transcendent, says Shvartzapel, 39, who remembers it being the most stressful product made by that legendary patisserie. I had never put a baked good in my mouth that I couldnt explain. Imagine the most delicious brioche you ever had, and then imagine that on steroids. It was rich yet light. How was that even possible?
Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle
I started thinking about how we dont eat pie just in November, he continues. So why cant panettone be a vessel for different flavors like pie and be sold 12 months a year?
To that end, he now sells it online year-round throughout the United States and Canada in nontraditional flavors such as pistachio-cherry and banana-orange-caramel. This Thanksgiving, he will bake versions like apple-cranberry and caramel-pecan, in a nod to classic apple and pecan pies. For Christmas, there will be traditional candied orange-raisin panettone, along with his best seller, chocolate, laden with dark Guittard.
Hes now expanding beyond his own website, too. This holiday season, the panettone also will be available in limited quantities through Williams-Sonoma online. Blue Bottle stores will soon sell it regularly, and its on the shelves at the Shed in Healdsburg. In October, Mozza2Go in Los Angeles, the takeout outpost owned by Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich and Nancy Silverton, started selling them. With takeout pizza the bulk of the business, Mozza2Go sells only a few other select items. Silverton, a former panettone-maker herself at her original La Brea Bakery, knew she wanted to carry Shvartzapels from the first taste.
I dont think I ever would have gotten the texture he got, Silverton says. His is the lightest, most flavorful and richest panettone Ive ever had.
This summer, San Franciscos Del Popolo became the only restaurant in the country offering it by the slice ($11) on its dessert menu. Del Popolo owner Jon Darsky became a fan after ordering two panettones last Christmas, only to mistakenly receive four of them. Shvartzapel, in a panic because supplies were so limited, ended up rendezvousing with Darsky on the freeway to retrieve the extra two. Theyve been fast friends ever since, bonding over their passion for naturally fermented doughs.
When Im at the counter making pizza, I just tell people You are stupid if you dont order this, says Darsky, who gets about a dozen orders a night for the thick slice that arrives on a plate with no added flourishes . Its exceptional and immaculate. When you taste it, it wows you.
Its the wild yeast that gives Shvartzapels panettone its deep flavor, height and five-week shelf life. The laborious 40-hour process starts with feeding the wild yeast with water and flour three times in half a day. After mixing the yeast with more flour, water, sugar, butter and egg yolk, the dough is proofed for 12 hours before going back into the mixer with more flour, water, sugar, salt, egg yolk and flavorings. After resting, it is divided into molds, then proofed again. Finally, the panettones are baked for an hour, then immediately suspended upside-down to cool overnight.
Shvartzapels obsession started at Pierre Herme, but it took on a life of its own when he showed up unannounced on the doorstep of Iginio Massari in Italy. Considered the master of panettone, Massari was the one who taught Herme. Shvartzapel knew no Italian. Massari knew no English. But Massari welcomed him. Shvartzapel spent weeks there, dutifully watching, taking notes and snapping photos, but never daring to help make one.
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When he returned to the United States to work at Cyrus in Healdsburg, Shvartzapel finally attempted his first panettone. Much to his astonishment, it turned out sublime.
Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle
He continued baking panettone for the holidays when he moved to Houston to open Common Bond, where customers would line up an hour before the bakery opened to get their hands on one.
That was when his wife and business partner, Tali Krakowsky, a global branding specialist and now a partner in San Franciscos Prophet, a branding consultancy, encouraged her husband to focus entirely on that singular treat, selling it in a virtual bakery rather than a brick-and-mortar one. They funded the business themselves, confident it would be sustainable.
The real test came in February, when Shvartzapel decided to sell a raspberry-pistachio-milk chocolate version. Panettone for Valentines Day? His chef friends thought he was nuts. He sold nearly 1,000.
If you told me all of this would happen, I would have thought, OK, maybe after a few years. But in our first year? No way, he says. Its been amazingly gratifying to devote so much time and effort to one singular craft and to one singular product.
For more information: www.thisisfromroy.com .
Bay Area freelance writer Carolyn Jung blogs at FoodGal.com and is the author of the San Francisco Chefs Table. Email: food@sfchronicle.com
The Gipper won one in a rout.
The Chronicles front page from Nov. 7, 1984, covers President Ronald Reagans second presidential race victory.
Reagan won re-election yesterday with a landslide of breathtaking proportions, the story read. With more than 95 percent of the vote counted, Reagan was trouncing Walter Mondale 59 percent to 41 percent. Even more important, Reagan captured 49 states in virtual electoral shutout.
Reagan was the projected winner of 525 electoral votes, almost two times the 270 needed to win.
Given those numbers, landslide may have been an understatement.
The only showing worse than Mondales was Alf Langdons eight electoral votes against Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936, the story read.
Reagan rode an economy that had rebounded from the 1970s oil crisis and the early 1980s recession, and he personified a new strength and confidence felt across the country.
Americas best days lie ahead, he told an ebullient crowd in Beverly Hills after his re-election was secured.
Bet on it: California voters gave their blessing yesterday to creation of a state lottery, a story near the bottom of the page read, unswayed by warnings that it would lead to more crime and moral decay. Thirty-two years later you could argue the city oozes with moral decay, but it probably doesnt have a thing to do with the lottery.
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
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A 20-year-old UC Santa Cruz student who was critically injured after being struck by a hit-and-run driver over Halloween weekend died Saturday with her family by her side, officials said Sunday.
Police, meanwhile, continue to hunt for the driver of a silver Honda CRV who slammed into Alexandria Arceneaux just before 2 a.m. along Highway 1 on Oct. 30.
San Franciscos Housing Authority has completed the transfer of the last of the citys public housing to private developers. Its a huge shift for the troubled agency, which, thanks to bad management as well as serious federal disinvestment, has struggled for decades to keep the housing units in habitable condition.
Its also a huge shift for some of San Franciscos poorest residents during an unprecedented housing crisis. The Housing Authority has relinquished control of nearly 3,500 units to private management since 2014.
San Francisco took advantage of a new program from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, teaming up with affordable housing developers and banks to upgrade the citys badly deteriorating public housing stock.
The program came about because there is an estimated $26 billion worth of deferred maintenance on public housing nationwide and due to the constraints of the program, no way for cities to tap into other sources of funding. Cities were being forced to tear down their public housing as it became inhabitable.
Congress was not funding public housing, said Lydia Ely, senior project manager for the mayors office of housing and community development. We had to leverage outside funding we used subsidies coming in from HUD to get mortgages on these properties that allowed us to pay for $700 million worth of repairs. We couldnt entertain losing these units.
San Franciscos financial transaction, which included billions of dollars in financing from six different banks, was a highly complex one. But it will result in the rehabilitation of all the units, now close to completion, and Mayor Ed Lees office insists that the residents will have 99 years of guaranteed subsidized housing. The new owners are bringing supportive services like exercise classes and case management to the units, too.
The residents early reviews have been positive, and the previous state of San Franciscos public housing was absolutely shameful. Most of the new owners are nonprofit developers of affordable housing who already have strong track records for working in San Francisco, and Ely says the for-profit developers had to partner with community developers to be part of the deal.
These are not carpetbaggers coming to our community to take advantage of these opportunities, Ely said.
Will it work? In the short term, the results are already proving better than the status quo. In the long term, the programs success will depend on how much oversight HUD, the Housing Authority and City Hall choose to exercise over the bank loan terms and the developers management. Considering the size and complexity of this transfer not to mention the vulnerabilities of the residents none of the original housing institutions can afford to be disengaged.
With Hillary Clinton far ahead in the polls, the presidential campaign barely skimmed California. So thousands of Californians too jittery to hand-wring at home while the action was elsewhere have road-tripped to swing states like Nevada, Colorado and even as far away as Ohio and North Carolina to canvass door-to-door for their candidate.
For Democrats, their weeks of grassroots efforts may pay off for Clinton in Nevada, which pollsters recently recast as a state where Donald Trump has a slight edge. But according to the Nevada secretary of state, Democrats cast 72,000 more early votes than Republicans in voter-rich Clark County (home to Las Vegas) or nearly 14 percent more than GOP voters. Republicans had hoped to keep the margin in the Democrat-heavy county to about half that to improve their shot at winning the key battleground state.
While making this sort of a difference in the presidential race is the primary goal for traveling Californians, many have experienced other benefits that have less to do with Tuesdays result. Once outside Californias blue bubble, many had political interactions unlike the kind they might have experienced back home. In a small way, some hope their encounters with the rest of America will enable the nation to start healing the deep partisan wounds incurred during one of the most vicious presidential campaigns in history.
Knocking on a strangers door in Reno or Youngstown, Ohio, or Pueblo, Colo., opened the eyes of many Californians to struggles they didnt know much about and to people they knew only by stereotype.
A few weeks ago, Jenny Berg was knocking on doors on behalf of Clintons campaign in Reno when a man answered the door. He was wearing camouflage pants with a knife hanging out of the pocket.
My first instinct was, Im getting out of here, said Berg, who lives in Oakland. She was born and raised in San Francisco and said she never saw a Republican until she attended law school in Washington, D.C. I thought right away that he was a Trump supporter.
He wasnt.
And he was totally nice, Berg said. She talked up Clintons attributes, and the man kindly responded that, as Berg recalled, I think someone in the house will be voting for her.
Last weekend, Berg was a poll monitor an observer who takes note of any irregularities that could affect the vote total in Sparks, Nev. While she was there, a voter came into the early voting site with a slate card listing the preferred candidates of the National Rifle Association.
Berg knows that happens all the time, but seeing that made it more realistic to me, Berg said. I dont know anyone who belongs to the NRA.
For the past three months, about 500 Bay Area residents a weekend have been road-tripping to canvass in Nevada for Clinton, organizers say. Trumps California campaign says it has been sending about 100 Californians each to Reno and Las Vegas every weekend. Many others travel on their own and connect with in-state organizers once they land.
These most devout supporters are doing the get-out-the-vote (commonly known as GOTV) grunt work that is the lifeblood of any campaign. A good GOTV operation can increase vote tallies by a percentage point or two, experts say. And while calling or texting swing state voters from phone banks close to home is helpful and necessary to remind voters to do their civic duty, experts say nothing beats face-to-face contact.
Personal appeals that are unscripted genuine conversations, any kind of authentic connection about the importance of voting are key, said Donald Green, a Columbia University professor, author of Get Out the Vote: How to Increase Voter Turnout, and one of the nations leading experts on grassroots organizing.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Trumps campaign has dispatched its California volunteers to help with its simple plan in Nevada.
You have to win Washoe County (home to Reno) by a big enough margin to withstand losing Clark County (home to Democrat-heavy Las Vegas), said Tim Clark, Trumps California campaign director.
The Trump campaign calls its California ambassadors a Strike Team. Volunteer Patti Siegmann, who served 30 years in the Marines, as did her husband, Duane, said she was very confident in our mission and our message, when they knocked on doors in suburban Las Vegas recently. Like many volunteers, they relished the opportunity to do more than just fret about the elections outcome in a state the candidates were ignoring.
We were very upbeat. We met a lot of people who were upbeat, Siegmann said. It was very exciting for us. I wish we could go again.
Still, she said her heart was hurting for the people she met who had had lost their jobs and want to get their jobs back.
What I found out was that a lot of people are so disgusted with the way things are now. They want a complete movement. They want a complete change, Siegmann said. And they cant trust the media to tell them the truth.
Debra Walker, a San Francisco artist, has frequently had moving conversations during the several times shes traveled to Nevada for Clinton. She has spoken to veterans who say theyve given up any hope that anybody cared about them. She has met people who dont believe in the system anymore. Its understandable when you hear their stories. They want a government that provides solutions instead of obstructionism.
Last week, Kim Davis of Mendocino County traveled to Reno because she wanted to be in a battleground state. She has met Trump several times including at the California Republican Party convention in Burlingame earlier this year.
I shook his hand. Im so impressed. Hes so genuine. He cares for America, Davis said.
And she found that even the Clinton supporters she met were very kind. Very open. One lady her whole yard was filled with signs for Clinton. But she saw us and said, Thanks for what youre doing.
On Friday, Cassia van der Hoof Holstein and her husband packed up their two young children to drive to Reno for a weekend of work for Clinton. The San Francisco resident decided to go because the fact that the other party has chosen a scary, dangerous demagogue (for its nominee) says a lot about what people are going through. A lot of people feel ignored, excluded, let down failed in some fundamental way.
After Berg returned home from a Nevada trip earlier this fall with her 16-year-old daughter, they watched the second presidential debate together. It resonated more deeply now that they had been out in the field, talking with voters including some who didnt agree with them. She said she starts to tear up when she thinks about all the nasty things Trump has said during the campaign. But now she feels that she did something to try to elect Clinton, whom she thinks so highly of.
After being there, I felt like I was more a part of the campaign. I dont know if I felt like I made that much of a difference before, Berg said. I wish I didnt have to work or else I would have gone to another state.
Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
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The morning that Dr. James Hutchinson opened his family practice in San Mateo in a large house on a corner of a tree-lined street nicknamed Doctors Row, he received what he refers to with a chuckle as free advertisement.
Negro MD Gets Permit in Mateo read the front-page headline of the Advance-Star newspaper on March 3, 1953.
I was the first African-American doctor in the county, he says. I think from San Francisco to Bakersfield.
Today, at 93, Dr. Hutchinson is still practicing and caring for three generations of patients in the same practice he opened 63 years ago.
I have patients of all races, all colors, all creeds. Ive enjoyed practicing in San Mateo, he says.
His office walls are covered with photographs of his family, a drawing of Martin Luther King Jr. and awards from his decades of practice.
Hutchinson came to California in 1946 to visit an aunt who encouraged him to apply for a job at the Sacramento County Hospital after medical school in Nashville.
When asked about the challenges he faced being an African-American male in medical school in the 1940s, Hutchinson answers: The curriculum. That was a challenge.
This seems to be the way Hutchinsons responds to many questions about race, by gently and elegantly moving past the subject.
Erin Brethauer/The Chronicle
He was raised in Louisiana. My childhood was lovely. I had doting aunts and uncles who shielded my sister and I from a lot of the southern truths that occupy those areas. So I never felt different.
I always tell my patients, Gods gonna make me old and ugly enough, I cant let people do it.
On a recent Tuesday morning, Dorothy Mays sat on his examining table while Dr. Hutchinson took her blood pressure.
I met this young lady the day I came to San Mateo. She was pregnant at that time with the oldest son. And how old is your oldest child now? he asks Mays.
Hes 63, she says.
They both start to laugh.
Thats right. That was, lets see, June of 1953? asks Dr. Hutchinson.
August, says Mays. I was supposed to deliver in June. He came in August.
Theres a familiarity between them. One that comes with growing through a lifetime together in a small town.
Your blood pressures good, he says.
Thank God, she smiles.
You can see so many of them have done very well, he says of his patients. Im proud of them.
Despite that, he still sees a lot of silent little tragedies here. Poor health, the weariness of old age, financial struggles. The highs and lows come through his front door.
Sometimes I say but for the grace of God goes I, he says. Thats how you have to look at it and to try and help them all you can.
Erin Brethauer/The Chronicle
You really have to give to have a good experience. You have to not be judgmental. Accept them. Theyre all Gods children. I think thats what Ive practiced.
When asked if he ever imagined he would be practicing this long, he says: I sort of thought I would.
But some of the fabric of his life has changed recently for the doctor. His beloved wife, Evelyn, died last year.
Without her, I would have been an old, bitter bird. My wife really helped me a lot and inspired me a lot. Its just sad thats shes not here now to see me.
One of his sons, who worked in the office, also died in February of this year.
Im still soldiering on but I miss them, he says, adding, I have my practice and thats soothing to whatever feelings I have when I think of them. Thats what they would want me to do anyway.
And with that, he calls in another patient.
See a short film with the Dr. James Hutchinson at www.sfchronicle.com/theregulars. The Regulars is a weekly photo and video column by Erin Brethauer that offers a glimpse into the lives of ordinary Bay Area people caught in the activities of urban life. If you know a regular, email regulars@sfchronicle.com.
A Samsung phone user in France says her Galaxy J5 smartphone caught fire and exploded on Sunday. The model is different from the Galaxy Note7 that has been recalled worldwide.
Lamya Bouyirdane told the Associated Press on Monday that she noticed the phone was very hot after she asked her 4-year-old son to pass it over during a family gathering at her home. She said she threw the phone away when she realized it had swollen up and smoke was coming out.
I panicked when I saw the smoke and I had the reflex to throw it away, said Bouyirdane, a mother of three in the southwestern French city of Pau.
The phone then caught fire and the back blew off. Her partner quickly extinguished it.
The South Korean company recently recalled millions of its Galaxy Note7 smartphones globally because of a problem that caused the batteries to overheat and catch fire.
William Stofega, a mobile analyst for IDC, said the incident in France was most likely an isolated one, noting that the phone has been on the market for several months now and this is the first report of a battery fire that hes aware of.
Samsung did not immediately respond to an email from the AP seeking comments following the latest incident.
Consumer debt
More in U.S. borrowing
American consumers boosted their borrowing in September, a potential sign that recent job growth and wage gains have left them slightly more comfortable with holding debt.
The Federal Reserve said Monday that total consumer borrowing rose $19.3 billion in September to $3.7 trillion outstanding. Consumer debt has climbed at an annual pace of 6.3 percent, slightly below the growth rates seen in 2014 and 2015.
Revolving credit, which covers credit cards, posted an annual gain of 5.2 percent to $978.8 billion. The non-revolving category, which includes auto and student loans and makes up the bulk of consumer debt, has risen 6.7 percent over the past year to $2.7 trillion.
Roughly 70 percent of U.S. economic activity comes from consumers, so the increase in borrowing suggests that spending will keep aiding growth.
The economy expanded at an annual pace of 2.9 percent during the third quarter, its healthiest growth rate in two years. The troubled export sector recovered and companies started to restock their shelves in anticipation of greater consumer demand.
Much of the optimism has come from consistently solid hiring.
Employers added 161,000 jobs in October, a steady pace that contributed to average hourly earnings accelerating 2.8 percent in the past year. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.9 percent.
Earnings
OpenTable loss for Priceline
Priceline Group Inc. wrote down the value of its OpenTable restaurant-booking service by $941 million, almost a third of the $2.6 billion the online travel giant paid in cash to acquire it in 2014.
The writedown cut deep into third-quarter net income, which fell 57 percent to $506 million from a year earlier. Excluding the charge and some other items, Priceline reported profit of $31.18 a share on Monday. That topped the average analyst estimate of $29.86.
The move is a stumble for Priceline, which has used acquisitions to become the worlds largest online travel company by market value. OpenTable was Pricelines largest acquisition and let it push beyond a traditional focus on flight, hotel and car rental booking. Interim Chief Executive Officer Jeffery Boyd, who was chairman of the board at the time of the acquisition, said Priceline realized it needed to re-align its expectations for how fast OpenTable could grow.
Boyd declined to say how much Priceline had been investing in the unit or how specifically the forecast for revenue growth was changing. Priceline doesnt break out OpenTables financial results.
Beyond the charge, Pricelines results paint a positive picture of how the summer travel season went, with the number of rooms booked through its websites growing and concern over the impact of terrorist attacks on European tourism largely evaporating.
Gross travel bookings, the total amount of money spent by customers on Pricelines websites, increased 25 percent to $18.5 billion.
Priceline forecast fourth-quarter earnings, excluding some items, of $12.20 to $12.80 a share, slightly below the average analyst estimate compiled by Bloomberg of $12.93.
Chronicle News Services
A suspected serial killer who allegedly kept a woman chained inside a metal storage shed for two months may have written several chilling Amazon product reviews, according to Greenville (S.C.) Online.
An Amazon user named "me" whose wish list was linked to "Todd Kohlhepp" reviewed knives, gun accessories, targets, tactical gear, padlocks and other gear from 2014 to 2016.
Police say 45-year-old Todd Kohlhepp, who had a small real estate business, is suspected in as many as seven deaths. He was arrested and charged with kidnapping Thursday after investigators found 30-year-old Anderson resident Kala Brown "chained up like a dog" inside a metal storage container on his rural property. She had been there for weeks after being lured to Kohlhepp's home for a house-cleaning job.
A search of the property turned up the remains of Brown's boyfriend, Charlie Carver, in a shallow grave. Authorities said he had been shot multiple times.
The Amazon reviewer "me" wrote on Sept. 13, 2014: "haven't (sic) stabbed anyone yet ... yet ... but I am keeping the dream alive and when I do, it will be with a quality tool like this ..."
A review of a shovel with a folding handle included this recommendation: "keep in car for when you have to hide the bodies and you left the full size shovel at home ... does not come with a midget, which would have been nice."
In a positive review about a padlock, "me" posted, "solid locks ... have 5 on a shipping container ... won't stop them ... but sure will slow them down til they are too old to care (sic)."
Another padlock review, posted on Jan. 14, 2015, said, "now my locks have locks... place is hotel california now..."
The last line of The Eagles 1977 hit, "Hotel California," says, "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.'"
Authorities say Kohlhepp, a register sex offender, confessed late last week to killing four people in the previously unsolved 2003 "Superbike murders" case in Spartanburg County.
On Saturday, Kohlhepp led investigators to where he says two other bodies are buried on his property. One was subsequently found.
Kohlhepp served 14 years for kidnapping and raping a 14-year-old girl when he was 15.
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MIAMI - Five undocumented domestic workers, all named Maria, fanned out across Little Havana delivering a desperate, last-minute plea to Hispanic voters: We can't vote, but you can. Vote early to ensure a President Donald Trump does not deport us.
In Hialeah, a traditional stronghold for Cuban-American Republicans, backers of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton drove a colorful, Colombian-style chiva party bus with bongo drums and rumba dancers handing out Cuban pastries and "Hispanics for Hillary" signs.
And in ritzy Coral Gables, Maria Ballaster, a 60-year-old Cuban-American who has always voted Republican, reflected on why she had just split her ballot - sticking with her party's nominee for the U.S. Senate, Marco Rubio, while casting a vote for Clinton.
"I trust Rubio, but I don't trust Mr. Crazy," Ballaster said.
Here in Florida and across the country, there are early indications that Hispanics have mobilized for this election like no other in U.S. history. Activist groups and Clinton allies, motivated largely by a deepening fear of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, are deploying new voter outreach strategies and hoping to take advantage of growth in the Latino electorate.
In Nevada, thousands of voters lined up outside an early-voting site at a Latino market Friday night, prompting voting hours to be extended at the end of what has been a record-breaking early-voting surge in the state. Turnout was so high in Clark County, home to Las Vegas, that Democrats enter Tuesday with an advantage similar to the one they held there four years ago when President Barack Obama won Nevada by 7 points.
Similarly heavy early-voting turnout among Hispanics in Colorado and Arizona has given Democrats hope in those battleground states, too.
Early voting is not necessarily an indication of final results, given that those who have turned out so far are highly motivated and that the election will be decided by the millions more who cast ballots Tuesday. Some analysts say it is possible that Latino early voting will draw from Election Day turnout rates.
Nonetheless, the increase has taken place even in states such as Texas, where Democrats have not focused on galvanizing voters. The spike appears to be the result of the rising number of Hispanic voters and the increasingly aggressive efforts to organize what has long been considered a potent voting bloc whose numbers have never lived up to their potential. Adding to the fervor is widespread anger at Trump's incendiary rhetoric about Hispanics and Mexico, suggesting that Clinton could outperform Obama's 71 percent share of the Hispanic vote from 2012.
"Trump has built a wall, indeed," said Fernand Amandi, a Democratic pollster who specializes in Latino voters. "And it is a new firewall for Democrats."
Experts who closely track Hispanic voters caution that the turnout numbers so far seem to reflect anticipated growth rates expected to continue into the 2030s. "This year's historic turnout in some respects is not unusual," said Mark Lopez, Pew Research Center's director of Hispanic research.
About 11.2 million Hispanics voted in 2012, representing just less than 50 percent of all eligible Latino voters. Since then, the number of eligible Hispanics has jumped by about 4 million voters, which is on par with the overall growth rates of the Hispanic population, according to Pew.
In Colorado, the steady growth of the Latino vote has fueled a narrow edge for Democrats. Obama's campaign registered thousands of Hispanics there in 2008 and 2012, and many more have been registered by Clinton's campaign and that of her Democratic primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and groups such as the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition.
In every part of the state, Democrats have found Latino voters who have not been active in recent elections or had voted for more moderate Republicans. Damian Alcazar, 46, was registered with the Republican Party and had backed the 2008 presidential bid of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. But by Friday night, when he stopped by a GOP get-out-the-vote rally in Aurora, he had already cast a ballot for Clinton.
"Trump's way too risky," he said.
In Colorado Springs, the center of the state's largest Republican stronghold, Democrats were targeting and turning out Latinos. Over lunch at El Ranchito 2, a supermarket and restaurant, an entirely Latino clientele was divided between those who could not vote and those who had already voted for Clinton.
"The Democrats sent me mail, but I didn't really need it," said Jaime Valdez, 70. "I was going to vote for Hillary."
In Florida, early-voting data suggests that Hispanics are emerging as a larger force in the state's electorate - and that many Latinos are participating for the first time.
The Hispanic share of overall early voters is sharply higher this year, up about 15 percent from about 10 percent at this stage four years ago, according to an analysis by University of Florida political scientist Daniel A. Smith. Another examination of the numbers, by Democratic strategist Steve Schale, found that more than half of the Hispanics who have voted so far have either never voted before or voted only once previously.
The diversity of the state's Hispanic electorate has long presented a challenge for campaigns in both parties. Cuban-Americans, particularly in Miami, have been Republican stalwarts, though younger generations have been trending toward the Democrats. People with roots in Central America and Mexico have favored the Democrats historically. In the past, Republicans have made some inroads with the hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans who have settled largely around Orlando and have been a swing bloc.
Overall, the polls in Florida are tight. The Trump campaign and its allies have been working to mobilize voters in the state's more rural and conservative areas. Trump and his backers have also predicted that many Hispanics will turn out for him Tuesday.
"I don't believe the polls," said Nelson Diaz, the Miami-Dade County GOP chairman. " There's been an incredible intensity for Trump and long lines in our Hispanic Republican precincts. There's a big misunderstanding of what's happening. There's a silent majority and first-time voters that the polls aren't capturing and I think he's going to end up doing well here."
On Saturday, the Democrats' efforts to court Cuban-Americans was on display in Hialeah, the heart of the exile community. In addition to the chiva bus, Clinton allies parked a van blasting hip-hop and reggaeton music. They also handed out guava pastries from a tent. Waiting for them were a group of Trump supporters who started yelling, "Lock her up!"
The Democrats started shouting back, comparing the GOP presidential nominee to the reviled Cuban dictator: "Castro, no! Trump tampoco!" They also chanted another Spanish phrase that suggested Trump and Castro were funded by the Russians.
Across Miami-Dade County, Hispanics seemed to be heavily favoring Clinton.
Marilyn Ralat-Albernas considered the stakes in the election so high for her Hispanic community that she took a month off work to volunteer for Clinton.
Ralat-Albernas, a 62-year-old registered nurse of Puerto Rican descent, said she has spent days knocking on doors, canvassing neighborhoods, attesting to the benefits of the Affordable Care Act and proclaiming the threat posed by Trump to millions of undocumented immigrants.
"When he insulted Mexicans, he was insulting all of us," said Ralat-Albernas, referring to Trump's description of Mexican immigrants as rapists. "He doesn't understand our culture. We need to come together and show him that our community is powerful."
In Florida, a network of immigrant rights organizations, unions and leftist nonprofits aligned to bring out the vote for more than a year, according to Maria Rodriguez, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition.
In the past year, they knocked on 1 million doors of low- and mid-propensity voters throughout the state, nearly 60 percent of whom were Latino. In the trendy Miami Modern District, they handed out cups of Cuban coffee near a mural depicting Trump as a flying pig, to attract young Latinos to vote; they invested in ads on salsa radio stations on Pandora that encouraged listeners to vote early. They scoured areas with large Central American populations to interact with Honduran and Nicaraguan voters who are not typically targeted.
The community seemed ready to engage, according to Monica Russo, executive vice president of the local Service Employees International Union. Those voters who answered the doors were already concerned with raising the federal minimum wage and immigration reform. By the time Trump captured the Republican Party's nomination, Russo said these voters were already inspired to make a difference.
"Folks don't seem afraid," Russo said. "They seemed determined."
Lorella Praeli, the Clinton campaign's director of Hispanic outreach, said the campaign sought to recruit ambassadors inside communities - the owner of the local bodega or Spanish grocery and the matriarchs and abuelas who might have an affinity for electing the first female president.
"We look forward to welcoming some of the most influential Latinas in the country as we build our path to la victoria para Hillary," read one advertisement. "Latinos will shape the future of our pais."
When Praeli produced the ad, she said some asked why they would publish something in the informal Spanglish.
"This is a part of our culture," Praeli said. "It shows that we understand how families speak with one another."
One of the most persuasive strategies for Clinton allies has been to send undocumented workers to knock on the doors of potential Hispanic voters to explain the stakes of the election.
On Friday, Maria Bilbao and her son, Tomas Kennedy, jumped into their old Mercedes with broken air conditioning to explain what a Trump presidency might mean for their family. She was one of the five undocumented Marias canvassing around Little Havana.
"To be honest, I'm not voting," said one woman, Maria Figueroa, 56, upon opening her door to see Bilbao and Kennedy. "They are both liars."
Kennedy explained that he agreed the candidates were not the best, but one candidate was better than the other.
"This is my mother, and she is undocumented," Kennedy told her. Their family moved from Argentina in 2001, when its economy was collapsing. They were told the wait list to move legally lasted 17 years. Kennedy received a reprieve through the Obama administration's decision to shield from deportation many people who came to the country as young children. His mother is still at risk.
"If Trump is elected, we don't know what he will do," Kennedy continued. "He's going to pull our family apart."
"He is crazy," Bilbao added, circling one finger around her ear.
Figueroa finally agreed she would vote. She wrote down the address for her polling place.
"It's true," Figueroa said, "he cannot be a president."
As the sun beat down that afternoon, the Marias stood on the side walk and traded stories of their interactions with voters.
"I told her I cannot vote, but this country needs you to vote," Maria Lima said, recalling another woman she persuaded. "Our dreams of better life rest on you."
She lifted her sunglasses to wipe the moisture from her face. It was a mixture of sweat and tears.
---
David Weigel in Colorado and Ed O'Keefe in Washington contributed to this report.
Robert Samuels is a national political reporter who focuses on the intersection of politics, policy and people. He previously covered social issues in the District of Columbia.
"Vertigo" turns 50 this year but has hardly aged at all. Besides making what is generally acknowledged to be one of the 10 best movies ever, Alfred Hitchcock also captured San Francisco circa 1958. Some of the locations no longer exist, or are under new ownership, or are barely recognizable. Others resemble actual sites but were re-created down to the last detail in Hollywood.
Here's a guide to what's real, what's illusion and what's still standing. It's an updated version of a guide I did in 1996, when "Vertigo" was restored to its original splendor.
California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park (entrance at 34th Avenue and Clement Street): Kim Novak as Madeleine - a wealthy San Francisco socialite with an identity crisis - visits the art museum where a portrait of her great-grandmother, Carlotta Valdes, hangs in Gallery 6 alongside medieval tapestries and 17th century French and Italian paintings. In honor of the screening Thursday (see box), the gallery has been put back together pretty much the way it was when Madeleine visited. There will even be a copy of the fake portrait to stare at. Several sculptures are also back in the galleries Madeleine walks through to her destination.
Mission Dolores at 16th and Dolores Streets: Madeleine walks through the chapel of the mission into the cemetery to stare at Carlotta's grave. The mission - founded in 1776 and the oldest continuously occupied building in San Francisco - is still there, though the tombstone is gone. It remained in the cemetery for several years after the filming and was a highlight of the Gray Line tour. But with tourists passing by real tombstones to get to Carlotta's, the bishop decided it had to go.
The Brocklebank, 1000 Mason St.: To this day, people refer to this elegant L-shaped apartment building with its sweeping courtyard as the place where Novak lived in "Vertigo." When an attractive blonde in a fur coat gets into a limo in front of the building, it's easy to imagine that Novak still lives there.
900 block of Lombard Street: Jimmy Stewart plays Scottie, a detective who, while trying to help Madeleine at the urging of her husband, falls in love with her. Scottie's duplex is still there, although the door is no longer painted red. There's no point in disturbing the current residents by trying to peer in - the interiors were all shot in Hollywood.
Podesta Baldocchi:The well-known floral shop where Madeleine stops to buy a small nosegay of forget-me-nots has moved twice since it was filmed at its 224 Grant Ave. location. Now it is strictly phone and e-mail orders. The shop West Coast Leather, occupying the space at 508 Grant Ave., is going out of business. Peek in and you'll see parquet floors nothing like the tile floors (acquired from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition) that made Hitchcock choose the Podesta Baldocchi in the first place. The Italian marble artwork also is long gone.
Ernie's Restaurant: The fancy eatery that Madeleine sweeps through closed in 1995, a victim of changing tastes. At Ernie's closing party, owner Victor Gotti recalled that Hitchcock gave him a speaking part in the movie. Gotti was supposed to greet Scottie when he came in with Madeleine. But when the two walked in, Gotti said, "Good evening, Mr. Stewart" instead. Actually, the movie wasn't filmed at Ernie's. Hitchcock reproduced the restaurant's exterior and upstairs room, borrowing its dishes, paintings and antiques.
Fort Point (under the southern approach to the Golden Gate Bridge, reached from the Presidio) The Presidio is no longer a military base, but Fort Point, where Scottie rescues Madeleine from a suicide attempt, still stands. So does the Palace of Fine Arts (Marina Boulevard and Lyon Street), where Scottie strolls with Judy, a down-on-her-luck shopgirl who is a dead ringer for Madeleine and also is played by Kim Novak.
McKittrick Hotel: The hotel that Madeleine checks into never existed; that scene was filmed in the historic 20-room Portman Mansion at 1007 Gough St. Built in 1890, it was torn down in 1959. Today, an apartment building occupies the site.
Empire Hotel: The hotel at 940 Sutter St. where Judy resides is still there, though it is now called the Hotel York. The green neon sign outside her window is gone.
Ransohoffs: Scottie takes Judy shopping at this upscale women's specialty shop, which closed in 1976. Escada, a fancy Italian designer, took over the space at 259 Post St. for years. The shop space is empty now, the windows papered with "For Lease" signs. The exterior of Ransohoffs appears in the film, but the sales floor was re-created in the studio. Hitchcock requested Ransohoffs' distinctive red and gold boxes, which are shown strewn all over Judy's room at the Empire.
Mission San Juan Bautista, 91 miles south of San Francisco, off Highway 101. The last dizzying scene of "Vertigo" is set at the mission, which is open to the public. But don't go there expecting to climb to the bell tower. It was built in the studio and optically superimposed on the actual mission. The church didn't have a bell tower when Hitchcock filmed there. He had seen an old photo of the building with a tower and thought it looked better than way.
Vertigo: 8 p.m. Thursday. Part of Cinema Supper Club: From the Golden Gate to the Silver Screen, a series of films shot in or around San Francisco. Florence Gould Theater at the Legion of Honor, Lincoln Park at 34th Avenue and Clement Street. Events include 6:45 p.m. book signing by the authors of "Footsteps in the Fog: Alfred Hitchcock's San Francisco" and a related exhibition (open until 9 p.m.). Tickets are $20 ($10 for museum members). Dinner is optional. Dinner reservations are recommended (first seating at 6 p.m.) and must be made separately by calling (415) 750-7633. For tickets, go to www.legionofhonor. org or www.museumtix.comor call (866) 912-6326.
To see where "Vertigo" and other movies filmed in San Francisco were shot, go to sfgate. com.
CHESNEE, S.C. For 13 years, the relatives came together periodically to grieve one of South Carolinas grisliest mass shootings and compare leads with stumped investigators.
On Sunday, they gathered again on the anniversary of the crime this time in a Spartanburg courtroom after an unexpected break led to the man who, authorities say, confessed to the quadruple slayings.
The victims relatives sat a few feet away from Todd Kohlhepp as he was denied bond on the murder charges. It was their first chance to face the man accused of killing their loved ones.
After the hearing, Magistrate Judge Jimmy Henson thanked the families for their civility and composure. I know theres a lot of hurt ... beyond what a lot of people understand, he said.
Authorities have charged Kohlhepp, 45, with four counts of murder in the 2003 deaths at the Superbike Motorsports motorcycle shop in Chesnee.
Kohlhepps alleged role in those killings was uncovered, authorities said, after a woman was found last week chained in a locked metal container on Kohlhepps property in rural Woodruff.
The murder charges against Kohlhepp represent welcome progress for investigators and families haunted by the slayings at the motorcycle shop. The killings shocked the state and left the victims parents and spouses reeling with each new rumor about a possible motive.
A Spartanburg County Sheriffs investigative report from Saturday says Kohlhepp confessed to investigators that he shot and killed the motorcycle shop owner, Scott Ponder, 30, service manager Brian Lucas, 29, mechanic Chris Sherbert, 26, and bookkeeper Beverly Guy, 52.
Now, investigators fear theyll make more disturbing discoveries as they unwind a hidden crime spree that unfolded over more than a decade.
Kohlhepp is also charged with the womans kidnapping, and prosecutors say more charges are expected. Authorities say Kohlhepp is a suspect in at least three other deaths.
Authorities were searching again Sunday on the suspects 95-acre Woodruff property. Wright says Kohlhepp has shown investigators where he says he buried two other victims there.
Those are in addition to the body found Friday at the site. Authorities identified that victim as 32-year-old Charles Carver, the boyfriend of the woman found Thursday. Carver died of multiple gunshot wounds after he and the woman went missing at the end of August.
In Spartanburg, Kohlhepp appeared in an orange jumpsuit for the brief bond hearing and declined to make a statement. He didnt have an attorney.
Kohlhepp was released from prison in Arizona in 2001. As a teenager, he was convicted of raping a 14-year-old neighbor at gunpoint and threatening to kill her siblings if she called police.
Connor Radnovich/The Chronicle
LAS VEGAS Legalized pot. Tighter gun laws. Increased minimum wage. Even an initiative to limit initiatives. Across America, millions of voters will be asked to decide the fate of more than 150 ballot measures that seek to reshape local law. California alone accounts for almost 10 percent of the approximately 160 ballot measures spread over 35 states.
Here are a few to keep an eye on:
LOS ANGELES The message on the steel roll-up gate of Mihai Nicodims gallery could not have been clearer: With obscene language, the spray-painted words condemned what they labeled white art.
It was not the first time Nicodim had been targeted by activists in Boyle Heights, a neighborhood long seen as the heart of Los Angeless Mexican American community. Just days before, two cars pulled in front of his gallery during an opening and the passengers, their faces covered in bandannas, hurled potatoes, hitting one woman in the leg. At the opening of another gallery, protesters threw beer bottles through the windows.
This fall, activists placed mock eviction notices in front of galleries. Marching down the street, they shouted fuera! out! and carried signs declaring Keep Beverly Hills Out of Boyle Heights.
The protests come at a time when the city has gained a reputation as a contemporary art capital that some critics say eclipses New York. Over the past decade, the Los Angeles art scene has grown tremendously, with the opening of the popular Broad museum, large flagship spaces created by local galleries, and outposts set up by a string of prominent New York and European dealers, including Hauser Wirth & Schimmels 100,000-square-foot complex, all of which have helped transform downtown.
Few neighborhoods have seen the change as much as Boyle Heights, just east of downtown, where at least a dozen galleries, both local and from out of town, have opened in the past three years.
But the backlash from activists in the neighborhood has reached a new intensity in the past month. Now the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the vandalism as a hate crime and is promising more patrols in the area.
Urban areas across the country, including Oakland, Washington, D.C., and New York have also battled antigentrification movements, but typically the ire has been directed at developers and city hall. In Boyle Heights, the anger is focused almost entirely on the art galleries, which they portray as outsiders that are simply harbingers of real estate speculators looking to make money off the lower-income neighborhood.
Nicodim opened his gallery two years ago, after operating a smaller space in Chinatown. An immigrant from Romania, he has lived in Boyle Heights for more than a decade. For a year, he said, he ran the gallery with no problem. Now, he said, It has escalated to the point where it feels dangerous.
There is this perception that if you are doing art you are this rich white guy from Beverly Hills, he said. But I am not this rich white guy. I came to this country with $36 in my pocket. And its pretty sad that after 30 years I am being told to go back where you came from.
The activists in the neighborhood are making no apologies for the radical tactics and portray themselves as defenders of working-class neighborhoods in the city. They look to other neighborhoods, such as Echo Park and Silver Lake, that were once working class and are now filled with upscale bakeries that sell artisanal doughnuts and have replaced mom-and-pop taco shops and locally owned grocery stores.
We think of gentrification as displacement and white supremacy, said Nancy Meza, an organizer of Defend Boyle Heights, a group that formed nearly a year ago and has organized most of the protests against the galleries. Meza said some gallery owners brought dogs out to intimidate local residents walking the street. These galleries are coming in and trying to replace the current culture that is already in Boyle Heights. They are not looking to attract members of our communities.
As the protests have built in recent months, many gallery owners have tried to ignore them. Nicodim did not report either episode in front of his gallery to the police. But somebody did. After Capt. Rick Stabile saw reports of three separate cases of vandalism targeting what was labeled white art, he said it was common sense to pursue the acts as hate crimes because they were targeting the owners based on race. There are no suspects, but a hate crime conviction is punishable by up to a year in jail. After the episodes, he organized a meeting of the gallery owners and promised them a greater police presence for gallery openings.
Everyone has a right to protest, but when it becomes a hate crime, we have a problem in the area that we really need to address, Stabile said. The concern is this getting more out of hand.
As rents across the city have skyrocketed, gentrification has been a persistent worry for longtime residents of Boyle Heights. Some welcome the changes, which include a bustling subway station in Mariachi Plaza and improvements to local parks and schools that had been neglected for decades. More recently, Chicano residents who grew up in the area but left for college have begun to move back in, opening their own businesses in the area a process theyve referred to as gentefication, a play on gentrification and gente, Spanish for people.
Self Help Graphics and Art, a nonprofit that has worked in the area for more than 40 years, has held forums about the pitfalls of gentrification for years. The vast majority of residents in the neighborhood are renters, many living with a near constant threat of eviction. When the group opened its doors for such a meeting this summer, a dozen activists came in and took control of the microphone, holding signs that read Out with the galleries, out with the sellouts.
Betty Avila, the associate director of Self Help, said it was unfair to conflate the nonprofit, which focuses on exhibiting Latino artists, with the galleries that have opened up on Anderson Street, the industrial-looking strip that has been drawing the art collectors east of the Los Angeles River. But Avila shares many of the protesters concerns.
Residents see that the neighborhood is attracting more people who would have never come in here before, and they see people who are interested in living here who cant afford downtown looking to move here, she said. You have a community that is really frustrated and afraid of being displaced. The galleries are the most visible sign of change now, and you go after what you see. Its not all art; its art thats not for this community.
The gallery owners see the focus on race as misplaced and unfair. After Eva Chimento opened Chimento Contemporary last year, she said, two activists came into her gallery, threatened her and demanded that she show Latino artists. This summer, she attended a Defend Boyle Heights meeting only to be shouted down by activists.
Chimento said she refuses to discuss her ethnicity with the activists, but she has shown several local artists and is preparing an exhibition with two Puerto Rican artists about immigration. She has repeatedly told activists that she hires from the community and welcomes local residents into the space. This year, she took down the sign from her gallery to try to deflect threats. And she no longer uses local banks or restaurants out of fear of being recognized and targeted.
Ive been scared and nervous and jumpy. In the beginning I wanted to leave, but now its principle, she said. To say that white galleries need to leave, so they can decide what goes in their spaces, its an unrealistic expectation. Theres no way I can leave my space unless they give me $20,000-plus to buy me out of my space, because I have a landlord, just like everyone else.
1 Soldiers killed: The Defense Department on Sunday identified three U.S. soldiers killed in a shooting last week outside a military base in Jordan. Staff Sgt. Matthew Lewellen, 27, of Lawrence, Kan.; Staff Sgt. Kevin McEnroe, 30, of Tucson; and Staff Sgt. James Moriarty, 27, of Kerrville, Texas, died Friday after the convoy they were in came under fire. The Defense Department said it is investigating the attack. The soldiers were assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from Fort Campbell, Ky., and were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.
2 Charleston shooting: Jury selection resumes Monday in the federal death penalty trial of Dylann Roof, the white man charged in the shooting deaths of nine black parishioners during a Bible study at a Charleston, S.C., church last year. The 22-year-old is charged with hate crimes, obstruction of religion and other counts in the June 17, 2015, shootings at Emanuel AME Church. This is the first of two death penalty trials for Roof. He stands trial in state court in January on nine counts of murder. About 3,000 potential jurors received summonses for the federal trial, and a jury pool of over 500 remains.
NEW YORK When Kenneth Chamberlain Sr.s medical alert pendant accidentally went off five years ago, the 68-year-old told police who showed up that he was fine, barred them from entering his apartment and repeatedly asked them to go away.
They didnt. That set off a tense, 90-minute standoff that ended with the mentally ill, former Marine, shot dead.
What lived on is a dispute over whether the black victim was an armed threat when a white officer fired his gun the question central to a federal civil case set to go to trial this week. Opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday.
The deadly 2011 encounter at Chamberlains apartment in suburban White Plains much of it captured on audiotape that will be played for jurors was a precursor to the national debate over use of force by police in communities of color and in response to calls involving emotionally disturbed people.
Chamberlains case combines both issues, said his son, Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., whose family filed a $21 million wrongful death lawsuit that went forward after a grand jury declined to indict the shooter.
The son calls his father a victim of systematic racism by law enforcement.
If the officers had been confronted with the same situation in a more affluent neighborhood, It would have been Sorry to disturb you, and they would have been gone, he said.
To bolster that point, lawyers for the family unsuccessfully sought to introduce tape of an officer, later fired, using a racial slur during the confrontation. The officer, Steven Hart, died last year in an auto accident.
The plaintiffs have also accused White Plains Department of Public Safety of failing to properly train officers in how to deal with emotionally disturbed people.
Lawyers for Anthony Carelli, the officer who fired the fatal shot, and the city of White Plains did not respond to requests for comment. In court papers, the defense has insisted the shooting was justified, saying Carelli used deadly force only as a last resort.
The officers have also said they persisted in trying to coax Chamberlain into opening the door so they could make sure he was safe, which the defense says was required by department policy before they could leave.
At the time of the shooting, Chamberlain was living alone and suffering from bipolar disorder, arthritis and respiratory illness, conditions that prompted his family to give him a LifeAid medical alert device in case he needed help.
NEW YORK Print newspapers may be disappearing like the home telephone, but not after election day.
Remembering the frenzy for old-fashioned papers the morning after Barack Obamas historic win in 2008, newspapers are printing extra copies and setting up temporary retail stands this year, regardless of whether the nation elects the first woman or reality TV star as president. The Los Angeles Times is also selling a commemorative printing-press plate of the front page.
Not only are Latino voters set for record turnout this election, but poll results released Sunday show Latino support for Donald Trump may be lower than that for any Republican presidential candidate in more than 30 years.
Hillary Clinton has support from 76 percent of the Latino electorate, according to the Noticias Telemundo/Latino Decisions /NALEO Educational Fund poll.
Thats a higher level of support than President Obama won in both of his elections. Latino Decisions survey showed 75 percent of Latinos backed Obama in 2012. Exit polling put his support at 71 percent.
Just 14 percent of Latino voters back Trump, the survey found, Thats about half of Mitt Romneys 27 percent showing with Latinos and fewer than the GOPs low-point when Bob Dole won 21 percent of the Latino vote in 1996.
Polling in California found similar results, according to the final statewide USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times survey. Clinton was winning 73 percent of Latino registered voters compared with 17 percent for Trump in a two-way match up, the poll found.
Exit data compiled by the Pew Hispanic Center shows no Republican candidate faring worse with Latinos in presidential elections dating to 1980.
Republicans approached this election year hoping to improve their standing with Latinos, a growing part of the electorate. But instead, their candidate seems to have had the opposite effect.
Trumps criticism of Latino immigrants as rapists and criminals set a tone when he launched his campaign, amplified by his proposals to deport those here illegally and build a wall along the border with Mexico.
A Trump bump in early voting by Latinos already has been documented in recent days in Florida, Nevada, Texas and some other states.
Voter registration drives have been robust for the past year in many Latino and immigrant communities, and now many advocacy groups are working to ensure Latino voters get to the polls.
Almost 15 million Latinos could vote this year, a record, and polling shows the Latino electorate puts more importance on voting this year than in 2012.
As the first election results roll in, and the rest of the world sits glued to screens, U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry will be in the air, en route to Antarctica.
But before you jump to any conclusions, his spokesman wants to assure you - it is the weather that necessitates the timing. It has nothing to do with the election.
Antarctica's summer is exceedingly brief and provides the only window for travel. The visit will also give Kerry a chance to get a firsthand look at climate change's intensifying effects on the southernmost continent before attending a major climate conference in Morocco later this month. He will be the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the land of ice, penguins and research outposts.
Kerry "will meet with scientists and researchers studying a wide range of subjects in the extreme south of the planet, including climate change," according to the State Department. "He will also see firsthand part of the recently established Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area," which came into existence last week, is the world's largest, and was pushed heavily by Kerry and the Obama administration.
Kerry voted early in his home state of Massachusetts. He has privately made comments about how this year's rancorous election has made his job as America's top diplomat much more difficult. Some jokingly took the news that Kerry would be not only in the air but on his way to the South Pole as evidence that those who could get as far away from the election's aftermath as they can were doing so.
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, tweeted, "Secretary of State John Kerry is heading to Antarctica today. He must know something."
But Kerry's stated goal is draw attention to the diminution of polar ice sheets and the perils of rising sea levels that ensue. He led the U.S. delegation in helping draft the historic Paris climate agreement last year, and he visited Greenland earlier this year for much the same reason that he is now going to the opposite end of the earth.
Two Fort Worth women are considering a lawsuit after a Texas trooper allegedly ripped a nipple piercing in one woman's breast, according to Dallas TV station KXAS.
The trooper - identified by arrest records at Michael Tice - is on administrative duty pending an investigation, according to a Department of Public Safety spokesman.
The problems started when Tayler Myers, 18, and Courtney Palacios, 19, got pulled over for speeding as they were heading home from a Houston concert Monday.
The trooper who stopped them near Waco said he found a pill in vehicle and collared the women and their two male friends for drug possession, the TV station reported.
When the women - who said they knew nothing about the pill - were booked in the Falls County Jail, the trooper told them to take out their piercings.
"And then we told him, 'Well, where do we go to take out our nipple rings?'" Myers told KXAS. "And he was like, 'You are going to have to do it right here, in the open'."
READ MORE: Woman sues, says police officer broke her leg
They both took out their right piercings, but had trouble with the left side.
So the trooper allegedly picked up a pair of pliers and decided to lend a hand.
"He came up to me and he got really close to it, and he was just staring," Palacios recounted.
"He's like, 'I think it unscrews from the left side.' So then, without gloves or anything and I could see dirt under his nails, it was extremely disgusting he gets on there and he tries to twist it and he starts shaking from trying so hard and he ends up pulling it and ripping it and it starts bleeding."
Palacios shrieked in pain and the trooper backed away.
"It was extremely uncomfortable and uncalled for and I don't think he should have been anywhere near me," she said.
In the end, they never managed to get the piercing out.
A female employee helped remove Myers' piercing, but she still described the trooper's actions as "not right."
READ MORE: Lawsuit: Police dog had teeth filed, still caused wound
Afterward, the pierced pair found a Fort Worth lawyer to take their case.
"He has violated every policy and procedure known to police work," said attorney Curtis Fortinberry.
"That is just absolutely mind-boggling that he would do this."
Donning Guy Fawkes masks and scarves, protesters took to the streets of cities around the globe on Saturday, to protest against capitalism and fight for civil liberties.
The march was made up of supporters of hacker group Anonymous and others, and protests were planned for New York, Los Angeles, Brussels, and Edinburgh, Scotland, according to USA Today. The march took place on Guy Fawkes Night (Nov. 5).
Mariza Ruelas never expected a plate of ceviche would lead her to the courthouse and maybe even a possible jail sentence.
For more than a year, undercover investigators in San Joaquin County, California tracked the sales of food - such as homemade tamales, tortillas and cakes - through a community Facebook group, a sting that Mariza Ruelas called a "waste of time and resources and taxpayers' money."
Ruelas, a single mother of six, first came across the Facebook group about two years ago when she needed a last-minute cake for her daughter's quinceanera, the Hispanic coming-of-age celebration on a young woman's 15th birthday.
The community forum, 209 Food Spot, allowed Stockton, Calif. residents to share recipes, organize potlucks and occasionally sell or exchange food items.
As a hobby, about once a month, Ruelas began offering up her own dishes - a tray of rice and beans in exchange for a birthday cake, her staple chicken-stuffed avocados to those who requested it, she said in a phone interview with the Post.
Then, in July, she received a letter in the mail: she was being summoned to court. Ruelas, along with several other group members, faced citations for two misdemeanors - operating a food facility and engaging in business without a permit. An undercover investigator had ordered a ceviche from her through the Facebook group in October 2015 as part of a sting.
At least a half-dozen other members accepted a plea deal of one year of probation, a $235 fine and 40 hours of community service. Ruelas was offered a deal with twice the community service, three years of probation and the $235 fine, so she refused to accept it, she said.
The single mother of six is headed to trial and faces up to a year in jail for her misdemeanors.
"We didn't see any harm in that," she said, of selling and exchanging meals through the group. "There wasn't anybody selling it daily. A lot of times, they were just getting back what they put into the ingredients."
She hadn't ever looked into obtaining a permit, Ruelas said, because she only sold or exchanged food items once or twice a month at most, as a hobby on occasional weekends. It was an activity she enjoyed sharing with her children, ages 6 through 20, who would help prepare and deliver some of the dishes with her.
Sometimes, during the holidays, Ruelas and her children would donate the meals to the homeless, Ruelas said.
"The purpose wasn't to sell food," Ruelas said. "We wanted to bring something positive to our community." She mentioned Stockton's high crime and soaring homicide rates.
"They took the time to be investigating for over a year now," she said of her case. "But they can't solve all these unsolved murders?"
Kelly McDaniel, the San Joaquin County Deputy District Attorney, told the local Fox affiliate that the 209 Food Spot Facebook group was sent a warning before charges were filed. She added that selling any food not subject to health department inspection is a danger to the public and undercuts business owners who purchase permits to cook and sell food.
"People are assuming that I was taking from other businesses," Ruelas said. "It's not something that I was trying to make a business out of."
Ruelas has been out of work for two years, for personal reasons and to care for her children. After paying rent, electricity, water and other monthly bills, she only has $200 per month left for food and necessary shopping, she said. Simply paying the $230 fine for her misdemeanors would be a blow to her family's finances.
Although she rarely earned much of an income from the food sales through the Facebook group, she occasionally received useful items - such as clothes for the kids - in exchange for food. When a neighbor knew she needed furniture for her home, he offered to give her family couches in exchange for a home-cooked meal.
"I have two kids that are going to have a birthday party next week and I have no idea what I'm going to do about it," she said.
On Sunday, Ruelas posted a message from her 17-year-old daughter, Mariyah, on Facebook. She said she didn't want to be home when her mother made phone calls to her lawyer or to reporters about the case. It scared her, she wrote, thinking about her mom going to jail and leaving her and her siblings without a parent.
"That's just sad," Ruelas wrote in the Facebook post. "I need this done already so we can just breathe."
When the late 20th centurys most famous ballet dancer plays the early 20th centurys most famous ballet dancer, he doesnt dance.
Theres no dance per se, says Mikhail Baryshnikov of Letter to a Man, a portrait of Vaslav Nijinsky that plays Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 10-13, at Zellerbach Hall, presented by Cal Performances.
Instead of dance, he says, its movement.
Some of Nijinskys contemporaries might have said the same thing about that artists work, albeit with a more critical attitude. Nijinskys choreography for the 1913 premiere of Stravinskys The Rite of Spring incited riots in its Parisian audience, many of whom were expecting a classical ballet.
Of course, Im not imitating him as a dancer, Baryshnikov says over the phone from his home outside New York City. I dont try to imitate his photographs or anything. It is all about text, his vision, what kind of internal tormented quality probably Nijinsky had.
The text and the internal torment come from the same source: Nijinskys diaries, which show an artist descending into mental illness after a breakup (Nijinsky was bisexual) that got him ousted from his company, the Ballets Russes, and left him without opportunities to practice his art. (Starting in 1919, he spent much of the rest of his life in institutions, not even speaking for very long periods of time.)
Those diaries have long fascinated Baryshnikov and the experimental theater director Robert Wilson, a shared interest the two discovered while working together on The Old Woman, which also featured Willem Dafoe and which Cal Performances presented in 2014.
Wilson, over the phone from Berlin, where hes directing Samuel Becketts Endgame for the Berliner Ensemble, says he appreciates the diaries for their complexity a complexity that lends itself well to the stage.
Im fascinated by how quickly his mind could shift and change, he says. There are moments that are very lucid and clear, touching and moving; moments that are spiritual; moments that are very erratic ... and schizophrenic. I think that such a text is very contemporary, full of many different personas. It fits well for theater.
Wilson compares Nijinsky to Hamlet. (Wilson performed in his own adaptation of Shakespeares tragedy in 1995.) The more I thought about Hamlet, he was really so many characters. That becomes apparent in the diaries of Nijinsky. Hes composed of many different sides of a person. We all are. But he wrote it down.
Both Wilson and Baryshnikov praise the documents clarity, even though it was written by a supposed madman. Writing about God, sanity, fatherhood, teaching, pacificism and art, Nijinsky, Baryshnikov says, was in a very fragile state of mind. And yet theres an extraordinary document of great power. A lot of it kind of makes sense. Its very raw. Its very coherent. And yet it is totally mad. But sometimes maybe the honesty of it balances the lack of coherent delivery in the paper.
To develop the piece, Wilson would record himself improvising a series of movements; Baryshnikov, upon receiving them, would embody them, then refine and elaborate.
Wilson describes his preparations for those initial improvisations almost as a kind of non-preparation. As Ive gotten older, in rehearsal I try to empty my head. I try not to have any ideas. I like to start with a blank book and then see what happens.
When I was younger, I used to think if I wasnt prepared when I went to rehearsal, I wouldnt know what to do. When I was older I realized that I would waste a lot of time in rehearsal.
As a performer, Baryshnikov, 68, finds developing work with Wilson a huge responsibility, because he makes you do your homework. But his reward for that homework in Letter to a Man is to feel at once more at home onstage and more free. Part of that is that Baryshnikov gets to perform in his native Russian, which he hasnt gotten to speak much, even in everyday life, since defecting from the then-Soviet Union in 1974. But another part is simply inhabiting Wilsons exactingly designed world.
Strangely, I feel much more at home in a situation like that than in any other situation, Baryshnikov says. Since achieving international fame, hes of course had his pick of situations in which to perform, from dancing under George Balachines direction to playing Sarah Jessica Parkers love interest in Sex and the City.
Working with Wilson, Baryshnikov says, I have more confidence onstage than anywhere else. He gives you a strict proposition; inside, at least with me, he gives an enormous amount of freedom.
Of movement, Wilson believes, once it becomes mechanical, its free again. He thinks of his mother, who was a fast typist. She said she liked to type because it gave her time to think. When it does become automatic you have a kind of freedom.
Lily Janiak is The San Francisco Chronicles theater critic. Email: ljaniak@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LilyJaniak
Letter to a Man: Directed by Robert Wilson. Presented by Cal Performances. Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 10-13. $50-$225, subject to change. Zellerbach Hall, Bancroft Way at Dana St., UC Berkeley. (510) 642-9988. www.calperformances.org
To see a video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKgJTsbe_5o
Mary Gassen has worked in San Franciscos food industry for 21 years. But the process of opening a bakery is overwhelming, even for her.
The baking is the easy part. The hard part is making sure she has filled out the mass of paperwork, obtained the right permits and brought the building up to code. And even then, its easy to overlook something.
If you make a mistake, and there is some kind of ADA law requiring restaurants to be accessible to disabled people you didnt adhere to and didnt know about, it could cost you $50,000, said Gassen, who owns Noe Valley Bakery on 24th Street and plans to open another bakery in West Portal.
City officials want to make the process easier. The Office of Economic and Workforce Development last week announced a pilot program in which people can connect with one city official who will help them through the process from start to finish. That official will even help people find a place to open a restaurant and help them secure long-term leases. Its called the Small Business Acceleration Program.
And the department has added a feature to its business portal that allows people opening restaurants to establish an account and apply for permits online. The program is designed to help sole proprietors or people opening a restaurant for the first time, but there are no hard-and-fast rules on who may seek assistance.
We want to help small-business owners get through the process faster, but also feel better about how the process went, said Todd Rufo, director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. It also helps city departments by ensuring applicants are better prepared when they start the process.
The permit process alone is arduous. To open a restaurant in a location where there wasnt one before, for example, requires navigating at least six agencies and often more. One has to register with the treasurer and the assessor, and get approval from the Department of Building Inspection, the Planning Department, the Department of Public Health, Public Works, and the Police Department, if alcohol will be served.
A 2015 analysis by the city controller detailed further challenges.
Prospective permit applicants must work across many city departments, often in the process of getting a single permit, the report says. Difficulties for many first-time applicants include receiving inconsistent information from different permitting departments, repeatedly being asked for the same information on different permit forms, a lack of clear direction about which permits to obtain first, and traveling to different permitting offices that are geographically dispersed.
And for restaurateurs, getting the necessary permits quickly is critical, said Gwyneth Borden, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association.
The hard part is that so many people in city government have never worked in a business and to them time isnt money, but to anyone who has a business, time is money, Borden said. Every day that youre not open is a day that youre throwing money away.
For now, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development has hired one person, Katie Skjerping, to help people through the process, and may hire more in the future.
Gassen was among the first to seek Skjerpings help and she has nothing but praise.
She holds your hand, Gassen said. She gave me this huge checklist. And she arranged for the Health Department to come in before I signed a lease to tell me what I would need to do to pass the health inspection.
Gassen added: I know how to bake a loaf of bread or bake a birthday cake, but I dont know how to navigate the Planning Department process.
Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @emilytgreen
Sign up
To become part of the Small Business Acceleration Program, email open@sfgov.org.
SEOUL South Korean prosecutors arrested two former presidential aides Sunday as they bring their investigation over a bizarre political scandal that has engulfed the nation a step closer to President Park Geun-hye.
Park has issued apologies after suspicion that she allowed her longtime friend and daughter of a late cult leader to manipulate power from the shadows. But the apologies did little to assuage simmering public anger, which culminated in the largest antigovernment rally in the capital in almost a year Saturday when tens of thousands of people demanded that Park step down.
HELSINKI, Finland A small electric bus chugged along at a slow but steady seven miles per hour when a white van, entering the street from the side, cut in front of it. The bus slowed, as if its driver had hit the brakes, and got back up to speed after the van moved out of the way.
But this bus has no brake or accelerator pedal. It has no steering wheel, either. In fact, it doesnt have a driver it operates using sensors and software, although for now, a person is stationed on board ready to hit a red stop button in an emergency.
Altaf Qadri/Associated Press
NEW DELHI In Nepal, health warnings cover 90 percent of cigarette packs, while Australia requires those packets be wrapped in drab, plain paper. Indonesias new ban on outdoor advertising brought down tobacco billboards depicting smiling, smoking youths. And India wants scary photos of rotting lungs and mouth tumors covering packets sold in the country.
Still, national drives to discourage smoking and cut back tobacco sales havent done enough, campaigners say. Smoking-related deaths are still rising worldwide, with 80 percent of them expected to occur in developing country populations by 2030.
SYDNEY A bill that would have allowed a national plebiscite on legalizing same-sex marriage in Australia was defeated in Parliament on Monday. The vote in the Senate ended hopes for a change in the countrys marriage laws in the near future.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull asked lawmakers in September to support a bill for a nonbinding public vote to be held in February, in part to appease conservatives from his Liberal Party-led coalition. Turnbull had favored parliamentary action to decide the issue, which he said would lead to legalization. But conservatives in his party had pushed for a plebiscite.
MOSUL, Iraq Iraqs special forces worked Sunday to clear neighborhoods on the eastern edge of Islamic State-held Mosul as bombings launched by the extremist group elsewhere in the country killed at least 20 people.
The Mosul offensive has slowed in recent days as Iraqi forces have pushed into more densely populated areas, where they cannot rely as much on air strikes and shelling because of the risk posed to civilians, who have been told to stay in their homes.
There are a lot of civilians and we are trying to protect them, said Lt. Col. Muhanad al-Timimi. This is one of the hardest battles that weve faced till now.
Some civilians are fleeing the combat zone, while the militants are holding others back for use as human shields, making it harder for Iraqi commanders on the ground to get approval for U.S.-led coalition air strikes. Iraqs special forces are some of the countrys best troops, but they still largely rely on air support to clear terrain.
Iraqi forces first entered the eastern edge of the city on Tuesday. On Friday, forces began pushing into Mosul proper, but so far have advanced just over a mile into the city.
They could receive a boost with Sundays launch of a long-awaited offensive against the Islamic State-held city of Raqqa in northern Syria, the de facto capital of the extremist groups self-styled caliphate. That operation, launched by U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian forces, could force the extremists to split their forces to defend the two largest cities still under their control.
On the southern front of the Mosul battle, Iraqi forces are still some 12 miles from the city center. The fighting is centered on the town of Hamam al-Alil, where Associated Press journalists could hear gunfire and saw attack helicopters firing on militant positions.
The extremists captured Mosul and surrounding areas in 2014, and have had plenty of time to dig trenches, block off roads and mine approaches to the city.
The extremists struck far from the front lines Sunday with a series of bombings.
The deadliest attack took place in the city of Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, which is home to a major Shiite shrine. Provincial spokesman Ali al-Hamdani said the attacker set off a bomb-packed ambulance in a parking lot near Shiite pilgrims before detonating his explosives vest. The attack killed 11 people, including at least four Iranians, and wounded up to 100 other people.
Another suicide attacker rammed an explosives-laden car into a busy checkpoint outside the city of Tikrit, killing at least nine people.
KABUL To be homosexual in Afghanistan is to live in fear. Naveed and Rameen, young gay men in the capital Kabul have lost count of the number of times theyve been lured into dangerous situations on what they believed to be dates.
Both men describe being robbed, beaten up and blackmailed, and receiving death threats. Theyve even eluded police honey traps that could have seen them thrown in prison without charge, simply on suspicion of being gay.
They know they could be killed, with impunity, if they reveal their sexuality. Rameen, 31, tells the story of his friend, Zabi, who was killed by his family after coming out as gay, a so-called honor killing usually reserved for young women.
He was shaming the family by being open about it. They stabbed him so many times, Rameen said. It was a warning for us, for other gays. Now we keep to ourselves; we live a hidden life. And a hidden life is no life at all.
Both men use fake names among gay friends and said none of their relatives or colleagues know the truth about their sexuality.
Meeting other gay men is difficult as there are no regular gathering places, and the need to be discreet means developing relationships is almost impossible, they said. As a result, most encounters are for casual sex, which can lead to treacherous terrain.
Naveed, 24, said he recently turned up at one of Kabuls major hotels to get together with a man hed met in a doctors waiting room who had asked for his phone number.
He seemed nice, and he was quite handsome, so I thought: why not? Naveed said.
But it was a set-up; he tried to kidnap me. He drove me to a place where a gang of men were waiting with guns Im sure they would have killed me, but I ran away.
In Afghanistans conservative, religious society, sex outside marriage and same-sex sexual activity are illegal. Pederasty, which is understood to refer to sodomy or sex between an adult man and a boy, is punishable by 5 to 20 years in prison, according to the Justice Ministry. The death sentence can be applied if the subject dies as a result of the act.
Pressure to conform can cause profound distress, and creates a lot of psychological problems for the person themselves and their families, said Khalil Rahman Sarwary, a psychology lecturer at Kabul University.
It is difficult for homosexuals to find partners, and if they do, both parties are afraid of being found out, Sarwary said.
When the exact needs of a person are not being fulfilled, when a homosexual man is forced to marry and have children, it can lead to terrible unhappiness, divorce, even violence within the family. I know of cases where the frustration has built to the point where the man has even killed his wife.
Same-sex sexual activity is not unusual in Afghanistans strictly segregated society. Bacha bazi is a culturally sanctioned form of pedophilia, in which preteen boys many from poor families, often sold into the practice are sponsored by powerful and wealthy men to dress as girls and dance for parties of mostly middle-aged men. The boys usually live with their sponsors, who also abuse them for sex until they are in their teens, when they are discarded.
Yet the bacha baz, as the sponsors are known, are rarely punished for the years of abuse they commit against the dancing boys, and it is not unusual to see older men in public with their young sex slaves.
The practice predates Islam, and is believed to involve boys because of the general inaccessibility of girls.
While the boys themselves can carry the stigma of their dancing days throughout their lives, their sponsors, most of them married with children, are not regarded as homosexual, and their actions are often justified with the saying women are for children, boys are for fun.
Openly proclaiming to be gay in Afghanistan, however, can carry severe consequences. The few gay Afghan men who dared to speak of their sexuality described a struggle of confusion and guilt as they grew up trying to cope with feelings they didnt understand. And once they did, not only could they not share them, they had to suppress them for their own safety.
Hamid Zaher, 43, said that when he was growing up in Kabul, nobody knew what gay was and all gay people were suppressed. They could never accept themselves or talk to anyone about their feelings.
Like the other gay men who spoke to the Associated Press, he said that as a young man he felt that he wanted to be normal, and concealed his sexuality, until it just became too difficult.
In 2008, Zaher left the country and settled in Toronto, where he works in the construction industry. He describes the transition as from zero percent freedom to 100 percent. He wrote a book that became his coming-out manifesto and said accordingly, my family disowned me.
Since the Talibans extremist regime was overthrown in the U.S. invasion of 2001, the flow of information into Afghanistan has helped boost awareness, but understanding and tolerance of homosexuality are still a long way off, even compared with regional neighbors. Russia is notoriously intolerant toward homosexuals, but the practice itself is legal. In China, homosexuality was legalized in 1997 and removed from the official list of mental illnesses in 2001.
Young gay men in Afghanistan still largely grow up with identity crises, waiting for perplexing feelings to subside and make way for normality.
Rameen said that from the age of 4 he was feeling very strange. I liked playing with girls, with girls toys, I liked fashion, and people used to make jokes about me.
When he enrolled in university to study journalism, he thought these strange feelings he had toward men would leave him because I didnt know what gay is, he said.
He caved in to pressure from classmates to find a girlfriend, but said It was not realistic. Nothing changed.
After hearing a friend talking about homosexuality, Rameen went to an Internet cafe and looked up what it means to be gay.
I read so many stories, and I realized that it is something real with me. It will never change. It is natural.
That led him to a gay dating website, through which he met an expat working in Afghanistan.
That opened up a new window on life for me.
In a way, I am lucky, he said. Think of the generations who came before me who had no idea what it even meant to be gay.
BELFAST On the surface, Britain would seem to be in the throes of an alarming wave of hate crimes.
In 2015, Britain recorded eight times as many hate crimes as the United States, which has five times as many people; that was 31 times the hate crimes reported in France and 88 times the total in Italy.
The rise of the nationalist United Kingdom Independence Party, resentment of immigration, terror attacks in Europe and perceptions of anti-Semitism on the fringes of the Labor Party have all contributed to an atmosphere of increased fear and hostility in parts of Britain.
Things seemed to worsen after Britain voted in June to leave the European Union, an outcome driven in large part by anti-immigrant sentiment. A Polish familys house and a Romanian-owned shop were set on fire; Eastern Europeans were spat upon, beaten up and told to go home.
The assaults extended to Muslim women, whose face veils were torn off. Blacks, Asians, gays and people with disabilities also reported abuse. Britain recorded 71,140 hate crimes in the 2016 financial year, which ended in March. In July, the month after the referendum, the number of hate crimes recorded by police was 41 percent higher than in July of last year, though they have fallen lately.
All in all, it is a numerical portrait of a society in the grip of hatred and bigotry. Except the statistics are misleading, said Mark Hamilton, assistant chief constable of the Northern Ireland police, who leads Britains hate-crime policy for the National Police Chiefs Council.
In most cases, its not a rise in hate crimes. Its a rise in reporting, he said in an interview in his Belfast office. Since hate crimes are generally under-recorded, he said, our national strategy is to increase the level of hate-crime reporting.
The number of reported hate crimes in Britain has risen for two reasons: increased public awareness and changes in the law so that almost anything can be recorded as a hate crime so long as the victim experiences a verbal or physical assault as such. Many of the changes stem from the racially charged murder of Stephen Lawrence, an 18-year-old black man who was stabbed while waiting for a bus in 1993.
Many crimes counted in the statistics are registered through True Vision, a government-funded website that allows anyone to anonymously report what they have experienced or witnessed as a hate crime.
Rather than a hotbed of racial hatred, then, Britain is more a country that takes hate crime seriously and encourages citizens to report such acts when they occur. Far from painting Britain as a xenophobic society, Hamilton said, the numbers point to greater intolerance among Britons directed not at foreigners, but at hateful behavior toward them. The figures also suggest that public trust in the police is improving, he said.
Although the Brexit vote created a license for some to lash out, Hamilton said, if we look at what were reporting, were not reporting massive numbers of serious crime.
Data from the Home Office published last month showed that more than half of all hate crimes were categorized as threatening but nonviolent behavior. Still, a third involved some physical violence.
Excluding online hate crimes, which are difficult for authorities to monitor, police data show that about 82 percent of hate crimes are racially or religiously motivated, including ones related to anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. The remainder are crimes against gays, transsexuals and people with disabilities, which the police consider to be badly underreported.
Interest groups have their own counts. Community Security Trust, a British charity, said anti-Semitic incidents rose 11 percent year over year in the first six months of 2016, after totaling 924 in 2015. Tell Mama, which tracks Islamophobia, said it had received 1,128 reports in 2015, more than double those in the previous year. European embassies in Britain have also logged dozens of incidents against their citizens, mostly from Eastern Europe.
But because the official figures do not break down hate crimes by religion, it is difficult to verify such counts.
The rate of prosecution varies across the four countries that make up the United Kingdom. In England and Wales, about a quarter of reported hate crimes were prosecuted last year. In Scotland, the rate was about 80 percent, while in Northern Ireland, it was more than half.
Once brought to court, more than 4 in 5 hate crime prosecutions result in conviction in Britain.
The police response has improved in a lot of ways, said Neil Chakraborti, a criminology professor and the director of the Center for Hate Studies at Leicester University. Britain has a clear set of laws, a policy that is victim-led, and there is a collective endeavor to tackle hate crime.
The shift to a perception-based definition of hate crimes emerged from the Lawrence case.
The police were dogged by allegations that Lawrence had been denied first aid because of his race, and that they had run a smear campaign against his family and supporters who criticized how authorities conducted proceedings.
A subsequent government inquiry described the London Metropolitan Police as institutionally racist. It said there had been a collective failure by authorities through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people.
Although British police still struggle with minority relations, officials say the recognition of racism in the police force drastically changed the mind-set inside the organization. Most of the recommendations made by the report were put into practice shortly after its publication in 1999.
The police are now subject to greater public scrutiny. The handling of racist incidents is closely monitored, as are stop-and-search procedures. The police routinely measure how satisfied minorities are with their service. Officers are given racial awareness training, and there have been efforts to make the force more racially diverse, even though the number of minorities remains disproportionately low.
Some of the changes also came about because of the 1998 Human Rights Act, which incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights into British law. It enshrined, among other things, an individuals right to life, humane treatment and fair trial. In addition, the Human Rights Act requires minimal use of force and firearms by police officers.
The threading of human rights through every response of the police service has been a fundamental element in changing how we go about our business and how we view how we do our business, Hamilton said. Its a superb thing.
Hamilton is based in Belfast, once called the hate-crime capital of Europe because of Northern Irelands long history of sectarian violence between mostly Protestant pro-British unionists and mostly Roman Catholic pro-Irish republicans.
Given the history, the police force in Northern Ireland has led Britains hate-crime strategy for 20 years out of a bunker-like compound on the outskirts of Belfast. Tensions remain, but the reframing of hate crimes and a greater emphasis on human rights in British law also had an impact here.
Sectarian crimes in Northern Ireland are now categorized as hate crimes, which officials say has encouraged more people to come forward. But mistrust of the police still runs deep, and reports of hate crimes in Northern Ireland are generally lower than in England and Wales. (Leaflets recently pasted on street lamps urged citizens not to give information to the police.)
Today, anyone caught painting a fresh mural seen as inciting racial hatred can be prosecuted for a hate crime.
In recent years, weve had a collective courage to name hate crime for what it is, Hamilton said, adding that most people develop hatred for other communities because they themselves have suffered.
What were talking about is what motivates people, he said. Those are things you can affect. Those are things you can challenge.
BEIRUT Kurdish-led Syrian forces backed by the U.S. began an offensive Sunday to liberate the Islamic State groups de facto capital of Raqqa, clashing with the extremists north of the Syrian city and warning neighboring Turkey not to interfere in the operation.
U.S., French and British officials said they would provide air support for the offensive. The announcement by a coalition of Kurds and Arabs known as the Syria Democratic Forces came at a news conference in Ein Issa, north of Raqqa, attended by senior commanders and representatives of the group, and was immediately welcomed by Washington. But it lacked details on how the group dominated by Kurds plans to oust the militants from the city, home to nearly 200,000 mostly Sunni Arabs and an estimated 5,000 Islamic State fighters.
BEIJING Chinas top legislature effectively barred two democratically elected separatist lawmakers from taking office in Hong Kong with a ruling Monday on the citys constitution, an intervention into a local political dispute thats likely to spark further turmoil in the southern Chinese city.
The National Peoples Congress Standing Committee in Beijing said it adopted an interpretation of an article in Hong Kongs mini-constitution on oath-taking. It acted after a provocative display of anti-China sentiment by two newly elected pro-independence Hong Kong lawmakers at their swearing-in ceremony last month.
Thousands of people protested in Hong Kong on Sunday, demanding that Chinas central government stay out of the political dispute, saying the move would undermine the citys considerable autonomy and independent judiciary. Police used pepper spray and batons to contain some of the demonstrators, arresting two.
In issuing the interpretation, the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee said talk of independence for Hong Kong is intended to divide the country and severely harms the countrys unity, territorial sovereignty and national security.
The interpretation says that those who advocate for independence for Hong Kong are not only disqualified from election and from assuming posts as lawmakers but should also be investigated for their legal obligations.
Lee Cheuk-yan, a former pro-democracy lawmaker who was among the protesters, said Hong Kong residents were concerned that Beijing was encroaching on their relative freedoms, such as freedom of speech and expression.
We may not agree with the two (newly elected lawmakers), their language, but we have to protect their rights because they are elected members, Lee said. If (Beijing) can deprive them this time, they can deprive others because of other speeches or language or protest.
After the protest march, several thousand people protested in the evening outside Beijings liaison office. Police used pepper spray and batons on demonstrators amid some scuffling.
Some protesters wore face masks and hoisted open umbrellas symbols reminiscent of student-led pro-democracy demonstrations in 2014 that swelled to such numbers they blocked key Hong Kong streets.
Demonstrators held signs reading Defend the rule of law and calling for the citys Beijing-backed chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, to step down.
The legislative panel in Beijing said the words and actions of the two Hong Kong lawmakers Sixtus Leung and Yau Wai-ching posed a grave threat to national sovereignty and security, Xinhua reported.
The interpretation involves an article in Hong Kongs constitution, known as the Basic Law, that covers oaths taken by lawmakers.
Last month, Leung, 30, and Yau, 25, who are from the radical Youngspiration party, altered their oaths to insert a disparaging Japanese term for China. Displaying a flag reading Hong Kong is not China, they vowed to defend the Hong Kong nation. Leung crossed his fingers, while Yau used the F-word in her pledge.
Their oaths were ruled invalid, but subsequent attempts have resulted in mayhem in the legislatures weekly sessions.
Control of State House Up in the Air
On election eve, it looks like New Mexico
and political handicappers suggest the lower chamber could end up in a 35-35 tie.
High Court Contest Down to the Wire
An Albuquerque Journal poll shows the New Mexico Supreme Court race is going to be a nail-biter between Judith Nakamura and Michael Vigil, who appear
each.
Johnson's Poll Numbers Slip
Meanwhile, it looks like support for Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson has slipped significantly in New Mexico. Support for the former New Mexico governor has
from 24 percent in late September.
Thousands Voted Early
Matthew Reichbach reports that
easily topping the numbers reported in 2008 and 2012. Absentee votes cast so far push that number even higher.
If you havent voted already, youll want to check out SFRs
.
Board Recommends Cannabis to Treat Opiate Use Disorders
On Friday, the New Mexico Cannabis Advisory Board
be approved to treat heroin and other opiate addictions. Their recommendation is nonbinding. Acting Health Secretary Lynn Gallagher will make the final decision on whether to add it to a list of qualified medical conditions. That, plus NORML has given Gov. Susana Martinez an F grade
decriminalization and objection to hemp farming in New Mexico.
NurseAdvice Hotline Could be Shuttered
The states NurseAdvice telephone hotline, recognized for excellence by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just last last, is
because managed care companies that long supported the program have switched to lower-cost services, most of them based out of state.
Santa Fe Reporter
Westpac Banking Corp's New Zealand division posted a 4 percent fall in annual earnings as lenders give up margin in the hunt for mortgage customers.
Cash earnings, the favoured measure of the Australian-owned lenders, fell to $872 million in the 12 months ended Sept. 30 from $905 million a year earlier, the Sydney-based parent said in a statement. Net interest income edged up 2 percent to $1.71 billion, with the bank's New Zealand loan book expanding 9 percent to $75.1 billion over the period, though net interest margins shrank 12 basis points to 2.13 percent.
"Intense competition for new lending and a shift to lower-spread fixed-rate mortgages has compressed margins," Westpac said. "Weak financial conditions in the dairy sector drove stressed assets to TCE (total committed exposure) up 94 basis points to 2.54 percent."
National Australia Bank-owned Bank of New Zealand and Australia & New Zealand Banking Corp's local operations also reported declines in annual earnings last week, with both registering a 12 basis point decline in net interest margins due to the heightened mortgage competition and higher cost of raising funds overseas. Commonwealth Bank of Australia's ASB Bank division will provide a quarterly update this week, though its balance date is a June year.
Westpac's New Zealand operation also faced a 5 percent increase in operating expenses to $919 million as it spent more on a 'business transformation' programme, relaunched its brand, and faced higher depreciation and amortisation costs for its software. Impairment charges for bad debts jumped 26 percent to $59 million, largely due to "higher stress in the dairy portfolio and a lower level of writebacks and recoveries," it said.
The New Zealand operation contributed A$812 million, or 10 percent, to the group cash earnings of A$7.82 billion, which was largely unchanged from a year earlier. Net profit fell 7 percent to A$7.45 billion, and Westpac's board declared a final dividend of 94 Australian cents per share, payable on Dec. 21, with a Nov. 15 record date. That takes the annual payout to A$1.88, fully franked, up from A$1.87 in 2015.
Westpac's New Zealand mortgage book grew 7 percent to $45.1 billion, while business lending climbed 12 percent to $28.4 billion, driven by credit growth in agriculture, energy and financial services. Deposits climbed 11 percent to $57.5 billion.
In a presentation to investors, Westpac said its impaired dairy assets in New Zealand remain low, though there had been an increase in stress since a portfolio review at a milk price of $4.25 per kilogram of milk solids. The sector's total committed exposure had increased to $5.9 billion from $5.8 billion six months earlier, with a quarter of the portfolio 'stressed' compared to 10 percent as at March 31 and 4.7 percent a year earlier.
The dual-listed shares were unchanged at $31.20 on the NZX, and have dropped 13 percent this year, while on the ASX the shares last traded at A$29.71.
(BusinessDesk)
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PGG Wrightson said its independent directors will meet to consider the implications for the company of the New York Stock Exchange's investigation and proposed delisting of Agria Corp's American depositary shares, which were suspended from trading on Nov. 3.
Agria indirectly owns 50.2 percent of Wrightson (PGW) through Agria (Singapore). The NYSE plans to delist Agria after an investigation by NYSE Regulation that "uncovered evidence demonstrating that the company and its management engaged in operations contrary to the public interest and not in keeping with sound public policy."
NYSE stated that it identified evidence indicating that the company "through a top executive and other intermediaries engaged in trading intended to artificially inflate Agria's stock price, including to improperly avoid having the company delisted for failing to comply with NYSE's continued listing standards requiring companies to maintain an average stock price of at least $1.00 per share over a consecutive thirty day trading period; and provided incomplete, misleading, or false information in connection with investigations related to these issues," Agria said in a statement, citing the NYSE.
Agria said it was seeking further information about the circumstances of the NYSE allegations and considering options including an appeal. It also said it was subpoenaed in December 2015 by the US Securities and Exchange Commission "in connection with a non-public investigation".
"The SEC's subpoena is focused on, among other things, Agria's historic and ongoing business operations in China," Agria said. It was cooperating with the investigation, it said.
Wrightson's independent directors, Bruce Irvine, John Nichol and Ronald Seah, have reformed as a committee to consider and assess the implications of the moves against Agria, the company said.
Wrightson shares fell 3 percent to 46.5 cents and have gained 12 percent this year, outpacing a 6.2 percent gain for the S&P/NZX 50 Index. Agria's ADS stock was last traded at 84.9 US cents, having first dropped below US$1 in January. They were as high as US$2.10 in 2014.
(BusinessDesk)
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Trustpower, which spun out its Australian windfarms into a separately listed company, Tilt Renewables, on Oct. 31, posted a 7.6 percent decline in first-half profit on a demerged basis, in the face of rising operating expenses and costs related to the split.
Profit was $45 million in the six months ended Sept. 30, from $48.7 million a year earlier, the Tauranga-based company said in a statement. Revenue climbed to $501.6 million from $474.8 million.
The demerger created a separate company in Tilt that was valued at about $657 million, based on the value of its shares on the NZX and ASX, which were distributed to existing shareholders. Based on figured adjusted for the split, Trustpower's operating expenses rose to $392 million from $354 million a year earlier, driven by increases in line costs, generation production costs, wages and 'other expenses'. Earnings included $8.7 million of demerger expenses and one-time costs associated with the closure of the company's Energy Direct brand, it said today.
"Margins have been maintained in challenging market conditions, and underlying earnings have remained stable," said chairman Paul Ridley-Smith. "Management has also ensured the company was well prepared for the demerger; a highly important strategic initiative which was implemented just a few days ago.
Trustpower shares were unchanged at $4.79. The company declared an interim dividend of 16 cents a share, payable on Dec. 9, from 21 cents a year earlier when the company included its Australian windfarms.
The company's retail business, which sells electricity, gas, broadband and telephony services to households and businesses in New Zealand, posted first-half revenue of $465 million from a restated $449 million a year earlier. the gains were driven by increased a 1.5 percent gain in electricity revenue to $414 million and a 48 percent jump in telco revenue to $31 million. Gas sales fell to $16.8 million from $17.8 million.
Its generation business in New Zealand, which amounts to 634 megawatts of hydro and wind generation assets, along with metering and irrigation assets, and energy trading, reported sales in the first half of $149 million, up from a restated $139 million as electricity revenue climbed to $134 million from $127 million, making up for a drop in meter rental revenue to $8.5 million from $9.4 million.
The company also has a controlling 65 percent interest in King Country Energy, which it acquired in March, which has 54MW of hydro generation. King Country contributed earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and financial adjustments of $7.1 million in the first half, with sales of 113 GWh to its 17,000 retail customers.
Its Australian generation assets, made up of 477MW of hydro and wind generation, reported revenue of $77.7 million from a restated $64.8 million a year earlier. Expenses rose to $20.7 million from $17.6 million, while ebitdaf jumped about 21 percent to $57 million.
The average spot price for generation in New Zealand was $55/MWh, from $54/MWh a year earlier.
(BusinessDesk)
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